A PSA

Oy vey.

Back in the Game

Opening weekend went well, and other than a raging case of PMS, it couldn't have gone better. I wish I could perform this show everyday.

Like I mentioned, last week was a toughie as we were in crunch time with getting the show on its feet, so time for fitness was scarce.

I managed:

Sunday: Short Cardio Kickboxing followed by The Shred (Level 2)
Monday: The Shred (Level 3)
Friday: The Shred (Level 2)

Not great at all, but it was something to keep me afloat and I am proud of the little I made happen.

This week I am so excited to get back on track and in the gym!!!

The plan is:

Monday: Shredded: Full Body Focus

Tuesday: Strength Boxing followed by Abs N' Butt Blast

Wednesday: R.I.P.P.E.D followed by Body Band Pilates

I'm going to be careful not to push myself too hard since I've had such a scaled back couple of weeks, but I am confident my endurance will build back up quickly.

I leave you with this shot of my amazing brunch salad that Mr. BB30 treated me to yesterday. The Chicago Diner makes the best vegan gyros. So good. I typically just eat the seitan and veggies and have a little pita, and was thinking on our way over how wonderful it would be if they would just make a gyros salad. Lo and behold, it's happened. We hadn't been there in a long time and they changed up the menu. I want another one right now.

Makin' It Work During the Busy Times

My new play opens this week. Such a fast and furious process! I definitely haven't been able to hit the gym as much, but have tried to combat the reduction is exercise with reducing my calorie intake a little, avoiding alcohol during the week, and not beating myself up (too much) about not being able to go. This week, I absolutely cannot get to the gym Mon-Fri so I must formulate a plan.

Yesterday after a rehearsal I decided I needed to get moving. Mr. BB30 wouldn't be home for a while (he is busy being famous with the play he wrote and is starring in that is selling out-woo hoo!) so I had some time at home to myself. As we know, I hate jogging with every fiber of my being, so I decided to hit up ExerciseTV.com and download a cardio kickboxing workout. It's only about 23 minutes long, but very effective. $2 well spent. My heart rate was up for sure. (Although, I doubled up on repetitions since they were a little slower than what I am used to). It's going to be a great one to have on hand. I knew I needed to keep going so I went to my reliable go-to, The Shred (Level 2). I ended up breaking a mean sweat and feeling very proud that I chose exercising over my sofa and Drop Dead Diva (but seriously-how cute is this show!) I took a cool down walk around the block with my doggie where he hit on some neighbor girls (he loves the ladies). Then I discovered that I had put toothpaste on a zit to dry it up and didn't take it off. Neighborhood weirdo.

source

Thanks for the toning Jillian!

So, while the super ambitious part of me thinks I can attempt to squeeze in a 20 minute workout before I need to leave for rehearsals everyday this week, I have to stay realistic. Some nights I need to ARRIVE at 6:30pm. There just won't be time. But I will do my best to get in a few quick workouts to keep my bod in check. I can do that. I can make that happen. I have to choose to make that happen.



Today in gratitude I am grateful for my lovely fellow actor Tim and how enjoyable this crazy fast process has been all thanks to him. I am so lucky to have had this opportunity to bond with him and have full trust in my fellow actor. Friend love!

The Dame

My friend Shannon is one of the most confident, passionate and outstanding humans I know. She is in fact so fabulous that way back when she was dubbed, The Dame. There really is no other appropriate way to describe her. I met Shannon when we were freshman in college and we became fast friends. By our sophomore year it was time for her to leave for studies abroad in England and Spain. Through the powers of love, friendship, cell phones and the interwebs, we have remained friends ever since.

She has agreed to let me publicly brag about her recent accomplishment, because it's too inspiring and amazing not to be shared!
Here is Shannon last year braving the crowds at Lollapalooza. I love her smile:

 Here is Shannon this year:

SHE HAS LOST 100 LBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, 1-0-0 pounds!!! She took the bull by the horns and started making healthier food choices and committing to regular exercise every day after work. When she's out and about she consults Eat This Not That to help her make the best food decision she can. She also keeps in mind that every little bit helps. For example: Cheese doesn't do much for her. She doesn't love it so she leaves it out of meals and sandwiches. The calories aren't worth it to her. Those small changes really add up!

I am so proud of her and know how hard it is to make a lifestyle change. AND SHE'S STILL GOING!

You know what else burns calories? Bustin' a fierce move on the dance floor!  Looks at those muscles (and the shirt I am going to steal)!

I love this woman!

Now for the last installment in my week of gratitude:
Today I am grateful for a deep and relaxing meditation yesterday. I set my intention to relax and enjoy the positive things that are happening around me. I think I have been caught up in thinking about my future for so long I haven't been fully present NOW. I feel much more mellow now. I've decided that I should aim to give gratitude for something in all of my posts. It's really very helpful. Honestly I should really start a gratitude journal based on my day job so I can appreciate the good things that it provides me, but...meh....we'll see about that ;)

Zucchini Challenge

I eat a lot of zucchini (and yellow squash). It's so abundant and cheap right now (hello-a couple of weeks in a row I've gotten 5 for $1!). It's also full of tons of vitamins and is super low cal. I sautee it, put it tofu scrambles, add it to burrito bowls and tomato sauces, grill it to put on sandwiches and make soup with it. A couple of times I've coated yellow squash in a little plain soy yogurt, dusted it with corn meal and lightly pan fried it to get that amazing fried squash taste I grew up on (sans horrible-for-you Fry Daddy).

source

I love zucchini/squash especially since it takes on whatever taste you want it to, but I am out of ideas. Send me your favorite recipe!!! What haven't I thought of?!

Today in gratitude, I am thankful that it's monthly meditation day where I make myself take a lunch break to go to an awesome FREE guided meditation at a spa in the building I work in. I always come away with new insights and am often surprised by what comes up emotionally. I go in thinking my intention will be to focus on a certain issue, but many times something completely different pops up. It makes my inner hippie so happy. I've been going to this monthly lunch break meditation for two years now, and it has definitely made me a better person.

Hit me with your zucchini goodness!

More Gratitude

Today I am grateful for the joy that working on my current show brings me. Having a bit of drought was humbling and has helped me to appreciate what I have now. I truly love rehearsal and enjoy every minute of it.

Gratitude Days 3-5

What a lovely weekend with my dear pal Shannon. Alas, I had to give her back to NYC last night.

Saturday I was so grateful that Mr. BB30 spoiled us with a beautiful homemade brunch and that Shannon was so generous to gift me with an awesome Marshmallow Fireside BBW Plug-In. So light and sweet and perfect in my living room.

Sunday I was so grateful that the rain cleared up for a couple of hours and gave us time to walk a street festival in some gorgeous sunshine and blue skies.

Today I am grateful for a work-from-home day where I can deal with frustrating emails in the comfort of my own home in the company of my adorable dog. I'm also so excited to jump back into rehearsals and kick some butt.

Ahhhh...

Blogger Issues

For a while now, Blogger won't let me comment on my own posts. Lame. So, I am not ignoring my comments! In fact I really love comments and wish there were more!

Yesterday I had a great experience in Kick-lates. I felt strong and capable and I noticed that I had so much more endurance than the last time I took it. I think that's one of my favorite things about switching up which workouts I do; when I come back to a class I can really feel the difference and notice where I can do a higher intensity level when I could before. It's really motivating and keeps me going. I also got a much needed endorphin rush. I had been dragging ALL DAY and no amount of caffeine gave me the boost that I got from an hour of kick boxing/pilates.

I made the most of a night of rehearsal and after my class I went to see a friend's play. Afterwards, we were talking about cooking and gardening and the farmer's market and she said magical words that made me want to move in with her like, "eggplant three different ways" and "quinoa risotto."

I've been keeping myself accountable and sharing random musings on Twitter. Follow me!

A Week of Gratitude Day 2:
Today I am grateful that my dear friend Shannon is coming for a visit and that I get to leave work early to scout a location for an event I am coordinating.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Busy busy busy. Being back in the routine of having a full time day job and rehearsing is tough. Add in attempting to workout and you get one exhausted girl, mentally and physically. Last week due to rehearsals and obligations I only got in one workout. I feel pretty failure-y about that, but truly, it was unavoidable. I'm still working on not being too hard on myself about that. I did get in some decent lunch break walks while learning lines so not all was lost. My body is so used to good aerobic release I feel sluggish and ick without exercising. On the other hand, I cannot rehearse all night, take the train home, go to bed late and wake up the next day to be packed up and downtown at the gym for a 6am class. It's simply not going to happen. It's not that I don't want it bad enough, I just have a limitation with lack of sleep. Sleep is good. Sleep is healthy. It's a non-negotiable. Oh how I wish coffee and energy drinks actually had an effect on me. I think I have become immune. I used to be able to drink a gigantic iced coffee and feel buzzed. Now I feel nothing. I think what I need is the biggest glass of veggie juice known to man. My eating schedule and food quality is off. Sometimes dinner is a snack before rehearsal (like some carrots and hummus and maybe a few tortilla chips followed by post rehearsal popcorn-out of balance much?)

This week on top of rehearsals and obligations (when you're an actor, you have artist friends and at any given time you have 10 shows you feel you should being going to see their shows to support them) I am squeezing in:

Monday: Shredded (a new one for me-full body focused class with dumbbells and muscle strengthening exercises (aka planks).

Thursday: Kick-lates

Friday: Body Band Pilates followed by 100s Strength (another new one for me-each exercise is done 100 times, sometimes all at once, some times broken up-please let push ups be one of the latter!)

So, I am managing to make it work. Really, once I am open on the 19th, I can resume workouts Mon Tues and Wed. (I will have shows Thurs-Sun).

This weekend will be such fun as one of my NYC besties is coming town! A much needed weekend of girlfriend time and general Texas sauciness will ensue.

In garden news, my Garden Buddha has blessed me once again. This tiny guy below went from a bud to a big ol' squash in less than a week...and another is already on the way!

I am busy and forgetful and don't have a picture of what it looks like now, but it's almost time to pick it!

Look how big my squash plant is. You can barely see Garden Buddha anymore.

Here he is!

I have a basil jungle again this year. It's blissful.

Oregano Forest

My bell peppers are also coming in well. This picture from one week ago does them no justice! I am waiting for the fella below to turn red!

I have about 20 tomatoes on their way. Grow babies, grow!

With feeling spread thin and tired comes feeling a little blue (which is silly because I am soooo happy working on my new show. I feel such joy when it's time for rehearsal. ) So, I want to commit to sharing some gratitude everyday for one week.

Today I am grateful for a break in the hot weather and Mr. BB30's awesomeness at tackling some handyman work in our apartment (just because he knew it would make me happy).

What are you grateful for today?