Blood Tests

Today is a sucky day for me…I have to go in and have my blood drawn for my biannual cancer screening.  Can you say fun?  Not!  I hate taking these tests.  It never fails to get me all stressed out the week leading up to it, and I HATE stress.  Then, of course, there is the waiting to find out your results.  Ugg!

For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about; anyone who has had cancer, tumors, and other fun killers has to have regular blood tests/work each year to make sure that the fun killers are not returning and taking over your body again.  Talk about a fun day huh?

Today I will hit the gym and get in a good workout, and hopefully those “happy endorphins” I create during my workout will help me get through the day.  If not, I’ll get myself a big box of chocolates and lose myself in a good book (I’m currently reading The Art of Hearing Heartbeats and loving it!).

I’m sorry I don’t have anything more for ya in today’s post.  Writers block has taken over since I’m focused on today’s blood work.  I promise that my next post will be happier and have a workout in it for ya!

It’s Friday!!

Woohooo!  The weekend is almost here!

What a week we have had!  The blizzard on Sunday and Monday brought a lot of snow to play in, and my son and I took advantage of it.  We have over 4 1/2 feet of snow in our front yard.  My 7 year old can now touch the tree branches from the top of the snow in our yard!

 

I got in some great workouts and had fun teaching my Spinning classes.  My favorite workout was an upper body workout pyramid I came up with on Wednesday.  I’m still sore from it.  As you can see, Lady was on the couch behind me loudly snoring.  She is so great when it comes to encouraging me to work harder during my workouts.

Wednesday I got to go out for a much needed drink with friends.  I haven’t had a chance to go out with them in months, and I loved hearing their stories about getting chased by Girl Scouts trying to sell their cookies at the mall.

I just was selected as a Sweat Pink Ambassador a few weeks ago, and I couldn’t be more thrilled and honored to join such an inspiring group of women. My Sweat Pink gear came in the mail yesterday, and I’m already wearing it in pride.  I’m looking forward to working with Sweat Pink to inspire others through my blog and my stories as others have inspired me. Sweat Pink is a, “Movement where tough and girly come together at last. It’s all about sharing the joy that comes from living a healthy lifestyle. It’s a celebration of hard work and well-earned rewards. Our pink shoelaces are a proud demonstration of all we’ve achieved, and all we plan to become.”

We had a little change in our menu, so I’ll be making the Caprese Pasta from Aris Menu tonight.  I’m really looking forward to trying this new recipe out!

This morning I made my Power Protein Smoothie.  I’ll hit the elliptical before I teach my spinning class and here is what I’m doing.

How was your week?  Did you do anything special?

Doing the Burpee Mile

How does one write about someone doing a mile of burpees?  Nothing I write could give Rita, age 50, the credit and accolades she deserves.  Rita did a full mile of burpees with push-ups in 1 hour and 35 minutes!  She would have broken the record of 1 hour and 15 minutes, if we all didn’t make her stop and take pictures. 

When we all met up with Rita at the Y, she had two canvas boards labeled with each lap and who she was dedicating it to.  She then asked us to write in who we dedicated our lap(s) to below hers.  I thought this was such a wonderful and meaningful thing to do.

Lap 1

Rita started out her first lap with a bang!  She rocked her way around the track in 10 minutes!

Lap 2

                                                   

Margel and her son joined Rita in her second lap.  Both Margel and I have problems doing push-ups due to injuries.  Margel discovered that we had to do our burpees with the push-ups to give our legs that quick break…boy was she right too!

Lap 3

Can you say rockin’ body!?!

Lap 4

  

Rita loved having everyone there to do laps with her.  We would cheer for her, and then she would start cheering for us, and telling us how proud she was of us and how great we were doing! 

Lap 5

   

Rita’s husband, Barry, joined her for a lap of Burpees!

Lap 6

 

Margel, Stephanie, and I joined Rita for this lap.  I started out without the push-ups, but about 7 burpees into it, I added those push-ups in to save my quads, because they were already on fire!  I’m the one in the middle.

Lap 7

Second to last lap, and Rita is still going strong.  She had perfect form, strong push-ups, and great forward jumps!

Lap 8

 

Devin and I joined Rita for her last lap of burpees.  She stayed so strong through that last lap, and finished with a smile!!

A special thank you to everyone who was there to support Rita on her Burpee Mile!!

The Blizzard

Yesterday did not work out at planned at all!  My plan was to go to town, run errands, workout, and get my camera with all the pictures from Rita’s Burpee Mile.  I know I told y’all I would have the story of Rita’s Burpee Mile today, since I forgot my camera at the gym last weekend. Sadly the blizzard prevented me from getting to the gym to retrieve my camera today, so I’m really hoping to get that story and pictures to you tomorrow.

Instead of a normal day, we woke up to the mother of all blizzards.  Actually, I woke up at 4am when the siren on my cell went off notifying me of the blizzard warning and the doom and peril it brings.  We got the call at 7am that school was cancelled, so I let my son sleep in, and today school won’t start till 10am.

When it was finally light enough outside to see, I discovered at least 2 feet of snow in our driveway and 4 feet at the highest point.  Of course, more snow came down along with high winds, so the drifts got bigger, and bigger, and bigger.  I had to dig my way out our door to get to the walkway and driveway to start shoveling the whole mess!  Honestly, I swore these kind of snow storms only happened in the movies. 

Then, to make me feel better about all the snow, cold, and high winds we had, my dad sent me a picture from his front porch in Jamaica.  Along with this nice little line…”Glad, I mean REAL GLAD that I’m not in North Dakota. Wow! All new snow piled deeeeep. I’m loving Jamaica. Downed one Rum Runner, walking 24 steps to get another one. Had to count the steps, it’s so close.”  Isn’t he so thoughtful?  I shouldn’t complain, since I called him and bragged about all our great winters in Florida when he was stuck in the snow and cold up in Ohio.  Payback sucks!

Since we were snowed in, I did more chores that I was behind on.  The never ending pile of laundry got a lot smaller today, a lot of dusting got done, two loaves of bread baked, vacuumed, mopped, and I actually took some time to read.  I’m quite proud of my accomplishments.

I had a ton of time to make dinner, so I made the Parmigiano and Herb Chicken Breast Tenders that were on last weeks menu.  I didn’t get to them since we had a bunch of leftovers.  They are my son’s favorite, so I always double or triple the amount of chicken I use.  Last night I tripled the chicken as you can see from the mammoth pile of chicken.

How was your Monday?

Saturday Shares

I’m just about to head off to do the Burpee Mile with Rita.  I’m a little nervous about how I’m going to do, but I’m going to try my hardest.  As for Rita, she is just amazing, so I know she will complete the mile, while proving that women can be fit and strong at any age! 

April Showers Virtual 5K and Half Marathon is a special race to help raise funds for a special little girl.  She is a special needs child that is living in an orphanage in China, and she is 8 years old and will age out of the orphanage soon.  The adoptive family is hosting this race to help raise funds for their soon-to-be daughters adoption.  Please say you will help this family and little girl out.

The Florida Beach Halfathon can be run on-site or virtually.  I ran their last virtual race, and the medal I got was amazing and huge!

Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes…and guess what other ingredient is in them…Carrots!!  Can you believe it!?!  I cannot wait to give these babies a try.  However, I’m going to change one part of the recipe…They say to use premade/store bought icing.  That stuff is toxic, so I’ll make my own.

Strawberry Balsamic Pizza with Chicken, Sweet Onion, and Applewood Bacon from Café Sucre Farine looks delicious.  I saw this and immediately wanted to try it since it is so different.  You should check out their other pizza recipes…they look absolutely yummy!

Got crayons?  Who doesn’t!  Here are 35 Uses for Crayons! They’re not just for coloring!  Create crafty things, be artsy, and even do activities with crayons!

She Rocks Fitness has come up with a circuit that will help tone your body. Go to her sight to get the rest of this Work It Off Wednesday workout!

Oscar Style

What an amazing night for fashion and film at last nights Oscars!  I had a wonderful time crashing on the couch, eating chocolate cake (copious amounts) and watching the preshow for fashion and then the actual Oscars.  And boy were both shows great!

Seth McFarlane did a good job hosting.  I have to admit that I was laughing pretty hard at his whole “We Saw Your Boobs” song.  I actually still have the song stuck in my head.

Big congratulations to all the winners!  Although I do have to say that Ben Affleck may want to work on his acceptance speeches with his wife before he gives them.  I’m guessing that he didn’t mean to say that their marriage is work.  Poor guy was really nervous.

On to the fashion for the evening!

I’m someone who has zero fashion sense.  After all, I live out of my workout clothing.  That speaks volumes for itself.  However, I love watching all the women in their gowns, and choose which one I like the most.  And here are my nominees:

         

Anne Hathaway in Prada.  Did you notice her gorgeous Tiffany necklace? This whole dress was just amazing.  I wish I had an excuse to wear one like it.

 

Naomi Watts in an amazing custom Armani gown in gunmetal gray.  I love how unique her dress is!

Charlize Theron was stunning in her Dior gown and an arm full of diamonds to die for!  Most of all, I love how she is rocking her new pixie cut.  Love it!

As for dresses I didn’t like:

 

Jennifer Aniston in Valentino. I’m sorry, but I expect more from her in fashion, and her hair needed to be up, and maybe she should have added a necklace.

Halle Berry…Sorry…I just could not get into her Versace gown.  It looked like something out of the 80s.  I know I’m probably the only person who didn’t like her dress.  Halle does have one rockin’ bod to pull this dress off and hug her in just the right ways.  I’ll give her credit for that.

What was your favorite dress of the night?

If your looking to get your body into “Oscar” shape, try some of these workouts:

• Find Your Muscles Workout
• Stability Ball Workout
• Get Those Abs
• 30 Minute Treadmill Intervals
• 30 Minute Elliptical Workout

Running from Little Girls

Before I tell you about my totally horrifying grocery store story, I would like to tell you a little flaw I have….I have NO self control when it comes to dessert.  There, it is out in the open.  I feel much better having told you this.  I’m one of those people who love their desserts, and it is a bit of a problem.  Lets say there’s a plate of cookies in the house; I will eat a few and feel guilty.  Then, to make matters worse, I feel like I have to get rid of them quickly which in turn makes me eat even more (I do save some for my son).  The theory being that if I eat them now then I cannot eat them later.  Sound theory huh…more like moronic, but this is what I do.  This is why I do not make or buy large amounts of desserts.  If I do, I buy a serving for each of us, or if I make something I will take the rest to the neighbors.

On with my horrific story…

Yesterday, I went grocery shopping to get the items for our meal plan for the week.  Upon entering the store I saw them.  They were right there at the entrance waiting for me…knowing my weakness…cute little smiles plastered across their faces…GIRL SCOUTS!  Oh the horror!  It was all I could do not to turn tail and run, but we needed our groceries.  With their cute little smiles they asked me if I would like to buy some cookies.  My response, “I have to grocery shop first.”  FIRST!?!  What was I thinking saying “first”?  Now I have to deal with them when I leave.  I have no spine when it comes to Thin Mints and saying “no” to these sweet girls who are just trying to make money for their troop.

As I’m grocery shopping I come up with my escape plan to get out of the store without buying the cookies I know I will eat in less than 2 days.  My Plan:

1. Find a group of people leaving the grocery store at the same time as me.
2. Blend in with said group.
3. Make my escape while the other grocers are blocking the Girl Scouts’ view of me.

With my plan in place I looked to blend in with a group after paying for my groceries, and here came a group of 3 grocers.  My plan was going to work perfectly!  I merged in with them, and made my way towards the exit.  The first grocer on my right broke off to buy cookies.  This was fine.  I still was safely hidden behind the 2 other grocers.  Then, the unthinkable happened.  Both of the women grocers that I was hiding behind made a U-turn!!  What!?!  This was not going according to my plans!  This brought me to a dead stop as I watched the women literally turn tail and run…and I do mean run, from the Girl Scouts towards the exit on the other side of the grocery store.  Then I remembered…there was another exit.  Why the hell didn’t I think of that!?!

Of course, at this point I’m wide open, and 4 of the sweetest girls were asking me if I, “…would like to buy any cookies.”  At this point I threw in the towel, put up my surrender flag, and bought those damn cookies.  I beat the hell out of a guy who tried to mug me once, but I cannot say no to girls selling cookies.  I’ve got major issues.

Therefore, with my cookies bought, I formed a new plan.  Leave the dangerous cookies in the trunk of my car, and drop them off at work tomorrow for all my coworkers.  I’ll let ya know how it goes.

Am I the only one with this problem?

A 1st Anniversary

We have a winner!!  The winner of the totally awesome “Real Women Do Burpees” Shirt is…..Christy @My Dirt Road Anthem!!!  Christy,  please email me at andreach2@yahoo.com.  I will need your shirt size and what color shirt you would like.  Please make sure you email me before Feb 3, 2013.

I wanted to share a humorous anniversary story from my trip to Target after work yesterday.

As I was checking out, a man, we will call him “Joe” (not his real name), behind me was setting a toaster down on the belt for his purchase along with an anniversary card. We made eye contact, and Joe then proceeded to tell me that this was his 1st anniversary, and the toaster was for his wife. Sadly my more adult/mature side did not kick in. Instead, both the cashier and I bust out giggling, but we did remember to congratulate him. The poor guy looked so confused at this point, so I asked him why he chose the toaster. His response, “Ours broke and my wife really likes her toast every morning, so I figured she would really appreciate it.”

The cashier and I gave each other that “Men” look. Sadly, this is the way most husbands think (heaven knows mine does). Of course, for all I know his wife will love and cherish her new toaster. However, I told Joe he might want to get a back-up gift just incase the toaster doesn’t have her jumping for joy.

At this point Joe asked me what I should get her, and I asked him what she likes. His response…”I don’t know.” Sadly this is not a surprise since my husband is the same way. I went straight for the spa route, and asked Joe if his wife liked massages, manicures, facials, etc. The exclamation of, “Yes! She is always talking about wanting to go to a spa!”, was almost deafening. At this point Joe caught on and decided to get his wife a gift certificate to a spa that she is always telling him she wants to go to.  Guess the poor guy couldn’t take a hint.

Husbands! What can ya do with them!?!

From My Family to Yours

Quick Saturday Update

A couple of quick updates!

I got my new IPhone 5 yesterday!  IPhone and I sat down and had a nice conversation (all-be-it one sided) about what I wanted out of our relationship.  I told IPhone I wanted zero stress, and in return I would get IPhone an overpriced case to go in.  Thankfully IPhone had no arguments, so our relationship shall begin .  Now to give my 7 year old son my cell phone so he can show me how to use the darn thing!

I posted last week that I set a new goal of only having 2 cups of coffee a day.  So far I’m doing pretty well with this.  Kim @ Fabulous Fit Foodie and Christine @ Love, Life, Surf  suggested that I have a smoothie in the morning.  This was genius, and it is an easy thing for me to do.  I moved my post workout smoothie to my breakfast time.  Guess what?  It worked.  After one sip of my smoothie I didn’t want any coffee.  Go figure!  I’m quite happy with this.  Thank you Kim and Christine!  Of course, I still have my afternoon Starbucks.

Yesterday’s Christmas Spinning class was a blast!  We all laughed and sweated away!  My favorite part was giving away the door prizes.  I had everything from Starbucks mugs to Burt Bee’s chap stick and Farkle (if you don’t own the game Farkle run to your local Target or Wal-Mart and get it).  Everyone walked out with a fun prize and a piece of fruit.

I hope y’all have a great weekend and are having safe travels and/or preparing for Christmas!  If you are in need of some workouts or treadmill and elliptical workouts, check out the following pages:

• Treadmill and Elliptical Workouts
• Workouts

In the meantime, hug a loved one and have a Merry weekend!

What are your plans for this weekend before Christmas?