The whole canoodle

Look who I caught canoodling on the couch when I got home from work…

bell and tom

So I did what anyone would do:

cut in and stole her.

me and bell4

Heh heh.

She looks really happy about it 😉

Today was a doozy, but a good day. Breakfast and snack were frantically eaten in between classes (egg-rito, and later a banana with a jar of almond butter and a spoon), and the Pilot ordered me a gluten-free pizza to munch on my lunch break.

pizza

Goat cheese, artichoke hearts, mushrooms and olives. He knows me so well- brownie points for Senor Pilot, and also because he wrote a guest post for me since it was such a crraazzyyy day.

I munched two slices with some minty hot chocolate (nice combo, eh?)

pizza (2)

and packed up two more + a salad to take to work.

salad

It’s been quite a while since this has happened (maybe when I first started teaching?), but I taught a not-so-great Zumba class today. I’m usually so proud of my classes, and this one just felt meh to me [the ladies said they enjoyed it, but it wasn’t up to my standards]. My energy just wasn’t there, my mind was elsewhere, I was exhausted + too full from pizza. Not a winning combo :/ Hopefully I got a “meh” class out of the way and will be good for a while now.

sunset

Time to grab some groceries and start making BBQ dishes and baby meal stuff for tomorrow.

See ya in the morning!

xoxo

Gina

Something to talk about: What do you usually do when you work hard at something and you have a less-than-stellar moment? For me, I usually use it as motivation to do better next time, and after making a mental list of what I could do better, push it aside and press on.

Something to do: Saturday Night Ab burner!!

[A snippet of what I did in one of today’s classes- as always check with a doc before making any fitness changes]

All exercises are done supine (on your back):

-Laying leg raises (15 slow, 15 fast)- getting legs as close to the floor as possible, and then up so toes point towards th ceiling

-Circle legs in the air (making a circle the size of a basketball)- curl your head and shoulders up to make it more challenging – 20 circles in one direction, 20 circles in the other

-Lower legs down to a hover, and then flutter kicks (30 seconds)

-Frog crunches- 20

-Extend legs out to a hover (2 inches above the floor), arms hover up overhead, and hold for 20 seconds

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24 Comments

  1. Army Amy* on October 22, 2011 at 9:53 pm

    Teaching middle schoolers, I have my fair share of “meh” classes. If one my lessons in on the path to crash and burn, I’ll just improvise. Usually turning the lesson into some kind of competition gets them more engaged.*

  2. Bethany @Bethany's Befuddled Brain on October 22, 2011 at 9:53 pm

    That’s what I’ve been craving all day! Pizza! I kept trying and trying to think about what I was craving but couldn’t put my finger on it. I’m thinking Sunday lunch must be a trip for pizza.
    So cute! I always steal my cat from my mom when she’s laying on her lap. I like to make my cat think I’ll pet her more when it’s really about her keeping me warm.

  3. Haley @ Fit, Young, and Fabulous on October 22, 2011 at 10:01 pm

    Doing the ab-burner tomorrow morning first thing!! I have been looking for a healthful pizza place, but I can’t find one!! Those artichokes suuuure do look delish!! (: and I finally bought some chocolate almond milk<3 love, love, love!

  4. Kathryn @ Flopoodle on October 22, 2011 at 10:03 pm

    I guess the best thing to remember is that not every day can be perfect or up to your usual standards, and like you said, use it as motivation to make the next zumba class the best one yet! And hey, those ladies probably weren’t full of pizza, so I’m sure they were still shaking and it loving every minute 😉

  5. Denise @ Kumara Mash on October 22, 2011 at 10:04 pm

    I normally take a mental note of what I have done that isn’t at my best, analyse what I do better next time, and make adjustments 🙂 I’ve learnt not to criticise myself when those less-than-stellar moments happen. Anyway, we are all allowed to have ‘meh’ moments, especially when you become a mother 😉

  6. Siobhan @ Sion 'n the Run on October 22, 2011 at 10:07 pm

    That pizza looks SO good! Artichoke hearts?! What an AMAZING addition!

    When I have a less than stellar moment, I reflect on it and look at what my strengths were. Putting your mind into a positive helps to get rid of unnecessary stress. And of course, I figure out WHY it wasn’t a stellar moment so that I won’t make the same mistake next time.

  7. Dani @ RunFitMama on October 22, 2011 at 10:09 pm

    That happens to me every once in a while when I’m teaching yoga. I completely get that “blah” feeling while teaching. Once I have a not-so-great teaching moment, though, the next time I teach- it’s wonderful.

    I think sometimes it’s good to get one out of the way. Kind of like a bad run. I secretly hope that when I’m in training I’ll have a bad long run, so the bad run day doensn’t happen on race day.

    It’s the meh moments that make the great ones so much better!

  8. Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga on October 22, 2011 at 10:12 pm

    Sorry that your class was just meh by your standards. But I’m sure those in the class enjoyed and had no idea that you felt lackluster; I bet they didn’t know the difference. That happens to anyone who teaches…from yoga to zumba to I’m sure teaching school. Some days are just…meh. Girl, you are 30 weeks pregnant and teaching fitness classes still and working on the weekend. That right there is something to be hella proud of!

    Less than stellar moments inspire me to try harder next time AND to also practice detachment from results. I want to do and be and accomplish and conquer and have all these “amazing” results but I remind myself of a little Buddhism and detachment, non-clinging, non-attachment to results when I am feeling…meh.

  9. Meg on October 22, 2011 at 10:17 pm

    Great ab routine Gina 😀 Thanks xo

  10. Erin @ Girl Gone Veggie on October 22, 2011 at 11:01 pm

    Bella is so adorable!! And that pizza looks so good! I wish there was a place that made pizza like that around here. Living in the middle of nowhere definitely has some drawbacks!

    I’m sorry you had a lackluster class but I know next one you’ll really bring it! I think we all need to have bad days/classes/experiences from time to time to make us really appreciate the goods ones!

  11. Anna @ The Guiltless Life on October 22, 2011 at 11:40 pm

    I think that pizza has all of my favourite toppings on! YUM!

    And I also think sometimes we’re our own harshest critics, which allows us to keep improving of course, but I think your ladies were probably being totally honest when they said they loved your class!

  12. RachelG on October 22, 2011 at 11:47 pm

    Bella has the most human facial expressions of any dog I’ve ever seen! 🙂

  13. Ali @ Peaches and Football on October 22, 2011 at 11:48 pm

    Mmmm gluten-free pizza. I discovered a restaurant in town that had a veggie pizza with a gluten-free crust that tastes awesome. Just tried artichokes on one for the first time but they were a bit overwhelming. Think I’ll want to try again sometime when the pieces are smaller.

  14. Krystina (Organically Me) on October 22, 2011 at 11:52 pm

    So, it’s almost midnight and I turned to my bf (after seeing this post) and said “I want pizza”. Good late night snack, right? 😉

  15. Ali on October 23, 2011 at 12:37 am

    Sorry to hear you felt less than awesome today. I generally just take my less than stellar moments as a reminder that I am human, and not always amazing! Take the pressure off of yourself!

  16. Magda on October 23, 2011 at 4:58 am

    I love the last photo 🙂 You had a beautiful evening over there. When I’m disappointed with the outcome of something I’ve worked on… there is one think i DON’T (or try not to) do. Unless it was a total and obvious failure I don’t apologize for it. Because chances are that nobody else noticed that something didn’t work out. Really, I noticed that the “bad” result is often only in my head. Also, people have better and worse days and nobody is perfect, so it happens to everyone, including myself, to sometimes “mildly screw up” something 😉 I just try to do better next time.
    Have a lovely Sunday 🙂

  17. Natalcho @ Tomatoes Rock on October 23, 2011 at 5:34 am

    You are 30 weeks pregnant and still teaching fitness classes – I’d say a meh class is in order but I am absolutely sure none of the people you were teaching noticed and only you knew that it could have been better!

  18. Hillary on October 23, 2011 at 8:29 am

    I’m a teacher, and it definitely happens every so often that one of my lessons just bombs with the kids. Either they don’t get it, or they are just bored out of their pretty little minds. My response tends to be the same as yours: I work on what they did get/were in to, and I nix what they didn’t. Then I try to make my next day a little better! Five years in, and I’m still learning ; )

  19. Abby @ Abz 'n' Oats on October 23, 2011 at 10:18 am

    I love your ab burners! Going to do this as soon as I click submit! 🙂

  20. Amanda on October 23, 2011 at 10:35 am

    Sorry you had a “meh” class. It happens to the best of us. I completely agree with how you’re handling it. I also like to think about why it happened and what I can do differently the next time, and then I move on. No sense beating yourself up over it.

  21. Moni'sMeals on October 23, 2011 at 11:49 am

    As a fitness professional myself, Gina, I know what you mean… we can not every time have a “perfect” session, We all have “meh” days. Ummm and your preggars for crying out loud! 🙂 Try to not be too hard on yourself. 🙂

    I find sometimes I give the best sessions but if my cleints recaction is not what I hoped for, I would question myself, in reality though it is them and their issues, not my fault or my doing. We all have up and down days and when working out you can really see when someone is struggling or going through something, (especially with my workouts, they are hard and you have to push!!)

    It is all about being our best within ya know. 🙂 Our Own personal best!

  22. Michaela on October 23, 2011 at 1:53 pm

    great attitude!! I find pushing it aside the hardest part… Being a very ambitious person, I try extra hard on making an improvement, but mostly a “fail” sits in the back of my head for a long time.
    will try your ab workout now 🙂
    (I love how in love you and the Pilot are!!)

  23. Heather on October 23, 2011 at 9:57 pm

    My process of getting over a “less than stellar moment” is very similar to yours! Dwelling on things always sends me into a downward spiral of guilt and frustration. Instead, I re-trace my steps of where I went wrong and use that to guide me in the future. Every moment is a lesson learned. 🙂

  24. Ashlee on October 23, 2011 at 10:28 pm

    I read your blog every day, and I’ve been trying to figure out the baby name since you first posted a hint. I think I got it… OLIVIA?!

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