Photo Challenge Day Nine: Faceless Self Portrait

Today's photo challenge was a faceless self-portrait. I took this out in the yard where the light was better. I'm sure I looked like a complete weirdo. That's okay, the neighbors already think we're pretty weird.

For this one I took a picture of bicep. Why? Because I just couldn't figure out a creative way to take a faceless self-portrait. Plus, I've been working on my biceps! :o)

So here we go...my naked bicep.

 

No time for musings today! Tomorrow will be better!

Day 8 Photo Challenge: Technology

Technology is my photo challenge today. So I thought, "Hmmm....do I take a picture of my I touch...or maybe our kitty cam that allows me to keep an eye on the fur kids when we're out of town?" I decided to go a different way.

Below is a picture of my Mazuno running shoes--showing their "Wave" technology. I love my running shoes (see earlier blog on my shoe obsession). This is my kind of technology!

Day Seven Photo Challenge: Something New

Today's challenge is a photo of something new. Two new exciting things arrived just yesterday. I couldn't decide between them so I'm posting pictures of both of them!

First is a new batch of resistance bands--all shiny and colorful! (If you'd like a pdf of a band workout, shoot me an email and I will send you one: jj@thefitlife.us).

I also received two dresses from Athleta yesterday (my hubby and sister-in-law both got me gift certificates for my birthday. What's really exciting is that they fit perfectly--like they were made for me! How often does that happen with mail order clothing? And see, I do wear dresses now and then (okay...made by Athleta....meant for active wear...but dresses nonetheless). I'm hoping to wear them a few times before Fall, and then get a lot of wear out of them during a trip to Costa Rica this Fall.

Photo Challenge Day Six: A Childhood Memory

This was the first challenge I really had to think about. I don't have any of my childhood stuffed animals. And I'm not close enough to any of the childhood places I remember to run and grab a picture. So this is what I came up with:

It's one of those cheap, little plastic balls you find in big bins at the grocery or convenience store. I use to beg my parents for a new plastic ball when I saw them at the store. When I see the big bin of balls now, I still kind of want one (okay, obviously I have one...I use it when doing pool workouts with clients).

I could amuse myself for hours with one of these when I was little. And sooner or later, a neighborhood girl would come by, and want to play as well. It was so simple. We'd stand on a driveway playing two square--laughing and talking for hours. No batteries or electricity required.

I'm not a parent, so I have no idea if little girls still amuse themselves this way or not. From my viewpoint it seems like childhood has changed so much since I was a girl.

We use to sped our day riding our bikes around town. I don't think parents feel safe letting their young children do that anymore.

What's a pleasant memory from your childhood?

Photo Challenge Day Five: Someone I Love

My photo challenge for day five is "Someone I love". Below are two of my favorite someones in the world--my amazing husband, Mark, and my big, fat Butter Bean (a.k.a. The Big Bean, Bean Bean, The Bean).

I married a little later in life than most folks. I was 38. I was never someone who needed to be coupled. It was always nice, but I was also very happy being on my own. I had some of the best girlfriends ever, and I liked my alone time.

But when I met Mark, we just  worked. My mother always told me that marriage was hard work and required a lot of sacrifice. So I always thought, "Why would I want that?" With Mark I don't feel like I had to make sacrifices. Okay, little ones...but not ones that changed who I was. Marriage to Mark is easy. We enjoy the same activities. We like almost all the same foods. We just fit each other like it's the most natural situation in the world.

And then there's The Big Bean. (Now don't get me wrong, we have two other kitties (JoJo and Zin) and a ferret (Oscar) that I love very much too, but getting Mark to hold all of them at once would have been a challenge). I found The Bean in a parking lot one day when Mark and I were out to do a long run. Mark had already taken off, but I was still fiddling with my gps watch. When I got out of the car, I heard a tiny little "meow". And out from under a bush came a tiny little orange kitten--maybe four weeks old. Well, I couldn't just leave her in a parking lot with cars coming in and out, so I started knocking on doors--asking people if she was theirs. Nobody claimed the little girl, so she came home with me. I half-hardheartedly tried to find her another home, but I knew she was mine pretty quick. I had lost my 18-year-old cat about a month and a half earlier, and I just couldn't help but think he sent The Bean to me because he knew we could help each other.

Little Bean

Day Four Photo Challenge: My Favorite Color

Day Four of the photo challenge is to take a picture of my favorite color. Well, I'm a nature girl. And I love greens (Go Bobcats!). So below is a picture of my favorite color:

 

I honestly just don't have any fitness ramblings today. We did a training run this morning for the Tough Mudder--an adventure race we're doing in October. And I'm tired! Good tired though. Perhaps tomorrow.

Day Three Photo Challenge: Clouds

Day three of my photo blog challenge was to take a picture of clouds. And, of course, there is not a single cloud in the sky today. So this will have to suffice. I took this while lying on top of our picnic table in the backyard. The little white streams are actually sunbursts, but they look a bit like clouds!

 

Now for today's ramblings...

Sticking to an exercise routine really is all about habit. Once it becomes a habit, it's easy to keep it going. It's getting to the habit stage that's hard. 

Since I exercise for a living, developing an exercise habit was pretty easy. I teach nine fitness classes a week--my body has come to expect exercise at those times. Because of a very minor medical procedure, I'm on a three-day exercise hiatus. My body feels it. I feel tired (believe it or not....taking a break from exercise has made me feel tired...not rested) and cranky. My body needs that release. You get addicted to the exercise habit, just like you get use to your eating habits, t.v. habits, etc.

So find some activities you enjoy doing, and stick to a schedule of doing them. Stick to this schedule for at least three weeks. Your body will start craving them. They will become a habit, and you'll miss when you don't do them.

The same thing can be said for dieting. I had a bad habit of stopping at Starbuck's about three times a week for an iced mocha. I drove right by it between do off my clients on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.. I was to the point where I craved that mocha around that time on those days. In this case, I really needed to break the habit. I was taking in way too much sugar (not to mention spending too much money). It was hard. I had to force myself to drive by without stopping for one. Sometimes I would go home and make my own healthier sugar-free mocha with my morning coffee, unsweetened cocoa, a pack of Stevia and some creamer (for me it's the So Delicious original creamer made from coconut milk). It got me through the tough times! Now I'm off the mochas, but still have one as a treat once a month or so. Just like forming a good habit, breaking the bad one took about three weeks. Now I can drive by without such an urge to stop!

So go out there and create some good habits, and break some bad ones today!

Day Two: What I Wore

It's Day #2 in my photo blog challenge--my effort to get my blog back up and going! The photo for Day #2 is "What I wore". Here it is:

When you talk "business attire," this is it for me--my business attire. It's one of the reasons my career (and life) rock! In the first photo I am sporting my favorite piece of attire in the world--the big baggy sweatshirt. If I could live year-round in a big, baggy sweatshirt, life would be bliss. In Ohio we are getting to my favorite time of the year--when cool mornings and evenings allow for the sweatshirt. In another month or so, we'll get to all day sweatshirt season. Yeah!

In the next shot I'm sporting a favorite Athleta top. I love Athleta. I'm a wanna be Athleta junkie (their stuff is too expensive to be a true Athleta junkie). But whenever I get gift cards, I go a splurging! In fact, I'm waiting for a few splurge items now because I received a few gift cards for my birthday.


I'm a tomboy. I have been my entire life. Sure, it's nice to throw a dress or skirt  (especially a long, flowing one) on now and then. But for the most part, I'm very happy to be wearing comfy clothes everyday. It's one of the many reasons I doubt I could ever go back to a desk job.

I've Been a Bad Blogger! My Effort to do Better!

I've been a terrible blogger. At first I was so good at writing regular blogs. But lately...wow...even when I  have a topic I just don't seem to have the time to sit and write about it. If I'm not teaching a fitness class, I seem to be planning one. Or, I'm just too pooped to sit down and think about writing. But I want to do better. So to jump start my effort, I stole this challenge from a spin instructor blog that I visit frequently.

It's a 30-day photo challenge--forcing me to blog for 30 days straight. And after each post, I will try to add something in there about health or fitness or life in general. My family is full of photographers--I am not one of them--but I will do my best!

Here's the challenge:

Day 1: Self portrait

Day 2:  What I wore

Day 3: Clouds

Day 4: Favorite color

Day 5: Someone I love

Day 6: Childhood memory

Day 7: Something new

Day 8: Technology

Day 9: Faceless self-portrait

Day 10: Something I made

Day 11: Something fun

Day 12: Close-up

Day 13: From a distance

Day 14: Flowers

Day 15: My shoes

Day 16: What I ate

Day 17: On the shelf

Day 18: In my bag

Day 19: Where I slept

Day 20: What I read

Day 21: Pretty pattern

Day 22: Trees

Day 23: Sunset

Day 24: A smile

Day 25: Sunflare

Day 26: Something old

Day 27: After dark

Day 28: Daily routine

Day 29: Purchased

Day 30: In motion

So here we go with Day #1--a self-portrait. I have yet to take a picture of myself that I find flattering (this one is no different), so here it goes (man, now I wish I hadn't gone the ponytail route today. I look bald.

Now for today's commentary...

I'm  starting to feel like I should stop reading articles on healthy eating! I'm beginning to think that in this day and age, there are very few healthy things you can put in your body. Even fruits and vegetables are genetically modified, and full of toxic chemicals. In fact, just last week Mark (the spouse) listened to a radio program where the guest was saying even wheat is not as healthy as the wheat our grandparents ate, because farming and crops have changed so much.

Eating healthy is becoming a stressful endeavor!