THE MARTUCCI MANEUVER & OTHER WACKY WORKOUT TECHNIQUES!

FITNESS FRIDAY RULE #1: Exercises are like Bar Drinks -- You can embellish them and then call them whatever you want.

Even though I have been terribly lazy about updating my blog on my Friday segment aka "FITNESS FRIDAYS", that doesn't mean I have been slacking when it comes to working out with Ms. Goff Ellis (or is it Ellis Goff?) Ang and I have been hitting Royal Fitness in Bethesda at least twice a week. And Bernard, our personal trainer? He's been making us hit the floor and giving him 10 at the beginning of each work out! (Granted, when Angie took off about 3 weeks for wedding stuff, the marriage, and honeymoon, I pretended I was their 3rd wheel and took off from the gym too.) But now we're back into the swing of things and we are starting to have more fuN in the old workout.

Bernard likes to put us through "routines", if you will. The first one we ever did was the Bavarian Dead Lift Shuffle. I won't try to explain it here, but trust me when I tell you (a phrase from my beloved former anchor Andy Mehalshick's mouth at WBRE), Angie and I look like complete WACK-A-DOOs when we do that thing.

Just a few weeks ago, Bernard had us doing this thing where we kept our hands and feet on the floor, bent over, and we would have to walk our hands out in front of us and then after that have our legs walk back up to our hands, pausing to get a good stretch up our hamstrings. I (foolishly) suggested "Bernard, why don't you maximize the exercise and throw in a push up at the bottom?" to which Bernard agreed. My prize? I get extra firm pecs and a new exercise named after me: The Martucci Maneuver. Here is the video below (deep breath for me -- it ain't flattering -- special thanks to Angie for trying to shoot it the best way possible!)




Next up? Bernard shows us Corkscrew Hip Extensions! This works your abs and obliques. (Personally I think anyone doing this looks like a bug getting squashed.) Have a LQQK...

While I have been working out because I want to have a healthy lifestyle, I'd be lying if I failed to tell you that I have a fear of going wedding dress shopping. I want to slim down some before I even set my foot inside "Hitched" in Georgetown (my BFF, Angie, scoped it out for me...) Speaking of wedding stuff, please look at my poll on the top right of my blog and tell me what I should write about in my next "Wedding Watch" blog update. Vote for one of the choices or send me your own comment with what you want to hear about...

I'm off to the Lyndall Stout Baby Shower next! Remember that? Well the weekend has come and it's up to me, and gal pal Diane Lee, to pull it off. Thank you to all who have sent in their ideas...I'll be sure to update you over the weekend!

WHERE IS BUBBLES? WHO'S THIS NEW DOG AT THE GYM?

Time to check in with one of my cats: Bubbles. She went MIA on me the other day. Of the two cats, Bubbles wears a bell. I like that. It makes it easier to locate her (at least if she's moving.) But things were a wee too silent the other day. You know what parents will say? If it is quiet when their kids are playing, someone is up to no good. Apply saying to pets. (Okay, maybe not most of the time as cats do tend to sleep 80% of the time or some crazy statistic like that.) Anyway, I searched and searched and searched and then I had that feeling:

I'm being watched.

(The last time this happened, I was living in Boston. First, my mom was visiting and thought Boodie cat got out. All over the neighborhood she searched only to realize Boodie was watching her from the bedroom window. On a different occasion, I was searching high and low and had that "I'm being watched" feeling. Sure enough I looked up and saw some fur in between the basket weave of one of the decorative baskets high upon my kitchen cabinet. Boodie may have felt secure, but her spot had been found.)

So it only came naturally to me, albeit late, to look up. And just who do I find peering down at me from her safe haven above the fridge? Bubbles. She was anchored firmly so as not to disturb her bell.

And to continue the animal theme...

I've been meaning to introduce you to Royal Fitness' new mascot! His name is Buddy and is just about one of the most adorable little dogs on the planet (next to Marty dog that is!) Roya brings her faithful companion to her gym every day. He gets plenty of exercise (I think she said he gets to run about 2 miles...can you imagine THAT on those little bitty legs?) I have some video of Buddy running. Afterwards, he was all too happy to conk out in his little cage in Roya's office -- he wasn't waking up for nobody. SNAUSAGES or otherwise!