Ready To Shoot

After months of online research, stalking photographer's blogs, and annoying every camera-savvy person I know about their experience, I finally bought my first DSLR camera!!!  I'm the proud new owner of a Canon EOS Digital Rebel T1i.  Say that ten times in row...

(Source)

I'll be eating Ramen noodles for the next six months to pay it off... but it's all in the name of love.  Oh, and I've named him Dean... since James Dean starred in the 1950's hit "Rebel Without a Cause."  He is hot.  See, I do know a thing or two about American history :) 

(Source)

So back to the camera.  I was debating between getting a used but more professional camera (like a Canon 7D), or going with one of the newer, higher-end consumer models.  In the end, the Canon Rebel consumer model won out, just because I wasn't willing to throw down $1,500+ when I'm such an amateur and don't really know how far I'll want to take my photography hobby.  After all, my point and shoot Olympus still confuses the bejeebers out of me, so I'm taking baby steps here. 

I also visited one of the local camera stores and tried a few brands and models out before making a final decision.  I really liked the Nikon cameras, but for some reason the Canon models just felt better in my hands, so I just stuck with my gut.  The guy at the store informed me that I was "picking my team" and that DSLR people rarely switch their brand.  Thanks, dude.

One thing I learned throughout this process.... photography is expensive.  Muy expensive.  Some of the lenses are more expensive than the actual camera bodies, but an explanation of that madness will have to come at a later time.  For right now, I'm happy with my decision to get a (fairly) basic camera that will still give me room to grow, yet won't totally confuse a tech-granny like myself.  I haven't actually tried it out yet, but I'm sure I'll be posting all sorts of random wannabe-artistic pictures in the near future.  Oh and the camera also has HD video.  Hollaaaa!

I'm registered for a photography class later in the summer, and in case you can't tell, I'm super excited!  Thanks to everyone that has answered my questions, and let me test your cameras out!  Can't wait to give Dean a little spin :)

xoxo,
Olivia

Heart Smarts

I tried out the Polar F6 heart rate monitor during last night's gym session.  I'm still trying to figure out all of the settings, but I was able to get the basic functions to work.  Quite a feat since I can't even figure out the stopwatch function on my Timex!

Here's what I think of it, in case anyone is considering getting one for themselves:

Originally, I was concerned about the comfort of the coded transmitter chest strap. They look painful and I was convinced that it would be too small and I would suffocate and die. As it turns out, the strap is super adjustable and elastic, so my sizing paranoia went away. Plus, you can't even feel the transmitter once you put it on (it fits comfortable under a sports bra). The watch itself is only slightly larger than a regular one, so that didn't bother me at all.

Since I was in a partial Thai food coma from dinner, I decided to only do an hour of cardio so that I could test this little do-da out. I hopped on my favorite elliptical (located right under the A/C vent, score) and set it to manual since I wasn't going to use the machine to track my heart rate. After a few minutes, I realized that the elliptical machine was somehow reading my heart rate without me using the heart rate grasps. It must have been able to pickup on what the Polar transmitter was reading. Kinda creepy. Any who, I did a bit over an hour of cardio, and here's how I did (apologies for the shoddy pics):

I'm really happy that I managed to burn 50% from fat, and I purposely slowed down when the watch beeped to tell me I was moving up to a higher zone. So in this respect, I think the watch/hrm should help improve my fitness smarts. One thing that is a bit annoying -- the elliptical machine, which as I mentioned was also tracking my heart rate, said that I burned closer to 940 calories. I'm not all that concerned about the numbers, but still, that's more than a slight discrepancy! Makes me wonder which one is more accurate. 

In other news, look who gave me the stink eye this morning when it was time to get up:

Notice how he's stretched out smack in middle of bed? I usually wake up practically falling off the side because I've been scooted over all night. Divo. 

Other than that, I'm super excited that today is Friday, and that we have nice weekend ahead :) Tomorrow I'm off to Great Falls for a hike, and on Sunday I'm hosting my very first brunch!  I'm already planning a couple of fun recipes to try. Can't wait!

Have a fabulous weekend!

xoxo,
Olivia

Beautimus

As crazy as it may sound, it's 90 degrees in DC today. Seriously, I'm in love with this weather. In typical DC fashion, it's going to drop about 30 degrees by Friday, but we'll take what we can get. Sunshine makes me happy :)

Saturday would have be the perfect day to run the J. Brian's 1.5k that I posted about awhile back.  Unfortunately, after a visit to the podiatrist last Friday, I'm on a forced hiatus for a few weeks. I've been having awful shin/ankle pains in my left leg, and after a couple rounds of x-rays, the doc said that it looks like I have a tibia stress fracture.  The good news is that I'm already a couple of weeks into the healing process, so I just have to take another 3-5 weeks off running to let things completely heal.

The podiatrist I visited is a runner, and had lots of good advice for an amateur like myself. I talked about how I've been regularly running and working out, but haven't really seen the results/progress that I would like. He gave me a shpeal about understanding different types of running, and how your body reacts according to intensity levels. For instance, fast and high intensity running won't necessarily mean weight loss (from fat), but can instead burn muscle mass and not do much for endurance (or something along those lines). He recommended that I get a heart rate monitor that will gauge which zone I'm in, and that can help me focus on burning calories from fat vs. training for endurance or speed. Since I'm a sucker for gadgets, I did some research and decided to get a women's Polar HRM watch.  Below is a chart Polar publishes that illustrates the benefits associated with each hearth rate zone (click image to enlarge):

Good to know!  I'm super excited to give my new little gadget a spin once I've got it setup.  While it wasn't cheap, if it helps me workout smarter, it's worth the investment.  Stay tuned....

Other than that, I've been keeping busy at the gym by switching things up between spinning, swimming, and the elliptical, all of which are low impact and thus tibia friendly. Happy tibia = happy O-livia. This Saturday I'll be going for a hike with JB instead of the race, so that will be fun and great exercise.  Plus, more fun in the sun!  Love.

xoxo,
Olivia