Physical Funness for the Motion Starved

Fit more fun into your fitness while exploring the outdoors.

Tag Archives: the exercise space


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I want to but…

That's Me & Mr. Skinny

Yesterday I read an article about how to keep people interested in your writing. It said that it’s important to let your readers know that you aren’t perfect. Nobody wants to be read about perfect people or people who presume to be perfect. Being perfect doesn’t inspire. It also said to be genuine and let your personality shine through. Thank goodness I thought, lord knows I’m not perfect and trying to hide my personality is like trying to hide my big nose.

After reading the article I did a little self-check. Do I pretend to be a know-it-all? Do I practice what I preach or am I full of shit? I decided that I actually do make an effort to follow my own advice and I think I’m pretty genuine. Last week I encouraged folks to try chia seeds even thought I hadn’t tried them myself, and in truth, I wasn’t in any hurry to do so. After my little self-check I decided I’d better get some chia seeds and have a taste. I’m happy to report that they’re pretty unobtrusive as far as taste goes and they really do expand in liquid so don’t let ‘em sit around in a smoothie or something. You’ll be sorry.

If you follow along, I tend to spout off exercise challenges and routines for you to try. Those I do try before I write them, but in some cases I don’t actually keep them up. Take Kelley’s Ab Challenge from a few months back where I published a photo of my very own abs. My abs looked pretty good at that point and I was working to make them look even better. At the time of the challenge I did keep up my end of the bargain, however since then I’ve slacked off so badly that I had to loosen my belt a notch last night. Can you imagine, a trainer letting such a simple thing as her abs go to chub? It’s beyond shameful!

As for my pushing you to try different things, get out of your comfort zone; I do try to keep up that end of things but here again, not always. Most recently my trainer friend Dawn challenged me to push my running pace by taking a minute off my average mile. I did make an effort to reach this goal but it was half-assed and now I’m ashamed of myself.

I once had a friend who I was absolutely crazy about but he had a habit of saying “I want to but…” In his case, “I want to but…” meant he’d rather be with someone other than me. To this day those words continue to haunt me. When you say “I want to but… “  You don’t get credit for saying or thinking that you want to do something.  You only get credit when you actually make the effort to do it. Remember, actions speak louder than words in everything you do.

So, I wanted us all to try chia seeds, I got on it and I tried them. I want us to step outside of our comfort zones so this weekend I’m taking a paddleboard lesson at the famed Mavericks. No, I am not perfect nor am I that interesting really, which is why I try new things like chia seeds and potentially make a fool out of my self on a paddleboard, in a wet suit that’s sure to emphasize my currently less than impressive abdominal zone.

In the end, I am not a perfect know-it-all, the only difference between some, and me is that I make the effort. “I want to but…”  is not in my phrase book.

See you Monday; if I survive I should have an amusing paddleboard report that’s sure to reek of personality.

Make me proud this weekend…


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Do U have what it takes 2B a Warrior?


Last month my friend Dawn participated in her first Warrior Dash. What’s a Warrior Dash? According to their website it’s a, mud-crawling, fire-leaping, extreme run from hell. It’s a fierce running series held on the most challenging and rugged terrain across the globe. Warriors conquer extreme obstacles, push their limits and then celebrate (with beer and “gargantuan” roasted turkey legs). Sounds like hella fun if you ask me! Dawn thought so too, which is why she and her friend Tiffany donned their old running shoes (you did wear old shoes right Dawn?) and bucked up for what sounds like a death deifying challenge.

Rather than foolishly attempting to explain Dawns’ race I ask you watch the short video above. It’s taken via a GoPro video camera that her husband Mark Brent strapped to her chest. Thanks to Mark (and Dawn) you get to experience the whole event at high speed. It looks really fun!

In the end Dawn had a great time. She says, “It was a little scary leaping over roaring fire, but EMT’s were close by, just incase…” She adds “The most challenging part was trying to untie our mud-caked shoe laces afterwards, all in all, what better way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon – got a great workout, caught up with an old friend, and got to share it with you all!  Oh, and the bonus – free body mud!”

Watch Dawns’ video! After that, you might actually consider signing up for an event like this yourself. They’re held all over the country. There’s one scheduled for the Bay Area in late October, which I’ll be participating in (can’t let Dawn have all the fun!). Let me know if you want to join the fun, we’ll be training for this event in all my classes starting next week!

P.s. Thanks for sharing your experience with us Dawn! You’re an inspiration! Wish you were here…

P.s.s. If you live in Seattle, check Dawn out. She’s at The Exercise Space. I can vouch for her, she has great taste in friends.


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Mud and mirrors

You get beer after your wreck your shoes in Seattle!

Happy Monday!

Wha’d ya’ll get up to this weekend? I’d love to hear your reports. But alas, few of you actually participate in my attempt to be “social.” Does my breath stink? Wait, you can’t smell my breath via the web. Not yet anyway, I hear they’re working on an app for that.

Well, here’s what I did. I went to my first Hip Hop dance class. Yep, I sucked. A white girl with rhythm I am not. It was fun, but a little stressful. Nothing like being in a room of about…50 people, all of whom you assume know how to dance. At the same time, being forced to stare at yourself in a massive wall of mirrors while you’re jumping around. I saw things shake in that mirror that had no business being attached to my body, they seemed to have a life of their own, and it severely offended me!

Once I realized that looking in the mirror wasn’t going to help me, I started to look around for people to follow. That however, was not an easy task, some of the folks seemed to be interpreting the dance differently from that which was being taught. You’d think I’d be happy to see other “dancers” dorking out (I have no idea why I just typed that phrase, but I like it) but it confused me even more.

In the end, I found a couple of women that I could follow and that made all the difference. Although, once they moved out of my line of sight I was dead in the water (more like, chub in the mirror).

The bottom line is, I had a great time because I was being challenged, pushed out of my comfort zone. The teacher, Micaya was beyond amazing. In all her cool, thinness, she completely understood every single person in the room and their struggles that day. The kind of teacher/person that makes everyone she comes across feel better for having met her.

I see another Hip Hop class in my future, not because I particularly care about being some great hip-hop dancer, but for the insane “fun” of it.

Lastly, while I was working hard not to knock anybody over in hip-hop class, my friend Dawn was working her inner Goddess at the Warrior Dash, in Seattle this weekend. What’s a “Warrior Dash?” According to the website it’s it “fire-leaping, extreme run from hell”. Yikes! I can’t wait for her report! I’ve seen photos and I gotta say, I’m crazy jealous! Stay tuned, Dawn was wearing a video camera on her chest, she & her hubby Mark are working on a video, which we’ll share here on Motion Starved very soon. No shit, this is gonna be something to see! Stay tuned…

See ya Wednesday, in the mean time, do something “nuts”…!


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The Hunt Report

Bird Bath

If you’ve been following along, you know that recently I challenged a group in Seattle to a Fitness Walk completion. Our walks take place every Wednesday night at 6:15. We walk here in San Francisco, and The Exercise Space walks in Seattle. Same day, same time.

Today The Exercise Space and Motion Starved participated in a scavenger hunt. We had a list of 30 items to find within an hour’s time. The team to find the most items won the challenge. Simple as that. The only problem was that I was a team of one and they were a team of four.

At the word “Go” we were off. The plan was to send each other photos of the items found via the magic of our iPhones. Immediately my phone rang with a photo of a palm holding a pine cone, next a berry, a dead-end street sign and then, garden gnomes. Ding, ding, ding… my phone kept screaming. Yikes…I better get moving I thought. Up the hill I went looking frantically from side to side with list, pencil and iPhone in hand.

As I crested the top of the first hill (one of the requirements of 2 hills) I realized that people were watching me. I must have looked a bit odd, as I was clearly hounding around, not the normal San Francisco woman on a walk.  At this point I decided to enlist the concerned onlookers and get them to help me on my hunt. I explained what I was up to, showed them my list and immediately they were game. Telling me, to go this way to find this and go that way to find that. They seemed impressed and genuinely interested. It was heart warming and more importantly made me realize that this is the exact sort of exercise we need in order to show folks that getting fit can in fact be fun!

In the end The Exercise Space won the challenge. It was well deserved, as not only did they find all the items on the list they braved a massive rainstorm to get the job done. My kind of crew!

So, I end this report with huge congratulations to Team The Exercise Space for winning the challenge and a thank you for sharing the joy of fitness and for encouraging a world of funness.  For me, I had an amazing time tonight. There’s something about participating in something knowing that there are folk’s miles away doing the same thing. It brings you together in a way I had not fully expected.

To those of you who missed the fun tonight. I’m sorry. If you’d like to join us in the future, contact me, next week we’re playing Simon Says. If you live in a far off land, you can still play. All you need is a little phone magic!

Be well…


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Competition does a body good

A few weeks ago I got a little excited and challenged a personal trainer in Seattle to a little competition. At the time I had no idea who this woman was other that I liked what she had to say on Twitter. Yep, that’s right, I met her on twitter. Me, Kelley, the woman who only just recently opened a Facebook account and who refuses to open another one for Motion Starved. All this social media is a bit creepy, time-consuming and confusing if you ask me.

Anyway, as I was saying – I’ve committed to a weekly Fitness Walk Challenge with The Exercise Space in Seattle. From what I can tell The Exercise Space is a fitness center that offers classes and personal training. Just like me only these people have an actual address and have been in business for 4 years. Impressive, and it seems they have quite a few clients to boot. Something I’m still working to get even close to.

To be clear, The Exercise Space and I have not yet decided on the exact terms of the weekly challenge and that’s due to the fact that I’ve been lagging behind in the Fitness Walk participant department. However, once I get rolling, Dawn at The Exercise Space and I will surly come up with some fun ways to keep us all engaged and teeming.

For this week, we’ve challenged each other to a Scavenger Hunt. Each group will go for their walk on the same day, at the same time, and hunt for things on a list of 30 items. The team that finds the most things in an hour wins. We’ve agreed that the final winning team will receive a bottle of wine made locally (you can see why I like her!).

In spite of the fact that I’m currently behind in this challenge it’s been fun. Fun meeting people of like mind (even if I never actually get to drink wine with then in person). Fun coming up with new ideas and sharing those ideas with others. And like it or not, being challenged, pushed to rise to the occasion. That’s the beauty of competition, it forces you to push yourself harder or strive for more than you would otherwise.

Remember, there are lots of challenges in life, you win some and you lose some, but the act of participation is reward in itself.

Team Motion Starved SF vs Team The Exercise Space Seattle
Those of you in Seattle, check out The Exercise Space
In San Francisco, Giddy up! Team MS needs you!
For more information on joining Team Motion Starved in the Fitness Walk Challenge
check out the “Schedule” page.
Disappoint me & you’ll pay!