The Rose Run 2010 Firstgiving Page Is Up!

Rose: My high school best friend's mother who died from breast cancer just over a year ago. The woman who inspired me to run in her honor. The woman who made the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever tasted in my entire life. The woman who watched me grow up alongside her daughter. The woman who I know would appreciate the humor that I inject into most of my blog posts.

Please go here: The Rose Run 2010 Firstgiving Page

Even if you are participating in this year's run, please donate to this cause. I would love to live to see the day when we no longer have to say goodbye to people like Rose because of breast cancer.

Wouldn't you?

They Call It 'The Shred' For A Reason

I did Jillian Michael's 'The 30 Day Shred' for the first time last night. I now know why it's called 'The Shred'...it's because it hurts....so much. Kind of like if you decided that it would be fun to grate your thighs over a million shards of glass and then run a marathon with 5 million squats at the end. That would pretty much cover the warm up section of this DVD.

Good times.

She uses 3 levels in this specific DVD and suggests that you stay on each level for 10 days a piece. Hence, the "30" in the title. Following me? Now, prior to starting, you should take your measurements because even though there are claims that you lose 10 pounds on average during this workout...I've heard that you lose much more in inches because of the increase in muscle tone.

Guess who forgot to take her measurements last night?

Yeeeeeaahhhh...I'll do that tonight. Really.

The only equipment needed for this workout are hand weights and a mat if you plan on working out on a hard surface...3 pound weights are the suggested starting weight but since I could only find *1* of my 3 pound weights because the other one is probably being used as a Barbie sailboat somewhere, I used my 5 pound weights. I strongly suggest that you start with 3 pound weights...just trust me.

Jillian frightens me. I feel like I need to make her proud and keep her from jumping through the TV screen and killing me at the same time. It's a tingly feeling. At one point she's talking about an alternative move for jumping jacks and she looks directly into the camera and says something along the lines of: "There is no alternative for jumping jacks...I have 400 pound people who do jumping jacks...YOU can do them too." I think her eyes may have glowed red for a split second but maybe that was just my retinas starting to bleed.

She also used phrases like:

"Pain is just fear leaving the body..."

"Abs like these you have to work for..."

"I demand your first born child and a signature in blood..."

Just kidding on that last one. That must have happened in my head one of the times I blacked out doing crunches or butt kicks.

Today I'm sore and walking slightly crooked but I'll be pushing play again tonight for another round of pain and humiliation in the hopes that I will see my long lost abs in oh, 30 days.

Mmmmmm...Carrots

I read alot of blogs. Not necessarily an unhealthy amount but I do read several. Lately I've been on this kick to read blogs that aren't so mainstream. You know, like the blog that my high school friend writes or the blog that my friend in Texas writes. I found myself at one point getting slightly jealous of some the more popular bloggers out there..I mean, why am I not popular with 9 million hits a day? WHY? DOESN'T ANYONE LIKE ME?

Yeah. I may have some self-esteem issues there. Anyhow...

The more mainstream blogs I read though, the more I realize that these bloggers have some major drama that they have to deal with. They have people that send them hate mail and tell them that they shouldn't swear or talk about thier own kids becasue it will ruin their fragile psyches. They can't just sit down and verbally vomit all over their blogs because they have to actually think about how others will take their post.

That's where I have it easy. I can post pretty much post my social security number and bank card password on my blog and not give it a second thought. POW! It's liberating. I am writing this blog for me and only me! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

So there we have it.

Carrots. Yum.

*On a sidenote: I have lost a total of 8.8 pounds as of today. RAWR.

My Running Season Has Begun

I ran last night.

One mile.

I didn't die.

That's always a good thing.

I Ate The Whole Thing or My Birthday Weekend Gave Me Indigestion

I just celebrated my birthday. That glorious day when my mother came forth and gave birth to moi'. It was a dark and stormy night 29 yea...*ahem*...32 years ago and BAM! There I was in my full glory! Thanks, Mom.

Of course on ones birthday, you must partake in festivities such as dinner and treats and possibly a libation or two that may or may not include gelatin of some sort in those cute little mini cups. The day happened to fall on a Friday which meant I kept that party going ALL WEEKEND LONG. Dinner turned into breakfast which turned into Frito's and cheese dip which then turned into pizza on Sunday afternoon. I did take Roscoe, the wonder mutt, for a nice walk on Sunday but alas, I think it was too late to eliminate much of anything that I ate this past weekend.

I swear I can practically *hear* myself gaining the precious pounds back that I managed to lose the last 2 months. My arteries are probably closing in on themselves as I write. I think my right foot is a little numb too...

I have a new plan:

Walking!

I want to plan out a route near my office...roughly about 3 miles and walk it 3 times a week on what would be my lunch. I rarely, if ever, leave my office to do anything so this would not only help me get some fresh air and exercise but possibly lower my stress level also.

I Must Have A Really High Tolerance For Poison

I'm not really sure how I survived my childhood. I mean, I think the only organic food I ever ingested was dirt and maybe a rock or two. My mother would have busted a gut laughing if someone suggest to her that she purchase a gallon of milk for $6.00 because it was from a cow that was not treated with growth hormones, was free range, and was fed a vegetarian diet. Yet, here I am doing just that for my 6 year old daughter because I'm petrified that all of those growth hormones and additives are going to make her smell like a yeti and grow Dolly Parton boobs by the time she's 8 years old! The additive in milk jugs for non-organic milk that is in question here for me is BPA and the additives in the actual milk are rBST and rBGH, which contribute to increased incidences of colon and breast cancer according to http://www.purefood.org/.

"Bisphenol A, or BPA, is an industrial chemical used to line food cans, children's juice cartons, make plastic cling wrap, dental sealants, non-breakable plastic water bottles, etc.


There are some serious questions as to how BPA affects hormones as it is easily leached into our food and water.


BPA is considered a xenoestrogen, meaning a substance that adversely affects the estrogen in our bodies." -kidsorganics.com


I never grew Dolly Parton boobs even though I drank the evil hormone laced milk. I guess I just wasn't one of the lucky...er...unlucky ones affected by these hormones. I ate apples right off the tree at the orchard too. Perhaps that's why I glow a bit in the dark...no, that couldn't be it. *shrug*

Anyhow, I don't remember my mom ever shopping in the organic section of any store with the exception of during the summertime when a local family we were friends with had a produce stand. Even then I don't think that the fruits and veggies were necessarily grown without pesticides. So why in this day and age do I feel that I need to buy organically produced food items as often as I possibly can?

The answer is simple for me...back a generation ago, we did not have the information about how much healthier it is to eat most foods from organic sources. Now, please do not fret, the majority of foods are considered "safer" with the exception of short list of fruits and vegetables. If you can afford to buy organically then please do...especially for those of us with small children at home. We don't want a bunch of mutants running around, do we? Huh? Anyone?

Check this list out...it shows which types of produce should be bought organically and what items just have to be washed really well because the pesticides don't usually penetrate their skins...

On this list, I buy my carrots and apples organically. My local grocery store and even some of the specialty stores around me do not carry some of these items organically. My child is strange enough...I really don't want to add to things...freakish growth spurts, attention issues, growth delays, etc. I also always buy my milk organically. I like to picture organic cows as being more laid back than their hormon injected counterparts. 

"Peace, Love, and Moo." 

Groovy.