2015: Say You Will

Fierce: a heartfelt and powerful intensity

Every day is a new day.

A fresh start.

If I’ve learned one thing in my life…

…it’s that there is never a perfect time. For anything.

So why NOT now?

2015: Say you will.

~Ashley ~

Join Beauty & The Beard’s Diet Bet

One of my short-term goals for the first part of 2015 is to lose 5-10 pounds. I’ve been at a plateau for quite a while, simply teetering up and down around the same weight. While there are several factors contributing to this plateau, one of them has been my lackadaisical attitude about my eating habits.

Now don’t get me wrong, we have a routine at home that centers around healthy meals (protein, vegetables, and as much unprocessed food as possible). However, I have not been strictly focused on losing weight, but rather maintain my current range.  In doing so, I allow myself to slip and slide at times, especially on the weekends, knowing that I can make up for it during the week. Any intelligent person knows that this is like a two steps forward, one step back approach which equals a balancing act, not true weight loss. 

I’ve hit a point again where I’m annoyed with where I’m currently at health and fitness wise, so I’m looking to really push myself over the next couple of months.  Now I don’t know about you, but if left to my own devices, I’m a little less likely to accomplish my goals in a timely manner. With only me to be accountable to, it’s really easy to make excuse after excuse when times get tough. So one of the things I’m going to run to help hold me accountable this first month is the Beauty & The Beard Diet Bet and I would LOVE for you to join me!

The Diet Bet game works like this.  You make a $35 bet that you will lose 4% of your body weight between January 5 and February 1. That’s 4 weeks to accomplish your goal! Come February 1 when you have reached your goal (because you will) the pot will be divided among everyone else in our bet that reached their goal as well.  This means you will get your $35 bet back, plus some!

For example:

• Bet to lose 4% of your body weight in 4 weeks. *For a 165lb person that would be a loss of 6.6lbs
• 20 people join our bet at $35/each = $700 Pot
• By February 1 only 15 of those people reached their goal.
• Therefore the $700 Pot (minus a small fee to Diet Bet) will be divided among the 15 people – you get back your $35 plus some!
• The 5 people who did not reach their goal simply lose their initial $35 bet.

So, you’re really competing against yourself and using this as a social way to keep yourself motivated to meet your goal. The added benefit is potentially earning a little extra cash for your achievement!

If you would like to participate in my diet bet, simply click on the following link:  Beauty & The Beard Diet Bet. This link will take you directly to my page and you can register by clicking Join Game in the upper right corner of the screen. The bet will run from January 5 – February 1. On the registration page you can read all about the entire process so you have a full understanding of how the game works. A process, by the way, that is entirely confidential! 

Again, I am really excited about the Beauty & The Beard Diet Bet and hope that many of you will choose to participate with me. I am already signed up! Please feel free to pass this link along and/or share this post on your Facebook page so that any of your family and friends that may want to participate can as well. Remember, the more people we have join us, the larger the pot to be shared! *Make sure they do sign up through the link I have given you in order to be a part of the Beauty and The Beard Diet Bet.

If you have any questions, please let me know. Let’s work together to take the first step towards our 2015 health and fitness goals! Happy “Betting”!

~Ashley~

Fresh Beats

Music. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it makes all the difference.

I’ve been sick for the last three days, but mentally I have been gearing up for the start of my new health and fitness challenge. Just listening to certain songs today got my blood flowing and wishing I could go run, right then and there!

I think it’s important to always keep a fresh set of tunes floating around. Even the music I LOVE gets old after listening to it over and over and thus negatively impacts my workouts.

I know that finding new music is extremely time consuming and that’s why I like to share my finds and faves periodically. If I already put the time in, why should you have to?!?!

Here are 5 tracks that have recently made it on to my workout playlist. Proceed with caution though because once you listen you’ll be chomping at the bit to get your swole on!

~Ashley~

P.S. Track #3 “Heavy Crown” makes me feel unstoppable!

Are You Ready To Change?

It’s real easy to do what we have always done, because it’s familiar and comfortable.

Let’s get uncomfortable…January 5.  

You in? 

~Ashley~

An Open Letter To New Christmas Toys

Dear New Christmas Toys,

As a mother of a toddler and preschooler, it’s a rare occasion when I can eat a piece of food in its entirety. My kids have noses like bloodhounds and eyes like eagles. Those of you with small children know EXACTLY what I’m talking about.

You know, the moments your kiddos begin to act as though they are Koi fish that haven’t been fed in days!

So this morning, I would like to say “Thank You” new Christmas toys. Thank you for distracting my children long enough for me to selfishly enjoy my tasty cinnamon toast treat. Under normal circumstances, the moment I sat down, my children would have turned into hungry tarsiers.

However, this morning, you provided the blocking coverage that this mother needed.

I will admit though, it was hard to trust in you, as I’ve been down this road a million times. So I still ate like I was in a jungle, surrounded by starving, carnivorous dinosaurs. I sat incredibly still as I slowly raised each bite of toast to my mouth. Each time my teeth sunk into the bread, my eyes would dart and my head quickly cock to wear the Princess and the Lordling sat. 

Hoping…praying…that they wouldn’t pick up on my movement and force me to share what was mine. MINE!

There were a few close calls. Moments where I sat frozen mid-bite, until I realized the predators were simply looking for a dropped saddle to their toy horse or were consumed in arguing with each other over who would get to play with the T-Rex. It was then and only then, that I breathed sighs of relief, knowing that there was no real threat this morning. 

Not THIS morning!

So again, I would like to say “THANK YOU” new Christmas toys! Thank you for allowing this mama to savor every last piece of buttery, cinnamon glory…if only for this one luxurious moment.

~Ashley~

‘Tis The Season

Merry Christmas!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful celebration with family and friends. I know we did and certainly had many opportunities to reflect on how blessed we are.

This last month has proved to be extremely busy and I have not posted as often as I would have liked. I have so many things floating around in my head that I would like to share with you and I certainly plan to do so in the upcoming weeks.

With the onset of winter, I have found myself in a health and fitness slump. This is perhaps the hardest time for me, for a variety of reasons, and I struggle to stay on track in working toward my goals. I’m sure a lot of you can relate.

It’s actually funny because as I have slowed down, The Beard (who let’s just say hasn’t worked out consistently in quite some time…love you bae!) has finally gotten bit by the bug again and has been non-stop in the gym for 4 weeks straight…his own PR!

So, not one to be out done, I have some new found motivation and will be prepping this next week to begin my mission on January 5. I plan to let you come along with me, for the good and the bad, so get ready!

For now, I hope that you enjoy the rest of your holiday season and in the mean time, I’ll leave you with a recent sound bite from The Beard.

While out shopping, without the kiddos, The Beard and I stopped at Starbucks. As we sat at the table drinking our coffee and enjoying a breakfast sandwich, we talked and laughed about recent musings. This is one aspect of our relationship that I have been thankful for since its beginning. The fact that just time with one another, talking about random things, makes us happy.

For those of you that don’t know, The Beard and I found each other a little later in life, after each of us had already taken a run at marriage.

Given how our relationship came together, we didn’t date long and once married, made the decision to have children pretty quickly.

Let’s face it, The Beard wasn’t getting any younger!

However, in doing so, there wasn’t much “just the two of us” time to our relationship. I was reminded of this on our shopping outing and after a particular moment of laughter in the conversation (probably about something entirely inappropriate, yet totally true) I said the following:

Me: Can you imagine how much fun we would have had if we had met each other earlier in life?

The Beard: Um, I feel like I had an acceptable amount of fun during that time.

Me: *expressionless face and blank stare.

Aaaannnndd…The Beard strikes again. Just another day in our life. A life that I love.

~Ashley~