Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS

Guess what I did.............I called the ticket number and left a message yesterday for the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS. My message said that I have always wanted to be on the show. I said that talent from all over the world is coming to LA for the Zumba Conference at the end of the week. I said that if Craig doesn't want me and my friends on the show that he should call Zumba.

Who knows if this is going to work? It would be great fun. I'd love to talk to Craig. I'd love to show him the amazing talent of my Zumba friends. I'd love to be called back to talk to Craig again.

Boy, I dream big, don't I.

Zumba Resume


Zumba Training:

Zumba Basic 1 training on June 29th, 2013 with Madalene Aponte

Zumba Toning training on June 30th, 2013 with Madalene Aponte

Zumba Core on August 26, 2013 online training

Zumba Glutes on September 2, 2013 online training

Zumba Gold on September 7, 2013 with Shonna Porter

Zumba Kids & Kids Jr. on December 6, 2013 with Kass Martin

Zumba Sentao on December 15, 2013 with Pepper Von

Zumba Circuit online training

 

Teaching Experience:

Fresh Fitness & Dance; 4501 Interlake Ave. N.; Seattle 98103

Taught Zumba Gold songs in Akiko Ogami’s class for two months.

 

Zumba Zin Jams:

Zumba Jammer Melissa (Meli) Mastroeni-Kirkwood on Oct. 19, 2013

Zumba Jammer Samuel Salazar on November 17, 2013

Zumba Jammer Andrew Walker on December 8, 2013

Zumba Jammer Carlos Henriquez on January 25, 2014

 

Zumba Gold Mentor, Joan Wilde assigned by Zumba.com on January 22, 2014

 

CPR AED Training:

CPR Seattle on December 18, 2013 with instructor Farley Kautz

 

Group Instructor and Personal Trainer Instruction:

NESTA; Training Made Fun on January 18 and 19, 2014

AFAA; Aerobics & Fitness Assn. of America on January 31, 2014

ACE; American Council on Exercise in spring of 2014

 

Zumba Training coming up:

LA Zumba Conference on January 31 through February 1, 2014

Zumba Gold Toning on January 30, 2014 with Jani Roberts & Joy Prouty

Zumba Gold Boost on January 30, 2014 with Joy Prouty

Zumba Pro on January 31, 2014 with Steve Boedt

Aqua Zumba on February 1, 2014 with Eliza Stone

Zumba Step on February 16, 2014 with Madalene Aponte

Zumba Basic 2 on March 9, 2014 with Madalene Aponte

 

Zumba Zin Jams coming up:

Zumba Jammer Savina Clay on February 8, 2014

Zumba Jammer Ryan Grovey on February 22, 2014

Zumba Jammer Katie Moore on February 23, 2014

Zumba Jammer Samuel Salazar on March 21 & 23, 2014

Monday, January 20, 2014

My daughter, Gretchen

Photo

My beautiful daughter, Gretchen Bennett finished her first half marathon yesterday! She's standing with my beautiful granddaughter, Elizabeth. All my kids are runners and great at everything. I'm so proud of her!

Becoming a Personal Trainer

I finished the two day intensive Training Made Fun workshop to become a personal trainer through NESTA. I learned a lot. Before I walked into the workshop, I didn't consider becoming a personal trainer because I am fat and a senior. I thought who in the world would take me seriously or hire me as a personal trainer. After the first day, I really thought that because I couldn't do all the floor exercises. I avoid floor exercises.

The reason I took the training was to help myself learn and to help other people as a Zumba Gold instructor. The material that a personal trainer must learn is hard and this is not my area of study for the last few years. It's all about the science of movement, muscles, the skeletal system, and how everything works plus learning how to design a plan of exercise to help someone become fit and healthy. I learned a lot. I took the class so I would have a better chance of passing the AFAA training at the end of the month. It's cheaper to become a personal trainer than to hire one. The best possible choice is to become a personal trainer and to have a personal trainer. This is the best thing in the world.

At the end of the workshop, however, I learned that I would love to become a personal trainer. I want to specialize in helping seniors and people who are overweight become healthy and stay healthy. I've worked at writing for the last 10 years and spent a lot of money. I've never been successful at connecting so that I could start publishing or getting an agent even though I have finished four mystery novels and have published dozens and dozens of articles.

So now I can see my life going in a different direction. I could start making money as a personal trainer as soon as I pass the test and get hired. I'm probably the one person in the room who didn't pass the test but that's okay. I know the material better now than when I took the workshop. I will keep at it until I do pass the test. A personal trainer has to know so much. I didn't find the right way for me to learn the material until a couple of days before the workshop. I started typing the pages and it started to help me connect with the material. I wasn't a science and math major in college. Yes, I have a bachelor's degree but I loved the social science classes and the humanities and history.

It would be great to go forward in life helping people become fit and healthy and make money doing it. Health and fitness is my number one priority. Becoming a personal trainer and Zumba instructor is putting my actions in line with my number one priority to become healthy and fit as I age.

I'm excited to see what happens in 2014. I will keep working at it. I will keep trying to learn. I want to continue to take workshops and classes. There is so much to learn. I want to go to conferences. After taking this workshop, I want to take a workshop on designing exercise plans. I know the basic formula but I want to learn more.

I'm interested in so many things so how am I going to spend my time in 2014? Health and fitness is number one. Writing is number two. Reading about health, fitness, and writing is number three. I can't do everything. This is what I am focusing on and trying to drive these goals forward. We'll see what happens.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

ALIVE JUICE BAR

I just discovered ALIVE JUICE BAR yesterday. It's right next to 24 Hour Fitness in the Ballinger Plaza located at 20206 Ballinger Way in Shoreline.

I'm impressed with the menu. Everything is a healthy choice and that's not easy to find now days.

Yesterday I bought dried beet chips and they were delicious.

The menu is creative and full of great choices from a kale-quinoa salad to curry lentil soup.
The smoothie choices are tropical northwest, green margarita, kale smoothie, winter berries, tropical breakfast, mistletoe, whatever, pain in the ass, and coconut juice. The juice choices are liver cleanse, attitude cleanse, green energizer, winter tonic, the orange juice, veggie juice, the exercist, and  detox shots. The protein shake choices are creamsicle, the butterfinger, popeye's secret, the power meal, the Iditarod, pina colada, and rabbit food. You can buy a baked yam for a dollar. They sell probiotics--sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha. The soup choices are chicken and rice, peasant's soup, dinosaur soup face and tail soup, curry lentil, and split pea.

Everything looks interesting and healthy and fun. Next time you are in the neighborhood, seek this great place out and buy something. Feel better knowing that you are eating healthy.

Training Made Fun

I'm taking a two day training to become a Personal Trainer at the Ballinger 24 Hour Fitness. The NESTA's [National Exercise & Sports Trainers Association] Personal Fitness Trainer Certification Workshop is worth the money and important to take for anyone who values health and fitness or needs to upgrade their current knowledge. It's not easy but you certainly learn in an intensive two day workshop that goes from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with a test at the end of the last day.

Mark Baines, President is coming back to the North Seattle area in May so you can sign up. It's worth doing. Even if you are a Personal Fitness Trainer now, he will challenge you.

Training Made Fun
www.trainingmadefun.net
888-229-2368

I'm also taking group fitness training with AFAA [Aerobics & Fitness Association of America] and another personal trainer course through ACE [American Council on Exercise]. I figured that the more I learn the better to help myself and so that I can help others. It's important to continually learn and upgrade your knowledge.

What do I want to take next? I need to take a course in nutrition and I'm also thinking about a course in Senior Yoga.

It is important to me to continually learn and grow. Health and fitness must be my main priority in life so that I will be healthy and fit as I go forward in life. My second priority is writing so I have lots of writing workshops I want to take. I can't do everything but I love to learn.

Friday, January 10, 2014

Dale Carnegie Training

This morning I went to Dale Carnegie Training in Time Management in Bellevue. I am always trying to learn and work hard to do better to forward my goals. After listening, this is the schedule I wrote for myself. The important part to finish every day is the writing. If I have a great Zumba class to go to at 9:30 then I will bump my reading to later in the day when I am done but this is my idea of how to balance my goals of working on my writing, learning Zumba choreography, and doing necessary writing about writing craft and reading for AFAA. I figured out a schedule of working 50 minute hours balanced by a 10 minute chore or 3 Zumba songs so that I am not sitting for three hours straight.

5:00 to 5:50 a.m. write
5:50 to 6:00 a.m. chore
6:00 to 6:50 a.m. write
6:50 to 7:00 a.m. chore
7:00 to 7:50 a.m. write
7:50 to 8:00 a.m. chore
8:00 to 8:50 a.m. write
8:50 to 9:00 a.m. chore
9:00 to 9:50 a.m. read AFAA
9:50 to 10:00 a.m. 3 Zumba Gold songs
10:00 to 10:50 a.m. read NESTA
10:50 to 11:00 a.m. 3 Zumba Gold songs

12:00 to 12:50 p.m. read Screenwriter’s Bible

12:50 to 1:00 p.m. 3 Zumba Gold songs
1:00 to 1:50 p.m. read Your Screenplay Sucks!
1:50 to 2:00 p.m. 3 Zumba Gold songs
2:00 to 2:50 p.m. read ACE
2:50 to 3:00 p.m. chore

This schedule allows me freedom to move it around but keeps me moving every hour doing a chore like taking out garbage or something that keeps me moving or practicing Zumba. I also can move the reading block into the evening and spend blocks of time interviewing people for research for my screenplay or going to Zumba classes or something else. I can add more writing time but the basic formula allows for movement every hour which is healthier than sitting for solid blocks of time writing or reading.
 
I highly recommend Dale Carnegie Training. They offer a variety of workshops to learn and grow.
 
13555 Bel Red Road, Suite 208
Bellevue, WA 98005
425-453-8822

Wednesday, January 08, 2014

Skandia Folkdance Society of Seattle

This evening I went to a beginning class taught by members of the Skandia Folkdance Society of Seattle at the Phinney Neighborhood Center located at 6532 Phinney Avenue N.

I had a wonderful time. It was so much fun. Lots of turns and pivots. I was horrible at it all but had a great time. I joined and look forward to next week. It's not easy.

Everyone was so kind and welcoming and really helped me. I love it. I look forward to learning and growing.

I've been wanting to join ever since I heard about the Skandia Society and have seen notices on Facebook of events. It always looked like so much fun and so charming to be part of this group. When I first moved to Seattle, I created a notebook of all the things that I wanted to do and groups I wanted to join. I googled and binged and searched for everything I wanted.

I really like everyone and hope they like me.

I'm half Swedish. My grandparents on my father's side were born in Sweden. Someday I want to visit. Actually I'd like to live in Sweden.

The next best thing is to be part of the Skandia Society.

www.skandia-folkdance.org/

Saturday, January 04, 2014

Chiang's Gourmet

Yesterday for dinner I joined Zumba friends at Chiang's Gourmet for a delicious, healthy, and perfect family style meal. Everything was so tasty and fresh. The homemade noodles were wonderful. The place was packed. So many people came for take out. So many people filled each table. This is a popular spot in Seattle and I can see why. I want to go back.

If you haven't tried Chiang's Gourmet, you must go and sample the menu.

Chiang's Gourmet
7845 Lake City Way NE
Seattle, WA 98115
206-527-8888

Wednesday, January 01, 2014

Green Lake

I walked around Green Lake this morning. I rode bus 16 to Green Lake, walked around Green Lake, then went to Spud for a single fish and chips, and back home on bus 16. A great way to start the New Year.