My whole "lose 21 pounds by the end of the year" thing got derailed a few weeks ago when I got really, really sick. I’ve since recovered, but I just haven’t hopped back on the fitness bandwagon yet. I think I’m on my way, though. I’ve been reading an interesting fitness book, and today we joined our local L.A. Fitness, which offers lots of classes (yoga, cycling, pilates, etc.), a pool, lots of machines and free weights, and affordable personal training. We’re going to start going in the mornings before work (ugh), so I guess I need to work on my whole night-owl thing. My bedtime simply cannot be midnight if I’m getting up at 5:30 every day. But here’s to good health, which is what I really want for my birthday (well, that and smaller thighs).

I have a new fitness love: Candlelight Yoga, from Crunch Gyms. I ordered it from Netflix, and even though it’s a couple of years old, it’s exactly what I want from a yoga DVD. I’m not into power yoga, Bikram yoga, or any yoga that hurts. For me, yoga is less about exercise, and more about centering yourself and your breathing, while stretching and relaxing your muscles.

This DVD, starring instructor Sara Ivanhoe, delivers just that. It’s only about 40 minutes long, and Ivanhoe guides you through a series of relaxing poses, while simultaneously helping to keep the focus on the breath. It’s not a strenuous, challenging workout, but it does make me feel calm and my muscles always feel thoroughly stretched. Plus, I always sleep really well when I do this program before bed. I highly recommend it to anyone who is searching for a calming, gentle yoga routine.

I really love these pieces from Patagonia. They are cute, stylish, functional, and come in multiple colors. I especially like the boy shorts, since my legs tend to chafe when I work out. Adding the cute top makes a complete outfit, so you’re not reduced to simply wearing them to the gym. Plus, the clothes would work equally well if you’re walking, jogging, or doing yoga. I never buy fitness gear online; I find that exercise clothes tend to run small (I guess the assumption is that you are active and fit, and therefore compact and muscular), so I prefer to try them on before purchasing. However, I may make an exception in this case; these are just too cute to pass up.

I’m totally obessed with fitness information. I subscribe to Shape, Self, and Fitness, and I regularly check the websites for those magazines as well. I like to browse Cooking Light, and I regularly read the Hungry Girl blog. The thing is, you could never tell by looking at me. Even though I do exercise, I have some medical issues that slow down my metabolism, and I’ve been carrying around extra pounds for a few years now (it got even worse after I got married). So, I decided to do something about it. This fall, I signed up for a 3-month, 2 semester yoga class. I love yoga, and I was really missing my regular practice. Plus, I was looking forward to the opportunity to get out of the house and get in touch with my spiritual side. So imagine my dismay when I called the day before class was supposed to start (to find out what building to go to) and was told that the class was being cancelled because not enough people had registered. You see, even though I live in the Atlanta metro area, there is a shortage of yoga studios around, so I had signed up at a local park that had a minimum registration requirement. Since they didn’t notify me in advance that the class was cancelled, I didn’t have the chance to try to squeeze into a class at another park. So I’m SOL on that one. There’s still a chance that the October session will go through, though, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

In the meantime, I decided to come up with a new plan. I’ve read time and again that the most successful people set small, reachable goals. Even though I know that, I never think that way. I always want to just "lose weight" or "wear a smaller size." This time, though, I’m setting two goals. I started on 9/11/06, with a goal to lose 5-10 pounds by 10/07/06. I know 5 lbs. is more likely, but 10 would be neat! I have reasons for the 10/7 date that are too long to go into, but they involve a football game, the symphony, and my anniversary. In addition to that, I would like to lose a total of 21 pounds by the end of the year. That would put me at a weight I would be happy with, as well as bring me to the BMI that I want (and no, I’m not going to divulge my current weight. No power on this earth could make me do that!). I’m also upping my water intake, cutting back on my Diet Pepsi intake, and trying to eat well and in moderation. I’ve tried many times to keep a food journal, and I just HATE it, so I probably won’t be doing that. I’ll keep you posted on my success.

My inspiration photo. I know Britney is totally insane now, but she had a rockin’ bod before she started poppin’ out kids. Every time I see this picture it makes me want to exercise. I had the opportunity to buy the poster for $2.00 to hang in my home gym, but I was too embarrassed to actually buy a Britney poster. Now I totally regret it.

I don’t really get the whole Kate Bosworth thing. To my knowledge, I’ve only seen her in one movie, and while she was okay, I wasn’t particularly impressed. She may be talented, but really, she just strikes me as a sort of average girl. She’s attractive, but I don’t find her especially pretty, and I think she’s frighteningly thin. I don’t really care that her eyes are different colors, or that she and Orlando Bloom have apparently split up again.

HOWEVER…

I do really like her hair in the above photo. During her press junket for Superman Returns, her hair looked awful (see right). It was brassy and she had these horrible bangs. But now it looks soft and pretty. This photo is from NY Fashion Week, and I love the shorter, relaxed look. Plus, it looks as though her hair is longer in front and flippy in back, which is the way mine is, and will probably continue to be until my layers grow out. My hair appointment is on September 29, so I have about three weeks to figure out what to do…any suggestions?