Happy middle day of the week to you! Danielle here with a quick thought or two...

Hi, it's Danielle again. I hope that you are having a wonderful day. I need to talk to Bonnie and see if she wants to add what she has been up to lately...Psst, hey Bonnie, you wanna tell everybody how you are doing? ;) I'm curious to know.

Let me give you a recap of last week. It all started out so well. I went to the gym, I was riding my bike, I was feeling good...and then *boom* my monthly friend (or what the hubster and I now call "shark week") decided to surprise me. That means that all that really happened after the lovely surprise was that I sat around and ate lots of carbs and chocolate. Blah! Oh well, I'm stoked to get back on track. I'm going to rock this week!

Last night I was planning on going to the gym, but I got a late start and then the car had an extra low, if not flat, tire. So by the time my husband got back from putting air in the tire I had decided to do one of the exercise videos that is now on Netflix. If you have it, check out "Crunch: Super Slimdown" It's another yoga and pilates combo but much quicker then what I was doing before. I really enjoyed it. I plan on trying to do that on the nights that I ride.

As far as my goals for the year:
- I was able to complete 320 of the 450 jump-n-squats. I'm not happy that I didn't get them all done...but I also know that I have to give me a break once in a while. (Side note: those things really work your calves. You should give them a try!)

- I did cook a new pescatarian recipe...I finally made shrimp tacos. Woohoo! I made it up myself (I do that a lot)...and it was DELICIOUS!!

- I rode little over 10 miles last week...again not quite at my goal but still pretty stinkin' good.

And just so that I don't get bored or anything, I have decided to give myself another challenge. It's going to be a tough one for me too....this may be the hardest thing that I have ever set out to accomplish thus far...No joke! I am going to start to eat as cleanly as possible. That means that as of yesterday, I am staying away from bad carbs. That means no more Taco Bell :(  No more pizza :(  No more crackers, pretzels, cookies, bread sticks, no more processed anything....all those yummy bad things are now off limits for me :(  I am trying to decide if I will still have a cheat day once a week. Though I think that I may change it to twice a month instead. I think that I would be able to handle that.

I also have a really bad habit of snacking at night. That is going to be tough to refrain from. I have to make better choices. I need to have more healthy snacks at night and I have to curb my sweet tooth. I know I can do this. I know I can!! I want to look great in a bathing suit this year. I picked a great time to start down a new path. I know that I will see some awesome results. I just have to make it happen. So.... here's to making it happen!! If I can give up Taco Bell and all the other things that I love to eat, then I'm pretty sure that you can make a first step to finding a healthier/fitter you. It's not always fun, it's not always easy...in fact sometimes it sucks. But it is sooo going to be worth it.  :D

And for those that might want to try it -

Shrimp Tacos
Start out with 1tbsp evoo in a pan (low heat)
Add diced white onion, fresh garlic, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, cayenne, paprika and any other spices you enjoy
Saute until onions are translucent 
Add half a can of Fire Roasted Tomatoes, Mexican style (medium heat)
Add 1lb of shrimp
Simmer until shrimp are cooked through (low heat)


Add to a whole wheat tortilla or even a Romaine lettuce leaf and top it with all your favorites. I like purple cabbage, avocado, sour cream and a sprinkle of cheese. I also think it would be good on top of a salad. Mmmmm.


Challenge for the week - Weighted V-Sits.  You will need a yoga mat, weights, and a timer. Use what ever weights you feel comfortable with. I will be using 3lbs (they are the heaviest set that I have right now). I'm striving to do an hour total for the week (That means 10mins per day for the rest of the week).

What you will do: sit up tall on your mat, arms out straight in front shoulder height (holding weights), knees bent and feet off the floor, really scoop out your middle, keep your abs tight and your shoulders down. Also be sure to keep your back straight. ENJOY! (This exercise is great for your abs, obliques, low back, and hip flexors.)

Hmm, I suppose that that is all for now. Strive ever forward...you CAN do it and you ARE worth it!! Make it a wonderful day.

That is the question...Danielle here. So, as I have stated in a previous post, I use www.myfitnesspal.com for keeping track of my nutrition, exercise, etc. And I post challenges on there occasionally ...so then I was pondering if I should post the same challenge on my regular facebook page. Then I think about how maybe all my friends may get tired of the fact that I only post about "diet" stuff. Then I had the thought of making a fb page for M.I.L.F... then immediately after that I texted my husband and said "Sould milf have a fb page? Or is that lame." His response: "I don't know, let me think about it." 

That tells me that it's at least on the verge of lameness. So then I thought that I would see what you readers think. Would you follow a fb page? Or do you think it's lame? Either way, let me know...type out a thought, or crack a joke. And go! :D

P.S. - I had a lot of thoughts in a short span of time...what's up with that?? ;)

Howdy, Danielle here. So yeah, I have to start this out talking about my most favorite football team ever - the Houston Texans! I have been a loyal fan since the franchise started up back in '02. I am so happy that they are finally in the play-offs and I am so frickin happy that they won their first game. Here's to hopin they last through another round!! They are playing the Ravens, I don't know much about them. I just hope they don't play as well as my boys do.  ;)

So....let me think about what I did this last week. I rode right at 12 miles last week. I was hoping for more. But on one of my "bike days" I let the hubster talk me into going for a run. I enjoyed it, but it really reaffirmed that I like biking more than I do running. I am still going to meet my goals for the year, though. I worked out at the gym twice (I believe). On the night that I worked on my legs this is what my routine looked like:

Weighted Squats - 15lb - 5 sets - 10 reps
Reverse Backward Lunge - 15lb - 4 sets - 10 reps
Dumbbell Step Ups - 8lb - 3 sets - 12 reps
Leg Curls - 50lb - 7 sets of 10 reps
                  55lb - 3 sets of 10
Leg Extensions - 35lb - 25 reps
                          45lb - 20 reps
                          55lb - 23 reps
Glute Kickbacks - 50lb - 8 reps - 3 sets
Leg Press - 150lb - 15 reps - 3 sets

My legs were jello after that workout, and then I went for over a 5 mile ride the next night....my thighs were on fire. When I worked on my arms, I was in a hurry so I didn't have time to write it down. I will try to do that sometime this week. I'm sitting here trying to decided what I am going to work on tonight. I'm thinking I will work on my legs and butt - the same workout posted above. I will try to beat those weights and reps. I have improved quite a bit already. Yay!

OK, so as far as trying a new pescatarian dish....I kinda cheated a bit, I guess. I got stuff to make fish tacos and then the fam went to my sister and brother in-law's house to watch the game. We have had fish tacos before, but this time around the fish was grilled and not baked. I also bought some really yummy chipotle pepper sauce that I dashed all over my dinner. I made some rice and black refried beans and had delicious fish tacos while the Texans beat the whiskers off the Bengals. I'm not sure what to call the rice, but it was pretty tasty. Here is what was in it...I don't really measure when I cook...I probably should : brown rice, cilantro, fresh lime juice, 2 cloves of roasted garlic (I would have used more but the rest went into the hummus my sister made...mmmm), some fresh ginger, salt and pepper to taste. It had a good flavor but the rice was overly sticky. Do you guys think that that counts as a new recipe? ;)  I'm planning on making some of the tasty rice again tonight to go along with my vegetarian black bean soup. I'm thinking that I'm going to try and give it a bit more of a Mexican taste tonight.

And so I present to you, my fish tacos with yummy rice and black refried beans. My taco consisted of: grilled tilapia, baby romain, purple onion, some rice, a schmear of black beans, and a bit of sour cream, wrapped up in a fresh whole wheat tortilla.)

Oh and in other exciting news, I got a memory foam seat cover for my bike!!! Woohoo!!....my buttocks is so happy now (yeah when I said that in my head, I used a Forrest Gump voice). Now I can ride and ride and ride. Those 5 hundred miles don't seem so scary or overly hurtful now! Before the cushy booty padding - I could ride for awhile and it's like my bum would fall asleep and go numb. But if I made the mistake of making the slightest movement....oh there was no going back to the numbness and the rest of the ride was very uncomfortable. So, I am happy to have it (me and my butt thanks you, babe. you spoil us rotten! <3).

Since it's Monday, I think that calls for a challenge. What to do, what to do??...Since I'm starting late to this, I will get in 50 Jump-n-Squats  (2 jumping jacks and then a deep squat = 1) today, and then 100 for the rest of the days for a total of = 450 by Friday. Come on and join in the fun!!

Hmmm, I guess that that is all that I have for today. I need to get in the kitchen and get the soup on. Have a fantastic day. Drink some water and eat some fresh fruit/veggies, your body will thank you! Always remember - you CAN do it and you ARE worth it. Until next time....

Happy New Year to you, Danielle here. I hope that you all had a wonderful 2011...even if you didn't, it's OK. All of that stuff is in the past, even our victories are in the past.  So now is the time to start making changes to get to a better you. That is my goal overall really...I want to be the best me that I can be. That means every aspect of my life needs a good deep cleaning. I am working on myself daily. I have to remind myself that I am not my past, I am not my parents, I am not any of that. I am what I want to be. I am striving to be a better; mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, and human being. In fact, I just a had an issue dealing with being a better mother. I almost shooed my son away so that I could get back to typing here. Then I thought to myself that I should listen to his tale. He had been outside playing and he was imagining that he was in Super Mario World...it was a very cute story. I'm glad that I let him tell it to me...it's not like I was putting anything of importance on hold. ;)

Good morning, Danielle here. I hope you are having a fantastic day thus far. I have been lackadaisical as far as my blog goes, It's pretty obvious that I lost some steam when the holidays hit. Plus I didn't want to just repeat myself, repeat myself, repeat myself. Even though I got lazy with typing out what I was doing,  I didn't get lazy when it came around to working out. I was talking to the hubster the other night about how I haven't posted much lately. He said that he had noticed that he hadn't gotten any updates . Then I spent some time thinking about it and I decided that when the new year starts that I will set a certain goal for each week (1,000 deep squats, 1,000 jumping jacks...etc) and I will try 1 new pescatarian recipe a week (that one will be tough for me, I'm pretty set in my ways...lol). I do enjoy cooking and I definitely need to expand my repertoire.

Alright, as far as fitness goes I'm doing good. I have gone to the gym 3 times this week thus far. I plan on going for a ride tonight. It's been a while since I have been on my bike (I really have to get a new seat...my butt would be very thankful!) and I think I will try to go for a 5 mile ride tonight.

Now let's talk about food....mmmmm. I'm still having my oatmeal for breakfast. I have tweaked it some though. My yummy Vanilla Berry Oatmeal recipe = 1/3 cup oats, water (I use the water spout on our fridge and count to 5), cinnamon, small palm full of frozen berry medley. Then I cook it in the microwave for 75 seconds. Once it's done I add a sprinkle of brown sugar, half a scoop of my vanilla whey protein, and lastly a splash of milk (sometimes a add a few walnuts crushed up on the top). Stats (w/o walnuts): calories- 137 / carbs- 13 / fat- 1 / protein- 18 / sodium- 54

I somehow haven't gotten tired of it. The vanilla protein makes it taste really good and gives it almost a creamy texture. And since I use a medley I always get a different amount of different types of berries, which makes it taste a bit different each day.

And in other news, last Sunday....you know the day that the Texans beat the Bengals and secured their spot in the play-offs, yeah that day ;) Once church was over I got home and decided to totally go through and reorganize my closet. I found a box that was full of clothes that I haven't seen in a few years. And in that box I found my true skinny jeans. They are jeans that I bought when I was 18yrs old. I pulled them out of the box with a squeal and then I of course had to try them on....

Hello, Danielle here. I know it's been a while since I have typed out some stuff. I spent quite a bit of time and had a post all ready to go, I went back to add my photos and *POOF* it was gone. It just disappeared, the excuse was some sort of server error. I was bummed but didn't have more time to go back and re-do it all. And then I have just been super busy doing the whole mom and wife thing.