26 hours of Hip Hop

If you’re looking for me this weekend you can find me in the basement of RVC doing Body Jam. We’ll be there all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday learning how to teach a one hour hip hop class. God help me. I was never cool enough to get away with this in high school (I was president of band, folks, two year in a row. This does not a cool kid make.) Now that I’m post-30, I’m definitely not so sure I’m cool enough to get away with this. But I know I’ll enjoy it.

Here’s a sample.

Feel good movie!

Mamma Mia! Loved it!

This isn’t the best quality clip but it is the best celebration of womanhood I’ve seen in a long time. Seriously, I couldn’t get the smile off my face. So many shapes, so many ages, so much sheer joy.

If only life were a musical and we could all burst into song on a whim. I may have to start that trend. Like this…

It’s time.

It’s time for me to restart my food journal. All the latest research on weight loss and maintenance concludes that people who write down what they eat lose more than those who don’t. I’m not desperately looking to lose pounds but I know that my fat percentage has gone up over the last few weeks. I can blame it on vacation, I can blame it on PMS, or I can blame it on a the real culprit – my current inability to pay any attention to what goes into my gaping maw.

I’ve been trying to be more mindful of my eating habits and I eat fairly well, at least compared to how I’ve eaten in the past. However, by the time lunch rolls around I’m not necessarily paying attention to how much I’ve eaten for breakfast (and mid-morning snack) and then choosing lunch accordingly. I’m also not one of those people who forget to eat. I’m more likely to forget that I’ve eaten already and then eat again, you know, just in case. A food journal can help with both these issues.

If you’ve never kept a food journal it goes a little something like this: Write down what you eat. That’s it. You can get all fancy and buy prefab journals and write down other stuff like how you were feeling and what you were doing at the time but the biggest thing it to write down everything you eat. The simple act of taking the time to write everything down makes you infinitely more aware of your actions – like how many times you actually open the container and grab “just a couple” chocolate covered cranberries (not that I do this. That I know of. Dang it, where’d they all go?) Moving along.

One of the things I discovered when I kept a journal in the past was that I was beating myself up unnecessarily. The days when I was the most negative and berated myself for eating too much junk were
actually the days I ate the best. So it works both ways – It not only keeps you honest with yourself but it gives you a reality check. We’re too hard on ourselves already. It’s nice to be able to take a step back and take an objective look before jumping to conclusions.

Finally, the journal will help you recognize patterns. Do you eat out more than you realize? Do you eat less on the days you have a good breakfast? Are you sabotaging a good day of eating with those chocolate covered cranberries (What? It’s fruit! I’m getting antioxidants!)

I’m going to restart my food journal. I’d like to see just how many or how few veggies I’m eating. Feel free to join me and share your insights here.

Nike got it right.

“Just do it.”

It’s the simplest of slogans and really kind of a duh! but yet it’s one of the most powerful things you can say to yourself, especially when followed by “Yes, you can.”

It’s powerful all right, but easier said than done. As I believe Isaac Newton discovered, an object at rest stays at rest. When you or I are the objects at rest, it takes a heck of a lot more than a slogan (and the fancy workout gear that goes with it) to get us in motion. It is, however, not outside the realm of possibility.

Getting fit and healthy is a lot more mental than most check-out line magazine headlines would lead you to believe. “Lose 30 pounds in 30 days! While you sleep!,” “Flat abs in 2 minutes a day!” “You too can look like [insert sexy celebrity with entourage of trainers, nutritionists, massage therapists, cosmeticians, and personal chefs] if only you follow the 10 steps we outline here! Really! We’re not kidding!” Uh huh. Sure. Even if all those tips and tricks actually worked, the hard part is still getting yourself up off your heiny and into your sneakers.

I am not above self-bribery or guilt trips. Whatever gets me to “Just do it” is fair game. Whether that be a promise of time in the hot tub after 10 laps of swimming or a cone at Dairy Twirl during my walk (which, let’s face it, is where I’m walking to anyway), if it gets me up and moving it’s good*. After all, the other half of Newton’s law is an object in motion stays in motion. So, once you get going, you never know how far you’ll go.

Just do it, will ya?

* I don’t advocate rewarding yourself with food very often but sometimes if that’s what it takes, that’s what it takes. Just get the kiddie size ok?

Is your home gym lonely?

Is the treadmill you purchased with all the best intentions currently the world’s most expensive clothes
hamper/book shelf? You’re not alone. I used to have a Nordic Track cross country skier that became a piece of dusty modern art after the first 3 times I used it. The only person I’ve ever encountered who was really into using their home fitness equipment was whoever lived in the unit above my boyfriend’s last apartment. He bought and diligently used his Nordic Track. I was torn about this because as a “fitness professional” I applauded his efforts. However, as the “couch potato” 10 feet below him all I wanted to do was spend a relaxing evening watching TV, not listening to the swoosh swoosh swoosh of the machine (or the guilt guilt guilt in my own head for not being as industrious).

I know that one of the secrets to his success was that his Nordic Track was in his living room. (Mine was in an unheated part of an uninsulated apartment. Go figure why I never used it.) What I’d venture to guess is that part of Nordic Track Man’s diligence stemmed from the fact that he could watch TV while on the machine. For most people, it is infinitely easier to exercise if you have something to distract yourself with – TV, music, books, trashy magazines. I had a friend in college who would get really interesting (i.e. juicy and
non-educational) books or books on tape and wouldn’t allow herself to read or listen to them unless she was on a treadmill or bike.

If you have a piece of cardio equipment languishing in the corner of your bedroom, your basement, or under a mountain of stuff in your so called office I’d like you to take a moment to think about what would
make you get on it again. Does it involve moving it to another location? Cleaning out a closet to get the stuff off of it? Setting up a TV, CD or DVD player, or a lamp for reading? What would it really take? I don’t happen to have any equipment at home but I know that if I couldn’t watch my Netflixed TV shows unless I was on a treadmill I’d probably do it.

A jungle gym for grown ups

I’m back from vacation. Not much to say yet but I did want to share something a friend of mine sent me, a gem hidden among the 40 plus emails I have waiting for me.

On his way through the Conway area and a visit to Storyland he stopped at Monkey Trunks. He said it was a blast. If you’re looking for something different to do in the NH area, this could be the place to go!