Personal weight room goals

My personal weight room goals are to work on core and leg strength and also flexibility. Being a dancer you hold a lot of awkward positions and do a lot of isolations! I need to work on this so the technique in dancing shows! 

So for this i would like to focus more on yoga video because they tie in both flexibility and core and leg strength! 

Some video's I found are: 

http://m.youtube.com/watchv=q5nyrD4eM64

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3N86HmOrW2U

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ySafTekJ3Ls

I found an account called yoga with Adriene which is the last link and it focuses on yoga excercises involving core, leg and flexibility. 

the workout we tried was the first one and second one! the first was pretty easy and relaxing, the second was harder! I liked the both! here is a picture of ruth and I doing the second workout

Test Tuesdays

So I haven't written on here in a long time which sucks, but I promise I will! Just to get you caught up we have done already done the extended beep test which was a success! I think it went well because a majority of the girls pushed themselves; so congratulations girls!

   Today we did the beep test and fitness testing, the way this worked is they split up the girls and the guys! Which I find to be very helpful, I think the some of the girls aren't distracted or self conscious when the guys leave so they really go for it. (props to our class because a lot of of went past 5)
   So I woke up this morning (yes late, SORRY NEUF) but feeling sick. I still went to school knowing it was fitness and that I should at least try. Well I did do exactly that and it was great. last year I think my highest beep test score was a 7.2  but the highest I have ever ran was an 8. Today Feeling sick but determined we set our personal goals and mine was 8.2 since I haven't ran that far in like a year.
   The Beep test started and I thought "hear we go" I looked only straight a head and steadied my breaths and listened to my feet hit the ground rather than stare at the score board. Before Running Ruth and Neufeld were both aware of my goal and It was a good thing because later on around 7.5 I started to feel it hit me a bit in the calf. Then I hear Neufeld yell "GARCIA 8.2" and also an encouraging "don't stop" from ruth! I look up at the clock and I looked back down and had this moment of "I need to push my self past this comfort zone" so I went past for another 7 shuttles until I hit 8.2.  I reached my goal which is great and gave me a tiring but relieved feeling. So I passed the average for my age group because that was what I normally only went up to. I want to set goals like this each time we do it, because even though you feel uncomfortable its worth knowing you can strive and push through it!
 On the other stuff I got the same on basically everything except the pushups and board touches and body bridge. The pushups went up by 5 and i think it's because everytime we are not listening in dance we have to do pushups so I have gotten a bit better at it! As for board touches and body bridge the difference was only 1 better than the last!
   I want to improve on T:test and Vertical

 

Dance

So this year I am on the Jr. hip hop team! I loved dancing because it's something that keeps me active, helps me better with performing skills and also i love to dance. So no doubt we are really getting into it, but part of it is training and also SURPRISE workouts and runs. So one practice we went did a chill warm up followed by some ab work, leg work, arm work and then a few laps around the lower field. This is honestly tiring but it will be all worth it. We also got "homework" and it is to work on our squats and and push ups because we need a lot of arms and leg movement.

Circuits

During last weeks circuits, I didn't have a partner so I pick a random person running while i was working out, and kept my eye on them. So that way when they went in to workout i would run, and the other way around. I tried to keep myself motivated as long as with others, an exmple is when I went in to the change room to get my water bottle I told the girls skipping out to go back to the gym because working out will not kill you. This is a short video of what An activity I did during class.

Yoga

So on Thursday instead of doing fitness a workout video, Mr. Vaughn had presented about 20 girls in our block with the chance at doing yoga! I jumped at this chance because I have been feeling so stressed with everything, and wanted a chance to do this again! I have done yoga before when In middle school through a program called T.A.S and it was great, and I loved it. The yoga session was really about relaxing and focusing on breathing and shaking everything out. We even learned this thing called the breath of joy which was really relaxing and put everything at ease. Now If you're thinking "yoga is so easy, no fair." It wasn't easy at first and you get into it, the instructor asked if I had done this before because I was a natural! Yoga takes flexibility, core and leg strength, and really focusing and tuning everything out! I loved this class and have sort of an action shot of a pose I learnt, although I may undeniably look like an upside down chicken LOL the pose is actuall called the crow! This pose requires patients because you cant just jump and throw all your weight onto your arms, you'd fall on your face trust me... I know. In this pose you use the back of your arms and armit area to anchor your knee until you have a steady balance! 

#TiringTuesdays

So today for P.E we didn't do fitness, which we usually do on Tuesdays but this class was still tiring; (hence the hashtag #tiringtuesdays) Today our class and Mr. Vaughns class played capture the flag on the lower field. How ever this wasnt a regular class where the teachers are making sure you're on task, this time around the TA rebecca and I were in charge. My job was basically to make sure that we set up, split teams, and also make sure our class was on task. 

When we first got on the feild I made sure the grade 10 boys in our class set up goal post boundaries where we kept our bean bags, and also that we put a line in the middle using the cones! 

That part was successful, the only tricky part was the division of teams. The first thing we tried was Dark coloured shirts (black, navy blue, and grey shirts) agasint Light coloured shirts (white, and other light colours). We ran the game and soon found that the game ran almost too quickly and people were becoming on motivated. So Rebbecca and I called everyone in and numbered people off 1 and 2, we also tried grade 9 against grade 8 and 10. With this we saw the problem and chaos of confusion and not knowing whose team was who, and people also moving teams to be with friends thus reaulting in unmotivated people. We didn't have pinnies to use and it was well into class to go get them. Together Rebecca and I told  everyone to stay calm, and asked Neuf and Vaughn for some Ideas and with their help, it then hit us not literally, figuratively. Class against class, a good way that u can tell who was on what team, and it would be an equal amount on either side. 

Once we went back we called eveyone in and thank goodness we didnt have to yell that often, just whistling and gesturing people in was good enough. We told them class against class and that we want to see people play by the rules and actually work. We played and you can tell the difference right away, both classes were engaged, and into it. Our class won the first 2 times and then the longest game was the 3rd/ last it was also the most competitive. You can tell that both teams were engaged because just when you think you beat the opposing team the team would have already stolen the bean bags and return them, which meant they were motivated.

From this process, I learned how to work on leadership skills, and also that compromise is key. If you dont have something like pinnies use something distinct, also I got a small taste of what teachers and TA's get. I learned that its hard to get a class under control, but once you have em focused they wont stop. I also learned that our class does set the tone, and that it was a way better strategy to use class vs class; It not only allowed me to encourage our class, and the others, make sure people were on task, and also contribute to the game like getting a fee bean bags across. I loved the experience of this class because it was a challenge, and hope to do it sometime again. Oh and s/o to rebecca for being awesome! And also to both classes for being patient and on task! 

Locomotion

It's the day after fitness Friday, and I'm in bed with my super sore legs. Yesterday we did locomotion on the field for fitness Friday, but even though it was tiring it was a great workout and well worth it! As Neuf's class we like to set the tone of period 3 gym and I think we always do that, whether it's fitness or not. I love our class because we can all have fun, keep our smiles up, and the energy up even when we are dying out there.

During the fitness there were times I wanted to give up, and stop but I told myself not to, and it helped that everyone was encouraging each other, and that I would return the favor and encourage people if i saw them struggling. During the Minute section of locomotion, I paced myself, and tried to use more of a proper form for the exercises since I was going a bit slower than in the 30 second rounds. Halfway through the whole thing I focused on putting all my recent stress, frustration, and anger into the work out, but kept in mind that I needed to have a smile on my face everyone in a while. Neuf commented saying I had a "nice ugly workout face" which is what he wanted to see because it showed we were trying, and I was but i actually was just dying, and trying to get rid of all the bad stress. 

The last 5 minutes/last round I felt a sense of ease but also felt it getting a bit harder, because in this round it was the time to push yourself til the end. By the end of the workout we were all sweaty, and my face was red as a tomato, but it was fulfilling o know that I didn't stop, and had fun out there. 

Here are some pictures after the workout that we took.

Atomic Volleyball

This class we played atomic volleyball, and even though i haven't played since the last school year, it made no difference! We played with teams of 6 and on my team was Janelle, Shiraz, Grace, Ruth, Avaloni, and Myself being the only grade 10. So the first game was already in full swing and as soon as the rules were clear, we stuck with them, reminded eachother of rules and pther teams politely. As a team we supported each one, and each and every one of our opponents by clapping and encouraging them. We got really in to the game, and had fun doing it, we took it seriously but also had fun with it which was a great balance! I Had an epic time playing and had a awesome moment when i was the only one left against two other people and i dove for the ball and tapped it and hit it another time than caught it, sadly after that it was out but it was okay because we were all having fun! By the end when we were recieving go cards we all noticed we were sweating quite a lot, and it showed how into it we actually were. I had a great time today and it really showed me a lot about the spirirlt of my peers!

Capture the Flag

Today we played Capture the flag with Mr. Hepting's class even though we were supposed to be in the weight room. I didn't mind and I don't think anyone really did, a little friendly competition never hurt anyone, right? I loved playing with their class because they had really active and fun people and also in ours, so it kept all of us motivated, and kept us going. It was awesome because we all took the game serious, encouraged each other, and had fun doing it! I don't remember who won because the game was always so close,  mainly because it was a game where there was constant movement. I got in to the opposing's team box a few times but never came back with a "flag"/ football, better luck next time though. However I helped with defense and keeping the other team from passing and tagged quite a few people, always trying to stay alert of what was happening. Definitely worked up a sweat on the field today chasing others in the sun, oh and props to a lot of Hepting's class because they were super fast, but our class didn't mind the challenge!

Pond Run

Today we did the pond run, and I knew the drill. Everytime I do the pond run I set a goal to not stop and keep going at whatever speed I need to do to maintain myself for the whole period without stopping unless its the minute for walking. I started with catia and after gradually building up, I soon left her behind, setting a faster pace. I did fitness independently like always because this was really about me focusing on myself and not worrying about other people. During the pond run, people past me, and I lapped several people too. To me it didn't matter if people thought I was slower than them or was faster than others. What really mattered to me was persevering until the end, keeping a pace that helped me to not stop, but also made me feel a little uncomfortable and want to stop. I'm not a runner and don't like running, I ultimately love the fitness' like 30 on 30 off or like locomotion, but I knew that I needed to surpass my goal for me and a sense of accomplishment. Sure there were times where I wanted to just stop but kept repeating in my head "when in doubt, run it out." and I never stopped when i was supposed to be running, I didn't care if people past me or thought i was slower or faster than them. What really mattered was that I got to my ideal for this class and did it successfully.

Base Line fitness

So this is the base line of fitness, and how i did on the first fitness testing

These were my results: 

beep test 5:5

t test: 11:80

plank: 1:15

sit and reach: 5

vertical: 40

     standing: 2m

     jumping: 240

push ups: 15

board touches:7 

I was really bummed out about the beep test because it was lower than the last time i did it, but also was ok with it because i did way better than my last base fitness test. as for the other things,  I reletively stayed around the same results as previous year! 

Doing this beep test made me realize that i need to get back on that healthy train, but also gives me an idea of where i want to end and makes me want to strive better each time i do it. 

  

First Fitness of the year

Today we had the first fitness of the year, and it was awesome! Although I admit it was tough because it was the first fitness since summer, it was motivating. For our first fitness we did 30 on 30 off with a partner, and I definitely worked up a sweat. This class I took some chances like standing right in the front rather than somewhere in the back. Neuf encouraged us to team up with some gr. 9's from our class to show them what period 3 is all about, which gave an opportunity to take intitiative. I think it turned out great, Janelle was my partner, but even though we were still in partners we were working/involved with a group of other girls who seemed to be motivated and helped keep the spirit up. We all encouraged eachother and interacted while doing fitness, whether it was singing and doing the excercises, or making sure we were on task. After fitness we had 30 minutes and it was choice, so since we weren't really into the  options there were we took a volleyball and went outside and tried to keep it up! It was great getting to know the other people in our homeroom/ period 3 and i think this is gonna be a good year!

Final Portfolio Assessment "Report Card" Post - Active Learning 2014

 1) Participation:

Regarding Participation during our gym block I think I have done really well in this pillar/section of the course. I have been committed to showing up on time to class with p.e strip and a positive attitude to take on the day, I have never really forgotten gym strip, or skipped a class, there was only 2 times I have sat out or have been excused due to sickness.  When I'm in gym class my level of participation is  high, I love participating in group activities because there is time to work together but also as individuals. I consistently show up to classes with the right mindset and also with trying to be physically prepared, I will admit that there are a couple of  times my level of participation was not the best and that I had lost motivation during those times like that one class when we played capture the flag, but I try my best to get that motivation and activity going again. I think my highest level of participation would definitely be in fitness activities and I definitely push myself to my full potential and hope to go beyond that during fitness because I get motivated when i think about finishing and knowing that i put time and effort into the activity. But I also give a lot of effort, focus, and participation during choice and regular classes, an example is when in choice and participating in volleyball I dislike when my peers just fool around and make it harder for opposing teams to play i don't think it's fair or fun for anyone but themselves when playing like that so when it happens so I try harder to maintain focus rather than start to drift off along with them. I also love choice classes when we play activities such as basketball or atomic volley and other things similar to that. I love these activities because my friends and I playing get very competitive with each and that motivates us to give it our all. I have managed to put in a consistent level of effort, focus physical participation and positivity into gym classes whether it is fitness or regular class.

Fitness Results & progress

2) Social Responsibility and Contribution to the class:

Throughout the year I think I have maintained but improved  in this pillar/section of the course. I say this because I have always encouraged my peers in our block and helped them with skills in volleyball that aren't particularly their strengths, I  always have a positive attitude and also got along well with people even though some were complete strangers. I never needed reminders to behave properly during class because I think I focus on the activity well enough, I also don't cheat during games in class or my fitness results because I think there is really no point in that. I think cheating is just cheating yourself, because if you lose or have a bad score in something than it motivates you to beat your score or opponent and it helps you do better. As we moved throughout the course of the year, I have started developing more social responsibility and contribution, started to take more initiative by helping organize games and teams with Kiran when it came to basketball, and also helped organize teams and help set up when it came to volleyball and atomic volleyball without being asked because it was boring just standing around. I also not only continued to encourage and talk to people but got to really know my peers and talk to them not just as people who were in my class for only one period, but got to see their really unique and fun personalities which  helped it become more approachable towards them and talk to them which i think made it more fun for everyone rather than being stuck in little groups. I think this area has been a success for me because I was able to maintain what i was capable of contributing to the class but also adding on to what I already did.

3 blog posts that describe social responsibility.

3) Healthy Living:
My fitness has definitely improved throughout the years and I have even though I am relatively fit and health conscious, but this year I have developed more motivation towards being fit and active because of what fitness and p.e has taught me. In the past I have always given a lot of effort towards gym class, and eating healthy but this year taught me things based on fitness activities that It will definitely be hard at first but after you get in to the rhythm and mindset, and have a solid plan than you'll do great and improve every time, I also learned that challenging yourself and pushing yourself out of comfort zones is good for you and will benefit you almost every sing time. This year was also a time for me to explore future plans regarding health and fit choices, because of fitness and p.e I have started to get into a routine of running and working out at home, and after doing fitness activities and being in the workout room I have been inspired to find apps and workout plans that i can adjust to what i want. During 5th period you can also find me in the Dance Studio with a group of peers either dancing or working on choreo, and having a good time while working up a sweat. I have also learned that working out at home is easy because if you have no equipment you can still find cool, creative and effective ways to work out. I would like to improve myself and my physical activity in the near future, and since I am in dance this semester I have been really into it and excelled at it and found this is always a good way to work up a sweat, I want to get back into dancing and try out for a team next year!

evidence of healthy living

4) Digital Portfolio and Reflective skills:
I have posted 23 posts during the whole year, which is not bad considering a majority of the posts are long and about how i can improve and better myself and the class during fitness and choice, goals that i would like to reach and consistently withhold and also posts about healthy living outside of school. 13 out of my 23 posts actually have some sort of video or picture attached showing evidence of food choices, exercise outside of school, workout videos, workout room videos and links and also fitness plans not only for the workout room.My blog also includes the reflective post about the quality of my blog compared to others, a mid term post, a final post, and a post with evidence of social responsibility not to mention the multiple posts with fitness results regarding my improvement and scores in Fitness testing. When commenting and receiving comments I also take into consideration everything said and improve and do things from there doing my best to use tips and encouragement from peers and Mr. Neuf. I loved reading and commenting on other blogs because it was cool to see things from other peoples point of view, and also helping them with feedback and encouragment. I believe that this year I did great, and that this final post showed and summed up  how I did in this class.

This year has been a great experience for me not only because of learning so much about my strengths and weaknesses but also because I got to work around amazing and unique people who encouraged me and made p.e awesome. Over all I think that in this class based on the progress, physical participation, and blog I deserve an A.

Flashblack Friday; Fitness Edition.

So yes I have just posted a bunch of blogs in one day... and yes this title of this little post is weird. I know what you're probably thinking... Flashback Friday on a p.e blog? how lame. But this Flashback Friday is kind of different, today as I was lounging around on my laptop going through some files I found a whole bunch of my fitness pictures and videos that I meant to post but never did, and thought well it is Flashback Friday, so why not put a slight twist to it... This was a great opportunity for me so instead of some old baby pictures of me, why not post all the previous fitness activities that I have done but not blogged about? So that's exactly what I am going to do... Hopefully you guys check some of it out!

Community Run

So throughout the whole year this was actually the first time I have done the community run. At first I was unmotivated to do anything it was Tuesday and had just come back to school from a long weekend, it was also a flex day and on top of that the bad news had arrived that the band trip had been cancelled. Although I was not going it still put me in a awful and sad mood, I was honestly not ready to do anything that day. As we started and we got outside it was hot and i felt like dying. I'm going to admit at the beginning I didn't really try. I walked a lot and only jogged to get past the crowd of people all walking so slowly ahead of me, when the path cleared up I walked and still was in the mindset of "this is pointless, I just want to go home" until well I saw people ahead of me start running... and my friends and I had this confused looked dawned upon our faces. It then hit us that teachers were ahead and that's why people started running, so my friends and I started running. As we passed Mr. Neufeld he told us to keep pace and jog instead of run when ever we see teachers which I would admit was kind of funny because that is what we were doing right then and there, but as we passed him we kept going and took his advice because well I realized that it doesn't matter if it's a flex day, or that its hot outside, or that i should be sad because something was cancelled. What I should be doing was putting effort into it, because even though its a short day and I'm lazy it's still a fitness day and I should take advantage of it, especially because its almost the end of the school year, I should put all the sadness away and take it out on the run. From there I was put in the mindset of I can do it because no ones stopping me, like i usually am. So I paced myself the rest of the way and only stopped for a breather once after passing the teachers, when it came time for the downhill part Abby and I took Mr. Neufs advice and went as quietly as we could down the hill rather than going full speed and stomping all the way with no control. We made it to the school and then the bell rang but it was okay because it was lunch anyways. Although we were sweaty it felt good to know that I had changed my mindset during the course of the run because if i didn't I wouldn't have continued the day with that mindset. Next time i go for a run or any activity like this i would like to start with that positive mindset and maintain it throughout the course of the run, I didn't get any footage or anything but I think it went well for my first community run.

Take it on the road.

So this post is called take it on the road because I recently took a trip to Calgary for my brothers basketball tournament and also to see and spend time with my cousins! We had a blast visiting them new experiences, movies, shopping, food and parties and singing. However I did do a little keeping fit while i was there because we played Just Dance a lot, and can I say it got pretty Intense. I recorded my older cousin (Kim) and I playing 4 rounds and cut them into short videos if you guys would like to see them! We danced to many songs but i only recorded 4 and they were a Nicki Minaj song, "Right Thurr", "Hot Stuff", and "Whip My Hair". When we danced we put the level on hard but also had fun and worked up quite a sweat! I won Whip My Hair, and Hot stuff and she won Right Thurr and the Nicki song. Here are the videos and also the "finishing poses and stats" oh and don't mind the the faces we make, the noices we make and my famjam casually in the background!

Fun in the Sun

So this fitness was really fun! I not only liked this fitness because it involved teamwork and individually working but also because there was a big variety of challenges that you had to do. This fitness had activities involving cardio like the stairs, and running widths, but also things like hurdles, yoga, tug of war and weights. This fitness was based around 90 seconds of work and 30 seconds of rest. My favorite activities from this fitness was tug of war, hurdles, mat flip, and the weights. I liked this fitness because I not only had a chance to have fun in the sun by incoperating games like "follow the leader" when it came to ladders but also had a chance to challenge my peers in games like tails and tug of war, work together in the mat flip, and also the big weight thing you had to push, and lastly challenge myself like when working with hurdles, stairs, weights and running widths. Here are some videos I took, and also a list of the fitness menu.

Kiran Jumping Hurdles

Me Jumping all the hurdles

Weight Section

Fitness Menu

Fitnessblender.com

Fitnessblender .com is one of the previous fitness activities that I had done. This activity was to go onto the website and find a workout for you and a group of 3-4. The workouts had many areas to focus on including cardio, core strength, yoga, legs, arms and more. The workouts also came with what equipment you'd need and a difficulty number which the highest was a 4. Our groups goal was to try levels 2-4 and also aim for workouts focusing on core/abs, butt and thighs and also have a good stretch, we also aimed for workouts with only yoga  mats or no equipment. We first took on a 5 minute level 2 yoga workout to stretch and warm up and we all found that pretty easy. We then tried a level 3 core/abs workout and we found that harder but still were able to maintain pace and consistency throughout the 10 minute workout. We then took a quick break afterwards and decided it was time for a Level 4 workout, which was on butt and thighs mostly targeting lower areas. The workout was only for 5 minutes but within those 5 minutes we worked hard even though it was difficult at times to pull through. We had surpassed 20 minutes of class and still had a bit of time so as a group we decided to try a yoga/cardio workout which was actually pretty fun! I liked this class because it gave us a chance to chose and pick our levels and focus areas. Next time we do this I would like to focus on a main theme like pilates, or yoga, cardio, and try different levels. Here are some information on the workouts we did!

1st workout 

2nd workout

3rd workout

4th workout

4th workout plan

Me doing one of the acitivities  in 4th workout

Atomic Volleyball

Yesterday we had choice, and for choice there were many options to chose from such as basketball, handball, ultimate, bocce ball, and atomic volley ball. With these options there were less people in the choices. However because of this it made my friends and I work to our best of our ability because if we didnt try it wouldn't make it fun for the other teams. Atomic volley ball was a combination of hitting, setting, bumping, spiking and also catching. the goal to get your oppenents out when they dont hit the ball or catch it. The same rules apply with the 3 hits and everything and this game kept you active and pumped up! Our teams first game was against Kyle, Avery and Ali, and it was fun because both teams were really energetic and competitve which allowed all of us to have a good time! Within the first 10 minutes or so we were all feeling the sweat but didn't mind because we all enjoyed it. Also with less people at each activity we all had to take initiative and set up so that we could play rather than just standing around and waiting for it to be done, we did this with no reminder which was good! I enjoyed this gym class and hope to play it again. 

Blog Reflections

I think my blog has a fair quality, because not only do i try and post things and keep my blog updated, but it also has some content on not only self improvement, but daily changes. Compared to other blogs, i have more content, but also have little on my blog compared to others too. However i think my blog lacks because i don't post a lot periodically, and my posts are mostly when i have fitness which is only once a week. I think i can improve my blog by posting periodically, and posting more about not only fitness, and finding regular ways to contribute in choice, but also small things that help me live a healthy lifestyle, for for example walking home, eating healthier, and even dance class updates. I did that at the beginning of my blog, but unfortunately lately that element has been lacking in my blog. I feel my blog also lacks in the media and evidence element of it all, I take pictures and videos but sadly never post them with the writing. To Improve i need to go back to my computer and edit and input all the videos and pictures i have that are sitting in the file so there is more to look at on my blog than just writing. I think that if I improve in these areas my blog will not only improve but my lifestyle and choice will because i'll feel more motivated. 

Locomotion

Today in P.E we did Locomotion for fitness! I liked this one because I improved from the last time we did this particular activity! I also worked along side each and every single girl in our class and they were such a hardworking and also encouraging bunch of ladies, so keep it up! I remembered from last time i did this, I took water breaks very frequently during each set of activities, and 1 or twice while my own side was going and that i also slacked off at sprints because well, i dislike sprinting. So this time I was determined to improve, out of all sets I only took a water break once during the middle set while i was waiting which allowed me to have some time to leave get water come back and work to my best ability. This time around I also did sprints for the full time and never missed them, pushing myself to go further and further until the buzzer sounded; this made me feel somewhat accomplished I also noticed that some of the activities i was doing, were being done but not completely properly, for instance, the first 30 second set i had no idea how to do the inchworm, and with frog hops, I jumped but never gave it full force or touched the ground. So the 1 minute set and last 30 second set I did the inchworm, and the frog jump properly and really focused on my technique/posture, instead of rushing. Over all I think this was a great experience for me to improve on myself, but also had fun in the process encouraging people from other classes, and our class and working with them too! At the end of class we took a selfie (Nimrit, Valeria and I) so hopefully you can see that we did sweat and were a little red in the face! After the fitness Nimrit and I saw Berry stretching and Nimrit suggested we join him because he was all alone and we had a bit of time left in class! I think this was a great way to top off the workout and end the class!

New Workouts

Calling all ladies! I discovered this new website while roaming instagram, which led me to an app called "Blogilates" ! You can find it both on an android or apple products, and on the app it doesnt just give you workouts, it ranges from various workouts that focus on different areas, a calendar if you want to plan workouts on certain days, and even has recipes for power smoothies and delcious but healthy deserts! The workout videos also include excerises focused around a certain song which make them easy and fun to do! I'll definitely keep you updated on how this goes, and well I've only seen girls try these workouts, but if the guys want to check it out and see what the app is really about feel free! 

Choice

Today in choice, there were the choices of hockey, soccer, and volleyball. Usually Volleyball does get very crowded, and today it did, right away I jumped at the opportunity of having my friends on my team like others did. But soon I realized many things that were wrong with the game; since there was a lot of people, there were multiple subs on most teams including mine. But the difference was that other teams only played with 6 people and my team played with more, I realized it was unfair for the other team, and subbed off spending time sitting around which also made myself come to a conclusion that i could be doing something better. I also noticed that earlier on in the game I tried cheering on everyone but since there were more than 6 people on my side of the court they werent taking the game as seriously as they should have been, and my cheering/encouraging was being drowned out. To change that, I then decided to ask some girls in our class and other classes if i could be apart of the team and was welcomed in! I was happy I switched teams because the team I switched to needed some subs, we all had equal playing time, and because they took the game seriously but also had fun! I encouraged everyone and got people into encouraging our team mates and the opposition team; when they scored or didnt get it over the net because it showed that they tried! I think I took a chance and played against the people I usually played with, rather than playing with them and not quite playing fair also not taking the game as seriously. I hope the girls i played with had fun because I did and got to know more people in general which is good! In the aspects of my strengths and weaknesses I think my weaknesses were not stepping out of my shell for the first time and just staying in the comfort zone oh and also sometimes when the ball comes flying between myself and a peer we both wouldnt call it and accidentily let it drop. For strengths or something im improving on would be that i have stepped out of my comfort zone and that constantly encouraging people is getting better.

April 14th; Badminton

Today's class we played doubles for badminton with just our class in the large gym. I really enjoyed this because not only was this one of the sports that i find both easy and challenging but also had fun. The most important reason i liked this activity was because instead of playing with the same people I usually play with, this gym class was a change in a good way. An example of this is in volleyball; although its a team you usually only interact or talk with the people on your side of the court which might be people who you already know, and are close with. But this time, even though a net seperated my partner and i from my peers, I got to get to know them better and interact. Not only did I get to know my peers as opponents and got to see how active and competetive they were but I sort of bonded with them and learned more about them and who they are. Simran and I mostly played girls which was good because I got to know the girls in my class better, I bonded through small things like laughing and cheering eachother on, and dancing a little bit between serves and just having fun. It made me see that we have a bunch of outgoing and cool girls in our class once you get past their sort of shy shells. As for the guys we played against, i think it was only desmond, nick, chris, carter, and roman. I learned that the guys aren't really as scary or intimidating as they seem and are actually great competitors. So thanks to my peers for making it both an active and fun, over all my experience was awesome and itd be great to do this more often unfortunately i didnt get to take any videos or pictures. 

Insanity and Capture the flag

On Tuesday we did Insanity, and it was actually my first time ever doing this fitness activity. Although it was hard for me to keep a constant pace during some activity like when you held your leg up and did all the exercises, I still liked Insanity, and had fun while participating. Here is a short video on one of the exercises we did during the fitness, these were killing me but i refused to stop. Sorry for the bad quality of it all.

On thursday our class and Mr. Pedersons class played capture the flag, The first game went well and everyone was into the game, but as the second game was happening it seemed that things started to drag on, which sucks. I had a lot of fun during the game, and hopefully most of the others in our did too! I tried something new and instead of tagging people on our side, I spent most of my time running to the other side, so I pushed myself out of the comfort zone because i usually hang around our side waiting for someone to cross. I will admit that at times I stood on our side waiting, but this was because I was waiting for an opportunity to run across, which I succesfully did many times and several times with Nimrit by my side. During the end of the game I noticed that it made it hard to play the game when people stopped trying, and I noticed this when I ran across hoping to bring back a ball, but unfortunately there were only a few footballs to carry across and people were playing around with them. However since this happened i found my energy level going down a notch. I tried encouraging some people, and it sometimes worked but what I could have done differently was encouraging my peers and friends to participate and have fun, more frequently than i did. Also to try my best to be active throughout the game so having a balancing between running to the other side and when I'm not doing anything to tag people, so I can be at my best at all times.

New Weight Room Goals and Workout

Last time I said I wanted to work on my core/belly and thigh/leg areas. After searching for more video's I had found one labeled "beach body" and as a whole I have realized that not only did i want to work on my core but also on other parts and the reason was because i wanted to be ready for summer. I wanted to use this video because it has not a lot of equipment which shows that you can make change to your body with out weights or exercise balls. This Workout is calmer than others because it is a yoga and palettes type. I wanted to pick a workout that i could do in and out of the weight room. There are two videos that labeled what i wanted to improve. There are also more videos like this, specifying areas or your body as a whole for any other girls who would like to get into that beach body!

Fitness friday; 40 seconds on 20 seconds off

     Yesterday during fitness we did 40 seconds on 20 seconds off; where you do an activity for 40 seconds and then rest for 20. We havent done fitness in a long time, and even though it was hard to get back to the cycle, doing fitness felt great! I'm sort of sore from yesterday because this semester I have dance everyday, and on top of that we had fitness. But although I am still sort of sore, It's good and refreshing even though it sounds weird haha. I say this because since I'm sore, I know that it's because I've worked hard during fitness and didn't stop. Being sore is reminding me that I was pushing myself to try and do more and that the "pain/sorness" is worth it! I liked this fitness activity, because I honestly don't like running for fitness i find it kind of boring, and this to me was more entertaining and engaging. Workouts like this motivate me to workout more and live a healthier life style. Lately I have been wanting to go into the weight room and workout, and workout outside of school too. Other than my motivation to live a healthier life, i feel i did great in this fitness activity because the people I was surrounded by, some of them were super athletic and worked thier butts off like they usually do, and some didnt put a lot of effort into it. This made me realize that I would rather work my butt off than slack off. 

    I didn't get the chance to take pictures or videos because I gave Valeria my phone since she couldnt participate, but she went to the hub and did homework. I wish i could have taken pictures or videos because I felt like this was one of the fitness activities that was more in my area opposed to the other things. But We have Fitness on tuesday and I'm looking forward to it, and am determined to record a bit of my activity showing how hard I have been working lately. 

1st Semester Mark

It's been a while since I've posted and this semester is coming to an end. So here is what I think my grade should be based on Participation, Social responsibility and contribution to the class, healthy living, and my digital portfolio and reflective skills.

Participation:
I think overall I do well in participating. When it comes to participating for class and showing up, I have never missed one class, which to me is very satisfying! When it comes to actual activities during class I have always tried to participate whether it was capture the flag, or even basketball. I always try to give my best effort, even though some days seem a little slow and boring. I try my best to participate because it wouldn't really be fun to skip, or just sit around and do nothing the whole period.

Social responsibility and Contribution:
In gym class, sometimes I see some students kind of shy away, or not want to join in some activities. So when I do see that I always offer for them to play with me and my friends, whether they're on my team or just a little friendly competition. I can be a little shy too, so I know how they feel. I think that Gym Class is really a time where you need to Communicate, and have fun, and when I see some kids who don't look like they're having fun, or sitting out I talk to them and try to convince them to play. Also during choice, when we split up into activities, and sometimes everyone will just stand around and wait, I'll sort of round up people into groups/ teams. Like that one time the girls had their own basketball game, and Kiran and I organized the teams since the girls didn't know what to do. As for social responsibility and all of that, like cheating yourself, I don't do that, I'm the type of person who would be fairly guilty if I did. You can't really cheat in choice, and as for fitness, I don't like cheating myself and cutting corners, or changing my score because well, it's good to know that you have fulfilled what you did without having to change anything. If you cheat it only effects you.

Healthy Living:
This year I'm trying to put myself in the mindset of being healthier, and bettering my life in a healthier way, for example eating better, and working out more, even if it's just Stretching every single day. I think I'm doing well and succeeding at this because every time we do fitness, even though I complain sometimes I do better each time. When doing fitness I tell myself that I can do it, and that If I did that much last time, then I can do at least a bit more! At the beginning of the year, I was lazier, and probably less healthy than I am now, I'm definitely more motivated to do things, and would like to keep up what I'm doing. I'd like to live a healthier lifestyle, and improve what I started, and I think that being apart of gym and all the Tuesday and Friday Fitness's that I have participated in have actually helped me.

Digital Portfolio and Reflective Skills:
I have tried to do my best to record everything and all the fitness activities that we do! Based on all of the pictures and videos that I have taken, i think i have done ok, but still can improve, because it gets hard to always have your phone with you when you're trying to participate in stuff. But in terms of blogs, and writing and reflecting I think it's going well! I enjoy blogging, and reflecting on what I've done and seeing all the progress I have made, it also helps when I comment on my peers blogs, and take their comments on my blogs into consideration. Hope to make more progress as the year progresses.

My overall grade that I would give myself based on all of this and class would be an A.