Posts Tagged ‘Friends’

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.

Billy and I are like night and day — sometimes. I’m really out there and adventurous. I’ll do just about anything once. I talk too much and I wear my heart on my sleeve. Billy’s reserved. He’s private at times and not boastful, and likes to do his own thing. I like creative stuff like dance shows and plays — and he’s a horseshoe tournament champion and loves his Yankees and Giants. When we decided to do something together — he wasn’t into my mud runs, rock climbing, etc. — we picked tai chi. We had the special shoes and all.

What is tai chi? My definition = a slow, peaceful karate-dance.

Tai Chi promotes the circulation of chi — or life energy — within the body, encouraging wellness and vitality. Basically, you do a series of flowing movements and your body is in constant motion. The exercise is not strenuous — your feet are always planted, and your move your torso and arms in graceful, deliberate, and sequenced movements. They say tai chi can: reduce anxiety and depression; improve balance, flexibility and muscle strength; improve sleep quality; lower blood pressure; relieve chronic pain; increase energy, endurance and agility; and improve overall feelings of well-being.

It was a pretty cool experience. I’m not going to lie though — it was challenging! I’m very high energy, so I have a hard time being quiet and just calming my mind, moving slowly and measuring my breaths. Some of the moves were difficult to follow, but I think that’s with any new type of exercise until you get used to it. At the end of six weeks, I still didn’t think I was any good though. (Billy wasn’t any better! )

I really liked calm and gentle energy in the room …

If you’re looking to try a class, just do a quick search online. You might find that your local karate studio, gym or wellness center offers a tai chi program. You may even find a tai chi studio — TRY IT!

Photo by Diana bella computer is in hospital’s.

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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I asked my Twitter friends to tweet me their favorite quote. Below is what they sent. Enjoy the inspiration!

@Amethystnangels: “Well-behaved women rarely make history!” — Unknown

@>@mikeshippey: “There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination. Living there you’ll be fee if you truly wish to be.” — Willy Wonka

@>@michellemyers24: “You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.” — Wayne Gretzky

@>@Lalicat: “There is a place where you can touch a woman that will drive her crazy. Her heart.” — Unknown

@>@LesMacDee: “If you listen carefully, everything sings.” — Warren Deer

@>@ToddWeissCFA: “Work like you don’t need the money. Love like you’ve never been hurt. Dance like nobody’s watching.” — Satchel Paige

@>@PrincessLV: “All great achievements require time. “— Maya Angelou

@>@onepowerfullady: “For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but the spirit of power, love and self disipline.” — 2 Timothy 1:7

@>@AmyTara19: “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” — Jimi Hendrix

@>@liakov: “To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.” — Frankie Lora

@>@onlyoneHalcyone: “The difficulties of life are intended to make us better, not bitter.” — Unknown

@>@JeffMello: “In every passionate pursuit … the pursuit counts more than the object pursued.” — Bruce Lee

Photo by @>Niklas Plessing.

Since I’m 30 now … here’s a list of 30 things what I’m thankful for:
1. My fiancée, Sweet William! He loves me for my craziness, randomness, dreams and goals.
2. Gabby and Sofia — my beautiful and fun nieces.
3. My brother, Mike, and his wife, Kim. They give so much to the community …
4. Hardworking parents. They’ve given me so much!
5. Front-row friends.
6. Cousins by the truck-load.
7. Loving and supportive “in-laws.” They are so generous!
8. My SUV. I can drive in the snow!
9. A set of new, sharp knives. I love cutting stuff now.
10. Inspirational books.
11. People that challenge me.
12. My Fit Friends, my workout partners and students.
13. Writing mentors — Holly and Greta, who really helped develop me and encourage me as a writer.
14. My Twitter friends.
15. People who give me blog love.
16. My favorite aunts — Auntie Evelyn, Auntie Alice and Aunt Diane.
17. Danielle — my maid of honor/BFF.
18. My education. No one can take that away.
19. My job at Amerikick. I’ve been teaching there for almost nine years.
20. Private jokes that make me laugh, even when I’m by myself.
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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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How well do you know yourself? How well do people know you? What are you passionate about?

Below are some questions. Just some things to think about … Feel free to leave a comment and share a little bit about yourself!

• Describe yourself – using five adjectives only. How would others describe you?
• What do you do “for a living?”
• Describe your idea of a “perfect” day.
• What’s your favorite childhood memory?
• What “small” things make you happy?
• What does “family” mean to you?
• Have you ever been discriminated against or treated poorly for being who you are? How has that affected you?
• What’s your biggest challenge right now? What are you doing to make change?
• What was your biggest challenge in the past? How did you overcome it?

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In a previous blog post — 10 Things to Do in 2010 — I encouraged you to “Set a new goal each month.” The blog said: “This year, pick 12 things and stick to them. Your goals may include cleaning the garage; trying new recipes; using coupons whenever shopping or saving extra money for a family vacation. Whatever your goals are, write them down, and stick to it. It may be helpful to do some online research to help you get organized or get started.”

Well, I’m not one to take my own advice. I have goals, but there are way more than one for each month. And, knowing me, I’ll get everything done by April and the list will have to be edited and revamped. So, here is the “guideline” that I’ll follow this year. There are some things at the bottom of the list that I couldn’t add to a particular month … yet.

Please let me know if you want to join me on any of these adventures, or if you have any advice or feedback you want to share. Um, and feel free to support me on these goals!

PS – I put an “x” next to the things that are free! I put a “*” next to the things I’m doing for the first time.

January

x*Take a Zumba class.

*Take a pole dancing class.

Take an Intro to Aerial Workshop class (Philadelphia School of Circus Arts).

x*Try Wii Fit.

x*Research and organized finances – talk with Tiffany!

*Take a money management class – online? In person?

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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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