Life is full of wonderful surprises

Well first I must say to my readers (all two of you) that my first attempt at the EA Sports Active 30-Day Challenge was a failure. I am in the process of moving out of my apartment while housesitting for another home at the same time, and somehow my commitment to exercise got lost in the commotion. So, once I get settled down a little bit I am going to re-start the entire thing. If I'm going to do it, I want to do it right.

On a side note, life keeps surprising me. I have been very blessed to get this housesitting gig while I search for a job. I recently shared correspondence with a very fantastic (and might I add famous) photographer last week. And I may have some potential jobs in the works. I just can't stop smiling when I think about how life works sometimes. 

Anyway, on to some REAL news. The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference started yesterday. Execs wasted no time at all making some major announcements: improved MacBook Pros with faster processors and a new SD card slot (plus a lower price); iPhone 3GS with improved camera and voice commands; and iPhone 3G prices dropped as low as $99.

Then, the really exciting, sexy Apple announcement: Snow Leopard.

Yes, I called an OS sexy. But it is. The $29 operating system upgrade comes out in September, and boasts a whole lot of somewhat confusing technical upgrades, like 64-bit support (basically it can do a whole lot of thinking at once). But real exciting things for me include the new dock/exposé combination, and that this OS will be stinking fast with unheard of potential!

Final nerdy bits from WWDC: Safari 4 (totally awesome) and Quicktime 10 (with sweet new editing features and friendlier interface). 

My final comments for this are don't be intimidated by new technology. I sometimes get overwhelmed reading things on Twitter, Wired and Mashable because I feel like things are just SO over my head. But the truth is, regular people like myself can find new technology exciting and fascinating, even if we don't understand all the technical parts. 

Kelsey out. 

"Rest days"

I got back to my original console yesterday and was SO happy to find that the game was not angrily waiting to yell at me. It acknowledged my skipped workout as a "rest day" and picked right up with the missed routine. This is a great bonus for the game! I don't like be chastised when I fail to workout. 

So, I re-did workout #3 and greatly improved my stamina for the side jumps. I also liked being able to improve my form on the shoulder presses.

Today was another "rest day" because I'm in the process of moving out of my apartment. The Wii console is at my parent's (about 20 minutes away) and I just didn't make it out there today. Thank goodness for flexibility!!

Shoot! I messed up.

Okay, so for workout #3 today I brought the EA Sports Active game back to my apartment from my parents' house. I was feeling very excited because after my day of rest my legs weren't as sore! However, much to my dismay, when I put the game in all my information was gone! Now I realize that the information is saved on the console, not the disk (duh!). Anyone know how I can play on multiple systems? An SD card? I am in the process of moving so I'll be jumping around a lot.

Anyway, despite my error, I was able to complete my third workout by choosing it from the preset workout menu. Today focused a lot on upper body strength which I was really excited about! I LOVED the lateral lifts - I really felt the burning in my shoulders. I also liked the combination of bicep curls and shoulder presses. 

But then, I met my match. Side jumps. Seems simple, right? By about the tenth one my legs were ready to quit. I pushed through by not squatting as deep between jumps, but felt like I was cheating. I can tell these will be my nemesis in days to come. I even found myself wishing for RUNNING. Now, if you know me you'll realize how much I didn't like the side jumps.

I don't know if I'll have to re-do workout #3 because of my saving mess-up, but I won't be too sad if I have to. How is everyone doing on their workouts?? I am really trying to change my diet so I'm feeling the burn both physically and mentally! I need to make a grocery store run today so I don't fall off the bandwagon. 

Leave me comments with your blog address, I'd love to follow you on your journey!

C'mon motivation!

I had my first "rest day" yesterday and now I'm trying to work up the motivation to do workout #3 today. It's not that I don't want to, it's that I waited so long that it's noon! Should've gotten up at 9.... Update later!

Day 1!

Okay, I was just too excited to start my EA Sports active 30-Day Challenge and decided I couldn't wait til Monday. I had already gotten up at 8 a.m. thanks to my parents' dog so I figured I'd start the weekend right!

After exploring the game a little last night I found there is no weigh-in aspect, so before I started I used the Wii Fit Channel to do a weigh in. Starting weight: 141 lbs. BMI: 23.4. Now in active I set up my fitness profile, and chose an avatar with curly hair and a spunky little purple and gray outfit. I picked the male trainer and set my intensity level at medium. A word of caution - make sure you choose your intensity level wisely. I was happy with medium, but it was definitely a challenge! Don't be afraid to pick light intensity to start out.

Much to my dismay, the workout started with my nemisis: running. It definitely got my heart rate up and the sweat pouring. I did a variety of activities on and off my Wii Fit board, including bicep curls, inline skating, kick boxing, lunges and squats. At the end of my 23 minutes I was breathing hard and sweating a ton! I burned about 130 calories as well!

My qualms so far:

• The resistance band isn't very...resistant. I think it would be good for beginners, but since I did at one time work out regularly (granted a few months ago), it was not enough for me. I have my own stronger ones at home that I think I'll use next time.
• No stretching. There was a "cool down" at the end, which was two laps of running and 5 seconds of walking. Definitely take a few minutes to stretch your arms and legs after, or the burn will be worse tomorrow!

Okay, from now on it won't be so much game review and just my progress. I've decided to keep a little notebook with me to track additional physical activities and my food/water intake. I don't eat horribly, but I could definitely use some work.

Are you doing the Challenge too? Leave me a comment so I can follow you as well!

A fun exercise?

Today I told myself I had to start working out today, but I have no desire to go out in the heat. I plugged in my roommates Wii and started up Jillian Michaels' Fitness Ultimatum 2009. The exercises definitely got my heart rate up and wore out my muscles, but I didn't really like the format of the game. First, I didn't like the comments she made. Something along the lines of "I couldn't have done that better myself. Oh wait, I probably could." Not exactly the motivation I wanted. Also, I need some sort of guidance. Pick five exercises? Okay. But is the combination right to help me lose weight? Tone up? I don't know. 

Next I threw in good ol' Wii Fit. I love the variety of activities, especially the yoga poses. I also like how exercises are broken up into things like strength training, balance, etc. But again I need more guidance. I don't like picking and choosing random exercises, I'd like to be told what to do! So after a quick Google search I came up with the new EA Sports Active game. I found out from Canadian journalist David Wylie's blog on canada.com, and a number of other places, that the program includes a 30-day challenge to get you started. EA already had 12 people complete the challenge last month with great results! On top of that, they have an online community as added support. 

So basically, following their Web site's advice, I am starting this on June 1st (given that I can find the game). I need some guidance and something to do every day with all this time on my hands. I look forward to this, even if all I gain is a little normalcy in my day!

Connections make the difference

Lately I've been trying to make some new photography connections. The purpose of this is two-fold: first, I like to pick their brains about becoming a professional photographer; and second, I want to see if they need assistants. Even if it was unpaid, I'd love the opportunity to work in a studio and help with pictures. So much learning can be done! I realized this even more after going to a fashion photography workshop on Wednesday night with famous photographer Douglas Kirkland. He set up a photo shoot on stage so we could see how he manipulates the light and camera. It was such a fascinating experience! Here's a picture from the evening:

Another great connection I've made (thanks to my BFF Amanda) is with LA photographer Patrick Ecclesine. His photo project/book Faces of Sunset Boulevard may have changed my life forever this week. Check out the web site: www.facesofsunset.com.  New goal: work on portrait photography! 

All of my new time to re-invest myself in a love of photography has made me think that not getting a full-time job right now may be a blessing. I have a retail position that may possibly work out soon, and perhaps that's just what I need! A little work, and time to practice photography. I have all my life for a 9-5 right?