Oh how I love these Nike Just Do It Ads! I remember these from years ago! Inspiration for the soul!

One of my favorite posts for inspiration so reposting!

I remember many years ago when Nike came out with the Just Do It ad campaign and I was hooked and loved it!  They had wonderful ads that motivated and spoke to me-they hit home because it seems we all in one way or another can relate.  Here are a few of my favs! Enjoy some inspiration for the soul.....

“Sooner or later, you start taking yourself seriously. You know when you need a break. You know when you need a rest. You know what to get worked up about and what to get rid of. And you know when it's time to take care of yourself, for yourself. To do something that makes you stronger, faster, more complete. Because you know it's never too late to have a life. And never too late to change one.”  Nike


"Too often we are scared. Scared of what we might not be able to do.
Scared of what people might think if we tried. We let our fears stand in the way of our hopes. We say no when we want to say yes. We sit quietly when we want to scream. And we shout with the others, when we should keep our mouths shut. Why?
After all,we do only go around once. There's really no time to be afraid. So stop. Try something you've never tried.
Risk it. Enter a triathlon. Write a letter to the editor. Demand a raise. Call winners at the toughest court.
Throw away your television. Bicycle across the United States. Try bobsledding. Try anything. Speak out against the designated hitter.
Travel to a country where you don't speak the language.
Patent something. You have nothing to lose and everything everything everything to gain. JUST DO IT." -

1992: Barry Sanders


"All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough, they'll say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. They will tell you no. And YOU WILL TELL THEM YES." - Unknown Nike


and so much easier on others? Did somebody
say something once that stuck in our brains and won't
go away? Did we mispronounce something in French,
did we trip in front of some guy, did we make some
huge mistake that we've never gotten over?
What haunts our fine bodies and our fine
hearts and makes our heads spin with an image
of ourselves we can't accept? We tell our
friends not to be so hard on themselves and we tell our
loved ones not to be so hard on themselves and we tell
ourselves
we're just not being hard enough.
We are such funny women sometimes. We
blame ourselves when blame does not apply (terrible
word, that blame). We feel guilty about what we should
have done better (terrible word, that should). We are
harder on ourselves, harder than we would be on
anybody else, anybody. Complete strangers! Big dogs!
People we don't even like!
And the things we expect are so darn
weird, things our mothers once said we should be
able to do or our fathers wanted us to achieve or our
great Aunt Charlotte wanted us to try and they didn't
know that their words would stick
like glue to our hearts with a list of
expectations wrapped around it. Look: all these
expectations get old, real old, and only you know
when to yell uncle.
Uncle. Uncle. Uncle.
Because for one moment of your life you feel like
feeling ... perfect. You feel like dashing into those hills
or those open roads or right into the air itself
and that's just what you might do
so Ha
You feel like that rusty old image you carry
is slipping away, right over the edge of a mirror and out
of view. You feel like moving and if you trip, you trip, if
you fall, you will get up. And the air feels like it will
carry you and push you and it's like nothing your feared
it would be. And of course everything you expected it
would. Nike

The last paragraph in the last ad is the one that I can relate to when I run! I feel so free and the world is behind me and I can do anything in that moment."

So as Nike says (yes I'm being cheesy here)..JUST DO IT:)



Diet Soda & 48% Risk of Stroke-Izzy Graduates Pre-School, A Vacation and Accepting Horatio is Gone!

A few quick things today-the sad news first is that Horatio my cat has been missing over a week now so I am beginning to accept that regardless of the flyers, reward, and endless searching-he is probably not coming home.  I am just hoping that he is safe and okay wherever he is.  I miss him terribly but I don't know what else I can do to find him so now I have to get through my sadness at the loss of him:(

On a positive note-Izzy my 5 year old is a pre-school graduate and is on her way to kindergarten next year! Woohoooo go Izzy:)


 And now for the very astounding information Ann the trainer told me today!  I love, love, love my diet Coke! I LOVE it and look forward to it so much!  Well I have not had any diet Coke in 4 days (which is hell pure hell) so I figured hmmmm I could have just one and it wouldn't hurt but Ann looked at me and told me that everytime I drink a diet soda I raise my chances of a stroke by 48%!!! Almost half! I was astounded so I looked online and found the study that showed this so now I really need to stay off of it!  I found this in the Los Angeles Times:

"Here’s the outline of the study, which was started in 2003, and what it found:

A total of 2,564 people in the study were asked about their intake of sodas (among other questions) at the start of the study. After nine years, 559 cardiovascular events had occurred, and those who had reported drinking diet soda every day had a 60% higher rate of these events, which included various forms of stroke as well as heart attacks.

The scientists adjusted for certain factors, such as age, sex, race, smoking, exercise, alcohol and daily calories. When they added additional factors to do with heart disease risk, such as metabolic syndrome, the risk was still 48% higher for the daily-diet-soda-drinking group. (Metabolic syndrome is a group of factors that can include extra weight around the waist and the inability to efficiently process blood sugar.)
“If our results are confirmed with future studies, then it would suggest that diet soda may not be the optimal substitute for sugar-sweetened beverages for protection against vascular outcomes,” noted the study lead author, Hannah Gardener of the University of Miami School of Medicine, in a release from the stroke association. "

And finally,  I am hoping to return to my very favorite place on the earth where monkeys sit in trees as waves crash on the shore!  I am hopefully going to be going to the beach where I am my happiest this summer so I guess we will see.  I love the anticipation of going on a vacation but unfortunately I won't be having a diet Coke when there.

Have a great weekend!

Heidi

Interesting tips from the trainer-Mix up your workout for better benefits!

This morning when I went to do my daily 5 mile run I ran into the trainer at the club where I work out at.  She is amazing, very knowledgeable and always willing to help with little tips to optimize my workouts and eating habits. She asked me how much cardio I was doing and I told her roughly running 10 miles a day.  She explained to me that I really don't need to do 10 miles of running a day that as a matter of fact I could burn more by mixing my workout up.  I was fascinated because I believed that running this much was the best cardio to burn the fat.  The trainer explained to me that our bodies are extremely efficient machines and if we are doing the same routine all the time our body recognizes it and uses less energy to do the workouts than in the beginning.  I am so glad she told me this or I would still be running 10 miles a day thinking I should really be losing more weight.  She suggested that I run on the treadmill on a higher incline for a minute or run faster for a minute and then go back to my normal pace.  This would push my body harder, vary my routine and I would burn more.  She also suggested that I run at a comfortable pace and focus more on time than miles.  I need to throw in the bike, classes and the elliptical too.  By mixing my routine up we can all burn more and hopefully achieve the results we want quicker.

Personally, when all else fails I put on my Adidas, hop on the treadmill and run and run and run until all the frustration,sadness or what  I feel is on it's way out and that euphoric exhausted feeling takes over.  When I am having a bad day of it I run so hard until I could collapse and I tell you what it is the best feeling.

Anyway, off to bed... hope this helps you in your workout-sure did me!

Missing Cat-My Broken Heart-Horatio Hornblower Cudnik Please Come Home!


Horatio where are you?
My Horatio has been missing 5 days now and I am beyond sad and worried. I am not being pessimistic but the chances of him returning I know in my heart are very slim. In the 12 years that I have had him he has never not come when I called him or wandered off so I just know that something has happened where he cannot return because I know that he would if he could. I will always hold out hope and do what I can to find him but these last few days have been painful and devastating not knowing where he went. Horatio is my 3 legged cat who purred if you just looked at him and cheered me everyday. I ran the entire neighborhood today and called for him but to no avail:(((

Maybe to some people it seems I am being dramatic over my loss and they might say, “oh he is just a cat” but “just a cat” to me is a creature warmer than the sun, a companion truer than most anyone and a joy that cannot be compared. I hope Horatio comes home but I imagine I need to appreciate that I was ever blessed to have him in my life for 12 years and that any sadness I feel now at his loss is nothing compared to all the love and joy that he gave me.

It often happens that a man is more humanely related to a cat or dog than to any human being. ~Henry David Thoreau

Bikini Body Booty Busting! Oh No Here We Go Again-What Is Your Plan??

Kick it!  It's Swimsuit season again!


I have been running and running lately to get ready for the bikini/swimsuit fiasco season that I will have to endure shortly. I decided that this year I am going to be in the best shape of my life so I have really started taking steps to make that happen even more so than I ever have. In my fantasy life I can sit on the couch and eat chocolate, Cheetos and have diet cokes and chocolate martinis and be perfectly toned and thin. Unfortunately this is reality so my booty is hitting the gym hard and eating all the things to get me healthy and trim. I started a 24 day challenge today at the fitness center and it is tough! I am going to have to be very disciplined and stick to this diet and keep up my exercising. I will give more details as I go on but what I am doing now is running 5-6 miles every morning before taking the kids to school and going to work, then in the evenings I run another 5-6 miles. I try to do at least 4 days of running 10 miles per day (and my circuit weights) and then I rest one day, and the other two days I do about 6-7 miles as well as yoga on Monday and Wednesday of every week.

As far as my eating habits go I can assure you that sadly enough Cheetos and chocolate, diet Coke and Martinis are a no, no, no! Instead I am sticking to lots of fruits (lots of berries) and vegetables, oatmeal, healthy fats such as avocados, olives, nuts and clean complex carbs such as rice and hummus. I am a vegetarian so this is a little tough on getting everything in but my trainer said if I eat eggs (which I despise bc of the childhood vomit/boat issue but that’s another story)-but will do) I should be able to meet my goal soon. I can tell since I have been doing the 40-55 miles of running per week that my legs are getting very toned and stronger so that is a plus! Now if my booty and belly will just do what I want them to as well I will finally be content.

I will give more information as I am going on this 24 days challenge. I am committed to sticking to it but may be CRANKY without my diet Coke and chocolate. It doesn’t help that people are so nice (you know who you are) that they keep giving me chocolate to make the day go by. Wish me luck and I will let you know the hurdles as well as what can make something like this easier for you.

Heidi

P.S. My cat Horatio has been missing for 3 days now and I have walked the neighborhood everyday crying and calling for him. He is a little 3 legged cat I rescued about 12 years ago and I am just a sad mess without him.  He has been my companion and a source of great joy in my life and now he is gone:(  He doesn’t generally go outside or wander off and comes when called so if you think of it please send positive thoughts that my Horatio will return home. I have put up flyers and called shelters. I appreciate any good energy my way. I miss my little Horatio Hornblower:(

 “The smallest feline is a masterpiece” Leonardo da Vinci

Wingy Wednesday!!Fluffy Flies! Rescued Baby Crow Is Going To Be Fine! Our 3rd Rescued Bird This Spring! Whew

 Here he is..................... Fluffy..........


What a night!!! For those of you who know me or read my blog you know how much I love animals-all animals-wild or domestic! For some reason I seem to find all kinds or maybe they find me-who knows! The kids and I have found injured birds, squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, foxes, turtles, geese, mice-you name it and we are so lucky that we have a great place here called Operation Wildlife that is supported by volunteers and rehabilitates, and nurses wild animals back to health and then releases them back into their natural habitat!

So, about a month ago I was dropping the kids off at school and on my way to work when I noticed a female cardinal in the middle of the road in distress and unable to move. I realized something was very wrong with her because cars and trucks were zipping by her and she could not move. I quickly pulled over and ran into the street (I did look both ways first) to see if I could get her. I was able to pick her up without much fuss and flagged down a man in his bathrobe getting his morning paper to give me a box to put her in. I brought her into work until I could go on my lunch and take her to Operation Wildlife. One of my friends and co-workers Rochelle-who is also an animal lover was here and saw that the bird would be okay and what to do.

Now to last night……. (I can never make a story short-has to be long-lol). I was at the gym and had just finished running when Rochelle called me and was at her daughter Chloe's soccer game and there was a fluffy black bird being poked and prodded by a number of kids with sticks and not moving. Rochelle remembered that I had taken the other bird and wanted to know what we could do. I told her to see if there were any other birds around as this could be the baby who was learning to fly and on the ground at this point . The parents would be around and come down every little bit to feed the baby and if that was the case to get the kids away but not take the bird bc this is a natural process. Well there were no parents and the bird was obviously feeling traumatized at this point. I offered to come and get the bird and keep it overnight until Operation Wildlife was open in the morning. Rochelle and Chloe found a box and towel and got the bird into the box and we met so Ava, Izzy and I  could take him home and keep him in a warm, safe and quiet environment. I don’t think I hardly slept a wink all night and kept checking on the bird for fear of his demise. Finally morning came and he is at Operation Wildlife safe and sound!!!

And on another positive note we now have 3 junior animal rescuers to thank-Chloe, Ava and Izzy!  All 3 want to do this when they grow up.....showing them compassion and kindness towards wildlife taught them of the power that they have to change the life of a helpless animal and it will carry on through them!! Thanks Chloe, Ava and Izzy -future bird rescuers!

Ava-Animal rescuer!



Chloe Animal rescuer!

Izzy Animal rescuer!

What a sweet little guy or gal this baby was! So fluffy so aptly named Fluffy with big beautiful blue eyes and a gorgeous beak! Crows are extremely social family oriented birds and will often even take in the young of orphaned other birds of different species. They are also extremely smart and mate for life. It is very rare to ever see a crow alone as they travel in pairs generally. I hope for Fluffy a happy life and know that leaving him at the ballpark would have probably resulted in his demise. Above is a picture I took of him this morning before we handed him over to Operation Wildlife (who said he looked in good shape).

If you get a chance-throw out some bird seed and feed the birds, squirrels, chipmunks-you will enjoy watching them come eat and if you have the opportunity to help an animal (be smart and cautious of course) do-it warms your heart to know that you have contributed to saving an innocent helpless animal that probably would not have made it without you.  We are all connected in the web of life!


Tuesday observations and how to lose inches off your waist in 2 weeks trick! Blueberries Baby!

Tuesday  observations and How to lose inches off your waist in 2 weeks trick!

Okay so not much of this has to do with health but I am working on an article about how to get your belly fat to melt away but today I thought while I had a moment I would throw out a few things…….

-Why is it that regardless how much we try to forget- some people will always be in our thoughts and a certain song, word or smell can bring them back with such a force as if they were standing right in front of you again.  I mean I can’t remember where I put my sunglasses 5 minutes ago but can remember in such detail someone or something from a year ago (and on that note how do we get them to go into the dusty archives of our heart and mind )? The heart and mind are strange partners I swear!

-When your best friend goes with you as a guest to the gym and she is drinking wine and offers you some before you have to run 5 miles really fast on the treadmill you should NEVER accept it.  Trust me… you may think it’s funny later but at the time when you are lying on the floor next to the treadmill it can be very embarrassing to one’s workout. (Thanks Liz)LOL

-Want to melt belly fat fast? Eat one cup of blueberries every day for two weeks and your waist could be inches smaller. The pigments responsible for the berries’ color also reduce fat storing and activate genes that regulate belly-fat burn!

And finally…………..

-Do something nice for someone (animals included) every day! It will sure make you feel better….oh and a steam bath in the sauna is always relaxing too.

Be back soon with my belly fat bikini burning tips.  

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.. Allergies why do you hurt me so? Easy Solutions For Allergies!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH…… Allergies why do you hurt me so? I wake up puffy and snuffy and not at all ready to get up and go!! What can I do to make you mean allergies get up and go?? Oh how I don’t like these verminice allergies and if you are at all like me I bet you have been having some problems too! I found these great ideas in my “Women’s World” magazine that are easy and natural ways to help beat the allergies that plague you. Here it goes…..

-Soothe Sinuses With Stinging Nettle- You can get this herbal supplement at most health food stores and it is well worth it! Nettle reduces production of vile histamine up to 50% FASTER THAN CLARITIN AND ALLEGRA! Wow! Aim for 1,200 mg daily.

-Water, Water, Water… Drink It Up BabyCakes- Believe it or not, staying well hydrated helps 38% of women (sorry men) relieve allergy symptoms and we all know that water is great in general for helping keep that tummy from bloating and about everything else too!!!

-Achooooooo-Stop Sneezing With Green Tea (My Fav)-We already know that green tea is great for wellbeing and a flat tummy as well as possibly helping reduce blood sugar to reduce cravings for refined sugar and carbs but now….Sneezing!!! Green tea is packed with an antioxidant (EGCG) that blocks production of two key allergy-symptom triggers: histamine and immunoglobulin (the allergy goblin?-just kidding on an allergy goblin although it feels like a mean allergy goblin visits at night) Ideally drink 2 to 3 cups daily. I love to add lemon to my green tea and sometimes make a nice iced green tea with lemons and Stevia (natural sweetener).

-Perilla Will Killa The Inflammation-In as little as seven days the herb Perilla has been study-proven to shut down allergic reaction and symptoms!!!! Perilla dampens inflammation and destroys the rogue immune cells that trigger allergy attacks! Perilla can be found at your health food store in an oil capsule (Womens World says to look under brand names like Source Naturals and Life Extension and follow package directions for dosage).

Yoga ( Not Partying In A Toga) Will Help You Breathe Easier-One of my favorite bloggers Michele at http://manddraponisanimalrescue.typepad.com/serenity/2011/05/i-love-my-new-job.html is a big fan of yoga and an instructor of yoga so I’m sure she will love that yoga breathing techniques help ease stuffed-up nasal passages and reduce stress, which is proven to heighten your body’s allergic response. Now if I could only bend like her maybe I could do the yoga.

Okay, so I am heading to Whole Foods tonight to get more green tea, Nettle and Perilla and hopefully send these allergies packing!! Hope this helps!!

Heidi

Momma Mia! Happy Mother's Day!

It’s not always easy being a mom-like when you realize the kids have been quiet far too long and you discover pizza in the fish tank or shaving cream all over the desk and chairs… “art” the kids called it. And then there are the times when they don’t feel well and vomit all over the buggy, produce guy and produce department in Target and then the other one starts gagging and vomiting because she is grossed out at the first ones vomit and both are crying and screaming and you are standing there covered in vomit trying to console everyone. Oh and the guilt that you are never doing exactly as the books say a good mom should do and the fear you are somehow traumatizing them and dooming them forever because you don’t do just as they want and give them every single thing they ask for when they ask for it.


But…… the love, love, love when you come home after a long day and they run to you and say “yeahhhh Mommy’s home” or when you see them accomplish something with pride in their eyes or when they give you that sweet little kiss goodnight and they tell you that they love you. Somehow these moments make the vomit, pizza, shaving cream debacles fade into meaningless things. It’s never perfect but it is as close as perfect can be for me.

I just wanted to say Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms, grandma’s, dad’s who are both moms and dads and to all the mom’s whose babies are their cats, dogs or other animals!!!

 Happy Mother’s Day!!






I saw this quote the other day and thought it was funny………


“If being a mother were easy then father’s would do it”. Golden Girls


All in good fun. Lol

My girls!!! My loves!

No more Misery on Monday, Tyrants on Tuesday, Witches on Wednesday, Tempers on Thursday or Feisty Fighting on Friday-Olive Oil & Prunes To Lift The Blues!

No more Misery on Monday, Tyrants on Tuesday, Witches on Wednesday, Tempers on Thursday or Feisty Fighting on Friday-Olive Oil & Prunes To Lift The Blues!



We all have those days when we feel a little anxiety or a little blue and I am a big believer in diet and exercise to help ward off these feelings! So, when I recently read about olive oil helping with the blues and dates (the fruit not the activity-lol) helping to relieve anxiety I knew I had to share this information!

Olive oil- I am a big fan of olive oil as it is (it is a great for your skin, heart and helps to keep the bad fats from being absorbed ) but now in a study of more than 12,0000 people , those who consumed at least 3 ½ tsp of olive oil daily were 30% less likely to suffer depression than those who ate none. Apparently the same mechanism in monounsaturated fats that reduces inflammation in arteries also reduces brain inflammation. This is important because brain inflammation triggers the release of cytokines, proteins that suppress your levels of fee-good neurotrans-mitters. So to make a long story short have some olive oil everyday and you may kick some of those blues away! I personally use olive oil in most things that I cook and even take a teaspoon before eating high carb foods to help block the bad fats. Go olive oil!

Date away anxiety-Ok, ok not the actual activity of dating but the delicious fruit dates! I love the natural sweetness of dates and now beyond them having one of the highest antioxidant contents of any dried fruit--- dates ease stress and unkink tense muscles. Dates contain an almost perfect one-to-one ratio of calcium and magnesium which work in harmony to calm the nervous system. A single handful of dates has more potassium (which regulates heartbeat and breathing rate) than an entire banana!!

Sooooooooooo…. Now you know two great and natural ways to help when you are singing the blues!! I have started eating more dates so hopefully I’m on the right track too!





Ref:Woman’s World 2011

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