Were our metabolisms different in high school...or our behavior?

Everyone talks about the crazy "freshmen fifteen" or how we can't be our high school weight because our bodies were different. But was it our bodies and metabolisms that were different...or our behaviors? I took the time to really asses the amount of moving, sleeping, and eating I personally was doing in highschool to see just how much it was my "metabolism" that changed, or my life style.

When i saw a "makeover show" about a girl loosing weight over a year i was astonished at what i saw. There was one period of 3 months where the girl worked out 4-5 hours everyday but wasn't watching her eating as much...not being crazy...just not sticking to her 1500 calz a day...and only lost 3 lbs!!! vs. the 3 month period before, while mindfully eating, she lost 65+!!!! i was shocked at how much what we consume affects us...more then working out .

So how much did we move in high school? How much did we eat? Well, if my memory serves me correctly this is roughly what a typical Jillene high school day was like.

Woke up with just enough time to grab a piece of toast and hop in the car. I ate Ezekiel cinnamon Raisin toast with nothing on it. (about 80 cals) Then i went to zero period. After 45 minutes, walked to first period(5 minute walk). Then from first to 2nd( 5 minutes) then it was nutrition (15 minutes on my feet).
I didn't know much about nutrition in high school but i knew i was supposed to drink water. Since i was so bad at remembering to drink water i always made myself drink a whole bottle during nutrition so i could say at least i had a bottle of water. Maybe if i was starving i'd have an apple as well but usually not. I was too busy mingling and drinking my water bottle to also fit an apple in there.
Next to 3rd period. over (5 minute walk) to 4th period. Then it was lunch. By lunch time i would much rather be spending my time flirting with boys then eating a sensible meal. So i would be on my feet dancing around, being an attention whore...probs burning at least 200 cals just by doing that. Then i probably ate a few tater tots(200) or an apple(100), or a cookie(200)...If i was feeling famished i might have even gone for a bagel(250). I remember when i was trying to be healthy i would eat a salad, with no dressing, a little bit of cheese with pine nuts and tomatoes.
5th period was drama (again on my feet the whole time flirting or being an attention whore) 5 minute walk to next class, then school was out.

So let's review just in walking from class to class is = 30 minutes of walking + about an hour and a half from jumpin' around at lunch, nutrition and drama...many more calz burned

After school I had a bowl of cereal(250 calz), then I was either at cheer-leading, dance class, or rehearsing for the musical... more calories burned there.

After that i would go to the gym, not realizing how physical i was-just knowing people should go to the gym daily...and make sure i burned 300-500 calories.. then whatever boyfriend would come over...and if we were making out like crazy high schoolers that's even MORE calories burned...

For dinner my mom made a meat, and a veggie and a starch...i didn't do carbs, and was a vegetarian so not a whole lot of dinner was happening. I'd have some dessert...probably like cheezits or ice cream, then hw. I always made sure to go to bed at 10 because i was tired all the time (now i see why) so i got roughly 9 hours of sleep every night.

Now of course this would change on weekends but this was my basic daily life style and schedule. On top of all that, the amount of laughing, crying, and just being the energetic human i am goes even more towards the amount of calories i was burning on a daily basis.

So between eating about 800-1,000 calories a day, burning about 1,000 calories a day...it's NO WONDER i was X lbs lighter. So i am here to disprove that thing people say "we can't be our high school weight because or metabolisms have slowed" i think it's my lifestyle that "slowed"... It's all about balancing energy in vs. out...and a lot more was going out then! That. is. for. sure!

BUT I am far healthier. I actually eat fruits and vegetables now, am mostly a vegetarian, and walk more then drive in my LA car...so there is some improvement in terms of health!! I don't know so much if i was healthier in high school...just lighter in lbs...

What about u? Are you in better shape then you were in high school??? or worse??? DUN DUN DUN!!!!

Finally got my "Sex in the City" Pool Day!!!

Ever since i saw the episode of Sex in The City where Sammantha takes the girls to an amazingly expensive roof top pool...i have desired this luxury. NOt something for a "whenever i want" basis...but just to experience it.

So, after waking up at 5am from the crazy thunderstorm i thought, oh great! how am I ever gunna get rejuvenated in time for my audition on Sunday. ( My plan for the past 3 days have been to relax and sleep). Little did i Know the beautiful day God had planned for me!

I woke up feeling refreshed and put on my silk Anthropology dress and black flats with my diamond earrings to go meet my mentor for lunch at the Peninsula Hotel on the Upper East Side. Originally we were meeting early in the morning for a pillates class...so i didn't know if the plan had changed...so i emailed her. "Should i bring my gym clothes?" her reply...."oh no- they provide them for you, just bring a bathing suit if you want to use the pool later".... oh. Duh? Of course, how silly of me..... ?!?!???

So i arrive at the beautiful hotel, go up the beautifully carpeted stairway till i reach the elevators that take me to the top floor. I walk out into a dimly lit oak room. I am greeted with a bottle of water while i wait for my lovely mentor...

Once she arrives we put our things in the locker while she gives me a thorough tour of the spa, gym, pool, and all the amenities. She makes sure i get a small pair of slippers, pool shoes, a small robe, and a fresh apple and water to stow away in my locker for when i'm finished.

We go up to the pool that is all glass and over looks central park west, The Moma, and the St. Regis Hotel. My breath is taken away... Beautiful architecture really captures my soul....We go over to the FREE espresso machine that makes me a beautiful latte, then walk towards the lounges to sit till our food is brought up to us. We talk about God, life, work, God, and so on. I always feel so full when i'm with her. Her love for the lord is tremendous and deep.

Our food comes, i got a lobster and scallop salad, she a club turkey sandwich with a side salad, and then a plate of fruit and berries to split for dessert. We thank Jesus for our beautiful time together as we sit and eat our lunch surrounded by windows as the eye of the storm reaches our hotel. There we are with the rain and thunder pouring down and we are protected by the luxurious hotel and conversation of our God.

I feel romance is defined as a moment so beautiful, so breathtaking that you feel it must be completed by another person you love. That was the kind of moment it was there at the top of the hotel, sitting by the pool over lobster, romance. Luckily I got to share this romantic moment not with my mentor alone, but with the eternal lover of my soul.

After we finished our food she said she had to go back to work but feel free to spend the rest of my day here. first i go get changed into my gym clothes. I hop on the treadmill that is right in front of the window facing Central Park and begin to run as fast as I can rejoicing in the Lord for i am beyond blessed. As i'm running one of the men come by with a cool wet towel rolled up on a wooden square. He uses his utensil to hand the towel to me...WHAT?!After an hour of running i'm ready for the pool.

I walk over to the pool and strip off my sweaty gym clothes, pick a lounge, pick a magazine (HEALTH AND FITNESS, of course) and slither into the pool in my bathing suite. The room is kept at about 89 degrees and the pool is heated as well. I begin to swim laps, delighting in the brilliance of the water. Then i notice the relaxing Zen music in the background, and since the pool is only about 4ft. I began to dance. I danced for an hour in the pool to the music~ it's exhilarating to dance weightless, there's nothing you can't do! Then i got out, relaxed on my lounge, drank my bottled water and read my magazine.

once i finished learning how to be more fit, and more healthy, i traveled back downstairs to go washup in the spa. First, the steam room. It was filled with relaxing herbs that put me right at peace. I sang through my audition songs to warm up my voice with the steam. Next i walked out, passed by the ice fountain (tiny crushed ice falls out of the ceiling into a shell bowl. you can grab a handful to chew on to stay cool...) and then into the double doored rain shower.

Finally clean, so relaxed, i go to their makeup station to put on my makeup, blow dry my hair, and put myself together. I gather my things, kiss my experience good bye...but not before grabbing another free coffee ;) I walk down 5th avenue on my way to work feeling like a million dollars. I thought i needed last nights peaceful sleep to be revitalized but God had a much deeper sense of rest in mind. I was at the hotel from 1p.m.-6:30pm. What a beautifully perfect and blessed day. Thank you God for the loving day I've had.

To see the Peninsula Spa VIdeo copy and paste the link below in your browser. Click on the wellness tab, then the spa, then click "go to video" you won't be disappointed ~ it's CRAZY gorgeous!!!

http://www.peninsula.com/New_York/en/default.aspx#/New_York/en/Wellness/The_Peninsula_Spa_by_ESPA/

No Two Artists are Strangers

When it comes to the Sex in the City series... I was a LATE bloomer. I just watched the whole series...maybe even my first episode for the first time last summer. It was after I saw Sex in the City the movie. Everyone said the series was better, and since i was IN LOVE with the feature film, i knew I would love the series. Boy was that just too true!! I would say I'm a combination of Charlotte York and Carrie Bradshaw. But seriously, i just love all the girls! As I was sitting down to my picnic with MY girls in park slope I realized how lucky I am to have the best girlfriends anyone could ask for!

Two years ago when I moved to NYC I remember praying to Jesus for a very strange thing...not just girl friends...it was deeper than that, i prayed for Bridesmaids. Huh? Well see, I realized that most of my life I had my best friend, my boy friend, and then GUY friends. My only friends who were girls were kinda my friends just because we had the same close relationships with the same guys? I know that's somewhat typical for a high school girl but my eyes were opened when i went to my friends wedding the summer before i left and saw that she had a full wedding party of all her girlfriends. i thought, gee--- i have a maid of honor, but i def. don't have any bridesmaids...

So i began praying for not just a group of girls, not just close friends, but a group of girls who knew me inside out so well and loved the core of me so much that I would want them to be by my side for the most important day of my life; my wedding.

My first week in NYC, a group of girls were in an elevator and we were all chatting loudly to someone next to us. Finally we realized we ALL were talking about being hungry, so on a whim we all went to lunch. The two girls sitting next to me were Ellie, and Emma.

Then I got into this class I HATED but needed the credit for. One night I was praying for God to provide me a way out but as I was praying the image of this blond girl in my class kept coming into my head. Okay, i thought. So I'm supposed to be friends with this girl. The next day she invited me to a dance show with her, we had a date~ fell in love, i introduced her to Ellie and Emma and it was fate. The four girls, Jillene, Emma, Hillary, and Ellie were born into friendship ~ we're not exactly sex in the city...but our lives are just as creative, just as interesting, and just as much a TV show.

God has timed life out where i have gotten to know each girl personally one on one as well as enjoy them in our group or at parties. First, I was very close with Ellie for we connected with our belief in God and our Musical theater past. Then when she got the Mumps, Emma and I began to walk to school together since we lived a block away and we grew tight tight tight to the point of going to Scotland together(last summer)! Then when I moved into Hillary's building we got to see each other more and more. My friendship with these girls continue to cycle in waves of all of us being together and having special moments with one another. I love them individually in the deepest way i know how and i love when we are all together enjoying life as a group!

My first year it was us four almost everynight having a different party, tea date, movie night, you name it and now it's not just my 3 girls, I have amazing girlfriends From Courtney my amazing photographer and writer, to Callie my Musical theater Goddess. From my justice fighting Elana, to my caring Public School teacher Emily. Numerous girls from my church I'm falling in love with more and more every time I'm with them...and friends I have yet to meet in the NYU CAP21 summer program. It's gotten to the point that not having enough bridesmaids is not the problem, but how will I ever choose between them? Will I have a wedding party of 20 girls?!

As I sat with my friends at Prospect Park with the elegant Vegan food we had each made and brought for our dinner picnic I couldn't help but feel eternally grateful for the beautiful, amazing, talented, and smart girls i was breaking bread with. Only a God who knows me better than I know myself could have painted this picture i call "my life". Because i am just not that brilliant of an artist to create the masterpiece I walk in everyday.

I have gone through some crazy aspects of life with all of them. I think for all of us some of the most imporatnt things that have happened in our lives have occurred in these past 2 years. Between our selves, our families, boys, and career- we all needed eachother. What would we have done without eachother? As I sat with my friends, i couldn't help but wonder... why have I waited so long to make friends with girls? Do you have a close group of friends you would die for, I do.

*** click on their pictures on the left to see what they're about!

My first wedding in NYC

The beautiful woman I Babysit for asked me if I'd like to start working for her business. She has the best business of all...WEDDING PLANNING!! She does the most beautiful weddings. She was even rated one of the top wedding planners of NYC in The Knot! HUGE DEAL!!!

My first wedding...off on my own~ GO! All on my own i was to go to the groomsman's hotel room and deliver their boutonnieres and check in on how they're doing. They were from London so of course had the cutest accents I ever did hear. I was going back and forth between the brides and the grooms room ( in two different hotels) on the upper west side with last minute "needs". I had never been to this hotel or met the wedding party and yet my boss just trusted me to go out and make it happen! I'm honored she noticed my dependability.

I had to call the photographer and the drivers and make sure everyone was on their way and doing their part. That's what a wedding planner does on the day of the wedding...takes care of the wedding party and makes sure everyone else is doing the job we've hired them to do! I was still waiting for one more of the groomsmen. Finally there's a knock on the door. "coming!"

I open the door...we both are just staring at each other not saying anything as he walks in and I open the door for him...after a 15 second silence I put out my hand and we both decide to speak at the exact same time...

"Hi, are you A?"/" You're really beautiful..."

....blushing.....

"Oh I mean, yes I'm A"( in a British accent....)

I go to check on the cars and the grooms men continue to take their pictures with the photographer, then we are off in a black SUV to the beautiful church. Since it was a British wedding, all the guest arrived in glorious hats and crazy colorful dresses. It was like i was at a mini version of the royal ball! The groom calls me to his back room. " I forgot the table name cards!"

He begins freaking out.

"It's okay man- we can totally figure that out after the ceremony we have a few hours in between"

"NO IT'S NOT OKAY!"

...clearly getting a little nervous and taking it out on silly table name cards...I tried to calm him down as much as I could but...I had to go meet up with my boss and the bride in front of the chapel~ so i re assured him all would be well once more then headed towards the front of the church.

The bride looked gorgeous. Her bouquet was Red roses with purple orchids~ beautiful!! And had a classic white satin dress that buttoned all the way down the back. I held the train of her dress as we waited for her cue...then the music started and she was off down the aisle. PHEW!!!! most important part done. We got them both to the wedding and down the aisle. That's what we came here for right?

I was now with my boss...remember i was doing all this stuff on my own before...and we can reconnect about the rest of the day.

After the ceremony, an old fashioned taxi cab that looked like it jumped right out of "who framed roger rabbit" pulled up to the front of the church to escort the newly weds to central park for their photos. Then two huge NYC tour buses came to pick up the guests and give them a free tour before the reception since many of them were form London and hadn't seen NYC. (Such a good idea!!)

D and I then went to the Burden Mansions to prepare the cocktail hour and reception. It was radiating!!! I felt like i was in an English palace. who knew NYC had this much glamor?! The stone stair cases spiraling out into a courtyard and a balcony where the guest can enjoy gourmet hors d'oeuvres and drinks.

As this was going on A and i would continue to make eyes at each other. He would smile and say something cheeky then attend back to his guests....flirt flirt....

D and I were going back and forth between the two mansions. The second mansion is where the reception would be held..and even MORE beautiful than the first. Three flights of red velvet stairs spiraling up towards a cherubim painted ceiling with tea lights on every other step and huge stone walls. At the top there were tall glass mirror doors leading into a banquet room, a dance room, and a drink area.

Each table was a different NYC theme "Tribecca table, 42nd street table, etc...The band accompanied the dinner. They were brilliant. During dinner they played classical jazz and during the dance party they did all the top hits and i swear it sounded like the blackeyed peas were right there in the room! My favorite part was when they were announcing the bridal party into the ballroom. they played the instrumental of empire state of mine. Then when they called " The bridesmaids" she would do a riff and sing "New york"....the father-riff again"New Yorooork" and so on until finally he called....

mr and mrs "x"... piano pounds bump bump bump bump bump( singer wails )

" In new york, concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there's nothin' you can't do, now you're in new york these streets will make you feel brand new the lights will inspire you..." as the guests stood up and cheered!!! It was so powerful.... and beautiful...so fun!

A famous french chef, catered the dinner. every meal was perfect...and I got to actually meet him!!! There was a shrimp pesto salad followed by fillet Mignon and vegetables, a cheese and bread plate, then a chocolate mouse desert with a triangle of chocolate protruding out as decor. They had a wedding cake that was chocolate, vanilla and coffee mouse with cream puffs that were crystallized in sugar. the best dessert I've ever had! Plus a Mariachi band comes during dessert as a little surprise and everyone LOVED it!! it made the very high money ordeal light hearted and fun!

I overhear a telephone conversation A has " Bye Hun" he hangs up quickly as he sees me...I learn he has two kids.... my cue to walk away.....

The rest of the evening goes beautifully! Running up and down the stairs to get tasks done. Calling cars for people who need a ride. Eating amazing food. Getting to take home a huge block of cheese that's lasted forever and flowers as well.

At the end of it all D and I pop into a cab, and luckily we had a real NYC taxi driver...

"how fast can you get me to east 40th street?" (we were on the upper west side of course)

"i need to catch a train in 7 minutes" D says....Now this was the best cab driver I've ever had!!! he's twisting whirling jumping over cars, it was like we were in a movie, and gets her to her Hampton's bound bus with minutes to spare! We say our good byes and I continue in my cab in my little black dress through the New York City lights back to my apartment.

I meet my friends on my roof and tell them all about my enchanted evening....

Only God could have picked my perfect career, and she's booked me for 3 more weddings already- I think I'm in love with my new job....

Such good Quotes i just had to share them all.....

“Think like a man of action, and act like a man of thought.”
- Henri L. Bergson

“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”
– Hellen Keller

“Half of the troubles of this life can be traced to saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough.”
- Josh Billings

“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there”
- Will Rogers

“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.”
- Mahatma Gandhi

“You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
- Christopher Columbus

“To a brave man, good and bad luck are like his left and right hand. He uses both.”
- St Catherine of Siena

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we took so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened up for us”
- Helen Keller

“We don’t see the things the way they are. We see things the way WE are.”
- Talmund

“Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. If you don’t have any problems, you don’t get any seeds.”
- Norman Vincent Peale

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
- Dr Wayne Dyer

“The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem.”
- Theodore Rubin

“Pessimist : A person who says that O is the last letter of ZERO, instead of the first letter in word OPPORTUNITY.”
- Anonymous

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
- Thomas A Edison

“Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting”
- Elizabeth Bibesco

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.”
- B. Olatunji

“When you get to the end of the rope, tie a knot and hang on.”
- Franklin D Roosevelt

“Your attitude, not your aptitude, determines your altitude.”
- Zig Ziglar

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
- Winston Churchill

“The secret to success is to start from scratch and keep on scratching.”
- Dennis Green

“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.”
- Muhammad Ali

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”
- Dale Carnegie

“So many of our dreams at first seems impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.”
- Christopher Reeve

“Hard work spotlights the character of people. Some turn up their sleeves. Some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.”
- Sam Ewing

“There are those who work all day. Those who dream all day. And those who spend an hour dreaming before setting to work to fulfill those dreams. Go into the third category because there’s virtually no competition.”
- Steven J Ross

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
- Confucious

“Many of life’s failures are people who had not realized how close they were to success when they gave up.”
- Thomas A Edison

“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”
- Stephen Covey

“Efficiency is doing things right. Effectiveness is doing the right things.”
- Peter Drucker

“Do you know what happens when you give a procrastinator a good idea? Nothing!”
- Donald Gardner

“Success is what you attract by the person you become.”
- Jim Rohn

“You have to ‘Be’ before you can ‘Do’ and ‘Do’ before you can ‘Have’.
- Zig Ziglar

“You can have everything in life that you want if you will just help enough other people to get what they want.”
- Zig Ziglar

“The test we must set for ourselves is not to march alone but to march in such a way that others wish to join us.”
- Hubert Humphrey

“Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus when the limo breaks down.”
- Oprah Winfrey

“Formal education will make you a living. Self education will make you a fortune.”
- Jim Rohn

“It isn’t what the book costs. It’s what it will cost you if you don’t read it.”
- Jim Rohn

“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
- Mahatma Gandhi

“The future has several names. For the weak, it is the impossible. For the fainthearted, it is the unknown. For the thoughtful and valiant, it is the ideal.”
- Victor Hugo

“There is nothing more genuine than breaking away from the chorus to learn the sound of your own voice.”
- Po Bronson

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
- Waldo Emerson

“Use what talents you possess, the woods will be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.”
- Henry van Dyke

“Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.”
- Bertrand Russell

“History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it.”
- Winston Churchill

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life’s about creating yourself.”
- George Bernard Shaw

“Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance towards the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vintage point.”
- Harold B Melchart

“The tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goals to reach.”
- Benjamin Mays

“More often in life, we end up regretting the chances in life that we had, but didn’t take them, than those chances that we took and wished we hadn’t.”
- Anonymous

“An excuse is worse and more terrible than a lie, for an excuse is a lie guarded.”
- Pope John Paul I

“Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for fewer problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom.”
- Earl Shoaf