Kicking and Screaming My Way to the Chuppah
Like most brides-to-be, I want to look my absolute best on my wedding day. I have the fabulous dress, sparkling jewelry, a great hair and makeup artist, and when the time comes I’m sure I’ll be manicured, buffed, and waxed to perfection. But, alas, there is one area that requires a bit more effort than just making an appointment with a local salon: my physique.
As of January 1st, I was in possibly the worst shape of my life. I hadn’t worked out in a steady basis in over a year and ate whatever I wanted. Probably the only thing that’s saved me from being 300 pounds is that I live in an urban environment that requires a lot of walking. When the holidays ended I realized I had less than 4 months until the wedding and it was time to get my act together work-out wise.
And so I began Operation Wedding (appropriately called “OW” for short). I put myself on a diet on January 4th and have been following it diligently, with the exception of the menu tasting at my venue (of course I had to make sure all the food we’d be serving is good for our guests’ sake). Boy, I sure do miss French fries and pizza though.
I’ve never been a big fan of working out and have yet to steadily go to a gym for more than a few months, so I decided to try different things to see what sticks. The first thing I tried out is the Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred DVD. I had heard on the wedding boards that the workout will kick your butt, and boy does it! Even though its only 20 minutes long, I could barely get through the workout the first couple times I did it. It’s a little easier now but still great exercise.
A friend of mine got a group together to try out a Hoboken Bootcamp class so I decided to check it out. I thought I’d be okay since at that point I’d been “Shredding” for a couple weeks, but boy did I feel that workout. I was sore for days afterwards. I highly recommend this class if you live in Hoboken; unless, of course, you actually enjoy walking and moving your arms without pain.
- Yep, I look just like this. Kinda sorta.
I’ve always heard good things about Club KO, the kickboxing gym, so I decided to see what they have to offer. After attending an information session I signed up for a 10 week program there that incorporates kickboxing classes, personal training and a diet plan. Fortunately the diet plan is similar to what I’d already been doing, so that’s not a problem.
I have taken a few kickboxing classes now and I really like them, even though I usually want to murder the instructor while they’re happening. The personal training sessions have basically entailed a young guy forcing me to do crazy things like pull-ups, much as I try to convince him that my body was not designed to do that. My arms were sore for 6 days after the first session. I plan to still continue the other things I’ve been doing for variety but it will be good to have a more structured plan.
The good news is, this all seems to be working. I have lost a few pounds, but my focus has mostly been on toning. My clothes are fitting looser, and I can’t stop touching my newly firm abdomen. And all of a sudden I’m noticing these strange contours in my upper arms. I think they are commonly referred to as muscles, but I’m not sure because I’ve never seen them on me before. Suddenly I’m not cringing at the thought of wearing a strapless dress in front of everyone I know.
(P.S. – those who follow the future Mr. Loco’s blog will get a kick out of the fact that he is 5 feet away from me right now writing an entry that is pretty much the polar opposite of this one)
2009: Three Cats, Two Homes and One Proposal
I guess if I had thought about it, I would have predicted the zillion “year in review” Facebook applications that are popping up about now. While some of these are a bit much, I do have to admit that they’ve got me thinking about all of the ups and downs of the past year.
At this time last year, my then boyfriend had recently been laid off from his job, with few prospects; my mom had just been let go from her job of over 20 years without so much as a dime of severance pay; and a close family member had just been diagnosed with a serious, life-threatening illness. Suffice it to say, these were not the best of times. Everyone around me was pretty much miserable, the economy was in the crapper and there was talk of a next Great Depression. I remember when the year ended, thinking “good riddance… don’t let the door hit you on the way out…”.
So here we are, at the end of 2009, and what a year it’s been for me. Early on, it was much like the end of 2008 – dealing with loved ones’ illness and unemployment. But at some point, things started to turn around.
My boyfriend got a part time job, and then another part time job, and although earning much less than before his layoff, he had fulfilling work and was able to pay the rent. We decided to live together, so in June I moved into his apartment, inheriting two additional cats (for a total of THREE cats… oy) and enough Yankees memorabilia to make the folks in Cooperstown jealous. While people always talk about what an adjustment it is when a couple moves in together, we are one of those freaky couples who never argue and agree on things easily, and we quickly fell into a routine. The extent of our adjustment was this:
Me: “I hate scooping out the litter box”
Him: “That doesn’t really bother me, I’m used to it”
Me: “Okay, so how about if you do that in the mornings, and I’ll make the bed?”
Him:”Cool”
Of course for me the pinnacle of 2009 was in early August when my boyfriend sat on a step at the end of Newport’s Cliffwalk and asked me to, ahem, make it official (yes, I still give him crap for that). After a few minutes I figured out that he was actually proposing and not asking me to join a cult, and the euphoria that followed is something everyone should experience a few times in their life. The last 5 months of the year were pretty heavily focused on planning the wedding, which I’ve really enjoyed.
If you ask my mom she’ll tell you something different, but she’s getting by okay too despite her layoff. She seems to still manage to scrape together money to buy People Magazine each week anyway. She’s really excited for my wedding which has kept her – well, if not cheerful – certainly as close as Mama LoCo gets to experiencing that emotion.
And most importantly, after a tough road of surgery and treatments, the ill family member is healthy, in remission and thriving. My number one wish for 2010 is that this person stays this way.
So, what will 2010 bring? In April, of course, there’s this little party we’re having with 125 of our nearest and dearest, followed by a two week dream honeymoon in Hawaii. In June, we’ve got my nephew’s Bar Mitzvah; at some point I need to dedicate a blog entry to this kid, he’s pretty awesome. And it looks like there will be another wedding to celebrate later in the year with the recent engagement of Hat Girl, one of my bridesmaids and closest friends (yay!). With so many of our friends getting married, I’m expecting that there may be a few new babies in our life over the next year. Who knows, we may even make a little LoCo of our own in 2010. It’s amazing what a year can bring.
I Have a Blog!
For years I have resisted. As those around me succumbed to the temptation, I alone held steadfast. Finally, the pressure got to me, and I couldn’t take it anymore…
So I started a blog.
I guess I shouldn’t be suprised that I’m here. I have always enjoyed writing and come from a pretty literary family. Heck, even my 12 year old nephew has a blog – although, he is one of the most entertaining people I know.
I expect the topics to evolve over time. My current life’s obsession is planning my upcoming April wedding (those of you who know my soon to be married name will get my blog name). So, I expect to be writing about such exciting topics as “How to choose the perfect shade of lavender for bouquets” and “Bridesmaid dresses: chiffon or satin?”. After that we’ll see how it goes!
