A lot of my personal friends and family have been following my weight loss and dieting progress on Facebook. And, I'm proud and humbled to say that I am motivating a lot of people to start working out, being healthy and happy! :) I love it! And that is why I do it. It motivates ME to motivate YOU. Ultimately, my goal is to do anything I can to make people live happier lives. It's a pay-it-forward thing totally.
So to get right to it (because Survivor is coming on and I do NOT miss that) here is how/what I have been feeding my family for the past 16 weeks or so.
First things first, every single Sunday I sit down and come up with 7 dinners for the upcoming week. From Monday-Sunday. I then put together the grocery list for that week and Sunday evening involves going to buy all of the groceries for the upcoming week. This is awesome because it allows me to have complete control over EXACTLY what we are eating, and what money I am spending! I always know what's for dinner, no food gets wasted around here (and therefore money isn't wasted either) AND if we don't have a bunch of junk sitting around here, then it's not here to eat!
To give you an idea, here is my list of dinners for this week:
Monday - Cheesy Bacon Potato Soup. I make this homemade and a huge bowl only has around 350 calories. It's so good you would never believe it is that low in calories. I'll email the recipe if anyone wants it. This also makes enough that we have it for lunch the next day.
1 large bowl = ~350 calories
Tuesday - Turkey Ham and Green Beans. I buy a half turkey ham, stick it in the crockpot all day and by dinner it's so soft you can break it up with a fork. VERY low calories. The green beans are from a can, low sodium ones, then I fry them up in some extra virgin olive oil - very healthy for you! I have this with 35 calorie bread and my calorie free/fat free Parkay spray butter (everyone thinks this must taste nasty, you're SO WRONG, it's AMAZING tastes just like butter).
2 medium slices ham, green beans, 2 slices buttered bread = ~450 calories
Wednesday - Stir Fry. Now we go out to eat once a week for dinner. We chose tonight! We went to BD's Mongolian BBQ. It's a stir-fry place and it's AMAAAAZING and so low in fat/cals. I had a huge bowl of mahi-mahi (the best fish you could ever eat), chicken, black beans, onions, green and red peppers, cilantro, mushrooms, tomato, all grilled in black bean asian sauce. Top with a little bit of cheese and a side salad. My entire meal was about 450 calories (and too much money). But this stir-fry can be totally made at home and I make it ALL the time in extra virgin olive oil.
BD's stir fry bowl = ~450 calories
Thursday - Smothered Chicken & Salad. I either grill out or stove grill (in extra virgin olive oil) chicken breasts. I am big of herbs and seasoning, so I usually grill mine in cilantro or basil. I also grill (in the same pan with the chicken) red onions, mushrooms and green peppers. Once it's all done, put the chicken on the plate, top it with the grilled veggies, then on top of all that I add some pinches of fat free mozzarella, fat free cheddar (shredded cheeses) then top THAT off with turkey bacon bits! You can buy turkey bacon pieces not in the salad dressings isle. They are AMAZING! That's why it's smothered chicken - you literally smother it with all kinds of good stuff. Serve with a side salad.
large smothered chicken breast and side salad = ~450 calories
Friday - Chili! This is Braylon's favorite. My chili is so easy. I fry 1lb ground turkey with red onions in some extra virgin olive oil, add in a can of tomato juice, chili beans, kidney beans, chili seasoning, red pepper, basil and DONE. You can have a HUGE bowl and the calories/fat is SO low.
1 huge bowl chili = ~350 calories
Saturday - We have left-over Chili!
Sunday - Grilled Flat Iron Steak and Mushrooms. I buy these flat iron steaks from Kroger. They're about 10 bucks for a big one and we all 3 split it (and it's PLENTY). I put it right on the grill, flavored with worcestershire sauce and montreal steak seasoning. KEep the lid shut when grilling - it drips more fat out of your meats and makes the MUCH more tender. I also wrap whole mushrooms up in tenfoil, pour on a little bit of my Parkey spray butter, wrap the tenfoil all up and stick it right on the grill. It steams them and flavors them in the butter. OMG AMAZING. We die over these. I serve this with a side salad and sometimes I will slice me a tomato, salt and pepper it and eat that too.
4 oz. portion steak, mushrooms and salad = ~420 calories
For our breakfasts we always have either cereal, cereal bars, or sometimes I will make scrambled eggs and toast so I buy those things as needed every week.
For our lunches we have either lunch meat sandwishes or lean cuisines. Bray has lunchables a lot too. I also buy veggie burgers in the frozen foods section and I LOVE those with some guacaomle on them and a slice of cheese and tomato - YUM. A lot of times we have dinner left-overs for our lunches too.
We snack too: JAmes and Bray eat a lot of nuts and peanut butter. I eat a lot of fruits as snacks. I honestly do not snack a whole lot though, only when I'm really having cravings.
DRINK A TON OF WATER PEOPLE. Most of the time that we have hunger pains, it's actually just thirst! Water flushes fat too and is great for our skin. You can actually work out LONGER if you're well hydrated.
Ok, I'm well into missing Survivor, so I'm signing off for now. More to come. I did not proof read this so I'm sure there are typos everywhere.
Stay true to yourselves! YOU CAN BE HAPPY! :)
Teshia
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
Inspired by Visions in Acrylic
I figured it was time to post about art, and what inspires me, since I am, well, an artist, and well, this is my blog! So let me just get right into it...
A lot of people don't realize how much they can be inspired by art. If you're not an "art person," which I hear so often, then you've not been looking in the right places. EVERYONE can enjoy and get inspired by art. In order for me to prove that to you, let's first talk about, "What IS art?"
Art is like Kung Fu. It lives in everything we do, everything we see, everything we experience. Art is beauty, it is passion, it is emotion. Art can also be pain, despair, and loneliness. Art is everything and anything that we need and want it to be. It's right there in front of you, waiting to inspire you, waiting to fulfill you, you just have to reach your hand out and touch it.
What exactly do I mean by all of that rambling bologna? Well, have you ever visited the ocean and just been entirely encaptivated by it's beauty? To the point of almost or full speechlessness? Have you ever driven by a glamorious home and property that made you stop and say, "Wow, I wish I lived there!" and you could not stop staring out your window? Better yet, have you ever held a newborn child for the first time, gazed into the child's eyes and realized what love really is? I'm sure this list goes on and on for most of you, and I could go on and on. These things are art. These types of feelings, emotions and experiences are exactly what I am talking about.
Most people reading this were probably expecting me to answer the question "What IS art" with answers such as: painting, drawing, sculpture, graphic design, pottery, or even scrapbooking and things like that. Yes, these things ARE all art. But what MAKES art important to us is how it makes us feel and how it changes us. Isn't it? Or else, what would be the point in creating it?
I'd like to share with you my FAVORITE artist of all time, Josephine Wall. She is a fantasy artist, and I LOVE fantasy art. Her visions are an escape into another world, another dimension, and everything in her "worlds" are more beautiful than anything we see in our world. When I stare at these paintings, I get lost in them. That feeling, that getting "lost" in something, is so euphoric. It's pure love. It makes you happy, excited, relaxed...physically it releases endorphins, and in some cases, adrenaline (which are things that make our bodies feel good and put us in a happy mood)! I encourage everyone to find this type of passion in SOMETHING. Even if not in "art," then in life. I find myself visiting Jo's website often when I'm feeling depressed or just BLAH, and I always feel better within just a few gazes into her pieces.
Josephine's paintings are primarily acrylic, and in my opinion, there is just nothing on canvas, anywhere, that is more beautiful than what she creates. Her talent is purely a God given gift. You may have seen some of her artwork on puzzles, mugs, plates, t-shirts, etc. But I'm going to share with you my absolute favorite pieces of hers here:
Moon Goddess
This is my favorite one. I can't even critique it. The contrast in the colors are amazing. It's sparkly, and I love sparkly and shiny things. I LOVE astronomy and the moon, and so of course I am biased to this one a bit. But look at the detail in her veil. I love how Jo has created stars and little galaxies in it. You think, "Of course the Moon Goddess looks like this!"
I love her composition here. Your eye completely circles that gorgeous moon. Also, look at the beauty on the Goddess's face. Doesn't she look a little bit like Amy Adams? I love Amy Adams!
Link: http://www.josephinewall.co.uk/moon_god.html
Bubble Flower
I would prefer this one be titled "Creation Fairy" or something similar. That's what this symbolizes to me. This sure makes the "Big Bang" theory look a lot more glamorous, yes?
Within each bubble she is blowing, there is an entire world in there. Just breath-taking, this one.
Link: http://www.josephinewall.co.uk/bubble_flower.html
Nature's Embrace
Speechless. Inspiring. Emotional. Eternal. Bliss.
These are the things I experience when I look at this piece. And that's really what art should do for you. It should make you experience emotions and feelings. If it doesn't, you're looking at the wrong things!
Who doesn't love a kiss with a romantic embrace? Jo takes that concept, that experience and just turns it into this masterpiece of what you might feel the first time you kiss someone, or the first time you realize you're in love.
The flowers for her, the ivy for him, the sunset, the yellows, the way they are holding one another...so gorgeous...
Link: http://www.josephinewall.co.uk/natures_embrace.html
So, these are just a few of my favorite works of art. I get inspired by a lot of things, but these are my drug of choice!
I encourage ALL OF YOU to find this in your life. Whatever it is that inspores you, makes you feel euphoria, I bet it's right there in front of you. Reach out and find it! Life is hard, and a lot of times it seriously sucks! But these things that make us happy will always be here. Still think you're not an art person? Email me at info@corporateavedesign.com and I will CHALLENGE YOU that there isn't something in YOUR LIFE right now, that is ART, that will inspire you :)
A lot of people don't realize how much they can be inspired by art. If you're not an "art person," which I hear so often, then you've not been looking in the right places. EVERYONE can enjoy and get inspired by art. In order for me to prove that to you, let's first talk about, "What IS art?"
Art is like Kung Fu. It lives in everything we do, everything we see, everything we experience. Art is beauty, it is passion, it is emotion. Art can also be pain, despair, and loneliness. Art is everything and anything that we need and want it to be. It's right there in front of you, waiting to inspire you, waiting to fulfill you, you just have to reach your hand out and touch it.
What exactly do I mean by all of that rambling bologna? Well, have you ever visited the ocean and just been entirely encaptivated by it's beauty? To the point of almost or full speechlessness? Have you ever driven by a glamorious home and property that made you stop and say, "Wow, I wish I lived there!" and you could not stop staring out your window? Better yet, have you ever held a newborn child for the first time, gazed into the child's eyes and realized what love really is? I'm sure this list goes on and on for most of you, and I could go on and on. These things are art. These types of feelings, emotions and experiences are exactly what I am talking about.
Most people reading this were probably expecting me to answer the question "What IS art" with answers such as: painting, drawing, sculpture, graphic design, pottery, or even scrapbooking and things like that. Yes, these things ARE all art. But what MAKES art important to us is how it makes us feel and how it changes us. Isn't it? Or else, what would be the point in creating it?
I'd like to share with you my FAVORITE artist of all time, Josephine Wall. She is a fantasy artist, and I LOVE fantasy art. Her visions are an escape into another world, another dimension, and everything in her "worlds" are more beautiful than anything we see in our world. When I stare at these paintings, I get lost in them. That feeling, that getting "lost" in something, is so euphoric. It's pure love. It makes you happy, excited, relaxed...physically it releases endorphins, and in some cases, adrenaline (which are things that make our bodies feel good and put us in a happy mood)! I encourage everyone to find this type of passion in SOMETHING. Even if not in "art," then in life. I find myself visiting Jo's website often when I'm feeling depressed or just BLAH, and I always feel better within just a few gazes into her pieces.
Josephine's paintings are primarily acrylic, and in my opinion, there is just nothing on canvas, anywhere, that is more beautiful than what she creates. Her talent is purely a God given gift. You may have seen some of her artwork on puzzles, mugs, plates, t-shirts, etc. But I'm going to share with you my absolute favorite pieces of hers here:
This is my favorite one. I can't even critique it. The contrast in the colors are amazing. It's sparkly, and I love sparkly and shiny things. I LOVE astronomy and the moon, and so of course I am biased to this one a bit. But look at the detail in her veil. I love how Jo has created stars and little galaxies in it. You think, "Of course the Moon Goddess looks like this!"
I love her composition here. Your eye completely circles that gorgeous moon. Also, look at the beauty on the Goddess's face. Doesn't she look a little bit like Amy Adams? I love Amy Adams!
Link: http://www.josephinewall.co.uk/moon_god.html
I would prefer this one be titled "Creation Fairy" or something similar. That's what this symbolizes to me. This sure makes the "Big Bang" theory look a lot more glamorous, yes?
Within each bubble she is blowing, there is an entire world in there. Just breath-taking, this one.
Link: http://www.josephinewall.co.uk/bubble_flower.html
Speechless. Inspiring. Emotional. Eternal. Bliss.
These are the things I experience when I look at this piece. And that's really what art should do for you. It should make you experience emotions and feelings. If it doesn't, you're looking at the wrong things!
Who doesn't love a kiss with a romantic embrace? Jo takes that concept, that experience and just turns it into this masterpiece of what you might feel the first time you kiss someone, or the first time you realize you're in love.
The flowers for her, the ivy for him, the sunset, the yellows, the way they are holding one another...so gorgeous...
Link: http://www.josephinewall.co.uk/natures_embrace.html
So, these are just a few of my favorite works of art. I get inspired by a lot of things, but these are my drug of choice!
I encourage ALL OF YOU to find this in your life. Whatever it is that inspores you, makes you feel euphoria, I bet it's right there in front of you. Reach out and find it! Life is hard, and a lot of times it seriously sucks! But these things that make us happy will always be here. Still think you're not an art person? Email me at info@corporateavedesign.com and I will CHALLENGE YOU that there isn't something in YOUR LIFE right now, that is ART, that will inspire you :)
Monday, August 23, 2010
Common Fonts That Are SERIOUSLY Overused!
A lot of people nowadays are creating their own things that require font usage. Such as business cards, letterhead, note cards, fliers, and even their own invitations and postcards. Sure, I'd much rather you come to me and get professional designs :) BUT for those of you who are tryint to save every dollar, PLEASE take a look at the rest of what I have to say here regarding your usage of fonts.
It is CRITICAL that you are designing your own things to stand out among a crowd of many. Therefore, your fonts might be the most important part. I deal with fonts every day, and have most of them memorized to the point that I will be at a restaurant searching a menu, driving down the road looking at signs and billboards, and even looking through books and magazines, and I can easily say, "Oh that's Mona Lisa Bold font...I can't believe they used that, it's soooo overused!!!" To which my husband will say, "Ummm, ooook?" But to me, it's so obvious!
So, to help you out, I've decided to upload some of the most commonly overused fonts that I am tired of seeing. These are so overused that they are starting to become recognized in commercials and movies too. Please do not use these fonts for your logos, signs and publications! They are just so not original:
Now that you've learned what NOT to use, I am going to show you some cool new fonts to use that I am LOVING. Please keep in mind that most of these fonts are NOT, I repeat NOT good for entire lengths of information, such as paragraphs. But, they are great for logos, titles, and grabbing attention. These fonts have a lot of spunk and personality and I just LOVE them:
I hope that helped a little and was not useless! I know I have a lot of clients who will appreciate this :)
Thanks for reading!
Teshia
It is CRITICAL that you are designing your own things to stand out among a crowd of many. Therefore, your fonts might be the most important part. I deal with fonts every day, and have most of them memorized to the point that I will be at a restaurant searching a menu, driving down the road looking at signs and billboards, and even looking through books and magazines, and I can easily say, "Oh that's Mona Lisa Bold font...I can't believe they used that, it's soooo overused!!!" To which my husband will say, "Ummm, ooook?" But to me, it's so obvious!
So, to help you out, I've decided to upload some of the most commonly overused fonts that I am tired of seeing. These are so overused that they are starting to become recognized in commercials and movies too. Please do not use these fonts for your logos, signs and publications! They are just so not original:
Thanks for reading!
Teshia
Friday, August 20, 2010
Social Drinking & Calories
I'm not much of a drinker (honestly) but I am somewhat of a social drinker. When I go out with friends, and sometimes just my husband and I, I really enjoy a good glass of wine or tequila. We diet, we exercise, and we go out for drinks. But, a lot of people don't think about the calories in their drinks. So, in leiu of my girls night next Saturday, I decided to do some research this morning to find out the calories in some of my favorite drinks. I am SHOCKED by the results...
First, I am finding that some of my drinks are relatively lower in calories than I was expecting. Good news? Hmm...not! But before I explain why, let me list some of the drinks I researched and their calories:
Margarita: 3.3 oz cocktail size = 153 calories
Sangria: 8.5 oz wine glass size = 150 calories
Rum and Coke: 8 oz glass size = 207 calories
Long Island Iced Tea 8.3 oz glass size = 276 calories
Blue Moon Beer: bottle size = 100 calories
Apple Martini: cocktail glass = 235 calories
Strawberry Daiquiri: 8 oz = 240 calories
Some of you might be thinking that's not too bad. That was my initial thought too. Then I started to think about the portion sizes I am finding. 8 oz is NOT a full glass like a lot of people think it is. It's the size of a small measuring cup, or half of a large one. Go look: 8 oz. is not that much. A can of soda is 12 oz. So the portion sizes that we are getting when we order, say a Sangria, out at a restaurant, is probably TRIPLE what I am seeing above, making the total drink 450 calories. Sometimes, I drink TWO of those.
And, it only gets worst...while researching the calories, I came across an article on google about why drinking alcohol is HORRIBLE for your diet, and there's a scientific explanation for it.
Without posting the entire article and getting into details, I'll sum it up for you. Basically, our bodies burn energy from a few different sources: our carbohydrate intake, our protein reserve, and our fat reserve. When dieting, we want to pull from that fat reserve. However, for up to 24 hours of drinking an alcoholic beverage, our liver turns the alcohol into acetate, which then converts a portion of the alcohol into fat, and the acetate is released into our bloodstream and replaces fat as a fuel source.
They even did a study where 8 men were given vodka drinks that were less than 90 calories each. For 8 hours after the drinking, the mens body lipid oxidation (a measure of how fat is being burned in the metabolism) was measured and it dropped by 73%...so, their bodies were actually turning the alcohol straight into fat. AWFUL!!!!!
Not to mention the rest of the article about how alcohol makes you have a major appetite too!
I was shocked by the news of the calories and the fat storing. But then again, do you ever have a night of drinking your favorite drinks and then wake up the next morning feeling like you've gained weight? It DOES make me feel that way, and now it makes perfect sense.
Hmm...from now on I'm going to have to save my wallet AND my cellulite and SKIP the alcohol, or at least only have one drink. Yikes!!!
Calorie information: www.calorieking.com (my FAV website for finding calories)
Article: http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/research/alcohol.htm
First, I am finding that some of my drinks are relatively lower in calories than I was expecting. Good news? Hmm...not! But before I explain why, let me list some of the drinks I researched and their calories:
Margarita: 3.3 oz cocktail size = 153 calories
Sangria: 8.5 oz wine glass size = 150 calories
Rum and Coke: 8 oz glass size = 207 calories
Long Island Iced Tea 8.3 oz glass size = 276 calories
Blue Moon Beer: bottle size = 100 calories
Apple Martini: cocktail glass = 235 calories
Strawberry Daiquiri: 8 oz = 240 calories
Some of you might be thinking that's not too bad. That was my initial thought too. Then I started to think about the portion sizes I am finding. 8 oz is NOT a full glass like a lot of people think it is. It's the size of a small measuring cup, or half of a large one. Go look: 8 oz. is not that much. A can of soda is 12 oz. So the portion sizes that we are getting when we order, say a Sangria, out at a restaurant, is probably TRIPLE what I am seeing above, making the total drink 450 calories. Sometimes, I drink TWO of those.
And, it only gets worst...while researching the calories, I came across an article on google about why drinking alcohol is HORRIBLE for your diet, and there's a scientific explanation for it.
Without posting the entire article and getting into details, I'll sum it up for you. Basically, our bodies burn energy from a few different sources: our carbohydrate intake, our protein reserve, and our fat reserve. When dieting, we want to pull from that fat reserve. However, for up to 24 hours of drinking an alcoholic beverage, our liver turns the alcohol into acetate, which then converts a portion of the alcohol into fat, and the acetate is released into our bloodstream and replaces fat as a fuel source.
They even did a study where 8 men were given vodka drinks that were less than 90 calories each. For 8 hours after the drinking, the mens body lipid oxidation (a measure of how fat is being burned in the metabolism) was measured and it dropped by 73%...so, their bodies were actually turning the alcohol straight into fat. AWFUL!!!!!
Not to mention the rest of the article about how alcohol makes you have a major appetite too!
I was shocked by the news of the calories and the fat storing. But then again, do you ever have a night of drinking your favorite drinks and then wake up the next morning feeling like you've gained weight? It DOES make me feel that way, and now it makes perfect sense.
Hmm...from now on I'm going to have to save my wallet AND my cellulite and SKIP the alcohol, or at least only have one drink. Yikes!!!
Calorie information: www.calorieking.com (my FAV website for finding calories)
Article: http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/research/alcohol.htm
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Free Weight Loss Sheet - Keep track of your progress!!!
One of my BIGGEST tips for keeping track of your goals and staying healthy with your diet and exercise it to WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN!!!
I designed these sheets in Photoshop, and have been using them for 10 weeks now. I hand this on a cork board in my kitchen, but you can print them out and put them on your fridge, in the dining room...wherever is best for you.
I wanted to go ahead and share these with everyone, and get them online so that YOU can print them out and use them now too!!!
Ok, so here is the sheet. I'm going to post a link to it here too so you can see it larger and print it out on a full page: http://www.corporateavedesign.com/images/weekly-dietexercise.jpg
My week starts out on Sunday. I have my weigh-ins every Saturday morning. Each day has a check box, so you can check off your 2 servings of caffeine (I have one coffee and one can of pop each day), your eight 8oz servings of water, and your vitamin. Those are JUST as important as your food intake.
The green section at the top you can write your workouts in. Add up your weekly calories each day and write them in the pink section under "Weekly Calories" and there is also a place for writing notes there. You could write your weight loss in there or goals for the week!
I really hope this helps you out. It lets you see everything and keep it too for future reference. GOOD LUCK!!!
I designed these sheets in Photoshop, and have been using them for 10 weeks now. I hand this on a cork board in my kitchen, but you can print them out and put them on your fridge, in the dining room...wherever is best for you.
I wanted to go ahead and share these with everyone, and get them online so that YOU can print them out and use them now too!!!
My week starts out on Sunday. I have my weigh-ins every Saturday morning. Each day has a check box, so you can check off your 2 servings of caffeine (I have one coffee and one can of pop each day), your eight 8oz servings of water, and your vitamin. Those are JUST as important as your food intake.
The green section at the top you can write your workouts in. Add up your weekly calories each day and write them in the pink section under "Weekly Calories" and there is also a place for writing notes there. You could write your weight loss in there or goals for the week!
I really hope this helps you out. It lets you see everything and keep it too for future reference. GOOD LUCK!!!
7 Days of Y-O-G-A!!!
Usually, I only do my yoga DVD 2-3 days a week. BUT this week, I'm going to attempt to do it every day! It's BRUTAL, it's HARDCORE, and it makes me SWEAT like a *insert something sweaty here, because I can't think of anything*
I NEED to lose a lot of weight this week, so I'm going to try this. I've already made up my mind - I'm doing it. Hopefully, I can motivate you, too!
So, please join me! I'm declaring this NATIONAL YOGA WEEK, because, well...just because!
Again, here is the Yoga DVD that I do. I HIGHLY recommend it, it's awesome! You will get an AMAZING workout and I swear, I even FEEL lighter when I get through with it. The whole tape is an hour long, I do the whole thing.
It's only 5 bucks, what are you waiting for?
I'm going RIGHT NOW to do this tape. Mamaw just took Braylon to a movie, so it's time for Mommy to go get in shape.
IS it time for YOU to get into shape too? I say: HECK YES
Even if you're already in shape, working out releases endorphins and makes you FEEL GOOD!
Active Moms: Always Tired? WORKOUT!! IT will give you energy to keep uo with those kids, and have a better time being able to play with them longer :)
I NEED to lose a lot of weight this week, so I'm going to try this. I've already made up my mind - I'm doing it. Hopefully, I can motivate you, too!
So, please join me! I'm declaring this NATIONAL YOGA WEEK, because, well...just because!
Again, here is the Yoga DVD that I do. I HIGHLY recommend it, it's awesome! You will get an AMAZING workout and I swear, I even FEEL lighter when I get through with it. The whole tape is an hour long, I do the whole thing.
It's only 5 bucks, what are you waiting for?
I'm going RIGHT NOW to do this tape. Mamaw just took Braylon to a movie, so it's time for Mommy to go get in shape.
IS it time for YOU to get into shape too? I say: HECK YES
Even if you're already in shape, working out releases endorphins and makes you FEEL GOOD!
Active Moms: Always Tired? WORKOUT!! IT will give you energy to keep uo with those kids, and have a better time being able to play with them longer :)
Friday, August 13, 2010
Ladies: The PERFECT daily vitamin, and it might surprise you!
Alright, so as all of my friends and family know, I have been on a big health kick for a little over two years now. I diet and work out pretty hard (other than my Coldstone Creamery - All Lovin' No Oven indulgence last night - that we won't talk about: hey, a girl's gotta have some chocolate and cookie dough every now and then!) and my husband and I had also been trying to conceive our second child for the last two years. So naturally, I started taking prenatal vitamins after about a year of not conceiving.
Anywho - Man, I just realized how much I love to ramble...But no, seriously I started to notice a difference in my health after taking the vitamins for about a month. My hair, skin and nails were so much glowier and prettier! My face even started looking kinda cute without my concealer (can't believe I just said that - but it's true) and so I decided to do some research on WHY that is and share it with all of you:
First of all, make sure you're taking the prenatals that contain DHA and Fish Oil. Here's why:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DHA is without a doubt the most important of the omega-3 fatty acids, because it has been shown to be effective in the prevention and treatment of so many physical ailments. This fatty acid has shown results in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, and it also inhibits the growth of carcinoma cells in colon, prostate, and breast cancer.
It is also effective for the treatment of allergies, arthritis, asthma, type II diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and help to build a strong immune system. These are all things that anyone could benefit from, but the reason that it is suggested that your baby would benefit from the use of prenatal DHA rich fish oil supplements is DHA’s role in cognitive development and brain and visual function.
Anywho - Man, I just realized how much I love to ramble...But no, seriously I started to notice a difference in my health after taking the vitamins for about a month. My hair, skin and nails were so much glowier and prettier! My face even started looking kinda cute without my concealer (can't believe I just said that - but it's true) and so I decided to do some research on WHY that is and share it with all of you:
First of all, make sure you're taking the prenatals that contain DHA and Fish Oil. Here's why:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DHA is without a doubt the most important of the omega-3 fatty acids, because it has been shown to be effective in the prevention and treatment of so many physical ailments. This fatty acid has shown results in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, and it also inhibits the growth of carcinoma cells in colon, prostate, and breast cancer.
It is also effective for the treatment of allergies, arthritis, asthma, type II diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and help to build a strong immune system. These are all things that anyone could benefit from, but the reason that it is suggested that your baby would benefit from the use of prenatal DHA rich fish oil supplements is DHA’s role in cognitive development and brain and visual function.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Dinner's Ready!
Just got finished eating dinner. As you all know, I'm trying to count calories. With my height (5'1" - seriously, I'm VERY short) I'm trying to eat around 1,000 calories per day. Today, I only had 2 meals because of my husband's schedule. So, I woke up and made us a big "brunch" of ham omelets and french toast. So yummy!! A total of about 600 calories, though, which I RARELY do.
*TIP: It's the best idea to try to keep your meals to 300 calories or less, and eat more frequent meals throughout the day, or make sure to snack in-between meals.
For dinner, I char-broiled a flat-iron steak on the grill. Marinated in worcestershire sauce and Montreal steak seasoning (<---highly recommended!!!), I first like to turn the grill on high and blacken both sides for a few minutes. This starts the cooking process and also holds in all of the juices. Then, turn the grill down on low and cook it on each side for about 15-20 minutes with the lid CLOSED - and don't open it! Makes it cook better in the high heat.
As a side, I wrap whole mushrooms up in tenfoil, add some no fat, no calorie Parkay spray butter (<---highly recommended!!!!) and stick it right on the grill with the steak. Do this with onions and peppers too and the steamed, grilled taste carmelizes the veggies and they're simply sooo delish! Had a side salad as well.
Anyways, dinner total of 500 calories. That puts me at 1,100 for the day so far.
Now for my exercising, I've been changing up my workouts every evening, between treadmill one night, then yoga another, then eliptical and bike...but this week I'm starting to try something diff. I'm walking this whole week, just walking. Then next week, just eleptical, next week, just yoga. I just want to see how my body reacts to the different workouts. If I lose more weight my yoga week for instance, then I know it has the most impact! But for tonight, 5 mile walk it is! I do a starter lap at 3.0, then the rest of the first mile at 3.5, then I go as high as 3.7-3.8 to finish off the 20 laps.
*TIP: Here's another interesting tip that I came across. Did you know that it's not how FAST you walk the 5 miles, but how LONG you walk? Think about it - you burn the same amount of calories whether you walk it in 2 hours or run it in 1 hour. But getting your body working for 2 hours actually has been proven to have more of an impact on stimulating the muscles.
Also, below is the Yoga tape that I do all of the time and I absolutely LOOOOOOVE it!
Thanks for reading...
Teshia
*TIP: It's the best idea to try to keep your meals to 300 calories or less, and eat more frequent meals throughout the day, or make sure to snack in-between meals.
For dinner, I char-broiled a flat-iron steak on the grill. Marinated in worcestershire sauce and Montreal steak seasoning (<---highly recommended!!!), I first like to turn the grill on high and blacken both sides for a few minutes. This starts the cooking process and also holds in all of the juices. Then, turn the grill down on low and cook it on each side for about 15-20 minutes with the lid CLOSED - and don't open it! Makes it cook better in the high heat.
As a side, I wrap whole mushrooms up in tenfoil, add some no fat, no calorie Parkay spray butter (<---highly recommended!!!!) and stick it right on the grill with the steak. Do this with onions and peppers too and the steamed, grilled taste carmelizes the veggies and they're simply sooo delish! Had a side salad as well.
Anyways, dinner total of 500 calories. That puts me at 1,100 for the day so far.
Now for my exercising, I've been changing up my workouts every evening, between treadmill one night, then yoga another, then eliptical and bike...but this week I'm starting to try something diff. I'm walking this whole week, just walking. Then next week, just eleptical, next week, just yoga. I just want to see how my body reacts to the different workouts. If I lose more weight my yoga week for instance, then I know it has the most impact! But for tonight, 5 mile walk it is! I do a starter lap at 3.0, then the rest of the first mile at 3.5, then I go as high as 3.7-3.8 to finish off the 20 laps.
*TIP: Here's another interesting tip that I came across. Did you know that it's not how FAST you walk the 5 miles, but how LONG you walk? Think about it - you burn the same amount of calories whether you walk it in 2 hours or run it in 1 hour. But getting your body working for 2 hours actually has been proven to have more of an impact on stimulating the muscles.
Also, below is the Yoga tape that I do all of the time and I absolutely LOOOOOOVE it!
Thanks for reading...
Teshia
New Logo Design
This afternoon, I had the pleasure of working on a logo design for a new business! This is a consignment shop clothing boutique, with a fabulous sense of style for design.
Below are the two logo designs that I designed for the start of the process:
What are your thoughts? Cute start? I think SO :) I will be designing their website too. Can't wait!
Below are the two logo designs that I designed for the start of the process:
Welcome to my New Blog!
Hi everyone! Welcome to my new blog!
This is LONG overdue. I've been procrastinating starting a blog for over a year now. But then something just hit me, and I decided to give it a try :)
I have lots of plans for this blog! I want to talk about everything - weight loss and exercise, health and healthy cooking, art and design and things that inspire me...I've got LOTS of things I just can't wait to share with you!
Please check back daily as I plan to post as often as I can. I've got a few years worth of things to share with you and need some time to get everything gathered together.
I will be posting a link to my blog on my business website as well as facebook. Please follow me!
Thank for reading...
Teshia
This is LONG overdue. I've been procrastinating starting a blog for over a year now. But then something just hit me, and I decided to give it a try :)
I have lots of plans for this blog! I want to talk about everything - weight loss and exercise, health and healthy cooking, art and design and things that inspire me...I've got LOTS of things I just can't wait to share with you!
Please check back daily as I plan to post as often as I can. I've got a few years worth of things to share with you and need some time to get everything gathered together.
I will be posting a link to my blog on my business website as well as facebook. Please follow me!
Thank for reading...
Teshia
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