Apparently, wine makes you fat!

Summer is finally here!  Unfortunately, I threw in my old beach towel when I should have been getting my body ready for shorts and sun. It's not like I miss six-pack abs.  I've never had a six-pack, but I do miss those two vertical lines that run the length of my abs (do they have a cool nickname?) and my jeans are a little too tight. Alas, it's time to shape up before I ship out. I am not one to be dishing out diet advice right now, but here are my own personal reminders. For better or for worse, they work for me.

Revisit Jackie Warner - no sugar, no salt, no junk food and no wine! Did I say no wine?  I meant no wine 5 nights out of 7.

Everyday is not a vacation (sad consequence: now I have to eat salads on vacation).  Yes, really (the sun just came out and instantly I wondered if I had champagne chilling)!

You can never exercise away (or work off) a diet of sugar and junk.  Food is the number one component of a healthy mind and body. Exercise is second.

People who drink like fish will eventually start to look like whales!  F*#@!

What most people spend 60 minutes working out, you can accomplish in 20 with focus and intensity.

Heavy weights with 6-8 reps are more efficient than 50 reps without weights.

All those magazine workouts you cut out for new ideas, make them into bookmarks. You'll always have ideas handy when on vacation or just at the park.

A pitiful, short workout is always better than no workout because it keeps you mentally in the workout game and on schedule.

Cardio is a waste of time without intense intervals.

Cheat meals must be earned.

Yoga is not a waste of time.  It is necessary for a calm and focused mind which help you make better decisions in regards to food, exercise, parenting, and life.

The scale is less important than what you look like naked and if your clothes fit well.

Discipline is mental.  Your body is capable of whatever you tell it to accomplish.

Finally, don't tell people you are dieting...just don't.

40 Challenges for my 4th Decade

OOPS, I have just been corrected. My 5th decade, I don't like the sound of that at all. haha
My goal is to complete 40 tasks in my next decade of life. Ten years should be enough, right?

1. Promote and try to sell my paintings
2. See Aurora Borealis with my own eyes
3. Fly in a helicopter
4. Take the Orient Express
5. Take a horse-drawn sleigh ride
6. African Safari, preferably river, photo safari
7. River cruise themed (literary, gourmet, or wine)
8. Attend Bundesliga match or any football match.
9. Maintain my weight without using the "over 40" or "hormones" excuse
10. Take a street art tour in Berlin or Paris
11. Visit a souk in Marrakesh, cross the straight of Gibraltar, and watch flamenco in Seville (same trip)
12. Visit Eastern Europe
13. Visit a restaurant that is sign-less...secret...locals-only...hell, I will just be happy if Osteria would give us a reservation ;)
14. Write our/my will.
15. Watch a car race in Monte Carlo or Monaco
16.  Picnic at the horse races in ________.
17. Learn to surf at a surf camp
18. Learn to make galettes and buy a crepe smoother
19. Do a working farm stay for cheese, wine, olive oil, or any food I am passionate about.
20. Let more things go.
21. Live simply.
22. Maintain my yoga practice even if it's a solo practice at home.
23. Decide where to retire and purchase a home (Girona, Spain)
24. Hike the Pyrenees and visit Barcelona
25. Don a mask during Carnival.
26. Shop in the San Lorenzo Market in Florence
27. Buy new luggage.
28. See the spray-painted dome in Spain
29. Learn to Ballroom dance or Tango
30. Learn German
31. Read Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
32. Read Murder on the Orient Express a week before we board.
33. Visit the #1 tourist thing when traveling.  I usually avoid these, but it's embarrassing I have never been to the Louvre.
34.