Must see in Seattle

If you ever get a change to go to Seattle, you must check out Chihuly Garden and Glass.  It's simply beautiful and amazing.  Plus if you get hungry there is a cafe called the Collections Cafe that's food is inspired by Chihuly's travels.  See my photo's below to see how amazing it is...

Collections Cafe

Collections Cafe

Gluten Free

Guess who has decided to join the Gluten Free train...This lady.  But it's not because I have a gluten problem, it's because of my husband and I want to support him.  So in order to help him eat gluten free..or close to it...I am going to join him.  I know it's going to be hard because I LOVE bread, but it will be worth it in the long run.  We are going to do a trial run of 30 days to see how he feels with the change in his diet...I hope it will make him feel 100 times better. 

Because I am not familiar with gluten free, I spoke with a co-worker that went gluten free due to her health problems and she feels so much better, so she will be a huge source for me.  I asked her a bunch of questions and have really gained a grasp on what needs to be done.  I also did a little research online and found a list of things we can eat and foods we should avoid (see list below).  I've also found a few cooking websites to give me some new ideas on what to cook.  Thankfully we eat a lot of meat, veggies, and fruit already so it won't be a change....except when we go out to eat...that's going to be the hard part....


Gluten Free Grains
Amaranth
Buckwheat
Corn
Finger millet (Ragi)
Job’s tears
Millet
Montina (Indian rice grass)
Quinoa
Rice
Sorghum
Tef (or teff)
Wild rice

Gluten Free Starches
Arrowroot
Beans (such as: black, navy, pinto, soy, lentils)
Cassava
Flax
Nuts (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts)
Peas
Potatoes
Sago
Seeds
Tapioca
Yucca

Unsafe Grains & Starches
contain gluten and must be avoided

Bromated flour
Bulgur
Durum flour
Enriched flour
Farina
Flour
Gluten flour
Graham flour
Phosphated flour
Plain flour
Self-rising flour
Semolina

Happy Holidays

Our tree is finally up and decorated, which means I have all of our Christmas decorations up...  I am so exhausted from decorating but so happy it's done.    

The Holiday Season

It's the time of year where there are so many temptations, how is it possible to avoid them?  Well, to be honest I'm not avoiding them because the more I avoid things the more I want them. So instead I am looking for the healthiest choices of the yummy goodness's and am being careful with my portion size.  For instance eggnog is in stores, but instead of buying the full fat one I bought the eggnog light.  And when I drink the eggnog I make sure I am only consuming one serving size.  This way I get to enjoy my cravings and it's in moderation so it will be easier for me to continue to lose weight while enjoying things I love. 

I've come to realize that portion size is one of the largest issues that people have when trying to lose weight.  They are either eating too much or not enough, it's hard finding that just right middle ground, but it's worth finding it.  I wish everyone luck during the holiday season and if you are trying to lose weight it's okay to enjoy things you love, just be smart about it.  And if you have to, workout more to make up for those foods you consumed.

Motivation, ARE YOU THERE?

I woke up today behind of schedule and felt like everything was going wrong.  But then something clicked after lunch, I've been off ever since I stopped working out.  I can use the excuse over and over again that it's because I have been too busy, but again that's just a sorry excuse.  No more excuses for me.  Starting today I am working out M-Th and on Fridays and weekends when I can.  Today I'm starting off with Turbo Fire and will probably end on the treadmill.  I found a great app on my phone called Couch to 5k and am going to use that app to help me get back into running....without the app I'll probably injure myself because I push too hard...no more hurting myself. :) 

Motivation.... I AM HERE and HERE TO STAY!!!

Happy Halloween



Super Yorkie!

I can't believe it's already Halloween...the last day of October...where has the time gone? I hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween and doesn't gain too much weight eating all that candy.  Myself, I'm bringing my left over candy to work to give away so my husband isn't tempted to eat it.  I'm also dragging him to the gym tonight...hope he's ready to run off all of that candy he's been eating the last couple of weeks. :)

One Month down

I have been officially married for 1 month and have some how lost all motivation to workout.  There is so much going on at work and at home...the house is a disaster thanks to all of our wonderful gifts...and we are just so exhausted from wedding planning.  But not more excuses I've used them all up, it's been one month so it's time to get my shit together.  Your motivation is much appreciated :)

It's Official

It's official I am married to my best friend.  We had our wedding on Saturday and had a blast.  I couldn't have asked for better friends and family to enjoy this special occasion with. We are so thankful for all of the wonderful people in our lives and look forward to many happy and healthy years.   But now that the stress is behind us, it's time to get back into the fitness routine.  Both of us still want to get healthier and now that we have extra time on our hands we can do it...hopefully before our honeymoon!

The last Monday...

It's finally here, the last Monday before I am a married women.  It's a weird feeling to think that this Saturday I will be marrying the most wonderful man.  He is my best friend and has been there for me through thick and thin and I can't wait to continue our journey together.  Although wedding planning has kicked my butt, I am happy to say that I am almost done and will be providing my venue with all of my decorations on Thursday, which means Friday will be either a relaxing day or a crap I forgot something day.  My fingers are crossed for relaxing! :)

What the STRESS

Well, my wedding is approaching fast and although it should be the happiest time for me I find that I am more stressed out than anything.  A combination of work and home stress is taking a toll on me...it's taking such a toll on me that I've broken out into hives.  Yup that right, my first experience with hives is thanks to stress....WTF!  Wish me luck on my recovery from these hives that seem to not want to go away and my wedding is next weekend so these things seriously need to go away.  I don't want to see pictures of my wedding with me looking red...it would not be cute...

50 Shades Humor

I was on pinterest the other day and came across this and couldn't stop laughing.  So I wanted to share my humor with those of you who have read the Fifty Shades book...because you understand :)

I have a book addiction...

Lately I haven't been able to put my kindle down, but can you blame me...my books are full of love and romance and are absolutely addicting!!!  My book addiction started when I finally decided to read the book Fifty Shades of Grey...I had no idea what this book was actually about, but heard it was really good from some co-workers and read posts on facebook of people being addicted to it.  So after reading the first couple chapters I was HOOKED...I mean seriously hooked...I couldn't put the book down.  I was so addicted that I finished all three books in a week.  Then after reading those I moved on to another book which was similar to Fifty Shades and was addicted to that.  Now I am on another trilogy and can't seem to put them down either...WHATS WRONG WITH ME???

My Book Addictions (you MUST read these!!!)

Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James 
Fifty Shades Darker by E L James
Fifty Shades Freed by E L James

Bared to You: A Crossfire Novel by Sylvia Day
(second book will be released early October)

Burning Up by Susan Andersen
Playing Dirty by Susan Andersen
Hot & Bothered by Susan Andersen
Cutting Loose by Susan Andersen
Bending the Rules by Susan Andersen

Seducing Cinderella by Gina L Maxwell

Wedding Approaching

I can't believe it's already September, this has flown by faster then I expected.  I am still not at my goal weight and my wedding is 2 1/2 weeks away....ugh!  I was looking forward to getting down and feeling amazing on my wedding day but it looks like I am going to have to suck it up and be happy for the progress that I have accomplished.   With a lot of little things still needing to be done for the wedding I have found it hard to workout, but no more excuses as of today I am working out every day until the wedding.  Insanity HERE I COME!!!  Yes I'm a little insane and am probably going over board with this challenge against myself but it's the only way.

Insanity We Meet Again

I am starting round two of insanity on Tuesday and hope it doesn't kill me.  The first time I did insanity I only made it a month because of life I wasn't able to finish...but now I am going to push it through and finish the entire program.  I don't follow the food plan, but I do make sure I eat enough food during these workouts...yes you will burn a lot of calories, so eat!

For those of you who haven't done insanity before know that it's not for beginners. You can seriously hurt yourself doing insanity, especially if you are like me and like to push your body to it's limits. Also, if you have bad knees or joints don't do insanity, insanity has a lot of jumping and movements that are hard on your body.  I personally have a bad knee, but know my limits and won't keep up with them knowing I could hurt myself.  I recommend you taking it slow at first and go at your OWN pace...remember this!! Do NOT try to keep up with them, I did that and ended up injuring myself, so keep it slow. 

Supplements

I've been exercising to lose weight for 1 year and 8 months and have decided to start including supplements into my diet.  I already take vitamins to help stay healthy when eating a low calorie diet, but now it's time to up my protein and build more muscle.  There are so many choices out there, so how do you decide what's actually going to work?  I honestly have no idea, every body works differently and probably reacts differently to all products.  Which is why I have found it hard to read reviews on supplements, some say "this is awesome" others say "it's the worse product ever"...so how do you decide?  I decided by going to the vitamin store and reading all the labels and picked what I thought was going to work best for me. Below is the list of vitamins and supplements that I am currently using.  The new products are in red and I'll let you know how they work.  My current products have been working awesome and have made me feel so much healthier.  I'm not sure if they are helping me lose weight or not, but they sure make me feel better from the inside out.

Vitamins
Nature Made Women's Multi-Vitamin (1 capsule)
Stress B-Complex (1 capsule)
Calcium Magnesium and Zinc  (1 capsule)
Magnesium (Nerve & Muscle Function) (1 capsule)
Tonalin CLA (1 capsule per meal)

Protein Supplement
Gaspari Nutrition Super pump Max (Pre-workout supplement)
Jillian's Natural Whey Protein Powder (After workout supplement)

Rough Week...

It's been a rough couple of weeks at work and a busy couple of weeks at home.  I have found it difficult to workout like I want to.  How do people still find time to workout when there are so many other things going on?  I'm still trying to figure this out.....it's difficult and maybe sometimes impossible but if I want to feel good about myself I need to push myself.  I wish I had people around me that could help motivate me, I seem to always be the motivator and it's exhausting.  It's not that I need a support group or anything, but just someone to push me to workout when I am feeling too lazy to do it.  Maybe a trainer at the gym is something that I would benefit from...good idea self :) 

Convenience...

Have you ever hurt yourself when it was convenient for you?  I've come to realize that my injured thumb is really getting in my way.  I find it hard to do heavy cardio or even strength training because of it.  So how am I suppose to reach my goal before my wedding?....which happens to be in two months...If you have any suggestions please send them my way.  I am finding it very frustrating right now. 

I tried to run on the treadmill when I went to the gym on Tuesday and it made my thumb hurt even more, so I switched to the bicycle but that didn't make me feel like I was really working my body.  For some reason I can sit on the bicycles and peddle forever, even in the hardest setting.  Maybe I need to mix things up, do they have elliptical that don't use you arms?  I'm finding it hard to find something since even typing this blog hurts my thumb....ugh so no convenient...

Fattening Foods of Summer

I came across this list on webmd.com and thought it was great.  It helped remind me that I need to avoid or at least use precaution when eating or being around these foods.

Fattening Foods of Summer

1. High-Fat Meats on the Barbecue - The bad news: barbecue can sabotage your waistline. A 20 ounce T-bone steak can weigh in at 1,540 calories and 124 g fat. An average cheeseburger has 750 calories and 45 grams of fat. What about pork or beef ribs? They come from the fattiest part of the animal. The good news: You can go lean with cuts like pork tenderloin, skinless chicken breast, and lean ground beef.
2. Hot dogs and sausages are summer treats for many of us, but you might save them for baseball games. It’s not just about fat or calories -- after all, you can choose low-fat versions. Most hot dogs, bratwurst, and other sausages are very high in sodium. Typical nutrition scores include:
• Hot dog: 280 calories, 15 g fat, 1,250 mg of sodium
• Kielbasa (6-oz): 330 calories, 24 g fat, 1,590 mg sodium
3. Mayonnaise-Based Salads - A small half-cup portion of typical potato salad has 180 calories and 12 grams of fat; the same amount of coleslaw has about 150 calories and 8 grams of fat. To cut calories, try making your salads with light mayonnaise; or mix mayo with low-fat yogurt, light sour cream, or chicken stock. Or why not try a German-style potato salad, using more vinegar than oil? Then toss lots of veggies into any salad to increase the fiber and nutrients.
4. Frozen Concoctions - Sweet, fruity alcoholic drinks (the kind often served with an umbrella) may go down easy, but the calories add up in a hurry. A piña colada can range from 245-490 calories, a daiquiri from 300-800 calories, and a Long Island iced tea can set you back 520 calories or more -- with much of it from sugar. Instead of high calorie drinks, try wine, a wine spritzer, or a mixed drink with seltzer and a splash of 100% fruit juice.
5. Satisfying Thirst Quenchers - Staying hydrated is essential in summer, but those cold drinks can wreak havoc with your waistline. Be careful what you choose -- if you're drinking 12-ounce containers of sweet tea, sweetened soda, energy drinks, juice drinks, or beer, you're probably taking in about 150 calories a pop. Smoothies, milkshakes, and cold coffee concoctions can go much higher. Try water or light versions of your favorite thirst quenchers.
6. Refreshing Frozen Treats - A cup of soft-serve ice cream can have 380 calories and 22 grams of fat. Make it a chocolate cookie dough milkshake concoction, and the calories soar to 720, with 28 grams of fat! You don’t need to give up frozen treats, just pass on the giant portions or high fat toppings. Look for frozen desserts like sherbet, fudge bars, fruit bars, or other treats under 150 calories per serving or fruit desserts like strawberry shortcake.
7. Frighteningly Fattening Fair Food - Fairs and boardwalks serve up plenty of deep-fried diet disasters. From fried cheesecake (around 500 calories), fried macaroni and cheese (roughly 610 calories) to gigantic turkey legs (about 1,136 calories and 54 grams of fat), most eat-while-you-walk foods are a calorie overload. Skip the fried foods and instead choose cotton candy, caramel apples, or a simple grilled meat -- or share your treat with a friend.
8. Salad Toppers - Salads can be the perfect summer dinner: light, refreshing bowls of veggies and lean protein. But high-calorie toppers can push a salad from lean to fattening in a hurry. Fried chicken strips, bacon, cheese, creamy dressings, and croutons are among the worst offenders. Instead, top your greens with grilled chicken, strips of lean meat, or eggs, then pile on the veggies and sprinkle with a light dressing.
9. Mindless Munching on Snacks - A handful of any snack won't do much harm, but too much can sabotage your diet. One ounce of potato chips or cheese puffs is roughly 160 calories and 10 grams of fat. Cheese nachos can contain 692 calories and 38 grams fat. And a 10-cup box of movie theater popcorn can have 550 calories and 31 grams fat. Try snacking on fruits, veggies with light dip, or small portions of fat-free popcorn.
10. Finger-Licking Fried Chicken - A bucket of fried chicken is an easy way to feed a crowd, but it can wreak havoc on your waistline and arteries. So forgo fried chicken and toss boneless, skinless chicken breasts on the grill, instead. Marinades and spice rubs add flavor to these quick-cooking cuts of poultry. The nutritional differences are striking.
    • Skinless chicken breast (3.5 oz): 167 calories, 7 g fat
    • Breaded, fried chicken breast: 360 calories, 21 g fat

Original article can be found at http://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-most-fattening-foods-summer?ecd=wnl-wmh-071612&ctr=wnl-wmh-071612_hdln_1

Summer Time Habits

Summer is the time of year for BBQ's, picnics, get together, and it makes it very difficult to eat healthy.  You go over to someones house and they are cooking cheese burgers and hot dogs with a side of potato salad...how are you going to say no? It's easy always offer to bring a salad, so at least you have that to eat and then have a plain burger (meat only) or one hot dog (meat only).  You need to be aware that pigging out for one day probably won't set you back but if you continue to do it, your hard work will be lost.  Remember you need to be consistent, if you continue to eat healthy and avoid high fat foods you are creating a good habit for yourself.  Habits can be hard to change so ensure you are changing your habits for the good and not going back to your bad habits.

I'm Going To Win!

As you recall on Sunday I hurt my thumb, well that didn't stop me from going to the gym on Monday after work.  I did the treadmill and the bicycle and took my time, a lot of movement hurts my thumb so I took it easy.  I've come to realize that if I keep pushing myself to go to the gym, it starts to become easier for me to go.  But as soon as start slacking I have a hard time motivating myself to go.  Yesterday I didn't go and today I'm unable to due to a wedding planning meeting I have after work with our venue.  But that's not going to stop me from working out...I plan on getting on my treadmill and at least do two miles until I have to leave.  I am running out of excuses for working out and it's time to get serious!

I'm going to beat my own laziness and win by reaching my weigh loss goal!!!

Ouch...

Well this weekend was full of exercise, sunshine, and it felt great...well except for my two new injuries....yup two...So on Saturday we decided to go for a bicycle ride since the sun was out and we had a few hours to kill.  It felt great until we reached the 10 mile mark, my seat became very uncomfortable.  It became so bad that it felt like my butt was bruised.  At that point we decided to turn around; the 10 miles home were excruciating.  I forgot how much the seat hurts the first time I ride my bike, but at least I know it will feel better the next time we ride....I hope!

Then on Sunday we had a double header on our co-ed softball team.  We were pumped and got there early so we could practice batting.  I was smashing the balls and then I decided to try to catch the ball with my hand as it was going for my bad knee...well instead of catching it like I should, I somehow caught it with the top of my thumb and the top of my thumb nail.  This caused my thumb to start bleeding underneath my nail and for me not to be able to bend my thumb because it is now jammed...So due to my injury I attempted to bat for the team but had a hard time hitting the ball thanks to my messed up thumb.  But on the positive side I was there for the team, even though I sucked thanks to my thumb, and it was beautiful out.  It was well over 80 degrees when we were playing and although it was hot standing in the sun, I couldn't complain because the sun was out.

Hello Sun...Are you there?

As most of you know the Seattle area isn't known for their sunshine and it seemed like we were never going to get sunshine....but guess what it's finally out!  I just hope it sticks around long enough for me to enjoy it.  Because the sun is suppose to be out all weekend I am going to try and enjoy the outdoors.  When it comes to exercise I prefer to do it outside then being stuck in a building...the gym is great but outside is so much better.  Besides yard work I have been slacking on working out so now I have no excuses because the sun is out and it's perfect weather for a bicycle ride.  I am going to dust off my bike and take it on the trail, I am excited and hope that I can make it the entire 30 miles....yup our trail is 30 miles long and I've never finished it. So now is the time to finish that long trail!  I encourage you to get outside and do something, take your dog for a walk, or if you don't have a dog take your significant other for a walk or even walk by yourself.  Just get outside and do something!

Gym Workouts

Yesterday was my first day back in the gym...it's been a year since I last went to the gym...wow did it feel good to get back in there.  I decided to take things slow...I started on the treadmill.  The treadmill had an option of weight loss which included intervals so I tried it out.  I set the time for 45 minutes, it had me do 3 minutes at a pace of 4.0 and a 0 incline, then it upped my incline to 3.0 and changed my pace to 3.5 for 4 minutes, next it brought my include back down to 0 and this time it upped my pace to 5.0....but that wasn't enough for me so I upped it to 7.0.  It then for the next 45 minutes continued to switch my incline and pace.  It was probably one of my best workouts on a treadmill, I was sweating my ASS off.  After the treadmill I hit the weight machines, since I am new to weight machines I decided to try a little bit of everything.  I don't remember the name of the machines, but I did an ab machine, a machine for my upper back, arms, and chest.  I also did the leg press....I did 4 reps of 20 at 150 lbs and it felt great.  I also did one rep of 250lbs just to see if I could do it since that's the weight my fiancee left the machine at :)  I will return to the gym tomorrow to try out some new machine including the stair machine...that one kicks my butt everytime!

Insanity

Yes it's that time to start bringing Insanity back into my life...no not an insane person, but rather the insane workout video called Insanity.  Because only an insane person like me would do insanity.  Do not attempt these videos if you are really out of shape, you will not make it.  Because I am the type of person that get's bored easily I plan on including turbo fire and 30 day shred into my insanity routine.  I hope between the three videos I will be able to be in the best shape of my life.

Wedding Dress Fitting...ugh

Well the time is finally here...wedding dress fitting time...ugh...

I'm not where I want to be and I am very disappointed in myself.  My dress fitting is next weekend and I'm still 10 pounds away from my goal.  I have been eating low calories and exercising and my body seems to say "F-U Sarah, you aren't going to lose anymore weight"....Normally at this point I would say I give up and stop, but I've decided instead of giving up I am going to push harder.  I've decided to up my calories...yes I said up them...I'd been doing a lot of reading and people recommend upping your calories when you've done low calorie diets for a long period of time...I'm going on a year and a half.  So we shall see how it goes.  Today is day one of eating more healthy food and I am going to continue to exercise 5 times a week, just mix it up more.  I'm going to do cardio and strength training every other day to ensure that my body doesn't get used my workouts. 

My wedding is 3 month away which gives me 2 month to lose those final 10 pounds before my second dress fitting.  Wish me luck, because I'm going to need it!

Type "A"

I've starting reading a book called "Eating Right For Your Type" and I have found it very fascinating.  So fascinating that I am going to start incorporating parts of it into my life. It makes a lot of sense that depending on your blood type you should consume certain foods. The only problem I have with the book so far is that it says Type "A" should be a vegetarian...I grew up as a steak and potato type of gal so this worries me.  I've also grown up with all sorts of stomach issues and I'm now thinking it's because my body doesn't agree with the foods that I ate. 

So If you are a Type A like me read on as I found the next information off of their website (same information in the book):

Type As flourish on a vegetarian diet - if you are accustomed to eating meat, you will lose weight and have more energy once you eliminate the toxic foods from your diet. Many people find it difficult to move away from the typical meat and potato fare to soy proteins, grains and vegetables. But it is particularly important for sensitive Type As to eat their foods in as natural a state as possible: pure, fresh and organic. "I can't emphasize enough how this critical dietary adjustment can be to the sensitive immune system of Type A. With this diet you can supercharge your immune system and potentially short circuit the development of life threatening diseases."

The best thing about this book is that it talks about all Blood Types so if your significant other or family or friends want to learn about their type they can.  Also, the book recommends the best exercises, for example Type A should do Yoga weekly...I love Yoga I just don't do it enough.  And I'm always amazing on how good I feel after doing it so I should do it more.  I know there are lot of books that talk about health and what works for what body, but this research just makes me feel like I have hope on changing my life. 

My Challenge Calendar

For those of you who need structure like me you will enjoy the calendar I put together to ensure that I know which videos I will be doing and when.  The best part about this challenge is that I've given myself a prize if I can complete all of these days.  No I am not going to eat a ton of junk food after I finish...I am going to treat myself to a spa day.  Yup a relaxing day thats all about me some perfect, and after all the working out I plan on doing my body will need some relaxation!

June 2012
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
					1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
	30 Day Shred Level 1	Turbo Fire Fire 30	30 Day Shred Level 1	Turbo Fire HIT 15 + CORE 20	30 Day Shred Level 1
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
	Turbo Fire Fire 45	30 Day Shred Level 2	Turbo Fire HIIT 20	30 Day Shred Level 2	Turbo Fire CORE 20 + Stretch 10
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
	30 Day Shred Level 2	Turbo Fire Fire 55 EZ	30 Day Shred Level 3	Turbo Fire HIIT 15 + Sculpt 30	30 Day Shred Level 3
24	25	26	27	28	29	30
	Turbo Fire CORE 20	30 Day Shred Level 3	Turbo Fire TONE 30	30 Day Shred Level 3	Turbo Fire Stretch 40

30 Day Shred / Turbo Fire Challenge

Today is day one of my challenge.  I decided to ensure that I don't get bored in the next 30 days that I am going to combine my 30 day shred and turbo fire videos.  Meaning, one day shred the next turbo fire.  I am going to do these video's Monday - Friday, which allows me to do other exercises during the weekend.  Like how last weekend I did yard work and softball and the weekend before that I went hiking.  I figure as long as I am pushing myself during the week I should be more successful in reaching my goal.  My dress fitting is getting closer and closer and I want to be down a few inches before then, so it's time to get serious. 

I have the food thing down, now it's time to turn my fat into muscle.  I've also decided that during this challenge I'm not going to weigh myself, it's going to be hard but this is something that I have to do.  I've become too obsessed with weighing myself and I need to concentrate more on how I feel and look versus what the scale says. 

Team Sports

Oh team sports....probably one of my best workouts is playing on a co-ed softball team with my Fiancee and some of his friends.  It truly is a blast and an awesome workout.  So yesterday we had a softball game and I was a little nervous about it.  Due to rain outs and holidays we haven't played in a month.  This means I was a little rusty...and so was everyone else.  We made sure to arrive early to the field to warm up, if only we had a chance to warm up our batting swing...My first two at bats were a little rusty I made it one the first hit but the pitcher caught my line drive that if he would have missed it would have seriously injured him....it was heading for his knee caps.  We ended up winning the game which was great and my future parent-in-laws even showed up for the game.  It was a blast but I sure did feel out of shape running around those basis.  I workout a lot, but running around bases and after balls use your whole body.  It doesn't matter how often I run on my treadmill or around the block, none of that compares to the full sprint I am running after I hit the ball. 

Exercise Before Bed

Have you ever thought about exercising right before bed? Most people say don't because it will keep you awake all night and then you won't get enough sleep. Well, I found a solution to this.  Every night before bed I do 100 forward crunches, and 50 bicycle crunches (illustrations are below).  I also found my Bally Thigh Toner...it's basically the Suzanne Somers Thigh-master...yes I know your thinking "that doesn't work"....well guess what that thigh toner got my inner thighs burning last night.  So guess what, just because something seem ridiculous doesn't mean that it isn't helpful.  With a combination of cardio during the day then crunches and thigh toning at night I hope to be a lean machine in no time.

Proper way to do crunches, I do 100 of these a night.

 

Bicycle crunches...after doing 100 regular crunches I am only able to do 50 of these, I hope to increase the number as my core gets stronger.

My Bally Thigh Toner :) Yup it's blue and awesome.  There are so many ways to use it too.

Emotions & Exercise

Life has been rather exhausting the last couple of weeks.  A combination of working hard at work, planning for our wedding, and taking care of four dogs and a fiancee....Even when my life feels so crazy I know that I can rely on exercise help me get through it. Instead of eating or drinking alcohol as I usually would do, I now take out my emotions in exercise.  When I'm angry I run on my treadmill until I can't run anymore or do some wii boxing until I feel like my arms are about to fall off.  When I'm sad I enjoy yoga to help me clear my mind.  There are so many difference exercises out there that will help you get over whatever problems you are going through.  Although they may not solve the issue, at least it will help for the meantime.

Just Do It Attitude

Thinking about exercising to help improve your health? Put on your shoes and get out there, not more excuses...just do it! Don't allow your brain to stop you from getting out there and exercising.  Once you let your brain question why you are exercising instead of watching TV, or whatever else you do...it wins...don't let it win.  It's time to take charge of your health with the Just Do It Attitude.

A study shows that people who are active actually ignore their brain's chatter which allows them to not come up with excuses to exercise.  So why are so many people obese?  Because they aren't ignoring the chatter like they should be. So my opinion is to change your attitude to just do it and ignore all of those excuses, and if you can't ignore them find someone who will help motivate you and push you to ignore them.  It's time....so JUST DO IT!!

Dedication and Motivation

It's hard to dedicate time to something that you don't love yet.  For instance I am tired of dieting and trying to lose weight and get fit, I don't feel normal but am trying to look great at my wedding...but it's so hard to dedicate myself on a daily basis to follow the eating healthy rules and exercising.  I just want to be at my weight-loss goal and work on maintaining but I've come to realize that if I don't start dedicating time daily to exercise and eating healthy then I will never reach my goal.  

Because I have family and friends who are in the same boat it's hard to get the support that I need from them.  For some reason I am always supporting everyone else, but who is dedicating their time to support me? Honestly, I don't feel like anyone.  So it's time to start motivating myself and not worry about anyone but me.  It's ME TIME!!

Hiking with dogs

Due to the weather we had to postpone our overnight hike, but that didn't stop us from hiking this weekend.  Yesterday morning we made our way to Mount Si and did the Little Si Trail which wasn't nearly as hard as the Mount Si trail.  Because it was an easier hike we brought our black lab Harley (this was her second hike) and our Maltese Sookie (this was her first hike).  I must say for such a small dog, Sookie did amazing.  She probably could have ran up the trail and back and still not be tired.  It shocked me on how much energy she how and how much she loved it.  She was nice to people who walked by and just wanted to hike to the top.  I now have a new hiking buddy and she weighs 5 pounds :)  Harley did great as well, but she was definitely tired from the hike.  I was very proud of my puppies and look forward to more hikes.

Harley

Sookie

Little Si Trail

Preparing For A Hike

I never realized how much work actually went into planning an overnight hike.  This is my first overnight hike and I thought it would be a lot like camping...boy was I wrong.  When I go camping first off my car is packed full of everything I can possible think of because you never know if you will need it or not.  But when it comes to hiking, you only have enough room for important items as you are carrying that weight on your back.  Although my hiking bag is pretty big, I can't go overboard otherwise I will not be able to make it up the Mountain.  So how can you decide what items are more important than others?  To help me figure out what's more important, I created a list of everything that I would bring camping and then I would start eliminating items.  Like a pillow, sorry pillows are huge and take up too much space...or how about pots and pans...those are heavy and large so we won't be bringing those either.  It seems like I have to downsize everything and I am okay with that.  As long as I have food, water, and a shelter I am ready for anything!

Refreshing Sunday

Sometimes it's easy to forget how amazing exercise is, or how amazing it feels to stretch out your entire body.  Sunday morning I took a yoga class with my BFF....I haven't practiced yoga in a good 6 months.  I don't know why I stopped for so long, because the class was amazing.  After doing two hikes the weekend before I should have thought about doing Yoga sooner.  It seriously made all of my tight muscles feel 100% better.  My body feels so refreshed and amazing today...I am now really looking forward to my hike this weekend!  If it doubt try Yoga Out :) You will be surprised on how it helps your body and your inner sole.

Don't Let Pain Hold You Back

Have you worked out and the next day you became very sore, and then you decided you shouldn't work out because of this pain.  You are wrong for doing this, you body needs to keep moving.  Even if all you do is walk on the treadmill or around the part, it's important to keep those muscles warm.  Now I'm not suggesting you go run around the block or push yourself to extremes, because that would lead to injury.  What I'm suggesting is to take it easy but still allow yourself to workout because once you stop moving you will continue to come up with excuses to not work out.  And honestly how are you going to reach your goal if you keep coming up with excuses.  Today is a new day, make a change, enjoy life, be happy, and work your ass off to be that person you've always wanted to be!

Hiking Makes Me Happy!

This weekend I strapped on my hiking shoes and hiked Tiger Mountain (5 miles) and Mount Si (8 miles).  I must say it was an amazing feeling getting back out there and being in nature.  Saturday morning we hiked Tiger Mountain with our Lab puppy (7 months old) and she did awesome.  This was her first hike and she did great.  We had to take it a little slower on the way back, but we could tell she had a fun time.  We saw some beautiful views and dodged a few mountain bikers, but other than that it was a perfect hike.  I would recommend this hike to anyone who had a dog or who wants to start hiking.  Then on Sunday morning we drove out to Mount Si and had no idea what we were in for.  It was a hard hike, probably the hardest hike I have ever done, but it was so worth it.  When you get to the top of Mount Si it's so beautiful.  We make sure to bring lunch with us, and I would recommend this for anyone doing this hike, and we relaxed on the rocks absorbing the view before going back down.  All in all it was a wonderful weekend full of hiking.  Although I am rather sore today it was so worth it.  I have found my love for hiking again and can't wait to do it again soon...hopefully next weekend! :)

Tiger Mountain Hike

Tiger Mountain Hike

Mount Si Hike - At the top!!

Mount Si Hike - View from the top

Happiness comes when you least expect it...

The last couple of weeks I've stepped up my exercising and watching closely to what I eat.  Honestly, it's made a huge difference on how I feel. I'm not as tired all the time as I was and I feel a lot happier when I am eating healthy and taking care of my body.  I'm not sure if its actually due to the food or exercise, but I know mentally I am starting to feel a lot better about myself.  Over the weekend I played softball for the first time in a few years and although I was really nervous at first, it was so much fun.  I grew up playing sports and it truly is like riding a bike, it all came back to me and it felt awesome...the next day I didn't feel too awesome lol but that didn't stop me from running a fitness trail near the house.  Needless to say I am very sore and stiff today, but that isn't going to stop me from working out after work.  I may only walk on that treadmill, but at least it something.  I've decided no more sitting on my ass complaining that I don't look the way I want to.  It's time for me to motivate myself and others around me.

Support Your Friends

When trying to lose weight or trying to become healthy it's hard to do without a support group.  Trying to change your eating pattern or exercise pattern can be exhausting and hard if you don't have people around you helping you and supporting you.  I challenge everyone to start supporting the people around them as doing it alone usually leads to people falling back into their bad patterns.  It's time to be that helpful friend you have always wanted to be....step up and help someone!

Salt might taste good, but is it good for you?

Sodium seems to get in a lot of people's way, especially those who are trying to lose weight. I've come to the conclusion that I love salt, but have come to realize that I can trick myself to eating lower sodium foods and still get the same satisfaction.  When you go to the grocery store and you look at calories and fat, do you ever look at sodium?  If you don't you should start, it's amazing how high sodium is in a Lean Cuisine, but because it's lower in calories people think that it's healthy for them. 

I came across this article today about the 10 Most Tempting Salty Foods and wanted to share it with you because salt is everywhere.  You may not cook much with salt, but the foods you are buying probably contain a lot of sodium.  Every time you go out to eat you are eating more salt than you should in a day...fast food is the worst, but even a salad from Red Robin has over 1,000mg of sodium.

Please read this article by clicking the link below; as it's very helpful and provides great alternatives to those delicious salty foods. :)

10 Most Tempting Salty Foods Article: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/most-tempting-salty-foods?ecd=wnl_wmh_042712

Healthy Cooking

Do you ever run out of ideas of what to cook?  Tired of looked through your cookbooks and just can't find anything that sounds good?  Well, I have a wonderful website that's  very helpful.  Try the website http://www.skinnytaste.com/ as this website has some amazing recipes and really good ideas. Recipes are anything from low carb, to healthy desserts, to healthy soups.....all of the recipes I've tried have been amazing. 

Getting Back on Schedule!!

After thinking long and hard I came up with a realization that if I don't do something fast I won't reach my goal.  I have also come to realize that if I don't create a schedule to follow I will probably never reach my goal...I already have a schedule at home on the fridge that includes our dinner menu (lunch and breakfast are basically always the same so I have that down).  So now it's time to create a schedule for fitness.  I created a calendar that includes my goal date so I have something motivating me.  I am going to print off my calendar and tape it on my wall next to the TV so I don't have an excuse that I didn't remember...it will be right in front of my face so no more excuses. Below is a sample of my schedule for May, as you can tell I left two days for break and left my options open on what video's out of the set I will do.  I want to keep my options open so that I don't feel tied down to HIIT 15, instead I will chose whatever Turbo Fire, Insanity, or yoga meltdown video that I feel like for the day.

May
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
29	30	1	2	3	4	5
	Turbo Fire	Insanity		Turbo Fire	Treadmill & Turbo Fire Abs	Morning Yoga Meltdown
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
	Turbo Fire	Insanity		Turbo Fire	Treadmill & Turbo Fire Abs	Morning Yoga Meltdown
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
	Turbo Fire	Insanity		Turbo Fire	Treadmill & Turbo Fire Abs	Morning Yoga Meltdown
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
	Turbo Fire	Insanity		Turbo Fire	Treadmill & Turbo Fire Abs	Morning Yoga Meltdown
27	28	29	30	31
	Turbo Fire	Insanity		Turbo Fire