Mamavation

It's been an amazing ride so far, participating in so many online networks that have led me to some pretty fabulous people. I'm heading to BlogHer this week to meet many of these individuals in real life for the first time, but before I get there, I wanted to stop and talk about one woman who truly has inspired me.

Ali (@PickleSugarPlum) of The Rehan Family, is hoping to be voted in as the first Mamavation Mom and I'm encouraging you all to vote for her as well.

Now, you may know one of the other moms in the running for this and I know they're all equally worthy and as inspiring, but since I know Ali, I wanted to show my support by sharing with her how she's already motivated me, with or without the official title.

I met Ali at the Mom's Nite Out event here in San Diego back in May and have since seen her at Tweetups. I met her husband, learned about her desire to start her own business and have laughed with her over dinner. Nothing about our conversations ever led me to believe that she was uncomfortable with her weight or that it had started to affect her self-esteem.

Many of us use humor to cover up our insecurities. I'm guilty of this, for sure. Growing up, I never had an issue with my weight. I had a healthy pregnancy and was able to lose the weight afterward, but it's been only recently (after my divorce) that I started putting on a few pounds here and there. I've gotten used to asking for larger sizes in the dressing room but that doesn't mean that I'm comfortable with my weight. I make jokes about it and even though I'm constantly swearing at the bathroom scale, no one around me would ever know that my weight was an issue.

I don't want to go into the whole body image thing and how media continues to remind us (and young viewers absorbing it all) that we could all stand to lose a few pounds or change the color of our hair or get those teeth whitened. It's all around us. Every day, the "need" to improve ourselves, physically.

Ali is very brave and I extend to her the biggest congratulations on putting herself out there. You'll see what I mean when you watch her VLOG entry. Voting for the first Mamavation Mom ends soon so head on over and cast your vote. The winner will be announced on July 31st.

Mamavation is a social experiment and weight loss campaign on twitter, created by Bookieboo, an online support group for moms trying to lose weight.

Dancing My Ass Off

I hardly ever have the TV on. Lately, of course, I've been watching the Olympics and when my son is with me we watch PBS Kids or Nick Jr. on occasion, but other than that, my TV is typically turned off. Alright, I admit, there are a few nights when I stay awake watching BRAVO but seriously, there's nothing I'm committed to watching on a regular basis.

I'm embarrassed to say then, that a few days ago I ended up watching an entire infomercial. The music and the dancing is what stopped me from skipping past the channel. It wasn't until a minute into it that I realized I was watching a paid advertisement but I couldn't stop watching. I was intrigued.

Now, before I share the product with you (yes, I ended up buying it), I do need to remind you of the challenge that I accepted. I haven't purchased new running shoes yet, or a bike, but I seriously need to do something to get back in shape and lose a few pounds (and hopefully one dress size).

You're probably dying to know what product it was that sold me with their infomercial, right? It was one that I had not heard of before and the before & after photos seemed so real that I couldn't help but wonder if this was something that could truly work for me.

Zumba® Fitness is a new program created by Beto Perez. He claims that this program is so effective that you can lose up to a dress size in just 10 days. In fact, he offers a money back guarantee.

This total-body transformation system has been proven to burn up to 1,000 calories per hour! So what's the program and how does it differ from the compeition?

Well, it's meant to make you feel like you're at a party or club with its scorching fusion of world music and spicy dance rhythms. One of my friends has been taking salsa lessons for nearly two months now and has dropped several pounds just by dancing. With my schedule being what it is, I knew that this DVD system that I can do from home or take with me on the road would be the best chance for me to have this same experience.

Alberto "Beto" Perez is from Colombia and is a celebrity fitness trainer and choreographer for international pop superstars. Inspired by the traditional cumbia, salsa, samba and merengue music that he grew up with, Beto paired his favorite pulsating Latin rhythms with the red-hot international dance steps his clients loved.

Along with the DVDs that contain the different programs to introduce cardio into your routine as well as sculpt and tone muscle, the Accelerated Fat Loss program is included as well as toning sticks, which are a combination of weights and maracas that let you make music as you shake your way to a tight, toned body.

My sister has agreed to participate with me this week so in a few days I'll report back with our success stories and hopefully, I'll be able to share with you some before and after pics of my own if I can just stick to it and commit to adding this fun and unique routine - and diet - into my schedule.

I Dare You!

This morning, I logged in to Twitter (isn't that what we all do while the coffee's brewing?) and noticed a post by @lilfootsmommy that said simply, "Challenge me."

I was intrigued. I felt like I was back in junior high and someone across from me just chose Dare during a round of Truth or Dare.

So, I challenged her. Alright, so this isn't exactly a crazy, off-the-wall feat that I've challenged her with but knowing how I felt about running - before I actually started running - I thought this was a good idea. I challenged her to buy a pair of ishoes (big sacrifice, I know) and run her little butt off (she mentioned wanting to lose weight).

Since I felt it only fair, I also mentioned that I'd take on this challenge myself to see how much weight I could drop before my Las Vegas trip next month. Not that I am in a competition with her, mind you, I just want to have a running buddy - so to speak - to keep me motivated and to help inspire me with her tales of success.

But wait --- What if Lil Foots Mommy is a marathon runner? What if she's reading my response right now and rolling her eyes at my "challenge?" God, I totally feel like I'm in junior high again...

I'm picking up a pair of ishoes for myself, either way. Ever since I heard @guykawasaki talk about them I've been meaning to purchase a pair. It's on my to-do list for the weekend. Oh, and since Guy spoke at Stanford, I thought too about purchasing a bike since I grew pretty attached to the one I rented for my 8 days on campus - another challenge to be made!

Gotta run...