Keeping It Lit

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Apologies to anyone who may have
tried to PM me in the past week or so without success.
I was at 100% on PM's and didn't realize it.
I will start paying attention to that.

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Finally made it over the deadline for work I've had to get out. The murder trial kept me busier than usual for a while, but I think I'm beginning to see the horizon a bit now.

Got my keratin (straightening) treatment done yesterday, so that means no working out - strenuously - for 72 hrs. I can't wear headbands, pony tails, hats or sweat a great deal, all which can jeopardize the results of the treatment. It will be far easier to manage for the beach, now that I've had the keratin. It's nice having "the inside" with my husband being involved in the industry via sales and management. Lots of perks; great for divas!

So I'll be walking this morning, and doing Callanetics again. I won't be able to do a full routine of Callanetics, because I tend to work up a pretty decent sweat when I do the full routine. I'll concentrate on legs/butt for a few days. Back to the gym on Saturday.

Eating on plan has been effortless the past several days now that the hormones have settled down. Staying as LC as possible has helped facilitate that aftermath.

I had a GREAT run yesterday morning, my last hoorah before having my keratin. It was a good morning for it, and I didn't want it to end.

My latest favorite playlist downloads ... loving these:

Titanium (feat. Sia)
Wild Ones (feat. Sia) LOVE SIA!
Rabiosa (house mix)
Jamaican love (radio edit)
Love in Brasil (Andreea Banica)
Drowning (Aviici Radio Edit)

[Bejewelme]

Hey T- glad you got the hair done I often wondered if that really worked, when do you leave for your trip? Bobby is in school until 6/11, Autumn is done in 4 more days, seems like he is late for not having any snow days.

[inatic]

T call some compounding pharmacies and ask for recommendation for drs that do BHRT. I use progesterone and for the most part, it keeps the 'swing of on/off ever two weeks' in check.

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Originally Posted by Bejewelme

Hey T- glad you got the hair done I often wondered if that really worked, when do you leave for your trip? Bobby is in school until 6/11, Autumn is done in 4 more days, seems like he is late for not having any snow days.

Amber (---woo hoo for me--- I have time to surf a bit for a change!)....the keratin thing? DEFINITELY WORKS. Lasts 3-4 months. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT. My hair is naturally wavy, coarse-like, VERY thick, and can get a little, uh, wild? The keratin makes it very silky, soft and totally easy to style. I can shower in the morning, blow it dry, done. The end. After about 6 wks I have to begin flat ironing it again, but only a little, just on the ends, no biggy. Without the keratin, I have to spend a good 20 mins flat ironing if I want to wear it straight.

It's pricey, but SO worth it. I've talked to other people who have had it done and they rave about it too. My hairdresser said that once spring hits people start scheduling keratin left and right, keeps her crazy busy.

My son's last day is May 29th. EARLY. No snow days. We barely had a snowflake fall this year.

We leave for Marco Island on June 14th....can't WAIT!

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Originally Posted by inatic

T call some compounding pharmacies and ask for recommendation for drs that do BHRT. I use progesterone and for the most part, it keeps the 'swing of on/off ever two weeks' in check.

Ileen, I need to really explore my options and get a full understanding of the pros/cons of all these treatments that are offered. I'm such a skeptic about stuff most of the time, kwim? You're right. Scheduling an appt with a specialist in my area would be very beneficial for me.

BTW, can you email me the link of your back pics you mentioned?

[inatic]

I like the BHRT approach because they use natural replacement not birth control and progestins (which cause too much issue in the body) so ya.. They are quite knowledable in that area and then you can decide what is best for you.

Here is the link to the back VIDEO, its in my profile photo page already but is also on the Lean Bodies Consulting facebook page.
Sports pictures | Team images, football photos and sports pictures

[Bejewelme]

T- that is my hair too like its naturally wavy but I need to add stuff to make it really curly or I have to work like the dickens to straighten and it is so high maintenance the greatest joy of unemployment is the lovely ponytail, LOL I should try it sometime, I often wondered about it. WoW your kids get out early too, they must be so excited! Geez I feel bad for Bobby that they go so late.

Ileen- very impressive!!!!!

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Originally Posted by inatic

I like the BHRT approach because they use natural replacement not birth control and progestins (which cause too much issue in the body) so ya.. They are quite knowledable in that area and then you can decide what is best for you.

Here is the link to the back VIDEO, its in my profile photo page already but is also on the Lean Bodies Consulting facebook page.
Sports pictures | Team images, football photos and sports pictures

K. Gotcha on the NATURAL approach info. Sounds interesting.

CRAP ... I can't open that link. They block us at work on pretty much EVERYTHING anymore. I'll check it out when I get home.

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Originally Posted by Bejewelme

T- that is my hair too like its naturally wavy but I need to add stuff to make it really curly or I have to work like the dickens to straighten and it is so high maintenance the greatest joy of unemployment is the lovely ponytail, LOL I should try it sometime, I often wondered about it. WoW your kids get out early too, they must be so excited! Geez I feel bad for Bobby that they go so late.

Ah, yes, the ponytail ... far more versatile than we realize, you know? From chic to nonchalant, dressed up, dressed down, for any outfit or occasion, messy and sexy, smooth and polished, casual, sporty, or conservative. It's a "fringe" (play on words) benefit to having long hair!

I love this messy/sexy/sophisticated ponytail on Cameron Diaz...BEAUTIFUL!



Work it, girl!

[h82bl8]

Just wanted to say good morning!! Life has been chaotic and have not had time for myself or to post.

Ileen awesome job!!

Bejewelme and Twyla- beautful hair!!

[kelley17]

Hey T! What is BHRT? I'm only in my early 40s but my TOM is dreadful. Ever since my last birth (5 years ago) my periods are so heavy and unpredictable. There are two days where I need to change at least every 1 1/2 - 2 hours including the night. I've heard Coconut Oil is helpful and thinking of giving it a try. I definitly have the hot flashes too.

I hear you about working up a sweat with Callanetics - LOL!

Got my workout in today and feeling good. Making those baby steps. Love you girl.

[inatic]

BHRT=Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy
check with/call compounding pharmacies for reference.

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Originally Posted by h82bl8

Just wanted to say good morning!! Life has been chaotic and have not had time for myself or to post.

Ileen awesome job!!

Bejewelme and Twyla- beautful hair!!

h82bl8 -- I know what THAT'S like...been down that road myself lately.

Make no apologies. Just do what ya gotta, kwim?

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Originally Posted by kelley17

Hey T! What is BHRT? I'm only in my early 40s but my TOM is dreadful. Ever since my last birth (5 years ago) my periods are so heavy and unpredictable. There are two days where I need to change at least every 1 1/2 - 2 hours including the night. I've heard Coconut Oil is helpful and thinking of giving it a try. I definitly have the hot flashes too.

I hear you about working up a sweat with Callanetics - LOL!

Got my workout in today and feeling good. Making those baby steps. Love you girl.

Hey, Kelley. It feels like a pair of your most favorite, worn, comfy jeans when I see you here posting again. I mean that. Love you too.

I have a bit of EVCO every morning with coffee, 1 tbs of Gaspari, and 1 Tbs of PB2, stirred together. The mad scientist at work in her kitchen! LOL

Hot flashes. Hmm.. I guess I've probably had them, but I can't be sure, because my inner therostat has been screwed up all my life and I've always had them.

I DO KNOW FOR A FACT that staying active and participating in regular exercise and weight training helps to offset menopausal fallout. Another reason to keep at it, my friend. Even though you're only in your 40's, it's still time to do that mental checklist of maximizing quality of life, no?

Hope you have a great MemD weekend.

Wow. Time flies.

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GOT LIFE? HOW ABOUT ANOTHER CUP OF JOE?

In a blog I subscribe to... of interest to me, and maybe other COFFEE LOVERS, so I thought I'd post it here:

Got life? How about another cup of joe? | FlashFree : Not Your Mama's Menopause

Have you seen the headlines? Yup, that’s right! That morning caffeine fix might just be the ticket to a longer life, at least according to anew study published in the New England Journal of Medicine this week. Mind you, whether or not daily consumption of coffee directly causes a longer life or simply associated with it has yet to be determined. But this is truly the type of news that all of us can use, right?!

In this study, researchers from the National Cancer Institute examined data compiled from over 220,00 men and 173,000 women who participated in a larger diet and health study. They analyzed intake of a broad variety of foods ranging from fruits and vegetables to meat and other source of saturated fat, and coffee consumption was assessed terms of frequency, i.e. 0 to 6 or more cups daily.
Although coffee is rich in antioxidants, its consumption has been linked with increases in cholesterol and blood pressure levels. And, in this particular pool of individuals, coffee drinkers were likelier than nondrinkers to smoke cigarettes, have more than three drinks (alcoholic) a day and eat more red meat.

And yet, after adjusting for all of these confounders — in particular smoking — researchers found that drinking coffee actually appeared to prolong life. In fact, men who drank 6 or more cups a day had a 10% lower risk of dying and women who drank this much had a 15% lower risk of dying compared to non-coffee drinkers. Even better? It didn’t appear to matter whether or not the coffee was caffeinated or decaffeinated.

The researchers say that their findings add evidence to other data that show inverse associations between coffee drinking and risk of diabetes, stroke and death from inflammatory diseases. Importantly, they caution that even though smokers appeared to gain the same benefits as nonsmokers, lowered risk from dying appeared to be the strongest amongst participants who never smoked or had stopped smoking.

So, should you start drinking more coffee than ever? Well, this study is an observational study and one that relied on self-reports. Therefore cause and effect is inconclusive. However, in this extremely large pool of men and women, drinking coffee more frequently appeared to confer a moderate degree of protection from dying of heart and respiratory disease, stroke, injuries, accidents and infections. Of course, more coffee may mean less sleep and more jitters, depending on your constitution and the degree of caffeine. Regardless, it appears that more is less when it comes to dying.

Got life? Have another cup!

* Incidentally, about the red meat thing, I found it interesting, this conversation I had with my hairdresser Wednesday when I was having my keratin treatment. Somehow we got on the subject of healthy eating, and then we talking about "super foods," and that led to protein, and I was flipping through a magazine that showed a big steak, right? And she says: Yum, that looks so good.

ME: Yeah. But I'm not really a big steak eater. I rarely eat it.
HER: Really? You don't like it or ....?
ME: Oh, it's okay. I just would rather have fish or salmon. Or chicken.
HER: Fish? Ugh. No thanks. I don't do fish.
ME: Not at all?
HER: No. Shrimp on a rare occasion is as far as I go.
ME: Chicken?
HER: Yeah, chicken. Yeah. But I guess if I had my druthers I'd go with steak. I'm fascinated that you don't LIKE steak. So you PREFER fish?
ME: Between fish and chicken and salmon? Salmon first, then fish, then chicken. Steak if that's all that's offered.

She flipped out.

Why is that odd?

[inatic]

LOL. Not sure why she flipped. Guess it depends, we all have different tastes.

I just finished an nice steak salad here at home. Personally Id much rather a fat juicy steak!. I do eat steak almost once daily, along with chicken, eggs, protein and often fish too. Love variety and thankfully i have that choice..

coffee.. ya, i drink a bunch daily.. mostly half and half caf load though so i dont bouce off the walls. lol

[Bejewelme]

Yeah maybe my intense coffee habit will offset my years of smoking!!! Plus I figure my Gram is 90 and is a total coffeehead!!!! LOL

WOW T you are not a steak girl? Steak would be my first choice, although I like most meat, and I love fish and seafood, We try to limit red meat to once per week and do fish 2 times a week and chicken or pork the others. Do you like burgers? Man I love burgers, the one place at market has free range homemade chicken burgers with feta and one with jalapenos and pepper jack, they are so good and so lean and so tasty they only have them now over the summer!!!

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Fabulous weather this weekend. It was a good weekend overall. Too bad it wasn't just one day longer. I was able to lie in the sun now and then and read my latest book (I'm in a reading groove), spraying myself down with water from time to time to cool down in the crazy hot heat.

So this morning I give thanks for the blessings of this weekend, for my health, my family, my friends, my job, good morning coffee, and all the little things that we easily take for granted

I took Friday off, so that gave me a four-day weekend. We were blessed with good weather -- hot, but good -- which allowed us the opportunity to get a lot of things done outside, landscaping, etc., specifically, having the time finally to get my back screened porch floor repainted. It's concrete, and I had faux painted it in 2003, as I recall. Desperately needed it again. I began with power-washing the porch and floor, surrounding brick, on Friday. Then all succeeding days were spent in stages of sanding, sweeping, caulking, painting, and then applying the faux finish. It still has to be sealed with two coats --- maybe three --- of clear coat gloss.

Red. Yes, my porch is red, with faux highlights of black and bronze/gold.

Red is a statement, they say.

The color red is...

Warm and cozy

Brave

Bold

Hot

Intense...
Exciting...
Stimulating...
Empowering...
Competing...
Dramatic...
Dynamic...
A Symbol of Passion...

Red IS a statement. My statement. And I LOVE IT!

Speaking of passion, I was able to get in two great workouts this weekend, Saturday and Monday. Saturday was glutes/legs, Monday was back and abs. Cardio in the morning all of those days, as well as a bit of cardio after finishing up the training. Even went for a "moon run" Saturday night. Just felt my inner voice urging me to go...and so glad I did. I'm a far better runner at night than in the morning, and it felt wonderful and rewarding.

My weight has been stalled for several days. I'm not too worried about it, because it's trying to recalibrate. I'm pleased with the changes and leaning I'm seeing in the mirror and in my clothes, so I know positive things are happening. Keep on keeping on.

Going for some running intervals this morning. No gym tonight. Commitments.

[Bejewelme]

Hey T it was a scorcher here too!! Sounds like you had a productive weekend!!!

[Bronwyn]

Hi T! Just a quick post (aren't they always!) to let you know that the email you sent me has been a godsend! Just as you said, I'm really seeing a change! Gotta rush, but wanted to THANK YOU for all you do!

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Originally Posted by Bejewelme

Hey T it was a scorcher here too!! Sounds like you had a productive weekend!!!

Yep!
Sure did. Feels good...that sense of accomplishment, kwim?

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Originally Posted by Bronwyn

Hi T! Just a quick post (aren't they always!) to let you know that the email you sent me has been a godsend! Just as you said, I'm really seeing a change! Gotta rush, but wanted to THANK YOU for all you do!

"Gotta rush." That sure rings a bell!

SO EXCITED that your program is working for you, Bron. It's working because YOU'RE working IT! Good girl!


Don't be a stranger. And don't work too hard! (Job work, not fitness "work")

Hope you're having a great kickoff to summer.

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Made it to the gym yesterday evening after all, commitment having been cancelled.

Worked delts, mostly medial, but all aspects as well. Did speed squats and ab work in between sets.

I'm bummed that Gaspari changed their Myofusion Whey Protein recipe. It no longer makes my DELICIOUS mini muffins (thanks, Ileen, for the orig recipe) taste like a dream. They're dry and less tasty now. Really bummed. I guess there is method to their madness (I think they call that "marketing strategy"), but it didn't work so well for THIS consumer.

Eating was the last day of my LC string (2 to 3 days), so today I'll carb up a bit more. Weight down a pound this morning. My body is catching up with my "formula." For now. Gotta outsmart that baby.

Today will be morning cardio and evening cardio. No gym. Commitments this evening too.

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[Bejewelme]

Oh T you need to print that as a poster we can hang everywhere, it is so true!!! I love it!!!

[Bronwyn]

A bit of a thread hijack to tell Bejewelme that I've been follwoing your posts and blog for quite a while now! You are one inspirational, beautiful lady just like our Twyla!

[kelley17]

Hey T! Beautiful Poster. Need to print that out for myself. You are so inspirational. I've been off the boards due to family/work craziness, but I've been sticking with my working out every other day! I even got home late one night this past week and it was my workout day and I debated with myself should i/shouldn't i (was so tired). I did it despite being around 930 pm.

I think I'm going to add in callanetics on my days off this week. Hope you are enjoying this weekend. Hugs!

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Thank you re the photo/poster, you guys. I hadn't thought about making it into a motivational poster, but since you've mentioned it, that's not a bad idea. Yes, I placed in it my journal for motivation/inspiration, for myself as much as anyone, to help keep my eye on the ball and stay focused. But I'm thinking now that maybe I SHOULD print it out and place it on my bathroom mirror, something that reminds me every morning without escaping.

Kelley, I know how it is, not getting to post here as often when we are juggling life. I go through that myself. But I'm glad to hear that you're keeping your priorities in line, giving YOURSELF the time that you need to accomplish your personal goals, the time that YOU deserve. When we accomplish little goals, daily accomplishments, for ourselves, that serves to uplift us mentally and emotionally, which is a direct reflection on others that we know and love. So it pays to take that time for you. We see our rewards when we put in the work, and though it may be more of a struggle at times, that hard work builds character and resolve. We need both those things to push us closer to our goals. As has been said so many times before, we have to win in our mind before we can expect to win with the body. "The Mind Gym." That's what this reminds me of. Great book, by the way.

And about Callanetics, yes, it really helps to keep that in the mix during the week. I always feel better when I incorporate Callanetics with my other workouts. Feel better, move better, sleep better. And the glute work in that workout is SO effective. I feel muscle soreness afterwards, even after all these years of doing Callanetics.

I made it to the gym yesterday and had a great workout, doing somewhat of a total body w/o with a bit more emphasis on back, high volume, realy wearing it out. I can feel it this morning. Cardio followed. Worked in the yard yesterday a bit, and finishing up our painting job on the back screened porch (repainted the porch floor -- RED, with mottling/marbling of black and golden-caramel). One more coat of clear coat gloss and it should be finished. Wait a few days, then replace the furniture and decor, etc. My oasis. How I love my porch. But I love my patio just as much.



It was cool enough last night to build a fire on the patio. So we grilled out for dinner, ate outside by the fire on the patio. BEAUTIFUL evening. The moon was gorgeous last night. I took a picture -- I'll post it later. We had neighbors over and sat around the fire and talked till late. Great day overall.

On track with eating and exercise. Encouraged.

Going for morning cardio this morning before church.

[Bejewelme]

Bronwyn- thank you, it has been a journey!

T- your floor looks cool, I love faux finishes, I did a bunch here on my walls when I moved in, so much more interesting that flat paint.

Sounds like a good night! It was beautiful here almost 30 degree drop from last weekend!