Failing diets and getting attacked by tents....a strange Sedona weekend.

Feeling somewhat disappointed in myself that I had a HUGE cheat day yesterday. I really didn't have much of a choice though, unless I wanted to starve all day....and I ain't about that life!!!

I woke up in my Sedona hotel, excited about our $35 room credit that I was about to blow on breakfast in bed! Then of course, not a single thing on the menu, besides a fruit plate, worked for my diet. So I ordered the fruit plate and it held me over...for about 20 minutes. So one of my beautiful teammates gave me her fruit plate....I ate  A LOT of fruit. Wasn't feeling too hot after that...

We get to our event and I'm about to pass out I'm so hungry (It's about 1pm at this point and I have still only had fruit). Our contact offered us lunch and of course I jumped right on it. We walk into the banquet room.....PIZZA! I didn't even care. Scarfed 3 pieces. You can only imagine how I felt afterwards. I could barely move lol LOSE - LOSE.

3 hours into the event, we were in the home stretch, we were walking from the golf course back to our table. So Sedona has the big cotton trees everywhere and there was a slight breeze so there were pieces of cotton flying around everywhere, super wierd. Well, as we walked back the breeze picked up and all of a sudden this pop up tent covering a table of food, started moving with the wind but away from us towards the golf course. All within like 5 seconds, the wind shifts and all of the cotton starts to swirl like a twister and the pop up tent gets picked up by the wind and THROWN directly at us, knocking three of us to the ground. I opened my eyes to see the top of the tent and had a panic attack clawing my way out from underneath it. I get up on both feet, my teammate following me, while many of the employees spring to grab the tent and pick it up. Mind you, the wind is still actin' a fool so the tent is fighting them back. Then we realized that one of our own was still underneath the tent, not getting up.

It was a huge ordeal and quite a frightening one. The ambulance arrived and transported myself (uninjured) and my injured teammate, Emily, to the emergency room. A CT scan, 3 x-rays, and a few hours later, we leave the hospital (with the exception of Emily who was kept overnight with her Fiance), all of us just dumbfounded at the days events.

Emily is doing better, no serious injuries that we know of yet, just in a lot of pain! Keep her in your thoughts!

Safe to say it was a day for the books. As far as the diet goes...I'm starting over today! YAY! Wish me luck!

<3 Lo

Happy Draft Day!!

Quick confession, my last post that I just posted 30 seconds ago was written two nights ago and I apparently didn't post it soooo I did right now. lol I get tired sometimes.

Day 2 of my virgin diet went something like this...
Pre-Workout breakfast - Brown rice cake with almond butter and raisins
Breakfast - VD Protein Smoothie
       Black coffee (Hilstone's Hazelnut cream flavor with some honey YUM!!)
Snack - Carrots, Celery, Hummus
Lunch - "The Bowl" Brown rice, non-starchy veggies, black beans, avocado
Snack - Lara bar (blueberry!), applesauce, apple, almonds
Dinner - Oats and berries (breakfast for dinner!)

Today is Day 3 so I'm treating myself with some Kombucha! Last night at work, I resisted french fries (which for those that don't know are the best fries on the planet) and our delish sea salt cookies! Then this morning I found a bunch of Red Vines in my bag from camp last week and tossed them in the garbage! lol Feel that WILLPOWER!!!! :)

So today is Draft Day for the NFL! Always an exciting day!! That means that the annual Draft Day  party will be held at the University of Phoenix Stadium where they will have fun, food, drinks, entertainment and will be airing the NFL Draft on a big screen! The Cardinals Cheerleaders will be performing at 4:30! Come join the fun! Good luck to all the athletes out there!

GO CARDINALS!!

<3 Lo

DIETING?! UGHH.

I don't normally like the term "diet" and I usually do not participate in "diets" as I feel that the term seems like a temporary idea. I usually just choose to live a healthy lifestyle. 

Howeverrrrrrr.... more often then not, I experience frustrating symptoms that I cannot seem to get rid of. Fatigue, brain fog (spaciness), bloating, cramping, extreme cravings, to name a few. All of these interrupt my super exciting life on a day to day basis and I'm pretty sick of it.

My hair stylist told me about the Virgin Diet, a book written by JJ Virgin. It is basically an 8 week diet that revolves around the top 7 most common food allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Soy, Eggs, Peanuts, Corn, and Sugar/Artificial Sweeteners. For 3 weeks you eliminate these 7 foods completely from your diet. After the 3 weeks, you reintroduce them one at a time to see how your body reacts and discover what you are intolerant to and what causes most of these symptoms.

I see it, not only as a way to get healthier and hopefully get rid of my symptoms. but also as a HUGE test of will. If you know me at all, you know I have pretty low self control when it comes to food. This is the perfect way to prove to myself that I am strong enough to pass up the potato chips and dessert!!

Tonight was my first test! I declined cheese and crackers (one of my faves), chips and french onion dip (YUMM!), and a pinwheel wrap which looked delish. I'm so proud and I'm even more motivated!!! The cravings are rough but I'm thinking after day 3 they'll get better.

Day 1:
Breakfast - The Virgin Diet breakfast shake
Snack - Lara Bar and natural apple sauce
Lunch - Spinach and quinoa salad loaded with non-starchy veggies
Snack - Lara Bar (I indulged and had another...), a few almonds, fresh fruit
Dinner - Tilapia pan fried with garlic powder and cayenne pepper, sauteed aparagus and 1/2 a sweet potato!

To stay focused and keep track of what I'm eating, I will be posting my daily progress! Feel free to join me on this fun little project! :)

<3 Lo

For more info on the diet...
http://thevirgindiet.com/

Whole Foods should be called Whole Income.

Tomorrow will be Day 1 of my second attempt at the Virgin Diet. In an effort to make this go around a success, I went grocery shopping at Whole Foods....

$180 later...

I seriously am appalled that they can get away with that! It should not break the bank to eat organically and healthy. It's a rip off. I'm gonna try real farmer's markets next time....

I'm going to start doing a lot of research on eating clean and saving money and writing about it on my blog. Ain't nobody got money for that!

I do feel motivated now that I have a stocked pantry though :) 

I mapped out my whole first week of meals so that I can get this started off on the right foot! LET THE CRAVINGS BEGIN. 

Wish me luck!

<3 Lo

 

It's All Good

I am gonna blog more. I love blogging. I am going to make more time for it. 

So you know those days that start off a little rocky, like something happens that tries to push you over the edge. For example, a school bus parking right behind you and the bus driver getting out and leaving the bus parked there. RUDE! Yes this happened to me this morning. Talk about getting my blood boiling. I think it's safe to say that most pf the cars parked there are going to be parked there short term to drop kids off at the elementary school. So why would you park a bus right behind them all?! 

Of course I was forced to maneuver my way out of my parking spot with two cars parked next to me and a bus behind me. With inches to spare, I managed (I was actually quite impressed with my steering skills). All of the teachers outside were watching me like I was a crazy person. But I wasn't about to sit there and wait for this ass! Anyways, after that I was all irritated and my day was not off to the best start. 

I decided right at that moment, as I pulled out of the school, that I needed Dutch Bros Coffee! To my surprise, there was a short line at the drive thru. The girl at the window did not disappoint. So friendly and so conversational...I live for these kinds of people. I knew that they would make me feel better. I get my Skinny Caramelizer and my favorite thing about Dutch Bros Coffee is the messages on the lids of the drinks. Here was what mine said...

Instant smile...

It's the little things that make a BIG difference. 

When something tries to bring you down on a beautiful day such as this, just think.... It's All Good!

"Smile and the world smiles with you." :)

Lo

Girl on fire

WAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! That's literally how I feel right now!!! I have so much excitement and positive energy that I can barely contain myself!

It's one thing to be passionate, optimistic, driven and motivating....but it's another to be in a huge room SURROUNDED by people with those same qualities. The energy fills the room and just infects you!!! I FREAKING LOVE IT!!! I want to surround myself with people like this EVERYDAY!

So pretty much every post I talk about how people have inspired me in the past and it has affected my outlook and attitude. Well, let the inspiration continue! When I had my big auditions last year, I remember feeling very similar...so mentally prepared to just take on anything standing in the way of my dream. That feeling is AMPLIFIED today!!!!!! I am so excited about what my future holds and so ready to just run after it! I feel on fire!

I am getting involved with something so HUGE that it is literally going to change my life. Hell, it already is! I can't wait to share it with every person in my life that deserves to be given the same opportunity!

FEED OFF MY ENERGY! WOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well this sucks....wait but does it really??

So, not everyday is a perfectly joyous day....that's just unrealistic to be 100% pleased with everything, everywhere, at every moment. And that is okay because that's what makes life so special...the flaws just make the good things that much greater.

For the most part though, I am a generally happy person. I do get frustrated and angry every so often...I even complain here and there. I usually find the brighter side of things sooner rather than later.

Yesterday was one of those days, that don't happen too often, but literally make you want to just break down...or they do make you break down...

Let's start with Saturday night.

I left work around midnight to go meet one of my best friends from college that came into town, when I noticed my "check tire pressure" light come on in my car. That's normal, I thought. It's happened before so I didn't make a big deal, but it was the middle of the night so I wasn't about to go to the gas station and fill my tires with air. I decided to wait until morning.

I was scheduled to work Sunday morning at 8:30am. I had tried getting it off for a youth cheerleading clinic that I was also supposed to be teaching, of course no one wants to work Sundays at 8:30am so I couldn't get it worked out. I had committed to teaching this clinic and I wasn't about to back out for a serving job...sorry bout it. I called to tell them I wasn't coming in and couldn't get my shift covered and obviously they weren't happy, but whatever time to go to this clinic!

I went to the gas station, filled my tank then my tires. Went back to check the pressure of the first tire and it was already low again. WELL SHIT! Of course I called my daddy who always knows what to do. I went in the gas station and got some fix a flat. It took forever to fill the tire and then it didn't inflate.

Meanwhile, my GM is calling me to tell me that if I don't show up for my shift then I will be suspended for a week. That's the last thing I want to hear when my tire is flat, I am supposed to be in Glendale in 30 minutes, aaaaand I just paid off the late fees from February rent and March rent is due in a week! So there I am, at a gas station with a fix-a-flat can and tears streaming down my face. The cashier was so sweet and kept coming to see if I needed help! (I love nice people!)

So my daddy came to my rescue and gave me his car to take to the clinic while he figured out what happened. So for a little bit I could breathe.

The clinic was a blast. I just love teaching little kids. They are so funny for one, and I love being able to instill ambition in their hearts. I was blessed enough to have been raised to be ambitious and it's the greatest gift I could ever ask for. So passing it on to today's youth is such an honor.

My day felt better now.

Then I got back in the car and called to see how the car was.... Turns out I had, not ONE flat tire, but TWO! Both the front tires, oh and they were punctured in the sidewall. (AKA - they were slashed). Oh, and not the back tires that already needed replacing, but the brand new front ones. I immediately started bawling. Why would someone do this to me?? What have I done to make anyone feel that upset with me?? Was it a random act? Or is someone out to get me?? Was it road rage?! AHHH!!! I couldn't get a grip and I was upset all over again! Did I mention that it happened to be mine and Ozzie's (Ozzie is my car) 1 year anniversary!? Poor Ozzie....

It was the first time in a really long time that I could sincerely not wait for the day to be over. Ew, no me gusta!!! Each day is a gift! Shouldn't be wasted with feelings like that.

The day winded down with a couple of glasses of wine and a belated birthday dinner with my amazing best friend that finally came back to town! By the end of the day...I thought it was an awful day. But looking at the bigger picture...It wasn't all that bad, it sucked yeah, but it wasn't THAT bad.

Today was better. I felt somewhat stressed out wondering how I'm going to pay my rent on time with not working for a week. I decided to draw oracle cards. Some people find these so silly, and they may be, but they turned my whole attitude right side up! The cards I drew were so spot on, I was so inspired that I started crying (lol I'm somewhat emotional).

My first card said "Express Your Individuality" It told me to not be afraid to be myself, or supress my thoughts and ideas just because I fear that people may not be accepting or in agreement.

Then I drew 3 cards, one for past, present, and future. The first card said "Perfect Timing." AHH! The situation that I am dealing with was a perfect time for me to redirect my attention to the things I should be focusing on and haven't given the time to. The second card was "Who do you need to forgive?" Interesting, how about the ass that slashed my tires?? I don't know what their motives were, but it feels a lot better to forgive. The last card said "Get Some Exercise." Exercising is exactly what clears my head, motivates me in all aspects of my life, aaaaand what I need to be doing to prep for auditions! HELLO!! My card reading was so motivating. I loved it. I had an incredibly productive day today.

And then, as the day came to a close, I went to browse facebook and this video is what I stumbled upon...

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=4665310111071

This is the type of person that I want to surround me. How incredible is he? So inspiring. I hope that everyone gets the opportunity to watch this and takes a quick look into themselves and ask if they are appreciative of their life and of how great it really is. Because the bottom line is...it's really not that bad!

I hope to someday be as inspiring to people as the guy in this video is to me.