When You Need Something Done...

...do it yourself or call the best!

 

 

Besides me, the greatest trainer I know, and truly trust my body with, is my best guy friend, Rae Siskind. Rae was my Personal Trainer in Atlanta and now that I'm here we hook up as often as possible. As I've shared with you already, I'm being led down sugary trails right now so in order to combat what could be a very hefty holiday season for me, I had to call in the big guns.

 

I never have to wonder if the workout will be a good one because like I said, Rae is definitely the A-list trainer. No matter how much of a celebrity I become, he will always be the only one I call. Because he knows my injuries and limitations, he's able to quickly adjust just in case something happens, which is not so far fetched when you're dealing with a back like mine - something can tweak at any time. I've dealt with other trainers before and they seem to be a bit gun shy with me even though they know I'm strong and can do, or at least will try anything. I always find myself asking them, 'ok, what's next?' and feeling totally unsatisfied. Rae doesn't baby me. If I say I'm good then we keep going.

 

I love his confidence and he pushes, pushes, pushes. I will be relying heavily on my friend this season because at the tender age of 42, sugar pockets just seem to hang around longer than they used to and I can not have that! As much as I love sweets, I don't want to look like I love sweets and there's only one way to ensure that doesn't happen... keep the sweat rolling your back!



I think I found my drink for the holidays!

Blood Orange & Pomegranate Mimosa

Ingredients:

• 3 cups chilled blood orange juice
• 3 cups chilled pomegranate juice
• 1 750ml bottle chilled sparkling wine, such as Prosecco
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

Combine blood orange and pomegranate juices in a pitcher. Divide among 10 glasses. Top each with Prosecco. Garnish with pomegranate seeds.

Tips:

• Look for blood orange juice near other refrigerated or other specialty juices or squeeze your own juice from fresh blood oranges. If you can't find either, regular orange juice will work too. (If you've never had a drink with fresh squeezed juice, let this be the season!!)
• To seed a pomegranate, fill large bowl with water. Lightly score the fruit into quarters from crown to stem end, cutting through the skin but not into the interior fruit. Hold th fruit under water, breakit apart and use your hands to gently separate the seeds from the outer skin and white pith. the seeds will drop to the bottom and the pith will float to the surface. Discard the pith. Pour seeds into a colander. Rinse and pat dry. Seeds can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutrition:

• 138 calories; 0g fat; 20g carbs; 0g added sugar; 1g fiber; 8mg sodium; 331 mg potassium.

Recipe found on one of my favorite sites: www.eatingwell.com

 

Ummm... Sugarrr...

I am an admitted chocoholic. I wake up to find little packages at my door from my neighbor (or I did before I moved). Even my clients bring it to me. The only time I say no to chocolate is if there’s coconut in the mix. But then again, I recently had some coconut that I liked.

Yes, I have a problem. This became quite evident to me when I recently woke to find it smeared all over my bed. This is rated G, I promise. Apparently, I fell asleep eating Powerberries which are these little tart, sweet, fruit chewys covered in dark chocolate from Trader Joe's. Yea, ridiculous! The next morning I pull back the sheets to make the bed and there’s chocolate everywhere! I guess I dropped a few as I slipped into my happy chocolate sleep.

Now my favorite time of year is here – the season of TREATS!! Halloween parties begin this weekend and there will be candy around for weeks to come. Thirty days after hanging up the Catwoman costume is Thanksgiving. Cakes, pies, and candied yams, yes ma’am! But the last thirty days are a god send with someone having a party almost every single day which means more cakes, pies, and candied yams! Whew…

For the next two months, sugar is king. No matter where you go there will be treats and if you’re like me, it’s impossible to say no. I plan on enjoying this holiday like I always do but this time around I'm staying physically active. Yes, my workouts suffer in the winter too but I'm 42 years old now and things don't respond the way they used to. I will enjoy my sweet season but I promise myself that I will not gain any weight nor will I lose any muscle (the result of not working out).

Who wants to take this challenge with me? When January rolls around and everyone else is writing their New Year's resolution, of which losing weight is ALWAYS one, you and I will be ahead of the game because we got a jump on the holidays.

Go to my Facebook page www.facebook.com/NaturalRhythmFitness and send me a message. We'll build a community to help us all through the holidays. There will be tips and support and recipe ideas for healthy versions of our favorite sinful delights.

Now that's a pretty good gift...

Slave??

A couple days ago, a friend accused me of being a slave to my body. He says my life is spent in a gym and that I constantly workout.

He said it as if I don’t enjoy every bite of food I put in my mouth. He said it as if my hand isn’t constantly in a bag of chips. He knows I have a weakness for chocolate that I willingly cave to, a lot. He said it as if I don’t enjoy how it feels to be vibrant and strong and as if I don’t like that I look younger than my peers. I am always at the gym because I work at a gym but I don’t believe it takes hours in the gym to develop the body you want so my workouts are tough and quick.

I think I understand his statement though. Most people still believe that being healthy must be hard. I don’t know what else to say other than it’s not! Most of my meals take no more than 15 minutes start to finish and I eat real food. Nothing prepared, packaged or substituted. It’s not expensive or boring because I refuse to throw food away so I get creative with the leftovers. That way I don’t feel like I’m eating the same thing which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Most people still believe cooking healthy must require all kinds of equipment and special toys. Unless you’re trying to stuff your own sausage or press your own almond butter, a basic set of cookware will get you everything you need.

My workouts are quick, my meals are simple, and I don’t think I’ll ever give up chips or chocolate. My life is healthy, my body is strong and this actually feels quite like freedom.

I Love Saturdays...

...because these are MY days and I dedicate them to paying attention. Saturdays are very quiet for me because I spend them alone, just me, my camera, my legal pad, and my Sharpies.

I'm on a new task today. My girlfriend Elly gave me a beautiful gift for my birthday. Too many times she'd heard me say I wanted to purchase a canvas, some paints and just see what happens. Well, Elly is an artist. Her walls are filled with her artwork and her medium is oil on canvas. Bright, vibrant, moving pieces greet you as you enter every room and her perfect gift to me was a canvas of my own. My only task now is to find something I want to paint and she'll teach me how.

So I'm signing off to go enjoy my Saturday and to find that piece for me. Whether it's a photo I take or a postcard I purchase, I'm really looking forward to our weekends, days or stolen moments of 'Martinis and Art'!

Thank you Elly, for not only giving me the perfect gift but for being a wonderful gift as well.

Ciao...