She makes it look so easy … yet we all know how hard it is to tone up our abs and waistlines. Well, if Denise Austin is still going strong and looking good in her 40s, why can’t we? Let’s get with it.
Denise says hormonal changes in our 40s may “redirect fat from a woman’s hips and thighs to her belly.” So on the Prevention website, she suggests:
The fastest way to get the upper hand on your love handles is to target the obliques–the large ab muscles that wrap around your torso and pull in your waistline like a corset …read more

I’ve been struggling this past week with making time to exercise. I’ve made excuses all week, saying, “If I go to the gym, I won’t meet my deadlines … or get the laundry caught up … or get to the grocery store.”
But you know what? I found time three times this week to go to Curves and to jog for half an hour, and those were the days when my mind was clearer and I was less distracted. So I could stay on task and accomplish more.
In his blog at The Writing Life,Terry Whalin has been discussing insights from novelist …read more

I checked my mail yesterday and found a surprise — from Melodee of ClubMom’s Amazing Shrinking Mom blog. woohoo! It was my ClubMom water bottle, which she’d promised for those of us who sent her a comment about “dieting naked.”
Now this is not what you think! What it means is she has lots of dieters in her sidebar who are being bold enough to admit their pre-diet weight and update their progress. I didn’t send her my weight, but she added me to her blogroll, so people can check here to see my progress.
I’ve lost 15 pounds since April — …read more

I stepped on the scale this morning, as part of my daily Flylady routine, and saw the numbers drop again. I’ve lost 7 pounds now in only 5 days on the South Beach Diet. I can’t say enough great things about this program. I may even become a permanent follower of this eating plan, which means I’ll try to stay away from highly processed carbs for the rest of my life.
According to the diet’s author, Dr. Agatston, most South Beach dieters lose between 8 to 13 pounds during the strict two-week Phase I, then loss slows to about a pound …read more

I hope everyone had a Happy 4th of July yesterday. I’m here to report to you that I did it — I walked in my first ever city parade. I think it was about five miles — and it was hot! But I had a blast — there were about a dozen of us from Curves. We carried signs and passed out coupons for free visits and nail files that said “Curves: The Power to Amaze Yourself.” I should have put my b5 media website on my sign and gotten a few new visitors here. Next time, for sure.
My sign …read more

Wish me luck. In my endeavors to be more lively, I’ve signed up to WALK in our city’s July 4th Parade. I’ll be wearing a red T-shirt and walking with several dozen ladies from our local Curves. I’ve NEVER walked in a parade before.
We’re supposed to walk several miles. I guess if I get too tired, maybe I could climb on the flatbed truck with the Curves exercise equipment. I plan on bringing my water bottle. Cold water always taste good when I exercise. I wonder how many calories this parade will burn?
Happy Birthday, U.S.A.!

M-O-V-E. Move it.
That’s what I heard a speaker say recently — she was talking about getting our spiritual lives in shape, but I applied it to my fitness regimen. I’m trying to M-O-V-E it!
The other day I was marching in the kitchen, hoping to burn a few calories while I stirred something on the stove.
“Mama, do you need to go to the potty?” my 3-year-old asked me, with a knowing look in his eye.
“No, I’m just trying to exercise,” I told him.
I’ve reached a plateau, if you can call it that. After 3 full months of going to Curves, …read more

I’ve been looking around at the other b5 bloggers, and I’m in complete awe! Who am I to join the ranks of these probloggers? Now, there’s a word that wasn’t even in my vocabulary a year ago. I can just see myself getting a little giddy when I sign all those school forms next year. Occupation: Problogger.
So, I feel a bit like Cinderella, wanting to go to the ball, but looking around and trying to figure out something to wear. Except nobody at b5 media cares what I wear — just what I write. Cool. But where do I start?
Great …read more