I went to work and came home to the beau and one of my besties waiting for me. Coffee run (the Starbucks ban didn’t last too long, but I did stay within my caloric intake limit for the day and even got a TALL size. Can anyone say epic restraint skills?) followed by lounging and a Thai food adventure. It’s been great and the energy is still coming on strong. I’ve started taking a few more supplements with the Advocare cleanse (a probiotic – which protects your immune system and keeps you healthy – gets added in during the 24 days) and it’s no bother at all. 

What is a bother though? 

NOTHING!

These triceps of mine (which were hidden beneath seriously stretchy skin – you know the kind, girls) are starting to form up. And my biceps? Well, believe it or not, they’re getting chiseled! I kid you not. I’m seeing results in just 5 days. Brilliant! I can hardly wait to post before and after pictures.

I’m working my ass off though. 

Make no mistake about that, bub.

It starts with healthier snacking.

This is a lifestyle change and I’m getting creative with it.

No, I’m not cutting out all of my favorite foods or mad skillz for lounging about and reading for hours at a time. In fact, I’m keeping it all. EXCEPT for the bad habit of coming home and resting my big butt on the couch. If that happens….I’m a gonner! 

NO. I can’t be a gonner.

I come home, make dinner. Workout, shower and then eat dinner. 🙂

In case you didn’t know, your muscles absorb the most nutrients after a workout. FEED THEM! This is a great thing to know, so that you can give your body what it needs – yummy nummies! Protein and some great veggies (I’m leaving complex carbs for earlier in the day). You should try this. It works really well! By making dinner first, it keeps me busy and then I have no excuses to miss my workout by getting too comfy in the living room. 

My schedule is hectic, but making the little bit of extra effort to plan my meals and pack some snacks in the morning is key to meeting my goal. I’m starting to try new things. Tomorrow, I’m making KALE CHIPS. 

Why?

I need to make great use of the fall fruits and veggies, so I’m branching out from my comfort zone (and seriously admitting to my love affair with fruits & vegetables. I swear, there’s not a single one that I’ve encountered and NOT liked. I love them all.) 

The summer is officially over, which means that my most beloved watermelon and citrus will be disappearing. Don’t fret though, we’ve still got some granny smith apples (these are palatable [I kinda-sorta dislike tangy-ness] with some sunbutter and raisins) and delicious squash! I’m going to try out eggplant and attempt to fall in love with peaches. Plus! Peppers will be around for a while. I’ve developed a huge girl-crush on sweet peppers. They come in this fantastic assortment and can be eaten raw. MMMM!

I’m going to be adding more scrumdidlyumptious recipes soon and am thinking of adding a tumblr account, to make it easier to flip through them. Excitement!

So much progress and only 19 days to go! 

Stay motivated, friends!

Alright…so far, so good.

It’s been three days and (though I feared it may happen) I was not constantly sprinting to the bathroom. Anytime I hear “cleanse” I think the worst! Spiritual cleansing is one thing, but flushing out toxins from the human body just sounds dangerous. 

Thankfully, the Advocare Herbal Cleanse is surprisingly gentle. Yes, I’d been told it was kind, but I had my doubts and feared for my undies (and my coworkers). 

Day three and I’m feeling great!

Jillian is kicking my ass (and I really kinda hate her skinny bitch self) but I <3 that she pushes me through the workout. 

My diet has not changed too much, but I have made a much more conscious effort to include 8 servings of fruits & veggies throughout my day. 

TRY THIS!

It has truly amazed me how much of a difference this makes. I am constantly snacking on fruit. In the past three days, I have single-handedly assassinated a whole watermelon, half a pound of grapes, and an entire army of spinach with their carrot swords. None of them stood a chance. 

I feel so awesome with all this energy during the day. Not quite like having the strength of ten men or anything, but pretty freaking fantastic! I’m pretty convinced that I may have the strength of ten men after these 60 days. Remember, I’ve got the 24-Day Cleanse + Jillian’s 30-Day Shred. Then the 90 mile challenge for the following 30 days. 

I’m so stoked about all this fitness! 

Sic’ Em!

I’m officially a yogurt-convert! 

Let me tell you, I have always loathed hated never particularly cared for yogurt. It’s a texture thing. No one has ever gotten it right for me. Dannon…eh. Yoplait came close with the (dare I tell you?) Go-gurt line, but I soon grew out of the flavors, as they’re specifically designed for the more sucrophillic teeny-weenie kiddies and NOT for the more adult palate. [Yes, I still love a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but a fruit roll-up simply doesn’t taste the same anymore.] 

I am deeming your entire yogurt line the new “Creamy Crack!” 

It’s delicious! I’m sure you all know this and you should mark this accomplishment of converting me to a Chobani lover in your list of conquered persons. Ok? 

I can hardly wait to try every flavor. So far, the peach one is my favorite, but the strawberry flavor is great too. What a perfect little cup of heavenly whipped Greek yogurt and the added fruit surprise at the bottom. <3 so very much!

I’ll admit, when my boyfriend offered me a cup, I wanted to run in the other direction. I’ve heard many horror stories of people hating the taste of Greek yogurt. To you all who told me to stay away from this goodness – SHAME on YOU!

I haven’t fallen for something quite so hard since J.K. Rowling’s HP set! Officially in lurve. 

Now…on to new adventures! 

I’ve kickstarted a new diet and nutrition guide today with the help of my wonderful aunt Julie and her suggestion of starting the Advocare 24-Day Challenge!

I was not too thrilled about it at first, but day one has been a success!

It’s a 10 day gentle cleanse, followed by a 14 day Metabolic Nutrition System enhancer. First you lean out in the first ten days. Then in the latter 14 days, you tone up. It’s a smooth transition to help you BOOST your metabolism. 

The goal is 10 pounds and 10 inches in 24 days! It’s healthy and very much do-able, as long as you workout. This is not one of those, “let me sit on my butt and watch t.v. while the fat melts away” kind of gimmicks. PUH-LEASE! You gotta work the booty to get the body!

I’ll admit, I fell off the workout bandwagon and needed a restart button. This is it for me. I’m getting back to it and loving it. Being as busy as I am with school, work, tutoring high-school kids – life gets crazy! This system helps balance you out and set you on the right path to losing the weight. For me, I need to see results and really dislike the plateau phase in most workouts. By keeping to this, I’ll jump-start my metabolism and by eating right, I can avoid that phase. 

It’ll take some work and dedication, but all good things to those who [work hard]!

What am I doing to work out? 

Well…Jillian Michaels is kicking my derrier! I started the 30 Day Shred today and am fully committed to her monstrous workouts. I’ll be sure to post some before and after pictures at the 24 day mark! 😀 

If you have any questions about the Advocare line, feel free to ask. I’ll point you in the right direction.

I am one of the insanely blessed persons who gets stalked by allergies, all year long! It’s annoying and awful and they manage to make things worse. UGH! 

For the past two days I’ve felt siiiiiiick.

Mostly allergies, a bit of a cold. The horrible sinus headaches…oh my! Bleh. 

Total grossness. 

I felt like this:

My taste buds have been all screwy. I made meatloaf for the boys and it came out suuuuuper salty. 

Yesterday I went for a 3 mile walk with the beau and we paced a nice 11 minute mile, at a brisk walk. We talked and laughed and argued, you know…coupley stuff. The norm. 

I felt bundles better after a hot shower and some more tea. 

After last night’s sleep and a couple of naps today, I am definitely on the mend. 

Remember, when you’re feeling sicky-poo – try to pep up. Go for a walk. Drink some hot tea. [I <3 me some chamomile!] 

A nice hot shower or even a bath (don’t forget the bath bomb!)

Just do you!

Get in some R&R because sometimes when you get sick, it’s your body telling you to slow down. Your immune system gets thrown out of whack and then shuts down. 

Take the time to replenish it and get yourself back into the “kick ass and take names later” state that you need to be in!

:]

A bit of advice on the relationship front:

I’ve been absent for quite a while. Sorry about that, friends! I do have fantastic news though! Life got quite crazy hectic wonderfully adventurous! I graduated! Sic ‘Em Bears! It will not be “official, marching across the stage and grabbing my diploma” until December because most of the fam couldn’t make it, and it simply wouldn’t be the same without all of them there!

I am so very blessed to have gotten this far. I’m still taking classes and working on getting into grad school for the Spring. There’s tons to plan and sometimes I feel like the amount of time I know I still have left to put into my education seems daunting. Never fear though, it’s all possible with little milestones.I’ve learned to start setting itty-bitty goals for moi!

How does little ol’ me know this? 

Mini-milestone: LOSE 10 POUNDS! 

Yup! I nailed that one. 

I’ve got another 40 to go and I’m kind of hating the work, but seeing the results makes it much easier to bear (no pun intended).

I haven’t gone for a RUN since the beau went to visit his family a week ago, but I plan on starting up tomorrow, as he will be here and more than willing to head out with me! That’s right, I’m quite the lucky gal with this guy. 😉 I also need to get a gym membership ASAP! 

So much to do!

I am loving the realness of this adult-life-thing though. It’s great!

How did the end of your summer turn out? Are you sticking to the plan you set out for yourself? If you fell off the bandwagon, don’t think it’s too late to hop back on. 

I have finals this week, hence the lack of posts. On top of pushing back workouts and trying failing seriously trying to not eat junk food at my desk, I also have the worst case of test anxiety. As a senior who has sent out graduation invitations and is getting ready to have a major party with friends and family…well, it would flat out SUCK to bomb my final exam. Agreed? So here I am, shaking like an anorexic on an altoid crash (yes, I went there) attempting to keep the peace in my life. I just have to hold it together for a few more days, so I went hunting for inspiration. The stress of my family being here to see me fall flat on my face is enough to knock me off my damn hinges. I loathe kinda crave stress (who doesn’t?). It pushes me to do better, move faster, be stronger. But then it also makes me bat sh*t crazy! To deal with the elephant in the room (and my thighs that keep begging me to run), I’ve started to think of this mantra:

It sorta-kinda works…maybe about 50% of the time. BUT! I always smile. :]

Cool-runnings (though not fully-factual) is based on an underdog team from Jamaica that takes on the Winter Olympics. I am definitely an underdog in this finals scenario…ugh. Hopefully, I can ace this exam on Wednesday and get back to doing fun stuff! I am going for a run tomorrow, after class…I am in desperate need of some epic endorphins! 

My cheat today? A couple of bites of a classic cinnabon and a mountain dew. Caffeine-crazed? Most definitely! What are you all up to this wonderful (other than being cooped up to study) summer evening?

I’ll leave you with a little more awesomeness – I think it’s very apt for my current position: 

Much love! <3

Mile 1: Just starting to break a sweat, the past 9 minutes have gone by smoothly. My legs are still reaching for the perfect stride and my asthmatic lungs are now warmed up.

Mile 2: My pace is steady, 18 minutes past and my breathing is a bit hitchy. Thoughts are wandering to the graduation next week and the impending doom of having so many crazy-wonderful family members around. I’ve got one of those families that’s like Swedish Fish, sometimes I just can’t get by without them and then other times I question my love of red-dye #5. But hey, who’s family isn’t like that?

Mile 3: I’m finally starting to pay attention to the John Mayer album playing on my iPod. I downloaded it today (kick-ass iTunes sale!)…but unfortunately it’s MEGA-soulful and kinda putting me to sleep, which is not a good thing. I can’t even imagine how unnatractive I must look right now. A seemingly drunken idiot weave-running down the bear trail. John’s newest album is not the best running buddy. I decide to switch to my “RANDOM-DANCING” mix, but miss (since I don’t bother stopping to look at the mini-screen and decide to chance it – because, let’s face it, if I stop running now, I may not get this momentum back. The iPod is now on some shuffle mode with Eminem screaming something at me. At least it’s not slow and dreamy. 

Mile 4: I’ve switched to some of my recorded notes, my newest form of study-torture. All I can think is…Christ, I sound like a Chippette. ::sigh:: How long have I been running? 

Mile 5: The notes are over and it’s starting to get hell-hath-fury HAWT! Yep, the sun is going down, but the sticky heat is unbearable. Sweet niblets, I’m drenched and seriously ready for winter to come sweeping in. I’m also out of water and my radiator is fixin’ to overheat. This run has been enlightening but I’m calling it quits after this.

Today was crazy-busy-awful-stressful-tiring and just plain bleh! The run helped, thank goodness. Endorphins are such great friends! 

Tomorrow, I’m going to the gym with the beau…or maybe another run. The solitude and rhythm of the thump-thump as my feet meet the pavement is always so very comforting. 

Did I make my love of running crystal? Awesome.

What’s your exercise passion?

It’s Starbucks Sunday Ya’ll! 

I’ve been there twice already (once for coffee and once for tea…don’t get all judge-y on me. I am still counting calories and points after-all!)

It’s 105 (degrees, not celsius) in Dallas today. It’s melt-your-makeup-off-your-face scorching! Crazy heat, my friends! I’ve spent most of the day inside but did meet up with the boy and bestie for lunch and a coffee run. 😉 The beau indulged me and bought me my venti espresso madness. It’s delicioso, btw! By ordering a skinny version and holding the whip, my venti drink was only 210 calories. Completely do-able for the caloric range I’m in.

Since that it’s so hot, I’ve been keeping my workouts indoors. It’s very easy to get heat-stroke and collapse out on a trail, so my advice to you crazy-person braving the hellacious temperatures is:

1. Be sure to have a workout buddy. For example:

2. Stay hydrated! Always make sure you’re camelback/water bottle/beverage container is full. Or, at least have enough water to keep you hydrated for your run (and a little extra!)

— Side note: I’ve got a couple of friends who enjoy hiking on Sundays, mid-day. They always take water, food and supplies in case of an emergency. Remember to be prepared! 

3. Don’t drown yourself in ice-cold water! Avoid this! Going out for a run and then stopping to use your ice-cold water as a quick cool down is NOT a good idea. I repeat, do not do this. Using a mister is perfectly fine, as the spray provides a gentle change to your external temperature. Drowning your head and/or most of your body in mega-cold water will only cause a form of shock. Be careful!

Ok…enough of the PSA – for now. 

Stay safe and make good choices. Pushing your limits is key to better fitness, but blowing past them and then getting hurt will not help you. 

I aim to feel like I’ve rocked a workout. I feel great, pushed myself a bit further each and every day. When I have an awesome workout, I leave the gym feeling epic!

Today I figured I’d enjoy some awesome coffee because I stepped on the scale and saw that I lost another pound! 😀 EEEP! I’m so very excited to be inching my way toward my weight goal. It’s not easy, but I’m getting there. How are you all doing? 

I hope that your journey is putting up a fight. If it’s not, then you may not be working hard enough. You need to remember how hard it is and then keep on going. Losing this weight needs to be memorable. You don’t want it back! Keeping a note of how crazy-difficult this has been will make it a lot easier to keep the weight off. Just kick it to the curb! Don’t quit. Find inspiration daily. It’s been working for me and I highly recommend it. Here’s today’s little nugget of exercise wisdom:

 

I may make this a weekly cheesefest, who knows! Consider yourself warned! 🙂

What I’m thankful for today: All things caffeine and the finale of exam three. Yay!

This week has been pretty rough. I’m three weeks from graduation and dying drowning in my studies. The alarm I’ve been setting to help remind me to get to my workout is anything but helpful. More often than not, it ruins my concentration and ends up getting shoved to the bottom of my backpack. [I know, counter-productive…I’m sure my abs will kill me later.] I’m trying to be better, but the books keep reeling me back in! What a crazy mess. 

Due to missing workouts, I have learned to be a better snacker throughout this week. [It still amazes me that I don’t grab the candy + chips…the caffeine stays though. Don’t get any crazy thoughts, man!] But, I had a weird dream about desserts. Maybe it was the sleep deprivation and extreme amounts of java, but it was something like this:

I’m thinking Freud would say I have a problem. Oh, for the love of food!

I’m still drinking all my daily-joes [because, honestly…I’m a caffeine junky] but I’m going for skim milk [if any, at all] or a completely sugar-free, fat free option from the store. There are a few good ones, I promise! Instead of chips, I pack a bag of pretzels, one sliced apple and [if I’m staying waaaay late at the library] another baggie of quake bites – the adorable little rice snacks that I told you guys about earlier. 

All of these snacks are super yummy and keep my mouth moving, which tricks my brain into thinking I’m eating lots more than I actually am. Combine them with coffee [you’ll be quite upset if you combo coffee + apple, so avoid that sitch!] and you’ve got yourself an awesome snack to keep you roaring through those studies! Don’t avoid a good meal though! That’s a HUGE mistake. Take a break and make something tasty for your tummy!

Sadly, I felt like this through half the study time today: 

Thankfully, tomorrow is Friday! Get excited!

I’ve got a pile of graduation invitations to send out and a yummy lunch date with my beau. Feeling blessed! There’s so much left to do! I’ve got my fingers crossed for my last two exams. [prayers, please] I am so ready to be done with my undergrad! 

Wish me luck!

What are you thankful for today?

[I’ll be even more thankful for a regular sleep schedule in a few weeks.]

Have a great night, all!

 

I gave the Healthy Choice line another chance. 

This time: Ravioli Florentine Marinara. 

Again, their advertisement is wonky. These fools added cheese (this skyrockets my WW points, so I avoid it like the crazy cause of fat pants that it is), which does not come in a convenient tiny package within this microwaveable bowl of fancy deception. So, I ask…why did they sprinkle cheese on the pasta in the picture? What a farce!

The Florentine marinara sauce is enough to coat the raviolis (I’m sure this is their attempt to flavor-up their bland pasta). The pasta itself is thick, which adds a play-doh-like quality to the dish. I never thought I’d have edible clay for lunch. Honestly, it’s not as awful (though it’s not too much better) as the brown gunk that I tried to eat last week. This dish was palatable, but not great. I understand that it must be difficult to create a recipe and then preserve it in the freezer for weeks on end. I get it. But come on people! This close-to-carboard brilliance is one of the many reasons why America’s waistline continues to rise. Passing off something as “healthy” when it contains exorbitant amounts of sodium, is in fact – opposite of HEALTHY! 

This will be my last healthy choice meal, unless they can re-vamp their recipes and prove to me that they aren’t kitchen failures. I’d really like a crack at creating some delicious recipes for them. {hint, hint at an awesome possible job!} I have a few in mind that people may in fact fall head over heels for (but they’ll be my secret unless these guys ask me for help – which they may sorely need). Who eats this stuff? 

I keep trying to give these frozen “healthy” meals a chance, and then they fall ridiculously short of good, like an air-ball. Lesson officially learned and I am nixing the not-so-healthy choice options. 

On a much lighter note (yet, somewhat devastating to me), I fell asleep on my book today…while studying, at my desk. [Yes, I’m such a nerd genius pre-med student and have no life] My allergies have been wreaking havoc and the zyrtec wasn’t up to the battle. So, I guess my body decided to konk out. I ended up waking up at 8:45pm, successfully blowing my chance to get a work-out in. [insert colorful words and griping here]

I guess this girl will be hauling her big caboose out of bed to get a workout in before class tomorrow. Not so bad, right? Morning workouts make me feel so alive accomplished, like the entire day is mine for the taking! Muahaha!

At least, a morning run provides me with tons of energy to last throughout the entire day. Hooray for endorphins, right? Love them!

Anywhositwhatsit….I hope your Monday has been more munificent [don’t you just love my expanding GRE vernacular? Two points for gyffindor!] than manic. 

Rock out your week and be sure to get some exercise in! 

Also, remember to hydrate! I’m in Texas [howdy, ya’ll] and heat stroke is so very common, don’t be the person who didn’t get enough electrolytes in their system and passes out somewhere. You really don’t want to be the “funny” story that people tell at holiday parties, do you? 

Stay safe and work hard! I’ve got 12 pounds to go on my short-term goal. I’m not sure I’ll reach it, but I’m going to kill off as much flab as I can! 

Deuces!