Christmas with a capital 'C'

Much to my dismay, I wasn't able to stick with the Embrace Reasons To Win challenge that I gave myself. Life just got so crazy! I was flying high!!! Then hurt my back and fell down hard to the bottom. I was bad to myself! I ate whatever I wanted to, whenever I wanted to. I was grumpy. That took up about 12 days of the month. For those that may have been looking for my posts...I apologize for not keeping up with it!

The countdown is now on my friends! Do you realize...we have just under 5 weeks left this year! Wow! It's time to start breaking out all of the traditions...and decorations...and music for the Christmas season! 

As a child, I always looked forward to December. It's my birthday month...and of course, what kid doesn't look forward to Christmas! When my kids were little, I still had great excitement involved for the month. 

As my children have started to grow up, I have seen the err of my own ways. I didn't spend much time with them when they were little teaching them about Christmas. I was always concerned about them feeling loved enough. I like to show my affections with gifts and food! It is always a tradition to spend the holiday meals at my parents house, so I didn't really have much to add for food. I way overdid it with gifts.

Now that is the only thing my older kids focus on...and it makes this season less than fun. At the end of the day on Christmas day, there is usually an evening filled with disappointment because the gift list still had some wants left on it. I plan to change that. It's not at all about gifts. Most people that would read this already know that. 

As we embark on the stress filled month of December, I am going to relax. I will be finished with this semester in ELEVEN DAYS!!! I will be able to spend the time doing only things I want to do! I am overly excited about that! There is a movie out there waiting for me to watch it from the beginning to the end without interruption! Not sure which movie yet, but it's there. I will also spend my time making crafty things and cooking =) 

This December marks the 'Late 30's' for me. I'm proud of it! I'm in the best shape all around now than I have ever been! Emotionally, spiritually, physically, you name it...I've never been better at it! 

I have also been learning some new choreography for Zumba! I will have at least four (4) Christmas songs on each playlist! I think that is going to be fun!!! 

For now though, it's time for my head to hit my pillow...so I will continue my excitement later!!!

It's called Christmas...what more can I say!

People of Youth

I was reading a blog yesterday by Sarah Markley. She is an amazing blogger. She was discussing what is true. After reading her words, I felt what she was referring too. I went to pick my kids up from school. Usually, I will sit on my phone and play games until my kids come out. I took a different approach to my time waiting. I decided to people watch. I watched all of the children as they walked on unaware of my presence. 

They say that children are a good mirror image into what their parents are like. I believe that I fall outside of that fact, as do my children. I often find fault in my children, complain about their mistakes, express my disappointment in their decisions, and worry about what their futures could possibly hold. I have so much more than what I think about that I should be thankful for with my kids. (I don't know if that sentence actually makes any sense or not, but I couldn't figure out how else to word it) A lot of parents have to deal with issues in their children's lives that far surpass anything I have experienced. They have life threatening illnesses to handle daily. Some of them have disabilities that require so much that it is mindblowing. I am not one of those parents. 

I was never, nor have I ever bee, skinny. I am healthier now than I have ever been. I am far more conscience about the need for a healthy lifestyle than some parents. I struggle constantly with my children over food. They are skinny. It doesn't seem to matter what goes into their bodies, they remain skinny. Both of them take medicine daily. There are weight requirements for them to take the medicine. My children are always walking the line of being underweight. If it weren't for their height, both of them would be able to wear the same clothes that a 10 year old would wear. It is challenging, to say the least, to try to get them to understand the importance of nutrition. They know they won't get fat if they eat nothing but junk. They know they don't require exercise to remain skinny. What I can't get them to understand is that even though they are skinny, I whip their tails as far as being fit is concerned. 

I am thankful that I have never experienced the feelings associated with being a parent with an overweight child. I am fortunate enough to not have to deal with allergies, ailments, or disease. I hope that my children will never experience the emotion involved with being overweight. There is a lot to be said about ignorance being bliss. I watched all of the children walking to their rides. I was saddened to see that more than half of them were seriously overweight. I felt anger toward the parents that allow their children to be so excessively unhealthy. How can a parent do that to their child? Why in the world would a  parent just sit back and allow their teenage child to be 50lbs or more overweight? Don't the parents know that they need to be a positive influence in their childrens lives? They should encourage their children to be active! They need someone like Jillian Michaels to come whip their bo-hiney's into shape! Gah it irritates me.


Then I sit and take a look inside. I go within my life. The saying 'Don't judge a book by it's cover' if fitting. here. I need to change. I need to get my children off the couch. I try to encourage them to exercise. It falls on def ears. I need to change the situation so that exercise is no longer an option. It's difficult. We live pretty far from any type of athletic facility. I would take them to the track at the high school since I pick them up from there every weekday, except the elements are of concern for my toddler. I am totally willing to take my kids to the rec center. They love to swim. My husband (the one with the irrational fears about children) refuses to allow Logan into a public pool without his strong arms there to save the day in case of an emergency. There are a multitude of reasons that I have come up with to not force my children to be active.

I will gladly listen to any suggestions that my friends may offer to get these kids active! I think Jillian should change her words just a bit. I think it should read more like..."You want be healthy? Then shut up and do your mountain climbers!"

Pork & Ravioli Stoup

I was lacking motivation yesterday. It seems to be my daily routine lately. I had a craving for some ham. And creamy soup. Here is what I came up with.

Pork Stew Meat ( Whatever portion is appropriate for your guest list)
1 medium white onion
1 orange bell pepper
1 package (From WalMart) Portabella Mushrooms
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 small container heavy whipping cream
1 box chicken stock
1 stick butter
flour
water
1 package premade ravioli (I used four cheese)
Olive Oil

Not actual stoup because I didn't think to take a picture

I don't measure. Everything above is approximate. Cover the bottom of a pot with olive oil. I used a dutch oven. Chop onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms. Add to hot oil and saute with garlic. Remove veggies and add meat. After the meat is browned, add the entire stick of butter. I never said this was a healthy recipe! Then add whipping cream and flour to create a slight rue. Add chicken stock and water to make into a soup. About 30 minutes before ready to serve, add ravioli and let cook until they are soft. Voila! dinner is ready!

Embrace your 'you'ness

A couple of my pals have been a great influence on me. They are dedicated, hardcore, supportive fitness junkies. I have been blessed to be welcomed into their group with open and supportive arms. Together, four of them worked hard, sweat a lot, supported the life out of each other, and lost a combined total of 50 lbs. Their latest goal is going to get knocked down like a measly little fly in 10 days.  They decided that they weren't going to waste any time. They accomplished their first goal early, so they started a mini-challenge. The challenge for the few days left is to each burn approximately 270 calories a day.

In ten days, this amazingly strong group (Bree's bankers), will embark on a completely new fitness challenge. They have had me PUMPED!!! Each one of them has credited me with influencing them. I promise that if I was an influence, it was completely unintentional. They are always, and I mean ALWAYS, positive and supportive. They filled my sails! I am reminded of the class slogan that one of my sisters had in her senior year, "Look out world, here I come." I have been motivated to stay positive, always looking for ways to be a newer, brighter, healthier me. I decided to Embrace Reasons to Win. And blog about it. Eek!

And then it happened. A couple of turns of events transpired. It was like a ninja hit me. Day by day, the wind began to calm. The storms of excitement began to move. A hiccup here, and a negative burst there. My sails are flat now. And the most recent injury to my back has guaranteed that the wind will be a distant thought for a bit. I lack desire now. It seems to be pointless. Battling an uphill walk with a bitter cold wind. It's amazing how the best intentions can change so quickly.

I'm still searching for reasons to win. I know that this little slump will be a passing thought before too long. But for the moment, the reasons are out of reach for me. I can feel the emotion starting to creep in. I have spent time thinking, reminiscing, pondering. The evil of all things Bree is Facebook. It's a fantastic way to socialize. I love all of the support and encouragement. What kills me are the happenings on Facebook that aren't as obvious. Facebook can kill a persons spirit. One conversation between mutual friends can wound me. A new friend request accepted can cause a wall to be built in seconds. As sad as it is to say, for me, sometimes the lack of communication is enough to devastate my day.

I wish that I could just get above it all. Become untouchable emotionally. Get to a point where the little things don't bother me or build up. This little blog is not a cry for help. I am not asking for an outpouring of support. The motivation behind writing all of this down is to follow the quote "Embrace your 'you'ness". Be it right or wrong, this is me. My husband tells me I care to much. I am too nice to too many people. He wishes that I were more calloused. There are times that I wish the same, however, it just isn't in me to be that way. I will get past this little slump. I have been here before. I was emotionally miserable for quite a long time. I'm sure everyone has been there. And most people make it out just fine.

It would be wonderful to have that small group of people that pull your own head out for you, like Christina Yang. Sometimes, life just seems unfulfilled without a Yang in your life. Now that I have gotten onto rambling and sadness...I will try to turn it around with some quotes that Bree's Bankers have been fostering...

"You wanna be skinny? Then shut up and do your mountain climbers!"

I am going to start Monday

Have you ever had the intention of doing great things, Monday? 

Ever had a bad habit you wanted to kick, starting Monday? 

What was the last new beginning you promised yourself you would start, Monday?

We have all done this. There are some people in this world that never have any intention of making positive changes. I like to believe that they are few and far between. I mean, even the Grinch came around after seeing joy in others! 

So why do we set ourselves up like that? Why do we care enough to know that we need a change, but not care enough to follow through with the change? Words are powerful! Spoken words, to a friend, colleague, family member, or group have a tendency to help keep us accountable. Why do we always tell our best friend we are going to start our change in life, tomorrow?

It's because we know that we need too. We only half way commit. We lack the desire to actually follow through all the way to the end. We are scared. Intimidated. Especially when it comes to exercise. We don't want to feel the burn from an awesome workout. We don't want to take the grief from our family members or friends about spending less time with them and more time with the gym (which is a completely different blog that I'll get to next, I hope).

I have known my entire life that I needed to shed these unwanted pounds. I've never been skinny. I hear that I am now. I see that I am smaller than I've ever been before. I can still stand to shed some more. Don't worry, I'm not going to become one of the people that has such a delusion of self that I take it too far. I was intimidated in the past. Even when I fell in love with Zumba, I was intimidated. I saw the amazing instructors at the front of the class. They had their hiney's millimeters off the floor during squats. They were jumping and jumping and jumping over a foot or two in the air with every single song. But at 5'6 and over 200 lbs, how the heck was I gonna move this house without experiencing the excruciating burn. Heck, my calve muscles might even {whispering} break off!!!

Then it happened. One of those amazing instructors caught me and a couple other gals giving her grief. Her class was SO easy, I barely even broke a sweat (all in jest, of course). And she did it. She challenged us. And, to make matters worse, she challenged us on FACEBOOK!!! Gah! I can't back down from THAT! Her challenge was simple. "Jump when I jump and squat as low as I do when we do squats." She didn't ask anything unreasonable out of us. I certainly couldn't back down! The next class I went to had a LOT of people in it. I'm talking over 70. I did it. I couldn't jump as high as she did (still can't), but I did it. And ya know, my muscles didn't break off. I didn't shake the earth beneath me. And I got a taste for it. I figured if I could do it once, I could do it again. And again. And again. 

That was the extra push that I needed. That was what made me decide to finally get off the crazy, heavy, unhealthy road I was on. I won't make resolutions any more. Resolution is just a big word for setting yourself up for disappointment. And just like the title of the Blog, you won't hear me say, I am going to start Monday. Because I am human, if I allow myself the avenue to back out, then I welcome in reasons not to. If I come across a new idea, a new workout, a new type of eating habit, I will start it today. Even better than that, I will start it now. 

An acquaintance of mine that is a Zumba instructor is starting a seven day challenge today. While I am not going to announce on Facebook that I am going to follow her challenge, I still have plans too. Her challenge is this...

Christy Marshall Fulton

My seven day fitness challenge: 30 minutes of physical activity per day, 200 sit ups/ crunches, 100 push ups, and 200 squats/ lunges...... No fast food and No fried foods. Who's going to join me? Wednesday, Nov. 9 is Day One - Let's Get It!

I'm going to start...TODAY!!!! Now, in the famous words that are listed below...

"Do you wanna be skinny?!?!?! Then shut up and do your mountain climbers!" --Jillian Michaels

Embrace Reasons to Win Day 7

So I skipped a couple of days for my challenge. I am SO guilty of struggling with consistency. This is something that got me thinking. I wonder if there is an app for that? Bwahahaaa...I kid. I kid. But seriously, is there a pill for that? A magic pill that will help me stay on track, focused, and remember the things I am supposed to do?

Five-hundred-thousand doctors out there will tell you yes, there are many pills to choose from to enhance your brain. How the heck is the average Jane supposed to whittle it all down and get it right? That my friend, is the million dollar question.

I don't know. I am NO EXPERT! I DO know that all of the fitness experts that I listen to say that we should all be taking vitamin supplements. Let's face it, if we ate all of the food that "our body needs" to get the amount of nutrition that is suggested, we would all be puking it back up by the end of the day. I mean, seriously, have you paid attention to ALL of the suggested foods in order to have proper nutrition? It is insane! 

Yes, there is a pill for that. It's called a vitamin. I have never been one to be consistent with taking pills (Uhm, hello child number two). I found a couple of articles from some of my favorite sources about the vitamins that active women should take. Women's Day  has a nice short little list to follow. I like simplicity. It makes things go quickly! Livestrong has a few more listed than WD. I know, I know, Lance took some drugs to accomplish his goals. We are all human. The information still seems to be pretty valid so don't give me grief! If you are looking for a highly extensive (nine page) list, that ever so HOT HOT HOT man, Travis Stark is an advocate for Prevention magazine and they have more than I think we need to know on this page!

So, now on my little month long journey, I encourage you to drink plenty of water, pick a couple of things to help improve your life, quit smoking, and take some vitamins! Also, don't be too critical of yourself if you seem to be less than successful at something! I mean, life is pretty stinking short and who wants to spend all of it as a Debbie Downer?

Have fun Embracing Reasons to Win!!!

Eek! My bad!

Geez. Only a few days into my challenge and I dropped off. I allowed myself to get overwhelmed with my own situations. Had a fabulous time at the Master Class with Heidy and Armando. It's crazy how our perceptions of images are different than realities! Ashley Bittle pointed out that Heidy is indeed a rather vertically challenged woman. She doesn't seem to be below average on height in any of the pictures that I have seen of her. Also, I imagine Armando is now BEYOND ROCKSTAR for one lucky lady that he grabbed out of the crowd and serenaded in front of all 300+ people! I am beyond impressed with him!

Saturday's Jam session was wonderful! Catherine and Stephanie are amazing with their energy and enthusiasm! They certainly gave us quite a workout, renewed interest in Salsa, and some fabulous routines! 

My husband commented that he is getting tired of Zumba. This is a common problem for instructors. It takes a special man to tolerate and support a Zumba instructor wife. I promise that the instructors are very aware of how blessed they are to have that special man. They also listen to them when they say they are getting tired of being neglected. We start backing off and staying home more often. That is, until the next big event comes along! 

I wanted to do so many things today. I wanted to attend Ashley's (Bittle) class. I want to experience her party! I've been around her at Zumbathons and other Master Class events. I want to experience HER party. 

I also wanted to practice the choreography I learned at the Jam session so that I could bring it to my classes this week. I even bought the music today, knowing that I would be getting half of it from the Mega Mix that should be in the mail soon.

I have school work that needs my attention. And laundry. My room has never been and stayed so messy. I need to buy new shoes. I have SO many things that I need to get done that I am overwhelmed by it all.

I have spent most of the day reading articles (school work) about Steve Jobs. I have learned a lot about him. I have learned things that I can actually apply to my challenge, even though his life is not directly related to fitness.

I'm sure everyone knows that Steve Jobs was a co-founder of Apple. What I didn't know, was that Jobs recruited a top notch executive from PepsiCo. A few years later, that top notch exec played a crucial part in getting Jobs fired from the very company he helped co-found! There are several other ventures that Jobs went through to help get him to the top of the income ladder. 

The key takeaway from the history of Steve Jobs would be that sometimes a person can only be successful through failure. 

How many times have you started an adventure down the path of a healthy lifestyle? 

Were you successful with every attempt?

How long did your success last?

What have you learned from those journeys?

I bet if you pick out all of the things that worked for you, you'd be amazed. And I wonder if it is possible that if you put all of those successes together, would you finally find THE right way for you to be successful?

Have a glass of water and think about it for just a bit =)

Embrace Reasons to Win Day 3

I can hear it now. "***Oh! No she didn't! How cliche!" 

Meh, deal with it and smile =)

Why are you allowing yourself to live with smoking? You already know it's bad for you! I'm not going to bore you with a ton of statistics or plea's to stop now. I will give you just a few that you may not be considering.

1. The CDC estimates that adult male smokers lose an average of 13.2 years of life and female smokers lose 14.5 years of life because of smoking, and given the diseases that smoking can cause, it can steal your quality of life long before you die.

2. Tobacco is responsible for nearly one in every five deaths in the United States and is the largest cause of preventable death.

3. Right now, nearly one in every five of those deaths means there are children that are mourning the loss of their parent. A loss that is devastating. That could have been prevented.

We all know that we are not guaranteed tomorrow. There are things that we can do to make it a better situation if we are here tomorrow. 

If you have ever suffered the loss of a significant other, parent, or sibling, and you are a parent that smokes, I ask you...do you remember that feeling? Why would you want to put your kids through that!?!

Is your child's well being enough of a reason for you to win? 

***This blog post was NOT directed at anyone in particular! It is a topic that goes along with changing lifestyles and becoming healthy. THAT IS ALL!!! 

Embrace Reasons to Win Day 2

I am very elated with the response that I received from the first days post! Just knowing that I might help one single person make smarter choices for their health is so bittersweet! I'm going to make it simple on myself today, as I am dealing with a lot right now. I am simply going to post a link to my thoughts for day 2. It's a great point of reference.




http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/13-healthy-habits-to-improve-your-life

Embrace Reasons to Win and enjoy the ride!

Last year I tried to complete the 'Attitude of Gratitude' challenge. I fell short! I think I made it to "N". I have done a lot of living and a lot more learning since then. This year, for November, I will post 'Embrace Reasons to Win and Enjoy the Ride'! 

Thirty days hath November. It goes without saying, 30 days hath my challenge! Let's see how far I make it!

Day 1 

WATER!!!

I can't even begin to preach enough about drinking plenty of water! Everyone knows it is SO important. Few people make it a priority. Every source that I have looked into suggests that you do the following to make sure that you hydrate well:
drink about half of your body weight in ounces per day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, drink 75 ounces of water.

One of my really good friends has a weight loss blog. She likes to refer to common things to give perspective on the amount of weight her group has lost. It does the trick for sure! So I will try the same thing here.

I currently weigh 170lbs. According to the suggestions from my sources, that means that I should drink 85 ounces of water as a base amount every single day. 

I have a sneaking suspicion that everyone that would read this blog is familiar with a bottle of soda. They are pretty easy to consume. Eighty-five ounces of water is equivalent to a measly four bottles of your favorite soda. That means you can have one on your way to work, one with your lunch, one on the way home from work, and one with dinner. 

Most of us probably drink at least that much of our favorite drink every single day! Let's try to make sure that we accomplish this very simple goal for the entire month of November! 

DID YOU KNOW? Japanese researcher and doctor of alternative medicine Masaru Emoto showed that water carries energy and is affected by music, words and prayer. 

The link to the above Did You Know can be found Here

With this in mind, let's also make it a goal to keep ourselves surrounded with positive music, positive words, and positive prayer!

~Sabrina