Wow...I haven't blogged for a while...really didn't have much to say...not much to say now...
Life goes on...busy boring daily tasks...some more fun than others...
So when I don't have much to say I usually do a silly blog...so here's one for you.
I call this:
I LIKE IT...
I like it when people don't recognize me anymore because I have lost so much weight (115 pounds and counting)
I like it when people I have known for years don't recognize me...
I like it when my own trainer confuses me for another client (briefly)...he's doing good at resculpting me...who needs a scalpel...
I like it when I hear from a friend that another friend told her how great I am looking (weight-wise...)
I like it when I have to dial down my weight on my heart monitor
I like it when a friend tells me her son says I look beautiful...or really pretty...
I like it when the new coach says I smell good ('cause he's cute...and I certainly hope I smell better than the 14 year old boys he is coaching)...
I like it when I put on a skirt that fit great 3 weeks ago and it is loose now...
I like it when I can buy Cheetos for my kids and not even care to open the bag and taste one...
I like it when I have the unexpected pleasure of running into friends when I am meeting another friend for lunch and it turns into a party...
I like it when I get on my bike (not the spin bike) and manage to ride...but only after I took a little spill because I have clips and not pedals...but I like the clips...
I like it when the scale slides down and I know my hard work has paid off...
I like it that I can shop at regular stores (not plus size)
I like it when my son, daughter, and her boyfriend go to dinner and we laugh ourselves silly...
I like it when I get up and do my early walk and have a little peace and quiet time with just me and my music...
I like it when I can get a group of friends together and we do something besides eat---we work out!!!! With the best trainer ever...
I like it that I found the best trainer (ever!) to help me...and that he has the patience of a saint...because he needs it with me...I really love him for what he has done for me...
I like it that I can do better pushups than I saw the 8th grade boys doing yesterday...thought about getting down and showing them but then realized that they would then decide that they needed to say "drop and give me 20" when they saw me...
I like it that I can do 20 pushups like a REAL woman (and not on my knees) when I struggled to do 10 (on knees) just a few months ago...
I like it when my knee isn't killing me...but right now it does...
I like it when Glee gives me new music...but not Justin Bieber songs...
I like it that it is now Lacrosse season and I can take outside pictures where I do much better...
I like it that I went to a 50th anniversary party for 2 people who still truly love each other...
I love it that GOTTSON's basketball team is inching closer to the championship...and that GOTT is having to juggle basketball and baseball at the same time...
I like it when my sweet kitty cuddles up next to me in bed and keeps me warm...but not when my big sweet kitty stomps on me because he is jealous...
I like it when I can put my arms around a friend, tell her I love her and that it will be ok and that it was just what she needed at that moment...because she has done that for me...
I like it that I have Athenagal as my co-chair for a big project and that she is far more organized (and stylish!) than I am...
I like it when I can make a goal and reach it...not just weight, but fitness...
I like it when I am brave enough to try something new...even if I don't like it...
I like it when friends say inspiring things to me...like this from my gorgeous Bulletgirl:
Weightloss is a forever going battle because even though at some point we don't live to eat, we must still eat to live. The journey isn't a "straight Shot". Infact it is a stairway that we at times go up running two flights at a time, and others we find that we do a quadruple back flip. Every meal is (eventually) a choice. A struggle we learn in time to combat. Still, my struggle with my weight continues , even after loosing ninety something pounds. At 135 I find that i still beat myself up because i am not 127. ..the truth is mama, we don't have to be perfect, we just have to be human!!!!
isn't that great!!!!!!!!! Love her...good words to remember...
I like it when my trainer tweets awesome motivation...or when he blogs and it is always what I need to hear...
I like it when I get dimples (a smile) from my Dimples (trainer) when I am working out and doing good...
I like it when I can push back my plate and there is still food on it...
I like it that I can shop in my own closet...and that I have learned to throw some things out...
I like it when I'm ready to throw in the towel at spin class and the next song comes on and gets me going again...
I like it when the Amazing Katherine keeps me going in class...
I like it when JayVee teaches spin and plays my favorite stuff...same with J'taime Jamie...
I like it that I once told a man to stop doing something and let me handle it and now he helps me (that would be Dimples...)
I like it that I have 4 lacrosse coaches basically ready to throw rose petals in my path because I have taken care of getting them what they need for their teams...I need to remind them that I like pink lillies....
I like it that I write this blog and you read it...
Inspiration Song: "I Like It" by Enrique Iglesias...fun to spin to...
Bye Darlings...I like it that you take the time to read my musings...
Showing posts with label Amazing Katherine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amazing Katherine. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Just Push Play
So I had my MRI today.
I think I am becoming a pro at them.
When the guy doing the test asked what was wrong with my left knee (he could see the scars from the surgeries on the right knee) I told him:
"My left knee got jealous that my right knee has gotten all the attention so now it wants equal time..."
Then I went on to explain how I was an idiot for running...
Mind you I sandwiched the MRI between J'taime Jamie's spin class and a workout with my poor darling Dimples who although he was sick and about to cough up a lung still found a way to come out and train me.
He (Dimples) took it easy on me until we know what is going on with the knee. I figure what is done is done...
We played with some new toys today. He made some bands that he wraps around a tree limb and I grab the handles and do various exercises with them (similar to TRX bands).
I also bought a stability ball for us to play with. I refrained from buying a pink one (I thought Dimples might look stupid chasing it around).
He blew it (the stability ball) up yesterday. I had fun bouncing around on it.
Today I got to do push ups, sit-ups and pull-ups on it...I like bouncing around better.
It reminds me of a hippity-hop...remember them?
Once I went to Lake Austin Spa. I went with a group of very fun girlfriends. We took a stability ball class.
The balls at the spa had, for lack of a better word (and Dimples loved this), "teats" on it...you know some long rubber prongs.
They were for keeping the balls from rolling around...nowadays the balls just roll, but this was about 10 years ago when it was a new thing.
So me and the girlfriends go into the room for the class.
The room is darkened. Enya music is playing.
Soothing environment.
I'm not sure which one of us did it first (probably me), but we jumped on the balls, grapped the rubber "teats" (whatever) and began to hop around like we were on hippity hops.
We had a blast.
We worked up a bit of a sweat.
We were bouncing around like 4 year olds.
And then the instructor walked in...
She laughed and claimed that NO ONE, absolutely NO ONE had bounced around on the balls like that until us...
I think she asked if we were drunk.
When we returned again she said "here comes trouble...".
The spa was wonderful, the food was incredible (for spa food), the spa treatments were the bomb, but nothing beat those few minutes that we abandoned our adult selves and became children again bouncing on the balls and laughing until we were crying.
Sometimes, you just need to be a kid.
I turn into a kid a lot during my workouts but I have a feeling that the stability ball will turn me into a toddler.
Maybe that is why I like my workouts with Dimples so much...we play...
He pushes me but he does it in a fun, playful way. He gets my heartrate up and gets me burning the calories but we have a lot of fun while we do it. I think that is what keeps me coming back...that I have fun.
Spin class is the same way. I love my instructors...they are the sweetest...but it is also all about the fun music and we all laugh and have fun while the class is going on.
I love the bootcamp that Dimples does for me and my mama friends. We laugh so much that sometimes he has a hard time getting us to pay attention and work. But we do. And I'm so proud of my Warrior Princess C who continues to celebrate her year of kicking cancer by working out with us. I'm proud of all my bootcamp mamas because we all have our own reasons to be there...and we get to have fun doing it.
Dimples played basketball last week as his workout. He said he really loves to play it and it is a great workout for him...more fun than just running 3 miles.
We are going to ride bikes next week as part of our workout. It will be fun to try something different...I'm tempted to add a bell and a flower basket to my bike like I had when I was 10...except that I don't think they will fit...and I have clips instead of pedals so if I crash that basket will explode.
But that is what a workout should be...it should be fun. And sometimes you have to find a way to play while you get your heartrate up.
I spent a few months doing nothing more than the elliptical. I burned calories and worked on my cardio fitness.
I didn't hate it, but I can't say that it was fun.
When I walk into JayVee or J'taime Jamie or Spinderella's spin classes, I have a blast...I have fun...and if I have the Amazing Katherine next to me I have fun AND a cheerleader.
And when I am with Dimples...be it personal training or bootcamp, I have a blast...and the time passes so quickly.
I guess what I am saying here with all of this "play" is that if you are looking to get started on doing something for yourself, find something FUN that you enjoy doing so you will do it.
Maybe it is tennis...maybe it is basketball...maybe it is riding your bike...maybe is is pilates class...maybe it is karate...but find something that you ENJOY doing...something that will keep you coming back for more.
For me it is spinning and Dimples...that is my form of play.
And I might just have to take that stability ball around the park for a spin...just gotta find a way to hold onto it while I hop...
Inspiration Song: "Just Push Play" by Aerosmith. Because you can just push play and have some fun...or just push play on your iPod and get moving...
Bye Darlings...stop reading this and go out and play!
I think I am becoming a pro at them.
When the guy doing the test asked what was wrong with my left knee (he could see the scars from the surgeries on the right knee) I told him:
"My left knee got jealous that my right knee has gotten all the attention so now it wants equal time..."
Then I went on to explain how I was an idiot for running...
Mind you I sandwiched the MRI between J'taime Jamie's spin class and a workout with my poor darling Dimples who although he was sick and about to cough up a lung still found a way to come out and train me.
He (Dimples) took it easy on me until we know what is going on with the knee. I figure what is done is done...
We played with some new toys today. He made some bands that he wraps around a tree limb and I grab the handles and do various exercises with them (similar to TRX bands).
I also bought a stability ball for us to play with. I refrained from buying a pink one (I thought Dimples might look stupid chasing it around).
He blew it (the stability ball) up yesterday. I had fun bouncing around on it.
Today I got to do push ups, sit-ups and pull-ups on it...I like bouncing around better.
It reminds me of a hippity-hop...remember them?
Once I went to Lake Austin Spa. I went with a group of very fun girlfriends. We took a stability ball class.
The balls at the spa had, for lack of a better word (and Dimples loved this), "teats" on it...you know some long rubber prongs.
They were for keeping the balls from rolling around...nowadays the balls just roll, but this was about 10 years ago when it was a new thing.
So me and the girlfriends go into the room for the class.
The room is darkened. Enya music is playing.
Soothing environment.
I'm not sure which one of us did it first (probably me), but we jumped on the balls, grapped the rubber "teats" (whatever) and began to hop around like we were on hippity hops.
We had a blast.
We worked up a bit of a sweat.
We were bouncing around like 4 year olds.
And then the instructor walked in...
She laughed and claimed that NO ONE, absolutely NO ONE had bounced around on the balls like that until us...
I think she asked if we were drunk.
When we returned again she said "here comes trouble...".
The spa was wonderful, the food was incredible (for spa food), the spa treatments were the bomb, but nothing beat those few minutes that we abandoned our adult selves and became children again bouncing on the balls and laughing until we were crying.
Sometimes, you just need to be a kid.
I turn into a kid a lot during my workouts but I have a feeling that the stability ball will turn me into a toddler.
Maybe that is why I like my workouts with Dimples so much...we play...
He pushes me but he does it in a fun, playful way. He gets my heartrate up and gets me burning the calories but we have a lot of fun while we do it. I think that is what keeps me coming back...that I have fun.
Spin class is the same way. I love my instructors...they are the sweetest...but it is also all about the fun music and we all laugh and have fun while the class is going on.
I love the bootcamp that Dimples does for me and my mama friends. We laugh so much that sometimes he has a hard time getting us to pay attention and work. But we do. And I'm so proud of my Warrior Princess C who continues to celebrate her year of kicking cancer by working out with us. I'm proud of all my bootcamp mamas because we all have our own reasons to be there...and we get to have fun doing it.
Dimples played basketball last week as his workout. He said he really loves to play it and it is a great workout for him...more fun than just running 3 miles.
We are going to ride bikes next week as part of our workout. It will be fun to try something different...I'm tempted to add a bell and a flower basket to my bike like I had when I was 10...except that I don't think they will fit...and I have clips instead of pedals so if I crash that basket will explode.
But that is what a workout should be...it should be fun. And sometimes you have to find a way to play while you get your heartrate up.
I spent a few months doing nothing more than the elliptical. I burned calories and worked on my cardio fitness.
I didn't hate it, but I can't say that it was fun.
When I walk into JayVee or J'taime Jamie or Spinderella's spin classes, I have a blast...I have fun...and if I have the Amazing Katherine next to me I have fun AND a cheerleader.
And when I am with Dimples...be it personal training or bootcamp, I have a blast...and the time passes so quickly.
I guess what I am saying here with all of this "play" is that if you are looking to get started on doing something for yourself, find something FUN that you enjoy doing so you will do it.
Maybe it is tennis...maybe it is basketball...maybe it is riding your bike...maybe is is pilates class...maybe it is karate...but find something that you ENJOY doing...something that will keep you coming back for more.
For me it is spinning and Dimples...that is my form of play.
And I might just have to take that stability ball around the park for a spin...just gotta find a way to hold onto it while I hop...
Inspiration Song: "Just Push Play" by Aerosmith. Because you can just push play and have some fun...or just push play on your iPod and get moving...
Bye Darlings...stop reading this and go out and play!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Feel Good Time
Today we had a Dimples bootcamp...I had 7 mamas there (including me)...we had fun...
The weather was...perfect! Just the reason we live in Texas...it was about 65 degrees (very comfortable) and sunny. Like I said...just the reason why we like to live in Texas.
He (Dimples) divided us into 2 groups and we all did squats, push-ups, leg thrusts, step-ups, and pulled each other with resistance bands.
Seriously, it was fun!
We were all a little sore from Monday's bootcamp (and me a bit from yesterday's yowza extravaganza with the push ups on the barbells) so it was good to get the kinks out.
But right now...I'm a hurtin'
Sore...
Tired...
Ready for a nice long soak in the tub...a tub full of epsom salts (and lavender) with the whirlpool going.
I plan to basically LIVE in the bath for the next few hours...
It's not that what I did today was any worse than what I usually do, it is just that I'm training my body to do things it usually doesn't WANT to do.
And it is working...
the scale bar...sliding down...
a skirt I wore last fall...sliding down my hips...too big...
a skirt I thought I would wear on Friday when I teach...fit 3 weeks ago and is now too big.
Love it
Love it
Love it
Love Dimples...yes, I do...
When I was talking to my friend Athenagal today we were laughing about how my daughter declared I was "nicer and happier" since I had lost weight and was working out.
She said: "thank goodness she didn't say you were nicer when you were heavy!"
Oh, I agree...
I laughed and told her that I had always considered myself the "fat jolly girl" but later, when I had time to think about it, I realize I wasn't...
To the rest of the world I was happy and jolly and funny and I'm sure many of my friends thought of me as their fat and happy friend...who they wished would lose some weight...
I was never happy with being fat.
I just didn't know how to get out of it. I didn't have the motivation or energy to try and do something about it.
I can't tell you how many times I was in a dressing room at Lane Bryant, trying on things in a VERY LARGE SIZE and I would look in the mirror and...
cry...
it didn't feel good to put on what amounted to a big trapeze top and stretchy pants and look in the mirror and realize that I looked like a very large blonde apple...in a size 24.
Wow, I can't believe I actually put that number in this blog.
I would look into the mirror and try to convince myself that I looked good. I guess to a certain extent I looked as good as I could considering I was a size 24...but no, I didn't look good.
And it didn't feel good to be that way...
My legs and feet constantly hurt. And my knees hurt...a lot...
I moved without grace and waddled about.
I was always out of breath.
I would sweat a lot...not because of working out...but just walking.
I didn't fit into chairs...and feared breaking one...
My feet and ankles were swollen and it was hard to wear shoes...
Now...
the only time my legs, feet or knees hurt is after a good hard workout...so they hurt in a good way!
I move with grace...I can get around easily...
The only time I am out of breath is when Dimples has me run up the hill or if I am going hard on the spin bike (with the Amazing Katherine urging me on!)
I sweat a lot more now...but as a result of exercise and working out...sweat like that is beautiful and sexy...
I fit into chairs easily now...I no longer have to squeeze into them!
And my feet and ankles...no longer swollen...and have I mentioned the stilletos I like to wear? Yes, I have and I do...
I feel good now...I feel really really really good...
I can do so much more and I have so much more energy. And I don't look into the mirror and want to cry because I see a fat girl staring back at me.
I'm not thin...but I am thinner...
OK, I'm going to do something that does not feel good now...I'm going to put up a photo of myself at my heaviest. It was a weight I was at for over a year. I know when I went to the doctor, about 2 months after this photo was taken, that I weighed...well, let's say it was just shy, very very shy (3 pounds) of 300.
You do the math...
I know I gained weight afterwards. But I use that number as my "official" number because it is the one I know for a fact is what I weighed at one point.
I've cut out my friend to protect her innocence...because I love her...
OK, here goes...
Wow...
here is another one...deep breath...here goes...and again I have cut out my friend in the photo...this was taken while standing on top of a nuclear submarine while we were in Hawaii...
A lot of you who read this blog saw me everyday...or frequently. You remember what I looked like. But some of you never saw me in my full fat glory.
So there is is...
And no, it doesn't feel good to look at it...but it does remind me how far I have come and why I don't want to be there again.
I really don't EVER want to go there again...EVER...
When I think of how good I feel NOW and how it just gets better every day, well, I wonder how I lived like that for so long.
Today I joyously showed Dimples a little something fun...I held up my wrist with my heart monitor watch on it and I did a little adjustment. We do it from time to time...so I told him I wanted to show him something and I held up my wrist...
And I started adjusting the "weight" number...down...
with each little click to adjust it down, his smile got bigger...and that number got smaller.
Now, it is not a GOOD number. I am not thin or svelte or small...but I am so much better than the woman in the pictures above.
But it is a number I haven't been at in a long long long time.
And the fact that the other night 2 12 year-old boys declared me the prettiest girl at the party is something that DOES feel good...because they have known me pretty much all of their lives...and nothing is sweeter than the honesty of children.
Before writing this blog I read a blog I regularly follow. It is written by a very funny (and gorgeous) girl who had the lap band procedure and has lost a lot of weight...like 160 pounds or so...
I enjoy her humor and observtions. Her journey has been different because she is banded (and with that comes a host of food things) but I can relate to the feelings she has about losing weight and working out and keeping it off. She's hit her goal weight...she is stunning.
But she blogged about wondering if she was always meant to be a fat person. And she cried about it to her girlfriend...even though she is much thinner and has a pretty cute figure now. And she feels bad that she sometimes holds a grudge against herself for letting herself ever be a fat person...and with all that comes with it...with her stretched out body, etc.
(Here's a link to her blog if you want to read it...she's pretty funny...scroll down and find some of her older posts...I laugh out loud a lot...
http://cheeseandsunkist.blogspot.com/2011/01/naked-crying.html
she's good...)
I can totally relate...because is is exactly how I feel.
Because I have been here before and I have been fat fat fat before. More than once. And I am so afraid that something will happen and I will be there again.
Oh, that doesn't feel good either...
But I really do hope and believe that this time it is for good. This time I can stick with it. Because I am worth it...and that, my friends, does feel good to say...
So I am off to make dinner (salmon on a bed of arugula with blueberries)and then a nice long soak in the tub...which will feel very very very good...
Because a hot bath feels good
and working out feels good
and eating healthy feels good
and wine would feel really good but I'm cutting out wine during the week so no wine for me...
And Oprah...yes, meeting Oprah would feel good...I had the dream again last night...I met Oprah and she gave me a Vera Wang dress...like a fairy godmother! It felt good to put it on...it was satin and sexy...and very very very Vera...
I don't know why I am obsessed with Oprah...but I am...
And maybe tomorrow I will post a photo of me now...if I will ever agree to let someone take a photo of me! (Dimples is asking for it so I guess I will).
Inspiration Song: "Feel Good Time" by Pink. Off the "Charlie's Angels" soundtrack...a really good pump-you-up make you feel good tune...
Bye Darlings...go and do something that makes YOU feel good.
The weather was...perfect! Just the reason we live in Texas...it was about 65 degrees (very comfortable) and sunny. Like I said...just the reason why we like to live in Texas.
He (Dimples) divided us into 2 groups and we all did squats, push-ups, leg thrusts, step-ups, and pulled each other with resistance bands.
Seriously, it was fun!
We were all a little sore from Monday's bootcamp (and me a bit from yesterday's yowza extravaganza with the push ups on the barbells) so it was good to get the kinks out.
But right now...I'm a hurtin'
Sore...
Tired...
Ready for a nice long soak in the tub...a tub full of epsom salts (and lavender) with the whirlpool going.
I plan to basically LIVE in the bath for the next few hours...
It's not that what I did today was any worse than what I usually do, it is just that I'm training my body to do things it usually doesn't WANT to do.
And it is working...
the scale bar...sliding down...
a skirt I wore last fall...sliding down my hips...too big...
a skirt I thought I would wear on Friday when I teach...fit 3 weeks ago and is now too big.
Love it
Love it
Love it
Love Dimples...yes, I do...
When I was talking to my friend Athenagal today we were laughing about how my daughter declared I was "nicer and happier" since I had lost weight and was working out.
She said: "thank goodness she didn't say you were nicer when you were heavy!"
Oh, I agree...
I laughed and told her that I had always considered myself the "fat jolly girl" but later, when I had time to think about it, I realize I wasn't...
To the rest of the world I was happy and jolly and funny and I'm sure many of my friends thought of me as their fat and happy friend...who they wished would lose some weight...
I was never happy with being fat.
I just didn't know how to get out of it. I didn't have the motivation or energy to try and do something about it.
I can't tell you how many times I was in a dressing room at Lane Bryant, trying on things in a VERY LARGE SIZE and I would look in the mirror and...
cry...
it didn't feel good to put on what amounted to a big trapeze top and stretchy pants and look in the mirror and realize that I looked like a very large blonde apple...in a size 24.
Wow, I can't believe I actually put that number in this blog.
I would look into the mirror and try to convince myself that I looked good. I guess to a certain extent I looked as good as I could considering I was a size 24...but no, I didn't look good.
And it didn't feel good to be that way...
My legs and feet constantly hurt. And my knees hurt...a lot...
I moved without grace and waddled about.
I was always out of breath.
I would sweat a lot...not because of working out...but just walking.
I didn't fit into chairs...and feared breaking one...
My feet and ankles were swollen and it was hard to wear shoes...
Now...
the only time my legs, feet or knees hurt is after a good hard workout...so they hurt in a good way!
I move with grace...I can get around easily...
The only time I am out of breath is when Dimples has me run up the hill or if I am going hard on the spin bike (with the Amazing Katherine urging me on!)
I sweat a lot more now...but as a result of exercise and working out...sweat like that is beautiful and sexy...
I fit into chairs easily now...I no longer have to squeeze into them!
And my feet and ankles...no longer swollen...and have I mentioned the stilletos I like to wear? Yes, I have and I do...
I feel good now...I feel really really really good...
I can do so much more and I have so much more energy. And I don't look into the mirror and want to cry because I see a fat girl staring back at me.
I'm not thin...but I am thinner...
OK, I'm going to do something that does not feel good now...I'm going to put up a photo of myself at my heaviest. It was a weight I was at for over a year. I know when I went to the doctor, about 2 months after this photo was taken, that I weighed...well, let's say it was just shy, very very shy (3 pounds) of 300.
You do the math...
I know I gained weight afterwards. But I use that number as my "official" number because it is the one I know for a fact is what I weighed at one point.
I've cut out my friend to protect her innocence...because I love her...
OK, here goes...
Wow...
here is another one...deep breath...here goes...and again I have cut out my friend in the photo...this was taken while standing on top of a nuclear submarine while we were in Hawaii...
A lot of you who read this blog saw me everyday...or frequently. You remember what I looked like. But some of you never saw me in my full fat glory.
So there is is...
And no, it doesn't feel good to look at it...but it does remind me how far I have come and why I don't want to be there again.
I really don't EVER want to go there again...EVER...
When I think of how good I feel NOW and how it just gets better every day, well, I wonder how I lived like that for so long.
Today I joyously showed Dimples a little something fun...I held up my wrist with my heart monitor watch on it and I did a little adjustment. We do it from time to time...so I told him I wanted to show him something and I held up my wrist...
And I started adjusting the "weight" number...down...
with each little click to adjust it down, his smile got bigger...and that number got smaller.
Now, it is not a GOOD number. I am not thin or svelte or small...but I am so much better than the woman in the pictures above.
But it is a number I haven't been at in a long long long time.
And the fact that the other night 2 12 year-old boys declared me the prettiest girl at the party is something that DOES feel good...because they have known me pretty much all of their lives...and nothing is sweeter than the honesty of children.
Before writing this blog I read a blog I regularly follow. It is written by a very funny (and gorgeous) girl who had the lap band procedure and has lost a lot of weight...like 160 pounds or so...
I enjoy her humor and observtions. Her journey has been different because she is banded (and with that comes a host of food things) but I can relate to the feelings she has about losing weight and working out and keeping it off. She's hit her goal weight...she is stunning.
But she blogged about wondering if she was always meant to be a fat person. And she cried about it to her girlfriend...even though she is much thinner and has a pretty cute figure now. And she feels bad that she sometimes holds a grudge against herself for letting herself ever be a fat person...and with all that comes with it...with her stretched out body, etc.
(Here's a link to her blog if you want to read it...she's pretty funny...scroll down and find some of her older posts...I laugh out loud a lot...
http://cheeseandsunkist.blogspot.com/2011/01/naked-crying.html
she's good...)
I can totally relate...because is is exactly how I feel.
Because I have been here before and I have been fat fat fat before. More than once. And I am so afraid that something will happen and I will be there again.
Oh, that doesn't feel good either...
But I really do hope and believe that this time it is for good. This time I can stick with it. Because I am worth it...and that, my friends, does feel good to say...
So I am off to make dinner (salmon on a bed of arugula with blueberries)and then a nice long soak in the tub...which will feel very very very good...
Because a hot bath feels good
and working out feels good
and eating healthy feels good
and wine would feel really good but I'm cutting out wine during the week so no wine for me...
And Oprah...yes, meeting Oprah would feel good...I had the dream again last night...I met Oprah and she gave me a Vera Wang dress...like a fairy godmother! It felt good to put it on...it was satin and sexy...and very very very Vera...
I don't know why I am obsessed with Oprah...but I am...
And maybe tomorrow I will post a photo of me now...if I will ever agree to let someone take a photo of me! (Dimples is asking for it so I guess I will).
Inspiration Song: "Feel Good Time" by Pink. Off the "Charlie's Angels" soundtrack...a really good pump-you-up make you feel good tune...
Bye Darlings...go and do something that makes YOU feel good.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
You Can Do It
"You can do it...Nothing to it!"
Fabulous words of advice...
Given to me by the Amazing Katherine during our spin class with Spinderella today.
I was pushing hard to get through the heavy tension I had on my bike and the Amazing Katherine looks at me and says:
"you can do it! Nothing to it!"
I think I need to embroider that onto a pillow...in shiny gold fibers!
The Amazing Katherine is my favorite and best cheerleader...very soon I am going to dedicate an entire blog to her and her family's foundation that benefits people with intellectual disabilities...The Amazing Katherine is just that...AMAZING!
And of course my other amazing person...Dimples...today he got me to a new level...we burned through over 400 calories (trust me, that is big...wear a heart monitor and you will understand how hard you have to work for a 400 calorie burn)!
So between spin and my workout with Dimples I could pretty much eat a pint of Blue Bell...or fried chicken...
but I don't want to...
I'm even shunning wine (during the week...weekends are fair game)to keep the weight loss shred going. Despite my litte flirtation with ruining my diet on Saturday I am below where I was that morning...yay!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dimples is like the Amazing Katherine...he is always telling me I can do it...even when I think there is no way I possibly can.
Like today...when he set the 20 lb. handweights (they are big suckers) on the ground and had me do pushups while holding the handles...
I said "no way"
he said "yes, you can"
and I did...
and then he had me do the same thing but do a leg thrust out and in and stand up in between each push up...
again I said "no way"
and he said "yes, you can!"
and I did...
and then he had me get into the pushup position, balance myself and pick up a weight (while balancing on my feet and one arm like a tripod) and pull it back for 10 reps...each side...
again I said "absolutely no way I can do that"
he said "try 5"
I did 10...each side...
and then he said "now put it all together"...yowza...
and this little voice in my head said:
You can do it, Nothing to it...
So the Amazing Katherine's comment got me thinking...while I was waiting on my car to get the oil changed...that we all tend to limit ourselves.
Dimples always tells me not to ...he tells me I can do things and that it is mind over matter...and he finds ways to encourage me when I think I can't do the last 2 or 3 reps of something because he reminds me I have already done 13 or 18...
And the Amazing Katherine always tells me I can do it just when I think I can't push my legs any faster or harder on the spin bike...
it's that bit of encouragement we all need...
I've written about this before...how we can do things we think we can't. Too often we stand in our OWN way more than anything or anyone else does.
It's really about finding a way to push yourself through...or to just say "yes I can" or to rearrange things so that it is possible.
Today Ke$ha Barbie informed me that I am a happier and easier to deal with mother since I have been working out. She says that my attitude has improved and that...wow, this almost HURTS to write because it sorta hurt my feelings...she "likes me more" these days.
Hmmmmmmmmmm...not sure how I feel about that, really...
was I not likable before?
or is just that she is basically Beelzebub most days and like most teenage girls she thinks her mother is:
stupid
dumb
out-of-touch
knows nothing
worthless
full of useless advice
can't do anything right
is a fashion disaster with no fashion sense
too picky
too critical
and
really really crazy
I know I felt that way about my mother...until I realized that not only was she the most beautiful woman in the world she was also the wisest and most wonderful.
But at 17 Ke$ha Barbie just sees me as a cook, maid, and banker...most days...
Maybe when dealing with her I need to say my affirmation:
You can do it, Nothing to it...
because she often makes me...
CRAZY
but I digress...as usual...
(although I think I am hearing an "amen" from the choir of moms who have teenage daughters)
Back to "what we can and can't do"...
I do have moments when I amaze myself with what I can do now...and it never fails to hit me when I run, yes RUN, up the stairs that changed my life. Because I do it now without being winded...in stillettos...
The fact that I can wear stillettos amazes me too...yet sometimes I still have to tell my feet "you can do it"...
When I run I am surprised that I can...because I thought that there was no way, no how I was going to run...but I should have listened to Dollface and kept the running to a minimum because my knee is still giving me a bit of pain...
I'm always surprised by how quickly my heartrate recovers when I am working out...the fact that my heart, once working so hard to pump blood through my fat body, can beat now to an athletic pace...well, that just really floors me.
Our bodies can do so much more than we think they can...our only limits are what we tell ourselves we can't do...and yes, sometimes things like bad joints, bulging disks, and real injuries can limit us...but they shouldn't STOP us.
So I am going to make a pledge to myself...for the next week I am NOT going to say I can't do something...I'm just going to do it when asked...
let's see how that works for me...
Inspiration Song: "You Can Do It" by the Brand New Heavies...funky little band I found a few years ago when I heard another song of theirs.
Bye Darlings...You Can Do it...Nothing to It!
Fabulous words of advice...
Given to me by the Amazing Katherine during our spin class with Spinderella today.
I was pushing hard to get through the heavy tension I had on my bike and the Amazing Katherine looks at me and says:
"you can do it! Nothing to it!"
I think I need to embroider that onto a pillow...in shiny gold fibers!
The Amazing Katherine is my favorite and best cheerleader...very soon I am going to dedicate an entire blog to her and her family's foundation that benefits people with intellectual disabilities...The Amazing Katherine is just that...AMAZING!
And of course my other amazing person...Dimples...today he got me to a new level...we burned through over 400 calories (trust me, that is big...wear a heart monitor and you will understand how hard you have to work for a 400 calorie burn)!
So between spin and my workout with Dimples I could pretty much eat a pint of Blue Bell...or fried chicken...
but I don't want to...
I'm even shunning wine (during the week...weekends are fair game)to keep the weight loss shred going. Despite my litte flirtation with ruining my diet on Saturday I am below where I was that morning...yay!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dimples is like the Amazing Katherine...he is always telling me I can do it...even when I think there is no way I possibly can.
Like today...when he set the 20 lb. handweights (they are big suckers) on the ground and had me do pushups while holding the handles...
I said "no way"
he said "yes, you can"
and I did...
and then he had me do the same thing but do a leg thrust out and in and stand up in between each push up...
again I said "no way"
and he said "yes, you can!"
and I did...
and then he had me get into the pushup position, balance myself and pick up a weight (while balancing on my feet and one arm like a tripod) and pull it back for 10 reps...each side...
again I said "absolutely no way I can do that"
he said "try 5"
I did 10...each side...
and then he said "now put it all together"...yowza...
and this little voice in my head said:
You can do it, Nothing to it...
So the Amazing Katherine's comment got me thinking...while I was waiting on my car to get the oil changed...that we all tend to limit ourselves.
Dimples always tells me not to ...he tells me I can do things and that it is mind over matter...and he finds ways to encourage me when I think I can't do the last 2 or 3 reps of something because he reminds me I have already done 13 or 18...
And the Amazing Katherine always tells me I can do it just when I think I can't push my legs any faster or harder on the spin bike...
it's that bit of encouragement we all need...
I've written about this before...how we can do things we think we can't. Too often we stand in our OWN way more than anything or anyone else does.
It's really about finding a way to push yourself through...or to just say "yes I can" or to rearrange things so that it is possible.
Today Ke$ha Barbie informed me that I am a happier and easier to deal with mother since I have been working out. She says that my attitude has improved and that...wow, this almost HURTS to write because it sorta hurt my feelings...she "likes me more" these days.
Hmmmmmmmmmm...not sure how I feel about that, really...
was I not likable before?
or is just that she is basically Beelzebub most days and like most teenage girls she thinks her mother is:
stupid
dumb
out-of-touch
knows nothing
worthless
full of useless advice
can't do anything right
is a fashion disaster with no fashion sense
too picky
too critical
and
really really crazy
I know I felt that way about my mother...until I realized that not only was she the most beautiful woman in the world she was also the wisest and most wonderful.
But at 17 Ke$ha Barbie just sees me as a cook, maid, and banker...most days...
Maybe when dealing with her I need to say my affirmation:
You can do it, Nothing to it...
because she often makes me...
CRAZY
but I digress...as usual...
(although I think I am hearing an "amen" from the choir of moms who have teenage daughters)
Back to "what we can and can't do"...
I do have moments when I amaze myself with what I can do now...and it never fails to hit me when I run, yes RUN, up the stairs that changed my life. Because I do it now without being winded...in stillettos...
The fact that I can wear stillettos amazes me too...yet sometimes I still have to tell my feet "you can do it"...
When I run I am surprised that I can...because I thought that there was no way, no how I was going to run...but I should have listened to Dollface and kept the running to a minimum because my knee is still giving me a bit of pain...
I'm always surprised by how quickly my heartrate recovers when I am working out...the fact that my heart, once working so hard to pump blood through my fat body, can beat now to an athletic pace...well, that just really floors me.
Our bodies can do so much more than we think they can...our only limits are what we tell ourselves we can't do...and yes, sometimes things like bad joints, bulging disks, and real injuries can limit us...but they shouldn't STOP us.
So I am going to make a pledge to myself...for the next week I am NOT going to say I can't do something...I'm just going to do it when asked...
let's see how that works for me...
Inspiration Song: "You Can Do It" by the Brand New Heavies...funky little band I found a few years ago when I heard another song of theirs.
Bye Darlings...You Can Do it...Nothing to It!
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Notorious
I had really planned to write this blog yesterday but it seems that my husband decided this week to make me and the house come undone by re-arranging the study...which meant no internet for a while and things are a big old miss around here...more than usual. He tends to do these things without really consulting me...like if it is a good time to destroy the house...
So if you read my previous blog, "Come Undone" all the way to the end you know that I achieved 2 goals this week:
I'm under 200 pounds
and
My weight loss total is now at 100 pounds
And here is another awesome thing...I watched "The Biggest Loser" this week and I am thrilled to say that for the first time in like, forever, I weigh less than any of the contestants!!!!
Now all of that should be rather horrifying to most of you...because the fact that I am just now under 200 pounds after losing 100 shows you just how fat I was. Depressing, really...
I mean, I don't have a friend among you that needs to lose anywhere near that much weight.
And even more depressing...I didn't need to be at such a sad state like the one I was in. I should have gotten hold of myself LONG before that scale was almost at the 300 mark. I should have fixed it before 250...before 200...
But you see, it really gets easier to NOT do it the heavier you are. You figure that you are so far gone what is a little more. And then you basically give up.
Losing weight and getting fit is hard. And I think that goes for whether you have 5 pounds or 50 or 150 to lose. Because lazy is EASIER. And losing 5 pounds at 298 is so much easier than losing 5 pounds when you weigh 130...so it is all relative. You have to change things about yourself that aren't always easy to do.
You might have to:
1) adjust your schedule so you can exercise
2) cook more
3) grocery shop more
4) cut out junk food
5) spend more $ on meals (because lean protein is more $$$)
6) pack a lunch
7) get up earlier
8) skip the chips and salsa
9) sweat
But look at it THIS way:
1) you make time for yourself...because you deserve it! So if you need to take an hour to go to the gym, or find someone to pick up your kids so you can attend a class or bootcamp, aren't you worth it?
2)ok, cooking more isn't always fun but it will save you money over going out to eat or buying processed food. In the long run it is in investment in yourself and your wallet because you aren't paying for someone else to do the work...AND you get control of every ingredient (and how much oil and salt) is in your food. Read my "Hungry Like a Wolf" blog for some tips on saving time in the kitchen and good recipes.
3)grocery shopping more can be a positive because you will be putting healthier food into your body (instead of eating out) and pushing that cart burns calories...so does lugging it into the house and putting it away.
4)no one needs to eat junk food...this one is easy...and yes, I do love me some Lays Potato chips but they leave me feeling bloated, greasy and full of salt...now I like to munch on veggies and fruit or healthy crackers (and before the divirticulitis, I ate nuts). No one EVER needs to eat a Twinkie...
5)lean protein will cost more to eat than the cheap stuff...so yes, salmon will cost you more than a chicken nugget but you get so many benefits from the GOOD foods you put in your body...on the other hand, chicken and turkey are CHEAP so you can go pretty far with them. The "Hungry" blog will give you more information on how to incorporate some good lean protein in a yummy way...
6)packing a lunch saves you money and calories...so if you work, plan for it and you will be better off in the long run...or go to Fit Food and bring that. The "Hungry" blog will give tips on great things to pack for lunch that will make you the envy of your co-workers...
7)getting up earlier to exercise IS a pain in the neck, and I HATE to do it, especially this "run/walk 30 minutes before eating" business Dimples has me doing...but it is working so I just drag my butt out of bed and do it...and I try to go to bed earlier...David Letterman isn't all that interesting anyway...
8)chips and salsa can equal almost as many calories as your dinner in a Mexican food place. It's not the salsa...it's the fried chips. Some places serve baked (just ask) or skip it...it won't hurt you...and tell them to just not bring the chips and you won't be tempted.
9)Sweat is beautiful. Jay-Vee and I are going to make t-shirts that say that. I'll let you know when we take orders. Sweat says you are working hard. I sweat buckets when I workout (poor Dimples...thank goodness he can handle it)...if you aren't breaking a sweat, you aren't trying...
Right there are some of the things that have helped me lose weight...I got over being grossed out by sweating buckets, I cook more, I have found a way to love salmon, I put myself as a priority in my life.
Today I got up at 6:30 and went for a run/walk and then followed that with Body Pump for an hour and an hour of spinning (thank goodness for the Amazing Katherine cheerleading me through all 7 minutes of "Money for Nothing" or I might have passed out on the bike!). I tried to do mat Pilates for a bit but I am still having trouble finding my love for it---but I'm not giving up! And since J'taime Jamie teaches it, I will keep trying it. It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning and I burned over 800 calories doing it.
I've become rather notorious at the gym as the formerly really fat chick...and that is ok...a few women have told me that I have inspired them...that is ok too...because they will go on and inspire someone else! I'm just paying it forward.
The sad thing is that we are getting ready to start a "Biggest Loser" challenge of our own and I so could have totally OWNED that contest...I would have been a big-time winner...
But you know what? That's ok that I have done the bulk of my loss before the challenge...it will motivate me to work even harder AND maybe what I have done will inspire someone who is as big as I was to realize that THEY can do it too...and THAT will make me a winner---if I get just one fat chick or guy to realize that she/he can lose 100 pounds without pills or surgery too.
Dimples wants me to take some photos as I progress. I told him I TAKE photos, not model for them...but he says it will motivate me and show me how positively I have progressed. I'll do it for him...but not because I want to. I might make Coach Cuteness take the photos for me so at least I have a shot at looking decent...Dimples wants me in gym clothes (really? now you KNOW how much I love him if I will do that) and Cuteness will have to be sure that he gets me at my best angle (which is me NOT being in the photo). I am a notoriously bad subject in pictures...I just don't photograph well...
Right now I have to say that it has been hard to do this but not as hard as I thought it would be. I've had a lot of help and support along the way. I still have some more weight to lose but I feel like someone who is looking at a road map and I see where I left from and I see my destination---my destination is getting closer and I am enjoying all the sights along the way...I'm in no hurry to rush by everything...slow and steady will get me there just the same.
It took me 10 months to lose the 100 pounds. Not bad...not bad at all...
So thank you friends, thank you Dimples, thank you JayVee, thank you J'taime Julie, thank you Fitness Goddess, thank you Spinderella, and thank you Fit Foods.
If you haven't read the "Hungry Like a Wolf" blog, read it for tips on what to cook and how I eat...just posted it.
Now if I can just get Oprah to read this blog and invite me on her show and give me the Vera Wang gown...I will be notorious for sure!
Inspiration Song: "Notorious" by Duran Duran. Because I am a bit notorious for being a loud mouth...
Bye Darlings...read the Hungry Like a Wolf blog if you haven't already...
So if you read my previous blog, "Come Undone" all the way to the end you know that I achieved 2 goals this week:
I'm under 200 pounds
and
My weight loss total is now at 100 pounds
And here is another awesome thing...I watched "The Biggest Loser" this week and I am thrilled to say that for the first time in like, forever, I weigh less than any of the contestants!!!!
Now all of that should be rather horrifying to most of you...because the fact that I am just now under 200 pounds after losing 100 shows you just how fat I was. Depressing, really...
I mean, I don't have a friend among you that needs to lose anywhere near that much weight.
And even more depressing...I didn't need to be at such a sad state like the one I was in. I should have gotten hold of myself LONG before that scale was almost at the 300 mark. I should have fixed it before 250...before 200...
But you see, it really gets easier to NOT do it the heavier you are. You figure that you are so far gone what is a little more. And then you basically give up.
Losing weight and getting fit is hard. And I think that goes for whether you have 5 pounds or 50 or 150 to lose. Because lazy is EASIER. And losing 5 pounds at 298 is so much easier than losing 5 pounds when you weigh 130...so it is all relative. You have to change things about yourself that aren't always easy to do.
You might have to:
1) adjust your schedule so you can exercise
2) cook more
3) grocery shop more
4) cut out junk food
5) spend more $ on meals (because lean protein is more $$$)
6) pack a lunch
7) get up earlier
8) skip the chips and salsa
9) sweat
But look at it THIS way:
1) you make time for yourself...because you deserve it! So if you need to take an hour to go to the gym, or find someone to pick up your kids so you can attend a class or bootcamp, aren't you worth it?
2)ok, cooking more isn't always fun but it will save you money over going out to eat or buying processed food. In the long run it is in investment in yourself and your wallet because you aren't paying for someone else to do the work...AND you get control of every ingredient (and how much oil and salt) is in your food. Read my "Hungry Like a Wolf" blog for some tips on saving time in the kitchen and good recipes.
3)grocery shopping more can be a positive because you will be putting healthier food into your body (instead of eating out) and pushing that cart burns calories...so does lugging it into the house and putting it away.
4)no one needs to eat junk food...this one is easy...and yes, I do love me some Lays Potato chips but they leave me feeling bloated, greasy and full of salt...now I like to munch on veggies and fruit or healthy crackers (and before the divirticulitis, I ate nuts). No one EVER needs to eat a Twinkie...
5)lean protein will cost more to eat than the cheap stuff...so yes, salmon will cost you more than a chicken nugget but you get so many benefits from the GOOD foods you put in your body...on the other hand, chicken and turkey are CHEAP so you can go pretty far with them. The "Hungry" blog will give you more information on how to incorporate some good lean protein in a yummy way...
6)packing a lunch saves you money and calories...so if you work, plan for it and you will be better off in the long run...or go to Fit Food and bring that. The "Hungry" blog will give tips on great things to pack for lunch that will make you the envy of your co-workers...
7)getting up earlier to exercise IS a pain in the neck, and I HATE to do it, especially this "run/walk 30 minutes before eating" business Dimples has me doing...but it is working so I just drag my butt out of bed and do it...and I try to go to bed earlier...David Letterman isn't all that interesting anyway...
8)chips and salsa can equal almost as many calories as your dinner in a Mexican food place. It's not the salsa...it's the fried chips. Some places serve baked (just ask) or skip it...it won't hurt you...and tell them to just not bring the chips and you won't be tempted.
9)Sweat is beautiful. Jay-Vee and I are going to make t-shirts that say that. I'll let you know when we take orders. Sweat says you are working hard. I sweat buckets when I workout (poor Dimples...thank goodness he can handle it)...if you aren't breaking a sweat, you aren't trying...
Right there are some of the things that have helped me lose weight...I got over being grossed out by sweating buckets, I cook more, I have found a way to love salmon, I put myself as a priority in my life.
Today I got up at 6:30 and went for a run/walk and then followed that with Body Pump for an hour and an hour of spinning (thank goodness for the Amazing Katherine cheerleading me through all 7 minutes of "Money for Nothing" or I might have passed out on the bike!). I tried to do mat Pilates for a bit but I am still having trouble finding my love for it---but I'm not giving up! And since J'taime Jamie teaches it, I will keep trying it. It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning and I burned over 800 calories doing it.
I've become rather notorious at the gym as the formerly really fat chick...and that is ok...a few women have told me that I have inspired them...that is ok too...because they will go on and inspire someone else! I'm just paying it forward.
The sad thing is that we are getting ready to start a "Biggest Loser" challenge of our own and I so could have totally OWNED that contest...I would have been a big-time winner...
But you know what? That's ok that I have done the bulk of my loss before the challenge...it will motivate me to work even harder AND maybe what I have done will inspire someone who is as big as I was to realize that THEY can do it too...and THAT will make me a winner---if I get just one fat chick or guy to realize that she/he can lose 100 pounds without pills or surgery too.
Dimples wants me to take some photos as I progress. I told him I TAKE photos, not model for them...but he says it will motivate me and show me how positively I have progressed. I'll do it for him...but not because I want to. I might make Coach Cuteness take the photos for me so at least I have a shot at looking decent...Dimples wants me in gym clothes (really? now you KNOW how much I love him if I will do that) and Cuteness will have to be sure that he gets me at my best angle (which is me NOT being in the photo). I am a notoriously bad subject in pictures...I just don't photograph well...
Right now I have to say that it has been hard to do this but not as hard as I thought it would be. I've had a lot of help and support along the way. I still have some more weight to lose but I feel like someone who is looking at a road map and I see where I left from and I see my destination---my destination is getting closer and I am enjoying all the sights along the way...I'm in no hurry to rush by everything...slow and steady will get me there just the same.
It took me 10 months to lose the 100 pounds. Not bad...not bad at all...
So thank you friends, thank you Dimples, thank you JayVee, thank you J'taime Julie, thank you Fitness Goddess, thank you Spinderella, and thank you Fit Foods.
If you haven't read the "Hungry Like a Wolf" blog, read it for tips on what to cook and how I eat...just posted it.
Now if I can just get Oprah to read this blog and invite me on her show and give me the Vera Wang gown...I will be notorious for sure!
Inspiration Song: "Notorious" by Duran Duran. Because I am a bit notorious for being a loud mouth...
Bye Darlings...read the Hungry Like a Wolf blog if you haven't already...
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
The Reflex
So, is your New Year's Resolution to get fit and fabulous?
To trim up?
To lose some weight?
To go down a size or two?
To wear something fabulous that you don't QUITE fit into?
To lower your cholesterol?
To improve your cardiovascular fitness?
To get stronger?
Break a bad habit? (smoking/nail biting/drinking)
If you said "yes" to any of the above, you obviously are not alone...just check out the gym these days and you will see more people crowding in to burn off their holiday "cheer".
I've noticed it at my club...and Dimples said he was swamped today at work.
I found 2 really good quotes about New Year's Resolutions:
People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas." ~Unknown
and
New Year's Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. ~Mark Twain
Last year was the first time I actually kept a resolution. I told myself, as I always do at 12:01 am January 1, that I would lose some weight that year. But of course by 12:02 am January 1 I was usually putting something vvery bad for me in my mouth...
But last year it took me 2 months to start to make good on that resolution.
When I think about that, I realize it wasn't so bad...because I DID do it...just not right away.
You have to be ready for change...and I gave it a passing glance at that point but come March I was ready to full on stare at it and get it going.
I had to have something stimulate me to get started.
As I often do when I write these blogs, I looked up what "reflex" means...
So here, from Dictionary.com:
re·flex /adj., n. ˈriflÉ›ks; v. rɪˈflÉ›ks/ Show Spelled[adj., n. ree-fleks; v. ri-fleks] Show IPA
–adjective
1.Physiology. noting or pertaining to an involuntary response to a stimulus, the nerve impulse from a receptor being transmitted inward to a nerve center that in turn transmits it outward to an effector.
2.occurring in reaction; responsive.
3.cast back; reflected, as light, color, etc.
4.bent or turned back.
My stimulus in March: that trip up the stairs when I coulnd't catch my breath...
My response in March: I stopped putting bad food in my mouth...
My stimulus now: Dimples, Spinderella, JayVee, J'taime Jamie...
My response to those stimuli? Sweat, hard work, pain...and Advil...and ice...and hot baths...weight/fat loss...gain of muscle...
Often times when I am finding it hard to "dig deep" and make a push in spin class I call upon a mental stimulus to help me get there: I picture the black dress that belonged to my mother that I very much want to wear.
Sometimes I am also lucky in that I have the Amazing Katherine (my sweet little Gold medal winning Special Olympian friend) spinning next to me. She always urges me on...she tells me I can do it...she is my own personal cheerleader and I love love love her for it...she is a GREAT stimulus to have next to me...I swear my legs go faster when I hear her say "you can do it, Anice"...
Dimples does the same thing...he will ask me to do 15 of something and sometimes by number 13 of the whatever he has asked me to do I am ready to throw in the towel...and he urges me on...tells me I can do it...stimulates me to finish the exercise. Like today when I had pulled him up the hill 4 times with the big rubber band and I was just wanted to plop down on the grass...he sweetly tells me "it's just 20 more yards" and I grabbed the band and off we went...I can do 20 more yards.
I have to find all kinds of ways to motivate me to stay on my diet and get to the gym.
Sometimes I ask myself "WWOD"? (What Would Oprah Do?)and I think of her and how she runs a mega-empire and gets up every morning and does her workout. She doesn't look like Jillian Michaels or Jackie Warner, but Oprah looks good...and I totally relate to how she looks/feels...
For the gym I just have to make an appointment with myself and tell myself that I can't do anything else until I get the cardio done.
I also pick classes I love love love and schedule them as part of my day.
Dimples is easy...I have to meet him since we set a time...but I always look forward to our sessions so that is not a problem.
Now staying on my diet...that part takes more stimulus from me...
I succumbed to the cheese orgy the other night. It was totally my fault. I bought the damn cheese...my friend had a healthy veggie tray out but I kept going back to the cheese...
So sometimes I tell myself: "nothing tastes as good as thin and healthy feels"...that usually works...except if I am looking at a cookie...
Sometimes I just think of the calories that something has in it (like said cookie) and then I think of how long I have to stay on the spin bike to work it off.
Dimples reminds me all the time about putting the right kind of calories in...he is not counting "wine" as the right kind of calories...dang...
So I budget up my calories and try to "spend" as many as I can on good things instead of one or two bad things...like today I knoshed on a slice of flank steak and an apple for my post-workout snack instead of having something like some cheese and crackers...or popcorn (we have one of those huge buckets of the stuff...but it is not worth a trip to the ER)...or a cookie...
Just remember that you do it the way that works best for you...what works for me may never be the right motivivation for someone else!
So make your resolution and make a plan...and find your stimulus so that your body will react and go.
And don't feel bad if you don't do it this week...but do it soon so that you get started so you are quicker to your goal...and if you need motivation, email or message me...I will be your cheerleader just like the Amazing Katherine is for me!
Inspiration Song: "The Reflex" by Duran Duran...let it motivate you to walk or run faster, go harder, get stronger...
Bye Darlings...respond to your stimulus!
To trim up?
To lose some weight?
To go down a size or two?
To wear something fabulous that you don't QUITE fit into?
To lower your cholesterol?
To improve your cardiovascular fitness?
To get stronger?
Break a bad habit? (smoking/nail biting/drinking)
If you said "yes" to any of the above, you obviously are not alone...just check out the gym these days and you will see more people crowding in to burn off their holiday "cheer".
I've noticed it at my club...and Dimples said he was swamped today at work.
I found 2 really good quotes about New Year's Resolutions:
People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas." ~Unknown
and
New Year's Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. ~Mark Twain
Last year was the first time I actually kept a resolution. I told myself, as I always do at 12:01 am January 1, that I would lose some weight that year. But of course by 12:02 am January 1 I was usually putting something vvery bad for me in my mouth...
But last year it took me 2 months to start to make good on that resolution.
When I think about that, I realize it wasn't so bad...because I DID do it...just not right away.
You have to be ready for change...and I gave it a passing glance at that point but come March I was ready to full on stare at it and get it going.
I had to have something stimulate me to get started.
As I often do when I write these blogs, I looked up what "reflex" means...
So here, from Dictionary.com:
re·flex /adj., n. ˈriflÉ›ks; v. rɪˈflÉ›ks/ Show Spelled[adj., n. ree-fleks; v. ri-fleks] Show IPA
–adjective
1.Physiology. noting or pertaining to an involuntary response to a stimulus, the nerve impulse from a receptor being transmitted inward to a nerve center that in turn transmits it outward to an effector.
2.occurring in reaction; responsive.
3.cast back; reflected, as light, color, etc.
4.bent or turned back.
My stimulus in March: that trip up the stairs when I coulnd't catch my breath...
My response in March: I stopped putting bad food in my mouth...
My stimulus now: Dimples, Spinderella, JayVee, J'taime Jamie...
My response to those stimuli? Sweat, hard work, pain...and Advil...and ice...and hot baths...weight/fat loss...gain of muscle...
Often times when I am finding it hard to "dig deep" and make a push in spin class I call upon a mental stimulus to help me get there: I picture the black dress that belonged to my mother that I very much want to wear.
Sometimes I am also lucky in that I have the Amazing Katherine (my sweet little Gold medal winning Special Olympian friend) spinning next to me. She always urges me on...she tells me I can do it...she is my own personal cheerleader and I love love love her for it...she is a GREAT stimulus to have next to me...I swear my legs go faster when I hear her say "you can do it, Anice"...
Dimples does the same thing...he will ask me to do 15 of something and sometimes by number 13 of the whatever he has asked me to do I am ready to throw in the towel...and he urges me on...tells me I can do it...stimulates me to finish the exercise. Like today when I had pulled him up the hill 4 times with the big rubber band and I was just wanted to plop down on the grass...he sweetly tells me "it's just 20 more yards" and I grabbed the band and off we went...I can do 20 more yards.
I have to find all kinds of ways to motivate me to stay on my diet and get to the gym.
Sometimes I ask myself "WWOD"? (What Would Oprah Do?)and I think of her and how she runs a mega-empire and gets up every morning and does her workout. She doesn't look like Jillian Michaels or Jackie Warner, but Oprah looks good...and I totally relate to how she looks/feels...
For the gym I just have to make an appointment with myself and tell myself that I can't do anything else until I get the cardio done.
I also pick classes I love love love and schedule them as part of my day.
Dimples is easy...I have to meet him since we set a time...but I always look forward to our sessions so that is not a problem.
Now staying on my diet...that part takes more stimulus from me...
I succumbed to the cheese orgy the other night. It was totally my fault. I bought the damn cheese...my friend had a healthy veggie tray out but I kept going back to the cheese...
So sometimes I tell myself: "nothing tastes as good as thin and healthy feels"...that usually works...except if I am looking at a cookie...
Sometimes I just think of the calories that something has in it (like said cookie) and then I think of how long I have to stay on the spin bike to work it off.
Dimples reminds me all the time about putting the right kind of calories in...he is not counting "wine" as the right kind of calories...dang...
So I budget up my calories and try to "spend" as many as I can on good things instead of one or two bad things...like today I knoshed on a slice of flank steak and an apple for my post-workout snack instead of having something like some cheese and crackers...or popcorn (we have one of those huge buckets of the stuff...but it is not worth a trip to the ER)...or a cookie...
Just remember that you do it the way that works best for you...what works for me may never be the right motivivation for someone else!
So make your resolution and make a plan...and find your stimulus so that your body will react and go.
And don't feel bad if you don't do it this week...but do it soon so that you get started so you are quicker to your goal...and if you need motivation, email or message me...I will be your cheerleader just like the Amazing Katherine is for me!
Inspiration Song: "The Reflex" by Duran Duran...let it motivate you to walk or run faster, go harder, get stronger...
Bye Darlings...respond to your stimulus!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
You're the Inspiration
I don't know why, but people keep telling me things like:
"you are such an inspiration"
"you inspire others"
"you inspire me"
"I'm inspired by what you have done"
People---
I AM NOT INSPIRING!
I JUST GOT MY ASS IN GEAR!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyone, ANYONE can do what I have done. It is hard work but it is not hard to do.
You just have to say "yes" and "no".
"yes" to excersise and "no" to bad food choices
Really, it is easy...for the excersise, you just have to MOVE. You don't have to hire a hottie as your trainer (but it sure helps if the fitness nazi who is growling at you is cute and sweet...or maybe you need someone to "mommy" you...or maybe you need a trainer who is more therapist...figure out what works for YOU). You don't even have to join a gym.
Walk your neighborhood---you will be amazed at what you observe...but go fast!
Go to the park and walk around and take a mat and do push-ups, etc. between walking---that is where Coach Dimples met me and worked me out...FUN!!!
play tennis---ok, that only works if you aren't me and can actually PLAY tennis...
play with your kids---and by play I mean get out there and shoot hoops, or play soccer, or just play!
Ride a bike...more fun than you remember...
Walk the dog...until the dog is tired...labs are better at this than purse dogs...
walk around the field while your kid is at soccer practice...the whole time...
Go to the Galleria...head to Nordstrom but park at Neiman Marcus and walk as fast as you can...your reward will be the shoe department! Bonus points: you get to race past the tourist...double points if you ALMOST manage to knock one down...
And as far as food goes:
say no to cupcakes and yes to fruit
say no to cheese and yes to yogurt
say no to hamburger and yes to grilled chicken
say no to pasta but yes to whole wheat pasta (that comes from Coach...)
say no to fried and yes to grilled
say no to fries and yes to veggies (steamed, grilled, or sauteed)
say no to ribs and yes to lean brisket at Goode Company
say no to potato salad and yes to cole slaw
say no to a margarita and yes to a mojito
say no to a cosmo and yes to red wine
I will never tell you to say "no" to wine because I only say "no" when I have been overserved...
See...it's easy...anyone can do it.
And heaven knows I should have done it a long, long time ago before I got so far gone with myself.
This can apply if you are losing 5, 15, or 50 pounds. It's about choices...it is not about anything else...just making choices...making good choices.
I use some "tools" to do this. They help me to say "yes" and "no" to the right things:
"Lose it" app on my iphone...or any app or program that serves as a food and excersise log...
"Eat this Not That" website: http://eatthis.menshealth.com/home
the nutritional webpages for any restaurant that has them...google them...
Women's Health magazine and its website: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/
iTunes---'cause music moves me...
So you see, I am NOT an inspiration...I'm just making better choices.
Now for inspiration, I look to my friends...these are REALLY INSPIRING PEOPLE:
My children---because just looking at them inspires me to be better...at everything!
My friend Katherine who wins medals at Special Olympics is inspiring not just for being an athlete but she inspires me all the time in excersise class and spin because she constantly encourages me to keep pushing on. She is my favorite trainer. LOVE LOVE LOVE her! And yes, she picked up some more medals this past weekend...for tennis, which I will only be her ball girl as and never her partner!
My friend Carolee and my friend Patrick. Patrick is still in a coma with his brain injury (pray for him) but Carolee is always by his side, always putting faith in him and Him (God)that he will be well and whole. Her faith and love inspire me...
My friend W, who lost her husband to cancer when he was far to young. I served cake at their wedding. You could FEEL their love. She is raising their 2 precious children and her faith in the Lord is inspiring to me and her great love surrounds me even though she is in OK and I am in TX.
My friend V, who made me write this blog...because she is a teacher and I know she pours her love out with her lessons. She has always been an artist, but she shares her gift in the most amazing way...I've never seen her teach, but I know her too well to not know how great she is...
My friends GOTT and TTG who are just flat out amazing and inspiring and who inspire me to do more, push my creativity, and we put on a show together...sometimes it is only us backstage at GOTT's desk talking...but it can be a show!
My teacher friends...Precious and Adorable and Bacchus, Musical Muse, and so many more...because they are angels...and they inspire the kids...I could write blogs and blogs about what a gift they are to their students...
Coach Dimples, Spinderella, JayVee, J'taime Jamie---because they inspire me to do more with myself and my workouts and push me to my limits...and they look GOOD while they do it...
My Women Warrior friends who have survived cancer...can you get more inspiring than that? No, not really...because they have beaten cancer...I've just beaten "fat"...they are an inspiration to any who know and love them...
My friend T and his husband R and their boys---because they are a proud family...and I am proud of them for showing the world that they are not any different from any other family...except maybe that they better looking than most of us (gorgeous family...just gorgeous)...
My gay friends who are "out" inspire me...because they are able to be who they are...and hopefully will inspire others to be as brave...and someday I hope no one is called "brave" for being "out"...
Julia Child---ok, so I am a little obsessed with her...it's the cooking thing...but dang the woman could make a roast chicken look like a work of art...
My friend AthenaGal and her mother---style and grace icons...especially her mother...when I grow up I want to be just like her...
My sister-in-law...she knows why...and how lucky am I to have a sister-in-law that I love so much?
My aunt Jane...the best person in the world...because she is the best person in the world and her heart is ALWAYS in the right place and she always puts others first. She has my 91 year old grandma living with her...Grandma has Alzheimers...Jane is, well there is no other word for it but "grace" with her. And so much more...she is so much more...
My Aunt Gayle inspires me...she is a single mom with a kick-ass job---she works for the Jimmy Kimmel show (how fun is that?) and is working on her 3rd (I think it is 3rd) degree black belt...she can literally kick your ass...and she has an amazing boy who makes me smile every time I just look at him...
My drama kids...all you have to do is watch them on the stage and you will see why...
Now, my friends...THOSE are inspring people...I'm just a fat chick who decided to let her inner skinny girl out...nothing inspiring about that...
Tell me I am inspriring for the work I do with my drama kids...or the costumes I find...the way I support the school...or the fact I never met a volunteer job I didn't like...but don't think that I am inspiring for losing weight...because every one of us is capable of improving our minds and health...
we just have to say "yes" and "no"....
Inspiration Song: what else could it be but "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago...
"you are such an inspiration"
"you inspire others"
"you inspire me"
"I'm inspired by what you have done"
People---
I AM NOT INSPIRING!
I JUST GOT MY ASS IN GEAR!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyone, ANYONE can do what I have done. It is hard work but it is not hard to do.
You just have to say "yes" and "no".
"yes" to excersise and "no" to bad food choices
Really, it is easy...for the excersise, you just have to MOVE. You don't have to hire a hottie as your trainer (but it sure helps if the fitness nazi who is growling at you is cute and sweet...or maybe you need someone to "mommy" you...or maybe you need a trainer who is more therapist...figure out what works for YOU). You don't even have to join a gym.
Walk your neighborhood---you will be amazed at what you observe...but go fast!
Go to the park and walk around and take a mat and do push-ups, etc. between walking---that is where Coach Dimples met me and worked me out...FUN!!!
play tennis---ok, that only works if you aren't me and can actually PLAY tennis...
play with your kids---and by play I mean get out there and shoot hoops, or play soccer, or just play!
Ride a bike...more fun than you remember...
Walk the dog...until the dog is tired...labs are better at this than purse dogs...
walk around the field while your kid is at soccer practice...the whole time...
Go to the Galleria...head to Nordstrom but park at Neiman Marcus and walk as fast as you can...your reward will be the shoe department! Bonus points: you get to race past the tourist...double points if you ALMOST manage to knock one down...
And as far as food goes:
say no to cupcakes and yes to fruit
say no to cheese and yes to yogurt
say no to hamburger and yes to grilled chicken
say no to pasta but yes to whole wheat pasta (that comes from Coach...)
say no to fried and yes to grilled
say no to fries and yes to veggies (steamed, grilled, or sauteed)
say no to ribs and yes to lean brisket at Goode Company
say no to potato salad and yes to cole slaw
say no to a margarita and yes to a mojito
say no to a cosmo and yes to red wine
I will never tell you to say "no" to wine because I only say "no" when I have been overserved...
See...it's easy...anyone can do it.
And heaven knows I should have done it a long, long time ago before I got so far gone with myself.
This can apply if you are losing 5, 15, or 50 pounds. It's about choices...it is not about anything else...just making choices...making good choices.
I use some "tools" to do this. They help me to say "yes" and "no" to the right things:
"Lose it" app on my iphone...or any app or program that serves as a food and excersise log...
"Eat this Not That" website: http://eatthis.menshealth.com/home
the nutritional webpages for any restaurant that has them...google them...
Women's Health magazine and its website: http://www.womenshealthmag.com/
iTunes---'cause music moves me...
So you see, I am NOT an inspiration...I'm just making better choices.
Now for inspiration, I look to my friends...these are REALLY INSPIRING PEOPLE:
My children---because just looking at them inspires me to be better...at everything!
My friend Katherine who wins medals at Special Olympics is inspiring not just for being an athlete but she inspires me all the time in excersise class and spin because she constantly encourages me to keep pushing on. She is my favorite trainer. LOVE LOVE LOVE her! And yes, she picked up some more medals this past weekend...for tennis, which I will only be her ball girl as and never her partner!
My friend Carolee and my friend Patrick. Patrick is still in a coma with his brain injury (pray for him) but Carolee is always by his side, always putting faith in him and Him (God)that he will be well and whole. Her faith and love inspire me...
My friend W, who lost her husband to cancer when he was far to young. I served cake at their wedding. You could FEEL their love. She is raising their 2 precious children and her faith in the Lord is inspiring to me and her great love surrounds me even though she is in OK and I am in TX.
My friend V, who made me write this blog...because she is a teacher and I know she pours her love out with her lessons. She has always been an artist, but she shares her gift in the most amazing way...I've never seen her teach, but I know her too well to not know how great she is...
My friends GOTT and TTG who are just flat out amazing and inspiring and who inspire me to do more, push my creativity, and we put on a show together...sometimes it is only us backstage at GOTT's desk talking...but it can be a show!
My teacher friends...Precious and Adorable and Bacchus, Musical Muse, and so many more...because they are angels...and they inspire the kids...I could write blogs and blogs about what a gift they are to their students...
Coach Dimples, Spinderella, JayVee, J'taime Jamie---because they inspire me to do more with myself and my workouts and push me to my limits...and they look GOOD while they do it...
My Women Warrior friends who have survived cancer...can you get more inspiring than that? No, not really...because they have beaten cancer...I've just beaten "fat"...they are an inspiration to any who know and love them...
My friend T and his husband R and their boys---because they are a proud family...and I am proud of them for showing the world that they are not any different from any other family...except maybe that they better looking than most of us (gorgeous family...just gorgeous)...
My gay friends who are "out" inspire me...because they are able to be who they are...and hopefully will inspire others to be as brave...and someday I hope no one is called "brave" for being "out"...
Julia Child---ok, so I am a little obsessed with her...it's the cooking thing...but dang the woman could make a roast chicken look like a work of art...
My friend AthenaGal and her mother---style and grace icons...especially her mother...when I grow up I want to be just like her...
My sister-in-law...she knows why...and how lucky am I to have a sister-in-law that I love so much?
My aunt Jane...the best person in the world...because she is the best person in the world and her heart is ALWAYS in the right place and she always puts others first. She has my 91 year old grandma living with her...Grandma has Alzheimers...Jane is, well there is no other word for it but "grace" with her. And so much more...she is so much more...
My Aunt Gayle inspires me...she is a single mom with a kick-ass job---she works for the Jimmy Kimmel show (how fun is that?) and is working on her 3rd (I think it is 3rd) degree black belt...she can literally kick your ass...and she has an amazing boy who makes me smile every time I just look at him...
My drama kids...all you have to do is watch them on the stage and you will see why...
Now, my friends...THOSE are inspring people...I'm just a fat chick who decided to let her inner skinny girl out...nothing inspiring about that...
Tell me I am inspriring for the work I do with my drama kids...or the costumes I find...the way I support the school...or the fact I never met a volunteer job I didn't like...but don't think that I am inspiring for losing weight...because every one of us is capable of improving our minds and health...
we just have to say "yes" and "no"....
Inspiration Song: what else could it be but "You're the Inspiration" by Chicago...
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Family Affair
Don't you just love it when a blast from the past comes and hits you in the face in the very best way? One of those unexpected little reunions that are just so sweet and fun? Like a little present?
So yesterday I go to the spin class that my Fitness Goddess teaches.
30 minutes of spin
30 minutes of weight/resistance training
A perfect mix...and wouldn't you know it, the darn club has gone and taken the class OFF the schedule!!!! I was really enjoying her class and getting another spin class in and poof! It's gone...
I'm going to complain like a squeaky door until they put it back on...or at least give me a Thursday spin class option.
Not many people were at the club today...it was pretty empty...seems like everyone has left Houston on vacation...except for me...
Even TCBITW (The Cutest Boy in the World) has gone with a friend to his Colorado ranch...He's gone with some friends...they are calling it "Camp for Wayward Boys"...I think the dads in charge are crazy...
moving on...
and back to spin class yesterday...
So I'm the only one in the class until this beautiful young girl comes walking in.
She's a teenager
She's sporting medals
really beautiful medals
one silver
one gold
Special Olympics medals...
VERY. SPECIAL. MEDALS.
I asked her if I could see them. She took them off and handed them to me. I'm looking at her trying to figure out where I have seen this girl and her medals. I mean, I have seen her before at spin, but there was something about the medals...
So she tells me she won them playing TENNIS
I cannot play tennis...we have been over this before in a previous blog...Tennis may well be my worst sport...just falling behind softball and bowling...
Remember...I was so bad that they didn't even make me play at camp even though it was on our schedule EVERY DAY?
So here is this child and her tennis medals...and in walks her mom...and even behind the sunglasses and (mumble) years...I know who mama is...
She is an old friend. And I tell her who I am and we share a great hug that only old friends who haven't seen each other in years can share...
Fitness Goddess and my new favorite Special Olympian look over and laugh...and Fitness Goddess says "I guess they know each other"...
And then I tell the beautiful child that I know who she is not just because of her mama, but because her GRANDMOTHER HAD SENT ME HER PICTURE ON FACEBOOK...A PICTURE OF HER WEARING THE MEDALS....
I am not always one to snap to who someone is by looking at them, but I do know "familiar" and it all fell into place...
It was lovely...and so fun to see my friend...and to get to see those beautiful medals on that beautiful child live and in person...
We had a great time in class (even though it was just the two of us and Fitness Goddess as instructor) and she was as much motivation to me as Fitness Goddess was...every time I wanted to put down the weights she would say "you can do it!"...I want her next to me every day...
I've known her family all of my life. Her great-uncle and my dad were the best of friends. It was one of those familial relationships where the line between what is "friend" and what is "family" was blurred. We spent holidays together. We traded kids on the weekends because they had kids the same age as us so we would pair up and some of the Shelton's would head to their house and some of them would head to ours to hang out with their similar-aged friend. We travelled together. We were in each other's weddings. We name kids after each other. So even though we don't technically share blood, they ARE family...
Since I like to function under the umbrella of anonymity here, we will call the family the CCC's---for Crazy C_______ Clan.
The CCC's were a large extended family. GC (my dad's friend) and his wife had 5 kids---4 girls and a boy. Before my dad remarried, we had 5 girls and a boy. Literally we were having birthdays about every 3-6 months...
GC had wonderful parents who let us Shelton kids call them "Daddy Gus" and "Meme" just like their own grandkids. GC has 2 sisters---I'm proud to say they love me enough to be my facebook friends and send me sweet messages. One of those sisters is grandmother to my new little spin partner...
So you get the picture? Large web of people...everyone loves everyone...
The CCC's are an amazing family...loud and fun and just the sort of people that if you had to be trapped in an elevator with someone---this is who you want to be there with. Any of them...
Easter was the best holiday growing up. We went to Meme and Daddy Gus' house for the best egg hunt in the world. But first we had to go to church...in Premont, TX.
And we had to dress alike. Always. Each family had to be a matching set of people.
I never did that to my kids...my sisters and I made a vow and we kept it...
So we would head to Premont (less than a half hour from Kingsville) and we would spend the night before Easter at the ranch. All of the extended family and cousins would be in. It was better than Christmas....even if we had to wear dorky matching dresses.
We would get up in the morning and the "Dressing of the Children" would begin. First would come hair---pulled into ponytails and braids so tight we would cry...or when we were older, pink sponge rollers pulled out and the girls brushed up.
Then the matching outfits...
And then off to church we would go with Daddy, GC, and various uncles. The mamas would mostly stay to get dressed for the egg hunt or to finish cooking.
We were never good in church. The priests would do the service in Spanglish. We were bad...we were too excited for what was to come...
After the longest Catholic masses in history we would head next door to Daddy Gus and Meme's house and would be held captive in the house until the dads and teenagers would get the cascarones hidden. It was a big deal when you were old enough to get to hide the eggs...
If you don't know what a cascarone is...well, it is a confetti-filled egg.
These eggs were amazing. A good number of them were plain, just dyed and topped with a colorful piece of tissue paper to hold the confetti in. But other eggs were special---they were hand-painted works of art. I still have 4 dozen of them. They are over 35 years old. They are marvels. I love to set them out at Easter and just look at them.
So once the eggs were hidden, we were released and the egg-cracking began. If you found a "pretty" egg (one of the hand-painted ones) you kept it safely hidden in the grass in your huge easter basket---I still have my basket....
But the other eggs, well, you got everyone you could. No plain egg went uncracked. Many a "wash and set" hairdo was upset by confetti in the hair.
My mother would find confetti all over the house even a week later.
Before getting in the car we were told to shake and really run our fingers through our hair. Confetti still managed to end up in the car and in the CCC's house. No amount of vacuuming ever seemed to get it up.
After the egg hunt we would run back to their house and change out of our matching Easter finery and head to the barn at the ranch for the greatest and grandest Easter lunch ever. I think there was probably 20 feet of table space laden with food. And I'm talking amazing food. EVERYTHING was unreal good. The women outdid themselves with that food. I still have dreams about that food...
We would stuff ourselves and then the adults and older kids and teens would have a skeet shoot while the rest of us hung out and played.
The most perfect days ever...
Once when I was an adult my mom, sister, and I joined the CCC's for Easter again...we hadn't for years but that year we went. So we (my sister S and I) plotted with some of the CCC girls to play a joke on our mothers.
We went out and bought matching Laura Ashley dresses.
My sister and I wore blue...the CCC girls wore a yellow version of our dress.
We did not say a word to our mothers. We just showed up ready for church in our matching dresses.
Our mothers busted out laughing. We even made the boys were matching ties. It was awesome...
So we went into church and sit down ready for the Spanglish mass. It was more Spanglish than ever...I think the priest even managed to change languages mid-sentence.
There was an overhead project for the songs...I'm not kidding...
But my favorite part...and this is what nearly got us thrown out of church....was the little vignette that was set up to the side of the alter.
Picture if you can a paper-mache heart---a large paper-mache heart that is about 20 inches by 20 inches. Around the heart is some barbed wire (the thorns). Below the heart is a large glass bowl of red jello (blood) and leading from the heart to the bowl is several strands of fishing line with droplets of the "blood" on them.
We all just lost it. We couldn't control ourselves. It was just hilarious to look at. And of course the minute one of us would start to laugh, we would all laugh. Our mothers even tried the old trick of pulling a tiny strand of hair at the base of our skulls but that didn't work. We would finally get control and then one of us would not be able to help ourselves and we would collapse into laughter. I cried because I was having such a hard time controlling myself. I couldn't even go up to communion.
The second we escaped we must have laughed for 5 minutes...it was that funny...I'm sure whoever made that little representation of Christ's heart meant it in all love and sincerity but in the middle of the Spanglish church, while wearing matching dresses, the adults in us became children. Even our mother's had a hard time not losing control.
When we moved on to the egg hunt I was 10 all over again. And even though I get hit with confetti eggs at our school/church festival every year, it's not the same as Easter Sunday in Meme and Daddy Gus' backyard.
But the food...now that was still heavenly...
So to all my friends who are members of the extended CCC clan...and most especially my young friend who is Queen of the Tennis Court (her medals prove it), I have only one thing to say:
I LOVE YOU ALL VERY MUCH AND I THANK YOU FOR SOME OF THE BEST AND MOST AMAZING DAYS OF MY LIFE!!!!!
I have many more stories of the CCC/Shelton good times but for now I will leave you with visions of cascarones and jello blood bowls...and 20 foot tables groaning with the most delicious food ever...
Inspiration Song: "Family Affair" by Mary J Blige...because that was what it was...a very big family affair...
bye darlings!
So yesterday I go to the spin class that my Fitness Goddess teaches.
30 minutes of spin
30 minutes of weight/resistance training
A perfect mix...and wouldn't you know it, the darn club has gone and taken the class OFF the schedule!!!! I was really enjoying her class and getting another spin class in and poof! It's gone...
I'm going to complain like a squeaky door until they put it back on...or at least give me a Thursday spin class option.
Not many people were at the club today...it was pretty empty...seems like everyone has left Houston on vacation...except for me...
Even TCBITW (The Cutest Boy in the World) has gone with a friend to his Colorado ranch...He's gone with some friends...they are calling it "Camp for Wayward Boys"...I think the dads in charge are crazy...
moving on...
and back to spin class yesterday...
So I'm the only one in the class until this beautiful young girl comes walking in.
She's a teenager
She's sporting medals
really beautiful medals
one silver
one gold
Special Olympics medals...
VERY. SPECIAL. MEDALS.
I asked her if I could see them. She took them off and handed them to me. I'm looking at her trying to figure out where I have seen this girl and her medals. I mean, I have seen her before at spin, but there was something about the medals...
So she tells me she won them playing TENNIS
I cannot play tennis...we have been over this before in a previous blog...Tennis may well be my worst sport...just falling behind softball and bowling...
Remember...I was so bad that they didn't even make me play at camp even though it was on our schedule EVERY DAY?
So here is this child and her tennis medals...and in walks her mom...and even behind the sunglasses and (mumble) years...I know who mama is...
She is an old friend. And I tell her who I am and we share a great hug that only old friends who haven't seen each other in years can share...
Fitness Goddess and my new favorite Special Olympian look over and laugh...and Fitness Goddess says "I guess they know each other"...
And then I tell the beautiful child that I know who she is not just because of her mama, but because her GRANDMOTHER HAD SENT ME HER PICTURE ON FACEBOOK...A PICTURE OF HER WEARING THE MEDALS....
I am not always one to snap to who someone is by looking at them, but I do know "familiar" and it all fell into place...
It was lovely...and so fun to see my friend...and to get to see those beautiful medals on that beautiful child live and in person...
We had a great time in class (even though it was just the two of us and Fitness Goddess as instructor) and she was as much motivation to me as Fitness Goddess was...every time I wanted to put down the weights she would say "you can do it!"...I want her next to me every day...
I've known her family all of my life. Her great-uncle and my dad were the best of friends. It was one of those familial relationships where the line between what is "friend" and what is "family" was blurred. We spent holidays together. We traded kids on the weekends because they had kids the same age as us so we would pair up and some of the Shelton's would head to their house and some of them would head to ours to hang out with their similar-aged friend. We travelled together. We were in each other's weddings. We name kids after each other. So even though we don't technically share blood, they ARE family...
Since I like to function under the umbrella of anonymity here, we will call the family the CCC's---for Crazy C_______ Clan.
The CCC's were a large extended family. GC (my dad's friend) and his wife had 5 kids---4 girls and a boy. Before my dad remarried, we had 5 girls and a boy. Literally we were having birthdays about every 3-6 months...
GC had wonderful parents who let us Shelton kids call them "Daddy Gus" and "Meme" just like their own grandkids. GC has 2 sisters---I'm proud to say they love me enough to be my facebook friends and send me sweet messages. One of those sisters is grandmother to my new little spin partner...
So you get the picture? Large web of people...everyone loves everyone...
The CCC's are an amazing family...loud and fun and just the sort of people that if you had to be trapped in an elevator with someone---this is who you want to be there with. Any of them...
Easter was the best holiday growing up. We went to Meme and Daddy Gus' house for the best egg hunt in the world. But first we had to go to church...in Premont, TX.
And we had to dress alike. Always. Each family had to be a matching set of people.
I never did that to my kids...my sisters and I made a vow and we kept it...
So we would head to Premont (less than a half hour from Kingsville) and we would spend the night before Easter at the ranch. All of the extended family and cousins would be in. It was better than Christmas....even if we had to wear dorky matching dresses.
We would get up in the morning and the "Dressing of the Children" would begin. First would come hair---pulled into ponytails and braids so tight we would cry...or when we were older, pink sponge rollers pulled out and the girls brushed up.
Then the matching outfits...
And then off to church we would go with Daddy, GC, and various uncles. The mamas would mostly stay to get dressed for the egg hunt or to finish cooking.
We were never good in church. The priests would do the service in Spanglish. We were bad...we were too excited for what was to come...
After the longest Catholic masses in history we would head next door to Daddy Gus and Meme's house and would be held captive in the house until the dads and teenagers would get the cascarones hidden. It was a big deal when you were old enough to get to hide the eggs...
If you don't know what a cascarone is...well, it is a confetti-filled egg.
These eggs were amazing. A good number of them were plain, just dyed and topped with a colorful piece of tissue paper to hold the confetti in. But other eggs were special---they were hand-painted works of art. I still have 4 dozen of them. They are over 35 years old. They are marvels. I love to set them out at Easter and just look at them.
So once the eggs were hidden, we were released and the egg-cracking began. If you found a "pretty" egg (one of the hand-painted ones) you kept it safely hidden in the grass in your huge easter basket---I still have my basket....
But the other eggs, well, you got everyone you could. No plain egg went uncracked. Many a "wash and set" hairdo was upset by confetti in the hair.
My mother would find confetti all over the house even a week later.
Before getting in the car we were told to shake and really run our fingers through our hair. Confetti still managed to end up in the car and in the CCC's house. No amount of vacuuming ever seemed to get it up.
After the egg hunt we would run back to their house and change out of our matching Easter finery and head to the barn at the ranch for the greatest and grandest Easter lunch ever. I think there was probably 20 feet of table space laden with food. And I'm talking amazing food. EVERYTHING was unreal good. The women outdid themselves with that food. I still have dreams about that food...
We would stuff ourselves and then the adults and older kids and teens would have a skeet shoot while the rest of us hung out and played.
The most perfect days ever...
Once when I was an adult my mom, sister, and I joined the CCC's for Easter again...we hadn't for years but that year we went. So we (my sister S and I) plotted with some of the CCC girls to play a joke on our mothers.
We went out and bought matching Laura Ashley dresses.
My sister and I wore blue...the CCC girls wore a yellow version of our dress.
We did not say a word to our mothers. We just showed up ready for church in our matching dresses.
Our mothers busted out laughing. We even made the boys were matching ties. It was awesome...
So we went into church and sit down ready for the Spanglish mass. It was more Spanglish than ever...I think the priest even managed to change languages mid-sentence.
There was an overhead project for the songs...I'm not kidding...
But my favorite part...and this is what nearly got us thrown out of church....was the little vignette that was set up to the side of the alter.
Picture if you can a paper-mache heart---a large paper-mache heart that is about 20 inches by 20 inches. Around the heart is some barbed wire (the thorns). Below the heart is a large glass bowl of red jello (blood) and leading from the heart to the bowl is several strands of fishing line with droplets of the "blood" on them.
We all just lost it. We couldn't control ourselves. It was just hilarious to look at. And of course the minute one of us would start to laugh, we would all laugh. Our mothers even tried the old trick of pulling a tiny strand of hair at the base of our skulls but that didn't work. We would finally get control and then one of us would not be able to help ourselves and we would collapse into laughter. I cried because I was having such a hard time controlling myself. I couldn't even go up to communion.
The second we escaped we must have laughed for 5 minutes...it was that funny...I'm sure whoever made that little representation of Christ's heart meant it in all love and sincerity but in the middle of the Spanglish church, while wearing matching dresses, the adults in us became children. Even our mother's had a hard time not losing control.
When we moved on to the egg hunt I was 10 all over again. And even though I get hit with confetti eggs at our school/church festival every year, it's not the same as Easter Sunday in Meme and Daddy Gus' backyard.
But the food...now that was still heavenly...
So to all my friends who are members of the extended CCC clan...and most especially my young friend who is Queen of the Tennis Court (her medals prove it), I have only one thing to say:
I LOVE YOU ALL VERY MUCH AND I THANK YOU FOR SOME OF THE BEST AND MOST AMAZING DAYS OF MY LIFE!!!!!
I have many more stories of the CCC/Shelton good times but for now I will leave you with visions of cascarones and jello blood bowls...and 20 foot tables groaning with the most delicious food ever...
Inspiration Song: "Family Affair" by Mary J Blige...because that was what it was...a very big family affair...
bye darlings!
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