Wow-wee, I cannot believe it is already the last Friday of the month. And because of that, today is the Window Shopping linkup. That means you get to go browse Etsy for items that you might want to buy or items that are absolutely ridiculous, write up your post, then come back here to linkup.
Rules for Linkup:
1. Browse Etsy for new, fun, bizarre, or crazy things. 2. Linkup and share what you found.
*Ad - Vitacost.com sent me 6 nutritional supplements to test and review. All opinions are 100% my own and I was not compensated in any other way.
You probably know by now with my Tuesday recap posts that I have been really into fitness and my health or more so getting buff. When I was given the opportunity to review some sports nutritional supplements from Vitacost I was all about it. In the past whenever I got all crazy into fitness, the only addition I really added to my normal routine was protein powder after exercising. I had no idea that you could take a slew of products to help optimize your workout and results. And ladies, this stuff isn't going to make you all beefy or manly, just saying.
When I received a huge box of 6 sports nutritional containers I was a little freaked out. What does this do? When am I supposed to take this? Will it taste good? But after a little research I was excited to start trying the products.
Now the fun part. Let me just answer the taste portion honestly with this little vlog here - considering it is Chit Chat Thursday and all.
Now that you really know how I feel about the taste, which I was completely surprised with, lets move on to the products. First thing that stood out to me about the entire ARO Black Series is that the products are all gluten free, they have no artificial dyes and there are no hidden ingredients. That's pretty cool, right? Another fun fact, ARO stands for attack, recover, and optimize. Here are the products that I tried...
ARO Black Series Glutaminein Natural Fruit Punch ($14.99 for 6.3 oz) Glutamine is used for post workout recovery and helps against muscle fatigue. It also promotes a positive nitrogen balance and prevents muscle loss.
Taste - The fruit punch flavor is a light refreshing flavor. It is definitely an easy supplement to drink.
Mixability Is that a word? Just go with it. - The fine powder mixed up really well with my milk frother. There were no clumps but per usual for supplemental powders, it settles and must be remixed while drinking.
Effectiveness - I didn't notice a huge difference in my post workout recovery. I am going to continue to use the product to see if I can get a different effect from taking it over a longer period of time.
Overall, I give the glutamine an 8 out of 10 and I might repurchase it when mine is gone.
ARO Black Series Pre-Workout Concentrate in Pink Lemonade ($19.99 for 7.4 oz) Essentially the pre-workout concentrate is an herbal and caffeinated energy drink to help you from slowing down.
Taste - This one was one of my favorites. I really enjoy the flavor and I would pretty much buy any product in that flavor if it was available.
Mixability again, pretend this is a word!- The powder mixed up without any issues but it does tend to settle while drinking.
Effectiveness - With a boost in energy and some pep in my step I was able to really get into the workouts even on the days I wanted nothing more than to sit on the couch watching awful reality tv.
Overall, I give the pre-workout concentrate a 10 out of 10 and would definitely repurchase.
ARO Black Series Creatine in Natural Blue Razz ($12.99 for 6.3 oz) Creatine can be used to increase lean body mass, increase muscle strength, as well as help you push through high intensity exercises.
Taste - The flavor was pretty good, not too overpowering and not to watery. I definitely did not find it offensive.
Mixability - Surprise, surprise! I had no issues mixing this powder but it did tend to settle.
Effectiveness - Let me tell you, I could push through those last few reps of a long, hard workout like it was nobodies business. I did truly feel more energized during workouts that I was really not into. Whether that be from the glutamine alone or along with some of the other products, I was pleased.
Overall, I give the creatine a 10 out of 10 and I will be repurchasing this once mine is gone.
ARO Black Series Caseinin Natural Chocolate ($23.99 for 2lb) Casein is a slow digesting product that allows for delayed amino acid release. This results in a more consistent amount of nutrition over a longer period of time.
Taste - Just watch the video above!! I prefer to no drink this product with water alone. I find it much more tolerable made into a shake or frosty by adding ice to the mixture and blending. The flavor is actually quite tasty but the texture is not for me - it has a pudding consistency.
Mixability - Due to it's thickness, I had a difficult time mixing the powder in just water alone with my milk frother. I bet there wouldn't be any problems if you used a proper mixing ball.
Effectiveness - Because I have been experimenting with different ways for me to tolerate the drink, I have not noticed any differences yet. But I will continue using this product to see if I can get any other effects by using it over a longer period of time.
Overall, I have to give this guy a 6 out of 10 simply because of the texture. But if I were to make it as a frosty, then I give it an 8 out of 10. Make the frosty! You won't regret it. ARO Black Series Amino +in Natural Lemon Lime ($21.75 for 14.6 oz) The Amino+ helps maintain lean muscle mass, helps you achieve optimal results during exercise, and aids muscle tissue from breakdown.
Taste - Again, just watch the video above. This one is one that I just cannot stomach. We all have our own preferences, right? Now on the other hand, A doesn't mind the taste - to each their own.
Mixability - No issues here in the mixing department. Once mixed, the drink is quite frothy but nothing to note besides that.
Effectiveness - I cannot say whether or not this one is effective or not. Like I said, I just cannot put my big girl panties on a chug it down. Sorry!
Overall, I prefer not to give this one a rating. That would not be fair at all!!
ARO Black Series Whey Protein Complex+in Chocolate Peanut Butter ($19.75 for 2lb) Whey protein seems to be the one product that most everyone working out knows about. It promotes exercise performance, helps to maintain lean muscle mass and helps with muscle recovery.
Taste - With the powder and water alone, the taste is not bad. I prefer to make an after workout shake with ice, water, natural peanut butter, and the whey powder. It is amazing!
Mixability - No huge issues here. It is a thicker consistency and requires a little more blending if you are like me using a milk frother.
Effectiveness - I didn't really notice a huge difference from this product alone. But in conjunction conjunction junction, what's your function?!! I noticed my lean body mass has been changing.
Overall, I have to give this one an 8 out of 10. I liked the flavor but prefer vanilla flavor whey powder because I can mix in more items for a shake. You can find vanilla flavor in the ARO Black Series here. If you are interesting in learning more about the ARO Black Series, click here to watch their video.
How many bloggers do you know? Probably a lot - dare I say hundreds? But do you really know why those bloggers blog? I think at least half of those bloggers are lying about why they blog and who they blog for. Don't leave and unfollow me just yet. Hear me out first then you are welcome to leave hate mail and never return to this site!!
"I blog for me." How many times have you heard this? I know a lot of bloggers that blog for themselves as an outlet to express their internal feelings or maybe to just be creative. There is no hidden agenda behind these bloggers. They sit each and every day, or whenever inspired, to write and write about whatever they feel speaks to them. These bloggers aren't looking to increase their readers overnight nor looking to make a buck. Sure, they would be super happy if someone left a comment saying that they can relate to their post or that they found it helpful but that doesn't deter them from coming back the next day. Overall, they manage and maintain their blog just because it's fun to them.
Now we have the rest of the liars. Yup, those that offer massive giveaways, accept paid advertisers (from other bloggers that are just trying to survive), allow guest posts, accept products for reviews, and so on but yet still insist they blog solely for themselves.This is not everyone out there but I am going to say there are far too many of them!
The blogging world is a wonderful thing because it gives each author the freedom to really do whatever they want. I mean, if you really wanted to create a brand new identity over the internet rather than showcasing your real life then there is nothing 'wrong' with that. I think I would change my name to Tempest or Stryker if I did that. Ooh, future baby names... maybe? Kidding!
So this has kind of turned into a rant post but it irks me to see bloggers running around the dot com world saying that they blog for themselves because it's a way to keep in touch with family and friends. Riddle me this then, why are they accepting $5-$80 for a 30 day sponsor spot on their blog? Also, does their family and friends really care if there is a guest post on their blog? Does the family and friends even know what a guest post is? Or the reason behind bloggers sponsoring one another? Chances are no!
When bloggers start charging money for sponsorships, they can no longer say they blog for themselves. I am not saying it is wrong to accept money, products, services, gifts, or anything else from blogging. But it is wrong to be deceitful about it. In the end, we are all just bloggers no matter why or for whom.
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Let me just say that I would not and cannot consider myself one of these liars because I have never stated on my blog that I do it for myself. If I have published those words please prove me wrong. I have never accepted money from any blogger that advertises on my sidebar (even though I would love someone to pay me to host their beautiful face on my blog). I do accept products and services to review as well as accept money in return to write a post. I also have allowed other bloggers to guest post on my blog while I have been away on vacation. So go ahead and hate me for calling other bloggers liars... The reason why I blog is because one day I was bored - true story.
*Ad - Revolt Fitness is allowing me to participate in the program at no charge so long as I share weekly posts.
All thoughts, opinions, and results are my own.*
I am in absolute shock with the way I have been feeling about the way I look lately. Four weeks ago I started my first day with Revolt Fitness and I am so happy I didn't chicken out.
The program is real and it forces you to be accountable with yourself. There are definite perks to not having to go to the gym to get the daily workout finished. Like I could workout naked if I wanted to because I am in the privacy of my own home. But I don't think my ta-tas would be very happy to not have the support of a bra. Am I right?! But, because I don't go to the gym means I have to force myself to workout even though I could be sitting on the couch drinking my glass of wine.
I thought today I could kind of go over how the last month has gone rather than just the last week.
Here are my states from weeks one through four.
I must say that the statistical results don't look all that glamorous. In reality, I feel so much better, I sleep better at night when I stick with the program, I am not starving, and I must say my body is looking better than it has in the last couple of years. I like to call this disorder love chub. Of course this disorder occurred after my wedding!
I have a love-hate relationship with upper body strength days. I am the typical female and my upper body is pathetically weak. Finishing out the first four weeks has given me the strength to do a normal pushup even if it is just ONE without falling flat on my face. Just beware because you might get tickets to see this gun show...
As for food, there are very few meal items that I tried and just did not like as well as items I cannot eat due to allergies. I made my accommodations and thoroughly enjoy grocery shopping each week. I like to be nosey and see what other people put into their cart. Then I smile to myself at how expensive their bill is going to be with all that processed, prepared foods. People, buying fresh food is not expensive. Stop buying the precut, prewashed produce and take the extra 20 minutes to do it yourself then bag it up!!
Okay, enough lame talk and I am sorry for the lack of photos. Life happens sometimes.
Don't forget to get your free kickstart week of the Revolt Fitness program.
Also, if you are interested in having Revolt change your life, the next Uprising begins Monday June 3rd.
One month is only $10, three months is $27 and one year is only $50 (that's less than $1 a week!!)
You probably know, if you have been reading for some time, that I used to live in Michigan then moved to California and I now live in Indiana. If this is all news to you then you must be living under a rock!I want to share my experiences with the difference of living in the Midwest compared to the West coast because I am clearly the expert.
I grew up in the Midwest and have lived in the Midwest on and off for 24ish years. But my 1.5ish years in California helped me put the two regions in perspective. The differences I am about to list are not exclusive because I could go on and on. Also, a majority of my time on the West coast was spent in Northern California and Reno, NV keepin' it classy.
Hills, Mountains & Flat land
Between Michigan and Indiana, the highest elevation is 1979 ft. About all you will see when driving through these two states is farmland, more farmland, and maybe a hill here or there.
Between California and Nevada, the highest elevation is 14,505 ft and this is where things get fun. You can drive through mountains, over mountains, ski down mountains, hike up mountains, or whatever your heart desires.
Lakes & Oceans
In case you are not good with your geography, the closest body of water you can get to from Michigan and Indiana is the Great Lakes otherwise known as HOMES - Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior.
However, on the West coast you have the big Pacific Ocean.
Wine vs. Beer
Now I cannot be biased to either wine or beer because I love them both equally. I will say that the Midwest has a serious case of craft beer fever. If you are visiting Michigan or Indiana and you are not throwing back a few cold ones from a tap room then you are doing something wrong.
Now, lets talk about the West Coast. Californians love their California wine, especially the north. I don't think you can drive very far without noticing vineyards all along the expressway, again particularly in the north.
Seasons
This is a tough one! The Midwest for sure experiences all seasons. From extreme humidity in the summer, the changing of the leaves colors in fall, blistering cold and snowing winters, to bee invested and wet springs. The West Coast can also be all of the above but with practically no humidity in the summer, less leave colors in the fall, a lot more snow or pure rainfall for winter, and an early spring.
Sports
This might be a completely controversial assumption but I am going to go there anyway. The Midwest's favorite sport to watch is Nascar. Yup, there is something they love about watching cars turn left around an oval track.
Now on the other hand, the West Coast's favorite sport to watch is the rodeo. Remember I said that I lived in Northern California and that was right by the Cowboy Capital of the World. Whether it be bull riding, barrel racing, and so on.
We all have items that we just cannot leave the house without. Unless you are the type of person that cannot even remember their first name, then you feel like your life is falling apart because you forgot that one item that you just need to have with you right this second. I am not that person.
I like to think that I am damn near close to perfect because I never forget a thing. That might be overstated, just a tad. I can already hear your little voice in your head saying, "Hmmm... what are the items that Jenn cannot leave the house without?" Let me show you.
Sunglasses - I have to have some stellar shades to protect my eyes or hide my face. Similar item found here.
Car keys - Unless I am walking my butt to my destination then keys are mandatory. My keys go to this car found here.
Purse - Because I need to lug all this junk around, a purse does just that job. From here.
Water bottle - We all need to stay hydrated and I like to bring some water whenever I leave the house. Similar found here.
Wallet - I rarely ever have cash on me so I don't know why I really must have a wallet. That plastic money would fit in any compartment of my purse or right in my pocket. But I still like to think that I have money so I carry the wallet. Similar found here.
Lip products - No one wants to be known as the lady that has massively chapped lips. So I am always sure to have some kind of lip products in tow before I head out the door. Here you can find Burt's Bees and Baby Lips.
Cell phone - We all know how important the cell phone is and how the world just about stops turning when it is misplaced for 0.2 seconds. That means, my little friend is in my hand for most of the day. I could never, ever leave the home without this thing. Found here.
I cannot believe that I just finished out the third week of Revolt Fitness. I have seen a huge change in my eating decisions as well as grocery shopping habits. I have also noticed plenty of changes going on with my body and my strength has increased.
Now that I am into my fourth week, I want to try and alter how I am doing the program a little to potentially speed up my results. I will not be working my butt to the ground but will probably include a little more cardio and play around with different meal options.
This recap I am not going to focus on statistics nor measurements because I think I did enough of that last week. And to anyone that actually stuck around and read the post in its entirety, I commend you!!
I did, however, receive a lot of requests for me to share my recipes. And that is exactly what I have for you. But first, let me share my workout breakdown from last week. Of course I forgot to log each workout because I suck at things like that. I did manage to log 3 of the 5 workouts that's better than half.
Tuesday's workout was lower body sculpt. I will just say that there were a lot of squats involved.
Wednesday was rest day and I took full advantage of that day. Thursday was a different story.
Thursday's exercise was a full body cardio circuit. I completed it in a good amount of time but I should have added a few more rounds to really kick myself into shape or just a sweaty mess.
Friday was upper body sculpt and of course I forgot to record that workout. This then brings me to Saturday. Saturday is the same workout as Thursday, full body workout. I, again, finished the workout in a decent amount of time.
Okay, the recipes you have been dying for - strawberries with protein almond milk ice cream, slivered garlic salmon, and slivered almond salmon. Note - salmon was part of the meal plan but not the toppings and the ice cream was not part of the program either.
Strawberries with Protein Almond Milk Ice Cream
2 servings Note - you will need some sort of an ice cream machine. Ingredients:
- Strawberries
- 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
Directions:
- Cut up strawberries as desired and set aside
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together protein powder and almond milk until frothy
- Add milk mixture to ice cream machine (use as instructed by your machine)
- Serve ice cream alongside strawberries
I have a soft serve ice cream machine that was gifted to me. The ice cream took less than 10 minutes to harden.
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Slivered Garlic Salmon
2 servings
Ingredients:
- 12 ounces salmon (skinned)
- about 1 Tbs olive oil
- sea salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves (slivered)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees
- Cut salmon in half (giving 6 ounces per serving) and place on lined tray
- Drizzle a little olive oil (about 1 Tablespoon) and season with salt and pepper
- Place slivered garlic on top of salmon
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until salmon is tender
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Slivered Almond Salmon
2 servings
Ingredients:
- 12 ounces salmon (skinned)
- about 1/2 Tbs soy sauce
- sea salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- about 1/4 cup slivered or chopped raw almonds
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees
- Cut salmon in half (giving 6 ounces per serving) and place on lined tray
- Drizzle salmon with soy sauce and season with salt and pepper
- Place slivered almonds on top of salmon
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until salmon is tender.
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I also have some great news. Nichole, founder of Revolt Fitness, is giving away one week free to the program - kickstart week. All you have to do is go to the website, here, and scroll to the bottom of the page, enter in your information, and enjoy your results. You only need to put in your first and last name plus email address - pretty simple!! In the kickstart, you will find workout plans as well as recipes of the meals you should be eating to see maximum results.
What are you waiting for?
*Revolt Fitness is allowing me to participate in the
program at no charge so long as I share weekly posts.
I bet you don't care to hear about my 4 mile walk or my 14 mile bike ride that happened this weekend.
I also doubt that you care to read me blabbing typing on about my intake of Sam Adam's or my mourning breakfast of power protein waffles. But if you do care about any of the above, you can probably catch what happened on my Twitter or Instagram.
I do have a story that would probably interest you. Or it might even make you think I am a crazy person. Which I am!!
This story involves some teeny-boppers in cheerleading uniforms.
Do I have your attention yet?
So A and I were in the car on our way home from some where. We were driving down a main road and there were a group of girls teeny-boppers in cheerleading uniforms walking on the sidewalk. One of those said teeny-boppers decided it might be funny, or maybe she was serious, to stick her thumb out to hitchhike.
I looked over at A and said, "You should probably pull over and pick up those girls. I will teach them a lesson to not ever hitchhike again." This is where you can think I am crazy.
No we did not pick up the girls!But it makes me sad to see that young girls, in cheerleading uniforms or not, are joking about hitchhiking. Who knows if someone would have taken them seriously. There are too many scary people out there in the world not matter how nice of the city is you live in.
When if I have children, I hope I can teach them better than that. Either way, I wish I could have taught those teeny-boppers a lesson.
Budgeting. It's what we all should be doing but rarely do. Or we try and do it but fail miserably.
Sometimes we get carried away and think that we really need to enjoy a dozen or so beers at the bar and pay that hefty tab. Or maybe we really needed five sushi rolls and Starbucks to finish it off. Or maybe, just maybe, we needed to pick up 20 pairs of undies and 5 new bras from Victoria's Secret because we wear them everyday. Those we's might just be me but maybe you can relate.
Anyhoo, A and I decided that we needed to take budgeting seriously. Because when only one person is working for an income and the other just goes out and spends it all, savings become minimal. Okay, I don't spend ALL the money but I could definitely cut back.
I found this app called EEBAwhich we like to call her Eeeee-baaa, like Eve from the Disney movie WALL-E. I use my little friend religiously for groceries, gas, dining out, and of course we have an envelope for alcohol. You can also access your account via a computer and set up multiple devices to one account.
There are probably a bajillion other apps and websites that allow you to set budgets just like Eeeee-baaa, but I just love the little envelope face with money spewing out the top.
She's cute, right?
Besides the cute happy face, you can also get a sad, disgruntled face if you spend too much money for the week.
Yes, we set our weekly grocery budget at $100 and do pretty damn well at keeping it around $100!
Oh, that face!!
If you are interested in hearing more about how we budget our money, let me know and I can write up another post about it. Here's a little sneak peek - we set aside $30 for alcohol alone. *gasp*
It is the moment you have been waiting for and the video I have been dying to film.
Today I bring to you a this or that vlog featuring a very special guest.
Note - the guest was really into the hockey game that was playing on the tv. Also, this was filmed on a Sunday which is lazy day. That means you get the real me - you will see. Lastly, be sure to leave tons of lovely comments for my guest if you want to see that face on here again.
We hope you enjoyed the vlog. If you have any ideas for future chit chat Thursday vlogs, let me know.
Or if you no longer want to hear me chat away, also let me know so I don't keep filming them.
But I know you secretly love hearing my voice!!
You should probably go follow this guy on Twitter.
Happy Hump Day to you. I want to do a little something different today.
I have seen so many new faces and names pop up in my comments section.
This makes me so very happy and I love seeing each and every one of you.
But here is the thing. A lot of these new faces I don't know who you are. I don't know if you are a blogger, finding me through pinterest, or coming over from a blog I sponsor. No matter the reason you are here, I want to get to know you.
So today I welcome a reader meet and greet.
Come share anything you want to share because I want to get to know each of you.
Are you married? Do you have kids? Or fur-children? Do you like to cook or bake? Are you into fitness?Tell me you dirty little secrets!!
I will respond to you via email or hunt you down some way. Please feel free to share your blog link so I can go stalk you because I am creepy like that.
Also, make sure to tune in tomorrow to see a very, very, very special guest on my Chit Chat Thursday vlog.
Real quick, let me just take you back three weeks from today when I posted this about starting the Revolt Fitness program.
I am walking away from my before life.
Learning the basics and adding to them.
I will become the expert.
You will see me be vulnerable, courageous, and I will become stronger.
Along this journey I will most likely make mistakes.
But in the end, I will suck less.
Well, last week I certainly made mistakes I can recognize. Things will change and I am making myself accountable once again. Some of the mistakes I made was not following the meal plans as they are designed in the program. I enjoyed a few sneaky bites of Nutella or a little snack here and there. Also, my cheat day rolled into the entire weekend because we had a guest over. That meant lots of alcohol and chips and other goodies.
When I stepped on the scale on Friday morning of last week I was slightly disappointed. But I knew that I might still see some progress when it came to taking my body fat percentage or my measurements.
So lets discuss the stats first.
My stats show that I am making progress from week one but they have gone up from week two. But in the end, I have lost a total of 3 inches and that makes a huge difference compared to just looking at what the scale tells me. While I was discouraged about gaining back 0.5lbs from week 2, I know that improvements are being made by shedding some inches.
I am going to spew off a few more statistics prepare yourself.
My total body weight is 126 lbs and I have 29.5% body fat. That means my lean body mass is 88.8 lbs and that leaves me with 37.2 lbs body fat. When I started Revolt my total body weight was 127.5 lbs with 30.1% body fat. That left me with 88.4 lbs lean body mass and 39.1 lbs body fat.
We have all heard the saying that muscle weighs more than fat and that is absolutely true. That means, the scale might be saying one thing but you can clearly see from the number that I am losing fat and replacing it with muscle.
Okay, so now that my head hurts from doing all that math and now that you are bored to death - lets get to the fun stuff. Below are my comparison photos from the start date of the program to the beginning of week three.
Notice a difference?
I'm going to finish up this week's recap with what I have been eating during week two of the Revolt program. This is just a portion and only 90% of it comes directly from the program. The other 10% are items I chose.
That's all I have for now. Next week I will focus a little more on the workouts because those are a ton of fun. Seriously!!
How are you doing with your healthy lifestyle choices?
*Revolt Fitness is allowing me to participate in the
program at no charge so long as I share weekly posts.
Yet again, I bring you another weekend recap. Typical me, I know.
But this weekend, A and I had a ton of fun with really no plans. Plus we are kind of on a spending freezeor kind of budgeting how we spend our money. So it was fun to try and do activities that don't cost too much money. Be prepared for a ton of photos. Friday evening was spent working out and then relaxing on the couch. A picked up a beautiful orchid for me for Mother's Day. I can still celebrate even though I am only a fur-mom.
Can I just say that the Coconut Leaves candle from Bath and Body works is absolutely amazing?! I mean if you like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain, then you will love it as well.
Saturday morning we woke up and got our fitness on. Then we baked up a delicious strawberry french toast because we wanted to take full advantage of our cheat day.
We then got some stuff done around the house, took Roxi to play in the high school field that we live by, then left to go look at a new used car. Even though we are not really in the market for a new car, A still likes to look. I find it really nice that we do not have a car payment and I don't think I could really adjust to go back to paying one monthly.
After wasting our time by looking at a junk of a car, we heading to grab some grub. This week I was having a serious craving for sushi and knew the only day I could eat it was Saturday.
We definitely ate up that sushi. I had to top off the rest of lunch by walking across the street from the sushi restaurant to get a Starbucks coffee. Now you might be wondering how we managed to grab lunch and coffee even though we are budgeting what we spend. Here's a few tips 1) we had sushi for lunch when they offer lunch specials and one dollar beersand 2) I had a free Starbucks beverage from watching tv (go watch tv and get free gift cards). So there you have it, sushi and Starbucks for under $30.
With our full bellies and caffeinated bodies, we went home and took a power nap. A then went outside to do some maintenance work on his car and I wrote up the grocery list. This is super exciting stuff people. Sundaywas the most fun yet not much happened.
Our cheat day kind of rolled on into Sunday and I am okay with that.
We started Mother's Day by eating a whole box of munchkins. Like I said, really exciting things are happening.
Then we did a little bit of grocery shopping and playing with Roxi in the field again. But this time when we were in the field, I finally was able to cut some lilacs off the lilac bush to fill my house.
There is nothing I love better than to have fresh flowers in the house and lilacs have the best smell.
Now only if those suckers would last longer than 5 days and I would be one happy camper.
We finished Sunday off with taking a 10 mile bike ride. I think we were both feeling a little guilty about eating an entire box of donut holes and the amount of beer that was consumed during the weekend.
Oh yeah, I also got my shit stuff together and finally filmed a vlog with A. Things can get real awkward when filming a video with your husband just saying.
It's Friday, Friday. So excited that it's Friday!!
I'm going to keep it pretty short and sweet here today. Honestly, I wasn't even going to put a post up today because I spent all day yesterday staring at my blog. And now, it no longer looks the same.
I asked you on Twitter and Instagram your opinions on a new blog palette. Majority won and now my dot com home has a new facelift.
I hope I worked all the kinks out and that everything works as it should.
Today I want to share with you something that I have never seen any other blogger show before.
Us readers, check in each and everyday to see what our favorite bloggers have to share.
It could be a recap to their weekend, a favorite recipe, some cute kid photos, or maybe even a product review. But how well do we really know these bloggers?
We see their face, we read what they have to type and we might even follow them via some social media outlet where they show that they drink too much alcohol, love Starbucks, and don't like washing their hair everyday. Where am I going with this? Not sure, I kind of got sidetracked with the girls that wash their hair twice a week if that.
I want to welcome you into my life a little bit. See what I see. Smell what I smell.
Okay, you probably don't want to smell what I smell!!
Most of the time you read my posts that I compose through my computer.
You are me right now. Sitting in the same spot I sit. Seeing the same thing I see - every day while I type out posts.
But the best way I can really show you a glimpse into my life would be to show you my handwriting. What other blogger has hand written a post for your eyes only?
What does your handwriting look like?
You should probably go follow me via Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to see if I actually wash my hair.
I heard through the grapevine that you wanted to hear about my job or lack there of.
If you do not follow me on twitter then you don't get to see my updates about my jobor lack there of.
Okay you nosey little thing, here is the truth about my job or lack there of.
My job is...
- demanding
- ever changing each day
- exciting
- rewarding
- laid back
- interesting
- fulfilling
The truth about my job is that I am a housewife and a fur-mom.
Yep, I get to sleep in and stay up late. I get to maintain the household duties and care for my little pup. I get to spend each and every day partnered with this amazing person.
My new life has begun just over a week ago - Revolt Fitness life, that is.
If you missed my first post where I scared you all with an ugly image, you should probably go check that out. Otherwise, today is my week one recap of how things are going with the program.
Let's start with the workouts, shall we?
One of my favorite parts about the Revolt program is that you can do everything from home. That is including all the meals and all of the workouts. Because if we are talking extra money, I am out!
Week One's workouts were great. Monday, Thursday and Saturday were complete cardio circuits. Each day took me less than 30 minutes to achieve sweat all over my body.
Tuesday was lower body exercises. I have been doing a ton of HIIT exercises before even joining the program and it seems that almost all HIIT included a ton of lower body moves at least the workouts I was doing. So it wasn't that hard on my body even though it got my blood moving and sweat flowing.
Friday was upper body day. Can I just say I am a girl and I have absolutely no upper body strength. I can hardly pour milk out of a one gallon jug! My arms were tired, sore, and about to fall off.
Overall, the workouts were great and I can feel my body maintaining more energy throughout the day. I can recap more of the workouts for week 2 next week if you would like.
How about the food? I love food and I loved what I was eating.
Most of the other bloggers that I started my uprising beginning of the program with detoxed.
Detoxing was optional and aimed at eliminating sugar from your diet.
While I love eggs, spinach, and bananas, my body would not move from the bed if I ate a banana every day. I have latex-food allergy syndrome. Please tell me someone knows something about this!
So I opted to follow the regular diet plan.
Do not be confused with the word diet here. In no way was I depriving my body of food. In fact, I was stuffing my face almost every 2 hours - literally. I had all three meals plus two snacks and dessert.
This is my kind of program!!!
Here is what my food looked like.
Looks yummy, doesn't it?
Here is what you have been waiting for. My stats starting into week 2.
Whoop whoop!! Let's party with a bottle of wine gallon of water.
I am assuming that most of my weight lost from week one was due to water weight.
You can only go to the bathroom so many times during
the day and night while drinking a gallon of water per day.
I don't have any improved photos for you this week. Not much has changed that can be physically noticed. But don't fret, more scary photos are coming your way.
What are some of your favorite at home exercises?
What are some of your favorite healthy snacks?
*Revolt Fitness is allowing me to participate in the
program at no charge so long as I share weekly posts.
The weekend is already over? I cannot believe it. I always enjoy sleeping in, spending time with A sitting on the couch, and downing a couple of cocktails.
But what made this weekend even better, besides celebrating Cinco de Mayo, was having A's college friend/best friend/best man spend the weekend at our house.
We celebrated Cinco de Mayo very lightly yesterday with only guacamole and salsa - no margaritas.
I so badly wish I had a margarita but Indiana does not allow the sale/purchase of alcohol on Sunday and I was far to lazy (or active riding 10 miles on my bike) to go to the bar. Indiana, us drunks would like to purchase alcohol err day.
So I am feeling refreshed and energized this Monday with no hangover. Yippie!
Here is how the rest of the weekend looked.
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Friday was spent catching up with our houseguest while A had to work. I picked up a big meaty steak and some veggies to make a delicious dinner. All boys love steak, right?!
Do not let that photo fool you. There is well over 2lbs of steak to feed an army of three.
After dinner, we headed down the street to our favorite pub.
A Friday night cannot get any better than drinks, sports games, and chatting it up with a great bartender.
Saturday was really relaxed. After we demolished a plate full of bacon and a few eggs we took the pups out for a walk. For those of you that do not remember, our friend has a husky that somewhat does not get along well with my little baby.
Because walking dogs is such a strenuous activity and bacon can only give you so much energy, we were ready to go grab some lunch.
We devoured some wings and pizza as if I was not supposed to be making a lifestyle change.
It was our friend's first time in Indianapolis so we gave him a little tour via car of the city.
He had only just driven across the country for his move from the West coast to the Midwest and his vehicle cabin fever was starting to rub off on us. Talk about raunchy jokes and a bunch of nonsense.
We all finally escaped from the car and decided a bike ride would be a good idea. But an even better idea was to ride our bikes to go get ice cream - we are geniuses.
The remainder of Saturday was spend watching the Red Wings game. Too bad they lost.
Side note - all three of us are from Michigan.
Our houseguest left early Sunday morning to finish the last part of his adventure to his new home.
A and I then rode our bikes to breakfast. I mean if you are going to eat something like this you need to do some exercise before and after. White chocolate macadamia nut pancake with banana butter.
Once again, you would never know that I am eating clean and losing weight.
But the rest of the day was spent mentally beating myself up for how bad I treated my body over the weekend and loving on this little pooch.
How was your weekend? Did you celebrate Cindo de Mayo?
