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Hey Beachbody followers, fans and buddies! I'm blogging on here for a moment instead of my regular blog site. Just wanted to let you know that my tip/word for the day is MODIFY!! Why? Because I have to do a lot of that these days in order to workout. I'm not getting any younger--and I'm in darn good shape for 52. But I can't, nor do I want to do what I could have in my twenties. I've developed exercise asthma from allergens and if I try to push through too much of it I only get sick with some 'bug.' So instead of quiting all together I take note when I feel my throat closing up. I push pause and I catch my breath before I continue. Am I thrilled about that? No--I'm not. What I AM thrilled about though is that my attitude is such that I do it anyway! Lo and behold--I GET RESULTS!! The only time I don't get results is when I give up.

So please!! MODIFY!!

PUSH PLAY BUT DON'T BE AFRAID TO PUSH PAUSE!! Now get to it America!!

...And thought it apropos to share. OK, so I'm pretty experienced at this whole weight loss/fitness thing--that's fairly clear. But even I'm vulnerable to being "taken" when it comes to "healthy food." Let me explain…

First of all, I know you're thinking "And why, in God's name, are YOU losing weight, Vawny??" Well, if you've seen my Beachbody Fitness site, you'll know that I gained ten to lose ten, so that you could watch my progress and know that I feel your pain. I'm 50 years old, so it's not a ridiculous idea to think I could hit a weight loss plateau. However, I have a strict diet and I workout frequently and intensely. Needless to say, I was a bit shocked when my metabolism seemed to stall out on me. Now, I'm aware that I don't lose weight as easily as I did a decade ago--in fact, I've joined the ranks of those who gain weight by virtually looking at fattening foods, (such a bummer…) but this time, I was really mystified. Nothing seemed to be budging my weight--cutting carbs, increasing cardio, etc., until a couple of days ago, that is...

I decided to stop at the grocery store that carries the only ground turkey that I truly love (oops--duhh--red flag Vawn) and since the price had gone up, yet again, I started reading the labels to find a comparable product. Well, guess what I found? Yeah...I'm an idiot. It said that right on the label--“Vawny is an idiot!“ The reason I loved that ground turkey enough to go out of my way to buy it?? The damn FAT CONTENT!!! I couldn't have been more shocked--or incensed, for that matter. While the store “muzak” morphed and hammered the Freddy Krueger soundtrack through my head, the words "17 grams of fat per serving; serving size 1 oz" jumped off the label like a landed tuna. GOOD GOD! I had been eating about four ounces per meal!

Once I recovered from what felt like an impending apoplexy right in front of the meat section, I was able to pull together some gratitude for the fact that I didn't actually gain a bunch of weight--fat head notwithstanding…Whew!

So, I'm sharing this with you because I know how cunning, baffling, and powerful the food industry can be, and I know how insidiously fat can creep into ones diet. I can already see the difference in just a couple of days of changing to a low fat ground chicken. But I'm sending out a warning to you all--READ THE DAMN LABELS NO MATTER HOW HEALTHY YOU THINK WHAT YOU'RE BUYING IS! The food industry in general, has one goal and that's to make a profit. I thought I'd struck gold when I found that stuff--and I know better! That, my friends is called "Denial" with a capital "D" and most of us are vulnerable. To assume that “because it’s ground turkey, it must be low fat“ is some weighty rationalizing. I'm embarrassed--hanging my head in shame, (and from the fact that my head now weighs more). I need to clean house. Confess. So that my blunder is not your blunder--and not in vain.

Is all this label reading/weight loss information driving you to near psychosis? Contact me at Beachbody Fitness and liberate yourself from guesswork with our unparalleled support! You are sooo worth it!!

So guess what you guys?? I did Plyo X for the first time in forever--I think it's been at least a year--and I did great!! I was surprised frankly. It actually used to be harder for me! Goes to show that any working out persistently improves your fitness level. Here's the thing: You all need to know that, so help me god, you get fitter and fitter no matter what your age--IF you stick with it!! NO ONE could have convinced me of that 20 years ago. It's just a silly belief system that we've bought into! No, I can't do everything I could do in my 20's, but I get stronger and fitter every year that I do this!! It's so amazing!!  I'm sure many of you are thinking, "Yeah, right--how long can that possibly last??" Well, I don't know, but it's continued for well over a decade now and my oldest client is EIGHTY EIGHT YEARS OLD!! She does Pilates with me at 6:30 a.m. three mornings a week, and she's better at it than ANY of my clients!! Oh yes she is--she's one of my heroes. Amazing!! She recently did a perfect TWO MINUTE PLANK!! So there it is. It just won't happen in four weeks--you've got to make it a part of your life and before you know it, you've been working out consistently for two years and you're completely blown away by your own fitness level. IT'S SOOO WORTH IT YOU GUYS!! I can help you through the aches and pains if you're not sure how hard to push!! JUST DO IT!! JUST START!! I’M HERE FOR YOU!!

That was AWESOME! Allergies were really bad by the time I got done with work tonight and I just wanted to sleep. I didn't, because I knew I'd be up all night if I closed my eyes as early as 7:00pm. It was of course, temping to "blow off" my workout, but as per usual, a very sweet Beachbody friend had sent me an invitation to work out in WOWY (the Beachbody virtual gym). As a result, and because I feel relatively bonded with these people at this point, I couldn't even consider skipping my workout. Now, you may think, "Geez Vawny! Why not just rest if you're feeling so tired? Isn't it unhealthy to push like that when your body's clearly tired?" My response to those of you pondering that question is a resounding "NO!" Not in this case. I've been doing this a long time now and I know when I'm truly sick and in need of rest, and when I'm struggling with my challenged immune system because it's spring, everything's in bloom, and it was hot and humid (already) today. Yes, I could succumb to the weather induced fatigue, but it becomes a never ending cycle of feeling worse and worse because I'm getting no exercise on top of everything else. My circulation slows, the allergic reaction doesn't move through me quickly, I become more bloated from lying around, as well as gain weight. All that to say that I actually get far sicker from letting the allergies run the show, so I do what I can do in terms of a workout as long as I MOVE and keep my metabolism moving the allergens through, and out of my body. I sleep better, I feel better in general and of course I'm not freaking out about my weight continuing to climb because I'm 51 years old and not doing any exercise. Am I happy that it's so challenging for me sometimes? Not particularly, no. I've had to guard against feeling sorry for myself right along with making sure I exercise almost daily--they go hand in hand. Is it worth it? You betcha! When I see others my age that aren't taking care of themselves through diet and exercise, they certainly aren't happier than I am--or happy period, for that matter. On the contrary, they tend to be downright miserable and in and out of the hospital with far more undiagnosable/fixable problems than I have.

Let’s face it--I'm 51. I'm a healthy 51 compared to most, but I'm not 25...or even 35 anymore, and that's ok! I don't have to try to be that age--only to work with what I have, what God gave me, and do the best I can. As a result, I feel good about me, good about my life, and hopeful for improvement--which by the way happens on a regular basis believe it or not! So hang in there, reach out for support. You're NOT unique--not where these issues are concerned, and there are plenty of others right here that wanna be there for you as well as NEED you to be there for them. Who wants to be alone in the end? Not me...

Thank you again for reading, supporting, caring; I'm eternally grateful to you all! : )

xo

Tonight I completed an hour on my elliptical. I was tired after work and had several tasks to complete at home, so this was easiest in terms of focus and intensity. I went with time as opposed to intensity based on how I was feeling, that way it more or less evens out. I was able to get good leg work and cardio for a good amount of time--so I'm happy with that.

Food's been good overall, but I ate more than usual today. I got up to around 1800 Cals, which is higher than I like at this time, but it's fine as long as I keep track and don't do so many tomorrow. Also, my last meal was before 6:00pm and I worked out after that, so I burned a lot of it. As long as I don't eat before bed, I'm fine. At 51 years old, if I eat at night it doesn't take long for my weight to creep up, so I try not to do it very often--special occasions once in a great while is pretty much it.

I'm not gonna do the "twice a day for 10 minutes--cardio" this week, mostly because I'll be out of town for a couple of days. When I get back, I'll reassess and let you know.

Thanks again for reading these you guys--you're the BEST!! I LOVE BEACHBODY!! XO