PeachPants&Blisters

I have blisters from half marathon training and hand-me-down peach pants.

Kris&Books

Joe's cousin in a producer for the Kris Jenner Show,

so my mom&I were able to go to an episode taping.

We went dress shopping the night before

for bright&bold&solid colors

and I found a long, teal maxi-dress to wear.

We excitedly got up in the morning

-drove past the Hollywood sign-

and headed to the studio

where we were able to pass the line of women waiting

and were seated in the front row.

Going to a show taping is an interesting experience...

there was a comedian there to cue our laughter&applause

and lots of loud music to fuel excitement&fun.

I'll admit that I've never been the biggest Jenner/Kardashian fan,

but it was a once-in-a-lifetime&new thing to do.

The guest host - Boris Kodjoe - was a beautiful man

who spit out german and cooked delicious-looking german food

livened up the set with intelligent convo and stories about his family

and showcased his clothing line: Alfa.

(he was definitely my favorite part.)

Then there was Denise Richards

(so tiny in person)

who talked about her show Twisted on ABC Family

and Harley Pasternak - author of the Body Reset Diet.

We got his book, chocolates, and a top from Kris Jenner Collection

as our give-away for attending the taping.

I started reading the book by the pool that week

and I'm excited to get into it.

The next day, mom&I curled up in our hotel beds to watch the show.

(and look for ourselves on TV)

She was shown on camera twice!

(and obviously so - since she's a beautiful&well-polished lady)

I, on the other hand, took back the teal dress I'd bought.

Midnight Muscles

Mr.U
– unlike me –
likes to go to the gym late at night.

By the time we get there
...I’m ready for bed.
I usually get the buzz once I’m there
...hop on an elliptical
or
...throw some weights on a machine to kick off my midnight workout.
Once the motivation has taken hold,
momentum floats me around the gym
till I’m ready for bed again.

Birthday Shoes

Mr.U bought me new running shoes for my birthday.

I love them..light-weight&pretty.

Muscles&Blocks

This past weekend Mr.U&I and his Buddy&Girlfriend got up bright&early Saturday morning to drive to Columbus, OH for the Arnold Sports Festival. The boys were beyond excited as we filled our bellies with a yummy Tim’s breakfast and I climbed into the driver’s seat for the 3-hour trip. The girls – yeah, we were excited in our own way. Being the fan of health&fitness that I am, I looked forward to discovering new things… and we were all excited to see the glistening muscles of the body builders and conquer the challenge of nabbing as many free supplements as possible. But, I have to admit, I was more enticed by the architecture of the city than the protein&creatine filled booths.
After hours of shuffling through the crowds, all 4 of us were in need of a break and a nice, big lunch, so we went to this sweet refurbished warehouse-turn-market and all found our own special food craving – I enjoyed a delicious dish of Indian food – before heading back for a few more hours of booth bouncing. And we all agreed at the end of our second round that we’d gotten our money’s worth of free goodies.
I must say, though, that the next day was the highlight for me. While Buddy&Girlfriend sat in the front row of a seminar with Arnie Himself, Mr.U&I took in the city. I was shocked to discover the amount beautiful buildings that were actually empty and unused – reminiscent of Detroit, only much more well-kept. But I still loved all the details. Massive clocks, tiny alleys, eclectic mixes of brick&stone puzzle-piecing the city’s façade together. I can never get enough of old, character-filled buildings. And exploring Columbus was just what I needed on a brisk Sunday morning.
Mr.U got his MuscleFest in and I got a visual mindfuck in a brand new city. Can’t complain.

February's Fall

The women in my office had obviously made New Years Weight-Loss Resolutions after the holiday dust had settled. The kitchenette over-flowed with: Cans of Soup, Whole Wheat Toast, Salads, Frozen Lean Cuisines and Everyone: discussed their caloric intake, compared diet tracking apps, shared healthy recipe options, and exercised on their lunchbreak.
The communal Snack Table remained empty during the first week of January. The second week, it made it to Friday’s On The Border Mexican delivery lunch and everyone stuck to the pre-tracked meals they’d calculated from the restaurants website. I giggled as they obsessively scooped their rice and opted out of the sour cream option. Bagels and one plate of chocolate chip cookies found their way to the table on the third week, but they were picked over throughout the day instead of the normal desperate morning munch scramble. The fourth week, a Girls Scout Cookie sign-up sheet accompanied a few boxes of granola bars and Special K chips (both of which I tried&enjoyed).
Then came February – potentially the most defeating month of the year for this obesity-tainted nation of ours. Two dozen donuts appeared on February 1st and were slowly eaten throughout the day – successfully avoided by some who’d not yet fallen off the wagon. February 2nd donned “Promotion Bagels” with lots of cream cheese options. “They’re really soft&fresh…” I heard one failed dieter snear at her deskmate who’d painfully said “no” to the Panera temptations. And today, Friday, February 3, there are two dozen more donuts on the table.
If anyone hadn’t fallen off the wagon yet, they’re clinging on by their fingernails and spitefully avoiding the common area.
Though I do find it funny – the whole New Years weight-loss trend followed by the February fall back into old habits – I mostly feel sorry for my coworkers, because I speak from experience. I’m the queen of the fad diet (my mother had me join her on the Cabbage Soup Diet before I even had a driver’s license) and I know how discouraging the cycle of motivation-lack of results-retreat can be. Hence, why I’m trying so hard to find a balance of health, exercise, and indulgence. I don’t want to end up a middle-aged office woman starving my way through January only to binge February into oblivion.

Protien Explosion

I waited&waited for my new vegetable protien from the Vitamin Shoppe and this is what I found when I opened the box.And explosion of powder.Now I get to wait for my replacement.

Bubye Cheats

Had my last holiday “cheats”
…it had to happen sometime...
I suppose.
I can only eat junk for so long until I shape back up.
I’m not good at being unhealthy when it comes down to it.
Time to get rid of the cellulite thighs and hit the gym.
Yuck.
But the cheats were good. For sure.

NOT MyPanera

I am a “MyPanera Member” card holder solely because of their black bean soup. I’ve had it here&there from a can or homemade and it’s just not the same as Panera makes it. Unfortunately for me, I have terrible luck with food, though, so whenever I’m craving black bean soup all day long – they don’t have it. Of course.
Last night, Mr.U&I decided to get dinner before our workout. He’s trying to monitor my dieting – a game I absolutely love (not) – so he suggested we have some carbs before our cardio sess. Since I’ve also got a Panera gift card, I was into the idea carbin’ it up with soup&baguettes. They had black bean soup, but when I ordered it in a bread bowl and the cashier allowed me to order the bread bowl even though they were out, I got a little upset. To make matters worse, Mr.U ordered chili, which needed to be refilled (even though there was no line)… taking the shift manager more than 15 minutes to pour two bowls of soup and ignore my questions about the bread bowl.
I was, needless to say, not a happy girl.
I’ve worked in the food industry. I know people bitch&moan about stupid things, but when problems are entirely avoidable&solvable, people who simply can’t do their job correctly piss me off. And the icing on the cake: my to-go bowl was only about half full. I guess Panera thinks I should be dieting, too. Thus, I’m retiring my rewards card and my Panera runs for a while – too many times in a row has that place irritated me lately.

Holiday Rolls

It’s incredibly hard to eat healthy during this holiday season. I’ll admit – I’d like to lose some weight. And I’ve lost 15lbs since Mr.U&I “got together” at the beginning of October. (pat self on back) I made it through Halloween and Thanksgiving with good dieting habits and as much exercise as I had time for, but Christmas is getting to me. And I’m not happy about it. I’d hate for all of my hard work to go down the drain because I can’t control myself these last few weeks of the year.
treats everywhere
– get-togethers at restaurants&bars –
holiday parties.
Everything is surrounded by food. I’m trying to be good. Fruit salad from our catered office meal... successfully avoided the buttered-up green beans and sugar-filled pecan pie. I love this season, but I’m in desperate need for its end if I’m going to survive without gaining back my rolls.

Diet Season

It seems that every single person in my world is on a diet – which is kind of ironic considering it’s the Holiday Season i.e. Time-To-Pack-It-In-&-Embrace-The-Pounds. I guess it’s a good theory – get in the right mindset now so holiday indulgences don’t do as much damage.

So, I won’t complain about having healthy friends.
Mr.U – who is wonderfully attractive in my eyes – is a salad-eating, turkey-burger monster. A big, manly guy-friend – who I had dinner with last night – is a breakfast-oatmeal, chicken-breast fiend. One of my best girlfriends – who’s absolutely adorable with a hint of high blood pressure – is a fiber-bar, exercise-oholic queen.
And I’m happy for them all and with them all. It’s never too late to start thinking in “healthy terms” and it’s never a bad idea to keep an eye on one’s weight – especially at this time of the year. Even the company I work for is hoping to keep its employees waistlines comfortably fitted inside their regular-size pants this season with a "Holiday Freeze Challenge." And I guess it does me some good to have reminders around me, too.

Diet Relation

I never thought a diet would be a topic of relation between a man & me.
But, guess what: it is.
I overheard Officehottie talking about the fruit cleanse he’s starting, so I chimed in with my own health&fitness advice.
sidenote: I’m a little obsessed with health&fitness.
My 7-Day Diet:
Day 1: Fruit
Day 2: Veggies
Day 3: Fruit & Veggies
Day 4: Bananas & Low fat diary
Day 5: Protein & Tomato
Day 6: Protein & Veggies
Day 7: Fruit & Veggies
It’s not as boring as only fruit and it also replenishes the nutrients my body needs throughout the week, so I don’t cave & slam a pizza or find myself too weak to move.
Nothin' like a solid 5minute convo about food&running.