Kids, Kids and more Kids!

So this weekend we got up early and headed to Turbo Kick Class! I was excited as usual and there were lots of ladies waiting when we got there! Class was awesome! We really pushed it and I was WIPED at the end of class!

I chatted with some of the ladies after class and the quickly changed in the back stairwell and threw on a dry shirt and headed downstairs where one of the ladies from class, Marisa was waiting for us!

We hopped in her car and headed EAST to Scarborough and landed at the Boys and Girls Club WINTERFEST. It's a big event that they hold each year to promote healthy living and MOVING.

So we got there, the kids arrived, were fed and then it was GO TIME! I did 6 classes, shorter than normal of course, but still 6 back to back classes with a total of over 200 kids (7-9 year olds) over the next several hours. It was amazing! The kids were GREAT, energetic and wildly un-focussed, much like myself! It was an absolute pleasure seeing the kids have fun with Turbo Kick and getting high 5's from 200 kids in an afternoon is an experience I will remember for a long time!

The pain I felt by dinner time though...Holy Cow! Stiffy-McStiffalot! My goodness I was a complete mess! I was still pretty sore Sunday, but by class time tonight I was good to go!!! Class was great and I got to spend a few minutes after class chatting with some of the ladies! It was a great night!!! I am ready for some sleep now though!!!

Awesome Start to the day!

So I was at a Product Day for one of our biggest suppliers yesterday. I spent 8 hours at THE OLD MILL INN learning about Transat Vacations new European Packages. Lots of cool stuff but it was a long day. I didn't get home until after 9pm.

Class this morning came quickly! I basically came home last night and went straight to bed. It felt like I had been asleep for 2 hours when the alarm went off at 5am. I had slept pretty well though, so once I got moving everything was good!

Class was phenomenal! A friend from Orange County, California was in town for 2 days and came out this morning! 2 days!!! What a long trip for 2 days! Anyways, Tiffany is as much of a Turbo Fanatic as I am and I was SOOOO lucky to have her come out! She's wonderful and considering she hadn't really slept in a couple days with traveling, jet lag etc...she was on fire!!! AWESOME!!!

I've got a meeting early this morning, so I've gotta clean up, pack for this evening's class and get moving!


UPDATE!!!!!

Class tonight was...All I can say is "WOW"
The energy was amazing! I lost count at 63people, but I know there were more. I was tired after a long tough day at work and already one class under my belt for the day, but it is impossible not to get pumped up, and crazy when you see that many other folks jumping, punching, yelling and kicking in a room that barely holds 40 people comfortably!! :)

Anyways it was amazing and I loved every second of it!

The gym manager (another new one) wants me to do another event at the gym now too. He saw class tonight and was over the moon. He's offered me compensation for each non-member who shows up. I told him I'll think about it. I think I will ask him to attend my off site event on March 10, and to offer prizes from the gym as a good-will gesture. If he does that, then I may do another event for them. Otherwise off-site is looking like a great place to do these events. Its only once per month (or once every 2months) and only $5. I really hope

I also got to chat with one of our New Turbo Ladies after class for a bit. Very cool gal! I love getting to know the ladies! All in all...WONDERFUL night...just settling in to watch LOST...then its ZZZZZzzzzz.

Turbo Kick™ Event! Come on out!

Studio Success!

So I'll start this post with the GOOD news of the day! I found a booked our venue for the Turbo Kick™ event on March10, 2007!!!

I will be putting a flyer together in the next couple days and posting it here as well as emailing it around to my Turbo Friends local and remote! I'll also be putting up flyers around here locally!

The venue is right downtown Toronto and has a KILLER sound system! I can't wait! This is going to be the first event that I am hosting that is Co-Ed as well! I REALLY hope that my Turbo Ladies all show up and help the few guys that will be there how to really Kick it!!!

I will post the flyer shortly (before Monday)

***---In my day job---***
Probably the worst 7hours in my career today. This week itself has been bad news after bad news. I don't want to get into all the cruddy details, but it really has been a crap week! The bright spot of the week was one of my new clients who came in to book her trip in hour8 of my day today. She was really funny, and we got along super well. All of us ended up joking around with her and it really lightened the day up! Ended up finishing the work day on a high note which was really nice and much needed. This week the stress has really got to me and its hurt my food too. I kind of lost focus and didn't really pay attention to my food. Next week I really need to get back to focus on that.

Late Shift!

So today I'm working the late shift at the travel agency, so I have a choice. Get up like normal and try to get lots of stuff done before work since I work until 8pm....OR...lounge.

I think today is a lounge day.
The A-Team is calling my name (it's on at 10am!)...

I have an appt tomorrow at 530pm to check out another studio that I am really hopefull about!
I'll take pictures and post them if it turns out well!!!

As soon as I can confirm this venue I will send sending out an email and posting a flyer here with all the details!!!

Turbo Class last night was great! It was still pretty big (over 30ladies) but I believe that St. Valentine took some of my ladies from me. To add to that, it was the worst weather day of the winter yesterday! Lots of wind and snow! I was actually surprised that my early morning ladies made it out at 630am yesterday! Man I love the dedication of these ladies! 630am and these ladies trudged through 6inches of new snow on the ground and still made it! These ladies continue to impress/surprise me!!! Gotta love em!!!!

Studio#2

Well the lady we met today was super nice! The price was a little high, but the facilities ended up being kinda cruddy for what we're looking for. When they told me "hardwood floors" I expected Sprung wood aerobic flooring. I got real "little house on the prairie" hardwood floors. The room was way too small too. But we had a nice time, mostly because the owner was so sweet!

We went over the YMCA and asked them about space. There is a big auditorium that may be possible to use, but I need to talk to a specific person who wasn't around. So I will be emailing her tomorrow.

So the search continues!!

Tuesday!

Ok I'm almost late for work already, but I wanted to get back in the blogging routine, so here I am!

I have an early morning meeting in 40minutes (work is only 15mins away) so I didn't work out this morning. I will get "SOMETHING" done tonight. Likely a run on the treadmill. We're expecting a big snow storm this afternoon. Can't WAIT!

Class last night was out of this world! A few of the ladies regularly hoot and hollar, but most of the other 40-60 people typically just smile, kick and sweat. But something rubbed off last night, and the new and old Kickers alike were yelling, groaning and hooting all together! It was awesome! Class was pretty big as well, and that always gives me more energy too! We had over 50 ladies in class which was just awesome!!!

Today, besides work I am going to follow up on a couple more Studio Places and hopefully get closer to nailing down the venue for our event!

Food

Meal1: Power Crunch Bar (4points)
Meal2: Chickpeas, Veggies on a Whole Wheat Pita (7points)
Meal3:Power Crunch Bar (4points)
Meal4: Whole Wheat pasta and Sauce (8points)

Workout

Nothing specific tonight. Running around in -20C. looking for venues to host my event was enough of a workout today!

Studio#1

I went to a studio to check out today after my meeting at head office (for work). I had my hopes up because the location was pretty convenient (about 3 or 4 blocks from where I currently teach). The people were nice, the price was excellent. And the venue was pooh.

There were two rooms, both with mirrors and lots of natural light which was nice. The flooring was cruddy. This kind of plastic/linoleum that seemed very fragile. The room was also a little small (and that was the LARGE room). Its too bad, but that's just my first place.

Tomorrow I will be at work, but if I have a little spare time I will follow up with a couple other options.

Bitten off more than I can chew?

Goals are great! Writing them down are wonderful. But in the dead of winter, when you make a lofty set of goals and you don't accomplish them, things can begin to spiral.

So back to basics. I have an event I am in the midst of planning right now. This will be the first event I am organizing OUTSIDE of Fitness One.

I will have to charge a small price per person ($5), but I think that this will be a really good step towards establishing Turbo in the city. This will be a Co-Ed Event, and I am really excited at the potential of this event! The money will go towards paying for the rent on the venue and some of the prizes and snacks we provide. I hope that the people feel that I'm worth $5, if not, perhaps I'm in the wrong business.

I have some leads on venues that I will be following up on today and I definitely need to make sure the venue is nailed down for sure by the end of the week. So that is my number one priority.

Number 2 is working on my ACE Material. I want/need to get through this stuff and get my test planned. I want to have the test scheduled by the end of this month so I need to make a good dent in the material this month!

So back to basics....Food, Activity all blogged. I'm going to get back to what was successful for me and let the good things happen when I'm working hard to meet my goals!

I had an awesome chat today with an amazing friend in Connecticut today and afterwards I really feel great and am ready to focus! This month is gonna be great, I can already tell!

Food

Meal1: Fibre One Honey Clusters Cereal (5points)
Meal2: Fibre One Honey Clusters Cereal (5points)
Meal3: 2 Cups of Whole Wheat Pasta with Sauce (8points)
Meal4: Power Crunch Protein Bar (4points)
Meal:5: 2 Cups of Whole What Pasta with Sauce (8points)

Total Points Consumed: 30points

Workout

Turbo Kick Class 730pm

Daily Goals

So today is day1 of a new intensity for me! I'm not training to be an Ultimate Fighter, but I AM training as if I was! I am going to push myself!

Mondays Goals:

#1 Clean Eating (including at least 3 litres of water)
#2 Weighted Workout (Power90)
#3 Cardio Workout Turbo Kick
#4 Education. Complete Reading Chapter1 in ACE Manual

I will update my blog at the end of the day regarding these goals.

Also I do have WEEKLY goals which I will update at the end of the week.

#1 Clean Eating every day
#2 4 Weight Training Workouts
#3 6 Days of Cardio (Tuesday will be the NO-Cardio Day)
#4 3 Chapters read and studied in ACE Manual
#5 Research Workout locations outside of my gym. Make a list of 20potential places and contact info for each.

Inspired!

Well I'm home, rested and ready to get back into my routine! I don't have anything out of town planned until the spring now...So its time to get busy!

I'm really beginning to realize that although going to an event like the UFC Event I went to this past weekend was amazingly fun, there is a LOT to be gained from it as well. For me it treated like a renewal, refresher, and inspirational day. I met and saw some of the finest athletes in the world! Regardless of the fact that I am a huge fan of these fighters, its their conditioning, discipline and intensity that has inspired me!

Thanks to these guys I am more fired up than ever to really step up my training! I know these guys train for a living, but at the same time there are 24 hours in a day...so plenty of time for work, sleep, eat and train :)

Tomorrow is going to be a great day! Today is rest and sleep and enjoying the lingering effects of some jet lag.

Flight Delay

So our time at the airport in Phoenix was a little longer, and more eventful than we had anticipated. We were able to get that earlier flight from Vegas to Phoenix, which got us into the Phoenix airport with plenty of time to spare, unlike our first entrance into the Sunshine State earlier this week.

We were all excited to have a few moments to relax and not have to rush to our next gate. We joked around, and decided that since there would not be any meal on the plane (except for Heather and I, who were in first-class) we would all get some lunch. Our selection was pretty grim. The airport in Phoenix is pretty lacking.

Our food choices were the following (the names are incorrect, or changed because I’m either bored, or didn’t pay attention:

1. Greasy McPizza’s PoopHole
2. Filthy Employees Cheese Steak Crap shack
3. Tony Hotdogs French Fry Palace (which was closed because of a deep fryer accident)
4. Dirk Colombia’s Free Trade (NOT) coffee house

So everyone in our group except for, my mother and my brother decided that Greasy McPizza’s PoopHole would be the lesser of multiple evils.

We got our “personal” pizzas and a bottle of water and sat down to eat while mom and brother lined up for Filthy Employees Cheese steak Crap Shack sandwiches. We had all finished eating and drinking and had already started feeling sick from our cruddy food before we noticed that mom and Peter were still in line. Wondering what was going on, I put on my “ScoobyDoo T-Shirt” and went to investigate.

I interviewed my family to see what they thought the problem was. I received several curses from my brother and mom just shrugged. I decided to take a more observant role in my investigation. I lined up with the family and watched what was happening.

It looked like several employees, whom I will name for you were not the most cohesive team. “Acid Burn” was taking orders and shouting them over to “Pink Eye”, who was not particularly amused by the sheer volume and speed at which “Acid Burn” rhymed off the orders, nor by the fact that she sounded like she was chewing on sponges when she talked. These two were shouting at each other and yelling at each other yet nobody was making food. Acid Burn continued to yell at Pink Eye while taking orders, but Pink Eye was less skilled at Multi Tasking, and therefore could only manage to do one thing at a time, which unfortunately for those in line was curse back at Acid Burn.

The most pertinent quote that I captured throughout my investigation was the following from Pink Eye,

“You may as well close, and stop taking orders because I’m not making anything!”

To this my brother, who had now been in line with 10-15 other people for over 20minutes decided it was time to cut his losses and find other means of sustenance. The next 15minutes was spent trying to get the attention of Pink Eye, who would make slight eye contact, make some sucking noises through her teeth, the go back to cooking food, which was ironic, because she was in fact not cooking anything. She chopped up a lot of onions and mushrooms, but nothing was actually being cooked.

I tried to help by searching out the manager and was able to have her sent over (she manages both Filthy Employees Cheese steak Crap Shack and Greasy McPizza Poophole simultaneously.

She came over and fairly quickly gave my brother and mom their money back. In the meantime, I had also run down the hall to Tony HotDogs French Fry Palace and got a couple orders of fries for Peter and Mom to share. I tried to get them something else but found out that ALL Tony Hotdogs could sell was French Fries because their FRYER was down. They can sell FRIES with a fryer down, but not HotDogs.

Anyways, back to Greasy Cheese Steak Crap Shack. As I walk back with the fries I’m feeling bad for mom and Peter because we were all starving and now they had waited almost 45minutes with no food. I’m about to put down the fries when I see something I had to do a double take for.

An older gentleman, who was at least 70 years old had been in line probably about 15 minutes longer than my brother, had decided that enough was enough, and went completely mental. He marched up and down the line cursing at the employees. Not that they didn’t deserve some sort of reprimand for being so moronic, but I learned early on into my college days as a waiter. NEVER treat your food service employees poorly, lest ye drink urine in your soda.

Anyways, Mr. Old’s tirade was awesome! He went off on each employee and exclaimed that he had been in line for a god damned hour and you morons can’t even make a god damned sandwich!?

Then another employee, we’ll call “Special Sauce” comes over. This dude is about 40years old, and about 6 foot 5 inches tall. He looks like one of those big, but soft- spoken type guys. He looks over at Mr. Old, and says fairly calmly,

“Hey You, FUCK YOU!”

At this point the manager comes over and gives Mr. Old, the customer some grief for cursing in public. I laughed out loud at this point

Mr. Old was speechless. Now what baffles me is that out of nowhere within a minute, Mr. Old has his sandwich and is quietly eating it! NO WAY would I be eating something from:
1. This place at all after what I had seen over the last hour
2. This place after just telling the guy who is making my sandwich how much of a moron he is, and receiving the reply “Hey you, FUCK YOU” from him.

But Mr. Old chewed up his body fluid sandwich and licked his plate clean.

So after everything had somewhat settled, I headed to the restroom to wash my hands after lunch and saw a brawl erupt over at Greasy McPizza’s PoopHole between PINK EYE and Acid Burn. Pink Eye Who is in her 40’s was swinging, screaming, and cursing like MAD at Poor Acid Burn who just seemed shell shocked. The manager was between them and keeping Pink Eye at least an arms length away from Acid Burn.

Just when Pink Eye seemed to quiet down, Acid burn would mutter something, which kind of sounded like some sort of voodoo or gypsy curse, which completely set Pink Eye over the deep end. We were scrambling for our cameras and I had tears streaming down my face. Unfortunately the manager had physically dragged Pink eye out of public view before our flashes could go off. Nonetheless we had laughed ourselves silly.

Gosh I love flight delays!!!

Vegas Baby!

Off to Vegas! 730am.

Well four hours of sleep and I we were up and ready to go this morning! My brother and sister in law picked Heather and I up around 6am this morning and we met my parents at the park n fly lot then headed off to the airport. US Customs was the best I've ever had. No Lineups and the customs agent just chatted with me about which Cirque Du Soliel show we should see in Vegas! I hope I'm not jinxing us, but so far its been pretty sweet. Security checkpoint was quick and painless too!

We have 3 hours to wait until our flight, so we're just gonna hang out and pass the time. I will write more when we get to the next stop.

Most of these may show up together because we have no internet connection here at the airport.

...

So we begin our descent into Phoenix and we're way late...not so late that we will DEFINITELY miss our flight, but late enough that its gonna be close!

On the descent we get hit with lightening twice in about 10 seconds! It was loud like a gun-shot and the flash was like someone put a camera up to you eyeballs and started shooting! I poohed myself.

...

We got off the plane at 200pm and our connecting flight was to depart at 215pm...so off we run! We got to the gate at about 210pm to find out that this flight was delayed...SIGH of RELIEF!

We hung around for about an hour then off to Vegas!!! The flight to Vegas was very pleasantly uneventful and our stretch Limo driver was hilarious!! It was cheaper to take a stretch limo ($46) than to take airport Shuttle ($10 per person. Since there are 6 of us).

We went to the RIO for dinner at their buffet. Oh my god. I know that Vegas is known for its extreme everything, and I've been here before. But I've never seen a buffet THIS big before. Not even close to be honest. This place was exponentially bigger than any place I've ever seen!

We ate! I did pretty well and loaded up on veggies, but my small dish of pasta did look like it was bathed in Oil. So after dinner, we all felt pretty sloth-ish. My parents took a cab back to the hotel to crash, where Heather and I, my brother and his wife decided to hoof it and check out a few sites before bed!

We checked out the Bellagio water show, which was fun and then headed over to FAO Schwartz to look at TOYS!! If you've ever seen the movie, BIG that is the toy company that Tom Hanks worked for! If you've never seen the movie the next picture won't be too exciting, but if you HAVE this picture is kinda cool! This is my younger brother and I on "the keyboard"