Introducing My New Love

Mom, sit down.  This might be hard for you to hear.  I know how strongly you feel about the subject.  After all, I don't think I've ever heard you say the word "coconut" without making a face.  And I know it's not allowed in the house, but, the thing is, I really love coconut water and I thought you should hear it from me.

It started a few months ago when a friend of a friend mentioned that coconut water is super hydrating.  Being your daughter, I made the obligatory coconut face.  I was curious, though.  The idea of a more natural source of electrolytes was appealing.  I had been drinking a lot of Gatorade.  And while an occasional Gatorade is great, it probably shouldn't be a staple of my diet.  I had looked around for alternatives.  I tried the powdered drinks, Pocari Sweat, but nothing appealed.  So, eventually, I gave coconut water a chance.

I made the mistake of trying one of the flavors first.  That was nasty.  It's a small miracle that I finally tried the plain.  The taste is actually really mild and, since it's basically water, it lacks the piecey texture of coconut (which is definitely what makes coconuts objectionable.)

During my workouts, I tend to stick to water, but before, and sometimes after, coconut water is the way to go.  I hope you understand.

Your loving daughter,

-Gym Belle-

Length Matters

Ever since I started doing CrossFit, one skill in particular has driven me batty: double unders.  Double unders shouldn't be difficult.  You jump rope, letting the rope pass beneath you twice for every one bounce.  It's just a question of jumping high enough and turning your wrist that much faster.  At CrossFit Metropolis, the "penalty" for not being able to do double unders in a workout is a 2:1 substitution of burpees.  No one likes burpees, so people tend to master double unders fairly quickly. 

In the beginning, I practiced double unders with limited success.  Eventually, I gave up.  I preferred to focus my energies on things I might actually get better at, i.e. pullups, handstand pushups and ring dips.  I became the queen of burpees.  In fact, I've done so many burpees that I really don't mind doing them anymore.

This fall, people at the gym started ordering custom jump ropes from RX Jump Ropes.  At first, I laughed.  Only on the upper east side of Manhattan would people order custom jump ropes.  The results were impressive, though.  People who never had double unders suddenly had them.  People who had them were doing more faster.  I started wondering if perhaps the short rope at the gym wasn't short enough for me.  Maybe, just maybe, this wasn't a coordination issue.  Eventually, I decided it was worth a shot and ordered a custom rope of my own.

My jump rope arrived just before I left for South Africa, so yesterday was the first opportunity I had to test it out.  (I had tried in my apartment, but it's too small, and I was afraid I'd hit my dog.)  All of a sudden, I had double unders.  Just like that.  I even did them in yesterday's workout.  I had to put some singles between each double under, and I definitely failed a few times, but I can totally do them.  Woohoo!

-Gym Belle-

Fashion's Night Out, Gym Belle Style

Last year, I remember leaving work just in time to see the stores shutting down after Fashion's Night Out.  This year, I lucked out and left the office a little past 6:00.  There were so many choices, I almost didn't know where to start.  I went down to Soho, which was totally packed and completely insane.  Judging from all the shrieking going on, people around me definitely saw famous people.  To escape the crowds, I ducked into Lululemon where I found this:

Thumb holes!

I felt very fashionable at the gym this morning.

When I got to Lululemon, they were setting up for a special yoga class (complete with live DJ) in honor of FNO so I decided to stick around.  The instructor was Lauren Imparato from I.AM.YOU. studio.  I remembered reading about the i-banker turned yogi on Social Workout last year, but I'd never been to one of her classes.  It was great.  The class was fast-paced and aerobic.  I was super tight and inflexible last night, worse than usual even, but Lauren was a great instructor.  She really helped me with my wheel pose.

 Setting up for yoga

I left Lululemon re-energized and ready to shop. 

Lauren's giving another free class at Lululemon Soho on September 29 at 9:00 am.   If you can go, I totally recommend checking it out.  Each of the participants last night got a pass to take a free class at her studio.  I'm going to put that to good use. 

I'll keep you posted.

-Gym Belle-