Spring is in the air and my photoshoot is tonight...

Today was pretty darn gorgeous out in the City of Brotherly Love.  It was sunny and you could definitely feel that spring is in the air!

Tonight is the night I am doing my first fitness photo shoot after a very long hiatus from doing things like this due to being pregnant and then birthing Jonathan throughout all of 2010. This is not the annual photo shoot that I am desperate to look great for... that has been put on the back burner until further notice. For photo shoots like that I usually am showing my physique to display the strength in my arms or legs. and right now neither my arms or legs  look all that strong. Anyway, tonight I will be taking a few photos of me doing a workout of my Springboard Pilates equipment for The Well Loft website. I must admit I am excited to be getting the photos done as my husband (who is a photographer) does excellent photo shop editing. Lol! He can make someone average look like Halle Berry. So my wardrobe of choice tonight is a pair of fitted black yoga pants and a bright blue tank. I will have to suck and hold in the little bit of gut that I have left as well as tilt my head down so it doesn't appear that I have somewhat of a double chin. Trust me I know all the right angles to hit to make me look great! I must admit though...I am a bit down on myself because I would have thought by the time Jonathan was 4 months old (which he will be, this coming Sunday) I would have lost all of the baby weight. I still have a good 15 pounds to lose! The thing that is keeping the weight on and by no means does this imply any sort of an excuse is the lack of time to work out and my diet! Those monthly chick-fil-a visits aren't helping me at all either. However, it's more about the workouts than anything else. I am lucky if I get to workout three times a week now. It's that bad. Between work, home, the baby and running two businesses while voluntering on and for community projects I need like 10 more hours in a day! Whew...I gotta work this time thing out because Lord knows it's working me out!

Pictures will be posted later....smooches to anyone out there that is reading.


From the photo shoot 3/11/2011...still working on my body!

Is it all about the looks?

Yes and No. Okay, I'll be the first to admit I like to look good. I mean who doesn't? Everyone knows the old adage when you look good you feel good. Well it's a timeless saying for a reason because it's true! I don't know one person on the planet that does not want to look good, if not great, if not their best. I like being able to feel good about my body and the way it looks. I like having a blemish free face and skin that glows. Hey, arrest me for liking the ability to comfortably zip my jeans without any abdominal spillage or a muffin top! Don't hate on me because I want to be beautiful on the inside and out. I know for a fact that good looks make a difference in so many ways. A person with good looks is assumed to be smarter, friendlier, wealthier, healthier and overall more desirable. American society rewards the beautiful and shames the less than average...and who wants to be less than average if you can help it? Anyway, to be totally honest it's not entirely about looks because I like to think I am not that vain and being that I am already married it's definitely not to nail down a husband. In fact, I can't stand when someone feels that you can choose to "let yourself go" or "keep yourself up" depending upon if you're married or not or if you have kids or not. If you want to look your best it should be because you want to simply feel you're best within the scope of your own mind, body and spirit. I believe looking good can trigger your mind into thinking you are having a better day. It's boosts your confidence and sense of being accepted. From a body standpoint looking good helps you to appreciate your physique all the more better so that you'll take care of it all the more better. You'll be able to keep your BMI (body mass index = your height in regards to your weight) at an appropriate level. You'll care more about what percentage of body fat is healthy for you. You'll typically want to have a pain free body as you move about your day. I believe it effects the spiritual because you can feel more accepted by others which in turn can allow you to focus more on others. Not feeling insecure about the way you look opens you up to being free to do whatever you want. You'll project that inward beauty outward that people will see upon first meeting you. Now I am not advocating being obsessed with beauty, that is not what this blog is about, this blog is just my story and my agenda to look good to feel my best. With that being mentioned I have decided to undergo a make over. For the next few weeks my mission will be not only to work my B.A.B.E program but may be to do a little rejuvenating to my skin, hair, nails and overall personal style. First up will be my hair. I started getting into hair extensions (or weaves as many call them) late last year and I like them. I like that I can sew in some hair and be about my business without having to damage my own fragile, fine hair. My good friend Daphne is a hair extension technologist and licensed hair stylist. She will be giving me microlinks which is this new technique of taking strands of your own hair and linking it to a strand of the packaged hair to extend your length. This process is not sewn in. It is a linking and clamping process that is suppose to last awhile and give you the flexibility and versatility to be able to function as if the hair is your own natural hair for up to six months. I get it done tomorrow and pictures will be posted. I'm so looking foward to this. Toodles...and make it a beautiful day!

Piece of Pizza or Peace of Mind? (pt. I)

Last night I received the following text message from my husband and baby Daddy, Ish. The text message simply asked "Do you wanna pick up something to eat or do you want me to order something?" This message was sent to me at 7:41 pm. However, by the time I finished teaching my last class and then wrapping up a client personal training session it was 8:45pm. I noticed the time and then I panicked! I knew since I did not respond to his text that Ish got take out. I also knew I would be going home hungry after my workout. Not good, so off to the gym I went arriving about 9:00pm. My gym partner in crime I'll call her "R.D." met me in the lobby and we proceeded to make a lose plan of attack. I told her we should both do endurance training for 40 minutes and then meet by the free weights for strength training. We did that and by the time we wrapped up everything with an awesome ab burn and stretch it was 11:00pm and I was starving! At home, I knew there could possibly be a smorgasbord of fast food awaiting my arrival. Could Ish have ordered a greasy quart of Chinese rice, or maybe some cheese whiz cheese steaks, could it possibly be Popeye's or KFC, both of which are two of his favorite "restaurants" (as he calls them). Whatever it was I was going to be ready. I planned to go home and march right upstairs without even a glance towards the kitchen. Yeah that's it... that'll work.  I  arrived home after my two hour workout with R.D. and there it was... a 16' pepperoni pizza innocently sitting there on the dining room table. It looked like it had made itself at home waiting for me, on the table without any regard for me having to lose 20 lbs by the end of March.  Now I don't normally eat cold pizza or even pepperoni pizza for that matter it was just the notion of it being available for immediate consumption that was watering my palate. I mean it was cold for goodness sake why would I want cold pizza??? There was however a solution for that...the toaster oven! The toaster oven is quick and it heats things up crisp. Plus, no one would know...not even R.D. I don't have to tell her. In fact, I just worked out for two hours and I'm officially starting  my nutritional plan next Sunday AND this is just a prep week. This could be my last slice of pizza for awhile. I had to think quick for I had a decision to make... should I choose a piece of pizza or a peace of mind??? End of Part I...


A picture of last night's culprit