Missy Maintains » Core Fusion

A Missy Update

MissyMaintains — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 13:40:32 +0000

Hello! Since I have no time or motivation to blog much these days, I have a lot to update you on! Besides my regular 9 to 5 job, I now have two other side jobs. Between that and exercising, I really do not have much time for the computer at home. I miss blogging but have to focus on what is most important for me right now. For now, here is a little update of what’s been going on in my life:

Core Fusion:

Okay, this has NOT been going on. I have not been to one class since I last posted about my Core Fusion Challenge two weeks ago! Eeek. I still have a membership there so I don’t have much of an excuse. I just always seem to choose intenSati when given the two options. I would rather be dancing around a room having fun with my friends during intenSati instead of crying from pain during thighs and abs in Core Fusion. I do want to get stronger and want more visible muscle so I will bring Core Fusion back into the routine. I will try for three times a week from now on!

Equinox:

Another reason I have a hard time going to Core Fusion is because I know how much I am spending each month for my crazy Equinox membership. Well, I now no longer pay $178 a month thanks to my new job! I got a gig as an Outreach Coordinator for one of the membership advisors. I am helping him for four hours per week in exchange for a membership. Great deal! Last night, I spent the entire four hours calling hundreds of members inviting them to the 20th Anniversary party next week (more on that below). Besides saving all of this money every month, it is cool being in my own little office at the gym! I really could not stomach that membership price any longer so I am very excited about this.

Shape Up NYC:

My second side job is teaching intenSati for Shape Up NYC. Right now I am subbing for my friend a couple of times of month but hope to do it every week in the near future. My next class is on Wednesday, September 21 at 6:30pm. It is at the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center and class is free! Come!!

20th Anniversary Equinox Party:

As I mentioned above, next Thursday, September 22 is a special event at Equinox with food, wine, and a DJ. You can work out there for free all day! I will be at the 19th and Broadway location at 6:30pm to take intenSati with two amazing instructors, Natalia and Erin. I highly recommend trying their class. Let me know if you would like to join me!

Integrative Nutrition Conference:

I honestly have not been health coaching but I do plan to attend the Integrative Nutrition conference this weekend. Maybe it will give me some motivation to get back into the coaching (and start eating better)! There will be really cool guest speakers there such as Deepak Chopra, Sally Fallon Morell, David Katz, and Mark Hyman. I will do a recap of this next week!

I think that’s it for now! I will try not to go so long without blogging from now on! Have a great day!

What are you looking forward to this month?

Core Fusion Challenge: The Results

MissyMaintains — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:05:18 +0000

It is now September (so sad to say) which means my Core Fusion Challenge is officially over. Just to recap, Exhale Spa invited me to participate in their Stay on CORE-Se Challenge in which I had to attend at least three Core Fusion classes during the month of August in exchange for a complimentary month pass and special challenge perks. At the end of each week that I attended the three classes, they emailed me spa and clothing discounts. I was super excited about this challenge because my strength training had been lacking since I was taking intenSati almost every day. I decided to increase the number of classes to five per week just to give myself an extra challenge and make the most of my month at Exhale. I did not weigh myself at the beginning of the month because I knew that building muscle could have caused the number on the scale to increase. Instead, I had my roommate measure my thighs, waist, chest and arms on July 25. This morning, I had my roommate take my measurements again to see if I lost any inches. So…how did I do?

I realized after the first two weeks of the challenge that it was not too realistic for me to attend five classes. I was away most weekends which would have meant attending a Core Fusion class every single day during the work week. There are certain intenSati classes that I refuse to miss no matter what so I ended up changing my goal to four classes per week. Below is a rundown of the classes I attended during the month:

Week 1 (7/25-7-31): 4 Classes- 1 Cardio, 1 Sport, 2 Open

Week 2 (8/1-8/7): 4 Classes- 1 Cardio, 3 Open

Week 3 (8/8-8/14): 4 Classes- 4 Open

Week 4 (8/15-8/21): 4 Classes- 1 Cardio, 3 Open

Week 5 (8/22-8/28): 1 Class- 1 Open. (Ahem Hurricane Irene…..also did the Cardio DVD Saturday and Bootcamp DVD on Sunday so technically 3 classes!

On top of all of these classes, I also went to about two or three intenSati classes per week. Now you can see why I rarely blogged all month! This made me a very busy but happy girl! Before even discussing my measurements, I would like to mention how different I felt overall. The first Core Fusion class that I went to in July made me feel very out of shape and like I lost all of my muscle! I used to go to Core Fusion or attend some type of Body Conditioning class on a regular basis but I stopped in the last year. I was having trouble lifting my 3 pounders during that first class so I promised myself I would never let myself go so long without weight training again. By the end of the second week, I was starting to feel more strong and flexible in class but it never got easy! I still felt the intense thigh burning in every class and usually wanted to cry. By the end of the third week, I decided to start using 4 pound weights along with the 3 pounders. Some instructors were not as challenging as others and I started to crave heavier weights during arms. Push ups never really got easier but I got the courage to do some straight-legged push ups instead of girly ones by the end. I overall just felt better and stronger each day knowing that I was doing strengh training. I do need to mention that I still despise the C-curve ab exercises at the end of every class and have the hardest time in that position. That is one exercise I can’t see myself ever enjoying!

As far as the measurements go, I really was not expecting to see any results because my eating was not great this past month. Core Fusion may work but healthy eating is definitely more important when expecting to lose inches. Yes, I ate pretty healthy but, as always, I ate too much at every meal. The night eating has not gotten any better and of course I have been enjoying excessive summer cocktails. My roommate measured me this morning and I went to work very unhappy. My thighs and chest both GREW half of an inch, my arms stayed the same, and I lost .8 inches in my waist. These measurements may not be totally accurate because my roommate may not have measured me in the exact same spots both times. I also am not so thrilled about losing inches in my waist because I remember that I chewed a lot of gum before taking my measurements in July so I was super bloated. Sigh. I am not at all surprised since my pants have been feeling snug but it is still disappointing and frustrating. I truly believe that I can work out as little or as much as I want but my weight and size really depend on my eating. On a positive note, I do see some more definition in my arms at least!

You might be wondering where I am going to go from here. I will continue going to Core Fusion at least 3 times a week along with my usual intenSati classes. Hopefully I can get the eating under control now that the summer is over. I really have to stop going all out at work with the free food, bagel parties, and birthdays with cupcakes and brownies. I will really focus on eating well and will take my measurements again at the end of this month. I really do love Core Fusion and think it has the potential to change my body but food comes first.

Did you set any goals in August? How did you do?

Have a great holiday weekend!

Salsa, Sushi, and Sati Summer

MissyMaintains — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:58:58 +0000

Today was a perfect and relaxing summer Sunday. I started off my day with a great intenSati class taught by my girl Darbi. I was not even planning on going because I was super tired this morning and just wanted to stay in bed. I happened to wake up ten minutes before I would have had to leave and saw a text message from my fellow Sati friend asking me if I was going. I told her I was laying there debating with myself but her text was enough for me to get my butt up and go. I am so happy I did and felt like a new person afterwards. Class was really fun and I even forgot about the fact that I did not have my usual espresso before the class. I also loved that I seemed to know every single person in the room. After class, I found out that they were giving free chair massages at Equinox! Yes please!

I walk by the massage chairs before leaving the gym all of the time but always assumed that they cost money. Amazing discovery! The massage only lasted about five minutes but felt great! I must admit that it was nice having a guy give me a massage because I usually go to the woman who paints my nails! I was very glad I shaved since he definitely rubbed down my legs. Anyway….a bunch of us grabbed lunch and headed to The High Line for a relaxing afternoon.

I love that I had absolutely nothing planned for Sunday but just going to intenSati kept me occupied for the whole day. While I essentially go for the amazing workout, it is also a huge part of my social life. I would definitely only have about two friends if it weren’t for intenSati!

I am now enjoying fruity wine and an Amy’s burrito!

I had another super relaxing day on Saturday. I thought about going to the gym or to Core Fusion but I knew my body needed a day off. I only went to Core Fusion four times this week even though I had hoped for five. I could do a Core Fusion DVD right now but I know I need to listen to my body and give it the rest it needs. I will get back there tomorrow morning now that my muscles have had some time to recover. I did work out a little bit by cleaning my bedroom and learning a new intenSati series! I am teaching again in two weeks so now is the time to prepare! I had a fun time dancing around in my kitchen and yelling out positive affirmations!

Since my oven is unplugged and my apartment is super hot, I decided to pick up breakfast from a local cafe. I got an egg white mushroom and feta cheese omelet with whole wheat toast. I also got a big iced coffee and chocolate Zico coconut water. Let’s just say I was a little hungover from the night before!

Lunch was a veggie burger sandwich with frozen broccoli (heated up in the microwave).

I watched several Netfix Instant movies including Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead (I need to start juicing again), Twelve, and Happy Accident. Loved them all! I also treated myself to some sushi and wine!

I enjoyed some salad and edamame to start.

I also got an Eel Avocado roll and Dragon roll with brown rice.

Delicious! I don’t know why but I also had some cereal before bed. Same old story.

Back to Friday night….

I went to one of my favorite classes of the week- intenSati with Erin Stutland. I was miserable walking in but happy and energized walking out. A few of us went out for some drinks after class at a cute bar in Union Square called Lillie’s.

I always get drunk so fast after working out. I guess dehydration and not eating dinner till after drinking will do that to you. We went to a club afterwards called SOBS for some salsa dancing.

I do not salsa dance which meant standing at the bar and consuming several Cosmopolitans while watching my friends dance. Eventually I gave in and let the Latino boys spin me around which is not too smart after so much vodka. I did know the basic steps so it was not a total disaster. It was a super fun night, especially since it ended with Magnolia Pistachio cupcakes!

I will be spending the rest of my Sunday evening with my wine and kitty!

What did you do this weekend?

Do you know how to salsa dance?

Core Fusion and Food Challenge Update

MissyMaintains — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:01:44 +0000

Hello! How are you doing? I am doing great with my Core Fusion Challenge so far! In case you missed my last post, I am participating in the ”Stay on CORE-Se” challenge at Exhale Spa this month. This means that I have to attend class three times a week and, as a reward, I will receive special perks and discounts to the spa. I changed the challenge to five classes per week just because I want to take full advantage of this opportunity and really want to see some results by the end of the month. I started off the challenge with a Core Fusion Cardio class on Monday. I did not go on Tuesday just because I refuse to miss Patricia Moreno’s intenSati class. On Wednesday, I went to a very challenging Core Fusion Open class. I was practically in tears but it felt oh, so good. I also went to Core Fusion Sport after work yesterday when I found out that my colorist was out sick! Since I could not get my hair done, I had no other choice but to work out again! It is not really an option for me to go home right after work because it just leads to lots and lots of eating for no reason. While some people cannot wait to go home and relax after a long day at work, I do everything in my power to avoid being home for long periods of time at night. I would rather stay in the city for a couple of extra hours while getting a nice workout instead of mindlessly snacking. I know I do not talk about it much on here anymore but I am still a work in progress.

While I was kind of dreading Core Fusion Sport last night, I felt amazing afterwards. I did not really want to go since I was pretty sore from the morning class and am really trying to be careful about not overdoing it and then getting an injury. I also tried Sport a couple of years ago and was not a huge fan. I knew I would feel better if I worked out so I sucked it up and gave it another chance. I also need to mention that Exhale Spa is literally right across the street from my work so I have no excuse not to go! The class ended up being really great! The instructor, Adina (also my Cardio teacher on Monday) had a ton of energy and was very challenging at the same time. We did all kind of exercises using a weighted ball like jumpbacks, lunges, tricep dips, push ups, etc. We used an exercise band at the end for leg, butt and ab exercises. I will definitely try to take Sport at least once a week during this challenge!

I am happy to say that I also woke up this morning and went to Core Fusion again! It’s now Thursday and I’ve gone to Core Fusion four times this week! I will probably take a break tomorrow and go maybe one or two more times this weekend. I am a little nervous about seeing results though because, so far, my eating has been…hmm…out of control the last three days! Let’s just say I can’t have English muffins and crunchy peanut butter in the house. Now that the jar is gone, I am ready to get back on track. If I don’t start eating a little better at night, I will not lose any inches and will be pretty disappointed come August. I am going to try to start taking some more pictures of my food and posting them on here to hold myself accountable. Here are some eats from yesterday:

Before Core Fusion, I made an espresso and protein powder mix with Stevia and almond milk in my Magic Bullet. I make this every single time I exercise in the morning. It wakes me up right away and tastes delicious at the same time.

Breakfast was out for grabs when I arrived at work. It was interesting but I like free food so I ate it.

I had some sort of egg, black bean, and corn scramble, a mini bagel, and some potatoes that tasted like bacon. MMM, bacon.

Lunch was from a fruit store in Chelsea Market. They have awesome homemade guacamole and the salads are super cheap!

Between lunch and Core Fusion, I had my last English muffin with peanut butter and jelly. It was supposed to be my actual lunch but I was craving my greens and wanted something a little more substantial.

After Core Fusion Sport, I had one of these since dinner would not be for another couple of hours:

Yes, it tasted like Cookies N’ Cream ice cream!

I got home and made my own little version of Sangria: Trader Joe’s $2.00 red wine and frozen fruit. No need for soda!

The fruit makes the wine taste sweet and also gets me drunk. I picked up a salad on my way home which had carrots, broccoli, squash, and pesto chicken. Good stuff.

And then…9:00 p.m. rolled around and I just wanted to eat. I had a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios because in my mind, the salad was not enough. Luckily I stopped at one bowl which is very rare for me. Baby steps! I will continue to post my food a couple of times a week and try to kick this habit in the butt. Let’s see some results!

Do you snack more at night than during the day?

What is your favorite night time snack?

The Stay on CORE-Se Challenge

MissyMaintains — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 15:51:22 +0000

Hello! In case you missed it, check out my recap about the Sati LOVE Flash Mob last Friday! It was such an amazing experience and my favorite day of the year so far!

As you all probably know by now, I am obsessed with intenSati and love pretty much everything about it. Just last week, I went to intenSati on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday (2 classes), and Sunday! I finally broke the streak yesterday because I went to Core Fusion Cardio instead! More details on that in a minute.

Obsession, addiction….call it what you want but I just love intenSati so much! The only problem with this? I’ve really been lacking in my weight training and strength routine. I used to go to a strength class about three times a week. Lately, I’ve been going to maybe one strength class a week. I believe weight training is more important than cardio since it burns calories all day long after working out instead of just during that one hour of intense cardio. I see more results when I strength train and also feel stronger and more fit. While I do like a few strength classes at Equinox, they do not compare to my love for Core Fusion classes. I’ve been a huge fan of Core Fusion for a couple of years now but unfortanatly cannot afford both an Equinox and Exhale Spa membership (until I meet a rich husband one day). I currently have a Core Fusion 10-pack that I recently purchased from Rue La La but I have to use the classes sparingly or else they will be gone in two weeks! Luckily, I got an amazing email a couple of days ago from the Mind Body Manager at Exhale:

Hi Melissa,

It feels like summer has barely begun – but the BBQs are well underway! I don’t know about you, but one-too-many frozen drinks and burgers have already found me. Before things get too out of hand, I’m devising a plan to stay bikini-ready through the end of August. Join me to “Stay on CORE-se” for the summer!

Here are the details: starting Monday, July 25, I will be challenging myself to take a minimum of three Core Fusion or Yoga classes each week. I’d like to see each and every one of you taking class along with me! I know it can be hard to stick to a routine, but it will definitely be worth it to stay in shape for the season. As added incentive, I promise to show up on August 31 for my last “CORE-se” class in a bikini. You won’t want to miss it!

Yes! The challenge is three classes a week but I am personally committing to at least five classes a week this month. This email came at the perfect time and I am going to take full advantage of my one month membership! I do think I will see results but just to have official proof, I had my roommate take my measurements two nights ago. I will take them again in one month and report back with my progress. I started the challenge off yesterday with a great Core Fusion Cardio class in the morning and plan to go to my second class this week on Wednesday. Let’s do this!

Are you starting any new challenges in August?

How many times a week do you strength train?