Climbing, Yoga, Concerts, & Weddings, Oh My!

Here are the new and interesting things I've been up to the past few months. In the works is a ginormous post on climbing in celebration of my big trip/Tweetup out at Joshua Tree next month with Katie (@adventuregrrl).

Dave Matthews Band Concert in Jerz. Went with my BB Emily and it felt like we were transported back to high school. We had seats waaaaayyy back in the lawn section, making it even more like high school... The band was awesome, of course, and played a great mix of Big Whiskey and our old fav's including Stay or Leave, Ants Marching, and Crash.

Me, at the Gunks, testing out my trad anchor. It holds!
Woo, it was a lil nerve wracking to sit back and trust the gear I had placed!

Gunks! Katie, Dan and I traveled up North to the Gunks, a range of cliffs where trad routes abound. We hired a guide, Jason, to teach us how to set up anchors, place trad gear, and generally prepare us for the indoor/outdoor climbing transition.

On top of the trad learning, we bouldered. This was quite the eye opening experience. What did Nina learn outside on the rock? Indoor climbing prowess does not translate to real rock...at least not until you learn to trust your feet.

I'll have plenty more time to work on my outdoor skills during the Joshua Tree Climbing Tweetup next month!!!!

Weddings! There have been two this month. My good high school friend, Amy Moran, married Don Lowe in Gloucester, Ma.

Cute story: they kept seeing each other on the commuter rail for months before Don introduced himself finally and asked Amy out. The rest is history!

One other wedding. My band mate Jory got hitched! The reception was at the Society Hill Dance Academy. He looked very dapper in his gray suit! His bride, Susan Gager, plays the keyboard in the band East Hundred.

Last month, my favorite yoga studio, Yoga Sutra, unexpectedly closed down (within a week of notice). In the wake of that sketchiness, I have been in search of a new studio. I like Vinyasa yoga best for a nice, deep, and relaxing stretch. I prefer Friday night yoga--excellent way to wind down your week and work on being in the Now. Here's a list of places I've tried.

Dyhyana Yoga Studio
http://www.dhyana-yoga.com/
40th & Chestnut
Most likely, this studio will replace Yoga Sutra. It's only blocks from work and the Penn gym, making it easily accessible. So far I've taken the Sunday Vinyasa Align and Flow class with Marisa. I really enjoyed this class. She helped me get into positions that I didn't think I could do and was helpful about explaining why we do this or that.

Class description: realize our vibrant true nature by aligning our poses and intentions to their fullest potential in the moment. By applying the Universal Principles of Alignment, we integrate physical action with inner awareness. Classes include an engaging flow of postures, demonstrations, individual adjustments and modifications.

Bikram College Of India

http://www.bikramphiladelphia.com/

1520 Sansom St Philadelphia, PA 19102-2810

(215) 977-9642

Bikram is a form of yoga noted for its extremely high room temp of 105 degrees and about 60% humidity. The room is kept at this temperature to keep the body from overheating (contrary to popular belief), protect muscles to allow for deeper stretching, detoxify the body (open pores to let toxins out), thin the blood to clear the circulatory system, increase heart rate for better cardiovascular workout, improve strength by putting muscle tissue in optimal state for reorganization, and reorganize lipids (fat) in the muscular structure.

I felt invigorated and well stretched out after this class.

Beginner special: $20 for first week: unlimited classes

Philly Power Yoga

http://www.phillypoweryoga.com/

2016 Walnut St Philadelphia, PA 19103

(215) 636-9642

Power yoga is a general term used in the West to describe a vigorous, fitness-based approach to vinyasa-style yoga. Most power yoga is closely modeled on the Ashtanga style of practice. The term "power yoga" came into common usage in the mid 1990s, when several yoga teachers were looking for a way to make Ashtanga yoga more accessible to western students. Unlike Ashtanga, power yoga does not follow a set series of poses. Therefore, any power yoga class can vary widely from the next. What they have in common is an emphasis on strength and flexibility. The advent of power yoga heralded yoga's current popularity, as people began to see yoga as a way to work out. Power yoga brought yoga into the gyms of America.

Beginner special: first class is free!

Go to Troy's classes. He is the best instructor!

I very rarely go to Power Yoga because it is more of a workout than a good stretch session. After teaching Body Pump 2-3 times a week, it's more beneficial to me to lay off more strenuous activity. That said, I think it's an excellent workout and a great way to work your core without having to do boring/traditional abs.

Lastly, where have I been eating? New and old places have made the list:

Village Whiskey. New whiskey bar at 20th & Samson. Amazing burgers! Really, I think the best in the city. AND that's coming from me. Trying the goat cheese one. UH, so good. Plus, the fries are cooked in DUCK FAT. Mmmm. Have already been here multiple times. Plan to put your name and cell down and then go do something else for 40 minutes. It's worth the wait! And they make it easy by calling you on your phone.

Tinto. 20th & Samson. It's become the magic corner! (Tinto, Village Whiskey AND Caprogiro gelatto). Tried this tapas place out with Em during restaurant week. Same owners as Amadas and it lives up to its rep!

Noble. On Samson between 20th and 19th I think. New french fusion restaurant. Excellent! Went with Katie--she was able to get a coupon online somewhere.

Audrey Clair. Always exceptional.

X0 Chitl (so-cheat). Tasty margaritas and upscale mexican food.

Taste of Philly. This was just last night and I'll prolly write a whole article on it. Very enjoyable in any case!

Post-climbing haunts: Grace, Standard Tap, 10 Stone, Doobies. Always dependable for a good microbrew and burger!

TONIGHT: Distrito. New(ish) restaurant in West Philly. Chef is Jose Garces who is finalist on the Next Iron Chef show.

Last thing to mention. TANGO lessons. Yes, that's right. Katie & I went to Society Hill Dance Academy and took group lessons. No partner necessary.

Catch Up! Spin Profiles 26-30

Well, now that I'm 15 spin profiles behind, it's time to get writing again!

I left off back in August right before my last big themed spin class: Covers! The game here was to guess whether the song was an original or a cover and who sings the original/cover.

See for yourself if you can guess "Original or Cover"! No cheating! Post in comments.

1. Respect by Aretha Franklin (2:25)
2. Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm (3:29)
3. After Midnight by Eric Clapton (2:51)
4. Everywhere by Yellowcard (3:35)
5. Turn The Page by Metallica (6:06)
6. I Want It That Way by Dyanamite Boy (3:32)
7. The Devil Went Down To Georgia by The Charlie Daniels Band (3:44)
8. All Along The Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix (3:59)
9. Red Red Wine by UB40 (3:04)
10. Blue Suede Shoes by Elvis Presley (2:00)
11. I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor (8:02)
12. Time After Time by Quietdrive (3:05)
13. Cat's In The Cradle by Ugly Kid Joe (4:04)
14. ...Baby One More Time by Bowling For Soup (3:29)
15. Proud Mary by Tina Turner (4:59)
16. I Am The Walrus by Bono (4:44)
17. Such Great Heights by Iron & Wine (4:11)

Spin Profile #27: Cecilia
I created this spin profile to congratulate my spin buddy Cecilia upon her dissertation/defense completion. I pulled out my stalker skills and looked up her favorite music on her facebook page. That's what it's there for, right?

1. Cecilia by Simon & Garfunkel (2:55)/Warm Up Mix
2. Persiana Americana by Soda Stereo (4:52)/Run @ 1 w/10 sec pickups
3. Friday I'm In Love by The Cure (3:35)/Jump Mix
4. Suerte (Whenever, Wherever) by Shakira (3:14)/Verse: Seated Cadence; Chorus: Standing Surge (alternate choruses, HP 2 <==> 3)
5. Drums of Belfast by Scythian (2:54)/Cadence; Increase Resistance every 30 sec FR ==> 2
6. She Wolf by Shakira (3:08)/Modified Jumps, (Middle of Seat ==> Back of seat, Standing HP 3)
7. Ojos Asi by Shakira (3:58)/Stair Climber Intervals. Standing HP 2. 60 sec bounding @ 3 (high resistance), 30 sec recovery @ seated, FR
8. The Prince of Parties by Flight of The Conchords (1:48)/Easy Cadence, Active Recovery
9. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones (3:43)/Run with pickups @ 1.5
10. Summer of '69 by Bryan Adams (3:34)/Cadence & Climb, Standing HP 3, 1.5 ==> 3. Steady!
11. Beautiful Liar by Beyonce & Shakira (3:22)/Isolation Intervals. 20 sec isolate, 20 sec pace. Isolate legs by keeping core squeezed in tight, upper body completely still, and working the circular pedal strokes. Weight back over legs. Slow! The higher the R, the easier it is to keep core still.
12. De Musica Legera by Soda Stereo (3:33)/Back to FR the start climb again. Half turn up every minute. Slight pickup during chorus.
13. Eye of the Tiger by Survivor (4:09)
14. Jump That Rock (Whatever you want) by Scooter & Status Quo (3:24)/Verse Cadence Seated or Standing/HP3; Chorus Sprint w/resistance getting less each time (@ 2, @1, @FR). Finish seated, all out sprint.
15. Me Gustas Tu by Manu Chao (4:00)/Cool down mix
16. Vivir Sin Aire by Mana (5:44)/Stretches

Spin Profile #28: School of Rock
Profile inspired by the movie. I never actually used it for a class, just for my own workout.
1. Growing On Me by The Darkness (3:29)
2. Set You Free by The Black Keys (2:45)
3. Edge of Seventeen by Stevie Nicks (5:26)
4. Santeria by Sublime (3:03)
5. Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin (2:24)
6. All Over You by Live (3:58)
7. Sunshine of Your Love by Cream (4:11)
8. Substitute by The Who (3:48)
9. Bell Bottom Blues by Derek & The Dominos (5:03)
10. Alive by Pearl Jam (5:41)
11. You Give Love A Bad Name by Bon Jovi (3:43)
12. School of Rock by School of Rock (4:13)
13. Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden (5:18)
14. Heal Me, I'm Heartsick by No Vacancy (4:46)

Spin Profile #29: 3 Obsession
This was a great profile. Workout was killer and ppl enjoyed this mix. Going on the top ten list for sure.

Think of the profile as three steps. Each 'step' consists of three songs which are at the same resistance level (more or less). Sprint -- Run -- Climb. What each level targets: power--heart rate--strength.

Get to the top of the third step, comes all the way down to the bottom for a second set.

1. Hey Mama by Black Eyed Peas (3:35)/Warm Up Mix
2. Surfin' Safari by The Beach Boys (2:07)/Run + Pickups
3. Do You Love Me by The Contours (2:52)/Run + Pickups

4. Accidentally In Love by Counting Crows (3:09)/Jump Mix @ 1.5
5. She Wolf by Shakira (3:08)/Modified Jumps @ 2
6. Fly Away by Lenny Kravitz/Stair Climber Intervals @ 2, 20 sec on/20 sec off

7. Bring Me To Life by Evanescence (3:56)/Isolation Intervals @ 3
8. Come to My Window by Melissa Etheridge (3:36)/Heavy Jumps @ 3
9. Dream On (Live) by Aerosmith (4:53)/Alternating Seated/Standing Climb

10. You Get What You Give by New Radicals (5:01)/Cadence + 10 sec pickups
11. Song 2 by Blur (2:01)/20 sec sprint intervals
12. Gonna Make You Sweat by C+C Music Factory (4:04)/10, 20, 30, 60 sec sprints + 10 sec receovery

13. I Believe In A Thing Called Love by The Darkness (3:37)/Verse Cadence, Chorus Surge out into 3 @ 2
14. The Monkees Theme by The Monkees (2:21)/Run + chorus pickups @ 1.5-2
15. Punk Rock Princess by Something Corporate (3:52)/Standing HP 3 Cadence, chorus pickups

16. You Give Love A Bad Name by Bon Jovi (3:43)/Seated sprints w/resis during chorus @ 2, verse standing cadence @ 3
17. I Alone by Live (3:40)/Chorus: Standing sprints w/resistance @ 2
18. Kiss The Girl from The Little Mermaid (2:42)
19. Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers (3:36)

Spin Profile #30: Back To School
This was made for the first class of the Fall semester...I now have two 45 minutes classes in addition to some hour-long classes, so I had to change my profile dynamic to fit the shorter format. More intense, less warmup/cool down to make up for that 15 min loss.

1. Back to School Again (from Grease 2) by The Four Tops (3:49)/WU Mix
2. Hot N Cold by Katie Perry (3:40)/HP 3 Standing Surges during chorus
3. Life Is A Highway by Tom Cochrane (4:27)/Standing Climb, 1==>3
4. Kids by MGMT (5:03)/Jump Mix @ 1-2
MGMT, one of my "new" favorite bands. The next couple of spin profiles feat their songs.
5. Paparazzi by Lady GaGa (3:28)/Isolation Intervals
6. Mass Pike by The Get Up Kids (3:25)/FR-->3 Climb + 10 sec sprints w. res. @2
7. Kryptonite by 3 Door Down (3:54)/Slow inc. FR ==>1.5; Cadence/Fast!
8. Shattered (Turn The Car Around) by O.A.R. (4:14)
9. Chasing Cars Rmx (4:45)/Climb Mix; 2==>4
10. Right Now by Van Halen (5:23)/Climb Mix 2==>3 plus pickups on chorus
11. School of Rock by School of Rock (4:13)/Bring it home. Decreasing every 30 2 ==> FR. Pick up pace on each decrease so ending at FR sprint.
12. Live Your Life by T.I. (5:39)/CD