You're Welcome.....

What I've learned in the last couple of years regarding fitness and nutrition. I hope it helps you as much as it has helped me.

Stop doing cardio. Just lift weights.
Do some cardio but not more than 25 minutes a day.
Make sure your cardio is something where you can maintain a good pace for at least 30 min.
Make sure your cardio includes HIIT training, so your heart rate goes up and down frequently.
Do cardio every day.
Do cardio only three days a week.
Never mind, just lift weights.
Lift heavy.
Heavy weight, minimal reps.
Light weight, a lot of reps.
Form before reps.
Stop lifting weights and do more cardio if you want to lose weight.
Weights will not make you bulky.
Weights will make you look bulky if you are fat.
Just run.
Don't run, your screwing up your metabolism.
You need to speed up your metabolism.
Eat 1200 calories a day. (this came from a nutritionist by the way)
You are absolutely starving yourself if you are eating only 1200 calories a day.
You need to eat 2300 calories a day. Eat back half the calories you burn in exercise.
Don't eat back the calories you burn exercising at all.
Eat 1800 calories a day. Five small meals.
It doesn't matter how you get to 1800, just don't go over it.
You need to make sure you are eating clean when you are getting to 1800 calories.
Eat lots of chicken.
Don't eat carbs.
You need carbs to fuel your body.
If you are going to eat carbs, eat them in the morning with breakfast.
If you are going to eat carbs you need to eat a majority of them after working out, with lunch or dinner.
Don't eat carbs and good fats together. Ever.
Eat good fats, they are high in nutrients.
Watch your caloric intake on your good fats, you need to be aware of the calories.
Green beans are a vegetable.
Green beans are a carb.
Drink a gallon of water a day.
Your body does not need that much water a day.


Awesome.

You're welcome. ;)

YOLO Baby!!

I'm easing into this. Making it a little less painless. It's been since July, I believe, since I have posted anything. I now have a virus free computer. And it's 'hands off' for the kids! Forever!! Well except for Ella, she needs it for homework and she's also the virus causing culprit. She can't be trusted.

So even though I've had a billion things going on and/or happen since July it overwhelms me to think about where to start. Actually, if I think about it - Hairspray and Dry Shampoo come to mind. OH so many favorite things I have but I'm not going there today.

I'm going here instead.......If you want to link up or read other bloggers answers you can go here.

 

 

 

 

I know the point is to link up to these but seriously, it took me forever to get this done. Figuring out the new computer is exhausting. So I'm going to leave it at that...

 

But now that I can, I'll be back to discuss real life issues like...What's the best hair texturizer powder to use to make your hair all fluffy instead of flat, and where can I get 4 bottles of pretty nail polish for $5 (Whaaaaaaaat!!!), or the fact that I started too many craft projects/gifts all at the same time and now I don't want to do any of them, or that my 11 year old is obsessed over his girlfriend and she doesn't even like him (Shhhhh....don't tell him that). Why is Etsy the only place you can buy boot cuffs - unless you know how to crochet. Why is it so hard to start a BUNKO group - Really...like years they have been attempting this. Or lets not even mention that my new favorite lipstick was free and it's red. RED!!! See, so many topics that are in dire need of being addressed and not enough time.

 

What will we do??

 

 

 





You learn to choose to be HAPPY.....

When I was in 6th grade there was a new girl that started at our school and she was coolest thing since maroon Adidas (at the time....at our school....Go Wildcats!!! ). She didn't look like the rest of us blonde/brunette haired girls with blue-ish/green-ish eyes. She had long, curly red hair, big dimples and big brown eyes and everyone...and I mean everyone....wanted to be her "best friend".

Looking back I don't really understand why we all felt this way. I mean she was definitely popular but I'm pretty sure not a single one of us got to know her as a person. And it's not like I was friendless. I was always someone that had a lot of friends. I never really hung out with one group or another. I enjoyed being friends with everyone. Needless to say, she allowed me the opportunity and asked me to be her Best Friend one day and you were crazy if you turned THAT down. I felt special. I felt cool. I felt prettier. I felt more important. All because when she wrote me a note she signed it - Amy + Jodi = BFFL.

Why is it so difficult for people to see what they have to offer on their own? To know their own worth. I mean sure, my 12 year old self needed reassurance. It happens when your young. It's how you learn more about yourself. But even as an adult, I have experienced so much of the same. I have witnessed the same need for acceptance.  I have been the person that needed it in a desperate situation. But I feel like I have come out the other side knowing my worth. Being happy with who I am on the inside and doing my best to try to live with no regrets. Don't get me wrong, I'm not perfect, not in the slightest. But, I am human and I'm okay with messing up. I'm okay with that because I learn from it and move forward.

Jodi gave me about a month of her shady friendship - and then she broke up with me. She broke up with me the same day Gary Purdue broke up with me. By 3 o'clock they were dating. I was really hurt but not for long. It forced me to really look at what I had at the time. And there was some pretty awesome girls in my life. One of them stuck for nearly 15 years. Looking back, I never mistreated her. I was nothing but kind to her. Even if she wasn't kind to everyone else. Even if she was mean to me. Looking back, Jodi didn't really deserve a friend like me at all.

I'm thankful for all the disappointments I have encountered in my life. They force you to know your strengths. And when you know how strong you are, you know your worth.. And when you know your worth you begin to love yourself more. You begin to accept yourself and all your imperfections. You don't let the actions of others effect you as much. You don't let the negativity get you down like you use to. You do your best to treat people fairly. You tolerate much less. You learn to choose to be HAPPY.

Life's too short to be anything but.....

With Love,


Amy Marie

Friends Flex It Friday

THE RULES

For the first link up we are basically networking! So if you don't mind.....

Tell us 5 Facts about you

then

 Tell us 5 Fitness related facts about you

Insert pictures Mmmkay.. I wanna see you!

Then you will just add your link and link back to us!

( this means click the link at the bottom add your link and it will walk you through it… then when you post your blog add the Friends Flex it Friday Picture and the links when you mention “linking up with Crystal Michelle + Amy”  back to us.)

Make sure you add your link to my blog  & Crystal's as well!

We will follow your blog via blog lovin’ and stay in touch! In future link ups there will be prizes and fun stuff! We plan on linking up about at home workouts, quick and easy meals for the fambam, fill in the blanks and much more!



5 FACTS ABOUT ME

I love the beach but the ocean freaks me out. (Hello..Sharks!!)
My eyes turn green when I've been drinking special beverages.
I got my daughters name, Ella, out of a Pottery Barn magazine. 

My oldest friendship is 19 years and still going.
I do believe I am addicted to Spark. 

5 FITNESS RELATED FACTS

I have to have my Polar HRM and my music for a work out or forget it - it's not happening.
My favorite muscle group to work out is my Shoulders. Deltoids are pretty. ;-)
The stair master is HELL. But I do that for my cardio because it is more challenging to me than running is.
My favorite work out song is Til I Collapse by Eminem.
I dance while I work out. It's true.

 

Finish the Sentence....

You can link up here with Jake & Holly's Finish the Sentence if ya wanna...

If I had one extra hour in the day...When is the hour? Is the extra hour in the morning....Because I would sleep. Is it at night...Because I would finally finish a Law & Order SVU

I wish my name...was longer. Just my first name. I love my middle, albeit very common. My first name is so old school. No offense Mom.

I think anything chevron is...cute on anything that isn't huge or in my room. I got a new beach towel with Chevron print. Totally awesome. But not on my walls.

My last nightmare...I can't even remember. Seriously. I'm sure it had something to do with me losing my teeth.

Sometimes...I think....

My last meal on earth would be...it's a toss up...Either my moms round steak, mash potatoes and gravy with green beans or a filet mignon, caesar salad with asparagus and some steak house mac n cheese...that's how I roll!!

I would much rather be_____ than____... really hungry than really lost. Because I'm lost all the time. Like, all the time.
 
Mayonnaise...are delicious!!! And I would put them on everything if I wasn't trying to get rid of fat.
 
10 years ago....I didn't know life could be so good!!!


Selfishly...I don't want my husband to remarry if I die. And he's really young too. Hey, you asked....

My favorite show on TV right now....Naked and Afraid...Balls are fascinating.

And, George Zimmerman....There's a reason why we have a justice system in place. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. This time it did. And I think the decision should be respected and everyone should move on from it.

"Two hands, two feet, and one brain."

Sharing out of love....

I know it's long but it's absolutely worth the time. I promise.

The Daffodil Principle

Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, 'Mother, you must come to see the daffodils before they are over.' I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead. 'I will come next Tuesday', I promised a little reluctantly on her third call.

Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and reluctantly I drove there. When I finally walked into Carolyn's house, I was welcomed by the joyful sounds of happy children. I delightedly hugged and greeted my grandchildren.

'Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in these clouds and fog, and there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see badly enough to drive another inch!'

My daughter smiled calmly and said, 'We drive in this all the time, Mother.'

'Well, you won't get me back on the road until it clears, and then I'm heading for home!' I assured her.

'But first we're going to see the daffodils. It's just a few blocks,' Carolyn said. 'I'll drive. I'm used to this.'

'Carolyn,' I said sternly, 'Please turn around.'

'It's all right, Mother, I promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience.'

After about twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and I saw a small church. On the far side of the church, I saw a hand lettered sign with an arrow that read, ' Daffodil Garden .' We got out of the car, each took a child's hand, and I followed Carolyn down the path. Then, as we turned a corner, I looked up and gasped. Before me lay the most glorious sight.

It looked as though someone had taken a great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain peak and its surrounding slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and swathes of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, and saffron and butter yellow. Each different-colored variety was planted in large groups so that it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. There were five acres of flowers.

'Who did this?' I asked Carolyn.

'Just one woman,' Carolyn answered. 'She lives on the property. That's her home.' Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame house, small and modestly sitting in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to the house.

On the patio, we saw a poster. 'Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking', was the headline. The first answer was a simple one.' 50,000 bulbs,' it read. The second answer was, 'One at a time, by one woman. Two hands, two feet, and one brain.' The third answer was, 'Began in 1958.'

For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman whom I had never met, who, more than forty years before, had begun, one bulb at a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop. Planting one bulb at a time, year after year, this unknown woman had forever changed the world in which she lived. One day at a time, she had created something of extraordinary magnificence, beauty, and inspiration The principle her daffodil garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration.

That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time--often just one baby-step at a time--and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world .

'It makes me sad in a way,' I admitted to Carolyn. 'What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five or forty years ago and had worked away at it 'one bulb at a time' through all those years? Just think what I might have been able to achieve!'

My daughter summed up the message of the day in her usual direct way. 'Start tomorrow,' she said.

She was right. It's so pointless to think of the lost hours of yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson of celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, 'How can I put this to use today?'

Use the Daffodil Principle. Stop waiting...
Until your car or home is paid off
Until you get a new car or home
Until your kids leave the house
Until you go back to school
Until you finish school
Until you clean the house
Until you organize the garage
Until you clean off your desk
Until you lose 10 lbs.
Until you gain 10 lbs.
Until you get married
Until you get a divorce
Until you have kids
Until the kids go to school
Until you retire
Until summer
Until spring
Until winter
Until fall
Until you die...

There is no better time than right now to be happy.
Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
So work like you don't need money.
Love like you've never been hurt.
Dance like no one's watching.

I'm apart of a private group on FB. It's a small group of women who are continually there for one another. We push each other, we sympathize with one another. We share triumphs and failures - we help each other move on from that. It's a really positive thing to be apart of. I have met some wonderful women in the last few months of my life. Each of them have inspired me in their own way. Each of them encourage me to see the best version of myself. Every. Day.

Today, Sara, from our group, posted this. It brought me to tears. I quickly related the story to my journey. My journey of finding my happy place on the inside and outside.    

I firmly believe that this is the secret to life.  

"That is, learning to move toward our goals and desires one step at a time--often just one baby-step at a time--and learning to love the doing, learning to use the accumulation of time. When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can change the world ."

We can change the world. Love the doing. 

A Letter to my 21 Year Old Self: Just Keep Going.

I'm linking up with Jake & Holly for today's post!

Dear Me,

Try to stop being the selfish 21 year old that you are. Especially when it comes to your dad. You are going to have deep regrets when he is gone and he will be gone soon. I promise you that eventually you will not think so much about his death but more about his life. You will smile more and cry less. I promise you. But don't stop grieving. All in good time. 

Right now you are wondering if you deserve to be with someone that is good. You have made many dating faux pas in your past and it's all out of your insecurities. Your self doubt is going to lead you to one of your biggest  and best mistakes of your life. You will meet someone that you eventually will marry. The entire relationship will have you doubting yourself, your choices and what love is suppose to be. You are desperate and sad and just want to feel wanted. I would tell you to get over it and that you are better than this but honestly, if you hadn't made this choice you wouldn't have received all the blessings from it as well.  It's the entire reason why you have to go through with it. So when it doubt, hold on. Keep pushing forward. Don't stop, something will come out of your tolerance and faith. Jackson and Ella.  And then it's going to get really, really shitty. Do not give up. You will feel like you are dying. Like your heart is being ripped from you but do NOT give up. This is what I need you to do because I didn't. I didn't know better. Write everything down that Ella does. Everything. Because when everything else is falling apart around you, things out of your control, your going to lose the memories of her in that chaos. Write her life down until your life picks back up. You will come to a defining moment in your life, when you realize that you can't do this on your own. You are going to feel like kneeling and praying for the first time ever. Don't hesitate. Do it. And speak to Him. He has been waiting for this for a long time. Don't ever look back. Remember I told you it's going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better but that you have to keep going. Keep going. Your not there yet but you will be. You're about to learn what you are capable of. You are about to learn how strong you are. How much you deserve love. You're about to meet your sister all over again. You are about to meet the love your life. Let him in. He is going to be your forever soul mate. He is going to make all of this worth it. All of it. I know that sounds crazy but you will see.  Just keep going.

I love you.