Rut Schmutt

Today I'm a little sad, but not for the usual reasons. I'm missing some things.

I miss Donna. I miss lifting weights with her & talking with her. I just don't do it on my own like I should. It isn't that I'm not capable because I know I am. I just miss working out with Donna. I miss working out with Donna & Elysia. When we lifted weights, laughing & talking, encouraging each other. I miss that. My time with Donna had to come to an end, not because either of us wanted it to, but because of my budget constraints. It wasn't even because I joined a different gym. Leaving the ex, supporting myself on the income I had, it just wasn't possible. Now that I've become unemployed my budget is even less. The one thing I didn't give up was my membership to the Y. I've cut everything else that I could possibly cut.

I also miss having the companionship of someone working out next to me. Elysia & I would make time to meet & we'd do our cardio. We didn't talk when we did it. We had hand signals & facial expressions. We'd decide on how long we'd go. Then, after, we'd do some extra work with bars in the gym. We'd count for each other, help each other. I miss that too.

I suppose I'm just feeling sad & lonely in the exercise department. I do the same exercise, elliptical, with the exception of Zumba. I'm in a rut. I suppose I have to get myself out of my rut & excite myself over exercise. I suppose I should finish up this blog & get my booty over to the Y.

Vent Over.

Thank you.

Continue with your day :)

Elizabeth

Larabars

So most of you know I do my best to eat well & by well I mean as healthy as possible. Lately that's been tough since I was laid off from my job. I've had some emotional eating but also have had to make less than healthy choices due to my income being cut drastically. Anyway, I have something I'd like to share with you.

If any of you eat power bars, meal replacement bars, etc., I have a delicious & healthy kind for you. They are acceptable for a clean eating lifestyle. They are called Larabars. Please click on the name to find out more information. I have tried two different kinds & Jay tried one. I love that Jay is always willing to try something new.

Jay tried the Cashew Cookie & wasn't a big fan. He tried the rest of the bar the next day and said it tasted bit better. There are two ingredients: Cashews & Dates. I don't know what the difference between the days was, maybe he will comment to tell us.

The first one I tried was Peanut Butter Cookie. The ingredients were: Dates, Peanuts & Salt. Here is a picture:

I took the picture with my phone since I didn't have my camera with me. I was also getting my oil changed in my car at the time. The consistency of the bars is very similar to the texture of a crumbly cookie dough. Also, the only sweetness comes from the dates. I'm wondering if it's the combination of those two things Jay didn't like.

The second bar I tried was the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip bar. The ingredients are: Dates, Peanuts, Chocolate Chips*(unsweetened chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla) & Salt. Here is a picture of that bar:

Both bars were tasty. They do not have the "commercial" sweet taste of most bars. They are much better for you. They also have about the same amount of calories as some of the meal replacement bars, but without the processed junk in them. If you could eat something for the same nutritional value but happened to be better tasting, wouldn't you try a Larabar?

I picked up some more bars at the grocery store. For those of you who live in NJ & near a Shoprite, Shoprite has them on sale 5 for $5. The website couponmom.com, which is a free website, has a coupon for $.75 off, which will be doubled at Shoprite to be $1.50 off the bars. The Shoprite by me in Franklin, NJ also has 13 flavors of the bars, yes I counted. The other flavors I picked up are: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Chocolate Chip Brownie, Chocolate Coconut Chew, Cherry Pie, Banana Bread & Coconut Cream Pie. Jay, being the great guy he is, is willing to give them a try again. As we try them, I will let you know about how each one tastes.

If any of you give them a try, please let me know what kind you tried and what you think!

Thanks for reading!!

Elizabeth

Zumba - Week #3

So I am trying my hand at a little journalism today. After Zumba I spent a little time talking with Jake. I had some general questions, for informational purposes & I wanted to share with you.

First off, meet Jake.

He's 19 & he's our Zumba instructor. He lives locally & he makes the class fun. His mom is also certified, but doesn't teach anywhere. He teaches Zumba at another local gym as well, teaching 10 classes a week. He burns so many calories that he can't gain weight. I can tell you, Zumba burns a lot of calories. I know this by the amount I sweat & the way I huff & puff. If I had a heart rate monitor I'd be able to tell you exactly how many I burn but I don't so I can't. Maybe someone will get me one for Christmas.......

Jake has been certified in teaching Zumba since June. There was a Zumba convention in Atlantic City (how did I miss this event??) and he participated and became certified. He enjoys teaching his classes. Side note, I love Zumba soooo much Ive had several thoughts to keep working at it & becoming certified myself, but I digress...

I asked Jake what sort of person should consider taking Zumba. He said anyone who wants to move should take the class. It doesn't involve a skill level, it's all meant for fun. I can tell you it doesn't involve anything super technical but it is fast paced. It's really hard not to smile or have fun while doing it. Jake also makes the class fun as you do it, he participates & interacts & it's just really a great time. Did you ever think you'd hear an exercise class get called a great time?

Jake did tell me today that he will be teaching hip hop also. I'm pretty sure it's in the next session of classes at the Y. He will still be teaching Zumba as well. I'm going to have to scrap the extra cash together to take both classes. Seeing how he moves during Zumba, I bet his hip hop class will be awesome too.

The downsides to some of the Y classes are you must be a member to be able to take them & you have to pay an extra fee. I used to belong to the other gym that Jake also teaches Zumba at. If you're into testosterone, muscle heads & the smell of funk then I will share the name with you. I'm a big advocate for the Y. It's the exact same price as the other gym I went to except at the Y I have pool use, sauna use, additional free classes, it's extremely clean & I have never seen any of the cardio equipment out of order. I also like the Y because it's very family oriented, even though I don't have a family to go with me, the staff is extremely warm & friendly. So if it's within your means, consider joining your local Y

That's some journalistic writing, right?? Nobel Peace Prize winning?? I crack myself up!!! Anyway, my message is: Get out there & move, try something new, call up a friend, or me, to join you!!! All in all just have fun with what ever it is you choose to do, just get out there & do something!!!

I'm going to leave you with a picture of Jake & I. Maybe it will inspire you to come Zumba with us!!!!

Thanks for reading!!!

Elizabeth

Negative Self Talk

That is a childhood picture of my brother & I. Aren't we cute??

Negative Self Talk...We are ALL guilty of it. Please don't try to tell me you aren't. It's doesn't always have to do with how we look. We beat ourselves up for a lot of reasons. I've been watching this new show on TLC called Thintervention. I've been a huge fan of Jackie Warner since she had her show Working Out.

Anyway, at the end of her show, with the weigh-in she had the cast members bring a picture of themselves when they were children. The had an exercise to do. Jackie pointed out that the way we talk to ourselves NOW in our lives, we would NEVER speak to a child that way. They had to discuss the moments in the pictures & some very hurt & sad feelings they had as children. Huh, what a concept? This got me thinking.....

Maybe, instead of asking myself what is wrong with me if I have a slip up with food, maybe I will just tell myself it's ok, tomorrow is a new day. I would never tell a child, or myself as a child that they were a failure because some chips were eaten. Because I'm not, no one is.

Again, we are all guilty of negative self talk. I'm going to make a good conscious effort to not do it anymore. I hope you will too.

Have a great day!!

Elizabeth

Zumba - Week #2

I'm checking in after my 2nd Zumba class. I've had some realizations in the last week. I will also share those with you.

I love Zumba so much, you have no idea. It's such a change from my normal workout. It was a bit easier this week. I also figured out why I had some of the aches I did. It's true you can work your muscles without lifting weights. Granted, I don't believe doing 5 Zumba classes a week will give you the proper muscle to burn fat more effectively but it will give you something. Which my first realization is I need to get back to the weight lifting. I've been slacking. Zumba shows me, in the mirror all my jiggle & that means I need more muscle to burn that off.

My 2nd realization is that proper nutrition makes Zumba (or any form of exercise) that much easier. True story. I had a decent dinner (salad with light Parmesan peppercorn dressing, meat sauce I made with ground turkey & whole wheat rotini) with Jay last night & I had 2 eggs & 2 slices of Ezekial toast this morning. I think if I ate foods that aren't as nutritious I'd crash early on in Zumba. The energy level is high & intense through the whole thing, except the last song where Jake does stretching with us. Right now I don't feel like I need a nap. Call or text me around 3pm if you have my number, there is a good possibility I will have fallen asleep, hard LMFAO!!!!!!

My 3rd realization is that exercise is good for me in general, but for my right ankle I shattered 9 years ago. I was told by my orthopedic surgeon to not do any weight bearing activity. I shattered both leg bones as well as breaking my 3 middle toes. My doctor could never tell me if I did damage to the cartilage (apparently they can't always tell if damage has happened). Surgery was required to fix things: I had 2 screws & 2 wires on the inside of my ankle & a plate, 5 screws & bone graft on the outside. He managed to pull my toes straight, never requiring pins. I eventually had my hardware taken out. I do have arthritis on the inside of my ankle, I knew that at 27 & my leg bones are fusing themselves together. It's called a "bone bridge". The lower leg bones move independently from each other but over time mine will no longer do that, so yeah there is a lot going on in there. Stay with me, I have a point. Sometimes when I walk I have this pain in my joint, I would consider it similar whacking your funny bone. Since I started Zumba it's been more frequent. I will tell you it will go away. When I first started to exercise years ago I had the same problem & as my muscles because stronger & longer the pain went away. Go figure!!! My toes always feel like there is a sock bunched up under them. I think it's scar tissue build up. They always ache. Well, I noticed last week after Zumba that my pointer toe (the 2nd guy in line, equivalent to the pointer finger) hasn't felt like that. In fact, it doesn't feel like the "sock" is bunched there. I think all the jogging in place & these shimmy type things football players do are having a positive impact. I think as I keep exercising & doing what I do, my ankle will begin to feel good again.

So next week, I plan to introduce you all to Jake. I chatted with him after class for a minute. I wanted to make sure it was ok if I took before & after pictures with him & didn't want to just spring it on him. Now, I'm not clear (I will get clarification next week) but I'm pretty sure he teaches Zumba 5 days a week. That's more than one class a day. He actually said to me "I can't gain any weight" & he wants to. He is thin & lean. You all saw how much I was sweating in last weeks blog, well Jake sweats just as much.

Zumba makes me happy & I want to share that with everyone. I hope this inspires you to take a class you've never tried before or to step out of your comfort zone to do something a little different. I think you'd be surprised at how you feel.

Thanks for reading!!!

Zumba-ly

Elizabeth
grazingthroughlife@gmail.com

Zumba

Alright, I told you all I would talk about my first Zumba class, so here we go. It was so much fun!! I LOVED every single sweaty minute of it.

The class I am in is/was the very first Zumba class at the Y. It's the fall quarter with the new classes & yesterday started off all the new ones. Today was the first Zumba. There were about 20 of us. We didn't really know what to expect. Our instructor's name is Jake. He's all of 19 years old. I'm gonna get a picture of me with him at some point for my blog. I believe his waist is as big as my thigh but the boy has moves, I tell you, mmmooooooovvveeesssss!!!!

He started the music & off we went. 10 minutes in, yes, I said 10 minutes, I didn't think I'd be able to finish the class. It was so fast paced, but so much fun. We were shaking our hips, vibrating, shaking, dropping, rolling, you name it. I loved every minute of it. Honestly, I think he went easy on us because it was our first class.

The class is only 45 minutes long & I sweated more than when I do the cross trainer for 60 minutes. How do I know this? By the sweat that soaked through my shirt. Usually just the chest & back of my shirt is wet. Not today. Even my shoulders we soaked through. Here is proof:

and here is another of my face:

Now I don't wear any makeup when I exercise unless it's after work. There was a woman in class today with her double gold hoop earrings that touched her shoulders with all her gold bracelets who had on brown frosted lipstick & brown frosted eyeshadow sweating something fierce. How do you exercise like that? Anyway......

If you can find a Zumba class near you I suggest you try it. It's different than anything I have ever done. I have taken a hip hop class but this was much more intense. It was a nice change of my regular routine. Right now, I'm glad it's only once a week. Non-Y members can take it but it costs a bit more to do so. I'm hoping it's popular & they keep the class going because I will keep taking it!!!

Thanks for reading & get out there & try something new!!!

Elizabeth
grazingthroughlife@gmail.com

Hiatus

I've taken a little hiatus the last couple of days. My mom came to see me for a few days & we usually spend the time eating. I know, not the best way to spend time but I don't see my mom much. Mostly it's just once a year so we make the best of it with quality time & quality food.

We wet hiking yesterday. It was labeled an easy hike but we did work up a sweat. We got some great fresh air. It was really nice. We were back in the ravine for over an hour.

Needless to say, I feel like garbage from all the garbage I have had. I had to make myself a good breakfast today. Steel cut oats with strawberries & some scrambled eggs. It's time to get back on track.

Tomorrow I start Zumba, I will write to talk about that. I just wanted you all to know why I haven't been around for some time.

Bloatedly,

Elizabeth
grazingthroughlife@gmail.com