TT Contest Week 4 - Update and Really Exciting News

My Goodness, has it really been nearly 4 weeks since I posted?

[Hangs head in shame.]

Where to begin?

Well....on Sunday I will have completed the first 4 weeks of the TT Contest. I'm just finishing up TT for Meatheads V and loving it! Next week I will begin TT for Jacked and Lean Meatheads. I'm a little scared - one of the guys on the TT Forums has been saying it's a tough workout!

Speaking of the TT Forums, I've been really good about posting my workouts and nutrition in my contest thread, something that I didn't do in the last contest. I'd forgotten how much fun it can be to interact with all of the other contest participants.

Nutrition has been pretty solid. Only a few little glitches here and there. One of my goals for this contest is to eat vegetarian at least 2 full days per week. So far that has been going well. I got tons of yummy-looking recipes courtesy of the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart. I've made some of those and am looking forward to trying a lot more! Tonight for dinner I made a pizza using a crust recipe from Vegetarian Times, homemade meatless sausage, and Daiya vegan cheese. It was, in a word, AWESOME!

In minor news, I got a new haircut. It looks like a cross between Joan Jett and Jon Bon Jovi, lol.

And finally, in the Really Exciting News department, it's time once again for Tattoo Watch!! I got a laser treatment earlier today and I am hoping it works well. The place where I used to go doesn't do tattoo removal any longer so I had to find a new doctor and a new clinic. The laser they used today was a little different so I am excited to see the results! Hopefully I'll have weekly pictures as I have done in the past.

Have a great day!


Please see my Disclaimer/Disclosure Statement.

Believe In Yourself - Be Your Own Audience

I will be one of the first people to champion social support. I have seen the benefits for myself and for many others (in TT Contests, for example). But even with social support, you first need to believe in yourself. I’ll demonstrate with 2 stories about my father (I’ll bet he doesn’t realize how philosophical he is!)

You have to want it.

My father smokes. Not as much as he used to, but he still smokes. Years ago, I asked him, “If you know smoking is bad for you, why don’t you quit?” His answer? “I don’t want to.” He knew smoking was bad for him, but he still smoked.

It’s exactly the same if you want to transform your body. “Why don’t you quit eating doughnuts/French fries/insert-vice-food-here when you know it’s bad for you?” Or, a more difficult question, “Why don’t you exercise when you know it’s good for you?” Is your answer “I don’t want to”? Probably not. It’s probably “I don’t have time” or “I don’t know what to do.” Stop making excuses. If you want it, go for it!

This is a perfect time to start the next TT Contest. Workouts are short, intense and laid out for you. Read the Rules here ==> TT Contest Rules

Be your own audience.

When I was in college, I interviewed my father for a paper I wrote while in a class about gender. He gave me his opinion on the differences in working with men vs. women. He said that you could tell a man to do something, and he would go and do it. If you tell a woman to do something, it will take longer because she’ll need to ask “How’s this” and then she’ll go check in with someone else “How am I doing?” The needing of constant reassurance was something my father saw as distracting and not a direct way to accomplish the task.

I think this can apply to lots of situations. I find that women in general do seek more approval, and their self-esteem relies on this approval. First, you need to be your own audience – make your own applause. If you don’t have the support you need externally, you need to be your own cheerleader. Don’t wait for external approval to begin your journey, start right now!

So join me in the next Turbulence Training Contest. Be your own advocate and start your journey! My start date is Monday, September 6th. When's yours? :)

(Note that you don’t have to actually buy anything to join the contest.)

Have a great week!!

Please see my Disclaimer/Disclosure Statement.

Lots of Randomness

It always seems like there is so much going on around here, and then when I sit down to type I can't remember anything, lol.

But one of the most important things is that I *might* have talked my husband into joining me in the next TT Contest. ;)

The half marathon went really well! It was a warm, humid morning. By 6:00am, it was 70 degrees. Not the most ideal running weather, but at least it was overcast so the sun was not beating down on us. I felt really good while I was running. I drank a ton of water in the days before the race, and had lots of carbs. :) My first mile was my fastest - about 10:45 - and my overall pace was about 11:15/mile. Total time was just under 2 hours and 28 minutes. So...not blazing fast, but I am proud to have finished! The first female finished about an hour ahead of me. She was racing. I was running, but she was racing. I'll do better next time! ;)

Last year I joined the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart. I didn't really take advantage of it last year, so I signed up again this year. If you are interested, you can sign up here ==> 21-Day Vegan Kickstart Starting September 6, you receive a daily email with tips and a vegan meal plan. I don't typically eat vegan, but I like to look at the meal plans for ideas. (The plans are posted for the week so you can shop and prepare ahead of time.) I have been trying to eat vegetarian a day or two per week.

This weekend we are finally going to start repainting the kitchen. We've had the paint for a while, lol. Speaking of painting, I think I remember typing here that my daughter picked out a color for her room that looked like a strawberry milkshake. Well, I decided I couldn't live with it anymore and we repainted her room a nice neutral color. :)

Have a great week!!