Are you ready for some football?

We got our game on 6FIT style here in the Russell house this weekend!

I'm pretty sure this would have looked quite different if it weren't for this challenge and "sugar-free Sunday" but we all enjoyed a feast and nobody felt deprived at all. My favorite moment? On the way to a concert here in Boston, my oldest daughter stopped by with her college friends to catch some of the game. Squeezed into our tiny TV room were all 5 of us plus 3 very tall college guys munching on celery sticks and homemade guacamole on organic blue corn chips. No junk food in sight. So satisfying!


And that wrapped up week 1 of the 6FIT challenge-the "water cleanse" week. We could eat whatever we wanted last week, but we could only drink water. The only exceptions were 1 small cup of coffee before noon and 1 glass of red wine at night (per Michael Pollan, of course). Not so hard really, although I missed coffee. Believe it or not, I actually had much more energy without the afternoon caffeine infusion but I have to admit that I just love drinking coffee-the taste, the texture, the smell, the whole experience. So I'm very happy to be enjoying my second cup of coffee as I type this, decaf of course. =)


And now on to week 2: "Real Foods" only. That means if I can't hunt it, gather it or grow it, I can't eat it.
For the most part, I'm not worried at all. We already eat pretty healthy around here. Giving up bread and crackers is the only challenge I anticipate. And the foods of the week are kale and tangerines/clementines, both of which I love! We get one "immunity" food and I'm definitely going with coffee! To make it a little more challenging I'm going to try to go completely decaf. I tried half-decaf this morning and boy did I get off to a slow start. We'll see how this goes. I may need a bit of encouragement on this one.


I also want to try some different classes this week. Last week I did Zumba with Maeve and CardioKickFIT with Dinna-I loved them both!
Already this week I tried BalletFIT for the first time. Very tough class but great energy and fun to remember the ballerina dreams of childhood. We actually did many of the same things I watch my 7-yr-old do in her classes, so I was feeling some pressure. Let's just say it was a humbling experience and leave it at that, shall we?


I know most people have a hate/hate relationship with Mondays but, for me, Tuesday is the weekly thorn in my side. I start off Monday mornings in high gear with a to-do list 2 pages long and 6 child-free hours to shred it. Even at my most productive I don't have a snowballs chance to get through the whole list, but hope springs eternal. Somewhere around 2:00 I start to panic because the kids will be home in less than an hour and when they walk through the door, productivity comes to a screeching halt. 

So now it's Tuesday and my little guy does not have school on Tuesdays. So much for the to-do list. Mostly, I spend Tuesdays in a state of anxiety about all of the things that I am NOT accomplishing. Pretty sad, huh?
In the spirit of DanceFIT and having a healthier mental state to go with my healthier body, I'm going to go build silly things and do puzzles with my William. Then maybe he can come do something super fun with Mommy...like folding laundry ;-)


Here's to healthy minds and bodies!
~M-C


PS Dear Tom Brady, please don't speak. You are much classier with your mouth closed. We still love you though. GO PATRIOTS!

Funny the things you learn...and RE-learn!

Things I've (re)learned so far on this 6FIT journey with DanceFIT studio:

• Water is good!
• Stretching is essential after exercise.
• The older you get, the more you need to stretch.
• Grapefruit is yummy!
• If you really pay attention, your body will actually tell you exactly what it needs.

I realize it is only day 3 but I feel like I'm already reaping the benefits of this program. I thought keeping hydrated was going to be my biggest challenge but, so far, it has been a breeze. It's almost like I've been dehydrated for so long and now my body is making up for lost time.

And then there's the exercise. I kicked off the program with a Monday night double-header; first an hour of Zumba with Maeve and then 45 minutes of Cardio kickFIT with Dinna. I'm not lying when I say that I had to crawl to the 6FIT kick-off meeting after the second class. Tuesday morning I was surprised that I was not sore at all. I felt a bit tight, but otherwise fine...until last night. By bedtime last night I could hardly climb the stairs. Every muscle in my legs and core had just decided to freeze and it was all I could do to crawl into bed. Now I know I haven't been keeping up with exercise much lately, but I'm no couch potato. This morning, when I still could hardly move, it dawned on me that I had not done much stretching after class on Monday. I used to call my husband "old man" when he insisted on endless stretching after our runs and he would always say "you'll understand someday." I guess that day is here. I definitely don't feel old, but apparently this body just doesn't bounce back like it used to and I can't expect it to keep performing for me without a bit of TLC. So, I stretched, and stretched, and stretched some more, and now my body is thanking me by functioning normally again. Phew! I did NOT want to have to cancel my class tonight. I almost forgot how much I love to Zumba!

As far as eating goes, I'm rocking this healthy thing. 

My son finally succeeded in giving me his cold (such a generous boy he is) and I've been pretty sick since Monday night. I've never really been a fan of grapefruit but this week it has been my best friend.

I just can't get enough citrus-hello vitamin C!

And without a second (third, fourth...) cup of coffee to get me through the afternoon, I've actually avoided that mid-afternoon zombie-time when all I want is a nap. Who knew? Okay, I knew, but old habits die hard.

Breaking the sugar cycle has certainly helped. I haven't had anything with added sugar since Saturday and I'm not craving it at all. 

All I'm craving is citrus fruit and more water. I guess my body knows what it needs. I just have to get better at listening.

So here's to listening to your body and taking care of yourself!

And check back in soon!

~Mari-Chris

…and then I threw out the Birthday Cake

Okay, it was only the leftover part of my son’s birthday cake from his party this weekend, but the fact that there is half of a homemade chocolate fudge cake with dark chocolate frosting sitting in my trash barrel is kind of liberating. To be truthful, I was glad when my husband took the trash out because the temptation to change my mind was a bit embarrassing. 

Am I the only one who has lost all control since the holiday season started? I can’t be alone in the struggle to make myself a priority when there are so many other things competing for my attention and energy.

I was really excited about this DanceFIT SpokesPERSON opportunity, that is, until I got the congratulations email from Gina which subtly substituted the word SpokesMODEL for SpokesPERSON. Somehow “person” is a whole lot less intimidating than “model,” don’t you think?

So here I am, about to embark on what I know will be a challenging, motivating and fun 6-week program called 6FIT. 
With a home business, a college student and 2 extremely energetic younger children (ages 5 and 7), I feel good if I manage to stay awake through bedtime stories.  Coffee and sugar taste good, but the crash comes fast and hard. I know I feel better when I exercise and eat well. I know I’ll feel better if I just hit the gym but, with nobody holding me accountable, it’s just not happening anymore. Though I’m really a shy person and often feel intimidated in social situations, I think I really need a community of people to make fitness a more important part of my life.

And here’s my biggest motivator, I’m hurtling toward the big 4-0 this year and, believe it or not, I’m looking forward to it! I really want to be “fit and fabulous” by 40. I want to feel comfortable playing with my family on the beach in a bathing suit this summer and not leave a pile of rumpled clothes on my bed every morning because nothing looks good on me. I want to have the energy to get through the day with a smile and still be awake to spend time with my husband after the kids are in bed.  
I think it’s finally time for me to be “me” again and not just “Stephanie, William and Julia’s Mom” or “David’s Wife.” As much as I cherish those roles, I’d like the world to meet the “me” behind all that. And I want to know that when I’m 50 I’ll still be able to keep up with this crazy family.

I’m ready to make some new friends, learn some new moves, take care of myself, be motivated, motivate others and definitely to laugh and smile as much as possible!

And away we go!