Now

This is so weird to me anymore.  When my life decided to get all fucked up because I decided I was done being married to Stuart after my oldest kid started getting in trouble with the law, i just couldn’t take the spotlight being shined upon all my mistakes and all the mishaps and emotional pain.

And then I started teaching fitness and became a kind of “public” figure. And they have some pretty strict rules about how you conduct yourself in public venues.

So, all the ugliness and sadness and bad stuff that’s happened in the past….6 or so years, I just don’t talk very much anymore. Most of my Facebook posts are about my classes and fitness stuff or random “public” acceptable funny stuff.

….never finished. computer froze and ate it. fucker.

So Nay came in and assessed my teaching last night for bodyflow. It was mostly good and better than what I received last year.

Stated that I was the strongest instructor for BF that our gym has. That’s happy to hear.

My cat has been taught (bribed) with treats to “Sit”. My family is suitably impressed.

My social life is better than it’s ever been. I have stuff planned short term and longer term.

The only burr is the job and dental stuff. The job has more good things than bad right now. That’s good.

The dental stuff: i found a dentist that will do a payment plan (like payments to get something done, harder to find than you’d think) and also give me a 10% discount. Now, I need to get past my fear and make an APPOINTMENT.

I’m mostly pretty good though. How about that?

Wow. Yesterday I pushed my body harder than I have in a while.

BodyPump launch at 5:30, then RPM launch for about 40 minutes, and then teaching the newest BodyFlow release at 7:30.

I look like a goober. Hah!

I really should get one of the Polar watches to monitor calories burned.

Finally got back to the apartment around 9′ish. STARVING at that time. Chris had put a pork loin in the crockpot earlier so thankfully, food was quick and easy and so very good. Yum. We didn’t eat, we inhaled it. Started watching Dexter, Season 5 from Netflix. In bed by 11:45 or so. Out like a light.

Cramming my brain full of new choreography so I can deliver it at the launch next Monday. Not loving this new release. I do like a few of the tracks but most of it, is “eh”.

Redemption Song (oh happy day) for Tai Chi? ?

The song for the sun sals are pretty good. Mostly instrumental (and we’re ready to flow).

Song: Amazing by One Eskimo for the standing strength – 9 minutes of legs!!! Whoo.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps – Balance track

For The First Time – hips. pretty song. love it.

Need You Now – Abs with an iron cross!

Forget You – CeeCee Lo

My most favorite song of this release: Stay by a band called Hurts

And then hamstrings song: Forgiveness by Sara MacLachlan

Being an instructor is my passion. Specifically, BodyFlow. I love the entire thing and even though I’ve been doing this for almost two years, we are always working to improve. Or at least, I do. I have a great director as well so I’m fortunate.

We do periodic evaluations and this is what I received:

Renee,

It’s always wonderful to watch you teach, you’re always so passionate and fun yet motivating and encouraging to get people to work harder.  I know that you will take this evaluation with a pinch of salt!  This is just how I hope it will be received.

TECHNIQUE:

• · You move with correct alignment and posture during all tracks of Body Flow.
• · Your moves always demonstrate save and effective ranges of movement.
• · You clearly demonstrate appropriate level of strength and conditioning required to teach body flow.
• · Although others may disagree I feel you demonstrate the appropriate feel look and attitude needed to teach body flow.  Sure there are times when you are louder or more aggressive in your teaching style of body flow compared to other flow instructors.  However I believe this is your personality naturally and it’s far better to teach from a place of honesty, than to be fake and someone else whilst you teach.  Members always tell me they love your classes and your numbers speak for themselves.

IMPROVEMENT:

• · As always on the odd occasions your timing can be off. J However you always manage to get back on track and right where you need to be within the music.
• · I know you say “whatever “my timing is off but I ask for you to continually ask more of yourself and focus on perfecting this as much as you can.  I know you have gotten better at this with flow.
• · This is a random request.  But I would really like you to focus on relaxing the hands more during Tai Chi. (Yes I did say that).  This is something I just noticed, it doesn’t affect the standard of your teaching or technique, it is merely an observation that I feel would make your tai chi lines cleaner.  Focus on relaxing the wrists and fingers so that when you move your hands and wrists they help to finish off the lines of your movement.
• · Also coach the knee bend and transfer of weight more in the Tai Chi, there are times during the Tai Chi when both knees should be bent at the same time J

COACHING:

• · Your sequences of cues is wonderful giving the basic need to know cues first and then developing the cues to more feeling cues as the track continues.
• · You are easily understood and followed due to simple and easy to understand cues.
• · You are always organized with a plan of what you are teaching and you always press play and go.
• · You control and manage your class well; this ensures that the class flows well.

IMPROVEMENT:

• · CRC- more of it, focus more on correcting individuals with their form.  Also use eye contact more and direct your cues as you say them to a specific member in the class, rather than just saying the cue.
• · Use your breathe cues to give the moves more purpose and feeling.  You do already do this but I would like to see more of this.  Inhale fully to lengthen the spine, exhale to relax the shoulders….
• · Sell the benefits of the exercises; tell people where they should be feeling it and what will happen as result, why are we doing the moves.  Standing strength, get lower into the front leg during a warrior one to help strengthen the quad; this will help you to look tighter and leaner.

CONNECTING:

• Connecting and engaging participant’s, is by far your strength in your teaching.   You naturally gain members trust by just being authentic in your teaching.
• You are open and approachable and members can relate to you, you are their teacher, role model and inspiration yet also their friend.

IMPROVEMENT:

• Work on catering a little more to your classes needs, you already do this but focus and pay a little more attention to individuals who may need an option especially during the abs track and with new comers to class.

FITNESS MAGIC:

• · Some may disagree but I feel in your own way you capture the essence of the program of Body Flow.  It may not be 100% to Les Mills guidelines, but I feel that it 100% authentic and genuine to you.
• · Your passion and genuine love for body flow naturally is projected in the way in which you teach and therefore members can’t help but return to your classes and feel the same way about body flow that you do.

IMPROVEMENT:

• The only suggestion I have is to work on creating contrast and a journey in your classes.  The relaxation part of your class is by far the calmest and your abs and back track are usually you’re loudest.  During the Tai Chi and balance try on focusing on calming down just a little by relaxing and softening your voice.  Not all the time, as I know that wouldn’t be you, but maybe during some tracks you can focus on saying less.  Say the initial and follow up cues that you feel you must say and then it rest.

CHOREORAPHY:

• · Your knowledge of choreography is solid.
• · You follow the correct class format.
• · You balance the track selections well…..No more feedback needed.

Renee it truly is an honor to work with you and especially team teach, it is always fun but the reason I enjoy it most is truly your passion for the body flow program its very contagious.  Not a week goes by where I don’t hear from a member how wonderful they think you and your classes are.  Thank you for all you do and if you want to discuss any of the above further know I am always here for you!

Coming up on a 3 day weekend! Whoo!

I passed my video assessment that I had to submit to Les Mills to become a complete certified BodyPump instructor. Even had some really nice compliments in there. Nice.

Been sort of sad this week though. it’s the last week teaching at the downtown location. The building was sold and they have to prep another location for occupancy. It’s going to take at least two months to do so unless my downtown folk migrate to NR or to GW, I won’t see them again for a few months. I have AWESOME people down there and I will certainly miss them.

In another way though, it’s sort of good. I’ve been teaching for almost two years now and while I’m not burnt out, I can tell that I’m not loving it every second the way I did before. It happens. But with this break, I’m down to only two classes per week and whatever classes I can pick up and sub. I’m sort of on summer break!

Had a fabulous dinner last night. Mmm. Picked up some fresh shrimp and tuna steaks, some broccolini and asparagus. Chris did some kind of fancy cranberry/pomegranate and tarragon reduction sauce for the fish and rice.  YUM.

I have no idea what we’re doing this weekend but the pool at my apt. complex opened and I am for sure going to be parked there soaking up some sun as soon as possible!!!!

Have a safe and happy weekend y’all!

I asked Chris to come to class yesterday and surprisingly enough, he did.

I think that for someone who has been so physically strong when he was younger, he can get frustrated with his lack of flexibility and all that. I can’t imagine going through what he’s gone through though.

He had spent his whole life planning to go into the military, Marines, and a stupid accident when he was about 16 ended that dream for him. He was leaning into a car through the passenger side window of a friend and the guy driving was goofing off and took off and Chris’s leg ended up going under the back wheel and getting wrapped around the axle. Horrific damage.

He overcame that eventually, even played rugby when he was going to NC State. And then he broke his back. The doctors told him to not expect to walk again. And he did.

And his back has been a problem since then. He’s fine for the most part but it doesn’t take much to twinge the back, so he has to be pretty careful with how he moves and all.

So, when he is in class, I do worry that he’ll do something and end up hurt. I would feel horrible. He gives me the most amazing compliments and … well, I don’t see it but I’m flattered that he thinks so.

I’ve never been told that I move gracefully or fluidly but he says that I do. That I seem larger than life when I’m up there teaching and that I look absolutely beautiful and graceful. And the best part: that I make it look easy!

I love that. It’s also nice to be told those things. Perfectly angelic is NOT  a phrase that’s ever been associated with me. Hah!

Once again! Third time must be the charm for this, the company I work for is phasing out their US office.

They let 4 project managers go last week. The projects were divided between those of us remaining.

From what I have heard, when these projects are finished up, (they are sending new projects to the team in the Philippines) then they are going to either let the rest of us go or allow us to move over to the sales side.

Can I just say: fuck that noise!

So let the job hunt begin (rather, continue) with earnest!

I had a telephone interview yesterday with a company in Cary that sounds like it would be interesting. I don’t have a lot of experience in some ways though and if I get it, I’ll be shocked. In a good way. I’d love to get it but we’ll see.

I have a friend at the gym who is pretty high up at S.A.S. and she sent him my resume. I am pretty sure that nothing will pan out from that but he is going to look over my resume and help me make sure it’s absolutely pristine. That’s cool.

I have about 1-2 months left and then *shrug*

Things are just insane sometimes. God. I should just go back to waitressing.

…..

I’ve gotten another class added starting in April. I’ll be doing BodyPump on Thursdays. Woot!

Monday: BF, DT a 7:30
Tuesday: open
Wednesday: BF, DT at 7:30
Thursday: BP, DT at 6:30
Friday: BF, NR at 5:30
Saturday: BF, DT at 11:30
Sunday: BF, NR, at 4:00

BF = BodyFlow, BP= BodyPump, DT=Downtown, NR=North Ridge, GW=Glenwood.

So that’s teaching 6 days a week. I also sub fairly often on Tuesdays. I love it. I wish they’d add a BodyFlow class after Pump on Thursdays, that would be fun teaching two classes back to back.

…..

Not sure what’s on tap for this weekend. Chris worked a bunch last weekend and it was so rainy, not much going on. I sort of hate weekends like that.

Oh. We have to go pick up a couch. He hauled up a huge desk for me that is fairly nice, it was going to be thrown away.

He can’t stand good items going in the trash so he tries to re-home the stuff he can when he’s tasked with removing it and hauling it away.

I have to admit this bothered me a bit, because he really really hates to throw things away but in his defense, he actually uses the stuff he keeps. Often in ways that make perfect sense but I would never have thought about doing. He’s got such an engineer mentality sometimes. He’s so damn smart when it comes to that stuff, he used to work for an engineering firm. Math, Science, Chemistry, conversation dips into this stuff every so often and I’m just like, what?  …. I like string!

We’ll see. I feel like being a bit social so maybe a evening at either Erica’s or something.

All the Jersey Shore fans out there (of which I am NOT one of them), Mike “The Situation” is going to be at my gym today. He’s such a tool and it’s so odd that our gym owners keep bringing people like this into the gym. I’m really not sure what the connection is?????

Whatever!

Classes were great last night. I was paid a huge compliment by Rebecca after class, she is a complete DIVA when it comes to instructors and she doesn’t like very many but she said I “rocked NR”. I’ll take it. She’s been teaching for over 10 years.

So BodyPump at North Ridge, tracks 4, 5, and 6. (Back, Triceps, and Biceps) Then headed downtown to teach BodyFlow to a big class. 22 people for a Monday night at 7:30. 3 new people and lots of newer people that keep coming back.

One of my favorite new regulars came up to me to thank me. She said that she’s had horrible sciatic issues for quite awhile and hasn’t been able to reach down to place her hands on the floor (forward fold) until this class. Last night was the first time she could do that without pain. YAY!!! She actually signed up for the Passport (ability to go to all gyms) in order to take the classes that I teach at North Ridge as well.

And THAT is the highest compliment to receive as an instructor. Nice. When I get burned out or tired, I need to remember that I AM making a difference in lives. It might just be a group fitness class to some but it’s changing people, physically and mentally, for the better.

I’ve been doing what I do best regarding the BodyPump journey: FREAKING OUT THAT I AM NOT PERFECT.

Hah. Wow. Settle down, Renee, settle it down.

I did my first whole class by myself last Thursday and there were a few things regarding my timing on the 2×2′s and needing to give more ‘feeling’ cues but Naomi gave me great feedback. She said that my No Bullshit attitude was perfect for the class and that I am naturally motivating.

I do confess, I LOVE how I feel when I’m teaching it. It’s so much fun and so very different than BodyFlow.

Anyways. I was stressing over those niggling little things to fix and Chris told me that he wouldn’t be surprised to see me up on the Les Mills stage one day. I sort of blew it off and he’s like, no, I’m serious.

Which is nice. Chris isn’t one to throw around compliments, ever. So, if I’m doing half as well as he thinks, then I’m pretty satisfied. Team teaching tonight with the fabulous Amelia and then tomorrow with Wendy. Will be doing my video before March’s end. I’ve been offered a class of my own starting in April. WHEEEEE!!!!

So that means teaching 6 days a week. Ah if only I could do this full time!