Category Archives: Yogaworks

TESTY TUESDAY

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When you decide to dedicate yourself to a project, you can be assured a time will come when you are challenged. It is happening to me this week, minor challenges but they are testing my will and perseverance. I weighed myself Tuesday, and I stayed the same. I know I am losing and also shedding inches so I will not give up, I have lost weight and I am in a far better place than I was months ago. I am stronger and by stamina and energy are much greater. I am winning this battle and becoming a better, healthier version of myself.

That and a few other minor annoyances left me in a bit of a cranky mood as I started my day on Tuesday. My husband was a bit shocked, since I am rarely, ever crabby. My ankle is still a bit tender, and that has been really upsetting me. I have not been talking about it too much, and I have been working through it. I want to be 100% and when your body does not cooperate with your mind it can be a bit irritating. I have ordered new athletic shoes and new work shoes, I think that may be part of the problem.

Mike was not feeling well yesterday, so we did not work out together. I send him healing thoughts and hope he feels back to normal soon. He mentioned he wanted to work out today, so if he is well and able I will be doing my weekly workout with him this evening. If not, I will head down to YogaWorks and do some walking as well. 

I had a nightmare last night, one of those gut wrenching dreams that frighten you so much that when you finally wake up you are so relieved they are not a reality. I dreamed I was in Cleveland and all of a sudden the whole city was under some apocalyptic evacuation. All the residents were forced to gather in one location. I remember in my dream I was more concerned about making sure my family and pets was safe then I was about my own safety. This dream however disturbing put my silly little annoyances in there place. I woke up, and my family and pets are safe, so all is well with the world. 

My mother is the epitome of a survivor and her challenges were far greater than mere daily annoyances. She was such a stunning beauty as well, yet she never knew it. I get so much inspiration from her, her courage and way she looks life in the face. I should probably not say this here, but she cusses like a sailor and even though I never swear I love that quality about her, it makes her very human and very funny. 

Shout out to Shirley Bruno as I sign off. Life you wish to challenge me? In my Mother’s style I will say confidently and with a little does of her humor, bring it on B!@#& !!!! 🙂
Love and Light
Namaste’
Rose

My gorgeous Mother Shirley age 16  in the black bathing suit
Shirley my Mother in black again, with a friend and my eldest sister Dona as a child


RUNNING ON TIME TOWARDS MY GOALS

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Good morning and Happy Friday to all. Yesterday I was off to go to the DMV and that freed up my day afterwards.  I had time to go to YogaWorks and speak to the management and staff about my yoga needs and which classes are best for me as I begin my experience with YogaWorks. I have unlimited classes, but since I am new there they recommended certain classes for me to begin with, and as I progress with their teaching style I will be able to take more advanced classes. They stress proper form and they recommend I start at the very beginning to make sure I am  performing the poses correctly. They have a candlelight flow, which I am excited about and some of their classes are set to music. I am going Saturday morning for my first class, and I am truly excited to be able to take my practice to another level. Just another notch added to my journey of fitness and well being. I am making time for my My Change For A Ten by running towards my goals, and it feels so amazing.

Speaking of running, I  recently started running with Mike, my trainer and friend and he wants me to be able to run longer and with more ease. Yesterday I waited until the evening since it was a scorcher, and I walked to this little park up the street from my house in Beverly Hills. There is a fountain, and a little walkway that goes around the fountain. For me it is the perfect place to practice running, I can run around the park and then take walking breaks and then run around again. Yesterday I ran twice around the park with somewhat ease. I was listening to music, and it drowned out the heavy breathing sounds I probably make so I did not think about my breathing as much. Each day I will try to run just a little farther. 

My journey is an ongoing one, with hard work and dedication and I understand not everything will be simple or in my comfort zone. I accept that and I know I will progress as time goes by. Time will pass, I might as well make the best of the time I am given. Time is elusive, we think we do not have enough time but in reality we have all the time in the world, it is just how we use it that really matters. I am managing my time, it is not managing me. I will no longer let time hold hostage of my life, I own each and every day and I will continue to run towards my goals and away from the fears that held me back in the past. 
Wishing everyone a beautiful day.
Namaste’
Rose

FRIDAY 8/23/2013

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Good morning and Thank Goodness it is Friday. I am so happy the weekend is almost here. I hope everyone is having a wonderful Friday. I am a little sleepy but upbeat at the same time. My thoughts are not quite here for me yet though, so this will be a short and sweet post. I love to write but I have to be clear in my mind and fully awake so sometimes posting at this hour can be challenging.

I think it is time to take some updated full length photos, people are starting to mention I look smaller and I have not had any recent photos since the last Richard Simmons class a few weeks ago. He has been out of town. I will do that soon and post them. I walked into CVS yesterday and the guy who works there said what I am doing is working. That always makes me want to work even harder. Results are not always visible to our own personal reflection of ourselves, but when others take notice you know then you are doing something right. I did take a selfie, to see if my face looks thinner. My Mother objects to it because she thinks it is too revealing, which I find hilarious, sorry Mom.  It is a little blurry but I can totally see my face slimming down.  My face is the first place I show weight loss.



I walk at least five days a week on the treadmill for about 45 minutes to an hour, along with the other things I am doing. Yesterday I did the incline thing that Mike taught me. After speed walking for a half hour, I walked one minute at a time raising each level for each minute until I reached level ten. After I  reached the top I reduced the incline one level at a time until I was back to level with one no incline. It is a major challenge but I did it, and I will continue to add that to my regimen as well as adding a little jogging in between my speed walking. Mike said things are getting too easy and I have to work harder, and he is right. So just when you think you have mastered a movement, you take it up a few notches. Burpees I have not mastered but I am practicing. I will do the video for Melissa at Melissa Bender Fitness but I probably will not have the stomach to watch it. 

I am also super excited that I bought a Groupon for one month unlimited yoga classes at YogaWorks in West Hollywood, thanks to Francie my friend from the Richard Simmons video shoot. It was a steal for $35.00. She sent me the link. I am so happy we have met, we call each other our secret twins since we have so many similarities. This project has introduced me to new friends and I feel completely blessed and grateful.

I have had issues lately with food and my husband. He is on board with everything I am doing, but sometimes he wants things like Pizza and I just do not wish to have anything that may derail me at this point. I am too soon in the game, and I need to keep the momentum going. Pizza I guess is not as fun if you are not sharing it. I am also trying to drink the whey protein shakes I bought for work so I will not get so famished and lightheaded anymore. It is a subtle but important change. I love my hot pink shaker, it is so cute. It has three compartments, one for the powder, one to shake it in, and one for vitamins. I am very excited about it. It is the little things in life as well as the grand that make me happy.



Wishing everyone a Fantastic Friday
Namaste’
Rose



























MASTERING THE ART OF BURPEES

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When you learn something new that is outside your comfort zone, you feel awkward doing it. For me, exercise has always been dance related. When I speed walk I dance in my head to the music I am listening too, everything for me up until this point had a rhythm to it. My heart would follow the beat, and it was seamless and natural for me and I loved it. 

I still love to work out to dance moves or  walking outside or on the treadmill to music, but I have added a lot of new exercise moves to my regimen since I started working out with Mike my trainer and friend. Like I have said before in recent posts, his help is invaluable and I am learning so much. He is really helping me through our weekly workouts. Now, a lot of what I do with him is completely foreign to me, and some things are down right difficult since I have never had arm strength. In the six weeks we have been working out though, I can see significant changes in my form as well as my strength. I am definitely getting better, and that is when he mixes it up and makes it more difficult for me. I love a challenge and I am working really hard, and each week I get a little stronger and more fluid in my movements. I am so grateful for his expertise, assistance, and time.

Burpees feel so awkward to me, and I am yet to master the push up part so I do the burpees without the push up. I do not know what my hang up about this exercise move is, but for some reason I feel like I look completely silly when I do it. My best friend Melissa at Melissa Bender Fitness has asked me to see if Mike would video tape me doing burpees for her website. He loved the idea, me not so much. It looks like we will tape me doing burpees next week. I am going to practice the hell out of them in the week to come. This is an adventure, and sometimes you have to not fear and just do. 

We also worked out a lot with a kettle ball, and a jump rope as well as the machines that are at the park we go to. I can jump rope fast but my endurance is not as good. More things to improve upon. Each week is different and each week I get a little more natural at everything we do, and if I do say so myself I am very proud I have stuck to my regimen thus far. I have a long way to go to my goals, but I am definitely just around the corner to my first ten pound goal. I can tell I am losing inches too.  I feel stronger and I have more energy, and it feels completely wonderful. 

Tonight is yoga with Nicole, and I look forward to it so much. Last week she was explaining the difference between sensation and pain. I still cannot decipher which is which. I also signed up for a Groupon for one month unlimited classes at YogaWorks, thanks to  my friend Francie from the video shoot. She sent me the link and I had just enough time to get the amazing deal. I have to say I am so happy our paths have crossed, she is a fantastic human being and friend. We are both excited that the Richard Simmons video comes out this Friday. We had so much fun dancing in it.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Wednesday full of love and light.
Namaste’
Rose