Fire and Fury: An Evening with Michael Wolff and Armando Iannucci

It’s almost impossible to avoid hearing about Donald Trump’s latest exploits via rolling news headlines every day, but until now, I hadn’t read any books detailing the whole sorry saga of the Trump administration to date. However, ‘Fire and Fury: … Continue reading →

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The Best Workout for Pisces!

Happy Pisces season!

I’m so excited to share with you the perfect workout routine for my Pisces POPsters! You are so selfless and always willing to help others others, so this workout is designed to bring you some well deserved “you time.” I created a Hip Hop Yoga Flow that will allow you to get in tune with your emotions and have a cathartic sweat session.

Your sweat horoscope:

You’re easygoing and don’t usually love a super strenuous activity because it sometimes leaves you strained instead of refreshed – but that doesn’t mean you don’t like a solid workout. Because you’re a fluid water sign who loves to shape-shift, your best exercise will be part dancey and part flexy. Your best workout will be Hip Hop Yoga! Put on your fave song and move to the music with this invigorating yoga flow!

This is a base flow that you can totally make your own. Go through it once at your own pace and see what feels good. If you like something, hold it longer! If you don’t like something, switch it out or something else! This workout is yours. Don’t forget to do both sides.

First begin in down dog, then flow into a plank…

From that plank position, come up into an upward dog…

Then give me a slow and controlled pushup with elbows by your sides…

And then come back into down dog for a nice stretch…

Hold there and then raise your left leg up – point your toes!

Then bring the left leg forward and prepare to come into a crescent lunge…

Then hold your hands up, stay in a low lunge, then drop your right knee a few times…

Then slowly balance yourself on your left leg, extend out into warrior 3 and curl it in…

Finally end in a chair! When you’re ready, begin again on the other side!

You can get this plus all my other pins on Pinterest! Hope you enjoyed the workout. Let me know in the comments below what your sign is!

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My 2018 so far

Hey guys!

I finally just found a moment to breathe. So that means I get to blog! It’s been a really intense start to 2018. And yes…I know that Jan 1 was like 7 weeks ago, but feel like I hit the ground sprinting and then never stopped to take a break until literally today.

So…what do we need to catch up on? Ahh yes, let’s actually start in December real quick because that’s when things started getting super crazy!

#1. THE FILMING OF THE PERFECT STORM

So in December was when we filmed The Perfect Storm: The Evolution of POP Pilates. It took months of planning, producing, casting, storyboarding, choreographing – I mean the whole shebang. This was the biggest production I’ve ever spearheaded out of my own pocket and I am really proud of how it came out.

For 2 years I wanted to create a video that would show you guys what POP Pilates truly meant to me…how it’s changed the way I see the world and how I view fitness.

One of the main elements of the video is of course…the song! Did you know that it was written for POP Pilates? For a while I was looking for someone to help me write and produce a song about breaking boundaries and not being afraid.

Our good friends and music masterminds Sam Tsui and Casey Breves offered to create this special song for us after we had one of our first dinners together. I was so star struck at the moment that I didn’t believe what they were actually going to do it. But lo and behold, 3 days later I get an email from Sam with the song attached. I was like…WHAT. IS. LIFE!

That was about 2 years ago. And it wasn’t until this past December that we were finally able to finalize the vision and make it happen!

I am so happy with the way the music video turned out! I hope you FEEL everything I am feeling throughout the story. I once felt like fitness was a black & white scary world but then realized that if you’re not afraid to be different and break rules, your potential is totally in your hands. POP Pilates is magical to me and I’m so thankful for each and every one of you who continue to do it every day!

#2. THE ENGAGEMENT DINNER HAPPENED

This was long overdue but the engagement dinner finally happened! It was small and intimate with members from both sides of the families getting to know each other better.

Also update on the wedding venue…we just signed the contract for our venue!! It’s happening!!! AHHH!!! The wedding will be this coming October. OMG it’s time to GO HARD with the planning! I will keep you posted on everything!

#3. I GOT OLDER AND A LITTLE WISER

On Jan 16th, I turned 1 year older! And for that I will give you 1 bit of wisdom.

Stand up for yourself. I know it sounds simple, but I used to be the type of person who would sacrifice myself so that I could avoid confrontation. Sometimes that’s fine for the small battles, but for the big ones, you’ve got to let people know how you feel or else the problem will persist. If you’re not willing to speak up and face the problem head on, then you’ve got to walk away confidently and leave it all behind and out of your life for good.

#4. POPFLEX ATTENDED A TRADE SHOW IN NYC CUZ…

We’re coming out with a new collection soon! YES! Remember those colors you guys were voting between on @popflex_active?

Well the votes were so intense on both sides that we decided to do…BOTH COLORS! Yup :)

So you’re probably wondering when we’re releasing right? All I can say is that our photoshoot is early March, so hopefully by early Spring!

#5. SAM TURNED A YEAR OLDER!

We went to Cabo for Sam‘s birthday and had some random adventures! It was my first time in Mexico! I had so many tacos and so many chips with salsa – it was insane.

I just asked Sam for a piece of wisdom that he would like to share with you guys and he says, “Take the chances you get because you only get one life.”

#6. I WAS ON THE TODAY SHOW!!?

Right when I got back from Cabo I flew back to NYC because I was invited to be on the Today Show! I got to meet Kathie Lee and Hoda and also instruct a bunch of people on how to do some of my fave PIIT28 moves!

It was such a cool opportunity! Oh yeah, and that shirt I’m wearing? That’s a part of the new collection! Sneak peek!

#7. WE GOT A PUPPY!

Yup guys. IT HAPPENED!!!! Sam and I got a PUPPY!!!! WHAT!!!!! You guys I cannot even believe it right now. I’ve wanted this for so long and I never ever thought it was going to happen. But when I saw his deep black boba eyes and felt his soft mochi pad paws, I knew he was the one.

Meet Sir George the Magnificent! He is a pomapoo!

I never thought I could love a creature this much but I feel like I’ve unlocked another level of love – something I didn’t even know existed. It’s so weird because I hate everything poo related, but I find myself not being too bothered when I wipe dingleberries off his butt or pick up his poo. Maternal instincts I guess?

I can’t wait to share with you my journey as a puppy parent! If you want to follow along, check our Sir George’s Instagram at @sirgeorgethemagnificent.

Alright guys, that’s enough updates for now! Question for you – do you like informational blog posts or more personal ones? I want to get back to blogging more and would love to know the type of content you really want to read!

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The Accident on the A35 by Graeme Macrae Burnet

‘The Accident on the A35’ by Graeme Macrae Burnet sees the return of Inspector Georges Gorski who featured in The Disappearance of Adèle Bedeau. His latest case in the sleepy French town of Saint-Louis in Alsace involves the circumstances surrounding a … Continue reading →

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The Golden Man Booker Prize

2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the Man Booker Prize and the organisers have launched a one-off prize to celebrate the best of the winning novels to date. Five writers and poets will be choosing what they consider to be … Continue reading →

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I feel so fake.

Fake. I’m beginning to feel so fake. Wearing red lipstick, holding these roses, and pretending like the thorns on these stems don’t hurt my hands. Why? Because I know that holiday photos like Valentine’s Day pics will get a lot of likes on Instagram.

Ughhhh. Listen to me. I’m playing a game, I know it, I don’t like it and yet I’m STILL doing it!

You guys wanna hear the truth??? The truth is…Sam didn’t buy me these flowers. I bought these flowers for myself from Whole Foods for $19.99 (got a coupon for $5 off), forced Sam to drive all over our neighborhood to find a random spot to take this pic, and then we got in a fight along the way because he said that all I ever do is worry about taking pics for IG.

I was mad. Mad because he was right. Mad because I let the pressures of Instagram control me. Mad because I felt like…I still had to do it. Sigh.

Sometimes I feel like Instagram imprisons me to keep creating pretty content just for likes and comments – instead of creating content that matters to me. Sometimes I just want to write but I don’t have an accompanying photo…so I don’t write at all. Sometimes the stuff that matters to me most get the least likes. Sometimes the stuff that matters to me least gets the most likes.

Sometimes, I just don’t want to live for likes. I just want to live for me.

So, last night the real me didn’t want to go to a fancy dinner. The real me didn’t need roses to validate our love. Sam and I choose to stay in. We wore retro sweats and matching avocado shorts. We Postmated some Memphis BBQ with collard greens and creamed spinach. Our dinner left us with BBQ sauce under our fingernails and smothered around our lips. It may be not have been “instagrammable” but it sure was REAL.

And real feels so nice.

 

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Larry’s Party by Carol Shields

Winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction in 1998, ‘Larry’s Party’ is the third book I have read by Carol Shields. I read ‘Unless’ a couple of years ago but didn’t love it, didn’t review it and now can’t really … Continue reading →

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The Wellcome Book Prize Longlist 2018

This year’s Wellcome Book Prize longlist has been announced today. The twelve books are: Stay With Me by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister’s Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine by Lindsey Fitzharris In Pursuit of … Continue reading →

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Do the CHA CHA SLIDE! Fitness style!?

Hey guys!

I just released one of the most fun dance warmups I’ve ever taught! You know the Cha Cha Slide? The song the DJ plays at every party? Well I thought it’d be fun to do a fitness version that turns every lyric into an exercise move!

KEY:

Clap your hands = Plie Squat Clapping Combo 

Slide to the left = Side Lunge L

Slide to the right = Side Lunge R

Take it back now y’all = Plie Squat 3 Walks 

Back One hop this time = Jumping Jack

Right foot lets stomp = Forward Stepping 

Lunge R Left foot lets stomp = Forward 

Stepping Lunge L Cha cha real smooth = Cha Cha Cha

Hands on your knees= Squat Reach

Reverse= Disco Roll fwd and back

Invite your friends to try this with you…and PRACTICE. You know why?

Because I want you to try it live! POP Pilates is hosting a super fun POP Throwback Party with 24 Hour Fitness all over the US this month! This means you can head into your local 24 Hour Fitness on Saturday February 24th and take a POP Pilates class for FREE – and show off everything you learned in this video! It will be your first number!

If you want to see if your local 24 Hour Fitness is hosting a POP Throwback Party, just click here, type in your zip code, and find a POP Pilates Class scheduled on 2/24. If you see one, that’s a POP Throwback Party! There will be free POP scrunchies and POP chokers for those that come early! They are really cute…FYI…

Also, you may spot me and some of our POP Army instructors in the in-club posters wearing the costumes you see in the video! Hehehehe – so cool! I still can’t believe it sometimes.

Anyway, let me know what you think of the fitness version of the Cha Cha Slide!

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Cold Earth by Sarah Moss

I have really enjoyed all of the books by Sarah Moss I have read to date and I recently read her 2009 debut novel ‘Cold Earth’. It follows a team of six archaeologists and academics who travel to western Greenland … Continue reading →

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Feel Free by Zadie Smith

‘Feel Free’ is a new collection of over thirty essays, reviews and interviews by Zadie Smith divided into five sections. The first and last of these, ‘In the World’ and ‘Feel Free’, cover current events and some autobiographical “life writing”, … Continue reading →

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February 2018 Workout Calendar!

Hey guys!

HAPPY FEBRUARY! I am writing to you from Cabo! We’re here for Sam’s bday. It’s supposed to be a vacation but turns out the blog is having an emergency! Looks like the calendar feature on the website is oddly malfunctioning! I am soooooo sorry about that…technical stuff ya know!? Working with our developer right now to fix it.

In the mean time, if you want to download and print the Feb 2018 Workout Calendar, here it is!

Click to download

If you guys see other bugs or weird things on the site, please tell me! Together we can iron out all the kinks on the blog soon enough. I really want this to be a comfortable home base for all of us!

K, gonna go eat a taco now and will check back with you again!

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