Deliver my Liver from evil. Amen.

Hey guys,

I've had some interesting ideas bopping around in my head lately. Well I say interesting because I'm fascinated (and sometimes frustrated) by all of the changes that have taken place and continue to take place in my body since not only starting the Tracy Anderson Method a few years ago, but also since approaching mid-life. (Lordissa, can you say "run on sentence") I've learned a lot about my limits and what's beyond them and if not the exact "why" I know the "how" of my often wagon jumping ways where diet is concerned.

You may find these so called "interesting ideas" boring or old news, but as I discover more about nutrition and pay attention to how my body reacts differently than it did even a mere five or six years ago (forget how different it was to when I was in my blessed 20s!) I think my being Abcentric has more going on that initially met the eye.

If you've spent any amount of time with me here, it's no secret that I am constantly on-again off-again with my eating habits. Yep, I'm a vegetarian but not eating meat does not automatically mean thin. In fact it can often be the contrary. Before the Dynamic eating plan on Meta, as a vegetarian I was eating copious amounts of carbs, processed foods like tofu and canned beans (high in sodium), and frozen ultra processed things like fake chicken even as recently as last week. I did eat veggies of course but they were cooked more often than not and I almost never ate fruit. Five years ago, when I left Toronto and moved to the sticks, I left my beloved Starbucks behind, and substituted that with an Instant Coffee Mocha drink. What was once an occasional treat became a daily habit often up to three or four cups a day. Eeeeeee! Scary. Have you ever read the label on some of those powered drinks? Who can pronounce the ingredients?  So I put on some excess weight, found Tracy, did my first diet, lost the weight, gained the weight, lost some of the weight and became very confused.

Here's more or less what's been going on (in my head).

Booze can pack on the pounds around the middle, you might want to limit your alcohol consumption. I'm not a drinker so giving up alcohol is easy. Bread is bad, you say? No problem, it's gone. You probably shouldn't have dairy as it's not natural for us to be drinking the baby cow's juice, it's formulated to make the calf grow into a thousand pound cow. No brainer. I'll get rid of it and the ice cream too. They make great alternatives. Oh wait, those are also loaded with ingredients I can't pronounce so they have to go to. Gluten could be the thing that is irritating your gut and making you bloated, so better stay away from wheat, rye, barely and oats. Hmmm. Sure alright, I can still have brown rice and quinoa. Oooooh, ahhhh, but those carbs you know they are a big contributor to weight gain, you sure you want those? Right better to avoid that too. I'm a vegetarian remember so I already don't eat fish, chicken, beef, pork, lamb or anything that ever had parents or a face, but I can of course eat nuts for protein. Do you know how many calories those things have? Are you crazy? Stay away from nuts!

What am I left with? A wide variety of vegetables of course and fruits. Yet I don't instinctively reach for a mango when I'm peckish. Mangos might be nice but they're so slimy and who can figure out how to cut them? Have I ever mentioned that I'm super picky? Said that, did I? Yeah. Very fussy eater. What's next, the new Tapeworm Diet?!

If I followed everything to the letter --- I'd be a nut free, grain free vegan and should be very very thin if not dead, no?

Well no. Because I'm not a vegan, I do eat eggs. And I've found that I have a penchant for almonds when they're covered in chocolate. Yum. And I love brownies and since they're not bread they can't possibly be off limits. Oh yes and cookies because they're so little how bad can they be? Let's not forget fudge and pie and really, who can eat pie without ice cream and if I'm eating ice cream then I may as well have a bit of cheese, is that Tzatziki? Made with real Greek yogurt? Omigod yes, I'll have some, is the pita bread fresh? Whoops - guess I'm eating bread with gluten and dairy.

Do you see how it all happens? Does it happen to you too? I feel like a crazy person. 

So is this desire or need for sugar the thing that's giving me a mid-section like a tree trunk? I mean because Tracy's helped me develop these teeny tiny dancers arms - Love my arms! My legs and butt are in better shape than they've been for about 5 years, all her blasted leg work is paying off. So why is this abcentric program not working on my abs? Sugar? Maybe. But check this out.

You must know of my new favorite person Kimberly Snyder by now right? She developed the Glowing Green Smoothie. She wrote a very interesting article about the GGS and its high fiber content and... you guessed it, the liver.

She says that the liver is the MAJOR fat burning organ in the body. It regulates fat metabolism and is responsible for pumping excess fat from the body. But what if it's clogged or over worked or just generally sluggish? If it's not able to function properly weight gain tends to occur around the abdomen. No kidding. Wow!

There's even a condition called a fatty liver which shows up as a roll of fat around the abdomen and it can be nearly impossible to lose that ab fat until the liver starts working properly. By staying away from processed foods, excess sugar and ingredients you can't pronounce, and by increasing your daily fiber intake you can help your darling liver get back to normal and when that happens, (apparently this can take between three and twelve months) your liver will start burning fat efficiently again and the weight will come off gradually and without too much effort. Hmm. Curious.

Kim says: "It's not necessary to make yourself miserable following a low fat, low calorie diet. What's effective in the long term is to eat the correct foods and nutrients for the liver to improve its fat burning function." 


You can read the article in its entirety here here, and I suggest that you do because it made so much sense to me and it helped me understand some of the reasons why I should really try to avoid things like the Instant Mocha that I love so much. Because how do I know how all of those long-named chemicals are really affecting my beloved liver? And if I consider my liver and all of the great work it does for me everyday, it helps me say no to the things that could potentially harm it and say yes to the things that will help it do it's job better, like my daily GGS. Thanks so much for that Kimberly - I am hugely grateful. And again, many thanks to the beautiful anonymous benefactor who recommended KS's book, The Beauty Detox Solution.  I heart you. 


I know it's been a bit of a mad rambly post today, but I feel like a few things have opened up for me. That I now have a better understanding of why I should try to stay away from certain things, where other things like grains are certainly not off limits. It can be crazy out there trying to figure out how not to blow all that hard work we've done in our workouts by eating the wrong things.


For now, I am sticking with my GGS, good food combinations and I am making a serious (although not perfect) effort to limit my sugar consumption. Thanks for reading and sharing, your thoughts and comments really make a world of difference.


xo
Shan

Death of a Hero.

My hero, the brilliantly funny and talented screenwriter and director Nora Ephron has died. She entertained us with such films as Julie and Julia (which helped inspire me to create my own blog) and classic rom coms like When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless In Seattle.

My heart is literally breaking. I have this photo of her tacked to my vision board in the hopes we would someday meet.

You never know when an opportunity will be taken away. Reach out and do something that scares to today. Shoot for something, because if you shoot for nothing, you'll hit it every time.

Nora said: I don't care who you are. When you sit down to write the first page of your screenplay, in your head, you're also writing your Oscar acceptance speech!

It happens every time.

We'll miss you.

You Are Here.

Do you ever have days when you feel like this?

I mean days where you feel like your personal stock's not worth squat? Or like your personal climb is continually uphill? You're eating right, you're working out, then you have a couple slip-ups and you seem to slide all the way back down the mountain? Or is it just me?

I've been feeling pretty good lately. I gave myself a little space, allowed myself the freedom to do my workouts at my own pace, I'm running with the boys a couple of times a week and we've managed to double our distance, and the Glowing Green Smoothie has given me an almost new lease on life. It felt like it was all finally coming together here in year two of this fitness journey I've found myself on. I was even bold enough to stop keeping track of every calorie I consumed. Gulp. Could that be where I took that wrong turn at Albuquerque? 

Aha! I'm not the only one singing "Oops I did it again." Seems there's also a cartoon rabbit that keeps losing his way. 

It's possible that I may have allowed myself to become just a little too laissez-faire and that may be a direct result of my new-found craving for healthy foods on our recent mountain road trip. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for this most recent trip away.

"He Who Shall Not Be Named" (aka my husbie) had a grooming competition on Vancouver Island this weekend so we headed "over-seas" to Victoria for that. It was a somewhat longer journey than anticipated since we missed our first ferry, then had to travel two and a half hours out of the way to pick up the dogs he would be grooming. Let's just say we could have gotten to Hawaii quicker and with less hassle. In any case, it was a stressful weekend since these dogs had absolutely no discipline whatsoever and when one escaped and nearly became road kill, I swiftly resorted to comfort foods like pizza, Chinese, Indian and gobs and gobs of sugar. 

Husbie took first place by the way, so it wasn't all for not, but when I woke up this morning with a food hangover the size of Russia, then had the stupidity to weigh-in... well you can imagine I was feeling more than a little rotten. 

How can I be here again? I asked myself. Why why why?!

With mere weeks to my 41st birthday, I am so bloated I feel like a Zeppelin in a condom (to quote Absolutely Fabulous). I mean I can turn 41, that's totally fine and completely unavoidable (apart from death of course, but I'm not planning my funeral anytime soon so...) I just don't want to have to look 41 or feel 41! Is that ridiculous? Am I seeking the impossible? I know what I can accomplish when I set my mind to it and I've seen many of you girls do it too so I'd be willing to bet that it is possible, so why do I continually do this? Yesterday was a full on binge. Forget about the meals I ate -- between them there was chocolate cake, an Oreo ice cream sandwich, an extra large fruit and nut chocolate bar, a big bowl of chocolate ice cream with a smashed peanut butter cup, cookie crumble and fudge mixed in from the shop on the corner... oh yeah, and that big glass of wine. Can you say sugar junkie?

As my previous post indicated, once you become a member of the 40-something set, there are certain rules you just cannot get around if you want to look and feel fab. Sugar is one of the things that has to go, but I haven't been bold enough to take that step yet. But I am about to. Starting today.

So here's me... admitting to falling off the wagon... for the trillionth time... and me vowing to get back up, dust myself off and run to catch up with it and jump the hell back on. I know that with a few days of steady cardio and clean eating I'll be feeling better, but giving up sugar? Omigod, I'm not sure if I can do that? But what's the alternative? Gaining three pounds in three days hardly seems fair when it takes three weeks to lose them. Ugh. It's no fun anymore. I'm at a stage where I am swimming against the tide and need to do certain things to keep my head above water. Eating as I did this weekend will only serve to hold be under until I drown.

I guess what I'm saying ladies, is this... some days you're the fire hydrant, and some days you're the dog.

Today, not feeling so much like Fido, know what I mean? I've decided to try and quit my instant mocha habit also starting today and that's no fun either! I had to admit to out loud or I knew I'd never stick to it. All I can say to that is "What an idiot!" Wish me luck.


Cheers.
Shan 

Don't Sweat It!

Summer means different things to different people. For some, it means time off, fun days by the pool or at the park with the kids, for others, it may be when they get their game on. Nice outdoor weather brings them to the beach for a game of volleyball or onto the pitch or court for some soccer or tennis. Or summer can be your busiest time of year work-wise. If you're a landscaper, gardener, or carpenter you may be working around the clock this time of year. 

For many, autumn is when their schedule becomes tight, still others find the holidays overwhelming. Each of us has a busy time and therefore cannot always stick to our diets or slot in time for a workout. It's okay. 

What I've seen happen (to myself and some of you) is that we can suddenly spiral into a busy spell and find that a week or even a month might slip by and we find we're off the rails and start to beat ourselves up over it. It's so not worth it, there's more to us than a number on the scale, there's more to life than getting skinny. The reason I bring this us is because every now and then, I'll pop onto the Tracy Anderson website and through that, will link to her Facebook page (not on FB so I am an infrequent visitor). I was there recently and I noticed a few comments of people saying they were starting over on Meta, or had fallen behind, or where back to square one. It happens. The reality is this, we are not going to be perfect all of the time. If you have an event to prep for, a special occasion like a wedding, milestone birthday, or school reunion, you may want to crack the whip and be more strict, but for everyday life, isn't it accomplishment enough to know that you've incorporated a few greens into the daily menu and perhaps have eliminated fried foods and that you make an effort to get moving each day? I'm not suggesting that by simply taking the stairs instead of the elevator (lift for my Brits) that you're doing all you can, but if you're on the Method or you run several days a week or you're getting to the gym more often than not, you're doing pretty good.

When we're constantly watching our weight, as we're prone to do after a certain age, it can become unhealthy. Something I've learned along this journey is that you are going to have to make certain adjustments to both your diet and your exercise routine as you age if you want to stay fit, but that once you accept those changes (assuming they're changes you can live with) you can create a new norm.

Back in March, Harper's Bazaar had a great article called the Beauty Diaries - now this may be a regular feature for them, but as I rarely read fashion magazines it was new for me - the article featured a prominent woman for each decade from a woman in her 20's through to a woman in her 60's. And the curious thing about each of them was the similarities they shared when it came to diet and exercise. While each of their exercise routines differed slightly, what they shared was that they all had an exercise routine. The takeaway here is that it doesn't really matter what you do, just get moving. Find what you like and do that. As for diet, I noticed that as the women got older, they drank less alcohol and had less sugar. For all of them, moderation seemed to be key. In addition, while they still enjoyed meals out at restaurants, they all try to keep processed foods to a minimum and strive to avoid things like sugar, gluten and dairy.

I especially admire the two older women, Kelly Klein and Norma Kamali because they prove to me that beauty is timeless, being sexy is ageless and with a few simple tweaks to your daily routine, you can be a goddess at any age. But the final thing these women share? None of them seem to be beating themselves up about what they "have" to do to stay looking and feeling so fantastic, they just seem to get on with it.

Norma Kamali, age 66. How great is she? Talk about role model.

You can read the article online here. 

If you take nothing else away from today's post, at least remember this. There is no harm is starting over, in picking up where you left off, or making a change for the first time. You're going to turn 30,40,50,60,70, have that reunion, wedding reception, Hawaiian vacation or whatever anyway, so why not be your personal best?

Love,
Shan



 

Here Comes The Sun...

Today is the Summer Solstice! Happy first day of summer. 

Like the sunflower, stretching up toward the sun, ripe with potential, may your summer hold the promise of your every dream come true. Take this opportunity to celebrate the beginning of a new season.

You can wipe the slate clean, start fresh, begin anew... today. Make today your best one yet!

With love,
Shan

Cardio 2.2 - It's New!

We're one day out from the Summer Solstice, a very special time of year. For me, it's the happiest and saddest day of the year all rolled into one. I am over the moon as we approach this glorious day because it officially kicks off the summer season. Every tree is at its most luscious peak, flowers are fully in bloom across the whole of Canada, not just in British Columbia, and usually the weather's hot. I say usually because that's not the case here in Vancouver at the moment, but that's a rant for another post.

So with all these great things happening, how could it possibly be the saddest day of the year? Because... from the Solstice onward we're in that slow decent toward shorter says, falling leaves and cold weather. I am so a tropics person, I'm telling you, it's unfair I wasn't born American so I could live some place like Hawaii or California! I could seriously digress here so I'll swiftly kick my butt back on topic.

With the official start of summer literally a day away, I thought it might be a good time to introduce y'all to the new Dance Cardio. DC 2.2 is the most different yet because it features Stacey and Maria! 

This is literally off my TV as I couldn't do a screen grab from my computer. Sorry.

If you've explored Tracy's site and checked out the community pages, you've no doubt tried workouts with these two lovelies before. Stacey gives an exclusive standing Abs sequence (which I love love love and do several times a week), while Maria breaks down a hip routine. These girls know their stuff, it's not their first rodeo.

When I'd first gotten the news that Tracy was putting these two in charge of our workouts while she was  pregnant with Penelope, I'll admit I was a skeptic. I love Tracy, I love the Tracy Anderson Method, what was the method going to be like with Stacey and Maria? I don't like change, dammit! If this Dance Cardio is any indication? We're going to be just fine.

So lemme get on with it, shall I? Like all the other cardio DVD's we've gotten on the program, this one is also thirty minutes and features the same music, but you no longer have the option to choose full audio, just voice over or just music, so if you have your own playlist, you'll need to turn the volume down. No big deal. There isn't much narration anyway, and it's Maria's voice. She is super cheery and cute, but it's slightly odd to hear her talk near the end, as the girls switch off half way through, so to hear Maria say "stay with me" when Stacey is onscreen's a bit trippy but no biggie really.

The routine starts out with Maria and at exactly the halfway point, it's like they tag-team, and Stacey bounces on as Maria leaves us. I love that since for me DC is torture and sometimes I can only bully myself into doing 15 minutes. Now I have a visual cue for cut off. Yeah! (Don't follow my lead and only do 15 minutes, I am a terrible example, people!) This particular DVD has more choreography than all of the others so far (but nowhere near the extent of Tracy's original Dance Cardio DVD's). On the one hand, you can feel Tracy's style here during the dancing, the moves feel similar to hers, but having done the other DVD's, and done Maria's breakdown from the beginner cardio DVD, it also feels like she's had some influence on the choreography as well. It's a really nice mix. After doing it, you can understand why Tracy has chosen these women, their styles meld wonderfully with hers.

Over all, there is sort of one discernible routine that gets repeated throughout the entire video with various jumps, skips and hops peppered in between, so if you don't get the moves right away (I still don't have them down) you can sort of bop around and catch up when things settle down. It's quite nice working out with teachers who are a bit taller, since it takes their limbs a bit longer to do a few of the moves, (not all of the moves though, they're still speed demons too) but it's just one of those laws of physics that when you're a bit taller, it may take half a moment longer to fully extend an arm or a leg than it will for someone who is six inches shorter. Why do you think Bruce Lee was so fast? Okay yes, he was a master and he was exceptional in nearly every way, but he was still kinda little and he created that to his advantage. I think sometimes Tracy's the same. She can whip through a move (especially during Muscular Structure) that takes me ages longer. Again, danger of digression so I'll move on.

My one issue with it is that in Tracy's other choreographed videos, you learn the routine, then you perform it on both sides. This is not the case here. So it's my feeling that if you were to do this workout six days a week for three months, you may have one side more developed than the other, especially your arm. I would have hoped they might eventually switch over to doing it on the other side when Stacey came on, but she continued in the fashion that Maria had started.

Overall, the variety is nice, the change is good and it's nice to have another routine to add to the mix. Since I am hardly a fan of cardio to begin with, I don't know how often this will make it into my own personal rotation, but it's certainly doable and it's a nice challenge. I hope you have an opportunity to enjoy it when it shows up in your mailbox!

Warmly,
Shan 

Spinach Tortilla Wraps.

Ack - I am super chatty today and have so many things I want to write about. I would like to discuss injuries and how they can differ later on in the Method from the injuries we can be beset with when we start this journey. 

I also want to tell you about the new Dance Cardio featuring Stacey and Maria, but what I have been dying to get into is food. So that's what I'll end the week with.

Since I went through the blog a little bit and tried to corral some of these posts to make them easier to find, I realized that I had a few recipes here and that I have some others that I'd like to share.

Let it be known that I am a super fussy eater. I'm the vegetarian girl (vegan wannabe) that hated fruit before the Method. I don't fancy typical vegetarian fare all the time either. Don't like tempeh, likely because I've not yet had it served properly and have never learned how to cook it, not a huge fan of the whole roasted veggie thing that many places serve up as a vegetarian option. You know those sandwiches that have layers of roasted red pepper, zucchini, and eggplant, they always sound nice in theory, but when you get them they're dripping with oil or just look old and shriveled? Is it just me? Maybe. But I don't love the slimy texture those veggies take on when they're cooked.

Another problem I often run into is that I'll find a great recipe that sounds awesome until I read the fine print and realize that it's loaded with ingredients I don't like (yes I was a nightmare to feed as a kid, mom I'm sorry) so I'll go about swapping or eliminating ingredients and then find myself surprised when I don't like it or it doesn't turn out like the photo. Shocking right? Yet in spite of all of this, I still love to eat and I do enjoy cooking. So when I came across this gorgeous photo on an internet article...

And realized that it was part of a Seven Day Diet plan, but that it did not have an accompanying recipe, I was in luck! It meant that there was no recipe to follow and nothing to muck up. I could simply look at the picture and imagine what I'd like to be in it, and surprise surprise, not only did the end result actually resemble the photo, it tasted good too. Check it out.

Looks just like it, no? LOL, sorry, I didn't actually take a photo of my wrap so you'll have to take my word for it, but I did write down what I threw into it, so this weekend, if you want an easy and healthy meal, nearly properly combined you can try this or your own version of it. 

There is no wrong when there is no recipe!

To be clear, I suspect they used couscous, parsley and perhaps some tahini, but I don't like couscous or tahini - winging it here, remember, so I just went with it.

Shan's Spinach Tortilla Wrap

Diced tomato

Diced cucumber

Sliced Raw Red pepper (it's not in the photo but I like it)

Chopped avocado (maybe also not in the photo? I took liberties)

Chopped spinach

(they likely used parsley but I like spinach and it's green so...)

Quinoa, cooked in veggie broth and cooled

Sliced Veggie Chicken

Crumbled feta cheese (I said nearly properly combined)

Tortilla wraps (spinach if you want them to be green as above)

Lay your wrap out flat. Add 2-3 tablespoons of cooked quinoa to the middle and flatten it out. (don't leave it in a lump is what I mean)

Then layer small amounts of the above ingredients until everything is in.

I say use small amounts because it can add up quickly and become too big to roll and then it doesn't look anything like the photo. (just trust me on this one)

You can always make two if you must, but remember portion control.

If you want a bit of a kick, you can top it off with a dollop of jalapeno ranch dressing or something that you like the flavor of.

Finally, take one edge of the tortilla, roll it over the ingredients and sort of tuck them in, hold that firm as you fold in the ends, then roll the whole tortilla tight. 

Cut in half and serve with a crispy side salad that includes romaine lettuce, carrot and purple cabbage. 

NOTE:
If you were to make this with chicken, which you absolutely can, it then becomes less well combined so you'll want to eat it at dinner and be sure you give yourself the whole night to digest it. No traffic jams.


If it's made with veggie chicken and there are lots of varieties out there, it's still not perfect, but it's slightly more carbohydrate-centric than a mix of carbs and protein. Those of you that are gluten free, or soya free - please check the ingredients if you choose to go with veggie chicken. This is the brand that I love and used for this recipe.

Once it's baked, I cut it into strips, but there are brands out there that are already in strips. However, you should be aware that this brand does contain soy and wheat gluten, but it is suitable for vegans and vegan wannabe's like me. Omigod and it's great on the barbecue. Yum.


Have a good weekend.
Shan
 

I Spoke Too Soon!

Hey guys,
If this was a court of law, I'd want to recant an earlier statement. 

I'd like to do a take-back on what I said about level 5 yesterday. Can I do that? I was annoyed because it was so short, only 20 minutes long, and because I felt like my abs were being neglected. Plus when I attempted one of the moves during my preview of it, I found it impossible to do. Bitter Betty, I was.

Lemme say that one should not speak before one attempts the workout. One being moi! As they say in Italy "Idiota!" Yesterday I was convinced that I hated this new level and was all set and ready to go back to day one of Meta. Even though I'd just been loving all of the previous four levels? Shanny, give your head a shake! (And never call my Shanny by the way, only my Indian Yoga Teacher gets to do that because it sounds so cute with his accent.) Oh what a fool am I? Okay, not a fool entirely, there is something to be said for those awesome early levels, but I was reacting rather than acting from a place of experience.

As I listened again to Tracy's pep talk at the start of the workout, she states very clearly that she is going to challenge our balance. In fact level 5 is all about balance. (or the lack thereof in my case) She says that the moves are so hard that even she falls over and that we may tip and tumble for the first few moves, but can actually count those mess ups as part of the 30 reps. Wow, right? She goes on to say that if you can only bang out 10 reps but that you've done them to the absolute best of your ability, that that's okay. Holy crap. So I wasn't necessarily wrong, these moves are damned hard, but I didn't stop to think about why they're so hard. She wasn't punishing me and it wasn't personal. (gawd we Cancerians can be so sensitive!) It's about building us up for the next challenge, about making us stronger, silly.

And guess what you engage when you are trying to balance on a single knee cap... you get bonus points if you guessed abs! So I'm not afraid to say I was wrong. "I was wrong, level 5 doesn't suck." I did it and was completely capable. The move I attempted on my knee that was "impossible" just days earlier, became possible when I genuinely looked for a solution. When I said there was no way to modify it, actually there is. By putting a huge-ass sofa cushion under my knee I pulled it off. I look like a total weirdo, but I wasn't in pain and I didn't crack my knee-cap. Whew.

And another thing. There are some hard-core serious plankeroos done from the chair that busted my abs like never before. I swear I could actually see my belly fat trembling in fear. By the end of the 20 minutes I was ever so grateful that we hadn't been put through our paces with standing and floor abs to start. Talk about eating my hat, geez. That'll learn me.

Finally, I just want to say that while I'm not sure I have ever worked harder in a 20 minute period than I did while performing level 5, I managed it. Okay, not with grace or style, but I got through it and I am capable. That's a pretty good feeling. Sorry for the Negative Nancy routine yesterday. I take it all back. It's game still on... hang on a minute? Didn't I say I was gonna knock this off and stop talking about the Method? Oh no, that was just all the moaning and whinging about my three pounds and extra inch. So I'll stay mum about that. But this I had to tell you about, because if I can't tell you guys, my Cyber Sex and the City Gang, who can I tell? Thanks for listening.

And I learned a very valuable lesson here (with the help of your input of course) that you have to love the workout to sustain it, but that you're never going to love every single one (thanks Bee). You'll forget the sucky ones when a good one comes along. Plus, it never hurts to go back and revisit those ones you remember loving if it refires the passion and energy and motivates you to keep going. So for the record, I didn't love every single workout in that first year of Continuity - some of it really blew - but year two so far has rocked - including level 5 which almost made me throw in the towel. He he he, I feel a bit like Rocky now, "I ain't no bum!" 

Love you guys!
Shan

Shape Up!

We are constantly evolving, learning, growing and changing. I used to think that I could get into shape as if "in shape" was an end destination, but I was mislead. The reality is, shaping up or getting in shape is a journey rather than a destination and whether we're following a fitness program like Metamorphosis and we're on some sort of diet plan or we're sitting on the sofa with a tub of Ben and Jerry's we're constantly Taking Shape, for better of for worse.

This blog has gone through it's own evolution of sorts, it's grown to include and involve all of you, it's seen me through love days and hate days and it's tracked my journey (for better or for worse) on the Method. So I finally decided to weed through some of it and add a label or two to help you better navigate it - because it's grown into a bit of a monster over the past eighteen months. So if you're curious, you can browse around using the label tabs to the right. I'm a bit of a one-trick pony, so I don't have a lot of labels, turns out I review stuff a lot, who knew? But there's also the odd recipe or resource thrown in for good measure. I hope to share more food here in the future, it's creative and inspirational and I think healthy recipes help us stay on track.


Now for the not so pleasant or easy to share bit of today's post.

Here's the thing, I'm ready to start Level 5 of Continuity 2.0 so I watched it yesterday. Tracy's pep talk was very inspiring, as always, but I wasn't taken with the workout. I don't want to be a negative Nelly, I don't... (but I can be.) I gotta confess I have a bit of an issue here. I am abcentric, hence I am on the abcentric program, so why doesn't this workout have any abs? It's 20 minutes long. As for the sequence, it brings back the towel, which is fine but in one move, the angle and pressure on the knee cap is not possible for me, there's not even a way to modify it. I tried it and could not put an ounce of weight on it. I had zero desire to do this workout and I was pissed! I had to ask myself, am I done with the Method? Have I just gone as far as I can with it and now I'm over it? It's a fair question since I've been at it for a long time, right?

Turns out that's not the case. I am not over the Method at all, I am not over Tracy Anderson... reading through some of the reviews of previous levels... I clearly love the program I've chosen but the proof was in a single workout, the one I chose to do yesterday instead of level 5. My girl Amy has recently gone back to her Metamorphosis and is doing them again. Her review of level 2 made me dig out my white packet and pull out that very first shiny disk and pop it into the DVD player. I did level 2. Omigod, you guys! I loved it.

It was very basic, a little slow (meaning I could actually follow it in real time) it wasn't so ridiculously complicated that I had to watching three times just to figure it out. It was simple but tough. I had a hard time getting through all 30 reps of each move. But the bigger question is this...

Why back then were we able to incorporate 6 leg moves with 30 reps while still getting in a full workout with standing arms and abs, arms with weights and floor abs, and now we're not? I don't know what I'm saying or where this fork in the road is going to lead, but to me (and do remember this is just one girl's opinion) complicated and super hard does not equal better. Simple is good if it's effective and I know that Metamorphosis is effective, I have photographic evidence of it! 

I want to know what you think. I'm tempted to go back to basics and have fun again, even though that's not how the program is designed.

Do you remember when this was fun? When you couldn't wait to get to the next level? When the workout kicked your butt but didn't kill you in the process? When you felt strong and healthy and happy? I do! And it's been a while now. 

I understand that I am much stronger from these continuing levels, don't get me wrong, they have benefited my progress, but maybe they're just too hard for me. It's possible right? I'm not 25 anymore. I hate to grumble, it could be that I'm just too old or too buggered up (neck issues and all) to be doing all of these mad moves. Plus I'm not seeing the results I saw on Meta, so it leaves me feeling a bit cold.

I'm going to give level 5 a shot today and I'll keep you posted, but I can hear Metamorphosis calling me back, even that bloody Muffin Top Slayer, level 3! Ugh, what to do?

xo
Shan

Mmm. Time Well Spent.

Being a loner, I can forget that reconnecting with close friends is some of the best medicine out there. When I decided to take a little break from things, I really took a break and hit the road. Me and the boys ran for the hills quite literally...

And it was the cure for what ailed me. Good company in natural spaces truly has the power to heal. Getting out of my own backyard went a long way in getting me out of my head. We played where the wild things were. And while I'd hoped to see some bears, they were shy this trip. The muskrats however, were not...

Here in Canada, June is Cottonwood season, that's what's floating in the air. It's like snow on a sunny day, beautiful.

If you're anything like me, road trips are a free for all on the diet front. I get to eat anything and everything and who doesn't want to munch on chips while flying around the mountains listening to your favorite tunes, right? But this trip was a little different. Breakfasts weren't the usual fried variety, instead we opted for fruit. (Omigod, what have Tracy and Kimberly done to me?) We made good choices because we wanted to, knowing we'd feel better. Oh, don't worry, there were still a few French fries and chockies along the way, but we balanced all that out with salads and raw veggies. It was a new way to travel (for me) and I have to say I enjoyed the trip every bit as much. Plus I genuinely missed my Glowing Green Smoothies. Who knew?

All of that great nutrition helped to fuel hikes like this...

With my two favorite guys, where we got up close and personal with this bad boy...

Honestly, it looks so much more incredible in real life. But I'll bore you with the photos anyway... that's him up close.

And when we came across calmer water, only one of us was brave enough to take a dip...

He was so hot in his fur coat that the cold water was heaven.


Somehow, when you're on the road, there seems to be some much more time, there's more space between thoughts and to me that felt as good as the river probably felt to my fur baby.

We never actually managed to have a fire, those mountain evenings are still a little too chilly for my taste, but it was enough to have the possibility.


And that's the metaphor that I took away from this trip. We don't have to achieve perfection, but it's nice knowing that we have that possibility when we take care of ourselves with healthy food and good exercise.

I didn't do my Muscular Structure or Dance Cardio while I was away, but I didn't fret about it. I knew Tracy would be here waiting for me when I got back. Funny though, I did find myself in a sunny meadow walking through the wild flowers doing standing arms. Yeah, sorry, no photos of that! Ha ha.


Hope you're all doing well and finding your own balance.
xo
Shan

As it Seems.

Hello Lovelies,
I wanted to pop in and clear something up. We have something really cool going on here, we're this nutty group of women who've become friends across the miles. We're a community of supportive and pretty cool girls. Jah said it - we're like the cyber Sex and the City on TAM.

I in no way want to discount that or bring it to an end.

Breathing Room was me saying that I wasn't comfortable with how I was morphing into this obsessive girl who was constantly thinking about three pounds or one inch here or there. I don't want to be that. So I just need a bit of a break.

Will still do the Method - just gonna do it my way by slowing it down and switching it up, adding in my own standing abs and standing arms and throwing in a bit of yoga (as much as I can)... you know... shannonize it.

Ooooh, but guess what? The new cardio features Stacy and Maria and they switch off at 15 minutes exactly - so we (I) know when it's halfway if we (I) want a shorter workout, we (I) will know when to stop the DVD. Ha ha. Haven't gotten around to doing it yet. But will let you know how it is soon.

In the mean time, I want to thank everyone who comes here every day. For sharing and having a laugh or a cry and just touching base. I'm glad you do.

This song is for you.

Was thinking I might dig out my guitar and try to learn it, what with all the free time I'll have now I'm not obsessing over my workouts and what to eat or not to eat constantly. (or at least that's my great hope) Then when we all someday get together to do a class with Tracy and do a bit of yoga afterward - we'll bust out the instruments and have a sing along at the end. Okay maybe that last bit would be weird. Let's just go to Starbucks instead.
 
Have a great weekend, ladies.
Shan