Magical

So yesterday I had lunch with my Aunt Peri-- with Bella. We had a really nice afternoon and lots of time to talk. I was telling her all about my love for fitness--which she already knew-- as well as my love for the art of photography. We were talking about how different things can become as you grow and learn. Here is what I am talking about.

When I was in high school-- people would ask me what I wanted to do when I grew up, and I always thought I wanted to be a doctor or a vet. Mostly because I enjoy helping people, and because I thought it would be a smart career move. However, I ALWAYS really really wanted to be good at something creative. I yearned to be able to do something magical, something unique that only I could do. That would bring me joy. I enjoyed singing (and still do) but I had to work REALLY hard at it... and while I don't think I suck at it, I was never "magical" (unless you ask my mother, hahaha). So I went on to college and majored in pre-vet.

Fast forward. College. I struggled in organic chemistry SO MUCH. I had a tutor, spent HOURS and HOURS studying to barely pass a test. It was so frustrated, felt so defeated. However, I did manage to get throug hschool well and actually graduated with a decent GPA.

Then came grad school. What the heck do I want t do? I had no idea. Really, no clue. My mom, who has always been my hero of sorts-- my inspiration -- is an amazing social worker. I thought hey, I would be good at this. So off to get my MSW I went. Was I good at it? Yep. Did I enjoy it? Ehhhh... not really. I enjoyed getting to know my clients and having a helping hand. But I was bored. Did not get that excited feeling about my work. I dreaded going some days :(

Then came Bella. My favorite part of my life so far!!! During my social work career, I also started dabbling in personal training and nutrition, a long term hobby of mine. It came VERY naturally. I loved actually seeing the joy in people's faces after spending time with me and I enjoyed sharing my love for health and fitness with others. I still do.

I have been however, still be yearning for that "magical" piece. Its so hard to explain-- but thats the best way I can put it. Anyway, Bella -- herself -- is my magic in my life. No doubt about it. And having Bella re-sparked my interest in photography (something I was interested in high school/college as well-- took classes etc). I've became obsessed with it really! And as I have grown my photography business-- I have found that part that was missing. I feel creative for the first time in my life! WOWZERS! What an amazing feeling.

Anyway, this long winded post has a point, I think :) The point is that my aunt and I were talking about how no women in our family put all of their eggs in one basket. We have multiple paths we have walked down in our lives, and that is FINE! My mom for example-- is an amazing social worker, but she also has a natural talent in broadcasting (for real.. a total natural) and she also is amazing at knitting (i'm trying to get her to start selling it...). My aunt is high ranked in the air force, teaches sign language, works in marketing/management AND can DJ her butt off at a wedding or event.

Needless to say, we are multi-faceted :) And I looked at Bella at the lunch table and told her.. "Bella you can be just like us. It keeps life interesting. It keeps it magical."

My own family Pictures

I had the amazing opportunity to have some family portraits taken this weekend. You would think that being a photographer myself, that I would have tons of wonderful pictures of my own family. Not so much! Bella alone? Yup. But all of us together is hard when you are always the one taking the pictures!! So I took a little road trip this weekend and met my amazing friend and photography mentor, Christine. She took these pictures for me that I will cherish forever. I owe a lot to her as well. She has been my mentor along the way and is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G at what she does!

Some Goood Skin

I like sales and good deals. But there are definitely some things that I tend to buy the best of the best, even if the price tag is higher. Camera gear is one for obvious reasons and the other things are hair and skin products. I usually call my self a product "ho" because I tend to love trying new ones but usually only like the expensive ones, haha! I always blame my mother who started me off on Clinique when I was only 10 years old.;)

Anyway, the skin care line that I use now, and have used for many years going is Arbonne. I love them. Their products are all natural, do not have any artificial fragrances or chemicals. I cannot speak higher of their Re9 skincare line-- and they are also a wonderful company. I get asked what skincare I use often, so here I'm putting it out there for all of you to see! My friend Marcy, who I buy all of my Arbonne products from is currently offering a sale for the month of November. She is offering 50% off any skin care set an 35% off any other order. That is something to be thankful for! Be sure to hit her up if you need some skin care products! Her website can found HERE.

Recipe Share! Chicken Tortilla Casserole

Its been awhile since I've shared a healthy recipe, so here's a new one for you all! Yummy yummy! I got the idea from a recipe from Eat Better America. If you haven't checked out that website, you should!!


Chicken Tortilla Casserole

1	can (10 3/4 oz) 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
1	can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles
1	container (8 oz) fat-free sour cream
1/2	cup fat-free (skim) milk
1 1/2	teaspoons chili powder
1/2	teaspoon ground cumin
2 1/2	cups shredded cooked chicken breast
8	yellow corn tortillas (6 or 7 inch), torn into bite-size pieces
1	medium green bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)
1	large tomato, chopped (1 cup)
1 1/2	cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese blend (6 oz)

1.	Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl, mix soup, chiles, sour cream, milk, chili powder and cumin until blended. Stir in chicken, tortillas and bell pepper. Stir in tomato and 1 cup of the cheese. Spoon and spread mixture in baking dish.
2.	Cover with foil. Bake 40 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake uncovered 5 to 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and mixture is bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes.

Nutritional Information
1 Serving: Calories 270 (Calories from Fat 100); Total Fat 11g (Saturated Fat 5g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 60mg; Sodium 610mg; Total Carbohydrate 22g (Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 4g); Protein 22g

Finally clapping!

Well B turns 13 months old today and she finally decided to clap. HAHA! She runs, has pretty much all of her teeth, laughs hysterically, shakes her head yes and no, says "whats that?" a million times a day, and will go get anything (lovey, milk, ball) if you ask her to. But, up until yesterday the girl refused to clap. We would end up looking like idiots trying to get her to clap and it was just amusing. Haha. Finally, though she gets it, and thinks its pretty darn funny :)

She also is experiencing quite a bit of stranger anxiety lately. Poor kiddo. I thought we had escaped it but not so much. If I'm around, no way jose, are you going to be able to hold her. And -- if I take her out in public she clings to me for dear life. Grandpa Steve is the only one she really wants to be around just as much as me, and we've decided that could be because he is like a big toy to her, haha! She DOES love her Mimi (my mom), her daddy and her Grandma Becca-- but she is definitely a Mommy's girl these days. I can't say I mind it-- most of the time-- but sometimes I just want to be able to pee in peace!

An example is yesterday. I went to the chiropractor because I messed up my neck somehow. I took Bella with me and she SCREAMED her head off every time I put her down. So she pretty much sat on my lap the whole time-- and let me just say for the record that getting adjusted with a 13 month old on your lap is not easy. Unfortunately for me-- part of the reason I've hurt my neck so much is from carrying my 22 pound child around all day.

She is a doll though. And I couldn't love her more.

In other news.... I'm stretched pretty thin these days with all of my various jobs/hobbies/committments and so I'm trying to prioritize again. Its not an easy decision really, but I have got to figure something out so that I'm not pulled in 25 different directions.

Where have I been?

Where have I been?? I have been neglecting my blog, and I apologize! The past week has been very busy in our household. My photography business has really been taking off, between that and chasing a running 13 month old, I haven't had as much time to post as usual. I shot my first wedding this past weekend and had an absolute wonderful time. You can view some of the pictures HERE. I am thrilled with how they came out. As nervous as I was, I was incredibly comfortable once I got there and let my creative juices flow. I had an amazing time and really think I may have found another niche for me and I am so excited!!

From a fitness standpoint-- I also got sick this past week. Had a headcold, so I didn't workout for a few days. I HATE being sick and not being able to workout :( I get asked a lot what to do when you are sick. I am a big advocate of listening to your body. If you feel like you need rest, then rest. Missing 1 orr 2 workouts will not hurt your progress. Generally, a good rule of thumb I have found is that if you miss 2 weeks, its like missing 4 weeks. If you miss a month of exercise, it gets harder and harder to get back in the game. BUT... if you are sick, don't be afraid to rest. If you are on vacation, don't be afraid to take a week off. It can do a body good :) And I'm back in my A-game this week! I got a full body workout in yesterday and cardio in today.

Missing Blogger! ...and biggest calories in fast food.

Its been a very busy weekend around here, so I apologize for not blogging as much as I usually do! However I shall make up for it with some very eye opening information for all of you. Here's a list of some common fast food items with 1000 calories or more. Crazy, crazy stuff.


White Castle Chocolate Shake Large- Calories: 1680
Nathan's Fish N Chips Calories: 1537
Carl's Jr. Double Six Dollar Burger Calories: 1520
Hardee's Monster Thickburger Calories: 1420
Dairy Queen Large Choc. Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard Calories: 1320
Hardee's Double Bacon Cheese Thickburger Calories: 1300
Dairy Queen Large Chocolate Malt Calories: 1300
Nathan's Chicken Tender Platter Calories: 1300
Jack In The Box OREO Cookie Ice Cream Shake (24oz) Calories: 1290
Dairy Queen Chicken Strip Basket (6 piece) Calories: 1270
Hardee's Double Thickburger Calories: 1250
Burger King TRIPLE WHOPPER Sandwich With Cheese Calories: 1230
Jack In The Box Chocolate Ice Cream Shake (24oz) Calories: 1230
White Castle Chocolate Shake - Large (New Jersey region) Calories: 1230
Hardee's Big Country Breakfast Platter - Breaded Pork Chop Calories: 1220
Jack In The Box Strawberry Ice Cream Shake (24oz) Calories: 1220
Jack In The Box Egg Nog Shake (24oz) Calories: 1210
Nathan's FRENCH FRIES (SUPER SIZE) Calories: 1188
White Castle Vanilla Shake - Large (New Jersey region) Calories: 1180
Del Taco Macho Beef Burrito Calories: 1170
McDonald's Chocolate Triple Thick Shake (32oz) Calories: 1160
Hardee's Big Country Breakfast Platter - Country Steak Calories: 1150
McDonald's Deluxe Breakfast (Large Size Biscuit) w/o Syrup & Margarine Calories: 1140
Carl's Jr. Guacamole Bacon Six Dollar Burger Calories: 1140
Hardee's Big Country Breakfast Platter - Chicken Calories: 1140
White Castle Vanilla Shake - Large (Cincinnati region) Calories: 1140
Burger King TRIPLE WHOPPER Sandwich Calories: 1130
White Castle Chicken Rings (20) Calories: 1130
White Castle Chocolate Shake - Large (Cincinnati region) Calories: 1130
Carl's Jr. Western Bacon Six Dollar Burger Calories: 1130
Dairy Queen Large Chocolate Shake Calories: 1130
Jack In The Box Bacon 'n' Cheese Ciabatta Burger Calories: 1120
Jack In The Box Sirloin Bacon 'n' Cheese Burger Calories: 1120
McDonald's Vanilla Triple Thick Shake (32oz) Calories: 1110
McDonald's Strawberry Triple Thick Shake (32oz) Calories: 1110
Del Taco Macho Nachos Calories: 1100
Jack In The Box Bacon Ultimate Cheeseburger Calories: 1090
White Castle Fish Nibblers - Sack Calories: 1090
White Castle Strawberry Shake - Large (Minneapolis region) Calories: 1090
White Castle Vanilla Shake - Large (Nashville region) Calories: 1090
White Castle Chocolate Shake - Large (Nashville region) Calories: 1090
McDonald's Deluxe Breakfast (Reg. Size Biscuit) w/o Syrup & Margarine Calories: 1070
Jack In The Box Sirloin Cheese Burger Calories: 1070
Carl's Jr. Bacon Cheese Six Dollar Burger Calories: 1070
Hardee's Six Dollar Burger Calories: 1060
Hardee's Big Country Breakfast Platter - Sausage Calories: 1060
Del Taco Macho Combo Burrito Calories: 1050
Jack In The Box Vanilla Ice Cream Shake (24oz) Calories: 1050
Dairy Queen Large Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard Calories: 1050
Del Taco Macho Bacon & Egg Burrito Calories: 1030
Dairy Queen FlameThrower GrillBurger (1/2lb) Calories: 1030
Dairy Queen Chicken Strip Basket (4 piece) Calories: 1030
Dairy Queen Medium Choc. Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard Calories: 1030
Hardee's Grilled Sourdough Thickburger Calories: 1030
White Castle Chocolate Shake - Large (New York region) Calories: 1020
White Castle Strawberry Shake - Large (Columbus & Detroit regions) Calories: 1010
Jack In The Box Ultimate Cheeseburger Calories: 1010
Sonic Peanut Butter Shake - Large (20oz) Calories: 1010
Carl's Jr. Original Six Dollar Burger Calories: 1010
Burger King BK Quad Stacker Calories: 1000
Arby's Meatball Toasted Sub Calories: 1000
Dairy Queen Large Oreo Cookies Blizzard Calories: 1000
Boston Market Boston Sirloin Dip Carver Calories: 1000

Wordless Thursday...(a day late)

Wednesday already

Wednesday already. Where does the time go? Yesterday was another very busy day around here. I had the morning off, which was much needed after working nearly 13 hours on Monday at the gym. But Bella is going through a phase. Its the "I must be touching my mom at ALL times I am awake or I will do my yell voice" So needless to say I didn't get anything done while she was awake. When she napped yesterday I did 40 minutes of cardio on the elliptical and did some abs (3 sets of 15 of bosu crunches and bicycles crunches) and prepped my turkey for the week (that I like to eat for lunch..thanks Tina!;)) and then she was awake again. I again had to work yesterday at the gym ... was there until nearly 9pm, came home and ate dinner (taco meatballs... Y U M) and edited for 2 hours before bed. I missed TBL... Jerry tried to catch me up but you all must fill me in!!!

No editing tonight. I decided. I'm going to hang out with the hubby :-) I'm shooting Anastasia's 6 month pictures this morning, laundry today and playing with Bella. Also will get full body training done during B's afternoon nap.

Have a wonderful day!

Back to full body training

I started my new full body routine today. Today was Full Body Training, no cardio. Here's what the workout looked like:

4 sets of 15, then a 10 second hold on everything

Superset 1:
Wide Stance Squat 40# db
Adductor machine 115#
Burpees w/ pushup (15 reps)

Superset 2:
Seated Row 45#
Chest Press Machine 50#
Bench Hops (12 reps)

Superset 3:
Lat Pull Down 55#
DB Chest Press 25# db's in each hand
Jump rope for 30 seconds

Superset 4 (only did 3 sets of 15, no holds)
DB bicep curls (12# db in each hand)
Rope pressdowns (45#)

Another Monday....

Its Monday again... how did that happen?

This weekend was very busy for us. I had to work half of the day on Saturday like usual, and then Saturday evening we went down to Boggstown Cabaret for the celebration of Grandma and Grandpa Stiles' 50th wedding anniversary. 50 years! How amazing! Jerry and I will celebrate 4 years of marriage this month, and to think that someday we will celebrate 50-- wow!

I also had an amazing photo shoot on Sunday. The family was amazing! Check out my new blogsite and be sure to follow along HERE!!

Be True to You

This is the recent article I wrote for the newsletter at work. Enjoy!

I had the privilege of going to a conference this past week that focused body image, self esteem and other women’s issues with a focus on exercise and nutrition. It was fascinating stuff, and scary at the same time. As a mother, I often worry that my daughter will grow up being consumed with the way she looks and feel like she needs to look a certain way to fit into society. The media doesn’t help at all and many of these expectations that we see on tv and in magazines of how women look are not realistic or even possible in a healthy way.

As a personal trainer and nutrition specialist, I also worry about my clients. While I as a professional trainer, want you to be healthy—workout and eat a nutritious diet—I know that none of us want you to become unrealistic with your expectations for yourself or your body. Remember that all of are different in our biology, our lifestyles and interests. Remember that you should enjoy what you are doing and what you are eating. If you don’t enjoy it, then you won’t stick with it. Fitness and overall wellness should be balanced, and you should something that you enjoy! This is where I encourage you to try new things. Try a new class. Try personal training or give nutrition counseling a try to learn about how healthy eating CAN become a lifestyle change and not a diet.

The biggest thing I got out of this conference that I want to pass on to all of you is to not be afraid to be proud of yourself, be kind to yourself and say something positive about yourself today, and every day. YOU are worth it!

Check out Dove's campaign for real beauty HERE... truely inspiring stuff!

New Routine for Bella, New Routine for Mommy

Well we now that we have reached the one year mark for Bella, we are implementing some new routines into our day. Bella is still taking 2 good naps a day, and I am in no rush to drop down to 1, so for now, we'll keep to 2 naps until she starts fighting them again. But one thing that is changing is her food/milk.

We made the switch to organic whole milk. We've also made the switch to only using sippy cups. No more bottles for my girl. She doesn't seem to care very much about this change. The one thing that is new though is that I will be giving her milk in her sippy with meals now, and no more night time bottle. I am a little nervous about it-- and if she won't go to bed, we'll probably let her have it, but I think she'll be okay. Since we haven't really done the eat to sleep thing, she doesn't seem to need it in order to go to bed. So now I think our routine will look something like this:

7:30/8am: Wakeup, sippy of milk, breakfast (oatmeal & fruit, yogurt or waffles)

10ish: nap

1130/12ish: lunch. sippy of milk and whatever i feel like making her for lunch

2ish: nap

4ish: snack: sippy of water, finger foods for snack

6ish: sippy of milk, table foods for dinner

7ish: bath/storytime

730/8ish: bedtime

I also will be beginning a new workout routine for the month of October. I am going to go back to 3 weight workouts a week this month, full body in nature. I'm going to finish out my upper/lower split this week so my new routine will begin on Monday. Its going to look like this:

Monday: Full Body Weight Workout @ gym or REST day (depending on my work schedule)

Tuesday: 40 minutes elliptical (cardio only) + abs (at home)

Wednesday: Full Body Weight Workout @ home

Thursday: cardio only (Turbokick @ home) + abs

Friday: Full body weight workout @ gym + 30 minute interval treadmill workout

Saturday: Turbokick

Sunday: REST or makeup day from Monday

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Birthday Isabella

My precious Isabella. Happy birthday sweetheart. You are 1 year old today.

What can I say about the past year? You have changed my life completely in 365 days, and in all the right ways. I never knew that it was possible to love another person the way that I love you. I never knew that I could be so excited to get up in the morning. I never knew that your DADDY would be so excited to get up the morning either J I never knew that a child's laugh was seriously the best sound in the entire world. I never knew how much I would look forward to your smiles. I never knew how much you would light up each day more and more.

You continue to amaze me. Each and every day. In each and every way. I cannot believe how much you have grown in the past year. When I look back at your newborn photos, you don't even look like the same baby. And yet, it seems like just yesterday. Even listening to your heartbeat with the Doppler that your daddy and I rented seems like just yesterday. It was then that the simple sound of your heartbeat—thump-thump-thump was so soothing I could listen to it all day. Now, it’s the sound of your laugh that I can listen to over and over!

You have always been in a hurry to grow up. I hope you don't grow up too fast on me now. You were in a hurry to do everything. You got your first 2 teeth at 4 months. You sat up by yourself at 3.5 months. You rolled over both ways at 3 months and your started crawling at 6 months. You took your first steps at 10 months and you already have 4 molars at only a year old! You like to say dada, mama, baba, dog an hi. You wave, laugh, clap, an do the touchdown sign! You are such an amazing and smart girl. I am so proud of you. I hope you always know how proud we are of you. And I hope you always know that I don't care what you decide to do with your life (within reason haha) but I want you to be happy, healthy and passionate. I want you to be honest and confident. I want you to have fun. I want you to love. I want you to learn. I want you to be you.

Its only been a year, its all gone so fast, and yet I am so excited for all the fun years ahead of us. Don’t grow to fast my little one. I want to enjoy every moment. Thank you so much for inspiring me to do what I really love. To go after my dreams and not be afraid to put you first. You are my everything, Isabella and everything that I choose to do in my life, I choose it with you mind first.

I love you more each day. Happy FIRST Birthday!

Love,

Mommy

Bella's first birthday party

We survived the first birthday party. This time last year, I was in labor. Its sooo weird to sit here and think about that. At this particular moment, at 930pm, I was at the hospital pretty much miserable LOL. My water broke at about 6pm and I quickly progressed from 4cm to 6cm but then I sat there... and sat there... and the contractions were seconds apart and I pretty much felt like my uterus was being ripped out of my body... to put it lightly. haha. Needless to say I suckered through it until about 2am before I felt I could NOT do it anymore... and I was STILL 6cm and got the epidural. :( It was all OK thought and Bella was born at 9:45 in the morning on September 29th.

The birthday party was wonderful. LOTS of people. LOTS of presents! Thank you so much to everyone for your wonderful gifts and for coming to share Bella's special day with her! She was a good sport and loved everything....but she did NOT want to smash the cake. Haha. We tried, and she didn't want to get messy. The cakes, however, were beautiful, and SO yummy! My friend Crystal did an amazing job, and if anyone ever needs a cake made-- ask HER! She's AWESOME!

I took the day off work tomorrow to spend the day with my baby girl. Oh, my baby baby Bella. Beautiful Isabella Rose.

Thursday Thoughts

Some quick thoughts for Thursday.... first of all, if you don't already, be sure to subscribe and follow my photography blog at: http://www.mandyleonards.wordpress.com or by clicking here MANDY LEONARDS PHOTOGRAPHY

Secondly.... someone asked me yesterday how often I workout myself, and I realized that I get this question a lot. So I thought I'd post up here for all to see. You've seen me post my workouts most days. The truth is that my workout schedule changes each month to help me from getting bored. This month I am doing an upper/lower split, so I am doing 4 days of weight training and 4 days of cardio. My 4 days of cardio are split up into 1 30 minute elliptical session, 2 TurboKick sessions (45-60 minutes) and 1 30 minute session doing intervals on the treadmill. I am doing 2 upper body training days and 2 lower body training days. I work my workouts in during the week however I can. Sometimes its all at once (training + cardio) and somedays (most of the time) it is more split up. I rarely workout longer than 1 hour because honestly I just don't have the time!

So there you have it folks... thats what my current training schedule looks like. And its been going very well this month. I'm feeling stronger, a bit leaner even and healthy (not overtrained). If I workout more than 5 days a week, my body usually starts to yell at me. I've learned that the hard way so I just try not to overdo it.

Wordless Wednesday

Thoughts for Tuesday...and a Recipe!

Thoughts for Tuesday...

Monday was yet again another crazy work-filled day for me and I chose not to workout during my break and instead take a much needed physical and mental break since it was a long 12 hour work day. Today however, I got much done. Bella is still going back and forth in her naps and cannot decide if she wants 1 or 2 naps, so we're just going with the flow and the last few days, she has taken 2 naps. During her morning nap, I got a leg and short interval workout in. I also got her newborn, 0-3, 3-6M and most of her 6-9 month clothes all in bins to be more organized. Bella was trying to help me, but instead she was pulling all of the clothes back out of her bins, haha! It was sad putting the clothes away. Remembering how tiny she was-- brought tears to my eyes. I am feeling very nastalgic this week as we approach Bella's first birthday. I canNOT believe its been a year in less than a week. I've also found myself thinking about more children. If you would have asked me when B was 3 months old if I was going to have another baby, I would have probably laughed at you. But now, I can definitely tell you that the answer is yes. We definitely want more children, and I cannot wait until we are ready financially :-)

I will finish this post with my workout from today for those who enjoy following. I also have a recipe to share today.

Crockpot Turkey Feta Meatballs
*one of my favorites but for the crockpot!

1 pound lean ground turkey
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
garlic to taste
basil to taste
oregano to taste (i admit to not measuring out these 3 things...can you really have too much?)
1/2 package of reduced fat feta cheese
1 egg

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Shape into meatballs and place into sprayed crockpot. Top with 1 can of reduced sugar tomato sauce. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Serve hot! YUM!


Tuesday workout
Training: Legs & Shoulders

Steps Ups: 20#/15r, 25#/10r (per leg) x 4 sets
DB Deadlifts: 40#/15r, 50#/12r, 60#/10r, 70#/8r x 2 sets
DB Shoulder Press: 20# (total wt)/15r, 30#/12r, 40#/10r, 40#/8r x 2 sets

Widestance squat: 35#/15r, 40#/12r, 45#/10r x 3 sets
Front Squat: 35#/15r, 40#/12, 45#/10r x 3 sets
Front Raise (total db weight): 20#/15r, 24#/12r, 30#/10r, 30#/8r x 2 sets

Reverse cable lunge: 50#/15r, 60#/10r x 2 sets
Upright Row: 30#/15r, 40#/10r x 2 sets

Cardio: 20 mins elliptical intervals: 1 min sprint, 30 sec recovery

Weekend Workouts

This weekend was a busy one! Workouts included a rest day on Friday, teaching Turbokick on Saturday and then upper body and 15 mins sprints/15 mins incline walk on the treadmill today. I also got together with some of my girlfriends last night for a girls night. We had a great time, just talking and drinking a couple glasses of wine! I highly recommend all of you ladies to find time for girl time in your life. Its so easy to let the time get by you with jobs, husbands, finances, etc... but we all need a little chill time with our friends. We are going to try to make it a monthly thing if we can :)

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend! I'll be sharing some new recipes this week so stay tuned!!

Be Thankful

So yesterday at sundown was the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. We went to services last night and during the sermon some of the messages and words that Rabbi Adland spoke, hit home to me and I wanted to share with all of you. He spoke about thankfulness, and how important it is be thankful for the little things in life, especially when things aren't going as well, such as the bad economy. Its very easy to get caught up in the negative-- how business is declining, health care needs reform, budgets being cut, etc etc... but what about being thankful for having your health? Your wonderful family and friends? Being thankful for our freedom? I encourage you, just has Rabbi Adland encouraged us last night, to thank all of those around you for the little things often. So right here I am thanking all of my wonderful friends for their continued support with all my endevours and changes in my life. I want to thank my incredible parents for everyhting they do for us, my wonderful in-laws for being such great grandparents. I want to thank my husband for being him. I want to thank my daughter for being the light in my life. I want to thank all of my training clients for working hard and coming back. I could go on and on... but the important thing is to thank everyone for the little things and be grateful.

The other thing that Rabbi Adland spoke about last night was taking responsibility. I also find this virtue super important. Take responsibility for having your voice heard. While we may not always agree on political battles, for example, it is your responsibility to speak your mind-- have your voice heard-- VOTE. Take responsibility at helping make this world a better place.

And to finish up my New Years post, have a happy and sweet New Year!

Infant Safety

So today was not my favorite day thus far of the year. The morning was fine-- B and I were enjoying each other's company. She is walking all over the house now and I am still getting used to how much quieter walking is from crawling! AND FASTER. So she made it over to the dog dish. It got very quiet and I went over and she had 6 pieces of dog food in her mouth. I proceeded to start to pull the pieces out, and then suddenly she coughed, then did the silent cough-gag thing where there was no sound. I don't know how I did it, but I flipped her over and did 3 back blows and the dog food came flying out. She started crying... I held her (shaking seriously...) and told her it was okay. She cuddled and after 2 minutes was ready to go play again.. while I felt like I could throw up! Needless to say, I am very happy she is fine and that I reacted well. But due to these events today, I thought I would post up this information for my fellow mothers out there.

Info from: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/frs-safe/resources/parents/infantheimlich.asp

Determine if the infant can cry or cough.
If your infant is choking and cannot cough, cry or breathe, follow these instructions.

1. Give 5 back blows.
   Place your baby facedown on your forearm and grip their jaw with your hand. Rest your arm on your leg. With the heel of your other hand, give the child five forceful and rapid blows between his/her shoulder blades.
2. Give 5 chest thrusts.
   If the object does not dislodge, turn the baby to face upward and resting on your thigh. With your index and middle fingers on the center of his/her breast bone (just below the nipples), give him/her five chest thrusts one half inch to three quarters of an inch deep). Alternate between back blows and chest thrusts until he/she coughs up the object or begins to breathe on his/her own.
3. Look in the mouth to check if you can see the object.
   If you can see the object remove it carefully with your finger.
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 above until the object is expelled or the infant becomes unconscious.
   If the infant becomes unresponsive, perform CPR and call 911. If you see an object in the throat or mouth, remove it carefully.

I suppose you can never be too careful.


In other news... here was my workout today, for those of you who like to know.

TRAINING: Legs & Abs

Stationary Lunge: 20#/15r, 25#/12r, 30#/10r, 40#/8r x 2 sets
DB Deadlift: 40#/15r, 50#/12r, 60#/10r, 70#/8r x 2sets
Jump Squats 4X10

Stability ball crunch with cable weight: 15#/20r, 20#/15r, 30#/12r x 2 sets
Reverse bench crunch: 4X 15
BOSU burpees: 4X 10

Wide Stance Squat: 30#/15r, 35#/12r, 40#/10r, 45#/8r x 2 sets
BOSU jump squat overs w/ 10# DB: 4 X 10

Med Ball Twists: 3 X 15
Crunches: 3 X15

CARDIO: 40 minutes Turbokick

Wednesday Workout

Today's workout was upper body and cardio. Felt strong today!

TRAINING: Upper body

Chest Press (DB total #): 30#/15r, 40#/12r, 50#/10r, 60#/8 x 2sets

One Arm Row: 20#/15r, 25#/12r, 30#/10r, 35#/8r x 2sets

Chest Flyes on roller: 20#/15r, 30#/12r, 40#/10r x 2, 40#/8r

Standing Squat/Row: 35#/15r, 40#/12r, 45#/10r, 50#/8r X2 sets

Cable Chest Press: 30#/15r, 35#/12r, 40#/10r x 2sets

Standing High Cable Row: 30X/15r, 35#/12r, 40#/10 x 2sets

Bicep Curls (DB#) : 12#/15r, 15#/12r x 2 sets

Tricep Extension: 12#/15r, 15#/12r x 2 sets

CARDIO: 30 minutes elliptical at level 8

Wordless Wednesday

As always, here's a photo share from my recent portfolio building shoot. Dylan was a great little sport and I was very happy with how this set turned out!

Bella in the park and the Biggest Loser begins

We took Bella to the park this past weekend. WE had taken her aroudn 6 months and she thought it was fun and smiled in the swing, but was a little unsure about it all too. This time she had a BLAST! She was squealing and laughing and didn't want to get out of the swing! She was walking in the grass and picking up the sticks and then handing them to me, haha. It was really fun! Her nap transition went well today. She slept 12-3 and then was happy until bedtime at 7:30. Fingers crossed she gets herself back on track.

The Biggest Loser started tonight. I love watching this show. I love watching people choose to change their lives and make themselves healthier. I was truely shocked as I just watched the first few minutes and saw them walk a mile, and 2 of them in ended up in the hospital. Craziness. Wake up call? For sure. But good for them for doing something about it! I am looking forward to this season!