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Friday, April 26, 2013

Don't Judge Me (Idea)

So... this post is about to get completely off-topic from what I have been discussing, but hey... this is my life.

I've found that I use the phrase "don't judge me" a lot. I'm not talking about using it occasionally. I'm talking about saying it about everything. Here are some examples.

  1.  I posted a no makeup selfie on Instragram yesterday. I hashtagged that shit. Seriously, #dontjudgeme. It's a real thing when I'm around.
  2. I grabbed a Coke instead a water a few days ago at work. I turned to a coworker and quickly said, "Don't judge me."
  3. I watched Grey's Anatomy today and tweeted about it. Just to use #dontjudgeme AGAIN!
Now... these are just three examples of when I've done it, but it happens all the time. Well, all this repetition has me thinking, "That's a really good blog idea." Hear me out...

I am probably my harshest critic. Honestly, nothing I do is good enough to me. I judge myself daily. In theatre (where you are the product you are trying to sell), it is so easy to judge yourself based on those around you. It's also easy to understand that you are going to be judged.

So.. here's my thought... starting in May, I am going to open up Don't Judge Me, Bitch. Everyday, I am going to attempt to do two post. One will be a personal critic. I will judge myself. The other will be me judging something ridiculous about someone else. I may know them. They may be a celebrity. Who knows?

I just want to entertain everyone while still making a point that we shouldn't judge one another because most of the time it is over something RIDICULOUS! I think it'll be fun. I hope everyone is ready to learn about my insecurities.



Friday, April 19, 2013

Matilda the Musical and Cardio...

I promised you kids last night that this post would happen, and here it is!

I skipped out on my workout tonight. Mainly because my legs are still a little sore from last night, and my left knee is making a weird sound... but I digress.

These are the reasons I think the cast recording of Matilda the Musical is my new fave workout music for cardio only days:

(Please pause and turn it on if you want to follow along.)

1. ENERGY!
2. MOTIVATION!
3. DRIVE!
4. REST!
5. DISCIPLINE!
6. FAKE IT 'TIL YOU MAKE IT!
7. SUPPORT!
8. FUN!
9. FOCUS!
10. LOVE!
11. QUIET!
12. REVOLT!

Now, it's not like the beginning of "Miracle" is extremely fast, but it's not extremely slow either. It's a perfect pace setter. I'm usually on the bike or elliptical when I first start my cardio workout. I tend to change my resistance every 1-2 minutes and the changes in tempo, the dialogue breaks, etc. all help feed that. Dialogue breaks are the best time to do peak resistance. I don't know about you, but I can't pedal as fast on 15 or 20 as I can on 5. It also helps that "Miracle" is over 10 minutes long. that means by the end of the song I have completely 1/3 of my time on the bike... and I've enjoyed an awesome story while doing it!

We go straight from "Miracle" into "Naughty." Now, "Naughty" is one of my favorite songs. It's the song I heard and decided that Matilda will be to this new generation what Annie was for mine. "Naughty" reminds you that you have to make the change you want to see. (Remember when I talked about effort last night.) Well, if your up and down time during "Miracle" made you want to quit after your first 10 minutes, "Naughty" will put you right back on track. My favorite lyric is "Everyday start with the tick of a clock. All escapes start with the click on a lock. If your stuck in your story, and want to get out, you don't have to cry, you don't have to shout." If that doesn't motivate you... I don't know what will!

Next comes "School Song" with DRIVE for days! It might start out slow, but that's just to prepare you. You've wrapped your head around completing this... so HERE WE GO! This militarian song works wonders for me, especially when we get to the speedy section. Plus, when they sing "Just you wait for Phys. Ed." I get super pumped. I mean, I need to get in shape so I can run away from Trunchbull. Am I right? Oh... and let's not forget that ENERGY and MOTIVATION are also found here. I mean, "I have suffered in this jail. I've been trapped inside this cage for ages. This living hell." Whether your trying to lose weight, just got out of a bad relationship, hate your job, or are just carrying around too much stress... just about anyone can relate to that. Let off some steam and pedal faster!

"Pathetic" --Ok, now... just wait. After "School Song" I'm usually winded and want to stop. Then this song comes on, I look at my reflection in the cardio theatre TV that I NEVER use, and hear "Don't be pathetic." This is more of a rest song... like most of Miss Honey's songs, but after over 17 minutes of straight energy, motivation (still semi found here), and drive... REST is important. The thing to do is to just not stop. Slow down... but don't stop.

"The Hammer" -- "Pathetic" is short, but that's good considering Trunchbull is about to brag to us all. She's awesome. We're not. We get our first lesson on DISCIPLINE here. "Always keep your feet inside the line." is equivalent to "JUST KEEP GOING." More on DISCIPLINE later.

"Loud" usually finishes up my time in the bike/elliptical. THANKFULLY! I don't think I could pedal much more after that. The latin inspired feel of it all just gets my feet moving. High or Low resistance it doesn't matter... I usually pedal faster during this song. Why? Because we learn FAKE IT 'TIL YOU MAKE IT here, silly! I'm not in great shape. I'm overweight, but that doesn't matter. I'm faking it right now... but I'll make it to my goal. You just watch me! That's how this song makes me feel.

"This Little Girl" usually gets skipped. Nothing against Miss Honey, but her songs are mostly ballads. Ballads just aren't doing it for me at the gym (most of the time). This is the song to fill up my water bottle, stretch out the first round, etc. It's a short rest. Can't stop for too long.

I'm usually on the treadmill for the start of "Bruce." Did you drink a soda today? Did you eat a candy bar or, I don't know, a piece of cake? You'll regret that soon. Now, you're at the gym working off those extra calories you knew you shouldn't have, but you did it anyway. Luckily for you, Bruce, you've got a gaggle of friends who SUPPORT you! No matter what you are trying to acheive, you should surround yourself with people who support you. I usually just glance over at my workout buddy and think, "She believes I can do this. She is supporting me just by being here with me. I can't give up the fight when some believes in me."

You didn't think I'd forgotten about FUN. You did? Shame on you. By this time, my heart rate is up. I'm feeling good, but I'm tired. Then, "Telly" comes on, and I just think "Oh boy!" This character song is ridiculous. I love the song, but his love of the telly makes me giggle. Let's not forget that kick line ending. I'd probably do it on the treadmill if I wouldn't fall on my face attempting it.

"Entr'acte" is just a reminder of Miracle to me. It reminds me of what those 10 minutes felt like in less than 2. It helps me REFOCUS for the next round.

"When I Grow Up" is my cool down period on the treadmill. It is also in the REFOCUS category. Why am I doing this? What are my goals? Do I believe I will get there? It's a great "thinking" song.

"I'm Here" is a magical song to me when I'm on the treadmill. It works like "Miracle" feeding me ENERGY. However, it reminds me to LOVE. Love working out. Love making healthy choices. Most importantly, it reminds me to love myself. Who I was. Who I am. Who I am working to be. Just LOVE!

"The Smell of Rebellion" Ahhhh, yes... Remember when I said there would be more on DISCIPLINE later. Here it is! My legs will be burning. I'll be sweating like crazy, but I must not quit. I must keep going. Even when I hear the kids sing "I won't take it anymore," I equate that to the unhealthy lifestyle I've been living for so long. Then, the double time happens, and I reach down and increase the speed by at least 0.5, usually more. I just can't help it. I want to keep up. I bet you will want to keep up too. It doesn't last long before we slip into Trunchbull's "imagination," but it's enough to get the heart rate up a little bit more than it was.

"Quiet" is another one of my faves from the show. It is another DRIVE song. I just have to keep going during the beginning. I feel crazed often in life. We all get stressed and overwhelmed. The best thing "Quiet" gives me is QUIET. That sounds crazy but it's true. "Just the sound of your heart in your head." I have nothing to worry about during this song, but just to continue walking/jogging/running nowhere. It's a beautiful thing.

I skip "My House" because once again Miss Honey's ballads do nothing for my workout, and I'm usually on the last 2-3 minutes of my treadmill time, meaning I have to get to my favorite moment/song!

The lesson I get from "Revolting Children" is... you guessed it... REVOLT! I know, I just talked about DISCIPLINE twice, and now I'm telling you to REVOLT! Hear me out. "Revolting Children" is the last leg of my workout. I don't listen to "When I Grow Up (Reprise)" at the gym. So, during this 2:33 song... I have to ability to let go. Push myself past my previous highest speed or incline or both. Revolt against the normalcy. Don't do the same thing everyday. Do something different. Whether I power walk/jog/run... as long as it's more than I did during my final 2-3 minutes the previous day, it counts!

So... next time you are at the gym on a cardio only day, try Matilda the Musical! You might be pleasantly surprised like I was.


 
The Original Cast Recording of Matilda the Musical can be found on iTunes.


Thursday, April 18, 2013

Fear of Sweat...

I'm going to go ahead and warn you that this post will not be glamorous at all. However, I'll try to fill it with as much sass as possible. Oh, and we'll be talking more about "glistening" that "glittering."

Are you afraid of sweating in public? Do you know someone that is?

It's an odd thing to think about, but I believe the fear is more common than we give it credit. There are some many products out there that promote the idea of "not sweating." Don't get me wrong? I want to cover up my BO just as much as the next person. However, with all the anti-perspirants/deodorants, scented lotions, perfumes, scented hair products (from shampoo and conditioner to mousse), and all the others that I'm sure I'm missing because it's late and I'm tired, it's not surprising.

Why am I talking about this? What exactly made me think of this?

Well, during my workout today I had decided on blogging about how Matilda the Musical is becoming my favorite workout album during cardio. Don't worry, theatre lovers, I still fully intend on writing that one. It just won't be tonight. Anyway... my workout buddy finished before me, about 6 minutes before me exactly, but I was bound and determined to finish my last 30 minutes on the treadmill even if it killed me.

After I finished, I wiped down the machine and walked over to her. (She's awesome and always waits for me if she finishes early.) Sweat was dripping down my face, neck, back. I looked a HOT MESS for sure. Without skipping a beat, she said, "You're sweating, and I'm just over here like 'I need to get out of here before I start.'" Then, we talked about how awesome I was feeling even though I was glistening enough to be picked up an satellite feed.

On the drive home was when I really began to think about it. Why are we so afraid to sweat in public? It's a natural occurrance. Our bodies are made to sweat. It's how we cool down and detox. It's completely natural. However, society has programmed us to think that if we are sweating, we are just too out of shape or smell bad or whatever. Everything is supposed to come easily and sweat makes it look like you had to put forth effort.

That's when I realized that THAT was the key! EFFORT! I'm on this weight loss adventure right now, and for once, I understand that it will not happen overnight. The benefits I achieve will come from the effort I put forth. That's awesome! I'm in control! No one else is going to fix my body. Not doctors, not prayer chains, not God... but ME! It is all up to me and the amount of effort I'm willing to put forth.

That's the awesome part about sweating at the gym or track or dance class or wherever you may be. There's no shame in being caught sweaty in public. Look around the gym the next time you are there. Everyone else is probably sweating too. They are putting forth effort to better themselves, whether they are working towards losing weight, maintaining weight, or gaining weight. They are putting forth an effort for themselves. We all sweat! There's no shame in that!

Now, is it embarrassing to be caught with pit stains when you've done nothing but sit at your desk in your office all day? More than likely, yes, but I say... don't freak out. Don't fear the sweat. We all get caught with pit stains.

As always, keep it sassy,

Sarah

Monday, April 15, 2013

Self-Frustration Equals Self-Motivation

I went to my first audition in almost a year today. I had a blast. Did it go well? No... not really. Did it go terribly wrong? No... not really. It was the definition of an average audition. Reading went so-so... Singing was better than the last but not great. The dance segment though... That's where this story really begins.

I could probably tell you every move we need to do in the combination. That's not a lie, but it was SOOOOO FAST! Now, I am a big girl. You get me hopping and jumping all over that stage, and sometimes I fear it is going to fall down. I have participated in very difficult, very technical dance auditions. (I'm looking at you, West Side Story, with your Jerome Robbins choreography.) I was even cast in that production of WSS. I've danced with fire. I've pretty much ONLY been in musical my entire life. I call myself a "fancer" for a reason. I can fake the shit out of some dance routines. Other than the fact that it was so fast, I have NO IDEA how I fucked it up so badly.

Well, I got to sing after that, so that made me happy, but I ended up thinking about that dance audition throughout all of dinner. Dinner was not the best choice. My roommate, David, and I went out to eat, and I made some TERRIBLE calorie decisions. I was so mad at myself for not being able to keep up. It was pathetic. By the time we got home and I logged my meal into the diet tracker, as well as the dance into my activity tracker, I was livid.

So, what does one do when one is completely and utterly frustrated and disappointed at oneself? That's right! One packs up and heads to the gym.

Now, I haven't been on an elliptical since the first day I joined the gym. It kicked my ass. I barely lasted 5 minutes. That's not an exaggeration. I thought I was going to collapse right there. Today? It was the first place I went. I spent 15 minutes on it. I started out fast due to the frustation, but when sweat started getting into my eyes, I slowed down a little. It felt amazing to sweat that much.

I went straight from the elliptical to the bike. I spent 10 minutes on my usual 6-11 resistance track. I like to change it up every minute or so. It adds variation. Then, I spent one minute at a peak resistance of 20. My legs were burning so good.

After the bike, I moved over to do arms. Halfway through my arm routine I realized that I just did arms last night. So, if you see me try to pick up something heavy tomorrow and drop it, that's why. Stupid Sarah forgot that she had just done arms yesterday and did the again today. Oops!

I spent the last 5 minutes on the treadmill. I'm up to a speed of 3.5 now without feeling like I'm going to get flung off the thing. Progress! Maybe I'll make my April goal of jogging at least one quarter of a mile afterall.

So, that's today's story. A great lesson came from it. The more frustrated I am at myself for being so out of shape, the harder I work to get in shape.


Keep it Sassy,
Sarah

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Walking and Grocery Shopping...

This morning I went for a nice walk at ETSU's Fitness Trail with You Know, Jon. The trail is 0.64mi. We did 3 laps, which was nothing for Jon, and honestly, I probably could've done another myself. 3 laps times 0.64mi = 1.92 miles, for anyone who was wondering. Yes, I almost walked 2 miles this morning. We call this progress!

After our walk, we went to Earth Fare for lunch. I must say that I do love a good salad bar. I even got a take-out container of some tofu, mushroom, and bok choy stir fry and rice to dinner. (Side note: I just finished it, and it was awesome!)

After Jon dropped me back off at my apartment, I cleaned out the refigerator to make room for the all new groceries I had to go buy today.

I've gotten so tired of eating starches and starches and even more starches. Spaghetti, lasagna, homemade bread, macaroni and cheese... UGH! There wasn't a single vegetable in this place. Well, if there were they needed to me thrown out. So, that's exactly what I did!

With a cleaned out refrigerator, it was off the the grocery store. Today's choice was Ingles. 2013 is their 50th anniversary. They run different 50% off sales every week among many other awesome deals. So, I walked into Ingles, and IMMEDIATELY upon entering the door and getting my shopping cart (aka buggy, in the South. I will probably end up using both interchangably.) a young man who works there asked me if I would like a piece of cake. CAKE!! The worst part... it wasn't chocolate either. (There will probably be a post in the future about my hatred of chocolate, especially chocolate cake.) It was white cake, whipped cream icing... EVERYTHING I LOVE IN A CAKE! BUT... do you know what I said? "No, thank you." That's right! I said, "No, thank you." I TURNED DOWN CAKE! Please excuse me while I do my happy I turned down cake dance.

Anyway... I politely passed by Mr. Cake Man and headed towards the produce. Boy! Do I love a good produce sections. Believe it or not, Ingles actually carries a lot of organic produce as well, and it isn't that expensive. However, crazy Sarah forgot to make a meal plan for the week. (I usually do that when I'm trying to watch what I eat, but since I hadn't planned on switching over to healthier foods yet, I hadn't thought to do it.) I just stood there staring at the produce for what felt like 10 minutes, thinking about what I could buy, what I could make with it, blah blah blah. I ended up just grabbing a head of broccoli, an english cucumber, some baby carrots, spinach, bananas, and a bag of apples. Basically, I didn't know what I could cook, but I definitely knew the flavors I LOVED to juice! So, I'll probably be intaking most of my veggies and fruits through juice this week. Maybe next time I'll be more prepared.

I headed around the rest of the store picking out staples like milk, whole wheat bread, and peanut butter. (We currently have eggs so they weren't necessary.) I bought some other things as well, but they really aren't relevent to this story... whatever this story may be. I hopped over to the seafood department. I LOVE SEAFOOD! Fish, shrimp, crab, lobster, scallops, etc. You name it. I eat it, except for mussels because REALLY who likes their seafood black?! I picked up a talapia fillet and some stuffed flounder. That's 3 servings of fish for the week. My roommate won't eat it so the 2 servings of stuffed flounder in the pack are both mine! Then, I get to the freezer aisle. Oh no! We have a very tiny freezer that my roommate likes to pack with all sorts of things that shouldn't necessarily be frozen... EVER! But, I went into the freezer section anyway. I got an assortment of frozen veggies. They'll be gone fairly quickly, especially the mustard greens. This southern girl LOVES her mustard greens. I'm already picturing it... panko crusted talapia, mustard greens, and corn. Don't tell me you aren't jealous! Anyway... I even picked up some organic spinach and cheese ravioli. Mixed with some cooked spinach and vodka sauce. That's gonna be awesome. The most puzzling purchase of all, however.... the MorningStar mini corn dogs. YES! YES, I DID! I think I've been around my vegetarian friends too long. I think their crazy anticts are rubbing off on me. Last but not least, I bought some greek yogurt (vanilla's my favorite) and some ZICO pineapple flavored coconut water. I hadn't been able to find ZICO brand ANYWHERE down here. I was very pleased.

Today's total grocery damage... a little over $115. That actually isn't bad. I usually spend anywhere from $130-150. I think the kicker was that I bought food that will ACTUALLY fill me up. Oh, and I didn't worry about what my roommate would want. I was only feeding myself.

But did you notice the really amazing thing? Did you? I'm not sure if you did so I'll tell you.

Everything I bought fits into a pescetarian diet. That's right, kids. I've talked about it. I've researched. I've blah, blah, blahed about it until I just did it. Ok... so I had a tiny bit of chicken salad today at lunch, but starting today at 2:49pm when I got home from the grocery store. I had decided to be pescetarian.

This life of mine of awfully crazy.

Until next time...

Keep It Sassy,

Sarah

Friday, April 12, 2013

Sometimes People Change...

Sometimes we change for the better. Sometimes we don't. It all just depends on the circumstances surrounding our decision or indecision to change.

I found myself surrounded by a collection of different circumstances a few weeks ago. I was more depressed than I had been in a very long time. For those of you who don't personally know me, let me give you a little background info on myself.

My name is Sarah. I grew up in one of the smallest towns in existence called Mooresburg, TN. I have never been thin. I have never been fit. I have never been attractive or pretty. This has led me to live a fairly (I say fairly because I have had fun in my life... some fun that I even regret) sheltered life. I've only dated one person in my entire life. I'm socially awkward. The only time I seem to fit in is when I in rehearsal or performing. I'm an actor/singer/fancer (fake dancer, for those of you who just thought, "WTF?!").

A few weeks ago, I stepped on a scale for the first time in a long time and was shocked at the number I saw. No, I'm not going to tell you what it was. However, I will tell you it is the heaviest I have EVER been. This did not help my depression whatsoever. So, I thought to myself, "What can I do to remedy this?"

Let me just say, if there has been a diet... I have probably tried it. Dieting is not easy for me. I love food, fatty foods. I love french fries and soda (especially a Coca-Cola). I love carbs. Bread, pasta, you name it. Oh, and it doesn't help that those are the cheapest things you can buy in a grocery store. So, I often find myself living off Subway sandwiches (because I unfortunately still work there even with my college degree) and spaghetti. Diets + me = more harm than good.

This time, though, I did something that wasn't dieting. I got online and started looking up gyms in the area. See, I have lots of friends who are health junkies. I'm talking marathon runners, crossfit trainers, nutritionist, Zumba class members, swimmers, dancers... you name it, I probably have a friend who does it.

A friend and coworker of mine has a membership at Anytime Fitness here in town. Not to mention the other friends I have across the country who are also members. So, I took a wild hair and signed up for a tour and 7-day trial membership. Little did I know, I would be signing up for an 18 month membership by the time I left after my tour.

Let me go ahead and tell you... it is the best decision I have ever made. Bre (my friend and coworker) and I go every night at 9pm. I will literally be heading there right after I finish writing this. My other friend, Jon (aka You Know, Jon) has been so supportive, he comes down every Saturday to go for a morning walk with me before we go out for a healthy lunch. He has his own blog that he has just started. He's attempting a paleo-vegan lifestyle for 9 week. If you are interested in checking out/supporting him, you should check out Jon's Paleo-Vegan Experiment.

So, how am I doing now? Well, as of last night, I am 5 lbs. lighter than that dreaded weight I saw on the scale 3 weeks ago. Now, I know 5 lbs. in 3 weeks doesn't seem like much. However, that is 5 lbs. lost be working out alone. I haven't changed my eating habits yet. Right now, I'm ok with that. One step at a time.  Though, I will tell you that the more I work out, the more my eating habits adjust themselves on their own. I find myself drinking more water than I normally would before I started working out. Remember when I said I love soda? Yeah, that's not a lie. Soda = water to the pre-working out Sarah. I'm also becoming one of those annoying coconut water people. I know! I was shocked too, but after a while it just seems to taste SO GOOD! Oh, and let's not forget my obsession with salad at the moment! I am LOVING some salad! Though, this spring weather lends itself very easily to salads.

Sometimes we just change without realizing it is happening. I never thought I would be one of those people who went to the gym everyday, but here I am. It's almost been 3 weeks since I started my membership, and I couldn't be happier that I did.

I guess what I'm really saying is that you should probably get used to the words "gym, work, out, walking, healthy, lifestyle, veggies, fruits, coconut, and water" more often on this blog.

Keep It Sassy,
Sarah

Thursday, April 11, 2013

The blog that suffers...

Glitter Covered Sass is becoming a blog that suffers. I cannot for the life of me figure out what exactly it is I want to cover.

When I first started Glitter Covered Sass, I was living a completely different lifestyle than I currently am. Now, don't get me wrong... I still love glitter. I still love making sassy comments about things that really don't matter in my life or anyone else. Yet, I cannot devote this blog to a lifestyle I no longer lead.

Then, I decided I would write reviews on things I love... books, music, theatre, television. However, I quickly realized that reviews were not for me. There are many bloggers out there who write fantastic reviews. I'm just not one of them.

So... now what?

That's the question.

For now, I'm just going to start updating everyone on myself... my life. I'll tell you right now, though. It won't be fascinating, but it's a start.