Tag Archives: Drop it like its hot

Gymtimidation: Trying New Things

Fitness 54 Comments

One morning, when the gym was kind of empty, I made my way over to a machine I saw featured in SELF magazine. It was a machine that made pull-ups easier. But instead of 10, 20, 30 pound weights, it was based on body weight. I think the idea is to subtract the amount of weight you want to lift from your body weight, but I got nervous and confused. I felt like all the meat-heads in the weights section were looking at me wondering what I was doing there. So instead of taking a moment to understand the machine, I just pretended I knew what I was doing and hopped on. I was supposed to look like this, smoothly pulling myself up and down. (click the image to see the machine in motion)

I put my knees on the platform as instructed on the side of the machine and before I knew it I was sailing down ward through the air until the platform landed at the bottom of the machine.
I tried to pull myself back to the topwhile keeping my hands on the bars above my head (as instructed) but somehow I just ended up hanging like a monkey. If the meat-heads weren’t looking at me before, they definitely were now.

Eventually, I let go with my left hand, hung by one arm and dropped one leg off of the platform. When I finally managed to get my toes back on the ground, I flung my other leg off the platform and somehow made my way off the machine without injury.

I have a heavy rotation of cardio machines that I use at the gym. I feel comfortable on the treadmill, elliptical, bike, stairs and last week I spend a good 10 minutes on the rowing machine for the first time.

When it comes to weight machines, its a completely different story. A while back I wrote about Gymtimidation, there is so much about the gym that can be intimidating! Even though I’ve become more confident in my athleticism, I find that I’m still terrified of the unknown in the gym. I know I need to keep adding variety to my workouts. I know strength training will take my weight loss to the next level, but I’m stuck. Its hard for me to try new machines or new classes because I’m scared of being embarrassed.

Anyone else have Gymtimidation issues when it comes to trying new things?

Drop it Like its Hot: Gym + intimidation = Gymtimidation

Fitness 32 Comments

I’ve had a gym membership since I was in high school but there are still times when I feel like I don’t belong there. Gymtimidation is real, but if we want results we have to move past it. Over the years, there have been many times when I’ve had to tell myself “CeCe, get over it!”: Get over your anxiety about asking for help… Get over your fear of the meat heads in the weight room… get over not wanting to change in the main locker room area (I mean, who really wants to change in a cramped bathroom stall?)

Every time I think I’m completely comfortable at my local gym, there’s something new I have to get over.

Last night, my challenge presented its self in the pool. I was able to get over any anxiety about being in a bathing suit surrounded by NYC hard bodied men a long time ago when I realized that 85% of them were gay and looking at each other, not me. I’m a good swimmer, so I had no anxiety about that either. But last night I got to the pool a little earlier than usual, so the lanes were more crowded than what I’m used to.

There are four lanes for swimming laps; Loafer, Slow, Medium and Fast. I’m usually one of the fast swimmers in the Medium lane, but the Medium lane was full, so I jumped into the Fast lane which happened to be empty. I had done laps for about 10 minutes when two men asked if they could share the lane with me. I thought I was cute with my little halter bathing suit and goggles, but these men had Speedo swim shorts, swim caps, goggles, nose plugs and water proof watches that they were setting to record their time. These were Swimmers.

*Gulp* Gymtimidation was rearing its ugly head again. Instead of filing into the clockwork rotation with them, as I normally would in the Medium lane, I froze. These guys were swimming a lot faster than me and I started convincing myself that I would hold them up and they would get frustrated with me. I kept glancing over to the Medium lane to see if someone would leave and I could take their place but their rotation didn’t seem to be lightening up anytime soon.

Circle Stretch CeCe PSPfit

I stood there for a good five minutes and I could feel my heart rate going down. Eventually I decided that I couldn’t let gymtimidation ruin my calories burned. I slipped into the rotation and did my laps with both of Michael Phelps long lost cousins and an interesting thing happened. Because I was self conscious about swimming too slow, I swam a little faster, kicked a little harder than I normally do and ended up having a wonderfully intense workout! The guys were totally gracious, swimming around me if they needed to but they didn’t make me feel bad or anything….

Maybe gymtimidation is all in my head.

Drop it Like its Hot: Back on the Wagon (again)

Fitness 7 Comments

With my lent sacrifice I know that some weight has come off, but when it comes to exercising I’ve fallen off the wagon, hard.

I looked at my calendar last Friday and realized that my Miami vacation was in six weeks (eek!) and it was clear that I needed to get back on the wagon quickly.

Yesterday morning I packed my gym bag so that I could swim laps after work. Swimming is my favorite way to burn lots of calories efficiently and as a California girl I was basically raised in the water, so its a work out that I really enjoy.

I got to the gym and was devastated to see a sign on the elevator door:

The Pool is Closed Today,
Sorry for any Inconvenience.

Inconvenience? Didn’t they know that I was starting my own personal boot camp today?! I took a deep breath and sat on a bench outside the locker rooms as I tried to figure out my next steps. Even though I’d brought gym clothes with me to change into after my swim, I couldn’t work out on a machine because the only shoes I had were heels and flip flops.

I started to gather my bags and head home when it hit me. Gym clothes and no shoes were the perfect outfit for yoga! The studio where I take classes was 15 blocks away and there was a class in 30 minutes. I rushed uptown to the studio, rented a mat, changed clothes and slipped into my class with five minutes to spare. It was a really vigorous class and I was so glad that I didn’t skip a work out all together.

As I predicted on Twitter, I woke up this morning well rested and feeling great. So great, that I pushed my back my plans for this evening so that I could get a 45 minute walk in before hand.

Just thought I’d share….

Drop it like its Hot: The First Ten Pounds (The Remix)

Fitness 18 Comments


Last night, in an effort to save money… I did my own laundry.

*gasp*

I know.

Before you judge, let me say that New York is made up of two kinds of people; those who do their own laundry and those who send it out. You have to remember that having a washer and dryer in an NYC apartment is unheard of and having laundry in your building is something you cross your fingers for. All of this means that for a city dweller, laundry can easily become the most time consuming chore of the week. Which makes sending laundry out a very easy habit to start.

Since moving into my new apartment, where going to the nearest laundromat means dragging my clothes four blocks north and one avenue east, I have been making a regular phone call to have a very nice man come at 8am to pick up my huge laundry bag. When I get home in the evening, he drops it off at my apartment clean, folded and fresh (yup, they deliver… everything in New York delivers).

So, last night as I was schlepping my bright pink laundry bag down the street I began to think… when I send this bag out they weigh it at 40 pounds, hmmm.

As I carried my 40 pound bag of laundry back up the stairs to my apartment, I was really winded. I usually trot up my single flight of stairs easily, but the extra 40 pounds made it harder.

The extra 40 pounds made it harder…hmmm.

Even though I don’t struggle with things like going up the stairs at my current weight, I could stand to loose more than my share of laundry bags. I cant help but wonder how much easier things would be if I was 40 pounds lighter.

I thought about how good it felt to drop the heavy laundry bag onto the floor near my bed. How good would it feel to drop that heaviness from my body?

hmmm.

I haven’t been on the scale in 10 days, but I know I’ve gained weight. I haven’t been eating as well as I should and life has gotten in the way of me working out. In the past I’ve mentioned my tendency to gain and loose the same ten pounds and I really don’t want to do that again.

I cant do that again.

I’ve looked at everything and I really feel like I could loose 25 pounds by Christmas. Its not a full laundry bag, but its something. So, this is me telling you that I’m back on track. I ate well today and during the 90 minutes while my laundry washed and dried I went power walking around my neighborhood instead of flipping through a magazine.

I’m going to weigh myself at the end of the week and hopefully I haven’t gained as much weight as I think….

I’ll keep you posted.

Drop It Like Its Hot: Me and My Shadow

Fitness 17 Comments

If you’re following me on twitter (twitter.com/thebiggirlblog) you know that after some unexpected office goodies, I got rid of the calories by going on an extra long walk last night.

During the first half of my walk I was lost in my own thoughts, listening to music, not really thinking about the changes I’m trying to make. But on the way back to my apartment, the walk was very different. As I walked along the Hudson River, the combination of the street lights and the sunset placed my shadow right in front of me.

I couldn’t stop looking at her.

My shadow had my walk, my hair, my build but she didn’t have any of my trouble spots. She was a better version of me. I let my eyes follow her curves from her breasts, to her nicely toned waist, down past her hips and I actually liked what I saw. She was thick, but she wasn’t… lumpy.

When I was younger, I wanted to be super skinny, but lately my goals have been changed; I’ll probably never look like an Olsen Twin, and I shouldn’t want to. Seeing my shadow last night helped to remind me that there’s a curvy girl inside me that I cant wait to meet.

Drop it like its Hot: The Honeymoon Period

Fitness 6 Comments

The beginning of a diet/workout plan is always my favorite…

This is the time when I love eating veggies, I feel empowered when I say “No thanks” to brownies and walking uphill at warp speed feels like the best thing in the world. It feels amazing because I can guarantee that when I weigh in, I will see the results on the scale. The pounds melt away so quickly and easily. (Especially if you have a long way to go because the heavier you are, the more calories you burn when exercising).

This morning I weighed myself and I’ve dropped two more pounds. Of course I’m happy, but I need to keep reminding myself that this is a lifestyle change. So that when the veggies dont taste that exciting, the pounds aren’t slipping away so easily, and the snow on the ground makes me want to skip the gym; I will continue to work as hard as I am now.

Drop it Like its Hot: The First Ten Pounds… are noticed.

Dating Fitness 8 Comments

It was a random Monday and Robert was standing at my desk during his daily visit. We were quietly talking about everything and nothing when he stopped and looked at me.

“You look different,” he said.

“Do I?”

“Yeah, you do. I don’t know….”

I looked at him.

He looked at me.

“Different, good? or Different… bad?” I asked slowly.

“Good… different, good.”

He looked at me.

I looked at him.

I wasn’t sure what to say, so I just kind of shrugged my shoulders and changed the subject.

….One Week Later….
I was wearing pink heels, a black strapless sundress that hit just above my knees and a pink cardigan. I felt pretty, so I didn’t mind that I could feel Roberts eyes on me as I came down the escalator. He was standing at the bottom with some of our coworkers, waiting for me so that we could all grab an afterwork drink together.
As the group walked to our destination, Robert and I fell into step together a few feet back from everyone else. We had been walking in silence for about half of a block when Robert said:
“So, I know why you look different.”
“Okay,” I replied, waiting for him to continue.
“You look… smaller.”
I laughed.
“Is that okay for me to say?” He asked quickly.
“Yes, you can say that.”
“I actually wanted to say that last week. I know I said I didn’t know why you looked different, but I did. I just… I didn’t want to upset you or anything.”
I laughed again.
If you’ve been following my twitter updates (www.twitter.com/thebiggirlblog) you know that I’ve been trying to stay on top of my morning workouts and that I’ve been making some big changes in my eating habits; actually eating breakfast, passing up free brownies, drinking fruit smoothies for lunch, etc. I don’t think I’ve dropped the first ten pounds completely, but I haven’t been on a scale yet, so we’ll see.
I have to admit, I found Roberts sensitivity very cute. I dont know how other PSP’s feel, but I think its nice when people notice that I’m loosing weight. Of course, it also adds a bit of pressure to continue to lose, but maybe that’s not such a bad thing as long as I continue to lose for myself and not for Robert or anyone else.
Note: We’ll actually be talking more about dieting and relationships in this weeks Curvy Conversations segment, so stay tuned!

Drop it Like its Hot: The First Ten Pounds

Fitness 27 Comments

So, last night I got an email from my friend Zora.

Here are the photos from last night… enjoy!

I clicked on the attachments and to my dismay, the photos were less than “enjoyable”. My face looked so full, my jaw line all but disappeared. My arms looked huge! And although the dress I had on was flattering, it still didn’t hide my stomach as much as I thought it did.

Yuck!

I know I will probably never have a body like Heidi Klum, but I’ve been smaller than this in the past and I really need to get back to that. This morning I went back to my commitment to drop this weight. I set my alarm for 5:45am so that I could do an hour of cardio.

Waking up early on a summer morning in New York City is actually quite nice. I decided to skip the gym and walk around the park instead, taking advantage of the hills and steps to increase my heart rate. I came home with plenty of time to get ready for work and have been in a good mood all morning.

My plan is to work out five mornings a week, so that I can drop 8-10 pounds in the month of July. I know I can do that (I’ve done it a million times before).

So, here I go once more… I’ll keep you posted!