Mesocyle 1 -- Report

I don't know if you recall that I'm in the midst of a periodization rotation for my workouts, but I just finished Mesocyle 1, which is the first phase of 3. This rotation is modeled after Cathe's upcoming STS (Shock Training System) with the first 4 weeks being muscle endurance workouts, followed by a rest week -- the next 4 weeks being muscle conditioning (heavier weights and less reps than the previous cycle), followed by another rest week, then finishing up with a final 4 weeks of muscle strengthening (even heavier weights and less reps that the 2nd mesocycle).........phew on that description, huh? Kind of wordy, but just wanted to refresh your memory or explain if you're unfamiliar with it.

I finished up Mesocycle 1 a week ago, which consisted of 3 muscle endurance weight workouts (all by Cathe) and 3 cardio workouts (varied) a week like this:

M - - Power Hour
T -- cardio of choice
W -- Legs & Glutes
Th -- cardio of choice
F -- Muscle Endurance
S -- cardio of choice

I usually did one Cathe step workout each week, one kickboxing workout, and either step or rebounding on the other day for cardio.

I was really challenged that first week, got a little muscle soreness, but overall, felt great. The second week, I continued on and felt great. The third week, I thought I'd never fill my hunger. I ate and ate and couldn't get full. It took me a few days to realize this might be related to my weight workouts (this has happened before when I've done Cathe's Slow & Heavy Series). I also found that part way through week 3, I had a horrible time getting out of bed and was extremely tired, needing extra sleep. I may have hit a bit of overtraining there, so I skipped a cardio day. The fourth week, I was back in business just fine -- normal appetite and normal ability to bounce out of bed early in the morning.

This past week was my rest week. Oh glory days! It was really fun to just change the pace a bit, do yoga all week, not have any equipment to get out, just wear my pajamas if desired, and feel that euphoria of stretching my body. Not to say the yoga wasn't a challenge -- it really was. I was sore in my arms and sides for the first few days. I wasn't used to doing updog or the wheel at ALL. Erich just about did me in with his Backbends dvd (but I loved it!) Getting back into yoga made me see that I don't want to spend another 4 weeks without it. So I'm going to do yoga on my cardio days and extended stretches (at least 20 minutes) on my weight days. I know this was my unwritten goal for the first mesocycle, but I really just wanted to make sure I stuck with my workouts for that round and mainly just did the extended stretches to some yoga music here and there (which was wonderful, but didn't keep my flexibility up like I would have liked).

Here's what I'm thinking for the Mesocyle 2:

Weeks 6 & 7
M -- Gym Style Chest & Triceps
T -- Cardio + Pyramid Upper Body ball work + Yoga
W -- Gym Style Legs
Th -- Cardio + longer Yoga
F -- Gym Style Back, Shoulders & Biceps
S -- Cardio + Pyramid Lower Body ball work + yoga

Weeks 8 & 9
M -- Pyramid Upper Body
T -- Cardio + Yoga
W -- Muscle Max
Th -- Cardio + Yoga
F -- Pyramid Lower Body
S -- Cardio + Yoga

I really debated about whether to do the Pyramids too or just stick with the Gym Styles, but I did find I was getting antsy the 4th week of Mesocycle 2 to get past those weight workouts. After 3 weeks of them, I was looking for a change. That's one reason why the rest week was so welcomed.

As for results in my body? I didn't really notice any change until the end of the 4th week and especially this one. My pants are fitting much more loosely and I feel like I look more toned over all. I did weigh myself at the beginning of the rotation, but I don't think I want to weigh myself again until the very end, which isn't till the end of June. I don't like how the scale makes me feel. So I'd rather not know until a lot of time has passed -- especially since I'll be adding muscle as I go.

I did go swimming today with my children and found that I didn't feel the need to wear the towel till the very last second of getting into the pool like I usually would. I even walked all the way around the pool (it's a pretty big community pool) to go talk to some friends without grabbing my towel first. It was great to feel that comfortable -- yay for that!


I've read so many accounts of people getting great results from Beachbody's P90X series with Tony Horton. I've felt like I missed that boat (or continue to miss it) not because I can't handle workouts that tough, but because I just don't like Tony's style (I'm sure he's a great guy and the Beachbody people are terrific, but he just isn't for me). So it's been fun to have the hope that Cathe's STS will do the same for me and that perhaps this STS-model rotation will do something similar. I read a post last week on Cathe's forum from a man (on a thread with mainly men bonding about ordering STS since it's primarily a women's forum) who said this:

"I am a P90X graduate, but saw more results doing Cathe's Gym Styles, Slow & Heavy, Pure Strength and Pyramid DVDs. So there was really no question as to whetheror not I would get STS! :-)"

Very exciting to hear! Especially since I'm headed into the mesocycle with the Gym Styles and Pyramids (and plan to do Slow & Heavy in the final weeks).

Yoga & Taxes

I've read articles before that relate yoga to practically anything. For example, the Yoga of Eating involves bringing mindfulness to the table, eating slowly, taking in with gratitude and purpose what you are eating as you are eating. Baron Baptiste talks in his Journey Into Power book how even weight lifting can be 'yoga" if it is done with the conscientiousness and purpose of letting go and breaking past your edge. So I've found myself relating yoga to different aspects of my life -- seeing the principles carry over into being patient with my children or continuing on with a project that I may not think I have the fortitude to finish.

Last Tuesday my son said according to his teacher, this was the "worst day of the year" for grown-ups. Ironically, it was also my 1/2 birthday, so my youngest daughter was at the same time asking how I was going to celebrate, if I was having a fun day, etc. We finally went to a tax accountant this year, so the bulk of the tax stress was gone because I'd already spent a few days buried at my desk, organizing all of our finances to the minutest detail. Then the dreaded news came of how much we owed and I let it sit until April 15th.

The envelopes were addressed and stamped -- all I had to do was write the checks. But for some reason, (maybe symbolic for my resistance to letting them get the money any earlier than absolutely necessary), I didn't even think of getting it to the post office until about 4:30 that day. My kids were fresh home from school. I should have been relaxing with them. I was finding snacks for them to eat, defending the cleanliness of our home as their backpacks barged in, and somehow remembered that the post office would be closing in less than a 1/2 hour.

I ran to my desk and wrote the checks -- trying to keep peace while my kids noticed I wasn't able to give them full attention. I stressed because I didn't even have time to figure our finances to see how we'd fare after sending all this money in (Property Taxes were due the week before, not to mention a crazy propane bill for $790 -- yikes!) I wasn't feeling calm by any means, and announced that I needed to run to the post office (15 minutes away). My barely 16 year old daughter said, "Oh, can I drive?" She has her permit and wants to drive with me any chance she can. I told her she could drive on the way back, but would have to ride along on the way there so I didn't have to think about how fast or slow or if we'd get there all right.

I usually like to get in the car, turn on talk radio and just zone out as I hear the radio people rant about whatever is wrong with the world. Why that's soothing for me, I'm not sure. But it helps my mind stop thinking about the here and now. When my daughter drives with me, she wants to hear her music, which is sometimes good, but isn't as soothing for me by any means. Call me old, but I'd rather hear Nora Jones or something mellow and predictable.

As we drove away with just minutes left before the post office closed, I was thinking that even though I'd eaten raw all day, I would DEFINITELY stop at the little market on the way home to buy some big organic chocolate bar or a Clif Builder Bar or maybe a bag of Paul Newman cookies or something to treat myself for all the stress I was feeling on this most awful day of the year. In my heart, I knew it wasn't really the most awful day, but after my son asked me if it were the worst day over and over and over, I started believing maybe he was right. I thought about how nice it would be to just march in that store and buy whatever I wanted to soothe my soul. Then I thought about all the other not-as-justified moments when I'd done the same. The pattern was to feel the stress and reward it or stamp it out with some food item that I wouldn't usually eat and would later regret -- not necessarily for guilt reasons, but for health problems that would come right back.

I took a step back and realized that I didn't need to medicate myself at the market. I could actually drive back home, enjoying the leisure of my daughter driving while I sat back, and be just fine. I could feel the calm of knowing the checks were in the mail and let it be. I could look around and find joy in my situation and surrounding instead of reacting to what had brought me to that stressful point. I could actually grow from this moment in time instead of falling back into a well worn pattern.

I did just that. We drove home in peace. We passed the market without any longing to go in and find some sweet treat that I'd earlier thought I "deserved." My husband doesn't like that word and I've learned to see why. It's a selfish word. I can see it's purpose in parenting, but not really for myself. I may choose to do something because it's worthwhile or important or even needed, but I don't know that I ever "deserve" something.

How is this yoga? I found a moment where I was at my edge of not knowing if I could keep going. I was uncomfortable and stressed at that edge and wanted to quit. Since I couldn't quit with the financial responsibilities, I thought I'd just quit with my health goals instead. I would have actually been punishing myself instead of rewarding myself. This isn't to say that I'll never eat a chocolate bar or any of that again. I'm sure I will. But it will be for less reactive reasons. Like in yoga practice, I was able to take my mind away from the situation, breathe a bit, see that I could continue on in the pose or situation and not give in to panic. I love that sense of inner control. That's more satisfying to me than anything. It just takes a little more work to get there.

Sorry!

Wow! It's really been over a week (10 days, in fact) since I've written? So sorry about that. Last week was a big whirlwind of activity and I wasn't home much at all. This week I'm playing catch-up. After I shower and get myself going today, I'll post some more -- I promise!

I even had some great thoughts on Tax Day that I wanted to write about. I wonder if I can recreate the feelings that went with them on that actual day. I'll sure try! (Well, I know what Yoda said -- so I won't try -- I'll just do it and see what happens). TTFN!

Filming Slim Series Express w/Debbie Siebers -- I Made It!

Yes, I caught my delayed flight to Los Angeles the following morning. I was extremely tired -- probably only slept for 3 or 4 hours. I was able to sleep a little on the flight, so when I arrived at LAX, I felt like I could take on the day without feeling like I was in a fog. The other cast members flew into Burbank airport, which was across the street from our hotel and just down the street from where we filmed. But since I live so far from a major airport (6 hours), it was much cheaper to fly right to LAX. So I had a 45 minute Limo ride to get back and forth to the airport. Very fun! (That's me when we arrived at the rehearsal studio above and my Limo driver to the side -- we took pictures of each other because no one else was around :)).

Here's the post I wrote from the hotel computer room the morning after getting there. I didn't have a chance to write that first day:

Hi ladies -- I'm here!!! I made it!!! I had to get up at 3:00 a.m. yesterday, but I made it! I have to be quick and this will probably be my only post while I'm here (unless I find a friend with a laptop or something) because I'm on the hotel computer and they are charging a TON for me to be on here. But I just wanted to tell you about our rehearsal day yesterday. When I walked in and saw Debbie, I said something really bright, "You're a real person!" and I gave her a hug. I actually walked in about 45 minutes late because of my plane delay (oh, and the Limo service really WAS a Limo -- not a stretch one, but a really nice black car with all leather -- the driver was up front, I was in back with drinks and candies there for me -- they treated me like GOLD! That was so fun. The driver liked our visit so much that he said "I wish I had my camera so I could remember what a wonderful rider you were" and I told him I had mine. So we took pictures when we got there and I'm going to e-mail him.

The rehearsal was at Madonna Grimes' Dance Studio (giant pictures of her body all over the place -- wow that woman has muscles!) When I got there you could feel the tension in the room. There were about a dozen people there and there were probably a hundred exercise tops in boxes and on the floor -- they were trying to figure out what we would wear in the videos. Not everyone was agreeing. So they kept sending me and Jocelyn into the dressing rooms to try on different shirts. The first few were yellow and quite see-through. One funny moment (for me anyway, I don't think anyone else was laughing) was when they told me to go take off the shirt I had on and give it to Jocelyn to try on. When I got in there, I thought "Do I put my old one back on? Do I try on another?" and there were about a dozen shirts all over the chair. So I grabbed one that I hadn't tried on yet and walked out. Debbie said "That's my shirt you have on" -- I was just hoping I wasn't stretching it out. She is very tiny -- probably 5'4" or something. And yes, I was the biggest one there.

At first I thought they all must think "Why did we choose her? She's not that in shape" and then once when I came out of the dressing room, they said "Wow, you have 6 kids" and were marveling at that. And I thought maybe that gave some clout to me being bigger than Debbie and Jocelyn. Jocelyn is tall -- 5'10" and is much leaner than I am, but probably close to the same size. She's adorable, has this mid-western accent, and is a lot of fun.

Fast-forwarding to the photo shoot and interviews yesterday afternoon-- I stopped feeling like I was too big or looked out of place. Well, when I first got there, Monica was shooting her workout wear photos and looked AMAZING! and I thought "What am I doing here? I don't look like that at all!" but once I met with the stylist, got dressed up in what they wanted and I felt comfortable with (I kept saying "I like to keep my tummy covered" and stuff like that), I felt really great and felt like everyone there thought I belonged there too. The Beachbody staff and Infomercial staff were so warm and wonderful. Oh, I'll have to save all that for later because there's so much to share there.

But I'll just give you the story on being with Debbie for now. When we started the workout, Debbie came over to me and helped me with my form on my arms and it was surreal -- I looked at her and thought "Debbie is right here NEXT TO ME helping ME with the workout!" -- It was so much fun. The Cardio Sculpt workout took a few times to get right, but the Stretch one was a dream and I think will be easy to film today. Oh, yeah, the changed our film date to today instead of tomorrow. So they're picking me up at 7:45 to go start the shoot and it will go until about 6:00.

After our rehearsal yesterday, they brought in lunch from Quiznos and a lot of the staff left and it was just me, Jocelyn, Anna, and Debbie in the little kitchen area. We started talking and that was when the fun truly began for me because Debbie talked about these workouts, what Cardio Core is like (sounds like a lot of functional fitness moves that work the core while getting cardio), and how she approached Carl and told him she wanted to find real people to do these workouts with her. She talked about how her sister really loved being in the other workouts (and would love to do it again). I told her how she may not realize it, but she is a big part of our lives because she comes into our homes each day and helps us reach our goals. I told her I love when she talks a lot -- it keeps me going.

I told her a lot of things that she seemed to appreciate hearing and didn't realize from our perspective. oh, and the music -- Debbie hand-picked it and said it's the best of what she had to choose from, which wasn't wonderful, but it's definitely more upbeat than the Slim Series. It's techno -- no words and not like Cathe's music or Turbo Jam or anything, but it's got a better rhythm than Slim Series or Slim in 6.

And I got to see the set yesterday. They said it's one they've used for other Beachbody productions, but it can change with the lighting and coloring. I can't remember the other workouts they noted -- I think Turbo Jam and something of Tony Horton's. But I asked to go see it yesterday (it was in the same bldg. as the infomercial) and it's looks like wooden walls with some wooden pillars -- some yellow, but they said it will look different today. So we shall see.

They also said it's HOT on the set. I asked Debbie about the Slim Series set (I've always been curious if it's a set or a house -- if anything was out in that court yard ) and she said it's a mansion in Topanga Canyon (here in L.A. if you're familiar with it) -- and it's gorgeous. She loved filming there, but said it was hotter than other sets and was tough to film the longer workouts in. (She said "and they're something like 60 or 80 minutes long" and I was thinking "78 minutes for Shape It Up and Tear It Up -- 57 or 58 for the others" the crazy vidiot that I am). Okay, this has probably cost me $10 to be on by now so I have to run. Off to eat breakfast before my ride comes. More when I get home (unless I find a laptop -- the limo driver yesterday let me use his to see how he watched Cable while he's stuck in traffic -- so you never know when an opportunity might arrive!)

That computer post actually cost over $25, if you can believe it, but it was fun to be in touch and to have my first hand account for me to read later on. And Beachbody gave me so much cash for meals that I didn't mind having to spend a little on the computer.

Tomorrow I'll post a more detailed account of the first day from after I returned.......I'll go see if I can find any pictures to post. TTFN!

SOUPer Yummy Soup!

I just have to take a brief break from talking about my Beachbody trip to talk about soup a bit. I just finished eating some on the spot soup I made for lunch and it never ceases to amaze me just how yummy soup can be! (I actually just ran off to eat another bowl full -- I got so excited just writing about it, crazy as that sounds).

I grew up eating soup for lunch -- maybe not for every lunch, but quite frequently. Our cupboards were used to carrying a nice variety of Campbells Soup cans, my favorites being Chicken Noodle and Alphabet Soup. I'm not sure if I really loved the Alphabet Soup, but it was fun to play with -- trying to find my name in the bowl and all.

I've since learned that many, if not most commercial soups in a can are pretty unhealthy with extremely high sodium and MSG added (I read labels all the time at Costco and I just don't understand why most add MSG in light of allergies, migraines, etc. ???) -- I think some have made improvements -- cutting down on salt, adding in more vegetables or something. But I've grown to mostly make my own soup and when I do use cans or prepared, it's organic (when I find it on sale :)) without any of those unnecessary additives.

My favorites from the store are Amy's (sold in cans mainly at Health Food stores, but more traditional grocers are carrying them either in a health food section or up on the top shelf of their other soups), Pacific, and Imagine Food (both sold in 1 quart boxes). I buy up the Pacific and Imagine soups when they go on sale to have as a base for my soup since they're mainly pure smooth soups like Butternut Squash, Tomato, Tomato Basil (just had that one), and Creamy Corn.
Amy's has a variety of soups with beans or lentils and vegetables in them, but I rarely use them alone either. I use them as a base to add in more veggies.

My formula is similar to what I do with smoothies. For smoothies, I use a liquid base of a few cups (usually juice), then add in a variety of fruit (often something frozen like berries to make it more icy and something smooth like bananas, mangos, or peaches to make it creamy) plus some greens at the end.

For soup, it's a clean out my fridge project. Whatever I can find in my fridge goes in my soup. I start with a liquid base -- a can or two of Amy's soup if it's a small batch or a box of Imagine or Pacific soup if it's bigger. Then I cut up some veggies, throw them in, let them cook awhile on top fo the stove, then blend up some of the chunkier vegetables with the Braun hand blender (I've had that thing for YEARS -- just love it!) so it's a nice thick soup (I learned that trick from a lot of Mollie Katzen recipes).

I'll share what I just ate today.

1 box of Imagine Tomato Basil Soup
1 can of Amy's Lentil Soup (wanted some legumes)
1 zucchini cut up
3 handfuls of baby carrots
9 big brown (or baby bella) mushrooms, sliced

I think that's all I had room for in the pot. After letting get to a boil, cooking for about 10 minutes and blending it up, I ate it with great joy. I've made a similar soup before. I think there's something wonderful in that combination of tomato and mushrooms. The mushrooms are so chewy and hearty -- like the meat of the soup. Try it, then try some creations of your own!

Filming Slim Series Express w/Debbie Siebers - - Travel Day!

Here are a few brief posts from the evening I was flying away for LAX. Jocelyn (my castmate) had left earlier that day since she had a longer flight from the mid-west. I thought of her all day and was so excited to meet her that night. I had it all pictured in my mind -- arriving at the hotel, picking up my little packet at the desk from Beachbody with all my instructions, money for food, etc. I had e-mailed Jocelyn beforehand about buzzing her room to meet her if I didn't get in too late. It was pretty exciting! Here's the post I wrote later that night:

Guess what? After a flight delay of 30-40 minutes, they cancelled my flight!!! (Due to bad weather). So I'm back home, hoping that tomorrow's early morning flight isn't cancelled too. I'm actually on the computer seeing if the plane that leaves at 6:00 in the morning came in tonight or not. So far, it's delayed 1/2 hour -- but at least it's on its way here. So we'll see if it lands or turns around like it did earlier tonight. Anna was just wonderful when I called. She said it wasn't a problem if I was late -- the shuttle would just pick me up from the airport and take me directly to the rehearsal -- they'd have breakfast waiting for me, etc. -- not to worry. So I hope that all works out well............guess I just have to get there first to see. How on earth am I going to sleep tonight?

I have to give you a little background on our airport. I live in a pretty rural area where it's also very foggy much of the year. They actually built our airport in the foggiest spot of the county to be able to use as a test for military purposes (or so I've been told). So it's not uncommon for flights to get cancelled. However, it wasn't all that foggy that night.

When I got to our airport, I saw that another flight w/United got cancelled, but it was for other reasons and I was relieved ours (w/Horizon) still seemed like a go. I waited about 1/2 hour, then went through security. We waited in a little room for about another 1/2 hour, then were told our flight was delayed. Delayed again, then cancelled. I didn't know what to do. This was the chance of a lifetime for an exercise video enthusiast like me and I didn't want to miss it. I was told that the next morning's plane was supposed to come in at 10:00 that night and if it didn't, there would be no plane to leave in the morning. So I was definitely hoping and praying for that plane to land.

It's a 12 hour drive from here to L.A. and my husband told me just to just start driving -- drive all night long. I knew I'd have a problem doing that, as well as being awake and alert for a rehearsal the next day. My other option -- if the plane didn't get here later that night, was to leave at 4:00 a.m. for the town 3 hours east of here (where the plane briefly stops before going from here to L.A.) I still liked the option of leaving here better.

So I stayed awake (even though I'd have to leave at 5:00 for the airport even if it was here) to see if the plane landed. I checked the internet and it was delayed. I kept checking and at one point, went and sat in bed. My husband walked into the bathroom and saw the plane pass our house and told me it had come. I didn't even know we were in the flight path -- it's not close enough to hear, but I guess close enough to see! So I checked on-line and sure enough, a few minutes later, it had landed.

I didn't sleep much. There was the antsy-ness of the whole up and down of the night and the need to wake up early. I didn't even know what to wear - - all had shifted -- how to dress on a flight to be able to work out when I got there, etc. But I was grateful to spend a bit more time with my husband and children when I knew I wouldn't have otherwise. It was transformational in some sense that I can't explain (they were as surprised to see me after thinking I'd left for the week!)

Anyway, here was the last VF post of that night:

My dh just saw the plane pass our bathroom window, so hopefully it's on the landing path instead of just circling around. I just checked the flight status again and it says in 2 minutes, which is a change from the last time I checked, so that sounds about right from where we live to the airport. Hope, hope, HOPE!!!

Filming Slim Series Express w/Debbie Siebers -- Prior to the Trip

I know I'm all over the place with this blog, but I have too many things to write about and not enough days (well, plenty to come).

In case you haven't read my other posts about this, I'll give you links as I go so you don't have to go searching through the archives. Here is my first post about my background with Slim in 6. Here is the second one about the Slim in 6 Contest I entered (and won -- woo hoo!)

Now for the rest of the story (or at least a portion of it). When I found out that I'd won, I posted it on the Video Fitness forum. Little did I know at the time that we weren't supposed to announce it yet because it wasn't made public to all of the contestants (and some VFers were contestants and were sad to find out from me instead of from Beachbody, which I later discovered from Anna at BB). From that point on, I chronicled my adventures with Beachbody on VF. (Here's the link to the whole VF thread with everyone's comments included if you want to see it all. Warning: It's long, but it gives you a feel for the mood of the time :)).

I'll copy and paste those entries for your viewing pleasure (it really is fun to hear about -- what a fun industry!) I'll probably do it in several segments, so my posts aren't too long, and I'll give previous links in each post for those joining the blog at different times. Also, this will give me a chance to share more pictures (and believe me, I have a ton! -- The one to the right is from the photo shoot )
and I'm wearing the pink top from Target that I mentioned in one of the posts below. I kept posing pretty much the same way over and over and over. Then the photographer asked me to do a move from one of the workouts. My mind went blank. I kept thinking of yoga poses. Then I remembered some punching moves -- that's what I'm doing here).

Here's a post I wrote when I first got the details about our schedule:

HAPPY HAPPY DAY!!!! I just got 2 e-mails from Anna -- the ones I've been waiting for! First, she said that she and Debbie filmed the two workouts we'll be doing on Friday. They're putting them onto one dvd to send out to us TODAY!!! (Hopefully they're shipping overnight!) We're doing the Cardio/Sculpt and the 30 minute Stretch (Yay! I was hoping for this one over the abs since I've been doing so much yoga and Pilates lately -- my abs aren't as used to traditional ab work anymore and welcome any stretching!)

The second e-mail was chock full of fun information -- how they'll be taking care of us, there will be a packet for us when we get to our hotel spelling out the itinerary for all 3 days -- when they'll pick us up each day, what the meal arrangements will be (food will often be at BB -- other times we get $$ for eating on our own), when we do fittings, what clothes to bring, what to wear for the interviews, what to talk about (if we need ideas, which I rarely do). The best part is that when I e-mailed asking which night might work out for me to meet a friend who lives near there for dinner, she told me that after filming on Thursday night, we're going to go out to eat with Debbie! This seems way too hard to believe amidst my normal happenings at home!

Oh, and another fun bit of information -- she said that we have to make sure we don't make faces or show that we've messed up if we do indeed mess up. There will be cameras on us from all angles at all times, so after the filming is over, they pick the angle that shows us looking our best. If we mess up on footwork, but the upper body or face doesn't show it, they don't have to film it over. Fun to know! So, Kathy -- I guess that does pertain to what you just said, huh? Staying calm in the face of catastrophe is a good aspect to have for filming a video. Now how am I possibly supposed to be able to get anything done around here? All I want to do is figure out what I'm going to pack, what I need to buy, and all that.

The next day I did one of the sample workouts that Debbie and Anna did to help prepare us for the workouts. Here was my report on that:

I have to be quick -- the school Halloween parade is starting in a bit. But to answer your questions:

I'm not sure what the music will be like or the options. This dvd has FANTASTIC music -- very techno, early 80's, super fun, and then 1/2 way through Debbie says, "they're not going to use this music" and mentioned that the real music will be faster. But I'm not sure if it's just as fun or not.

I only did about 10 minutes of the Cardio Sculpt because of my workout earlier today, but the intensity seems like it's high intermediate, but you could advance it according to the weights you use. I thought it was going to be all resistance bands, but she uses weights a lot too. More creative cardio than before with some familiar moves. Some punching Turbo Jam style, which was fun. New upper body moves too.

The Cardio Sculpt workout actually took us 50 minutes, but she said it will be compacted through the editing to fit the 30 minutes. So she is packing a ton into that 30 minutes -- just like how she rarely stops or hesitates in the SS. It's pretty much like a SS w/less leg work -- lots of upper body with cardio throughout.

The warm-up was about 4 minutes and the cool-down about 3. The warm-up gels into the cardio though -- if you boost up the warm-up a bit like Cathe does, you could get your HR up a bit from the start. The warm-up was familiar SS moves with some new stuff too.

The stretch workout was WONDERFUL!!! She focuses a lot of deep breathing, has new stretches I haven't done before, very soothing and some parts that I'll have to keep a secret because you have to do it to really see how great it feels. It's kind of the icing on the cake that she does 3x in the routine. It was just under 30 minutes.

She talked about these being workouts you can mix and match or alternate with lower body workouts like Firm It Up. She called the other cardio one "Cardio Core" (although I don't know if that's the official name) and said that she sweated more in that one because she keeps the moves slower in this one with the weights. I'm not sure what the 6 min. abs workout is like.

I thought all 4 of us were doing 2 of the workouts and didn't know what was happening with the other 2 workouts. But in fact, we each pair up to do 2 workouts. So I do these 2 workouts with Jocelyn (and Debbie talks to us personally at the beginning of each dvd -- so fun!) and the other 2 women do the other 2 workouts.

I can't even describe how much fun it was so work out with her on such a personal level and she is drop-dead GORGEOUS all casual (she wore a baseball cap while she worked out).

I plan to do CS in the morning, maybe even twice through, with the stretch at the end -- so I'll add more tomorrow. Off to the school!!!

Some more comments about Debbie in the sample workouts:

Debbie is a delight to work out with as always and I love the music in this. She danced a bit (not quite as much as Chalene, but let it go a few times, which was fun. I don't know that she'll do that in the actual workout though. She's just so funny how she talks throughout . . . She seems like the kind of person who is just like she is in the videos because she's so personal in them. I just love how she says whatever's on her mind as she goes. On the sample dvds that she made for us, she does it even moreso. Keeps me laughing as I go.

At one point she was telling us not to worry if we can't finish the reps -- to feel free to put weights down to trade them for lighter weights or to not use weights at all (since some people at home will be having to do the same) -- and was saying stuff like "you're going to be fine" -- talking about how there are cameras on each of us and they will always just switch to her if we mess up or have to adjust or whatever... then she said, "But if I mess up, no matter what stupid thing comes out of my mouth, it will be on there forever. And it's guaranteed that I'll say something -- I always do" as she laughed about it. But that's what we love about her. That's what keeps me going with her workouts. I just love when she adds on some move or more reps to something that just starts burning like crazy (like on the floor work of Burn It Up this morning) and says "I know -- it's crazy it hurts so bad"

And a bit of monologuing ("You sly dog, you've got me monologuing!" -- one of our favorite "Incredibles" quotes :)):

Just a few more days left now until I leave. I feel like it will happen anytime now that the weekend has officially begun. The kids don't have any school tomorrow (Veteran's Day) -- so after tomorrow comes Saturday and Sunday (which always go quickly) and then I fly out Monday night. Woo hoo! I'm a little afraid to pack early because I did that with that FIRM trip long ago and then had to just unpack. But I'm sure I'll start at least "collecting" the stuff I'm going to pack tomorrow. I've already used this as an excuse to buy a few things.

I bought several shirts (at Ross, so as cheap as probably one shirt at a dept. store -- love how I justify?) to pick from when I get there for the interview. I also found a really cute exercise top at Target yesterday (I'll see if I can find it on-line to show you) to wear with black pants for the rehearsal day. I'm sure I could have used something I already have, but this is a special occasion and I want to feel good about what I'm wearing. Most of you probably don't have this problem, but when I wear a lot of the tank tops to exercise in, I get this nice little excess of skin right under my underarm that I'd rather not see. This new top is wide enough that it covers that (or doesn't cause it to pinch up like that), which is wonderful. Plus it's a fun pink color. Edited to add I found the top -- you have to click on the pink color. It has a fun pattern too. Mine's a bit tighter than the model's though http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=1-7/qid=1163123405/ref=sr_1_7/602-2929903-1026261?ie=UTF8&asin=B000FNAWUU

I decided not to buy new shoes (even though mine have far surpassed the 100 workout timeline) for the rehearsal because I did find out that they are providing shoes for us on the video shoot. I don't know if we'll get to keep them, but if we do, that would be a waste for me to buy some. Also, we got e-mails yesterday that the producers have decided they want to take more photos of us than originally planned, so they are going to have make-up, hair, and stylist people there for us on rehearsal day too (afterwards though, I think). So we'll get that full treatment that day and on the film day. That should be interesting.

I'm getting a little nervous that I'll be the biggest person there, but I need to stop thinking that way. And even if I am, so be it. Yoga has taught me that life is not a competition, even with ourselves and I need not to think or worry about such trivial things. I think it's all in my head at this point anyway and won't even enter my mind when I get there. But I just keep worrying that after seeing the video, I'll wish someday that I'd cut back on eating more or something. But I am who I am and I'll be fine, right? I already know that I'm going to be the oldest one there by quite a large margin and I have no problem with that. Age doesn't bother me because I'm so happy with where I am in my life and feel just fine about how I'm aging. I feel better in my early 40s with how I look and feel than I did in my early 30s (and actually in my early 20s too). So I've come a long way and am happy to be here. In fact, that's one of the most passionate pleas I made in my 5 minute video to the BB people was that I'd really like to let any women in their 40s who think they are destined to continue to gain weight and feel like their health is just going to get worse know that they can do something about it. I know what it's like to think "Well, I'm a mom now, this is just what my body will be like" (whether it's gaining weight or feeling sluggish or having more and more health problems) but it doesn't have to be like that. Not at all.

Sorry for the monologue -- I guess I just had to share what's been going through my head with all of this. I've been doing the new workouts each day, adding on lower body from other SS workouts or sometimes giving my upper a break and doing something like Firm It Up or the lower from Shape It Up. I'm learning more about the approach Debbie's taking with the Stretch workout (slow, deep breaths and some spine massaging movements at the beginning I wasn't used to) -- so I think I'll feel comfortable doing that when the time comes to do it just right. I found out that Debbie very recently hurt her back and is really mindful of preventing injury and not overtraining right now. But they said that she's a "consumate professional" and insisted on keeping the shoot dates in order to get the dvds out by the projected release date (which I still haven't found out when it is) == but I'm hoping that means by New Year's, which would seem like a logical date for any fitness product.

Man, I have so many posts -- so many things I thought through and announced before, during, and after :). If you don't mind reading so much, I don't mind clicking and pasting at all. I just don't want to seem like I'm overdoing it. But if you're a Beachbody fan, Debbie fan, or any lover of video fitness, it's really fun to hear how it all goes behind the scenes and in anticipation. So I'll keep going and of course, you can avoid these posts and just go to the nutrition ones or anything else if this isn't your cup of tea.

Okay, a few more before I let my 14 year old son take over the computer. And I'll try to find a picture of me in that pink Target top I was talking about. That's the one they had me wear for the photo shoot.:

I asked Anna when the projected release day was the other day, but it was buried in the midst of the rest of my banter, so she maybe didn't remember to answer that part. Now she's busy making cue cards for us (and is figuring out the timing of the music -- what fun!) so she said the rest of the scheduling e-mails will come from another woman -- can't remember who, but once I hear from her, I may just ask her too. I kind of worried about being awestruck when I first applied and was just thinking I could be one of a big group going to try out the new workouts with her. I was thinking I might get that one chance to go up and talk with her and would just say the stupidest fan-like "Oh, I just love your workouts" comment. But now that we'll get to work together, I think I'll be okay. Maybe not in the first few minutes (smiling incessantly), but once I settle down, I should be okay.

Jocelyn (the other woman doing the workouts with me) and I have both said (we've been e-mailing) that when they wrote and told us to make sure we smile during the filming that we'd be so excited to be there, we might not be able to STOP smiling. I do wonder what it will be like to be working out in front of a camera crew and such. I'm so conscious of everyone around me -- and whenever I've been on camera before, I feel silly pretending like the people behind the camera aren't there.

Apparently, Debbie hurt her back like so many others do, just doing something normal at home like putting away groceries, lifting groceries, or something like that. But I couldn't tell a single bit in the dvds they sent that she was having any problems. So she's either healing well or is taking some medication to help (or both). I know it's an issue for her because they changed the schedule to give Debbie's body a break so we're not rehearsing nor filming all 4 dvds on the same day -- they staggered them so they'll rehearse ours on 11/14 and film on 11/16 and rehearse & film the others on 11/13 and 11/15 respectively. They said one thing you learn in the film production world is the being flexible is key because schedules and plans change constantly. I told Anna I'm used to that because that's just like what it's like being a mom :).

Looks like this was the day before leaving for L.A:

I'd love to hear what she (Debbie) has to say. I've wished Debbie would make some stability ball workouts. I'm going to ask her if she uses the stability ball at all in her personal training (I'm assuming she still does that -- the comments she made in the workouts made it sound like she still teaches, whether to a group or one on one).

Tomorrow's the big day! Well, the travelling day. I'll get there tomorrow night -- will find my packet telling us what time to be in the lobby the next morning, etc. I'm so hoping I don't forget something (like shoes or underwear or who knows what!)

I'm thinking of running to Target first thing in the morning to see if they sell a sports bra that doesn't completely flatten or smoosh like the ones I have -- like it will make that much of a difference :).

I'm bringing a little gift for the Beachbody office. I tried to think of something from where I live and I live in a little rural valley in the redwoods. I didn't think a redwood would grow well down there and they probably don't want any banana slugs, so the best I could come up with was to bring them a basket of apples from the apple farm down the road that I go to all fall season (well, from mid-August until just about now). I may add some wheat pumpkin bread I just made to tie my kids over while I'm gone. Something fall and local (and healthy, which I'm sure they're mindful of) just to show my appreciation for letting me come (and to bring a bit of my world to theirs). I found a little rectangular basket at Ross that's lined with muslin fabric. I figure it can fit in my suitcase somehow. They don't ban fruit from being in luggage in CA like they do in Hawaii, do they? If so, I may have to carry it on in my backpack.

One more workout in the morning and then the next workout I do will be with Debbie live. How cool.

Someone wrote, "I hope you get to meet the instructors!" This was my response:

They actually did write "Tour the Beachbody Offices" as an option for our rest day, so maybe I will get to see what that's all about. I wonder if their Customer Service reps are in their main building though. Anna left a message yesterday saying that they'll take me to the Burbank Beachbody office (at least I think that's what she said -- you know how hard it is to understand answering machines and I listened 4x) and I know their main address is Beverly Hills.

So who knows? I'm definitely bringing a digital camera -- hadn't thought of uploading the pics while there. I wonder if I can on a hotel lobby computer? Guess I'll try and see what happens. Oh, another thing, I re-read some of the e-mails they sent today and one calls us the Slim in 6 Express Cast. So I wonder if that's the title of these new workouts -- Slim in 6 Express. I'm also dying to know if the set is going to be the same or different. So many fun Vidiot discoveries to make!

This was my last post before leaving for the airport. This made it seem so official:

I just received an e-mail from the Infomercial Testimonial production manager. My code name is T-4 (we're referred to as "talents") -- Looks like I'll be at BB for rehearsal tomorrow morning until 1:30 (I won't list the specific location, but it's not a BB studio, it's another exercise instructor's) --then they pick up me and Jocelyn and take up back to our hotel for showers, pick us up about an hour later to go to another studio(with clean face and clean hair -- I imagine that means no make-up, no hair products). Then they do our hair, wardrobe, etc. It looks like I'm the last to film -- 2 1/2 hours after we get there. So my book will come in handy then too (unless I get to sit and watch the others, which will be so much fun!)

I'll post the travel details (a much bigger adventure than I'd bargained for!) and first day there tomorrow. TTFN!

Bee Pollen Benefits

Ever heard the word "palynology?" It's the study of bee pollen. Truly. Bee Pollen has been valued for centuries for it's amazing nutritional and medicinal value. I'm not sure how or why I stumbled upon it. I know I'd been told that some received allergy relief by eating local honey. I tried that for awhile -- perhaps not long enough. Then I heard about bee pollen and thought that would make even more sense to ingest the very pollen of the air that gave me problems. There's much more to bee pollen than just scraping the pollen off the windshield of my car (I did consider that). Bees do their own magic to the pollen by adding their secretions to create this amazing food that has so many benefits for our bodies. Here's a little description of the process from this webpage:

Honeybees collect the pollen and during the collection process it is combined with secretions from the bee, as it is worked from the stamen of the plant. The bee uses it’s tongue and mandibles to collect the pollen, it then brushes the pollen from around it’s mouth area using it's forelegs and moves the now sticky substance towards it's second pair of legs. The worker bee assembles a mass of pollen, all of which has been mixed with the bee secretion and moved to storage on the bees body and legs. When the bee has collected sufficient pollen it returns to the beehive to deposit the load.

Some vegans or raw foodists consider bee pollen an animal product, so they won't eat it. But I heard Brigitte Mars (nationally known herbalist and author) speak at a raw food expo about the wonders of bee pollen and honey and in her mind, felt like she was helping the bees by partaking of it (can't remember the details there, but it was convincing as well as wonderful to hear how it ranked amidst the helpful herbs of the land).

David Wolfe, who is a raw foodist and author of "Eating for Beauty" (which is a vain sounding title, I'll admit and isn't why I bought it -- Beauty is just an indicator of excellent health in my opinion and probably in his too, but was a catchy title for a raw food book) rates bee pollen on his "Best Protein Foods" list as the best of all high-protein foods. That's a pretty high ranking! He also calls it "the most complete food found in nature" which is amazing if you see how thoroughly he's studied so many foods.

The bottom line for me, though is, how bee pollen helps me in allergy season. Yes, eating raw all the time helps too, but for those times that I'm not eating 100% (which is about half the time), I do need some outside help and bee pollen does the trick. I need to find a way to sneak it into something for my youngest son because he could use the help (and the nutrients) as well.

There was one summer (probably not last, but the one before) where I was doing well, allergy and asthma-wise and I was headed off on a family camping trip. I packed up my bee pollen in the cooler and should have used an airtight container. Instead I used the little bag it comes in with the twisty tie. By the last day, the melted ice had gotten into my bee pollen bag and had ruined it all. So I went about a day without taking it. I was fine at the campground, as its climate was much hotter and dryer and their allergy season was over. But as soon as I got home, my eyes itched and my breathing became tight. I was up most of the night coughing with my asthma. I can't remember if I took some bee pollen before I went to bed and in the morning or just in the morning, but by mid-morning, my asthma was gone. My eyes no longer burned either. I was glad to have my fresh stash of bee pollen nearby again.

I have read that if you have a bee sting allergy, you should not take bee pollen. That's important to state. I don't have a bee sting allergy (but think of "My Girl" with poor Thomas J and cutie pie Vada Sultenfuss -- I love that movie!), but did read before taking bee pollen that you need to ease into it gradually. Bee pollen comes in tiny little pellets. The very first time, I only ate one or two pellets. 12 hours later, I took 4 or 5. I continued to double them every 12 hours until I reached a Tablespoon a day. I found that it was far easier to eat a few pellets at a time. They taste sweet and are easy to chew. When I got up to a Tablespoon a day, it tasted extremely chalky to me and I'd get a little nauseated for the first hour or so. My husband told me maybe I should spread it out more. So now I take a heaping teaspoon in the morning and another at night. From what I've read, you should take it an hour before eating. I'm not sure why. I tend to chew it and it gets stuck in my molars, then I get grossed out because it is in my mouth for too long and feels too chalky. A friend of mine started taking bee pollen for her asthma and said she had no problems chewing it, even without water. I like to wash mine down with water (think ocean wave whisking the sand from the shore :)) and think I'm going to stop feeling like I have to chew it. It dissolves with saliva and digestive juices. So perhaps if I do that, I'll enjoy taking it more.

Apparently, bee pollen can go rancid quickly. It must be refrigerated to keep fresh. You can test it's freshness by putting a few pellets in a glass of water. If the pellets sink, they are fresh. If they float, they're old. I kept some leftover from the end of one spring until the next winter and it had started floating. So it may not keep for more than a few months, even in the fridge.

Where do you buy bee pollen? There are many online sources, but it makes the most sense to me to buy it locally so you can get the pollen from your area. If you go to your local health food store, they should have little plastic bags or jars with bee pollen in a refrigerator. In one of the stores here, they have a special refrigerator in the herb section, but in the others, it's just on the bottom shelf of the wall of refrigerators/freezers. On mine, there's a date of how new it is and a description. They sell two here -- one that states our County name to let us know it's local. The other says "High Desert" -- I'm not sure why someone would want that instead, unless they were going to travel to the high desert soon? I just did a Google Search and there's a brand called High Desert, but I doubt that's the case with the hand-packed variety sold in our stores.

Here are some web pages I've found with further information on bee pollen (or as they say on Reading Rainbow, "don't take my word for it":

shirleys-wellness-cafe.com

womens-health-fitness.com

alternativescentral.com

philoxia.com

Happy reading!

To share or not to share (nutritional info, that is) -- that is the ?

I just have to write my thoughts since they're swimming around in my brain. A good friend was over yesterday and was telling me that she's been so sluggish lately. She has no energy, has suffered depression for years (and takes medication at times, but goes off other times because she knows how bad the stuff is for her), and has gained weight pretty suddenly in the past year or so after a lifetime (35 years) of being very slim. She talked to a few women who said they both have thyroid problems and the two main symptoms were lack of energy and fast weight gain. So she wants to get her thyroid checked.

My mom has had a thyroid imbalance for as long as I can remember. I know it's a real thing and that medication can make a huge difference. The only time I ever remember her not on her medication, she stopped taking it just because she was out of town and ran out while in the druthers of taking care of my grandpa before he died. We've talked about it since -- how she was really upset one night (and uncharacteristically so) and how she realized the next day that she'd missed her thyroid medicine, got the refill and was back to normal. So I know it's vital for many people.

HOWEVER, (and this isn't directed at you mom -- I know you read my blog :)), while I was talking to my friend, I'm thinking in the back of my mind that for many people (especially women, but men too as they hit middle age), they can eat whatever they want for many years and then all of the sudden gain and have to really watch it. This happened for me when I was a senior in high school and was a huge battle through college. I was able to maintain it much better after college and through most of my marriage with a greater effort on the eating and exercise. But ever since I just about hit 40 (and into the present), I can gain 5 pounds in a weekend if I'm not careful. This happens to a lot of women after puberty, after childbirth, upon menopause, etc.

So that wasn't a convincing factor for me. The second thought I had was that I've read many accounts of women going OFF of their thyroid medication from adopting whole food diets -- whether it's Eat to Live, raw food, or whatever. So I'm thinking, "Why go onto medication that can cause new problems, continue unhealthy eating practices which can continue to bring health problems?" -- But what am I saying to her? I'm just listening and supporting her in what she says.

Today it bothered me that I didn't say anything. So I called her tonight and told her there was a "what I was saying" version and a "what I was thinking" version going on at the same time. I think she'd like to hear the thinking version (she loves brutal honesty) and I told her that we should get together and talk about it. I thought she'd be intrigued, but she said she probably knows it too, just isn't willing to do it. But I think there's more to it. I think we all have this "eat healthier" is better knowledge and don't match it (or rarely do anyway), but I think she and most others think that a Standard American Diet with some more fruits and veggies, less meat (she's actually a fish-eating vegetarian) is healthy enough as long as you're exercising. Maybe it is good enough for some, but it sure doesn't stop the health problems from coming. And it's hard for me to see my friends encounter them or suffer from them.............

And I don't know if they know that my efforts don't always match my knowledge either. It's a struggle. It's a journey. Sometimes I think I contemplate food WAY too much, but it keeps me coming back to fighting off my quite awful (and even life threatening with as bad as my asthma is) health problems.

I don't have a cute picture for this post -- sorry! :) And my kids need the computer. So I'll have to close. But I just wanted to get this out. It's a big question of whether to share with friends what I really think about the role food plays in health. I'm never preachy, but sometimes wish I did throw some passion into what I know to be true and so helpful for me. Off to do something else and get my mind off of this. TTFN!

And now a word about Wheat Storage

I just wanted to mention something about wheat flour (or cracked wheat) storage. Wheat berries in their whole form can be stored almost indefinitely if it isn't too humid. I have wheat that my parents bought when I was probably 10 (so 30+ years ago) and it's just fine and fresh for baking. (It may not work for sprouting, but I'll talk more about that in another post). I've even read that wheat stored in pyramids for who knows how many years is still found to be good too. So that's not an issue for storage. If you can keep the bugs out and humidity out (as in a 5 gallon bucket with a good lid), you're fine.

Once you break open the wheat berry, however, you need to be more cautious with storage. The protective shell of the wheat berry can no longer do it's protecting, so the nutrients are at risk for deterioration. Yes, you can buy wheat flour and cracked wheat in bulk or a bag at the store, but it won't be as fresh or as nutritious if you've ground it yourself. The reason why is that when it's freshly ground, it has all the nutrients in tact. Besides the possibility of increasing the nutrients by soaking or sprouting (which, once again, I'll explain in more detail on the sprouting post :)), this is the highest the nutrient level will be. If you refrigerate or freeze the flour or cracked wheat right after grinding, the nutrients will remain at that level. If you leave them in container in the cupboard or pantry, the oil content will begin it's rancidity process and the nutrients will lessen (even in as few as a couple of hours).

This doesn't mean that the flour will actually go rancid right away or give you the kind of digestive problems you'd get from eating something with rancid oil. You can probably store wheat flour for up to a year. But the nutritional content will deteriorate gradually. If you're after optimum health and thus optimum nutrients, put it in a ziploc bag or sealed container and stick it in the fridge or freezer. Simple as that!

Wheat Recipes -- Brownies

I've always loved baking. My mom used to call me "Cookie" because I baked cookies so much. I also loved baking bread of all kinds. Even in college, I remember running home on my lunch break, making a batch of cookies, and coming back with the finished goods. In fact, I baked a LOT of cookies while in college and it showed! I gained weight and had a hard time getting it off. It was a 4 year battle. So I've slowed down on the cookie baking, but still bake treats from time to time. Here are a few recipes I've changed to make a little healthier for my kids. I'm thinking of morphing the brownie recipe a bit more to reduce the oil and salt. I'll add those results to this post when I do. For now, here's the rich recipe. It's from a Betty Crocker Cookie Book, but I've changed the shortening to oil, the white flour to wheat, and the sugar to unrefined sugar (either sucanat or evaporated cane juice). This pic is from two nights ago btw. My daughter decided she'd rather have some of these than birthday cake or whatever sugary treats her friends might bring her at school the next day.


Brownies
1 c. oil
2 c. unrefined sugar
4 eggs
2 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. wheat flour
1 c. cocoa
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 c. walnuts (optional)

Mix ingredients in order listed. Pour onto baking sheet or stone with 4 sides (could probably bake in an oblong pan for thicker brownies if you don't have that kind of baking sheet). I don't oil mine because I use a seasoned stone, but you may want to spray yours or lightly oil the pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes (until dry in the middle). Let cool and serve.


Update (4/4): I made the brownie recipe, cutting the oil and salt in half (and replacing the oil that I omitted with water). I decided to get some fiber in there by adding 2 (yes two!) cups of oatmeal. I'm not sure what I think yet. They're good (my 16 year old daughter keeps telling me that she loves them), but they are lacking some flavor. But they are very filling, that's for sure. Must be the fiber. The regular brownie recipe is more gooey. These are more cakey. I'm wondering if I just increased the oil from 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup if they'd have enough flavor. I'm sure I'll have another update when I find that perfect recipe.......

Video List Update

Just a quick post to say that I finally finished my long list of workout videos (and a few audios) that I've done, marking my favorites. The grand total came to 427! I'm sure I'll think of a few stragglers here and there and will update it if that happens. TTFN!