(Warning: this article is not my usual  lighter style, due to it’s serious nature, but as always, it is what is on my heart.)

I, too, am enraged by the attack on our Capitol on January 6, 2021. My country is under attack! Democracy in America is under attack! Americans are under attack … by… by… by Americans. Does that last one evoke an unbearable heaviness on your heart? Like you are underwater and just been propelled into the mesosphere simultaneously, struggling to breathe but not able because there IS NO AIR.

Focus, take a breath, Focus, have an open mind, Focus, let your heart lead. I’m going to say something that you may not realize. This has often been a part of the American experience for many “Americans”, especially if you were, and are, what we now simply label a Person of Color, as the term encompasses so many in the melting pot that is the United States of America.

Just saw a Facebook Post shared by my friend Jennifer Jackson of a Tweet by Natasha S. Alford on that same day.  “When Black Americans talk about generational trauma and terror, this is what we mean. That energy you see at the Capitol is the same energy that burned down Black towns, lynched black citizens, and ensured slavery, Jim Crow and segregation was encoded into American life.” Normally, I do not reference my friends by their ethnicity, however, I feel it is relevant for you to know that like the journalist Ms Alford, my friend Jennifer is also African American.

I cannot personally speak to the African American experience and will never truly know it.  BUT I can acknowledge it, learn from it, do my best to understand it and teach to it to my children and someday my grandchildren. We can not, nor should we ever say, “That is in the past” and not learn from the lesson that every experience has to teach.

I AM Chinese American. Covid-19 has reenergized a, never sleeping, ugliness that had, until recently, played coy and mostly lurked in the shadows. The last four years has brought forth an onslaught of hate toward Asians in America. So first, let me say there are many instances across the Asian-American experience. The reference to Asian-Americans, like when we reference African-Americans, refers to a group of people from a continent, not singling out each country within the continent. To be truthful, the past few days has taken a mental toll on me, and thinking about the following historical events is literally like forcing open a wound that is trying to heal, so I can only briefly touch on history, but this part of history is not commonly found in the history curriculum of America. So, rather than share personal experiences of late, let’s look back at history for a bit.

I will specifically speak to the Chinese experience though. An experience that relates to who I am. Do you know where the phrase, “… hasn’t got a Chinaman’s chance.” originated? In the 1850’s the murder of a Chinese miner by a white man was overturned in People V. Hall where the Supreme Court expanded the definition of “black person” to include “all races other than the Caucasian” therefore throwing out evidence provided by testimony of a Chinese person. So murder of Chinese by those of European descent was known to not carry punishment by law and therefore condoned. Additionally, in the 1860’s, when the Transcontinental Railroad was being built, Chinese men were lowered over cliffs in baskets with explosives to set. Once set, their lives depended on those above, most often not only Chinese workers, to pull them back up in time. They were often considered expendable and many didn’t survive the task. In my Asian American Studies class in college, my white professor said, and it has always haunted me, that sometimes crucial seconds passed before the basket was pulled, almost as if it were a game.

Illegal Immigration, did you know that it wasn’t a thing until the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882? Prior to that, there were no laws banning immigration to America. The Chinese Exclusion Act is the first and only legislation specifically making immigration to the United States illegal to an entire ethnicity. But it was repealed in 1943 to allow 105 (no comma needed) Chinese annually. Barriers to immigration were finally removed in 1965 with amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Many would argue that the advancement of civil rights in the 1960s have changed all that. Perspective… what ethnicity drives your experience?

On June 19, 1982, a Chinese American man named Vincent Chin went with friends to a strip club in Detroit to celebrate his upcoming wedding. That night, two white men who apparently thought Chin was Japanese, beat him to death. At the killers’ trial, the men each received a $3,000 fine and zero prison time. The light sentencing sparked national outrage and fueled a movement for pan-Asian American rights.  (History.com How the 1982 Murder of Vincent Chin Ignited a Push for Asian American Rights, Becky Little, May 5, 2020)

The men that murdered Chin were autoworkers that blamed Japanese car manufacturers for the decline of the American Auto Industry at the time.

Just since the beginning of the pandemic, via social media, you can find thousands of instances of violence against Asian Americans. These vary from unprovoked racial slurs, which I have experienced, to unwarranted physical attacks of varying degree. These attacks increase in frequency with each referral of Covid-19 as the “China Virus” or other derogatory references attaching the virus to the Chinese.

I’ve often said, and you witnessed it on January 6th, that when those in positions of great power and authority speak, their words have influence. Therefore, they bear responsibility for what they say.

I love my country, the United States of America, passionately so. I am American, proudly so. Like 97% of Americans, we or our ancestors arrived on this continent from another country. We, along with Native Americans, are all Americans. Together we have built America and it is home to ALL of us! May God bless America…

You can shoot a 3 pointer like a pro, or you can even shoot it AS the pro. You can drive a car at the tender age of …. well, whenever you can manipulate the controller. You can go to battle and get assassinated, several times over and still live to play another day. There are video games for everything. I was pondering the other day, am I being replaced by a video game?

Let me tell you what triggered this thought. An on again, off again student joined my virtual class again two weeks ago and I was thrilled to see her. After class, we spoke briefly and she mentioned that she hoped to be more consistent as she wanted to get her fitness regimen established. She hasn’t joined again since but I learned via social media, because we are friends, that she has discovered the popular dancing game. It is a fun game and you can definitely get a good workout if you go all out. I wondered, “Oh no, have I been replaced by J___ D____?”

The more I thought about it. I am actually like the live action version of the game, but with a ton of benefits!

First, let’s go over the advantages of the game; anyone in the home can dance with it at any time, one time payment, you can pick the song that you want to dance to, and it rewards you with stars! However, it has a huge loophole; with strategic movement of the controller, you can accumulate stars by only moving one arm.

So what added benefits do I bring to the table or rather to the screen? Music selection, though this means my playlist must be pleasing to YOUR ear, it also means that I will bring you a variety of music from around the world that you might otherwise not choose if you were not familiar with the titles. Range of motion, if you are working out with me, you WILL move more than one arm and will learn to move your body in ways that you might not even realized that it could move. I often have students ask me after class how a certain movement is done, I provide the instruction and the next class I can see the difference in their movement. A full body workout, I select choreography that ensures that, if followed, the dancer works every muscle. I don’t flash stars on your screen but I am paying attention and will give you personal verbal recognition for your progress and effort. Cardio, my students with fitness trackers have often told me that my class logs them between 5000 and 6000 steps. One student that had some limitations to her mobility told me that her tracker always logged around 4200-4300 steps per class. So in just about an hour, you can get half of your steps in for the day. Lastly… I Care. That is why I haven’t thus far recorded classes that my students can just replay. I want to be able to cheer you on, caution you if the way you are doing a movement may cause you injury, modify steps for you, sometimes for the entire class, if needed and share information about the song or dance, (e.g., genre, style, history) that will make dancing to it more meaningful for you.

Plus, you always have the option to do as one of my students did. She turned off her video and and I don’t even know how much of the class she did because I thought she was dancing with me when she took this picture! Lol

So you had an extra helping. You indulged. You ate it even though blah, blah, blah. When it comes to food, I want you to encourage you to stop beating yourself up. The Holiday Season aka the “Feasting” season has just ended and social media would have us believe that we blew it and now we must pay the price by immediately dieting and exercise until we drop. We need to realize that we make choices about food. We also make choices about movement.

So, did you enjoy that when you ate it? Then don’t diminish the enjoyment you experienced by loading on the self guilt. That being said, would you have enjoyed it if you had less? Keep that in mind for the next time and decide how you will move forward now. Those of you that work out with me know that we did not skip a workout for any holiday. I made that decision for me because I knew that I would indulge in ways that were not normal for me. Several of you were right there with me; not in the eating, I don’t think, but in the working out. Bravo! You made those choices!

You probably spent much of the last few weeks, as I did, thinking about how you could help others and make them happy. You did it! Now, time for YOU. Self care is not selfish. If that concept is difficult for you to accept, try this. When you are your best self, you can better be there for others. Ahhh… that makes sense to you. C’est bonne!

Then, take this information in so your future can be more about good choices and less about feeling guilty. Men and women, from when they were children began to receive strong signals about “gender-specific” expectations. Not fulfilling these expectations can bring on feelings of guilt.

“Women build self-esteem through relationships ,” explains Mary Ann Bauman, MD, director of  for INTEGRIS, a nonprofit health system in Oklahoma. “As women, we have to make sure no one thinks we’re being selfish,” Bauman says.

“Men learn to build self-esteem through their accomplishments,” Bauman says. So a man who doesn’t become the athlete or the scholar that they, or their parents, expected them to be is often plagued by guilt. (Is Guilt Getting the Best of you? Web MD)

Empower yourself with the knowledge that choosing to be healthy and fit is not an act of selfishness, it is an act of self care and that you do not have to perform to the standards of a pro athlete, after all, you are certainly not being paid as one. Stay healthy by choosing to eat in a reasonable way to nourish your body and still enjoy doing so and move enough to maintain a fit physical self that you feel good about. Profite de la Vie!

It doesn’t mean you should wear it.

“I love your top!” “The pattern of your leggings is so cute!” “Are short sleeves or no sleeves better for working out in?” “What kind of sports bra do you wear?” OK, lady… now you are getting kind of personal.

I’ve received these compliments followed by the inquirer wanting to know if I recommend the particular clothing for them. Or they’ve asked me those very questions; yes, even the one about the bra. My answer always goes to, “Workout in whatever you are most comfortable in. The most important thing is your shoes.” In terms of what you are wearing, other than gear necessary for your sport (eg: bike helmet or mitt), the most important thing for the non-professional athlete to invest in is shoes. That is not to say that you need the most expensive shoes that you can afford. You need the best shoe that is the most appropriate for your activity. The proper shoe can protect you from common injuries associated with your activity. Additionally a shoe designed for a specific sport or exercise can actually help your performance. No! I’m not saying you’ll be able to jump higher and dunk that basketball with the right shoe, even though the athletes selling those expensive kicks might have you believe that. What I’m saying is that shoes may assist in cushioning your foot from impact, they may make sudden directional changes easier, they could support your ankle, they could protect your toes… well, you get the idea. For instance, in Zumba Fitness, shoes designed for dance fitness will most always have a pivot point at the ball of your foot close to the big toe. It either looks like a circle or sometimes is simply the absence of tread. This allows for the twisting and pivoting movements associated with dancing, without the pulling and jarring of your knees and ankles. Students have told me that pain that they would experience from classes no longer appeared once they got new shoes as suggested. So, as you prepare for the new year, check your shoes and see if you need a new pair. Realize, that for the majority of the day, your feet are basically your contact point to the surface but your body is a complex system that works in unison so impact that begins in your feet affects your legs, hips, back, shoulders and all the way up to your head. Is the tread worn? Is the padding deflated? Do you have the correct type of shoes? Even if you have the right shoes for your activity, have they served you well and are now ready to be retired? Not sure, go try on a new pair and if suddenly your comfy standbys no longer seem as comfy, do your feet and essentially your body, a favor and treat yourself to new shoes! I’ve just given you a legitimate excuse to go shoe shopping. You can thank me by joining me for a workout!

Are you so over 2020? Ready to ring in the New Year? For many that means New Year’s resolutions. Overwhelmingly, the number one resolution in popularity is… all together now…. “Losing Weight”.

But surveys on keeping resolutions is disheartening.

“Sundried conducted a survey with a reach of 4,000 people and found that 43% of people expect to give up their goal after just one month. Research shows that 95% of New Year’s Resolutions are fitness related, but after just 3 months, only 10% of people think their resolution will last.” (Alexandra Parren, Research Shows 43% Of People Expect To Give Up Their New Year’s Resolutions By February March 15, 2020)

Oh no! But c’mon, that is just one survey right? Then there is this one…

“A Study of 800 Million Activities Predicts Most New Year’s Resolutions Will Be Abandoned on January 19″… (Jeff Hayden Inc.com November 2, 2020)

ENOUGH! Just because 350,000 people want to jump out of planes each year with only fabric attached to strings strapped on them, doesn’t mean that I want to. Even though over a million people in the US have snakes as pets, doesn’t mean I ever will. So just because a huge percentage of people fail at losing weight, doesn’t mean that you will. After all, there is the percentage of people that have succeeded! And I believe in you.

Let me rephrase that. I believe in you if you believe in me and what I know.

You may think that now is the time to start that new fad diet. After all, you’ve heard that you will see success quickly and therefore stick to it. I’ve known a LOT of people that have tried this route and all that I know, in the end, have failed. Many of them ended up regaining the weight and even adding more. As a personal trainer, this is what I know to be true. With extreme diets, you might have success at first, but likely cannot indefinitely maintain the behaviors needed to sustain the loss. Rather than making drastic changes that are near impossible to sustain, work on behavioral changes that will become a part of your lifestyle.

So how do you increase your chances of success? First set a SMART goal:

Specific – Don’t just resolve to ‘lose weight’. How much, by when and how you will make it happen?

Measurable – Establish a way to assess your progress. You have to be able to measure it to manage it.

Attainable – It should be challenging but not unrealistic. Don’t set yourself up to fail but you want a goal that is satisfying to reach.

Realistic – You must be willing and able to work toward the goal.

Timely – Have a specific date to complete your goal. The date should be realistic, but not so far out that it isn’t challenging and you aren’t seeing progress.

Is setting a SMART goal enough? Only you can answer that, but as a personal trainer, I can say that it is just as satisfying for me to coach my clients to success as it is for them to achieve it. We are a team. Additionally, if my clients don’t feel and, in time, see a difference, I’m out of a job. It’s to my benefit to help them to succeed.

In summary; make a decision to get healthier, set a SMART goal and team up with someone that knows what needs to be done and will keep you accountable. Even all this is not a 100% guarantee of success and anyone that promises you success is not forthcoming or they are delusional. So, in the spirit of being fully aboveboard, the ONLY way to guarantee permanent weight loss is to amputate.

Gene Kelly was “singing in the rain” but his joy was evident in his dancing as if he hadn’t a care in the world. No matter that it was raining, watching him glide through the streets made it seem like the sun was shining bright because of the warm feeling in your heart. Yes, dance is so much more than movement, dance is emotion and energy.

So, it should come as no surprise that dance is good for the brain. Yes, that is right, dance is not just good for your physical health, it is a boost for your mental health as well. As much as I love to dance, I would not make this stuff up. Because the science backs up the benefits of dance to the brain, it is now being used to treat people with Parkinson’s Disease, a neurological movement disorder.  “There’s no question, anecdotally at least, that music has a very stimulating effect on physical activity,” says Daniel Tarsy, MD, an HMS professor of neurology and director of the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). “And I think that applies to dance, as well.” (Edwards, Scott “Dancing and the Brain” On The Brain Newsletter, HMNI)

In 2003, researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine conducted a study which discovered that dance can decidedly improve brain health. The studies observed different types of leisure activities and the effect those activities have on the risk of dementia in the elderly. Of the 11 physical activities, only dancing was shown to reduce the participants’ risk of dementia. This was surprising to me as swimming, tennis and golf were among the activities studied. Not knocking those activities, just sharing the science in relation to lowering dementia risk. I must admit, this tidbit did have me dancing in my seat : D

Studies using PET imaging show that the region of the brain that is stimulated by dance affect the brain’s sensory and motor circuits, both in control of and coordination. Watch a fascinatingly beautiful video of 1960’s New York Ballet Prima Ballerina, Marta C. Gonzales, who has Alzheimer’s. Before you click on the link, be warned that it may bring tears to your eyes as it did mine: https://youtu.be/owb1uWDg3QM. Other studies show that dance reduces stress levels and may help battle depression due to the release of serotonin. Even dances emoting pain or sadness are described by the choreographers as therapy, a way to cope with those feelings.

Imagine my delight when I found a small study done by North Dakota’s Minot State University in which part of the study examined the effects of Zumba on an Elderly Female Population. Participation was twice weekly and the study showed that cognitive improvement occurred in a relatively short period of time. “Processing speed, cognitive flexibility and visual memory all improved.” (Terry Eckmann, PhD*, Vicki Michels, PhD and Donald Burke, PhD Department of Education and Kinesiology, USA, *Corresponding author: Terry Eckmann, Department of Education and Kinesiology,
USA) I know that I am easier to deal with after I’ve danced it out through a couple of Zumba classes. My hubby and three kids will tell you, they support my teaching Zumba because they know that it doesn’t just benefit me, it protects them!

So the next time it rains, I’ll meet you under the lamp post!

Ok, that was pretty bad but… even Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother knew pumpkins were magical gourds.

It’s that time of year where there is no escaping them. The orange squash are everywhere you look from doorsteps and porches to markets and “patches”. Closing your eyes will do you no good because pumpkins are on every menu. Whether you are stopping to see your favorite barista, getting ready order something to ease your hunger pains, or looking for a sweet treat at your favorite bakery or ice cream parlor, expect “pumpkin” to be an option.

High in vitamins and minerals and low in calories, pumpkins are nutrient dense. But don’t go crazy on the pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin snickerdoodles just yet. The benefits can easily be “squashed” (I can’t help myself… lol) when tons of sugar and calorie laden additions dress your pumpkin up for the holidays. Pumpkins are a great source of beta carotene which your body converts to Vitamin A which is known to be good for your eyes, skin and because pumpkin is also high in Vitamin C, immunity boosting. It has a high antioxidant content because, in addition to beta carotene pumpkin includes alpha carotene. But that isn’t all, pumpkin is a good source for Vitamin E, Iron and Folate. I need one more reason. Give me one more. Ok, pumpkin is a good source of fiber.

So there are lots of reasons to incorporate it into your diet when they are so plentiful. Lucky for us, they are also versatile. You can enjoy pumpkin as a savory dish, roasted with a dash of sea salt and freshly ground pepper or as a comforting way to warm up, served piping hot as a creamy soup. Even it’s seeds are edible as a healthy snack. My guess is you’ve enjoyed pumpkin as a sweet taste of fall. Pumpkin pancakes drizzled with warm maple syrup or any variety of pumpkin spiced confection has tickled your taste buds, as there are numerous to choose from. The good news is that once the fall is over and the leaves begin to adorn the bare branches, you can still find pumpkin in a can. Buyer beware, however, as a quick glance at the label will reveal if it’s contents will fuel your body. There should only be one ingredient. Guess. You got it. PUMPKIN; it matters because without all the extras added, a one cup serving is under 50 calories. And because I’m always about sealing the deal, let’s put a spin on it for you. Use pureed pumpkin instead of oil or butter in any baking recipe and you’ve just upped your baking game. I’ll admit, I’m not always a pumpkin purist. Anyone that knows me well knows that pie is my weakness so this season I’ll have a slice of pumpkin pie or two and it just isn’t complete for me without my other weakness…whipped cream!

Funny… At first glance it would appear that I drink pesto. And not so very long ago, I wrote about the power of our eyes to intrigue our desire for all things edible. While, your vision would be the instigator, God blessed us with other fabulous senses to bring the entire smoothie experience to fruition. If you simply rely on your sense of sight when it comes to this tall glass of green, your mind could rationalize that this is a glass full of a healthy concoction that I will have to tolerate by quickly gulping down to minimize the taste of fresh cut grass. But allow your sense of smell to partake and you will find a tropical aroma beckoning you and suddenly you are thinking, “Where is the paper umbrella?” The scents of sweet, golden pineapple and silky mango nectar find their way to your memories of sipping paradise on the beach or by the pool. But you were not wrong to impart the thought of nutritious. Tasting absolutely luscious can also mean that it is great for me! In the appropriate proportions, these blended beauties can fuel my body with what it needs to hydrate and maximize absorption of nutrients. So what is in my smoothies, which are my choice source of energy to start most days? Well, this day it was a little mango nectar, kale, chard, spinach, pineapple (that I cut up and froze when it a little more ripe than I enjoy), nutritional yeast and a banana. On another day, because of what I have in my freezer and fridge at the moment, it will be Peaches, pineapple, fresh squeezed juice from mandarins, spinach, flax and chia seeds. Doesn’t sound good? Wait, do not taste with your ears. “But I can’t unhear those ingredients”, you say. Then, let your brain change your perspective. Try again. What is it? Pineapple, mango smoothie with power greens and tomorrow Peachy smoothie with power greens. Better… but still not quite there? Well, my tongue is doing double duty because first my taste buds thank me for the delicious, icy treat and will stop between sips to tell you that the most accurate descriptions are that they are “Amped-up Tropical Smoothies!” Yum!

“We eat with our eyes first.” Yet it is our tongue that will savor the sweetness or sense the heat in the spicy or retract from the sour, the bitter… and salivate with with the savory. So what role can our eyes play in the win or loss of the game of nutrition? Close your eyes and think about your favorite food. Do you just taste it, or do you see it in front of you? Does simply seeing it cause you to salivate at the thought of taking that first bite? Yes, we eat with our eyes first. So, I encourage you to play the game to win!

These mandarins came in a utilitarian netted bag. Designed to bring the fruit to market and then to the consumer, in this case, my family. But maybe less utilitarian than you thought; as the nets that pack orange citrus are always orange or red. Just as the nets that pack avocados are green. The packaging is to enhance the appeal of the product, to hide the minor blemishes… so the citrus appears to be a more vibrant orange, the avocados a perfectly ripe green. This is because even the vendors know that as we make our purchases, we are eating with our eyes.

So are a few Nutrition gamer tips:

In your fridge the healthy stuff needs to be at eye level. Buy in a variety of vibrant colors. Keep it easily accessible. This includes not keeping all your produce in what I call the compost drawer, because seriously, when was the last time you put something in there and it came out crisper? Well then, what goes in the drawer you ask? Turn it into the condiment drawer, where all the high calorie, fat laden add-ons go. Believe me, you won’t forget they are in there, but they won’t always be in your face. Or you can use a drawer for laying your can drinks or bottles on their sides. Not only will it keep them from getting knocked out of the fridge and making a mess but why give those items prime real estate in your fridge. Location, location… location.

Outside of the fridge, keep healthy snacks easily in reach and appealing to the eye. Take things out of their “marketing packaging” so you can grab and go snack. Like these mandarins, having them in an attractive bowl also serves the purpose of being decorative. Extra “busy mom” points there. Don’t have the empty calorie snacks sitting out. They don’t get the prime real estate of your counter. Same rules for the fridge apply to your pantry. Healthy stuff at eye level, and remember, yours may not be the only eyes that look into the pantry. If you must have unhealthy snacks for when you are craving that treat, put it/them way up high or way down low, so you have to go to extra trouble to get to it. Also, portion it out in appropriate air tight containers. No throw-aways! Be kind to the environment! You know if you don’t portion it, you will suddenly find an empty bag in your lap or in front of you, that if you were to read the nutrition label, it stated that there were 8 servings that you just unceremoniously inhaled.

When plating your food, get into the social media mindset. Challenge yourself to get as many people as possible asking you for the recipe or giving you a positive reaction because your meal “looked” so delicious. Even if you never post it, take a pic of it for yourself… you keeping you accountable.

Best tip; I’m not going to tell you never to buy anything other than perfectly nutritious foods, but when you shop, never add more than one of those types of items to your cart. If you want more, look at the price, leave it on the shelf and go home and put the money you would have spent into a “cash stash”. When it’s time to change the clocks back or forward, calculate your stash and before you know it, you will have a nice stash to treat yourself to a new smaller size clothing item! Ain’t gonna lie, I want “junk” all the time, but not “junk in the trunk” so if I stick to it, my stash should come out to be enough for a nice little vacation! Alooooooooooha!