The other day I overheard a conversation between two girls at work, they were talking about exercise and losing weight. As usual, they talked about how many sit-ups they did and no matter how many they did, they couldn't get that four pack or six pack abs.
As tempted as I was to jump into that conversation, I sat still with a smile on my face and ignored them.
The truth is, even when I competed in fitness modeling, I couldn't get a six pack. I was close to four but I only got two visible lines. My routine may eventually come to surface but for now, I want to talk about the average person.
The real reason why the average person who works out will never achieve the six pack look is because of their bad attitude toward healthy food.
Six pack abs come to those who eat extreme healthy food and limit their calorie intake, even with liquids. Six pack abs come to those athletes who do more than sit-ups. They swim, run, lift heavy weights and basically understand the concept of a total body work out. In other words, work on your entire core, not just your stomach.
Those who do have six pack abs do not eat: bread, butter, starchy carbohydrates, condiments like mayonnaise (including with their tuna), crackers, chips, beer, wine and all other forms of liquor, sugary foods or liquids (syrup in their coffee or lattes), pork, ham or food with sodium. That is just a small list, the diet is intense as is the lifestyle.
When I did compete, I did not drink alcohol nor did I go out with friends on weekends. I lived my life focused on my routine and 'diet' on a day to day basis and didn't let anyone's negative opinion stop me.
It takes a disciplined lifestyle with a strict exercise and diet and as far as those 'cheat meals' are concerned, they are limited to putting a little sugar in their oatmeal or maybe eating whole wheat pancakes with syrup.
At the end of the day, the choice is yours, eat what you want and settle for the look the food gives you or discipline yourself to eat the food that gives you the look you want.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Sunday, October 02, 2011
It's time to live
It's not that I've been purposely dodging it...it's that...I wanted to make sure it would be a perfect vacation.
Since I was young, of gosh please don't ask exactly how old I really was when I first said, "When I grow up, I'm moving to California." As of now, I'm thinking a trip to California has been in my dreams for 23 years.
Twenty -three years.... That's a long time to want something.
At a ripe young age, I said I was going to California to be a model just like Christie Brinkley. Then I wanted to be an actress, singer, dancer, just like Madonna.
I fell in love with entertainment. It was all things singing, dancing, movies, TV Sitcoms like Growing Pains that made me happy.
At 13, I found myself obsessing over rock stars like bad boy bands Motley Crue...oy...it is embarressing to admit I actually liked the 80s hair bands but I was a young, inexperienced teenager living in a small town on the East Coast going to a Catholic School where I dressed so totally different than my classmates. I was in New Hampshire where nothing important or entertaining ever happens except for an Indy or NASCAR race twice a year. Oh and Motorcycle Week...where ugly, over-sized men rode around on over-priced Harley Davidson's. (Except for my mom and dad of coarse, they're probably the cutest couple on a Harley, don't you think?)
As for music, the only other alternative was ....New Kids on the Block and I sure as hell wasn't going to be a part of that teeny-bopper crowd.
I wanted to be a part of the West Coast, the California crowd. I wanted to party on Sunset and shop on Rodeo Drive. I wanted to go to movie premiere's and film festivals. I wanted to go to concerts and take naps on the beaches. I wanted to go to University of Los Angelas and study film, screenwriting and journalism.
I knew at 13 I was going to be a writer. I wanted to write for rock magazines. I wanted to follow the Crue, Poison, Guns'n Roses and all other wanna be rock star bands that got as far as one hit wonder albums. I wanted to write movies and books and model and act and ....I wanted to do all the entertainment things....or at least one of them. I knew I couldn't sing; I wasn't that good at learning how to play guitar or piano; I realized I probably wasn't that good of a dancer....I saw that I kicked ass at modeling and photography but more importantly I could write about it. So .... that was that. At 13, I did know it all. I knew what I wanted and no one would stop me.
Then I went to high school and it all fell apart. I guess I grew up....or maybe I just accepted that I was a NH native and nothing special ever happens to a NH person, right?
To spare you the boring details of my young adult life, I'll fast forward to today. I now know that I can make it happen and I wish I knew at 18, when it was time to decide if I was going to make my dream to be a UCLA student come true that if I dove in head first without looking around to see what everyone else thought...that I could and would be successful. I seriously would've packed my bags and moved to UCLA but I was too young and stupid and too easily influenced by friends and fear.
Coulda, woulda, shoulda....woe is me. Please don't pity me, I'm grown up now.
It's all in the past and I'm over it. Today, I look at my life and see, if not now, when?
Had you told me at say, 22 I was going to be interviewing Jeff Gordon or Dale Earnhardt JR in the press room at Charlotte Motor Speedway I would've laughed. Had you told me at 32 I was going to do that, I would've told you that you were high on crack and heroine combined.
So what, my ten seconds with Gordon and Earnhardt didn't happen like I dreamed it would have but it happened.
Just like my 15 seconds on stage at Fitness Atlantic, CT, Boston and at World Natural Sports Organization in Toronto, Canada happened.
If I want it...I make it happen...somehow.
I wanted to go to New York Film Academy and sure....I didn't get to spend two or three years in New York City or Los Angelas as a Film major...but I at least took writing classes from NYFA professors online. It's how things are done nowadays. We writers can take classes online. Why not?
So....with all of that being said, when oh when will I get up off my ass and book my trip to California?
I promised myself on Friday that I would make it to Cali before December 31st, 2012. Even if I have to hitch hike there....and considering the fact that I have an uncle that actually did that back in 1972 when beatniks and hippies were cool...then I guess I can too. I have less road to travel then he did. I'm in Charlotte, NC...he was in some small town in Quebec, Canada . I forgot how long it took him, but, he made it to San Fransisco.
So now that I've decided to go to Cali some time next year...
I need to decide where exactly I'm going and I'm going to have to accept that it won't be as perfect as I may want it to.
In a perfect world, I'd have money and money and ample amounts of money,time, friends and a guy and I'd do everything I'd love to do but that's not my reality.
I accept I will not go to Napa Valley to drink expensive red wine with friends or a special someone for days.
I can accept that I won't have 30 days to travel from Napa Valley to San Diego in some cool convertable.
Nor do I have the means or the time to go and blow time and cash on a few parties in Hollywood.
I also can't afford to be a tourist either. Nope. No trips to this studio or that place or this place.
So, what will I do?
What I've been waiting to do. Writers conferences and film festivals.
I'm ready to talk to 1,000 agents and producers and I'm sure 999, if not 1,000 of them, will reject me.
I'm ready to visit California alone. I accept I won't be with friends or a special person...I accept I won't have a whole shit load of money to blow and I won't come back with memorabilia or cool pictures....I accept I won't travel from one end of the state to the other. I accept that I'll be 1 in a million trying to impress this agent or that producer. But if I don't do it....nothing in my life will mean anything.
I'm ready for whatever happens. It's time...and I'm holding myself accountable. Hence, the purpose of this blog.
So here it is, my heart on my sleeve, my script in my hands and nothing else.
Time to live.
Time to plan.
Since I was young, of gosh please don't ask exactly how old I really was when I first said, "When I grow up, I'm moving to California." As of now, I'm thinking a trip to California has been in my dreams for 23 years.
Twenty -three years.... That's a long time to want something.
At a ripe young age, I said I was going to California to be a model just like Christie Brinkley. Then I wanted to be an actress, singer, dancer, just like Madonna.
I fell in love with entertainment. It was all things singing, dancing, movies, TV Sitcoms like Growing Pains that made me happy.
At 13, I found myself obsessing over rock stars like bad boy bands Motley Crue...oy...it is embarressing to admit I actually liked the 80s hair bands but I was a young, inexperienced teenager living in a small town on the East Coast going to a Catholic School where I dressed so totally different than my classmates. I was in New Hampshire where nothing important or entertaining ever happens except for an Indy or NASCAR race twice a year. Oh and Motorcycle Week...where ugly, over-sized men rode around on over-priced Harley Davidson's. (Except for my mom and dad of coarse, they're probably the cutest couple on a Harley, don't you think?)
As for music, the only other alternative was ....New Kids on the Block and I sure as hell wasn't going to be a part of that teeny-bopper crowd.
I wanted to be a part of the West Coast, the California crowd. I wanted to party on Sunset and shop on Rodeo Drive. I wanted to go to movie premiere's and film festivals. I wanted to go to concerts and take naps on the beaches. I wanted to go to University of Los Angelas and study film, screenwriting and journalism.
I knew at 13 I was going to be a writer. I wanted to write for rock magazines. I wanted to follow the Crue, Poison, Guns'n Roses and all other wanna be rock star bands that got as far as one hit wonder albums. I wanted to write movies and books and model and act and ....I wanted to do all the entertainment things....or at least one of them. I knew I couldn't sing; I wasn't that good at learning how to play guitar or piano; I realized I probably wasn't that good of a dancer....I saw that I kicked ass at modeling and photography but more importantly I could write about it. So .... that was that. At 13, I did know it all. I knew what I wanted and no one would stop me.
Then I went to high school and it all fell apart. I guess I grew up....or maybe I just accepted that I was a NH native and nothing special ever happens to a NH person, right?
To spare you the boring details of my young adult life, I'll fast forward to today. I now know that I can make it happen and I wish I knew at 18, when it was time to decide if I was going to make my dream to be a UCLA student come true that if I dove in head first without looking around to see what everyone else thought...that I could and would be successful. I seriously would've packed my bags and moved to UCLA but I was too young and stupid and too easily influenced by friends and fear.
Coulda, woulda, shoulda....woe is me. Please don't pity me, I'm grown up now.
It's all in the past and I'm over it. Today, I look at my life and see, if not now, when?
Had you told me at say, 22 I was going to be interviewing Jeff Gordon or Dale Earnhardt JR in the press room at Charlotte Motor Speedway I would've laughed. Had you told me at 32 I was going to do that, I would've told you that you were high on crack and heroine combined.
So what, my ten seconds with Gordon and Earnhardt didn't happen like I dreamed it would have but it happened.
Just like my 15 seconds on stage at Fitness Atlantic, CT, Boston and at World Natural Sports Organization in Toronto, Canada happened.
If I want it...I make it happen...somehow.
I wanted to go to New York Film Academy and sure....I didn't get to spend two or three years in New York City or Los Angelas as a Film major...but I at least took writing classes from NYFA professors online. It's how things are done nowadays. We writers can take classes online. Why not?
So....with all of that being said, when oh when will I get up off my ass and book my trip to California?
I promised myself on Friday that I would make it to Cali before December 31st, 2012. Even if I have to hitch hike there....and considering the fact that I have an uncle that actually did that back in 1972 when beatniks and hippies were cool...then I guess I can too. I have less road to travel then he did. I'm in Charlotte, NC...he was in some small town in Quebec, Canada . I forgot how long it took him, but, he made it to San Fransisco.
So now that I've decided to go to Cali some time next year...
I need to decide where exactly I'm going and I'm going to have to accept that it won't be as perfect as I may want it to.
In a perfect world, I'd have money and money and ample amounts of money,time, friends and a guy and I'd do everything I'd love to do but that's not my reality.
I accept I will not go to Napa Valley to drink expensive red wine with friends or a special someone for days.
I can accept that I won't have 30 days to travel from Napa Valley to San Diego in some cool convertable.
Nor do I have the means or the time to go and blow time and cash on a few parties in Hollywood.
I also can't afford to be a tourist either. Nope. No trips to this studio or that place or this place.
So, what will I do?
What I've been waiting to do. Writers conferences and film festivals.
I'm ready to talk to 1,000 agents and producers and I'm sure 999, if not 1,000 of them, will reject me.
I'm ready to visit California alone. I accept I won't be with friends or a special person...I accept I won't have a whole shit load of money to blow and I won't come back with memorabilia or cool pictures....I accept I won't travel from one end of the state to the other. I accept that I'll be 1 in a million trying to impress this agent or that producer. But if I don't do it....nothing in my life will mean anything.
I'm ready for whatever happens. It's time...and I'm holding myself accountable. Hence, the purpose of this blog.
So here it is, my heart on my sleeve, my script in my hands and nothing else.
Time to live.
Time to plan.
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Why I hate the Bachelor
The reality hit shows, "The Bachelor and The Bachelorette" are bringing money in to NBC however I am convinced it has corrupted dating as we know it.
Mr. Blue Eyes and I went out to lunch last week and he explained that dating in the real world is exactly like it is on the show, without the glamorous over priced dates and exotic trips around the world. Also, I've yet to see one woman on a date with six guys at a time.
People now have multiple partners sexually and morals have changed.
People also keep ex's around, in case they have no other person to go to on a lonely Friday night.
I missed the opportunity last June to audition to be a contestant on the Bachelorette when ABC came to SUITE at the EpiCentre in Charlotte because, I being so naive and gullible, feared I'd ruin things with Mr. Blue Eyes. Sure we were a brand new couple and we were not exclusive and we had not crossed over to a committed relationship but I wanted to focus on us,. I didn't want any distractions nor did I want my auditioning to make him think that I was eventually going to leave. I thought to far ahead and that may have been a mistake. I could have auditioned and if they accepted me, I would've had the chance to say no had Mr. Blue Eyes and I committed but you see we didn't commit, we had an amazing summer affair that unfortunately ended (his decision) but now that it's over, I'm left wondering.
What could've happened had I auditioned? I could have made it but I probably wouldn't have and would still be alone. But they say things do not happen for a reason, so I probably didn't really audition because I didn't want to put myself out there on a dating reality show. I didn't want the caddy competition with the girls and I didn't want the world to see how I would react had I been one the of the final 5, 4, 3 or 2 and was left with a broken heart.
It was a missed opportunity and I might have skipped out for all the wrong reasons but in the end I am happy I'm not on the show because I hate the show. I still feel like it's a destructive force in dating.
I know, everyone wants to be in a position where 25 hopefuls are fighting for your attention and you can do what ever you want and because your on the show, no one can really get mad because the show is about dating and screwing around until you find the right one. Doesn't sound like fun to me, but, apparently, it's fun to everyone else.
Mr. Blue Eyes and I went out to lunch last week and he explained that dating in the real world is exactly like it is on the show, without the glamorous over priced dates and exotic trips around the world. Also, I've yet to see one woman on a date with six guys at a time.
People now have multiple partners sexually and morals have changed.
People also keep ex's around, in case they have no other person to go to on a lonely Friday night.
I missed the opportunity last June to audition to be a contestant on the Bachelorette when ABC came to SUITE at the EpiCentre in Charlotte because, I being so naive and gullible, feared I'd ruin things with Mr. Blue Eyes. Sure we were a brand new couple and we were not exclusive and we had not crossed over to a committed relationship but I wanted to focus on us,. I didn't want any distractions nor did I want my auditioning to make him think that I was eventually going to leave. I thought to far ahead and that may have been a mistake. I could have auditioned and if they accepted me, I would've had the chance to say no had Mr. Blue Eyes and I committed but you see we didn't commit, we had an amazing summer affair that unfortunately ended (his decision) but now that it's over, I'm left wondering.
What could've happened had I auditioned? I could have made it but I probably wouldn't have and would still be alone. But they say things do not happen for a reason, so I probably didn't really audition because I didn't want to put myself out there on a dating reality show. I didn't want the caddy competition with the girls and I didn't want the world to see how I would react had I been one the of the final 5, 4, 3 or 2 and was left with a broken heart.
It was a missed opportunity and I might have skipped out for all the wrong reasons but in the end I am happy I'm not on the show because I hate the show. I still feel like it's a destructive force in dating.
I know, everyone wants to be in a position where 25 hopefuls are fighting for your attention and you can do what ever you want and because your on the show, no one can really get mad because the show is about dating and screwing around until you find the right one. Doesn't sound like fun to me, but, apparently, it's fun to everyone else.
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
What's your dating style?
The dating game has changed an awful lot these past few years. Today, I honestly tell people who have been married or in a serious committed relationship for more than five years that their advice is outdated. It's not their fault they don't understand dating, at this point, no one does because it's a game.
It seems as though the dating game has gone from being moral and ethical to being open and uninhibited. More and more we see people hop around from one partner to another and people do date more than one person at a time.
I do like to use Sex and the City as an example when it comes to writing about dating but in this blog, I'd like to bring up another movie that I love so much. Often times, girls and I compare ourselves to certain characters so today I'd like to ask, who do you compare to in the movie, "He's just not that into you?"
Gigi: (Ginnifer Goodwin, the narrator of the film) She's naive and hopeless and anxious to fall in love. She's willing to date anyone and every time she meets a man, she hopes he's the one. After a fun date with Conor, he never called her back. So now, Gigi is determined to find the right guy and she makes an absolute fool of herself doing so. She seeks advice from Conor's friend, the bartender at the local bar, Alex ( Justin Long).
Alex: the typical cool bartender, cute and everyone's friend. He loves girls, but, he's in a position where he can meet a lot of girls. He does, after all, own the bar he works in. He's always one to party and is certainly the one that gives Gigi all the guy advice she asks for.
Janine: (Jennifer Connelly). She's an uptight married woman to Ben (Bradley Cooper). She's prim, proper and controlling and manipulating and seems to be more worried about her husband lying about his bad smoking habit than she is about the fact that he cheated on her. In the end, she does ditch her husband.
Ben felt obliged to marry Janine yet he wasn't very happy, so he cheated on her with Anna. He's insecure and to be honest, an outright liar, hence, the reason why he finds his self alone in the end.
Anna: (Scarlette Johanson). She's a pretty blond girl, a yoga instructor and not really ready to commit so she dates guys that are unavailable, including married men like Ben; and ignores the one guy that really likes her, Conor (Kevin Connelly). She does give Conor a chance but she feels suffocated and in the end, she stays single.
Conor: is in love with Anna and can't read her mixed messages. He's a Real Estate Agent and will try anything to sell houses, apartments, including getting in on the 411 on homosexuals, because they will buy nice homes. No, he's not thinking of jumping the fence, he just realizes that being hetrosexual is confusing. Women send such mixed messages. He does over the phone and internet business with Anna's friend, Mary. Yet, he's never met her.
Mary: (Drew Barrymore) is an optimistic, creative, artsy kind of girl and works in advertising for a local newspaper.She spends a lot of time on the internet (ok, Myspace) and she's open to dating, especially online. Yet her prospects seem to be nothing more than a good internet conversation. She has the best of the best line in the movie ... so I thought I'd add the video.
Beth: (Jennifer Ainston) She's dating Neil (Ben Affleck) and has been for 7 years. She wants to get married but he doesn't, so she leaves him. Her sister is getting married and she has to be strong without Neil during the wedding. She meets single guys, but, they are such geeks. Her dad then has a heart attack, so she naturally takes care of him. Her sisters and their husbands are around to help, but all they do is watch football, drink beer and leave a mess. Suddenly, Beth realizes that Ben is more of a husband then real, actual live husbands are. Why? Because he came around to help her around her dads house, when no one else was sober enough to do their share AND she never asked him to come over, he just showed up.
Neil: is absolutely in love with Beth. However, he doesn't believe in marriage. He's convinced the only people who do get married are insecure and do it to validate their relationship, want an expensive over the top meaningless wedding and want to have the 'husband/wife' title. He's happy with Beth and is willing to be with her forever but, without the marriage.
In the end, Mary and Conor meet and start to date. As far Gigi is concerned, does she meet the love of her life? Maybe, you'll just have to watch it if you haven't yet and what happens to Neil and Beth? Do they split for good? Do they go back to dating? Or do they get married? Watch the movie, trust me, you'll relate and you'll laugh.
If you really want to know, I was told by a friend I was most like Mary. I'm flattered because I see the connection. I believe I'm a combination of Mary and Anna. I've never dated a married man...but I still have a tendency to date emotionally unavailable men.
Dating can be fun but it's also a game. People sleep around with more people and some have two partners or more at about the same time. Dating without the commitment is far too common. I'm not so sure I have it in me to play the game....but it's a new season and I'm ready for a new life.
So tell me, what's your dating style?
It seems as though the dating game has gone from being moral and ethical to being open and uninhibited. More and more we see people hop around from one partner to another and people do date more than one person at a time.
I do like to use Sex and the City as an example when it comes to writing about dating but in this blog, I'd like to bring up another movie that I love so much. Often times, girls and I compare ourselves to certain characters so today I'd like to ask, who do you compare to in the movie, "He's just not that into you?"
Gigi: (Ginnifer Goodwin, the narrator of the film) She's naive and hopeless and anxious to fall in love. She's willing to date anyone and every time she meets a man, she hopes he's the one. After a fun date with Conor, he never called her back. So now, Gigi is determined to find the right guy and she makes an absolute fool of herself doing so. She seeks advice from Conor's friend, the bartender at the local bar, Alex ( Justin Long).
Alex: the typical cool bartender, cute and everyone's friend. He loves girls, but, he's in a position where he can meet a lot of girls. He does, after all, own the bar he works in. He's always one to party and is certainly the one that gives Gigi all the guy advice she asks for.
Janine: (Jennifer Connelly). She's an uptight married woman to Ben (Bradley Cooper). She's prim, proper and controlling and manipulating and seems to be more worried about her husband lying about his bad smoking habit than she is about the fact that he cheated on her. In the end, she does ditch her husband.
Ben felt obliged to marry Janine yet he wasn't very happy, so he cheated on her with Anna. He's insecure and to be honest, an outright liar, hence, the reason why he finds his self alone in the end.
Anna: (Scarlette Johanson). She's a pretty blond girl, a yoga instructor and not really ready to commit so she dates guys that are unavailable, including married men like Ben; and ignores the one guy that really likes her, Conor (Kevin Connelly). She does give Conor a chance but she feels suffocated and in the end, she stays single.
Conor: is in love with Anna and can't read her mixed messages. He's a Real Estate Agent and will try anything to sell houses, apartments, including getting in on the 411 on homosexuals, because they will buy nice homes. No, he's not thinking of jumping the fence, he just realizes that being hetrosexual is confusing. Women send such mixed messages. He does over the phone and internet business with Anna's friend, Mary. Yet, he's never met her.
Mary: (Drew Barrymore) is an optimistic, creative, artsy kind of girl and works in advertising for a local newspaper.She spends a lot of time on the internet (ok, Myspace) and she's open to dating, especially online. Yet her prospects seem to be nothing more than a good internet conversation. She has the best of the best line in the movie ... so I thought I'd add the video.
Beth: (Jennifer Ainston) She's dating Neil (Ben Affleck) and has been for 7 years. She wants to get married but he doesn't, so she leaves him. Her sister is getting married and she has to be strong without Neil during the wedding. She meets single guys, but, they are such geeks. Her dad then has a heart attack, so she naturally takes care of him. Her sisters and their husbands are around to help, but all they do is watch football, drink beer and leave a mess. Suddenly, Beth realizes that Ben is more of a husband then real, actual live husbands are. Why? Because he came around to help her around her dads house, when no one else was sober enough to do their share AND she never asked him to come over, he just showed up.
Neil: is absolutely in love with Beth. However, he doesn't believe in marriage. He's convinced the only people who do get married are insecure and do it to validate their relationship, want an expensive over the top meaningless wedding and want to have the 'husband/wife' title. He's happy with Beth and is willing to be with her forever but, without the marriage.
In the end, Mary and Conor meet and start to date. As far Gigi is concerned, does she meet the love of her life? Maybe, you'll just have to watch it if you haven't yet and what happens to Neil and Beth? Do they split for good? Do they go back to dating? Or do they get married? Watch the movie, trust me, you'll relate and you'll laugh.
If you really want to know, I was told by a friend I was most like Mary. I'm flattered because I see the connection. I believe I'm a combination of Mary and Anna. I've never dated a married man...but I still have a tendency to date emotionally unavailable men.
Dating can be fun but it's also a game. People sleep around with more people and some have two partners or more at about the same time. Dating without the commitment is far too common. I'm not so sure I have it in me to play the game....but it's a new season and I'm ready for a new life.
So tell me, what's your dating style?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)