7.26.2014

Get Fit (and a rant at the end)

Hello little bloggy world! So You may have seen on Facebook that I decided to join my friend in the Beachbody world and become a coach. I wanted to write a blogpost to elaborate on why and what it is. (and some other stuff at the very bottom)

WHY AM I DOING THIS?

My good friend Jenna has been dedicated to losing weight the past couple months or so. She bought PiYo through Beachbody to mix things up and ended up absolutely loving it. She began with weightwatchers and jogging and such, but since starting PiYo and being part of the Beachbody team has seen AWESOME results and is really loving working out and being healthy-which is key to achieving a goal. So, HER success motivated little old me to try out PiYo. Since I'm pregnant it will be harder to SEE the results, but I'm determined to stay fit through my pregnancy so that 1) I can have a better labor and 2) I won't have to work as crazy hard to get my regular body back post-pregnancy.
Jenna let me share her Before & After pictures. Her after picture is after only 2 weeks of doing PiYo!

So I bought a Challenge Pack which got me a month's worth of Shakeology and PiYo for only $10. The Shakeology is a liiitle expensive, but from everything I've been reading and hearing about it I'm pretty stoked to try it out. I'm going to use it as a nutritional supplement for my lunches because I am really awful at eating a filling lunch. I usually just snack on things and then end up getting all shaky if I have to go anywhere afterwards (I think it's a pregnancy thing).

WHAT IS PIYO?

PiYo is pretty much just what is sounds like-a Pilates/Yoga fusion program. This particular program from Beachbody is brand new and just came out a month of so ago. In the words of Beachbody--"Chalene Johnson took the very best Pilates and yoga-insipred moves and cranked up the speed to give you full throttle cardio, strength, and flexibility training--all at once. PiYo packs it ALL into each workout so you can build muscle mass-as you're burning crazy calories."



WHAT IS SHAKEOLOGY?

First of all, it's all natural. It's made up of over 70 fruits and veggies and gives you your daily recommended dose in ONE packet. Sure, eating your actual fruits and veggies may be better, but for me that is hard to do everyday (esp the veggies!). The drying process of the fruits and veggies Beachbody uses is one the best in preserving all of the nutrients. There are a variety of flavors to choose from: Strawberry, Chocolate, Vanilla, and Greenberry as well as vegan options. Shakeology can be used as a nutrition supplement or as a weight loss supplement (meal replacement). If you are using it everyday a months supply is $129 which breaks down to about $4 and some change. But if you are using it as a meal replacement thats a pretty cheap & healthy meal! I also hear this has helped people's energy levels so I'm hoping for that as well.


Anyways, that is what all the buzz is about! If you want to get serious about getting fit and healthy we also have some great motivational Facebook groups for people who buy, where people can post their workout, share meal ideas and have some accountability. 

I really hate being a sales person to be honest. I absolutely hate pushing things down people's throat and I promise to not do that! But I would like to share how I am liking the products as I'm using them and being a part of the Facebook group has already helped me to feel motivated. If you have any questions or are interested you can email me-- mickelleb@gmail.com. Or if you want to get crazy and buy something the PiYo sale goes through the end of July and you can buy right here-->>http://www.teambeachbody.com/mickellem and click SHOP. 

Now enough about that!

I'm will be going out of town the next week to a little island called Fiji. Pretty excited. 

Also, let me tell you one reason living on a military base overseas is sometimes not ideal. You're mailing address is an FPO box at the post office that is a 20 minute drive away. You order some things from Asos like a maternity swimsuit and dress and shirt and are so excited to get it that you start going to the post office everyday thinking--it HAS to be here today. So that's a 40 minute round trip. You check you're mail everyday and there is NOTHING. Or some junk mail, OR there is a package and you get your hopes up only to find out, nope not Asos. Oh, did I mention I ordered this package on June 4? You go on a 2 week vacation thinking, it HAS to be here...nope. In Asos defense they are sending me a replacement package...still waiting for that one too. My life is so hard!!!!! ;) 

Thanks for reading the longest blog post ever. xoxo

7.24.2014

Yosemite

My first visit to Yosemite was so awesome. One of the most beautiful places on this earth for sure. The pictures do no justice! We only had about 3 days to visit and so as I mentioned earlier we did a lot of driving to cover all the good stuff in the park. We only did a few short trails, but I will definitely be back one day with Duke to do some more serious hiking. This place should be on everyone's places to visit list!
Bridalveil Falls
El Capitan!
The upper & lower Yosemite Falls
Me, my dad, Jonathan & Erica
Tunnel view with a 23 week belly shot
Viewpoint on the way to Glacier Point
View from Glacier Point with Half Dome in the back!
Got to see a landslide-super exciting stuff :)
Looking down into Yosemite Valley
The majestic Half Dome
The most incredible sunsets. Really loved this place.

7.19.2014

Out and Around Yosemite

I took a lot of pictures on my trip, so I'm trying to split them up a bit! My mom, dad and 2 youngest siblings flew into San Francisco and we headed off to Yosemite. We covered A LOT of ground out there. We stayed in Sonora and the first day we drove all through the Stanislaus National Forest, then drove all the way down to Mono Lake, and through Yosemite on Tioga Road back to Sonora. The whole drive was incredibly beautiful, although I think we were in the car about 8 hours! 
 We stopped at a bunch of sites along the way and did a little hiking...
Donnell Vista
 23 weeks^
 Found some big ol' pinecones which my mom decided would make a good souvenir ;) 
Mono Lake 
 In-n-Out stop at 1am. This is why I love America.
 Stopped at some fruit stands along the way to Yosemite. And you bet I stocked up like a mad man!
I think I ate about 50 peaches while I was out there. They were SOOOO good and I can't find them out here! Oh i miss them already!!!
My momma
Erica & Jonathan
And my pops!
 I made my family stop at every Mexican restaurant I saw. My little brother kept saying "We just ate Mexican food!!!" but would later say "good choice Mickelle". (I'm always right ;) ) I basically dictated every food choice on this trip. It was only fair!
I also had to take a picture of this set up. We have too many devices!! I also love that my mom brought a power strip...not a bad idea.

7.16.2014

San Francisco

I just got back from a wonderful but seemingly short trip to the States. Love that good ol' US of A! My trip began in San Francisco which was lovely as it was my first time to visit! The weather was such a nice change from the intense humidity and heat here in Okinawa. My first stop after the airport was Whole Foods. As I walked up to the store I couldn't help but have a big old smile on my face. You people in America are spoiled. I was hungry and wanted to stock up on some good fruit I can't get out here. Also, you know you are use to living in Japan when you go to Whole Foods and think, "wow this produce is so cheap!!".  My second stop was Target. Had to get the most important places out of the way first!

I only had about 2 1/2 days in San Francisco before I met my parents to head to Yosemite. So even though I hadn't been there, my main priority was shopping. I spent pretty much the whole first day shopping at Union Square. It was a dream come true.
23 weeks
 The Painted Ladies at night
The next day I did a little sight-seeing. Fisherman's Wharf, the Golden Gate Bridge (which I could barely see through all the fog!!), and hit up some food places. 
 I was all excited to see the seals(/sealions?? I don't know the difference), come to find out they all migrate south for mating season! But there was this one lonely seal! 
 Alcatraz
 The foggy GGB
 Ice cream from Bi-Rite Creamery=scrumptious
It was a fun, very short trip in the city. I hope to make it back with Duke to explore more!