Confessions of a Cherry Picker

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My Bulk Sweet Potatoes 61 cents/lb

I admit it…I am absolutely a huge cherry picker, and I wanted to get this out to you quickly while the picking is still good…LOL.  I will share exactly what I am talking about…the confessions of a cherry picker…that is ME.  I have always been a money saver, combing the circulars for deals and clipping coupons.  This, my friends is a “cherry picker”…searching the circulars for deals and picking them off. This has also become a fun game for me and I challenge myself each time to save more and more with each shopping adventure.  The key is to stick to the deals and not get sucked into the full price items that are NOT Stay Healthy food items on my list.  I plan my strategy as you will see in the fun video included with this Blog. I also plot my driving route to transition well from store to home…this also saves me on gas money…OH MY…that is another soap box issue…the price of gas right now is absolutely ridiculous.  We all have to do what it takes to save here and there, so I will take the time to put the deals in order according to route.  I also frequent the same stores and know my local groceries pretty well, so that I can get what I need and get out…another time saver.  I am not one to stay in a store for hours…I mean really…NO NO NO…this is temptation to get sucked into things not on my list…I do not care if it is the deal of the century…it is still spending money I would not spend otherwise.  I stick to the circular deals, stick to my list, buy healthy food items, use coupons on items that I buy…and that is how this cherry picker does it.  I also buy in bulk which is another huge savings....I am not one who likes to run back and forth daily to the grocery….I mean really…and why???  The only items I will return to the store for are the produce items like fruits, veggies, and salads…but that may be a once a week quick pick and again using the circulars for deals.  I will share that I shop at Costco for bulk items and you better believe I know if it is a deal or not.  

I am a Cherry Picker

 My cherry picking route looked like this…Costco, Sprouts, Winco and Nugget stores.  I try not to go over 3 stores per pick, but there was such a good deal at the Nugget on the whole free range chickens and Gala apples, it was a MUST stop.   Being a cherry picker enables me to save lots of money, eat healthy, and maintain my physique with fabulous Stay Healthy food.  I also have everything I need on hand in my refrigerator and pantry for every meal throughout the day…being a cherry picker means I have no excuses NOT to eat healthy.  So, it is also a motivator and accountability tool for me.  You may think I am over the top on this one, but it really takes minutes to look through the deals to save money…and believe me….it is worth every penny.  That is what I am all about…being real on how I do things to eat healthy and labeling myself a “cherry picker”…well…there you have it.  Stay Healthy!

Motivation of the Day:  If You Change Nothing, Nothing Will Change

Neg Pull-Ups...Down Slow & Controlled

My Work out of the Day:

30 Minute ARC trainer

Body Stuff repeated 4x

Neg pull-ups 7-10 reps

Hamstring Curls 25lbs 25 reps

Leg Extensions 25lbs 25 reps

Pull downs, 30lbs 25 reps

Low rows, 30lbs 25 reps

BOSU abs, 25 reps

Nutrition of the Day:

Coffee, one cup with f/f French vanilla creamer

1-Thin bun with PB2 (2tblsp mixed with water)

2-Post Workout Shake

3-Lentils and Grilled Chicken

4-Cauliflower Chicken

5-Spinach Salad with Grilled Salmon

Protein ball before bed

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I Use BOTOX…YEP YEP YEP

I use BOTOX

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YEP…the cat is out of the bag…I use BOTOX…OH MY Darla…really?  Yes, every 3 months I attend my standing appointments to maintain my 47 year young self…do I enjoy having it done…absolutely NOT…it is very uncomfortable…but I enjoy the results.  What the heck Darla…OK...let me break this down for you.  Do I see a cosmetic specialist to have this procedure done…a BIG NO…who do I see…My Neurologist.  YES…I have BOTOX injections to alleviate the pain, discomfort, and tension that come with having Torticollis or another name…Cervical Dystonia.  As I have shared in my bio, I have endured injury and along with that…early onset Torticollis, a genetic disorder that may have presented later in my life, but with trauma…oops here it is…early…YUCK…but out of my control.  It is one of those things that I MUST accept and love about myself.  At first, I was so embarrassed about it, because with the disorder comes cervical tremor…the late great Kathryn Hepburn also had the disorder.  I felt like one of those bobble dogs you see sitting on a car dash…lol…  I have to laugh at life and I am no longer hiding who I am and this is a part of me…so if I am a bit shaky sometimes and having a not so good day…oh well…goes with my program.  I have responded well to the BOTOX treatment, and can actually say that it is being used for a fabulous purpose.  Did you know that BOTOX is used to treat medical conditions such as cerebral palsy, migraines, back pain, excessive sweating, weak bladders, and enlarged prostate glands.  I have to honestly say that I could not sit there and have this stuff injected in my face or anywhere else for that matter just for fun thinking it might give me some youthful rewind…YUCK…and further remove my ability to have facial expression when I talk or laugh…OH, hell to the Big NO.  That is just how I feel however and not to offend.  Besides, when that huge needle is penetrating different layers of muscle to get to the root spasm…OMG…it hurts like no other…and to sit through several injections…well, again…no way to elective “I want to have no lines on my face” BOTOX… No, No, and again, No….and the stuff is outrageously expensive…I can’t believe that thousands of dollars are shelled out per treatment and if elective…that is out of pocket…a BIG NO way for this frugal girl.  I am so excited to share that BOTOX IS used for positive benefits such as treating my condition and many others…I experience relief with tremor, reduced pain, tension, and everything YUCK that goes along with Cervical Dystonia. 

Typical Injection Sites for My Cervical Dystonia

  

Relaxing on the Boat Last Week...Life Balance is Key!

 Of course, exercising in addition also provides a stress reducer and endorphin release that provides natural healing that keeps me calm, relaxed, and since Torticollis can be negatively affected by stress…It is important for me to exercise often…and I DO!!!  Why do I write about this…because I am REAL, and I AM who I AM… OPEN…and willing to share my life with you…wanting you to know that everything is possible with limitations and medical conditions.  This is actually the very first time that I have disclosed in depth regarding my Cervical Dystonia and I hope that it reaches many that suffer with the same condition and provides hope to not be ashamed or embarrassed.  Life is too short not to embrace each moment given…it truly is like that.  I take each moment and in that moment, I WILL be my BEST ME…I persevere through the storms and walk strong …do I have fears…who doesn’t…but my Hope, my Strength, and my Will always prevail.  WOW…deep stuff, so on the lighter side of my life…today is a very good day and I am into month 2 of my injections and I feel…whoop whoop FABULOUS!!!  This weeble wobble refuses to fall down.  Now off I go to kick my bootie on the ARC trainer for 60 minutes, then hit my modified weight routine…You See…My Life is Real Good!!!

Motivation of the Day:  The Only Limits on Your Life are Those That you Set Yourself

My Workout of the Day:

60 minute ARC trainer cardio day

Watch my Video…Modified Exercise in My Cage

My Nutrition of the Day:

My Spinach Salad tossed with EV Olive Oil & Balsamic

Coffee, one cup with n/f creamer

Pre-workout shake

Post-workout shake

Egg white salad on high fiber wrap

½ cup mixed beans with salsa, topped with n/f Greek Yogurt

Protein Balls (almond butter, whey, cinnamon, raisins)

Large Spinach salad & Grilled Salmon

1 Graham cracker with peanut butter

Personal Share:  Celebrating my 1^st Anniversary on September 15 married to my fabulous husband ~ My partner, my friend, my support, biggest fan, cheerleader, and My Forever and a Day Love ~ Thank you Babe for being such a wonderful man & I am happy to celebrate this day and look forward to years of Stay Healthy Happiness with YOU;)

Don & Darla Leal, Happily Married September 15, 2010

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Looking Like Myself ~

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Taken Last Weekend ~ Vacation

LOOKING LIKE MYSELF…what do I mean by that?  Well, I have my genetics and my lifestyle of fitness and nutrition that creates…drum roll…ME!  I am not supposed to look like the girl in the magazine, the movies, or anywhere else for that matter.  Back in the day when I competed, did I look at magazines, other girls and think…I need to look like that…why is my body not responding the same way as hers…check out how tight her backside is…on and on…YIKES...and BIG YUCK.  I am so happy to come full circle with knowledge, age (yes…it is fabulous), and wisdom.  I embrace who I am, what I look like…and being the BEST ME…not anyone else.  It would be such a stressful life to constantly compare myself to her, then her, and oh my…her…OH hell to the BIG NO.  Life is too short to even think unrealistic thoughts, goals, and for crying out loud….I AM NOT HER, HER, OR EVEN HER.  Did you know that ALL images in magazines are photo shopped to soften here, cut there, and create unreal images of girls, women, and men representing something that they are not.  I am not saying that they are not fit, although some probably are not in the greatest shape …BUT…lines, bumps, blemishes, rolls, bootie, hips are quickly painted away with a few strokes of a computer…for crying out loud…you can get a photo shopped 6-pack now…lol.  Really????  I am not saying I am anti-photo shop, but if I look at a photo and struggle to recognize who it is and have to go to the credits…I say…horrible…off that soap box.   

 Some of my older model images are slightly photo shopped…not all…but some…and I have to say it is an art of knowing just how much…and loved when some softness was needed.  Overall, I prefer the edgy REAL image that shows me, right here, right now…and those… I embrace the most;)  I really enjoy taking self portraits…no photo shop…most without makeup, and posting them on the blog so that you can see ME, at 47, after kids, injuries, surgeries…and Staying Healthy with my lifestyle. 

Love the NOT overdone photo shop

It is important to want to be ME and not someone else…that tells me that I accept, embrace, and honor who I am as Darla, the woman, wife, mother, trainer, daughter, sister, and friend…How could I even walk the shoes of helping people get healthy if I did not believe in this.  I hear so often…I want to look like you… and I smile, take it as a compliment…and let them know that the goal is to look like them…their BEST self with the wonderful genetics they have. I am a mother with a beautiful daughter full of youth, smooth skin, and body that a 20 year young woman should have and it feels like a reflection in the mirror…ME and that body 20 years ago…BUT that is the point….that was 20 years ago… and all I can do and want for me is celebrate who I am TODAY…and for 47 years young…I am pretty darn happy with that. 

Not Shopped

I embrace my fine lines earned from laughs, smiles, and a few frowns along the way and also the energy that I still maintain from taking care of myself…and say…YES YES YES.  I believe that aging is a privilege and an honor and although there is no such thing as the fountain of youth…the only way to keep this body and mind young is through living a healthy life…that means regular exercise, healthy foods, plenty of rest, and balance of work and play.  Also, living a healthy life and feeling youthful decreases my risk of illness…I want to do my best to live a good long life.  When it comes down to me and my mirror…there is acceptance and I look back and smile…YEP…the lines are there…I EARNED EVERY ONE!!!

 

THIS IS ME!!!!

Motivation of the Day:  Don’t Compare Yourself to Others in Your Journey of Life…Let Your Life be Yours…and Live it to the Fullest!

My Workout of the Day:

ARC Trainer: 30 minutes

Body Stuff: (light today…a bit tired) 1 minute intervals

Modified french press (repeated 4x in between legs)

1 set cross back step ups

1 set reverse lunges

1 set squat lateral lifts

STRETCH TIME

Meal 3

Nutrition of the Day:

Coffee, one cup

1-1 Chocolate Cherry Whey Protein Muffin

2-Post Workout Shake/ ¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds

3-Shredded Chicken & Spinach Wrap

4-Small potato topped with n/f Greek Yogurt

5-Ground Turkey Breast Burger & Grilled Corn

6-Watermelon/Protein Ball

Personal Share:  Hubby wanted to prepare a full course healthy meal for me, so last night on the menu was: Appetizer: Grilled Jumbo Shrimp marinated in an orange ginger sauce and Chicken Sausage Skewer ~ Main Dish: Grilled Salmon and Brussel Sprouts ~ Dessert: Grilled Peaches stuffed with Goat Cheese topped with crushed Raw Walnuts.  He paired the dinner with a light Muscat wine.  The meal was absolutely fabulous….and we created a small video of part of it…bloopers are fun.  Enjoy the images as well.

 

Stay Healthy!

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