Back in skinny jeans

Chats in therapy: "Am I screwed up or brilliant?"

“You know what Meg, I just feel completely screwed up. I'm totally broken. Let’s face it. I'm so dysfunctional that I must have every neurosis known to human kind. I mean, who’s going to want to be with me. Who would want to marry or hire someone who is as fucked up in the head as me? Tell me.”

“First let’s put a little perspective on things just so we can be clear about where we are. You don’t have every neurosis or dysfunction that a woman could have because I’ve seen people with much bigger issues than you, and you know people who are much worse of than you."

Well, she is right there. I'll give her that. My drama queen tendencies can get the best of me sometimes. That's why we see someone who can be objective and calm.

"To you, at this moment it feels like you are the worst of the bunch, but you aren’t. The part you're struggling with is the perfectionist who still thinks everything is a complete disaster if things did not go perfectly. Granted, yes you have quite a few things to deal with, but nothing that can't be healed." (more after the jump)

Quote on becoming you

Start your day refreshed with a glass of water

One of the most refreshing things you can do for your body when you first wake up in the morning is drink a glass of spring water. The water will hydrate your insides after a night of slumber and rest, and is a much softer way of waking up the body than other liquids like coffee, juice, or soda which some people actually do drink first thing.

I had a boss once who would eat a cinnamon bun and a cola drink for breakfast every other morning. His logic; he needed caffeine in the morning to wake up and he didn't like coffee or tea, so soda was the next best thing. But really, soda is a muffin top, of the gut persuasion, creating choice. Limiting your caffeine intake over all is a vitality-giving way to stay trim and flourish the rest of the day.

Keep your body hydrated with water so you stay vibrant and healthy!

Is this marriage cliche funny, offensive or just truth?

One of the top stories at Digg this weekend was, "International Symbol of Marriage [pic]" with almost 2100 diggs to date, which for those not familiar with Digg is an extremely high popularity score. Is the popularity of this marriage story a statement of truth or something to feel offense?

Part of me, gets the humor and sees why this story was so popular because the Digg audience is primarily male filled with sophomoric humor. Another part of me, feels both sad and angry. Sad because from one point of view, I know many people, male and female, who see marriage in modern times as something more about money and power and not love. What is the #1 issue that couples fight about during their marriage and when they get divorced; it's money.

I feel angry because this image portrays the woman's role in marriage as that of gold digger or bank account drainer, and the man is reduced down to his knees in mercy. I'm angry too because it portrays marriage as a power struggle, and not a union of mutual benefit. There is no love in this image.

This picture was most definitely drawn by a man because if a woman drew it the image would be more idealistic.There would be hearts and feelings of joy because women are always focused on a "happily ever after" perspective.

Is this paritcular picture of marriage something to laugh about or to feel offense, or even to see as some sad truth of what marriage has become?

What others are doing in their weight loss journey

 

• Katiebird at Eat4today wonders, "If we can put a man on the moon, why can't I keep my weight off?"

• The Pretty Pear visits Lane Bryant to try on pairs of their new "Right Fit" jeans, jeans designed to fit specific body types ie. curvy, straight. She gives a thumbs up.

• Sister Skinny has some great insight and tips on eating before bed.This was very useful to me as I am a night snacker.

• 60 in 3 gives us ideas on how to cut out the junk foods that make your muffin top grow.

• I'm Such a Scale Whore was on day 2 of a 21-day cardio challenge, and was so tempted to skip out on her workout, but an email from an ex got her motivated to get her heart pumping, cardio-wise.

80's blast: The Glamorous Life

Oh happy 1984 day! Sheila E was sooooooo bad ass in this video. Didn't this song make us all want to be glamorous ladies? Caliente!

Even Faith Hill isn't "perfect" enough for a magazine cover

I think Faith Hill is one of the most beautiful, talented, and classy celebrities out there, and even with all her wonderfullness, Redbook magazine had her cover shot photo retouched to the nines. This picture is the Redbook cover that hit the stands.

Now, over at Jezebel, they have the original Redbook cover shot of Faith Hill before all the digital manipulation. In this additional post, Jezebel points out at least 11 areas where Redbook photo retouched Ms. Faith Hill. They basically made Faith skinnier, and less wrinkled. A Jezebel reader re-created the Faith Redbook cover with the original shot, and personally, I think it's a much better cover than the one Redbook photochopped. It's real!

For crying out loud! If someone like Faith Hill is not good enough as is to be on the cover of a woman's magazine, than doesn't it make you question why some of us are killing ourselves trying to look celebrities who don't even look like themselves. It also sends the message that no matter how beautiful you are, you're still not perfect enough. Hmmmm?

Does Victoria Beckham really have cellulite this severe and other celeb WTFs in the skinny-sphere

• Even skinnies like Victoria Beckham can have cellulite and sagging on her legs, but this bad? Me thinks that there is some reverse Photoshop going on in these Posh photos where they are adding in imperfections to dramatize the story. [The Superficial]

• Courtney Love definitely should be a cartoon character. Check out one of her recent MySpace blog posts in which she writes like a 13 year old high on Frappacinos and Candy necklaces. To her credit, Courtney starts off the post with a warning. [Courtney Love MySpace]

• Guess which celebrity got a nose job which she honestly should have just left alone. Her original nose was so cute, and now she's looking the way of Jennifer Grey post new-nose. [I Don't Like You In That Way]

• Remember, Valerie Bertinelli is still on Jenny Craig. She has reportedly lost 28 pounds now, and showed up on a beach in Hawaii in a one-piece bathing suit. Go Valerie! [TMZ]

iPhone belly wiggles: "Dontcha wish your cell phone was hot like me?"

Okay, I admit that I am dying to get my hands on a slick new sexy iPhone as soon as version #2 comes out. Valleywag wrote a hilarious review of this creative yet cheesy street made promo for the Apple iPhone adding to the spectacle that is hellelujahPhone. This Doncha video reminded me of that Bell Biv DeVoe Poison video.

"Dontcha captures the most essential point about the iPhone: It turns its owners into monsters, imbuing them with a false sense of their own importance and sex appeal. The spectacle of geeks attempting to rap and perform dance hip-hop moves perfectly captures the inflated sense of self the iPhone lends."

So damn funny, and oh-so true.

Make workouts feel faster by counting down versus counting up

To make your workout seem like it's going faster, count down versus count up. For example, when doing lat pull downs, instead of starting your reps from 1 and counting up to 10, start the count from 10 and go to 0. When doing a 20 minute run on the treadmill count down from 20 minutes til you get to 0. "You're done!"

Counting down psychologically makes your body feel like it's going down hill which is much easier to do than going uphill, like counting up. Time just feels like it goes faster when counting down versus counting up.

This tip works best for workouts that involve time or reps like on the treadmill, elliptical, or during weight training. How many of us keep our eyes glued on the timer wondering when the workout will be over? Yes, raise your hand! Doesn't time seem longer when you stare at the clock?

One trick I do on the treadmill to keep me from constantly staring at the timer is to look up from the screen, and not let myself look at the screen again until I finish a count down from 100 to 0. I may even do a few sets of 100 countdowns to pass the time. Amazingly, a minute that seemed like forever, feels like it went by in a flash.