Staying Slim, Sculpted, and Sane

In listening to Larry King Live the other night in the car (I've invested in XM Satellite radio as I find I never have time to watch TV shows...only to listen to them while I'm driving!), I heard the two UC Berkeley campus staff talk about how they sensed something was wrong with that psycho who kidnapped Jaycee Dugard--and they acted on it. He was arrested and Jaycee--and her two daughters--was freed, thankfully. The Berkeley staffers were women, surprise, surprise. Women just seem naturally more intuitive than men (sorry, guys...just my observation!)--and yet, so many of us don't tap into it. What if those women had been so busy or preoccupied that they didn't listen to that sixth sense; that poor woman would still be "playing" happy family with that sex offender. Tuning into your intuition is key to your mental well being--one of the reasons we're doing a feature on it in our next issue of Shape (October, which hits newsstands this week).

One daily change: When something doesn't feel or look right, listen to that voice.
And bring it to the attention of someone who may be able to act on it. If it is nothing, no one will fault you for speaking up. But if something is wrong, think about how good you'll feel knowing you made a difference.

I've been out of the "blogging" and tweeting loop for awhile as I actually took a vacation and deliberately left my Blackberry and computer at home. I've never done that before, as crazy as it seems. And I've never felt better to be back at work. There's something about being able to focus on the rhythms of life--without the pressure of work--that brings you into tune with your body and spirit. My family and I hiked in the Berkshires (following the guide printed in our September issue, on newsstands now) at the Massachusetts Wildlife Sanctuary, swam in a lake, kayaked, and basically just went with the flow. I have to admit, though, I was planning on running outdoors every single morning--and I didn't. I just didn't feel like it. But just as leaving your BBerry at home is relaxing, so too is taking a break from "formal" exercise. I was moving all day from morning until night--so this is exercise too! I'm back into structured workouts (I'm doing cardio and strength training tomorrow, Friday, and Saturday) this week.

One daily change: Life passes too quickly. Summer's already over; before you know it winter will be here. Take a moment to stop and enjoy life without the buzzing of all the electronic contraptions we have tethered to us: iPhones, BBerries, cell phones, you name it. You'll find that few minutes, hours, or days to be truly rejuvenating!

So I was always one of those moms who was so happy my child was allergy-free--meaning I didn't have to be super vigilant at birthday parties if something had nuts or be bringing in special treats to school just for him. Well everything changed after my son started suffering from regular bouts of hives, profuse redness all over his cheeks, and many incidences of what we thought was the stomach bug. Turns out he's highly sensitive to wheat and dairy. Who would have thought? And now, to simplify things and make it easier on our son, our entire household is wheat- and dairy-free. (Anyone need advice on how we're doing it, e-mail me at Valerie@shape.com) And turns out it's helped me in more ways than I can imagine. I have literally reduced all my sweet binges: I used to have cravings all the time and then not be able to resist a second (or third) helping. Now, it's like my entire sweet tooth has been erased (I do credit working out with helping to control my appetite, but this is something altogether amazing.) And I'm leaner, particularly around my middle; I've lost weight without even trying (or depriving myself). While not everyone may benefit from a wheat- and dairy-free diet like I have, you may get results from examining your diet and cutting out something you think is affecting you adversely. This I know: what we eat affects all aspects of our bodies and our daily lives--how we sleep, how our skin looks, how our bodies function.

One daily change: Look at your own diet and figure out something in it that isn't doing you any good--then stop eating it. It could be that daily sugary soda, that 3rd cup of coffee, that nightly TV snack, whatever. You might discover that by eliminating a food you eat regularly you might help clear up a problem you've had for a long time.

I hate to fly--a feeling that's only been compounded since having children. Now that feeling is even stronger after my husband, my two kids (5 and 22 months), and I were trapped (aka jailed)--in cramped coach seats--on a Northwest jet in Newark for close to 3 hours. We were out on the tarmac, probably several hundred feet from where we boarded the plane. And to make matters worse, they shut down one engine (in a plane that was already hot when we boarded it) "to save gas". Only problem was: shutting down one engine meant the air conditioning got put on extra low in the middle of a heat wave. The heat in the plane was stifling and the pilot kept telling us that it should only be about 15 more minutes as we waited for a "storm to pass". I'm no meteorologist but big storms don't normally pass in 15 minutes! And it seems Northwest has a history of this: during the winter of 1999, they stranded passengers on the tarmac for EIGHT HOURS! without food and without the ability to get off the plane. At least we were let off after close to 3 hours. Needless to say, after spending the entire day at the airport, by dinnertime--with no details as to when our flight might take
off--we cancelled the trip and headed back home. As I told my husband wryly: I spent a good week and a half packing and 3 days unpacking and we went nowhere!

One daily change: Speak up for your rights--whether you've been mistreated by an airline or feel strongly about anything else. Don't keep putting it off and don't assume the problem will be taken care of without you getting involved. Personally, I've already signed the petition for an airline passenger's bill of rights at www.petitiononline.com/airline/petition.html.
   

Nothing is more frustrating than being on a roll workout wise--only to be sidetracked by aching muscles. For the past two weeks my left knee has been in pain (I finally figured out I needed new sneakers...and settled on a comfy pair by Saucony) so I held off on my morning runs. But while that didn't mean I couldn't do low-impact exercise like the elliptical, I have to be honest: I kind of took it to mean I should be on cardio hiatus. Not good. And now, two days after buying my new sneakers--with my knee, and my psyche, ready to get back on track--my lower back hurts (probably from lifting my 50-pound 5-year-old over the weekend). "The worst thing you can do is do nothing," our resident fitness expert, deputy editor, and certified personal trainer, Janet Lee, told me. She recommended I do the recumbent bike, walk on the treadmill, or do the elliptical (but not for a long time, being sure to quit if I feel pain). So this afternoon I'm heading to the gym on my lunch hour for at least 30 minutes of cardio. Then tonight, I'll rest it with an ice pack (no heat pack, which can aggravate the inflammation) and a bit of arnica cream (amazing stuff if you haven't used it before; I also use
this on my kids' many bruises).

One daily change: Listen to your body. If anything is bothering you, stop what you're doing and give the area some rest by switching up your workouts. More often than not, injuries in the gym occur when you're not doing an exercise right (check out our workout finder on our website for the right way to do moves) or when you're in need of new sneakers.

To many of you who know Shape, in every issue we showcase fashion trends that work for every body type -- be it apple, pear, boyish, or just plain curvy. (Check out our September issue, hitting the newsstands within the next week.) The idea: no matter what your size, you can look fabulous--and it doesn't have to cost a lot. Yes, sometimes, these fashions are out of even my price range (we feature them because we love the trend), but most of the time, we mix in a variety of prices from all different brands, from Chanel to J.C. Penney. Which brings me to the horrific article in yesterday's The New York Times: Playing to the Middle.

It is everything I hate about fashion and New York City: a size 2 fashionista goes into a perfectly acceptable store (J.C. Penny, which just opened its first New York City store) with her nose up and in disbelief that a store (that "carries 96 percent polyester", as it says in the article) in New York City of all places (horrors!) would carry plenty of 10s, 12s, and 16s. In the words of this piece: "Why would this dowdy Middle American entity waddle into Midtown in its big old shorts and flip-flops...?" Get with the program. A size 12 is the average size in America-and that includes New York City. And J.C. Penney has plenty of fashion-forward pieces, as we so often showcase in Shape, that look just as great as the $3,000 bag that New York Times writer probably carries. In fact, this holier-than-thou attitude pervades the world of high fashion in America, which is why models are starving themselves to fit into the mold of what a fashionable woman should look like. (If you ever wonder why new trends are showcased on stick-thin models, know this: the samples produced by those fashion houses wouldn't even fit over my right thigh--and I'm not overweight. They want their fashions to be worn by scarily skinny models.) Just know that Shape will never subscribe to this high-fashion theory; it's just not in our DNA.

It's probably no surprise to anyone who reads the news that Shape got slammed months ago for "retouching the crap" (not our words; someone else's) out of a cover model's body. That couldn't be further from the truth, as we clearly stated (and showed) in our July issue. We took a stand and printed in Shape (July 2009) the actual photo from the shoot next to the controversial cover that printed; see page here. Well, the controversy is back---this time, with another magazine, which--according to all reports I've read--admitted to slimming down their cover model's body. This is not right. A star's body is on the cover (or at least on the Shape covers) for a reason: to inspire all of us struggling with our weight (me included) that we, too--through hard work--can get a body like hers.

We print the stars' workouts, their diet secrets, and their healthy-living and stay-balanced advice so women everywhere can incorporate those tips into their own lives.That message doesn't resonate if we shave 10 or 20 or 30 pounds off the image, create abs or toned muscles where there are none, or shave off a little flab here and there. That is dishonesty and unfair to readers. You won't find that happening at Shape. Ever.

I was disappointed to read this week's Time magazine cynical headlining
article: Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin (www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857,00.html) in which they discount the value of exercise for weight loss. Sounds crazy to all of us who have benefited from regular workouts to drop pounds! If you read this piece (which seems like it took the angle it did to get publicity), the problem is not exercise, it's the writer's ATTITUDE toward exercise. No,
exercise should not be "hateful" and "grim" but enjoyable. Of course, it has always been true--and something we have always said in Shape--that you MUST also watch what you eat. You can't sweat and then, as the writer admits, go off and eat French fries or a giant donut and expect to lose weight. Getting your eating under control as well as keeping your body moving is key to dropping the pounds: this is something that Shape has always advocated and always will (because it's the only thing that works). And note to all: this does not mean always avoiding treats, it means eating them in moderation.

One daily change: Keep exercising! As we say in an upcoming article for Shape, research shows just moving your body for 30 to 60 minutes a day boosts your immune system (meaning fewer sick days), helps you sleep more soundly, helps stave off memory loss, makes you happier (and kicks your self-esteem up a notch), helps you cope with stress, and helps you perform better in just about everything you do (sex, your career, your relationships, etc). AND yes, it also helps you sculpt muscles, increase bone density, AND keep you slim.

I encourage experts to come in and teach Shape staffers whenever possible. Once we did a group fitness class, another time we had an eco-expert talk to us about sustainability; and just yesterday, we had meditation expert David "Harshada" Wagner (see pic) come in to take us through a guided meditation in our darkened conference room. It was pretty amazing that we could de-stress and calm our bodies and minds amidst deadlines, ringing phones, and just general office craziness. That's exactly what David teaches: you don't have to go to a mountaintop somewhere and stop all the thoughts in your head, he said. That's impractical, like "trying to stop yourself from breathing". His philosophy: You've got to make meditation work for you in your current life. His tips: find a semi-quiet place, dim the lights, sit in a chair where your feet can be flat on the floor (shoes off), put your hands on your lap. Slowly relax the muscles in your body from your forehead to your toes, breathing in and out as you go. That's it! If you can do this for about 15 minutes everyday, you'll be meditating at the most basic level!

One daily change: Quiet your mind every day, using the above tips, or download David's guided meditation CD from iTunes for $9.99. I just purchased it this morning and will be trying it this week. I can tell you that if his voice is as soothing as it was in our conference room, this CD will be my new go-to de-stressing tool!

I met someone the other day who apologetically told me that she hates to exercise. Hmmm...I said. You probably just haven't found the right exercise for you. "Well, I like to walk. I don't power walk though, so that doesn't really count." But it does count! Just because you're not going to a gym or because you're not running doesn't mean you're not exercising. This is a very common misconception today. But exercise at it's most basic level means moving instead of sitting: taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking for 5 minutes here and there, etc. It does not have to mean putting on a fancy gym outfit and sweating it out on some machines.

One daily change: Change your mindset about working out. Be positive about what you can do...and embrace the things you like to do. What you'll find once you follow your body's signals: you may enjoy what you're doing so much, you want to do it even more.