I’ve always been very active… walking a lot every day and constantly on the go.  But somehow or other some pounds crept on since we’ve been living here in Mazatlán.  I think there are a number of reasons  that I’ve gained some weight -  I am really enjoying cooking again – and  there are some wonderful breads here in Maz – and breads are my weakness.  But I have also figured out how to make my famous pizza dough using local ingredients.  Oh, and I have probably been having a bit too much wine.

All of this would be moot if I had been exercising like I know I need to in order to maintain my weight.  Unfortunately, even though I have my fabulous Nordic Track I hadn’t been exercising regularly.

But then I went to a party and later was treated to a picture of myself from the back.  Holy Cow!  I hit the brakes right there.

So I started using the Nordic Track every day and sweating to my iTunes exercise playlist.  I am recording what I eat (again) in a program I purchased to track food, exercise, weight, and all the rest.

Then I started getting bored so I downloaded some exercise videos and have been alternating with some of them.  Yoga (which Paul does, too), Callanetics, Tae-Bo,  and pilates. Both of us know how important it is to be flexible and we are really working at it.

Paul can’t do the Nordic Track and we both thought an exercise bike would help our effort.  So we hit the stores and bought a spinning bike.  I took the little tv that wasn’t being used and we hooked it up to a DVD player and now we can watch the first season of Lost that we have on DVD and when we’re done with that I’m going to download some bicycle rides through Italy to inspire us.

I set up the floor fan so it can blow on us while we work out.  It is a pretty cool setup, if I do say so myself.  When we bought the house we didn’t understand why the former owner made the bathroom so big, but now we see the advantage!

I’ve lost 8 pounds so far and am happy with my progress.  But more important than that  is that I know I can keep this up.  We are also taking a long walk on the malecon without the dogs three times a week, and we both love that.

During the summer here it is much more challenging to exercise outdoors so turning on the floor fan and sweating away just a few steps away from a cool shower will be great.

What do you do to stay in shape and push yourself when you aren’t in the mood?  All comments are welcome, I mean it!

My silk rebozo

Most readers here at Countdown to Mexico are likely aware that there is a rich history of unique and beautiful handwoven textiles here in Mexico.  Oaxaca is the state most known for its textiles, but there are wonderful fabrics made throughout the country.  If you are interested in learning more about Mexican textiles, I recommend that you visit Mexican Indigenous Textile Project. where you can see lots of pictures and learn more about the textiles from each area of the country.

My daughter-in-law, Martha Pérez, and her associate Fernanda Hegewisch are passionate about México, and also about fashion.  A couple of years ago they decided to set up a non-profit foundation – Eliuh Kolektif -  to “help preserve and disseminate the textile culture of Mexican indigenous communities.”

Fernanda & Martha

They have worked tirelessly to promote Méxican textiles as high fashion – to bring in enough money for the creators that will enable them to continue and pass on their art. A beautiful huipil paired with tight jeans and boots can be a trendy look for today.  Or a beautiful silk rebozo can be tied around your neck (or your grandchild’s) for a very special fashion statement.

Some textiles can take many weeks to weave by hand on a backstrap loom – technology which has been in use since before 1,000 BC. The highest quality textiles are dyed by hand with natural pigments – from shellfish, insects, and flowers.  Textiles can be  cotton, wool, or silk.  (Silkworms have been cultivated  here in México since the first mulberry trees were planted in Cortés’s hacienda in Coyoacán.) The women will raise their own silkworms and spin the silk themselves.  All of this takes an extraordinary amount of time.

If the weavers aren’t able to sell their work for a price high enough to compensate them for the time spent making it they will have to turn to other work in order to support themselves, or start compromising in the quality of dyes, etc.  In addition, the young people who would normally apprentice to these masters won’t study the art since they don’t perceive it as a way to make a living in the future.  What Eliuh is working at is to illustrate and educate people to the value of these lovely handmade items in order to create a demand that will fairly compensate the makers.

They have worked with the State of Oaxaca and have sponsored a number of press and salon type events to showcase the work and discuss the project.  They have a Board of Advisors that is made up of influential people in fashion and textiles. They have been profiled in Elle Mexico and a number of other publications.

Recently they have had two events canceled at the last minute that left them with some beautiful silk rebozos to sell.  It was a huge disappointment since they had expected to sell them all and be able to forward the funds to the weavers.  Martha asked me if I would like one, and I jumped at the chance to buy such a lovely rebozo to wear.  Mine is dyed using  “flor de pericon” and has the most beautiful smell, kind of like chamomile.  You’ll see a few of the colors available on the first page of their website.

If you’d be interested in one of these lovely rebozos, please get in touch with Martha at martha (at) eliuh.com.  Prices are between $4,800 and $5,200 pesos.

Even if you can’t buy a rebozo, I hope that you will buy textiles that are handmade in the indigenous tradition and know that the money you spend is helping to preserve a very important part of Mexican history and a way of life for the families that make them.  I think it would be wonderful if women of power and standing in México would regularly wear these special textiles – the only one I am aware of at this time is the current Governor of the Yucatán, Ivonne Ortega Pacheco.  Her picture is below.

I hope you visit the Eliuh Kolektif website – the Spanish side is a bit more complete than the English… but you don’t need to read Spanish to understand their mission and see some wonderful pictures, too.  I am really impressed with what they are doing, and I hope you enjoyed hearing about it and maybe even learned something.

Winter is the perfect time to paint here in Mazatlán.  The temperature is comfortable – mid 70’s to mid 80’s – and the humidity is low.  But this year in addition to the normal homeowner updating here in Centro there seems to be an effort by the city to get some paint on buildings that badly need it.  I don’t know the details of the program, but with tourism down like it is, putting some additional people to work is a good thing!

The first batch of pictures are completed paint jobs.  Aren’t they gorgeous?

One side of the Military Hospital

A gorgeous old home that has been restored top-to-bottom.

Three houses in a row have nice fresh paint.  You can order a delicious rich cake from the family in the one on the far right and take dancing lessons from the family in the one on the far left.

This house is on a very narrow street and I couldn’t back up enough to entirely capture its charm.

We were skeptical when we saw this paint color, but once they got a couple of coats on, we are fans.

This one is a beauty now.  They are working on it inside and I would love to know more!

Some are still in progress:

Once Carnaval was over they decided to spruce up the malecon.

One guy scraping, one behind him painting.  My mother would have called this  “a lick and a promise.”

We can’t believe the paint on this one!  Kind of reminds me of some of the San Francisco “Painted Ladies.”  Check out the guy walking along the ledge at the top right side…

Here’s a doorway on the other street.

This building is more modern but it is getting a makeover, too.

I read in the Pacific Pearl a couple of months ago that the plan is to make this building into a hotel and business center for people who want to take “work-ations.”  I love the tile on the far end of this one.

Here’s the other side of the one above. See the guy kneeling at the parapet?

This one is actually empty.  It has no windows but it would be an absolute show stopper if it was redone.  I’m glad it’s getting exterior paint, anyway!  The pillars in the inside courtyard are absolutely gorgeous.  Here’s a picture if you want to see…

The last picture is one that is prepped and waiting for paint.

I hope you enjoyed my little tour.  I bet there are hundreds here in Centro that are getting painted right now.  Maybe you ought to come and take a look!