Inspire Me: Healthy v:2

Last week we linked up with Kristen and this week we are linking up with my fave bish, Raven!  I absolutely love talking about health and fitness, so these link ups are going to be so much fun for me. 

Instead of posting pictures of the results I don't have yet, I decided to post about different meals that are staples in my house, along with my new workout gear.  Last week was mostly words, this week is mostly pics.



Weekdays: Breakfast Smoothie

 Recipe:
1/2 banana
3 Strawberries
3 Blackberries
4 Raspberries
Handful of blueberries
2 tb ground flaxseed
1 Scoop vanilla protein powder
1 Tb Peanut Butter (I use Smart Balance for the extra Omega 3s)
Handful of Kale
Handful of spinach
3/4 c Coconut Water
4 ice cubes

Weekends: Magical Eggs

JB doesn't like to take time to prepare anything, he just likes to eat as soon as possible.  When he makes breakfast on the weekends, it's eggs and cheese and that's it.  I made this for him once and now I am stuck with weekend breakfast duty.  He calls them Magical Eggs.  The time (which really isn't much) is definitely worth it.  For 8 eggs I use a couple of green onion stalks (chopped), 6-8 grape tomatoes (sliced), spinach (sliced), a little bit of sea salt and pepper and a little shredded cheddar cheese.  I put some grass-fed butter in the pan, sautee the spinach and onions for a couple of minutes and then add the rest and scramble.  Top with half an avocado and throw some berries on the side.  Yummy!



Dinner/Leftovers for Lunch: Turkey Burgers

 One of our favorite meals is turkey burgers topped with avocado and feta.  We usually eat these with the chipotle spiced sweet potato fries.  Hubs usually makes these so I don't know what all goes in them except garlic powder, parsley, and balsamic vinegar.  They are so delicious!!

Dinner: Rotisserie Chicken/Turkey Salad

If you follow me on Instagram (@brezpics) you have seen me post this salad a couple of times.  I just use red leaf lettuce and spinach for the bed and top it with grape tomatoes, cucmber, red bell pepper, strawberries, almonds, avocado, and feta.  We grab a rotisserie chicken or turkey breast at the store which usually provides a couple of days of meals.  I slice that up and throw it on top and use Newman's Own Organic Balsamic Vinaigrette.  Mmmmmmm...



Farm Fresh To You Produce Delivery

A month ago we were leaving the gym and these guys had a table there and were trying to sign up new customers.  Pretty genius idea if you ask me since people going to the gym are already trying to better their lifestyle and you know the grocery stores wouldn't be happy with you posting up outside.  I had talked to JB a couple of times about doing this eventually and we never pulled the trigger.  I'm so glad we finally did.

We get the Fast Fruits & Veg box delivered every two weeks.  On the left is the packing list so you can see what all we got in there.  We figure we spend at least $60 on produce in a month, and at least this way we know where it is coming from and that it's organic.  With your online account, you can set up your preferences so they will avoid giving you things you don't like.  This week's delivery had canteloupe and hubs isn't a fan, so they left that out of ours.  So far we love it!  It incorporates more fruits and veggies in our lives that I wouldn't normally pick up at the store.  I don't know about you, but if I don't know how to tell when something is ripe, I won't buy it.  They also have tons of different recipes online!



New Workout Gear!!

I told you last week and once before that I have been doing the bodyrock.tv workouts at home.  We have some different hand weights and I have used chairs and the coffee table and different things for some of the exercises when they have been using these items.  I finally got to order mine and am really excited to take my workouts to the next level.  The fact that they are pink just makes me so happy, I can't even stand it!  The item in the front is the Ultimate Sand Bag.  We actually got all three of them (power, strength, burly) because JB and I will use them for workouts other than bodyrocking.  The item above it is the Lebert Equalizer.  I included the pics that were on the box so you can see some of the different ways you can use it.  It's very versatile.  It's also lightweight so we can take it up to the park with us and our sandbags and do workouts there.  Yesterday I used my sandbag (currently holds 15lbs, but can hold up to 30 lbs) to do this workout:



The sandbag definitely makes a difference.  I can't wait to incorporate it more!  I will leave you will a great pic I saw on FB the other day:

Hope you are all having a great week.  Can't wait to see some of your updates if you are linking up with the ladies!!

Inspire Me: Healthy!

Today I am linking up with the infamous Raven and Kristen for Inspire Me: Healthy. 

For those of you that read my blog regularly, you know I am a bit of a fitness enthusiast.  With my sporadic and inconsistent Fitness Friday posts, how could you NOT know? 

For those of you stopping by from the link up, WELCOME!  I have been known to be a bit of a Groupon boot camp whore in the past, always looking for something to get/keep me motivated at a low cost.  I recently posted about my current fitness obsession, BodyRockTV.  It's fast AND free, and you can do it at home, so what's not to love?

I have been doing the workouts here and there, but I have a trip to LA and a trip to Vegas both scheduled in September, so it's time to kick it into high gear.  This link-up is just what I need to keep me honest and on my game.

Last year I started the Live Fit Trainer in late August.  I did the first two months and then got bogged down with work and didn't finish the third and final month.  I maintained the same weight throughout the program, but my body composition changed and I got much stronger.  As soon as I stopped working out, I dropped 10 lbs because all of the muscle I was no longer using decided to peace out.  I felt amazing though and I looked great!  Of course, that was in January when I wasn't even thinking about wearing a bathing suit yet.

Since I felt and looked great, I let my gym schedule fall by the wayside and started incorporated wine into more nights during the week, going to dinner with friends more, and eating more dessert.  Of course, I gained back that 10 lbs I lost right when bathing suit season was upon me.  Now I am doing everything in my power to get back to my happy place.

My husband is a fitness professional and with me also being pretty health conscious, we don't typically keep a lot of processed/junk foods in the house.  Our meals at home mostly consist of lean meat, whole grains, and fresh fruits and veggies.  This makes getting back on track easier, but getting motivated to work out is always difficult.
With the bodyrock workouts, I can get in a workout each day in under 20 minutes and then get on with my life.  It's great!  Not to mention, the workouts are all done at home with minimal or no equipment needed.  You can use stuff you have around the house if you don't have the equipment they are using.  They post new workouts a few times every week, do 30 day challenges pretty often and offer recipes and clean eating tips.  Their facebook page and website are so great, and they even have a smart phone app.  The bodyrock community is so amazing and supportive.  People post success stories all the time as well as their own tips and recipes.

I have gone back to being more strict about portion sizes and cut my alcohol intake back to once a week.  It's amazing how much less water I retain when I do that!  These tweaks coupled with the workouts will hopefully get me back to where I want to be in no time.  As for where I am now...

8/1/2012
5'6"
157 lbs

Good luck to all of you out there on this journey!  And thanks to Raven and Kristen for providing a forum for us to all support each other!

Currently Obsessing Over...

Todrick Hall. 

Have you heard of him?  Do you know who he is?  Until about 2 days ago, I had no clue, and now I am completely and utterly obsessed.  His videos are hysterical and talent-filled (well, some of them).  Is it too much to ask to be a part of one of his flash mobs?  He's got cameos galore and it makes me wonder where he came from and how I am just now hearing about him.

Enjoy!

Blogger 411 Link-Up!

Today I decided to link up with Becky over at From Mrs. to Mama with her Blogger 411 link-up. I have some new faces around here and I have been gone for a while, so this seemed like a great way to re-introduce myself. Here goes!

1. How long have you been blogging? And what got you started on blogging? Has your blog changed?
I started blogging in March of 2008.  A lot of big things were happening in my life and I really wanted to document them for friends and family who weren't on facebook.  I also enjoy writing, but I like typing more, so I saw this as a journal of sorts.  I'm pretty sure my blog has remained a lifestyle blog since day one.  I post about my ongoing fitness journey, life happenings, outings with friends and the hubs, etc.

2. Did you go to college? If so where, and what did you study?
I did go to college.  A few of them, actually.  I started at the local junior college out of high school, American River.  I didn't see a reason to pay a bunch of money at a state school for the same classes I could get for $11 (yes, $11) per unit at a JC.  After doing my general education requirements and lower division business classes there, I hopped over to CSU, Sacramento to join a sorority finish up.  A couple of years after graduating, I decided to take advantage of my company's tuition reimbursement program and get my masters at Chapman University.  All of my studying was in Business Administration and Human Resources.

3. Where have you traveled?
Let's see...VEGAS, VEGAS, VEGAS!!  I have been there quite a bit.  I have been to Vancouver, Canada, Mexico, Western Caribbean, New York, Boston, up and down the California coast line, Germany, Italy, Kansas, Washington, D.C., Washington state, Oregon, Arizona, and probably some other places I am forgetting.  Some of those were for work, but most for leisure.

4. If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would buy?
I would probably buy a large plot of land big enough to build houses on for most of my immediate family that could be spaced far enough apart that we wouldn't kill each other.  I would probably also buy a couple of vacation homes around the world :)

5. What are your 3 biggest pet peeves?
People that lack common sense, rude people, and my alarm clock.

6. What is your favorite movie?
This is one of those questions I am never quite able to answer.  I can narrow it to a specific type and say my favorite Disney movie is The Lion King (JTT what?).  But as far as the general collection of movies goes, I don't think I can narrow it down to just one.  I like RomComs, chick flicks, and suspense/thrillers, but I can't really watch scary movies anymore.

7. What is your drink of choice; wine, beer, or liquor. Or Water, Soda, Tea?
On any given evening I would take a glass of wine over beer just so I don't feel bloated.  Don't get me wrong, I would down any of the three if they were the only one available.  I think nights at home need wine, BBQs and water activities need beer, and nights out with friends need cocktails.  My go-to is usually a vodka/soda water with lime.  I don't drink soda (pop for you mid-westerners) or tea, so water is my go-to non-alcoholic beverage of choice.

8. What is something you enjoy to do when you have me time?
I enjoy trashy reality television, reading a good book, and maybe a mani/pedi or massage if it's in the budget.

9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, which store would it be?
Oh man!  I am the worst shopper ever!!!  I would probably say Nordstrom's or something like that because I never shop there normally, but always want to.  Definitely a store that has everything under one roof.

10. Share with us an embarrassing moment of your past? Or present.
6th grade camp.  We went on a night hike with our counselor and no flashlights.  When we got to this stopping point we check out all the cool stars and constellations and then our counselor paired us up and gave us each a wintergreen lifesaver candy.  He told us to face each other and chew them with our mouths open.  They started sparking and we all started cracking up.  I laughed so hard I peed my pants.  No joke.  I couldn't stop laughing and the fact that I pissed myself made me laugh even harder and I screamed out while laughing "I PEED MY PANTS!!!".  Pretty sure I got teased about that for the rest of the year.

11. What day would you love to relive again?
Wedding day, hands down.  That day was so awesome.  The one occasion where we had all of our friends in one room together drinking/dancing/singing.  So much love that day.  Can I please do it again?

12. If your life was turned into a movie... what actor would play you?
Hopefully Chelsea Handler.

13. What are the jobs you had in high school/college/the early years?
My very first job at 15 years old was the front counter/daycare/janitor/collections person for a privately owned gym.  Later I left and went to another small gym where I was the front desk clerk.  I also did cold calling for some under the table cash for my friend's dad's insurance company.  After I graduated high school I stayed at the gym and then also started working as a courtesy clerk (grocery bagger) at Ralph's Supermarket.  I worked both of those for a while until I got a student assistant job with the state and then I worked there and for Ralph's.  At some point I quit Ralph's and was only working for the state until I got a job with a temp aganecy that paid me more and then I worked a job with Wells Fargo through the agency.  I left Wells Fargo for Docuware, a copier sales/service company, where I stayed until after I graduated college.  I can't believe I have been working for 15 years already.

14. Show us a picture from high school or college.
You will have to visit this post to see those :)  You won't regret it.

15. If you could travel anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go?
I really have to pick just one?  I think an over-water bungalow in Bora Bora would be high up on that list.  I would also like to visit some of JB's family in the Philippines and see much more of Germany and Rome.  And Ireland...see, this is hard.  I'l just do all of Europe, how's that?

16. Show us the most current picture of you or you, or your family, or anything of meaning to you.

My everything.  From left to right; SIL, bro, niece, step-mom, dad, me, JB, step-dad, mom, maternal grandma, step-paternal grandparents.

17. Where do you see your life 5 years from now?
We have talked about starting a family towards the end of the 5-year plan, but we will wait and see how we feel when we get there.  We hope to be more financially sound and still as much in love as we are today, if not more.  I hope to have reached the next level in my career as well.

That was a lot of information, so I can't blame you if you checked out half way through it.  If you are reading this, thanks for sticking around!  Be sure to link-up so I can get to know you too!

7th of July!

Some friends of ours always do a 4th of July party, but since it was on a Wednesday this year, they moved it to the following Saturday. This was actually the first year we were able to attend. They always have tons of booze, a vat of nacho cheese, lots of other yummy food, and a slip n slide...

Smitty Slide

Smash Slide

Two whole people braved the slip n slide. My favorite was Smitty who even went in with his socks on.

Later in the evening we ordered the UFC fights. I'm so glad Sonnen got his a$$ beat. I hope he keeps his word and retires, I'm so sick of hearing him run his mouth.

After the fights we kept on keepin on and started a dance party in the living room...





I can only assume that gigantic bruise is the aftermath of my attempt at the worm. I'll have to keep working on that one.

Blast In A Glass From The Past

Bet you didn't think I would be back so soon...

I put these up on my FB the other day, but figured I couldn't rob you all of the awesomeness that is Breezy from back in that day (which was a Wednesday...)

Me and Broseph

How awesome is that wood paneling and the couch fabric?  Total vintage.  Upon seeing that I automatically smell cigarette smoke.  How cute was I cheesin' it up?  And I love that my brother is practicing his choke hold.  He always made random faces for the camera, but I was obviously a little ham.  And a bald ham at that.  Well, hams don't have hair, but you get what I am saying...

I love America

Way-Back Breezy was a gymnast.  After trying her hand at soccer and realizing she hated all that running, she ended up in gymnastics, which was right up her alley until they wanted her to start competing.  You see, Way-Back Breezy was scurred of the balance beam...and back handsprings...and the vault...and the high bars...

Me and Po

April got REALLY pissed at me for posting this on FB the other day.  I'm not quite sure how you can hate so much awesome, but she is really embarrassed by this picture now.  I mean, who wasn't all matchy matchy in their Bebe shirts and mom jeans back in the late 90s?  And who didn't have the Rachel haircut? 

That was my first car, the Breeburs.  My license plate said "Tonight I'm gonnna party like it's 1999" cuz that's the year I graduated.  See?  Awesome.  I had to ditch the license plate/frame when I got a new car because my car got attacked quite often back then and I didn't want people to continue doing that with my new car that I was actually paying for myself.  And 1999 wasn't the end of the world anymore. Duh.

SigEp/AXO Rock Star Mixer circa 2004 (?)

This is one of my favorite pics ever taken.  That night was so much fun (or so I'm told).  April did my hair/make-up and it was so far outside of my norm that I really felt like I was playing a different character.  All of my favorite people were at that party and there was lots of grain alcohol jungle juice to go around.  Ooooooohhhhhh college days, how I miss you so...

Hope you enjoyed a little trip down memory lane with me.  Happy Tuesday!!

Wow...

Over half way through the year and I have 14 whole blog posts in 2012.  That, my friends, is sad. 

For one, I want to know where the hell this year ran off to.  And second, why have I been so un-motivated to blog, read blogs, comment on blogs, and connect with the friends I was starting to make in the blogosphere?

I think one of the reasons is that when I changed my domain name, I stopped showing up in people's readers, no matter what I tried.  The fact that I was suddenly writing for basically no one to read didn't really give me the get-up-and-go to blog about life's happenings.

I would like to say I am ready to return, but I'm feeling a little non-committal.  Maybe I could write a post about our recent anniversary trip to Bodega Bay?  That would probably remind me that I never finished blogging our wedding photos OR our honeymoon pics.  You guys have absolutely no idea what we did on our honeymoon.  Well, aside from what I mentioned.  I'll have to think about that and get back to you...

Can you do me a favor?  If this showed up in your reader, can you please leave me a comment?  I swear I am not just whoring myself out for comments to feel special and get motivated to blog again, I would just really like to figure out if it shows up and if not, I want to figure out how to fix it.  I would love you bunches for it :)

I hope everyone has a great weekend!  Well, only the people who haven't been on vacation all week.  Those people have had enough good times for the week.  Those of you that worked every day but 4th of July, YOU have a good weekend!

Don't forget to leave me a comment!  Thanks!

First Anniversary!

A while back I started doing yoga at work on Fridays at lunch time. The instructor is super sweet and just the right mix of sass and zen, so when she mentioned she was going to be doing a yoga retreat in Bodega Bay, I was really excited to talk to JB about it. We had been looking for something to do for our anniversary that wouldn't completely break the bank, but would still be a nice weekend getaway. Given the cost of the all-inclusive retreat per person, we decided to go for it.

The retreat included accommodations at a beach house in Bodega Bay, 3 days of yoga, all meals/wine, a facial, and a massage. And let me tell you, the cost was LOW for all that.

Saturday we hiked to the beach and did yoga on the sand with the waves crashing. It was one of the coolest experiences I have ever had.

Namaste

We had some down time between yoga and our scheduled facials in the evening so we wandered into town to do some exploring.





The town of Bodega is where the Alfred Hitchcock movie, "The Birds" was filmed so I took a pic of the church they used and the little general store that had all the cool memorabilia. After that we headed into a little antique shop next door...so creepy.





Before we headed back to the house we stopped at this little wine store right on the water and did some wine surfing.




We came back to the house to our long awaited facials and some organic wine tasting with paired appetizers.  Later we had dinner and then people who had signed up for massages that night, got them.  We all thought we were getting 30 minute massages, but since the masseuses got lost and were a few hours late getting there, they gave everyone a full hour.  I was going to get mine in the morning since it had gotten so late, but the masseuse offered to bring the table into my room and let me get mine before bed.  It was amaze-balls.  It had been too long since I had gotten a massage and this guy was GOOD.

Val gave us the master suite since it was our honeymoon and we were so grateful.  We had our own bedroom and bathroom all weekend and the in-room massage was heaven.  We also had views of the other amazing homes in the community and on Saturday night, a beautiful sunset.

To top it all off, today, I received this in the mail:

 

Back cover with yummy recipes

It's a mini scrapbook of our weekend!  I only knew JB, a coworker, and Val before we got there.  Spending the weekend with a bunch of strangers for your anniversary could go really good or really bad, and I am so glad it was good for us.  What a great way to remember our first anniversary!

Fitness Friday: Body Rockin'

Oh hey!  Fancy seeing you around these parts, stranger!  And yes, I am talking to myself.  Good news for the 5 people that read this thing, TAX SEASON IS OVER!!!  That means I can get back to shenanigans like blogging and shiz.

One of the things I have missed the most during tax season is the gym.  I know, I'm crazy.  As I have mentioned, right before I dove headfirst into this whole tax preparing adventure with H&R Block, I was working on the LiveFit Trainer on bodybuilding.com.  I was pretty dedicated with both eating and workouts and saw some great results in the 2 months I was able to complete.  I never made it to that final phase, though.  The only problem I had with the trainer was finding/making time to get it done.  The workouts in phase 1 were around 30 minutes long, but as it progressed, workouts were 60-90 minutes.  I don't know about you, but I don't have that kind of time.

A while ago, I found out about Bodyrock.tv.  I can't recall how I came across the videos, but when I saw that all of the workouts were built to do at home and they were all under 20 minutes, I subscribed to their youtube channel immediately.  As I said, that was a while ago, and I had yet to do any of their workouts...until this morning.

I did this little number:



12 whole minutes and it kicked my booty!  their blog gives you the links to any equipment you might want to purchase, one of which is an interval timer.  I really like the cute hot pink GymBoss one she uses, but it's $20 and there are plenty of FREE apps on your smart phone that do exactly the same thing (I use "A HIIT Interval").  I "Like" them on facebook and they post a video everyday.  They also have a couple of 30 day challenges on their blog.

Today I did the workout above with a couple of sets of dumbells, 5 and 8 pounds.  During my last round I was exhausted and my arms were burning, but all I could think to myself was, "Wow, this is already almost over!"  I put in some serious work in a short amount of time and felt really good about it.  I also did yoga downstairs at lunch, so hopefully I won't be too sore tomorrow.

If you are looking for something to change up your routine and fit into your busy schedule, I highly suggest you check them out.  And don't be intimidated by the super fit chick that is doing the exercises, you can modify the exercises to your capability and might even find out you are stronger than you think!  The workouts are suitable for both men and women, so don't hesitate to get your significant other involved!  If you do try it out, come back and let me know what you think!

Weekend Wrap Up - Tahoe Edition

This past weekend was our somewhat annual cabin trip with some of my college friends.  I say somewhat annual because we have skipped years here and there due to weddings and other events.  Basically we get a cabin, a bunch of booze, and a bunch of junk food, and hibernate for most of the weekend.  Saturday night we usually venture to stateline and gamble/dance the night away.  This year was no exception.

The sad part?  This is the only pic I have:

I just realized after looking at this pic that the girls were significantly outnumbered by the guys....

Anywho.

I almost didn't make it up to Tahoe.  JB and I had planned to head up around 1pm and carpool with some of the other folks that were going.  I woke up Friday morning feeling not right.  You know that feeling your body gets when you are going to get sick or have a fever or something?  Just kind of foggy and tingly?  No?  Oh, guess it's just me.  So yeah, I felt like that.  I refused to acknowledge it and pushed through my morning routine put my suitcase in the car, and headed to work.  A few hours into work, I was not feeling better.  In fact, I was feeling worse.  I was terrified it was going to be that stomach bug that has been going around, so after my morning smoothie, I didn't want to put anything else in my stomach.

By 11am I had resigned myself to the fact that it would be better to wait out the night and head up in the morning if I felt better instead of getting up there and wanting to die all weekend while all I can hear is everyone else having  fun.  I let my friends know to head up without us and I headed home and passed out on the couch.  When JB got home a couple of hours later, I still felt weird, but less so.  I had him get me a sandwich since I hadn't eaten since my smoothie and decided if I felt fine after eating and digesting a little, we could hit the road.

We reached the cabin by 6:45pm and proceeded to party with our blue solo cups.  I have felt fine ever since.  It was seriously the oddest thing.  Unfortunately, one of my friends who went up at 1pm ended up in bed early and stayed there the ENTIRE WEEKEND.  Poor guy. 

Saturday night we headed out to the casinos where some of the folks in the group played (and won!) craps until about midnight when we headed to the club to get our groove on.  I realized something that night...

I.Am.Old.

I used to be able to dance the night away for hours on end and after a couple of hours my knees were hurting, my quads were sore, and my feet were KILLING me.  I was also trying to be conscious of how much I was drinking because I was scared of the hangover I would end up with the next day.  Yeah, OLD.

All in all, it was a great weekened.  Great times with great friends.  Do you have an annual trip you take with friends or family?

Fitness Friday - Why Women Should Lift Weights

I was going to share with you my breakfast smoothie recipe today, but I came across this article that I thought was important to share.  All to often women think that cardio is a main component of losing weight and toning up, but the truth is, you can't tone what you don't have and prolonged stints of cardio actually burn muscle.  I found this article to be straight and to the point so I wanted to highlight some key points here:

1. Strength training can help you lose weight.

Too many women focus on cardio workouts or diets alone for weight loss. In reality, our muscles are the "engines" that actually burn the calories we consume. If we don't use that engine and keep it progressively tuned, it can't burn the fuel. Strength training is a powerful tool to help you achieve your goal weight.

2. Strength training can help reduce stress.

If you’re looking for something cathartic, try a good strength workout. There is nothing more stress-relieving than deadlifts, kettlebell swings or ball slamming. Heavy work raises the levels of dopamine and serotonin in the brain. Most antidepressants work by doing the same thing. Strength work can give you a happy boost and calm you down as well.

3. Strength training makes you stronger.

Having functional strength helps with everyday life. Ever rearrange your living room? Do you lift children or groceries or both at the same time? Training makes you feel empowered when you no longer need to recruit a man for help.

4. Strength training is good for your heart.

The American Heart Association recommends strength training as a way to reduce the risk of heart disease in cardiac rehab patients. By making your body stronger, you also increase your endurance which puts less stress on vital organs.

5. Strength training can reduce your risk of osteoporosis.

The "use it or lose it" rule applies here. When you lift weights, you are putting a healthy dose of stress on your bones. This continual stress builds bone density and can help keep your bones strong and healthy.

When I have more time available, I will do more weight lifting, which was a main component of the Live Fit Trainer I was doing late last year:

"Many women are convinced that lifting weights will transform them into fist-pounding, growling wrestling stars. I get it. No woman wants to look freakishly ripped. However, unless a woman is taking large doses of hormones and eating pounds of protein a day, she won't be able to look like a man.

Women don't have enough testosterone to get the big muscles. A program of whole body functional movements (lunges, dead lifts, squats, presses) with low repetitions of progressively heavier weights will make you stronger, not bigger. This is key."

I put that last paragraph in bold because this is the thing women fear the most about strength training.  I definitely got leaner as I was lifting, not bulkier.  And now I feel strong and find myself checking out my muscles in the mirror sometimes :)

When I don't have a lot of time, or if I am really trying to lean out, I will do high intensity interval training:

"These circuit exercises are short in duration (between five and 20 minutes) and usually involve more than one repetitive movement. You will be breathing hard and they may have you teetering on the edge of passing out.

Even though this type of training tends to be short, it increases your metabolism rate and burns calories even after you've finished. You may be sore for days."

A lot of times, hubs will train me at home with some HIIT.  The workout lasts 20 minutes, tops, but I work hard in those 20 minutes and it takes me a while to really cool down from that.  I like my workouts to be efficient and effective and HIIT really gets that done.  A great resource for these types of workouts is BodyRock.Tv.  They have great tips on eating as well as 30 day challenges with videos that can all be done at home with minimal extra equipment.

I hope you got as much out of this article as I did.  What are you waiting for?  Get to work!

Baby, Baby, Baby, Oooooooooh!

I just realized that title could make you think this is a naughty little post...if you're a sicko!  Get your mind out of the gutter! 

In all seriousness....

Justin Bieber is now legal. 

How do you feel about that?  I saw this tweet today:

"Justin Bieber turns 18 today.  Congrats to Selena Gomez, you're no longer a statutory rapist."

I almost spit water on my keyboard and computer.  So funny because it's true...hence, funny.  I hear he sounds a lot more like a man now, but I haven't heard anything from him in a while.  Regardless, I love that little lesbian.

Happy Birthday Biebs!!

Happy Birthday Daddy-O!!

Yesterday my dad began the last year of his 50's.  We celebrated by heading down to his house for a day of food and family.  My dad loves to BBQ and be surrounded by all of his children/grandchildren, so that's exactly what we did.  We got there early-ish for a little brunch action with mimosas and bloody marys and stayed until dinner time for tri-tip and asparagus. 


With the fam

Forgot one!  Seester had to take the group pic.

No cake is big enough for 59 candles :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!  I hope you got everything you wanted!  Love you!!!

Fitness Friday

It's been a while since I have written one of these.  Mostly because it has been a while since I have had any sort of workout routine going on.  I was hitting it hard for a solid 2 months and then classes got crazy and then I started working my second job and was too tired to get up in the morning and working til bed time.  Yes, those sound like excuses, but I believe proper nutrition and needed rest are what help keep you in good shape, so I will take those over running myself down to get mo' fit.

Wanna hear something crazy?  Since I stopped working out in November, I have lost 10 lbs.  Your eyes do not deceive you, my friend, you read that correctly.  TEN.POUNDS.  This would be great if I was obsessed with the scale.  I still only weigh myself at the gym on the same scale, but I have only been weighing myself when I go in to get my hair done.  Yes, the gym has a salon in it, which my friend works at.  So anywho, back to that 10 lbs....

I started to notice a change in my body as soon as I stopped working out.  It was like my body waited to respond to all the work I was doing until after I stopped doing all the work.  I haven't really changed my eating habits since I stopped working out, except for cutting out the extra protein shakes after workouts and I have been able to maintain.  Knowing what little I know about body composition, I knew that if I my body seemed to be staying the same as I was losing weight, it was because I was losing muscle.  I had hubs measure my body fat and sure enough, even though I had lost 10 lbs, I had gained 5% body fat, meaning my muscles were dwindling away.

I refuse to have my body looking it's best during the winter months when it is hiding under all these layers and then plump up just in time for summer, so I need to get back on track.  Luckily, tax season is slowing down and will be over on April 20th, so I can get back to the grind.  Apparently if you don't use your muscles, you lose them.  And from what I have heard, it's harder for women to maintain muscle mass, which means I have to work that much harder.

I do my best to encourage people who are working on their fitness goals to focus on the changes they see in their body instead of the numbers on the scale and to use a different form of measurement than just their weight.  For me, standing at 5'6" and weighing 155 isn't an issue when my body fat is only 20%.  I am currently 146 with a 26% body fat and that tells me there is room for improvement.  Hubs sent me a photo he found online to prove my point:

It will be interesting to see if the number on the scale starts to creep back up as my body fat percentage decreases.  I'll be sure to keep you posted.

Monkey Turns 1!

We had little Monkey's first birthday party on the 12th, but I have been waiting for my SIL to post pics so I could share them with you because we all know I am incapable of bringing a camera anywhere with me.  Let's see a little comparison of my Monkey Moo:

What a chunky monkey!!!  Look how itty bitty she was!  She is now standing up on her own and I think she is pretty close to walking.  I love to see her face light up when she recognizes me.  I get to babysit on Saturday and I can't wait!  Here are some pics of Cupcake with her cupcake:

 And one more shot of me, Monkey and her birthday twin/namesake, GG: