Back In Action

Ahem, so, well, it's been awhile since I've posted. :)

New Year's Resolution #1:
Post on Blog more frequently.

I have 2 big announcements!

First, I got second place in the Women under 40 Category in the last TT Contest (Contest #9). Very excited about that! The 10th TT Contest has already begun - you can read the rules HERE. Start your year on the right foot! :)

Second big announcement: I have signed up to run a full marathon. Not EXACTLY sure what I was thinking! But I do plan to post more about training, nutrition, etc. I think it will help keep me in line! :)

My "official" training will start near the end of January, so I might not post too much before then, but I'm going to try!


Happy New Year!


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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!


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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!!

TT Contest Winners!

Congratulations to all the winners!! You can check them out here:

TT Contest Winners


And the next contest starts September 5th. (There is also a Bonus 6 Week Mini Contest!) You can read the rules here:

TT Contest Rules


I am pretty sure I am going to join. I plan to start with TT for Meatheads V. Whoo-hoo! I usually prefer the "meathead" style workouts, and this one has 2 days with optional interval training. Come on and join me in the next contest! :)



Please see my Disclaimer/Disclosure Statement.

TT Contest Voting

The TT Finalists have been announced and I absolutely cannot believe I made it to the finals ! If you would like to vote, here is the link:

TT Contest Voting

There are 4 categories to vote for:

1) Women Under 40
2) Women Over 40
3) Men Under 40
4) Men Over 40

(I'm number 7 in the Under 40 category) ;)

Be sure to check them all out! There were a lot of amazing transformations! The voting ends Wednesday at Midnight (ET) so hurry and vote, vote, vote!





Please see my Disclaimer/Disclosure Statement.

TT Contest Final Results: Continuing To Learn

Well, this is a little late, but better late than never, right? :)

There are two main reasons I decided to join this TT Contest:

1) Over the past winter and early spring, I started trying new (non-TT) programs. In the past, I would have put them off and just continued using TT, but instead I decided to give them a try. While they were OK, they weren't nearly as fun, and my results weren't as great as when I have used TT. I knew going back to TT workouts was the right choice.

2) I knew that joining a TT contest would help me to focus my training as I prepared to run my first half marathon. And the training part did go off without a hitch (I ran my first half marathon in just under 2 hours and 28 minutes) but the nutrition aspect did not fare as well as I had hoped.

I decided from the beginning that I was not going to count calories. In the past, this has made me terribly neurotic. I wanted to achieve a more "natural" diet; not one that has been over-calculated. I concentrated on following Craig's Simple Nutrition for Fat Loss, but did not have quite the level of compliance I should have. However, I know I am making a difference in how my family eats. My kids are always asking whether or not a food is healthy, or if it is a treat. I learned that my actions speak to my kids, and they watch what I eat, and they, in turn, make decisions about foods. (Sometimes they decide they just don't like spinach.)

During these 12 weeks, I lost 10.2 pounds and 2.6% bodyfat. I went on vacation for a week and didn't gain any weight! Using my TT workout on vacation was fantastic - I even brought along my weights even though my husband gave me an odd look when he had to load them into the trunk of the car. I got to workout outside at sunrise, overlooking a beautiful lake. I learned that a week of no stress is good for the soul.

My results during these 12 weeks were not exactly what I had hoped, but don't count me out for future contests - I'm still working on fitness as a lifestyle and not a 12-week event. I love how the contests keep me motivated, and each one brings me closer to my goals. It may seem counter-intuitive to continue 12-week contests when I am working on long-range goals, but in every contest I learn something new, and I look forward to learning each time.

Workouts used:
TT Hotzone for Fat Loss
TT AAA for Abs
TT for Abs (original)

I have a "Back" picture as well, but didn't post it because I didn't realize that I must have sat in something. My rear end has a mysterious spot on it in my After picture. LOL

The half marathon actually went really well. It was warm and humid that day, but at least it was overcast. I'll have to post more another time!

TT Contest Week 10: Enjoying Summer

Wow, look at all the cobwebs around here. I've been a little neglectful. :) We've just been enjoying the summer, being outside, taking the kids on vacation, etc.

Workouts have been going well. I've decided to use the original TT for Abs for my last 4 weeks. (I only have 2 weeks left!) I'm not expecting a super dramatic transformation. I didn't gain any weight while on vacation, but I didn't lose any weight either. ;) Though I did complete all my workouts, so that probably helped. It was actually really cool. I was able to workout outside every day, just after sunrise. We were staying in a cabin that overlooked a lake and it was just beautiful to workout in that area. I even brought up my PowerBlocks (even though my husband gave me a weird look when he had to load them into the trunk) so I was able to complete my TT workouts.

One recent major achievement was my first 13 mile run. I actually had my husband follow me on a bike since it was my first time running that far. He would go ahead, and then drop behind, and then take a break, haha. I think he was more sore the next day than I was! My time was 2:22:27 (average pace: 10:58 per mile). I was very happy with that because a) I finished it without stopping; and b) I thought it was a good pace for me.

Finally, here are the promised patio pictures!

Here's the Before....

Looking one way:


And then the other way:


And here's the After (before the grass grew):


And another After (after the grass grew - the patio really isn't slanted, just took the picture at a funny angle):


Have a great week!

TT Contest Week 6: Something In The Water?

Half way done already! This week's workouts went well, but nutrition was sub-par. I was really busy with work and was off-site so I couldn't bring my lunch the way I normally do. I did bring some almonds for a snack, but there were a few things I just couldn't control. Workouts looked like this:

Sunday - 3.37 miles (34:20)
Monday - TT AAA, Workout A
Tuesday - Pace workout 6x400, totals: 4.3 miles (50:00)
Wednesday - TT AAA, Workout B
Thursday - 3 mile easy run (30:14)Friday - TT AAA, Workout C
Saturday - warm up, 5K "pseudo race" (29:25), cool down, totals: 4.29 miles (44:59)

RABBITS, SQUIRRELS AND FISH - OH MY!
As I was out running on Saturday, I noticed how many rabbits were in the neighborhood. They were all over! Usually it's the squirrels I see all over, but this spring it's been bunny rabbits. On the subject of squirrels, however, I have been seeing a number of blonde squirrels. Usually they are gray around here, but I've seen 3 or 4 blondies - and in different places in the neighborhood. So either there is something in the water, or somebody is spreading around the gene pool, if you know what I mean (wink, wink).

And speaking of something in the water, on last Wednesday my husband took the kids to the pet store for a new fish to replace Lily who passed away last week. Before they even went to the pet store, my son decided the fish should be named "Lily" and my daughter wanted to name it "Spots". So they went to the pet store and a picked out a silvery fish with one orange spot on it's head. And so "Lily Spots" was brought home and placed in the fish tank with Dorothy. On Saturday when I went to feed them, they were both dead. I was absolutely devastated. Even more than the kids, I think. Dorothy was a very hearty goldfish. Yes, she was 3 years old, but she was perfectly healthy! I have 2 theories:

1. Lily Spots brought home something from the pet store
2. We didn't have the air conditioning on, so maybe it got too hot and there wasn't enough oxygen in the water?

It's just very odd that they both died at the same time. I feel horrible about it!!

Finally, another water-related item. We got out the slip-n-slide this weekend and my husband had such fine form, I had to share a picture. Enjoy!

TT Contest Weeks 4 and 5: A Moment of Silence

This past week we laid to rest our pet, Lily. She was 3 years old and really had become part of the family. My husband gave the ceremony with a tear in his eye, and as he laid her in her final resting place, my son asked, "Does she teleport to fish heaven?" After which my daughter asked, "Now she's swimming in pee-pee?"

You see, Lily is our pet goldfish. :)

She was named "Lily" because my son had trouble saying the "L" sound. Our other fish is named Dorothy. We got them both at a county fair 3 years ago. That's a really long time for a "fair fish" to live! I think we will need to buy another fish now. Dorothy is looking a little lonely.

The past 2 weeks have really gone fast. I began my half marathon training and Week 4 looked like this:

Monday: TT Hotzone Workout A, 2.3 mile easy run
Tuesday: OFF
Wednesday: TT Hotzone Workout B, short 2 mile pace workout
Thursday: 3 mile easy run
Friday: TT Hotzone Workout, 20 minute "High Intensity" run
Saturday: 5 mile long run
Sunday: 3 mile easy run

And that was the end of the TT Hotzone Fat Loss workout. During Week 5 I began TT AAA Abs workout (AAA stands for Awesome, Amazing, Axcellent) and I really like it so far. I chose it because there aren't any of the more formal intervals and so I thought it would be easier to fit in pace and stride workouts. Instead of treadmill/bike intervals there are a mix of bodyweight intervals, extra supersets and circuit training. And even though it's an ab workout, there are no crunches! So Week 5 looked like this:

Monday: TT AAA Workout A
Tuesday: 30 minute tempo run, total time - 45:00, 4.15 miles
Wednesday: TT AAA Workout B
Thursday: 3 mile stride workout
Friday: TT AAA Workout C
Saturday (today): 6 mile long run
Sunday (tomorrow): 3.5 mile run


Have a great week!



Please see my Disclaimer/Disclosure Statement.