Hydration

My new favorite hydration bottle!

It is stainless steel (does not taste like stainless steel) & made by Thermos called Thermax, found at Target.

LOVE IT!

It keeps liquid cold for 12 hours!

And I will use it this winter for my

herbal tea keeping it toasty warm.

So how much do I drink?

To be honest, I really don't know.

However, I have this with me constantly! I drink A LOT!

I don't think we realize how thirsty our bodies really are.

I enjoyed reading this article found at the Mayo Clinic site...

Click here.

I like to think of it as this... drink 1/2 your weight in ounces.

For example for someone who weighs 150,

they'd drink 75 oz a day.

Swim Lessons

I've been checking on Adele (our adopted mother duck)each day since she took up residency in my landscaping. She is such a good mama. I think she really likes it here. Who wouldn't? For one, we've been feeding her bread & crackers & two, just imagine a bright crayon yellow canopy of lilies as the roof over your head. BEAUTIFUL!

She's been there rain or shine, patiently sitting & waiting.

Four days ago her eggs began to hatch. There they were being welcomed into this world by on-lookers of the Summers Clan. We were SO excited! Little did we know there were so many in their clan!

Two days ago (Sat.) I went to check on her. She was gone. Immediately Sophie & I grabbed our bikes & raced around the corner to the frog pond. I knew it! There she was giving each little 'ball of puff' their first swimming lesson. With the binoculars & camera in hand we sat for over an hour watching one event unfold after another!

Look how happy she is... she's so proud of her baby ducklings. (If you click on the picture it will enlarge and you can see that she is SMILING! Truly.)

Twelve baby ducks, yes count them, TWELVE!!

Funky Fusion Part 2!

Millie invited her friends from the football team to come workout with us.... I promised I'd give their daily 5 am "practice" a run for its $! And... I did just that! I loved every minute of it! Some of those guys can MOVE!! I liked their 80's workout attire the best!

Funky Fusion!

Photos: Kimberly V Photography

Mirror Mantra

"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body."

~Joseph Addison

I've been doing a little reading lately, a fascinating book by Ernest Holmes. My favorite section of the book talked about what makes people D Y N A M I C!

(I like that word! Who doesn't want to be DYNAMIC!!!!)

DYNAMIC people send themselves positive messages.

So I chose a few.

Actually this is not a new concept to me. I've always tried to have inspirational art & quotes in my home. It stems from an experience I had when I was 5 (more on that at a later post).

So, I printed them onto smart looking cardstock, framed them, placed them strategically & then taught my girls the phrases. This is the one I've heard repeatedly out loud & they will tell you it is their favorite,

"WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL ME!"

I can't help but smile.

Encourage yourself. Remind yourself of what an amazing and dynamic person you are, especially if there is something you are trying to overcome.

A good place to start your Daily Mantra is in the morning while getting ready for the day in front of the mirror.

As you are doing your hair, brushing your teeth or putting on your make-up...

say them over & over ("insert your own mantra here").

It works.

Believe in yourself first and others will follow.

Skinny It Up Lemon Cow!

Summer in a Cup My Way!

LEMON COW

1 1/2 c. Vanilla Icecream

1 c. Lowfat Natural Vanilla Yogurt

2 c. Crushed Ice

Juice from 1/2 a lemon (more if you like)

Zest of 1 Lemon

Couple splashes of 1% milk

Blend on high!

Serve in 5 party cups with lemon slice & paper umbrella!

HERE'S THE BEST PART... Approx. 115 calories per serving!

(The original calls for soft serve ice cream & lemonade concentrate!)

My version is not only MUCH MUCH better for you but tastes better too!

New House Guest

I busted out a couple of unknown Funky Fusion moves as I walked out my front door to get the mail only to be promptly attacked by our new house guest.  A mother duck nesting in my hostas & lillies was only doing her job. I laugh now thinking about how I hysterically danced... along with a couple of yips & yelps.... ok, ok maybe more like high pitched squeals. But come on, who anticipates such a scene in a calm & peaceful suburban neighborhood as mine.

Looks like she's here to stay for the duration, at least until her young ones learn to fly. I'm thinking I should pin a sign to the porch railing above her nest warning visitors who might not be anticipating the same unexpected welcome as I.

At any rate, she now has a name.  Adele the Duck. We have come to an agreement. She is allowing me to reside in my home and collect the mail without a scene in exchange for her stay in my bushes. So far so good.

To be honest, I am anxious to see those baby ducklings who have not quite hatched yet. I am sure Adele will acquaint them with the frog pond around the corner as they grow & then waddle back all in a little row just as we see in one of our favorite childrens books, Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey. Pictures to be posted as events unfold.

A New Day

Journal Entry from July 2007

The alarm went off at 3:30 a.m. I remember being so excited! Kevin & I were in New Mexico preparing to hike Lover's Leap... just so we could watch the sunrise. We didn't have a whole lot of time. We hiked quickly in the dark. By 5 a.m. we were on top of the cliff nestled in some big boulders, an experience I knew I would never forget.

We watched in anticipation & then it happened. The sun "broke" the horizon. It was literally breathtaking. Immediately a hymn began in my head, "The daydawn is breaking, the world is awaking. The clouds of night's darkness are fleeing away. The worldwide commotion, from ocean to ocean, Now heralds the time of the beautiful day."

A new day had begun & I was there for the start of it.

Some days we are very motivated to accomplish our goals and other days we are not. Life would be wonderful if we always felt motivated on a daily basis to accomplish our dreams and our goals... but there will be days when we feel frustrated and defeated.

___________________________________________________

There will be days when you don't feel like following your eating/exercising plan. So how do motivated people stay motivated?

Their emotions don't rule them! Successful people stay motivated because they do a little each day to accomplish their goal despite how they feel. There is no magic solution for increasing motivation. You just accomplish a little each day, even on days when you don't feel good or motivated. Like the old Nike saying goes "Just Do it"! You know I am a Nike girl... always have been!

So you blew it... gained what you lost, didn't workout all week (or longer), overate, etc. If so, then wait for hunger before you eat next, workout TODAY, & for overeating, well your job is to remember how crappy you felt after doing so. It physically hurts... within seconds your stomach literally HURTS! YUCK! You don't want that.

It's a new day! The darkness will flee.

DON'T GIVE UP, IT'S A NEW DAY!

Watch you like a hawk.

My mother always use to tell me as I would walk out the front door... 

"Remember who you are!  You never know who might be watching."

Likewise, our own children watch everything we do as parents.  

Don't they? EVERYTHING!

I use to watch my parents. For example my mother would do her hair & make-up every single day. 

Sometimes towards the end of the day, I'd find her freshening her lipstick. 

I'd ask, "Where ya goin'?" 

Her reply with a smile would be, "Nowhere. Your dad is on his way home from work."

I find myself following in her footsteps & my girls asking me the same question.

"A good example is the best sermon." ~Ben Franklin

A month ago I was in Idaho with my parents. I loved having them both all to myself! 

For the first day or so my dad got out his fancy pants camera & took some shots of me. It was so fun! He loves photography & is quite good at it I might add. The photo above my mother labeled 'LadyHawk'. Look closely. My artsy parents are truly the best. I'm so grateful for their examples.

The skinny...

I was recently asked my opinion regarding the "healthy" energy drinks. (First off, thanks for asking!)

OK. 

My opinion.  Actually, I think you already know what I am going to say. I personally would not use them. Ingredients like: Cane juice is basically sugar. A variety of juices is just juice. And then there's the caffeine...... 

I would not supplement with energy drinks or the like. 

Get extra rest. Drink water and herbal tea. Recognize that our bodies do get tired...for a variety of reasons. This is the body's way of trying to talk! (I wouldn't mess with those signals, and these types of drinks will do that... make sense?).  

Your body is SMART!  

 

Let it do it's job... naturally.

My new friend...

Introducing the AMT! I love this machine! Look for one at your local gym & give it a try. It glides, it steps & relieves pressure from your knees instantly! And what a workout! I gave it a whirl yesterday as I toured Apple Creek. Much of the equiptment there like the steppers, treadmills and bikes have there own personal "theatre screens". 

Adding to my repertoire

It's official.  In addition to my existing classes at Heart of the Valley, I will be adding a class at Apple Creek. The facility is beautiful ("resort" looking).  It is surrounded by evergreens and trees, trails & wildlife all of which will be available to you (watch for more on that under "Green Fitness"). 

Join me there for Sculpting Body Blast: A total body sculpting workout to strengthen, tone & define your shoulders, arms, upper body, glutes, hips, & thighs, quads, calves & abs. This effective nonstop class uses a variety of equipment to keep you challenged & motivated with great music to keep you energized!  All levels & genders welcome.

Every Tuesday begninning June 9 @ 8:30-9:30 a.m. I'm excited to get started and bonus for me it's not far from my home! You must register. (FYI: Funky Fusion will be added this fall.) 

The doors open tomorrow June 1!  

Also, check out the outdoor skills camps like Spelunking, Eco Exploring, & Begining GPS. My girls would love those!

Nothing tastes as good as being fit feels!

You know those crazy family moments when you wonder... "How in the world did this get started?" Well, we had one of those. 

Like last Sunday for example, when one of the girls grabbed the stopwatch & next thing I knew we were taking turns racing around the outside of the house timing one another trying to "PR" (track term for breaking your own "personal record"). I made it in 31 seconds flat. I will not mention any other records, except a certain someone did it in half my time...(huh humm KEVIN!)

Here 2 days ago I walked into the kitchen to find Kevin levitating the girls on his back, their legs extended, their bodies flat as a board. Mmmmmm. I nodded my head and assessed.

"Mom! YOU DO IT! Come on it's your turn!"

Okaaaaayyy! "So what? You just hook your arms around like this & now lift... lift.... LIFT YOUR LEGS! LIFT I SAY!" 

"You can do it MOM! Here we'll help you!"

"No no. I've got this. I just have to quit laughing! Give me a sec."

Ta-dah! Be amazed! The veins in my neck popped out, all muscles contracted & the abs pulled through! Hence... the levitating began!

Coloring my World

It didn't matter what else was going to get done for the day... I had to make two stops. And how convenient for me that each stop just happened to be right next door to each other.... I needed 'raw food' and paint! A girl on a mission, that was me.

Two hours later I had $200 worth of rainbow colored food & $200 worth of gorgeous paint in 4 shades. Money well spent. I was happy, mission complete.  Well, sort of.

I got it all loaded into the house... mango's, kiwis, strawberries, blackberries, honey dew, pineapple, broccoli, green beans, avocado's, baby spinach, mushrooms & sooooo much more. 

My focus is on eating nutrient dense food, not calorie dense food. Sure, I have an allotted amount of calories I need to consume each day, but not with 'garbage'! I want as many nutrients, antioxidants, vitamins & minerals as I can possibly get each & every day. The real stuff. Raw food. Why? 

Just a few benefits:

#1: Weight loss 

#2: Increase in energy 

#3: Prevents sickness & fights disease 

#4: Natural anti-aging components 

And it tastes good! Last night after dinner I pulled out the blender & quickly threw in 2 mango's, 2 handfuls of strawberries, 2 handfuls of ice & a cup or so of vanilla soy milk.  I poured it into some fancy glasses, topped it with a T. of whipped cream and a cherry. Delicious! The family loved it! 

So it's simple. I say the richer the color, the richer the benefits! Color makes me happy. 

You know what else makes me happy... looking out the kitchen window & seeing my plum, pear & apple trees in blossom! Beautiful. I'll be sharing again at harvest time!

p.s. I'll post some pictures of the paint job later.

Literally...

'Oh-no there it goes, sky opens up like a firehose, & it must be soakin' someone... can we stay here together, stay here forever & get lost in this weather!'

I could barely see driving home as my wipers were exhausted, as was I.

I had just finished my late night workout.  As I pulled into the driveway I could see my two teenagers in the driveway dancing to their hearts content! 

It was pouring, I mean torrential downpours! They were DRENCHED!

"MOM! Dance with us!" they cried out.

"I'm freezing!" I hollered back.

"Open the hatch! Turn up the music & DANCE with us!!!!"

I grabbed my gym bag & began to head into the house shaking my head but grinning at their fun.

And then I remembered as this little voice spoke inside my head....

"it's not about waiting for the storm to pass.... it's about learning to dance in the rain"

I was sopping wet as it was... I spun on my heels & turned the speakers up loud! The girls squealed. I started to laugh... so did they. 

And then we danced.

Mother's Day & Important Re-post

The girls made me the cutest card.

Mom,

You are such a SWEETTART. You make life a BIT OF HONEY.  You are EXTRA special & I know you were MINT to be my mom. You're the REISEN I'm growing up to be such a SMARTIE. 

Happy Mother's Day.

KISSES

I woke up Mother's Day to this beautiful ensemble hanging in my closet.  Kevin did a little shopping while I was gone at my favorite store White House Black Market...

dress, jewlry, shoes, the works! 

There are benefits to a husband who knows your size!!! 

And of course some dark Godiva chocolate & flowers made it for a perfectly perfect day after I finished eating his delicous roast, rosemary baby reds, grilled zucchini & green salad. 

And for dessert a homemade carrot cake prepared by my Soph. 

Am I bragging a bit... well yes, but they deserve it! Thanks family! It's so good to be home!

Click here for the #1 way I keep my weight in check.

Being Aware

A patch of sunlight to rest my bones.

Reuniting with the ones I missed.
Visiting with an old friend.
 Holding a day old baby bunny.

Seeing a complete double rainbow touch both sides of the earth. 

Ever been in the right place at the right time and you new it was meant for you. For instance, you're on a walk & right above you flies a flock of geese coming home from the South.  

It makes you smile inside and out and you know the 'snapshot' was meant to make your day just a little brighter.  I've always referred to them as God Gifts. He is aware of me and aware of you. I am so grateful. Just a few of my God Gifts over the last couple of weeks.