Day 1 of The Splits

Not quite the limber girl in the photos, but a girls gotta start somewhere....

Starting Pose.  Notice how little I can stretch me legs out 

A little back stretch never hurt anyone

Struggle City.  Population: SML

The Splits

Some of the goals on my 21 by 21 list are very circumstantial, while others will require time, effort, and preparation (ahem, 100 followers... get on that guys!)  This leads me to the conquering of The Splits.  Once upon a time, I was able to do a split, for about a 10 month period, and I had worked a good 5 months getting there.  Those of you reading-- I am definitely not referencing David O-- who were in Kol Hamizrach with me (the esteemed Solomon Schechter of Newton 8th grade dance troupe) may remember that I did a split along with renowned dancer AG of JLDC in our final pose.  But after the summer going into 9th grade, my splits were gone.  And so the strenuous task of stretching and stretching and expanding my zoftig legs will commence... tomorrow.

I'm sure that my past 6 days of Zumba have begun to prepare my limbs for the unthinkable (really, just ask my mom... and now I wonder why my mom always ends up in my blog posts...) but I found a useful website that outlines some great stretches specifically to improve, or in my case achieve, your split.  Those loyal followers who want to join me on my journey should refer to Splits Stretching which includes instructions and lovely images such as these:

And hey!  If this limber girl in ballet attire can do it, so can I!

But what you don't know is that I will photograph my progress on the way!  Tomorrow I will enlist my dear friend Charlene (who is literally just finding out about this as she reads these words) to photograph me in the six Split Stretches, and will continue to enlist different friends to photograph my progress until I have achieved a (probably left leg in front) split!  I am not committing to uploading weekly photos unless there is nothing to write about or they are so hilarious that you all insist on my doing so... but don't worry, I will be sure to post the real gems!

So wish me luck, readers!  I am on my way to achieving what I really think may not be possible but is certainly worth a try.  And if you want to join me in this endeavor, write a comment and we can set something up!  Or if you don't, write a comment for encouragement!  Or just comment because I want to get comments....

I've gotta split!

Sara 

Combating Calories

    As I near my 21st birthday* (because everyone counts 4 months in advance as "nearing") I've made myself a to do list: 21 under 21.  The idea was given to me by a friend and I've begun putting together a list, some of which I'm sure will be shared publicly with my (very few) readers and some of them, I'm sure, will definitely not.  One of them is something not so uncommon to girls nearing their 21st birthday; losing weight.  I've never been skinny but I've never been obese.  I've spent the better years of my life walking the thin line (pun completely intended) of having a proportionate body but still slightly round on the tummy, loving to dance but never have been trained properly, wearing clothes that look good but are not quite trendy because I'm afraid those jeans won't fit me in three weeks, wanting to exercise but not ready to cut out my guilty-pleasure-blueberry-muffins and more dichotomies that permeate my life (let's not get started on religion....)
I've been blessed to have incredible family and friends that do not care where exactly on that line I landed.  But as my mother likes to remind me (and rightfully so) I shouldn't let my sociability keep me from treating my body well.  The issue has become, as this weight loss thing is something on my 21 by 21 list (so you know it's important), how will I accomplish this goal?

I simply love food too much to do anything drastic.  So I joined a gym and started a journal (and now a blog).  Accountability, motivation, consistency, challenge, and happiness.  Those are my mantras as of now, they are likely to change in the next three days, and I'm okay with that.

Calories are all around us- don't eat too many but the ones that you eat better be the right kinds!  Need to know how many calories are in your favorite fruit?  Just look it up online!  Bad at math?  Use a calorie counter by entering the food items!  What do they forget to tell you about calories?  That they are energy.  That you need them to function.  That without a healthy level of calorie intake you won't even make it to the gym to get rid of those calories- you'll faint on the way.  I cannot sit down and count every calorie I eat, I will go crazy.  I'm living in NYC, taking two classes, catching up on TV, and maybe leaving some room for hanging out with friends while I'm at it.  What I have done is created a schedule for myself for my new gym (which I'm obsessed with, talk about friendly environments!) I have vowed to do zumba every single day not because I have to work out but because I love dancing and I thoroughly enjoy doing zumba.  I have done lots of research on healthy ways to eat and live and decided to create a 5-meal-a-day system for myself, including only so many carbs (which don't get me wrong I wholeheartedly believe are necessary to get through the day) and lots of water.

I don't expect results in the next week, and I don't expect much of my relationships to change because of it.  But I do expect a happier me (if that's possible), a more-confident me, and a me who will buy those pairs of jeans and expect to wear them three weeks later.


*September 13, save the date!