I weighed in this morning with a flat line between last week and this week. Nothing gained, nothing lost. Better than something gained, for sure, but not what I hoped for.
Last week had its challenges, and chief among them was my energy level. I helped Dad with painting every day last week. I'm not sure exactly why it sapped my energy, but it definitely did. I didn't get my butt to the gym as often as I usually do, so this week I've decided to return to the schedule that helps me best: alternating higher-impact aerobics (at Slimmons) with lower-impact exercise (like swimming and yoga.) I'm aiming for 60 minutes or more, 6 days a week. I'm determined to have a balanced exercise schedule.
In fact, I'm determined to find balance in all things. I know that it's not generally possible, but I like to aim for center (perhaps, as my friend Lisa says, waving at it as I swing past.)
The biggest thing that brought balance to my food habits is actually Richard Simmons' Food Mover system. When I visited Slimmons for the first time, Richard recommended it to me, and his long-time student Felise taught us the ropes.
This is the FoodMover package, which - if you're inclined - you can order here.
(Just for integrity's sake, I wanted to disclose that I have not been paid to review this.)
Basically, there's a little plastic device with sliding windows, and interchangeable cards. If you're eating, say, 1400 calories a day, you'd slide in the "1400" card and it would tell you exactly how to balance your diet between servings of carbs/protein/veggies/etc. As you eat each allotted serving, you close a window. (When I have a serving of fruit, I close one of the little "apple" windows.) It comes with a booklet that defines the servings sizes, and after about a week or two of working with it, we had most of our favorites memorized.
It was surprising just how well-balanced our diets became as we were paying close attention to portion sizes and balance. Before we started, it wasn't unusual for us to share a half-box of pasta or more. We expected that if we ate less pasta, we'd be much hungrier. Thanks to Food Mover, we learned that we never had to feel hungry if we ate all of the rest of the defined servings in a day. Turns out that if you close all your little "portion windows," not only have you eaten exactly what you set out to eat, you are surprisingly satiated.
FoodMover is an excellent guideline, but I'll admit that the more comfortable I've been with healthy eating, the less attention I've paid. To help with my general balance, this week I've decided to return to daily FoodMovin', and I'll be sharing my food log in the process for the next 7 days. I'll explain the "windows" I've closed for each meal.
Here's my FoodMover after lunch & afternoon snack, and before dinner (and lots of afternoon water.)
I'd eaten all of my allotted starch, and had 2 fruit, 3 protein, 1 fat, 3 veg, 1 dairy and 6 water remaining.
And here's my log for Monday:
Breakfast - 1 whole-wheat bagel (2 starch windows), 1 tb lox spread (1 fat window), 2 tomato slices (negligible calories.)
Lunch - 1 low-cal tortilla (1 starch) with 4 oz lean grilled ground turkey (2 protein), 1 tsp light vegenaise and 1 tb low-cal blue cheese aioli (1 fat), baked yam fries (2 starch),
Snack - A bottle of Trader Joe's red veggie juice (2 veg, 1 fruit)
Dinner - Personal frittata with 2 eggs (2 protein), swiss chard & leek (2 veg), and 1 oz goat cheese (1 dairy), 1 baked apple with tsp cinnamon/sugar (2 fruit)
Beverage - 12 oz of zero calorie Steaz (1 extra), 8 oz skim milk (1 dairy), 64 oz water (8 water)
Per Richard's suggestion, I usually eat my carbs earlier in the day - though sometimes I spread them out a little more. All the better balance the blood sugar, my dear.
I have one other goal for my balance this week - I would like to precede my workday with a period of meditation, prayer and centering. It really helps me, all-around.
What are you doing to find balance in your life this week? Whatever it is, I hope it helps you to take care of you.
Hello! It's Monday following a beautiful weekend, and I'm happy to be back and blogging today.
My father is visiting from Michigan this week. He arrived Friday morning, and I promptly dragged him out with me to finish shopping for Saturday's Supper Club 600. Such a good sport! Along with Tom's mom, he helped us to get all the food ready for the party, which was great fun (and which will be the subject of this week's Adventure Wednesday, In the Kitchen, and Fashion Friday posts.)
We also took Dad to Slimmons, where he met Richard for the first time. Richard was dressed up as King Tut's Tomb, and we are still picking the gold glitter off of our arms and cheeks. Richard pulled us into the middle of the circle to dance with him, and you can see us boogie together below, at exactly 4 minutes in.
Dad's a skilled handy-man, and he volunteered to help me fix up the bedroom (which I wrote about in July.) This morning we went paint-shopping and proceeded with wall-spackling. We'll be painting the wall, the shelves, and the dresser before he leaves on Saturday. I hope to have some great "after" photos for you soon!
On the blogging front, I just want to thank all of you for your support. Every time I hear from one of you, it helps me remember why I'm writing this blog in the first place: to remind myself to take care of me... and to remind you to take care of you.
One thing I dislike about Blogger (which is the online software I use for blogging) is that I can't easily respond directly to you when you comment, and I'm not sure that you see my response when I post it. So lately, I just haven't posted it. And I don't like that! I want you all to know how much your words mean to me. I'm looking at hosting my own blog so that I can add that functionality, but in the meanwhile, I want to respond to some of the weight loss bloggers who've responded to me recently. I'm doing that in today's post, and thank you for being with me on my journey! (And hopefully, to link to you so that others can see yours, too.)
***
Hello, Miss April! Thank you for your support... and you have mine on your 30 Before 30 journey, too!
Sarah, I've been reading OnMyWeightToHappiness - you should be so proud of your success! CONGRATULATIONS on your crossing that big BMI milestone! I hope to follow in your footsteps by next year.
Suzi, thank you for reading! I noticed that you recently did a Richard Simmons DVD, and I have to say, if ever you're in my neck of the woods, you have to come work out with the man himself (and me, too.)
KT, I appreciate your support! And, wow, your Christmas Dress for the Countdown is darling. Can't wait to see how you accessorize it (because I know you're going to make it!)
Hi, Dom. Your blog name makes me laugh every time I read it. You kick so much ass, and I'm really glad to be following your blog as well. Did you end up buying the compression tank we both like so much? (I am still drooling over it.)
Bella my beautiful, I want you to stop working out in those baggy workout clothes you wrote about in your comment. I know it feels... I dunno, to me, it feels safer in the baggy stuff. Covered. But the truth is that we're not really hiding anything but how much we're changing and strengthening our bodies. Targed does indeed have some plus-sized stuff. I'm usually wearing a 3X these days, but the Champion workout leggings in XXL (in the active section) fit me just fine. Target also sells these "long and lean" tank tops in the plus section that work really well for me. (I'm wearing one in the video above.)
Hilary, thank you! I have been working on the positive attitude thing for a long time - through therapy, and watching others in my life. Congrats on making your first goal, by the way!
Denise, don't be jealous of my Slimmons workouts, just take a vacation to Southern California and come join us!
Elisha, how is your Board of Directors handling everything lately? Thinking about you.
Tammy, thank you so much for reading! And also... that outfit you wore on Monday is drop-dead FABULOUS.
PJ Geek... have I told you lately how much I like you? I like you. Muchly.
SKM, I have been using your brush-and-floss trick, and it does help! Thank you for the recommendation.
Ann, thank you for being a new reader! I love new readers. And finding new blogs to follow. You're dead-on about the tooth-aching photos of cake and frosting blobs. They're not so bad in moderation, but damn, I am glad that I only serve them in moderation, heh!
Jenny O... I don't know if you're a weight loss blogger, but if
you are, you must let me know the link! You reply so frequently and
it's so nice to know that you're out there. Thank you for your support!
Stephanie... you're not a blogger, but I love you and I really need to see some of the outfits you've worn for your races!
Chris M, I always appreciate hearing from you! Your comments make my heart feel warm and fuzzy. I'm also enjoying the company of your youngest daughter, so although she's not near you, she gets plenty of hugs from us when we see her. Love to you!
Sara H. L., you're a Facebook reader, not a blogger. But I can't tell you how happy I am to hear that you have been taking "take care of you" to heart. Please keep up with that - because you matter. (To me,and to your guys - big and little!)
And last, but very much not least... Erica. Erica, I don't think I can even contemplate how full up you are. Of so much. You've been on my mind every day, and I hardly even know how to say how proud I am of your strength, and how much goodness I want for you and for J. My heart is with you both.
***
If you're a reader but you don't comment... boy howdy, do I understand. I'm a lurker on almost all of the blogs I read, but I'm trying to break myself from that habit. Maybe if you're less prone to comment, you'd be more open to answering a survey? I just created one for my readers, and I'm hoping to get your feedback, whether or not you comment here. You can take it at Zoomerang, or you can take it in the version embedded below. And thank you, in advance, for your feedback!
OK. I'm off to paint the town red. (Or... my bedroom aqua.) I'll be back tomorrow with a weigh-in and a new breakfast recipe I've been trying. Until then... you know the drill. TAKE CARE OF YOU!
It's a beautiful September morning, and I am feeling good after another hard workout at Slimmons last night. I'm not sure what was different, but I actually felt much stronger yesterday. Maybe the 8-pound free weights I've been building up to are having an effect on my body... or maybe I ate just the right nutritive balance... or maybe my body was happy after all of the water I drank yesterday.
Or maybe it was the fact that four separate people told me last night that I was looking great. It's been happening a lot more often lately. At the beginning of my journey, the relatively quick pace of weight loss (and having been a social hermit for the first few months of it) meant that I got a lot of comments all at once. Over time, as people have gotten used to my weight loss (plus seeing friends more often, and the loss happening more slowly) there have been few mentions of it in person. Lately, though - especially when I'm in my workout clothes - people have really mentioned it.
I know my proportions have shifted a lot, even while the weight itself is slower-moving than it used to be... but I think some of it must be the way I'm dressing.
Some of you probably read the title of this entry and rolled your eyes. "The gym is for working out. The gym is not for looking cute." And you're right. I sweat like crazy and look ridiculous when I'm done. But a few months ago, I used to do it wearing sloppy shirts and wide, wide-legged palazzo pants.
In this photo with Rena, Alexa, Richard & Tom, I'm wearing some of the baggy pants in question.
Richard, style maverick that he is, teased me relentlessly about my baggy clothes. And thanks to some work for both Tom and myself, I finally had the budget for a few new pieces. I headed out to Target and grabbed a couple of new fitted tank tops and leggings. (Just in time, too. I wore one of the old baggy pieces last night and I spent the whole night trying to keep them from falling off.) Once I started wearing the fitted pieces, I started getting a lot more comments about how different I look.
In leggier leggings, with Rochelle
So, yes. The right clothes are important for the gym, too. They wick away sweat, and they support your body. They can even look - yes - cute.
With my ladies, Patty & Alexa (plus Patty's little lady Holly), after a very sweaty workout.
Lately to add to the cuteness factor, I've been accessorizing with vintage scarves worn as bandannas. They're a really cheap and chic way to keep hair and sweat out of your eyes. I recommend snagging a few at an estate sale or a vintage shop, or even at eBay or Etsy. They sometimes sell them together as lots, like this one currently running - 47 of them, currently at $9.99.
I'm still a bit scant in the workout clothes department, so today's imaginary outfit is what I'd buy to fill it out a little more.
Woo-hoo! My post is up on the right day, and posted in the morning, even! I'm off to do some work, followed by preparation for all the home improvements we're doing over the weekend. I hope that those of you in the States enjoy your long weekend, and I hope that all of you will take care of you!
Recently I've felt like a bit like I'm Fozzie Bear, standing onstage amidst an onslaught of rotten tomatoes.
Which is, to say, not so swell.
But I received some excellent advice on Thursday - to rest. I think there's been so much going on that I have felt more and more stretched, less and less centered. Certainly less present. So I heeded that advice, and made sure that did things that were restful.
This is not to say that I sat around on the couch. In fact, I did very little of that. Rest doesn't have to involve inactivity. It's almost more of a mindset than an action. It may actually be more about what I didn't do, than what I did do. I call this "zen-gathering."
I did not...
... stress about work or budgets.
... try to numb myself with food (and I'm proud to say that throughout all of the emotions or stress I've gone through lately, I have been able to keep myself from eating emotionally.)
... talk about myself negatively, even once, all day Sunday. I've been a wellspring of negative self-talk lately, and that's unusual for me. I made a conscious decision to nip it in the bud, and as a result, Sunday felt so much more happy and balanced.
I did...
... work out, very hard. That made 6 for 7 days this week (with one planned rest day) - which is my best record since surgery. Saturday's workout was at Slimmons as usual - though it was particularly fun for us since it was movie-music themed. Richard came dressed as Frank-N- Furter, and I couldn't resist waiting in line for a picture afterward.
If this picture had audio, you'd know that "Singin' in the Rain" was playing as Patty took it.
... see a movie. We're still riding on our stored-up Arclight points, so we got to see Cowboys & Aliens for free. I won't spoil it for anyone, but I will say that I felt modestly positive about it, and that Daniel Craig sure packs a punch.
... collaborate with Tom to plan out our food and work schedule for the week.
... spend some chill, relaxing time with friends. As I grow older, I seem to be less of an extrovert, in the sense that I get more energy out of time alone (and with Tom) than I do from time spent with others. But mellow time with people I enjoy always reminds me that just because I'm more introverted than I used to be, it doesn't mean I'm not an extrovert.
... go on our weekly food shopping trip, including Super King, Trader Joe's, and our farmer's market, which is just beginning to hit prime harvest season.
That trip to the farmer's market - along with the nix on negative self-talk - might've been the turning point for me. I was consistently grouchy for over a week, but that all changed when I sat down at the Farmer's Kitchen, a farm-to-table restaurant run by the market. While we waited for breakfast to arrive, Tom and I shared a four-ounce cup of nearby Carmela Ice Cream's new flavor, Lemon & Olive Oil.
I know, I know. Ice cream for breakfast. Isn't that unhealthy? Could that be emotional eating?
Well, it would be unhealthy if it was a large serving, but it was a tiny serving. It would be unhealthy if it were full of fillers and candy and crap, but it was organic, with natural ingredients made by an artisan company. It would be emotional eating if I were not otherwise addressing the emotions I've been feeling, but I have been working very hard on that. Or if I wasn't hungry (I was), if it triggered a binge (it didn't) or if I wasn't mindful. And I was extremely mindful.
In fact, it was a very sensory experience. I closed my eyes and let the tangy flavors linger on my tongue. I thought about the ingredients, about the way they work together, and how it could inform my own cooking. I talked about those ideas with Tom. It was as mindful an experience with food as any I've had. Although though there were only a few spoonfuls of the ice cream, focusing on it mindfully made it infinitely more satisfying than any large bowl of low-quality junk food would have been. Better than any gourmet meal that I didn't pay attention to.
That experience led to the next... and the next. I reflected as I enjoyed my Farmer's Kitchen egg-and-squash-blossom scramble with sauteed fresh greens. That mindfulness inspired a few of the beautiful fresh market purchases we made, which will in turn inspire some upcoming posts for Finishing the Hat. It's surprising just how much one little thing - like a small but savored indulgence - can inspire and snowball into more and more mindfulness and creativity.... whereas mindless emotional eating can snowball into binges or other unhealthy behavior.
Do you pay attention to your meals? Or do you multi-task, do you have to read or watch or talk while you eat? You might consider taking some time to really think about and savor your food. It's surprising how vibrant a meal can be when it's the center of your attention. Take care of you today, and give it a try!
1) Do you like to shop?
I do. I find it creatively stimulating. I love looking at product design, I love discovering things I've never seen before, or new ways at looking at things. All of these things can be done at a well-curated museum... but just as easily done at a well-curated boutique. I do far more window-shopping than purchasing, and I find it just as enjoyable.
2) How often do you wear makeup?
It seems that my answer is directly correlated to how long I've known people. If I'm comfortable with you, I'm probably not wearing much makeup, or any at all. If I know I'm meeting you for the first time, you can bet I'm wearing some makeup (albeit natural-looking.) I think it's a confidence thing.
3) How do you feel about nail polish?
I can't keep it on my fingernails - I'm a peeler. So I buff the fingers and (sometimes) paint the toes (if I'm pampering myself.)
4) Do you consider yourself a feminist?
At this point in time, I think it's kind of odd that anyone would not think of themselves as a feminist. Really, at the core, feminism is about equal rights and respect for women. Every man and woman should want that.
5) What's your biggest challenge as a woman?
I've seen gender prejudice in action in the workplace. Heck, do you see how few women work as directors, as compared to men? I'm not sure how you solve that problem... but I'm going to keep doing my best, and hope that people will see it.
6) Do you wear skirts and dresses? Or do you prefer something else?
I love skirts and dresses, because I think they're cute, and I generally find them more comfortable than anything else. (Full disclosure: I'm probably wearing bike shorts underneath, which is the key to that comfort.)
7) How do you feel about high heels?
I have never, ever, EVER felt comfortable in them. Maybe it's my weight. Maybe it's just me. But give me a cute pair of strappy sandal wedges or ballet flats, and I'm happy.
8) Do you subscribe to magazines?
Boy, howdy. My favorite is Real Simple, though I also subscribe to Health. As a treat, I sometimes buy myself a copy of Martha Stewart Living, or her health offshoot, Whole Living. On a plane I almost always read Entertainment Weekly. I realized recently that if you combined all of the magazines and blogs I read, the collective mission statement would read: "Let's host a freakin' gorgeous - yet tasty and healthy- dinner party. And then watch a movie afterward." Is there any wonder I came up with Supper Club 600?
9) Do you shave your legs/wax/use depilatory/go au naturale?
I'd like to say that I shave regularly. Really, I would. Semi-regularly is probably more like it. (Sorry about that, friends at Slimmons. I have a husband who just doesn't care about absence or presence of leg hair.)
10) What is your favorite thing about being a woman?
I love that I can embrace my femininity, and be strong... and that in this culture, at this time, those two things don't have to be contradictory.
Happy birthday. You would have turned 65 today, if you were still alive.
I just wanted to tell you how much I miss you. How I miss our long phone calls. How I miss your laughter. Your way of bringing people together. The way you understood people.
I miss the way - I'm almost embarrassed to admit it - that you spoiled me. I'm pretty sure that every clerk in every stores where we shopped together eventually said "can you be my mom, too?" I fought you on every purchase, because I didn't want you to blow your pin money on me. But you spoiled everyone you knew. Everybody but yourself.
My friend Kenz has this weekly blog post called "Friend Makin' Mondays." Today's post inquires what celebrity you would meet, if you could. But I wouldn't choose to have lunch with a celebrity. I'd choose to have lunch with you, if I could. So today is "Friend Missin' Monday," instead.
Now, don't get me wrong, Mom. Of course I'd invite a celebrity to lunch with us. But Richard has become more of a friend now than a celebrity to me. Do you remember using Deal-a-Meal, while I watched his TV show with you? Do you remember sweating to the oldies together? How in the world a five-year-old could fixate on the crazy guy on her mother's exercise video? How did he become her imaginary friend? I really don't know now, and I bet you didn't either, back then. But he did.
And now, as an adult, how in the world did he become my real friend? I would guess that if you had any say in the matter, it might have been your doing. Because my life has changed so much for the better since I met him. And you never told me while you were alive, but I think we both knew - I needed my life to change. Because I didn't want to end up suffering, the way you did.
We wouldn't go out to some fancy restaurant, the three of us. We'd sit together at my kitchen table, and I'd serve some of the food that Tom and I have been cooking lately. I'd show you just how amazing and delicious that healthy food can be - and how wonderful it feels to enjoy it in moderation. I'd make you beautiful fresh salads with citrus fruit and toasted almonds. I'd serve roasted carrots with rosemary, and maybe some seared scallops. We'd each have a cake pop in my latest flavor concoction, and it would be everything we needed for dessert.
Richard would talk to both of us about our eating, and about our exercise. We would discuss how we got to where we are, and how we can get to where we want to be.
In two weeks, you'll have been gone for two years. And I can't serve you that beautiful lunch today. And Richard and I can't talk to you about getting to where you want to be.
But I can make that beautiful lunch for myself. I can go to the pool and swim and swim and swim for as long as I can. I can keep learning new exercises to get stronger, new flavors to savor, new ways to express myself. I know I can get where I want to be.
Good morning! I had an early night last night. After hearing the news from Obama, I felt grateful for the armed forces, and thought of the many who have sacrificed their lives and lost loved ones. But I also felt weirdly conflicted; celebrating death, even the death of someone who has done such evil as bin Laden has, felt uncomfortable. So I turned off the TV and did some zen-gathering: took a hot shower, I sipped a cup of chamomile, I turned on my medatative playlist, and read.
So it's fitting that the topic for today's Friend Makin' Monday is reading.
1) How often do you read? I always have something going, but how frequently I read depends on how busy I am, how tired I am, and how involving the book is. I often read for a little while in bed.
2) What's the last book you read and loved?The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which is a beautiful book about a writer who, by chance, begins exchanging letters with the townspeople on an island that was occupied by the Germans during WWII. It is extremely charming, and one of those stories that reminds you how significant is the power of reading. I highly recommend it.
3) What book(s) are you currently reading? I am reading the Stieg Larson trilogy right now. I'm not far enough to comment upon it, though.
4) Share a few of your favorite authors. I love Dave Eggers, David Sedaris, J.K. Rowling, Bill Bryson, William Shakespeare... but I like all kinds of different authors. I also love magazines. Real Simple, Martha Stewart Living, Health, Cooking Light, Whole Living... I only have subscriptions to two of them, but as a treat I sometimes pick up one other per month.
5) What's next on your list of must-reads? I'm a sucker for YA, and I haven't yet read the Hunger Games books... I might check those out from the library after I finish the Larson books.
In other news, it was yet another theme Saturday at Slimmons, and I took the opportunity to dress the part. I was wearing a whole lot of eye makeup (though my eyes are shaped in such a way that you can't see it well in photos) - but we did get a shot of me before class.
Weird to see me without glasses - I wanted to show off the eyeliner.
I teased my hair out in homage to the Pucci bubble, a brilliant concept for a helmet designed to protect teased hair from the elements. Very Tomorrowland-futuristic, I wish they had stuck around for longer!
I made it to class and all the way through the 45 minutes of aerobics, but I was feeling weak enough (and uncomfortable enough) from the anemia (and bleeding) that we left before toning and floor work. I CAN NOT WAIT to be feeling strong again.
They did manage to get a shot of me early in the class before I look like I'm going to pass out. You can tell that I'm not up to my usual energy level in the other videos, but this one wasn't too bad. You can see Tom in this one, too.
All right. "I can't sit down" for much longer, so I'll leave you with my wishes for your happy and healthy days. Keep taking care of you (and I promise, I'll take care of me, too.)
Hello and a warm welcome to new guests and old friends! Just one quick Weigh-In Tuesday update, and then I'll jump right in to part two of my new series.
Today I'm down another pound! That brings my total to 42 pounds since January. Do I wish it were more? Sure, but I have enough friends on a plateau to know that a pound lost is a lot to be proud of.
And now, for...
...exercise!
I may have made a lot of changes this year, but there's something about me that just hasn't changed. I hate to exercise.
Yes, that's the truth. I HATE EXERCISE. I don't like the smell of the gym, I don't like the fees, I don't like the smugness of extremely fit people, I don't like waiting for a machine or a lane, and I really, really don't like to sweat.
But I have to tell you something else that's true. I love the way I feel after exercise. It is possibly the most important thing I can do for my body. It helps me control my weight, but beyond that, it does so much more.
Why should you exercise?
Are you anxious or blue? Exercise is proven to reduce stress, and, thanks to the endorphins that are released during physical activity, can improve your mood.
Worried about your health? Increasing your activity level helps combat chronic disease, including heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and all kinds of other issues.
When you get out of bed in the morning, do you feel like a mastadon stuck in the La Brea Tar Pits? Working out ups your energy level.
Not thinking straight? Feed your brain! The increased blood flow from exercise is proven to improve cognitive function.
Missing that spark? Not only can exercise increase libido, it can affect your agility, flexibility, and stamina.
Having trouble carrying your grocery bags? It's amazing how much exercise can build strength. I used to have difficulty lugging heavy, wet laundry up the stairs. Now I'm surprised every time I pick up a new load... it isn't a challenge anymore.
You've probably already heard about much of this. If you're not working out - unless you have a physical ailment preventing you - the real challenge of working out is probably how hard it is to get started, not to mention how hard it can be to keep it up. Now, I can't drag you out the door and lug you to your gym (though your accountability buddy might have to sometimes.) But I can give you several different tips and ideas for integrating activity into your life. And I'll start with the biggest, most important tip I can share.
Make it fun.
The only way I can get myself - and keep myself - exercising is to do whatever I can to trick myself into thinking that I'm having a ball.
I'm lucky in that I live in Los Angeles, home of the world's foremost fun-maker of exercise: my (formerly imaginary and now very real) friend, Richard Simmons.
There he is, dressed as a fluffy yellow chick for his day-before-Easter "Hopping at the Disco" class. And there I am, in my green tank top, behind his shoulder on the right. I dare you not to smile at how cute this is.
And here we are again, on this week's episode of Khloe & Lamar. My apologies for bringing the Kardashians into all of this, but it's kind of amusing to be in the background of a show on E! - since the only E! show we ever watch is The Soup, known for ragging on its own network.
I go to classes at Richard's gym, Slimmons, three times a week. For 90 minutes every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, I get to punch, kick, and scream... and get screamed at by a national icon. (Screamed at with love, that is.) If you're anywhere near Los Angeles, why aren't you working out here? It's $12 per class (with some package deals that can discount the price), and every penny is worth it. And, like I was saying yesterday, YOU are worth it.
Seriously. Grab a water bottle, a towel, some crazy gold lame leggings, and your sense of humor. And come out and join us. It's so entertaining that you forget you're working out, plus it will make you fierce, fit, fabulous. And the crew of regulars are, bar none, the kindest and most supportive exercise pals you'll ever meet. The positive attitude filters down from the top, and no one leaves a class without smiling... even if, as Richard threatens, you are so sore that you have to drive home with your lips.
(For full disclosure, you should know that I am a scholarship recipient to Slimmons, but they have in no way paid me to endorse the gym. I just really love it.)
Richard's an expert at making a workout fun, so here are some tricks I've learned from him that you can use even if you're nowhere near Los Angeles.
Work out with friends. A room full of friends is great, but even just one helps ease the anxiety of crossing that gym threshold (or that door threshold!) You'll have someone to check in with, someone to challenge you, someone to complain to when you don't feel like your arms can lift so much as a cereal bowl. And someone to be accountable to - if you cancel an exercise date with yourself, it's just you in a little bubble. If you cancel an exercise date with a friend, you'll let them down just as much as you're letting yourself down.
Shake it up. You can't do just one kind of exercise and call it a day. It gets boring, plus your body gets too used to it. Do some aerobic exercise, but then move on to weights. If you want to stay at home, free weights are a terrific way to gradually strengthen your arms and core. Use the resistance of your own body to make it stronger - try crunches, push-ups, and bicycle kicks to challenge yourself in a new way. Believe me, your body WILL respond to the challenges.
Be patient with yourself. It may be hard to do something at first. I only made it through 20 minutes of my first Slimmons class before my heart was pounding, and I started to feel hot and nauseous. The Slimmons team ushered me to a chair, where other chair-bound exercisers taught me how to do the workout seated. Over the course of a month, I worked out standing as long as I could, and then I pushed myself while sitting. And soon I was standing for full classes. If you're just starting out, you have a long way to go. It's not a race, so remember that and keep a close eye on how your heart and body responds.
Turn up the tunes. Nothing will get your legs moving quite like an awesome playlist. Richard does a different theme class every Saturday, during which he plays a carefully-selected collection of music from a particular era, artist, or topic. I've discovered that the oldies classes get my feet moving best, but others love the days with all new music. Try on a bunch of different songs for size, and see what works for you.
When all else fails, laugh. At those theme classes, Richard dresses up in a costume that reflects his music choices. For the "sexy" Saturday, he was dressed as a sex kitten (cat ears and all.) For "rock" Saturday, he was in full KISS makeup and gear. He's forever trying to make us all laugh, and when I don't think I can lift my knees or do another crunch, he makes some joke that has me in stitches, and forgetting how little I want to be doing these damn push-ups.
I try to shake it up between Slimmons classes, too. I have been trying all different kinds of exercise, discovering the things I like best. It's not hard to do a little research on classes, gyms, and other kinds of fitness. I encourage you to vary your routine, so that you're always growing and never getting bored.
For instance... consider swimming! Outside of Slimmons, it's my very favorite form of exercise. Because of the water resistance, you can actually burn more calories while doing laps than almost any other form of exercise. (Even running!) Plus it's low-impact, so your joints will thank you for it.
Don't know where your nearest pool is? Check out Swimmers Guide, a database of pools all over the world, including public parks and gyms. This is an especially valuable tool for vacationers.
Swimming can be a little bit of a production, so I've created a shopping guide of my favorite products that help me "just keep swimming, just keep swimming." All links are to Amazon listings; none of these companies have paid me to promote, they're my personal recommendations.
A - Staying underwater for prolonged periods of time can lead to a condition called Swimmer's Ear, an infection which, trust me, you do not want (and I did not enjoy.) I prevent this when doing laps by wearing earplugs. This pair from Speedo works quite well, and withstands the horrors of chlorine and ear wax.
B - Growing up, I always thought that swim caps prevented hair from getting wet, but in fact, they are there to protect the water from your hair (and your hair from your goggles.) Before getting a cap, I frequently had strand breakage right along my goggle line, so now I always wear one of these stretchy lycra Speedo swim caps.
C- Gym showers - even in our uber-clean Hollywood YMCA - are not my favorite, but they're a necessary evil. To prevent any hitchhiking fungus, I recommend purchasing a gym-only pair of flip-flops to keep in your gym bag. My favorite pair is by Havianias: comfortable, washable, and they've lasted me for five years with heavy use!
D - Since I posted about it a few weeks ago, I've been swimming with the Speedosnorkel and I LOVE it! If you have any trouble breathing, or wish to focus on your stroke instead of breaking for breath, I highly recommend trying it out.
E - It's important to track your fitness so you understand how much energy you've spent, and so that you can gauge how much stronger you're becoming. While in the pool, I use a lap-counting ring, by SportCount, to count my laps. It is really easy to use, and works well underwater. Adjustable, too.
F - The swim aftermath products are as important as the during-swim ones. Chlorine can build up quickly in hair. It's important to cleanse it thoroughly with a chlorine-neutralizing shampoo, so you can avoid brittle (and green!) strands. I've been using Barracuda's Aquia Swim Shampoo-Conditioner to help rid me of chlorine - so far, so good. (UltraSwim works too.)
G - Finally, a even a little swimming without proper moisturizing will likely turn you into an alligator. Origins' grapefruit Gloomawaylotion is what I use to rehydrate my skin. I rarely ever get dry skin unless chlorine is involved, and this always does the trick. It's very creamy, and the fresh citrus scent helps combat the eau de pool that is otherwise my new signature fragrance.
I hope that this guide will help move you towards movin' it. You owe it to yourself... to the little you who couldn't wait to be a grown-up. To the elderly you, who needs you to get strong now, and stay strong for the future. And you can do it.
That's it for today, but be sure to come back tomorrow for some fun with food. Your mom may have told you not to play with it... but it turns out that's the best way to have a healthy relationship with it!
Until then, keep taking care of you and have an excellent day.
So I have been waiting with bated garlic breath, for the Slimmons staff to post this video from class last Saturday. It's excellent for a few reasons. For one thing, Richard is dressed up as a french poodle. And for another, two drop-ins for class came in full Let's Get Physical regalia, and the sight of them shakin' it with Richard was an absurdist's dream come true.
For another view of the day, if you check out the video below, you can see me, and also pretty much everyone I've gotten to know at Slimmons (Hi, Ro! David! Laura! Lindsay! Kyle! Tom!)
And now, for a little...
1) What is your favorite part of an average day? Possibly right after I exercise, because I always feel good if a little sleepy, and the least stressed I feel all day.
2) Is there one food that you eat every single day? My one staple is probably greek yogurt, which I eat for breakfast or in smoothies. I also use it for a mayo replacement in any number of mayo-based salads (egg, tuna, shrimp, crab, seven layer.... just kidding, I don't eat seven layer salad anymore.)
3) Are you an early bird, or do you prefer to sleep in late? I get more done when I get up early and go immediately to my schedule. (If I get up late, or if I dawdle in the morning, it's hard for me to get back on track.)
4) Share one thing that you're looking forward to doing this week. I'm looking forward to seeing my family in Indiana! I'm taking a redeye on Thursday to catch a performance of The Secret Garden, in which my eldest nephew is playing Archibald Craven, and for which my second-eldest nephew is the special effects technician. It will also be excellent to see the whole gang including my dad - none of them have seen me since I started the plan in January.
5) What's for dinner this evening? Our lunches are typically more dinner-like than our dinners (for calorie balance purposes.) So I'll share both. For lunch, I had a cup of ratatouille, four seared scallops, and 1/3 cup baked sweet potato wedges. For dinner, I'll be having my usual chicken/red pepper/brie/spinach wrap, a cup of mashed turnips, and a small scoop of edamame salad.
Man, the weeks have been flying. I can't believe today is already Tuesday.
Hopped on the scale this morning, not expecting much. Which is good, because I'm down 1.5 pounds again, bringing the total to 34+ lost. It ties my record for slowest loss in a week since starting, but a loss is a loss, and it's in the right direction.
Today is the day that Slimmons is featured on E! News Daily, so if you are inclined, check out the show to see the segment that Giuliana Rancic's feature on our class. She took the class with us last week, and fared pretty well (that is to say, better than Khloe Kardashian but not as well as Parker Posey.) I'm not sure if there will be any shots of me in the class, but there were shots on the commercial about it last weekend, so it's likely you'll see me workin' it last Thursday in my pink tank top.
Actually, you can see me workin' it in last Saturday in my navy tank top, on Richard's YouTube channel right now. Richard does themed classes on Saturday, and this past week it was Rock & Roll. Richard came in full KISS makeup. Check us out, here, and here, and here.
Richard has recently begun to talk about a new project he's working on - a reality show about his studio, Slimmons. Yep, the studio where I take classes 4 times a week. You can read a little about it on his website today (but only today... his blogs only stay up for 24 hours.) And you can imagine what that might mean for those of us who are regulars. More to come on that in the future.
Today I'm off to take an old friend around the city all day. We'll end up at Slimmons tonight for a class - she'll be the first friend I'm bringing with me, and I'm excited to introduce her to my gang and to Richard. I hope to take more friends to class soon, too. Will it be you? It should be!
I had a lovely day on Thursday, which was my birthday. I was telling someone that it was mellow, but it actually included much activity. The difference was that I was mellow. I'll chalk that up to the good ways I've been taking care of myself.
I started the day thinking on a few past birthdays - a way to include my late mother in the day without feeling too sad - and thinking on the year to come. After we got up, I ate my usual breakfast:
1/2 cup fat free Vanilla Greek yogurt
1/2 cup blueberries
A sandwich, comprised of 1 egg, 2 slices light whole wheat, and 1 slice fat free cheese
Then I spent a little time relaxing with a glass of Earl Grey with sugar-free almond syrup, and my favorite eye candy blog, Design Sponge, followed by some luxurious primp-time. Do you find that when you spend a little extra time with scrubs, lotions and masks, you feel scrumptious? I seem to.
We had planned our food for the day on Sunday, which is our usual day-of-menu-planning-and-shopping... but when we were entering our calories on LiveStrong, we realized that we'd be getting 70% of our nutrients after 9 PM if we ate as planned. So we swapped our dinner and our lunch - we headed out to my favorite healthy restaurant, Tender Greens, where I had the albacore hot plate. Delicious!
Photo by Flickr user greenlagirl
From there, we took a leisurely drive down Sunset to Malibu. The weather was amazing, and when we arrived the beach looked so inviting that I was disappointed to be wearing dress flats. Fortunately, I remembered that we brought our gym bags, and we always carry a pair of flip-flops in our gym bags! We took a brief beach-walk and enjoyed the sunshine.
You can't tell it from my crappy Blackberry camera, but the water was sparkling!
On our way back up to the car for a spot of beachfront writing, Tom suddenly threw his arm in front of me. There was a huge snake in our path! He was about 4 feet long, and a wrist wide at his largest. Definitely the largest snake I've ever seen that wasn't separated from me by glass. It took its sweet time to slither back across the cement ramp, so we took pictures while we waited.
It's hard to tell scale from the photo. Tom suggested that I go stand by it for size reference, and was summarily smacked.
From there, we headed to Beverly Hills for my therapizin', my birthday cupcake from Sprinkles (just the one), and our class at Slimmons, where our butts were thoroughly kicked by Richard. Plus I moved up from 3-pound free weights to 5-pounders. Yow!
At the end of class, Richard and the Slimmons gang sang for me, and I received Richard's birthday gift - a hand-made doll necklace. Complete with 'fro and sparkly tank top.
Sitting, fittingly, on my Food Mover book.
And, of course, a hug from the real 'fro and sparkly tank top.
5-year-old Heidi, eat your heart out.
From there, we lumbered home and ate our cupcake and dinner:
Wrap sandwich, with 2 oz of grilled chicken, cherry tomatoes, a Trader Joe's single-serving of light brie (more on this in a later entry!), and some red bell pepper we'd roasted earlier in the week.
A cup of steamed broccoli with lemon and capers
Cue collapse and happy birthday spent. A big thank-you to all of my loved ones who called and reached out on Facebook and elsewhere. You have made my previous 31 special, and I know you'll be a big part of making my 32nd year a wonderful one!
It's been a long time since I've blogged, and so much has happened! It's been a time of positive change, and I can hardly believe how circumstances aligned to allow for that positive change. I had the chance to write about it for Richard Simmons' website. Yes, Richard Simmons. That Richard Simmons. The one who was my imaginary friend when I was 5. He is, in fact, very real... and he's been our champion and our cheerleader since early January, when my amazing friend David introduced us.
Richard featured Tom and I as his "Salute to Success" for March, and you can read the stories we wrote for him, here. As of Tuesday, I am down 27 pounds, and Tom is down 21.7!
Our before-and-after, January 11 to March 1
It was an honor to be selected, but writing our story was an emotional and challenging experience for both of us. In the end, it's been amazing to be able to reach out and help people who have had similar experiences. I'm glad we were able to share our ongoing journey. And that made me think... perhaps it would be good for me, and for others, if I kept sharing my ongoing journey. So here I am, back to blogging. Hello, world!
, which is a beautiful book about a writer who, by chance, begins exchanging letters with the townspeople on an island that was occupied by the Germans during WWII. It is extremely charming, and one of those stories that reminds you how significant is the power of reading. I highly recommend it.
trilogy right now. I'm not far enough to comment upon it, though.
, 
, 
, 
, 
... but I like all kinds of different authors. I also love magazines. Real Simple, Martha Stewart Living, Health, Cooking Light, Whole Living... I only have subscriptions to two of them, but as a treat I sometimes pick up one other per month.
books... I might check those out from the library after I finish the Larson books.
works quite well, and withstands the horrors of chlorine and ear wax.
. 
: comfortable, washable, and they've lasted me for five years with heavy use!
snorkel and I LOVE it! If you have any trouble breathing, or wish to focus on your stroke instead of breaking for breath, I highly recommend trying it out.
, to count my laps. It is really easy to use, and works well underwater. Adjustable, too.
to help rid me of chlorine - so far, so good. (UltraSwim works too.)
lotion is what I use to rehydrate my skin. I rarely ever get dry skin unless chlorine is involved, and this always does the trick. It's very creamy, and the fresh citrus scent helps combat the eau de pool that is otherwise my new signature fragrance.
