Milkshakes and Mayan food

So the weekend wasn't as damaging as I thought it would be, though I still drank too many beers and ate junk (including a divine giant strawberry milkshake with huge chunks of fruit in it at Davies Chuck Wagon Diner...mmmm).

Tomorrow I leave for Mexico, for sun, fun and a vacation from all worries. Including my waist line.

Adios! I might give an update from Tulum...or I might forget that computers exist for 8 days. Bliss!

"Brimful of Asha on the 45..."

I actually fit in fitness yesterday! I had to meet my Aunt after work for dinner and then I got a ride from a fellow scooterist to pick up my scooter from Sportique (tail light was faulty). However I somehow still made it to a Bollywood Dance class last night with a couple of friends from my dance troupe.

If you've ever seen a dance scene from a Bollywood film it's extremely energetic and aerobic! The instructor did almost 20 minutes of just stretching before we launched into learning the dance (which was all about a bride in a garden dancing with a bee! Wacky!).

Then we went over to the space we rent for rehearsals and ran the Tahitian dance we're putting together for the finale of our show in September. The hip movements from that dance can really work up a sweat!

That's the kind of exercise I love- it's fun and it's almost like tricking myself into doing something good for my body. And I'm hoping it'll cancel out at least some of the damage I'll do to my body this weekend. Between the scooter rally and the Denver Post music showcase I've a bad feeling I'll be surviving on beer, whiskey and pizza most of the weekend....

Fitting in Fitness

TV is my weakness. I can sit down at 5 p.m. with The Simpsons and stay firmly planted on the couch until Letterman says, "Goodnight". I haven't even had cable in years, but I would still watch the thing, poor reception fuzz and all.

So I got rid of it.

That was back in April and I thought it would be a life-changing move. I expected that I'd suddenly find myself with lots more time, conquering projects that have lain untouched for years. I believed that I'd fill at least some of that time with exercise. But even though I felt like it was my biggest time eater that didn't happen. I seemed to just fill that time by further over-committing my self.

Even though Michelle Theall says in her introduction not to skip ahead, I'm unfortunately one of those people who can't wait. I want to open my presents as soon as I see them under the tree. I wanted to read all the books as soon as I bought them from the campus bookstore. So I peeked at the first day and I know that my first assignment is to write down what I did the day before and analyze where I could have squeezed in a bit of fitness.

Because every day is different for me, I'm going to start that challenge now. At the end of each day I'll look at the day past and try and see where fitness could have fit. I need that head start!

Jungle Gym

I have this weird aversion to gyms. I don't know if it's all the strangers sweating so near me, or the idea that someone might be watching me struggle with those weights and laughing at me as I nearly fall off the stairmaster. It's likely a combination of those.

Unfortunately for me, the first instruction Michelle Theall gives in her intro is, "Join a gym".

I do seem to hate city gyms a little less. It seems less 'Pro', less likely to be full of judgmental jerks who will silently critique my form.

So I'm going to renew my city gym pass and spend my time from now until August 16 (the start of my 30 days) trying to get over my fear of sweating with strangers.

Already nervous

I ate 3 cookies yesterday.

I used to eat stacks of cookies completely guilt free, but that was back when I was 25 lbs lighter and had toned and lovely muscles in my legs and arms.

Back then, exercise was just part of my lifestyle. I worked at active jobs, making ice cream, baking, slinging cappuccinos, shelving books, and my main transportation methods were bicycling or hoofing it. I took the bus only when the weather was terrible or the hour was too late to walk safely by myself.

I am already getting stressed out about fitting fitness into my now over-stuffed life. I know I'll have to shuffle things around, and some things will get lost. Unfortunately I'm afraid those things may be the tasks I like least- like paying the bills and cleaning the house- that need to be done the most.

Maybe I can get an intern. Do interns do laundry and clean the cat box?

Why I'm taking the "30 day" challenge

In the introduction of "30 days to get back in shape" author Michelle Theall defines the phrase, back in shape:
"Back in shape implies that one was once 'in' shape."

I was once in shape- I didn't own a car, so I biked everywhere, I was a really healthy vegetarian who cooked for herself and hardly ever went out to eat, and I did fun, active things like swimming, taking boxing lessons and walking for miles around Denver.

That was back when I lived downtown and was still attending CU Denver. Though I worked and went to school, I seemed to have a lot more time to myself- more time to stay "in shape".

Now I have a full time job, a commute, I write for a local paper, I'm a published author, I'm working on a new book, I run a dance troupe, I make costumes, I often perform once a week on top of producing bi-monthly shows for my troupe, I'm taking singing lessons and I have a house on a 1/2 acre plot of land. It's a little insane and definitely doesn't easily allow for a lot of physical activity.

I've tried numerous times to get myself back on a path to fitness. I know that I need to stick to something for longer than a week so it becomes a habit- but I can't seem to get myself to do that. Generally I join a gym, go a couple of times, and then forget about it. I find a new fun exercise video and even if I love it, I know it'll soon be collecting dust on the shelf. Last fall I started getting up early, heading to the park and jogging- it was wonderful, watching the sunrise over the lake, enjoying the quiet, but as usual, I stopped after a total of 5 or 6 jogs.

What I'm hoping this book and this blog will do is to give me a reason and a constant reminder to stick with it. I'm hoping people will read this blog and comment, encourage, and if I slip, I hope you'll feel free to get on my case. I need that- I want that. And I want more energy, I want to stop feeling so resigned to letting my body go south, and I want to fit into all the cute clothes hanging in the "when I slim down" section of my closet!

I'm heading to Mexico August 1-8, and Jessica will be at Outdoor Retailer August 10-13, so we agreed to start our 30 days on August 16. In the meantime, I'll be posting about my bad habits, what I want to change and I'll be learning "How to Use This Book" (as detailed in the introduction of the book) and figuring out what I need before I start.

So stick with me through this journey, let me know what you think and if you're looking to change your habits, pick up a copy yourself, follow along and try the 30 day challenge with me and Jessica.