Kayaking Adventure

Hubs and I decided to go on an adventure in Virginia Beach. I initially wanted to SUP, or stand up paddle boarding. After researching the information, we decided that wouldn't work. We needed to take lessons and it was a lot of work. We were looking for an adventure but not lessons and something great would be equally as fun. We decided to go kayaking. I've only gone once and in a single person kayak. This time, we did a double kayak.

Hubs and I got to the location and paid, put on life preservers (mine was way too big!) and climbed into  the double sport kayak. Hubs sat in back and I sat in the front. They pushed us off and down the canal we went. 

The wind was with us. While it was hard to move out there, we did some floating and took some pictures of what was around us. 

A pirate ship passed us and we enjoyed watching their show. We paddled out to the aquarium and turned around.

The wind back was crazy. Small waves splashed up over the front of the kayak as we paddled back. We looked at the pretty houses and picked out ones we liked. Then it was back to the launch where we got pulled in. 

We had a great time. We decided that we need single person kayaks. I wonder if they make purple ones.....

Peaceful Morning: A Sunrise Adventure

I woke up at just before 6am. I checked my phone to see what time sunrise was and saw I had 20 minutes to get to the beach and see the sun rise. I figured I would start the day with some yoga on the beach while I was at it.

I threw on my bathing suit and grabbed a towel and ran out the door and down to the beach. 

The sky was starting to brighten as I put out my towel to sit and meditate. 

The sky was stunning as pinks and purples turned to firey reds and oranges. It was so peaceful and beautiful. 

After watching the beautiful sunrise, I did about 30 minutes of yoga, did a little more meditation and returned home in total peace. 

Vacation is Coming!

I am heading on vacation to Sandbridge, VA on Saturday (outside of Virginia Beach). I'm excited but am trying to keep in mind balance. It is vacation so I know there will be some drinks and high fat foods. That means it is up to ME to balance it. Here are some ideas that I will use on vacation. They may also help you when you go.

1. I'm bringing precooked steel cut oats. I'm cooking them and putting them in a large Tupperware. Also bringing apples and cinnamon. Healthy breakfast for me!
2. I'm bringing my tablet. There will be wifi at the house and I can use Beachbody On Demand to get my work outs in. I am not bringing weights so I can do P90x3 or Cize, and yoga (there are many others but those top my list right now)
3. Tracking my food. Yup, food journal is coming. This way I can track my healthy and unhealthy options. I'm real. I will have small amounts of some things. I won't deprive myself, but keep it in balance.
4. I will continue to keep up with my challenge group. Why? Because just because I'm on vacation does not mean I can't be accountable. Besides, by using my challenge group, I can ensure I'm not falling off the wagon completely and eating the wagon!
5. Have something green with every meal. Not just green, but colorful. Any kind of veggies will do. But don't forget to eat them on your trip. I won't!
6. Have fun! It is vacation!!!

I will do my best to keep you updated on my awesome adventures!!

Modeling Part 2 - An Outside My Comfort Zone Adventure

This year really is a push to be outside my comfort zone. I've talked about how nothing amazing happens when you are in your comfort zone. So why not!!

As I blogged a short time ago, I helped my amazing friend on her photo shoot. I also got to to a little as well. My least favorite body parts (legs, hips, booty) were in leggings. I kind of pushed it out of my head as life happened. Working on getting my hip better, figuring out what my next adventure would be.....well, I stumbled upon the finished product. I happened to be scrolling through my Facebook feed and saw Jamie (the star of the show) in one of the tanks. The pic came out amazing!! So I went to the official site to see the rest of her pics. All of them were perfect! (So proud of her!) As I scrolled through, I saw my own pics. Two of them were up.

Honestly, it didn't matter to me if they ever saw the light of day. What mattered was that I stepped outside my comfort zone and tried something I would have never done before. Is it cool that they are up? YES! Was this my end game? NO. This was my friends gig and I was the support. But it did teach me a lot about what models do, what people behind the scenes do, and how photographers work. It was an awesome experience and if the opportunity were to come up again, I may do it again. But for now, let's leave it for others ;)

Meal Prep Monday: Zucchini Bake - A Kitchen Adventure

Meal prep Monday. What are you making in the kitchen? Me? Well there is the usual of steel cut oats, meatballs. I have fruits like bananas and apples, and I also have veggies like carrots, green beans, and zucchini bake. What?? Yup I make something new. I love zucchini so I picked a recipe from Fixate. It makes 4 servings and now I have some super awesome veggies for the week. Here it is below:

Zucchini Bake

4 servings

2 green, 1/2 blue 1/2 tsp

Ingredients:

4 zucchinis

2 tbs lemon zest

1/3 - 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp oregano

2 cloves of garlic

1 tbs olive oil

Directions:

1. Quarter the zucchini

2. Mix lemon zest, thyme, oregano, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper 

3.  Brush zucchini with olive oil put in baking dish

4. Sprinkle with mixture

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 mins

Take out and enjoy!!!

Want more recipes like this? Send me a note and I will get you set with more!

Working Out While Injured - A Fitness Adventure

Being hurt sucks. There is no other way to say it. When you hurt, all you want to do is feel better. Well, I have been in the injured list for well over a month (I think I went on in April and it is now the end of July). I still work out through. WHAT? But you are injured! you may cry. Yes, my hip is injured. But that does not mean I will stop working toward my goal of healthy. If I were to stop eating right and give up all the work I have been putting into it, it would be like letting the air of of 3 tires because you have 1 flat tire. Why would I do that? I have a specific injury, it is not my whole body. There are a few rules to follow before doing this:

1. CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR. Yes, it needs to be in bold and capital letters. If you hurt, go see your doctor. It will get you back to feeling better sooner. Plus you can ask what you CAN do.
2. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. Yes, it needs to be in capital letters too! Don't do something that hurts you.
3. If your doctor (see rule 1) says that you can work other body parts, do so. Not sure what to do? Ask him/her, ask me, google it. There are loads of things you can do with a specific injury.

Here are some ideas:

Lower body injury (hips, legs, feet, ankles)
1. Arm Curls
2. Chest Press
3. Flies
4. Triceps
5. Abs

Upper body injury (shoulders, arms, hands)
1. Walk
2. Squats
3. Lunges
4. Abs

Injuries that require no impact
1. Yoga
2. Pilates
3. Push ups
4. Walking (this will be minimal impact)

There are so many things you can do to move. These are just a few examples. If you don't have weights you can always use cans, milk jugs, and water bottles. You can even fill up an old clean tube sock and sew it shut and together to make wrist weights. You can even purchase some inexpensive resistance bands. If you have no idea how to perform any of them, you can google it, or ask me. In a future post, I will show you some yoga moves that can get you started.

Modeling - An Outside My Comfort Zone Adventure

It's true. Some people call it stepping outside your comfort zone. Others call it taking risks. No matter what you call it, it's uncomfortable. Most people don't step outside of it because they are content with life as it is. Others do it all the time because they love that rush. I enjoy stepping outside of my comfort zone, not just because the rush of excitement, but because of the challenge that comes with it. That is what today's post is about.

My dear friend Jamie is a bikini competitor. She is working toward her pro card and really is a champion of all things fitness. She was asked to do a photo shoot for some pretty cool fitness gear. Quite honestly, I do not know if this was outside her comfort zone but I'm guessing not since she rocked it out! I went with her to help her change, adjust her clothing, and help her out. Imagine my surprise when she called me the night before and asked how I felt about helping out by shooting the leggings. It turns out that these leggings were a large and since Jamie was a small. My brain said "NO WAY! You have issues with your hips and thighs. You really want someone focusing in on them????!!!" Of course I told her yes, why not.

Why not. The rest of that night I was in shock that I said yes. Some may think "big deal!" But when you come from having issues with weight, low self esteem, and just being uncomfortable with yourself, it IS a big deal.

The next morning, I drove to my friend's studio where the shoot was taking place. It was all set up. Jamie was there and so was the photographer, Kevin. We all chatted and then it became real. "You're up first." I looked around like who are you talking to. But I knew. Deep inside I was so beyond uncomfortable. I went and changed into the first pair of leggings. Bright blue with a leopard print in black and dark blue. (I love them by the way.) Off I went. I followed his instructions and stood where I was told in the positions I was told. He shot pictures of my waist down. I changed a hand full of times wearing camo leggings, snow leopard print, and zebra
print. All the time he was shooting, I was thinking to myself, "What on earth am I doing? This is not my shoot. This is so strange, and uncomfortable." I refused to thing negative though. All the time, I did not once allow myself to think "I'm too fat for this. My thighs and butt are too big. They can see every lump and bump." Had I allowed myself to think that, I would have lost the wonder, excitement, and sense of risk.

Then I was done. It was time for the star of the show. Jamie changed in and out of some cool looking tops and modeled the hell out of them. She rocked the sexy, fierce, badass looks that the photographer was going for. I helped adjust, pin and make sure that she looked great in them. I started to relax and was rocking out to the music playing ( songs like Girls Girls Girls, Pour Some Sugar On Me, and Shook Me All Night Long)

What does this mean? It means step outside your comfort zone. You never know what it will do for you. You may have fun. Or make new connections. Or learn something new about yourself. Or you may learn it is not for you. And that is ok. So try new thing and push yourself outside that comfort zone and see what grows!

Meal Prep Monday - A Kitchen Adventure! Zucchini Chips:

Well, its that time again! Time to cook with me!

Last kitchen adventure, I posted a recipe from the Autumn Calabrese cookbook, zucchini chips. Well, this week, I made them as part of my meal prep. Some things to note:

1) WATCH THEM! We have some skinny little zucchinis here and I used one. The recipe says 2 hours, mine could have done better at an hour and 15 mins. Some were supa crispy BUT it did not take away from the taste. I strongly recommend them.
2) smaller zucchini means more in my serving. My 1 little sad zucchini turned into 1 serving.

Here is the recipe again in case you missed it

Zucchini Chips from Fixate
Containers: 1 Green and 1/2 tsp

Ingredients:
2 large zucchini, very thinly sliced
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 225 F
2. Place zucchini slices in one layer between paper towels to help draw out liquid
3. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper
4. Place zucchini slices on parchment paper
5. Brush zucchini with olive oil and season with salt
6. Bake for 2 hours, or until golden brown and crispy
7. Cool completely before serving

You can also try different seasonings like Parmesan (that is what I did), red pepper flakes, pepper, BBQ seasoning, Mrs. Dash....really whatever you like. Play with it some.

As usual, I also made oats and am still rocking some leftover meatballs from last time. I also have 3 more servings of the mac n cheese. I need to learn not to be scared of the grill since I want to make some chicken kabobs with pineapple and veggies.

An Aquarium Adventure

Remember I talked about happy minds? Well here is another of my happy places. I LOVE the aquarium. For me, it is peace, getting to learn and see animals, and interacting with them as well. There is something so peaceful about animals in the ocean (yes, even sharks).

So Hubs took me to the aquarium and here, my friends, is the adventure.

After fighting traffic, we walked from the lot to the front door. It is spider season in North Carolina. I am absolutely scared stupid of spiders, especially giant ones. These things had condos built. It took all I had not to walk in the middle of the road and run screaming. I'm proud to say I made it. (No, there are no pictures because.....spiders.)

The first thing we did was head to the lorikeets. These birds were beautiful. We purchased some nectar to feed them and made some bird friends. One wanted to drink the nectar so bad it hung upside down to drink! No two were alike. We just had to watch that we did not get pooped on. Lets face it, they are birds and a lot were sitting up high in the rafters.

We then went inside. I am always filled with childlike wonder when I go in. The front room is all local fish and animals that can be found here in the Carolina's. Everything from alligators to giant fish and frogs to box turtles. They also have a special exhibit with a beautiful junior bald eagle. What a HUGE bird! He was also stunning. Just to see this bird up close is amazing!

The next room is my favorite. Why? Because I LOVE sea turtles. I spend my summer volunteering to help these sweet endangered babies get to the big blue sea. I have been posting some pics as I head to the beach each day on my Facebook page, but once they hatch, I will add some more about them here. Anyway, they build a new enclosure for the loggerhead turtle and she is so cool! It was a highlight of my trip there.

We went downstairs next and checked out the jellies. Gotta love the jellies. They are so pretty (as long as they are not stinging me. Finally, we checked out the exotic aquatic area which had all kinds of cool fish and frogs. No trip to the aquarium is complete without getting to pet a shark.

I hope you get the chance to visit the aquarium at Fort Fisher in North Carolina. It is not huge but it is ours and it is full of our local wildlife. I hope it becomes a part of your happy place too.