All posts tagged: exercise

Monday Morning Recap

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Happy Monday everyone! I don’t know about you, but I feel refreshed and ready to tackle whatever this week has in store er…well I mean, some things I have planned as well. I have started to workout again and it feels amazing – because – instead of the gym and the same old routine, I have decided to go about my working out in the most conventional way: Walking, tennis, swimming and even shooting hoops/ pretend basketball. I didn’t realize what was lacking in my drive to workout until I started doing more of it outdoors. I also finished reading this book, with high hopes of getting some insight. When I called the public library to extend borrowing the book for a few extra days, just to give me the chance to revisit some of the chapters, I was told that was ‘not possible’. As the book was in high demand – 37 people were waiting to read it; the librarian added. I suppose the book perfectly titled had done its job of directing folks …

inspirational women over 40: elle mcpherson

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I just realized I haven’t paid homage to an inspirational celebrity in a long while and for that I have decided to add Elle McPherson to my list of celebrity women over 40, who I have grown to admire over the years. In her case, not only because of her ability to maintain an amazing body at 48,  but also because of her drive to become a successful businesswoman, designing lingerie for the woman of any age. Macpherson is a European Ambassador for RED, an initiative set up by Bono and Bobby Shriver to raise money and awareness for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and to help eradicate AIDS for women and children in Africa. She is also an ambassador for UNICEF. In her native Australia, she is an ambassador for the Smile Foundation, which helps the families of children with rare diseases and organizes government research grants She has also modelled for charitable causes including fundraising for 2007 British flood victims, wounded veterans, and child welfare group Absolute Return for Kids. (per Wiki) For more on Elle McPherson please click here and …

healthy eating – arugula salad recipe

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I actually got tired of eating the same leaves day in and day out, so one day while shopping at my favorite grocery store,  I decided to bring home a box of freshy cut and washed arugula to test out. Although I have had them many times in restaurants, I never considered consuming them at home. Don’t ask. Anyway, I brought them home and decided to experiment and to my surprise I was able to create a great tasting salad from a recipe I found here and now arugula has become my choice of leaves. Ingredients: 6 cups arugula leaves 1 mango, peeled and cut into long slices 1 avocado, peeled and sliced ½ red onion, sliced 1 tbs lime juice Spicy orange vinaigrette 1 tbs champagne vinegar 4 tbs orange juice, about ½ orange 2 tbs lime juice, about ½ lime 4 tbs olive oil ½ tsp cumin 2 tbs finely chopped cilantro 1 red chili or hot pepper, sliced Salt and pepper Preparation: Combine all the ingredients for the salad dressing in a …

a nostalgic holiday experience in san francisco

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I am a sucker for nostalgia and usually get very sentimental during the holiday season, like (I am sure) most people do. I miss the past and long for when life seemed a little simpler and less demanding, when families where closer and holidays really meant something and  Christmas shopping was truly a creative and rewarding experience rather than a search for the trends and holiday sales. In light of this topic, I can honestly say that although I cannot change what has happened to family and tradition, I can suggest  finding a piece of a reminder from the past and escaping there, if only for a day. I personally do this by taking a day  in San Francisco to go downtown and walk only through historic ( iconic)  retail stores  encompassing Union Square,  so that I can detox myself from the demands of modern-day shopping frenzy through  a “Westfield Mall”. I walk through Macy (no 4) and then cross the street over to Neiman Marcus (no 6) . Afterwards,  I cut through Union Square …

survival guide for holiday eating

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Yes, this article is necessary and in my opinion very timely.  I actually considered raising this red flag Monday before Thanksgiving, but I figured since the traditional Thanksgiving meal consisted of mostly healthy eats, I let myself and my readers slide. Ladies and some gents, take note this holiday season when it comes to (over) eating, especially when over 40.  There is no excuse in my opinion to binge eating during the holiday season and it really doesn’t matter how pretty that five layer chocolate cake looks. Keep in mind, plans to diet after the holidays is a myth and losing the 5 – 7 extra pounds, you put on every holiday season, is almost impossible when you are over 40. Even those who are conscious and consider themselves most savy when it comes to food and nutrition, often tend to slip during the holiday season.  So, for the sake of a friendly reminder, consider the following: 1. The key to surviving temptation is self-control and discipline. 2. While at a holiday gathering or dinner …

straight or wavy long hair for the woman over 40

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What can I say, I am a fan of long hair and will stay with it for as long as I can get away with it. But the funny thing is that I have naturally curly hair and as a result, spend my entire youth trying to run away from the curls and the waves without much success. However, in the last decade or so, I have been able to straighten my hair thanks to all the tools available to make it work successfully. But now, everywhere I turn,  women in my age group with long hair are going wavy or curly once again and I am fighting with myself to make the switch, because although I can do it naturally, I feel better with my straight hair. So, I am throwing this entry out there to all the women who are in the same boat as me. Let me know where you are with today’s “hair style pressures”.

casual weekend sweaters

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On the weekends, I like to revert back to my tomboyish ways by dressing  as casual as possible and while doing so, I want to simply be able to throw on my favorite pair of comfortable jeans and a sweater and call it day. Since I agree with  fashion advisers in suggesting women over 40 stay away from bulky sweaters, I  found a few which I think will do me just find this winter season. The cool thing about these sweaters is that they are border line between dressy and casual, which means I can wear them over slacks or a skirt to work or with jeans over the weekends. I call these sweaters transition sweaters from mid fall to early winter and then from late winter to “almost” spring in some places. I found these at J. Crew (in store and online) and although sometimes it’s really intimidating to walk into the store if you aren’t twelve years old, the sweaters are well worth the effort nonetheless. Let me know what you think?

oh stop it halle berry

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I am not a jealous woman nor envious but sometimes I just want to say, STOP IT “celebrity” you’re making me look and feel bad about myself. Yes, you might think this is childish but reality is that most women in their 40s have as much insecurities as teenage and girls in their 20’s. It’s that whole, body deciding what shape it should be, sometimes no matter how much you exercise or diet, and then there are the wrinkles and the gray hairs sneaking up on you and the pre-menopausal state taking over. Shall I go on? So, when we pick up a magazine or look online and see, in this case, Halle Berry, in all her beauty, we tend to second guess ourselves, physically that is because God knows what her personal life is like, and suddenly become sad (at least in my case). I am not sure if she has had plastic surgery or a nip tuck or whatever and frankly I don’t care. I do appreciate the end result and in my own …

fashion nightmare for the woman over 40

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As I walk through the mall and eyeball the fall collection slowly making its  way into the department stores and boutiques, I must say I am freaking out because I realize more and more that, what the fashion industry is churning out these days cannot possibly work well on the average woman over 40. I mean sure there are amazing blouses, sweaters, pants and skirts and handbags and shoes that I dream of owning and wearing now but know that they are better fit for the woman under 40. Then I flip through magazines and watch fashion shows and realize more and more, no one is targeting to the woman over 40. I don’t understand why that is so. I mean don’t we deserve trendy clothes and fashionable shoes at our age? Have we been overlooked because most women in their 40’s are either married with kids, divorced with kids, overweight, bulging in all the wrong places, or perhaps has let herself go for more reasons than one and not at all interested in looking …

ode to summer 2010

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I usually get very restless and sad at the end of August because this is one part of the year I don’t really look forward to, transitioning into fall.  I think I have stated a dozen times before how much I appreciate warmer weather and worship the sun as a result of it and although we are just beginning “our summer” here in San Francisco, I still know it’s fall. The days are shorter, there is a certain crispiness to the morning air and the evenings are colder rather than cooler. So, in my own strange way of saying goodbye to summer 2010, I have included my favorite reminder of summer in a  classic and old fashioned kind of way.