The Green Mountain Diaries – Day #4

Hey guys!

Welcome to Day 4 of my Green Mountain at Fox Run diaries!

Work-outs today introduced participants to fitness tools they may have never seen before, such as:

• BOSU Ball
• Toning Ring aka Pilates ring
• Fitball
• Medicine Ball
• Resistance bands
• Aerobic Step

After breakfast, I took pilates with LynnAnn who was kind enough to type out our workout and give it to each of us so that we could take this practice home with us.

Pilates “ring” pictured (picture via Fitwoman.com)

This is the circuit we did:

• Push ups on the Fitball
• Wall squats on the Fitball
• Torso rotations with ring
• Push ups with ring
• Squats with ring
• Pilates roll ups with ring
• Reverse bridge on the Fitball
• Pelvic Tilts on the Fitball
• The Hundred (ring between the ankles on the mat)
• Relaxers (flow movements)

Fitball pictured (picture via Fitwoman.com)

The class was pretty low intensity, which is great because what followed, Kate’s “Aerobic Circuit Blast,” made me sweat like a fiend! Kate’s 16-part circuit included (non-exhaustive list): weighted squats/weighted squat jumps with medicine ball, push-ups, bouncing on a Fitball, jump roping/jumping jacks/burpees, squats on a Bosu ball, crunches on a mat, lunge kicks, upper cuts with resistance bands, chest press with resistance bands, squats with resistance bands & bicep curls with resistance bands. Each station was done for one minute; we did the entire circuit twice. Again, the beauty of this class was that everyone could go at their level – there were three different levels of resistance bands to choose from, the medicine balls were different weights, there were two aerobic steps, and we were taught modifications for each exercise. So, I chose the most difficult version of each exercise taught. At least three times, Kate came by and showed me a modification that was even more intense than the the already-intense one I was doing (this usually meant she added a jump, or asked me to do something in a more exaggerated way). I felt as worked out after this class as I do when I run for an hour (maybe more!). It was a great feeling

After lunch (by the way, have you been scoping out my meals here? Aren’t they insane?! I want to take this chef home or at least make sure he gets a book deal or competes on Top Chef), I went to “Stress & Relationships,“ led by Darla.

This was an interesting class for me because while I have a lot of work to do in setting limits and boundaries, the class also showed how much progress I’ve already made. Remember when I told you guys that in 2011, I “walked over the hot coals” and became assertive (not expecting others to read my mind)? That’s exactly what Darla proffered as the solution to feelings of disappointment from unmet expectations in relationships. First we have to check-in with ourselves and find the “picture” we’re carrying around that may represent our unconscious expectations. Once we gather that piece of info., we can ask – is this serving me? Many in the class were unsatisfied with the solution of asking explicitly for what they want from another person (to that person). For example, Darla stated, “if you want a hug, ask for it!” A few people remarked that if you ask for a hug and get it, you may feel it’s somehow insincere because you had to ask for it. If that belief works for them, I have nothing to say. But, I’m guessing it doesn’t. It took me some time to realize that all that bullshit Cosmo feeds you that you should give hints to people about things you want (both material and intangible) and that asking somehow decreases the value of what you receive is BS. I have never felt more fulfilled asking for what I want and getting it. Sure, you won’t always get it, but how good does it feel to a)  know yourself well enough to actually know what you want and b) have the bravery to ask for it? When I want a hug from my boyfriend, I ask for it and receive it. I know I’m oversimplifying a complicated issue, but I think it’s valuable to take back that power and be assertive

After dinner, we had the option to watch the documentary, “Fresh: New Thinking About What We’re Eating” or a recording of a stand up comedian (I’ll have to get his name–it escapes me!). Which one do you think I opted for?

The movie is about agricultural (environmental) & health sustainability and featured many of the same players you see in Food Inc. and in Michael Pollan books, including Joel Salatin (owner of Polyface Farms and mini-celeb amongst foodies) and Michael Pollan himself.

What I liked about Fresh is that it shows how people who simply follow their instinct – guided by nature’s blueprint – can actually be successful with unconventional farming techniques (i.e. organic & ecological) as opposed to conventional farming. And, bonus, they can actually be more financially viable! Joel, for example, lets his chickens revel in their “chickeness” and the cows in their “cowness.” This means the cows actually get to herd and graze on grass as they were meant to. Once the cows graze an area and do their busy work all over it, Joel guides the cows to another paddy and releases his hens on the area the cows just grazed on (& what do you think they pick at, thus helping fertilize the land? cow poop! Delicious!). For me, it’s most interesting and scary to think about antibiotics being give to animals and what that does from the bottom up (to the land, to the animal, to the person who consumes the animal) and it appears that if farmers actually withhold from giving their animals antibiotics they actually save money from vet bills (and save the consumer from potentially contracting a hyper-developed strain of a disease because antibiotic misuse means the animals just form rare strains of shit you don’t want to contract!).

I loved the inclusion of Will Allen, director of Growing Power, which is an urban farm in Milwaukee.  We talk a lot about food deserts and here’s a person who says, “food what?” by creating access to fresh produce in the center of a city!

If you’ve already seen Food Inc., you might not get much more out of this film, but if you haven’t then this one will give you some insight into sustainable farming (and will spare you from the gruesome footage of CAFOs, which appears in Food Inc. and other documentaries. Though…if you’re eating meat, you might consider subjecting yourself to it…).

My day’s play-by-play aside, one issue I’m facing here at Green Mountain at Fox Run is some discomfort with the whole not snacking at night thing. Prior to GMAFR, I had become very accustomed to eating the majority of my calories at night (this is also when I typically binge), so it’s actually a bit challenging for me to eat dinner at 6, have the option of a snack at 8, and then go to bed and stay asleep without the feeling of being full as I’m accustomed. I’m being patient and trying to figure out whether I’m feeling actual physical hunger or simply emotional hunger based on the habits I’ve built. I’m going to try to eat two pieces of fruit tomorrow around 8 and see if that helps.

<3,

The Cranky One

Tags: circuit training, environmentalism, green mountain at fox run, growing power, michael pollan, organic farming, pilates, sustainability