Stranded in Lazy Town

Wednesday I had no car and nothing to do. My stepdad needed to use my car, so I was without. Doesn’t it feel strange not having a car to drive yourself around? It makes me really appreciate having one. I think it’s really great to go without a cell phone, TV, or your car for a day, just to see how amazing and privileged you are to have one. There are my words of inspiration for today.

Wednesday was also my rest day. So I really had nothing to do. I woke up, got some Tropical Delight Coffee (makes me smile just thinking about how amazing this is), and had some breakfast.

Dunkin' Donuts... yummy

JOKES! Jokes all around. I did NOT eat these gluten bombs. Mons did. Tisk tisk.

Yogurt with chopped apple and almonds.

 After skyping my gorgeous fiancé, I had to find something to do. I always find ways to keep myself busy, even if it means doing something pointless. I can’t ever just sit and watch TV or lay around all day.I could have read Bob Dylan’s biography for my research, buuuuttt I decided to waste about 3 hrs watching recently discovered beauty videos by Kandee Johnson, trying to recreate Kim Kardashian’s smoke eye look, and then taking pictures of myself.

Pouty Lips

 Waste of time, but so, so fun. In between all of that, I snacked on a Biochem Sport Protein Bar in Chocolate Truffle.

After my mini photo shoot I had some lunch.

Cottage cheese with chili powder and cumin. Crackers and Cucumber.

Dried mango from Bare Fruit. New addiction.

Then I did some cleaning and took a much needed nap (since I did so much today).

I woke up just in time to receive a package from PureFit! The company was kind enough to send me samples of their product for review. I tried the Chocolate Brownie flavor.

Chocolate Brownie

Product review coming on Thursday! After my yummy snack from PureFit, it was time to start thinking about dinner. This is what I came up with.

Squash, zuccini, and red onions. Mexican sloppy joe (salsa, ketchup, and mustard) and crinkle fries.

I spent the rest of the night watching the “Sing Off”. This was entertaining for two reasons: The first is that I love accapella groups. The second is that our bird has been going crazy every night, making squeaking noises and high whistles, and we haven’t figured out why. Well, we realized that he this crazy behavior corresponds with us watching “The Sing Off”. So hilarious. I think he enjoys the beat-boxing.

This was followed up more makeup videos, taking full advantage of my rest day. Thursday is going to be much more active. But it’s the holidays which equals relax time. No complaints here!

Walking, Running, Dancing, and Jumping in a Winter Wonderland:Tips for Winter Workouts

Every year, it’s so tempting to just curl up on the couch and eat your life away during the winter. Well, it is for me, at least. But instead of succumbing to my body’s natural desire for fat storage, I have decided to push through this terrible cold front and work out.

Since I didn’t work out on Saturday and Sunday, I knew Monday had to break the streak. It was so cold outside, but I wanted to go for a run. Taking all my skills for staying warm that I gained from my daily article reading, I dressed super warm but still comfortable for my workout.

I was outfitted with a hat, scarf, long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, gloves, and sweatpants to brave the 40 degree weather. I did my walk one song, run one song workout. Ok, so maybe it was more like jogging. The wind was blowing against me like a hurricane, but I trudged on. Fifty minutes later, I was glove and scarf free, feeling super energized and loving the winter weather.

Monday night, I went with my grandfather to his ballroom dance class’ annual Christmas party. Very surprisingly, I had a great time, and got a workout out of it! We danced the night away, burning extra calories while staying inside. It was super fun! And quite entertaining.

Posey-pose in front of the tree. Ready for my night on the town.

She's really not Devil dog. I promise.

My and Papi. Cute, huh?

Tuesday’s workout was a combination of things. Since I was in the dancing mood, I did some Zumba. Here are a few of the videos I did:

1. Latin Mix
2. Waka Waka
3. Krazy
4. Calle Ocho

After that, I did Dancer’s Ab Workout.

Apparently, my sister thought it would be funny to take a picture of this...

I followed this up with a few upper body exercises with 5 lb. weights. Once it warmed up to a toasty 29 degrees, I took the poopers for a little walk. I figured, since I wasn't doing any really intense exercising, I could afford a longer workout.

Being in the winter weather does not mean you can’t work out. Now, if you are in 20 degrees or lower weather, you might want to consider some indoor workouts like workout videos or strength training. If you do decided to workout outside, you should:

• Dress in layers- You can always take them off if you get hot!
• Keep your head and hands warm- your blood rushes to your core to keep your organs warm when you're cold. Also, most of the heat escapes through your extremities. 
• Wear reflective/bright clothing- If you are exercising at night, be careful of slippery surfaces and make sure people can see you!
• Keep wearing your sunscreen- Cold does not equal UV free!
• Stay hydrated- It's easy to forget to drink water when you're cold, but this is important!

Here are some non-video or strength training ideas for getting exercise without the getting chilly:

• Have a little dance party- An hour or two of dancing, and you’ve had an awesome workout.
• Dance in your room- Seriously. You might feel dumb, but once you get into it, it’s so fun.
• Jump Rope/Jumping Jacks- Alternate jump rope for 5 minutes and jumping jacks for five for 20-30 minutes. This will work up a sweat and you can even do it in front of the TV!
• Step ups- Find a step in your house and step up and down (like step aerobics) for 30 minutes.
• Stairs- If you have stairs in your house, use them! Go up and down while listening to music.

Don’t use the excuse that it’s cold outside not to work out. There are so many other options that there’s no reason to let your fitness slip!

Mama's Warming Lentil Soup

This is my mom’s lentil soup. It’s really easy, but incredibly delicious and a great thing dish to have on a cold day. It warms me right up! Let me reiterate my usual lack of measure in this recipe. All of the measurements are guesses. Don't be afraid to change them depending on your tastes. Just go with it!

• 1 ½ cup lentils
• ½ lb. ground beef (this can be substituted with firm tofu for a vegetarian version)
• 1 tomato, chopped
• ½ yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4-6 red potatoes (depending on size), cubed
• 1 tbsp cumin
• garlic salt and pepper to taste

 Combine tomatoes, onions, garlic, cumin and ground beef in large frying pan and brown. Once brown, combine lentils and ground beef mixture in a large pot. Add enough water to cover the lentils and meat (There should be about an inch of water about the lentils). Bring to a boil. Turn down to medium heat and cover for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 40 minutes, add red potatoes and cover for another 20 minutes, or until potatoes are fully cooked. Add garlic salt and pepper to taste. For even more texture, have this soup on top of quinoa. Enjoy!

Snack, Snack, Snack It Up!

I hope you read that title in the style of Joe Budden’s Pump It Up… If not, go back and try again. It'll make you want to dance.

This weekend was a hodgepodge of snack-laden meals. I think the reasoning behind this was that I was feeling incredibly indecisive and wanting to eat everything at once. Because I am such a smarty pants, I came up with a solution.

Friday, Snack Meal #1- Lunch:

Sweet Potato Bites, Broccoli with Hummus, and GF Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies.

I had three of these little beauties...

No pic of the potatoes and broc, but here are the amazing cooks. Speaking of cooks, check out this post all about cookies from Biff’s blog.

In the afternoon I decided to shake things up with my workout. I went out for a walk, but once I got out, my legs were rearing to go. So I ended up walking for one song, then running for one song. It was super fun, and I pushed really hard during the running songs. Hurray for interval training!

Next assortment of finger foods…

Friday, Snack Meal #2- Dinner:

Snow Peas, Bagel with a shmear of  hummus, grapes. Bowl of yogurt with flax seeds and strawberry jam.

Saturday, Snack Meal #3- Lunch:

Baby Apple

Superfood Antioxidant Trail mix

Kay's Naturals French Vanilla Protein Cereal

Skinny Creme Brulee Latte from Five Bucks. I spent five bucks for my mama and I to share this yummy treat. New hat.

 Saturday I was not feeling like working out, so I went on workout strike. Whatev. Sunday, I woke up groggy from Nyquil (I still have a stuffy nose at night from my cold), and didn’t work out in the morning. I was so out of it for the rest of the day that I took a nap, woke up, and continued my workout strike. That’s the last time I take Nyquil and sleep less than 8 hours.

Four workouts this week will have to suffice. Monday is a new day and a new week.

Sunday, Snack Meal #4- Lunch:

Baby App, Snow Peas, Cracks, and Homemade guacamole

Easiest Guac ever. 1 avocado with ¼ cup of salsa. Mash it all up and voila! Delicious, quick, and easy salsa

.Throughout the weekend, I have been periodically sneaking almond/cranberry mix, Cape Cod Reduced Fat potato chips, and my Lindt 90% Dark chocolate that I got on Thursday…

Overall, my weekend was Snackalicious. I loved it. But the laziness has got to stop. Hopefully Monday will bring some nicely prepared meals.

Wrinkles Are In!

In skimming through my daily dose of health and beauty articles, I came across this article about Lauren Hutton and her campaign for beautiful aging.  She is the face of J. Crew.

I was totally inspired by her comfort with age. I really hope that one day, when I am beautifully aged, I can be comfortable with my wrinkles, and not-so-perfect body. I attempted to search for her secrets for staying beautiful without turning to plastic surgery, but it seems that Ms. Hutton is simply blessed with genetics.

However, I continued my investigation into secrets for looking beautiful even with age and came across a few other stunning “mature” women who have stayed beautiful naturally.  

Jerry Hall

Meryl Streep

Helen Mirren

Unsurprisingly, all of these women have their own secrets for staying gorgeous. Helen Mirren made a good point when she said, “It’s ridiculous to pretend we can stay young forever.” So, I have combined all of these little tips and words of wisdom into a list I like to call:

Getting Hotter Age

• Exercise, Exercise, Exercise- Meryl Streep swears by low impact exercise like swimming. Helen Mirren and Jerry Hall both do yoga. Jerry Hall says, "Exercise releases endorphins, which give you that inner glow." Muscle tone keeps skin firm and cellulite free. I think that’s awesome.
• Drink lots of water- We hear this all the time, but it’s true. Water keeps everything hydrated, making your skin more elastic, keeping your organs functioning the way they should, and keeping your brain sharp.
• Stay positive- negativity and stress age you faster. Taking some time out of your day to meditate, pray, or just close your eyes in a quiet environment for a few minutes will keep you balanced and relaxed.
• Fall in love- A common denominator in each of these women’s lives is love. And we all know that love keeps you from aging.
•  Eat as naturally as possible- By eating natural and whole foods, your body had an easier time digesting and utilizing the nutrients. More nutrients means a healthier body.
• Indulge and enjoy life-  Be happy and enjoy yourself. This is pretty self-explanatory

Which is what I did today...

Happiness



My treat from my mama for being good at the grocery store.



Chocolate Lovin'

•  Sleep- Helen Mirren sleeps every chance she gets. Being tired drains your body and makes you age quickly.
•  Moderation- This actually goes hand in hand with “enjoy yourself”. Eating and drinking whatever you want is the way to go. Jerry Hall eats dark chocolate every day and drinks red wine. But it’s important to moderate your alcohol especially. It’s a major skin killer.
•   Take Care of your skin- It’s like your packaging! It’s the first thing people see. Stay out of the sun, use SPF and always moisturize.

You might be saying, “These are all common sense things,” but sometimes you need to hear them all together, thrown into a nice little list. Personally, I don’t care if they’re boring or run-of the-mill ideas, I am going to do what these lovely ladies do. Don't mess with the formula for success. We shouldn't be terrified to get older. We should take a lesson from Ms. Hall- "I've spent 25 years looking young and wonderful, it's only natural that now I'm getting wrinkles." I think it’s so important remember that aging can be graceful.

Wrinkles are in girls, and they’re beautiful.