Getting It Done LA Style...

Good morning my fellow peeps!

Yesterday was a great day. I stayed on track with my eating. I didnt binge and my body released a TON of water yesterday from the lactic acid build up. I could tell that by how much I was peeing LOL.

Then last night I had my eye appointment. My eyes having changed much from my prescription so that was a good thing. New glasses and contacts are on there way.

Then I made my way to the gym. I was a little nervous because I was driving my husbands car which is a stick shift. I have driven it only a couple times before. I stalled it a couple times and I may or may not have given it too much gas and ca chunked it once, but I was proud of myself for doing it and going on the expressway WITH the end of rush hour to contend with.

So when I got to the gym, because I was on my own, I decided to do an easy run at 5.5mph for about an hour and then walk for a few before going to do my weights.

I made sure to throw a towel over the read out this time and just turned on my iPod. I decided that the average song is 3 minutes and that I would check my progress after 10 songs. WELLLL...I sort of lost count and then when I picked back up counting at 4 (which was probably 6) I just continued from there to 10. When I got to 10 and I peeked part way thru song 10 I was already at 4.48 miles! Holy crap! So I whipped off the towel and finished up 5 miles. Then I walked another 0.25

Off to the weights I went. First I started with a 20lb barbell. My first move was curl bar pullovers. Basically you lay on the bench have the bar pressed up all the way with arms extended above your chest and move your arms back over your head so the bar is parallel with the floor and then bring it back up. That is for your back. And boy did I start to feel it. 15 reps round 1. Then I stood up and used the barbell for bicep curls. 15 reps. Then I did mountainclimbers (fast) 30 reps. Then I repeated the circuit two more times this time with 30 and 40 lb barbells and I also upped my reps for the mountainclimbers.

Then I moved to the back of the gym in the raised portion. I did a move called an Ax Chop on each side starting with 25 lb, 15 reps. Great for the abs, back and arms. Then I went and worked on a machine for my back. I started off with 30 lbs. Oh baby. I repeated those two exercises one more time and increased the weight of the ax chop to 27.5. I only did 2 circuits here because it was starting to get late and I still wanted to get some ab work in.

Then I moved down and grabbed a weighted bar and did some weighted bar sit ups on the inclined bench so my head was lower than my feet. Then I went over to another inclined bench where my feet are lower than my upper body and the bench only goes up to my waist. I did crunches there using a 25 lb weight that I just hugged to my body. I repeated that circuit twice.

Then I did some side bends with the weighted bar and I also did some core work with the stability ball. Then I called it an evening. I did really good and burned 1052 calories. I got it done MY style.

And I did even better driving home. No stalls, no ca-chunks and easy getting out of first gear. I think the less I thought about it, the better I did.

This morning I weighed in at 155.0. Back down the 3 lbs and still one pound from goal. Ugh. Torture! But I TOLD you that I knew my body had lactic acid buildup. And my back and arms are a little sore so I would say it was a success. I do like working out with Eric better. We can move quicker from exercise to exercise and he can push me harder. BUT if I want to be a personal trainer myself, then I need to work on different exercises.

So tonight is RPM. We will be having a sub but I dont know who yet. So my plan is to run before and hopefully get another 5 miles in and then do RPM with a lighter amount of resistance to flush the legs. I might be able to get to the gym a touch earlier tonight too because Aaron just called me. The roads are bad and he is crawling on the expressway at 25mph. His plan is to go to a Caribou Coffee and wait for a couple hours to see if it gets any better. If not, he will turn around and come home. He can work from here. Xavier has school til 3 and Landry has school and speech til 12. Then he will eat lunch and nap so it will be plenty quiet for him to get work done. And I wont be taking his car tonight. I will stick with my automatic with the snow.

Here is my meal plan for the day- basically the same as every other day with a couple exceptions.

Breakfast- AB juice, English muffin with PB, hard boiled egg
Lunch- (I am out of scallions) Gala apple, peanut butter, wasabi edamame and pretzel sticks and some hummus
Dinner- post workout a clementine and a cheese stick. Orange juice and some coconut water.

AND I have a Tina and Mike update:
As of last night, Mike was off life support and was doing well considering everything that he has gone thru. He is no where near out of the woods but they can start testing his heart today to see what is going on.

So please keep sending out the prayers. It is really appreciated.

And still send some prayers out for my family too. Hopefully by the end of next week I will be in a super happy place and have some definitive answers for us as well in resolving the family matter. I am still in a happy place but nothing is "for sure" yet. I dont foresee any problems that we cant overcome, but you never know!

Ok thats it for today. Time to get my kids ready for school.
Happy Thursday everyone!

Tip of the Day:

To Err is Human

Ok so I had a bit of a setback yesterday.

Breakfast and Lunch went fine. Dinner was going fine. BUT then we had Jets breadsticks. Those things are like Kryptonite for me. Ugh. I had two small ones and then one more that was slightly bigger. I did eat a lot of salad. And fresh green beans.

Then dessert came out. Cheesecake. OMG... I had a very small sliver.

We had some family things to take care of last night so we didnt end up getting home until just before 9 so I never did get to run last night. BUT the family stuff went VERY well and I am VERY optimistic for the first time in a LONG TIME! So I will take the weight gain.

This morning I weighed in at 158.0. 3 lb gain. I know it is water. I know it was stress. And I know it was those damn breadsticks.

AND I KNOW it is also lactic acid built up in my legs and in my ass. I am SO SORE today it isnt funny. Usually my Tuesday night run helps with everything but because I didnt get it in, I am extra sore and bloated today.

Nonetheless, tonight I will work it all out at the gym.

Tonight will be a later than normal night for me and it will be mixed up a bit.

I have my eye appt, then the gym. I have a feeling I will be getting to the gym just before my appt time with Eric at 7 which means I will have to do my running afterwards instead of before (woah run on sentence anyone?). Thats ok. Tonight is upper body and core. So however long I have before my appt time with Eric, I will do some sprint work to warm up the legs. And then I will just have to run afterwards. Maybe work on some intervals. Not sure yet.

Here is my meals for the day- back on track and no deviating!
Breakfast- Ab juice with pomegranates added in, English Muffin with PB, hard boiled egg
Lunch- scallions, hummus, celery, and I am still deciding about an apple with PB. We will see how hungry I am
Dinner post workout- a clementine and a cheese stick

Snacks will be some wasabi edemame, coconut water, cashews or almonds, and maybe some pretzels. Dunno yet.

Thats my news for now. I am one happy lady today. Now to make some phone calls and make what I need to do- happen!

Oh...and an update on Tina and Mike... Please keep them in your prayers. Yesterday they found out that he has congestive heart failure. The left side of his heart is barely functioning. They are talking pacemaker, lifetime meds or both. From what I am hearing online, it sounds like it is a family history genetic thing. They are also saying lifetime disability and he wont be able to lift anything over 10 lbs or strenuous exercise. All this IF he pulls thru. So please, keep praying.

OHHHHH....as I am typing this Eric messaged me... His son was born this morning. All is well. Looks like I am on my own at the gym tonight. :) So no rushing for me. Now I just need to find out who is subbing RPM tomorrow. And as excited as I am for him, I am nervous about being on my own for upper body tonight. Lower body is fine but upper body is completely different. I need to make sure I concentrate on back and biceps and core.

Ok...

Tip of the Day: Something a little light hearted with all the good karma out there...

Effects of Obesity

I'm sure you may have seen this picture before. Especially if you Pinterest at all.

But guess what?

I found the actual SOURCE of the pictures and the article that accompanies it.

Let me go over a few things...

1. I find this fascinating. I really wish I would have seen this way back when. I think it would have been a big wake up call

2. I am not posting this to call anyone out, gross anyone out or anything like that. I am doing this for the information value. Everyone is at a different stage in their journey whether or not they have started, are in the middle or maintaining at the end. Please no harsh or negative comments.

Ok. Look at the scan. Red is obviously muscle, black are the organs, white is bone and yellow is fat. One of the first things I noticed is all the fat that surrounds your organs. This is called visceral fat. Visceral fat isnt just like fat you find on the body that is a lump but visceral fat actually pumps out chemicals that has been linked to heart disease, diabetes and even some cancer.

The second thing I noticed is the enlarged heart on the scan. An enlarged heart cannot effectively pump blood to where it needs to be for the body. It is also a common cause of heart failure. And if an enlarged heart doesnt cause heart failure it will at least cause shortness of breath. A normal heart is about the size of a fist. Look at the picture below. See the size of the obese heart vs the hands on each side?

Now some things you may not have noticed. Look at the neck. See the yellow fat on each side? Excess fat here can cause pressure on the nerves and may contribute to headaches and neck pain. AND obese people also are at a higher risk for sleep apnea.

Their lungs though similar in size would be more compressed in the obese persons scan making it harder to breathe. This can lead to lack of energy, imparred immune system and even high blood pressure as the body tries to compensate.

Also think about the strain on the hips, knees, joints. The increased risk of varicose veins and arthritis. Think about your feet. I know when I was obese I didnt wear heels. I always joke that as the weight came off, the higher my heels became. The weight on the feet as you stand, walk etc. The increased risk of plantar fasciaitis. 

To read more about what effects obesity has on you, check out the remainder of the article here. I found it very interesting and learned things I wish I had known when I was 268 lbs.


Ok onto my Monday Recap.

I did great on my eating just as I outlined yesterday with the exception of some crackers and spinach dip and grapes after I worked out last night. I was hungry so I ate. 

The gym I did good too. I ran 4.25 miles before working with Eric. I wanted to make it to 5 but I need to get my brain past the 5k hurdle. Once I get to 5k I walk for a few then pick it back up. Thats ok though. All a process.

Last night we did the leg squat machine and then backward lunges while holding barbells.Then after we repeated that circuit 3 times we went to the upper portion of the gym for some floor space. There he had me hang onto two 10 lb kettle bells (on in each hand) with my arms up and out and folded like a chicken wing so my hands were in by my heart. I hope that makes sense. It was so the kettlebells rested in the crook of my arms by my elbows. Then he had me do squats with those. 20 lbs, no big deal right? Next exercise he had me kneeling with my toes planted firmly down on the ground. He spotted me by kneeling behind me and pressing his knees against the soles of my feel and pressing down on my heels while I VERY SLOWLY tilted myself forward to resist gravity. Oh baby does that work the hamstrings and glutes! Great exercise though. Then we went back to the kettlebells this time with 2- 20lb ones. My forearms are not muscular yet so those were starting to get a little painful on my arms. By the time we did the resistance exercise and got back up to do  kettlebells again I was pretty sweaty. This time he had me use 2- 30 lb kettlebells. Well let me tell you... between the sweat on my arms and my weak right arm I couldnt keep the kettlebells on. I would do one and it would slip. I even dried my arms off. Nope. It wasnt happening. Well did Eric let that stop him? No. He went and got one 60lb kettlebell for me to hang onto and squat with. That, even though it was super heavy and uncomfortable, I could do. And I did. We didnt give up. And that felt great. Just another way to do the exercise. We finished off by going back to the leg press machine. He loaded it up with 3 50 lb weights on each side and had me do 8. Then he took off one weight on each side and had me do 10. Then he took off another weight on each side and had me do 20. Whew. Then he put them ALL back ON and had me do a final 8. By then my legs were shaky and done. LOL.

After that I had to walk to stretch my legs back out. I did a nice easy walk for another 1.75 miles to round out my mileage to 6 miles for the night.

Today I am VERY sore but I weighed back in at 155.0. Happy with that. If I can keep it up I can hopefully reach goal by the end of the week.

Here is my meals for today:
Breakfast- Ab juice with pomegranate added, english muffin with PB
Lunch- Scallions, hummus, hard boiled egg, apple with PB
Dinner- Salad with apple cider vinegar

Tonight we will be going to Aarons grandmas for dinner. We are going to be picking up pizza and breadsticks and salad to take with us. 

Then once we get home and get the kids to bed my plan will be to run on the elliptical. I need to stretch out the legs and I love the elliptical for that. 

Well thats the plans for today. 
Have a great Tuesday everyone!!

Tip of the Day:

     

Soreness anyone?

Yesterday was a good day as far as food and exercise was concerned.

I stayed right on goal with my food.

Breakfast was a cheese stick (I was out of produce for juice), then a bit later cold oatmeal made with PB, unsweetened cocoa powder and real maple syrup.

Before lunch I ran to Meijer to get produce and do some light grocery shopping. By the time I got home I was famished. I had bought some pomegranates a week prior and I hadnt used them yet so even though I was starving, I still took the time to clean one out. The best way to do that without looking like you went thru a bloody massacre is to get a big bowl of water, cut the pomegranate in half, dunk one half under the water and slowly start to dissect all the seeds out. The seeds float to the bottom and the skin and pulpy stuff around the seeds float to the top for easy scooping and removal.

For lunch I had half of the pomegranate and a hard boiled egg.

Dinner I had some boiled carrots, a few crackers, and some spinach dip.

Then I went downstairs and did my upper back with weights. Biceps, triceps, lots of shoulder work. And I knew I said no running but I thought "Oh I can get on the elliptical and run for 10 minutes". So I jumped on and I started and my legs said "ah no!". So I got back off and called it a night in the workout room. Yup. My legs are a BIT more sore than what I thought. LOL.

Instead I went outside and shoveled. We had a good 1"-2" down already and I thought I would help Aaron out so he didnt have as much to do this morning before he goes to work. I kept my HRM on and going the whole time so I could get a calorie read.

It took be about an hour to shovel. So in 1:35 I only burned 382 calories.

The thing that sort of frustrates me is that MyFitnessPal allows you to add strength exercises but then doesnt show it as exercise because you arent burning major calories. Such a bummer! It is like doing the work but not getting paid for it. And it isnt like I eat the extra calories I burn anyways but dang it, I like to see the numbers change!!

I did have some more cheese and crackers last night and a piece of string cheese after my workout. Oh and Aaron and I finally watched Kevin Bacon's new show The Following. Has anyone watched that? It is going to be a really good show I think!

This morning I weighed in at 156.5. Up another pound. Not from lack of exercise or eating bad. I am ok with it. I weight train, I gain a little bit of weight. No biggie. I'm sore so it is probably lactic acid buildup in my legs and now my upper body. That should be taken care of tonight.

Tonight is working with Eric. As always I will run before hand and then work my legs with him and then walk again to stretch them back out. I will probably get in 6-7 miles or so. We shall see how my legs feel when it actually comes time to run.

When I was at Meijer yesterday, I walked past their eye care center and they were having a sale on glasses, contacts and the eye exams. I desperately need new glasses and contacts! In fact, I am completely out of contacts for my right eye and have been having to wear my glasses. And the problem with my glasses is that when I got them I had a scratch resistant coating put on them (because of the kids) and that is now starting to peel off here or there. I wont be paying for that again I can tell you!

ANYWAYS...the only day that the eye doctor comes in to that location is on Wednesday SO I am going to have to reschedule with Eric. I am STILL thinking it is going to be a moot point because I think his wife will be having the baby by then but we will see. I will just have to remember to tell Eric tonight- Just in Case! I still plan on going to the gym Wed night, just not until after my eye appt.

Ok so here is my meal layout for the day:

Breakfast- AB juice and this time I added some pomegranate to it. Awesome but I def had to strain it because of the seeds. Later will be an English Muffin with PB. In fact, now that I am thinking about it, I wonder if eating the pomegranate had anything to do with some of the weight gain. Not all of it surely but I dont think the body can digest those seeds...hmmm....anyways...

Lunch- scallions, hard boiled egg, apple with PB

Dinner (pre workout)- some of my pad thai  I want the carbs before I go running

Snack post workout- cheese stick

Thats about all the excitingness in my world.

On a personal note, would you please say some prayers for my sorority sister Tina and her husband Mike. Last week Mike was rushed to the hospital by ambulance with severe pneumonia. He is now on a ventilator, is in critical condition and his heart is working at only 15%. They are trying to figure out what is going on with his heart in order to correct it. He is also in a medically induced coma. They have three very small children (the youngest being 5-6 months) and they need their daddy to be there for them.

I totally believe in the power of prayer so if you do too, please pray for them.

Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. And please make sure you hug your loved ones a little longer because you never know what the next minute may bring.

Have a wonderful Snowy Monday! We have a snow day here today!

Tip of the Day: Again from Juicing Vegetables on FB. I know I am on a kick, but I love the info they put out there!

Here are 9 of my favorite benefits of avocados!

1. Beta-sitosterol

Beta-sitosterol is a compound that may prevent the absorption of cholesterol and naturally works with the body to promote cardiovascular health.

2. Fiber

Avocados are packed with fiber. One avocado provides up to 34% of the Daily Value for dietary fiber. Avocados provide soluble  and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber is great and beneficial because it actually picks up excess cholesterol  from the body and the insoluble fiber prevents constipation.

3. Folate

Folate is an important B6 vitamin. It’s linked to the prevention of cancer and heart disease in adults. Folate is also a necessary for pregnant women since it is necessary and essential for healthy brain development of babies and folate also reduces nausea that is associated with pregnancy.

4. Glutathione

Glutathione functions as an antioxidant. This compound may neutralize free radicals that can damage cells.

5. Magnesium

Magnesium reduces discomfort that is associated with premenstrual symptoms, migraines, anxiety. Magnesium may help reverse osteoporosis, help with cardiovascular disease, regulates high blood pressure, and may help with diabetes.

 6. Oleic Acid

Oleic acid is a type of monounsaturated fat that has been linked to lowering cholesterol levels. Monounsaturated fats are also promotes healthy heart. This type of fat also helps lower triglycerides in the bloods with is great for people who have diabetes.

7. Potassium

Avocado contains 30% more potassium than one banana. Potassium is important in regulation blood pressure and preventing circulatory.

8. Absorption of nutrients and enzymes

The nutrients and enzymes in avocado soothes the condition of inflamed mucous lining in the stomach and small intestines.  It also improves the body’s ability to absorb carotenoids and nutrients.

9. Antioxidants and Vitamins

Avocados are rich in antioxidants which is helpful in preventing free radicals. Avocados also contain vitamin E which protects the skin, lutein which keeps the eyes safe from oxidative stress, macular degeneration and cataracts.

Running! and Goal Update

Good Sunday morning everyone!

Nothing too exciting for me to talk about today in terms of playing in mom's closet, or overtraining etc so I will just jump into my recap of yesterday.

Yesterday I stayed right on track with my eating. I knew I was planning on running about 10 miles last night so right before I run, you will notice a little bit of laxing on the "diet" food.

Here is what I had yesterday to eat:
Breakfast- Ab juice, an english muffin with PB, a hard boiled egg
Lunch- scallions, hummus, celery, apple with PB
Snack- some pretzels
Dinner (pre run)- the left over grilled cheese from Landry (bread = carbs for running) a couple noodles with garlic sauce (way salty so I just literally had a couple), a string cheese and some grapes

For running I brought a couple Tootsie Rolls with me in case I needed the sugar hit to keep me going. I started off running at 5.0 and was singing along to my music thinking "this is gonna be easy". Then at about 3.36 miles in the treadmill shut off. I dont know if I accidentally hit the stop button or what but I was PISSED. There is nothing more defeating then starting back at 0 on the treadmill after you know you have gone about 3.5 miles. What happened was I had glanced at my distance (I run with my glasses off so I am not constantly glancing at the readout) and was running. Then I switched my song on my iPod a couple minutes later and set it down. After I set it down, the treadmill turned off. SO I am guessing I got to about 3.5 miles.

Once I restarted I was in a bit of a funk. I LOVE seeing the mileage go up on the treadmill. UGH. Then once I was in to actual mile 5 my body decided it was time for a pit stop. I didnt want to pause the treadmill and have it stop so I slowed it down to 1 mph and ran upstairs quick to use the restroom. AHHHH much better.

Then I came back downstairs and hopped back on and bumped the speed up to 5.2. I did take some nibbles here or there of one Tootsie Roll and sucked on it. I ran 5.2 the rest of the time that I ran. At one point during my running (I dont remember when), I increased my speed to 6.0 but I just couldnt do it. I ran it for about a minute but my legs were getting spent so I took it back down. I ended up running 7 miles and then walked 2 at 4.3 mph. So I got 9 miles in total. It wasnt exactly what I wanted BUT right now I am not training for my half marathon. SO anything is good. Plus I am coming off of the stomach flu too. And the good news was that I had NO cramping what so ever so I think I am done with that.

Last night while running I burned 1316 calories. My goal for next time is to run 8 miles and walk 2 for a total of 10. I really think I could of had it not been for the mind screw of the treadmill stopping.

Before running, Aaron and I decided that we wanted some Thai food for dinner. I told him that I would go get it after I ran which is why I was also on a bit of a time crunch to get into town and get the food. Otherwise I probably would have walked the last mile to get to 10 total.

So once I got home, I had some Tofu Pad Thai for dinner. Yummy!! I had plenty of calories left for the day for it so I wasnt worried about having some of the starch from the noodles. AND they put the sauce on the side so I could just add a bit. And they had orange slices on the side- awesome for after running. I was mad Aaron threw his oranges away!!

I still have half my Pad Thai left that I will probably have tomorrow for lunch before I work out.

So this morning I weighed in at 155.5. Ugh. A half pound gain. Thats ok. I think it is from the running. It isnt from the food. I documented it all and I actually had a TON of calories left over.

SOOOOO for today.

I am NOT going to run tonight. Instead I am going to work out with Aaron. I am going to do arm work and some legs. Tomorrow night is leg work at the gym so it will just be light tonight. I want to show Aaron some of the moves that I do at the gym. And I still want to work on Turkish Get Ups. And yes. The goal is to keep the kettlebell straight up and down from your shoulder. It is an isometric exercise (well that part of it). You definitely feel it in your shoulder . The point of it is to get a full body workout in just one move. Abs, legs, core, arms, shoulder, chest etc.

And no word from Eric yet. Last night was the Full Moon so we will see if labor happens today. I am so excited for him!

Onto my 2013 goals.

One of them is to run at least 4 races. Well Friday I signed up for two of them. One is a 5k on March 15 to commemorate the tornado and all the proceeds are going back to the non profits that helped us out. I will not be running this for a PR but I will be running it. I will see my friends at the end and cheer them on (who are walking). I also signed up for the Color Run on May 11th. This one I will be walking/running with friends. And I dont mind the walking. You definitely want to savor the experience.

1 I still have to sign up for is the Dexter-Ann Arbor Half Marathon on June 2nd. This is the one I did last year. This year I actually want to train for it. I am hoping to PR it (under 2:45) but I really would like to come in under 2:30.

Another possibility is the Free Press Marathon in November. My mom mentioned that my dad wants to run it. This coming from the man who said he cant run because of his knee and who has NEVER run even a 5k before. But we all have dreams huh? LOL. The reason that he is talking about doing it is because his boss's grandbaby passed away shortly after she was born and they want to run it in memory of her. So I told my dad that if he runs it, I will too. It is a VERY cool run. It is downtown Detroit (sounds scary but it isnt) and runs across the bridge to Canada and then back to the USA via the tunnel. I went to sign up for this one last year for the Half but it was full already.

My Zumba instructor has a lead for me for a job and is passing my info onto the people looking. Keep your fingers crossed.

I am very close to my weight goal. After that, anything I lose is bonus. I am fine with the weight. I just still have fat that I need to get rid of.

So I think that is all the news for now. Have a great Sunday everyone!

Tip of the Day: Just remember that because these are zero calories, it doesnt mean that they dont have sugar. And sugar can add up quickly and cause you to GAIN weight. So still track and eat in moderation!!

Playing in Moms Closet

So when you were little did you ever play dress up in your mom's closet?

Put on her makeup?

Her high heels?

Well after losing weight, that is sort of what I feel like I am doing in MY closet.

Trying on clothes.

Do they fit?

Are they loose?

So yesterday I was upstairs in my closet sort of digging thru it. And I decided to try on the dress from my sisters wedding.

Remember how I was counting down the days trying to fit into it post tornado? How at first I couldnt zip it up?

How I was finally able to fit into it but it was tight- even for the wedding day.

Well...this is what it looked like yesterday:

I have a good couple inches on the side of my dress now- especially in the bust area. If I were to wear this again (which I had planned on) I would need to be cautious about my boobs falling out. LOL.

And I tried on this dress too:

I have to say I LOVE this dress. I wish the "After" picture did my weight loss more justice. It is hard to see in front of the dark pants that are in the background. I bought this dress years ago for something (I dont remember why) but have gotten my wear out of it. I wore it for my cousins wedding, other peoples weddings, galas, etc. Basically ANY formal function when I was heavy. I always just felt so slender in it. Now the "Before" photo in October was actually AFTER I had started losing some weight. AND I had this dress taken IN a couple inches on each side for the wedding I wore this to! I remember looking at this wedding picture and thinking that I looked SO skinny in the picture!

I am not quite sure why I havent been able to get rid of this dress. It was at the very back of my closet when I pulled it out. All of my other things I have pulled out and donated. But this? It still has a hold on me. I am thinking it is time to pass it on though.

Do you still have clothes that you are keeping that are way too big for you now? Or do you have clothes that you have outgrown that you keep hoping to fit back into?

Onto my recap for Friday-

I went to the gym and ran an easy 3 miles at 5.0mph. I even kicked up the incline to 1.0 to try to raise my heartrate up a bit more. My stomach was feeling fine with no cramping.

Then Zumba. I was doing great until towards the end. The fatigue and cramps started to set in...hmmmm...maybe I shouldnt have run before. I ended it taking it pretty easy towards the end with no jumping because every time I jumped it felt like a knife in the gut.

Then after Zumba I walked a mile at 3.0. Nice and easy. Eric was running a few behind so I just strolled to keep my heartrate raised up just a bit higher than resting. So 4 miles total for the evening.

When it came time to work with Eric, I told him we should limit the core work because of the cramping. He decided that we would work on my shoulders pretty hard and then at the end do a bit of chest and back work. And thats what we did. We did overhead presses with squats between each one...(over head press, sit on the bench, over head press, stand up, repeat). Then we did some upright rows. Then we did some moved to work on my shoulder and really strengthen them. Then we moved and went and did some regular rows and flys on a machine. And then Eric introduced me to a new move. It is called the Turkish Get Up.

Here is a video of it from you tube. Eric showed me a couple times and had me do this move with a 10 lb kettlebell. The girl in the video has her leg out to the side further than what I did. I had mine bent and my other one straight out. He said he was impressed with how quickly I picked it up. He said usually he has to show the move 3-4 times. We added this move into our circuit between the rows and the flys. It is an AWESOME move. Works legs, butt, core, obliques, shoulders, arms. Eric says he has a 35 lb kettlebell that he uses at home. If he can do each side once, he is done. My goal while Eric is gone is to be able to do this move with a 20 lb kettlebell at least one time each side.

I was exhausted by the time we were done last night. I was extremely lucky. Eric had his 7:30 and his 8:00 appts cancel so he was able to work longer with me. I hope he sort of sees me as a pet project. Like play-doh to see what he can form me into. LOL. And I do have to say that both he and I admired my shoulders and arms last night. :)

I ended up burning 1387 calories at the gym in almost 3 hours. Whew.
I have a feeling that his wife is going to go into labor this weekend so I am just planning on being on my own next Mon and Wed. If I am not, then bonus for me...but his wife is 3cm dialated and 70% effaced. This is their second child so my gut is that it is going to be this weekend.

This morning I weighed in at 155.0. 1 freakin pound from goal! From being in the "Normal" BMI category. Aaron and I were sitting here talking about BMI and he wondered what his was, so I looked it up. Then he asked out of curiosity what my BMI was before I started to lose weight. WELL I was 268 lbs and I am 5'6" tall. My starting BMI was 43.3. Obesity is 30 or higher. As of today my BMI is 25. One pound drops me into the 24.9 which is the normal category.

Today I plan on running. I am hoping to run 10 miles but it will all depend on my stomach. So somewhere between 6-10 will be good. I plan on going at an easy 5.0 mph to work on distance. I am hoping to go to K's house to get er done.

Then tomorrow will be my rest day. I might do my P90X stretch dvd or yoga. We shall see how I feel after my run tonight.

Have a great Saturday everyone!

Tip of the Day:  Again from Juicing Vegetables on Facebook. I just LOVE learning about vegetables and their good health properties.

6 Amazing Benefits of Celery!!

1. Good for your teeth

Natural fibers in celery can help your teeth clean. Celery like apples is packed with Vitamin C which helps fight inflammation in your gums.

2. Good bacteria

The human body is composed of billions of bacteria cells. The good bacteria in your body loves eating celery and other greens. Think about it this way, anything you eat from now on you are not feeding yourself you are feeding an army of good bacteria cells that want to keep you healthy. (I knew you would like that one.)

3. Antioxidants and vitamins

Celery is a functional food. Celery leaves are rich source of flavonoid antioxidants such as zeaxanthin, lutein and beta- carotene, which have anti-oxidant, anticancer, and immune-boosting functions. (Nutrition and You)
It’s also good source of vitamin-A. Vitamin-A and beta-carotene are natural flavonoid antioxidants. Vitamin A is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin, and for vision. Consumption of natural foods rich in flavonoids helps body to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers. (Nutrition and You)
Celery is also rich in many vital vitamins including folic acid (provides 9% of RDA), riboflavin, niacin and vitamin-C, which are essential for optimum metabolism. (Nutrition and You)
Fresh celery is an excellent source of vitamin-K, provides about 25% of DRI. Vitamin-K help increase bone mass by promoting osteotrophic activity in the bones. It also has established role in Alzheimer’s disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in the brain. (Nutrition and You)

4. Anti-inflammatory Effects

Celery also contains apigenin. Apigenin is a flavonoid that may help stop tumor growth. It’s also under study for it’s anti-inflammatory effects.

5. Phthalides

Have you ever heard people say that celery is high in sodium? Well you might be surprised because even though celery does have natural sodium  which is a concern for people with high blood pressure – celery actually helps lower blood pressure due to a compound called phthalides. These compounds are believed to lower blood pressure by reducing the body’s hormone levels that constrict blood vessels and therefore increase blood pressure (Barone et. al, 2002).

6. Soluble fiber

Celery is also high in soluble fiber. Even when you juice celery  soluble fiber is still present in the juice! Celery leaves are great as well, they are high in potassium and vitamin C.

 Celery Juice Recipes

It's Friday!

First I have to apologize. I HATE the stupid word verifications when you go to leave a comment and for the longest time I had it turned off.

Slowly I have been getting Spam comments...some I admit were pretty entertaining...but it was getting worse and worse on a daily basis.

SO I decided that in order not to get 5+ Spam comments a day on really old posts, that I needed to turn back on the word verifications.

If you are like me and hate that, sorry. But I have a valid reason and I hope it doesnt keep you from commenting.

On to yesterday.

Thursday morning I was feeling pretty good and pretty much back to normal. But as the morning wore on, I started to get stomach cramps here or there. Some actually pretty intense. Think childbirth contraction type pain but more in your stomach/low rib cage area. Ugh. It came and went and I wasnt throwing up so I could deal with it.

I decided that because I wasnt throwing up that I would go to the gym, walk for an hour and then do RPM with light resistance. I had messaged Eric earlier and ask him what he thought and he gave me clearance as long as I did RPM about 50-70% of what I normally do. So off to the gym that evening I went.

I got to the gym and quickly claimed a treadmill. They are still pretty scarce after the first of the year. Hate to say it but I cant wait for all these resolution people to quit so I can get a decent parking spot or get a treadmill or get a spot in class.

Anyways, I digress. I ended up doing 3.39 miles WALKING with an incline of 4.0-5.0 at 4.2 mph.

Then with RPM I just took it nice and easy. A lighter resistance and I didnt go as fast. I was pretty much ok thru the whole thing. Got a light sweat and tried to keep my cycling in my zone as best as I could without killing myself. And then we got to the Mountain Track which is the last working track in the hour. Oh baby. I thought I might throw up. You stand, you sit, you bounce...Usually it is my favorite track but not last night.

I managed to hold it together and got thru the whole class.

In the two hours I was at the gym I only ended up burning 673 calories. BUT I consider that good. When I would first start walking or cycling my stomach would cramp up pretty severely. After a few minutes it would subside and I would be fine from there on out....but let me tell you. Those first minutes I was really trying to figure out what I was doing there. That I should just quit. But I love the gym so much that I decided to try it and if it didnt get better after 10 minutes then I would stop and go home. Well by 10 minutes I was fine so I just kept going.

This morning I weighed in at 156.0. Only two pounds from goal weight. I am very excited I am almost there again.

Tonight I am going to see how my stomach does. If it is fine during the day, I am going to do light running at 5.0. Then I have Zumba. And then I will walk for a bit after Zumba and work with Eric at 7. Busy night! But I am looking forward to it. The biggest challenge is to not have the weekend unravel all my hard work this week.

Have a great Friday everyone!

Tip of the Day:

8 Facts about BROCCOLI!!!!  Courtesy of Juicing Vegetables on FB

Did you know that broccoli is one of the most studied vegetable? Thanks to it’s high phytochemicals and it’s ability to fight against disease, it’s regarded as a superfood.
Broccoli is a member of the cabbage family. It is one of the most nutrient dense foods. Packed with vitamin C and has anticancer effects. When selecting broccoli to juice, look for dark green broccoli or purplish heads. The stalks should be firm. Avoid broccoli with wilted, yellow or soft leaves since their nutritional content is low.

Here are 8 nutritional facts about broccoli.

1. Beta-Carotene

Beta-carotene is regarded as a powerful antioxidant because it can help neutralize damaging free radicals. Beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in the body. Beta-carotene is good for vision, immunity and overall health.

2. Calcium

Broccoli doesn’t contain any fat nor is it a dairy product but it’s packed with calcium. Calcium is essential for bones, muscles, nerves, hormones and enzymes that affects every function in the body.

3. Dithioethiones

Dithioethiones are anticancer agents that may help stimulate glutathione. Glutathione is an antioxidant that helps neutralize free radicals.

4. Folate

Folate is a vitamin B which can lower risks for cancer and birth defects. Folate may also help reduce the risk of heart disease due to it’s ability to control homocysteine. Homocysteine is an amino acid that is linked to heart disease.

5. Glucosinolates

Broccoli contains glucosinolates. When you eat broccoli glucosinolates are broken down into different health promoting compounds such as indoles, sulforaphan and isothiocyanates which all can help prevent cancer. Isthiocyanates helps stimulate the body’s own natural anticancer compounds and may also help fight carcinogens that are in smoke. Sulforaphane is a powerful phytochemical that can increase anticancer activity and also can reduce tumor formation.

6. Insoluble Fiber

Who doesn’t love fiber? Broccoli is packed with insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber helps “push” everything out of the system and prevents constipation.

7. Lutein

Lutein is a carotenoid that that can help prevent colon cancer and macular degeneration.

8. Potassium

Potassium is great for blood pressure regualtion and decreases the risk of having a stroke. One cup of broccoli contains 456 mg or 15% of the Daily Value (Barone et. al 2002).

Stomach Bug

meah.....

Sorry if I have used this photo lately.
I am still recovering from yesterday and just dont feel 100% yet.

So yesterday was Aarons meeting and that morning he was saying how he wasnt feeling well...

I thought it was just nerves.

Then I started to not feel well.

Remember?

And I thought it was just MY nerves...

Well (Sorry Drazil-skip this part) I ended up heaving my cookies at different times throughout the day. It was weird. I FELT fine and then suddenly I would have to run and pray to the porcelain God.

I ended up canceling my training session last night with Eric. I am still trying to figure out how he trained while having the flu. He taught a class...went and hurled...taught a class...went and hurled...well you get the idea. He said he did a LOT of breathing and swallowing (uh gross!!).

ANYWAYS...

I ended up skipping dinner last night. Aaron did too. While I was throwing up, his stomach had really bad cramps and was on the floor in pain.

Eric had said this sounds like what he had. Another neighbor was saying that it sounds like the stomach flu SHE has (which has been going on for a WEEK now!) and all I wanted to do was sleep.

Putting the kids to bed couldnt come soon enough. Finally by 7 they were in bed and I was too.

Now after 11 hours of sleep, I feel SO much better. I have a slight headache (probably from the throwing up and non eating) which I took some meds for but my stomach feels normal. And Aaron feels normal again too. We are wondering if it was food poisoning. I just thank goodness that it wasnt the stomach flu or if it was, that it came and went quickly. Either way I feel really bad because when I get sick like that I tend to associate sickness with the last food that I ate. And the last food I ate before getting sick was K's cacciatore. Ugh. So sorry K! But the smell even puts me off.

I did weigh myself this morning. 157.0. Not really too excited because I will probably gain it back because it was from non eating and being sick.

Today my plan is to take another rest day as far as exercise is concerned.

For breakfast I am having a piece of string cheese and a smidge of coffee.

If that stays down then I might have a little bit of oatmeal.

Then I might have an apple with some peanut butter.

And I think that is going to be it for today. Unless I suddenly turn ravenous. Then we will have to see. The plan is just to have little meals here or there throughout the day.

Still debating about the gym tonight. If I go in I will walk on the treadmill and do a lighter than normal RPM just to flush my legs. I messaged Eric to ask him what he thinks. My legs are REALLY, REALLY, REALLY achy today from all my running so part of me thinks going to stretch them out tonight would be good.

Tomorrow I am hoping to be back at the gym for Zumba full force. I also messaged Eric about doing our missed upper body tomorrow night after Zumba. We will see what he says.

Have a great Thursday everyone! And dont get sick!!

Tip of the Day:

Overtraining

Today I wanted to talk about over training.

The reason I thought about it was last Saturday when I went for the Spinning class that Eric was subbing for, he was saying how after Spinning he was teaching RPM and then teaching Body Pump.

Now he yells at me- a lot- to make sure I am not over training.

Which lead me to question him Monday night on how in the world he doesnt overtrain???

I mean lets see...

Tuesdays he teaches RPM, Thursday he teaches RPM, Saturdays he teaches RPM and then straight after Body Pump, and then Sunday he teaches RPM, Body Pump and then RPM again!!

First I think we need to define what over training is.

There are lots of really LOOONNNGGG definitions but I will paraphrase.

Overtraining is basically training SO hard and SO often that you dont give your body time to heal from the training. If insufficient rest is had, then it can lead to injuries and plateaus because the body doesnt have time to repair itself.

Here are some symptoms: Fatigue, moody, easily irritated, altered sleep patterns, become depressed or even lose desire for the sport they are partaking in.

Physical symptoms include persistent muscular soreness, increased illness, increased instances of injuries.

This is how Eric explained to me how he doesnt overtrain.

Besides the classes he teaches, he has to be very careful with what he trains when. For example: he cant train his legs heavily on a Friday because he teaches RPM and Pump a LOT on the weekend. So he has to do his legs more lightly then he might want to because he uses them so much in his classes.So he might train them on Wednesday when he isnt going to use them that night to let them recover a bit before Thursday night.  He said it is one of the big problems with being a fitness instructor. That you dont get to train necessarily as hard as you may want to.

Now I admit...I have overtrained in the past.

Pretornado I was not only working in the gym taking 2-3 classes in an evening (remember my Tuesdays? CX, Body Flow then RPM with Plyometrics in the morning?), but I was also doing P90X at home during the day. And though I was seeing the results, I was getting sick a lot more! Remember when I had both my eardrums rupture last year? And pink eye at the same time? UGH!

Now I only do my warm up which is running and then work with Eric or take my class. I have gone from working out about 4 hours a day to working out at max 2 hours a day and most of that is just warming up on the treadmill in one form or another. Tuesdays and Saturdays I dont even go into the gym. I work out on the elliptical or K's treadmill. And Sundays are my rest day.

And the results of that are definitely showing. You saw my stripe shirt picture. I was actually heavier in it but now that I am training correctly it is showing more and firming more.

And I noticed while I run that my endurance is MUCH better than before when I was doing all that training. I did 5.5 miles Monday before it was time to work with Eric and I could have kept going. Seriously! That was even kicking up the speed to 6.5 for about 7 minutes!

And I know, I know. Most of you probably dont train like I do. HOWEVER when you are just starting out you have to be conscientious of not over training either. Your body goes thru an initial shock and says "WTF are you doing to me?" Then week 2 it has figured it out and doesnt want to release the fat. Think about the Biggest Loser. Week 2 ALWAYS sucks for weight loss! And you see some people injure themselves where they are on medical restrictions. Do they overtrain? YES! But I would say that their situations are extreme and they are watched closely by a doctor.

SOOO...my question to you is Do you feel like you over train? Do you feel like you train enough?? What step have you reached today (see picture above)?

Onto the recap of yesterday.

K made a fabulous vegetarian cacciatore for us. I had a very small amount of that and some spaghetti squash for dinner. Then I went to K's house to run about 7:30.

She wasnt home so I started off alternating between 5.5mph and 6mph. Then I remembered that I needed to call my mom so I bumped the speed down to 4.5 mph and walked while I talked to her. I ran about 3 miles before calling her and in total on the treadmill I did 7.5 mph. I burned 877 calories so not a spectacular burn in just under two hours.

Today my legs are VERY sore. I am glad that it is upper body tonight. I will probably do a nice easy run at 5.0 mph to stretch them out before upper body tonight.

I did weigh in at 158.0 so I am back down to pre-binge weight. And I am NOT doing that again this week I can tell you.

This morning I had a modified juice again. I am really starting to run out of produce.

This is what I made: spinach, kale, broccoli, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, parsley and a few shakes of hot sauce. Blend and strain, Not bad at all but I am not feeling too well today so the hot sauce probably wasnt the best thing for my stomach.

I just have some nerves hitting me today. This afternoon will fine. Aaron has some stuff going on this afternoon so we both have some queasiness hitting us today. Come about 4 or 5 all should be peachy keen but please say some prayers for us!

So here is my meals for today:

Breakfast will be my english muffin with PB and my hard boiled egg.

Lunch will be a gala apple with PB and a hard boiled egg. Also some pretzels and hummus. No hot sauce.

Dinner will be my cheese stick when I get home.

Because I am not feeling well I really just want to take it easy on the food today. I really am not hungry and my juice is rolling around in my stomach right now. UGH.

Anyways...thats my plan for today.

Have a great Wednesday everyone!!

Tip of the Day:

No More Teasing....It's Time!!

Ok, ok, ok. No more teasing. This is it.

This post is where I am putting my current pictures.

But first- a recap.

I got 5.5 miles on the treadmill before working the lower body with Eric.We did squats, leg presses, jumping lunges with a medicine ball, squats while throwing the medicine ball up....all sorts of things using the medicine ball. Eric had me laughing so hard at one point where I was sort of doing a mason twist but instead of going side to side, I was throwing the medicine ball up into the air, that I pulled my ab muscle. LOL.

After we worked out, I hit the treadmill again to work out my leg muscles. Another 1.5 miles.

If you are doing the math, that is 7.0 miles. Tonight. Not to mention the lower body workout I did too. Yup. I'm a beast. LOL. I ended up burning 1205 calories.

And I think that means I am going to try to run 10 miles this Saturday. Why? Because I can. And then I have Sunday to let my legs recover.

Ok. Onto my pictures. I took them when I got home from the gym so I am sorry for the poor lighting.

My husband was goofing around and asked me to kiss my arm. So I did but what do I see when I look at the picture??? It looks like the START of a 2 pack abs!! Ohhh baby! Do my eyes deceive me?? What do you think??

Also it looks like my belly button is higher in the first set? Maybe not higher but tighter around it.

I cannot WAIT to see next months pictures THOUGH I know that with Eric's baby coming any day I may not have the results like I have in the past couple months. I plan on working out on my own though until he comes back.

This morning I weighed 158.5. Last night when I took the pictures after the gym I weighed 159 which is why I wrote the weight as that. I am very happy I am only .5 lbs away from my low. Hopefully I can surpass it by the end of the week.

And tonight K is coming over and making us dinner. Vegetarian Cacciatore. Yummy! She will be adding chicken to Aarons. LOL. Then I am going to either run at K's or do the elliptical. My legs are VERY sore today so in order to combat the lactic acid build up, I plan on running to keep them stretched out. My goal is to do 6 miles then walk another mile for a total of 7.

So here is the meal plan for the day:
Breakfast- modified ab juice. Its official. I am out of lemons AND limes. So this is what I did instead. Spinach, kale, broccoli, a small handful of baby carrots and a granny smith apple. Blend and you can strain it if you want (I did). I have found with my mostly veggie drinks that I prefer the work of straining them and getting a juice feel rather than chewing the pulp. If it was mostly fruit it would be a different story. English Muffin with PB, and a hard boiled egg

Lunch- celery, scallions, hummus with hot sauce, pretzels and almonds

Dinner- vegetarian cacciatore.

Snack- maybe a cheese stick after I run. Not sure yet.

So thats the big news. The big reveal. Hope you enjoyed and that it motivates you. Are you taking pictures of yourself and your transformation? I highly recommend it! Amazing to think that I have changed that much in just TWO months!!

Tip of the Day: I apologize if I did this one already. I find them and use them on both my blog and on my FB page and sometimes I forget if I used them here or not.

Continuing on...

Well, well well...

Guess what I woke up to this morning?

My "aunt" deciding to visit.

I guess that helps explain for a little bit of the cravings and water retention huh?

ANYWAYS...

Yesterday was a great day.

For breakfast I had my ab juice but instead of cucumber (because I was out) I used celery.  Then I had an english muffin with PB and my hard boiled egg.

Lunch was celery, scallions and hummus with hot sauce. I did have some almonds as well.

Dinner was with Aarons mom and brother. I had a big salad with sprouts, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers a couple of croutons and about a tablespoon of Marzettis light blue cheese dressing and a Boca burger on a whole wheat bun with tomato, lettuce, mayo and sauteed veggies. The veggies were peppers, mushrooms, onions and jalepenos. It was SO yummy!! Dessert was fresh fruit.

Thats what I had. This is what I stayed away from: soft pretzels, tiny weenies, regular burgers, cheese, bratwurst, baked beans, cupcakes and cookies. I would say I did pretty good.

Now normally I rest on Sundays BUT with my bad eating the day before I knew I wanted to work out.

SO I messaged K to see if she was home to use her treadmill. She hadnt responded by the time I was dressed and ready so I started off on the elliptical. I asked Aaron to please listen to see if I get a text saying to come over.

Well I was over half way thru my run on the elliptical (I had scheduled an hour) before Aaron came down say that K had texted me back saying come over. So I jumped off the elliptical and headed to her place before thinking "duh I should have checked to see how far I had run". Dang it. I know I was over 2 miles in so for purposes of my log, I am going to say 2 miles.

Then at K's house I ran intervals between 5 mph-6mph. After 3 miles I ran between 5mph-4mph-5.5mph to 6mph. Just mixing it up depending on the song that came on my iPod. I ended up doing another 4.5 miles at her house. Not kidding. Calories burned between the elliptical and the treadmill: 1085.

So a total of 6.5 miles last night and I am not even sore. This makes me VERY tempted to try to run about 10 miles or so on the treadmill one day to see how I do and if I can keep a 5mph pace. My goal is to finish a half in under 2:30 this year. This means I am going to have to run it about 5.5 mph to accommodate water stops and bathroom breaks.

This morning I weighed in at 160.0. Still 2 lbs up but I think some water retention has to do with it.

Tonight is the gym for legs so I should get a good workout. My plan is to run for an hour and hopefully get in 5 miles. Then work my legs and then walk to stretch them out.

 Here is my meal plan for the day:
Breakfast- modified ab juice (replacing the cucumber and lemon with celery and a lime), english muffin with PB and a hard boiled egg
Lunch- celery, scallions and hummus (I am taking the kids to the library to see Ice Age and they will be handing out popcorn there too. My plan is to stay away from it)
Dinner- Peanut butter cookie Larabar (1/2 before working out, 1/2 after) and some string cheese. Probably some orange juice as well.

I am hoping to be back in the 150's tomorrow. That is my goal. But it is Monday and I have a good week planned out. I will get there again and hopefully be closer to my goal the end of this week then I was the end of last week!

Tip of the Day:  Instead of a tip today, I wanted to give you something motivational. I hope this helps to start your Monday off right.

Sometimes you fall...on purpose

Yesterday was a good day as far as exercise goes.

I went to the gym in the morning and got an easy 2.5 mile run in. Then came RPM. It wasnt RPM but spinning which Eric was filling in for. Which means that he can do whatever the heck he wants in terms of songs. And he made it tough. In fact he admitted that he almost didnt make it thru. He even had us do one of our hardest songs "Push the tempo" twice...back to back.

I ended up burning 919 calories.

I had my ab juice, part of my portebello mushroom burger for breakfast and my peanut butter cookie Lara Bar- part of it before the gym and the other part after. For lunch I ended up going to Panera with my Aunt. I had the You pick two with the low fat vegetarian black bean soup and the mediterranean veggie sandwich and an apple. Yummy!

Then dinner was part of my enchiladas and a cheese stick, some celery and hummus.

I decided that I was just going to have an off plan night while we watched a movie. I had some wine, and made up some "trail mix" with pretzels, clean chips, raw cashews, some semi sweet chocolate chips and a few of my jelly beans (my weakness).  Then I made Aaron and I grown up root beer floats with ice cream, root beer and whipped cream vodka.

So not surprising today to be 161.0. I am perfectly fine with that. Tonight I know that I need to hit the elliptical to sweat off the salt and alcohol.

Today we will also be going to Aarons grandma's house. She is in Florida but we will be having dinner with Aarons mom, brother and other grandma. It should be nice. I am hoping there will be salad there for me to eat. Usually she has salad so I dont have to worry about it.

Well thats about the news for the day. Happy Sunday everyone!!

Tip of the Day:

Happy Saturday!!

So I am having a bit of an identity crisis...

Not really....

But with me losing this weight and toning up, I am feeling like it is time to take care of the other parts of my body. Namely my hair.

I havent had a cut or color (besides my kool-aid dips) since my sisters wedding this summer.

My hair is just being flat and blah and I think it is time to funk it up.

I am the type that never has the same hairstyle twice. And I am the type that lets my stylist do whatever she wants.

What I am thinking of right now is doing a funky color. Fushia or bright red, or blue...not on my entire head. Im thinking under my regular color so when it fades and grows out it will be disguised a bit. One of my other friends mentioned ombre. That is an option too.

Here are some of the pictures that I sent my friend who does hair:

Love the cut from the side on this photo...

Love the cut and the color on this one.

I love the colors and the cut on this one but I dont think I could pull it off.

I have loved this photo for like ever!! I dont know that I would have my hair cut this short but the basics are there.

Love the peek a boo red in the hair. It really stands out.

Love how the turquoise is under the dark and peeks out.

Someone else mentioned doing an ombre. I like this one.

I just LOVE LOVE LOVE the cut on this one.

Very similar to the one above that I love but this is a side shot.

So what do you think? Do you have one that is your favorite??

Ok moving on...

So last night I went to the gym and met Maggie there. I decided instead of running I would do the ARC trainer next to her so we could chat. I think I ended up going 2.25 miles or so. I forgot to look when we got off the ARC. Oh well. Then we did Zumba. So much fun as normal!!

I ended up burning 1093 calories.

Then we went to Red Brick for dinner.

This week I ordered the portabello mushroom burger with sprouts and an aioli sauce. It wasnt bad. It was really juicy as mushrooms are. I dont think I would order it again though. The black bean burger was much more flavorful. I ate my side salad with vinegar and had about a third of my burger and I brought the rest home. At home before going to Red Brick I made sure to have a mandorine orange and a piece of string cheese so my blood sugar didnt drop this week.

This morning I am up early. Eric is subbing for spinning class at the gym and I know it is going to be a killer. SO I decided to go.

My weight is still at 158.0 so I am happy I didnt gain last night eating out.

For breakfast I am having my AB juice and then I just ate part of my remaining mushroom burger. I threw the rest away. It was really just ok.

Lunch will be on the road so I am bringing a Larabar- peanut butter cookie for the sugar after the workout.

Dinner will be one of my black bean enchiladas. It doesnt sound like I am eating much today but when I plugged it into myFitnessPal I am spot on for calories. I was really surprised by that.

So thats it for today. Make sure you weigh in about hairstyles. It will probably be another month until I get to Saginaw to get it but I am curious what you all think. I have no idea about current style trends.

Have a great day!

Tip of the Day: (Warning- its a LONG one!!)

Cinnamon and Honey

Drug companies won't like this one getting around. 
Facts on Honey and Cinnamon:
It is found that a mix of honey and Cinnamon cures most diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world. Scientists of today also note honey as very effective medicine for all kinds of diseases. Honey can be used without side effects which is also a plus.Today's science says that even though honey is sweet, when it is taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm even diabetic patients. Researched by western scientists:

HEART DISEASES: Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, put it on toast instead of jelly and jam and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol and could potentially save one from heart attack. Also, even if you have already had an attack studies show you could be kept miles away from the next attack. Regular use of cinnamon honey strengthens the heart beat. In America and Canada, various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as one ages the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalize the arteries and the veins.

ARTHRITIS: Arthritis patients can benefit by taking one cup of hot water with two tablespoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. When taken daily even chronic arthritis can be cured. In a recent research conducted at the Copenhagen University, it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon Honey and half teaspoon Cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week (out of the 200 people so treated) practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain -- and within a month, most all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis now started walking without pain.

BLADDER INFECTIONS: Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder....who knew?

CHOLESTEROL: Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of Cinnamon Powder mixed in 16 ounces of tea water given to a cholesterol patient was found to reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10 percent within two hours. As mentioned for arthritic patients, when taken three times a day, any chronic cholesterol-could be cured. According to information received in the said Journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.

COLDS: Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for three days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold, and, clear the sinuses, and it's delicious too!

UPSET STOMACH: Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomach ache and also is said to clear stomach ulcers from its root.

GAS: According to the studies done in India and Japan, it is revealed that when Honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.

IMMUNE SYSTEM: Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacterial and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of Honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles (where DNA is contained) to fight bacterial and viral diseases.

INDIGESTION: Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food is eaten relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals

INFLUENZA: A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural 'Ingredient' which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.

LONGEVITY: Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly, arrests the ravages of old age. Use four teaspoons of honey, one teaspoon of cinnamon powder, and three cups of boiling water to make a tea. Drink 1/4 cup, three to four times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age. Life spans increase and even a 100 year old will start performing the chores of a 20-year-old.

RASPY OR SORE THROAT: When throat has a tickle or is raspy, take one tablespoon of honey and sip until gone. Repeat every three hours until throat is without symptoms.

PIMPLES: Three tablespoons of honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it off the next morning with warm water. When done daily for two weeks, it removes all pimples from the root.

SKIN INFECTIONS:Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin Infections.

WEIGHT LOSS:Daily in the morning one half hour beforebreakfast and on an empty stomach, and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one cup of water. When taken regularly, it reduces the weight of even the most obese person. Also, drinking this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.

CANCER: Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder three times a day for one month.

FATIGUE: Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful rather than being detrimental to the strength of the body. Senior citizens who take honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts are more alert and flexible. Dr. Milton, who has done research, says that a half tablespoon of honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, even when the vitality of the body starts to decrease, when taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3:00 P.M., the vitality of the body increases within a week.

BAD BREATH: People of South America, gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water first thing in the morning so their breath stays fresh throughout the day.

HEARING LOSS: Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder, taken in equal parts restores hearing.