For all the single ladies..... random thoughts!

So, I'm a single girl and today I found this article..... Wow! Couldn't have said it better myself!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amy-chan/love-advice_b_2109855.html

I am perfectly happy single and sometimes it scares me how happy I am! Is that abnormal?

Things I love about being single:

I don't have to:

• Cook, if I don't want to
• Clean up after anybody
• Do anyone's laundry
• Worry about spreading my time out between family, friends, boyfriend/husband, etc.
• Spend my money on anything I don't want to
• Worry about spending time on things like working out because my time is really MY time
• When I want to eat healthy I can and no one will eat a cookie in front of me. LOL!

Things that kinda suck about being single

• I have no +1 to the showers, weddings, or other events I go to
• I worry that my eggs are dying slowly. I do kinda want to have kids one day and worry about being OLD and alone!
• 
  

I think I am becoming set in my ways and worry that might stop me from finding love

Just having someone to go eat with, movies, shop with, cuddle with, be stuck at home with on a nasty day... the companionship of it all

Overall, life is great! I have great people in my life and feel very BLESSED! I am one of those that believe there IS a plan! What do you single ladies think?? And married ladies, what's the best part about being married?? 

No post is complete without a pic... here are some of my favorite quotes!

I sure hope I don't laugh today.....

So, yesterday I decided to try out a new Ab workout... well, it's not really new. I have had it on my pinterest board for a while. Anyways, I hope I DO NOT laugh today because my stomach is hurting this morning.... means it works! I am going to try and do it every other day. My Abs could always use MAJOR work!

So, I am a treadmill runner and lots of people talk about how boring it is and that they can't do it. I am not going to lie- I get bored sometimes too. Unfortunately, I live in a very rural area and dogs are EVERYWHERE. There isn't a track around or a trail. I refuse to run down the street with Fido chasing me, so I just keep it safe on the treadmill. Here is the music that SAVES me. It is all upbeat and when I think I can't go anymore I pick one of this fabulous songs and it motivates me to keep running! GREAT stuff!

This came in the mail yesterday. I found the deal on Groupon, but ended up ordering from Wal-mart, because Groupon wouldn't ship to me for some reason. Anyways, I am excited to try it. TaeBo was one of the first workouts I ever got into and helped me lose weight. I will do a review on it and let you ladies know how it goes!

 

HAPPY TUESDAY LADIES!

 

P.S. Still haven't heard from my winner of the giveaway! smburke- hit me up girl so I can get your book in the mail :)

Manic Monday! + a winner!!!!

It's just another Manic Monday around here... I have a lot going on in my blog today and I apologize for it being a looooong post!

Weekend recap: Friday was my off day from working out and I went to dinner with a friend and stocked up on some groceries. I got some good, healthy stuff and it's becoming easier for me to pick out those items. I actually enjoy grocery shopping now :) Here is one of my good finds:

10 for $10 Luna bars at Krogers
I love these bars and I haven't had one yet that I don't like. They are great snacks or dessert sometimes. LOVE!








 Saturday I headed to the Houston Rodeo Cook-off with some friends (after a workout, of course!) It was fun and I overindulged and had too many beverages and ate quite a bit. I later regretted that, which you will read about here in a minute. Anyways, I was fretting over what to wear to the rodeo and I decided to wear the shirt below, thanks to help from my MLFC friends. I always feel self-conscious, but I am working on it and trying to embrace my body and love myself. We ALL should do that MORE. We are beautiful, strong women.

 

 

That brings us to Sunday. I slept super late because I did not get home until after 1 am, which is late for me. I woke up. I felt a little like crap. Mostly dehydrated, but also mad at myself for the drinks and food. It's so NOT worth it anymore. The occasional splurge, sure we all do it. BUT it is getting to the point where I don't enjoy it as much and don't want to do it as often and that includes drinking. On to the important part of this day! Remember that 4 mile funky run??? NO MORE! I ran Sunday and I went for FIVE MILES!!!!

Yes, you read that right! FIVE FREAKIN MILES PEOPLE. The same girl who couldn't do 4 the other day did 5 freakin miles.

Here's how it went down:

I was feeling kinda blah, all thanks to the night before. After some convincing posts from my friends at MLFC, I got off my butt and went for it. I got on the treadmill and all I could think was "PLEASE let me be able to do 4". I started running and I actually felt good. I was sweating like a pig, but I felt good. I kept going... jamming to my fav music and when it got to mile 4 I wanted to keep going. I know! I couldn't believe it myself! BUT I did. I felt SO AMAZING! Runner's block is over! My goal for Lent was to be able to run 6.2 by Easter and I now have faith I will definitely get there. Here's my 5 mile pic and look at that sweat (thanks moisture wicking bra for keeping the girls kinda dry- haha)! YUCK but it's feels so good! I am sure it smelled a little like my choice beverage the night before. LOL! The point is: DO NOT GIVE UP! IF I CAN DO IT, YOU CAN DO IT! KEEP GOING!

And the WINNER of my giveaway for Jillian's new book "Slim for Life" is......

smburke was number 10 in the comment section!!! :) I have emailed you. Get me your mailing address and I will ship the book over to you! Hope you enjoy it! :) More giveaways to come in the future. Also, if you signed up to follow me and you have a blog that I am not already following, let me know! I will gladly follow! I love reading about your journey!

To end- here is something that made me go WTF?! and laugh all at once... what is the world coming to????? LAWD DAY! (a little something us southern people say!)

Funky Four miles.... :(

I am feeling very discouraged.
I have been working very hard on my running. I ran my first 3.1 miles a couple weeks ago without stopping one time. I was proud. I wanted to keep going. With Lent coming up, I decided what I was going to give up, but I also wanted to add 10K training. So, I decided I would do speed work, short runs during the week and long runs on the weekend starting with 3.5 miles, then 4, 5 and so on until I got to 6.2. I have never been so determined and I NEVER thought I would run 3 miles, much less more than that. Last week I did 3.5 and felt AAAmmmmazing!!! I was so happy. I had planned to do that 2 weeks in a row, then up it. Well, this week I started thinking and my legs were itching, so I thought- why wait??? If I could do 3.5 surely I could do 4! I decided I would do it last night. Here's how it went:

I am not going to lie. I was tired. I yawned all the way home, but I wanted desperately to run. I wanted to feel that high again. So, I did a short Ab workout and then hit the treadmill. I started off pretty good. I gauge how far I go by counting songs ... I usually make a guesstimate and say 4 songs per mile, but it's usually less. So I started counting at 16 and ran. Now, note that I don't run fast- I run maybe a 12 minute mile. It's slow but I do it. I was chugging along. My treadmill is actually screwed up right now so I can't see how far I'm going all the time. Something is up with the heart rate thing and they are coming to fix it. Anyways, I didn't know how far in I was, which can be good. I guess I was down to song 5 and I started to feel bad. I had ran 11 songs long and had been struggling for a while. I kept talking to myself. I thought of all my MLFC friends. I did everything I could think of, but before I knew it I was hitting stop. Noooooooo! My chest hurt, my legs hurt, I felt sad. I said "oh hell no" and got back on and went.... I didn't want to give up. I slowed my pace, I tried. I stopped a few more times, not for long but I did. At .17 of a mile left I gave up and walked the rest. I couldn't do it. I know! I was so close! I wanted to cry. It was not a high! It was a horrible feeling. I wasn't even hungry for dinner but I ate... Then felt like puking. Then got a headache. Overall, it was a funky ass feeling! I am disappointed.
BUT.....
Am I giving up? NO. FREAKIN WAY!

Let tell you that I started C25K about a year ago. It was hard. I struggled with every increase in the minutes I spent running. It hurt. I felt sick. I walked a lot. I had ups and downs and emotions were crazy! I had to repeat some weeks. BUT eventually I made it... I finished it! I couldn't run for 1 1/2 minutes before or to the stop sign at the end of the street, but at the end I could run 30 minutes. Was it 3 miles? No! I kept going. I wasn't as dedicated as I feel now. I would get into it, then take a break, then back into it. I can do it now. I can run 3 miles. I have come a long way. I have struggled, just like everyone else. I can't give up. If I do I will always remember that last run as what "running" is. I don't want that. I will try again. I can do it. I have to.

Don't think you're alone in the struggle, you aren't! We all have struggles. The important thing is that we get up and keep going.

I will try 4 again. Maybe this weekend if I feel up to it. I'll keep you updated. Hopefully it will be more of a success this time! Fingers crossed!

Jillian Michaels Slim for Life

So, I posted last week in MLFC that I was reading this book. Well, I read it over the weekend. Yes, the whole thing! I did skim over some parts that I felt  were things I already knew, but I did read MOST of it and I enjoyed it. I have never read any of Jillian's other books, so I cannot compare it to something else. I am going to break it down into chapters for you and give you the highlights:

Chapter 1: Eating
In this chapter, Jillian reminds us of all the important things that we need to keep in mind with eating. She talks about cutting chemicals (something I am def trying to do!), eating more foods of color and eating foods that are fresh/local, tracking food, eating things that come from nature and are not processed, eat smaller portions, don't drink your calories. These are all things we know, but it is always good to read them again, just as a reminder. *She also included some EZ Calorie Cut tips that I liked*

Chapter 2: Moving
In this chapter, she gives us lots of tips for working out. I really liked this chapter. One thing that I have taken for this and am trying to use is "splitting" the training I do on certain muscle groups. She talks about increasing your speed, changing up workouts, getting out and enjoying exercise and so much more.

Chapter 3: At Home
This chapter talks about making your home a place that you can be healthy and slim in! It talks about the foods you should bring into your home. This is important for me and for all of us! I try not to buy the foods I know are not good for my weight loss. I know that is harder for some of you who have husbands and kids, but I think it's really important to get everyone on board. :) She talks about things to look for at the grocery store and what to look for on labels. She even gives some recipes. Then, she goes into workouts you can do at home and also cleaning products you can use for your house to keep it "green".

Chapter 4: On the Go
This is a GREAT chapter for us all- aren't we all on the go? all the time? We are busy women!
She talks about parties, restaurants, work, and even travel and gives some good tips for these situations. Like I said, some of this we already know- but hey, I can always use a reminder.

Chapter 5: Stay Motivated
We all need MOTIVATION! That's why we go to MLFC every day! :) This talks about all the things we do: looking at ourselves in the mirror, setting goals, create an agenda, and the list goes on. One of her tips was to BLOG if you wanted to. I liked that. We all motivate each other and that is what this chapter is all about- ways to stay motivated :)

Chapter 6: Evading Pitfalls
This talks about all the things the we struggle with: STRESS, binging, not drinking enough water, trying to save money and be healthy at the same time, fitting in workouts with kids, and the dreaded PLATEAU! Good stuff in this chapter!

Chapter 7: Supercharge your Slim
This was the chapter I skipped over the most. It talks about not being a party animal, using smaller plates, eating more fish and fiber, and a couple weird things like wearing blue glasses when you eat. It's not that it was a bad chapter, I just didn't feel that I could incorporate some of these things into my day and that is what the book is all about.

While reading the book, you are calculating points and adding them up for things that you feel you can do. At the end she gives you the results and then gives you advice based on your score. I haven't had time to do this yet, but I will.

**One of my fav parts- Slim myths! Throughout the book, she talks about some of those weight loss "myths" that are out there and gives her input on it and even some research to show that some of them are complete BS.

All in all, the book was great. Did it change my life? NO, but I have also been on a weight loss journey for a while, BUT I am always thankful for the reminders and I did learn some new things to use as well. I think it is worth the read.

SO... I am giving one away..... All you have to do is be a follower of my blog and comment on this post. I will pick one person on Monday and mail you a copy of "Slim for Life" to help get you motivated or keep you on the right track! That's right.... my blog isn't fancy (still waiting on that makeover from Hubby Jack), as of right now I only have 11 followers, but I am doing a giveaway! I want to connect with more people and I want to pave it forward by giving one  of you ladies a great book! So, follow me! COMMENT below...it all ends Monday!

Thanks ladies!! :)

Weekend recap.... long weekend :)

Good morning! I had a long 3 day weekend, thanks to all the Mr. Presidents out there. It was nice, but I have to say totally low key! I think I am getting OLD.... oh lord! Friday I got in my workout and had a friend over...we split a pizza... yes I ate 700 calories worth the pizza, but I had ate pretty healthy that day so I decided what the heck? I can't live without pizza forever, I just don't eat it very much.

I felt kinda like that! LOL! So, by 10:00 we were both falling asleep (we are both teachers, so by Friday we are usually VERY tired). Off to bed I went. Saturday, I worked out again and changed things up a bit and got in some weight work and core exercises. Then..... I ate a bunch of .....

Yep, I sure did! And it was delicous. The thing to keep in mind with crawfish is that the actual meat that you eat is not that bad for you. I have looked it up before and it was pretty reasonable in calories. I can't look it up now because I have banned myself from calorie count for Lent, remember? But I know it isn't bad. The SALT is what gets you and makes you feel like a bloated mess. Good thing I am not weighing myself right now either ;)

Sunday was my big day.... DRUM ROLL... I had my 3.5 mile run scheduled and I did it- it was GREAT! I felt great, I ran the whole time, I loved it! I really am getting into it! Me and running are BFFs. I was proud. I had originally planned to do another 3.5 this weekend on my journey to get to 6.2, BUT I think I am going to go ahead and go for 4.0. Why not? I know I CAN! After running (and a shower, of course) a friend and I went to get pedicures. It was so nice after a run and the lady told me I had a lot of tension in my feet. I told her I run and she said "Oh that's why". You got that right- I AM A RUNNER! Who woulda thunk it? We went out to dinner, but by the time I ate my salad and one crab cake (appetizer) I was full and ready to pack up my entree for the next day, which I did. I am making progress. I hope in the right direction since I can't measure and see- but I feel like I am.

Last night I watched the Biggest Loser- gotta love it! Instead of sitting on the coach I did some arm and leg work while watching. They inspire me! So, all in all, it was a great relaxing, healthy weekend. Cheers to a 4 day work week!

P.S. I did finish Jillian Michael's Slim for Life book this weekend and will be doing a review soon and maybe even a giveaway of her book. Stay tuned!

Ok... I am over it!

I feel like this has been me for the past couple days! I don't know what it is... maybe it's the fact that I don't have my scale, measuring tape, HRM, calorie counter, anything to hold me accountable. Well, there's still 44 days to go on this challenge so I am going to have to throw that excuse away! I KNOW what I need to do, but for some reason I couldn't resist those crescent rolls at dinner the other night, candy from my kids at school, or several other things that I have eaten that are not in the "healthy" category. I think my body needed a break, but more importantly I needed to just eat and not stress, BUT now I am over it! I know what my body needs to keep doing well and it is not what I have been doing these past few days. Don't get me wrong, I haven't completely thrown the towel in and ate like a PIG, but every day there are a few choices that I could say I am not proud of and that are totally out of my norm. So, today I am back at it. I am trying to do well now that ALL the candy is gone. (except my Perfect Man, but he is too cute to eat! at least for now haha!) My legs are itching for a run this afternoon and Jillian is ready to kick my butt. Yep, that is how I am spending my Friday night- BIG deal, right? I like it! I have a 2.5 mile run scheduled on my calendar for my 10k training and I am going to get it done. Then, Sunday is a 3.5 mile run- my longest run yet! I am determined. I can't wait to sweat and I never would have said that a couple years ago. I was a fat girl! Now I am just a little chubby and trying to get to FIT! Here's a little progress pic for ya!