Engage your powerhouse, imprint your core!

Well, a lot has happened since my last post. School is definitely winding down as we enter the home stretch of the semester. In less than a month I'll be done! I feel like I have a huge case of senioritis, though. I've really slacked off on the readings, and next week will be super easy because I'm skipping Monday night's class to go to a Spurs game with Derek, and Tuesday and Thursday we are watching "films" (if you say "film" instead of "movie," it makes it educational--little trick I learned here at grad school).

Another thing that has happened was that I got a phone call a couple of weeks ago from my doctor (with whom I had a routine check-up with during Spring Break). She was calling to say that after examining my blood sample, I have high cholesterol. I was shocked! I'm 23!!! I'm young and vibrant and healthy...well, I'm two of the three of those. I suddenly realized that I do not eat very well at all and I exercise very little, two things that are needed to stay healthy. I have gained some weight in the last year, so I thought that maybe this was the wake-up call I needed to start taking it off before the beach season hit.

So, I immediately started watching what I ate. I examined every label at the grocery, not for calories as most girls do, but for cholesterol and saturated fat that are threatening to kill me...wow, that's kind of morbid. But seriously, I have really become more aware of stuff like that now. I had been eating South Beach Diet and Lean Cuisine frozen dinners, but I discovered that many of those have high cholesterol levels! I was pretty shocked by that one.

Another way I have tried to get more healthy has been to exercise. After nearly a year of living in our apartment complex, I had utilized the moderately equipped yet aptly named "Fitness Center" a total of two times by the end of March. However, once I found out I have high cholesterol, I changed all that. I have been walking on the treadmill and determinly pedaling on the stationary bike for two weeks now. I won't say that I do it everyday, but I do try to do it several times a week, as my schedule will allow. I also use some light weights to get my arms a little firmer than are now (can we say flabbiness???).

Yet something seemed missing. I needed something else, a little extra training that would burn more calories and tone my body a little more than the steadfast treadmill...and then one day, at Bed Bath & Beyond, I saw it. A DVD of spot-toning pilates. It had three separate workouts, ten minutes each, that specifically target a certain area of your body: first the belly, then the buns and finally the thighs. I immediately bought it and have used it nearly every day since I got it. Sometimes I do the whole thing, but usually I just have time to do the abs workout. Let me tell you--after only ten minutes of abs workout, my core is on fire and my powerhouse is tighter than a drum! (Those are words the lady on the video uses). So, that is my endorsement for pilates.

Okay, enough about me. How are you guys? How have you been? Please leave me a message and we'll do lunch. Mmmm....lunch....(drooling in a Homer Simpson-like fashion)...

Until next time everyone!