The “Present”

It kills me to wake up to news like this :  “obese children showing signs of stiff arteries….maybe diet and exercise can reverse it?”…maybe?  Come on, we know that it DEFINITELY can… or “middle- aged cigarette smokers have increased risk for dementia.”  I really don’t consider myself all that smart at all, but is this really news?  If we simply examine the overall effects of obesity and cigarette smoking, none of this should be news.  Maybe this is another reason I love Biggest Loser so much.  Because every week they get on that TV set for 2 hours and SHOW the world how to get healthy through diet and exercise.  For me, personally, it’s not JUST about the game.  Any venue that can reach so many people and spread the word, is all good!

I am hearing my students asking for more strength training in morning classes.  The answer is absolutely, YES!  Strong muscles not only make way for strong bones, but also increase our metabolism.  I do always try to structure my classes to be well-rounded, getting in some cardio, some weights and some stretching as those are the 3 elements that make us physically fit.  For some reason Wednesday mornings have become all cardio and stretching, but effective immediately, I will be adding strength training to that class, too.  Thanks for asking!

Have you bought your Halloween candy yet?  What will you do with your leftovers?  Somehow, Mitch managed to convince me that the buy one get one free deals were worth jumping on–2 weeks ago—NOT A GOOD IDEA!  While it’s much easier for me to stay away from most candy now, since milk chocolate has dairy in it, but I am human and I get weak, too!  It has taken a lot of willpower to not hit that bag of peanut butter cups, as they are right up there in my top 3 favorites.  Sure, I had a night or two of weakness and had to have one before bed, but I really, really don’t want to eat that stuff and I think I have won the battle.  Just like most everything else, once we get “it” out of our system, literally, we hardly crave whatever “it” was.  I can honestly say, I hardly crave sweets anymore!  Whatever candy is not given out Sunday will definitely go to work with Mitch on Monday!  What I have been indulging in at night is a spoon or two of peanut butter.  It seems to satisfy my need for something and at least it has nutritious value, as well.

Tonight’s 7 pm class will continue to emphasize the principles of  Pilates, while we will probably begin throwing some yoga back into the mix.  It was a pleasure to see how focused everyone was last week!  As an instructor it is very rewarding to SEE the verbal cues we give actually happening in your bodies.  I always look forward to Tuesday nights for classes and of course, coming home and watching BL.

Happy Birthday wishes to my niece, Jodi, in New York and my wonderful friend, Wendie.  All good things for you both today and in the year to come.  I wish you love, light, health, peace but most of all, I wish you “enough.”

As the sun begins to rise and the sky begins to lighten, it’s my cue to get moving!  My personal fitness goals of the day are to get in some running, hopefully with Jane, this morning and to get in the pool to do laps.  With November coming next week, I AM managing to push my swimming further into the season than I expected.  For that and so much more, I am grateful.  Wishing you much to be grateful for this morning and every day.  Make the most of your day as you keep in mind that the “present” is truly just that- a present!