Author: doinitforthecarbs

My name is Jenn. I am a workout addict, runner and lover of all things carb. I am an engineer by day and teach cycling by even earlier day. I am also a mom, a cake decorating enthusiast and lover of all things Bravo.
Spin Class, Spin Music

2018 Spin Music Wrap Up

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This year was a spin instructors dream for music.  So much collaboration and genre cross over creating powerful bass and crazy drops.  Here are my most favorite of the year and how I used them.  There will be some super obvious ones- those songs you have to retire so your class doesn’t just get off their bikes and walk out.  And some are songs that a student once described as “I have no idea what Jenn is playing but it sounds good and has a great beat”.  I hope you find something you like.  Leave me a comment of your favorite- especially if not on this list!

1. Welcome to The Party (Diplo, French Montana, Lil pump, feat. Zhavia Ward)

~86 BPM

Literally nothing say sh** about to go down like this song.  I like to do 2 warmup songs then put this on and jog those 3 minutes like you own the world.

2. I Like It – Dillon Francis Remix (Cardi B, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Dillion Francis)

75 BPM

I mean, c’mon.  I Like It was that song- every race playlist, every pump up to go out, drive in your car feeling powerful moment.   This was definitely Cardi B’s year and this was her anthem.  And when Dillion Francis put his beautiful hands on it, it became the most perfect spin class jog.

3. Pressure- RL Grime

47 BPM

Nova is a top to bottom teachers dream.  I picked Pressure because it is that deep dark grind that makes an amazing hill climb.  I can’t take credit for ‘discovering’ this as my cycle- instructor music idol (@balmbeats IG) pointed me to this song.  But I’ve hit pretty much all the highlights- I Wanna Know, Light Me Up, UCLA… really no bad picks here.

4. Feel About You- Silk City

120 BPM

My go to warm up from the day it dropped.  Electricity is an amazing song but Feel About You is what first hooked me on the Silk City collaboration.  Diplo crushed this year in the collaboration department and Silk City is a shining star.

A very close favorite warmup is Keys n Krates Music to My Ears but it’s definitely not as light as loveable as Silk City.

5. Blah Blah Blah- Armin van Buuren

69 BPM

The last song on the 4th CD of State of Trance 2018 is that powerful hill song with all the choreo and push options pushed into it’s 3 short minutes.  Just listen to it and tell me you don’t just start moving- I DARE you.

6. One Kiss– Calvin Harris, Dua Lipa, R3hab remix

125 BPM

Single handedly my favorite in the saddle sprint this year.  There are other close close 2nds.  But Dua Lipa’s voice, R3hab adds in just the right drops.  That first moment in the saddle- this is the one to make you want to turn it up and pull up to the beat.

7. Body– Loud Luxury, Orjan Nilsen remix

Did I have to retire Body after a regular looked at me like “C’mon, not again”?  Yes, I did.  Did this remix give me another couple months with this song before I was forced to retire it?  Yes, it did.

8. Blur– MØ

70 BPM

A dark room, just you and your movement.  That’s really all this song needs.  This snuck in just a couple weeks back and I’m keeping it cool, trying to keep it from entering every playlist.  But damn, MØ knows how to send a direct line to your heart.

9. In My Feelings – Drake (The ETC!ETC!, Jay Silva & 2DLQTZ Remix)

90 BPM

You’d have to live in a cave not to know In My Feelings- even my kindergartener sings “Keke do you love me?” on repeat.  But for the Drake enthusiast in me… this remix made that song the bomb dot com.

10. Tidal Wave-  Portugal. The Man (Ookay Remix)

80 BPM

I’m legit obsessed with Ookay right now.  80 BPM is like THE JOG beat.  This song is melodic but dance heavy… just makes you feel light and in control on that choreo.

 

Group Fitness

Group Fitness be like…

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I got into group fitness because I absolutely love working out with friends.  It’s a million times better on that 100th burpee to mouth to your friend ‘what the F’ than to simply THINK it.

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This is why I love Orangetheory.  Don’t get me wrong, I love love love being a spin instructor and I believe that all group fitness has the possibility of building confidence and make you the better version of you.  But Orangetheory has such a variety of ability levels all working hard at the same workout.  It’s made for the person who wants to talk endlessly about their workout.  I love that teams of friends to go together and high five like they are winning Olympic gold.  And the group experience transcends that time in the studio.  My group texts the workout everyday in a group text.  There are Reddit threads dedicated to the workout.

But this summer and now fall I’ve been training for NY marathon in addition increasing my class load at Cyclebar.  This has mean more running and more running… ALONE…  And not hitting my usual Friday AM Orangetheory class.  The running joke at Cyclebar is that I have a group for everything I do.  But sadly, my running group is tapering and I’m still one month from my race.  And my Orangetheory group (Hello my Bundt Cakes!) is going to workouts without me while I focus on my teaching and running.   It’s throwing a a motivational challenge at me.

But I feel blessed I have my classes at Cyclebar to give me that group experience for these last few weeks before my race.  Then my friends… I’m coming for you!

Carb Stuff

Random carb stuff

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Random Carb Stuff… RCS?  I do love a 3 letter acronym for no reason.  This is where I’ll talk about my carb obsessions over last few weeks.

I’ve been out from the blog scene because I’ve been traveling for work to Asia.  When I returned, I was informed that Starbucks is discontinuing the Cool Lime Refresher.  This on the tail (read: 1 year later) of discontinuing Mango Black Iced Tea.  The guy at my local Starbucks was like- we still offer Very Berry Hibiscus.  Listen, I was okay-ish when they offered the Peach Citrus White Tea for Mango Black Iced Tea but don’t at me with Very Berry Hibiscus.  He went on to explain how NO ONE orders it…  okay sir, riddle me why the packets are $13 on eBay and up to $35 on Amazon?  So much like my stalking of the Mango syrup, I have found and purchased a year’s stock of Cool Lime Refresher packets.  Yep, I’m THAT person.  #carbsforlife

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In super positive news- I discovered Starbucks Reserve in Seoul and their menu is not limited.  I ordered the mango black tea frozen lemonade.  Reunited and it felt so good.

Another obsession right now are Lindor truffles.  For reasons unknown, I’ve been purchasing Lindor truffles each time I go through Vancouver Duty Free.  Turns out I’m a total genius because you can no longer order Strawberries and Cream truffles online through Lindt.  Not even in a mix!  So get on that, they are bomb.

Any carb obsessions I should know about?  I did 90 burpees today during Yoga Sculpt so I’m good for a try….

Thoughts

Abs are made in the kitchen…

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You hear this a lot.  Abs are made in the kitchen.  Well you know what else is made in the kitchen?  Cinnamon rolls.  When I started in the fitness realm, I was surrounded by people who enjoyed food and did it for the carbs.  But as I’ve moved around, I felt more pressure to adhere to some standard of diet- like if I wasn’t ‘eating clean’, I wasn’t really meant to be in fitness.  After a workout, I’d go grab a pressed juice but I’d worry that someone would see me also getting that delicious peach crumb muffin from Whole Foods (you know the one that greases through the bag before you get to the register and then greases like 40 napkins before you eat it).   I have been blessed to have a pretty good relationship with food most of my life so why was THIS the thing to shift that?

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In college, I was the one that people felt okay eating with- because I didn’t talk about calories, I just ate and I enjoyed it.  It was the days of super skinny models, long straight hair, diet coke drinking and chain smoking.  And here I was- curly haired and eating without a care.   But the story behind that is actually much more complex.  I had just developed Crohn’s disease and had almost no handle on it so when I could eat and not be in pain, it was an amazing day.  So turns out, it’s complex for everyone no matter what is showing on the surface.

It wasn’t until I took my daughter to her 5 year check-up that it all clicked together for me.  She’s going through a phase where she will literally eat only hot dogs and hard boiled eggs for her protein.  Girl loves herself some veggies- she’ll down a fennel bulb like an apple and I have to buy like 3 huge broccoli stems just so she gets her “expected” amount.  But she thinks most protein is gross.  When I expressed my concern her doctor said- so what?  Her point was that making a deal of the hot dogs creates a bigger problem because kids need to feel a healthy relationship with food and not feel stress over what they are eating.  **Mind Blown**

So I’m not on a cleanse, I don’t log calories or do cheat days.  Instead, I’m listening to my body.  And if my body says, drive through Dairy Queen and get a dip cone, then I turn that car around.  But seriously, I started the Beachbody 2B Mindset plan and it’s very close to where I want my brain to be- water first, veggies always and if you want to have something “bad”, do it, just don’t linger in it thus becoming a habit.  There are lots of other elements to the diet and plating if you are looking for weight loss.  But overall it’s a way of thinking about food that shines a positive light.  And we could all use a little sun.