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Yikes! Dancing with the Stars: 32 days
Did I really agree to Dancing with the Stars in December?
Yes, I did. I figured that although I was overweight, out of shape and uncoordinated, this was the year I was already way out of my comfort zone, what with my “departure” from my newspaper career.
Besides, Dancing with the Stars was about bringing the community together for a fun time to benefit some worthy causes: YMCA youth and the Women’s Refuge.
That’s what I reminded myself as I shared the news with you almost five months ago. Then, Dancing With the Stars seemed far in the future, entire seasons away.
Time may have been on my side, but fat was on my butt.
With that in mind, in February I joined Molly Redmon’s Jazzercise classes at the Old City Hall Gallery. What a killer that first class was. I huffed and puffed. I mopped my brow. I paused to catch my breath and drink water.
Finally, I reached the top of the stairs.
I stood in the back row, a chunky, 51-year-old woman in a circus-tent of a T-shirt. When everyone else went left, I went right. When everyone else’s hands went up, mine went down. Thank God, Jazzercise gives low impact options. That’s the only way I survived the first month; weeks so full of insecurity and sore muscles that I took to calling it Torturecize.
I clenched my weights so tightly that I developed a thumb version of carpel tunnel syndrom that required cortisone shots. I pulled a groin muscle. I developed rashes in areas I didn’t know could rash.
I once read that if you do anything for 21 consecutive days it’ll become a habit. It took about that long before I didn’t overtly dread Jazzercise. Another few weeks more and I was hooked on Jazzercise, much as I was after Josh was born, when I got down to 114 pounds, which, for me, was (is) skeletal.
So far I’ve lost 15 pounds, not just through Jazzercise, but by also adopting Fit Food Dude’s suggestion of eating smaller, more frequent meals. I don’t call it a diet, or my body will surely rise up and sabotage me.
Not that I’m goodie dance shoes. I’ve had my Sugar Babies moments and my Dibs ice cream moments and a Thrifty’s rocky road ice cream cone or three eaten in my car on the 30-minute drive to Igo - plenty of time to justify how one scoop - with nuts - could count as a dairy-and-protein snack.
I’m a deadline-driven gal. Dancing with the Stars will happen in 32 days. Practice with the other dancers, and my partner, Jake Carver (a Club Cougar dance extraordinaire), begins in two weeks.
Holy crap!
Am I ready?
Hell no!
Will I do it anyway? You bet.
Click here to learn more about Dancing with the Stars.
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Congratulations and YAY for you!
My son Max and Jake used to dance on a team together and they had a routine that always made my heart stop. Jake would hoist Max up by his feet and throw him backwards into the air and Max would do a back flip. Sometimes he landed on his feet, sometimes not. Tell Jake “no back flips” and I’m thinking this will be great!
You go Doni!! You’ll be as light as a feather on your tippy toes dancing the night away!
We will be there cheering you on. Got our tickets online: http://www.cascadetheatre.org/Calendar.asp?View=EVENT&EventID=1517&Date=07/12/2008
All right Doni!!! I just finished a great book called Spark by John Ratey. I, too was a “last picked in P.E. gal” when coordination and athleticism was confused with fitness. Thank the Lord those days may be over. Good luck!!
If you’re looking for those lost pounds, I think I found them.
Doni,
Once you are hooked on dancing you will never give it up. Good luck.
Doni, You crack me up! Just get out there and have fun. I agree with Tammy. You’re bound to get hooked on dancing. Bruce, I hope you have your dancing shoes ready!
I noticed the weight loss in the recent picture at the polling place. You look marvelous!!! Congratulations. It is such hard work to lose and maintain weight. You should be very proud of yourself. Have a fun time dancing and thanks for helping both agencies make some much needed money.
I have always wished that we had Jazzercise out here in Igo. I lived in a rural area for years where we got together, at the local school for awhile and then the local firehouse, early in the morning before work, 3x’s aweek. We loved it and it was a fun way to excerise ( which I typically, intensely dislike). It was very motivating and a terrific way to start the day. With gas prices as they are I can afford to go to Redding 3x’s a week.
You’ll be great Doni! I still think Shellyboo should join you. By the way, what’s happened to Shelly’s columns on decorating and getting rid of your excess junk?
So, Steve Brewer got your extra pounds? It’s probably all those beers and snacks while he knocks out those books and columns at home. I enjoy reading his stuff. Kinda like Dave Barry of the Washington Post.
Good going on your torturesize classes and watch that ice creme.
—————–> Love ya :>)
I too noticed your picture at the pollings place. Congrats!! You look great!! Hope you will soon replace the pic on your blog. Pat J
Hi Doni! I can’t wait for you to learn how to dance, because then you can teach all of us out on your beautiful deck. I can just imagine it — a course on appetizers, drink a little wine, learn the cha cha, wrap up the evening with one of your lemon tarts. Perfect!
Hey Doni,
I got my tickets today! We’ll be up in Loge cheering you on! Since I’m retired from the City of Redding, I will have my eye on Kurt Starman, as well. Oh, and Chita is my weather gal, every night!