Day 2 of Challenge - Work those Buns Hun!

I nailed it yesterday morning with Heather DeSantis Booty Call Buns, Guns & Abs challenge! 

However, an older women was totally showing me up at the YMCA. 

Picture this...I'm doing three sets, 15 reps of legs lifts. I'm counting in my head 1.."Ok solid" .. 2 3 etc. 

Then I finally get to 15 and I look to my left and this woman of about late 50s or early 60s was also performing legs lifts with a noticeable exception. She kept going after I finished counting in my head. 

She was successfully doing 20 leg lifts (3 sets). After those sets she was doing scissor kicks, but horizontally. Also, she was holding weights to her side during the whole workout. Go her! 

Hopefully, I will be able to rock this challenge and whip out moves like the lady at the Y. 
I finished the workout by clearing out the pores in the sauna...all before work..wooh!

Day 1 of the "Booty Call" Challenge & Day 1,252 of Drama

Today I began the 30 Day Buns, Guns, & Abs Challenge!

Over 200 hundred ladies have joined this journey and I'm so excited to see this entire calendar of tasks through completion.

Tonight the most difficult exercise was the leg lifts. I had to double check phone to make sure the calendar read 15 and not five.  :/

My lower back felt strained during the leg lifts, but once I re-positioned my hands from my sides to supporting my back I was able to get through the reps. I had 3 reps of each set. Basically 30 squats all together, spread out. 10x 10x 10x. You get the idea.



The background drama of my life made tonight's workout even more worth it.

I try my damndest to be a peach to everyone despite having to come home to ridiculous crazyness pretty much every night.

After dishing out $165 to fix my phone, prepping meals and going to the gym I really wasn't mentally prepared to deal with the events that unfolded.

If someone needs medical care, like an ER visit you should GO!

However, DO NOT... I REPEAT do not drag my Grandmother who has been dealing with multiple kidney stones all weekend, into your on going health issues. The amount of pain she was in left her unable to stand. She isn't a spring chicken and can't bounce back from illness like once before. Add unnecessary stress and it's liable to kill her.

So, if you feel the need to bring your own problems to my front door, I will feel the need to protect my household. My Gma is too old to deal with it.

End of the story; this person left without allowing me to take them to the hospital. I believe this proves the point of them wanting to drag my Grandma down.

I hope one day they can seriously examine their heart and think about how to focus on making themselves healthier without pulling (or digging) my Grandma into a grave.

Ughh... Off to bed.

Indigestible

I have let myself go.

Boxing twice a week for three hours and cardio workouts two days a week wasn't enough.

My appetite grew, as well as my stomach.

I can say with completely anguish, the scale doesn't lie and I'm the heaviest I've ever been.

Stress eating is the number one reason for my lack of discipline. For a few weeks I can be strict with healthy diet choices, but end up gobbling up anxiety with Brookside chocolate (because chocolate covered fruit is healthy right?).

However, as my hips widen and my feet disappear I'm left with a deep feeling of regret.

Along with failing every weight loss goal in the last year, I lost my passion for writing. I can blame in on the jobs I endured, stress in the family or be completely honest and say it was my fault.

Today is a new day.

My goal is large.

I want to lose 65 lbs by the end of this year.

6 months.

Follow my journey via this blog & Twitter.

Sometimes Mom really does know best...

Periodically, I scan through my news feeds on Facebook or Twitter and something catches my eye; a funny meme or thoughtful article can change my attitude for the day. Today, a post my own mom created made me stop and think. Yes, she made a statement well past the conventional length of a post, but it inspired me to share her story with you through this channel. Below are her words and by reading them you can put your own life into perspective. This life examination comes during the tragic anniversary of 9/11 and is a perfect read. 

When do you find yourself asking 
" What's Important in Life?"
"Red flag...or a Big Wake-up Call"

or is it....

When you're stopped in your Tracks ~ Really forced to think about
What's important in life, because of how deeply the pain is felt.

Did it change you? And did the impact last?

I would say in the early glimpse ~ My Attitude Shifted . 
Then I showed signs of being more interested in conserving resources and 
more concerned about fellow human beings.

Embracing My Faith as My foundation ~ has made * Me* Complete

Before you know it you’ll be asking, “How did it get so late so soon?” 

So take time to figure yourself out. Take time to realize what you want and need. Take time to take risks. Take time to love, laugh, cry, learn, and forgive. Life is shorter than it often seems.

Your life is not between the moments of your birth and death. 
Your life is between now and your next breath. 
The present – the here and now – is all the life you ever get. 
So live each moment in full, in kindness and peace, without fear and regret. Do the best you can with what you have in this moment; because that is all you can ever expect of anyone, including yourself. 

A lifetime is not very long. *This is Your Life!*
Just stop for a moment and think. Whatever you still need to do, start doing it today. There are only so many tomorrows.

When you procrastinate, you become a slave to yesterday. But...when you are proactive, it’s as if yesterday is a kind friend that helps take a load off your back.
Do something right now that your future self will thank you for. 
Trust me, tomorrow you’ll be happy you started today. 

Think of Failures as only Lessons....

Good things do come to the one who still has hope even though they have been disappointed, to those who still believe even though they've tasted failure, to those who still love even though they've been hurt. 

Don't ever regret anything that has happened in your life; it cannot be changed, undone or forgotten. Take it all as lessons learned and move on with grace.

Kindness is the only investment that never fails. Where ever there is a human being, there’s an opportunity for kindness. Learn to give, even if it’s just a smile, not because you have too much, but because you understand there are so many others who really do feel like they have nothing at all. 

Behind every Beautiful Life, there has been some kind of pain. 
You fall, you rise, you make mistakes, you live, you learn. You are
H-u-m-a-n ~ Not Perfect. 
You have been hurt, but you are still alive. 
Think of what a priceless precious privilege it is to be *Alive * – just to breathe, to think, to enjoy, and to chase the things you love. Sometimes there is sadness in our journey, but there is also lots of beauty. We must keep putting one foot in front of the other even when we hurt; for we will never know what is waiting for us just around the bend.

What you need to understand is that an overwhelmingly painful event in your life right now will one day be part of your much larger past and not nearly as significant as it seems.

What Matters Most in Life ~ Is ~The Man who Made It !
Thanks Be to God !
Love You  Always 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Woo go Mom! Did it make you take a deep breath at the end of reading her words? Incredible. Share your thoughts!

Lesson To Be Learned

Joe Crachiola/Courtesy of The Macomb Daily

This single photograph taken over 40 years ago recently went viral. 

When the U.S. seems to be torn apart with racial hatred this picture throws in a chance to regain consciousness to the way we should live, full of love.

Today NPR shared the story of Joesph Crachiola, the photographer who stumbled upon the kids pictured above in a alley during the 1970s. Despite the shade difference of their skin tone, these young children played together. No hate. Pure fun. 

The article on the NPR web site stated a challenging question proposed by the Crachiola, "When do we begin to judge one another based on gender or race?"

Race inequality isn't biological and the proof is displayed with these children. We are taught within our own community to judge others by a variety of factors from the paycheck that comes through their door, the clothes they wear and the color of their skin. 

When the Zimmerman verdict was revealed, many burned with rage. These emotions created a  visual division. Separation of our people is NOT what this country needs. The horizon is within sight, prosperity is within reach. We can't allow for one case to separate us. Instead come together and resolve (or better yet DISSOLVE) the core issue. Teach our children not to hate and be defensive only when necessary. 

Before you return to Candy Crush, Instagram and other time erasing applications remember this...

Lesson to be learned: Peace is not weakness, rather a courageous arrow in our psychological moral compass. 

You can quote me!  ;)

Bonefish Grill Review

Learn why you should "be about" Bonefish Grill in my newest blog post!

 Have you ever visited any of the locations? Does one spot rank above the rest? Comment below and let me know. 

Keepin' It Up

Look at the review I did for The Social Firm about Raconteur Theatre Company's presentation of Joe Musso’s Conk and Bone at Club Diversity. 

http://www.thesocialfirm.com/blog/

I would love to hear your comments and please let me know of any upcoming shows to Central Ohio!

-Outty-