Getting sick is no picnic

I unfortunately spent the last week sick and traveling for work....ugh!! I didn't workout for 5 days and I'm feeling the flab, luckily this came with zero weight gain! Woot! 21lbs down and looking to take off at least 15 more by our trip in May. MUST. WORK. HARDER. MUST. EAT. LESS.

In the meantime this is what is scattered all over my house:

On the menu:

Oscillococcinum - by far the BEST homeopathic cold & flu meds available!
Echinacea
Oil of Oregano - Crack for all that ails you
Zinc Lozenges - great for scratchy throats
Emergen-C

Strong is definatley the new sexy

Not only is this pose insanely difficult, this girl has her head up and a smile on her face. So ridiculusly sexy!

Push it Real Good

Today was day three of Jillian Micheal's 30 Day Shred video and it was rough! I know it sounds silly that a 20 minute workout would hurt SO bad, but it did and does. I was feeling it this morning and was dreading turning on my DVD for day three, but you have to make it rain, no pain, no gain. I am determined to make it 30 days and will make it through no matter what!

On another note, I have not had a GOOD, SOLID run in a week. Sad face. This weekend I am going out to the trails to see what I can do. Never give up....do you hear me self??? Never!

I am still 2lbs away from 20 lost. This will be the last week of that. I am going to play it smart this weekend and not indulge. I look forward to saying this about my 30lb mark!

Peanut Butter Jelly Time...or really a leek soup fast

Thanks to this, I have been on strict liquids for two days to lose my debacherous 5lbs. I started with the French Women Don't get Fat Recipe, but had to tweak it, due to tasteless boredom.

So I took this recipe:
Recipe for Magical Leek Soup
Serves one for the weekend


2 lbs. leeks
Water to cover in a large pot

1. Clean leeks and rinse well to get rid of sand and soil. Cut end of green parts leaving all the white parts plus a suggestion of green. (Reserve the extra greens for soup stock.)
2. Put leeks in large pot and cover with water. Bring to boil and simmer with no lid for 20-30 minutes.

And added a shitload of garlic, 1 can of garbanzo beans, shallots, salt and pepper and pureed it. Not too shabby. I started yesterday, and included protein shakes for breakfast and snacks. 4lbs down and hoping for 2 more tomorrow. I do not advocate a liquid diet, Oprah doesn't either, but I will be damned if I am going to sit on this weight gain when I have worked so hard to get rid of it. No pain no gain right? Tomorrow I will chew chicken!

*French Women Don't Get Fat is a phenomenal book and although I am not a huge fan of the leek water, I highly recommend it.

Bad Habits are Hard to Break

My husband is pretty unhealthy and I have been working on him hard for years to make better food decisions. We all have our weak spots, mine is Whataburger...especially after a few cocktails. Mmmm sweet loving junk food. A love affair that is most certainly(though you may not want to admit) a one way street. As much as you pour your heart and soul into a value meal, in the end it DOES NOT LOVE YOU! It hates you and wants to destroy your body and soul. It's like a bad one night stand that feels so good in the middle, but so not righteous when your pants come back on.

I woke up this morning to my husband vomiting up his left lung. This lasted ALL morning and into the afternoon. Like any other human being, he has bad habits, like picking up fast food on the way home from work at 1am, but he also suffers from serious migraines after said choices. Whether he smoked (very rare) or ate junk food, he will most certainly, 85% of the time, get a stomach ache that inadvertently turns into a full blown migraine/toilet session.

Me: "Honey you ate a bacon cheeseburger, 2 tacos AND and EGG ROLL???"
Him: "I know and I was doing so good, I know you're mad at me."
Me: "I'm not mad at you, but your body certainly is."
Him: "I'm learning."

We are all learning, some of us quicker than others. In the meantime here's a big fat middle finger to you Jack and fast food America. I hope that in the future, during times of hunger and exhaustion, we all have other healthy drive thru options...I hope.

30 Day Shred

I love a good fitness video! If I have had a busy day at work and don't want to devote an hour to working out afterwards, all I have to do is move the coffee table and get down in my undies. No need to spend the extra time putting on a cute outfit, driving to the destination of fitness, working out, driving home...etc.

I just bought Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred and had my first 20 minute workout tonight. Wow! It was rough! I sounded like a wild animal making love to a grizzly bear. I'm very excited to see and post the results in a month.

The video series consists of three 20 minute videos which progress by level of intensity. All you need are dumbells. $9.99 well spent.

Goodbye Soda, Hello Tea

I grew up on Dr. Pepper, I think it may have seeped from my pores during any and all physical activity. It was in every sack lunch and post game thermos, it was (and still kind of is) liquid crack. But that was the 1980's, everything was sugar-based and exciting and colorful! It took a lot of energy to be the 80's. These days, there are absolutely no excuses for the daily consumption of junk when we have access to so much health information (thanks internet). Case in point, giving a three year old a coke 30 years ago was normal, now it's straight up Toddlers and Tiaras parenting.

The irony of the Miss Piggy swimsuit

I still love the magical taste of a Mexican Coca Cola (they use real sugar!) but it's an indulgence....like maybe 3 times a year indulgence. I have known countless friends and family members who live off of soda or diet drinks and it's just unacceptable! There have been plenty of studies done regarding diet soda and it's link to obesity, diabetes, and sometimes cancer. You could technically take these studies either way. Even if the chemicals in diet drinks are NOT to blame there's clearly and scientifically a link between fake sugar and obesity.

It's so important to change up the liquids that are going into your body. We all know that 8 cups of water are essential, so finding ways to get good fluids in your body is a great first step to being healthy.

I have recently been testing out various teas to make my own iced tea at home. For some reason boxed iced teas seem so over the top fruity and I'm really not into that.

Beware of bottled teas (even organic) as they are usually sweetened and full of calories. I am really loving the following hot teas made over ice:

Yogi Blueberry Slim Life Green Tea
Yogi Green Tea Goji Berry
Good Earth Jasmine Green Tea
Traditional Medicinals Cranberry Tea

Take 3-4 tea bags in a pitcher half full of boiling water. Let seep for 5-10 minutes and fill with cold water.

Tea can be an acquired taste for some (especially if you are weening yourself off of sugar) so take your time and test out different flavors. Adding citrus helps too.

Thanks for the 5lbs St. Patty's Day!

Ugh! I used to love lazy, gluttonous weekends, now I despise them. I must have walked a good 3 miles during the St. Patty's Day parade, but b/c I did not exercise (all weekend!!!) I put on 5lbs! The anger!! I know that it's mostly beer bloat and salty  water weight, but it still makes my blood boil.  I have spent the last two days on a seriously strict diet and pounded down a good 8 gallons of water trying to get rid of it.  If I had a great run or intense workout over the weekend I would not be dealing with this. I hate wasting a couple of days (or a week) trying to make up for lost time. The weekend before last I ran over 8 miles, went to two birthday parties and had at least 2 pieces of cake (not to mention other party snacks) and gained NOTHING! Lesson learned!

Look at that can of cheap beer screaming into my ear, "Don't do it!! You should have gone for a run this morning and you are going to regret this!!"

Don't Lose it!! Your Cool of Course...

I am 3lbs away from 20lbs lost. Whoa! Huge right? Then why do I still feel like a chub ball?
It's simple....I am not even halfway there yet.

You have to take everything in stride. I am still unsatisfied with my size, but holy crap I have come insanely far in less than 2 months! Stick with it (yes I'm telling myself this) because eventually I will put on those sexy vintage brown velour pants that have been waiting patiently to peel over my ass. Patiently. For years.

I always hear "organizational experts" telling people to throw away any clothes that you have not worn in over a year. That's bullshit! You should ALWAYS have those items tucked WAY  back in your closet. Those pants will be there for you after some serious hard work so that you can shout (in your mind or outloud)  "holy shit I'm wearing....after....years!!!" Right?

I read once that your life of dieting was so minuscule compared to your life overweight. So dieting for 2 months compared to my life over a healthy size (let's be realistic....7 years) is .02% .

.02%! Seriously? That's nothing!

Let's break it down real simple.
7 years of an unsexy body = 84 months
2 months of dieting/exercise divided by  84 months of chub = 0.0238095238%

Yeah that works for me.

Mad Abs March

I just saw this online. 5 days late, but better late than never.

Side Plank Preview:

Apple Cider Vinegar to Relieve Knee Pain

ACV and I are very, very good friends. It's medicinal properties are endless and I can not imagine my life without it....I know that's a bit much, but it's oddly true.

I was having very mild knee pain from running, so I began researching natural remedies. It came as no surprise that AVC was mentioned countless times. And better yet, this remedy works!

It's very simple, before bed:

Soak a rag (I prefer torn strips of an old t-shirt) in ACV
Lightly squeeze the rag and wrap it around your knee
Wrap the knee with saran wrap and sleep it off

I also tried this method on my husband's feet and he noticed a huge difference the next morning.

Dear ACV,
I love you.

Why Are Athletic Shoes So Ugly??

I hate to sound so ridiculous, but searching for a new pair of running shoes was a style nightmare! Rows and rows and web pages and pages of out of control tacky shoes! It's bad enough that I have large feet (9.5-10) but putting spider web neon stripes and gigantic soles on a pair of shoes gives me the appearance of a size 12.

"Hey check out my giant feet!! Look I have made them as flashy and large as possible so that they really look unproportionate!"

I almost bought the Reebok Realflex, because they had good reviews and were very minimal, but I could not get over the hideousness. Seriously this picture gives their tackiness no justice, especially in my size. It was too much!

This is what else I was dealing with. Painful.

Not only should you feel good when working out, but I kinda think you should look good too. Caring about how you look boosts your confidence, sweaty or not.

So I finally found a minimal running shoe that works for my style, the New Balance Minimus. They are in the mail, so reviews to come!

Running/Walking Log Week 2

Tuesday: 5 Mile Run
Wednesday: 2.5 Mile Run- Solo!! 1 Mile Walk
Friday: 4.25 Mile Run 1.5 Mile Walk
Saturday: 2.25 Mile Run 1.75 Mile Walk
Sunday: 7 Mile Run - Solo

Needless to say, I killed it this week. I am not sure how I got the guts to run 7 miles today, and my body was definatley not loving the idea 6 miles in, but it felt amazing.

My goal was to run 10 miles this week and I doubled it. 21 miles! It's absolutly an incredible feeling!