Week #10: Lady With a Mean Punch

One of the things I like to do in my free time is work out. I don’t do it so much to “lose weight” but more as a stress release. Just as Allison Gittings mentioned in her Chameleon blog, I will feel completely unproductive if I don’t get a work out in and will be in a funky mood all day. As many people would experience, the gym can become boring after a while especially after going on the same machines over and over. Working out was especially easy when I lived on campus at Mason because the fitness/acquatic center was literally across from my dorm. I would take pilates classes, run around the circle and then do some cardio at the gym.


Now, my workout routine is a little different. Last January, I signed up for LA Boxing. Boxing was definitely outside of my comfort zone but I wanted to challenge myself and do something completely unexpected. Growing up, I wasn’t involved in sports. Instead, I danced and competed in pageants. So you can imagine how surprised people were when I told them I joined this new gym.

If you’re local to DC, then you’ve heard the commercial with Sarah from Hot 99.5 about “handling your bizz-nass” LOL. It sounded like fun and games at first but not even midway into my first class, I felt like I wanted to die. There were about 30 people, ages 10-40 with a surprising large number of females. Strong, fierce females! The workout lasts an hour and consist of a rigorous warm up, ab and leg exercises, high-energy combination punches and kicks (if you’re in the kickboxing class) and then a cool down session. The next day, I literally (literally!) couldn’t walk. But, even though this workout had caused me so much pain (but a good pain), I became hooked. No pain, no gain, right? It’s an awesome workout for anyone but especially women who like to burn calories and also learn to defend themselves. 

Pro Boxer/Instructor Jennifer Salinas Training Session 

I admit that I’ve been a slacker and haven’t been going as much as I should, especially during the winter months. But, with the sun peaking in, I know it’s time to step it up. Aside from being a great stress relief, one of the things that keep me going when working out, especially in class, is the music. Here are a couple songs from my “Get Ready for Summer” playlist:

**Some songs NSFW**

Gold Rush

I have been battling the idea of blogging for some time now. I am continuously and easily inspired by my blogger friends and fashion/foodie bloggers but have been reluctant to put my words and ideas "out there." So when my Social Media professor informed us that we would have to maintain a blog for class, it seemed like the perfect excuse to finally jump on the bandwagon! 

So what have I been up to?

Well, the Mason Sweetheart Sixteen is over! My boyfriend Steven submitted our photos along with our story, a couple months back (without my knowledge!) in hopes to be chosen as finalists in our alma mater’s contest. As you may recall the exhilaration around Mason making the NCAA Final Four in ’06, the contest was designed to mirror March Madness. Sixteen couples were chosen on January 10th and we were one of them! Dubbed the “PR Dynamos,” the site read the story of how we met in spring of ’08 after co-founding Mason’s first ever student run firm Premier Communication. We were absolutely ecstatic and for the next two weeks, I would be absolutely consumed! We first phoned our families and told them about the contest and then took to Facebook and Twitter to spread the word to our friends. Seeing the votes come in during the first couple of days and getting texts and phone calls for updates was incredibly exciting so you could imagine how thrilled we were to make the “Engaging Eight.” After incessantly urging everyone to vote and checking the site for two weeks, we are pleased to end the contest as part of the “Final Four.” Though we weren’t #1, we’re incredibly grateful for our family, friends, professors and coworkers who voted and also know it will be well deserved for the winning couple. Ultimately, this was a reinforcement of the wonderful people we are blessed to know. Support, or even just the act of caring is one of those intangibles that give us strength, encouragement and the motivation to accomplish great things. And at the end of the day, that is undoubtedly priceless. 

http://sweetheart16.gmu.edu/lagman-smith/