Tired

I know I have a good life. I know this, but dear God, I am SO tired of feeling taken advantage of. It never seems to end and call me a complainer but I don't feel like this is a complaint; it's my life struggle (we all have them) to deal with. Whether it's constantly bending over backwards for someone and never getting anything in return, or opening up to someone emotionally and never even knowing things about them until it's too late, being super generous and never seeing anything in any form being given back not even time or energy, or giving an inch and them taking a mile, it seems this is my lot in life.

Can I change it? I hope so. I'm growing so tired of it....what to do? I just want things to be good, fair, and peaceful. Is that too much to ask?? ;)

On a different note, it's crazy how you can connect with a character so much it's eerie. Watching "Black Swan" recently, I connected so much with Natalie Portman's character as she faces struggles and her dealings with her mother. Maybe it's the living at home for so long and being so over-protected and naive. But wow, I think if I had stayed in that environment for much longer maybe I would have ended up as poor Nina. Hopefully not and I've made it thus far but man, the beginning of the movie reminded me SO much of me at 18, 19, 20. Super naive. Ugh. But it sure did make me miss ballet and all of the guts and glory that go into it!! Loved Black Swan!!! :)

Falling off the wagon...

The best part about falling off the wagon is getting back on, right?

I've lost my way after a fun trip to Sunriver, having too much fun for my birthday, and then getting super, super sick. Ugh. It happens and I refuse to beat myself up over it. I am up this morning, FINALLY feeling better from that dreadful cold, and am determined to get up and get moving and restarting my Tracy Anderson Continuity DVD's. Now that the congestion is finally just about almost 100% gone, I feel I can safely restart my program, so here we go! Looking forward to logging those burned calories!! :)

Leap of Faith - Inspirations

Just a few things that have recently inspired me.......the list will continue....

1.  My beautiful friend, Juliet, who said "bye-bye" to the corporate world and is following her true love and inspiration as a yoga instructor...you can take her yoga classes HERE.
2.  All of the amazingly talented and young dancers on So You Think You Can Dance (one of my top fave shows - don't laugh!).....when I watch that show, I come to tears nearly every performance night.  Their grace and talent astound me year after year...
3.  All of my fellow Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis ladies....I have added quite a few of their blogs to my blog list to the right and they are just SO inspirational.  We all come from different backgrounds/experience so to be doing this together and being able to help support each other through an online media helps tremendously!
4.  Those who follow their dreams.  I kick myself all the time for not following mine when I was young and had so many possibilities (no regrets though!) but also know that it's NEVER TOO LATE and when I hear about friends my age who make it possible, it makes me hopeful.
5.  All of my beautiful and talented friends who are so caring and thoughtful.  I love you.

Happy July 2011.  Wish it was sunny here in Portland but alas, it's Portland and it's still raining.  ARGH!!  ;)  xoxo

Day 50 - Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis - Results!

Source: www.aplacetolovedogs.com

I completely forgot to post my Day 50 results! I am now going on Day 56 so am a little behind on posting but things are still going well!

Although by Day 50 I hadn't lost any more weight, I could definitely still feel a difference in the way my clothes were fitting and the way my body looked, which is good!

It turns out I lost another .25" from my hips (hooray!  any little bit counts!!) and another 1/2" from each thigh!!  Seriously!!  :)

I am continuing to see the results and they are great.  I bought a new pair of works pants a couple of weeks ago and they are already getting loose on me, what the heck?!  I am enjoying this feeling and am keeping on.  Level 6 of TAM (Tracy Anderson Method) is definitely kicking my butt but I'm sticking to it.  Other than taking an unscheduled rest day the other day, I'm a keeping on.......only four more days of Level 6!  I can do it and then I'll get to see what Level 7 has in store for me....YIKES!

Hope everyone is doing well....over and out for now!  :)

Hello Level 6!



Source: fitsugar.com

Well, hello Level 6 of Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis and thank you VERY much for properly kicking my butt from the get-go!  Seriously, the warm-up and arms are great, even the arms with weights and the isolations are a breeze.....then we get to the abs where we have more parts moving around at the same time and holy heck, the leg lifts!  WOW...

Consider myself schooled.

Tracy Anderson - you rock my world and I only hope that all of this hard work, sweat, and profanity, gives me a rock-hard butt and thighs!  :)

Happy Thursday everyone!  Hope you are all having a great week and all had a fabulous 4th of July!!

Day 3 of Level 6 is tomorrow.......going to go to bed early again to try and prepare myself.  Wish me luck!

Crazy Bikram Yoga Rituals

There are so many pros to working out at home, as I'm discovering.  One of these, as my post's title suggests, is not having to do/deal with all of my crazy Bikram Yoga rituals that I think most Bikram yogis abide by.  They are numerous (feel free to add to my list!) and will sound crazy.....if interested, keep reading:

1. Not eating anything at LEAST 2 hours prior to class
2. Not drinking any more water at least 1 hour prior to class
3. Never, not in a million years, use ANY kind of lotion as it will make you super slippery in class once you start sweating buckets
4. Having to find an ice source (to keep your water cold throughout class) if you're going to class from work (luckily we had an ice machine) otherwise I'd have to stop at Starbucks before class
5. Having to Sherpa around bags full of crap and clothes to change into OH and a change of shoes too because Lord knows you wouldn't want to leave class in your work shoes
6. Sourcing and carrying around grocery bags with you to take your nasty, sweaty clothes home in
7. Finding all kinds of crazy water additives to help sustain your (daily) practice
8. Getting to class at least 30 minutes before it started so you can snag "your spot"
9. Having a favorite water bottle for class and freaking out if you forgot it at home
10. ???  I know I'm missing some.....this is all I can think of right now

I guess most of the "rituals" that I miss the least are the time-consuming ones....it's SO nice to wake up, throw on your workout clothes and shoes, walk downstairs, stretch, and do your workout and be done for the day.   Speaking of which, I'm running behind today with my Tracy Anderson workout, so off to the downstairs I go!  :)

This Does Not Make Me Happy

For those of you that don't actually "know" me, I am very interested in astrology, horoscopes, palm reading, etc.  Well, a few months ago, my acupuncturist and I were talking about all sorts of different things, one of them about retrogrades and astrology.  She gave me the name of a lady, Joni Patry, to look up that made very spot-on predictions but follows Vedic Astrology (Eastern.)
So month to month I get notifications of her updated predictions and my personal astrological prediction for the upcoming month.  Can I just say how NOT pleased I was to read July 2011's prediction for me?  For the record, in Western Astrology, I am a Libra, but in Vedic, I am a Cancer, and you can figure this all out for free on her website using her calculator tools but you must know the time at which you were born.  So, I look up Cancer for July 2011 and read the update below:

"Cancer July 2011
Friendships End

Your friends are unstable and can cause a scene. A friend will disappoint and leave your life. It is time to find friends that support you."

That's it.  That's all.  Nothing more, no elaboration.  Wow.  Ugh!  All of my previous updates were positive and sometimes mysterious and kept me on a good page.  This one just turns me off.  I feel like I've been dealing with friend drama since I can remember.  Girl friends used to get mad at me in middle school for inviting the new kids to join our group.  I have had some truly amazing friendships that all of a sudden just fall apart and I'm not quite sure why.  There have been more recent ones that have gone kaput but I *do* know why and they have made sense to me, one, which was resolved years later and now we are close again after talking about what happaned and another one which I truly, truly miss and I need to send her a message or something soon, but otherwise, I haven't had any regrets in the losing friends department.

I agree that we should all have friends in our life that are supportive and that don't disappoint us but it also depends on our expectations of that friend, doesn't it?  I guess I naturally expect in return the friendship, time, and devotion that I put into a friend relationship and if I don't get that in return, I begin questioning it and why am I bending over backwards for someone that doesn't make time for me?  I'm not saying this is right but I'm saying this is naturally what I trend towards.....

The whole set of predictions for July 2011 and on was kind of crazy anyhow so to read this on top of all of that just kind of freaked me out.  I don't think I have any friends that will disappoint me but who knows?  Yuck.  I'm going to try and not think about it and let July 2011 be what it will and hope for the best!  :)

Almost Halfway Through My Metamorphosis Journey!

Metamorphosis
Source: yourdictionary.com

When you hear the word metamorphosis, the first thing a person usually thinks of is a butterly, or rather, a caterpillar turning into a beautiful butterfly.

This morning I completed Day 44 of my Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis program.  After tomorrow morning's workout, I will be halfway through my original 90-day journey and then will move on to Continuity.

Time flies.  I have enjoyed each and every day of my metamorphosis and am ever SO thankful to have found Tracy Anderson and the support of her online community.  I've never felt better and I am on my way to turning into that butterfly.  Not that I've ever thought I'm ugly or needed a transformation but it was just about time to find something that works for me and gives me the results I've been wanting for all of my hard work, effort, and time invested.

Level 5, you are hard, but I'm keeping up with you, Tracy!  The abs are pretty dang difficult but they will only get me results.  I am looking forward to a much deserved massage tonight and getting my butt kicked again in the morning!  Amazing results, you are mine!  Metamorphosis, you will be mine!  :)  Happy Tuesday, everyone!

When did I become so practical?!

Today, after a very nice homemade/brought lunch with a good friend, we stopped in a store in my building that sells high-end apparel and accessories for women and men.  Well, they have a HUGE sale going on and the shoe style to the left (in the color of the ones below) were 50% off! 

Well, normally 50% off is a GREAT deal and I guess in the grand scheme of designer things, this IS a great deal.  They just HAD to be in my size and yes, folks, they are those beautiful italian-made shoes with the pretty red bottoms.....Christian Louboutins.

I just couldn't do it.  I started thinking of all of the things I could buy with that money so I grabbed a catalog, thanked the sales ladies, and made a b-line for my office.  When I got back to work I just couldn't stop thinking of these shoes.  They were gorgeous.  They felt amazing on my feet.  Why shouldn't I buy them??  I mean, don't my feet deserve them?!  I can wear them with practically anything and yes, I deserve them!  But my mind kept going back to the dollar signs.  It was just TOO much.  That's like 3 weeks worth of food for my Tracy Anderson Method food plan......

And then I thought to myself, damn......since when did I become so freaking practical??!!!

Maybe I will hold off until I complete my 90 day program.  Maybe I will make these shoes (or another pair on sale if these are gone which they likely will be) my reward to myself for having completed 90 days of the Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis Method.  That sounds like a good idea.  I've always wanted a pair....and the ones I bought on eBay don't count!  :)

Bye-Bye Level 4!

A Kiwi-Tini
Source: Great Taste Magazine

Yesterday morning I completed Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis day/workout #40.  Phew!  Did I sweat buckets yesterday morning!  I can't tell you how happy I am to have finished level 4.  The free arms/warm-up, arms w/weights, abs, and isolations worked you but weren't HARD.  Now, the leg lifts.......all 200 sets on EACH LEG (some having two movements per 1 set, ugh!!) were another story.  Usually the first side would be "easy," but the minute I moved on to the second side (which I would alternate each morning), I would be DYING and struggling to make it through all of the reps but darn it, I would just pause that DVD and finish them out until I did ALL of them.  BAM!  Take that, Tracy Anderson!  ;)

With day 40 comes new measurements and weigh-in.  Again, I am happy to report that I am down a total of 20 pounds (2 more since my official 30-day weigh-in) and I lost another half-inch from my hips!  :)  These results have just been amazing and I start level 5 today.  Since I have an EARLY morning and LONG meeting scheduled at work I have to start tonight after work but it's okay, I'll get it done.  Also, had an AMAZING Portland Art Museum Young Patrons Society event last night that centered around "The Allure of the Automobile."  We had a FABULOUS turnout thanks to my fellow organizing committee members and the Museum's partners at the Oregon Historical Society.....WOW.  I could have done without the Kiwi-tini (although delicious), it had this green sugared rim that turned my tongue, and inside of my lips GREEN.  LOL

Here's looking forward to level 5 of Tracy Anderson's Metamorphosis Method tonight!  SO excited and excited for my next measurement/weigh-in on Day 50!!!  :)

Back in Balance

Well, boy, am I glad that last week (AKA the crap week from HELL) is over.  It seems that everything reset and most all was better by Saturday and that this week was to bring forth realizations and answers to my recent problems.  Things are back in balance and as a Libra, I can appreciate that.

The work-problem situation has been resolved and the systems are now set up to help all of us do our jobs as it should have been in the first place.

Called first thing Monday morning right at 7am when they opened to the Literati help line.  They actually tried to help me first by troubleshooting but when nothing worked she got my name and address to ship me a box/label to send the broken one in and they'll send a new one my way once received.  I'm happy about that.  Just bummed that my reading has been set back a bit.

Also on Monday, I posted a question to the Blogger's help page and got an answer pretty quickly and voila!  My blog layout is fixed.  Turns out there was something in the code from one of my posts last week that was messing everything up.  Thank you to the person that helped me!  Also, through that research, I found an amazing new link to Free Blogger Templates for your Blog.  And that is what you are seeing now - VERY happy with the new template!  :)

All seems right in the world (knock on wood) and looking forward to tomorrow, Day 40 on the Tracy Anderson Method Metamorphosis!!  Another check-in with weight and measurements.......I can definitely feel the difference and it's always good to be reassured by actual numbers!

TJ Craxx

This is what it looked like.
Source: fatchic.net

What better way to spend a Sunday than to make a "quick trip" to TJ Maxx to look for some easy to wear items that aren't going to cost an arm and a leg? Oh and to check out their label hand bags also because, I'm sorry, but I REFUSE to pay full price for all of that stuff. Everything just gets soo expensive.  Why shouldn't we be allowed to get a good discount on the higher-end items??


Uhhhh, yeah.  Two hours later and I am still in there shopping and looking around for crying out loud!  I completely lost track of time but ended up with some very nice items (BCBG dress, The Limited top, fun black dress for going out, 2 pairs of Tahari heels, DKNY top, Evan Picone black dressy dress, Kate Spade wallet, Betsey Johnson wristlet, cute Nike/Adidas/Underarmour athletic socks, a trio of amazing hourglasses to decorate the house, and Kitchen Aid prep bowls/storage containers!) Awesome, right??! And all for GREAT prices. Now, if only I could get those two hours of my life back! Can't believe I did that! It's been a long time...

I guess you just gotta do that for yourself every once in a while.  Here's to spending money and wasting time!  :)

Will this week EVER end?!

It's been one of those weeks.  I can't do anything right, everything I do turns to you-know-what, and the days are just dragging!  Luckily, or unluckily, all of this has been affecting my work-world...not sure what is going on but heard that there is a full moon and a lunar eclipse going on so maybe some of it has to do with that.

On the bright side (yes, there is always one) the sun is out, it's supposed to be in the mid-70's today and I am really looking forward to the weekend.

On another bright side, I am still doing really well with my TAM workouts and food program, I am down a total of 19 pounds since starting her Metamorphosis Method (23 pounds total since I started counting/paying attention earlier this year)!  So, needless to say, that progress is making me VERY happy.

Almost done with our book club book.  I am just a couple of short chapters away from finishing "The Island" by Victoria Hislop and it has been an AMAZING read.  I'm only bummed I couldn't make it back in time from the coast to make it to our book club meeting...looking forward to our next read, "Three Junes" by Julia Glass.  Sounds like a great book!

Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis on QVC!!

Well, folks, you can now buy Tracy Anderson's Metamorphosis Method on QVC!!!  You all know how much I LOVE Tracy Anderson and I am just SO happy that there is another option to make her workouts available to everyone out there that needs a good kick in the butt.  I am still loving her workouts and LOVE that she changes it up every 10 days; really makes a difference.  As of today I am 35 days into her program and am still getting results. 

I had to DVR her appearance on QVC because they aired one show at 2:00am and another at a time I was at work.  It was fun to see her live on QVC and to hear and see how inspired she is by all of us little old regular and out of shape folks that are finding amazing results through her Method.  People called in with their praise and testimonials and they even had live people on air to show their before and after results and they were just AMAZING!  I am SOO impressed and inspired by the many that have begun their journey with Tracy.  I'll make sure to keep you all up to date on my progress but right now, level 4 is kicking my butt big time!  It's hard but I'm sticking with it because.....I can do it!  :)  Have a great day, all!




Tracy on QVC - Source: QVC.com



Why are people SO rude?!

If I knew the answer to this one, well, I'd be a pretty rich lady...

Are they having a bad day and need someone to take it out on or do they just have poor manners?  Do they feel the need to make another human being feel lesser than them and maybe feel joy as they talk down to them??

I don't know but whatever it is, I still don't think you're justified to treat someone disrespectfully, especially when they are a fellow associate!  Why don't they take a DEEP breath in and a DEEP breath out, think about what they're about to do or say BEFORE they act?!

Ugh!!

Tolerance

I wonder sometimes why things happen the way they do and yes, I am one of those annoying "everything happens for a reason" people.  It's like every day is a test no matter who you are, how old you are, how smart you are, none of that matters.

Recently, I feel as though my tolerance has been tested almost daily and some things are just tiny, miniscule things but still, just feeling as though there will be a reason for all of this.  It's getting better since I've become more aware of it but it's still annoying that these things are bothering me...glad it's making me think though and hoping it will only help me be smarter, stronger, quicker, more truthful, more aware, and happier.

One of my biggest awarenesses (and unfortunately, not a new one) is towards negative people.  I just find it SO much work and such an unnecessary waste of energy to be negative, let alone, deal with a negative person.  And it shows if you're merely pretending to be positive, it truly does.  You can't fake optimism and if you try, well, in my eyes it's pretty obvious.  What a difference when you are around someone who is positive from the inside out then when you are around someone who is constantly just finding the bad things to point out.  Also, reading people's posts whether it's on facebook, twitter, online support communities, whatever the forum, when the poster is constantly just finding the negative and any reason to quit, I simply tune out.  I used to be the cheerleader, the one pushing and affirming, but it just gets so old!  I get SO tired of hand-holding and always trying to help the other person see the good in the bad; if they can't see it anymore then that's their problem and likely I'll stop listening.  I just don't have time for that kind of crap anymore.  I'm getting too old...

***30 Day Results!*** Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis Hipcentric

Well, today is the day......30 days that I've been on the TAM program (food plan and all) and here are my results:

I am down a total of 18 pounds!!!! 

I have lost 2 inches total on bust, 3 inches from waist, 2.5 inches from hips, 3 inches off each thigh and 1 inch each arm!!!  Pretty freaking amazing if you ask me.  I'm loving it and looking forward to starting level four and the next 30 day journey on Saturday!  :)

I am so thrilled and excited to share my results.  The work has been hard but I'm getting stronger and I know I can keep it up!

Thank you, Tracy Anderson, for this wonderful program and for helping me begin my "metamorphosis!"  I'm excited to see where this 90-day total journey will take me, however, I am also excited that I have found something for life. 

I love TAM!!!  :o)

Excited

Tomorrow will be 30 days on the Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis Method and I am very excited to weigh-in (crazy, I know) and take measurements to see my results so far.  60 more days to go and wonder where I will be by then?! 

I feel great and am loving each and every workout.....so looking forward to making TAM a part of my life!

Tracy Anderson Method - Metamorphosis!!

So......okay, it's been a few months since writing.  Work has been crazy, life has been crazy, 2011 has been quite the busy year so far but it's all good.

Like clockwork (so weird), right around April things were just getting too busy and I haven't been able to make yoga as often as before, which is fine, and I totally accept.  I mean, I'd love to go, but when you have to get work done, you have to get work done and I have to accept that gone are the days of when I can leave whenever I want and make up the hours later.....at least for now.....

SO - comes into the picture, Tracy Anderson Method - Metamorphosis - Hipcentric.  I had read about Tracy Anderson before on Gwyneth Paltrow's blog/newsletter GOOP, and had already watched ALL of the infomercials online from her website and pretty much became obsessed with this new "method."

So, naturally, I bit the bullet and ordered the set of DVD's.  I have not been happy with my weight lately and would probably keep getting worse, but I refuse to go above my highest weight, which I won't say online, but a girl's got limits!  Enough was enough and Lord knows I hate the gym and now that we live further out, I haven't done any outdoor workouts, besides, it rains so freaking much here, what's the point?

Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis (TAM - also the abbreviation for Tracy Anderson Method - check out her 30-day method book, which I found out after the fact, that you should start with her book and "graduate" to Metamorphosis) Hipcentric (the beauty is it is personalized to your body type), was delivered to me on Friday, May 6th.  Exercise program started first thing Saturday morning, May 7th.  Dynamic Food Plan started Monday, May 9th.  Today is Tuesday, May 24th and so far, 12 pounds lost, and about 5.5" total lost from bust, waist, hips, thigh, and arm.

Need I say more??!  It works and it's going to keep on working as the workouts change every 10 days and she follows aesthetics that I follow such as less weight, more reps.  Read up about her and if you're thinking about doing it - just do it!  :)

2011 - So far, so good

Well, eventhough 2010 had a blip towards the end, and a tough decision had to be made (bye-bye drama!), we were able to ring in the New Year at an amazing 5-year anniversary party of some very dear friends.

2011 has started off on some very positive notes in my world and I feel very grateful. 27 Bikram Yoga classes in January, so far for February going on classes 6 and 7 tonight, including the advanced series which I am incredibly happy I have been able to start and incorporate into my practice this new year. It's funny how things happen but I have always believed that "things happen for a reason." People, learning, timing....it's all there and it all comes to us when we need it and them most.

Our housewarming party this past weekend went VERY well, and that makes me happy also! So many amazing and fun people from past and present were in attendance and just made the entire night a blast! I haven't had that much fun in a while...it was great. And it couldn't have happened without all of those amazing people that have been in my life and that made the effort to attend.

Well, it's Wednesday, hump day, and it feels like it...looking forward to yoga tonight! Is it 5 yet? ;)