My Face Will Soon Be Sold In The Nest!

For one portion of this internship, I am required to have completed a project with the head internship coordinator.   My project is actually very interesting & pretty fun .   Currently  at The Oaks they have a boutique store called The Nest where they sell novelty items , products , clothing , CD/DVD ' s , work out equpitment , etc .  This is where I come into the mix . . . .  One of the items for sale are resistance bands with a book of various exercises & stretches provided to the buyer .   This book was last updated in the 80 's and now I am the new and improved figure in which I demonstrate easy - to - do exercises & stretches for the busy traveler looking to get a quick fix right in the convenience of their hotel rooms or getaway escape!   Posted above are a few photos from this book just to give you a sense for what I am describing  =] There are series of shots that where taken to provide the user with step by step moves to safely & effectively perform these exercises . 

Remember POSTURE is the utmost important aspect for practicing effective SAFE training .
- Stand tall/sit upright while drawing the core in towards the spine .
- Keep shoulders level , back ,  & retracted.
- Chest is held high & head is in neutral position.

Day 50: If only I wasn't an intern I would be The Oaks' best customer!

Today sure does mark 50 days that I have been here at The Oaks !   WOW for me to even believe I have been here that long is amazing in it's self ,  haha .   Well , today was yet another day off of mine and I for sure kept busy .  Started my morning with some oatmeal , muffins , fruit , & milk ( the morning routine ) , checked out the Ojai Valley Athletic Club which has amazing outdoor pools , many many MANY tennis courts , and a pretty decent indoor facility - all in which has a BEAUTIFUL view of the mountains ! ! !  While I was there I participated in a morning ZUMBA class . . . . . . . .  Let me just nicely . . . . that the woman who taught this class should have NOT been advertising her class as a ZUMBA class !  From what I found out she isn't even a licensed ZUMBA instructor & was not providing her class with ANY of the ZUMBA Fitness Program .  This class really left me upset & frustrated all day : /  Ughhh

On a brighter note, later this afternoon I road down to Ventura Beach on the bike path again .  If you can recall from one of my first posts on this blog I mentioned that this bike ride is roughly 34 miles round trip !  Woo Wee - I ' m going to feel like a million bucks tomorrow going with how I am feeling now , haha  The bike ride of course wasn't complete until I made a pit stop at a Ben & Jerry's shop and went to heaven with chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream = ]

But I have better news to share . . . . in 2 weeks I will be having someone come and visit me ! ! ! !  This of course is my brother Ben who I normally only see once a year because he lives in Colorado .  I AM SUPER EXCITED to see him because I haven't had a family member visit me yet , & he's going to love this place ! 

Well there's a little information I though I ' d share since it ' s been a while since I posted .  Again I do apologize & I ' ll share some more fun stuff within the next day or so .  Check out the left side of this blog to see all of the physical activity I 've been getting myself into , on top of the actual work here for this internship .  Then you 'll understand the slight delay <3

PS : I saw a bob cat on the bike path today as well, haha

Day 42: With One More Month To Go!

Sorry for not posting anything in a few days !  I have been crazy busy with tons of projects , teaching classes , and trying to catch up on some rest !  I have met some more amazing people here at The Oaks as well as enjoying the company of other fellow fitness enthusiasts .  I look forward to my day off tomorrow as I will unwind & relax .  I am also in the process of scheduling a rock climbing session here in Ojai & preparing a video to submit for a ZUMBA Fitness contest ! !  All sorts of busy . . . . .

Stay posted for new updates & enjoy some more photos in the meantime .  They are just a few of many meals that are served here at The Oaks ! DELISH  =]

I would also like to make a side note & thank everyone for making this blog a great success ! !  I have over 1200 page views & I look forward to continuing this blog after my internship . 

Matilija Canyon & Meditation Mountain

At the close of this week, myself & a friend hiked a trail that was said to be 9.1 miles . . . . This hiked turned into a 6.5 hour trip & I'm pretty sure we created another trail along the way !  Once we started climbing huge boulders at a VERY STEEP incline & nothing in site , we knew for sure this wasn't a part of the marked trail .  But that didn't stop us from enjoying the challenges that came our way . . . . . esp when we came across a rattle snake .  After a long day of hiking , climbing , & running this trail I think it is safe to say we covered about 16 miles .  Wooo Weeeee , cross training to the EXTREME ! ! !

Later in the night we then visited another mountain called Meditation Mountain .  This is a private area where people can come to relax , let their minds at ease , meditate, and maybe even take a snooze on this well kept - BEAUTIFUL sanctuary.

6:30 AM Hikes

Here are some photos of what my mornings begin with everyday !  Either starting at 6:30 or 7:00 AM the guests at The Oaks , myself , & another hiker tackle on the great mountains in Ojai .  With it's great elevation gains ,  fantastic smells of the citrus fruits & sage , my morning cannot get any better then this !  That is unless I actually lived in these beautiful mountains like some people do =]

Look how high above the fog we are ! Uhh I am in LOVE <3
Here is also a picture of the sun setting one night .

Long Island Girl Turns California Life Style

7:30am this morning began yet another chapter into this life of mine .  With an additional trail brought to my attention , I am really starting to fall in LOVE with the true beauty of this state .  Ojai Valley Land Conservancy is the name of this beautiful place which is the home to many wild life !  Bob Cats , Mountain Lions , Bears , Rattle Snakes , even Cows are roaming around freely , just as the humans are breath taken by their surroundings .  As some will soon to discover , this location is also known to have river pools which are occasionally forming throughout the conservancy.  During my 60 minute run today , I came across two pools .  Both being different depths , yet BOTH sharing it's own kind of beauty .  In the larger of the two , I kicked off my sneakers , let my hair run wild & took a nice huge plunge off the rocks !  This is for sure something I am not used too, but would LOVE to get used to doing all the time !  Yes , that's right . . .  a future in California living may come into effect sooner then later =]

As I was trotting my way through one of the trails in the conservancy , my mind began to travel as well . . . creating another path of possibly beginning a new interesting idea . . . . what would be an "eye catching" way to document my " Lift, Love, ZUMBA " exploration ?  What I started to develop is having a way to capturing different video clips from the many trails I run on . . . . then some how create a montage to share my LOVE for fitness , AMBITION for successful / safe / effective training, & STRENGTH OF MIND to train in exigent conditions .  For the time being I will be recording footage from my phone as it is very convenient for me at the moment .  If this idea expands to a much demanding extent , I will begin to develop more creative techniques , ideas , and invest in a hand held motion camera that could attach to a hat . . . . . or something along those lines .

Tomorrow is day two of two for my days off .  And for whats in store is what I just briefly discussed above .  I am completely thrilled for what is planned .  Now that I may have caught your attention a wee bit more , enjoy a few photos from today & please be patient as I begin to develop this fun new idea . <3

PS : The last photo on this post is a bear foot print .  Draw your eyes away from the sneaker footprints & bike tracks, and really focus on the left side of this photo =]

Lights , Camera , ACTION !

I was able to mange a few extra seconds & I thought I would create another update for you all !  Just below are photos from earlier in the week & last week .  What I would like to share with you next is what an awesome day yesterday was.  First I woke up earlier and ran for 60 minutes up - around - down Shelf Mountain ( super tough but what a great run it was) .  Then I spent the rest of my day at Universal Studios Hollywood with family from Vegas & finally ending the night off right with nothing better than fried chicken and waffles at Roscoes .  YUMM YUMM .  In Universal Studios we went on a tour around all the different movie / TV sets from the past to the most current .  Some of the sets we saw included : Desperate House Wives , Psyco , Jaws , Fast 5 , a bunch of old western movies , How the Grinch Stole Christmas , Austin Powers , a Lady Ga Ga music video , one of the worlds BIGGEST blue screens , etc . . . Along with the tour , we were taken through a few simulations , sound rooms , and were shown famous cars from different movies.  Pretty neat I must say =]  I would post all the pictures from the tour on here but that would mean I would have to upload over 50 . So here are my two favorite aside from the tour from the day !

These next few days I will continue to work on my projects , homework , teach a few classes / lead hikes , and whatever else may come my way .  Soon I will be trying to post some video footage from my stay here as well.  May post a few videos teaching , running / hiking , whatever else !

G'Night xo

Pictures, Pitchers, Pics, & Photos

Here are a FEW (emphasizing FEW) captured shots from the past few days !  Hope you enjoy them as much as I do =]