Friends With Benefits

I love a good friend with benefits. Not the sexy kind (we all know THAT never works out). I mean the kinds of friends who are knowledgeable or talented in an area that you are less knowledgeable and talented in, who use their knowledge and talents to benefit you. Those are the kinds of friends to have around.

For my September goals I pledged to stick to a 1,200-1,300 calorie a day diet. Even when I was setting the goal I knew it was ridiculous, unrealistic, and probably not healthy—the only reason I considered trying it was because my doctor suggested it, but she didn’t base it on any kind of math or my BMR or any of that—she just said “maybe try 1,300 and see what happens.”

I like the doctor, but deep down I knew that was not great advice, and I needed a second opinion.  People always say you should talk to your doctor before starting any kind of weight-loss program, but you should also talk to a Registered Dietitian. I’d even say that you’d be better off talking to a RD than a general practitioner. Many doctors are only required to take one basic nutrition class in their early college years and then they go through years and years of med school. Who remembers what was taught in one random class at the beginning of your schooling? Registered Dietitians, on the other hand, are in the business of nutrition and knowing what’s up with bodies. That’s what they do. They tend to be on the pricey side ( becoming a RD isn’t easy or cheap!), but luckily for me, my friend Eunice is a soon-to-be Registered Dietician and she helped a sister out.

Yay, Eunice!

I tweeted to her in a panic and was all like “F this 1,300 calorie BS. I quit.”  and she took the time to send me an email with questions and encouragement. She answered my questions. She helped me figure out my BMR and told me to shoot for 1,500-1,600 based on that and my activity level. She  offered an ear anytime I have questions or want to vent about the weight/weight loss stuff. She also told me that she thinks her boyfriend’s waist is smaller than hers, so not to worry that mine lost 30 pounds in 6 weeks. Boys just suck that way.

I’m always glad to be a friend with benefits to my friends and I’m grateful for all the friends I have who share their talents with me. Reach out to your friends for help. Remember:

Ha! Ha! Hahaha! I love puns.

Thanks again, Eunice!

Working It Out: Bring A Friend

You know what vacations, being sick, and knee injuries do to you?  They make working out way harder than it has to be. The occurrence of one of these three things is usually what makes a regular exerciser “fall off the wagon,” so to speak.

In the last few weeks, I’ve had all three happen.  Oh, and the freaking holidays don’t help either.

Despite all these roadblocks, I’ve been sticking to my regular gyming schedule (save for the few days I was bedridden and about three days to give my knee a freaking break.)  It’s hard to go back after taking a few days off, especially when I’ve been SO consistent for the whole year, but I did it!  And I even brought friends.

Last week my friend Irene sent me a message asking if she could join me at the gym one day, to which I happily obliged.  Irene came to Les Mills Body Pump and worked it out with me.

Irene, if she were a mouse.

We had a good time.  As you know, I love having a workout buddy.  I was a little shaky going back to my routine after my illness and some knee issues, but having Irene come try something new gave me the motivation I needed to feel good about my workout again.

Since I got a good boost from bringing Irene to Body Pump with me, I invited my friend Amanda to join me in spinning and Next Level training, and she came along, despite her sore muscles from a boot camp class she’s been doing.  Again, I got another boost from having a friend be open to new things and join me in my sweaty out-of-breath glory.

So, if you find that you’re feeling a little blah in your workouts lately, if you’re off track and finding excuses to skip workouts, try having a friend who has never tried a certain class or exercise tag along with you and you’ll instantly feel re-energized and motivated.  There’s just something about having the support and being the support that really helps you kick it back in gear.

Besides, everything is more fun with a friend.

But Seriously, Get a Workout Buddy

For a long time, I was resistant to working out with a friend.  First of all, I don’t ever like to be on anyone else’s time.  Ever.  I volunteer to drive anytime anyone wants to carpool because if I want to leave, we’re leaving.  If I want to stay, we’re staying.  I’m the driver, I call the shots.  Understood?  Second of all, I was never crazy about having a friend bear witness to my butt-jiggling, my makeup-less face, and my buckets of sweat.  Finally, it’s so much easier to just not work out when you don’t have to answer to someone.  I like to have options.

Yep, lots of options. One starts with "c" and ends in "ouch." The other starts with "C" and ends in "heez Doodles."

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Yeah, it sure is easy to quit when you have no one to answer to. Reaaaaally easy.  When you have someone who’s counting on you to show up to a workout, though, a miracle happens.   You suddenly find your once unmotivated self putting the Doodles down, getting off the couch, and strapping your workout sneakers on.  After all, someone is waiting on you.

Say hi to my friend, coworker, and workout buddy, Chiara!

The cocoa to my cream

See that delicious crepe?  Yeah, we ate it.  Then we worked out!

Chiara and I started working out together when we joined the Y through our job.  At first, we didn’t know if we’d last.  We both had long histories of starting workout programs on our own, kind of following through for awhile, then eventually giving up.  Again, it’s really easy to give up when you don’t have someone cheering you on. Once we started working out together, though, something just clicked.  We stumbled through several different classes together and even though we don’t like or go to all of the same classes (she loves to Zumba, I have no rhythm, I love to spin, it makes her want to die), just knowing that we’re cheering each other on makes a huge difference in my attitude toward working out.  Sometimes I don’t feel like working out, but I know Chiara is setting up in Power Yoga and saved a spot for me, so I make myself go.  Sometimes I wonder if all the work I’m putting in is really making a difference, and she’s there to assure me that it is.  Sometimes something hilarious happens in a class and I can’t tell the story right, but Chiara is there to fill in the blanks (and provide the voices) for me.  It makes working out a lot more fun.

Of course, having a workout buddy isn’t always a failsafe.  You still have off days during which you can’t really find time for the gym, even if your workout buddy keeps calling and texting you.

Fuck off, I’m busy.

Source

But seriously, get a workout buddy. It makes all the difference.

Savory Soup and Reptilian Lamps: Surviving My Hometown

I traveled to my hometown this weekend, which is about three hours south of Orlando.  I don’t go often, and I decided to make the trip kind of at the last minute so that I could be with my best friend on her birthday and see another friend who was visiting from Virginia.

Eating well is definitely a challenge when I go out there, especially when I spend a lot of time with my family.  They mean well, but my vegetarianism doesn’t actually make any sense to them, so they always like to get things like pizza and Chinese food because those things can easily be made vegetarian without much thinking.  This time around my trip was quick and I stayed with my newly-engaged friend, Tiffaney, instead of staying with one of my parents.  Tiffaney is a Jenny Craiger and spending the majority of my time with her definitely made staying on track much easier than it is when I’m with my family.

I got stuck in terrible traffic on my way down there and was two hours behind schedule.  I ended up missing a planned dinner with my family and rolled into town around 9:30 PM.  I hadn’t eaten dinner (eek!) and I definitely wanted to avoid eating junk, so I headed to glorious Publix for a glorious Publix veggie sub and some fruit.  I ordered my sub, fought off the advances of the 17-year-old sub guy, and hightailed it down one of the aisles toward the registers, but I was stopped in my tracks by this:

Oh thank God. Now I can stop dating.

I guess the fact that this jumped out at me (hahaha) and caught my attention when I was in a rush probably says something fairly low-brow about me, but that’s okay, because it was a solid gold find.

Tiff and I made it an early night because we had plans to go spinning at her gym on Saturday morning.  The spinning instructor at the class we went to was a tiny, militant woman who completely disregarded the three other employees at the gym who told her to turn down the blasting  music.  I’m pretty sure she thought we were at the club, not in an exercise class, because all of the music made me feel like I would be better suited to be dropping it like it was hot, rather than getting into third position. She screamed at us and jumped around the room fanning people with her clipboard because it was a billion degrees in there.  I felt like I was in a game of Mortal Kombat because she kept screaming “FINISH IT!” and it sounded like she was screaming “FINISH HIM!”

Just imagine them in bicycle shorts.

I didn’t love the spin class, but I was glad I got a workout in while away from home, and as a bonus, I got to see the very awesome Eunice from Food4Fitness on my way out!  She was coming in for the class immediately after the one Tiff and I suffered through.  Next time I go to town, she and I need to have a blogger date.  I’m thinking froyo

Later on, Tiff and I went bridesmaid dress shopping (and I only had to try one on!  It was the one!), then ate some delicious Mexican food at one of her favorite hot spots, then I met up with some of my favorite boys and they made me laugh off all the calories from my lunch.  After that, I had dinner with my parents and my brother at a sports bar and restaurant we frequented when I was kid.  My family had a heaping pile of chicken wings and fries.  I had a veggie burger with my favorite toppings–grilled mushrooms and onions.  Yessssssssss.

After dinner I went to see my dad’s new apartment that he just moved into a few weeks ago, and lo and behold, I was stopped in my tracks by this:

The decorative seashells really bring the whole thing together.

Yes, that’s a real alligator head that is shellacked on a lamp.  And, yes, that is a stuffed bird in its mouth.  And, yes, my father paid money for this.   Where did I come from?

Since I don’t actually know how to segue from that, I might as well just move on.  I went to my best friend’s parents’ house later on, sang Happy Birthday to her, visited with friends, ate some cake, and called it a night.  Alligator lamp.

After breakfast with my friends this morning and hanging out with my mom this afternoon, I made the three hour drive back to Orlando and got here all in one piece.  When I got home I examined all of my lamps.  None of them are made of alligator.

What am I doing with my life?