Thursday, August 21, 2008

Foot Savers

So I was at work the other day and was introduced to something fabulous. They are called foot savers. The studio owner recently took a class in something known as Yamuna body rolling. You can check it out at http://www.yamunabodyrolling.com/ The foot savers are little half-balls made of some strong rubber-like substance. You stand on them and move your feet along them, as you are focusing on your alignment. OMG can you say foot massage:)......ok so some spots hurt my feet, but you know that pain that feels good. It's like free reflexology. I could hang out on these forever. Check them out. I imagine they must be good at releasing toxins as well!
By the way there are also other balls that you can massage your whole body with:)
You know what I love? That massage is good for you, of course it feels good, but it's like broccoli-it's good for you!

Monday, August 18, 2008

Gymnastics and the Olympics

I am in awe of the athletes, they are so inspirational! Gymnastics is one of my favorite sports to watch. Swimming is great too, and I was amazed at Phelps talent.
The more I see the Chinese gymnasts I think to myself wow can they really be old enough. They seriously look 10-12. Then I think well hey should there be an age rule, if they are good enough let them compete. But, and a big BUT here that's not the case, if they aren't old enough they are breaking the rules and that is not good sportmanship, and not fair to any of the athletes. I think athletes are role models and shame on them if they want to play unfair. Now say they are underage they are prob so young they are can I say "brainwashed" into thinking it's ok? hmmm I wonder. Everyone else had to play by those rules, maybe the US athletes would have been even more fabulous when they we're 12 too, but they played by the rules and waited there turn. But anyways. Regarldless team USA did great. Good job girls! I completely agree that 2 gold medals for the uneven bars would have been better than the tie break. They both scored the highest so they should both be rewarded.
A little side note- I absolutely love the dresses the Chinese have been wearing to escort the medalist to the podium. The white ones we're fabulous and the blue and gold ones we're GEORGEOUS!

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Off to the Farmer's Market


Today I went to a Farmer's Market to check it out. I hadn't been to one here, and I can't remember the last one I went to. Check out all the yummy stuff I got today! Baby pat a pan squashes. I love them but can never justify their prices at the grocery store. These were $2. Also picked up some poblano pepper jelly, and it's sweetened with honey and apple juice instead of sugar. She said instead of 6 cups of sugar she uses 1 cup of honey and 1 cup of cider. Yum! I love pepper jelly, so I'm excited to try it. Also picked up half a dozen ears of sweet corn, and a bunch of basil. While I was there I tried some homemade ice cream, delicious! It was smores flavor. Think I will check some more out soon

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Hot or Not?

Well I tried hot yoga again (this was my second time). I went to a Bikram yoga studio, and I was all excited to be on my quest for a super flexible gumby-like body...... I entered the studio. It was nicely decorated, I loved the shower curtains in the locker room. I may have to search for them as the girl working there wasn't sure where they came from.
To backtrack to my first Bikram experience. The lights we're on and they we're super bright. The teacher was on a box at the front of class and her instructing reminded me of a drill seargant. Not my idea of yoga. I prefer dim or dark rooms(unless I'm outside in the sunshine) and although I do love a great workout from my yoga practice, I definately like a more calming approach. The heat didn't seem to bother me too much although I was definately sweaty. It looked like I jumped in a lake!
So the second experience. The lights we're on but they we're lanterns the nice zen-like white lantern thingys that I love. So not to bad. The teacher was even a little less drill-seargeantish at first. But they basically tell you not to leave even if you feel bad, because there is noone out in the lobby to check on you. So shortly into class I'm feeling lightheaded, and nauseous. I feel like puking and can barely stand up without my world going black and fuzzy. So I spent some time in childs pose recouping. Wanting to leave because I knew I would not feel better, but feeling as though that was not acceptable. Plus I didn't want to wuss out. Well then I am trying to rehydrate and am told by instructor to only take a drink between sets not between poses. Because the others might get jealous when they are balancing or transitioning or whatever!!! Ok now you have pissed me off. You can't tell me I can't get a drink of water when I'm about to pass out in a 105 degree room. Plus I have always been taught to never lock your knees and apparently you are supposed to do that in Bikram. So I'm not sold on this class. After I suffered through being in a 100+ degree room for 90 minutes. I graciously only bought one session instead of a package deal, because I won't be back. Maybe warm yoga, and maybe hot yoga that isn't the Bikram style, but for now I'll refrain. Love my yoga though!

Friday, August 8, 2008

Now What?

What do many women/girls have in common? How many of you are on a diet, have been on a diet, or are just currently taking a break from your diet? I can look back at my life and I pretty much consider myself to be on a so called "diet" since I first learned what the word was. It just seemed normal. The type of diet has changed numerous times, but in general I was always analyzing every bite of food. Whether I wrote it down or not. I was constantly crunching numbers in my mind.....calories, protein, carbs, fat etc. Sometimes I would stop and think could I ever just live, just eat and not worry about gaining weight? Now I'm not saying all girls think like this I'm impressed by anyone that does not have these thoughts on a regular basis.
What I found to be the oddest occurance once I had gotten to the point where I had to say I'm thin enough(and trust me this has happened multiple times because I definately have fluctuated in my weight) I didn't know what to do. Being on a diet became such a normal part of my day. When I didn't need to obsess about cutting calories I felt lost. It was almost as if I didn't have that bond with other women/girls anymore. I do still find that I keep a running tally of calories sometimes but that helps to maintain where I am. I have always been interested in nutrition, and I have found that shifting from counting calories to focusing more on counting fruits and vegetables is a much better option. Mainly what I mean is that instead of focusing on what I can't have I try to focus on what I should have trying to make sure I get a good variety of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals through my food. So that is the "now what" and you know what it has really helped me to stay at a steady weight/size.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Food for thought

I love to cook, but I just don't seem to ever find the time to do it that often anymore. Maybe that should be one of my goals. Since we moved into a house and are able to have a grill now, we do grill. I guess that counts as cooking:) I seem to work random hours and a lot of evenings so coming home at 9:30 or 10 not only is it not the optimal time to cook a meal I am often too tired to want to. Perhaps I should start making gourmet breakfasts or lunches. I do make a great smoothies though. I use plain yogurt(yoplait is my favorite) about 1 cup per serving and I blend with frozen strawberries (or blueberries/cherries) also one cup and sometimes I through in a banana. It's plenty sweet for me so I don't add any sweeteners/sugar. If all the fruit is very frozen it turns out really thick, basically like frozen yogurt. Makes a great dessert! If you want it thinner I nuke the strawberries in the microwave(since I buy frozen) since they are softer that way it makes it a little thinner. Also have the option to use milk or soymilk to thin it out. I never add ice but that's just personal preference. Enjoy!
Since I mentioned sweeteners/sugar above I guess it would be a great time to discuss those. I have been hearing more and more about the dangers and just negative effects of artificial sweeteners. A friend suggested I visit www.splendaexposed.com Supposedly they may cause you to gain weight as well as be potentially harmful to your body. I want no part in something that makes the inside of my body look horrible even if it could make the outside look better. It's not just splenda...I'm sure equal, nutrisweet, etc all have issues. The more I think about all these so-called miracle foods that are all constructed in a lab, the more I wonder how they could really be good for us. Now I'm sure there are some definate scientific advantages to some of our food and products. However I am thinking it's best to stay away from most processed and chemically altered products. But sometimes you really have to analyze a product to decipher if it really is the better option

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

First Blog

Yay my first blog! I've been wanting to do this for awhile, and didn't realize how easy it would be. That is until I saw an article in a magazine suggesting blogger.com It's fabulous and super easy! Also one of my favorite blogs and my first inspiration is www.backinskinnyjeans.com
I am a pilates instructor among many fitness related tools I have under my belt. I love pilates! and you should too! I didn't always, not until I found out what it was. It is definately one of the best and funnest workouts I have ever had.
Basically in a nutshell you learn how to use your abdominal muscles-aka your "powerhouse" and you learn how to utilize them in everything you do. I'd always done crunches and such, but how boring:) Pilates is so much more fun and I saw great results from it.
I realized yesterday after talking with one of my clients that being happy or satisfied with yourself is not how you look but how you feel. Well I guess I prob have thought about that before too. But basically she said if only I was like you if I had started working out when I was your age I wouldn't be like this. Or you are so skinny....that always throws me off. You know why because just like you I struggle with accepting that I am good enough, skinny enough etc. In my mind I know I could be in better shape, tell myself I should be in better shape. It's when I realize that I am now the person that I used to look at and wish I could be her-the girl with the perfect body. But I don't think I have the perfect body, sometimes wonder if I ever will. I do believe that I am starting to come to terms with the fact that I look differently to other people than I do to myself, but we prob all do. Throughout my career as a fitness professional I am more and more emphasizing to everyone I meet that "fitness" is not a shape it's a level of activity, and being healthy is different than being skinny! My goal is to promote a healthy lifestyle while still enjoying life and having fun! It's all about learning to love yourself!