New Hair Who Dis?

 

New hair who dis?

I cut my hair into a short pixie hair style. My stylist at Fab the Salon has done it again. She does amazing work and has worked with me being difficult as a client. I am very particular because I wear my real hair and I have been victimized by a previous stylist who was scissor happy but she did that! You can check out her work on Instagram and her website here.

Over all I feel it encompasses my personality. I’m sassy, spicy, energetic, and positive. I have been working on my fitness goals and I am conditioning myself to try to run a 5k with ease. I have come to that point in my life where no pain no gain and nutritional balance is a must. So far I am doing really well.

 

I have been using the Couch 2 5k app and I love it. It is not that demanding and is slowly conditioning me to breathe properly watch my form and run comfortably. The only concern I have is my hair! Once I figure out how to maintain it in between salon visits I should be good. Working out is a must and pretty hair is also mandatory. What is a girl to do?

 

In baby news, London is saying and repeating words so very clear now. I cannot believe how big she is growing! I love that she is learning about her world and i am there to witness her do it. It’s such a blessing ya’ll.In maturity and growth news. Letting things go that are not in your control and giving it all to God is a HARD thing to do when you are a control freak. We all like to think we have some sense of control, right. Control can mean security. But I have realized in my walk and my experiences that faith in God and Jesus eases that worry, eases that anxiety and I mean on any topic. You just have to get into the habit of casting all cares on him. That has been my best ally in this life. Because I want to have a good life. In order to have a good life (Not to be confused with perfect) I have to place my faith in things working out the way God wants them to and not to my human and flesh expectations. Forgiveness and love wins always. New Personal Growth who dis?! LOL

 

I hope that those who read my blog can find my words and my experiences I share to encourage them in times of need or give them that push that they need to make it through the day. Adjust those pretty crowns and walk like the Queen you are. God does not make mistakes and he believes in his work. So you are perfection in his eyes. Until the next update!

 

Battle of the Post Holiday Weight Gain

 

Did any of you over do it like me this past holiday and gain weight like me?

Who am I kidding? With me breastfeeding for the majority of 2015, I let my eating habits go awry, anything and everything I wanted, I ate inhaled. Now all that post baby weight I lost, is pretty much toast. I’m back to my normal weight which is not bad, but for me, I know that I can do better. I can tell by the bloat that the carbs I’ve been inhaling are not doing my body any good. So, it’s time to get my food portions and meals in order. I’m not going to go on a juice or tea detox, because it takes a lot to oil this 6 foot machine! I am just going to do some meal planning and eat less processed foods, eat more veggies and fruits, and drink more water. I’ve done this before if you have been following my blog posts.

I am also back in the gym! I started back last week and it felt glorious! The Fitbit is the reason ‘m back full fledged.

Image Source: FitBit.com

I bought a Charge HR(In purple!!!!) to inspire me to get off my butt and on me feet as well as track my heart rate. What I didn’t think would happen was my competitive spirit to kick into full blast! On the Fitbit app you can add friends, and can challenge them during the week, cheer their progressions and taunt them in competitions. It’s an amazing device and they have many different kinds.I got this one on sale during the holidays and I must say it’s one of my best purchases in 2015.You can check out the various Fitbits here. Today I did about 45 minutes of intervals on the elliptical, as well as took 5 flights of stairs back to my desk and took the 15 minute ab class they offer at the gym at work. I also make sure to track my food and connected my Fitbit to the wonderful app MyFitnessPal which helps you track your food and helps you set goals for eating. Before I put something in my body I will put it in MyFitnessPal to see if it’s a good food or a bad food. Food planning helps and they even help you set goals for exercise and things. I really love the app and it helped me lose 25lbs a few years ago. I am SO excited that I am back on track and I can bring you guys some great fitness content and potential yummy recipes  soon. I am so happy to be on my journey again!

 

 

Happy Holidays!

Hope you all had a great start to the week,

I sort of did. This was my weekend with the little and I made the most of it. She goes with her dad for an extended period of time and I will miss her dearly. Last Friday, we had our Christmas/Mommy-daughter shoot! I like to send out personal holiday cards and I also needed to have some professional photos for this year, and my wonderful photographer, Jerren Willis came through! He always has done amazing work. He has taken my graduation photos, my family photos, my maternity photos, newborn photos, you name it! He is an on location photographer and is great to work with. I always recommend him to Houston Locals. Check out his latest work:

 

My Holiday card’s are going to be poppin! I went for a lumberjack/chic look in these photos. I can’t tell you where I get my ideas from they just happen, and Pinterest also helps me pin things to my board that I am looking for. The matching Fringe boots are from Kohl’s. They had a massive sale a couple of weeks ago on boots and I cashed in! My boots are SO® Women’s Fringe Boots ($47.99)size 10 and London’s boots are Jumping Beans Girls’ Fringe Boots ($23.99) size 5 toddler. The black boots are from Target, who also had a massive sale on boots! Mine are Women’s Estelle Riding Boots – Merona™ size 10 ($22.35) and London’s are Toddler Girl’s Quilted Fashion Boots – Black size ($16.95) . Our shirts are from Walmart! Her’s was $5.00 size 12 month in boy, and mine was in the junior section for $10.00! We were definitely winning on this outfit!

I’m also back in the gym this week, well for life lol, because I no longer have the benefits of being a mom who breastfeeds. I breastfed for one full year and the benefits were, I could not keep any weight on! Now, however, the poundage is back and if I want to stay in the weight lane I am in, I will have to work for it. Plus you know the benefit of working out is energy and overall health longevity. So I’m back in the gym starting off with fasted cardio and weights. They have an amazing gym at my job, and awesome instructors. I can’t lose!

Hope everyone has a blessed week! Take care!

Post Baby Body

I know that most women do not post their post baby bodies, but I will. Yes, I have stretchmarks and yes, my linea nigra still present (dark line down your belly you can get while pregnant), but I want to tell you, working out pre baby, and eating well, and breast feeding post baby really works. I could have really had an awesome post baby body, had I worked out during my pregnancy, but I did not. I am happy to say I lost all but 4lbs of my baby weight and my post baby body is leaner, my waist has shrunk tremendously.

Having a baby can be complicated,  especially when you are induced, and your epidural gives out during labor. Fun times. I commend any woman who had a natural delivery. It is NOT for the weary.  But the joy you recieve from bringing life in this world is something I just cannot put into words. My transition from a singular person to a woman with a child was seamless. I was “built for this” in the words of my child’s father. Here is my little bundle of joy, London Paige. WARNING! She is absolutely adorable! She is one month old as of recent and we are both learning the ins and outs of eachother and breast feeding.  It’s awesome to give your child nourishment and watch them grow. It’s something a bond that only me and my little one share. All smiles.

Post Baby Body

I know  that most women do not post
their post baby bodies,  but I will. Yes, I have stretchmarks and yes, my   linea nigra still present (dark line down your belly you can get while pregnant), but I want to tell you,  working out pre baby, and eating well, and breast feeding post baby really works. I could have really had an awesome post baby body, had I worked out during my pregnancy, but I did not. I am happy to say I lost all but 4lbs of my baby weight and my post baby body is leaner, my waist has shrunk tremendously. 

Eating when you are a Mom happens anywhere lol

I didn5 get stretchmarks until 36 weeks

Having a baby can be complicated,  especially when you are induced, and your epidural gives out during labor. Fun times. I commend any woman who had a natural delivery. It is NOT for the weary.  But the joy you recieve from bringing life in this world is something I just cannot put into words. My transition from a singular person to a woman with a child was seamless. I was “built for this” in the words of my child’s father. Here is my little bundle of joy, London Paige. WARNING! She is absolutely adorable!

She is one month old as of recent and we are both learning the ins and outs of eachother and breast feeding.  It’s awesome to give your child nourishment and watch them grow. It’s something a bond that only me and my little one share. All smiles.

MS 150

 

I have officially signed up for the MS 150

I have mixed feelings about it but overall positive ones. The MS 150 is a bike ride that benefits Multiple Sclerosis. It is a bike ride that starts in Houston and ends in Austin over a two day period. It is one of the biggest bike rides out there and people come from  all over to participate. I am happy, because the bike ride is for an excellent cause and also I am nervous, because I have only rode 28 miles at the most on my bike. There are training seminars that I can participate in and also my company does a full fledged support of it. I also will be riding with a few of my managers and supervisors so I am sure it will be fun. So if anyone is interested in donating to the cause, please donate on my behalf, everyone who rides has to raise at least $400.00!!! If you can donate just one dollar, a nickel, I will be grateful, because it is just one step closer to my fundraising goal. You can donate here

 

Thank you in advance for anyone who donates!!!

 

Photocredit: MS150.org website

Eventful is not the Word

I have had all kinds of things going on these days,

School has kept me so busy, that I was unable to even look at a gym. Luckily, I was able to do a 5k and a 28 mile bike ride this weekend, which has my glutes a little sore, but I feel foxxy! I did the Tour de Donut which benefits the Make-a-Wish Foundation, with my new bike group called the Slow Spoke Society! Go on over to our Facebook Page and like it! We are new fresh and ready to conquer rides! On this bike tour, we got to eat as many donuts as we could as we rode. I ate about 3 donuts. I was more concerned about the water and where it was lol. Check out the pics!

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This entire month has been absolutely challenging for me. School, Work projects, Home life, and just life in general has been a whirlwind. My home life in particular was a nuclear disaster, which is why I ended up moving, and I feel like a heavy load or burden has been lifted. My morale this month, because of my stressful home life, has been all the way down. But do not worry, I have managed to stay positive, take it one step at a time and I am rebuilding it back up.

The 5k and the 28 mile bike ride really helped. When in doubt, work out! Ha! Working out has become such a great form of therapy. I mean, I read about it being a stress reliever and therapy, but I think I truly experienced it this weekend. Sometimes life will kick you in the rear hard. It is up to you whether you become a victim of your circumstances, or get back up and say is that all you got?!

I got contacts this Friday and I as a avid glasses wearer feel so fancy! LOL I like that people can see my face and I like the surprise people see when they notice my glasses are missing.

This week I am going to get back into my workout routine, start to bike halfway to work, work on reading my 3 chapters, 2 discussions, and 2 papers. Sounds like a lot, I know, but time management is the key to being successful! I got it. Hope everyone’s week is great as well! Stay focused and positive!!!

-Sharde

 

Halloween Workouts!

Halloween is approaching!

Why not have a workout inspired by one?! Tribesports has an awesome challenge that has a discount. Tribesports has teamed up with Run For Your Lives to offer a 20% discount off of their races. You can use the promo code TRIBE to get the special discount. Cool right?

In addtion to that, there are also 10 pairs of tickets for Run For Your Lives race entry, a Bodymax Kettlebone Kettlebell, and 5 Join The Tribe T shirts to giveaway in our competition which you can read more about here.

Lastly, There are some Halloween inspired workouts that they have created so we can all look great in our costumes!!!

 

1. Zombie Fitness Circuits

 

2. Zombie Wrecking Ball Workout

 

 

 

3. Evasion and Escape Workout

 

4. Survival Under Siege Workout

 

DOMS?

 

DOM DOM DOOOOOOM!

Let’s talk about DOMS aka Delayed onset muscle soreness. It is also know as muscle fever to some. It’s that pain and stiffness you feel after an epic workout. Only you do not feel it the next day, you feel it 48 hours later. How can you prevent such a travesty? By hitting the Sauna, stretching, massage, hot baths, and a foam roller, or even going for another workout  I am a victim of DOMS, and it can be brutal. 24 hours after your workout, you feel fine and then when you hit the 48 hour mark after your workout, and things get real. It feels like you slammed yourself into a brick wall at 180 mph. Yikes. I honestly find comfort in the discomfort. How? I like that I feel my muscles growing. I like that I feel myself getting stronger. Sure it hurts to climb stairs, and squat, and sometimes stretch, but I have a goal and I am seeing major results. Don’t let a little DOMS stop you in your tracks, push though it and let’s all get sexy!

Tomorrow is my Company’s Cook off and I need to figure out how I am going to do that and get my Back and Biceps workout in. I may have to forgo seeing scandal and set the DVR and go work it out tonight. I also have midterms this weekend. Wish me luck!

Shoulders, Calves and Abs

 

Yesterday I hit the gym pretty hard and rocked out my workout. I did my shoulders, calves and abs. I thought the workout would be easy being that there were not that many exercises. No. My shoulders were on fire and I had the slow disoriented waddle, when I walked out the gym yesterday. My workout consisted of:

20 mins on the elliptical

150 reps, per side of Seated bar bell twists w/ 20lb bar

3 sets to failure in 15 reps of Side Lateral raises w/10lb 

3 sets to failure in 15 reps  of Front Dumbbell Raises w/ 10lbs 

Superset of 

3 sets to failure in 12 reps of Side lateral raises w/ 5lbs

3 sets to failure in 15 reps of Front Dumbbell Raises w/ 10lbs 

Machine Shoulder Military Press w/ 25lbs

1 warm up set of 8 reps

3 sets to failure in 15 reps

7 sets of Seated bent over Rear Delt Raises in 15 reps w/ 15 lbs 

Standing Calf Raises 1 warm up set of 10 reps and 5 sets of 20 reps

3 sets to failure 20 reps each of Sit ups

Elliptical for 20 mins

150 twists w/ 20lb bar

 

I was pooped I tell you!!!  I also noticed this amazing phenomenon. A lot of women do not lift. I got a lot of stares and questionable looks as to why I was in the free weights area. Usually a woman is accompanied by a man in this area to be trained briefly or they are just passing by. So, it is overall a male dominated area. Most women dominate the cardio equipment. I would like to encourage all of my female fitness enthusiasts to join me! Come to the weight area. It is not a scary place, it actually is a great place to look at men! lol See the various forms and different workouts that other people do. I am a beginner out there in the weighted world, but I would like to see women get their weights, and toning in too! I am all about showing these guys what I can do! The stares were welcomed by me, and I even got a few smiles out the guys when they saw me working hard!

 

Today is leg day and I have my handicap sticker ready lol. I may be crawling out the gym when I finish wish me luck.

 

 

Photo credit: Womenshealthmagazine.com