Company picnic, 2012-style

Yesterday I participated in my first 5K run! Except it was more like a brisk walk -- partly because I haven't actually run since high school (possibly junior high), and partly because I was hemmed in by toddlers, strollers, and many, many, many Microsoft employees and their families. We all showed up on Saturday morning for the first Campus Jam activity of the day, the Family Fun Run! The route took us around and through the Microsoft campus. There was a giant balloon arch and marching band at the end, which was playing Beyonce's "Crazy in Love" as I crossed the finish line. Even though I'm sure I routinely walk that distance around the neighborhood, it felt glorious!

After the run, we ate box lunches outside by one of the fountains, checked out exhibitor booths, and I took an invigorating and challenging zumba class while Chris and Oscar played Frisbee. There were yoga classes too, but I missed out on that. In fact, we really experienced only a tiny fraction of the activities available. There were player appearances from the Seattle Seahawks, Sea Gals, Seattle Storm, Sounders FC, and the Seattle Mariners. There were kids' sports clinics for cheering, football, baseball, soccer, and basketball; cooking demonstrations; crafts; a scavenger hunt; 3-on-3 basketball; a climbing wall; trampoline; Kinect games; and yes, even a competitive 5K race.

Microsoft, obviously, is incredibly huge, and this event was packed with thousands and thousands of people. The number of box lunches they had on hand -- at four distribution stations over the campus -- was staggering. It was crowded! Not horribly so, but they did run out of cups for the water during the race, and certain flavors of the free smoothies they were giving out. Obviously a fitness-centered event like this is designed to encourage employees and their families to be healthy. The cynical part of me thinks MS probably gets a big discount on insurance rates for promoting a healthy lifestyle. It would've been cool to have some old-timey sack races or tug-of-war competitions, but it was a great spring event even so.

Kick, punch, it's all in the mind*

While I've been going to Zumba class, Oscar has been taking classes at Jae Hun Kim Taekwon-do Institute. The classes for kids are big, and it's so cute to see rows of white-uniformed kids doing synchronized moves. The head instructor Gailyn Perrin is amazing -- she comes across as kind, but totally no-nonsense and authoritative. When she issues a command, the troops yell "Yes, Ma'am!" in unison. This place is disciplined!

It's in our neighborhood too, which has made it a lot easier to get to classes.

* If you're not familiar with my headline, it comes from one of the best PlayStation videogames in history, Parappa the Rapper. Check out the YouTube video!

Fresh Fitness & Dance

My workout routine is best described as inconsistent, but Fresh Fitness is still one of my favorite discoveries in my neighborhood. Just a 10-minute walk from my house, this tiny, hidden dance and fitness studio (just one room with an attached kitchen/dressing room/infrared sauna area) is ideal for someone like me who just likes exercise classes -- not treadmills or weight machines. I've taken daytime Zumba classes from Dee and Michelle, who both have mesmerizing, graceful moves and gyrating hips, which I definitely cannot imitate. But my theory has always been that any activity is better than no activity, and they both make it really fun to shimmy around, burning calories to a blend of Latin/Bollywood/Hip Hop/whatever -- even if I'm not exactly performing on their level.

I'm no Zumba expert, but the version of Zumba at Fresh Fitness seems much less Latin-influenced than the few Zumba classes I took in the Bay Area, which for me is a plus. As far as I'm concerned, the more variety, the better; I get bored easily. I'm pretty sure these classes would have simply been termed "aerobics" back when I was in college. I've also taken one Pilates Mat class and want to try the Cardio Kick, but they're offered at dinnertime, and I prefer to get my workout done earlier in the day. I'm also gearing up to get up by 6:30 so I can take something called Fresh Camp.

The cost for Fresh Fitness is a little steep for me -- um, especially considering I'm unemployed -- (it's $90 for a 10-class punch card or $69/month; I've been using the punch card option), but, given the small class size, it's almost like getting a private lesson. I've been in a couple of classes with just one other student; most have a handful -- until more people discover this place, anyway.