I'm Back

What is it about the holidays that puts certain parts of life on hold?  I have been completely unmotivated as well as having little time, to blog!  I've missed it.  They say writing is therapeutic and I need a lot of THERAPY....so here we go!

My arms are sore from class the other day - my own class.   One of my new songs "Gimme dat" by Ciara just about had my arms detach from my body!  I will let you in on a little secret, which then wont be much of a secret, but anyhoooooo.......I choreograph in the car while I drive.  Did you get that......I put some of my routines together in my car while I'm driving.....eeek!  I drive with two feet (don't ask....it's just how I learned) but I pinky promise that I DO NOT try to dance while I drive, I run them through a few times before class haha.   I spend so much time in my van and I listen to music non-stop, so it just seems smart to "work it out" while I'm driving.  Many times the routine makes perfect sense (in my van) but when I actually dance it out, it's kinda crazy intense.....that's what we Zumba peeps love though huh?
So back to my Gimme Dat song.......ya.......squeezing fists, high energy pumping = really sore arms the next day.  The good kind of sore though.  Did you feel it?  Come back for more, I promise I will keep playing it. 


I LOVE the new year.....LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!  I'm a little obsessive compulsive and along with that love new starts, fresh and new......I love Mondays, the 1st of any given month and especially the first of the year.  It just feels like a second chance, fresh, clean and motivating.  I don't really do big resolutions because I tend to sabotage myself before I begin, but I do try harder with the things I want to improve on.  Last year I gave up treats (cookies, brownies, ice-cream....the good bad stuff) and I survived until March when my Dad sent chocolate from Ireland...... I cracked and convinced myself that I deserved it because after all I am 100% Irish.  It was MY decision but then it was all over, it was too hard to continue without sweets.  So...... when this year rolled around, I decided to do it again and with my sisters, went back on what we call "the pact".  I have to say I feel sooooo much better, it's not really about not eating the treats to loose weight, although that's a nice side-effect, but I just feel better, physically and mentally.  

So lets talk about some good things I found to replace my treats.  OMG.....have you had an orange lately?  D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!!!  I don't even know if they are from Florida or Cali, who cares....they are my new favorite thing.  Cardenas had them on sale for two weeks for 8lbs for $1 so we loaded up.  I think I was eating 3-4 a day.  They are juicy and beautiful.  YUM!!!  
Another new favorite are those Kelloggs Cracker Chips.   They're light and tasty.  There's a couple of different flavors (Sour Cream & Onion, Chedder and Southwest Ranch).  27 crackers are only 110 Calories and if you do Weight Watchers that's only 3 points.  Great Snack and it feels like you're eating chips without the grease and fat!

Check this site out!

I came across this website and I'm already in LOVE.  It's weight watcher friendly and everything seriously looks yummy!!!  Gonna try some of these recipes.....once I get cleaned up from Thanksgiving and get my Christmas Tree up......
http://www.skinnytaste.com

Zumbaween 2011

Thursday W. Sahara Zumba Class

Esther *hottie* and Me

Nikki *cutie* and Me (last class before she moved back to UK - miss you!)

Instructors - Olga, Hugo and Me

And speaking of food......

Do you ever think of a certain meal so much that you can taste it? Well Ive been tasting Pot Roast for over a week and finally said "shag it, I'm gettin me some pot roast"....  Perfect meal for the start of Fall. 
I think I paid a little too much at Smiths because it wasn't on sale but it was totally worth it!!!
So yummy...... and super easy, literally chuck everything into a crock pot at the beginning of the day (meat, potatoes, carrots, little onion, salt, pepper, garlic, Italian seasonings - goes in almost everything I make -  some Worcestershire sauce, top with 1-2 cans of beef broth. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-5 hours. Viola!  We added some bread rolls with butter and it was perfect!

The holidays are coming....

...lock yourself in a room with some water and saltines and hope you make it through till January. That's how I feel when the end of year holidays start coming. We just got done with Halloween - thank goodness - I made it through with minimal damage. It's so hard to say no to binging on chocolate, its everywhere and they're just itty bitty bite sized that add up to 4 bars by the time you're through! grrr....
So images like this (below) make me nervous!  I think I gained 5 lbs just uploading the picture.  I do love food and I love to eat it but why is everything so darn rich this time of year?  So I'm gearing up because Thanksgiving and Christmas are around the corner and I am planning a preemptive strike on both so in the new year I don't feel like the good year blimp!

Ive been doing the Wellness Challenge that I posted about here.  The first two weeks were cake, excuse the pun....Sam and I were in Cancan, the food was gourmet, the deserts were awful so I didn't partake, I exercised daily and danced for 3-4 hours nightly, no cell, no stress, no problem!! Come home......all heck breaks loose!  I suck with this challenge since then.  It's been so hard to get my veggies in (because I don't have a chef at mi casa?), I am constantly tempted with cookies, brownies, ice-cream (welcome to being Mormon), and I HAVE to text on my phone when I'm driving because its the only time I'm not doing five things at once.  Ugh!!!!  So needless to say, my points were BAD!
Last week I was so frustrated when I posted my 70/84 pts that I really was going to quit.  I felt like it was too much pressure and I was caving under it.  Then Monday morning rolled around, my favorite day of the week when everything is fresh and I can always have a new start.  I decided I was NOT going to let this get the better of me and that the power was mine to do better.  I am woman....yada yada....
This last week was super hard for me with birthday parties and Halloween up the ying yang BUT I tried super hard and did so much better.  It's amazing when we switch our minds to thinking that WE CAN, WE DO!  I love it!  I feel so much better about myself and motivated to continue.
So today is November 1st.....happy anniversary to me and my love Sam.....14 years of blissful marriage, well maybe not all 14 years were blissful but I do love him much! I was cleaning my floor when I had the thought that "its a new month" and that its going to be Christmas any day.   I don't want to get through the holidays either mad that I ate all the bad (ahem, good) stuff or mad that I couldn't.  I don't think its good to deprive oneself and Ive learned from Weight Watchers that sometimes we just need to have that chocolate chip cookie or soda or cheesecake or whatever....its ok!  We've gotta live.   For me, feeling too restricted makes me rebel and then I sit in my closet where no one can see me, and I eat an entire bag of M&M's, like the pound bag....I kid you not!
Lets tackle this holiday eating by #1 being prepared.  Know its coming, have a plan.  Decide now how you're going to approach holiday eating.  #2  Make good choices.  It's all about YOUR choice.  You don't have to fill your plate with potatoes and rolls, throw in some veggies.  How about sharing one dessert instead of eating five?  And if you CHOOSE to eat something you feel bad about having.....own it!  It's your choice.  Maybe you really want it, so go for it.  #3 Exercise.  Don't stop working out because its the holidays and you're too busy.  The list of things to do will always be there.  Exercise relieves stress and will help you accomplish your to do list.  It will also counteract what you are eating and at the very least make you feel great about yourself.  Come Zumba with me Monday, Tuesday and Thursday! #4 Be realistic.  Don't plan on having no treats these holidays and please don't plan on loosing 30lbs by Christmas. It's not going to happen unless you're having plastic surgery!  Slow and steady wins the race, do the small things....drink your water, eat your protein, lift some weights, lots of cardio and smart eating.
In the words of the all wise BOB THE BUILDER, "can we do it?"  YES WE CAN!!!!

Healthy Choices

Wanted to share these yummy treats that I found shopping one day. The rice cakes are seriously good and totally addicting, they taste like chips but healthy. I have a problem with fruit snacks! There I said it, when I buy them for my kids I end up binging on them - not good! I found these BUDDY FRUITS that are pure fruit and low sugar/calories. They taste good and come in a few different fruits. You should try them. I got 'em at Walmart. They're kinda pricey but better than a king size snickers bar, which would be my alternative at the walmart checkout! Just being honest....

I caught a glimpse of one of these drinks at some gas station when we went to California. I bought one the other day here in Vegas at A.M/P.M. to try it.   It is really good!!!! Its not carbonated but totally refreshing with a hint of apple. I think it also comes in pomegranate. I love apple stuff but I think this drink is better tasting than the Apple water from Fresh 'N Easy. Nothing in it but sodium.

Zumba Jam at Lifetime Fitness

My cute friend Esther invited me to a Zumba Jam at Lifetime fitness in Summerlin.  OMGOSH!!!! We had so much fun.  First of all Esther, is seriously so cute, she is fun, spunky, has a heart of gold and loves music and dance, so I knew we would have a good time regardless of how good the event was.  Her other instructor/friend at 24hr Fitness also teaches at Lifetime, she was awesome!  That's Ginger and I pictured below.  So, I hadn't attended a Zumba Jam before and didn't know until that day that the D.J. just plays music and the instructor(s) just go, they don't know what music is coming and have no pre-determined choreography,  so they teach off the top of their heads.  The D.J. was....get this.....Beto Perez's D.J.   Beto is the creator of Zumba.  He was really good, the music was great and the energy was incredible with over 200 people there.  Needless to say, the endorphins were all over the place by the end of the Jam, haha.    Maybe sometime I'll teach at one of these Jam's  - its a fun format and different than a regular Zumba class.  WAY WAY fun though.....thank you Esther.