More About Tone It Up and HAPPY FRIDAY!

Verdict so far on Tone It Up?

Besides making me want to buy everything Oakley,

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these uber-fit girls also make a mean Nutrition Plan and serve as amazing role models and inspiration.

Okay, so I don't follow the plan perfectly by any means...I pretty much already eat the way their "maintenance" nutrition plan is most of the time, and as I am pretty active and also am not looking to lose any weight, I don't follow some of the stricter guidelines as perfectly.

Case in point? Along with my kale/onion/tomato/quinoa/mushroom/bean/balsamic/EVOO salad today,

I am also having a Caprese Burger (mozz! tomato! basil! pesto! yum!) and some sweet potato fries.

I also have dinner chillin' in the CrockPot at home, a black bean, ground turkey, and sweet potato chili inspired by Gina's.

If I was following the TIU plan, they do not promote certain types of foods after the afternoon hours hit. However, I know my body, and the types of foods that I need, and why I crave certain ones. "Diet" in the sense of restricting certain foods completely and calorie-counting will never be in my vernacular or lifestyle. Like I said, since I am very active fitness-wise 5-6 days out of the week, I need a decent caloric intake due to the intense cardio and lifting in order to keep my energy up, blood sugars up, and metabolism hummin'. I know what works for me...but that doesn't mean I can't learn how to eat smarter!

What I do love about the plan is that Karena and Katrina have really built a super healthy and yet totally doable platform of eating. They teach you how to combine foods to get the right proteins and vitamins absorbed into your body, and encourage a 5-meal-a-day plan...so you still get to eat...a lot! They basically teach you to eat like an athlete. I love the fact that they are all about health, and not "skinny." Fit is beautiful! I also am loving the recipes they have, and lots of other tips and tricks. Their Meta-D drink is a metabolism boosting concoction that I just tried for the first time today and I love it...definitely felt more alert afterwards. They also encourage what they call a morning "Booty Call," which is essentially just getting your butt out of bed a little earlier and getting moving, somehow, someway, whether it is a doggy walk or a workout, in order to get your metabolism goin'. I already feel more energized since I decided to join the team and have been trying some new things I have learned via Tone It Up. I also plan on doing their 7 Day Slimdown, exclusive to the Nutrition Plan, before my Vegas vaycay at the end of March. Just a little extra tightening up before a week of afternoon sun sessions (just bought my new bikini for it!) and itty-bitty Vegas dresses. Oh, Vegas, how I have missed you.

What it also has done for me so far is motivate me to be more aware of my eating, how often I eat, and what types of foods I eat and when. I am not going to become a food-Nazi at any point, but it has been interesting to notice that I eat very carb-heavy. I was also surprised at how many veggies I actually eat throughout the day, and I have upped that even more the past week. K & K urge you to eat "Lean, Clean & Green" as much as possible, and remind you that if you take off Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from exercise and healthy eats, that is half of the month! Overall, TIU will positively impact my lifestyle eating and help me to make smarter (and still tasty!) choices.

Of course, if you know me, you know I love my beer, wine, pizza, chocolate, and of course, ice cream. And while I limit myself with those (I don't eat them everyday), they are not going anywhere...don't you worry.

Work hard, play hard. I work hard to keep my body healthy and fuel it with the foods it needs and deserves...aaaand because of that discipline, I never feel guilty about indulging. If you restrict yourself from certain things, you just may go balls to the wall and eat your body weight in it when you get a chance. So...when I want a cookie, or three, I go for it. All about BALANCE, mes amis!

Overall, I really think it is a wonderful program, and I look forward to seeing and feeling the positive changes in my body and well-being. If you have any questions about Tone It Up, feel free to email me!

Sorry for the word-heavy post! Hope you all have a wonderful Friday...another yoga sesh tonight (tried hot yoga last night for the first time...LOVE), and it benefits the Humane Society. 'Cuz our furry friends need some lovin' too!

(I may or may not be creating a yoga animal series veryyyy soon...keep your eyes peeled! :) )


xoxoxo, Happy Weekend!!!


And don't forget...free shipping in my Society6 shop through Sunday! You know you want a duck hoodie.

Tone It Up!

So I finally did it....

After months of following the Tone It Up girls via their website and learning some great tips and motivation, I decided to finally take the plunge and join the Tone It Up team!

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(TIU Facebook Page)

Although I love my workout routine and mostly know how and what foods to eat (yet I am no registered dietician or nutritionist....helloooo, I went to art school!), I think I opted to finally join due to the community support. I know having that extra motivation will help to lead an even healthier life, and I really look forward to learning some new things along the way. I have heard only amazing things about the effectiveness of the program, and with aspirations of having fitness and nutrition become an even bigger part of my life this year (become a certified instructor? Maybe?), I think this was a great decision. I look forward to being immersed within a community that is passionate about the same ideals!

Plus, just look at these two!

Katrina & Karena.....my girl crushes.

If you are interested, you can see info about their plan here. Their website has tons of amazing workouts, recipes, videos, and other tips and tricks. And if you join the plan, you have exclusive life-time access to their lifestyle eating plans, workout guides, their famous "7 Day Slim Down" (so pumped for that!), and regular updates, as well as access to their members-only online community. Guess I will be utilizing Twitter more....

I am sure you will be hearing more about it as I join in with these girls and start to live an even healthier, fitter, toned-up life (of course, with my same mentality of "work hard, play hard;" alcohol and occasional treats are necessary for my sanity!). And I am very, very excited.

xoxoxo

Thumbprint Wedding Guestbook!

....that is what I worked on last week!

Can't say it is my original idea...there are a slew of them on sale by different artists on Etsy. A friend of mine contacted me to see if I could make one in time for her friend's wedding shower tomorrow.

And so I accepted; I thought it is a super cool idea! Of course, I put my own spin on it. And threw in a couple love birds.

(Photoshopped some green thumbprints on it to see what it could look like. It could look pretty with different greens and even pink....like flower blossoms! Or red, yellow, and orange for a fall wedding.)

This particular one is 16" x 20" and can hold roughly 150 thumbprints, give or take. Put a pretty frame on it, and you are good to go! Fun gift for a wedding or baby shower or any other event where you would want a guestbook.

Let me know if you are interested in a thumbprint guestbook! I can hook you up. ;)

**UPDATE: These are now for sale on my new Etsy site!**


Have a happy Friday, friends! I'm enjoying mine with a Dunkin' Donuts Hazelnut cawf and some particularly awful DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness.....thanks, heavy bag!).

xoxoxo

Rest Days

Hello there!

Finally back into the swing of things....regular gym-going, healthier eats, more arting.

Veggies, get back in my life.

My newest flavor love, Chobani Apple Cinnamon.

Lots of the best flavor of Larabar (thanks to chocolate chips, this is the winner).

My black bean soup!

Saturday we had a little party for my mama's birthday.

For prep, Friday night was shopping trip number one for our food necessities. I dragged Allie along with me to WalMart, where we found Oscar (Allie's boyfriend, if you are new to the blog).

An uncanny resemblance to our Oscar. We also found some pantyhose on the wasabi popcorn. Uhhh?

To add to our adventure, I had to climb a fixture in order to get the last bottle of lime juice. Unfortunately, the only pictures we have of that are mental ones.

After some kickass BodyCombat and BodyPump classes the next morning, I headed to the grocery store to pick up some last minute things for the night.

Family and friends came over for the football games, complete with my parent's homemade wings and lots of pizza. I also made some buffalo chicken eggrolls and my buffalo dip (we had buffalo chicken on buffalo chicken!!!) and they were pretty tasty.

She even got a froggy funfetti cake (she collects frogs).

It was lovely and I think my mama had a fun birthday!

Sunday is normally my exercise rest day, where I can usually be found taking Koda for a nice long walk and/or spending the day watching football in Philly in my yoga pants.....sans the yoga.

And I did both of those things this Sunday. Starting with The Monster's walk (he's a ferocious beast, I know).

Along with a little drawing. Although I usually limit my alcohol consumption to once (occasionally twice) a week, a leisurely beer or two is usually consumed on Sunday. Like this week's local microbrew:

Obviously.

The brewery is in Allentown, where Coop's alma mater is located. Muhlenberg!

I did take off Monday from the gym as well, which is usually a BodyPump class and some cardio. I just wasn't feeling it yesterday; I was absolutely exhausted after work (didn't have off for MLK like all of you luckies!) and in a bit of a weird funk and just wanted to lay on the couch all night and take a bath. Definitely my body's way of begging for some extra recovery time after a hard week at the gym and a double sesh on Saturday morning, so that wish was gladly granted. That means I had time to scour some new magazines for recipes that I want to try.

^Had to buy this one due to this show (please watch this;....you are welcome):

Our new obsession on the Food Network. And my new obsession with the extreme weirdness that is Aaron Carter.

But I ended up loving Every Day with Rachael Ray...who knew! This thing is chock-full of awesome recipe ideas that are organized so well. Can't wait to try my spin on many of them.

Plus, I needed my rest. It will be an exciting week at the gym...new BodyCombat launch tonight with all of the instructors, and a new class on Wednesdays called Fight Club! So I got to buy these pretty little things:

As time goes on, I am becoming more and more passionate about becoming a certified instructor/trainer. Something that is a huge goal of mine for the year. I am just loving the way these classes have been transforming my body! And I am loving being back in a class mode and pushing myself to the max...reminds me of my dancing days.

Other two big goals for this year? Getting my finances in order and trying to consolidate some things, and to move out! These are all very doable, and I am in super-saver mode. Which means my extensive Lululemon collection is going to have to stay content in its current state at the moment. No new additions. That is, unless I find the perfect long sleeve tech shirt in the perfect color...

Some illustration coming at ya later this week!

xoxoxo



How often do you take rest days? Usually 1-2 days on a normal week for me, unless I am traveling/on vacation. I get grumpy when I don't work out!

Empire State vs. Chrysler Building

NYC is magical....

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....even when you make a trip just to get away from it all.

I didn't know that was possible in New York, but we just had the best mini-getaway.

Our main mission: to not have any plans. To have no distractions. No temptations to "just run to the gym real quick" or  having roommates and doggies running amok. It was just the two of us, toting overnight bags and two bottles of champagne, two hours from home, with aspirations of ordering room service and watching the Food Network.

And that we did.

It involved the best "frickles" I have ever had.

Spinach and artichoke dip and a ridiculous(ly good) chicken burger with sundried tomato aioli.

And red wine.

Hey, reflection!

And thanks to his and hers iPhones (um, do they do everything?), we found a nearby jazz club once we decided to stop being lazy. Where I am pretty sure they thought we were someone we were not. Treated like royalty (it was super funny but super weird) and the owner wanted a picture with us...

I like his "JAZZ" pin...and not sure what is happening with our hair. Just roll with it.

Then we ventured back to the hotel, where we decided we should take advantage of the 24-hr access to the rooftop.

Where we proceeded to argue for a good twenty minutes + about which was the Chrysler Building and which was the Empire State Building.
(Does anyone else think of the song from Annie when they hear "Chrysler Building?")

(I may or may not have been wrong...)

A leisurely brunch after checkout in the morning before the mad rush of the Giants game...

Southwestern egg burrito and Bloody Marys. Duh.

Said goodbye to our friend the Empire State Building.

And came home to this guy.

We decided this shall be a "calm-after-the-holiday-storm" tradition....it was absolutely perfect and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Already looking forward to next year.

But for now? Happy 2012...

I have huge aspirations to make this the best year yet. So far?