Week 1

Week 1 of me trying to become a better me is over.
Turns out this week was not a great week to start this program.
2 huge tests this week, && a university-wide bomb threat on my 1 day off did not allow me to workout as I wished :(

BUT I'm proud to say that I can feel a difference in myself.
I've been limiting my stress levels and watching what I eat (no sodas or desserts!) & drinking plenty of water and... the bloat is going away! And as any girl knows, the bloat really does make you feel  POUNDS heavier.

So, YES, eating better helps you feel better. Whoda thunk it?!??

HOPEFULLY next week I can work out even more and get on a higher level, but right now I know to only do the best that I can :)


Happy healthy ;)

46 Days to a Better Me

My 22nd birthday is in 46 days and I'm not feeling as healthy as I'd like to be in this part of my life.

For the next 6 1/2 weeks I will stick by this plan like I stick to going to classes and studying.  I will do this and I will be a better me. Follow my journey here!

Normally I post about goodies I love to bake, but for a while I'm cutting back on that stuff. Seriously. I vow the following for the next 46 days:

1. No more soft drinks (goodbye fizzies!)
2. No more desserts (jello is the best I can do)
3. I will exercise every day (yoga at a minimum)
4. I will eat 1500-2000 calories per day (2000 on those days I "have to" eat fast food)
5. I will let go of stress.

It's not going to be easy, I have 3-4 tests over this period.

It is going to be fun. I will do exercises I enjoy and eat foods I love.

This will be something "DOABLE" for ANYONE.

I've already been eating healthier, now it's time to make a habit (side note--it takes 28 days to make a habit--) out of exercise and healthy living.

5 days a week I will do:

• 30 minutes of cardio
• Thigh workout/stretch (30 (per) side leg lifts, 30 (per side) back leg lifts, 30 (per side) squat-kicks)
• 5-minute Brazilian Butt Workout
• Abs & Arms Workout
• Perky Boobs (arm) Workout
• 10+ yoga moves/stretches
• or some variation of arm/abs/legs

The other 2 days I will do yoga AT MINIMUM.

This will happen. I will diary. I will be a better me.

Here's to 46 days to a better me!!

Pranking the Stress Away

A few days ago my friend's apartment was "pranked" by some drunken neighbors.
Basically all they did was pour a Bisquick trail from the front door down the hallway... they called it a "crack trail." I call it an epic fail.

So I took it upon myself to find some fun things to do in rebuttal.
Because, you know, pranks are fun and fun relieves stress, and uh...umm..... aw heck, pranking is just a  good part of life!! :)

So here are my top 10 finds!

8. THE FLASH FLOOD: FILL A BUCKET/SMALL TRASH  BIN WITH WATER & LEAN IT AGAIN THE DOOR. WHEN THEY OPEN THE DOOR: FLASH FLOOD INTO THE ROOM!!

7. THE CHICKEN BATH: UNSCREW SHOWER HEAD, PUT CHICKEN BOUILLON CUBES IN PIPE. LET SOMEONE ELSE USE THIS SHOWER

6. THE PARTY DOORWAY:


5. THE BIG POP: FILL MOST OF THE BAGS WITH AIR, & FILL ONE OF THE BAGS WITH SOMETHING ELSE... LIKE BEANS OR CHICKEN SALAD

4. THE CLASSIC: I LOVE THIS ONE & HAVE DONE IT MANY TIMES. CHRISTMAS WRAP THE ROOM UP, IF YOU CAN GET IN3.  THE PHOTO-BOMB: EMBARRASSING HIGH SCHOOL PORTRAITS... OR PICTURES OF SOMETHING HORRIFYING... LIKE TOM SELLECK POSING NAKED OR DAVID HASSELHOFF... OR SCARY CLOWNS2. THE DOORJAMB: TIE 2 ADJACENT DOOR KNOBS TOGETHER (MAKE THE STRING TAUT), SO THE DOORS ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO OPEN!!

 

1. THE FAKE-OUT: CARAMEL COVERED ONIONS... THEY LOOK LIKE CARAMEL APPLES BUT OH BOY THEY DON'T TASTE LIKE 'EM!
MERRY PRANKING!! ;)  

DIY Man Bouquet

Ben & my anniversary week is ahead of us, so I've been looking all over the internet for great man gifts I can morph into my own unique present!

Something I ran across MANY times on my Google search, was the "Man Bouquet."

Most of these however, are very alcohol/smoking-based & I wanted to dig deeper than that.

Great idea for a quick purchase though!

I decided to take on this concept & make my own for Ben using some of his favorite things & our inside jokes. The following is what happened!

    

 Ben is about to graduate & definitely needs some more glasses. Being the beer connoisseur he is, I though a 4-pack of these were appropriate for the "pots" (I will refer to them as bases).

 an 8-pack of Dowel Rods to attach everything (craft section of walmart)

Closer to Easter season I would recommend grabbing some Easter grass, but seeing it's so close to Halloween I chose decorative Spider Webbing as my "stuffing" weapon.

All you need to do is attach the dowel rod to the product via tape. For heavier gifts I recommend wrapping the tape ALL the way around the mini gifts. Make sure their is enough room for the gift to stick out of the base without issue.

The webbing is a little difficult to move around, but it still works.  Clear a hole in the center or wrap the webbing around the dowel rods so they will stay in place. For heavy objects this is a VERY difficult task. Stabilize the dowel rods at the bottom if you can with something flat & heavy as a mini base. Otherwise you've got a leaning mini gift.

But as you can see above, this is the result of 1 of 4 "pots" I created.

Mini Gifts:

1-pack of air heads

1-slim jim (tall)

1-mini gorilla tape

1-pack of starbursts

1-box of sweet tarts

1-M&M light saber

1-Batman plastic cup

1-bottle of Coke

1- box of sour punch straws

Happy gifting!!

Stress Tip

Being healthy and working out helps get rid of the disstress (bad stress) you've been feeling!

It's tough to workout when your schedule is full & you just want to sleep 8 hours!
Those few breaks you get you just want to

Use these tips to Workout While You Work (or You're Just Plain Busy):

1. Tap your toes while you sit up at a desk/in a seat;
2. Squeeze your abs inward & sit up straight as you drive to work;
3. While just standing around, do toe raises (stand high on toes, lower heels, but don't let heels touch the ground, stand higher on toes, repeat);
4. Wear heels to work!;
5. Take the stairs over the elevator;
6. Park in a lot further away from your destination;
7. Sit up straight on the edge of your chair;
8. Walk around while on the phone;
9. Walk whenever you can really: walk trash to a far away can, walk to drink more water, walk to ask an inter-office message!; and
10. Do gluteal squeezes at your desk: just tighten the muscles and squeeeeeze inward.

--Happy Exercising!!

A Quick Get-Happy Tip

Today I woke up early and I expected a pretty busy day.
Had 2 apple-cinnamon rice cakes for breakfast to hold me over, then got a surprise lunch break!

Knowing this will probably be my only happy point for the next 10 hours... I decided to spice up my meal!

And let me tell you RIGHT NOW that what I did is really a great quick way to make you smile.


COLORED FOOD

Just a couple drops of food coloring in pretty much any meal will give you a beautiful change up to bland.

Today's lunch:

2 scrambled eggs
1/4 cup spicy Jalapeño Jack shredded cheese
3 shakes garlic salt
3 shakes pepper
3 drops PINK food coloring

If you add in the food coloring toward the beginning, it's still easy to tell when your eggs are done and easy to mix the coloring throughout the food. Seen here:

They even taste a bit more delicious than usual!

Be happy, bloggers!!

Staying Healthy

It's been a while since I've addressed the healthy thing I've started, but YES, it's going great!

Two days ago I accidentally bought a Youth Medium t-shirt in a bargain bin & I'm proud to say, it fits, and it isn't tight!

Exercise Time:
I've reworked my schedule a tad thanks to schoolwork, but I'm still able to fit in yoga 4-5 days a week & target my arms, legs, core 2-3 days per week.  It's a beautiful thing.

Even better, I have found a great list of beginner yoga poses for those of you who haven't quite gotten the stretch down yet!

What matters is that you TRY! Sedentary is a ton of fun, but getting your blood flowing is 1,000,000x better! =D

ADDITIONALLY, remember you must keep it up even when you aren't working out. I'm not talking about how you eat, I'm talking about your POSTURE. Sit up straight at work & at home.
On the drive home: Sit up straight AND clench your abs inward. Do it for as long as possible the first few days. After 1 week you should be able to do it straight for a 15 minute ride & then longer & longer & longer & you'll be keeping those abs up without workout ;)

Cooking Time:
As a quick yummy treat I tried the following.

Yield: 1 serving
9 frozen cheese raviolis
4oz of velveeta cheese
5 dashes pepper & garlic salt, or garlic Mrs. Dash

1. Boil the raviolis in water on high heat
2. Strain out
3. On LOW heat melt velveeta into raviolis (keep stirring)
4. dash in spices
5. Serve & Enjoy!!

It's not super healthy, but it's better than fried chicken ;)

That's all for this!
Happy Healthy, bloggers!! :)