You've Been Invited to the Spartan Race in Chandler Arizona!

Ok, a friend asked me to do the Spartan Race in Chandler Arizona with her in February. Really? Now my first thought was, what is a Spartan Race in Chandler Arizona. So I looked it up, mistake! I think that she's thinking I work out EVERYDAY, not, and am in the best shape of my life, not. It's 8 miles of pure torture. She laughs and says "don't let the music scare you" my thought was that it's not the music it's the Spartan Race in Chandler Arizona that has my head spinning and wondering if this was a joke. I think I'll say yes just to see what SHE SAYS! Personally I'm not sure if I can get up 5 days a week, drive 25 minutes to do 1 hour of cardo for the 8 mile run and another hour of strength training then drive back another 25 minutes, get the kids up for school and really start my day! I want to BUT. I'll have to really give that some thought. Thanks for the invite Traci, I'll let you know about that Spartan Race in Chandler Arizona! 

So what really has been happening is I moved out of town a bit, 15-20 miles out, and there is no gym here. Gave up my gym membership to save money since it was so far. So I walk MAYBE once a week. Terrible, I know. I do NO strength training and I have arms to prove it. I keep saying when I move back into to town I will get back in shape. Everyone has an excuse and even thou mine sounds good it's still an excuse. Truth is I'm no different than the next guy or gal that WANTS to get back in shape but can't seem to get motivated. Maybe this is just what I need. Surely there is a way to make it happen. I'm going to think about this. Even thou the Spartan Race in Chandler Arizona seems tough and no doubt it is, we can do anything we set our minds to. Oops, did I just commit myself here? Either way it has motivated me to move forward and once again stop making excuses. Stay tuned to find out the answer, am I running the race or not. I'm thinking!

Why can't I look like them?

Why JuliaRoberts’ L’Oréal Ads Have Been Banned in the UK

I think it’s great that governments are now getting involved in the misleading beauty advertising. Most ads of beautiful women or sexy men make you feel inadequate just by looking at the pictures. When a product is advertised we instantly think that maybe that product will help us look like the picture, less wrinkles, pimples, aging spots or just simply smoother looking skin. Well here is the secret behind MOST beauty ads.

L’Oréal just learned the hard way. The UK government recently released guidelines limiting the use of misleading ad alterations, and the American Medical Association recommended similar guidelines here in the US. The UK is definitely putting its money where its mouth is, and just banned a series of ads featuring Julia Roberts and Christy Turlington.

The Daily Mail reports that the cosmetics giant, who owns Lancôme and Maybelline, had to ‘fess up about the post-production techniques used in recent ads featuring the 40-something celebs. Julia Roberts’ Lancôme Teint Miracle foundation ad features the actress looking radiant, but the company admitted that post-production techniques were used. The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that the ad “didn’t accurately reflect what the product could achieve” and subsequently pulled the ads.

The Christy Turlington ads for Maybelline’s new Eraser foundation sticks were even more false. While a disclaimer in small print on the bottom of the ad states the image is an “illustrated effect,” the company admitted that they used digital re-imaging to “lighten the skin, clean up make-up, reduce dark shadows and shading around the eyes, smooth the lips and darken the eyebrows,” according to the Daily Mail.

If cosmetics companies are going to hire a non-20-year-old to advertise their products, they need to let the lady’s 40 and up be natural like all the rest of us. Otherwise, why bother?

I’m sure we all knew this but can this but can now expect stricter beauty advertising guidelines. Just a fashion addict's findings and thoughts. www.fashiontrends4u.com

When I look in the mirror..

No matter how hard you pretend not to see the truth, the circumstances that shape your life will always be revealed in your reflection. Others may not see it, but you will, and some of what you see will be pleasant and some will not. We all deal with different scenarios and it depends on you as to what you make of it.

Today I see the confidence in my lifted shoulders and head held high, confidence that comes with time, knowing that I have done the best that I can, making my way past the little stumbling blocks in the road of life. Learning to pick myself up when I fall, to dust myself off and move on.

I look in the mirror and I am happy with what I see.I see a woman that has learned life lessons, that has grown from experience, a woman that has continued to live by the morals she was taught as a child. I smile before turning away from the mirror, satisfied with being me.

FYI

For those of you who know me, you know I have a sister in Afghanistan. I will be leaving my sisters picture up until she comes home safely.

Am I Attractive?

So often we look on the outside for beauty in others and even ourselves when really the beauty is on the inside.

What makes us feel attractive is not only what we look like on the outside but also how we feel on the inside. I can go days and weeks without working out and eating horrible and eventually I feel very unattractive and unhealthy. When we feel unhealthy it messes with our thinking of how we see ourselves over all. The funny thing is WE CAN do something about this. It's not like having a disease such as cancer or anything where we can't change it. It's all about decisions we make. Discipline, discipline!

I do know it's hard but we ALL can have discipline. We just let things, business and people stand in the way.

What's your excuse? Mine has been time but I know if I really wanted to go somewhere no matter what I'd be there. This must STOP, for me and for you. Don't wait, start today with discipline in all areas of your life and no matter what you look like on the outside you will feel AMAZING! Mentally we see ourselves in a new light. Now that's living.

What are we setting our minds to?

I have learned through the years that we can do anything we set our minds to. Will it be work? Oh yeah. Will it be painful? At times. Will it be worth it? Hope so. We usually don't put much effort into something we are expecting a great outcome from.

Working out and jogging were not something I grew up doing in school or anything I ever really thought about until I was 19. When I was 19 I moved to Arizona and a cousin decided for me that I needed to run with her. I thought this was a joke, it wasn't. She was 17 and was a runner in school. I, on the other hand, thought how hard can it be. So I agreed, not knowing she wanted to run at least a mile. I started off not so fast but doing ok. After about a half a mile I began to fall apart. So my cousin got in front of me and turned around to face me and was my cheerleader to get me to the goal. She would say "you can do it" and I would say "no I can't." I did make it and it led to me going out again to see if I could do it on my own.

From there I began to enjoy jogging and started jogging on the canals. Not long after I started to jog I broke my ankle and had surgery on it. So jogging was out for some time in my life.

I remember trying when I was about 22 to jog around the neighborhood. By then I had gotten married and moved so I didn't have a good area to run. When I finished my ankle swelled up so much I couldn't put my shoe back on. That ended the jogging for many years.

A couple of years back, about 3, I started trying to jog again. I again had moved and now have a great place to run. I started off slowly with a half a mile. Seriously thought I was dying any minute but kept going. After a while of doing this I began to set my sights on a mile then 2 miles then 3 miles. At that time the most I got up to was 4 miles. I had to keep telling myself that I was no different than the next gal that runs. I perfectly healthy and just need to build up to longer distances. This would take time. Now today I'm training for a half marathon, which I never thought would be possible.

My point is through all of this I had to constantly tell myself I could do this. Reminding myself that I could do anything I put my mind to. I believe most things we do in life are 80 to 90% mental and the other physical. I keep telling my body that I can do this.

This method has helped me in so many other areas of my life. Spiritually, I continually tell myself I have faith for this or that and I feel God's strength along the way. In my eating, this is a constant discipline and it's still hard at times but I want to be an example to my children and family on how we need to eat healthy and take care of our bodies since they are the temple.

So I challenge you today to tell yourself that you can do something that you have struggled with in life today and watch yourself accomplish the unthinkable things in life that are so rewarding.

no pain-no gain??

What on earth is a saying like that suppose to make me say, yes I'll take the pain?? So often I would think I wasn't willing to take the pain for whatever in life it might cost me to be able to gain something that would be a change and even a lifetime change.

For instance fitness- I didn't want to work out and be in pain no matter what I gained from it. It hurt and I was not going to put myself through any pain just to look good (that's how I seen it). Little did I know back then that it wasn't really about looking good but about taking care of my body and keeping it in shape so that I wouldn't pull muscles easy or I had flexibility. Also being able to lift my child and grandchildren without pain. Yes today I say I'll take the pain now and have great rewards in the flexibility of my body.

Next, eating healthy- I guess I thought I was going to always be young and in shape and never really have to worry about what I ate. I was not taught healthy eating and I don't blame my parents because they didn't have the teaching either. I would say I fell in to this on my own and began to put more thought into it and research as to what I should and shouldn't be eating.

One of the greatest things is setting boundaries for myself and my children. This took a long time to learn but thank GOD I did and have been working on it since. This is definitely a painful experience at first but can be a lifetime of gain.

So now when I think of this saying I know I have experienced it and it works. It's worth the pain for anything that will change you.

What do you think now..