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Uberlibrariana


Monday, November 28, 2011

To X(2) or not to X(2)? At least in December...

The end of semester madness is approaching, and then holiday madness will follow... or will occur simultaneously. I'm going into December with a plan... sort of...

No, not *that* kind of Madness. (Source)


Work will be crazy the next few weeks, and I may not be able to consistently get away during my lunch hour to go to the gym. So, I'm planning workouts I can do in the morning. Since it's dark in the morning when I workout, this means I can't run (I'll be trying to fit in short runs later in the day). But, the main focus of my program will be strength training.

Erin Stern makes me want to eat right and lift more.

On another note, I think I can honestly say that I have been waiting for the sequel to P90X since early 2007- that's around the time I finished my first round (and got pregnant, which may or may not have been related...). I had everything Tony said memorized, and I've come back to P90X through the years when I needed something effective. Well, P90X2 is shipping THIS WEEK. This may change my plans.

Remember. Tony Horton is my BFF.

I had planned to start P90X2 with a bunch of other people after New Year's. It's always a great time to start a new program, and I wanted to have that to look forward to after the Holidays died down. But it's coming THIS WEEK. I have a history of not being able to wait for things...

You better believe I found out the MOMENT it was possible....

So I recently REfound this book (and many others):

Let me explain how exciting this is. When I was pregnant with my now 15 month old daughter, we moved twice. That was a special kind of challenge. But, since the first move, there have been several books that I couldn't find.... including this one. I have missed this book, and even considered buying it again I wanted to use it so badly. 

This weekend, my husband found a box with ALL the missing books. Hooray!

So I decided to pick up with the program outlined in the book, but then I remembered about P90X2. I then remembered my inability to wait, especially once a brand new workout system I've waited for FOR YEARS is in my little hands...

So I'm debating.

In the meantime, I asked my husband to get me some peanut butter yesterday, and he brought me this:


It actually turned into kind of a fun family project. We all shelled the peanuts, and then I blended them in the Cuisinart. I added a tiny bit of olive oil (because we didn't have peanut oil). It was quite good. It didn't make much, but I was proud. I felt like quite the homemaker.

There will be more on my P90X2 Inner Debate, but for now, just remember the peanuts. Oh, and have a great Monday!

Friday, November 25, 2011

High Five Post Thanksgiving Holiday Friday!

Happy Friday! Here's your high five!

This picture is from a different day. I am *not* at work right now.

How'd you do?

I ran 4 miles, ate a lot (but no food coma) and had a great time. I didn't clean a darn thing.

So, right now, I'm going to list 5 things I'm committing to during the month of December....

1. No food comas.
2. Working out 5 times a week.
3. Do at least one thing to get me closer to my big goal (which is a secret) every day.
4. Spending at least 10 minutes EVERY DAY one-on-one time with each kid AND my husband. EVERY DAY.
5. Budget with my husband (we are starting the Dave Ramsey plan. This is the month. Our first budget.)

So, do you have big goals for the end of the year? Are you finishing strong? Or just trying to make it through? Post them here!

Have a happy weekend!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Eating.

I'm planning on doing some eating tomorrow. I have been dieting for a while, and I admit to not always being *completely* strict and "on-plan" with my diet, but I still have been doing pretty well. I have been consistently losing at least a little bit every two weeks (which is when I weigh).

So, tomorrow, I'm going to eat some stuff.
Isn't that pretty? That's not the kind of food I'm talking about, though. (Source)
More like this:
Yum (source)
And this:
OMG yes. (Source)


I'm not planning on eating until I'm in a food coma. But I'm going to eat some good food and not feel guilty about it.

Here's the key point, however:

On Friday, I'm going to eat normally.

See, I think where the problem starts for folks is that they start eating on Thanksgiving, and they don't stop until sometime after New Year's. A lot of "Oh well, it's the holidays."

I'm not saying I'm going to diet every day except for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm going to enjoy myself. But I'm not going to do the following:
- Be in a food coma
- Stop counting because the calories were too high.
- Stop exercising
- Gain weight.

I've already decided, I'm not going to try to lose weight in the next few months. I'm so close to my goal, I'm going to go ahead and just enjoy it to a point.

Do you have a plan? Come over to my Facebook page, because I will be posting a lot and we will keep each other accountable!

(I should add I stole all these food pictures. And I won't be cooking. My husband will. He's the cook.)

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Every now and then, I have to post this post...

This is the "Hey, Remember me?" post.
This has been me with the blogging lately. (source)

Yes, I have been away.

I ran out of things to talk about for a little while. But don't worry, I thought of some more things.

More later. But for now, enjoy some David Boreanaz.

"I've missed you, Sarah." (source)
"When you don't blog, I feel wet and cold." (Source)
"I'm so bored without you." (Source)
Wait, what? (source)

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Have to= Get to

This is not really related. It's just a picture I took of a really pretty tree.

I tried a little experiment the past few days. Every time I start to say, "I have to..." I replace it with "I get to." It's amazing how my attitude has changed. For example:

"I have to run today."
"I get to run today."

Here's another one:

"I have to go to work."
"I get to go to work."

You see where I'm going with this? It's amazing.

"I have to hang out with my kids tonight."
"I get to hang out with my kids tonight."

I plan on continuing this indefinitely. It really works.

What are some ways you can replace "have to" with "get to"?

Monday, November 7, 2011

Need Motivation? Get it RIGHT HERE!


I have the great fortune of being good friends with Missy Reid. Missy is an NPC Figure Competitor, and one of the coolest people around. She is competing in the Natural Mid-States Muscle Classic XXIV in Rockford, Illinois *this weekend*!

Here's the progress Missy made between shows in one year.

SF: When did you start working out? What inspired you?
MR: I suppose you could say Ive been 'working out' most of my life.  I started in my teen years with home videos such as Windsor Pilates and Slim in 6.  But I never really stuck to anything as I didnt realize I couldnt out train a bad diet.  I finally got serious and started lifting weights around February 2009.  I dont think there was any one particular thing that inspired me other than reaching a breaking point of being tired with being unhappy with my body and being uncomfortable in my own skin.


Here's Missy as a child

2009- Before weight training 
2009- Before weight training

For contrasts, here's a pic of Missy from about a week ago..
SF: Why did you decide to compete?
MR: I had decided that in order to be successful in my weight loss journey, that I needed to have a goal that required a lot of an investment.  Something that I just couldnt back out of.

SF: What’s your favorite workout move?
MR: I love barbell bicep curls and rope pushdown tricep extension.  They both make my arms look pretty badass, and when you look good, you feel good.  And when you feel good, you get a heck of a great workout!

SF: How do you stay on track?
MR: Truth be told, unless I have a very specific goal to reach, I dont *always* stay on track.  Im human.  I stumble and fall just like everybody else.  But what helps me is keeping my goals in mind, and reaching out to like minded people with similar goals.  The power of support and encouragement can not be underestimated.

SF: What advice do you have for someone who is trying to get in shape?
MR: Just do it.  Eat right & exercise.  Dont over think it.  Dont complicate it.  When people ask me, "Whats your secret?" I love to cup my hand by my mouth, lean over, and wisper, "You really wanna know?  ...I. Stick. With. It."  As with reaching any goal, consistancy is KEY.  So dont expect it to happen over night. 

SF: What have you learned about competing that surprised you?
MR: How addicting it is!  And that its actually not really very competative.  I mean, it IS a competition and all, so I had thought it was going to be a bunch of cut throat, die hard, hardcore, sassy b*tches ready to pull eachothers hair out.  But the reality of it is that it is quite the opposite.  There is such a strong brother hood and sister hood in the fitness industry.  So many strong bonds are made from people who closely relate to one another about a passion they share.

SF: What is your favorite part of competing?
MR: Trick question!  Really, there is SO much that goes into a show and so many aspects about the sport that I love.  But if I had to pick a favorite, it would be a close call between being on that stage, and the journey it takes to get there.  Its only for mere moments, but being on stage in front of HUNDREDS of people, half neked (an asprin bottle has more cotton than those figure suits!), under hot bright lights, asking to be judged...it is an unexplainable high and quite an adrenaline rush. I absolutely love it.  I love putting on a show and entertaining a crowd.  And the journey to get there *heavenly sigh*  it is far beyond just a physical one.  You go through an internal transformation.  Mentally and emotionally you dig deep and really become in tune with yourself.  I emerge a different (better) person after every show.
SF: What are your plans for after the show this weekend?
MR: For now, I plan on continuing to diet for at least another 2 weeks.  Ive entered a transformation challege and the grand prize is 7 nights in Jamaica.  I REALLY want that! (who doesnt?!) Then, my focus will be on maintaining the lifestyle and finding balance. It's something that I have yet to master and I know will require a lot of effort.

Missy, looking great!
 
Thanks so much for the interview, Missy! I hope you guys were all as inspired by what she has accomplished as I have been!

Do me a favor and comment below if you'd like to send her some good vibes for this weekend!

Friday, November 4, 2011

High Five Hallelujah It's Fitness Friday!

Did I get enough words in that title? 

Here's your high five!

Hop on over to Fitness Friday today to meet other folks who *love* fitness....


Fitness Friday Blog Hop


5 things that are awesome:
1. I actually enjoyed a run yesterday. Shocking. It was raining earlier in the day, and I was afraid my plans for an outdoor run were thwarted... but by the time it was lunchtime running time, the rain had stopped and it was *perfect* running weather. I ran 2 miles with no walk breaks, and didn't feel like I would die. In fact, like I said, I enjoyed it. I guess this is why I keep running, for runs like this. Yay!

2. We get an extra hour this weekend. Oh hallelujah. I know it's just an hour, but I need it. I'm excited. I'm ready for Fall and Winter. Remind me I said that in January.

3. "Salted caramel" Cream of Wheat. My glorious breakfast this morning. I am obsessed with the whole "salted caramel" thing, but since I don't have room in my calories or budget for Starbucks, I don't partake much. So, I mixed a little sugar free Torani syrup in with my Cream of Wheat this morning, and some salt, and it was SO GOOD. I'm still reeling from the awesome.

4. Did I mention it's Friday? I am so ready for the weekend, even though with two small children, the weekends are often as busy as the week. I have a ton of housework to do, plus the parenting... but I just feel like I need to catch up.

5. David Boreanaz. I'm just thankful he exists.
I love you, too Sarah. In your mind.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Sticky

If today had a word, that word would be "Sticky". From the moment I woke up, it seemed everything I touched was yucky, slimy, oily or otherwise sticky.

I decided to do my weight workout at home today. Rather than do band lat pulldowns, I like to practice my pullups. Now, I don't do unassisted pullups yet. Right now, I do negatives. So I hop up and hold myself up at the top as long as I can, then lower as slowly as I can. These are surprisingly effective... and if I did them more than once a week, I might make some progress.

Anyway, I got my pullup bar out of the workout supply closet (which also happens to be the air conditioner closet)...
This is my pull up bar, when not in use or in the AC Closet.
There was some kind of *OIL* all over it. Gross. I don't know what it was, and you'd think I would have checked the air conditioner to see if it was leaking, but I didn't. I was just so focused on my workout. But, even with gloves, that oiliness was challenging... and a little slippery...

After my workout, I packed up my lunch. I have a million baby food jars that, for some reason, we washed and saved. I've found they are just about the right size for one scoop of protein powder:

Yum. Protein powder.
When I unpacked my lunch, however, the protein powder jars were STICKY, like they had spilled and mixed with something else. Except I couldn't tell what was leaking. Gross.

Other fun sticky episodes occurred throughout the day:

I packed my daughter's bottles up, and as soon as I took the lid off, sticky milk came flooding out on my pants. Awesome.

Something was sticky at the gym. That's all I'm going to say about that.

I remember as a teenager, I used to babysit a lot. I noticed that all the houses where I babysat (with small children) were always "sticky". I guess that is just part of it. I guess for the next few years, at least, I should get used to "sticky". Although, I'm not really sure what's up with the air conditioner...

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

All About The Beachbody Challenge Packs!

As you may know, I am a proud Beachbody Coach. Remember when I met my BFF Tony Horton?

Here is just ONE of the many pictures I stalked.. I mean took with Tony.
Anyway, Beachbody now has new Challenge Packs available!

FITNESS + NUTRITION + SUPPORT = SUCCESS

Carl Daikeler (CEO of Beachbody, and my other BFF) explains it really well here:





GETTING STARTED IS EASY:
~Choose one group:Workout Program along with Shakeology
~Commit to the full program!!
***Purchase your Challenge Pack HERE***
-Click on BEACHBODY CHALLENGE on right side of page-
fill out information and that's it...you're in!!
If you have any questions, email me at uberlibrarian (at) gmail (dot) com.



I will get your phone number, email, and start a Facebook group for us. We will all connect and keep each other going. We will check in every day. I will be *in your face*.

Me being in your face may look something like this.