Part 3: Sledding

3) Fun ways to stay active during the Winter Season, Sledding

WHO: Fearless Friends
WHAT: Sledding...maybe midnight style.
WHEN: Snowy days, in this case snowy nights or preferably the day after snowfall.
WHERE: Raynham Middle School/ Poor Farm Hills
WHY: Why the heck not

A few years ago in 2008 we had gone "midnight sledding" when I lived in an apartment building which I  appropriately refereed to as The Frat House because I was the only girl in a house of of 3 guys and on any given day that number would escalate and could easily turn into a football team within a matter of moments. I love having a house now, but I really miss that place- not the neighborhood, the trash that the boys forgot to put out, an occasional boxing match in the basement or the sweat sock smell that wafted from their apartments into the halls, but I miss the guys. I miss the weekend cookouts, beer pong, judging Oliver's rib off competitions, the shooting range with Paul, watching the entertaining neighbors across the street, the weekly orders from B&F Pizza (I swear we sustained their business for the 2 1/2 years while we lived there), walking to Dragon lady and just hanging out because it was Tuesday. There was always something to do and always someone around. For an update,The boys have matured a bit since then and the official Bachelor pad is cleaner and smells better than I ever could have imagined. Luckily we still get together occasionally for events and I see them often in the summer once they start playing softball.

I digress, back to the Winter of 2008. One weekend afternoon Mark and I had purchased some inflatable tubes at Benny's knowing we didn't have any plans for the night, pumped them up and then waited for sunset. Our frat friends and a few extras piled into about 3 vehicles like clown cars complete with a trailing truck which was fully equipped with sleds and tubes and we were on our way.

We learned our lesson on "When" to go sledding that night and what conditions were most favorable. You see, during that adventure Mark was so excited to be sledding that before he even had a chance to go down once, he suddenly had a case of amnesia and thought he was 12 years old again by perfoming a running start, diving cannonball onto the air inflated tube, all the while forgetting that he was a grown man who just happens to be 6'2, and 250 lbs. The tube instantly burst, and sent a popping sound along with roaring laughter echoing into the darkness.

At that point, we were determined to have a good time and were not going to let a little incident like that bring down the mood. After a few single runs, we decided to go down in pairs and first up was Me and Kerri. As we picked up momentum and headed down the super steep, ice slicked hill of blackness we were whipped around which forced us to face up the hill as we proceeded down the hill with fierce like speed. You would think that with two of us on the tube that it would have slowed us down which would have allowed us to stop with plenty of room between the end of our run and the pavement, and so did we. Unfortunately, turns out Physics is not our strong point. Fortunately, most of the way down we managed to reverse our direction to face forward but we were only about 10 feet from pavement and decided last minute to bail and tumble onto each other and the ice rather than onto the parking lot.

Just when you may be thinking that I could possibly be exaggerating and wondering if it could have been that intense ask Kerri, She ended up with a black eye, puffy lip and multiple bruises and scrapes on her face and neck. I was fortunate and only had a few cuts and minor bruises, but nothing comparable. Her face was so messed up that she had to call into work the next day because she was to embarrassed to say it happened while sledding and it looked like she got a bad case of botox or collagen injections.

Lesson learned: do NOT go sledding in pairs after dark on a small one person tube if it has rained after snowfall because it creates a thin sheet of glass-like ice on the surface of the snow which can and will pierce your body and face.

A few sledding tips:

      1. Buy durable snow tubes that can support your weight, and perhaps that of another adult (Just in case)
      2. Make sure there is plenty of lighting and clearance for safety purposes
      3. Check the snow to make certain it is snow and not ice

Our most recent sledding experience last week went much smoother, this time we bought XL durable snow tubes, no one got injured and the moon provided enough light and we were able to see everything. Another plus was that typically the place has about 30-40 people including wild kids running rampant but on late nights that are 3 degrees we were the only ones crazy enough to be out and it was perfect. The night can be summed up with a persuasive quote by Kat, "We are re-living our youth, we only have a few more years where we can actually do this kind of thing". She is right, we need to live it up while we are young.

Go for it, Makes you feel alive!!

Part 2: Roller Skating

2) Fun ways to stay active during the Winter Season, Roller Skating
     *400- 600 Calories burned per hour

Talk about reminiscing the past! Roller Skating was something I did every weekend, sometimes twice a weekend. During middle school (1995- 1998) it was the thing to do in my neighborhood and my friends Nikki and Rose and I loved it more than the mall, more than anything and looked forward to it each weekend. One time our parents wouldn't bring us so we walked over 3 miles during a winter storm to get there, that's what I call dedication.

As I approached my 27th birthday and was thinking of something fun to do in celebration, I thought why not rally up the crew and go roller skating for old time sake. To top that idea we decided to dress up in 90's clothing to make it even more exciting. My friends are so fun and are always looking for ways to spice things up- what good sports!

After we confirmed the 90's idea, I wasn't really sure what to wear. In my mind I think I had an 80's look imagined, tight pants with scrunched socks and mile high hair, but after doing some research on 90's celebrities I got a reality check into that era..What an ugly style. The decade had quite a range of fashion throughout the 10 years, from grunge (think Nirvana), goth (Marilyn Manson) to baggy bright colored clothes (TLC) and then floral prints, vests, plaid, etc (90210).

 I had planned to go to Savers thrift store to find something special when I got a phone call from Lauri, turns out her mother and sister had a whole boat load of 90's style clothing in the basement and it was free reign. I really love Lauri's enthusiasm, its amazing as well as contagious. She was so excited and even texted me with a picture of her in a suit that had belonged to her sister during that period, this outfit was god awful ugly...it was perfect! Red, black and white stripes with gold pendent accents, 2 inch thick shoulder pads, and a "topsy tail"  pony tail to Authenticate the look.  Hello Corporate America 1996!

I headed over to Lauri's and we sifted through stone wash jeans, turtle necks, body suits, genie pants until we found the perfect outfits for the 90's skate party.

I had called the Skateland's management team to warn them that we were having a decent size group and that we would be dressed up, they really supported the idea and even allowed us to bring some Cd's with 90's music (thanks Luke and Jay!!) for the DJ to play. When we all showed up at the rink and put the skates on it was like we had stepped back in time, the decor was updated but close enough to what I remembered to make me smile. Sondra's birthday is the same week as mine so I bought us some sparkly birthday crowns, as if the 90's attire wasn't enough.

We all represented a different style and it was not even planned that way. Kathryn really out did her self and dressed up as Kelly from Saved by the Bell, I swear she was her twin making sure to capturing every detail down to the felt neck choker with the heart charm and sholderless striped shirt. Jen dressed up eclectically, grunge and minimal effort kinda look with an army coat and multiple layers (surprisingly, she made it look prettgood). Mark dressed up like Kris Kross and wore a backwards jersey and baggy jeans with gold chains, Venus was fabulous in her clueless inspired get up and even the kiddo's had on embroidered sweaters with scrunchies and bright colors- so cute!

I really recommend going roller skating with friends or family, it is so fun and great exercise, it gets you moving and out of the house during those cold dreary winter days. Whether your an old pro like me ;) or brand new to the sport like Miss Bella, give it a try!!

If anyone has any stories about skating, mention them below in the comment section, I would love to hear about them.

Until next time,
Kristin

Part 1: Ice Skating, Fun ways to stay active during the Winter Season

In an attempt to take 1 of the top 3 prizes for the biggest loser competition this coming Sunday 1/30, my friends and I  have come up with some fun ways to stay active and healthy during the Winter Season:

1) Fun ways to stay active during the Winter Season, Ice Skating
    *471- 572 Calories burned per hour*

Let me start by mentioning that I have not gone ice skating since my 22nd birthday in downtown Providence, RI (for the record I am a ripe 27 years young at the moment) and prior to that probably when I was about 10 years old. Although it may seem intimidating to try, it was just like riding a bike and really easy to get accustomed to- I suggest you all give it a try.

One of my dearest friends Venus had called me at about 10:30 A.M. a few Saturday's back asking if Mark and I wanted to join her family for an afternoon of skating, of course I was interested, so I worked some persuasion techniques on the man friend and met her there at 11:00. The local rink was just how I had remembered from my youth and it even had the same smell and set up after all these years. I love nostalgia!

We arrived first, picked out our skates, laced up and jumped on in! Mark was like an old pro filled with confidence and grace, I on the other hand approached this adventure with a some caution and decided to ease in by gliding along the wall for a test run. By the time Venus's family had arrived I was much more comfortable and even attempted a few spins and twirls..nothing Olympic status, that award would have to go to Venus's dad, Bob aka Tatay. Talk about fearless! Turns out he had played hockey in his younger years and didn't want to waste any time "warming back up". His courageous technique caused him to fall pretty hard a few times, but he always came back up laughing with a determined smile. It was was quite humorous for all of us especially his spectator wife Ida, and it helped with convincing his 5 years old granddaughter Malaya that it really didn't hurt that bad if you fell.

It was a great morning spent with friends and family, I promise give it a try and you will not be disappointed.

* Calories burned depends on weight and light or moderate level of exercise

Try out the Ice Skating calculator:

http://www.self.com/calculatorsprograms/calculators/caloriesburned/ice_skating/result?weightPounds=180&duration=120&activity=&met=5.5&submit=submit

Biggest Loser or Biggest Winner?

I MUST become the biggest winner by being the biggest loser.

Over the past few months I have been succesful in becoming more active which included bouts of enthusiasm and effort towards the ultimate goal of losing 30 pounds, which included rallying up my friends and going on bi-weekly hikes, bike rides, yoga classes, etc. I even signed up for a 5K Turkey trot which due to lack of preparation turned out being a very humbling experience with very little trotting- There is always next year!

Even though my efforts were great, I wasn't making much progress on my weight loss battle since the last time I wrote, so I decided back on December 1st, 2010 to organize a "Biggest Loser" type competition for friends, family, and co-workers and surprizingly the response was fantastic, we had over 15 people sign up. Turns out many people are fighting the battle of the buldge and with fabulous food filled holidays around the corner we are in no shape for war. I am hoping commitment to weight loss in front of 14 others would aid in this journey to skinny.

I'm not going to lie the first few weeks were rough! It was during that time I noticed how poorly I had been eating considering only a few days passed of going baked good free and it felt like a lifetime. On the exercise front I must say I am proud of myself for the changes I have made, this is the most consistent I have been since I was at my goal weight 2 years ago and I am spending less time a s a couch potato and it makes me happier and more producticve. I joined the gym and have been really enjoying the aerobics classes that make it so much easier to stick with.

So far I am down about 7.5 lbs. not the best but certainly not the worst. We will find out if this theory of commitment holds true when the competition ends January 31st, I promise to check in when the competition ends and see how I measure up.