From Function to Fitness :: Getting Your Groove Back

I thought that at the very least there would be some time for reflection at the end of 2009 or maybe even at the beginning of 2010.  Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for some) there was not this time around.  I was able to come up for breath for about 2 days right on the 25th.  And then I headed right back under on the 27th.  Yes, 2010 is in full gear and I am not sure that I have my seat belt on yet!

I realized the week before New Year's, that the first half of my year is already planned out in full to the point of no return.  That's a good thing, but an admitted challenge for me in the juggling and sanity process.  I feel as if I am walking around with a million "to do" lists in my head, trying desperately not to forget anything.  Regardless, I am extremely thankful that my to do list is weighed down with things that are very important to me.  They are so important that not one is worth moving for even the sake of a small much desired breath. 

I kicked off the New Year with the approval of our non-profit status from the State of TN for Hooping for Hope.  Making this adventure a bonafide non-profit has been a dream of mine for the past 2 years and I am thankful that we can finally begin to fund raise and search for grants.  I feel so fortunate to have two dear friends walking me through the process the past couple of months.  In order to celebrate the recent accomplishments, I created a new website that you can check out here.

Next in line is the prompt kick-off of the training for Hooping the Half Marathon.  With over 35 girls fully registered and a team of fabulous trainers, I think we are about ready to roll.  The weather is not forgiving, but the excitement is infectious and I know these gals will be rockstars!  We will spend the next 3 1/2 months training and perfecting our hoop walking skills in preparation for the big day, April 24th.  {Of course you can follow updates on our progress on the above mentioned blog.}

I will continue to hold by breath as I diligently train and prepare for one of my largest personal adventures... co-producing a show at the Belcourt Theatre on February 12th.  This particular show has been a vision of mine for some time and I am again incredibly thankful to be sharing the spotlight with an amazingly and inspiring woman who will co-produce with me.  This show is like none other that I have seen in town and to top it off I have set some pretty high challenges for myself personally.  I am admittedly neither producer, dancer or aerialist, and yet I have decided to tackle all three.  I guess that's what happens when you see the years start to go by quicker and the drive to accomplish more steadily increases.  Oh, and yes, we have created a website for this adventure too... the Blind Tiger Dames.

In proper fashion, I will then hold my breath a bit longer as we move to the next adventure... a vintage clothing swap/benefit for my friend Amy Patterson, "Giving Threads for Life" on March 21st.  Amy has been inspiring this past year in all that she has faced and as a fixture to the vintage community, attaching my vintage swap as a benefit to, well, directly benefit her was a no-brainer.  There will be more details to follow- and yes, of course, this event has it's own website too... ecochicswap.com.

One month post swap, you will find me then leading a team of women in the 2010 country music marathon in a sea of pink hoops.  Yes, almost 4 months of training will be paying off in 4 short hours of hoop walking.  I wait all year for this event to come around again and look forward to the women who decide to partake in this crazy little adventure. 

Upon completion of the half-marathon, on month five, I will hold my breath a little more while I venture out on a mini-vacation with my oldest daughter, Fiona.  Taking one day off from work gives me anxiety attacks.  Don't get me wrong, I love vacation just as much as the next person, but the idea of all the work that happens while I am gone... that waits for me to return... that I have to then catch up on... well, that keeps me pretty well buckled in!

In closing of my reflection of the next 5 months to come, it is obvious to me the common thread that binds them all.   The people closest to me are the ones who will make all this a possibility for me to achieve in the coming months ahead.  Hailey & Kelly will guide me through Hooping for Hope.  Laura will hold my hand in my first production while the cast cheers me on.  Stephanie & Carrie will be instrumental in the smooth flow of Amy's benefit.  My husband David, Fiona, the team leaders and the entire team will make Hooping for Hope a reality and last but not least, the little friend inside of me will let me go off for a few days to go play and have fun.  I wish you all a productive and prosperous New Year and hope that you will find your schedule filled with helping those around you because I promise, your friend could not do half of it without the support and love of someone like you.

 

Posted by hooprama at 12:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's been quite a month.  In fact, it's been quite a few months and I am not even sure where to begin.  There have been lots of changes at Hooprama and I am very excited for the fresh start. 

INSTRUCTORS :: I have hired numerous new instructors that I am really thrilled to have as an integral part of Hooprama.  They share a kindness and a passion for teaching. Please take time to get to know them and offer feedback for your classes. 

WEBSITE :: I recently rebuilt and relaunched our website.  Speaking of, at this point everything blends into each other, so if you happen to see some error or misguided link, would you please let me know? Part of the change is moving our old "news" page into our blog... a sort of forcing of us to keep you up to date with current events happening in the land of Hooprama.

HOOP TROUPE :: Keep an eye out for a bevy of fabulous performers representing Hooprama.  We had auditions last week and they were amazing- one hooper brought tears to my eyes she was so incredibly moving.  I am very excited to share the stage with these fabulous women and to encourage them in their performance growth.  We have some amazing things related to performance in the works, so you will need to come back and check up on our blog!

TWITTER :: Ok, so we are now on the band wagon with everyone else and have a twitter account.  Be sure to link to us to hear about last minute Hooprama Happenings.   In fact, we have one posted right NOW!

CLASSES :: We have recently switched over to a NEW STUDENT drop-in rate of only $5 for both our cardioFLEX and ZUMBA classes.  Can't beat a deal like that, so get on over and try it out!  Be sure to arrive a few minutes early so you can fill out the necessary paperwork.

HOOPING FOR HOPE :: Please join us Oct 10th while we hoop the Komen 10K for hope!   You can register online... just be sure to choose Team Hooprama Hooping for Hope.  Send us an email to let us know you registered and we will meet up to practice.  This walk is about representing HFH, not trying to "race" or make a particular time.

I know there is more- much more.  But it will have to wait until another day!    

 

 

Posted by hooprama at 12:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

20 days until "game day"... the excitement is growing. We now have over a dozen amazing Hooprama HoopStars on the team for Hooping the Half and I am thrilled that Hooping for Hope™ (HFH) is gaining more attention through this process. As of April 1, 2008 a portion of the proceeds from all Hooprama™ fitness classes and hoops will go directly into the HFH program. I was also able to set up a donation link to the main HFH page- which is nice... our first one came all the way from California! Thank you Ted!

On a physical note... my pants have been falling off. I still cannot fit into my pre-pregnancy pants, but just noted a 2" decrease in my waist (which is quite nice) and my daughter made mention of my abs beginning to make an appearance. I still have at least 2 more months before I can diet... which stinks because there is no way I will be able to fit into my gorgeous Hip Zipper vintage dress post wedding ceremony next month. My body still needs too many calories for baby Henrietta... who by the way is starting to stand on her own. I am excited to see her walk because I know that means the hoop cannot be too far off!

Posted by hooprama at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As you can tell, it has been a long, long time since I have posted to this page. The main reason I haven't been posting is because quite frankly, I think blogs are silly. The only reason I created one to begin with was because it seemed like the proper forum to share about my post-partum hooping experience, which would hopefully inspire others who found themselves in the same situation. I have had lots of requests for updates and have been meaning to do so, but as you know, life can get very busy! So here I am, finally ready to give you an update!

Every day I tell my better half, David, how happy I am that he affords us a life that allows me to be at home with our baby, Henrietta... and that enables me to pursue something that truly creates happiness for me... hooping and teaching others to hoop. I have been so fortunate to have met so many wonderful women through the hooping experience. Women of all ages, backgrounds, and interests... and with the same passion, the hula hoop!

I guess I should touch on my post-partum hooping before I go off in another direction... I am nine months from the birth of my last child and I turned 36 last week. This has been a long road. I was in such great shape and to be climbing this uphill battle for so long has been very frustrating at times. People say I look great, but I can still feel the things that have yet to return... like my pantsize! I stopped measuring and weighing when I felt that I was hitting a plateau and began to change my focus and stop caring about it so much. I figured things would change when my body was ready, and they have. My weight is now at 120 (which it has been for a while now). I am still 15 pounds heavier than I was pre-pregnancy. And the shape of my body is still mostly settled in the lower region :) I account for about 5 of those pounds to be due to breastfeeding and know that my body has to store fat in order for that to maintain as it has, which is fine by me.

While my weight has stayed the same for a couple of months, I have noticed over the past 6 weeks small changes where I have become more fit... turning the baby fat into muscle! My arms are getting stronger and the definition is now more of a reality than an illusion! I have been hooping (via teaching) approximately 6-8 times a week, and in February added another facet to the hoop... Hooping the Half Marathon!

Yes! HOOPING the Half Marathon! I will preface this with the simple fact that I HATE running as much as I hate sit-ups, so I thought hooping while walking would be great! However, in my training, it has become quite clear that I hate walking too! I think this might be because of the extra weight that I still have. Before the birth, walking was not something I would have hated. But right now, I really only like to hoop. It takes a lot of energy for me to push through the miles with the hoop and what keeps me going is the women- the connection and laughter that we share. All of the sudden 4 or 5 miles pass and you wonder if you have even already walked a few steps!

I want to give a HUGE shout out to Adele, if she is reading this. I have thought about Hooping the Half for about 3 years now, but quite frankly, didn't want to do it alone. When I randomly presented it to one of my Beginner One classes (because it's marathon season here in TN) she quickly responded that she would do it! As I get to know her, I realize now, that gal will do anything! She is so full of life and so facinating- what an amazing woman! So I gathered some other HoopStar graduates and we started our weekly training at Shelby Bottoms!

In the meantime, I was in North Carolina fly fishing and our guide turned out to be way more inspiring than I ever could have imagined. By the end of the day, ALL I could think about was Hooping for Hope™!

I am asked quite frequently, why did I choosing breast cancer as my focus. I do have a lot of cancer in my family past, and my great-grandmother had breast cancer herself, but quite honestly, that is not the reason. For me it's simply about giving to someone who needs it and then discovering out of all the people who need it, who makes my spirit move inside. I look at the hoop and I witness every moment I am in class, the hoops giving smiles, freedom to move, reclaimed movement and sexuality, encouragement, self-esteem, laughter, spirit and most importantly, life. And then I think of a woman with breast cancer and how all of that can be stripped of her in moments and that makes me so terribly sad inside, it moves me.

I wanted to do something that makes them smile again, something that not only reclaims their bodies and sexuality, but encourages movement and laughter. I don't care to raise money for breast cancer research. There are a lot bigger fish out there who can do that better than me. I want to touch one woman at a time. One hoop at a time. I want to teach them to hoop, so that they then turn around and hoop with their friends and find laughter together and for even a brief moment don't think about all the things that might have happened.

I will say that I have much larger plans and visions for my Hooping for Hope™ program. This is only the begining! Every week I tune into the Big Give on my computer nestled into bed and I cry and become more insprired to dream Hooping for Hope bigger and to see what it is that I can do with it. I know it's out there for me. And I am hooping my way to find it right now!

Posted by hooprama at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)