My Story of Yoga

It's funny, in the nine year history of this blog, I've written (exhaustively) about exercise: the exercise I do, don't do, and did but quit doing. I've rarely written about yoga, which has been a consistent, significant part of my life for almost twenty years. This is my story of yoga.

Like many people, I came to yoga from a place of trauma. I lived in New York in 2001 and after the events of September 11, saw a doctor for anxiety. She gave me two choices: medication or yoga. Knowing nothing about anti-depressants and a lot about exercise, I went with yoga. My gym (shout-out, Bally Total Fitness!) offered yoga on Saturdays, so I started going.

Yoga in 2001 was not what it is in 2017. Yoga wasn't cool, and there was no industry pushing $120 lycra pants. In fact, I remember going to Herald Square and buying bootcut stretch pants from the Jennifer Lopez 'J.Lo for Macy's' collection to wear to class.

At twenty-five years old, I was the youngest person in class. There was a tai chi class beforehand and the only thing that changed between classes was the addition of the yoga instructor and me. But I loved my class, and I loved my instructor. She wore all black and a bunch of scarves. She was older, rounder, and had a Jewish-Stevie-Nicks vibe. I knew she liked me by the same way I knew all New Yorkers liked me, she let me be in her presence and occasionally engaged me.

Jewish-Stevie-Nicks taught me yoga. Either yoga marketing didn't exist yet, or I didn't know enough to pay attention, but I don't know what style of yoga I did. I do know that she didn't teach from the front of the class, but moved around, observing and adjusting us. And I know she was a good instructor because in all these years, while I've needed adjustments, I've never needed corrections. I was taught the poses correctly.

I took that yoga class every Saturday for the next year and a half. When I moved home, I joined the YMCA and started taking classes there. Around 2010, lululemon opened a store in Nashville and set about getting to know the local yoga community. They highlighted a different yoga studio a month and you could practice there for $20-$30. It was great! It was my year of The Traveling Yoga Pants.

I have a love-hate relationship with lululemon, but I'll give them this, they brought yoga back into my life. I started supplementing my yoga classes at the Y with one to two classes a week at a studio. My yoga practice was consistent again; my mind was calmer. Plus, I was learning new poses and getting stronger in old ones.

This is a comfortable place for the story to end for a lot of people. But I am not a lot of people. Like all good relationships, there is a cycle of rupture and repair. At this point in the story, my relationship with yoga ruptured. It ruptured when the owner of the studio I was practicing in told me she noticed I was gaining weight and suggested I sign up for this expensive 30-day juice cleanse she was promoting.

Do I need to point out all the things wrong with this? I'm going to assume I don't. But what I will tell you is how I felt when she said that: shame. Shame for being apparently noticeably fat (which I wasn't); shame for not being able to afford the juice cleanse; shame for not being good enough for that studio. I can't remember if I finished out my package, or quit that day, but I never returned to that studio.

I floundered around, trying different studios and going back to the ones I liked: Sanctuary and Steadfast and True. And then this new studio opened that all of my friends were going to, so I started going there. I love a trend and this studio was H-O-T (I mean popular, I don't have the constitution for hot yoga). This studio was fiiiiiiiiine. It was affordable, convenient, all my friends were there, it was sometimes crowded, but it was fine. And then.... I was in one of their crowded 6am classes and realized that everyone in there was competing with each another. The women would go into poses the rest of the class wasn't in. It was bizarre and destabilizing. You can't get centered when you're mat-to-mat in triangle pose and the woman beside you flips upside down. Also? I saw a lot of labia because they were all in shorty shorts and sports bras. Which brings me to my other point...

Whether intentionally or not, this studio fostered a community where "skinny" was the goal. That's a triggering, unhealthy environment for me. The shame started creeping back in. Shame for not being "skinny", shame for not buying their goddamn juice cleanse, shame for not being able to afford their TRIPS TO ITALY. I left and never returned.

It was around this time that I lost my job and went back to doing yoga at the Y, unable to afford classes at a studio. My friend bitch Paige, an instructor at 12South Yoga, asked me to come try her class, and not to worry about paying for it. I had never taken a class taught by a friend and I had never taken an Iyengar yoga class, although in hindsight, I'm pretty sure Jewish-Stevie-Nicks had Iyengar training.

Happy ending alert!

I responded to Paige's class like I responded to yoga back in 2001, which is to say I was welcomed and calmed. Paige's class was healing for me during a time when I needed healing, both physically and emotionally. About six months in, the studio downsized and consolidated their classes and I had to switch instructors. Paige recommended I try Rachel - I did, and it's been eye heart emojis ever since.

In the sixteen years I've been practicing yoga, I've done it for a variety of reasons - anxiety, fitness, injury rehab - but above everything else, I've done it to quiet my mind. I don't practice yoga to show people how good I am at it, or because it comes in a package deal with my juice cleanse, and I don't do it to lose weight. I practice yoga because I love it, it feeds me in a way nothing else does. It's where I've learned vulnerability and trust, and Paige and Rachel have played a large role in that.

Iyengar yoga is my jam. I've been practicing at 12South Yoga since 2014. I would love for all my friends to start practicing there. FYI - Rachel (my instructor) also teaches at Steadfast and True Yoga if you want more schedule/location options.

See you on the mat! Namaste, bitches.

*Photos courtesy of Rachel Mathenia

P.S. I've written poetic, eloquent posts about yoga in the past, posts like A Plea For Panties, and Archie Bunker Goes To Yoga. Enjoy!

P.P.S. You can read more about my experience in NYC here.

My Year of Not Running

Hello, my name is Kim and I'm a reformed compulsive exerciser. It's been one year since my last run. You may know me by the infamous expression, Go HAM. And Go HAM I did. Until I didn't.

I slept in today until 7:00am, and woke up without the need to look outside to see if it was raining/snowing, check my phone for the current temperature, or spend ten minutes deciding how many layers to put on to be outside for 30-60-120 minutes. Is it a holiday? Am I on vacation? No, friends. It is a Friday in my post-running world.

I started running by accident in 2009. I signed up for a charity 5K and surprised myself by running most of it. I ran on my own for a few months to make sure my body could do it, that it wasn't a time-limited offer from my joints, and then I joined a couple of running groups and started running. In five years, I completed 7 half marathons, 10 triathlons, and 1 Half Ironman.

The mark of a true runner is how much money they've spent on physical therapy. I was in physical therapy off and on from 2010 to 2014. First for my left hip, then my left ankle, then my left knee, then my right knee, then my shoulder, then back to my knees. I also paid for x-rays, cortisone shots, prescription anti-inflammatories, sticks, foam rollers, an orthopedic sports doctor, a rheumatoid arthritis specialist, acupuncture, shoe inserts, ankle and knee braces, and kinetic tape. Let's just say if what I spent on being an injured runner were a car, it would not be a seven year old, manual transmission Toyota Camry with no hubcaps.

You might be wondering, is she made of glass? Did she not receive enough calcium as a child? No, my bones are fine, all of my injuries were due to overuse. In fact, this is tame compared to what most long distance runners go through. You see, I never made it past half marathon level. There is another echelon of injuries and physical therapy for those who run full and ultra marathons. If you're reading this and you're in high school, or early college, become a physical therapist. You will always have a job.

Around this time last year, I got up at 4:45am, looked outside to see if it was raining/snowing, checked my phone for the current temperature, spent ten minutes deciding how many layers to put on to do a 40 minute run, then got in my car and drove to one of my weekly group runs. My heart wasn't in it, so when my knee gave out a mile into the run, I called it, I was done with this sport.

In early fall, when the weather changed, I missed running for the first time. There's nothing like the first cool run of the year after a long, hot, southern summer. Luckily, I'm not the only one in my friend group who quit running, so I called on my fellow non-runners and we started hiking. That scratched the itch and the running bug went back into hibernation.

I did it. I went one whole year without running. God knows what I've saved on race registration fees. I'm hoping quitting running is like quitting smoking, that for every year you don't run, you gain ten years on your knees' lives.

I didn't realize how much pain I was in until the pain wasn't there anymore. One day it was just gone and I realized, 'Holy shit, I have been in pain for six years!'. I live in a sixties era, split level house, with full and half flights of stairs everywhere. Basically, I live in the house in Labyrinth. For six years, I've been hobbling up and down these stairs, usually going down them sideways. Not anymore! It is glorious.

I didn't quit running to replace it with something else. I quit because it was something I was wearing that didn't fit anymore, so I took it off. I finally had the space to think about what I wanted to do. Turns out, I wanted to twerk. So now I twerk, hike, walk, ride my bike, and ride a cardio machine at the gym when I feel like it. My body is different than it was when I was running, but I'm okay with that. None of the things I want in life are related to my physical fitness. It's time to give my body a break and focus on my voice, creativity and writing. It just fits.

P.S. If you're interested in my thoughts leading up this post, read Diet Industry Drop-Out.

P.P.S. An embarrassing look at where I was at a year ago Eff You, January Body.

Diet Industry Drop-Out

I'm stealing the phrase "diet industry drop-out" from my friend bitch Freya West. During a recent burlesque show, Freya sang a 1929 Sophie Tucker song called, "I Don't Want To Get Thin." If you're alive and on Facebook, you've seen this video, but you should watch it again, #shinetheory.

In the past few months, I've turned forty, realized I've probably lived my entire life with an undiagnosed eating disorder, and read Shrill: Notes From A Loud Woman by Lindy West. I don't know if it's the birthday, the election, or the growing body acceptance movement, but I feel like all the wires in my brain have come undone and are reconnecting in different ways. I'm like a lady Hulk who's superpowers are feminism and caftans.

Why am I telling you this? Because at least once a week, someone introduces me as their friend who works out 1,000 times a week and trains for "crazy" triathlons. Guess what? No, I don't. And no I haven't for like a year. This makes me uncomfortable because:  A) I am not great at accepting compliments; B) this description is not true; and C) this description is of a woman who was really sad.

I don't regret losing forty pounds or doing a Half Ironman; they were great tools for me during a difficult time. But... I'm not that person anymore. I quit swimming nine months ago, I quit running six months ago, and aside from random leisure rides, I quit competitively riding my bike over a year ago. I have a personal trainer, I twerk, I do yoga, and I have a $10/month Planet Fitness membership that I use maybe once a week. I don't track calories or weigh myself. Sometimes my fancy jeans fit, mostly they don't. Luckily, I own 3,000 caftans.

Assuredly, part of the problem is that my bio on every corner of the Internet reads, "runner and triathlete." I haven't changed it because I'm a perfectionist, and if I can't do it "right", then I freeze. Current working bios include:

Writer and blogger. Diet industry drop-out. Budding twerker. Master thrifter. Snapchat enthusiast.
Writer and blogger. Diet industry drop-out. Lover of twerk class, Snapchat, and rural Tennessee thrift store wares.
I believe....
I do what I want!
It's more fun to be happy.

ANYWAY. So yeah, I'm not a runner anymore. I may still be a triathlete since triathletes are known for taking one to two years off and then picking it back up again. In the meantime, I'm going to continue laughing at videos of myself twerking and daydreaming of starting a Nashville Thrifters Club. Stay tuned alert!

P.S. Do you struggle with body shame? So do I. My thoughts.

P.P.S. But do you know what helps? Dancing. And twerking.

High-Five, April Body!

So... back in January, like most people the month after Christmas, I was a little fluffy and a little mad. In a post titled Eff You, January Body, I wrote:

As I finished out 2015, I was doing 7+ hours of swim-bike-running a week, plus 2 personal training sessions and 1 yoga class. I have more or less been working out like someone training for a 70.3 triathlon for 2 years with no break. To say I'm burned out is the understatement of the world. I've got to figure out how to keep my body in the general vicinity of it's current size by doing things I want to do, and may even have fun doing. Stuff like hiking, or twerking. Or paying $10 a month to ride a cardio machine at Planet Fitness for 45 minutes twice a week. To be cont'd.

I'm happy to report, I'm figuring it out! About a month after I wrote that post, I read Happier At Home by Gretchen Rubin and had an epiphany:  I do what I want! (said like a 4-year old, mid-tantrum). Gretchen writes about "being Gretchen". I really identified with that, but didn't like the phrase "be Kim", so I tweaked it to "I do what I want!" It also feels more positive to think about what I want, instead of focusing on what I don't want.

So what do I want? Glad you asked! I want to eat better, have fun exercising, and my clothes to fit.  I talked to my therapist, my trainer and I signed up for a meal plan from one of my favorite bloggers. I'm super into all of this and since so many people ask me about my trainer and my twerk class, I thought I'd share their info.

Personal Trainer

Rickey Taylor -- Xcelerated Training

I've been working out with Rickey twice a week since July, and there is a HUGE difference in my body. Huge! I've always been interested in women who lift weights and do strength training, but I've never known what to do, and whatever I did on my own, didn't change my body. Not now! You should see how strong I am and what my shoulders look like in a tank top. Personal training is a luxury, but at our age, most of us can afford a little luxury, especially in the name of strengthening our bones and living longer. ALSO, Rickey is doing my meal planning now and it's really working, so you get a lot of bang for your buck.

Twerk Class

Tisha Wilson -- b.fab.fitness

I'm new to this class, but I am obsessed with it. I've been going once or twice a week for a little over a month now. I take the b.fab.funk class at Coleman Park on either Monday or Thursdays at 7:00pm. I prefer the Monday night class, but my cycling team has a Monday night ride, so I'm going on Thursdays now. The class costs $3 and it is hands-down the hardest workout I do all week. It's also the most fun I've ever had in my life. If you want proof, here's a video of us dancing to "Formation" by Beyonce:  b.fab.fitness FORMATION by Beyonce.



Yoga

Rachel Mathenia -- 12South Yoga

I started practicing yoga in New York after 9/11 when my doctor prescribed it for anxiety. I've consistently practiced for 15 years. I made the switch to Iyengar in 2014 when my sweet friend Paige invited me to her Thursday night class. The class schedule changed about a year ago and now I practice with Rachel, who I love dearly and am convinced I share a soul with, or at least the same core personality traits. I love Iyengar and highly recommend it if you have an injury, persistent pain, or if you just want your body to work right.

Meal Plan

Laura Agar Wilson -- Wholeheartedly Healthy

I'm currently working with my trainer on a meal plan, but earlier this year I signed up for Laura's free Two Week Quickstart Guide and I loved it! I've been reading Laura's blog for probably 6 or 7 years now and I'm a big fan. Even if you're not in the market for a meal plan, add her blog to your Reader. Her perspective and her writing style is very unique, very funny, and very real. Seriously, I love her.

My exercise in a typical week looks like this:

2 personal training sessions
1 twerk class
1 yoga class
1 bike ride
1 HIIT (high intensity interval training)

That's it! I'm real happy with all this right now. It's not overwhelming and it's not a week full of stuff I "have to" do. I do what I want!

Body Shaming

This post is going to go in a couple different directions, but the overarching theme is body shame, particularly female, and particularly mine. Quick backstory, one of my favorite people is my friend Freya West, who happens to be the headmistress of Nashville's only burlesque finishing school, Delinquent Debutantes. You can read more about Freya and my experience with Delinquent Debutantes here. Freya is a magical unicorn sent here from another universe to teach us all how to love our bodies and ourselves. Spoiler alert:  she is very successful at this.

This week a member of Freya's tribe wrote an article for HuffPost Women titled, "Big Girls Can't Dance? Oh Yes We Can". The body shaming incident that sparked the article, as well as the response to both the shaming and the article from shero Stacie Huckeba, got me thinking.

I can't remember how early my own body shaming began, at least fifth or sixth grade, if not earlier. With the help of a great therapist and three Brene Brown books, I've realized my "disordered" perspective on my body is connected to shame. Like everyone who is alive and has parents, I received some bad messaging as a child. I believed I was selfish and mean-tempered. It's taken over two years of therapy and an astounding amount of out-of-pocket money to learn that I am neither selfish nor mean-tempered. But these two things are shame triggers for me, and when I get triggered, my body image issues flare up.

So what does this look like? Does someone call me selfish and I eat a carton of ice cream? I wish. I am currently disconnected from my family until I work through this and can re-enter as a healthy, wholehearted person. I'm not there yet, but I'm close. My mom turned 60 in January. I haven't seen or talked to my mom in a year and a half, which is a pain so acute that there are days I can't function. On the day of her birthday, I woke up, looked in the mirror and saw my old body - my body 40+ pounds ago. I stayed in that headspace until I could see my therapist, who had to reality-check me by having me weigh myself. It worked and I went back to seeing my actual body.

An important part of my therapy is learning how to create and maintain boundaries. In learning how to do this, I've struggled with what the people I've had to create boundaries around think of me. If I think someone perceives me as selfish or mean, I get neurotic about my body image. I'll spend a week telling everyone how much weight I've gained, restricting my calories, and restructuring all of my workouts.

You guys, that's shame. And no one is talking about it. Because I am a woman who lives not in a cave, I have friends who are struggling with their weight. A) I feel you. B) I want to ask you what messaging have you received that makes you connect your worthiness to your size? Is there a pattern? Does your body shame spike when you're worried someone thinks something about you that you don't want them to think? Mine does. Big time.

On a scale of one to ten, I'd say I'm a two on how much of a grasp I have on this, and I've had two years of therapy, not to mention the honorary LCSW I've awarded myself for reading three Brene Brown books. All of this to say, I'm no expert and this isn't easy stuff to navigate. But I need this conversation to happen. And maybe you do, too. I've learned that shame can't live out in the open; it needs dark, secret places to thrive. So let's get this shit out there. I don't know about you, but I've lived long enough believing things about myself that aren't true and measuring my worth by my pants size.

Optional Homework Assignment:

If you're in the Nashville area and can throw some money towards women who are empowering other women to reclaim their bodies and their self confidence, buy a $15 class at Freya's studio. You can find a class schedule here. It's easily accessible from downtown, and she has lunchtime classes for you Real Life Business Babes.

P.S. Do you know what helps with body shame? Dancing. And twerking.

P.P.S. Rise up, diet industry drop-outs!

Eff You, January Body

Man, January took a toll on my body. I spent Christmas like everyone else:  binge-watching Making A Murderer and binge-eating Christmas cookies. Then January rolls around and I (A) get super sick and have to go on steroids, and (B) give up my spot in cycling class due to an anticipated schedule change, a schedule change that didn't happen, but I lost my spot nonetheless.

Having to go on steroids the week after Christmas is #thestruggleisreal enough, but being too sick to work-out for the first half of January is unbearable for someone who gets an emotional release from exercise, as well as most of her socialization for the day. So right now I'm feeling a lot cagey and a little fat.

Am I actually heavier? Who knows. It doesn't serve me to weigh myself. All of my clothes are tight, so probably. Oh, and I broke a Moving Comfort sports bra in half (in half!!) this morning trying to put it on.

I'm torn between being a good role model, a good feminist and loving my body, and wanting my jeans to fit. More than that though, I apparently need to exercise and talk to people or I get crazy.

As I finished out 2015, I was doing 7+ hours of swim-bike-running a week, plus 2 personal training sessions and 1 yoga class. I have more or less been working out like someone training for a 70.3 triathlon for 2 years with no break. To say I'm burned out is the understatement of the world. I've got to figure out how to keep my body in the general vicinity of it's current size by doing things I want to do, and may even have fun doing. Stuff like hiking, or twerking. Or paying $10 a month to ride a cardio machine at Planet Fitness for 45 minutes twice a week.

To be cont'd.

Plank A Day Challenge

Back-tracking a little, in January, I did my first do-something-every-day challenge. My internet friend Laura challenged all of her Instagram followers to do a plank every day for a month. Challenge accepted! Strength training, particularly core work, is a key part of triathlon training. You need a strong core to sit on a bike for four hours.

Here's the day-by-day of how it went down.

Jan. 1 - 1:35
Jan. 2 - 1:40
Jan. 3 - 1:45
Jan. 4 - 1:50
Jan. 5 - 1:55
Jan. 6 - forgot!
Jan. 7 - 1:00 (lot of planks in AM strength class)
Jan. 8 - 2:00
Jan. 9 - 2:05
Jan. 10 - 1:30 (arms extended)
Jan. 11 - 2:05
Jan. 12 - 2:10
Jan. 13 - 2:15
Jan. 14 - forgot
Jan. 15 - 2:20
Jan. 16 - 2:25
Jan. 17 - 2:30*
Jan. 18 - 2:00
Jan. 19 - forgot
Jan. 20 - 2:45
Jan. 21 - 2:50
Jan. 22 - 3:00
Jan. 23 - 3:15
Jan. 24 - 3:30
Jan. 25 - 3:35
Jan. 26 - 3:40
Jan. 27 - 3:50
Jan. 28 - planks in AM strength class
Jan. 29 - 4:00
Jan. 30 - 4:15
Jan. 31 - 4:30

*I did that one sauced in the middle of John's birthday party. True story.

This was an impromptu decision I made scrolling Instagram one night, so I didn't go to Pinterest looking for plans. I just decided to see how long I could hold it the first time and then increase by five seconds a day. In the last week, I wanted to shoot for a solid five minutes, so I started increasing by 15-30 seconds.

The trick is to do the plank while listening to music. Once I figured that out, it became a lot easier. My go-to plank song is "Shut Up and Let Me Go" by The Ting Tings. That song is 2:51, so my goal for awhile was to hold the plank for the length of the song. It helped so much. I highly recommend doing it this way.

Benefits? Results? Yes! My core got stronger, which improved my posture, swimming and yoga practice. Also? My clothes got looser. I swear, it flattened my stomach.

As soon as the month was up, we went to L.A., so I kind of just stopped cold turkey. I'd like to keep doing planks. I don't know if every day is the answer, but maybe three times a week. I'll report back.

P.S. While I was doing these, I came up with all these terrible plank puns. You're welcome.

Plank it; plank it real good
Plank what your mama gave you
If you've got it, plank it
You make planking fun
Plank on through to the other side
Plankin' - I plank it to the east, and I plank it to the west...

Weekend Wrap Up: Vaping, Baking and Barking Edition

On Friday afternoon, I did a photo session (shoot?) for my business website. Because I don't half-ass anything, I asked my friend Gio to do my hair and makeup. It's the best I've ever looked. I'm talking Kardashian-level contouring and highlighting. It took 2.5 hours to get me there, but man. Gio - thank you!

I worked with photographer Brian Risse, who some of you may know as Mr. Courtney Krampf. Brian spent about 2-3 hours shooting me in/around my house. Lot of prop changes, lot of outfit changes. Speaking of, shout-out to my girl Anjeanetta who came over earlier in the week to style my outfits and accessories for the shoot. It takes a village, people.

On Saturday, I put my dancing shoes (literally) and my santa hat in my cute, new Light In the Attic tote and headed down the road to Delinquent Debutantes for my Santa Baby Burlesque workshop with unicorn to the stars, Freya West. I had so much fun!!! It took 2 hours, but Freya taught me a 3 1/2 minute dance routine to "Santa Baby". Believe it!

Little known fact:  Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year for recording engineers. John Baldwin basically doesn't sleep in December. On Saturday night, he needed to pick some stuff up in East Nashville, so we grabbed ramen while we were over there. Yes, this is my second time in one week. I'm addicted!

On Sunday morning, I drove to Brentwood to meet Melanie and Jessica for a 6-mile run on the greenway. Afterwards, we spent easily 20 minutes taking pictures of ourselves with this bear. I call this one, "Bearly" Made the Podium. Ba da bum!

I ran a few last minute Christmas errands and then went home to bake all the things. And eat too much of the things. One day I'm going to get salmonella from raw eggs, but until then, COOKIE DOUGH FOR LIFE.

I was listening to Christmas music while I was baking (duh). John had ran out to get more vaping supplies (I know). When he got back, this hilarious Stephen Colbert Christmas song was on that we both love, so he grabbed his guitar and sat down and learned it. Our house is real ridiculous sometimes.

Bumps n' Grinds

Let's talk about burlesque. I'm into it. No, I don't do it. The leg strength that enables me to bike and run, oh, I don't know, 70.3 miles, unfortunately, renders me a terrible dancer. But that doesn't keep me from trying. Why? Because life's a bitch and then you die, so why not take a burlesque class.

Initially, I was going to write a book report on burlesque because there are so many misconceptions about it, but you know what? Ain't nobody got time for that. If you're so inclined, here's the Wikipedia page. I like to describe burlesque as a variety show with boobs.

Let me back up and tell you how I entered this strange, amazing, tasseled world. A few years ago, the universe presented me with the gift of Freya West. She entered my world in a cloud of glitter, tattoos and blue hair, exuding self confidence and positive, badass energy. She's kind of like a tattooed unicorn. Freya is one of my favorite people and she just happens to be the Headmistress of Nashville's own burlesque school, Delinquent Debutantes.

I started going to burlesque shows and LOVED them. Then Freya opened a dance studio down the street from my house. I backed the Kickstarter to fund the studio and earned 3 class credits. Freya suggested I try Floorwerk and/or Bumps n' Grinds. I had a posse of girlfriends who wanted to go with me, and they wanted to do Bumps n' Grinds, so we booked it.

Y'all, this class is the most fun I've had all year. I laughed so hard my face hurt. And I learned a dance routine! When I came home and showed the routine to John, he stared at me like he was seeing me for the first time and asked how much the classes cost and how often can I go.

The class is called Bumps n' Grinds. I expected to learn some dirty, Laker Girls dance routine. Turns out, I was totally wrong. Bumps are hip bumps. Grinds are swinging your hips. Freya taught us how to do these things. Once we got it, she taught us how to travel while bumping and grinding and then she taught us how to add arm movements. It was awesome, tough and hilarious. I loved every minute of it!

I haven't been back yet because I got sick and now it's Thanksgiving, but I'll be back, probably next week. Bumps n' Grinds is on Tuesdays at 6pm. Go with me! Classes are $15 and you sign up here. The easiest way to get info is to like their Facebook page.

This post is already too long, but before I go, I want to stress how open and empowering the environment is at Delinquent Debutantes. This studio is for all ages, shapes and sizes. Freya calls it "bawdy positive". She also says, "If it jiggles, you're doing it right." Let go of your hang-ups and come dance with me! I'm looking at you, new moms.

P.S. If you're a cancer patient or survivor, check out Be Well Burlesque and come dance with me for free!



P.S.  Read my interviews with Burlesque Performer, Freya West and Burlesque Student, Becca Kemp!

P.P.S. Are you a diet industry drop-out? Me, too!

Weekend Wrap Up: Memorial Day Edition

I spent Saturday morning enjoying a free birthday yoga class at my new favorite yoga studio, Shakti Yoga.  I haven't been a lot in the past month, but going on Saturday reminded me of how much I love yoga.  I don't know how I think I'm going to fit anymore work-outs into this schedule, but maybe I can squeeze in a class a week.  Maybe...

After yoga, I went to Headquarters to cash in my free birthday latte courtesy of my friend Melanie.  I had to install Square Wallet to use it.  Y'all, the future is now.

I took my free local honey latte (thank you, Melanie!) & went across the street to my friend Jaime's house to see the spoils of her recent Opry Mills shopping spree & help her put together outfits.  Jaime returned the favor on Sunday by picking up another Forever 21 bracelet that I was lusting over & putting it in my mailbox.  Friends who enable your gold, spiky bracelet addiction are the best!

I spent the rest of Saturday reading outside on our deck.  My free library kindle edition of I Want My MTV expired on Sunday, so I was frantically trying to finish it.  Spoiler alert:  I didn't.  But I love it!  I just need to buy it so I can finish it.

Since my family spent last weekend cheering me on during my triathlon, we pushed my birthday celebration to this weekend.  My mom knows how much I love Jeni's Ice Cream, so they drove up & met us for lunch at Rosepepper, then took us across the street for ice cream.

These J & K letters are bookends!  Made out of books!  My mom found the K & bought it, then had the shop teacher at her school make the J out of a book she bought at Goodwill.  Aren't they cute?!  I love them!

My dad took this picture of me, my mom & John eating our ice cream.  Afterwards, John & I went to Grimey's to buy Daft Punk & then we drove around all afternoon listening to it.  I was craving a hamburger, so John went to the store, got all the fixins & grilled us some hamburgers, which we ate while watching ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT!!!

I honestly spent the majority of yesterday lounging around the house & playing on the internet.  I spent HOURS organizing my Pinterest page - making new, more specific boards & deleting pins, etc.  After lunch, I pulled myself together & headed east for a Memorial Day East Nasty Splashdown.  Like all successful pool parties, inflatable Kim Kardashian was in attendance.  She says, "Hey, y'all!"

I rounded out my 3-day weekend by watching The Impossible last night.  That movie is INTENSE.  I'm pretty sure I broke my tear ducts.  Good movie though.

A Plea For Panties

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Ladies, let's take it down to a huddle.  I love yoga; you love yoga.  But you know what else I love?  Underwear.  It serves a purpose.  And you should wear it.  I know, I know.  It's hot yoga; you're a vagina sweater.  I get it.  I do.  You'd think wearing Vanderbilt shorty shorts would be enough to keep you cool.  But if you have been graced with the long limbs & double joints that allow you to take Bird Of Paradise, please, PLEASE, have the common sense to let a piece of cotton hit you where the good lord split you.  Because you know what I don't need at 6:00am, standing upside down in a 110 degree room?  Your vulva in my face.  Please and thank you.

Weekend Wrap Up: Bonnaroo Edition

I recently bought a Groupon for Hot Yoga Plus, but I had one class left in my package at Epic Yoga, so I went to Epic's 8am class on Saturday.  When I got out of class, I had a voice mail from my friend Heidi, who works at lululemon, telling me to stop in & see her because their Align Ultra Mats (that I love) are on sale for $19.  Done!  While I was in there, I remembered I had a store gift card (thanks, Claudia!), so I bought a new tank top, too.

I hadn't had breakfast or coffee yet, so I treated myself (treat yo self!) to my fav Morning Glory muffin & latte at Whole Foods.  I never shop at Whole Foods.  I'm a Trader Joe's & Publix kind of gal, but while I was sitting in there, I remembered that we're out of coffee, so I strolled over to check out their selection.  They had this awesome British guy working the coffee station, Kim.  He told me he grew up in England, but with Italian parents, so he grew up drinking tea & lattes.  He asked me all these questions about when I drink coffee, why I drink coffee, how I take it, etc. & then he helped me decide what to buy.  He really pushed me to buy the Roast Inc. Brazil blend, but it was $14.99 for a little bag & that's way more than I usually spend, so I bought the Whole Foods Brazil coffee for less than half the price.  I haven't had it yet, but I hope it's good.  Oh!  He also gave me a free bottle of Roast's iced coffee.  Such great customer service!  Well done, Whole Foods!

While John was working on Saturday night, I sat outside with a glass of red wine & caught up on some magazine reading.  It was so nice out!  I made spaghetti carbonara for dinner & decided to finally start watching Girls.  OMG!  Why haven't I been watching this show?  I love it!  I made it through the first 4 or 5 episodes.  I think there are 8 so far.  Love it!

My friend Jaime treated me to a guest pass at Bonnaroo yesterday.  Being the 36 year old, working women that we are, we decided one day was enough.  Bonnaroo Music Festival is a 4-day music festival that happens on a 700 acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee.  This year was it's 11th year, but it was my first time.  I don't really do outdoor music festivals, unless, as I've learned, I have a VIP pass, including VIP parking.  Above is Jaime & I at the beginning of our 7 hour day.

There's apparently a carnival?  I don't know.  It was too far to walk.  Good picture though.  Oh, & note the sky.  It was grey, fairly cool & rained off & on all day.  Thus, my lack of sunscreen & subsequent "bonnaburn"...

The Beach Boys performed on the main stage.  It was awesome!  That's Brian Wilson on the big screen.  It was a kind of a rough start, but they pulled it together.  It was super cool to hear all these songs that I've loved all my life performed live.

We found John at The Beach Boys show.  Note the sunburn that I was still unaware of.  So bad....  After The Beach Boys, we watched Ben Folds Five & the Shins.  All three shows were really good, but the Shins win the prize.  Hopefully I can see them again at The Ryman in October.  We missed Bon Iver & The Civil Wars because my body turned against me.  I think I either had sun poisoning or the beginnings of a fever, or maybe those are the same thing.  Regardless, I was shivering & burning up at the same time, so we left an hour into the Shins show.  I love you, Shins!

Full Bonnaroo photostream on Flickr.

P.S. If you follow me on Instagram then you are aware of the ridiculous BonnaBurn that I sustained yesterday.  It hurts so bad!  Sunscreen FAIL.

Group Fitness, When Will I Learn?

I've been doing something stupid lately, I've quit strength training.  I used to take strength training classes at the Y twice a week, but I quit going back in the fall because I was bored with the classes.  Plus, I was doing yoga twice a week, so it kind of balanced out.

In what has been a little bit of a surprise to me, I have not lost weight as I've been training for the half marathon.  I'm burning enough calories to easily result in a 2-3 lb weight loss every week.  The problem is, well there are two problems:  1) I'm eating too much, shocker; & 2) I'm not doing strength training.

I had lunch with my friend Mark last week, who has successfully lost a crap-ton of weight & has really changed the way his body looks over the past two years.  Mark couldn't believe I wasn't losing weight either, especially since I'm burning up to 1400 calories on some days.  He asked me two things, am I tracking my calories & am I strength training?  No & no.  I HATE tracking my calories.  Hate!  But...  if you've ever seen me skinny, it's because I was tracking my calories, so there's that.  I told him my conundrum with strength training - that I'm bored with the classes & was doing yoga, but now have gotten too busy to even do that.  

Mark said he'd bet money that if I started strength training again, I'd drop some lbs.  He said to either start going back to the classes or come in & do the free weights on my own.  Ha!  On my own.  Has me met me?  I only exercise as a vehicle for seeing & talking to my friends.  But he has a point.  He said I should check out magazines like Women's Health or Shape & use the work-outs they provide in their magazines, which again, is a valid point.

I didn't strength train last week, but I did swim twice with my injured friend, MHG.  Just adding two swim days to my routine last week resulted in a 2 lb weight loss.  Ha!  Who knew?  God, I love swimming.  This week I had planned on meeting MHG at the Y on two morning to strength train with her, but I haven't been able to because of work, so the other night I went to a group fitness class at the Green Hills Y.  Apparently there's a big difference between classes at the Downtown Y & classes at the Green Hills Y.  Sculpt class Downtown is 45 minutes of free weights.  Sculpt class in Green Hills is boot camp, with no weights & lots of obstacle course style running.

We had to set our benches up around the room like an obstacle course & then we formed a congo line & ran all around the room, jumping over things & running sideways & backwards.  I was annoyed that we weren't using weights, but I was having a little fun running around the room like an idiot until.....  my knee gave out.  Yeah, apparently my knees are cool with running 10 miles, but jumping & sideways running, not so much.

I was so mad.  Mid-class, I grabbed my stuff & limped out of the room.  By the time I got home, my knee was super swollen & sore, so I took an Aleve & iced it & it was fine by morning.  I didn't run last night in an abundance of caution.  I think it's okay.  I hope so because I'm running 11 miles this Sunday & I kind of need my knees to work.

Ugh, group fitness.  When will I learn?!

Weekend Wrap Up: I Have Bangs! Edition

At salutation nation with yoga pal, Sarah Allen.

At Trim, attempting to contact outer space.

Studio dog, all tuckered out from a long day of DOING NOTHING.

John spent all day yesterday cleaning out the garage.  Apparently we're hoarders.

FRIDAY

I got my hair cut after work.  Hello, full bangs!  For dinner, John & I met Katie at Woodlands, then I went home & watched Rabbit Hole.  Good enough movie, although incredibly heavy & sad.  I've said it before & I'll say it again, I really will watch anything starring Aaron Eckhart.

SATURDAY

I met Sarah at Centennial Park for salutation nation, hosted by lululemon.  It was AWESOME, although I have a pretty serious sunburn to show for it.  Post namaste, I had to book it over to Trim for my noon appointment with Gio, hair colorist extraordinaire. 

John mastered the soundtrack to Project Nim, which is playing at the Belcourt.  We went to dinner at The Dog with Mike & Amanda & then walked over to the Belcourt & spent the next 90 minutes crying our eyes out over a monkey.  Seriously, it was intense, ya'll.

SUNDAY

I've been super annoyed lately about the ridiculous barrage of 9/11 porn all over tv.  It's something that's very personal to me & I get easily offended when I feel like the event is being exploited, especially for ratings.  Regardless, I listened to about 2 hours of 9/11 stories on StoryCorps yesterday morning, cried, texted Tiffany & then went about my day.  More here.

Weekend Wrap Up: Labor Day Edition

FRIDAY

I took Friday off to enjoy a much-needed long weekend. Got up early for the Pancake Run, had a job interview at noon, then spent the afternoon shopping. John & I had Indian for dinner, then I watched The Producers, which was HILARIOUS!

SATURDAY

Now that my pass at Sanctuary is over, I'm off to find more yoga. This month lululemon is hosting free yoga in their store ever Saturday morning, so I did that with my friends Kathy, Carrie & Jolie, then we went to Bread & Co. for breakfast.

My friend Claudia got married Saturday night. John had an exhibit at the Nashville Folk Festival on vintage recording equipment, so I had to go the wedding by myself, but it was fine. I met Lauren & Kelly there.  The wedding was GORGEOUS.  So happy for Claudia & Bill!

SUNDAY

John was back at the Folk Festival, so I made plans to hang out with Jessica & celebrate her birthday a day early. We did a run through Shelby Bottoms with Ashlee, then rewarded ourselves with the WORLD'S BEST BREAKFAST BAGELS at Mitchell Deli.

I spent the rest of the day making poor food choices & not getting off the couch.  I watched Friday Night Lights, the movie, which I had never seen.  It was good, but I definitely prefer Kyle Chandler to Billy Bob Thornton.  Obviously.

MONDAY

We spent Labor Day over at Delaney & Austin's house cooking out & celebrating Ali's birthday. I made jalapeno popper buffalo chicken mac & cheese.  It was the most ridiculous & delicious thing I've ever made.  Recipe coming later this week.

Weekend Wrap Up: Feature Creature Edition

FRIDAY

Girls night! Alexis just got back from a week in Japan, so she had us over (per our request) to eat, drink & see all of the AMAZING pictures from her trip.

SATURDAY

I have two young cousins who enjoy the plethora of clothes I'm constantly discarding, so I spent the morning cleaning out my closets & getting rid of everything I'm too fat, too skinny & too old to wear. It was a ridiculous amount of stuff. With a trunk full of clothes, I headed to Smyrna to meet my mom, sister, aunt & grandmother to watch The Help. I read the book back when it came out & loved it, but I wasn't sure how the movie would be. I was pleasantly surprised! I loved the movie & got a lot more emotional than I thought I would, probably because I was sandwiched between my aunt & grandmother, who were both crying. Speaking of my grandmother, she's my new movie date from now on. When we got settled into our seats, she reached into her purse & pulled out a huge ziploc bag full of candy bars for all of us. It was awesome!

The Features were playing a record release show for their new *incredibly awesome* album, Wilderness. We went to dinner beforehand with Michael. We brought him into The Wild Hare fold. Oh, Wild Hare, you drive me crazy. The food is always good, but the service continues to kind of suck. Get it together! So, The Features. First of all, that was the most people I've ever seen inside Mercy Lounge. Secondly, one of the original members of The Features started a brewery called Calfkiller Brewing Company & they were at the show selling their new beer, Feature Creature. It was so good! But most importantly, the show was freaking awesome! This band has been one of my favorites since college & it's so nice to see them reach this level of success. Well deserved, guys!

SUNDAY

Yesterday was my last yoga class at Sanctuary, well at least as far as my month pass is concerned. There is a rumor that they're going to offer a follow-up pass, but we'll see. In the meantime, I bought a Groupon for 5 yoga classes at Yoga Source, so I may do that for the next 5 weeks & then reassess.