All posts filed under: fitness

shoes for me – oh you shouldn’t have

Shoe shopping has become a chore for me, now that I am in my 40’s. I swear every time I go to the mall, I hyperventilate when I need to shop for shoes because of  today’s Salvador Dali-ish approach to shoe design. But you know, one of the most amazing things happened to me the other day while I WASN’T actually shopping for shoes. I found a pair which I can actually wear in public and on my feet and be able to walk in them and actually feel sexy. Oh thank heaven, Virginia there is a Santa Claus!!! Anyway, the shoes are made by guess who? Guess of course and are only 98 or so U.S. dollars and you can find them at any retail store which carry the Guess shoe brand.  They felt comfortable, sexy and seem actually doable for about 2 or so hours outside the house. And ladies we all know that having a good pair of flats (please no flip flops or bare feet) on hand is always useful when …

a walk, two bottle of red, and a cupcake

While in Los Angeles, I had announced to my travelling companions that I intended to walk every morning since I was accustomed to the habit while at home. They laughed at me, but decided to partake in the adventure no less since they noticed how serious I was about my daily ritual. One morning I drove up to Griffith Park and decided to tackle the five-mile walk toward the Hollywood sign. I put my i-pod on as usual and began trekking. My companions decided to converse and walk while taking photos, making the climb up the course much more difficult. I kept looking back only to discover the gap between them and myself getting further and further apart. I shrugged and continued my trek until I could no longer see the two of them. I stopped midway atop the mountain and waited for them. After a long while, they showed up and announced they could not continue on the five-mile trek since they both felt flustered and exhausted and in my opinion completely bored. They asked …

venice beach for the woman over 40

In the 80’s every time I was in L.A. I had to visit Venice Beach and be part of the madness. In the 90’s not so much. I used to refer my student travellers to visit Venice Beach but I stayed away. In the early part of this interesting decade, I had the wonderful opportunity to work and live in L.A. so occasionally I drove down to Venice and checked out the interesting transformation taking place but didn’t have the chance to see the finished product/project before leaving L.A.  So with this visit, I was determined to drive down  to Venice and check on the progress and sure enough as I parked my car and walked towards Main Street, I quickly smiled to myself because I knew I would love the results as I plotted my walk down the street. Suburban Venice has transformed into a wonderful place for the older crowd (especially women over 40) to visit and actually consider spending a few days there in order to enjoy shopping, get a facial and …

eat, pray, love in reference to the woman over 40

Another one of  my favorite reads last year, Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, is being made into a movie with Julia Roberts playing the lead role.  Although the true story is about a woman in her 30’s, Julia is portraying the role while in her 40’s, which in my opinion require much alteration and revision to the film to fit the make up of a 40 year old woman’s lifestyle.  I am not really sure how good the film will be but the book is a recommended read for any woman who hasn’t read it yet. The book can be considered a motivational book and although geared towards the woman in her 30’s, some of us beyond that decade can learn a few things from it here and there. The only downside for the woman over 40 is that, if she were to consider using the methods in the book to self discovery, she must be childless to accomplish the challenge. But either way, it is a solid book and since it is based on a …

step out of that sweatsuit

I frequent malls and quant neighborhood streets with small shops and restaurants and I must say I can’t help myself get annoyed with women in their 40s wearing outdated or their daughters sweatsuits in public.  I don’t think women in their 40s should wear sweat suits in public but if they really really have to, then it’s best to consider the following: 1. Black pants, no purple, brite green or yellow please. 2. Full lenght preferred over capri style, unless of course you are having brunch with a friend immeidately after a brisk walk or run or a walk with your dog, otherwise avoid wearing any part of a sweat suit for any outings.   3. A zip up jacket rather than a fruit of the loom pullover with your college name or a midwestern town name printed across the front. 4. And finally a pair of tennis shoes, rather than a 3 inch pair of open toe shoes is much appreciated. Below are photos of what not to do and what to consider

french women don’t get fat

Now here is a book I read about 5 years ago and loved every bit of it and for a while applied some of the recipes in the book in hopes of losing the weight I needed to. It started to work, but then as any lazy woman would say, life got the best of me and I didn’t follow through. Well, recently as a result of my packing and moving, I began to separate all the books I wanted to give away and those I wanted to keep and of course this one is a keeper. I smiled as I flipped through the pages, because I had put a sticky note on almost every page that contained a recipe with my notes and plan of attack written in pencil. Now that I dusted off the book and  have it on my work desk, I plan to follow the recipes in hopes of maybe losing a few pounds and inches a la francais. After all the American diet plans didn’t work and besides what do …