Tummies and Tutus

By Shel Silverstein

2011-12-06T11:08:00.000-08:00

Flipping through Shel Silverstein's book A Light in the Attic a few nights ago and re-enjoyed this poem:

Reflection

Each time I see the Upside-Down Man
Standing in the water,
I look at him and start to laugh,
Although I shouldn't oughtter.
For maybe in another world
Another time
Another town,
Maybe HE is right side up
And I am upside down.

Yoga Girl

2011-12-04T18:51:00.000-08:00

Kinda funny...

"Girl Walk // All Day"

2011-12-04T11:20:00.000-08:00

Girl Talk's most recent mashup album All Day is being used for a 75-minute video following three dancers around New York City as they dance to the album. The film, which is called Girl Walk // All Day, was made by the creative agency Wild Combination, not Girl Talk (Gregg Gillis), and can be viewed in installments on the Gothamist website (click here). Below is the first chapter. Girl Talk comes in around the 2:25 mark. I wouldn't say it met my expectations, but I actually don't like this last album as much as Night Ripper, so perhaps that is contributing to my lack of enthusiasm for the film. Decide for yourself:

Girl Walk // All Day: Chapter 1 from Girl Walk // All Day on Vimeo.

Donya Feuer, Dies at 77

2011-11-20T11:25:00.000-08:00

American modern-dance choreographer Donya Feuer passed away November 6 at the age of 77. Feuer had been part of New York's experimental dance scene in the late 1950s and early '60s. She danced with Martha Graham and is also well-known for her direction of movement and choreography in several plays directed by Ingmar Bergman. My personal favorites is "Phases of Madness," which she choreographed with Pina Bausch and Paul Sansarado.

2011-11-16T10:43:00.000-08:00

"Every woman has a beautiful body- beautiful because it is the brilliant endpoint of millions of years of evolution. It is loaded with amazing adjustments and subtle refinements that make it the most remarkable organism on the planet." -- zoologist Desmond Morris.

Pina Trailer

2011-11-16T10:40:00.000-08:00

Wim Wender's trailer for Pina, a film tribute to the incredible German choreographer/dancer Pina Bausch.

The Boss & The Big Man, Such Smooth Moves

2011-07-20T10:42:00.000-07:00

A Taste You Breathe

2011-07-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

Le Whif is breathable chocolate, coffee, and now, vitamins. WHAT?
And their slogans slay me:
"The kick of coffee without the cup." -- I think having my cup is part of my having coffee experience.
"The TASTE of chocolate without the calories." --I'm tempted to believe that when it comes to sweets, the more calories, the more immediately satisfying!
And the worst of them all: "Le Whif means healthy living."

Has anyone tried this?? Would love to hear about some experiences with this caca.
Click here to see how it works.

I Can Be...A Ballerina

2011-07-20T10:08:00.001-07:00

Barbie, the company, put together an inspirational web series about different occupations. This one is I Can Be...A Ballerina. In this clip, NYCB dancer Maria Kowroski talks about life as a ballerina, accompanied by her unbelievable legs. I think this is great for kids and up, a nice inside look at what the dancer goes through and what she did to get to where she is today, as well as a little bit about how to have a healthy lifestyle as a ballerina. Other I Can Be... episodes include Drummer, Veterinarian, and A Professional Surfer, and can be found on youtube.

Woman Shoots Her Pain

2011-07-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

A woman with no insurance suffered from shoulder pain for about a month until the pain became too much for her to live with and she decided to shoot herself in the shoulder for medical attention. Wow.

Mr. B

2011-07-20T09:49:00.000-07:00

Svetlana Zakharova dancing Giselle

2011-07-20T09:47:00.000-07:00

Lifting her leg so effortlessly. So pretty.

2011-07-20T09:40:00.000-07:00

Rihanna Talks Body Image

2011-07-19T23:38:00.001-07:00

Rihanna spoke with You magazine about how the fashion industry is pressuring young girls into becoming model skinny.

"You shouldn't be pressured into trying to be thin by the fashion industry, because they only want models that are like human mannequins. They know that if we see an outfit on a mannequin in a shop window we will love it and want to buy it whatever size we are. That's why they have size zero models - they want to sell clothes. You have to remember that it's not practical or possible for an everyday woman to look like that. Being size zero is a career in itself so we shouldn't try and be like them. It's not realistic and it's not healthy."

Lazy Larry's Lazy Cakes, Adults Only

2011-07-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

Lazy Larry helps people to become more laid back, according to his website. I recently read an LA Times article about Lazy Cakes, bars that have been made with melatonin-like ingredients to help 'adults' relax. Lazy Larry's website writes that Lazy Cakes are 'the official relaxation brownie with melatonin.' I think I'm interested...

Read about the products (and maybe order some) by clicking here. And to read the controversy surrounding such products, click here.
I will update when I get my hands on them.

Max Waldman

2011-07-19T13:29:00.000-07:00

Max Waldman produced beautiful photographs of dancers over the years. I was recently looking at some of them and came across other photos he took of theater, nudes, and portraits. There are some really cool images, bodies, lines, etc., so I thought I would share.
Max Waldman: Stunning Dance, Theater, Nudes and Portraits

Here are two I love, the first of Judith Jamison in 'Cry' and the second of Gelsey Kirkland and Ivan Nagy in 'Romeo and Juliet.'

Paint Your Food, Then Eat It.

2011-07-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

Esslack is a relatively new way to dress up your fruit, veggies, even oreos. Esslack is an edible spray paint for your food and comes in either gold or silver. Is it more or less exciting to eat food that looks like a metal trinket?

At first I thought this was silly and disturbing, but on second thought, a real gold golen doubly-stuffed Oreo sounds good.
The Deli Garage

'The NY Diet'

2011-07-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

(Disregard that 'The NY Diet' is not a fitting title for this)

New York Magazine's Grub Street spoke with some 'famous' folks about their eating habits/food weaknesses and ways they compensate for the consumption of whatever it is that gets their heart racing. It's a fun read coupled with interesting remarks, word choices and sentence structures. For example, one man is referred to as 'Big Gay Ice Cream Owner' before he is referred to by his name, while another man remarks that, "Fat people don’t like to go to Minetta Tavern because they get stuck in the corner." Dylan Lauren, creator/owner of Dylan's Candy Bar, which I love, shares that she eats healthy to balance out all of the candy she eats. In my mind, I'm thinking, wow, what a dream to have access to all of those gummies! She must have handfuls throughout the day...if not tubs. That said, I was surprised when she writes, "We ordered in for dinner ... I had the steamed vegetables with tofu. And then twelve gummy bears." Twelve gummy bears?!?! Twelve! If I only had twelve gummy bears, I would forget I had them. Maybe she doesn't have much access after all...

The New York Diet: News & Coverage on Grub Street

Ana & Mia Don't Discriminate

2011-07-19T12:45:00.000-07:00

There is not age requirement when it comes to having an eating disorder. Similarly, if an adult has one, it doesn't mean that she/he has had it since childhood. Recent reports show that more and more adults are showing up in clinics with eating disorders. Some cases are adults who struggled with an eating disorder early in life and have relapsed, but others have only developed symptoms in their middle age. For example, Judith Shaw, a 58-year-old yoga instructor in St. Louis, was almost 40 when she decided to “get healthy” after having children. As the story goes, diet and exercise quickly turned into more of an obsession than brief plan. Ms. Shaw tells NYT, “I was looking for something to validate myself,” she told me. “Somehow, the weight loss, and getting harder and firmer and trimmer and fitter, and then getting recognized for that, was fulfilling a need.”

The NYT article An Older Generation Falls Prey to Eating Disorders says, "Younger or older, patients tend to engage in the same destructive behaviors: restricted eating, laxative abuse, excessive exercise and binge eating. And the trigger is often a stressful transition — in a young person, perhaps going away to college or living through her parents’ divorce; in later years, having a baby, sending a child to college or going through her own divorce."

There are significant life stressors across the lifespan, so I'm really not surprised. I believe the numbers have always been there, we just were unaware because fewer people sought treatment or maybe even knew to seek treatment. With therapy being more acceptable these days, hopefully more people will be able to identify their struggle and have the motivation to do something about it.

Johnny Weir: Another One Comes Clean

2011-01-21T10:12:00.001-08:00

The Power of Vulnerability

2011-01-21T10:06:00.000-08:00

2010-09-15T19:44:00.001-07:00

Drew Barrymore on her body image in the October issue of Harper's Bazaar:

"I feel like some of my baby fat is going away, and that's not just physically, it's psychologically. I think that your body is in tune with your mind and your spirituality and your heart. If things are going better, I just think you look better."

Y Is For Yoda, Who Said...

2010-06-20T10:48:00.001-07:00

"Size matters not."
-Empire Strikes Back

(as quoted in FAT!SO?)

2010-06-20T10:44:00.000-07:00

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye!"
-Miss Piggy

"Food has replaced sex as a source of guilt."
-Psychology Today

Pinky & the Brain

2010-06-20T10:40:00.001-07:00

Pinky & the Brain is an old TV cartoon I watched about two lab mice who wanted to destroy the world. In one episode, they decide they're going to move the earth, and Brain realized it is too heavy.

Brain: "How are we going to get the earth to lose weight?"

Pinky: "I know! We can get everyone to go on a diet!"

Brain: "Diets don't work."

Pinky: "Not even if you call them 'A Whole New Way of Eating'?"

Brain: "No."

BANKSY (the Artist, Not My Dog)

2010-06-20T10:33:00.001-07:00

Last night I saw the film Exit Through the Gift Shop. I loved it, very funny and very interesting as well as inspiring in an odd way (I was inspired to do something--create something--but I don't know what). When I came home I pulled out a Banksy book I bought for my sister a few years ago and I this one he did on Columbia Road in London, 2004 to be funny:

"Only when the last tree
Has been cut down
And the last river
Has dried to a trickle
Will man finally realise
That we cannot eat money
And reciting old proverbs
Makes you sound like a twat"

Kelly Osbourne Image Sending Girls the Wrong Message?

2010-06-18T21:58:00.000-07:00

Kelly Osbourne's photo was yanked from an ad campaign in which she teamed up with St. Tropez Tan and The Prince's Trust charity, which helps disadvantaged youth, after angry parents complained that her airbrushed image was sending the wrong message.

Osbourne says, "I looked healthy, I looked like 10lb skinnier, and it started to make me look at my body in a different way," Kelly said in a video that's been removed from the site. "It made me look at what looked better rather than what I didn't like, and I kind of got addicted."
"Telling impressionable young girls that having a spray tan and appearing on a reality TV show is the way to make yourself feel better is about as far off from my understanding of self-esteem as you can get," says Abi Moore of PinkStinks, a group set up by two mothers worried about the impact of marketing on girls.

What do you think of the image?

Food Is...? Fat Trap or Not?

2010-06-18T21:43:00.000-07:00

Below is the excerpt from a fascinating NYT article, click here for full article. Such a good read and an interesting question. It seems that everything comes with a potential consequence and we walk a thin line when trying to convey healthy living while also promoting a healthy mentality. Oy...

Doing right by our kids means doing right by their health — body and soul. Yet even as awareness about the family diet has spread across the country (especially among the middle class and the affluent), so, it seems, have youngsters’ waistlines. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a full third of America’s children are overweight, and 17 percent are clinically obese — a rate that has more than tripled since 1976. Those figures may be alarming, yet equally disturbing are the numbers of children, girls in particular, who risk their health in the other direction, in the vain pursuit of thinness. In a 2002 survey of 81,247 Minnesota high-school students published in The Journal of Adolescent Health, more than half of the girls reported engaging in some form of disordered behavior while trying to lose weight: fasting, popping diet pills, smoking, vomiting, abusing laxatives, binge eating.

Parents, then, are left in quandary, worrying about both the perils of obesity and those of anorexia. How can you simultaneously encourage your daughter to watch her size and accept her body? My own initial impulse, when I found out I was pregnant with a girl, was to suggest that my husband take responsibility for feeding her. After all, he doesn’t see a few extra pounds as a character flaw. Nor does he serve up a heaping helping of internal conflict with every meal. It’s not that I’m extreme; it’s just that like most — heck all — of the women I know, my relationship to food, to my weight, to my body is . . . complicated. I did not want to pass that pathology on to my daughter.

For organic-eating, right-living parents whose girls are merely on the fleshy side of average, “health” may also mask a discomfort with how a less-than-perfect daughter reflects on them. “ ‘Good’ parents today are expected to have normal-weight kids,” says Joan Jacobs Brumberg, author of the book “The Body Project” and a professor of history and human development at Cornell University. “Having a fat girl is a failure.”

By the time my own daughter was born, I realized that avoiding conversations about food, health and body image would be impossible: what I didn’t say would speak as loudly as anything I did. So rather than opt out, I decided to actively model something different, something saner. I’ve tried to forget all I once knew about calories, carbs, fat and protein; I haven’t stepped on a scale in seven years. At dinner I pointedly enjoy what I eat, whether it’s steamed broccoli or pecan pie. I don’t fetishize food or indulge in foodieism. I exercise because it feels good, and I never, ever talk about weight. Honestly? It feels entirely unnatural, this studied unconcern, and it forces me to be more vigilant than ever about what goes in and what comes out of my mouth. Maybe my daughter senses that, but this conscious antidiet is the best I can do.

Still, my daughter lives in the world. She watches Disney movies. She plays with Barbies. So although I was saddened, I was hardly surprised one day when, at 6 years old, she looked at me, frowned and said, “Mama, don’t get f-a-t, O.K.?”

At least, I thought, she didn’t hear it from me.

ABT Ballerina Attacked, Hit In Face With Pointe Shoes!

2010-06-18T21:28:00.000-07:00

After leaving an American Ballet Theater performance early Tuesday morning, Bolshoi Ballet dancer Natalia Osipova (in the states doing a guest appearance with ABT) was attacked by two muggers who struck her in the nose and stole her bag.

"She had attended a performance of Ballet Theater’s “Sleeping Beauty,” in which she is to dance Saturday night, at the Metropolitan Opera House and was crossing Amsterdam Avenue on her way home when she was mugged, said the agent, Sergei Danilian. “Two guys just came from her back and they hit her and they took her bag,” he said. “She was so brave and so smart — she didn’t scream,” he said of the 5-foot-4 Ms. Osipova.

She had left her passport and money at home and her computer at the Met, but the muggers got away with her point shoes and a small hammer used to shape them. The Met doctor is to examine her on Tuesday, Mr. Danilian said, and would determine whether she could dance full-out during an afternoon rehearsal or just walk through it. She will “absolutely, no doubt,” perform on Saturday, Mr. Danilian said. The police also went to the Met to interview her, he said."

Read another article on Natalia Osipova's return to the stage post the traumatic event, click here.

Walking Workout

2010-05-14T13:49:00.000-07:00

I recently rescued a puppy, Banksy, and she requires a lot of attention and activity. It has only been two weeks and as cute as she is, our walks no longer entertain me and I wanted to find a zing for it. I assume others feel the same about walking, whether you have company or not. I found an item in Health magazine on maxing out your walking workout by throwing in moments of intensity, intervals of fast bursts of effort. They suggest this will rev up the metabolism and burn fat.

Here is a treadmill suggestion from their informant, Brett Hoebel, whom they refer to as a 'fitness guru'.

Walk at a slow pace for 5 min. to warm up.
Jog 3 min. (at a level at which you can still have a conversation)
Walk at 4 mph for 2 min.
Sprint at a challenging pace for 30 sec., then walk at 3mph for 90 sec. (or until can hold conversation again). Repeat sprint-walk combo for 10-15 repetitions.
Walk at 2.5 mph for 5 min. to cool down.

OR, just get a really good playlist and keep going.

In Lieu of Previous Post On Carbs:

2010-05-14T13:35:00.000-07:00

5% of people on low-carb diets successfully lose weigh after two years.

Think about it...

Carbs: Keep 'em Around

2010-05-14T13:24:00.001-07:00

Summer is near, which means that many people are probably adopting unhealthy eating habits for early swimsuit preparation. Generally, carbs are one of the first items to go from the diet, but this is not necessary for so many reasons. Most importantly, carbs help give you energy. Sure the carbs you know are in chips can be avoided if trying to lose weight, but please don't eliminate all carbs. It will be more of a detriment to your health if you do, and once you reintroduce them to your diet, you're more likely to over-consume those items, leading to greater weight gain as well as various unhealthy relationships.

That said, here is a list of some tasty plant-based carbs that contain natural hunger stoppers like fiber and resistant starch, and won't affect harm your diet plan:

Potatoes (vitamin C, potassium, resistant starch)
Beans (fiber, protein, resistant starch)
Pasta (try noodles made with chickpea flour for an additional amount of fiber)
Strawberries
Beets (iron, folic acid, fiber)
Artichoke hearts (fiber)
Quinoa (high protein)

Hand Reflexology

2010-05-14T13:16:00.000-07:00

Hand and foot reflexology is really interesting and can feel amazing, but it can also lift your mood.

To relax reflexes of head and neck muscles:

Hold one thumb between your other thumb and forefinger. Using an inchworm-like motion, work your entire thumb from top to bottom, in every direction. Apply enough pressure so it feels good and but doesn't hurt.

To de-stress and lift the mood:

Knead the fleshy area of your palm (below thumb) in the same way to relax the reflex of the spine.

2010-05-11T21:31:00.001-07:00

Vegan Week

2010-05-11T14:08:00.000-07:00

So this last week was my vegan week, as I mentioned. Well, mine and my friend Cassie's. I think we did really well, but we did not manage to make it through Mother's Day as both of us experienced set-back's consisting of meat and dairy and fried items that were too good to go back to this three week vegan/raw diet we were trying to follow. Cassie succumbed to the gravitational pull of In N Out, and I fell powerless to my love of potato chips and pastries. But, we must give ourselves credit for not failing until Sunday evening. I think for never having tried to cut out animal products before, 6 days/almost 7 days is pretty good. I have re-assessed this plan though, and think that more preparation is needed before starting to eat only raw foods, so I am going to work on that and try a random few days, maybe a week of raw without the vegan precursor. I am going to get Cassie's take a bit later this week and perhaps share more of my own thoughts. For now, I'll say that anyone considering soy cheese, or the soy mozarella at Trader Joes to be specific, JUST SAY NO. It's like metallic string cheese left in the heat.

So Sad. A Mother Deals with Losing Daughter to Eating Disorder

2010-05-04T16:18:00.000-07:00

I meant to post this NYT article a few weeks ago but was so preoccupied with my yoga teacher training (finished Sunday!). The article discusses a mother's attempt to spread eating disorder awareness through a film on her own daughter's struggle and eventual death. It is horribly sad and brave of her to dive back into the intense difficulty and self-loathing her daughter experienced.

The idea for a film didn’t occur to her immediately. In the weeks following Melissa’s death, Ms. Avrin mostly avoided her daughter’s bedroom, and tried to resume some semblance of normalcy, going back to work three days a week as the coordinator for a consortium of academic libraries in New Jersey. But one day she sat down to read Melissa’s leather-bound journal.

Someday ...

I’ll eat breakfast.

I’ll keep a job for more than 3 weeks.

I’ll have a boyfriend for more than 10 days.

I’ll love someone.

I’ll travel wherever I want.

I’ll make my family proud.

I’ll make a movie that changes lives.

The film, called “Someday Melissa” and now in the editing stages, has become for Ms. Avrin salve, distraction and cause — a way to get the word out to other families grappling with eating disorders that they are not alone; to sound the alarm that eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness; to help make sense of the senseless event that was losing her teenage daughter.

Melissa died on May 6, 2009. Cause of death: heart attack due to complications from an eating disorder. Just a few days before, Melissa learned she had been admitted to Emerson College. The official letter of acceptance arrived a week after she died and sits unopened.

Click here for the full article.

Click here for the Mother's website.

Fresh Start Experiment

2010-05-04T15:51:00.000-07:00

I recently worked with Rainbeau Mars, a yoga pro and raw food enthusiast. She introduced me to a cleanse she has designed called the 3 Week Fresh Start, which consists of eating only pure, all natural, raw foods. It's about getting back to what's good for you and stopping what is making you sick. I don't feel sick, occasionally too tired, but I am intrigued nonetheless. I have another friend who eats raw and speaks of how clearly she sees and how great she feels, not that she felt bad before, it's just that she feels better. I've wanted to test the merit of such claims for awhile and after a recent trip to Paris, where I consumed massive amounts of butter, steak tartar, and foie gras, I felt maybe now would be a good time to give it a go.

With the Fresh Start, if you're a meat and dairy eater, which I am to a great extent, you start off just trying to eat a vegan diet. And so, yesterday my friend Cassie and I began our vegan week. I did not want to go through this alone because it will be quite challenging and I think easier to put together seemingly foreign meals with someone else than alone. Our first vegan day was fine. Without our normal noshes throughout the day, we felt a little odd...maybe hungry, but something tells me it's a fake hunger produced by the loss of our habitual snacks as opposed to an actual emptiness in our stomachs.

During the first week of the Fresh Start, along with animal products, you avoid deep friend foods, refined white sugar, white flour, soda, cigarettes, and marijuana (if you smoke it, you vaporize). You even avoid coffee. I am an avid coffee drinker so this is quite the predicament. Rainbeau suggests coffee drinkers switch to french press yerba mate and that black tea drinkers switch to green tea. I'm trying to get used to the yerba mate but I think it has to be an acquire taste. I just hope to acquire it soon. Lucky for Cassie she already drank it.

Next week begins the raw food portion. Should be interesting...And the third and final week will be more raw food and soups, juices, and smoothies. I am excited for this experience and plan to blog about it every step of the way (Cassie's testimonials included). The focus will be on receiving the nutrients and sustenance we need to maintain our energy, attitudes, and weight. This is not a diet or cleanse in the way you would think of a juice fast or the Master Cleanse, and I want to stress that. We are simply interested in the subsequent experience of purifying our insides by avoiding the consumption of chemicals and toxins so prevalent in all that we normally eat. We are going back to basics in an attempt to experience a shift in bodies and our well-being.

A Day in the Life

2010-04-21T08:49:00.001-07:00

Megan Fairchild Talks Pointe Shoes

2010-04-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

When Dog Grooming Becomes an Art

2010-04-20T21:16:00.000-07:00

You must look at this slide show. Incredible pooch-cuts.
Click here.

Five Fingers Footwear

2010-04-20T20:04:00.000-07:00

Five Fingers footwear by Vibram is a new way to find stability and support, specifically during a yoga or pilates workout. These shoes "act like a second skin, flexing easily with every move you make. The individual toe slots allow your toes to separate naturally, while the shoes keep your feet warm, clean, and comfortable."

You can find these shows in Khaki, Sand & Grey, Walnut, and Black to "cover the wide range of activities you would rather do barefoot-everything from yoga and pilates, from tai-chi to fitness, from running and trekking to sailing, bouldering and travel." They are also machine washable. These things are crazy!

Whiskey Caramel Swirl Ice Cream...Why Didn't I Think of That?

2010-04-20T19:43:00.001-07:00

On May 4, Ben & Jerry's will release a new flavor that sounds too good to be true. The ice cream will be called Bonaroo Buzz in honor of the Tennessee music festival and will be light coffee & malt ice cream with whiskey caramel swirls & English toffee pieces. I am salivating. Cannot wait.
Click here to read more.

Dali, So Practical

2010-04-20T17:24:00.000-07:00

I don't want to analyze this one as I love this man. Always thinking.

GLEEKS REUNITE

2010-04-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

Glee is back! I do love that show. Last week was the first episode of this second season and I was sort of not so into it...but I don't feel comfortable saying that because I want to love it. So, let's hear it for episode two! May it be much stronger than the last (Sue Sylvester's Madonna video-remake not included--that was perfection. See below.). My father was sent this promotional shirt, which I am wearing with a cheesy grin...jealous?

Click here for Sue Sylvester's Vogue re-make in case you missed last week's episode, need to be converted, or just want to re-enjoy.

Ode to a Composting Toilet & Ode to a Tampon

2010-04-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

Poet Sharon Olds:

Quite funny.

2010-03-28T00:07:00.000-07:00

"Karma is the eternal assertion of human freedom...Our thoughts, our words, and deeds are threads of the net we throw around ourselves." -Swami Vivekananda

"Whether you and I and a few others will renew the world some day remains to be seen. But within ourselves we must renew it each day." -Hermann Hesse

"Already I could feel my being turned. Instinct and intellect balanced equally. As in a wheel whose motion jars nothing. By the Love that moves the Sun and the other stars." -Dante

"How much of the world had I missed while living in my head? If each cell in our bodies is an outpost of our brains, what might I have learned? I'll never know who that adventurous little girl might have become. But at least I know that she's still there--waiting to enter the present." -Gloria Steinem

FREE CONE DAY @ BEN & JERRYS

2010-03-23T11:59:00.000-07:00

Today, March 23, 2010, is free cone day at Ben and Jerrys. You're welcome.

A Taste of Dance + Fitness

2010-03-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

Explore how dance has taken the fitness world by storm. Learn new moves and taste test a variety of dance fitness styles. No experience necessary.

Saturday, March 27, 2010
11:00am to 4:00pm
Music Center Plaza

Tone and sweat to the following classes:

11:00AM - Warm-up (FREE)

11:30AM, 12:00PM, 12:30PM, 1:00PM - 20 Minute Lessons
Cardio Samba
Hip Hop Aerobics
Hula Workout
Jazzercise
Zumba

1:30PM, 2:00PM, 2:30PM, 3:00PM - 20 Minute Lessons
Bellydance Burn
Cardio Ballroom
Pure Barre*
Salsa Workout
Step Dance Aerobics

3:30 to 4:15PM - Bollywood Blast (FREE)

*Just for Pure Barre classes, must be 15 years or older to participate.

Dance Fitness styles subject to change.

Admission $1 per lesson, 20 minutes long. Purchase tickets on the day of the event (cash only), on sale beginning at 10:30am.

Limited class sizes. Dress in comfortable clothes/shoes, some classes may be danced barefoot.

Active Arts® at the Music Center
Come sing, dance, play music, and tell stories downtown. Be active with this series of low or no cost programs for the artist in everyone.

The Music Center is located at 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles. Parking available in Music Center garage for $9 during evenings and weekends. No photography, videotaping, and recordings of any kind allowed. Program and information is subject to change. In case of rain, event will be cancelled.

Kate Moss to Work With Baryshnikov?!

2010-03-23T01:17:00.000-07:00

Apparently, Kate Moss and Mikhail Baryshnikov are teaming up to do a short film with choreographer/director Michael Clark.

According to the article, Moss has been "taking private ballet lessons with Clark and is set to embark on a gruelling three-month training regime before filming starts in Marseille in July."

‘It will be a movie made for them so she doesn’t have to be a prima ballerina, even though she is having classes. In Michael’s eye as a film-maker, the movement of the camera dances already by itself. It will be an extremely interesting collaboration and the film will be the result of the dance. It will be shown at some sort of fund-raiser but if anything it will go into a gallery where everybody can see it. I think that is how Michael sees it.’

Iiiinteresting....the Russian ballet legend,

and this:

2010-03-23T01:14:00.000-07:00

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
You're on your own.
And you know what you know.
You are the guy who'll decide where to go.

-Dr. Seuss

Spiky Bliss

2010-03-23T00:44:00.000-07:00

TheraMat is a new Swedish style acupressure mat consisting of 11,500 acupressure points to help you deal with stress, insomnia, back and neck pain, and overall relaxation. However, they say it "is not recommended to be used by people with heart conditions, hemophilia, people treated with blood thinners or anticoagulants, pregnant women or people with skin conditions." If you are free of these conditions and interested in their 'Spiky Bliss,' click here.

Fitness Karma

2010-03-22T23:51:00.000-07:00

Two ways in which you can recycle your old gym gear:

Send old sneakers to Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe program. Shoes may be any brand. Nike will reuse the material to make running tracks and basketball or volleyball courts. nikereuseashoe.com
If you're yoga mat has lost it's stick, begun to shed, or you're simply done with it, send it to Recycle Your Mat, where it will be turned into lining material for laptop bags or donated to a community yoga program. recycleyourmat.com

(Courtesy of Women's Health magazine)

2010-03-22T00:15:00.000-07:00

"I was in yoga the other day. I was in full lotus position. My chakras were all aligned. My mind is cleared of all clatter and I'm looking out of my third eye and everything that I'm supposed to be doing. It's amazing what comes up, when you sit in that silence. "Mama keeps whites bright like the sunlight, Mama's got the magic of Clorox 2." --Ellen DeGeneres

2010-03-21T23:30:00.000-07:00

"Dance first. Think later. It's the natural order." --Samuel Beckett

"Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room." --Kurt Vonnegut

The Many Ways to Lug A Yoga Mat

2010-03-18T16:35:00.000-07:00

The rolled up yoga mat can be quite annoying to travel with or store when not contained; it will continue to unroll. Here's a link to a fun slideshow from the NYT exhibiting the various style of yoga-mat carriers. There are simple nylon slings that cinch around rolled mats and slip over the shoulder, as well as canvas sacks made of decorative Indian fabric that can be tossed into a washing machine. Lately, yoga accessory companies have introduced stylish, expertly designed yoga-mat bags with room for workout clothes, towels, keys, wallets, cellphones and more. Click here for the full article and photos.

Hooping

2010-03-18T16:08:00.000-07:00

It may be time to dust off the old hula-hoop. You probably didn't realize it when hooping at 1950's-themed birthday parties, but you were getting some killer core work in.

A recent NYT article has fans, include actress Marissa Tomei, touting the exercise. One fan says, “...it’s all about core strength. It’s not like you’re in Pilates and your instructor is telling you to hold it for eight seconds. You’re holding it to keep the hoop up, and that’s just fun.”

What is nice about the idea of hooping becoming a fad is that, once learned, anyone can do it, which may help more people get some exercise. But experts are unconvinced that mass appeal is in the future. “My gut tells me it will be a personal tool to use occasionally in fitness, like a medicine ball — I think it will be a fad,” said Neal Pire, an exercise physiologist and a fellow with the American College of Sports Medicine. “As a group exercise class, I don’t see it taking off, because it’s too difficult to do a lot with it.”

Hmmm...are you convinced??

Slimmer Is NOT Fitter

2010-03-18T13:49:00.000-07:00

Click here for an interesting NYT article, Slimmer Doesn't Always Mean Fitter. The article sheds light on the fallacy that constantly traps people--that the slimmer one is or gets, the more fit he or she will be. The two are not interchangeable, though, as this article proves. It is important for people to find their ideal weight not by trying to manipulate a number on the scale, but by living healthfully and discovering at what point they feel best in their body.

“The weight scale to most human beings can be like a Ouija board. It can start messing with your head.”

The trick is not to let it.

Kara DioGuardi On Her Eating Disorder

2010-03-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi is on the cover of the new Women's Health and inside, remarks on her own battle with an eating disorder and how she deals with her health and weight now:

Battling an eating disorder. "I’d pretty much clean out the refrigerator. Food was my drug of choice. It anesthetized me so I wouldn’t have to feel whatever I was feeling. I’d stuff myself full of sugar and fall asleep."
On eating healthy. "The more roughage you eat, the more it fills you up."
On the importance of water. "Two huge bottles a day, minimum. I have them around — one upstairs, one in the car — to force me to remember."
Her exercise routine. "Two miles of running or 25 minutes of cardio — boxing, treadmill, step-ups, walking lunges, sprints. I mix it up. And weight training is important as you get older. You build muscle which burns fat when you’re at rest."

The Yamas

2010-02-18T16:14:00.000-08:00

The Yoga Sutra is a set of guidelines by Patanjali, who comes form classical yoga, on how to reach samadhi, the ultimate state of being in which the mind quiets. The yamas are first and consist of five different behaviors. So far in my training we have discussed the first three and I've had some really interesting realizations from trying to practice them and therefore would like to encourage you to do the same.

The first yama is ahimsa, which means non-injury, loving kindness, non-violence. You can practice this by stopping any negative comments you may have on a loop towards yourself or others. The second yama, satya, helps with this. Satya means honesty, truthfulness, not exaggerating. So a good practice for satya would be to ask yourself what you are truthful about. And really ask yourself. Bring in ahimsa by saying here is a negative thought I have, is it true? Chances are, it's not. Another way to practice satya is to ask yourself before you say certain things if it is the right time, if it's kind, or if it's necessary. The third yama is asteya, which follows the last satya exercise nicely. Asteya means not stealing, not taking what isn't yours. So this could be stealing someone else's time. Do you need to say something if they are talking? If not, let them have their time. Another practice for asteya could be not being late to meet someone, not saying negative things to yourself and stealing your own joy, etc.

I've found these yamas interesting and remembering them throughout my day pretty helpful. It may seem hokey, but if there's the possibility of feeling happier, or being nicer, why not give it a go?

Philosophical Schools of Yoga

2010-02-18T15:44:00.000-08:00

Classical yoga is a dualistic philosophy that says everything is either matter or spirit, material or spiritual. Spirit is unchangeable and superior to matter, which is anything in the physical world/anything that changes, such as thoughts and emotions. The goal, says classical yoga, is to separate spirit and matter such that you can free your true self from the material body, the physical self.

Advaita vedanta is nondualistic and says that only the spirit is real; matter is an illusion. Thus, our experience of our body, emotions, etc. is an error in our perceptions and that error is the result of our being 'unenlightend.' In advaita vedanta, one is taught to dispel such error in thought through the practice of 'neti, neti,' which means 'not this.' Essentially, you continue to tell yourself you are not your feelings or thoughts. For example, if you felt tired, you would say, "I am not tired, for I am not my feelings."

Tantra feels like I can finally breathe. Tantra philosophy has become associated with sex, but it is really based on the supreme unity of all reality, both spiritual and material. Nothing is superior and everything is accepted and divine. Life is a divine gift, nothing to renounce. To me, that is what yoga encourages, and openness and peacefulness to life and to your own being your body. The disciplining the body and supposed errors in perception that come from classical yoga and advaita vedanta seem so negative, but even though it may seem hard to believe, each does have some positives.

Yoga Teacher Training

2010-02-18T15:34:00.000-08:00

At the end of January, I finally enrolled myself in a yoga teacher training program. I had wanted to do so for awhile, but it never seemed like the timing was right. I feel like it is something that will enhance my future clinical practice by helping me build an alternative treatment repertoire. I believe yoga is an amazingly therapeutic way to connect to your self, Self, and learn how to live in your body peacefully. I am really enjoying being able to enhance my own practice while learning so much about the yoga philosophy and proper alignment.

The training is in Hatha yoga and perhaps later on in my life I will do more training in anusara or kundalini. I can understand why people jump around and do various teacher trainings; it would be nice to have a diverse yet solid teaching foundation. The actual teaching part though, I'll be honest, is intimidating. I actually tend to feel as though my brain flatlines sometimes. But I'm sure the more practice one has, the easier it gets...as per usual.

There is so much to yoga than I could even imagine. For starters, I'm learning that everything is yoga. Sit on that one for awhile...

Aloe Vera Juice

2010-02-17T16:08:00.000-08:00

I was recently told of the myriad benefits supposedly found in aloe vera juice and decided to give it a whirl. Aloe vera juice is said to help break down waste materials in the inner lining of the digestive tract to aid with digestion and irritable bowel, and to have anti-inflammatory benefits that may help joint pains, muscle stiffness and rheumatoid arthritis. You can buy aloe vera juice as a green juice, which has a terribly bitter taste, or as a clear distilled liquid, which tastes like water. I was advised to buy George's, which is the distilled liquid (order online here). The recommended dosage is 2 ounces twice a day. No difference has been felt as of yet, but I have only been taking it for a week. Should I feel like a new person, I'll let you know...

2010-02-12T10:15:00.000-08:00

Ballerina, A Documentary

2010-02-04T20:46:00.001-08:00

This is a great film that follows a few dancers from the Kirov, though they now dance with other companies as well. This clip is an excerpt, not an official trailer, but captures the feel of the doc. I advise you check it out.

The Consequences of Skipping a Meal

2010-01-27T23:15:00.001-08:00

Eventually I will bring you a more detailed outline of the brain chemistry underlying your gravitation towards chocolate cake, cheetos, or whatever your vice may be. But for now, I want to stress the importance of NOT SKIPPING MEALS!!! I know so many people who don’t eat breakfast or snack until dinner when they have one huge meal, but let me tell you, by doing so you are setting your body up for failure and disappointment. In other words, a binge.

There are two important neuropeptides in your brain that I will highlight regarding this behavior—neuropeptide Y (NPY) and peptide YY (PYY). When NPY is released in the hypothalamus, it causes a person to eat a lot, while simultaneously telling the body to stop burning calories. PYY, on the other hand, inhibits appetite, counteracting the effects of NPY. If you are not eating, the body produces more NPY but no PYY, which means that you will be accumulating large quantities of an appetite stimulant with nothing to put it in check (PYY doesn’t kick in until long after you’ve begun to eat). Avoid putting your body in this state of stress and conservation by not skipping your meals.

Venus Williams at the Australian Open…

2010-01-27T23:10:00.004-08:00

OOPS!!

I guess some people don’t where underwear while others just look like they don’t.

Kids Get Out the Gitters When Recess Precedes Lunch

2010-01-27T23:10:00.003-08:00

“Can something as simple as the timing of recess make a difference in a child’s health and behavior?

Some experts think it can, and now some schools are rescheduling recess — sending students out to play before they sit down for lunch.

Schools that have tried it report that when children play before lunch, there is less food waste and higher consumption of milk, fruit and vegetables. And some teachers say there are fewer behavior problems.

One challenge of the program was teaching children to eat slower. In the past, children often finished lunch in five minutes so they could get to recess. With the scheduling change, cafeteria workers had to encourage them to slow down, chew their food and use all the available time to finish their lunch.”

Play, Then Eat: Shift May Bring Gains at School

2010-01-27T23:10:00.001-08:00

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

-Samuel Beckett

Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company to L.A!

2010-01-27T23:09:00.001-08:00

I absolutely love Christopher Wheeldon’s choreography and was very excited when I first heard he was building a company of his own. About three years ago, I saw his debut of Morphoses at City Center and it was magnetic. I so loved everything form the movement and dancers to the costumes and music that I wrote several papers on it for a writing about performance course I took. It is for this depth of impact my experience had on me that I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you see the company’s West Coast debut, which will feature four works: “Continuum” and “Rhapsody Fantaisie” by Wheeldon, “Softly as I Leave You” by Lightfoot Leon and “Bolero” by Alexei Ratmansky. Click here to get tickets ($25-$45) and find out more. The venue is at The Granada, 1214 State St., Santa Barbara this Friday, January 29, at 8pm.

2010-01-27T23:08:00.001-08:00

Abed dancing from the end scene of this week’s episode of Community. I love him.

The Top 8 Signals People Use to Know They've Lost Weight

2010-01-27T23:07:00.003-08:00

(This is from Midless Eating, by Brian Wansink)

Here’s what 322 people told us in a recent survey:

“When my jeans feel comfortable again.”
“When I have to start wearing a belt.”
“When I suck in my stomach, and I can see some definition, like a four-pack.”
“When my belt notch moves back to where it used to be.”
“When I don’t get tired walking up two flights of stairs to my office.”
“When I can see my cheekbones.”
“When I don’t have to inhale to button my pants.”
“When friends or colleagues ask me if I’ve lost weight.”

2010-01-27T23:07:00.001-08:00

“…a nationally known psychologist and expert on eating disorders was arrested in a West Hartford, Conn., convenience store after, according to police, passing out form inhaling the aerosol from three cans of whipped cream.”
-“News of the Weird,” October 2005

2010-01-27T23:06:00.000-08:00

“The best diet is the one you don’t know you’re on.”
-Brian Wansink, author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think

2010-01-22T01:23:00.001-08:00

“I always say, ‘I don’t want to lose my curves,’ I like firm curves. You can never do enough squats, you can never do enough sit-ups. But as far as losing too much weight or building too much muscle…I like for women to look feminine.”
--Beyonce

2010-01-22T01:22:00.002-08:00

"I say, just enjoy yourself. If you put on a couple of pounds, then great, buy some Spanx."
--Eric Damon, costume designer for the hit T.V. show Gossip Girl

2010-01-22T01:22:00.001-08:00

The Ross Sisters. An incredibly limber trio from the 1940s. And their shoes look like exactly like a pair of Chanel flats that came out a few years ago. Funny how things come back around.

TOPANGA!

2010-01-22T01:21:00.002-08:00

Growing up, TGIF meant one thing—Boy Meets World. Let’s be honest, I still love the show. Originally, I was just excited to see a show featuring the brother of my childhood love, little Freddy Savage (from The Wonder Years, also a classic). But I quickly fell in love with the show and don’t think I’m alone when I say that Topanga, or Danielle Fishel, was pretty cool with her kinky hair and crazy zen philosophy. Recently, I was thinking about all of the young stars who have struggled publicly with their weight and was pleased to not recall Daniella Fishel ever struggling with her weight. Unfortunately, I just found out that is not the case.

In her teen years, she was secretly “obsessed” with having a 24-inch waist. In order to maintain this tiny frame, she tried taking laxatives, eating a diet of iceberg lettuce, and occasionally making herself throw up. She admits, “I was terrified to eat. I would hide the fact that I wasn’t eating lunch.” She realized “this was not a game” after her 89-pound frame collapsed on the set one day.

Now, she says, “I’m as healthy as I’ve ever been.” Following a balanced diet, at 126 pounds, she’s happy with her body and no longer worried about looking thin on camera. “I’ve learned to be comfortable in my own skin.”

I think it’s safe to say that I’ve seen every episode of Boy Meets World, and I don’t remember any size fluctuations, so I’m surprised to hear of her fainting incident. But I am very glad to hear that she is in a better place and respecting her body.

Martha Stewart Meets S Factor

2010-01-22T01:21:00.001-08:00

Martha Stewart gives S Factor and a pole dancing workout a try…Martha Martha Martha. If she can do it, so can you!

Air France Requires A New Two For One

2010-01-22T01:20:00.002-08:00

Air France is now charging obese passengers for two seats.

“The decision has been made for safety reasons. We have to make sure that the backrest can move freely up and down and that all passengers are securely fastened with a seatbelt.”

She added: “People who cannot fit into a single seat will then be fastened by slotting the belt tip of one seat into the plug of the next, stretching over both seats.

“However the charge will only apply on flights that are full booked. They will get their money back on flights where spaces are available.”

Thoughts?

Alan Russell on Regenerating Our Bodies

2010-01-22T01:20:00.001-08:00

Dance to Change the World

2010-01-22T01:19:00.000-08:00

Art and Dance to Help Disadvantaged Youth

2010-01-13T15:29:00.000-08:00

In 2007, dancer and Juilliard graduate Beth Konopka began using the arts to help children in impoverished communities deal with their insecurities and/or disadvantages. Her organization, Artists Striving to End Poverty (ASTEP), offers children ages 6-18 a safe space, somewhere they can move and express themselves without feeling judged.

By watching a child dance, Konopka says, "you can see where they're most self-conscious. You can see what they're hiding. You can see their personalities." ASTEP has brought writing, singing, visual arts, dance, and acting to 2,500 kids in programs that have been set up in Florida, New York City, South Africa, and India. "These kids are going through a lot of things they can't talk about with anybody. It may not be things they recognize, it may be subconscious." But the goal, says volunteer and Pilobolus dancer Annika Sheaff, is to "get the children moving in their bodies--to open up and let go of things they've been holding on to, even if they can't come out and say, for example, 'My father beats me' or 'All of my friends do drugs and I don't know what to do.'"

The opportunities that the children will realize lie ahead of them once they connect with an art is heart-warming and will hopefully enable them to live more fulfilling lives. Konopka says that already, "some of the children form the Homestead program have gone on to NYU and Clark University, which is something that a child of that demographic wouldn't normally do." I am thankful that there are aggressive, generous people like Konopka who are getting out there and making a difference.
Click here to see how you can help.

Yin-Yang Yoga

2010-01-13T14:44:00.000-08:00

A recent article in the LA Times spoke of the increasing popularity of yin-styled yoga. I had never heard of a yang-styled yoga, so my assumption is that neither have many of you.

Yang-styled yoga involves fast shifts between poses with an emphasis on increasing your heart-rate. Examples of yang-styled yoga are the faster-paced styles, such as ashtanga or vinyasa. These forms of practice focus on lengthening and strengthening the muscles.

On the contrary, yin yoga is a more meditative practice, targeting the "connective tissues, ligaments, joints and synovial fluid and the energy channels or meridians that the [Taoist] philosophy hypothesizes runs through them." Centered, contemplative breathing helps students stay in the moment, which in turn alleviates anxiety, tension and stress. The practice consists of several seemingly simple core poses that focus on the lower half of the body (hips, pelvis, inner thighs, and lower spine), but the work is in the duration of each pose (each is held for anywhere from 2 to 20 minutes) and how you use your breath to bring ease and comfort into an otherwise unpleasant situation. By sitting with the discomfort, you learn that both the physical discomfort and the emotional tension will pass. It is like Siddhartha, when he sits by the river and watches each leaf representing a problem float by. This learning to let something go has tremendous emotional benefits, making yin yoga an especially great practice for someone trying to recover from an addiction or trauma. Additionally, because the body's temperature is cooler during the stretching, "the resulting discomfort helps train the nervous system to be less reactive to the stress of a stretch." The mindfulness and self-awareness will enhance anyone's quality of life.

But, you need both the yin AND the yang. So while yin yoga promotes flexibility and helps with a more spiritually-meditative way of moving, yang-style yoga is an ideal follow-up practice, giving you a strength-building cardio workout.

Relevant Quotes

2010-01-13T14:35:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been doing research on physical vs. emotional hunger, and the brain chemistry behind related concepts and disorders. The research is for a clinician I greatly respect. She is currently writing a book on these topics and also asked me to gather any quotes that may be relevant or close to being relevant to use throughout her book. In case they may be of use to anyone struggling with hunger levels and appetite disorders, here are a few:

"Excess on occasion is exhilarating. It prevents moderation from acquiring the deadening effect of a habit." --W. Somerset Maugham

"I drank to drown my pain, but the damned pain learned how to swim, and now I am overwhelmed by this decent and good behavior." --Frida Kahlo

"I think that little by little I'll be able to solve my problems and survive." --Frida Kahlo

"All we actually have is our body and its muscles that allow us to be under our own power." --Allegra Kent

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." --Soren Kierkegaard

"The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it." --Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

Be Sweet to Your Feet

2010-01-13T14:11:00.000-08:00

Rarely do we take time to appreciate how much our feet do for us (not applicable to all, of course), and tend to take them for granted. I don't know that we'd even pay much attention to them if we didn't feel a pain or see an unsightly mark that called for our attention. It's time to give your feet the gratitude they deserve. Of course a foot massage and/or pedicure would be lovely, but here are a few ways you can be sweet to your feet for free.

-Keep a small, plastic water bottle in the freezer and roll your feet on it. This is a pleasant treat you can do while simultaneously doing work, eating, reading, watching television, etc. It will help you massage reflexology points and soothe swollen, tired feet.

-Stimulate blood flow throughout your feet by stroking the sides and surfaces of your feet and using your thumbs to apply pressure along the arches. Similarly, you can massage the soles and pads of the feet by moving your fist over the areas in small circles with moderate pressure.

-Barry Walker, owner of the Raven Spa, also suggests you "pinch the tips of your toes hard to release toxins" that settle there. Then, "use your thumb to rub the ball of your big toe."

Iron 411

2010-01-13T14:02:00.000-08:00

Iron should be a staple in your diet, but often times people don't eat enough. Iron helps your blood deliver oxygen throughout your body, and is therefore responsible for helping to keep your energy level up. Some fun iron-rich food recommendations are chocolate-covered apricots, dried figs with goat cheese, and molasses cookies. Easier, quicker alternatives include raisin granola bars, iron-fortified cereals, and carrots with hummus.

Touche, Tom Hanks

2010-01-05T12:07:00.000-08:00

"Eating everything you want is not that much fun. When you live a life with no boundaries, there's less joy. If you can eat anything you want to, what's the fun in eating anything you want to?": -Tom Hanks, Esquire, June 2006

Portion Control

2010-01-05T11:40:00.000-08:00

If you're one of the many resolving to control your eating, you're probably having to re-learn how much you should be eating. Here is a product that will make it easier for you: portionpals. These silicone discs use the US dietary guidelines to show the perfect portion of dessert, chicken, meat, fish and sides. $18 for a set of five discs. Click here to order or find out more.

Gluten

2010-01-05T11:01:00.000-08:00

Gluten is a protein found in much of the American diet. When people have a gluten allergy, they are said to have celiac disease, but you can actually have a gluten intolerance without testing positive for celiac. In other words, there is a high possibility that some of your health complications may be the result of a gluten sensitivity, but you wouldn't necessarily know it. I came across an article from the Huffington Post that highlights studies proving this.

One study looked at almost 30,00 patients from 1969 to 2008 and examined deaths in three groups: Those with full-blown celiac disease, those with inflammation of their intestine but not full-blown celiac disease, and those with latent celiac disease or gluten sensitivity (elevated gluten antibodies but negative intestinal biopsy).

The findings were dramatic. There was a 39 percent increased risk of death in those with celiac disease, 72 percent increased risk in those with gut inflammation related to gluten, and 35 percent increased risk in those with gluten sensitivity but no celiac disease.

Another study comparing the blood of 10,000 people from 50 years ago to 10,000 people today found that the incidences of full-blown celiac disease increased by 400 percent (elevated TTG antibodies) during that time period.

These findings are alarming and you'd wonder why more attention isn't being given to the matter. Well, according to the author of the article, Mark Hyman, MD, you have heard about this, just not in so many words. You see, symptoms of a gluten intolerance.

A review paper in The New England Journal of Medicine listed 55 "diseases" that can be caused by eating gluten. These include osteoporosis, irritable bowel disease, inflammatory bowel disease, anemia, cancer, fatigue, canker sores, and rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and almost all other autoimmune diseases. Gluten is also linked to many psychiatric and neurological diseases, including anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, dementia, migraines, epilepsy, and neuropathy (nerve damage). It has also been linked to autism.

To see if you qualify as having a gluten sensitivity, Hyman suggests you cut out anything and everything that contains gluten (food list can be found at www.celiac.com) for 2-4 weeks, then reintroduce gluten into your diet and if don't feel well, you'll know what's up.

Click here to read the full article.

Playlists

2010-01-04T14:02:00.000-08:00

As I've said before, I love reading other peoples' playlists. I also create many myself, and because ballet has been on hiatus since the end of Nutcracker (though it resumes soon), I've been compiling songs for at home workouts--like giving myself 30 minutes of barre, yoga, or stretching. I figured maybe someone could get a kick out of what I have been using this last week, so in no particular order (and with the exception of about five, no subliminal messages...), here are the songs.
Disclaimer: Some of the songs and/or artist(s) are not my favorite per se, but they serve a purpose. And, this list is subject to change on a moment-to-moment basis, so stay tuned; I will update.

Ballet:
Last Songs--Dntel
Mr. Solo Dolo--Kid Cudi
Sunshine And Clouds (And Everything Proud)--Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Blue Turning Gray--Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Not For Sale--Coco Rosie
Golden Years--David Bowie
Crash Course--Crash Test Dummies
Little Martha--Allman Brothers
Look Away-- Iggy Pop
Fess Up--Dr. John
Both Hands-- Ani Difranco
Girl--Beck
Meet Me In the City-- Black Keys
Le ballet d'or--Counting Crows
Cause I Love Her-- Brian Jonestown Massacre
Free and Easy-- Brian Jonestown Massacre
Baby Britain-- Elliot Smith
Delta Lady-- Joe Cocker
Come Dancing--The Kinks
Louie Louie-- The Kingsmen
Rain Dance-- The Guess Who
Can You Get to That-- Funkadelic
Clara Clairvoyant--Donovan

Yoga:
Adventures of the Underclass--Kimberley Rew
12D3--Gorillaz
By Your Side-- CocoRosie
Glycerine-- Bush
Hurt--Johnny Cash
Sun Comes Up--John Legend
That's The Way (I'm Only Trying To Help You)--Culture Club
Eet-- Regina Spektor
But I Might Die Tonight--Cat Stevens
Beautiful Girl--INXS
That's The Way-- Led Zeppelin
Where Do I Begin--Chemical Brothers
Cold Brains-- Beck
Sleep--Dandy Warhols
Dear Yoko-- John Lennon
Satellite of Love--Lou Reed
Dirty Blvd.--Lou Reed
The Red Telephone--Love
Cosmic Dancer-- T. Rex
Georgie Buck--Doc Watson
Come to Me--Koop
Love & Money--Marianne Faithful

Cardio:
Make Her Say--Kid Cudi
When the Night Feels My Soul--Bedouin Soundclash
Commerce, TX-- Ben Kweller
Dancing With Myself-- Billy Idol
Captain Jack-- Billy Joel
Radio Nowhere-- Bruce Springsteen
Buddy Holly-- Weezer
What Would You Do--City High (...vanessa...)
Train In Vain-- The Clash
God Shuffled His Feet--Crash Test Dummies
I Got You--James Brown
ABC--Jackson 5
I Want You Back--Jackson 5
Running Out of Lies--Etta James
Right Round-- Flo Rida
Smash Your Head-- GirlTalk
Minute by Minute-- GirlTalk
Paper Doll--Louis XIV
No Sugar Tonight--The Guess Who
Just Dance--Lady Gaga
My Sharona--The Knack
Tears of A Clown-- Smokey Robinson

We Should All Think Like Salvador Dalí

2010-01-04T11:11:00.001-08:00

"Every morning upon awakening, I experience a supreme pleasure: that of being Salvador Dalí, and I ask myself, wonderstruck, what prodigious thing will he do today, this Salvador Dalí."
–-Salvador Dalí

A Voltairian New Year's Resolution

2010-01-04T11:09:00.001-08:00

"I decided to be happy, it is excellent for one's health."
--Voltaire

For 2010

2010-01-04T10:42:00.000-08:00

'Tis the new year and with the new year comes new resolutions. I forgot to make them...but yesterday I went on a hike that inspired a few. I was listening to a pretty great playlist and was engrossed in the tunes when I realized that I was missing the beautiful view. I stopped and looked out. It was invigorating, and I was disappointed that I hadn't been appreciating it more. I've concluded that everyone is too busy walking with their heads down. Sometimes people say hello in passing, but for the most part, I noticed that everyone--myself included--stared at the ground while walking, keeping to themselves, avoiding interaction with others, and missing out on the beauty around them. So there's a new year's resolution we can all share--walk with our heads held high. Maybe we'll gain more confidence, meet someone, or see something spectacular. I remained conscious of holding my head up for the rest of my hike and with the exception of being hit in the face with a cloud of gnats, I definitely felt taller...

Eliot Feld (twitter)

2009-12-29T10:50:00.000-08:00

I do not understand twitter--don't really have a clue as to how to use it, don't know whether something is a tweet, a twitter...maybe a twat...but I have found a way to entertain myself with it. I 'follow' some folks and companies I like, and they have said some very funny things I thought it would be fun to share. I am currently enjoying what Eliot Feld has to say, so here are some highlights:

-What is the rest of you doing while you’re dancing?
-The stage is a bad place to discover you’re clumsy.
-Quadrupeds always do double cabriole.
-In ballet the peasants are always charming and appear to live above the poverty line.
-It’s fair conjecture that Giselle was bulimic.
-Entrechats cause varicose veins.
-Port de bras is meant to distinguish arms from paws.
-Odile is a tramp.
-After a run-through of a particularly strenuous ballet of mine, I overheard a dancer say between gasps, “choreography by Satan”.
-A well-shaped buttock encourages talk behinds its back.
-The road to beauty is a cul de sac.
-Anyone can dance badly unless talent intercedes.
-Most ballets go in your eye and out your ass. But occasionally, a ballet will stick in you eye and catch in your throat.
-One dances because thinking has its limitations and suicide is bad.
-One dances naked at the risk of flopping and the hora from right to left, southpaw.
-One dances, which increases the risk of an inadvertent fart.
-One dances shakin' your booty, just to air it out.
-One dances veiled aesthetic seductions or grandiloquently, pretentious motherfucker.
-One dances towards an impossible perfection / hot diggety doomed.

RIP Georgina Parkinson

2009-12-26T17:22:00.000-08:00

Georgina Parkinson, a ballet mistress and coach at American Ballet Theater whose compelling stage presence and brooding mystery had made her a bright young star of Britain’s Royal Ballet in the 1960s, died on Friday in Manhattan. She was 71.

Although her training was in the Royal’s textbook classical style, Ms. Parkinson made her breakthrough in “Les Biches,” an experimental work of 1924 revived for the Royal in 1964 by Bronislava Nijinska.

In 1980 Ms. Parkinson returned to Ballet Theater as ballet mistress and continued in that role until recently. This fall she was asked to coach the actresses Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis in a new Darren Aronofsky film, “Black Swan,” a thriller set in the world of New York City ballet.

Julie Kent, the Ballet Theater principal who worked most closely with her, said on Friday that Ms. Parkinson had helped her “develop my physicality to the point where I was able to express what was inside of me to a larger audience.”

“I learned everything from her,” Ms. Kent said.

Pregnant and Obese? No Weight Gain For You...

2009-12-26T17:03:00.000-08:00

"One-fifth of pregnant women in the United States are obese, and more and more doctors are advising them to watch their weight if they want an easy pregnancy and a smooth delivery." A large four-year trial, Healthy Moms study , is working on preventing any weight gain in obese pregnant women. "If they do gain weight, researchers want it limited to 3 percent of their baseline weight, about 5 pounds for a woman who weighs 170 pounds."

I recently posted on women who are pregnant when suffering from an eating disorder, such as anorexia or bulimia. But here's what's going on with those at the other end of the eating disorder spectrum. It's pretty interesting...I can recall several times when friends, and myself, have commented on being excited to be pregnant and eat for two--to 'live it up.' But really, the concept of eating for two meaning you get to enjoy eating a hell of a lot more than you do now, is a fallacy. Dr. Kimberly K. Vesco, an investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore., and a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist who will direct the Healthy Moms study, says the truth is that “you have to eat more, but you don’t have to eat a lot more.”

“Pregnancy is what we call a teachable moment, a time when women are willing to make positive behavioral changes, because it’s important for their own health and their babies’ health,” said Kathleen M. Rasmussen, a professor of nutrition at Cornell who led the institute’s committee on weight gain during pregnancy. Pregnancy being a teachable moment thus can be helpful for those suffering from both obesity and anorexia/bulimia; you have to re-learn how to appropriately feed and take care of yourself.

Click here to read full NYT article and learn more about the background reasoning and concerns:
New Goal for the Obese: Zero Gain in Pregnancy

Less T.V., More Burned Calories

2009-12-26T16:59:00.000-08:00

Overweight adults who cut their viewing in half for three weeks used about 120 more calories a day than a similar group of viewers, who continued watching five hours a day on average, a small research trial has found.
While 120 calories may not sound like much, it is equivalent to the number of calories burned in a one-mile walk, said Jennifer J. Otten, lead author of the paper, published in the Dec. 14-28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
While 120 calories may not sound like much, it is equivalent to the number of calories burned in a one-mile walk, said Jennifer J. Otten, lead author of the paper, published in the Dec. 14-28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Click here for full article.

The Dissection: An H.M. Update

2009-12-26T16:53:00.000-08:00

"Some researchers slice from the crown of the head down, parallel to the plane that runs through the nose and ears; others cut the organ into several chunks, and proceed to section areas of interest. No method is perfect, and any cutting can make it difficult, if not impossible, to reconstruct circuits that connect cells in disparate areas of the brain and somehow create a thinking, feeling mind."

An H.M. update! Click here to read a NYT article documenting the recent dissection of the famous amnesiac Henry Malaison's (H.M.) brain.

"If all goes as planned, and the Brain Observatory catalogs a diverse collection of normal and abnormal brains — and if, crucially, other laboratories apply similar techniques to their own collections — brain scientists will have data that will keep them busy for generations. In her own work, Dr. Witelson has found interesting anatomical differences between male and female brains; and, in Einstein’s brain, a parietal lobe, where spatial perception is centered, that was 15 percent larger than average."
“It’s very exciting work to talk about,” Dr. Annese said. “But to see it being done, it’s like watching the grass grow.”

Pregnant With an Eating Disorder

2009-12-15T12:54:00.000-08:00

Good Morning America did a special this morning on women who struggle with an eating disorder and get pregnant. One woman discusses her eating disorder before, during, and after her pregnancy. Though not too detailed, it is still nice to see that the topic is being covered and GMA is promoting awareness. Discovery channel will also air a special on this topic tonight. Check your local listings to tune in.

Click here for the link to watch the GMA segment.

Every Little Step

2009-12-11T22:35:00.000-08:00

I've had a particular fondness for A Chorus Line since I did the play when I was in 4th grade. I saw it on Broadway last year and was again pulled in by the music, dance and passion. But I was not a huge fan of Cassie. She didn't have that organic flow that the original Cassie did, despite her father being Jacques d'Amboise (!).

A few nights ago I watched a documentary on the revision of the show, a film called Every Little Step, and I was absolutely blown away. I am having trouble putting my feelings on the film into words because it was so intimately touching and moving that my response almost seems like a warm feeling that shouldn't be articulated. The show was based on conversations with various dancers and the documentary plays those taped conversations to illustrate the honesty that went into creating A Chorus Line. The passion and drive that these dancers have--those in the original cast, those in this new cast, and those that auditioned but didn't make it--resonates so deeply. I understand their need to continue dancing, no matter what the outcome. It made me proud that I am still dancing, despite injuries and the fact that I don't feel I'm at a level anywhere near where I used to be. It doesn't matter; what matters is that I do it. Because even the crappiest plie feels better than nothing at all. I can't recommend this movie enough. You'll have so much more respect for the art, the show/film, everyone involved in the making of it, and if you're dancing, yourself.