Day 4 SUCCESS

Fabulous Day!!! Everyone was right, everyday gets better and the food is really starting to taste delish :) I guess the taste buds really do start to change after a while. So here's how the day went.... I had to get up and make the blueberry applesauce and as I was reading the recipe ingredients I read: 4 apples, 1/2 cup blueberries, and cinnamon (makes 1 serving)!! The first time I made it I don't know where I read this but I swore I read "makes 3 serving" so I split it into 3 tupperware and have been enjoying the amount. So imagine my shock when I read "1 serving"!!! It was a TON of food. Which, believe me, I'm not complaining. But it was too much, I couldn't eat it all so I stuck the rest in the fridge to enjoy later in the day when I needed a little something to snack on. GREAT START TO MY DAY!

Have I mentioned that it's my absolute favorite!! The food the rest of the day I had already prepared yesterday so the day went smooth. It makes it so much easier when you can just run it and pop it in the microwave to heat up, yesterday was rough trying to work, cook, and you know.....life.
Working out today was back up to about 80%. The cardio is still a little tough on the calves today but I had so much more energy to jump around for 30 solid minutes. I did all 40 reps of every set in the mat work which was a first for me today. Obviously the muscles are already changing because Monday I couldn't to 10 straight and today I made it to 40 without a break!! Milestone #1!! So to sum up Day 4 I'd have to say, energetic, fulfilling, and happy :) Got a huge weekend ahead so need to make sure the energy stays up like this today! So Day 4 down 26 (86 for big goal) to go! Night night~

Day 3 is in the books ladies (and gentlemen if you're bored enough to read my blog about girlie stuff) :). I have to say today was a complete success due to the fact I woke up at 6:00 this morning to meet with some girlfriends for a new Bible study that kicked off today. I am definetly not a morning person, which is why I don't do my workouts in the morning, so I was dreading getting up an hour earlier to go sit at Chick-Fil-A and smell the warm deliciousness of those chicken minis in honey glazed biscuits. Mmmmm wasn't exactly my heaven. But it was a great start to my day, I always loved getting with my girls, no matter when!! So I made my power juice first thing this morning and let it chill and I think I'm starting to get the hang of it, it was GREAT!! I've learned that drinking it in the morning really does power your day because it's 10:48 right now and I'm still ticking like a jackrabbit. Breakfast was good (loving the blueberry applesauce), lunch was even better, and dinner didn't make it to me until about 8:30 tonight, which was just ok. The Gazpacho is my least favorite but I was so hungry by the time I ate it went down the hatch. Oh the the sweet potato puree is like my dessert!
Workouts were 1/2 and 1/2 on me today. My calved killed today so all the jumping was rough. I bought a new pair of trainers yesterday and thought I would love the extra cushion (since I've been using the Nike Free's since November) but I think my legs have gotten so use to the "free" feeling that the extra weight from the new trainers made them sore. So today I went back to my Free's and I felt like I had dumbells on. They screamed at me the whole time, now I know the meaning of "the dogs are barking"!!
So off topic but I've been decorating my house since good ole Uncle Sam dropped my tax money he originally took from me off at my door today so my girl Jen and I shopped all evening (which is why dinner didn't take place until 8:30). Everything is looking amazing!! So between this new Tracy Anderson Meta program and decorating my house, AND a full time job, I'm pooped! Goodnight my friends!! Day 3 down and 27 (87 ultimate goal) to go!

In Him,

Today was hard!! I think it's all starting to set it now and my body is starting to scream out for the foods I'm no longer eating i.e. processed foods like Cheez Its, breads, dairy, etc. Notice I said Cheez Its first because they are my absolute favorite!!

On Day 91 I'm having a Cheez It party and you are all invited :) Today's workout was not as energetic as yesterdays. I worked out late in the afternoon as opposed to yesterday getting to workout in the morning and I believe it made a huge difference on my energy level. Yesterday my dance cardio was at about 96% effort and today was closer to about 70%. I was begging for that 30 minute mark to hurry up and get here. Poor Tracy was getting a lashing out at on my TV screen! "I hate you crazy woman!" "What the heck are your legs doing and why won't mine go that fast!" And don't even let me get on my rant about how the mat work went down. I've never sweat so much "fairy dust" in my life. So much so that I had to rip off the sports bra because sweat was pouring! I know that's an awful visual but I was home alone :) I never know how this little lady tends to make these workouts feel like your legs are burning off your body but I know tomorrow morning I will wake up and look down and already be able to see a difference. Day 2 down and 28 to go for month 1, 88 to finish the challenge!

Meta Day 1

So today was a success!! I woke up early this morning to the realization that I needed a juicer to get my power juice going. Thanks to my friend Helen she highly recommended the Jack Lelanne juicer and I'm pretty impressed. It'll juice absolutely anything and everything. I may start juicing everything I eat....well at least until I get sick of a baby food diet. So I headed off to Kohl's first thing and yes I felt like a moron knocking down the door at 8:00 to buy a juicer of all things.

Once I got back, I spent all morning preparing the foods that are part of the Week 1 meal plan (Nutrient Boost Week) but the good thing is I made enough for tomorrow too. Now, the Nutrient Boost Week entails 7 different items (servings) of food that can be eaten whenever you want. Breakfast kicked off with the power juice (kale, beets, and apples). I have to say I have never eaten a beet in my life but dang they stain your hands "beet red", now I know where that comes from. The juice was a pleasant surprise considering it looked and smelled awful.

For breakfast it called for steamed apples and blueberries then pureed into applesauce, delish!!

I did my Day 1 workout right before lunch so I was starving come 1:00. For lunch I ate the carrot/parsnip puree which was good and veggie soup. I forgot to take a picture of lunch but I will post tomorrow. Then for dinner I had the Gazpacho and sweet potato/corn puree. The gazpacho was tolerable but the sweet potato puree was heaven!!

Yea that pic looks a little gross but it looked more appetizing than the picture does it justice. And just about an hour ago I was happy to finally enjoy an "approved" glass of wine and dessert. Chocolate/Strawberry pudding! After dessert so sweet I am rethinking about sticking to this for at least another day :) Day 1 down, 29 to go!

Tracy Anderson Method Metamorphosis

So I know I haven't been as faithful as I said I was going to be about blogging but I'm starting a new fitness routine tomorrow that I'm going to blog my way through to help me stay motivated from all of you and keep me on track. So many of you know my obsession with everything Tracy Anderson. For those of you not familiar with her, google her! I have all of her DVDs and tomorrow I'm starting her newest project called Metamorphosis AKA "Meta".

It still entails the muscular structure and dance cardio but its complemented with a meal plan which I know is going to kick my butt. For those of you that know me well know that I'm always trying to find the next big challenge to take on and this is going to be it. This Meta series will run for 90 days and at the end of those 90 days, if I make it, she sends the next 90 days worth of material. So here we go, Ready....Set.....Go!! I officially have 30 minutes left until tomorrow starts so I may go polish off the cupcakes Julie left here last night :) I plan on posting the food I'll be making so all of you can be sooooo jealous!!! Sweet Dreams!

Im Blogging!.........Again

It's a new year and with new years comes new resolutions. I've never been one to set rediculous goals or try to make drastic changes that I know won't hold up until Valentine's Day but this year I decided that I'm going to make this blog a virtual diary so a year from now I can look back and read about everything I (hopefully) accoplished. So here we go! Here's a little bit about me. My name is Ally, I'm married to Seth, and we have a stand-in child name Ramsey (our yorkie). And in one week we're getting stand-in child #2. We live in Daphne, AL and it's pretty much heaven living here. We moved into our house about a year and a half ago and my free time is spent on coming up with ways to spend money decorating this blank shell. It's fun dont get me wrong but it takes me forever to decide what color/decor I want for each room that I'm slowly getting around to starting the next project. A lot of what I'll be blogging about will revolve around this. I'm also pretty much addicted to fitness and living a healthy lifestyle. My typical routine is about 2 hours a day of exercise 5-7 times per week. Yea, I'm pretty much nuts but it's my "Ally" time and I love it. My fitness guru is Tracy Anderson and I swear by her muscular design series. She's changed my body in no way any exercise program has and I love it! (Also, majority of my blogging will be about her and her fitness program). I'm also a vegetarian so cooking meals in my house can be daunting sometimes since Seth is no where close to being a veggie. In my free time you can either find me at Ann Taylor Loft or TJ Maxx shopping :) Im trying to break away from my two trusted friends (stores) and shop the boutiques more but its been such a long relationship I feel like I'm cheating. I also love to coupon since the coupon rage has struck Baldwin County. Daphne just got a Publix so I'm in heaven. Not that the Fairhope Publix was far away but being a few miles up the road definetly helps. So I guess that pretty much scratches the surface of who I am and what I'll be posting mostly about. I hope you find my blog entertaining. I'm sure we'll be laughing, crying, and laughing some more together in the next year so let's enjoy the ride together!!

Sweet Summertime

Summer is one of my favorite times of the year, but when it gets to about mid-July I am ready to feel some Fall temperatures.... The last couple of day I have found myself imagining what it will feel like to have upper 60 degree breezes, football on the big screen, and the holidays surrounding us. Well, I know I am wishing my life away by looking months into the future but it does make these hot muggy days seem shorter. So this summer.....well.....Seth and I did finish the half marathon we set out for in Nashville. We had a blast in Nashvegas but unfortunately the race wasnt what I set out for. Ended up breaking two bones in my foot during the race and was put in a cast for six weeks. There went my running.... After those six grueling weeks Seth and I took a little vacay off to Hawaii. We stayed in Waikiki Beach in Oahu and it was absolutely amazing. We are LOST junkies so the first day there we took at 10 Hr off road Hummer tour throughout the entire island to the famous scenes of the show. We, like most tourists, embarked in a authentic Hawaiin luau, snorkeled with dolphins in the ocean, drank Mai Tais until sick, and came home with a fresh bronze gl0w. We cant wait to go back to visit the other islands of Hawaii. The Fourth of July was just about perfect this year. After a huge feast on classic American cuisine, the entire family had a picnic party on the lawn at Fairhope Pier. We laughed, played games, at watermelon, and then relaxed under the summer sky watching an amazing display of fireworks.

So now, its the "Dog Days of Summer" (actually probably not yet but it seems). Looking forward to the next big thing. I believe our next traveling excapade is a weekend in Atlanta for a Braves cheer fest. Im actually pretty excited since the Braves are on a big winning streak this year, come on penant!! So thats what is going on with the Sanders lately. Im so not good at staying updated with my blog. Happy Dog Days everyone!!

Aches and Pains

So Im training for a half marathon coming up in April and I hope my body can make it. Between my right foot, knee, and hip I pray that Celebrex will get me through. This year I am definently going to reach my lifelong goal to run a full in the Fall but at this rate Im going to need some super healing power to make it through training sessions.

So its been about six months if not longer since the last time I got on Blogspot to write anything and I thought tonight it was about time to pick it back up. So much has happened since the last time I posted anything I feel like our whole lives have changed, for the better. So we finally moved back home like we were hoping for and bought an amazing house in Daphne that I would have never dreamed we would be living in. If you would have told me a year ago that this is where I would be laying my head down every night I would have laughed, God is so good! Ramsey is still getting adjusted to running on hardwood floors but I think he likes not getting in trouble from neighbors below for playing with his ball. We joined a new church and have made so many new friends, something we definently were missing when living in Dothan. Its nice to finally have young Christian friends to have things to do with during the week and weekends. It makes the weekdays go by a lot quicker :)
Seth and I both have new jobs as well. Im still selling drugs, now working for a company called Strativa, and LOVE IT!! Best company I could have ever dreamed of working for. Seth has a new job too, also in sales, pretty much doing the same thing. Its fun because we get to pal around and do lunches in doctors offices together a lot and pretend we're not husband/wife. So life has been pretty good to us lately. We have no complaints here. Oh and my sister is pregnant so Im going to be an aunt next year! More to follow later...

Rick and Bubba

These guys are awesome right!!! So what's the deal with the local radio stations in Mobile not picking them up? We need Rick and Bubba back on the radio in Mobile people!! These guys are are halarious and on my morning commutes when I had nothing in the world to listen to for my 2 and a half hour drives across my country territory it was such a relief to half these comedians brighten up my morning. I always knew no matter what mood I was in in the morning they're comic relief was sure to put me in a stitch. Not to mention their Christian platform in which they take a stand can really make you scream "Hallelujah Brother" to topics that you dont really hear brought up on morning radio. I just love these guys and since we're moving from Dothan back to Mobile it sure would be nice to if we could take our friends with us. Since we've been home the past couple of weeks we were able to meet these two guys while they were down at the Wharf in Orange Beach doing a live radio broadcast. Very cool guys