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Friday, November 4, 2011

My Country Music Likes...

I haven't always been a huge country music fan, especially in my younger years. I was a Latin Hip-Hop, R&B kind of girl with the occassional Rap thrown in there. Not until my hubby (boyfriend/baby daddy at the time) started making me listen to it. He didn't grow up on country either...he HAD to go through baseball practice listening to it thanks to his coach.

So I started out listening to guys like Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney and George Strait...a little Garth Brooks and Faith Hill. However, I've never really enjoyed female country artists like I did the males. I just don't know why. At least not until now...

I'M A MIRANDA LAMBERT LOVER!


She just has a bad-ass kind of girl attitude! You can't help but love her. We went to her concert back in October and man can she put on a show. My hubby even enjoyed himself. This was the first female artist concert I had ever wanted to go to and I must say I was soooo pleased!

So check out Miranda...you may find that you like her too :)

TTYL

Steph

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Do You Want It Bad Enough?!

 This is a question or statement that was posed to me the other day. I was talking with my son about a goal I have right now. I REALLY, REALLY want this Oakley gym bag because I'm currenlty using a school backpack that my daughter no longer uses as a gym bag.


Well, I told him I was struggling with bad eating and wasn't losing weight. His reply was "Well, you must not want it bad enough." AND you know what...he's right. I must not want the bag or to be at my ideal weight bad enough. Wait...hold on there...I always talk about it. About getting down to my ideal weight and physique and I definitely workout all the time. So wouldn't that mean I want it bad enough?! I must not want it bad enough if I can't even put my eating habits in check. How is it that something so small can impact your life so much?

So on top of not eating healthy the last 3 - 4 days, I hadn't worked out either. I went last night though...I wasn't going to make it 4 days in a row of no workouts. And since I hadn't worked out in so long, I totally forgot my heart rate monitor. Normally, I wouldn't have pushed as hard since I didn't have it but something came over me last night and I did. My HRM gives me a sort of "peace of mind" cause I can see the calories I'm burning. It makes me feel like I've worked hard or maybe not hard enough. I've become really dependant upon it.

Starting today, I am getting it together. I don't want to say I'm getting strict with myself because I think that creates mind tricks for me. I am definitely going to be more conscience of what I'm eating. I can workout all day every day, but eating is my downfall. Eating is what keeps me at "maintaining" and I don't want to maintain...I want to lose fat and become fit and toned!

Wish me luck!

TTYL

Steph

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

A Little Reward...

After a hard workout I like to reward myself with a little sauna time! Look at this HAUT mess...sweat dripping out of my pores ;)

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Tune-In Tuesday...

It's Tuesday...one more day closer to the weekend!

Today I started out with my TIU bootycall...I went for a walk/jog with my dog Bud. He likes our morning jogs just as much as I do. Sometimes he has to drag me out of bed to get going - ahaha!

After the jog, I downed my morning Meta-D and a full 24 oz of H2O.

7am: 1/2 chocolate shake w/Sugar Free Vanilla Coconut Milk

8:15am: 1 cup of Kashi GoLean cereal (did 1/2 cup each of Original & Crunch!) with 1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk

10:30am: pita chips w/hummus

1pm: TIU workout @ work gym

2pm: chicken breast salad w/romaine lettuce, spinach, black beans, avocado, some parmesan cheese, some croutons, peach pineapple chipotle salsa

4pm: 1 cup of peach kombucha

6pm: 1 medium banana & 2 Nature Valley Oats N' Honey bars

8:45pm: Taco Soup (been wanting this for a while...sooo good!) w/shredded cheese on top and some guacamole


H2O: 14 cups so far...

During my workouts I like to either drink powdered BCAAs or mix half coconut water w/plain water for hydration and electrolytes.

Have a good one!

Steph

Motivational Monday!

It's Monday, the beginning of the week! I know lots of us dread this day because it usually means that we have to go back to work or school. We should probably think of Mondays as a chance to start anew and make the most of the coming week.

Today's Food Log

7:00 am: chocolate Shakeology w/1 c of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1 Tbsp peanut butter

10:45 am: 3, 4-inch multi-grain pancakes (Krusteaz's brand)

12:45 pm: Salad - spinach, romaine, cherry tomatoes, cut up chicken breast, a small amount of croutons, small amount of parmesan cheese, 1/4 c of black beans, peach pineapple chipotle salsa, 1/4 of a hass avocado

3:30 pm: Pure Protein Chocolate Chip protein bar

8:00 pm: Bush's Chicken: 1 wing, 1 cup fried okra, 1 biscuit w/gravy

9:00 pm: 1 cup Pineapple kombucha

Unfortunately, I DID NOT exercise today :(

See ya manana!

Steph

Friday, September 9, 2011

Booking IT...

So, I truly am fond of reading...NOW. I didn't used to be growing up, but once you find something you like to read there is no stopping you.

I think I got back into reading with the Twilight Saga. I haven't read the last book yet, but it's next on my list. Currently I'm reading Alyson Noel's The Immortals Series and I LOVE it! There are 6 books in the series and I'm on the last book called Everlasting. From the first book, Evermore, I have been hooked. However, I do get in my moods where I go periods of time without making time for reading and I get behind. I will be so ecstatic when I have completed the entire series.



Of course, I used to purchase all my books from Amazon BUT my great hubby, on his own, bought me a Kindle for Christmas last year. Now let me say, I didn't ask for one nor did I desire to have one. I don't know why, I just didn't. BUT when I opened that packaged I loved it so much because it was something that he thought of himself and decided to get me. He told me that he was tired of getting me the same old gift cards to the stores I liked and that it was really hard to figure out what he should get me. Since I had picked up reading a lot in the months before he thought it would be a good fit. AND let me tell ya - he was RIGHT!

I super duper love my Kindle...I love it so much that I have the PC version on my desktop at work and I have the mobile version on my Android phone.

If you're not too keen on reading, try finding a book that interests you...that's the only way you'll ever get into it. Otherwise it will seem like chore :)

TTYL,

Steph ;)

It's Do or Die Time...

Do or Die Time...what does that mean?! Well, I had a goal for myself to lose 10 lbs by Sept 23rd. Where did this goal come from you may ask. Sept 23rd is the last day that I can sign up for Early Bird registration for a PiYo instructor training class I want to attend in October. I DO NOT want to attend this class weighing in the 150s so I put this goal on myself. If I don't make the goal then I can not sign up...kind of a punishment to myself for not sticking with my plans.

Well, I haven't lost much, in fact I'm struggling with the same 2 - 3 lbs. SO, drastic times call for drastic measures :) I'm vowing to stick to the Tone It Up diet plan, which by the way, is NOT really a "diet"...it's a lifestyle. The food is really good, my problem is once I get home I tend to eat what I make for the rest of the family which is not always part of the TIU plan. Another issue I have is sweets...I'm a sweets addict. Sometimes I'm really good, but there are other times that I just give in and for what?!

So today I'm going to start blogging what I eat! I'm journaling it in a notebook as well as on MyFitnessPal.com.

7:30am: Reduced-fat Turkey bacon w/egg white & cheddar cheese on English muffin (i didn't eat one slice of the muffin...thought it was WAY too much bread for the amount of egg, bacon, and cheese that i was given)
/ Venti Iced Awake tea w/skim milk sweetened w/2 Splendas

10:30am: TIU Protein bar (yums!)

12:30pm: Chocolate Shakeology w/unsweetened coconut milk, 1 Tbsp almond butter, 1/2 of a banana

4:30pm: Grapes

6:30pm: Casa Garcia's - had some queso, 3 tortillas, 3 fajita nachos, 2 quesadillas, chips and salsa



H2O: 8 glasses

Thursday, August 11, 2011

OFF TRACK...and getting back on :)

So we went on vacation for a week and a half to FLORIDA! We spent 5 days at Disney World and then drove down to Miami to visit family. It was AH-MAZING and we had an awesome time...so much fun that we didn't want to come home. It started raining in Miami on our way to the airport and when we got on the plane...I like to say that Miami was crying because it didn't want us to leave. Wishful thinking...

So you can only imagine how much "bad for you" food was consumed by this one chica. No journaling was done since I left for vacay! At Disney you got a dessert with every lunch and dinner. Needless to say we had lots of sugar! Time to get back on track and eat better...

This weekend I'm going to re-read the Tone It Up diet plan and get down and dirty with it. This chica needs to get places with her weightloss. Once you start eating bad, it's so hard to go back to eating good for you foods. 

I also started Chalene Johnson's Turbo Fire and I LOVE IT! This has to be the best workout I've done in a LONG while. I'm actually excited to do it everyday. And everyday it is challenging, but Chalene has a way of keeping you going. She's amazing!

I successfully completed my 30 day challenge of no sodas for July...YAY ME!! I have had soda since then, but didn't even enjoy it. I've come across a flavored water that I'm really enjoying that is taking the place of the soda factor...it's LaCroix - you should check it out. It's natural sparkling water with no calories, sugar, or sodium...can't ask for more than that. Apparently, they have a coconut flavor too and I need to find that one. I love coconut!!

My next challenge is to get off this sugar/sweets issue I have. I tried to start for August, but that was an epic fail immediately. I think I'm going to transition myself into this challenge starting late August and go full force for September!

If you want to join me in any of my challenges just let me know. I would love to have a partner or two or even more!

TTYL!

Steph ;)















Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Journaling...It Is What It Is!

I'm back..................................
to journaling my meals and workouts.



I've been hearing this motto "if you are too ashamed of writing down what you eat, then you shouldn't be eating it" or something to that affect. And it is so true. My daughter recently gave me a journal that she got for herself and told me to use it for writing down my exercises. So that is what I'm doing!

When I was hard-core doing the Tone It Up diet, I would Tweet pics of the food I was eating BUT only when it was healthy. I wasn't going to confess that I ate horrible food...no way! But I had to realize the only one I'm cheating is MYSELF! I don't eat perfectly every day of my life, let alone for every meal I have. It is a daily struggle for me to do so, but you bet that I do regret it when I put something not-so-healthy in my mouth. This past weekend was a perfect example...I ate at Jack In the Box, Pluckers, and Whataburger. Come Monday morning I so enjoyed my daily dose of Shakeology because it makes me feel like I'm doing something really good for my body.

Journaling also requires practice. I notice that during the weekends, I usually tend to not even open my journal and write in it. NOT A GOOD THING! The weekends are usually when I eat the worst. This is going to be one habit I'll need to start practicing religiously, especially with vacation next week.


Oh and don't forget it's DAY 19 OF MY SODA CHALLENGE! I've officially gone more than half the month of July without a soda - YAY!

TTYL

Steph

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Challenge Time!


It's Challenge Time! I am challenging all of you to do Chalene Johnson's Turbo Fire with ME! For the next 90 days we will TEAR IT UP!

My family will be going on vacation to Florida very soon. We all know that sometimes when we go on vacation, we can think that our diet and exercise program can go on vacation too. That is definitely not the case!


While on vacation, I plan to still be very active and get some sort of exercise in. It may not be what I'm used to but we'll have to work with what we have access to...right?! As for my eating habits, that is another story as I will be at the wonderful world of Disney...DISNEY WORLD...for a whole week! I can only imagine how much unhealthy, great tasting food is there. It's a "mind over matter" issue with me when it comes to food. I can't control myself...but being away from home for that amount of time is going to really test me. AND I'm up for the challenge.


Once I come home, I want to start this exercise program that is guaranteed to burn muchos calories. So please join me in my Turbo Fire challenge! 

Day 1 of this program will start on Sunday, August 7th. So order yours on my site in enough time to get it BEFORE that date.

I CAN'T WAIT TO START THIS AWESOME CHALLENGE!

Please email me (stephanie.alaniz@gmail.com) if you'll be participating!

P.S. - It's day 14 of the No Soda Challenge!

TTYL

Steph

Friday, July 8, 2011

Busy, Busy, Busy...Who Isn't?!

Yesterday was a LONG day...I guess that's why I'm so dragging today.

After work, we had an appointment set to meet a Dyslexia Specialist for our daughter. And all I can say is OMG! the specialist was so awesome and spent so much time explaining everything to us. You can definitely feel her devotion and commitment to helping kids with dyslexia. There is no doubt that I want this lady to work with my daughter to make her the best she can be in her life. If your child or someone you know has been diagnosed with dyslexia, please contact Regina Staffa at Academic Therapy Center. Her office is located in south Austin. And I can tell you from experience that most of the centers/therapists that help with dyslexia are mostly located in north Austin. I'm so glad that a coach on Kaycie's softball team referred her to us.

After meeting for nearly two hours with Mrs. Staffa, we were starving - haha! We made our first ever trip to The Green Mesquite in Southpark Meadows. I don't think I could say it any better, but my hubby said "Well, I guess we can 'X' this place off the list!" - haha! Seriously people, it was not worth the $$$. We could have gone to Bill Miller's BBQ across the street for the same quality of food. I don't suggest you going to this place IF you like your brisket to be nice and juicy...

Dinner is now over and we make our way back home...so its about 8:30pm and I still have a lot to do. I get home about 9ish to check Kaycie's bag for our trip this weekend, I pack my bag and then decide to do my Insanity: The Asylum workout of the day...RELIEF! It felt good too. Once that was done I started getting some foods and drink ready for the cooler to take with us.

I honestly can not tell you what time I went to bed last night, only to wake up at 5am and get my a$$ handed to me by Shaun T for my workout of the day...GAME DAY! Some times I wonder how sick I must be to wake up so early to get my heartrate up before work. BUT it pays off in the end...I feel so much better about doing it in the end.

REMEMEBER THIS: YOU'LL NEVER REGRET A WORKOUT!

Shakeology Samples

If you’d like to try Shakeology before buying a whole bag, purchase your samples here!


 






Sample Packs: 
  • 1 single serving pack – $5 + $3 shipping
  • 3 pack – $15 + $3 shipping
  • 6 pack – $30 + $4 shipping
  • 9 pack – $45 + $5 shipping
  • 12 pack – $60 + $5 shipping

Some coaches give out free samples, but one serving is not enough for you to see how great Shakeology will make you feel, how much more energy you have, and how it will help you lose weight. Replace one meal a day with Shakeology for 5 days and let me know how great you feel afterwards. I’m sure you’ll love it as much as I do! To order your samples:
  • Send payment to me via PayPal to stephanie.alaniz@gmail.com. Make sure your ship to address is current in your PayPal account because that’s the address I’ll ship your order to.
  • Be sure to indicate the package you are ordering and the flavor you want: Chocolate or Greenberry
  • I’ll include a recipe card and a Shakeology DVD that tells you what Shakeology is all about, the ingredients and why it’s Beachbody’s #1 selling nutritional product.
Thank you for your order. If you have any questions at all after you receive your sample pack, visit http://www.stephalaniz.com/, call or email me!


Thursday, July 7, 2011

Jibber Jabber...

Announcing my SODA CHALLENGE:

So, I've decided to quit soda and that is a hard task for me. Now, I'm not a hard core soda drinker and I may have one a day but not every day. Sometimes it turns out to be two a day...and that's on rare occassions. So I'm not one of those people who consumes a soda from the time I get out of bed until the time I return to it at night.

My fav soda is Diet Dr. Pepper and I must say that it goes down REAL good when its in a nicely iced cup. Anyways, soda whether diet or not is not a great option for hydrating/fueling your body. I kind of think of it as liquid candy for your taste buds.

I decided on June 30th, out of the blue, to give it up for a month. I officially started on Friday, July 1st and have had much success. Although I've been tempted and I have craved a Diet Dr.Pepper several times, I have not caved in. I've replaced my "addiction" with water and tea and on occassion fresh lemonade and kombucha from the Farmer's Market. 

So let's salute to me on my first full week of being soda free! YAY!

New Addiction: Vanilla Rooibos Tea



With the soda challenge in full force, I've picked up an old addiction - Tazo's Vanilla Rooibos Tea. I LUV THIS STUFF!

I was introduced to this loveliness about 3 or so years ago when it first was introduced at Starbucks and I believe it was in the winter time too. So you can only imagine how this warm concoction just made me feel all fuzzy inside on a cold winter morning! However, this drink does not come in a cold version so that's a bum. Once they started offering the tea bags for sale I picked me up one. Now I can enjoy it cold any time of the day or week!

New Shoes...

We went to the mall this weekend and stopped by Skechers to get my daughter some new tennis shoes. She wanted some like me so we asked the sales woman what the smallest size was that they came in for womens' sizes. Can you believe that my daughter walked out of the store with a size 6.5 shoe?! That's the size that I wear! Guess we'll be sharing soon - haha! Not sure if that is good for me or her...

Anyhoo, while there we discovered that they were having a sale so I got me another pair of Tone-Ups Run. I can not tell you how much I love these shoes. They are so freakin' light weight and you can totally bend these shoes. They are kind of like socks on your feet...not all bulky like some shoes tend to be. I bought the black/white ones on Saturday and the pink ones back in May.


GO GET YOU SOME!!!

And now they offer them in Mens...

TTYL...

Steph



Monday, July 4, 2011

Transform Your Health in 30 Days!!!

That’s right - you heard me - TRANSFORM your health or you DONT pay! How you ask….Well let me explain!

SHAKEOLOGY! I know you hear me or see me talk about this amazing shake, so let me tell you exactly what Shakeology does as the most healthiest meal of the day!
  • It nourishes your body with nutrients it needs for optimal health
  • Lose weight (**ding ding ding everyone likes this one**)
  • Reduce Cravings  
  • Increase energy levels and stamina
  • Promotes regularity and healthy digestions
Are you one of those people that have struggled with a healthy diet to lose those unwanted pounds?? This is a proven method that gives you healthy results. All you have to do is replace 1 meal a day with Shakeology.

  
Here are some results that are proven true to people who drank 1 shake a day for 90 days!
  • By the end of week 1 - There was improved digestion and regularity as well as reduced cravings!
  • By the end of week 4 - Increased energy and stamina, lost weight and improved mental clarity
  • By the end of week 12 - Lost 10 pounds and inches of waist (on average) - just imagine all the weightloss/inches lost with a regular daily workout, reduced risk for diseases like heart disease, lowered cholesterol on average by 30% and at the highest 70% and even developed healthier skin, hair and nails!
Shakeology contains 70 of the BEST ingredients!!!! There is no other shake that has some of the worlds most powerful superfoods….
Plus, there is a bottom of the bag guarantee! Try Shakeology for 30 days and if you dont feel healthier, send it back and your money will be refunded - even if the entire bag is empty! Now, thats for real…

Want to order Shakeology or learn more about it? Watch this short video on what 100 Doctors are saying about Shakeology! SHAKEOLOGY VIDEO!



Thursday, June 30, 2011

Workout, Eating, Sunglasses, And Whatnot!

I completed Day 2 of Asylum - Strength. It was pretty hard, but I felt good about what I accomplished. My body is a hurtin' right now too. My chest area and thighes are the ones in most pain...but I will push through! Earlier in the week I had planned on jogging this morning, but that didn't happen due to the amount of soreness in my legs. I thought I'd just take it easy...maybe I'll jog tomorrow morning.

And today's eating has not been very good...I just fell off the wagon and ate 2 pieces of Domino's pizza and drank a Big Red.  I don't think it's going to hinder me, but I'm getting back on the wagon ASAP. I've been extremely hungry this week and I just caved in. It happens to us all...then we just move on!

So I wanted to chat about my newest sunglasses that I'm totally lovin'. Yeah, I may have gotten them back in April but they're still my newest pair...they are the Oakley MISS CONDUCT.

This picture depicts the actual ones I have...Brown Sugar! And they come in 3 other colors that I really love. So, why I am I talking about these?! They are the most light weight sunglasses I have ever owned. They are great for when you go for a run, biking, playing sports, etc AND they are stylish too! These babies are so lightweight that I'm still scared that I'll break them if I don't put them in the carrying case that you get when you purchase them.

From the Oakley website: For the athlete who demands performance and plays by her own rules, Oakley offers up the audacious MISS CONDUCT™. These rimless toric shield glasses not only look cool— they truly shield you from the elements. MISS CONDUCT is so incredibly lightweight, it won’t even slow you down for a millisecond.

As for my workout today...looks like I'll be doing a core video. Wish me luck!

BTW...

Today's Shakeology Recipe:

1 packet of Chocolate Shakeology
1 cup of Almond Breeze Unsweetened Original Almond Milk
1 Tbsp of Smart Balance Chunky Peanut Butter
Ice

Blend that baby up in your blender until desired consistancy. I like mine kind of slushy so I have to use a bit of ice! ENJOY!
TTYL

~ Steph

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Insanity: The Asylum FINALLY ARRIVED!

So, it arrived on Monday - YIPPEE! I went home ready to take on the challenge of the fitness test and the Day 1 workout. WELL, let's just say that didn't happen. I did the fitness test and that's about it. Man, in the 25 minutes it took for the test I burned 295 calories and was exhausted. BUT that is how Shaun T brings it, right?!

Yesterday, I did the Day 1 scheduled workout for agility and speed. My left side of my body is SOOO not coordinated. I seriously had a hard time getting it to function properly. I don't know how many times I said "What tha HELL!" - ahaha!

Anyhoo...I survived! I feel like I can only get better from here. Today's workout is strength so we'll see how I stand up to that one!

OH and I almost forgot to mention that my hubby took the fitness test last night and he did the Day 1 workout during his lunch today. I'm so proud of him! It was definitely a struggle for him and he's a very active and fit guy.

I must say that I REALLY like Shaun T! Now I'm a girl who only has ever bought workout DVDs by other women. I'm a female so I figured it only right to get workouts done by other females. WELL...Mr. Shaun T has really won me over. I already feel like an athlete after one workout...but this athlete has a ways to go. I probably should have started out with Insanity, but its too late I've already gotten Asylum and I'm sticking with it. Once my 30 days is complete though...watch out cause I'm going to order Insanity and do the 30 day hybrid workout!! This sista is going to be bangin' for her birthday in November and for Christmas and for New Year's. Are you going to be bangin'?!

Join me on my journey to health and fitness...

TTYL.

P.S. - Have you had your daily Shakeology?! Order yours at http://www.stephalaniz.com/

Steph

Thursday, June 23, 2011

ARE YOU UP FOR THE CHALLENGE?!


I'm still moving along from the excitement of just ordering my copy of Insanity: The Asylum yesterday. I want it now! Can it please ship already?!


I want to start it ASAP to see the awesome results before we leave for our family vacation next month. Maybe I can take it with me while we are in Florida - I wouldn't want to mess up my progress with 2 weeks of vacation.


So are you with me? Are you brave enough to conquer this 30 day program and become the athlete you've always wanted to be OR become an even better athlete than you are today. Order your copy at www.beachbodycoach.com/stephalaniz!


You make the decision!


I'll post my before and after pics as well. I'll also blog about my progress and experience during the program.


Wish me luck...I'll need it!


TTYL.


Steph