What I've Learned so Far about My Body

Most of my friends and family know that I've been on LA Weight Loss for the past seven months. I have averaged 1.5 pounds of loss a week, which is slightly slower than most people on the program due to being a vegetarian. I've lost a total of 34.6 pounds so far, and my goal is only 6 pounds away! I'm amazed at how much I've learned about weight loss and taking care of myself. Here is what I've learned so far about my OWN body... maybe it will work for you!




1. I react poorly to any salt. This is salt in pizza dough, on saltines and Wheat Thins, and definitely added salt on eggs or vegetables. I have only used Lite Salt by the 1/4 teaspoon in large recipes as they call for it, and I never add salt to my food. Any time I have something with salt on it, say, 10 small tortilla chips on New Year's, my body gains over a pound in water weight to try and cleanse itself of the salt. I now buy reduced fat Triscuits instead of Wheat Thins and canned goods that are salt-free because they have less sodium.


2. I react poorly to things with fat in them. If the only unusual thing I've eaten is regular fat sour cream instead of reduced fat or fat free sour cream, my body will gain at least half a pound from it. I only eat reduced fat sour cream, butter, peanut butter, milk, yogurt, and soup. (If I ever eat soup, it's almost always so high in sodium!)


3. My body craves activity. I have such a high energy level each and every day, that when I take a day off (one day a week, usually Thursdays) I tend to feel like I'm waiting to work out again. I ask myself, "Are you ok? Don't you need to take a nap? Or maybe eat dinner with your family for once?" I do zumba three days a week and do workout videos three days a week. I ran on Monday for the first time but now that the snow came back I plan on holding off on running again. And to be honest, even though the run felt relatively rewarding, my muscles still ache three days later...


4. I dislike drinking straight, plain water, but yet I crave water! I drink at least four bottles of water a day and most days I drink five. Much of that is tea, but I drink at least two bottles of plain water when I work out. I've stayed away from soda, coffee, and juice. If I have anything with aspartame in it (flavored diet teas or flavored water) I will drink an extra water that day to help clear out my system since it actually makes me retain water! Two things I drink every day are Yogi Tea brand Fasting Tea, which tastes like black licorice, and hot lemon water, which aids in digestion.


5. I need zumba. If there was a zumba class every day, I would go. Scratch that. If I could take zumba with my favorite teachers every day, I would. :)





Most people ask me, "WHAT is ZUMBA?" The easiest answer is that zumba is an aerobic dance class based on several different, usually latin, dances, founded by Beto Perez in 1999. It incorporates salsa, merengue, cumbia, reggaeton, cha-cha, mambo, flamenco, and belly dancing in a fast-paced workout, and most classes run for an hour. It is said that the average person can burn 700 calories in an hour of zumba. Most songs run five minutes long, you GO GO GO and have a blast for those five minutes, and you get a brief break between songs to get a drink of water.




To me, zumba is an outer expression of inner energy and spirit. It is sensual, even sexy at times, but that interpretation is never forced on the people in the room. You are given the framework, the choreography, of the dance and you run with it. A person can add spins, stomps, kicks, twists, more or less hip movements and it is all "zumba". This is unlike an aerobics class where you stick out like a sore thumb if you do something incorrectly. I think zumba is one of the few classes you can take at the gym where nothing is "wrong" with you if you make a mistake. And isn't that something we try and teach our kids, our friends, and our students? It's ok to make mistakes!



I am attaching three videos of my zumba class. These videos were taken last week on Tuesday, February 10, 2009. My teacher is Jill Budde (a goddess) and my full intent is to share the class and share what I am passionate about with my friends and family who read this blog. I have absolutely no complaints in any way, except that the shutter on the lens won't entirely open and the third video got cut short so I can't share all of my samba with you! (So, clearly, no complaints about the class, my teacher, or the Princeton Club. Disclaimer officially over!)



In the footage you will see Jill, the tiny gorgeous blond in the front. You'll see Joe, her husband, all in black with a bandana and a flair all his own that I love. You'll see on Joe's left a guy named Connor, a friend of a friend and now a friend of mine, who is so much fun to dance next to. The girl in the front with the short haircut is a girl from Russia, whose name I have yet to learn, but I watch her throughout class because she is always smiling! I will have to learn her name, she makes me feel so good! Then the pretty girl in the teal shirt and black shorts behind me is Julie, and she has grown so much in the past few months herself--she expresses herself a whole lot more than she used to. Her boyfriend usually comes and he is also a great dancer. She feeds off of me, I feed off of her, Joe and Connor and the other girl in front. We made a triangle originally and now we make an "X" most Tuesdays. Actually, we don't really have a shape... we move around a lot... but we are definitely a powerhouse together! The footage is of some of my favorite zumba songs currently in the line up, and hopefully next Tuesday I'll take footage of my all-time favorite dance, which samples a song by The Jackson Five... Enjoy!

Top: merengue, Middle: reggaeton, Bottom: samba hiphop

One smart girl!

For those of you who don't know, Nadia is a little smartie. She continues to amaze us every day, every week, every moment, with some new word or sign or discovery.



Today was a great day. She woke up early but in a good mood. Bryan got her ready while I slept in a few extra minutes and then took my time getting up. Both of us were sluggish, being a Monday morning and all, and she was a bundle of energy. I gave a call to Jaci, my wonderful mother-in-law, and we decided to go and weigh in again together at LA Weight Loss. Her suggestion was that Nadia would stay at their house with Grandpa while she and I ran our errand. Perfect! Grandpa just got back from a trip and would definitely love to "hang out".



So, I dropped her off, we ran to LA, then to Sentry, and returned to find Grandpa completely enraptured with his granddaughter! Jim was full of stories of the new things he saw, new words and actions he had yet to hear and see, and he was just giddy with all things Nadia. We shared our stories of the latest things we noticed, including all the things that had just recently happened while he was out of town!



And of course, as our time ended, the three of us realized Miss Nadia was sleepy. She helped put her books and toys away, was patient in getting into her "warm clothes" as I call them, and we got in the car and headed home. This was all very cute, but the best part of our morning was yet to come.



We pulled into our driveway and I could hear Nadia say, "side" for "outside". I said, "Yes, honey, we have to go outside." I opened the door and leaned in, grabbed the bag of groceries from the driver's side of the car, with just enough time to hear her say, "Hi!" I went to the other side of the car to get Nadia and my purse, and she tells me, "buckle" and "up" as I bring her out of the car. As she reaches my hip, she tells me "beep! beep!" and points at my keys. I hand her the keys and point to the button that locks the door and sets the alarm. I say, "ok, you do the beep beep" and she pushes the button once to lock the car door. Then I ask, "Again?" and she leans forward, take the keys in her hands, and pushes the button a second time to set the alarm! We get inside the house, and I let her climb the stairs as she says, "up" over and over again with each step. She gets to the top, turns around, and tells me "nigh-night"... I say, "Ok, honey, you go to your room, Momma will meet you there." I put the bag of groceries in the front corner of the kitchen as she walks down the hallway to her room. As I round the corner and look in, I see she is patiently waiting at the end of her crib for me.



She gives me the sign for "clothes" which was telling me to take off her winter suit. She says, "up, please" and I pick her up. I grab her blanket and her binkie (that awful binkie!) and start to sing, "Leaving on a Jet Plane" Peter, Paul and Mary-style. She looks me square in the eyes and puts her fingers gently to my mouth. (Ok, I'll stop singing!) I immediately stop, mid-phrase, and lay her down in the crib. I put the blanket up to her chin, and with binkie in her mouth, she tells me "Thank you". She fell asleep immediately.



Are you crying yet? I am!


Here are some things she has learned this week:


--"Jaci" for Grandma Jaci. The best timing of this was when she screamed it into the office at LA Weight Loss while Grandma Jaci was talking to a counselor!


--"Teese" for Therese. She pulled this out, as well as the sign we created for Therese, in the car on the way to Cottage Grove. We said, "No, honey, we're not on the way to see Auntie Therese." I called her right away to see if Nadia would keep saying it, and she could barely hear it through the phone but she kept it up!


--"LOUIE!" We spent last Friday night at George and Lisa's and Nadia had a lot of fun with all the little doggies, even yelling for Louie each time he ran away!


--"wi-wi" for wipe, which Nadia can now do for herself if she makes something "messy" (thank you, Jaci, for showing me this!)


--she has figured out how to go DOWN stairs finally! She does not like to go backwards, she likes to sit on each one, and say "sit" and then put her feet down so she can "slide" to the next.


--This morning she told me "pee!" and I said, "Ok, let's go to the bathroom!" She pointed to the toilet, lifted the lid, and just looked in... I don't know if this meant she had a pee diaper or not! But I am definitely going to get the potty and a pair of "pretty panties" this week! Nadia knows the difference between poop and pee and tells me what she has in her diaper before I go to open it. This is good, except for when she has wet poop and tries to tell me it's pee... Then I'm just disappointed I don't get to change an easy diaper!


Remember, Nadia is only 16 months old!


We are so incredibly blessed to have Nadia in our lives. She continues to awe and amaze us and we are so very lucky to be surrounded by her love and energy.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

I cried in zumba last night.

I had been working a second shift job this past month at the American Girl doll company which kept me from attending zumba every week. I wrapped all the little accessories and dolls and toys, and spent time in loose fill, packing the peanuts in the boxes and taping them closed before mailing. And every Tuesday night at work for those four weeks I thought about zumba. I missed it incredibly, I missed the freeing movements and hour of expression. Yes, I made some extra money for my family and I am grateful for that, and it was hard to be away from Bryan and Nadia each night at dinner time and bedtime. However, the hardest part of being away from my family was the "therapy" I was missing from zumba class.

Last night was long overdue. I worked out twice as hard, I moved twice as much, I sweat more than usual. It felt so good to be in my element again and push my body in a physical way. There were moments in class last night where I lost myself in the music, especially when my instructor had everyone move where they wanted in the room and dance how they wanted. It was just magical, to feel so free, to be so happy, to be in tune with my own body.

Class ended with a song by Josh Groban, called "Thankful." We cooled down, stretching our arms above our heads, to the side, behind our backs and working our legs. I was entranced by the words, that kept repeating, "We have so much to be thankful for." By the end of the song, all I could do was stand still, close my eyes, and cry. I was swept away by so many things in that moment and it has inspired me to get back on this blog and write for you all.

I encourage each and every person reading this to find your zumba. What is it that truly makes you happy? When is the time, if for only an hour a week, do you take the time to learn about yourself? Zumba is like therapy for me. It's relaxing and yet invigorating, it produces a wonderful high, it stretches me physically and mentally with learning new moves and choreography, it allows me to open up and express myself. It is a time when I can truly be ME. I just happen to be surrounded by others who feel the same way I do!

Besides zumba, I have found incredible happiness this year. I finished teaching for Stoughton schools this past June and have decided to be a stay at home mom ever since. I was incredibly lucky to meet and work with so many talented and caring teachers in that district. I am grateful to my students that put up with me for two years, who made it through some really stressful times with me without even knowing it. If I could have my own choir now with Tasha, Jordan, Alex, Theron, both Zach's, both Kris's, and Justina and Jalea and Catherine and McKenzie and Luke and Sam and Bre and Ashley (oh, Ashley!), I would be a very happy woman. If one of my eighth graders reads this and doesn't see their name, don't be offended. Teachers forget names but they never forget how you made them feel.

I got to go to Europe this past summer with the Chamber Singers from UW--Platteville. Bryan was unable to attend this time around but I look forward to the day he will join me. We sang first in Berlin, then around smaller areas of Germany, and finished in Prague in the Czech Republic. It was absolutely breathtaking! I was overwhelmed by the beauty of those countries, how friendly people were in general, the powerful history and the beautiful art and architecture. This trip was a music geek's dream! We sang in four completely different, absolutely breathtaking churches. We saw Bach's church in Leipzig (including where he was buried), the area in Halle where Handel lived and worked, and even rode on a boat on the Elbe River and hummed "The Moldau" by Smetana as we went.

Nadia turned a year old this past September and she is just amazing. She sings and hums to herself, she dances at least a dozen times a day, she helps around the house and puts things back where they belong. She has learned a dozen words this month (literally!) including chilly, waw-waw, noo-noo (noodle), up and down, ouch, apple, bib, cocoa, and more. She is incredibly entertaining to watch from an outsider's perspective. It is rewarding to see how quickly she learns, how smart she really is, how easy of a kid she seems to be. We are truly blessed to have Nadia as our daughter.

For the past four months I have been on LA Weight Loss and trying to take care of my body. I have lost 26.6 lbs so far and intend on losing quite a bit more. My goal is to be a size 8 at the Chilton Beer Fest on the third weekend of May. Keep cheering me on! I believe I will get there! I think I can, I think I can...

This fall I have been traveling down to Platteville once a week and singing again with Chamber Choir. I even got to go on their fall tour to the Fox River Valley. After sharing time with them at Retreat at the Sinsinawa Dominican Mound in September, I realized just how much I missed the ensemble and having singing in my life. We made the commute work as long as we could financially but our bills finally won the battle. I fully intend on singing with them again in the spring once I have a nighttime job, or once we win the lottery, whichever comes first.

And now Christmas is here and I am struck by how lucky I really am. I have a husband who loves me very much and a daughter who is cuter and smarter than most... I have Therese to hang out with and just be "normal" around. I have Jaci and Jim, the two most patient and loving in-laws a girl could ever have. I have CeCy and George and Lisa, who continually welcome me into their family. I have my mom, and Dad and Joy, and Dave and Liz, who are incredibly caring people in my life. I have Angie and Katrina, two of my closest friends that still make me laugh until I cry. I have Bob, and Chamber Choir, who provide tremendous comfort. I have a roof over my head, bills that are slowly but surely being paid, food on my table, clothing that fits reasonably well... I have this new body, and tremendous energy, and a drive to continue moving forward with my health and happiness. I am truly feeling happier and more and more comfortable in my own skin every single day.

For Christmas, give yourself the gift of honest happiness. Find your zumba. Find family that loves you to no end. Find friends that make you cry out of complete love and understanding as many times as they make you cry from awful jokes. Find YOU.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and warm winter wishes to everyone!

Love,

The Marks Family

A few GOOD things

A few minutes ago, we were visited by a Jehovah's witness sharing the word of his god. He read a section of the bible sharing with us that we are in the "End of Days" and that all of the problems we are facing are foretold in the bible. I wanted to ask if it was in the factual part of the bible, or the allegory part of the bible, but I figured I should just let him do his mission.

You don't have to hear it from a Jehovah's Witness that things are bad. The Marks family listens to Air America on 92.1 every single day, usually for several hours between our cars and listening over dinner. We try and pay attention to all the directions our government seems to be heading, and the new direction we hope it will turn in 21 days. In this chaotic world of financial crisis, religious and cultural intolerance, and fear of another cold war, it is imperative that each and every one of us take stock of how good things really are.

I am the healthiest I've been in a very long time. I've officially lost just over ten pounds in the past seven weeks. I eat balanced meals every day, with a lot healthier ingredients, and a lot more organic, fresh fruits and steamed vegetables. My influence is working on the rest of the family, I believe.

We have a home that we can afford that is just right for our family. We have bedrooms for each of us, a big downstairs that is a complete mess right now but which will soon be a craft space and storage. We have a welcoming living room and kitchen table with food on it for anyone that would like to stop by.

We have a beautiful, incredibly smart, and well-behaved daughter. She now can "meow" when you ask her what a kitty says, and "moo" when you ask her what a cow says. She also can say "ah duh" for all done, "hey" when she picks up a telephone, "bah" for a bottle or a ball (whichever is closer), "bithoo" for bagel, and growl like a bear when you growl at her. Grandma Jaci says she can also say her own name, but I think Nadia's keeping that from us for a while and making it a special thing between the two of them. ;) Nadia still takes two naps a day, so for three hours every day I get to stay caught up on the computer, do a workout video, wash laundry, clean the kitchen, or relax. Do you know how fantastic it is that our toddler takes two naps?!?

We have two working cars, clothes that fit us, running water of all temperatures in our sinks. We are millionaires in comparison to so many on this earth. We have religious freedom to think the heathen thoughts we think. We even have the right [AND THE DUTY] to vote. What a fantastic country we live in!

We even have the love of our wonderful families. Thank you, Daddy, for our hour-long conversation last night about all things Tennessee, politics, friends, and family. Thank you, Joy, for writing me letters every so often, sharing parts of your life "down south" that we don't get to see from up here. Thank you, Jaci, for supporting us in so many ways, and for being my sounding post on several occasions. Thank you, Jim, for understanding the inner workings of all the things we need but don't seem to work. Thank you, Mom, for making our lawn so beautiful. You have a glorious 'green thumb' and everyone at Nadia's party noticed how wonderful everything looked. Thank you, George and Lisa, for filling our bellies with warm and tasty food, and then cleaning the dishes afterwards. Thank you, Grandma Cecy, for cheering us up on our front porch, or when we're at your front door, on so many occasions. Thank you also for the beautiful cards you embroider, the wash cloths you crochet, and the stickers you put on envelopes. Thank you, Grandma Rindy, who always remembers to send cards on the special occasions, knowing that she cares very much for all of us.

Be optimistic. Remind yourself every day that you are lucky to be so lucky.

Zumba Mama

Yesterday I decided to take up Therese on a babysitting offer and head to the west side Princeton Club for a different zumba class. I've been heading to zumba on Tuesday mornings at 8:45, Wednesday nights at 6:30, and Thursday mornings at 8am when I can. There is also a Sunday class at both the east and west side, and usually I can't make that one because of Nadia's napping and eating schedule. I try to work out five days a week, and since I hadn't done anything on Thursday or Friday, this was my way of making up a day of laziness. :)

I decided that the 4pm class on the west side would be great, since Therese could watch Nadia while I was working out, and then we could all have dinner when I was done. Perfect. I drive to the Princeton Club (which was a fete in itself) and swipe my card. I realize that the changing rooms are around the far back corner on the bottom level, below where I signed in. I then figure out that the giant dance room exactly opposite the entrance is most likely the zumba room. In other words, you have to travel a lot if you want to take a class at the west side Princeton Club. I change my clothes in front of a lot of women that look "with it," almost certainly my competition in zumba class. By the time I reach the doors, it's ten minutes 'til the class starts, and I'm already the 20th person in the room. Even the busiest class on the east side has 30 people. Tops.

Little by little, women were surrounding me. I even had two women stand directly in front of me, and of course I thought I was at the front of the room. By the time class started, we had 50 people in one room. Shortly after class started, I saw that the room seemed more full and in turn, I figured at least another ten people had joined us as the music started. There were literally five dozen women (and a handful of men, one including a young black man with clearly "trained" moves) all in the same workout room for a one hour, fast moving cardio/dance class!

This was insane. I was hit twice by the woman on my left who kept glaring at me because I didn't know all the crazy moves. I was confused by the woman on my right who had her own personal set of Two Left Elephant Feet. I was wonderfully challenged by all the new choreography that this new teacher had to offer, but not enough room to experiment on my own or to make mistakes. For those of my family and friends who haven't taken a workout class in a while, picture this: there are 60 people in one room. All of them are trained for several weeks in the same choreography to the same songs in a room filled with mirrors. People are dancing 10 people wide and 6 people deep from door to window, and can only see the actions of those in front of them and not necessarily themselves or their teacher. Here comes me, a creative soul and not necessarily used to conforming, even in zumba class, looking like a leaping frog amongst an army of ants.

I rock in zumba class. I pick up choreography quickly and if I don't, it's no skin off my back. I just keep trying until I get it, and then when I have it, I do it with conviction. I know I don't look like a trained dancer, and I really don't even look like the latest thing at the club, but I'm definitely having fun and setting a fearless example for those around me. I smile a lot. I add little shimmies and turns. When it comes to the "Low" song ("Apple Bottom jeans, boots with the fur...) I rock it probably more than I should. But none of my strengths were welcome in this mass zumba class on the west side. I'm going to attempt the 8pm class on Tuesday night and see if it's any better. I'm more comfortable with the bouncy, aerobics and latin-influenced teachers on the east side. But if I can zumba almost every day of the week, it's worth a shot! Wish me luck!

Being a healthier mom

For those of you who hadn't heard yet, I officially resigned from teaching this year to stay at home with Nadia. At first, I was apprehensive about making such a decision that seemingly left me with "nothing else to do but take care of the kid." After the busiest summer of my life (being in two weddings, a trip to Europe, 3 times to a friend's lake house, 1 time up to the parents' cabin, and a multitude of errands that would normally have been left un-done) I am encouraged to see just how full the life of a stay at home mom really is!

This summer has been the best summer of my life. I have had a list of things to do and yet all the time in the world. This is Nadia's first summer, and she loves the outdoors and the water. She could go for a stroller ride twice a day to the same park and never get bored. The hard part is finding time for all the other things that have to get done, because I, too, would enjoy being at the park all day instead of cleaning the house. In many ways, this was the best summer because it has been the best balance of them all. We have Nadia and all of her quirks to enjoy. We get to witness Nadia enjoying things we take for granted, and learn crawling and rolling and lobbing ourselves over things like she does. We have had the adventures of my big European Vacation and our mini-vacations with family and friends. I have gotten some things done at the house that I wanted to, like keeping the livingroom relatively clean and the dishes washed and the groceries bought on a regular basis. I worked harder to provide and make healthier baby food for Nadia, which is already growing out of. I've been reading books non-stop, from Shadow of the Dolls to currently Randy Pfausch's Last Lecture. I joined a book club! I started this blog! I even got the introduction to my Mommy Book written and the rest is yet to come!

This is the first time in 20 years where I didn't end summer with going back to school. Wow.

And this is the first summer where I truly feel like I accomplished things. I got a lot done, I tried new things, I traveled. I started taking Zumba class at the Princeton Club on Wednesday nights and now let that be Daddy Date Night. I am thankful that I have had such a fulfilling summer, and I am thankful to have had the support of my friend, Therese, in taking care of Nadia (and I) while I got so many things done, or happily left them undone.

The next thing to work on is myself. As I said, I started going to Zumba class regularly. I've started walking further than I thought I could walk. I unofficially started LA Weight Loss a week ago today. It's unofficial because I also got two cavities filled and my wisdom teeth pulled a week ago, so the anesthesia that was used is keeping my metabolism from officially starting the program. So far, my teeth are doing well, my energy's up, and I'm proud of the balanced meals I've concocted for the past several days. I am looking forward to Hip Hop class on Tuesday nights and the Mommy and Me Stroller Class on Saturday mornings starting in October, as well as continuing whatever crazy classes I take at the Princeton Club. A year from now I should be a size 8. Here's to the start of the rest of my life!

Like mother, like daughter?

Nadia figured out how to take her pants off before she took a nap today. I have no idea how she figured this out. The pants are 9 months, she's just at 10 months in age but still fits into them. In fact, the pants are a little long so they hang past her ankles. Therese put her down for a nap while I was getting work done. Then Therese and I decided to put in a movie and keep working on our projects. After an hour, I went to check on her and she was soundly sleeping. I thought, "She's in a really uncomfortable position but it's just so darn cute! I got Therese's attention to come check out how crazy she was positioned in the crib.

Therese: Why are your baby's pants off?
Me: What do you mean?
Therese: Did you take her pants off?
Me: No. Did you?
Therese: No. Ummm, I think your daughter took her pants off while she was sleeping.
Me: No way! I just wanted you to look at how crazy she looked! She actually did that?
Therese: Yes. What are you teaching your kid?!?

I'm not saying I taught Nadia how to strip. I haven't even put the idea in her head! She must have discovered some way to pull at the edges of her hem while her feet were in the air... Or maybe she laid on her back and she actually lifted her butt in the air and took them off! The truth is, once she got them off, they most likely became a toy and turned into a kite in the air.

I'm thinking she got them off to admire them. I know that sounds crazy, or way ahead of her age, but this girl likes clothes. When I fold laundry she sits right there with me and plays in the pile of clean clothes. When she finds a stack of clean clothes on the floor after a late night of folding she always takes each piece off the stack to see it. She loves different textures right now, especially furry or extra-soft clothing and books. I have seen her hold on to a pretty sock like it's a toy and admire the skirt of her dress while she's wearing it. I am hoping this is not a sign of a future addiction...