Moving & Grooving For the Rest of My Years

I was talking with someone today about dieting vs. a healthy lifestyle. I asked is what you are doing today going to be something you can continue to do the rest of your life with positive consequences? If the answer is yes, you are on the right track.

If not, I'd ask what are your long term goals.

I don't mean the number of pounds you want to lose, or the number of miles you can run. I mean really long term. What state of health and fitness do you want to be in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years?

Living off protein bars might make you skinny now, but it will not make you a vibrant and healthy 70 year old. Pounding your joints and over stressing your muscles in the gym now might give you a nice sculpted body, but it won't make you an active 80 year old.

Why am I so concerned with what my life will be like as a senior? A few reasons:

1. I teach senior fitness classes and seeing 70, 80 and even 90 years olds lifting weights and moving around the aerobic room inspires me. Their stories of how strong and healthy they are make me realize that my now 42 year old body may not always be able to rock an advanced yoga pose, but it can - if I take care of it - still move me and let me chase after my one day ( in the very, very far future ) keep up with my grandchildren.

2. I've sadly, seen the opposite as well. People as young as me whose bad habits and unhealthy lifestyle have brought them nothing but illness and pain.

3. Life is full of fun opportunities! I don't want to be sitting on the sidelines watching - I want to be out there living it!

So what is my long term health and fitness goal? I mean like really long term?

To be a Grizzly Granny!

The Grizzly Grannies & Grandpas are a dance team that perform at the halftime show of the Memphis Grizzlies basketball team. They are so fun to watch! Today in the gym I noticed a silver haired woman wearing a Grizzly Grannies t-shirt. I asked her if she was part of the dance team and she said yes she was.

We talked for quite a while. I was surprised how intense their rehearsal schedule is! These seniors have to be fit and able to move at a fast pace.  In fact, the whole time I was talking to this woman she was running on the treadmill. Not walking, running.

No matter how much money I spend on magic potions now to keep me looking young, the truth is someday I will be a senior citizen. But I am determined to be the kind of senior that is never home because I'm too busy at the gym, participating in a local 5K or dancing during the half time show.

(The video quality isn't that great. All the YouTube videos I could find were shot on someones cell phone. But it's definitely worth watching. I guarantee it will make you smile.)

When A Vegetarian Falls

I ate a Nathan’s hot dog from Sam’s Club tonight.  Well ok, since the blog is supposed to be a place for me to honestly explore and evaluate my life, I admit to eating two Nathan’s hot dogs – with relish and mustard.

I know eating a hot dog isn’t a reason for a blog post to most people. But it’s way out of my normal eating pattern for me. So far out of the norm I’ve spent the past 20 minutes curled in the fetal position in pain and nausea.

My favorite
fresh roasted vegetables

I call myself a vegetarian. Well a part-time vegetarian anyway.  I have very loose rules regarding my eating; I still eat eggs, dairy and fish. Yes I know, in some circles that means I’m not a real vegetarian.  But in my house we call it a fishetarian. Hey, it works for me.  

Earlier this year I spent a week in Los Angeles where it was super easy to eat super healthy. Fresh, organic fruits and vegetables were everywhere. I was working hard and pushing my body physically harder, yet the healthy food choices sustained me and kept me going strong.

Yet, as soon as I returned to Memphis the fat, greasy, non-vegetable options tempted me. I let the drama going on in my life be the excuse to succumb and feed my emotions rather than face them.  Within a week I was bloated, sluggish and moody.

Fortunately though, my vegetarianism is like my Catholicism.  I have the foundation,  I have a basic belief in it, and I return to it when I need it. If I decide to indulge in a juicy greasy cheeseburger, or if my clean eating diet wanders too far and gets a little too dirty, I can return again. Say a few Hail Mary’s and perhaps a 2-day soup cleanse to rid my body of sin and toxins.

Recently I was home in Philadelphia for a week – the land of greasy cheesesteaks, sugary Tastycakes and salty soft pretzels.  Did I indulge my taste buds? Of course! But only in moderation and I balanced it out with lunch at a delightful little vegetarian restaurant we found and fresh fish from the local market.

But life has a way of continually throwing blockades up along my health and wellness journey. Drama at home or an unusual amount of daily stress all too easily derail my healthy eating and daily exercise habits.  When I have too much to do the easiest thing to give up is taking care of myself.

A nightly love affair with both Mr Ben and Jerry is a temporary solution to life’s stress.  When I'm too tired/lazy/forgetful to pack my lunch it's easy to swing through McDonalds. But at what cost? And I don't just mean financial. 

I like eating good, healthy food. I feel good when I do. But I always think a sugar or fat binge will fix what's wrong. It never does.  I never eat junk and afterward think "Oh I feel so wonderful I could go do a two hour power yoga class".  I wouldn't make it through the first ten minutes before my body gave out. It wasn't fed properly first. Organic roasted vegetables, fresh blueberries or a ripe juicy orange can be just as soothing to my soul, yet nourish me in a way to help me deal with life’s drama’s and turmoils in a stronger, healthier way.

Let’s face it, I’d be kicked out of a vegan meeting. I really, really like my Aldofi leather coat. It’s not strictly a matter of cruelty to animals. Although the facts of factory farming  and genetically modified food scare me.  For me, it’s about how much healthier I feel when I eat closer to nature.

Better for the planet, better for my health and better for my wallet. It’s a much better motto than any fast food jingle. I just have to remember to sing it to myself!

Does My Brain Look Fat In These Jeans?

There’s a scene in Gone With the Wind where Scarlett encourages her Mammy to  cinch up her corset tighter and tighter so she can be skinny for  the men who will be at that afternoon’s party.  The Mammy scolds Scarlett and her friends for even letting the men see them eat.

We modern women no longer wear corsets or pretend to not eat.  Instead we want to be valued and admired for our intellect, creativity and judgment.  Of course as long as we still look good while we’re being so smart!

A friend of mine today was told she was “not a big girl, just curvy.”  She texted me at 6:45am to ask me if that was a compliment or a put down.  I told her it was a compliment. Even if a backhanded one.

The same guy who told her she was curvy said “Like Jennifer, she’s a little thick. But I saw her in jeans one day, and wow those were some jeans.” Again, compliment or put down?

Now my friend and I both work in the fitness field. We’re both in the gym 5-6 days a week either working out or teaching.  We’re both healthy eaters who enjoy a vegetarian meal followed by a double chocolate brownie. We’re both highly educated women with multiple degrees and certifications.  We both stay up to date on the latest health and nutrition news.

And we both spent a good portion of our morning today discussing what those comments really meant, if we were too curvy or too thick, admitting to perhaps having gotten a little curvy and thick and encouraging each other that no we don’t look like we’ve put on weight.

We decided in the end it was just a stupid comment from an inappropriate old man. But the word “thick” has been running through my head all day. And I guarantee my friend hasn’t let go of “big, curvy girl.”

I can’t even begin to estimate the amount of money spent on our combined educations. Yet it all went out the window when a guy made a comment about our body type.

We’ve come a long way baby? I’m not so sure.

Cues and Rules

I did it! I completed a week of Bikram yoga! Well 5 days anyway. On the sixth day I ran a 5K in the morning and was just too tired to turn around and go do yoga in the heat. Well, I ran and walked my way through the 5K – but still I finished the race and I finished the week!

It turns out that the advice I give to yoga beginners is actually true! You really need to give yoga a second chance. Your first time can be foreign, confusing and even a little frustrating. But the second time, you know more what to expect, you know how to prepare, and most importantly you are better able to stay present and get the full experience.

There is no danger of me jumping the vinyasa ship and becoming a full-time Bikram devotee. I like the challenge of the Bikram class, but I don’t find that same mental/emotional/spiritual peace that a traditional vinyasa class brings me.

Although, I am still intrigued and will return occasionally to the Bikram classes. If for no other reason than to find the meaning of the “Japanese Ham Sandwich.”

Bikram classes are cued the same in every class in every studio. So no matter who your teacher or what state you are in, you’ll hear “from the side you look like you’re holding a box” and “your body is a perfect capital T as in Tom” as you move through the poses.

A forward fold is cued as “from the side you look like a Japanese Ham Sandwich”. Each day I heard that the only thing I could think was “what the hell is a Japanese Ham Sandwich?”

I’ve googled it, searched it in Wikepedia and even looked at pictures of Japanese cuisine. I have no idea what a Japanese Ham Sandwich is. Therefore I have no idea if from the side I look like one.

The other part of a Bikram class I’m still trying to get used to is all the rules. Number one rule is there is no talking in the room no matter what.  It’s almost eerily quiet before class begins.

Number two is new people place their mats in the back of the room. Seriously, at my last class the teacher told a first-timer to move her mat to the back row.  I felt bad for the woman being pointed out like that in front of everyone, so I tried to give her the “you’ll be ok” look as she moved her mat and towel.

We ended up moving through our poses next to each other and it wasn’t long before I could hear that her breathing was becoming very labored. I kept sneaking glances at her to try and check on her. I noticed she was stopping and sitting frequently, even putting her head down a few times.

The teacher in me was getting concerned, so I risked breaking rule number one and whispered to her to just breathe.  I encouraged her to slow her breath down and the rest of her would relax. It worked and she made it through the rest of class.

Rule number 3 is no wiping the excessive sweat off your body.  We are supposed to learn to be stronger and be able to hold our foot over our head without slipping.

Rule 4 is if you absolutely must drink water, please do it between the poses and not during. Although, I think the instructors would really prefer if you just didn’t drink water at all.

Rule 5 may possibly be no blogging about the experience. What happens in “the torture chamber” stays in the torture chamber. 

Wonder what the consequences are of breaking the rules?