Black Swan

A few weekends ago, my mister and I went on a date night with another couple to see the movie, Black Swan. It is a psychological thriller about a ballerina in the NYC Ballet Company {played by Natalie Portman} who slowly looses her mind as she strives for perfection in her performance of both Odette {the Swan Queen} and Odile {Odette's naughty twin, the Black Swan} in Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.

There had been some hype around the movie, most of which concerned how much weight Natalie Portman had lost to portray a prima ballerina. As the move began, I sat, ready to be shocked...but I wasn't. Having been to the ballet twice this last year, I could only commend Portman on both her appearance {as far as what professional dancers really do look like} and her dancing performance {which with over a year of intense training under her belt, she did most of herself!} While I am not usually a fan of scary movies, this was more of a true psychological thriller & tragedy, which left the audience simultaneously captivated + haunted.

I don't think there is a woman alive who leaves the ballet, {or this movie}, without secretly coveting the strong, thin, streamline dancer's body. It is really a level of fitness that few people could actually {or do} ever achieve. The following week, my lady friend {whom I had seen this flick with} brought over the January VOGUE + we poured over the interview with Natalie Portman. The pictures were amazing and interview was quite good; telling us about how Portman was a dancer before moving more seriously into acting, that she is a vegetarian/ vegan {love her!} + that she has some great producing projects in the works along with being an expecting first time mama.

As I thought of the movie + looked at the beautiful photos, one line of the interview stood out for me above others. The author writes of Portman, "With posture as straight as is she had never hunched to text...blah, blah, blah". And then it hit me, it is not only a ballerina's extreme thinness + strength that is so enchanting, but also how she carries herself. Having grown up dancing ballet myself, I know that the art of ballet lies in being able to make something that is SO incredibly difficult seem as if it were the easiest thing in the world. By the time I stopped dancing at 17, I felt that my body had changed in such a way that I did not have much a future in dance past the point I was at {...boobs and all}. Ironically, 13 years + 3 children later, I feel I am in alteast as good of shape {if not better} than I was when I stopped dancing, however, all of my flexibility and conditioning is gone. And this quote from the interview in Vogue got me thinking... Having loved dancing ballet from the time I was a very small girl, I thought about how I could incorporate some of that graceful discipline into the life I live today. I decided that I must do something with my new found inspiration! While I might never loose another pound {god help me, Natalie's character in Black Swan SO needed a Sammich!}, I think I would like to regain some of that ballet flexibility + conditioning. I have ordered a Ballet workout DVD to do at home and will see how I make out with that...and then who knows, perhaps even join up with an adult class at a studio at some point? Inspiration makes itself known in the most random of places...and I believe age and maturity offers us the wisdom which motivates us to once again enjoy things and activites that we may have written off. I feel so very excited about this new challege. I wonder, what source of random inspiration has motivated you to take on a new challenge recently?

xo.

Move That Body

I always find that the best day to embark on a new adventure is Monday. So while many are thinking that they will wait until the Monday after Thanksgiving {or even New Years} to worry about sweating off whatever it was that they ate this week, if your more of the proactive type, why not start today?!

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I remember reading a Soulemama post last year where she had made close to a dozen little elastic waisted baby pants. She said that while she couldn't always find blocks of time for all the projects she would like to do, she is able to sneak away for 20 minutes here and there. {The fact that she could make a pair of these adorable pants in just 20 min. still fascinates me.} This postof hers came to mind when I was thinking about trying to incorporate exercise into my life. Really, I'm a college professor, have three kiddos of my own and take care of another child 5 days a week...adding something else to my plate seemed like the impossible.

However, I started small, with the 2o minutes I could steal in a day. I think that a common misconception people have about exercise is that anything less than 45 minutes isn't worth it. How very untrue! As promised, here are some ridiculous photos of me doing a little exercise routine on the bottom step of my staircase. Joining a gym is just not in the cards and life as a mama can be unpredictable...so this little ditty is just right. On a good day, keep going for a full 30 minutes...when the kids start fighting or the baby starts crying, stop at 15 min + hope to steal away some time later in the day.

So here is the drill: Step up with the right foot leading 20 times, then repeat with the left foot. {Eventually build up to 30 steps on each leg}. Turn to the side and step up side ways, lifting your leg out to the side as you step up. Do 15 lifts with the right leg, then turn and repeat with the left. When you are done, lean foward {holding onto the 4th step or so} and do 20 "girl pushups". Stand. And repeat. Again and again until you have hit about 20-30 minutes.

It is most definately a "step" in the right direction!

Sorry, couldn't help myself.

xo.

Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels...

You only have to look at me to see that I can be a little on the, ahem...excessive compulsive side. I'm also not the most patient person...{See this is what happens when you have studied psychology for years...and went to Catholic school all of your life....I have a talent for picking at my character defects + a need to confess my flaws to someone!}

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But that is not the point of this post, but rather just a bit of insight into me. Knowing what you do now, it probably makes a boat load of sense that when I decided recently, to take off the rest of the baby weight I've been carrying around, I jumped in with both feet. After 7 years of having my head in my uterus, trying to make a family, we are done! It is bittersweet, but I am so grateful to have 3 healthy littles + am embracing this as the begining of a new chapter where I will try to make a bit of time for myself. So to start, I knew that I needed to change my diet...and that sucks, not being able to eat all of the things that I like. However, being a bit on the extreme side, I have re -adopted a diet that I know how to do {and how to do the healthy way}. I enjoy cooking and eating the food, which can be half of the battle...so far, so good.

But I also needed to exercise. Diet is not enough without a movin' your body. I don't love exercise, but it is something that I eventually get used to once I get going. The two {diet + exercise} really go hand in hand though. If I am going to put in the time to exercise, I am certainly going to think twice about what I put in my mouth after I worked so hard to burn those calories! I have put alot of effort into these changes over the last month {hence, the limited crafty/cool posts, lol}. And so, I have a few posts on this, {my new passion/ obsession} that I'd like to share. Some of which are on exercise {with some embarrasing photos of me "exercising", which alone, is worth comming back to laugh at}...and in addition, I think I'd like to post on a healthy recipe that I have made each week. I promise I will never be preachy or try to convert anyone. While I'm not an expert, I hope to offer some information and some recipes that my family likes that are both healthy + delicious. Because in the end, that is what it is really all about. Eating healthy foods, setting a good example for our children...and being alive long enough to see our grand children + great grand children. So while you might be thinking, "why not wait for this to be a "New Years Resolution"? My response is that there is no time like the present to make a positive change. And watch out, the weightloss/ exercise "feel good" is contagious! A few of my mama friends are on health kicks of their own and it is such fun having each others support. So when healthy living gets tough, my mantra is Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. Ha! It always makes me chuckle, but it is true. Since I have started this adventure, I have lost close to 10lbs.! So I figured, why not go into the holiday season feeling good about myself and making splurges only here + there...and looking fabulous all along the way? That is my plan, won't you join me?

More posts to come on this....

xo.