Maybe it's not true what "they" say and A little color goes a long way...

It's been too long since I've blogged...as evidenced by the text I received last night stating "Update your blog."  And to that I say "you're welcome."... So here it goes.


First the necessary and obligatory Life Update:

1. I Graduated from Law School...with Distinction.  Cum Laude FTMFW!
2. As a result of said graduation, I now "Do What I Want."--- don't get mad if you hear or read that phrase innumerable times throughout the summer and possibly throughout the rest of my life. I've earned the right to say it so yeah....
3. Although somewhat extremely counterintuitive, I am currently living staying with my grandmother while studying for the N.C. Bar--PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A TEMPORARY ARRANGEMENT AS I HAVE PLANS TO MOVE ON SEPT 1.  Also, don't let #3 confuse you as to the statement referenced in #2--that statement still applies :).
4. I'm taking BarBri to study for the Bar.  It sucks.  But you know me, I try to keep a positive outlook and so to that I say: At least I already know 50% of what I'm supposed to know for the MBE? O_o.  And that is all I have to say about that.

Ok, now that that's out of the way....

I took a brief hiatus from working out during the week prior to graduation and resumed said exercise last week by attending a Kickboxing class followed by a class called "Hardcore" at the Gold's Gym near my current residence.  Ummm let's just say I found the classes to be sub-standard, which leads to my conclusion that maybe it's NOT true what they say about "trying new things."  Kickboxing was fun, and I suppose a good transition back into working out from being lazy...but I wasn't sore the next day and I hadn't worked out in a WEEK!  Definitely should have been feeling something.  In any event, it made me think that taking up boxing doing boxing-inspired exercises might be fun way to get in wicked-awesome shape for my trip to Miami.  (I say boxing inspired, because there's no way in HELL I'm going to actually box someone. Not.Going.to.Happen.)

And as for "Hardcore"...well most people in the class had soft cores--also known as jelly bellies.  Now I don't mean to be rude but, WTF O_o?  If I'm coming to a class thats supposed to give me a hard core, and all of the attendees have no such core, I mean, that just makes me feel like something isn't right.  So yeah... wasn't thrilled with those classes.

But in Gold's defense, took a class called TBT--Total Body Toning--this past Saturday and it was AMAZING.  Maybe I was mostly enthralled with the instructor--an 80-ish-year-old woman in dance leotard and tights.  But don't be fooled, this woman was THE BOMB.  She told me she would help me "design my body," she was super hands-on and made sure I did all of the exercises correctly.  I can't even describe the nature of the class--we didn't use weights but the focus was non-cardiovascular, strength and toning.  I definitely plan to incorporate that class into my routine a few times a week (until my Golds vistor pass runs out, then I'm off to the Rush to use the FREE MONTH I won at the DVAC raffle a few months back.  FTW!)

...as an aside--I really miss yoga classes.  I need to get back into one ASAP.  

In other news, I don't know what the weather is like where you live, but where I live, it's kind of like summer--when it's not raining.  And summer=pool=TAN!  I have been in dire need of some bronzing that doesn't come from a powder, and I finally got some sun!  Ok, if I'm being honest, I have been working on my tan for a while now, with two trips to the beach prior to and right after school ended.  

In any event, I think my new darker hue definitely accentuates the "work" I've been doing to try to get a "sick bod".  Look:

 

  ...and yes, I am still working toward my fitness goals: -5% body fat.  I haven't taken my body fat measurement lately, so I don't have an update on that.  Coming soon I guess?... Let's be honest, it may take a while :)

"Workout Routine Fail" or "Sitting on the Couch all day is mind-numbing..."

So it turns out the more free time I have, the LESS actual stuff I get done during the day.  That seems so unfair.  The last almost-two-weeks I've been having a SERIOUS blast--visited the beach, best friends visited me.  Also, found the apartment of my DREAMS for next year.  All amazing things.  God loves me.

...But my workout routine pales in comparison.  I'm super bored with it, but haven't come up with anything new yet.  My recent stint of home-gym workouts has made me loathe the gym and all its accoutrement; my love for the scenic jogging trail behind my neighborhood has waned.  I still love yoga--that's never going to change--but my enthusiasm for rising from my slumber at 7 a.m. to salute the sun is less than notable these days.  WTF?  Yesterday I sat on the couch from like 10:45 am until about 7 pm--I only moved for food and snacks...and then to go out eating and drinking with my friends.  I passed up what was sure to be a PHENOMENAL Power Flow class at the little hippie yoga studio (yogagallery.net) to CONTINUE to sit on the couch...right.

The only answer is that doing nothing breeds nothingness.  I resolve that I will once again commence a consistent workout schedule...very soon.  I've created new fitness goals to foster this "return to glory" of sorts:

Goal 1: Some variation of six pack abs--I don't want "the six-pack abs."  As contrary as this may be, I tend to like the idea of some soft spots on my body.  I want a sick body, but not necessarily a hard body, ya know?

Think "Beyonce Abs"

...or Jillian Michaels Abs

But I also HATE, hate, HATE crunches.  I do them ALL wrong, it hurts my neck; they're bad news.  Luckily, my handy-dandy Women's Health Mag had this No-Crunch Abs workout in its most recent issue.  I tried it...once...last week (don't judge).  And my abs were definitely sore that evening, so I think it works.  I'm on my way to goal #1. FTW!

Goal 2:  I want to be between 18-20% body fat.  The lowest I've ever been is 18%.  I'm currently 25%...which is apparently categorized as "acceptable"...whatever that means.  But anyway, a body fat % goal seems better than a weight loss goal--even when they are technically the same thing (side eye).  So there it is--I'd like to lose between 5 and 7 percent of my total body fat.  I suppose this will call for cardio and interval training to "melt" the fat as well as "weight training" (read "yoga") to tone and strengthen.

The dates for these goals are two fold: 1--July 28--just in time for MIAMI!  and 2--LIFE--because I want to look amazing just in general.

...So I'm off the couch and back doing in the iYogi repertoire this a.m.  The Great Salute is calling... then maybe some freestyle, or an old standby--A Fine Balance... who knows.

Blog Smörgåsbord

Hello.  Remember me?

Well in case you missed it, last week I FINISHED law school.  FTMFW! *applause*  In my quest to complete school and graduate blogging fell by the wayside.  Now the NEUROTIC QUEEN in me wants to update the blog with everything that has happened since the last post.  Luckily most of what happened was studying.  So there; update complete.

....BUT since I have been gone so long, this post will be like three-posts-in-one.

Post No. 1: Ultimate Relaxation

These are my toes after an amazing spa pedicure.  The background, in case you couldn't tell, is the BEACH--which is one of my favorite things ever.  The bestie and I made our second appearance in less than 3 weeks at beach this past weekend.  But what better way to spend the weekend after completing law school?  

Oh, I know: Eating fruit, marshmallows and mini éclairs dipped in warm chocolate and caramel.  Yes please! And thank you.  Fondue at the Little Dipper was Phenomenal.  If you haven't had it, you must.  Seriously.
















Post No. 2: Veggie Tales


So, you may or may not know about my obsession with the idea of being a vegetarian.  On my weekend trip I decided to try all veggie-eating to see what it was like.  Loved it.  Eating that way brought me in contact with so many different flavors and textures.  I'm afraid to "officially" say I am no longer eating meat because...for example what happens when I go to a cookout?  I'm not sure I can resist a hot dog.  But I know I am definitely incorporating more veggie foods into my "diet."  (I say diet in quotes because I'm obviously not on a diet--see fondue chocolate above.  I just mean into my more regular eating pattern.)

In honor of veggies, I made this simply delicious black bean quesadilla  yesterday:

Ingredients  

• Sun-dried tomato tortilla
• diced tomato with onion and green pepper
• black beans
• CHEESE (yum!)

Preparation

• Heat tortilla cover in cheese until cheese is melty
• add ingredients 
• fold in half, smash with spatula :) (my favorite part)
• garnish with your favorite dipping sauces--mine are salsa and guac.
• DEVOUR 

Post No. 3: Summer Hair Preparation

After being sand-blasted at the beach--it was super windy--I returned home with sand everywhere including in my hair.  I decided to use the opportunity with which I was presented--the need to wash my hair--to try out some new products for my summer hair.  "But Tiff, what is "summer hair?"  By summer hair, I mean my natural, un-straightened hair.  I saw these product in Whole Foods, and after my LS extolled its greatness to me via Twitter ("@tdotey I LOVE IT") I decided to give them a try.

Before: Icky, Frizzy, Crinkly Mess

After: Less Messy, More Curly

All in all, the products, which were extremely pricey, worked well.  Turns out my hair is slightly damaged from too much flat-iron heat. FML.  So there are about a million different curl patterns going on.  Eh well.  Que Sera Sera.  In any event, Kinky-Curly will be the product of Summer Hair 2010.  Yup.

Ok.  So there it is.  Three posts in one.  I think we're back on track.  Operation sick bod will follow suit (ie get back on track) momentarily.

Ciao

Operation Sick Body Mini Crisis

...So this morning I went to put on comfy cotton dress that I LOVE <3 and--devastation--it was too BIG! Add to the list of ill-fitting attire:

- favorite wide-leg jeans
- favorite boyfriend jeans

Glass half full: Workouts and eating healthy are having positive effects on both my mind and BODY! FTMFW

Glass half empty: My favorite clothes don't fit :( ...guess I have to go shopping? (Unfortunately shopping is NOT one of things on my "Random List of things I love)

In other news: J.D. in T-minus 3 days!

5 Sun Salutations and it's on!

Woke up this morning in a funk--feeling introspective and upset  disappointed with my inability to manage my expectations on some things.  Anyway, I spent the whole morning in a fog.  Got up later than I wanted to--9 a.m. and basically headed straight for the library...without so much as a short run or an asana.  


...to make a short-story-that-I-was-going-to-make-long short (LOL)...after toiling in the library for about an hour, I decided to find a quiet corner and practice some yoga.  Five sun salutations, a balance series and a warrior series later, THE FUNK IS GONE!   note to self: NEVER SKIP YOGA IN THE A.M. AGAIN.


Count Down to J.D.: T minus 5 days!!!


Slightly Related: God Given Name by Solange ---a little hippie music to soothe my hippie streak.


UPDATE: Just saw this message on greatday.com and wanted to share.  It's definitely helping me to keep things in perspective today.  Enjoy:

Happiness is your choice

Don't let your happiness be held hostage. It is always yours to choose, to live, to experience.

You don't need anyone else's permission to be happy. Your life is magnificent not because someone says it is, but because you choose to see it as such.

If you're unhappy, that's not someone else's fault. Take full responsibility for your own unhappiness, and you instantly gain the ability to create your own happiness.

Every day, you fulfill your most sincere expectations. Expect to be happy, and just like that, you are.

Stop seeking in vain to arrange circumstances that will make you happy. Simply choose to be happy, and your circumstances start to line up around that happiness.

Your happiness is your choice. Choose it any time you wish.

-- Ralph Marston

Read more:http://greatday.com/#ixzz0m8Qnmrt7

Navigation on, tryin' to find my next thrill....

LAST DAY OF LAW SCHOOL CLASSES EVER!! FTMFW!!!

"On to the next one"

That is all.  Carry on.

The Fruits of HIS Labor

So every night before I go to sleep I say my prayers.  This was something I did with my mom as a child, fell off when I was a teenager, but reinstated as an adult.  Except as an adult I do it a little different--when I pray at night I thank God for all that He has done and IS doing for me!  Sometimes it's just a general "Thank you Lord for ALL of my blessings," and others times its a more specific thank you.  And most critically, when I feel that I need something I thank Him that it WILL be done.  

²⁵Therefore I tell you, stop being ^[v]perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink; or about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life greater [in quality] than food, and the body [far above and more excellent] than clothing?

    ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. Are you not worth much more than they?  

---Matthews 6:25-26 (Amplified Bible)

And every night after I thank God my spirit is settled, my body is calmed, and I drift off to sleep soon after--That's no coincidence.  During my teenage and college years when I didn't practice prayer every night, I had THE WORST time getting to sleep at night.  So I say all this to say--as a reminder to myself, and anyone who is reading this--that God has a plan, He is in control, and it is the by His grace, and not our own doing, that we are blessed with all that we have.  So no worries!

For nothing is impossible with God."--Luke 1:37 (NIV)

On a slightly related note, I practiced "A Fine Balance"  again this morning and there was definitely progress.  I was able to focus on my intention--"alignment with the Divine"--and with that intention I saw improvements in my abilities.  I was able to get fully into Eagle Pose on both sides

--in the past my right hip has been too tight to allow me to wrap my right toe around my left calf.  


Also, I was able to do Half Moon Pose on both sides! 

(Although I admit I had to come back for a second try on the left side).  I guess these early mornings are paying off :) FTW!


On a final note:  I think I am turning into a true runner.  I was thoroughly upset that it was raining this morning because I wanted to run outside.  Now, a true runner probably would have run in the rain...not there yet (don't know if I will ever be).  But still, I feel a lifestyle change arising in me. :)