Picture
Hey Everyone!!!

I hope that everyone is doing well.  I just got done with Spring Break.  It was very uneventful.  I chilled in St. Louis for the weekend and then came back to Springfield.  I didn't really do too much here.  All I really did was work on cutting out some hats for my brother. 

I just wanted to share something that I found out this week.  I went to the doctor, just for a physical, and discovered one of the "hidden" benefits of my new healthy life journey.  I have a very healthy heart.  To start off, my blood pressure has lowered.  Just last year it was 120/80 but now it is 115/76.  Also, my resting heart rate was in the upper 90's lower 100's and now it is clocked at 67 bpm.  I guess I have that "athletes" heart rate.  

Seeing this internal change has increased my motivation to do better.  I have decided to go ahead and kick it up a notch.  This week I will start running.  I really want to do a half marathon in November and I think if I start now, I will be ready.  I will start off slow and work on my endurance.  I hope to start working on pace during the summer but we will see.  

Till another day....

 
Hey All!!

I just realized that it has been a whole week since I last posted.  Not too much as been going on for real.  I really just wanted to do a quick check in.  Let you all know I was still alive and I hadn't forgotten about you.  I will get my thoughts together and get a post on here soon.

Later!!
 
Picture
Today Wiz Khalifa's new mix tape hit DatPiff.  To his fans this project has been much anticipated.  I follow Khalifa on Twitter and was a little excited to give it a listen.  My brother, Jeremy, who is an avid music listener was also looking forward to checking out the tape.  You can check out his review at JMintsMusic.  

So did it live up to the hype?  I think it did.  I took a listen to the mix tape and found myself bouncing to the beat.  It has a very chill sound.  I like how "relaxed" it felt.  The interview in between each song was a nice touch.  Just hearing where Wiz is and and where he came from was refreshing; they were good interludes to the song to come.

Since I follow Wiz I checked out Twitter to see what people were saying.  People were definitely talking about him as he was a Top Trend.  There is a lot of positive feedback on this tape.  There was also a lot of talk about his girlfriend, Amber Rose, being featured on one of the tracks.  I personally liked the track "Never Been Part II" which featured Rose and Rick Ross.  She really didn't do too much.  I think she was just featured for her sound.  I liked the dynamic that she added to the track.

The site, DatPiff, where Khalifa dropped the mixtape has been getting a lot of traffic for this mix tape.  Just in the hour that I have been listening to the stream, the number of streams went from 51,000 to 57,000 and the number of downloads went up a good couple thousand as well.  People are definitely interested in checking out Khalifa and his new project.  

All in all, I would recommend a listen and a download.  This mix tape has a great sound and feel to it.  The mix tape is "strong" as my brother says.  It will definitely be on repeat in my car.  I just can't wait to see him next month when he comes to Missouri State for his show.

So, check it out!!  Till another day... 

 
Picture
Over the weekend I went to Barnes and Noble to find a book that could help me with my weight loss journey.  I think I was in the nutrition and diet section for about an hour just looking at different books.  I was just about to feel discouraged when I found 100 Days of Weight Loss.  It seemed like exactly what I was looking for.  I was looking for something that could not only help me keep track with my weight loss but also get down to the dirty about why I am where I am.  

All throughout my childhood and high school I was very active and participated in sports.  I was very athletic and pretty fit.  I know that things changed after high school but there must be some underlying issues that have allowed me to get to the weight I am.  It can't all just be because I stopped working out.  I ate well before.  Granted my mother made all my meals but she taught me how to eat well.  Why didn't I continue to have a healthy diet.  I hope that through this book I will be able to start to dig deeper into myself.  I realize now that I'm too old to just let things fall by the wayside.  It's time to own up and grow up.

With this new journey I am on, I am also working towards other goals.  Finalizing my divorce.  Cleaning up my credit.  Just living all around better for myself.  And it's all for MYSELF.  I am not doing this for anyone else.  I know that I have well intentioned people in my life who have been pushing me to do things better.  Unfortunately, all this really did was push me away.  I can say that I am now ready to do this on my own. 

On a lighter note, I may at times write about different activities that I do with the book.  Just to keep you all posted on how I am doing with it.  But that will start on another day....

 
Picture
Last week I was talking to one of the fitness instructors, after an aerobics class, and he suggested that I find someone who I admire to use as motivation.  I thought this was a great idea.  I mean, don't we look to others to motivate us?  I really wanted this person to be someone who I could look up to as a "fit" person.  So, I gave it a lot of thought and realized that Jennifer Lopez was someone who I admired.  

As a thirty-something it's inspiring to see a forty-something look as amazing as she does, even after twins.  Now, I do realize that it is her job to have the body that she does.  She has a chef, nutritionist, and personal trainer working with her daily to get her where she needs to be.  I don't have these things but I feel that if I work hard I can achieve what she has achieved.  Now, it will take a little longer but that's OK.  I don't want that fast instant gratification.  It would be nice, but lets be real.  If I want this to be a lifestyle change, it's going to take my whole life to do it.  

I also chose Lopez because she has the ideal body that I wish to achieve.  She is still curvy and she celebrates her curves.  I find that very admirable especially when all you see on TV and fashion magazines stick thin models.  Plus, I like that she "works" on her body.  She has the amazing abs and arms but she still has a very feminine figure.  This appeals to me most.  As I like looking like a girl.  Not to say that the muscular, athletic look is not feminine.  It's just not what I personally want for myself. I want to look fit but still have the softness that is specific to women.  

Picture
So, I searched online for some pictures of Lopez and created a collage.  The title of the collage, "What Would J.Lo Do?"  I taped this collage up next to my wall of motivating words.  I'm using as a way to remind myself of my goals.  When I've already eaten a cupcake and I'm thinking that it wouldn't hurt to have another one, I can ask myself " "What Would J.Lo Do?"  Or when I'm debating on whether or not to watch another episode of TV or go workout "What Would J.Lo Do?"  

Since I have posted the collage I can genuinely say that it is helping.  Just the other day I went to a Scholarship Ball and dinner was buffet style.  When I got in line I saw that food and instantly thought to myself, "What Would J.Lo Do?"  My plate was half salad, a quarter pasta, a piece of chicken, and a roll; I grabbed the butter out of habit but didn't even use it.  I walked passed the second pasta and the meatballs.  I was proud of myself for not completely overloading my plate.  I just put what I thought I would eat and didn't feel bad when I didn't "clean" my plate.  I did grab some dessert; a cookie and a small piece of cake of which I did not eat the icing (not really a fan).

I think that this collage will continue to help me on my journey to a healthier lifestyle.  Maybe one day the collage will be pictures of myself.

Till another day.....

 
Picture
Hey all!!

Today I decided that I am going to share my favorite Bear Fit class.  Right now I go everyday for their 12:10 classes.  These classes are all different each day.  But I must say that Wednesday's Bear Strength will whoop your tail.  It whoops mine every time.

The instructor is Gina.  Gina is a student instructor at Plaster Sports Complex.  She is super bubbly and very nice; until the class starts.  Don't get me wrong she will encourage you through the workout.  But she will also push you.  You can tell that she really enjoys teaching the class and making sure that her students get the workout they crave.  

In this class we do strength training with kettle bells, hand weights, and body bars.  We also do some calisthenics and Ab work.  I really like this class because she incorporates cardio in the strength workout.  This class is also very challenging.  Even though I know it will be hard, I still can't wait to get there.  I tell my friends that I like it because it makes me "cry on the inside".  :D  This is not an exaggeration.  She will work you.  You will hurt.  But I feel amazing and proud of myself when I'm done.  

If you are a student at Missouri State University and have not tried a Bear Fit class I highly recommend it.  The classes are $2 each or you can by the multi-class passes.  I went ahead and bought the unlimited pass and I've definitely gotten my money's worth.  

I will try to get to some of the other classes and will do reviews on those as well.  If you have tried them please post below your favorite.  

Till another day....

 
Picture
Thanks Everyone!!!

I know this is a small feat but I am still very excited.  I wasn't really sure if anyone would really read this blog or not.  But I am so happy to see that there are people who are actually looking at it.

So I counted up all the views and since the first day I have had 306.  This is super awesome.  I hope that you all are enjoying my posts.  Sorry it has been a couple of days since I last posted but I am trying to think of things to blog about.  

But as I think about it... I think I like keeping it random.  Or somewhat random.  I literally have no idea what I'm writing when I sit down to post.  I just do whatever pops in my head.  

If anyone wants to know anything specifically about me just let me know.  You can either post your questions in the comments below or feel free to email me at [email protected].

Till another day... 

 
Hey everyone!

I thought I would post something random about myself.  Well, maybe not really random.  But I thought that today I would share the websites that I visit the most.  These sites I literally visit everyday.  Sometimes several times a day.  
Picture
First for the all important social networking I will admit to visiting Facebook and Twitter more than five times a day each.  Actually, I don't even think I know how often I visit those pages.  Especially since I am able to get to them from my phone.  I am constantly checking them.  Making little comments.  I love looking at people's pictures.  Those are my favorite.  So, I will say, go ahead and follow me if you are on twitter.  If you click on the side bar you can do just that.  I will follow back.  

Now, for TV watching.  I do half of my TV watching on HuluPlus and the other half on Drama Fever.  I find that I can really only get most of my TV watching either while eating or on weekends.  I do also have Netflix but I believe that I will not continue since whenever I try to find a movie they rarely have it for instant watch.  I really like HuluPlus because I get to watch all my favorite shows.  I have also been able to watch some British shows that I probably would not have had the opportunity to watch.  Drama Fever is awesome because they have great Korean dramas.  They also get a lot of current simulcast shows which I really like watching.  Mainly because it prevents me from watching more than two in a row.  Unless I'm behind.  I highly recommend both sites.

Picture
For shopping I like to hit up Amazon and Etsy.   Etsy is really fun because it's all small businesses.  A lot of what you will find is hand made.  You will also find some antiques and things that have been recycled.  Lots of fun creative gifts, clothes, well anything you can think of you can most likely find there.  Amazon is great because I can usually find things for super cheap.  Which is a plus.    

Picture
For inspiration, I like to go to Burda Style and YouTube.  Why YouTube?  Because you can find so many tutorials on all kinds of stuff there.  I pretty much learned how to do all kinds of things on YouTube.  If you have any problem or are curious about anything, more than likely someone has made a video about it.  I love Burda Style for when I'm ready to try sewing new things.  They have a great sewing community, lots of free and reasonably priced patterns, and awesome tutorials.  And it really is for all skill levels.  My favorite is the projects page where members get to "show off" their creations.  You can see some new techniques and get lots of good feedback.

I also like to check on my brothers and hit up their blogs.  They are both really good and totally different.  Jeremy's blog is pretty new and showcases his love for both creating music and the music world in general.  Michael's blog is about his business as a caricature artist going to conventions, working on new artwork, video games, and my favorite, Korean and Japanese dramas that he is watching.  

Before this post gets too long I will just stop here.  Like I said earlier, these are the sites I visit on an everyday basis.  If there are some here that  you haven't tried out yet check 'em out.  Otherwise feel free to share your favorites in the comments below!!

 
Hey Everyone!!!

Just a short post today!  Just for fun I have started a "Survey of the Week" page.  This week it's music.  It's really simple.  Nothing too intruding.  Check it out!

I know that this song came out a year ago.  But I just wanted to share it because I am so in love with Miguel right now.  I hear that he is working on his next album and I can't wait to get my hands on it.  

Enjoy!
 
Picture
Weddings.  I love weddings.  Watching two people profess their love for one another in front of friends and family.  Magic.  It reminds me of magic.  

This past weekend I was invited to my roommate, Katy, to her wedding.  It was super cute.  It was small affair with family, friends, and co-workers.  And Katy looked beautiful.  She looked like a princess.  

It was so cute to see her fiance's face as she walked down the aisle.  He looked remarkably calm.  This was good to see because the bride was already tearful as she walked towards him.  She sniffled quietly throughout the entire service.  Adorable.  

Seeing her so happy was refreshing.  You forget about your own issues when you see such happiness.  I know that all I could think about was how pretty she looked.  Anything else that I may have had on my mind went away.  Test this week.  What test?  Debate this week.  What debate?  Meetings.  Homework.  Classes.  Work.  It all seemed not as important.  

I am so happy that my friend invited me to share her special day with her.  I hope that she and her new husband have a long and happy marriage.