If there's one thing I know about staying fit and looking good, it's that you can't just rely on eating lighter (or God forbid, dieting!) to do it. Sure, eating healthier and lighter has its benefits, but there is no way on God's green earth that anyone can keep thin and gawgeous without getting some regular exercise.
Exercise! It's a word a lot of people don't like, but getting some in there is a necessity if you want to have any chance at looking good physically. There are plenty of forms of exercise one can do, everything from all out gym workouts to running to playing a sport. Joining a gym is usually the first thing a person does when they want to start working out, but more often than not, it ends up being a monthly bill that pays for less and less workouts because let's face it, the hardest thing about going to the gym is going to the gym. So I say why not do the easiest thing and start walking?
Walking is probably the easiest way to get exercise. It's really effortless, and you get to see a lot of interesting things you wouldn't ordinarily get to see driving in the car. You can pop that iPod in your pocket and enjoy your favorite tunes while you do it. You can walk with a friend or family member and spend some quality time getting fit together.
Truly, walking is the least anyone should do for exercise. I work out regularly, but I can't always find the time to get them in every day, and so the one thing I do almost every single day is walk, because it's so easy, and my body is in the best shape it's ever been in.
The research can be found all over the place. Among other things, walking helps to prevent various conditions, including Type II Diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, it strengthens your bones, helps you maintain good balance and coordination, it lifts your mood, and it helps you stay fit. So if you're looking to lose a few pounds and you're not too keen on joining a gym or getting regular exercise, I say what are you waiting for? The weather's nice so there's no excuse. Get on out there and start walking!
Everyone knows that the key to looking fit, healthy and sexy lies within your midsection. Abdominals make up the core of the body and keeping them toned adds to your overall fitness, posture, strength and appeal. Getting toned abdominal muscles is not easy...some people are lucky enough to be born with a six-pack without ever having to do a crunch or a sit-up. For many others, like me, it takes a lot of work.
About six years ago I began my current means of keeping fit. I started to watch what I ate and I began to exercise regularly. Back then I weighed about 215 lbs. and I knew that before I could work on at least a toned midsection I'd have to lose some of the fat I was carrying first. The combination of eating less and exercising regularly did the trick, as I lost a total of about 60 lbs., but getting those abs I want has still proven to be difficult and elusive.
Don't get me wrong, my abs are not terrible, but there not the ones I've always dreamed of having and I still hope to develop them soon. Together with all of the crunches and other ab exercises I do, I've just begun to employ Pilates as another means of developing my abs. Though it's been slow going, I can already see and feel a difference after just a couple of weeks. Hopefully by the time summer gets here, I'll have a six-pack of my own, or at least a resemblance of one.
Check out an article I wrote for Yahoo Voices on ab exercises:
It’s Tuesday night and it’s already been a long week! Yesterday was the first day back from winter break and the students were all mentally still on break, making the one day seem like at least two. (Okay, maybe I was still on a mental break, too!) I was a busy boy last night catching up on some end of the month deadlines, and so I didn’t have any time to post here. So here’s the latest from my so called life:
Call Her “Miss Ross”
As I said, I had a few pieces to work on yesterday, one which was submitted as a feature article and the other that I published. Both pieces were on one of my favorite singers, Diana Ross. Diana was my first diva, coming to know her at the time in my life when I first started to become aware of myself as a gay person. I credit her with initiating my love of dancing and dance music in general, as well as that special fondness for female performers whom I’d come to love in the years that followed.
Diana Ross was the guest on Friday’s Oprah show and I probably should have written these two pieces in advance of the show instead of afterwards. When I took a look at Yahoo on Friday night, I saw that she was the top trending search that evening and I would’ve gotten a lot of page views as a result. Oh well, lesson learned! Anyway, I hope there’s still some leftover interest in the diva as people watch the reruns on their DVR’s. Maybe then I’ll get some decent hits from them after all.
The first article, which I published, is called Diana Ross: My First Diva, and it’s one of my favorite types of pieces to write. That is, it’s written as a personal memoir talking about my own personal experiences with the singer and how she’s been a part of the soundtrack of my life. I’ve got plenty of fond memories surrounding Ms. Ross and I shared some of them in the piece. People tend to enjoy these types of articles as well as I enjoy writing them, so please check it out!
The other piece is meant as a companion to the earlier one. It’s another one of my “top ten” lists, only since Diana’s catalog is so vast I had to make it a “top twenty.” It should be out soon and I’ll share the link when it’s out.
Remember Me
One of my favorite Diana Ross songs is one from way back in 1970. Of course I never knew it until much later, but I simply love the lyrics and being the sentimental sap that I am, I associate them with special people who’ve come and gone from my life at one time or another and whose memories I will forever cherish. Take a look at the lyrics as you listen to the song:
Remember Me -(Nicholas Ashford and Valerie Simpson)
Bye baby, see you around Didn’t I tell you I wouldn’t hold you down Take good care of yourself, y’hear Don’t let me hear about you shedding a tear You’re gonna make it You’re gonna make it
Remember me as a sunny day That you once had, along the way Didn’t I inspire you a little higher Remember me as a funny clown That made you laugh when you were down Didn’t I boy, didn’t I boy
Remember me as a big balloon At a carnival that ended too soon Remember me as a breath of spring Remember me as a good thing
Bye baby, see you around I already know about the new love you’ve found What can I do but wish you well What we had was really swell I won’t forget it, I have no regrets
Remember me as a sound of laughter And my face the morning after Didn’t the sky beckon us to fly? Yes, you’ll remember the times we fought But don’t forget me in your tender thoughts Please darlin’ oh yeah
Remember me when you drink the wine Of sweet success and I gave you my best Remember me every song you sing Remember me as a good thing
Remember me as a sunny day Please darling, remember me as a good thing Remember me when you drink the wine Remember me as a good thing Remember me as a big balloon Don’t forget me darling
The very first person I ever applied this song to was my high school girlfriend Karen. After about two years of being boyfriend and girlfriend, I ended our relationship once I’d begun to realize my true identity at the age of 19. Karen was and still is a very special person to me. She brought me out of a timid high school shell that I’d been living in for several years and for that I will be forever grateful!
I remember you, Karen, as a sunny day that I once had along the way.
Joey D was a good friend of mine for many years. In all of my life I’ve never shared such a connection as the one I had with him. He and I worked together at Stern’s Department store for several years and he became a long time friend after we both stopped working there. For years and years we’ve shared many a laugh and plenty of good times together. Unfortunately, about ten years ago Joey suddenly disappeared from mine and everyone else’s life in pursuit of who knows what. I haven’t heard from him since December of 2000. Until the day I die I will forever remember this very special person.
I remember you, Joey, as a funny clown, that made me laugh when I was down.
Kevin was one of my first steady boyfriends, and one I’ll never forget. When I met him he was engaged to the lover of his best friend who was a lesbian. He agreed to marry this girl, who was from Sweden, so she could stay in the country to be with Lisa, the friend. What he got in return was the chance to fool his family once and for all with a big, gaudy wedding. It was a memorable experience, for there were two wedding ceremonies, one at the justice of the peace and one at a reception hall. On both occasions I was the one who spent the night with the groom.
Kevin magnified my love for Diana Ross. To this day I’ve never met anyone who was such a big fan of anyone’s. It was he who taught me the magic of the Supremes and many other unbeknownst to me Diana Ross songs. I still have a cassette tape he made me for Valentine’s Day full of his favorites.
About six months into our relationship, Kevin confessed that he had cheated on me and ended the relationship before I had a chance to. I was heartbroken, but Kevin told me that I was special and that he wanted to remain friends. You can imagine the thoughts that were running through my head at the time, but true to his word, he persisted in his word and we did eventually become great, great friends.
In the summer of 1990 I got a call from Kevin. He was finally pursuing his dream of living in Miami. He had a fondness for Latino guys and Miami was a hotbed for that. He’d bought a condo on Key Biscayne and quit his job. I was happy for him and excited that I’d have a place to visit, but unfortunately this would be the last time I’d ever speak to him.
In January of the following year, I got a call from Outi, the woman Kevin had married years earlier. She told me that Kevin had died of AIDS. He had gotten sick soon after moving to Florida and faded quickly. I was shocked and heartbroken, to say the least. To this day I still think of Kevin, and he’s one person who certainly left us way too soon. He was only 33 years old.
I remember you, Kevin, as a big balloon at a carnival that ended too soon.
Joe has been the one and only love of my life so far. Together, we spent 20 years full of all the kinds of memories that any couple might share. I remember about a week after I’d met him he came to visit me at my job to ask me a question.
“Do you like Madonna?” he asked.
Did I? Of course I did! It turned out that he bought two tickets to an upcoming concert in the hopes that I did indeed like Madonna (an understatement!). Next came one of the nicest things anyone’s ever said to me:
“Well, the concert’s in August and I want you to know that if things don’t work out you can still come.”
That would be the first of many fond memories I’d have of/with Joe: “Thinking of you” cards left on my windshield early in the morning; moving in together; trips to Aruba, Bermuda and Italy; buying our first house together; Broadway shows; parties, and countless other great things I will always cherish. Though he and I are still in one another’s lives, of course it’s different now.
I remember you, Joe, as a breath of spring. I remember you as a good thing!
These are but a few of the special people who’ve come along in my life only to go forth from it eventually. Though they are no longer with me, I will always remember them with great fondness and I’m grateful for the time I’ve spent with each and every one of them.
Summer’s coming!
Spring is definitely in the air now that February has come and gone and the weather begins to ease up from the wintery frost. Summer dreams are beginning to wander into my mind and I’ve begun to do what most others start to do in January: get ready for it by trying to get into shape. Though I am currently in the best shape of my life, I’ve never quite gotten over that hump of having a great build. After months and months of neglecting my workout routine, I’ve finally returned to it and I’m remembering why I always did it in the first place, determined to reach that goal.
Getting exercise works wonders for your psyche. I’ve been pushing myself pretty hard the past couple of days and it’s helped me get some of my self-esteem back. For the first time in my life, I’m hoping for a six-pack, and judging by the feelings in my abdomen, I’m on my way…
For once and for always, thank you so much for reading. See you next time…
We are thin and gorgeous!
