Showing posts with label Tone It Up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tone It Up. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

My Otter Half

Want to spread some love on Valentine's Day? Here's a few fun-lovin' things for V-Day 2012!

Here is a sketch I planned on coloring before today, but life has been pretty crazy lately! For those of you who don't know, my dad went in for surgery last week for prostate cancer and is home recovering...so far, so good! The Bocks really enjoy kicking cancer in the tuchus.

Happy V-Day to all my loves...


Also, try this workout today if you want to feel the burn on this Valentine's Day! It is harder than it looks...and the girls are super-cute!


Another way to share the love today? Email Love Grown Foods today with your address (LOVE@lovegrownfoods.com with 'VDAY LOVE' as the subject), and they will send you (and your Valentine!) a free bag of their granola. Yesssssss.


Doing anything fun for V-Day? I am celebrating by eating chocolate and doing a Barre class and some yoga. ;)

xoxoxo

And congrats to all my Tone It Uppers who finished their 7 Day Slim Down today. You girls rock!
As for the Slim Down, today is technically my last day....but I have not been following the plan as closely as intended. Which is okay! I ate cleaner and more raw, but still had some diversions in the form of chocolate, Greek yogurt, wine, quinoa, peanut butter...and even with that, I still have a tighter belly and lost some bloat. The effects of this plan are amazing, and I can't even imagine what they are like if you actually stick to it for the week. After the first four days, I felt great and was ready to incorporate my carb-loves back into my life...plus, my workout routine is too intense not to. I will definitely do the Slim Down before my vacation in March, but for now, this mini-SD was exactly what I needed. <3


Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Super Bowl, Slim Down, and a Fashion Question

Super Bowl

So my Super Bowl menu was pretty great...even if the Pats didn't win.


Luckily, Coop didn't jump off a ledge...although I was nervous there for a second.


Gronk (my fellow Arizona alum) fans!

The day started off with a veggie-filled omelette, one of Coop's specialties. I sauteed, he chopped the onion....my most-hated kitchen job!!!....and then I left the rest up to him.




Um, how do boys make such perfect omelettes? Mine NEVER stay together this beautifully. I will keep him.

Much wine and beer was consumed alongside all of this:

Buffalo Chicken Eggrolls! 
Pepper Jack Tostitos, Homemade Pita Chips,
and a healthified Spinach, Artichoke, and Feta Dip

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie....dough. YUM.

Layered Taco Dip, Eggrolls, and a Creeper
Let me know if you want any of the recipes!


Tone It Up 7 Day Slim Down


Thanks to all of the amazing indulgences via my past weekend, today is my first day of the Tone It Up 7 Day Slim Down. Not trying to lose any weight, but I am going to follow the plan as best as possible in order to prime myself to eat more Lean, Green, and Clean. It'll help get rid of that bloated feeling and  will help make healthy, clean eating even more of a habit. This is a bit of a test run, as I plan on doing the Slim Down again before my Vegas vacation (flights booked! Woop woop!) to detox and tighten up a bit before a glorious week of bikinis, drinks, and little dresses. Oh, and I plan on indulging hardcore at my favorite chef's restaurant. Mesa Grill!



Somehow I have never been here despite my insane love for Las Vegas, Bobby Flay and southwestern food.


Tonight I plan on taking an idea from Bess (she is on day two of her second 7DSD...her posts about it are great!) and making enough protein pancakes for the week and freezing them so that I can just microwave them in the morning. Easy peasy. 


I only wish mine could look as pretty as hers.




Oops.


Any Tone It Up girls out there, let me know if you are doing the Slim Down this week! I know a lot of people are doing it to finish off strong in the Toned In '12 Challenge (and just in time for Valentine's Day).


Fashion Question


Quick question to my fashionista readers who are much more savvy than me when it comes to this stuff:


I have a $100 J.Crew gift card. I collect lots of bracelets (big layering fiend) and I have loved this since I saw it on {av}'s blog...




I think it may be pretty to layer with this Marc By Marc Jacobs one that I have. Or it may be overkill?



BUT! I have also been wanting a new "statement" necklace, and I kinda like this one.




What do you think? I am envisioning my vacation and which I would want to wear more.


Have a fabulous day!!! xoxo




Of Possible Interest: (Artsy ones!)

Friday, January 27, 2012

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.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

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