Aubrey, congratulations on seeing Onderland!!! you must be very excited. I would like to join you there, but I have to step things up a notch, or maybe three notches, to get there this year.

Reba, good luck with your surgery. Maybe you can ask the doctors to slip in a little lipo while they are working . I'll be thinking of you on Wednesday. Please pop in when you can and let us know how you're doing.

Samantha--I use Collage Videos; you can preview the workouts on their websites, and send videos back if you hate 'em. Also, in the 3FC fitness threads you can find lots of posts about the most popular videos. I like Charlene Prickett's low-impact videos. There's a few points where there's some fance footwork, but mostly it's straight-forward and I think she's grett at cueing. I also have Aerobics for Dummies (Gay Gaspar, which I did this morning), which isn't flashy but gets the job done. I started out with Kathy Smith, but some of her later videos seem to be a little hyper and shrill. I have been really into TurboJam for several months now. Finally, now that there's the option to only hear the music, I do Leslie Sansome's 5-mile walk sometimes. The workouts are brisk but basic, but I couldn't deal with her incessant prattle.

It's been sunny here, although still chilly, and the time springs ahead this weekend...it will be spring soon, yaay!

judy

Hello everyone I am so glad I am not the only singleton out there. My life is nothing like sex and the city I know the key to being happy is to love oneself so I think you guys will help me achieve that goal.

Trust me Pink, I lived in NYC for many years and hardly anyone's life was like Carrie Bradshaw's...although I could relate to the broader questions about how single people deal with lust, intimacy and commitment as they move into their 30s and beyond. Yeah, cute men and cute clothes are great, but contentment comes from within. I went out with a friend last night who's approaching 30--almost 20 years younger than me--and she spent most of the evening being bummed that she's not in a relationship. She's smart and gorgeous but sort of negative in general, and I think her all-or-nothing attitude gets in the way. But we all have to figure it out for ourselves, don't we?

I have been working out this week, but I think I'm just sick of Curves, I haven't been able to drag myself over there in weeks. So I'm going to cancel my membership (after three years). I tentatively have an appointment with a personal trainer/physical therapist to come by my apartment complex to help me with a strength routine using the machines in our new fitness center. I have been taking in too many calories this week, which I blame on being a little overwhelmed at work...but it will be an overwhelming year at work, so I have to nip this in the bud! I'm also taking a meditation class which starts on Wednesday. That can only help!

Time to work out and get started on the chores. This morning I'll do Walk Away the Pounds five-mile walk. With the awful music but not Leslie Sansone's chatter! Hope everyone has a great weekend.

judy

So ladies, I definately had a melt down tonight, and it wasn't a fun one. I did so good all day long I ate healthy and did turbo jam this morning. But then at like 7:00 tonight I decided that I should try to figure out what clothes to wear tomorrow. You see, the other teacher that is going on this trip with me to France this summer is mega gorgeous, and single....lol.... and I have a slight crush on him. Well tomorrow night him and I are taking the 4 students going to France with us to a fancy French restaurant, and I wanted to wear something trendy, dressy, and sexy! Well it took me like 87 different outfits to wear, was in tears at one point, but I finally settled on something to wear.. It was just a hard night for me, I was so proud of myself for working out and eating better, and I was just so depressed when it came time for me to find an outfit, everything I tried on I felt like just made me look 'fat'. But like I said, I found something to wear, and had a glass of water and now I'm going to bed and will wake up a much happier person tomorrow. I'm proud of myself though for not going to Burger King or something just to drown myself in my depression..... Thats always a positive thing....

Have a wonderful Day

Aubrey

Aubrey, your mind is playing games with you! I'm sure you looked great, and I hope you had fun at the restaurant. Some days I'll look in the mirror and smile, noticing something I'll like, and later I'll look at the same body (in a different mood) and be horrified. Our friends our focusing on our smile, our voices, our self-confidence and what we have to say, not on the flab on our arms or our chunky thighs. I struggle to tune out that mean voice in my head....and think about women like Queen Latifah, who's a make-up model, for crying out loud, and remember that as long as I'm not going on and on about my big butt, no one else is, either.

Samantha, I listen to music and read when I'm feeling a little down. What I really want to do then, of course, is nibble, especially in the evening . I used to drink a little mint tea and treat myself to a nice bubble bath or a face mask. I've gotten out of the habit, so this is a nice reminder to head toward the bath instead of the kitchen in these moods. What yoga DVD do you do? I like Gaim Living Arts' Yoga for Weight Loss, which I want to do more often in the evenings, but I don't normally get home in time to have dinner before 8PM, and by 10 I'm too lazy to do anything...but I will think of you in the same boat, maybe it will inspire me!

The weather is perking up nicely....which means more time walking outside .

judy

I hope everyone is having a great weekend! I got my hair done yesterday and bought a nice rug for the living room today. I spent part of today with a friend who's a real estate lawyer (for ginormous corporate deals) who talked with me about buying a place to live. I'm sick to death of renting apartments, but I've been worried about the price of housing in my area. And as a single woman without a second income or a car, I'm not up for moving further out into the burbs and invest in a fixer-upper. I will be going to first-time home buyer seminar next Saturday, we'll see what they say.

I've been okay with food, but last night I had a microwave popcorn binge . All week I've struggled to adjust to the time change, which has cut into my workout time. This week I'll be better...the meditation class was wonderful. I know that a regular practice of mindful meditation will help me with mindless eating...

judy

Hey y'all,

sorry I haven't been posting... I had my gallbladder removed Wednesday and stayed overnight at the hospital...

how are you? How was your weekend?? Mine was quiet but that shouldn't surprise anyone... i spent time dozing and reading and working on a puzzle...but I did get out some!

My mom, sister and I went to a yard sale and then an estate sale yesterday... out for several hours... then I went with a friend driving through town for pictures of the old homes (She's getting ready for the pilgrimage art show) and then to walmart- did ok... I was tired at the end of the day but ok. Today I went to church and then lunch...boy... didn't realize it would hurt like it did to sing with the choir! should have sat it out... for lunch we went to chinese- but Theresa and I did well...didn't really enough to go! I was worn out when I got home- don't know if it was a combo with yesterday or what...but I've rested all afternoon and didn't go to church tonight... tomorrow I go back to work... pray that my energy holds during the day!

so... how are you doing??

Reba

Reba, you've been very busy for a woman just recovering from surgery! It sounds like it went well, I'm glad. I hope that you are able to take it easy on your first day back to work.

I am trying not to repeat last week's lingering in bed in the morning...I did a little yoga last night and went to bed a little earlier than usual, but it didn't help. I still managed to do 40 minutes of cardio and get in an extra few minutes of walking to work, but I got to the office a little late. It was still pretty chilly this weekend, after last Friday's sleet and hail, but now I can tell that spring is just around the corner, yaay! I can't wait to pack up my heavier clothes and switch back into sandals .

Aubrey, Samantha, et al, hope you're feeling good today.

judy

Wow, it's been a tough week at work! Having a meditation class right in the middle of it was wonderful, though. I haven't been able to get back into my workout groove. I'm mentally and physically tired, working longer hours and not having much time to zone out and relax. So my exercise time has gotten short shrift, and I'm feeling niblbly after dinner. Arrgh! Must get a grip!!!

I have a busy weekend coming up, including an engagement party (I'll attend dateless, per usual). What about the rest of you? Pipe up if you want to keep this thread going!

judy

Hi, BooBear--

Pleased to meet you! But you're right, it's nice to be able to talk about the joys and frustrations of being single without feeling selfish or left out. I hope we can keep this thread going long enough to find some steady posters.

I have been in a rut for over a year. I'm only about 10 pounds lighter than I was this time last year. But this site has kept me pointed in the right direction, despite illnesses, work stress and travel. I'm a mindless eater (plus I just like food ) so I figure that incorporating meditation has to help. I really love doing it. The challenge is to make it a habit.

The engagement party was nice. The groom-to-be is a friend but we aren't close, so it was good of him to invite me. I've been feeling sluggish and lumpy lately, so I finally cashed in a free facial at Origins Friday night, spiffed myself up and even wore a little makeup. Dinner was at an Italian place, enormous platters ofood served family style. I filled up on the salad course, and had a little salmon and chicken and mushroom for the second course. And the champagne toast, of course!

I also had a good visit with a personal trainer yesterday. Boy, was I sore this morning! But he's helping me figure out a good strengthening routine for the fitness center in my apartment complex.

hope everyone had a great weekend!

judy