FITNESS MILESTONES

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Working on my strength so I can take trapeze classes soon.


Good evening to all. My modem is broken at home so I am behind on my posts. Today we arrived in the valley of the sun Phoenix, Arizona and we are here for a long weekend away. I am taking this time to rest and recuperate my muscles so I will be raring to go when I get back. After the 10K I was a little roughed up, and I strained my muscle just a bit. I am taking it easy as a precaution, but there is a pool here so I will still be active. I also brought my yoga mat so I can practice my yoga and keep my muscles stretched.

My trainer Mike and I decided we are really going to focus on goals more, and I am not going to be so wrapped up on what the scale says weekly. Now mind you, I am still going to document my weight loss and as soon as I get to my elusive next ten pounds I will do my book drive for Reading To Kids.I am still hovering at 171 lbs, and I am officially in a plateau. We are just really going to focus on my goals and making those happen. I am really inspired. Here are a few of the first goals.

1. 10 guy push ups
2. five minute plank. I am currently at 2.5 minutes
3.Run around the park 4 times, improve on my running
4.Do pull ups
5.10 minutes of rowing

We will be working on these and other fitness milestones as we continue on my fitness journey. The fitness milestones will help me with my fitness bucket list. In example, the pull up will help me with my strength needed for Trapeze classes.

Love and Light to all.
Namaste’
Rose

PHOTOS OF SEAL BEACH RUN

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It’s on. Run Seal Beach.

So many runners

Over 9 minute miles.

Runners

Almost there.

Motivation to keep going.

Just about finished.

Confused at this point.

Took a water and kept going.

Lovely scenery

Tree obsession continues

Starting to slow a little

Starting to question what happened

It is obvious now.

Doing an accidental 10K

Judy and Barbara told me I was on the 10K

Judy and Barbara making their way to beat their little sister to the finish line.

No way

Jonathan caught up with me and crossed the finish line again to accompany me

I got a congratulatory hug from Judy at the finish line.

Shane, me and Jonathan mocking my mistake.

Which one did I do?

Accidental 10K

It was  Rose thing to do. I tend to get lost.

Team Seasons 52, Shane, Christine, Jonathan, Caroline, Laura, Me, and Whitney

Group shot great people

I love Laura

Whitney, Christine, and Jonathan being silly

Silly fun

Whitney, Caroline with Christine and Jonathan in background

Fun Shane

Love Christine, we are going to practice yoga together.

Love this girl

Jonathan and I recreating the moment he ran with me through the finish line.

Run

With Shane in Seal Beach tee shirts

Shane, Jonathan, Christine, and me. It’s a wrap.

FIRST 10K, ACCIDENTAL 10K

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Good afternoon to all on this beautiful Saturday afternoon. Today was a special day for me, I wanted for sometime to do a 5K, crossing  off one of the items on my fitness bucket list. I signed up for one with a team from Seasons 52, thanks to my wonderful manager Laura Dennis. We planned it a few months ago and we signed up for Run Seal Beach, a 5K and 10K in picturesque Seal Beach California.

Today I woke up bright and early before five am, and made my way to the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf to meet the others. It was amazing being up before the sun, and getting to witness the sunrise from a sleepy coffee shop, trying to restrain my excitement for what was to come.

Together Jonathan, Christine, Shane and I made the trek to Seal Beach and meet up with Laura, Caroline and Whitney. Laura was ready to go and she had Seasons 52 tee shirts for us. I am grateful to Laura and Seasons 52 for sponsoring us and giving me the opportunity to make one of my  fitness goals a reality. I am a long way from being over 200 lbs and out of shape, and I feel so fantastic.

Time was of the essence, we didn’t even have time to use a port of potty, they were lining up as we arrived. We all made a plan to meet after since we would all be going at different paces.
All of us were doing the 5K, except for Jonathan who is a seasoned runner, no pun intended. He ran the 10K which inspires me greatly.  I lined up towards the back with Laura, a little nervous with all of the people there. I am a novice runner and it is quite overwhelming being in such close proximity with all of the runners and wondering if I was going to get trampled. On top of that I have a slight toe injury and I was hoping the pain would hold out. I buddy wrapped my toes and took a few aspirin and believed I would be fine, after all the mind is stronger than the body.  I had my music and I was ready. They called our group and Laura told me to push through my first song and keep going. She is an avid runner and it was not long before I lost her and went at my own slower pace. At one point I noticed runners going in a different direction, but I kept moving forward, oblivious of anything around me but my own stride and the tune keeping me upbeat, energized and moving onward.

I was enjoying my experience, sprinting fast to my play list and then walking for a bit, then again running. There was a point where I may have felt that elusive runners high people speak so fondly of. The breeze from the trees was cooling my overheated body down, the rhythm of my music was guiding my pace. I forged forward thinking I must be close to being done as I saw the 3 mile marker. I felt the sense of pride for being so close to finishing my first 5K.

Not so fast, the path oddly continued on and on, the runners who lost steam walked and I ran until I could run no more and at that point I began speed walking. That is when I noticed something peculiar, The 4 Mile marker. At every mile marker I encountered I snapped a quick photo.  There were two ladies walking past me and I turned off my music to ask them how long the race was. A bit over 6 miles was the answer. We exchanged introductions, sisters Barbara and Judy kindly informed me I was running the 10K. We all got a chuckle out of the fact I accidentally was doing a 10K. As we approached the 5 Mile marker Judy snapped a photo of me standing next to it, and I also got a photo of the lovely ladies to remember them by. It was a high knowing I was accidentally doing my first 10K. 

Dynamo sisters Judy and Barbara



Realizing I went the wrong way but so happy. Quick pic and onward towards the finish line.



I kept going, at this point my toe was starting to ache but I did not slow down. Barbara and Judy wanted to beat their younger sister to the finish line so they were off running. I pondered that the Seasons 52 team was probably wondering where I was and all of a sudden I saw Jonathan walking in the opposite direction. I explained to him I never took the 5K turn and instead accidentally ran the 10K, well walked/ran the 10K. He thought it was amazing and immediately walked with me for the duration of the race.  Jonathan texted the others to let them know he found me. We decided I was going to run through the finish line so Jonathan joined me as I turned on my most inspiring tune and ran through the red arches to complete my first 10K. Judy was at the finish line and greeted me with a congratulatory hug which made me feel ten feet tall.

Thank you Judy 


I did a 10K


The others were waiting, laughing at the fact that I missed the turn. Christine immediately handed me a protein bar, banana, and water and I was congratulated for doing my first 10K. We all laughed that I missed the turn, it was such a Rose thing to do. Today was such a wonderful experience, the people, the challenge, the scenery, the camaraderie of everyone gathered to conquer their personal goals and rooting for the person next to them. No competition, sportsmanship is alive and well in Seal Beach.

The morning was marvelous and I am so happy I had such a fun team to share this moment with.  We took lots of photos and walked back to the car no worse for wear. I am inspired by the people who ran/walked beside me and honored to call them friends and co workers. Not a bad way to kick off the weekend.

Shane, Christine, Jonathan, Caroline, Laura, me and Whitney Team Seasons 52



Now what, my first half marathon? Not so fast, but I will have to make my next running goal a reality. No excuses now when I run with my trainer Mike. Our goal is for me to run around the park 4 times without stopping, and I am so inspired to make this quest happen in the near future. After all, I am ageless, fearless and I believe in me. As long as I have such amazing friends beside me I can conquer any battle. 

More photos to follow.

Love and Light to all,
Namaste’
Happy Weekend
Rose




FIRST 5K, FIRST ITEM OFF MY FITNESS BUCKET LIST

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Good Morning and Happy Friday. My first 5K is tomorrow, and it is the first thing I am crossing off my fitness bucket list. Number 11 done and done. 

I am thinking of new things, some are so difficult it may take forever to get there, like the trapeze classes.  I am a work in progress and I am making all of my dreams come true. 

Namaste’
Rose

Here is the revised list.


1. Trapeze Classes at the School of Trapeze in Santa Monica   https://www.facebook.com/pages/Trapeze-School-New-York-TSNY-Los-Angeles/252082627475

2. Synchronized swimming classes at Aqualillies in Los Angeles   https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aqualillies/315260815022

3. Michael Cornell Ballet Classes at   https://www.facebook.com/pages/Align-Ballet-Method/132494413452882  I am doing this very soon.

4.Ballroom Latin Classes at 3rd Street Dance in Los Angeles   I want to get shoes, get a partner and compete down the line. https://www.facebook.com/3rdstreetdance

5. Go to Pittsburgh, work out with best friend at Melissa Bender Fitness http://www.benderfitness.com/

6. Go to San Diego, take yoga and aerial yoga with one of my best friends Tracy Gittens at Galaxy Lifestyle, Fitness, and Aerial Yoga. Grand Opening July 19, 2013.
https://www.facebook.com/GalaxyLifestyle

7. Surf if I am not too afraid of sharks…. I have an update on this, Mike my trainer has offered to teach me when I am ready and when I can do a good push up, and I will take him up on that. He said next summer when the water is warmer. I am excited to do this and I have really been working on my push ups to prepare. I think I may go swimming too.

8.Run around the park 4 times. Do guys push ups all the way and perfect burpees and lunges.

9.Some type of Yoga Retreat by the ocean.

10. Be in or on the cover of Weight Watchers Magazine or inside the magazine. (Hey, a girl can dream and they use real people all the time). 

11.DONE  Do a 5K in 2014. I am doing The Seal Beach 5k in April 5th with a team from Seasons 52.

12. Practice my yoga and get into the difficult poses I am struggling with. Do inversions, backbends, and anything to do with my leg behind me. This means gaining more flexibility in my quads. I want to take photos by the trees I love in yoga poses and I can now do dancers pose. I think I will do the poses and photos this summer.

13. Do a 30 day yoga challenge, and do yoga every day for 30 days in a row.

14. Swim with dolphins, not really fitness related but is in a way. I would love to have this experience.

15. Learn Tai Chi or some sort of Martial Arts.

16. Get some sort of certifications down the line so I can pass on my new knowledge and help those who need it. Maybe volunteering for the needy.I am going to do this through ACE, The American Council of Exercise and a yoga certification.

17. Take Fire Dancing classes at Firegroove here in Los Angeles. Francie did it and it sounds amazing, maybe a little dangerous but that makes it even more intriguing.

18. Aerial Yoga here in Los Angeles.

19. Take a reformer Pilates class.

20. Paddle boarding or rock climbing

21. Kayaking.

WILLPOWER DON”T FAIL ME NOW

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Comfort in the form of fruits and veggies


I am about to ramble on about food issues. Today was a challenging day, I have plateaued and it is frustrating me. On top of that I was out and about today and I walked past a sub shop and came this close to giving in. Instead I ducked out of the rain and had a few sips of a Starbucks Hot Cocoa and threw the rest in the trash. I feel a bit on the brink of being out of control. I ate a baked potato tonight and I am even guilty about that. It is that eating disorder devil that sits on my shoulder every now and then and taunts me. Food is an issue with me and I have been trying to eat more but I admit it makes me feel very uncomfortable. I have been adding a second morning light meal and I am not sure I should continue to do so. I have thought about going low carbohydrate for a few weeks to mix things up.

I did a yoga class and I am about to get on the treadmill now. I need to work through this food anxiety. The thing with me is I normally do not give into food cravings, and I rarely have them. Today I just felt overwhelmed and could have been on the brink of overeating.  Weigh in is a few days away and it does not escape me that I am struggling just to make it into the 160’s and my final goal is 130. I am still a good four pounds away from my next charity. 

So I am off to do the treadmill, and hopefully work out some of this negative banter within my chaotic mind. I will be in Phoenix soon and I want to go feeling confident and strong and in control.

 Here is my food journal for today. In addition I drink tons of water. I think tomorrow I will have the tuna minus the rice and skip the oatmeal and instead have some egg whites. No potato, especially at night.


7 am
1 ThinkThin high protein bar
1 banana
coffee non dairy cream and 1 tsp sugar

10 am
1 packet sugar free oatmeal
blueberries

2:30
sushi, 1 tuna roll with rice, tuna, avocado, ginger, wasabi
asparagus

5 pm
a few sips of Starbucks Hot cocoa

7:45
One baked potato, with 1 tsp light butter, and 1 tsp fat free sour cream
1 97% lean burger 110 cal
asparagus
romaine, celery, onions, carrots, cabbage with vinegar

I feel today was a bit much for me, I am scaling it down tomorrow.

Good Night to all
Sweet Dreams
Rose







MONDAY UPDATE

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Good Morning to all. I weighed in on Saturday and went up a pound. I did everything right so this frustrates me. I am trying so hard to get into the 160’s and be at my next ten pound charity. I am going to focus of my fitness goals and my charities I plan to help. I will get there, it will just take some time. My current weight is 171. I just want to make it into the 160’s in two weeks when I head to Phoenix AZ.

My Thursday workout with Mike was awesome. My workouts have become faster and more challenging, but they are a lot of fun. Mike has be doing a circuit, the ropes, burpees, push ups, boxing and kicking, then running back and doing it over and over. In workout language they call those sets I think. It is a lot of fun and I am grateful to him. I workout with him again tomorrow, and we are working on my running once again. 

We had an earthquake and I freaked out a bit. I am not used to them and I really was scared. I did not sleep at all on Friday night but I still made it to the Charity Boot Camp for 2 Hands 2 Cans taught by Corey Sousa of Revline Fitness. It is such a wonderful cause and I had a blast. A year ago I would not have been able to even do the boot camp. I met some great people and discovered a beautiful park near my house. The Pan Pacific Park is so lovely, I want to go back and bring my mat and do some outdoor yoga. Off for the day, work and walking and workout later.
Have a beautiful Monday
Love and Light
Rose

Here is a link to the facebook page of 2 Hands 2 Cans founded by Chris Willard.With the gang from 2 Hands 2 Cans.

https://www.facebook.com/2Hands2Cans

Some photos of the Boot Camp for Charity for 2 Hands 2 Cans


The gang from 2 Hands 2 cans
Masha from 2 Hands 2 cans
Kerry and friend
Founder Chris Willard
Trainer Corey Sousa from Revline Fitness

Kerry Flowers and me




TUESDAY WORKOUT, REVISING MY FITNESS BUCKET LIST

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Summer 2014 and now. New pics from Arizona in a few weeks.
Where I was last year. I will never let myself go again.



Good morning to all. I am up and drinking my morning coffee and contemplating a lot of things. Yesterday was my Tuesday workout with Mike and it was a lot of fun. We did push ups, core work, and a lot of boxing and kicking which I actually find to be a blast. I planked for one minute and a half. I need work with my punches, but hey I am a work in progress.

I ran around the track once and walked once. Mike told me our goal is to get me to be able to run around the track four times. I am still very intimidated with running, but with my new ipod it is a lot easier. It was cool and my lungs felt irritated because of the weather and allergies, so I did not push it. I am always careful with my joints and I listen to my body. I told him I am with him on this goal, and I believe I can make it happen even if I have been somewhat of a timid runner. A big thanks to Mike for being so patient with me and for being a great trainer, but also for being one of my first motivators.  I wonder if we had not started working out if I would have been so dedicated. Sometimes it just takes one or two people to say you can do it to make it a reality. The other person is of course Melissa Bender, my best friend and a fitness dynamo. She tells the masses they can do it, and she always pushes me even when I do not see it in myself. Melissa is the first person who made me believe age is just a bunch of digits and it does not define you. A big thanks to all of my friends, family and followers for always cheering me on in this quest, supporting me with the charities and being there for me. I never wish to forget I am not in this alone.


My 5K is two weeks from this Saturday. This is the first item I am crossing of my fitness bucket list, which keeps evolving as I move along in this journey. I have changed it a bit, so this is the new list.

I saw a ballroom dance opportunity back east, something I have said to my friends I wish would happen, and it has but I am no longer living in NYC. This got me thinking and planning. I want to dance Ballroom bad, get shoes, get a partner and compete. I am going to find a way to make this happen. Last night James downloaded a lot of music to inspire me on this quest. One of the biggies on my fitness bucket list and the music inspires me to run too, so I can listen to it on my 5k.

Tonight I am going to do some serious cardio. I am trying to step it up so the scale reflects my hard work. I am almost in the 160’s. Pushing forward yet looking back.
Namaste’
Rose


FITNESS BUCKET LIST  REVISITED…One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to continue on my journey. Part of my fitness journey is conquering my fitness bucket list. I may add things as I go along. My first 5K is in a little over two weeks,I am doing The Seal beach 5K on April 5th 2014. I will run/walk it so I put on this list I want to be able to run around the park 4 times. I am working on my distance. 
Happy dreaming
Rose

1. Trapeze Classes at the School of Trapeze in Santa Monica   https://www.facebook.com/pages/Trapeze-School-New-York-TSNY-Los-Angeles/252082627475

2. Synchronized swimming classes at Aqualillies in Los Angeles   https://www.facebook.com/pages/Aqualillies/315260815022

3. Michael Cornell Ballet Classes at   https://www.facebook.com/pages/Align-Ballet-Method/132494413452882  I am doing this very soon.

4.Ballroom Latin Classes at 3rd Street Dance in Los Angeles   I want to get shoes, get a partner and compete down the line. https://www.facebook.com/3rdstreetdance

5. Go to Pittsburgh, work out with best friend at Melissa Bender Fitness http://www.benderfitness.com/

6. Go to San Diego, take yoga and aerial yoga with one of my best friends Tracy Gittens at Galaxy Lifestyle, Fitness, and Aerial Yoga. Grand Opening July 19, 2013.
https://www.facebook.com/GalaxyLifestyle

7. Surf if I am not too afraid of sharks…. I have an update on this, Mike my trainer has offered to teach me when I am ready and when I can do a good push up, and I will take him up on that. He said next summer when the water is warmer. I am excited to do this and I have really been working on my push ups to prepare. I think I may go swimming too.

8.Run around the park 4 times. 

9.Some type of Yoga Retreat by the ocean.

10. Be in or on the cover of Weight Watchers Magazine or inside the magazine. (Hey, a girl can dream and they use real people all the time). 

11. Do a 5K in 2014. I am doing The Seal Beach 5k in April 5th with a team from Seasons 52.

12. Practice my yoga and get into the difficult poses I am struggling with. Do inversions, backbends, and anything to do with my leg behind me. This means gaining more flexibility in my quads. I want to take photos by the trees I love in yoga poses and I can now do dancers pose. I think I will do the poses and photos this summer.

13. Do a 30 day yoga challenge, and do yoga every day for 30 days in a row.

14. Swim with dolphins, not really fitness related but is in a way. I would love to have this experience.

15. Learn Tai Chi or some sort of Martial Arts.

16. Get some sort of certifications down the line so I can pass on my new knowledge and help those who need it. Maybe volunteering for the needy.I am going to do this through ACE, The American Council of Exercise and a yoga certification.

17. Take Fire Dancing classes at Firegroove here in Los Angeles. Francie did it and it sounds amazing, maybe a little dangerous but that makes it even more intriguing.

18. Aerial Yoga here in Los Angeles.

19. Take a reformer Pilates class.

20. Take a Burlesque dance class.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM

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My Mother Shirley in the black with a friend and my older sister Dona

Me and Mom at my wedding on April 7, 2001. I took a photo pic of the original photo so this is blurry.



Happy Birthday to my dearest Mother Shirley Bruno. No one in my life has taught me to be a survivor as she has. She is still a spitfire of a woman and does not let anyone get her down. My Mother was never heavy until she got older. She was a smoker and had to quit when she had triple bypass surgery. She got through with flying colors but had gained a lot of weight. In the last few years she had both knees replaced and cannot exercise too much. Last summer she decided that her weight gain had gone too far, she started counting her Weight Watchers points and since that moment has lost a whopping 41 lbs without exercise. She is ahead of me in my weight loss and I exercise all of the time. I am so proud of her, and I am trying to catch up.

Happy Birthday Mom. Today I celebrate you, your weight loss success, and your inspiration. You are the epitome’ of what a survivor is, and at 78 you keep at it. I am very proud of you and honored to be your daughter.

My Mom at 16 in the black bathing suit with a friends Mother.

Photo booth pic of me at 19, I am her look a like



Namaste’
Happy Birthday Mom
Rose

WEIGH IN SATURDAY

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Good Morning and Happy Weekend to all. Today is Weigh In Saturday. I stayed the same weight, I am still 170 lbs. Not sure why or how but it is what it is and I just  have to move forward. A lot of things can effect weight loss fluctuations. I was reading about it today on webmd. If you drink water before weighing in it could cause a rise in the scale. Doing the opposite and trying  not to drink water also causes water retention. It is a fine balance of just doing what is healthy and standing on the scale once a week and them moving on.

My workout Thursday with my trainer Mike was great, again I did not eat enough but I soldiered through. We did the TRX and the machines and some walking and running. My core is getting so strong, and we worked on my push ups. I am so proud that I can do girl push ups now. I am not quite there yet with the boy push ups, but I will be in the not so distant future. I am very grateful to Mike as always for the support and expertise. He is a very good teacher. I am a bit sore today, but nothing that has me down for the count. 

I did eat out on Friday, I ate the healthiest thing possible but I did not take into count the sodium levels. After I ate my grilled asparagus I realized how salty it was. So that may had something to do with my weight staying the same.

One thing though, I can now suck my stomach in and see my ribs. That is huge. I know I am making progress and like I said a while ago I am going to try to focus on my fitness more and less emphasis on the scale. With that said, I still think it is important to weigh in weekly. I will not beat myself up about it though. I am making strides and I am very proud of how far I have come. I am still three pounds from my next charity so it gives me time to do the leg work.

Off for now. I am brewing coffee and making my healthy breakfast.
A shout out to my best friend Melissa Bender @ melissabenderfitness. Happy Happy Birthday to you. 

Namaste’
Love and Light
Rose

BOOK DRIVE

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Good Tuesday Morning to all. My next ten pound charity is the wonderful organization Reading To Kids. I am holding a book drive, collecting brand new books for children ages K-5. I am currently three pounds from my next weight milestone but I wait til I am a few pounds beyond the ten pound mark. I am now doing the legwork for the book drive and trying to get the word out. I also plan on volunteering in the near future and reading to the kids.

Here is some information about Reading To Kids.

Reading to Kids is a grassroots organization dedicated to inspiring underserved children with a love of reading, thereby enriching their lives and opportunities for success in the future.  To this end, Reading to Kids gathers on average 876 children and 367 volunteers at reading clubs on the second Saturday of every month at seven Los Angeles elementary schools.
At the monthly reading clubs, pairs of volunteers read aloud to small groups of children, while their parents receive training on how to encourage their children to read at home.  Kids, parents, teachers, and school libraries receive book donations at the end of the reading clubs.  These are important donations, as 60 percent of low-income homes do not have age-appropriate reading materials for children.
Since its inception in 1999, Reading to Kids has given more than 124,442 prize books to children who attend the reading clubs, donated more than 22,469 hardcover books to school libraries, and our volunteers have spent more than 145,899hours reading to kids.  Click here to see our entry on Wikipedia. 
Reading to Kids is incorporated as a nonprofit corporation under the laws of the state of California and has been classified as an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the federal Internal Revenue Code. The organization is exempt from both state and federal taxes; our tax ID number is 95-4758698.  
Off for now. Tonight is after work I am working out with my trainer Mike. I have been gluten free and eating completely clean during the week, and I have had amazing energy. 

Love and Light
Happy Tuesday to all
Namaste’
Rose