Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Brownies and Cookies, OH MY!

I feel like I'm going to puke.
Fudge brownies, Fudge, Paula Dean cookies, chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate/candy cane cookies, pizza, and any other imaginable food that sticks to your ass were sitting on my desk today. No, I did not make them. They were gifts. The fitness instructor, with the bodybugg on her arm, the Nikes still on her feet, the sweat dripping down her face, the mantra of "The baby weight will fall off" was repeatedly...REPEADETLY, handed sweet, sabatotoging, euphoric, destructive, delicious, devilious, warm chocolate treats for the past two days. They were all made from love, and I am so greatful for the thought...BUT REALLY?!

I feel like I'm going to puke.
Because I have succesfully sampled them all.

I feel like I'm going to puke.
Because I ate chocolate pretzels and chocolate candy canes for lunch.

I feel like I'm going to puke.
Because my body isn't used to the massive amounts of crap, calories and sugar.

Metabolism, don't fail me now.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Prescription for Procrastinators

A Prescription for Procrastinators

“My life is too busy, so I don’t have time to work out.” “I need to lose weight before I can start exercising.” “I don’t exercise because I’m afraid I’ll look foolish at the gym.”
Do any of these excuses for not exercising sound familiar? When you get past the different excuses, they really all come down to the same thing: procrastination. Everyone procrastinates to some degree, especially when it comes to sticking to a regular exercise program.
So, what can you do if you want to stop procrastinating and make exercise a healthy habit? Writer Julie Anne Eason, who specializes in health and fitness topics, gives suggestions drawing from the work of Linda Sapadin, PhD, a psychologist and the author of It’s About Time! The Six Styles of Procrastination and How to Overcome Them (Penguin Books 1996). Below are explanations of four of the most common styles Sapadin identifies and tips for dealing with them.
The Worrier
The worrier is the king of “what if”: “What if people laugh at me?” “What if I drop the weights?” Worriers are very concerned with what other people think of them. They tend to spend hours agonizing over which clothes make them look fat, and they’ll avoid the beach or the gym because they don’t want to be seen in a bathing suit or shorts.
Worrier Tips: Try to identify what’s behind your fear of failure. Then, when the “what ifs” creep in, ask yourself to take your worry to its logical conclusion. For example, the response to the question “What happens if I drop the weights?” might be, “I will pick them up again and laugh it off.” By forcing yourself to answer these kinds of questions, you will likely realize that your fear is not that big a deal.
The Dreamer
Dreamers love to plan and fantasize about getting in shape and losing weight. Unfortunately, their dreams are only vague ideas with little or no follow-through. They need to learn how to set specific goals, using concrete numbers and dates. Dreamers tend to have short attention spans and are easily distracted.
Dreamer Tips: Try hiring a personal trainer to keep you on track, and design an exercise plan that focuses attention on the daily steps you must take to reach your specific goal.
The Perfectionist
Perfectionists want all the circumstances to be perfect before they begin any fitness program. They need the right shoes, the right gym, the right trainer and the right time of day. Deep down, they know the world is not perfect. The stars will never align to provide the perfect environment, so they’ll never have to take any real or personal responsibility for achieving their goals.
Perfectionist Tips: Do your best to avoid “all-or-nothing” thinking regarding exercise. Don’t tell yourself, “I must do 30 minutes of cardio every day.” Instead, say, “I may choose to do my cardio workout in a 30-minute session, or I can break it up into three 10-minute segments throughout the day.” Brainstorm several exercise alternatives to choose from, so if one choice won’t work for you one day, you have another option to fall back on.
The Overdoer
Overdoers genuinely try to be all things to all people. As a result, they tend to put their own needs last, including their exercise time.
Overdoer Tips: Create a contingency fitness plan for yourself. If you can’t get to your scheduled exercise at the gym, plan to exercise along with videos at home whenever you get overextended, so you don’t miss your daily workout.
IDEA Fitness Journal, Volume 3, Number 4
April 2006

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Bonefish dinner

Planning Ahead:
Norwegian Salmon Calories (6 oz) = 320
Side Salad no dressing Calories (2 cups mixed) = 66
Edamame Calories (1 cup) = 254 (optional appetizer)
Pinot Grigio Calories (2 glasses) = 228 (yes...I will have 2 glasses...1 is no fun!)

Total Dinner = 868 calories

(Calories are courtesy of CalorieKing.com) <--- Awesome site!!

This is my preparation for our annual Studio-310 Instructor Christmas Party. We are going to Bonefish...and I will NOT eat the Bang Bang Shrimp!! I can't imagine how many calories are in it.....

This is where I took a moment and did some research...

In approx 10-12 ounces of "Bang Bang Shrimp" there are 484 calories. So, you're thinking..."I don't eat 10 oz of bang bang shrimp". Think again...Food for though:
"The palm of your hand is equal to three ounces of poultry, meat, or fish. Look at just the palm of your hand, not including your fingers. The next time your waiter places your dinner plate in front of you, you will be able to determine how many ounces of meat, fish, or poultry your meal contains by comparing the portion size to the palm of your hand. You may be surprised at how many palms your steak actually measures!" -Shannon Morgan
That said, I will either be hitting the gym again later today or not eating the bang bang shrimp later tonight. Don't think I'm crazy...I'm just on a mission.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Inspiration around every corner!

I think theres inspiration around every corner.
I always start my day the same way. One very large cup of Extra Bold coffee, an herbalife chocolate peanut shake, 1/2 grapefruit, and a ton of water.
Class was great today! I felt like I did a great service for my clients rear ends (and my own) and had felt like I started the day right. Its funny how you miss a day or two of working out and your body literally "freaks" out....
Today, when I went home for lunch, sitting on my counter were left over fudge mint brownies....I made them for a Hanukkah dinner party. Andie's mints melted over warm fudge brownies (slightly euphoric)....starving, I reached for them. "Screw it, I just worked out!" And then I remembered what I would tell one of my clients, "If you eat that brownie, you might as well not have gone to the gym this morning." Before I could think, I threw them in the sink, and because I would've reached in the sink and taken them out (they were on the FOIL!!!) I ran hot water on them. I ran hot water on those brownies until they were unrecognizable. I felt like I did a service to my ass, and felt motivated to continue with my daily progress.
Today after my brownie encounter, I fit into pants I hadn't worn since pre pregnancy (pre nine month old), and then when I went to get in the car too fast at a certain angle, I busted the seam in my pants....maybe I should've waited another month or so. Motivation....I will not order from Bageltowne tonight.
I had to go to Target before class for new pants....I went into the men's section....yes I did...THE MEN'S SECTION! (Just in case you thought you hadn't read it right). And bought a very comfy pair of dark grey Champion sweat pants. Then I threw three (WOMEN'S) shirts, bras, and some other unnecessary items into the basket. I went into the dressing room pushing the cart with my left hand, and holding my split seam in my right. When the woman told me I could only take six items into the dressing room, I showed her the split in my pants and gave her a look...and she got it.
I was so happy that all the shirts fit! Yes!! Jack Knifes and planks are absolutely doing their damn job!! Not to mention "sweating like a man" tread mil sessions and watering brownies in my kitchen. Then, it was time to take off the pants.
My friends, if you ever think that your ass looks good...please walk into the dressing room in Washingtonian Shopping center Target, strip down to your undies and look behind you. J-Lo would have another thing coming to her. I swear my ass doesn't look like that in my bathroom mirror!! There's no way. I would never leave the house if it did. Why would the CEO of target ever allow such awful mirrors in this dressing room. Doesn't he realize what he's doing?! If he wants to increase his revenue, he better adjust these mirrors!! You catch more honey with sugar, right?!
But thinking about it, maybe Mr. CEO target was onto something. As the smell of fresh popcorn was popping upstairs in the extremely classy target cafe, I had not an ounce of desire to cheat. Instead, I walked out in my new men's champion sweat pants....that completely hid the ass that I saw in the Target mirror. There was no way I was putting back on the split pants and I had an entire speech to give to the number lady at the counter. But when I walked out, she was gone, and an older woman had taken her place. So, I saved my peach, smiled and said, "I'll take them all. Thank you!"
Water bottle in hand, I walked past the fresh popcorn to the check out stand, ripped off the tags from my new pants and shirt (on my body, not in the cart). And left Target confident that next time I came back, the mirror and I would have a better encounter.

Friday, December 11, 2009

My thoughts in the gym....

I started off my personal ass kicking this morning with these words to an acquaintance..."No, I can't have coffee with you today, I'm meeting a client at the gym...and she's about to get a major ass kicking." What she didn't know, was that the trainer and client were both me. I took one hour to dedicate to my own personal goals this morning. There were probably ten times that I thought, "I have way too much to do today....why am I working out...I should be going to Giant, dry cleaners, target, doing laundry, making phone calls...and any other excuse I should make...which included, I work out every single day...why am I going to the gym again?" In reality, I needed it. I needed to be silent, to sweat, to listen to my personal choice of music and give myself the workout I needed today. My goal going into the gym was to sweat like a man, to drench my clothes and walk out panting and feeling like I was a giant noodle. And that I did.

Here were my thoughts while working out:

"When is that woman getting off the treadmill....I don't want to do the stair master...."

"I love the stair master...my ass is on fire...."

30 min later....

"I hate the treadmill...."

"I love running...five more minuets".....

"I wish no one was in the gym....my ass is jiggling"

"My ass jiggling is a reminder of why I'm here right now"

"If no one was here, I would be making loud noises and would probably strip down to my bra"

"I am sweating like a man"

"I wish I was the only one in the gym right now!"

"Why is that woman staring at me?"

"What is that woman doing???"

"Why is that man taking off his shirt?"

"I love my new shoes"

"That woman looks lost. She needs a trainer."

"If I don't write all my thoughts down, I'll forget them all..."

"I should go to target today..."

"I wonder if that man really thinks he's working out?"

"Crap! Today is Hanukkah!"

"I'm officially dripping sweat from my elbows"

"I love working out"

"I hope this BodyBugg is working....."

"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...."

"I feel fucking amazing!"

One hour and ten minuets later, I walked out of the gym into the freezing cold and felt like I had done the greatest service to my mental and physical health. I'm so glad I didn't give into the, "Im too busy to take some time for myself...."

Monday, December 7, 2009

"The world is the mind's magic" -Yogaplus.com

Perception is reality. You create your own reality. To each his own. Your world is your mind's magic. No matter which way you say it, the message is that you create your surroundings. The way you think, react to events, people you surround yourself with, it is all your doing. Can this be applied to our fitness and health journey? Are we 100% responsible for our weight loss, our goals, the foods we eat, when we chose to exercise? The answer is obvious. Yes we are. Once you've accepted 100% responsibility for yourself and your actions you can then "make a change for once in my life" M.J. Whatever we struggle with...whatever goal we have, "You are the one who ate the junk food. You are the one who didn't say no. You are the one who took the job. You are the one who stayed on the job. You are the one who chose to believe them. You are the one who ignored your intuition. You are the one who abandoned your dream. You are the one who bought it. You are the one who didn't take care of it. You are the one who decided you had to do it alone. You are the one who trusted him. You are the one who said yes to the dogs" -Jack Canfield. "In short, you thought the thoughts, you created the feelings, you made the choice, you said the words, and that's why you are where you are now". We all have the power to change and to make positive changes in our life. The motivation is right in front of you. If you have to say it out loud to make you do it, then shout it out loud. You truly create your own world and future. "Life is not about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself". We all deserve to be happy and are deserving of happiness. "If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change."

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Saturday

...Was an amazing day. Sure--it was snowing, it was cold, and I wasn't home bound for the day, but its all about perspective and how you chose to react to your surroundings or events. On saturday, I got up at 5am with by 9 month old, I played with my kids until 6:30am, then left at 7am for the studio. The studio was closed for special instructor training/certification (AFAA had a primary cert)....so, I called in my biggest loser challengers to meet me at 715am, before the day "officially" began. It was a motivational meeting and weigh in. I brought in a speaker to put things into perspective for them and to really look at the positive. I also had our staff nutritionist come in to give them some reminders and tips. In addition, I stayed to coach some of the challengers. What an amazing morning! And it all happened before 8am. In 3 hours, I had set the tone for the day at my house, the weekend for my biggest loser challengers, and an even longer period of time for those that really were motivated and inspired by our guest speaker. Amazing.
Then, it started to snow.
Later that day, I was back at the studio not as a trainer, instructor, or dance teacher, but as an AFAA examiner. I think sometimes we forget how inspiring each step oin our life can be. it sounds cliche, but it was such a great feeling to be on "the other side"..meaning, I had come this far. All the hard work I had done, the studying, the training, everything....had prepared me for this next step in my life.
Saturday was a great day.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Inspiration

Talking to Amina Makhdoom, is like standing in a yellow room. Not only is she an amazing inspiration, she exudes this sense of peace and grounding that many of us look for all our adult life. If I were to pick one person to be stranded with in traffic, she would be it.
To know Amina is a privledge. One that I've had the honor for the past five years.

Amina gave me this exercise last night: (These are not her EXACT words...)
Imagine how your life would be if you reached all of your fitness/health goals, if you were thin, in the jeans you wanted to be in, and reached your goal weight.
Now, right a list of all the things that would be different in your life. What would be different about your life now, vs. when you reached your goal weight?

What an eye opener.

The first thing on my list was..."more happy". I would be happier if I had reached my goal weight...I would be a more vibrant and productive woman, the sky would be the limit. I would achieve all of my dreams, if only I could drop the baby weight (he's nine months old). If I could reach my health and fitness goals, the world would by my oyster.

In time, with Amina's powerful words, my will power, and my list...all my dreams will come true.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

One of the hardest things you'll ever have to do

Is lose weight. Its a bitch, but the best investment of youur time, energy, and most of all your body. The healthier we are, the more years we add iinto our life.
Today, I went to bageltowne deli. I was exhausted, had 3 more classes to teach, and wanted a bagel and my bed. In that exact order. It takes a certain strength to walk into a warm deli on a cold rainy day and order 3 egg whites w tomatoe and a side of fresh fruit. I peered at the heavy man in the corner happily sipping the broth of his matzo ball soup, nibbling away on his warm chocolate brownie, and eye balling his hot cup of coffee consumed with creame and sugar. how euphoric would it be to enjoy those foods on a day like today?! To sit back and feel the warm fudge brownie between your lips, there is no other way to express the way food makes some of us feel....except comforted. Suzy orman said, "we tend to spend money when we are incomfortable" its the same with food, so many of us eat when we are feeling unhappy, uncomfortable, or insecure. There is a new facebook application "texting in akward situations". Perhaps that would be a good weight loss stradegy for all of us. I don't know about you, but if I don't know anyone, the first place I head to--at a party--is the snack table. What is it with in us, when we have these akward emotions that drives us to consume unneccesaty calories? Are we stuffing our feelings down? Are we covering ourself up from the world? What else can we do to make us feel full emotionally rather than eat matzo ball soup and a brownie. I watched the man in the corner eat his comfort and then I ordered mine.