Down to the Wire

It is hard to believe that in only four weeks from Thursday, I will be transformed into a 1940's Pin Up Girl via hair/make-up and appropriate clothing. My photo shoot is scheduled for March 24th. When I started "Julie's 40's Project" on December 1st, my birthday seemed like a long piece away.

I am presently working on details of the photo shoot. I have booked my manicure and pedicure for the day before and I have started a list of items I need to gather and purchase before the big day. Having overcome my cold, I was back at the gym this morning and I also started day 1 of week 3 of the training to run 5km. I managed to not gain an ounce of weight even though I didn't get to the gym for a whole two weeks. I also tried on some clothes that didn't fit me when I started this whole adventure and lo and behold, not only do they fit beautifully but one designer skirt that I haven't even worn yet is now too big. I bought it on a sale rack ($140 skirt for $20) knowing I would fit into it eventually. It reminds me of when you have a wardrobe for your newborn and within weeks, your baby has outgrown the clothes before you have had a chance to dress them in them.

Trying on summer clothes yesterday that were too small for me last year (or perhaps I should say, that I was too big for) really gave me the confirmation I needed that I was, in fact, headed in the right direction. The journey has been slow and I have had a few obstacles along the way but I know that this steady pace will result in my goals being reached and more importantly being sustained.

I am most looking forward to sharing the photos of me as a Pin Up Girl with all of you!

Strike A Pose

Back in early January, I received a very cool desk top, daily calendar of Gil Elvgren Pin Ups artwork from my friend, Emmanuelle. It's great because there are 365 pictures of Pin Up Girls from the 1940's right up into the 1970's. It is very interesting to note the differences between the decades and how much racier the 1970's Pin Up Girl was compared to her 1940's counterpart. I went through the calendar and although I liked some of the poses of the Pin Up's in the 50's and 60's, I tore out the pages of the ones specifically from the 1940's. I will take these with me to the photographer as ideas for the poses.

A selection of 1940's Pin Ups

Although I feel nowhere near to ready for this photo shoot and I have not achieved the results I originally wished to achieve (i.e. growing longer legs, for example), I am a woman of my word, and the show must go on. I am now planning my outfits and poses for the photo shoot which is planned for the end of March. I thought it would have been very cool to do the shoot on my actual birthday but the photographer will be out of town. My consultation with hair/make-up and photographer was to take place today but since this Pin Up Girl is feeling ill and will be bedridden as soon as childcare arrives, I had to re-schedule the consult. I also thought it would have been to my benefit to give myself a couple of more weeks since I lost time over Christmas, during my Grandmother's illness and now with being sick but the photographer is away for the month of April and May seems too far away so end of March it is. On the other hand, I am not feeling too keen about investing a large sum of money into the final result photo shoot when I haven't reached my goals.

With that said, I still have 6 weeks to go and so all is not lost. My 40th birthday will come whether or not I am ready for it.

Have a Drink on Me

It seems that the Pin Up Girl motif is everywhere these days. Perhaps, I hadn't noticed it until I decided to turn myself into one. I recently received a gift of a mirror compact/key chain from a friend which has a Pin Up Girl on the cover of it. Another friend, brought some empty beer cans to me after she discovered her brother-in-law's beverage of choice had Pin Up Girl's slapped on them! I mean, they're everywhere!

Old Milwaukee Brewery has hopped onto the Pin Up Girl train

I was just watching a show on television called, "Last 10 lbs Bootcamp" and I only caught the end but the female guest lost 15 inches and 14 pounds in 6 weeks!!!  I quickly came to the conclusion that she was literally starved and burned way more calories bootcamp-style than what she had consumed. There is no way that loss of either weight or inches is healthy. Admittedly, my very next thought was, "How did she do it and can I pull off even half of those results in the next 7 weeks?" I'll be honest, when the numbers remain the same on the scale, one can quickly get frustrated. Logically, I have to be losing somewhere because I cannot eat any better than I am. I can only assume that I need to increase my physical activity and then expect that my shape will change. I do want to be in a better place than I am as I am typing this and I don't mean geographically. I am not into dieting. Radically cutting calories is not only unhealthy but just wouldn't sustain me in the experience I call my daily life which requires a tremendous amount of energy.

But honestly, I am willing to work my butt off and eat as well as possible while still being healthy in order to be my best by the time April 7th comes around. It's tough, though, folks. I am feel some pressure, I have to admit and yet I have decided to move through the pressure and transform it into motivation.

Beyond the Half Way Mark

First of all, my apologies for being gone for so long. I wish I could say it's because I was so busy working out at the gym and shopping for garter belts but alas, I have just been busy with teaching, working in my studio, caring for my daughter, training a new Family Relief Worker and the list goes on. I have managed to do a minimum of 3-4 workouts per week and I am continuing with my healthy eating.............whole foods, limited alcohol intake, minimal dairy and fat, etc.

I was getting a little bit annoyed with the fact that my weight seemed to hit a plateau over the last two weeks. I had an instant reaction to just ditch this project because I felt like I was working my butt off with no results. So I had my personal trainer do my measurements and will re-do in three weeks to see if I am losing in inches if not in pounds. My clothes are fitting better. I wouldn't say they're hanging off of me by any means but they feel looser. I do need to add another hole in my belt which is a sign that I am moving in the right direction. And my personal trainer is jacking up my workouts so I can longer piddle my way through them.

I have found a photographer who specializes in Pin Up Girl photography. My hair/make-up/photographer consultation is scheduled for February 17th. I am pretty excited about this. It is an extravagant gift to myself but I figure, "Go big, or go home." Four months of exercising and creating a healthy body deserves a proper photo shoot and the results that I want. I may schedule the photo shoot for my actual birthday.

So, my humble group of followers, I am still chugging along and really looking forward to spring so that I can run outside and get off that treadmill.