Monthly Archives: August 2013

HOMAGE TO THE WORKING MAN AND WOMAN

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Saturday has arrived, and it is the Labor day weekend. I have the whole weekend off not including Monday to do as I please. I love having weekends off and working the same hours Monday through Friday, it is this routine that makes it possible for me to continue on and be successful in my My Change For A Ten Quest, and I am very grateful for that and to the managers where I work that are kind enough to give me the schedule that works for my new fit lifestyle.

I am taking a rest day so it seems. I decide to take my rest days by judging how my body feels, if I feel like I have pushed it and I am overly tired that is when I take my rest day. Hard work does need a rest, after all it is Labor Day this weekend and since I work Monday I will rest today. I wish everyone a beautiful Labor Day weekend, and I hope you take sometime to relax and revel in the intoxication of  just being alive. 


I wrote this poem a few years ago and I do not remember who or what I was musing off. It is about the working man/woman, an homage so you will to all those who toil to make a better life for themselves and their loved ones, sometimes sacrificing their own freedom. This is a poem I once almost scrapped when I lived in NYC but after my close friend read it and cried because it reminded her of her father I decided to keep it. Happy Labor Day Weekend to all. Get some rest and relaxation and get out there and bask in the sweet summer sun as a reward to all of the hard hours you put in for a better life. Autumn is sneaking up on us, so make these last summer moments count. Love and light to all.
Namaste’
Rose

BREADWINNER

Lament of a man of labor,

Pride in his starched blue collar;

Valor in the stains of sweat,

From toiling in the sweltering heat.

Sacrificing time for his devotion,

To family, keeping poverty at bay;

At the price of exhaustion of self.

Fatigue plagues him day after day,

No escape is in sight, no freedom;

Enslaved, trapped within his quagmire.

Nothing ever changes, even with time,

There is no relief in sight.

It seems he sold his soul,

Owned by a pea colored key.

Still he endeavors on

With his daily drudgery,

Realizing with great esteem;

Truest nobility

To raising a family,

And profound dignity

In any honest occupation.

(c) Rose Bruno Bailey




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

HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT

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Good Morning Thursday. This is a particular good morning since I have the whole day off, and I work tomorrow and then I have the weekend off as well. My driver’s license expired and apparently they need an updated one for my work, so my manager told me to take off today to get it done. So yes, I have to go to the DMV, yawn. But then the whole day is mine to do as I please once I am finished there. I was just saying I needed a day off during the week to have some alone time, alone time at the pool or to take another yoga class and I was granted my wish. So today is mine.

I have been thinking a lot about my goals, and how I am really sticking to my program. I am really trying hard, I want to achieve what I seek, and I want it bad. Nothing will get in my way because I am on a mission. A mission to change my life, a mission to make a difference in the lives of others as well as my own. I have so many things I plan to add to my list of goals, and I know I will make each and every one of them happen. I am making them reality because when the mind and heart believes anything is possible. I have decided I would approach everything with no fear and no procrastination. I may bend but I will never break. 

Yesterday was my Wednesday evening yoga class with Nicole at Pink Iron. It was an amazing class, she is a fantastic yoga teacher. I was much more centered and I felt great. I am so excited to say that I took my bridge pose into a full back bend for the first time. I did my first back bend ever!!  I did wheel pose.  That was such a feeling of elation. I decided to just go for it and I was able to lift my whole body up into the back bend pose. I am definitely getting stronger. I do have to give Mike kudos for that, I believe my Tuesday workouts are strengthening my yoga practice. Like I have said countless times before, and I will always say it,  no person can go it alone.  I am full of  immense gratitude for those who support me on my endeavors. I also believe in supporting all of my friends and loved ones in their paths as well. We are all each others biggest fans and cheerleaders, belief in one another is the heart of inspiration and motivation. After all one of the meanings of Namaste’ is we are all one, we are all connected.

I wish everyone a beautiful Thursday, full of belief in all your heart desires.
Namaste’
Rose

CORE OF THE MATTER

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Good morning Wednesday. I am up extra early today, savoring a few precious moments of sunrise, solitude, and silence and trying to gather my thoughts over a delicious cup of coffee. I greet my day with a heart filled with gratitude for everyone that has graced me with their positive presence. I am grateful for this beautiful planet we reside in and of course for my beloved cats and this cup of coffee. I am grateful for the sheer blessing of being alive, tired yet so alive.

I am really getting much stronger and more balanced in my workouts with Mike my trainer and friend. Yesterday he stepped it up a few notches, He said he has been too easy on me and it was time to make things more difficult, and he and guaranteed I would be sore today. I woke up sore of course, but it is that job well done type of soreness that comes with accomplishment. 

We jogged a lot, or for me it was a lot. The hardest part is my breathing, and some of that may be due to allergies. Nothing that the neti pot cannot cure. I actually did more than I thought I could, and I will continue to improve on the jogging part of the workouts. I will do some jogging this week when I do my walking.  I have also been googling breathing techniques. I will get this. He plans on us jogging longer distances. Nest week we are going to video tape me doing simple beginner burpees for Melissa @ Melissa Bender Fitness so she can post them on her blog. We figured out a way for me to do them using the bench as a prop so I can ease into them without straining my knees. 


My core is pretty darn strong. I was a dancer and of course your “center” as we called it in dance is the most important part. You have to constantly pull up, suck in, relax your shoulders and do not arch the back with your hips tucked in. I still walk like this to this day, head high. I guess some habits stick over time and this particular dance habit is really helping me with my core. The core matters!  My sit ups are getting so much more fluid, I was really proud yesterday. My hard work is starting to really pay off and I feel so motivated to continue. I am very grateful to Mike, he teaches as well as instructs and I can feel my body changing. I am so much stronger than I was over six weeks ago. 

When I got home I did some yoga poses to stretch, but of course doing yoga poses at home with cats is a challenge. They are mesmerized by the mat, and attack your feet as you are doing downward dog. Tonight is yoga with Nicole. I will be sure to drink enough water and eat enough so I do not get lightheaded or sick like I almost did last Wednesday. I still need to get to YogaWorks and use my month unlimited Groupon, it doesn’t expire and works from the first day you use it. I will begin there either this week or the next. I am really enjoying the process as well as the results, and that is what keeps me going each and every single day. This is my lifestyle and I absolutely love it.

Wishing you a Happy Wednesday
Love and Light
Namaste’
Rose

WEIGHT LOSS UPDATE 8/27/2013

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Good Morning Tuesday. I just weighed myself and I lost two pounds bringing my total weight loss to 9 pounds and my weight is now officially 188 lbs. I am so excited, last November I actually weighed 207 lbs, so I have lost 9 pounds since I began my My Change For A Ten Project but since last November I have lost a total of 19 pounds. I am almost at my first ten pound My Change For A Ten goal, and then I will set the date to feed the homeless with The Monday Night Mission. I am really proud I am sticking to whatever I say I will do. This is just the beginning for me to change my life and to help make a difference in the lives of others. I am reaching for the moon.

Here is a photo of me and my wonderful friend Amy this weekend, we were out with our husbands at Barney’s Beanery in West Hollywood CA.  I will have more full body shots when I return to Richard Simmons this week, he was out of town but I believe he is back Thursday. I went out and I was disciplined. I ate extremely healthy, a turkey sandwich on whole grain with Dijon mustard, avocado, lettuce and tomato and steamed vegetables. I also had a cup of bean chili with no meat.  I believe you can eat healthy almost anywhere. I drank Perrier and tons of water since I do not drink, which helps me save on calories.



Tonight is my workout with Mike, and I am really learning so much. I am also learning how much food my body needs to sustain my workouts, walking, and yoga. So I will be sure to eat enough from here on out. The whey protein shakes help me fill in the blanks when I do not have time to sit down to a meal. I have also been watching my sodium intake. It really makes a big difference. At work I have been ordering my chicken plain with no marinade and no dressing, and I use oil and vinegar. Little changes add up for big results. I buy tuna and peanut butter with no added salt, and I try to eat as clean as possible without obsessing or depriving myself. I am achieving mind and body balance.

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”


― Mark Twain


I wish everyone a terrific Tuesday.
Namaste’
Rose




MONDAY GRATITUDE

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Happy Monday to all.  I am on my first cup of coffee and smiling already, coffee and the fact that I wake up each and every morning is enough to make me smile. I am alive and able to drink this hot creamy cup of perfection, so I greet Monday morning with a big thank you.  I prefer to savor the little things in life as well as the grand.  I have chosen to make my life a happy adventure, full of creative endeavors. Yes, it is Monday morning but I am up early and ready to embrace my day with an open mind and heart. I am creating the life that I wish to have.

Tomorrow is my weigh in and my weekly workout with Mike. We are going to videotape me performing burpees either this week or the next. Melissa at Melissa Bender Fitness is going to post the video, with future videos of me improving on the move. We all know I need to improve on the move, since I feel so awkward doing them. She is such an amazing motivator. I am so grateful for her help and for Mike’s help. Mike really is a one of a kind trainer and I am so lucky to have his help.  I feel incredibly blessed to have such positive people in my corner. I could not go it alone, no one can. 

I have been working hard on my My Change For A Ten project and I am just around the corner from volunteering with my first charity The Monday Night Mission. My plan is as soon as I reach my first ten pound loss, I will give my place of employment heads up two weeks in advance so they can order the food that they are donating to the Monday Night Mission on my behalf. Then we are going to join the lovely people at the Monday Night Mission to help feed the residents at skid row. So the actual date of my first charity volunteer work with be a few weeks after I reach my first ten pound goal. Mike is going with me, and any other friends are welcome as well, I think Francie may join us. The more to help the merrier. Compassion for others is contagious.

I wish you a sunshiny day full of everything your heart desires. Yes, that may be a tall order for a Monday morning but greatness has to begin somewhere. Just order yourself a tall latte’ to inspire caffeinated creativity, after all a little coffee always helps.  Think it, believe it, and make it happen. 
Namaste’
Love and Light to all
Rose



HURRY GO BUY SOME CURRY AND MAKE MY SOUP

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Happy Sunday to all. Autumn is right around the corner, and here in California that does not mean the same thing as it does back east but you still sometimes get a little hint of the season. Football returns, and some of the trees here actually do change hues. To me there is nothing like walking outside on a California night and having a cool breeze kiss my face. I get inspired to cook more in the Autumn.  Soups are a simple, healthy and amazing staple in our diet and perfect for sharing with friends and family come Fall. Perfect for staying on track with my My Change For A Ten program. 

I went to the grocery store to pick up a few items, and I noticed yellow split peas were on sale for only 59 cents. I have never made yellow split pea soup but I decided I would give it a whirl, I cannot pass up a bargain. I have decided to add some curry to spice things up a bit, and top it off with some Greek yogurt or light sour cream. I am new to the spice curry and I find the satisfying creaminess of the yogurt or sour cream adds richness to the savory soup.

You will need

One bag of dried yellow split peas

A few tablespoons of garlic infused extra virgin olive oil

Chopped up onions, celery, and carrots. Enough to fill up the bottom of a semi large pot. I use Mirepoix 14.5 oz from Trader Joe’s, it is already pre-cut 

If you do not find Mirepoix use one large onion, two carrots, and two celery stalks, chopped fine.

One  cartons of vegetable stock 32 fl oz. I use trader joes.  You can use regular or low sodium, I have tried both.

One carton of water.

Sea salt, ground pepper, a few tablespoons of curry spice. 

Greek yogurt or light sour cream to garnish.

Saute, onion, celery, and carrots in  garlic infused extra virgin olive oil for a few minutes til the onion carmelizes and the vegetables cook down. 

Salt and pepper as you are cooking the vegetables.

Add full bag of yellow split peas, one carton of vegetable stock, one carton of water.

Add a bit more sea salt,  ground pepper, and curry spices for flavor and stir.


Bring to a rolling boil, then simmer on low for 45 minutes covered. Some people prefer to puree’ their split pea soup, but I like to leave it au’ natural for more of a bean soup experience; the choice is up to you. That is what makes cooking so  much fun, creative license to change the rules as you go along and make it your own. Individuality found in one delectable dish. Top it off with a dollop of Greek yogurt or light sour cream for added richness of flavor.

This is amazing with warmed whole wheat pita. It is simple, just take some delicious pita and slice in triangles and place on a cooking sheet that has been sprayed with no-stick spray. Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over the wedges of pita and if you wish you can spread a little chopped garlic to spice it up. Be sure to dip the pita wedges in the soup, it just makes it taste better.

Hurry go buy some curry and make a big pot of my Yellow Split Spicy Pea Soup, you will not be sorry!!  

Namaste’ Love and light
Happy Sunday
Rose

HAIR DO RICHARD SIMMONS

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Happy Saturday to all. I am excited the Richard Simmons video is out, It was so much fun. If you look closely you can see me dancing backup with Richard Simmons in the blue tank over his shoulder in the group shots. I got a few seconds of face time. It was the first week of My Change For A Ten and it was a ton of fun. I met some wonderful friends and now I am hooked on Richard Simmons classes. I will forever do the hair do move.  Nothing like Richard Simmons to inspire you to lose weight. 
Namaste’ love and light to all.
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



























YOGA CHALLENGED ME

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Yesterday’s class was a major challenge. For some reason I struggled at yoga, and I was weaker than usual. All of a sudden I became a little dizzy and I almost got sick in class. The good news is I took a moment to collect myself, drank some water and I finished the class. It was very hot, and I probably did not eat enough. I have never got sick from not eating enough, but I guess it could happen and it did happen to me. Lesson learned, I need to eat more frequently.

I am happy I did not leave and that I stayed. I was not as balanced as usual, but everyone has off days. I showed up and I persevered so that is all that matters. I also think my allergies have been bothering me. My breathing feels a little shallow and my eyes feel so heavy.

This journey is every day, and some days will be a breeze and others a challenge. We are only as good as we feel, and sometimes our mind is more powerful than our body and it sees us through the rough patches. Sometimes we must listen to the signs our body is telling us; to eat more, to rest more. I showed up, I stayed, but I did listen to my body in class and I did not push it too far. I am strong and flexible and I can bend to whatever challenges comes my way, like the willowy trees I see daily doing their own yoga poses for centuries before our time. 

Today is a fresh day, and every sunrise is a chance to begin anew. I bought a shaker for protein shakes to drink at work since I do not have time to eat. That should help me with my issue of not eating during the day. It is a subtle change but one which will help me sustain the larger changes and goals I am seeking.

Wishing everyone a beautiful day.
Namaste’
Rose