I’ve got 4 classes to update you on! But first, a housekeeping note — when you Tweet about the Core Fusion Challenge, please use the hashtag #CFchallenge. Thanks!

On Thursday at 7:30 pm, I took Jamie’s Core Fusion class for the first time. The class was PACKED. A packed class is usually a sign of a great teacher, and that certainly was the case! We did this series of side planks unlike anything I have ever done before, with all different movements and really staying in the side planks for a long time. It was a nice change of pace!

Thighs was also different, with a series of leg lifts that felt great but was still hard. Of course, the rest of the thigh series burned like usual. I do like when we do some thigh work in second position, which we did last night (with our legs a bit wider).

Butt was harder than ever (until the next day  — getting to that soon). We did butt moves with our hands and knees on the floor. While we worked on our right side, my left was BURNING. Even more so when we turned out right leg out. OMG THE BURN. I’ve never felt burn in my butt like that. The other side was tough too, but my left side still hurt much more than my right side of my butt. I think that Wednesday’s standing pretzel really did a number on me!

Abs went pretty well, I think I am getting better in my C Curve. A great class! I felt so fresh and rejuvinated after, and it was such a gorgeous night in NYC (a scorching 40 degrees!) that I walked home! I felt so great walking home after class.

I also felt extra great because I was still riding on the high of my friend noticing that I was more muscular. The classes, while still just as hard, all seem a little . . . better now that I know there are results!

Those words made me more motivated to do my best in class. So Friday morning I went at 7 am (after just having gone at 7:30 the night before!) to take Kate’s class. There was a pregnant woman in the class — due in a few weeks. Good for her!

I am getting better at planks. Even better, my arms are getting stronger. I was able to use 3 lb weights for so much more of the arm section today! Usually, I use 3 lb for biceps and 2 for all else. But today I held on to the 3s much longer and felt strong! I love how this is an improvement I can easily see. I am getting stronger!

Thighs were brutal. I struggled and had to stand a few times. I just don’t enjoy this section at all.

And then butt. As I said above, my left butt muscle was killing me. Today we did butt with our hands and knees on the floor again but the movements were different. Kate said she was trying out something that another Core Fusion teacher just taught her.My left side was hurting so much from yesterday, and I kept pushing through, and it got harder and harder and my face crumpled up and then I was crying. Yes. I CRIED during glute work today. Only for a second but WOW. It hurt so bad. Yet so good.

The right side was slightly easier since I didn’t strain it as much last night, and luckily no tears were shed. It was still hard though!

Abs were also challenging. I decided on this day to forgo trying too hard to get into the low C Curve and instead focus on getting some ab work done regardless. My abs felt like they got a tough workout.

And that was that. Class ended and I felt awesome for the rest of the day. I FELT STRONG!

On Saturday I went to two classes at exhale! My first was with Catherine, the health counselor who is working with me throughout this challenge. She is so motivating to be in class with! I pushed through and did my best. My left butt muscles was still hurting but I took it a bit easier on that side. Abs were especially hard, and Catherine got behind me to get me in the proper C Curve. I did my best but wow it burned. Then I went right to a Yoga Level 1 class and I really enjoyed it! It was my first time having Diana (yoga Diana, not CF Diana) as a teacher and she was absolutely wonderful. Yoga was such a wonderful stretch immediately after Core Fusion. I didn’t feel out of place at all and the time actually flew by. I was not bored during yoga!

All caught up! Today I’m off to Core Fusion Yoga! I’ll update you on that and my half marathon training runs soon — including today’s KathEats blogger meetup run!  I’ve also been having some thoughts on the gym, as a result of the Core Fusion challenge, that I want to discuss very soon.

Please be on the lookout on Tuesday when I post the amazing list of auction items I have set for you all to bid on Dori’s Shiny CHARITY AUCTION. The auction will be on Thursday, January 21. Items and rules will be listed on Tuesday!

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Oops!

How did I get so behind in my blogging? Today is Friday and I left you all with LAST Friday’s class. Let’s get caught up now, shall we? I’ll discuss through Wednesday here, and in my next post I’ll cover Thursday and Friday of this week.

So I mentioned that last Friday I didn’t push myself as hard as normal because I had an 8:15 class Saturday morning. So on Saturday morning, I got up bright and early to go to class. This is because I had to be in Queens by 10:30 for spa appointments that I had gotten my mom for her birthday back in October.

I got to class a little early. 8:15 rolled around. No teacher. 8:20. No teacher. At around 8:25 someone got up to tell the front desk that we were waiting and no one was there. The front desk couldn’t get in touch with the teacher and they started calling different ones to cover, but no one was available. So, class was canceled. I did get a coupon for 25% off a spa service and a free class.

To be honest, I was pretty annoyed at first. But then I found out the teacher was stuck on a subway, and I wasn’t annoyed anymore. I’ve been there. Anyone who commutes in New York City has been there. It happens.

I quickly jetted back to my apartment to pick up my Core Fusion Body Sculpt DVD to bring to my mom’s house so I could get my workout in. After our massage, that is just what I did. My mom even did the arms section with me! For those of you not familiar, the DVD is divided into 5 sections: upper body, thighs, glutes, abs and stretch. I did all 5 sections in a row and the 50 minutes flew by! And now my mom wants the Pure Arms & Abs DVD! I’ll have to get it for her.

Then I had to take three days off from class — which is why I was so set on getting my Saturday Core Fusion in! I caved — I got my hair straightened once again. My curly girl days are over — for now. I am happy with my decision. I couldn’t wash it, put it in a ponytail or even behind my ears for two days after that, so I planned on taking a class Tuesday night. But then Fred (co-founder of Core Fusion) and I decided Tuesday would be the best night for our Core Fusion participant CONFERENCE CALL! So class waited until Wednesday.

The conference call was wonderful! There were about 10 of us on the call. I had sent Fred a list of participant questions before hand and he went through the list and took additional questions throughout. He was so informative and explained the answers so well. I took some notes I will try and type up at some point. The participants all thanked me after and told me how much this call helped. I am SO happy people are getting a lot out of this challenge!

The next morning, Wednesday, I went to class at 7 am! The teacher was Tammy, and when I introduced myself to her, she knew exactly who I was. Good news travels fast, huh? I guess that is to be expected these days. I asked her to come over to me during abs and put her knees under my back, because on the call Fred told me to ask my next teacher for help since I’ve been struggling.

Tammy’s class was great, but it was hard being back in class after being away for so many days. When we did the long planks in the beginning of class, it hit me: I HATE PLANKS. Planks are hard! They are not fun. Funny thing is, the planks we do toward the end of class are always much easier. I wonder why that is? They’re shorter, but it’s not just that. 30 seconds of a beginning class plank is much more brutal than 30 seconds towards the end.

Here’s something different — during arms, we didn’t do bicep curls! Each class truly is different. And although bicep curls are my favorite of the upper body exercises (they’re the easiest), it was nice to realize just how different each class can be. During glutes, we did a standing pretzel position, and this new form really changed how my muscles worked. It also set the stage for the rest of my glutes week, but I’ll discuss that in my next post.

When we did another plank, not only was it easier, but Tammy told me to look in the mirror so I could see how great my form was! I looked — and it was! I was doing a really great plank! That encouragement made me feel AMAZING. And just like that, I did not hate planks anymore.

Even though Tammy helped with my C Curve in abs, I still struggled. Honestly, I felt the burn in my abs much more when I used to do it incorrectly — sitting too high up. The rule is you should lift your elbows off the floor and still be at the same height in your curve. I couldn’t get my feet  to stay on the floor and I just didn’t feel the burn the way I should. Digging my heels into the floor helps a little, but not much. Maybe I should put weights on my feet?

When class ended I felt amazing.And after class, Tammy sat with me and helped me figure out my C Curve a bit better, which was so nice of her. And then I was done, at 8 am! I loved going to work knowing I accomplished this great thing already.

And, the big news . . . CORE FUSION IS WORKING!!! Now, I strongly believe that working out and improving your strength should be something that you do primarily for yourself. . That said, a little validation is sometimes just the motivation we need to push harder. And I got that!

A friend of mine who I haven’t seen in awhile — and who knows nothing about this challenge — told me, on his own, that I look more muscular! YES! Exactly what I needed to hear. I felt a renewed energy and extra motivation to work even harder during this challenge. If after just a week and a half I have noticeable improvements, imagine what it will be like after 4 weeks.

I am well on my way to having this butt:

Can’t wait to tell you about my next two workouts! And — this is nuts — over this 3 day weekend, I have 5 classes scheduled at exhale. Don’t worry — they are not all Core Fusion!

OH — there’s been lots of Tweeting going on about the Core Fusion challenge and now that I understand hashtags, I created this one to use to keep track of the challenge tweets: #CFchallenge. Please add that tag in all your Core Fusion tweets!

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