Archive for August 19, 2013

Use It or Lose It?

Just popping in on this lovely Sunday evening with a fun little post for you guys.

I did a tough track/sprint workout today plus some spring cleaning/furniture moving (yes, I realize it isn’t spring. whatever.), so this evening has been very low key. I watched an episode of Drop Dead Diva (don’t hate) and browsed some of my favorite websites.

Killer-Track-Workout

In college, one of my classes was a creative innovation class. It was actually pretty cool and focused a lot on start-ups, innovation (hence the name), and finding your creative passions. One of the websites that we were introduced to was Springwise.com

This website has tons of up and coming start-ups and inventions from around the world. Some are REALLY cool. Some are REALLY…umm…not thought out (in my humble opinion.) I decided it would be fun to showcase some of the articles I came across and give my thumbs up or thumbs down.

1.  KERBspace is using tech to help parking meter operators to make the ticketing process more seamless.

My thoughts: This seems pretty cool to me. I live in Los Angeles, where parking is a NIGHT.MARE. How nice would it be to be alerted about a space opening up? Or better yet, not have to fun up in the middle of a meal to go fill your meter!! It seems like there could be some issues with this though. Paying for the space you take up? Does this mean I have to pay more because I drive a truck? I’m not sure how I feel about that……

My opinion: Use it!

2. TouchCast is a video creation and publishing platform that offers rich multimedia integration.

My thoughts: The possibilities of video are pretty endless as far as technology goes, but for regular, every day consumers that aren’t as tech savvy, this seems like a great idea! It would be great to be able to add in maps, photos, graphs, etc. to your videos in a clean, professional way that adds some creativity to it as well. I think this is something I would try.

My opinion: Use it!

3. Keys Duplicated enables customers to get a new copy made simply by taking and uploading a photo of their original key.

My thoughts: Let me just start off by saying….I think this is an AWFUL idea. So what happens if you have a repair man at the house and they take a picture of your house key and use this service? I understand they are trying to be safe with only allowing credit cards, but if someone is going to try to break into someone’s house, there’s a good chance they are capable of having a stolen credit card as well. I don’t like the idea of this service being around. Of course, someone could always steal a key and do the same thing, but you are more likely to notice a key missing. On a second note, I think the margin for error would be high on something like this.

My opinion: LOSE IT

4. The Kitchen Safe is a plastic container fitted with a timed lock to enable owners to ensure they don’t snack too often.

My thoughts: This made me laugh out loud. I actually do think it’s kind of a good idea, but it’s totally an ongoing joke with dieters all over the world!! My old roommate used to say she needed tupperware with locks on it. Welp, there ya go girl!! In all honesty, I think while this could be helpful to some, if someone wants to snack, they’ll find a way!! I could see this to be used as more of a reminder/accountability tool. Nonetheless, I want to hear the break-room conversations this will cause.

My opinion: Use it! And film people’s reactions!

5. The Slice A Recipe cookbook enables kitchen amateurs to practice their knife skills, as it needs to be carefully sliced open in order to be read.

My thoughts: This one just made me sit there and wonder…….WHY. Why is this a thing? I mean, if this is going to be a thing, then I’m going to invent a cookbook that let’s you braid it’s fake hair too. Maybe it will have a nano-pet attached to it so the life of the recipe book can be monitored. I just wonder what happens if you cut it wrong. Maybe you get half of one recipe and half of the other. And invent some crazy delicious new food that people go crazy for. And become instantly famous!!! I just…I don’t get it.

My opinion: Lose it!

6. Sellbox wants to provide a way for anyone to sell downloads of digital files direct from their Dropbox or Google Drive accounts.

My thoughts: As someone in the music business myself, this one makes me REALLY angry. DropBox is a very common file-sharing system with musicians/engineers/producers alike. Sometimes partial tracks are shared through Dropbox and finished copies as well. This would be great if it were done by all honest people, but the reality is that some punk-nose kid is going to start putting shit in his Dropbox and trying to sell it. Stuff that he doesn’t own and had no part of making. Music or media that may not even be released to the public yet. That kid is making money off of something he doesn’t own! I really hope this does NOT happen.

My opinion: LOSE IT LOSE IT LOSE IT!

I’d love to hear your thoughts as well in the comments!!!

Vegas, Calico, Running, and a Purple Bell Pepper

Okay, first thing is first.

There are PURPLE BELL PEPPERS?!?!?! I had no idea. I stopped by the local Co-Op after my run today and happened to see this little guy. There was no way I could walk out of the store without it, even though they were $4.99/lb. When in Rome. Or Santa Monica. Is this something the rest of the world knew about?!

purple bell pepper

Speaking of my run……today I hit a BIG P.R. for myself. Ever since I started working out/running back in 2006, (I’ve never been just a runner and it comes in waves) I’ve always wanted to hit a sub 24 minute 5k. The goal is finally in sight and I’ve been training hard for it. (Oddly enough, most of my training comes in the form of plyometrics and weight training, but another topic for another day. I still run once or twice a week.)

I have a 5k trail run/5k mud run (they’re back to back and I’m completely stoked about it) coming up next month, so I’ve been really pushing myself.

Since I was out of town the last few days (I’ll get to that in a minute), I’m trying to play catch up on my training. I was planning on doing a long-ish run today, but once I started going, I realized how good/fast I felt. I changed my training plan on the spot.

My first mile was 7:48. I’m an 8:15-8:30 runner normally, so this was my first sign that good things were coming. Keeping this up for two miles isn’t too hard for me, but I typically hit a wall at around mile 2 when I’m running this pace. As I hit my 2nd mile and realized I still felt decent and was coming in under 16 minutes, my competitive face went on and I decided I was going to hit 3 miles in under 24 minutes no matter what.

That 3rd mile was tough. The first half of it was hard, but manageable. The second half is where it got rough for me. I started getting feelings of “oh shit I’m gonna puke” mixed with “holy shit i can’t breathe” mixed with “ouch, my lower back hurts”. But I honestly didn’t care. If my hip went out and I puked all over the place while losing all oxygen to my brain, I was just not going to stop. I can be dangerously competitive at times and this was one of them. Had someone walked into my path, I would have absolutely shoved them down and felt no remorse. I promise i’m not normally that evil. 🙂

As I hit mile 3, I heard the little lady on my Map My Run app tell me that I had run 3 miles in 23:47. I immediately went into party dance mode in my brain (still trying not to puke at this point) as I pushed for the last tenth of a mile. I hit 3.15 miles in 24:10. Ma-jor-vic-tor-y!!!!!!

While I didn’t hit the PR I’m hoping I get on race day, this was the first time I’d ever run 3 miles in under 24 minutes. And for that ladies and gentlement, I’M STOKED!!!  The second accomplishment in this run was that I didn’t actually puke.  High fives are welcome.

As I posted on Facebook, if I accomplish nothing else this week, I’m totally fine with that. But as we all know, this confidence boost is going to push me to conquer the world this week. Majorly awesome day. 🙂

3 mile pr

So back to that vacation. A few months back, I purchased a smokin’ deal for a hotel in Vegas. I love little getaways, and when I can do them cheap, it’s even sweeter!! My man and I hit the road Wednesday and spent a few days laying by the pool, playing Blackjack, eating ice cream, and walking the strip in search of….nothing. All in all, Vegas is pretty boring when you’re not a partier and don’t want to spend a gazillion dollars on shows. I do like playing Blackjack, but I tend to lose money, which I don’t like. Either way, a few days off with my man is always a good time!

aliante hotel room

Our room at the Aliante Casino & Resort (not bad for $40/night)

On our way back to LA, we stopped in Calico. I have a weird obsession with ghost towns (and really anything abandoned or ghostly. actually anything weird for that matter), so we made a last minute decision to check out the town. If you’re ever in that area, it’s a fun little stop. It’s a bit commercialized for my taste (lots of gift shops/food stores), but the history there is pretty cool and you can pay $2 to walk through an actual mine. Freaking awesome. The views aren’t too bad either!

 

 

charlie_me_calico

And just for some cuteness overload….my awesome nephew. He can already tell at almost 9 months old…his aunt Lizzy is crazy. 🙂

matty face time

1. What’s a fitness accomplishment you’ve had lately?

2. What are some of your favorite weekend getaways?

3. Any ghost town recommendations?!?!?! 

A Workout and……ARNOLD!!!

Ah, it’s finally more than halfway through the week. This means the weekend is in sight, which means….well I’m probably working. But that’s besides the point.

I thought I’d bring you guys a workout today that is sure to work your lower body until it begs for mercy. It hurts so good, doesn’t it?

I’m a big fan of pairing heavy-ish lifts with plyometrics. My theory is that you have given all you’ve got during the heavy lift…and just when you think you’re spent, you take that weight away and explode through the movement to total exhaustion. It’s effective, brings on the sweat, and makes you a more functional athlete (or mathlete…you have to keep track of your own reps.)

In blue, I denote what weight I used. Obviously, everyone is unique to their own strength. Know your body and your strength. I am not a doctor and you should always check with one before starting a new fitness program. 

Burn It Out

Superset #1 – 4 sets:

 Barbell Squats (8-10 reps) 75-85lbs

Squat Jumps (12-15 reps) *Advanced: use a 10 lb medicine ball

Superset #2 – 4 sets: 

Barbell Walking Lunges (10-12 reps per leg) 30-40 lbs

Jumping Lunges (8-10 reps per leg)

Superset #2 – 3 sets:

Dumbbell Bulgarian Squats or Split Squats (10-12 reps per leg) 15 lb DB’s

Heavy Decline Leg Press (15 explosive reps) 90 lbs

Finish this workout with a 1 mile run as  fast as you can or a few sled pushes if you have access.

Oh, and I almost forgot the most important part of this post. God happened to be at my gym today for a photo shoot. Yes, today was a good day…..

me and arnold

(Although it looks like I have a double chin in this photo, I don’t ACTUALLY have a double chin. I think. 😉