lynnskin's Journal

Day 46: Back to my roots and celebrity hairstylist.

Instantly Feel Better!

In preparation for an intro video for my website, http://www.skinnyandrichcoach.com, I decided to return to my hairstylist extraordinaire, Vincent Roppatte, Style Director at Saks Fifth Avenue. Vincent and I go back 25 years, when I first starting going gray at a very early age. He made me a red head and I have never looked back. He is one person I trust implicitly when it comes to style and he has never let me down. He's that good and I walk out of his salon feeling beautiful.

It had been a couple of years and no other colorist or hairstylist has even come close to his talent. For my video, I wanted to look my best and it takes a chunk of time and money to do that. A beauty consultant from Bobbi Brown did my makeup. I sashayed out the door with a grin.

At my daughter's acting classes, I felt more confident and was hoping I would meet some of her casting directors who teach there and "get discovered". I was having a Walter Mitty moment.

Getting a beauty makeover, haircut, blow out, manicure, pedicure, massage, or personal shopper, are all great outlets to feel better. If you look good, you feel good, and it does wonders for your self confidence and how you present yourself to the world.

Day 45: More about how thin people eat:

Throwing food away and an apple a day!

Our coffee machine in the office was broken this morning and I went to Starbuck's to get a frappuccino. I noticed a slim woman with bare arms and excellent muscle definition walking in front of me and she stopped to sample a drink they were giving away at Starbuck's called "Refresher".

As I approached the store, I saw the juice drink she was tasting, and she told the promoter it was sweet. I tasted a red sample and thought it was sweet too and kept on drinking it even though I didn't really like it. The slim woman tossed hers after one sip so I tossed mine too. Why did I think I had to drink it? That was mindless drinking.

At the next corner, she stopped at a fruit stand. What a smart strategy. If I stop for something to eat on the street, it's usually a giant bagel with a ton of butter, although I really haven't done that in a long time.

I'm learning I don't have to eat or drink something I don't like especially if it's free. It's called throwing food away or leaving some in the plate. Eating fruit is a smart and healthy choice at any time like eating an apple a day.

Day 44: Run and Swim.

Go Big or Go Home!

Mondays are usually an intense work out day for me. I take an early spin class and then later in the evening after work, I do a 30 minute run, relax in the hot tub, and take the swim clinic. Bill, our swim coach, had a previous engagement, and the aquatic center's director, was covering for him.

He is a no-nonsense coach and was determined to have us work harder than we ever have before. Out of the gate, he was asking me to double my longest swim. When I asked him about the possibility of warming up a couple of laps and building up to it, he said "Go big or go home!" as an expression to motivate me. It did and I doubled my longest swim after warming up a couple of laps. He said that if I wasn't exhausted I wasn't pushing myself hard enough. It was still early and it was also beginning to not be fun anymore.

He had me doing 6 100-yards and I developed a cramp in my foot and shin. I stopped after 25 yards to try and rub it out and then did another 25 yards. It was now in my calf too. He told me I was done, either dehydrated or my muscles were tensed up, and I would be out for a day. Either way, I was going home.

Coaches push hard by their very nature and every one has their own approach. Bill, our regular swim coach, called me a rock star, and with his help I believe I will swim miles. It is not necessary to push ourselves to exhaustion. Coaches are there to encourage, inspire and watch out for us. It is about us and not about them. When their ego starts to come into play, it's time to trust yourself and what's best for you. Do it for the right reasons not to meet some one else's expectations.

Day 43: Back to (acting) school and celebrities.

Letting Go!

Today was the first day of acting school for my daughter who commuted into NYC this morning very early. Her classes are just one subway stop away from my office but she needed to get there earlier than I usually go in and we needed to do a run through before I let her navigate the city on her own.

The commute on the LIRR went fine and she learned the subway route which meant switching after one stop. When we got to 42nd Street, she just started walking on her own and seemed to forget I was even there. That was fine, walking a few step back from her, watching how she would do.

At that point, I knew I had to let go. She was growing up and I can't always be there to watch her or help her avoid mistakes. Even though she walked past the block of her school, we corrected, and found the building. Upstairs, she walked into the studio and barely said goodbye. She had entered her new world. I poked in to kiss her goodbye and went on my way.

At Grand Central Station, I passed a couple embracing on the street, and then they also went their separate ways. The woman turned back, looking at her lover longingly, smiling in hopes of another glance, and then proceeded on the street.

Letting go is a necessary part of life as painful as it may be sometimes. The feelings of love, attachment, and connection make it so worthwhile.

Day 42: Spin Class & Beach Bliss!

Waves, Hills & Slopes

I walked into the 8:15 Sunday am spin class and my coach said to his girlfriend "I knew she'd be here." Where were my other teammates? In front of the whole class, he congratulated me on my first ride and his girlfriend for the 75 miles bike ride she did yesterday. I was clapping for us and leaned over to her saying "Wow, 75 miles!" and she just shrugged like it was nothing please don't bother me.

His classes are intense and he pushes us all to go faster, farther, and harder. He increased the resistance on my bike or told me to do it. I love his classes, love that I survive them and sweat buckets. He asked me if spin class is different after the ride and I told him that I got out of my saddle in the bike run just as I do in spin class. He reminded me I had no trouble getting out of my saddle when I fell and now I think he's kind of a jerk. He can be a jerk and still be a good coach. They are not mutually exclusive.

After class, my sister and I headed out to the beach for another beautiful beach day. Although we got a late start, we were lucky that the attendants opened up the parking lot for Field 6, our favorite, and the shortest walk to the ocean. We parked our chairs right up on the shore and went straight into the water. All our stress melted into the sun, sand and sea. We applied our sunscreen (30 SPF for me, 6 for her), read, chatted, swam, ate, texted, and lost track of time. With a new boogie board in hand, I headed out to sea, where the waves looked relatively flat. Once I got out there, they seemed larger, and I as they get closer, they get smaller again. I got knocked down by a wave and then another when trying to get up. I was totally caught by surprise.

The hills I rode on yesterday looked larger from a distance, then manageable as I got closer. Is it my perception or an optical illusion? Now, when I drive my car and slow down to brake, I click out just for practice, and notice how the engine runs to go uphill. When I skiied, the mountains looked so high on the lifts and at the top. Once I started going downhill, they didn't seem as daunting.

There will always be hills to climb and hard work to get to the top. The skills needed to navigate them are already there. The more practice I get, the easier it will become. I may fall sometimes, in fact, I should count on it. It's not a straight line up and the learning curve comes in getting up again. How I approach these hills and valleys is up to me.