Resolutions

Will you keep yours this year? Do you keep it every year? Have you stopped making them? Do they last for a week, a month?

Every yoga class I teach I ask the students to set an intention for their practice. We are taught in yoga to be mindful, listen to our bodies, and honor our bodies. Never do more than your body and mind can handle. Stop and listen - what do you need today. You would never try to do a handstand with a broken arm (unless you have mastered the one arm hand stand) so don't set your year goal to be something you can't accomplish.

Just as class starts now the year begins! What do you need? And how are you going to make this year be the year resolutions/goals are kept and met?

Happy New Year's!!!!

What Motivates You?

Competitive and want to out do the person next to you? Jeans got too tight? Your best friend/husband is doing it? The old lady down the street just kicked your butt?

Whatever it is we are all motivated by something different and this could change daily. 

This morning I was teaching my normal Boot Camp at Pacific Club with the average age being 55, no I am not kidding. Now their husbands come to class. They inspire me. One lady is in her early 60's and works out 6 days a week (and has been for 20+years). She spins, she does Yoga, Barre, Boot Camp, Runs, and walks. And her dedicated most amazing husband is 90% of the time in tow. They do headstands and handstands in yoga (against the wall but heck sometimes a 20 something has the fear). Every time they grace me with their presence I am inspired. Class always ends with the well now I have to wash my hair. That is the work out I want..I have to wash my hair at the end and I want what they have...they push themselves. They never "cheat" through the move. So today I put down the whistle (that is my voice) and decided I would work out along side of them, (it was our last 8am class together before the class moves to 615a because the club feels it should be geared towards the younger and male population...you should have heard the complaints from these ladies to the manager, I just love them!).

Afterwards, with an inspired glow, I met my athletically born husband for a tennis match...and finally I showed him where those swings have been hiding :) Now my motivation came from the 2 college age girls next to us ... they were blonds so my husbands eyes were hanging out the socket...I played my best match yet against him since we've been dating in 3 years...the old high school player in me came back out.

It's always something different...I am a pitta, a perfectionist, and way to competitive...don't think about spinning faster next to me I will kill myself before I left you go faster! But as a pitta I am also motivated by the vatas and kaphas around me who know when to back it off and rest.

I wonder what it will be tomorrow?!

Happy New Year...hopefully you are not just motivated by the date 1st of January but find motivation to move all year long.

xoxo

PS - if you want to know what Dosha you are take the quiz here: http://www.whatsyourdosha.com/

My Campaign

I am off this week. Two weeks a year (one around 4th of July and one around Christmas) I get to live the house wife life. Although I am not working I am still working...just on the job that I love, teaching. I teach 13 classes this week which compared to full time teachers this is a light load (you 4 a day teachers, I admire...the most I had done to now was 3 in one day...that 4th class does a number on your voice box, body, and mind).

However, what I have learned is that I am not attached to email, a fire is not happening that needs to be put out immediately. I have been rewarded through the inspiration of the students in my class and my fellow teachers. I have been able to visit the grocery store mid day on a week day and have gotten to work out in daylight! Full time teaching I have learned is just as hard as being in an office (at times harder) but after 10 years chained to a desk and the clock this other side has been rewarding in so many ways.

I am on a campaign to be a full time teacher and stay at home wife. It started on Monday after 4 classes which in between 2 I had time to grocery shop and put supper on the stove. After the 4th all I had to add was the fish (Cioppino recipe to come this week). Tuesday I taught 2 classes and put a pork loin in the crock pot before the 2nd one (Rosemary stuffed garlic pork loin recipe to come). So today I decided to pull out the big guns and make the meal he had been asking for: Braided Spaghetti Bread. (I also made half pork/beef meatballs and broccoli). So ladies if your man is tired of eating gluten free, fat free, and like a rabbit then splurge on this (and be armed with a good workout the next morning).

Braided Spaghetti Bread
1. Spaghetti (brown rice preferred)
2. Pizza Dough (if you can use the wheat from Trader Joes try it otherwise use Pillsbury)
3. Sauce
4. Diced Mozzarella
5. Parmesan Cheese
6. Parsley
7. Egg White
8. Garlic Powder
9. Flour
*Preheat Oven to 350

• Begin by cooking your spaghetti
• Roll your dough out onto parchment paper (put down flour to keep it from being too sticky)
• Let Spaghetti cool
• Put cooked spaghetti onto the rolled out dough (in the center only)
• Layer on sauce (can add sausage or use meat sauce)
• Layer on diced mozzarella 
• Cut slits along the side then "braid" it closed...right over left, left over right 

• Wet top of bread with egg white and then sprinkle parmesan cheese, parsley, and garlic powder
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes 

• Slice in 2 inch slices and SERVE 

Please add a green it will make you feel better :) 

I have to admit I had a slice and afterwards did not feel carbed-out! 

If you are in favor of me winning the campaign a little woo hoo response will be helpful! :) 

Traditions Made and Kept. Cookies Eaten, Presents Unwrapped...Now What?

Derek and our spent our first Christmas together as husband and wife. My parents moved to Hong Kong so  we were spared the fight of who we were spending Christmas with. I was terribly sad, in 31 years of my life...this would be the first Christmas I spent away from my family...I had had a good run of it. This also meant that I am stuck in my ways...that not only is my personality but being a home body and having such a close relationship with my family this was so hard.

Luckily, I have the most understanding husband who came from a family with traditions but luckily those traditions either worked with mine or did not compete. (Yes I am the oldest child so I am quite bossy when it comes to how things will be done and I cry easily so to not agree could start waterworks :))

On Christmas Eve we went to his parent's house for dinner with his family. Luckily they cook crab legs each Christmas Eve...it is not traditional Italian fish sauce but I got crab legs (and somehow in my parents apartment in HK the fish sauce tradition lived in on their two burner stove top!). We came home to our house that evening and opening the PJ's we got each other which was another family tradition of ours on Christmas Eve.

The next morning, I woke up to Derek in a Santa hat brewing coffee and making eggs! I felt like I was at home. My mom always had breakfast in the oven (egg and sausage casserole) and coffee on...after presents Daddy was in charge of the bacon. We opened our stockings (another important family tradition of mine) and gifts. We had a yummy breakfast and then made our way back down south for gift opening with his family.

Although my family was in HK we managed to open gifts together via Skype on Christmas Even (their Christmas day) and hopefully this won't become a yearly tradition but I'd be ok if it happened every few years :)

Christmas evening we went to see a move just like both of us grew up doing on Christmas day.

After you get married and merge families you have to think about what traditions you want to carry on to your kids...we'd talk about it the year before so this was one easy marriage transition.

So now the cookies are eaten and presents all unwrapped...what do we do now? We have the week off so I am still enjoying the decorations (I've cut the cookies out of the diet now) and looking back we had the perfect first Christmas just us!



Ahh the Christmas blues...until next year!

Where Have Those Muscles Been?

I have tried everything from spinning, running, training, TRX, yoga, Pilates, Barre, swimming, tennis, etc. Each exercise makes me sore about 8 times out of 10. Never have I felt what I have felt this week after a total of 12 hours of training and taking Barre classes.

Now begins my obsession with Ballet. I never did ballet growing up, it was too girly and frankly boys were not in class so I had no interest. I'd rather do sports that I could flirt with the boys and show off :)

This week I have trained with my trainer and done Barre class many many many times. Parts of my body hurt I never new existed. Each night I went home ready to crawl into bed...

Meraki Barre allows the teaches to infuse their creativity to each and every class. Although there is a format to class, the music and moves change...so does your body.

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A few months ago I found my Pilates classes becoming mundane and I wanted to add spice to class. Let me tell you, there is nothing like a little spice when you see a grown athletic man pushing 200 holding a Magic Circle in his hands in first position releve! And grunting. That's when you know you've hit it...the hidden muscles. Wait until next day for your muscles to scream at you...and then pat yourself on the back.

Back to Reality

I am back. Still have not found the time to post about the trip but don't worry there will be a 14 day series about all of our travels! I will leave out the days that include airport transfers as they were not fun for us nor you :)

We landed on Friday and I had to come straight back into the office for a meeting. EEK. All I could think about was my warm cozy fluffy bed but somehow had to stay awake so I could kick jet lag (lost that battle).

So after work I went straight to spin, how hard could it be?, it was only a 30 minute class and I walked the entire time I was away. Ha ha ha. Joke was on me but I made it. Then went Saturday and Sunday. By Monday I was walking funny but I was BACK!

Who knew that one week back it feels like we never left, back to the routine. Work-out, work, teach, see friends, host party. And now 7 days later it is a gorgeous day and I get a text from my husband saying "rather be in Punta" as if I wasn't already day dreaming about summer!

I love vacation and I love travel but I need money to do both, hence work :). However, I do need to find time to sit back, relax, and take mini vacations. As much as I love my routine, I end up doing too much, forgetting it is ok to say NO (I was told yesterday that "no" is a complete sentence...it does not need an explanation...how perfect is that for the busy holiday season?).

So when you find yourself in your routine running around, wondering why you are tired, holding the to-do list in your hand, and dreaming about your next vacation.. take the time to laugh, put your feet up, and just be still! And maybe you'll get the courage say NO to the next function that threatens to deplete your last free minutes!

Ahh the Honeymoon

We have moved to country número dos! And I have traveled and I like a lot places but very few have gotten the ... I would pack my family up (or back in the day just me) and move to a new country. Well Uruguay gets this endorsement. We rented a car and I drove because oddly enough I'm the only one who can drive a stick shift. Easiest country to get around (with a GPS of course). Anyhow, stay tuned, when I'm back that first week will be focused on these two south american countries we will have spent 15 days in!
And if you know of a company wanting to send someone to Punta del Este, one of us will do it!
Swimmingly yours,

The Coffee Shop

In the states we have one or two on every corner. Some offer strong coffee others you have to ask for a double shot.

Here in Buenos Aires they are every corner but all unique. They are coffee houses. Places to meet, to watch, to enjoy each others company and not to plug in because they wifi and ignore the company you are with.

Find me one of these in the states with waiter, STRONG coffee, and to die for baked goods. The people watching is to die for, more than gals wearing yoga clothes or men dressed in suits all looking down hoping the line goes fast because they are off to the next thing. Not here, there is dancing, laughing, talking, smiling, and most of all enjoying the present. Something we can all take away from the Argentians...enjoy the moment with those around you.

Happy Monday from Argentina! Now off for a strong coffee and people watching.

Gratitude

November is the month of thanksgiving and gratitude. We forever look to what we are thankful on the outside: family, friends, health, etc. My challenge that I have been giving my classes this past week and through the balance of the month is finding inward gratitude...what are you thankful about yourself: strengths and weaknesses. What makes you, YOU? Focus on those characteristics this month and find appreciation and gratitude from within.

Some shamanic traditions in parts of Africa and the Oceanic societies attend to health and well-being through what is called "cradling work", a four-part practice in staying connected to the good, true, and beautiful aspects of one's nature. In cradling work we lie on our back and place both hands over our heart (in many cultures hands symbolize healing). Silently, we acknowledge the character qualities that we appreciate about ourselves, we acknowledge our strengths, we acknowledge the contributions that have been made and continue to be made, and we acknowledge the love given and the love received. - Angeles Arrien in "The Four-Fold Way"

Use the rest of the month to focus on all the things you love about you!!! Have gratitude to yourself ~ you deserve it.

Dancing in the Rain

Happy Sunday...as I started to write the blog it was pouring but in the true beauty of Southern California the sun is now breaking through and my justification of not working out has now lost all of its legs...I'll be going for a run but in the meantime...

Merging Moola!

I have been sitting on this post since Tuesday. Sorry friends! I got bogged down at the office and then realized how tough this topic was for me!

Everyone who has gotten married and done pre-marital counseling has had the talk about merging finances, future financial plans, etc. Maybe even some of you have had the talk and you are just dating. It was a big deal for me to change my name (see last week's post "What's in a Name"). Now I have to SHARE my money too (eldest children truly have a tough time with sharing!).

In all honesty, I thought this would be easier than the name change (or in my case hyphen), I am now realizing this part of merging as a WE that is the hardest. At 31, I have worked to get where I am. My funds tell a story of my life (or the life since I was financially independent of my Daddy...which on the day I was married he made this clear that I was officially "off the payroll").

There is the story of when I first moved to LA (Manhattan Beach): Hollywood dinners and parties, new hair, new hair products, nails every weekend, shopping, shopping, the hottest bar, group breakfast every Saturday and Sunday, did I mention shopping for the latest style, and crazy gym memberships (gym, yoga fit, Bikram yoga, Pilates, etc. each one with a month or drop in fee). I thought I was one of the rich and famous.

Now the story is I have a savings, I am not in debt to anyone or any card. I still have my expensive gym membership and I do have trainer, and I do have personal shoppers who still call me with the "friends and family" discount. The difference now is: I teach on the side for my "fun" money, I have different funds everywhere: Money Market, Savings, 2 IRA's. Group breakfasts have been traded with breakfast with Derek on the patio reading the paper. My shopping addiction (if you don't believe me read Shopoholic - I was her!) has been replaced with running, cleaning the house, etc.

So when my husband asked me if I would be moving my direct deposit from RAJ over to our joint account, I lost sleep. What do you mean SHARE MY money. I want to control my portion (the oldest child is coming out in me). I am fine with writing him a cheque or wiring the funds from my bank to OUR account. But not having the funds pass through me first, scary ... it is as if I am losing my independence. I was brought up to be so independent and strong and now I am learning to depend on my husband.  You truly are no longer dependent on your parents and your safety net has been cast around the man who has promised to have and to hold through good and bad. I believe the scariness of merging accounts and changing names is the loss of the woman you have become. But I gained so much more: a husband who is my best friend!

Perhaps it is easier when you are younger and your identity is still being formed and the story behind your money has not become a story of your life.

Here's to combining the funds...what's yours in mine, what's mine is yours. :)

And if you are looking for a way to track to your spending and budget, set goals, etc. try www.mint.com. I love this website!

Happy Friday.

Happy Monday

I have been training with my trainer for 3 years and 2 months now. Some people ask me if it is still effective ... yes! I was measured before my wedding and in 3 years lost 15 counts in my stomach alone...you don't want to hear about the arms or legs! My mother calls him a "dream boat" and my husband (I love calling him this) thinks we just gossip the entire hour (my trainer does also moonlight as a therapist ha ha ha).

The so-called trainer loves to mix things up. From treadmill pushes, to pulling him around (he is 6'5"+ and built so pulling is not easy), to rope exercises (I refer to these as running for the arms), to the regular RDL, bicep curl, shoulder press, etc.

We've tried all different types of routines: endurance, strength, etc. Lately it has been isolating body sections: lower body on Mondays; upper body and abs on Wednesdays. There is always something new: for awhile it was get fit in case I am proposed to, legs for snowboarding shape, back and arms for the wedding; now hip, back and arms to get into a bridesmaids dress by the 12th!

If you have trainer and are not seeing results (I have been there)...break-up now. You are paying good money and you deserve to feel good and see results. If you have a hard time breaking up ask for a change! Right now I think I am either a sled dog or a football trainer in spring training! Today Derek came to train with ... I loved it! So motivating to have them there and definitely HOT! We work out together: Run, Swim (not lately) and play tennis but we never workout together when we are being pushed to the edge! Try it sometime :) you may see a different side of your significant other! And if you can - try pushing the sled ... (next time he hooks me up like a sled dog I will post - pushing the sled is not as funny looking as the sled dog and this guy is not even doing it right!)

Happy Halloween! Hopefully you are not already bouncing off the walls from all the candy and over indulging!

Spaghetti Squash Sunday!

It's Fall so we have officially changed over all the vegetables and fruits we are eating and after an inspiring trip to the farmers market we are ready with recipes galore this week!

Preparing the squash:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Using a sharp knife, cut the squash in half lengthwise and place, cut side down, in a baking dish. Add enough water to come 1/2-inch up the sides of the baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes, until the squash is easily pierced with a paring knife. Turn squash over and cover with foil again and continue to cook another 15 minutes, until the squash is very tender. Remove from the oven, uncover, and allow to cool slightly. Using a spoon, remove the seeds and discard. Using a fork, gently pull the strands of squash away from the peel and place the squash strands into a mixing bowl.

After you have prepared the squash your possibilities are endless! You can season with herbs: chives, basil, oregano and a little olive oil. Or you do your own marinara sauce (this is my favorite but being Italian I can't disclose the gravy recipe!). 

Happy Sunday!!! 

Now off to the beach.

I couldn't resist

If you are bride looking to get married in a short dress or even a dress to change into for the party...(and you have fabulous legs)...this one from Marchesa just off the Fall 2011 runway is amazing!