Tuesday, March 19, 2013

~* Family Matters *~

Really, the title says all I want to say right now. But since the entire point of blogging is to let you into my life a little, I guess I'm forced to go a bit more into detail.

My dad is 79. He lived with my sister, her husband, and their 3 kids for years. Before that, they lived with him. But they've never really gotten along, and my sister has a tendency to siphon money from him. So, after years of bickering, my dad decided he wanted to go stay with my older half-brother in Florida. He got there a few weeks ago, and the first week was pretty awesome, according to everyone involved. Then, he started coming off his pain meds thanks to the docs at the VA down there (something that needed to happen, by the way). Suddenly, my half-brother and his wife were in WAY over their heads, and apparently (from what I understand) everyone was bickering and my dad doesn't want to be there anymore. My youngest brother is going to get him tomorrow and take him back home.

I don't care who takes my dad or where. I don't have much time left with him, and I just want him to enjoy the time he has left. I want to know that he is happy, comfortable, and cared for. That's it. I don't pray very often, but this is an exception. My dad may be a bitter, depressed old man, but he's my dad and I love him more than I can ever express.

Monday, March 18, 2013

~* Throw Your Fucking Scale Away *~

Yes, that's how I really feel, and sometimes I want to scream it at my clients.

The scale will never tell the whole story. Ever.

The client I'm speaking of in particular has lost over 20lbs since we began working together. She has started to "tone" up, and her strength is going through the roof. So, the scale is slowly climbing. It makes sense, but that little 3 digit number in front of her is getting into her head, and I pray it doesn't cause any setbacks. A lot of people know in their head that muscle is denser than fat, muscle doesn't float, and you will be heavier if you have more muscle. But that doesn't make people feel better. So, I'm gonna put this into perspective right quick.

I am 29 years old. I'm  5'5" and about 128lbs, with 20.4% body fat. When I started working at the gym a year and a half ago, I was 136lbs, and 28.8% body fat. So, over 18 months, I have only lost 8lbs, according to the scale. Considering the fact that I work out 5-6days a week and I eat super-clean, this could be a little discouraging if I were less educated on the workings of my body. When I was 136lbs, I had 39lbs of fat. Pure, disgusting, body fat. Currently, I have 25lbs of fat. So, when you really dive into it, I've lost 14 entire pounds of just fat. I started at a size 9 jeans. I'm in a size 4 now. I was a smoker back then. Now, I'm prepping for my first 5K. The scale is a LIAR!! Seriously folks, ditch it like it cheated on you with your best friend and just move on.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

~* Partners In Paleo *~

People tend to think Paleo is either really complicated or really boring. It can be either, sure, but it doesn't have to be. Especially with a partner.

During the week, I do tend to keep things boringly simple. It just makes my life easier. I'm up at 4am Monday thru Friday. No, I don't want to waste time thinking about what to have for breakfast. I have lunch right after my workouts, when I'm starving and in no mood to decide what to have for lunch. And, if I can pop dinner right in the microwave so I can sit down and study at the end of my day, well, the easier the better.

Breakfast is usually 2 hardboiled eggs, 2 strips of bacon, and whatever fruit I decided on that week (this week it will be strawberries and blueberries). Lunch is a tuna-stuffed avocado. Dinner is some kind of meat (currently, grilled pork chops), a green veggie (Brussels sprouts), and sometimes a sweet potato. Bam, easy.

But, on the weekends, J. and I usually make one meal together. Well, he makes the meal, I make dessert. And I say usually, but really, it's only been the last 2 weekends. I'd like to keep it up though. ANYWAY- this weekend, he made burgers from ground sirloin and ground bacon. We had planned to use Portobello's as the "bun", but we couldn't find any regular sized ones. So, we prepped sweet potatoes to use instead, but these are definitely knife-and-fork burgers. SOOOOO GOOD!!! And for dessert, I made dark chocolate cherry brownies, which are simply delicious.

I love doing this because it forces me to get creative. He'll text me early in the week saying "We're having .... for dinner on Saturday. Dessert's on you.", and it forces me to get creative and put a little effort into it. I appreciate him so much for that. Sometimes, we need a little push to prevent us from getting lazy or trapped in the meat-and-veggies mindset. So, grab your partner, and get busy in the kitchen!! (Perv.)
" Don't place your better days in the future."