Archive for the ‘Friends’ Category

A few months ago, I met Matthew Rich. Although we’ve only hung out two times, I consider him a good friend. In fact, I’d call him my inspiration. He’s taught me so much about life.

How we met
It was interesting how we came to know each other. See, I have this Fit Friends fan page on Facebook and one of my friends suggested that Matthew fan the page. Right away, I noticed him. He was really enthusiastic about the health and fitness information I was posting, and was adding a lot of interesting comments. He really loved the purpose of the fan page — to motivate others to be happy and healthy.

We decided to chat on the phone — we were both interested in creating a video with workout moves and other fun stuff. After a little while, I had to go, but we made plans to keep in touch and get together to do more brainstorming. I’ll never forget what Matthew said before we hung up … he told me that there was a lot more he still had to tell me. Matthew told me he has cerebral palsy and is in wheelchair. That really caught me off guard because I knew he was a personal trainer, loved karate and just started dance classes. He uses his crutches whenever possible.

The key here is that I didn’t know he had any physical challenges. With his attitude, his accomplishments and his goals — you’d never know it. That’s how he lives his life. He doesn’t let things hold him back or feel saddened by what he can’t do. Matthew pushes ahead and does the things that people wouldn’t expect. He does it for himself, but he does it for other people too. He’s an example of how with hard work and determination, anything is possible. He says his place in life is to inspire others. I LOVE IT.

Appreciating the small things
After we hung up the phone, I got emotional immediately. I never told Matt this, but I called our mutual friend right away and cried. “Meeting” Matthew really put things into perspective. At the time, I was really stressed out with work, managing my time and meeting my personal and professional goals. I’m often really hard on myself … looking ahead to the next big thing … but Matthew’s influence has helped remember the little things.

It’s easy to forget how fast and easy it is to tie my shoes, go out for groceries or make myself a meal. For him, it’s more challenging. It takes more time, or maybe he needs help. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re looking to push yourself a little harder and get “competitive” in a fun and friendly way, workout with a partner! It’s a great exercise approach — especially if you’re used to just doing your own thing.

Two awesome runners, kickboxers and fitness enthusiasts — Tina and Tasha — demonstrate an explosive and challenging partner exercise.

In this photo, Tasha is holding a plank position while Tina executes a side-to-side lateral jump.

Plank: Lie face down with palms flat on the floor, elbows aligned directly below your shoulders. Push yourself up into a position where your back is flat and your weight is in the balls of your feet and upper body/elbows. You can keep your hands flat on the ground or together as Tasha has hers placed. Tilt your pelvis and contract your abdominals to prevent your rear end from sticking up in the air. Hold for 20 to 60 seconds, lower and repeat for three to five reps.

To make the plank more challenging, hold the position with all your weight on one side. Keep one foot on the floor as you lift the opposite leg off the ground and “wrap” your foot closely around your base foot — crossing your ankles. Switch sides. If you are doing a plank without a partner, you may want to lift one leg straight up off the ground, hold, and switch sides.

Side-to-side lateral jump: Stand on one side of your partner, and bend your knees into a slight squat. In an explosive movement, jump over and to the side — landing with knees bent into a squat. Continue jumping from side to side for 10 seconds to one minute.

To make this jump less challenging, stand about one foot behind your partner — and do the same side-to-side movement.

To make this jump more challenging, tuck your knees up to your chest as you move side to side. Also, speed up your time — as soon as you land, explode into a jump in the other direction.

Photo by David Michael Howarth Photography.

Last night was a great night to TweetUp. Special thanks to Chef Mark Smith of Tortilla Press (Collingswood, NJ) and Tortilla Press Cantina (Pennsauken, NJ) for hosting our fun night!

What’s a TweetUp?
A TweetUp is when Twitter friends meet up in person. TweetUps can have a theme, an agenda or just a designated date, time and place.

Host your own TweetUp.
Pick a date, time and place. For this TweetUp, Dawn Bricker and I spoke (actually tweeted) with Mark and got his “ok” to host at the Tortilla Press Cantina. We picked a date that worked for all of us, and moved quickly with promoting the event.

Get the word out. Similar to our last few TweetUps, we assigned the hashtag “#SJTweetUp.” Adding the hashtag (“#”) makes the subject SJTweetUp “searchable” on Twitter. So, you can search for “#SJTweetUp” or click on “#SJTweetUp” within someone’s tweet to find more information or people that are tweeting about that subject.

For example, some tweets to promote tonight’s event were:

@AllThingsGwen: #SJTweetUp tonight at @TortillaPress Cantina – Pennsauken, NJ. You’ll meet @dawnbricker @chefmarksmith and many others! http://ow.ly/1dbqv

@kdevito: Tweetup Tonight: #SJTweetUp RSVP here: http://twtvite.com/c4jbaa #SJTweetUp #twtvite

@EileenOBrien: South Jersey friends join me & @allthingsgwen for margaritas at #SJTweetUp tonight 6-8 pm @TortillaPress: http://ow.ly/1dbqv

Communicate and RSVP. We used Twtvite to get the word out and keep things organized. It was easy to type in the event details and include our hashtag, #SJTweetUp. From there, we included a link to the Twtvite within our tweets — similar to http://ow.ly/1dbqv or http://twtvite.com/c4jbaa in the examples above.

Plan event logistics. We brought name tags — so people could write and “wear” their name and twitter name. We also brought index cards so we could collect names and contact information. That way, we could all contact each other after the event.

Other than that, we just had fun with it! Awesome food, fun tweople and a great night out!
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So people are freaking out about MTV’s Jersey Shore. Some people hate it, some people love it. GUESS WHAT? I’m feelin’ it. I don’t go to those “North Jersey” shores though — FYI, the show takes place in Seaside Heights, NJ. (And seriously, that’s how it is up there — “guidos” and “guidettes,” tats and big hair.) It’s just funny. We were ALL young and what-not at some point.

I’m a SOUTH Jersey girl, and I go down to South Jersey shores. You know — Sea Isle, Cape May, Ocean City, Wildwood, Avalon. Rumor has it that the next season of Jersey Shore is going to be in Sea Isle, NJ. I like that! It will be funny to watch the show and see places that I used to hang out at — when I was young and awesome!
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I always wanted to go rock climbing. My cousins told me I’d love it. I did!! I gathered a bunch of my “Fit Friends” and we went one day to Elite Climbing in Maple Shade, NJ. I felt like an expert wearing the harness. It was the same thing we wore during my aerials class at the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts.

When we were there, I said a bunch of times that I could get addicted to this!

It was really cool to get all the way to the top! Of course, I could do the beginner walls no problem. It was awesome. The other walls … woah hard, especially the kind that are not completely flat. I was too short to reach sometimes … and I think that’s how I got hurt. I ended up messing up my shoulder. I felt it two days later after rock climbing and kickboxing the next day. Apparently my scapula got stuck to my rib cage. I couldn’t reach for anything, it felt funky. Luckily my friend, Amanda, an occupational therapist, manipulated my shoulder and literally separated it for me. I liked getting the stem treatment. I liked being hooked up to the machine with the sensor pads? it was a good pain. After some treatments and rest, I feel better. I just am hesitant to go back there right away …

So what’s my advice? Bring friends! Try it. STRETCH before — we are not spring chickens anymore!!! Do some arm circles, shoulder shrugs, squats, etc!

So I never knew what  “foodie” was. I was talking to my friend from high school — @cranekickers (http://www.cranekickchronicles.com/). We talked about a bunch of stuff — working out, diet, high school, writing, blogging, turning 30, pizza … chinese food … brazillian steak houses … comfort food … ! Then, I asked him what  a “foodie” was.

ATG: What is a “foodie?” Am I one?

Cranekickers: A foodie is someone who loves food, talks about food, goes out of their way to try food. Heck yes you are one.

 

And now, I’m inspired to do everything I want with writing! Including new ”IMMA FOODIE” blogs. Can’t wait to post my first one! It’ll be call “Asian Persuasion.”

PS – I just told Billy about this blog! He said, “To be a foodie, you have to be pretty good at cooking.” OH SNAP!

Photo by Rakka.

Front-row friends – The first people you call to share good news and bad news. They tell you how it is with the best of intentions. You cry hardest and laugh uncontrollably together. They’re clapping when you succeed and gasp when you fall … and stay strong when you are weak. They’re in your front-row because they’ve earned a spot there.

I don’t know what I’d do without my friends. They are so good to me — and they love me for all my crazy ideas … and support everything I’m passionate about. I wear an outfit held together by scotch tape — literally, my pants were hemmed and my belt was help together with scotch tape — and they tell me I look great! I tell them I love twitter and how Comedy Central retweeted me — and they say — NO WAY!!!

Anyway, this blog post is an ode to the people who are in my “front row.” You know, those people that are there cheering you on to every new adventure.

Danielle, aka “bff” and maid of honor

How we met: Freshman year in high school, we were on the same bus. Our parent’s live about two minutes from each other. One time, early in our freshman year, Danielle gave me a “piece of chocolate” — it really was a laxative. I ended up running from the track to the bathroom in gym class. Keep your “enemies” closer, right?

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