Becoming a Roller Blading NuBe - First Launch

Our gang of roller blading NuBes picked a late Sunday afternoon to practice our moves next to Coopers Dog Park. People say the first few steps of a new journey are the hardest (I know, it is cheesy, but is it appropriate!). After I had put my blades on, I was surprised that I could stand up without falling to one side. Not to mention, I was all of sudden 5 inches taller! Then I started moving towards the fence. I felt utterly ridiculous! I was a life size weeble wobble! Good thing I had friends around me that looked equally silly.

We started rolling a little bit. I was really unsure about my technique. I was just moving whichever way the blades were making me move without falling. There were another couple in the same area. The man was teaching his wife how to roller blade too. After watching us struggle a bit, the man decided to give us a few tips. He said many push their blades from side to side to get the traction to move forward. However, the "correction" way was to place one foot in front almost like the navigating foot, the other foot is the pushing foot which should be behind and slightly at an angle.

We tried his way and found it really hard! I was really not sure if his tips were more helpful or more hmmm... not... helpful? I started thinking about it and tried to do it "correctly". However, the more I thought about it the more wobbly I became. I am the type of person if I want to learn something I want to learn it well and learn it correctly. If I don't, it is not worth learning!

I looked Cris and Greg who were both doing well and blading faster! I was very frustrated and didn't understand why I was getting worse. Then Johainah said "Just do whatever you were doing before!" She was absolutely right! Why was I putting so much pressure on myself when this was suppose to be fun!? I wasn't going to be the next roller blading Olympian. I just needed to learn how to move my ass on 8 wheels without falling over. (Remember that Friends episode which Rachel didn't want to go for a run with Phoebe because she was running like a cat in heat.)

For rest of the afternoon we bladed back and forth and really starting to find our balance. Now we just need to learn to stop!

Becoming a Roller Blading NuBe - The Prep

Summer is beautiful here in Vancouver. We are blessed with a really dry spring and early summer so far. Greg and I wanted to get into shape without having to go to the gym everyday. So like always Johainah talked us into joining her for some roller blading. Along the way, we also recruited Cris to join our little roller blading trop! As from Johainah, we were all very very very green at this.

We had to get some good gear to start. We got our blades during a road trip to Seattle at a stored called Big 5 Sporting Goods (Bellingham). Lucky us that most blades were on sale and that made Faye very happy! 20 minutes, I came out with a pair of red hot wheels for about 60 bucks. In Vancouver, new blades from most major sporting goods stores range from 120 to 200 CAD. Later days, we also had to get protection. Cris went to Canadian Tire and got those Coopers protection gear for around 30 CAD which included wrist guard, knee and elbow pads. Not too mention, they were very stylish and very bad ass looking! Yes, I have protection gear envy. Johainah and I ended up getting a set of powder blues from Sports Chek for about the same price.

Now we were suited up, we had to find a good spot to practice for our roller derby future ahead.

We found a great spot to practice next to the Coopers Dog Park. This spot is great because it is a long stretch of flat paved small road with low traffic. The best part is it has fences around it (don't know how long the fences are going to be there for). The fence is great to hold onto if you are feeling shaky as you first put on the blades. There are also benches around if you get tired.

The second spot we found that was great is also not too far from Coopers Dog Park. A block north, is the BC Place parking lot which is empty during most weekends. The lot is great for NuBe bladers because again it is flat and paved. But no fence to act as your safety net.

So far roller blading is a good thing to start doing in the summer, because it is not a big investment and easy to start!

My first Hot Yoga Experience!

Sunday, June 7, 2009

I went to my first bikram's hot yoga class this morning with a good friend of mine. I've been wanting to go but never got around to it. Well, I finally did and it was fantastic. Although really sweaty - we were the first class of the day so the room didn't smell like i've heard it could! After class i felt on top of the world. I signed up for the beginners week special and will be going every morning.

I went to West Coast Yoga in Yaletown. They have a special for beginners where the first week is $15. On the way there, Yaletown Yoga on Homer is advertising your first 2 weeks at $30 and I believe this includes mats! That's a good deal. West Coast Yoga charges $2 a mat unless you sign up for a monthly rental.

Tuesday, June 23

So it's been about 2 weeks since I started Yoga and I've been going most mornings. (I had to miss a few because I was out of town). I ended up staying with West Coast Yoga because their morning timing suits me well. Since I'm partially doing this for weight loss as well as find that I'm going to need to supplement it with a more rigorous workout. Why can't we just lose weight from sweating? I'd be in such good shape if we could! Life isn't that easy I guess - who am I kidding?

I started because my body felt stiff, my back would get sore from just sitting, and I wanted to strengthen my muscles with low impact. In the last two weeks I already feel more nimble. Doing this in the morning keeps me feeling good all day long and my back doesn't hurt as much any more. My feet hurt sometimes during some of the standing balancing poses, but over the past two weeks, I do feel them getting stronger and I'm able to hold a pose longer or take it further. It's fun to face the challenge and see the progress.

I'm also really enjoying the routine of my life now. It keeps me from staying up all night watching tv or YouTube surfing! Instead, I'm in bed with a good book falling asleep and getting the rest my body needs during the week.

Since I find it hard to keep myself motivated sometimes, I have an accountability buddy. We keep each other in check - and the two times I've had to miss out I felt guilty about since I'm actually doing this for me. :) my new mantra "my body's my temple"!

Oops! well it's already past bedtime! early for the young I know - but I feel so much more alive - and I don't fall asleep at work!
Good night for now :)

Welcome to NUBE!

Welcome to NuBe! Our motto is Be Nu, Be Bold! Become a NuBe today!

What is a NuBe? A NuBe is someone who is not afraid to always want to try something NEW. Always wanna try kayaking? Salsa dancing? Sushi/Raw fish? This blog is dedicated to the NuBe-ness in all of us! Greg, Johainah and myself will be posting our NuBe experience along with tips, pictures and video. Happying NuBe-ing!

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