10/31: Interpretations

Hey Friends:

Happy Halloween! In Zumba class, I often say that there are no wrong moves, only different versions. Here are a few examples of things that are made even more awesome by interpretation:

Indian "Thriller":

 

"Morning Dew":

(I also enjoy "Russian Unicorn" by the same guys)


And in case you haven't made your Halloween costume, check out these "transformations":

Have a great week,
meredith

10/24: Uku million

So, here’s something icky: for the past few weeks, my family has been battling against ukus. We have done three rounds of uku shampoo, over 20 loads of laundry, several vacuuming sessions, and are currently in the middle of olive oil treatment.

My husband and I don’t have ukus, but my paranoia and disgust is so deep that my whole body itches all the time and I make my husband do the treatment too.

We told the schools where the kids go, but apparently nobody else has ukus. How is that possible? They don’t spontaneously generate. The whole thing makes me feel icky, and defensive. I want to wear a sign that says, “I’m NOT a dirty person!”

This experience has been deeply humbling, and since we’re in the middle of it, I’m still figuring out what I’m learning. Here are my initial impressions:

1.    Lots of people are judgmental about ukus.

2.    I think I’m one of those people.

3.    I am currently experiencing something that I would judge another person about.

4.    Humble pie is not that tasty.

We had to go to an event for my husband’s work, and my three-year-old daughter was talking to a couple other little kids about having ukus, and how the olive oil will stop the bad buggies from breathing. And then you comb them out. And the other little kids all nodded, and tried to look at her head. My daughter wouldn’t let them, saying they’d get the bad buggies too. And the kids nodded some more. Which leads me to:

5.    When something happens to someone else, it is more useful to use it as an educational experience than a reason to feel superior because it didn’t happen to you.

Perhaps you already knew that. I thought I did, but I guess I needed a refresher.

Have a great week, and I hope you come to Zumba tomorrow at 5:30. I look forward to see you!

-Meredith

10/18: Get up offa that thing!

Hi Friends:

If you know what the above line is from, then you know the next line is: "And shake til you feel better!" (from the hardest working man in show business...)

So, this post is a mild freak out post. We all know that movement is good for us, but did you realize just how bad for you sitting can be? Here's an enlightening/scary infographic:


Via: Medical Billing And Coding

How do we get off of our collective duffs? How do we pack more activity into an already busy day?

I wear a pedometer to track my supposed 10,000 steps a day (I don't always get the recommended 10,000 steps. Thought I should confess that). Even when I don't work out, I get pretty close. Here's how:

-Walk a little bit to work. Maybe you park a couple of blocks away; maybe you can take the stairs; maybe you can walk around the block once before going into the building. That's about 500-1,000 steps.
-Take two five to ten-minute walking breaks at about 9:30 and 1:45. Those are about 1,200-1,600 steps.
-Walk for about 15 to 20 minutes during lunch. You don't have to walk fast. That's about 2,500-3,500 steps.
-At work, get up once an hour to get a drink of water or use the restroom. In one day, that can be 800-1,200 steps.
-Do one errand a day walking after work or take your dog or family for a walk around your neighborhood after dinner. Go to the post office; walk to Longs or Safeway; walk from Zippys to the library. That's about 1,500-3,000 steps.
That's 7,700-11,900 steps, integrated into your day. Zumba is just a bonus at that point. : )

Ok, I didn't have time to email yesterday, so you're getting it today. Zumba is today! 5:30! At Nuuanu Elementary! See you there! You can walk to class!

Happy walking,
meredith

ps. I've decided that if you come to Oct 27 class in full costume (not counting workout shoes), you will get in FREE.

10/11: flick

Hi Friends:

Yesterday, my daughter was sick so I couldn't write to you all. She coughed all over everything at my office, and is today coughing all over everything at home. When the weather changes, we always get sick. Good thing there are only two seasons in Hawai'i, or I'd use up all my sick days pretty quick.

Anyway, this email is to remind you there is Zumba today. It is NOT free. Hopefully, that does not discourage you from attending.

Finally, I wanted to share with you the trailer for an independent film I'm in. "The Back Door," written by local author Chris McKinney, is a part of the "6B" film anthology, and is premiering at HIFF this week. It's about illegal gambling in Hawai'i. It's kind of dark, and I play a meanie. Anyway, info below.
The world premiere is at the Hawaii International Film Festival on Friday, October 14th – 6:30pm at Dole Cannery Theaters. There is only ONE show. There are about 60 seats left and if we sell it out, HIFF will add another screening later in the week.

For tickets go to:
http://www.hiff.org/program/films/detail/6b_2011

To see the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUuZUnTL5cs&feature=share

Take care and have great week,
meredith

10/3: Curves

Hey Friends:

Today, I wanted to talk about curves--learning curves. I'm trying to become more tech savvy, so as part of my Zumba "professional development" I posted a couple of videos on YouTube. This involved:
-Making and learning the choreography (the easiest part)
-Figuring out how to film stuff with my iPad
-Teaching my husband how to film stuff with my iPad but not touch anything else on the iPad
-Finding a space to film
-Getting my nerve up (pt 1)
-"Discussing" with my husband the best place to put the iPad camera so that it captures all the action, makes my thighs look ok, and where you can't see that I'm just drenched in sweat from teaching a class beforehand
-Filming (times X amount of takes)
-Figuring out how to retrieve video files on my iPad
-Filling out all the YouTube info
-Getting my nerve up (pt 2)
-Pushing the "publish" button
-Geting my nerve up (pt 3)
-Telling everyone about it.

I'm still not sure I did everything right (can't find them on a search, for example), but that's part of the learning curve, I think: trying something new, and then forgiving yourself if it doesn't come out exactly how you planned.

So, for your entertainment/enlightenment, two videos. "Please be a Ninja," the world's first ska-punk rock Zumba routine:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-RSpFTsr3M&feature=related

And "La Langosta," our newest merengue:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG_l8p-un_I

Watch them, "Like" them, tell everyone you know to watch and like. Mahalo!

Also, this week is FREE ZUMBA at Nuuanu Elementary, in honor of my one-year anniversary. I will have some favors, snacks, and giveaways. Like, free class passes, not trips to Vegas--just so you don't get your hopes up.

So, see you tomorrow! 530-630p.m.

Have a great week,
meredith