admin – Page 2 – Agenda Magazine Archives

How I Fell in Love with Swimming Again with the Aid of Finis’s SwiMP3v2 – Underwater MP3 Player

How I Fell in Love with Swimming Again with the Aid of Finis’s SwiMP3v2 – Underwater MP3 Player

A Product review by Sean McKenzie

There’s a community pool around the corner, and I have been contemplating dusting off my swim trunks and getting in some exercise. Now it’s not just a little wading pool, it’s a large pool with divided lap lanes—at least 12 lanes. This wouldn’t be such a big deal if swimming wasn’t so boring. You see, here’s my dilemma. I love music, and my iPod is a permanent appendage attached to my ears. I never leave home without it. So the thought of me shedding my little headphones for more than a few minutes (to shower and shave) is simply not feasible. Imagine the sheer delight of discovering SwiMP3v2!

The SwiMP3v2 underwater MP3 player is amazing. All I did was plug the attached USB cable into my computer and loaded my favorite songs off iTunes. I charged the battery overnight and first thing in the morning, I was ready to go. Now mind you, I was very skeptical that this little gadget wouldn’t work. I wore myFinis Latex Swim Cap, placed my SwiMP3v2 player on my ears, and wrapped the cord on the back of my goggles. Just for added protection, I put on my nose clip and slid into the cold water at 7:00 in the morning. I pushed the on button, half expecting to hear nothing. But instead, the beautiful sonic quality of my favorite tunes blasted through. I did my laps while listening to music, and before I knew it, I had been swimming for over an hour.

The SwiMP3v2 has incredible underwater sound quality, unlike standard players that rely on the transmission of sound through air or water, delivering a muffled noise. The SwiMP3v2uses bone conduction (the direct transfer of sound vibrations from the cheek bone to the inner ear) to provide the swimmer with exceptional sound clarity. It is fully waterproof and can be used with all levels of swim strokes.

I have been swimming 3-4 times a week, and with 256 megabytes of space on my new SwiMP3v2, I have continued to load even more songs. Oh yeah, and since swimming is a breeze now, I have progressed from my pathetic 13 laps my first time out to a whopping 35 laps per hourly routine.

Finis also puts out an outstanding goggle. My swim partner used to be a competitive swimmer in college, and she complained that none of her goggles kept the water out completely. After every session, she’d emerge from her workouts with bloodshot eyes. I offered her the Finis Crystal adult goggles for competitive swimmers, and for the first time, water didn’t seep in. The goggles, however, are tight and did leave an indentation around her eyes. This was a concern to her. She is a 40-something woman. If you are youthful withelastic skin, I would recommend the Finis Crystal Goggles. But for those concerned about wrinkles, I would consider another kind—the suction is intense. But the goggles do serve their purpose, and they do keep that pool water out of your eyes with the added benefit of no fog! So you can swim and see clearly below and above water.

Lastly, my partner was also looking for a swim cap that could keep the water out. She complained that it was a hassle every time to have to wash and blow-dry her hair, especially because she swam before going into work. The Finis Latex Swim Cap could not keep the water out. Her hair was drenched every time. But she discovered if she put conditioner in her already wet hair and put the Finis Latex Swim Cap on, her hair managed to keep its luster. She would wash her hair out after her workouts and go about her day. So if you’re looking for a cap to keep the water out, the Finis Latex Swim Cap can’t do that. But it is good for protecting your hair from the extensive damage chlorine can cause.

SwiMP3v2 Additional Info:
PC and Mac Compatible
256 MB
Rechargeable Battery
Supported Formats: MP3 & WMA
Weighs Only 2 Ounces.
Plugs Directly into USB Port, No Cable Required.
The SwiMP3v2 retails for about $100.00.

Finis Silicone Caps are tear-resistant, offer maximum comfort, as well as come in a variety of colors, and retail for about $7.99

Finis Crystal Goggles retail for $9.99. There are a variety of goggles available, ranging in price and comfort. The prices range from $3.99 – $19.99.

To learn more about Finis products, visit their website:www.finisinc.com.

The Power of Yoga – Being YogaFit

The Power of Yoga – Being YogaFit

As is within, so is without! Finding peace within yourself along with your outer self is often easier said than done; but it can be accomplished with dramatic benefits as your reward through our topic of the day. Yoga’s omnipotent powers are not to be taken lightly, ladies, as the secrets it holds will grant you inner peace along with heavenly curves.

So what is yoga, really? Why is everyone so crazy about it, and what’s in it for me?

Well, I see you’re not one for wasting any time, so let us delve in, my dear. Yoga is a 5000-year-old practice consisting of a series of poses known as “asanas,” originating in India. Yoga manifested as an ancient discipline, it sought to instill inner peace through what was known as the “eight-limbed path,” eight rules to follow in order to find one’s self. Be careful, though, as yoga does have its side effects: weight loss, a sculpted body, reduced stress, enhanced self awareness, increased patience/discipline, enhanced moods, dramatically increased flexibility, better sex life, and so much more. Wait a minute! Those are great side effects (you with me?). Yoga was not created for aesthetics; it sought to establish balance in mind through body. The reason yoga is so popular is due to those side effects I listed, sculpting the very essence of your figure while providing a wonderful mental escape. Yoga’s powers stem from using your own body weight as the resistance so that you sculpt long, lean, gorgeous muscle without the fear of bulk (I read somewhere that women hate bulking up, go figure).

When holding an asana, you are reaching every tiny muscle involved in that pose (which typically you would not on your own with typical methods), leaving you with that long sought after sculpted look. Yoga is engaging because it forces you to be aware of your body at all times, which I believe is crucial. While holding an asana in yoga, you are asked to focus in on the muscles you are currently using so as to maintain proper form (crucial!). Beth Shaw, founder of YogaFit, is our yoga guru and carries a wonderful approach in her DVD line, as she truly holds your hand throughout the process, all the while making you sweat and sculpt.

Form is very important in yoga, so I highly recommend finding a good instructor when looking to incorporate yoga into your regimen. I recently tried YogaFit’s “Pure Power” yoga DVD, and I was humbled by the great workout. The DVD was great in the way it guides you in watching your form as it explains exactly what you are doing as well as why with fantastic results. This video is a bit advanced for most, but Beth Shaw has a line of DVDs, so grab another to begin with; but do grab a few, as they will more than meet anyone’s yoga needs. You can read more about our power woman in the Fall 2007 issue ofAgenda.

Well, yoga is a wonderful way of life and a powerful tool that truly challenges you to take the time to know yourself better through body awareness. Yoga sculpts by dripping fat off your body due to the calorie burn from the challenging asanas, the rise in internal temperature, and the wonderful muscle reconstruction process after you’re done, “the after burn.” I simply cannot say enough about yoga, as it releases so much stress, which benefits you in countless ways. The intense sweating is very therapeutic as a detoxifier; the increased muscle endurance is great for day-to-daylife, as well as a much better sex life (future article to come), not to mention the dramatically increased flexibility you will acquire, helping you to prevent injury, as well as so many other facets of your life. The fact that you are using your entire body helps to aesthetically sculpt you evenly so as to save time and frustration with other workouts. The fact that this discipline takes patience will truly teach you to be kinder to yourself and more patient with yourself, which I know we all need.

I challenge one and all to take a taste of yoga with Beth Shaw (www.yogafit.com) and meditate on it. Take notice of the changes in your mind and body after a month. The results will astound you. Just remember, though, be kind to yourself, and be patient.

Written by Anthony Heredia

Watch a brief warmup demonstration from the “Pure Power” video by Yogafit’s Beth Shaw.

Teeny Weeny Bikini Body Tips

Teeny Weeny Bikini Body Tips

It’s summer 2008 and that itty bitty designer bikini begs to sashay its gorgeous way out and wrap your lovely curves once more for a trip across the golden sands. Some love summer while others dread it, due to a few pesky imperfections that just won’t budge. Our bodies can be so inconsiderate. Don’t they understand that it’s swimsuit season? Well, let’s do what we can, shall we, to accentuate the good, remove the bad, and have a healthy summer. Following are some crucial tips to staying healthy, shaping your body, and having fun.

* Staying Pumped – Make sure to drink at least 64 oz. of non-sugary low cal fluid (water, mineral water, flavored water, iced tea, etc.) a day so that your skin stays beautiful and so you don’t get so tired. When basking in the sun, we seem to get tired relatively quickly. This is typically due to dehydration. Lack of water can zap your energy, make you cranky, and trick you into thinking you’re hungry when you are really just thirsty. Even more significant is the huge toll it takes on aging your skin. Let us avoid all that, shall we?

* Watch Caffeine – Remember that caffeine is a diuretic, so it will suck the water out of you, tire you out, and dry your skin twice as fast, leading to extra damage; so you might want to rethink the Starbucks’ skinny latte. Just tone it down a bit and try mineral waters, water, iced teas, flavored water, and other non-sugary drinks while you take in the sun, and your body will thank you.

* Avoiding Bloating – Watch your salt and alcohol intake before you hit the sand, ladies, because both will cause you to retain water (which I heard women hate). Too much salt or alcohol can throw your weight up 2-10 lbs. for a few days, depending on the person. Please remember though that it’s just water, so do not go on some crazy crash diet to get those pounds off. Just add some potassium (for example, bananas), and your body will do the rest naturally. If faster is better, sweat it off with a workout or in a sauna; but please re-hydrate afterward, and you will be back to normal.

* Avoiding Skin Damage – Wrinkles and skin damage are inevitable if you are lapping up sunrays, but you can turn down the damage significantly by using sunscreen for the outside and anti-oxidants for the inside. A huge cause of skin cancer and wrinkles is oxidation (cellular damage) from the sunrays and from bad food, but you can really kick up your body’s defense capabilities with anti-oxidants. Most potent from strongest to weakest are Acai berries, blueberries, blackberries (all berries), dark green veggies, and green tea. There are tons more, but these are the most popular; so pack the sun screen, find your weapon, and arm yourselves, ladies.

* Avoiding Summer Weight Gain – Hot environments can make us lethargic, and they also act as an appetite suppressant. This works against you in that you might forget to eat because of the heat and end up overeating later when it gets cooler and you remember you’re starving. Heat does funny things to our eating habits, especially when there is an ice cream vendor every three steps in the summer. This scenario will tuck some weight away, so snack on cold veggies or frozen sweet berries and other fruit throughout the day to avoid this pesky problem. You’ll thank me when those heads are turning.

* Dropping a Bikini Size Quick! – Ah ha, so now we get to the good stuff: “How do I go from my one-piece and sarong to a two-piece!” Well, my dear, you don’t have to yell. In order to shape up quickly, go to my past article, “How to Drop a Dress Size in a Month the Right Way,” and to my new sizzling column this issue, “Let the Rhythm Melt the Weight Away.” The first will give you the nutritional help you seek, and the new column will make shaping up fun (yes, it can be fun—I can hear you all already). Have fun and stay posted for the upcoming Fitness Blog, where you’ll be able to ask questions and get a quick response.

* Avoiding Summer Depression – This is a new topic I’m sure you didn’t expect. The idea is to have fun and enjoy your bodies, ladies. Perfection is a white unicorn. There is no such thing as a perfect body. You ladies are beautiful in every shape and form. Please know that and smile. Who cares who’s looking at whom and what! We are all made of the same stuff, believe it or not. I am all about empowerment and self improvement, as I have personally lost 100 lbs. to shape up, but I’m still a hair shy of that coveted six-pack; but ask me if that stops me from having the time of my life, washboard abs or not. Live freely, live happily, live for none but yourself and your loved ones; and I promise you that your summer will be a million times better. A toast to golden sands, cool waters, bluer skies, calorie-free margaritas (we wish), and summer fun! Cheers!

Written by Anthony Heredia

Health 101 – Rhythm Divine

Health 101 – Rhythm Divine

Why exercise when you can have fun? Exercise is a critical necessity in our lives for countless reasons (which we delve into in a future article), but that doesn’t mean it has to be a tedious chore. Throughout our relationship here in Agenda I will make sure to cover a plethora of exercise methods, as there is no “Universal Workout” for everyone. It is really about what makes you happy. In this article we explore the monumental benefits of dance on your overall life and not just your waist. You see, the idea is to enjoy exercise. This is crucial because it ensures that you will do it again. Studies have shown that most individuals will stick to a program or plan for an average of eight weeks at most before they give up and move on. I personally would attribute this to the individuals simply not enjoying what they are doing, which is fine. You will never find me telling you about a master plan that every single person should do because there is no such thing. A master plan is one that is compiled based on your personality. Weight loss is simple usage of stored energy (those pesky pounds) and you accomplish this by exerting yourself. So why not exert with a beaming smile, lights in the sky, ambiance in the air, and music stimulating your senses?

Studies have shown that one night of vibrant twirling on the dance floor can shave over 1000 calories, ladies. A third of a pound in exchange for a night of fun . . . hmmm . . . let me think about that one. This is what I would love to open your eyes to, taking your workout, well . . . out! If you would like to know how many calories you burn during various other exercises, you can visit caloriecontrol.org. Dancing is one of the highest calorie burns around and, in my opinion, one of the most beneficial. The bigger picture is that dancing helps to destroy stress, which is a plague upon our busy lives. Stress puts our bodies in self defense mode, which affects our moods, our performance in our daily lives, as well as our waist size. High stress leads to your body releasing high levels of cortisol into your system, which means more closet time for your little black dress (article on stress to come). Remember that your body is not trying to give you a hard time. It is simply protecting itself, so let us work with it. Dancing reverses this whole ugly chain of events. Not a bad deal, wouldn’t you say?

Let me put this all in perspective for you. One night of vigorous dancing (2-3 hours of semi-constant movement) can burn approximately 600-1000 calories, based on your weight and how much you’re moving, of course. One pound of fat is 3500 calories, so that dazzling night of lights and feverish flavor just shaved off nearly a third of a pound with a huge smile on your face if you made an effort to move. Now, here is the bonus to all that twirling and laughing. I call it the “after burn.” Let’s reminisce if you will. I want you to go back to that one night where the drinks were flowing, the company was superb, every song was your song, and life just coursed through your every fiber. Remember how sore you felt the next day from all that dancing? Well, that’s the “after burn.” You see, your body isn’t done working once you stop dancing. In fact, the work has just begun. Your body needs now to repair the muscles you just beat up from all your frivolity. You are now burning significantly more calories that night because your body is repairing the muscles while you sleep. You are burning higher fat while you sleep! Can it get any better than that? Well, actually it can, not to mention that from a good enough “workout” your metabolism is naturally heightened by up to 30% for the next three days as your body continues to do repairs from that one night.

Wow, do I really need to go on? To sum that all up, one night of fun equals nearly 900 calories, plus extra fat burned while you sleep, plus 30% metabolic boost for the next three days equals a grand total of anywhere between 1400-2000 calories burned from one night of fun. Please make a note not to forget about the crucial stress release you get from all this, which will really benefit your life all around by making you become more productive, sleep better, and enhance your moods and relationships overall. If you are not sold by now, then I quit. You see, the concept is to personalize exercise so that it becomes a way of life. If you find your niche, you might not need to “exercise” another day in your life. Wow, what a modern concept! I say it’s time for us to take back our health by personalizing fitness to suit our passions, not what they tell us. I propose a toast to heavenly curves and a long healthy life with a smile on our faces! Cheers!

* All information from this article is taken from Fitness: The Complete Guide. Frederick C. Hatfield, PhD – Edition 8.6.6 735pgs, International Sports Science Association.

Anthony Heredia

Let the Rhythm Melt the Weight Away

Fitness Couture

Let the Rhythm Melt the Weight Away

May I have this dance? Our topic this month will be putting the sizzle in shaping the heavenly curves of our lady readers, through rhythm derived from passions defined.

Ladies, who is the clueless authority that said exercise had to be a boring chore? Let’s all hang him by his toes. The best way to shape and sculpt those lovely silhouettes of yours is to get them moving in whatever way gets them to move again and again. So why not sculpt with revitalizing music coursing through your being, a gentleman on your arm (or not), a smile embracing your lovely face, and the night at your beck and call! In order to claim the kind of curves that demand respect, drive men to their knees, and beg your little black dress to dazzle, you must make exercise a way of life and not “a thing to do.” You accomplish this by making it fun, exciting, invigorating, and dare I say, thrilling. Make exercise something you channel passion through. I can hear you all now, “Im supposed to get excited about sweating?”

Well, first of all, ladies “glow.” They don’t sweat; and the answer is a resounding “yes.” This is how. Invoke the passions and fire from within you, setting them free through the art of dance. A dancer’s body is one to behold, wouldn’t you say! Here is a big secret. Most devoted dancers don’t do much extra besides dance for that fabulous body. I personally cannot wait for my workouts because I set the floor afire through salsa myself. I let the divine trance of Latin dance melt me into form, and boy, do I enjoy every sizzling note. Studies have shown that from one night of aerobic dancing you can shave off one-half to one pound and then some (details in Health 101). That’s what I call encouragement to dance again. Not only do you carry a beaming smile, unwind the toils of the week by releasing stress, destroying endorphins, and get better at dancing, but you also get a sculpted body as the cherry on top. In fact, you even burn more calories for the next few days as an extra bonus (details in Health 101). I challenge you this month to dance the night away at least once and see if you don’t come back for more “exercise.”

I can hear you all now with all your reasons for not being able to, but I’ll do you one better and make it even easier. Maybe you can’t get to the night scene, but there is no reason you cannot dance. Take a class in your gym or through professional classes. It’s great to learn something new, and classes nowadays cater to every level of dancer. My instructors Sergio and Salud (latindancepro.com) are fantastic. They really take the beginning dancer lacking a single step and nurture her (or him) into a vibrant twirling vision of elegance. You don’t even need a partner nowadays in case your other half doesn’t want to go. Leave that lazy lump at home and twirl those enchanting curves, ladies. Classes from all styles of dance are done in rotating circles, so you learn fast by dancing with multiple partners in a circle of others at your level. If you are still a bit timid, you can even ask to observe a class, most instructors, such as Sergio and Salud, welcome observers, knowing you will fall in love and stay for a twirl or two.

Expand your rhythmic horizons to any and all styles of dance. Let the music take you where it will. Try swing, fox trot, quickstep, tango, hip-hop (you know you secretly love it), samba or any of dozens of others, as long as you love it and are left thirsty for more. I know enjoying exercise is a revolutionary idea, but it’s true, ladies. It can be done. Worse case scenario, find some space at home, set up a big mirror in front of you (or the TV), and blare your own music or DVD as loudly as your heart sees fit. Let your hair down and unwind with the rhythm, the bandleader and the music as your dance partner. The passion and results you’ll invoke are as fantastic as they are liberating.

The reason this feels so wonderful is because the music and dancing stimulate the same endorphin release as that of a good tub of ice cream, except a stronger amount without the guilt, and a body to die for as a reward. One warning, though, for those ladies who opt to take the night out as their weapon of choice: beware of the drinks. The drinking can truly hamper all the wonderful effects I spoke of (details in Health 101); so keep the drinks light or drink water, and your body will thank you. With all that said and done, let us set the night ablaze, dear ladies. Shall we dance?

* All information from this article is taken from Fitness: The Complete Guide. Frederick C. Hatfield, PhD – Edition 8.6.6 735pgs, International Sports Science Association.

Anthony Heredia

P.S.: More Good Reading Another Book Recommendation by Lee Peoples

P.S.: More Good Reading
Another Book Recommendation by Lee Peoples

Every Secret Crime
Doug M. Cummings

Every Secret Crime by Doug M. Cummings is a murder mystery set in Falcon Ridge, a wealthy suburb of Chicago. Local TV reporter Reno McCarthy sets out to solve the crime, having noticed early on that something is not quite right with the investigation. What he eventually discovers is that this crime is connected to the thirty-year-old unsolved murder of the wife of one of Falcon Ridge’s leading citizens.

The constant twists and turns the plot takes make for great suspense; and just as the reader thinks the crime is about to be solved, here comes another twist. The ending, however, is a disappointment. A prime player disappears and turns up later miles away in Topeka, Kansas, of course, in disguise. As this is Cummings’s second Reno McCarthy novel, I suppose this is fodder for a third. All in all, though, a great read!

By Lee Peoples

The Pillars of the Earth – Ken Follet

The Pillars of the Earth

Ken Follett

I had no idea when I started reading Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth that I’d be interested in the building of a church. Yet the plot and counterplots surrounding the lives of the principal characters were so captivating and engrossing that I found myself reading far into the night and early morning, not wanting to put the book down. If you don’t mind a book of nearly a thousand pages (973 to be exact), I promise you will be pleasurably rewarded, for I, like Oprah, upon coming to the end of the 973 pages, wanted more. This is historical fiction at its best, set in Medieval England in the 13th Century, and while it is not always historically accurate—nor is it totally plausible—it is the story of the building of a cathedral, the lifelong dream of a young prior, Brother Philip, a monk who at an unusually young age becomes prior of Kingsbridge upon the death of the elderly prior; and two master builders, Tom Builder, who begins the project with his son Afred, and years later after Tom’s death, his stepson Jack, who completes the project.

Set in the Middle Ages, this book is very good but sometimes quite implausible. A cathedral seen through the eyes of an eleven-year-old boy who until recently has known only a cave in a forest for home with his young mother. His mother only weeks now has fallen in with a master builder. Tom’s hopes of one day building a cathedral causes him to talk about cathedrals all the time as they travel, looking for work. He and his family have recently become impoverished because of the veritable villains the Hamleighs. Their son, the ubiquitous William—he’s there from the beginning to the end, causing one problem after another for the heroes and heroines—is spurned by the woman he loves, and as a result cancels the building of the home they were to occupy, thus impoverishing Tom and his family.

In their travels in search of work, his pregnant wife Agnes dies after giving birth to another son, and as is sometimes the custom, the baby is left on the grave of its mother to die of exposure rather than of starvation, as there is no way to feed the child. Miraculously, the child is saved and later becomes a major character and sometimes the catalyst to continue the dream of the cathedral, both on the part of the monk and Tom Builder.

Thus eleven-year-old Jack, although quite bright, implausibly learns about cathedrals and their construction. And if this is at least somewhat historically accurate, we enjoy seeing that women in power were quite common in medieval times. But historically accurate or not, seeing women in charge added to the delightful reading. And while we take delight in the accomplishments of our heroes and heroines, we are sometimes disappointed to see the corruption of the Catholic church in all its sordidness.

Earth Time

Insights

Earth Time

That nothing is static or fixed, that all is fleeting and impermanent, is the first mark of existence. It is the ordinary state of affairs. Everything is in process. Everything—every tree, every blade of grass, all the animals, insects, human beings, buildings, the animate and the inanimate—is always changing, moment to moment.

Pema Chodron

The earth is in trouble. The news is rife with reports about natural disasters caused by man-made activities, causing many of us to fear. But is the earth really in danger, or are we in danger of extinction?

I will live a finite number of years, and mass extinction of the human race doesn’t really ring true to me. How would it affect me anyway? I may live only another 40 or 50 years if I’m lucky. Will I care what I’ve left behind?

Well, my grandchildren will have children, and I think I’d care about them, their children, and their grandchildren. Since I see the cycle of life continue, I may not want to see it end because of thoughtless decisions fueled by the greedy.

I may not want breathable air to end due to smokestacks spewing waste. I may not want to see the oceans stagnate due to dumping of raw waste and sewage. I may not want to see the growth of dead places and deserts due to over farming and over extraction of the earth’s resources.

I live in a suburb of San Bernardino, and recently I made a trip to the mountains. Up in those mountains, the earth seems oblivious to our activities in the city. The earth seems ignorant of our mass assault upon it.

I hear nothing of the city and see nothing of its activities as I observe the bees pollinating wild flowers. I hear birds calling. I see lizards and snakes darting out of my path. Amidst all of that I am humbled when I realize, that on the larger scale of Mother Earth, I am insignificant.

Earth time runs in measures of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of years. My existence is barely a blip on the screen of earth time measured in eons. So I essentially am nothing, and yet in the moment that I exist, I am everything.

We’ve seen forests burn down and animals flee from their burning habitat only to return a few months later, slowly at first. In those mountains, having seen the evidence of last year’s fires, I was quite awestruck by how quickly things have grown back. When I entered a small town store to buy some groceries, the clerk told me the story of a bald eagle family that appeared after many years of absence. This was in the small city of Julian, San Diego County, Cleveland Mountain area.

As I walked down the streets of downtown Julian, famous for its apple pies, I found myself praying that we don’t destroy this, that we keep at least this much. It was so beautiful. Maybe, just maybe if we do harm ourselves to extinction, the earth will have a way of resurrecting new life. Maybe even old friends will return, like the honey bees and other earth creatures we’ve diminished due to our activities.

We’ve often heard that the moment is now. The most important is now. While we are here, let’s make the most of it. Let’s not forget to clean up our mess and take out the trash. Let’s not forget to leave something for the ones that we’ll leave behind.

Time for the Teeny-Weeny Bikini?

Time for the Teeny-Weeny Bikini?

The only way I’m getting into a “teeny-weeny bikini” is if I make it my mantra to make it a fit and firm summer. I used to be one of those 5-days-a-week gym goers who was able to slip off her heels and slip on her running shoes almost simultaneously. That was about two years ago, when several other factors didn’t zap my energy, three of them being: work, work, and work.

Today, my philosophy is be passionate, meet deadlines, and try to smile in the midst of chaos.” For the most part, I can successfully meet this overall goal.

But as I’ve learned from several other writers, business owners, and family, putting my health above all else is hugely important. They are all so true. When I spend more time on the computer than I do with my family, my boyfriend, my friends, and being the silly ‘ol me who likes to dance and sing in the mirror, go to fashion shows, and taking walks outside…I know something is up.

Especially with Southern California weather reaching 100+ degrees, and wanting to wear as little as possible on the weekends, I gotta stay focused on my other goal: maintaining a fit bod. While I am loving my Old Navy and Target (on sale!) sundresses, I have been avoiding bikinis altogether. The “thickness” of my arms, thighs, and butt have always been my problem areas – even being a size 6-8 for the last 10 years (with or without the gym) – totally makes me want to avoid buying a sexy swimsuit. My favorite bathing suit for awhile was my Bebe white and brown cheetah bikini. Loved it! But then I wore it at the spa and got in a mud bath…now it’s light brown and dark brown. So much for that.

In order for me to enjoy shopping for a bathing suit, I am just going to have to be as gutsy as I am when shopping for shoes. No matter the type of shoes I am looking for – flats, stilettos, boots, sandals – I choose what I want free-spiritedly without a care in the world. While, of course, a bikini is much more of a provocative statement; I’d like to experiment with trendy, new looks.

I am very aware of my body shape and size (I look at my body from all angles in the mirror every morning), and I do know of fun ways to accessorize and play with a bikini to make it my own. Yesterday, I spent the day walking around the shops along Venice Beach and checking out the printed sarongs. Now that’s a great poolside cover-up to flatter my hips, thighs, and boo-tay while wearing a cute two-piece underneath. I also love to wear my big hoop earrings and scarves in my hair while wearing a bikini, which not only shows my boho personality – it also sort of navigates eyes upward instead of downward.

Who knows what I wind up with as I plan to start scouring boutiques and department stores. However, in order for me to feel confident going forward and take a chance on new styles, I must continue to do what’s right for my body, in regards to health, fitness, and wellness. This means shutting the computer off by eight in the evenings, taking warm baths for relaxation, drinking lots of water, eating lots of fruits and veggies, going out dancing more often, getting use out of my treadmill, and making it a point to enjoy the outdoors.

If I can just push forth with these goals, that teeny-weenie bikini might just be one of the best purchases I ever make.

Written by Elana Pruitt

Visit http://www.diaryofapersonalshopper.blogspot.com andwww.myspace.com/talkingchic.

Author: admin