Monthly Archives: January 2013
Putting “Getting Fit and Healthy” into Perspective
An interesting comment at Worlds, sparks some deep thought and a very long blog post…
While I was at the World Championships of Country Western Dance, I pretty much cornered anyone who would listen to me for more than 60 seconds and regaled them with my “plans for the coming year.”
Side note: for those of you who want me to get to the point without my usual “Tony Ramblings” *ahem* Today’s topic is:
“trying to come up with an analogy that accurately encompasses the magnitude of someone’s effort to ‘get fit and healthy'”
But saying it that concisely just sounds way to scholarly for my taste. And it is Borrrring! And way *not fun* and way “too brief”, so back to the ramblings of Tony’s Brain as I set up the picture for you. 🙂
So, at Worlds, I “trapped” lots of people and forced them to watch me make like Tigger as I bounced around in excitement and effused about my plans for the coming year!
Just in case you don’t know who Tigger is watch this video:
This enforced captivity on the part of my listeners at Worlds usually started off with the innocent and alluring sounding statement
“Did you hear my good news? I won a spot on the US DanceSport Team! China here I come!“ then…
Share with folks on the Interwebz :-)
Big D Bash and Pro-Am Line Dance
What the heck is “ProAm Line Dance?”
Hi everybody! Big D Bash is coming up fast. There are only 32 days before the event. Big D Bash is unique on the UCWDC circuit in that it is a “Line Dance only” event. No couples. No ProAm… we’ll almost no ProAm.
There is a little known category of dance competition called “ProAm Line Dance.” Here is how it works:
- You find an instructor (like me).
- You find some friends (optional, but it makes it a lot more fun)
- You and the instructor (and friends?) pick out a line dance and the instructor teaches it to you and/or coaches you. Any line dance at all! Did you catch that? You get to dance any line dance you want to dance!!!!
- You enter the contest. Here’s the “Pro/Am” part:
The instructor dances on the floor in the competition with you! You’re not out there all alone!
So if you get stuck or your mind goes blank, then you have someone to look at other than the other competitors. - You have a great time, you win cool prizes, accolades, applause, you’re invited to be on Oprah and the Tonight show! You become famous and retire and spend your weekends in the French Rivera. (that last bit is still being verified, but it’s what I heard! *wink*)
Basically it is a way for people who are “thinking” of doing line dance to get over that scary leap into the unknown: “Eeeeeeeek, you mean I won’t have a Pro to hang onto? Eeeeeeeeeek!”
We’ll you won’t actually be able to hang onto me, but I’ll be there on the floor with you so I’m your “emergency fallback plan.” *grin*
So, if you’d like to try out line dance competition in a fun, easy, inexpensive way, then give me a shout!
Everybody should line dance — Especially ProAm “Couples” Students !
Line dancing is fun! But, if you need more reasons, let me share. *grin*
Here are some reasons why you should add line dancing competition in addition to your ProAm or Couples competition. Read the rest of this entry
Share with folks on the Interwebz :-)
After a week of drama in Nashville, “New World Champion” sounds pretty good!
Worlds was a Roller Coaster Week
For those who like it brief… First the two big bits of news:
1. My dance partner and I won the Couples Silver II division and we are brand new “World Champions”
2. I won a spot on the US Team to attend the WDSF World DanceSport Games to be held in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in Sept 2013.
Those of course would be a couple of “high spots” on the proverbial roller coaster. I had fun, of course but since when has my life ever been a drama free zone? Hmmmm?
Well, friends, neighbors and all eight of you actually reading this, let me give you the play-by-play. Read the rest of this entry
Share with folks on the Interwebz :-)
Renewed Progress…
Just the Stats, M’am, just the stats…
I renewed my fitness efforts just after Thanksgiving and have continued on track since then. Here are the results so far:
- 7.25 lbs lost
- 5.25 inches lost (chest/hips/waist)
That has been with me doing only two things: (1) being more aware of the foods I eat and making better choices (not perfect, but better) and (2) increasing the amount of exercise that I’ve been doing. Mostly increased dancing as I got ready for Christmas in Dixie and for the World Championships.
Not too shabby a start for 2013! This is my year!
I just hope that I get over this flu bug enough so that I can to to my first day of Ballet Class on Saturday.
See ya on the dance floor!
Share with folks on the Interwebz :-)
The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men…
You will, of course, recognize the reference if not the specific quote. It is a line from from Robert Burns‘ poem “To a Mouse on Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plough.” The line which inspired the title of Steinbeck’s famous novel “Of Mice and Men.”
Now what does all that have to do with little ole me? Well, I had every intention of starting 2013 off on the right foot. I had scheduled a Jenny Craig appointment at Noon on Monday the 7th, my very FIRST day back from Worlds. I had a physical trainer appointment scheduled for tomorrow Thursday, which I’m going to miss. I had not one but two teaches scheduled where I was actually *making* money teaching dance scheduled for Wed and for Thursday, again which I had to cancel.
On the to do list was to give the kitchen, the stove and the fridge a good scouring, all as a kick off to the new year and the first steps on the road to the new transformed me.
<insert dramatic drum roll please> Read the rest of this entry
5-6-7-8 Dancing My Way to a Healthy Me! 