Sunday, December 09, 2007 | Quick
SP Just do it

Squeezing into anything that makes me look skinner has been a favorite pastime in lieu of working out...

AmberONeal.jpg
Amber O’Neal of Café Physique
CREDIT: Courtesy of CWPR

By Caren West

The other day when I pulled on pair of Spanx Tight-End Tights, not only did I thank Sarah Blakely for being so brilliant, I also pretended that my thighs were really that skinny in a very sad and pathetic strut in front of the mirror wearing only tights and bra kind of way. Too much info? Sadly, squeezing into anything that makes me look skinner has been a favorite pastime in lieu of working out.

As I slapped on some heels to make my legs look even skinner and to further get my strut on, it dawned on me that I’ve been working out. And doing it consistently. That’s right, the girl who used to get cardio from walking from boutique to boutique (and too often bar to bar) has actually been hitting the gym with my trainer Amber O’Neal, fitness expert and the founder of Café Physique. Since I’ve not had a regular exercise routine for about 15 years, I knew it was time to step up to the plate when we decided to take on Café Physique as a client.

Fortunately for me and other anti-exercisers, the main concept behind Café Physique is that the trainers come to you. Every Tuesday and Thursday morning at the crack of dawn, Amber shows up at my door with a big smile and then proceeds to kick my ass in my own gym and in front of my neighbors. While I hate to admit that I’ve actually started to enjoy it, since mid-October, I have been hobbling around Atlanta trying to pretend like I’m not sore and that my legs don’t feel like Jell-O.

Let me tell you, Jell-O legs syndrome matched by not being able to do simple things like move my arms presents numerous challenges when I have to attend business functions where mixing and mingling and appearing on the ball are the name of the game. For example, I was invited by Lisa Borders, president of the Atlanta City Council, to attend the Circle of Friends luncheon last week in conjunction with the hiring of the Marynell Meadors as the first head coach and general manager for the Atlanta WNBA team.

Although I was delighted to meet Meadors and the other VIPS in attendance including WNBA President Donna Orender and Don Kelly, the president of Russell Athletic, I could barely walk, stand up and had trouble passing the salt and pepper. I even hid in the bathroom for a bit just so I could sit down.

I also decided that my Jell-O legs would lead to my demise during the inaugural East Atlanta Critter Crawl benefiting the Atlanta Animal Welfare Committee in its efforts to organize a free spay-and-neuter event this summer. Although approximately 100 people showed up to drink Peroni and Sweetwater, and hop from Graveyard Tavern to
Gravity Pub
to The Glenwood to Flat Iron
and finally the East Side Lounge, the very thought of hopping anywhere was simply too much for me to handle.

Of course, when you’re the host of an event, attendance is mandatory whether or not you can walk eloquently or move your arms. I had to give myself a big pep talk pre-Citysearch holiday soiree at The GLOBE. I also had to act strategically. Pre-event, I wore cute little flats and scoped out spots where I could get my sneak on and lean without anyone noticing. As guests poured in the door to congratulate Jonathan Baker, the newly appointed Atlanta Citysearch editor, I slapped on my 4-inch heels, grabbed a glass of vino and decided to enjoy the pain.

Among the attendees were Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Geri Laufer, Citysearch president Jay Herratti, interior designer Michael Habachy, jewelry designer Mark Edge, Jay Harren, Columbia Records A&R wiz kid Keith Brown, SCAD-Atlanta’s Emily Gourgues, Ketchum’s Shahrzad Nadizadeh and Jez de Wolfe, who is jumping from Alternative to take a position as the brand manager for Adult Swim.

Amber, who I love/hate, also showed up to offer her support. Unfortunately, due to my 15-year fitness sabbatical, she was unable to enjoy the event since I had to drag her around the room (while leaning on her) in order to convince pals like DailyCandy’s Tiffany Davis and Melissa Libby’s Meryl Arnett that I really did have a trainer and it was not a tall tale.

In spite of all the pain, I am feeling buff, my friends. Feeling buff. And, whether it is hobbling my way through a party or enduring a challenging session with Amber, I have incorporated Nike’s motto into my new healthier lifestyle: “Just do it.” SP
 When not attending Atlanta’s hottest parties, tracking down celebs or shopping for shoes, Caren West runs her own PR firm. E-mail her at carenwest@sundaypaper.com.