Tag Archives: dance

ROUND numbers–the 500th Post!

Well hello there! Welcome to the 500th post on Fat Chick Sings! It’s always great when we reach a ROUND number. A 10-K, a 25th or 50th wedding anniversary, a 100 mile bike ride. The goal of meeting ROUND numbers help fuel us, keep us going and move us forward. The joy of reaching round numbers give us an opportunity to pause, celebrate, reflect and take stock.

In the final chapter of my book, The Fat Chick Works Out!, I encourage you to enjoy meeting your exercise goal and then to go ahead and schedule a little rest. And then I go on to define “schedule a little rest”. Schedule, means that you decide when you are going to rest, and for how long. Little means that the rest is long enough to feel like a rest, but not so long as to cause you to lose all the muscles and momentum that you gained. And rest means to actually take a real break from the thing you were doing.

So I’m going to take my own advice and schedule a little 2 week vacation from blogging. Don’t worry, I’ll be back October 1. And during this time, I’m going to reflect on the blog and take stock. The blog may come back looking a little different. Maybe it will have slightly different focus. While I’m reflecting, I’d love to hear from you. What do you like best about the blog? What posts make you say, “meh.”? You can leave me messages in the comments, or write me privately at jeanette at the fat chick dot com.

And it’s not like I’m dropping off the planet entirely.

Remember, if you live in the Bay area, come join us for a Hot Flash Mob in downtown San Francisco THIS Wednesday, September 18. We’ll be meeting at a secret location in the Financial District at 12:15 PM and dancing at 12:30. You can get access to the secret location when you RSVP either on the meetup group, or on the new Facebook event page. I hope to see you there!

And it’s not too late to join me at the Size Diversity Task Force retreat in Las Vegas coming up October 11-13. I’ll be hosting some super fun activities there and we are going to have a BLAST!

Thanks for hanging out with me. See you in two weeks!

Love,

The Fat Chick

Like my posts? You’ll love my stuff!

Buy my book: The Fat Chick Works Out! (Fitness that is Fun and Feasible for Folks of All Ages, Shapes Sizes and Abilities)–available in softcover and e-book versions

Buy my DVD: The Fat Chick Works Out! (A Safe, Easy and Fun Workout for Klutzes, Wimps and Absolute Beginners!)

Buy a book or a DVD for a friend and save $5! Just enter FRIENDBLFT in the discount code box!

Check out my Training Programs–both in person and via Skype (Starting at just $25!)

Book me to speak at your special event!

Sharing Some Boogie Time

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Folks of all ages whoop it up at Summerfest!

As you may or may not know, I grew up near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I grew up in a state known for cows and cheese. And as much as I dearly love, well, cheese anyways, I have to confess that one of the things I miss most about Wisconsin is the dancing.

I don’t know how it is in other parts of the country, but it seems like folks here in California don’t get together and shake their groove things in the same way as I remember from my childhood. There are many clubs, and they are tray sheek* and stuff. And you can get dressed up and stand in a line for the opportunity to spend 4 hours pay on an inch of wine in the bottom of an enormous glass. Or you can go to burning man and smear on mud and body paint and dance in the bloody desert. But I’m talking about a different kind of dancing.

In Wisconsin we had a party for virtually everybody down by the lake. We had Summerfest and Polish Fest and Irish Fest and October Fest and Festa Italiana, and Greek Fest and Afro Fest and Indian Summer and the Lakefront Festival of the Arts and so on, and so on. And what we did was get plastic cups full of beer, listen to amazing music and dance our little hearts out. We danced on blankets. We danced on picnic tables. We danced with our girlfriends and our boyfriends. We danced with folks we didn’t even know.

I miss it.

But I do get to enjoy dancing with the students in my classes several times a week. And I do dearly love trying out new forms of music. And I am so excited to be dancing in the street again for our upcoming Hot Flash Mob in San Francisco on September 18 at around noon. I hope any of you who are near the Bay Area will join us. Just RSVP with the meetup and we’ll make sure you get all the latest details about where and when. Or just send me an email at jeanette at the fat chick dot com and I’ll make sure to mail you the deets personally. And I’d love it if you would share this info with anybody else you know who might be interested.

Because, frankly, I can’t WAIT to dance with you again.

Oh and stay tuned for a very special surprise in my next blog post!

Love,

The Fat Chick

*Fronsch for verreh, verreh sexy.

Like my posts? You’ll love my stuff!

Buy my book: The Fat Chick Works Out! (Fitness that is Fun and Feasible for Folks of All Ages, Shapes Sizes and Abilities)–available in softcover and e-book versions

Buy my DVD: The Fat Chick Works Out! (A Safe, Easy and Fun Workout for Klutzes, Wimps and Absolute Beginners!)

Buy a book or a DVD for a friend and save $5! Just enter FRIENDBLFT in the discount code box!

Check out my Training Programs–both in person and via Skype (Starting at just $25!)

Book me to speak at your special event!

Come dance with us in the Bay Area!

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Hello my dears! It’s September of 2013, and do you know what that means? It means it’s time for some Hot Flash Mobs! This is the second annual installment of Hot Flash Mob Movement, a worldwide, synchronized dance flash mob movement held to honor perimenopausal and menopausal women everywhere. We’ll be kicking things off in San Francisco on September 18 in honor of Menopause Awareness Month. Last year we held several hot flash mobs in the Bay Area, and Arkansas, and New York City and Huntington Beach, CA.

This movement was the brainchild of me: (certified fitness professional, Jeanette DePatie AKA The Fat Chick) and menopause expert dear friend Dr. Eve Agee.

Frustrated by the negative and fear-mongering approach to menopause in our society we asked this question:

“What if instead of fearing menopause, we threw a great big party to celebrate it?”

That’s why we dreamed up the notion of The Hot Flash Mob Movement, a series of spontaneous, hot, group dance experiences allowing women from around the world to get together, have a big laugh and shake their collective groove things. Our first 2013 hot flash mob is scheduled for September 18 in downtown San Francisco. Interested? Check out our meet up! Remember, dance makes EVERYTHING better!

Love,

The Fat Chick

Desires–What I Wanna

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I LOVE jammie time!

Not all cravings are for food. Sure, chocolate chip cookies are important, but there are other things in life. And in learning to listen to what my body wants to eat, I am learning to broaden the question and listen to the other things my body wants.

At some point every day, my body craves rest. Especially since I am such an early riser, there comes a point where my body wants to just curl up somewhere under a nice blankie and get some sleep. And it feels so good! I love, love, love my jammies. In fact when my friend and super talented photographer Kelly Varner came over to take some pictures, we went through the closet to look for some clothes. When she saw my collection of PJs she laughed and said, “you have a lot of pajamas!” To which I replied, “of course! Jammies are awesome!” At some point in the evening, I’ve been known to shout out, “What time is it?” To which my husband has learned the Pavlovian retort, “It’s jammie time!” At which point I’ve been known to burst into my own version of “Jammie Time” which is based on “Suppertime” from You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown. I’ve even got a special little song I sing when I slip into a bed made with clean sheets fresh out of the dryer.

Sometimes, I really just crave some time alone. I want to shut the door and shut out the world. I want to read or surf the net or display my wrath via computer games and I don’t want to talk to anybody or be with anybody. Sometimes I crave company. Sometimes I want to talk to somebody and sometimes, I just want to go to the coffee shop and sit in a room with a bunch of strangers–just to be somewhere other than my room all by myself.

Sometimes I feel the need to go out into the world and sing and dance and play with others. Sometimes I want to walk or bike or stretch or shake my groove thing. And sometimes I need to withdraw from the world and be outside and be with nature. Sometimes I want to shut off my phone and simply look at some clouds or some trees or the ocean.

My point is that there are many, many kinds of cravings in my life. Some of these cravings involve food. Many do not. But I find that when I am ignoring cravings in one area of my life, other cravings tend to intensify. If I’m craving alone time but find I can’t get it, I find myself craving more sleep. If I’m craving sleep, but can’t get it, I find myself craving sweet or starchy foods. When I’m feeling the need to go out and dance and shout and shake my groove thing and can’t do it, I crave shopping for new things. I have learned that there are many “displacements” for when I ignore the underlying cravings in my life. And I have learned that my life works better when I can find a way to satisfy the underlying cravings rather than the displacement cravings. Now life being what it is, I can’t always get whatever I want whenever I want it. And I’m a little old to flop down on the floor of the local grocery store to have a kicking and screaming tantrum. But even when I can’t have what I want, I find it helpful to know what it is. And I’ve found it helpful to make peace with the replacement cravings too. They are all part of me and it’s all good. It’s all good.

Love,

The Fat Chick

Elephants, Pigs and (land)Whales, Oh my!

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So often, people equate us fat folks with various animals. We’re compared to a pig or an elephant or a whale (or even the elusive “land whale”). And usually this comparison is offered as a criticism or as a way to make us feel bad. But you know what? Each of those animals is able to do pretty amazing things. Elephants are large and smart and strong and athletic and beautiful and graceful. Elephants look great in dresses, are good dancers and can even water ski. So go ahead and call me an elephant. Pachyderms are awesome, and they are natural athletes.

And as for pigs, now there are some amazing athletes. In this ONE VIDEO, you can see a pig who golfs, bowls, plays soccer, jumps hurdles, rides a skateboard, shoots a basket, and pitches a baseball. And pigs are also smart, independent, sociable and generally awesome! And as for whales, how many humans do you know who can do this:

Whales are absolutely amazing athletes who can leap and backflip and sing loud enough to be heard for miles. All in all, whales, pigs and elephants are beautiful, smart, graceful, strong and wonderful creatures. And land whales? Since they don’t exist in the real world, I choose to imagine them as awesome too!

The world of nature is full of evidence that creatures can be both large and athletic. Both big and incredibly graceful. The only place that fit and fat cannot co-exist is in the minds of certain closed-minded people. And for that we might want to look at this animal as a reference:

Love,

The Fat Chick

Dance Like Nobody’s Watching–Even at the Airport

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Okay, first you gotta watch the video. Grab a cup of coffee and click the arrow. It will only take a minute.

Wow, how cool is that? We’ve all had the experience of standing in the bloody baggage claim area after a long flight, watching that little belt go around, straining hopelessly to catch a glimpse of our long lost underwear. But not this girl. Oh no. She just put on some tunes and rocked out!

When was the last time you did something like that? I think maybe it has been years and years for me. I used to regularly engage in PAI (Public Acts of I-don’t-care-what-you-think). When I was a kid, I was an endless source of humiliation for my poor sister. I wore crazy hats. I was kicked out of grocery stores. My cousin regularly reminds me of how we used to ride around town in her convertible with the top down and me singing opera at the top of my lungs.

What happened?

Is it just because I’m older? Have I grown wary and frightened? Or is it because I got bigger? Were I to dance around at the airport like that today, would people around mostly ignore me or smile gently like they do at the girl in the video? Or would they hurl insults at me and call me names like they did a few months back at the restaurant?

But I often wonder if this is one of the most insidious repercussions for those of us who have been bullied. How many insults can we endure before we shut down? How many of us have had our bright, bright lights muted under bushel baskets for years and years because we have been traumatized, battered, and bruised by very public opinions about our bodies? I continue to wonder about the squandering of those most precious resources. Resources we desperately need in our society like energy, inspiration, spontaneity, creativity, courage and joy. Can our world afford to throw these precious gifts away in order to sell more diet pills and gain more research funding for take home bulimia kits? I don’t think it can.

So my friends, let’s see if we can’t find a way to get our collective mojo back. I think exploring our inner child is a good start. And so is collecting for radically awesome events like A Fatty Affair. And joining fantastic groups like The Size Diversity Task Force can’t hurt either. After being part of the SDTF, inspired me to shoot this video on a busy weekday at my local thrift store. I’m committed to doing whatever it takes. Because hiding our light under a bushel basket doesn’t just diminish us personally, it deprives the world of our fantastic, glorious, gorgeous light, which is a crime against humanity. So let’s see if we can’t find even more ways to pull those bushel baskets off and dance like nobody’s watching.

Love,

The Fat Chick

Thursday Theater: Sled Dogs

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Just in time for the new year, I present some very, very happy doggies sledding in the snow. I do this for two reasons.

Reason #1: This video makes me laugh and feel happy every time I watch it.

Reason #2: I’d like to talk with you about one of my favorite New Year’s Resolutions. This year, I’m going to resolve to get more happy, fabulous, fun and JOYFUL movement into my life. I want to move more just for the fun of it–sorta like these dogs are doing. I want to run and romp and play just because I can.

Because I ask you–do you think these dogs are calculating the number of calories they are burning? Do you think they are wearing fitness monitors that tell them if they are in their “target training zone”? Are they pulling out their iPhones to record their number of sets? NO! They are just running around, tongues hanging out, and having as much fun as possible before someone tells them they have to come inside.

Now let me be clear. There’s nothing wrong with tracking details of your exercise program if that makes you happy. By all means use whatever iPhone app or tracking program or digital device that makes you happy. Whatever works for YOU.

But as for me, I’m aiming for more playtime followed by grown-up nap time this year. I want to smell the seasons in the air and jump around and dance like a silly person and collapse with giggles. I hope to have as much fun with my exercise routine in 2013 as those guys in the video up there, and I hope you do to!

Love,

The Fat Chick

P.S. If you live anywhere near the LA area, you can join us for a super fun dance extravaganza on January 6. Details coming soon!

And it’s always fun to join us for our free live streaming workouts. They are starting back up this year on January 5 and will air Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings from 8:30–9:30 PST. Just go to this link to watch and dance with us LIVE!

Thursday Theater: The Fat Chick Onstage at The Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas

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Check out this video of me performing on the Soundwaves Stage, poolside at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. It was the end of the day and the sun was going down but we still had a blast. And even though there were a lot of typical hard body athletes, everybody got their Bollywood Bounce on and we had so much fun!

BTW, it’s never too late to join in the fun. Just sidle on up to your computer and dance along!

Love,
The Fat Chick

Women’s Wednesday: Exercise as Medicine for Perimenopause

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The Fat Chick leads a group of laughing and dancing menopausal and perimenopausal women in a Hot Flash Mob in Manhattan.

Are you perimenopausal? Many of us have come to think of menopause as something that happens to “older women”. Many of us don’t believe that we are old enough to be experiencing perimenopausal symptoms. But denial ain’t just a river in Egypt, ladies. As my Mom once told me, “I had been talking about ‘those old ladies’ as if it was a group that didn’t include me. I had kind of a rough day when I realized I needed to start saying ‘we old ladies’!” But denial aside, this condition can begin long before the moniker of old lady could reasonably apply. Perimenopause is the segment in your life between when your periods start to change and up to a year after they have ended completely. This process typically begins in your 40s, but may begin in your thirties. It typically lasts five to fifteen years. Some women have significant symptoms and some women have no symptoms at all.

Some typical symptoms of perimenopause include:

Vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats and simply sweating more.
Psychosocial symptoms like anxiety, impatience, poor memory and depression.
And physical symptoms like body aches, fatigue, and insomnia.

There is a lot of debate about treatment for menopausal and perimenopausal symptoms. While some doctors suggest hormone replacement therapy (HRT), there may be significant risks associated with that approach. Some studies indicate that HRT is effective for treating the vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats. However, other studies indicate that HRT may increase risk for breast cancer and cardiovascular disease. And HRT hasn’t proved very effective at coping with psychosocial or physical symptoms like body aches, fatigue, weight gain or insomnia.

But do not despair. There is significant and growing evidence that regular, moderate exercise can be extremely effective in improving Quality of Life (QOL) and relieving perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms. Regular fitness activities have been show to increase brain function and offer relief from depression and anxiety. Exercise can improve overall mood even 24 hours after the original exercise session. A recent study indicates that women who engaged in moderate physical activity had significantly reduced hot flashes, sweating, weight gain, bloating and issues with intimacy.

Menopause and perimenopause can be a difficult time in a woman’s life, but it doesn’t have to be. This time can also be a time of great creativity, strength and power. And, as the women who have participated in The Hot Flash Mob Movement (created with partner Dr. Eve Agee) have learned, it can also be a lot of fun. And whether you are pre-menopausal, perimenopausal, menopausal or post-menopausal, exercise is a safe, effective, inexpensive and fun way to have a better quality of life. So ladies, why not gather up some girlfriends, lace up your sneakers and get to it! You’ll be so glad you did!
Love,

The Fat Chick

Thursday Theater: Joy in the Dance with Helen Keller

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For this Thursday Theater, I wanted to share this amazing video featuring Helen Keller and Martha Graham. Apparently when these two women met, they recognized that they were kindred spirits. Martha Graham was immediately taken by Helen’s ‘gracious embrace of life’. And indeed, Helen’s joy at experiencing the dance in her own unique way is palpable.

You can read a lot more about the meeting here, including a very wonderful story about Helen learning the meaning of the word “jump”. Apparently while experiencing the dance, Helen asked what the word “jump” meant. Martha Graham called one of the dancers over and placed Helen’s hands gently on his waist. He then jumped in the air several times. Helen was so excited as she now understood the full meaning of this word. She experienced the freedom that comes when a body leaves the earth. “How like thought, how like the mind it is!” she exclaimed.

I played Helen Keller in a theatrical version of The Miracle Worker when I was in high school. Ever since then, she has been an important influence in my life. I find this video especially moving for two reasons. First, I think it shows that dance is a very powerful form of communication that breaks through many barriers. And second, I think it shows how wonderful it is that each of us can experience joy in a way that is personal and unique. I love watching Helen’s face in the video and watching the abandon with which she experiences life. It’s something that I would like to aspire to one day. I find it deeply inspiring and hope you do too.

Love,

The Fat Chick