I'd Rather Be Running

This morning I heard a song on my way to work, and it made me want to pull over and lace up for a run. I am so inspired by music, and I run to all different kinds. If I'm doing a mellow distance run, I have a playlist of Florence and the Machine, Mumford and Sons and Dave Matthews Band type of music. If I'm doing sprints or hills, I just need that extra bounce and a run to club-style music. I especially love remixes and techno. 

This morning's inspiration was Swedish House Mafia's "Don't Worry Child" featuring John Martin. Unfortunately it's not available for download in the US until September 18th, but for now I can listen to it on YouTube.

Here are a few other songs I'm loving:

Lights- Ellie Goulding (Fernando Garibay Remix)

Too Close- Alex Clare

I hope you find inspiration in these songs too! Happy Running guys! 

One More For MJ

So much good music and dancing happening at my desk right now. What will I ever do if I get a job that doesn't allow me to listen to music?!

I have to post one more video, because I'm just having too much fun celebrating Michael Jackson's Birthday. In my head I am totally vibing with the music, but I'm pretty sure I look like a crazy person to my co-workers. They will never understand music like I do. My friend who sits next to me listens to NPR all day.   -_- I love the news updates, but NO THANKS!!

Anywho, I have to get back to writing soooo here you go! ::Moonwalking away::

Today's Run Is Dedicated To MJ

Yes, I'm talking about the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Today is his birthday, and I love his music! This morning, I was in  kind of a foul mood, and when I hopped in my car to go to work, the DJ on LA 96.3 was spinning a killer MJ Mix. It definitely turned my frown upside down! Ahhh the power of good music.

I believe a run is on the schedule for today, so I will be getting my jog on to some of my favorite MJ hits! If I was a spin instructor, I would do a whole class dedicated to his music today. Happy Birthday to a legend!

The Song of the Day is Don't Stop Til You Get Enough 

You'll Never Regret A Good Workout!

Yesterday, I got my sweat on in an amazing 24 Hr Fitness Cycle class! I met the instructor last week when she subbed for the regular cycle teacher on Tuesday, and she kicked my butt with a bunch of hills and sprints. At the end of the class, she mentioned that she regularly taught the Monday Cycle class. So yesterday, I packed my gym clothes, determined to get my spin on.

It was a typical Monday here at the office... everyone was in a funk, and even I found myself feeling lethargic by the time the afternoon came around. I had gone back and forth all day as to whether I was going to go, but when 5 o'clock hit, I picked up my clothes and got dressed for the gym. I knew that a good workout was just what I needed to pull me out of my my little lull, and it was the best decision I made all day leading up to that point. Not only was the class challenging and filled with hills, but the music was awesome, and she was encouraging and funny. I walked out of 24 Hour Fitness feeling like I accomplished something great, and I took the energy home with me and made delicious and healthy dinner and watched a great movie called Warrior with the Hubs.

Tonight, I'm going to watch the Angels play the Red Sox, so I woke up early and hit the gym to do some cardio and weight training. No excuses! ;)

I'm gonna start doing a Song/Video of the Day. Today's video is No Doubt- Settle Down It's a good interval song!

Also... watch Warrior! Sooooo good!!

Killer Leg Workout!

I love to tone my legs and butt! (I'm sure this was evident in my Misty May post.) In fact, I'm dripping sweat as I am writing this right now, because I just did a KILLER leg workout by Zuzana Light. It's from her new ZWOW series. You might remember her from Bodyrock.tv. Well she now has her own workout videos on YouTube, and they are tough!!

Bodyrock.tv and ZWOW are awesome at home fitness programs. If you ever don't have time to go to the gym, these videos are short and INTENSE. I highly recommend checking out both programs!

Here's the workout I did today! My legs are dead!!!!

It takes work!

People in my life are really starting to see the positive results of my weight loss, and they are asking me about Advocare and the 24 Day Challenge.

The program is incredible, and I can't wait to share my results with you. Aside from the weight loss, my energy is great and my skin is glowing! There is no doubt that these are truly quality products I am putting in my body. But all of that aside, I can't stress enough, that this is not a magic program! It is only an aide to help you maximize your efforts in leading a healthy lifestyle. You still have to make the right decisions for yourself. You have to eat the right foods, and you have to put in the time to exercise. 

The great thing about this cleanse is that I can really feel a difference when I do not put quality food in my body! I feel lethargic and blahhhhhhh. I have been staying away from dairy on this challenge, and I've cut my carb intake by quite a lot! My body is slow to drop weight, but the inches are falling off! 

I'm so thankful that I found Sara on Twitter, and that she took the time to introduce me to Advocare. She has been a great coach and she inspires me every day with her work ethic and her motivating quotes and videos. I believe that things happen for a reason, and that when we meet people who lift us up and make us want to be better, that truly is a blessing! I hope to be able to inspire people, just like she inspires me! 

My Summer Body Playlist

As I've said before, music is my life! When I workout, I have to have awesome music to keep me focused, and I try to have music by women who I look up to. Today, I was updating my playlist with some new music, because I like to keep things fresh and I'm always on the hunt for great workout music.

If you are a music junky like me, I thought I would share my playlist with you. If you have any suggestions, let me know. Some songs are new, and some are older! Hope you like it! (Oh and there are some Spanish songs that I love on here too.)

Run The World- Beyonce

Danza Kuduro- Don Omar
Taboo- Don Omar
Mi Tierra- Gloria Estefan
On The Floor ft Pitbull- Jennifer Lopez
Valerie- Amy Winehouse
Party Rock Anthem- LMFAO
Little Lion Man- Mumford & Sons
Helena Beat- Foster The People
Pumped Up Kicks- Foster The People
Turn Me On ft Nicki Minaj- David Guetta
Somebody That I Used To Know- Gotye
Suavemente- Elvis Crespo
You Make Me Feel ft Sabi- Cobra Starship
Stronger- Kelly Clarkson
Wild Ones ft Sia- Flo Rida
Lights- Ellie Goulding
Where Have You Been- Rihanna
Glad You Came- The Wanted Alex Gaudino Remix
Dance Again ft Pitbull- Jennifer Lopez
Scream- Usher
More- Usher
We Run The Night ft Pitbull- Havana Brown
Tightrope ft Big Boi- Janelle Monae
Let's Go ft Ne-Yo- Calvin Harris
Titanium ft Sia- David Guetta
Bad Girls- M.I.A.
I Can Only Imagine ft Chris Brown- David Guetta
Bring Night- Sia
Heavy In Your Arms- Florence + The Machine
No Light, No Light- Florence + The Machine
Intentalo- 3BallMTY
Settle Down- No Doubt
Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself)- Ne-Yo
Little Talks- Of Monsters and Men
Burn It Down- Linkin Park
Give Your Heart A Break- Demi Lovato

Treat Yo'self

I saw this on Pinterest, and I love it! I always say that if I achieve a certain goal, then I'm going to treat myself to a bit of pampering. Creating a jar like this will not only be great for saving money, but it will keep me focused.

I Have What It Takes

Sometimes I try to picture myself at my ultimate goal weight, and I can't. The thought of what it's going to take to get there is daunting, and sometimes I question how badly I want it. Despite the fact that I've seen incredible progress already, on Sunday, I let my doubts get the best of me, and I made some bad decisions. When it comes to dwelling, I am a pro! Yesterday, I woke up in a terrible mood, and I told myself that I needed to snap out of it.

I can't think about the final product, I can only make small goals for myself and work toward achieving them. I have perfectly good food in my refrigerator to make healthy meals for my family. I pay for a gym membership that I need to use more. I have legs that can carry me for the entire length of a half marathon without stopping. I just need to focus on the baby steps, and those accumulated will allow me to achieve my ultimate goal.

I've decided to add spin classes to my daily workouts. I LOVE spin! It's a great cardio workout, it's easy on my knee, and it will help me maximize my gym usage and these classes will be a great addition to my running schedule.

I can do this!

Stress-Free Sunday

Sometimes I let my work get the best of me. When I have a work project to complete, it consumes my life. Every quarter I write a whole magazine for my work, and I put a lot of thought into it, because I want the readers to enjoy it. Despite the fact that people tell me that the readers only look for stories and pictures about themselves, I want to make it a publication that the women will want to read front-to-back!

Anywho, that project has been looming over me for the past three weeks, and I'm happy to say that it is done. done, DONE, and I can go back to enjoying my weekends! One of these days I will learn how to avoid letting stress take over. Life is just too short, AND I'm getting way too many gray hairs!!

Today, I'm going to pick up one of my girlfriends for a Ladies Day! I can't wait!! Later, I'm going to go for a nice run, and tonight I'm going to prepare a fresh, healthy meal. I'm thinking Ahi Tuna steaks with veggies! Pictures to come!

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you have a blessed day!

P.S. I love this!

Waking the beast...

Hi! Sorry I have not posted much this week. Work was super crazy!! Work days turned into work nights, and I'll admit that I didn't work out get to the gym or run as much as I would have liked. However, I did keep my eating in check and I can feel the difference in my clothes, and I can see it in the mirror. I celebrated my brother's birthday this week with my parents and the next day I received a message from my mom telling me that I looked great. I want to post my progress pics, but I'm a little shy because I'm not proud of where I was before. Maybe I'll do it at the end of my 24 Day Challenge.

I'm on day 11 of the 24 Day Challenge. The cleanse portion ended yesterday, and I'm on to the MNS3. I'll be honest, I'm glad to say adios to the Fiber Drink. It was not my favorite texture of drink!! My favorite thing about Advocare has been the Spark! Holy moly, that stuff is awesome. I started with the Mango Strawberry flavor, and this week I got Fruit Punch Flavor. The Mango Strawberry had a bit of a vitamin smell and aftertaste, but was still really good. I tried the Fruit Punch yesterday, and it is DELICIOUS!! It tastes like Hawaiian Punch, and I love me some Hawaiian Punch! 

This week, for the first time in... I don't even know how long... I ran 5 miles. I went out prepared to do it, and I crushed it. My body feel great, my knee cooperated, and mentally, I was focused! I needed that run! I feel like I'm coming back. The beast inside of me that pushes for more and won't take no for an answer is waking up, and I'm so ready for it. I'm ready to crush my goals, and be the best me. 

Are you ready?

The Little Things

I am so blessed to have friends who keep me grounded and help me appreciate the little things in life. Do you ever feel like your friends are the most talented people in the world? I always try to surround myself by people who not only push themselves to be the best they can be, but they are completely honest with me, and they push me to continue to grow. And they do this in the most positive way. I love it.

This morning I woke to my a message from my friend who shared a picture of the morning sky. He's one of those early-riser go-getter types, and he always shares pictures from his morning walks, but this one just made me so happy and appreciative of having another day here with my family, friends and loved ones. I hope you like it, and I have a lot of good news to share with you. So stay tuned!! 

Be Strong!

(Taken from Pinterest)

So I'm on day 6 of the 24 Day Challenge, and I have really been focused on eating clean and getting my workouts in, but yesterday, I found myself wanting to throw in the towel and eat everything that was bad for me.

Rather than giving up, I started to look at photos of the Olympics and all of the athletes that inspire me. These people did not get where they were by being weak and even when they wanted to give up, they didn't let themselves do it.

Last night, rather than running to my closest Subway for a foot-long Veggie Delight on Honey Oat, I went into my kitchen and made chicken with a salad and black beans. Not only was this good for my weight, but it was good for my wallet too! I've mentioned before that I am really trying to build up my Savings, and eating out when I have perfectly good food in my house kind of defeats the purpose. 

When I was talking to my husband about the cleanse, and how I had almost given up, he told me that I need to be just as tough mentally as I am physically. I really appreciated his honesty about the topic, and I'm really happy that I decided to stay the straight and narrow, because this morning I was down 1.5lbs after two days of maintaining my weight. So I'm 6 days in and 4.5lbs down. 

I honestly can't wait to see the final results! I know I'm going to kill it!

Workout song of the day: Let's Go!!! 

Workin' On My Misty May

If there's anything I got from the Olympics, it's serious butt envy of the Beach Volleyball players! Between Misty May-Treanor and Liliana Fernandez Steiner, I just wanted to get up and do squats during each beach volleyball match. Now, I know I should never compare myself to someone else, because it's all genetics and blah blah blah... That doesn't mean I can't be inspired! I'm a short girl, but I have good, strong legs, and I know that if I train hard enough, I can have a bootay like Misty May's. (Liliana was blessed with more junk in the trunk than me.)

         

Either way... I'm working on it. I've decided to start calling my bum "My Misty May," and I've even come up with my own little routine to work it out.

My Misty May Leg Workout:
Equipment Interval Timer 30 secs on, 10 secs rest, 3 rounds (eventually move on to 50 secs, 10 secs rest)
Squats with 10 lbs weight
Jump Squats
Lunges with 10 lbs weight
Switch Kicks
"Hot Bottom Shuffle" (Five quick steps to the right, and Five back to the left)
Around the World
180 Squat Jump

This is not an official workout, just something I played around with lately and it left my legs dead!

Congrats Team USA!!!

(Image from Power Player Magazine)

So proud of Team USA's performance in the 2012 London Olympics!! It was truly inspiring to watch these athletes in action, and they made me believe that anything is possible with hard work and determination.

Running For Flo!

Music is my life. I do everything with music. It pumps me up when I'm running, it keeps me focused when I'm working, and it just gets me. No matter what mood I'm in, there's always a song that I can relate to, or one that I can depend on to pull me out of a funk.

I've had a bit of an inner battle lately, because I'm really focused on building up my savings, and I'm finally at a point where I can do that. I don't go out much and I haven't been shopping. I think the majority of the money that I have spent lately has been for my health and food. However...I just learned that there is going to be a Dave Matthews concert at the Hollywood Bowl next month, and in October Florence and the Machine will be playing there as well. I want to see them both soooooo badly, and I don't know what to do. The rational side of me says to just choose one concert and enjoy myself, but then there's that impulsive side of me that says just freaking go to both! 

So after a bit of thought, here's what I decided to do: I'm going to buy the Dave tickets on Friday, and I'm definitely going to that concert. As for Flo... I've set a goal for myself. If I run the Long Beach Half Marathon in under 2:30, then I am going to reward myself with tickets to the Florence and the Machine concert, which is going to take place the very next day. How bad do I want this? We'll just have to see!

I Dream Of Candy and My Mantra

Today, I did a rare thing... I took a nap. I don't like taking naps, because it throws my sleeping schedule off at night, and sometimes I wake up feeling worse than I did when I fell asleep.

I had many interesting dreams during this little snooze, and one of them included overindulging in one of my favorite candies: de la Rosa Mazapanes. These candies are not for everybody, because they are just a peanut confection. In fact, I think that I am the only one in my family who actually eats them. (I secretly love this!)

Every time I eat a mazapan or even think about them, I'm taken back to summers when I was younger and I used to walk with my cousins to the convenient store on the corner of my grandparents' block to buy candy and gum. For $1, I could get four mazapanes, whereas my cousins could only get one small candy bar. I always felt like I came up on a great deal because of this.

I'm not sure if I dreamed about these candies because I'm doing this cleanse, or if it's because my friend and I were talking about them before I took my nap, but either way, I woke up craving them like crazy! I didn't give in though. I got up, drank my Spark and I went to the gym.

Today I struggled through 3 miles. I'm not super happy with my current physical condition. I used to be a able to run steadily at a t 6.0 and I could up my speed to 8.0 for sprint intervals, but today I ran at a steady 5.4 until the last few minutes when I bumped my speed up to 6.0 to finish my run... and I was dying. I'm going to have to start pushing myself a lot harder to get where I need to be by October, but I will get there.

When I am running, I have a little mantra that I repeat to myself when I can feel myself starting to fade. I tell myself that I am a machine. I repeat this over and over until I finish my runs. Because I believe whole-heartedly that I can do anything I set my mind to. I will drop weight. I will improve my speed and endurance, and I will finish the Long Beach Half Marathon under 2:30.

I am a machine.

Time Is Not On My Side...

I'll admit it... I'm terrible when it comes to getting to places on time, and it's completely wrong and selfish. Why should I feel like people want to wait for me? They don't, and they shouldn't have to. Growing up, my family was always THAT family. We came at 2 when the party started at 1. We never made excuses, because people just always expected us to be late. I need to stop that trend now, while I can. 

How am I going to do this?

- I'm going to wake up early.

- I'm going to prepare my lunch and lay my outfits out at night.

- If I'm going to the gym after work, then I'm going to pack my gym bag at night.
- I'm going to go to sleep earlier.
- I'm going to get up when the first alarm goes off.

- I'm going to stop taking my time getting ready. 

- I'm going to plan my routes so I can get everywhere at least 15 minutes early.

Boy... I really have a lot to work on don't I?

Training, Fiber Drinks, Eggsplosions and Such

**Thought this posted yesterday...

Hi Bloggerverse! Well I'm on Day 3 of the 24 Day Challenge, and I'm feeling really good! I've been eating really clean and exercising every day. I'm currently training for the Long Beach Half Marathon in October, but I started a little late, so I'm still in the 3-4 mile range, which is perfect for this cleanse, and I'm mixing in plyo workouts and weight training to build my legs and core for endurance.

The Herbal Cleanse has been good to me so far. When researching the program, one of the common comments people made was that the cleanse is gentle, and it really is. I was skeptical about the Fiber Drink, because me and extra fiber just do not go well together, but I have not had any bad experiences. At my work, the ladies have a tea that they pass around when they have over indulged or are feeling a bit bloated, and that tea will send you running for the bathroom, so I am grateful that this drink is not like that.

Yesterday, my co-workers were grilling me about what I was eating because it all looked so healthy. I had two hard boiled eggs and a salad. While eating, one of the ladies threw out a new method she had read about for making hard boiled eggs, and I'm always on the hunt for the perfect method, because mine are hit or miss. Sometimes the yolk comes out perfect and soft, and other times I might as well be eating sand. She explained that you should let the water come to a boil first. Then you drop your eggs in and let them cook for 30 seconds. After that you remove the pan from heat, place a lid on it and let them sit in the water for 15 minutes. So I tried this method this morning... and I failed. I forgot about the lid! When I went to peel my eggs, they were a runny mess. Naturally, I didn't want to let my eggs go to waste. (These are expensive Organic, cage-free brown eggs people!) So I had this not-so-brilliant idea to put them in the microwave for a few seconds to finish cooking... epic fail! In less than 20 seconds my eggs "eggsploded" all over the microwave. Note to self: Never put your eggs in the micro... and just keep boiling your eggs like you have been. It's actually kind of fun peeling my eggs and wondering how I did that morning.

Now for a cute egg cartoon that I found:

  

I Smile Because...

I smile because  I woke up this morning. 

I smile because I have a husband who loves me and makes me laugh every day.
I smile because I have a wonderful family and great friends.

I smile because I have an able body.

I smile because I have a roof over my head and running water.

I smile because I have healthy food in my refrigerator. 

I smile because I have a job.

I smile because I appreciate all of the blessings God has bestowed upon me. 

Your smile is your best accessory! Show it off! I promise it will make someone's day. 

Day One Semi Fail

So I decided to post my meals into My Fitness Pal to make sure that I'm staying on track with this new program. Well, mostly to make sure that I'm eating enough for the amount that I'm working out.

Apparently one banana and a 1/2 cup of blueberries pulled me over my daily sugar allotment, and the day had only just begun! I messaged Sara and told her what I had eaten, and she recommended that I stay away from fruit for the duration of the cleanse, which actually makes sense, but it still kind of bummed me out that I got off to a bad start.

Lesson 2 of the 24 Day Challenge: No fruit!

On another note, I tried Spark for the first time. I was comparing it to my daily coffee consumption and it seemed to work pretty well. It kept me energized and there was no funky aftertaste. No coffee breath = A Win in my book. (My bottle did smell like vitamins for the rest of the day though.)  Oh here's a pic! I think I got the Mango Strawberry flavor.

Next on the agenda is Catalyst and my workout! I'm ready! I'm either going to a run or a high intensity workout like Warriorz or BodyRock. Let's do this!

I Gotta Peeeeeeeeeeee

If you saw a white 4Runner pushing 70 down Orangethorpe in Fullerton at 7:50 this morning... that was me. I'm sorry... I had to pee!

I started my 24 Day Challenge this morning, and in following the suggestions of the virtual coach link that Sara sent me, I drank 8 oz of water when I woke up. Then, I drank my fiber drink and another 8 oz of water before making my breakfast shake and heading out the door to work.

I'm not the kind of person that wakes up and drinks water or even coffee for that matter. In fact, I don't drink or eat anything until I get to my office at 8. I don't know about you, but water just flows right through me, and about 10 minutes into my 30 minute drive to work, I felt it coming. I told myself, "meh it's Wednesday, there shouldn't be too much traffic. I can make it." So I hopped on the freeway, and ::BAM:: the 91 was packed with red tail lights. I tried not to think about it during my drive, but about one mile from my work exit I was doing a serious potty dance.

(My potty dance was not nearly as awesome as Michelle Jenneke's pre-race warm-up routine, but my final sprint was pretty epic.) 

I work in an industrial area that doesn't have a lot of stores close by, and we're right next to a very busy set of train tracks. It's a real pee emergency nightmare. As I was flying down Orangethorpe, I knew my final obstacle would possibly be a train. So, I threw some prayers up to the Big Guy that the tracks would be free and clear this morning. Just my luck... there was a train, but he did answer my prayers by making it a short one.

When I finally pulled into work, I sprinted straight from the parking lot to the restroom. That was a close one.

Lesson One of the 24 Day Challenge:

Pee before you leave the house, Tina.

Quick note on the Fiber Drink:

I've seen videos where people have downed this stuff like they were chugging beer during a game of Flip Cup, and I honestly don't know how that is possible! The texture reminded me of Malt-O-Meal, and I don't chug Malt-O-Meal. It tastes pretty ok though.

My 24 Day Challenge

That's right ladies and gents... I have decided to take Advocare's 24 Day Challenge! I was inspired by my recent Twitter friend Sara's posts about her success with Advocare, and I decided to give it a go when she became a distributor. This girl had nothing but good things to say about the program, and I needed SOMETHING to get me out of my funk.

I didn't purchase the full 24 Day Challenge, because I really couldn't afford the whole package, but Sara suggested that I do it in stages so that I could get started. I purchased the Herbal Cleanse, the Spark and the Catalyst, and before these first 10 days are over, I will purchase the next set of products. In retrospect, I wish I had decided to purchase the OmegaPlex too, but I can always order that with my next purchase.

I also didn't order the meal replacement shakes, because I have a RAW protein powder that I really enjoy, and I'm going to stick with it until I finish it. It's very low in sugars, carbs and calories and it's vegan and gluten free. It's not as high in protein or fiber as the Advocare meal replacement shakes, so when I'm finished with this powder, I will probably try the shakes.

My Advocare products arrived today, so the official challenge actually starts tomorrow. I'm going to document my progress through this challenge here, and if there's anything that I have learned from Sara, it's that I need to push myself out of my comfort zone in order to achieve the results that I want. So I am going to get my workouts in to maximize my weight loss potential.

Goals:
-I would like to lose at least 20lbs by October, which is when I am going to run the Long Beach Half Marathon. I have one bad knee, and if I have too much weight on it, it's painful to run long distances.
-I finished last year's half in 2 hrs and 30 mins, and I would like to shave some time off of that finish time as well.
-My one year wedding anniversary is in November, and I want to look as good (if not better) on that day as I did when I got married.
-I want to get down to at least 150 lbs.

This is me a day after my wedding:

I can do this, and I am so ready! Wish me luck!!!

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet...

For every negative thought I have, I have to come up with something great that is the opposite of that thought. I love this picture of myself. Goodnight! 

The Real Love Story

It's not often that you come across guidelines for living a real love story. In The Path To Love, Deepak Chopra provides a quick rundown of the difference between someone who is living their love story and someone who is not living their love story, and it made me realize that I have a long journey ahead of me. It was not discouraging though. It was actually rather empowering.

Here are the differences according to The Path To Love:


People who live a love story:

• Have learned to separate their actions from their beliefs that they are lovable.
• They can give on all levels.
• They don't expect anything in return for being good. 
• They don't judge or live in fear of judgment.
• They do not expect others to make them feel loved. (The Self is the ultimate source of love.)

People who are not living their love story:

• Feel numb and traumatized.
• They feel valued for what they do, not for who they are.
• They live on distorted beliefs 
• They have failed at love and are too tired to try again.

I would say I am somewhere between the two. How about you? Are you living a love story?

Path To Love Challenge

Last week I was talking to one of my girlfriends about some dating issues she was having. She had a very negative outlook on life at that particular moment, and she was basing her self-worth on a few failed relationships. Although I know how amazing she is, and how so not amazing these other people are, I could relate to her. I've had my relationships where I wondered where I had gone wrong and what I could have done better to make things work. I have felt like absolute zero before, but I always told myself that I deserved to be happy.

I asked my girlfriend one simple question: Do you love yourself? Her response was just as simple: No.

Reading that hit me hard, but I would be lying if I said I had no idea what she was talking about. I have dealt with self-doubt and self-hate more than once in my life.  

I got married in November, and although I love my husband, I felt as though there was something missing in my life. I thought marriage was going fill that void, but it didn't, and I went into a bit of a depression when I realized that. The truth is, I am my own worst critic. I've had my days where I was downright mean to myself. I picked myself apart and made faces at myself. I've even let the way I feel about myself get in the way of me participating in some activities. So if someone had posed that same question to me, I couldn't without a doubt say that I do love myself. 

When I came to this realization, I decided that there was no way I could be of any help to my friend if I couldn't even love myself. 

So I sought a bit of help from the experts, and I came across a book called The Path To Love by Deepak Chopra. The first line read: All of us need to believe that we are loved and lovable. I brought the book home, and spent a good two hours reading and taking notes, because I was having so many "Aha!" moments. He talks about how the greatest source of love is The Self. "The Self is the highest value and it deserves love without exception." 

Love is meant to heal.

Love is meant to renew.

Love is meant to inspire us with its power. 

Love is meant to make us feel safe. 

Love is meant to make us certain with no doubt.

Love is meant to oust all fear.

Love is meant to unveil immortality.

Love is meant to bring peace.

Love is meant to harmonize differences.

Love is meant to bring us closer to God. 

Those are powerful words!! I'm only about a quarter of the way through the book, and I decided that I want to start a "Path to Love Challenge" for myself. I want to create an environment of love within myself, because I would like to start a family, and when my children are inside of me, I want to be able to radiate love toward them, not only with my thoughts, but with all of my soul. (I know this may sound a bit "granola" as my dad would call it, but this is very important to me.)

My husband and I decided that we were going to start trying for a baby in October, after we run the Long Beach Half Marathon together.

Everyone's Path To Love Challenge is different. There's no time limit, and there are no penalties. 

How it works for me:

-I will start my mornings with meditation on the heart. Deepak Chopra has a whole chapter dedicated to this, and he tells you how to get started.

-I will not have negative thoughts about myself as I am looking in the mirror and getting ready for work.

-Throughout the day, I will nourish my body with nutritious food that I have prepared myself.

-I will smile more and try to be a positive force throughout the day.

-I will exercise daily because I love myself enough to be as healthy as possible. I will continue to train for the half marathon, but I will also incorporate yoga in my workouts. 

-I will spend at least an hour a night reading and reflecting on my Path To Love notes.

-I will go to church, because I would like to grow my relationship with God.

-I will be a source of love for others.

This is my challenge. 

Good Morning!

I'm not sure what it is about the weekend, but I am always up bright and early on Saturday morning feeling like I'm ready to take on the world. Naturally, I wanted to get up and get going right away, but I know today is going to be crazy busy. Instead, I've decided to sit here next to the open door to my balcony and drink a cup o' tea and blog.

In a few hours I will be driving around Long Beach picking up food for a volunteer appreciation picnic for my mom's work. Then I will hit the mall to buy a dress for my cousin's graduation party. I'm supposed to go to two graduation parties, but it's really going to depend on the timing, because I've also got to fit a workout in before I go shopping.

Yesterday I did something dumb... I weighed myself. After a month of serious focus and hard work, I thought the scale would be nice to me. I thought wrong. I know I've lost inches, and I'm getting compliments from people who are noticing a difference, but that damn scale didn't budge one pound. So I had a bit of a meltdown. Because, you know, the best thing to do when you're feeling fat, is MAKE yourself fat. I made some bad choices yesterday, but I'm not going to beat myself up. I'm still full from my late night Alberto's run, so I'm just going to drink my tea and grab a piece of fruit on my way out the door.

Why didn't the scale budge? Possibly because I'm a week out from my shark week. Possibly because I've been working with a lot of weights, and I'm building muscle. The reality is, my pants are fitting me better, my stomach is flatter and my face is thinner. Those are all things the scale can't take away from me. I will find my stride.

Half marathon training starts Monday!!! Awwww yeah!!

Fresh and Easy Dinner

I love my food to have color. The more color it has, the happier I am and the more satisfied I feel. Yesterday, I just really wanted to grill some pineapple, but all of the pineapples at the store were not ripe yet. So I decided to grill peaches instead. This changed my whole dinner plan, but it still came out delicious!

Dinner Ingredients:
Ground Turkey
Corn
Black Beans
Red Peppers
Peaches
Avocado
Mango
BBQ Sauce
Chipotle Glaze

 Mango, Red Pepper, Green Chile, Avocado and Corn Salsa

Finished Dinner: Sweet and Spicy BBQ Turkey with a spinach and black bean salad topped with the salsa and grilled peaches on the side.

Shopping List For The Weekend

Fruits:
Strawberries- 1 box Sprouts
Blueberries- 1 box Sprouts
Raspberries- 1 box Sprouts
Blackberries- 1 box Sprouts
Fuji Apples- 5 Sprouts
Pears- 5 Sprouts
Cherries- 1 packet Sprouts
Avocados- 3 Sprouts

Vegetables:
Cucumbers- 2 Sprouts
Peppers- 3 Sprouts
Spinach Sprouts
Carrots- 1 pack baby carrots Sprouts
Zucchini- 2 Sprouts
Squash- 2 Sprouts

Meats:
Ham and Turkey- One Packet each Fresh & Easy
Chicken- 2 packets Sprouts
Ground Turkey- 1 packet Sprouts

Dairy:
Sandwich cheese- 1 pack Fresh & Easy
Greek Yogurt plain- 3 individual cups Sprouts

Canned and Packaged Food:
Black Beans- 3 cans Fresh & Easy
Canned Tomatoes- 3 cans Trader Joe's
Oatmeal Plain- Fresh & Easy
Almond Butter- Fresh & Easy
Hummus- Fresh & Easy

Colorful Tuesday

Today the hubs and I decided that we were going to go back to our Meatless Monday routine, but seeing as it's really a Tuesday that just feels like a Monday, I dubbed today "Colorful Tuesday." I had plenty of veggies in my fridge that I really needed to cook or use so that I wouldn't be wasteful, and somehow I made it all work together.

Before I get into dinner, let me give you a quick rundown of the rest of my day:

Breakfast: Oatmeal with a dash of cinnamon and raspberries
Snack: Banana

Lunch: Spinach with chopped strawberries and one medium fuji apple, topped with a drizzle of cinnamon pear balsamic vinegar

Snack: Orange

Dinner: Explosion of Color

I cut what was left of some red, orange and yellow peppers I had in the fridge into long strips. Then I tossed them in a bit of olive oil and seasoned them with paprika, lemon pepper seasoning and a bit of sea salt. Then I grilled them on my grill pan. 

While those cooked, I chopped up some tomatoes and half of an avocado and mixed them together with a bit of salt and pepper and lime juice. 

Then I toasted two slices of Ezekiel Bread and smeared a bit of roasted red pepper hummus on each slice. I sprinkled a bit of goat cheese on my toast, and Josh put a slice of pepper jack cheese on his. Then we added a layer of spinach and topped it off with the avocado and tomato mixture. 

On the side we had our grilled peppers with a bit of hummus for dipping. It was fresh, colorful and perfect for summer! 

I Got It From My Momma

When I was growing up, I remember that my mom would take every ad from the Sunday paper, and she would sit at our dining room table and dedicate at least two hours to cutting and organizing her coupons. Once she was finished, we would head out to at least 5 different stores to purchase our goods for the week.

The first store was always Sam's Club, because they close the earliest on Sundays. Then we would make our way to Walmart, Food4Less, Stater Brothers, and maybe Kmart. As a kid, I had no concept of money, budgeting or the cost of groceries. I just knew that I HATED grocery shopping like this. I swore up and down that I would shop at whatever store is closest to me and that would be IT! 

So here I am 28 years old... and I am so my mother's daughter. I may not shop at the same stores as she did, because it's just my husband and I, but I have three stores that I go to for everything, and none of them are my local grocery stores. 

My favorites are: 

 I love their produce and prices. I can walk out of there with a week's worth of fruit and veggies at around $20! I'm also huge on the environment of the stores I shop at. Sprouts is so vibrant and open and colorful. (I'm weird... I know...)

I come here to buy my sandwich meats, canned items, breads, cheeses, oatmeal, and waffles. I also really like the friendliness of their staff. Trader Joe's associates are generally very helpful, which makes shopping there so much more enjoyable. 

I love Fresh & Easy, because they have fabulous quick prep items like ready-to-grill veggie packs, steamable veggie packs, quinoa and brown rice bowls, and they have a wonderful variety of F&E brand sauces. Their Chipotle glaze sauce is a staple in our home, and these items make dinner a breeze to put together! They also have a great rewards program where you can take your points and convert them to cash points to use in a future purchase.  

I may not sit and clip every coupon like my mother did on Sunday nights, but I definitely learned how to plan my week food-wise and stretch my dollar like a pro!  

Pow!!

Thanks to Bob Harper's "The Skinny Rules: The Simple Non-Negotiable Principles For Getting To Thin," I have opted out of adding Splenda to my daily coffee, and I have to be honest... this is going to take some getting used to. I LOVE coffee! I love the smell and taste of a great blend and just the overall comfort it brings to my morning schedule.

Prior to the Skinny Rules, I would add some unsweetened almond milk and two Splenda packets to my coffee. I made the transition from creamer to almond milk, because I discovered that creamer was not sitting well with my stomach and it never failed that after I finished my coffee, I would end up in the restroom. Almond milk doesn't make it as creamy as I used to like it, but the Splenda at least made it sweet and enjoyable.

My first taste of coffee sans sweetener was like a bitter slap in the face, but I was determined to turn the other cheek. Now that I know what to expect, it's not too bad, but it's definitely an adjustment. Today's blend was more of a punch in the face thanks to the IT guy's heavy hand with the coffee grounds and the "KAPOW" that is the Starbucks Bold blend. Gooooooooood Mooooooooorning!!!!

Patriotic Fresh Berry Delight

Happy Memorial Day! I hope everyone had a great weekend. This morning I was thinking about what I was going to bring to my family barbecue, and as I was working out, I decided I would pick up some fruit and make a fruit salad. Then I remembered a picture I saw on Twitter of a flag made out of fruit and cheese, and I knew that I could make it and put my own little twist on it and everyone would love it. (Especially the little ones!) I grabbed this cute white platter out of my cupboard and headed out the door to Sprouts. I love how inexpensive the produce is at Sprouts!!

I bought one container of blueberries, two containers of strawberries and one container of raspberries. Everything looked so ripe and plump, and I just really loved the idea of serving something fresh and colorful. When I got to the dairy section, I was a little disheartened to see that they only had a soywhip, because I really wanted to use a light whip like a Cool Whip to serve as my white stripe. Just as I was about to give up hope, I spotted a whole bunch of containers of Cool Whip in the freezer section!! Yes!!!

This platter was so easy to put together, and it is the perfect dessert for a hot summer day, because it is fresh, vibrant in color, light and best of all: CUTE! My cousin, Sophia, even asked me to please make it again for the 4th of July. :) Win!!!