The Shred

On December 28, 2009, Jason and I decided that we had totally fallen into our "honeymoon" phase of living together. We both packed on the pounds and at the end of the year, after eating nothing but fudge for some meals (that is not even in the slightest way an exaggeration) , we were sick (literally) and tired of being heavier then we once were.

So we joined the gym that day and set our goal weights and our goal date, May 1, 2010.

We weighed in once a week and tracked our efforts on a little spreadsheet that we kept stuck to our fridge. With it now being May 12th, the results are in and we both kicked our goals in the moneymaker and lost 75 pounds combined (56 for him and 19 for me). We are both thrilled and so proud of ourselves, and each other, that we were able to accomplish our weight goals the good old fashion weigh (<-- get it?) :)



Now, I do not by any means think that I am fat, or anything of the sort. I actually think I am pretty fit for my age, but I am looking for more tone. I want to be able to walk around and not jiggle in places that once did not.

Insert- Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred.



This work out DVD came out in 2007 (a tad late I know), and contains 3-20 minute work out sessions, Level 1, Level 2, Level 3. The sessions are based on her 3-2-1 method of circuit training. 3 minutes of strength training, 2 minutes of cardio, 1 minute of abs. I love Jillian on the Biggest Loser and was thrilled to get the chance to bring her into my living room. I went to Amazon (the place I go for the best reviews on the web), and over 1,800 people have given this DVD 4.5 stars. People are seriously happy with this thing. So I decide to scope out some blogs with peoples results for this work out. These are some of the comments I read:

"but LO! THE PAIN. DEAR GOD THE PAIN"

"after my first attempt at Level 1 I was in pain, dude! PAIN. My legs were burning like they haven't in years"

"there is a muscle in my upper arms that I never knew existed but is now screaming in pain and has requested abdication from the rest of my body"

"the first attempt left me so crumpled and sore that I couldn't even roll over in bed without wincing for nearly a week"

"y’all, when those twenty minutes were over, my leg muscles were so exhausted that my very first thought was I’ll never walk normally again"

"it involved pain that was so horrible I couldn't move for days without wincing and grunting and wanting to hurt someone so they could feel even a smidgen of the pain that had consumed my entire body."



SAY WHAT? OK, maybe I'm getting in a little over my head. The scarier part is, 90% of the people who use this DVD, react the same way. From the sound of it, this may be the most painful thing on the planet, well maybe the second most...



So all day yesterday I was stoked to pick up this DVD at Target (yes, still, after all of that...$9 for an ass whopping so bad I wish I could sleep until August? 'eh why not).

I got home, pulled out my 3 pound weights out, slipped on my Mizunos, popped in the DVD, and played Level 1. As I was watching the intro, I was assured I could skip the warm seeing as my heart was already pounding from pure fear. I kept telling my self "you survived 2 hour session, 2-a-days in 105 degree heat, with one leg, and no water for a week (1/3 of that statement is true). NO WAY, this can even rank on the hard physical activities list."



I got started and turns out, I loved it. Basic, tried and true moves, packed together with no rest to get the most out of the 20 minutes. Lots of push ups, squats and jumping jacks and other fun things (not).

The Result: When I first got done my legs felt pretty jell-o-y, and my heart rate was up, and I had some condensation on my forehead, but nothing major yet. I woke up this morning and didn't make any sudden movements fearing I would whale out in pain. But I didn't...at all. I was not in the least bit sore. I'm shocked.



Am I just in better shape then these women? Is my body so used to a squat that it doesn't even phase me anymore? Yes I have been working out on and off for a while now, and I try to do squats in the elevator at work, and do planks during my lunch hour but still, I am a LAZY exerciser and can not believe that I am not sore.

I kind of feel let down. Maybe I secretly wanted to feel the agony these women felt, the agony of accomplishment.

I am going to try Level 2 today when I get home from work and hope that tomorrow morning it hurts to smile.

I will keep you posted. Also debating some before/after shots, but my before shot is in my bra and underoos so I'm not sure I'm ready to share all of that. Maybe I'll snap another quick one today of me in a bathing suit... well see!

Here's a Tip Tuesday!

I don't have any kids, but I think every other single person we know is either pregnant or has a child under 6 months. So, with that, I thought I would share a littler pointer I picked up recently.

Today Tip: Making and freezing your own baby food.



Not only is this a healthier option, and gives you all the control (who doesn't love to have ALL the control) of what goes into your babies tummy.

There are tons resources online to give you great recipes including wholesomebabyfood.com and simplybabyfoodrecipes.net.

So, you have a blender full of pureed sweet potatoes, now what?



Pour your puree into an ice cube tray! Each cube slot is approx 1 oz, so you will have accurate measurements and less waste. Cover the try with plastic wrap and freeze. Once frozen, transfer cubes to freezer safe bag and label with recipe and date. It is recommended to only allow baby food to be frozen for around 3 months.

At night before bed, take out needed portions for the following day and place them into air tight serving containers to thaw in the fridge. The next day, you will have your wholesome food ready to go for your little one.



If you take your child to day care, you can either thaw the night before like stated above, and pack it in a mini cooler to take to day care, or you can pack the frozen cubes in the morning to thaw in the fridge that day.

I know if I had a 6-18 month old I would so be doing this. And if you have your own garden, the cost is extremely minimal.

Do you any of you mom's out there make and/or freeze your own baby food? Any other tips you have for this process? I'd love to hear them :)

Newly Inspired

Hello? Anybody still out there?

Yes, I admit, I have neglected my little blog for a few weeks, but I love it just the same as I always have. The combination of a creative rut, and beautiful weather have really put a damper on my to-do list. I did actually repaint my patio set, I just have no photographic proof! I pinky swear I did it :)

I don't know if I have ever divulged my day job to you guys, but I am a meeting planner at a conference center. And as much as I enjoy what I do, I guess everyone can fall victim to the 8-5 monotony syndrome. Luckily, my job has great perks. One of those is, they allow me to be a member of the International Special Events Society (ISES)

I get to attend monthly meetings that cover all sorts of topic about the world of event planning. The April event was one I will remember for a very long time.

A wedding planner extraordinaire from California, Sasha Souza, came to speak at our ISES chapter meeting at the end of April. It.....was.....amazing! Sasha has been featured in (over 60) publications such as




She has also been a featured event planner on Style Networks, "Whose Wedding is it Anyway?" and was named one of Modern Brides Top 25 Trendsetters. Her event company, Sasha Souza Events, has received numerous awards such as Special Events magazine Gala Award, ISES Westie Awards & the Event Solutions Magazine Designer of the Year Award.

Needless to say, the woman is brillant. And she is as good a speaker as she is designer. I was BLOWN AWAY with her presentation, mood boards, and out of the box thinking.

She shared some great information on color. One that I thought was particularly interesting in regards to home design. She said when Pantone releases their Color of the Year, watch for it to stick around for 3. People wear it in one (fashion will use the Color of the Year, THAT year). People decorate it in two (watch for those colors to take over home decor the following year). People marry it in three (those colors will be all the rage for weddings in 3 years).

She showed some really awesome examples, which sadly I can't replicate, where she compared Pantone's 2007 color, to a Pier One catalogue in 2008, to a wedding she did in 2009, and the color palette was identical. Which means, this years home decor color would be Mimosa, which I can totally vouch for since I have had my eye on a set of pillows in Home Goods of this exact color since February.


Here is a collage of the mash-up for Pantone Colors 2009 and 2010. Swoon!


I'm not sure really what the point of this post is, so let me just shut up and show you some of her pretty! Enjoy :)


















Anyone else been newly inspired by someone or something? Please do share, I could use all the help I can get!!

Happy Monday :)

A Lost Piece of History

Ever curious about the history of Hellmann's Mayonnaise? Well, even if you aren't, your going to find out now.



Most people don't know that back in 1912, Hellmann's mayonnaise was manufactured in England . In fact, the Titanic was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico, which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after its stop in New York . This would have been the largest single shipment of mayonnaise ever delivered to Mexico . But as we know, the great ship did not make it to New York . The ship hit an iceberg and sank, and the cargo was forever lost. The people of Mexico, who were crazy about mayonnaise, and were eagerly awaiting its delivery, were disconsolate at the loss. Their anguish was so great, that they declared a National Day of Mourning, which they still observe to this day. The National Day of Mourning occurs each year on May 5th and is known, of course, as -





Sinko De Mayo.



Because you just suffered through that...this one's on me :)


HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!

Here's a Tip Tuesday!

This week's tip revolves around finances! (chirp, chirp).

You know, when I first tried getting a credit card it took me a long while before someone would give me one. I have never been more thankful for that because God knows I would still be paying off the damage I could have done with a credit card in college!

When I met Jason 2 years ago, one of the first things I learned from him was how to get a grip on my finances. I had maybe $800 on my credit card and that was literally all the debt I had, but I was not doing anything about it. I was still spending money on other nonsense and not taking care of the things I had already purchased. I needed to become financially fit and knowledgeable before I dug myself a hole I would struggle to get out of.

He introduced me to this man:


and his book:


Today's tip: The overview of the 7 Baby Steps of Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover.


Step 1: Establish $1,000 in an emergency fund.
That's it. You need to get the money moving to other areas before you start saving it. You have obligations to things you have already paid for, now it's time to pay them off. This will be enough to cover an unexpected trip the repair shop, or a flight home for a family emergency. THIS IS FOR EMERGENCIES ONLY.



Step 2: Pay off all debt except your home, beginning with the smallest
If you have a credit card with $500, a student loan for $7,000 and a car loan for $3,000, start with the credit card. It is important to build confidence in paying off debt. If you tried to tackle your largest first, you wouldn't see results right away, leading to ALOT more time to get discouraged. Start small, remember, baby steps.



Step 3: Three to six months of savings in a fully funded emergency fund.
At this point you are debt free (minus the your house) and you are having the cash flow you have worked so hard for. Now, it's time to start putting money toward the future, so you can prevent becoming in debt again. THIS IS ONLY FOR EMERGENCIES. Do not start paying off your house, or investing in retirement, or throwing money into your kid's college fund. You need to have this cushion.



Step 4: Invest 15% of your household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement plans.
Now that you have 6 months worth of income reserved, you can start to place your money elsewhere. Like most parents, you want to put your kids first. In this case, DON'T. Do not sacrifice your retirement fund to fund college. There will be a time when you reach retirement age and there is nothing you can do about that. There are other avenues for college such as scholarships, part-time jobs, etc. Think about it, if you put your money into college for your children and not for retirement, you will more then likely have to be depending on your children in your later years, a situation neither of you really want.



Step 5: College Funding
Anything after the 15% of income going towards your retirement can now go to the college fund for your wonderful children!



Step 6: Pay off your home early. (and the helicopter haha)
After your college fund is established, start kicking that money to your mortgage.

Step 7: Build wealth and give.
Life is good. You are now debt free with your home paid off. All of that money you were once using to fund those things are now at your disposal. Keep investing in your retirement, and remember to give back :)

If you want to read more about this process, I highly recommend his book, or there are tons of websites that go over his theory. I am personally still working on Step 2 (since I bought a car) but hope to have it paid off by the end of 2010, which is 2/12 years early!

Happy Tuesday!