Hey Guys!  I’m still stoked from my Girls Weekend!! It was my first one ever!!  5 fit Babes walking the beach & dancing ALL night………. It was SO much fun!  Everyone really ate clean for the most part – Jerk Chicken, Spicy Chicken, Protein Shakes, Bars & water were my choices. I brought shredded turkey, cooked sweet potatoes and cooked broccoli  from home and ate that most of the time.  Everyone bitched about the stank from the broc. every time you opened the frig!!  Rose and I both brought it (LOL) We’re Die Hards what can I say????

 

Yes I did bring Junior Mints!!  I admit it, but I didn’t drink alcohol.  I had a little rum forced on me when we first arrived (LOL) but that was it……..  I don’t have any desire to drink for several reasons – so I’m always the Designated Driver J.  We all had a BLAST!!!!

 

Oh I did have some funny things happen actually – Rose and I were walking around this HUGE club where we parked ourselves most of the time – during the day there are huge floats where you can hang out and bars everywhere…. It’s great – it’s like being in Jamaica.  SO anyway, I ordered a spicy chicken breast at one of the bars, of course we’re in bikinis & it took FOREVER to come!! So I finally get it and it’s on a huge roll with a bunch of fries.  So I walked over to the trash & threw everything out except the piece of chicken – and we went back to our float to eat.

 

That night we went back and danced…..SO many guys came up to me saying things like you’re that girl with the chicken….. WHAT????    You’re the one who threw all those fries and everything away! Yep!!! (LOL) 

 

I had about 3 guys actually recognize me from on Body Space – that was pretty cool!!

 

Oh and of course I wore my shirts whenever I could – have to advertise!!! So during the day I had on a Got Abs tiny top instead of a bikini top.  That night I was getting ‘It’s the Got Abs girl!’ (LOL)

 

The next night I wore a tiny Got Abs top as a shirt – we’re at the beach – (LOL) SO many guys were pulling up their shirts when I would walk by and show me their abs or lack of abs!!! It was GREAT!! I would smack them on the belly and keep walking!! It was hysterical!

 

I carried a Bliss Shot in my purse and had that in my water while we were dancing – it’s a vitamin/herb supplement that mellows you out like alcohol.  No need for booze and all those calories!!!

 

Anyway, we had a GREAT time and I’m SO glad we did it J  GIRLS RULE!!!!!  LOL

Great question! I guess I should have done a blog about that sooner. Well here's what I know through my friend Jeff Moser.  About 4 times a year, I do a detox with the Detox-Kit from Heel.  I got it through him, but I would think it's available at health stores.  Plus there are many others out there. 

This one has three tinctures.  You put 10 drops of each in juice 3 times a day. No food to give your body a rest.  Lots of water, juice, tea etc.  If you really need to eat something fruit is fine because it's easy to digest.  I usually don't even need fruit, maybe a little the first day, but you get used to not eating.   

I make sure to do it on days that I'll be very busy - keep your mind off of eating or else you will obsess about it! (lol) I never had any adverse effects from it.  After that 3rd day, I usually feel incredibly lean.  I know several people who lose a decent amount of weight when they do it.  I usually drop about 3-4 lbs.  Then you want to start your very clean diet to keep those pounds off.  It's a good way to kick off your new diet. 

I also have a buddy, Jack Carter who is my other fitness Guru.  He told me to take MSM every day to keep my body clean.  Both of these guys are in incredible shape and really know what they are talking about - so I listen when they tell me something!  

There are other ways to detox - this is just the one that I do.

Well, I just got back from the gym, my morning workouts are going very well.  I actually like getting up at 4:30 and getting home before 7 with a full workout behind me.  It gives me a lot more time to get my work done.  I do miss my friends though!!!!

 

My energy is high this morning for some reason and as I sit here my shoulders are shaking like MAD! I had a great shoulder workout, but they usually don’t quiver like this afterwards.  I worked them to exhaustion like I do every body part and I always do abs in between my sets.  I know I’m done when I can’t lift my arms anymore.

 

I had a small bowl of Kashi Go Lean cereal with skim milk and a big glass of water when I got up. Then on the way to the gym, I drank Super Pump 250.  That must be why my muscles are twitching.  Now I will make a protein shake and get to work on my website.

 

I’m awfully chatty today – talking to myself more than usual (lol) I always talk to myself – don’t know why??  I did it as a kid, I was extremely shy, maybe it was easier to talk to myself than to talk to ‘real people’.  I don’t know.  I got tired of being so timid around people and read lots of self-help books over the years.  I really made a conscious effort to be more out-going.  I know that lifting weights really helped boost my self-esteem and now I don’t think anyone would accuse me of being shy! (lol)

 

I think I will do some video blogs today while my energy is up and I’m being so talkative.  I never know what’s going to come out when I turn on the camera.  I don’t plan my blogs, it’s almost like therapy for me.  I just ‘pretend’ I’m talking to a friend & whatever’s on my mind just comes out. (lol)  Good thing I learned how to edit!!

I’m sitting here thinking how odd life can be.  You go through phases, people change, and friends come into your life and then move on.  I like to think that I keep growing and pushing to be a better person.  I have recently learned quite a bit by starting my own business.  I wanted a career that I could be passionate about.  My true passion has always been fitness, so I wanted to do something that fed off that energy. 

 

My idea evolved into a much bigger animal and I’m excited to run a website that I hope will be a fun and informative place to visit on the web.  I truly want to help people understand that being fit and feeling confident and healthy is a very attainable goal and if I can do it, anyone can.  In the past months, I have found that even close friends are quick to judge me.  My website hasn’t even launched yet and I’m already being labeled as ‘changed’ and ‘self-centered’.  I guess it’s easy to think that I just want to put pictures of myself on the internet for attention. 

 

It hurts to have people that I care very deeply for turn their backs to me, but at my age, I understand that it’s just the way life is.  Everyone needs to find their own way.  I feel in my heart that this is what I was meant to do.  I have lived a life dedicated to weight lifting both because I enjoy it and I love what it does to my body.  I don’t see it as vanity.  I think it’s a wonderful thing to be addicted to.  The side effects are all positive.

 

I’m amazed at the overwhelming support I have gotten from so many friends on Body Space.  It actually brings me to tears sometimes that these people whom I’ve never met could be so supportive and excited for me.  I consider many of them to be ‘true friends’ that I hope to have for a very long time.  I have also gotten a huge amount of support from men and women at my gym.  It’s funny to watch, either friends step-up and ask ‘How can I help?’ or they pull away.  It’s just human nature. 

 

My confidence is soaring, not because I’m ‘in love with myself’ but because I feel like I’ve finally got the whole Diet/Lifting puzzle figured out.  I owe it all to the advice I’ve received over the years from people who know a lot more than I do.  I just want to share my ‘notes’ with anyone who is interested in living healthier and feeling better.  I know that my intentions are good and I have to stay focused on that. 

 

I get such a rush when I get a message from someone saying that they have been following my diet and are seeing results! It’s an awesome feeling and it really motivates me to keep going.  None of these tricks are my inventions……I am only passing on the things I have learned from others over the years.  I can only pass on what I do and hope it helps someone else reach their goals.

 

Thanks to everyone who has been there for me.  And to my friends who don’t quite understand, I will always love you.

OK, here it is…. I don’t eat much of a variety. It’s just easier for me that way. I am always running around and I like to be able to grab something quick. Of course we all eat a small amount of lean protein (chicken, turkey, egg whites) plus a small amount of clean carbs (broc, cauli, sweet potatoes). I also have a small amount of whole grain with that (basmati brown rice). I try to make a pretty big quantity of protein & keep it in the frig. to grab. My husband also eats this way so I need to have my frig. stocked. I will boil or bake about 10 lbs of chicken & shred it. Then it is ready for us to grab a little portion at anytime. I bake a bunch of veges in the oven typically with some olive oil drizzled on them (fresh grated parm on top if I’m maintaining my weight, but no cheese if I’m trying to drop a few. Bake them at 415 degrees until you see they’re getting done - I do sw potatoes, broc, cauli, asparagus & sometimes a few carrots. Works for any vege. I also have a batch of basmati rice done all the time.  This way when I’m hungry, I have something quick to grab - no searching.

Just take a small amount of each and mix it together - I put mineral salt on it. If I want to get leaner, I skip the rice. I have found that if I plan ahead, I don’t even think about eating something I shouldn’t. I make mac & cheese and pizza, etc for my kids all the time, but chicken and veges is what I eat. I almost feel like a robot (lol) I just don’t think about it anymore. I like to go to the farmers market and get turkey cooked & shredded and in it’s own juice. That is great with the veges and rice. Another thing to quickly grab. Sometimes I get fish or breasts to cook on the grill, but I keep my staples in the frig. so that I don’t have to wonder ‘What is there for me to eat?’ That’s when you get into trouble. I drink flavored water all day long - sometimes hot tea.
A typical day would look like this - meals every 2 1/2 - 3 hours.

Meal #1 Huge glass of water & oatmeal (kashi go lean & skim if I’m maintaining my weight)

Meal #2 Protein powder, water & no explode on the way to the gym

Meal #3 Protein shake or lean protein & veges or protein bar if I’m in the car

Meal #4 Lean protein & veges

Meal #5 Lean protein & veges

Meal #6 Lean protein & veges

You can have great variety and eat clean, I just keep it simple

Wow, so much is happening right now, my head is spinning! I have been waiting for my fitness clothing to get done and I finally have it!  I love how it looks and I am working to get it tagged and off to my friends who will proudly show it off for me.  My website is under construction and will be launching soon!  I want it to be a place to go that is informative and entertaining, I’d love you all to post your fitness & diet tips on it along with a picture.  I will be looking for before & afters, Fab 40’s & Fab 50’s.  Plus I’ll have a section of my friends

We all want to help others to live a healthy life, I hope my website will be another tool to help someone find the way.  I am doing video blogs (lol) and workouts so please stop by when it’s done!!

Thanks so much to BodyBuilding.com for featuring me today - what a surprise!! Everyone have a great weekend! And Flex275 knock em dead today!!!!!!  

Hey Everyone! I’m reflecting on the past few months and I’m feeling overwhelmed with gratitude.  I went through a tough time as we all do, and luckily I made it thru and my life is better than ever now.  I’m feeling grateful to everyone on here for inspiring me and keeping me motivated.  Whenever I needed encouragement I could call on any of my awesome friends on here to cheer me and keep me going. 

I am also very grateful to the power & self-confidence that lifting weights gives me.  Thru it all, I had the strength to stay on my clean diet & hit the gym 5 times a week.  It was one of the few things that I had control over & I held onto it with both hands! Seeing my body lean out ‘fed me’ like a drug. 

Looking back, I am very proud of myself for avoiding ‘drowning myself in cheescake’ like I would have enjoyed doing.  It would have made me feel worse & could have started a downward spiral which we all know is tough to pull out of.

The weights are always there for you & they tell it like it is…..Hard times come & go, just train thru it!