Spring coming?

So I spent the day yesterday outside working in the yard and enjoying every minute.  Maybe not removing the Blondie bombs, but the yard is safe to walk in! I have the entire back yard cleaned of leaves and 1/3 of the front yard, but now it is 30 some degrees outside and will be that way for days. Really!?!?

I'm hoping these guys will survive! It was great to see some evidence that live does exist in my flower beds!

Since it was colder outside than I wanted to be hanging out in (yes, I know I still run when it 30's out...cut me some slack, it's Sunday people!), I decided to start some seeds for the garden. Go figure, they are mostly flower seeds! Oh well, flowers make me happy! :-)

Jillian Michael's "Maximize Your Life"

I was never a Biggest Loser fan, but sister watches it and LOVES Jillian Michaels. I find this incredibly weird because Susan hates running. To top it off, I can't ever see my sister letting someone like Jillian get in her face the way she does contestants. However, she would take the opportunity to train with her if it ever presented itself. Weird, I know. It was because of Susan's interest that I watched the show some and I do like Jillian. 

Turns out that Jillian is doing a "Maximize Your Life" tour and it came to Pittsburgh last night. I was told about a Groupon and got a ticket for $20! I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was interested in hearing what she had to say....it was AWESOME!

Jillian did not share anything that was "new" or "earth-shattering". Rather, I think it was her personal story and the way she conveys her message which was motivating. Now, she did have a few issues with us Pittsburghers putting French fries on everything, including out famous Primanti's, but she never said to deny yourself this. 

So her message, Eat Less, Move More. Duh! She provided some resources to calculate your BMR (how many calories your body burns daily by nothing) to help you figure out where your calories can be. She suggested tracking to get an idea, but not to consume your life with this. I was impressed with her encouraging the audience to understand where our food comes from (grass fed cow vs. beef at store) as well. I was impressed when she said that going all organic is not the answer also. She said that $6 for a container of raspberries is rude and ridiculous. Jillian couples this with exercise and how to get 30 mins of activity where your heart rate is up and burning calories. For some reason, listening to her made this all seem really possible. She even insisted that people have at a minimum 1 day of rest (no exercise), but suggested 2 is optimal. Overall, I thought it was very encouraging. She shared that the results on the Biggest Loser can not be replicated in real life and it shouldn't be attempted.  I found it refreshing to hear someone say that losing one to 2 pounds in a week or two was very realistic depending upon calorie intact and activity level. 

The end of the presentation focused on self. What are the things that hold people back from achieving this: fear, shame, depression, etc. She told personal stories of struggles and how she succeeded in overcoming them. She never berated anyone. In fact, she said that everyone has a different body type and are going to retain weight in different spots no matter what they do and she encouraged everyone to come to terms with it and accept it. 

I seriously could keep writing, because she touched on so many areas, but I won't give away the entire presentation. It was such a good evening out and a refreshing reminder that life is short, do what makes you happy, and live a healthy life. The past is in the past, you can't change it. Wake up in the morning and focus on what you can start changing today to be happy and healthy. Pretty good message!!

Selfies and St. Patrick's Day

Nothing much of interest has been happening lately, or so I think, but I did get some visitors over the weekend. Susan, Mike, Blondie, and Izzybella (new nickname) came to visit. After being a complete monster in the morning Saturday and truly living up to the name IzzyMonster, she became a much happier baby. Probably being a little under the weather didn't help her either.

Since the city was celebrating St. Patrick's Day with a big parade (Pittsburgh's St. Patty's parade is the 3rd largest in the country), we decided to take it easy and visit some local businesses in parts of the city. Izzybella was really good and when it was time to feed her, we went to the Industry Public House. This bar/restaurant is known for their different twist on bourbons and whiskeys so I knew Mike would enjoy it. This is where I taught Izzybella to take some selfies! So for your viewing pleasure, enjoy!

Now the favorite one had to be this one!

I think she is starting to get the idea of how to do this!!