Spring Sprint - Week Three - Focus on Lightness

  
Lightness

Third week (or fourth if you count the prep week) and I see I'll have to re-clean the house again.

But what I am thinking about here is lightness.




Apple blossom, courtesy of wikimedia commons @ http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DSCF4435.JPG

I am thinking about the light that has returned to the north country, the light-as-a-feather touchdown in the bounce and the air in the lift and less muscle. Yes. Less muscling through. Less endurance. More focus on lightness.

And this may seem counter-intuitive, but it's interesting. You see, playing around last week with the intervals, I could not seem to resist how great that felt to do that AND how hard it was on my body. I ended up working twice as hard and twice as long. And that is okay in a spring sprint week, but there are warning lights with overdoing and they include risk of self-injury and, especially, burn-out.

So, if this is going to work, it needs that lightness, that lift-off, that sustainable sweet spot that is neither too much or too little. And, hence, the refocus, this week on lightness.

And, it is paying off. I've modified my spring sprint workout again, this week,  to do only 25 minutes of the bounce on five days, keeping it lighter than ever,  light as a feather, and, in addition, to only do the Callanetics (still at 1/2 time like I describe) only just 2-3 times instead of 4 times and the arm exercises only 4 times.

I've added twenty minutes a day in vitamin D sunlight time, soaking those nourishing light rays in through my skin. And I am lightening up on foods, thinking apples and greens and lighter fare, fish three times this week, water, water, water, and remembering my vitamins.

And I am allowing the idea of light and lightness to permeate my mood, my awareness, my body, my mind, my heart. And, in the name of spring, spirit and light opening.

And nothing more this week. That's it. No add-on walks.

Anything I feel like doing extra is just for joie de vivre. I am listening deeply to my body. It can rest when it needs to and dance when it wishes.

And, now I know that it shouldn't seem to make any sense that light would reap more results, but it can. The body does not need to be kicked down the street into wellness. It needs to be loved. And in this gentling and honoring, like spring flowers opening, the body opens and responds to the light and the lightening.

-bbffair

Spring Sprint - Week Two

Intervaling

The basic premise about interval workouts is that you alternate easy, steady lower intensity workouts with small bursts of high energy output.



Spring Crocus Field, Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crocus%28loz%29.JPG

Likewise, you can have also devise a plan-of-action where you have burst of energy weeks AND alternate them with easier, steadier weeks. Therefore you are pushing yourself hard one week and then pacing yourself the next.

Or, in a given exercise, alternating the workout from light to intense to light to intense.

This is supposed to be excellent because the lower intensity burns fat and the upper revs up your metabolism and burns more calories.

So last week was a burst week and this week is a pace week.

It's the same basic routine as week one, only keeping the bounce to 25-35 minutes and maybe playing just a little with some intervals inside the bounce, i.e. like still going with the steady pow-wow-like, continuous moving but with a few placed jumping, leaping movements, just one or two or three bursts tops. And bringing the walking down to 15 minutes and going slower but higher, deeper, stronger movements in it.

See how it can adjust.

-bbffair

Callan Pinckney

Callan Pinckney
Creator of Callanetics
1939 - 2012

Callan Pinckney, born as Barbara Biffinger Pfeiffer Pinckney on 26 September 1939, died 1 March 2012, and was an American fitness professional.

She was a hero to me. I love her Callanetics and have practiced them and returned to them and recommended them again and again.

I just found out about her death and am so sad. She was an awesome lady, an adventurer, and she gave us the most beautiful way to respectfully exercise, blending dance and yoga, ever attending to a kindness to the body, old or young, and the health of the neck and spine, while showing us her way towards toned muscles and beautiful sculpted bodies that even plastic surgery cannot measure up to.

I found out about her death today as I was looking for a link to post for her "Original Callanetics." To the best of my knowledge, it is still on videotape and now also DVD, and is still often out of stock or hard to find. However, I have looked at her DVDs for the "Quick Callanetics" (all three are available on Amazon.com) which consist of three videos where she takes the same basic Original Callanetics and gives you a quicker workout, one for the legs, one for the hips and behind, and one for the stomach. These are excellent and, in 20 minutes, walk you through her movements with the added bonus that Callan herself is teaching you in these videos. She is so special that it is well worth it to learn from her very distinct, caring, and personal instruction and her awesome manner.

One of the Callanetics teachers, not Callan, also has a dance low-aerobics video, but I think the "inside walking" is better for a lower impact workout, because you tune into your own body with your own rhythm and movements.

The three "Quick Callanetics" DVDs can be done in half the time once you are familiar with them and can do them on your own. I combine all of them but like to do just the standing ones on one day (5 minutes) and just the floor ones (10-15 minutes) the next day and then repeat this sequence again in the week. But if you use the DVDs, you could benefit greatly from just doing these, each video one time a week, on alternate days, with a day in between each to rest and restore your muscles. You WILL feel and see the results!!

Here is to one awesome lady!

Callan Pinckney

Rest in Peace

File:White rose, Sissinghurst Castle garden, Kent courtesy of Wikimediacommons 

 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:White_rose,_Sissinghurst_Castle_garden,_Kent.jpg

With love,

-bbfair

Spring Sprint Exercise Plan Week One

 Now on to my idea of a Spring Sprint: Week One:

Monday - Tuesday - Thursday - Friday - Saturday

45 minutes continuous inside skip jogging/bouncing:

This is light light, no sweating required, inside skipping or jogging. The important point here is continuous movement, light as a feather is fine. Barefoot on a bouncy floor or in good shoes on a harder surface. 

Crocus, courtesy of wikimediacommons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Krokus-kih.jpg

As an alternative, this can be split up into two (30 minutes and 15 minutes) or three (15 minutes each) if desired. But go at least 15 minutes at a time and try to do the last 15 minutes after your last meal. And, sometimes, the three smaller but still bright sprints are more effective than the one longer one. Experiment and see.
  
*Note: This is NOT for beginners. If you are a beginner, recovering from illness, or otherwise not used to or ready for this, this is NOT where you should begin. You need to build up to this. I will post for a special  routine for beginners. And this is more than I usually do: This is a Spring Sprint week! (I usually do 25-45 minutes, alternating with how I feel, but this is a boost week!)

  
15-30 minute walk - inside walk/ inside ice skate/inside march, etc. or outside walk

An Inside walk can be a lot of things with variables like easy walking or inside ice skate/inside march, etc. which is more flamboyant, uses more muscles, is actually a good workout. These are also more dramatic. Lately I like to mix it up when I am "inside" walking: some marching, some ice skating, some waltzing. Slow and strong and high stepping and rhythmic. "Inside" walking can also be in place.

I personally tend toward less dramatic movements when doing my outside walking, out in public, (unless I am in California or Santa Fe where there are other people like me out there :-D). 

5 minutes of arm strengthening and posture exercises

(No more than 10 reps of anything you do.) They work. You can use any you like. (I do the after breast surgery ones, the physical/occupational therapy ones and a couple of Tracy Anderson's with no more than 3 pound weights.)  Just don't overdo these. We are not muscle builders. We are just working at reasonable strength and posture. (Hint: you can do many of these while doing the light bounce/skip or the inside walk.)

Monday and Thursday:

1/2 Original Callanetics: The standing portion of the Original Callanetics. (5 minutes) 

(Do the reps as directed except the ones that ask for 100 beats/counts. On those do no more than 50 reps of anything/otherwise same as directed.)

Tuesday and Saturday:

2/2 Original Callanetics: The floor portion of the Original Callanetics. (10-15 minutes) 

(Do the reps as directed except the ones that ask for 100 beats/counts. On those do no more than 50 reps of anything except the leg squeezing one! Do 100 of those. Do that exercise last, at the end. For the first 50 counts/beats squeeze continuously and for the last 50 counts/beats squeeze hard for each individual count/beat. Then relax!)

BTW, since radiation, I have changed to this way of doing my tried and true Original Callanetics. It is soooo easy to sustain this practice and get a full two rounds of these great exercises in these shorter sessions, doing only the standing ones one day, and alternating them with the floor only ones on other days. I also have added in a few of my other favorite "spot" exercises to the floor or standing ones. This is so much more doable than trying to carve out a larger time and exercise routine twice a week.

Wednesday: 
Day Off.  You've earned it. You need it. It will help your muscles recover and repair. Resist the urge to add in another exercise day. Instead, pamper yourself, read a book, go to the park, get your hair done, go out shopping, go to lunch with the girls!

Sunday: GGG

Day Off.  Breathe. Go to Church. Climb and sit on a mountain top. Go out to brunch. Sleep in.  Let your body relax, repair, and enjoy!

*Now, please, please note: 

*I am NOT a fitness expert. I am just another woman on a path, sharing what has been working and workable for me, in hopes that it might benefit you too. We all deserve to look and feel our best and that is my wish for you as well. But, as they say, check with your doctor and also, Try at your own risk.

*Do not do more than I have suggested or ever more than your body wants to do and never, ever work hurt. (Hurt means you should take a special extra day off.)

But I would still love to hear from you!

Happy Spring Cleaning! Inside and Out!

Kindest regards,

bbffair

Soy - What??? - A Beginners' Guide To Healthy Oils

 It's Not Nice To Be Fooled With Soy Isolates!

I had a bit of a shocker recently. A learning curve thing. I try to eat right and use healthy, good ingredients. But here's the fine print: Some soy products may be really bad for you. 

I DIDN'T know that!!

And so now I am aghast at how many products -including ingredients in your vitamins-  slip in this potentially evil substance, in particular soy isolate. Even eviler, it can be disguised under a few technical, hard-to-identify, and harder-to-pronounce names as well.

There is a LOT of concern that these can cause cancers to grow, bad estrogens, etc. So just when I thought it was safe and smart to use Smart Balance, etc. ...

(*But on a note of relief: my understanding is that fermented soy (think soy sauce and clean Thai food!) is still healthy!!)

I have gone back and changed my recipes to reflect this new knowledge. (If I missed anything, please let me know. I am ALL about good information here.)

~~

On to Thinking Positive:

 

How I Came to Appreciate Beautiful Oils and Butter

Healthy Living IS An Adventure!

First of all, let me repeat, that, to the best of my knowledge, fermented soy is not a culprit -thank goodness there as I love my soy sauces-  and most -if not all- of the ones I like to use seem to be made with the right ingredients.  It's the soy elements, in products, that have been toyed with that are most suspicious. And we have been led to believe that soy in all its forms is good for us. Maybe not so much.

And, as I begin to explore my options, there are MANY!!

I found this article, a guide to oils, over at Whole Foods.  It talks about good and bad oils. It's worth a read.

Here's a quick bite from it:

For baking: Coconut, palm oil ave the best reputation.
For frying: Because they stand up well to the heat, avocado, palm and sesame oil are ideal for frying.
For sautéing: Many oils are great for sautéing, including avocado, coconut, grapeseed, olive, and sesame oils.
For dipping, dressings and marinades: When it comes to making dressings and marinades, or finding oil that's perfect to serve alongside crusty bread for dipping, you're looking for terrific flavor. For this purpose look to olive, toasted sesame or walnut oil.

To start with oils, I read the above and a few other articles and then I ran off to Whole Foods to purchase a few good-for-me oils. I was happy to find such a good selection.

I purchased two high heat oils:
Grapeseed oil (a very clean, light, all purpose cooking and baking and wok/sautéing oil)
and
Avocado oil (also for frying and sautéing) (and it is not bad as a skin care product either!). 

 Of course there is the mainstay of Extra Virgin Olive Oil as well, but it is best not cooked at high heats.  

My favorite new oil is a French walnut oil (amazing!!) for salads and delicate recipes -it is best unheated. It's very delicate and oh sooo good for you.  

Soon, I plan to experiment with Almond oil and Truffle oils.

I love that many of these gourmet specialty oils can be purchased fairly inexpensively in smaller containers. And extra nice to find out, so far the sunflower, avocado, and walnut oils, that I am keeping in my refrigerator, do NOT solidify in the refrigerator like olive oil does. That's a convenient benefit.

As far as table spreads or more buttery blends to sauté with, I have also changed my ways there too.  I loved the taste of my old Smart Balance and Original Recipe Earth Balance.  Soy, I discovered, was amongst, if not their first ingredient!! They are now all in the past. And also, out went the Omega 3 Smart Balance Oil I had been using!

Earth Balance does have a soy free spread and I am cautiously trying that out. It's very clean tasting and not bad for everyday use. But now I am suspicious of foods with too many "ingredients" and being more careful. And I have returned to pure butter. I like mine unsalted or lightly salted, made from grass fed (not soy fed) cows milk.  With butter, you just need to use less and it does go further. So much for the myth that margarine with its fewer calories and omega 3's can be a healthy choice with benefits.

I also threw out my mayonnaise and I am soon to experiment with true French mayonnaise.

Along the road to healthy eating, one might just discover the wonders of better tasting food too!

Lucky for us, good groceries and good food producers care and thus (like my husband was about to do) we don't have to all go out and buy our own oil presses - although I did read up on that and it sounded kind of fun!


Bon Appétit!


-bbffair

6/10/2017  Notes:
I have updated my oils list. 
Some oils that I found iffy, or without enough information over time, I have deleted from my original list above. 
At this time, Grapeseed oil is my go-to oil for cooking. It is very light and clean and can sustain high heats and is perfect for high heat Thai. 
I continue to enjoy the soy-free Earth Balance spread and or pure unsalted butter.
And my go-to salad (no or low-low heat) oil is still a high quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Spring Sprint

 Spring Sprint 

- 

In The Beginning

Did I say I was READY for Spring? I am READY for SPRING!

So for Week One -The Prep Week!-  of My Spring Sprint: 

Step One:

First of all I spring-cleaned my house top to toe! Yeah! It took me a week with two separately planned intense work days with my husband helping, but we DID IT!! (Since the radiation, I have to pace myself, my energy can get all used up and then I have to make up for it.)


But we DID IT!! We even got the famous sheepdogs all cleaned up and now even they are preening around like movie stars. Every body enjoys a tune up!

Jörg Hempel  http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prunus_dulcis_LC0009.jpg
 
And so now my palette is clear. It feels like the RIGHT way to begin.

This was the Prep Week! I kept to my regular exercise with my big goal of getting the house clean and clear. The next six weeks, I'm going to be in full gear!

Next Week, I will post Week One or What A Spring Sprint Week Looks Like To Me.

Until then, the sun is out, the sky is blue, it's beautiful, and so are you, won't you come out to play!

Have a wonderful week end!

Kindest regards,

-bbffair


Dear Prudence

Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play
Dear Prudence, greet the brand new day
The sun is up, the sky is blue
It's beautiful and so are you
Dear Prudence won't you come out to play

Dear Prudence open up your eyes
Dear Prudence see the sunny skies
The wind is low the birds will sing
That you are part of everything
Dear Prudence won't you open up your eyes?

Look around round round
Look around round round
Oh look around

Dear Prudence let me see you smile
Dear Prudence like a little child
The clouds will be a daisy chain
So let me see you smile again
Dear Prudence won't you let me see you smile?

Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play
Dear Prudence, greet the brand new day
The sun is up, the sky is blue
It's beautiful and so are you
Dear Prudence won't you come out to play

-The Beatles

Here Comes The Sun

Spring Cleaning-Inside and Outside

Making Way For New and Renewed Life

 February, this year, seemed like a long, hard winter month to walk.  I often think of January like that, but not so much February.

Some of this was me and some of this just seemed to be going around. I finished radiation at the end of 2011 in December and I was whipped by it. But January wasn't as darn mean and cold as it usually is, so there was this sense of getting through the winter lightly. That is, until February snagged a bunch of us.


Spring, photo courtesy of: http://commons.wikimedia.or/wiki/File:Spring_2005.jpg

For the past ten months, in spite of cancer, I've been getting consistently lighter and healthier. I've been in my zone and fine tuning things and keeping the lightening going even through cancer. 

But in February???  I tipped up the scales six pounds! I'm still in my zone, but still!  How could that happen??? Time to regroup and rethink and get real.

(And yes I know, in my zone, that's not a big deal -to anyone else but me- but to me, it's a wake-up call before I get into anything more like really bigger trouble!)

I also have a theory. I think that the seasons are important to us, biologically, spiritually, physically, mentally. They affect us and are supposed to. So, for one thing it is natural when it gets cold and snowy and ye old winter winds are beating down your door, that you are supposed to get cozy by the fire with a little bit more you on your bones and take a few more zzzzz's in (even if you didn't have radiation treatments) and sup on root vegetables and hearty stew. But when winter doesn't walk you through it, you will still feel the season, and, even eventually, it may still catch up to you later and demand its due.

Anyway, this year, every single still-exercising, still eating mostly right and healthy, still working-it woman I know told me she tipped it up a few pounds in February and/or the scale just got stuck all month.

Tsk. Tsk.

But I wonder, thinking back on my contemplations of the plateau, if there really is some innate logic to this?  Perhaps it is the last step necessary to moving into the light of spring? Sort of like stepping back to boost your new, next upcoming leap forward.

Anyway, I'm counting on this AND I am recommitting  to my spring this year starting right here and now. I cleaned my house top to bottom, part one, last week, and will finish part two, the dogs, this week. I have cleaned out winter, cobwebs, cancer, worry, and all things that get bottled up and start to grow weird in those bottles. And I am recommitting to a strong five days a week forward in moving in my exercises, not so much more, but with more joie di vivre and light! I want that light in my body too!

And so the next six weeks, I'm channeling my light into my Light Body with new life. I'm going to re-lose that six pounds and aim for four more!

Anybody want to get into the sweet spring dance with me too? Time to Lighten Up!

-bbffair


Here Comes The Sun 

Here comes the sun (doo doo doo doo)
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's all right

Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's all right

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's all right

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes

Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's all right

Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's all right
It's all right

-The Beatles