Shimmy...

Ok... I'm officially determined to learn how to shimmy!

Last Friday I spent the evening mesmerized by the swirling circles of smoke, rich hued fabrics floating in the air, and snakes wrapped around beautifully shaped women who were proud to express their sensual, feminine selves. If you've ever seen these beautiful, oriental dancers, then you know they're not the ultra-thin, Barbie-doll, fantasy, make believe women. These girls have curves! And the beauty of it is... they love them and they know how to move them! I want that!

So... I did some research to find my class and I think I found the perfect instructor, the only thing is her new sessions don't begin until September. But I have a splendid filler... 'Shimmy' on the Fit TV network. It's a 30 minute show that takes you step by step and then pieces it all together. I love it!

In addition to it being fun, it's also a really great workout and brings your awareness to your whole body. I found the classes to be inexpensive, averaging about $60 for 6-8 sessions, but following along with the show is free... well, you do have to pay your cable or Direct TV bill but no extra fees on top of that.

I love dancing. It's just you and the rhythms and what you feel. I'm so looking forward to learning the 'Shimmy', the hip circles, the hip drops, moving my body like a bandy snake.

I'll be hitting Target this weekend to pick up a hula hoop to practice moving the hips (a suggestion from my girlfriend... good one missy!) All I need now is a bindi, some cymbals and it's 'Shimmy Shimmy Coco Pop!'

You Have To Give In Order To Receive...

My whole body is tingling! I just had a wonderful physical experience.

I left my house headed to coffee with pen, pad, blackberry, research materials and mind focused on getting some writing done. I've been experiencing a bit of paucity in this area lately, truly by no one's hand other than my own, and the tightness had started to take hold of my right shoulder (this is where I happen to hold my stress).

To be more specific, and this will give you a little homework, my rhomboids, scalpulae, and trapezius become increasingly tighter to the point it actually raises my right shoulder, begins to move down the side of my arm and I develop a headache from hell and no pain medication will release it. Once I remove the stress, and with the help of Matthew, my massage therapist, my shoulder drops, the headache dissipates and Candace moves out of the 'leave me alone' mode. So, being that I'm aware of the issue and I know how to remove it, this morning was dedicated to do just that.

My stress was caused by me and my lack of doing, my lack of writing. So, I'm sitting at my table, scribbling away, feeling authentically good, and a chatterbox walks up and asks if he can sit with me. Obviously he sees me working and focused because he approaches the situation with, 'may I sit with you? I promise I'll be quiet'. Don't misconstrue, he is a nice man, we always chat when we see each other and it's always pleasant. But I wasn't looking for company and I did not desire company. So I say to myself, I'm perfectly comfortable with him sitting here but I will continue to work. He said he would be quiet which means he understands I'm working so, sure, have a sit. We have a quick repartee and I'm back to me. Less than a minute goes by and something is brewing at the table, he needs something, I can sense it. Now my authentically good feeling moves to, 'Geez, what? I don't have anything to give. I don't feel like being nice right now. I'm working. Leave me alone. Why did I open up my space?' I even send a friend a text asking them to call me so I can excuse myself without coming off as a bitch.

He breaks the silence with, 'Can I say something?' 'Sure', I say. He's noticed that I'm reading about nutrition and wants to tell me he just ran across a book, two books actually, on the subject. He includes what I believe is too much backstory, I'm a very to-the-point and matter of fact type. As I'm listening to him 'be quiet', I keep telling myself, with a touch of causticity, 'Candace, simply listen. There's something good for you in his words. You'll learn something. Take it. You need it.' At the end of his chat, I realized that I had just received some good information, two books that I want to read but I noticed that I was begrudgingly making note of them. I had to ask myself, 'How dare you? How dare you be such a bitch when everyday you walk out of your door asking God to send you what you need, asking for help!?' So I told the chatterbox and God, THANK YOU!

Instead of me continuing to call him 'Him' and 'The Chatterbox', his name is Henry and he was brought to me today because he needed my help and I needed to give something. Henry was troubled by a family situation and needed a release. I won't go into detail but after talking with him, the tears in his eyes dried up, his spirit lifted and he had a smile on his face.

An hour has passed and we finish our conversation. I excuse myself because I really do have to get some work done and as I'm getting into my truck, I realize the tightness in my shoulder has significantly diminished. My mind is immediately flooded with the thought of the importance of giving. This is not said with any slice of ego but I have a gift of calmness. I didn't tell myself this. I receive it from others almost on a daily basis so I simply accept it. Henry was hurt and needed clarity. Once I got outside of myself, I was able to give him that, and in return the Universe gave back to me in the form of great information and releasing the grip on my head, neck and shoulder. And as I'm sharing this with you, it's falling away even more.

I want to leave you with something I read last week. It's a promise to yourself but I forgot it for a minute.

Promise yourself...
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel there is something inside them.
To be just as enthusiastic about others success as your own.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
Promise yourself to be...
Too large for worry.
Too strong for fear.
Too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

Let's Begin...

As I am in the process of following my dream to create a television program that will help YOU discover and unleash your power, I need you to be in the process of developing that wonderful base of fitness. Remember, it's this base that will give you the ability to try anything you desire.

Getting your physical body in good condition is not as daunting as you may think. It doesn't take restricting your diet to air puffs and seaweed, nor does it take expensive gym memberships. What it does take is simply having a bit of fun.

As a Personal Trainer I am about to make a startling confession.... The older I get the less I want to go to the gym! But I refuse to give up my great legs or my six-pack and as they say, 'necessity is the mother of all invention'. So in order for me to keep my body in great shape without going to the gym I've had to find new ways to test and push myself. And it is with these ways that I can help you develop that base and the body you desire without spending a lot of money. So, let's begin...

Ok, we need cardio that breaks a sweat, some serious strength training and flexibility that will keep you moving. How do we get it? Do you take your kids to the park? Well, these playgrounds aren't only good for exhausting your kids so they'll sleep; they become wonderful obstacle courses for us. There are things to climb over, crawl under, and things that move as we try to maneuver around them like cargo nets. Try this plan:

Cardio. Basic jumping jacks – No equipment needed; great for your calves and shoulders; go for at least 3 minutes.

Upper Body. Monkey Bars – They will awaken your entire upper body! They’re perfect for pull ups or be that kid again and go from end to end. If you’re brave enough to try the pull ups do as many as you can and build from there. If you decide to go from end to end, do that walk at least 5 times.

Lower Body. Benches, Steps or any flat platform – Perfect for tightening the butt and legs! Place your foot on the surface and step up. Stay on the same leg for at least 25 reps; I know it burns… do it anyway! Now switch legs.

Total Body. Cargo Net – Make your way up and back down again. This is great for every piece of you plus it’s unstable. Anything that throws you off balance is perfect for your core.

Abs. Back to the monkey bars for leg lifts – Hang on to the bar, tighten your abs and bring your knees toward your chest. Hold for a couple seconds then lower your knees. Try to do this without swinging (the tighter your abs the less you swing). You have at least 20 reps.

There. Five exercises. That’s a good start. Wherever the monkey bars are, begin your cardio on the opposite end of the park – about 100 yards so you incorporate more movement. Here’s the visual:

Start with your cardio. Run to the monkey bars – upper body. Run to the flat surface – lower body. Run to the cargo net – total body. Run back to the monkey bars – abs. Run back to start.

Got it? Good. Do it again… and again… and again. Yes ladies, that equals four. I don’t know if I mentioned this before but it takes work to get what you want and you can knock this out in about 30-45 minutes. Finish it off with at least 15 minutes of stretching and you've put in 45 minutes - 1 hour. That's good work girls! Does it sound like too simple of a plan? Oh, I can make it more intricate and difficult... and I will. But let's start here shall we?

All of the equipment is provided for you (FREE! FREE! FREE! FREE!), and will be there everyday you decide to show up. The only purchase I suggest you make is a pair of gloves. I’m sure you remember that nice fiery feeling you got when you used to play on the monkey bars.

There are a few good things about playing in the park: 1. It’s never crowded so you won’t have to wait on equipment 2. You’re outside! 3. You lose the intimidating factor that a gym can have 4. You’re outside! I know, that’s twice but it has a tremendously positive effect on the psyche

If you don’t live near a park, hit the high school track or your own backyard or your garage or clear a space on your living room floor. Replace the pull ups with pushups and the hanging abs with basic floor crunches. If you don't have space to run that means you have more jumping jacks to incorporate. There’s always an alternate girls all you have to do is pay attention to your surroundings.

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...

Go Out On A Limb...

The situation that we are all living in today should spark in us the understanding that possessions, stature and wealth are fleeting. After all of that has been peeled or stripped away, what’s left are the roots, the base, YOU!

Who are you? I’m sure you’ve asked yourself that question many times, we all have. But who actually listens for the answer? It’s a question that gets tossed around like the latest trend, having no real significance unless you truly pay attention. Some of us think that if we go down on bended knee, ask the question, then God will miraculously reveal to us the meaning of our lives. Hey, if it happens for you that way, more power to ya! But I have found that it takes immersing me into different experiences to discover who I am. Yes, I ask the questions, ‘Who is Candace?’, ‘What does she like/dislike?’, ‘What is she good at?’ The proverbial, ‘Why am I here?’ But I don’t sit on my doorstep waiting on FedEx to deliver my box of answers. I’ve learned that answers take discovery and discovery is born from experience. Now, I won’t lie to you, this can be the scary part but everything is not going to be a piece of cake ladies. Remember, it’s that same cake that’s adding the inches to your hips, clogging the arteries, and literally stopping you in your tracks. It’s gonna be a little scary sometimes, you may have to break a sweat, and there might be dark, creepy crawlies around. This is when we have to put on our big girl panties and deal with what comes because that’s when the magic happens.

I’ll share a little story with you (you’re gonna get a lot of these if you’re reading my blog and I want you to share yours so please leave comments).

I’ve been in the health & fitness field for a long time now. When I was living in Atlanta, a friend of mine was starting a magazine and asked if I would write a fitness article for her first publication. At the time, all I’d ever written were the dreaded English Lit papers but in support of my friend, and thinking ‘How hard can 500 words be’, I said yes. Ok, so harder than I thought but a total eye opener. I had no desires to be a writer, I wrote the papers in high school and college because I had to, not because I had a love for it. But that one article for my friend turned into three for her publication. A publisher, John Bunch, saw those articles and said to me, ‘These are good and if you can write for someone else like this, then you can write for yourself’. This led to the production of a monthly health & fitness newsletter. I’ll be honest, I still did not embrace the fact that I was discovering a wonderful gift; I didn’t know that I was. I simply wrote what I knew which is a very surface way of seeing things. Then one day, I received an email from a woman who told me my words and stories brought tears to her eyes. Not sad tears, but life changing tears and she wanted me to meet her daughter to give her some encouragement in order to make it through her approaching scoliosis surgery. (By now, you all know my back story). Her email cracked open the portal that I needed to travel through in order to understand my place in this world. She showed me that I had the power to make a positive difference in people’s lives. I received numerous emails and had countless conversations with women telling me how my words sparked something in them to make a change for the better. Being a catalyst is an amazing feeling. I keep a folder of these emails and go through when I need some juice. Eventually, I began writing press releases and various letters for others, which turned into me moving to California because I wrote a treatment for a television show.


Packing up and moving 3000 miles away from family, friends, everything I’ve ever known, brought out the creepy crawlies. But just before I left I received a wonderful gift, a book entitled ‘She’ by Kobi Yamada. It’s a beautiful publication filled with inspiration, fun, color and my absolute favorite page has this statement…

She went out on a limb, had it break off behind her, and discovered she could fly. Celebrate her FAITH.

If you’ve been told you’re good at something, if you think you’re good at something, explore it! Ask questions about it. Go buy a book about it. Don’t have the funds, libraries are still free. Or, just go to Borders or Barnes & Noble, read the book there and put it back on the shelf. If someone is in the same section as you that probably means you have some of the same interests. Go out on a limb, say hello, ask a few questions. Remember, answers come from discovery, discovery comes from experiences. It’s time to adopt the motto, ‘What could it hurt?’

My Path...

One of the most important lessons I've learned in my lifetime is to pay attention. Another lesson, and just as important, is to get to know the people around me.

So, two women are sitting at a bar... just kidding, kinda.

I was sitting at one of my favorite bars, Nick's in Laguna Beach, and there was a woman sitting next to me reading. Remembering that ever important rule 'get to know the people around me', I introduced myself, asked what she was reading and was presented with a wonderful gift, 'The Artist's Way' by Julia Cameron. This is a powerful, powerful book to help you unleash those creative juices.

Every sentence in this book is a lesson, but one in particular told me to 'explore the things that interests me'. How many times had I said to myself, my friends, that I would love to take up photography. Once I read this particular note, I couldn't just keep saying it. Well, I guess I could but I was already having that experience. My whole purpose for reading this book was to UNLEASH HER! I had a camera, all that was left to do was point and shoot. So I did. And I continue to.

These are simply photos of me actively paying attention. I'm fortunate to live near the ocean and when there's low tide, beautiful ecosystems are unveiled, as in the first photograph. The second, is of a wonderful friend sitting in a spectacular garden. What could make a better combination?

It's a great feeling, in addition to an amazing sense of accomplishment to look around my home and know that my walls and shelves are filled with what I see happening around me everyday. I never go anywhere without my camera. I think what comes out is pretty cool. It doesn't really matter what anyone else thinks because it's for me. It's my therapy, my learning, my path.

What do you keep telling yourself you'd like to experience?

Get Ready!

I'm in the process of creating an innovative television program that will show you how to keep your body humming along in tip-top condition and you'll do it by having fun! I'm telling you this because I want you to come along with me.

The show is for you, for women. It will open you up to a world of adventure; it will show you how masterfully powerful you really are; it will show you how fitness is synonomous with fun; and oh, how good it is to be a girl! When the show happens, you have to be ready to come along for the ride and that's what this blog is all about. I will show you how to develop a wonderful base of fitness with very little money, if any, that will then alow you to try anything you desire.

What do you desire? What have you always secretely wanted to try but never have for whatever reason? And what are those reasons? Be honest. Is it money? Time? Do you feel you lack the skills?

Well, skills can be developed, time can be found, and by becoming just a bit resourceful, money becomes a much smaller hurdle.

Are you ready? I'll show you how. Stay tuned!