This morning was a sad one.
I took my final BodyPump class in Orlando. 
Since we’re hoping to move all of our stuff into storage in Ocala tomorrow and be out of our apartment on Friday, I won’t be taking another BodyPump class while I’m here and that makes me one sad little camper.
I fell in love with BodyPump back in 2008 when my boss at the Orlando Museum of Art encouraged me to try a class. I wasn’t sure what to expect and had no idea that a group exercise strength class could totally rock my whole body and target every muscle group in a fun, upbeat environment.
It was love at first class for me and I’ve been hooked ever since. A quick glance at my Daily Workout Log and you’ll see BodyPump class after BodyPump class pop up.
I love that the class takes all the thought and planning out of a workout and makes me totally feel the burn every single time. It’s motivational, intense and fun.
Rather than focus on how bummed I am that BodyPump will no longer be a part of my regular workout routine, I’m trying to see this as an opportunity to get more creative in the gym and try some new workouts. I’m actually pretty excited to do some research into new weightlifting moves, strength training routines and circuit-style workouts.
It’s good to surprise your body and change things up and now that I can no longer lean on my BodyPump crutch, it’s time to get a little funky in the gym!
Breakfast
After the gym and a walk around the lake near our apartment with Ryan and Sadie, it was time to put my Vitamix to good use and blend up a smoothie.
Today’s smoothie flavor strawberry banana!
In the mix:
- 1 1/4 c. almond milk
- 1 c. frozen strawberries
- 1 frozen bananas
- 1/2 c. strawberry banana yogurt
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
The strawberry banana combination is an oldie but a goodie!
And now I must wish a very special woman a very happy birthday…
Happy Birthday to…
To the kindest woman (and person!) I know
To the most loving mother and most caring wife
To the woman who can get a stain out of anything
To the mother-in-law who makes her son-in-law a homemade Oreo ice cream cake for his birthday
To the nurse whose soothing voice makes me feel better than any medicine
To the woman who battled breast cancer with optimism and strength
To the faithful woman who lives her life in a way I can only hope to emulate
To the confidant who will listen to me cry and offer support without question
To the space-loving woman who texts me to let me know about every shuttle launch and meteor shower
To the selfless woman who always puts the needs of others before her own
To the doggie grandmama whose house is always stocked with chicken jerky just for her granddog
To my mom!
I love you, Mama! Happy Birthday!
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You’re going to make your beautiful mom cry with that post! So sweet 🙂
And WOW, I can’t believe your new adventure begins this weekend- so exciting!
Happy Birthday to your mom!!!! I am really close to my mom, and I can see yours means the world to you as well! Have a great day Julie!
Aww, what a beautiful birthday tribute to your mom. Happy Birthday to her!!
Best of luck with all of the moving to-dos this weekend. You have such a positive attitude I know you’ll make the best out of any situation!
Happy birthday to your mom!! I’m sorry to hear that you’ve had your last body pump class…I’ve never taken one :(. BUT I love coming up with hard lifting/circuit workouts in the gym!
What a great tribute to your mom – happy birthday to her!
Even though you’ll be missing Body Pump, I’ll selfishly be looking forward to the new workouts you create
Aww happy birthday to your mom! She’s absolutely beautiful 🙂
Aw happy birthday to your sweet momma!! Sorry about Body Pump but I bet you will find other ways of incorporating strength training that you love just as much 🙂
Happy Birthday to your mom! Today is my husband’s birthday too! Great birthday to have!
Your smoothie looks so good, love the vitamix!
xo
I did not know your mother was a breast cancer survivor! I am doing the Susan G. Koman 3-day for a cure this weekend in Boston -where I will be walking 60 miles over 3 days. I will keep your mother and your family in my thoughts each step of the way! 🙂
thank you so much! i really want to do that walk myself someday! good luck to you this weekend. 🙂
Aww, you ended on such a happy, sweet note.
Save (moving) travels to you!
Aaw Happy Birthday to your mom! What a great post to honor her on her special day!
Aww, that was a beautiful tribute to your mom. Happy Birthday to her!
I also love BodyPump and I am not sure what I would do without it. I almost consider it the lazy strength training workout, not because I feel lazy, but because I don’t really have to think about the moves and can just follow the instructor! That’s what I like about it though. I really do feel like all I have to do is show up.
Good luck with your new workout endeavors! 🙂
Awww! Well, as for the body pump class…when you are missing it just TOO much you can come to my Apopka gym at 10am M, W, F, I’ll be there! It’s probably an hour or so drive for you, but might be worth it :D.
Speaking of which, somehow your gym is like a month ahead of ours! I don’t have the new release yet but looking forward to some throwback songs :D. Have a safe move!
haha i’ll definitely keep that in mind!
Sorry to hear it was your last Body Pump class, Julie! I know how much you enjoy it. Maybe if you inform the new gym about the class they’ll start having it?
Also, Happy Birthday to your Mom! She sounds like a great person! 😀
Happy Bday!!
I’m sure you’ll miss Bodypump! Unfortunately I don’t have it with my gym either and it sucks:(
Thank god you have a man who knows a thing or two about weight lifting;)
Good luck with the move!
I’m so wanting to try a Body Pump class, ever since I heard about it from you! I really hope you look into getting certified and possibly teaching it at your new gym — I think that would be so awesome.
Happy birthday to your mom! 🙂
Aaah…Happy birthday to your mum! <3 Wishing her a wonderful day full of love and laughter 🙂
I'm sorry so you're going to have to leave behind body pump…I know it must suck because you love it so much. I miss practising yoga in studios, because we moved somewhere that has none. But I still practice with some amazing DVDs and CDs, so have learned to make it through and get creative 🙂 Ryan is a weights genius so maybe he can give you a few workouts? 😉
Your smoothie looks absolutely glorious, I love how thick and gloopy it is! Like an ice-cream thickie…but healthy! xyx
Happy Birthday to your mom.
The words you write about your family are always so beautiful. You can really feel the love just reading about your family.
Awww, what a great post!
Happy Birthday to your Mom!!
Oh no! I hope you find a strength group workout class that replaces BodyPump 🙁
And happy birthday to your mom! She sounds like a great woman.
Another touching birthday post. Happy birthday to your mom! 🙂
Happy Birthday Julie’s mom!!!! 🙂 Hope she has a wonderful day, reading this will make it a good one for sure!
…Last body pump? Bummer. You’ll get creative with your new working out resources and all will be well!
Awwww Happy Birthday to your mom! She seems like a wonderful woman!
And I am sad for ya too….I <3 pump! But you'll find something great to go on now that you don't have it. You have a great attitude about it all, Julie!
P.s. Don't forget to look into being an instructor….changed my life, in a very VERY good way 🙂 And you'd be great at it!
How sweet! A very happy birthday to your mom!
Awww happy birthday to your mom!!! I hope she has a wonderful day – she certainly sounds like she deserves it!! 🙂
And I agree on the opportunity to try other workouts – it’s always good to keep your body guessing!
I love your white and floral dress! 🙂 your smoothie looks great! So sad about body pump. 🙁
That is so sweet!!! Happy Birthday to Julie’s mom! 😉
Happy Birthday to your Mom! I loved what you wrote about her — she is such a special lady!
Aw, this is such a sweet post! Happy Birthday to your mom! I hope she has a wonderful day! 🙂
Happy Birthday to the PBF Mama!!
happy birthday, pbf mom!
I am moving to a new city in August and one of the things I am most sad about is leaving my gym – because of Body Pump! I will be so sad without it, so I feel your pain!
Happy birthday to your sweet Mom! 🙂
i feel ya! i LOVE my gym. 🙁 i’m gonna miss it like crazy!
Thank you for all the dog pics yesterday. I am starting to blog and all of your advice is great. I wish I had a cute dog like Sadie. What a winner. She should win the Dog of the Blog award.
It’s my mom’s birthday today too!
Since I started reading your blog, I have been searching for Body Pump classes near me. Unfortunately, my gym does not offer them so I might have to find a dance or yoga studio that has drop in classes instead. Sad that you will have to miss out on something you enjoyed so much. Good luck with the packing and moving this week.
Aw sweet tribute to your mom! There is no BodyPump by me and it is sad 🙁 We do have Zumba though which I adore! It’s so fun and a great workout!
I feel ya, Julie! I’m moving soon and will have to quit my kettlebells class..ugh. I guess Ill have to switch it up also. I love your attitude! Ps happy birthday to your mamma!
Happy birthday to your mom!
Also I just got a Tervis tumbler yesterday and I can’t wait for it to get here!
oooh i love tervis tumblers!!!
Well, you know I will happily take you on as a client when I get certified for personal training and start up hopefully by 2012! 😉
I love body pump too! If I’m feeling bored with regular weight training I always turn to body pump. A little variety in your strength training will be great though so good luck! Also nice tribute to your mom!! Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to your mom! That was such an adorable tribute =)
I use to be a Body Pump junkie, but then my schedule changed and I started lifting on my own instead. I see a HUGE change in my body since I started my own lifting sessions. Now I love lifting on my own and I only go to Pump if I am totally lacking motivation. I love lifting with the boys and not feeling insecure!
Happy Birthday to your mama!! Too bad you won’t have BodyPump anymore. Maybe your gym will offer something similar? My gym doesn’t offer BodyPump, but they offer something called Muscle Max which is VERY similar and my favorite class.
that’s what i’m hoping!
A beautiful post! Happy Birthday to your momma – who from the sounds of it, raised a pretty fantastic daughter! Have a great day Julie!
If you are looking for some new strength moves, the book “Women’s Health Big Book of Exercises” is awesome! It has an endless amount of exercises for every single body part. The best part is that it shows different variations of each move, whether you are using a barbell, dumbbells, ball, or your own bodyweight. It tells you how to create your own workouts and it has some workout plans already created that you can follow. I LOVE it. It has given me so many ideas for working my entire body.
I love this book, it really helped me get into and improve upon my strength training! I recommend this to anyone looking for something new.
Wishing your Mom a wonderful birthday! What a sweet post about her!
Happy Birthday to your mummy! I don’t have any classes at my current gym (as the nice gyms in San Francisco are $$$) so I’ve had to be creative with weight training and it’s not been too bad… Have you read the New Rules of Lifting for Women? It’s a pretty good resource that might give you some alternative routines.
Aww I went without body pump for a year, it was tough, but fun to try new things!
Happy Birthday to your Momma!! 🙂
It’s my mom’s birthday today too! I hope they both have a wonderful day 🙂
Good luck with the move and getting settled into your new home. Moving is always a challenge and never much fun but try to remind yourself of all the new experiences your future holds, like living in a house without mice, haha!