shelley078

A couple of years ago, Shape magazine rated a few health books.  Among them was Cythia Conde’s, ‘Bridal Bootcamp.’  No, I’m not married or engaged but I bought it anyway when I saw the large variety of routines inside the book.  At the time of purchase, a friend of mine was getting married and I wanted to look great for the event.  The book gave me great information and presented different routines depending on how much time I had before the “big day.” If you haven’t taken a peek at the book, you should.  (Click here for the book’s link on Amazon.com)  And, in the event that you don’t have the time to finger through a book, the author has created a website: http://www.bridalbootcamponline.com/

Check out “Weekly Nutrition & Fitness Programs!”  There’s 11 weeks of information here!!  Good luck to all :) 

Here’s the thing: When you belong to a woman’s gym all cardio machines become a sort of precious commodity.  The demand is high, the supply is small and, consequently, every single person is very much aware of how much time you’ve invested on a machine that they could be using instead of you.  Which brings me to the following… What is the deal with the women who walk on treadmills for hours at a time, never budging for others??!!  More specifically, what is the deal with the alarmingly skinny woman walking at a snail’s pace (2.5 tops) for 2 hours on a treadmill at my gym every single day??!!  It’s not like she’s breaking a sweat; she just struts along on that moving platform, flipping through weight training magazines (which I never see her do in the first place) and talk to people.  I mean, there are only so many treadmills and one moving at 2.5 just seems like a waste of a good machine to me.  I’m just saying…

The other day my best gal pal, Kelly, requested I attend a new aerobics class. The class, whose slogan promised to “strip off the weight” guaranteed a good, fun time with great music.  The class??  Strippercize!! 

If you have never taken the class, sign up now!!  There’s nothing more motivating than a room full of women working hard while having a great time.  A girl  may not like her reflection at times, but a class like this surely reminds her how sexy she is!!  Well that and a bunch of squats really hurt the ole’ tushy!!

When it comes to relationships, I must confess I par pretty well. The folks — check; the boyfriend — check; the friends — check check. When it comes to weight however, well… let’s just say weight and I have what we would call a “unhealthy” relationship. I’ve yo-yo’ed myself from a size 16 to 12, 14 to 10, and now a 12 to 14 (although I plan to deny this wholeheartedly to the rest of the world), that I’m not sure even the most dysfunctional of relationships can keep up! But, here I am, 25 lbs heavier than I’d like to be and ready to make the necessary changes to keep it off.

In the most recent round of weight loss, comparatively referred to as the “honeymoon stage,” I lost about 20 lbs. Perhaps this would have stayed off as I had intended had I not been losing it to spite my ex. Between then and now, that being 2 years later, I put the weight back on — this I’m liking to blame on being overly ecstatic with the new flame. Well, that and you know, making all those poor eating, drinking, and sitting-on-the-couch-over-going-to-the-gym choices. To-MAE-to, to-MAH-to. But, let me offer you this: Although vengeance may help propel you to the gym, it doesn’t serve the greater good — that being the overall health of yourself, or in this case me!

The biggest hurdle I currently have to face is my own reflection. I’m so upset that I put the weight back on that I had worked so hard to take off in the past. I slip on my pants, feeling much too tight, and literally fight back the urge to cry. It’s truly hard not to compare to the past and I’m having a had time accepting things as they are right now. And, so I’m going at it again! This time, however, I’ll be doing it for me. Let’s keep those fingers crossed (and toes, eyes, legs, pretty much anything you can cross will be helpful). Cheers!