Happy 2011!!!

Yeah, it's here! Another year! Yep, that's right. Another year to do what YOU want to do, what YOU set your mind to and have accomplishments even YOU didn't believe you could accomplish! So did you write up your goals? Do you have an action plan? Did you hit the ground running yesterday? If not, why not start today or even tomorrow?

Oh, before I forget, this is another video we watched and cracked up about that I forgot to put in yesterday's post. Hysterical quirky cat Maru! Too funny!



I, myself, didn't really hit the ground running and have decided to make January 3rd my new year. I think I needed to regroup after being on vacation and wasn't really good about jumping right into my goals and eating right again. I'll admit it. And no, I'm not ashamed nor guilty. I haven't been eating terribly but just not extremely clean. On Friday night I was going to make Chile Verde. Still haven't made it but have every intention of making it this week. I'm going to lighten up the recipe since it is normally made with pork shoulder which is quite fatty. I'm going to try to make it with pork loin or even tenderloin so I will let you know what happens and post the recipe as soon as I make it. At any rate I was definitely in a Mexican food mood so my BF and I decided to head to Armando's in Monterey Park. I LOVE this restaurant. It's delicious and has super spicy salsa - you know I love that! I ordered Albondigas and it came with rice and beans. It's not the nasty, flavorless red yucky rice that a lot of non-authentic Mexican restaurants serve. It's a deliciously flavored light orange rice that's clearly made with some garlic and onions and oil of some sort. So delish and the beans are delish as well. The Albondigas was so tasty and so great for warming me up. I don't know what's going on but I'm finding it hard to warm up here in So Cal!! LOL! Who would have thought?

We had a nice and quiet New Year's Eve. We got up and had a nice leisurely breakfast. Basically it was a bastardized Huevos Rancheros with chipotle sausage. I had leftovers from the night before and our fantastic waiter sent us home with extra salsa and about 5 tostadas (fried tortillas). I placed one of those in the bottom of a big bowl, made some over medium eggs (2 whites, 2 full eggs), topped with salsa and sausage! Divine! So, so tasty!!! YUMMY! I actually overcooked the eggs. Don't worry though. Today I redid that breakfast and didn't overcook the eggs. To die for! I actually could eat this for breakfast anytime I want...and you can too! Just bake a tortilla of choice that's been sprayed with olive oil until crispy. Then make your eggs or egg whites, top with salsa and have some chicken or turkey sausage on top. Yep, still clean and really tasty! Try it...you'll like it!

The night before we had decided to go to Santa Barbara for the day. We set out about 12:30 or so and of course there was no traffic and we probably got up there around 2 or so. We drove around beautiful Montecito and then went to walk on the beach by the Four Seasons Biltmore Hotel. This is a picture of the beach we walked along from the Four Seasons website.

It was sunny when we got there but then it was cloudy and cold but it was so beautiful and relaxing and so rejuvenating to have peace and ocean waves. We checked out the tidepools, watched the little sandpipers run up and down the beach eating the sandcrabs, checked out the sea anemones and their "catch" (lots of broken shells!), and saw a beautiful starfish. It was really, really great!!!

We ate Mr. Lee's sandwiches which we had bought in Monterey Park. They were the grilled pork (banh mi I think it's called) so they are made on a French baguette and stuffed with carrots, jalapeno, cilantro, daikon, and grilled pork. They are yummy! Then we walked around on State Street a while and popped into a couple of shops. Had a drink at Coffee Bean and then headed back to L.A. On our way back we wrote up our 2011 goals or all that we could think of at the time. I still have to finalize my goals and make an action plan. This may or may not happen today but definitely whatever doesn't happen today will be solidified by Thursday. So watch out world 'cause here I come!!!

So to answer my questions from the beginning of my blog...yes, I wrote up my goals...no I don't have an action plan and no, I didn't hit the ground running. But am I going to? Yes, absolutely! Last year being the first time I ever really wrote up any goals/resolutions AND an action plan I know the power of these now and realize that I must do it again. I wrote them at the beginning of the year and throughout the year. It's really the only way to go. Otherwise there's a lot of dreaming and talking and not a lot of doing. I've decided that I don't want to be just a dreamer and talker but a doer. I started this in 2010 and will continue it until the day I die. It's a much, much better way to live and gives your life much more meaning. And the best part is that at the end of the year you can look at all that you accomplished in the year. It's a great, great tool!!

Here's to another great year! Write up your goals and get the wheels in motion! Make them big but doable and break them into pieces so you don't get discouraged when you don't see forward movement. Here's to 2011!!! ENJOY!!!!

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” ~Larry Elder (aka "the sage from South Central" American radio Speaker, b.1952)

“I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” ~Jimmy Dean

“You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.” ~Albert Einstein

FINAL DAY!!! It's here!!

Whew!!! It's really here! Wow! I just can't believe it! It went so fast! My foot is feeling better today but I'm still popping ibuprofen to keep any pain/inflammation at bay! We can NOT have any difficulties tomorrow. I'm not going to risk that. Uh uh! NOPE!

I slept in today and it felt GREAT! I still woke up at 5 but I was still feeling a littler tired so I went back to sleep and slept till about 6:45! These days that is LATE for me! LOL! Who knew?

I've already eaten 2 meals and I'm trying (yet not succeeding) to SIP my water! I actually would rather take a big gulp and wait longer than to sip. I don't know what that is. The sip seems worthless to me. I was going to chew gum but I started to and realized that it doesn't make me feel good and bloats me a little so that's a NO on that for today and tomorrow. I'm going to go get my TAN on pretty soon. Can't wait!

My weight dropped significantly this morning so Gina upped my food intake today. Don't know why it dropped but it did! Crazy little body of mine! I don't have much else to do today except tan, meet with Gina, and check in for the comp!! Wahoo!! Can't wait! So excited!!

Until later...have a FANTASTIC FRIDAY!!!

Fear melts when you take action towards a goal you really want. 

~Robert G. Allen

Wow! Friday, REALLY?!? 8 DAYS!!!!

Comin' down the home stretch now!!

Last night I didn't sleep so well. My ear was plugged and ringing and very uncomfortable so even though I got to sleep early it didn't help much. Oh well. There's always the weekend (ahhh....LOVE 3-day weekends!) My ear was still plugged this morning so AM cardio was weird, at best. I was totally going through the motions. But I massaged my lymph node under my ear on the way home and now I can at least hear out of that ear and the pain is less. Odd.

On with the day then. So it's Friday and only 8 days till SHOW TIME!! Can you believe it?!? I can't believe it!! Tomorrow I get to meet with my coach one more time and practice strutting my stuff! Of course I'll see her a couple more times before the actual show but just for her to get a good look-see at me and make sure I'm where I need to be. People keep asking me if I'm ready and I can definitely say that I am! I've practiced as much as I could and continue to, of course! I've eaten what I was supposed to when I was supposed to. Ditto for training and cardio.

People also keep asking me if I'm ready to win. I don't care how I place at all! To step on stage was my goal and THAT I am definitely going to do. So wherever I end up in the placing doesn't matter to me. The journey there was what I needed for myself. Set my goal, set my mind and doggedly go get it!!! That's what I did so the placing doesn't matter since that was never MY goal.

Today is another good food day - as in NuttZo on Julian bread, spelt flakes with Paradise Green Tea protein "milk" and steak later. Yeah, I'd say that's a good food day! Woohoo!

I have shoulders, tris and abs workout tonight followed by more cardio. Then it's home to pack for my trip to San Diego tomorrow and as early to bed as possible because this girl needs some z's to make up for last night's restless sleep.

Until later or most likely Sunday, be well and have a splendid weekend!

When a goal matters enough to a person, that person will find a way to accomplish what at first seemed impossible. ~Nido Qubein

Happy New Year! Welcome 2010!

Here comes another year. Are you ready for it? Did you make your goals? I have made several, some that I will write here and some that I will keep to myself.

• First of all, as you know, I'm going to compete in my first ever figure competition! It will be happening in September of this year. I can't wait. It should be a challenge and interesting journey.
• Get into a very healthy and maintainable lifestyle – maintain body fat somewhere between 15 and 20%
• Travel someplace I’ve never been before – this may even be just someplace local 
• Get personal training certification – probably this will happen at the end of the year, after my competition! 
• Meditate daily 
• Watch less TV – at most 1 hour per day! I never used to watch much TV at all but I have started watching more and more. Not healthy! 
• Spend less time on the computer – limit to 1 hour per day 
• Unplug electronically 15 minutes per day and increasing that to 1 hour by end of year – I mean EVERYTHING, including my phone, turned off! 
• Read more – 2 books per month 
• Clean out and minimalize my home – Goodwill, get ready for my donations! 
• Farmers Market once per week I used to do this religiously and then I fell off. I will do it again because it’s so enjoyable and interesting to see what different fruits and veggies are available at different times of the year 
• Journal at least 4 times per week 
• Go to sleep earlier (eventually 9pm) and sleep more (increase from 6/7 to 8 hours per night)
  

So as you can see I have my work cut out for me. I feel all of these goals are attainable and can be done in this year. I think it's going to be a really great year since I have so much to focus on and so much progress to be made.

I start my new diet and training program on Monday with the goal to increase my metabolism. I will be eating 7 meals! Wow! That seems like a lot but I'm sure with the increase in activity that it won't be that much at all once my metabolism figures out what's going on.

The hard thing for me is going to be doing fasted morning cardio. That will be kind of difficult. It's all a mental game though so it will be a learning and growing experience and I'm so psyched for it! Woohoo!!!!!

Today I took it easy since I just returned from vacation and am still not up to par. Took a nap and am going to sleep early.

Here's to 2010! Make it a great year!

“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” ~ Albert Einstein

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending." ~Maria Robinson