I try the best I can to adopt a healthy lifestyle. I do fall off the wagon and I have to pull myself back up again. Speaking of which, I haven’t done any cardio in two weeks. Hello belly.

I’m sitting here, minding my own business, and mending my body when I received a funny email from a friend which tells me that I’m doing it all wrong.

Or as she puts it, “I knew all that exercise and eating right stuff was crap - now there’s proof from a real doctor!!!”

The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans

The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Photos are mine. The words are not. I don’t even know if it’s true but it’s funny all the same.

Still resting…

It’s really fun when you find the perfect thing, you just want to shout it out to the world. So that’s what I’m doing.

I ran out of time yesterday to tell you about these shoes but I really want to. Because I can’t believe I found these. I told the husband several times that these are hands down the best walking shoe I have ever had the pleasure of putting on my worn, calloused, flat and ever-lovin’-I-can’t-wait-to-get-off-of-my-feet feet.

First of all, they have a heel. For a shortie like me, that’s a huge plus. But they don’t feel like they have a heel. They somehow medically and scientifically built them to cushion your feet for optimimum walking. I can wear them ALL DAY and still feel good at the end of the day. The one drawback is that they have a suede bottom so I bought a product that you can use on the bottom and help the suede stand up.

They are from Dansko, the Sela model. The one I have is the nubuck color. I like the neutral color because it doesn’t immediately draw people’s eyes to your feet like a darker color would. However, in researching these I saw the Berry Gecko color and I thought, “Hmmm…those look great.”

At $110 a pop, I guess I’ll pass on another color for now but I’m tellin’ you, I would own every color if I could.

Speaking of money and clothes/fashion…I’m on a roll. The bathing suit I spoke about yesterday is $158. These are $100 and up, depending on the color and material. You say, “I can’t afford that.”

And I’m wid cha.

But tomorrow, I’m going to tell you a story about the investment of a good quality piece of clothing or shoes. Hopefully it won’t be a soap box…

Wait! Here’s the link to Zappos.com. I bought them at the mall but there are many distributors out there. Dansko sells a lot of clogs…hmmm…I was never a clog person but they may have another sale this winter.

It’s because the husband’s job gives us the benefit of flying stand by when there is room on a flight. Sort of like a 20% employee discount at Pier One Imports.

Anyway, we are very grateful for this benefit. It’s a little like hitch hiking across the US. It has it’s drawbacks which I’ll cover another time but today, I’m grateful that we were able to take advantage of this great bene and get away for a couple of days to celebrate 18 years of wedded bliss.

And a few blisters, but that comes with the territory.

Since our latest trip was to Florida and all that was on the agenda was beach, beach, and more beach, I wanted to get a great swimsuit. And I found one I wanted to show you. Are you ready to see me in it?

Here I am…all one hundred pounds of me in the “Magicsuit.”

Okay it’s not me. Details.

Though it didn’t make me look like a Victoria Secrets model, I did feel surprisingly un-self-concious in this suit. It’s because it truly is magic. It squeezes you in all the right places so you actually don’t see any rolls or bumps but at the same time it doesn’t feel like a girdle either. It’s fantastic.

It has little folds a the waist that camouflages quite a lot, if you need it that is. And I do.

Another bene?

It’s versatile too. I wore it with the skirt down at breakfast time, then I hitched up the skirt for a four miles hike on the beach. Have you ever walked four miles in the sand? It’s torture but it’s good torture. The suit held up better than I did.

The neckline is slightly plunging and that may be uncomfortable for some of you but it’s better than a bulging belly at breakfast time. I think it actually made me look taller.

It comes in hot pink too I think. Now that would look hot!

If the beach or pool is in your future this summer, and I hope it is, you should get this suit. You can find it at Victoria Secrets, where I do a lot of online shopping. Really I do, I love their sales section.

I’ll show you the shoes tomorrow. Don’t want to overwhelm you with too much fantastic-ness in one day and I have to go teach my yoga class.

Namaste!

There are bad weeks, and then there are really bad weeks. I have had the latter. It was literally the week from h-e-double hockey sticks. The Stanley Cup series is in full swing so I thought I’d use these photos from the game we saw in Nashville to illustrate my point .

No details are necessary except to say that you should never say the words “hard drive” and “clean room” in one sentence. Technies and geeks will know what that means.

All week, I’ve been feeling like this guy being checked. I thought hockey would be the perfect analogy for the massive failures, breakdowns, and misunderstandings this week. It’s enough to make me lose my sense of humor, which is what I use to deal with so many life challenges, including raising my kids.

No laughing matter here.

So I’m off to find my sense of humor again. Then I’ll be ready to get back into the fight.

But first I have to clean my house. And then I’m going to visit you. Virtually of course dear bloggers.

Ta ta and happy Saturday.

Post on Photostory Friday…because it’s that kind of day.

Hosted by Cecilyand Pam

Today I’m upside down at Vision & Verb.

Is still a rose.

So my week?

Recently, I felt I needed a change. The urge was very strong at the begining of the week. I couldn’t articulate it. It was just a nagging feeling, no details, no specifics, no direction.

The middle of the week brought more conversation, more counseling, more discussion.

And ahhh…now the end of the week. Nothing’s changed. At least not yet.

And I’m happy about it. For I wouldn’t be able to hang out here as much if it did.

There is still a nagging in me for change but there’s also peace in knowing that I like where I am.

Except…

Though it wasn’t easy, I was successful in eating only salads on Tuesday. I was starting to get grumpy toward the end of the night. The husband reminded me that I told everyone in blogland my frugal diet plan so I was bound to commit to it.  To which I responded from the open refrigerator door, “So what?” Then I slammed it. Perhaps a little too hard. Hey, I was hungry.

But…

I lost TWO pounds this week. Now there’s a change. So that’s “so what” and it’s so satisfying. Two pounds a week is the recommend weight loss rate according to the AMA, AFAA, Congress and me.

And…

That Mediterranean fare from yesterday? It’s a pickled caperberry. Here’s a not-so-good photo of it after I’ve chomped on it. It was delicious. I don’t know why it’s not more mainstream Jodi, people are missing out!  It is not a caper I’ve ever seen before. I’m only familiar with the small-ish kind. My mother bought these, Lord knows how much they cost.

I apologize for my manicured nails. Or rather, lack of…

Here’s a quick lemon and capers dish.

1 lb thinly sliced pork loin
4 tbs fresh lemon juice
2 tbs capers
1 garlic clove
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs butter
salt
pepper
your choice cooked pasta

Squeeze lemon over the pork. Add salt and pepper. Set aside. Heat olive oil and crushed garlic clove in a sauce pan. Once it’s hot, place pork into the pan. Put in the butter to melt, add in the capers. Turn over the pork and cook on the second side until done.

Serve over your pasta.

You can certainly use the capers that you are familiar with. These are big and pickled and may not be as accessible.

Bon appetite!

I’ll see ya tomorrow bloggie peeps.

I’m sitting back to relax after a really long day and opened my computer to find some wonderful and kind comments on my last blog. Thank you. But I read my daughter’s little comment and I feel compelled to explain.

When she said her butt hurts it’s because it is what every little equestrian girl complains about and in just about every language. Because they ride a lot, and their little bums are sore a lot. So…moving on.

This week’s Corner View theme is about eating out. But here in the United States, it’s Thanksgiving time. And no one eats out. Everyone is stressed because they are trying to cook something that they haven’t cooked in a year to impress people they would not normally spend time with.

But that’s the cynical view of things.

Or on a happier note, they travel hundreds or even thousands of miles to make sure they spend time with people they love and don’t normally don’t see during the year. And this is the one time where they can really sit back and watch mom cook them a huge delectable meal. As in my case.

Yesterday, my yoga class was completely full. I’m not sure which of the above applied to whom…but I’m sure what whatever the case, everyone needed a little bit of relaxation. A little cleansing breath to gird their loins for what is to come in the next couple of days.

Gird their loins…it’s my new favorite saying now. It’s biblical you know.

Look at the husband. He’s facing the opposite way as the rest of the class. Snicker, snicker.

None of the above photos were taken yesterday, but they illustrate the point.

I think that celebrations are only stressful because we don’t celebrate enough. Which is why I continually party during the year, in order to not feel stressed during those mandatory party times. If you exercise constantly, it doesn’t hurt so much when you finally get out to jog around the block.

But this year, it won’t hurt at all because my mother is doing the cooking.

So take your example from the husband. Just relax and have fun this Thanksgiving. He does the corpse position very well doesn’t he?

Namaste and Happy Thanksgiving to my blogging friends. You mean so much to me.

I just got off the phone with Neighbor Janet. I am hosting the homeowner’s association Christmas party in my home and she called to see if there is anything she can help me with.

Neighbor Janet is tasked to co-host December’s bunco game as well as make appetizers for the HOA Christmas party, in the same weekend. And she’s cooking Thanksgiving dinner for her family.

And she called to see if there’s anything she can do for me. That lady is beyond sweet.

So anyway, the lettuce. I bought this “living lettuce” to see how long it would actually last. Because that’s how I am. As it turns out, I had it for almost a month. And when I went to actually eat it, it was still fresh. And alive. Because it’s “living lettuce.”

It’s actually very cool. How much lettuce do we eat at one time anyway? And it goes bad so quickly. It’s great to have something last this long, and you actually eat the entire thing instead of having to throw half of it away. I think it’s the root ball on it that keeps it “alive.”

I can’t tell you how much I paid for it. But whatever it was, it certainly was worth it.

So buy living lettuce now. It will be fresh until you are ready to make Thanksgiving dinner. And if you are as busy as Neighbor Janet is this season, you will be glad that it’s one less thing you have to do.

Just sayin’.

My good friend Tiff is one of several people with whom I don’t like to be in a photo.

And this is why. She’s a hard body.

She teaches body combat.

And it’s as painful as it sounds.

B-O-D-Y COMBAT. Yes, it’s painful.

She’s one tough woman.

And body combat is a class that makes you reach into your most primitive instincts to smash someone’s head in. It’s not at all civilized.

I used to teach kickbox. And long ago, I was a student of Tang So Do, a Korean self-defense discipline. That was so long ago that I can barely remember the lactic acid in my muscles.

Until I started taking Tiff’s class.

After what happened to me last year, I want to get my survival instincts back.

And now I can’t move. I’m not kidding. See Danny in the corner? He says he goes to the class and pretends he’s in a bar fight.

You either have to do body combat more than once a week or not at all. It makes you that sore. But it’s fun.

However, if anyone ever came up to take my purse, I’d say, “Hey! I got that on sale!”

Then I’d kick their butt. Thankyouverymuch.

Drop what you are doing, and go punch something. Right now.

I was first certified as a fitness instructor more than 22 years ago. During my working years and my pregnancy years, I took time away from the fitness industry and returned after my kiddos were old enough to go to child care while I taught my classes. There was also some life stuff going on in between. Through it all, I kept up my certifications even though it was inconvenient at times.

I’ve taught step, cardio, cardio pump, weight training, yoga, kick box, stretch and everything else in between.

I’ve taught tired, grumpy, menstrating, after too much wine (it was long ago), feverish and with a dislocated shoulder and knees. The only time I really didn’t teach is when I had tummy issues, for obvious reasons. Once again, just keeping it real.

I am not one of those who really “loves” to work out. And I have this huge problem with eating. Huge. Then there’s genes. Oh those nasty genes. Which is why I teach, when you have a class waiting on you, it’s hard to just skip it. Which is what I did a lot during those days when I didn’t teach. I had so many excuses not to go to the gym that it went beyond rationalization and verged on something else all together.

Please look at the photo above. It’s the wonderful Miss Kathleen last year about this time. I’m sure that she has similar issues with finding time to work out. But she shows up to class, not every week, but faithfully still. And she inhales and exhales a thousand times.

And this was Kathleen last week.

What a difference one year makes. Drop whatever you are doing and get into your forward fold.

Namaste

Posted on Gayle’s Monday Memories