Weeks like these

This was one of those weeks.

You know the kind.

One of those weeks when my work, passion projects, and social life made it IMPOSSIBLE to get to the gym.  

There were late nights catching up with old friends, early mornings making impossible things happen at the office, hours lost sweating the small stuff, all nighters traveling between Ottawa and Toronto, laundry (at some point), and, of course, the highlight of my week: Singing for the first time on Parliament Hill in Ottawa at a Black History Month event with the Prime Minister!

Safe to say it was a busy week.  I didn't even have time to obsess about a crush.  Those who know me know I can always find time to obsess about a good crush.

I didn't get to the gym.  I couldn't even imagine getting to the gym.  

But here are the two ways I kick myself back into action when I start to think "I'm too busy":

1. I'm always going to be this busy.  And at some point (hopefully) I'll also have a husband, kids, and a household to manage.  So I'm going to need to learn how to make this work.

2. If Michelle Obama can work out every day (Yes, I know she has an entire staff, but go with me on this) I can too.

So tomorrow morning I'm going to hit the gym, and hard.  And then tomorrow evening I'm going to dance the night away at the Black Diamond Ball with my girls.

I can't let weeks like these stop me from taking care of me.

So You Think You Can Dance?

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not exactly much of a dancer.

I mean, I can do the hustle... and with enough alcohol in my system and the right 90s slow jam playing (usually Ginuwine "Pony"), my body can move with the best of them.

But when it comes to choreography, I stiffen up.  I lose my balance, I can't get the steps right, or get my muscles to activate to the precision requested by the instructor.

This was a dance week.

I took beginner Dancehall and Hip Hop classes at the Underground Dance Centre.

I was petrified when I walked in for the first time.  I imagined a scene like "Fame" - A studio filled with long and lean dancers who can do this in their sleep.  It took all of my courage to go in and give it my best.

I was pleasantly surprised by the friendly and welcoming environment.  The beginner classes were filled with people just like me... beginners.

I followed along with the choreography, (usually losing it near the end), but was still very proud of myself for giving it a try at all.

I've come a long way from my very first dance class in August of last year with my friend and choreographer Jordan Washington.

Don't get me wrong, I'm under no delusions that with any amount of practice I'll be Beyonce.  I like to think of myself as more of a Jill Scott when it comes to music.  But I'm definitely having fun with it!

And with that, I'll leave you with a new song I jammed out with my buddy David Lee on Monday.  Take a listen and let me know what you think!

A Valentine's Day Box

Is there a better way for a single gal to spend Valentine's Day?

I resisted the urge to go for the pink gloves and instead punched, kicked, and danced out all of my energy in white!

My form is still pretty terrible, but I'm better than I was last week.  In the meantime, I've signed up for a class next week to focus on technique.

So in honour of Valentine's Day, here are the top 5 things I ❤ about boxing:

1. It makes me feel powerful.

2. It requires cross training to have the endurance, flexibility, strength, control and agility to be great.

3. It has real life applications (Human weapon for the win!)

4. It's fun.  Like, really, ridiculously fun.

5. The stress relief that comes with punching something repeatedly is unmatched.

So right now, I'd say we're just casually dating.  But the more time we spend together, the closer I get to committing.

Happy Valentine's Day friends!

Let me see you do that yoga

Yoga is for everyone.

Seriously, check out this fabulous curvy yogi who can do things I can only dream about.

But for some reason, it took me a long time to be comfortable enough to join a yoga class.  It takes a certain amount of vulnerability to be in a room moving your body into seemingly impossible positions, surrounded (mostly) by perfect tens.

I have many friends who practice yoga, and some who even teach.  They have always been willing to show me various poses and talk about the benefits of yoga.

It wasn't until I went to a class back in the summer with my friend Glynnis that yoga truly captured my heart.

Glynnis took me to a studio called Octopus Garden for an all levels evening class.  There were about 10 of us in the room, which was quiet, candlelit and relaxing in every way.

The instructor had no idea it was my very first class, and I pretended to follow along as if I knew what I was doing.

During two of the poses I burst out in tears.  It was unexpected.  But I just kept thinking: "This is my body."  I suppose I hadn't spent very much time simply appreciating it.  But in the silence of the room, positioned in a way I'd never been before, I couldn't help but cry.

After the class I thanked the instructor for guiding me through.

I continued to try many of the poses at home, bought a few books, and made my way to another studio today called Studio Blue for a class designed for questions and answers around poses.

It turns out I was doing EVERYTHING wrong.  But I am excited to keep learning.  The stretches are incredible, the level of flexibility required is unreal, and the time spent simply appreciating your body is priceless.

So I'll keep trying beginner classes for the next 6 months, and hopefully by my birthday in July I'll be ready to graduate to level I.  The dream is to be capable of inversions, and specifically (one day): handstands!

I'll keep you posted!

In the meantime, enjoy some Janelle Monae:

Run, Gooch, Run!

I've never been much of a runner.

Memories of running for me consist of wheezing after harrier practice around the field at John Campbell Elementary.  There were additional bouts of jogging for health as I got older: once in high school I started running in my neighbourhood making it no longer than 5 minutes before turning back and walking home.

It went something like this:



One summer in University I started "jogging" to the river.  It usually took about 20 minutes, and I moved at a glacial pace, walking back of course.  But I felt like a million bucks.

It helped having lots of runner friends in University.  Not to brag, but the University of Windsor boasts the best track team in Canada, and my closest friends were some of the biggest stars on the team.  They coached me through and advised that I start small and incrementally increase my distance and time.  So I started with 5 minutes, adding one minute a run until I reached 20 minutes.  Intervals helped as well until I could make it through without slowing down.

This year when I started running again after the surgery I noticed a significant change in my endurance.  I started small with 5 minutes, 6 minutes, 10 minutes, 12 minutes, and then 15.

In consultation with my friend (and remarkable sprinter) Danielle Harrison, I decided to do a test run.  In perfect conditions (on a treadmill) I decided to run for as long as I could at 5mph and make that my new base to train from.

I got to the gym this morning with every intention to give it my best.  30 minutes.  That was the goal.  I whizzed past 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 25, 30, and then, by some sort of miracle, I just kept going!  35 minutes, 40, 45 minutes, 50...

I wish I could say I went for an hour, but at around 50 minutes I felt a pain in my foot and decided not to push myself too hard.  I can do 60 minutes next week ;)

So there it was: 50 minutes on the treadmill at 5 miles per hour.

The longest I've ever run in my life.  Definitely a great base for me to start my training towards the Tough Mudder in September!

There was a moment, (somewhere around 5k) when I could have cried.  I was doing it.  My body was capable of more than I knew.  And if it hadn't been for the pain in my foot (which I'm thinking might have been a signal for better support in my shoes) who knows how long I could have gone.

I went to work super charged this morning.  The work day isn't finished, but it feels like I have all the energy in the world to finish my projects.

Can't wait to get outside and start running in the great outdoors.  I have a feeling the imperfect conditions will make this all the more challenging.

Bring it on.


"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self."  - Ernest Hemingway

Tough Mudder

I’ve found it.

THE challenge.

More than a 5K, less than a marathon.

A total body test of strength and endurance.

The Tough Mudder!

I’ve got a few incredible friends who have completed the course in the past and I’ve always looked at photos of them online and laughed that I would never (ever) be able to do that, nor would I want to.

And here I am.  Ready to build a team to hit the mud.

Here’s how it works:

The Tough Mudder is a 10-12 mile obstacle course designed to both mentally and physically challenge even the most physically fit of humans (no zombies allowed).  Speed isn’t a necessity, just finishing is enough, and teamwork is encouraged.

They happen all over the world, and the Toronto dates just happen to be September 10th (or) 11th 2016, which leaves 8 months to prepare.  I’m leaning towards the 10^th in order to leave room for a complete spa day on the 11^th to recoup.

Play!

Remember when you were a kid and a Saturday afternoon spent at the playground was what dreams were made of?

Well, don't let my facial expressions in the photo above fool you.  Playing at PursuitOCR yesterday was epic.

Pursuit is a playground for adults situated (quite conveniently) walking distance from my home in Toronto.

I went with my friend Luci who reached superstar status when she made it all the way up the half pipe on her second run of the course.  (Give me another 10 tries and I might be able to pull that off).

We both did two runs of the course which had everything from walls to climb, ropes, tunnels with ropes to manoeuvre, monkey bars, rings, tires, and ball pits (when was the last time you were in a ball pit?!)

I was surprised with how well I did on most of the obstacles.  I struggled heavily on the monkey bars, which I had in my backyard growing up and remember being able to do with ease.  I'll need to do some upper body strength training to get those muscles up to par ahead of my next visit.

All in all it was a great experience!  I will definitely be back.  

 


On my way home it occurred to me that there is a park just a few doors over with.. you guessed it... monkey bars!

If you need me, you know where to find me.

Giving it the best that I've got

It's been an eventful week!

In a last ditch effort to make the most of a ClassPass trial I signed up for, I found myself in a whirlwind of body challenges that brought me more joy than I could have possibly expected.

But first, allow me to introduce myself - My name is Tiffany Gooch and I am embarking on a lifelong journey of becoming my best self.  After having gastric bypass surgery in June of 2014 I've lost over 150 pounds.

I've been having an amazing time testing my limits and seeing what my body is capable of since the weight loss.  Cartwheels, distance running, dance... I feel like the sky is the limit!

In University I worked in a gym and most of my friends were remarkable athletes so I knew my way around a weight training circuit.  There is nothing more exciting to me than lifting something I couldn't lift before, or trying a range of motion that I previously wasn't flexible enough to complete.  Experiencing this body transition has been better than I ever dreamed it could be.

I joined GoodLife a year ago and got a personal trainer who helped me ensure I was using proper form for the basics, and helped me set realistic goals for continued improvement.  That's the beauty of fitness.  There is always more room for improvement.  You can ALWAYS be stronger, faster, more flexible, more agile, or have better endurance.  When I feel as if I've mastered one thing, the possibilities for new fitness challenges are limitless.  As a lover of music, dancing has always interested me.  I love swimming, am finding myself more and more drawn to running, kickboxing, and yoga.

This is just the beginning.

So back to this week.  I had some energy to burn, and was desperate for a distraction from my addiction to my cellphone, so I signed up for a West African Dance class.  It was entirely too much fun.  The space was body positive, the women in the class were all ages and fitness levels and we just had a blast.  The sequences were easy to follow, and there were moments when I simply felt like I was one with the music.  There were flashes of time when I was moving my body with precision to the beat and I felt everything.  Of course, most of the time I was confused about how I could possibly move my feet, body, arms, and head in all of the directions the instructor expected at once - but awkwardly tried my very best!

On my way home after the class while reading a remarkable memoir and crying my way through a rape scene I decided Kickboxing was next on the list.  Dancing is wonderful, and as a singer-songwriter I could feel how it would help me with my performance, however, I had a new goal: turning my body into a weapon for self defence.   I immediately signed up for my first Kickboxing class.

I woke up the day of the class energized and decided to start the day early by testing out a new gym that could be accessed through ClassPass: Hard Candy Gym.  Wow.  I felt like I was on vacation.  The gym was luxurious in every way.  I started with a 15 minute run, and surprised by how at one point 5 minutes of running completely winded me, and now 15 minutes was a warm up, I hit the weights.  Bench Press, Arm Curls, Lateral Pull down... I started on the machines (which were immaculate) but felt myself drawn to the free weights and finished the work out testing my strength and form in front of the mirror.  After a full stretch I treated myself to some time in the steam room and made my way to work.

After work I rushed to a meditation class I had signed up to (assuming that it wouldn't be too taxing and would help me relax a bit before my first kickboxing class).  As I exited the subway station navigating my way to the yoga studio I had never been to before, music blasting in my ears, I almost had a heart attack when I looked up to see a bus charging toward me.  Let this be a lesson: Pay attention to your surroundings.  I hadn't given myself enough time to get to the studio, change, and sign all of the waivers, so I was running down Bloor street and up the stairs with 2 minutes to spare, only to find out that no one else had shown up for the meditation class.  I was gifted with a one-on-one with the instructor who guided me through multiple seated and standing poses, some familiar, some unfamiliar in an effort to pay closer attention to my core body functions.  All of which brought my speeding heart rate post almost getting hit by a bus down to normal levels.

I thanked the instructor, jumped on a bus, and made my way down to the Kickboxing class.  It was glorious.  I don't think my body has ever worked so hard.  The instructor was friendly and incredibly skilled.  He walked me through all of the basic movements before the class, and encouraged me throughout the class as I packed all of my power into each punch.  There was something therapeutic about hitting a dummy.  I jabbed, hooked, undercut, kicked, and kneed with all of my might.  Mixed between more pushups than I could handle, jumping squats, and light footed dancing as "rest".  I found love.

I probably shouldn't be surprised by how bruised my knee was when I got home from kneeing the dummy in protection from a nonexistent impending physical threat.  But I held the bruise as a trophy of having given my very best.

I gave my body a rest for the next couple of days, but I'll be back at it later this afternoon.  I'm going to try PursuitOCR later.  Think of it as a jungle gym for adults.  Monkey bars, half pipes, a ball pit, and obstacles of all sorts.  I seriously cannot wait.

I think I'm on my way to being prepared for that zombie apocalypse, which, let's be honest: is ultimately what I'm training for.

I've decided to blog my way through this ongoing journey, setting some goals along the way for my birthday (which takes place in exactly 6 months from today on July 6th).

In the meantime, I am more than open to suggestions for new things I should try!  I'll be adding a few more items to my routine including Pilates, and a program prepared by my friend and fitness guru Jesse Lipscombe called FlowPower which should fit beautifully into my busy schedule.

All I know is - it always seems impossible until it's done.

Happy Saturday!

T