Dancezwithkittehz: Every day is core day

[dancezwithkittehz]

Hellooooooooooooo Assassins!

 

I think I am going to try something a little different for this challenge. I am someone who thrives on variety and being able to switch things up, and I have a LOT of different stuff I am working on, so Instead of trying to do a regimented two days of this per week, one day of this per week, blah blah blah,  I want to go a little more freeform, with the exception of my primary goal of CORE DAY EVERY DAY WOOOOO!

 

My inspiration for my core goal is:

 

I am still rehabbing my left tricep. It is SO CLOSE to back to normal. During my month of injury and not being able to do ANY upper body work I started working on core a lot because it was something I could do. I went to open studio at my aerial gym yesterday for the first time since my injury and I realized that my improved core strength from focusing on core has done some really awesome things for my body. My aerial skills are smoother and more controlled, and I feel my flexibility has even improved even though I wasn't focusing on that!

 

Without further delay, MY GOALS:

 

1. Every day is core day!!!!!!!

I want to work on my core every day. Some days a little. Some days a lot. Whatever my body feels like just as long as I do some every day!

 

 

2. All the other things!

I have a lot of other things I work on. Most of these I tend to do every other day or so or at least 2-3 times per week. My goal is to do things from this list at least three times a week. I am not going to be specific about which happens when and how much, and some overlap with my core goal anyway but whatever. All the things! Here are all my mini goals in a list-tastic list:

• Bodyweight strength training (specifically pull ups and push ups)
• Lifting! (I want to start doing powerlifting. This goal is pending total healing of my arm!)
• Dance! (fun dance, formal dance classes, working on technique, choreography, whatever!)
• Sing! (I am the singer for a band now so I should be doing this anyway, YAAAY)
• Declutter
• Keep running! (I can run a whole 3 miles at once now! I'd like to keep slowly building this up.)
• Hike!
• Stretch!
• Perform more! (This is really always on my list and requires finding performance opportunities. Crossing fingers)
• Find job in Bay area! (Long term goal I am still working on. It'll happen!

I will probably add to the list for number 2 as I think of more things! I know that includes both health and life goals and I am OK with that. I expect I will be doing a lot more than 3 a week with so many things to pick from!

[hybrid756]

I love these 'pick x from the magical mystery box' quests! You have a ton of variety to choose from there. Sounds like you could make any of that core-specific, even the job hunting, depending on how you do it I hope your injury improves soon so you can expand your options even further!

[dancezwithkittehz]

Hah! OK I am going to figure out how I could do core-specific job hunting!  I could plank while writing cover letters and reading job descriptions? Could be exciting!

[dancezwithkittehz]

Day 1, every day is core day:

I did 20 block crunch thingies per side from the cirque du soleil back and core training video! I am pretty sore from open studio yesterday so this is enough for today!

[dancezwithkittehz]

Day 2 of every day is core day (yesterday/Tuesday!):

I did 20 of the army crawls from the mini challenge

 

Goal 2, All the other things! (1/3 for the week):

I did 30 incline push ups today. Arm is sore, but in a good/ not injured way. Weeee injury rehabbing.

[dancezwithkittehz]

Yessssss I can do pull up negatives now! YAAAAAAAAAAY! One step closer! BUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

For today, day 3, Wednesday January 7th:

Every day is core day:

12 reps ball supermans, 10 seconds per side per rep,

All the other things!:

2 sets of 5 chin up negatives, holding for 4 seconds at top & lowering for 4 seconds

2 + 5 pull up negatives, no hold at top

[dancezwithkittehz]

This has been a rough week. I've had trouble sleeping all week due to shark week related anxiety, and then not getting enough sleep just makes me grumpy so I am anxious AND grumpy and then last night I discovered my stomach apparently hates beans now and I didn't sleep at all AGAIN courtesy of grumpy tummy. It has been quite a day! I decided a little exercise might at least help improve my mood so I went for a little run so for today I did:

Goal 1, Every Day Is Core Day:

1 minute plank. This was enough for how tired and run down I feel today!

Goal 2, All the other things! (2 out of 3 min for the week):

10 lunges per side

Run: Distance: 2.19 miles, time: 33:26 min, average pace: 15:14 minutes/ mile

Overall not a bad run considering how I feel today! I feel like the run really helped calm the anxiety a bit and I'm hoping it'll help me get good sleep tonight!

I almost forgot that I also did some job search related stuff today. I didn't put in any new applications but I decided to follow up with a contact I found on LinkedIn at a job I applied to. I am going to be up in the Bay Area on a little weekend trip soon so I sent a message to the hiring manager saying I would be in the area and would love to meet and here are a few reasons why I would be great for this jobs. I don't know if I will hear back but I am glad I at least tried!

[dancezwithkittehz]

Day 5, Friday

Goal 1, Every Day is Core Day

I made it back early enough from work for the 6:30 aerial class and my arm is feeling up to it so yesssss aerial class! I haven't been to the normal beginner class in a while. I was in a total shit mood today so I just busted ass and worked to feeling shaky tired at the end of class and it was perfect!

[starsapart]

Why am I not following you yet?  What is wrong with me???

 

Rectified now.

[dancezwithkittehz]

You have so many pages to read on your own thread every day that I totally forgive you! Hahahahaha

[starsapart]

The truth is I'm just so forgetful..... hahahaha.

[dancezwithkittehz]

Day 6, Saturday January 10th

Goal 1 Every Day Is Core Day:

I did some of the cirque du soleil core workout:

10 reps 10 second opposite arm opposite leg ball supermans per side (hey that's more than a minute and a half per side. Getting closer to buff french cirque du soleil dude standards!!)

Ball glute bridge work, 10 reps per side each of Tendus, Tendus to second, and foot circles

Goal 2, all the other things!:

Oh hey I forgot to put walking on my bullet list up there but went for a nice long walk today with the man friend and his dog in the nice light rain we are having today.

I also did some decluttering and organizing in my room. Organizing the shoes is a perpetual struggle. Argh!

[dancezwithkittehz]

Day 7, Sunday January 11th,

Goal 1 Every Day Is Core Day:

Did a short core workout followed by aerial open studio.

Short core workout/ warm-up:

2 sets of 10 tuck ups on the ground

3 sets alternating planks and downward dog, holding each 30 seconds per rep

2 sets 1 min forward fold with interlaced hands

1 set of 20 plank shoulder taps

Aerial open studio:

I am determined to get past mental block with piking under the trapeze bar. For this I did a ton of inverted tuck to pike on split silks first with double wrap and then made myself work down to single wrap (I know I could do this no wrap probably but I'm always nervous to do that! Baby steps!),

On silks I also worked on foot lock and candy canes, classic and Russian climbs on both sides, and worked on getting a solid inverted straddle by holding longer in inverted froggy and putting on foot out at a time side to side🗠(somehow by I accidentally inserted a chicken drumstick emoji right here. I am hungry. Maybe my phone knew. Mmmm meat!)

On hammock I worked on the basics: pullovers, slide to cross, cross to inverted straddle ad infinitum.

Then I decided it'd be a good idea to spin really fast and do pretty poses because dance and yay pretty. For the millionth time I managed to make myself super dizzy and then had to struggle through rest of my workout feeling clammy and motion sick. You'd think I would learn!

[starsapart]

Sounds like an awesome open gym for you!!!!

 

I've accidentally made myself dizzy aiming for pretty spinny goodness, too.

[dancezwithkittehz]

I have to remember to not go FULL SPEED SPINNING FOREVAR. I've seriously made myself sick doing it so many times. But I really love setting myself off into a fast spin and then playing with leg and arm positions to speed up and slow down. Good times! I figure someday I will eventually get used to it, but maybe I should start at slower speed and once I adjust to that work on gradually adding in faster spins. The girl at the front desk was suggesting next time I should just save that for last so I don't have to struggle through motion sickness for the rest of my work out. and supposedly it will help if after spinning one way once I'm on the ground I spin the other way for a bit. I don't know if it will work but I'll try it next time.

[sylph]

Okay, here I am!

 

And so awesome that your arm is improved.

 

 

 

And spinning = queasy. Totally been there.

[dancezwithkittehz]

Any tips for building up ability to spin without wanting to puke? hahahahahahaha

[sylph]

Any tips for building up ability to spin without wanting to puke? hahahahahahaha

Yeah, i got nothing.

[starsapart]

Man, I wish.

 

I tried spotting once but it actually made me swing drunkenly on top of spinning so...... I got nothing.

[dancezwithkittehz]

Yeah I don't try to spot unless I'm spinning pretty slow-ish! I bet figure skaters know the trick to how to get used to spinning stupidly fast. I have a feeling it's going to be something like "do it a lot and eventually it sucks less."

[dancezwithkittehz]

Day 8, Monday, January 12th

Goal 1: Every Day Is Core Day:

Advanced beginner aerial class. My arms were kind of toast today from open gym yesterday and beginner aerial on Friday. I kept it easy and just worked on stuff I haven't had the chance to do since my injury: straddle mount Lyra and hanging from the knees, working on holding inverted straddle on silks and inverted pike with only single wrap, I can't remember what the hell the inverted straddle climbs are called but I can't quite do it anyway, worked on some of the mechanics of where I'd need to swing my body to without actually hooking and swinging over into hip key, practiced basic movement to prep getting into hip key and did a few classic climbs and a quick pullover or two on the hammock.

She also had us warm up with a bunch of v ups and gnarly oblique crunch thingies. My absssss aaaaaah!

[dancezwithkittehz]

I am le tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiired today, but I did get myself to get some thing done!

 

Day 9, Tuesday, January 13th

 

Goal 1 Every Day Is Core Day!:

My body is pretty thrashed so I kept it super basic today. 1 minute plank! That's it.

 

Goal 2, All the Other Things! (1 of 3 for the week):

Today I went for a run/walk for 31 minutes. OK more like walk/run. I didn't realize I would be so tired after two days in a row of aerial. I warmed up and started out my run for maybe 5 minutes but then just walked the rest because my body was not having it. It still felt good to get in some movement and it's a nice day out and the lagoon wasn't too stinky today. Yay!

[dancezwithkittehz]

More Tuesday stuff!

Goal 2, All The Other Things (2 out of 3 min for the week):

I sang for two hours (my phone wanted me to say "hoes" lol at mental picture) for rehearsal today. Hilariously enough what is usually my best sounding/ most rehearsed was probably my worst today because I forgot to bring water and my throat was super dry and angry by that point.

I am so happy with how well this band thing is going. We have down four songs really solidly and I'll get the fifth down soon. I'm having fun playing around with where to throw emphasis and really spit the words and stuff and throw in some vibrato and whatever else I feel like.

I feel so much more confident now that I've had the chance to really get down the newer songs. The first run of each one I get so nervous since I've only been able to practice them in my car. It's still weird hearing myself amped singing original songs (I do a mean karaoke but that's different.) I had a few moments where I felt that flow state almost and I haven't had that with songs that are from my project and are sung by me!! (Not written by me but hey. Maybe someday!)

Yaaay singing.

[dancezwithkittehz]

Day 10, Wednesday, January 14th

Goal 1, Every Day Is Core Day

5 reps opposite arm opposite leg ball supermans, 1 rep equals hold 15 seconds on each side.

5 tucks and 5 pikes on exercise ball

Goal 2, All the Other Things (3 out of 3 minimum):

I did a little arm workout, 2 sets of 15 inverted rows. I accidentally set it a little high so I had to do these on releve which was fun.

[Urgan]

Yeah I don't try to spot unless I'm spinning pretty slow-ish! I bet figure skaters know the trick to how to get used to spinning stupidly fast. I have a feeling it's going to be something like "do it a lot and eventually it sucks less."

 

Perhaps the answer is just spin moar. Not in a single day, mind, but just keep at it? Jet pilots and astronauts aren't necessarily born with perfect tolerance, and I'm sure there's technique answers (like knowing how long is reasonable for a human to be spinnin'). Oh, I recall something about there being breathing techniques to help with the above two professions, lifters have the Valsalva maneuver, any chance that might help?

 

*is aware of irony of advising on aerials, skuttles away*