Life's Gristle

Going Vegan?

2013-11-13T12:33:00.001-08:00

I don't really care about how many people read my blog. I used to because I heard having a really good blog got you free stuff. After years of on-again-off-again blogging, I've come to the conclusion that what I really want is a place to jot down all the crazy health fads I go through, to see what works for me.

About 12 years ago, (ironically after I got married), I started getting major stomach cramps and disgusting digestive 'problems'. After a lot of poking and prodding, a stomach biopsy, a colonoscopy, and even a hydro-colonic session, it was determined that I had IBS...For those of you who don't know what that is, it's Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

I remember when I first heard of IBS, it was listening to the Howard Stern show on the radio (when it was free to listen) and Kelsey Grammar was a guest, talking about his wife's IBS. Needless to say a string of diarrhea jokes and fart sounds soon followed in that broadcast. All of which I laughed to.

My IBS magically disappeared when I got pregnant 4 years later, only to re-appear now that my daughter is 6.

If you know me, you know that I've always done SOME kind of diet and exercise. Yoga and Atkins, Personal Training and Carb Cycling, then home exercise and Paleo diet. The last one which REALLY worked the best. But I can't stick with anything for too long. Making three meals a day from SCRATCH, and most times, two OTHER meals for my daughter and husband, I got soooo fed up with washing dishes and running to the store for fresh ingredients all the time.

But I'm at it again. After watching Forks over Knives, I've determined that I'm going to try Vegan. Not for the sake of the cow (although it does help but god help me for loving steak) but for cancer and heart disease purposes.

I have NO medical history since I'm adopted, and with all these IBS symptoms creeping back up, what can it hurt? Can I give up meat, cheese and fish? It's really an extreme diet, but I'll see! My husband seems to be on board, since cancer runs in his family. So maybe it will be easier with the cooking and cleaning...probably not though.

10lbs in 10 Days - Day 8-10 CONCLUSION!

2012-06-14T21:23:00.000-07:00

Weight - 149.0

Total Loss - 5 lbs

I finally finished following the Jackie Warner Diet 10lbs. In 10 Days. My total loss was 5 pounds. Days 8-10 was a roller coaster of weight gain and loss due to the fact I'm gaining water (ladies will know what that means.)

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However, because I only lost five and not ten pounds, leads me to believe that maybe this diet works the best on people who have MORE body fat to lose than I do. I was only doing this to get rid of those last pesky 10 pounds. If you know how your body responds to depleted calories, and it works well, this would be a great diet for you. You never feel hungry as long as you remember to eat, and eat EXACTLY what's written out.

BUT there are several things about my body that I've learned on my overall 2-year fitness journey.

First, the best I have ever looked was after intense, 5 days a-week training on a carb-cycling diet for 6 months.

Second, my body responds best to high intense training and complex-carbs.

Jackie's book has exercise circuits and programs laid out for you day by day. Alternating between body parts and exercise. She recommends a lighter weight than I'm used to, so I added weight. Personally, I have done all the exercises before so I knew what I was doing, however if you are new to exercising, keep with the recommended weight, and always remember to keep your back straight as a board to prevent injury.

The book also recommends mini cardio bursts in between circuits, which I'm used to doing, however I am also used to doing HIIT Intervals on the treadmill for 30 minutes AFTER training. You would NOT do this on this ten-day period because you are consuming so little calories in a day. If you burn too many calories in a day, you run the risk of reaching an unhealthy weight complete which can lead to potential health problems.

Why did I not lose 10 pounds? Who knows. I am happy with the weight I did lose, I feel tighter and look a hair skinnier. 5 more pounds would be great. But keep in mind there is no 'one size fits all' diet. I know what my body responds to best, which is more food and intense training.

HOWEVER, Jackie Warner states in her book that this was developed for her celebrity clients who need to lose weight fast for either nude scenes or red carpets. If you need to lose that weight that fast, I recommend this 10 in 10 diet. But I would not go any longer than 10 days on the same diet and training because of the lack of calories.

My personal goal is a figure competitive look. To get there, you train hard and eat harder. This was JUST for bathing suit season and to get me started at a lower weight than I was at.

In Jackie's book you have the option to continue on a 20 day cycle and a 30 day cycle. These phases include more calories and a training program which is typical of how to tone up and get lean. If you're in it for the long haul, continue on these next two phases as I will.

Thank you so much for all your comments and input in these last ten days. I will not be posting every day about this particular diet plan, as I think I am going to try paleo next, so I will be posting about that next, as well as life in general.

If you are looking for a personal trainer, check out Alpha Elite Training. They really get it done!

Thanks for reading!

Marcy

10 in 10 - Day 7

2012-06-11T21:05:00.001-07:00

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These are Kettlebells

Height 5' 8"
Weight 150.4
Total Loss - Same as yesterday 3.6lbs.

No weight lost...well shit.

OK, so I'll admit that although I've been copying the diet down to the last almond EXACTLY how it's written in the book, I'm NOT doing the exercises exactly. I do the same weightlifting exercises, but I use more weight with different equipment. I also have been alternating my cardio between jumping jacks and kettlebell swings. Other than that, I have NOT cheated or missed a DAY with exercise. Is jumping rope REALLY so MUCH better than what I'm doing for cardio? I don't own a jump rope, which really isn't the problem, it's my ankle. I can never jump a rope without slapping it into my ankles, which are EXTRA sensitive right now. NOT to mention it hurts when I jump anyway. I think everyone would agree that I shouldn't do something if it hurts my ankle. But it's still frustrating when I'm doing everything else, and it's day 7 and I haven't even lost 5 pounds.

...sigh...

My dinner's are tasting OK again. I think I just needed to get over the monotony 'hump'. My stomach is visibly smaller and feels tighter, and my thighs look smaller (which is the real test...right?)

My temptation today was popcorn and goobers at Madagascar 3. Someone who's addicted to chocolate, I swear the goober smell way overpowered the popcorn. I mentioned it to hubby and he said not to worry because all the goobers were gone. So that only means my addiction has gone into overdrive smelling empty goober boxes...two seats away. Again, I brought my allowed snack and some water and was satisfied.

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I'm beginning to compare this diet to quitting smoking. I smoked for 16 years and quit 4 years ago. Every day after the day I quit was just an added prize. From that first week, to a few months, to years after, if I was around someone who was smoking I never wanted to take a drag because I would have to start all over again at day one.

I can't believe I used to smoke old butts when I ran out...

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That's how I'm starting to feel. It's been one full week without sugar, salt or (real) bread. I'm starting to see great results with how my body feels, so I don't want to screw that up and have to start all over.

I think I may even continue the diet for a couple of more days just to see the numbers on the scale say 144.

Thanks for leaving comments! I love to read them!
Marcy

10 in 10 - Day 6

2012-06-10T19:15:00.000-07:00

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Height - 5' 8"

Weight - 150.4

Total Loss - 3.6lbs.

I'm beginning to see a light at the end, and YAY! Almost below 150, but still 1.4lbs away from the half way point.

I woke up early worried today because we had a birthday party to go to, and my nemesis was going to be there...cake. Determined to push through, I packed my allowed snack per Jacki Warner's Book, 10lbs in 10 days, and water and went. I did fine. In fact it wasn't even the cupcakes that tempted me, it was the grilled cheeseburgers with it's yummy goodness scent, and the multitude of salads (potato, pasta, etc.) that had my mouth watering.

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I decide to workout after lunch today because the birthday didn't start until 4:00 and I knew I would be getting home too late. To my surprise I had enough energy to complete the session. Instead of jumping jacks though, I did 30 - 20lb kettlebell swings in between each circuit, for a total of 90 swings.

My body's metabolism is really climbing, because I'm sweating alot more now during training.

Yesterday I posted that celery had calcium, I found some sources that back that up here and below.

Nutrient	Amount	DV (%)	Nutrient Density	World's Healthiest Foods Rating
Celery 1.00 cup 101.00 grams 16.16 calories
vitamin K	29.59 mcg	37.0	41.2	excellent
folate	36.36 mcg	9.1	10.1	very good
vitamin A	453.49 IU	9.1	10.1	very good
potassium	262.60 mg	7.5	8.4	very good
molybdenum	5.05 mcg	6.7	7.5	very good
fiber	1.40 g	5.6	6.2	very good
vitamin C	3.13 mg	5.2	5.8	very good
manganese	0.10 mg	5.0	5.6	very good
calcium	40.40 mg	4.0	4.5	good
vitamin B2	0.06 mg	3.5	3.9	good
tryptophan	0.01 g	3.1	3.5	good
magnesium	11.11 mg	2.8	3.1	good
vitamin B5	0.25 mg	2.5	2.8	good

World's Healthiest Foods Rating	Rule
excellent	DV>=75% OR Density>=7.6 AND DV>=10%
very good	DV>=50% OR Density>=3.4 AND DV>=5%
good	DV>=25% OR

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I'm in the homestretch!

Thanks for reading!

Marcy

10 in 10 - Day 5, Super Foods

2012-06-10T07:19:00.002-07:00

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Weight -151.2
Total Loss - 2.8lbs
Height 5' 8" (I forgot to state that)

The ankle was fine this morning, so that's a great sign to me that increasing running activity is OK, as long as I push it slowly. However it's the 5th day of Jackie Warner's 10lbs in 10 days, and I've lost a total of 2.8lbs. My mindset tells me that by my weigh-in tomorrow morning, I should have lost 5 lbs. But I also know that my body reacts better to different ways of training. For instance, I'll lose more weight doing a circuit of heavy power lifting, than doing major cardio.

My personal trainer, Kimberly Elliott at Alpha Elite Training, would kick my ass (and probably will) because of the amount of times I'm checking the scale. She spent a year training my brain to NOT TRUST IN THE SCALE, but to trust in how your body feels and and how your clothes fit. But this is just for 10 days, so I think she may give me a break...not.

In Jackie's book, she talks about super foods. Now I have always known that a super food was a food that was really good for you, but she goes into specifics that are really interesting. For instance, did you know that broccoli helps reduce cellulite? AND, I had NO idea that raw celery contains high concentrations of calcium! The book is packed with facts on all the foods on the diet. Not to mention she also includes fun facts about each food. After the Popeye comic was introduced in 1929, spinach sales rose by a third!

Tonight's workout was an all-body circuit, minus the cardio. I welcomed the break of jumping jacks (Jackie recommends jumping rope.) But I HOPE the scale is way down tomorrow!

Thanks for Reading!
Marcy

10 in 10 - Day 4 SPRINTS!

2012-06-08T22:57:00.002-07:00

Weight - 151.4
Total Loss - 2.6 lbs

Yay!

I'm actually starting to think that this may be possible. I've NEVER lost 10 lbs in 10 days unless I had the stomach flu or broke my ankle (and even that took a month).

I'm getting good with not taking mini bites of Aubrie's food ( I haven't at all, I really want to do this diet right.) I've actually been taking note of all the times throughout the day that I would have, and it equals to be a whole snack or a meal! Those little bites here and there that you don't think are going to be a problem, really add up.

The food still tastes good except for dinner. I'm starting to get tired of the same thing. I cooked tonight's meal with last night's, trying to save time...which it did...but tonight my chicken was dry and my veggie was soggy.

...sigh...

I'm thinking at this point that I'm not even at the half way mark of my 10 days. So it may really start to suck to eat this same meal for 6 more days. Yet I'm determined, and all the fitness pages I belong to on Facebook are constantly posting inspirational images and quotes that keep me going.

Basically, take a lifesaver and suck it up.

Tonight's workout was sprint intervals on the treadmill. I hadn't sprinted since before my accident, and I hadn't even jogged for more than two minutes since. It was a total of 25 minutes, and the intervals got harder and harder...and right now, my ankle is really sore. This morning's weight drop put a huge smile on my face, so I hope this soreness was worth it when I get on the scale tomorrow!

Thanks for reading! ...going to ice my ankle...

Marcy

10 in 10 - Day 3

2012-06-07T21:18:00.000-07:00

Weight 153.0
Total Loss - 1 lb

I've started reaching my goal with my water intake as suggested in Jackie Warner's book 10lbs in 10 Days. Even my Costco trip, which usually consists of icy diet coke, was a cinch to override. I remember when I was drinking at least a gallon a day and how I got up to that point. If you're not used to drinking water, it's going to suck to start...you're going to hate it. I've taken pointers from a day spa I once went to that had cucumber and lemon slices in the water. So I've been doing that. I love it.

Same meals and snacks, I'm not really bored with it (yet). My body is becoming retrained so like clockwork, it knows when I need to eat. When you're just sitting there and break a sweat, that's you're metabolism becoming more efficient (unless you have hot flashes). My metabolism is speeding up and working harder, that's when I take my cue to eat.

At this point, my body still feels the same, but I know I'm losing so mentally I feel good.

As far as exercising, I went in the pool today with Aubrie for an hour, and almost justified it as my exercise for the day...almost. Yet after dinner, I did the prescribed circuit anyway. I'm hoping tomorrow more weight comes off.

Thanks for reading!

Marcy

10lbs in 10 Days - Day 2

2012-06-06T23:04:00.000-07:00

Weight - 153.4
Loss - .6 lbs.

Unfortunately my digital scale calculates "micropounds". On any other scale I would calculate this new weigh in as 1 full pound.

I stuck with the meal plan all day. Although I have to retrain my brain about my 'one bite here and there' justification. Aubrie's kids meal at her swim class came with 2 cookies. I told her I was going to eat one of them, then called myself on it because for a split second I forgot about my meal plan. (Those small m&m cookies looked real good...)

Same breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks as day one. It was fine until dinner when I grilled hubby and Aubrie a nice, big, juicy, marinated london broil, alongside my chicken. So I decided to cook it well done (which I hate) so I wouldn't be tempted.

I never felt hungry throughout the day which was great. I just have to make sure that I'm eating every 2-3 hours.

My arms and chest were sore from yesterday's workout. I welcomed it though. At physical therapy all my workouts were leg-related to suit my ankle. I felt like my upper body was being neglected. Sure, for the past couple of months (when I started driving again) I could have been driving myself to the gym for an upper body circuit, but time, laziness and doctor's visits prevented me from going.

So it really feels good to feel my biceps 'scoop' up the weight during a curl...and I LOVE shoulders...which was part of tonight's program along with legs, abs and cardio.

This time I bumped up the cardio with jumping jacks. Jackie Warner's book asks for jump roping, but I don't own one nor do I know how to jump rope without adding a bunny hop in between each rotation. I did 3 sets of 100 jumping jacks and I felt more fatigued after the workout than yesterday.

It feels good..no...AWESOME to get back into it again!

I hope the scale is even lower tomorrow.

Thanks for reading!

Marcy

10lbs. In !0 Day's - Day One

2012-06-05T21:59:00.000-07:00

Weight - 154.0

I woke up excited for the day of a new diet and the possibility of being 10 pounds lighter in ten days.

Breakfast was simple, and included my coffee fix, except I had to substitute stevia for my splenda and my Almond Joy creamer for almond milk. It was still a great cup of coffee.

The thought of not having to to crack and cook 5-6 eggs was great. I've never been much of a cook. Sure dinner was fine, but in the last year I've been grilling cod at 7am. The smaller portions of this new diet made me wonder if I was going to be starving in an hour.

Jackie Warner lays out a meal plan which includes 3 meals and two snacks. This is typical of what my previous plan(s) were like, but in those plans, the two snacks were more like meals with specific measurements of carbs, proteins and fats. In this new plan, the snacks are just that...snacks.

I'm used to spacing out my meals so at 10am, I was onto my first snack, and at 12:30 my lunch.

I was really kind of dreading lunch because of the lack of protein and the mix of sprouted grain bread with specified veggies did not sound appetizing. Boy was I wrong. It turned out the ingredients made a wonderful flavorful sandwich that even my 4 year old picky daughter said looked yummy. In fact, when it was gone, I wanted another one but I was too full!

At 2:30 I was on to my second snack which included almond butter. I had tried almond butter before and hated it but I was NOT willing to stray from this diet. It turned out, again, I liked it a lot. I'm wondering if it was perhaps a different brand.

At this point in the day I was slowly realizing that I had to exercise soon. Typically I like to exercise in the morning, but I just didn't want to try with such a small breakfast, and quite frankly, I was avoiding it because of the lack of food I was eating. Yet somehow I was NOT starving which Jackie even states in her book that I wouldn't be hungry due to the combination of foods that's laid out.

Dinner was a familiar meal that I usually make, however one of the vegetable sides was different. It was a TON of food which I was looking forward to. For some reason my mind was psyching me out about the size of the meal, in the fact that more food = less weight (in a highly intense exercise program.) Dinner was awesome, and even my husband (picky eater number two,) LOVED the new side.

Soooo....day one of the meal plan, done. Can I eat the SAME meals for the next 9 days? We'll see if I get bored.

After dinner the time had come to (finally) exercise. After all, you won't lose weight if you don't expend more calories than you take in in a day.

The whole program took me a half an hour. It focused on chest, biceps and abs with specific amounts of intermittent cardio. I had to stray from the particular cardio exercise due to my ankle, so I decided to run on an inclined treadmill for a minute.

My concerns about the exercise program not being 'enough' were laid to rest. I was NOT bending over almost up-chucking, trying to catch my breath like at bootcamp. But it was challenging enough that my muscles were maxing out (meaning it was hard to do the last couple of reps in the set.) I do however, have to disclaim that I did NOT use the recommended weight that Jackie says to use in her book. I used heavier, only because I knew I could, and heavier weights are all I have.

I'm pretty happy that I completed my first day and that I didn't give in to a taste of Aubrie's ooey gooey cupcake from Whole Foods. (That really sucked. I could smell the sugar.)

I'm wondering now if it actually will be one pound in one day, or if there will be a significant drop in weight in a few days.

Tonight, I'm not hungry, I'm tired but not so exhausted that I can't finish this post (or watch a recorded show after.) My goal for today was to get through the first day and I did, so I'm proud of myself for that. The only thing I slacked on was the water intake recommendation. I will work on that for my goal for day two.

Thanks for reading!

Marcy

10lbs. in 10 Days? Hmmmm....

2012-06-04T21:58:00.000-07:00

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So swimsuit season is here and due to my ankle (I use my ankle as an excuse A LOT,) I missed my head start in getting ready.

On my fitness journey, one of the resources I trusted in was the FitnessRX Magazine for Women website forums. When I joined the forum over a year ago, I met a group of strong, spectacular ladies who have greatly influenced my fitness goals.

The women on the forum ranged from dieters to bikini and figure competitors. There we shared meals, life, recipes, goals and before and after photos. It was here where I first gained knowledge of what, where, how and when to eat and exercise to reach my goals, In addition to my personal trainer Kimberly Elliott over at Alpha Elite Training, I would not be where I am today without these great ladies cheering and supporting me on.

We all subscribe(d) to the magazine itself, and would discuss the articles and women featured in them. One of which is Jackie Warner, a guru of health and fitness. I'm not going to go into her biography, but if you like, you can read that here. Just know that she is a celebrity trainer, owns a couple of gyms and has had two television shows on the Bravo channel Work Out and more recently Thintervention with Jackie Warner.

I had always heard of 'amazing' 10lbs in 10 days diets, and they always just seem to be fad diets. But when the latest book by Jackie Warner, 10 Pounds in 10 Days hit the stands, I actually stopped and thought that there may be something to it since it was written by a woman who've I came to know and respect through reading the magazine. I liked her workouts and philosophy, and I thought that it would be a no-gimmicks 'latest fad' diet.

So I purchased the book and read it.

Courtesy www.jackiewarner.com

At First, when I got to the diet plan for the 10 days, I did a double take. I'm not going to go into specifics about the plan, as that would not be fair to Ms. Warner, but basically it is a calorie-restricted diet for the sake of losing pounds and is completely different from my previous meal plans.

My original goal was (and still is) to have the body of a figure competitor...

Sandy Wiedmeyer NGA and IFPA Figure Pro (and friend!)

Co-Creator of Team F.A.B

...who's program consists of intense workouts and strict diets of complex carbs and proteins. Proteins, proteins, proteins, at every meal (5-6 meals a day). The Jackie Warner 10 day diet has one source of protein at dinner.

Hmmmm.... my mantra for the next 10 days is that this diet's purpose is to lose weight, NOT gain muscle.

But I'm no expert.

My second thought on the calorie restricted diet, is that it doesn't seem like NEARLY enough calories and carbs to give me energy for the type of training I'm used do. But Jackie's book has a daily exercise program that is less intense, but similar to what I'm used to.

The great thing about the book is that it doesn't just stop at 10 days. If you chose you can move to a second phase, the next ten days, and even a third phase for a total of 30 days. The second and third phases increase caloric intake and move on to more intense workouts that involve weighted circuits and HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training.)

The third phase most resembles what I'm used to, and it makes sense that Jackie would lean this way as it is how all these great fitness trainers have the bodies that they do. But for my purposes, I'm going to do the first phase to lose the 10 pounds. Then gradually progress from there in the training that I'm used to, to maintain and reach my goal.

For the next 10 days, I'll blog about my progress. Again, I won't go into specifics about Jackie Warner's plan, but I will detail how I feel this may help or hinder my progress. So, can I lose 10lbs in the next 10 days? I never have before (except when I had a bad case of the stomach flu a few years back,) but I'm willing to do this for the sake of my bathing suit.

Thanks for Reading!

Marcy

1st Day Back

2012-06-01T12:25:00.001-07:00

So I realize that I entitled my blog 'Life's Gristle', and these past five months have certainly been fatty with cartilage.

Thanksgiving day I fell in my high heels and broke my right ankle on either side. December first I had surgery, with a 7"plate inserted on my the outside of my ankle, and two three-inch screws inserted on the inside of my ankle (note the extreme opaque spots on the x-ray below...and yes, those are staples as well.) I couldn't walk for three months, and couldn't drive for four.

I'm not going to go on and on about my everyday emotions during the whole experience, because I'm done with it, and everyone who reads my blog probably already knows all about it! :)

Basically, this is what happened:

Over the next 6 months, it went like this, break foot, splint, surgery, torturous pain, splint, boot, walker, torturous pain, crutches, knee scooter, couch potato, support a little weight, then a little more, torturous pain, start walking with boot, still can't drive, month later, boot off, drive, physical therapy, torturous pain.

I'm going to move on now, I've talked about my foot for 6 months.

For those of you that know me, I was and avid gym member, so my first day back was brutal. My trainers over at Alpha Elite offer FREE BOOTCAMP on Saturday mornings, so I decided to try my luck last Saturday.

HOLY HELL, it kicked my ass.

It wasn't really my ankle, but the fact that I couldn't get my breathing under control. The 7-station circuit was intense and brutal. It's funny though, as they were explaining the stations, I was secretly thinking to myself how easy it was going to be.

Well a half an hour and 100 push-ups later, it was the first time EVER that I really considered throwing up. But all in all, everyone was glad to see me and cheered me on. I had to take more breaks than usual, and decided I really need to get my asthma under control, what I'm doing now is just NOT working. Unfortunately, bootcamp is on hold for two weeks while my trainers go on their annual vacation, but I am building myself up at my gym.

I also am trying a new diet plan. Paleo. Yes it's the so-called 'caveman' diet, which will be the topic of my next post. I am, however, considering a more drastic diet to get bathing-suit ready within the next couple of weeks. I'll keep you posted!!!

Also, if you need a trainer, or a physical therapist, check out the links below!

Blankinship Physical Therapy

Thanks For Reading!

Marcy

Teacher Mystery

2011-11-22T09:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I picked Aubrie up from school and she asked me where her teacher's (Miss Krista) bed was. I explained to her that her bed was at her house.

"Just like I drive you to school from home, Miss Krista drives to school from her house. When school is over, she drives back to her house."

Aubrie is silent for a moment. "Miss Krista doesn't live at school?"

It's amazing what we assume our children already know!

My New Website

2011-09-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

I know I haven't been blogging a lot lately, but I plan to change that, as I have a TON of things to blog about.

I FINALLY got my website up and you can check it our here.

It shows all of my artwork and graphic design.

I'm a Contributor!

2011-08-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! For a few weeks now, I've been a contributing writer on another blog, Women Who Do It All. I have been picked to write bi-monthly on living a healthy lifestyle. Check it out now!

My New Mural - Bath Junkie

2011-07-26T13:27:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest mural job. This was done over at San Tan mall in Gilbert, AZ at a store called Bath Junkie. This is a really unique store that has all types of bath products, soaps, lotions, cologne, shampoos etc., as well as house cleaning products and products for your pets.

The unique part of this store is that you pick the product, and then there is a wall of different scents to choose from. You can mix up to three to four scents to customize your product! They even have a menu of mixed scents that you can try out as well. This is by far the coolest store to come around in a while.

They also host parties. Princess parties for girls, nights out with the girls...any occasion really. So my job was to paint a life-size french-style bathtub for the party goers to stand in front of, and receive a picture to take home with them.

You can see the party table to the right, and the wall of scents on the left. Above the bath tub I painted a chalkboard with a fancy frame. Bath Junkie will write the name of the birthday girl or their scent of the month on the chalkboard.

I used gold paint for the frame, faucet and mirror.

The owner wanted extra foo foo-ness so I added glitter to the bubbles.

Details.

This was a really fun project. The total size was 4.5 x 6.5 feet.

Alpha-Elite-est, The Gym Month 5

2011-07-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

It's been 5 months since I started back at the gym. I've done hundreds of burpees, box jumps and mountain climbers. I've shed blood from doing planks, as well as shedding sweat and tears. I've suffered jitters from fat burners (my idea), sand in my eyes from sandbag cleans, bruised pinkie fingers from boxing and an occasional midnight binge, polishing off boxes of ice cream. Is it worth it? You bet.

The Alpha Elite Training team is a personal training duo, Kimberly Elliott (my trainer), and Andrew Hangartner (who've I trained with in the past. Their philosophy is based off of education and motivation. They educate their clients to make them more inclined to continue on a successful path of fitness and nutrition. Their clients learn what to do and eat and why.

Kimberly and Andrew don't just run you through a killer workout to burn calories, (in fact don't even dare mention calorie counting to them!) They actually sit down with each individual client to find out who they are and what they envision for themselves. They then create a plan of action to help clients obtain their goals.

The Alpha Elite team is definitely NOT "one-size-fits-all" trainers. But you have to be willing to do the work necessary to obtain your goals. It's not easy and it is a TON of work, but when you see your results, the self gratification is more than I can explain. I've been training with Kimberly 3 times a week, as well as going to my gym on the off days.

The top 10 things I have learned and obtained from training with Alpha Elite:

1) Everyone is different. Alpha Elite follows a carb-cycling diet. However it WILL be adjusted to fit your body, and how your body reacts to the food. For instance, my body loses more fat eating (complex) carbs at every meal, I eat 5-6 measured meals a day-depending on how late I stay up.

2) Boobs are the first thing to go.

3) I've doubled my weight used in bent-over rows (20lbs each hand), reverse flys (10lbs), seated rows (60-70 lbs), and lateral pulldowns. I've also increased weight in dumbell curls and overhead presses-basically my whole upper body.

4) I hate leg workouts. I've struggled for a year with my legs. Anyone who knows me from high school knows that I was NOT an athlete. Therefore my legs had never really built any muscle in them. The result is in training my legs and trying to build muscle, there is no "muscle memory" for my legs to fall back on. So I'm basically building muscle from scratch and will take longer to do so than an ex-athlete.

5) The area where the top of your back thigh meets the bottom of your butt is affectionately called a 'bu-thigh" or a "thass".

6) Water is essential to losing weight. If you are an active person, you want to drink at least a gallon a day. It sounds like a lot, but after a while, your body starts to crave it. FYI, 8-500ml bottles equals a little over a gallon.

7) THROW YOUR SCALE AWAY!!! Your body goes through weight changes throughout the day and throughout the week. Especially women, who gain a lot of water weight once a month. The true test of losing weight and inches, is how well your clothes fit. Buy a goal-outfit and measure yourself against that and how well you fit into it.

8) I've lost major visible size in my stomach area and I've leaned out in my back and shoulders. I can actually start to see definition in my arms and shoulders. I'm in-between sizes right now. I was a 13-14, but now I fit in-between a 10 and an 8! Major success!

9) A tan really makes you look skinnier.

10) Food=Fuel. Just like your car need gas to go, your metabolism needs food to go. The more you eat, the more you will lose. Sure, crash diets may make you lose weight, but if you're like me, the weight ALWAYS comes back. Following a food for fuel diet teaches you how to eat correctly and lose weight the correct way, and how to keep it off. I now know how to read my body, and what to do to adjust my food to produce results.

These past months have definitely not been easy, but with a trainer like Kimberly, I've stayed motivated, worked past the difficulties and feelings of wanting to quit. I've even begun running intervals, which I've always maintained in the past that I would never run unless it was for my life. I actually have some girlfriends who want me to run a 5k with them, (3 miles). Maybe I'll do it. Kimberly seems to think it would be a breeze for me.

We'll see!

What's Better? Low-Fat Yogurt

2011-06-13T11:34:00.000-07:00

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Today is the 5th of 7 installments of an article I read in Muscle and Fitness Hers magazine. It's about myths of certain foods you think are better for you. Today is low-fat yogurt.

The Dirt:

A serving of low-fat yogurt may contain a petty sum of fats, but it is weighed down by about 17g of sugar - which makes it slightly redundant. According to a 2009 study published in Circulation, you should consume no more than 100 calories of added sugar per day. A cup of low-fat yogurt chews up nearly 70 of these calories. Unless you're consuming these simple carbs immediately post workout, that amount of sugar will rattle your clean-eating efforts.

The Clean-Up

Low-Fat Greek Yogurt

Although Greek yogurt starts out the same as regular yogurt, its consistency thickens through processing and, depending on the brand, results in twice the protein and about half the carbs. However, Greek yogurt sacrifices something in the process - whey, which leaves you with mostly slow-digesting casein protein and a a little less calcium.

Family, Friends and Sake Bombers

2011-06-10T16:07:00.000-07:00

Well another year older...I'm definitely in my mid to late 30's....sigh. I was never one to freak out about age. I tend to live in the moment and never worry about the long-term future, (hubby HATES that sometimes). But as I approach 40, it's kind of hitting me a little. I mean, do I worry about trying to have another child? Or should I start worrying about retirement? Or both?

Usually my long term goals are things like:

Will I have enough wine for game night on Friday?

What cute outfit will Aubrie wear on her first day of school?

If I do two extra sets of plyometrics today, MAYBE I'll be able to eat that half pint of Ben and Jerry's tomorrow.

But lately, I've actually surprised myself by setting money aside for a Gym Membership renewal, 2 MONTHS away! Whoosh...what a rush to think that far ahead. I mean, I think I just got dizzy.

One thing that I always look forward to is my birthday month. Yes you read correctly, I said month. Not just a day, or a week, but I get a whole birthday MONTH. Weather hubby likes it or not. And this birthday was particularly great because my sister left her husband and three boys to come celebrate it with me.

She endured a missed flight, and a 5 hour turbulent ride from Virginia, PASSED where I live in Phoenix to San Diego, only to change planes and get to Phoenix. God love her for making it here the same day, and the almost midnight pickup arrival time, made me flashback to 15 years ago when 11pm was usually the time I was first leaving the house to go watch a band play. Now a days, I'm usually I passed out on the couch watching CSI or something. It felt good driving on an almost vacant highway at that time of night!

So every year, my girlfriend's get together and try to do something fun for our birthdays. Last year for mine, we took pole dancing lessons, then went to eat. After that there was a strip club across the street and we tried to get in, but they wanted to charge us 10$!! I mean we were women for crying out loud. So instead we headed over to a casino and instead of getting carded for the dance club we were let in for free and were asked if we were there for the "Cougar Contest." F-ing half-my-age-bouncer-that-I-could-easily-squash.

This year it was Sushi. Some of my GF's couldn't make it but we had a blast anyway.

I get sake Bombers any chance I can get

Hope from Peanutbutterandhopey.com, myself and Noelle.

(Gotta have two glasses of beer for those sake bombers.)

Noelle and Me

Julie (My Sister), and me.

The next night, actually ON my birthday, we went out to dinner with our close friends.

Hope and Me

Julie and Aubrie

BFF's Aubrie and Emma

After that, we went back to Hope's house for Game night. My sister brought along a bottle of vodka that looked like a machine gun.

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We then took turns taking pictures as Charlie's Angles.

I didn't actually open it until Memorial Day though...

It was a great couple of days, and true to herself, Julie got a picture of me the next morning and then played with apps on her new iPad...then uploaded it to facebook.

...sigh...

Review: Costume Discounters

2011-06-02T14:31:00.000-07:00

When I was offered the opportunity to review something from Costume Discounters, I jumped at the chance.

My thoughts raced to myself first, (some would call a fault). Images of platform shoes and Go-Go Boots raced through my head, maybe I can finally be Wonder Woman for Halloween. So I browsed through the shoes and found a bunch that I loved. Including Wonder Woman boots.

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For going to see my bro-in-law’s band play, (if and when we have a kid-free night)

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For going out with the girls…

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But as I was skimming over all the heels, Aubrie peeked over my shoulders and saw the banner of costumes. It immediately became clear to me that she was seriously lacking in the dress-up department. Compared to most of her friend’s who have maybe ALL of the Disney princess costumes.

So “Mom of the Year” mode kicked on and thoughts of adding to my shoe box collection in the closet quickly diminished.

They have a wide selection of toddler costumes including Disney Princesses. And it took all my energy not to get the little Princess Lea costume, I mean she’s going to have to learn who THAT princess is sometime…

http://www.costumediscounters.com/infant-toddler-costumes.html

After going back and forth with her, she chose the Snow White Ballerina Costume.

She was so excited when we got in the mail; she put it on immediately and danced around. It is a high quality costume with a picture of Snow White on the button in front. I also love the puffy sleeves made with strips of ribbon.

They also have different styles of Snow White costumes you can check out here:

http://www.costumediscounters.com/popular-characters/snow%20white-costumes.html

Maybe I'll be Snow White for Halloween this year instead!

Aubrie now plays dress-up even more, I will need to get a bigger box for all her dress-up clothes!

Next time you need a costume or are even looking for a great pair of heels, go to Costume Discounters. They have GREAT things for Fourth of July!

I'm Back

2011-06-01T12:42:00.000-07:00

After a two week hiatus, I'm back... Over the past two weeks I celebrated my birthday, my sister visited me, and memorial day...along with a gymnastics trial for Aubrie. I also have a review coming up. All of which will be posted in the next few days. I hope you all hung with me! In the meantime I heard a song today that reminded me a of a real funny commercial, so here's a couple of flashbacks for wordless Wednesday.

That one always cracked me up!

Here's another one...

WINNER TuTu Toes!

2011-05-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

The Winner of the AWESOME TuTu Toes Flip Flops is...

HOPE! Congratulations!

New Pet Portraits

2011-05-11T16:30:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons I've been absent lately, is that I received a commission to paint three pet portraits. These are smaller than I've ever done before at 6"x6". They were a birthday present for my friend's husband, whose dog's are the two Great Danes. They were both very happy to get them!

Tego (Great Dane)

Asia (Great Dane)

Desi

If you would like to see more of my pet portraits, click here.

If you would like to purchase a portrait of your pet, contact me at lifesgristle@cox.net.

The portraits are painted from a picture, and are acrylic on canvas.

NOW EXTENDED DEADLINE,

TuTu Toes CUSTOM Flip Flop Giveaway!

Enter HERE!

Nutty Over Coconut

2011-05-09T15:52:00.000-07:00

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For me, one of the first signs of warmer weather is when I start seeing coconut everywhere. In lotions, perfumes, and food. It brings back memories going to the beach and slopping Panama Jack Coconut Oil on. It didn't do much for sun prevention, but it sure smelled good!

As soon as pool weather hits, I look for everything coconut.

One of my favorite discoveries this year is:

Desert Essence Organics Coconut Hand and Body Lotion

A little REALLY goes a looooong way!

As far as eating coconut, I don’t like the texture much, but lately I’m seeing a lot of different varieties in health food stores. For instance in Whole Foods the other day, I saw coconut flour and coconut pudding.

Coconut Flour is a delicious, healthy alternative to wheat and other grain flours. It is very high in fiber, low in digestible carbohydrates, a good source of protein and gluten free. It lends baked goods an incomparably rich texture and a unique, natural flavor. I personally have not tried it, but I'm thinking I may try.

I have been cooking with coconut oil for some time now.

"The health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer, dental care, and bone strength. These benefits of coconut oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and its properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, soothing, etc." (source)

Here is another article on coconut oil from the N.Y. Times.

One of my favorite finds this year is Archer Farms Coconut Macaroon coffee from Target.

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Now, some of you may already know what's coming next, but this is not on my No-Fun Diet, but I may partake in a drop in my wonderful coffee!

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What are some of your favorite signs of Summer?

NOW EXTENDED DEADLINE,

TuTu Toes CUSTOM Flip Flop Giveaway!

Enter HERE!

TuTu Toes Giveaway EXTENDED

2011-05-05T08:40:00.000-07:00

Because I've been so busy lately, I have not been able to market my giveaway as I would like, so I am extending my TuTu Toes Giveaway for another week! The winner will be picked on May 16th!

Click HERE to enter to win a pair of CUSTOM TuTu Toes!!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-04T20:37:00.000-07:00