Billions of Chinese people around the world aren’t wrong. There’s a reason that this admittedly off-putting practice of sticking thread-thin needles into key, corresponding points in your body has been so popular for this long. Quite simply, I believe it works. And having just tried it for the first time – I totally plan to try acupuncture again.

My first interest in acupuncture came in Miami, when a friend with chronic back problems swore on his life that acupuncture had healed him of his pains. “Dude, just try it!” he encouraged. But despite stress levels that led to high blood pressure, bouts of nausea, and an ulcerated stomach, I still never listened. I went the traditional route, and was prescribed medicine to treat my symptoms. I tried to eat healthier and well…my efforts at exercise never took root and truly became the “lifestyle” I keep hearing it has to become. But that’s another post for another time.

The first opportunity I had to actually try acupuncture came when I was on board Royal Caribbean’s cruise ship, the Oasis of the Seas. That’s where I met Alaric Toy, the licensed acupuncturist who has a constant flow of enthusiastic patients in the ship’s spa. He told me all about the popularity of the acupuncture at sea program, which is currently offered on all the major cruise ships. He spoke passionately about HR646, a senate bill that aims to get acupuncture covered by medicare. And he explained what acupuncture could do for me, to improve my own condition.

“There’s an old Chinese saying — where there’s pain, there’s blockage. Where there’s blockage, there’s pain. The US Air Force is using battlefield acupuncture right now, because it offers almost immediate results. It gives you a sense of well being that can’t be measured. You’ll start sleeping better, eating better, makng better choices for yourself. I’ve been able to resolve the problems of people with pain issues who have had chronic pain for 15, 20 years,” he said assuredly. But despite the opportunity literally staring me in the face – I wasn’t yet ready.

It wasn’t until just a few weeks ago, that I found opportunity staring me in the face yet again. Spa Week Daily wanted to send me to the spa to experience one of their $50 Spa Week treatments as part of SPA MADNESS. And lo and behold — amidst the vajazzling and Botox and facials and body scrubs…there was the offer for me to experience acupuncture at Chicago’s renowned Ruby Room. This time, I leapt at the chance.

The Ruby Room is not your typical spa. Oh sure, you can do typical spa things and get a facial, a massage, waxing, or a new hairstyle. They’ve got an amazing array of makeup and beauty products for sale, and you can get your face beat by a pro using lovely, high end cosmetics. The decor is clean, refreshing, and airy. There are absolutely stunning statues of Buddha everywhere. But then, you go up the steep red stairs, and the ambiance becomes more spiritual. The second floor of the Ruby Room is all about enhancing your internal beauty, and tapping into your spiritual center. There are crystals and tarot cards and Chinese herbs, and people there are ready to teach you how to apply those things to your life.

That’s where I met my acupuncturist, Pamela. Her approach was far different than the licensed acupuncturist I’d met on the cruise ship – he was more matter of fact, and the ambiance where he worked seemed almost clinical and spare – I felt very aware there that acupuncture is medicine, and it’s power is not to be underestimated. At the Ruby Room, acupuncture is performed in the same space where intuitives work with crystals and the general ambiance is very gentle and quite mystical. I found the contrast fascinating.

As a newbie to acupuncture, I found Pamela’s demeanor to be very comforting and nurturing. Before the procedure began, she gave me a detailed diagnosis, and in acupuncture that begins with a look at your tongue. Just from looking at the color and possible coat on your tongue, an acupuncturist can tell if there are graver issues taking place within your body. Pamela proceeded to explain some basic layman’s terms for what my issues could be attributed to. Chinese medicine is very much about achieving a perfect balance. There’s yin and yang, which just about everyone knows about. But there is also dry and damp – she sensed alot of damp within me. Pamela explained the Zangfu organs, and why she’d be putting certain needles in certain places. And then it was time for my treatment.

In general, I’m not particularly nervous about needles — unless I’m giving blood and I can see the blood filling up in a bag, I can block out the pain and fear of getting stuck. But I had reservations with acupuncture. Were these needles going to hurt? Would I wind up with needlemarks in my face? OMG, were there going to be needles in my face?

Yes. And I barely felt a thing.

The first needle went into my upper right ear, and I could hear it more than I could feel it. Acupuncture needles have teeny springs on the end, and I could hear the little zing as it went into my skin. The second needle went into my forehead. After that, I lost count. I know there was one in my right arm, one in my left hand, at least five in my stomach, and several in my legs and feet. But the only ones I could truly feel and felt aware of, were in my arm and my hand – that’s because I had to position them carefully and kept worrying they’d fall off the massage bed I was laying on.

If you want to get acupuncture and you’re concerned about needles hurting, please know that you shouldn’t worry. Quite literally, I fell asleep at the Ruby Room with a pincushion’s worth of needles sticking out of my face and body. Of course there were teeny drops of blood where I’d been stuck, but nothing hurt about this procedure. At all. In fact, just the opposite.

So let me explain the before and after. The morning before I left for my acupuncture treatment, I was more stressed out than I’d been in a really long time. I was so stressed out, I was nauseous. I took my blood pressure and it was indisputably high. I had to force myself to even relax enough to eat breakfast, take a shower, get ready, get on the el and head over to the Ruby Room.

After acupuncture, I immediately felt better. Restored. At ease. The issues that made me stressed out to begin with were still there, but seemed less oppressive and overwhelming. I came into the Ruby Room with zero appetite, and I left feeling ravenous. And maybe I even looked on top of the world, because three random strangers gave me compliments on the street when I left. So admittedly, I left my first acupuncture experience with a complete afterglow and the desire to return for more.

Of course, I was covering this for SpaWeekDaily.com –so I was sure to capture the experience on camera, and asked my acupuncturist some questions I got via Twitter.

Will I experience acupncture again? Definitely! It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. I hope my experience helps to answer any questions you may have, and if you’re in Chicago, I highly recommend the Ruby Room – 1743 West Division Street, 773-235-2323. Visit RubyRoom.com. If you’re not in Chicago, make sure your acupuncturist is licensed!

If you are interested in experiencing acupuncture – or any other kind of spa treatment! – you can start booking appointments March 15th, when the Spring Spa Week directory launches onSpaweek.com !

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1. The Chicago Spa Scene
2. Experiencing Iman
3. Tis The Season…

I don’t know about y’all, but the recession is still taking place at my house. And tax season is here…woo, Lord put a hand.

Valentine’s Day can still be romantic and beautiful and celebratory without dropping major coin. This year my husband and I agreed to celebrate with a delicious dinner, instead of exchanging presents. So this weekend I’m going to make us something special, that’s close to my heart.

Trinidadian stewed chicken from the Sylvia Hunt cookbook.

Who is Sylvia Hunt, you ask? She was Trinidad’s Julia Child. She put our cuisine on the map and for many, remains the gold standard of Trinidadian cooking. Sylvia Hunt wrote several cookbooks, hosted a television cooking show, and back in the day, owned her own restaurant. She passed away in the Eighties, I believe. And regrettably, dissent and conflict in her family has prevented her cookbooks from being reprinted and cherished as I am sure she herself would have wanted. You can find loving homages on Can Cook Must Cook and Trini Gourmet.

I managed to get a copy of one of her books, photocopied and bound with love by my parents. So allow me to share this DELICIOUS recipe with you! I added some info to clarify, for those of you who don’t “speak Trini” =)

Chicken, Trinidad Style.

One whole chicken, chopped into pieces
2 limes
salt and pepper
1/2 cup green seasonings of choice. (Some grocery stores actually sell Caribbean imported bottles of green seasoning. Otherwise, make your own by following Trini Gourmet’s recipe)
1 clove garlic
2 tbs. brown sugar
2 tbs. cooking oil
2 tbs. cooking butter
4 tbs. ketchup
1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
2 medium onions, sliced
3 red and green sweet chilies
1/2 cup dry sherry
hot pepper to taste

Remove chicken from marinade, drain liquid off marinade reserving herbs. Heat oil, add sugar, allow to become golden brown. Add chicken, toss to become evenly browned, add butter and toss chicken for 5 minutes. Add drained herbs from marinade, onions, garlic, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, sweet chili peppers and sherri. Add pepper to taste, and simmer for 5 minutes for flavors to become well developed. Check the seasoning. Remove from heat, place chicken into casserole dish, spoon liquid over and arrange onions etc. over chicken. Cover, place into preheated oven 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned.

I am serious. If you like cooking, make this recipe and leave me a comment. I made this maybe 2 weeks ago and my husband couldn’t stop singing its praises. You’ll need a Dutch oven or a large pot for the first part, and I christened a new pot I was gifted with from the AMAZING Giada De Laurentiis collection at Target. I’m going to do a full review soon, but here’s a link for you to pre-order a cast iron Dutch oven of your own!

You can serve Chicken, Trinidad Style with any side dish you like — as you can see in the photo, I made it with mashed sweet potatoes and sugar snap peas. But for Valentine’s Day I plan to serve mine with garlic mashed potatoes and a chopped side salad. And because it’s Valentine’s Day, I’m making a special, romantic cocktail for us to enjoy before and after dinner.

Lately I’ve been obsessed with pomegranate juice, specifically Pom Wonderful — on its own it’s not the sweetest or tastiest juice. But it is SO good for you, and in cocktails and recipes it takes on a whole new delicious life.

So how about a Valentine’s cocktail? I present to you, The Lola.

1 1/4 oz. of POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice
1 oz. vodka
1 tsp. St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
2 oz. champagne

Stir all the ingredients over ice, and strain into a pre-chilled cocktail glass.

Now if you haven’t ever tried St. Germain, you are in for a TREAT. This French liqueur is made from elderflowers picked in the Alps. Just a splash takes champagne to another level of decadence. It isn’t cheap, so I’m going to remix the Lola with my favorite asti spumante. Score!

What are your Valentine’s Day plans, bellas? However you celebrate, I hope the day is filled with love!

Pom recipes

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1. I Need a Remedy
2. Valentine’s Day, The No-Buy-Month Way
3. 5 Last Minute Valentine’s Gift Suggestions

If your workout has become stagnant and uninspiring, if you feel like a hamster stuck inside a wheel, if you are just plain bored with your regular routine — switch it up! You’re as limited as your mind allows. It’s up to you to find something you like to do.

In continuing the 50 Million Pound Challenge, I’ve had my moments of struggle, reluctance, and frustration. The hardest thing to do is get back on that saddle. But I realized that switching up my workout routine, finding new motivation and inspiration is of paramount importance.

So I’m gonna start reviewing new exercise experiences and workout options here, to let you know what’s worked and hasn’t worked for me!

First up, Hoopnotica!

The hula hooping workout has gotten press EVERYWHERE. Vogue, Time, E!, MSNBC, US Weekly, People, In Style… you name it. It’s trendy, sexy and unique, so all the hottest celebrities have been jumping into the hoop craze.

That’s not why I wanted to try it.

From what I’ve read, you can actually lose weight while hooping. And also, more superficially, I love the hippie hoop girls that you see at big music festivals. These chicks are amazing. They hoop in time to the music and do all sorts of amazing tricks, and by nightfall, they use glow in the dark hoops. So. Cool.

They inspired me to learn how to hoop.

I’ve never exactly been what you’d call coordinated, and I definitely lack the skills to hoop. So I knew this would be a challenge. But armed with the Deluxe Hoopnotica Starter Kit, I was determined to learn.

The Hoopnotica starter kit comes with a travel hoop, which you click together. It is GINORMOUS. Way bigger than a regular hula hoop. And it’s super pretty too (I got the blue and silver hoop). The kit comes with two DVDs, beginning level 1 and 2. I desperately needed beginning level 1.

Here’s what I learned about Hoopnotica.

1. It’s got a very new agey zen vibe about it. I watched the DVD with my mom in law and she commented at one point, “this must be what yoga is like,” as the beautiful, lithe women of Hoopnotica slowly demonstrated their warm up (which involves holding the hoop above you, around you, and getting a feel for the hoop in general).

2. You need a mighty big living room to effectively get your Hoopnotica on. I noticed the women of the DVD doing it in open fields and enormous, empty spaces. GREAT idea. Doing Hoopnotica in a regular living room could well lead you to break a lamp, knock over picture frames, possibly break your computer screen, and unsnap your snappable hoop if you’re a clutz like I am. Note to self, clear living space completely clear living space before hooping.

Having said all that, this is super fun. The DVD is slow in pace so it’s ideal for people like me who are new to hooping in general. For my mom in law who’s been good at it since hula hoops became popular children’s toys, the DVD was a bit too slow but she still admired parts of it. Like halos, where the hoop is twirled above your head.

Either way, it looks cool and the DVD is slow and cautious enough that you can totally learn what you’re doing with time and practice. My goal is to master the fundamentals, then do my own hoopdance workout to dubstep, or Bob Marley, or whatever music I’m feeling at the moment!

Would I recommend Hoopnotica to you? If you don’t live in a teeny apartment, most definitely. This workout requires space and the ability to watch on DVD at the same time, and depending on the size of your place that may be a tall order. But once you’ve mastered the basics, this is the kind of thing you could do in your backyard with ease. And it only gets more fun with more effort — and it DOES require effort. It’s not a child’s game, you can break a good sweat hoopdancing. But I could totally see how you can lose weight and enjoy yourself while doing this. And if you’re well practiced it looks pretty sexy, too. Score!

How can you be down? Visit the website and get the Deluxe Hoopnotica Starter Kit. Hoopnotica recommends getting one of their large, weighted hoops…but if you already have a hoop, you can get the DVDs and try it with what you already have, to start out.

Have you tried Hoopnotica? Tell me what you think! Or do you have any workouts you’re intrigued by and you’d like me to review? Let me know!

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1. Nothing To It But To Do It
2. Go ‘Head Michelle!
3. My Top Five Workout Jams

I’m getting closer to my dream. You see, when I moved to Chicago I started having pretty vivid dreams of what I wanted from the city. For the most part, they are snapshots. One of them that has lingered with me, and remained foremost in my mind as we looked for an apartment.

I see myself, on a retro bicycle with a basket on the front, riding around Lake Michigan.

There’s something really freeing and magical about riding a bike. And seeing the world from that eye-view is thrilling.

Besides the fun of the wind blowing through your hair and whizzing past slow-moving cars and people, there’s the exercise factor — a huge part of the 50 Million Pound Challenge involves just motivating yourself to get up, get out, and do something to get yourself moving. It helps to do something you like, and to make it a regular part of your daily routine.

So the action plan is, when I am established in the heart of the city, get a bike. It’s free, fun, easy transportation from point A to B, I can run errands when the weather isn’t too bad, and the whole time I’ll be getting in that precious exercise time I so often convince myself isn’t completely available.

But ay, here’s the rub. Nice bikes can be crazy expensive!

I fell head over heels for some of the models featured in this post on Re-Nest — slender, retro, highly functional, outfitted with chic baskets for the items you procure along the way. But for example, the Gary Fisher bike I admired enough to post a pic of at the top here, costs a cool $969.99.

Wow.

I’ve been trying to convince myself to settle for something more um, reasonable. Schwinn Bikes have a fine made in America, founded in Chicago tradition, and huzzah — the bikes I want are under $500. The 2009 Searcher looks good, right?

Although I would love a new bike, I’m probably going to go vintage. Emily Siegler, co-founder of the absolutely adorbs bike bag brand Po Campo, suggested simply — Craigslist. Duh! So I’m going to look there, as well as through local niche bike shops around town like Shining Bikes.

Are you a city girl bike rider? Have you lost weight because of it? Tell me about it!

Related posts:

1. Nothing To It But To Do It
2. No More Excuses!
3. Throwback Thursday – When I Get Robin Thicke Alone

What does the 4th of July mean to you? Fireworks? Freedom? Fried food? All of the above? Most definitely! Moderation isn’t exactly a word that comes to mind during the 4th, or most holiday weekends. But I’m here to tell you, friends of the 50 Million Pound Challenge, you can enjoy the 4th to the max and still maintain your fitness momentum.

If you’re hosting a 4th of July jamboree, that puts you in the driver’s seat to provide a delicious, healthy spread. Nobody’s going to miss played out potato chips and greasy pre-packaged snacks if you provide a lush raw veggie tray for starters. Slice up red, yellow, and orange peppers, add some baby carrots, cucumber spears, and sugar snap peas — serve with low fat ranch, black bean dip, and hummus et voila! Easy, fresh, bright, delicious. And you can do the same with a fruit platter — apple slices drizzled with lemon and honey, fresh canteloupe, honeydew and watermelon, and lots and lots of berries. Skip the caramel dip, save the calories for more fun fare.

One of my favorite crowd pleasing recipes is a version of this vegetable pizza, made with Pillsbury crust, cream cheese, powdered ranch dressing, and lots and lots of fresh chopped veggies. I swear to you, people who don’t like veggies LOVE this pizza. And I don’t usually include the olives because I married someone who thinks they are gross.

I found healthy recipes galore at EatingWell.com — beer BBQ chicken FTW!

The recipe thread at Prevention.com has some delicious suggestions as well — grilled veggies are SO summertime perfect and are a great idea instead of just ripping open a bag of tater tots. Most outdoor cookfests involve lots of grilled meat, and Cooking Light’s corn and summer veggie saute makes a delicious side to go with BBQ steak, chicken, or fish.

For dessert, the Barefoot Contessa’s flag cake is an instant win, but the recipe can be made even lighter by using cool whip as frosting, and a low-calorie box cake instead of this butter and sugar heavy recipe.

Bon appetite, bellas! Have a fabulous fourth!

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1. Fabulous Fourth Cocktails!
2. Love You Like a Fresh Vegetable
3. Eating Healthy, Eating Cheap

I’ve been reading Michael Pollan’s book, In Defense of Food. The first sentence grabbed me right away.

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

He makes it sound easy, right? But when you’re living in a city, or on a budget, if you work long hours or if you have kids who are picky eaters, eating according to Pollan’s plan can seem almost impossible. Unhealthy food is cheap and it’s EVERYWHERE. Eating healthy takes a bit more effort. But believe me, bellas — it’s worth it!

I have big, big admiration for First Lady Michelle Obama for getting her hands in the dirt and encouraging kids to plant a vegetable garden at the White House. 36 students from Washington DC’s Bancroft Elementary helped her, and just this week they harvested their veggies. 73 pounds of lettuce, to be exact. Then, together with White House chefs, the FLOTUS and her elementary school assistants dined on baked chicken with brown rice and peas, salad with carrots and honey dressing, and garden cupcakes with fruit topping.

Delicious! Michelle Obama explained her motivation in a speech following the harvest.

“I also thought that this would be a fun and interesting way to talk to kids about healthy eating and nutrition. The President and Congress are going to begin to address health care reform, and these issues of nutrition and wellness and preventative care is going to be the focus of a lot of conversation coming up in the weeks and months to come. And these are issues that I care deeply about, especially when they affect America’s children.

Obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high-blood pressure are all diet-related health issues that cost this country more than $120 billion each year. That’s a lot of money. While the dollar figure is shocking in and of itself, the effect on our children’s health is even more profound. Nearly a third of the children in this country are either overweight or obese, and a third will suffer from diabetes at some point in their lifetime. In Hispanic and African American communities, those numbers climb even higher so that nearly half of the children in those communities will suffer the same fate. Those numbers are unacceptable.”
They truly are, and all of us — old, young, busy, working, well to do, or struggling — can make an effort to eat healthy, local, and fresh. If you live in an apartment, or in a place where you can’t have a garden of your own, you might want to consider signing up for a Community Supported Agriculture organization, where local farmers provide shares of seasonal fruits and veggies. It’s a great way to support local growers.

If you’ve got a green thumb and it’s getting itchy because of a lack of growing space, you can consider Square Foot Gardening or check out CommunityGarden.org to learn more about starting your own community garden elsewhere.

And at the very least if you don’t want to get your hands dirty, you can still add to a healthier lifestyle by seeking out your local farmer’s markets, and adding more fresh, locally produced, pesticide free fruits and veggies to your diet.

Here’s some added incentive, if you’re struggling — Dr. Ian Smith and the 50 Million Pound Challenge will award a different lucky winner of $1,000 every day from June 22-26! All you have to do is update your profile to automatically have the chance to win. $1000 should go a long way towards getting a healthy lifestyle in place, right? I hope some of you bellas win!

Do you find Michelle Obama’s garden inspiring? What do you do to eat healthy?

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1. Eating Healthy, Eating Cheap
2. Love You Like a Fresh Vegetable
3. Good Riddance To a Bad Idea

There are some killer bargains to be found in the world of spas these days, bellas. Trust me – look in the ads at the back of your local paper, or take a gander online. Spas are hurting bad (just like so many other service industries are), and the consumer reaps the rewards. There are spa specials galore, if you get to looking. But if you’re in my unemployed condition, sometimes even a spa special isn’t enough to make the experience affordable. Times like these call for at-home spa treatments! Investing a little in a new product can pay off alot. A trip to the spa may leave you glowing and overjoyed, but being able to recreate that effect at home? Priceless.

Here’s a tip I got at the Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach. The treatment I enjoyed at the Eau Spa was among the most fantastic spa treatments I have EVER had (and I’ve had some good ones!) It’s called the Elemis Exotic Frangipani Body Nourish Wrap, and involves being anointed with a heavenly scented oil blended from coconut and frangipani flowers and then basically wrapped up in what feels like a giant waterbed that’s inflated while you’re in it. It is the closest thing I can imagine to being in the womb. OK, so that part would be impossible to do at home. But the treatment begins with a dry body scrub using a cactus body brush and let me tell you — this will change your life. Never before could I have imagined skin this soft.

A little research reveals that dry body brushing has a ton of great health benefits — from helping to reduce cellulite to improving immunity. It’s extremely popular in the world of detox, and rumor has it (according to the lady who scrubbed me down), this has been done since the era of the Greeks and Romans.

There are some insanely pricey dry body brushes on the market, but I skipped past all of them and got the $15 cactus body brush from The Body Shop. It’s made from all natural materials and yes – cactus bristles are spiky! Ouch! But brush gently, and it isn’t so bad. Really it isn’t. And the softness of your skin afterwards is sooooooo worth it!

Massage your skin with something decadent, like Kiehls’ Argan Dry Oil, Oyin AfterBath or Carol’s Daughter Body and Bath Oil, and your skin will thank you afterwards.

Body scrubs are popular treatments at spas, but here’s the rub (literally) — your money’s simply being spent on the pleasure of having someone else’s hands on your body. Which can be totally worth it, of course… but bellas on a budget should know that at most spas, they aren’t using anything you can’t whip up at home yourself with a minumum of effort. It’s easy enough — all you need is a whole lotta brown sugar, and some organic coconut, jojoba, sweet almond or olive oil, and a drop or two of your essential oil of choice, et voila! A body scrub as decadent as anything you’ll find at ESPA or the Red Door.

I personally prefer a sugar scrub — my skin’s too soft and easily stung for salt! But salt scrubs are great if you have coarser, less sensitive skin and really want to soften it up. From Nature With Love sells pre-packaged kits to get your DIY on, in Sugar Cookie Scrub and Black Raspberry Salt. Delicious!

Another great at-home or easy on-location spa treatment (and island remede) — beach sand. Ever since I was a wee one, mama bella would sit where the water lapped gently on the sand, and use the wet grains to scrub her feet, hands, elbows and knees. Spa Index features a recipe — all it requires is a little beach sand, some canola oil (I prefer coconut) and drops of rosemary oil. So simple, and that’s the kind of thing a less savvy bella might pay big bucks for at a pricey vacation spa. Keep that cash and collect a little sand whenever you’re at the beach next time! That way you can spa at home for free!

Do you DIY spa treatments at home? Do tell! How do you pamper yourself (and save your money)?

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May was a bad month for me and discipline. Moving will do that to you. No food in the fridge, no pots left to cook in, working hard to pack all your stuff in boxes all day long… the next thing you know someone says “french fries?” and you respond like Pavlov’s dog.

Forgive me, Dr. Ian — I fell off the 50 Million Pound Challenge wagon again. Way, way off.

There was a week in May where I ate practically nothing but fast food. Arby’s and Subway. Five Guys Burgers and Fries. And most shamefully of all — Krystle Burger and *heavy sigh* White Castle. Which I regretted eating almost instantly. Someone explain to me — WHY did Harold and Kumar want to go to this place so bad?

I could blame my overindulgence on my friend in moving, Frank, who is practically obsessed with sliders. From the minute he saw Krystal’s big red sign, he was raring to go.

But I can’t blame someone else for my own weakness. I should have just said NO.

If you’ve been rumbling across country in a truck all day, you’ll notice a distinct lack of healthy food available for sale. Healthy food is not what a rest stop is about. Rest stops are about convenience, getting you in and out with an empty bladder and a full belly in ten minutes or less. Does that give you time for food prepared with love, or good nutritional value? Probably not. Does it mean you will most likely wind up eating something you’ll regret? I can almost guarantee it, unless you are armed with discipline.

So what should you do to avoid the on-the-road bad food blues? Like Dr. Ian says, pack a meal. Bring a cooler with baby carrots and grapes to stave off starvation. Costco sells amazing mixed nuts for way cheaper than Planters’ mixes at the regular grocery store. If you need additional suggestions for healthy snacks, check out the Healthy Meal Plan tab of the 50 Million Pound Challenge for a substantative list. Ranging from air popped popcorn and sunflower seeds for the salt-lovers to chocolate pudding or licorice for your sweet tooth, there’s something to satisfy your cravings without wrecking your plan altogether.

Now that I’m off the road, I’m back on my master plan. Eating healthy and exercising makes me feel so much better than White Castle ever, ever could.

How’s your diet treating you, bella? Is it a daily struggle or is it like second nature by now?

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My first yoga class was an unforgettable experience.

I’d been yoga-curious for a while, experimented with videos and online tutorials. But finally a friend I knew through my old job convinced me to join her at the local free yoga classes at Bayfront Park in Miami. It’s a stunning venue — the lapping water of Biscayne Bay to the front, the glittering buildings of Miami’s downtown to the back. I got down and tried to bend and stretch with the best of them. The instructor was a smokin’ hot dude with flowy white pants. When he moved into a headstand position I was sure nobody else could do, I was astounded to look around and see at least half of the class standing on their heads right around with him. Needless to say, I felt out of my league. And at the end of it, we discovered that my yoga friend had exacerbated a pre-existing injury. That class landed my friend in the hospital with back and neck problems, and made me steer clear of yoga classes completely.

So I kept trying, I gave it another whirl with videos. But it isn’t the same, doing yoga by yourself in your living room with no guidance. I grew to love the Wii Fit yoga — it’s super precise because of the Wii Fit platform, which can detect even the slightest tremor in your feet. But still, I wasn’t motivated enough to want to practice every day.

I wanted that passion the diehard yoga fanatics seemed to exude. I wanted the inner peace yoga seemed to almost-guarantee anyone who practiced it. I wanted to have a transformative yoga experience.

I got what I wanted, when I went to a Voluptuous Vinyasa class.

Billed as yoga for plus size women, it’s all about nurturing your soul, adapting your body, and freeing your mind. The class I attended was led by Yamilee Bastien, a Miami-based yoga instructor who is all about creating a haven for women who may be hesitant about contorting their bodies into pretzel shapes, or who know a headstand isn’t in their immediate future. Yamilee helped to shatter some of my preconceptions about yoga. Number one — it really CAN be for everybody!

Our class began with some sharing and writing, we sat in a circle and identified the things we appreciated about our bodies, our dreams for the future, the things we needed more and less of in our lives. We filled out a harmony wheel, ideitifying the areas in our lives where the wheel needed to be rounder and healthier. Then the session began. Yamilee’s class is intimate and she really takes the time to make sure every student feels loved, appreciated, positioned correctly, and comfortable — which isn’t easy when you’re in downward facing dog. But I’m happy to report, the poses became easier as the class continued. My first efforts at downward facing dog were tremulous and unsure – my hands were sweaty and slippery and I didn’t feel confident I could hold the pose. But by the end of the class, I did! And I finally felt that internal calm that I noticed in the eyes of my friends who regularly practice yoga. By the end of Yamilee’s class, I wanted to make yoga a regular part of my life. It’s a promise I’ve made to myself. Even though I’ve since moved from Miami and won’t be practicing with Yamilee anymore, I’m looking for somewhere in Chicago to pick up where I left off.

My friend in beauty blogging Julia of All About the Pretty rhapsodized about the benefits of yoga when we met in DC, then she sent me an awesome article from Natural Health Magazine about yoga and weight loss. Yoga might not be the only thing to do if you’re on a fitness quest, but practicing it regularly can lead to an increased awareness of your body’s needs, and from there comes a desire to improve your diet and overall way of living. I’m happy to say that now I get it. I understand. I’m a believer. And I plan to make yoga a regular part of my life as I continue on the 50 Million Pound Challenge.

Do you practice yoga, bellas? Share your yoga experience with me!

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1. Rolling the Dice On My Life
2. For The Little Afrobella In Your Life
3. Today = The First Day of the Rest Of My Life

I love those new Weight Watchers commercials featuring Hunger as an adorable orange monster. (And I’m not the only one!)

Not only does the furry little guy appeal to my ongoing Muppet obsession, and not only does he look exactly like Gossamer, the monster from the classic Looney Tunes cartoons… but he pretty accurately depicts how it can feel when you’re on a weight loss journey — temptation abounds, and for me it’s never ever for healthy snacks. I sit around fantasizing about awful-for-me white flour demon snacks, and it can be a challenge to resist their lure. Life isn’t like that equally funny 50 Million Pound Challenge commercial, where Dr. Ian is there to thwart a would-be dieter’s fast-food sabotage. When temptation comes a-calling, sometimes you have to find motivation from unlikely sources. That’s why I follow a variety of weight loss gurus, diet divas, and exercise experts on Twitter and Facebook. Every day they help me say GET BEHIND ME, hunger monster.

Daily reminders from them help to keep me on track, if I wind up skipping a workout day to camp out in front of the computer all day. Cause y’know, sometimes that happens. Allow me to introduce you to the wonderful and inspiring world of social media’s finest fitness motivators!

The remarkable thing about Twitter is, it’s becoming so enormous that literally anyone you dream up probably already has a profile on there. For example, the other day I wished aloud that Richard Simmons was on Twitter. And lo and behold — he already was! Richard Simmons, AKA The Weight Saint, posts daily affirmations and reminders. It’s a little scary that the man who works a pair of red-and-white-striped shorts like none other is possibly following what you eat, but I’ll admit – Richard Simmons’ tweets have made me think twice about what I was about to put into my mouth more than once before.

Livin The Fit Life, AKA DC’s Toughest Trainer has a rockin’ body and a great blog that covers all aspects of weight loss, diet, and fitness in a real and approachable way. Daily reminders like this help to keep you on your journey, regardless of where you’re at.

Gourmet on a Diet keeps me in the know with healthy recipes and snack suggestions. Her blog is brilliantly written, real, and very helpful.

Manifest Well Being — AKA Deborah Barnett, PHD, is a weight loss psychologist, Personal Trainer is straight outta Chicago and posts nothing but helpful fitness tips, Fitness Guy helps you keep your eyes on the prize, and you can find even more fitness gurus on WeFollow.

On Facebook I’m part of the Sati Life weight loss community, and Facebook gets even more effective on a local level. Through FB I discovered Free Yoga Miami, and I’m taking a class this Saturday! Thanks, Facebook!

Oh, and in case you didn’t know — The 50 Million Pound Challenge has a Facebook group! So you can join to meet others, share your stories, and get that motivation you need when you get sucked into social networking. All you need now is a fitness computer! What will they think of next?

Twitter and Facebook are what you make them. Online networking and socializing can definitely be a source of time suckage and a way for people to mind your bidness, sure. But they can also be an avenue for constant inspiration and motivation, or a way to
put public pressure on yourself to meet your fitness goals. Whatever works for you!

Do you have any favorite Twitter or Facebook fitness groups? Let me know – I’m always looking for more inspiration!

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