Yum Yucky

April’s Fitness Theme: 30 Days of Body Transforming Change

April 3, 2012 By yumyucky 11 Comments

Me on the left: The day I decided I wanted real change.

Me on the right: The results of that decision. I made change happen.

If you don’t like your situation, then stop festering in it. Half-assed-ness will not get you there. When it comes to your fitness (and anything else in life, really), the road to change must be traveled daily.

Will you start with these next 30 days?

Hoping, talking about it, and even planning is not enough. You’ve gotta get down in the trenches and do the actual work to make change happen. Consistently and diligently.

There’s no doubt you’ll deal with discouragement at some points in this process — you’re only human, after all. Those feelings are bound to happen, so just accept it as part of the journey and work through it.

You are NOT weak, but your thirst for change has got to be greater than any negative feelings and thoughts that threaten your progress.

Don’t let the reality of your situation paralyze you into not taking action. And keep in mind that this change you’re in pursuit of may first require you to change your mindset, your attitude and your perspective.

This is a call to action for 30 days of body transforming change. Where will you be 30 days from now? Will you make a personal commitment? Real change starts NOW, so don’t get left behind.

There are a few good roads to get these next 30 days done, so do what works for you. A handful of you have reached out to ask me for guidance in your own journey. If you also need a little help and want to grab some tips from the healthy lifestyle road that I personally travel, then click here for a snapshot of my own fitness and weight loss plan. It’ll give you details of what I do and how I do it. I’m extremely results oriented. I find what works. I do it consistently. And I get results. Won’t you do the same?

xoxo,

Josie

Filed Under: Get Inspired

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Anti-Aging Fitness Facial Docu-drama (Hold Onto Your Granny Pannies!)

March 30, 2012 By yumyucky 15 Comments

Wait. How the hell did I get so old? Oh, that’s right. It’s year 2043. You’re still reading this blog? Shouldn’t you be flossing your dentures and eating jello through a straw?

…rewinds back to 2012…

So now that the Aging Booth has used their crackhead crystal ball to forecast what I’m supposed to look like in 31 years, how can I prove these bastards wrong? I’m 39 years old now, and something’s been going on with my face for, hmmm, a little over a year now.

In addition to the spontaneous woman-whiskers that show up on my chin (I keep emergency tweezers in my pocket for that), I’ve also been noticing fine lines around my eyes, random dark spots (age spots?), a bit of darkness and dryness under my eyeballs, and other imperfections that I terribly disapprove of.

I chatted with a fancy makeup specialist in an effort to purchase expensive magical makeup to cause my face to appear anti-mature. What she explained to me during my consultation was a serious wake up call:

“Those spots on your face are sun damage,” she says.

“Wait. Black people can get sun damage?” I said.

“Yeah bitch, so stop being a dumbass and protect your face from the freaking sun,” she says to me.

…at least that’s how I heard it.

Turns out I’m supposed to be using an SPF product on my face. And I do. I have! But not faithfully. And now my sporadic face care has finally caught up to me. I freaked out real good that day and bought an SPF 50, and a bunch of make up that’s still sitting in the closet. Was that overkill?

Since then I’ve been through a lot of face care products that suck, either because I didn’t like them on my face and/or they were too dang expensive. So I’m shopping at Target one day when this Boots rep starts talking to me about my face. Now allow me to keep this docu-drama short (I know, I know, you want the longest version available), and I’ll just tell you that I finally found my anti-aging face care match.

It’s gentle, effective, therapeutic, invigorating, makin’ my face clear & bright, affordable… AND! I feel so pampered. That’s what Boots does for me.

Boots No7 Lifting & Firming Eye Cream:

Ahhh. This eye cream is luscious and emollient and feels so good around my eyes. It’s smooth and hydrating, not oily. I was never sold on the idea of anti-aging creams in the past, but I’ve seriously noticed that the area around my eyes is much brighter with a rejuvenated, perky appearance. SCORE!

Boots No7 Total Renewal Micro-dermabrasion Exfoliator:

After reading an awesome micro-dermabrasion overview, I knew this treat could be really good for me. And it has been! Prior to micro-dermabrasion my face looked tired and splotchy. I also had old scarring from zits that I picked at a long time ago. But after only a few treatments with micro-dermabrasion, I can see the evenness returning to my skin and much brighter appearance. That matted, gray-ish, tired look in my face is outta here, baby! ** follow micro-derm instructions very carefully.

Now I know what you’re thinking. I don’t need this stuff. I don’t look my age. There’s no doubt that a clean diet, lots of water, not wearing 35 layers of makeup everyday and NOT smoking has helped my face stay fresh. But the older I get, I cannot deny the aging I see creeping up. That’s where my Boots stash does me good.

Boots Expert Anti-Blemish Cleansing Foam (not pictured)
Boots Expert Sensitive Gentle Cleaning Foam
Boots Expert Sensitive Hydrating Moisturizer
Boots No7 Lifting & Firming Eye Cream
Boots No7 Total Renewal Micro-dermabrasion Exfoliator

The lesson here? If you’re in your 20′s, use a good SPF daily. If you’re in your 30′s and beyond, care for your face well with the right products so it can love you back. If you can’t find Boots products at Target, or you’re just too lazy to go there, then follow this link to shop Boots anti-aging while sitting on your ass.

Filed Under: Product Spotlight

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Goal Setting Is Not Enough. You Need Ass Movers, Too.

March 28, 2012 By yumyucky 9 Comments

As your brain cells have probably concocted through visual observation, my ass was struggling to get up that pole. The pic is from the pathetic pole climbing blog post where I boldly proclaimed…

“I double-dare myself to get to the top of that dang pole. It may take a month. It may takes six months. It better not take a year.”

Over two years later, and I still haven’t made it up that damn pole. I barely even tried.

It was a goal, but I didn’t have a plan of attack. This so-called goal was really nothing more than a stank brain fart of an idea. And it went stagnant inside my cranium, collecting rotten maggot residue and other offensive non-actions.

BUT WHY?

Because I never put expectations on myself, nor did I hold myself accountable to achieve it. There’s obviously is a difference between a real goal and a stank brain fart. Obviously.

But what sets the two apart?

Expectations and Accountability. These are the two powerhouses that MUST be in the mix. I call them “ass movers”, because they get your ass moving closer to your goals. Expectations get you taking action, because anything less would be unacceptable, and Accountability obligates you to follow through ‘lest you have to face up to explaining why you didn’t.

Yet I dare to say most of us place higher expectations on other people than we do on ourselves. If other people (spouse, kids, co-worker, friend, etc) don’t meet our expectations, we have a bitch fit, complain to others about it, hold them accountable for it and demand they get their shit together and not fluck up again. Tell me I’m wrong. No?

But on ourselves? Do you demand you get your shit together right then and there? Or it is a more lackadaisical approach where you get around to doing better. Eventually.

When you fluck up, treat yourself as you would someone else you have expectations of. Don’t whine and get wussy and curl into a ball of supposed failure. Get pissed about it. Even get a little mad. Call it “contained fury”, if you will. Then translate that fury into ass-moving actions.

Pole climbing is no longer a goal of mine, but the goals I do have are infested with expectations and accountability. So now it’s your turn. Put on a pair of ass movers and git to it!

Ps. Don’t just read this post and then go off somewhere to pick up your nostrils or braid your armpit hairs. You need to seriously be thinking of what Expectations and Accountability mean in the grand plan of your goals.

Filed Under: Get Inspired

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24-Hour Workout Will Melt Your Fat Slabs Faster

March 28, 2012 By yumyucky 11 Comments

24 hours. Yesss. But it’s not like you might think.

Now consider this….

Your workout isn’t over after that last drop of sweat hits the floor. Your workout is comprised of EVERYTHING you do within a 24-hour period. It’s in the foods you shove into your mouth. It’s how long you sit on your ass. It’s in how much sleep you get. It’s in your motivation to keep your life organized so the time you reserve for sweaty fitness isn’t compromised.

Everything you do within a 24 hour period contributes to making your fatty parts melt — NOT just your actual workout with cardio and weights. I know you know this, but are you LIVING this? Are you making the rest of your day count as much as you would the time you spend on a treadmill or doing workout DVDs? It all counts towards your goals. All 24-hours of it.

24-HOUR PHILOSOPHY: THE EXPERIMENT

I took this philosophy and infused it into my brain stem over a period of several days for experimental testing. I rolled with it and convinced myself of the notion that “I’m working out all day”, not just those 30 minutes of burpees and speed rope.

And the results?

The all-day workout mode led to better eating decisions, especially on the weekend, and even at restaurants. I felt more empowered to say “no” to unhealthy crap throughout the day. Why? Because I was in the middle of a workout, of course. No way I was gonna eat chocolate pudding cake or bacon strips during a workout. Who does that?

I was also motivated to move more all day long without bitching about it. I had a better attitude about pulling weeds and other laborious activities when I really wanted to be watching the taped shows on my DVR. Overall I avoided much more greedy/lazy activities that could have bamboozled my 24 hour day.

It worked for me and it can for you, too. The 24 hour workout philosophy first takes place in the mind and translates into actions that lead to more effective, faster fitness progress.

Don’t I sound all scientific ‘n stuff? Am I getting too deep for ya? Don’t be scared of my knowledge, yo.

If your fatty parts seem to be clinging to you like super glue dipped in blast-resistant cement, try a 24 hour workout.

[photo credit]

Filed Under: Get Fit

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Greedy Recipe: 3PM Workday Power Muffins

March 26, 2012 By yumyucky 18 Comments

Afternoons at work can suck. By 3pm my morning workout endorphins are definitely depleted and I’m just about annoyed with sitting in the dang office chair at this point. So you know how men think about sex almost 20 times per day? Well, on workday by 3pm, I’ve probably thought about muffins and cupcakes and other forms of delectable goodness more than 472 times already.

Don’t worry. They’re just thoughts. I don’t act on these impulses.

So the idea of a “Power Muffin” recently popped into my head. I wanted a muffin that’s tasty, yet works for me with a seriously healthy power boost. This muffin must also whiplash my stomachs into satisfaction so I don’t fall prey to unhealthy crap before dinner.

Wouldn’t you agree that to be powerful?

After turning to Google, it seems the idea of Power Muffins has already been done a gazillion times over in all kinds of different ways. So instead of reinventing the muffin from scratch, I chose Oh She Glows Flax & Oat Breakfast Power Muffin recipe and adapted it with very slight changes to fit my empowerment needs.

Here’s what I did and this is what I call it:

3PM Workday Power Muffins (adapted from Angela Liddon at Oh She Glows)

Ingredients

1 large ripe banana
2 tsp olive oil
1 egg
Just shy of 1/4 cup brown sugar (unpacked)
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
(heaping) 1/2 cup oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 small handful crushed walnut pieces

Directions

Preheat over to 350 and place cupcake liners into muffin tin.
Mash banana in bowl and then mix in oil, egg and sugar.
In separate bowl, mix flaxseed, flour, oats and walnuts. Then combine with wet ingredients and stir until blended.
Spoon mixture into muffin tin and bake for 15 minutes (or a few minutes longer if not done yet).

Yields 5-6 muffins. Approximately 200 calories per muffin.

Wohoo! And you see how my muffins turned out in the pic. Delish. Nice and moist with a subtle hint of sweetness. Just perfect. And you gotta read up on the benefits of flaxseed. The knowledge of the flaxseed will send shockwaves into your cranium — high in Omega 3′s and protects against cancer to name a few. Do NOT ignore foods that protect against cancer!