Spring/Summer 2015 - Achievaloutions

I added a jar to each classroom on our first day of classes in January and declared them our Achievaloutions Jars. Students and visitors are encouraged to add notecards with their Achievaloutions (things they feel good about having done) throughout each month. This series will share all of the Acheivaloutions in hopes of inspiring you to do good things AND notice them when you do!





Spring/Summer 2015  - Achievaloutions

1. “I came to a bellydance class!” – Margaret
2. “Biceps!” - Anonymous
3. “Went a full day without make-up, yikes!” – Tracy
4. “Completed a 4-day cleanse which got me back on healthy eating track.” – Maike
5. “I’ve been remembering to feed my dog.” – Yvette
6. “Changed up my hair.” – Maike
7. “I designed a coloring book! It was my reward for doing my taxes successfully! Also I hated doing taxes.” - Anonymous
8. “Signed up for a TV show. We’ll see if I get in.” - Anonymous
9. “I have gone just over 2 weeks with out alcohol!” - Anonymous
10. “I lost a pound! I was on ‘the way up’ for months. Now, I’m  ‘on my way down’.” - Anonymous
11. “Emiire shimmy” - Anonymous
12. “I am no longer afraid of choreography.” – Catherine
13. “I woke up!” – Zinta
14. “I bought a new canvas and am ready to start painting.” - Anonymous
15. “I turned 13!” – Aoife
16. “With this very card, I moved a big, nasty spider outside for Malik. Also, I kept my weights up for the two arm songs in Moxie Boxing, Woot!” - Anonymous
17. “ Cleaned my room.” - Anonymous
18. “Washing dishes.” – Cecelia
19. “I ran twice this week.” - Anonymous
20. “I got pass a level that is really hard.” – A message from RJ
21. “My encaustic collages will be at creative co-working!” – Maike Marvels J
22. “I finished a goal.” – Sammi
23. “I got to the final round in Desafio.” - Anonymous
24. “Retagged all my inventory for RAW on Thursday.” – Maike
25. “I started soccer.” - Anonymous
26. “I was invited to write & perform a script for Steppenwolf Theatre.” - Anonymous
27. “Started a new painting this week.” - Anonymous
28. “I baked a banana bread with my daughter.” - Anonymous
29. “I learned a new dance.” - Anonymous
30. “I built a puppet show. I love it.” – Somach
31. “Made it into the studio.” – Donna
32. “Made great connections last Thursday. Had a fabulous RAW Chicago event.” - Anonymous
33. “Organized all my clothing!” – Catherine
34. “Made and posted more Mother’s Day creations on Etsy.” – Maike’s Marvels
35. “Today I enjoyed my evening belly dancing and having fun meeting new ladies. Thanks Malik.” – Talaya
36. “Enjoyed a fabulous Ladies Night out at Hip Circle w/ Noktivo Spa and Rebecca Sturgeon massage.” - Anonymous
37. “I made varsity!” - Anonymous
38. “I had a Bat Mitzvah and became a Jewish adult!” –Ronni
39. “Attended a fantastic Hip Circle Anniversary Party!” –All Hip Circle regulars J
40. “I was a keynote speaker!” –Donna
41. “Two Moxie Boxing sessions this week!” –Anonymous
42. “Had a fabulous critique workshop with Fusto Chicago.” – Anonymous
43. “I rescued really dark videos and made them viewable!” – Malik
44. “I cleaned up the yard to get ready for warm weather.” – Anonymous
45. “Yesterday I was a guest on “RU Famous Yet?” –Roberta
46.  “Made keychains with See Jane Sparkle at the Zumba fitness party.” - 5 lucky Hip Circlers
47. “I got 109 coloring books printed, stamped up so the covers look nice, and bundled with 4 colored pencils each, color scheme optimized for maximum variety per bundle!” – Anonymous
48. “Woke up at 8:00am, but still made it to Moxie Boxing – whoo hoo!” –Anonymous
49. “I recorded my monologue at Steppenwolf this morning.” – Roberta
50. “Hip Circle membership!” –Maggie
51. “I did not freak out (very much) for a blood test!” –Melissa
52. “Made it through screen-free week.” –Anonymous
53. “I got married and I stayed in the moment, and was so excited I shouted my vows and everyone laughed.” –Anonymous
54. “I maintained my weight on an 8-day vacation!” –Anonymous
55. “Moxie boxed today!” –Maike
56. “Found correct alignment in side-lying without cueing.” – Anonymous
57. “Garnering lots of momentum with a variety of projects and organization.” –Maike
58. “I sat through conversations about doctors while exercising.” –Zinta
59. “I lived through my first (and second) spin class!” –Wendy
60. “I started running again!” –Maggie
61. “Lining up a new project and not freaking out about it.” –Anonymous
62. “Completed a creative project I’ve been talking/thinking about for a month!” – M
63. “I signed up for a summer membership.” – Donna
64. “Got a B in math finals and general math grade.” –Anonymous
65. “I have made a concerted effort to cook more and cook healthy foods, and I have gone from zero meals cooked per week to at least 2 meals per week for one month straight!” –Anonymous
66. “Finished a commission and sold a few pieces last month J yay.” –MVW
67. “Had a productive meeting for a project.” –Anonymous
68.  “Did the bathing suit photo shoot!” –Donna
69. “Flash-mobbed divinely at Custer Street Fair.” –Anonymous
70. “Sent a record four articles in to be published today!” –Anonymous
71. “I convinced my boss to do a walking meeting!” –Donna
72. “I came to Moxie Boxing!” –Roberta
73. “I started writing a new play.” –Anonymous
74. “I led the completion of two major projects at work this month; usually it’s one a month. I successfully shuffled to get them done. J” - Anonymous
75. “Had a fabulous pop-up at Swedish Days last weekend!” –Maike’s Marvels
76. “Took three classes in four days with Cara… yoga on!” –Tracy
77. “Participated in an awesome body-positive photo shoot on the beach!” – Several Hip Circle ladies
78. “I didn’t let the mean girls at work make me quit.” – T.
79. “We made time for date night!” –Donna
80.  “Got rejected from a show, but I applied to it! J”  - Maike
81. “I danced divinely in Minnesota. “ – Anonymous
82. “I moved a clavinova!” –Donna
83. “I had a two-year anniversary for a volunteer gig at a world-class museum this week!” –Anonymous
84. “I performed divinely tonight!” – Roberta
85. “I survived crazy summer camp scheduling.” –Donna
86. “Blogged about our body-positive photoshoot.” –Maike
87. “I completed my mid-year goals at work (and then some)” –Anonymous
88. “Got accepted into Morpho Gallery’s Edges show”  –Maike
89. “Finally strong enough to paddle board again.” –Tracy
90. “Enjoying summer J” - Anonymous
91. “Health check week 1 J Going to doctors is good for your health” - Anonymous
92. “I went to an archery class and I hit my target word, which was ‘Magical.” - Anonymous
93. “I successfully carried a hiking backpack that was ~50 lbs that my super fit friend couldn’t even lift! I hiked over half a mile with my gear!” - Anonymous

Achievaloutions - March 2015

I added a jar to each classroom on our first day of classes in January and declared them our Achievaloutions Jars.  
Students and visitors are encouraged to add notecards with their Achievaloutions (things they feel good about having done) throughout each month.  

This series will share all of the Acheivaloutions in hopes of inspiring you to do good things AND notice them when you do!

March 2015:

1. "I went to my first full kickboxing class" - Mia 
2. "Made it to Moxie Boxing despite the time change and did not put weights down during speed bag" - Anonymous 
3. "I memorized my Torah portion (mostly) and have started my D'var Torah" - Veronica
4. "Learning that proper hand position is a glorious accent point to a movement" - Nancy
5. "Took steps to hire new help so I could do my job better" - anonymous
6. "A breakthrough in stamina" - Nancy
7. "I did my first yoga back bend!" - Melissa
8. "Came back to Kettlebell & endured with distraction" = Anonymous
9. "I signed up for the Race Against Hate!" - Donna S.
10. "Commenced Women Out Walking" - Anonymous
11. "Went out on a huge limb and added performance art to my list of experiences." - Malik
12. "I went to Kick Boxing today alone for the first time since mom wasn't feeling well.  I had a great time!  I hope mom's feeling better now." - Mia
13. "I wrote my 1st Sci-Fi story" - Roberta
14. "I finished the 1st draft of my book." - Mia
15. "Did not put my hand down for balance on sides in Pilates for the first time." - Tracy
16. "Got 2 weeks worth of blog posts out of the way for the month." - Anonymous
17. "Balancing work & fun more." - Anonymous
18. "I learned how to grapevine" - Aoife
19. "I walked 10,000 steps a day, everyday last week!" - Margaret
20. "4 performances over 2 days" - Roberta
21. "Making it back to Pilates this month has been great" - Anonymous
22. "Filed ALL my taxes on time." - Malik
23. "I worked on my personal pillars for my own life's 5 year strategic plan" - Donna
24. "Kicked off a new FUSED Chicago year" - Anonymous
25. "I tried bellydance even if I was usually on the wrong foot." - Anonymous
26. "I did two back-to-back Hip Circle classes!" - Donna
27. "Performed at ChiFi Convention.  I am officially a nerd." - Roberta
28. "Got invited to a show after 3 rejections" - Anonymous
29. "I finished the first draft of my new play!" - Anonymous
30. "I got up the guts to talk to my dad about possible onset of dementia" - Anonymous
31. "Just did personal training & circuit back-to-back" - Roberta
32. "I renamed/rebranded my blog.  Visit me at healthydonna.blogspot.com " - Donna
33. "I learned how to shimmy" - Anonymous
34. "Carefully retrained my muscles after a shoulder injury and got back to doing a full Kettlebell AMPD class with the 8 lb kettlebell." - Malik
35. "I now understand a piece of choreography that I was struggling with!" - Catherine
36. "I accompanied a friend to radiology appointment/consultation for 4.5 hours and took 5.5 pages of notes." - Anonymous
37. "I held a short plank for 90 seconds!" - Lindsey
38. "I have achieved the most awesome rank EVER!  My niece (she's 10) wrote me a letter, listing 5 things she was excited about, including her birthday, Easter, her school field trip, DONUTS, and our gay wedding!  I am as exciting as DONUTS!  That's pretty epic!!!" - Anonymous
39. "I made it through 2 foam roller (Pilates) classes in 3 days!  Yahoo!!!!" - Anonymous
40. "I danced with my daughter at her 1st CardioBelly class & she loved it like I do :-)" - Sara Jane
41. "I came to boxing & it was fabulous" - Roberta
42. "Got tax papers together" - Anonymous
43. "Drafted more Etsy listings" - Anonymous
44. "Auditioned (as was accepted) for the Thursday night Tribal Revolution show." - Malik
45. "This month, I worked out 8 (!) times at the studio, 4(!) times at the work gym AND hikes on top of that.  This is the most I've exercised in a decade." - Anonymous
46. "Made it [to the studio] after a long night of dancing." - Anonymous
47. "Performed a jazz gig with a sound system that was NOT functional." - Roberta
48. "I volunteered at the Field Museum to lead 3 tours this month & increase science literacy in the population!  I spoke to abut 150 people, in total, for March." - Anonymous
49. "I passed 8 Elements Initiation!" - Rebecca
50. "Worked on a difficult WBEW assignment" - Maike
51. "I registered for W.O.W." - Wendy
52. "Participated with Malik & Lyna at a feminism convention" - Roberta
53. "Mom and I got to go to CardioBelly.  It was my first time going and I really liked it!" - Mia
54. "As of last week this is the longest I've kept up a workout routine since I was a student! (I'm 34)" - Anonymous
55. "Made it through the ENTIRE WINTER without a single fall." - Malik
56. "I chopped off my ponytail for pediatric cancer!" - Donna
57. "Making it here by 8:15 am DST" - Anonymous
58. "Helped a friend move things out (and am inspired by her to go declutter)" - Anonymous
59. "I lost 100 lbs!" - Rachel
60. "I've gone 7 weeks without eating sugar!" - Margaret
61. "I was able to spin in CardioBelly & not lose balance" - Roberta
62. "I stood my ground in a calm but stern way." - Anonymous
63. "I signed up on the Hip Circle team for WOW!" - Donna
64. "I started contributing to a new humor FB page" - Anonymous
65. "Got 100% on a math quiz." - Anonymous
66. "I finished my 2nd 100Days challenge (and started a 3rd) without missing a single day of recording." - Malik

From Lazy to Lazyman

From Lazy to Lazyman

by Rachel Sobel

I’ve never been very athletic. I was always the last kid picked for teams in gym class. I played baseball and softball, but would have been solely a designated hitter if that option were available in Little League. Through my adult years, I squandered gym memberships and dabbled in group exercise classes, but never stuck with anything for very long. It wasn’t until I was over 40 that things began to change.

Nearly three years ago, I decided I didn’t want to be fat anymore. I went on a strict low-calorie, food-group-balanced diet. It was very difficult at first, but I allowed myself no leeway. For me, the harder part was incorporating exercise into my lifestyle. I started off slowly, exercising a few times a week at the YMCA. Every week, my only goal was to stick with it for another week. I was very self-conscious about my size and my limited abilities. In the beginning, water aerobics and walking were all I could comfortably do. I eventually added Zumba, taking pains not to glance at myself in the studio mirrors as I fumbled through the routines. I started using weight machines. It wasn’t fun, but I kept going.

Gradually, things began to change. As I learned the steps, I began to enjoy Zumba and looked forward to the classes. I began to see some muscle tone and ramped up my weightlifting. Toward the end of the first year, I began seeing a personal trainer at the Y, who taught me a lot and got me over being intimidated in the free weight room with all the boys. When spring came I got back on my bike. By the end of the first year, I had lost 75 pounds. I needed an entirely new wardrobe. Even my shoes and socks no longer fit.

In the second year, I started transitioning my diet to a more flexible way of eating that allowed me to have treats (and wine!) occasionally. Finding the right balance was tricky, and I’m not quite there yet, but I am getting closer to finding it.

By this point, I was enjoying working out and was at the gym 4-5 times a week. Exercise had become a habit. I started running in October. In the beginning, I could run only in quarter mile intervals, walking between them. It was more than a month before I could do a continuous mile. In June 2013, I ran my first 5K, The Race Against Hate. It was so hard, I visualized myself diving into the open doors of the ambulances waiting at the finish line, but I ran every step. I went on to run four more races that summer and fall. I also got more serious about cycling, commuting about 25 miles round-trip to work a few days a week and taking spin classes at the Y at 5:45 in the morning. I developed a regular routine in the free weight room.

Year two was also when I discovered yoga. My friend Becky told me about Elizabeth’s Curvy Yoga class at Hip Circle. I had always wanted to like yoga, but never did. My curvy body always got in the way! I tried Elizabeth’s class and was almost instantly hooked. She taught me how to work with the body I had. The small class was a great community, and there was lots of individual attention. I also loved the empowering vibe of the studio, and that there were women of all types and shapes there. By the end of year two, I had lost 15 more pounds.

I am now just past nine months into year three. I have now lost 99.5 pounds. (Yet my goal of 100 pounds lost still seems just out of reach.) I have an impressive musculature hidden behind a layer of flab that may never go away. But it’s not so much about my weight anymore -- it’s all about fitness. I’m happy with my body and everything that it can do. I don’t need (or want) to be skinny to look and feel great.

Today, I consider myself an athlete – a runner, cyclist, weightlifter and yogini (I’m still working toward swimmer). I do something active every day, often before dawn. I cycle twice a week, run 3-6 miles twice a week, swim once a week, lift weights twice a week, and take yoga twice a week. (Yes, that is sometimes multiple workouts in a day.) I take Kettlebell AMPD at Hip Circle when I need to shake things up a bit. In 2014, I ran two 5Ks and did three group bike rides ranging from 40-50 miles.

This winter, I completed the Lazyman Triathlon at the Y — twice! In six weeks I swam 5 miles, rode 224 miles and ran 52.4 miles. I have several races (maybe even a 10K) in mind for the summer, and am already registered for two bike rides. I am hoping to do a sprint triathlon this summer, if I become a more confident open water swimmer and can invest in a speedy road bike in time. In the fall, I plan to ride my first century.

I know that the odds of keeping the weight off long-term are against me. I am just one injury or illness away from getting off track, and I know how hard it is to get started again. And I will admit that I can be a little obsessive about my diet and exercise – they take up more mental space than I would like them to and that’s something I need to work on. But after nearly three years, I truly hope my active lifestyle is here to stay.