Things I'm Wanting (What's New)

A lot of people did not like this new Lulu upload but I saw a few things I would get if I had limitless income.


What I bought:

Ebb to Street tank in Green Bean.

I know that I have been wavering on the plum version of this tank but hear me out: I changed my mind. I actually love the plum tank. It bounces right back to shape even after I think it has stretched out. It's comfortable and flattering, too. I love this green color and think it will flatter my coloring and hair, and it looks good with black but also blue/inkwell colors. Husband approved as well.

What I want:

These Speed Tights in Luxtreme (inkwell/WAFS) are DYNAMITE. Since I am returning the Run Inspires with the September WAFS, I am HEAVILY considering these. However, I don't know if they will be flattering or sheer. I am dying to get to a store and investigate.

  

These Run for your Life crops are only available in Australia for now. I don't know why they keep alluding the USA but they are darling and if they WERE available, I would have a hard time deciding between them and the Speed tights. These are more practical because of the mesh in the back and my gym time. But the Speed tights will be more useful in the winter when it's colder.  

               

      The Raindrops Jacket. It's for running in the rain, obviously. Really cool details. The cuffins, concealable hood, ipod pocket, cute venting in the back and the sweet collar just...LOVE. I have no practical use for this jacket, but if there was a winter jacket that looked this cute, I would probably cave.

Star Runner pullover in hyperstripe.

This one is subtly beautiful, but again, the pullovers don't really seem like something I absolutely need. I wish I did more walking outside. Then I could justify lol.

Run for fun crops in soot.

I love the idea of these and they look cute on various people. But based on the Run Inspires I purchased, I would have to try these on. They might have that stiff feeling. I do like the mesh venting in the back.

There are other various things I am still wanting. I would love a Vinyasa scarf in black hyperstripe or plum hyperstripe. I would like one Swiftly long sleeve in a pretty color. And I think I will get some Wunder Unders in luxtreme full length around the holidays.

Other things I bought (but don't tell anyone) on eBay and the boards that haven't arrived:

No Limits tank in angel blue

CRB tank in black swan

Scoop neck tank in heathered black swan

CRB XL Caspian ziggy

CRB Fresh teal

Wunder Under crops in blue slub denim

Off the mat jacket in black

That's pretty bad.....I think this is going to catch up to me eventually....

Day 22

Today was Jean Check-In #1 and I failed miserably.

I am so disappointed in myself and my results. I know that people lose weight from different areas, and after sitting pouty faced in the car and my husband pulling out a confession from me as to why I looked so miserable, he said I had definitely lost weight in my belly and shoulders. But I would really like my lower body to follow suit!

The jeans are just as tight and restrictive, no where close to getting up my hips.

I can't say I am blameless, though. I've been slipping diet wise, adding replacement meals that have no nutritional values simply for convenience. I can't blame it on Wawa, either. In the end, I made the choice to go inside and purchase the item.

Here's an example of my Friday and Saturday nutritionals (in reverse, because I'm dumb):

You can click to see it larger.

As you can see, the hoagie AND the oatmeal both in one day were probably not the best choices (to be fair though, in the plan, the breakfast did call for oatmeal and the lunch called for a wrap). I do realize that the sodium, sugar and carbs was way out of control, though, and won't be doing that again.  Shabbat dinner that night was also kind of all over the place. I did try to reign in my portions but, things add up quickly, and I forgot to add to that diary entry that I had a few bites of cake, which probably added 100 calories of nothingness. Shabbat dinner was the first place I knew I would have problems on this thing. It is HARD to not underestimate what I am putting into my mouth since I did not prepare it and my MIL has a HEAVY hand with condiments and salty things.

Saturday was truly awful. We went and saw Machete 2 (would not recommend) and gorged on Nerds rope, popcorn and pretzels. I really should have not finished off that day with eggs/sausage but was ravenous and figured it was better than a sandwich.

In good news though, I still committed to my workouts even with various wrenches thrown in my path. Husband again avoided the gym on Friday. No problem. After Shabbat dinner, I did a Strength #1 workout at home. I was sooo tired by the end (it was around 10 p.m. or so) so I did cut short on the lateral lunges and the overhead presses. I'll take 80% done after that longggg Friday.

Saturday I took a yoga class with my husband's cousin and it was VERY restorative. We would love to go again. This class was classified as "gentle" but both of us agreed that it did work our muscles. I am curious about vinyasa and hot yoga, but am still too much of a wuss to try more strenuous types of yoga. I would probably take a more rigorous one with our instructor, though. She was very helpful and peaceful....crunchy but cute LOL.

            

I wore my new Ebb to Street pants (wonderous) and an ebay score-the Pure Focus tank in lilac. Topped with a Voyage hoodie in cool breeze, Target Converse sneakers and scarf.

Sunday I woke up at the butt crack of dawn (7:30 a.m. my time hahahah) to take an 8:00 Reformer class with my favorite brusque instructor. I did not like this class so much. We started out on the mats, completing a series of challenging moves. The instructor told us that mat work brings out all of our faults and weaknesses, and this was completely true. A lot of the moves aggravated my back. Like the elevated shoulder bridges and swan dives.

We then spent the other half of class doing these same sets of moves on the Reformer, to show us how helpful the machine is in making up and helping our weaknesses. Absolutely correct in every way. For the shoulder bridges, we hung halfway off the carriage (our waists were the first meeting point) as our butts met the springs on the Reformer. We placed our feet on the foot rest and had to bridge from this position then lower and return the carriage inward. Then repeat in reverse. REALLY difficult. Certainly a strenuous class. I think I prefer the tower class with this instructor and maybe I'll continue to do another class on Sundays that is less vigorous on my back.

After class, I wanted to stop by T.J. Maxx to see if there were any steals to be had in athletic gear, since my new favorite pair of pants is by Kyodan and $25.00. The website claimed they opened at 10:00, but when I called, after waiting half an hour, it turns out they open at 11:00 on Sundays! BOOO!  I called Old Navy just down the block and they opened at 10:00, so I spent a good amount of time in there.

Old Navy actually has a great athletic line, although far less breathable because of the polyester content. I almost bought a spin-off version of a Lululemon No Limits tank but the whole thing was polyester through and through, and I sweat like a crazy person in 100% polyester, so I passed.

               

This one was very flattering and not quite as voluminous as the No Limits. The back was a little different with a vented detail. I might come back for this one. There were so many available though, so no rush. Maybe it will go on sale? Haha.

                  

I bought some slouchy sweaters to pair with leggings or skinnies (two on the left). $10 each is not bad and I won't feel so bad if they fall apart. The last picture is of a Cynthia Rowley top I almost purchased at T.J. Maxx. Cute detail but in the end, I didn't like the space dye effect. Would have loved it in solid gray though.

By the way, the jeans on the left are clearance Old Navy. My mom texted me that they were too funny looking, but they were a size 12 and they fit, which made me super happy :).

            

Finally, I went to DSW. I should stop doing that. I walked out with the black babies. They are just TOO hot for words. Too much. I did like the Rampage camel color booties. I am still assessing what I would wear with them. Besides my light colored leather jacket by Vince, I'm always in black and don't know if it would clash. Oh, and yes, I did wear my Ebb to Streets two days in a row LOL.

The rest of the day was spent with my mom and dad. We visited the cemetery to see some of my grandparents. We stopped by my grandma's and had lunch (and I had some NOT needed chocolate and sweets). They left me in the car while they popped into a Russian grocery store. Then we came home and my mom and I watched Homeland and The Blacklist while I gorged on two much guacamole and Cheeze-Its. Decided to skip dinner as a result.

I came home to my hubby watching football (a regular Sunday is ALL day football) and finally got around to making the flank steak. It was DELICIOUS and I'll be making a flank salad tonight with feta, baby spinach, some carmelized onions, balsamic and olive oil. Yummmm.

I finished out the weekend with the metabolic workout I was supposed to do on Saturday instead of yoga. Last time I talked about this workout, I was only supposed to do three rounds. At the time, I couldn't imagine three more rounds of it. But last night, I did six total rounds! I really had to push myself not to stop. It would have been so easy to say, "Next time I'll do six, this time I'll do four or five". But after all the food this weekend, I at least wanted to accomplish something difficult.

My heart was racing but I made it through. I'm pretty achy today but I feel great for doing it! I think I might add a three round interval session like this to my Tuesdays. This is an option in the book and I never considered doing it, but it's easy enough to do at home and definitely effective.

I'm going to go check out my Pilates schedule for this week. I'm beginning to think overloading my schedule is causing me to feel overwhelmed. 

Have a great day, everyone! 

Day 18

Today is as slow as molasses. My goodness.

Last night I took a killer Pilates class. Arms, legs, abs. Eerthing. We did some crazy ab work. My instructor (who I love and hate) was discussing the benefits of really controlled breath (obviously, one of the key principles in Pilates). She explained that holding one's breath does not engage the abs at all. Instead, they (and she meant me LOL) should concentrate on swift and hard breaths out. Two inhales in, two seconds hard inhale out to contract and engage the abs. It sounds pretty easy. I mean, it's just...breathing. Right?

WRONG. Controlling your breath like this during an ab series is murder. The last move, a side crunch, involved starting with our legs in table top, then alternating which leg went out and also moving one elbow or the other toward the edge of the mat on either side. While holding for two breathes and breathing out for two. As slow as possible. I mean. I have no words. My stomach felt like it was cramping and on fire all at once. The girl next to me got a scary sharp side pain and stopped. Serious bidness.

At the end of class, the instructor commented as I was leaving that I was "getting a little bit more flexible". I will take any compliment I can get from her as she can be very no-nonsense to the point where she comes of brusque. I thought to myself after...what is "a little more". What's the benchmark? The first time I was in her class? The last few times? What is she comparing it to? When I first started, I could barely keep my legs in tabletop while doing crunches. I lived in fear of pulling my back out. Now I'm doing monkey poses and getting through an entire ab series.

The dreaded monkey pose don't scare me anymore.

 What maybe little to her is huge for me! I did this on Sunday:

Sure it was brief and laborious to do this for five seconds but...it still counts! 

 Completing  She is the most challenging instructor though, so I'll keep coming, and hopefully she keeps noticing how hard I am working!

I wore my Ebb to Street tank and although the cut is pretty flattering, I just don't get the rave reviews. I'm really considering selling it, as it stretches out and pools at the stomach. I do like the bewbie padding but, I don't know. It's just not impressing me.

My WUP's in coco pique reverse came to my mom's house and I'll probably be swinging by tonight to trade as she purchased a fresh teal Forme that came to my house. It's such a gorgeous jacket. I'm glad she caved. I'm slowly but surely creating a monster! Hahahha. She recently bought a No Limits Tank and Ta Ta Tamer bra too! And she is lusting for an Off the Mat. LOL. Oh mama. Sorry for what I've done!

I don't know how the pants will fit. Since I bought these Kyodans, I've realized I just don't really love that soft textured tight feeling. I like something more compressive. If it's not compressive it at least has to be breathable. Maybe these will be an easy pass.  If they are, I'm heavily heavily considering my first CRB Xl (for extra long) in this caspian ziggy pattern, which is kind of purple. I am kind of in love and happened across it reading a thread in the boards.

With the rate I'm going, I'll probably have a little something of everything and then be TOTALLY over it by my birthday LOL.

Tonight, I'm also going to make some DELICIOUS flank steak. I used the one below last time and it was awesome. C/o Simple Recipes.

Quick and Easy Pan-Fried Flank Steak Recipe

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 pound flank steak
• Dry mustard
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Softened butter
• Salt

METHOD

 

1 Remove the steak from the refrigerator a half hour before cooking. Cut away any tough connective tissue on the surface of the steak. Using the tip of a sharp knife, poke small cuts into the meat, almost all the way through. The cuts should be at an angle, in the direction of the grain of the meat as the knife tip is going in. The cuts should be about an inch apart from each other. Turn the steak over and repeat the cuts on the other side. Make sure that the cuts you are making on this side are parallel with the cuts you made on the other side, otherwise you may cut across an existing cut, and end up poking a hole through the meat.

 

2 Sprinkle one side of the steak with dry mustard. (You can use regular mustard if you don't have any dry mustard.) Sprinkle the steak with freshly ground pepper. Rub a tablespoon of butter all over the side of the steak. Turn the steak over and repeat with the dry mustard, pepper, and butter.

 

3 Heat a large cast iron frying pan on high heat. Sprinkle both side of the steak with salt (unless you have used salted butter, then you can skip the salt.) Place steak in hot pan. Let sear for 2 to 3 minutes until well browned. Use tongs to lift up to see if nicely browned. If so, flip to the other side and let sear for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the steak continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes in the residual heat of the pan (assuming you are using cast iron, if not, lower the heat to low).

 

4 Use your fingertips to check for doneness or insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the steak - 120°F for very rare, 125°F for rare, or 130°F for medium rare. Flank steak should be served rare or medium rare, otherwise it may be too dry. Remove the steak from the pan to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes, covered with aluminum foil.

5 Cut the meat in very thin slices, at an angle, against the grain of the meat. (This way you break through the tough long muscle fibers.) Any juices that come out of the meat while cutting or resting, return to the pan. Return the pan to a burner on high heat and deglaze the pan with a little water, scraping up any browned bits. Once the water has mostly boiled down, add a little butter to the pan for a nice sauce. Arrange the cut meat on a serving plate and pour the deglazed pan juices over the meat.

That's all for now. Good night everyone!

Day 17

                                        

I completed my first home workout after a not-so-trustworthy husband of mine decided he was too tired to go to the gym before work, and too tired to go to the gym after work. Such is the life of someone who plays Grand Theft Auto until 3 a.m. in the morning. And yes, I could have gone by myself but decided I could do everything in Workout A in the comforts of my bedroom. And so it began!

We have a 15 pound weight gathering dust and so that was my kryptonite for the whole workout. Over all, it only made my high pull less difficult as I am supposed to use two weights for those. My lateral lunge was WAY harder and I was dripping sweat by the end of the workout. At various points, I was negotiating to get through that last, third set. I don't know why it was so much more difficult to do it at home, but it was. I finished out with speed squats and I paid attention to my form, REALLY sitting back. My glutes were crying for mercy.

Yesterday was relatively uneventful. Lunch called for chicken salad but I have been slipping in food prep and went with a Wawa chicken salad snack pack instead. The macros were pretty much spot on and I actually really liked the flavors (crackers helped lol). I knew I would be going to my grandma's for a girl's night later, so I tried to keep it light. Good thing, because I gorged on all the things. My sister and mom made a most excellent buffalo chicken dip (tortilla chips were in abundance) and there was also all kinds of candies and cakes. Sigh....it was fun though! Splurge meal, represent!

I forgot to mention that I received a few Lulu things in the mail (but also sold another pair of pants and a work it out top so...I'm getting better!)

Things I actually did recently: Had a angel blue Define delivered yesterday by USPS. Got the mail very late at night so no one (ahem, hubby) would notice. Have two packages waiting for me at home from lulu.com. Asked my sister to swing by my house (she lives three minutes away) so she can grab them off the porch. Having a pair of WUPs delivered to my mom's house. I'm acting like a criminal and the protagonist of the Confessions of a Shopaholic books. What is my life?

This was the status I posted in the Lulu Chat board and it was surprising to see how many ladies can relate. I don't feel so alone! LOL.

                                           

The Angel Blue Define is divineeeee. So in love with it. It's mighty soft!

                     

My outfit of the day on Tuesday (Urbanite Blazer) with American Eagle crops and my new Full Tilt in plum on the right. I love it. Like, a lot a lot.

                                

I also caved and bought a pair of Kyodan leggings ($25 bucks is....a great price lately!). Every lady in my family now owns a pair and these will be lounge pants most likely. 

                                  

These are the Lulu inspires pants and I am tentative about them. I don't know if I purchased the wrong size, but I don't find these compressive at all. I do ADORE Run Inspires and they would be a nice addition since I wear my black ones so much. I love the print and they are pretty neutral, but maybe the fit is off? I also noticed that these are a tiny bit sheer, but I usually wear longish tops at the gym, so maybe it's not a problem.  I don't know. My hoard mentality says keep them because they are sold out and I may want them later. The struggle! LOL.

Unfortunately, my mom tried these on and accidentally sent the tag flying off so now I can't return them online. I would have to sell them on one of the boards, which is not much a problem but kind of inconvenient since I told her to be careful! lol.

The worst news is that...I'm set to purchase an Off the Mat jacket. It truly is my #1 most wanted Lululemon item. I just wish I spaced out all my purchases. This is what makes me want to sell the pants (and return the Ebb to Streets even if they look amazing). Decisions, decisions. I will most likely return my recently acquired sexy booties from DSW, too. That makes me tear up a little, but where would I wear them anyway?

 

The collar just gives me LIFE!!!

I pretty much am agreeing to buy it for $30 dollars over retail. But...it's perfection. And now my mom (of course) wants one too.

Doing a Pilates class tonight instead of going to the gym, so I'll have to hit up the gym tomorrow and Friday. Or maybe I'll skip Friday, do Workout B on Saturday and the metabolic on Sunday? Pilates is making my scheduling at the gym a little tougher, but oh well.

Oh and I forgot my soy-sauce drenched bible in my sister's car so I'll have to pick that up tonight. I'm a mess and I feel naked without it! 

Day 15

Hey remember when I told you guys about my packed lunch chicken terayaki incident? Well, I totally forgot to tell you that the sauce got all over my Drop 2 sizes book. LOL. It totalllly smells like soy sauce right now. So. There's that!

This weekend was pretty successful!

Had a really great filet on Friday night. Like, top five status, off the grill no less! Outback, you better step up your game. It was so good, it earns a feature on this here blog. LOL.

Saturday, I completed my first countdown metabolic workout. In this workout, you go at a moderate pace, doing five sets of five exercises(squat thrust, body squat, prone hand touch, alternating reverse lunge, kettle bell clean). You start with 5 reps of exercises 1-5, then 4 reps of 1-5, than 3 reps and so on. You rest for 30 seconds between each exercise, and then each round of specific reps, you finish out with jump rope or sprinting (I ran in place and used a pretend jump rope) for twenty seconds.I'm beginning to realize I definitely need a Gymboss as looking down at my iPod gets very annoying. Then again, I have to countdown different things in this workout, not just interval time, so maybe I should save my $20 bucks.

More annoying: the stretching dude who spent 45 minutes sitting around, then somewhat stretching for my whole workout. Go away, dude. I don't like running around in place with the bewbs bouncing with YOU around.

I was dripping sweat by the end of this workout. The write-up was very deceiving!  I found the kettle bell cleans most difficult. In this move you place a kettle bell (or in my case, a dumbbell) between your legs. You keep your back neutral and don't round and pick up the weight with one arm, concentrating on using your legs ONLY to lift that weight. It's quite difficult! I actually realized near the end that I had to alternate my arms, so for the first set, I was supposed to do 10 total instead of just 5 reps. When I realized this, I spent about a minute doing as many of them correctly as possible, alternating arms. Can't skimp on those benefits!

Decided to indulge in Chipotle (splurge #2) and it was delicious (as all things with heaping portions of guacamole are).We headed to the mall afterward and hubby picked up Grand Theft Auto.

Oh, I tried on some camouflage trend stuff at Express and thought of you, Daily Express!

                            

                               

I just don't pull off camo, but I did love the jacket, although a little pricey at $300.00. 

We came home and my husband played GTA for six straight hours,  pausing only to eat dinner (sweet potato with onions and sour cream, yummm). I had my new favorite salad is coleslaw mix with a tablespoon of olive oil mayonnaise and lots of Lusty Monk honey mustard as a side. So glad I gave coleslaw a try. It's the bomb.

One thing I noticed is that my splurge did not lead me down the path of destruction. In fact, I tried not to eat much after that big meal. Sure, we contemplated watching Gravity with some candy from the new candy bar (!!!) in the mall. So many different colorful, sugared temptations at a super cheap per pound rate! But we (mostly I) decided to pass. When it was 9 p.m. and I was kind of hungry, I decided it was time to eat. I did feel sort of guilty eating any sort of carb after 6 p.m.. but it was on the D2S menu and sounded delicious. Plus, there were no carbs in my Chipotle salad earlier.  In the end, I need to get over all the rules in my head about eating.  Food is fuel.  FOOD IS FUEL!

Sunday I attended a Pilates class. We had a new instructor who was kind of leaning towards more stretching, which was kind of boring. I was in her first ever class and that class was WAY more difficult than this one. But I guess stretching is beneficial sometimes when doing a weight program and I have been feeling kind of tight lately (my last class prior to this one was on Thursday....).

 I AGAIN skipped out on my egg breakfast because I got up super late and had to rush to class. By the time I got home it was near lunch so I just proceeded with the lunch meal.  Lunch was DELICIOUS. A tortilla wrap (prescribed: Ezekiel, realized: Chi-Chi white flour tortilla). The nutritional stats are actually pretty similar between these two so I let it slide. Spread some hummus over that, popped some edamame out of their pods, topped with two ounces of leftover flank steak and coleslaw, with Mrs. Dash fiesta lime seasoning.

I must confess that Saturday evening, I gave into MORE temptation and purchased a pair of Wunder Under pants in pique/reversible stripe from a Facebook Lululemon selling group. I feel terrible about it, but they are super rare and go for A LOT on eBay. I hope they are flattering but if they aren't, will just resell :).

Wunder Unders in Textured Pique/Black Coal

It's hard to tell in these photos but they are actually reversible so...two pants in one is justifiable! I'm having them shipped to my mom's house. My habits are getting crazier and crazier....

I can't wait to wear these with boots or even to Pilates. They received great reviews and the girls on the boards seem to love them. Plus they are a better option for me than the Skinny Will.  

I then realized I have no boots to wear with them and felt cornered. Time to return things! Dropped by old navy and returned a silly little sweater with a dog face on it and a snake print button up similiar to the Express Portofino. Armed with more disposable income after this return, I headed to DSW. Wore my new Speed Tights, No Limits Tank and Define jacket (not pictured).

                               

My butt is poppin LOL. 

My return was worth $50 so my aim was to find a boot that costs that much. Am I crazy? Pretty much. There were no leather boots in that price range and I felt terrible spending a little over that budget for man-made materials. So, my budget went up LOLLLL. I wish I took better care of my shoes. My pair from last year by Audrey Brooke were so chic and I loved the buckle equestrian details. The pair I found are quite similar but are lacking some pop. Sighhhh.... New boots to wear with these. Me Too Dede:

                                    

So guilty was I after this most recent splurge that I decided to sell some of my things. Mainly, my Christian Louboutin Fetichas. I've considered selling them for awhile as they pinch my toes slightly and just are kind of torture to walk in. I put them out for $330 knowing that would be an eye catching price for a pair of Louboutins. They sold within five hours!

I must admit I am a little sad to see them go, but at least they are going to a new home. Good bye Feticha, you will be missed.

We finished out our weekend with a birthday party at a sushi restaurant. I tried to reel in my appetizer indulgences, having two slices of tuna pizza, mussels covered in some kind of dynamite sauce, a small portion of ahi tuna tartar crunch (so delicious) and one lobster dynamite roll (plus three pieces of spicy tuna roll). Had a few bites of mochi and cupcake and didn't feel too terrible, although the soda on the table was regular and I must have had at least 16 ounces of that. Oh well. They don't call it a splurge for nothing.

This morning, I was looking for more things to sell in my closet and came across a pair of True Religion leggings I don't even remember buying! These must have been purchased around the time I met my husband. They have a beautiful, dark blue color with fading and are stretchy and light.  I decided to see if they fit and, surprise surprise, THEY DO!

                                

I know I have been spending A LOT of money on Lululemon but since I have been losing weight, I am slowly fitting into my old clothes. I really do LOVE my old clothes so I will be saving a lot on jeans, dresses and tops this year! I'm so excited!

That really started the day off right for me. I'm fueled up with my Kashi Go Lean cereal, milk and banana. Going to get my water goal in today. Going to take all my vitamins. Going to kick ass this week and I'm going to see a difference in those jeans I tried on three weeks ago.

I want to finish out with a new addition to my Ultimate Lululemon Unicorn List: The Power Vinyasa crop (picture provided by My Superficial Endeavors).

It has this REALLY cool jacquard mesh on the backs of the legs, pretty much all the way up. That sounds SO breezy. LOVE!

An Eventful Day with a Lululemon Store Review!

Started today Lithe Method.

We arrived in the city kind of late and I took a brisk walk (about a mile) , hoping to get there in time. I passed Lululemon on the way and briefly considered skipping the workout and just shopping without interruption bahahahha. Then shook myself out of that lapse in judgment and continued walking.

 I would have been five minutes early were it not for the snails pace of the THREE elevators, all stuck on floors 19, 25 and 15. I must have waited for five minutes at least. And no, I'm not taking the stairs four flights LOL. That's child's play!

The space is as I imagined it. Very similar to Barre 3 in it's clean, peaceful vibe, but only housing one actual studio, with a common area and locker space with showers and the prerequisite Method soaps (fresh mint, love and need this hand soap). I guess the lack of studio space is to keep the classes exclusive and the early sign-ups coming, as I imagine that having one class an hour makes everything fill up quickly. I can pick up what they are putting down.

I signed a waiver and had to fill out a maddeningly long survey about myself (hi, I'm Julia, i'm out of shape but I've done A LOT of Pilates over the past few months, please like me!) I don't think anyone will be able to read my survey as I was scribbling frantically with only a minute or two to spare. After a locked up all my things, I headed to a mat. I noticed the resistance bands hanging from the ceiling and got super excited.  I do find the studio kind of...cramped? But it is light and zen in there, and, I don't know if this is my imagination or I am just really toning up, but I looked seriously GREAT in the mirrors. They must be trick mirrors. They MUST.

It's definitely an interesting and innovative workout.
Our instructor was literally lithe. A toned blonde tall drink of water. I was super jealous. She explained some of the basic principles, like breathing (check) and good posture (check-ish?). She explained that a lot of moves require tucking the tailbone (a.k.a.clenching the butt) and that seemed easy enough. We started with an ab sequence using three pound weights and a squishy ball between our knees to help with form, just like in Pilates. This series was pretty tough, and we moved through everything without rest, so even more challenging. We then did some arm work while still crunching our abs, and I was reminded of Barre 3, as the weights are very light, but the movements make them feel like they weigh a million pounds. I know that all the literature states to lift heavy, and I do, but I think there is something to low reps, too. Shouldn't be part of a gym routine, but definitely useful to get a full body workout in a barre class.

We continued on into the push-up series, and the goal was to do ten of an interesting and unique pushup. You position your knees at the ends of the mat (left and right) so your toes point inward, and you also tuck your tail bone, which goes against the natural pushup as your back is no longer neutral. You keep your eyes pointed forward as well, unlike pushups where you turn your gaze downward (well, at least I do that haha). You can do this on your knees or toes as well. From there you go into to what I heard as "sea salt" but was probably "see-saw" series. In this move, you hover your foot over the other in a pushup start position, than lift that leg high up and keep your arms as straight as possible, kind of like a yoga pose. Oh, and you do this in "stiletto" which means the toe with the weight on it should be pointing as if on...a stiletto! This was a pretty tough move! The next move was a tricep pushup where the arms come closer together and the elbows are supposed to head towards the back of the room. I was generally no bueno in this move. Then another set of pushups.

Finally, we started with the bands, and I was super confident that I would rock that shit out. Even though she said gloves were required for band classes with 101's the only exclusion to this rule, I figured that since I have been lifting, I would be just fine. NO. Not just fine. LOL.

This is the set of bands and the way she (the creator of Lithe) is holding them is with a thumb and finger grib, not with all of the fingers.

This makes it SERIOUSLY tough.

The instructor warned that the hands might cramp up without gloves, but again, I was positive I would be fine. My hands cramped up within maybe three minutes. It was insane.

We did some moves in squat positions with tailbones tucked and untucked (this looks obscene LOL) and then some cardio cheer moves with jumping and moving our arms. I actually loved the cheer parts and think they would be a great way to get the blood pumping. But gloves are definitely a must for that. It is also sometimes hard to follow and welll...I am no cheerleader, although it is fun to pretend.

We finished out the class at the barre, and I positioned myself next to an unnaturally endowed redhead for some crazy leg lift work as well as lunges and squats. This kind of class would probably kill me, but be very effective.

Overall, I think it's a step up from Barre 3. More high paced, a cooler vibe and probably addicting. I was certainly sweating but pleased at the end.  I'm kind of glad the commute makes regular classes impossible, but I wouldn't mind taking a class every other week, although they encourage three classes a week (they would lol). 

Oh, and the location is pretty awesome and close to Walnut Street, which I love to visit. 

I jetted over to Lululemon while my husband finished up some business. I wanted to find as many things on my "maybe" list as possible before he got there. My goal was to not reveal to him exactly how much I was bringing into the dressing room. I succeeded! 

The first thing I beelined for were the Ebb to Street pants. There were a few people congregating by them already and that does not surprise me--they are mostly sold out completely online.  They were absolutely gorgeous in plum and inkwell, but my size was not available so I sized down to the second size I can wear. 

I walked by the Scuba hoodies which I had never seen in person. They had the midnight iris print and the angel wing slalom stripe, both sold out online. I was not impressed. They felt kind of cheap and rigid. I will probably be passing on Scubas indefinitely which is ok. One less thing to desire is good with me. They kind of remind me of something sold in a Billabong or Pac-Sun. Youngish somehow. No offense to those who love them of course. I prefer the Nice Asana, although they are rather basic zip-ups. Forme still wins over all.

Made my way around the store, overwhelmed with all the stuff I was finally seeing in person! It was nice to get that hand feel. Some things I had loved online, I did not love so much in person. The midnight iris print, especially. Some of the pieces in MI are just so...shiny. 

I didn't find or remember to look for the Trouser Pants, but did come across the CYB, the CRB (angel and hyper stripe black) and Wunder Under Power Luxtreme crops.  I also picked up the Scoop Neck in a ziggy print, the Skinny Wills in herringbone (everyone wants these) and ziggy and...I think that's it. I didn't find the Run for your Life in plum, or the "superhero" pants as my hubby calls them. Also asked about the newly marked down Liberate tank in fresh teal, which they didn't have either. Didn't remember to check out the Formes in person. Probably for the best!

Now for the results: I thankfully passed on mostly everything!  The Skinny Wills looked terrible on me, as expected. I didn't even bother to try on the herringbone. Sure, they are comfortable, but the fabric is just not for me. Patterns on my lower half are especially not for me.

The Wunder Under power luxtremes are actually really wonderful, but since I just bought a pair of Speed tights, Run Inspires and a used pair of Yoga Smoga crops, I figured I was stocked up for at least half a year. Really nice though, and not at all see through. Fit about the same as my Yoga Smogas actually, with a nicer material. Sorry yoga smoga hahahah. I just love typing that brand name.

The C.Y.B. was also a pass. Back fat as expected, sadly. The color was pretty but washed me out. This is still a goal top of mine. Would love to be able to wear this and show of a back with no fat.

   

The CRB's....Ok. I do get it. The have a nice feel to them. A great length. Simple, classic and to the point. They apparently hold up quite well, so I can see this top being a staple in all kinds of seasons. I just can't commit to them for now. I loved the colors I tried on, and even layered both. Looked cute enough. Maybe someday.

The Scoop Neck was also not as matronly as I thought, I just got it in the wrong size as the built in bra was very tight in my ribs. I think it would have been a keeper in a size up. I do love the print. This kind of flattened my boobs too, but again, might have been a sizing issue. I almost walked out with this one, truth be told, but the fabric was kind of light and not compressive. That's not terrible but for a tight tank top, I like a little compression or for it to be slightly flared and more skimming. 

    

 Credit goes to lulumum.blogspot.ca! 

Eventually my husband showed up and started pacing outside the dressing room, asking me if I was done. I had one last top to try on, and I considered ignoring it and changing back into my clothes. But, it called to me. It was a beautiful light color, and something I really admired online. 

What did I walk out with at the last minute?

The No Limit Tank in blue moon/ ziggy. I LOVE it. So flattering!

  

I'm in love with a tank top!

I'm so glad I didn't love anything else. Praise be to fat thighs!

We enjoyed the beautiful day with a nice walk and had a wonderful lunch at Morimoto. I splurged on my own order of rock shrimp tempura that comes with amazing aioli sauce and we shared some delicious sauteed mushrooms. In the past, I would have added two rolls of sushi to my lunch, but not this time. We finished off with pumpkin ice cream with marshmallow swirl. The first bite was shockingly pumpkin-y. Almost as if eating a canned pumpkin pie filling. But with each bite, I fell more in lust with this ice cream. It was a sexy situation.

We got back to the office to find our second entrance door locked, keeping us from getting inside. I tried to kick in the door as they do on TV. I guess my legs aren't strong enough :(. But, my husband tried as well and no go either, so..TV IS A LIE. He began chipping away at the door frame with two screwdrivers (!!!) and making a terrible amount of noise. I decided to look up how to unlock a door on the internet in the meanwhile and found a credit card jimmy trick with illustrations. Pulled out an old T.J. Maxx card and went to down, wiggling the door handle around while my husband discouraged my efforts. Finally, I felt the door jab give.

It worked! I felt like a super spy. And I left my husband scratching his head, too. He insisted he had helped with his technique, but I truly feel we would have been there forever had I not been so damn practical.

 Just call me Bond. Julia Bond.