Must Haves for Working Out

I have exercise A.D.D. and switch between machines and cardio at the gym about every 20 mins.  When my Polar heart rate monitor informs me it is time for a long cardio session (1 hr 15 mins) …I want to throw it in the trash.  But with my workout must haves, it doesn’t seem so bad.

1.  Camelbak BPA-free water bottle in pink (of course).  This flip top bottle makes it easy to rehydrate during cardio.

2. Ultima Replenisher in lemonade flavor.  This electrolyte drink mix is vegan and has no sugar.  It helps me make it to the end of my insane pilates class without throwing up.

Favorite items for working out

3. Lululemon workout cloths.  Comfortable, stylish and transitions easily to run errands after a workout.  I can’t imagine workingout w/out my favorite wide headband.

4. Polar heart rate monitor – get twice as much out of your workout and burn twice as many calories by knowing how fast you need to move.

5. Safe Side Towel – one side is labeled “gym” and the other “face”.  It takes the guess work out of deciding which side of the towel you want to touch your face.  (I know, I am a little OCD about germs)

6. Music – I have dedicated playlists for the gym and add a few new downloads each week .

What are your favorite workout must haves?

Picking Up The Pieces

After loads of therapy dealing with grief and loss, taking the next step forward is among the hardest. I laugh (in my ironic not really funny laugh) when I read the Kübler-Ross five (5) stages of grief.
1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance

What the hell? After acceptance…it doesn’t end. You don’t wake up one day and say, “ok, I’ve accepted the death or loss and now everything is fine”. On the contrary, as I have mentioned in previous posts, it is a beginning of dealing with the collateral damage left in the wake of the loss.

Today, the next piece I have to pick up slapped me in the face.  I have no faith — not only religiously, but spiritually.  This may be harder than I ever imagined.   I was reminded tonight of Buddha teachings “Relinquish desires and you will be free from suffering”.  Time to live in the present…the now and not worry about the future to rebuild my faith.  I have daily exercises to focus on the now, I will let you know how it goes.   I will be focusing on the grain of sand and not the entire beach.

Balancing Work and Life

Work life balance is comedic to me.  I can barely balance my life let alone trying to manage with work.  So, finding time to exercise and do the things I enjoy could be a full time job in and of itself.   My day typically looks like this:

4:45am – 5:30am wake-up, pre-workout snack & walk the dogs
6am – 7am pilates
7am – 8am get ready for work & walk the dogs again
8:30am – 5:30pm work
6:00pm – 7pm snack and play with the dogs
7:30pm -8:30pm gym for cardio
10pm bed

Monday thru Friday, I am starring in my own version of Groundhog’s Day, the movie, over and over again.  And the weekends are spent running errands and shit that I hate to do like laundry. Since moving to CA 5 yrs ago, I do not sleep in on the weekends and find myself at yoga or going to the beach.  No time to rest and cramming as much activity into 24 hours as humanly possible.  How do you fit it all in?

It’s raining; it’s pouring

It’s raining; it’s pouring…for the first time in Orange County, CA in like 364 days. And I am at the office, so I am in no danger of falling out of bed and bumping my head today.

I love the rain. I miss the cloudy days with thunderstorms that they have in the South. The kind where all the leaves on the trees turn a vibrant shade of green and pop against the dark sky. However, I don’t miss the humidity. Today, my hair is so out of control, I could barely get it in a ponytail holder. It is sticking up every which way!

Moving on

This past year has been a year of change.  Took a job I didn’t like, started a patio garden, upped my work outs to twice/day, started pilates and about to start a new job that hopefully holds a challenge and some excitement.  Most importantly, I am ready to move on.  I’ve finally dealt with the grief that I carried with me for 23 years.  Years of therapy, anti-depressants, anger and bitterness — finally over.  A feeling of happiness and contentment that is a whole new experience for me.  Don’t get me wrong – I am still as crazy as ever and slightly OCD, but happy.

While many say there are 5 or 7 stages of grief, they never say how long it will take.  I recently said to an old friend that I wished that someone would have helped me years ago, but perhaps I was not ready or just simply too young.  My friend recently found out she has cancer and asked for advice for how to prepare in the event of the worst.  From the perspective of a child, I recommend that you create a box for each of your children and include:

• hand written notes about their childhood and little stories you remember
• family medical history
• photo albums with photos of you with them (old school style) and include who is in the photo and dates
• stories of your own childhood and how you met your spouse/significant other
• family recipes

My niece said once that she lives every day like it is her last.  I informed her that if she keeps it up, it could be and not to wish her days away.  I recommend that you live every day with no regrets and tell those who matter most how much you love them.

So now what? I am focusing on my health and eating well (something I never learned growing up).  Moving to CA 5 years ago probably saved my life.  I am 50 lbs lighter, eat better and exercise more than I have in my entire life.  Oh and I look better — a little Botox, Juvederm and sunscreen go a long way. I plan on continuing.

You’re late…You’re late for a very important date

My Granny used to tell me that according to Emily Post there is a cardinal rule to never be late.   Now I find myself with a good friend, lets call her Sarah, who can’t tell time or doesn’t care to tell time. She is frequently late and uses traffic as her excuse all the time. Traffic in my opinion causes you to be late up to 20 minutes or so in Southern California — not hours! (Unless there is a Sigalert and that is NOT an every day occurrence.)

After the 3rd week of giving her the benefit of the doubt, I have had enough. Yesterday, Sarah and I had plans to meet at 2:30pm at South Coast Plaza’s Crate and Barrel.  I was about to leave at 3:30 after running my errands when low and behold…guess who decides to appear? Sarah… a whole hour late!  I realized that Sarah is like the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland and is always chasing the clock; however, I am about to push her rear end down the rabbit hole and call it a day.  As I will no longer be waiting or even asking her to do anything anymore — until she can get some time management help.

Here are few resources I hope Sarah finds helpful:
1.  Franklin Covey they offer great courses and products to help with time management and they might be able to help you PLAN to be on time!
2.  Timex — get a watch!

Put Yourself Back Together at Pure Indulgence Med Spa

Why would I write about my “Adventures in Botox“?  Because you all ask “what do I use on my face?”,  “does it hurt?”, “how much does it cost?”, “how long does it last?”, etc. and you have also heard me bitch about my previous med-spa, so I did it!  I switched.  It was like a divorce leaving the spa where I had been going for 4 years, but after a mediocre Botox injection and a bad facial, it was time to go.  And I couldn’t put it off any more, since I felt like my face was caving in and the lines on my face made me look really old and angry.

Orange County, CA is where the famous women of The Real Housewives of Orange County made many consider getting Botox for the first time, so when in Rome why not go where they go! So last Wednesday, I tried Pure Indulgence Skin Rejuvenation run by GiGi on a recommendation from a friend and one of her current clients.  I was a little hesitant at first, since it is located in Laguna Niguel, CA.  I consider Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo the last exit before Mexico off the freeway.  However, I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t take that long from Newport via the 73 Toll Road (approx 10 min).

When I arrived, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  But I was delighted to find a waiting area that was quite lovely and products like Benev that I have been using forever.  I got to chat with the assistant for bit and found everyone there really friendly.  GiGi was running on time for my appt and was fantastic — very knowledgeable and personable. She made me feel like I had known her forever.  Getting Botox hurts, so I am not going to pretend that there was some magic that made it better.  However, perhaps because I was so relaxed, I didn’t cry and I also had no bruising (indiv results vary).  This is HUGE for me, since I bruise easy and I usually have to hide behind concealer for a few days.

If you are in the OC area and need to put yourself back together, visit Pure Indulgence and tell them Tricia B sent you.  After all…who matters more that you?

Pure Indulgence Skin Rejuvenation
949-582-7873
27601 Forbes Rd, Ste 4,
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
www.PureIndulgenceSkin.com

PS…I waited to write my review, since the longer I seem to use Botox the longer it takes to start working.  It has been a week and my frow lines have finally softened and smoothed out. And the horizontal lines on my forehead have disappeared.  I realize that it must look good, since Saturday at the market a lady asked if I used collagen and I told her “No, Botox and Juvederm”.   Next up, I am going to make an appt to try the aesthetician for a facial, I will let you know how it goes.

Paula Deen has Nothing on My Grannies

Both of my Grannies were amazing cooks and one even had a restaurant.  I learned to cook from both of them, since they took turns caring for me growing up.  My Dad’s Mom specialized in rolls, peanut butter cake, pound cake and an assortment of candied desserts.  While my Mom’s Mom rocked chicken and dumplins’ and an assortment of old school Southern food.  They taught me how to cook from scratch and from memory (no recipes).  My Mom’s Mom even taught me to cook with one hand, so one hand is always free to answer the phone or get the door (this was even a challenge on Top Chef Masters recently).  Today, a lady at Sur La Table even called me Tricia “Deen”, since I helped her with a recipe while in the store.  I had a good laugh as Paula Deen is no where near as good my Grannies in my opinion.

Not long before my Grannies fell ill and both passed away, I spent time with each of them capturing the recipes that we made together throughout the years.  I love bringing out their recipes or even making their classic meals for my family and friends to enjoy.  It keeps me close to them and also to my Mom. My Mom taught me how to make biscuits that she learned from Granny.  I still have the old Wilton baking sheet she used for biscuits ever since I was a little girl.  The sheet is really thin, bent on one side, metal (created long before non-stick) and is starting to get powdery.  I don’t use it much any more, but it will always remain in my kitchen among my other pots and pans.  And I find myself smiling every time I see the baking sheet as I remember all the great times making biscuits.

Face Only a Mother Could Love — Ugliest Dog Ever

The kids aren't sure what to do or what it is

I take Max and Maisy to the dog park several times per week and while I am a little biased that my babies are the cutest things ever, there is one dog that I have tried to capture on my iPhone several times now. Then finally last week, it happened. The ugliest dog ever reappeared at the Bark Park. It is none other than a Pekingese Chinese Crested Mix. It has no hair on the top of its head and its tongue hangs out of its mouth. Oh and it has no teeth. And believe it or not, the little guy was born this way.

I imagine if Cousin It had a dog that it would look very similar to this little guy.

Pekingese Chinese Crested Mix

You Don’t Really Know Me

I find it entertaining that people think they know me because I drive a Toyota Prius, recycle, eat organic and care about what I buy my little dogs/kids.  These folks think that I am some crazy liberal, tree hugger, eco snob, outdoor nut, Whole Foods shopper, save the children, or feed the world freak.  Let me straighten this out for you:

1.  I am independent (not that it is any of your business)

2.  I love trees and the environment.  I suffer from asthma and clean air is important to me and it should be to you.

3.  I love the beach and spending time outside, but I would never be caught dead camping.  BTW…my idea of camping is staying at a Holiday Inn.

4.  Even I have my limits for eco products.  I tried Seventh Generation dishwasher detergent and freaked out at the residue left on my dishes and after 3 wks, happily went back to Cascade.

5.  Not a fan of saving the children, in fact, I don’t really like most children  (except nieces and nephews who are fabulous).  I support animal causes and the environment.

6.  As for feeding the world, I tend to be more concerned about what I am going to feed myself for dinner.  Although I did get a FEED bag at Whole Foods, but was really ticked off when I realized the bag was made in China, but comically the tag says “made fairly in China”.  What the hell does that even mean?

7.  I love yoga as a form of exercise, but I only stopped taking my blackberry to class about 1 yr ago.  I have A.D.D. (not really), but I have too much to do to be quiet and cut off from the world for 1 solid hour.

8.  I buy organic because I care what I eat and pesticides are not good for anyone.  I also buy designer handbags and shoes because bad accessories are also not good for anyone.