Tips for Tuesday: Find Your Motivation

Tips for Tuesday is a new thing Spunky and I will be starting. We will be doing regular posts weekly now! YAY!!! We will be doing both single and double tips, but you'll have to read to find out when! :D

Find Your Motivation is a tip because without motivation none of us would start to help ourselves!

Please take a minute and think about your motivation...

What is it?

I have many things that motivate me, but the one that got me started was my (future) children. I knew I needed to change something and I wanted to be a good example of health and fitness, but it wasn't until I found out I was pregnant with LW that I REALLY started changing my ways. Once LW was born I felt like he was watching me/is watching me on a daily basis and I know he is learning by example. What kid doesn't? Everything I put in my mouth, he sees. Every movement I make, he watches. If I can show him now that working out and eating healthy is a good thing, it will have that much more of an impact on his future.

The second one that comes to mind is the Hubs. What woman in her right mind doesn't want to look and feel  absolutely fan-freaking-tastic in front of her husband? What woman (in her right mind) doesn't want her husband to look at her and be speachless? With or without clothing! (yup, I went there) What woman doesn't like hearing their gorgeous, beautiful, sexy, pretty, etc. from their husband? And what woman doesn't want her husband to not be able to keep his hands off her? I love it when my husband does all those things! And I've noticed as I've been getting in better shape that all of those things have become better and more frequent. And the Hubs is a tall, naturally skinny guy... When I see pictures of me and my heaviest standing next to him... I want to cry. That's why my goal that I'm SUPER excited for right now is to weigh less then him, and I'm so close!!!

The third reason that comes to mind, is for me. I feel better when I eat right and workout. I'm happier. I'm an  endorphin addict now thanks to running. I'm able to better focus on my day. I know I'm working toward my overall goal of 120 lbs. I want to look in the mirror and SMILE when I see myself. Not judge every little thing, like every girl does.... come on... don't lie. We've all done it. More then once. I want to look in the mirror and think... DANG look at those guns! My abs are sexy! Man I love my legs and butt! (Can you tell what areas bother me? haha.

Find your motivation and get moving! You can do it!

Feel free to comment below about your motivation, what is yours?

Until Next Time!
Spicy

Spicy Saturday... erm... on Monday

Sorry for the late Spicy Saturday! :S I need to get better at that. A week off for relaxing with Spunky and now I'm all sorts of mixed up! Blarg. Well, I have some great news! 

I weighed in early in the week and saw 159.8. Let me tell you that scared me. I WILL NOT see 160 again, I refuse. I think I saw that on Tuesday or Wednesday... I'm not sure. I do not know what I weighed last Saturday and I don't want to know. But this Saturday, I stepped on the scale and saw...

159.0!

I lost .8 lbs, that I know of. :) I'm on my way back to where I was! Woot!!! Only 1.6 lbs. left until I get there. Then, I'll be treking back down the scale to 155 lbs where I'll be doing my ten pound progression pics. I also found a picture from when I first started losing weight, so I'll post that as well, when the time comes.

On an even happier note! Saturday was my "long run" day! I didn't get out as early as I wanted to so it was HOT by the time I was done, but... I ran....

drumroll please...

thank you.

3.05 miles!

In 41.03 minutes! 

3 miles in 40 minutes! That is awesome!!!

Mile one: 13:07 min Mile two: 13:49 min. Mile three: 13:29 min.

I don't think I've ever run a consistent three miles. It's crazy! :D I ran a 5k with my mom once, well sort of... we both ran the race, but didn't stay together. But about a mile in I had a sharp pain in my hip so I had to start walking. When I did start running again I fell and cut myself up pretty good. I crossed the finish line running, covered in dirt, sweat, and blood. Fun, right? But I didn't run the whole thing and I don't think I ran three miles before that either. This is the longest I've EVER RUN!!! That is so exciting! :D

I have so much to tell you, but this post is already going to be really long. I'll just have to post a lot during the week! Hehe!

I also wanted to tell you about my run this morning. I've started running in the mornings. I love it! I can get out and run, no worries in the world, and start my day out right! :D It's awesome. Anyway!

I woke up late today and knew I was short on time. I needed to be... scratch that... I WANTED to be back my 7am so I could help get food ready for the Hubs and J-Dawg. I had about 30 min, but I needed to do a warm up walk and stretching... so really... only about 20 minutes. 

Now, I would say, hey! Twenty minutes? I can get in two miles! Unfortunately I'm not that fast... yet. I'm from Cali so I'm used to LOTS of air and although I've been in Utah for a while now and I've acclimated, it's still harder to get up to the speed I was at because there is less air, but I'll get there. :)

I knew before going out that I needed to do something to make up for a short amount of time. I was going to push my speed, and push it I did! :D 

At my average 13:30 min mile, I would have run about... 1.4 ish miles in twenty minutes. Well, I had even less then twenty minutes to run. I got home almost right at seven after running for 15:09 min. And going 1.2 miles!!! I ran a 12:33 min mile!

And there you have it. I may not have had the amount of time I wanted or the distance I wanted, but I'm super happy about what I accomplished in that amount of time!

Look for the good in everything and make it a wonderful day!

Check back later this week for a Recipe by Spunky and to keep up with me and my many many posts this week, one specifically on Water intake!

Until Next Time!

Spicy

Measurement Monday: Darn It!

I've titled this Measurement Monday because that is when I will be weighing in now. Once a month, I will also take measurements (the first Monday of the Month). 

My goal last week was to loose 1.6 pounds. Well, I gained 1.8 pounds! UG.

I know exactly why. We had an Olympics kick-off party and I decided that I could enjoy it! It was late Friday night, and I was unable to get right back on to my lifestyle Saturday and Sunday! I've got to learn to do that better (have a night "off" and get right back on). I will, because I'm not giving up!

I'd like to say I have a goal this week, but it would be way too high!! LOL! I already know what I want, but know it is too much! Hehe! Anyway, I think I'll just be saying my goal is to be going in the right direction on the scale, down.

Later this week, I'll be posting a recipe I am trying. I'll post pictures and a review! Keep your eyes peeled!

Back to Basics

I don't know why I titled this post that, but it sounded fun and I kind of am Back to Basics. While Spunky was here, I didn't do a lot of working out. I ran once and did the Bootcamp workout once. Blarg. So I have run twice this week, Monday and Thursday (today) and both have not been the greatest. I ran a total probably of a mile and a half on Monday and my legs, calves, and shins couldn't take any more. I was mad, but today I was frustrated too. I only ran about 1 mile today... My lungs were fine! It was my legs. I did however run a 13 min mile! :D YAY! :D And! I ran at 6:30 am! :D Woot!! I've been wanting to run in the mornings for a while now and I havn't because I'm not a morning person, and we weren't getting to bed early enough for me to do it. Well we went to bed around midnight last night but I had told myself I was going to run in the morning so I did! :D I am so proud of myself for that. Not really doing anything last week really threw me off though and I'm gonna have to work hard to get back to where I was! I am training for a half marathon people! I am supposed to be up to 3 1/2 miles on Saturday! I ran three miles the weekend before Spunky got here so it wont take me long to get back there, but I'm frustrated that it went away so quickly. Ugh. Oh well. I'm also sorry for the lack of Spicy Saturdays! :S There will be one this Saturday, I promise. :)

I'm Back....Easing in to It

Hey everybody,
First, thank you for all of your support! You are amazing! After spending a week with Spicy (we never got a picture! :( ), I got home last night. I decided to weigh this morning. It has been 13 days since my last weigh in and I have not been doing anything or eating as good as I should. Last weigh in was 212.0, today I weigh 212.6!

I am actually happy with that and relieved. I expected it to be MUCH higher! I'm ready to slowly get back into it, so this week I'll shoot for 1.6 pounds! I think that is realistic with eating a correct diet. I won't be working out this week, but I am up and moving!

I really liked how Spicy did her goals a while ago, so here are my weight loss goals. I have other goals for measuring and fitness, too, but I'll post those later.

Starting weight: 236

Goals:
220s
2-teens
212.4 (10%)
200s
"one" derland!!!

Day 4 of Detox

Just a quick note. The taste is about the same as it was on day two. Still not good. I'm really not a tea fan though, but I can get it down. My tummy does feel flatter, I don't feel bloated, and yesterday I felt like I had a ton of energy, today not so much, but that's my own fault. I stayed up to late and didn't sleep well. The Hubs, J-Dawg, and LW didn't sleep well either. It just wasn't a very good night in the Spicy household. So, I'm tired today, but other then that I feel really good.

I am really looking forward to running tomorrow morning and giving you a fabulous Spicy Saturday! I'm hoping to see 155lbs. on the scale! I think I can do it. Wish me luck! I'll be trying to run three miles tomorrow. I will run two, and if I feel like I need to walk after that then I'll walk for a bit, but I want to get in three miles tomorrow, mostly (if not all) running. Then I'll come home, weigh myself and go on with my day!

Is anything doing on this Friday the 13th? I'm trying to come up with something to spook or throw the Hubs and J-Dawg for a loop. Hmmm... Any ideas?

Until Next Time!
Spicy

What's for Dinner?

Tonight: Lasagna! 

(original picture; I'll take a new one tonight, too)

Yes, you read that right, lasagna! This is a recipe I created and it is awesome! The way I gauge "health" food is by my VERY picky, VERY "if-it-tastes-even-slightly-healthy" won't eat it, hubby. LOL! It challenges me, in a great way, to create meals that we both will eat. 

After I made this the first time, he said that he wouldn't mind if I made lasagna like this every time! I knew it was super yummy, but when he agreed....shout for joy!

So, enjoy! Here is my original blog about this recipe (copied and pasted). It was July 27, 2010 when this was created by yours truly!

Tonight I wanted lasagna. So, I came up with this recipe. As we sat down to eat, I let my husband and sister have the first bite. Aren't I kind? They both really liked it, so I went ahead. I expected it to be good, but it was REALLY good. I hope you enjoy this, too. Cause we all need our fix of cheese and pasta sometimes, right? And at only 289 calories per serving you can't go wrong! (Makes 6 servings and saves wonderfully for left overs if needed)

Ingredients:

• 6 lasagna noodles (now I use 100% whole wheat lasagna noodles)
• 8 boneless, skinless chicken breast tenderloins
• 1C fat free ricotta, with Italian Seasoning mixed in
• 3 TBS grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 oz. shredded monterey jack cheese
• 1 can Tomato Soup
• 1/2 C water
• Salt, Pepper, Italian Seasoning, Onion Powder
• Olive Oil Cooking Spray

Directions:

1. Cook noodles according to package directions. Let dry.
2. Spray a pan with cooking spray. Cook chicken. Season with Salt, Pepper, and Italian Seasoning
3. Chop cooked chicken (I used my food processor to make ground chicken).
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Mix soup, water, and seasonings (to taste) in a saucepan over medium heat.
6. Spoon some sauce on the bottom of a 7x9 casserole dish.
7. Put down 3 noodles, overlapping as needed.
8. Put half of remaining sauce over noodles. Then layer on half of the Parmesan cheese, monterey jack cheese, ricotta cheese, and chicken.
9. Repeat steps 7 & 8
10. Bake for 20 minutes. Cut into 6 servings. Then enjoy!

Nutrition per serving: (I used an online recipe analysis tool to figure this out, but don't remember which one. There are plenty. Just google it! :) )

• Calories - 289
• Protein - 28g
• Fiber - 1.4g
• Fat - 4.8g
• Sat. Fat - 2.6g

Day 2 of Detox & A Recipe!

I woke up today with more of a bounce, but I'm not sure if that was from the detox or the fact that my mouth wasn't causing me to writhe in pain. We will see tomorrow. I must say I am so glad I am a fast healer and that my body adapts to things really well. The bands are easy to get off and put back on, I even put them on last night without a mirror! I only messed up on one part! lol. It's definitly teaching me to use chapstick instead of licking my lips. I really can't lick them now. And, this morning when I took the bands off, my mouth/jaw actually hurt more without them. Weird. Anyway, enough about my braces.

I have to say I've already downed my detox stuff today. Ya... sixty ounces in three and a half hours? I'm going to be running to the bathroom a LOT today. :S I just had to get it over with. Although, I must say, it didn't taste as bad today as it did yesterday. I did add some more cranberry juice though and I barely let it touch my tongue when I was drinking it. I drank it SO fast! I also plugged my noise while drinking it for a while. Then it really felt like I was just drinking lemon water. I'll have to remember that for tomorrow.

Anyway, I'm on to the rest of my day! I'm not running today, I did that yesterday, but I will be doing Bob Harpers Bootcamp! Mainly because I don't want to. I know that may sound weird, but let me explain. I don't want to workout today. Normally I would be running on Wednesdays, but things got a little messed up this week and it's not safe to run everyday. I have gained a LOT of self control since starting to go "off sugar" and running and everything. My mind has changed its way of thinking so much! And that is precisely why I have to workout today. Because I don't want to.

I used to just think. I don't want to workout... so I'm not going to. That happened nearly everyday! No wonder I gained a bunch of weight! (Not to mention the food I was eating) I've made a promise with myself to workout everyday, excluding Sundays as it is the Lords day of rest. My typical schedule will be; Running M, W, F, Sa and Bootcamp on T, Th, Sa. The maximum results program on Bob Harpers Bootcamp DVD says to do it 4-5 times a week so I know I wont get the "maximum" results, but I'm running on top of it so I'm not worried. Now, because I have made this promise with myself, I can't think, "I don't want to workout today." and not do it. If I did that I would be falling back into my old ways and I made a promise to myself that once these pounds come off they are gone forever, so I can't fall back into my old ways. I wont let myself. I don't want my mind thinking it can get away with that.

Now onto this recipe I developed this morning!!!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Blueberry Oatmeal

Look at that deliciousness!

Beautiful.

I am still having to eat soft foods, and what better food then Oatmeal? Healthy, good, and soft! And very filling... I ate all of this but like three bites. I just couldn't finish it. I wanted to make a PB&J Oatmeal, but I really wanted chocolate so I made this instead! I'll have to work on the regular PB&J and get back to you. 

Here's what you'll need:

1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Oatmeal

1 Cup Milk of Choice or Water*

1 T. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 T. Peanut Butter**

1/4 c. Blueberries

Pinch of Salt

2-5 Packets of Stevia, or to taste***

Additions: Light/Fat Free Whipped Topping, Light Hersheys Syrup, coconut shavings, banana, nuts, protein powder... etc.

In a small pot combine Old fashioned Oats, Water (or Milk), Cocoa powder, and salt. Cook according to the directions on the Oats container, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, stir in Peanut Butter and Stevia(optional). Top with Blueberries and a few dots of Whipped topping and enjoy! 

* I normally use milk, it makes it creamier, but I wanted to drink my milk today so I used water.

** I use natural Peanut Butter, the only ingredient is Peanuts. Sometimes I make my own. It cuts down on everything and is much more healthy for you. Although I'm sure you could use PB2 (a powdered peanut better that I've been dying to try) as well.

*** Stevia is my go to sweetener. It's SO much better for you then Splend or Agrave Nectar or anything like that. I didn't use it in this recipe, mainly because I forgot, I was a little scatter brained. Holding a wiggly ten month old and trying to make breakfast isn't easy. It tasted fine without it, the blueberries added a nice flavor, but I will add it next time I think. :)

I'll be weighing tomorrow for the detox so be sure to check in again!

Until Next Time!

Spicy

Day 1 of Detox

Let me first say this...

EEEWWW!!!! Bleh, I do NOT like tea, especially when it's unsweetened. However, it does taste similar to lemon/lime water... just with a slight taste of dirt. And yes, I do know what dirt tastes like, I played football, it was inevitable.

I ended up adding extra sugar free cranberry juice so I could get it down. I will tell you this, I'll be drinking it as fast as I can so I can drink my regular water again. I've done some more research on it and found that if you want to drink it even faster and get it over with you can make this all as 16 oz. but make sure you still get at least 60 ounce of water. It's mainly the dandelion root tea that you need for the detox. I'm sticking with the 60 ounces though, just to be safe. Maybe next time, if this works, I'll do the 16 oz. and see if it works just as well.

With this detox I said I would be weighing myself every other day, so I had to weigh today. I was smiling when I saw 156.6! Woah! That's almost a pound since Saturday. Now, as excited as I am about that, let me tell you something that I know effected it.

I have braces. They hurt. I've had them since February. People ask all the time if I'm doing okay with them or if I'm just used to them by now. My answer is always, "I don't know if you can ever really get used to having braces. I'm use to having them, they don't cut my mouth like they did when I first got them, and I'm just used to them being in my mouth and in the way, but the pain... I don't think you can ever get used to it, because it's not constant. Some days my mouth doesn't hurt at all, other days I have a few teeth that KILL. With that said, on the days I get them tightened... I'm on meds (ibuprofen) all day long and depending on how much tighter... sometimes two. I had my braces tightened yesterday, but I also now have elastic bands...

I can't eat anything, I'm in so much pain. I had two protein shakes yesterday, lunch and dinner, and no snacks throughout the day. I added more things to my shakes though, trying to make sure I still made my needed caloric intake. Also, running. I've noticed, even with my "free days" and having pizza twice last week, running is really taking the pounds off me.

I'm going to try scrambled eggs for lunch, I need something solid. I really want a tuna sandwich, but that would KILL!!! Like I said before though, I'm still eating. I'm making sure to get AT LEAST 1200 calories a day. Make sure if you do this detox you eat. It is not a crazy diet of just drinking, that's nuts, you need food. This is just an herbal tea to cleanse your body.

I'm about halfway through my detox drink. I'll keep you updated on how things go!

Until Next Time!
Spicy

Back Blues

I was down to 206.6. Then, then two days later I found myself literally unable to get out of bed. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't.

You see, every once in a while my major back injury flares up for reasons I sometimes cannot figure out. This was one of those times. There is only one thing I can think of that may have caused it, but it seems far fetched. When I have a bad flare up, I am bed ridden. Even trying to reposition my body IN bed hurts so bad that I sometimes cry! Getting up to go to the bathroom, lifting the lid, twisting to wipe (TMI? sorry), standing back up, bending to flush and close the lid....it is pure agony. One of the most painful things to do and regularly causes tears when I'm in a back blues episode. Everything you do, and I mean everything, uses your back! So, everything hurts!

Back blues also means that my house become a MESS and I depend on other people for food. Since I am the only one who cooks (except for certain dishes that hubby makes), this is really difficult. Basically, I don't complain or be picky about what I am eating because at least I am eating. So, in bed for two days. Then had to get up for 4th of July family party. Bad idea. I was feeling a little better, then did that. In bed for two more days. Then was feeling a little better, went to see my aunt who was in town for a few hours, spent the rest of the day in bed. Sunday (one week later), spent the day in bed. Staying in bed for that long is awful. There is only so much TV/movies you can watch!

Anyway, combine the bed rest, poor food, lack of water because I don't want to get up and go to the bathroom, and a holiday in the mix. You end up with what I saw on the scale this morning. Yes, I weighed today, Tuesday, because I haven't weighed in over a week. I needed to see the damage. 212.0! Gained everything I had lost in June! Big sigh....

So far (yesterday) I have spent about 3/4 of the day sitting and the other 1/4 in bed! Great progress. This also means that I was able to get my own breakfast, lunch, and snacks! Still had help for dinner, but it feels great to be making progress. I probably won't be working out this week, but my eating will be much better. Hopefully those pounds will come right off since they were put on so fast.

Moral of this story is: You will have ups and downs, but as long as you keep focused on your goals, realizing life sometimes throws you a curve ball, eventually you will hit that home run! Just keep swinging! (As I typed that I thought about Dory in Finding Nemo singing, Just keep swimming.)

Thinking About Detoxing? Okay!

I've been reading a lot about detox's lately and I found one, by Jillian Michaels, that I am actually going to do. Starting tomorrow. I will be making it tonight so it's ready for tomorrow and I'll be drinking it, consistently, for seven days. I've been feeling a little bloated lately, ever since "that time of month", and I've heard/and been told, that this detox really knocks out the bloated feeling. I will still be eating what I do on a regular basis, I'll still be working out and running like normal, I'll just be drinking this detox stuff. I'll also be updating throughout the seven days regularly to let you know how it's going.

I've never done a detox before, but apparently it's really good for you to do on occasion. I figured, I'm changing my body so much, it would probably be good to go all the way and get all that junk out of me. Which is why I've been led to this...

60 Ounces of Distilled or Pure Water
1 Dandelion Root Tea Bag (I had to search a bit, but I found mine at Walmart)
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Cranberry Juice
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

I don't have Lemon Juice, but I have lime so I used that. We shall see what I think about it tomorrow. I'm not a huge tea fan... I've drank tea before and I always have to add sugar or honey or something like that, but since I've been "off sugar" for a while now, maybe it wont be so bad... We shall see. I may just have to choke it down. :S That would not be ideal, but I could do it.

The instructions. Mix all that together (I didn't boil the tea but you could if you want to) and drink ALL 60 ounces in one day, you're supposed to be drinking that anyway people. This is also supposed to help with clearing up skin and adding energy. I am excited to report my findings. Wish me luck! :D

Spicy Saturday: Two In One

Today I woke up early so I could go for my first, fourth run of the week. Usually I just run three times, but I wanted to start running four, partly because on Saturday I actually have time to run longer. I was very happy to get out of the house and breath the refreshing morning air for three miles! I walked for half a mile, rand for two, and walked for half a mile again. Yesterday I ran 1.9 miles in 25ish minutes. I wanted to run 2 miles today. I like challenging myself. Well, I did! I ran 2 miles! But not only did I run them I beat my time! I ran 2 miles in 25 minutes! That's a 12.5 minute mile! I know for some of you that is really slow, but considering I started at about a 16 minute mile, that's a HUGE improvement for me. I know 2 miles isn't anything compared to a half marathon, but you gotta start somewhere, right?

After my run I came home, stepped on the scale, and nearly had a heart attack when I saw... this.

157.4!

Do you see that!?!

Woot!!! I'm only 1.4 lbs. away from my first progression pics and only 5.4 lbs. away from one of my goals! 

At 155 I will post my ten pound progression pics, so stay tuned! They'll be here soon!

And at 152 I will officially weigh less then The Hubs! Woot!!!

Maybe I should tell you my goals.

Be in the 180's

Be in the 170's

Be in the 160's

Be in the 150's

Weigh less then The Hubs

Be in the 140's

Weigh what I did when we got married

Be in the 130's

Weigh Less then I ever have

Be in the 120's

Weigh 120 lbs.

I've already beat four of my goals! That's great! I can't wait for the next couple ones though. 

What are your goals?

I Am an Addict

Happy Day after Independence Day! Did everyone have a great 4th of July? I had a blast! I woke up and made the Hubs and J-Dawg (his brother) some DELICIOUS cinnamon roll pancakes. Yup, you heard me. Cinnamon Roll PANCAKES! It's exactly what it sounds like. Unfortunately I don't have a picture, and unfortunately I don't have an exact recipe, but I know I'll be making it again soon because not only were the Hubs and J-Dawg's eyes rolling into their heads while their taste buds exploded with awesome sweetness, but mine were too. The smell alone was making my mouth water. When I do make them again, and I will, I will be sure to take pictures and jot down everything I put in it so I can share this delicious non-waist-friendly breakfast. And you know what's the best part? I had three of them! YUM! All of our meals yesterday were fabulous. Spunky and I gave ourselves a free day, but I still tried to real myself in... except for breakfast. I went a little overboard, haha. 

I did however accomplish something I've been working toward, PLUS, another little something.

 Wanna know what it was?

I went running last night after the heat was leaving the day, before the sun was completely gone and my energy with it. And the whole day my body (and my legs especially) were screaming at me for not running in the morning like I usually do. Weird. Anyway, I went running and I ran for 10+ minutes!!! I'm still doing the C25K program and yesterday was week 6 day 2! It only goes to week 9 day 3! Yikes!!! On Friday I'll be running for 25 straight mins! No walking breaks! AHHH! That's crazy. I never thought I would be able to run that long and now look at me? It's an awesome feeling. I broke my run for 10 minutes mile stone! But, I will be breaking a lot more then that in the next couple of weeks. (I'll talk about that in a minute though)

My second accomplishment was... The Hubs ran with me!!! Ah hahahaha. Actually he walked quite a bit... that's how slow my jog is *blushes* and he made fun of me for it... but I'm not going for speed right now! I'm going for distance and good form. That's what's important. I'll work on speed later. And not only did the Hubs run with me, but J-Dawg did too! It was so much fun. At the very end of my running time I had a little bit left to the end of the street and I wanted to make it there.... when all of a sudden I hear thudding footsteps coming up behind me... FAST! I am a really really really competitive person. So much so that sometimes it's a bad thing... oops. Well, in this case... it wasn't. I don't know where I pulled the energy from, but I broke out into a dead sprint. My legs were flying!!! I haven't run that fast in a really really long time! And guess what?

I BEAT J-DAWG!!! Ah-hahahahaha!!!! :D Come to find out he was trying to beat me to the curb, it didn't work! 

Lol, sucker. 

Just kidding.

Sort of...

Anyway, the thing I meant earlier when I said I would be breaking a lot more then that the next couple of weeks, should have said... the next couple of months.  I meant to talk about this sooner, but it slipped my mind. 

I signed up for a half marathon. EEEPS!!!! :S 

Save me....

Remember how I told my mom she was crazy for running a marathon and then she challenged me to a half? Well... she kept up on that. I'm scheduled to run my first 1/2 Marathon on October 6th... which gives me BARELY enough time to train for it. She is a personal trainer and teaches a whole class on Marathon running so I trust her when she says I'll have enough time. 

But seriously... YIPES! What have I gotten myself into?

In all honesty though. I'm excited. I'm scared... I've never ran more then a 5k, but I know having something to push toward will give me even more motivation to run. I'm already positive I'm not going to stop running, I like it to much. I can't believe I just said that. And I already wanted to run a 5K again and do my first 10k... the next step is a 1/2 marathon, right? I think I'm an addict to running. I am excited. It's gonna be a challenge and we all know I love a good challenge. :)

I am also an addict to OATMEAL!!! Yum. This is what I had for breakfast this morning while the boys were having their delicious cinnamon roll pancakes.

My lovely cup of Unsweetened Almond Milk, and a 1 serving trifle of Blueberry Lime Oatmeal. YUM! And it's exactly what it sounds like. 1 Serving of oatmeal, 1/4 cup blueberries, lime juice to taste. YUM! :D 

I've decided I like Unsweetened Almond Milk better then our usual 1% Milk for many reasons, but the one I'm thinking of now is... I just drank a cup of that stuff and I know, in thirty minutes, my stomach wont be screaming at me for it. I'm starting to realize I may be a little lactose intolerant. Hmmm. Whatev's! :D

Have a great day ya'll!!!

Until Next Time,

Spicy

A Little Motivation

Hey Ya'll! No I'm not from Texas, I just talk like it sometimes... I can't help it. I'm a cowgirl. Haha.

Let me tell you something.

Something that will knock your socks off!

Not really... but if it does, hey good for you.

I'm a little sad today. The reason? It's really personal, but I can tell you, that in the past I would go and start snacking on Sugar! I would have ate a handful of the chocolate chips in our pantry then move onto the marshmellows or the peppermint bark... or I'd mix peanut butter with honey and chocolate chips then put whipped topping on it just for good measure. Heck, I would probably do all of that!

Do you wanna know what I do now?

First  I drink a LOT of water. Usually one of these...

Then I'm not craving sugar, or at least not as bad, and I do one of two things. I workout, I write, or I start looking for motivational pictures. See?

Keep on going! :D

YA! I love I AM statements! :D

This one made me laugh really hard, hahaha.

So if you're having a bad day, or even a good day, and need a little pick me up or some motivation, look for something that makes you feel better, besides food, and do it! And if you need to talk to someone feel free to contact me! spicyfrost (at) gmail (dot) com. Have a great day!

Until Next Time!

Spicy

"Sweet Surprise Pancakes"

This recipe is from "The Belly Fat Cure" by Jorge Cruise. I won't post many recipes, because I am an honest person and don't want to violate copyright laws. I WILL; however, post my pictures and reviews. In fact, somebody else already posted the basic pancake recipe here: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1254616

I would add a bit more xylitol or Stevia to the batter and want to experiment with other flours.
For the sweet surprise: add 1/4 C. sugar free chocolate chips to the batter.
For the toppings (each makes enough for four servings)
1/4 C. sugar free chocolate chips melted in 1/4 C. whipping cream; drizzle over pancakes.
1/4 C. whipping cream, 1 tsp. xylitol or Stevia; whipped.
Sugar Free Syrup (sweetened with xylitol or Stevia is preferred)

This breakfast has 0 grams of sugar and 2 servings of carbohydrates. It was good. I would give it 3.5/5. I want to try it with a bit more sweetener and possibly a different flour. It certainly curbs the cravings, which is good!

Spicy Saturday... erm... Monday

I'm posting late because the Hubs, LW, and I went to visit some family this past weekend. We were celebrating fourth of July a little early because we can't be with them on Wednesday. It was a fun weekend! And I had way to much good food and a few cookies to many, haha. I was on vacation, what'evs. I'll work it off anyway. 

On Friday I was having a REALLY down day. Not being able to run was really getting to me, ugh. Luckily the smoke has cleared up enough that I can run today! YAY!!! I'll be doing that as soon as I'm done posting this.  Spunky called me and I almost didn't answer because I was so down, but I'm glad I did. People, let me tell you. You NEED someone beside you like Spunky has been beside me. On those down days, you need someone to be there so they can pick you up and keep you going. If you need someone like that contact me! Or Spunky! We would both be willing to help you in any way we can. I told Spunky I wasn't looking forward to weighing in on Saturday. I had only been able to run once during the week and although I had done Bob Harpers Bootcamp Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, I was really worried about the scale. She told me to think positively and asked me what I would be happy seeing on the scale Saturday morning. I kind of laughed and said something along the lines of, "At this point I would be happy seeing even a .2 lb. loss." She told me to remember that when I stepped on the scale.

Saturday I stepped on the scale, positivly repeating to myself "I will see 158. I will see 158. I will see 158." That was my goal for Saturday. The numbers didn't stop at 158, although I did see a brief flash of it for a moment. It stopped at 159.4. Exactly .2 lbs lower then last week. I started laughing and shook my head thinking, "Wow, that's just ridiculous." But as I had told Spunky the day before. I was happy about it. It wasn't a gain, it wasn't even the same number. It was lower and in the right direction. 

Keep your chin up and keep thinking positively. Once you can conquer your mind, you can conquer anything. 

Until Next Time!

        Spicy