Calculators

As an impatient person, one of the many wonderful things about this whole Internet thing is how easily we can get information. I love being able to look up most anything with a couple of clicks!

"Hmmm, I wonder if this restaurant's sandwich bread is vegan friendly?"
"Hmmm, I wonder how far it is to walk from my apartment to Wrigley Field?"
"Hmmm, I wonder what kind of yoga class would be good for me?"
"I have a cough, I wonder how many days I have left to live?" :)

There is a calculator, quiz, app, or web page devoted to everything, but it can be overwhelming.

One of my favorite go-to calculator sites is here at Self.com. It's such a great source for, well, everything health, body, and soul. I try to shy away from calorie counting these days, but when I really needed help to jump start my journey I really enjoyed using http://fitday.com/

source

Are you a heavy online calculator user? What are your faves, any awesome ones I need to know about?

Vegas, Baby

And it came to pass that Mr. BB30, his bestie and I would embark on a trip to LasVegas, which (because I am a dork) quickly became known as The Three Best Friends Trip.

Thus, new motivation was born. Since I do not gamble, my time will be spent walking about The Strip, window shopping, taking advantage of the hotel fitness center, and most importantly lounging poolside. While I know that most of my fellow Vegas tourists will be normal people and not super models, the notion that I will be required to sport a bikini again in just one month provides good incentive to get back on track. Additionally, The Three Best Friends Trip has expanded to include Mr. BB30s Bestie's new girlfriend type person who happens to be very young and painfully hot. Great. Awesome. Kill me. So hopefully knowing that I have to sport beach wear next to sexy youngster will keep me going to the gym when I can and keeping my eating and cocktailing in check. Hopefully.

This week I have shows Thursday-Sun so week day work outs are limited:

Tuesday: Strength Boxing followed by Abs and Butt Blast
Wednesday: Strength Yoga followed by a Cubs Game
Saturday: Zumba

As you know, I hate going all the way to my gym on the weekends. Due to the holiday on Monday I simply have no choice. I originally chose some type of calisthenics class for Saturday, but I am 99.34% sure I would cancel that in the end. I decided to go with Zumba because I think I can muster up the strength to get out the door if I can tell myself, "It's just a dance class, it's just a dance class." I definitely wouldn't go if I had to tell myself, "Go do planks and push ups, it will be so fun." Know thyself.

I've been a Snacky Snackerson lately. I think the issue lies with a couple of things:
1. My body is feeling the reduction in exercise and is trying to gain energy
2. I am tired, so my body wants to eat to gain energy
3. I am not getting in good regular meals and sometimes skip dinner on show nights and end up starving and snacking extra the next day.
4. I am already super sad my show is in its final two weeks. I am having the best theatrical experience I've had in a while and I know it could be a long time before I have this again. Makes me very sad. Thus, snacks.

I know what I need to do to get back on track, but it's sometimes easier said than done:

Water water water
Good balanced meals
No alcohol on the weekdays
Exercise any chance I get

Hmmm...I don't think they have kale at Wrigley Field. First challenge. Make sure to eat something between yoga and the ball game tonight...

Today's gratitude: I am thankful for the cool weather that's come to Chicago this week and the opportunity to wear some of my awesome newly thrifted fall clothes!

My Body Can Do This

On Monday I went to Tabata (interval) Cardio Kickboxing class. It was killer. There are three studios at my fitness place, two small and one large and Tabata always ends up in a smaller room. It was hot (Chicago has decided to hit triple digit heat indexes lately) and the room was crowded. The idea with tabata/interval training is that you hit a move hard for 20 seconds (a tabata in general can be anything: a set of kickboxing moves, burpees, jumping jacks, whatever) then you rest for 10 seconds, then do it again eight times. You can do anything for 20 seconds right? Oof. Easier said than done. Please try the tabata of throwing four jabs followed by two star jacks (power jumping jack) then talk to me. (Below is a video demo of a star jack).

I was feeling fatigued and wondered if my heart my explode. Then the instructor said something really powerful. She said, “Come on, you’re body can do this.” Such a simple sentence. She was right, my body CAN do this. I got this. I can push myself. So I continued to whisper it during class, (the music is always super loud so luckily I didn’t seem crazy) “My body can do this. My body can do this,” and my body did it.

I snapped a secret pic with my phone after class. I call this shot She Earned The Chocolate Chips.

My body can do this.

First Harvest!

After an afternoon of taking Venkman to the dog beach and grocery shopping for the delicious meal Mr. BB30 is making (our last Friday night together until the end of September-sniff), I came home and plucked my first harvest of the summer.

In the coming days this beautiful squash will be sauteed lightly with a little Earth Balance and olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt.

 I love being a farmer!

And in further good news, I will begin rehearsals for a new play on Monday. It is a four person show, the first act revolving around one couple and the second act revolving around the other. I am super stoked that a friend of mine was cast opposite me. It will be a great time and something wonderful to invite casting directors and important people to. Huzzah!

Lately Dayjobland has been very hectic and stressful. I can't imagine having to live through the extra crazy times with a mean boss. I really have a great one. With the stress of the past couple of weeks came snackiness and waaaay too much iced coffee. For the past few days I have had to focus on conscious eating and watching those unnecessary bad starches. We all know how to get back on the horse when we've strayed but it's never easy. I survived with lots of fresh fruits and veggies and upping my protein intake with a little additional tofu and bean action.

This week in fitness has been:

Monday: Off for an Audition (although I ended up walking almost all the way home afterwards for a total of 2.5 miles)
Tuesday: Strength Boxing followed by Abs and Butt Blast
Wednesday: R.I.P.P.E.D (Resistance, Intervals, Plyometrics, Endurance)
Thursday: WERQ
Not sure what the following days will bring, maybe more walking or a home DVD.

Yesterday as we waited for class to start there was a general consensus that everyone was feeling a bit unmotivated to workout. We were glad we made it there, but many of us weren't feelin' it. The adorable instructor reminded us that in one hour when class was done, there was no way we would regret having come to sweat it out. It's so true. Any time I feel blah about putting on the gym clothes I am always 100% glad I went.

I am really loving what boxing and dumbbells have done for my arms. I can see results and I love it. Scales can be upsetting and stupid, but the mirror don't lie. I feel like I am really getting my tone on!

Tell me something you're happy with about your bod lately! Let's remember to celebrate ourselves!
How are your summer gardens?

A Little Milestone

I am almost back to normal. Thank you medicine buzz, hot tea, and you for your kind words and advice for getting me through my shows this weekend!

A week from tomorrow I will post my birthday pics and put on my party hat to ring in my 30th birthday. I don't have official plans, my husband has taken the reigns which is nice. This week I plan to exercise each day (cardio and stength) and be kind to myself. I have done what I could this year and should be proud. No need to kill myself in the last week.

This week I had a little milestone of sorts that I need to share.

Whilst sitting home draped like a snotty rag doll across my sofa eailer this week, I got word that I had a print look-see on Friday. The break down read like this:

One female talent, Caucasian, 30-35 years of age, with long, full, healthy dark brown shoulder-length hair. Fit and somewhat athletic.

Fit and somewhat athletic?! Moi? It was a big step for me to acknoweldge that my agent hadn't made a mistake in sending me out for this, but they didn't. I am considered a fit woman. Me. It wasn't a clerical error or oversight. I was sent out for this print ad because I am in good shape. It's a great feeling and a marker to let me know that I've done a good job! I have never been on this side of the spectrum. It's uncharterd territory for me, but I need to embrace it and celebrate the opportunities that have opened up for me now (and of course, how good I feel)!

Tell me about your recent successes!

Back to Basics

In an effort to combat my feelings of overwhelmingness (That’s not a word, but it is today), I am going back to basics and revisiting my early goal of simply moving everyday. I think maybe some of my struggle of late was coming from assigning myself too many tasks, so I think making a nod toward simplicity and just creating time to move some everyday will help ease some of the pressure.

A Tale of A Supportive Partner:
Friday I had some things to do after work and my husband told me he would have dinner waiting when I got home. He is so supportive of my efforts to eat better and made a very health conscious meal for us. Fresh broccoli soup (a little Gordon Ramsey inspired recipe basically consisting of freshly steamed broccoli and the water you steam it in, seasoned and blended together with a dollup of goat cheese, baked fish on top of a fresh corn puree, tomato/cucumber/shrimp ceviche salad, and fresh homemade whole wheat bread. So you see you can have a delightful and fancy dinner without over doing it. It felt so indulgent but was entirely not!

A Tale of Motivation:
Saturday morning I opened my inbox to see a lovely message from a friend on the east coast. She is on a similar get-fit journey and offered up some encouragement and inspiration from afar reminding me that exercise is in fact great medicine for job/life stress and is much more rewarding than a greasy or sugary bag of anything will ever be. Then, I got up off the sofa where I was catching up my DVRd shows from the week and watched from my elliptical. I even upped the resistance to a higher level than ever for the last 15 minutes of it. I was proud of how much strength I’ve gained to able to go up yet another notch. I was proud that I got up off of the sofa. I was proud that I didn’t create an excuse not to get in some exercise.

So, I want to pay it forward today and remind you all that we can do this! Even if we just take an extra walk around the block today or do a set of sits ups instead of eating some chips, we’ve made one more step toward healthier lives!

Dressed to be Motivated

So………..As the months move quickly along my bikini bod goal has been feeling sort of COLOSSAL. My motivating audition was a bust (not even a call back-sigh), so I am pretty bummed about that. Enter my new mini goal, a goal within a goal if you will.

Whilst perusing a consignment shop display at a street fair with my visiting besties this weekend, I stumbled upon a charming vintage inspired dress (I think it comes from Anthropologie). The size was questionable and ambitious, but it looked possible, and it was so adorable that I threw caution to the wind and bought it. Friends, the fit was pretty darn snug. Snug as in it was successfully zipped once then I was afraid to push it lest I break the zipper. BUT it’s definitely an inspiration to work hard and make my way into it which feels very attainable and like much less of an overwhelming challenge than getting an athletic bikini body feels at the moment.

So I present my stepping stone goal: Dress By Opening.

My new show (that I started rehearsals for Monday night-yay) opens on November 13th. With the time frame ( 6-7 weeks) and the dress’ tweediness it makes for the perfect fall event to wear my goal dress to. It will also hit just after the six month mark (when I will post updated bikini pics). Here are some shots so we can compare later when it WILL fit!

The Before:

This dress is precious, no? It satiates some of the Mad Men costume lust I have been experiencing. Side note: If you haven’t, please watch Mad Men, you know, only if you enjoy crazy good “it’s all about what’s not being said” acting and writing that will blow you away.

I think it was good to see some pics like this in general because although I was sad (and admittedly embarrassed) that it didn't fit, I can see definition in my back that I haven't seen before, because, well, I can't see my back :) It also helped me form my goal for the week: Work on those lower abs/belly. Last night I did lots of leg lifts and really noticed how much strength I am gaining. I can get my legs just inches from the ground and shoot them back up now. I definitely could not do that a few months ago. So, there are many positives that have come from my too-tight purchase.

In other news, I am feeling a bit less scaly but not sure if I owe it to Fish Oil or one of the remedies that Dr. Mom has recently mailed me. Maybe a combo. My arm/neck/shoulder are still hurting after having to lift so many heavy crates during an office move two weeks ago. Hoping it gets better with rest so I don't have to go through the Physical Therapy regimen again. I have a massage scheduled for Friday so maybe that will give me some relief.

So there you have it. In a month and half I WILL sport my new dress at my show opening….and away we go!

Spread It

source

I wanted to share with you a delightful addition to my breakfast.

I am not a sweets in the morning kind of girl, but lately I have been craving a little jam with my toast (awesome Today's Temptations Low Carb High Fiber toast-mmm). While a little processed jelly from the jar isn't going to hurt anyone, there is just such a difference in a real fruit spread. Last weekend my mother in law gave me a bit of some homemade raspberry preserves that a friend of hers made. It was so fresh and delicious. Inspired by that, yesterday I turned to the frozen berries I have on hand in my fridge for my daily fruit bowls. I took a little handful of strawberry and dark cherry slices and put them in a small ramekin with some Splenda and popped it in the microwave for a minute or two. I mashed it with a spoon, put it in the freezer for a few minutes to cool down, and then spread it on my toast for the most enjoyable fresh fruit spread ever!!!! I really didn't even need to add any Splenda at all, because the natural fruit juice is sweet enough as it is. This morning I did it again with a few frozen blueberries and blackberries and left out the Splenda. Oh mama! So fruity and fresh and divine and tons healthier for me! Please give it a whirl!

Today I prepped my fruit bowls, this week adding banana slices back in with lots of blackberries. Each week the bowls are a little different based on what I can get at a great price. Variety is key!! I've also prepped some delicious soup to freeze in containers for grab-n-go lunches. My day job office is so cold that hot soup for lunch is perfect. It warms me up and fills me up in a low cal way! Do you do Sunday food prep for your week?

One good thing about Sundays is that it's Ruby day. Do you watch Ruby on the Style Channel? It's the reality show that documents the weight loss journey of southern belle Ruby Gettinger. She started her journey at almost 500lbs (although in the past she has weighed up to 700lbs) and is now at the 350 mark. She is doing it all through diet and exercise (no surgery), and she is so charismatic and lovely. Ruby is someone you just want to be friends with and I admire her for putting herself out there for the world to see!! If you don't get the Style Channel you can watch her on Hulu: www.hulu.com/ruby

source

Over the week I did well with my goal of incorporating more core work. I did three good workouts this week-two days including the addition of a full abs workout to my elliptical time and one day doing various crunches on my own after elliptical time. My goal for this week will be to continue to incorporate core work and to lengthen my workouts a bit to start burning more calories and upping my endurance!

I also got some nice news on Friday. I have a new acting gig. I will begin rehearsals in September for a fun original script with some hilarious people. It should be a great time, and I am glad my dry spell is over!

A New Motivation

I have been a woman of my word and have incorporated more core work into my regimen this week. I’m proud about that.

source

I must again sing the praises of On Demand Fitness, because it gives me the opportunity to test drive a variety of workouts. I get bored easily, and mustering the drive to get up and exercise is tough enough for me as it is, so I don’t want to make it twice as hard by doing the same monotonous thing over and over. (I can stick with the repetitiveness of the elliptical because I am catching up on a variety of DVRd goodness while I do it.) Explore On Demand fitness options if you have them! Try Hulu.com as well! You can actually find my ab workout from yesterday there: http://www.hulu.com/six-pack-abs

Recently a new motivation to stick with balanced diet and exercise has presented itself. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to audition for a production with a highly regarded company in a show that is so dear to my heart to say the very least. In general this piece requires physical stamina and body confidence, so while my expectations are managed about being cast (as they always must be in show business), I am thrilled that I have advanced notice to push myself a little harder and be ready for anything the audition process throws my way. I want to be as strong and confident as possible so I can walk out feeling wonderful about this audition.

source

Have you had any new motivations this week?

I also seem to have an insatiable desire for cereal as well as sautéed purple onions. No, I’m not pregnant.

What are your wacky food wants this week?

Job-ercise

Thanks imaginecache5

So...Monday night I had an audition. Yay! As I have mentioned the audition pool has been rather dry and things are starting to pick back up and cast again. This particular audition was a two hour group audition. Luckily it was very movement based so I was able to be active. This is good because it lasted from 6:30pm-8:30pm and took me an hour to get home via public transit so I didn't roll in until 9:30pm. Shower/dinner/sleep or exercise? Ummm..no brainer.

Tonight I was called back for the same show. Yay again! This time for a 3 hour group audition. Again....shower/dinner/a bit of net time/sleep or exercise? Ummm...IT'S LATE, I'M TIRED! Again, tons of movement tonight (and I'm not kidding-the ol' heart rate was definitely up.)

So, I am now down to four days to complete my burn goal. Feasible, but it could have been easier with my Monday and Tuesday. What about Sunday you ask? Sunday I ate way too little food and drank way too many lemonadesy sweet drinks that surely had an unimaginable amount calories to them. I am still kicking myself-which is totally not what a Naturally Thin person does, they forgive and move on. I am struggling with that, but working to let it go, especially because the girlfriend time involved was so very needed and healing.

But I digress. I always say that I have two jobs. I am an actor and I am an admin. When I am in rehearsals and working all day it can be brutal. I have had the realization that taking on exercising as part of your daily/weekly routine is seriously like having a part time job. Even if you decide to squeeze in a 20 minute cardio dvd or go for a fast jog or walk, it's not just 20 minutes of time. You must change clothes, do your work out, shower or clean up, dress again and then resume life. Somehow 20 minutes can become an hour. In these first eight weeks of my journey I have not been involved in a show and only working my day job. I will make it work this week since I am only booked up for two days after work this week, but holy heck-what will I do when I begin work on a production again? How will I balance three jobs??!! Sounds totally unmanageable and exhausting! On the flip side I really hope that I get the challenging opportunity to explore this, because my little actor soul needs some artful nourishment somethin' awful!

Flux Cap-ASS-itor

Yes, I am a huge Back to the Future fan. It is my favorite movie, but I digress.

I am a fluxuator and must mind my food intake. Do you ever feel like you have no metabolism? I know this is scientifically impossible, but I definitely feel this way sometimes. You know, the feeling that if you look at those nachos the wrong way they may attach themselves to your gut. So I am a Fluxuating Warrior.

My favorite weight management method that has proven the most effective all of these years is oldie but goodie: Eat less, move more. I pride myself of finding healthier alternatives to rich foods so I do not feel deprived (and knowing when it’s okay to indulge). So I feel like I have a pretty good handle on basic nutrition (although I plan to learn much more). For me, it’s the exercise factor-The move more part of the equation that I struggle with. After a long day of day job-dom, it is hard to find the motivation to put on those work out clothes and jump on the elliptical (even though I own one-now how lazy is that?!) Summer is easier since being outside makes me feel great, but I have some more days of chilly-ness in my neck of the woods, so I am continuously searching for motivation to move more. As I start back on the road to consistent exercise I know that any extra moving is good moving. My initial thoughts are to try a different activity each week to combat boredom. I love dancing-the Fitness Channel has fun dance choices on demand. I also have enjoyed the Dancing With the Stars dance dvd. So, as I gear up to start my year’s journey into fitness and create my figurative agenda I know I would like to explore many non-traditional methods of exercise!

The Skinny. (Pun intended.)

I must admit, I am a bit of a novice to this whole concept, my bloglife consisting of about five blogs I read on a regular basis.

Why blog?

Need for Creative Outlet: As an actor stuck in office day job-dom who is recently married and thus coming back from a hiatus, I am creatively starved. The audition pool is a little dry at the moment, and I am longing for something creative to do. Personal journaling isn’t my thing (although great for others, it evokes way too much "emo-ness", negativity, and unhealthy sad poems from me), but gabbing, talking about this and that, and sharing positives is definitely more my cup of tea. (Tadin Orange Green tea to be exact.)

Cause everyone else is doin’ it: Not really, but I do have some pals who have their own blogs and found satisfaction with doing it.

Supply and Demand: My favorite bloggers can’t keep up with my addiction to read their next posts, so I decided-why not just write my own.

BECAUSE I AM SCARED: Perhaps the most important reason to blog (or do anything). With blogging comes cyber-meanies and the inevitable negative people who will be hurtful and attempt to put a damper on my good intentions. This makes me apprehensive, and thus all the more reason to put myself out there and face them. This is a place for encouragement, support and being positive, so Negative Neds and Nancies I kindly invite you leave your mean-ness at the door.

Why a bikini by 30?
I have never worn one. I was an obese child (75 lbs in kindergarten) which has resulted in a lifelong physical struggle. I am at a healthy weight now, but I am at the very high end of being within my BMI (that means almost over weight). I was recently inspired by Valerie Bertinelli’s People Magazine cover where she was sporting a bikini at 50 and thought, "If Valerie is old enough to be my mom and can do it, I can do it." (Also, one of my favorite people, Rachael Ray, is now challenging herself as well.) I had been seeking a central theme for a personal blog, and this subject really struck a chord. With my birthday approaching (shout out to all you fellow Tauruses), I thought this would be a wonderful way to begin a blog and keep me accountable as I work my way to a bikini body.

You: But BB30, women are beautiful in all different shapes and sizes, aren’t you feeding into a horrible social stereotype of beauty?
Me: Hear me out, friend.

My reasons for this goal are manifold:
1. The main goal is to be fit. I am currently not fit. The title of this post is of course a fun pun. The goal is not for size 2-dom or any certain number but being fit (although I may give the occasional measurements post to show my results.) Any fit person can wear a bikini with confidence regardless of size. Think about how smokin' Gabriele Reese is vs. a scrawny model.

2. Knowing that this goal is out there in cyberland makes me accountable. Even if only one other person ever reads it, then I become much more accountable.

3. I want to do it for me and no one else. (This is very important.)

While the ultimate goal of sporting a bikini by the age of 30 is the central theme here and I will mostly be discussing my journey with health and fitness (exercise, food, vitamins, etc) I know I will discuss other things such as what I may be reading at the moment or what I thought of a movie. At first I thought maybe I should strategically plan a format before officially starting, but then I thought, "hey this is my blog, I can do whatever I want." So let’s see where the road takes us....

The Challenge!

I am here to make a personal and cyber-public challenge to myself: I will sport a bikini by age 30. There, I’ve said it. (Smacks self with white fringey gauntlet and throws it to the ground.) In one year’s time I will get fit, shape up and become bikini ready for the first time in my life. My 29th birthday is just around the corner. Hop aboard if you’d like to come for the ride. No negativity allowed!