Friday, January 24, 2014

Kudos to Lindsey Vonn

Hi all,

I saw an article this morning and I need to give credit to one, Ms. Lindsey Vonn! For those of you who may not know Lindsey Vonn, she is an Olympic Alpine Skier for the US Winter Olympics team. She is also the girlfriend of Tiger Woods. One of those attributes I am in full support of, the other I am not, bet you can guess which one! : )

However, she did an interview with SELF magazine that is getting some press regarding her feelings about body image and her level of self esteem.

While she did admit that sometimes she feels very self conscious because she is around stick thin models a lot, that she realizes that she is healthier than they are. I believe she used the term "Skinny-Fat" which is supposed to mean that while these women may be at or probably under their ideal weight for their height, they lack muscle tone because that "waifish" thin style is more appropriate for this rich and famous according to the standards.

I don't condone name calling or really putting a label on anyone's weight or body shape, so I am not sure how I feel about the phrase "Skinny-Fat". I know that everyone is different but I do have to say that I am glad to hear more and more women every day stepping up to say that strong and healthy is the new sexy norm.

Personally I would easily prefer to be strong and an Olympic athlete staring down the peak of a huge mountain than walk down a runway while people look at me and judging how clothes look on body. So kudos to you Lindsey Vonn for being yet another woman that I would want the young girls of America to look up to and strive to be.  Keep it up!

You will be my inspiration as I am lifting my weights today : )

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

80 Day Countdown Goals, New Circuit Workout and First RSVP's Are In!

Hello all!

It's the final countdown - 80 days until the wedding officially as of today and it is becoming very real that soon Dwayne and I will be husband and wife. I think it will be crazy to tell people that I have a husband. As someone who was never the type of girl who grew up planning her 'dream wedding' it is sort of surreal to think about it coming up so quickly.

80 Days and Counting Until I Say I DO


I am so very excited because the first RSVP's for our wedding have come in through our wedding website. We decided that we were going to do all of our RSVP'ing online through our wedding website instead of with the RSVP cards because, let's face it, people our age do not remember to send RSVP cards back. We just aren't the mailing generation and I make no apologies for that - online is just easier. So we decided to save some time, money and hassle by setting up the RSVP's online through our website portal. At this point we are fairly certain that at least 10 people will be attending the wedding officially. Every time that someone RSVP's I get an email letting me know. I have been checking my e-mail like a crazy person to see if there are new ones.

With less than 3 months to the big day, I feel like it's really time to start getting down to business with my personal preparations. My goals before the wedding are:

  • To really work on toning up my arms and working out consistently 5-6 times a week to be tone for Costa Rica. I want people to think our wedding photos were taken at a gun show. (ha- get it?)
  • Work extra hard on improving my Spanish with an emphasis on speaking and understanding other people to speak completely in Spanish while in Costa Rica.
  • Try to maintain a better skin, hair and teeth care regimen.
So I have started the process of reach these goals.
  • I am using the boost I got from the high altitude in Salt Lake to boost by base exercise threshold and keep it there. Usually I run 3 miles, I have been trying to consistently run 5. The goal here is CONSISTENT. I work out every week but sometimes it's only 2 times because of my schedule and sometimes it's 6. I need to be more focused, purposeful and consistent in my exercise and to not change the way my dress fits!
I have started strong this week so far:
  1. Sunday - 5.19 miles with the future hubby
  2. Monday - 3.68 mile hill run, 1.5 mile hill bike, mild weightlifting
  3. Tuesday - 40 Minute weighted circuit workout
  4. Wednesday - Today's plan is to try that 5 mile run again
  5. Thursday - Heavy lifting day
  6. Friday - Rest Day
  7. Saturday and Sunday - Hopefully nice enough for running outside
    • I did this workout yesterday during my lunch break- came out to be about 40 minutes and really had my heart rate going.
      • Circuit 1 (Perform 3 times)
        • 30 sec Jump Rope
        • 30 sec Box Jumps
        • 15 Burpees
        • 30 sec Jumping Jacks
      • Circuit 2 (perform 3 times)
        • 20 weighted squats
        • 15 jump squats
        • 20 kettle bell walking lunges
        • 10 Burpees
      • Circuit 3 (perform 3 times)
        • 12 pushups
        • 20 mountain climbers
        • 12 shoulder press
        • 1 min plank
      • Circuit 4 (Perform 3 times)
        • 12 Body Weight Dips
        • 12 Lat pull downs
        • 12 Tricep pull downs
  • I have found a few penpals from Costa Rica on mylanguageexchange.com to learn some local phrases and areas to see. I have also started reading a new book. A harder level than my last 4-5 books, completely in Spanish.
  • I have spent the last year trying to get my hair healthier with more consistent haircuts, better products and getting rid of some of the heat I use to style it. I am going to start brushing a few times a week with baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. A tip from my dentist as a cheap way to whiten and polish your teeth! I really need to focus on moisturizing my skin every day and especially washing my face before bed. I have a terrible habit of not doing this and I know that the healthier my skin is, the better the makeup will look. I just need to get motivated when I am tired.
I am going to try to blog more up until the big day and use my blog to help track my workouts. Did you try my circuit workout? How did you do? What did you think?

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Back to Salt Lake City and Wedding Invitations!

This past week was spent in Salt Lake City going to the resort I had to check out for work a few months ago for those of you who had read my previous post. It was one of the most stressful weeks of my life because the huge conference that we were facilitating but I still managed to find some time to work out.

I tried to take it easy because I was around 9,000 feet above sea level so I tried to run a mile, then walk a bit and catch my breath before continuing on. Before the end of the week, I was surprised at how quickly my body adjusted. Some of the reason I wanted to go to the gym was the view from the treadmills, they couldn't be beat!


I had a great time during the week and got to spend time with a lot of coworkers that I don't normally get to see. Including some of my all time favorites!




The nice part about the week was that I got to have a say in the menu so every meal had some pretty healthy fair to choose from. I tried to remember to drink a ton of water and eat regularly to try and keep from getting altitude sickness. I only had a headache the first day, thank goodness!

I was so excited to get back because we got the email that our wedding invitations were finally printed and ready to go! I was so excited and Dwayne and I stuffed everything Saturday morning and they were ready to send.


Sunday Dwayne and I decided to go for a run at McAlpine park and I was really intrigued to see how my body handled it knowing that I have been training in such a high altitude lately. I was so happy because I felt amazing while running and I felt like I had a lot more stamina. We are under 90 days until the wedding and I really need to step up my exercise regimen so I feel like I am at my healthiest on my wedding day!