For no good reason

It is more often than not we have an opportunity to be generous to others. I recently had the privilege to surprise a young high school student. It all came to my attention with an early morning phone call from the decorator and caterer of the dance. She asked me if I would be willing to do a girls hair, makeup and nails-who had planned to just get herself ready. I said, absolutely. I did it all at no cost.

Her mom was a bit weary at first when she heard about my offer. She was absolute about meeting me first. She couldn't believe a person would do what I had proposed, with no catch. I will post her after picture when I get one! This random experience reminded me of why I got my cosmetology license in the first place.

I am aware that I posses skills which I tend to take for granted. I know what it feels like to have other people be generous to me. I pledge to keep myself aware of needs around me and have an action to meet those needs!

This is beauty...sincere generosity.

high fructose corn syrup

At one point in time I would have considered myself a Pepsi-Cola snob.  I would not venture out so much so to ever drink a Coca-Cola.  Neither one of these beverages is better for you than the other, yet I had a distinct preference. 

This has all become a part of my past.
I have been lectured by many people about the affects of soda consumption.  I had tried, and many times failed the whole-hearted attempts to kick the addiction to the bubbly caffine.  Yet, time and time again I would return to my one-true vice, Pepsi.

In attempt to muster up the most discipline I have, I set my aim to restrict sugar.  So naturally, soda had to be the first to go. 

I have to frequently remind myself to not think, "I work hard, I deserve to have just one-this, or just one that".   I do not want to sabotage the hard work I am doing by adding toxins (sugar) to my body when I can certainly go without it.


Now, that four months have past, I can truely say, I am not a soda drinker! WAHOO! I took a sip of Cody's the other day and it was, DIS-GUS-TING! He said, "Nope, it tastes fine to me", so I have rid my tounge of the sugar addiction and am so happy I did.  There are miles of articles and books written about the long term damage high fructose corn syrup does to a persons bones, and such.  And recently I read about carmel color being bad for you...I know, I know, what isn't bad.  Nevertheless, it is a personal victory. 

Cheers- (with a glass of h20)- to you and your VICTORY-what ever it is!

I can't. I won't. I MUST have my startbucks! (aka:froo-froo non-coffee coffee)

It's a wonder I don't hold stock in Starbucks. 
I bet you're wondering the same thing right now. 

I rationally should be shoveling that five-spot into an investment portfoilio that includes Starbucks, to one day have a financial gain! Yet, no. I do not own a red cent of stock.   I do, however spend pleanty of my cents at my local Starbucks weekly. 




This habit is supported by miles of justification that are similar to the following:
I don't always have the time to make it at home, It's just not as good when I make it, I need my carmel macchiato, I'm just not myself without it.  And the excuses go on and on.  My wallet, however does not.

Let me take this opportunity to also point out what cost is not affordable for most in these, tall-dark and sometimes venti treats...CALORIES & SUGAR!  Drinking a home-made brew is not just a financial cut back, it could potentially cut your calorie intake down by 500 or more!  The next time you are standing in the mirror and you wish you didn't have that cellulite in your butt and thighs-take a snapshot of your butt...do it, I dare you! And when you go to order your venti-mocha-frap-with-whip-and-drizzle, in less than one breath- I want you to pull out your smart phone, look at that photo and choose!

Part of the downfall of Starbuck fiends-(I am also guilty)- is, we get into habits of ordering what we know we like, not thinking of healthier alternatives and make poor choices.  So, if you can't come back from the dark-side and brew your caffine at home, start a change in asking the Barista, what is the healthiest way I can have (your favorite drink)?  Like, if you order a mocha...did you know they are putting 4(FOUR) pumps of chocolate into your drink.  Try at first to ask for just half.  You won't notice the two pumps are missing!

Coffee itself is not the villian.  Sugar on the other hand is. You order an Americano, its under $2.  Order a mocha, it's $5.  So, your wallet is suffering at the same time your bones, skin, and insides suffer the sugar intake.

Small Steps here people, just make small steps.

Health Tip: If you splurge on a semi-high or regualr all out high calorie drink/have it only within two hours of exercise.  That way, your metabolism is working much quicker.  If you have it before, you'll reap the benefits in your workout from the caffine kick!


This butt, orders Americano, with Truvia and a bit of half & half.
(joke)



.muscle is my camoflage.



Photography by: Paul Buceta; Model: Lori Harder;
from Oxygenmag.com

  There are all kinds of myths surrounding muscles and women who want to have lean and fit bodies.  The more I read, the more I learn that muscle is certainly a superhero itself and not a villain.  There are "profound physiologic and metabolic benefits to building muscle." Some of which are as follows: 

• high-caloric burn (which means you burn more calories when you have more muscle)
• removes sugar from your bloodstream 
• keeps joints and ligaments strong

So if you are doing regular exercise and have incorperated weights, here are some basic guidelines to follow to insure that your program is growing calorie-burning muscle:

• allow you to build muscle safely and confidently (don't compromise proper form for high numbers of weight or reps.)
• be customized to accomplish your fitness goals (it is important to know what your aim is before you begin)
• take into consideration any areas of injury or weakness (nurture your body as you build it to be stronger.  make sure to not over do it and potentially cause long-term damage.)
• be versatile and progressive (keep your program dynamic and make sure to change the intensity as well as the types of moves you do at least every 10 days to insure you don't plateau.)
• have fun! (if you have a good time you will be more likely to stick to it and are sure to see results.) 

I was reading yesterday in Smart Girls Do Dumbbells, "Muscle is a better camoflage for your body flaws than wearing black.  The important issue to remember about muscle is that it is a compact tissue, heavier in composition than fat.  So even though it may weigh a bit more, it looks a lot less.  As you build muscle, and lose fat you might be suprised to find the scale doesn't always reflect a big number decrease but thats okay...the muscle you're growing makes a more beautiful, firmer, healthier-looking and feeling body."

-Judith Sherman-Wolin, author. Smart Girls Do Dumbbells. ACSM Health Fitness Instructor, NSCA Certified Personal Trainer.

 

So, don't be afraid of building muscle.  You're body knows just what to do with it!

 

 

 

.make one decision.

In my experience, there are thousands of choices to make daily.  Most of these are driven by habit and have long ago lost the need to put much discipline behind participating in them.  Yet, every waking second of every day we make choices.  

Recently, I made one decision that has changed my mental perspective, and my physical body.
I decided to live my entire life, with intension.  Now, that might sound weird...now that I typed it...but-stay with me.  I can tell you that I started to exercise on a regular basis.  So, I move daily, with intension.  I also started to eat healthy.  Not to diet, but to feed my body as if it is something sacred and a cherished vessel-. So, I eat every three hours-with intension. 

I feel as though it is much more difficult to be confronted with choices to make daily.


As each day passes since I made the ONE DECISION, I am not guilting myself, or depriving myself of anything.  I have built a new habit to live with intension-so I have been set free of trying to want things in this life and feel like they are not in my reach.
I have known, and continue to learn, when you stand for something, there is opposition.  There are distrations.  However, I am committed to make my health, my well-being a priority in this life, so I am able to be fully alive and truely be fearless.   

We love our bodies, we love eachother!

This run was September 15th, 2011. My niece Mari is on a cross country team at her school and I ran her mile race with her for support. She is a lot like I was when I was her age, and actually until about four months ago...a quitter! When it came to physical activity I never learned to push myself. I have recently learned how much being athletic has to do with brain power. There is something to be said about knowing what your body actually is capable of, and living a full-er life by pushing beyond the default of what is comfortable. Realizing this has changed me completely. So I go run with Mari, so she can see and experience what it is to not give up. She smiles through the pain each time we run so her mom can snap a photo, it's cute. My heart is happy to be able to demonstrate love. Be Inspired. Be Inspirational. Be You.

A Burpee a day...or three, or eight, or eleven...

Hey all! I have been doing different variations of burpees in my daily workouts and have seen an increase in agility, strength and want to encourage you to include them in one way or another into your day!

In this video, Zuzana from www.bodyrock.tv is killing it with variations of burpees. She is amazing! I follow her and her husbands blog and intend to share similar workouts here very soon. Sometimes they will be her workouts exactly, and sometimes, I will do a mixture of p90x. My gang and I work out 6 days a week and we all LOVE it!
Also, my friend Amy has a fantastic web site where she shares yummy recipies and I will give a heads up to those new posts every once in a while! www.amyroose.com
I will be sharing my own healthy finds and inspirations for healthy snacking and grubbing down :)

If you are not in shape and want to change that...start today by doing push ups, sit ups and squats. That's how I started...and believe me when I tell you-change is around the corner!

I'm thinking of starting to record my fitness "gang" doing our workouts for anyone interested to follow along! I have so far transformed my body from flabby and uncomfortable to a stronger and firm little physic I am meant to have. So, videos-COMING SOON!
xo