This year I made a conscious decision to get better about having a consistent practice. People do yoga for lots of reasons but mine are pretty simple: flexibility and sanity. Well-intentioned friends often try to steer me in the direction of fast-paced, loud-music “hip” yoga classes, citing my propensity to be competitive and maybe a little bit agro. Though I enjoy those kinds of classes on occasion, most often when I practice yoga I am looking for quiet and all the weird hippy crap that happens in more traditional classes or settings. I wanna get deep, man.

The best yoga class I’ve had all year happened in a Yin class in Bend, Oregon at Namaspa (where the intro offer is $29 for a month of unlimited yoga for new local residents). I’d always thought of Yin as boring, slow stretching – but the experience was intense almost to the point of being overwhelming. I went back for more. Here’s my take on a few Portland studios I’ve haunted over the past few years. Note that this list is SE heavy because, well, I live in the SE and these are all studios that I’ve chosen to try on my own accord and with my own cash. If you have thoughts, comments or suggestions for other great studios please chime in!

Yoga Union – SE Portland – $15 for 2 Weeks Unlimited

I’m back in Portland for a month or so, so I’ve started an intro offer with Yoga Union, just up the street from my house ($15 for two weeks of unlimited classes).  It’s a single-room studio, community-oriented atmosphere and diverse class offering from restorative Yin to cleansing Hot Yoga to more aggressive Prana Vinyasa. The hot yoga classes I’ve taken so far have been full but comfortably so – and the instructors helpful without being overbearing.

After a week of classes, I give this place a two-thumbs-up. Prices are mid range (One month unlimited at $120 or only $99 with a recurring debit set up, $15 for a drop in, about 5-6 classes offered daily). Changing room is tiny and overcrowded after class (and there’s only one toilet), but everyone there seems to make things work. This place feels very grass roots to me – I sense a lot of pride and ownership from the people practicing there. There are also a lot of white-ponytailed shirtless dudes.

BONUS: Free tea before and after. Large studio space. Yoga 101 for newbs. Super friendly vibe.
BUMMER: No super early classes (earliest 7am) and pretty full classes – arrive early! No lockers only cubbies.
READ MORE ON YELP

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Core Power – SE and NW Portland – FREE for 1 week Unlimited

My old standby for Portland yoga has been CorePower, which offers a week of unlimited yoga for free when you first start out. They have a studio in NW and one in SE – both are modern, clean and what I would describe as “fancy”.  I say this mostly because when I started my very first yoga classes at the NW location, I found a pair of Golden Goose boots in one of the cubby holes, which was my first indicator that I was totally fucking out of my league (I resisted the urge to steal the boots and pay my next mortgage :)

It’s part of a chain with locations in Colorado, California, Illinois, Minnesota and Oregon so you’re getting a pretty dialed-in program and in Portland you’re getting the advantage of two studios, one of which has two rooms -  for about 20 classes offered per day but you’re also getting the prices to match ($159 for a month unlimited, drop in at $18 – yikes! Consider a membership with recurring debit if you do yoga more than 3x per week).  I’ve enjoyed all the instructors I’ve had at both SE and NW locations. I found the NW location to be consistently full of primed, primped, Lulu-lemoned out super hot women so if you feel like rubbing shoulders with the beautiful people, this is a good place to do it.

BONUS: 6am classes, tons and tons of options for classes and special discounted half-price classes throughout the week (the woman at the SE location last time I was there also told me that the discounted classes were free to those who rode bikes, walked or used public transpo to get there – I’ll try to confirm this)
BUMMER: Luxury prices
READ MORE ON YELP

RACHEL’s Take – Another opinion on Core Power Yoga from the GnG staff:

I have really enjoyed my yoga time spent at Core Power. I went to day classes mostly and some night classes (those are always really busy-NW is not as busy as the SE at the evening classes). The thing I found most appealing about Core Power is that the hot yoga classes are slightly less hot than bikram and they offer 1 hour hot yoga classes and 1 1/2 hour classes. For me, someone who wants the heat and the work out but also wants to function after I go to yoga, the 1 hour is awesome. Also an hour and a half minimum is a lot of time to dedicate, I’m not always free for that much time to work out. So, I still get my ass kicked but I can do it in less time and I don’t have to sleep it off on the couch later.

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The Yoga Space – SE Portland – $20 for 1 Week Unlimited

I took one class at The Yoga Space last year with a few friends of mine so probably cannot comment on much other than first impressions: it’s small and community oriented offering Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Hatha, Kundalini, Yin, and Restorative. Prices seem relatively on par with other studios of this size ($120 for one month unlimited, $13 drop in, approx 5-6 classes per day).

BONUS: Classes scheduled with 9-5ers in mind: 6:30am for early risers and 5:45 / 7:30pm starts for after work wind-down. Community yoga classes on a sliding scale that starts at $5.
BUMMER: Small, so not as many options.
READ MORE ON YELP

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Yoga Shala – SE Portland – $21 for three classes, good for a month

I attended a few classes at The Yoga Shala several years ago and didn’t fall in love. Studios are fairly small in size and my overall impression was that this was serious yoga for seriously spiritual people. It was a little too much heady stuff for me, but I’m sure it’s perfect for lots of people. The introductory offer is not that mind-blowing compared to other studios but they do have a learning series that I wish had been around when I started out: 4 weeks of 2 classes per week, specifically focused on teaching yoga basics, introducing different kinds of practice and exposing you do different instructors ($75).

BONUS: Childcare available during some classes, specific pre-natal yoga available, cool beginner series offered.
BUMMER: This is sort of the yoga studio I feared when I went looking… seriously heady yoga peeps.
READ MORE ON YELP

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Belmont Yoga – Ellee Thalheimer Yoga for Cyclists and Athletes

I went to Ellee’s class as part of a story I was doing for the Oregonian about yoga and cycling so I’m not able to comment on this particular studio as much as on the work of Ellee herself. The class I attended was different than anything I’d ever experience and while I didn’t get to participate in the entire progression because I was also taking photographs, I was impressed with the casual atmosphere, cycling-specific focus on problem areas and the down-to-earth vibe of the other people in the class. All body types were represented and people wore gym shorts or sweat pants or… cycling messenger knickers. It didn’t matter – the point was in working on the body and having a good laugh while you were at it (Ellee is not only charming, she’s also very funny.)

This class is currently held on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6:45pm. Check the Belmont Yoga website for more information or drop by Ellee’s personal site to learn more about her services (she’s a massage therapist too) and cool cyclotouring adventures.

On the List – Yoga Pearl

This place has been recommended to me by several people. It’s on the list. Sign up deal seems good: $20 for 2 weeks unlimited.

More reviews from Rachel*

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Peoples Yoga – NE Portland

I love The People’s Yoga, there are a really wide range of classes but the amazing thing is no matter if I’m in for a relazing yoga or a super tough session I always come out relaxed. You can pay $8 per class, $38 for a 5 time card, $70 for a 10 time card, or an unlimited monthly membership is $55 if you set up an auto payment. There are other deals as seen on their website. Also if you are spread thin in the cash department, they offer scholarships! $5 of every membership payment goes towards their scholarship fund. I love this place, it’s relaxed, and depending on the instructor you can get your spiritual on-or not. The instructors are really friendly, the studio is great also if you become a member you can get other benefits like bringing a freind for free once a month, and discounts on workshops and events.

READ MORE ON YELP

Hot Yoga for Life – NE Portland – $10 for 10 classes when you first sign up

Hot Yoga for Life A warning, this one is hot. The temperature is closer to that of a bikram style yoga and the classes that I have been to are pretty fast moving, in a good way. You get your workout in for sure. Also you get 10 classes for $10 when you first sign up. The studio is a good size, but there is only one which means there is only one class at a time. Some of the classes can get a little busy. Lots of sweaty people. A word to the wise, these hot yoga places can get a little intense. As in the people who consistently go are tough birds and so are the instrucors. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, it’s just good to know what kind of planet you’re landing on before you get there. Don’t be intimidated, these ones are the nice guys. Also if you’ve never done the hot yoga thing, drink water, don’t eat a ton before you go and don’t get down on yourself if all you can do is lie there and sweat for the entirety of the class. It takes time to get used to the heat.

READ MORE ON YELP

*****

Hook a Sister Up

Where do you practice? What do you like about it? What studios should I try when my intro is up at Yoga Union? Do you have experiences with the places above? Please chime in!

*Who the Hell is Rachel: Rachel kicks ass. She’s a part time studio assistant at Swift Plus Creative. As such, she occasionally pinch hits at the Grit and Glimmer blog. When I found out that she had some strong PDX yoga opinions, I asked her to chime in here. Look for her to bring an additional voice to the blog with a focus on recipes, test kitchen adventures and general Rachel-style awesomeness.

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(hey, did I mention that I started a women’s cross team with Natalie Ramsland of Sweetpea Bicycles? I did! It’s rad! It’s so fun! More on that later.)

These Castelli speedsuits are OH-LA-LA luscious and have been featured by Cyclocross Magazine and Bike Rumor. They’re made with a slightly taller torso to accommodate the running and jumping required by cross.

Fact: Skinsuits give a rider an additional 10watts of power. Minimum.

Fact: This is a special edition, super ninja-fied suit of honor.

Fact: This skinsuit is so fucking fast it is, in fact, called a Speedsuit.

Fact: You will look stunning. You will pedal with fury. You will own the universe.

I have an Upper Echelon custom speedsuit and I’ll be honest: LOVE AT FIRST SQUEEZE! Really!

Shiny and slick and smooth and soooooo comfortable.

I put it on right away when I got it. Then hung out in my bedroom in it for a while, just for fun (please note: These are the Upper Echelon suits! Not the Ladies Aux suits!):

Then I went in my backyard and embarrassed myself (one of my favorite things to do) by wearing it while attempting to do tricks on my vintage circus bike:

This is the first run of speedsuits for my new women’s cyclocross team, The Ladies Auxiliary so I can’t show you what these look like in real life yet, but you can see from the art – they’re gonna be fast and furious and flattering.

We’re opening sales up to the general public just in case there are any amazing women out there who need a cozy, speedy suit to fly around in this fall. Just trying to spread a little Auxiliary love! Turnaround is approximately 2.5 weeks.

Cost is $145 + shipping. Want one? Email me asap. The order goes in first thing Monday morning.

**

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One foot in front of the other. Heartrate rising. Rampant release of Capital G Goodness into the bloodstream.

Floodgates open. Muted elation. Everyday elation.

Can we have that? Everyday elation?

Do we deserve that?

I think we do.

But it doesn’t just stop at elation. It doesn’t just stop with me.

It’s not just an emotion, a high, a soaring feeling that I keep to myself. It spreads.

It becomes ideas that fill my head, the dropped keys that I stop to pick up later for an elderly woman, the next blog post, the next photograph, the next hand-written letter to a friend.

Something I want to share, show, spell and shout. I have this Everday Elation! I want you to have it too!

It’s the Anti-Despair Medication that keeps me moving forward.

At the end of the day, the endorphin runner’s high is, for me, not just about happiness, joy or energy.

Somehow, it’s about hope.

A feeling that everything is possible, even when the bills are pouring in and the economy can’t drag its way out of the shitter. A feeling that we’ll figure out how to clean up the plastic in the ocean and the pesticides in our soil.  A feeling that our friends with stupid diseases will win their battles and then go on to live amazing and long.

Dismiss sports, competition, activity, movement, recreation if you will – but what happens in those moments of motion and exertion is far more important that a tiny slice of personal glory.

Finding your edges makes impossible things possible. And that feeling stays with you. It grows with you.

And you can use it. In fact, I bet you already are using it.

If you’re not, stop reading, go find your Everyday Elation and figure out how you’re going to use it. Make your art. Write your novel. Take the trip. Reach a hand out. Raise $240,000 for people you don’t even know. Run through the world giving rampant high-fives. Set up your goddam composting pile. Sell your car. Or don’t.

Just go do what you should be doing. And do it right now.

We run and cycle and climb and walk and jump and swing and throw and kick balls for a reason.

And it’s a bigger reason that fitness. It’s a bigger reason than victory.

I’ve known this for a long time, but finally someone took this knowledge and made a literal translation:

Plus 3 Network

How many hundreds of workout-tracking sites exist out there? Too many to count.

They’re all decent, some are even great. But I’m not motivated to use one over the other by anything more than mere convenience. And in the end, what am I tracking? What am I building? A long list of numbers leading nowhere? For what? Even a data-whore like me gets weary of the endless tracking sometimes.

And then I found Plus 3 Network.

It’s utterly simple: Do your activities (even if it’s lifting toddlers or heavy housework), log your time.

Every minute of your activities contributes money directly to the fundraiser that you select from the Plus 3 Network.

This is cool, people. These means your 80 mile bike ride, in addition to making you feel like the Queen of the Known Universe and catapulting your creativity to unimaginable new heights, also raised cold, hard cash for breast cancer.

That rocks.

And it gets at the heart of what we often miss when we get so tied up in splits, victories, PRs and our Own Amazingness.

There is a world out there that is bigger than our epic bike ride, bigger than that blazing tempo workout, bigger than your refreshing swim, bigger than boot camp and free weights and circuit this or high-intensity that.

The satisfaction you get from those things – the sense of well-being, contentment or even elation and hope – are critical to who you are in the world, and how you affect your community.

You need to feel that way. It will keep you alive. It will keep you glowing.

But you also need to figure out what it all means, open your lens and see the bigger picture, dig in and find out how you can use it.

Even if all you do is join Plus 3 and start pumping cash toward worthy causes, I urge you – don’t keep it all to yourself.

Use that power.

Use that joy.

[As with all good things in technology, "There's an app for that!" - Read about the Plus 3 App for iPhone here.]

UPDATE: DailyMile has just set up something similar with Clif Bar and a few stellar charities. You can read about it here.

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The class was a 5:30am Boot Camp and I went with the vague notion that it would probably involve a circuit of some kind and it would almost definitely hurt.

Right and right.

10 stations each with two exercises ranging from lunges to presses to hip bridges to burpees. One after another – bam, bam, bam!  The first time around we did each exercise for a total of one minute (two minutes total at each station, 20-something minutes all told). Then we went around again – wheeee!

One thing that I love about circuit training is that it’s truly customizable. You can go as hard as you want, lift as heavy as you can muster, jump as high as you want. You make your own pain so a group full of 35 adults with vastly different fitness capabilities can all get a good, hard workout in. Being in company is motivating and sometimes inspiring and, at the very least, it will shame you into some modicum of performance.

But at the end of the day? You’re still the one behind the barbell. It goes as high as you can lift it.

Those squat thrusts? They’re yours, baby. Own them.

There were a lot of people in boot camp today and more than half of them were busting ass. The others? Going through the motions.

Which reminded me about something that can really suck about working out.

It’s hard.

Or at least it should be.

Showing up to a group class and waving your arms in the air isn’t going to get you there. As the overly-caffeinated instructor said, “You gotta work it, baby.”

I’m not sure why people waste so much time and money on classes and memberships when they won’t do the one simple thing that will make the difference: show up and go hard.

As a small-business owner and blossoming efficiency freak with seriously limited time resources, it drives me up the wall. As a sometimes meat-head gym-rat it makes me frustrated.

As a person who cares about other human beings and wants to see them succeed? It makes me want to help.

So here goes. Here’s the Grit and Glimmer sponsored PSA:

Go do whatever it is you love to do and DO IT WELL. Be present. Go hard. MAKE IT FUCKING COUNT.

No related posts.

The fitness industry is a monster. You know it and I know it.

They want us to hate our bodies, loathe our genes, shun our favorite foods and… ultimately – buy their stupid diet plans.

And we do it. Again and again and again.

Why?

Because our ideas about food are so messed up that we think we have no idea what to eat (we really do, trust me).

As I’m navigating the sea of rancid crap that is 99% of the fitness industry I am bolstered by the presence of a few truly fantastic fitness blogs written by people like you and me. Real people not hawking products. Real women throwing iron around or enjoying the complete and utter radness of their bodies in all kinds of healthy, enjoyable ways.

They’re level-headed, whip-smart and pretty darn inspirational.

I present, in no particular order, Three Fitness Blogs for Women that Actually Don’t Suck (in fact, they DOWNRIGHT KICK ASS). I’ll also add that these sites are just as awesome for men as they are for women!

Stumptuous

I’ve been reading Krista for as long as I can remember – I was initially enamored with her because she was a braniac smarty-pants taking the world of academia by storm.

She’s since quit that scene (bravo, Krista!) and is much happier for it.

What will you find at this site? Smart advice about all things training and nutrition. An unabashed love of power lifting and all the glory that lies therein. A wonderfully sarcastic sense of humor, amazing writing and just the kind of self-assured hot-as-shit woman that we all would love to be.

Subscribe to her feed, send her mail, read the “real stories” section or – at the very least – just go poke around. You’ll laugh your guts out and learn a little in the process.

(PS: Krista does not know I exist, so I am in no way being compensated for this plug – or any of the other recommendations for that matter.)

Skwigg

Skwigg is hilarious. That’s all you need to know.

She’s also a former health-nutrition-measure-everything-freak. And she is completely reformed.

This gives her the added benefit of truly understanding what it is like to battle disordered eating, fitness-obsession and the Monster that is the Diet Industry.

Skwigg will eat anything that shows up in her mailbox (she receives a lot of samples) and then give you here 100% unbiased opinion about them. Which is to say, she’s your favorite guinea pig! Use her.

She’s also a sucker for devouring all of the latest fitness/nutrition/diet information that hits the market. She reads all the new books, tries all the new gadgets, evaluates new programs. Go to her first to get the down-and-dirty lowdown on this shit.

Subscribe to her blog. Read her information about eating. Laugh at her funny stories.

Maggie Wang

Maggie deviates from the previous two blogs a little bit because Maggie is completely obsessive about both fitness and money management. (Update: Maggie’s been MIA for a few years now. That said, she left a lot of great resources up on her site. Read on…)

Seriously – if Microsoft Excel had a poster girl, she would be it. She also comes up with really crazy recipes (crazier than most of mine!) that are absolutely mind-boggling. (See: Fiber One Protein Bars and Chocolate Protein Fudgesicles)

She’s a self-proclaimed geek (computer games) and has recently become obsessed with making sackboy dolls.

Check out her Fitness Resource Page, marvel at her insane commitment to measuring everything and be inspired by (and hopefully a little afraid of) her absolutely unflagging devotion to changing her life, her body and her money for the better. I have no idea where she gets all this energy, but her OCD is over-the-top entertaining and I’m daily amazed by what she manages to accomplish.

What Maggie really excels at, however, is finding ways to get things done cheaply. She is the ultimate fitness bargain hunter and relentless deal tracker.

BONUS BLOG

People are always asking me about food: what do you eat? how do you eat? when do you eat? The fastest answer I can give is that I more or less follow the Precision Nutrition guidelines.  This is their blog. [Full disclosure, affiliate links.] These guys know what they’re talking about when it comes to eating smart. No shortcuts, no gimmicks.

Who Else?

Do you have favorite fitness blogs written by smart people? There are a lot more out there than these three (these are just a few of my faves) and I’d love to collect a nice list of them here so if you’ve got a gem – throw your hat into the ring in the comments section. Shameless plugs for your own blogs are enthusiastically encouraged!

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GNG HOME DELIVERY

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Tom Potter is associated with Ultimate Fitness Gear, a hyped up site slinging programs like P90X and Shaun T’s “Insanity Workouts” (these look like P90X on crack based on the preview video). Having done P90X a few years ago, I can assure you it works. These kind of programs are based on some of the fitness and nutrition principles that I do believe are effective – hard work, will power, perseverance, dedication. (Secretly the fitness nerd in me wants to try the Insanity Workout but my Internal Accountant won’t let me blow that kind of cash).

His post tells us stuff we already know, but sometimes need to be reminded of. His “one small change” advice is probably the best part of this short article.

Why Not Eat a Box and Other Crazy Ideas for Weight Loss

By Tom Potter

If you have never noticed any of the wacky ideas that are floating around out there, when will your television or computer be repaired, exactly? Nutty ideas are everywhere. This magazine suggests that we only eat ten bites of each meal and then walk away from it. Another supposes that we should only eat small meals, and that baby food may be the perfect solution. Still another will give us the hint that if we do not eat after 3 p.m. each day, the weight will magically fall of us in no time at all.

And to add to the glossy photos and the slick words of a highly paid writer are lists of hot celebrities, showing off their bodies that they allegedly got by following these very methods. Sure, if they paid me ten million dollars for my work, I would eat jars of baby food, too; but would the average person? Can you really take your boss seriously if you spy her taking a collection of little baby food jars out of her briefcase at lunchtime? Sure, she can still fit in those power suits, but does she still have as much power with strained peas on her breath?

We are all literally bombarded by these insane lose-weight-quick plans, endorsed by celebrities of every ilk. It is almost impossible to avoid them – they are on the television, the internet, magazines, and even in national newspapers. Some of them may work, but how safe are they really? And, how much do you have to exercise in addition to eating the crazy concoctions that they suggest?

Think about this: Those celebrities have a veritable army of assistants and trainers who tell them what to eat, when to eat it and how much they are allowed to have. Trainers come in and make them work out, sometimes for hours a day. They rarely see their own children because they are slogging away in some gym, trying to look as if they have never given birth. And why do they do it? So that they can earn those ten million dollars – playing a loving mother on the silver screen.

There are far more sensible ways to lose weight – ways that do not include eating pureed foods or snacking on rice cakes that taste like cardboard. Your first step should be a trip to your doctor. Get all of your numbers analyzed so you see just how much work you need to do. Find out how overweight you really are and set a reasonable goal weight to work toward. Make sure that your blood pressure, your blood glucose and cholesterol levels are all within normal range, or if they are not, discuss ways to lower them safely. Ask for a sample eating plan and discuss options. Make one small change per week, and then add another. You did not gain all of your excess weight in one night; you will not lose it that quickly, either.

And finally, find a source of support. Connect with others. Tell people what you’re up to. This will keep you accountable because others know what your goal is and what you are doing to accomplish it. It also allows you to see that you are not the only one struggling with weight loss and nutrition issues. There are others with similar stories that you can draw strength and comfort from.  You will reach your goals, but you have to be able to get away from the crazy ideas and eat realistically, like a real person in the real world.

Article written by Tom Potter of Ultimate Fitness Gear, Get Insanity Workout and get in the best shape of your life.

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[Mash this link to skip my blather and go straight to the article in question.]

I’m back in the gym a lot these days and loving it. I know gyms are full of sweaty people doing shitty workouts that probably won’t work. I know that gyms are full of Meathead Dudes gettin’ all up close and personal with the wall to wall mirrors.  I know that gyms are full of (mostly) airhead trainers who don’t have a clue what they’re actually doing.

I know all that.

Still – I admit to being a Gym Rat – I’m OK with it. I find the sociology of it all fascinating. I love walking in and seeing 50 people on treadmills, running nowhere. It’s so completely messed up it actually makes me smile.

But what really breaks my heart is when I see people working out with the seriously suspect trainers. Usually they’re doing what look to be pretty decent workouts, but I look into the eyes of these trainers and I have to question their experience.

I had a 24 Hour Fitness trainer once and he was pretty good but I wasn’t ready for him. He was like, “Switch to light beer and only have one or two.” and I was like, “Why don’t you just shoot my cat while you’re at it?”

My next trainer was a guy at Golden Gate Fitness (I always train at whatever gym is closest and most convenient to either work or home – I don’t care much about facilities or anything else – convenience is key for me) and we became great friends. We accomplished some really rad things together back in San Francico and he taught me a lot. We’re still in touch – I even workout with him every now and again. (He’s in Portland so if you’re looking for a great, independent Personal Trainer in PDX, let me know).

What I’ve learned is twofold: Training is effective. Training is expensive. On an advertising salary? No problem! These days? Not so much. Luckily, I’ve gotten pretty good at Ye Olde Fitness Thing and I can put together solid programs on my own.

Back to that expensive thing: At $50/session (low end) working out twice a week (again, low-end) you’re spending $400/month. For some people, that’s rent. With a more expensive trainer and greater frequency, you’re into the thousands. That’s a lot of green!!

Yet people routinely end up with mediocre trainers because they don’t know any better. This makes me nuts!

I woke up this morning to see that John Berardi just wrote an article called “Ten Signs You Need a New Trainer“. I think it could also be applied to cycling coaches (except the clipboard bit). Either way, it’s solid advice and contains some good nuggets about Outcome vs. Behavior based training, integrating nutrition, etc.

This is the one I love the best because it seems like common sense and yet I still see people getting fitness training from people who really aren’t that fit:

#4: They Aren’t Healthy or Fit

Just like realtors who’ve never owned a home and financial planners who are broke, out-of-shape trainers and nutritionists piss me off.

Now, let me clarify. You don’t have to look like a fitness model to be fit and healthy. So that’s not the standard here.

However, if a trainer doesn’t have more muscle, less fat, and a better health profile than the average person, why would I listen to any advice on building muscle, losing fat, and getting healthier from them?

It’s a no brainer. If a trainer or nutritionist isn’t healthy and fit — and doesn’t practice the behaviors necessary to remain that way — they can’t be my coach.

You can check out the rest here.

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Today we’re going to spend a little more time with 2003, which was a good year – and well documented at that!

This was the year I started riding with Sal a little. We’re at the top of Willow Springs in this photo. Then, this was a granny gear climb for me but now? Now it’s all big ring, baby!

I love toy cameras. This is a crazy lomo camera that I shot a lot in 2003.

I also started using a Seagull in 2003.

Weekends on the California coast were a favorite.

After living with Sal’s family for a few years to save up a down payment on a house, we moved into a small apartment in Potrero Hill while we searched for something to buy. Our treasured toy collection decorated the entry way. Triple bonus points to anyone familiar with Filler Bunny!

Small! This apartment was about 400 square feet. Still operating off of mostly college furniture.

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No comment. He will kill me for posting that.

More lomo love.
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This gondola shot became a required part of every Romance-a-Thon.

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Biddy is as evil as he looks.
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I played a lot of softball in 2003. And by a lot I mean a lot. Just under 200 games. Really.
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Sometimes we even won. : )
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Every year that we lived in the Bay Area we would help Sal’s parents make the year’s supply of sugo.
200-300 jars. All in one day. Oofta! Talk about family bonding.
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Evidence that I haven’t always been a beer snob.
Also, my softball nickname is Ajax – Stronger than Dirt!!
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Sal with his best friend Thomas on a trip to Santa Cruz.
Deep-fried twinkies. With chocolate sauce.
This was a good trip.
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We visited my family a lot in 2003. Shooting stuff is a quintessential part of making the trek north.
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Me and my Pa, doin’ what we do best.
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Camping sun hearts on a road trip to Seattle.
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This is me fixin’ to win Sal a really cheap stuffed animal.
Romantic, right?
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The Mariposa apartment had a fireplace that I still miss.
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This is me lookin’ raggedy in Sal’s hand-me-down gear.
For shame!
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It’s true. Today’s our anniversary. I read somewhere that on the 11th anniversary you’re supposed to give dirty laundry, so that’s my plan. But before I surprise him with house chores, a little stroll down memory lane. 1999 and 2000 were precariously documented because I was still in college and therefore somewhat preoccupied, but 2001 onward was a virtual paparazzi festival of photo taking mania. We’ll start there and continue on with a few more time-machine posts later this week.

The week surrounding our anniversary is historically referred to as “Romance-a-thon”.

Welcome to a week of sappy stories and old photos mixed in among your regular Grit & Glimmer programming, people. You’ve been warned.

2001

Ocean Beach in San Francisco. Our first apartment was across the street.
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It’s the off white one, to the right of the blue one. With that lemony-ass Montero parked out front.
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Not a lot of stuff. But just enough. No bikes in our life at this point.
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My hair was platinum as the day is long.
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The path from the apartment to the beach.
We spent a lot of time there drinking coffee and eating bagels from Java Beach. Which we called “Java Bitch” because those women in there were mean.

2002

You can see why I fell for him, right?
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I have no idea how we took this picture.
This was the original Romance-a-Thon: Spring boarding in Tahoe.
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Short sleeves. Holler!

2003

In 2003 we went back to Sicily to visit Sal’s family. I shot a lot of film, mostly with two trusty Holgas.
I also ate a LOT of Arancine.
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Seaside pizzeria, seafood appetizers. I call them “treats from the sea”.
We drank two bottles of wine that night. Red lips.
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The virgin next to the telephone in Zia Rosetta’s house. It still looks exactly like this, I imagine. Has for years.
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Beach! This is one of my favorite photos of us. I have stickers of it that I put in secret places on my bikes.
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The beach in the town where Sal was born.
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Sal walking his hometown streets. Photo scanned backwards.
I learned a lot about him on this trip. First and foremost that he doesn’t do jet lag very well.
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Trabia. Backward again. For effect.
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2004 -2006 is on the way.

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2. Happy Birthday to the Shecko He cooks, he cleans, he tunes our army of bikes…...
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If you’re not yet familiar with it, the technical term for “foam rolling” is self myofascial release (SMR) which frankly sounds kind of dirty, but that’s besides the point.

SMR is pretty simple. You get a foam roller and then roll around on it, using your body weight to create pressure to massage and stretch sore muscles.

How To

In general (this is how I was taught):

1. Find a tender spot in the area you’re working on and keep the roller on that spot. Wait for the discomfort to diminish by 50-75%. (Be patient, this could take some time.)
2. When this area is no longer sensitive, move on to other areas and repeat.
3. When the area is free of pain and can be easily rolled over, continue rolling regularly to keep the area relaxed.
4. Use Mr. Foamy Pants as a warm-up prior to activity and also for a warm-down after workouts.

I dug up some great resources online that show proper technique.

BodySpex.com has an entire library of good videos. (While you’re there you might also check out the super thorough video demonstration of “Super Man” – one of my favorite exercises. )

Running Times has a brief overview of how it helps runners, with a few photo demos of how to target the most important leg muscles.

The About.com page for Foam Rolling also has some pretty good information on what SMR is, how it works, with photos and written explanation for various stretches.

Warning

Foam rolling is really effective. And by effective I mean, it’s like getting a very aggressive, deep massage. It can hurt if you’re dealing with really sore body parts, but that usually goes away after you’ve been using it for a while. (I swear.)

Get One Cheap – $17 until Monday

Don’t have one? Not to worry. I strong-armed the OpenSky crew into letting me offer a discount of 17% from now until Monday, March 15th (use code “17Foam” at checkout). That means this little baby will ring in right around $17 when all is said and done.

If you got two $70 massages a month for an entire year, you’d spend $1680.00.

Foam roll instead and you’re saving a whopping $1663.00! Now you can buy me something nice. Wasn’t that easy? Yes, yes it was.

To nab your high-density foam roller, head on over to the GnG General Store and use the code “17Foam” when you check out.

[Note: For more info on the my store at OpenSky, check out this post.]

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