Day 13 of 30 DS

Wow! I cant believe I am almost halfway done with Shred! More on this in a bit...

Anyways let me back up to yesterday.

Last night I went to the gym for the first time ALL week! It felt AWESOME!

I bought some new protein powder. Peanut Butter Cookie.  It is by Protizyme. Low fat, low carbs, low cal and HIGH protein (24 g per serving).

My friend and I are splitting it so I brought it home and divided it up. The scoop for it is HUGE! Though really when I thought about it, I was using two scoops of Shakeology vs one scoop of this. I was smart and kept my old scoop from Shakeology and compared by filling the scoop of this powder. Two scoops of Shakeology almost fill one scoop. So not that far off. So when I make my smoothies, I will be using two scoops from the Shakeology scoop. I will give the other scoop to my friend.

I digress...So after I got my powder and put it in the car, I started on the treadmill doing intervals. My low setting was set on 4.0, my high on 6.0. And I have to say that I can run 6.0 with ease now. I dont know if it is from me doing intervals, or if it is from the high cardio from Jillian, but I can even lip sync my songs while running at 6.0. That made me feel great! I did do one stint at 7.0 though not for very long.

I did 4.5 miles in just over 45 minutes including a cool down. Not bad!

Then I went and lifted weights for my legs and abs. I also tried doing assisted pull ups for the first time. Boy am I weak! I had to put the assist at 100 lbs. LOL. Well bit by bit I will work on it now that I know what I have to do with the machine.

After that was RPM. Here is my review on the new music...I love the first song. The interval track is awesome with lots of stand up, sit down and plowing thru resistance. The mountain track is usually my favorite BUT I just dont dig this music. Luckily Eric will be mixing it up soon. Thats what I like about the class is that it keeps the body guessing.

Get this...

So for all that working out, I burned 1432 calories at the gym.
That coupled with 30 DS at 260

I burned 1692 calories yesterday! Holy heck!

The scale came back at me today with 170.5. Lost one pound. Cool with that!

This morning I did day 13 of 30 DS.

Here is a tip for level 2.

If you wear glasses, dont wear them during shred.

I normally put in my contacts but I didnt this time. My glasses kept flopping off when we were doing the different plank exercises. A real pain.

Then sweat kept dripping onto them.

By the end of the 20 minutes my glasses were fogged up anyways. LOL.

Today my back is sore, my arms are sore and my shoulders are sore. So I know that this workout really is well...working!

I am going to have to decide if I want to take Day 15 pictures or not. What do you think???

Then I came back upstairs and made a smoothie with my new protein powder. I used water, ice cubes, the two scoops using the Shakeology scoop and one frozen banana. Oh yummy!!! SOOO good!

I am going to have to see if I can find more recipes using the peanut butter powder.

I surprised the kids and took them to our local movie theater to see the Lorax this morning. We met our friend P their with her two kids. The theater has dollar movies during the summer for the kids. So nice! I got them each a snack pack which is way cheaper than buying a big pop and popcorn and having them share. They each got a small pop, popcorn (no butter) and a pack of gummies. Plus I packed snacks in my purse. Pop tarts, pringles single serving chips, gummies, etc. I had forgotten that Xavier has trouble swallowing the little kernals from the popcorn so I was glad I had other things for them. They both did really really well. They didnt have to use the bathroom or anything. Xavier really didnt eat much popcorn but he had some chips and his gummies and a pop tart. Landry ate most of his popcorn, his gummies, a poptart and a couple chips. I admit...I had some of Xaviers popcorn. At least I had the forethought not to have butter put on it. LOL. I didnt eat it all though. And even if I did, it was less than what you get in a small popcorn.

Tonight is the gym.

Zumba!!

And I will probably run again beforehand and get in another 5k. That will be my last run before the race on Sunday.

What race am I doing??








Oh yeah baby! I am doing the color run. I am SOOOOO excited about it! I am going to take pictures with my phone and post them on Monday. So watch for it!

Then after zumba tonight I am meeting friends in the park for music and then we will head over to Aubreys for dinner. It is becoming a regular hang out for us. LOL.

That is the news for now. Have a great Friday everyone!!

Tip of the Day:

Day 12 of 30 Day Shred

Yesterday was a fun day.

My friend P came over with her kids. She was really thoughtful and brought pizza for lunch. She knew I wouldnt be able to go out while Norah was here and Norah napped during lunch, so she brought it to us! Thanks again!

The kids got to play for a bit before my kids naps and her kids karate class.

I maintained my willpower and had no pizza except a bit of crust Landry had left over. I was proud of myself and had my normal lunch while the kids napped.

My sister got to our house a little after 6 to get Norah. I had cooked up a frozen pizza (pizza again- yes I know but it was the easiest thing to quickly eat and go without much mess and the kids were begging for more pizza), popcorn chicken and waffle fries. I had the leftover chicken wing, the rest of the potato salad (about a 1/4 cup), and about 1/4 cp of my made up tuna on lettuce for wraps. I did have a couple small bites of pizza that I had cut up for Norah and a couple fries and a few popcorn chicken.

After they were off, I went out and watered the plants. The heat that we have been having is literally killing my new plants.

Then I helped Aaron get the boys ready for bed and while he was reading them their bedtime story, I was off for the last Wed night Civic Band concert in the park.

It was a lot of fun. I was the only one from our "group" that made it out, but my friend K plays clarinet in it and I wanted to make sure I was there to cheer her on. I had also brought one of my kids opaque cups with a lid with some red wine and ice in it for a nice relaxing drink while I enjoyed the music.

Afterwards, I walked up and said a quick "hi" and was off. I know how it can be with band people (lol)...at least for us in high school we were the clique and we used to hang out after concerts and shows. So I didnt want to bug her while she hung with friends after their last concert.

On the way home, I decided to swing by Plum Market to see if they had any Dandelion Root Tea. While I was there, K called me to see if I wanted to meet at Aubreys for a drink. Well duh! A really nice surprise! I love hanging with her!

So I texted Aaron to let him know where I was going.

K invited our friend M to meet us too. M is very witty and has a great sense of humor. I met him after the tornado hit. A good friend. He is very active in the community and runs the Farmers Market and teaches the youth group at my church. He even had my kids calling him Dr. when we saw him at a Tornado Fun Day at Peace Lutheran church. I love that about him. He commands respect but throws a lot of puns in during conversation. I respect him a lot.

I digress...I have to say I am VERY proud of myself. K mentioned getting the feta bread (yum yum) but I said that I wanted to save those calories until Friday when I have gotten in a good workout before.

Instead I ordered hummus which came with fresh veggies and pitas.

Delicious! And healthy!

Then I came home and went to bed. No 20 minute zumba for me last night.

But today the scale was still at 171.5.

I did try on my dress this morning too. I am able to pull down (lol this sounds bad) some of the loose skin that pops up around the top of the dress so it doesnt pop out anymore. The dress is still tight in the midsection but not so much that it is uncomfortable. I want it a bit tight because I dont want the dress sliding down because it is strapless. Also I danced around in it a bit to make sure I would still be able to have a good time. And I also tried sitting in it in front of the mirror to make sure my dress didnt bunch from being tight in the waist. All good! So any weight I loose in these next 9 days is totally bonus.

I also went and completed day 12 of 30 DS this morning. Oh my- I am beginning to hate that woman named Jillian! Plank Jacks are just EVIL!!! At one point she mentions this workout as pushing the body to do what you want it to do. It is Mind over Matter. That fact is VERY true! Level 2 is really no joke and I am VERY scared to see Level 3!! I did remember to wear my HRM this morning. For a 20 minute workout, I burned 260 calories! Holy shamolie!! 60+ more calories than level 1!! Scares me to see how many calories we will burn in level 3!

Tonight I am dropping Aaron and the boys off at his grandmas house for dinner while I go to the gym. I plan on going for an interval run tonight, some leg work, ab work and then RPM! Oh how I missed RPM this week. It is such an excellent workout!

While I am at the gym I also need to get some protein powder. I think I am going to try the peanut butter flavor. I will let you know how that is tomorrow.

And just as a word of warning...next week is going to be a bit insane for me because it is the week of the wedding. I will probably be around til Wed, then you probably wont hear from me until after the wedding. I will try to post lots of pictures. And definitely one of me in my dress!

Ok...I mentioned earlier that I bought Dandelion Root Tea and you are probably wondering (or not) what the heck for??

Well I saw this on Pinterest and you know I am a sucker for trying new things.

Tip of the Day: 
From Jillian Michaels "Losing 5 lbs of bloat (in a healthy way)"

Has anyone done this before? I still have cranberry juice left over from the other anti bloat method that I tried. And really I didnt lose anything on it though cranberry juice is excellent for ya if it doesnt have all the sugar added.

I figured I dont have anything to lose except the bloat! And it is a great way to make sure I stay hydrated by drinking 60 oz of this a day!

Day 11 of 30 Day Shred- Level 2!!

Ok lets start with the good news...

Last night I actually got in my 20 Minute Zumba Express!

My husbands family came over for dinner and therefore the kids went to bed a bit later than usual (about 8pm). So by the time the kitchen was done getting cleaned up, it was past 8:30 and I didnt want to be doing zumba until almost 10pm. So I opted for the 20 minute one.

I did really good with dinner too. I grilled out chicken, asparagus, shrimp and sweet potatoes. I also pulled out the left over cole slaw and potato salad. I had for dinner about half a drumstick because I didnt want there to be a shortage of food. Some grilled asparagus, a 1/3 of a grilled sweet potato that I had wrapped in foil (no butter or sugar, just the potato), and some shrimp. I was REALLY worried about there being enough food (People here: 3 kids, Aaron, myself, his mom, his aunt, his brother and his 18 yr old cousin who could probably eat a whole chicken in one sitting and not gain an ounce) but it seemed like the loaves and the fishes and we actually had one chicken wing left over. LOL.

I even did really good after I worked out. It seems like that is when I like to have an adult beverage or chips/munchies. It must be a mental thing that I figure that I just worked off these calories so I can splurge a bit. That needed to change. I came up and jumped on the computer and mixed up some of my natural cranberry juice and water and just sipped that.

My hardwork was rewarded with the scale this morning.

171.5!! Woo hoo!

This morning also brought about Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Level 2!!

Holy Crap!

This is what I looked like when I was done- it isnt a pretty picture but you get the gist.

Sweat glistened from every pore. My shirt was soaked.

And I hate push ups and planks. LOL. That is a lot of what this workout is. I am GLAD I had the willpower to not preview it or I might not have done it.

I had to watch how to do the moves first for a lot of them because of the position you have to take, you just cant see the tv. That at least gave me a couple second break. I forgot to wear my HRM too to see what kind of calories I burned. Tomorrow I will. Curious to see if it is about the same as level 1.

Types of exercises we did:
Walking push ups (ugh)
Static lunges with bicep curls
Double jumpropes
Mountain climbers though Jillian calls it something else

But I did it, I survived, and oddly, I am very much looking forward to tomorrow. I know I am going to be sore, but this workout definitely will get you shredded as Jillian touts. I cant wait to see the results!

Thinking about taking a picture at the 15 day mark, but not sure I want to be disappointed if I cant see any difference.

I think tomorrow is going to be the last of my Shakeology too. I am actually a little sad. The taste is starting to grow on  me and I found myself looking forward to these little shakes.

That means tomorrow night I am going to have to buy some protein powder from the gym. Yeah the gym! Oh how I missed you! Though it seems like my body is responding to the shake up!

A fun note:

I will be having a Pampered Chef Party at my home in August.
If anyone needs anything (they have awesome spices and healthy cookbooks), let me know and I can send you the link to my party to order. You can have it sent directly to your house.

Heck if you spend $60, you get free small flexible cutting mats which are color coded (and I LOVE)!

Tip of the Day:

A healthy recipe from Pampered Chef:

Mediterranean Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

1/2 cup (125 mL) uncooked whole wheat couscous

1   lemon, divided

1 container (6 oz) plain nonfat Greek yogurt (2/3 cup/150 mL)

4 oz (125 g) fat-free feta cheese, crumbled, divided

1/2 cup (125 mL) loosely packed fresh mint leaves, finely chopped, divided

2   garlic cloves, pressed, divided

1 1/4 tsp (6 mL) coarsely ground black pepper, divided

1 cup (250 mL) grape tomatoes

1/2 medium red onion

1 can (14.5 oz/540 mL) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil

1 lb (450 g) turkey breast cutlets, sliced into 2-in. (5-cm) strips

1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt

1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped

12 large Boston lettuce leaves

Directions

1

Prepare couscous according to package directions, using water instead of broth and omitting salt and oil; set aside and keep warm. Meanwhile, for sauce, juice lemon using Juicer to measure 2 tbsp (30 mL). Set aside 1 tbsp (15 mL) for use in salad. Using Small Mix 'N Scraper®, mix remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) juice, yogurt, half of the cheese, half of the mint, one of the pressed garlic cloves and 1/4 tsp (1 mL) of the black pepper in (2-cup/500-mL) Prep Bowl; set aside.

2

For salad, cut tomatoes lengthwise into quarters and thinly slice onion lengthwise using Chef’s Knife. Combine tomatoes, onion, beans, reserved lemon juice, remaining mint, remaining pressed garlic clove and 1/4 tsp (1 mL) of the black pepper in Classic Batter Bowl; toss gently with Mix 'N Scraper® and set aside.

3

For filling, add oil to (12-in./30-cm) Skillet; heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Place turkey, salt and remaining 3/4 tsp (4 mL) black pepper in Stainless (4-qt./4-L) Mixing Bowl; toss to coat. Cook turkey, uncovered, 2-3 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Remove Skillet from heat. Add couscous, remaining cheese and oregano; stir until combined.

4

To serve, spoon filling onto lettuce leaves; top with salad and drizzle with sauce.

Yield:
  6 servings of 2 wraps
Nutrients per serving:
Calories 230, Calories from Fat 30, Total Fat 3.5 g, Saturated Fat 0 g, Trans Fat 0 g, Cholesterol 35 mg, Sodium 450 mg, Total Carbohydrate 19 g, Dietary Fiber 4 g, Sugars 3 g, Protein 30 g
U.S. Diabetic exchanges per serving:
1 starch, 1 vegetable, 3 1/2 low-fat meat (1 carb)

Cook's Tips:
Turkey cutlets are thinly sliced boneless, skinless turkey breasts.

Boston lettuce is a leafy lettuce with soft leaves and a buttery texture and flavor. If desired, Bibb or iceberg lettuce can be substituted.

Day 10 of 30 DS and a blog refresh

Less words..more action. This is what I needed to see today.

Yesterday was a pretty good day.

Except...

I didnt get in my cardio zumba again.

Ugh.

I was SO exhausted last night that I just couldnt do it. I had good intentions...I really did. But it just didnt get done. But I did get the day 9 of Shred done so at least that is something.

And the scale stayed at 173.0.

No loss, no gain, but I am happy.

I am still exhausted. My niece was up at 3am, got her back to sleep. Xavier was up at 6 and then Norah woke up right after I got Xavier back to sleep. Ugh. I know it is because she is in our room sleeping so our movement wakes her. Nothing I can do about it though. We dont have a 4th bedroom.

So I got the kids up at 6:30 and got them some food.

Went downstairs and just completed Day 10 of 30 Day Shred. Today was my last day on Level 1. Looking forward to a new challenge tomorrow.

I am still going to say that I am going to do Zumba Cardio tonight. If I cant find the strength to do the whole hour long cardio, I can at least make myself do my 20 min zumba express.

Nose to the grindstone...

So for some fun news, my MIL is going to look at a house in Dexter tonight. Not sure if she is looking for her, or for a fun flipping project. Either way it would be nice to have her close.

Afterwards she wants to go to Aubreys for dinner. Remember my feta bread cravings from the other day?

Problem is, there are actually some logistical problems.

1. We have three kids. Cant get 3 carseats into any of our cars. My MIL says to take multiple trips. LOL Silly.

2. We could walk, but we are under an extreme heat warning today. In fact, I want to get the kids outside and into the pool for a bit today but we will have to do it before lunch when it gets too hot.

3. By the time my MIL gets out of work, and all of us go look at the house, it will probably be close to 7pm when we get to Aubreys. Norah goes to bed about 7:30. I really dont want her to breakdown in the restaurant.

4. Selfishly- I am looking at Friday and I know I will be going to Aubreys. It is a weekly thing when we go to the concert. I really dont want to eat all those calories two days this week. At least on Fridays, I have a big extreme workout before I pig out on calories. Today, not so much.

SOOOOOO.... mainly for the logistics, we really want to have everyone here for dinner. I have already taken out a whole cut up chicken to thaw that we can throw onto the grill. We still have potato salad and cole slaw left over from the party as well as fresh veggies that we can have. Heck we even have cake and ice cream left.

I am sure my MIL wants to go out:

1. because it is easier and we wouldnt have to clean up

2. because it is Xaviers 5th birthday today!!

I feel bad. Really we could if we had a larger vehicle. It just seems really silly to take two cars. What do you guys think??

Ok. As you may have noticed, I have refreshed my blog. I have changed my description, changed the background, edited my story, changed some colors. When I started the blog, it was all about avoiding plastic surgery.

After the tornado, my views have changed a bit. Before, I wanted to look like those Victoria Secret models.

Now, I just want to be there for my family and be healthy. Do I want to avoid surgery? Yes. If I cant, would I still be open to having it? I dont know anymore. Do I still want to look like a VS model? Not really, but I want to be really fit like Jillian Michaels.

I just want to get to the point where I am accepting of my body- flabby or not. That is what I want. It is something that I struggle with every day. Looking into the mirror and saying- "Dang, you look good". I dont see that. I see all the imperfections. The saggy legs, the loose tummy skin, the rolls thru my clothes. It is really a body image issue.

But I am taking it a day at a time.

Baby steps.

Tip of the Day:

Day 9 of 30 DS

Ahhh the Birthday Party is now a thing of the past. The kitchen is clean, dishes put away and all that was left was stepping on the dreaded scale to see how much I gained after giving in way too much yesterday.

I did good at lunch. A turkey burger on Kopplingers whole wheat all natural bun (I love their bread too. It is the cleanest store bought bread I have found) with a bit of fat free mayo, lettuce, onion, tomato, bacon and jalepenos.

Also had some all natural chips and veggies.

I did have one root beer.

When the cake was cut, I had just a bit of ice cream. No cake.

Then it went downhill. I had one of my favorite drinks. Limeade vodka and Sierra Mist. Then I had another and another. I think 4 in total the rest of the evening. (No buzz because I drank them slowly thru the evening). That night I had a regular hamburger because the turkey ones were gone. Same stuff on it as my turkey burger. And some chips. And potato salad (I love potato salad!). And a piece of cake...and more ice cream. Ugh. Why do I do that? I felt guilty. I didnt keep my eye on the prize and I overindulged...again.

This morning after Xavier was up at 5:30am (ugh!) and Norah was up at 6am, why me?, I seriously thought about skipping the scale. I really didnt want to face it. Thought that I could put on my post that I didnt have time to step on the scale with the kids being up so early. But then if I didnt, I wouldnt be being honest with this whole losing weight before the wedding thing. And if I backslid, I needed to own up to it. It would be mostly water weight anyways from the alcohol. And I really needed to know how much I gained.

So I made sure I peed...heaven forbid I have the extra weight...and I stepped on the scale.

...000...

...000...

...173.0

Woah...wait...

Really????

I LOST weight?

Holy crap!

That energized me right there. It didnt matter that I didnt sleep at all last night. LOL. I was ready to face the day with three kids.

Got the kids breakfast and took them downstairs in the basement with me so I could do Day 9.

Finished it with no major problems out of the kids. That made me feel excellent! Finished the workout without much of a problem too. I even bumped up my weight on my rows to 10 lb weights.

Now I am having my Shakeology. Funny how I am starting to get used to the taste and even enjoy it. My packet of it is dwindling down so soon it will be time to get a different kind from the gym.

Tomorrow is my last day of level 1. Then onto level 2. I feel good and I am ready for a new adventure and challenge.

Tonight after the kids are in bed, I plan on actually doing my 1 hour zumba cardio dvd. That will probably be my routine for the week til Thurs. And depending on when my niece decides to nap, if it coincides with my boys nap, I may do my zumba cardio during the day and go for a run in the evening. Today is day one with my niece though and will be our trial day. If I decide to do zumba during the day, I would try to do it tomorrow because Tuesdays are usually my long night at the gym.

Oh and just as an FYI...After having a funky toe nail since I ran my half, it finally decided to come off last night. Didnt hurt in the least and I heard that is quite common.

That is my most excellent news for the day. Hope your Monday is equally as great!

Tip(s) of the Day:

From Self Magazine

Fake it- save 780 calories

Dreyer's/Edy's Slow Churned Light Ice Cream Neapolitan- It has 90 calories per 1/2 cup, so you can add 1 tablespoon chocolate chips and a dollop of whipped cream and still chill out for less than 200 calories. Hell, go crazy and put it in a cake cone; it's a measly 17 calories more.

Take it- save 720 calories

McDonalds Vanilla Reduced Fat Ice Cream Cone- The Golden Arches isnt known for its ice cream, but perhaps it should be. The smooth soft-serve option tastes decadent, but it cuts 17g saturated fat and 79g sugar compared with other restaurant versions. Give it a swirl this summer!

Day 8 of 30 DS

Ugh. Big sigh.

So....yesterday plans got changed a bit from what I planned on.

As you know I did my 30 DS yesterday. And that is as far as I got with exercise for the day.

I got to my aunts shortly after 1 because I-94 was down to one lane which backed up traffic.

We went thru her existing house and then went over and looked at their new house discussing furniture placement and colors.

By the time we were done there it was after 5.

Then we went back to their current house and looked at the colors we selected with their furniture.

So I didnt end up leaving their house til about 6. And I still had to stop and pick up a blow up pool from Aarons grandmas house because we needed to get water in it to start warming up for the party today.

By the time I left Aarons grandmas, it was after 7. Ugh. Running behind. (It takes about 20 min to get from his grandmas to our area).

So I texted Aaron. Should I come home or go grocery shopping?

His reply? Go grocery shopping.

So I literally ran thru the grocery store. And I was out of there by 8:15. Pretty good I thought.

Then I texted Aaron. I will put the groceries away if he blows up the pool with the compressor.

His reply? Busy

I text: Busy with what?

Then my phone rings. And it sounds like all hell is breaking loose at the house.

Yup. Aaron kept the kids up past bedtime and now he was feeling the repercussions.

Bedtime for them is 7pm. It is now after 8pm and the kids are overtired.

Xavier was doing great. Landry on the other hand was screaming bloody murder which was still going on when I got home.

Aaron started putting groceries away and I was left to deal with the screamer.

Finally I got him all calmed down and into bed.

We still had to tackle the big fricken pool.

 

 Each piece had to be blown up seperately. The bottom pool part which had two layers to do, the slide, the orange basketball part, the basketball hoop and the basketball backboard. Plus the rings and the basketball.

Oh my! We have a little air compressor that you use in your car in your cigarette lighter spot. Aaron started with the slide which I thought was backwards. You should start with the pool so we could start filling it while the other pieces are being blown up but hey what do I know???

The compressor was SO SLOW!

I thought- I could blow these things up faster than the compressor is going. 

So I did the rings and the ball.

Then I did the hoop, backboard and the orange pieces.

Aaron finally abandoned the slide with the compressor and started on the pool with the compressor.

And I finished filling up the slide manually and was still way ahead of him. He didnt even have one layer on the pool close to filled yet.

So I started filling one layer manually while he was using the air compressor on the other layer.

He stopped me to try to use a bike pump to fill the layer that I was doing, but it wasnt working. The end kept falling out of the spout. Ugh.

So I went back to filling the one layer manually as the air compressor was going on the other layer. 

We must have looked like fools. 

I am sitting spread eagle on the concrete bent over, blowing into this pool.

Aaron is standing bent over holding the air compressor for his layer. LOL

Not a pretty site. I am sure it was looking a bit graphic from a distance. LOL We were pretty close together because the little spouts were right next to each other.

So that was my evening workout. Filling this big fricken pool. 

Aaron and I went into the backyard and started putting water into the pool(s). (We have a small one that we dumped to refill to start warming too).

While we were waiting, Aaron brought out a couple golf clubs and we had a contest to see who could hit their balls into which pool. 

I got two in before Aaron did. And he is a golfer...not me so much.

The cat was hilarious. Every time we hit a ball, he would go after it and hit it thru the grass and pounce on it like it was an animal.

Finally at 9:30 I was able to come in and have dinner. What a long day!

I made up some tuna with onion, carrot strings, and fat free mayo. I put it on pieces of lettuce. I also had Cape Cod natural chips. Yummy! And some veggie chips. And a few glasses of white wine. Did I say it was a long day? LOL.

So I was very happy to see that my weight was 173.5 this morning. The weight gain was probably from wine. No biggie and I wasnt sweating it.

It is 9:22 am and I have already done Day 8 of 30 DS. 

I am enjoying some coffee and my Shakeology before all heck breaks loose and I need to run and get ice, paper towels, a Sunday paper, not to mention clean the house and set up for the party- all before 3pm.

I should be burning some extra calories today! As long as I am good about my eating choices, I should do ok. Tonight I hope to do my zumba cardio party dvd. We will see how it goes. Tonight is night one of having my niece here too. As long as the kids go to bed ok, I should be ok.

Tip of the Day:

Day 7 of 30DS

Last night was a lot of fun.

As I mentioned yesterday, I did the 30 DS in the morning. Calories burned: 200

Yesterday evening was 3.1 miles of intervals ranging from 4.0 mph to 5.8 mph back down to 4.5 mph up to 7.0 mph. I was able to increase my time at 7.0 mph from 1 minute up to 1 min 30 seconds. I ran 7.0mph  3 times.

Then I had zumba. Oh man! Way HIGH cardio last night. The room started getting steamy and the mirrors had a tint of fog on them. When I left after zumba, I was literally wet from head to toe. Every. single. part. Calories burned: 1007

Usually I do CX after zumba, but I skated out so I could meet friends at the Friday Night Concert in Dexter. The band was awesome!! They played great oldies music- Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, etc. Afterwards K and I went over to Aubreys (which is a pizzeria) for some food. She had just come back from vacation and a long flight and had not had much to eat. I had just finished zumba and had not had dinner.

You go to Aubreys and you have to order feta bread. Think greasy breadsticks loaded with ooie gooey feta cheese. Oh yummy! Then I had a glass of red wine and I ordered their grilled chicken sandwich which has a cajun seasoning on it with a grilled pineapple ring on top and guacamole on it as well. Oh so yummy! I ate part of my fries, 3/4 of my sandwich and I lost count of the feta bread. LOL. Probably 4 pieces or so.

Had a great time chatting and just enjoying downtown Dexter. It really is a great village!

This morning I woke up and stepped on the scale. 173.0. Whew. Nothing gained after all my indulging last night. Makes me feel good.

Just completed Day 7 of the 30 Day Shred. Love it. Still love it. Not bored with it yet and that is saying a lot doing the same workout 7 days in a row. Today I had a couple someones doing my workout with me. Xavier and Landry. So cute! The kids had a lot of fun bopping around during jumping jacks and butt kicks. Xavier kept saying- this is hard! They even used small weights and did the weight training portions with me. It was a lot of fun.

Now I am having my Shakeology protein shake. Today I changed it a bit trying to make it more drinkable. I did 2 scoops of shake, a bunch of ice cubes, some fresh strawberry slices, water and a handful of blueberries. Blend til smooth. It was MUCH better today. I could drink this easily.

Today I am meeting my Aunt at her house to go thru it and see which furniture (and take measurements) will be making the move to their new house. Then we will go to the new house to figure out furniture arrangements and look at colors etc. I am her interior designer. It is fun and is a hobby and passion of mine.

Then depending on what time we get done, I need to go to the grocery store to pick up food for Xaviers 5th birthday party tomorrow. I cant believe he is going to be 5 already! Where did the time go? Party food tomorrow will be hamburgers, hot dogs, turkey burgers for me, boca burgers for my vegetarian friends, chips, cole slaw, pasta salad, potato salad, a fruit bowl, a veggie platter and of course cake and ice cream. I should be able to make good decisions for eating with those options. Of course there will be wine, lime vodka and sierra mist drinks (my favorite go to summer drink!), beer and soda.

After the grocery store it is home to get the kids to bed. And to keep the calorie burn going, I am going to do my hour long zumba cardio dvd. It has been a long time since I have done it. I used to hate it because of how hard and high cardio it is. Now that I am much slimmer and have been going to zumba classes, I am sure it will still be a challenge as in a good sweat, but it wont be as much of an effort...if that makes any sense at all.

Tomorrow after the party, my sister is leaving my niece Norah (20 mo) here with us until Wed. Norah's babysitter is going on vacation and because I am a stay at home mom, I volunteered to take her so Joelyn doesnt have to find a new sitter for just a few days. I have to admit. I am kind of scared. Three kids. Me. Aaron at work. And we will be home bound because I cant get three carseats into my car.

This means no gym for me. I am definitely going to have to alter my schedule for a few days. Luckily it doesnt affect much BUT my long night I usually have on Tuesday at the gym. I just dont feel right leaving Aaron home with 3 kids. Norah doesnt know Aaron like she knows me and I dont want to stress her (and Aaron) out. Luckily I have Jillian Michaels and Zumba and running after the kids are in bed. I will be very interested to see how it affects my weight. It might just be the shake up my body needs.

Tip(s) of the Day:

From Self Magazine July issue

Sweet! If you're going to inhale a cupcake, do it early. Dieters who ate a treat with a balanced breakfast had more slimming success than those who didn't. Both groups lost 33 lbs on average, but those who ate no sweets regained 22, research from Tel Aviv University notes. Your metabolism revs in the AM; thats the best time to indulge.

Strawberries block sunburn- They have ellagic acid, a compound that protects against UV radiation, an animal study in Experimental Dermatology finds. This acid works by reducing the release of molecules linked to inflammation- which can lead to that oh-so-attractive lobster look. Plus, the acid preserves skin-smoothing collagen. Adios, wrinkles.

Leafy Greens double as shades- when eyes are exposed to excess sunlight over time, it can trigger cataracts and macular degeneration. Before you tune out, know that these "granny problems" can start to develop as early as your 20s and 30s. Load up now on dark greens (spinach, kale) for their lutein and zeaxanthin, compounds that can filter out damaging blue-light rays.

Tart-cherry juice gives you staying power- Its outdoor-sports time, but postexercise soreness can cramp your summer-partying style. Stay loose with this juice. Runners who drank it pre-race had 67 percent less pain afterward than nonsippers, the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition indicates.Tart cherries pack anthocyanins, antioxidants that reduce inflammation.

Green Tea shrinks your stomach- Meet your bikini-body secret weapon. The brew's antioxidants may help block fat absorption, data from Penn state in University Park notes. Mice eating green tea extract put on pounds more slowly than tea-free mice. About 2 cups a day in hot, chilled or ice-pop form may help us slim down, too.

Garlic kicks ticks- People who popped garlic pills (1,200 milligrams, the equivalent of two cloves a day) got fewer tick bites than placebo takers, the Journal of the American Medical Association shows. Garlic may change the way you taste, turning off the bloodsuckers. Eat the bulb, or try supplements if the smell is too much for you.