My Summer Fitness Obstacles Revealed

I’m sharing a few times this summer that I decided to be physically active and my body gave me the middle finger and shut down afterwards. There’s nothing like a good hour of YOGA and then being sore for the next five days. However, when I was in the class I kept up and was able to do all the yoga poses and participate like I was a regular. I do love yoga but, my issue is being consistent. Because I’m NOT consistent my muscles make sure to let me know and I’m down for days at a time afterwards.

Yoga was my first summer fitness activity and then we went to Busch Gardens for a fun family day. Busch Gardens has a trail that you can walk using a short or long route. The short route is 1.24 miles, you burn 141 calories, takes about 27 minutes using 2,770 steps. The long route is 1.7 miles, your burn 190 total calories, takes about 36 minutes using 3,816 steps. We walked the trail multiple times because of how the park is designed with the different attractions. We were using the park map and got our steps in!

Then there was the horrible decision to park in a parking lot far away from the beach boardwalk and almost walk the ENTIRE beach. I honestly can’t tell you how many miles we walked but our ankles and feet were aching. The beach is beautiful, but it was humid, and it seemed to be never ending. Not to mention that we had to walk back after relaxing for a while and eating a meal on the beach. I had street style Mexican tacos and a mojito from Mamacita’s on the Hallandale Beach Boardwalk.

My next fitness activity was zip lining with friends and family and the harness coupled with all the obstacle courses left me bruised. I was down for at least five days after that. I did the bare minimum to be able to be a present mom and get my work done. You know, life doesn’t stop when you are sore and bruised. While I had a GREAT time and even wrestled with my fear of heights. I completed two obstacle courses and that was a huge win for me. Everyone else had a great time as well!

We recently had a Drive Shack Sports Bar & Restaurant open in Raleigh, NC. I visited with my family and played a round of golf. I’ve played mini golf once or twice but, I’ve never really played golf. The games are interactive and you have screens that show you what’s going on and keep score. There are a few augmented reality games to choose from. It’s cool! The menu has a variety of appetizers, entrees and desserts to choose from. I can’t forget the tasty cocktails. I got a mini workout and had fun!

I vowed to try and incorporate a fitness activity twice a week to maintain consistency so I’m not so sore and down for a few days afterwards. On a road to becoming physically fit, also modifying my diet and eating healthier. There are certain areas I need to tone and maybe lose five pounds. I’m fasting for the rest of the month and not drinking alcohol combined with a detox and cleanse so I’m ready for #JENtober. It’s a month-long celebration!

So, have you had any recent fitness obstacles to overcome or heal from?

Operation Purge… What’s In Your Closet?

All I can think about as I write this post is Queen – By Janelle Monae Ft. Erykah Badu and the quote “The Booty Don’t Lie” is on repeat in my head. Ha! In the last month I have tried to go in my closet and put together these fabulous outfits and couldn’t get certain garments past my lady lumps. Now I will say that I have a habit of going shopping and receiving gifts and letting them sit in the closet or in my drawer FOREVER. I have numerous items that still have the price tag attached and never been worn. So on this particular day I want to play dress up and pair a few items together but, I guess my hips have spread and my butt has increased in size because nothing was cooperating and getting over that bump! I love shopping anywhere from department stores to high end boutiques so the price points of the clothing that I purchase varies and I also have a bad habit of not trying things on when I shop. I’ll try it on when I get home and if it doesn’t fit I’ll just take it back to the store. I have something against public fitting rooms and I may be just a little impatient!

I’ve had a few unsuccessful days where I played dress up, which lead to me wanting to go through all my closets, drawers and storage bins to purge all the clothing I can no longer fit. I remember a few years ago my sister and I did a HUGE closet purge and donated a lot of our corporate attire and business casual wear to Dress for Success of the Triangle. I have tons of business skirts that won’t go past my hips! I mean Ann Taylor Loft, BCBG Max Azria, Barami, H&M, bebe, Alfani, and Nine West just to give you an idea of the brands I wear. I have a few pairs of jeans that just stop at my thighs! Now, I’m fine with all of this. So, I’ve put on a little weight. I just wish it wasn’t when I’m trying to put an outfit together for a specific event that I discover what I want to wear is no longer an option. I went shopping on New Year’s Eve for this very reason! *insert big sigh here* Needless to say, I’m a bit of a shopaholic so I have lots of clothes. I’m just a little particular when it comes to what I’m wearing, especially if it’s for a special occasion.

It’s a New Year so why not go through everything and PURGE! I have two teenage daughters that will grab whatever they fancy as long as I approve and I’ll donate the rest to an organization of my choice. It’s usually the Salvation Army or Dress for Success. The next thing I need to do is a shoe purge. The only thing I’m current on is my handbags, I’ll switch them out periodically and purge when necessary. Even though I’m okay with weight gain, I’m not okay with my stomach. I need to do some sit-ups and tone that baby phat! I’ve had a few people within the last month insinuate that I’m pregnant. Um… No! I just have a little gut. Mission get it right and tight is going to be in progress immediately! I just need to get motivated and maybe enlist a workout and accountability partner. I won’t keep it up on my own, so we’ll see how this goes. Anyhow, have you done any New Year purging projects of any kind? If so please share… Check out the Janelle Monae video Queen below Ft. Erykah Badu. It’s overall a positive song that I love!

ProSkin Slim 28 Day Blogger Challenge

For the next twenty eight days I will be participating in the 28 Day Blogger Challenge and wearing the ProSkin Slim Anti-cellulite leggings. One thing that drew me to this challenge was that it’s called… “The Hidden Workout” and my schedule is hectic and only allows me to get to the gym when I can fit it in my schedule. I’m ALWAYS on the go! I work FT, run my graphic design and marketing business, constantly run around and play mom taxi to four children, Oh… and I’m married to their dad so I guess I have my wifely duties to add to my plate! I have a great desire to live a healthier lifestyle and would like to stay in shape and toned in particular areas. I also have some cellulite in my thigh/buttocks area and would like to be proactive and get it in control before it gets out of hand. I’m excited to see the results of wearing the Proskin leggings for the next month. I currently measure 34, 33, 40, 21 (bust, waist, hips, thigh)!

My areas of concentration are my stomach, thighs and buttocks! After four children I still have a little kangaroo pouch which is not sexy, especially when I want to wear fitted clothing. I have a hernia from my last pregnancy and even if I had the time, I can’t do intense lower ab workouts. My hernia hasn’t been an issue so I opted not to get surgery but, that can change at any moment. I would like to keep my thighs and buttocks toned on a continuous basis. I know I’m getting older and I don’t want to contribute to anything sagging. Ha! I am a socialite and attend many events so you know I want to look good and feel good too. I also love fashion and blog about fashion trends or the outfit of the day regularly. I will say this… I tend to gravitate towards baby-doll tops and dresses to mask my stomach. If I’m wearing a fitted dress you can believe I’m wearing a body shaper to flatten that tummy!

Let me give you some background information on ProSkin Slim Anti-cellulite leggings. It’s expertly designed compression wear with advanced technology to deliver function, innovation and versatility. This product is clinically proven to help reduce the appearance of cellulite. Wearing the Proskin Slim leggings is a new way to smooth and shape your body, helping you to reduce the appearance of cellulite without the need for surgery or creams. It works by using patented micro-encapsulated micro fibre containing caffeine, retinol, ceramides, Vitamin E, fatty acids, and aloe vera. I should add that soft handle yarns provide comfort, a silver anti-bacterial treatment for extended wear and moisture management wicks to keep your body dry. The micro-capsules are released in a controlled way throughout the lifetime of the garment.

I think I’m going to have FUN with this challenge and incorporate it into my Fashion posts since I’ll be wearing my ProSkin Anti-cellulite leggings frequently (at least 8 hrs. daily) for the duration of this challenge, let’s see just how versatile they are with the many hats I wear. You can check out the Proskin website for more information. I’ll be updating weekly, stay tuned… Ciao!

Proskins Slim Leggings

Recap: ABBA You Can Dance House Party

ABBA House Party Pack!

This past Saturday I hosted an ABBA You Can Dance House Party with a few girlfriends and our children were also in attendance. The kids joined in the festivities after the moms battled it out for a few rounds. The ABBA You Can Dance game supports up to four players at one time. We played on the Wii game system. There are three game modes that you can play in, the first is dance mode (you choose a song or the game can choose one for you randomly), mini-musical mode (Dance, sing and follow the story that is communicated through the music and dance moves) and karaoke mode (sing ABBA songs separately) you have the option of singing during any dance session. You’ll need a USB microphone to sing. The lyrics are shown at the bottom of the screen and you are not being recorded or scored when using the USB microphone. We played in dance mode, even though we were singing along with the songs.

How the game works is you are supposed to mimic the dancers’ moves that you see on the screen as closely as possible. The Wii remote is sensing your movements and comparing it to the on screen dancers to evaluate your performance accurately. Once you performed a move you’ll see an X (you missed a move), OK (you can do better), GOOD (Nice move but, try to be more energetic etc.) or PERFECT (It was a perfect move) you are also scored on your energy level so, don’t half step it! Do your BEST! The game is rated E for everyone ten years and up. ABBA You Can Dance is available on Amazon.com for purchase.

It was a very fun experience playing ABBA You Can Dance, we were all gasping for air after a few songs. We came up with the conclusion that we’re getting old and don’t work out enough! It was definitely a workout. There was actually one incident where I was scoring really low because I was following the wrong dancer, and didn’t really figure it out until the end of Mama Mia that I was mimicking the wrong dancers’ moves. So definitely pay attention to the dancer you select. In some songs there are multiple dancers on screen and in some cases background dancers. We got real competitive and some choice words were thrown at each other during videotaping, so we had to cover it up with ABBA Dancing Queen which was what we were actually dancing to during the taping. We played in teams of two competing against each other which gave me a chance to be a good hostess, snap a few pictures and be videotaped while playing ABBA You Can Dance. Take a look at some photos and a video for your viewing pleasure.

ABBA Party Disco Lamp

Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.

Measure Your ASSets Pt. 2

Previously on talking about “Measuring your ASSets”, I asked that you take a look at an ad that was placed in a local publication and tell me your thoughts and how it made you feel. If you have no clue what I’m talking about read Measure Your ASSets Pt. 1! I also asked that you rate how you felt about your own ASSet. At first glance looking at the ad it angered mea bit! I guess you can analyze the ad one of two ways; first that is society’s view of a sloppy looking rear end and if you take Pilates you can work the junk out your trunk OR second, this is society’s view of the perfect rear end, come to our facility and we can have your rear end looking like this! Now, which way do you think I perceived the ad? I was angry because there was a woman, in my opinion, that had a perfectly fine looking rear end and the ad was clearly saying “Get That Junk out Your Trunk”, I was like… What junk? You’ll have to excuse the fact that I take a lot of things literally. I saw a picture with a quote next to it and took it for what is was worth.


The business used a snazzy tag line along with a picture as a marketing tool to capture potential consumers looking to lose some weight, hoping that’s what you aspire to be. Now I know that we have an underlying obesity issue that we are trying to handle nationwide. However, I feel that it shouldn’t be glamorized or turned into a trend just to make a buck! According to; I’m a petite sized female. I’m small and short and I am somewhat satisfied with my body. I’ve had four children and I could use a little toning here and there. I did gain weight while pregnant that I haven’t lost completely and according to everyone I carry it well. After I had the baby I wasn’t able to fit my pre pregnancy clothing anymore, my hips got wider and all of my jeans don’t move past my thighs. I guess I’ve got some junk in my trunk!


I also found an ad for another Fitness Facility where in the ad a woman was praising them for working with her months before her wedding stating that she didn’t have to wear a train to cover her rear end in shame and she wore a fitted dress and was confident and feeling good in it. Maybe I’m being too literal but, if you had a large rear end wouldn’t covering it with a train make it appear even bigger. I’m just saying! Okay, am I missing something… Is there a new butt workout because that’s what everyone seems to be focused on now! I mean if you seriously want to lose weight I’m sure you just don’t want to lose it in your butt. How do you define junk in the trunk? Is it a big butt on an average sized person? There are so many body types to try and label them. There are so many people trying to lose this and tone that but, on the other hand, there are people going to get plastic surgery to enhance this and cosmetic Botox injections for that. It’s surprising! By what or whose standards are we allowing ourselves to grapple with just what is the perfect butt size?


I think we are all unique for a reason, its one thing to want to be fit; I mean total body fitness and another thing to want to be made into a completely different person. The media has a field day with what they think a perfect sized person is, and we all know that sex sells. You can take any regular ad and add a half naked woman or man in there and it sells the product, it’s sad but, unfortunately true. I guess we all need to look like Fergie from Black Eyed Peas, she was named the best desirable body for 2009. In light of this post I asked my husband what he thought of my read end, and I told him I wouldn’t mind toning up a little and he said and I quote:” I love your ass, there’s more cushion for the pushin’ Men…

error: Ask And You Shall Receive!!