Oh man! I have sooooo many pictures from yesterday; I don’t know where to begin! I guess it makes since to recap the day from the beginning. For those of you who may or may not have been following my trip, I’m still on the Hollywood fitness vacation I won from PopSugar, or more specifically, FitSugar. I met with nutritionists and had some awesome meals on Tuesday. Then I made a mini workout video for FitSugarTV with Jeanette Jenkins on Wednesday. Read on down to learn more about Thursday’s activities.
As I previously noted, I didn’t get as much of a workout Wednesday as I had hoped at the video shoot, so I made a last-minute decision to get in a quick workout before the PopSugar Inc. people picked me up from the hotel. (I felt like I really needed one after my bagel, light cream cheese, and cashew breakfast!) I only had 20-25 minutes, so here’s a rundown of my off-the-cuff, arm-circuit sweat session.
- 5 Minutes Elliptical – It’s a warm-up, but you should get a little winded.
- Circuit Set 1: Wood choppers (1 10-lb dumbbell, sets of 12 reps each side), Standing two-hand bent over rows (2 10-lb dumbbells, sets of 12), Alternating dumbbell curls (2 10-lb dumbbells, sets of 10)
- Circuit Set 2: Stiff-leg deadlift (2 15-lb dumbbells, sets of 12 reps), Squat with shoulder press (2 10-lb dumbbells, sets of 12) <- you do the shoulder press as you come to standing from the squat
- Circuit Set 3: Pushups (regular, sets of 10 reps), Dips from side of bench (sets of 12 reps), Overhead dumbbell press for triceps (1 20-lb dumbbell, sets of 10)
I did each circuit three times before moving to the next one. This should be quick, but don’t do the moves too quickly. Just limit your rest time in order to keep the heart rate elevated. I finished in 25 minutes.
I had a quick shower, and PopSugar Inc. then took Kev and I to their studios for hair, makeup, and lunch (No, Kev did not get hair or makeup!). For lunch, I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich with avocado (hold the cheese, bacon, and mayo) with a side salad. Nothing to write home about… well… I blogged about it, but it’s not picture- or detail-worthy.
I was supposed to be filmed using the ridiculous-looking Elliptigo product. For shizzle, these goofy things sell for about $2k. When my turn came to try it out, I kind of freaked out. I saw myself totally falling over sideways. I never learned to ride a bike, so I wasn’t sure about the whole momentum thing you need in the beginning. It just seemed too awkward for me. Kev gave it a quick whirl though, and he did great.
I got a small, but Kev got the mini. Bad choice Kev!
Instead of sticking around for the rest of filming, they let us walk around Santa Monica before the next activity. Sweet! I had my first Pinkberry experience before hitting up the beach.
I touched the Pacific!
After beaching it up a while, Kevin and I met the PopSugar folks on the Santa Monica pier at the Trapeze School of New York. Yup, the next activity is trapeze school! You had a really great view of the beach from the top, and I think my legs got a little workout from it. I didn’t feel tired, but my hamstrings were a little sore later in the day. PopSugar was nice enough to let Kevin do it too!
Flying Tiff
After returning to the hotel, Kev and I got gussied up for dinner. We didn’t eat until 9:30 pm due to the traffic returning from the pier, our showers, and the fact that we split some champagne and cheese/crackers in the room.
Bustin' out the Bubbly
We hit up Cleo for dinner, which was great. The restaurant features tapas-style dining, so we started with the Brussels sprouts. I prefer my version, but Kev really liked these. They were more oily and salty, but they added vinegar and capers. Delish! We then tried lamb shawarma. It was different and not covered in any sauce, just perfectly blended spices. Next was the beef cheek tagine. Amazing! I had never tried beef cheek, but I make a chicken tagine at home that I just love. Apparently tagine and I get along very well.
Yummy - Not Pretty
Kevin and I ended the night in our hotel’s very swanky lobby bar. The hotel’s club was full or privately rented out, so there was some overflow in the lobby. It was great watching all the people, and it was worlds apart from what I’m used to seeing. Although it was fun, all the beautiful (nearly naked) women kind of made me feel insecure and very self-conscious. I wasn’t really able to end the night on a good note, but I still had a really good time. Perhaps I’ll do another post on such insecurities at some point in the future.
Sorry that was so long! Thanks for reading!
*PS: Kaila over at Healthy Helper gave me a blogger award. I didn’t forget about it, and I’m excited to post it. I think I’ll do it as soon as I get home and things slow down a bit. Thanks Kaila!
