Medicine, a doctor, and strawberry shortcake undies?!

Today, was....interesting lol:) I babied my leg last night trying to rest it as much as possible in hopes of healing it for today but I awoke with it still bothering me pretty bad. Luckily when I arrived at the office they informed me that they had decided to move the marketing photo shoot up to today as well as the teaser reel and promo shoot so there wouldn't be any working out...WOO HOO!!

The only bad part about that means that I'll be going non-stop with workouts for the rest of my working days until I leave but at least now I have the best chance of my leg fully healing before things get crazy again. So half-way through the day I passively mentioned to Akil that I would really love for my leg to be massaged because I found a GIANT muscle knot above my hip-flexor, which I'm sure is contributing to the pain. Next thing I know, he comes back into the room with he director Oliver and says to me "Ok get ready we're going to the doctor." What?! Doctor? Ok well I didn't ask to see a doctor but alright lol:) So we hop into the car with Terry the CEO and traipse 1/2 way across France (it seemed) to his doctor's office. Apparently this guy is one of the best orthopedic doctors in all of France.

Well we get there and after waiting in a room that looked like the presidential oval office for a while, we were hurried into the doctor's office where Akil explained my injury to the doctor. He escorted me into his exam room and told me to take off my jeans for a proper exam. What?! Dude, all I have on underneath is my strawberry shortcake thong! LMAO!! "I hope the French are as liberal-minded as they say they are and this old man doesn't think I'm a total freak" is all I'm thinking as I slip off my jeans and wait on the butcher paper waiting to be wrapped up like a deli sandwich. Well he comes in, and flails my legs around in every which direction stretching, flipping me on my stomach, my side and my back snap, crackle, popping me all the way down from the neck to my lower spine and hips. He barely said two words the entire time (not that I would have understood anything anyway) and after flipping me around and splaying me open like an opponent in an ancient Greek wrestling match, he promptly left the room. "Uhhh...." I called out to Akil who was waiting patiently in the other room through the open door, "dude he didn't even look at my hip or massage my leg! Can you ask him if he can look at this muscle knot or my hip flexor?!" As I hear them exchanging words in the adjoining office, I sat and waited pant-less for what seemed to be forever...with my butcher-papered butt getting cold. I wouldn't be surprised if the doctor was saying something to the effect of "Do American's think it's acceptable to show up for a chiropractic leg examination in nothing but a thong?!" haha:)  Finally Alkil yelled out "ok put your pants back on!!" lol:)

The doctor wrote me up a prescription of some pretty effective pain killers so that was one great thing that came out of the whole visit but other than that I felt bad....I felt like I had wasted everyone's time and while I appreciated all of the effort, I felt bad that the whole thing was unnecessarily blown out of proportion.

Upon returning to the office we got some lunch and shot the rest of the teaser and promo footage that will be used on the website to promote my workout series. I took some of the prescriptions and have HIGH hopes for tomorrow as they really did the job with killing the pain!!:) Wish me luck for tomorrow guys!!!

Until tomorrow....

REVIOR!!

Paris....HIP-FLEXOR HELL!!

Ok well not much to post about today except for my STUPID HIP-FLEXOR is hurt!! Wahh!:(( Yeah I am not really sure what happened but I'm pretty sure it's just an over-use injury because I went to sleep without any pain and woke up with it bothering me. I told my team about it right away when I got to the studio this morning so we decided to shoot some teaser and promo footage instead ....THANK GOD!!  After lunch we were going to forge ahead and try to film workout #19 but the crane camera was still broken and the technicians had arrived to try and work on it. After about 2 hours it was apparent that it was not going to be a quick fix so they sent me home....what? I get to go home when the sun is still up?!:))

I rushed home to be greeted by my mom and stepdad who arrived in Paris today! They are staying at a hotel nearby and will be kind of off doing their own thing while Ryan and I grind away at our jobs for the remainder of the week, but at least we'll all get to spend Christmas together which is really nice:))

Since today was the first day that I arrived home before 8pm (except for Sunday when everything was closed) my FIRST order of business after greeting my mom and stepdad was to find a massage spa!!! I have been wanting a massage so bad and haven't been able to get to a place before it closes since I get off so late so I was determined to make today the day! Ryan had inadvertently scouted out a Thai massage place while walking around a few days ago so I went there and YIPEE!!! I finally got my massage!:)) It was MUCH needed but I'm really nervous about this dang hip-flexor.

For those who don't know, the hip-flexor is a very small muscle that connects your hip to your upper quadricep and it's pretty integral to anything involving lifting your leg or core/abdomen work so it's a HUGE hindrance right now and I'm scared it's not going to heal up in time....only time will tell. I'm loading up on ibuprofen and icing the heck out of it. Send a prayer my way!

Until tomorrow....

REVIOR!!

Paris de sept jours: Day Seven in Paris!!

Another day in the grinder! Lol, all joking aside, I am loving what I’m doing but it is tiring NO DOUBT!! Ryan woke up early with me to head on down to Coach Club to check out one of my workouts! There was a freeze this morning so one of the camera guys was very late and we ended up waiting around for about an hour before we got started but it was nice to have Ryan come and check out what I've been up to.

I was feeling pretty cruddy this morning but trying to hang in there and stay positiveJ We shot the first one (workout #16) and it went pretty well! Just after we did the run through for the second workout of the day right before we went to film it the boom/crane camera went out. Well let me clarify: the camera itself was working but the tilt function on it stopped working, they think the motor went caput on it. So we had to shift some things around in order to accommodate the rest of the day.

We got through workout #17 and I was feeling TIRED and stuffy through lunch. I have this little trick where if you’re suuuper stuffed up you literally sniff up hot water through your nose. It’s super uncomfortable and it makes you cough and it feels terrible but it really loosens everything up and allows you to breathe. I didn’t really care that I was so stuffed up but it was making me sound really nasally on camera lol! So I had to set aside about 10 minutes after lunch to get all raunchy with the water up the nose trick reapply my makeup and get back to it but ….BINGO! It did the trick! I also FINALLY got my hands on some cold medicine during lunch with Akil my interpreter.

BAM! Done with workout three and then we did 10 technical segments. Walking home in the rain I realized I forgot to mention something very interesting about Parisians. Despite the fact that the majority of what they eat is either soaked in butter and fat, bleached white pasta and bread or super fatty meats and cheeses, they are all for the most part very thin. They also walk INCREDIBLY fast!! I noticed it right when I got off of the plane in fact. Ryan and I were walking up this really steep ramp at the airport just after exiting the plane and there was this super old couple in front of us that were just HOOFIN’ it up the ramp! I felt like a fat lazy cow! I mean these old folks weren’t joking around! And that’s how most Parisians are….walking at lightning speed everywhere they go….always in a super hurry. Combine that with the fact that they all smoke like chimneys and it’s no wonder they’re so darn skinny! Ha!

Well we were supposed to be filming some teaser footage tomorrow along with interviews and some technical movements, so I was really looking forward to a physically relaxing day but now because the crane camera is broken we have to film three more workouts tomorrow….boo!! Oh well, hey we’ll be more than 2/3^rd  of the way done by tomorrow!!! I keep joking that this is going to be my most fit Christmas everJ  Speaking of Christmas, I finally attached a pic of our little Christmas tree that the owner of our flat set up for us. On either side are our Christmas stockings that I insisted we bring from home since I am such a Christmas fiend I HAD to have something to remind me of home!:)

Anyhow, I am really looking forward to getting some quality sleep here so I’m heading off to bed now. Until tomorrow….

REVIOR!!

PARIS de six jours: Day Six in Paris!!!

Well day six! COUGH, COUGH....yeah I just....ACHOO!!! Yeah as I was saying today we...SNIFFLE, SNIFFLE...LOL, as you can see I'm sicker than a freggin' dog...BOO!!!

It SUCKS because I wasn't feeling too horrible yesterday but it hit me pretty hard today. I woke up with a really low-grade fever. I finally caught whatever Ryan has been battling and he hogged up all the medicine that I brought just in case...he got better and now I'm sick and don't have anything...thanks for that! lol:) I feel bad, I know I sound so bitter but it just sucks being sick:((

I feel like it's been a total blur since I got here. I FINALLY got a chance to unpack my things and organize the apartment today so I finally feel settled. Today was actually my first day off (one of three). I actually didn't know I was going to get this day off I only thought I had Christmas and Christmas eve so today was a surprise! Ryan and I went to the Arc de Triumph and went walking around down the Champs-Élysées (the upscale shopping district) which was pretty boring actually because I'm such a cheap-skate and I didn't want to buy anything lol! We got tired pretty quickly so we came back, took a nap, got up and ate and now after doing some work we are about to head off to bed again. So pathetic! Sucks so bad to be feeling so crappy when you are in such a magnificent city half-way across the world and there are so many things to see and things to do but all I want to do is lie in bed:(( How many opportunities in your life do you get to be in Paris?! Not many, and I feel like I'm totally squandering my time here. I can't help it though, I mean, after all I'm here for work first, pleasure second so I have to take care of my body as best as I can and make sure I can keep pushing through the shoots. 

Sorry for the Debbie Downer post but I guess that's the dirty truth of things. Hopefully I'll get some quality rest and feel better tomorrow. Until then...

REVOIR!!

Paris de cinq jours: Day Five in Paris!!!

So today is Saturday!! Wait, don't get too excited, it may be the weekend for everyone else but not for me boo!! haha:) The alarm woke me around 7am and I rolled out of bed surprised to see Ryan wide-eyed and bushy-tailed clanking away with food in the kitchen. "What the hell are you doing up?" I asked, befuddled why on earth someone would for-go precious sleep (a high commodity in my life right now lol). "I'm coming with you today remember?" DUH....man my brain is fried lately. I totally forgot!Not to mention that I woke up feeling like total s*%$! I think I finally got a version of what Ryan has been battling over the past few days despite my best efforts to avoid it by ingesting an elephant's dose of vitamin C and airborne/emergen-C type effervescent stuff every day...booo:(

So Ryan again, magically whipped up an AMAZING breakfast for me...what a sweetheart he makes my heart melt:))) Again with the limited ingredients we have he made us french toast with a almond butter, butter and honey drizzle for the syrup with creme fresh and raspberries on top!!! It was SOOOO GOOD!!! I got ready and we headed out for Coach Club.

We managed to catch a really pretty sunrise on our walk over, which I have not seen since I've been here. The days are so short here I walk to work in the morning before the sun rises and I walk home well after the sun has set. The only part of the day I get to see is if I leave the office during lunch for a few moments. I must admit I was dreaming of a white Christmas in Paris and was fully expecting it to be freezing cold and snowy! It isn't that at all in fact, it's about the same temperature as LA (a tiny bit colder) and just rainy and grey:( Waah! I wanted a white Christmas!! Haha ok well even if I don't get that this year the little old man who owns our flat did leave us a really cute little white Christmas tree with lights and ornaments on it!! I almost died when I came in and saw it in the flat....this man has NO IDEA how much I love Christmas:)) That reminds me I have to take some pictures of our place and post them!

So Ryan came and watched my first workout. It went alright but I was honestly so tired it was not even close to my best so I was kinda bummed he watched that one, but oh well. He got to meet my main contact Aurelie who is the marketing manager over there. He also got to meet Oliver and Alex as well as the camera crew.

After he left we knocked out two more workouts (man the 2nd one of the day felt GOOD!) and then filmed some more technical movement segments. So hopefully (FINGERS CROSSED) I'm through with filming 4 workouts a day for a while. I'm OFFICIALLY half way through all of my episodes!! I think I'm going to try to get a massage tomorrow...my body is HURTING!!!!! Although, I will say that my knee felt better today thank goodness:)

Ok well tomorrow is my FIRST day off!! And one of only three I may add so Ryan and I are going to try to make the best of it and hop around Paris to see a few things.

Until tomorrow!!


REVIOR!!

Paris de quatre jours: Day Four in Paris!

Well I woke up feeling.....yeah you guessed it, tired as usual, however my hubby got up with me and decided to cook me the most delicious breakfast! We have a mish-mash of food currently at our flat but he managed to scrounge up a GREAT meal! I thought it was so sweet I took a picture of it:))

I was off to work with a great breakfast in my belly and FINALLY I got to use my curling iron! Woo hoo! Haha it sounds so stupid but you take little things like that for granted when you have use of them every day.  Ryan managed to run around yesterday and find a power converter so now we can actually plug in our things here in our flat. Anyhow, we knocked out workouts 10,11, and 12 and we had planned on filming 4 workouts yesterday but my left knee really started to bother me. I know it's not injured, I can tell it's just my IT band flaring up from overuse. The thing is, the workouts I have been filming are beginner level for now which is why we are cramming so many into a day, but even though they are easy they are 45 minutes each! All the activity, lack of sleep and rest kinda flared it up a bit and it was starting to ache. I iced it with a bag of peas I found in the refrigerator downstairs in the office kitchen but since I was really dragging and my knee was bothering me anyway, Oliver (pronounced Olivieeeee;) the director said it would be ok if we didn't film the 4th workout and we filmed technical movement segments instead. What are technical movement segments?

Well I was wondering the same thing, lol. Coach Club has each coach explain certain technical movements to the viewers in a way that breaks it down into basic steps. The funny thing about it is that they do it in a kitchy way:) First they film you explaining what body parts the movement works. Then they film you speaking YOURSELF through the movement like I would say, "Ok Chelsea we're going to do forward lunges are you ready? Ok feet shoulder width apart....etc" you get the idea right? Well then they play back the audio that you already recorded speaking to YOURSELF into the studio and you demonstrate it for your twin, it's hilarious! I had a TON of fun being a complete goofball with my digital twin while demonstrating the moves. I hope you guys can check them out some day:)

It was a nice break to be able to film the technical movement segments. My translator Akil left today and I will get my other translator Alex back for tomorrow.....working again tomorrow on Saturday! After work I walked over to this nice food market that is near the Coach Club office and picked up a few more groceries as we didn't have enough at the flat. I finally walked in around 9pm and could hardly keep my eyes open long enough to edit my workouts. I STILL haven't unpacked my bag yet!!!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's adventures!!

Revior!!! 

PARIS TROISIÈME JOUR: Day Three

Ok so now we're all caught up here.

I woke up today feeling the best I've felt in over a week. Oh the wonders of sleep!! After giving up on the idea of making an adapter work for my curling iron in my dressing room for fear of blowing it out, I realized too late that I didn't have time to curl my hair in our flat before I needed to head out. I would just have to settle for the flat iron that they had provided for me and try to figure it out. I swear I feel like a prepubescent girl trying to navigate the scary waters of the womanly world when I use a flat iron...I'm an idiot. Whatever....I'll make it work, either that or they will just have to accept that they have bozo the clown's sister as a host lol!

Well we knocked out workouts 6, 7,8 and 9 today without too much of a hitch but I was pretty tired by the end of the day I gotta say. The jet lag is still wearing on me and I have edits to do and spreadsheets to fill out each day after battering myself with hours of working out. I did manage to snap a quick cell phone picture though on set today so you guys can take a look at it:) The guy above is one of the three camera men...really funny dude!

Anyhow, not too much else new today. Finally caught up on some emails. Ryan and I are currently surviving on the stale complimentary candy that the owner of the flat left as a decoration but other than that things are good! Speaking of good....I'm going to bed now so I can get some sleep before doing it all again tomorrow!

Until then...

REVOIR!!