1.30.09: Make Up Classes

It's been a hectic week. Work is nutty. My husband is away on business. Snow and ice have closed my daughter's morning child care twice this week. All the while, I needed to stay on schedule with my workouts -- I have a lot to do this year!

On Tuesday, I wasn't able to attend my usual get-your-rear-in-gear morning Spinning class. So in the early evening, when things quieted down, I took my daughter to the gym childcare (a very important part of my membership at Can Do in Short Hills) and headed to the Spinning room with my iPod Shuffle. I had downloaded a mix (called Diana's Famous Remix Ride) that one of my favorite instructors, Diana Cirillo, had made. I closed my eyes and and pretended to be in class in the empty room. I tightened the resistance to make hills, and sped up to race along with the music. It was a great ride, even though it was a solo one.

On Thursday, again, I was swamped and missed my morning yoga class. Yoga is what holds me together in this crazy life. In the afternoon, as my daughter played, I popped in my Yoga Conditioning for Athletes video, and unrolled my yoga mat amid my daughters plastic shapes that were strewn across the floor. Sure I had to do a few downward facing dogs over her, to corral her, and make sure she didn't stick her hand in the VCR, but I got through some bends and stretches and felt better for having done something for myself.

I wanted to remind you about some upcoming events...

10 a.m. TOMORROW (Sat. Jan. 31) Save the World Diet Workshop

Meta Center, 214 W. 29th St. (Btwn 7 & 8), NYC. The cost is $29, a portion of the proceeds go to my Save the World Diet effort. No need to preregister just come on down.

8 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 5) Icebreaker Fundraiser for Special Olympics Vermont86 St. Paul St., Burlington, Vt. Cost: A $20 suggested donation to Special Olympics Vermont. There will be drink specials including a Penguin's Plunge Martini, complete with a gummy penguin garnish. Draft beer $3.The DJ starts at 9:30 p.m.

11 a.m. Saturday Feb. 7 The Penguin Plunge. Come on down to the Burlington Waterfront to see me and about 1,000 other lunatics dip into Lake Champlain for Special Olympics Vermont.

2 p.m. Feb. 7 Save the World Diet Workshop

Burlington Courtyard Marriott, 25 Cherry St., Burlington, Vt. Cost $29, a portion of the proceeds go to my Save the World Diet effort.

Hope to see you at one or all of the events!

Kara

http://www.fatwomanonthemountain.com/

01.24.09: Taking The Plunge

Taking the Plunge: My next Save the World Diet challenge is the Penguin Plunge -- a dip Feb. 7 in Lake Champlain to benefit Special Olympics. This challenge may not be as grueling as the Flying Pig Marathon (which is my May challenge for the American Heart Association) but it may just be the craziest. But it's all about jumping in -- and participating, which is what Special Olympics Vermont allows so many wonderful athletes to do.

No matter what it's going to be great fun -- and I hope you'll support Special Olympics by donating (www.firstgiving.com/savetheworlddiet) or coming to my fundraising party 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5 at the Green Room, 86 St. Paul St., Burlington, Vt. A $20 suggested donation to Special Olympics gets you in the door for the party, which will have a raffle. The kind folks at the Green Room are making a special martini, the Penguin's Plunge, in honor of my effort. The Penguin's Plunge (which comes with a gummy penguin garnish) will be just $6 and draft beers will be $3 at the event.

I've been spending the last few weeks trying to figure out what to wear for this jump in the water. I'm not ready to wear a bathing suit in front of the throngs of onlookers and more than 1,000 fellow plungers. Wearing long pants and a t-shirt won't matter much because they're going to get wet and stuck to my body anyway. No, sadly, wet suits arent's allowed. Let's face it, no matter what I'm going to be cold.

The Plunge is at 11 a.m. Feb. 7 -- which will be followed by my 2 p.m. Feb. 7 workshop, at the Courtyard Marriot Hotel, 25 Cherry St., Burlington. I will talk about my Save the World Diet and how we can all get healthy and make the world a better place. To register for the program, which costs $29, go to: http://www.fatwomanonthemountain.com/burlingtonsempage.html

There is also a workshop 10 a.m. Jan. 31, at the Meta Center, 214 W. 29th St. (between 7 &8 Aves) in NYC. The cost is also $29. To register, go to: http://www.fatwomanonthemountain.com/

01.12.09: The No-No Drawer

The No-No Drawer: I should never be left alone with chocolate. I know better than that.

But I decided to put some Hershey’s Kisses in little baggies for my daughter’s caregivers’ holiday gifts (Yes, I know it is mid-January). I started to put some in my mouth. It started with just three, and soon the wad of the Kisses tinfoil wrappers was getting bigger and bigger. Those little paper flags that shoot out of the top of the candies were all over my desk.

It takes nine Kisses to equal a serving. That’s 200 calories a pop. When I was approaching the 400-calorie mark, I needed to cut myself off, something that wasn’t going to happen with the bag in front of me, so I put it in the No-No Drawer.

My No-No Drawer is my husband’s top dresser drawer, where he keeps his personal stash of treats. (There’s a candy cane in there from Christmas ’08). Anywhere else in the house is fair game for me, but that’s his private place.

I made the mistake of venturing in it – to swipe mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups that I had bought him. I actually tried to replace them and got busted. It was a huge breach of trust and an indicator that I was truly off track. I’ll never do that again, the drawer is strictly off limits.

So the Kisses are safe in the No-No Drawer for my husband’s consumption.

1.10.09: In the Snow, In My Shorts

Today is the kind of day most people head to the store, buy a bunch of bread and milk and hurry home to seek shelter from the approaching winter storm.

Today, I looked through my summer clothes, put on a short-sleeved shirt, a pair of capri pants and my winter boots. I showed my husband my outfit. He looked me up and down and said, "Don't you have any shorter shorts?"

I rolled the denim material up over my knees and headed out for a mix of "training" and fundraising for my upcoming Penguin Plunge for Special Olympics. I went door-to-door on a street where I used to live, telling people about my mission and handing out information about how to support my plunge, a dunk in Lake Champlain in Vermont on February 7, to raise money for Special Olympics.

A lot of people were interested, and asked me to tell them more as I shivered on their door step. I got $20 from a nice teen named Julian, who took a break from his piano practice, to support my cause.

Cars, and the city's fleet of snow plows slowed as they passed. About a dozen houses later, when I had to keep dusting the snow off my sponsorship sheet, I decided I was heading into frostbite danger and the possibility of someone calling the police to report someone under the influence.

One my way down the road, a SUV pulled up, "Can we give you a ride?"

This lovely couple, the McCarthys, had seen me in my summer gear and worried about me so they turned around and offered to take me home. I explained my mission and told them that I wasn't far - and not to worry. I wasn't crazy.

With all the people who need help in this world, it's crazy not to help others.

To support my Penguin Plunge, go to: www.firstgiving.com/savetheworlddiet

Return to: www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

1.08.09: The Art of the Start

I began 2009 in motion at the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run, a 4-mile loop in Central Park -- moving toward better health and a better world.This was the first event in my Save the World Diet, a quest to get healthy and make the world a better place.

As the race began, despite my months of training, I felt a bit like a stone stuck in the sand of a beach as the other runners raced out like the tide around me. My pace was slow -- 1 hour and 9 minutes slow -- but at least I was moving. It was a start.

I am using the event as a barometer of where I need to go in the coming year. I raised some money for UNICEF and I finished.

I've been watching Oprah talk about falling off the wagon. I, too, felt like 2008 was a year of feeling in the dumps about myself. The baby weight -- more than 50 pounds of it -- made me act and feel fat again. I was lost in my own body as I tried to balance my life as a new mom, my job and my old adventurer self (who didn't get much further than the local CVS on most days). I really think I spent a good portion in the year depressed.

So this new year is a new start, of moving on the path to wellness, about feeling good about my body, treating it with the gratitude it deserves. This year is in motion, to make good choices for my health, and the world around me.

It's a big mission, but this is just the beginning.

www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

1.01.09: The Save the World Diet Challenge for '09

What do you want to do in 2009?
The Save the World Diet is all about picking a physical challenge for charity as a fitness goal. Of course you should first check with your doctor, and assess your own capabilities, but find something that care about and you would like to work toward in the coming year -- a charity walk, a fundraising bike race, and so on. There are really so many fun things out there, and many charities in need of your support.
A physical challenge for charity doesn't have to be an organized event, it can be feeling strong and energetic enough to shovel your elderly neighbor's driveway.
Think about what you want to do, not what you want to lose. Think about how best to fuel your body to get there. (For example, each time you eat today ask yourself if what you're about to put in your mouth will help you tackle your life's work and your exercise goals.)
I'm feeling fantastic after my first physical challenge of the year (I'm doing one a month in 2009). I did the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run in Central Park on behalf of UNICEF. (http://apps.facebook.com/causes/170340?m=8c3a5226&recruiter_id=18302539)It was crazy cold out there but not so bad once we started running the four-mile course, which happened to have a non-alcoholic champagne stop at the half-way point! My next event will be the Penguin Plunge for Special Olympics Feb. 7 in Burlington, Vt. (http://www.firstgiving.com/savetheworlddiet)

I started a discussion group on The Save the World Diet Group Facebook.com page so you can share inspiration and ideas about events in the coming year. You can also check out my website, http://www.fatwomanonthemountain.com/.

So what will you do in 2009? The world is waiting for you.
All the best for a wonderful New Year, Kara