It’s taken a long time but I have finally become a fitness expert. My journey started nearly 4 days ago, early Monday morning, when I walked into Marshall’s and walked out with 2 workout outfits. Then, on Tuesday I put those clothes on and hopped on the elliptical machine for 20.5 minutes, and followed it up a 30-second planking session. Gotta work those abs! Then I made Franci’s amazing protein and fiber filled oatmeal pancakes, showered, and applied all of the creams to all of the body parts. Which was exhausting. Yesterday, I spent some time reading about fitness and watching a couple of exercise videos. I fell asleep during the last one, but I’m sure some of the info made it in there. Also, I did the creams.
Today, I was back at it again. I met up with my gorgeous friend Rina Hatton, a certified nutritionist and trainer. Rina is the first (and hopefully the last) person to have ever seen me in the horrible white Nike sneakers that Kevin bought me many years ago. (More on my quest for cute sneakers, below). Rina started by asking me detailed questions about my diet (mostly tea and carbs) exercise habits (nonexistent) and blood pressure (very low – a genetic thing). She tried to get to the root of my exercise avoidance, and wouldn’t take “I’m lazy” for an answer.
“I don’t like bouncing, Or jumping. Or anything upside down. That makes me lightheaded. I like sitting.”
So we sat. And chatted. And as we chatted, we lifted a few light weights. And chatted some more. And did some balance exercises And chatted some more. And did this Grasshopper stomach exercise where you lay in a plank position and bring your legs up to your chest, one after the other. And chatted some more. Afterwards, Rina helped me stretch my arms and my legs, which felt really good and made me think that I should probably move them more often, because they were really tight.
Before I knew it, an hour and a half had passed, and Rina had accomplished her goal. She had made me forget I was exercising. It felt like a visit. She sent me home with a bottle of water and some reading material – two books on sugar and why it’s bad. I would work out every single day if I could work out with Rina. (If you are in the Daytona Beach/Ormond Beach area and looking for an amazing, gifted trainer, I highly recommend contacting Rina at rhpersonalfitness@gmail.com).
I walked away with some great tips and some effective exercises. Rina suggested I find a workout buddy. Not my husband. A girlfriend. So I’m currently taking applications. If you’re local and looking for an uncoordinated workout buddy with a bad attitude, text me.
And now on to the best fitness gear, tools, and resources I’ve found in weeks of sitting on my bottom, reading about fitness. And I’m starting with my favorite topic.
The Cutest Shoes
As I mentioned earlier, I am now the proud owner of a couple of un-hideous workout outfits, but I still need some cute shoes. This season, there are so many cute floral trainers (using the British term to soften the blow) to choose from, and they are super-trendy at the moment, so it’s now or never, right? In case you missed them on Facebook, here are the prettiest styles I’ve found this season. Which is your favorite?
1) GOLA Spirit Liberty sneakers, $103, LuisaviaRoma.com; 2) Rene Caovilla Floral Embellished Lace Sneaker, $1440, Neiman Marcus; 3) Carven Floral lace up trainers, $370, veryexclusive.co.uk; 4)Mary Katrantzou X Adidas Origi Floral Print Sneakers, $169, Farfetch.com; Kate Spade Sidney sneakers, $198, KateSpade.com; 6) Boden Hotchpotch trainer, $88, BodenUSA.com; 7) Superga in Bahamas fabric, $99, Zappos.com; 8) Etro Floral Printed silk and leather sneakers, $620, Luisaviaroma.com; 9) Boden printed sneakers, $49, BodenUSA.com
Gaiam
Saturday morning I will be hitting a second yoga class with Lola, which will officially make me a yogi (that’s a word, right?) and qualify me to shop for all sorts of cool yoga gear in this hip catalog. Here, some of my favorite finds.
(As always, click on the pictures to be taken to the websites and to shop!)
Melt Method
So intriguing! This self-treatment method for relieving chronic pain has been everywhere – Nightline, Dr. Oz, Rachael Ray. The book is a bestseller, and now there are DVDs that show you how you can eliminate chronic pain and reduce the signs of aging on your body in less then 10 minutes a day.
Reprogram Your Life
Dr. Steven Willey, MD, a concierge physician, built the You Plus concierge health and fitness platform so that everyone could enjoy personalized lifestyle coaching, and he spells it out in his book, Reprogram Your Life: Bioscience for a Healthier You as well as the companion app, You Plus (currently available for IPhones, soon to be available for Androids) and the site, YouPlus.com. Dr. Willey’s goal is to separate fact from fiction to help people lose weight and sleep better by addressing insulin efficiency, nutrition, fitness, sleep, stress and motivation. I have learned so much from the book already, and can’t wait to start using the app when the Android version becomes available.
Wojo Nutrition
Wojo is a line of liquid dietary supplements designed to be mixed into another beverage and consumed on the go. The different blends help with energy, focus, mood and stress, and they come in individual vials for convenience. Cool concept!
One Voice Headband
These headbands have Bluetooth earbuds built in, and will stay in place while you run, kickbox, or at the gym.
There are so many tools designed to help you work out better and more efficiently, with more being developed almost daily. Which of these are you most likely to try?
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