Monday, March 31, 2014

Focus T25 - Week 5

Day 29 - Monday | Total Body Circuit

Wow, I did horrible today. I started without breakfast, got 7 minutes into it and about died. So I stopped, drank my milkshake then picked up where I left off.  I got tired really easily in each circuit, and I completely skipped the plank oblique pushups.

I'm also sick, again. I think I got it from Lily, who got it from nursery a couple weeks ago.  We didn't take Lily to nursery yesterday. Daddy stayed home with her.  Nursery did need an extra helper though, so I stayed in there and helped. So yeah, double whammy.

By the look of this week's schedule, I think they are trying to kill me.  Total Body Circuit today and Wednesday and Friday?  Friday is Total Body Circuit and Lower Focus?  Ouch!  They really want me to be exhausted when I start the Beta round, don't they?

Day 30 - Tuesday | Ab Intervals

Again with the Ab Intervals without another workout attached to it.  Call me crazy, but it's harder by itself. Also, punching my stomach was not nearly as satisfying as it was last week. It feels squishy all over again.  Maybe because I'm sick I wasn't flexing as much as I should have been.

I about died with 6 minutes to go put I kept pushing (and yelling out in pain), and next thing I new, there was only 2 minutes left. That was nice.  Especially since the last minute is just a slow high knee jog.

I guess this is as good as I'm gonna get at this workout because the Beta round has a different one.

Day 31 - Wednesday | Total Body Circuit

I did so bad today!  My abs are sore from yesterday. It's a deep, deep sore.  Two deeps! :-)  I also wheeze every time I breathe, my nose is stuffy, and all I want to do is sleep.  But I tried!  I tried so hard to do this workout.  I feel like my body just kept giving out.  I'd start a circuit and then pratically die before it was over.  I'd catch my breath for a little while and then keep trying, but I feel like my body was just not cooperating.  I ended the workout with very little sweat, but being very exhausted. I almost feel like I did nothing beneficial today.

Not feeling so great about myself this week.

Day 32  - Thursday | Cardio

This whole week is just a big bucket of suck. I did more modified moves than I care to admit, and I rested more than I care to admit.  I really hope my physical exhaustion is due to how late I've been working this week and that I'm sick.  It's starting to feel like I'll never get better from this cold, and that I'm going backwards in my workouts.

Day 33 - Friday | Total Body Circuit & Lower Focus

I'm finally feeling better from my second cold this month, but I am mentally and physically exhausted.  I'm pretty sure I haven't gotten to bed before 4am any day this week. Have I taken naps?  No.  The other day my work computer was down so my boss, Donni, said she'd text me when it came up.  I totally fell asleep.  I jumped awake wondering what time it was, where I was, and what year it was.  I checked my phone and luckily it had only been 10 minutes since she told me my computer was ready. I lucked out.

Lily motivated me to work out today. She saw my workout clothes and said, "Work out! Yeah! Do it!"  Something like that.  Maybe not all together like that.  But yeah. She likes to work out with me.

Total Body Circuit sucked today.  I mean bad.  I feel like I did worse than the very first time I did this workout.  I did modified moves the entire time, and even stopped those early.  Lily needed a diaper change, so I just let the video keep playing while I did that, so I missed a good three minutes there.  By the end of the workout I was really sweaty, but that's probably because I forgot to turn the A/C on and it was 79 degrees in here.

I started Lower Focus.  I did about two minutes of it, then I decided, "Forget this. I have a lot to get done today, and all I want to do is take a nap. It's already 2:15 in the afternoon. I'm done. This week sucks. Oh well."


Day 34 - STATurday


I weighed myself today and I was UP .1 pound from starting. I weighed myself Monday morning and I was down 2.4 from starting.  So, whatever.
Day 36 - Sunday | Stretch


I didn't do it.


Am I ready for Beta round? Probably not. We'll see what happens.  I purchased some light 5lb dumbbells on Saturday to use during the workouts. We'll see how that goes.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Focus T25 - Week 4 (Take Two!)

Day 22 - Monday | Cardio

I pushed hard today.  I did the regular moves for most of the workout.  When I got tired I did the modified moves.  I stopped less than I have in the past.  I feel good about it.

I realized another reason why I hate this video.  One of the people in the video, Christina, is way too happy to be there. Any time Shaun asks, "How are we doing?"  She yells, "Great!" with this big smile on her face. This is another reason I like Insanity better.  People honestly tell you they feel like (fill in the blank).

She also enjoys it way too much when Shaun uses her as an example.  He had his hands on her waist at one point, to push her lower into her squats. The look on her face is the look your frenemy would give you if you both went after the same guy and said guy was flirting with her.  (I know you know what I'm talking about!)

Sorry honey, Shaun T is gay and married and his husband happens to be standing behind you.

And when we complete a circuit and start at the bottom (or easiest part) of the next circuit, she acts all bored like it's too easy... When I'm doing my best, and I'm sweaty and tired, and staring at this girl who is bored, I kind of want to punch her in the face.

On another note, I am so gross and sweaty right now.  I decided to open my windows and turn off the A/C during the workout.  That was a terrible decision.

You see, it's cloudy outside, and it looked like a nice cool day.  Apparently it's 76 degrees and humidity is at 76%.  So, going outside for "fresh air" will feel pretty much the same as the sweat I have all over my body right now.

Note for my Utah peeps: I don't really understand the affect humidity has on the weather. But for comparison, in Salt Lake City right now it's 62 degrees with 17% humidity.

If you'll excuse me, I'm going to close my windows and turn my A/C back on.

 Day 23 - Tuesday | Total Body Circuit

This workout is hard. I did probably 50/50 regular and modified moves.  There are so many planks in this workout!  The planks aren't the problem, the "spider" pushups, plank walks to squats, and pike ups are an issue, however.

Looks like I get to do this one again on Thursday so hopefully I'll do better on Thursday than I did today.

 Day 24 - Wednesday | Lower Focus

I went between the regular moves and modified today.  I also skipped the 6 minutes I'm missing. I didn't feel like following my paper.  Whatevs.  My entire body feels exhausted and overworked right now, but I am not very sweaty.  It's probably because I didn't eat breakfast today.

I have been having a Breakfast Essentials packet, mixed with 1 cup of Silk Vanilla Almond milk and 1/4 cup Greek God's honey vanilla yogurt.  It's incredibly delicious and filling. But, we're out of milk, so I need to get some more.  I had my Greens today, but that's probably not enough to fuel my body for this workout.

By the way, I finally decided to stop buying cow's milk.  I am so tired of getting a stomach ache every time I want to eat cereal, and I don't ever drink plain milk.  Lance never tried the almond milk I bought, but he didn't seem too upset at the idea of not having cow's milk anymore.  I don't plan on being completely dairy free, just cow's milk free.

Hello,  have you ever seen me cook?  Butter is my life.

 Day 25 - Thursday | Total Body Circuit

Hard workout!  But guess what?  I nailed it!  I did regular moves almost the entire time.  I took I think three extra breaks.  I failed at some of the plank work, but I am so proud of myself and how far I've come.

My body feels different. It feels stronger.  I am so happy!  And I still have 11 weeks to do of this program!  I can't wait to see how much better I get.

I can tell my body is getting better at cooling itself.  I'm really sweaty right now, but I'm not uncomfortable.  Usually I'm sweaty and hot and uncomfortable, but right now I feel sweaty and refreshed.  Odd sensation.  I hope this helps my body deal with the humidity this summer.

Also, we purchased coconut milk. I LOVE coconut milk.  So delicious.  It's like I have a chocolate coconut milkshake for breakfast each morning.

 Day 26 - Friday | Ab Intervals & Speed 1.0

I think this was the first time doing Ab Intervals without doing a different workout first.  Boy, it was difficult!  Good news though.  When I punch my stomach, I feel less flab.  Seriously, I couldn't believe it.  Yes, there's still quite a bit of squish, but not as much as when I started.  I suppose this is when taking measurements would be beneficial. I'd be able to know for sure if I'm just imagining things.  Either way though, I'm thrilled.  I'm so thrilled with my progress!

I started Speed 1.0, then paused it. Then decided I wasn't going to do it. Then changed my mind. I forgot to eat breakfast this morning. Or drink breakfast. Whatever.  After doing ab intervals I was pretty exhausted.  But yeah.  Not enough sleep + no breakfast = bad Speed 1.0.  I ended up doing the workout, regular moves, but I got tired too early in each circuit.

Three cheers for sweaty and gross!
 Day 27 - STATurday

Ok, great news!  I am down 2.4 lbs from starting weight!  I could not be more excited right now.  That means that I've really lost 3.8 lbs from the heaviest I got after I started working out.

Before I weighed myself this morning, I looked at my self in the mirror and I said, "Wow! I look awesome!" My stomach is noticeably tighter, firmer and has less of a pooch.

If four (technically 5 weeks, since this week was a repeat) of Focus T25 can do this for my body, I am SO excited to see what the next 11 weeks will bring.  Bring it on!

 Day 28 - Sunday | Stretch

I did it today!  I've only done this workout once before. It's really easy, as far as workouts go.  It's purely stretching.  The hardest part would be holding a lunge, but I'll get there.

I'm ready for my last week of the Alpha round!





Friday, March 21, 2014

Arbitrage and Primary

What has our family really been up to?  So much and so little at the same time.



Lance is currently the 2nd counselor in the Elder's Quorum.  He recently taught his very first lesson.  It was on The Good Samaritan.

One thing about Lance is that he's very humble with his gospel knowledge.  He feels like he never has anything beneficial to add to gospel discussions, so he rarely, if ever, shares his opinions or insights.  So, having to teach a class was extremely uncomfortable for him. He spent an entire week preparing the lesson.  I am so proud of him!  I know how tempting it can be to wait until Saturday night, but I also know how beneficial it is to start early in the week and allow the Spirit time to work on us so that we end up with the lesson that needs to be shared.

A few days after his lesson, Lance was given an opportunity to be a "Good Samaritan" himself.  Our neighbor knocked on our door, asking if we could give him a jump start, because his car's battery died.  We do not own any jumper cables, and neither did our neighbor.  So instead of saying, "Oh, sorry, we don't have any cables."  Lance drove our neighbor to the store, bought two pairs of jumper cables (one for us, and one for our neighbor), came back here, and gave them a jump start.  That's above and beyond, if you ask me!

Lance works for a company called Spears.  He works in the warehouse. He says it's easy. He works from 7am to 5pm Monday through Friday.  Occasionally they will go in at 6am.  He's always getting overtime.  The drive to his work is about 10 minutes if there's no traffic, but it can get up to 45 minutes during rush hour.

I find it comical that part of our reasons for leaving Utah was to start fresh, including a new type of job for Lance. He wanted out of a warehouse.  However, he then proceeded to apply for mainly warehouse positions.  You stick to what you know, I suppose.  We aren't sure how long he'll stay here. It doesn't feel like there's a lot of opportunity for advancement.  The guy who trained Lance has nothing but high praise for him, though.  He flat out told Lance that he gives him the "crappy" jobs because he knows Lance won't complain and won't ask stupid questions.

Lance and I are working on starting our own business.  If you're unaware, Lance has collected Disney Vinylmations over the past few years.  He has also re-sold them for more money than he purchased them for.  He's made quite a bit of money doing this, and it has paid for several of our vacations.  For example, certain Vinylmations cost about $16, but he sold them for $200.  Yes, people pay that kind of money for collectibles!  This helped us a lot when he was unemployed for six months.

Lance is no longer into Vinylmation collecting, but he is still interested in flipping them for a profit.  He's also buying many other items and selling them for a profit.  It's called retail arbitrage.  His goal is to make enough money doing that by the end of the year, that he can quit his job at Spears.  I know he can do it, mostly because he already is doing a great job.  His experience in organizing and maintaining a warehouse, along with shipping items all over the world has and will continue to help us here a lot.  He's currently trying to make a certain quota so that Amazon will allow him to sell during the fourth quarter of the year.  How often to you purchase items from Amazon from January to September?  ...And from October through December?

Exactly.



As for me, I'm the 2nd Counselor in the Primary Presidency. I teach sharing time every three weeks.  We are changing it so that one person teaches for an entire month, and gets two months off.  My first entire month to myself will be June.  I'm pretty excited to have April and May without teaching, and to have that time to focus on improving other things in our Primary, as well as having all that time to perfect my lesson plans for June.  I love working in this ward's primary, and I can't help but feel like I'm meant to be here.  I love the women I work with, and I love learning from them.  They are some truly amazing people.

Angie is a lot like me.  She's pretty quiet and reserved until she gets a little more comfortable around you. Meredith is the type of person who blurts out what she's thinking, and I absolutely love it!  She thinks it gets her in trouble, but it really makes me feel more comfortable around her.  I told her I love it because I know she's being honest and upfront with me about anything and everything.  She is fearless and I admire it.

I finally made Lily a doctor's appointment!  She hasn't been since her 15 month appointment.  I'm not really too worried, I just want to get her all caught up on her shots and make sure she's learning and developing like she should be.   I think Lily is smart and beautiful and I'm not worried one little bit.

Lily gets sick every freakin' week from the cesspool called Nursery.  I absolutely hate it.  Sunday she'll be just fine, but by Tuesday she'll be sick again, and she'll be sick until about Friday.  This week she had a fever for two days, and it got up to 104 degrees.  She threw up once.  She's had a runny nose.  She coughs a lot. Ugh.  My poor girl!

I still work at night.  I don't love it, but I love my job and I'll do what I have to in order to keep that job and stay at home with my beautiful daughter.

I haven't had my hair done professionally since August.  I hate my hair!!!  I'm tempted to chop it all off.  I just don't think that long hair is flattering on me.  My hair is thin and flat.  Well, it's frizzy now...  But yeah.  I need a change.  Affordable hairstylists are hard to come by down here.  I *KNEW* I should have gone to hair school!  There is a hair school around the corner, but, I'm lazy.  And then there's the issue of what to do once I get there.  Do I want to stay blonde?  Do I want to keep most of the length?  Should I just shave it off and start over?  Hair. Stupid hair.  I love changing it, but I feel like I've done everything I'm comfortable with.  So I need to do something I'm uncomfortable with, and then maybe I'll be happy.



Lily's newest thing she says is: "P U, dat stink!"  Her first sentence.  I'm so proud. :-)

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Ipsy March Glambag Review





My Ipsy Glamroom
The Glamroom shows a picture of the bag, and the items you will be receiving.  If there are color variations of the item, it won't show you your specific color.

The four items on the top row are what I received this month.  The remaining seven products, are the other products that could have been in my bag, but aren't. I get discounts on the items and/or brands that are in my bag, or could have been in my bag.



Here's my bag and my four items.  I'm really loving the bag. The material is sort of reflective, and the pattern is by an artist from San Francisco named Klari Reis.  Pretty cool!




Please forgive my chapped lips. Seeing close ups of my lips makes me realize that I'm terrible at appling lipstick in the corners of my mouth. Lip liner will save me!

  • bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Get Ready. Mini size. Full size is $18 if purchased from bareMinerals' site. Estimated value: $7.71

Creamy, super-saturated, ultra-pigmented color glides on like butter for full coverage in a rich satin finish. - from bareMinerals' site.

Get Ready is described as a warm rosy pink. I think it looks more mauve, and I love mauve colors!  This lipstick has the same smell as the Moxie lip gloss by Bare Minerals that I love. It smells like white chocolate and peppermint.  The texture of this lipstick is wonderful! It feels like butter and is so comfortable to wear. It's pretty shiny, so if you're a matte lipstick lover, this probably isn't for you.





  • Nicole by OPI Roughles nail polish in On What Grounds. Full size. Estimated value: $7.

Say hello to our newest innovation yet – Roughles (pronounced “Ruffles”) nail lacquer! These four flirty hues are perfect for spring, but they aren’t just any pastel polishes!  Roughles go on like regular nail lacquer, but dry to a speckled, textured finish–no top coat needed! - From Nicole By OPI's site.

After seeing this color in person, I decided it's not for me. I haven't opened it and I won't be swatching it. I'm sending to my sister in law, Laura. She collects nail polish and she didn't get it in her Ipsy bag this month.





A high pigmented long lasting formula for all day wear. Enjoy the convenience and versatility of creating many different looks from our eyeshadow quads. - From Be a Bombshell's site.

I was going to trade this eyeshadow quad, but I decided to swatch it just because I love swatching things.  From top to bottom the colors are: Bora Bora, Starlet, Rock Bottom, and Risky Business.  I really like Bora Bora and Risky Business.  I'm thinking about doing a neutral eye look but using Bora Bora underneath the eye for a fun pop of color.  We'll see how it turns out.




  • Klorane Smoothing and Relaxing Patches with soothing cornflower. 4 patches. 14 patches for $18 if you buy it from Dermstore. Estimated value: $5.14.

Revive tired and puffy eyes safely, naturally and effectively. Soothing and Relaxing Patches for Tired-Eyes are designed to revive puffy, fatigued eyes for a brighter appearance. Formulated with softening cornflower extract, smoothing and stimulating arnica and relaxing chamomile, these easy to use patches increase circulation while decreasing signs of stress, lack of sleep, prolonged activity, sickness and allergies. Use before a night out to diminish puffiness and dark circles, after a long day of working in the garden or as a once a week treatment for bright, smooth and youthful eyes. - From Dermstore

These sound pretty cool.  I recently received a mud mask in a giant beauty swap I did.  I didn't think to put these eye patches on with it.  You know how in movies the women wear freaky mud masks and then cover their eyes with cucumbers?  Yeah, like that.  I normally do a mask once a week, and next time I do my mask I'll definitely be using these as well.  Relaxation time.


Bag Value:
Bare Minerals lipstick: $7.71
Nicole OPI nail polish: $7
Be A Bombshell Quad: $16
Klorane eye patches: $5.14

Grand total: $35.85

It's a good bag!  Ipsy continues to help come out of my comfort zone with makeup and skincare and get me to try new products and colors.  That's the whole reason I signed up in the first place!

Interested in trying Ipsy?  I'd love it if you used my link!  http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-hh1dhitczm8r4e9
 
 

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Division and Contention

Sometimes I am not emotionally prepared to receive immediate feedback for the thoughts I share with others.  In those cases, I choose to post the thought on my blog rather than on Facebook.


I read something in my scripture study last night that doesn't change the way I *feel* about certain issues within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but it definitely will change the way I express my opinions and deeply held beliefs to those who do not agree with me.






Alma 51:22-27.  The Nephites were fighting amongst themselves because they wanted to change some of the laws in the land.  Because of this contention, the Lamanites were able to gain power over the Nephites and take over several of their cities.


What I applied to myself from this: Division and contention destroy peace, and weaken us to the tactics of Satan.


I am going to try harder to be more understanding of opposing views.  Let us all remember who the real "enemy" is (to steal a line from Catching Fire :-) ). Let's come together and work together to strengthen and lift one another. Let's focus on each other's strengths and talents.  Build each other up!  Put a smile on someone's face.

Times are hard enough, let's not make them harder.

Monday, March 17, 2014

Focus T25 - Week 4

Day 22 - Monday | Cardio

I'm sick. *cough cough*

You're probably thinking, "Boo, you whore."

(For any who may not be aware, that was a movie reference.)

But really, I'm sick.  I feel like I'm sick enough that working out would not be helpful or beneficial at this point.

Day 23 - Tuesday | Total Body Circuit

Still sick.

Day 24 - Wednesday | Lower Focus

Still sick.

Day 25 - Thursday | Total Body Circuit

Still sick, however, I did Mondays' workout, Cardio, today.  I'm feeling well enough that I think exercise might help me heal rather than make things worse.

I had these great plans of doing Monday's and Tuesday's workouts today, but I'm really not feeling so great after doing Cardio.  I have back tracked.  Or maybe I did it wrong.  I went with the regular moves as long as I could, then switched to modified, until I just stopped and drank water. Then repeated that cycle for each circuit in the video.

Honestly, I will probably repeat this week.  I have only one week left of the Alpha round, and I'd rather not start the Beta round at less than my best.

Taking three extra days off from working out seriously sucks.  I have been taking Lily on walks, so I haven't been completely comatose. Ok, comatose is the wrong word.  But that's what I'd like to be.  Anyway, walking is nothing compared to T25. And I'm of the belief that walking does nothing for my physical fitness level.

Unless of course I walk 20 miles uphill in snow and ice.  That might do something.

On the bright side, my appetite has calmed the freak down.  I haven't been eating much the past few days, so maybe the scale will have actually gone the desired direction.

Day 26 - Friday | Ab Intervals & Speed 1.0

Blegh! Why don't I feel better yet?!  I just barely did Speed 1.0, and I think I did a great job. This is the easiest workout for me, but I did have to take extra breaks today.

I'm planning to do Ab Intervals later today, but, I need a nap. I got off work at 3am last night. Then after getting ready for bed, washing my face, reading scriptures and saying my prayers I went to bed around 4 this morning.  Then I woke up several times in the night with coughing fits.

 I just want a nap.

Day 27 - STATurday

Uh, I forgot to weigh myself on Saturday. But when I weighed myself on Monday morning I was down 1 lb from starting weight.  I'm not sure it was accurate, because that would mean that I lost 2.2 lbs last week.  I suppose it's possible, since I was sick. But it's kind of lame that getting sick causes me to lose weight and exercising causes me to gain weight.

Not to self - if you're trying to lose weight, go into the nursery class and ask all the kids to lick you and breathe on you.

Disclosure: I didn't go into nursery and I was not licked or breathed on by all the children.

While losing weight is something I'm probably more focused on than I should be, I would like to be more fit. I would like to not have so much jiggle. And hot dang, I'd like to look good in shorts.

One word: cankles.

Good news though!  The husband says the chest area has shrunk.  He may or may not be happy about that, but I sure am happy.  Something to show for my hard work! Except, I probably won't show you.

Day 28 - Sunday | Stretch

No stretching today.

I am for sure repeating Week 4.




Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Happy Birthday, Lily!

My blog posts over the past couple of weeks have been lame makeup ones or exercise ones. It's about time for me to talk about something real, I think.

I should go to bed though.  But I'm not tired!  I'm probably messed up from the time change.


Oh and I took a nap today.  That felt nice!



This little nugget:

 

turned TWO yesterday.




She seems so young and so big at the same time.

I love my little best friend.


I couldn't decide what to do for her birthday this year.

My original plan was to invite everyone in her nursery class to the park for cupcakes. When we went around looking at parks, we couldn't find any that would work.  There is a really nice one down by the lake, but good luck finding a spot to sit down!  That park was so crowded!  There is a really crappy one near our house, but there isn't anywhere to sit down.  We couldn't find any other parks nearby, so that idea was out.

Our next plan was to take her to Magic Kingdom after Daddy got off work. We actually ended up going on this past Sunday, and we had a great time.  We feel like if we went in the evening on a weekday, we wouldn't have much time to do anything.

So, we ended up staying home.  I bought some cupcakes, and Lance bought a candle in the shape of a 2. We got her a few new toys, outfits and art supplies.  We went on a walk as a family around our complex.  It was a nice little evening together.  I logged in to work after she went to bed.

Lily is so much fun, she makes me excited to have more kids.  She's honestly my best friend. She's a good helper, and she makes my days fun and exciting.  And messy.  I love her so much.


I hate posting blogs when I can't really give you very many pictures.  All of our pictures from today and from our Disney visit on Sunday are on Lance's phone.


We had so much fun on Sunday.  We tried the new FastPass+ system, and got to ride Peter Pan. We haven't ridden that ride in forever!  We also went on Little Mermaid, Winnie the Pooh, the Carousel, the People Mover, Pirates, and Haunted Mansion. We also rode the Tea Cups. That was my first time on there.  I was afraid I'd get motion sickness, because I get that just by swinging on a swing set, but it really wasn't bad at all.

Lily likes to sing the song from the Pirates ride.  "Yo yo, yo yo, ah meee!" That translates to: Yo ho! Yo ho! A pirate's life for me."

We visited the dance party that they have in Tomorrowland, and Lily met Mr. Incredible.  She was afraid of him, but it was really cute. Lance got it on video so we can cherish it always. :-)

Right before we left the park we were able to see a little bit of the Electric Parade. We thought Lily would like all of the glowing lights, and she did, but it was about 11pm at this time, so we needed to get her to bed.


I can't wait to play with Lily and her new play dough, crayons, and bubbles tomorrow.

Monday, March 10, 2014

Focus T25 - Week 3

Day 15 - Monday | Total Body Circuit

I did not work out today. I took Lily on a walk to Ross and Burlington Coat Factory. We both got new shoes.

It's about a 20 minute walk to get there, and we were gone for an hour and half.  So I'm going to go ahead and say I went on an hour and a half walk and call it good.

Day 16 - Tuesday | Speed 1.0

Today was a busy day - I was home for maybe an hour total.  I got up at 6am to take Lance to work so I would have the car. I met Carrie, a friend from Utah who I work with, for lunch.

Day 17 - Wednesday | Lower Focus

I felt guilty for skipping two days in a row.  I did not do Lower Focus today, but I DID do Total Body Circuit AND Speed 1.0 (Monday and Tuesday's scheduled workouts).  Go me!

I did the modified moves the entire time on Total Body Circuit, and I did the regular moves for Speed 1.0. I feel awesome!  Doing the modified moves on Total Body Circuit gave me a better workout because I didn't have to stop. I kept moving, and I could tell that I actually worked harder because I wasn't wearing myself out.

Speed 1.0 is my favorite workout, and I do push myself harder because it's fun.

I really do feel great right now.  I've already had 40 oz of water today!  But I haven't eaten anything yet...

Day 18 - Thursday | Cardio

I did yesterday's scheduled workout, Lower Focus, today.  I was going to do both Lower Focus and Cardio, but decided against it after finishing Lower Focus.  I'm really exhausted, and Cardio sucks.

I did modified moves the entire time, and still took a few extra rests.  My legs are jelly, and I'm drenched in sweat.

For the 6 minutes of the video that I'm missing, I wrote down the moves to do, and I also wrote the number of reps I think I should do.  This actually might be better than following the video, because instead of doing a move halfway to keep up with the video, I do it to the best of my ability and go as slow as I need to, until I've completed the number of reps.

I think I will just skip Cardio this week.

Day 19 - Friday | Total Body Circuit & Ab Intervals

Ok, I didn't skip Cardio.  I did Cardio and Ab Intervals today.  I did Cardio because I hate it.  I hate Cardio because I'm bad at it. The only way to get better at it is to keep trying. So, yeah, I did Cardio because I hate it.

I did modified moves the entire time for both Cardio and Ab Intervals.

Ab Intervals - I pooped out five minutes into it.  I kept going, but it was so difficult and painful.

I wasn't as disappointed in how my abs felt as I punched them today. They're getting firmer!  Under the layer of flab, of course, but it's a start.

My planks are tons better. I can hold them a lot longer than I used to be able to. Both high and low.  It's actually harder on my shoulders and arms than it is on my abs.  Don't get me wrong, my abs are NOT strong, but my arms and shoulders are apparently worse.

Just kill me now. Thanks.
 Day 20 - STATurday

Whoops! I forgot to weigh myself today. I weighed myself Monday morning, and I'm up 1.4 lbs from my starting weight.

Day 21 - Sunday | Stretch

I didn't do the Stretch workout. I like the feeling I got after I did this workout two weeks ago, it's just hard for me to break away from my family on the one day where I get to spend the entire day with them.  We had a great evening together!  We actually went to the Magic Kingdom.  We got there at about 7:30pm, and tried the new FastPass+ system out, and we got to ride more rides than we have since we went back in September!  It was great! But that's a story for another day.

Friday, March 7, 2014

Ipsy March - Sneak Peeks

Sneak Peek #1:


Bare Minerals! I am really excited about this.  On the upper left we have Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie lip gloss mini. I received a Moxie lip gloss mini with a bunch of free samples when I ordered a high end foundation from Ulta. I got the gloss in the color Rebel which is kind of a sheer light pink-mauve. I like to wear it over a coral lip pencil.  It smells like white chocolate and peppermint. It is amazing! 

On the lower right I'm assuming it's a Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie lipstick.  Usually I prefer lipsticks to lip gloss, so really I'm going to be happy with whichever item I receive!

Sneak Peek #2:

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On the left looks like an NYX Love In Rio palette. There are several that have similar colors as the one in the picture, so I'm not sure which one it will be.  I'm excited about this because I almost bought one of these palettes a little while back when I was on a hunt for some matte eyeshadows. I have never tried NYX eyeshadow, but I've heard it's decent.

On the right looks like Be A Bombshell eyeshadow quad in Bora Bora. Katie, my sister in law, would look fabulous in those colors!  Definitely good for gorgeous olive toned skin.  I think it'd be fun to play with that orangey shade in the spring time.  Coral eyeshadow looks are totally hot right now.

Sneak Peek #3:


Upper left looks like Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream. It has an SPF of 42. I want!

Right below that is a Chella pencil. It looks like it could be navy blue.  I'm not sure because on Chella's site the only pencils I see are eyebrow pencils.  I wouldn't mind getting a navy blue eyeliner. I also wouldn't mind getting an eyebrow pencil, but hopefully not in navy blue. ;-)

To the right looks like a Nicole by OPI nail polish from their Roughles collection in the color On What Grounds? It's a textured nail polish, and those don't appeal to me. I could use a blue nail polish though...

Sneak Peek #4:

On the left is Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar Body Butter. Past Ipsy bags have had Pacifica products in them, but I have not yet received one.  I hear they are really great. The body butters have so many good scents, I kind of wish a different scent were available for the Ipsy bags. Indian Coconut Nectar? Like, what is that, even?

Just to the right and slightly above the Pacifica is Klorane Soothing and Relaxing Patches for Tired Eyes. I like the sound of that!

To the right of the body butter is a Pixi product that could be their Mini Flawless Beauty Primer.  I love, love, love primer!  It does wonders for the look and longevity of my makeup. I also have large pores, and some primers do a good job of filling those in so my makeup can glide right over top and make my pores look smaller. Always happy to try a new primer!

On the right we have Vita Liberata Phenomenal Lotion. A sunless tanner!  And a really high quality one that that!


Sneak Peek #5:


This bag is adorable!  I'm loving it.  How cool is it that it was designed by a local artist?


Our bags will contain:

One of the following:
  • Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie lip gloss mini
  • Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie lipstick mini
One of the following:
  • NYX Love in rio palette
  • Be a Bombshell eyeshadow quad
One of the following:
  • Misha M BB cream
  • Chella eye pencil
  • OPI Nicole nail polish 
One of the following:
  • Pacifica Body Butter
  • Pixi Primer
  • Vita Liberata sunless tanner 

Interested in trying Ipsy?  I'd love it if you used my link!  http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-hh1dhitczm8r4e9
 

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Do I Need This?


Urban Decay's new Electric palette.  Look at the neon!  Look at the jewel tones!  Just, just look!  The type four in me is freaking out right now!



However, it's going to be about $50, and that just, no.  Maybe when it goes on sale... But, it's not even out yet!  They just did the press release.  So, it'll probably be about 6 months to a year until this will be on sale enough for me to buy it.  We will see if I still want it then.


But look!


Honestly, I probably would use it like... once a month, or less.


I do want to do this tutorial though.


Monday, March 3, 2014

Focus T25 - Week 2

Day 8 - Monday | Cardio

I'm beginning to hate this workout. This is my third time doing it.  I can get four minutes into it without modifications before I need to take it easy.

I pushed harder today, and didn't do modified moves until halfway through.

I have to stop each move early for a water break. Next time I'll do better, I hope.

I got a side ache about halfway through. I think that's a sign of dehydration.  I drank about 16 oz of water during the workout, however, I drank a lot of soda over the weekend, so that's probably the cause of the side ache.

Bye bye soda?  I'm not ready to say goodbye to soda yet!

Day 9 - Tuesday | Total Body Circuit

Me at the beginning of the workout: "Oh, I love this workout! This one is fun."

...8 minutes later...

"I hate life."

I started out doing the regular moves and not the modified ones.  9 minutes into the workout, I started taking tons of breaks, but still doing the regular moves.  I skipped a move every once in a while because I was catching my breath.

About 15 minutes into the workout I started doing the modified moves, but I still rested more than I should have.

I'm still really sweaty, and really tired.  But, I think I should just do the modified moves the whole way through until I can do that without stopping. Then I'll move to the regular moves.

At least that way I won't be resting so much.

No side ache today!  I drank about 50 oz of water yesterday.  Hoping to reach the recommended 64 ounces today.

Day 10 - Wednesday | Speed 1.0

I don't really want to write about my workout today, but I am for the sake of being able to see my progress.

This is my favorite workout. Shaun T talks in a rhythm and the moves go to the beat of the music, so I can just tell myself that I'm dancing and having fun. And it works!

This workout alternates between cardio moves, and after each move you stop suddenly and do a balance test, so to speak.  I really like it. It's easier than the other workouts for me.

The problem today was that about 15 minutes into it, I got a horrible pain in my lower abdomen. It is still there now.  This is not the first time I've felt this pain, the first time was back in August.  Back then it was so bad I honestly thought I was going to die.  It was worse than 19 hours of labor pains, mostly because it was sharp and it was constant for about an hour.  This time doesn't hurt as bad as that time, but it still is really bad. Since August, I've had this pain maybe three times.  I have no idea what causes it. Laying down and relaxing doesn't help. Moving around doesn't help.  Some people say it's gas pains, but I've had gas pains before, and they don't feel like this.

Last time I had this pain, I actually went out and bought a pregnancy test.  My periods have been irregular since July, I've been off birth control since November 2012... it was possible.  But the test was negative, and I have no real signs of pregnancy. It does make me a little uncomfortable that we've been trying for a baby for 15 months with no success. And then I have these random issues in what feels like my uterus area.  Maybe there is something really wrong.

So yeah. Today I stood there in pain, watching the remainder of the workout, hoping it would go away soon so I could finish it out.  But, no, it's still here.

Day 11 - Thursday |  Cardio

Why is my least favorite workout the one done most often?  This is my... fourth(?) time doing this workout.  I did better today.  I stopped here and there, but I didn't stop as much. I did most of the regular moves, and not the modified, however, for some moves I did something between the two difficulties.

I can tell that I'm getting stronger, and that I can run longer without dying.


I'm really sweaty.

It's colder outside today. Not sure how cold, but my A/C hasn't kicked on, and it's 74 in my house. (My A/C is set to 76).  My windows are open and my ceiling fan is on.  It feels goooood.

I think it's more humid today, and that is contributing to my sweatiness right now.


Day 12 - Friday | Lower Focus & Ab Intervals

My legs are jelly and my abs are flabby.

There is something wrong with my copy of Lower Focus. It skips back the the beginning of the workout, then later it skips about 6 minutes in the middle.  I had to go online and find a video of someone doing this workout to get the moves for the 6 minutes I'm missing. So, I'm probably not getting the full benefit of this workout.  It is still really hard though.

I hate Ab Intervals because several times throughout the video Shaun tells us to feel our abs, or punch our abs and I don't like that. All I feel is skin and flab and squish.  It makes me want to work harder but it also makes me self conscious.

Day 13 - STATurday

I am up 1.2 pounds from my starting weight.

Day 14 - Sunday | Stretch

I skipped working out today. I watched The Oscars instead.

I'll be honest though. Trying to improve your fitness level with zero support isn't easy.  You work your butt off and all you have to show for it is a hunger level that helps you eat everything in sight and a pound of weight gained.

My husband doesn't care if I weigh 300lbs. My friends don't work out with me (just kidding, you know I don't have friends!).

We'll see if I can get out of my bad mood in time to work out tomorrow. Or next week at all.