My (Current) Top 5 Exercises

I change my exercise program fairly regularly. That's partly by design; we're supposed to change things up fairly regularly to keep our bodies guessing and to make sure we're covering all the vital muscles. Changing things up is, for me, also necessary to keep me interested and challenged. And sometimes I have to change an exercise because some jerk fellow fitness friend is camped out with whatever apparatus or weights I need. That's okay, though. Change is good.

Since joining the new gym, I've noticed a few exercises that keep working their way into the line-up. Oddly enough, most are exercises I detested when initially learning them, but now--please don't tell my former trainers--I look forward to them! So much so, that I've now decided my Friday workouts will be made up of all my current favorites, with a few extras as needed to cover all the bases. Who ever thought I'd be using exercise as a reward?!

Wanna see which exercises are on my fave list? Geez, I thought you'd never ask!

BOSU squats w/Medicine Ball I'm using an 8-lb. ball until I have my balance issues tamed. Not to mention that the medicine balls at my gym don't have those cool handles on them and can be hard to hold onto when wearing weight-lifting gloves.

BOSU pushups These are tough for me, but when I remember that I couldn't do any real pushups in the beginning (I did elbow creases and only three of those), I'm inspired to push-push-push!

Swiss ball jackknife I'm embarrassed by how much I used to whine about this exercise, but I'm also happy when I see how much more stable I'm able to keep the ball now. Before, I was all wiggly. :) Even now, I can't hold back those odd little grunts on the third set.

Face pulls with lunges I couldn't find a pictorial demo of this exercise. The link is to a standard face pull. I add a reverse lunge to it, so imagine an older, squish-bellied brunette in a t-shirt stepping back into a lunge with each pull. And again with the grunty noises midway through the final set. When I stop grunting, the weight gets increased. It's the price of success. :)

Bird Dog This is one of my final exercises, and I do it a couple of ways. First, I'll do a couple sets in which I hold the poses for a 2-count, and then I do fewer reps but longer holds on the final set. I've seen this exercise recommended for "6-pack abs", but I like it for how my back feels when I do it.  I've been doing this exercise for over a year and not a 6-pack in sight. For me, it's simply a great way to end my workout with a happy sigh.

Those are my current favorites. For this past Friday's workout, I filled in with some chest presses, lat pull-downs, step-ups w/weights and back extensions. Seems like there's something else, but I'm forgetting it now. The main thing (for now) is that I got all of the favorites in! I'll probably do a few of them throughout the week, but on Fridays, I get to do them all! Woo-hoo!

I know the roster of favorites will change as I discover new exercises or variations on old ones. At some point, I hope they include unassisted chin-ups. Since I'm currently at zero on reps completed, I've got a ways to go. :)

What are your current favorite gym exercises? Do you have any nominees for me to consider adding to my list of favorites?

Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend! We've had a stormy start to it, but it's all blue skies right now!

Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life (Book Review)

Disclosures at end of post.

If you've been reading here for any length of time, you know that learning to be mindful about my actions (and inaction) played a large role in my successful weight loss and continues to work well for me with managing my weight. It's an ongoing project and I still have work to do. While I continue to build a better habit of mindfulness of what I'm doing, I also want to learn more about being mindful of what I'm feeling.

Knowing that, you can imagine my delight when I was asked to review Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life,co-authored by Zen Buddhist Master Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr. Lilian Cheung, a Harvard nutritionist.

Savor is a remarkable book that offers much more than the eat-less-move-more advice for dropping a few pounds. Combining ancient Buddhist wisdom and the modern science of nutrition, the authors say that, while eating healthy and increasing movement are important, how we eat, move, and think is every bit as critical if we are to change our behaviors and achieve full success. It's an approach that might hold a few keys for those like me who "woke up fat one day" and then couldn't figure out how to fix it.

There are three primary segments to Savor:
- A Buddhist Perspective on Weight Control
- Mindful Action Plans
- Individual and Collective Effort

These are followed by a wonderful resource (print and online) section as well as further discussions of mindfulness principles.

While I enjoyed Savor in its entirety, I lovedlovedloved the first section and believe it will help me improve my own mindfulness practices. The parables and stories used to demonstrate the principles being discussed were especially helpful, and I really appreciated that the "tone" throughout this section was kind and encouraging.

The section on developing mindful eating, moving, and living plans was also helpful. It contains many suggestions on dietary intake (some I agree with, some I don't), as well as helpful counteractions to some of the roadblocks we put in our way. I do appreciate that while the authors recommend a plant-based diet only (citing health and environmental reasons), they also include helpful suggestions for readers who do eat meat.

The final section of Savor discusses individual and collective efforts, the interconnections of our behaviors with those of the world around us, and ways we can work to improve our communities and our world. Within it are fascinating examples of how seemingly small actions by various individuals have had profound effects on communities.

If you're wanting to explore how living more mindfully might enrich your life, I highly recommend you check out Savor. It supported some of the things I've already learned and introduced a whole host of new ideas and directions to follow. You just might find some answers, too!

Intrigued but still undecided? Check out what these bloggers thought about the book.

Disclosures:
- I was invited to participate in this book tour by the kind folks at TLC Book Tours, who provided a complimentary copy of the book. No other compensation was requested, offered, or received.
- Book link is through my Amazon affiliate account.

Exericse: It Doesn't Have to Hurt!

The combination of re-entry into the wonderful world of strength training and my omission of post-workout stretching had me revisiting some tried-and-true pain relief methods last week. I'll share them with you if you PROMISE not to consider them as medical advice.

Promise? Okay, then, here are the ways I address post-workout pain (but remember, you promised!):

For general aches and pains (a.k.a. muscle cobwebs), my first attempt at pain relief is a good old-fashioned Epsom salt bath. It's inexpensive and requires only that I have enough strength to sprinkle a cup of salts into my hot-as-I-can-stand-it (or sit-in-it) bathwater. Epsom salts contain a mineral (magnesium sulfate) that acts like a topical muscle relaxer. That, combined with the increased blood flow from a soak in the hot water, is almost always guaranteed to ease my aches.

Another remedy that works for me in fighting general achiness is easy cardio. A moderately-paced walk or bike ride increases circulation and works to eliminate the lactic leftovers and leave me with some feel-good endorphins.

For more specific pains (hello, left knee!), I apply ice after the workout. If possible, I elevate the area in turmoil. (Caveat: I refuse to lay down with my butt up in the air on those sore glutes days. Flat works fine for that.) The cold slows down blood flow to the area to reduce inflammation. Generally, I use a homemade (crushed ice and a Ziploc) ice pack, but you can also use a bag of frozen peas. That'd be the only thing I'd use a bag of peas for. Yuck! Note: Be careful when using chemical ice packs. It is possible to develop frostbite if you leave them on too long.

If after a few days, I'm still hurting, it's time to bring on the moist heat. Again, I usually go homemade--hot, wet washcloth and a Ziploc. Somewhere around here I also have one of those buckwheat wraps that you heat up in the microwave. The problem is that if I'm hurting, I don't feel like hobbling around heating it up and carrying it back to wherever I've decided to relax and heal my wounds. I should maybe explore keeping a microwave in the back of the house for just these purposes. Or maybe I'll just (melodramatically) keep hobbling the 10 steps into the master bathroom for a hot water refresh.

If all else fails, I resort to anti-inflammatory drugs: ibuprofen or naproxen (Advil or Aleve, in human-speak.) I try to avoid them, but given a choice between hurting all night or sleeping, I'll choose sleeping, thank you.

Massage is also a good method of pain relief. For the DIY version, lately I've been using my Yoga Therapy Massage Balls. I've also been thinking about one of those foam rollers, which I understand can be useful for massaging out the pain.

The better alternative to all of those, though, is to avoid the need for pain relief by stretching properly. There are several good stretching video guides on YouTube. Not this one, since you apparently have to go home and lie on your garage floor to do it, or this one, which requires that you empty your closet and sit on the floor. Ahh, this is a good one, especially for beginners (or experienced people who really just want to do the basics. Plus, I like her outfit.)

Do any of these methods sound familiar? Any methods or routines you have that you'd like to share? (We PROMISE not to consider it as medical advice.) Sing out and share!

Wishing you a happy and pain-free Monday!

Re-entering the Work(out)force

Completed my second workout at the new gym today to great success. *pats self on back* Within five minutes of arriving, I was approached by a chatty helpful gentleman member, who offered to answer any questions I might have. He apparently is the resident cheerleader, as I saw him speaking to pretty much everyone there at some point. That's a nice departure from the old gym, where I felt like the lonely little gym bunny.

I'm somewhat surprised that I'm able to use the same weights that I used when I last worked out at the gym. Apparently, my random at-home workouts and functional exercise served me well. (That's nice to know for those times when my to-do list trumps the gym.) I haven't pushed too hard so far, limiting my strength training to 30 minutes. If I don't notice any significant aftereffect tomorrow, I'll add the other 15 minutes in and be back to where I was. Yaaay!

One thing I did let slide a little too much this week was the post-workout stretching. Lesson learned. I'm okay with muscles that protest a little the day after a workout, but they shouldn't actually hurt. Not if I'm using proper form and stretching adequately.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a gorgeous day, and I'll do either a long walk or a bike ride. Or maybe both. :)

But that's tomorrow. Right now, it's time for dinner (tuna salad and tomatoes and celery and salsa--oh my!, followed by a yogurt/chocolate granola sundae)! But before I go, let me declutter the starred items of interest from my reader:

How to Get Back into Your Routine after a Break, from DLM. While I didn't take a full break from exercise, I did break the routine I'd used for a year-and-a-half. This pretty much summarizes my approach to re-establishing my schedule.

A brilliant rant on plus-sized shopping at Wisebread this week. I'm keeping it starred as a reminder that I do not EVER want to deal with plus-size shopping again!

Rebecca Critchfield explained why Diet Cycling Leads to Overeating, Anxiety and Withdrawal and got a big Amen! from me. Seriously, it took me my whole adult life to figure this out. Where was Rebecca 20 years ago? She could've saved me a lot of turmoil.  :)

You know what? It's Spring! (Or Autumn!, depending on your hemisphere) and you should be outdoors, not indoors reading blog articles. No matter how good said articles might be. So be gone! Get out and move, or just soak up some Vitamin D and be still. Whatevery you need.

Happy Weekend!

Movin' On Up

I am pleased to announce that I have a New Gym.

First, a quick update: I did receive a courteous and professional response to my note to The Power That Be at my old gym, ATC Fitness. He explained that all existing or former members are required to pay the sign-up fees as their previous contracts expire. It's not a penalty so much as a new way of billing that results in a lower monthly fee. And it does. The $15 monthly fee is about half what I paid under my previous enrollment. That's a little more palatable than the shoulder-shrug response I got from the desk clerk last week.

But I had already started touring other gyms, and I was curious about what else was available. So I kept looking. You'll remember that my only parameter was that my eventual choice be within easy walking/biking distance from my house. What a surprise to find so many candidates:

Physiology Associates
The Jewish Community Center's Wellness Center
Curves for Women
YMCA
24-Hour Fitness
Germantown Athletic Club

My primary focus for now is strength training and cardio workouts, but I do like to shake things up now and then. ATC has the standard cardio stuff (upright bikes, recumbents, treadmills, ellipticals, and stair climbers), circuit machines, and free weights. Oh, and they have a stability ball, a few mats, and some resistance cords. In other words, the essentials. (Excluding the tanning beds, which I think are ridiculous for a business that's supposed to be focused on health.) Still, I accomplished a lot while I was there, so no regrets!

Almost all of the other gyms I toured had the standard equipment and more: BOSU balls, multiple stability balls, medicine balls, cardio steps, workout mats, rowing machines, cross-ramps, and so on and so on. Most also had pools and group classes.

In the end, I decided to go with 24-Hour Fitness. I had the opportunity to work out there on Wednesday, and I felt completely comfortable. I was impressed not only with the staff, but with the friendly customers as well. It seems to be a fairly diverse clientele, with respect to age, gender, size, fitness level, etc., which I find appealing.

I was able to take advantage of a $0 initiation fee program and a discount for paying for a year up front. When all of that's netted together, I'll end up paying about $8/month more (about the cost of one lunch out) than I would've paid at ATC, but I'll have access to many more workout options and more locations when I travel. Oh, and I get 3 free sessions with a trainer! Woo-hoo! Plus, if/when I'm ready, I can take spinning and yoga classes without going elsewhere and paying extra!

I'm not even thinking about the p-o-o-l yet. :)

I'm so excited! This is definitely feeling like a lemons-to-lemonade situation, and while I still have the 'squish belly', I do NOT have the blues. I thoroughly enjoyed my workout yesterday (Yaay BOSU ball squats!), and I'm looking forward to working out again on Friday. Thanks to the BOSU reunion and a 10-mile bike ride today, my legs say tomorrow is a rest day. :)

Oh, and speaking of my bike ride, I passed a trail area called Turtle Bayou today and caught a glimpse of the Turtle Bayou Mass Transit System in action:



If you look in the upper left section of the photo, you can see the log stop where more passengers are waiting. :) (larger photo)

I love Spring!

Gym Evaluations are Underway!

In my last post, in addition to entertaining you with some of the finest blues music in recent history, I also did some crying over my encounter with the desk clerk at my gym. Once I got that out of my system (and aren't you all sweethearts for listening?), I set off to see what other options were available within easy walking/biking distance from my house, which would be about 2 miles. I was surprised with just how many options I found:

Physiology Associates
The Jewish Community Center's Wellness Center
YMCA
24-Hour Fitness

While these all cost 2-3 times as much as my gym, they also all offer lots more, including swimming pools. I've toured all except 24-hour Fitness, which I'll be visiting via a 7-Day Pass next week, and I've been impressed with the friendliness of the staff at each facility. They actually come out from behind their desks and mingle!

Another option I checked into, just because it was located near one of the other gyms, was Curves for Women. To be honest, I'd never considered Curves before, and I'm not sure why. I dropped in at my neighborhood Curves, and I have to tell you, I was impressed! As the name implies, it's a workout option designed for women. It's all based on hydraulic resistance equipment and cardio (not regular old gym equipment), and you follow musical/voice prompts to change machines. The standard workout is scheduled to last 30 minutes (but you can go longer if you wish), which includes time at an amazing stretching apparatus. Seriously, if I hadn't given them my real name wasn't such a moral and law-abiding citizen, I'd be backing up my Dad's truck to their door some night.

There was a feeling of camaraderie and "belonging" at this Curves location that I haven't experienced at any other gym I've worked out in. Granted, part of their job is to sell a membership to me, but it really came across more as, "Come play with us!" I like that! Staff members are available to help (and push you!), which almost felt like having a personal trainer.

The cost of a membership, which permits unlimited visits, is $100 sign-up and $34/month. For the month of March, though, they're waiving the sign-up fee in exchange for a bag of healthy groceries to be donated to a women's shelter! (This is apparently a program going on at all Curves, not just my local facility.) There are now Curves franchises all over the world, and you get guest privileges at all of them, plus they have some online activities and support as well.

By now you're probably thinking I'm being paid by the Curves people, but I'm not, I promise. Simply put, I was impressed with the place and honestly do think that it just might be a good resource if you have avoided working out at a gym because you felt intimidated or self-conscious. As for me, as much as I'd love to hang out with them and be part of what looks like a fun and supportive group, I think I'm at a point where variety in my workout is important. Besides, I have you guys for fun and support. :)

I'll make a decision next week and have an update from my gym. Until then, I'm going to have fun exploring and perhaps even widen my search to the five mile range just to see what else is out there!

Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend!

The Squish Belly Blues

*cue harmonica*

Woke up this morning, my to-do list a mile long
That’s okay, ‘cause I was feeling good and strong
Started putting stuff back where it belong

*harmonica*

Passed the mirror and caught a frightful sight
Inhaled real deep, pulled my core in tight
And wondered how this happened overnight

*harmonica*

That’s right, that’s right: I got me the Squish Belly Blues
How to fix it, I got some clues
But my *#%@ gym raised my dues... .


Okay, so Memphis may be the Home of the Blues, but chances are this little ditty will never be housed there. :)

While I don't think the cold days of winter resulted in any significant weight gain (clothes still fit), I did notice this morning that my abdomen is definitely feeling...well, squishy. I lost 100 pounds near the age of 50, so my abs were never of the "rock hard" variety. Even so, they looked better two months ago than they do now.

Okay, I thought, time to quit fooling around at home and get back to the gym for full workouts. No problem! I've been looking forward to getting back into the swing of regular strength training, and eradicating The Squish is a good challenge!

Imagine my dismay when I arrived at the gym and found that my key card didn't work.

My membership expired last month, and they won't extend my membership. The desk person said I have to enroll as a new member and pay a new member fee of almost $100.

(Don't worry, my neighbor just came over and confiscated my harmonica.)

This is a Sad Day, indeed. I signed up for that gym before it even opened, paying for two years in advance. I had only lost 20 pounds at that point, and I was feeling super motivated. This is the gym where I bawled like a baby when I realized I was actually going to achieve my goal. The gym where I bravely ventured into Manville for the first time ever. My gym. *sniff*

I've written to the Powers That Be to try to have that enrollment fee waived. Considering how many people I've referred to them, that I've already been a member for two years, and that I'm willing to spring for another 2 years up front, I'm hopeful they'll see the value in waiving the fee. (I might have also mentioned in my note that I'm a blogger .*g*) Keep your fingers crossed. If this doesn't work, look for a Waive Cammy's Fee page on Facebook.

I'll be using my non-gym time to check out other options in the area. One of the things I like most about my gym is that it's open 24/7. It doesn't offer much besides workout equipment, showers, and an old scale (along with tanning beds that I could care less about), but it's cheap, relatively clean, and less than a mile from my house. Other gyms in my neighborhood are closed at least one day per week and cost more. Oh well, it doesn't cost anything to look.

Meanwhile, I'll keep exercising at home.

And playing my harmonica.

~~

What do you like/not like about your gym? What do you look for in a gym? (I just want the free weights and cable machines.)

Dick's Sporting Goods Needs Me! (w/Giveaway Opp)

Disclosure stuff at the bottom of the post

I'm not much on competition. Against other people, that is. I compete against myself all the time. (That way, I always win! :)) But I'm fortunate enough to have been asked by Dick's Sporting Goods to participate in a little online competition to be part of their Starting Line-up. As part of the Starting Line-up, I would have:

• A chance to try out and preview new products
• A spot on an online panel of experts for one season (for approximately 3 months)
• Access to exclusive online surveys
• A chance to sound off on all things sports

Wouldn't that be cool?

Yes, you say, But what's in it for me?

Well, besides knowing someone newly famous for her inclusion in the Starting Line-up, you have the opportunity to win a $50 Dick's Sporting Goods gift card! (And you don't have to be on Twitter to enter!)

Oh, I have your attention now, do I? Good! That was my intention. I'll get to the contest details in a second, but first...

IF you'd like to support me in my bid to win a spot on Dick's Sporting Goods Starting Line-up, here's what you can do:

• Follow http://twitter.com/dickssportcmo.
• Vote for yourself (or someone else, like @tippytoediet) by telling @dickssportcmo who should be on the "Starting Lineup" and why. Sample Tweet: “@dickssportcmo my vote is for @TwitterID because...” Again not to belabor the point, but I'm @tippytoediet on Twitter. :)
• Recruit others to do the same.
• You can only vote for the same person once per day, but you can vote for multiple people in the same day.

*Make sure you're following @dickssportcmo or your vote won't count!

And that's that! I appreciate your consideration, but please know that you do NOT have to vote for me to enter the contest. This is all in fun.

To enter the contest and possibly win a $50 gift card (good in stores OR ONLINE), all you have to do is hop over to Dick's Sporting Goods and do some Windows-shopping (unless you're Linux or Mac, of course). Then come back and leave a comment sharing what YOU would buy from them with your gift card! (I'd buy this: The Wave by The Firm.)


I'll leave the contest open until Sunday night (03/14/10) at 9:00 p.m. Central Time. Contest is open to US residents only. (Sorry, int'l peeps!)


I hope you'll enter the contest, and if you're on twitter, I hope you'll follow @dickssportcmo and let them know how badly they NEED @tippytoediet in their Starting Line-up!  Oh, and feel free to share with your friends! Thanks and Good luck!

Disclosure: The only compensation for this post is the $50 gift card, which I have opted to use as a giveaway opportunity, despite the fact that it breaks my widdle heart to do so since I shop at DSG fairly regularly (Yaay! Asics socks and Life is Good t-shirts!)  I am receiving no other compensation, except perhaps some good Karma points.

Happy Healthy Hearts

February is American Heart Month and National Heart Month in the U.K. and Canada. It's a great time to learn about or recommit yourself to heart healthy strategies. I blogged about Heart Month on this date last year. Check it out to learn more about heart disease, especially as it affects women. (Note: As far as I can tell, the HEART for Women Act is still stuck in some Senate committee and has not been passed.

Friday, February 5, is National Wear Red Day (February 11th in Australia. Show your support for women's heart health--Go Red! Get your co-workers to do the same. My office did it last year, and it was soooo energizing to see how many people--women and men--showed their support. You can see me in my red finery by clicking here.

In New Zealand Annual Appeal Week will be held February 8-14th. I'm not sure exactly what that is, but it sounds like a fund-raiser to me. So if you're in NZ, give early and/or often! :)

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

In other news, my heart is very happy today! Lots of reasons, but not the least of which can be found at #11 on my List of 10 Things That Make Me Happy. If you recall from the aforelinked post, I had entered Chocolate-Covered Katie's Vitamix Giveaway and in a burst of positivity (and general silliness), added it to the list of happy-inducers at the last minute. Well, guess what?

I won!

Yeps, out of the gazillion people who entered, my name was chosen. (Bless you, Katie! and thanks to all of you who cheered!) After years of pining, I will soon be the proud owner of a Vitamix 5200.

And with fresh strawberry season just around the corner...

Be still, my heart.

Wait! I don't mean that literally. My heart should keep on pumping like it's supposed to, only happier and healthier. :)

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Wishing you all. a heart-healthy and heart-happy February!

Smorgasbord

Greetings from Sparkletown!  It's a nice trade-off for the inconvenience of the ice.

We never did get any real snow in my part of town, despite being promised LOTS of it. We did have lots of sleet, but the main roads were mostly passable.

I survived the weekend in healthy fashion, with no unnecessary snacking. I decided to log my food for the weekend, which may have helped me stick to the plan.

Or maybe it was the stress of hearing melting ice chunks crashing onto my roof from the tree limbs above. Who can say.

How'd you do?

In other news,RunningBetty kindly nominated me for Best Plus-Size Blog. Thank you, Betty, I'm honored that you thought of me! 

I'm not sure all the wheres and whyfores of this contest, but if you've got a second and would like to cast a vote, just click on the icon below:

Thank you.

A few links I bookmarked this week:

If you're struggling a bit staying on plan, maybe it's time to take a step back and focus on some basics with 7 Easy Ways to Lose Weight without Starving or Breaking a Sweat.

If you're like me and spend waaaay too much time at the grocery store trying to weed out the products with high fructosse corn syrup, the folks at StopHFCS have a handy listing of HFCS-free products. They also have a forum in which members share their finds.

Runners who are suffering from tight hamstrings and sore calves might want to check out Yoga's Benefits for Runners at Healthy Theory.

Last but not least, if you're the type who responds better to a little financial incentive, check out MUO's  review of Lose It or Lose It. I can tell you already that my money's on you! :)

And that's it for me! I'm headed to the treadmill and then off to watch "Worst Cooks in America", which is interesting but embarrassing, in that they're all 10 times better cooks than I am. :)

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Look Who's Talking: Exercise

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a lovely weekend!

You know, even after two years of rambling around the weight loss/maintenance and fitness blogosphere, I'm constantly discovering new, or new-to-me, bloggers. Just when I think I've been everywhere, I spot a comment from or a link to a blog I haven't seen before! Each has its own distinct flavor or flair, and I'm always learning something new--I love it!

It occurred to me last week that to the the folks just starting their quest for better health and fitness, the breadth and depth of our little corner of the internet might seem a bit daunting. How do we find our tribe-within-the-tribe, those bloggers who are on a similar course to our own? Which people farther down this path will inspire us and motivate us to keep on going? Who might feed us with lots of delicious, healthy recipes? Or keep us up to date with all the latest health and fitness happenings? Who makes us laugh and feel a little less like we're on this road alone?  The possibilities are so far-reaching that it can boggle the mind.

Enter: the Tippy Toe Shortcut. This is the first post of a new series I'm calling "Look Who's Talking." For each post, I'll ask a cross section of bloggers the same question and report their responses here. Then the rest of us have our turn to share!  Given the diversity of blogs and bloggers out there, the results should be verr-r-r-y interesting! I think so, anyway.

HUGEHUGE thanks to this awesome group of bloggers, who so graciously agreed to go first. I asked them:

What is your favorite exercise or form of exercise? And your least favorite?

Lynn, who blogs at Actual Scale, will someday join those of us in the 100-pounds lost club. She's already halfway there! Lynn says:

I think my favorite types of exercise are the ones that do not feel like exercise. For instance, I absolutely love my weighted hula hoop, boxing with the Wii, doing a kid's yoga dvd with my 6 year old and my belly dancing dvd. They may not be hard core workouts, but they are the ones I look forward to doing. They are the ones I will never skip because, "I don't feel like it"...which is what happens with my cardio sometimes.

Least favorite exercise? Hands down it is cardio. Give me weights any day intead of spending 30-60 minutes sweating my butt off, jumping, bending, jogging, kicking, etc...I would rather do a gazillion squats than walk on a treadmill for 30 minutes. I don't mind the recumbent bike, and actually like walking (but only outside & I live in a 4 Season area) but I dread doing them. For some reason I have convinced myself that it is easier to work in 20 minutes of strength versus 20 minutes of cardio. Yep, I'm mental that way.

Thank you, Lynn! We're all mental about something! :) Mine is running. And thank you for continuing to inspire me to master the hula hoop. Someday...

Rebeca at All Vegged Out is a blogger with irons in many fires. Fortunately for us, one of those fires is sharing awesome (and awesomely nutritious!) recipes and meal ideas. Rebeca's favorite form of exercise is yoga, about which she said:

I know that there are a lot of people who shy away from yoga because they claim that they are not flexible but I would have claimed the same thing a few years ago.  I love how it stretches my body and really opens me up.  While I don't subscribe to some of spiritual aspects of yoga there is no denying that its practice makes you more in tune with your body.  For me, this deep connection that I feel afterward gives me such a sense of calm and centers me in a way that nothing else ever has.  I also think that it makes you a lot stronger than you realize as you go deeper into your practice you find all sorts of defined muscles just from your own body resistance that leads to toning.

Least Favorite: Strength Training with Dumbbells. I'll admit that I'm a little lazy at times.  Which makes the dumbbells and I a lethal combination.  Instead of grabbing a heavy set, I'll grab the smallest ones and then fake my way through the reps. Then I end up bored and quit a couple of minutes in.  I really like machines though and like to compete with myself on them, but if I'm alone at home with the dumbbells then they're probably gaining dust while I gain weight!

Thanks, Rebeca! I'm s-l-o-w-l-y building a yoga practice, and it does work the muscles in a different--yet wonderful--way.

Andrew of the aptly-titled blog, Andrew is getting fit has moved from the world of morbid obesity to one that includes multiple marathons. His passion for running is evident in each of his posts, so I knew that was his favorite. I just didn't know why. Here's what Andrew said:

I find running gives me some "me" time where I can ponder the mysteries of the universe, listen to my favourite podcasts or just zone out.  It's also quite helpful with the weightloss efforts!

Least favorite? This is tricky as there is not one I particularly despise as such.  Although if I think about the gym I always avoid the stepper as it just seems a bit too much like hard work!

Thank you, Andrew! I've been following you for some time now, and your commitment to and enjoyment of your program inspire me every day. Plus, I've learned a lot about New Zealand. :)

Sahar blogs at FatFighterTV, and her blog is packed with health news, recipe makeovers, videos, and inspiring stories. I have Sahar to thank for the snazzy Weight Loss Woo-hoo button in my sidebar. About exercise, Sahar has THREE favorites:

Pilates, hiking, and group classes. I love Pilates because of the great strengthening and toning effects it has on my core. I adore hiking in the mountains because I get a such a great workout while I am enjoying all the beauty in nature. And I often get hooked on aerobics classes because the music makes it so fun that I forget I am exercising.

My  least favorite is cardio on the treadmill - I get very bored and feel like I am spinning when I get off the treadmill!

Thank you, Sahar! I'm an outdoor-exerciser , too! I keep saying I'm going to join a local hiking group, but so far no doing. That needs to change--NOW.

Tiff has been blogging at Project 365 for a little over a month now. Her spirit and enthusiasm shine in her posts and are a definite bright spot in my day!  About exercise, Tiff said:

I really enjoy walking at this point. It's low impact and can be done almost anywhere- on my lunch break, at a park, even indoors (thx to the lovely Leslie Sansone!). It's also great because you can go with a friend and chat which helps the time to go by faster; it's an exercise that almost anyone can do!

Least favorite? PILATES...my body was SO not made to do any of those things! :)

Thanks, Tiff! I share your enthusiasm for walking, but I still haven't tried the Leslie Sansone DVDs. (I must fix that.)

And that's what this group of bloggers had to say about exercise! I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know a little bit more about what makes them tick, and I appreciated the reminders of things I want to do, or re-do, in some cases.

As for me, my favorite form of exercise is anything that gets me outdoors. Whether it's walking or riding my bike, there's something about being outside in the fresh air that gets me going--physically and mentally! (I do love the afterglow of a good strength training session, though.)  My least favorite exercise is the pull-up, because it demoralizes me. :)

And now it's YOUR turn. Favorite? Least favorite? We wanna know!

Thanks again to Andrew, Lynn, Rebeca, Sahar, and Tiff for your time and graciousness in sharing your answers with us!

And to everyone else, be warned that I'll likely be coming to you someday with some other burning question! :)

Mailbag and Things You Might Have Missed This Week

Greetings! Don't you just love those weeks when LIFE grabs you by the whatzits and says, "Deal with me NOW!"

This was one of those weeks. In between the tile guys, the plumber, and the electricians (so many men going in and out of my house, it's starting to look like a bordello), I managed to develop an abscess on a tooth. Trying to be gracious with stabbing pains shooting all over my head ain't easy, lemme tell ya. But I made it through, and the dentist was able to see me this morning....only to refer me to an endodontist for a root canal. (In addition to having a curvy body, I apparently have curvy roots on this tooth.) Of course, the endodontist didn't have an opening until February 2nd. Please pardon if my posts seem a bit terse over the next week.

But enough about me. It's on to the show!

I received a couple of questions re: nutrition, and as you all know, I'm not a nutritionist. I did a smidge of research, but I'll count on your kindness in jumping in with any additional info.

Question 1: Are strawberries not good on a regular basis?
My answer: Strawberries are never "not good", especially if they have chocolate anywhere near them :)  And that's mostly true. According to the folks at World's Healthiest Foods, strawberries are "an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese. They also qualified as a very good source of dietary fiber and iodine as well as a good source of potassium, folate, riboflavin, vitamin B5, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B6, vitamin K, magnesium, and copper." Wow, that's a lot of health packed into one cute little berry! 

But we know there's always fine print, don't we? There's a little wrinkle with strawberries. Conventionally grown berries are high on the pesticide list, so organic is the preferable purchase. Also, these juicy red gems contain naturally occurring oxalates that might cause problems for people with kidney, gall bladder, or digestive tract issues. Might want to talk to your M.D. before eating too many strawberries.

{Insert your answer, amendment, or comment here}

Question 2: Why is soy or almond milk healthier than skim?
My answer: I don't really have a good answer. This is a highly (and sometimes hotly!) debated issue.  Ultimately, the decision for each of us will probably be based partly on our personal philosophies and partly on health goals/issues. For me, the basics are that soy and almond milk are absent any animal fats, but they're both highly processed. Skim milk is lower in animal fat than whole milk, but it also undergoes significant processing. But that just scratches the surface.

When i was in LA last fall, the LA Times ran a fairly balanced article profiling the benefits and concerns of a variety of milks. Also the folks at World's Healthiest Foods have a good discussion on their site.

{Insert your answer, amendment, or comment here}

Surely between all of us, we can provide enough info to be...you know, helpful. :)

Closing out with a few links I liked this week:

44 Ways to Improve Your Health and Happiness  (Wisebread)
Weight Loss Tracker: Monitor Your Weight Loss Online (Makeuseof)
Exercise Tracker: Monitor Exercise Routines Online (MakeUseOf)

Gym Etiquette (Healthy Theory)
12 Questions You Should Be Asking Yourself (The Rat Race Trap)

And I'm finally done. :)

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Online Helpers for Your Fitness/Weight Loss Journey

When I'm handing out credit in my own weight loss successes, I always include the power of the internet in the list of contributors. Having these "go-to" places to find answers (or questions) when I needed them, not to mention support and inspiration, was (IS) a huge factor in my progress. HUGE! 

With the coming of the new year, I'm suspecting we'll have some new-to-the-community folks dropping by, and I thought now might be a good time to share some of my favorite resources. These first two resources are probably the "huge-est" contributors:

Sparkpeople  has been used by 6 million people in 150 countries. Personalized eating plans, calorie and exercise tracking, health and fitness information, recipes, exercise demonstrations and videos, interactive forums for virtually every interest group. You can do as much or as little of it as you want. No requirements, no pressure. Best of all, no $$$. It's all free.

The Healthy You Challenge  gave me access to some of the most motivated and motivational health and fitness bloggers out there. Provided by the gracious Diana, a.k.a. ScaleJunkie, the HYC is an index of bloggers all pursuing the same goals--better health and fitness. As the commercial says, PRICELESS. I honestly can't imagine where I'd be right now without this network.

A few other "go-to" sites for me:

Cooking (as viewed by the non-cook):
AllRecipes's Healthy Cooking section - lots of fresh ingredients and nutritionally rich recipes here.

Green Lite Bites - Healthy recipes and tips from Roni, of Roni's Weigh . Her young son helps with many recipes, so be prepared for rampant use of sprinkles. :)

HungryGirl - You've probably seen the cookbooks at your bookstore. If you're transitioning from a junkfood-filled existence to healthier eating, you might find some of these recipes useful. Long-term, they're probably not the healthiest way to eat (lots of processed foods like Splenda), but face it: sometimes a girl/guy just wants something a little bit decadent.

IAteAPie - "Diet" food reviews.

Exercise:
Virtual Fitness Trainer - information and exercise instructions.

Oxygen Magazine's Training Tips - For me, it's a little too much focus on how we should look rather than feel, but that's probably just me being cranky. The exercises are generally good.

Others:
The Happiness Project - Gretchen Rubin's recounting of her path to happiness may help you find your own way. She's just released a book of the same title, available from Amazon or other book retailers.

lifehacker - Thouands of tips for making life more manageable. 

zenhabits - Too commercial for me these days, but the archives are full of excellent articles on living a simpler life, many by guest bloggers from across the spectrum.

I didn't include personal pages because I have (at last count) over 100 of those in my reader. If you're new to the community, you can start with the HYC, as mentioned above, or check out my side bar for my (currently not updated) list of favorite bloggers, or click on the links of other folks responding to this post. When you find something you want to comment on, don't be shy--jump right in! I haven't met a blogger yet who didn't welcome new commenters! (Heck, some of us stand up and do a cheer when someone new shows up! Or maybe that's just me?)

Those are just a few of my "go to" online resources.  What are your favorites? Any tips for those who might be new to this fitness community of bloggers?

Goin' Out with a Bang

Two years ago, I started a new New Year's tradition. On New Year's Eve (day) I have an excellent workout. On New Year's Day, I have an excellent workout. I consider them an open and closing parentheses for the year. During the NYE workout, I try to summon up any and all lingering malice or ill feelings leftover from the preceding months and let them roll off with the sweat. (You'd be amazed how well this works!)

On NYD, my workout is all forward focused. I don't imagine what the year ahead might bring, since I can't possibly know that. Instead, I think about the steps I know I'm taking in the months ahead, and I imagine how good I'll feel when I've successfully tried them. Note, I said tried. Some of these things may not work, but I'll be enormously satisfied for having given them a shot.

I like this bracketing of my year with exercise. It's fun, it's energizing, and it reminds me that no matter the caloric excesses of the holidays, a vigorous workout is a really good treat for myself! (Who is this strange woman inhabiting my body?)

Happy New Year to all! 2010 is going to be a blast--I can feel it!

The focus is there, the confidence. You can see it in everybody's eyes - the eagerness, the desire, the want.   ~ Danielle Ward

DVD Reviews: Yoga for Beginners & 30 Day Shred

I've never been much for exercise DVDs, but in my quest for different types of workouts while avoiding the gym, I decided to use part of a Christmas gift card to give a couple of DVDs a try.

First up: Rodney Yee's Yoga for Beginners (link to my Amazon account, but on sale at Target this week for $11.99) A yoga-instructing friend had expressed a profound adoration of Rodney Yee early in her yoga practice, so I thought this might be a good choice. I'm not disappointed. The DVD contains two routines: a series of morning poses for energy and an evening routine for relaxation and rejuvenation. More importantly to me, it contains a separate segment focused solely on poses--their purpose, the correct positions, common mistakes, etc. Everything a klutzy girl needs!

I'm going to seriously work at developing an almost-every-day practice, but at minimum, I'll work through some of the poses each day. This DVD will definitely get some use.

My second DVD choice was based solely on blogger community popularity. I bought it despite the fact that I'm not a huge Jillian Michaels fan (keep your tomatoes; it's nothing personal!)  The DVD I'm referring to is, of course, Jillian Michaels - 30 Day Shred.(link to my Amazon account, but on sale at Target this week for $8.00) If you're one of the 12 bloggers who hasn't tried this DVD, I'll dish: It's based on a 3-2-1 formula, which is 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of ab work. Repeated several times, in circuit fashion. There are also active stretches to warm-up and stretchy stretches to cool down. All together, it's a little less than 30 minutes for each workout. There are three total, and within each there are demos for a beginner and a more experienced exerciser. (Note: in all honesty, even the beginner level would've been too difficult for me 100 pounds ago.)

So far, I've only tried one workout and wasn't able to fully execute it. My workouts normally consist of heavier weights with fewer reps, which meant I wasn't able to do all the reps with the weights I have. (I went to fail on each circuit, then tossed the weights on the bed and continued the exercises in proper form, sans weights.) I'm also accustomed to 30-60 second recoveries between sets. Not having those recoveries was tough, but that may have been because of the too-heavy weights. I'll try again with lesser weights. (I'm thinking I'll fill a couple of empty water bottles with sand and see how that works. Or I'll cave in and buy some lighter weights at Target. They're also on sale this week.)

Another problem I had was with the cardio portion of the workout. It has a lot of jumping about and for the girl who has leftover belly flab, jumping about is very uncomfortable. And not in a good way. I'll have to figure out a workaround for that. It's do-able.

The bottom line is that I didn't hate this DVD. In fact, even in the one partial workout, I liked most of the exercises (yaaay! squat punches!)  It's a good workout and due to the lack of recovery periods, it's a quick workout. If I have the proper equipment, it might be just the ticket on days when I need to save a few minutes.

So there you have it. I haven't fallen in love with exercise DVDs, but I'm not sorry I bought either of these. One will get ongoing use and the other will be a good fill-in during the cold dreary days of winter when the long, 20-yard sprint from the car to the gym door is too much to bear.

Your opinions on these or other exercise DVDs are always welcome and greatly appreciated!

~

My Dog Ate My Workout and Other Randomness

My dog ate my workout? Well, that's a marginally better excuse than "I forgot to work out yesterday." But only marginally.

How does this happen? Something that's been a routine part of my day, six days a week, for two years and I forgot? Sad, but true. Yesterday was one of those runrunrun days, and I got a tad behind. It was only as I was on my way home from an art show last night that I realized I had never actually done my workout. It was planned for 3:00 (when Law & Order comes on TNT), but I was out delivering Christmas goodies then. The early evening was taken up with the art show, and I've learned not to work out after 8:00 p.m., lest I be sitting up , wide-eyed, at two a.m. So no workout for Cammy on a planned workout day.

I don't like to miss my planned workouts. It leaves me grumpy. I don't like being grumpy either.

I've missed a handful of workouts over the past couple of years, and I dealt with it by tacking on 5-10 minutes to workouts in the following days. It worked well, and I thought that's what I might do this time. Until I got up this morning and saw the large number of leaves in my front yard. I predict 2-3 hours, at least. More than enough raking, bending, stooping, lunging, and lifting to make up for yesterday.

Whew. Close call. :)

In random news, here's a lovely story from yesterday's local paper. It seems a young woman was trying to send a box of Christmas items to Australia. When the post office clerk told her it would cost $190 to ship, it was clear to all that it was more than she had expected. She stepped outside to make a few phone calls to see if she could find the money somewhere. While she was outside, the man who'd been behind her in line...paid for her postage! On his way out, he told the young woman that the clerk wanted to see her. He never mentioned that he had paid the $190 to ship her package. Needless to say, she was overwhelmed, as were many in the post office at the time.

Since this young woman didn't get to thank him, I will. Thank you, Post Office Santa Angel! You brightened more than one life this week!

Now that you're feeling all warm and fuzzy (and I wonder about you if you're not), here are a few interesting posts I've come across recently:

7 Great Lessons You Can Learn from Helen Keller

Wake Up! Five Ridiculous Alarm Clocks

Tiny Steps Make Major Leaps

How to Finish Something Hard


Random enough for you? Feel free to share any random and interesting links you found this week. It will give me something to read while I recover from all the leaf raking. :)

Happy Weekend!

~

I See Things

I had a wonderful pondering time this morning, mostly thinking about my future, both long-term and immediate. By immediate, I mean the weekend ahead. I'm a big believer in visualizing myself being positive and energetic and active and all the things I want to be in life. That way, I'll recognize them as they happen. :)

Anyway, as I sat pondering, the cautionary words of a former co-worker popped into mind:

"There's a mighty big difference between a vision and a hallucination."

Wise words, indeed, and it made me think about what I envision when I see myself being successful (by my own definition of successful).

Hallucination: I exercise two hours a day, 6 days a week, always giving 200% to my workouts.

Vision: I exercise 5-6 days per week, 30-60 minutes per day, giving 100% of my energy that day to my workouts.


Hallucination: I am at goal weight always. If my weight goes up, I increase my workouts to four hours a day.

Vision: My weight fluctuate but usually stays within 2-3 pounds of goal. When my weight goes up and stays up, I evaluate my nutrition AND my exercise to see if either needs to be improved.


Hallucination: I never eat chocolate.

Vision: I eat chocolate fairly regularly, but in tiny portions 98.521% of the time, excluding major holidays and vacations. (I consider a Hershey's Kiss to be an example of "tiny." Two is semi-tiny. More than that is a splurge.)


Well, you see what I'm getting at. All too often, we define our success by over-reaching measures that may not be attainable, much less sustainable. Weight fluctuates, schedules get crowded, and if we're lucky, LIFE happens. I'd much rather experience it than hide from it inside a set of rigid expectations. I want to live a vibrant life, healthy AND happy, and part of that is being available for it.

I'm not suggesting that we "lower the bar." It's good to have high standards for our behavior, especially regarding health and fitness. It's equally important that we be mindful of life unfolding around us and incorporate it into our visions of a successful future. And the future is beginning right now.

If you're still reading, I thank you. This was one of those mornings I needed to give myself a little preaching, and I appreciate your indulgence. If you got anything out if, all the better. :)

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Steppin' Up

I've been avoiding the gym lately. I'm not sure why, but I think it has something to do with avoiding that "stuck indoors" feeling that winter brings. (I do not like winter. )(At all.)

The good news is that I'm not avoiding exercise. I have a treadmill at home, and over the past couple of years, I've acquired a few other at-home exercise tools. One item, a going-away gift from a friend/former co-worker, is a Reebok 5-Position Step Deck*. I've used the step a few times for basic step-ups with weights, but not much more. Until last week, that is.

This particular fitness step comes with two DVDs, one for toning and one for cardio. I'd set them aside and forgotten about them, to be honest, but last week I decided to give them a whirl.

Verdict? Not bad. Not bad at all.

Both DVDs allow for beginner and intermediate levels. Since they do not have a clumsy-and-uncoordinated level, I decided to start with beginner and fill in with other exercises if I didn't feel I got a proper workout.

I really do need to film myself doing the cardio workout. I could upload it to YouTube for your benefit. (I have it on good authority that belly laughing probably burns a couple hundred calories.) As I mentioned, I have zero coordination. I can do the basic step on/step off movements just fine. Ditto the kicks and the "repeater knee." I can even clumsily do the side steps and crossover steps. The problem (and the hilarity) comes in when the demo lady says, "Okay, get those arms moving!" I try to match my movements to hers (and that of her two sidekicks--which, btw, why do these exercise DVDs always have two sidekicks?). The results are dismal, but amusing. At some point, I give up and just flail my arms about. I figure movement is movement. Who cares if it's synchronized?

I'm sticking with the beginner level on cardio for my next two workouts, as I try to master--or even just tame--the coordination. I have, however, raised the step to its highest level. At the end of the 30-minute cardio workout, I have a nice little sweat going. On days when 30 minutes is all I have time for, this will work, and on those days when I want to do more, I can always repeat the DVD or hop on the treadmill. Or Mother Nature willing, bundle up and walk outside!

The strength training DVD also provides a decent workout, if a bit too short at 15 minutes. Instructions for beginniner, intermediate, and advanced are given, with the differences primarily related to auxilary equipment used (resistance bands and dumbbells) and step position. I started at the intermediate level, because I couldn't find the right resistance band. I found the more resistant band yesterday, so I'll move to advanced level today. To get the benefit I want, I think I'll repeat the DVD at least once and toss in a few extras, like jackknife and hamstring curls. Maybe some pushups and lunges. After all, bodyweight is free. :)

My goal with strength training is to find that edge between soreness (I'm opposed to it) and knowing that the targeted muscle groups are fully engaged and pushed. I believe that if we properly warm up before and stretch after a workout, soreness is totally unnecessary. And for me, soreness is also detrimental to the process. I'm not going to consistently do something that makes me hurt.

It's nice to have this at-home option for a gym alternative, and I'm looking forward to developing it into a full strength training workout. If you have any other step DVDs to recommend, I'm all ears.

And flailing arms.

Do you have a gym alternative for indoor exercise? Or is the gym your One True Love?



*Link is through my Amazon Associates account. You can also find them at many sporting goods stores and Target.

Fitness Wish List

I hope you all had a most marvelous Thanksgiving weekend! I sure did, which gives me even more reasons to be thankful. Funny how that works out, isn't it?

For those of you whom I left sitting on the edge of your seats all weekend, fretting about the value of my Sports Authority gift certificate...drumroll...$10!! (Everyone who is not surprised, raise your hands. Ah, a majority. :) ) Still, every little bit helps. I purchased new Duofold base layers (top and bottom, in black) and some Columbia fleece pants. I shall be nice and toasty warm now!

At another store, I purchased the Bender Ball (it was on sale AND I had a 20% coupon!) As of this writing it is serving as a paperweight, but I hope to use it later today.

It's interesting how many fitness-related items are on my Wish List these days. In fact, other than a new desktop computer (current one is about 8 years old) and a few household items, everything on my wish list is related to fitness. Since I grudgingly gave up visits from Santa so that he might focus on the children, I no longer send him a list, but if I did, it would look something like this:

- Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor or any Garmin, for that matter.
- Sunny Health & Fitness 25 Lbs. Adjustable Chrome Dumbbell - I like this one for compactness.
- Columbia Sportswear Women's Pagora Hiking Shoe - I'm thinking about joining a local hiking group, now that the snakes are sleeping it off for the winter.
- Bosu 3D System Balance Trainer - I loved working out with the BOSU ball. My balance is pathetic, which is part of what made it so much fun. I may have to make this a reward purchase for something big.

I should stop there. I could add bike accessories galore and sports bras in every color, but I don't want to look greedy. :)

Huh. I should stop writing about exercise and get out and actually do some. But before I go, I'm wondering what would be on your Dear Santa fitness wish list? (I'll take notes, in case I ever win the lottery.)



(Disclosure note: Any links to Amazon are through my Associate's Account. Should you make a purchase after following one of my Amazon links, I will receive a 4% commission. )

~

In the Beginning (Giveaway Post)

(Disclosure: Contains a couple of my shiny new Amazon Associate links. Yeppers, I'm an Amazonian now. I figured I linked there all the time anyway, I might as well try to earn a couple of dollars a year. But no pressure on you guys. I've read your blogs and know that most of you are as broke as I am. I'm just hoping some millionaire on a shopping spree stops by here. Okay, enough yammering--on to the post!)

I'm in a nostalgic mood today. Maybe it's because of this week's Makeover Monday topic (for those of you who skipped a day or are perhaps having a senior moment, it was about taking the first step), or maybe it's because I'm approaching the one-year mark at goal weight. Or maybe I'm just bored.

Anyway, I was remembering back to my first steps at getting on the exercise bandwagon. These were definitely tippy-toe steps. I started by walking on the treadmill 20-30 minutes (and quite slowly, I might add) several times per week. And that was it.

I did that for a while, and then I stopped. Started again and stopped. And then again. The clue bus finally stopped in front of me, and I realized I was bored. I needed something extra.

Enter yoga. A dear friend had completely transformed her life (body, mind, and career) with yoga and was living proof that it did indeed improve flexibility, increase strength, and reduce stress. I decided to give it a try and ordered a couple of DVDs via Netflix.

FAIL. Falle. Versagen Sie. 失敗します échouer.

No matter which language you use, it wasn't good. (Although it doesn't seem so bad in Japanese.)

The problem was that the DVD instructors kept telling me to do things my body just couldn't do. It wasn't a matter of flexibility; the problem was my size. A girl with 100 extra pounds mostly around her midsection doesn't go easily into child's pose.

Frustrated, I gave up on yoga. Soon after, I quit walking too. Woe, woe is me.

I'm not sure where I heard about Megan Garcia and the Just My Size Yoga DVD*, but I'll forever be grateful for finding it. This DVD is made for people of all shapes, sizes, and abilities. The moves have been modified to allow room for our extra bits. And if the moves are still troublesome, there's a whole segment devoted to even more alternate methods.

But it's not just the modified poses that made this DVD so precious to me. The fact that the teacher is the aforementioned Megan Garcia, a plus-sized model who is completely, serenely, comfortable in her body, made me want to practice for the right reasons. Not to "be skinny", but to feel truly good about myself and what I was doing. I was on my way!

Later, I found MegaYoga*, Megan Garcia's book, which presents many more yoga poses with modifications for "curvy women." This is my yoga bible. The pictures and text combine to make the moves easily understandable and executable. Well, most of them. There's this pose called Eagle that I'm about to wave the white flag on. For now, anyway.

To commemorate and celebrate my first steps toward fitness (over two years ago now!), we have two giveaway opportunities: a copy of the DVD or a copy of the book. You may enter for one or the other, or both. Just let know in the comments if you're interested. Sharing any yoga tips you might have will gain you extra appreciation, but will not increase your chances of winning.

Anyone on the planet may enter, as long as you have a shipping address. I'll mention that the DVD is region 1 format, which is normally US or Canada. If you have a region free DVD player and live somewhere other than the US or Canada, feel free to throw your name into the hat for the DVD as well.

Drawings will be Friday, October 2, at 6 a.m. (central U.S.)

*I've included my spiffy new Amazon associate links here, but the DVD price appears to have doubled since I bought this one several months ago. I suppose that's because they're in such short supply. Netflix and Blockbuster both have copies for rent. Your local library might also be a good resource. If you asked me nicely, I might even loan you my copy. :)

Book Review: 101 Things to Do Before You Diet by Mimi Spencer

(Disclosures: I received no compensation for this post, other than a copy of the book for review. Also, while I'm including links to the book on Amazon, I am not an Amazon affiliate. That may change in the near future, but I'll be sure to let you know if/when it does.)

I'm not much for "diet" books, so when Rodale Books offered me the opportunity to review 101 Things to Do Before You Diet by Mimi Spencer, I almost politely declined. It was the subtitle that intrigued me: Because Looking Great Isn't Just About Losing Weight. Ain't that the truth!

As it turns out, this isn't a "diet" book at all. Author Mimi Spencer, a U.K.-based fashion & beauty journalist, offers a collection of small changes {pause for TippyToe Tingle!} the reader can make to feel better about herself at her current weight. These include not only suggested changes to menu and movement, but also tips and tricks for dressing to flatter the body, no matter it's shape or size. To round things out, there are also several tips on changing mindset and outlook. (Tip #4: "Stop Worshipping Thin and Love the Skin You're In"--one of my favorites.)

Many of the tips are things most of us already know. It's just that we sometimes don't do them very well and need reminding. Ms. Spencer's writing style lends itself to that. She's not a medical professional nor a psychologist, and she doesn't pretend to be. Her voice is much more Auntie Mame than Dr. Oz, if you know what I mean.

I did find a few quibbles here and there (with 101 things, I was bound to), but overall I enjoyed the book, so much so that I'll forgive the careless "muscle weighs more than fat" advice and tip #68: "Wear Heels. Always" (these tippy toes don't do heels, not for more than an hour).

With a nutritional focus on eating mostly fresh, whole foods in proper portions and an internal focus on loving who we are as we are, there's more than enough to keep me happy and returning for reference.

101 Things to Do Before You Diet is available through Amazon (or Amazon.ca or Amazon.uk).

One of you won't have to bother with Amazon at all, because Rodale has offered to ship one of you your very own copy of the book! Just let me know in the comments if you're interested. Yes, lurkers, that includes you!

I'll draw for the winner at midnight Friday, Sept. 18th (or early, early Saturday if I fall asleep.) Times are US Central. Unfortunately this is a USA/Canada only opportunity, but don't worry, international peeps, I've got you covered in a different giveaway week after next!



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What Fresh Hell Is This?

Today's title is actually a quote attributed to Dorothy Parker. It also describes perfectly my return to the gym.

Before I left for Chicago, my knees were bothering me during squats and lunges, so I thought that would be a good opportunity to give them a break. Apparently the break went on a little too long. On Monday, I added them back into my routine, and while my knees are just fine, my quads and glutes are not happy with me. Not at all. It reminds me of when I first started training. I'm not big on post-workout pain, so I spent extra time stretching after today's gym session. So far, so good.

Monday was also my first weigh-in, post-vacation, post-birthday celebration. The good news is that I'm right where I was when I left for Chicago. The bad news is that I was up a couple of pounds when I left for Chicago. So I need to shed two pounds, or possibly a little more. I'd like to be at or even slightly below my goal weight when I leave for my Western Tour in early October. I'm setting October 1st (or so) as the goal date for goal weight. Surely I can lose 2 or 3 pounds by then.

Reporting in on a new snack I tried: Yoplait Yogurt Parfait. (The link will take you to a site with a $1 off coupon.) The parfaits are combinations of different flavored yogurts. I've only tried the Creme Caramel, but they also have Lemon Torte, Chocolate Raspberry, and Triple Berry Creme. With 13 grams of sugar, this product definitely falls in the realm of dessert yogurt, but it also has 5g of protein and the other goodies yogurt provides. Functional dessert, in other words. One more word: yummy!

Busy times here this week, but I'll do my best to catch up on my reader tonight and tomorrow!
I hope I discover that you are all having a most marvelous week!

Crazy Thinking

Every morning I run through a little Cammy Inventory. How do I feel? Exercise going okay? Eating in check? Clothes still fit okay? To-do list getting smaller? Things like that. This morning was an awesome inventory, unexpected given the emotion and stress of attending (and being asked to speak at) Kathleen's memorial service. Not to mention that Mother Nature is gearing up for the big whammy. But I had worked my way through the week in good form and felt good about myself as I headed off to the gym.

And then (c'mon, you knew there as an 'and then' coming, didn't you?), as I was walking into the gym, I decided to get on the scale for a "sneak-peek" weigh-in prior to the weekend. Silly Cammy. According to the metal beast, I am up a whopping four pounds since Monday! Talk about surprised.

The fifteen-second walk to the back of the gym was gruesome. Four pounds might as well have been forty. Why was I even at the gym, when it was clear it wasn't doing any good? I was doomed and regretted giving away all my larger clothes, because I was certain to need those size 22 pants before the weekend was over. Crazy thoughts.

As I was cleaning my mat, the niggles started:

• Hey, weren't you the woman who, not fifteen minutes ago, was praising herself for being on track? Yeah, you said your nutrition could use a boost (hello leafy greens), but you also said that your calories were normal and that your clothes felt fine.
• And aren't you the woman who has already done 250 push-ups this week and is preparing to do 125 more in the next half hour, not to mention all the sit-ups and squats and cardio? Didn't you move from week 3 to week 4 of your training even though you thought you couldn't?
  
• Think, Cammy, think. Did you have 14,000 extra calories between noon on Monday and this morning? Have you had 14,000 extra calories this year even? Because that's what it would have taken to earn a 4-pound gain. Use your brain.
  
• And hasn't it always been your belief that the scale captures a single moment in time and isn't the greatest measure of success? And that sometimes it's a big fat liar, anyway? Especially if you've been doing the right things.
• And do you think there's the slightest chance that Mother Nature hovering around your body, poised to attack at any moment, might explain how you could take an unjustified gain and transform it into disaster and certain ruin?

That was the point at which I started laughing. I laughed so hard that I'll never get invited to breakfast now. The breakfast club probably thinks I'm certifiable, and they wouldn't be far from the truth. Because that's just crazy thinking, the kind of thinking that kept me in the diet cycle for far too many years. The kind of thinking that traps many people.

Our weight fluctuates, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. Mine usually bounces around 2 pounds or so, up and down, before coming back to the goal mark. It doesn't seem to be related to anything I'm doing. It appears to bounce of its own free will. That's why I don't record weight in my notebook, but I do record the minutes exercised and any splurges I have along the way. Those are the only things I can control.

Even though the whole episode lasted less than a minute, it bothered me. Not the fact that I was surprised. Who wouldn't be if they'd been on track, even a wider track like mine? What bothered me was the way the crazy thoughts rushed in. I thought I was beyond this kind of crazy thinking, but it seems I'm not. I do pat myself on the back for stopping it fairly quickly, and I'll take it as a sign of some progress.

This is the largest gain I've shown in the nine months I've been at goal, and I'm guessing that's the reason I didn't take it so well. Since I haven't even had any splurges and I've been exercising regularly, I suspect I just haven't caught the scale at this particular time of the month yet. Thus, my plan is to do nothing different this weekend and see if the scale returns to normal next week. I suspect that it will.

I share this in the event that anyone else is experiencing, or feels close to experiencing, a scale-based meltdown. My hopes are that you will also see that that's just crazy thinking, and that even when our thoughts go wacky, a quick reality check can talk us down from the ledge, so to speak. As long as we focus on the actions we can control and react with our brains as opposed to our hearts, we'll be fine, with doom and ruination nowhere on the radar. :)

Hope you have a great weekend!

Oh, the Joy of the Beloved Rest Day & Links

First of all, a huge Thank You for your wise, funny, creative, and supportive comments on my last post. If I haven't told you all lately how much I adore you, I'm doing it now. You rock!

Yesterday's gym workout was much the same, although I don't think there were any breakfast discussions. I wasn't really paying attention. :) There's a new guy at the gym, one who actually makes eye contact and smiles. When he sat down to use the bench next to me, he even asked if he was "crowding" me too much. And that was it. Friendly, without being chatty, and courteous. Perfect. (Caveat: I don't know if he wiped down the bench when he was done, but he looked like the type who would.)

Those of you who have been around here awhile know I'm fairly preachy about observing the weekly rest day. When we're working out regularly, our bodies need the break. In fact, they'll often demand it. Even if I wanted to work out seven days a week, my body would signal its inner three-year old to drop to the floor and throw a full-out tantrum.

Yesterday was my "6th day workout", and my body reminded me of that fact, emphatically. So today is a rest day. Ahhhh. I've been accomplishing so much around the house that I have declared it a "to-do" free day as well. Ahhh-to-infinity. I think I'll head to the zoo--where I will stroll, not zip--and then lunch somewhere new. And then a nap, of course. I'll finish the day with a manicure and a Diet Coke.

Life is so very good.

With all of that on my agenda, I need to get going, but before I do, here are some interesting links from my reader:

Are y'all familiar with igigi? Beautiful plus-sized clothing that I never knew about when I was in plus-sized clothing. Their dresses are gorgeous, and I'm not even a dress person! I also no (via A Weight Lifted)

A contest giveaway from Feed Me I'm Cranky, a new-to-me blog that I'm enjoying a lot. The giveaway is a $40 gift certificate to Whole Foods!

From DumbLittleMan: 4 Reasons You Fail to Achieve Your Goals. Brilliant. Concise.

Check out this folding shopping cart highlighted on Stacks and Stacks. It just might inspire you to walk to the grocery store. (I do sometimes walk, but only if I know I'm picking up a couple of things.)

And finally, How to Get Companies to Send You Free Stuff with No Catches from Makeuseof.


With that, I'd better get busy resting. :)

Wishing you all a wonderful day!

The Lonely Little Gym Bunny

Open letter to the guys at my gym:

I wouldn't go to breakfast with you if you were the last people on Earth and it was my last chance for a meal. So there.

Really, I was completely comfortable when you three regulars started working out next to me and talking to each other across my sweaty body. You seem to do that every single time I go to the gym. Nor did I think anything of it when you all decided you needed to go out for a "Paul Bunyan" breakfast after the workout. I salivated a little, but I didn't think anything about it after that.

The awkwardness (and subsequent loneliness) came into play when you introduced yourself to a new guy (stepping around my bench to do so) and invited him to go to breakfast with you and then did the same when another guy wandered into the area. I don't know how many guys ended up going to breakfast, although I did note during my last circuit that the place had cleared out.

But the one gal in the place wasn't even invited. I guess it's enough that I'm even allowed to workout in Manville.

Whatever. I didn't even want any stupid hashbrowns*.

I've thought it over and have narrowed down the possible reasons I wasn't invited to the Tippy Toe Gym Post-Workout Breakfast:
1) I am invisible and you never saw me.
2) You saw me, but you don't like me.
3) You're all married and your wives would have hissy fits if you sat within 5 feet of another woman outside of their presence.
4) You're all insanely attracted to me and are afraid you won't be able to control yourselves if we leave the gym area.
5) You (the one in the red shirt with the flabby white arms) are jealous because I do rows at the same weight you do.
6) You all know that I know that NONE of you ever wipes down your benches after you've sweated all over them.
7) I am invisible and you never saw me.

Never mind. I'll just continue my workouts as if you don't exist, which will not faze you in the least, since you don't see me.

Signed,
The Lonely (but increasingly toned) Little Gym Bunny


*total bullsh*t. I would've eaten my serving and anyone else's leftovers.

Makeover Monday: Make Up Your Mind

A friend of mine despises exercise. She says it's boring. Sometimes I get bored with exercises, too, so I suggested she try changing her routine or venue, but she says that doesn't help, that it's her mind that's bored, not her body, and that all she thinks about while she's exercising is how bored she is and how much she despises exercising.

That had me scratching my Brazilian Bronze with Honey Caramel highlights head, as it's a completely opposite experience from mine. I can honestly say that in two years of exercising regularly, my mind has never lacked for things to do while I put my body through its movements o' the day. In fact, I will unashamedly confess that sometimes I exercise because of the glorious things my mind gets up to while I'm moving:

Organizing/planning Activities - Now that I'm mostly working out in the mornings, I like to spend a few minutes thinking about and visualizing the day ahead. I don't spend a whole lot of time on it, especially if it's a particularly busy day, because I have a tendency to start stressing about getting busy with that instead of being where my butt is. A few minutes to get the plan in place is okay, though.

Solving Problems - When I was working for The Man, I frequently found answers to lingering problems from the workday while I exercised. Exercise unlocks the right brain, which makes it a great time to find answers.

Creating - Speaking of right brain activity, I lovelovelove to let my creative brain run wild while I work out, especially with respect to my creative writing. I love to compose scenes or dialogue in my head while I'm walking. Good dialogue has a cadence to it, as does walking, so the two work really, really well together. If I have a sex romantic scene in mind, I head to the elliptical where I don't have to worry about getting flattened by a car and thrown into the same gutter my mind is inhabiting at the moment.

Pondering - Some days I dedicate to thinking about nothing in particular. I just let my thoughts skitter around wherever they wish to go. Sometimes I think about your posts and how I might implement some of your strategies, or I think about issues you've presented and whether or not I might have some answers.

Something I don't do but other people LOVE to do is to listen to podcasts while they exercise. Thus, we could easily add Learning to our list.

Then, of course, there's always watching movies or television shows. I love reruns of Monk, when I'm on the home treadmill. It's fun solving crimes while you pedal away on the recumbent bike!

I exercise because it makes me feel better, in body AND in mind. Giving my mind over to negative thoughts while I'm exercising isn't going to help either of those causes. To that end, these are the areas I try to avoid while exercising:

Overthinking - I do have a tendency to obsess. :)

Comparing - One of the biggest momentum killers for me is comparing myself to other people, and I'm glad to say I've mostly rid myself of that urge. If I feel the need to measure my activity, I look at what I did yesterday.

Regretting - I discussed this in a previous Makeover Monday. Regretting is just wasted time, in my opinion, and there are much better things my mind could be doing. Like writing a good sex scene. :)

Criticizing - This is something I'm really working hard on right now. Working out at the gym, with all its floor-to-ceiling mirrors, presents a challenge, as I notice every wrinkle, bulge, and flaw. Focusing on breathing, counting, and using proper form helps, along with the knowledge that I'm doing really groovy things for my body.

Like most people, I have a tendency to avoid things I don't enjoy doing. Sometimes finding the joy in it is simply an issue of mind over matter.

I'm going to share this post with my friend, in hopes that it will give her some ideas and maybe the motivation to try again. If anyone here has had the same experience with boredom and/or negative mind games and have any suggestions, I'll add them to the list.

And if this gives you any ideas to try, let us know how it works out for you!

This Makeover Monday post brought to you by Newman's Own Organic Spelt Pretzels, my current snack of choice. One word: yum!

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