Tell me again why I work out?

This is my new accessory du jour.  I got used to wearing it in the hospital last week when my Mother was admitted.  I think we all should be wearing them so when your seatmate on the LIRR or the subway starts coughing, you’ll be covered (literally). Maybe I should become an entrepreneur and have them manufactured in various color schemes to match our wardrobes LOL.

Speaking of hospitals – last week was a trying one for me.  I was attempting to juggle my life while my Mother was in the hospital.  It was more than a full-time job.   I had three phones going all the time, talking and texting and this went on for days.   I had to cancel my clients and did work from home one day. The first day in the emergency room, I drank a bottle of water – that was it.  The days following I did not eat; I did not sleep.   There was always something I felt I needed to be doing.   I was driving back and forth to the hospital feeding her meals.   As fried as my brain was, thoughts kept racing in and out all the time. 

I did learn something, though.  That stress is a killer.  It was wearing me down and, even though I was wearing that cute little mask, I was getting sick.  I did not have time to go to the gym and work out.  I was never hungry – I had no appetite.  This was all so strange for me because I could feel that I was running on empty. My energy was depleted.  Since I work out all the time I was not even aware how much my food intake was linked to my activity!   With my normal lifestyle, I have a healthy appetite.   Plus, I never realized how exercise energized me.

By the fifth day, my body was in total breakdown mode.  I finally made it to the gym.  I did a peaceful workout on the Reformer in the studio.   When I was through, I felt rejuvenated and alive.  It seemed to settle my body – I needed the movement but I also needed to make time to do it.  

So the moral of the story is to make sure you schedule your workouts:   in your phone, on your computer, in your diary.  Just make sure they are in there so that you work around them.  It took an emergency for me to see how important our workouts really are.      

Twinkie Turkey

In case you were wondering what you left off the Thanksgiving shopping list this year, it's not the pumpkin puree or the backup store-bought gravy — you forgot the Twinkies! That's right, Twinkies. Back in 2006, Hostess made its very own Twinkie cookbook complete with "an inventive and unexpected recipe collection" created and submitted by Twinkie eaters. The following recipe is  Thanksgiving-themed. Here it is in the event that you have any Twinkie fanatics on the guest list this year:

Don't we love a man who listens?

My nephew, James, is a 4th year medical student at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia.  He and two of his fellow students were chosen to travel to China for a visiting medical student program at the First People's Hospital of Changzhou.   When I first heard about it, I was secretly delighted.  Having been to China myself, I knew there were so many great experiences ahead of him.  Two of them I pointed out upfront:  The Great Wall and Acupuncture.

What to wish for in 2013

Have you thought about what to wish for in 2013?  Here are some things to get you started.....

Menu Makeover

A tale of two meals…………………

Menu Makeover #1

So my neighbor, Debbie in Denial – let’s call her DD for short, tells me she HAS to lose weight.  She has been trying to do this her entire life and, after all her “yo-yo dieting”, she is now 50 lbs. overweight instead of 20. 

A love letter to.........you!

This year begin the new year on a different note.  Instead of thinking about all the negative things you need to change about yourself, celebrate the positive aspects of your personality.  Take this moment to be kind to yourself and reflect. It can boost your confidence in a major way.  The following fill-in-the-blank letter is guaranteed to make you smile:)

Christmas Prayer

Dear God,

For Christmas, all I ask for is a big, fat bank account and a slim body.

Please don't mix these up like you did last year!

Amen.

　

Is Chivalry Dead?

Okay, so I am over waiting for men to hold the door open and used to them fighting me to be first out of the elevator, but this behavior needs to be addressed……………

New York is filled with sidewalks covered with subway gratings.  They stretch almost the whole block and sometimes are on two sides of the sidewalk leaving a narrow strip of concrete pavement to walk on.  So here’s the visual:

Getting to the Bottom of This

Poor Pippa Middleton – ever since the marriage of her sister, Kate Middleton, to Prince William, she has been hounded by the paparazzi and the press alike.  Her butt has been front page news  (if you don't believe me, just google  "Pippa Middleton butt" and you will get an eyeful!).  Her walk down the aisle in that gorgeous off-white Alexander McQueen bridesmaid’s gown has everyone talking about her gorgeous figure.  People are actually accusing Pippa of padding her royal rump. "Rubbish" as they say in merry old England!