The Comfort Zone

definitely OUT of the comfort zone this morning.

JUST finished a good, hearty 5.  check!!  It's a good feeling to know that it's 8:18 and I've already made this choice for myself.  something really clicked last night when we were watching the Biggest Loser.  Everyone talks about how they now realize that they deserve this for themselves; that they finally want to get healthy for themselves.  It's very emotional, and a powerful experience for them.

And I thought, by NOT doing my 5 daily, what am I telling MYSELF about how i value my own health and well-being?  it's a strong message, i realized.  so without planning it, i popped out of bed this morning and just wanted to send myself a strong message that i CARE!

so it's raining.  and cold.  and i ran in the rain and got wet.  and i'm not going to lie; i DID feel slightly like a triumphant, although perhaps slightly less Italian and muscular, Rocky.  but it was only 5 minutes and guess what?  it wasn't bad!!  it was actually GREAT.

what message are YOU giving yourself today??

much love-
BFF

Mall Walker

hello lovelies.

well there has been much buzz about how no one is "doing their five".  here i am to say i have BROKEN that cycle; for all of us.  why not??

i am now a mall walker.  was running into the mall to do a little work (brought my laptop) in between appointments and thought, "I can take an few extra minutes and  do my five walking fast!"  So i did.  and you know what?  i LOVED it. only stopped once at Steve Madden to look at boots.  but you know, you need boots to walk, so it all kinda works together, right?

walking is one of the answers.  no special shoes or outfit required, and everyone already does it every day! i think it's just about capturing 5 minutes JUST for you; stepping it up to kick up your heartbeat for your five, and breathing deeply and thinking about how you are DOING it.  so empowering!!

much love to all...

BFF

Dearest Mime's,

Ah, how I love the honesty.  Especially when it is SO honest, yet brave and beautiful at the same time.  I hear the pitter-patter of a freshly-bathed boy running around upstairs, so I only have a moment.  But let me just remind us of some of the things we KNOW:

1.)  According to an Unidentified Source (as you know, an U.S. is only that way because I cannot remember what or who the source is), it takes 28 days to make a new habit.

2.)  If you squint, it's more like 280 DAYS.  But that's ok...because of The Journey.

3.)  You don't have to do ANYTHING "real" or "athletic" for the 5 minutes (Gasp!) Remember??  Just flop, jump, skip or do whatever---as long as it is intentionally to count for the 5 minutes---for 5 minutes.

Some ideas:
a.  whilst telling a story about your day to D.H. (dear husband), gesture WILDLY and hop about effusively for effective story-telling.  OR do this as bedtime story for your children.
b.  do anything you want whilst watching the first 5 minutes of your favorite program.
c.  just do laundry MORE enthusiastically, with gusto.

See??  Now, I don't want you to get all caught up in the "what should I do for my 5 minutes today??" thing.  When you are thinking that to yourself, just start jumping around and timing yourself.

Ok, so now I REALLY really have to stop theorizing and DOING IT.  Thank you for pulling me out of the Pit/Bad Place by asking for advice.  You KNOW giving advice energizes me, if nothing else!!

loves
BFF

Large and In Charge

Let's see...would this be an accurate representation of how I am currently feeling? Um, yes, yes it would. Except for the "In Charge" part. So, that leaves "Large". Fab.

I have a huge confession. Not surprisingly to some, I have in fact NOT done my 5 for about 5 days now. I know. I have broken the covenant (correct use of word, yes?).

Why, you say? Um, I may have gotten distracted by a shiny object, or got busy and tired, or drank too much vino in celebration of BFF's birthday, or...well, you know.

I am going to go ahead and say this is all for a very good cause though. That's right. I think it has been a good part of the experiment. BECAUSE it has actually shown me that the 5 a day really work. Within a couple days of not doing it (even when I was literally doing 5-6 minutes a day) I started to feel 'floppy' and 'gross' again whereas before I was 'fab' and 'perf'.

My sweet, sweet Mama has continued to gush over me every time she sees me, exclaiming "See? See? It's your 5 a day!!! Look at you!!! So Skinny!!!" Haven't had the heart to tell her. Could she be any more encouraging? I think not. MWAH, Mama!

BFF and I had a good talk about The Journey when I confessed my sin. We tend to be so black and white. Just screw it! Screw it all! We've messed it up, it's not perfect, let's drown ourselves in ice cream. No, no, we said (with great maturity) Life Is A Journey. Twisty, turny paths. Sometimes double back on yourself, but alas always moving forward. IT'S OK TO NOT BE PERFECT.

Good, I feel better. But, now is the tricky part. Actually starting again. Because I know myself and the absolute hardest part is to start again, although I know how great I will feel, how it works, blah blah.

Any motivation out there? Words of wisdom? TELL ME NOW.

Love.

Good Intentions

Dear Mimi,

Thank you for your lovely letter and words of kind encouragement.  I too enjoyed our conversation on the phone during Vino Hour.  Thanks to KrisJ and your momma's suggestions under the post "Flaky", I was able to combine two Great Loves--talking to you and drinking wine---AND do my five minutes!!  And I didn't even fall down.  So I was mostly just running in place and/or around downstairs, and at the end of the five minutes had to follow my trail and clean up the little splashes from my vino glass.  No biggie fries, because I was so proud to have done my 5 minutes!  What's a little spill here and there.

As to the Prevention magazine and its contents...its whereabouts are questionable at this moment.  I happen to be typing next to a rather large (and growing) pile of papers, magazines, etc. on my desk.  I suspect it is somewhere in there.  When I trouve it, I will write about my findings.

However, I do have one idea for you for your 5 minutes:   Happy Dancing.  It is something that children LOVE too (well, mine does at least) so it ALSO gives you a "good mama" feeling of doing something playful and fun with the kiddos.  A big fave of mine is Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough".  Highly suggest.  Lots of flailing, flinging, flopping; whatever you feel like doing.

Now.  You know that I too am a BIG fan and believer in the "right Outfit concept."  However, I worry that we may allow the outfit to deter us from actually DOING the 5 minutes (ahem, H. Bucket...contrary to your comment to Mandy about making sure she is wearing the right outfit).  So, I want to remind you that even though it IS sometimes about the outfit (as definitely was the case for the marathon), for the 5 minutes in particular, it is NOT about the outfit.  Wouldn't you agree???

loves.

Too busy being athletic

Dear BFF,

I have sadly neglected posting recently, but BUT I am STILL DOING MY 5. Every Day. Haven't missed a day. I swear. How long has it been now? A year? Oh - not yet, you say? My mistake.

Several interesting developments:

- I don't want to freak you out...but BUT I have lost 3 pounds. I'm not kidding.

- I was complimented by someone that is not my husband (it's ok - he was there and approved.)

- I have inspired at least two people that I know of (ok - it's my mom and sister, but still).

- I have gotten you, dear one, to do your 5 for one day at least (whilst conversing with me). This was after a lengthy convo about how I was becoming too successful at the 5 a day.

- I think that's all the developments.

Anyway. Highly enjoyed this email from you this week:

"Had very deep, insightful thought today about how we should love our bodies, blah blah. then caught STARTLING glance of my upper arm in the elevator mirror and scarce could make it out of the elevator before frantically looking for someplace to do triceps. Or anything. must melt THAT!! then had revolutionary thought again about loving our bodies, accepting, something. ehh, don't really remember the specifics."

I am needing more ideas for the 5! What was in the Prevention?? I have been doing a lot of (give or take): situps, pushups, leg lifts, etc before bed because I haven't had time to do anything else before. Walked for lengthy period a few times. I need to go back to yoga, but work, kids, ya know LIFE has gotten in the way.

BUT seriously, doing 5 a day (or more) - it adds up. I am feeling fairly pleased. PLEASE continue your series.

Love,
Mimi

The day I ran a marathon (give or take)

6:00 am: AWAKE. Rush (give or take) to window to see if it's raining, as had been predicted (100% chance of rain) on the news. It does not appear to be raining, although it's still dark, so hard to know for sure.

6:02 am: Am bolstered, even excited, about driving 45 minutes. On Saturday morning. In the rain. To pay money. To run a longer distance than I have before... Miracles never cease to exist.

6:03 am: Think...well, maybe "Excited" is too strong a word. Consider staying in bed. Consider benefits of this. There seem to be several - mainly, not driving 45 minutes. On Saturday morning. In the rain. To pay money to run.

6:05 am: GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE! GET YOUR ASS UP TEXTS FROM RUNNING FRIEND. Ok, am up.

8:00 am: Arrive at race. Tis slightly drizzling. S'okay. Compare running outfits with friends as we "stretch"...or something.

8:15 am: Race begins. Everyone walking! This is good. Maybe in races you really just walk?! No room. Slow. 10 seconds down. I remark to friend "Oh, this isn't bad, I can totally do this!"

8:16 am: Uh-oh. People are actually beginning to run. Looks like we must run too to avoid being trampled by actual runners.

8:17 am: Running.

We actually make it the whole first mile without stopping. Feel Fabulous! Running is AMAZING! Tsk tsk at myself for not having become a runner sooner.

This is the point where I don't remember a whole lot.

These are the things I do remember:

- There are volunteers standing every so often cheering you on. They are cheering for me! Feel important.

- There are volunteers with cups of water that you get to pick up while running, drink, and then throw on the ground (just like in the movies).

- There are signs with children's pictures on them who are currently suffering from cancer. Their names, ages, and illnesses are listed. We are running for them. Every time we pass one, huge emotion comes bubbling up my throat and I come close to completely losing it. Feel honored and overwhelmed to be a part of something so powerful. Thank you Heroes for Children!

- It is over faster than I would have thought. 39 minutes after we started, we turn the corner to arrive at the finish line. Huge crowd of people! Cheering for me! (ok, maybe not only for me). Cross the finish line with J and D to cheers from friends. YEAH!

I'm not gonna lie, I seriously had my doubts about getting out of my comfort zone, putting forth some effort, all that. But this? Was SO WORTH IT. So worth it to do something you didn't know you could do and be a part of a huge group coming together for a common cause.

DISCLAIMER: We did not run the WHOLE time. We ran about 75% of the time, which we feel darn good about.

Pleased. Now I can check "be runner" off my list.

"Flat Abs Fast"

Dear Mimi,

Have just returned from the grocery and poured my glass of vino to accompany the cooking production.  Whilst at the checkout, I spied with my little eye a magazine called, "ABS GUIDE"  by Prevention magazine.  So, I thought to moiself, well, I have already blown the budget for today, haven't I?  What's a little $3.99 going to hurt? (Which, as you and I know, is the mentality that oft gets us into trouble.) But, not this time, I think!  What IF this little magazine has the answer??

** You know that I have NO blankety-blank idea how to make the above white background on the text go away.  sorry for the distraction.  it was NOT intentional.  oh that's what i get for trying to be fancy!**

Anyway, I saw MANY ideas for good "5-minutes" in said magazine.  And lots of pictures, which we like.  I'm just saying, watch out because I might be on a roll.  The good kind this time...not the kind that allows you to play the special trick of unzipping your pants by just pushing it (the stomach roll) out.

Is it disconcerting that I have many, many more ideas and theories than actual production of the 5 minutes?

P.S. FYI, sour cream and onion pringles taste EXCELLENT with my glass of vino-- Chianti, ce soiree.

MIMI RAN A MARATHON!!!!

OK, so it was actually a benefit 5K.  But she did it!!  Don't have all the details yet, but she did email me to say that the awes outfit we found for her on Friday at Target/Kohl's definitely did the trick.  MANY funny stories from that shopping expedition!

Much love and more details to come from Mimi later!

**POWER**

I had the special surprise of having my pants unzip themselves every time I sat down at work today.

I decided to make a little game out of it and poof out my stomach to see how fast that lil zipper would slide down. I got pretty good at it. (whilst doing important work).

So, for my 5 today, I did some **POWER** WALKING after dinner with the fam. Since the kids run at full speed ahead of us, it was really out of necessity that I had to **POWER** WALK to keep up with them (I stopped short of running - overkill).

Felt great. And I really felt (again) like I should look very toned when I got home. I was surprised to see that I looked the same as when I had left. Humph.

One day at a time, one day at a time.

Overachiever

I am barely doing my 5. But still doing them, as can't give up since I have almost an entire year to go (huh). My husb and I walked again last night - late - up and down the street. For 6 minutes. He said I am an "overachiever". I like that.

Tonight, I am dragging and ready to go to bed and I seriously considered not doing it. But I did 6 minutes (overachiever) of leg lifts, crunches, pushups, triceps thingys, and lunges, before I remembered I don't do lunges.

And really I am loving this plan. It keeps me just above the desperate, floppy, gross feeling. And anything is better than that. Even dragging my butt off the couch to do 5 minutes. And the guilt! The guilt is so much better than when I'm not doing anything. And since I am an overachiever in the guilt category as well, this is good.

"GOLDEN WISDOM"

MiMi and I are big BIG fans of FlyLady.  (www.flylady.net).

Now I will qualify that to say that many would consider us "dropouts", in that we don't regularly follow her suggestions, etc.  However, here is what we LOVE about FlyLady:  She definitely has the RIGHT "give or take" attitude!  She is the only (publicized) person we know of who sets us free as women from the many nets we make for ourselves (I can't eat cottage cheese, celery, and V8 three times a day so I guess I'll just give up and have some chips; I don't have time to go to the gym/don't have anything without holes in it to wear to the gym/am not a member of a gym/true confession=I hate gyms so I guess I will just watch a lil more tv) and says "YOU ARE NOT BEHIND!!!  Just jump in where you are" and sets us free to clean our houses as best we can, foregoing perfection, believing that, as she says, "Even housework done incorrectly can still bless your family" (and yourself!)

So, I was remembering in the fogginess that resembles my brain that there is a "5 minute No Excuses Workout" somewhere on her blog.  Turns out her trainer, Jonathan Roche, does indeed have a workout:

**However, according to "give or take" standards, it is technically an 11-minute workout.  Also, reminder:  our general idea is NOT to plan or feel constrained by some sort of "how-to-do-the-five-minutes-right" idea.  So this workout is merely a tool to add to your 5-minute belt, only to be used if it sounds interesting and fun; not at ALL as a "should".  AND if you start doing it and are bored and or otherwise not interested in finishing, of course stop and do ANYTHING else you want for the remaining minutes!  it is all for YOU and you do not have to answer to anyone about your 5 minutes!**

Ok.  Thanks for letting me soapbox for a second.  Just want to be sure not to add any "rules" to our "no rules" attitude!

Anyways, just thought I would give a shout-out as we have both found her website to be tremendously encouraging as we try to GMST, once and for all.  (Get My Stuff Together)

SO

the plot thickens.

MiMi and I have planned our FIRST official outing for the express purpose of being able to write about it to you all.  On Friday, we plan to go ATHLETIC-WEAR SHOPPING.  (and out to lunch afterwards, of course, to celebrate!)

So.

In the meantime, I will just continue with my Theory Presentations as I still do not have "daily" updates to share about my 5 minutes, as I am still in Rebellion, but AM still Seriously Considering Doing 5 Minutes a Day.  (give or take).

1. (see previous post, "Flaky") In order to start a new routine, one must attach it to something you are already doing every day. 
2. We have already talked about this one.  But it is the idea that it is IMPERATIVE to have the RIGHT outfit before one is able to effectively accomplish the role one is wanting to fill.  Be it chef, RollerDerby lady, home repair person (we created a TRES ESPECIAL outfit for this one time; complete with goggles.  It was good.), or, as we are currently discussing...ATHLETIC PERSON.  Hence, the shopping trip is necessary.  (The question is, do we need to go to an actual athletic store, of which we are terribly unfamiliar?  Or do we opt for our local Target, at which we may also find some vino and/or other necessities?
3. This is the one my mom reminded me of today.  She called it my GOLDEN WISDOM.  (You KNOW how much this pleased me!  ha.  I'm so easily flattered.)  She is quite the walker (give or take) but one evening didn't feel up to doing her complete route (about 15 minutes).  So I told her she should just walk for 5 minutes and then come back; that it is more important to establish a routine than to do the thing perfectly.  This was revolutionary for my perfectionist mother, who is usually quite hard on herself about this sort of thing.  She did it, and LOVED it, and realized that it's not about how long (distance or time) she walked, but the fact that she honored the routine!!  Girls like us tend to be super rigid and think that if we can't do it the "right way" we just can't do it at all, so it's necessary to "teach" ourselves this concept, n'est-ce pas?  AND resist those who tell us we "aren't doing it the right way"!!!!!!!!!

So there they are.  I am currently feeling guilty about not working more on #1, esp. since I have so many AWES suggestions from you all as to how I can do it.  AND that the first try was so tremendously successful.  And #2, as you know, I have plans to do on Friday.  Now for #3.  I believe in this wholeheartedly, but DEFINITELY find it quite the challenge to remember.  It is MUCH more my tendency to fling myself wholeheartedly into the New Plan, whatever it may be, do it for 1 1/2 solid days PERFECTLY, and then abandon it altogether.  But I am growing and changing, as MiMi and I say.

Come home in your body

You know it's yoga day because I have little awesome sayings like "Come home in your body" which, when the yoga teacher said this tonight, I thought "Ah, yes, that is lovely. I shall do that. Oh, wait a second...I have no idea what that means."

I did make it back to yoga...on National Free Yoga Day...at a 6pm class, so it was PACKED. I did go willingly, no real stalling or anything (yea! growing and changing). I want to take this opportunity to once again remind myself of one of the first things I wrote: DRESS LIKE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING. Because when I got to class tonight and looked at myself in the mirror, I have to say, it is NOT AT ALL what I thought I looked like when I left the house.

Have you ever had those times when you get dressed, confidently of course, and think "Ok, well, this looks good, right?" only to get out in public and realize that No, It Most Certainly Does Not Look Good. This was the case in my "athletic ware" tonight. Tip #1: Don't wear a shirt that is loose and falls around your face exposing your (very toned, of course) stomach when you are in Downward Facing Dog position. You are in this position like a whole lot in yoga class. So I had to tuck my shirt into my awesome sweat pants/biker shorts and it was not good. I'm gonna go ahead and say it was the weird way my outfit was looking, but I was not looking very athletic tonight (like I do in my head). I HATE that - when all the wonderful yummy food you've been eating catches up with you smack in the middle of a crowded yoga class in Downward Facing Dog position.

I am glad I went. I feel very relaxed. And physically fit. That is the truth. And I might even go back next week.

Just so you know I haven't missed a day yet, last night after a big, delish dinner and a bottle of vino and a movie with my husband, I made him go out and walk up and down the street with me for 5 minutes. He humoured me. (he is very sweet). He was strolling along, but I told him he had to pick up the pace for it to count. It was 11:00pm - he thought I was nuts.

Being Grateful:

Here is one thing I want to put out there: I am grateful for my body. I am grateful I am not sick, not in chronic pain, not handicapped or immoblized in any way. I am grateful I have the CHOICE to exercise. And I am grateful for all the millions of things my body does all day long the second I ask it to. The end.

Thank you SO MUCH to our new commenters! We LOVE love love comments and knowing other people can relate. Please comment about anything and everything: any athletic ware tips or stories, any ideas for 5 minutes of exercise, stories of such, why you love vino, etc. We are going to talk about maybe creating a 5-minute Club, so if you ARE doing your 5-minutes (or seriously thinking about it), you'll be in good company.

DAY 8 (BFF)

Oh, snap!  (Love that lingo; borrowed from younger friend whom I believe to be super cool...)

We missed a day!  I assure you, dear readers and fellow sojourners, it was not due to a lack of exercising.  I know for a fact that Mimi has been doing more than her fair share; actually making up for my lack thereof.

On Saturday morning, I was extra pleased with my choice of 5 minutes as it was in the bright and freshly-scrubbed morning (which I oft only use to drink coffee and mumble) and it was dancing to one of my very favorite re-mixes, Gloria Estephan's, "Turn the Beat Around", with my almost-3-year-old and my awesome sister-in-law.  Then when I still had a minute and a half we danced to Chris Brown's "Forever".  I was actually sweating and out of breath at the end, but totally exhilarated!!  I think I will try this again soon.

Loves to all!!  Tomorrow I am determined to try another suggestion from the "Flaky" comments section...we'll see! ;)

It's better than nothing

Does wrestling your kids into bed after a VERY long day count as exercise? It sure as heck should, cause it uses every muscle in your body and then some.

Just a quick update to say I'm still plugging along...a whole 7 days into it now :-)
Yesterday, I walked for 35 minutes in the morning and today I did 5 minutes of situps and leg lifts before going to dinner. Nothing too exciting, but I still am feeling pretty good.

And I do realize that 5 minutes may seem absurd to some, but so far it's way better than the guilt of not exercising at all.

I know several people have tried to comment and it doesn't go through - you have to push the Submit button again after getting that weird error message and then it will. Sorry! But please do comment if you want - we LOVE it!

That's it for me - screaming kids will do that to you :-)

Ode to Clark

BFF here.

First, let me say that I am SO pleased and still giggling at the v. awes comments from my "Flaky" post!  So Mimi and I have decided what I should do, since we got so very  many great suggestions: 

I will try a new one each day.

So last night, thanks to Ronja from Germany, I tried doing my five minutes whilst watching Friends. Specifically, as she suggested, at the very beginning so that I could, "feel better if you watch the rest of it while having some vino" (at least she would! :).  Now, I do have to say that I omitted the part of having some vino as I had already had some and was actually watching my Friends episode in our bedroom right before going to bed.

I was so pleased with having any semblance of a routine that I got all enthusiastic about putting on special night cream for my eyes, thoroughly brushing teeth, and then lathering lotion and putting socks on my feet (to make them soft :).  Then I was READY for my first mission.

Turned on Friends, and realized I had better start moving, so I did the only move I could think of.  You all would recognize it:  it's the one you have either A.) personally done as a part of a school choral program during the "doo-wop" number or B.) have repeatedly seen at church or school productions of any "doo-wop" number.  In other words, snap, scoot two-steps-to-the-right, snap, scoot two-steps-to-the-left.  I immediately began to feel successful.

It was one of my favorite episodes - where Rachel and Ross are debating on baby names (Phoebe and Phoebo...) and Joey is trying to talk to Chandler about his feelings for Rachel, (Joey:  "Do you know what I mean?"  Chandler:  (pause) "Do you?")

***As I type this, I am sitting by my sweet husband who is playing a monster truck video game and eating Cool Ranch Doritos; one of which I just watched him retrieve off his feet after it fell.*** (just thought I'd throw that tidbit in for color)

Back to what I was saying.  So, I was laughing away (though not as heartily as I could have been - will try that another time, Natasha) and then thought I needed to step it up since I had been doing the doo-wop shuffle for a good minute and a half.  So I started doing lunges around the room.  This is where I learned an important lesson, friends:

• When implementing the strategy of doing the 5 minutes during a favorite tv show and just before bedtime, best to not have just lathered and socked your feet.

So I slid around the room.  Somehow I reminded myself of Clark Griswold from National European Vacation...the part where he accidentally is a part of the German Beer-Fest dancing. 

This is when I looked at my husband, SMUG as a bug in a rug, smirking at me.  I said, "what?" and he got out of bed and said confidently, "THIS is how you do lunges."  And he proceeded to do the most ridiculous lunge (in all seriousness) to "show" me.  He said, "See?  One of your knees needs to practically touch the floor."  Pleased with himself, he got himself, smugly, bag into bed.  Gotta love him.

I wasn't daunted.  You see, THIS is the sort of lesson/structure that is the VERY reason why I do not work out AT ALL!!!  I resisted the instruction, and instead slid happily back and forth in front of my bed until my 5 minutes was up.  Oh, and I did some tricep push-up thing-ys with my footboard.

So altogether, a SUCCESS!! Way to go, Ronja.  Awes suggestion.  

5 days into the 5 minutes

Things are going great, except that I am SO SORE it is embarrassing. EMBARRASSING. Because I can't walk in a normal way and people are starting to stare at me. I cannot prevent myself from uttering groans when I walk up or down stairs. I feel the need to offer random explanations, but then people think I'm even weirder. Ah well. So is the life of an exerciser (moi!).

Yesterday, I got up at 6 am to walk with my sister. She is quite geared up about the 5 minute plan. My husband got up even early than me to run (he is in actual runner) and as I was walking out to meet my sister, he came bounding in the house saying something to the effect of "Wow! Great morning! That was an awesome run!" This did not start my day off right. I feel strongly about excessive perkiness in the morning and he knows this. I feel it might have been on purpose just to get me riled up before the sun was even up.

My sister and I walked for 35 minutes. It was dark, except for the last 5. The nice thing about walking with sister is that there is no need to make excessive perky talk. She mostly gave me updates on her walking, such as: 1) Her feet were asleep 2) Her skin felt itchy and she wanted to claw it off (blood circulation, I diagnosed) 3) she needed new shoes. That all kept me busy until we got back on my street and the sun had come up and I realized my clothes were on inside out.

Today, we did a family walk around the block after dinner.

Here my thoughts on the first 5 days:

1) Still feel confident and strangely free at the very little rules.

2) Favorite exercise so far is yoga.

3) Least fave is the lunges. Lunges = evil beasts, and am striking them from my workout regime.

4) Exercising at least a little every day has made me more aware of my body (in a good way).

5) Exercising while drinking vino is not the best idea, because you feel super confident and do more and thus end up really sore.

6) I am exercising more with the goal of 5 minutes a day than I am with the goal of 30-45 minutes a day.

I want to give a big round of applause to my lovely KELLY (aka, MPBF) because she is only other person I know at the moment who is doing her 5 minutes every day. And thanks for linking to us!

Thank you THANK YOU to our TWO sweet, new readers (that are not my mom and myself) that left comments. That makes BFF and I feel very happy and encouraged.

Upcoming topic: CONFIDENCE and why we love people who are confident no matter what they look like. I (Mimi) will provide you with a very entertaining story of a on-the-rounder-side NAKED mom sternly lecturing her teenage (clothed) son on a crowded, public beach. Priceless!

Flaky

Allow me to introduce myself.

 

I am Flaky.

 

Not the good kind; the crescent roll kind that we all savor and secretly steal in excess of 5 at Thanksgiving dinner. 

 

The kind that is all enthusiastic and blazing guns at the beginning of things, only to be distracted and move on quite shortly.

 

Up until very recently, I was Flaky & Co.; the “& Co.” being none other than our beloved Mimi.  I’m not sure what in particular has gotten a hold of her to be so passionate about this Exercise Blog.  Really, I’m not.  Again, in the Past, it would have been something we would have discussed at length and then never done.

 

So I am perplexed, yet happily surprised, that it has gone gangbusters so far.  As I told Mimi today, she’s practically famous!

 

Back to me.  I, like Mimi, am not one of those “athletic” types.  I have been known to sport full athletic garb from time to time, once when I had surgery and had to wear sports bras for two weeks (prompting athletic gear shopping trip to Marshall’s to outfit myself appropriately as “sporty” instead of, “why is that woman wearing a sports bra with her shirt?”) and another few times when I didn’t get around to showering before I left the house.  Somehow wearing athletic garb made even me feel like maybe I was just about to exercise.

 

Now, I will say that I too “do” Pilates.  Full confessional:  1.) I own a VERY good DVD and 2.) I have attended two Pilates classes at my local Y.  I like to think of myself as a Pilates-doer.  I also like to think of myself as having quite a bit of Yoga experience, as I did pre-natal yoga whilst pregnant with my son.

 

But back to the point. (See?  I told you I’m flaky.)  So, yes, it was indeed my idea to do just 5 minutes a day.  But AGAIN, full confessional:  1.) With the motivation to back Mimi off a little bit and 2.) get myself off the hook from being a true exerciser.  NO noble, cool marketing ideas of doing something new and trendy, as it seems.  Sheer laziness.

 

As it were (what the HEK does that expression mean anyways?  Eh, I like it) I have only ONCE done my “5 minutes” (as you read in earlier post).  However, I got clearance from Mimi that it would be ok to discuss my Theories on Exercise until I feel up to squeezing in my 5 minutes a day.

 

Okay, so Theory 1:

 

1.)   In order for something to be a habit, you have to link it with something that is ALREADY part of your routine.

 

This may or may not be news to you, dear readers. (i.e., it is part of the secret language of FlyBabies).  However, my mother told me this so she gets first credit.  So here are my options of things I FOR SURE do every day of which I can link my 5 minutes:

·      Brushing my teeth

·      Showering

·      Arguing with my 2 year-old as to whether or not he actually has to sit in his chair to eat his meals

·      Making and drinking coffee

·      Googling “good mental health:  definition”

·      Talking to Mimi

·      Vino Hour

·      Watching a Friends episode

·      Losing my phone, keys, shoes, self

 

So I would love to hear your input as to which of these items seems most probable to link my 5 minutes of exercise.  Perhaps I should automatically disqualify showering and losing things, as the first may cause injury and the latter may cause excessive bad language.

 

 

Anxiously awaiting your suggestions…

Do I look athletic yet?

DAY 3

This is the type of day that if I did not have someone mildly interested in whether I have done my 5 minutes (I fear the ridicule of MPBF in particular) then I would say screw it. This is a vague accounting of the day as I remember it:

5:47am: Am awakened by “Mommy! Mommy! I peeped the bed!” It is dark. Let it be known, Mama does not like to be awoken when it is still dark, especially when peep is involved.

5:55am: Both children are awake and in bed with us now. I remain optimistic that they might both miraculously go back to sleep for like 5 minutes. This doesn’t happen.

6:15am: Out of bed. Could theoretically do 5 minutes of exercise, but don’t really want to. Drink coffee instead.

6:20-7:45am: Kids ready, husband ready, self ready, and out the door for work and school.

8:30am: Arrive at work. Decide today is an excellent day for a breakfast sandwich on a lovely, buttery roll with egg and cheese. Steadfastly refuse to believe this could be bad for you.

8:45am: One of my bosses arrives bearing a cake for other boss’s birthday. On cake box there is a sticker that says “Most Moistest Cake You Have Ever Tasted”. Two thoughts: A) the day is looking up B) am intrigued by this claim. I take it almost a challenge.

9:00am: Work very hard doing important things.

9:07am: Think about the cake. What if THIS IS THE DAY I have the Most Moistest Cake I Have Ever Tasted????!!!!! This is huge.

9:08am: Work and be important.

10:15am: Colleague stops by my desk to discuss cake. This is excellent news that I am not the only one thinking about it.

10:16am: Work really hard (yes, my boss is reading this)

11:13am: Stop by another colleague’s desk to discuss whether it is inappropriate to eat someone’s birthday cake without them. We decide it is (boo).

1:30pm: Get word the birthday celebration and cake eating is not going to happen before I need to leave work. This is not good news.

2:30pm: Leave work for afternoon of picking up children, getting supplies for after school activity, attend after school activity for one child, whilst occupying other child who gives a flip about said after school activity.

5:00pm: Headed home, but realize I have to stop by store for ONE ITEM missing for dinner. I would pay someone an undisclosed amount to run in the store and get it for me so I don’t have to get the children out of the car one more time. Cheerily announce we have to stop by the store and rewarded with dismayed screeching from the backseat.

5:30pm: Open a bottle of wine, cook dinner, help with homework, diffuse after school meltdowns. No 5 minutes in sight.

6:00pm: Change out of work clothes. Put on sweat pants that now look like biker shorts. This concerns me.

6:30pm: Dinner is in the oven, husband is home, take a sip of wine and decide I will do 5 minutes of lunges in the kitchen.

6:35pm: Am out of breathe and sweating. Did lunges, squats and calf raises. For 5 minutes exactly. Realize just how painfully sore I am from yoga yesterday. And also remember why I hate lunges, squats and calf raises and don’t do them as a general rule.

6:36pm: Check my rear in the mirror – do I look athletic yet?

No judgment, no expectations

DAY 2

I have three major goals this year, one of which is practicing yoga on a regular basis. There are several reasons for this, but the main one being that I hold a lot of tension in my back and neck and I have horrible, painful knots pretty much all the time. I have had several massage therapists, doctors, random people advise regular yoga as a way to manage this “medical condition” as my BFF calls it. BFF also officially diagnosed the source of these knots as General Anxiety Disorder (she has no medical training, per se, but I still consider her a main medical source in my life). That is a whole other topic, but until the existence of such a thing was brought to my awareness (by BFF), I truly did not know that there are people out there who don’t worry constantly about everything all the time! (Only three I personally know come to mind – my husband, my sister and a close, dear friend (MPBF).

I looked up several yoga classes at different locations, tried to coordinate with friends, so as to have someone to giggle with when we fell over, but nothing worked out for this week. This morning, I saw the small, local, yoga studio was having a morning class and I thought “Eff it – I’m going – and I can always walk out after 5 minutes.” I then proceeded to do everything possible to miss the class…like run a few errands, diddle around the house, think about all the other things I have to do – the endless “to do” list. Fortunately and unfortunately, I still got there in plenty of time. And it was completely wonderful. It was difficult, for sure, and I found myself thinking more than once “I should’ve just stayed home – this is too hard!” I also particularly almost gave up when the instructor (who is 4 months pregnant) did this awesome, leg-way-up-over-her-head pose. I do not even want to tell you what my imitation of that looked like. But, by the end of the class, my body felt better, more energized and peaceful than it had in a long time. And it is maybe my imagination, but I have felt calmer all day. I’m hooked.

BUT. This does not mean that I will be a regular there every week. THAT is the trap I seem to always fall into. I tour a gym (buy a year membership), try a kickboxing class (buy a 10 class pass), try a yoga class (commit to weekly classes), run one morning with a friend (and agree we should do it 3 times a week), and then I completely avoid it. Isn’t that SO WEIRD? Or am I just lazy? Or do I secretly just want to stay floppy so I can have something to complain about?

I have concluded that I am a complete commitment phobe when it comes to exercise. Buying the pass, getting a membership, working out with a friend is supposed to hold you accountable. It has the complete opposite effect on me. This again brought me back to the 5-minute Every Day rule. My head is spinning with the possibilities! Zumba class! Pole dancing! Lunges! All of these things sound like big fun, as long as I tell myself that I never have to do it again if I don’t want to or for longer than 5 minutes.

Which brings me to my second idea for this project: not planning more than a day ahead. I have no idea what I will do tomorrow, but it can be anything I want, depending on my mood, schedule, whatever.

Let me be clear: I am not expecting to lose weight doing this (but that, of course, would be super). Losing weight is hard and it takes concerted effort. I know – I’ve tried and sometimes won and sometimes lost. My goal is to simply be more active in my daily life and see what happens. Is exercise a habit that must be formed? Is it will power? Is it finding the right mix that is fun for you? And IS IT WORTH IT?

The yoga teacher began class today with asking us to have “no judgement and no expectations” for ourselves. Trying to fully digest what that would mean, I think about how I always seem to be frustrated with myself that I don’t do MORE at all times. In particular when I commit to exercising for a period of time and then don’t see the immediate results I expect. Or is that called having no freakin patience?

I have told a few good friends about this blog. The conversation went universally something like this:

“Hey! Guess what? I started a blog…”

“Wow! That’s great.”

“…about exercise.”

“Oh. About exercise? But you don’t…I mean, yeah, that’s great!”

An effin jelly bean

DAY 2, REPORT FROM BFF

7:50 pm: Hmph. After getting a good look at gelatinous belly, feel that it is necessary to make a stop by the YMCA. Am well equipped with Perfect Playlist and Ipod, but of course am only expecting 5 minutes out of myself, as per requirement.

8:24 pm: And...done. Check! 5 minutes on the treadmill. Plus 10 flopping around trying to look knowledgeable on machines my trainer showed me how to use. A while ago. And it turns out you actually have to charge the Ipod in order to HEAR the Perfect Playlist. Ah well. So I watched some sort of country music awards. On mute. Awes! I rock. Now onto a quick trip to Marshall's to find special, magical outfit to make me feel fab. For $12.

Oh, and the machine says I burned 27 calories. An insult. What is that, like an effin jelly bean?

All sorts of confident

DAY 1

With the children suitably occupied, I am determined to start the project with a bang. A (brisk) walk around the neighborhood on this lovely cool morning! Whee!

First up: Dress myself in exercise ware. We have discussed at length on many different occasions the importance of looking like you’re a regular exerciser, whether you actually are or not. If you are smartly dressed in sleek athletic ware, no matter your shape or size, people automatically assume you have been exercising or are going to exercise at some point in the day. This can garner some respect. And if you do actually exercise, being dressed in a way that makes you feel good goes a long way in motivation. I am not altogether pleased with what I manage to pull out of my closet today. Some sweat pants. A faded black tank top. And some socks with holes in them that once sported the Nike symbol. But, undeterred, I dress as sportily as I can.

Next important part of exercising: Tunes. I have heard real exercisers say that they don’t like listening to music, but just the sound of their own breathe and heartbeat. That is lovely… and I aspire to one day understand that. But, that is seriously not going to cut it for me at the moment. For the past several years, in my sporadic exercise attempts, I have used an MP3 player, bought new when MP3 players were all the rage. Since I promptly lost the instructions when I first got it, it doesn’t have any music on it. So I tune into the radio, usually the local easy listening station with the least commercials, and bop along to the likes of old Wilson Philips songs. This is disturbing to many of our friends, particularly the guys, who are technologically advanced and think I am insane. But, I refuse to let this stop me.

BFF and I discuss the absolute importance of getting some good exercise music as we sit in the car one day, with sleeping babies in the backseat. With fresh resolution, we call her husband, convinced this one small detail is the only thing standing between me and regular exercise.

“Honey,” she says (all business), “please tell us again how EXACTLY we can put music on Mimi’s MP3 player.” (He knows about these sorts of things.)

“Ok,” he replies patiently. “She needs to get in her car…”

“Ok…” BFF replies, confident we are onto something.

He continues: “…drive to the store…and buy an Ipod.”

I finally give in and purchase an Ipod. Oh, the whole new world! Pleased, I conclude, investing money in tunes is well worth it.

And so now I am off. I start down the street (now bopping along to “Doncha Wish Your Girlfriend Was Hot Like Me”). Five minutes in, I suddenly realize the beauty of the 5-minute exercise plan. Yes, I could turn on my heel and head home, having accomplished what I set out to do. But, what the hay – I’m out, I’m dressed, I’m gonna keep on going. Twenty minutes in, when I am the furthest from the house, I am not too entirely pleased with having scoffed at the 5 minute plan. If I had my cell phone, I might have called my husband to come pick me up. It is getting awfully hot. But, with no other choice, I soldier on. Finally returning home, I have walked (briskly!) for 40 minutes. And therein lays the genius of planning to exercise for only 5 minutes. By the time you dress, get your tunes, chances are you are going to do more.

Being a perfectionist, I tend to be black and white. I’m either going to exercise 30 minutes to 1 hour a day, 5 – 6 times a week, or I’m not going to do it at all. And this also requires extensive planning, charts, lists, and laying out of clothes the night before. You might see why I have completely lost my steam by the time I actually get around to the exercise part. With the goal of 5 minutes a day, EVERY DAY, no matter what, it takes out some of the guess work. I should be able to do this no matter what I’m wearing or where I am.

In other words, I am all sorts of confident.

The arms are out of control

“Ok,” she says (my BFF), “this is OUT OF CONTROL.”

“What?” I say.

“The arms,” she replies.

I immediately understand. The arms are an issue. One of several that seems to have cropped up, almost overnight, it seems. No, it’s not a complete surprise. I mean, we do like the cookie dough. And the bread and cheese. And we DO like the vino. We like the vino quite a lot actually. And exercise for the both of us might be best described as sporadic…and that also depends on what you define as “exercise”. As working mothers to young children, we mostly get by on a shit and a giggle (to quote a dear friend)…and also vino. Exercise doesn’t really play into this whole scenario much. It actually does as a theory, just not in practice.

I am not signifigantly overweight, nor am I a size 6. I wouldn’t describe myself as “un-athletic”. In fact, in my head, I am actually QUITE athletic, although the regularity in which that actually translates to me moving my body for an extended period of time…well, like I said, there are some issues. Instead of comparing our six packs, we compare who looks more like they are 5 months pregnant (although we’re not). It’s a morbid fascination of sorts. Almost as if our bodies are betraying us –as if childbirth, age, and delight in food shouldn’t have had the results they have had.

We discuss exercise quite often. Mostly we talk about other people we know who exercise regularly, what they do, how great they feel! How awesome they look! How they lost 20 pounds in 2 weeks by running 15 miles a day! We don’t really like all that. It seems like it requires an awful lot of effort. And let’s be perfectly honest. At 6 am, when other people are bounding up to exercise, I am snuggling down into my nice, comfy bed in my nice, quiet house. No WAY am I going to risk waking up the little monsters before I absolutely have to. Plus, I really like staying in bed. I am good at it. In a questionnaire about his mom one time (meant to be sweet and endearing) my son answered the question “What is your mom good at?” with “Sleeping.” I didn’t really appreciate that, since I kill myself all day every day making sure he has the absolute perfect life filled with meaningful activities, home cooked meals, love and laughter. But, whatever. Ungrateful children. In the evening, when the kids are finally in bed, exercise is just about dead last on my list of things I want to do. Having just a little vino is quite a bit higher up on that list.

This does eventually catch up to you. Despite the fact that we don’t exercise regularly and absolutely love having some little treats for ourselves, we also still fully expect to look like we did when we were 18 and getting ready for a night out. It’s secretly a little shocking when a little black dress clings in all the wrong ways. And when this happens, resolutions are made. Strategies are discussed. Inspirational phrases and motivational stories dusted off and flung about in confident tones.

I did once exercise for several months in a row. I started running (running/walking) with a neighbor, who had once run a marathon. She was undeterred by my excuses. She didn’t give me ultimatums, but was very persistent. She had strategies for walking a certain number of minutes, then running, then running faster and faster. I have to admit, I felt great. Really, honestly great. I lost weight. My waist was thin and trim. I was mentally clearer and more alert. And I got appreciative comments, which really is the whole point of it anyway. But, then for whatever reason, I began to make excuses, one of which was that I didn’t want to “over-exercise”. I got that lil gem from my mom, and because my mom always seems to know random things that no one else knows, I took it very seriously and began to scale back on my exercise, not wanting to "over-exercise" which eventually led to me stopping all together.

From time to time one of us will call the other to announce brightly, “I do pilates (yoga/cycling/walking) now!”

“Really?” the other will ask.

“Well, yeah. I mean, I did it once last week and so, ya know, I think that means that I can say I do pilates (yoga/cycling/walking) now.”

We have spent years discussing whether exercise is actually really the answer that so many people swear it is. There is always the latest book/theory/strategy for exercising, which all mainly boils down to, you have to actually do something physical and keep doing it for longer than a week. We have had a lot of doubts about this. Besides a few blips on the screen, neither one of us have been athletes or athletic, so to speak, for any long period of time in our lives. So this remains largely an untested theory in our personal lives.

And so now we have come to a crossroads. It seems that this is a crossroads that many people, especially moms, seem to reach at some point. Do we actually get serious and make exercise an honest to goodness part of our lives, for the sake of health, self-confidence and vanity, or do we continue on the way we are and really just hope for the best, all the while complaining that we're fat and feel unattractive? And so this little project is born. Commit to trying exercise. Regularly. For an extended period of time. And see what all the fuss is about.

I called my BFF with great excitement to pitch the project. “Let’s exercise at least 15 minutes a day and blog about it!”

Awkward silence.

“Ummm…wow. 15 minutes. What about 5 minutes a day?!” she asked hopefully.

And so here it is. We are beginning with doing something that can be qualified as exercise for a minimum of 5 minutes a day. For 1 year. And we’re going to write about it.