Guest blogger!!

Not entirely. My friend and coworker with whom I am in this journey said he wouldn't have enough to write a blog. His only contribution was this:
GET MOTIVATED, PEOPLE!!!!! MOVE!!!!! MOVE!!!!!!

Thanks, ML, for your stellar contribution. Can I also add that he is doing Insanity? Enough said. Ha!!

He was also the one to bring the turkey and black bean burritos idea. I stepped it up a notch and made ground turkey to taste more like breakfast sausage, add scrambled egg whites, of course the black beans, sprinkle of cheese, all on a whole wheat or grain tortilla!!

Let me tell you that I was impressed with the taste and flavor of the entire meal. I made a lot and have been dipping into it for breakfast or lunch. The one thing I did not bargain for was how fricken heavy it would be. So heavy that I can't finish a whole one and then feel like I swallowed a brick. Whole.

While I love the taste and simplicity, I doubt I will be making it regularly. I will stick to my protein shakes and keep trying different bars. They seem to settle better and digest a LOT better!!

Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you still reading my blog, until next time...

Back to Basics

I know that sometimes my posts are similar in nature, but my blog only brings you the daily motivation you need to keep on keeping on. With my START SMALL philosophy also comes randomness of my brain and things that help me daily. All of these thoughts are intended to help you change your mindset or simply change your mind. If you can retrain your brain to believe in yourself and everything you can do, you will find you are more productive, more efficient and maybe a little more happy.

Aside from pet peeves and little irritants, I don't have many major complaints. My biggest complaint comes from people chastising the way we run our family. It shouldn't bother me, but it does and I find myself thinking, "why does this person feel that he/she gets a vote?" Rather than dwelling too much on it, I sure try to follow the advice I'm about to lay down: create a schedule that works for YOU. It seems pretty simple, right? Well, sometimes the push to skip a workout by a friend or the thinking that it is stupid to follow a routine, can be overwhelming. Tyson still heads to bed at 7:30 every night with bath time routine starting at 6:30. Now, we are able to deviate slightly from this on Fridays and Saturdays when he will be with us in the morning and can sleep later. Any other day of the week, you can forget it. It makes it so much harder on us and not to mention Ty.

Chalene talks about making workouts non-negotiable. I do practice this 99% of the time. The other 1% accounts for the second or third workouts in the day or when Ty is sick.

Stress plays a huge part in weight loss. This can sometimes be counter-acted by working out, depending on the situation and type and severity of the stress. This is why healthy relationships should be priority #1 to keeping stress down. I am fortunate to have an awesome work family. Each one has their own role in my little family. Together they make a truly great bunch of people to work with.

Some relationships can be taxing and toxic. You have to be particular about the people if which you surround yourself. Surrounding yourself with great, sincere, positive people will result in great things.

As you read this post, you can probably pick out people in your life that make things harder than they need to be and those that make you feel great about yourself. Surround yourself with people that respect and support you! Maybe this is easier said than done in some cases. I know that to be true.

Other stress that can be avoided by letting go of things you cannot control can help you immensely. Try not to dwell on things too much and find peace with as much as you can. Evaluate the things that are running through your mind that may bring stress to you. Decide whether or not they are really things you can change/fix and if not, try to let it go. Healthy mind. Healthy body.

I do what is right by me and by Miller: Party of Five everyday. I may have to compromise a LITTLE here and there, but I stay true to core principles. By staying true to our routines and schedules, I am able to accomplish just about everything I want to. My workouts are non-negotiable and Brett and the kids are non-negotiable. Period. I pity the fool that stands in the way of either one. Yes, that was Mr. T.

Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you hoping tomorrow's post is less heavy, until next time...

Change it up!!!!

Sometimes I find it hard to stick with the same workout (or type) day after day after day after day. I have some sort of inability to keep it going WELL enough where I get something out of it. I lose motivation and drive when it gets monotonous. Not only does my mind get bored, my body does, too. The point where the workouts get too easy or I feel like I could do the workout without the video, that is the point where I need to change it up.

I have listed in previous posts the various things I do to workout. Sometimes, it is just as simple as swapping out an evening workout with a nice long and brisk walk. I feel like I'm doing my body a favor by using different muscles and letting the ones I continuously use, take a break.

I have been having trouble with my abs. I have never had this much trouble before, using and strengthening and actually feeling sore from ab work. I can only pinpoint the issue to one thing and that would be the c-section. TurboFire has a couple of different abdominal and core workouts that I do, but even if I do them slowly and at my own pace, I hardly feel anything except for when I am actually doing it and I am swearing and whisper screaming. (This is when Brett is hollering down the stairs, "you okay, honey?!" I reply, "yeah! Abs." He responds, "Okay. Well, don't hurt yourself!") So, I am going to change it up and see if other ab workouts that I own can do the trick. I'm weird like that where I NEED to feel sore in my abs to know it is working. Otherwise, I could be using my back muscles and with have a nice Quasimodo hump before I know it. So, I'm going to go back to START SMALL and see what I can do.

I'm already contemplating my next move after TurboFire and I really want to do Insanity. I have built up the confidence to tackle what I used to believe was impossible for me. Then, I also think about bumping it up to the advanced TurboFire or adding ChaLean Extreme and mixing that in with TurboFire. Orrrr going for another round of TurboFire because I now know what to expect. Or even reuniting with Billy and his newer TaeBo series. Reunited and it feels so good!!! I go back and forth and really don't know what to do. I've got a few more weeks before a decision has to be made and if I need to contact my BeachBody Rep or what I'm going to do. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

If I choose something other than TurboFire, I will be back to START SMALL again. I'm okay with that. All of this is now just a part of my life and how I roll that it just feels natural now.

Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you trying to get that "reunited" song out of your head, until next time...

The Drive You Don't Know You Have

Since starting this blog, I have been sought out by multiple family members and friends about ideas, suggestions and advice on what to do to START SMALL. Depending on the person and my own, non-professional, but experienced in the home workouts knowledge, I usually recommend starting with Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. I like it because it covers a lot of muscle groups in a shorter amount of time. Perfect to START SMALL. Moreover, it is inexpensive and there are three different levels, so you can work your way up.

For most people, it isn't WHAT to do, but HOW to do it and KEEP doing it. I would like to think that all the people that have asked for my advice are serious about starting something up because they see me as someone more like them and can see me achieving goals and making it work with my busy schedule. Some may need someone to just show them something they might like to get them going. I wouldn't have found TurboFire if my old friend hadn't suggested it. (Thank you, again!!!)

I have one particular family member that quite a few years ago was working TWO full-time jobs. Wow. That is serious dedication and drive right there. This person hardly slept and when this person did, she was out. This person was known to be so deep in sleep and carry on a conversation where you couldn't tell that she really wasn't awake. You would tell her to go back to sleep and minutes later, she would be frantic trying to remember if she had done what she was supposed to do before she fell asleep the first time. Did you catch all that? Good.

This brings me to my first point. Sleep. Sleep is so incredibly important to staying motivated. Think about it. When you get less and less sleep every night, do you find it harder and harder to concentrate and stay on task? Eventually, I give up and give in to resting up. With plenty of rest, you already have one excuse to NOT use. With plenty of rest, you are probably more likely to get up and do something for yourself. With plenty of rest, you are able to execute workouts better and avoid injuries. With plenty of rest, you are less likely to become ill. With plenty of rest, you are more likely to stay motivated and focused. Keep the sleeping part in the back of your mind while you read the next part.

Okay, back to my sleep-deprived family member. Alright, so after doing this working two jobs thing for quite some time, I visited this family member one day. I happened to notice that the latest Windor Pilates set was sitting on her counter, unopened. Me, being a junkie on infomercials even back then, asked about it with a certain sense of jealousy. This is how the conversation went:
Me: You got Windsor Pilates?!?!?!?!
Family Member: Oh, boy, did I.
M: You have tried it already???
F: Umm, no. Here's what happened. You know how I fall asleep on the couch after work and stay there sometimes until 3 or 4 in the morning with the TV on?
M: Uh-huh...
F: So, about a week ago, I was asleep on the couch. I woke up and the TV was on and just couldn't shake Windsor Pilates out of my mind. I kept thinking how great it was for my body and how wonderful of a workout it was, so I turned off the TV and went to bed.
M: Uh-huh...
F: The next morning, I get up only to find my purse with my credit card out sitting by the phone. I was thinking that there is no way I actually ordered that! Today, there was a package on the front steps and it was confirmation that I had ordered it in my sleep.
M: (uncontrolled laughter)

Remember what I said about sleep? Put that in your back pocket. I want to also mention that before this family member quit her second job, she also ordered the Ab Roller in her sleep. I actually got to try this one out for a while, not bad, but not stellar, either.

Anyway, this family member has asked me about what she should do to START SMALL. No, I did NOT tell her to bust out the Windsor Pilates or the Ab Roller. I think she has the drive to get herself into the workout mode, just doesn't know where to begin. Hello?! She ordered workout stuff in her sleep! If she could have gotten herself to actually workout in her sleep, you can color me jealous as hell. I have always said I would love it if someone would come and move my arms and legs while I slept. Sounds perfect to me. She may have the drive, but she just needs the motivation and discipline to get it done. I believe she does have it and can do it, if she just gets herself into the habit of doing it. If she does like Chalene says and makes her workouts non-negotiable, she will be just fine!! DO YOU HEAR ME?!?! I know you do. :)

I recommended Jillian to this family member to do. It might be a little bit of a challenge, but I am confident in her ability to do it because she is pretty active already and I really think she could handle it since she is in good physical shape. Again, DO YOU HEAR ME?! YOU CAN DO THIS?!

As a side note, if you do start a workout that is on DVD, I strongly recommend watching it and go through the motions at least once before jumping in. This should help you to know what to expect and to avoid injury. TurboFire has a "New To Class" feature that pauses the actual workout to show the breakdown. Most DVDs do not have this feature.

START SMALL. Plan your workout. Sleep well. Execute your plan. YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you wondering if this is a true story, yes, my friends, it is indeed a true story and until next time...

A flaw with calorie counters???

I have talked about Calorie Count before and how much I love it. I still do love it because it gives me a GREAT estimate on my daily caloric intake, which helps me make good food choices.

A coworker and I have recently found a slight issue with this calorie counter. I cannot speak for My Fitness Pal because I have not used it enough to be knowledgeable about it. I only can speak about Calorie Count. My coworker is in week four of Insanity as I type this post and I am in week six of TurboFire. Each of us started using Calorie Count prior to starting our respective workout schedules. After a few weeks, each of us was noticing that our weight wasn't coming off. When you start the Calorie Count, you input your weight, height, goal weight, etc etc. It calculates the amount of calories you need per day and also your main nutrients.

PIC #2 asked me during this time about my protein intake around this time. She had since found out about the recommended protein intake as well as carbs and fats. Well, after I did the protein calculator she had, I found I was EXTREMELY low on protein. Come to find out that the more intense a workout is (as Insanity and TurboFire are), the more protein you need to replenish your body.

I shared this information with my coworker who also found that he was deficient on protein. Since then, he and I have been on a better losing scale.

What Calorie Count doesn't take into account is these more intense workouts. I am sharing this information because more people are doing these types of workouts and may not know these things. I sure didn't know!! That doesn't say a whole lot, I know.

PIC #2 is using protein shots. No, not the shots like with a syringe, but as in tequila or vodka shots. She gets 26 grams of protein per shot. She got it in fruit punch flavor and said the taste is okay, not so bad that she can't handle it once a day. I didn't know if I could stomach the fruit punch flavor because when I had to do my glucose tests when I was pregnant, I picked fruit punch flavor because I don't generally drink anything that flavor so if the flavor was ruined, I wouldn't mind. Bummer for me three years later. Not to mention that a case of 6 is ten dollars and that isn't even a quarter of the protein I need in a day.

I looked at other options for protein and picked up a barrel of whey protein. Strawberry flavored. Not the greatest, but definitely not the worst.

I have also tried a couple of different protein bars. And let me tell you, with a peanut allergy, it is REALLY hard to find protein bars that don't have peanuts, almonds, defattened peanut flour and the list goes on and on. I found a couple of bars that weren't bad. They were 22 grams each, but they tasted like Kit Kat wafers covered in a strange waxy kind of what I think was a kind of chocolate in again a weird waxy way.

I also discovered Gatorade has a protein drink. I'm not a big fan of Gatorade, but thought I would give it a shot. I tried Kiwi Strawberry and holy balls, it was awful. Awful, I tell you. AWFUL!! I wanted to gargle with gasoline. I was chugging it with my nose plugged and breathing through my mouth so I wouldn't have to taste it. It tasted like the smell of band-aids. Seriously. Awful.

I've tried just about every single Greek yogurt there is. Let me say that there is something about Greek yogurt that tastes a lot like sour cream. The only Greek yogurts that I can actually stomach are the Yoplait and Chobani. Both are good for sour cream tasting yogurt.

Noosa is another yogurt that I find sinfully delicious. I would like to publicly thank the friend who brought this to my attention. Not only do I scope it out at the store and stare at it in a dream-like sequence, I find it really hard to eat one serving at a time. Thanks, NO, thanks. By the way and off topic, this yogurt brought to my attention by the same person that pushed me while we were roller skating about 3.5 years ago. Another VERY true story. Anyhoo, the strawberry rhubarb flavor is my favorite and is an excellent source of protein. Not great for the calories and the moment I tasted it, I knew there wasn't anything light about it. So good. I'm drooling thinking about it.

I am also fond of Slim Fast high protein powder. I can get a lot of other vitamins and nutrients from it with one scoop. Thanks, Tommy Lasorda, thanks.

The point of this post is to make you aware of more than just counting calories, but make sure your overall nutrition is well balanced. Everything in moderation, EVERYTHING, I say! EVERYTHING!!!!

Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you who like to push your friends down while they are roller skating, until next time...

Let's Talk Food!!!!!!!

My entire family is about food. More importantly, GOOD food. When I mean my entire family, I really mean my ENTIRE family. I am pleased to say that most family members and my maternal grandma with a push from others, has switched out a lot of their ingredients for more healthy options.

I truly do believe in EVERYTHING IN MODERATION. Generally speaking, I don't feel deprived. I make good choices and indulge every once in a while. If I do indulge more than once in a while, I find that I am satisfied with smaller amounts. Did I also mention that my maternal grandmother has NUMEROUS freezers at her house stock-piled with home-cooked food? True story.

I haven't had to change much about what I cook for supper, either. I have found that MOST (definitely not all) things that I cook are providing necessary and essential nutrients. I believe that most bodies need a little of everything to function properly.

I will say that the things I have been adding to our menus more are vegetables. The sitter serves veggies with every lunch, so I figure it doesn't hurt, plus I love veggies. Now, that doesn't mean Ty and Brett actually eat the veggies, but they are served.

I recently heard from a co-worker on what she does to add vegetables to her meals. She did the 17 Day Diet and it worked great for her. She went from a size 8 to a size 2 is what I think she said. I had heard about it when a few ladies from work started it. The part that wouldn't work for me, is the part where the meal plan is very specific. Obviously being the chef and grocery shopper in the house and with my busy schedule, I don't have time to cook more than one meal at suppertime. It has worked really well for many people, though!! And I digress...apologies.

Anyhoo back to the veggies: once or twice a week, she tears lettuce and spinach and puts them into a bowl. Then, adds shredded red cabbage to the mix along with chopping all the veggies she wants in there as well. She puts it in the fridge and every night with supper, she and her husband are able to grab a bowl and fill 'em up! They eat a salad every night. She said it sucks at the time taking the time to do it a couple times a week, but do much easier when it is accessible. I am going to give it a try! Thanks, SD for the idea!!!!!

I will be trying to season ground turkey to taste more like breakfast sausage. I got a fantastic idea from another coworker to make turkey breakfast burritos. I got the egg whites and black beans, I am ready to roll!!

I love the Archer Farms salsas! They are great! I am particularly fond of the pineapple peach one, recommended by my two doors down friend. Delicious stuff! I also bought the white queso of the same brand. Wow!! I didn't know they could legally package up something that smells so much like barf and sell it. Awful.

I need to work on the meal plan for the next several days. We will have asparagus for sure because I bought some. I could eat just that. Yum. I know Brett and Ty would protest that as a meal.

Strawberries are back and so far, they have been really good. Last year, our desserts consisted of a ton of strawberries and dry jell-o, cherry flavor. Great dessert and KINDA healthy. Kinda. Only kinda.

I look forward to fresh veggies from my parents' garden. Summer can't get here fast enough for that!

I spend a lot of time at the grocery store. This is due in part to my desire to have fresh produce. I do use frozen, but love the fresh.

Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to me who is now hungry, until next time...

I totally dogged it today

I've been getting up at 4:15 to accommodate the longer workouts. Something happened to me and before I knew it, I had wasted twenty five minutes making coffee, getting water, looking through Facebook statuses and taking a poop. I finally get into the workout and what should have been a thirty-three minute cardio followed by a thirty minute sculpting, ended up as a forty some minute cardio. I got distracted trying to figure out if my pant legs were the same length and felt I needed to take the pants off in the middle of my workout to check, REWIND THE DVD. Then my sports bra is too big, must fix that until I'm happy, REWIND THE DVD. Needed to get some more water, REWIND THE DVD. Oh NOW would be a good time to switch out the laundry, REWIND THE DVD.

You have got to be kidding me, Trish. Nope, I'm not, Trish.

So, due to time constraints, I couldn't even start the sculpting class. So here I sit, two poops down, one super thick protein shake in me, one cuppa coffee as I watch "Ice Loves Coco" and blog. I feel it was a bit of waste. Although, I do love me some Ice-T and Coco!!!! Ty, on the other hand, does not and keeps saying, "no! I dunt wat it! No no no ice t and coco!" Too bad, mommy does!!!

Hey, I did think of something else to bring to you!! Every night as I am starting to fall asleep, I tell myself "I cannot wait to workout tomorrow!" Again, it is a little bit of emotional warfare on myself, but it works!!! Like a meal plan, I already know when I am going to workout and which one I am going to do.

It really helps and suppresses the dread. Believe it or not, I dread seeing 4:15 on the clock in the AM. I sooooo badly want to sleep for an hour and a half longer. I always regret sleeping in, but oddly enough never regret getting up early.

As random as I can get, my new favorite food is a baked potato topped with cottage cheese and organic guacamole. Sounds weird, but it is incredibly filling, high in protein and it tastes really good!!

Signing off for now, to all of you near and far and to those of you wondering how I came to put cottage cheese and guac on a tater, until next time...