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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Listen to your gut. Please. (guest post)

It was July 1998.

I was 23 years old.

I had been having pain and discomfort in my abdomen for months, but the doctors in upstate New York kept telling me I probably had a cyst and that “it would go away” and “not to worry about it”.

When I moved back to Long Island, I found a new doctor and during his first examination of my belly, he ordered for me to have a biopsy of the mass in my abdomen.

I told him “everyone said it’s just a cyst”.

He looked at me and said, “that’s no cyst. It’s way too hard to be a cyst. It’s a tumor”.

Yeah, he was blatant like that.

But he explained that it was likely to be benign and should be removed anyway just to relieve my discomfort, after which the mass would be biopsied, just to be sure. Ok, no problem.

So we scheduled the surgery and I thought nothing of it. I mean, I was just 23 years-old. I’d had cysts before, a few of which had ruptured causing terrible pain. So this was no biggie.

That was until a few days after the procedure when the doctor called me into his office for the test results. The discussion went something like this:

Dr.: “Irene, you have cancer.”
Me: “Uh, what?”

Dr.: “You have Stage 1 ovarian cancer, although I think we got it all.”

Me: “I’m sorry. I thought you just said I have cancer.”

Dr.: “Yes. I’m sorry. I know that is scary but you were very lucky. It was discovered very early and I think by removing the tumor, we most likely got all of it since I did not see and more masses anywhere.”

I just blinked at him, still not understanding what he was saying to me.

The doctor stood directly in front of me, grabbed my shoulders and said, “Irene. You have cancer. But it’s okay. It’s not a death sentence. You will be okay if you do exactly what I tell you to do.”

It took him a few more times before I could finally comprehend what he told me.

I was breathing again.

To say I was terrified was an understatement.

I heard cancer and immediately thought of all the things I never got to do. I thought my life was over and all I could imagine were all the things I missed in life: I’d never travel, get married, or finish college. I was going to die and I had barely started living yet.

The idea of going through chemotherapy after having had surgery and dealing with it all on my own was more than I could handle.

I became a bitchy, nasty mess. I told no one of my diagnosis. I just wallowed in my own misery. I became a terrible person.

A few months later, I was back to my old self.

My point?

I was lucky.

It wasn’t until I changed doctors until I finally found someone who would take my complaints seriously enough to test me. Sometimes, that’s what we have to do.

Because I was so vigilant, I was able to be diagnosed, treated, and healed with no additional signs of cancer 13 years later.

I am relatively healthy, strong, and living a very full life.

Do not be afraid to challenge your doctors.

Do not accept an answer that doesn’t make sense. Follow your instincts and listen to your gut.

If something is wrong, you are probably right. You know your body better than anyone else.

And sometimes you have to fight for it.

 Irene is a favorite of mine and I tremendously appreciate her sharing her experience here.  She blogs at House of Robertson.


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Photographic Example of Proper Window Shopping Technique

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

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The secret to my success.


I may be a misfit & oddly comfortable in my own swiftly-wrinkling skin, yet even I paused before I hit PUBLISH on a post bearing today’s title.

Success is such an odd, debatable word.

One woman’s definition (money, fancy homes, nice cars, unlimited access to high quality beef jerky) may look entirely unlike another’s (lots of free time to pursue passions, enough work to pay for food & shelter, a loving partner and children).

There are, Id imagine, as many different definitions are there are people reading this post.

Additionally, if youre anything like I am, your definition is a fluid one.

My current definition of success is simple: the achievement of something planned and attempted.

The key, for me, is in the attempt.

A success which “fell in my lap” (Let’s say BRAVO TV called & asked me to star with Jackie Warner in a TV show) would be hollow because it’s the planning, working, and succeeding which makes achievement satisfying to me.

No matter what the achievement.

This weekend I received a flurry of emails from fellow bloggers who were feeling unsure of themselves.  They asked me for tips on succeeding as a full time writerblogger.

To their chagrin effusive delight I tossed the question back to them.

I asked their definition of success and to list (for me or just themselves) all the times they’ve succeeded in the past.*

I offered specific tips, but more important, in my experience, is believing you are successful and will continue to be a success.

Believe me, I’ve struggled with this.

I struggled less when life was less hectic (pre-marriage, pre-child, pre-pre-pre), but even then I wrestled with “knowing I could do it.”

My solution was the creation of a success box.

The idea started when I was dating Ren Man.  Whenever he’d compliment me (“I loved the article you wrote for Good Life Magazine!”) I’d joke I was “putting it in my pocket” and saving the words to reread later.

Then life grew a bit more hectic.  We married. We moved. I opened my training studio.

I realized it wasnt enough to pretend to hold on to compliments—I needed reminders of past successes for moments when I was feeling none too successful.

I began saving everything on my smart-phone. 

Kind words emailed from a client? Save.

Complimentary letters on a magazine article I’d written? SAVED.

Texts or voicemails from friends or family simply to tell me I ROCKED? Save Save Save.

The best predictor of future success is past success.

If I ever felt uncertain as I faced an assignment or life-challenge all I had to do to ‘predict my success’ was return to my electronically-stored items.

Then life grew more hectic. We moved again. Our two became THREE (five when you count the canines).

I realized smart-phone saving was no longer enough.

Not only could I potentially lose the information—I craved something tangible.

I longed for successes I could sit with and *touch* as I reminded myself “Ive been successful before. I know how to do this. I *can* do it again.”

I printed & printed & cut & trimmed.

I created the success box pictured at the top of this post and I visit it regularly.  Sometimes to add to its contents.  Frequently to remind myself, on those days when nothing seems to be “succeeding” (from parenting to freelancing) , I’ve succeeded before and I will again.

The best predictor of future success for me is reflecting and remembering Ive succeeded before.

How do you encourage yourself when doubt starts to creep in? Do you have a success box, journal or other “reminder” you revisit?

Do you savesavesave on the smart phone as I used to?

Are you grateful I did not, as initially planned, close todays comments and command you to git to Success Box creating PRONTO?

*to my shock & delight everyone played along with my mishegas, list-generated & I hope made Success Boxes as promised.


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Thursday, January 26, 2012

Video Product Review: VitaCake and a Sweepstakes

I couldn’t help myself. He was home from school. I had a review to do. Why not put him to work?

Vitalicious is currently hosting a Walk It Off In 7 Minutes Sweepstakes on their Facebook page. You could win a desktop treadmill or a case of VitaCakes! Click here to check it out.

Also, don’t forget to use the code RonisWeigh for 10% off any Vitalicious order! Click to check out thier other products.

Click here to see my other Vitalicious product reviews.

Full Disclosure: Vitalicious is a paying sponsor of Roni’s Weigh. However, all opinion expressed in this video and all my reviews are my own.


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“Why Eat Healthy and Exercise If You Could Just Look Like You Do?”

Show this to all the young people in your life…

“This commercial isn’t real, and neither are society’s standards of beauty.” – JesseRosten.com


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Wednesday Weigh In and a Winner

It’s a Bullet List kind of night. Revenge is on and I have to wrap this baby up!

Weigh in is what it is. I’m down from last week and still holding steady since September WHICH is a total win as post-holidays I’m where I was pre-holidays. Check out my weight progress page. I finally updated it. Still down almost 25 pounds since baby #2. I’m about 5 lbs away from my Weight Watchers goal and 10 lbs up from my average pre-pregnancy weight BUT I’m seriously rocking the workouts (today I did spinning for the first time in over 3 years! I weight train 2-3 times a week and I take at least 1 cardio class or long run a week) I feel greeeeat! <– sorry Tony the Tiger just snuck out of me on that one. That’s It Fruit bars are going to Dina. I used the Pick Giveaway plugin to select the winner. Congrats Dina! I posted a cute Baby vs. Cat picture for Wordless Wednesday on Baby’s First year. It cracks me up every time I see. Little Bean is completely obsessed with Irish and she’s pretty indifferent about him. The Kale salad I mentioned yesterday is up on GreenLiteBites. I ate the leftovers today and it was awesome!

That’s about it for me today. Tomorrow I have a Doc appointment and Little Bean will be spending his first day in a home daycare. It’s a test for both of us.

ok, I’m out. It’s Revenge, bed and an early class at the gym!


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MizFit Commenter of the Month goes to….

Ahh People.

Back in the day—if you’ll grant me for this post that 2009 was the day–I did a Commenter of the Month blog post.

I cant speak for you, but I adored these posts.

I reached out to a  consistent commenter (whether she had a blog of her own or not!) and emailed her a list of questions.

Random, serious, snarky, silly, seeking her wisdom kind of questions.

I ceased doing this when *I* became more busy.

I put myself in the place of the reader receiving my email and thought:

I do NOT want to be the proverbial straw which breaks her too life-busy back!  We’re all stretched so thin these days I don’t want to give someone yet ANOTHER assignment.

The thing is, I have missed these posts (again I can’t speak for you. Id love you to speak for you in the comments) so Im bringing them back and would welcome your input as I do.

First, however, I wanna introduce you to JODY.


I wish I could remember when we first met (Ill blame that on the fact MizFit turns 5 next month and not the fact I turned 42.5 yesterday), but I can not.

It feels as though Ive known her forever and yet, as with so many virtual friends, we’ve never met in real life.

Jody is one of the most supportive women Ive ever encountered.

She’s a cheerleader for so many of us.

She’s always the first to congratulate on successes and encourage when we need a kind word.

She makes me believe I can keep getting better as I age.

That I will, as she has, grow stronger, wiser, more loving, and more beautiful inside and out.

Her blog is filled with fitness tips (warning! she’s weights-crazy as I am! I like to think that may be the KEY to her badass physique.), recipes ( yeah. we’re alike here too.), product reviews (she loves those Hokas. Ive never seen those Hokas) & GRATITUDE (this final one is, IMO, the key to staying young at heart).

And she has no idea Im profiling her today.

And that, alone, makes me love this post.

The very thought of her clicking through and stumbling upon it & the very *hope* it will bring a smile to her face as she has done for so many of us.

And yeah. If reading her isnt part of your healthy living routine this misfit firmly believes youre missing out.

Which all leads me back to you.

Are you as slammed busy as I imagine? Would you sigh audibly at an email from me filled with mind-challenging queries like “what celebrity would play you in the movie version of your life?” 

Or are you thisclose to jam-packed yet still have a little bit of time to ponder brain-bending issues like ‘ if you had to choose one meal to eat for breakfast for the rest of your life—what would it be?”

Please to share your wisdom (& Jody love) in the comments below…


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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Greedy Giveaway! Insanity Fast and Furious 20-min Workout DVD

In the spirit of kicking much booty and putting in the work to claim the body transformation you thirst for, welcome Shaun T’s Insanity Fast And Furious. I partnered with Yahoo! Shine as a Yahoo! Get It Guide Insider to share my thoughts on this 20-minute workout and offer you bad-asses the chance to win it for yourself. (Giveaway at the end of this post.)

I started doing Insanity last year. It’s the workout style I prefer most: high intensity in short time with maximum effort and maximum sweat for maximum results. It works for me. This is how I roll.

Equipment Needed: Your body, bottle of water, towel, mental toughness.

The Warm Up: Even the warm up is a little bit insane, so my advice is to allot 2-3 minutes for your own pre-warm-up time before you pop in the DVD. Because once you do, you’re headed right into a brisk jog in place, and the warm up only goes higher from there. Immediately following the warm up you’ll go into generous stretch that feels Oooo-ahhh-amazing.

Crux of the Workout: Delivering fantastic cueing with constant reminders to “keep good form” and “keep your core tight”, you’re in for one helluva ride, people. If you think 20-minutes is no big deal, just consider the plyometric-palooza that includes moves like high knee jog, moving push-ups, diamond jumps, mountain climbers, burpee push-up jacks, plank holds, and fast football feet, all set to epic rocker music. The fatty parts will begin to melt as you simultaneously build muscle. Your body WILL be changed. Isn’t that what you want?

Shaun T specifically cautions you to stay at your own pace and know your limits, so if you’re worried about not keeping up, just stop that right now. Even Shaun and his workout peeps in the background are taking unscheduled mini-breaks and scraping themselves up off the floor. Then it’s time to s-t-r-e-t-c-h.

This program is NOT for beginners or anyone with troubled knees, ankles, heart problems, whimpy attitude, etc. If you lack mental fortitude, you either need to go get some before doing this program or use Insanity Fast and Furious to start developing mental fortitude right now.

“I’m just a tool to get you to where you need to be. If you don’t wanna go there, that’s on you.” ~ Shaun T

Insanity Fast and Furious is a-buzz on the Yahoo! Shine Get It Guide

The Giveaway: Leave a comment and tell me why you’re bad ass. No, really. I wanna know how you’re pushing daily to achieve your fitness goals.

Your chance to win ends Tuesday, 1/24/12. Winner announced later this week. United States entries only. Totally null and void where prohibited.

Ready? Set. Get Insane!


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(Video) Saturday PUSH. Don’t Neglect Your Workout!

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

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Put It In Your Food Trap! Zevia Natural Soda, Barbara’s Baked Cheese Puffs, and Quaker Hearts Cereal

…but before we get into this round of featured Food Trap selections, I first need to bitch to you excessively about the Attune Mint Chocolate Probiotic Bar. I drove 35 freaking miles round trip because the Attune store locator said the Bar was carried at this hippie-ish natural food store that’s real out of the way ‘n such. So I drive really far (on my lunch break, at that) and the store doesn’t have the damn Bars. Attune Chocolate is highly delicious and probiotically beneficial. I’ve been wanting another taste for close to a year now, but I’m done searching high and low, and racking up vehicle mileage in an expedition to find this elusive bionic chocolate bar. Yes, you can order it online, but you also have to pay a premium for heat-sensitive shipping. I’m too cheap for that. Oh, and somebody owes me gas money.

Zevia Ginger Ale Natural Soda: Lemme just break it down to you like it says on the can: “Zevia contains no sugar and no calories. It’s made with 100% natural ingredients, including Stevia, a botanical sweetener used around the world for hundreds of years. It’s what soda should always have been.” Nice! It also contains the sugar alcohol erythritol, which doesn’t effect blood sugar and is no big deal to me (unless you get gassy from it). Zevia is decent tasting. It reminds me of store brand ginger ale — not terrible but not the #1 best ginger ale either. I detected a slight aftertaste after slurping a few gulps, but still definitely worth trying if you can find it at the store. I also peeped Cola, Orange and Grape flavors of Zevia.

No caffeine, no gluten, zero net carbs. Zero calories and fat, Sodium 20mg, Sugars 0, Erythritol 7g, Protein 0g

Barbara’s Baked Cheese Puffs: It’s a cheese puff. How fancy could it be? Welp, the natural cheesiness really shines through. And it’s made with cornmeal, which gives it a pleasant texture and taste that’s NOT like the others. Consider it a healthier side item to eat alongside a sammich or while couch-assing. Barbara’s Baked Cheese Puffs have no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives, and no hydrogenated oils either, so it empowers you to get puffy with no guilt. Unfortunately, I allowed Greedy Kid #3 to run off with the bag after dinner. I trusted him. But by bed time the whole dang thing was empty. Yes, I’m a terrible mother for insufficiently monitoring the child’s greediness. Just go on and say it, why don’t ya.

150 Cal for 1.5 cups, Fat Cal 90, Total Fat 10g, Sodium 200mg, Carbs 14g, Fiber 1g, Sugars 1g, Protein 2g

Quaker Hearts Cereal: This one can be accurately described as “fake Alpha-Bit’s cereal for grown-ass folks and kids who eat too much damn sugary shit”. It has pretty much the same feel, size and visual texture of the infamous Alpha-Bit, but with a tad less sugar and shaped like little hearts instead of bits of broken off vocabulary pieces. The taste is highly Alpha-Bitsy with the perfect low-key touch of sweetness to encourage continued cereal whoredom to prevail. I freaking love it, but still not able to find Hearts Cereal consistently stocked at every store I lurk at. That’s a low down dirty shame.

110 Cal for 3/4 cup, Fat Cal 15, Total Fat 1.5g, Sodium 160mg, Carbs 23g, Fiber 3g, Sugars 6g, Protein 2g

Well that’s it for now, so go on and start chewing on something. I’m really liking this new Put It In Your Food Trap feature. Definitely more to come!

Oh, and one more thing: Diets In Review just did an article reviewing the meal planning site, FoodOnTheTable.com. There’s a few quotes from me about the usefulness of Food On The Table, so check out the article to see if it’s something that might be helpful in your own meal planning.


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I can lie to YOU, but I cant lie to myself.

Although lord knows I tried…and Im talking about it over at Attune Foods.

Disclosure: I’m an Attune Foods Ambassador and am compensated for my efforts on their behalf.

Mo’ disclosure: I consumed Attune Foods products years & years before being compensated for my efforts.

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The Face Of Greedy Baby

She’s getting older, isn’t she? Greedy Baby is 3 now. I started blogging when she was only 12-weeks-old. And it seems like just yesterday she looked like this.

But, yes, of course. I do have the special powers to say “no” to this gremlin. I certainly don’t take too kindly to threats of, “I won’t give you hugs anymore if you don’t give me another juice box.”

I didn’t cave into that frivolous hogwash. “You gets no more juice boxes!”

Even the greedy chilldrens (yes, I said “chilldrens”) require portion control.


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Biggest Loser Diet Tops U.S. News and World Report Best Diet Rankings

Diet co-authored by Cheryl Forberg, RD ranked No. 2 for weight loss, and No.1 for diabetics

U.S. News and World Report Badge

U.S. News and World Report ranked The Biggest Loser Diet among the top diets for weight loss on its annual list of The Best Diets. The Biggest Loser Diet ranked No. 2 among all tested diets for weight loss, and was named the No. 1 diet for fighting and managing diabetes by the prestigious magazine.

Cheryl Forberg — a Registered Dietitian, James Beard award-winning chef, New York Times best-selling author, and Nutritionist for The Biggest Loser for 12 seasons, co-authored the diet and since the show’s debut in 2004 to season 12 2011, she individually counseled each of The Biggest Loser’s 250 contestants on how to transform their eating and cooking habits — consequently helping to change their lives.

Forberg has long touted The Biggest Loser Diet’s benefits to diabetics. In fact, one-in-four contestants have diabetes when they report The Ranch: But they all leave without it.


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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Weekend Quote: You are Not a Dog

I love when people leave me awesome quotes in the comments. Christina shared this one on my recent podcast post..

“Don’t reward yourself with food, you are not a dog.”

Fess up. Who’s guilty of this? I know I am!


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Smart Ass Conversations With Health-Hater Husband

Me: ((in sarcastic, smart-ass voice)) Yeah! Do your job and light that fireplace.

Health-hater: I am doing my job. And what the hell are YOU doing?

Me: ((no response))

Husband: Oh, that’s right. You ARE doing your job. You’re laying on the couch.

Me: ((no response))

—-

How am I supposed to respond to that? Couch-assing is definitely my job.


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Greedy Recipe! So Delicious Low Cal Strawberry Shortcake

Hell yes. This is my own creation. It’s one of the most delectable, low calorie homemade treats to ever connect with my food trap. Here’s the final creation, but let’s rewind the recipe so you can see how it’s made.

There’s no baking involved and it’s literally ready in minutes. I constructed my cake within a wine glass, because I’m fancy like that. I can sense that you’re the fancy type, too.

There are only 3 ingredients:

1) Angel Food Cake: This type of cake contains about 72 calories per 1/12 slice. It’s main ingredient is egg whites and contains NO butter, with minimal sugar compared to other kinds of cake. You can usually grab an Angel Food Cake in your grocer’s bakery department for cheap (about $4 to $5).

2) Fresh Strawberries: Do NOT buy frozen. Snag some fresh Driscoll’s strawberries if you can. Driscoll’s has never done me wrong. Always fresh, always the tastiest.

3) Strawberry Yogurt: The yogurt I used was brought fresh from the Amish peoples, but Chobani Greek Strawberry yogurt will do just fine as well.

Slice about 1.5 cups strawberries and cube about 1.5 cups Angel Food Cake.

Construct your cake within the glass by layering the 3 ingredients in this order:

1-2 dollops of strawberry yogurtAngel Food cubesStrawberry slices

Then repeat the layers.

The final product delivers moist, spongy cubes of Angel Food decadence accented by fresh berries and yogurt that mimics a real, high calorie Strawberry Shortcake. The ingredients are a heavenly trio that were meant to be together. The greedy side of your brain will think you’re snacking on a sinister no-no, but a generous portion of So Delicious Strawberry Shortcake with its healthy benefits will only run you an estimated 300 calories.

I ate a glass of cake today and I’ll be damned if I don’t eat me another glass next weekend. Won’t you do the same?

If you’re inspired by the idea of delectable recipes containing fresh berries, then make Driscoll’s berry recipes and ideas your next interwebs destination.


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Hannah’s Tummy Tuck Update and Day 41 Pics

Let’s get to the pics first! Scroll through to see how far she’s come.

Lookin’ good, girl!

Hannah recently returned from frolicking in MEXICO in that two-piece! Here’s what she shared about her progress before she left for her trip…

Monday, Dec 26th 2011: The front view is my favorite! I gaze at it each morning while I’m getting ready. It is just what I wanted. The side view shows the swelling I’ve been telling you about. You can see how it protrudes. I can “suck it in” a little. I know that getting back to running, Shaun T, and ab exercises will help to fix that. I’ll be whining to the doctor about the swelling on Wednesday. My tummy is hard! When I make people touch it, I’ve had comments like “that feels like a pregnant belly”. I’m sure I wasn’t mentally prepared for this swelling. I will report later on the doctor’s observations. I’m wearing one of the swimsuits I bought for my upcoming trip to Mexico. I’m very, very pleased with how it fits and looks.

Monday, Jan 2nd 2012 (Day 41): I’m already packed (for Mexico)! I went to the doctor Wednesday. She released me for all exercise. Then I said, “Abs too?” And she said, “Not yet… Listen to your body. You won’t want to do abs.” She’s right. Ab exercises don’t hurt but it feels like there’s a blank spot there and I have no strength. For instance, if I’m laying flat on my back (like in the bad, bad tanning bed) it is hard to get up! So I’ll ease into that. Then I showed her some Insanity exercises and she said “Listen to your body. Do what feels comfortable”. But I can run on the treadmill!!! The day before my surgery I did 3.5 miles in 40:07. Today I walked 2 and jogged 2 minutes. I did 2.96 miles in 40:00. I feel good about that. I should quit complaining about the swelling. It is getting better every day. Plus I am so pleased to gaze upon my tummy every day. I stand there in my bra and panties fixing my hair and just admire and smile. Oh and one more thing. I still weigh 138. With reduced activity and the holidays, I feel like that is an accomplishment, too.

I can’t tell you how happy I am for Hannah. We can expect at least one more update on her progress at around 12 weeks post-surgery (the official finish line for healing). If you’re new to Hannah’s journey, catch up on her pre-surgery and day 5 and day 18 updates.


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A Salady Kind of Day

I don’t have much tonight. It was a typical busy day.

Actually, it was an atypical busy day. For some odd reason I was craving…

Salads.

This is not normal.

Normally I crave pizza or a burger or french fries or chili or CHOCOLATE!

But salad?

It was weird.

Anyway, I gave into the cravings making a raw kale salad (recipe coming soon – picture above) and my go to Harvest Salad for dinner. I can’t get enough of that one!

The boys? They got leftovers. Lord knows what would happen if I even attempted to serve a big salad for dinner. I won’t go there. *eye roll*

Besides eating my crazy salads, I played with Little Bean and got lots of work done!

I finally finished going throughout the FitBloggin’12 speaker applications. Click here to check out a sneak peak on the Schedule page. I’ll be providing more details about each session over the next few months.

On GreenLiteBites I posted a new school lunch idea AND a Baby Food Adventure. You’ve got to see Little Bean eat Quinoa. He’s so stinkin’ cute!

Speaking of Mr. Cute, he turned 10 months today! I can hardly believe it myself. I have to new posts on Baby’s First Year… Click here and watch him grow through pictures. It’s amazing! And Click here for his new giggling video. He cracks up at Big Brother.

What I didn’t do was work out. I didn’t get up early enough for the gym and there was just no way I could squish it in during the day. Right now I’m contemplating getting up tomorrow morning for an early spinning class.

More and more I’m realizing the best thing I can do for myself is wake up early for my workouts. During the day is possible as the gym has daycare, but classes and naps schedules are just not lining up at the moment. Evenings are also possible but it’s tough getting homework done and dinner made in time to get to class. Oh. and I’m a class girl all the way. I just don’t like going to the gym to workout unless I’m with a friend or taking a class.

So mornings it is! That means I gotsta go and get some sleep!

Hope you had a great day!

‘night!


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I.Feel.AWESOME.

The other morning I woke up so *firmly* on the right side of the bed it frightened the Tornado & Ren Man.

And, from a woman whos renown for her adoration of all things early morning, that’s saying a lot.

I hadnt slept much (d*mn Austin allergies).

I had a brimming life-plate & work-plate awaiting me.

The house was a diZaster & the sweaty laundry was threatening to take over the domicile.

In summation, there was absolutely no reason for my joyous, happy, energetic, calm, grateful to be ALIVE! mood whatsoever.

I shouted from the rafters how amazingTASTIC I felt quietly informed the husband how fab I felt & let him know his wish was my command.

I tweeted, FBed, emailed everyone in my life detailing how I possessed energy & creativity to share and they should NOT hesitate to tap my voluminous resources.

I felt as though I were capable of absolutely anything and that nothing, no matter how negative or niggling, would ruin my mood.

And, being the misfit I am, I then stepped back and wondered why every day couldnt be like this one?

Or, if it werent as amazawonderful (I do believe we appreciate the FAB as a result of experiencing the SAD), if I could at least teach myself to tap *back* into this feeling on the days where I feel as though EVERYTHING is dominating me.

So I journaled.

I used the exact same tactic I emplyed when I was trying to clean up my eating habits—except in reverse.

Then I recorded how crappy (technical term) I felt after eating certain foods (hello gluten elimination circa 1993) in hopes of rereading, learning & not repeating.

This time I jotted down sentence snippets, adjectives, scents & sounds.

I journaled everything which might help me recall, on those life has *me* by the tail days, how I felt and resurrect those same feelings.

Everything from lungs feel fully inflated & chest wide open to I feel powerful/strong from the inside OUT.

And then I got an email.

You know the kind.

Mine was work-related but it just as easily could have been friendsfamilyorlife-related.

The kind of email which can sap your mojo if you allow it.

And I did.  Briefly. Ephemerally.  Until I remembered my list.

I reread my pages.

I sat, visualized and tapped back into my morning emotions until I was practically where I’d been before (I wont lie to you. it was an almost but better than Id have otherwise felt).

The experience was transformative for me in the same way reading how SHITTY (other technical term) Id felt after eating certain foods lessened their later allure.

That’s my assignment to you today should you choose to accept it.

Don’t comment.

Just Sit. Think. Be. Feel.

Ask yourself when the last was time YOU felt light, optimistic, hopeful, unstoppable?

Journal how those emotions felt, sounded, smelled, tasted etc to YOU?

And no.

You may not (as many an IRL friend tried) seize the easy ‘out’ of “Ive not felt that way in so long I can’t recall.”

Or as one friend insisted: Ive never felt that way.

Challenge yourself.  Think way way way way *way* back.

And, if you still come up happy-empty make today the day you gather the journal & pen and get ready to write when it occurs.

And, if you still come up happy-empty, perhaps indulge a misfit and write about how you imagine the sensation will feel.

xo


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Monday, January 23, 2012

Standard Sensational Sunday Shots

I have to thank you guys. When I first started these Sensational Sunday posts the idea was simply to share how I prepare for the week. It was about starting fresh, being active and putting any weekend craziness behind me.

However, over the last 5 years (yes, that’s how long I’ve been doing them!) they’ve evolved into these photo driven journals mostly because of your feedback, and I love it! I love waking up on a Sunday morning, grabbing my camera and trying to capture the essence of the day. I can’t explain why, but it’s fun and motivating. Not to mention, I’m capturing family moments I otherwise wouldn’t.

Thank you for the inspiration.

Now on to the photos!

I woke up to find Little Guy watching Power Rangers on the iPad.

He was mimicking the karate moves.

We checked in at our new Command Center.

And planned out the day.

First up, chores.

Then breakfast.

Look how TALL he is on the stool. I remember when he needed it just to reach the counter.

(note: We made Banana Pancake Waffles while sharing some oranges and yogurt.)

Then playtime.

More chores. Little Guy’s room was a disaster zone!

Not that I could talk…

I kind of let my room go these past few weeks. It was seriously time to clean up.

By mid-morning I was ready for a snack.

I’m not sure when I turned into someone who grabs a bowl kale out of the fridge to snack on but that’s what I did, and it was fantastic! (click here for my Raw Kale Salad with Feta and Dried Cranberries)

Time for "me time!" I decided instead of hitting the gym I’d treat myself to a pedicure.

Looks like going with Ravens purple may have been a bad move. ;)

Soon it was time for Little Guy’s soccer game.

So much fun watching him out there!

Little Bean had fun too, eating his lunch. :)

Afterwards the boys wanted McDonald’s for lunch but I wasn’t game. So we hit a drive-thru and brought it home…

I stuck with leftovers.

Last night I whipped up BBQ Chicken Pasta. The boys both loved it! I’ll have to make again to post on GreenLiteBites.

With the rooms now clean…

we mad some Kale chips for the Raven’s game.

Seriously, I’m just a kale FREAK anymore. It’s in season right now and I can get loads super cheap at a local farm.

Kitchen is now clean!

Living room is not.

A little half time stroll.

It was a nail biter!

I went all out for dinner…

A little Beer Can chicken cures all.

Little Bean fits right into our asparagus loving family.

After dinner I boiled up a little stock.

I can’t waste chicken bones. I just can’t. Planning some classic chicken noodle soup tomorrow.

I also boiled a bunch of eggs for the week.

I am prepared!

The day ended with my "wine." A shot of Irish Cream in hot cocoa.

Is it wrong to use a Diego cup? ;)

In other news…

That’s it. That’s all I’ve got. Hope you have a fabulous weekend!


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Sunday, January 22, 2012

Weekend Quote: Climbing a Mountain

I must have uttered the phrase,

“When I lose weight I’m going to….”

A million times in my life.

I said (and thought) it instead of wearing what I wanted to wear, doing what I wanted to be doing and experiencing what I should have been experiencing.

“Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance towards the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point.”
- Harold B Melchart

I don’t think there is anything wrong with having a weight loss goal. What is wrong is thinking you aren’t…

good enough,

strong enough,

worthy enough,

to live the life you want RIGHT NOW regardless of some stupid number on some stupid scale.

Have a goal. Work at the goal. But remember to enjoy the “beautiful scenes” now.


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Saturday, January 21, 2012

Do Me Favor. Will ya?

The next time you are at the gym TALK to someone!

Notice someone new in your step class? Say hello.

See someone you’ve been taking a class with for months? Introduce yourself.

I joined a new gym last summer and have been taking pretty much the same classes for about 3 months. Yet I still feel like a “newb.”

I see the same faces class after class. I’ve tried to say hello but no one seems interested in talking. It doesn’t help that a lot of people already know each other or come together. I’m a complete outsider and honestly, feel really lonely before and after class. I even tend to linger, hoping to hop in a conversation or chat with someone while we clean up.

Nothing. :(

I know this will change the longer I’m there. Some of the instructors seem to recognize me now and the girl at the counter says hello and asks me how I’m doing as if she remembers me.

I’m going to keep going and trying, of course. I love the classes but they’d be so much more fun if made a few friends in the process.

So fess up… Do you keep to yourself at the gym? Or are you chatty and welcoming to your fellow classmates?


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Skinny is beautiful.

(I’d pick big, heart-shaped muscles over skinny any day.)

For those of you who lovelovelove find posts about my life-minutiae interesting this mightcould be your dream post.

For those of you who kinda dont give a shit prefer more informative, motivating missives* you may want to click away in a hurry before the navel-gazing commences.

Are both of you ready? Settled in with a high-protein snack & some water? Let’s go!

I wanna preface this all with the fact we had an amazing fabulous holiday vacation (vaycay for the Tornado from Kindergarten at least. why do we adults always have work to do?!).

The plan had been to travel, said plan was derailed by ear infections, and the result was lots and lots of much needed family time.

(here’s where I skip to the end of the story & then back to the start. here’s where we realize I may never be a fiction writer of a traditional genre)

One facet of vacation/no school I adored was our morning-time together: Ren Man typically slept in** and the Tornado & I holed up in my office, cuddled & chitchatted.

(Here’s a photo of my office wall mural. It’s definitely less an officeoffice and more cuddle/connect-central:)

One morning she wriggled up close behind me, commenced rubbing my back and said:

 Mama your body feels beautiful. It feels skinny not like mine.

(Ill give you a moment for that to sink in. Im choosing to believe it throws everyone for a sadloop as it did me.)

I’m pretty confident long-term blog readers (and those who read the blog before this one) can imagine precisely how the conversation unfolded from here.

We talked about strength, power,  and the amazing things our bodies can do.

We chatted about how beautifulbeautifulBEAUTIFUL she is from her kindlovingsillyspirit to her chocolately brown eyes.

(disclosure: when we hit that second part she quickly agreed and said: yeah that’s what I thought about me.)

And I wont lie to you: I blamed her peers.  I assumed they’d already begun planting the insidious seed of SKINNY = BETTER and THIN = PRETTY.

And I wont lie to you: I blamed the Husband who’d recently brought a scale/bodyfat analyzer into the house.***

And I wont lie to you: I in no way, shape or form placed any of the blame upon my own shoulderswhere it turned out all said blame belonged.

You see, we’ve been struggling with some, uh, digestive issues lately with the Tornado.

Without venturing too deep into TMI-territory Ive been even more vigilant than usual with her foodstuffs.  Ive focused on fiber. Ive obsessed noticed she’s been offered more junk than usual & tried to *always* counteroffer with healthy options.

And yet, while I pridefully thought of myself as Digestive Tract Fixing Mother of the Year, Id completely and utterly dropped the ball on another form of junk: MIND CANDY.

It would never enter my mind to say:

It’s vacation! let’s fill your belly with fast food & various & sundry nutritional wastelands!! it’s treat time! forget what we normally do!!! 

Yet Id done exactly that for her brain all in the name of you’re not feeling well—here’s a TREAT!

It was only after ranting at the Husband he needed to put!that!shower!stepthing!away! (oops.) I finally realized what sparked the comment.

The sentiment came from a “treat” I’d given to her and then tuned out while she devoured:****


Whether it was a result of VACATIONitis or merely my slacking off as a parent I fed her junk Id normally not and the repercussions were tremendous.

Not irreparable, thank goodness, but definitely left a mark.

On me if not on her.

I pride myself on watching her consumption not only of junkfood but of JUNK for her brain. 

Im grateful this was just a small reminder & was humbled by the fact I dropped the ball and immediately looked to place the ‘blame’ elsewhere.

Which all brings me to the end of my unplanned PSA & to my question for you & your wisdom:

If you have children do you monitor their mind junk as well as their junk food intake?

As an adult, do you find you’re happier & healthier the less brain candy YOU consume?

*missive isnt the correct word, I know. I just love me some alliteration.

**can you call 6a sleeping in? let’s call it that for blogpost purposes…

***said procurement was via a blog pitch. I turned it down & Ren Man said he was curious/would review.

****Monte Carlo is not necessarily a bad movie, but it is IMO too adult for a 6 year old.


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It’s time for a DETOX.

Who’s still in the need of some Post-Holiday Detoxification?

*raises hand*

Join me?

Im spending the next week focusing on small steps toward cleansing my body of residual latke sluggishness & mental slowness associated with too much trashtastic movie viewing.

Detox around here doesnt equal cleanse.

Ren Man & I are focusing on lessening (the processed junk, the proliferation of mindcandy) and increasing (energy levels, our ability to think clearly).

As I did with starting our early morning workout routine (small steps to big change) I’ve broken it all down into MizFitManageable chucks.

This way I hope I can stick with it for the full week I know we can all do this for at least for the next 7 days.

Starting small.

Join me in identifying the junk in your life (from beer to Bravo. from donuts to the Duggars).Jot down with me the various ways you could replace the junk in your day. (Or if you wanna start even smaller ADD IN the “good” to what youre already doing!)Commit to one ‘detox’ meal tomorrow (made and eaten at home? made at home & toted to work? regular meal simply sans dessert? it’s all what works for YOU.).Plan and commit to an entire detox day this week (wait. does this make us hardcore?! methinks it could!) & see/journal how it makes you feel.

Confused?

Muddled?

Please to give me 120 seconds of your time below:

This is definitely “cleanse-lite*” in that we arent consuming quirky shakes or nothing at all in the name of purification.

Which sparked my misfit curiosity:

Have you ever done a hardcore cleanse?  Honestly.Truly. Am I missing out?

Are you willing to join me —-after you get there—- in one FULL ON detox day a week? No alcohol, processed foods or *gasp* caffeine?

Am I wrong in equating the word CLEANSE with, uh, spending lots of time in the bathroom?

*AKA what I know Im willing to do.  Im 100% about setting myself up for success.


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Put It In Your Food Trap! Kellogg’s Krave Cereal, Kashi 7 Grain Waffles, and a Chocolate Cake Surprise

Kellogg’s Krave Cereal: If I haven’t told you in a while, I’m still a cereal whore deep down in my soul. Krave is on the of the newest thangs on the cereal block, and I gotta admit, I like it lots. Krave has a whole grain shell filled with a teeny bit of chocolate in the center, and there is ZERO High Fructose Corny-ness inside. Krave gives you crunchy, chocolatey, whole-grainy and light sweetness all wrapped into one. Just be sure to activate your self control, because you just might Krave the whole damn box until its gone.

120 Calories for 3/4 cup, Fat Cal. 30, Total Fat 3.5g, Sodium 100mg, Carbs 24g, Fiber 3g, Sugars 11g, Protein 2g

Kashi 7 Grain Waffles: Just when you thought your relationship with frozen waffles was going extinct, along comes the Kashi making it taste all extra delicious ‘n stuff. Forget about whatever it is you think you know about instant waffle pucks. Kashi all natural waffles deliver succulent, warm & fluffy texture with 7 grains of glory that truly taste delicious. But don’t just chew on them for breakfast. Kashi Waffles also make a healthy nighttime snack. Just smather on a light spreading of butter, drizzle with a bit of honey and then bite into it whole (no fork & knife required). I dare you to tell me its not tasty that way.

150 Calories for 2 waffles, Fat Cal. 50, Total Fat 5g, Sodium 340mg, Carbs, 25g, Fiber 7g, Sugars 3g, Protein 4g 

Amy’s Chocolate Cake: If you happen to be hanging around the grocery checkout line this week, go on and snag yourself the January 6th issue of Woman’s World Magazine (the one with Dr. Oz on the cover). Why? Because they’re talking about treats for health-conscious peeps, featuring my greedy opinion on Amy’s Organic Chocolate Cake on page 45. I first told you about Amy’s this past September in a Taste Test, and I still think it’s delicious and totally do-able to enjoy within a sensible diet. I’m a repeat customer of this vegan, organic cake. Click the on image below to enlarge and read my Woman’s World blurb.

click image to enlarge for your eyeballs

…and I couldn’t help but to be inspired by that big azz SparkPeople ad on the right side of the page. Do you see where it says “This is YOUR year!” …I do agree. This IS your year. You bettah grab 2012 by the horns and make it your bitch.


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