;)
Every time you purchase Athena® bottled water, you join the fight against breast cancer!
Amanda BeardWednesday
Oct262011
Park, Drive & Fly
At my husband's request we recently saw the film Drive and it's definitely one of those movies where the trailer sells it as something completely different than what it actually is. Usually that's not a good thing but this time I was more than pleasantly surprised.
Instead of being akin to The Fast and the Furious like I thought it would be, Drive shares more with films like True Romance and Heat or even old Clint Eastwood westerns. It's fairly violent, the characters are given plenty of time to develop and Ryan Gosling as a young street-smart driver with an uncertain past says almost nothing which makes his actions mean that much more.
The pacing is sl-o-o-o-w for what seems like the first half but Drive is so beautifully shot it's mesmorizing and picks up so abruptly midway you'll hardly believe you're watching the same movie you were 20 minutes before.
Because it's so uniquely stylized, I can see how Drive might be a love it or hate it film. I absolutely loved it, in fact I would say it's on my top five list for the year. The cast is awesome and the soundtrack is ridiculously amazing if you're into movie scores.
Wednesday
Oct262011
To Miss a Child
As I board my flight and find my seat I come to realize I'm surrounded by kids, none of which are my own. There's a familiarity to the commotion that brings me comfort. A small boy in front of me starts to cry and instinctively I begin to wonder about my own child.
I know Blaise is safe at home with his dad but as the physical distance between us grows so does a pit in my stomach.
It will be gone only when I see his smiling face again.
Tuesday
Oct252011
Morning Workout
If you have any questions please ask in the comment section below and remember this is only an opinion. If you attempt to follow it you are doing so at your own risk and should have prior approval from your physician!
Tuesday
Oct252011
Intermediate Workout
Warm Up (No Intervals)
- 400 Swim
- 300 Kick
- 200 Pull
- 100 Swim
Workout
- 100 Kick (Medium) 2:00
- 2x25 Swim (Fast) :30
- 100 Kick (Medium) 2:00
- 4x25 Swim (Fast) :35
- 100 Kick (Medium) 2:00
- 6x25 Swim (Fast) :40
- 100 Kick (Medium) 2:00
- 8x25 Swim (Fast) :45
- 50 Easy
- 6x100 Freestyle Pull (Buoy/Paddles) 1:30
- 50 Easy
- 20x50 Choice Stroke (50 Easy/50 Fast) 1:00
Warm Down
- 400 Easy
Total: 4,000 Yards
If you have any questions please ask in the comment section below and remember this is only an opinion. If you attempt to follow it you are doing so at your own risk and should have prior approval from your physician!
Monday
Oct242011
Snack Attack
For a post workout snack I love making smoothies. Usually I throw in whatever fruit I happen to have in the kitchen but ideally I'll use the following ingredients:
-1 cup strawberries
-1 banana
-1 heaping tablespoon almond butter*
-2 cups non-fat yogurt
-1/2 to 1 cup chocolate milk depending on the consistency of the yogurt
-1 teaspoon agave nectar**
Blend and enjoy. If you have any favorite smoothie recipes please post them in the comments section so I can give them a try!
*Peanut butter may be used as a substitute. **Honey may be used as a substitute.
If you have any questions please ask in the comment section below and remember this is only an opinion. When making any changes to your diet you are doing so at your own risk and should have prior approval from your physician!
Saturday
Oct222011
Stays in Vegas
I was going to write a few paragraphs to tell about my birthday trip this weekend but then I remembered, what happens in Vegas...
Friday
Oct212011
All-Hallows-Even
Six Pumpkins
Halloween is my favorite day of the Fall season and one thing I love to do to get in the celebratory mood is carve pumpkins. In the Tucson area, the two places my family and I go to get them are Agua Linda Farm and Brian and Kelly's.
The Agua Linda Farm experience is more like a day at a local county fair. There's a petting zoo, a hay maze, a hay ride, a tire swing, a country store with fresh farmed goods and a grill that serves all day. The main attraction of course is their pumpkin patch.
This year we picked as many pumpkins as we could carry and then grabbed a few more that were pre-picked and on display by the cashier. Need I say, Blaise loved every second of our visit.
Brian and Kelley's is a totally different environment that can be best described as a Pumpkin boutique, if there's such a thing. Their selection is amazing and their presentation is at a level above anything I've seen elsewhere in town.
Both this year and last, we didn't notice any activites for shoppers other than shopping but Blaise was quite content being rolled around in the little red cart provided for our orange and white selections.
I realize you probably won't make it to the two places I shop for pumpkins but jump on Google, you might be pleasantly surprised by what's offered close to you. Getting your pumpkins this year can be a really fun experience for the whole family, not just a stop at the grocery store.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Did I say that too early?
Thursday
Oct202011
A Beginner's Workout
Things to remember: swimsuit, cap, goggles, kickboard, hydration, sunscreen. Nothing is worse than getting into the locker room and realizing you forgot something. Also, make sure a lifeguard is on duty.
Warm up is 200 choice swim: 200 choice kick, 8x25's IM (Fly, Back, Breast, Free). Take as much rest as needed.
10x50's Freestyle. Choose your own interval so you challenge yourself: :40 :50, 1:00, 1:10, 1:20.
50 Easy.
10x25's Freestyle. Choose your own interval so you challenge yourself: :20, :30, :40.
50 Easy.
6x75's (25 kick/50 swim). Choice stroke on 1:30.
Warm down is 200 choice swim.
Total: 2100 yards.
If you have any questions please ask in the comment section below and remember this is only an opinion. If you attempt to follow it you are doing so at your own risk and should have prior approval from your physician!
Wednesday
Oct192011
Being Tan is Cool. Having Healthy Skin is Cooler.
The largest organ of the human body is your skin, or epidermis, and as the first line of defense against all kinds of would be invaders it's one of the most important organs you have. What should you do with something that important? PROTECT IT! How? One way is to stay covered up or hide from the sun all together but if you're like me and lead an active lifestyle that's probably not possible. Your next best option is to wear sunscreen. Let me say that again. WEAR SUNSCREEN!!! I'm not a medical expert and my blog disclaimer will assure you of that but of all the advice I can offer, the most important for someone who exercises outside during daylight hours is to wear sunscreen.
As a Mission Athletecare partner I've spent a good amount of time with founder and president Josh Shaw developing skincare products that work, not just for the average person but also for athletes who have a greater need for protection due to the extremes they are exposed to. It's very important to me as someone who's spent twenty six years swimming outdoors to know that the product I put on my skin works. I'm not saying you have to buy Mission products, I'm just telling you what I trust my skin to on a daily basis and why. Ultimately whatever works best for you and your skin you'll end up using and that's what's important.
Before leaving my house for practice I apply a good base layer of Sun Defeated so that it has time to dry well before I get near the water. Once at the pool I apply a second layer just in case I missed any spots as well add a layer of No Sting Facestick to my face. If I'm doing a dry-land workout immediately after getting out of the pool I reapply another layer of everything. This routine keeps me burn free even in the unforgiving Arizona sun.
For a sobering look at skin cancer facts visit the Skin Cancer Foundation or CDC websites and no matter how healthy you are, visit a Dermatologist regularly. Prevention is the best medicine.
Tuesday
Oct182011
Monday
Oct172011
A Day in the Life
- Wake up.
- Eat breakfast. Usually fruit, yogurt and coffee.
- Pick out an outfit for my son Blaise.
- Pack my mommy bag. Diapers, wipes, book, toys, emergency change of clothes, snacks, water.
- Take Blaise to preschool.
- Head to the gym.
- Personal training for an hour or indoor rock climb or swim.
- Head home to work on my book that's due out spring 2012.
- Pack a lunch that my husband Sacha takes to Blaise when he picks him up.
- Eat lunch and recover a liittle.
- Pack swim bag. Swimsuit, cap, goggles, towel, sunscreen, shampoo, conditioner, water.
- Head to the pool.
- Swim hard for two hours.
- Head home for one on one time with Blaise.
- Work in the home office. Catch up on business emails, texts and calls.
- Walk the dogs with my boys in the neighborhood or park.
- Cook dinner.
- Read to Blaise. Babar, Goodnight Moon, Green Eggs and Ham.
- Put Blaise to bed.
- Pick up the house.
- Watch TV. Dexter, Modern Family, Tosh.0
- Work in the home office some more if need be.
- Read.
- Bed.
- Repeat.
- Rest Sunday.
