P90X in P.I.N.K.?

Did you happen to catch Dr. Phil today?  He featured a new diet and exercise program called the "P.I.N.K Method" for the full hour.

It seems that the whole thing can be summed up as P90X for women...because women all like the color pink, especially on sets that look like back alleys or the set of a porn shot in an industrial park.  The barbie pink bubble letters in a street art style make me feel right at home.

So their whole marketing gimmick is a copy of another one...but the color pink adds that touch of femininity that makes women feel like, "Heck yeah - I'll be wearing bedazzled rhinestone pink g-strings that show over my skinny jeans in no time!"

Okay, so maybe I'm being harsh.  If it helps people feel confident and get healthy, what's the harm?

I have done a little research about it - here's what P.I.N.K. stands for:
P - Power
I - Intensity
N - Nutrition
K - Kardio?...Cardio.

I really hate that when people do that with Cs and Ks...but whatever...if I start complaining about that, I'll be that much closer to turning into Andy Rooney.  I better choose my battles wisely.  Afterall, maybe they were just simply trying to make people feel more comfortable.  Since they are all fit, thin, and the type of women other women are 'supposed to hate', they have to show some flaws in order to make others feel comfortable.  What better way than bad spelling showing a sign of poor intellect?  Genius, laddys, simply genis!

Here's a clip from YouTube about the P.I.N.K. Method:

The kit is $67.99 if you pay in one payment (saving 15%), or two payments of $39.99.

The biggest red flag that came up during the Dr. Phil Show was that the creator, Cynthia Pasquella, made the claim that it will get rid of cellulite completely.  She said it did for her.  Don't you dare tease me, Cynthia.  There is no cure for cellulite - you can minimize the appearance of it, but to say that it gets rid of it completely is a red flag statement.

So, maybe this will be a big hit, or maybe it will be a quick-to-go fad in the market of weight loss products and systems.  There's going to be people who have great success with it, and there are going to be people who do not.  Anything that helps one get exercising is a good thing, I'm not going to rain on anyone's parade if they try this out.  If it works, it works, and that's great!

However, I'm never going to love the color pink being shoved down my throat due to gender norms, and I probably will never feel comfortable in an environment that reminds me of a cheap porn set.

Barbara Is A Goal-Making Guru!

Somehow, some way, I have not completely ruined the progress.  I have gained 1.6 pounds, and I am now at 167.6.  Not as bad as what I thought it could be...(I was imagining 20).

As you can tell, a lifetime spent of going mostly up on the scale and rarely ever down has messed with my head.  I am out of tune with my own body.  If you told me that I weighed 50 pounds more, I would believe you.  I am out of touch with weight and what I feel like...especially since I've been ignoring exercise and eating mindfully for about a month now.

I don't really know what my weight goal even should be.  I have "wobbly bits" that I would like to get rid of, and the cellulite fairy definitely has blessed me with all sorts of fun celestial designs.  I feel as though I will know my goal when I reach it, which I'm thinking will be around 150.  I will not be defeated by a number though - in the grand scheme of living, who cares?  As long as I feel good, energetic, healthy, happy, balanced, I wouldn't care if the scale told me 350.

 Somehow, someday, somewhere we shall all feel amazing and healthy in our own skins.  There's a place for us - we'll be in tune with our health and bodies.  We all need hope for whatever we are needing or wanting from life.  Oh, dear friends, this is to you! hahahaha!  Enjoy the laugh and/or singing this loudly at your computer screens!

As Barbara sings, perhaps I will answer those questions...

Somehow:  Exercising 5 days a week however and whenever I want (including Dance Central!woohoo) and feel more connected.

Someday:  I shall set a bit of a goal right now - lose ten pounds by January 12th (birthday present to myself) in hopes of feeling more energetic, healthy, connected and confident.

Somewhere:  I shall climb the overlooking hills over Portland and throw my arms up in Rocky style celebration.

How would you answer those questions for your goals, whatever they may be?  You may have been knocked down before too, but forget about that nasty self-talk that many of us are so good at.  Let's do this!  Who knew Barbara was such a goal-making guru?

We Have a Blog?

Oh my goodness, WE SUCK!!!

hahahahahahaha!

Okay, to say that I've been disciplined and got back on the wagon right after my last post would be false, false, and false.  It's safe to say, I've had other things "on my plate" (see how I snuck that little stupid joke in?...).  Anyway, I've been crazily working on new artworks, website stuff, working and LIFE.  Well, I've been quite foolish about health lately, and I don't want a kick in the ass that is punishing before I get back on the damn wagon. 

SOOOOO, in the meantime...do you have any pumpkin pie left?  Apple?....

Again, let me remind myself - I do NOT want a big kick in the ass to get me back on track.  Meaning, I do not want to somehow gain 40 pounds in over night for 100 nights straight becoming some medical mystery.  I do not want my left butt cheek to come down with a case of elephantitis.  I will say, if any of that were to happen, hopefully I would laugh and make dumb jokes about it, but seriously, I do not want a huge slap in the face saying, "GET HEALTHY!"  I think right now, that's where I'm heading if I keep ignoring this blog and our quest to get healthy.

Speaking of ignoring, I've been ignoring the scale.  Not that the scale should be the only determining factor of this whole thing, but it certainly keeps me honest.  I've hidden it under the sink and haven't looked at it for weeks now.  This will end tomorrow.  I'll be weighing myself to see how bad the damage is.  Hopefully it is not too too bad...

We're all ok.

Since quitting smoking, almost 5 months ago, my clothes have taken on minds of their own.  My sweaters have become somewhat deceiving, my button-downs somewhat estranged, and my jeans - my jeans have become downright bitches.

Since I quit smoking, my clothes have all shrunk.

I don't know how it happened.  One day, I was happily puffing on a cancer stick, oblivious to the repercussions of abruptly throwing in the towel and the next I was 15 pounds heavier.

This photo

is a bit of a celebratory photo.  I don't care how much I've lost since starting this blog.

In fact, I've gained about 15 pounds.  Fat isn't funny, but neither is constant stressing about weight.

15 pounds.  That's a lot.  But when I start to think about the weight of the world - it's really nothing.

15 pounds.  It's life and death for a supermodel.  Thankfully, I've never been a supermodel.

15 pounds.  How many botox injections is 15 pounds?  I've never had one.

15 pounds.  It's worth a lot more in the United Kingdom than it is in the United States right now.

15 pounds.  It's insignificant.  Especially if I choose to focus on the rest of me.

We don't do that enough.  We focus on the small percentage of ourselves that didn't live up to the expectation we place on ourselves when we're excited about change and wonder where we went wrong.  Perhaps we go wrong when we expect ourselves to be perfect.

We're human, and while I'm not making excuses for my gaining weight after quitting smoking - I am acknowledging that I am just that - human.

And I'm happy to be me.

Fiercely Fighting Flab!

Fierce, right?  Yeah, well this is my action pose response to the war on the flabby.  Tyra would be elated...somewhat smizing?  Maybe just a little?

Okay, so maybe I'm not exactly photogenically gifted, but you get the idea, don't you?  I have lost some weight - still around 10 pounds lost so far.  I have also been sick for the last two weeks and now am finally feeling better.  It's good to have some energy back, now it's about spending it wisely.

I'm getting back on track.  I was inspired today when one of my best friends called me and told me that she joined the Weight Watcher's online program earlier this week.  I'm excited for her and I know that I needed a little kick in my arse to get going again.  So I am.  (Thank you, girlfriend O' mine, you know who you are!)  PS - Samm is doing the WW online thing too now!

Beginning tomorrow I will be back to the Tracy Anderson cardio dance and mat workout.  HOORAY!  In all honesty, I have missed it tremendously.  I am no longer "Consuela" - I found a different job and now need that exercise to be found outside of my work.  I am back to planning for it, and so Tracy Anderson's workouts are the answer once again.  I'm looking forward to spinning around like the Tazmanian Devil and jumping nonstop as if I've had a case of Red Bull.  Oh yes.  I'm back on the fighting flabby bandwagon...with FIERCEness.

I'm going to follow Tracy's recommendations this time by doing both dvd's at least 5 times per week.  I feel that I have worked up to that now and my body can handle it.  SOOOooo, it will be not quite 2 hours of workout for 5 days a week.  It sounds like A LOT, but really 10 hours out of 168 hours in a week is a small sacrifice when it comes to putting more time on our life clocks.