• Review,  The Dailey Method,  Working On My Fitness

    Dailey Method Interval Class: Icing On The Cake!

    I guess “icing on the cake” is probably not the best choice of words in the case of a fitness-focused post, but that’s how it feels and it’s my blog so we’re going with it. You all already know how I loudly exclaim on a regular basis (on Facebook, on the phone, on Twitter, in person, and even to total strangers) how much The Dailey Method has changed my life. I have written about TDM workouts so many times that I finally created a landing page for all of the posts (See the link at the very top of this page?) for any of you who might be curious. After…

  • Amazing People,  Best Thing Ever,  Blessings,  My Friends Have Mad Skillz,  Working On My Fitness,  Zumba

    Zumba-versary

    The first time I ever took a Zumba class, it was at a fitness conference called Midwest Mania. I loved it so much that I came home and immediately looked up a local instructor on their website so I could try a class close to home. I took the class, and was officially hooked. I have always loved to dance. I still do: I have a dance floor radar and if I sense one is nearby, I make a beeline for it. I am *that* woman who is out there for any group dance at a wedding or Bar Mitzvah reception. I am a quintuple threat (1. Cha Cha Slide,…

  • How To,  The Dailey Method,  Working On My Fitness

    Get Moving!

    As everyone knows, January is the month in which people make New Year’s resolutions. I don’t have numbers (and am too lazy to look them up), but the majority of people fail after a short attempt at trying to make changes: that’s why the health clubs are packed to the gills from the first of January until about February fifteenth. On February sixteenth, all of us gym rats get the place to ourselves again, like clockwork. If you have a resolution to work on your fitness this year, I’ve got some suggestions for you. 1. Make small goals. If you’re starting a brand-new exercise program, it would be silly and…

  • Review,  The Dailey Method,  Working On My Fitness

    Dailey Method Definitely Daily.

    It’s been a little more than six months since I started working out at The Dailey Method and figured that a January update would be a good idea. (By the way, if you want to read the other posts I’ve written about TDM, you can search “Dailey Method” where it says “Find it!” at the bottom of the sidebar on the far right.) I have been taking classes seven days per week for a while now (WOW, I KNOW!!!) and I can’t emphasize enough that The Dailey Method is not something one masters: it’s a practice. Some days I feel on top of the world and get through the class…

  • Food,  Fun in Chicago,  Something That Could Change Your Life,  Working On My Fitness

    Coca-Cola Balanced Living Workshop–A-ha Moments!

    I was compensated for my participation in Coca-Cola’s Balanced Living Workshop, but my thoughts and views are my own. So, I’m back. It probably won’t surprise you to learn that when I was telling people that I was going to a Balanced Living Workshop about health and wellness that was hosted by Coca-Cola, I got a lot of the following: “Huh?” “Coca-Cola? RIGHT.” “hahahahahaha!” The fact is, not only does Coca-Cola have so many brands–including lots of no- and low-calorie drinks–that I would rather link to them than list them here, but they also have some great initiatives that make it easier for people to enjoy healthier servings of their…

  • I've Got Mad Skillz,  The Dailey Method,  Working On My Fitness

    Apparently I Wasn’t Meant To Take The Easy Way Out.

    Something interesting happened on Saturday. It was my fourteenth day in a row of working out at The Dailey Method (Go, me!) and I was looking forward to taking the basic class (they call it “Principles”) because on Friday I took the advanced class (they call it “Dailey Deeper”). When I was on the computer setting up my class reservations, my thought was that after not having a day off in so long AND taking the advanced class on Friday, I would dial it back a notch on Saturday. When I walked into the studio I stopped at the desk to sign in for my Principles class and noticed that…

  • Confessions,  Fun in Chicago,  Something That Could Change Your Life,  Working On My Fitness

    If You Need Me, I’ll Be Learning How To Live With More Balance at Coca Cola’s Balanced Living Workshop…

    I was compensated for my participation in Coca-Cola’s Balanced Living Workshop, but my thoughts and views are my own. I am constantly trying to search for balance in my life; if you’re a regular here, you already know that. I’m constantly juggling a bunch of different projects, my workouts and my family stuff, all while trying to weave a bunch of fun in there somewhere. (Making room for fun, I admit, is something at which I excel. Go figure.) Sometimes though, it’s important to get serious. Being a mom in my forties, I am busier than ever but also finally coming to the realization that taking care of myself really…

  • Family Fun,  My Kid Has Mad Skillz,  Too Funny To Ignore,  Working On My Fitness

    As Good As It Was, The Conversation Ended Pretty Much How It Started.

    The enjoyment of weight training workouts is something seventeen-year-old J and I have in common. When he was playing midfield in lacrosse a couple of years ago he discovered that adding resistance training on top of his practices made him stronger, of course, and his game improved. For the last two years he has chosen a weight training unit in gym class as much as is allowed, skipping over other units like basketball, soccer, and other sports, and on school breaks he’ll use the Bowflex we have in the basement. I have always (well, since I started working out twenty years ago) enjoyed feeling strong and having some tone in…

  • Blessings,  Review,  The Dailey Method,  Uncategorized,  Working On My Fitness

    Happy 5th Anniversary, The Dailey Method Naperville!

    If you’re been reading Suburban Scrawl over the past four months, you probably already know that I fell head-over-heels in love this summer with The Dailey Method workout. (My most recent update post is HERE.) I am not kidding you when I say that The Dailey Method (specifically the Naperville location) has changed my life. In four months. (Less, actually, because I felt the life change in the first thirty days!) Between the workouts that challenge me dailEy (

  • Music,  Random Thoughts,  Something That Could Change Your Life,  Working On My Fitness

    Retired.

    I have been alluding to some changes as of late, and one of them happens today. This evening I will be teaching my last spin class, ever. I have been thinking about retiring for months now (after teaching for more than nine years!) for many reasons. Just a few of them are: 1. The reason I started teaching in the first place was because I loved taking group fitness classes and thought A) I’d be good at teaching and B) Why not get paid to do something I really enjoy, but once I started teaching I mostly stopped TAKING classes and as I got further from that part of it,…