At My Age…

Posted on September 19, 2013 by Gigi in Aging, Beauty, Fitness, Well-Being 2 Comments

I’m going to be honest here. We live is a youth obsessed society, everywhere you look there are images of celebrities in the news, on the TV, FB etc., whether an update on Bey’s comings and goings or some Kardashian story, we are bombarded by these images.

Celebs in the news

BEY

Our “norm” of what a person looks like is an overly photoshopped picture that leaves a little remnant of what the person actually looks like in person. Digital images once uploaded and magnified expose any sensitive areas you may have or shall I say did not know you had…

Madonna Before and After

Most days I feel like I am holding on pretty good, considering I’m 5’4″ and 54. I inherited my father’s hair color gene, just a sprinkling of grey strands, which allows me to color my hair about every 5-6 months and wearing a curly “do” hides a multitude of sins.

Photographer Gigi

The body however, is something that needs constant monitoring. No more of the magically tight 20’s, or the taunt 30’s or the firm fine 40’s this is the “betta find your a$$ in a gym 50’s” or else ease on down the middle age spread road. Is there anything really wrong with that? Passing on the baton and settling comfortably in to a pair of spanx and a good bra? No. Not at all-but of course there are other benefits to working out other than the “I don’t like the body that I glanced at in the mirror” reason.

Spanx

And don’t throw in the dreaded “M” work…That blanky-blank will jack a body up until you outsmart it…My theory is that menopause has a timer that tries to tell the world in subtle ways that this body is no longer available for reproducing. Let’s try and plump it up just enough to take away that youthful hourglass figure, just enough so somebody may slip and call you “Ma’am”.

menopause

My car is a 2007 model, which is old by California standards, the moment the service light comes on I am at the dealer, never ever missing an appointment, that is how you have to be with these bodies, diligent. I have to do yoga or I risk stiffening up like the tin man, strength training-a must do especially since I was diagnosed with osteoporosis a few years back. Cardio, cardio and more cardio if you want to have some memory of a waistline, and finally the most important one of all-drumroll THE DIET!

Gigi yoga

You have to fine tune what you put in your body and know what works for you. I’m not here to preach the vegan diet, vs raw vegan or vegetarian sermon, because even those can wreck havoc on a body if not followed properly ie. we all have met the obese vegetarian who lives on macaroni and cheese and pizza. The only rule I want to share is “GRREN UP” Saturate your body with as many anti-oxidants as you can stand, from fresh organic produce-you will notice the benefits inside and out especially in your skin. Everyday I have at least one big glass of fresh green juice.

Green Goddess Juice

Of course there are skin care advances and procedures available, but I want to do everything I can holistically before I investigate those options. I know I owe a lot to my diet and protecting myself from our beloved sun.

botox filler injections

So Gigi’s advice to all my pretties:

20’s Have fun, but set up a foundation of being active

Gigi @ 25

30’s “twerk” the diet if you had bad habits in the 20’s, especially if you are starting to have babies

Wedding Day july 23, 1989 1 week before 30

40’s if you don’ get your shit together here, this is like the last hooray-lots can happen in this era

Gigi @ 40

50’s you can still be FAB, but you have to do the work No get our of jail card here, you will go direct to “fifty and frumpy”

50’s Gigi

60’s and beyond KEEP it MOVING and watch the diet, it is a lifetime commintment

The good thing is our bodies are truly amazing, with a lot of effort and hard work you can still get results and reverse the aging clock. Will you ever look 22 again? No, but you can be a damn good looking 50 something year old

So start today by making good choices or bumping it up a notch if you already have a good routine. I’m always trying to do something, whether it is trying a new workout or training for an event, anything to keep my butt moving instead of drooping…

So let’s toast with a green juice and move your body today!

Xoxo,

GIGI

SURRENDER- WORD

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Gigi in Well-Being 6 Comments

Surrender

SUR-REN-DER

1. To relinquish possession or control of to another because of demand or compulsion

2. To give up in favor of another

3. To give up or give back

4. To give up or abandon

5. To give over or resign (one self) to something, as to an emotion

The act of surrendering can be viewed as being weak or giving up. I was thinking about this and came to the conclusion that it can be quite the opposite, matter of fact empowering. When you surrender you get closer to the true you, this can apply to so many situations in life. Surrendering comes from the heart, and operates from the present not focusing on the past. Once you are able to surrender, magical things can happen in your life. No, you are not giving up or accepting failure- by surrendering you are using your power within to overcome and give in to something that was weighing you down. When I “let it go” I gain clarity that allows a negative space to be filled with positive energy.

My husband is the master of surrendering. I recall one time he had a patient that he did a surgery on for little of nothing, it may have even been free. The procedure went fine, but the person was not happy with the outcome and decided to sue him. Many years later the same person to the dismay of the staff, came back as a patient again and my husband was so gracious and of course accepted them again as if nothing ever happened…

Gigi

“Surrender is faith that the power of love can accomplish anything…even when you can not foresee the outcome.”Deepak Chopra

xoxo,

GIGI

To Do Lists…

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Gigi in Inspiration, My Life, Well-Being 3 Comments

I don’t know about you, but there are so many things I want to do, places I want to go, experiences I want to have-before I am to old or in my case “older”. My daughter Amani turned 23 yesterday, as I looked at her birth announcement that I have framed along with all our yearly holiday photo cards that each year are retired to a permanent montage on the wall, as cliche’ as it sounds ” time really does zoom by”. I am reminded every morning as I glance at my “family” life.

Birth Announcement

The Wall

Everything on my list really is doable-the fantasy things, such as living in a foreign land are just that fantasies, and I don’t focus on the “have it all” list either. For the most part I’m content where I am, not Jones-ing for a new car or a bigger house, or another designer bag, OK maybe a pair of shoes but I’m good where I am. Going to Brazil, Madagascar, Bali, New Zealand are just a few destinations on my long list, I know I will get to those eventually, it is the day to day lists that are sometimes overwhelming. I often feel as though there is not enough hours in the day to do everything, perhaps it is because I am always bombarding my brain with new information, and like my MAC it starts going real slow and of course my friend “time management” is always at my backdoor.

I’m a list writer and before I go to bed I jot down my “to do” list, you know the usual suspects, go to the cleaners, bank, store etc. or clean this up, email and such, those lists I handle pretty well. The list that challenges me is the one that has items like this:

1. kids need to be responsible adults and be able to take care of themselves.

2. We need to be healthy – so we can “see” item 1.

3. keep spiritually grounded

4. don’t let the small shit, get to me…

5. take quality time for those that are important to me–tomorrow is not promised…yeah another cliche-but this year I have learned the hard way

6. continue to take a stand-even if it means fallout

7. have a desaster plan in place – ie. if Reggie’s stroke really would have been bad- What was my plan?

8. keep working on having that “jamming” beach body- never give up

9. apply lotions and potions every night-and when that fails go for the big guns–

10. Every day live a FULL life- take time to do something SPECIAL

Happy Monday and let me start on my lists…

XOXO,

GIGI

Gigi

BE COOL…

Posted on June 28, 2013 by Gigi in Well-Being Comments Off

Greetings Friends,

Stay cool today and HYDRATE! I’m in Arizona where it is 118 degrees.

HAPPY WEEKEND!

XOXO,

GIGI

WELCOME SUMMER 2013

Posted on June 21, 2013 by Gigi in My Life, Well-Being Comments Off

summertime

South of France

SUMMER is my favorite season, perhaps it is because I’m a girl of summer, my birthday is July 28, and July 23 is my wedding anniversary. Growing up summer was associated with “school is OUT!” , and it was a time to do whatever…so different from the kids of today, every moment scheduled with sports camp, SAT prep, travel teams, dance, gymnastics, swimming, community service, deb balls, scouts the list goes on and on. I am guilty of all the above, especially with my daughter, she was in everything!

Maybe it is the second child syndrome, but I am so much more relaxed with my son. After years of observing so many children, so many scenarios everything from “tiger moms” to kids scrambling for themselves, I’ve come to the conclusion that we can only do so much-our children need to fall into the safety net, they will be OK, if they don’t have any failures how will they ever appreciate success? It is OK to make a mistake here and there, sometimes our attempt to prepare them for everything backfires.

kids…

I’ve learned to accept my children and their shortcomings, which I don’t dwell on, just concentrating on their strengths. I know there are thousands of colleges out there, not just the 10 or so that come to mind. I want them to be independent and confidence in their decisions and that comes with backing off and letting them face the consequences of some of their choices. My husband always shares with my kids how he got a “F” in chemistry when he was in high school, and how that contributed to his academic success later in life.

This summer is going to be pretty low key, my son is doing a little math review, and studying Italian. He sleeps in on the days he does not have class, wakes up and chills. I thought about a SAT prep for a minute and decided next summer would be soon enough. Poor Amani started taking the SAT in the 6th grade, I know-I was a hot mess. We’ll do some spontaneous outings, a few that he may actually enjoy and I will go to a few movies-the kind that are targeted for 16 year old boy demographic. We’ll have casual days by the pool, informal gatherings of friends and family.

I’ll work on me, tweaking a few things, physically and mentally, working on constantly staying ahead of settling into that “comfort” zone of mediocrity that is so easy to do at my age.

Gigi

So take time this summer to enjoy the simple things. Pack a lunch, and go to the beach, or local park, roller skate, ride a bike-it’s OK not to be scheduled every waking moment.

Let the sun warm you soul, and the water cool your body…

XOXO,

GIGI

LOVE WHAT YOU DO_

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Gigi in Quotes, Well-Being Comments Off

LOVE WHAT YOU DO_OR FIGURE OUT A WAY TO DO WHAT YOU LOVE…

Photographer Gigi

It is easy to let an array of external forces get in your way. You know the typical culprits, like wanting everything to be just so…so much that you end up spending a lot of time in the “preparation phase” that you never do anything. Sometimes we spend time planning and perfecting instead of “doing” for fear of failing. We have blocks, especially if we typically follow traditional conventional ways of doing things.

Personally embarking on my new passion is scary at times, I think, “will anyone really hire me?”. hmmmmmm I don’t have a nice website, or a clever business card, it would be easy to say, let me work on those things and then I will move forward. At my age it is now or never, I just have to trust my gut and go forward now, and see what happens, the worse that can happen is I would join the ranks of struggling artists, and as long as I am happy, that is what matters.

True, we all want to present the best image of ourselves as possible, but trust me things have a way of working out. I shot four events for my family this past weekend, my cousin “John” and I were presented with a host of obstacles, but I just let my instinct guide me and I kept moving around and shooting from different angles with a smile of my face, delighted to finally be doing something that I LOVE!

If you are not doing something that you LOVE keep exploring, until you do, and remember some of us are late bloomers and that is perfectly OK.

Orchids

Xoxo,

GIGI

http://youtu.be/4mLrm1cuhWM

Gigi’s Favorite Bars – Juice that is…

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Gigi in Well-Being Comments Off

Juice Bar

4 years ago a friend introduced me to the benefits and power of green juice, and I am not talking about Jamba juice. Green juices are typically a combination of leafy greens, parsley, cucumber, celery, lemon, ginger and sometimes apple.

Green Goddess Juice

I recall my first few sips were slightly bitter almost medicinal for my palate, but so like everything else with time and of course a good detox of the permanent “sugar taste” on my tongue, I fell in love with “green juice” and have been juicing ever since. This was before the plethora of juice bars and juice cleanse programs, became mainstream. Although I prefer to make my juice at home, it is nice to know that there are so many juice bars, and I don’t have to be limited to the juice bar at Whole Foods. Once you start juicing and notice the benefits you will be hooked, whats not to like: more energy, clearer skin, nutrients and vitamins, I could go on and on.

Here are a few of my favorite tried & tested and “Gigi” approved juice bars…

Moon Juice

MOON JUICE – 507 Rose Ave. Venice 310 399 2929 www.moonjuiceshop.com

Canyon Greens (collards, rainbow chard, parsley, ginger, celery, cucumber ) 16 oz. $9.00

The Juice is dense, rich and flavorful similar to how I make my juice at home, not watery at all.

Nekter Juice

Nekter Juice Bar – 6467 Pacific Coast Hwy

The Greenie (parsley,spinach, kale, celery, cucumber, lemon, apple) 16 oz. 4.75

Nekter is located by my yoga studio, which is convenient. The juice is not as dense as mine, but after a hot yoga class it is perfect. Nekter is now a franchise and they are popping up everywhere.

pressed Juicery

Pressed Juicery – Westwood Village & Beverly Hills location

Greens 3 (Kale, spinach,romaine, parsley, celery, cucumber, apple, lemon, ginger) 16 oz. 6.00-8.00

Pressed Juicery are opening locations all over the southland. They are generous with samples, and the staff is so friendly.

Beverly Hills Juice

Beverly Hills Juice: Raw since 1975 – 8382 Beverly Blvd. LA

Mixed Green (Cucumber, parsley, spinach, kale, romaine) 16 oz. 5.50

Every time I go here, there is a line out the door, every thing is so fresh.

Kreation Organic

Kreation Organic – Santa Monica location

Green # 3 ( cucumber, spinach, romaine, kale, parsley) 16 0z. 7.00

I also like going to Erewhon and picking up juice there as well they have a fresh juice bar and a variety of locally made juices. LA has so many juice spots, perhaps it is due to our lifestyle and a large selection of organic produce readily available. Make a point of visiting your local juice bar or trying a new one this week.

Happy Juicing!

XOXO,

GIGI

TIME MANAGEMENT

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Gigi in Inspiration, Well-Being 4 Comments

Inspirational Quotes about time Benjamin Franklin (Photo credit: hot4sunny)

I’m having a time management problem. I feel as if on any given day I have so many loose ends and not enough “time” to finish anything, I started thinking about why am I not completing tasks. I make lists, have goals, and wake up with the right intentions everyday. I don’t have an attention problem, but I realized at times I am so easily distracted, so I started thinking about this and came to the conclusion that I don’t have a Time Management problem, I have some resistance to some of the tasks that I should be doing.

TIME

So today I decided I am going to examine why I have this avoidance to certain things and how I am going to take charge, because my potential is being blocked, by what I thought was a time management issue. There are 24 hours in each day and I work from home, so there is NO EXCUSE. I decided I would write my list of these obstacles and figure out how I am going to address each one.

TRUE

Here is my list:

WHAT: Photoshop

WHY: I have to learn it and master it PERIOD! I realize I have some sort of block to learning PS. The only good thing is that I have to try and get the best image possible out of camera. I think part of the problem is that I see so much bad PS and I don’t want to become a photoshop monster doing obvious edits that can be spotted a million miles away, I want to really learn it well so that my images still look natural and beautiful.

HOW: I am in an intense workshop and I am taking a class online at Lynda.com. I will learn before the month is over, and you will hopefully see an improvement in my images.

WHAT: Correspondence

note

WHY: I don’t have a have a resistance to correspondence, I just let it pile up and then I am overwhelmed. I will get emails and forget to respond, I only have two addresses, but one I am ashamed to admit has 15,000 emails. This becomes a problem, for example, when I have purchased tickets and I get the email link and forget to open it and then it is “lost” and I have to waste time doing a search for it.

HOW: Everyday I am going to take 15 minutes to go through current mail and a few minutes to delete emails that are not needed and I will get off of weird mail lists like my daughter’s college, she has graduated and I don’t need to read about who needs to sublet an apartment.

WHAT: Clutter

clutter

WHY: Clutter is so distracting! Yes. I admit I have lots of clutter, it is like a dirty little secret, that nobody sees cause it is hidden away…in the garage where no car can park, my kids closets, in a storage unit that is sucking money away each month for items that I have forgotten.

HOW: I’m going to get rid of what no longer serves me. I will give away, throw away, and try my hand at selling a few things on ebay, but the bottom line is I have to clear some of this stuff. today I threw away a bunch of empty shoe boxes I was keeping, because I thought I could use them to store “stuff”.

How is your time management? do you manage to get all your “to do’s” done in a timely manner? I am open to any advice you may have…

Xoxo,

GiGi

Gigi

What IS Time Management?

FEAR. What are you afraid of?

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Gigi in Well-Being 2 Comments

FEAR, I’m not talking about fear of the rattlesnake I ran into a few days ago during a shoot, or fear when my husband had his stroke or open ocean water swimming, or skiing a black diamond run for the first time, I’m talking about fear that stops you from being successful, fear that keeps you from believing in yourself, loving yourself or staying in a toxic relationship for fear of being alone. The fear that cannot be readily identified, which makes it that more difficult to conquer, the kind that comes in disguise as self doubt.

skiing

ocean swimming

I have always liked taking pictures, documenting life as it zooms by. I’m at a point in my life where I am pursuing a career in photography and it is SCARY! Last quarter Apple sold 37 million i phones, literally everyone is a photographer or videographer. The “fear brain” sometimes tells me that “Nobody is going to hire you” “Really? you think someone is going to PAY you?” “Matter of fact you are not that GOOD” “And you are to OLD” “Photographers your age have been in the game for over 20 years” Regardless, I keep moving forward, and I am determined to make this happen on some level.

Photographer Gigi

Fear can keep you down, confuse you, and make you suspicious of others. I find that when I practice yoga regularly I am able to combat those fearful thoughts that creep up and try to derail my plan. For some it may be running, or doing some other activity that takes you away from it all for an hour or so. Keeping my body alkaline really helps me keep balanced I do this by having a green juice daily and as much fresh fruits and veggies, it really helps.

My Fear Plan

1. Passion can over come FEAR. Be Passionate about something or someone or both.

2. Master whatever it is you are doing and you will develop confidence, which will taper those “fear” feelings. btw I shoot everyday…so that my camera is now an extension of me, I am more comfortable with my craft.

3. Surround yourself with like minds, positive individuals that encourage and inspire you.

4. Do what you LOVE, don’t be afraid or let “FEAR” get in the way.

5. TRY something new-Remember this is your life that is going by, don’t just sit there and watch “it” jump in there and GRAB it and don’t let go, cause there is no replay button!

XOXO,

GIGI

Excuse Me Weight, Don’t Go So Quickly

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Gigi in Fitness, Inspiration, Well-Being 3 Comments

Wait, Weight

Don’t go so quickly at least say good bye.

I’ll miss you and never forget you.

Always Love,

MY BODY

Springtime is the time of year that I like to kick start my fitness program- bump it up a bit. The weather is nicer and the Cali version of winter clothes can be put away. Having a July birthday I always make that my goal date to accomplish some measure of change. Sometimes I’ll try a new workout or do a yoga challenge, sign up for a triathlon or just do more of the same but bump up the frequency or the intensity.

Chair Pose

I started doing a lot of yoga before my big “50” birthday and still enjoy it and have made it part of my life.

My First Tri

Did my first triathlon a couple of years ago. Really like the challenge of doing three sports and would like to do another.

LA Marathon 1998

Started running around my big “40” birthday, did 4 marathons and now run occasionally, not my favorite activity, but I know it is good for me.

Although weight loss is not the goal it is always lurking in the shadows, that magic number, whether it is a pre-pregancy weight, or weight before marriage or weight at a certain age-most of us have that number that we like to see at our annual doctor visit. Weight is not usually our friend. We are not happy when it comes around, we try to ignore it but it keeps coming regardless. As I get more mature or older I find that this “weight” tries to come around more often landing in random places. Perhaps it is hormonal, or metabolism changing, not really sure, but as my friend Angie says “We ain’t going out like that!” It is easy to let “weight” be your new friend, to welcome her and be hospitable and let her hang around until she becomes a permanent part of you. As difficult as it may seem you have to kick “weight” out, put her on the street and realize it is not a healthy relationship and she will bring you down.

Do you find “weight” trying to creep up on you? Do you find your body being deceitful and hiding weight? Do you care about the scale or do you only worry if your clothes start fitting a little snug? What is your spring training regime? Or are you one of those year round warriors? Share What strategies work for you keeping weight under control and “checking it at the door” when needed.

I will be keeping you posted in the next few months on my program.

XOXO,

Gigi

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