May 2009
Week of May 3, 2009
Exercise and Eating Right
I ate too much on vacation. I did not look as good in a bikini as I expected. Since I returned from caring for my father, I have been exercising very regularly. I go to the gym about four times per week and exercise for two to three hours during each visit. I also skate about two hours weekly in addition to teaching. My belly and thighs should not be as flabby as they are. The reason for this is simple and should be obvious. The more I exercise; the hungrier I get. And I indulge that hunger. “I worked out for three hours today. I deserve this treat.” Or my self-rightous side reasons anyone who works out out so rigorously should be able to eat anything s/he wants. That is just not true. I usually come home from the gym famished and don’t stop after consuming a sensible meal. I eat dessert too. Dessert in itself once in a while is not a bad thing. Remember the old cliché, “All things in moderation”? Well, moderation goes out the window when I let myself get too hungry.
This is probably a common issue for people who workout as much as I do, especially people who like food as much as I do. I especially enjoy Mexican food and margaritas. I really pigged out south of the border. I did exercise while on vacation, but as usual, I ate too much. Vacation is one thing; now I’m home. I have to establish some type of reasonable eating pattern to accompany my exercise regimen. I exercise enough that I should be able to lose weight. I don’t need to drop an enormous amount, but I would like to get rid of the middle-aged flab that has collected around my abdomen and hips. Ten pounds of fat would be good; twenty pounds would be fantastic.
Even though I may eat too much, my exercise routine has yielded other benefits. While my blood pressure was always normal (or slightly high several years ago), it has gone down dramatically. I do not take blood pressure medication, so this is entirely due to exercise.
Fortunately, I like to workout. Going to the gym is not like pulling teeth for me. Many people hate exercise, buy gym memberships with best intensions but fail to go because they do not enjoy it. I love it. What I really need to do is make my appetite cooperate with my workouts. In general, I eat healthy foods (except for dessert and a lunch out with my husband on the weekend). For now, dessert has to be sacrificed for the greater good. We are eating more salads and fresh fruits and vegetables. We always choose low fat meats and are trying to incorporate seafood back into our diet now that the prices are becoming more reasonable. I also need to focus on portion control; eating the right amount of the right things. If I can discipline myself and allow the exercise to do its work, I should drop the weight naturally.
Early May 2009
I Liked the Sub
Group skating classes are not cancelled when the coach is sick or out of town. The manager finds a substitute. While I was on vacation, a bubbly younger woman (mid-twenties) took my classes. I really like this coach and will call her Chrissy* . Chrissy is an accomplished competitor. She used to compete internationally before starting college. Since then, she retired from competition and teaches part time. Chrissy is a lot of fun and is always good for a laugh or a venting session. I have also gotten a lot of useful coaching pointers from her. Frankly, if I were in the market for a coach, I would choose Chrissy. She is a magnificent skater.
I came back to work and had to test my combined Basic 3 & 4 class. The manager has to combine levels due to low enrollment and fill the classes. One of the children in this group is a snotty little girl who I have had the pleasure of teaching at a lower level. She is the type of kid who always wants to know “why do we have to learn this?”. Her question always relates to a skill she cannot do easily and will require practice such as backwards slalom, which I teach as a precursor to backwards stroking. I explained to the child that she will need to learn backwards stroking to pass Basic 4. She made a sour face. Combined classes are particularly challenging to teach, especially as the level increases and skills become more numerous and difficult. The Basic 4 kids still could not do the Basic 3 skills adequately. We never even got to three-turns because no one had mastered the two-foot turn on the circle. If these kids would just bend their knees a lot of their problems would be solved.
In a fit of frustration, the bratty girl announced that she liked the sub better and wants to be in her class. Very well. Sign up for her class next session. However, it does not work that way. Instructors are assigned classes after the fact based on enrollment and availability. I will probably continue with this group, as the manager likes to keep higher groups with the same pro so we can recruit privates and their training is consistent. There are pluses and minuses to this method, but I do not object, as it has always worked well for me and my students. Truth be told, I would not mind passing this child along to Chrissy’s class. Chrissy may relate better to her. You can’t please all of the people all of the time, but I tend to do well with my group classes and their parents.
As kids move up from the lower levels (Basic 1 and 2), game playing tends to drop off in favor of more serious instruction. Children like to play ice games, but there is little time for it as skills become more complex, especially in combined classes. Chrissy may have played games with this group, and she certainly did not have the serious business of evaluating their skills. Chrissy and these children probably had a carefree time last week. Maybe I should work on incorporating more fun into the higher levels. By the way, the snotty girl seemed very happy with me when I praised her improving backward one-foot glides and she passed. She probably feared the old lady would fail her.
As a former public school educator, I believe younger teachers can have an advantage working with children. A younger teacher may be viewed as a cool big sister or brother, while a middle-aged teacher reminds the kids of their parents. I remember an instance when a young female teacher was walking down the hall with a group of eighth grade girls. From behind, it was impossible to distinguish the teacher from the students. This woman was built like a thirteen-year-old girl. She would have made a great figure skater and an excellent pairs partner. A male skater could chuck her halfway across the rink and into the rafters. I’d like to meet the bionic lefty who would team up with me.
* Names have been changed.
I have taken yoga classes occasionally before but never found them challenging. I could do most of the positions easily and did not get much of a stretch. Last week, I tried a yoga class at the gym just for kicks. Many of the poses and transitions were difficult. They gave me an excellent stretch. After the class, I felt flexible as a rubber band and could do the splits effortlessly. By the way, my spirals are really getting high. I am very pleased with my progress. So, I went back to yoga this week.
The yoga class has a large following. Probably about twenty-five people attend, including a couple of men, one middle-aged and one twenty-something. Women of various ages round out the group. The instructor has a lovely relaxing voice. We chant “Om” three times at the beginning and once again at the end to “seal the practice”. I like the way she says that. And I like the way the “Om” resonates in the room. It is musical. Resting on my back in the final pose, I almost fall asleep. The instructor rouses her mediating pupils with a small brass bell. She concludes the session with a verse about the spirit that dwells within us. I like that too. Unlike other forms of exercise at the gym, yoga has a spiritual component that sooths me at this point in my life. I have decided to attend two yoga classes weekly.
To assist those of limited flexibility, the instructor provides blocks. We sit on them at the beginning to concentrate on our breathing: balanced inhale and exhale through the nose. They are also used as “extenders” by people who cannot reach the floor. They rest their hands or fingertips on the block. I am flexible and have stretched since childhood, thanks to a great P.E. teacher. After I get up off the block, I don’t need it anymore. During class, I look around the studio. Very few people are not using blocks. Me, the instructor and maybe another woman or two. The instructor is very limber and has wonderful balance. We do spirals (arabesques) without support. Mine is the highest. Then we reach down with one hand and open sideways. I like this pose and recognize its on-ice potential. Taken forward, it could be used to prepare a Charlotte spiral (also known as a “candlestick”). I will practice these skills independently.
Yoga has a humorous element too, for those of us who still think farts are funny. Most people have cut the cheese in an exercise class, even if they don’t want to admit it. Heck, I’ve busted ass in the ice rink. I remember the aerial moment of one flying camel, in particular. Picture a yoga class: a room full of very relaxed adults all bending over to stretch their hamstrings. I’ll bet you’re smiling by now, especially if you do yoga. A popular position incorporated into most classes is called “Downward Facing Dog” or just “Downward Dog”, for short. The participant is on all fours: hands and feet. The heels press down to stretch the hamstrings and calf muscles. Butts are in the air. Depending on flexibility, the pose may be a symmetrical A-frame or off-kilter to favor tight muscles. Mine, I’m happy to report is a perfect capital “A”. Anyway, back to those buns in the air. The rather unattractive man next to me achieved his version of the position and ripped a noticeably loud one. I was embarrassed for him but still glad it wasn’t me. In the next session, the offensive noise came from the far corner of the room. Still not me. My turn will come. It’s bound to. Just think of it: with that many asses pointed skyward, someone’s external sphincter has to yield.
Week of May 10, 2009 Part Two
Promising Adult Skater
I have been working with an adult skater who owns a dance studio. She was a professional dancer and now teaches her craft to others. We first met when she signed up for a beginner adult group skating class. Naturally, I assumed she was a beginner. There was one other woman in the class who was an absolute beginner with no skating or dance experience whatsoever. The dancer, who I shall call Lauren*, was obviously not a beginner. She told me she had taken private lessons before and was misplaced in this class. She switched to my low freestyle class with the kids.
Lauren likes my teaching and is impressed with the little tips and techniques I offer which she has not seen before. I showed her how to get a burst of power to transform her basic one-foot spin into a scratch. The speed surprised her and she almost fell. She was thrilled to know the secret (or one of the many secrets), now she would have to harness it. Lauren skates at least two levels above the highest child in the freestyle group. Her dance background is a huge asset to her. She has gorgeous extensions, a beautiful high spiral, exquisite lunge, and a very deep shoot-the-duck. Lauren, the dancer, is limber.
Her shoot-the-duck is especially interesting. She achieves the position and raises her free leg to a forty-five degree angle from the ice. She is not doing this as an intentional variation, but it looks amazing. I told her I want to teach her to do a sit spin in that position. I have never seen anyone do a sit spin remotely resembling her raised shoot-the-duck. It would be unique and cause many a jaw to drop. Before I broke my ankle, I had a very low sit spin. However, I never really bothered with shoot-the-ducks. Since the injury, my ankle and knee are too stiff to do the low sit and I have not focused on relearning that position. Now I am interested in trying her variation and doing the novel sit spin myself.
This week was the last session of the low freestyle class. Another session starts after Memorial Day. Lauren asked for my advice on further training. Honestly, her best bet is private lessons. She may even want to remain in the class, as I am able to work with each student independently for a few minutes at a time, and supplement with a private every couple of weeks. Money is an issue. Personally, I cannot afford lessons right now either. Enrollment is down in dance studios too, and Lauren is feeling the pinch. She is a promising adult skater who is ready to move on the more advanced skills while the rest of the class struggles with mohawk turns and waltz jumps. She said she has a lot to think about.
* Names have been changed.
To the best of my knowledge, ice skating instructors rarely get tips. I got one several years ago from an appreciative parent and have received a few Christmas gifts. If you want tips, work in a restaurant. I am pleased with a genuine “thank you”. In the case of group lessons, the ultimate flattery comes in the form of a request for privates.
One evening we found ourselves overstaffed. I had two more classes to teach after the one for which no one showed up. The manager assigned another extra coach to supervise the practice session at the opposite end of the rink and told me I could take a break before my next class. Don’t worry, I’ll pay you. I told her I would skate around a little. My last two students were watching me with wide eyes. They wanted to learn to spin. I don’t blame them, so I worked with them until I started my next group. A parent approached me afterward thanking me for the extra attention I paid the children. He slipped me a folded bill. I smiled, thanked him, and shoved the cash into my pocket. He said the kids really enjoyed my class and additional time. I passed him a business card and went off to my next group of students.
I didn’t look at that bill until I finished for the night. He gave me twenty dollars. I was tickled pink! Yes, money talks, and I was so thrilled that someone felt strongly enough about my work to reward me with legal tender. Twenty bucks here and there is not going to change my financial situation, but it sure does make me feel good about myself. Appreciation is hard to come by. Those sincere “thank you’s” are not as plentiful as one might expect. I’ve held many jobs, and found that appreciation is very important to me. Unfortunately, it is also disappointingly rare.
I was so proud of that twenty dollars, I fantasized about how to spend it on the way home. I could buy a cake, or take my husband out to lunch, or buy some crap on ebay. Or I could just frame the ratty old bill and hang it on the wall. Instead, I showed it to my husband and deposited it on top of my paycheck in the kitchen drawer. That way, every time I opened that drawer I would see it until we spent it, of course. I was inordinately happy. Students liked my class and told their parents. The parents were moved to the point of offering me a gratuity. Wow, I felt great!
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