Good Morning sweet friends! Yall know I love making blog friends - and when they live within driving distance of me? Well that's an extra bonus because it's sometimes hard to find locals. Well today I have an extra special treat for you today. Today, I'm going to introduce you to the sweet and very talented Courney Giardina. Courtney is a Charlotte, NC based author who just published her first novel - Tear Stained Beaches - in February 2013 by Take Two Publishing. She is currently hard at work on her second novel to be released Winter 2014. I'm in the middle of Tear Stained Beaches and I'm hooked! And I'm just not sure I can wait for that second novel, so Courtney can you hurry up a little :) There's also a tiny synopsis of what TSB is all about at the end of this post (your welcome), so run on over to Amazon or your local Barnes and Noble and pick it up!
But today Courtney's not here to talk about writing. No. Instead she's here to talk about another passion of her's -fitness. She has recently taken up boxing and honestly, after seeing so many celebrity trainers recommend the exercise on E News, it's got me wondering. So without further ado, I'll let Courtney start doing the talking...
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It’s hard to believe it’s been over a year since my move
to Charlotte. Time sure does fly. It was
around that time that I started really getting into health and fitness. It
wasn’t only a way for me to get back in shape, but to meet people in the new
city I now called home. I tried everything that I could find when it came to
working out. The list was almost endless: boot camp, water aerobics, pure
barre, the gym, even a personal trainer. All of these I loved, but my wallet
didn’t. Then one day as I was pulling out of the grocery store, when on the
other side of the parking lot, I saw an opportunity for a new challenge!
When I walked into Title Boxing club here in the
Ballantyne area of Charlotte I had no idea what to expect. Rows of punching
bags hung from above and a large timer that read 3:00 was anchored to the wall.
I was given a pair of boxing gloves and hand wraps to wrap my hands before the
start of the class. Thankfully their grand opening was just a few days before
so I was one of many newbies in the class. I had a trainer wrap up my hands,
picked out a bag and took a deep breath before the bell rang for class to
start.
I swear the first 15 minutes were the worst part for me.
It’s a mix of high intensity cardio and stretching to get your body warmed up.
The minute hand likes to play games with me during this period; I swear it
slows down just to torture me.
I make it through though and head over to gulp some water
before the real fun starts. 8 rounds of 3 minutes throwing different kinds of
punch combinations followed by 1 minute of active rest. By the end of round 8
every muscle in my body hurt and the sweat was crying its way out of me. The
worst part? We weren’t even done yet! The final 15 minutes consists of the most
intense ab workout you’ll ever encounter. Plank holds, supermans, bag swings,
static holds and use of the medicine ball are only a few of the ones I can
think of at the moment, but I mean it when I say you’ll love every minute of
this treacherous routine.
I’m now entering my sixth month as a member of Title
Boxing Ballantyne and I’ve loved every minute of it. The one thing I really
love about the class is that it doesn’t matter what fitness level you are at,
anyone can do this workout. Everyone is paying attention to their own bag and
their own technique that you don’t feel intimidated at all. Another thing I
love is that it doesn’t ever seem to get easier. You just learn how to punch
harder and move faster to challenge yourself more.
If you have a Title
Boxing in your area, I highly recommend you try it out! I’m addicted.
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Haylie
Julian wants nothing more than to put her crumbling marriage back together.
Chase used to be a fun-loving, light hearted husband who had lately become an
overworked attorney obsessed with climbing the corporate ladder. It isn’t
long before Haylie starts waking up next to a man she barely knows. His
secretive phone calls and late nights at the office leave her feeling alone and
afraid of what he might be hiding. Ignoring his continuous pleas to just
leave well enough alone, she continues to dig for answers and discovers a
heartbreaking truth.
Tear Stained Beaches
explores what happens when a marriage isn’t the happily-ever-after you thought
it was. Can trust be rebuilt? Can a wife forgive the ultimate betrayal?
Courtney's Website // Purchase Tear Stained Beaches
2 comments :
Sounds like the post-baby workout I NEED to get back in shape! Can't wait to start working out again.
That novel does sound like a hard one to put down! I'm going to have to check it out!
Thank you so much for having me on your blog!
Nicole- I'd love to hear what you think if you do get a chance to read it!
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