Fitness Friday Giveaway!! We are BACK to Pilates!

And we are back to one of our more popular giveaways! This time I'm giving away 1 Winsor Pilate's DVD because it IS a workout!:) This one is Maximum Burn 20 min. series-- so it is nice for those who want to get a nice workout out in, stretch at the same time, and feel the burn all in 20 min.-- and YES! You will feel the burn! It is a great supplement to your workout. I always feel long and lean after I do it (I know it is all in my head... because I'm genetically short and stocky) but HEY! It gives me that feeling:)

So, here are the rules to enter!


1. Leave me a comment letting me know what you LOVE about your body- just ONE thing! Whether it is your eyes, your legs, your toes, your eyebrow arch.. WHATEVER-- but it is time we talk positive to your body so that it will want to WORK for you. Does anyone want to work for a boss that tells you- you are stupid, you are not fast enough, you are not doing it right?? NO! And that includes your body:) Positive body talk will help you lose that weight! Serious-- so tell me what YOU LOVE about your body:)
2. Put me on your side bar... and if I'm already there that counts too! = 2 entries, so leave me 2 more comments -- but it just has to be something simple like-- you are in my side bar, and then for the next one-- 2 for sidebar.
3. Blog about this giveaway and how much you enjoy my site. = 5 entries so leave me 5 separate comments like blogged about it and then just put the numbers 2,3,4,5 as your next comments.
4. If you do not have a blog- you are more than welcome to facebook, myspace, twitter, or send out an e-mail to your friends with me copied, about the giveaway or my blog. (bertieranger4 at gmail.com) For each of these you will get 1 extra entry. (so leave me a separate comment for each, letting me know which one you did)

Thanks girls! You are all AWESOME and with determination and consistency and positivity you will get the best body you can get!

And according to RANDOM.ORG.....

The WINNERS are....................

Comment #35 - LINDSEY!!

AND comment #23 - MARCIA! (fitcrazedmamma)

Congrats ladies! Go ahead and e-mail me at bertieranger4 @ gmail dot com and send me your addressed. Lindsey will get the Total Nutrition Book by Muscle and Fitness and Marcia gets the Core Training Ball!

Thanks again SO much for entering the giveaway- and for sharing it with your friends! It really means a lot to me:) And there will always be this Friday's giveaway to enter, that you may just win.


My tip for the day, is to brush your teeth with a minty toothpaste as soon as you start to feel satisfied after EACH meal or snack. If you do this, then you will NOT overeat because-
no one likes to dirty a fresh mouth and besides food never tastes as good after you brush your teeth. This is definitely help you from "picking" at what is leftover on your plate, or your kids plates, etc.... AND you are making your teeth SO happy by doing this. And yes, this means-- keep a toothbrush and toothpaste in your purse at all times! ;) You gotta do what you gotta do.

Jump it out ladies... JUMP IT OUT!! (video)

I feel bad I have not had the chance to upload video's lately. I thought I better cease the opportunity while I had a quick moment-- (hence my outfit) and JUST DO IT! I call this one.... Jumping it OUT!

Now GET jumping:)

Who is ready for a NEW week!

HeLLOOOO Ladies!

How are we doing?? Have you set your goals for this week?? Do you have your plan of attack? Don't forget- that each week it is ok if you don't hit your goals spot on-- just try to do better each time! But measuring your progress is SO important, because if you don't have anything to measure against, then you won't grow.

I have a super good Chili recipe to share with you guys from the giveaway this week: Total Nutrition by Muscle and Fitness! It is really good- and I usually top it off with some low-fat cheese.

Kim & Chad's Chili Bonanza

This protein packed recipe will last for days, so it's worth the extra effort to make.

1 lb. 97% lean ground beef (or buy the leanest available)
1 lb. 98% fat-free ground turkey breast
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped and minced (or 4 tsp. minced garlic in jar)
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
2- 15 oz. cans low sodium tomato sauce
15 1/2 oz. can fat-free chili w/ beans
1 1/2 cups water
6 oz. can tomato paste
8 oz. can red kidney beans
8 oz. can Mexican- style chili beans
3 Tbsp. chili powder (or to taste)
no-salt brand seasoning (to taste)
black pepper (to taste)
Tabasco sauce (to taste)
garlic-flavor nonstick cooking spray

Place ground beef and ground turkey in a skillet, along with chili powder and cumin. Cook meat until crumbled and browned. Drain(if needed) and set aside. Spray empty skillet with cooking spray. Saute onion, garlic, and jalapeno until tender. Place cooked meat and vegetables in a preheated crock pot set on high. Add tomato sauce, undrained chili, water, and tomato paste. Simmer 20 min.

Add kidney beans, chili beans, chili powder, no-salt, pepper and Tabasco to crock pot. simmer 20 more minutes. If possible, set the crock pot on low and instead simmer several hours. We find the longer it simmers, the better the flavor. If desired, top with a sprinkling of fat-free shredded cheddar cheese and 1 tablespoon fat free sour cream. Makes six servings.

Per serving: 490 calories, 53 grams protein, 36 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams fat, 14 grams fiber. ( I made 1 sering 1/2 a serving for me - so if you do that- then just 1/2 each of the grams and you will have a serving at 245 calories, etc...)

I also take out some ingredients, as I don't like spicy things-- so I didn't add the jalapeno or the Tabasco sauce-- and I also am not big into "fat-free"things because I don't know what "mysterious" ingredient they are using to help "fat-free" foods keep its texture-- so I stay with low-fat-- and seriously low-fat to me doesn't taste any different then the real thing- so I use low fat- cheese on top and no sour cream. I also do not use a crock pot, I just used a big pot on the stove-- and it tasted fine- but you are more then welcome to use their crock pot too-- (I just didn't have one at the time-- and if you don't have one either- I didn't want you to use that for an excuse to not make this yummy recipe!)

Enjoy!!

Today I'm also trying a new circuit routine, just using my body weight- I'll let you know how it goes and I will be posting it later along with video if I really like it:)

Double Friday Fitness GIVEAWAY!

Hey Ladies! I'm SO sorry to have left you hanging for a week- and even forgetting about last Friday's giveaway--- SO much has happened, and I'm still kind of in a HUGE state of unknown, from moving our family, a new medical condition I have(I'll let you know more about this later too)... which brings me to not being able to post pictures for a while, because I think it would make me cry. Here I started this blog-- wanting to lose and get back to my "fitness" body... and now it looks like all I can do is do my best. But I didn't want to leave you all hanging- so I will keep up with the posts and updates and let you know more as time goes on. But- no need to get down-- because I'm still very excited about all of this- and will now be able to focus on YOU more:) I of course will be working out and eating intuitively and will (start) to post more of what I do, because I haven't been too good at that, have I? I'm excited for the changes you will see with this blog! But until then.... without further ado.... here are the 2 wonderful giveaway prizes this week! (to make up for last Friday)

First we have this wonderful healthy recipe book from Muscle and Fitness. I have tried tons of recipes in this book and they are all tasty and full of nutrition goodness. I'll be featuring my favorite recipe from this book tomorrow-- so that you all can get a sample of what is in the book. It also teaches you how to shop, gives you ALL the nutrition advice you would want to know--- and even has a 7 day meal plan for you! Lots and lots of good, fun info. and recipes to boot!The number 2 giveaway is a core training ball, which is a little ball that you use during your workout to help aid in getting a stronger core! It does MAKE a difference and you WILL be feeling it the minute you use it. Don't know what to do with a core training ball-- have no fear... it comes with a DVD to walk you through all the exercises and more! It also helps to throw in that extra variety into your workout!

Giveaway ends Wed. at 10:00 AM CST and winners will be announced at that time..

and as always here are the rules to enter:

1. Leave me a comment just letting me know which item giveaway you would like- #1 or #2. And then if you are drawn first then you will get the one you chose, and if you are drawn 2nd, then you will get the other one. :)
2. Put me on your side bar... and if I'm already there that counts too! = 2 entries, so leave me 2 more comments -- but it just has to be something simple like-- you are in my side bar, and then for the next one-- 2 for sidebar.
3. Blog about this giveaway and how much you enjoy my site. = 5 entries so leave me 5 separate comments like blogged about it and then just put the numbers 2,3,4,5 as your next comments.
4. If you do not have a blog- you are more than welcome to facebook, myspace, twitter, or send out an e-mail to your friends with me copied, about the giveaway or my blog. (bertieranger4 at gmail.com) For each of these you will get 1 extra entry. (so leave me a separate comment for each, letting me know which one you did)

Thanks and GOOD LUCK!!

Get ready to PLLYYYOO-- with video!

Hey ladies!!! Well here it is-- an almost 10 minute video for you! Usually I have to cram everything I know into 1 min. and a half, but I now have a new memory card that allows me to video tape for 3 hours! YEAH-- aren't you EXCITED!! A possibility of seeing me on video for 3 hours?? Just kidding- well, not about the for real 3 hours part.

Anyways-- I'm excited for this video- again, it isn't perfect, but instead of doing a 2nd "take" I was like- that was freakin' 8 min. long- I can't do that again! I'm just posting it-- even if Ethan does walk in the room in the end and shuts off my camera! LOL! So, I hope you are able to at least get some exercise ideas out of it and below the video I have typed the exercises I do and what you can do with this functional/plyo training workout.

Plyo/Functional Training Workout

1. football hustle/drop and do push-ups
2. shuttle run/mountain climbers
3. in-n-out squats/jump in place
4. alternating front and back kicks
5. crunches/supermans
6. skiing/run high knees
7. switch lunge/jumping jacks

Now you can either do each exercise for 30 seconds and make each "number" a minute long, and then move onto the next number- or you can repeat the same number making it a total of 2 minutes long. Then either repeat the WHOLE thing one more time- or you can do it later that night- but this is perfect to do while your kids are taking their naps. Or before they wake up and right after they go to bed for the night.

Functional and plyometric training are good for switching things up, and giving your muscles that extra push- they also work your core muscles-- and you don't need any equipment (for these exercises at least) And you can count it as cardio! Who doesn't like that?! And yes- you will be sore the next day. But don't forget you get out of it what you put into it.

So do your BEST! And next time, turn your best into a little better!

And the WINNER is.........

(according to random.org)

Comment # 13--- Kristie Crandall from the Crandall Clan!!

(insert fireworks here)

Congratulations Kristie! Go ahead and e-mail me at bertieranger4 @ gmail.com and I will hand these great Pilates DVD's over!

Thanks again to everyone who participated-- keep coming back, because there will be more Fitness Friday Giveaways-- (and I even have more Pilate DVD's to giveaway too!)

I really do appreciate ALL my readers! I'm going to start giving out random giveaway's just for being a regular commenter on my blog-- which means, the more you comment, the better chance you have at getting these "random" giveaways. Because without you reading this- I really would not be as motivated as I am. So, THANKYOU!

And look for a functional/plyometric training workout coming at you later today- with video on how to do the exercises! It is something you can do at home and count as CARDIO-- NO equipment needed! (except yourself and maybe some tennis shoes)

Vote to be an intuitive eater!

I don't know about you, but dieting to me is TORTURE! As soon as you tell me I can't eat something- I eat it. Then I feel guilty when I eat something that is "bad" for you and that will eventually kill me if I eat too much of it, and I vow to do better the next day... but just CAN'T seem to do it. After trying to eat only "healthy" I realized if "dieting" is torture to you, like it is to me... then it isn't healthy PERIOD, because you are losing your sanity! Food shouldn't make you feel guilty-- and I know some people say it shouldn't make you feel happy either- you should only think of it as fuel. And I say-- whatever floats their boat-- fine-- but it doesn't float mine! Each person has to find what works for them. One diet may work for your friend- that may send you into an eating frenzy, or a state of bulimia.

Diet is 70% of the results you see in your body. NOW- I do know some VERY hardcore "clean" eaters... but they don't workout.. EVER- and it shows too. So, yes- while they are not "fat" they are not "fit" and they don't look fit either. So-- I would say from experience that diet and exercise are more 50/50. You really do need BOTH-- but if you want to see the last bits of muscle, like an actual six-pack, then-- your diet does have more to play towards the end of getting the body you want.

Ok, back to the point... I used to be one of those strict dieters, eating everything perfectly during the week- but then on weekends I would pig out so bad, as those were my "off" days, that it would make all my hard work during the week practically counter productive. So, while I wasn't gaining weight- I wasn't losing either-- and so I wasn't happy, because I didn't understand why-- so I would stress over it, get mad at myself, get mad at my stupid genetics, and cry. Then come Monday I would start all over again with a renewed spirit to work even harder!! Looking at it now- it doesn't seem like a balanced and healthy lifestyle at all. But in that moment- I thought it was the perfect plan.

Well, my diet mentality all changed when one of my friends who is a registered dietitian recommended that I read Intuitive Eating!

And boy- did this book make SO much sense to me! I kept saying to myself, "YES! That is ME!" "Oh my gosh- that is right!" I don't want to sound cliche and say it was life altering-- but it was "diet altering" for me! And for the last 3 years- I have not restricted myself ONCE from ANYTHING--- unless I wasn't hungry. And I have never felt better mentally, physically, emotionally, etc... I don't have internal fights with myself anymore about"I really want this" "oh, but I can't because I need to lose weight" "but it would just be one- and that won't hurt" "but I never really stop at one" and before you know you have eaten the whole 1/2 gallon of ice-cream and are wondering where it went. (or is that just me) and you can bet- in the last four weeks I have had some ice-cream and some brownies, and some other treats. In fact, I had a banana split from Maggie Moo's the night before posting my latest pictures-- HEY- I was hungry!:)

It is a FANTASTIC book- and totally worth every penny, or rent it from your library, or borrow it from a friend. I lost 10 pounds, without trying, as soon as I started to eat intuitively. The basic principle is to eat when you are hungry (as in get to know your body again) and stop when you are full (or rather satisfied) .

If you think about it, this is what we do when we are babies-- we start out eating every 2-3 hours and we KNOW when we are hungry! We feel it and we cry until we get our stomach's full again. We lose this somewhere along the way- when we are given a bottle or food to keep us quiet, to keep us busy, to keep us from crying-- and we start to build the habit of mindless eating, emotional eating, social eating, eating out of boredom, etc....

It is time to get back to the basics-- you may go a day without feeling "hungry" but if you wait, and listen to your body, eventually it will naturally want to eat 4-6 small meals a day vs. 3 big ones.

There are times when I go off the wagon even from intuitive eating and I stuff myself and I remember the uncomfortable feeling of feeling like a blob and wanting to just sit around because you feel like you are going to explode--but I have been the happiest with Intuitive Eating by FAR!

So- choose to be an intuitive eater-- go get the book- and read it! It really does drive a lot of good points home. It is by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. And you may THINK that if you did this- you would eat junk all the time... and I thought the same thing, even when they said- that wouldn't happen, I thought-- WELL, you don't KNOW me!! -- Well - it is true-- your body craves healthy stuff. If you feed it bad food long enough, it will eventually say- ok- give me an apple-- and you will eventually balance out what your body needs to eat.

Intuitive eating will help you balance out your life-- and not make you just focus on "what you can eat, and what you can't eat"-- BALANCE -- it truly is what we need- we don't need to feed ourselves anymore negativity just because we ate an ice-cream cone!

Goodluck!

Progress pics... TAKE TWO!

And here we go! I started the blog in early April and took my first "before" pictures on April 4th. I contemplated maybe waiting til' May 4th, and then put up "1 month" pictures- but today is close enough, and I might as well get it over with.

I couldn't really see a huge difference this time around- like I could the 1st time around... but then my hubby came in while I was rearranging my collage and he was like, I like the bottom row better.... (which happens to be TODAY'S pictures!) Man- I wonder what I would have done if he had said he liked the top row better?? Either way- it was enough for me to know- that even though it is slight, there is a little bit of a difference- and my measurements showed that too! What do you think??


Here are my measurements as well( I'll compare them with first row April 4, 2nd row April 15, and last row today!)


(April 4, 2009).....(April 15, 2009).......(May 1, 2009)
weight: 154............... 150.........................147.5
neck: 12 1/2 in........ 12 1/2 in....................12.5 in.
wrist: 6 1/2 in. ......... 6 1/2 in....................6 1/2 in.
hips: 41 in. ................40.75 in..................40.5 in.
waist: 27 1/2 in. ....... 27 in.........................26.5 in.
belly button: 29 1/2 in. .......29 1/4 in............28 3/4 in.
bust: 33 in. ......... 33 in...........................33 in. (I'm not losing in my boobs because there is already nothing there:)
calves: 15 1/2 in. ...........15 1/4 in...............15 1/4 in.
biceps: 12 in. ..............11 3/4 in...................11.5 in.
thighs: 22 in. ........... 21 1/2 in......................21 in.

So in just under 4 weeks- I have lost a total of 4 inches and 6.5 pounds.

I'm pretty happy with the results because- I'm not going to lie- my eating has been what most people would say is CRAZY! But- I have only eaten while hungry, and stopped when I was full-- so I didn't over eat once- I just didn't eat clean. Intuitive eating will be in a post coming up later this week-- along with a post on how to lose the belly fat-- that seems to be the biggest request from my readers-- and I will attack it for you:) I will also be back with my May attack plan and goals and an evaluation of how well I did in April, so that I can see what needs work and where I'm golden. (as I didn't make it to the gym as much as I had planned either)

Now it is time for you to make YOUR May goals too! Summer will be here before you EVEN know it! Let me know what your goal is so that I can help you stay accountable!

Friday Fitness Giveaway #4! (2 Winsor Pilate DVD's)

Holy COW! I can't believe my blog has already been up and running for a whole month- a MONTH! AND I still have a bunch of readers-- it is GREAT! So- a BIG THANKYOU to all of you-- this Friday Fitness Giveaway I'm giving away 2 Winsor Pilate's DVD's since it was such a HUGE hit the first time around.

I've decided to give you a beginner pilates dvd and then once you master that- you will already have the Advanced DVD to get started, no wait time until you have time to pick the next one up- because you'll already have it!

The same rules apply as always... but this time... your one required entry will be:

1. Go to lazymoms.com (click on link), and you will see 5 beauty tips to vote on... one of mine is up there-- and I'm not going to ask you to vote for mine -- I'm telling you, that you HAVE to vote for mine:) Which just happens to be:

Temporary beauty trick: To tighten legs and butt for an important event or day at the beach, rub generously with an unscented hemorrhoid cream.

Now, nothing beats or can replace diet and exercise for getting the tightest body you can get-- but why not use some help while you are working towards your best body ever! Yes it is temporary- but it works- and that way you can be more confident in your swimsuit this summer!

So- if you would like to enter- that is your first step-- then leave me a comment saying you voted for MY tip:) (and if you don't want to enter my contest- but you still want to be super nice and vote for me- then I would call you my best friend)

Then the other steps and rules for extra entries stay the same which are:
2. Put me on your side bar... and if I'm already there that counts too! = 2 entries, so leave me 2 more comments -- but it just has to be something simple like-- you are in my side bar, and then for the next one-- 2 for sidebar.
3. Blog about this giveaway and how much you enjoy my site. = 5 entries so leave me 5 separate comments like blogged about it and then just put the numbers 2,3,4,5 as your next comments.
4. If you do not have a blog- you are more than welcome to facebook, myspace, twitter, or send out an e-mail to your friends with me copied, about the giveaway or my blog. (bertieranger4 at gmail.com) For each of these you will get 1 extra entry. (so leave me a separate comment for each, letting me know which one you did)

Thanks and GOODLUCK!!


ps- I have taken my progress pics and stats and those will be put up this afternoon! Stay tuned:)