Enough Is Enough!

Hello again! Now that we are officially halfway through the first month of the new year, I know some people might be fading a bit on those goals they set a mere 16 days ago. Hopefully that isn't you but we can allllll use a reminder to stay the course. My next guest blogger, B, is someone you've all "met"once before her. She and I participated in the BlogSwap of Summer 2011 and had a chance to trade blogs for a day. It was a lot of fun and I am so happy to have her back to remind us just why it's so important to stay true to our fitness ambitions!
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Hi La Femme Fit-alle readers! First I want to say “Thank you!” to Miss L for inviting me over to guest post again. When she emailed me asking if I would guest post I was thrilled. 

Then I realized that as a recent couch potato, I’d have to think of something to write about on a health and fitness blog! Let me start out by saying that I was not always this way. I did several sports in high school, and in college I worked as a manager at a major retail chain which had me on my feet, running all over, 40+ hours a week. I think I stayed skinny in law school via a mix of all night dance-a-thons and stress.  It was not at all a healthy weight or method of weight loss, and doctors often told me that. It was also unintentional. When I would get stressed out, I would simply forget to do important tasks. One of those was eating. I graduated from law school in 2010 at about the same weight as I was in high school – 105. 

Fast-forward a year, and a 25^th (OK, and 26^th) birthday later, and I’m finally feeling the pain of that slower metabolism everyone is talking about.  Not only that, my desk job has rid my life of any and all unintentional exercise that might take place.  The furthest I have to walk in a day is from our office elevator to the Starbucks inside of our building. If something needs to be moved, carried or brought to me, I call a runner. If something needs my signature, my secretary brings it to me.

Law school graduation, apparently practicing for a life of laziness behind a desk.

I am sure you can imagine the end result of that. Weight gain. I am now up to 120 pounds and to say I am out of shape would be a serious understatement.

You may be wondering what finally got my attention. Was it my tighter pants? Was it the scale haunting me every time I walked into my bathroom? Was it a co-worker telling me it looked like I had a baby bump (true story)? No (although the last one did make me cry). 

It was Black Friday shopping. I spent the Thanksgiving holiday with my boyfriend’s family in Denver, CO.  His family has a tradition of Black Friday shopping on Thanksgiving night. I was completely unaware of this tradition and did not find out about it until the moment I saw they were hoarding newspapers and mapping out the shopping plan based on an array of advertisements. 

All I had packed in the way of shoes were a pair of Bearpaws and a pair of Report booties. Who needs arch support when all I do is sit on my butt??? Let me tell you, there was no sitting that night! We started at 7:30, and drove 45 minutes to an outlet mall that was already crawling with people. In fact, some stores that were scheduled to open at 9:00 p.m. just decided to open early because there were so many people crowded at their doors. 

Now, let me clarify here, readers. This girl can shop. I can spend money exponentially faster than I can make it. I can find treasure in a outlet mall like a pirate looking for gold.

But Black Friday? I wanted to throw in the towel. I wanted to SIT. I was constantly on the hunt for a chair or bench when no one was looking. But no one would let me throw in that towel and we shopped until TWO IN THE MORNING. I wanted to cry. I was out-shopped by my boyfriend’s parents, brother and his partner. Out-shopped by a group of MEN!

Because they all had an advantage. They all work out or stay active somehow.  Not me. At least, not then. It got my attention.

The Boyfriend is on a different intramural team all year long. This is him playing his third softball game of the week that he wouldn’t even miss when I came to visit one weekend.

It mostly got my attention because I woke up Friday morning sore from head to toe.  It was like my body wanted to make sure there was no chance that I would move on from that night of tired feet, pained legs and exhausted body and go on with my life like it never happened. My calves were sore for two days. I realized then that something was wrong. I could not keep doing what I was doing. Now that I’m 26, the weight really isn’t going to fall off like it did before. And the longer I remain stationary all day, the longer it will take to get my muscles toned and in shape again.
So I decided enough was enough. I am getting back on track. I am trying to be more aware of how active (or inactive) I am being. I have started taking the stairs and saying “no whip” on my Starbucks if I absolutely have to have one. I have started doing sit-ups on my living room floor while I watch TV.

I am also trying to be more aware of what, and how much I am eating. I used to only ever eat until I was full, and then move on. Working at a desk all day is somehow really conducive to eating, and eating and eating. I have started substituting ingredients in my food (adding veggies, or buying non-fat creamer for my coffee). I have also started asking myself “Are you bored, or are you hungry?” when I’m standing in front of my fridge or cupboard, bemoaning how there is nothing to eat. 

and stopping ridiculous habits like drinking all of the champagne I can get my hands on at friends’ weddings.

They are only baby steps, but I am hoping that they are the beginning to getting back to a healthy lifestyle. My next step is to make use of the fabulous gyms in my apartment complex, starting off with some of L’s tips in this blog. 

For those of you who, like me, have been couch potatoes for too long, I just wanted to tell you to not get discouraged! I am busy and I have a habit of wanting to do everything 110% - leading to burn out in about a week.  I am trying to do this healthy-thing right.  I don’t have a lot of tips or tricks on this journey yet. I have never run a marathon like several of my work-friends just did this month. But I care about my health. You can get into shape and stay healthy.  If Crossfit or marathon training or an hour on the elliptical sound like torture, then stop thinking about them! Instead, take it all one step at a time. Twenty minutes of exercise is better than zero. And, from what everyone says, we’ll both be craving a full workout before we know it! If you are a work-out nut like the lovely Miss L, keep up the good work! I am likely totally jealous. 

I hope you guys had a great holiday season, and were able to shop a lot longer than I did until you dropped! 

REAL Rock. As in, Not the Plastic Kind.

Happy Thursday! We are in the homestretch of the week and I want to throw something a little different your way on LaFemmeFITalle today. I realize that my readers are at varying levels of fitness- not to mention have varying interests in topics- and this one is for the high adrenaline-seeking types who like to try new things and think outside the box when "working out". 


Today, Danielle will give you a glimpse at a type of sport that few people (that I know, anyway) take up. It can sound a little daunting and, if she wasn't my cousin and one of my very best friends in the world, I'm not sure I wouldn't write it off as "too hard!" But having watched her truly fall (not literally!) for the sport over the past couple of years really makes me more intrigued to give it a shot. Perhaps I will when I visit her across the Pond next time...


 I don't want to give anything away so, please, enjoy Danielle's guest blogging post!
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From a former fitness enthusiast, now a climber: an

                        invitation to go outside.

Rock climbing is something  that most people have probably tried, ie. down at the climbing wall (every city has at least one) but that few have really tried—and by that I mean going to a crag and tying into a rope. Let me be honest: Pulling onto plastic rock, indoor rock—what an oxymoron—though it makes a cute(ish) photo op for Facebook, is not climbing. It is to climbing what the elliptical machine is to skiing. That is: Barely even related. 

When I first pulled onto real rock in 2009, it was on a friendly little route called Pillar Variant. I was there because climbing was something I’d always wanted to do, and I met a guy who was really into it and keen to take me out for a try (I’ve found out since that this is how so many female climbers begin…) My first route was a mere 40 meters high. They say the first route you climb is always terrifying, and indeed it was. It made anything I’d ever tried at the climbing wall seem like it happened in black and white, while this—real rock!—was in technicolor. The landscape, the adrenaline, my heart pounding … Nature is no gym. It is a million times better.

 Peak District, England

To be clear: I am not naturally athletic, strong, or brave. I am possibly the diametric opposite of all of those things. But, in the first weeks of trying climbing on for size, I found out it doesn’t take a traditional athlete to be a climber, nor does it take a lot of physical strength. Lots of people, especially women, are scared off it because they think you need to be strong; not true. 

Women, at a major disadvantage in terms of upper body strength, turn out to make some of the best climbers. (Check out Lynn Hill for one amazing example.) Our tiny fingers slip into cracks in the rock that guys can’t touch, and we’re smaller, which helps. Climbing, you’ll learn from your first time on real rock, isn’t about being strong. It’s about balance, poise, dynamic movements, timing … It’s surprisingly like dancing, as much an art form as it is a sport.

Muckross Head in Donegal, Ireland

I’m actually using “climbing”  to refer to a couple of different things. There’s sport climbing, which is where you tie into ropes, have a person belaying you from below, and you make your way up a rock face by clipping your rope into metal bolts that have been pre-placed into the rock. Sport climbing is pretty safe, as safe as climbing a route at the climbing wall. (If you’re competitive, sport climbing is a good way to channel that.)

Traditional climbing, or trad climbing, is about making your way up a rock face by placing gear into crevices and cracks that you find in the rock, and clipping your ropes into the gear you’ve placed yourself. If you have a technical/mechanical mind (ie. you like gadgets and machines), or if you’re especially independent, trad climbing is brilliant. If sport climbing is like driving an automatic, trad climbing is driving a manual: more control, more responsibility.

There’s also bouldering, which is about climbing rocks without ropes, on routes low to the ground, with mats placed on the ground below. Bouldering is about technical skill, and, for many people, the beauty of movement. I suggest trying every kind of climbing. I’m still a new climber, and have spent the past two years mostly bouldering with a bit of trad climbing and one adventure in deep water soloing (climbing on overhanging cliffs above the sea) all of which have their own charms and thrills. 

The best thing about climbing: It’s a zen thing, a teacher. Clinging to the side of a mountain with my left hand, unclipping a piece of gear from my harness with my right, I have been able to ignore the vast dimensions of space spreading out on all sides, and hone in on a tiny crack in the rock in front of me in order to correctly place that bit of gear and go on to the next move … and I can’t even throw a football.  Climbing forces you into the zone because—your body is telling you, regardless of the safety of ropes—this is life or death. And your mind responds by learning to handle stress in a different way, channeling it to help you get to the top.

Cliffs on the Mediterranean, near Olympos, Turkey 

The second best thing about climbing: It takes you to some amazing places. For me, so far, I’ve climbed over the ocean southern Turkey, in the desert in Texas, on mountains and rock faces all over Ireland, and England … And I’m just getting started. The key is to avoid convenience sometimes, to pass up the climbing wall (or the gym) in favor of something a little more primal. Your body and soul will know the difference.

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Like I said, a bit on the intimidating side but I think the "pros" Danielle just listed here make it a challenge worth accepting! Have you ever tried climbing? Would you? 

I Spin for Peanut Butter!

Happy Monday, everyone! (I know, I know... it stinks- But that's why I have another fun post to distract you for a few minutes!) 


Here in Thailand, it's actually already Monday night and I just hopped out of the shower. Not to get TOO personal but while I was in there, I was admiring my legs not only for the tan I've acquired in my tropical locale but also for their shape and definition. I have not had a single proper workout since I left NYC on Dec. 23rd and I was considering that even though I have not been able to hit the gym, my lifestyle here is so very active that I still feel (and look!) fantastic; well, I think so anyway...


 (I figure self-loathing on fitness blogs is so 2011 and in 2012, we should be admiring our bodies, yeah?) 


MUCH of my activity comes from riding a bicycle everywhere- the market, to the school I'm teaching at, to the Thai massage parlor, to the wat (temple), etc. Even when we go out to lunch and dinner, we ride our bikes. It's incredibly pleasant and I'm so thankful for the workout cycling approximately 4-5 miles/day has given me! I know I'd go a bit mad without it. Luckily, when I return to the States in a week, I won't have to give my newfound fitness obsession up entirely.....
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I Spin for Peanut Butter!

(Photo courtesy of Asphalt Green)

I do. And for ice cream, bbq chips, pancakes, cheeseburgers... all of it. It was the moment I saw Jenn Anniston’s rockin’ hot bod, then calculating the near 20 year gap between her and I, that I thought, “Okay, I need some spin in my life!”

So I joined Asphalt Green on the Upper East Side, and was off to my new life, and my first spin class. I was hooked! I thought I was going to die, and sweat like a man (the only available seat was next to the really adorable chap of course!), but I knew I was past the point of no return. I’d be back. I put together some tips for girls, who like me, and just starting off:

1. Have a positive attitude. You might want to kick and scream a bit, but have an open mind. Rome wasn’t built in a day!
2. Don’t let intimidation get the best of you. Sure, there will be classmates who look like Olympians and can spin circles around you, but the challenge in some beautiful way brings us together.
3. Drink water! Stay hydrated. Trust me, it’s your new best friend.
4. Motivate, challenge, push yourself. You are capable of burning up to 600 calories in one class! Find that picture, set that goal, the bikini you’ve been dying to wear, and go for it!  (Do you know how much peanut butter you can get with one spin class?... Only about 5 tablespoons. Rip off.)
5. Keep doing it! Don’t quit after the 2nd or 3rd class. It gets better and better, and so does your bod!
6. Get to know your spin instructor. I am loving Karen Sullivan, of SpinUpGirl.com. She is friendly, inspiring, encouraging, and a lot of fun! She makes me feel confident on the bike.

Benefits of spin class:

• Burn calories
• Increase endurance
• Get super fit
• Have fun!

There you have it. So, what do you spin for?

More about Asphalt Green
Asphalt Green is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to assisting individuals of all ages and backgrounds achieve health through a lifetime of sports and fitness. This premier athletic complex situated on a beautiful 5½-acre campus is one of New York City’s most valuable resources, acknowledged for its unparalleled programs and expertise. Learn More

“A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Elena Baxter
Co-Founder + Marketing Director
Lifestyle + Charity Magazine
@emabax
Facebook.com/ElenaBaxter
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So who else is up for a little spinning this year?! Elena, let's make it a date in the City when I return! Oh, and P.S. Be sure to check out the magazine Elena and her sister co-founded, LifestyleandCharity.com. There are some wonderful fitness articles there plus great events going on in the NYC-area!

Fly Away, Fly Away, Fly Away....

Welcome back to LaFemmeFITalle! You all are in for a treat today because my second guest blogger is going to tell you all about a trend that has hit yoga HARD and (thankfully) is not going away anytime soon! 

Rachael is my trusted resource for all things yoga in NYC- We've really enjoyed canvassing the city to take classes together and now that she is working the desk at OM Factory in Chelsea, I know exactly where to head to get my zen on. =) Please enjoy her post as she teaches you all about a yoga phenomenon definitely worth looking into. Who knows- It just might be your 2012 fitness obsession...

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Have you ever wanted to fly?  I remember dreaming of flying like a bird night after night as a kid.  I remember thinking to myself that when I grew up, I wanted to fly.  The closest I have come to fulfilling this childhood dream is AntiGravity Yoga…it gives you wings (and not the Red Bull kind).

Doesn’t sound familiar?  If you just shook your head and thought “What is AntiGravity Yoga all about?”  Then you can count yourself as being a part of the majority of people who have yet to experience AGY.  It is an art form that is in its infancy.  It is so new, in fact, that it doesn’t even have its own Wikipedia page yet (!)  Not only is AGY a new art form, but its development has created a new genre of exercise, known as “suspension fitness” and involves the use of Hammocks which are securely suspended from the ceiling and function to allow people to hold challenging poses longer, build cardiovascular and muscular strength, and decompress the vertebrae of the spine without strain.  

I am fortunate enough to intern at OM Factory, one of the very few yoga studios in NYC that offers AntiGravity classes.  If you are lucky enough to take an AGY class there with AGY certified instructor, Josie Say, she will probably give you a brief history of the practice.   Last Thursday, she informed our class that AGY was dreamed up only about 20 years ago by Christopher Harrison, the founder of AntiGravity, Inc, an acrobatic entertainment group based in New York City.  She explained that AntiGravity Yoga is a hybrid practice combining traditional yoga poses with aerial arts, Pilates, and dance.  I can attest that elements from all of these arts were a part of the 75 minute class.  

The class moved at steady clip, with enough time in each pose to really feel the muscles activating.  If you are familiar with yoga, you will recognize that AGY classes move through the familiar poses, but the extra element of swinging in a hammock adds an entirely new dimension to the yoga practice.  Everyone began in a seated position in which the soft silkiness of the AGY Hammock envelopes your body.  This is called, “Womb” and is considered a levitating meditation or, in Sanskrit, Badda Konasana.  That was followed up with a zero compression inversion.  Josie very carefully guided us in and out through a series of simple progressions, while rhythmic music hummed softly in the background.  My second favorite pose was “Monkey” (my first being the “Screaming Cannonball” … it’s nicer than it sounds).  “Monkey” is one of the simpler inversions in which our legs carry the weight of our body as our bodies swing weightlessly upside down.  

Everyone Monkey!

The remainder of the class was dedicated to hydrating joints through mobility exercises, elongating and strengthening the muscles, decompressing the spine and fine-tuning proprioceptors for better agility through swinging exercises. At times, people needed a little extra-boost of confidence to make it into a pose & Josie seemed to have a sixth sense at these times and was able to say exactly what we needed to hear to move us forward in our AGY journey.  She and her assistant did a tremendous job of providing moral support to each of us, even giving hands on assistance when needed.  Believe or not, everyone was successful every time.  We finished with a “Floating Savasana” meditation where one seals in the positive effects of their practice.

Before I left the class, Josie and her assistant were nice enough to humor my questions about AGY and were even willing to help me into a few advanced poses.  

This is our version of “Double Lotus”.  

You can see that I am enjoying my new relationship to gravity!  I can’t wait to do it all again next week.  As to whether or not you will take the leap and try AGY is totally up to you but I will leave you with a quote from AGY instructors to help you make up your mind: 

"The class emphasis is to have fun while learning new skills and experiencing a total body workout." –OMFactory

Namaste.

Rachael

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Oh, and P.S., if you are interested in a hilariously honest account of living in N.Y.C., be sure to visit Rachael over at her own blog:

                                                              WhenStarbucksRuledTheWorld.blogspot.com