Why "One Size Fits Most" Leggings Made Me Fat.....

 
 **Disclaimer Please do not send me hate mail on this blog title. I understand I am not fat and I also understand the leggings did not cause me to gain the weight over the past few months I have gained. I am here to explain to you why the new NEVER ending trend of leggings is actually a bad idea.

  Leggings...a flashback nightmare from the 80's [I am NOT a fan of the 80's so I will leave it at that] reappeared in 2006. Hoping it was just a fad I personally didn't take to them for the first few years. Actually they seemed kind of awkward and basically a glorified pair of tights. However they have stuck and once paired with a boot or heel they have become a staple of many women's closets [guilty!].

So why the hate towards these? Here is the deal, I have been a fitness instructor for almost 6 years and our work out attire is somewhat similar to leggings except the material has spandex or lycra in them AND they usually have a tighter fit so they stay in place while enduring a workout. Some of these new trendy leggings have a size in which also comes with a more fitted waist band...do you see where I am going yet?

  So whats the deal with the 'one size fits most' leggings? Besides the fact they rise up above my belly causing my youngest to say, "Mom those sure do go up high!" [looking like I have mom jeans on causing more 80's flash back pain] I have no accountability in those 'one size fits most' leggings! They move around constantly and I never feel that tight push in the waist line..when you become comfortable in those 'one size fits most' leggings you tend to eat more freely not realizing those jeans that have been hanging in the closet or on a shelf all season are now too tight..all because you lost your accountability in that waist band! Ugh, I am so exhausted just saying all of this :)

                                             [Please do not have the orangutans mentality]

So when I finally did grab those jeans they were tight, not unwearable tight but just a tad uncomfortable tight.  My own fault apparently, but I didn't go at this alone I had an accomplice...my multiple pairs of 'one size fits most' leggings.

So next time when you are looking for a pair of leggings, please remember to choose wisely and purchase the 'sized' ones versus the 'one size' pair!

Blessings!

Where in the world has this gal been??

  I am somewhere caught between wanting and being so much in this life that I tend to overwhelm myself and fall short on things that were once so important to me. I haven't posted in over three years...to my surprise this blog is still available and under my name so I am making a valid effort [in light of the new year] to blog at least once a month. Okay first and foremost, an updated picture. We attended a million dollar wedding this past fall and it was amazing!! This is a photo as we were heading to the actual wedding.

  So much has changed...my health has rapidly gone from bad to better to great to not so great to whatever. Hosting two rare diseases has really began to take a toll in some aspects of my body. I am challenged daily by the diseases and feel that some people still don't understand the diseases and/or think I am crazy...here are a couple links to catch you up to par on my health.

http://www.cmtausa.org/understanding-cmt/

http://ednf.org/

 If you choose to click on those links and learn more than thank you! If not, I understand time is money and you may not have the time to spend learning about things that may never personally effect you.

  Here's a quick 30 second overview...life was good with lots of normal issues. June 2011 diagnosed with two rare diseases, became a leader for the local support group for one of the diseases, continue to work at the gym and finished my college degree in 2014 [yeah!!] 2014-2015 subbed for two local school districts and also got into leadership with a women's ministry, 2015 began a small cupcake business, now 2015-2016 homeschooling our youngest with two still in high school. Now you are caught up to speed.

  So what is my vision for this blog? Well honestly I am in need of an outlet...a place to speak without being judged [although some will still judge me and that's totally fine] I am working on a family YouTube channel where my kids and I can post videos about everything from baking to video gaming to make up/hair, whatever! We love to do stuff like that but really want to help others and figured we could do so by offering what we have learned in life so far. :)

  I will be posting about leggings..yes leggings here in the next week. I had some revelations regarding them and need to speak bluntly about them so stay tuned!! I will also be posting information about health and wellness. We have a Tabata Challenge [interval/HIIT style training classes] beginning in a few weeks at our gym, so I am hoping to update you on that and perhaps teach you some stuff that you may not know! Other future blogs will include baking ideas and shortcuts, information on my diseases as I see fit and possibly my adventures in homeschooling and WHY we choose this route for our youngest.

Thanks for reading this and until next time...

Breakfast Quickie....

I love a good breakfast, however I get easily bored with the same stuff. I have tried new things here and there and just have not had much luck on a good breakfast especially before I teach a class.

I received a bi-monthly magazine from Beverly International, if you are not familiar with the company they are an amazing supplement company for those wanting to go the next level in fitness whether it be weight loss, muscle gain or overall well being they have it!! Used by many competitors, their products truly outshine the rest and no I am not being paid to endorse them I truly believe in their stuff cause it works! Anyway, their magazine had a protein pancake recipe that sounded delightful. However being me, I tweaked it a little and made it my 'own', here is the recipe and enjoy because its a privilege to get info about my recipes!! I tend to hoard them from others! :)

2 - locally grown egg whites [if you cannot get locally grown use whatever you normally use]
1 - scoop of your favorite protein powder [I use vanilla or banana pudding flavor]
1 - stevia packet [preferably stevia because it is an alkaline product and all natural]
cinnamon

Egg whites, dash of water and protein powder combine with fork in bowl. Add in stevia and about a 1/4 tsp or less of cinnamon, mix and pour onto small skillet. Cook like a pancake. Remove and I like to use raw honey in lieu of butter [raw honey is alkaline and FILLED with lots of vitamins!] and then top it off with local real maple syrup [yes sugar content is a little high but again an alkaline product and just watch the portions]. Enjoy!

Easy and quick and good for you! You will be happy with the flavor and filled up to hit the gym hard!

Enjoy your day!

Remain positive...

Well as I am sitting here sore from head to toe I am thankful for the ability to still do a good workout at the gym that my body can appreciate. With so many people being diagnosed daily by rare diseases across the globe its hard to maintain a positive outlook. However it boils down to the individual and how they move forward after being diagnosed.

I have a play list on my iPod of famous motivational speeches that I listen to daily specifically while enduring an intense workout. These speeches range from popular movies to noteworthy coaches and even inspiring preachers. I want to list some of my ALL time favorite few sentences out of these speeches because mind over matter is my philosophy and it turns out to help me get over those hills during hard times.

"..Its not about how hard you are hit, its about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. About how much you can take and keep moving forward.."

"..Its you versus them
you versus no
you versus can't
you versus next year, last year, statistics, excuses
you versus history
you versus the odds
Its you versus second place.
Clock is ticking, lets see what you got"

"I can do all things thru Christ who gives me strength.."

STAY Positive and know that your mind is a battlefield and that you cannot let it control you, you have to control it.

Have a blessed day!!!

Yum Yum salad and CMT awareness month

Greetings!!! Oh how time flies, I feel like I should have more free time now that the kids are back in school however that is not the case.

Okay so I have been playing around with my PH level and seeing how by keeping it fairly level affects my overall well being. Having a chronic pain disease that shows itself like arthritis can be tricky to manage. HOWEVER, I think I have done it. Oh yes! Okay well I have only been playing around with it for about 3 weeks but the pain is honest to goodness minimal, my energy level increased, my willingness to try new things above and beyond what the doctors recommend has sky rocketed! How you ask? [or maybe you did not ask :)] I mentioned in my last post how the smoothie trend is a big thing but everyday ingredients can actually be pretty acidic to your body. So check out the last entry of my blog to get a fantastically Delicious evenly balanced smoothie.

Today we talk lunch! MMMmmmm...I just ate mine. I have really become a huge fan of locally grown or store bought organic spinach and actually crave it once I realized how amazing I felt after I ate it! But spinach alone won't fill you up so what else did I eat?? Here is my recipe for a fantabulous lunch salad..

Raw spinach
grilled boneless skinless chicken [see below for note about this]
dried cranberries
sliced almonds or pecans
dressing of choice preferable low fat

The chicken I use is actually from market day which is a school fundraising program that happens monthly at a local private school. The chicken is called chicken steaks and they are individually wrapped 4 oz chicken pieces that I thaw and grill at the beginning of the week and then use throughout the week. Makes a fantastic wrap too! You can search for your local market day at www.marketday.com also I have bought from Schwans home delivery service. The chicken is comparable but it does cost a little more. You can see if Schwans delivers in your area at www.schwans.com they offer great rewards for online purchases and they deliver to your doorstep every two weeks. Cannot beat that!

Well this is all for today, I am working on some other things for my CMT support group..OHHHH that reminds me!! Duh! September is CMT Awareness month and I encourage you to check out this site www.wearethecmta.com and check out what CMT is all about and how you can help! Even thought it is a type of Muscular Dystrophy, we don't really receive much help from the MDA. The MDA is an amazing foundation and I support it but check out the site above because that is for the specific type of MD that I have.

Have a glorious day!!

use food as fuel!

While watching a recent show on TV, I was a little disturbed by a doctor who was on. No by no means am I a doctor or even close to one, however I do have mass amounts of useless knowledge from having a pretty sick child and myself being diagonosed. You become your own personal doctor when others have failed. Anyway, this doctor was giving snack and food ideas for those that are weight worried all the time. His ideas were pretty textbook but seemed good, however I felt he could have offered the audience more. If I was a doctor and was being put in the spotlight I would be throwing my useless knowledge everywhere and into everything! :)

So here is what really annoyed me, he was showing how to do this great smoothie as a snack [again nothing novel about the smoothie] he said strawberries, bluebeeries, cinnamon, honey, ice and soy milk. Basically something out of a Good Housekeeping or Shape magazine. Here is how I would have made the smoothie on TV if I was a doctor or someone famous..:) and I will give you reasons for each ingredient!!

Blueberries - antioxidants
Frozen Bananas [or not frozen] - potassium and the freezing of the smoothie
Ice - duh
Ground flax seed - amazing benefits!! Omega-3, fiber
Cinnamon - flavoring, appetite suppressant and many other benefits!!
Stevia - all natural flavoring that is good for you
Raw local honey [or if not available regular local honey] - local honey is important because it is from your local bees :) they help you fight allergies because they pollenate from your area! And raw honey is full of TONS of minerals and vitamins and gives amazing flavor
Coconut milk - Good stuff! Full of calcium and other vitamins. Soy free and dairy free.

Blend and enjoy!! Here is something else to think about, our PH level is such an important part in our well being and how we feel. Believe it or not blueberries are very acidic in our bodies so when we pair it with bananas which is alkaline it 'evens' out in our bodies. Raw honey/local honey is also alkaline but processed honey is acidic. Stevia is very alkaline which is super awesome for our bodies!! The more alkaline we are the better off we are!! Cancer cells and many other diseases thrive in acidic environments so keeping tabs on your levels is something to think about. :)

wow has the time flown...I cannot believe that another summer has come to a close. The kids have been back in school for a week and I am an empty nester during the day now!! I picked up teaching at the gym three to four classes a week during the summer and hope to keep that steady schedule. Staying in shape keeps me feeling [and looking] good and also keeps my mental attitude in check. I easily get down and really get in ruts quickly so if I don't maintain at least 4+ good workouts a week I am grouchy!!!

I know I know some people say, 'I work long hours and just can't fit it in' or 'the kids have me running every direction' or even 'I have no energy!'. I feel your pain sister!! I use to work many long hours, drove my oldest everywhere under the sun for sports and activities, and felt completely drained with no end in sight!! I have some encouraging news for you, you can work out and still have time to do all of the other stuff too!!

Before you stop reading this hear me out. When I think of working out, I automatically begin to think of long hours on cardio machines or classes that seem to take too long or weight training that is bombarded with men who think they know all there is to know about weights. All those things are false, sure you can spend hours on the treadmill or elipitical or whatever your machine is of choice. However interval training has become the new 'in' thing that shortens the amount of time you are on the machine and gives you max results! Thats true stuff there.

I personally prefer the spin bike, it seems to be good for my joints as long as I keep the time limited to 15 minutes. Yeah you heard me 15 minutes tops! I bought this cool interval timer from gymboss and it was $20 and it is amazing!! You can set this timer to do all sorts of stuff. So jump on your cardio machine set the timer and go! Here is an example, I will start slow warming up, probably about 3 minutes. I pick up the pace [not so fast I can't breathe but a good pace]. Then [the interval timer set ahead of time] I will begin the timer. I usually have the timer set to beep first, it gives me a 30 second window [or 45,60,90 whatever you prefer] and the next time it beeps I lean on the elbow cushions with my tush in the air I go hard on the bike for whatever I set the timer for [usually 30 seconds but you can start with whatever] then when it beeps again I sit back down and catch my break for that 30 second window. Then when it beeps again I go hard for 30 seconds and so on. I take the last few minutes to slow down on the machine. I guarantee you will see, feel and know you have worked hard in a short amount of time! Its amazing being done with a cardio workout quick and drenched in sweat! :) This type of training should be done no more than 3 times a week. You can do other types of cardio, but the interval stuff should be limited.

Anyone encouraged yet!!! 'I can do all things through him who gives me strength.' Philippians 4:13

Okay well thanks to my EDS my hands are begining to feel some soreness so I will end this entry and pick up with more good info soon....