The Disappearance of Richard Simmons

Earlier this month, I got a tweet from Richard Simmons. Even though it only said “XOXO,” that tweet was really special, because it was the first time I’ve heard anything from Richard in four months.

Richard is a remarkably accessible celebrity. He’s taught aerobics in Beverly Hills for 40 years, and anyone can come and exercise with him. It’s been reported that he’ll call 50 people a day, all across the country, to check in on them. He’ll respond to hundreds of emails and messages on social media every week.

Recently, though, it’s all come to a grinding halt. Richard hasn’t taught a class since February. He’s stopped answering emails. No one I know has heard from him. There are still Facebook and Twitter messages, but there’s a good chance they’re posted by his staff. Richard, for lack of a better word, has disappeared.

A Workout Milestone on Day Two

A little while ago I completed my second workout since being sidelined with a hip injury, and it ended up resulting in a momentous workout milestone. Very exciting!

One of the things I do is keep track of all the

Hopefully Healed and Back at the Gym

Yesterday was a big day – my first day back at the gym after a forced week-long hiatus thanks to my hip!

 

Man, I couldn’t wait to start exercising again. But I’ve been careful – you can never be too careful when it comes to injuries – and played it safe.

My hip was a major problem for most of last week. While it rendered me in immobile and in constant pain for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, things really started improving

Easy Green Bean Salad

Need an easy veggie side dish? How about a dish that does double duty as a side or a salad? Check out my Easy Green Bean Salad!

The salad, dear friends, is on the right. On the left is a piece of fish that I

Adventures in Exercise with ClassPass: Part 1

I had been a roll for the two weeks leading up to my hip injury, and a company called ClassPass was a major reason why. ClassPass is based in New York, but recently expanded to Los Angeles, and it’s an awesome idea. By signing up with ClassPass, you get

Will The Suffering Ever End?

OVERLY-DRAMATIC HEADLINE ALERT! Sorry about that, folks, I couldn’t resist. Sadly, it’s true. I don’t like that I’m writing back-to-back posts about health problems, but those are the cards I’ve been dealt this week.

First, let me address the depression that I discussed in my last post. Break out the bubbly, because I’m over it. I have this blog to thank, because writing about it really helped process what I was thinking. It was therapeutic. And thanks to the family and friends that reached out. That was a really wonderful help, too.

So what do I have to complain about this time?

Mental Health Check

I’m quick to measure and notate many things on my path to good health: I have my monthly weigh-ins, my workout progress reports, and, of course, my weight loss chart. Something that’s much harder to quantify or measure, though, is my own mental health, and lately, it hasn’t been great. I’ve been feeling the need to check-in, so to speak, so here’s what’s been going on.

I deal with depression. There’s no simpler way to put it. I was first diagnosed

What’s in the Crockpot? Part Eleven

How about we all start our weeks with a game? How about a game involving a crockpot? How about a game where you guess what’s in a crockpot? Sounds good to me!

WHAT’S IN THE CROCKPOT?

Who’s That Badass In The Stairwell? (More TOWERthon Photos)

Wanna see my favorite photo from last Sunday’s San Diego TOWERthon? Here it is – check out this badass in the stairwell!

Yup, that’s me, tearing it up!

Even though my Race Recap from earlier this week was of epic length, there was a lot I left out. I didn’t include how

June Weigh-In Results AND May Workout Calendar

I was not expecting this. I went into my monthly weigh-in feeling confident that I’d be down – after all, I’d had a killer month of exercise (more on this later), and I had just completed the physically demanding San Diego TOWERthon – but when I stepped on the scale, that was not the case:

Up two pounds. My initial reaction was