I just love the holidays!

I suppose I always will. I guess for me it's not so much about the actual day we celebrate which in my case is Christmas but what it's all about. There are things I look forward to every year that are things I can count on that lift my spirits. It's no wonder I suffer from post-holiday depression! I have much to look forward to. Here's a list of things I count on:

1) Time with my family. My family ROCKS! They are awesome, smart, funny and very fun! Since we don't all live in the same city or state, you can imagine how important this time is for me. Very! So I soak up every ounce of every minute of every second I have with them because I know the chances that I will see them again soon are small. So I lap it up...every last drop of family goodness. They are awesome! Sure we have some times when we don't get along, just like any family, but we have so many fun and funny times that it more than cancels out!

2) Board Games - I am a board game whore. Oops! Did I say that?!? Hahaha! I LOVE board games! Love love love!!!! I think my favorites are Scattegories and Catch Phrase. But we do love Quiddler which is actually a word card game and not a "board" game per se. I also love playing Spoons which usually turns a little vicious around our family table. We're slightly competitive. But I also like 25 Words or Less. That's a mentally challenging one. I'm sure there will be a new game this year so I'll let you know what crops up now.

3) Outdoor family fun - This can include anything from skiing, sledding, hiking to just walking the neighborhood. I love this. I do get cold, for sure! Hard to believe I grew up in the snow but when you haven't lived in it for a LONG time (20+ years) it's kind of hard to get used to. Luckily I don't live in it and it's so much fun so I just grin and bear it. We go on this one hike where it's very gradual so we hike/walk up and then we sled all the way back down basically taking out several people in the process. It's always good.

4) Great food - We usually have some pretty good meals and of course yummy homemade treats. I can't wait to see what we end up with this year. I hope there isn't Puppy Chow. Have you had this ridiculousness? I love it and hate it all at the same time. It has peanut butter. Need I say more?

5) LAUGHTER! - I can't get enough of it and my family cracks me up. I don't even know what to tell you. They're just downright funny! That's all there is to it. They say funny things, do funny things, make funny faces. It's just entertaining.

6) HUGS - Gotta love 'em! I'm a hugger and I make sure to get my special holiday hug allotment in while I'm on holiday break.

7) Special moments and great memories in the making. This is a given. Absolutely going to happen. I love memories, stories, and just general hanging out. There's nothing quite like it. And I get a lot of that. Just spending the time you want with the people you love the most that know you the best. To me, nothing can compare. And I mean nothing!!

So in all the spirit of the season I wish you all a safe, happy, merry, jolly, and fun holiday season. I hope you show up in the new year renewed with life, laughter and love. After all, it's the stuff of life! How are YOU enjoying your holidays?

Thinking is hard but rethinking..WELL! Let me tell ya!

So in life you think a lot. Don't you think? Haha! No pun intended. But the thing is how much of your thinking is productive? Gosh, for me, I would say somewhere less than 10%. I think this is true for most women. For men...hmmm...I can't say, I'm not a man. I think about all kinds of things. As Dr. Seuss says, "Think and wonder. Wonder and think."  I'll think about something and then wonder it into oblivion. There will be no wondering left. I'll research it up, down, right and left and all over the internet, talk to friends and family about it and I don't think I actually know any more than I did when I started thinking about it. In fact I usually know LESS and have a much higher level of confusion! Anybody else have this problem?

The reason I bring this up is because of my newest confusion of what to eat, when to eat, how much, why, what helps, what doesn't, what keeps your hormones in balance, what kinds of foods are best, worst, do I react better to some and not others...yada yada yada! For example, I've been "thinking" about how often I should be eating for a while now and these are the highlights of what my so-called research has turned up:

* Eating every 2-3 hours increases your metabolism.
* Eating every 2-3 hours doesn't increase your metabolism.
* Fasting for a day will help you burn more calories later.
* Fasting for a day will decrease your metabolism.
* Eat when you're hungry.
* Don't wait till you're hungry to eat.
* Digestion takes 4-5 hours.
* Wait for your food to go through the digestive process before you eat your next meal.
* Eat when you first wake up.
* Don't eat within 3 hours before you go to sleep.
* Eat 30-60 minutes before you go to sleep.

You see where I'm going with this? There's sooooo much information! Too much information! Everyone has something to say, some point to prove, and possibly something to sell! So I really just need to remember to keep me at the forefront of it all. I was trying to eat about 7 in the morning and then again at about 1 in the afternoon. I think that was just too long for me and I was way too hungry. So then I put a snack back in my morning between my breakfast and lunch. Generally speaking I don't feel a need to eat in the afternoon. But that depends on my workout plan - yoga vs. strength training vs. cardio. Sometimes I need to eat mid-afternoon/early evening and other days no, I don't need to eat until after I work out. And sometimes when I do eat before I workout I feel sick during or after so I won't be doing that anymore.

I guess what I'm trying to say is how often you eat and how much you eat is up to you. I find all these variables to be different for pretty much everyone I know:
* Number of meals - 1, 5, 8?
* Length of time between meals
* Time of first meal
* Time of last meal


 What do you do to feel your best where your meals and meal timings are concerned? I'd be curious to know.

Maca Marbles

I was originally going to make a post about Maca Balls until I made the recipe. As you know if you've been following my blog, I've been on a new maca mission. It has a multitude of benefits. But I've had a slight problem getting past the earthy taste. I finally found the beauty of hot chocolate with maca in it. But today I finished my almond milk and didn't feel like going to the grocery store for more. Realizing I had to get around to making something with maca for the morning I had to find another way to have it. I looked around on the internet and found some maca balls that I didn't have all the ingredients for. I also found some energy ball recipe. I got most of my inspiration (and direction) from this recipe. I added a few things though. I think I'll have to try some others with almond butter and possibly even add oats or something to them that's "carby" if you will.

Maca Marbles

10 pitted dates (soaked in hot water briefly)
1 cup raw pecans
1-2 tablespoons cacao powder (cocoa would work too)
3 tablespoons maca powder
8 drops stevia
1 teaspoon honey


Put pecans in food processor till finely ground (careful not to overgrind and make butter). Add cacao powder and maca powder. Pulse a few more times to mix. Add dates a couple at a time till right consistency. Don't make them to moist because they will heat up and release oil when you roll them. Add stevia and honey and pulse to mix. Taste and add more stevia and/or honey as needed to taste. Roll between palms to desired size. This made 24 marble-sized balls for me. I wanted to roll them in coconut but apparently I have none. So sad! They are tasty. Can't wait for tomorrow to see how I like them after the flavors have had a chance to meld.

Hope you all had a good weekend. It's going to be a great week!

Flog me! I've been a bad blogger! Also maca and veggies!

But the good news is that I have a new computer and now I can make happy blogposts once again! It's really hard to blog when you don't have a computer that works every day. Every other day just didn't cut it for me. But yeah for me I have a new one!

I've been working out like a good girl and eating all right but not great. Better but not the best I can. But to be honest I'm not sure I know what "healthy" eating is anymore. I'm lost somewhere in that thought process. Just not sure. I know I don't have to eat like I did for contest prep but I did that kind of crazy "dieting" for so long I forgot reality. And in some sense I've forgotten what is healthy and what is not. And besides there new research every day about what is good for you and what is bad for you. So, if I've got it straight I think that donuts and french fries are good for you and should be eaten at every meal in large quantities and veggies should be limited to once a day. Is that right? I must stop reading about nutrition and do what feels good for my body. I truly dislike that it's hard for me to discern that now when it used to be so easy for me.

And speaking of food, I think I've mentioned my aversion to animal protein lately. Not all the time but often I don't want to eat it. So I've made a conscious decision to have more plant protein on hand. Yes, I know that plant proteins aren't as "complete" as animal proteins but I've really had to rethink my protein and I know I can have some of both. Don't get me wrong. I still love steak when I eat it. But I'm not so much for the pork and chicken which is so weird. Particularly the pork. I'm a big pork lover but not right now or as often. No idea why.

MACA

I've also taken on a new supplement. Or should I say superfood? It's maca powder so it really is a food and not a supplement. Of course like anything else you research on the internet you can find both supporting and dismissing information about its health benefits. My interest in maca has to do with the idea that it "balances your hormones". I feel like my estrogen levels are low but I haven't had them tested. Maybe I should but in the meantime I'm just going to take this maca and see what it does for me. I'm on my fourth day of it and so far I haven't noticed anything. At least I don't think I have. What I like about it is that it's not a hormone and it's not synthetic. Some benefits that have been found for mind and body:

• Increases energy and endurance
  
• Increases stamina
• Improves sexual function in men and women
• Enhances fertility in people and animals
• Reduces hormonal dysfunction during menopause & andropause
  
• Can regulate hormonal imbalances
• Has a beneficial action on the circulatory system; Speeds wound healing and reduces anemia
• Enhances memory, learning, and mental ability
• Has a beneficial action on the circulatory system; gives skin a more youthful appearance
• Good for healthy teeth and bones
• Acts as a fungistatic and bacteriostatic
• Acts as an anticarcinogen and antioxidant
• Is an alternative to anabolic steroids, helps to build muscle
  
• Is non addictive

MACA FLAVOR AND TASTE:

Let me just say that I am NOT a fan of maca powder flavor. I was told and read online that it tastes like malt. Hahaha! NO! It does NOT taste like malt - big fat lie! I've tried it in a different way each of the last four days.

Day 1 - 1/2 tablespoon in my oatmeal -blech! Terrible! I added tons of brown sugar and maple syrup just to try to get it down my gullet!

Day 2 - Cranberry pineapple vanilla protein smoothie with 1/2 tablespoon maca - okay but I could still taste the "earthiness" of the maca

Day 3 - 1/2 tablespoon in about 1/2 cup milk heated - so yucky!

Day 4 - WINNER! 1/2 tablespoon in "hot chocolate" made with milk, unsweetened vanilla almond milk, cacao powder and sugar. This is so far the only way I will eat it. Next time I will blend all ingredients and then heat though because there were still some clumps.

So what have I learned? That maca in its powdered form is really not very tasty. It tastes like ginseng and actually is called "Peruvian ginseng". If you like the taste of roots and dirt you'll be good to go but if not then you will have to mask the flavor of the powder or perhaps take the capsules.

MY MACA RESULTS SO FAR (4 DAYS IN):

The other thing I've noticed is about 2-3 hours after I eat breakfast I'm STARVING! So very very hungry! Just to note, I've been eating bigger breakfasts so I haven't really been that hungry at that time but since the second day of maca I've been STARVING! I have asthma and rarely have to take my asthma inhaler but when I do I get this same hunger, like a completely empty stomach feeling! It's crazy. This is that same hunger sensation. I'll eat and it continues for a little while until I have lunch and then I'm fine. Could it be that it acts as an alternative to anabolic steroids? Hmm...maybe. And then again, maybe not. I'll have to follow and see.

Interestingly enough the other thing I've noticed over the past two nights is that I sleep like a log! I haven't slept this deeply in a long time so it's fantastic! I'll see if it continues but I'll take it for now. It may not give me energy but it sure puts me to sleep! Ha! Take that research!!

So I will keep you posted as the weeks go by. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to do 3 weeks on, 1 week off or 3 months on, 1 month off. I'll decide and you will get to find out through my blog postings. I am curious if anyone else has taken it. And if so for what reasons and what are your thoughts/results from taking it?

VEGETABLES

So, I've gotten a little more creative with my vegetables lately. I'm just bored with veggies. That's all there is to it. My yoga teacher had told me about this recipe they had made on Thanksgiving and it oddly sounded good. I say oddly because it's a Brussels sprouts recipe and I'm not a big fan of Brussels sprouts. Here's the simple recipe from Martha Stewart's Whole Living magazine:

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Grapes with Walnuts 

• 24 ounces brussels sprouts (about 8 cups), halved or quartered if large
• 24 ounces grapes
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons fresh thyme
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped 

Directions

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. On two rimmed baking sheets, toss brussels sprouts and grapes with oil and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Roast, until caramelized and tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Drizzle each tray with 1 teaspoon vinegar and scrape up any caramelized bits with a wooden spoon. Toss in walnuts.

I cut the recipe in half and also cut the sprouts in half just so they matched up in size to the grapes. This recipe was really good. I even went back for seconds. Yummy. I will definitely make it again.

So, this kind of started a new thing for me which is finding new ways to make vegetables that aren't the usual way. I just can't deal with being bored with my veggies. It's the winter and time for roasting veggies anyway so I'm happy about that because I love roasted veggies. 

I made this recipe last night that was simple and a delicious way to get in my veggies. I'm sorry but I have no idea what the quantities of anything are.

Asian Tofu and Baby Bok Choy Mee Krob

Mee krob noodles (very thin rice vermicelli)

Baby bok choy (cut in quarters lenghtwise)

Medium firm tofu

Low sodium soy sauce

Ginger & garlic paste (fresh ginger and garlic peeled and ground to a paste in the food processor)

Chili garlic sauce

Sesame seeds

Cook the mee krob noodles for about 2 minutes in boiling water. Drain and rinse under cold water.

Heat large pan over medium high heat. Add oil of choice and saute tofu with soy sauce and ginger and garlic paste. Add mee krob and saute. Remove to plate/bowl. Add baby bok choy, soy sauce, ginger & garlic paste, chili garlic sauce, some water. Saute until desired tenderness. Add noodles and tofu back in. Serve. Easy and delish!!!

That's about it for now. I'll be back on my blogging now since I can actually use my computer now! Yay for computers and technology that sucks away every last second you have! :-) Have a fantastic weekend!

Please...let me explain!

I don't know if I should laugh or cry so I guess I'll just laugh. I'm having a challenging time over the past week or so. As you may or may not know I was doing the NaNoWriMo thing. I say WAS instead of AM because there is NO WAY that I can finish this thing now. I've only written 25,000 words and I'm supposed to write 50,000 by the last day of November. But like I said, let me explain! Haha! Last Monday (the Monday before Thanksgiving) I came home and turned on my computer and got this beautiful screen of white/gray with about 8 stripes across the top. Beautiful I tell ya! So my computer is about 10 years old so this is not surprising. No problem. I will order a new one. So I start researching that.

Well, then the day before Thanksgiving my refrigerator broke. Luckily not the freezer too, just the fridge. But nonetheless I had to change up my plans and reorganize my cooking schedule to accommodate a Thanksgiving meal. Not so fun to be honest. I ended up ordering a new fridge on Thanksgiving and even though they had said it would be delivered on Saturday it wasn't delivered until Sunday! Oy vey!! Crazy! So I didn't get to eat my Thanksgiving leftovers! So sad! I had a few things in the freezer but it's just not the same. :-( Not only that but I didn't eat well over the long weekend because I had no fridge. I know I could have figured something out but it was just too stressful so I really didn't eat well.

I also got a new phone a couple of weeks ago. And guess what? Last night I locked myself out of my phone! Somebody help me! I've got some serious issues! I couldn't call to get support since I had no phone. I tried online chat but of course they were closed for the night. Had to wait till this morning and pray that my computer worked long enough to chat and figure out how to unlock my phone. Luckily for me it did!

On the upside of things, I had several great workouts last week. I'll post them in another post just so you can see what I did. OMG! I think I forgot to write about it but somebody stole the prowler from our gym!!!! In broad daylight nonetheless!!! What the hell? What is wrong with people?!? Seriously! Unbelievable!

Also I almost killed myself on Saturday night. I was trying to fix my screen door because a screw and bolt had come out. I was wearing flip flops and one of them folded under my foot and I rolled over it and went crashing to the ground sideways scraping up my wrist and landing very hard on my butt. Luckily for me I have some padding there and amazingly didn't end up getting bruised! Whew! It scared the dickens out of me though! I thought I was going to fall down the stairs or hit my head on the wall. Doesn't it amaze you how many thoughts you can have in your head at one time, particularly in an instance where you have no control over the situation?

So, here's to the next to last day of November. Christmas is on its way so I have to get my projects done, get to do some baking and caramel making. Yep, it's the holidays! ENJOY!

Be Proud!

I think I forget this often. I forget to look at my life from a standpoint of pride. I've done a lot for myself and gotten far on my own. I've taken good care of myself most of the time. When I really don't like myself very much I really need to review all I should be proud of. And lately the not liking myself thing is a little overwhelming. And I used to always get mad at friends if they were talking badly about themselves and then I find myself doing it. It's terrible. Really bad. I caught myself doing it this morning. Not good. So I need to be proud. Walk tall. Puff out my chest. You know how you walk when you have pride in yourself - shoulder back, chest out, head held high, pulling out of the top of your head, light on your feet. Somewhere along the way I lost that - now shoulders are rounded, belly protruded, sinking into my hips and low back, etc. I need to remember that my body may not be where I want it to be but a lot of other things in my life are where I want them or are better than I expected.

I need to be proud of what a good person I am and how much I care for the ones I love. I need to be proud of myself for making it on my own in a crazy city like Los Angeles. I need to be proud of the fact that I'm an excellent cook. And just yesterday when I was at the gym I remembered to be proud of my athleticism, that I can pick up most sports and/or dance and get fairly proficient at them. Yes, these are all things to be proud of and I forget to be. I just don't do it. And why shouldn't I? If my friends did some of the things I do I would be really proud of them. Why forget about yourself? So I say for this week be proud! Be proud of who you are. Walk like you're proud and talk like you're proud. Because if we lose our pride, what do we have left? Not a whole lot.

On another note, last weekend I went to see "Bring It On: The Musical" and I just about died laughing. It was so funny and great fun to watch. I loved that movie because it epitomized high school cheerleading. I would know. I was one. It was just hysterical. It was really funny. I love to enjoy things like that. I love musicals and haven't been to enough lately. I actually enjoy most theater. It's just fun for a change and better than a movie.

As for my workouts I keep doing more and more yoga but I'm still doing weights, just not as often because it's hard for me to do something like, say, work out my back and then do yoga the next day. That's too hard for me. And even leg workouts and then trying to hold a position like Warrior 1 or Warrior 2 in yoga is just way to hard if you're sore already.

Warrior 1

Warrior 2

Yeah, when you're already shaky shaky, not so much. I know the idea is to breathe through it but I guess I'm just not there yet. So I've been on with my cardio and yoga but weights I'm only doing twice a week and not 3.

I've also been staying up too late so I need to get back to my early sleep. I'll write more soon. I just wanted to post this since it's been sitting in my drafts for a while now. NaNoWriMo is kinda kicking my butt and I haven't even been writing enough there either. At any rate, big changes are in store for me over the next couple of weeks with my workouts, mentality, eating, etc. I'll keep you posted all about it but don't be surprised if there's little to no posting over the next couple of weeks until I'm done with my novel! LOL!

Hope all of you are doing well and are ready for the holiday season to be in full swing. I know so many people hate/dislike the holidays but I LOVE them! I love Thanksgiving because it's fun and there's not much to do but enjoy it. Make foods I love to make, food coma my way through watch football, and hang out with the ones I love. And then it's Christmas time - over a week off of work and lots of family fun time and laughter and just good times had by all. Not to mention games! I LOVE games! And sledding. And hiking in the snow. I'm not a big present person but I do love to make my caramels and other treats. I'm thinking of baking some breads this year for a change. Nice to have something savory instead of sweet for a change. Hmmm...I'll let you know. I also like to make beaded ornaments when I have a chance. If I do I will have to take photos because they are COOL! But buying gifts? I'm not a fan. I would rather receive a homemade gift or even a fantastic card any day over a store bought gift. It's just my preference. So, holidays? BRING 'EM!!! Haha!

5th Mini-goal - cooking my dinners!

Sorry I've gone missing. I really have no excuse. I started several posts but finished none. And now I've started this NaNoWriMo challenge that Donloree got me inspired to do. Thanks Donloree! My sister-in-law is also doing it so that's just more motivation. Did I ever intend on writing a novel in my life? Nope. But here I am challenging myself to write 50,000 words in one month! Ha! I'm a beast! What can I say? I like a challenge and this is no different.

I also went for acupuncture last week. It was really good. There was a lot of broken English being spoken which you would think I would understand pretty well since I grew up with that in my house. But it was a little bit of a challenge. At any rate, what I learned was good. She's been practicing acupuncture for about 50 years or so. She actually was instrumental in getting acupuncture legalized in California. Isn't that crazy? I didn't even know that it wasn't legal at some point. She also used to do acupuncture on Katherine Hepburn. How cool is that? What I learned about myself is that I have something in my lungs and my heart doesn't beat as regularly as it should. Mostly it beats in tempo but every once it a while it doesn't. So my lungs need to clear out. I was instructed to massage the sides of my nostrils one hundred times a day. That does seem to help but my allergies are a mess this year. She also worked on my shoulder that is a constant problem. And then she helped me figure out why everything on my right side hurts. Not all at the same time but I've had problems with my knee, my hip, my shoulder for a while now. Even my herniated disc pain is always in my right side. Apparently my bone in my shin isn't straight and therefore everything from there up is constantly trying to compensate for that. In all my life and with all the problems I've had no one has ever helped me figure that out. Good to know. My sinuses feel much better and my shoulder feels better too. I will be going back. Apparently she thought I was going to be there today. Oops. I guess this was a clear case of lost in translation! Haha!

I had a really great workout today! I was surprised because I was really quite tired but once I got started there was no stopping me. The only problem is my allergies! Oy! They are going to kill me. They've NEVER been this bad. EVER! This was my workout:

Hex Bar Deadlift - 50# x 10, 70# x 8, 90# x 6, 110# x 4 - LOVE this!
Kettlebell Full Squats - 20kg 2x10, 24kg 2x10
Barbell Hip Thrusts (shoulder-elevated) - barbell only 45# 1x10, 65# 2x10
Walking DB Lunges - 20# DB 16 lunges then prisoner lunges for 8 more
      Prisoner lunges for 8 then 16 lunges 20# DB
     20# DB 10 lunges, 10 prisoner lunges
     10 prisoner lunges, 20# DB 10 lunges
Glute Ham Raise - no weight 3x10

I made another fabulous meal again over the weekend. It was my Chicken Tortilla Soup. Oh my! I always forget how amazingly good that is! YUMMY! My BF loved it and then I took some to my friend's the next day and it was just as delicious all over again. If you haven't tried this recipe and don't mind putting in a little time to make it I say go for it! Make it. You will absolutely NOT be disappointed. It's amazing!

I've really been enjoying yoga. I love my teacher. I think I'm going to try another class on Saturday with a male teacher. I'll let you know how that goes. Feeling better about myself. I've been sticking with my plan except last week I really didn't. My energy was low due to my continued allergies. This week I'm feeling better though. Yeah!

As for my goal for this week I picked this one:

Cook more meals (dinners in particular)

 This hasn't been hard since I had basically stopped cooking dinner. So far this week I made dinner on Monday (tilapia with tomatoes and fresh herbs and brown rice) and tonight I made this Spicy Lentil Soup. I added some chopped cooked chicken but wished I hadn't. The flavor doesn't really match. I think the soup would be good with sausage or ham though.  It's a really tasty soup.

• 2 cups red lentils, picked over and rinsed
• 1 serrano chile pepper, chopped (remove seeds for less heat)
• 1 large tomato, roughly chopped
• 1 1 1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for topping
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• Naan or other flatbread, for serving

Combine the lentils and 7 cups warm water in a pot, cover and bring to a boil. Add the chile pepper, tomato, ginger, garlic, turmeric and 2 teaspoons salt. Partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until thickened, 18 to 20 minutes. Stir in the cilantro. Thin the soup with water, if desired, and season with salt.

Mix the yogurt with 2 teaspoons water and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the yogurt and more cilantro. Serve with naan.

My alterations: I made a half batch but put in a whole tomato and a whole serrano with seeds. Honestly it could have had more heat. I could have put in another serrano. I also used half water and half chicken broth.

I think that basically updates all of you on my life. I'll try to write a little more often but don't be surprised if I don't, particularly during this month. Writing about 1700 words a day for my "novel" and then writing here is a lot but I'll do what I can. Hope you're all having a great week! Stay happy!

New mini-goal and Fun Weekend

Waking up the way I did yesterday morning I know my next mini-goal has to be #8...

Be in bed by 10:30pm. That means not getting ready to get in bed. This means in bed, jammies on, teeth brushed and flossed, in bed...book in hand!

I really have no idea why I was so tired yesterday. I could have slept for another couple of hours though. Of course it doesn't help at all that the days are super gloomy! I LOVE the gloomy weather if I'm trying to sleep in and get NOTHING done. That's perfect for that. But when you  have to get to work then the gloominess doesn't really help in that arena. I know you know what I mean!

Let's add to this the lovely freeway construction. Now for some reason the people that are in charge of the freeway construction must have thought to themselves, "Hmm...I wonder when would be a good time to drive some kind of pylons into the ground that will shake all the buildings surrounding the construction site? Hmm...probably early Sunday morning when everyone that CAN sleep in usually does! Yep, that sounds perfect!" UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I almost went out there in my PJs to scream at them! It was just insane to me! It literally was shaking our poor little building! And don't even get me started on the truck backing up sound all night, OR the dropping of pipes or rebar or whatever it is they're dropping in the middle of the night, OR the big humongous drill that needed oiling! Oy! It's all just a little too much. This girl needs some SLEEP!!!!!!! Hahaha! See? I'm delirious! Now you all know what I'm talking about!

As for my weekly mini-goals, they are just going along quite nicely. These are what I've done so far:

1) Steady state cardio 3 times a week for 30 minutes - I've since changed this to either 3 times a week or mix it up with HIIT sessions of 20 minutes
2) Cook a fabulous meal at least once every other week
3) Strength train 3 times a week
4) And now...in bed by 10:30pm

It's really not bad at all when you have little tiny goals like that. It's good because you actually feel successful each week having done just a "little thing" but at the end of the 12 weeks all those little things will be a big thing. So it's just a matter of sticking to my little goals. I actually was in bed at 10:35pm yesterday so that was good. Tonight a little earlier I think though.

As for my weekend, well, what a lot of fun I had! My BF and I celebrated my birthday and we had a good time. We went to the Textile District downtown and shopped around. It was fun and entertaining. And I found a great rug so I don't have to be so cold with my hardwood floors. It's super soft and I LOVE it! After that we picked up some food and headed to Malibu Wines in Malibu.

It was really great. They have music and you can bring in any food you want and non-alcoholic drinks too. Very cool and low-key venue and very relaxing. Unfortunately it's only open Memorial Day to Halloween so we can't go again this year. :-( Following that we went to Banderas in Brentwood and I got the Homemade Oreo Ice Cream Sandwich. Oh yummy! It was a great birthday celebration. But it didn't stop there. The next day I got my favorite meal EVER...Spicy peanut shrimp with yogurt sauce, served with white rice and also broccolini and baby Asian mushrooms. Oh man! The BF knows how to cook! And don't ask what he put in because I have no idea. It was spicy though, just the way I like it. Yum!!!!! Actually I have a slight idea - in the shrimp it had shrimp, peanut butter, peanut oil, garlic, chilies, green onion, and magic! The yogurt sauce is Greek yogurt, cucumbers, garlic?, and onion? or green onion?. Something like that. It's so amazing!

The only odd/bad thing to report is that the top of my foot started hurting Saturday afternoon but then felt fine after that. I worked out Sunday and had no pain and then yesterday when I came to work it was hurting again and last night it really started to hurt. From self-diagnosing online I think it's some kind of tendonitis in the top of my foot. I took some ibuprofen this morning and iced it last night. We'll see what happens. I did my 30 minutes of rowing last night since I didn't want to be on my foot since I thought it might make it worse. I'll keep you posted. 

Here's to another amazing fall week! I love Fall! It's the best!

Hammies and Glutes - 1 of 3!

Well, Monday night I did my first of my three strength training sessions. It was great, felt good, and I enjoyed it! This is what my workout was:

Kettlebell Full Squats 24kg kettlebell 4x10
Hex Bar Deadlift 50# x 12, 70# x 10, 70# x 10 - FIRST time using this - LOVE!
Walking Lunges w/ Barbell 40# 3x10 (each leg)
Single Leg Back Extension (glute focus of course) 3x8 each leg
3-count Plank 2x15
Bent-knee lower abs leg lifts 2x10 each leg (I have no idea what these are called. You lie on your back with your lower back pressed into the floor and slowly lower right heel to the floor and then bring it back up and slowly lower left and repeat, keeping your low back pressed into the floor the whole time.)

In truth, I completely forgot to do my Hip Thrusts. I had every intention. But somehow forgot! :-( So sad!

Tuesday night I did my 30 minutes of cardio and then relaxed and enjoyed my yoga. What's that? Am I enjoying my new gym? Why yes! How could you tell? LOVE it! Lots of new equipment for me and I'm loving that I can do yoga without making a huge financial commitment! It's all good! Good weight and cardio equipment, the prowler, rowing machines. Yep, ALL good!

Yesterday was...ummm...interesting? My body was hurting in the morning so I decided to take a day off, relax and unwind. This lasted for a while and I went for a fantastic massage, finally feeling loose and truly relaxed. I decided I would go see a movie. And on my way to the movie I got rear-ended. :-( I'm fine and the car's fine but it was unnerving all the same. Luckily I wasn't going very fast. Well, actually I wasn't "going" at all. I was stopped. It was the 2 cars behind me that were going. Oh well. Just slight cosmetic damage to my bumper.

I went to see the movie 50/50. Yeah, real tear jerker. But I like that it is based on the screenwriter's true story. It was a good movie and good reminder of what's important - family and friends and life. Worry less and enjoy more. Yep, good reminder. 

Tonight I will certainly need my yoga class. So I will be doing that after my cardio HIIT, provided the traffic cooperates and all. It's been a little crazy around my 'hood. Only about another year until this major freeway construction is done. Wish me luck! I hope I survive! Haha!

Fabulous Meal #1...DONE!

My mini-goal for last week was to make one fabulous meal at least every other week and I did just that last night. It was so delicious. I made Vietnamese Spring Rolls with shrimp and pulled pork. Dessert was an Apple Crisp with vanilla ice cream. Oh yes! Quite an amazing meal. And yes, I did get so carried away eating it that I actually forgot to take pictures of the actual spring rolls! Oops!

I basically followed this recipe for spring rolls from  allrecipes.com. I didn't make the hoisin peanut sauce and instead I purchased the San J Thai Peanut Sauce. It was tasty. I did make the other dipping sauce though. I also added this Vietnamese BBQ Pulled Pork from closetcooking.com.

 Vietnamese Spring Rolls 

Rice vermicelli (I actually ended up with Mee Krob which is thinner than rice vermicelli), cooked

Spring Roll Wrappers (1 for each roll)

Cooked shrimp (2-3 per roll)

Butter leaf lettuce

Fresh mint

Fresh Thai basil (plain basil is fine if you can't find Thai)

Fresh cilantro

Cucumbers, julienned

Carrots, julienned

Avocado, thinly sliced

Large flat bowl of room temperature water (slightly larger than the spring roll wrappers)

Arrange all except the wrappers on a platter.

Sweet and Spicy Dipping Sauce

4 teaspoons fish sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced (I didn't add this and was glad I didn't)
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic chili sauce

Mix all together in a small bowl for dipping.

Vietnamese BBQ Pulled Pork

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup fish sauce (I used half fish sauce and half low-sodium soy sauce)
1 lime (juice)
2 birds eye chilies (sliced)
1 (3 pound) pork butt

1. Heat the sugar in a pan on medium-high heat until it melts, caramelizes and turns a light golden brown.
2. Carefully add the water and heat until the caramel dissolves. (Be careful! When you add the water, the caramel hardens immediately and splatters up a little.)
3. Add the fish sauce, lime juice and chilies and simmer to reduce by half, about 6-10 minutes.
4. Put the pork in the slow cooker, pour 1/2 of the 'bbq' sauce over it and cook on low heat for 8 hours.
5. Remove the pork from the slow cooker, let cool and then shred with a pair of forks.
6. Skim the fat from the juices and place them in a sauce pan along with the remaining 'bbq' sauce.

How to make the spring rolls:

1) Place spring roll wrapper in bowl of water until completely wet. Place on a large flat plate. Wrapper will still be hard. Don't worry. It softens as you "build" your spring roll.

2) Place a piece of lettuce on wrapper.

3) Arrange vegetables and herbs on lettuce leaving room on either end.

4) Add shrimp and/or pork

5) Fold in edges and then roll up tightly (like a burrito)

6) Dip in peanut sauce and sweet and spicy sauce. Alternatively you can spoon sauce into the already bitten spring roll. Enjoy! 

Apple Crisp

5 cups apples, peeled and thinly sliced

2/3 cup sugar (I mixed 1/3 cup white, 1/3 cup brown)

2 T flour

1 t cinnamon

1 t vanilla

Combine all together. Pour into a buttered or sprayed 9x13 pan.

Topping:

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup butter

Mix with a fork or hands until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of apples. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Let cool slightly. Serve in shallow bowls topped with vanilla ice cream.

Mini-goal - Week 3

Week 1 mini-goal - 3 days of 30 minutes steady state cardio - check!
Week 2 mini-goal - Make one fabulous meal at least every other week - check!

So this is the third week of mini-goals and I've decided to pick my first goal in my list which is

Strength training 3 times per week - may include a class like TRX or some kind of circuit class

So far I'm right on track. Last week I kind of had to push to get in my 3 days of cardio since I wasn't in town on Monday or Tuesday. I wanted to count my hike from Monday as my workout but I wasn't sure if that counted so I didn't count it. Wednesday was really hot here and I went skating. I was really pushing it and then my wheel on my blades broke. I guess it was a little worn out. It was actually kind of funny when it happened. Oh! And I had forgotten my ipod as well. Not really the best workout but I got it done nonetheless! Yeah for me!

One change I may make is 2 days of 30 minutes steady state and 1 day of HIIT. I kind of miss HIIT. I'll keep you posted how my week goes. Can't wait to do some serious weights. I think I'm actually motivated for that! Another great thing. BRING IT ON!!!

Random knowledge of the week: I don't know why I didn't know this but I didn't realize that daylight savings always ends the first Sunday in November and starts the second Sunday in March. Always! Did you know that? Am I the last to know? It will certainly be easier to remember now when it is! Not that it makes me happy. I dislike it VERY much!

Here's to another great week. Hope all of you are doing very well.

My Birthday is over...:-(

What a great birthday I had running away. It was really great. I got so many calls, emails, posts, texts, etc. for my birthday so thank you to all of you that took the time to wish me a happy birthday. It was a great birthday.

Mini-goal update! I did 3 days of 30 minutes of cardio last week and knocked out that goal no problem. Yeah for me! I've got a little catching up to do this week but I'm still going to get my 3 days in again this week. So now it's back to reality and back to my next mini-goal. Since I lost my first 2 days of this week, I decided to pick a mini-goal I would definitely have time to do. This is the one I chose! Can't wait for this one. I will be doing this on Saturday night. Can't wait to see what I decide to make and I'll share it all with photos too.

So this week is #10.  Cook a "fabulous" meal at least once every other week!

I can't wait. I love to cook "real" meals. I just LOVE that and I never really do it anymore.

I did make this Sweet Potato and Zucchini Bread from Epicurious for my friend that I went to stay with and it was delicious. I haven't made that recipe for a long, long time. I only used 1 cup sugar instead of 2 and I also only used 1/2 cup oil instead of  3/4 cup. It was so fun to make a REAL recipe. I enjoyed it very much. And I also remembered that I really really enjoy baking bread. It's so fun and makes me really happy.

Tonight I made myself a tasty salad that had mixed greens, cucumber, green onion, small carrot, and roasted beets. The dressing was so easy and soooo delish! It was just olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and just a bit of Bonne Maman's Four Fruits Preserves. I shook it up and poured it over my salad, added some sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. Yummy! I only wished I had some goat cheese and I should have added some walnuts because that would have been perfect!

More goal reaching this week! I'm on it!!!

Quick! Tell me the last compliment you received!

And now tell me the last criticism you received!

Which was easier to recall? My guess is going to be the criticism. Why is that?!? Our minds are so good at remembering the bad, the negative, what you did wrong, how you messed up, etc. etc. It's so hard to train your brain to remember the good, the compliments, the hugs, the high fives. So so hard! So today, do yourself a favor. Pat yourself on the back and remember at least one compliment or one hug that meant the world to you. Or one kind thing that someone said that helped you out of a "black hole" and made it "all better." Or a smile or comment that took you by surprise and lifted you up.

There are some things that I have heard in my life that I tend to forget. And they should be things that I repeat to myself often. Yet I don't. And when I do I feel so much better about myself, knowing I'm making a positive impact on this world, even if it's just in one tiny little corner. Yep, that's what it's all about. Who are you impacting positively? And what are you giving them? What are they giving you? Goodness abounds in your life so it's up to you to decide how much goodness to keep in your heart and how much bad to let go.

I don't know about you but I really would rather remember the good, forget the bad. So I'm going to try to do that more. Life is going to have its challenges, its ups and downs but the more time you're up, the less time you have to be down. So anyone care to join me on a "remember the good" journey? Come on...it will be fun! Just think of all the great things people say about you and it will lift your spirits. Come on...whatcha got? Here are a few of my favorites:

• "You're the best aunt ever."
• "It takes very little to make you happy."
• "You are so generous."
• "You are a great friend."
• Some words that have been used to describe me: generous, kind, playful, up for anything, funny, fun, thoughtful, caring, giving, happy, cute
• "Thank you for being there for me." 
• "You're very strong."

These are just a few.  Go ahead. Toot your own horn. Remember the good. Forget the bad! Life is too short, too precious, and too wonderful to hold on to all that negativity. Let it go! Don't doubt yourself, your actions or your methods. Do the best you can with the knowledge you have. Trip, fall down and then get back up. And when you review your journey, remember the lessons, forget the pain. Remember the compliments and all the positives. Set your journey on an upward trajectory. Remembering the good can't hurt, right?

Remember the good!!!!

This is my biggest goal as I head into my 45th year of my life! Join me if you dare!!! :-)

Only 2 more shopping days!

So, how's my birthday shopping coming along for all of you? If you haven't started, don't worry. There's still time! You have 2 more days so hop on it! I had a good time doing my wishlist last year so I think I'll do that again! I mostly do this for my own entertainment so just play along with me, kay?

ERIN'S BIRTHDAY WISH LIST

• Travel blow dryer from Brookstone ($40) - mine is still kind of broken
• Toaster or Toaster Oven - why am I always asking for kitchen appliances? Hmmm...
• Cards/Hugs/Laughs ($free)
• Gift cards from Trader Joe', Target, Kohl's, Whole Foods, Coffee Bean
• AAA Membership - silly I know but something I think I should have since my car is of that age where I should have it for safety's sake
• Birthday wish comments on my blog! ;-)

That's all I can think of for right now. Maybe I'll think of more later but that's all for right now. So get shopping!

GYM UPDATE: So apparently at my NEW gym they're not going to charge for classes at least not through the end of the year. We'll see what they do after that. So I'm enjoying my yoga A LOT! I had forgotten how much I enjoy it. I guess it's all about the teacher and finding a place that's affordable. I really like my teacher. I'm going to try some others there...maybe...but I love the one I have right now. She has a great energy.

FASCIAL STRETCH THERAPY: I know I talked about this before but I went to get stretched again today.  I went after my hammies and glutes workout and it was amazing again! I had been having shoulder pain so he really worked on that and my shoulder feels so much better, more open, less tight, and the pain is virtually gone! If you haven't ever tried it, I implore you to find a practitioner near you and try it out. I think you will like it.

MINI-GOAL UPDATE: I've already done 2 of my 3 days of steady state cardio. I actually kind of revamped my idea of steady state kind of by accident. I did 30 minutes of inline skating on Sunday. Then on Monday I did 15 minutes on the Precor AMT. I LOVE this machine.

After that I hopped on the rowing machine. I got into the interval workout and did another 10 rounds there. So I guess in reality I did 25 minutes and not 30 but it was 15 steady state and 10 HARD intervals. I was happy with that workout.

TODAY'S WORKOUT: As I mentioned I did hammies and glutes workout today and I squatted 145 pounds. Yep, that was a first for me! Woot woot! 3 reps too! Couldn't do the prowler 'cause it was raining. :-( Did get to do the ham glute raise though. LOVE that machine a lot! So I did squats, deadlifts, leg press, glute ham raise and lunges with the straight bar. Oh, and some planks - hold 3 counts, lower to the floor (on elbows and hips), come back up and hold 3 counts again. 3 sets of 15! This is sooooo much harder than it sounds and sooooo much harder than holding a plank for a minute or two. Try it if you don't believe me. You'll see!

It rained almost all day and I loved it! I love the rain and since it doesn't rain too often in L.A. I get to enjoy it. Funny story for the day: I wanted some Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin bread today with some coconut oil on it. Well, my toaster has broken hence the birthday wishlist item. So I have to broil my bread now. I only had the 2 heels left so I put them in the broiler. Then I walked away. Now those of you that know me know I ALWAYS set a timer. I don't know why I forgot to today but I did. Yeah...uh huh...burned the heck out of those little heels! So sad! Still trying to regroup from that! Haha!


I'm feeling slightly better about myself and I'm happy about that. I feel like I'm physically headed in the right direction and my mind is trailing along nicely. Can't wait for my birthday! I'm running away from L.A. to visit my friend for an extended weekend. Can't wait! It's going to be a nice break! Hope your week is going well! Enjoy!

What's your excuse? You ready to let it go?

So I read this article written by Kellie Davis at motherfitness.com the other day and it struck a nerve with me! Love it when that happens when you read an article! This quote in particular really struck a chord!

"I know this guilt disguised by excuse so well because I used it every single day for years."

This is me, has been me for a few months now. I know I've talked about metabolic damage, about how I just keep gaining weight and I'm just not in the mood to track my food, or workout like I used to (pre-competition), don't want to eat vegetables, want to eat what I want, etc. All of these things are true. But they truly are EXCUSES! At some point, I just have to suck it up! And guess what? The time has come. Yes, I believe I have some metabolic damage and yes, I believe it will take some amount of time to work through that. Absolutely! However, in the meantime, it really can't be my excuse for eating french fries on probably a weekly basis or going out to eat often and overindulging each time I do. Nope, I can't do that anymore. So it's time to tighten up the reins.

I don't need excuses or willpower. Nope...what I need is a PLAN! I've been free-falling for a while now and I think I'm okay with not doing that for a while. Until I at least like the way I feel, until I feel healthy again. Right now I'm carrying too much excess weight for me. I feel fluffy and out of shape. In case you aren't sure, these aren't feelings I ENJOY having! Haha!

I don't want to be drastic in my changes since I most likely won't stick to them all if I do them all at once. So I will be implementing these slowly. I'm not doing Donloree's 12 weeks of Fitmas but it's going to be something similar to that for me. These are in no particular order.
1) Weight workout 3 times per week - may include a class like TRX or Leanin' Up which is like a circuit class
2) Steady-state cardio (minimum of 30 minutes) 3 times a week - this actually has more to do with me needing to increase my cardiovascular strength than for any "weight loss" reason
3) Tighten up my food - eat homemade food for almost all meals, maybe go out once or twice a week and then eat "right", meaning no binge eating or eating everything on my plate just because I'm out to eat
4) Cook more meals (dinners in particular)
5) Add in more vegetables, either as smoothies or soup if the actual veggies don't sound appealing.
6) Don't mindlessly eat. Don't eat out of boredom or because it's just "what I do now".
7) Move more. Make sure I'm not sitting on my buttocks in front of the TV/computer/ipod touch every night. Once a week okay...but every night? NOT okay!
8) Be in bed by 10:30pm. That means not getting ready to get in bed. This means in bed, jammies on, teeth brushed and flossed, in bed...book in hand!
9) Foam roll every day.
10) Cook a "fabulous" meal at least once every other week!
11) Make a new recipe once a week
12) Enjoy my meals and workouts and give thanks for both daily!

So, there you have 12 weeks of new goals! Yes, again having a plan is key and having some baby steps to getting there is even more important. I will add one of these each week until Christmas since it's exactly 12 weeks from today. I think I'll be feeling pretty good by Christmas.

This week's goal then will be #2! Steady-state cardio 3 times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes each time.

I guess I'm getting up off the ground (or the couch at least) and moving forward with a plan, a winning mindset, determination, and gratitude. Does that just about cover it? I think so! Anyone care to add anything? Anything you do/say/feel to help yourself stay on track? Any other ideas for mini-goals along my journey to have "better health"? Would love to hear about them! Hope your weekend is grand!

They mopped the floor with me!

So on Saturday I went to my first-ever boxing class! Let me first of all say that I don't like watching boxing so for that reason I rarely do. Since this is the case, naturally I would have no idea what I should be doing or how I should even look while boxing, how to punch, etc. So I head into this class and they gave me NO instructions whatsoever. They put us in groups of 2-3 people and we did a circuit of sorts.The different stations were 1) speedbag, 2) heavy bag, 3) sparring - actually I don't know what it's called when you hit the pads the instructors wear on their hands?!?...yeah, that! and 4) sprinting/running. So off we went to our little stations. I did fine but had no idea what I was doing. I learned some while I was going from station to station and then we had to run. I started off fine but then thought I was going to die about halfway around the block. Haha! Yeah, it was funny and humbling all at the same time. So I made a vow to work on my cardiovascular strength and that's my goal for now. Yeah, like I said, they mopped the floor with me! I had a great time but definitely felt out of shape!

Fast forward to today. I went to the gym to take Zumba since I'm loving that and then planned on doing some hams/glutes after. When I got to Zumba I was informed this was the second to last Zumba class they'll be having at the gym. Wha what?!? Yes. Not only that but then I find out that they're planning on having all free classes for the month of October but starting November they're going to charge for classes (boxing and yoga only)! Aargh! I am MAD! But there is some hope. There will be a TRX class, a spin class and a beach boot camp class that will still be included in the membership. And of course my buddy, the PROWLER, will be there. But maybe I'll have to look into yet another gym. NOT happy! I guess I'll be taking a lot of classes in October anyway. Woohoo!

Hope your weeks are all starting off well! Keep a positive vibe rolling through you week. I know I will. I get to visit my friends this week in San Diego! Yippee! I'm looking forward to it! 

My yoga teacher read this quote tonight:

“I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do." ~Edward Everett Hale 

The great thing is that I joined my new gym yesterday. And so far I LOVE it! I had a great workout on my own yesterday doing a back and legs superset workout. Tonight I went to yoga and I really enjoyed it. It's been years since I went to yoga. The teacher was great and very low-key. It was a great class and just what I needed. And ending the practice with the above quote just brought that practice full circle. I really enjoyed it. She was great. I will definitely take her class again.

I'm loving this weather right now. I like it a little cooler and foggy in the morning. I don't like it like that every day for many days but for a week or so I do enjoy it. And it makes sleeping great. And I think it kind of makes me feel like cooking again. I'll see what happens this weekend. Maybe some new recipes coming soon. Or at least some resurrection of some old ones. We'll just see.

Hope the week is ending well for all of you. Take good care of yourselves. I know I will.

I'm back now! Yes, you can all celebrate! :-)

I know I've been MIA. I have no excuse really. I didn't really have much to write about last week, started a couple of posts but just wasn't into it and couldn't finish the posts. So here I am!

I went to Vegas over the weekend but not for the Olympia. I went to help my friend work and I've decided that I am NOT a fan of Vegas. I know many people love Vegas but I really can't be counted in that group. I thought it was just because I always go there for work. But that's not it. I am NOT a fan of cigarette smoke. And I feel awful each and every time I go to Vegas. You know, itchy watery eyes, scratchy throat, general dehydration, etc. So for me Vegas is out. I don't think I'll be going there. Everything there is expensive...EVERYTHING! I don't mind paying the price for something that I think can't be found elsewhere or is just SO memorable but I don't think that's the case with Vegas for me. Okay...done with my rant! Haha!

The highlight was going to my favorite restaurant Todd's Unique Dining in Henderson. Of course I had the Grilled Skirt Steak on Fire.

So delicious! Yummy yummy! I love that place and it's nice to get away from The Strip. We also ordered the gazpacho with rock shrimp and also the spicy calamari & rock shrimp. It was so delicious! I also ordered the peach cobbler with cinnamon gelato for dessert. I was a lot little stuffed! DELISH!

Onto other news! I have found a new "second home", formally known as a gym! I was trying it out for a week and have decided to join. Can't wait!!!! I will either go tonight or tomorrow to sign up and it's going to be great. I love that it has an outdoor area for working out, has some classes but not too many, and has THE PROWLER!! I really LOVE that thing! This is just the motivation I have been needing. I needed something to get me excited about working out again and this ought to do the job! So yeah for me! Now I can probably get back on track with my workouts and my nutrition. I'll keep you posted!

Things are looking up! And that's ALWAYS a plus!

Such a bargain! Rotisserie Chicken!

I just learned of a very good deal. I went to return my RedBox rental the other night just before it was due at 9:00pm. And since it was at my local grocery store Ralphs I decided I would buy a rotisserie chicken. So I headed over to the rotisserie chicken case. There was a Ralphs employee there that told me she was marking down the chickens right then if I could wait a minute. She had lots of good information. The chickens go on sale for HALF PRICE at 9:00pm. How great is that?!? So I got a whole rotisserie chicken for $3.59! Yes, that's right. I don't think you can even buy a whole chicken (that you still have to season and cook) for that price! AWESOME! To get your rotisserie chicken deal, just head to your local deli at closing time. Some information this fantastic employee gave me:

1) When the deli closes the chickens are marked down half price.
2) There will always be plenty of chickens because they have to have a certain amount out at any given time.
3) They only leave the chickens out for 3 hours in their heated case. Then they remove them and use them in other dishes in the deli.
4) Make sure they scan the discounted sticker! (For example, my cashier didn't do that so I just pointed it out to her and she fixed it.)

So go get your rotisserie chickens tonight. Although my great bargain was at Ralphs I would imagine any grocery store that sells rotisserie chickens does this same thing.

One Year Post-Comp

Wow! One year! I can't believe it's been a year since I stepped on stage in my itsy bitsy teeny weeny light blue stone-studded comp bikini! (that I wore for the 10th time that day...LOL!)

Competing was such a great experience! It was fun and a great challenge and goal for me. I met some great girls through my competing, found some great blogs to follow, and learned a lot about working out, eating for a competition, and how to do a competition. I put in some serious time prepping for my competition. I had a great time and made some lifelong bonds. It was an experience like no other.

Since that competition I have been all over the map emotionally. I stayed lean for quite a while post-comp, only gaining about 5-10 pounds in the first 5-6 months. But then my body caught up. Since about April I've been gaining weight fairly steadily. At the time I was working out well and eating right and gaining weight. It didn't make sense to me. But then I've read more and more about metabolic damage and how you can get this from doing what I did which was a couple of hours of cardio a day, 7 days a week, for months on end. I assume that's the problem. I can tell I'm not quite right and things in my body and mind aren't quite right. I'm steadily gaining weight and haven't stepped on a scale forever. It's been tough. My eating has been slipping and getting worse and worse and my workouts have become fairly non-existent.

Finally last week I decided I needed to do something about it and although my eating is still not quite right I am getting my workouts more back in line. It really helped to read this blog from Marianne at myomytv.com simply because she says that her advice is to start working out and the food will eventually come. This is true, I know. It's happened to me before. The more you work out the more you realize that you have to have the proper fuel to make those workouts the best they can be. So that blog really struck a chord with me! (Thanks Iris for pointing me to that post!)

I had a pretty good weekend. I watched a couple of movies including Waiting for Superman and Soul Surfer.  They were both good. I'm glad I don't have children in the public school system though or I would have been pretty infuriated watching Waiting for Superman. Soul Surfer is just inspiring. Bethany Hamilton is so inspiring and is just an amazingly positive person.

I went to a class yesterday at the gym I'm "trying on". And guess what? I was the ONLY one there! Woohoo! So it was basically a personal training session and it was good and fun. I'm pretty sure I'll join that gym because I really like it. I think it's the kind of motivation I need in my life. And the members seem pretty cool. I'll let you know for sure when I decide.

Hope you all had a great weekend and are ready for Monday to come waltzing in! Happy new week!

TRX, rice cooker oatmeal, Asian tofu!

Yes, I am the little train that could. Up the hill I go...chugga chugga whoo whoo! So I'm feeling better already since I got in a great workout last night and ate fairly well yesterday. I think I forgot to write this before but I'm having some kind of weird aversion to animal protein. Well, not all of it but steak, pork, chicken...nope, not sounding good at all. I'm okay with eggs. Tofu sounds appealing which is kind of weird. Not that I'm opposed to tofu but I don't usually crave it. If you love tofu and Asian flavors, try cutting up some tofu into 1-inch cubes, drizzle with low-sodium soy sauce and grate fresh or frozen ginger over. So yummy! My lunch yesterday was very Asian! I had that tofu, brown rice with roasted seaweed (using the seaweed as my "wrap"), cucumber salad (just sliced Persian cucumbers, rice wine vinegar, stevia, Korean no-salt chili powder mix). Oh yes, it was tasty. Maybe I have to eat that again for lunch today!

TRX and the........ PROWLER!!! WOOT WOOT!
Yesterday I went to my first TRX class! What a great challenge and something different. There were only 3 students in class which was perfect for a first-time class! That way I could get the attention I needed and make sure I was doing it right. It was great fun! I will definitely go again! And the best part? At the end the instructor said, "We're going to finish off with some metabolic work with the prowler!" Yahoo! I was so excited! I've been wanting to try that thing forever. We only had 20# on that thing and it was tough. It makes me even more impressed by Alli McKee's "somebody get on this...seriously" prowler experience from their Train Like a Girl weekend! We did 3 "runs" for about maybe 30 yards or so? I'm bad about eye measuring so I'm not sure the distance. It was AWESOME! I want to do it again ASAP!

Now, onto the next subject...Rice Cooker Oatmeal! Yep, you read that right! I learned this from Kevin Weiss's video below and it's FANTASTIC!

Unfortunately I don't have an electric steamer so I make my eggs the old-fashioned way. Put them in a pan, cover with water, bring to a boil, turn off stove, cover and let sit for 10 minutes, rinse in cold water. This is the recipe I used today and it was soooo delicious! I brought some to my coworker and she asked if I had put sugar in it. Yes, it's that good!

Rice Cooker Oatmeal

2 cups oatmeal

3 cups water

1 cup almond milk

1 apple

2 plums (large) - or it may have been 1 plum and 1 pluot...not sure!

cinnamon

nutmeg

ground cloves

Throw it all in the rice cooker and turn that thing on. Go take a shower and voila! Oatmeal...fresh and tasty!!! LOVE this! I've made it with strawberries and apples, blueberries, mixed berries, apples only (not a big fan of that one), added flax seed oil, or coconut. It doesn't really matter. It's all super tasty! Enjoy!

So there you have it...a couple of recipes that are so simple yet divine and my latest experience! Hope you all have a great weekend! Wahoo! Feeling better and better!

Cute little baby steps!

I must say I'm so proud of myself because I just walked back to the table in our break room where there are all kinds of evils lurking. I didn't reach for the peach pie but I did reach for a butter cookie. But guess what? I stopped before my hand even got there! Whew! Progress! Good job me!

Also I signed up for a TRX class tonight! No, I've never taken it. Yes, I'm a little scared. I know I can handle it but it certainly will be a challenge for me especially since I've been so lazy with my weight training. Oh well. You've got to start somewhere, right? So...here I go!

Stay tuned for what is certain to be a grand aftermath tomorrow...

Lazy Program Begone!!

I was joking around with my massage therapist today about how I've been on the "Lazy Program" and I think it's time I got off of it. Lazy with nutrition, sleep, rest, and exercise. Yeah, I think I've overdone that program. We even joked around about the infomercial for the Lazy Program. "You want another body part to start hurting today for no reason? Try the Lazy Program. Do absolutely NOTHING and see absolute weight gain and feel a new pain every day! Yes, the Lazy Program can be yours today!" And yes, that was funny but it's so pathetically accurate that in a way it's kind of not so funny. Know what I mean?

I don't know what my problem is!!! I really don't. I wrote my TRUTH blog on Saturday and then I proceeded to just completely fall from grace! Well, not really, but what is my problem?!? I keep telling myself to be patient and yada yada but that's really not happening. For whatever reason I absolutely DON'T want to workout at all! I mean, I'll run the stairs with my BF and I'll go rollerblading any day and I did try Zumba for the first time the other day but in general I really don't want to workout at all! Not even a smidgen of a desire. And weights?!? Nope, no desire at all. None whatsoever. None. Zilch. Nada. Zip! You get the idea!

And then I'm stuck in a vicious cycle because I don't feel like cooking or making anything to eat that's not cooked in about 2 seconds or somehow pre-made. And then I feel not so good because that kind of food doesn't sustain me or make me feel good. It DOES however make me feel bloated and lazy, joints feel swollen and achy, body feels puffy, don't sleep as well, feel stuffed up, etc. etc. And all that makes me feel like not working out. So I don't work out and then I don't eat right and round and round and round we go...where we'll stop, nobody knows!!!!

So I had to call in for some help. After all, what are friends for? Well, my friend told me that I just have to do something because if I think I feel bad, add 4-5 more months on top of that and THEN how will you feel?!? Not to mention the weight you will gain between now and then. I give my friend credit. She'll hand it to me straight. Now keep in mind that we don't live in the same state so she hasn't actually seen me but she knows what I'm talking about. I appreciate that kind of honesty though. And she's absolutely right. Sh!t or get off the pot, right? Yep! That's right.

All this bitching and moaning really isn't helping anyone but I can't seem to find it anywhere. My motivation, that is. So, what's a girl to do? Well, ask Nike says "Just do it!" Yep, that's right. Just do the darn thing! I guess as much as I want to let my body tell me what to do, it really doesn't matter what it tells me if I don't listen. And I haven't been listening. So, I'm off on yet another journey and this time I have to force myself to do something until it once again becomes habit. I fell of the wagon. Yes, it's true. And for the first time in my life I didn't feel like working out. AT ALL! I don't remember a time before in my life when I didn't want to work out. So unlike me. I was beginning to question if I was depressed. But I don't think I am. I just feel highly unmotivated so I'm going to force feed myself a little exercise and force myself to eat better. I can only do that for now. I don't expect miracles but I do expect to get back to doing something. I wouldn't feel good if today were my last day of my life. And I have to go with that idea. I don't want to feel like some kinda slouch on my last day of living! That wouldn't be something I'd be proud of. So I must do something. And so I will. Stay tuned.

“When things go wrong, you'll find they usually go on getting worse for some time; but when things once start going right they often go on getting better and better.” ~C.S. Lewis 

TRUTH!

I'm going to be really honest here in this post because I need to let it out so I can move on!

So ever since I was sick a few weeks ago I have had NO desire to do any weight training. I can't explain it. And I have no idea where that is coming from. I have only done weights once or twice in the past 2 weeks. I enjoyed it once I went but I'm really not motivated at all to do weights or any kind of resistance training at all. I haven't been motivated at all to do any kind of working out, to be honest. In fact these are my workouts for the last 2 weeks (going backwards):
Today - Zumba (1 1/2 hours - first time taking it and it was FUN!)
Wednesday - Blading (inline skating for those that don't know) for about an hour or so
Sunday - Track workout
Saturday - Weights
Tuesday - Pilates
Monday - Blading
Saturday - Stairs
So as you can see not much in the working out realm.

And then my food has been wickety whack! Haha! Really I've been eating too much, enjoying too much of the not so healthy food, eating sweets, white bread, oil, fries..yep...that's the truth! I don't believe any of those things are bad for you really. But when you're eating a lot of these foods and pretty much daily then you're in trouble. Combine my very unhealthy eating with my lack of working out and well, I don't feel so great. And it's in this moment that I realize I am definitely not concerned about how I look but truly about how I feel. I feel bloated, dehydrated, swollen...just not good. I understand what's going on here. It's not any shock to me at all. I didn't really "let myself go" but I just haven't been motivated and then the less my clothes fit and the more weight I gain the less motivated I become.

I'm in a vicious cycle that many competitors experience but never talk about. I'm here to talk about it. When I write things like this I definitely worry about others judging me but I have to let that go. I can't hide what's really going on. And I have definitely found that the more open and honest I am the more it helps others that are experiencing similar struggles without an outlet like the one I have, this blog. It's not a pretty picture and it's not something even I want to admit but it's necessary for me. Since I use this as some sort of journal it's important to me to document what is really going on with me, my body and my mind.

So after feeling like poop I know what I need to do:
1) First and foremost, I need to be more grateful for my amazing body and all it does for me!
2) Accept that this is yet another journey I am on. I took a journey to the stage and now I'm taking a journey back to balance.
3) Forgive myself for what I've done to my body and mind. It's okay. I didn't know any better. And as Oprah always says, "When you know better, you do better."
4) Accept my body just as it is right now. Don't berate myself, beat myself up, or wish it into a different state. Accept it and love it for what it is right now. Why loathe something that has done so much good for me?
5) Start taking actions with my eating and activity that make me feel better. Cook healthy foods for myself that are also tasty. Do some resistance work of some sort even if it's just with bands and bodyweight at home.
6) Walk at least 3 times a week. Breathe some fresh(ish) air and go inside.
7) Get more sleep. Turn off all the electronics and get to bed early! How many times have I tried to learn this lesson? Let's not count, okay?
8) Take care of myself. Treat my body as it deserves to be treated! This basically sums up numbers 1-7 but I need to reiterate it for myself.

So I'm learning and growing. And I do understand more and more how your food choices affect your activity ability and level and vice versa. Hope you are all having a fantastic Labor Day Weekend! Yay! I don't have to work Monday! Woot woot! LOVE that! :-)

What do you have? Be grateful for that!

WOW! I don't know if any of you have seen this video but I was totally crying when I saw it! So powerful and beautiful and touching and amazing! Need I go on? Just watch it...you'll see!


See what I mean? Heart wrenching, don't you think? I'm so moved. And it's not just because he's Korean. ;-) I mean I've had some trials in my life but I certainly wasn't homeless when I was FIVE!! So of all the things I am always chasing after I think it's time to be grateful for what I have and what I've had! I had a roof over my head and food on the table all the time growing up. My childhood wasn't ideal but I did have that and I'm grateful for that. I can't even imagine living like that at age 5...or 10...or even 15! Nope! And the fact that he got his GED for elementary and middle school on his own is crazy. As well as getting into high school. He does have formal vocal education in high school, a fact they left out of the TV version for TV reasons but it doesn't change the main part of his story. He lived alone and on his own for 10 years starting at age 5! Wow! Amazing!

This just serves as a reminder to me that I really need to be more grateful than I am! Geez! Look at me...I'm healthy, smart, mentally all here, physically all parts are working, have a job, decent looks, great friends and family, and a sense of humor! I mean, c'mon! What more do I need?!? I better be more grateful! I AM a grateful person but I need to practice gratitude even more than I do! Yes, definitely!

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” ~William Arthur Ward 

Listening...and patience...and listening...UGH!!

So, let me ask you this. Do you listen to your body? If so, how long have you been doing that? If not, why not? If there's one regret I have about contest prep, it's that I lost my ability to listen to my body where food is concerned. I remember when I first started eating my 7 meals a day. Well, how normal is that? Um, in my opinion, that's not very normal nor very necessary in everyday life. When I first started I would almost gag when I had to finish my meal because it was just way too much food. I was ignoring all signs my body was giving me that I was satiated. But at the time that was what I needed to do...or so I thought. I have since learned of healthier ways to go through contest prep but that's neither here nor there. I'm just referring to my own experience of my contest prep.

I also had to ignore my body when it said it was tired and when it said it wasn't okay working out. That was the program my coach had given me. I didn't know better. Now I do. Yes, there is some "going against the grain" with contest prep no matter who your coach is but what I have learned is there can me much less damaging and harmful ways to do it than the way I did. Regardless though, what's done is done. So now I have to relearn to listen to my body.

This is SO MUCH HARDER than I thought it would be. I used to be good about listening to my body about what it wanted to eat and also when to stop. As far as my physical abilities I was NOT good at listening to my body and on many occasion pushed myself into further injury because I thought whatever body part was hurting would heal up. I've gotten a lot better about listening to my physical pain and I'm also getting really good again at listening to what my body wants. What I'm really struggling with and really need patience to help me is listening to when to stop eating. That's my difficulty right now. Oh yes! So much harder than it seems. Who would have thought THAT would be difficult? But I guess when you're forcing yourself to eat then your body and mind are going to follow along with that as long as they can. So while I'm definitely showing improvement in listening to what to eat, I also need to listen to when to stop. So that's my main focus right now for me and food.

The great thing about listening to your body is eating different foods you've forgotten about and just enjoying food once again. It's so great! The most interesting thing to me is that in listening to my body I don't always want french fries and chips. That IS a shock to me!! :-)  I thought I would. But when you are allowed to eat whatever you want, what you want will constantly change. What a beautiful thing!

So I'm feeling pretty good in general and I'm more and more grateful for my body and its abilities every day. I haven't been in the gym much. Not for any particular reason but just not in the mood and that's okay. Today is so beautiful that I have to go blading. It's too pretty not to do that so off I go. Just wanted to update you and urge you to listen to your body particularly about hunger, satiety, pain, and pleasure! Just my two cents!