Motivational Monday: "No Makeup Monday, HELLO World!"

Happy Monday World!!!!  This NO MAKE UP MONDAY started off  Simply Fantabulous with a workout, juicing and finally getting dressed to tackle the world.

Although my alarm went off at 6:15am,  I was truly awakened by the sun peeking through the curtains of my bedroom balcony.  How grateful am I to see another day and to feel my aching legs.  Let me tell you about these legs.. lol  Over the weekend, I started a new work out DVD with my friend Rasheeda Bibbs called Black Girls Workout Too and I am feeling the burn.... in a good way :) If you're looking for a good workout be sure to click the link below, we'd love for you to join us as on our fitness journey.

Following a wonderful workout I indulged in a juice with sweet potato, ginger, apple, carrot, celery, lemon and beets... talking about some kind of good.  If you need recipe ideas, check out my sister and friend Sandra Howse Dillard of HealthyHowse.

Be sure to post your photo's for No Make Up Monday, I look forward to seeing them.

OAN:  I love my spiritual sisters.  As I was typing this post I received a message saying "Good Morning Sisters, Sun is shining and the Son is shining, it's a great day!" 

"Live Life Out Loud, On Purpose and with NO Regrets"
Sharon Patrice Simply Perfect Peace Events, Inc. and Designs by Shay, the Blog "My Journey, My Way, My LIFESTYLE ~ Celebrating Love, Laughter and Everything in Between..." You or your brand interested in a review? Getting married or having a social event and need assistance? Email Me For All Your Event Planning Needs.

Monday Motivation: 1st 5k!

Challenge accepted and achieved! On Sunday, November 3, 2013, my sister and friend, Sandra Dillard Howse and I conquered our first 5k. Having trained we were confident in our physical ability to make it through but I still struggled mentally. Some words of encouragement from family and prayers eased my mind the night before as well as a good meal.


Husband put together a huge pot of his spaghetti along with a salad and some garlic bread.  I ate like a queen.

Bright and early my alarm went off and I was excited as a puppy getting to go outside! Sandra and I agreed to meet near the starting point and all was a go until I ran into traffic on the Dan Ryan.  Who works on the roads on race day?  CHICAGO does!! 

Anywho, we shall not be defeated.  I kept trying until I finally made my way to the race area and there were a gazillion people down there.  Once we were finally in place and they called out our "wave".. we were actually RUNNING!  As mile 1.5 I felt as if I was really doing something.  I had gotten over the initial mind battle and was ready to finish what I'd started. 

What a rewarding experience running the Hot Chocolate 5k was!  I look forward to many more adventures with my sisters and friends as I journey on this road to 50!


 "Live Life Out Loud, On Purpose and With No Regrets"
Sharon Patrice Simply Perfect Peace Events, Inc. and Designs by Shay, the Blog "My Journey, My Way, My LIFESTYLE ~ Celebrating Love, Laughter and Everything in Between..." You or your brand interested in a review? Getting married or having a social event and need assistance? Email Me For All Your Event Planning Needs.

Monday Motivation: "The Time is Now"

This Sunday (November 3rd) I will be downtown with my sister/friend participating in my very first 5k!  Sandra Dillard Howse (owner of Healthy Howse) and I have been motivating and inspiring each other for over 20 years and I still can't believe it is time to actually run.  My emotions vary from nervous to scared to excited. I even found myself crying during one of my runs this week because I was so burnt out but yet couldn't stop.

The training has been interesting and challenging to say the least. It's funny, because as I moved through training I had to remind myself that, "it's just a 3 mile run and I've done this before."  It's been 14 years since I've ran 3 miles with a purpose.  I'm not necessarily looking at time for the time is NOW, I'm simply looking to finish!

This week I am focusing on lots of fluid intake by attempting to consume 64oz of water. Dehydration is the number one hindrance for athletes and runners.

 Each day I am attempting to consume 64 ounces of water. On race day Turner recommends:

Sharon Patrice Simply Perfect Peace Events, Inc. and Designs by Shay, the Blog "My Journey, My Way, My LIFESTYLE ~ Celebrating Love, Laughter and Everything in Between..." You or your brand interested in a review? Getting married or having a social event and need assistance? Email Me For All Your Event Planning Needs.

Monday Motivation: "No More Excuses"

When I initially took on the quest of training for the 5k I found every excuse NOT to run. 

-Rain! 

-Kianna has cheer, Brittny has work, the dog has a UTI 

-Physically and mentally exhausted from work (Full time supervisory job + duelPRENEUR  + 5K training + blogging + social activities = a lot!) 

 

After a good long weekend and time off due to a slight injury, you would think I was rested and raring to go, but that wasn’t the case. I was still spitting out excuses in my head as to why I couldn’t run until I realized I'd only ran a whopping 4 miles ALL week.... Yep, that’s it, just 4! I was devastated....

 

First priority: Time management! 

 

•Map out all of my assignments and due dates as it pertains to work and family life.

•Attempt to be a morning person!

 

Strategies:

•Do laundry in the evening

•Have running clothes out and essentials by the front door (heart rate monitor/ear phones). 

•DO NOT hit snooze at 5:30am 

•Take my daughter to school and run the track after she is dropped off.

 

I can do this - so can you! 

Sharon Patrice Simply Perfect Peace Events, Inc. and Designs by Shay, the Blog "My Journey, My Way, My LIFESTYLE ~ Celebrating Love, Laughter and Everything in Between..." You or your brand interested in a review? Getting married or having a social event and need assistance? Email Me For All Your Event Planning Needs.

WEDnesday Love: "Getting Trim for the Wedding"



Congratulations on your engagement and upcoming wedding!!! Now that you've shared the good news with your loved ones, it's time to get serious about trimming off those unwanted pounds. As is planning a wedding isn't enough, now you have to focus on your diet.  There is good news, with just a few simple adjustments you can be on your way to a slimmer, healthier bride!

 

Fad diets?! Forget about those ideas that make you drink nasty shakes and deprive you of your favorite foods.  A misconception is that you have to starve to lose when it's quite the contrary.  We must eat in order to lose weight. Our bodies need nutrients from food in order to burn the calories. If you deny your body that energy it slows down your metabolism causing a halt in weight lose. A healthy weight loss is 1-2 lbs. per week. Keep in mind that a pound of fat is equal to ~3500 calories. Therefore, by cutting 500 calories a day through meal and exercise modification, you will shed a pound a week. 

1. Don't put yourself in a calorie deficit! Talk about a bridzilla?! Maybe this is why brides are always crazy, because they are hungry! I know your first instinct when trying to lose weight is to cut, but try focusing on adding nutrient-rich foods. Many formulas exist to estimate calorie needs and some can get overwhelming. If you desire to lose weight remember, subtract 100-500 calories, depending on your goal.
2. Eat a protein rich breakfast! Consistent research has shown that people who eat breakfast tend to weigh less. Protein takes longer to digest in the body keeping you satisfied until your next meal.
3. Eat fresh produce and focus on fiber! Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are packed with fiber. The average American gets around 12 grams per day, while the current recommendations suggest we need 25 to 30 grams of fiber per day. Start reading the nutrition fact labels to make sure your cereals, breads and pastas contain greater then 5 grams of fiber per serving. Warning: if you do not have a diet rich in fiber you need to make sure you are consuming ample amounts of water. 
4. Limit dairy products to help reduce bloating. Certain individuals may experience sensitivity to dairy products because they cannot digest lactose or milk sugar.
5. Avoid excessive sodium (salt). Sodium holds on to fluid in the body increasing bloating and "water weight." Majority of the salt in out diet comes from processed foods the main one being breads.
   Main food items to limit:
1. Prepackaged meals (lean cuisine, smart ones, family dinners, etc.)
2. Deli meats.
3. Salty snacks.
4. Sodas. Even limit your diet sodas!
5. Breads. Do not completely cut out breads. You can get wonderful whole grains with breads, just limit the portion and buy reduced sodium.
6. Keep a food journal. Starting as soon as you begin planning. Write down what you eat, how much you eat, and how you feel both physically and mentally. You may be able to identify foods certain foods that cause gastrointestinal upset (bloating, gas, constipation, and diarrhea). 
7. Set small, achievable goals. See Motivation Monday for more detail on goals! 

Weeks leading up to your wedding make a conscious effort to carry around a water bottle to keep yourself hydrated and energized. I cannot stress enough the importance of hydration. Not only does it help reduce bloating and increase energy but it helps keep your skin glowing.

Sharon Patrice Simply Perfect Peace Events, Inc. and Designs by Shay, the Blog "My Journey, My Way, My LIFESTYLE ~ Celebrating Love, Laughter and Everything in Between..." You or your brand interested in a review? Getting married or having a social event and need assistance? Email Me For All Your Event Planning Needs.

Motivational Monday: My Running List via Pandora

I've been hitting my goal with 20k steps per day but I have to admit that nothing gets me moving more then some awesome sounds! No matter your exercise choice music can hinder your mood or help it. This is my motivation to run longer and to work at getting my pace down.  Do you have any favorite songs that is getting you movin' this week? Happy Monday!

Gospel
Israel & New Breed
Marvin Sapp
Maurette Brown Clark
Phil Tarver
Shekinah Glory Ministries

R&B
Bobby Womack
Beyoncé
Charlie Wilson
Chrisette Michele


Sharon Patrice Simply Perfect Peace Events, Inc. and Designs by Shay, the Blog "My Journey, My Way, My LIFESTYLE ~ Celebrating Love, Laughter and Everything in Between..." You or your brand interested in a review? Getting married or having a social event and need assistance? Email Me For All Your Event Planning Needs.

Motivational Monday: Motivating Yourself!

The process that initiates, guides and maintains goal-oriented behaviors is how Motivation is defined.  Motivation can be found in various places and amongst different people and circumstances.  Most recently, my motivation has come from deep within.  Research actually shows that you can influence your own level of motivation. Self motivating is essential to long-term success. Each week I am motivated to keep running because of the progress I have made thus far in my health, fitness and 5k training.  Each week I want to push harder to make new personal records. At the beginning of each week I set new goals to help fuel and motivate me. Without setting small goals our long term goal may suffer.

Goal is defined as the end toward which effort is directed. Goals must be SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound. Without my goals I have no sense of progress; nothing to hold me accountable to or to be proud of.  

 

S.M.A.R.T goals can help improve chances of achievement. 

 

S- Be specific when you write your goals. This answers the Who, What, Where, When, and Why.

A general goal would be: Be Fit and Run a 5k. A specific goal would be: Complete 100,000 steps a week, buy a pair of running shoes and run a minimum of 3 days a week.

M- Make sure it is measurable. I am measuring my goal of running by logging my training into the My Fitness and Nike App app. It has all of my criteria from each run (mileage, pace, calories, etc.).

A- Is your goal attainable? Once you pin point the specifics ask yourself, can anything get in the way of my progress?

R- Most importantly, is your goal realistic? Are you willing and able to perform the task at hand? An unrealistic goal for me would be to run a 5k next week. This is neither physically nor mentally possible. Do not set yourself up for failure.

T- Lastly, time-frame. You must have a time frame so that you can map out a game plan. When I started training for my 5k I knew how much time I had in weeks and I found a training schedule that met this time line. If you do not have a time frame there is no sense of  progress or completion. Therefore, you are more than likely going to keep putting it off.

 

 

November 3, 2013 I will be completing my very 1st 5k!!!! - Self Motivation Rocks :)

Sharon Patrice Simply Perfect Peace Events, Inc. and Designs by Shay, the Blog "My Journey, My Way, My LIFESTYLE ~ Celebrating Love, Laughter and Everything in Between..." You or your brand interested in a review? Getting married or having a social event and need assistance? Email Me For All Your Event Planning Needs.

Week Three: "Get It Together Girl"

OK, folks week three started off wonderfully!  I started a spinning class and called myself doing everything the right way.  However, I decided to race with some kids and pulled a muscle in my thigh.  Needless to say, I am unable to do any physical activity.  booooo, old age!

Although I'm on the road to 50, a muscle strain is a common injury, particularly among people who participate in sports. (or use to..lol) The thigh has three sets of strong muscles: the hamstring muscles in the back of the thigh, the quadriceps muscles in the front, and the abductor muscles on the inside. The quadriceps muscles and hamstring muscles work together to straighten (extend) and bend (flex) the leg. The abductor muscles pull the legs together.  What did I strain?  My quadriceps muscle.  How in the world did this happen to me?  RACING! The quadriceps is also used for high-speed activities, such as track and field events (running, hurdles, long jump), football, basketball, and soccer.

Sadly to say, once a muscle strain occurs, the muscle is vulnerable to being re-injured; therefore, it is important to let the muscle heal properly and to follow preventive protocols.

Most muscle strains can be treated with the RICE protocol. RICE stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.

• Rest. Take a break from the activity that caused the strain. Your physician may recommend that you use crutches to avoid putting weight on the leg.
• Ice. Do not apply ice directly to the skin. Use cold packs for 20 minutes at a time, several times a day.
• Compression. To prevent additional swelling and blood loss, wear an elastic compression bandage.
• Elevation. To minimize swelling, keep your leg up higher than your heart.

Could I have prevented this injury? Of course!  A proper warm-up increases range of motion and reduces stiffness.

• Warm up before any exercise session or sports activity, including practice. This will help increase your speed and endurance.
• Stretch slowly and gradually, holding each stretch to give the muscle time to respond and lengthen. You can find examples of stretching exercises on this website or ask your physician or coach for help in developing a routine.
• Condition your muscles with a regular program of exercises. You can ask your physician about exercise programs for people of your age and activity level.
• If you are injured, take the time needed to let the muscle heal before you return to sports. Wait until your muscle strength and flexibility return to pre-injury levels. This can take 10 days to 3 weeks for a mild strain, and up to 6 months for a severe strain, such as a hamstring strain.

All of this has taught me that I'm certainly not as young as I use to be and warming up is ESSENTIAL to keeping my body healthy while preparing for this 5k. 

Until next week - take care of yourself!

Sharon Patrice Simply Perfect Peace Events, Inc. and Designs by Shay, the Blog "My Journey, My Way, My LIFESTYLE ~ Celebrating Love, Laughter and Everything in Between..." You or your brand interested in a review? Getting married or having a social event and need assistance? Email Me For All Your Event Planning Needs.

Week Two: "Get It Together Girl"

Getting it together is more than just skipping meals.  In actuallity, skipping meals is the worse thing you can do towards getting it together.  Your body needs food and when you deprive it of this, it hangs on to whatever is there and turns it into fat.  Diet AND exercise is the key to losing weight and staying fit.

Week two wasn't so bad.  I'd just come off a successful detox and preparing for a weekend of fun and business in North Carolina with a 2014 client.  I ate a lot of oatmeal and drank plenty of water in order to stay on task considering my busy schedule and attempt at staying away from fast food.

What exercising did I do this week? More jumping jacks, squats, leg lifts and side planks which was enough .  This one minute plank challenge was a life saver; while maintaining perfect form, hold the plant position for one minute.

The plank exercise ranked number 10 in the ACE study and is a great way to build endurance in both the abs and back, as well as the stabilizer muscles. This move is also great for building strength for pushups, an exercise that requires quite a bit of core strength.

Disclaimer:  Not all types of physical activity are suitable for everyone. Users take challenges and training advice at their own personal risk.


Until Next Week - "Live & Love"
Sharon Patrice Simply Perfect Peace Events, Inc. and Designs by Shay, the Blog "My Journey, My Way, My LIFESTYLE ~ Celebrating Love, Laughter and Everything in Between..." You or your brand interested in a review? Getting married or having a social event and need assistance? Email Me For All Your Event Planning Needs.

Week One.. "Get It Together Girl"

I've always been into health and fitness and as we get older it's easy to sink into believing that gaining a few pounds here and there is a part of being grown.  While our bodies may change we can and must do our part in making sure the change is for the better! 

I'm sure you've noticed that there seems to be an array of "challenges" across the Internet.  If I've seen them I know you have too and  I think I've done most of them!  ChiTown Moms, Abs, Squats and even Running as if I don't know how to get off the couch and hit the pavement.  The competitor in me LOVES to be challenged and that is what makes them look appealing.  A co-worker asked me why am I always "losing weight" and my response was simple, "once I stop focusing on being the best me I can be, I'll be the worst." 

I've spoken to a few "experts" (lol) and they don't particularly care for the methods I use but since I'm not trying to enter any contests or anything, they work just fine for me.  The most recent challenge is with some good Pthirty1 foodie friends of mine.  In addition to being wives and mothers we have demanding careers.  Joyce is a Certified Accountant at a major corporation, Chantelle is a Licensed Therapist with her own practice and I'm a Professional Wedding/Events Planner in addition to providing Home health Care for Seniors.  So as you can assume we're often forced to eat bad BUT we're working out and getting it together! 

An herbalist mixed together a detox for me and I must say that it did what it was suppose to do.  For starters, my menstrual cycle, which is usually really really really heavy and never ending was back to normal.  If it did nothing else I was happy for not having to deal with THAT for 10-12 days along with lots of pain.

In addition to drinking the nastiest mess known to man I had no bread, soda or meat.  I also managed to work out which is something I actually enjoy.  My day includes lots of water, juicing/smoothies, a daily walk/run, climbing stairs, jumping jacks, sit up regime that my daughter came up with and some other pain staking exercises; this girl is going to be 50 in 2014 and determined to Get It (back) Together!  I have some personal goals that I want to meet and this is a major part of reaching those goals.  Wont you join me? 

Until Next Week - "Live & Love"
Sharon Patrice Simply Perfect Peace Events, Inc. and Designs by Shay, the Blog "My Journey, My Way, My LIFESTYLE ~ Celebrating Love, Laughter and Everything in Between..." You or your brand interested in a review? Getting married or having a social event and need assistance? Email Me For All Your Event Planning Needs.

Tuesday's Get Tight Tip!

For the month of February, (well starting now) we're going to give some cool information for getting and staying fit as you get ready for your upcoming wedding or special event..... today's post features a special from CURVES!
 

 This year, be the star in your own Success Story. Every day, women who thought they couldn't get fit find out that they can at Curves. Burn up to 500 calories with our 30-minute workout, which combines strength training and cardio for a workout that works your entire body, from head to toe. It works every major muscle group and gives you results that last. Now's the time to take the first step toward YOUR success. Get started today for only $10.* * New guests only. Offer not based on any enrollment. Not valid with any other offer. Some restrictions may apply. Valid only at participating locations in the US and Canada through 2/18/12. ©2012 Curves International, Inc.


*Join us next week as we peek into the world of WRAPS.  You don't want to miss it!



Sharon Patrice Simply Perfect Peace Events, Inc. You or your brand want coverage at an upcoming event? Getting married or having a social event and need assistance? Email Me For All Your Event Planning Needs.