Happy New Year!! Can you believe it’s 2006 already? I am "so" not ready for this. It’s like 2005 whizzed by so flippin’ fast that I can barely believe it. Considering things/events/chapters of my life, maybe that’s a good thing? Don’t know but I do know that it’s time for a fresh start and for some (if not all) that’s a time for resolutions.
What? You don’t like resolutions? Why not? Are you totally happy/satisfied/content with your life? No? Think of resolutions as changes or goals or aspirations .. not always to be reached and accomplished but things you shoot for. Ok. Ok. Maybe I can’t convince you but maybe I can get you to think about it.
For me– particularly after the holidays- it’s about fitness and health. Ditching the bad eating habits and the overly rich, high fat, not exactly the best choices food is the first thing. In the last week, we spent some time in our house dumping out food– stuff that we don’t need to eat. Not to say that the Pumpkin Mousse Cake from Bristol Farms wasn’t excellent ( or anything else I bought from them) or that the home-made whipped cream wasn’t terrific too but I don’t need to have it around.
Instead yesterday, I went to the market and picked up winter squash, pears, apples, plain instant oatmeal, salad fixings, canned soup (Campbell’s Select Soups are AWESOME!) and other healthy foods.
Now if I was really organized and would actually get through the day following the schedule (and could convince my "significant other" that we needed to do this), I would sign up for Zone Chefs or Nutrifit for food to be delivered.
Zone Chefs has some awesome looking food like:
Waffles
Apple Tarts (I am a dessert fiend at times)
Of if you want a more balanced approach to healthy eating, local food expert Jackie Keller of Nutrifit
has easy programs of food you can order or just desserts and snacks like truly healthy energy bars! Her food can be picked up or delivered to your home and it’s exceptionally tasty. My favorites include these yummy energy bars that come in flavors like pineapple, cranberry, chocolate and more
as well as these phenomenal Chocolate Fudgy Cakes, brownies and Biscottis. The Fudgecake was Uma Thurman’s favorite after having her baby!
If cooking, shopping and meal preparation aren’t your gig or your schedule is jam-packed, check with both programs to see if they are available and would work for you. Healthy eating is crucial– not just now, due to post-holiday remorse or to fit into those jeans, but because you want to be healthy!
Other things I do on a regular basis include making sure I use non-fat milk, particularly in lattes and skipping the whipped cream on any beverage. I particularly like to drink tea (green, black, chai ) for the anti-oxidant value over coffee. Water has been a great focus as it helps hydrate the system, the skin, improves your body’s functioning and more. It just "helps". Not only do I have Arrowhead gallons at home, I take water by the liter with me in my car everywhere. It’s easy to stay hydrated on the road.
What else am I doing? Trying a new beverage out — Function— and that will be found on the LA Story blog later today. So please don’t forget to check in there. (It’s got everything else that’s not beauty-related there but is all about LA, fashion, fun, travel and more.. it’s all about LA as a lifestyle.) This new beverage helps to alleviate hang-overs (not that I have one but I don’t feel red hot today either) and the toxins from the body from just too much stress in life. So check back later gator for that one.
Given that I have been on a serious dessert and chocolate binge. ( Hello Godiva! The G Collection was my downfall. It’s heaven in a chocolate box!!) since Thanksgiving (I was enormously good at Halloween but fell apart at Turkey Day) and I needed to get off that cycle fast!! Part of getting past the "sugar highs" and low blues, is to workout. And while I had been working out, I had been inundated with deadlines and not being consistent on the cardio part. So it’s back to square 1 (ok.. not really square one but getting into my routine) . Why? Because I like how it makes my body feel. I am more energetic– my skin looks better, I function better and quite frankly, my clothes look better. Eating and drinking stuff I don’t normally include in my diet means I am puffy and feel sluggish. I don’t like either feeling and so it’s back to basics.
Now most people would suggest hitting the gyms like Equinox
which are both terrific venues for group fitness, fabulous equipment and some stellar classes– Gyromania at Santa Monica Equinox captures my interest as does any class with the Equinox WeHo’s David Gray .. I have been a huge fan for eons. But honestly, I am not a group person. I am more likely to visit small studios for pilates or small cardio classes like Swerve on Third Street in WeHo for the Yoga Ballet Booty Queens, Teigh and Gillian!
These two ladies have a great studio, fab instructors and also created an empowering workout that’s all about appreciating your body and movement called Yoga Booty Ballet that’s a blend of yoga, ballet and dance moves along with core strengthening. You can purchase workout videos from Swerve or from Beachbody.com
Now if you aren’t ready to hit a class –studio or gym– maybe working out at home with DVDs or VHS videos is the way to go. It’s my favorite way to crank up the volume and get my groove on with convenience of doing it at home at any time! I would highly recommend checking out the following places:
Beachbody.com for Yoga Booty Ballet –LIVE and regular versions; Turbo-Jam (a hot fun kick boxing workout that will carve your abs;) and Kathy Smith Project You –an awesome all encompassing program.
Collage Video great places to find DVD and video workouts not found in most stores. Fitness junkies worldwide know about CollageVideo.com and know that if you want the "real deal" of serious fitness workouts in the comfort of your home that are both fun and challenging, then Collage is the place to go because they stock more workout videos/DVDs than anyone else! Their selection rocks with names like Kari Anderson, Jay Blahnik, Marcos Prolo, Patrick Godeau, Rob Glick, Kelli Roberts, Petra Kolber, Karen Voight, Kathy Smith, Crunch, Tae Bo and tons more. For the novice, those names might be new but for those in the fitness circles where I travel, these are names that are exciting and inspiring because of the new workouts that these and many other fitness pros have created for Step, Hi/Lo Aerobics, Pilates, Yoga, Treadmill, Walking, Dance, Stability Ball, Strength Training and more.
A few that might be good to check out include:
Kari Anderson’s GO— a beginning step workout that’s easy for beginners and will get you started workout from one of the masters of STEP who also has 3-4 gyms in the Pacific Northwest! Available at collagevideo.com or on her own website, prorobics.com
Kari’s other workouts include: Push a more advanced Step and Hi/Lo workout and
Reach, a twist on the Yoga/Pilates trend that incorporates both and still adds some new moves inspired by dance.
Other titles you might find do-able would include two from Janis Saffell:
Beverly Hills Yoga
and Beverly Hills Pilates –both feature great cueing, direction and take you through a workout that will help you get started in these disciplines and yet keep tweaking them so they last a long time.
Other websites to check for other types of workouts include ITrain.com for unique downloadable to MP3 player workout which features cueing and workout music for a variety of workouts including stretch, sculpt, tread, cycle, climb, ballet, teen hiphop and more! It’s created in concert with fitness pro Grace Lazenby and other fitness pros for a purchase by the month, year or by the download for the workout options that you want.
If you love the machines or to run– check out CardioCoach, for use with treadmills, stairmasters, bikes/cycling and more and it takes you through a rocketing and riveting interval workout that will very efficient and effective. It’s exceptionally challenging and those that use it, swear by it
Ok.. enough already. I bet you are already tired and I need a nap! I have already worked out today and done pilates matwork, some ab work and done a bunch of other stuff too.
See you at the beauty counter !
Stevie
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