Beating the Heat Pirate Style! And a Short Update on Sober September

It's  more than 3/4 of the way into Sober September and the days couldn't be hotter. The heatwave last week made it unbearable to sleep well and staying cool was near impossible. My writing also went amiss due to this brain of mine being fried and non-functioning. Laying still in the middle of my living room floor was my only solace for several days.

Not a blue drink, but a damn fine snow cone in Hilo

The merciless weather of September has made me reminisce about my topical Hawaii vacations with their breezy beaches and turquoise ocean. It was always the perfect temperature of wonderful degrees
Fahrenheit. It makes me remember my favorite island libations that came in the form of an ice-cold Mai Tai or Blue Hawaiian. . .Oh! How about a Blue Mai Tai? Can you make one of those? Blue is the best color for a topical cocktail. There is just something magical about a blue drink. But, I digress. Sort of.

If it were just another day in another month I would have poured myself a rum-based drink try to forget the fact that my apartment air conditioner is sub par. I would slather on some SPF 100 and find myself  a tiki themed outdoor bar.

Rum has been my go-to lately for cocktails. It's warming and rich taste mixes so well so many different bases. Orange juice to classic coke, it's all delicious.It's such a magically tropical drink that privates and wahines alike love its potent power.

Mr. Chesney in his blue chair.

Recently, I stumbled upon a recipe that I thought I would share with you, dear reader. When I found out that one of my favorite country artists, Kenny Chesney, had went into the business of rum making, I got very excited and had to find out more. The brand is called  Blue Chair Rum and while I haven't tried it yet, the reviews look great. There were many recipes on the site, but only one caught my eye. It's called the "Scallywag."

Besides the fun title, what struck my fancy about it was that one of the ingredients it called for is Elderflower liqueur. This mild and slightly floral alcohol is one I highly recommend you try. It's my favorite. It takes the bite of the harshness of gin and anything it's added to taste like a warm summer day in a meadow. If you have never tried it, I highly suggest you do. St. Germain is the most recognizable brand, but I bought Thatcher's Organic Elderflower. It's great and few dollars cheaper than St. Germain so BOOM! BUY IT!

This drink is easy to make and oh so light on the palette. It's not a girly drink by any means and a "light weight" would be able to handle one without a problem. It's a cocktail that is meant to be slipped ocean side.

"The Scallywag." When I make it with gin, I call it a "Wench"

To the recipe which I list below, I made one adjustment. Instead of 2 oz of club soda, I used 4 oz. I wanted to use a highball glass instead of a tumbler because I prefer the esthetic. Also, it will take you that much longer to drink which means you get to enjoy it that much longer.

"The Scallywag"

• 1 1/2 oz. Blue Chair Bay White Rum
• 3/4 oz. St. Germain Elderflower liqueur
• 1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
• splash of simple syrup
• 2 oz. club soda
• 1 dash angostura bitters

Build ingredients directly into rocks glass filled with ice. Roll it, baby. Whip some fruit on it if ya like.

Sober September - Week 1

Sunday marked my first SUCCESSFUL week of Sober September. Here is a day-by-day recap. Sorry if it's boring read. Sober people don't seem to get into as many crazy hijinks. Go figure, right?

Day 1:
This day was marked by a hang over and a Labor Day movie and dinner with James' mom and step-dad. The hang over sucked, but after wishing me a "Happy Sober September," as Carol is a avid reader of this blog, she asked me if I was pregnant. I found this very amusing. To be fair, James and I terrorize his family with the threat of a kid before marriage and I have a case of Baby Fever. Anyway, I am not pregnant. . .not yet, that is. . .

Day 2:
Easy day and I didn't want a drink. Work had no drama and after my workout at home I just sipped on diet soda and mineral water. However, I find being sober at night VERY BORING. I need to find a hobby. By 9 pm I have had my fill of Netflix, re-reading my favorite books and the internet.

Day 3:
I want a drink. I have a craving for a cocktail and it would be amazing on a hot night like this. It's Wednesday and Hump Day and it should be celebrated with a libation! Instead it's celebrated with lime flavored mineral water. Sigh.

Day 4:
Today was hard for me and took a bit of will power After work I did errand which included going to Walmart to try on a dress my boss beautifully wore to work that day. It was on sale for $5 and looked like it would be a perfect dress for James' sister's engagement party. When I tried it on, however, I looked awful. I felt wide and thick and upon removing it from my body I starred at my reflection for a moment. My stomach looked paunchy and dimpled. My bra dipped and cut into my flesh grossly. My back fat looked like it was trying to form a roll. While I rationally realized that I didn't look that bad, emotionally I felt I looked hideous. All I wanted to do after that was go home and drink until I didn't care anymore. Knowing that this wasn't an option, I coped by laying across James' lap and telling him my feelings. This helped. My cat Chaka also helped by jumping on my lap and curling up. It took a couple hours of feeling down, but feeling awful eventually went away. No drinks were drank and I won the night.

 Day 5:
Friday night usually is a drinking night for me so it felt so strange to not drink. I didn't though which was good. Again, I was bored. Again, I drank my lime flavored mineral water. God, I really need to find a new, captivating book to read or something! Nights seem too long nowadays.

Day 6:
Part of my day was doing errands. One stop on this journey was Total Wine. I had to buy a bottle of wine for a friend's husband's birthday. I walked down the aisles looking at all the prettily packaged bottles, but I wasn't in any sort of need to drink. James bought a bottle of strawberry flavored moonshine and I bought a Chilean bottle of Malbec. In the evening, I poured a glass of the moonshine for James. Some dribbled on my hand (mason jars may look adorable, but they are a pain in the ass to pour from). I almost and unthinkingly licked my hand. I caught myself in the nick of time. I resigned myself to sniffing it. James said it tasted great.

Day 7: 
Lots of dreary housework and projects. I am working on a quilt to be part of a silent auction for the Alzheimer's Association. I need to complete it by the 20th. The name of the game tonight is to stay busy. I sure wouldn't mind a tasty, cold cocktail to make me forget this heat. None shall be had. Mineral water, please. 

Sober September - It Begins

As I type this post, I am sipping on my very last rum and diet Coke for the next 30 days.

Well, not really my last one. I plan on two or three more at least, but by that point I won't be able to type coherently and I'd rather not ramble through this post like a ill-syllabicate haiku. . .

Party of One! Swiggle Straw!Woo!!!

As I was saying, this is the last night I will be drinking for 30 days in a venture that is called "Sober September."  What is that you ask? Well, it's not consuming alcohol for the month of September. Simple. I came across this an article about a year ago a guy wrote about how he does this every year as a exercise of self control. I like the article and it seems that other people has too since when I googled it, there were several tumblr and articles about others doing the same thing.

There are a couple reasons I am doing this personal challenge. Yes, I said "challenge." Reasons include:

1) I LOVE TO DRINK! No, I mean it. I love to drink. It is my worst and favorite habit. Most nights I come come and pour myself a drink and float the night away on a mind-emptying buzz. My brain is constantly thinking - flitting here and there and everywhere all the time. It only stops when I imbibe a gin and tonic or some other simply made drink. It's one of the best feelings in the world to me. The ritual of walking though my front door, shedding my work clothes on the bed, replacing them with comfy sweats and then measuring and pouring myself an instant relaxant. The first sip is perfect and any bad that my day had gets washed away. It's lovely.  Please note that I said "habit" and not "problem." I don't need to drink every day and I do not. I just enjoy drinking. We'll save my psychology for another post.

2) My tolerance is getting a little too high. And by a "little," I mean "a lot." As with any activity, you body develops a tolerance. Coffee drinkers need more cups to get through the day and athletes need more weight/reps/miles to achieve physical results. Alcohol consumption is no different. Where a shot of Malibu rum with pineapple juice made me all giggly as a 19 year girl drinking her first cocktail, that wouldn't even affect me now. My tolerance at this point in my life would make a frat boy proud. Being the OCD freak that I am about drinking (see future post), I now measure 6 ounces of liquor to get me "drunk." Not "shit-faced-running-around-naked" drunk, just "regular" drunk. To some that may seem like a lot, to others, not so much. But, to me, that is getting a little to "cray-cray" (that's what the kids say right?) for me.

3) It's making me gain weight. Vanity, thy name is too tight jeans. Over the past year, I have gain some weight. Nothing that is overtly noticeable to most people, but that is evident in the way my clothing fits. I only comfortable fit in my "fat" jeans and some of my blouses are pulling at the buttons. My upper arms and thighs feel snug in all my sweaters and pants. It's awful. It's teen girl complex awful.

4) Hangover recovery isn't what it used to be. Gah, I am getting old. At least, my liver is telling me so. Where I used to wake up feeling fine after a night of drinking, I now wake up with an unbelievable thrust for water, nausea and bloating. It's not fun. I feel gross. It sucks. The symptoms that alcohol are suppose to give you has finally caught up with my demigod-like self. Sigh. . .

Well, folks, that is my reasoning for "Sober September" in a nutshell. I would get more in depth, but my cup is empty of rum and I need to refill it. I'll write back in a week and tell you of any adventures that this journey awaits me! Until then, bottoms up!

Cooking for One: The Case of the Junk Food Boyfriend and the Dieting Girlfriend

Aw, love. It makes you do crazy things - leap from a plane, move to Alaska, gain 10 pounds. . .

Moving in with your significant other is wonderful and trying at the same time. You have to find a way to blend your life with another person. From books to closet space (I was fair and have up half - nix that: I was a freakin' saint) to creating meals that you both can enjoy. With a little compromise, it can even become a fun puzzle. James' transition into moving in was fairly easy. He didn't have a lot of stuff and what he had fit in my apartment well.

What didn't fit into our new life together was our differing eating habits.

Yep. This is dramatization is pretty spot on.

I am not much of a cook. I mostly, prior the James moving in, grilled a skinless chicken breast on my trusty George Foreman Grill and boiled me some delicious Brussels sprouts. BOOM! Healthy dinner done! If I was lazy it was a Lean Cuisine French bread pizza. I am not fussy and can eat the same thing every day. I'm basically a food Spartan. At the time of James moving in, he had been living 7 years on his own and eating fast food for lunch and dinner with a bowl of sugary kids cereal for dessert. (As I type, there is a box of Capt'n Crunch Berries on top of our refrigerator.) His meals were high in processed goodness, strong taste and fat. A healthy dinner for James equates to a Chipotle chicken burrito - light on the sour cream.

For the past year and a half I have been trying to cook for both of us. My limited skill set and James love of carbs, cheese and variety has made it difficult. It has been extremely difficult to try and introduce quinoa and kale into meal time because will either refuse to eat it or gag in disgust as he chokes it down. I have high anxiety and a need please, so when he doesn't like what I cook, it makes me get all discombobulated.  Due to this, dinner is generally a quasi-healthy affair with emphasis on the quasi. Since the co-habitation has occurred, I have gained weight. Not all of it is due to James' influence on my eating habit (my good friend gin is also to blame), but it is a significant factor.

I have made several attempts at "making" James agree to eating healthy for the sake of our mutual need to be healthy and fit. Each time has failed in less than a week. I feel guilty for making him eat things he doesn't want to. He's not a child and I assume that he is just eating behind my back. Which is frustrating due to it making me feel that I can't cook good enough for him and that he is wasting money since I made a completely acceptable meal at home. After a year and a half, I have decided to give up.

Driving home from an indulgent family vacation I told James that going forward, I am cooking for one. I am going to tell him about the dinner I plan on making and then give him the opportunity join me or get his own dinner. If he chooses to get his own dinner, then he has to eat it at the fast food restaurant and not bring home any evidence.

The reason for not allowing him to eat at home with me is simple: I have no self control when it comes to food. James is a sweetheart, indulgent and kind. If I ask for a french fry, he will give it to me without a second thought or condescending look. That is a huge problem! Yes, a loving and generous boyfriend has a downfall, ladies! If I am there eating a dinner of a no-oil chicken and kale stir fry and he's eating a pulled pork BBQ sandwich, I will inevitably ask for a bite. I will feel deprived of delicious saucy meat and then try to compensate somehow. My crazy brain will fixate and I will be depressed no matter how good my dinner is. I will need a mouth full of saucy meat. (Yes, I realize how that sounds. . .perverts. . .)

For the non-pervs, here is basically what they were seeing in there dirty minds.

Cooking for one started tonight. I made the aforementioned stir fry and James had a microwave pizza. For lunch, he had a meat sandwich at the fast food restaurant and I had a  natural peanut butter and chocolate Shakeology at home.

I can't make James like super healthy and I am done with trying. Sometimes compromise isn't in eating the same meal, but eating meals apart. Instead of conversations over the dinner table.

 I guess we will just have to settle on yelling at the pro-wrestling matches on the TV after dinner.

My Cousin is a Fitness Rockstar!

I don't know about you, but I find inspiration and comfort in the "Average Joe" story of weight loss. No gimmicks, no "programs." Just blood, sweat, pumping iron and the will power to say "no" to glazed Krispy Kremes. Mmmm. . . .

Below is the story of my cousin Eric. One day he decided to change his life for the better through fitness. It's been a year now and these are his wise words of that personal journey.

Eric is one of the kindest and most down-to-earth people you will ever meet. He's an humble hard-worker and it shows though in the post below. I love him a lot and I am so very proud of him.

Read it and be inspired! I know I am! Way to go, cuz!

Fitness Done Right!  Before (2013) & After (2014)

Today is my one year fitness-anniversary. A year ago today I decided that I wasn’t going to go on a diet but instead I was going to make a lifestyle change or at least try (big emphasis on try, I originally expected to fail). Since last year I have dropped about 10 inches from my waist and about 75 pounds of fat, and it feels pretty damn good. Really there is not much more to say because in my mind we all have struggles that are hard for other people to fully understand so talking about it a lot of the time I feel falls on deaf ears, but in this case I am going to talk about my journey a little bit in case it can be of any help to anyone else. I was the biggest self non believer ever in this category of my life and I'm here now and I wish I could go back sooner and give myself the encouragement I needed.

The Journey:

You are going to have to do this for yourself. End of story. My original motivations were external (look better to appeal to someone else) but what I have learned is that if you do it solely based on that you will not succeed, BUT it can be a great reason to get the initial push over the edge(In my mind I always like to think "came for the ladies, stayed for the GAINS"…. hahaha). Moving on, as I mentioned before it has to be a lifestyle change, you have to accept some cold hard facts. The fact of the matter is at the end of the day if you are significantly overweight like I was you are taking in too many calories daily and that’s it. It sounds really stupid but I would say it took me a full six months of hard work to come to accept that. I used to eat about four to five thousand calories a day and although that may seem super surprising its really not if you sit down and look at how many damn calories are in food today, especially junk food and fast food. I have not had Del Taco in about eight months and it is a double edged sword…

So to make significant weight loss you are going to have to make a change in your life and almost for sure I can tell you that translates into pack your own damn food everywhere every day. In reality it fucking sucks but through my experiences in the begging I fully believe that one must be extra hardcore in dedication in the beginning. This means, no fast food, NO CHEAT DAYS, and drinking water while you watch your friends eat burgers and sweet potato fries… It seriously sucks, like I can't stress that enough, but do you know what doesn’t suck? Donating old clothes because you literally can make them work because they are so loose. It took me about eight months to lose the majority of my weight and during that time I was really strict with myself, I weighed every single day, I rarely made slip ups (it does happen and when it does you need to focus on not doing it again but be positive, I would always make it a point to tell myself that just because I made a mistake does not erase all of my progress) and finally you need to visualize the prize. At first I was a non-believer as I have repetitively mentioned, but as pounds came off, pants got loser, my double chin went down and I began to see what I could be. Every day still to this day is a fork in the road. Do I want to eat Wendy's for lunch or do I want a more defined chin? I seriously for months about once a week would have nightmares where I snapped and ate a bunch of food and the regret would just plague me and I would wake up and be so happy I didn’t lose all of that progress.

With that being said I will tell the happy part, the happy part is that being extremely strict in the beginning builds confidence in what you are doing and as you learn your body you can experiment a little bit with eating more here and there and still being okay, you can also see that doing XXXXX didn’t hurt you overall by weighting frequently in the beginning. But eventually you will graduate into your new self and that is where I'm at now. I would say it took that full eight months in the beginning but overall my capacity and lust for food has legitimately changed. The constant need to feel like "I wish I could eat as much as I want" is finally gone and when this happens it really feels like you have made it. Sure I eat a lot here and there as some have seen but unlike the past I basically accept calorie for calorie and if I'm going to eat a big meal one time than I make changes to compensate elsewhere because you will certainly learn that, that shit aint magic.

Cons:

The cons to all of this I would say is that everything is certainly not how I expected it would be. I could get really detailed with my expectations but they all point to one thing and that is the thought this would change who I was internally, but it does not. I thought once I got here I would no longer feel like a fat kit but that’s not true. My self-perception has gotten much better but I can certainly say that it is nowhere close to equal to someone who looks similar to myself that was never overweight and I find that to be my biggest shock and struggle today. Still the ends totally justify the means just know that it's not the magic cure to self confidence you might think. I think with time I will grow into my new self more but it has certainly not been what I expected.

Pros:

So since emotionally it is not what I expected I can't tell you, lose weight and you will instantly become the super hero you always thought you would be, but I can tell you all the little things are pretty sweet. Things like doing a pull up with ease, literally doing a pull up and not struggling is almost euphoric to this day. Rolling over in the morning and scratching you back and feeling a defined bone or muscle, it sounds really stupid, but spending you whole life and touching squish becomes only apparent when it is gone and when you notice it is pretty sweet. There are a bunch of small things, but I guess I am forgetting to mention a big one: health. Before I was pretty unhealthy, so much so that my doctor at this young age was threatening to put me on cholesterol lowering medications because I was really high. Recently I got a blood panel done and my cholesterol is so low that its lower than the recommended bracket and all the way into the active prevention of heart disease bracket. That shit is cray.

Final Thoughts:

I have barely put what I could say here because it is really hear to compress something that you think about every day for a year into a small amount of text, but like I tried to say I hope this doesn’t come off as purely me bragging about my self-accomplishment. I just hope one person might see this and be a little inspired because like I said: I was the biggest non-believer, I really thought I couldn’t do this, I honestly expected to be fat and unhappy for the rest of my life and die early because of it and now I'm here. The most inspiring thing I can say is that when you get to the other side it's not even that hard, It looks so hard from the start but as YOU change it just gets easier and more manageable. 

P90X3 - Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Greeting, my reader!

You may not remember me. I am the lady that said she'd post once a week and then didn't. That's right. I failed to keep my word! Also, I failed to keep healthy (for the most part).

Phase 1 of P90X3 went rather well. I drank a few times. Did all my work outs and got results! Yay! Then Day 31 - 90. . .not so much. More days than not I ate what I pleased and drink more than I should have. I didn't even bother with taking Day 60 measurements or photos. I "knew" it would only depress me. Overall, it wasn't a great 90 days dedicated to my health.

Today is day 91 - a day that is suppose to be happy and with a rockin' "before and after" photo. It is suppose to be a day where I tell you that you can do it and this is how I did it. It is suppose to be a day that I can say, "BOOM, Tony. It was BROUGHT!!!" It, however, is not.

I can say that I did EVERY ONE OF MY WORKOUTS!!! That is the only really positive thing I can say. I enjoy working out and 30 minutes a day was easy peasy for me. Even if I had to skip a day (like a long visit with grandma happened or weekday dinner with family after work), I was able to do a double on a Saturday or catch up on a Sunday, the 7th day, which is suppose to be a rest day. I gained muscle and strength and ended loosing a grand to total of:

1 pound.

Cue cricket noise.

I am not proud of this. I am upset that I couldn't discipline myself for a measly 90 days. I am a very discipline person at work, in my finances and most every other area of my life. I have reflected over the past several days where I went wrong and here is what I have come up with:

• Alcohol - Oh, Demon Rum, you know what I like and what I like is you! I also like gin, sweet whiskey and tequila. Drinking is my Achilles heel. I can rationalize having a drink pretty much any day of the week and, for some reason, it's especially easy after a work out. Drinking more days than not during the week is a major pit fall of mine.

• Back Pain and Injury -  In October, I attempted to do the Insanity workout. Big mistake for me. My body could not handle the high impact and intensity of the workout. I inherited my father's joints and have naturally bad balance. I ended up having to quite two weeks in due to a left foot and right should injuries and chronic lower back pain. During P90X3, I still had nagging lower back pain and injured my right shoulder again. There were days that I couldn't do my workout and where Advil didn't help. I ended up using alcohol to numb the pain and modifying my workouts to suit my limitations. I wasn't able to go "full out" for a significant amount of my 90 Day program.

• Partner Choice - Like in love and business, having the right partner is the key to success. For this round of health and fitness renewal, my partner was my amazing boyfriend James. Unfortunately, while he was on board with the working out part (he done almost 100% of videos and only fell one week behind.), he was not the right choice for eating right. James wasn't ready and I didn't make him give up carbs and other treats. Did I complain and give him "mom face" - you betcha', but that didn't stop him from making poor eating choice or me from following along. (I have given myself "mom face" in the mirror when I made bad choices.) Having him as my partner made it OK for me to not be perfect as well. There wasn't any worry of judgment or accountability. I felt that I only had to be as good as my he was and that was a major down fall for me. You partner should encourage you to stay on track, not make it OK to fall off the wagon. You partner really should me more of an AA Sponsor.

• "OK to Cheat" Mentality - If James had a pop tart, then I could have a cocktail. If he cheated, then it was OK for me to cheat.That was my overall mentality for these 90 Days. This mentality shows in my lack of results.

Much like Pharrell. . .Minus the hat. Or talent.

• Too Content with Life -You might be telling yourself, "Poor little Nikki. She's too happy to lose weight. Boo-hoo." Well, folks, that is the ironic truth of the matter. Being in a healthy and supportive romantic relationship, having a job that you enjoy going to everyday and having friends and family who love you unconditionally really makes it hard to find a reason to change. I am already an overall healthy and fit person. I wear pants in the low single digits. I have no real reason to loose weight other than I don't like my reflection in the mirror or how my arms look in a tank top. It's hard to get motivated when so much is good in my life.

May 4, 2014 marks a reset for me. I have started my periodic "cleanse" of the Cabbage Soup Diet and will be ending it on Friday, a day short of it's usually 7 days. Saturday, May 10, 2014 marks the beginning of Round 2: P90X3 - Do it or Don't, There Isn't an In Between. 

 I leave you, reader, with this:

Today while James was getting though his much hated Pilates video, he said, "I'm still fat." To which I answers, "Whose fault is that?"

His reply,"Mine."

Who's fault is it that I did not succeed in this round of P90X3? 

It's my fault and no one else.

Tips & Treats: Strengthening the Core & A Seriously Delicious (Almost Vegan) Chocolate Cake!

Tip: Core Strength

A friend of mine requested that I write about core strengthening exercises. So, here you go, Meryl.

The front "core" muscles

A strong core is probably the most thing you can give yourself in fitness. A strong core means a strong back. It also means strong sides, abs, chest and butt. Your core extends from the top of your chest (pectoral muscles) to top are your thighs (hip flexors). It includes all of the muscles on your backside, too.

Most people forget their back and rump are part of their core. I get it, you think "core" you think tight abs all ripped and usually glistening with sweat. That's what I think, anyway. I rarely think of my own midsection.

I bet these guys can plank all night long. . .

Anyone with lower back pain should be doing core exercises. Anyone who wants to maintain great posture all their lives need to do core exercises. Your trunk is the heaviest part of your body. It does so much work that everyone should be maintaining a strong core whether you are a pro athlete or lead a sedentary lifestyle. By the way, being thin has nothing to do with a strong core.

These are some of my favorite core strengthening exercises. They are mostly isometric in nature. All of them can be modified to be more challenging as you get stronger. Here are my favorite basics.

• Plank - All the rage about two years ago for YOLO enthusiasts. For fitness enthusiasts, it's a fundamental exercise for core strength. To do this lay down on the ground then support your body (from your shoulders to your ankles) with your toes and either with your arms straight or on your forearms. Keep your back as straight as possible by pulling your belly button into your spine and squeezing your butt cheeks together.
• Side Planks - Thoroughly a yoga move, but thoroughly ass kicking for your whole body, focusing on the obliques. To do this, all you do is a set up for a regular plank and then rotate your body so you are staring at the wall. Raise the arm that isn't on the ground up to the sky, palm open.
• Hip Raises - Similar to side plank. Begin by laying on your side with your forearm supporting your upper body and your feet stacked. Then, all you do, is lift your hip up as high as you can toward the ceiling. Don't let your butt stick out. Do as many lifts as you can on each side without your body touching the ground.
• Boat Position - This a yoga move. Sit on your butt. Then lift your legs (no bending if you can manage it!) to a 45 degree angle. Straighten your arms and have them be parallel to your legs, hands pointed. Keep your back straight, pull in your stomach and hold it as long as you can.
• Bow and "Super Man" - These two are variations of each other. Do do "Super Man" as Tony Horton likes to call it in P90X, you lay on your stomach and then raise your chest and legs off the ground. Your are arms are extended forward, hence "Super Man." With bow you start out the same as "Super Man," but you add to it by grabbing your your ankles with your hands. This will give you a good stretch too. Remember to use your thigh muscles to push your legs closer to your head. 
•  Yoga and Pilates - If you want to get in great core shape, these are your programs. Just remember to breath "right" (your instructor will tell you when to inhale and exhale) and keep your muscles in your midsection constricted as much as possible.

Tip: Chocolate Cake

Oh, chocolate cake, you are everyone's favorite it seems. If I bake a cake in my house it's chocolate. It's James' favorite. Personally, I like spice cake best, but I am alone in that flavor goodness.

As Mad as a "Batter". . . get it?

Last September, I had the privilege of baking the wedding cake of my dear friends Blaire and Kc. Their cake baker dropped out last second and I took on the challenge. I was nervous, but I knew I could do it. I love to bake and am surprising good at it. I usually use box cake mix. As long as you follow the directions and don't over bake it, it turns out fantastic. However, for this cake, I wanted something from scratch. Something Martha Stewart would be proud of.

A co-worker gave me the recipe I share with you today. I was talking about the wedding and my baking gig, when she told me that she had a recipe that was A-MAZING! It was so good, it was featured on a talk show. The recipe is from the Sweet Dreams Bakery in Memphis, TN.

This cake is truly delicious. The cake is super dense and super moist. It's so dense that you won't even need a cake leveler to make a flat top to the cake if you are stacking. As it cools it literally falls flat (in the best possible way). This fantastic density is caused from the lack of eggs in the batter. Yes, that is right, a no egg cake. I know! I didn't think it there was such a thing! Flourless cake, yes, but egg-less? That is what makes this cake vegan.

Verified Awesome Nikki Made Wedding Cake

You can leave it like this if you want. I am sure it will be amazing if you made it completely vegan. However, I told you that this is an "almost" vegan chocolate cake. What makes it "almost" is: chocolate chips. Now, I am sure there is vegan chocolate chips out there, but I haven't tried to find them as I am not vegan. I am a proud omnivore. If someone knows of some good vegan chips, knock yourself out. I just used good ol' Target band chips and they are lovely.

I did do one modification to this recipe that I want to point out. The original recipe calls for "semi-sweet" chips. I used milk chocolate chips. I never use semi-sweet because the name is a bold face LIE! They taste bitter and make any chipped goodie less awesome. And, for the record, I only do completely awesome.

Cook time will depend on what kind of pan you use. The recipe wants you to decide the batter in half and put it in two 9-inch cake pans.  It says 25 minutes at 350F. That should work fine. I poured all of it in my 9-inch pan because I wanted a super thick layer. When I cooked it in my gas oven, the cake took over twice as long. If I recall correctly, I took me 1 hour and 25 minutes. All I can suggest to you lovely people is to keep checking it and when your fork comes out with only a super little bit of cake, it's done. 

Old-Fashion Chocolate Cake with Cocoa Frosting

Cake:

• 3 cups of all-purpose flour
• 2 cups of sugar
• 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp of baking soda
• 1 tsp of salt
• 2 cups of cold water
• 1 cup of corn oil
• 1 tbs of vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips - YOU DECIDE!

Frosting:

•  1 1/4 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 5 cups of powder sugar*
• 8 (ish) tbs of whole milk*
• 1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup plus 3 tbs of unsweetened cocoa powder

Make cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour** three 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Add first 5 ingredients into medium bowl. Mix water, oil and vanilla in large bowl. Whisk in dry ingredients. Divide batter among pans. Sprinkle 1/2 cup chocolate chips over batter in each pan.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 15 minutes. Cut around pan sides to loosen cakes. Turn cakes out; cool completely.

Make frosting:

Beat butter in large bowl until fluffy (slowly and at a low speed). Gradually beat in 3 cups sugar. Beat in 6 tablespoons milk and vanilla. Add cocoa and remaining 2 cups sugar; beat until blended, thinning with more milk if necessary. 

Place 1 cake layer, chocolate-chips side up, on platter. Spread 2/3 cup frosting over. Top with second cake layer, chocolate-chips side up. Spread 2/3 cup frosting over. Top with remaining cake layer, chocolate-chips side down. Spread frosting over sides and top of cake. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome; let stand at room temperature.)

* You may not use all 5 cups. You will need to eyeball the texture/firmness of the frosting that works for you. You may use more than 8 table spoons. Use as much as you need by the tablespoon to thin out the frosting. It gets thick quick.

**I cut rounds out of parchment paper to line the bottom of the pans so the cake comes out completely clean. Don't forget to run a knife along the cake edge in the pan before flipping it over and out.

Recipe Online Courtesy of Epicurious.com  

A Not So Heathly Start: Day 1

My plan was to start P90X3 on 2/1/14 - the day I got back from my indulgent Hawaiian vacation.

Yeah. . .not the most flattering comment.

That was the plan. Unfortunately, my body had a different plan for me and I woke up Saturday with a terrible cold. Monday, 2/3/14, I went back to work and was pretty much immediately told by a a co-worker that I looked like Bella when she died giving birth (Twilight - Third Movie). Yet, even though I am not at 100% of my physical and sarcastic strength, I made myself start the workout two days behind schedule because I am as stubborn as a mule! Decreased lung capacity be damned!

I decided to do the "Lean" version of the program and James is opting for the "Classic" version. My goal is to tone and lose my excess weight. James' goal is to get fit and not be "fat" anymore. Basically, we want to be the prettiest people in the room - any room - even our rooms at home. Even our cats are currently leaner and healthier than us! We both are also pushing 30 (gah!) and realize that we ain't getting any younger and being trim and good working order physically isn't going to get any easier. Eh, cliche, but completely true!

We did our "Fit Test" on 1/20/13, before our week long vacation. I was pretty proud of my results overall. James, not so much. I work out pretty regularly, so I knew my results would be solid. I did not however realize that I CANNOT DO A PULL UP!!! The test required a wide, palms-away-from-you position and I couldn't do it. Not even a quarter of one! There I am at an elementary school playground and I am kicking the air and yelling profanities at arms that will not lift! It was embarrassing to say the least. Bottom line: We were shamed by monkey bars.

Our results were more or less in line with what they should have been. Neither of us "passed" them all. I feel confident that I will do well. I have already tried out the Yoga, Pilates and the CVX routines prior to starting the program.

Today, Day 1, I did Accerlator. I had a little trouble with it due to me being only at 85% of my usual level of awesome. Overall, it was a fast-paced cardio video. I should have used a folded yoga mat due to the amount of planks and moves that put stress on my wrists.

James did Total Synergistics. The work out looked pretty fun. . .to me. To James, well, let's just say that he was doing some physical movements that weren't part of the video at Tony Horton.

Below you will see our "Before" pictures. I will provide new pictures every 30 days. Be prepared for some awesome improvements!

Preview: P90X3 -My 2014 Fitness Program Adventure!

Well. . . Look, no excuses. I started this blog on an excited whim and let the helium of that excitement balloon diffuse into the atmosphere. The most I have done with the blog is jot down "cool ideas" to write about. Writing, not so much. False starts are part of life, especially in fitness and change.

Seven months later and I make my second entry into this blog. I am not proud of this, but it is what it is. Today's entry is actually one that will push me to do several more, so I have that going for me.

Today I write about starting the newest workout program to the BeachBody arsenal of extreme fitness: P90X3.

I have done P90X, the first in this series about two years ago. The results were amazing. At the time I was thin (having gone through what my hairstylist called the "Divorce Diet") and I wanted to tone up for the summer. Weight loss wasn't my plan, but my ex-husband was doing the program and the results he was having were great. So I do the program and lose 5 lbs and a few inches off the ol' body. I lost the fat from the bra strap area right under my boobs (something I didn't know what possible - yay) and gained some sweet definition in my triceps. I even got more than a few of the coveted "You're too skinny" remarks to which I enthusiastically replied, "Really? Thank you!"

Me: Before (3/10/12, 129 lbs) and After (6/7/12, 124 lbs)

Fast forward two years later: I am in an extremely healthy and loving relationship with my boyfriend, James. Unfortunately, due to being happy and having a boyfriend who tells me how beautiful I am while eating Five Guys, I have gained back all the weight I loss and then some. Needless to say I am not currently happy with myself and my body's appearance.

Program Overview:

In December, P90X3 came out on the market. The program consists of sixteen 30-minute videos that uses the concept of "muscle acceleration" to get people into shape. Like its predecessors, the program is 90 days long that breaks up the 90 days into "three phases" consisting of 3 week of a 6 day workout plan followed by a transition week to set you up for the next phase. The point of doing the program in phases is so the body never "plateaus" and weight loss and muscle building continues.

The concept for P90X3 is derived from several studies that state that tested time and intensity of working out in relations to people remaining committed and calories burned. One study found that after 30 minutes of the body's ability to respond to exercise beings to decrease resulting in diminishing returns. So, unless you are a super athletic, if you do 30-minutes of intense exercise, that should be enough to loss weight and get fit. This is what the P90X3 Fitness guide tells us. Having done P90X, I am going to take this at their word for now.

There is a second part to this program which is the nutrition guide. The nutrition guide is really just a common sense approach to healthy eating. It works off a 40% carbohydrate-30% protein-30% fat model of nutrition. Of course this doesn't mean you get this ratio via a meal at In-N-Out. The guide has a infograph style ranking of "healthy to healthiest" carbs, proteins and fats. For example, kale is your healthiest carb whereas a corn tortilla is your least healthy carb. The guide also gives you a 4 question nutrition quiz to figure out your caloric intake baseline. There are a few recipes for spice blends and vinaigrettes and suggestions for healthy meals and snacks. The guide is pretty idiot proof.

In contrast, P90X has a three tier eating and meal system that followed each of the three phases of the workout program. The first phase involved an Atkins-like diet, the second resembled a South Beach-style diet and phase three was highest in carbs. What I liked about this nutrition program over nutrition program over P90X3s is that you were able to plan your day using portions. For example, the first phase gave you 5 portions of protein, two dairy, one carb, etc. It was easy for me to just count portions and figure where I wanted to use my calories and food types throughout my day.