My niece, who is only 2 1/2, thinks it's funny to dance around and then say to me, "Shake your booty."  Last night, I had to tell her that I couldn't because my booty was too sore from exercise class.

I'm still taking Zumba class, and the last 5 minutes of my last session almost did me in.  Here is the update I promised regarding my instructor's new studio in Brookfield.*
 

The Pilates-Yoga Connection

19700 W. Bluemound Rd.

Brookfield, WI  53045

Instructor:  Lisa Eurich-Bolter/ registered yoga teacher and certified personal trainer

Email: lisaeurich@yahoo.com/ Phone: (262) 565-7071

The studio is holding a series of free Saturday workshops.  Different studio instructors lead the classes.

8/9 - 9:30 -- 11:00 a.m.  Dance Fitness  (a dance workout that combines West African dance, salsa, hip-hop and kickboxing moves)

8/16 - 9:30 -- 11:00 a.m.  Zumba and demo on the Pilates Reformer

8/23 - 9:30 -- 11:00 a.m.  YogaFusion and Meditation

9/6 - 9:30 -- 11:00 a.m.  Sole Motion and Mat Pilates (a blend of t'ai chi, yoga, dance, and martial arts moves, the last 1/2 hour is mat pilates)

Although these classes are free, advanced registration is required. 

Contact Lisa Eurich-Bolter by phone or by email to register for the free sessions or for more information on other classes.

* No one at the Pilates Yoga Connection offered me anything in exchange for writing this blog. 

I did a very brave thing last night.  I went to a Zumba exercise class. 

It was a brave act on many fronts.  First, I probably haven't done any real cardio exercise since Ms. Kemp's aerobics class at Burleigh Junior High.  Second, I attended the class with my sister-in-law who is a decade younger than I am.  Third, the class was open to anyone 16 or older, so there was the nagging fear that I would be Zumba-ing amidst people more than two decades younger.  Fourth, have I ever mentioned that I have an artificial hip joint? 

What is Zumba?  Zumba is best described as latin dancing aerobics.   Here's a clip from The Today Show, featuring the man who created Zumba.  The first few minutes of the clip showcase testimonials.  If you want to just watch the demonstration, you can skip ahead to about 3:45 in the video.

Needless to say, I was a bit nervous about the class.  I had only two goals:

1. To Not Hurt Myself; and

2. To Not Throw Up

I am proud to say that both goals were achieved. 

Both my sister-in-law and I really enjoyed the class.  We both like to dance, and it was a lot more fun than regular aerobics.  What I really found beneficial was that I could "tone down" the intensity of the moves to a level that was comfortable for me and still work up a pretty good sweat.   Apart from a few twinges on either side of my waist, due to all the hip-swiveling action,  I emerged relatively ache-free, although I do admit to downing some Tylenol as a preventative measure before I went to bed.

Interested in giving it a try?  I know that a few health clubs do offer Zumba classes, but the instructor who taught my class will soon be opening a studio in Brookfield on Bluemound Road.  It will offer yoga, pilates, and dance fitness classes, in addition to Zumba.  The studio is still undergoing construction, and the website is not up and running yet.  I'll post the information when I confirm that the studio is open.

As with any other type of exercise, check with your physician before beginning an exercise program, especially if you have any health problems or concerns.

I did, and my ortho doc gave me the greenlight, so long as I didn't do any hardcore jumping.  I of course was happy to comply. :-) 

On a recent drive down Bluemound, I noticed signs for two new Asian restaurants: Umami Moto and Fujiyama.  Both restaurants are now open

Umami Moto occupies the same building as the now defunct Monsoon restaurant.  I had lunch at Monsoon only once and wasn't very impressed by the "Asian fusion" cuisine.  So, it was with some surprise that I read that Umami Moto will be featuring the "new" concept of Asian fusion.  If Monsoon was supposed to be a Chinese restaurant, this Asian totally missed that.  I'll give this new restaurant a try though, when it finally stops snowing!!

As an aside, if you want great, authentic Chinese food and don't want to drive to Chicago, send me an email and I'll give you the name of my fave Chinese restaurant in the Milwaukee area.  Alas, it is not in Brookfield.  Just click on the "Email author" tab at the top of my blog.

Fujiyama is in the same strip mall as the wonderful Indian restaurant, Saffron Bistro.  I've eaten at the Fujiyama in West Allis.  As I remember, it had a great selection of dishes, decent size portions, and reasonable prices.

But should we say sayonara to sushi?  

It seems that every other day I read an article that says something I do, inhale, or ingest is one day going to kill me.  I discovered the Public Investigator, a local blog, just recently.  As I scrolled through their recent entries, I read an article that is making me rethink my sushi eating.

*************

As I drive the snow-covered streets of Brookfield and points west, I long for a neon sign at the top of my minivan that flashes two different messages, depending on the situation:  "Slow-down you idiot!" or "Clean the ENTIRE car for pete's sake!" 

Ok, so not one of my more profound titles, but it certainly catches your attention, right?

With the heat running practically 24/7 in our house, my sinuses have been killing me, which reminded me of an interesting on-line article about "neti pots" that I recently read. 

Before I give you the link to the article, I have to say that:

a) I have not tried this myself; and

b) I don't think I will ever try it because it kind of grosses me out. 

The neti pot is an instrument used to irrigate your nasal passages.   If you don't believe that anyone would actually do this, check out this YouTube video.

(Now, if anyone out there reading is willing to admit that they have tried this and wants to share, feel free to comment.)

 That's right folks -- Here at Brookfield Wannabe we are committed to bringing you the hardhitting news  :-)
 

Sometimes you find laughter in the most unexpected places.

I had to have a diagnostic mammogram last Monday because I felt a lump in my left armpit the Friday before.  The good news is that everything is okay. The bad news was that I spent the weekend terrified that it was cancer.  As loyal readers may remember from my "Teddy Bears" blogs, my mother died of cancer last year, and earlier this year, I had a scare during my annual mammogram.

So, once again sad and afraid, I went to have another diagnostic mammogram at Aurora Sinai Hospital in downtown Milwaukee (the old Mount Sinai Hospital).  Aurora Sinai, because it is the hospital for the downtown area, can sometimes be host to... shall we say "unusual" ...patients.  I went to school at Marquette so "unusual" people who, let's say happen to be talking to themselves, don't really phase me anymore.  (No disrespect intended.)

One of these unusual people was sitting in the waiting room with me.  I'm going to call her "Susie," but I have no idea what her real name was.  The first clue that Susie was "unusual" was the personal, wire shopping cart at her side, the contents of which was a large, battered, dirty cardboard box.  The second clue was that Susie was chattering non-stop to the woman seated across from her.  The third clue was that the woman didn't really appear to be listening to her and instead sat with her eyes glued to the magazine on her lap. 

Although there was an empty seat next to Susie, I deliberately chose the seat that was farthest from her.  I had just gotten done with the exam, and I was anxiously waiting for the preliminary results.  I didn't want to speak to anyone.  So, I too kept my eyes down, so that Susie wouldn't engage me.

It didn't matter to Susie; she just kept talking away.  After awhile though, I began to listen.  She wasn't rambling incoherently; she wasn't saying anything inappropriate or vulgar.  She was just talking, albeit without much interruption, moving from one topic to the next.  She was actually quite pleasant.  So, without actually looking at her yet, I lifted my eyes to her shopping cart and started nodding and smiling at some of the things she said.  I kept wondering what the heck was in her box, but I didn't really want to peek inside.

Then, as she continued to speak, I thought to myself that there probably weren't a lot of people that looked her in the eyes while she spoke, and I thought what a terrible thing that would be to have people "dismiss" you like that.  So, I lifted my eyes further up and looked at her face. 

Susie spoke about her cat, about getting lost at Mayfair Mall, about the outrageous neighbors in her apartment complex, and then she started talking about Carrie Underwood, the country singer.  I listened to it all, even though I was still feeling scared. 

Then, Susie started to sing her favorite Carrie Underwood song, "Jesus, Take the Wheel."  These are part of the lyrics she sang:

 "Jesus, take the wheel

Take it from my hands

Cause I can't do it on my own

I'm letting go"

I didn't really hear the rest of the song because after she sang that small part, I realized that there was nothing I could do about the results of the exam.  The result was going to be whatever it was going to be.

After that insight, I was able to laugh at some of the funny things Susie was saying, and we had a good ol' time in that waiting room until the nurse gave me the thumbs up. 

Susie reminded me that there are things that we can't control and that sometimes you just have to put it in the hands of whatever higher power you believe in and let go.

The week before school started, the teenager came down with a cold.  Despite feverish handwashing and use of hand sanitizer, the preschooler was sick by the third week of school.  By the next week, guess who had it?  All of this would not have been so bad if we hadn't had a trip to DisneyWorld scheduled the week after that.  So with much praying and ingesting of Vitamin C (and Claritin D on my part), we were all sufficiently recovered to enjoy our trip this past week.  However, on the plane, I swear every child seated in my family's vicinity was coughing.  The woman seated directly behind the preschooler was also coughing up a lung. So, now that we're back, the prayer and ingestion of Vitamin C have begun again.

So, the topic today is that season we all dread: the cold and flu season. 

Over-the-counter cold medications for infants (children 2 and under) have been pulled off the shelves due to accidental overdoses administered by parents.  (When clicking on this link, go to "Top Stories" and hit the tab until you see the title "Infant Cold Medicines Pulled Off Market".)

Apparently, some parents either disregarded or overlooked the dosage instructions, which most of the time advise you to seek the advice of a doctor before giving it to children under the age of 2.  So, when dealing with over-the-counter medications, for adults as well as kids, remember that they still are "medications".

Have you gotten your flu shot yet?  I always get mine early because I am in one of the high risk categories.  In the past, I have stood in line to get a shot at Mayfair Mall and at the Waukesha County Expo Center for shoo the flu clinics sponsored by the VNA.  Last year, however, I found a better alternative, right here in Brookfield.

Aurora QuickCare has two locations in Brookfield, one in the Aurora Pharmacy located at 17280 W. North Avenue and one in the Brookfield Square Mall.  My dad and I got our shots today at the North Avenue location.  I called ahead to make sure they had a supply of the vaccine.  We just walked in, and there was no wait.  In the past, there has been a line, but the wait time was relatively short.  (If you're concerned about lines, call ahead).  Aurora QuickCare does take Medicare (there was no charge for my dad) and some insurance plans.  If your insurance is not presently included, the cost is $30.  Be aware that not everyone can get a flu shot.  If you decide to use Aurora QuickCare, read the consent forms carefully and let the nurse know of any medications you are on and inform her of any medical conditions or allergies that you may have, especially if you have never had a flu shot before. 

For my daughter, I take her to the pediatrician to get her a flu shot.  My doctor's office had the vaccine as early as the end of September. 

So, for my part, I've done about all I can do to keep from getting sick.  The only thing left would be holding my breath... or maybe living alone in a plastic bubble (remember that John Travolta movie?), which doesn't sound half bad right now.