Loriville Gazette
2002 Jun 11 something new

I think this weather has set a new record in San Francisco for "the most consecutive days of warm, balmy, perfect weather". I even wore shorts (*gasp*) on Sunday! And here�s the kicker: I sweated! I sweated while wearing shorts in San Francisco! What is this world coming to?

Today�s forecast says to expect a high of 84 degrees. We�ve been sleeping with the windows open. It probably gets down into the mid 60s at night, but since there�s no breeze, the cool air doesn�t easily waft into the house. It�s uncomfortably hot. I�ve been sleeping on top of the covers and wake up sweaty while M sleeps under the down comforter with no problem whatsoever.

Anyway, so last weekend was nice. Trollop came down to the bay area to go to a special 2-1/2 hour workout class with me in the south peninsula. It was exhausting. We came trudging home and wanted to do nothing but relax and lounge around. M, however, had a friend from Germany visiting, so we felt compelled to go to dinner with him and his girlfriend. It was a nice time, but Trollop and I felt horribly rude when we bowed out of going to the movies with them. Trollop and I took hot baths and called it a night while M accompanied them to the movies.

The next day M, Trollop, and I went down to the park and played frisbee. I hadn�t done that in like 15 years. It took a while for me to warm up, but soon I was power throwing the frisbee like you wouldn�t believe. Once our arms became tired out, we headed into the arboretum and found a cool spot to sit in the shade. Trollop made me a crown of daisies.

On the walk back home, we stopped for Italian food and rented a movie. I whipped up some homemade ice cream (Cuisinart makes it easy) once back at the house. We pulled out the couch and reclined while eating ice cream and watching Wag the Dog.

It was a good day.

Breaking news on the fitness front: I�m ditching the Buff Bride workout. I finished Week 7 and was disappointed with where I was heading. I�m getting bigger, not smaller! And the scale isn�t budging. There�s something suspiciously wrong with this picture.

I did receive one of the workout books I�d ordered on Friday, the one called The Fat Burning Workout. Since Friday was my day off, I read the whole thing cover-to-cover on that same day. Last night I started the program. Joyce Vedral, the author, promises that I will see dramatic results in 5 weeks. The Buff Bride workout gave me no indication of what to expect. I didn�t like that.

But here�s the exciting part. Joyce has her own web site, where you can learn about her products, see before and after photos, sign up for monthly email newsletters, and whatnot. I signed up for a newsletter and received an automated response from her, encouraging me to write to her with what I expect to get out of the workout, which programs I�m using, etc.

I was pleasantly surprised with this "interactive" program. Hell, I�d emailed the author of Buff Brides about five weeks ago and never heard anything back.

Of course, I wrote Joyce back. I told her I was in pretty good shape and at a comfortable size as it was but just needed to lose some extra body fat. And that nothing (kickboxing, ballet, the Buff Bride program) was working to remove that body fat. I was spending about 5 hours/week working out and not seeing results. I was discouraged.

Because I have super broad shoulders (I look like a football player, for crying out loud!) and an "apple" body, I want to define my arms and shoulders, create shapely abs, and lose the "puffy" midsection.

I told her that I had just received The Fat Burning Workout book and was expecting Definition in the mail any day. I planned to use the programs interchangeably.

I wrote that email last night. Wouldn�t you know it but I received a reply from her this morning! She said that, because of the results I�m looking for (fat burning and some muscle definition), I should switch to videos. She says the videos insure that I�m working up to speed with the weights because the pace is pre-set. Doing a workout on my own might slow me down. She also recommended using two videos (she recommended two in particular) and switching them every week so that I "confuse" my body. Confusion is the key. Here�s the best part, though: She says that I will see dramatic results in just 3-1/2 weeks! Is that possible?! I�ll see. I�m up to the challenge.

She also suggested taking a before picture for motivation.

I�m gonna! I�m gonna pull out that new swimsuit that I bought recently, put it on, and have M take a snapshot. Maybe I�ll even get bold enough to post it here. (Yikes!)

While I�m waiting for my new videos to arrive in the mail, I�m going to proceed with The Fat Burning Workout. I did an upper body workout last night and will do a lower body workout either tonight or tomorrow night. What I like about Joyce�s program is that the program is fast and effective. The workout I did last night was probably 20 minutes, tops... and it was tough.

I�m waiting with baited breath for the results. I�ll post when I start the video programs and will count down 3-1/2 weeks from there. Stay posted.

(Do I sound like an advertisement yet?)

back & forth
recently...

quick recap - 2007 July 13
Happy August! - 2006 Aug 01
I dream of Albuquerque - 2006 Jul 08
mindstorm - 2006 Jun 30
Pomegranate scale - 2006 Jun 24