Jillian Michaels' Making the Cut

Two years ago, I completed Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Making the Cut and saw great results, not only in my body but the way I chose to eat.

It's about time for another go around. Originally, I wanted to do it once a year, but alas, I've failed. It's going to be our two year diet. It's awesome motivation to know that once I finish the 30 Days, I won't have to do it again for another two years!

Today is Day 1. Breakfast was two scrambled eggs (no salt, so lots of pepper and garlic powder) and boring cereal. Lunch is at home, and I forgot what it is. Dinner is Moroccan chicken with wild rice. Also, it's the first workout.

I got a jumpstart and did a short 25 minute walk/run this morning before work. It was nice to run again, and I'm hoping I can continue to run Monday-Thursday mornings to help get my body even leaner! Last year, I dropped six pounds, three and a half inches from my waist and 4% of my body fat. This year, my goal is to do seven pounds, four inches and we'll figure out the percents later. I have an English degree, blogger!

To get myself pumped, I watched this montage from my first attempt. You can watch it too, and maybe you'll get your fat ass off the couch! (My, that Jillian Michaels is already affecting me.)

Living The Sweat Life from Bryan and Alyssa on Vimeo.

Falling for Fall

Fall is here in Philadelphia. The leaves are changing, and the tree right outside our home has lost the majority of its leaves. When I drive home from work, red and orange leaves fall onto my windshield like rain - like beautiful, not annoying rain. Anytime I leave the house, I have to grab a jacket because the air is crisp. At night, my toes would freeze off unless I wear fuzzy socks. And hot chocolate has never tasted so good.

Fall has always been my favorite season. In Florida, fall is the time when you wear jeans, short sleeves and flip flops; it's the celebration of the end of summer. In the Carolinas, it was cooler, and it was the time to break out your sweatshirts and rock some lace up kicks. Now, I'm learning that Philly's fall is the same as Florida's winter. I don't know what winter will bring, and to be honest, I'm quite scared that I'll hate it. For now, I'll just enjoy the fall. I'll sip my hot chocolate, pull on soft socks and just live in my jacket. Because that's what you do when the weather of fall is stuck in 50 degree weather.

ZOMBIES

Another one of my favorite parts of fall: zombies. October is prime time for movies about brain cravings. Thankfully, there's a new movie out which promises to be great.


A CNN article took time away from their less important worldly matters to talk about why zombies are so damn lovable:
According to experts -- and, yes, there are zombie experts -- it's because for all their limitations, the brain-rotted, animated corpses are so darned versatile -- helping reflect whatever our greatest fears happen to be at the time.

I think I'd have to agree. No matter the situation, zombies are terrifying. Indoors? They could get you. Outside? You better be running. In a car? Watch out. Hiding? You're stupid. You just can't get scarier than a zombie. It's terrifying: a has-been human reaching out with a literal death grip for your face, bleeding from other once-living human brain munchies.

Zombie prep enthusiast Max Brooks, author of the Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z (which is about to be a movie!) says, "You can't shoot the financial meltdown in the head -- you can do that with a zombie. All the other problems are too big. As much as Al Gore tries, you can't picture global warming. You can't picture the meltdown of our financial institutions. But you can picture a slouching zombie coming down the street."

Brooks also says (which I know my husband, despite his years of higher education, agrees with), "I'd say 90 percent are saying, 'We all know it's fake; we're playing along.' The other 10 percent are saying, 'We're ready!' And I'd say 10 percent of that 10 percent can't wait for it to happen."