Physical Funness for the Motion Starved

Fit more fun into your fitness while exploring the outdoors.

Tag Archives: kelley


by Leave a comment

Geezzz, it’s just not getting much better…

MedBerries

It started on Friday (the 13th), I was meant to fly to San Diego for a Celebration of Life “Party.” Being the Ding Bat, that ageing is turning me into; I drove myself to the wrong airport. After sustaining a panic attach while being informed of my mistake, I finally got myself to San Diego where I realized that I had forgotten to pack a single piece of underwear. Given that I had to wear a dress to the party, this new development tossed me into another frenzy. In the end, I managed to survive the weekend in spite of the fact that at the party a man I’ve known for years called me aside and said with immense enthusiasm… “So, tell me about your partner!” It seems that because I’ve never spoken of the men in my life to this character and the fact that I live in San Francisco, he assumed I must be gay. Normally I could care less but on this day it just added to my emotional exhaustion.

I’m home now and have learned (according to my horoscope in Sunday’s SF Chronicle), that if I can’t “partner up” now, with Mars and Venus in my one-on-one sector, then it’s never going to happen. That’s just f’ing great! I have today, Tuesday, May 17th 2011 to find the man of my dreams and “partner up,” if I don’t, it’ll be just my cat and me until the day I die.

At this point I’ve decided the only thing that’ll make me feel better is to make chocolate dipped strawberries. I want chocolate chip cookies, a three-cheese pizza and a case of wine but I figure I should maintain some control. Just in case “he” shows up.

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries — Easy, take a strawberry and dip it into melted chocolate, let it sit on a wax paper lined plate or tray and put in the frig till the chocolate is set.  You can roll the dipped berry in coconut or other nuts before setting if you like but remember the calorie count.

One cup of sliced strawberries contains about 49 calories and 3 grams of fiber plus a lot of other wonderful nutrients. Chocolate covered strawberries contain about 30 calories each. Not as bad as a cookie for sure. In my book a good substitute for those days when having chocolate is simply a must.

That’s all I got for you, gota get busy and hunt a man down.

See ya tomorrow.


by Leave a comment

Workin’ with what I got


Today my neighbor referred to me as “Big Butt.” Obviously she doesn’t like me much. I was shocked at first, in disbelief that a woman in her 50’s would behave so childishly and mean. Rather than launch a counter attack, I decided to turn away from the nasty woman and take my big butt away from her, and her insane nastiness.

For about 5 seconds I felt bad, she was right, I do have a big butt; I’ve had it all my life. No matter what I do, it stays big. Then I remembered all the cool things my big butt has done in it’s life, and all those who have appreciated it. And then I realized that I like my big butt! It’s big and round and it does all sorts of really amazing things really well. Including attract plenty of big butt loving boys, so take that, Nasty Neighbor lady!

Oddly enough, as I was thinking about this, the song “Work That” by Mary J. Blige started streaming through my ear buds. I’ve heard this song maybe 50 times but it wasn’t until today that I actually heard what was being said. The song is about working with what you’ve got and appreciating yourself no matter what people say. It’s spot on, and worth a listen. Below are the lyrics but it’s more fun to watch the video and read along. Listen to it, no matter who you are, and do it especially if you are a daughter, or have a daughter.

Have a great weekend. My lovely big butt and I will be back on Monday.

Kisses…

The lyrics to, Work That – by Mary J. Blige

Work your thing out, Work your thing out, Work your thing out, Work your thing out

Theres so many-a girls
I hear you been running
From the beautiful queen
That you could be becoming
You can look at my palm
And see the storm coming
Read the book of my life
And see I’ve overcome it
Just because the length of your hair ain’t long
And they often criticize you for your skin tone
Wanna hold your head high
Cause you’re a pretty woman
Get your runway stride home
And keep going
Girl live ya life

I just wanna be myself
Don’t sweat girl be yourself
Follow me, Follow me, Follow me
Girl be yourself
That’s why I be myself
And I’m gonna love it

Let em get mad
They gonna hate anyway
Don’t you get that?
Doesn’t matter if you’re going on with their plan
They’ll never be happy
Cause they’re not happy with themselves

Na na work what you got
I’m talking bout things that I know
Na na work what you got
It’s okay show yourself some love
Na na work what you got
Don’t worry bout who’s saying what
It’s gonna be fine
Work what you got

Feelin great because the light’s on me
Celebrating the things that everyone told me
Would never happen but God has put his hands on me
And aint a man alive could ever take it from me
Working with what I got I gotta keep on
Taking care of myself I wanna live long
Aint never ashamed what life did to me

Wasn’t afraid to change cause it was good for me
I wanna…

I just wanna be myself
Don’t sweat girl be yourself
Follow me, Follow me, Follow me
Girl be yourself
That’s why I be myself
And I’m gonna love it

Let em get mad
They gonna hate anyway
Don’t you get that?
Doesn’t matter if you’re going on with their plan
They’ll never be happy
Cause they’re not happy with themselves

Na na work what you got
I’m talking bout things that I know
Na na work what you got
It’s okay show yourself some love
Na na work what you got
Don’t worry bout who’s saying what
It’s gonna be fine
Work what you got

Work that, Work that, Work that
Girl don’t hold back
You just be yourself [3x]

Na na work what you got
I’m talking bout things that I know
Na na work what you got
It’s okay show yourself some love
Na na work what you got
Don’t worry bout who’s saying what
It’s gonna be fine
Work what you got

Work that, Work that, Work that
Girl don’t hold back
You just be yourself

Work that thing out, Work that thing out, Work what you got


by 1 Comment

My nose is F’ing huge!

I hope that nose came with the glasses!

Sorry Dad, I know I have your nose and that fact makes you’re remotely proud, but our noses are ginormous! When I was 8 it didn’t seem like a big deal but as I age — “It” keeps growing, and frankly it’s starting to freak me out!

Yep, it’s true, your nose and ears grow until you die, like your hair! The only thing that stops growing are your eyes. At this rate, in a few years my “beautiful eyes” will look like pimples next to my GINORMOUS nose!

Your nose grows a half a millimeter a year, there’s nothing you can do about it other than stop looking in the mirror. Sure, there is surgery and there are exercises to “shrink your nose” but this is where I draw the line. Sorry but I have my limits. Google it yourself if you want to do nose shrinking exercises or cut yourself.

I’m gonna work on…loving my…nose/self…?


by Leave a comment

Is it Friday yet?

Well…it’s certainly been a full week here at Motion Starved HQ.  First there was my post about crooked butt cracks, which sure got its fair share of attention, from folks all over the world too. Then, after writing about asparagus I decided to burn myself up a batch only to find that it was full of sand (you gotta rinse it!). Crunch, crunch, into the trash it went. Then I visited Dr. Barbara so she could snap my ankle back into place, as always she did a great job, thank you DB! After that however, I managed to shake something loose in my head causing a spell of the dizzies. It was like I was Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Dehydration, maybe, but not likely in this case. My educated guess based on unpleasant past experience says, some crystals shook loose in my inner ear. Silly things can really mess up a girl’s evening (and the next few). Are you wondering what I’m talking about?

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) — Basically, there are these little crystals that float around in the canals of your inner ear. Occasionally those little buggers get dislodged and strike against sensitive nerve endings within the inner ear, resulting in usually short, but severe, room-spinning vertigo (the “dizzies”) and in some cases nausea.

They say the thing to do is to figure out which side/ear is messed up and then avoid laying or tilting your head in that direction for a few weeks and the problem will go away on it’s own.  Silly as it sounds from my experience that’s all you can do. You’ll know which ear it is because when you tilt or turn your head in that direction you get very dizzy.

Anyway, don’t worry yourself, these things don’t usually happen unless you’ve had some sort of head trauma, hopefully none of you will need to deal with this. In my case I took a little fall on my bike a few years back traumatizing all sorts of body parts and sending me into a spin for months. I was walking around like a drunkard. Hella fun!

TGIF is all I have to say!  Go get you some love and some sun this weekend. Life is short, time to let the crazy out!

See you on Monday!

P.s. If you find yourself with a case of the “dizzies” you best visit the Dr. to decipher the cause, till you get there Dramamine or Bonine will help keep you upright.


by Leave a comment

Kelley ditched us!

Happy Monday, Motion Starved is taking a Personal Day today. Kelley ran off to San Diego after the Climb for Air and she won’t be back till later today. Sorry, but you’ll have to wait till tomorrow for her report on Saturdays big event.

In the meantime Kelley offers a happy Monday work out routine to get your week started on the right foot. After that, why don’t you revisit her very first post, Celebrate the simple things, it’s a good reminder.

Kelley’s Monday Morning Eye Opener

  • Do this first thing in the morning after you’ve had your coffee but before you eat breakfast.
  • Start with 2 squats then do 2 mtn climbers, 3 squats, 3 mtn climbers, 4 squats, 4 climbers pyramid all the way up to 10 of each and then work your way back down to where you starved. Stretch and you’re done.
  • This workout should take about 10 minutes, including the time to stretch.

Have at it!


by 1 Comment

T-Minus 24 hours

A day at the beach

Happy Friday everyone. For me this week has flown bye.  Lots of family dramarama, this nasty weather and the anticipation of my little stair climb tomorrow has kept things moving at a frightening pace. Maybe that’s a good thing? While the added stress has me a bit put off, sometimes distractions have their benefits. The key is to find my focus on race day.

Anyway here we are, T-minus 24 hrs. In spite of the shitty weather I went for a little run along Baker Beach this morning to loosen up the legs. I must tell you, there’s nothing better than a run along the beach in the rain. Nobody was out, not even the naked guys. I easily found my rhythm and had a fantastic run. I’m ready, I’m hydrated, I’m rested and I’m lookin’ forward to kicking some serious stair climbing ass!

Why am I doing this? I signed up for this event thinking that I might encourage some of you to joining me. I thought it would be a relatively easy goal for anyone to accomplish and because it’s a very good cause. After all, I am rather fond of breathing and I am fortunate in that my lungs are healthy so I wanted to do what I could for the cause, as well as those of you who seem to want to reach new fitness heights. That and the fact that I like doing new and different things and this is something I’ve never attempted. Maybe more of you will join me in the next challenge?

So, there you go — I start climbing tomorrow at 9:00, be a sport and send me some good juju between 9 and 9:20, breath deeply and frequently. Hopefully, this stair climbing business will take me less than 20 minutes; I’ve got shit to do. Kra-zy! I’ll send an update via twitter if you’re interested. Check me @motionstarved or on this site under the photo to the right.

Stay dry and I’ll see you next week, kiss, kiss…

P.s. Weather Lady says the sun is on it’s way back to SF next week! Hang in there!


by 1 Comment

White girl with rhythm

I dated this nutty AfroRasta whack job a few years ago.  That’s when I first experienced the evils of a Scorpio Gemini consort.  That aside, my old friend did have some pretty funny things to say. One of them was, “wo-man, U a white girl wit’ rhy-dm!” Somehow that seemed odd to him.

Rhythm — While extremely useful on the dance floor, finding ones rhythm is extremely helpful anytime you need to keep something up for an extended period of time. I’m referring to the rhythm that helps you breath and focus as you exercise. Before I started writing this post I did some Googling for help but all I could find was a bunch of Jesus stuff (WTF?), some stuff about sex and a little about music. I read the sex stuff but not the Jesus stuff.  It was kind of annoying.

Anyway, finding rhythm is imperative to a successful day on the bike, on a run or even cleaning the house. You must get into a flow/rhythm to get anything done successfully.

Here’s what I’m thinking – Rhythm is about focus. Take my stair climb this Saturday. If I freak and get distracted, my breathing will be stressed, any discomfort I feel will be magnified and I will not be able to smoothly and efficiently complete the task of climbing 52 flights of stairs. The thing to do is to relax, and focus only on myself and what I need to do. I’ll put one foot in front of the other, find a pace that I know I can sustain and close everything else completely out of my mind. If I do that I’ll find that my body will naturally find it’s own “rhythm,” and like on the dance floor I’ll boogie up the steps feeling great all the way to the top (“great” might be a bit much).

I hope this makes sense. Finding your rhythm is hard to explain but when you got it you know it and it feels great!

Lastly, here’s what my friend Mo say’s about rhythm – You got to start at your own pace and do what works for your body.  Once you got that going on for a bit, you can try to push yourself, but if you push before you know what you are feeling you are bound to blow.  And ignore all the speedy-Gonzales’s around you.  They have their body, and maybe they and their body will be way behind you at the end (excellent point Mo!).

See you tomorrow for T Minus 24 hours…


by 1 Comment

Workin’ off my muffin

Workin' it!

Get a Hula Hoop.  Use it to have some fun and get a little exercise. There are classes and videos and all sorts of suggested uses for a Hula Hoop. Even Marisa Tomei has gotten in on the action with her own video and hoopBody Kit.

I’ve just ordered a weighted hoop (2 lbs); they say they’re easier to operate and I would guess allow for a better workout.  Either way, I intend to use mine as a vehicle for laughter and to work my core. Remember, my Ab Challenge? Maybe even one day I’ll try a Hooping class but for now it’ll be a fun way to break up my core workout.  A few crunches here, a few turns of the hoop there. Get where I’m comin’ from?

For inspiration have a look at this video. It’s called April Curvy Hooping. While you might think this sister could use a little more core work she’s clearly fitter than she looks and I think one hot Hooper! Seriously…take a second to click on the link.

(And yes, the Hula Hoop will be making an appearance at one of my Fitness Walk workouts one day soon…)

Make me proud! See you back here on Monday…


by Leave a comment

Have your pizza and eat it too

Kelley's kitchen sink pizza

I love pizza. With that, one of my goals in life is to figure out how to eat as much as I want for the least amount of devastation. The suggestions below are a way to eat more pizza than would normally be acceptable.

Here’s how it works.

  • First, make your own pizza. I think of my pizza as a canvas on which I am able to express my culinary imagination, there are no limits to what might show up on my pie. Everything is good with bread and cheese. However, I always make my pizzas mindful of calorie, fiber and nutritional smarts.
  • Start with good quality whole-wheat pizza dough.  I like Trader Joe’s as I’m too lazy to make my own.
  • Next, I pile many many vegetables on my pizza so I bake it on a cookie sheet. If you use a screen or stone the pizza will fall apart (trust me!) make a mess and you’ll go hungry.
  • Roll out your dough on whole-wheat flour or corn meal and lay it on the cookie sheet. Preheat the oven at 450 degrees. Sprinkle dough with cheese. (I don’t use “sauce” as it just adds calories/sodium and in this case you don’t need it.)
  • What to put on your pizza?  I like to use as many vegetables as possible. In my mind lots of veggies cancel out the cheese that they ‘re laying on top of.  And, the fibrous veggies bind with the cheese (in your stomach) to help move the fat out before it can cling to your arteries (I learned that on Dr. Oz).

Here are some of my favorite pizza toppers (remember lots of veggies!)

  • Chard – lightly sauté with lots of garlic, you’ll need at least 6 cups of sautéed chard. Try Gruyere cheese and a little Mozzarella. Sprinkle with Parmesan when it comes out of the oven.
  • Spinach – With all leafy greens you should lightly sauté them as to lessen their water content. Sauté with a little olive oil and lots of garlic down to 6 cups. Mix in ¼ cup golden raisins and some pine nuts. I like to use Fontina and mozzarella cheese on this version.
  • Left Overs – Last night I used every veggie left in the frig. The photo above is, 1 cup chopped (not sautéed) spinach, 3 cups yellow squash sliced about ¼ inch thick, 3 cups broccoli flowerlets, 9 asparagus spears and one red onion on a bed of pepper jack and mozzarella cheese. Prior to baking, I drizzled the veggies/pie with 2 tbsp’s of olive oil. I sprinkled red pepper flakes and Parmesan on top after baking.

Rules of thumb

  • Use 6-8 cups of veggies and no more than 2 cups of cheese.
  • Use an average of 3 tbsp’s of olive oil per pie to either sauté or drizzle on top of the veggies before baking.
  • Use nuts, seeds, organic meats and even beans when possible to add fiber and/or protein.

Some good things to know

  • If you use tomatoes lightly squeeze the water out of them. Cut in half and gently smush so that the liquid and seeds come out (then you can slice or chop them). Too much water on your pizza makes it mushy.
  • Feta cheese has half the calories as most other cheeses. Use that to your advantage!

According to my calculations, 1 piece of these pizzas (1/8th of the pie) will cost you about 200 calories and give you 4 grams of fiber. Obviously those numbers depend on exactly what you build your pizza with but this is a pretty good, general calculation.

Bake your pie for about 20 minutes according to my experience.  The directions on the dough might say it takes 10 minutes but if you load it up, you’ll need longer. Keep an eye on your masterpiece and bake it till the crust is deep golden brown.

Have at it!


by Leave a comment

Hello! I know you’re out there.

All of you should be joining me in Kelley’s Ab Challenge.  Every one of you could use some work on your abs/core.  I’m not calling anybody out, but I am making it easy for you.  What more do you want? Come on, start small but make an effort!

Why do you need a strong core? Basically your core/torso supports every physical movement you make. It’s the body’s center of power, the stronger you are in that area, the easier your life will be. This means, riding your bike, running, picking up your kid, a watermelon, surviving that killer boot camp class or simply getting out of bed.

Here are my suggestions for things to do this weekend. Work your core…

FYI ladies, a strong core makes for a strong pelvic floor.  Strong muscles in the pelvic floor make for tight pelvic muscles. Get where I’m going with this? Valentines Day is coming!

Do something good for your body this weekend!

See you Monday…