Not a Fat Opera Singer

Diets and Work-outs and Hormones, OH MY!

2011-12-15T11:58:00.000-05:00

I've been riding the Dukan diet bandwagon lately and have been seeing pretty good results. Currently in the "Attack Phase", 4.5 lbs have fallen off in less than a week. Not to mention that I've been hitting the "30 Day Shred" and the treadmill at the Gym lately. I plan on losing a good 10 lbs. by the time New Years rolls around and to be in pretty decent shape by Jan. 25th for a possible show. THEN I want to be in top "bikini model" shape for this upcoming summer. Once I've droppped the pounds of lovely female insulation, I plan on really toning up the bod before the Spring's end.

Unfortunately, I think the one factor that is working against me is my hormones. I think I'm hitting PMS this week and I'm starting to lose focus. Everything makes me angry, pissed off and sad this week. I seem to hate everyone and cry at commercials on the telly...very possible this is all hormonally based, or I'm just a sad, angry person...I'm going with "sad, angry person" lol! But seriously, it's crazy how hormones can affect our logic, our reason, our desires and our willpower. How many times have you been off "chemically" or "hormonally" and found yourself saying "Ah F#$K it! I'll eat what I want, forget my diet...I'm just too stressed...or tired...or ________ (insert excuse)"? Yeah, that's life, and we have to deal. SO, I'm trying to keep my cool, not lose my mind, deal with crap that the world throws at me and persevere through.

Today I have a gym date to do some guerilla cardio on the treadmill with my girl Kristina. She's been a good gym buddy and has lost 40 lbs. in the past year with diet and exercise. My girl Vicki has lost 28 lbs. so far in the last 2 months (thank you Dr. Dukan) and has about 30-40 more to go before her beach wedding this coming August. I know she'll stick with it and look fantastic for her big day...we won't let her do otherwise ;)

All in all, life is good. I'm seeing successes in my diet, my fitness, and my career...my love life on the other hand is a bit strained, which can really throw a wrench in anything you do. Emotional distraction and distress cloud one's judgement and sucks the energy and will right out of you. We just have to trust ourselves, know our strengths and really push forward no matter what...In fact, nothing makes you feel better than a good work-out. Get your anxieties out in the gym, go for a run, pop in a killer work-out DVD or go for a long swim...trust me, you'll feel better afterwards and look great too!

Have a great day!

Bex

Recovery Week

2011-11-28T12:12:00.002-05:00

The Grand Thanksgiving Feast is done, the leftovers consumed, the alcohol in dregs and the dent in the sofa is ever deeper. Now it's time to turn from our glutenous and slothful ways, back to the healthy eating and the frequent visits to the gym...its time for Recovery Week! If you've found yourself plumper than the turkey that was on your table this past Thursday, then it's time to take action.

My personal approach is to detox, eat lean, green and healthy, and to not forget those calorie shedding moments in the gym. Today I started back with a mostly lean protein, green veggie diet with a morning fruit/green protein shake in the morning (also great for a pre-workout shake).

Jackie Warner's Secret Shake:

1 cup frozen spinach
1 cup frozen berries (I like a higher Strawberry ratio in this)
1/2 tbsp. Flaxseed Oil
1 tbsp. L-Carnitine (I like the rasberry liquid version from Vitamin Shoppe)
1 tsp. BCAA
1 tsp. L-Glutamine
1 Scoop of Whey Protein (the lowest carb version you can find...I use Zero Carb Isopure Vanilla)

I would blend the liquids, powders and protein first in the blender, adding a splash of water as needed. Then add your cup of frozen spinach and blend until your shake is green and smooth, then finally adding in the frozen berries until fully blended. Drink immediately.

This is such a great start to my day, and really gets my metabolism going. I have my shake at 7am and I'm easily hungry again by 9am, so then onto egg whites or 0% Greek yogurt.

Here's a sample of my daily nutrition on this lean diet and the work-outs I get in:

7am - the not so "Secret Shake"
9am - 3 Egg whites (and a nice cup of hot green tea)
11am - 0 % Greek Yogurt
1pm - Chicken Breast and mixed veggies (mostly green and cauliflower)
2pm (30 minute Guerrilla Cardio at the gym on the Treadmill)
3pm - 10 to 15 raw almonds (maybe another cup of green tea)
6pm - Portabella Mushroom "pizza" with lean ground beef bolognese and skim shredded mozzarella (I make my own bolognese because I can control what goes into the sauce, keep the sugar out, add the protein in and keep it low fat.)
7pm (Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD)

During this phase, I keep my dairy intake low (it contains lactose), drink tons of water (at least 64 oz), cut all sodas (diet, I never drink regular) out, drink 1-2 cups of green tea per day, and try to keep the rest of the day low in caffeine and sodium (too much caffeine induces the liver to produce excess insulin plus can increase cortisol, and sodium keeps us puffy).

I also like to track my food, water intake, weight and exercise at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ ... I've found that if you log it, you're more likely to stick with it.

Ok, so now you have the tools to drop the Holiday poundage...go for it. I have found that I average about .5 - 1 pound per day for the first two weeks. It's a great way to shed unwanted bellyfat and bloat. After the first two weeks, I add in more legumes like black beans and kidney beans to keep my energy up with the increase in exercise (the "secret shake" is great for energy as well plus muscle repair).

Feel free to hit me up with any questions or comments.

Have a great day,

-Bex

I'm baaack

2011-11-10T11:07:00.001-05:00

Well after a crazy summer of hitting Austria's many wonderful music and dance festivals, a successful launch to a new opera company, a tour with the National Lyric Opera's production of Tosca and an incredible evening of comic opera set in a speakeasy...I finally have one moment to breathe and blog.

Austria: The summer was a whirlwind of events and travel for me. I found myself involved with a great group of artists and Austrians, and thus ended up in Austria this summer for 2 weeks. On my travels I visited Vienna, Graz, Salzburg and Carinthia. What a lovely country with lovely people. I can't wait to go back. And the music was sublime. The only downside is that the food is so delicious that I had to do some serious damage control once I got back to the States.

Opera Moderne: My new opera company Opera Moderne launched on August 31st...and the New York Times gave us a very favorable review among a few other reviewers. And just recently we performed the rarely done Wolf-Ferrari comic opera "Le Donne Curiose" to a completely packed house at The Players Club this past Friday. It was a roaring success with everyone dressing in 1920s fashion and enjoying an evening of prohibition cocktails, great jazz & opera singing, and the wonderful Hot Box Girls who came in and entertained during the intermissions. It was a night not to be missed!

Diet & Exercise: After my ridiculous eating in Austria, I came back to NYC and found myself a bit chubbier than I like. So my girls and I put ourselves on the Dukan diet. Wow did this work! I lost a good 13 lbs. in a month and was very pleased to take on some performing when it came to me on Oct. 20th (it was a new twist on Musetta, the clothing was minimal). Now I've been slacking off a bit and need to get myself and my mindset back on track. Not to mention, it's time to find myself regularly at the gym, especially with the changing weather coming in (no more beautiful, warm, outside work-outs). I've got no excuse. I've gotta bust my butt...if nothing else than to be in great shape in February for when I go back to Vienna to sing this same Musetta role. I want to look like a freakin' bikini model if I can help it. I guess it's Dr. Dukan and Jillian Michaels to the rescue. One thing I have realized on the Dukan diet is that when you have Protein Veggie days, please make sure to get LOTS of green vegetables. I suggest having a pure green juice if you can get it...those micronutrients are so important and your body needs it. I'll stick to Dukan until my goal weight of 20 lbs. down from now, and then I'm switching over to slow carb, because I love me some legumes. I know Paleo works, but I miss my dairy and legumes...so that is the choice I've made.

Simply Green Juice

- 1 cup of spinach

- 2 cups of kale

- 2 cups of parsley

- 1 cucumber

- 3 celery stalks

Add a little garlic and/or ginger if you like. Wash thoroughly and juice.

Well, I hope you are all healthy, happy and fulfilling your goals. And if you have any questions on these latest adventures, please feel free to hit me up.

Have a great day!

-Bex

My Carb Addiction

2011-06-21T15:48:00.001-04:00

Why is it so hard to kick the carb habit? I'm all for moderation, but it's an everyday struggle for me. Once I have those sugary goods, I can't help but want more, no matter how bad it makes me feel. It's sick, really sick that I would want to eat something that makes me feel like crap moments later...why can't I help myself?

Perhaps the reason is, I'm an addict. And the sooner I realize that and take control, the sooner I get of the stuff that can lead to a sad demise of obesity and diabetes (which happens to run rampant in my family.)

This article from Details Magazine gives you a pretty good understanding of refined carbs and their addictive properties:

ARE CARBS MORE ADDICTIVE THAN COCAINE?

YOUR BODY IS VIRTUALLY DEFENSELESS AGAINST A DEPENDENCY ON CARBOHYDRATES—THE SUBSTANCES THAT REALLY MAKE YOU FAT—AND IT'S TIME FOR AN INTERVENTION.

BY PAUL JOHN SCOTT,

MARCH 2011 ISSUE OF DETAILS MAGAZINE

Photographs by Zachary Zavislak

I'm sitting in a comfortable chair, in a tastefully lit, cheerfully decorated drug den, watching a steady line of people approach their dealer. After scoring, they shuffle off to their tables to quietly indulge in what for some could become (if it hasn't already) an addiction that screws up their lives. It's likely you have friends and family members who are suffering from this dependence—and you may be on the same path yourself. But this addiction is not usually apparent to the casual observer. It has no use for the drama and the carnage you associate with cocaine and alcohol. It's slower to show its hand, more socially acceptable—and way more insidious.

I'm in a Panera Bread outlet. The company is on Fortune's 2010 list of the 100 Fastest Growing Companies and earned more than $1.3 billion in 2009, mainly from selling flour and sugar by the railcar. Last year, Zagat named it the most popular large chain in the United States and ranked it second in the Healthy Options category. The company responded by touting its "wholesome" food. Sure, Panera sells a few salads. But why do the scones, pastries, baguettes, and bear claws get all the good lighting? Why are the grab-and-go packs of cookies and brownies next to the register? What need is fulfilled by serving soup bowls made of bread, with a mound of bread for dipping, and then offering more bread on the side? How come it's noon and the couple behind me are eating bagels while the guy to my right is sawing into a cinnamon roll with a fork and a knife like it's a steak?

The answer is that fast-burning carbohydrates—just like cocaine—give you a rush. As with blow, this rush can lead to cravings in your brain and intrusive thoughts when you go too long without a fix. But unlike cocaine, this stuff does more than rewire your neurological system. It will short-circuit your body. Your metabolism normally stockpiles energy so you can use it as fuel later. A diet flush with carbohydrates will reprogram your metabolism, locking your food away as unburnable fat. When you get hungry again you won't crave anything but more of the same food that started you down the path to dependency. Think of this stuff as more than a drug—it's like a metabolic parasite, taking over your body and feeding itself.

You aren't supposed to talk this way about carbohydrates. According to USDA dietary recommendations, they are not only healthy but are supposed to make up the majority of the food we eat—45 to 65 percent of all calories. Carbs, which are classified as starches and sugars, make up the essence of bread, cereal, corn, potatoes, cookies, pasta, fruit, juice, candy, beer, and sweetened drinks—basically anything that isn't protein or fat. Our government's recommendations were established in the 1970s and have since been accompanied by an explosion of obesity and diabetes. The advice came about as early nutrition scientists rallied around a misguided maxim that remains embedded in the fabric of our attitudes toward food to this day: Eating too much fat makes you fat. But science never bore out this pre-Galilean view of nutrition. What is now clear is this: At the center of the obesity universe lie carbohydrates, not fat.

"You could live your whole life and never eat a single carbohydrate—other than what you get from mother's milk and the tiny amount that comes naturally in meat—and probably be just fine," says Gary Taubes, the award-winning author of Good Calories, Bad Calories, which is helping to reshape the conversation about what makes the American diet so fattening.

If all you knew about food is what you read in the USDA guidelines, you'd think our bodies conveniently come into the world seeking the one nutrient that is cheap and amenable to commercial mass production: carbohydrates. "Sugars and starches provide energy to the body in the form of glucose, which is the only source of energy for red blood cells and is the preferred energy source for the brain," says the latest edition of the guidelines. Wrong, says Taubes, who just released Why We Get Fat, a layman's version of his influential scientific tome. In the absence of carbs, your body will burn fatty acids for energy. It's how you sleep through the night without eating for eight hours. "The brain does indeed need carbohydrates for fuel," Taubes says, "but the body is perfectly happy to make those out of protein, leafy green vegetables, and the animal fat you're burning." As a pair of Harvard doctors (one an endocrinologist and one an epidemiologist) wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association last summer, carbohydrates are "a nutrient for which humans have no absolute requirement."

•••

The Diets That Work

You wouldn't know it from reading the latest dietary headlines, but all of the popular diets—from Atkins to Dean Ornish (Bill Clinton's weight-loss plan) to the diet-of-the-moment, Paleo—are successful because the most important change they advise is the same: stop eating refined carbohydrates. This only reminds us of what had been the conventional wisdom in medicine for hundreds of years before the USDA stepped in: that sugar, flour, potatoes, and rice are what make a person fat, not meat and milk.

Forty years into the low-fat, high-carbohydrate way of eating—we can thank it for "diabesity," shorthand for the societal prevalence of type II diabetes paired with obesity—it seems clearer than ever that our problem lies not simply in carbohydrates, but in their fundamental addictiveness. They sidestep our defenses against overeating, activate brain pathways for pleasure, and make us simultaneously fat and malnourished. They keep us coming back for more, even as they induce physical decline and social rejection. They achieve this more effectively than the controlled substances that can get a guy thrown into jail. Maybe the question isn't whether carbohydrates are addictive, but whether they are the most addictive substance of all.

In 2007, researchers at the University of Bordeaux, France, reported that when rats were allowed to choose between a calorie-free sweetener and intravenous cocaine, 94 percent preferred the sugar substitute. The researchers concluded that "intense sweetness can surpass cocaine reward. . . . The supranormal stimulation of these receptors by sugar-rich diets, such as those now widely available in modern societies, would generate a supranormal reward signal in the brain, with the potential to override self-control mechanisms and thus to lead to addiction." Nicole Avena, an expert in behavioral neuroscience at the University of Florida in Gainesville, has spent many hours analyzing the behavior of rats enticed into sucking up sugar. She says that feeding on sugar can, like snorting coke, lead to bingeing, withdrawal, and craving. It does this by lighting up the same circuitry within the brain triggered by cocaine and amphetamines, the dopamine center.

But a carbohydrate addiction is potentially more destructive than an 8-ball-a-day habit, because it hijacks your metabolism. If you eat a low-carb diet, you are able to remain satiated between meals, because the body will burn its fat stores. But eating carbs, especially refined varieties like sugar or flour, sweetened drinks, or starches, causes the body to release the hormone insulin. The body secretes insulin as a response to high blood sugar—a serious, even potentially lethal health risk over time. The hormone directs cells to extract sugar from the blood and store it as fat, and what's worse, in order to get sugar out of the blood as efficiently as possible, insulin makes it extremely difficult for the body to burn its fat stores. Over time, the presence of insulin in our carb-heavy diet causes diminishing returns. As our cells become resistant to the effects of insulin, our bodies frequently release even more of it to compensate. The result is a blood-sugar vacuum: The body craves more of what the hormone feeds on and triggers our hunger mechanism, which works subconsciously, to direct us toward the nutrient causing all the problems in the first place—carbohydrates. You get fatter and your body craves even more carbs in order to maintain your increasing weight. Drug cartels can only dream of a narcotic with an addiction cycle this powerful.

Once hooked, can you quit your carb addiction? It's not like there's a carb-cessation program at Promises, after all. Taubes says it won't be easy, but given the alternatives, you simply have to try. And cold turkey is as good a method as any. "Anecdotal evidence suggests that the craving for carbs will go away after a while," he says, "although whether a while is a few weeks or a few years is hard to say." And frighteningly like an addict in recovery, you're unlikely ever to be totally cured, and you'll always be tempted to relapse when the opportunity arises. Be warned: The number of Panera Bread outlets is 1,421 and counting.

•••

How You Get Hooked (Over Time)

1. When you take in carbs, like Gatorade or whole-wheat bread, you secrete the hormone insulin. Even thinking about carbs causes this to happen.

2. Refined carbs spike blood sugar, and this is a big problem. The first result is that your body immediately stops burning its existing fat stores.

3. Too much blood sugar is a dangerous situation, and in response, insulin, a hormone, rips it from your blood and tells the body to store the energy as fat (in men this first happens around the waist).

4. Normally your liver controls blood sugar, but because you eat so many carbs you have a constant supply of insulin circulating. This turns out to be bad—very bad. This causes you to become resistant to insulin.

5. Insulin resistance means your body pumps out more insulin to make up for the deficit. Now you're getting fat, but what's worse is that your body desires even more carbs as fodder for the excess insulin.

6. You get fatter and fatter and your body craves more carbs to feed your increasing girth. This destructive cycle is why Americans are so overweight (the process doesn't happen overnight).

Toxic Sugar = Cancer?

2011-06-16T08:50:00.000-04:00

I found this article in the NYTimes very interesting, and thought I should share...knowledge is power:

Is Sugar Toxic?

By GARY TAUBES

On May 26, 2009, Robert Lustig gave a lecture called “Sugar: The Bitter Truth,” which was posted on YouTube the following July. Since then, it has been viewed well over 800,000 times, gaining new viewers at a rate of about 50,000 per month, fairly remarkable numbers for a 90-minute discussion of the nuances of fructose biochemistry and human physiology.

Lustig is a specialist on pediatric hormone disorders and the leading expert in childhood obesity at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, which is one of the best medical schools in the country. He published his first paper on childhood obesity a dozen years ago, and he has been treating patients and doing research on the disorder ever since.

The viral success of his lecture, though, has little to do with Lustig’s impressive credentials and far more with the persuasive case he makes that sugar is a “toxin” or a “poison,” terms he uses together 13 times through the course of the lecture, in addition to the five references to sugar as merely “evil.” And by “sugar,” Lustig means not only the white granulated stuff that we put in coffee and sprinkle on cereal — technically known as sucrose — but also high-fructose corn syrup, which has already become without Lustig’s help what he calls “the most demonized additive known to man.”

It doesn’t hurt Lustig’s cause that he is a compelling public speaker. His critics argue that what makes him compelling is his practice of taking suggestive evidence and insisting that it’s incontrovertible. Lustig certainly doesn’t dabble in shades of gray. Sugar is not just an empty calorie, he says; its effect on us is much more insidious. “It’s not about the calories,” he says. “It has nothing to do with the calories. It’s a poison by itself.”

If Lustig is right, then our excessive consumption of sugar is the primary reason that the numbers of obese and diabetic Americans have skyrocketed in the past 30 years. But his argument implies more than that. If Lustig is right, it would mean that sugar is also the likely dietary cause of several other chronic ailments widely considered to be diseases of Western lifestyles — heart disease, hypertension and many common cancers among them.

The number of viewers Lustig has attracted suggests that people are paying attention to his argument. When I set out to interview public health authorities and researchers for this article, they would often initiate the interview with some variation of the comment “surely you’ve spoken to Robert Lustig,” not because Lustig has done any of the key research on sugar himself, which he hasn’t, but because he’s willing to insist publicly and unambiguously, when most researchers are not, that sugar is a toxic substance that people abuse. In Lustig’s view, sugar should be thought of, like cigarettes and alcohol, as something that’s killing us.

This brings us to the salient question: Can sugar possibly be as bad as Lustig says it is?

It’s one thing to suggest, as most nutritionists will, that a healthful diet includes more fruits and vegetables, and maybe less fat, red meat and salt, or less of everything. It’s entirely different to claim that one particularly cherished aspect of our diet might not just be an unhealthful indulgence but actually be toxic, that when you bake your children a birthday cake or give them lemonade on a hot summer day, you may be doing them more harm than good, despite all the love that goes with it. Suggesting that sugar might kill us is what zealots do. But Lustig, who has genuine expertise, has accumulated and synthesized a mass of evidence, which he finds compelling enough to convict sugar. His critics consider that evidence insufficient, but there’s no way to know who might be right, or what must be done to find out, without discussing it.

If I didn’t buy this argument myself, I wouldn’t be writing about it here. And I also have a disclaimer to acknowledge. I’ve spent much of the last decade doing journalistic research on diet and chronic disease — some of the more contrarian findings, on dietary fat, appeared in this magazine —– and I have come to conclusions similar to Lustig’s.

The history of the debate over the health effects of sugar has gone on far longer than you might imagine. It is littered with erroneous statements and conclusions because even the supposed authorities had no true understanding of what they were talking about. They didn’t know, quite literally, what they meant by the word “sugar” and therefore what the implications were.

So let’s start by clarifying a few issues, beginning with Lustig’s use of the word “sugar” to mean both sucrose — beet and cane sugar, whether white or brown — and high-fructose corn syrup. This is a critical point, particularly because high-fructose corn syrup has indeed become “the flashpoint for everybody’s distrust of processed foods,” says Marion Nestle, a New York University nutritionist and the author of “Food Politics.”

This development is recent and borders on humorous. In the early 1980s, high-fructose corn syrup replaced sugar in sodas and other products in part because refined sugar then had the reputation as a generally noxious nutrient. (“Villain in Disguise?” asked a headline in this paper in 1977, before answering in the affirmative.) High-fructose corn syrup was portrayed by the food industry as a healthful alternative, and that’s how the public perceived it. It was also cheaper than sugar, which didn’t hurt its commercial prospects. Now the tide is rolling the other way, and refined sugar is making a commercial comeback as the supposedly healthful alternative to this noxious corn-syrup stuff. “Industry after industry is replacing their product with sucrose and advertising it as such — ‘No High-Fructose Corn Syrup,’ ” Nestle notes.

But marketing aside, the two sweeteners are effectively identical in their biological effects. “High-fructose corn syrup, sugar — no difference,” is how Lustig put it in a lecture that I attended in San Francisco last December. “The point is they’re each bad — equally bad, equally poisonous.”

Refined sugar (that is, sucrose) is made up of a molecule of the carbohydrate glucose, bonded to a molecule of the carbohydrate fructose — a 50-50 mixture of the two. The fructose, which is almost twice as sweet as glucose, is what distinguishes sugar from other carbohydrate-rich foods like bread or potatoes that break down upon digestion to glucose alone. The more fructose in a substance, the sweeter it will be. High-fructose corn syrup, as it is most commonly consumed, is 55 percent fructose, and the remaining 45 percent is nearly all glucose. It was first marketed in the late 1970s and was created to be indistinguishable from refined sugar when used in soft drinks. Because each of these sugars ends up as glucose and fructose in our guts, our bodies react the same way to both, and the physiological effects are identical. In a 2010 review of the relevant science, Luc Tappy, a researcher at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland who is considered by biochemists who study fructose to be the world’s foremost authority on the subject, said there was “not the single hint” that H.F.C.S. was more deleterious than other sources of sugar.

The question, then, isn’t whether high-fructose corn syrup is worse than sugar; it’s what do they do to us, and how do they do it? The conventional wisdom has long been that the worst that can be said about sugars of any kind is that they cause tooth decay and represent “empty calories” that we eat in excess because they taste so good.

By this logic, sugar-sweetened beverages (or H.F.C.S.-sweetened beverages, as the Sugar Association prefers they are called) are bad for us not because there’s anything particularly toxic about the sugar they contain but just because people consume too many of them.

Those organizations that now advise us to cut down on our sugar consumption — the Department of Agriculture, for instance, in its recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans, or the American Heart Association in guidelines released in September 2009 (of which Lustig was a co-author) — do so for this reason. Refined sugar and H.F.C.S. don’t come with any protein, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants or fiber, and so they either displace other more nutritious elements of our diet or are eaten over and above what we need to sustain our weight, and this is why we get fatter.

Whether the empty-calories argument is true, it’s certainly convenient. It allows everyone to assign blame for obesity and, by extension, diabetes — two conditions so intimately linked that some authorities have taken to calling them “diabesity” — to overeating of all foods, or underexercising, because a calorie is a calorie. “This isn’t about demonizing any industry,” as Michelle Obama said about her Let’s Move program to combat the epidemic of childhood obesity. Instead it’s about getting us — or our children — to move more and eat less, reduce our portion sizes, cut back on snacks.

Lustig’s argument, however, is not about the consumption of empty calories — and biochemists have made the same case previously, though not so publicly. It is that sugar has unique characteristics, specifically in the way the human body metabolizes the fructose in it, that may make it singularly harmful, at least if consumed in sufficient quantities.

The phrase Lustig uses when he describes this concept is “isocaloric but not isometabolic.” This means we can eat 100 calories of glucose (from a potato or bread or other starch) or 100 calories of sugar (half glucose and half fructose), and they will be metabolized differently and have a different effect on the body. The calories are the same, but the metabolic consequences are quite different.

The fructose component of sugar and H.F.C.S. is metabolized primarily by the liver, while the glucose from sugar and starches is metabolized by every cell in the body. Consuming sugar (fructose and glucose) means more work for the liver than if you consumed the same number of calories of starch (glucose). And if you take that sugar in liquid form — soda or fruit juices — the fructose and glucose will hit the liver more quickly than if you consume them, say, in an apple (or several apples, to get what researchers would call the equivalent dose of sugar). The speed with which the liver has to do its work will also affect how it metabolizes the fructose and glucose.

In animals, or at least in laboratory rats and mice, it’s clear that if the fructose hits the liver in sufficient quantity and with sufficient speed, the liver will convert much of it to fat. This apparently induces a condition known as insulin resistance, which is now considered the fundamental problem in obesity, and the underlying defect in heart disease and in the type of diabetes, type 2, that is common to obese and overweight individuals. It might also be the underlying defect in many cancers.

If what happens in laboratory rodents also happens in humans, and if we are eating enough sugar to make it happen, then we are in trouble.

The last time an agency of the federal government looked into the question of sugar and health in any detail was in 2005, in a report by the Institute of Medicine, a branch of the National Academies. The authors of the report acknowledged that plenty of evidence suggested that sugar could increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes — even raising LDL cholesterol, known as the “bad cholesterol”—– but did not consider the research to be definitive. There was enough ambiguity, they concluded, that they couldn’t even set an upper limit on how much sugar constitutes too much. Referring back to the 2005 report, an Institute of Medicine report released last fall reiterated, “There is a lack of scientific agreement about the amount of sugars that can be consumed in a healthy diet.” This was the same conclusion that the Food and Drug Administration came to when it last assessed the sugar question, back in 1986. The F.D.A. report was perceived as an exoneration of sugar, and that perception influenced the treatment of sugar in the landmark reports on diet and health that came after.

The Sugar Association and the Corn Refiners Association have also portrayed the 1986 F.D.A. report as clearing sugar of nutritional crimes, but what it concluded was actually something else entirely. To be precise, the F.D.A. reviewers said that other than its contribution to calories, “no conclusive evidence on sugars demonstrates a hazard to the general public when sugars are consumed at the levels that are now current.” This is another way of saying that the evidence by no means refuted the kinds of claims that Lustig is making now and other researchers were making then, just that it wasn’t definitive or unambiguous.

What we have to keep in mind, says Walter Glinsmann, the F.D.A. administrator who was the primary author on the 1986 report and who now is an adviser to the Corn Refiners Association, is that sugar and high-fructose corn syrup might be toxic, as Lustig argues, but so might any substance if it’s consumed in ways or in quantities that are unnatural for humans. The question is always at what dose does a substance go from being harmless to harmful? How much do we have to consume before this happens?

When Glinsmann and his F.D.A. co-authors decided no conclusive evidence demonstrated harm at the levels of sugar then being consumed, they estimated those levels at 40 pounds per person per year beyond what we might get naturally in fruits and vegetables — 40 pounds per person per year of “added sugars” as nutritionists now call them. This is 200 calories per day of sugar, which is less than the amount in a can and a half of Coca-Cola or two cups of apple juice. If that’s indeed all we consume, most nutritionists today would be delighted, including Lustig.

But 40 pounds per year happened to be 35 pounds less than what Department of Agriculture analysts said we were consuming at the time — 75 pounds per person per year — and the U.S.D.A. estimates are typically considered to be the most reliable. By the early 2000s, according to the U.S.D.A., we had increased our consumption to more than 90 pounds per person per year.

That this increase happened to coincide with the current epidemics of obesity and diabetes is one reason that it’s tempting to blame sugars — sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup — for the problem. In 1980, roughly one in seven Americans was obese, and almost six million were diabetic, and the obesity rates, at least, hadn’t changed significantly in the 20 years previously. By the early 2000s, when sugar consumption peaked, one in every three Americans was obese, and 14 million were diabetic.

This correlation between sugar consumption and diabetes is what defense attorneys call circumstantial evidence. It’s more compelling than it otherwise might be, though, because the last time sugar consumption jumped markedly in this country, it was also associated with a diabetes epidemic.

In the early 20th century, many of the leading authorities on diabetes in North America and Europe (including Frederick Banting, who shared the 1923 Nobel Prize for the discovery of insulin) suspected that sugar causes diabetes based on the observation that the disease was rare in populations that didn’t consume refined sugar and widespread in those that did. In 1924, Haven Emerson, director of the institute of public health at Columbia University, reported that diabetes deaths in New York City had increased as much as 15-fold since the Civil War years, and that deaths increased as much as fourfold in some U.S. cities between 1900 and 1920 alone. This coincided, he noted, with an equally significant increase in sugar consumption — almost doubling from 1890 to the early 1920s — with the birth and subsequent growth of the candy and soft-drink industries.

Emerson’s argument was countered by Elliott Joslin, a leading authority on diabetes, and Joslin won out. But his argument was fundamentally flawed. Simply put, it went like this: The Japanese eat lots of rice, and Japanese diabetics are few and far between; rice is mostly carbohydrate, which suggests that sugar, also a carbohydrate, does not cause diabetes. But sugar and rice are not identical merely because they’re both carbohydrates. Joslin could not know at the time that the fructose content of sugar affects how we metabolize it.

Joslin was also unaware that the Japanese ate little sugar. In the early 1960s, the Japanese were eating as little sugar as Americans were a century earlier, maybe less, which means that the Japanese experience could have been used to support the idea that sugar causes diabetes. Still, with Joslin arguing in edition after edition of his seminal textbook that sugar played no role in diabetes, it eventually took on the aura of undisputed truth.

Until Lustig came along, the last time an academic forcefully put forward the sugar-as-toxin thesis was in the 1970s, when John Yudkin, a leading authority on nutrition in the United Kingdom, published a polemic on sugar called “Sweet and Dangerous.” Through the 1960s Yudkin did a series of experiments feeding sugar and starch to rodents, chickens, rabbits, pigs and college students. He found that the sugar invariably raised blood levels of triglycerides (a technical term for fat), which was then, as now, considered a risk factor for heart disease. Sugar also raised insulin levels in Yudkin’s experiments, which linked sugar directly to type 2 diabetes. Few in the medical community took Yudkin’s ideas seriously, largely because he was also arguing that dietary fat and saturated fat were harmless. This set Yudkin’s sugar hypothesis directly against the growing acceptance of the idea, prominent to this day, that dietary fat was the cause of heart disease, a notion championed by the University of Minnesota nutritionist Ancel Keys.

A common assumption at the time was that if one hypothesis was right, then the other was most likely wrong. Either fat caused heart disease by raising cholesterol, or sugar did by raising triglycerides. “The theory that diets high in sugar are an important cause of atherosclerosis and heart disease does not have wide support among experts in the field, who say that fats and cholesterol are the more likely culprits,” as Jane E. Brody wrote in The Times in 1977.

At the time, many of the key observations cited to argue that dietary fat caused heart disease actually support the sugar theory as well. During the Korean War, pathologists doing autopsies on American soldiers killed in battle noticed that many had significant plaques in their arteries, even those who were still teenagers, while the Koreans killed in battle did not. The atherosclerotic plaques in the Americans were attributed to the fact that they ate high-fat diets and the Koreans ate low-fat. But the Americans were also eating high-sugar diets, while the Koreans, like the Japanese, were not.

In 1970, Keys published the results of a landmark study in nutrition known as the Seven Countries Study. Its results were perceived by the medical community and the wider public as compelling evidence that saturated-fat consumption is the best dietary predictor of heart disease. But sugar consumption in the seven countries studied was almost equally predictive. So it was possible that Yudkin was right, and Keys was wrong, or that they could both be right. The evidence has always been able to go either way.

European clinicians tended to side with Yudkin; Americans with Keys. The situation wasn’t helped, as one of Yudkin’s colleagues later told me, by the fact that “there was quite a bit of loathing” between the two nutritionists themselves. In 1971, Keys published an article attacking Yudkin and describing his evidence against sugar as “flimsy indeed.” He treated Yudkin as a figure of scorn, and Yudkin never managed to shake the portrayal.

By the end of the 1970s, any scientist who studied the potentially deleterious effects of sugar in the diet, according to Sheldon Reiser, who did just that at the U.S.D.A.’s Carbohydrate Nutrition Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., and talked about it publicly, was endangering his reputation. “Yudkin was so discredited,” Reiser said to me. “He was ridiculed in a way. And anybody else who said something bad about sucrose, they’d say, ‘He’s just like Yudkin.’ ”

What has changed since then, other than Americans getting fatter and more diabetic? It wasn’t so much that researchers learned anything particularly new about the effects of sugar or high-fructose corn syrup in the human body. Rather the context of the science changed: physicians and medical authorities came to accept the idea that a condition known as metabolic syndrome is a major, if not the major, risk factor for heart disease and diabetes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now estimate that some 75 million Americans have metabolic syndrome. For those who have heart attacks, metabolic syndrome will very likely be the reason.

The first symptom doctors are told to look for in diagnosing metabolic syndrome is an expanding waistline. This means that if you’re overweight, there’s a good chance you have metabolic syndrome, and this is why you’re more likely to have a heart attack or become diabetic (or both) than someone who’s not. Although lean individuals, too, can have metabolic syndrome, and they are at greater risk of heart disease and diabetes than lean individuals without it.

Having metabolic syndrome is another way of saying that the cells in your body are actively ignoring the action of the hormone insulin — a condition known technically as being insulin-resistant. Because insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome still get remarkably little attention in the press (certainly compared with cholesterol), let me explain the basics.

You secrete insulin in response to the foods you eat — particularly the carbohydrates — to keep blood sugar in control after a meal. When your cells are resistant to insulin, your body (your pancreas, to be precise) responds to rising blood sugar by pumping out more and more insulin. Eventually the pancreas can no longer keep up with the demand or it gives in to what diabetologists call “pancreatic exhaustion.” Now your blood sugar will rise out of control, and you’ve got diabetes.

Not everyone with insulin resistance becomes diabetic; some continue to secrete enough insulin to overcome their cells’ resistance to the hormone. But having chronically elevated insulin levels has harmful effects of its own — heart disease, for one. A result is higher triglyceride levels and blood pressure, lower levels of HDL cholesterol (the “good cholesterol”), further worsening the insulin resistance — this is metabolic syndrome.

When physicians assess your risk of heart disease these days, they will take into consideration your LDL cholesterol (the bad kind), but also these symptoms of metabolic syndrome. The idea, according to Scott Grundy, a University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center nutritionist and the chairman of the panel that produced the last edition of the National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines, is that heart attacks 50 years ago might have been caused by high cholesterol — particularly high LDL cholesterol — but since then we’ve all gotten fatter and more diabetic, and now it’s metabolic syndrome that’s the more conspicuous problem.

This raises two obvious questions. The first is what sets off metabolic syndrome to begin with, which is another way of asking, What causes the initial insulin resistance? There are several hypotheses, but researchers who study the mechanisms of insulin resistance now think that a likely cause is the accumulation of fat in the liver. When studies have been done trying to answer this question in humans, says Varman Samuel, who studies insulin resistance at Yale School of Medicine, the correlation between liver fat and insulin resistance in patients, lean or obese, is “remarkably strong.” What it looks like, Samuel says, is that “when you deposit fat in the liver, that’s when you become insulin-resistant.”

That raises the other obvious question: What causes the liver to accumulate fat in humans? A common assumption is that simply getting fatter leads to a fatty liver, but this does not explain fatty liver in lean people. Some of it could be attributed to genetic predisposition. But harking back to Lustig, there’s also the very real possibility that it is caused by sugar.

As it happens, metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance are the reasons that many of the researchers today studying fructose became interested in the subject to begin with. If you want to cause insulin resistance in laboratory rats, says Gerald Reaven, the Stanford University diabetologist who did much of the pioneering work on the subject, feeding them diets that are mostly fructose is an easy way to do it. It’s a “very obvious, very dramatic” effect, Reaven says.

By the early 2000s, researchers studying fructose metabolism had established certain findings unambiguously and had well-established biochemical explanations for what was happening. Feed animals enough pure fructose or enough sugar, and their livers convert the fructose into fat — the saturated fatty acid, palmitate, to be precise, that supposedly gives us heart disease when we eat it, by raising LDL cholesterol. The fat accumulates in the liver, and insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome follow.

Michael Pagliassotti, a Colorado State University biochemist who did many of the relevant animal studies in the late 1990s, says these changes can happen in as little as a week if the animals are fed sugar or fructose in huge amounts — 60 or 70 percent of the calories in their diets. They can take several months if the animals are fed something closer to what humans (in America) actually consume — around 20 percent of the calories in their diet. Stop feeding them the sugar, in either case, and the fatty liver promptly goes away, and with it the insulin resistance.

Similar effects can be shown in humans, although the researchers doing this work typically did the studies with only fructose — as Luc Tappy did in Switzerland or Peter Havel and Kimber Stanhope did at the University of California, Davis — and pure fructose is not the same thing as sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. When Tappy fed his human subjects the equivalent of the fructose in 8 to 10 cans of Coke or Pepsi a day — a “pretty high dose,” he says —– their livers would start to become insulin-resistant, and their triglycerides would go up in just a few days. With lower doses, Tappy says, just as in the animal research, the same effects would appear, but it would take longer, a month or more.

Despite the steady accumulation of research, the evidence can still be criticized as falling far short of conclusive. The studies in rodents aren’t necessarily applicable to humans. And the kinds of studies that Tappy, Havel and Stanhope did — having real people drink beverages sweetened with fructose and comparing the effect with what happens when the same people or others drink beverages sweetened with glucose — aren’t applicable to real human experience, because we never naturally consume pure fructose. We always take it with glucose, in the nearly 50-50 combinations of sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. And then the amount of fructose or sucrose being fed in these studies, to the rodents or the human subjects, has typically been enormous.

This is why the research reviews on the subject invariably conclude that more research is necessary to establish at what dose sugar and high-fructose corn syrup start becoming what Lustig calls toxic. “There is clearly a need for intervention studies,” as Tappy recently phrased it in the technical jargon of the field, “in which the fructose intake of high-fructose consumers is reduced to better delineate the possible pathogenic role of fructose. At present, short-term-intervention studies, however, suggest that a high-fructose intake consisting of soft drinks, sweetened juices or bakery products can increase the risk of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.”

In simpler language, how much of this stuff do we have to eat or drink, and for how long, before it does to us what it does to laboratory rats? And is that amount more than we’re already consuming?

Unfortunately, we’re unlikely to learn anything conclusive in the near future. As Lustig points out, sugar and high-fructose corn syrup are certainly not “acute toxins” of the kind the F.D.A. typically regulates and the effects of which can be studied over the course of days or months. The question is whether they’re “chronic toxins,” which means “not toxic after one meal, but after 1,000 meals.” This means that what Tappy calls “intervention studies” have to go on for significantly longer than 1,000 meals to be meaningful.

At the moment, the National Institutes of Health are supporting surprisingly few clinical trials related to sugar and high-fructose corn syrup in the U.S. All are small, and none will last more than a few months. Lustig and his colleagues at U.C.S.F. — including Jean-Marc Schwarz, whom Tappy describes as one of the three best fructose biochemists in the world — are doing one of these studies. It will look at what happens when obese teenagers consume no sugar other than what they might get in fruits and vegetables. Another study will do the same with pregnant women to see if their babies are born healthier and leaner.

Only one study in this country, by Havel and Stanhope at the University of California, Davis, is directly addressing the question of how much sugar is required to trigger the symptoms of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. Havel and Stanhope are having healthy people drink three sugar- or H.F.C.S.-sweetened beverages a day and then seeing what happens. The catch is that their study subjects go through this three-beverage-a-day routine for only two weeks. That doesn’t seem like a very long time — only 42 meals, not 1,000 — but Havel and Stanhope have been studying fructose since the mid-1990s, and they seem confident that two weeks is sufficient to see if these sugars cause at least some of the symptoms of metabolic syndrome.

So the answer to the question of whether sugar is as bad as Lustig claims is that it certainly could be. It very well may be true that sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, because of the unique way in which we metabolize fructose and at the levels we now consume it, cause fat to accumulate in our livers followed by insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, and so trigger the process that leads to heart disease, diabetes and obesity. They could indeed be toxic, but they take years to do their damage. It doesn’t happen overnight. Until long-term studies are done, we won’t know for sure.

One more question still needs to be asked, and this is what my wife, who has had to live with my journalistic obsession on this subject, calls the Grinch-trying-to-steal-Christmas problem. What are the chances that sugar is actually worse than Lustig says it is?

One of the diseases that increases in incidence with obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome is cancer. This is why I said earlier that insulin resistance may be a fundamental underlying defect in many cancers, as it is in type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The connection between obesity, diabetes and cancer was first reported in 2004 in large population studies by researchers from the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer. It is not controversial. What it means is that you are more likely to get cancer if you’re obese or diabetic than if you’re not, and you’re more likely to get cancer if you have metabolic syndrome than if you don’t.

This goes along with two other observations that have led to the well-accepted idea that some large percentage of cancers are caused by our Western diets and lifestyles. This means they could actually be prevented if we could pinpoint exactly what the problem is and prevent or avoid that.

One observation is that death rates from cancer, like those from diabetes, increased significantly in the second half of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th. As with diabetes, this observation was accompanied by a vigorous debate about whether those increases could be explained solely by the aging of the population and the use of new diagnostic techniques or whether it was really the incidence of cancer itself that was increasing. “By the 1930s,” as a 1997 report by the World Cancer Research Fund International and the American Institute for Cancer Research explained, “it was apparent that age-adjusted death rates from cancer were rising in the U.S.A.,” which meant that the likelihood of any particular 60-year-old, for instance, dying from cancer was increasing, even if there were indeed more 60-years-olds with each passing year.

The second observation was that malignant cancer, like diabetes, was a relatively rare disease in populations that didn’t eat Western diets, and in some of these populations it appeared to be virtually nonexistent. In the 1950s, malignant cancer among the Inuit, for instance, was still deemed sufficiently rare that physicians working in northern Canada would publish case reports in medical journals when they did diagnose a case.

In 1984, Canadian physicians published an analysis of 30 years of cancer incidence among Inuit in the western and central Arctic. While there had been a “striking increase in the incidence of cancers of modern societies” including lung and cervical cancer, they reported, there were still “conspicuous deficits” in breast-cancer rates. They could not find a single case in an Inuit patient before 1966; they could find only two cases between 1967 and 1980. Since then, as their diet became more like ours, breast cancer incidence has steadily increased among the Inuit, although it’s still significantly lower than it is in other North American ethnic groups. Diabetes rates in the Inuit have also gone from vanishingly low in the mid-20th century to high today.

Now most researchers will agree that the link between Western diet or lifestyle and cancer manifests itself through this association with obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome — i.e., insulin resistance. This was the conclusion, for instance, of a 2007 report published by the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research — “Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer.”

So how does it work? Cancer researchers now consider that the problem with insulin resistance is that it leads us to secrete more insulin, and insulin (as well as a related hormone known as insulin-like growth factor) actually promotes tumor growth.

As it was explained to me by Craig Thompson, who has done much of this research and is now president of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, the cells of many human cancers come to depend on insulin to provide the fuel (blood sugar) and materials they need to grow and multiply. Insulin and insulin-like growth factor (and related growth factors) also provide the signal, in effect, to do it. The more insulin, the better they do. Some cancers develop mutations that serve the purpose of increasing the influence of insulin on the cell; others take advantage of the elevated insulin levels that are common to metabolic syndrome, obesity and type 2 diabetes. Some do both. Thompson believes that many pre-cancerous cells would never acquire the mutations that turn them into malignant tumors if they weren’t being driven by insulin to take up more and more blood sugar and metabolize it.

What these researchers call elevated insulin (or insulin-like growth factor) signaling appears to be a necessary step in many human cancers, particularly cancers like breast and colon cancer. Lewis Cantley, director of the Cancer Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at Harvard Medical School, says that up to 80 percent of all human cancers are driven by either mutations or environmental factors that work to enhance or mimic the effect of insulin on the incipient tumor cells. Cantley is now the leader of one of five scientific “dream teams,” financed by a national coalition called Stand Up to Cancer, to study, in the case of Cantley’s team, precisely this link between a specific insulin-signaling gene (known technically as PI3K) and tumor development in breast and other cancers common to women.

Most of the researchers studying this insulin/cancer link seem concerned primarily with finding a drug that might work to suppress insulin signaling in incipient cancer cells and so, they hope, inhibit or prevent their growth entirely. Many of the experts writing about the insulin/cancer link from a public health perspective — as in the 2007 report from the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research — work from the assumption that chronically elevated insulin levels and insulin resistance are both caused by being fat or by getting fatter. They recommend, as the 2007 report did, that we should all work to be lean and more physically active, and that in turn will help us prevent cancer.

But some researchers will make the case, as Cantley and Thompson do, that if something other than just being fatter is causing insulin resistance to begin with, that’s quite likely the dietary cause of many cancers. If it’s sugar that causes insulin resistance, they say, then the conclusion is hard to avoid that sugar causes cancer — some cancers, at least — radical as this may seem and despite the fact that this suggestion has rarely if ever been voiced before publicly. For just this reason, neither of these men will eat sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, if they can avoid it.

“I have eliminated refined sugar from my diet and eat as little as I possibly can,” Thompson told me, “because I believe ultimately it’s something I can do to decrease my risk of cancer.” Cantley put it this way: “Sugar scares me.”

Sugar scares me too, obviously. I’d like to eat it in moderation. I’d certainly like my two sons to be able to eat it in moderation, to not overconsume it, but I don’t actually know what that means, and I’ve been reporting on this subject and studying it for more than a decade. If sugar just makes us fatter, that’s one thing. We start gaining weight, we eat less of it. But we are also talking about things we can’t see — fatty liver, insulin resistance and all that follows. Officially I’m not supposed to worry because the evidence isn’t conclusive, but I do.

Gary Taubes (gataubes@gmail.com) is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation independent investigator in health policy and the author of “Why We Get Fat.” Editor: Vera Titunik (v.titunik-MagGroup@nytimes.com).

Walk the Walk

2011-06-14T16:11:00.000-04:00

I was watching a health & fitness report on the news the other morning, and found myself rather annoyed at the "experts" giving advice. The report was about an overweight young man who is pre-diabetic and wanting to get healthy, especially since his mother just past away from diabetes related complications.

Now, I'm ALL for getting healthy...and I totally respect his desire and choice to do so. However the folks that are giving him advice are the one's I'm concerned with. You see, these are diet, exercise and nutrition "experts" that are guiding this young man through his journey...a very slow and long journey, according to his progress report. Why so slow you ask? It can be that he's not necessarily sticking with the plan 100%...but my guess is it has something to do with these so called experts. These middle-aged women who look like the rest of the overweight, unhealthy Americans out there. I'm sorry, but if I'm going to listen to you about a health and weight-loss program, you better be the model of health. Now I know big people who are healthy and can kick butt in so many things. But these ladies were not only overweight, their skin, hair and basic demeanor was unhealthy. I just can't believe they really have the secret to a new and healthy lifestyle...and especially not the way to maintain said lifestyle. I think this young gent would be better off if he went to a normal gym, picked up a well known success program / book or even talked ta a friend who has done the work...heck he may be further along in his goal than his current state. And its SO discouraging when progress is slow, especially at the beginning.

So I say, look to Tim Ferris, Jillian Michael, or some health guru at your local gym who has done the work, shows and gets results, and really walks the walk. I think your chances at success are better stacked in your favor. Buyer beware.

Have a great day!

Bex

Quick Tips for 4HB

2011-05-26T12:19:00.002-04:00

Ok...so with The 4 Hour Body, you definitely see results and in reading the material (regarding the fat loss section), all of his methods are reasonable. I've been on almost every diet and have experimented with what works and what doesn't. He too seems to have lab ratted himself out for similar purposes. So let's break it down and discuss what works and why:

Overview: The Diet

No starches, flours, sugars, alcohol (except 2 glasses of dry red wine), dairy, fruit or basically any white carb (except cauliflower)

Eat lean proteins, good fats, veggies (preferably green) and BEANS (preferably black & lentils)

Keep your diet drink and artificial sugar consumption at a bare minimum...no more that 16 oz of diet soda, the chemicals mess with your digestive enzymes and slow weight loss.

As for the Red Wine, you can have it, but in my experience it slows the weight loss as well.

And I recommend drinking 100 oz of water to help the weight loss progression...it helped several of my friends get out of their weight plateau.

Ideally he wants you to have protein in every meal, and to make sure to eat within 30 minutes of waking up...and he's right...it gets the metabolism going.

He also recommends eating 4 times a day (a meal every 3-4 hours)...another great way to keep the metabolism going.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY...you're only dieting 6 out of the 7 days in a week. Ya get a cheat day (he recommends to really go hog wild)...not only do you get one...you should take one for many different reasons.

Reason # 1: You're human and you need to allow yourself a day off and a day to eat whatever you like.
Reason #2: If you have a craving or are tempted to cheat, you'll be able to remind yourself that you can have it on your cheat day. OR if you have an event where you know you'll be eating and/or drinking unauthorized things, you can make that event day your cheat day and be good the other 6 surrounding it.
Reason #3: You need the nutrients, sodium and fat that are found in a lot of the crap foods you'll be eating on your cheat day. Moderation is a good thing, thus 1 day out of 6 of eating "bad" is a good thing.
Reason #4: Once you eat all that crap, and feel a bit ill, it's a good reminder as to why eating healthy is the way to go and it helps you stick with it. Plus you're a lot less likely to want the crap the other 6 days a week.

Well I hope this is helpful...if you have any adds, questions or comments, please do so. So far I've lost 4 lbs. in a week and everyone keeps commenting that I look like I've lost weight...weird for that to be notice so soon.

Have a great day!
Bex

4HB

2011-05-16T12:20:00.001-04:00

Ok...reading the latest in Diet/Excercise books...The 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss (author of The 4-Hour Workweek). I will let you know what I think and what I discover as I experiment with this program. Here goes nothing.

Water Logged

2011-05-10T12:33:00.001-04:00

I'm trying to drink 100 oz. of water everyday, but it's not as easy as it sounds. Why 100 oz.? Well believe it or not, besides water being so good for you, it turns out that the more water you drink, the less you retain. This is music to my ears, especially when you're trying to get rid of that pesky bloaty feeling...yick! So here I am guzzling water like there's no tomorrow...going to the bathroom every 30 minutes (or so it seems). But it's all good.

Currently I'm producing 3 major projects at one time and working on my own performing career included, and I'm starting to feel a little busy...lol. Not to mention that I just finished doing hair, make-up and wardrobe at Dicapo Opera for their latest opera Gianni Schicchi. However I have found that I'm sticking to the diet and exercise pretty well even though my schedule seems to be very busy. What can I say...I do it to myself.

Today, I'm going to do cardio sculpt with my girl Challis and I fear that it's going to kick my butt due to the fact that I haven't been taking class for a while. My form of exercise over the past month has mainly been guerilla cardio, dance rehearsal, kettle bell swings, and lovely walks outside in the sunshine :) Soooo, yeah, I'm gonna be hurtin' tomorrow.

Well kids, back to the grind. Hope you have a great day.

-Bex

What to Expect

2011-04-14T09:24:00.001-04:00

The 7 Day Peaking (Shedding the Water Weight) Diet is really a type of Detox Diet. You can find similar plans in other books like South Beach (Phase 1) or the Paleo Diet...however this one is different because of the amounts of water you have to drink and the lack of sodium you can take in...plus very little fats except for what's found in nuts and avocado (no cooking with oils). This is very much a limited diet, and should only be done as recommended. Let me tell you what to expect on this plan.

You will feel lethargic, due to the lack of caffeine and sugars that you are no longer ingesting. Don't worry, you will get over that feeling, but it takes time for your body to adapt. You just have to be patient...I usually adapt after 2 weeks of lean eating with no carbs, caffeine or sugar.

You may feel achy both in the body and the head. Again, don't worry...you're body is resetting itself to healthy levels and getting rid of the residual junk floating around in your system...thus the detox part. It's not the most comfortable of things, but necessary to clean up your insides. Drinking water to flush the system will help and so will sweating it out at the gym.

You may feel dizzy...that can be due to several factors: a.) Need of hydration to help flush the toxins from the system, so definitely drink the 100 oz of water recommended. b.) Your blood sugar is trying to balance out...give it time...again I know it usually takes my body about 2 weeks. c.) Are you eating enough and often? Try to stick to the recommended foods and certain amount of meals...I eat 4-5 snack/meals a day...sometime 6 based on how many hours I'm up and functioning...I sometimes work 18 hour days. and/or d.) Sinus pressure in the head, related to the body's detox mode...again hydration will help with this. I have also found that deep cleansing breaths help...the bod needs oxygen.

Cravings...yeah, you always want what you can't have. It's a mind game...the long term rewards are sooo much better than the momentary lapse. Just think of what you have and can attain by being diligent in your efforts. And if you do slip up, get right back on, DO NOT make an entire binge day out of one little calorie. You're body is going to want caffeine and sugar...it's addicted...but you're stronger and smarter than addiction...it really is mind over matter...so suck it up, and do it!

That's pretty much all I can think of at the moment...probably has something to do with the lack of sugar in my body...lol.

I do know and recognize that when I do eat clean and lean with no sugars or empty carbs in the bod, I function so much better. My joints stop hurting, my clothes fit better, and I feel good all over (once I get past the initial phase.)

Feel free to hit me up with any questions you may have.

Good luck and have a great day,
Bex

Water Shedding

2011-04-13T09:12:00.000-04:00

4.5 lbs. down in two days! Yep, we have water weight kids...and we're happily getting rid of that empty poundage. Did you know that every 1 pound of weight you carry = 4 pounds of impact on your joints? My plan is to lose as much water weight in 7 days as I can to saves my joints some serious issues. 10 lbs. of water weight gone = 40 lbs. of impact gone...so I can really hit my hardcore work-outs with a little more "ease"...at least joint-wise.

The "Making the Cut" plan is not for the faint of heart or fitness challenged. You have to pass Jillian's fitness test in the book before you can even start the program. I've had this book for over a year now, and have just now gotten to level of fitness where I believe I can do the whole 30 days.

I've tried so many different diet and exercise programs in my lifetime. Read hundreds of books on the subject that I should receive an honorary doctorate from Fitness U. And the one thing I've learned from all of it is this: Clean healthy eating, some moderate treats, and constantly changing up your activities (shock the body) is the way to see continuous results. However, your mental mindset is the number one key to unlocking it all. Not only do you need to push through and persevere, but you also need to reaffirm your dedication to the project rather often. For me, it takes a new book or fitness regiment to keep me going. I need to read or re-read certain books to reset the brain and get me into the groove again. This time it's Jillian's "Making the Cut"...a book that I'm finally ready for in my life. I'm at the point where I have my last 20 lbs. to lose to reach my goal weight and I'm so excited that I can already see the victory. I see myself in bikini, running on the beach, swimming in the waves, soaking in the sun (with serious sunblock of course). I see myself taking a tropical vacation and happily showing off my new hot bod. I see myself on stage in my gorgeous, barely there costumes strutting my stuff confidently. I see the best me I can be...and I see the way to continuing that lean, healthy body for the rest of my life. I know how to maintain...it's just the final goal that's always alluded me. But no more, the time is at hand, and I will achieve my heart's desire to be fit and healthy! It's been a long road, but I'm finally on the last leg of this goal's journey, with new goals to be set and achieved. I can't wait to see what I can accomplish. What new fitness levels and heights I can reach. There's so much capability when it comes to the human body and I want to understand how far I can take it. Can you tell I'm excited here people?

Alright, onward and upward.

Have a great and productive day.

Best,

Bex

Water & Cutting

2011-04-12T16:19:00.005-04:00

3 lbs. in one day??? Yep, thanks to that lovely thing known as water weight. I'm currently on a regimen that helps rid the bod of excess water weight. Why you ask? Besides the obvious benefits of getting rid of excess bloat, I'm preparing for a serious fitness & nutrition plan. This week is all about getting rid of my water weight so that when I get to my new hardcore fitness/nutrition plan, I can see the real results.

Water-Weight-Be-Gone Diet (7 days only):

Lean Green Steamed or Raw Veggies only
Lean Protein (Chicken or Turkey Breast)
Raw Nuts & Nut Butters (no sodium)
Low to NO Sodium (keep it under 500 mg a day)
Absolutely NO Table Salt
Egg Whites
Drink 100 oz of Water per day (distilled preferred)
Decaf Coffees & Teas (very little dairy allowed)
NO Sugar
No Flours
No Starches or Carbs
No Oils

Then once we've achieved our 7 day water/detox, it on to doing Jillian Michaels "Making the Cut". I'm so excited, this is serious fitness for the serious person. I plan on hitting it hard and reaping the rewards and results. I'm on my way to the bikini bod that I want for the season...and not just beach season, but performance season!

Onward and upwards my friends.

Best,
Bex

Detoxing Life

2011-03-30T13:04:00.004-04:00

So as part of my regular detox, I've decided to detox my life as well...in other words, get rid of not only foreign, processed materials that may enter my body, but my brain, heart and soul as well.

Just recently I decided after much strain and conflict, to resign from one of the major Projects I've been working on for years...that was a huge weight gone off of my shoulders immediately. No need to stress over something you have no control of. Just gracefully decide not to take anymore abuse and know when to walk...that's what I did.

I have other ventures that are going swimmingly both performance and producer-wise...and the aforementioned resignation has helped me balance my life a little more.

The detox body-wise, is the attempt to clean my eating up a bit more. I've cut the dairy and added lemon juice & hot water in the morning. So far today I've had 1/2 of a grapefruit with the hot water & lemon and some dried mango with tea. I've now got to figure out what's for lunch.

Work-outs include 20 minutes of Guerrilla Cardio, and the exciting addition of KettleBells into my regime...plus I'm taking a dance class once a week at night on top of my daily lunch work-outs.

Something lovely about my lunch work-outs is the fact that I have had a gym buddy for the past 3 months. She's a good friend and it's been like therapy to get together, burn calories and chat about your day to day...it's also been crucial when days are bad or frustrating to have someone to vent to. Plus when you're hurting emotionally, the "pain" from the work-out cancels out everything else...it's scientifically proven that your brain can only recognize one form of pain in the body at a time, including mental versus physical. So stressed, angry and/or hurting...go to the gym...it's the best way to fight off those frustrations.

AND there's just something about having a regularly scheduled gym buddy...it makes you go to the gym even when you don't feel like it...hello accountability.

So you can see that my detox is well underway with everything from nutrition and fitness, to mental health for both mind and soul.

What's your therapy?

Have a great day,

Bex

Day 2...again...

2011-03-08T16:24:00.000-05:00

Work-out...check
Eat healthy/clean...check
Still on the path to wellness...check

Ok, so I'm at day two again, and it feels good. There was a lot of conversation with myself to get myself to the gym...and guess what...I went...good conversation. The eating has been good today so far, but now the tough part is getting through the evening without caving into temptations and emotional eating. I'm pretty strong and plan on distracting myself with other projects, so I should be ok.

That's all to report today, I won't get into the drama of my world other than health and fitness today. Let's just say, I'm dealing with a whole mountain of stress, but still I can deal...so no worries. One day at a time.

Have a great day,
Bex

The Rant

2011-03-07T16:10:00.000-05:00

Work-Out...check
Eat Clean...check
On Path to a healthy lifestyle...check
Stay on Path...GOD I hope so!!!

You'd think that the thought of performing practically half-naked infront of crowds & crowds of people would be motivation enough for anyone to get their butts to stay on a healthy regiment of diet and exercise. Right? Hmmm...It currently doesn't seem to scare me half as much as it should...I just can't seem to stay motivated. I find myself always neglecting my health when it gets really busy in my life. For example...my projects picking up, more being added everyday, my mom in the hospital (poor mom has heart and diabetes problems), boy "issues", roommate "issues", money "issues"...boy that's alot of issues. And unfortunately, these "issues" seem to affect my my mindset of staying healthy and determined to work-out. I've got to get it together. I know, breathe and take it on day at a time, but I tell ya, I've been pretty slothful lately and the scale, nor do pictures, lie. Ok. So, here I go again. Back to re-re-committing myself to my healthy, clean, gluten-free eating and to getting myself moving (ie. getting my butt to the gym). Time to take control...heck I control everything else in my life, you'd think I could manage something as simple as what I put in my mouth or if I walk myself over to the gym and climb onto the treadmill. That sounds rather basic and doable... right? SO WHAT THE HECK'S MY PROBLEM!!!

Now for some self love (not that kind...gutter people).

I will take care of myself, I will love myself, I will make sure to put good things into my body and keep the bad to the minimum. Sounds like a plan! Now to stick with it.

Hope you're doing well on whatever endeavors you're on.

Have a great day,
Bex

Paleo-rrific with a side of the Holidays

2010-12-27T12:03:00.001-05:00

For the most part, I've been sticking to the Paleo path of eating throughout the holidays. Have I been perfect? No. Did I plan on being perfect? No. Is it ok? Of course! Why kill yourself and miss out on celebrating good food and cheer with friends. I've found in my many years of "dieting" and the quest for nutritional balance in the universe, that absolutes will get you every time...in a bad way. If I'm absolutely strict and one sided in anything I do, I find that the balance to that is that I will absolutely sabotage myself and undo all the good I've done...Thus moderation is introduced into the lifestyle. You can enjoy many things in life as long as you do it in moderation. Now that's a difficult concept to grasp, especially during the Holidays, but this year, I feel that I've accomplished the task with poise, grace, and definite success.

For Thanksgiving, I joined a lovely group of friends to do the annual Thanksgiving Buffet at Ulysses, downtown Manhattan (Stone / Pearl Streets) and found that I could have my cake and eat it too. Due to my healthy grazing since September, I have found that my body doesn't really want to consume much in one seating, thus I had bits of yummy goodness at the Thanksgiving feast without over indulging...heck I didn't even want more than one bite of my dessert. And at the after party, I basically stuck with drinking my calories by having my friend Eric's most delicious mulled wine...so good, I look forward every year!!!

This Christmas, I was invited to have dinner at a friend of a friend's house and enjoy a wonderful culinary journey. The menu included the following:

Potato, Leek & Broccoli Soup with Parsnip Bacon
A Smoky Chorizo Stuffing from the brilliant George Mendes of Aldea
Pork Shoulder Cassoulet, served with Braised Balsamic Onions and Whipped Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Mascarpone
Homemade Banana and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Everything was divine from the start, now let me share my experience of our Christmas Dinner.

We started with Potato, Leek & Broccoli Soup with Parsnip Bacon, a surprisingly divine delight. A wonderfully blended array of vegetables that were topped off with a few crumbles and Parsnip Bacon. What is Parsnip Bacon you ask? Well the clever chef/host of the evening created a Christmas miracle by crisping parsnips until they became pieces of bacon-y goodness...I know...how the?...what the?...and fantastic!...what's next water into wine? All I have to say was the mix of perfectly pureed warm soup with the crispy parsnip bacon made for a most comforting experience both in taste and texture.

The Smoky Chorizo Stuffing was a new way to appetize the guests and the palette with lovely small portions of mixed pumpernickel, raisins, onions, peppers and of course chorizo. The blend of sweet breads and veggies welcomed the salty spice of the Chorizo sausage folded into the mix and served with starter shots of Irish Whisky & Pickle Brine...absolutely unique to this girl's experience and very happy to have been educated in the ways of the pairing. This has to be tried. My description is inadequate, but the match really woke up the senses and pleased both my sweet, savory and salty cravings in one...seems like there's a theme to this journey.

Thankfully we got a break inbetween courses as the Pork Shoulder Cassoulet was finishing its cooking time...and we were able to savor and digest the offerings our host had to share. During this time we mingled, shared Barolo red wine, a lovely dry sherry, and a deliciously crisp Riesling that I had with the stuffing in the previous course mentioned. All in all a good start to the meal, and a perfect half-time as we waited for the main course of the evening.

Finally our host noticed that the next course was ready to go as we prepared ourselves for the Pork Shoulder Cassoulet, served with Braised Balsamic Onions and Whipped Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Mascarpone. Apparently a Cassoulet is (from Occitan caçolet [kasuˈlet], French: [kasuˈlɛ]) a rich, slow-cooked bean stew or casserole originating in the south of France, containing meat (typically pork sausages, pork, goose, duck and sometimes mutton), pork skin (couennes) and white haricot beans (thank you wikipedia). This particular one contained a tender and moist pork shoulder served with a spicy pork sausage and white beans, all seasoned to perfection and happily balanced with the braised, sweet balsamic onions and fluffy, cloud-like puree of whipped butternut squash & sweet potato mascarpone drizzled with a balsamic reduction (I believe). Again as it seems to be the theme of the meal, balance found its way with everything from taste, texture and that pure comfort-food feeling from something so hardy as a cassoulet.

After everyone cleaned their plates (and I don't mean we did the dishes) the offerings of dessert appeared, Homemade Banana and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. Now don't be fooled, there was actually no cream in this particular dessert, but a lovely frozen blend of ripe bananas with ground vanilla bean to make for a sweet, light finish to the meal. There was also a surprise of butternut squash pie that one of the guests (Vanessa) brought that was most welcomed by all. My first experience with a butternut squash pie and it was absolutely great! A deliciously spiced and sweet filling that was both smooth and rich, served in a flaky well-made pie crust...a really nice compliment to the "Ice Cream" (sorbet?) that was being served.

I believe there will be pics and descriptions of our meal at the following website: http://www.sophisticatesny.com/ once he gets the chance to post it. A most delightful evening, and many thanks to our host and my friends for including me. I can't wait for the next adventure!

Now back to my paleo grazing of proteins, veggies, fruits and nuts...and of course I've got a date with the gym today after work...yeah, that gym, he never stands me up (wish I could say the same).

Enjoy the rest of your holiday season and remember, moderation!

-Bex

Breaking Through

2010-11-24T09:50:00.001-05:00

Today marks breaking the 20 lb. loss. Since I went home to Texas in Aug/Sep and realizing I needed a definite change, I have done it. I've changed my habits and eating and found great success in what I am doing (wow that was alot of "ands"). I'm really a fan of the paleo way of eating. I feel energetic, healthy, and finally thin again...all this just from my diet. I would like to drop a little more and now sculpt my bod (that's right...I've still got my eye on the prize...bikini model status...lol). I've been avoiding the gym the past couple of months in an effort to balance the crazy schedule I keep and I am now at a point, now that my latest show is done, where I can really focus on getting back into my gym habit. I know, why did I get out of the habit? With the stress of flying back and forth to TX in order to spend time with my brother-in-law James and deal with his cancer, then his funeral, and taking on rehearsals, performance and producership, on top of a break-up with my boyfriend of 3 years...I felt that something had to give, so I let it be the gym. I tend to really overdue things, especially when I'm in a show, and so this time I decided to just focus on eating healthy and to do everything I can to avoid getting sick. SUCCESS! I dealt with all the hard life issues, and my performances were fantastic. I have to say, it's been a really challenging past couple of months, but I feel that if I can get through these trying times, I can get through anything. I'm actually surprised that I was able to stick to eating clean for the majority these past few months. It really shows growth within my psyche, because normally I would self-medicate with food to get through adversity and stress. I think focusing on the good eating actually helped me through all the crap I was dealing with, and I have to say that I've come out on the otherside for the better.

A few tricks of the trade for my successful weight loss so far. I will put it down here so that I can come back and review when I need:

1. Eat something first thing in the morning. Generally I find a piece of fruit and/or some almonds in the morning are a great way to start out.

2. Eat a good solid meal for lunch. I'm usually famished by 2pm when my lunch hour roles around, so I make sure my "biggest" meal of the day is at this time...definitely have some good protein and lots of veggies here.

3. Snack, snack, snack...I always have almonds or a piece of fruit (apple) on me so when I do feel hungry, I can just have a quick bite...keeps me from eating bad or being tempted later.

4. My last meal of the day is usually before 7pm...THIS is so crucial to my weight loss. It gives me enough time to burn the calories before I wind down for the evening. And eat absolutely nothing but water after 9pm.

5. Tea...since you're off dairy on the Paleo Diet, I found that replacing my coffee with tea accelerated my weight loss in a way. I drink tons of green tea actually...but try to cut it off before 3pm if you can or you may find yourself unable to sleep later.

6. Be active. Even though I've not been hitting the gym, I do live an active lifestyle with such a hectic schedule that I keep...and I do live in NYC, so I walk everywhere. I really do love to walk...it's a great way to take in everything around you and unwind all at the same time.

On that note, I'm going to have a cup of tea and get ready for the Holiday weekend. Have a very Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy all that you have around you.

All my best,

Bex

Continued Success

2010-11-03T15:16:00.002-04:00

So, the eating clean really pays off. I'm feeling great and have been seeing lovely results. Basically 20 lbs. down...would like to go another 10-20 more. It's hard to gage, especially when you add weight training in there. If you lose fat but gain muscle...you can't really go by the scale. I hear Jillian Michaels weighs more than she looks, all that fantastic condensed muscle on that petite frame...fantastic. So who really knows, I can just wait and see how my clothes fit and how I look in a bikini ;) That's the goal, as always, hot bikini bod...lol. I think it's fun to have an ultimate goal...don't you. What's yours? Have you visualized what you want for yourself? Let's see...here are my goals:

1. Hot bikini bod by January. (Beat the New Years rush) - this includes working-out at least 4 days a week.
2. Raise $50,000 for OMRT productions by January. (I'd settle for 1/2 by January and the other 1/2 by June)...if you'd like to help me reach that goal AND get a TAX DEDUCTION before the end of the year, you can donate at the following link: https://www.fracturedatlas.org/site/contribute/donate/2549
3. Take a tropical, relaxing and fun vacation this year...again January would be ideal.
4. Purge my apartment and life of unnecessary items...and ORGANIZE everything!
5. Learn, I mean really learn Italian! Would love to speak it rather proficiently.
6. Get a head start on next year's season for OMRT. (i.e. Budget, Venues, Marketing, Fundraising)
7. Follow-up with all networking contacts made this year and establish friendly, comfortable relationships.

I could keep listing, but we'll start with these.

The big Wagner, Verdi & Vodka Gala at Merkin Hall was a great success...we had a lovely turnout and everyone had an amazing time. All the feedback was positive and exciting. I'm thinking that we will surely have something good come out of all this.

La Boheme is next on the agenda. It promises to be an intimate, young, sexy and powerful production. I perform Musetta on the evenings of Nov. 13th & 19th and the afternoon of Nov. 21st...I hope you can come out and support the company...and of course see me do my thing...I promise that you will truly be moved and entertained!

Alright, speaking of...I have some Italian work to do before rehearsal tonight.

Oh...btw, I've included another article on Gluten...hope you enjoy the read: http://www.experiencelifemag.org/issues/november-2010/healthy-eating/gluten-the-whole-story.php

All the best.

-Bex

Paleo Rocks...get it?

2010-10-18T14:03:00.000-04:00

The Paleo way of life truly rocks (nod to our cave dwelling ancestors). I feel amazing, I'm down 16 lbs. and I have energy to spare. A few cheats here and there with some red wine and a bit of chocolate. And I highly recommend the "Secret Shake" at the bottom of this blog. Talk about a great way to start your day...this really kicks you into high gear, I find myself sprinting up the subway stairs in the morning. This probably also falls under a "cheat" as I use whey protein, but there's no lactose involved, so I'm pretty sure it's ok, PLUS I'm seeing fab results!

Pictured to my left was one of my lunches from 2 weeks ago, and what I'll be having for lunch today :)...sooooo delicious. I really love rotisserie chicken. I've also been heavy into roasting veggies in a little bit of olive oil with salt & rosemary. The general medley of vegetables roasted have been a mix of onions, carrots, parsnip, and yellow squash...sometimes I will bake a Cornish hen or chicken with them too. Think I may do a pot roast sometime this week as well...yummy! Some of you have been asking about the link that got me interested in the Paleo Diet in the first place, so I'll attach a link for you to read up on it yourself: http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2010/09/19/paleo-diet-solution/

On the opera front, Godiva Chocolate will be sampling at our big Wagner, Verdi & Vodka Benefit Gala on October 30th (we're doing a tasting today at the Ansonia...mmm), and there are two designers who will be dressing some of the ladies for the event, including myself. I go for a dress fitting tomorrow at Gustavo Cadile's studio. I'm so excited. His dresses are GORGEOUS...just hope I can fit in one...I know I'm "not a fat opera singer" per se, but I'm definitely not of the super model variety when it comes to the waif like apparel. He says he has size 6's in the studio...so here's hoping!

I'm off to my lunch date, so enjoy the lovely shake recipe below...and be good to your body.

Here's the recipe to Jackie Warner's Secret Shake. This is a meal replacement, and is supposed to be ultra healthy, help you burn fat, and help your recover faster from your work-outs. Yeah, you need a blender for this...I know it sounds gross, but it doesn't taste as hideous as it sounds...the berries cover everything.

1 Scoop (low-glycemic) Protein Powder (I am currently using Isopure - Vanilla)
1 tsp. Glutamine Powder
1 tsp. BCAA Powder
1 tbsp. L Carnitine (I am currently using the liquid, rasberry flavor)
1/2 tbsp. Flaxseed Oil
1 Cup Frozen Spinach
1 Cup Frozen Berries (have fun, blueberries, strawberries, rasberries)

Have a great day!
-Bex

Tweakings

2010-10-04T10:10:00.001-04:00

Life for me is always about self discovery and self improvement. Thus once again, I'm tweaking my nutrition a bit. I've decided to try giving up dairy, all grains, and legumes...yep, that include alcohol (not that I'm a big drinker, but still I like a nice glass of wine every now and then). What prompted this change, I read an article about gluten, and grains...and it lead me to the Paleo "diet". Basically, its simple eating of lean proteins, veggies, fruits and nuts. The dairy is the hardest thing for me to give up, for I LOVE cheese, milk and cream in my coffee...not to mention, I was practically living on Greek Yogurt. No worries, however, I'm only trying it out through the end of October, see how my body likes it and re-evaluate from there. Thus far I've lost 11 lbs. of the horrid TX weight I gained when I was home so much in August (can you say BBQ & Mexican Food?)

As for the working-out, that starts again on a regular basis today. I have to admit, that August and September were sparse when it came to gym visits, but that all changes now. I've got my footing under me again and its now time to go back to that lovely zone I visit whenever I go running for 30 minutes at lunch. It really helps relieve the stress of the day. Not to mention the fun classes I get to take after work, and my favorite Shred DVD at home. I have at least been climbing on my elliptical at home for an hour about 2-3 times a week, so it hasn't been a total loss.

In the opera world, things are definitely hopping. Sooo many projects in the works, and it's been quite a balancing act to get everything up and running, especially when it seems my personal life has been a bit out of sorts lately. For those of you who follow, the Maestro and I are no longer an item, however we are still good friends. I just felt that we were better suited as friends and it was time I focused on other aspects in my life. So yep...I'm single...let the party begin...lol...not that it already hasn't. Life in NYC is non-stop, and with my opera producing and performing career, my calendar is pretty full (almost too full). Not that I'm complaining.

Well, back to the daily grind. Have a great one!
-Bex

Sad News

2010-09-22T11:07:00.000-04:00

My Dear Friend and Brother-in-Law James passed away Monday night after his 2+ year battle with phase IV Melanoma cancer. He was 37 years old and leaves behind two children, Isabella (10) and Ren (19). My mother has been living there with him and the kids for the above mentioned duration and taking care of him, the house, the bills, the kids (not to mention her own house and bills - she's a retired school teacher). It's been a long and hard battle for everyone, and he was very much loved. Unfortunately, James lost his job and was unable to work throughout the entire ordeal and had no health insurance, and so they have a ridiculous amount of medical bills and now funeral arrangements to deal with. I hope this doesn't go against all etiquette, but I'm asking any of you who can spare a few dollars. I know that economic times have been hard for everyone, but please understand that any amount is not too small...anything helps and it adds up and helps them keep the water and electricity on for another month and hopefully keep foreclosure on their house from happening somehow. I'm a bit embarrassed to ask, but the circumstances are truly dire.

If you would like to help, you can donate through this link that I set up with PayPal to go into a memorial account for the family. I am truly thankful for any help you can give, but I also understand if you're unable to right now with the way things are with the economy, you're prayers and good wishes are very welcome.

To my friends who already know this and have already pledged help, I am so very grateful, and thanks for stopping by the blog to read and check up on me.

Best,
Bex

Ponderisms (and my Comments)

2010-09-17T11:37:00.000-04:00

"PONDERISMS"

I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes. (Silly)

There are two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead. (So True)

Healthy is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die. (Yes, that's the point)

The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth. (Hmmm)

Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday,... lying in hospitals dying of.... nothing. (We can only hope)

Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs,.. like they used to? (I have this uncle...)

Whenever I feel blue,..... I start breathing again. (Clever...and it works!)

All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism. (Ha)

In the 60's, people took 'acid' to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal! (OMG...You know...they're right?)

How is it, that 'one' careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire? (Ugh, tell me about it, and forget about rubbing two sticks together)

Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, 'I think I'll squeeze these 'dangly' things and drink whatever comes out?' (I'm assuming a man?)

If Jimmy 'cracks corn' and no one cares, why is there a song about him? (Yeah, I totally singing it right now, and it's going to be stuck in my head all day)

Why does your OB-GYN leave the room when you get undressed if they are going to look 'up there' anyway? (I actually appreciate that act...I'm very modest)

If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests? (Yeah...think about that one)

If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, then what is 'baby oil' made from? (Ew)

Do illiterate people get the 'full effect' of Alphabet Soup? (Oooh...good question)

Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster? (I personally think it does)

Why doesn't glue stick to the 'inside' of the bottle? (Actually, I have a couple of old bottles at home that would disprove this question)

Hope you enjoyed my funny little share.

Sad News

2010-09-16T10:13:00.002-04:00

I’ve been so stressed, overworked, over worried, and under inspired lately. Things back home in Texas have not been going so well, and it’s really affected me. I’ll catch you up.

My dear brother-in-law James has been fighting stage 4 melanoma cancer for the past two years. We thought for a while that he’d be ok, but in August, it took a turn for the worst and the cancer has now metastasized and is in his lungs (40+ tumors to be exact). They say that at this point the cancer is inoperable and that all there is to be done is pain management now. What? Really? I have a problem with that prognosis especially for a man who is only 37 years old. He and I are very close, and he’s like a real brother to me. He’s been in my family now for almost 2 decades and we’ve become very good friends. This kills me and I’m so broken hearted watching him suffer and go through this. Not to mention there are two children involved, my niece (10) and nephew (19). I’m trying to be there for them as much as possible. I don’t want them to see how upset I am or how grave the situation is, but we also can’t hide the reality of the situation from them either. My niece seems ok with everything, but her thinking is “Daddy’s been sick and in the hospital before but he always comes home and things go back to normal.” However, my nephew gets it…he knows things are bad and that there is an inevitable end to this very sad story.

I’ve been home to Texas twice for a week in August and with a weekend in NYC in between and I have to tell you, with the stress of keeping up with my day job, my singing career, and now producing career here in NYC and the family issues back home in TX, I’ve found an extra 10 lbs. on my person. This has really taken a toll on my health. I’m doing everything I can just not to get sick. So now that I’m back in NYC for awhile (until they need me again and/or the funeral), I’ve really been trying to get some control in my life. I may not be able to control what’s going on with my brother-in-law or the medical bills that are stacking up against my family, and I may not be able to control the mishaps that happen when you’re trying to run an Opera Company, AND I may not be able to control the day to day crap that inevitably falls into your lap, but I know I CAN control what I put in my mouth and decide is nutritional. I CAN choose to work-out. I CAN take my vitamins and patrol my health in this manner. I have found this fact to be very comforting in a world that seems to be spinning out of control. This has allowed me to take a deep breath and dig in, in order to prepare myself for whatever may be ahead of me. Perseverance is sometimes the only answer in a world that seems to be going mad.

The past two weeks have really been good for me. Given me strength and fortified me. I know I can get through anything and accomplish what needs to get done. There is always a way. In fact, I’ve been keeping my food log, eating clean, working-out and getting as much rest as possible, and I’ve seen 6.5 of those 10 lbs. that I gained, leave. It feels so shallow talking about weight issues, when so many other things of importance are happening. But I feel that I need to talk this through and have some sort of order and outlet. So thank you for letting me ramble and pour.

Best,
Bex

Goings On

2010-07-30T10:04:00.000-04:00

I’m still sore today from all the working out this week…surely it can’t be from just that one class on Tuesday? Granted we did take Masala Bhangra last night and it was so much fun and it went by rather quickly. My girl Challis and I really enjoy these dance classes, however we are considering going back to that Cardio Sculpt class next Tuesday since it thoroughly kicked our butts and really made us "feel it"! As she said to me yesterday, “it’s not like we didn’t make it through the whole class, even if we are sore.” So you may hear more of my whining later next week when I’ve suckered myself into taking the class that doth cause me pain. ;)

On the opera front: I’ve really gotten into the world of producing. My current projects are the Summer Concert Series starting mid-August where we’ll be presenting Donizetti’s Anna Bolena, Mozart’s Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute) and Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin. On October 30th I will also be producing a fantastic Gala Event at Merkin Hall in the Kaufman Center which I’ve titled Wagner, Verdi, & Vodka, all with Opera Manhattan in which I have been given the title and position of co-Executive Director. I’m currently trying to arrange a vodka sponsor for the gala, we’ll see who the lucky vendor will be that gets to present their premium vodka to our cultural patrons. In November I’ll be singing Musetta in a new, modern version of La Boheme, in December I’m producing Humperdink’s Hansel & Gretel and in February the One-Act Opera Festival may change to the New Composers Festival where we will present new works by new composers. After that, we’ll have a few months off and then in June of 2011 we produce Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah.

I’m hoping when the madness calms down, I’ll get to take a week off in December or January and go to some Tropical locale. The Maestro and I are talking about a romantic getaway to some all-inclusive resort where we can relax and recoup from the drains of opera season…but my schedule is still pretty heavy during that time, so we’ll see how it works out…I may have to wait until late February to get away.

Today I meet with Challis and the Maestro for a lunchtime work-out and then after work I’ve got a date with the Maestro to go to the movies. I’ve come to a sort of peace when it comes to the movies these day, I can actually go and watch a movie without getting popcorn, soda, and/or other high calories snacks…but just in case, maybe I’ll sneak in a low calorie treat.

I have to say with the current work-out regiment, the great support from my dear friends, the mindful healthy eating, and the goal of a tropical vacation in the winter that includes me in a bikini, I may find myself in great shape before I know it!

Have you set your goal today?

Just checking...have a great day.

-Bex

Feel the Burn

2010-07-29T15:50:00.001-04:00

I've just started the glorious habit of taking work-out classes with my friend. I have to say, that even though I generally work-out 3 to 5 days a week, I'm not as in shape as I thought! Infact, the Cardio Sculpt class we took on Tuesday kicked our butts...it was like Jillian Michaels on crack...she would have been proud. We're both still whiny and sore from Tuesday, but we have continued to forge through and continue to work-out everyday, even through the "pain"...you know, the good pain...so I'm proud of us too.

Tonight we take Masala Bhangra, a class I haven't taken in months...but now my schedule is open and I'm free to take the class. I have to say I prefer taking dance classes, they always seem like you're playing instead of working. Next Monday I believe we have Zumba on the schedule, but in the meantime, Friday & Saturday will be good old fashioned cardio and Jillian's 30 Day Shred.

Did I mention that I was whiny and in serious soreness? For example, my quads and glutes are so sore that it hurts to sit, take the stairs, and generally just walk...no really, my legs have almost given out on me as I walk around the office. It's the worst when I've been sitting at my desk for hours and I've gotten all stiff from the inactivity...oye!

On top of all that, the Maestro is finally back from being in Europe for the past 5 weeks, so we've been going on dates, catching up, and working-out together too. Since yesterday, he's been meeting me and we've been doing cardio on my lunch hour. So yeah, I'm feelin' it! We'll see how long I can keep this up. I know the lunchtime work-outs won't last too long because his schedule is about to get really busy, but it's nice for now.

So now to get some food in this body and then off to the gym...again.

Have a great day!
-Bex

Life's What Happens

2010-07-06T15:51:00.006-04:00

I know it's been awhile, and we are now in my birthday month...boy how time flies.

So, I've been pretty off and on with the work-outs. One week, I'm perfect and busy busting my butt at the gym and the next week I'm partying and creating more damage to undo.

As the great John Lennon once said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." How true that is, and how true is the fact that we must find balance people. The kind of balance that allows for life to "get in the way." That's my current goal...learning to work-out, eat right and maintain a healthy lifestyle while allowing myself a few indulgences. But why do those indulgences always seem to pour in when I'm just trying to make it through the rain...seriously? Why are there so many parties in one week and none in the next? My job is to figure out how to navigate through times like these without doing serious damage to all the good things I've done for myself.

So go on to meeting friends after work every now and then...but instead of happy hour, how about a nice gym date...Zumba anyone? Or if you know you're going to go home and watch TV for a couple of hours, how about doing crunches, jumping jacks and squats while you watch...or in my case hop on the elliptical for a bit (best investment ever!). There's always someway to fit in fitness.

Have a great day, and enjoy what life brings to you.

Best,

Bex

Challenge (in a French accent)

2010-05-06T11:24:00.009-04:00

I've always got a lot on my plate when it comes to life. I tend to take on more than one should even if you are a super-duper-multi-tasker like me (boy that's a lot of dashes in one word...if it was really a word). I was so overwhelmed at one point last week by my many things, that I couldn't even get my colloquialisms right, par example: "I've got a lot of Irons in the Air" or "I've got a lot of Balls in the Fire"... Um, you get the painful point.

So currently, I'm pushing myself to get in sick shape (not to be mistaken with sickly)...I mean really pushing myself. In fact last night, that's exactly what I had to do...push myself to work-out, no matter how bad I didn't want to. But I did it! I did my Shred and loved it once I was done. Isn't that always the way? It's hard to get yourself going, but once you do, you feel great and that feeling of accomplishment is sooo sweet.

Why the sick shape endeavor you ask? Well I'm singing in the Springbirds Cabaret later this month at Don't Tell Mama's and I want to wear my sexy, slinky gown for the event...thus we've got to tame the jiggly bits and bumps...OH and it's going to be filmed and on Television later this year...so you know about the camera and those lovely extra 10 lbs. PLUS Summer's right around the corner, which means skimpy clothes and bathing suits (possibly a bikini?) We'll see what good I can do as the Summer months quickly encroach...and as always my Birthday falls in the middle of Summer, so we've officially started our annual Birthday Challenge! That's right kids...I personally have until July 24th to drop some poundage and tone the wobblies for that extra special birthday outfit (TBD at a later shopping trip)...but you know it's going to be chic and fantastic!

So who's game...who's up for doing The Birthday Challenge with me? More or less 2 and a half months to eat healthy, bust your butt working-out and getting those beautifying Z's. Let's do it!

Have a great day and looking forward to hearing about your successes!!!

-Bex

P.S. Get it? I'm throwing down the gauntlet...CHALLENGE!!!

GIYA!!!

2010-05-04T15:34:00.005-04:00

So there's a difference between going through the motions and really giving your all. Have you ever just made yourself go to the gym and went through the motions of your same old, same old work-out? I applaud you and myself just for getting there...that's the 1st step, but since we're there...why not really make it count? It's so easy to fall into the comfort of your regular routine...but isn't that so...oh, I don't know...routine? And you wonder why you stopped seeing results months ago...or atleast I did. And so enters the whole "giving it your all" train of thought...or as we shall so lovingly refer to it as "GIYA"...not like mother earth Gaia...but more like your in the rodeo, like a big "YeeHaa" if you will...GIYA!!!!...now you're wrangling cattle! That means, really push it when you're working out...don't skimp on the movements, don't take the easy road...if it were easy, everyone would look like swimsuit / sports models. Seriously, turn it up a notch...keep those abs in and tight, control every movement up/down & in/out, listen to & control your breathing, do explosive movements, get that heart rate up and bring on that puke-y good feeling where you know your practically at your limit.

I'm currently doing Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred again (after being off of that program for about 3 months or so)...and boy she doesn't kid around! And I'm really doing it...there's no taking the beginner version this time...it's all or nothing baby. I've also changed my guerilla cardio up a bit and am now doing faster, explosive intervals, thanks to Dr. Mercola's article, instead of gradated levels of growing hill-like speeds. Whew and I can feel it. The change in my body is so immediate, that even my coworkers have noticed the difference in less than a week. Yes of course I'm eating clean too...and it makes all the difference.

What is eating clean? Well, to me it means, eating lean and healthy...things like organic peanutbutter, eggwhites, lean meats and proteins like chicken breast and turkey, lots of green veggies, especially the dark leafy variety, lots of legumes, some low fat dairy (mmm...greek yogurt), and some good fats. Drinking lots of water and green tea...and avoiding all things chemical and processed. No bread, no gluten, no bad yucky "foods" that mother nature didn't intend on being consumed....sorry, you'll not see fish of any kind listed here, as I am allergic to all kinds :(

It's day 3 of my new GIYA attitude and LORD am I feelin' it! It's at the point where the good sore really hits you when you're trying to sit down, or go down a flight of stairs...eek...burning quads, among other muscles...who new I was so out of shape...lol. So even if you are a regular at the gym (like I am...does 3 days a week count?)...I definitely recommend GIYA!!! Really get in there and make it burn!

Have a great day,

Bex

Gold Star for Today

2010-04-26T15:27:00.007-04:00

Ok, so I did it right thus far today:

6:30am - 2 tsp. organic peanut butter w/1 cup organic skim milk

9:30am - Eggwhite omelet w/feta & fresh spinach & decaf coffee w/half & half

12:30pm - 0% Fage Yogurt & coffee w/half & half

2:10pm-2:45pm - Intervals on the Treadmill (guerilla cardio)

3:30pm - organic mixed green salad & balsamic vinaigrette
Not a bad start to the day...I've gotten in some awesome fuel into my body so far and had a lovely cardio work-out (purple face included)...yay me

Now the Plan for the rest of the day:

5pm - Vocal Coaching

6:30pm - Dinner

7pm - Cabaret rehearsal

11pm - Sleep, glorious sleep...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

What goodness have you done for your body today...let's hit it!

Best,
Bex

Watch OMRT's Post

2010-04-22T15:55:00.003-04:00

Opera Manhattan is trying to win free rehearsal space so please watch our youtube video and that will add another view to our site. The most viewed video wins the space for a year. So click the following link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0uWvOjxdYo and enjoy the show :)

If you want to be extra helpful, clear your browsing history and watch it it again...it has to be a new view everytime it's watched for it to count.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you in advanced. And also feel free to visit http://www.operamanhattan.com/ to learn more about the company you are supporting.

Have a great day,

Bex

Quickie

2010-04-14T16:02:00.006-04:00

Just a quick Bloggy McBlog.

Day 3 back on the healthy eating and have found much success so far and...eh hem...regularity with the added green veggies in my diet.

Day 3 of not drinking any soda especially my precious Diet Dr. Pepper...this one's a toughie to give up.

I went for an hour long walk in the lovely weather today for my "lunch hour" :)

And I plan on getting some nice sleep this evening, assuming I get out of jingle singing rehearsal at a decent hour *hope of all hopes*

Oh and Madama Butterfly opens tomorrow night and then on Friday on my evening "off" I'm going to see my girl Challis' off-broadway play W;t . So wish everyone "break a leg" or "toi, toi, toi."

Have a great day peeps.

-Bex

PS...the above pic is of our Cio Cio San in her make-up and wig :)

You Helping You

2010-04-13T09:08:00.006-04:00

Day two, back on the blog and back to the healthy lifestyle. I've noticed that when you're in your 20's you figure you can deal with things like your health tomorrow... You're an untouchable, nothing can harm you. However, when we get to our 30's we notice, that we don't bounce back like we used to in our 20's...and as the decades progress...it just gets harder and harder. So when do we wake up? When do we realize that the time is now? Well, I guess that's based on the individual. Only you can decide what's right for you, and when you're going to take responsibility. Well, my time is now. I don't want to lose my health and my youth because I was irresponsible. If I can prevent certain diseases and degenerative effects, then count me in. I mean, if you think about it, if all I have to do is eat my green veggies and get my butt movin' to avoid time in the hospital or under a knife, um, then, hello!!! I know, I know, there are genetics and the taxi cabs on 5th Ave. that could shorten my life span, but hell if I don't fight it and look both ways before I cross the street ;) Seriously, just because heart disease and diabetes runs on both sides of my family, doesn't mean I'm gonna get it. In fact, just because it runs in any one's family that doesn't mean every person in that family is going to have that problem. My aunt and both my grandmothers are pretty healthy and don't have any heart or diabetic problems and generally the people in my family who do suffer from those disease are those who don't live the healthiest of lifestyles. Smoking, obesity, high stress jobs...those are the killers, and I feel if I avoid substance abuse, watch what I eat, and manage my stress in a healthy way, then I foresee a long healthy life ahead of me. But it's up to me, and there's no waiting, it has to happen now, today, yesterday and tomorrow. So I'll eat my healthy greens, I'll get in that cardio and resistance training, I'll brush my teeth, get my sleep, breathe and manage my stress...I will do everything in my power to live a long, healthy, happy life, and genetics can be damned!

I've taken gluten once again out of my diet. It's so hard, because I really love bread and pasta (mmm...comfort food)...but let's face it, Gluten makes me feel like CRAP. Thus I will avoid it and find healthy alternatives. I also started the regular gym visits again...I've got to make sure to get in at least 30 minutes a day of elevated, heart pounding activity 5 times a week. Sure I walk alot, heck it's NYC, but I only see positive changes when I challenge myself. Besides, I want to be able to wear a bikini and look good, before I get to the age where bikinis are no longer appropriate (Donatella Versace...eh hem).

So today, the plan is to continue to eat healthy, get my greens in and hit the elliptical for 30 minutes during my "lunch hour". What are you doing for you today?

Have a great one!

Bex

Home Home on the Range

2010-03-23T09:13:00.008-04:00

I had rehearsal a little later than anticipated last night, but I'm here and functioning (barely) today. I've also started the day off right with organic egg whites and green tea for breakfast. Now to continue the goodness that I'm doing for my body throughout the day.

My mom has been visiting me in NYC for the past 10 days, and I'm sad to say goodbye as she flies back to Texas today. It's like we never missed a beat when we're together, and yet on different planets when we're apart. Hopefully I'll see her again soon. While she was here, she got a taste of my everyday life and the regularly hectic schedule I keep: Up at 6am, get ready, cook breakfast, feed the cats, pack the bag and run out the door & down 10+ blocks to catch the bus/train to work. 8 hours at the day job, with an hour lunch with mom, return to work until my day job is done, then we run to my next appointment for the day, whether it be a voice lesson, coaching, rehearsal or audition...maybe catch something to eat in between. Then after hours of whatever the night's activity was, we catch the train/bus back home, in bed by 11ish and start the day all over again. If it's an earlier night where I get home by 8 or 9pm then it's an hour on the elliptical before getting ready for bed, or if no lunch plans with mom, then my lunch break is spent at the gym...gotta get in the exercise somehow. Somewhere in the day, I may even get to see my boyfriend, but usually that's just to say goodnight and then it's off to sleep.

This past Sunday, we were invited out to the Maestro's parents house for dinner and had a lovely time...and can his mom cook! We started with cantaloupe and prosciutto (which I couldn't eat, because I'm allergic to cantaloupe...I was so embarrassed) but his mom graciously gave me just the prosciutto & roasted eggplant instead...delish. The next course was papardelle (broad noodles) w/fresh marinara that she had made from her garden's tomatoes & whole wheat rolls, and then quickly the 3rd course followed, which consisted of roast beef & roasted potatoes, chicken parmigiana, and a mixed green salad w/balsamic vinaigrette. OMG everything was so good and perfectly prepared. As we sat and digested everything we had just supped, out came the fresh fruit bowl for everyone to munch on (in case someone were to possibly get peckish in between courses) as she prepared coffee and presented us with a Lamb shaped panatone for desert. I assure you no one left that table hungry. The lovely thing about Italian families: the food is always good and abundant and the conversation always entertaining and central around the dinner table. Luckily after dinner was done and our visit had ended we still had a good walk to the bus and then to the train and then to another bus home where we could walk off a bit of that which we ingested. Yes, there's a lot of walking in NYC...thankfully. I think everyone enjoyed themselves and the Maestro's parents are always so lovely and hospitable.

So as I said earlier my mom flies out today, so send her good thoughts and wishes as she embarks on her journey home and that the trip is comfortable, quick and without incident.

Have a great day!

-Bex

Over Tired = Bad Decisions

2010-03-19T15:04:00.004-04:00

I'm currently writing this while sipping organic carrot juice and eating organic mac & cheese. Sounds healthy-ish, except organic or not, mac & cheese is still mac & cheese and the carrot juice has tons of natural sugar in it...and you don't even want to know what I had for breakfast, but I'll tell you anyway: 1/2 a blueberry muffin, 1/2 a chocolate croissant, and a cup of coffee. Why the bad food choices...well my decision making is a bit off today due to the 4 possibly 5 hours of sleep I got last night. HOWEVER, there is a good reason for my lack of sleep...THE Jingle Audition. Let's just say...I got the job!!! Woohoo! In fact, it turns out that they weren't just hiring one person for one jingle ad, but a core group of singers to do at least a dozen jingle ads over the next couple of months. I've already been assigned 3 jingles to sing with possibilities of more. So look out world I'll be singing my way into your hearts through your trusty old TV and Radio machine. I'll be more detailed about which products to listen for once I've actually signed a contract and the check clears the bank, but it promises to be a fun and lucrative venture.

Today's plan is to meet with a composer for a possible project with Opera Manhattan this afternoon, and then window shopping with my Mom who's visiting from Texas. Poor thing, I've been dragging her all over, including to my audition last night, which by the way I forgot to mention didn't end until after midnight...thus the lack of sleep...I got to bed by 1:30-2ish and had to get up at 6am to come work my day job. After my mom and I window shop for a bit, then we'll take in some early dinner, and then head back to my apartment where I will drag my tired @$$ onto my elliptical and attempt to get an hour on the damn thing. I just gotta suck it up and do it!

So there's the latest and greatest. I will keep you posted once this Jingle Thing develops.

Have a great day,

Bex

Updates, updates, updates

2010-03-18T10:07:00.012-04:00

Ok...so what's on the agenda for the singing career, fatness, and other such things?

Well on the Fatness part, I've only been averaging about 3 times a week with the work-outs...so I'm just holding at my weight pattern at the moment. My mom is here visiting NYC until the 23rd and after she's gone, I'll get back to at least 5 times a week.

The singing career has taken an interesting turn, I've got an audition for a "jingle" gig tonight and if I get it, I'll be very happy :) Who knows, maybe I'll be singing your favorite commercial jingle in the near future...lol. Other singing news...Musetta (La Boheme) has been moved to November 2010. Should be a good show with orchestra and fun, funky costumes. Also, I'm working on the whole getting back into the Musical Theatre front and am preparing Carlotta to audition with for Phantom of the Opera in the next couple of months. Oh, and I've got a cabaret gig in May at Don't Tell Mama's here in NYC...so that promises to be fun. Not to mention the new burlesque troop I've started...you've gotta see this one, talk about sexy chic! So I guess there's lots of singing going on, but not necessarily in the Opera world. I wonder what my voice teacher is thinking with me singing all of these "unorthodox" styles?

Ok, so there's the latest in the world of Not a Fat Opera Singer...send good thoughts this way, and especially for the world of Opera, we're having a bit of a rough time in the current media heavy world, and our audience is dying off, and thus all the new productions and jobs with it. I'm afraid we've got a sick if not dying art form on our hands. I don't mean to be a pessimist, but I hear & see so many terrible things involving the Opera biz for the past couple of years and with all the companies that closed last year, it looks as if we're in serious trouble. So go out and support your local opera company and bring a friend...you'll experience great beauty and help an art form that has been around for centuries. Oooh...I almost forgot, talk about sexy chic, if you haven't already, check out http://www.operamanhattan.com/,
they're young, hip and chic and I know they will help change the face of Opera and bring it into the 21st Century.

Have a great day,
Bex

(PS the photo is of the new, modern version of La Boheme coming up in November...lots of surprises and fun events surrounding this production, that you won't want to miss. I'll keep you updated as we get closer.)

Calories In Calories Out

2010-03-01T12:55:00.003-05:00

The old idea of calories in and calories out seems to be a staple that will never change. No matter what new scientific discoveries or new-fangled diet fad that comes on the market, you can’t get around the fact that calories exist and if you’re not burning them, then you’re probably storing them.

I’ve never been one much for counting calories. I would roll my eyes at the mere mention of such an archaic form of “dieting”, hey why don’t we pop in a Jane Fonda Video while we’re at it. All I have to do to lose weight is to eat healthy and exercise, right? That seems simple enough, and it is, IF you really know what you’re putting in your mouth and IF you’re really making an effort when you’re working-out. Let’s break it down: 3,500 calories = 1 pound, so if I’m eating 3,500 calories a day and don’t budge an ounce, then that means I’m probably going to see a higher number on the scale within the week right?...But if I burn say ½ those calories in the same day, then I will probably maintain my weight…THUS, if I only eat 1,500 calories and burn 500-1000 at the gym + the rest of my daily activities like work and walking about, then I’ll possibly see the weight on the scale go down…right? Eh…theoretically…calories in calories out right? Ok…right…but, if I eat say those 1,500 calories in potato chips in one sitting, then how the heck am I going to find the energy to really burn those calories at the gym instead of just wanting to lounge on the couch and watch Biggest Loser? Ok, ok….let’s break it down even more. Yes, the # of calories that you take in and the # you burn and get out are just that, a number, but where those calories come from, are an entirely different story. For example: Egg Whites are only 17 calories each, thus I can eat 6 egg whites cooked in no calorie butter Pam (totally 102 calories) and feel very satisfied for a couple of hours, as opposed to say 1 plain donut for 185 calories and feel greasy and on a major sugar high and then crash starting within 20 minutes and with the lasting crappy feeling effects for the next couple of hours, or until I break-down and start the vicious cycle all over again…oh and let’s not forget the 1.5 g of SATURATED fat in said donut, where as the egg whites are clean and lean proteins cooked in no fat no calorie Pam AND do nothing but feed your muscles instead of instantly going into your fat stores and clogging up your lovely organs and arteries…But again, calories in and calories out. You can eat egg whites until you’re blue in the face, but if you’re just sitting on your ass and not burning those calories, then those lovely protein laden nutrients are just going to go to that which you are sitting on, not to mention other fat storing places. You’ve got to get off your butt and do something, and you can even have too much of a good thing (too much water and you could drown yourself, too much rope to hang yourself with…) you get the point. Moderation peeps and basically get up and get going…That is the “secret” to weight loss…eating healthy foods within a certain caloric range, and the more you eat, then the more you have to burn. Really when it comes down to it, it’s all about balance…but that is another path that we will discuss someday in another blog entry.

Have a great day, eat well, and get your butt to the gym.

Best,
Bex

Doin' Good

2010-02-05T13:09:00.003-05:00

I'm doing well so far in my new found sleep induced lifestyle. I'm happy to say that I've cut back on the unnecessary calories, have been eating clean and have seen a 6 lb. drop in the past 2 weeks. It's nice to see the scale finally go in the other direction and very encouraging. The only foreseeable bumps and detours I see in the road are social events. I've had to avoid the drinking, and junk food that is around when you're out with friends...and this Sunday is Superbowl, which is generally synonymous with pizza, chips, chicken wings, and beer...you know crap food that has next to no nutritional value. One of my lovely friends is throwing a Saints party and will be providing Oysters on the Halfshell, Peel-and-Eat Shrimp, Shrimp Creole, Red Beans & Rice, and Bread Pudding...mostly things I can't eat (especially since I'm allergic to shellfish). So the Maestro recommended that I just prepare my own meal and take it with me, thus to enjoy the game without the stress of the eats. Oh, and on a nice note, my friend who is throwing the party will be making special gulten-free bread pudding for some of the guests, so I may indulge in that a bit.

So now that I've got the food and eating under control currently, and the sleeping is in order, I've now got to find my exercise inspiration. Time to really get myself back in the gym and really push myself. Please do share anything that inspires you to get your butt to the gym and stay there.

Best,
Bex

Ah, the healing properties of SLEEP

2010-01-28T10:08:00.005-05:00

I found the secret to weight loss…or at least the secret to jumpstarting my weight loss again...SLEEP…remember that one thing in my life that’s usually lacking? I had forgotten what real sleep was like. It turns out that sleep in your life helps you with a number of things, like self-control, more energy, the ability to wake-up in the morning without crying and gnashing of teeth…you know the basics. I know it seems that I’m making light of this, but believe me I really do know and appreciate the concept of getting enough sleep. If you’ve ever read this blog before, then you know that it is rare for me to get anywhere near to ample sleep (I generally average about 5-6 hours a night). I’ve read a gazillion books on diet, nutrition and fitness that all say the same thing…no matter what you’re doing right, you can't progress in you fitness goals if you don’t get enough sleep. In fact there are studies that say that you really should have 8 hours…no less than 7 and no more than 9, but to really aim for 8. It has something to do with your biochemistry and the hormones and chemicals that your body produces in that amount of time…anymore or less and you will jeopardize the delicate balance that is the miracle of your natural process. It is also important to mention that if you do get less than 7 hours of sleep and if you continue this pattern, then within a few days your body will compensate for the lost chemicals and create new ones that will encourage you to eat more calories in order to have energy. OH, and we all know that we don’t make the best choices when we’re over tired, so pair that with hormones like the increase of ghrelin and the decrease of leptin, and you’re basically screwed when it comes to your diet and willpower…believe me I know…I’ve tried. And one more thing…when you’re overtired, you’re less likely to go to the gym or get in your daily activity…yeah, it’s bad all around. (I gotta give a shout out to Jillian Michaels, I really took notice of the whole sleep vs weight loss issue from reading her book Master your Metabolism...not to mention a whole slew more of useful info.)

So, I’ve been making it a point to get at least 7 hours of sleep every night with my goal aimed at 8…this is my new practice, my new priority…SLEEP, SLEEP, SLEEP. I’ve stuck with this new mantra since last Saturday and it seems to be working its magic. I wake up in the morning feeling rested, I’m able to make good choices during the day, and the scale is already showing results. Here’s what I’ve been doing besides sleeping this week: I’ve started food journaling again, and while eating clean and writing it down, I’m also watching my caloric intake. I’ve been averaging about 1300-1400 calories a day and I feel satiated, and in control and happy with my progress thus far. Now that I’ve gotten the nutritional part under control this week with my new found rest-induced life, next week will focus on not only continuing on the whole sleep and eating clean thing, but it will also be the week where I reintroduce my fitness goals. Working in working-out where I get at least 20 minutes a day, 5-6 days a week. I usually average about 30 minutes on top of all the walking I do around the City, so I think I’m finally going to start seeing results again...I'll let ya know as we progress.

Oh, and let me tell ya about my dinner last night…Taco Salad…delish. No I didn’t order or indulge, I made it at home and it turned out so great, satisfying, and so easy. Let me share the ease. I picked up pre-cut salad greens (a nice mix that had romaine in it for extra crunchiness), I grabbed an organic tomato (SO important…if you don’t eat any other fruit/veggie organic, please try to eat organic tomatoes – the non version is sprayed with 7 different pesticides, picked green, shipped cross country and the sprayed with argon gas [yep, what they euthanize dogs with] to ripen them quickly so they can sell them quickly to you….and tomatoes are such an important food when it comes to nutrition benefits)…so now we have our salad base. Then go to the dairy isle and try to find organic sour cream, if that’s not available, I went with the SmartBalance version which was pretty good, and then grabbed some finely shredded natural cheese (a Mexican blend) as long as it’s in the cheddar family. Then over to the Salsa isle where I grabbed some Green Mountain Salas (Hot is my liking) to add to my salad (so good and you can find it at Whole Foods and other reputable markets that cater to the healthy side). Don’t forget to pick up some fat-free “refried” beans while you’re at it, or some black beans, it adds a nice layer to your wonderful Taco Salad. And finally over to the meat isle where you pick up a nice pound of natural, 93% lean ground beef. I almost forgot, to make your life easier, go to the spices isle and grab a package of taco seasoning (I got the one with 30% less sodium) and maybe a small little can of tomato sauce to add thickness and sauciness to your meat :) …I used crushed tomatoes that I had at home. Now all you have to do is microwave the beans with a touch of water…cook up the meat really quick with your seasoning packet & tomato sauce, and prepare your salad. It literally took me 10 minutes to prepare dinner, especially by using the pre-cut greens & shredded cheese. I like to layer it like this: In a wide bowl, I throw in 2 handfuls of greens, then add some of the organic tomato I chopped, followed by the heated “refried” beans (about 2 tbsps), then I sprinkle a little shredded cheese followed by 2 tbsps of the taco meat, then another little sprinkle of cheese, followed by a tbsp of sour cream and finally a couple of tbsps of salsa. Now we’re ready to dig in. It’s so full of flavor, texture and goodness, that I can’t wait to do it again…seriously delicious!

Recap for your grocery list:

1 pkg. pre-cut greens (w/romaine)
1 organic tomato
1 pkg sour cream (try for organic or SmartBalance)
1 pkg of shredded cheddar cheese (I like the Mexican blend and go for natural if available)
1 packet of Taco Seasoning (go for the reduced sodium if possible)
1 can tomato sauce (small)
1 can Fat Free “Refried” beans
1 lb. of natural lean beef
Pam or Non-stick cooking spray to cook the beef in if you don’t already have it at home.

Makes enough for 4-5 people (or yummy leftovers if you’re lucky)

Bon Appetit

If at First You Don't Succeed...

2010-01-14T10:34:00.005-05:00

Try, Try Again, and Again, and Again, and Again...

Have you ever tried to lose weight and found success? Did you do SouthBeach or WeightWatchers, or joined the Boxing Gym, or something that changed your way of eating and moving and you lost a good amount of weight and thought "I've finally done it! I'm never going back to my old life of crap eating and pure slothful seclusion."??? You were a hero, you lost a good 20 or so lbs. and heck, could it be, you were now one of the untouchables? You could now relax and live your life because "You've got this." Well I have. I've been a good 20 - 30 lbs. lighter in my life and was pretty happy with where I was in the world of weighty issues. Granted, I still had ultimate goals like...fitness model...bikini goddess...but those were just ideas to aspire to, to keep me on the straight and narrow. However, I got comfortable and really did feel untouchable (cuz I looked GOOOD)...THUS I allowed myself to miss work-outs, and eat things that weren't necessarily on my new "healthy regiment"...so I gained a few pounds, no matter, I now had the tools to get them off...I knew the secret...and it was only a few pounds, not like its 20 or something. Hmmm...how long can you keep saying that before the couple of pounds start coupling with a few more and then they mate to make a whole family reunion of poundage? UGH...WHAT!!! How did I gain back the weight back? Sure...it's not all of it, but it's around a good 20 or so! Ok, Ok...calm down...you know what to do...you've done this before...breathe.

So now we start back with the healthy eating and we start getting our butt moving again...OMG...I forgot how hard this was the first time, and it doesn't seem to be working the same as it did when it was new. Why doesn't the weight come off as quickly anymore...why am I not as dedicated as I was the first time? Why do I keep slipping up and putting things in my mouth that I shouldn't and WHY do I not make myself work-out everyday? Let’s think about this for a moment. So I keep starting over on my “regiment”…why do I keep doing it over and over again? Because it worked the first time and with great results…but I neglected to realize that once you’ve found a healthy lifestyle, you can’t just assume that once weight is off that it will stay off if you go back to your old habits…it was those old, bad habits that got you to Fattyland in the first place. Sure you can have your cake and eat it too…BUT they never tell you that in order to eat that cake you must serve it with a heaping helping of moderation on the side and try to grasp the concept of calories in and calories out. Have that piece of cake, but make sure it’s worth it and that it really is a once in awhile thing. It always seems that events, celebrations, holidays, dinners, stress,…life comes up and the excuse to miss a work-out or have a “goodie” is a valid allowance. Again, have your cake, BUT don’t have it everyday and if you have it in that day…don’t keep eating it all day! In other words, I already messed up my eating for today, I’ll just “enjoy” the rest of the day and eat bad. But do you really enjoy it? I know I do…hahahaha…atleast as it’s passing my lips and into my tummy…but then UGH…my stomach…ugh, I’ve got the shakes, indigestion, nausea, gas (teehee), a headache, you name it…I generally don’t feel well when I eat things that I shouldn’t…and then I don’t have the energy to really go burn those calories that I just ingested. What a vicious cycle…no wonder I was a chubmonster…and somehow I am regaining that glorious title.

So what do you do? If what you know worked for you the first time around, but doesn’t seem to really be working this time (or the other 20 times you’ve retried this “miracle cure to fatness”), THEN what do you do? Obviously, if you’re constantly re-trying the same old method, but it doesn’t seem to be working, then perhaps it’s time to stop and re-think things. Or maybe, you really need to re-read and really commit yourself to the challenge as you did the very first time you tried it and it actually worked for you. PLUS we can’t forget that the human body is a lovely organism that evolves and adapts…THUS, perhaps you need to try something new or more advanced to shock the body into change. What if you’ve tried everything and your brain hurts and is melting and leaking out of your ears at this very moment at the swirling amount of options that you’ve tried and failed at? Again…BREATHE…let’s think about this. What really works? Ok…for me, I know that sugar & bread (namely Gluten) is the enemy. I know that when I eat things with those two ingredients in them, I have problems. My blood sugar goes crazy, my digestive system gets all gunky and I swell & bloat like a led zeppelin (not the band…the blimp kind). There’s an answer…cut out sugars and gluten from your diet…not necessarily the easiest thing, but doable. I’ve also found that processed foods in general don’t sit well with me, so we’ll avoid those too. Alright we have a plan forming. I also know that eating small meals throughout the day, usually well balanced to higher in protein, keep my blood sugar level and my energy up…add this to the list of things to do. Now we can’t forget EXERCISE…it’s simple…I have to work-out and it has to be at least 4-5 times a week, even if it’s only for 20 minutes. I know that my body responds to working out. I also know that I have to keep challenging myself in those work-outs or I will definitely hit a plateau, get discouraged, and want to quit. It’s hard enough getting your butt up and moving, the last thing I need is extra mental discouragement...that means changing things up…mixing up the types of exercise I’m getting so I keep the body guessing. OH and don’t for get sleep…the hardest thing for me to get…but without it, I get overtired and have no energy to do anything and that leads to foggy brain and then the wanting to chuck it all out of sheer exhaustion…not good…SO, get some sleep already (how about 7-8 hours).

Looks like we have a plan forming…but this plan is a road you’ve gone down before. So what will make it different this time? What will make me really commit? I need to persevere and really do this…what am I missing? Any ideas?

All I can do is try…and keep trying. I can say that every time I try, I learn. I gain new knowledge and pick up a new good habit, and it seems to really help change my lifestyle. No I’m not at my goal weight, and yes I fall off the proverbial healthy-lifestyle wagon, but I’m better than where I started when I began my journey to a new me.

Overview: The Plan

“DIET”
Eat 4-5 small meals a day (high in lean protein with only some complex
carbs)
Avoid Sugar
Avoid Gluten
Avoid Processed foods
Drink Water,
Water, Water
Get off the Diet Soda!
Cut caffeine way
back

SLEEP
Get 7-8 hours of sleep a night
Cut off eating 2-3
hours before bedtime
Cut off work-outs 2-3 hours before bedtime
Clear your
mind

EXERCISE
Work-out 4-5 times a week
Work-out for at least
20 minutes a day
Mix it up
Really push yourself…you’re only cheating you

So there we have it…this is the plan…now to stick with it. Please feel free to chime in…I’d like to know if there’s something I missing.

Happy New Year Folks!
-Bex

Tightrope Walking

2010-01-13T08:54:00.016-05:00

Hey kids, long time no see... I'm back and finally functioning, life is and has been a crazy whirlwind of events.

As we last read, I returned from the lovely country of Hungary, where I ate fried mystery meat and drank ridiculous amounts of alcohol (on the last night there). Since I got back from Hungary, I hit the ground running. First with taking up the helm as producer for Opera Manhattan's Hansel & Gretel (which got great reviews!!! Check them out:

http://reviewfix.com/2009/12/auditorily-bewitching/

http://blogcritics.org/culture/article/opera-review-nyc-hansel-and-gretel1/ulture/article/opera-review-nyc-hansel-and-gretel1/)

After Hansel & Gretel was done, I came down with another horrible cold that started the Monday before Christmas...Not good, due to the fact that I had an audition that following Tuesday for a Christmas gig and then to sing for Christmas Eve & Christmas Day at said gig. Needless to say, I lost my voice with the new sickness and with the horrible cold weather/snow for that week. However I did somehow manage to sing for Christmas and as soon as Christmas Day was done, so was I. I finally just collapsed, took the week off from work and stayed in bed for some much needed recovery. After New Years, I did go back to work, but under puny circumstances. Half the week at work was spent leaving early and coming in later with one missed day in between...it was a rough week, but I was trying not to miss anymore work (I need those days for my opera tours). Which leads us to the current week.

I feel so much better! I started my clean eating and work-out regiment again...Monday (The 30-day Shred Level 1), Tuesday (The 30-day Shred Level 2), Today is still up in the air due to my voice lesson and dinner plans after work, and Thursday is a bit sticky do to other plans that have arisen. However I know I shouldn't push myself too much my first week back from recovery. I'll just play it by ear and listen to my body to gage how much I can handle without relapsing. I have to say, I'm the worst at taking it easy...I'm generally an all or nothing kind of gal...which is not necessarily the smartest way to go about things. I tend to get all "gung-ho" and really push myself until I can't take anymore. I think it's good to have a hard working, ambitious personality & work ethic, but know when to say when (especially when you get sick)...BUT also, don't let it become a crutch or reason for excuse either. As all good things in life, we must find balance, and that is my never ending endeavor. As Ms. Jillian Michaels says, "pain is fear leaving the body...push through that pain to become stronger." And that's what I'm talking about...knowing the type of pain to push through...finding that balance to know what is the good sore and what is the bad. I think I'm learning and I know if you've ever had a really great work-out, then you know what I mean by good sore :)

So...on top of get well, healthy and fit, we have the next few productions now mounting on the horizon. I am once again donning my producer hat for Opera Manhattan's upcoming One-Act Opera Festival. This is going to be an exciting and very interesting group of productions. The festival's theme is how love drives one to madness, thus we have Dido and Aeneas, Erwartung and Bluebeard's Castle...very intriguing operas (and the last two are rarely done.) Whilst in the midst of producing these 3 gems, I will also be the head hair & make-up artist for several other productions at another opera company here in NYC. Yep, I'm a Jack of all Trades ;)

Then I have my own singing to concentrate on. In April, I'll be singing Musetta in a new, hot, modern production of Puccini's LaBoheme. We've already had a photo shoot for PR materials and I've now got to buckle down and get my role memorized before rehearsals start in March. Here's one of the fun pics from the shoot:

I might add, that this getting ready for this new production is a nice incentive to really get in great shape, who knows what the costume will be (think modern French hipster...with me as the gold-digger, brand-loving type.)

Have a great day!

Happy Hungary

2009-11-25T14:02:00.014-05:00

Not to be confused with hungry, as in, I'm hungry, but as in, I am back from Hungary and with many a tale...or at least one of Jet lag. (Boy is that a lot of commas and run-on-ness there?)

Szeged Hungary to be exact. A lovely town 2 hours outside of Budapest, full of gorgeous architecture, healing baths, mineral springs, paprika and a salami museum (who knew?). My opera colleagues and I embarked on this adventure Nov. 12th (a Wednesday) and traveled from NYC to Paris (6 hour flight there with a 4 hour lay over in Paris) then from Paris to Budapest (2 hour flight) and then a 2 hour bus ride to Szeged where we would be competing in the Mezzo Television Opera Festival and Competition. I believe all in all we arrived in Szeged officially on Thursday (and pretty much collapsed, ate and then collapsed again until we had to be up the next day for rehearsal).

Friday consisted of Breakfast followed by 12 hours of rehearsals to prepare us for our Live Television Performance for the next day (Saturday)...It was quite exhilarating AND successful as the audience response was more than positive with many ovations by the end. Following our live performance on Saturday, we attended a reception where our production and staff were greeted with champagne and smiling faces. On Sunday we reprised our performance to another sold-out audience and said good by to our much loved opera, Emmeline (which we have been involved with since this last August). Monday was our "day off" with time to wander about Szeged, a few brave souls took a train to Budapest and back in time for the Awards Ceremony and Gala that night at the opera house. Our leading Soprano and Tenor both won top awards and we were so thrilled to walk away with such honors.

I did get away a few times through out the week to experience beautiful Szeged...eating hot cherry soup, veal stew with egg dumplings, pork steak with mushroom rice, artichokes & olives, and many other wonderful meals that included lamb and veal. Generally the veggies with our meals consisted of being battered and deep fried and/or served with a cheese sauce...not necessarily the healthiest of eats, but tasty :) Oh and the Paprika...Szeged is known for their paprika and everything was served with it, including my morning eggs (delish!) Another interesting fact is that Szeged is apparently also know for their salami and that experience can be fully realized by visiting the Salami Museum (which I missed on this trip).

We finally left Tuesday morning from Szeged, full of Goulash and hungover from our celebrations of the week. Thus we embarked...1st with our 2 hour bus trip to Budapest, then a 2 hour flight from Budapest to Paris...then ANOTHER 4 hour lay over in Paris (in which we got in some fun shopping) until our 7 hour flight from Paris to NYC (the extra hour is because we were flying against the jet stream)...and finally arriving home Wednesday night at JFK and back to our loved ones. The Maestro in fact met me at the airport and took me home, cuddling all the way *sigh* such a great guy :D

I'll post more pics as the come, but until then, here's the share:

Lay-Over in Paris Airport (I think we're loosing it)

Me and my girl Dina having our first Hungarian Coffee (Irish coffee for me actually as she sipped espresso.)

Behind cool seats that were made of our leads for the opera festival

me and some of the girls at our Opening Night Reception.

Sicky McSickster

2009-11-04T15:16:00.003-05:00

That's right, it's official I'm sick. The clear mucus is now a lovely shade of green-yellow and I can't hardly hear due to the stuffiness of my ears...Thus meaning, no working-out...I've been ordered by personal trainer Jake to take it easy and not make myself sicker. So I'm going to suck it up and take his advice. Oh, and I got the other Bex sick too...so she is now on her way home from work with fever and stuffy nose to find some much needed Tylenol and rest. Sorry Bex...I didn't mean to give you my germs :(

On the singing front: I leave for Hungary in 8 days (less, since this day is almost gone). I'm excited and hoping to be healthy and kicking by the time I have to board the plane to Europe...so wish me luck, and here's to taking it easy.

Cheers,

Bex

Swamp Thing

2009-11-03T11:01:00.003-05:00

I'm a snarling, mucus covered thing from the swamps of Louisiana...I am Swamp Thing...or at least that's how I feel with the way my nose keeps running...ugh! I hate being sick...I mean who actually enjoys it? I just want to go home and sleep until it all passes.

I did work-out yesterday, even with the constant drip, drip, dripping of my breathing passages...it wasn't so bad. In fact I actually felt better for a while after my work-out, but then by the time I got home and was laying on the couch, I collapsed by 8pm. At 8:30pm I forced myself to wake-up and stay awake until 10pm so that I wouldn't mess up my sleep cycle...now I wish I had put myself to bed at 8. I have a feeling I could have used the sleep.

Today I feel worse, so my cold is progressing and hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow. I really just want to go home early and rest, I'm having serious problems just keeping my head up at my desk. Unfortunately, leaving early is not much of an option with me being the only assistant in this area today (and yesterday). I'm also supposed to do cardio today...I don't know how I'm going to get through that...I'll just have to gage myself and keep my heart rate up as much as possible. *whine, grumble, whine*

I cancelled my vocal coaching yesterday, and I may have to cancel my lesson for tomorrow, but I hate to do that, what if I'm better and would benefit from it? Cancelling lessons is always a tricky call. You want to show your dedication to the craft, and to your teacher, but you also don't want to get your teacher sick...plus, you have to learn to sing through illness, because as much as you'd like to think you'll always be in perfect health, you're not, and you have to learn to sing through it...and by you, I mean me :) I'll discuss with the Maestro and ask his opinion since he plays for my teacher and my lessons...he always gives pretty sound advice.

I still haven't finished re-reading Jillian's "Making the Cut" but I'm almost there. I just wonder if it's worth starting a 30 day program with me leaving for Hungary in 9 days. I don't know if I could maintain such a structured program in a different country with cuisines that I can't even pronounce. That's something I'm really going to have to look into and discuss with my program partner Bex.

As you can tell I'm not in the most decisive frame of mind today. Everything's so blurry, sneezy and runny that I can't hardly think, much less make a decision...this weird sickness fog has go to pass...I really do feel lousy.

Other than my whining, I don't have much to say in the way of motivation or inspiration...but have a good day anyways :)

-Bex

Making The Cut

2009-11-02T08:47:00.011-05:00

I know...I've been very neglectful this last week...sorry :(

Currently I'm battling a nasty little cold that's going to cause my nose to either run itself to ruin or blow itself to oblivion *waah!* Other than the cold that I'm wrestling with, all else is going pretty well healthwise. Bex and I have completed week 4 of our exercise and nutrition program and are now embarking on week 5. This week I'm am reassessing our diets and work-outs. As soon as my assessment is done, I will probably change things up to get our motors running at full throttle.

I'm re-reading Jillian Michaels "Making the Cut" and seeing if this is going to be the new direction we will embark on in our fitness plan. I read it once before and was very intimidated by it, but this time around, I think I can tackle it head on...even if I don't know what half the exercises mentioned in the book are...lol. No but seriously, the book is pretty good at instructing you what each exercise is and how to do it, and Jill gives you a detailed program to follow which takes most of the guess work out of the equation. I feel like this may be the boost we need to get our muscles screaming and our bodies toning. We've both had success so far on our current regiment with a 9-10 lb. loss for each of us, but now it's time to crank it up a notch and take it even further. Bex and I both have really fab fitness goals that we want to achieve, and perhaps Jillian can help get us there... For the first time in my life, I feel really empowered (even in my sick-y, cold-y, state of mind), so empowered by what Bex and I have achieved in these past four weeks that I feel like we can accomplish anything. I know we can do this hardcore program of JM's and really kick some @$$!!!...yeah, even WITH a cold! The rule for working out while sick is neck up is fine, neck down, stay down...so I'm fine to hit the gym unless the cold travels south. Also when sick, make sure to drink tons o' water and get lots of good sleep (which is a no brainer, but it's me with my insane schedule, which isn't so crazy this week...Thank God.)

On the singing front, I leave for Hungary in 10 days and will return on the 18th. Hopefully I can get my butt extra healthy so that I survive the jet lag and all the germs that come with planes and traveling. Eating healthy over there is going to be a little bit tricky, but I'll try to figure out how to salvage that when I'm there and see the options. For exercise, I'll probably not have access to a gym, but I think I can pack some hand weights, grab my portable DVD player and bring along my Jillian Michaels' dvd's in order to have my butt kicked while on my working vacation...oh yeah, that reminds me that I need to buy an adapter for all my plug-in thingies for over there.

Originally, "Boheme" rehearsals were to begin this month with Opera Manhattan, but instead our show has been switch with "Hansel & Gretel", so now they're in December and we're in April. No matter...it just gives me more time to recover from my cold and more time to solidify my role as Musetta. Plus H&G is such a lovely opera to do for the Christmas Holidays, even if it is a bit scary...that's right, it can be a terrifying story if done right :)

Ok, so now I'm off to doing some day job work...and a little H&G production stuff. Have a great day, and get your flu shot!

-Bex

There and Back Again

2009-10-27T10:02:00.005-04:00

I'm back from tour and I am glad to be home...can you say exhausted. Thankfully I had and took the option of a day off yesterday and found much need rest. However, I do find myself still really tired and I'm so not motivated to go to the gym today. Bex and I have been sticking with it, we actually met and did upper body weight training yesterday...so yay for us. Which means today is cardio...I'll be going at lunch *said as she sips her coffee in hopes the caffeine will get her there*. I literally can't keep my eyes open and the desk job isn't helping. I also over booked myself for today, so now I'm stuck scrambling to create a workable schedule...I'm afraid I'm going to have to drop my coaching for after work today due to a rehearsal that is called earlier than I originally thought...ugh...guess my brain isn't functioning at the best of levels.

The tour went well this weekend despite the fact that everyone, including the lead soprano was getting sick...but not to fear, she sang beautifully and the audience loved every last bit it seems. Another interesting opera tidbit: It looks as if the Boheme I'm doing in December is being moved back to March/April...I'm currently awaiting the official word from the company. Oh well, that just means I've more time to really get the role into my body...who would complain about that?

This week's schedule is a bit crazy, yesterday was upper body, a Boheme coaching and a meeting with management, then today is cardio, then a repertoire coaching (if I can schedule it right), followed by Emmeline rehearsal, then tomorrow is lower body, a voice lesson, and hopefully home to take care of some errands, Thursday is cardio again, then a co-workers birthday party (which probably puts me at home around 10 or 11ish...hopefully no later), Friday is upper body again with Bex after work, then home to cook and prep our place for the big Costumed Halloween Party the Maestro and I are throwing on Saturday night...whew...and yes, this is all on top of my day job. I actually don't think I'd know what to do with myself if I had a free moment...knowing me I'd probably fill it.

I believe we're at the part of our nutrition and fitness program where we start losing focus and motivation. We are currently in week 4 and finding ourselves happy with the progress so far (about 9 lbs. each and new clothes found in the old one's we couldn't wear before), but also a bit tired and bored with our work-outs and food choices. So during this week we will try to be inventive with our menus and discuss how we're going to tweak our work-outs so that we can continue the progress. The real test will be maneuvering our way through the upcoming Holiday's starting with Halloween this weekend. I plan on making my sugar-free, lo carb Almond Cookies and my sugar-free, lo carb Pumpkin Cheesecake for the party and provide a crudites platter and other healthy party food options. However, there will be drinking, so we will have to remember to be moderate if we choose to participate in libation.

Ok, so now off to my next meal and back to the day job. Have a great day folks.

-Bex

I Lost in Jeopardy...Baby...Oooooh...

2009-10-23T08:49:00.011-04:00

I want to give a big shout out to Mickela Mallozzi, our Masala Bhangra instructor at NYHRC. Bex & I took her Masala Bhangra class last night and I have to say, it really is quite the work-out. About halfway through the class, Bex and I were comparing colors, as in who had a more purple face...I think I won in that area (perhaps purple is a little dramatic, I give you... magenta). I was also shocked at how soaked my gym clothes were when I got home last night as I was taking them out of my gym bag...OMG, they were absolutely drenched...so you KNOW we had a great time and definitely got our butts kicked without even noticing. That's the lovely thing about this class, it's so much fun and the music is so great, you don't even realize you're working out. Now don't mistake me...you know your sweating, breathing hard and having a few cramping side pains as your legs feel as if they're going to fall off, but it really doesn't seem like exercise...at least not in the boot camp, Phys. Ed. sort of way, and I like that! I have always loved to dance, and what a fun way to get in your activity for the day. Sadly, it looks like I'm going to miss class next week due to an event conflict, but I should be back the following week...assuming Boheme rehearsals don't conflict.

Yeah, I'm about to start getting ridiculously busy with the Opera work...I've got Boheme rehearsals starting in November, plus I leave for Hungary for a week to sing in the Mezzo TV Competition...It's crunch time kids!

Today is upper body weight training once again...this is the one day of our training program that Bex and I try to do together, besides our dance class. We need spots for the chest & some of the shoulder exercises, but we also seem to motivate each other to go beyond where we'd normally go on our own...it's a nice compromise. (Not to mention she's cute and lovely to have around...and I'm not just saying that in case she's reading this blog...hehe.) After our work out I have to run up to mid-town for an Opera Manhattan meeting. We're discussing the finishing touches for this Sunday's Anniversary Gala...if you'd like to come, it's Free Admission and you can get the information at http://www.operamanhattan.com/ and click on the orange Gala button underneath their flash show. Unfortunately I won't be there as I will be on tour with Rigoletto this weekend...oh well, I'll still get my opera fix ;)

Tomorrow I leave for tour and still have to get in my final work-out for the week. The plan is to awaken around 8ish and do a quick "Shred" from 9-9:30am, pack for tour (if I don't do it tonight), shower and get ready from 9:30-10:30am and then go for a nice brunch from 10:30-11:30am before heading to the City to be on the Tour Bus by 12:30pm. The eating is going to be tricky while on tour, but Bex and I went to Whole Foods and picked up some individually packaged organic almond butter to use in a pinch and I can always eat omelets, salads and straight up protein on the road...so I should be ok.

Monday 10/26 marks the beginning of week 4. In this week we will evaluate our fitness level, how we're doing and see if we need to tweak the program and/or change it up a bit to shock the body. I believe that I'm ready for something new and/or different in my training regiment, as I'm not really getting sore anymore after my work-outs...thus it's time to push myself further...there's nothing like feeling the good sore after a good work-out. I may even inlist the help of my personal trainer friend Jake and see what suggestions he can give inorder to up the ante in our ever evolving fitness regiment.

I must say that I'm really proud and excited that we've stuck with our program for the past three weeks without missing a work-out or cheating on our diet plan...Kudos to us...Congrats the two Becca's. I can't wait to see how far we can take this and what kind of "sick" shape we can get into...did I mention excited?...YAY!!!

Ok, so now that my caffeine has apparently kicked in, I'm back to my regularly schedule day job.

Have a great day,
-Bex

Balle Balle

2009-10-22T08:41:00.008-04:00

V's birthday party last night was at a lovely steak place in Astoria, NY. Bex & I stuck to our plan and split a really delicious NY Strip with asparagus & spinach on the side. I finished the meal up with a decaf latte and it was just enough to keep me from craving dessert. Our reservations were at 7:30, however we didn't get out of there until 10:30 and thus I didn't get home until after 11...meaning bedtime was 11:30, but I couldn't fall asleep until 1am...UGH! So needless to say, I am very tired today. I really wanted my 7 hours of sleep last night...oh well, birthdays are very special things, and you shouldn't rush through life if you can help it.

Yesterday I did guerilla cardio. Seeing as how I got up to 8.0 on the treadmill last time, I started at a higher level this time, and so now the bar is set at 8.0 for now as the finishing interval speed. I think I'll try to work my way up to 10 (how high does the machine go?...is there anything after 10?) If there isn't anything after level 10, then it must mean I'll be going longer at the higher intensity levels OR start adding in the incline if my knees can handle it. Eh, I'll just experiment to figure out the right mix.

Today we continue on with our Masala Bhangra class from last week. I have to say it definitely got the blood pumping, so much so, that my face was purple for an hour afterwards...let's hope we get just as good of a work-out as before. Afterwards I have a date with the Maestro to go shopping for new slacks for him and some unmentionables (I guess I just mentioned it) for me. And since we're mentioning it, this shopping trip is a much needed one. He and I are both at an in between stage with our big clothes being too big, but our small clothes not quite fitting. If you've ever worn undies that were too big on you, you can understand the maddening effect it has on you...I mean there's nothing worse than being afraid that your drawers are going to fall down around your ankles as your walking down the street! TMI? Meh.

Anywho, I'm off for my second cup of coffee...I think this may be a caffeine induced kind of day.

Have a great one.

-Bex

Happy Birthday V

2009-10-21T11:10:00.009-04:00

I got my 7 hours of sleep last night, and it was nice. However, I was not ready to get up this morning...I wanted more. That tells me that I have to be more consistent with my sleep in order to feel refreshed when I awaken. Ah sleep, a lovely, lovely inactive activity...How I do enjoy it when I can get it...yes I'm still talking about sleep. I'll try again tonight to get at least 7 hours, but that all depends on the events of the evening.

Wow...This Photo is really distracting, but so cute:

Today's schedule includes cardio at 12ish pm, then back to the day job, and after work I have my voice lesson from 5-6pm followed by a birthday dinner for my friend V (reservations are at 7:30pm). This is V's last year in her 20's and she wants to celebrate with a big steak dinner followed by drinks. My girl Bex and I have already come up with the plan on how to dodge temptation, sabotage, and all around scary choices. Are plan consists of splitting a steak with 2 green veggies as the sides, no wine, and no dessert...plus we have each other there to help keep each other strong. So I know tonight we'll stay on the plan, and hopefully it won't be a late night as I would like to get home and go to bed at a decent hour.

So far the eating and the exercise are on course and it seems that I'm finding my groove in this whole new lifestyle. When I do start introducing more "carbs" back into my diet, I think I may leave gluten out as I always feel rather lousy when I eat it. There are so many foods out there that contain gluten, that people don't even know they're eating it...read the labels peeps, always know what you're putting into your body. The great thing about living in NYC is that there are so many options for eating and if one wants to avoid the dreaded gluten gunk, you can find everything from gluten free cupcakes to pizza...no one has to give up anything, just make smarter choices :) I generally like to stick to the rule that I will eat mostly whole, natural, unprocessed foods if I can get it...and if it's organic, even better. The simpler the food, the simpler the planning. You can't go wrong with fresh veggies and such...so easy and so yummy...I especially love roasting my veggies with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt, it really brings out the flavor.

I've rambled enough about food, time to get back to work. Have a great day everyone...and once again, Happy Birthday V.

-Bex

Bed

2009-10-20T09:11:00.010-04:00

Ok...Week 3 Day 2...and boy am I feeling it. I am so ridiculously tired today, that I can hardly function. I am definitely looking forward to getting my Lower Body Weight Training out of the way today at lunch so I can go home and crash after work. I've got to get more sleep, no matter what (a common theme in this blog it seems). Studies have shown that in order for your metabolism to keep humming along and for the muscles to repair and rebuild, that you must have 7-8 hours of sleep...8 being optimal. When you get 6 or less or even 9 or more (that's a lot of or's ), your metabolism basically comes to a screeching halt as your ghrelin (the hunger hormone) spikes to make you consume more calories. Your body thinks it needs more food to supply sufficient energy, thus you end up in a vicious cycle of not enough sleep and too much to eat. Ghrelin also spikes when your stressed due to our evolutionary make-up to the fight or flight tendencies, and I know that when I'm over tired, that it's easy for me to get over stressed. Thus, this girl needs to get some serious sleep.

Yesterday's guerilla cardio session was amazing....I ended up adding 4 more high intervals to my work-out, bringing my running up to 8.0 on the treadmill. I felt strong and I can tell my endurance is increasing...that's always exciting! As mentioned above, today is my Lower Body Weight Training which includes Abs...I look forward to this day as it only takes about 20 minutes or so in the gym where I can just hit it and go...it's almost like a day off ;) I also may be increasing weight today on some of my exercises, as I'm finding that I'm pushing through some of them too easily and I've got to keep challenging my muscles. Oh, as for stats, I'm down 8 lbs. since starting this program 2 weeks ago. My clothes fit much better and I'm feeling leaner...so far so good...the hard work is paying off.

On the opera side of things, I sang at an outreach concert last night with Opera Manhattan and it was a huge success. There were 3 other singers and we sang popular arias for a crowd of elderly folks who love opera...they were truly the best audience ever, and even sang along at some points. Its so nice to sing for such an appreciative and supportive group. We all had so much fun that we can't wait to go back and sing for them again.

Not much to say in the way of inspirational thoughts today...but that's my brain in a nutshell at the moment. It's hard to be clever when you can barely see straight. (I'm being a bit dramatic, but you get the gist).

Have a great day,
-Bex

Making the Excuse To Do It!

2009-10-19T09:57:00.014-04:00

Odd thing has happened these past couple of weeks...I have found that I am capable of prioritizing my work-outs and nutrition. Before, I've either been really good with the diet or the exercise, but rarely at the same time in such a successful manner. Today I celebrate the start of week 3 on my program. So far Bex & I haven't missed a work-out, nor have we slipped on our eating plan. That's never happened...I don't think I've ever worked-out 6 consecutive days in a row before (except for a quick 30 Day Shred stint, that lasted 10 days before a break)...and I definitely haven't ever gotten through the dread 2nd week...but I DID! I did it! I got through week 2 without missing a work-out! So what's changed...what allowed me to find this motivation? Let's break it down:

Having a buddy (Bex, and no I'm not talking in the "royal we" context) in the gym and doing this plan with me has been a HUGE help. We keep each other accountable and make sure we're exercising and sticking with the authorized eats. Plus it's nice to have someone suffering with you, so when you complain about how sore you are, they're right there with you sympathizing instead of thinking your some kind of whiny little pansy.

Making a plan. I can't state it enough: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. I know you've probably heard that way too many times and it seems sort of fitness market jargon-y, but it's sooo true. We sat down and made out a plan for the next 6-12 weeks...we created a meal plan that cut out processed carbs, sugars and crap and has us eating 5-6 times a day...AND we created a fitness plan that consists of working out 6 days a week with alternating programs (i.e. upper body weight training on Monday, cardio on Tuesday, lower body weight training on Wednesday, cardio on Thursday, upper body weight training on Friday, cardio on Saturday, rest on Sunday, and then start with lower body weight training on Monday, etc... you get the idea).

Which leads to changing it up. If I did the same work-out day in and day out, not only would the monotony drive me to run myself right off the treadmill, but I also wouldn't see much in the results area. By changing it up, it allows my body / muscles to rest in certain areas, while I concentrate on new ones...it also keeps my brain engaged. I like throwing in a new dance class here and a yoga class there...always challenging my mind and body with something that's different. And we need to shock the body to see results...so mix it up, it's fun and it works the bod in a great way.

Making Fitness & Nutrition a priority! With my crazy busy schedule, I had to make my health a priority, like I do with any important appointment, appearance, rehearsal, performance, lesson, coaching, etc. in my life. This is my body, my product, my life we're talking about. I'm the most important thing in my life...hello...with out ME, there is no life...gotta keep healthy and kicking. Thus I schedule in my eating and my exercise everyday. It's a standing appointment that I cannot miss and if something comes up, then I fit it in accordingly. No more making excuses as to why I can't work-out...only excuses as to why I MUST work-out. Excuse, me, I'll be there, but I have a standing appointment at the gym first and then I'll be able to take care of XYZ. Get the point? No excuses when it comes to your health! That is the most important thing in your life...yes, even before your kids or your job...because with out it, you can't take care of anything, especially if you're not taking care of YOU! Besides it doesn't hurt to look pretty dang good either.

So now to week 3...I'm looking forward to continuing my stint of fitness. The week is already scheduled and ready to go! I'm actually excited...wow, another first. Have a great week kids, and do something good for you today!

My Best,

-Bex

Masala Bhangra P.I.

2009-10-16T10:53:00.009-04:00

Yesterday was my first Masala Bhangra class, and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it AND it was quite the work-out. The instructor started us of simple enough and then built on the foundation where by the end of the class we were doing a whole Bollywood dance scene. My friend KV commented that it was the first class she ever took where she wasn't watching the clock and counting down the minutes...and in her book that's quite the class. All in all everyone got a good work-out while having a blast!

After the class was finished we adjourned to the locker room and I attempted to get ready for the book signing party that I was to attend by 7. After cleaning up and several passes of powder on my magenta face, I hopped on the subway and was at the bookstore in no time...in fact I arrived there before the rest of my party, so all was well.

The book signing was for a new book called "Detectives Don't Wear Seat Belts" by CiCi McNair. It's basically a memoir of the crazy and exciting life of Ms. McNair and her experiences from country to country as a female private investigator. She did some readings from the book as we (they, not me, sipped wine and noshed), and not only does it sound like an interesting book, but it sounds quite humorous as well. I'm looking forward to reading it.

After the signing, in which I did get my copy signed, my group and I headed off to dinner, however unable to agree on a place in that area, we headed back up to an old favorite on the Upper Westside. It was unfortunately getting late, and seeing as how I was running low on sleep and energy, I opted to head home and get some much needed R&R instead. Very happy I did, for I feel a bit better today than yesterday.

Now it's Friday, and the beginning of a busy Opera weekend and the continuation of my fitness program. So far so good with no slips and I've hit the gym everyday this week (HARD)...I'm proud of what Bex & I have accomplished and I'm looking forward to seeing how long we can keep it up!

Hope you're seeing great success in everything you do.

Have a great day,

-Bex

Whine & Cheese

2009-10-15T13:16:00.008-04:00

I'm feeling a bit "under the weather" today. This is the 4th Day in Week 2 of our program and I'm at the point where you definitely feel worn out. Thus I have to make sure to up my sleep, take my vitamins, and drink lots of water. It's like clockwork, everytime I do a program there is always the moment when you feel like you're getting sick and it's my job to know the limits of which I can go. I'm pretty sure that if I do the right things, I should be able to push through this and come out on the other side the better for it. And speaking of the weather...it's horrible today in NYC. The weather is cold and rainy. I'm just not ready for Fall yet...what happened to Summer this year? Did we even have one? Guess that's why I'm dreaming about that Tropical Get-away...I can't wait, and I'm going to work sooo hard to get there.

Tonight is Masala Bhangra with my girls Bex & KV. I've been looking forward to this class for sometime now, and I can't wait to have my butt kicked Indian Style :) AND I totally forgot that I had RSVP'd for a book signing party tonight that starts at 6:30...SO, I'll have to hit class at 5:30 and at 6:30 do a quick clean up at the gym and basically jet to the party...hoping to be there by 7 (if my hair cooperates)...I think it's possible, seeing as how the gym and the party are both downtown. I don't know what to expect at this Book Signing, but I know it is supposed to be a wine, cheese kind of thing, and wine is off my diet at the moment (well drinking in general) so, I hope there are other things to sip while there. Water anyone?

I'm off to have some herbal tea and try to get things done before heading off to the gym. I'm currently enjoying these new challenges I'm facing, and it's nice to see what I can actually accomplish. Yay...go me...lol. What's your challenge? Are you facing them head on? Are you doing something good for YOU? Let's hit that motivation and keep it in stride.

Have a nice day,

-Bex

Week 2 Blues

2009-10-14T10:39:00.010-04:00

Yesterday's cardio was a success. I made it through the Guerilla Cardio, even though I forgot my knee braces (not the best of ideas). I won't lie, I'm soooo tired. Week 2 is definitely kicking my butt, but I'll make it through. They say weeks 2-5 are the worst...why? Due to the sore muscles physically & the lack of seeing results mentally really. You always get a great 1st week that pushes you forward, but week 2 your body is trying to adapt, and you generally don't see actual results until weeks 6-8. It's week 8 that I personally see results. The weight just seems to melt off over night, and everyone seems to notice all of a sudden. I have to remember that and keep pushing myself forward... perseverance baby! I can't say enough how great it is to have my bgf (best girl friend) Rebecca on this journey with me...she really holds me accountable and helps me really go beyond where I'd go on my own. Thanks Bex...you're the best! .

Today I'm going to knock out my Lower Body Weight Training at lunch and then I have a voice lesson after work...then I'm "free" to do what ever it is I need and/or perhaps want to do. My friend Kristin V. is in town for the next 10 days and will be staying with me for a bit. I look forward to dragging her to the gym and beyond for some really great work-outs, she says she's pumped and ready for anything I throw at her! Muahahahahaha....I hope she knows what she's saying. Nah, I know she's up for it, she's always a delight to have around and game for just about anything.

This coming Thursday, Bex & I have plans to do Masala Bhangra, a Bollywood style Indian Dance class. She says it really gets the heart going and works the lower body...boy, after today's weight training, I bet I'm gonna be feeling it. If Kristin isn't already booked, maybe she'll join us for this fun new class (new to me & KV...but Bex has already been doing this for the past few months I believe).

I want to give a shout out to my girls, MizFit and Dietgirl on their new site and podcasts at Two Fit Chicks and a Microphone...I've always enjoyed reading their own personal blogs and I look forward to listening to their antics as well. Congrats ladies...I know this will be a fun and informative venture.

Ok...I'm off to my next meal...a frittata I made and is absolutely delish. It contains Spinach, roasted artichoke hearts and goatcheese. Here's the recipe if you'd like to try it, I just change up the ingredients to suit my tastes: Frittata (Breakfast Caserole)

Enjoy!

Have a great day,
-Bex

Working for it!

2009-10-13T10:12:00.008-04:00

All's well in NYC. I've been eating ultra healthy and started a hardcore work-out regiment last Monday (week before Columbus Day). Thus I've had a week's worth of butt kicking moments at the gym. Thankfully, my actress friend Rebecca is doing it with me, which keeps me strong and accountable. Our training program consists of 6 days a week with ever changing work-outs. Here's an example of week 1 and what we've accomplished:

Monday: Lower Body Weight Training

Tuesday: Guerilla Cardio (HIIT)

Wednesday: Upper Body Weight Training

Thursday: Guerilla Cardio (HIIT) or Masala Bangra (Indian Dancing - Bollywood)

Friday: Lower Body Weight Training

Saturday: Cardio, or in our case Vinyasa Yoga

Sunday: Rest

Now we're on week 2 of our plan and we completed our Upper Body Weight Training Yesterday. Today will be more Guerilla Cardio, followed by Lower Body Weight Training on Wednesday, and so on and so on... I think you get the idea.

As for the eating, we're eating 5-6 times a day, small meals that consist of low carb, high protein....basically lean meats and veggies, or a nice greek yogurt with chopped raw almonds.

In one week, she's already dropped 7 lbs. and I've lost 5, but I'm thinking the actual scale loss will lessen as we build bone and muscle density...thus I'm gonna have to go off my goal jeans which I try on weekly. So far the goal jeans are still a bit tight, but they did slide over my thighs and hips, but it'll be a few more weeks before they actually snap together comfortably.

We each have goals as to why we're training so hard, mine is for my debut on International Television when I go and sing in Hungary in mid-November and then I play Musetta in mid-December, thus I need to be in top form for those events. Her goal is for her MFA audition at UT Austin in December, thus she too wants to be in top form (1st impressions are everything... especially in our industry). Then I created an even further challenge to keep us going after the holidays. I told her, when tax returns come around, and if we stick with the hard core training and eating right, that I'd treat us to a little tropical get away. What better motivation than knowing your going to be in a bikini on a beach somewhere? I know that'll keep my butt in the gym!

Another challenge is the fact that my friend Jake (the trainer) says that he'd be surprised if we even make it through week 2, thus, I'm out to prove him wrong...nothing fuels my fire like proving a point! I'm strong and I'll show him and myself that I can do this!..because hey, I can :)

What's your motivation? Why don't you join me, no time like the present right?

Have a great day.
-Bex

La Sonnambula

2009-09-16T08:52:00.004-04:00

You'd think I'd learn to put myself to bed earlier, but that doesn't seem to be the case...so now, I'm totally dragging @$$ today. Um...Hello...get some sleep already. It started off innocently enough, I was just going to spend a few minutes last night working on the Internet link to see if I couldn't set-up the wireless connection in my apartment...but as we all know, those sorts of things turn into more than they start out to be, thus an hour later, I gave up and did finally go to bed (at midnight). I'm close with the Internet thing though...I've got it connected in the bedroom, but now I have to get the other computer to pick up the signal (this is after I get the wireless keyboard working again...ugh). I'm so technically challenged, it's sad!

In the opera world, we've finished with "Emmeline" for awhile, until we go to Hungary to perform it in November. Until then, I've got a hair & make-up gig for "Rigoletto", and must continue learning Musetta for December's performances of "La Boheme". Oh yeah, audition season is also upon us, thus I have to perfect my audition package as well...tis a busy time.

Yesterday's eating was healthy but heavy, but I'm still down 1/2 a pound, and I have a feeling eating organic has something to do with that. I keep hearing that eating whole, natural foods will process in the body better, making for good nutrients without all the inflammation and other problems that go along with hormonally, chemically altered and processed foods.

Here's today's stats/log:

Weight: 155.5 lbs.

8am - Organic scrambled eggs (199 calories) & turkey bacon (105
calories)
Organic decaf coffee w/half & half (110 calories)

12pm - 15 Almonds (105 calories) & coffee w/half & half (110 calories)

2pm - Organic Chicken Vegetable Soup (170 calories)

4:30pm - Decaf Venti Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Late (160 calories)

6:30pm - Ham & Cheddar Omelet (427 calories)
8:30pm - Organic decaf coffee w/half & half (110 calories)

Total Calories for the day: 1496

Additions and edits will be made to the log throughout the day.

Day 2, Again...

2009-09-15T09:00:00.007-04:00

Ok, so far so good...granted it has only been 1 day. I find I'm always good for a couple of days and then get derailed. Currently, I just have to make it through 2 weeks to start and then add on as I go if I decide...and I can do anything for 2 weeks. It does make it easier now that the Maestro is on board and doing this with me. He was so good yesterday and I think he was proud of himself for sticking with the healthy eating all day. Today we have lunch plans, so it'll be a nice little date and we can help each other stay on track :)

I wish I could shake the overtired feeling...I went to bed at a reasonable hour, compared to the past 2 weeks. However, I don't think one night's gonna do it and I hear there's no such thing as catching up on sleep. I am going to have to make it a priority to get my 7-8 hours of sleep, or I may find myself giving into emotional eating.

Here are today's stats/log:

Weight 156 lbs. (yep 3 lbs in a day...can you say menstrual)

8:30am - Organic scrambled eggs (199 calories) & turkey
bacon (105 calories)
Organic decaf coffee w/half & half (110 calories)

12:30pm - 15 Almonds (105 calories)

2:3opm - Grassfed ground beef steak (540 calories) w/mixed greens & balsamic vinagrette (86 calories)

4pm - decaf, grande, skinny, cinnamon dolce latte (130 calories)

7:30pm - free range chicken breast (240 calories) w/"creamed" spinach (280 calories)

8:30pm - Organic decaf coffee w/half & half (110 calories)
Total calories for the day: 1905

Have a great day!
-Bex

Try Try Again

2009-09-14T08:35:00.007-04:00

Mother nature has been particularly cruel this month. If you're squeamish and or male, you may want to stop reading at this point.

Ok...so, I had THE worst cramps yesterday, that I about died...or at least I felt like I was. On top of that, my eating has been out-of-control since last Thursday what with opening night at the Opera and all the champagne and partying ways we singers exist on during productions. Now I know why successful singers pack on the pounds...people just feed you and ply you with wine...eek! So as it stands, my stats are pretty lousy at the moment, thus I get to start all over again, but with a much higher body weight :(

The good news is that my honey, The Maestro, is going to be my partner in the battle of the bulge...we're both going to get all ship-shape together. Thus our plan is basically an organic/south-beachy approach to our diet...yummy organic lean proteins, veggies (lots o' green), dairy, legumes and nuts for the 1st 2 weeks, and then we'll add in organic citrus and whole grains like quinoa slowly back. On top of that we start our work-out regiment: a mixture of cardio, guerilla cardio, 30 day shreds, and some other weight training programs. Mixing it ups seems to keep the bod guessing and going in the right direction. I have a feeling, after the first 2 weeks we should be hating life, but feeling a heck of a lot better about ourselves. I guess Jillian Michaels is right...if it were easy, everyone would be in shape.

Ok, so here are today's stats...starting with my pathetic weight (159.5 lbs)

8am - 0% Greek Yogurt w/1 pkg of stevia (90 calories)

10am - Organic decaf coffee w/half & half (110 calories)

12pm - 1 cup of Blackbeans w/tomatoes & green chilies (280 calories)

3pm - 15 Almonds (105 calories)

4:30pm - Decaf coffee w/half & half (110 calories)

6:30pm - Beef & Broccoli - no sugar or MSG (300 calories)

Total calories for the day: 995

Have a great day!
-Bex

Yesterday & Today

2009-09-06T08:19:00.002-04:00

Combining two logs in one today as it's gonna get a bit messy with the weekend's celebrations...not to mention that I'm totally PMSing...ugh!

Yesterday's weight stayed at 152 lbs. and my eating was sporatic and heavy:

12 pm - 3 Organic breakfast tacos w/eggs (200 calories), bacon (105 calories), raw cheddar (110 calories), & salsa (35 calories) on small corn tortillas (210 calories)

2 very small cubs of orange spiced dark chocolate (it was Green & Blacks Maya Gold 37 calories)

4 pm - 2 waffle cookies / pizzelle (162 calories) & a cup of organic skim milk (110 calories)

6 pm - an orange (62 calories)

8 pm - 5 Organic softtacos w/ground beef, cheddar (220 calories), salsa (70 calories), 0% greek yogurt (great sour cream subsitute and only at 30 calories) and lettuce & tomatoe on small corn tortillas (350 calories).

Cocunut milk, mint-chocolate chip "ice cream" that is sweetened with agave.

9 pm - Handfull Snap Pea crisps & a Handful of Glutten-free granola

Whoo Hoo - 4 day weekend ;)

2009-09-04T15:14:00.006-04:00

Originally it was supposed to be a 3 day weekend (atleast from my day job), but physically I'm pooped. I just couldn't keep the 6 hours or less of sleep going...Thus
I took today off! I slept 12 hours last night, and it was deep too, I don't think an earthquake could have shaken me awake. Guess I just needed the rest. Now I'm up and functioning, unfortunately it's thrown my eating schedule off, so we'll just consider this a "cheat day" of sorts.

Rehearsals are going well. We have our first dress rehearsal today and they're incorporating all the lights and other technical aspects into the show for tonight's rehearsal. We have our preview this coming Tuesday for "Emmeline" and we open on Thursday...it's comingtogether and I can't wait to see all the elements working together to make this fantastic show even more spectacular. Let's just say, I'm very excited!

Here's today's log / stats:

Weight: 152 lbs. (holding steady since yesterday, but I did have just over 1500 calories, so I need to keep that down a bit more and really get in some good work-outs.)

2 pm - 3 eggs over medium (276 calories), 3 slices turkey bacon (105 calories), kidney beans (104 calories) and decaf coffee w/half & half (110 calories).

Have a great day...and remember that I will continue to ad to the stats log throughout the day.

6 pm - an Orange (62 calories)

8 pm - Organic Quinoa (127 calories)Organic Red Beans (110 calories)

Total of 894 calories (I know I'm missing something here...I will add it when I remember what it is that I ate.)

Total of 7000 steps

-Bex

A Weighty Issue

2009-09-03T09:01:00.011-04:00

I'm now down 4 lbs. since Monday...and yes I'm exhausted as well. Even when I put myself to bed at 11pm, I can't seem to calm my brain down enough to fall asleep...thus when I get up at 6am, I haven't quite had enough sleep. Granted this time I'm sure it was due to having coffee at 8pm last night...not smart, but it did help get me through rehearsal as I was the walking dead beforehand.

There has been an uproar lately (well, it's always a delicate subject) in the Opera Business about weight. Why singers with great voices, but also have a bit more girth aren't being hired. Sadly, I think if you've ever had weight issues and are in an entertainment position, then perhaps you've been privy to this predicament. Personally, I've been on both the winning and losing side based on my looks in general. One audition where I was still at the 185 lbs range, I lost the romantic lead role to an untrained, very vocally challenged singer, and this was for a musical show...another audition I lost because I looked too old, and then another where I looked too young...my point is, that it doesn't really matter what you look like, they're going to cast who they feel fit the role at that point in time...period. That doesn't mean that I'm never going to sing that role or with that company, but that I just don't fit into their idea for that moment.

Why am I so concerned with my weight? Well, as much as it does help me to be thinner in the business that I'm in, its really for my own reasons. I want to be healthy...I really do. I hate hospitals and I'm terrified of needles, thus if I keep myself healthy, I can avoid them for a very long time (God willing). Besides I feel good when I'm eating well, and staying active...plus it's more fun to fit in my clothes than to struggle with that damn zipper that just doesn't want to cooperate sometimes ;) I made the choice to fight my "genetics" and you know what, I'm winning. Sure it takes time, perseverance, and some sacrifice...but in the end, it's so worth it and I'm better for it in the end (which hopefully is a long way off, say 80+ years from now?)

I know that sometimes when we're at a certain weight that the end goal seems impossible and we want to give up...but if we remember to set little goals and keep achieving those goals, the ultimate goal will be standing right in front of you within reach before you know it. And it feels so good to know that you can reach out and grab those brass rings to obtain what you want, no matter what it is. Heck I'm already almost halfway to my first goal that I set this week...I just have to keep on keepin' on...and don't think for a moment that I won't.

Today's log / stats:

Weight: 152 lbs.

8:30 am - 1 medium orange (62 calories) & 15 raw almonds (105
calories)

10:30 am - Cup of Oatmeal (147 calories) with 2 tbl. sp. each of Raisins (49 calories), Walnuts (60 calories) & Maple Syrup (100 calories).

*Important Note: It is now 11:30 am, and I have the shakes something terrible...I don't think my body likes the Maple Syrup, will try agave next time instead.

Organic decaf skim milk latte w/2 tsp. agave nectar (milk 110 calories + agave 28 calories)

2:30 pm - Organic Huevos Rancheros (365 calories) w/Guacamole (50 calories) and Homefries (266 calories)

Iced Peach Rooibus Tea

Whew...I'm already at 1,342 calories today...I've gotta lighten up for the rest of the day...say hello veggies.

5:30 pm - Coffee w/skim milk (110 calories)

7:30 pm - Organic Quinoa (127 calories) & Organic Red Beans (110 calories)

Total of 7000 steps today
Total of 1,589 calories

Have a great day!
Bex

3rd Day Back on the Blog

2009-09-02T08:01:00.008-04:00

So far so good...as I am still seeing good progress thus far - down 3.5 lbs. in 2 days. I don't want to jinx it though or scare it off, so read this blog in your whisper voice. I have to say when I do things right I tend to do them well and see progress, I just have to be consistent. Sadly, consistency is the problem...I allow too many obstacles to keep tripping me up on my journey to healthdom. I could ask the "why, oh why?" question, but why? That would just being self-defeating in the overall picture. I know why...life just happens, and I just need to make strong, smart choices as they come...that's all...right?...HA! Oh well, I always go with the motto, "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again." Thus I will keeping going, and keep trying until I do it! And if you think about it, if you're trying, then you're already doing...think about that.

On the opera front: Rehearsals for "Emmeline" at Dicapo Opera are going very well, this is going to be an amazing show. I really adore what the stage director has and is doing with this opera...it's truly inventive and beautiful, not to mention very physical. He's got the lead soprano (who sings sooo beautifully) rolling around on the floor, with her head hanging over boxes and sitting stark still in a chair whilst she sings throughout the show...not to mention that the ensemble is practically choreographed in everything they do...it's been a meticulous rehearsal process, but very fruitful...Again, this is really going to be quite an amazing and visual show...not to mention the great singing talent within.

On the fitness & nutrition side: I'm feeling a bit tired due to only 5-6 hours of sleep a night, but that will be remedied as soon as we're done with the production on Sept. 13th. Other than that I do feel pretty good and energized considering. I'm sure it has to do with the healthy eating and how often I'm doing it. Eating Organic has been really positive thus far.

Here's today's log and stats:

Weight: 153 lbs.

8:00 am - 2 medium organic hard boiled eggs (152 calories), water, organic decaf skim milk latte w/2 tsp. agave nectar (milk 110 calories + agave 28 calories)

Supplements: Multi-Vitamin (Trader Darwin's Women's), 1200 mg Calcium w/200 IU vitamin D (10 calories), 595 mg potassium gluconate, milkthistle.

11:00 am - 1 medium orange (62 calories) & 15 raw almonds (105 calories)

1:30 pm - Chicken w/veggies in a spicy basil sauce over brown rice (350 calories) & steamed veggie dumplings (150 calories)

2:30 pm - Workout: 1 hour of moderate walking

4:30 pm - Coconut water (65 calories)

6:30 pm - Organic Quinoa (127 calories) & Organic Red Beans (110 calories)

8:00 pm - Coffee w/skim milk (110 calories)

Total of 1351 calories

Total of 7,000 steps today

Have a great day folks!
-Bex

And the Progress Continues

2009-09-01T08:49:00.014-04:00

Alright, the first day "back at the blog" went well I think. I maintained my online "journal" and accomplished everything I set forth yesterday. Now to keep the momentum going. All we can do is take it moment by moment, day by day...a lesson I've learned the hard way. If you're an absolutist (like me) about things, you may find that if you don't bend, then you may break. Unfortunately, I've been known to be a little hardcore/strict on my diet and then have one slip up and be like "F#@K it , I already messed up the day, I might as well enjoy the rest of the day, week, month, year"...you get the idea. So the plan is to make good decisions when they come and not beat myself up if I have a few mis-haps or unplanned things come into my life...besides you can always burn a few more calories if you eat a few more than you planned.

On the opera front: I had a quasi-terrible coaching yesterday. Last week the allergies hit me hard and gave me a little laryngitis, thus Monday being my first vocal day back, I didn't feel I did my best singing...on the positive though, I did get through all of "Emmeline" memorized (which is saying a lot, due to the score's difficulty).

On the weight progression: I am on the right track and already 2 lbs. down from yesterday. I look forward to when the scale will say 10 lbs. down and my clothes say 2 inches in :) I think I'll see great progress in the next two weeks. I just have to continue to eat clean, watch my calories, and work-out almost everyday.

Here's today's fitness/nutrition log:

7:30 am - 2 medium organic hard boiled eggs (152 calories), water, herbal tea (lemon rose)
Supplements: Multi-Vitamin (Trader Darwin's Women's), 1200 mg Calcium w/200 IU vitamin D (10 calories), 595 mg potassium gluconate, milkthistle.

10:30 am - Organic Decaf Coffee w/organic half & half (100 calories) and half of a 0% organic plain yogurt (50 calories) w/stevia extract

1:00 pm - Organic Quinoa (127 calories) & Organic Red Beans (110 calories)
Baked Organic Cherries (54 calories)
Water

2:30 pm - Workout: 1 hour of moderate walking

3:30 pm - Organic Chicken Vegetable Soup...mmm (170 calories)
Baked Organic Cherries (54 calories)

5:30 pm - Decaf Coffee w/half & half (110 calories)
7:30 pm - Orange (62 calories) & cup of organic skim milk (110 calories)
End of Day Stats:
Total of 1109 calories
Total of 11,000 steps today

Have a great day!
-Bex

Back on the Blog

2009-08-31T08:40:00.017-04:00

I know, I know...I've been terribly neglectful to this poor old blog, but things are about to change. I'm going to utilize the "Not a Fat Opera Singer" blog for exactly what it indicates...the not fat part and the opera singing. Let me catch you up with the goings-on's in my life.

Opera: I received a last minute contract from Dicapo Opera to cover Harriet Mosher and perform in the women's ensemble in their new production of Tobias Picker's "Emmeline". We will perform in NYC from Sept. 10-13 and then take the show to Szeged, Hungary to perform in the Mezzo Television Opera Festival & Competition Nov. 15 & 16. In December, I will sing my first Musetta in La Boheme with Opera Manhattan and I'm up for several other contracts with other companies for the rest of the year, but am waiting to hear back on those.

Weight Loss: I've lost 10 of the almost 30 lbs. I gained last winter, and now I will lose the remaining 20. Now that my toes have healed (oh yeah, I had some toe mis-haps, fractures, toenail issues...long story) I will start my cardio and sculpting regiment and will continue to keep my diet lean, clean and pumping (I've gone organic and gave up sodas and chemicals). The plan is to do a daily log on here to keep myself honest and accountable. I have to admit that when I keep a journal, I keep the weight off...it really seems to help. So, here goes...sorry if it's TMI and a bit boring, but at least you know I'm being proactive about it ;)

Starting weight 156.5 lbs. (ugh!)

8:00 am - 0% Greek yogurt w/packet of Stevia (90 calories)

Herbal Tea (Lemon Rose) & Water

Supplements - Calcium w/D (1200 mg-calcium, 200 IU-vitamin D, 10 calories), Potassium Gluconate (595 mg ), Trader Darwin's Women's Multivitamin

11:20 am - 15 Sundried Almonds (105 calories), 3 organic prunes (60 calories), & some organic baked cherries (54 calories)
Water

1:40 pm - Organic Quinoa (127 calories) & Organic Red Beans (110 calories)
Water

2:30 pm - Workout: Guerilla Cardio, 30 minutes on treadmill (5 minutes warm-up, 20 minutes HIIT in 1 minute intervals, 5 minutes cool down) Highest Heart Rate 181, fastest running pace 7.0, lowest walk pace 3.5

4:30 pm - Organic Quinoa (127 calories) & Organic Red Beans (110 calories)
Water

5:45 pm - Grande Decaf coffee w/skim milk and some 1/2 & 1/2 (220 calories)

6:45 pm -1 orange (62 calories) & 2 oz. raw organic cheddar cheese (220 calories)

7:45 pm - 2 cups organic skim milk(180 calories)

End of Day Stats:
Total of 1413 calories
Total of 13,000 Steps Today

Have a great day folks.
-Bex

Finding Balance

2009-07-15T08:42:00.008-04:00

Wow Wow Wow...Have I been going through some crazy times...Actually, that's normal. However, the stress levels in my body are really high right now and I've been having weird little shock-like responses. I know it has to do with hormones and stress, but GOD, it's really an odd feeling that gives me almost the heebiegeebies. It's like I walk around with my shoulders up around my ears and the hair on the back of my head, neck, back and arms is always standing on end...again, it's a really odd feeling. I've been practicing my uji breathing when I feel stressed, which is most of the time, and it has been helping!...However, I realize it can't be healthy walking around like this. Granted, I've been dealing with alot, but I've got to get my body under control. Currently I'm reading Jillian Michaels' new book "Master Your Metabolism", I just bought it yesterday and am only in the 1st chapter, but she immediately lets you know that a lot of our problems with our health has to do with hormones. Hormones ARE your Metabolism. Hormones are triggered by everything from what you eat, to stress, to how much sleep you get to...well you get the point, literally everything! Even though I'm producing 4 operas, running an opera company, working a day job, performing, auditioning, trying to manage my weight, about to have a birthday, and trying to survive day to day, I've also been dealing with other outside factors that involve people I love and trying to help them with their struggles. I think I'm pretty much at my breaking point people. I WISH I could afford a vacation, but it's also the time that I've already prioritized to those above mentioned things that make it seem almost impossible to get away. I generally use my vacation days from my day job toward going on tour and pursuing my actual Opera Career. I haven't had a vacation in almost 5 years and I haven't gone home to Texas for longer than that *cry*. Look, I'm not complaining really, I made the choice to sacrifice what I have to in order to have my career, and generally that's time (and sometimes stability, both mentally and monetarily).

So, what to do? Well, I'm going to do what I know works for me:

I've got to get control of my eating. Balanced blood sugar levels always keep the irritability factor in check, thus I've got to eat right and often.

I've got to continue my work-outs. Working-out really does help lower the stress factor in my life AND it gives me more energy, when I pair it with the next to do on the list.

Get ample sleep! I have to have to have to get at least 7 hours of sleep. Sadly I average 5-6 hours and that's just not enough for my bod...ESPECIALLY when I'm working-out 5-6 days a week.

Give myself breaks. I must step away from the computer, rehearsal, and any other necessary evil long enough to breathe, relax and refocus or I'm no good to anyone. I also have to include that I've got to "give myself a break" when it comes to self-judgements. Big deal if I don't do everything perfect all the time...that's the beautiful and "perfect" thing about being human. From weakness we find strength, you can't have one without the other.

I think that's a good list to start (continue) with. I'll finish the book I'm reading soon and see if there isn't anything else that will help me find balance in my life. Perhaps tweak a few things that I'm doing.

Oh, I should share that I had my biometric screening yesterday, and although my finger is still sore from the finger prick *owwwuh* my results were surprising to me. I'm considered in the very good to excellent range of health!...so big YAY all around. My cholesterol was very good in both the HDL & LDL categories, my blood sugar was great, and my blood pressure was better than normal...so I must be doing something right. I have to say that even though my eating hasn't been the stellar example that I would like it to be, it's not terrible...AND I have been working out pretty consistently, even if it's just getting in my 10K steps a day. Also, I do think that my regular intake of ground flaxseed has been helping with getting some good Omega 3's in my system as well as a nice source of non-soluble fiber (keeps a girl regular...TMI?)

Anywho, its time to get back to aforementioned day job. I hope everyone is well, and feel free to chime in with any suggestions, questions or comments.

Have a great day,

Bex

Life Ramblings

2009-06-04T12:41:00.008-04:00

It seems everyone that I know is going through one or more transitions in their lives. Either they're tweaking their health & fitness, renovating their homes, and/or trying to get out of some emotional funk. I wonder if the state of the economy in the world has made people wake up and realize that it's time to start living and doing with what one has instead of filling our empty lives with "stuff" that we buy. I have been know to fill the void in my life from time to time by stuffing either my mouth or home with things I don't need, and I find that I still feel empty even after the stuffing has ensued. How satisfying this past month has been out of the simple use of elbow grease and revamping my home. How free I feel not to have all the clutter suffocating me and the looming feeling that I should be at home cleaning and organizing my apartment all the time. When it's done and done well...then you are left with not only a feeling of completion and pride, but you are actually left with time. Time to do other things without that guilt in the back of your mind. Time to work on your health without the would've, should've, could've-s. At least that's how my brain works. I just don't feel I can do anything else with other things hanging over me. Granted, I do accomplish many things even with a messy house, but when the mess is gone, I just find it easier to avoid the excuses not to do something.

Now here's an observation: I always feel awesome after I work-out...in fact, I actually enjoy some of my work-outs in the interim...then, why is it so dang hard to get my @$$ to the gym (or exercise at home). Why do I find excuses not to go, when I know it's good for me and I always feel good afterwards? I enjoy the good sore you get from a kickin' work-out...so why do I fight it. Why do we fight it in general? Even the most skilled fitness guru admits to forcing themselves every now and then to get in their work-out. Why oh why can't we just enjoy it and stick with it and never argue with ourselves about it? Well then I guess it would be called playing or partying instead of working-out....huh? So here's my recommendation: Remind yourself why you go to the gym...remember that feeling you have once you've achieved your daily fitness goal (don't have one? Start making them and meet them head on)...really be aware of how your body feels after your work-out, not only at that moment, but for the next few days (can you enjoy that good sore feeling or the burst of energy you've gotten from it?)...I also like finding photos in a magazine or of myself at a favorite weight to help keep me motivated (For example, I found a pic of myself on Facebook the other day and really liked the way my arms looked in it...so I asked myself, what was I doing to attain that good shape?...time to revisit that good habit!) So many things we can do to motivate ourselves. Heck I've gone as far as to tell my coworker to remind me to go to the gym on my lunch break...she giggles and has a fun time with it, and it's done in such a sweet way...our own little game and inside joke.

What's your motivation? What are you doing for you? It all starts with a deep breath and then you just gird your loins and get to it! The time to live is now, so start living and be happy in the knowledge that you are succeeding in just that...LIFE :)

Have a great day,
-Bex

Sharing is Caring

2009-05-29T09:01:00.004-04:00

Just wanted to share a new addition to the blogroll...Seth Weinstein at SethWeinstein.com. He's a friend of mine whom I live vicariously through when it comes to travel. I have to say that his Travel Logs are some of my favorite things to read, and make me feel that I was there right along side him on his travels.

This weekend is the Maestro's BBQ Bday Party...we'll be grillin' and soakin' in the sun with 50 of our closest friends...lol...it'll be lovely, AND I get to show off our "new" apartment.

Have a great weekend!
-Bex

Skinny Jeans

2009-05-27T12:17:00.004-04:00

Woohoo, I broke through another barrier, I'm almost at the 20 lbs. lost mark...AND I got into my skinny jeans (skinny as in smaller size, not as in narrow legged...blech). How'd I do it? Perseverance my friends, per -se-ver-ance! Was I perfect this whole time?...NO...but I made good choices MOST of the time and got my @$$ to the gym on a regular basis. I think having the Women's Health Challenge keeping me accountable for my work-outs has helped. I also LOVE the pedometer feature on my little cell phone...it really makes me go for those 10 thousand steps a day, such a fun daily challenge.

In NaFOS Transformation Challenge news: Several people on the NaFOS Plan are doing really great! One of our participants has lost 30 lbs. in the past 2 months, and has a new love for yoga...WOW! And another participant has also lost close to 20 lbs. and she too has gotten into the Yoga trend. I have to say our yoga instructor Kristen has been amazing with our singers...YAY Kristen!!! I also have to give kudos to my girls who are going slow and steady with their progress, and have found a new love for the gym and working-out...this will truly help them to keep it off in the long run. As we all know, slow and steady wins the race!

Have a great day!
-Bex

Moving and Shaking

2009-05-26T08:57:00.003-04:00

Ahhhh, the Memorial Day Weekend....a very productive weekend indeed. I personally love to use long weekends as an excuse to either get away, OR for getting things done around the house. I chose the latter this weekend and we accomplished much. With the help of the Maestro, my Cousin Philip, and my girl Chelle, we renovated our apartment. The renovations included taking everything out of storage, and the off-set rooms and doing a large purge of the situation. Once things were purged, we painted the areas that desperately needed it and then moved and reorganized all the rooms by rearranging furniture, books, appliances, etc. Once that was done (which took most of the 3 days) we did the little things like replacing light fixtures and bulbs, new batteries in smoke alarms and remotes, grooming the plants, and we even added a new toilet seat to the mix (so nice, new, and stain resistant!)

It feels so good to have everything done (ok, not everything...I want to go through all my kitchen utensils and dishes and purge as well), but it does feel like we live in a new place. How very calming it is to have everything in its place and how peaceful it is to have our space open and usable...I'm a happy person. I'm also a sore person...this was such a physical undertaking that I definitely know I got a good work-out from all the hard work...Mopping alone was quite the task, so you can only imagine how I feel after all the cleaning, purging, painting, etc....whew, I'm beat.

Overall a good and productive weekend...Next weekend...PARTY!!!

Breaking Through

2009-05-12T08:54:00.003-04:00

It seems that I've finally broken through my latest plateau! My girl KS is this week's Guerilla Cardio buddy, and I'm incorporating my first solo weight training session back into my routine. It's been awhile since I've hit the weights solo, without a dvd, or trainer guiding me through a workout and I feel a little lost as to where to begin. So I shall revisit my old work-out logs, and surf the Internet before I hit the gym. I want to go with a plan so that there's no procrastination and no excuses (hey, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail). Feel free to hit me up with your comments if you have a great weight training program that I can do in 30-45 minute sets. I'm thinking different muscle groups on different days? Like lower body & Abs? Chest, Back & Biceps? Please do share.

I remember the intimidation my very first time at the gym...feeling soooo lost when it came to weight machines and free weights. I was completely clueless. Luckily I had lovely friends that did have experience and that were happy to start guiding me along on my quest. Then I did the Body-for-Life thing, and that just increased my knowledge with exercise. And now I find myself back to where I began...ok, not really. I know how to weight train, I know proper form and I know what my limit is...I just have to start slow and work my way back to a regular practice.

On the singing front, I sang my audition for Dicapo Opera yesterday afternoon, and I felt it went really well. I have satisfaction that I sang a successful audition and I'm satisfied with that...getting roles for next season would just be icing on the cake. The General Manager even commented on my vocal growth since last year...awesome! So things are going swimmingly in that department.

As for NaFOS The Transformation, its now time to get the participants on the road of serious fitness, now that their eating seems to be on a good path. We're finishing up our proposal for gym sponsorship and I need to do everything in my power to make sure our participants are working out at least 3 times a week. I really want to help them in their journey...so now I need to make some calls and set up this week's fitness classes.

Have a great day!

-Bex

Getting it Together

2009-05-07T08:54:00.007-04:00

Allergies are soooo kicking my butt. I've got major drainage and a sore throat from it. My throat was so irritated last night, that I kept waking up every hour throughout the night...ugh...I really hate that. I'm not too tired today, but I do have a long day ahead of me and may make some homemade ginger tea to help soothe the throat and open up the sinuses....I'll have to settle for sugar-free Ricola until then.

I received two new Jillian Michael's DVDs (Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism and No More Trouble Zones) in the mail yesterday and I'm pumped about trying them out. We'll see how these new DVD's stack up to my favorite The 30 Day Shred...they received higher ratings on Amazon.com than my lovely Shred, and they're 30 minutes longer in the duration...so who knows, I may end up a pile of mush afterwards (which I love). I won't be able to try them until next week, but I'll let you know how it goes.

I also received two new cookbooks in the mail Hungry Girl: Recipes & Survival Strategies for Guilt Free Eating (whew) and Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200. I'm interested about adding these into my ever-growing archive of recipes and regularly usable foods. I already use and love her spinach artichoke dip recipe (which I used to make stuffed mushrooms) and adore the Kale Chips...I can't wait what else she has instore for me in her bag of tricks. Yay Hungry Girl!...and she also has a great site to check out.

Also, after this weekend is over, I should be able to cook more regular meals instead of relying on string cheese, nuts, yogurt, eggs and salad...I've gotta get more foods into my diet, and thankfully I've got more time to do that very soon. Plus the Maestro needs prepared food so he can eat well during his 12 hour work days.

Last night I began the reorganization plan for my apartment. I totally emptied my bedroom of clothing and started making "donate" and "keep" piles. Once that's organized then I will do the same to books, shoes, jewelry and other miscellaneous things such as paperwork (big undertaking.) I am such a pack rat and have got to learn to let go. I'm also on the hunt for a cheap wardrobe/closet to utilize in my bedroom, and a tall cabinet with a door for the hall to keep linens and towels in. This should open up closet space even more and make for a more functional home. I'm tired of putting linens and towels in suitcases and boxes under the bed...I need to get to them easily for usage...and so does everyone else in the apartment. I plan to have the sorting of all things done by this weekend, and then the rest of the reorganization completed by the end of May. I think that's a reasonable goal.

Other than that, I submitted my first NaFOS article to MizFit Magazine...I hope Miz has a successful launch, she deserves it.

Have a great day!

-Bex

The Crazy Life of an Opera Singer

2009-05-05T12:42:00.003-04:00

Yep, the crazy life of an Opera Singer / Artistic Director / Producer / Program Director / Hair & Make-up Mistress / Health & Fitness Advocate / Administrative Assistant / Student / Girlfriend / Friend / all around well-rounded Human being? I have found that I currently wear many hats and juggle many things. No wonder I'm exhausted most of the time, and find other things in my life suffering due to my other priorities. For example my home is a complete wreck, I can hardly remember to water the plants much less keep an open and immaculate apartment. You've surely heard " cluttered home, cluttered mind" but which came first the chicken or the egg? On top of the clutter, is the lack of space that NYC apartments have. YOU come to NYC and try downsizing from Texas-sized living to teeny tiny New York apartment...ugh...and I've been here for 8 years already! I keep getting rid of stuff but somehow it's never enough and there's never enough space. I need help clearing the clutter...I need to reorganize...I need my home to be an oasis that I can escape to, not from! But you know me; I have a plan. Yep...a reorganization plan. Once my last gig at Dicapo is up after this weekend, I'm going to redo the apartment. I'm going to Spring clean like there's no tomorrow. I'm going to rearrange furniture, purchase extra storage (i.e. a closet/wardrobe), and purge all unnecessary articles of clothing (and gulp...shoes), books, furniture, etc. That should do it! My main objective in this is to have some good open space at home so that every time I want to work-out I don't have to move the sofa (Yeah, we actually, physically move the couch in order to work-out...hey, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.) I think the rest of my life will be a little less stressed if my home life is in better order.

As for NaFOS: The Challenge, my singers are doing very well and we have a great bunch of participants that are ready to be physically challenged now that they're getting their eating under control. I can't wait for you to check out our article in the new MizFit Magazine that launches soon.

On the opera singer front: I've been studying with a new voice teacher, famed soprano Diana Soviero. She's the real thing folks...I've been making such wonderful progress in a few short months and I can't wait to see where I am in a year. Not only is she an amazing teacher, but she's also an amazing human being...how did I get so lucky? I honestly have my friend Kristin to thank for that, she's the one that originally introduced me to her (and honestly, the way my friend Kristin sings is the reason I wanted to study with Ms. Soviero...Kristin's voice is amazing, one of the most beautiful instruments of our time if you ask me, and given enough time, she'll be a household name within the next five years). I'm also getting ready for my upcoming Audition for Dicapo Opera's 2009-2010 season next week and I'm very excited. It promises to be an amazing season with my favorite Tobias Picker Opera "Emmeline" on the roster, and two of my other favorite opera's "Rigoletto" and "Madama Butterfly" to play next year as well. I would be thrilled if I got a role in those operas (oh how I long to play Sophie & Gilda), but they're doing some new and unknown pieces as well this coming season that would be cool to participate in. I just hope I can show my new vocal growth in my auditions (surprise, Bex is not just a little coloratura anymore). Dicapo's the only C house in NYC and City Opera has been having some questionable problems opening back up, so needless to say, competition is stiff for the jobs at Dicapo.

On the Not a Fat side of this blog, I have been pretty good about my fitness and nutrition, and have just joined The Women's Challenge (see the link on the right side of this blog.) Thanks to MizFit, I've got a new 8 week challenge in which to work on certain areas in my life, I even joined her Team MizFit so that she can harrang me about keeping up wid'it.

Alright, I'm totally typed out, but please feel free to visit MizFitOnline.com to find out about the challenge if you are so inclined.

Have a great day!
-Bex

Get'er Done

2009-04-22T15:56:00.003-04:00

It's been a rough couple of days... I'm overtired and I'm really starting to feel it. This past week and weekend, I got in a good couple of days where I got in some Guerilla Cardio and other work-outs. I also worked at Dicapo every night last week with two shows on Saturday and Sunday (whew)...yes this is on top of my day job. In between shows on Saturday I did get the opportunity to do some yoga with my NaFOS group in Central Park; you couldn't have asked for a more perfect day to do yoga outside, or heck just be alive...it was gorgeous! Our instructor Kristen was amazing and guided us through a nice rejuvenating session...it was quite the work-out without realizing it until later (and I thought I was taking it easy -- HA!) By the time I got through the weekend, I needed a weekend to rest and prepare for this week, but as we all know, that just didn't happen. For some reason, the week just won't allow me two weekends in the same week...stupid calendar! Thus today I'm extra tired and fatigued and TOM has come to visit, so the last thing I want to do is work-out...but I did it! That's right, I got my butt to the gym and did a good 30 minutes of Guerilla Cardio on the treadmill, and I feel the better for it.

This coming weekend our NaFOS group is having more yoga in the park on Saturday, and then on Sunday I leave for tour with The National Lyric Opera. We'll be hitting the Northeast for two days and then coming back to NYC. I took Tuesday off, so I could get a day to myself...I just know that if I had come back and gone straight back to my day job, I would never catch up on my rest or anything else I need to do in order to prepare for the following week. I'm currently trying to come up with a game plan to sticking with my diet and exercise regiment while on the road...it's so hard when they provide "food" on this venture and it's generally not the healthiest of choices. Hopefully there will be a gym and/or pool at the hotels, and I hope I can pack enough snacks for the road.

On a different note: Try to avoid Fat Free Half and Half...I just found out that it has corn syrup in it! Ugh...really...how can they do that to dairy. You think you're making a healthy decision, but there the food industry goes and starts mixing in crap into your food. I guess it goes to show that you should never stop reading labels.

Have a great day,
-Bex

Running

2009-04-16T13:18:00.002-04:00

I’ve finally begun my running program again...Why did I stop? My knees my friends, my knees…It seems that anytime I try to take up running, I suffer from anywhere to a week to a couple of months afterwards with stabbing knee pain (stairs are agony). I know, it sounds awful…well it is. So what to do? Never run again, have knee surgery, run upside down on my hands? Um, none of those are acceptable options for me. So, back when the pain began during my last running program endeavor, I had my friend Jake (yes, the ex-boyfriend / personal trainer) help me figure out WHY I was in pain, WHAT was I doing wrong, and HOW to perhaps “fix” the problem. After much trial and error he came to the conclusion that a.) The small stabilizing muscles around my knee joints were under developed, b.) That I needed to get proper footwear, and c.) I’ve got to learn to run with good form. We worked on some exercises to help strengthen the muscles for a while, but I found myself lost without his help at the gym and quickly found myself of doing other activities. I also went to the running store to get an assessment, but wasn’t completely satisfied with the shoe choices at that moment. However we did work on my running form and I feel it improved, but of course the knees couldn’t keep up so the running program went by the wayside.

Now determined to get in a good Guerilla Cardio and return to the exercise I found that I really feel challenged by and enjoy, I decided to give it another go. This time, I went to the running store and did another assessment and found that I overpronate (my feet roll in too far when I run). So we tried many different running shoes, and I chose ones that of course helped correct the overpronation (built up on the insides with a special support bar within the heel), but also a ½ size larger for toe space, narrow enough to hold my foot in place, lightweight, and has a high enough arch to give me proper support…oh yeah, and their cute too (bonus)! The next order of business was to take care of the knee stabilization issue (muscles don't build overnight...well not as much as you might need). So I purchased two knee braces with metal stability bars on either side to see if this would help keep my knees in alignment and also to keep me from hyper extending my joints when I run (yeah I have joints that hyper extend…not good for high-impact situations). Now add the corrected running form and voila I’m ready to try running again.

So last week with my new braces and running shoes, I thought I’d try it out with a work-out that I’m already familiar with, thus I “Shredded” and the outcome was a positive and interesting one. I found that I was definitely using my body and muscles differently with the new balancing and support system…This was a positive feeling and aftermath. Then on Monday I took my new additions to the gym and hit the treadmill…starting with a 3.5 walk and then slowly adjusted my speed up and down for 30 minutes testing out my new found security. No knee pain and again I felt different muscles that had been activated due to the new adjustments. Tuesday was a day off, just to be on the safe side and then another go at it on Wednesday. This time I went a little faster and longer in the running sections of my program, and again had positive results with no knee pain in the equation. So today I’m going to see if I can do two days in a row without causing injury. I’m just really listening to my body and making my adjustments accordingly…baby steps people, baby steps. I let you know how it goes!

As for NaFOS, we have our first Yoga class with GrowFromTheGround Yoga this Saturday in Central Park. It's supposed to be sunny and 72 degrees...can I order up a perfect day or what?!

Have a Great day,

-Bex

NaFOS's First Meeting

2009-04-07T09:38:00.003-04:00

We had our first NaFOS meeting this past Sunday where we talked about the program, handed out booklets and enjoyed a cooking / preparation class. We were able to inform the participants about what is expected and answered questions that they had. Then we got to the actual cooking part of the meeting and the fun really started. There were a dozen people washing, chopping, blending, mixing and preparing fresh vegetables and lean lovely proteins. We were cooking and tasting as food became ready, starting with Kale/Swiss Chard Chips (thanks Hungry Girl). Everyone was so astounded at how good the chips were and they were really excited that they could still snack and snack healthy. They asked me how much was a serving of kale chips, and I told them that it was a guilt free snack and to feel free to munch away…you can’t get enough kale in your diet in my opinion. The next course we had was a tasting of the Asparagus, Mushroom & Goat Cheese Frittata, a favorite for breakfast and loved by everyone who had some. Next was the Sautéed Cabbage and Onion with low-fat Turkey Kielbasa (haha, people didn’t realize they liked cooked cabbage so much…surprise!), then the Italian Chicken Zucchini packets…mmm. Finally the “Lasagna” (homemade lean-beef bolognaise sauce w/low-fat cottage cheese & part skim mozzarella over roasted egg-plant layers) was ready and boy was it a hit! One of my favorites. After our tasting dinner, we retired to the living room for Almond cookies that we had rolled, pressed, and baked during the whole shebang. What a great way to finish the night and everyone had a fun and informative time. Who said eating healthy has to be boring?...I proved to them, that it’s not only healthy to eat this way, but delicious…one may even say it’s better than many restaurants one may frequent? And did you notice there’s not one processed or empty carb in the whole night? Nope, not even in the cookies which were made with Almond meal & ground flaxseeds.

Here’s what one of our participants had to say about Sunday’s meeting (oh and just an FYI, she’s only 20 years old, but wants to learn about eating right and getting fit…wow, I wish I was as aware as she is at that age):

I actually had a lot of fun yesterday! You wouldn't think a meeting about healthy food, and exercise would actually be entertaining, but it was! A lot of what you were saying about the food that we will be eating (lean protein, vegetables, no white flour) really sounds good. While I have eaten like that before, a lot of what you said has put it in a new outlook for me and I'm really excited to start next week. And I'm even more excited about the dance, yoga and boxing classes. Oh and the Kale chips were amazing! I was telling my mom we have to make them. See you soon!

I’m sorry, but that just gets me so excited about what we’re doing here and I hope we can all make great progress. Oh, and you can find a lot of the recipes that were mentioned in my previous blog entry.

Have a great day!
-Bex

Meal Prep & On The Go

2009-03-31T09:17:00.011-04:00

This coming weekend, the NaFOS Transformation Challenge will begin Prep Week. Prep week not only gets the participants programs together and explains them, but we also take them on a journey with food. We show them how to shop for their meal plan in a healthy and budget conscious manner, followed by a quick delicious way to prepare those meals, and hopefully not get too bored with the food offerings. Here are some of what's planned.

Breakfast: (Arguably the Most important meal of the day) Gotta get that Metabolism going!

We have several meal ideas that work great for when you're on the go. (*note: this does take pre-week prep for the rest of the week)

Frittatas: These are quick and easy to bake casseroles that you can prepare, cut into squares, throw in a ziploc bag and freeze until ready to nuke and eat. (The Maestro eats them cold or room temp...yech, but each to his own.)

Egg "Muffins": Again...quick to put together, bake and freeze until ready to eat (take these out of the freezer the night before if you remember...they'll reheat quicker)

Oatmeal: Yes you can have the steel cut oats (Irish Oats) that you so adore and you don't have to slave over 20 minutes every morning to do it. This stuff refrigerates really well...SO make up a big batch on Sunday, and mix in your dried fruit, cinnamon, (not nuts) and then put single servings in little microwavable containers, and refrigerate for future use for the week. Add nuts to it once you've re-heated it for consumption, it adds a nice protein packed crunch (I do like toasted nuts for this) Feel free to add a little water or skim-milk to the oatmeal as you re-heat, for a smoother consistency...yes, stir it in if need be.

Lunch & Dinner: These too can be pre-made for on the go peeps. So many great recipes out there that you can make and put into microwavable dishes (ziploc sales nice reusable/disposable ones that hold up)

Chili is a great meal you can make that can contain lean meat, legumes and veggies to your liking. I'll make mine in the crockpot (brown meat on stove first) and it makes such a huge amount that we can freeze it and eat on in for quite a while...plus, Beans are cheap! (If you like blackbeans, try this one)

Low Fat Italian-Style Chicken & Zucchini:

This is a quick and easy recipe to make, requiring only five main ingredients.
There's no clean-up, either, as the chicken breasts & zucchini are cooked in foil packets.

INGREDIENTS:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup no-salt-added marinara sauce (like Trader Joe's organic)
1/2 cup reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup freshly chopped basil
1 cup sliced zucchini (I like to do zucchini sticks about a 1/4 to 1/8 in wedge size)

PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Tear 4 sheets of foil wrap measuring 12" by 18". Place one chicken breast in the center of each foil sheet & then place zucchini wedges over. Spoon one-fourth of the marinara sauce over each chicken & zucchini wedges/slices, followed by cheese and basil.

Bring up the sides of the foil and fold the top edge over twice. Seal the edges, leaving enough room for air to circulate inside. Place each packet on a large cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Unseal foil packets carefully, as the steam will be extremely hot.
Serves 4.
Per Serving: Calories 239,
Calories from Fat 49, Total Fat 5.5g (sat 2.4g), Cholesterol 108mg, Sodium
275mg, Carbohydrate 4.1g, Fiber 0.6g, Protein 43.4g

I also like to do this recipe with Chicken breast & fresh green beans with Italian dressing over it instead of marinara...Or Chicken breast with Salsa, low-fat/fat-free shredded cheddar with black & kidney beans...Skies the limit & it Changes things up a bit.

Low-fat Turkey Kielbasa & Cabbage: Love this one...just saute onions in soy "butter" or a low-fat butter alternative, in a large pot. Once onion begins to wilt and brown, add in head of cabbage that you have cut into fours and pulled apart to wilt in the leaves so that you can fit it all in. Once cabbage is added, add in Turkey Kielbasa (cut into manageable links-I usually cut into 8's) and cook to desired cabbage consistency...I like mine still a bit firm.

Curried Chicken Salad:

What's for lunch? Whip up this flavorful chicken dish for a truly delicious
(and healthy) midday meal.

Makes 4 (1-cup) servings

Description

Serve this sensational salad as is or try it inside half of a large scooped-out tomato or on top of fresh salad greens or use it as a sandwich filling inside a whole-wheat pita.

Prep
time: 15 minutes
Ingredients 1 1/2 cups plain fat-free or low-fat yogurt
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (you can also used canned chicken breast, but check sodium levels)
3 celery stalks, diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions Whisk together yogurt, curry powder, and ginger in a large mixing bowl. Stir in chicken, celery, onion, and cilantro; season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving for more
concentrated flavor.

Nutritional Information: 240 calories, 2.5 total fat (0.5 g sat), 11g carbohydrate, 44g protein, 1g fiber, 270mg sodium

Snacks:

On the go I like to have; Part-Skim String Cheese, Nuts (like 15 raw Almonds or 30 Pistacios), Hummus w/veggies (check labels for hidden sugars and processed crap...go for the organic variety), SoyCrisps (when I want to be a little "bad"), Low-Fat Cottage cheese w/Low-sugar Salsa mixed in & fresh Bell Pepper sticks...and I love beef jerky, but I have to check the sugar levels in it. OH and I LOVE the 0% Greek Yogurt...I throw in a packet of splenda (sans paper) and sometimes even add some chopped almonds and/or ground flaxseed for a granola feel.

Dessert:

That's right, I said it...Dessert! Here are some great, lo-carb, protein packed recipes that I love & have blogged about before, but please consider the serving size!

Again, these are all meals that I put into a ziploc baggie or microwavable dish and have on hand ready to go during the week. Any questions or shares please feel free to comment...I'd love any ideas you may have to share.

Have a great day!

-Bex

NaFOS: The Transformation

2009-03-25T08:26:00.004-04:00

Some great news, Not a Fat Opera Singer has become a community effort. It's no longer one opera singer’s endeavor to beat the stereotype and live a healthy & active lifestyle…now we’re a group! My little Opera Company, Opera Manhattan Repertory Theatre that you may have read about in the papers lately, is now setting in motion its Health & Fitness Program. When we originally created the company about a year ago, one of our endeavors was to help our Artists beat the Opera Singer stereotype and become lean, mean, singing machines! And now it's finally here and happening. A huge motivation to do it NOW was the exciting offer from MizFit Magazine to follow along on this journey with a monthly column. Yep, now their will be a special little place in MizFit Magazine where you'll see Not a Fat Opera Singer as we face our own fitness challenges, while continuing the challenge of making it in the opera biz.

We have trainers, nutritionists, yoga instructors, dance instructors, and many more on board to help our singers successfully make the journey. Most importantly, we’ve already had over 20 of our Artists volunteer to make the transformation; they really want to finally take control of their health in order to be the best that they can be. I truly applaud the efforts they have made thus far in the business, and I am proud that they want to be part of something new and so cutting edge for the Opera World.

Now, what does NaFOS: The Transformation entail? We start next Sunday with the pre-journaling stage: This is where we have the participants write down EVERYTHING from what they eat & drink to their regular daily activity, schedules and amount/quality of sleep. Then for the following week, Prep-Week, we’ll gather that data and have our Program Instructors create a Meal & Fitness Plan for them to follow. During Prep-Week, we’ll explain the program for each participant and also take them to the grocery store and show them how to shop on a budget while sticking to a particular meal plan; followed by a cooking/meal preparation class on how to cook truly yummy, satisfying and easy-to-make meals for the week. I like to remember the popular saying “If your fail to plan, then you plan to fail.” This is so true, especially in the matter of achieving a successful healthy lifestyle. After Prep-Week, the Transformation begins and continues for 90 days. In those 90 days, the participants will receive:

-Journals: Each singer will receive a journal to document their progress with their new meal & fitness plan
-Cooking & Meal Preparation Classes
-Weekly yoga class for singers
-Weekly dance classes (w/Undefined Dance Company)
-Weekly training with a personal trainer
-Weekly meetings to check progress, tweak programs, and take measurements
-Emergency hotline for time when they’re about to go off track
-Healthy social mixers, to show that you can have a good time and make healthy choices at the same time

We also have lovely people helping us with the documentation as well, so there will be photos, videos and spotlight articles on the people that are participating and inspiring us along the way.

Hope you’ll check out MizFit Magazine it launches, it promises to be an informative and, if I know MizFit, an entertaining read!

Have a great day!
-Bex

More Press

2009-03-20T09:10:00.002-04:00

I'm in the papers again...this time the newspaper back home in little ol' Alvarado, Texas. It's a lovely article, more about my Opera Company than my performing, but hey, ya take what press you can get:

http://www.alvaradostar.net/Index.asp?Story=906

On the Not Fat part of this Opera Singer's Blog, I've worked out 3 times this week since Monday and I'm going to try to make today the 4th. I have found that using the Elliptical at the gym doesn't leave me feeling as well worked out as the treadmill or my "Shred" DVD at home. Sadly, I don't think my knees can handle the treadmill yet, if ever. I've been looking at getting a knee brace for my right knee to try and keep it aligned. I also hear that strengthening the muscles around the knees will also help me stabilize the knee. My problem happens because I naturally hyper extend at all my joints, and the knees are feeling the trauma of it (especially my right since that leg is a touch longer than the left...yeah, yeah, I'm a gimp, but according to statistics, most peoples appendages are naturally uneven...so it's likely we're all a bit gimpy). I should also go and see a sports medicine doc, seeing as how this injury won't improve and I have daily pain (mostly when taking the stairs) We just have crap knees in my family and it's time to get them looked at. Oh yeah, and my bum right shoulder too...ugh, I'm falling apart. I think I've finally learned my breaking point and this should help me this time around of my endeavor to fitness. I'm taking it slow and staying away from things that I know have caused injury before. I can still "Shred", I just have to make sure to have a chair behind me to help stabilize my squats and light weights until the little muscles in the shoulder strengthen around the joint. And yes, I have to stay off the treadmill until I get a doctor's go ahead or really just avoid running in general :( At least I've discovered the process of getting in shape safely. I can't stress enough that we should take it slow at first...make sure you've got a good balance in all your muscles (big & small) before moving on to the heavier &/or more advanced work-outs. That's how I get injured every time...I push myself beyond, before I'm really physically ready to go there. I'm not saying don't try something new, I'm just saying, Know your limits. Don't get all machismo and do something beyond your physical capabilities. Your brain may know what to do, but your muscles and joints may not be ready to go there. So listen to your body and when it says "move on", or "this is too easy", then go the next step (and do not pass Go or Collect $200)...in other words, don't skip the important process of letting your body learn and grow...You'll be better for it in the long run.

Have a great day,
-Bex

It's Alive.

2009-03-18T10:31:00.005-04:00

I feel so alive...it really makes a difference when you increase your physical activity. The "30 Day Shred" is back in my life and I feel the better for it...and I've been getting up every morning before work, in order to do it (unthinkable). Today's plan is to get to the gym at lunch time and really make the most of the 30-45minutes I have there. Too bad I can't pop the DVD in at the gym...lol, guess that would defeat the purpose of a gym membership.

On the singing front, I have another Die Fledermaus audition coming up...this one would take me to Florida to sing the role. That would make for a nice working vacation.

Opera Manhattan is now producing Scenes from Tosca in April followed by Scenes from La Traviata in June...all the while we've got the big "One-Act Opera Festival" coming up in late July, early August and that in itself is an undertaking. We're also negotiating with a local dance and fitness group to help structure the physical aspect of our little Opera Company. We want to help our singers get in shape through proper nutrition and exercise, including dance...I think we're going to help create the next generation of Opera Singers and that's very exciting.

Have a great day,
-Bex

Shredding

2009-03-17T14:37:00.002-04:00

I'm getting back into good habits...sure I have some slips, but overall I'm doing fine. I've lost 10 lbs. so far in my endeavor to get back into a healthy lifestyle and I'm finally "Shredding" again. You remember "The 30 Day Shred" don't you? It's Jillian Michaels kick-butt dvd that whittles away the lbs. and the inches...I LURV this DVD...no really! This time I changed it up though...instead of doing 10 days of lvl 1, 10 days of lvl 2 and 10 days of lvl 3, I decided to do a different lvl everyday to shake things up a bit. I would not recommend doing this if you've never done the DVD before, but its fine if you've done it on & off and the body already responds to it quickly.

Eating wise, I've been pretty good, my worse offenses are a slice of Irish Soda Bread with some butter for breakfast and some baked lays with my grilled chicken wrap for lunch...and yes I already "shredded" this morning, so the body's already burning baby :)

On the show front: My little opera company is producing scenes from Tosca and I've personally got another Die Fledermaus audition coming up on Monday 4/30, so wish me luck (it's ok, I'm not superstitious.)

Hope all is well with you all.

xo,
-Bex

NY Times

2009-03-05T14:57:00.003-05:00

Sorry kids, I know I've been negletful, but perhaps if you read this article you'll understand why:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/04/nyregion/04about.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

Oh and yes...tonigh's Opening Night for Die Fledermaus.

Best,
-Bex

Tryin' to stay "Healthy"

2009-02-24T13:08:00.002-05:00

Not much to post...just CRAZY busy and trying not to get sick again. I still have some residual coughing but I think THINK that I'm over the crud...of course that's what I thought the last two time...it's been almost 2 months now.

You can check out my current project at

www.OperaManhattan.com

Have a great day!
-Bex

HIIT it!

2009-02-20T09:28:00.004-05:00

I'm a firm believer in Interval Training, especially High Intensity Interval Training...a.k.a. HIIT. I'm a believer because I know it works, and I know it works, because I've done the work and seen the results. I was introduce to the original concept through Body For Life, and have done reading and research all my own to figure out what works best for me. In my research I found an article that explains it pretty well and I'll attach it...however, I don't know who wrote it and where I got it from (as I copied it into my many fitness note awhile ago), but at least I can share what I do have...so sorry to whoever is out there, I don't mean to plagiarize your work, but I think it's great and want to share your explanation:

"More for less" statements are usually followed by 30 minute infomercials that guarantee you phenomenal results with little work or "no money down". Well, there really is a way to burn more fat in less time, but the key is in defining the more and less variables.

Most people approach fat-burning and cardio workouts the same way. They hop on a treadmill, exercise bike, elliptical machine, or stepper and simply go through the motions for an hour or more. They think, "Look at me! I'm exercising for so long, and I'm sweating so much! I must be burning so much fat!"
Meanwhile, the guy on the next exercise bike has just finished his 15-20 minute cardio session, and he burned more than twice the amount of fat, AND his body will continue to do so for the rest of the day! How did he do it?

What is HIIT?

HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. Now, this is where the "more for less" concept comes in, but don't be fooled, you will be making up for that lost time with much higher–you guessed it–intensity!
The question is do you have what it takes to go all out for a short amount of time, rather than mindlessly wander through your current ineffective cardio routine?

Consider this:

In an Australian study, people who cranked out 20 minutes of High Intensity Interval Training 3 days a week dropped 10 percent of their body fat, while those who exercised longer but at a lower intensity didn't lose any!

How Do I Do It?

There are many different variations of HIIT, and you can apply them to nearly all of the common methods of cardio training. Let's say you normally go to the gym and ride an exercise bike for an hour at a steady pace. To incorporate HIIT into your workout, here are your options:

1. 6/9: This is the method used in the Australian study referenced above, and this is what I personally recommend. The numbers stand for seconds, and in this case, "6/9" means you would sprint all out for 6 seconds, then slow to about 50-60% for 9 seconds. Of course, you would continue repeating this cycle for as long as you can (you didn't think you'd be done in 15 seconds did you?!).

For example, hop on the exercise bike and warm up for 2-3 minutes at about 40-50% of your maximum effort. Once you hit the end of your warm-up session, BAM!, launch into a full out sprint for 6 seconds. Then, slow to about 50-60% for 9 seconds, and BAM!, full out sprint for another 6 seconds. So, each full 6/9 interval lasts 15 seconds, or 4 intervals per minute. Keep repeating this cycle for as long as you can, but be sure that you are going as hard as possible for each 6 second sprint interval. It's OK if you can only last a few minutes the first few times. Your endurance will build up, as your waist shrinks down!

As a point of reference, John, our resident Workout Logger, warms up for 3 minutes, goes at 150 RPM (rotations per minute) for 6 seconds and 90 RPM for 9 seconds (repeating this cycle for 10-15 minutes), followed by a 3 minute cool-down for a total workout time of only 15-20 minutes.

2. 30/30: The "half and half" method was one of the first accepted ways of doing HIIT. Since then, we've learned that shorter bursts produce greater results. Reason being, you can't really go absolutely all out for a full 30 seconds. Some practice even higher intervals of 60/60 or more. If you can last for that long, then you aren't really giving your maximum effort the entire time.
That's why short 6 second bursts are better, because you only have to sustain that maximum intensity for a short time. However, longer intervals such as 30/30 and even 30/60 can be useful for beginners. You may want to start here if you're not used to very high intensity in your current cardio training, then you can work your way up to the more efficient 6/9 or 8/12 intervals.

Why Does It Work?

When you are giving your all out maximum effort, your body produces more of a chemical called catecholamine. Can you guess what catecholamine does? That's right: it triggers your body to start burning fat. Even better, the higher your intensity and the more catecholamine your body produces, the longer the fat-burning process will last. This means you will be reaping the benefits of your HIIT session for up to 36 hours after you're done!
Now, get out there, and get on the HIIT wagon! Remember, the first two letters are the most important. HIGH INTENSITY!

Ok...pretty nicely explained...at least to me. I think that HIIT also goes under the heading of "Guerrilla Cardio". No matter what the name, it's effective. I know some of my best fat loss and endurance efforts have peaked thanks to this type of work-out...now to re-instate it back into my fitness plan starting on Monday when I return to the gym finally. I think I'm pretty much over the plague that's been consuming me for the past month and I'm eager to be active and feel charged & energized again.

Have a great day!
-Bex

Go team Go

2009-02-19T08:08:00.003-05:00

The Maestro started "Shredding" again on Tuesday, I'm always amazed *insert jealous* at his self-discipline. When I go off my "diet" and offer him a bite of something unauthorized, he has no problem saying no and ends up ordering steamed veggies instead. This always seems the case with the men I date (granted the last guy I dated was a personal trainer)...but they don't seem to struggle with the same demons that I do. Is this a misconception or is it that men are less affected by food choices? My boss for example always has me order his lunch, and doesn't much care what I order as long as he eats...so I always order him something on the healthier side of things, like a grilled chicken balsamic wrap instead of the basic cheeseburger or mayo covered sandwiches these guys seem to normally order. I've read studies in the past that say that women experience something like 7 (or is it 700) times the emotional effects of things more than men, which would explain most of the women in my family's relationship with food and emotional eating. We tend to medicate ourselves with food. I'm sure my mom loves me sharing this with the world (or the 8 of you that may read my blog) our family history...but we grew up rather poor. My mom did her best with 2 little girls and a teacher's salary in a little Texas town of 2500, which didn't afford for the best nutrition...but growing up in the 80's & 90's, who’s to say we new what good nutrition was. I mean those two decades nutritional standards set by the "experts" and the government seemed to do more harm than good out of most of the previous decades. We had our "Four Food Groups" & "Starvation Diets" in the 80's and in the "90's" we had the crazy low-fat, fat-free craze that loaded everyone up with sugar laden carbs (supposedly this was "heart healthy")...and don't get me started on the "Food Pyramid" WTF...seriously, who should eat that much bread in a day? But my mom did her best and tried to feed us a balanced diet of a meat, a starch, and 2 vegetables for our dinner. Breakfast was usually a banana and a glass of milk, or maybe cereal (if I even ate breakfast) and lunch was provided by the school (we rarely packed our lunch). I learned to generally go without eating more than 2 meals a day and they were always later in the day when I was so hungry I had to eat something, anything. I remember when mom would get her paycheck once a month, we'd have one special night out at a restaurant...of course that special treat was usually Mexican food, a Chinese Buffet, or Fast Food. It was something we looked forward to as a family and I forged a loving relationship with fatty foods of that nature. When I hit puberty, the hormones & our diet started adding on the pounds and I weighed 150 lbs. by the time I graduated high school at the age of 17...but then I went away to college. Luckily my first couple of years at college was spent living with my grandmother (my dad's mom)...and she is an example of health. She takes her vitamins, eats sound nutritional meals with lots of veggies and does tons of daily activities like morning walks, water aerobics, gardening, and housework to name a few...so I started learning a new way of things. She insisted on breakfast every morning which usually included eggs…and lunch was always a protein and at least 2 veggies…dinner was always light and never any later than 9pm. I also learned to exercise. We went for morning walks, I took up dance classes and I had “ski-machine” that came as a graduation present (I don’t remember from whom, but I think it was from my aunt)…suddenly I was down to 135 lbs, then I caught horrible strep and tonsillitis just before mid-terms and was in the hospital the day before Christmas Eve getting my tonsils out…6 weeks later I weighed 120 lbs. and couldn’t believe my eyes. I was finally “thin” and when I transferred to Texas State, I was wearing a size 6 (European size 6 not today’s standard). Believe it or not, I had no idea how truly thin I was…I see pictures, but at the time I still thought I was a big girl, as I had always been. I find that no matter what weight I am, I always see the same person…which was my undoing, because once on my own at TSU, I started living on fast food….and by my Senior year of college, I was a hardy 186 lbs. That’s when I discovered slim-fast and the gym. Slowly the weight started coming off…and yadda yadda yadda I come to today. If you’ve read previous blogs here then you know the struggle, and the struggle continues today.

Last year I did very well with my food and exercise regiment, and over the holidays I lost my way for awhile. And thus I gained a good 15 – 20 lbs. undoing the good I had done within the previous year…not to mention I felt like crap, and eventually got knocked on my butt with the flu. So here I am again, starting over, well not necessarily at the beginning, but at a new starting point nevertheless. Currently at 155 lbs. and needing to drop a good 20 lbs. before I’m at a healthy BMI for my 5’4 frame, but the focus changes every year that I get older, and it’s really less about looks (not saying I’ve lost my vain streak…oh it’s still there) but more about my fears. Fear of getting older, fear of getting sick, fear of pain, fear of hospitals (and needles), fear of getting diabetes, fear of heart problems/disease, fear of premature death…basic, common, human fears. I find every year I get older, the less “invincible” I become and the bigger the fear gets. Let’s face it; I’m a strong minded, egotistical bitch who doesn’t like to be afraid and G@#$%^*&! I refuse to be afraid of being alive. So I’ve just got to suck it up and take control of my life…of my health…of my fears and learn to make the good choices that will make those fears dissolve as much as humanly possible. I can’t stop the aging process, but I sure as heck can help slow it down and take care of the only body that God has given me. My career is finally budding and I want longevity and the only way I can do that is to keep myself healthy and active so that I can fight another day.

So on with the healthy choices, on with the good, clean eats, and on with the challenges at staying active, balancing my schedule and getting adequate rest. I know this turned out to be one of my little self-pep talks, but I need to motivate myself, and maybe scare myself a bit to keep focused…I guess I really need my blog to stay accountable, because without it, motivation seems to slip away and I’m back down a slippery slope of unhealthy, numb-minded choices.

Keep blogging everyone…Here’s to healthy choices!

Cheers,
-Bex

From Death's Door

2009-02-18T08:55:00.002-05:00

Okay maybe the blog title's a little "dramatic" but I've had the hardest time shaking the plague that's been plaguing me. I guess some of you would call it the flu, but whatever name it goes by, I finally had to take a day off and actually rest to finally start getting better. I had the crud for 3 weeks, was better for 1 week and then came down with it again for another week...now in the middle of the week after, I can honestly say it's getting better, and I'm taking it easy. I was supposed to start back at the gym last week when I was overthrown by the stupid achy, cough-y, stuffy/runny-ness of the whole affair...grrr...I really hate being sick. So I finally conceded and decided to take it easy and actually allow myself some much need rest. Boy that was hard, and I doubt I've had enough, but it was enough to put me on the road to recovery...so now to be careful and fully get the germs outta my system. Unfortunately this illness hasn't been without casualty to my career, I went on my audition for my second Fledermaus on Saturday and it was a bit under for me, so I don't feel very confident about getting the job. However, my third Fledermaus opportunity comes this Saturday and hopefully I'll be well enough to do my best. It would be great fun if everything worked out!

While on the mend, I have been attending rehearsals for my current production of Die Fledermaus, working at Dicapo Opera, and working my Day job, so I'm still as busy as ever...in the duration however, I've been researching my next approach to my health & fitness goals. I really want to approach things with my heart in mind. My wonderful mom has suffered so much with diabetes, and heart problems for the past decade and as much as I love her and think the world of her, I don't want to end up like her health wise. She's always given of herself...so much that she never took care of herself. I think there has to be a happy medium there...I think you can be a good and giving person, but also find time for yourself. I've seen it done, now to figure out how to do it.

First things first, the plan (I'm good with the planning, but not always with the sticking).

A diet in lean proteins, low-glycemic, nutritious vegetables, healthy fats, and a smart ration in nuts & legumes is the idea. I have found in my recent eating endeavors that my body does not respond well to caffeine, sugar, bananas *cry*, potatoes, fish *allergic* and flour-based foods. Um, how many foods did I just scratch off the list? I have found however, that I can successfully eat eggs, dairy, veggies, nuts, beans, meats, and some rice without ill-effect...so I really have no excuse not to eat healthy. Over the past year I've experimented enough with my own diet and kept record of what I've eaten and how I've felt in effect to those foods...the results: When I eat the foods listed in the (not respond well) category, I have found that I suffer from the shakes, irritability, headaches, indigestion, nausea, bowel problems, bloating, muscle fatigue/soreness, weird cramps, and joint pain...It's like my body goes into a weird toxic state until it rids itself of those foods. When I eat the foods on the (without ill-effect) list, I actually feel good, energized, clear-minded, and, well, clean...not to mention that the inches in my waist seem to just melt away and my clothes fit again. I'm not saying that I won't ever eat chocolate cake again, but I will make it a priority to eat well so that I feel good. I just can't understand how we can keep putting ourselves through bad cycles, especially when we know what will make us feel better. I do find that when I feel good, I tend to take it for granted...I'll do my best not too, and thankfully I have an instant reminder when I eat something that's not necessarily the best for me...oye!

Now the harder part for me, sticking to a good fitness plan! I know what to do, but I don't always do it. I've really got to make it a priority to work-out, and I'm hoping that once I've recovered from the plague that I've had for the past month plus, that I'll find the gumption to go back to my lunchtime work-outs. Why lunchtime? Well if you've ever visited my blog before then you know that I hit the ground running from 6am until midnight almost everyday, and my hour lunch break seems to be the only time that I can schedule a regular work-out. There's no excuse, I have the hour, and I should use it well (especially since my boss is cool with me eating my many mini meals at my desk.) I really want to raise my HDL & lower my LDL...I just don't want arterial plaque in my body, or any other ailments that will not only age me prematurely, but eventually kill me before my time. Sure I may get hit by a bus or a falling piano, but at least I'll go out healthy and feeling good. It's really all about quality of life, and it doesn't hurt that you look good while enjoying that quality...heck, one may say it adds to said quality ;)

Ok, so we know the plan, and plan on setting it forth in the very near future. I just have to be patient and allow myself to get well so that I don't run my health back into the ground...a bad habit of those who tend to burn candles at both ends.

Have a great day everyone, and here's to our health!

Cheers,
-Bex

Here's Hoping

2009-02-02T12:32:00.002-05:00

So let's hope I'm not jinxing myself, but I feel on the up and up side of this Bronchitis crap. I'm finally sleeping through the night with hardly a cough and the days are going well too...definitely less coughing fits. So I think I'm on the mend kids and I can soon kick it at the gym...or the gym will kick me...either way there will be gym and some kicking in the mix.

The eating has remained clean too...sorry but we must have a self-celebratory moment...YAY ME!!!...ok now that we've done that we can elaborate. I'm very excited that I haven't cheated or caved in to the little temptations about me. I worked "Le Nozze di Figaro" this week & weekend and several girls in the cast brought cookies and candies as thank yous to everyone. I said thank you and didn't eat a one...in fact I even went as far as to go to the Duane Reade (drugstore) and purchase some sugar-free Ricola for myself so that I'd have something sweet and cough-suppressing to get me through. It really helped...AND I only ate authorized foods full of nutrients and proteins :) The only bad part was the reduced amounts that I usually get due to the crazy long hours...but I did make sure to get enough calories. Basically I couldn't get in my 5-6 little meals, so I had to settle for 2-3 decent sized meals. Now I'm back at my day job, the little meals will be able to continue.

On the Opera front, lots of good things are happening. As I said in a previous blog, that I have other "Fledermaus" offers in the works...and I'm now currently learning one of the hardest coloratura arias (IMO) to ever be written, Zerbinetta's aria from "Ariadne auf Naxos" and yes that's in German folks. Richard Strauss is one tough composer...but do we expect any less from a German composer? So learning this role and Gilda from "Rigoletto" are my current endeavors, on top of my upcoming role in "Die Fledermaus". I will feel a lot better once I have all the roles under my belt. I'm hoping to perform Zerbinetta in July 2009, and would love the opportunity to do it with The Baltic Opera in Poland in October of 2009...but that all depends on my Mezzo Competition Audition at the end of March...thus I've a lot of work ahead of me for the next couple of months.

Speaking of work, it's time for me to get back to my day job.

Have a great day!
-Bex

Bronchitis

2009-01-29T08:28:00.002-05:00

Yep, the title says it all...I've got Bronchitis. It started out as a measly little cold and then became a lovely case of coughing. There's really no "cure" for Bronchitis outside of time...so now I'll just lumber along hacking my brains out until it runs its course. Boooooo...

Other than that, I'm actually VERY proud of myself: I've stuck to my diet and lost 10 lbs. in 3 weeks so far. I haven't been to the gym since getting sick, but at least I've kept the eating clean and it's been showing results. I'm sure I'd feel alot worse if I were eating crappy on top of being sick. Usually when I'm sick I cave in and eat junk food and justify it by saying that I deserve comfort food since I'm so uncomfortable...but not this time...I justified eating healthy to help myself get healthy instead. I didn't even give in to the soda cravings...I haven't had a soda in 3 weeks...nope, not a one. I actually do think giving up the soda (even though it was diet) has helped me in my weight loss journey this time...and I finally feel that I'm getting past the point of actually wanting or craving it. My joints don't hurt anymore either, so something good is going on with all this clean and healthy eating...and I'm sure taking my vitamins doesn't hurt either.

My only negative is the sleep factor still...I'm deep in Opera season with many shows on the horizon, both performing and tech-wise and it's definitely pulling me in a million directions all at once and leaving very little time for sleep. As usual my days start at 6am and go until Midnight (add nightime coughing fits) and voila, a recipe for exhaustion. Yeah, I know, that's not going to help me recover from Bronchitis any quicker, but what's a girl to do. I need my day job to eat (and they are having another round of lay-offs here) and I need my night jobs to pursue my Opera career. Speaking of, the Opera career is going quite well and it seems that the hard work is starting to pay off. With Die Fledermaus coming up, I've actually received other "Fledermaus" audition offers. In the Opera business it's a catch 22...in order to perform a role, you already have to know the role...so it's up to the artist to learn it on their own at all costs. Nobody's going to trust you with a role on a mainstage production if you don't have the experience...just like you wouldn't trust a forklift to someone who's never driven. So I'm very excited about all the possibilities coming my way.

Now to today's plan: I will continue to eat healthy, in fact I think I'm going to go order an omelet in a few minutes...mmm... AND I will try to get to bed early tonight...hopefully I can keep the coughing down to a minimum.

Have a great day,
-Bex

See?

2009-01-21T11:50:00.005-05:00

See what happens when you're being so Smug??? Karma Karma Karma. I haven't worked out once this week, due to a cold I acquired over the weekend. I guess it wasn't a smart idea to make poor Shauna walk in the cold for so long with me...we both ended up sick. Sorry girl, I hope you're better before your TV appearance. Personally I feel that I'm on the up, even if I don't look so hot at the moment...and it hasn't been bad enough to make me miss work or rehearsals...however, I won't be having a voice lesson tonight...I don't want to take the chance of making my teacher sick and the rest of the studio in turn. Instead I'll just sit here at my desk and grumble and spit vinegar at everyone else around me (lol)...I'm such a nasty person when I don't feel good (or at least nasty for me). I do have to go to a dress rehearsal tonight however, but thankfully it's to do Hair & Make-up and not sing. I have to get better and in good voice soon, for we start Die Fledermaus rehearsals on Jan. 29th...and like I said, I do feel like I'm on the up of better...so that's positive. I guess overall I'm cranky because I'm sooo PMSing and TOM is due today and I know he's a comin'. When it rains, it pours...doesn't it?

I was terribly upset with The Biggest Loser last night...I felt Joelle deserved to go home (although her partner Karla deserves to come back). Joelle is full of crap "positive" sayings, but she's just that, a talker, not a do-er...nothing but excuses...blah, blah, blah...I say, shut up and just do it...gah! See I told you I was cranky.

Speaking on the BL related things, has anyone else purchased Jillian Michaels book "Making the Cut" ? Shauna (aka Diet Girl) and I were both talking about how we've both purchased it, but neither have yet to do it...and we mentioned that once she was back in the UK, that we might just attempt to do it and share virtually...eh hem...do you hear that Shauna...I think that sounds like a challenge girl! Anybody else looking to join in? Hmmm? It's pretty hardcore, if I remember right. I guess the first priority is to read the book again and then plan for the next 30 days with the book as a guide, and then, well,... do it. Don't worry, I'll let you know when the starting date will be.

Ok...I guess I've been rambling, but I'm under serious hormonal & physical distress at the moment...tends to cloud one's judgement. That said, have a great day...and if you're not having one, then look forward to the fact that it will get better.

xo,
-Bex

So Smug

2009-01-19T11:06:00.003-05:00

I know, I've been pretty lax about my blogging lately, but I've been really good with my eating...I've lost 8 lbs. in the past 2 weeks and I'm on my way back to the good healthy lifestyle.

Fun Happy News: Shauna aka Diet Girl is in NYC doing book promo stuff and I've had the pleasure of hanging with the fabulous ginger. She's so funny and down to earth, you can't help but love her. I even shamelessly purchased her book in front of her (several copies for my gf's) and made her sign every one...I've no qualms about whoring out my friends...and she even got a hand cramp because I made her sign so many copies...yeah, I'm terrible.

I had my cheat day with Shauna...we went to a little British eatery where they serve Tea, Scones, and the whole Shepherd's pie sort's of foods...I wanted to know how our little Brit place stacked up against the authentic types across the pond...the verdict...very good...the scones got high marks, as did the other dishes we shared. It was good my cousin tagged along or we probably would have way overdone it...yay for sharing goodies...it was a 3rd of the calories that way...if you're gonna cheat, make sure to take a buddy so the damage is minimal...everything in moderation kids. I forgot to mention, I also made her walk forever in the cold to and from, just to get to that little place in Greenwich...but hey we had to burn the calories for our little cheat meal...so it all balanced out in the end. It seems I make poor Shauna walk for days when she visits NYC...lucky for her she's a walking pro...heck she's a trained walk-a-thoner, so I know she can handle it. Heck I'm the one limping by the end of the night, due to my not-so-practical footwear that I always seem to don...meh, such is fashion in New York.

As for the rest of the week...well I've had my cheat meal, and now it's back to good, healthy eats that don't include empty carbs or processed sugars. And yes, I even hear the call of the gym...

Have a great day, and try not to hate me too much my fellow DietGirl-lovers...

xo,
-Bex

It's a Hard-Knock Life

2008-12-30T13:55:00.002-05:00

Gotcha singing it now don't I...well if not, I've got that song going over and over again in my head, enough for everyone. It has been a hard-knock life lately and I'm not even talking the economy. Health wise, I've been doing terribly...since Thanksgiving I've been suffering from weird aches and pains. Granted I am the type to over work, over indulge and over do everything, it's not surprising that my bod doesn't want to keep up. I guess one cannot function on 5 hours of sleep a night for 3 months running...who knew? I guess I'm really not nineteen anymore and I just don't recover like a teenager...but I don't think I was ever able to function well on that little of sleep before, I would just get sick instead and be forced to stay in bed! Forgive if this blog seems a bit ramble-y...but I'm still functioning on less than idea sleep and my brain has been foggy for the last month. The positive is that I haven't caught a cold or flu yet this season (or that I can remember), the negative, I'm being effected in other ways. My bones and joints have been really achy and my muscles feel tight and sore (and sadly I haven't been to the gym in a month or so). I have 2 different doc appointments set up and have spoken with a nutritionist/trainer. Her advice was to of course get more sleep, but to also try coconut water (not milk) to help give my bod some natural potassium and magnesium that it might be needing, not to mention help to hydrate it as well. So I did that and have noticed some improvement. Over all, I know the answer...I am suffering from pure sloth and gluttony!...There's a reason they're counted in the seven deadly sins. I've gone completely off my healthy eating and exercise plan...and have indulged way beyond normal human consumption. I've eaten the cookies and the stuffing and the left-overs and haven't done one damn thing in the gym to counteract the effects. Is my own fault for not taking care of myself...and I've dragged my friends down with me...particularly the poor Maestro. He held off as long as he could but all the crap I brought home, eventually got to him and he caved, and thus the vicious cycle began. Seriously, sugar and carbs are like crack (in fact that's what we call it in our household)...and thus we've consumed the empty crap and it has drained us of all nutrients and gumption, thus leaving us puddled shells of the people we once were...just reaching for the remote and another handful of crack.

Well, it stops here! We're going back to our old, healthy ways. I've rejoined the gym (actually that was 2 months ago) and we've thrown out all the crap/crack in the house. You can't eat it if it's not there! AND I'm scheduling actual sleep time where I can get my 8 hours.

Yeah, Yeah, I know...it's a bit cheesy to jump on the New Years Resolution bandwagon (which I generally don't), but hey, it's a necessary evil...Lord knows I need Resolve! I can also understand why people choose to do it at this time of year...they need to recover from the previous feasting holidays of the past couple months...wow, can they cause damage.

So the plan:

The Maestro and I have decided to go ultra-clean...that's right kids, we're giving up the chemicals! This is very hard, due to the fact that we're both addicted to diet sodas and artificial sweeteners in our coffee. Not to mention all the hidden chemicals in your everyday foods. So we're gonna make it simple! Lots of wholesome veggies (organic if available), grilled meats, organic/low-fat dairy, legumes and some low-glycemic fruits (diabetes runs in the fam.) We're avoiding all "white" foods and introducing whole grains back into the diet after two weeks. This too will be interesting, because we have to look again for the hidden sugar & chemicals. As I stated earlier, we're leaving the artificial sweeteners behind, and opting for natural, lo-cal ones...thus hello stevia...is agave also lo-cal? Time to do my research. We're also using several of our gift cards and treating ourselves to some new kitchen appliances, namely: A steamer (for veggies), a new coffee maker, some good knives, and maybe even a food processor (for fun new recipes).

We're also introducing our bodies back to an active lifestyle...so now it's back to the Shred, the yoga, the elliptical, the long walks, the nice jogs (for the Maestro, my knees can't keep up) and finally the free weights (this will be a revisit for me, but new to the Maestro, as he's been mostly a cardio man all his life...yet he has the genetic make up to build something quite extraordinary.)

I'm really excited to have a partner in this venture and I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish. Funny thing is, this happened not by vain longings, but the grand desire to be ultra healthy. We want to live long, healthy, happy lives no matter what age, and we want to do it before we're 60 and asking what happened to our youth? There's no time like the present to get in great shape and feel alive. I want to be a well-oiled machine...and be one of those hot 70 year-olds that look 20years younger than you'd guess...granted I've got a long way to 70...heck I've got a long way to 50 or even 40 for that matter, but its time to start taking care of myself so I can enjoy life at any age.

Start your engines Ladies and Gentlemen...we'er off!

Remember to Breathe

2008-12-16T09:56:00.005-05:00

Wow, that statement can trigger a whole slew of thoughts...when working out, when stressed, when angry, when holding your breath for a long time...you know...just remember to breathe.

In this case, it's regarding making choices...those little decisions that can effect the next minute, the rest of the day, the rest of the month. The decision to order the eggwhites with turkey bacon on multi-grain toast, instead of the bacon, egg and cheese on a roll (or an everything bagel)...the split decision that allows you to reach for that Christmas cookies or perhaps opt for the nuts instead. So I tell myself, "Breathe" when currently confronted with the new front of decisions that come with the holidays...I've had to do it this morning especially. Reading Jillian Michael's daily rant about the Tortoise & the Hare is a lovely reminder that slow and steady wins the race. This rings so true during this festive season of eating and partying. Just a slow and steady resolve to remind us that we don't have to be perfect, but it's good to remember to take it one choice at a time and keep on trying.

I've found that my choices are light years better than they were 10 years ago...I didn't change overnight...I flubbed alot...but I always kept the inspiration in my mind that you can never fail if you never stop trying...so you have a bad day, week, or month, but isn't your intention always to get back on track? Well then get back on track...take a deep breath, and ease back into it. You'll be proud with all the little successes throughout the day that add up to make one big success...and before you know it, you're light years ahead of where you were. We work so hard to keep ourselves healthy, why let one little flub derail the whole program. I like being an all or nothing kind of girl, don't get me wrong...it feeds my OCD tendencies sooo well and I love to chart my success...however, that only works when you have the all...but one screw up makes me want to do nothing, and before I know it, I've got a new amount of weight to lose...Not good. Apparently that method doesn't work...so now a new approach. Breathe and take one thing at a time. One good choice after another. Do I really want that pound of Godiva? PMS me says yes, but I've done so well so far, I think I can live with out it at the moment. Besides, I'm still full from that delicious Eggwhite, Turkey Bacon on Multi-Grain Toast sandwich I had not 2 hours ago...The moral of the story is: You can plan a good program, but if you find yourself faced with temptation and/or difficult choices, stop, take a deep breath and try, try again.

Have a great day,
-Bex

Tis the Season...To be Tempted

2008-12-15T08:59:00.002-05:00

Or just gain an unwanted 5, 10, 15 lbs.? You spend all that hard work and time to lose weight and then the Holiday's come and moderation gets a new meaning. Why must we be bombarded with high sugar / high fat foods? Our office is a mine field of such gooey treats that you can't walk 5 feet without stepping on something bad! And not to mention all the parties and events one is subjected to this time of year...especially if you're a social butterfly like me...a girl just can't help be popular ;) Seriously...why is it so hard to get those 10 lbs. off? It takes something like 3 months to drop the poundage, but why does it seem to only take 2 days to gain it all back? Curses!

So the plan? We can continue to work-out (maybe even up the time at the gym) but generally most people are EXHAUSTED during this time of the year.)...We can avoid all those bad foods (who are we kidding, it's the Holidays, and besides it's ok to indulge a little...but make sure it's a little)...OR we can set a new plan of action and way of thinking. Let's approach this in a better way:

Continue to work-out, and instead of adding hours to the treadmill, maybe consider adding in a yoga class here and there this season...a nice Spa experience for the body. No really...I feel better after a Yoga class than I do after a massage. Both for me are just as relaxing; but with Yoga, I'm burning calories, stretching my muscles, taking much needed cleansing breaths, clearing my stressed mind and come out of the whole thing in a much improved mood. They have so many types & levels available nowadays, there's no excuse to not take advantage.

Have a lovely Holiday filled with lovely Holiday Treats! WHAT? That's right, but make them yourself with the many healthier version-ed recipes out there. Come on, if you found my blog, you can google recipe alternatives for your favorite treat, or even better, get inventive. Let me get you started, here are some lovely alternatives to some Holiday favorites:

Holiday Food Makeover:

Eggnog

If you can't imagine the holidays without eggnog, you're in luck! With a few simple modifications, you can start enjoying this traditional holiday drink. This version uses artificial sweetener in place of sugar and replaces the full-fat dairy products with their low-fat counterparts. It also calls for an egg substitute rather than raw eggs because of the risk of salmonella poisoning.

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups egg substitute
2 tablespoons artificial sweetener
2 tablespoons vanilla
2 (12-ounce) cans evaporated skim milk
3 cups fat-free half-and-half
1 tablespoon brandy extract
Nutmeg

Instructions
Pour 1 1/2 cups egg substitute into a bowl. Add artificial sweetener and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually blend in vanilla, evaporated skim milk, fat-free half-and-half, and brandy extract.

Chill for 24 hours to allow flavors to blend. To serve, stir well and sprinkle with nutmeg.

Nutritional information
181 calories
0 g fat
3 g cholesterol
22 g carbohydrate
15 g protein
0 g fiber
299 mg sodium

or if Eggnog's not your thing how about:

Hot Mulled Apple Cider (Wassail)

Everyone loves a warm cup of cider (known to many as wassail) during the holidays. This recipe gets a boost of flavor from oranges.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
Sugar-free apple cider drink mix
1 quart (4 cups) water
4 cinnamon sticks
1 whole nutmeg
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
2 oranges
2 teaspoons cloves, whole

Instructions
Following the directions on the package, combine the appropriate amount of sugar-free apple-cider drink mix with 4 cups of water in a large, heavy saucepan.

Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Keep the oranges whole and leave the peel on. Press 1 teaspoon of cloves into each orange and add them to the pot. Bring to a simmer over high heat; simmer 10 minutes.

Remove from heat; let steep 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, lift out oranges and discard.

Nutritional information
2 calories
0 g fat
0 mg cholesterol
0 g carbohydrate
0 g protein
0 g fiber
5 mg sodium

Enjoy...and if you're looking for more great recipe ideas, check out Kalyn's Kitchen in the blogroll...I've found her South Beach recipes are good for most dietary needs AND they're delish!!!

Have a great day,
-Bex