I found these yoga positions for abs on Self.com. I added in the plank and downward facing dog poses for those of you, like me, who don't know ANYTHING about Yoga (I also added Upward Facing Dog, Forward Fold and Mountain View, the brunette is doing the ab poses). I've been walking at lunch nearly everyday and I'm starting to slim up. I have a few areas that need some extra TLC and Paul was "kind enough" to teach me some floor exercises, including push-ups, which he didn't waste time telling me that the "girl way" is the "cheater way". I think in combination with walking the monster (aka Acosta Bridge) doing the floor exercises Paul and I worked out and maybe dabbling in some of this yoga for abs...Shia might slim down a little quicker.

Boat

1. Sit with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Grasp your legs under your thighs, slightly above your knees.

2. Lean back slightly. Lift your feet off the floor so that your shins are parallel to the floor. Press the sides of your feet together.

3. Extend your arms straight out in front of your at shoulder height, with palms facing up.

4. Straighten and raise your legs toward the ceiling until your body forms a V shape. 

Plank

This resembles the "up" position of a push-up, with your arms extended and your legs straight out behind your. Your body is in one straight, diagonal line from your head to your heels.

Rock Roll Push-up

1. Begin in plank. (See above)

2. Draw your right knee up, bringing your kneecap toward your nose.

3. Draw your right thigh up toward the midline of your body.

4. Point the toes of your right foot, and squeeze your raised right leg into your body.

5. Repeat on the opposite side.

Reverse Plank

1. Begin in seated staff.

2. Press down into your hands. Lift your legs and hips off the floor.

3. Bring the soles of your feet toward the floor so your ankles, hips, and shoulders make a straight, diagonal line.

4. Allow your head to drop back slightly so your chin points toward the ceiling.

Downward Facing Dog

1. Begin in plank (see above).

2. Lift your hips toward the ceiling so that your body makes an upside-down V shape with your feet flat on the floor, your hands turned slightly inward with fingers spread, and your arms extended.

Low Lunge

1. From downward-facing dog (see above), step your right foot forward between your hands, aligning your knee over your heel. 

2. Lower your left knee towards, but not touching, the floor.

3. Raise your torso and lift your arms overhead, drawing your shoulder blades down your back.

4. Repeat on opposite side.

Corba (on the floor)

1. Lie belly down, toes and forehead pressing gently into the floor. 

2. Place your palms next to your body along the sides of your chest, with your elbows bent and your fingers pointing straight ahead. 

3. Press down into your palms, curling your shoulders and chest off the floor.

Upward Facing Dog (pushing yourself off the floor)

1. Begin in cobra. (See Above)

2. Push down into your hands, straightening your arms and lifting your hips and thighs off the floor.

3. Arch your chest upward. Keep the tops of your feet firmly planted on the floor.

Forward Fold

1. Keeping your legs straight, fold your torso towards your thighs.

2. Rest your fingertips or palms on the floor. If you cannot reach, place your palms on your calves.

Mountain Pose

(A good starting and ending pose.)

1. Stand with your big toes touching, heels slightly apart.

2. Lift your kneecaps and roll your thighs inward, tucking your tailbone underneath you and rolling your shoulder blades down your back. Let your arms hang at your sides, palms facing forward. You may raise your arms above your head.

3. Lift the crown of your head toward the ceiling.

Blog Woes...

I just opened my blog page and NO DAMASK BORDER!  I literally thought I was going to scream!  Whew!  I fixed it!  So if you checked me out earlier and had weird messages about Photobucket blocking image...it is fixed!  YAY!

Does Muscle Weigh More Than Fat?

It's like that joke which weighs more 1,000 pounds of metal or a 1,000 pounds of feathers. Duh ...it's the same, a 1,000 pounds is 1,000 pounds! Honestly though it is a total weight loss lie that we are accustom to telling ourselves. Last night I almost told myself this white lie and believed it. I've been walking at lunch. No easy walk either... bridges are involved see previous post for visual. However, I've only lost 10 pounds and I've been starting to feel like it's not working. I guess I want and need to see drastic results overnight. So after weighing myself and not seeing some huge change in the numbers I started to think...well maybe I just have MORE muscle hence the whole white lie. I then got out my trusty measuring tape and wrote down my measurements and compared them to my measurements of a month ago and there was some pretty drastic changes there. I mean in my hips I've lost 2 inches and in my waist I've lost about 4 inches. My upper arm is like an inch and a half smaller and my upper thigh is like 2 inches smaller. So what's the deal? Why only 10 pounds down?

I literally have to remind myself daily that I am doing this for my well being and not for quick results. According to Martica Heaner, M.A., M.Ed., for MSN Health & Fitness, "Some people get overly obsessed about numbers on the scale. If you are happy with the way you look and feel, and you feel like you are improving your fitness and strength, then continue doing what you are doing. Exercise works, and every minute of movement helps your health in some way. Weight loss through working out may be slower than you want, but it’s likely to be longer term solution and a healthier way to trim down and shape up, or at the very least to stave off weight gain over the years." Also, Paul found on Yahoo that someone who is overweight but is active is healthier than a skinny person who does nothing. The skinny person might be thin but their organs are covered with fat! 

I guess hard work will at some point yield results and I mean 10 pounds is a good amount in 2 months, okay that was really hard for me to say because I was totally thinking um no that is only 1.25 pounds a week! Sigh! I'm not giving up I'm just going to now look at other things in my life and see where I need to make some changes. I have given up fast food completely and soda but maybe there's some other stuff that needs to go or get added. Maybe I need to do the monster (Acosta Bridge) every day? If only losing weight was as easy as putting it on...sigh!

On a more positive note, at least I'm TAN!

New Ducklings!!

So after the otter sightings I kept checking to see if they had swam back.  No otters but there's a new duck with four little ducklings.  I told Paul that I think it's one of the babies from the first 12 all grown up.  She was very friendly and not scared at all.  I think it's because she grew up in my backyard and knows where the food is at.

At first she was just checking the backyard out.  I ran and got some crackers.

When I came back she was still in the yard and her little ducklings were in the water.  At first I got worried about that "halk" showing up and snatching them, so I was hesitant to distract her with food.  But she started quacking and they were quacking back to her.  It was as if she was telling them that the coast was clear.

They swam around quacking back.

Still quacking.

She went out to get them!

She brought them to the grass!

Little ducklings hiding behind mama!

I kept trying to throw a cracker away so she would move but those little ducklings are QUICK!

Here's a video I took...

They're just super cute!  I think our little retention pond will have generations of these ducks forever!

We're OTTER here!

So last night I get home from work and I let Daisy out back and about 15 minutes later I hear her barking up a storm.  I figured she was giving me her typical Cracker Alert (telling me that the neighbors are outside).  So when I open the door I see four otters in the lake!  They were super cute and sitting up in the water just looking at Daisy.  So I got Daisy inside and ran for the camera by then they were swimming away but here's the best shots I could get for now.

When I went outside to check on Daisy they were all sitting up in the water but by the time I got the camera they were swimming away...this guy was still having a peek.

These were the bigger two...Mommy and Daddy perhaps?

Hey guys...wait for me....

More Marissa....

She had to steal the show at gift opening time and show off her horse. This thing really moves!

I just love her cute lil face!

When Marissa rides in my car she wants to hear the "Barbie Song" so I made her a CD with the "Barbie Song" (Barbie Girl by Aqua) and some Disney Princess songs. So she got a gift too at Kaelyn's birthday party. Plus, you know Aunt Circle...I had to jazz it up. I couldn't use puff paint so I decked it out with some Disney Princess stickers.

Leah is here!

Leah Kelly was born on July 7, 2010.

Marissa and her little sister, Leah

 

Okay see how her little lip stands out. Nicole's was like that when she was a baby and I used to hold her and feed her...she would fall asleep and I could rub that little crease and she would wiggle her nose and I thought it was hilarious. I was five!

Baby Gifts

I got Marissa and her new little sister, Leah, matching outfits.

This tradition of bibs started with Marissa. I got Nicole a bib and I ironed on letters to spell out my name so Debra couldn't say that the bib was referring to her. So then when Debra had Kaelyn I did the same thing, but this time I put Circle...since Marissa had dubbed this nickname before she could say Mellissa she called me Circle. I want the new babies, Kaelyn and Leah, to call me Shia but I stuck with Circle for the bib.

Mad lady with the puff paint....

It never stops, I was a puff paint manic. I changed it to say Aunties since Leah has two and I had to change the tense hence the flower in the middle...come on it couldn't say My aunties loves me!

Here's Nicole with the bibs! I knew she would love them =)

Kaelyn's First Birthday Party!

Nicole got Kaelyn a ball pit and here's Kaelyn's daddy (Tony) playing in it!

Debra and Kaelyn

Kaelyn got a stroller for her dolls...

...but she wanted to test it out.

Kaelyn, Debra and Tony

At Publix they give you a free cake for the baby to destroy 

at their 1st birthday. Kaelyn wasn't really interested 

in the cake, maybe she likes chocolate....

Also at Publix, you can get them to airbrush a photo on the cake.

Happy Birthday Kaelyn!

Debra and I went in together on this little house for Kaelyn. 

 I bought flowers to plant and surprised Kaelyn and Debra before the party.

This little house is so cute...it even came with a piece of mail for the mailbox!

 

I couldn't resist buying her a little watering can and of course I had to puff paint it!.

Here's Kaelyn watering her flowers.

She loved the phone! She picked it up and said "bye"

 

 

She was so focused on her new house she didn't want to stop. 

 Marissa and her are buddies!