'nuf said

I never run with Scissors.

Those last two words were unnecessary. 

Well hellooooo there!  Nice of you to join me.  As I approach the new year and I'm trying to figure out what my exercise plan is I'm perusing Pinterest and finding a bunch of goodies.  I thought I'd share two workout calendars that I found on my Quest.  But first.... this seems appropriate.  I just love these stinkin little e-gems that make you laugh.  I can't get enough.

  

Ahhhhh, I feel better now.... 

Anyway, on to the healthy stuff...

I follow Daily Hiit/Body Rock on Pinterest and they post a lot of good stuff!  The two calendars below are posts from them.  They might be useful for you too!  If you visit the links I provide below, it gives you a breakdown and you might find some helpful tips and instructions there too! 

The calendar below progresses so as you get better at Pushups/Squats/Burpees, etc... Your reward is more Pushups/Squats/Burpees, etc! Exciting, right?  (I need a sarcasm font right about now.)  But seriously, with where I am at right now (sedentary) something like this looks like it's doable!  I can barely do 10 push ups right now, and doing 50 push ups seems impossible, but MAYBE I can make it by the end of the month!  Check it out!  <-- Here's the link, or you can see below.

Just Go January Challenge

Here is another calendar for those of you that find being upright and bouncy is more your style.  If I can get off the ground after doing the exercises above, maybe I can join you for these.  Who doesn't want to Jump the Juggle off?

Jump the Jiggle Off January Workout Challenge

Italian Orzo Spinach Soup

I'm totally trying this recipe for New Years day lunch!  

Check out the recipe for Italian Orzo Spinach Soup.  I found it on Gimmesomeoven.com via Pinterest of course.  I saw some of her other recipes and I can't wait to try them!  Especially the Sparkling Margaritas for tonight's Midnight toast!  YUM!

It's really cold here in Illinois right now, like instant snot freezing cold, 
(pause for ecard)

(unpause)
and I'm really craving some soup!  This seems simple enough!  I've never cooked Orzo before, but I know I love to eat it!  Seems easy enough that I can pull this off!  Maybe I'll get crazy and make some grilled cheese.  Oooooooh, yum!  I'm guessing this will be awesome to nurse us back to health after tonight's ball dropping activities and Sparkling Margaritas!
I love Garlic, so I might be adding more than it calls for, and in that case, Mental Note: add mints to my grocery list. 

Enjoy!

2015: Here I come

I'm making 2015 my B#%tch.

So I mentioned in my first blog post that darnit, I'm going to make 2015 my B-word.  It will bow down to me.  It will wonder what smacked it in the face, knocked it out cold, and put it on a shelf with creepy porcelain dolls with dead eyes.  I have no idea where that came from.  ack hem... moving on...

This is what I'm going to do in 2015, for realz, yo:

1.)  Track.  On the first of every month I'm going to take a picture of myself, track my weight progress, take measurements, and ya know, just monitor my progress.  I can't always see my progress and for me the number on the scale doesn't register anything with me.  Weight can fluctuate from day to day.  I could be wearing a soaking wet parka with many pockets filled with coins and rocks, or feeling extra light because I just finished a beet experiment and I'm empty inside.  (Don't ask.)  Anyway, I'd like to be able to see in pictures and measurements how I'm progressing.  I want something concrete so I can see that I'm making strides to being healthier and more fit.

2.)  Exercise.  Woof.  I have this cool Withings Pulse O2 that I'm really loving even though it tells me every day that I don't move enough.  Darnit.  I sit at a desk all day long and I might possibly turn into a big butted lady but not the nice Beyonce kind of butt. The People of Walmart kind of butt.  You know the type, but just in case....

Yeah, sorry for that.

Here's a picture of a cute puppy to flush that image out of your mind.....

He's cute, but don't let him fool you.  He's the devil.  More on him in later blog posts....

OK, Where was I?  Oh yeah, Exercise.  Ugh.  I'm gonna do it.  I'm gonna get organized about it so I don't just wander around the gym looking busy too, like some dudes.  I have this awesome book, New Rules of Weightlifting for Women.  It is awesome.  I'm going to start there.  I've followed the program before and had a lot of success and then stopped for no good reason.  That was dumb.  I find that going into the gym with a workout plan helps me.  I usually have limited time so I like to plan out my exercises so I can go through them bing, bang, batta-boom.  I like to do a leg exercise and instead of resting on the bench and taking up space like some people, (yeah I'm talking to you ya stupid gym lug!) I do an arm exercise right away.  Maybe that's wrong, I dunno, but the minute I could spend resting in between reps I feel like it's better that I'm keeping my heart rate up and working a different body part.  Then I go back and do it all over again and get in my reps.  I'm a multi-tasker.  Maybe at the end of this I'll see a bicep muscle protrude.  Now I'm getting crazy.

I also want to try the Catching Fire 30 day challenge from the people at Body Rock.  They have a lot of good stuff on their website and facebook page.  These are 12 minute workouts that kick your bootay and use little to no workout equipment.  Each HIIT workout is on youtube.  Check 'em out.  I have them pinned on my pinterest board for easy access.  Don't worry.  They include rest days.  Phew.  

3.)  Eat good schtuff.   This does not mean I'm going to follow a fad diet or do anything earth shattering.  No atkins, or juicing cleanse or skinny pills. You know, just make better food choices.   More Rabbit food, less flamin' hot cheetos.  More lean meats, less fried cheese curds.  More whole grains, less Krispy Kremes.  More Jolly Green Giant, less Ronald McDonald.  I'll be saying in my head "I can have a WHOLE giant plate of these yummy roasted vegetables and be stuffed to the brim OR a snickers bar and be starving 2 minutes later.  And hopefully 99.999% of the time I'll NOT choose the snickers.  Will I have a burger every now and then?  Of course.  But will I go to Kuma's Corner Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and every other Sunday?  No.  It'll be hard though.  Have you ever been?  It's delicious.  

4.)  Drink Mas Aqua.  I've heard about people who carry a gallon of water around with them and aim to drink a gallon a day.  That's 128 oz or 4 Nalgene bottles.  Here's one article I read about it.  The health benefits are incredible.  I want in.  Besides a big bottom, sitting at a desk all day also affects how much water I drink.  I NEVER get up to fill my bottle of water.  No Bueno.  The Diary of a Fit mommy Blog offers "One simple trick to drink more H20".  Easy enough.  I would just have to do that 4 times throughout the day with my 32 oz Nalgene bottle.  Hers is pictured below.  I could just space mine out twice as much... 

I can't tell a lie, this might be what mine ends up looking like.

I think that's a great place to start.  On January 1 I will be posting my beginning pictures and thoughts.  Here goes nuthin!!  Bring it, 2015!  

And so it begins...

Smiles and Sass and T(a)MI

Well, this has been a long time coming.  I actually don't know why it took me so long to make a blog.  I'm 30 years old and I talk a lot.  I have a desk job that is very quiet... these words need to go somewhere and so it begins... my very own blog!

I'm an over-sharer.  I can't help it.  It's not that I think that I'm the most interesting person in the world, I just have to tell you what's on my mind.  You know that thing that most people have, that filter thing?  Well, mine is leaky.  It mostly lets out gross stuff, but sometimes there's a funny little gem in there just dying to get out.  
I usually save the grossest stuff for my BFF Katie, so don't worry.  Here's a picture of us when we're looking quite presentable.  See?  She still smiles even though I gross her out.  I'd like to think that means she likes to be around me.  She's the cool one on the right.

I'm convinced that my name (Tami) is supposed to be TMI, but my parents added an "a" in the middle there to make it easier to pronounce.  I'm glad that I have an actual name, not an acronym.  I just recently heard about this child named ABCDE.  No joke.  You pronounce it Ab-sah-dee.  Google it.  I read about it in the news somewhere... If you find any other acronym names share them with me.  I like that kind of entertainment... but I digress...

I've considered starting a blog for some time now, and I read an older post by Pioneer woman about "Ten Important Things I learned about Blogging" and it was the final push that I needed to take the leap.  While I have your attention, have you ever read her blog?  I love her.  Her blog is full of good stuff.  Go ahead and click on the link(s) I just provided... you should check her out while you have the chance.  I'll wait here.  Seriously, go ahead, but come back cuz I'm not done yet!

See?  Worth the trip, right?

Anyway,  my blog space will be a lot like my Pinterest I can imagine, full of good schtuff.  Pinterest is very random, and it makes me happy.  I like to share my happy, sooooo you'll probably see a lot of goofy, pun-tastic material.  I also intend to make 2015 my B#%*H this year (sorry, mom) fitness and health wise so you'll also get to see me sweat and probably complain about being sore.  Maybe.  I am an overshare-er so who know's what you'll end up with.  I might throw ya a recipe or two that I've tried and succeeded at (or maybe a "what not to do" if I've failed) because I love to cook (and eat).  
I'm also just getting into gardening and even had my first canning lesson this summer.  Here I am with my partner in gardening crime, Camille.  Also featured in this picture is our first successful harvest from our first garden:  A beet!  It was glorious.  I love beets mostly for what happens after you eat them.  ;) ;)  See what happened there?  My first over share.  You're welcome.

You'll hear about our gardening shenanigans too!  It's a learning process and it's all trial and error.  I might even tell you about the time I mixed up radishes and beets.  It's funnier than it sounds... I promise.  I don't promise much, but I do promise my blog will be just as sassy and random as I am. Hopefully it'll make you smile.  That'd be super!  
Here's to a year of smiles and sass.  Thanks for coming a long on my journey!