Anyway... I am passing along the beautifying benefits of rose water to you. I have been in the process of formulating a rose water clay facial for some time now, and the timing was right. I was able to harvest a batch before the roses are gone... and utilize it :)
This post's title is mouthful, I know-- but I wanted to capture everything I was going to post about... I need to learn the art of catchy titles instead of summarizing titles. Wherefore art thou creativity?
Anyway, I wanted to give everyone an update on how our Tough Mudder training is going.
Basically, we're going off of the workouts posted on their website:
The first time I did it, I was completely out of breath after the warm up. Guys, this is probably the most deceptive workout I've ever done. In addition to Tough Mudder circuits 3 times/week, I am also taking classes at 24Hour. I try to squeeze in 3-4 classes/week, and workouts sometimes overlap with Tough Mudder Training.
And honestly, it's making a world of difference for my fitness. It's amazing how much more energy you have, how you develop muscles you never knew you had, and how great you feel about... everything. I have always enjoyed working out, but have never really pushed this hard, and gotta admit-- it's awesome and addicting, but the first 2 weeks were the hardest.
Starting out, I was constantly sore, everything hurt. My legs felt like they couldn't make it up the stairs. I'm mixing up all kinds of workouts: cardio, strength, endurance, HIIT, flexibility -- it really helps to keep things fun and interesting.
Also, if you are just starting to work out, I highly recommend having a workout buddy. My coworker and I take the classes together, and the bf, roomie and I do the Tough Mudder circuits together. It's awesome.
As far as diet goes, we're eating more whole, unprocessed foods. Not everything we eat is entirely whole grain organic and all that jazz-- we keep it practical, delicious, and for the most part very healthy.
Here's an example of a meal one night:
I took canned bamboo and 3 broccoli crowns:
Added it to some chicken thigh marinated in soy sauce, sugar, garlic, onions to create a stir fry filled with veggies and protein:
We served this with basmati rice; a white rice with the lowest glycemic index. Unfortunately we can't get ourselves to eat brown rice yet so white rice will have to do.
In other news, I am continuing to ride the geometric trend!
I made these two pairs of Neon Geometric earrings (yep, riding the Neon trend as well) -- what do you think? This is a pretty modern and simplistic design.
I choose the heliotrope hearts because their purple-blue-black tone is really perfect for representing the "dark" and extremely powerful Sailor Saturn. I may consider doing a cosplay version of her earrings in the future..
Lastly, here is Loki.
This is his favorite way to hang out with us in the computer room. He likes to camp out in front of one of our keyboards and totally pass on out his back, with his paws in the air. Unfortunately this photo doesn't show him on his back, but I think you get the idea. How can anyone get anything done with a cute kitty in front of them??
I'm off for the night-- have a great one, everyone!
I've been MIA this last week from virtual reality..
And here's why.
Last week, Brian, some friends and I decided that we were going to get in shape to do the Tough Mudder next September (2013).
What is the Tough Mudder?
Per their website:
"Tough Mudder events are hardcore 10-12 mile obstacle courses designed by British Special Forces to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie. With the most innovative courses, half a million inspiring participants, and more than $3 million raised for the Wounded Warrior Project, Tough Mudder is the premier adventure challenge series in the world."
A great video that highlights the Tough Mudder Philosophy:
So... what the heck? Why are we doing this?
We want to challenge our minds and bodies. We think marathons are boring, unfortunately. I personally just do not care for running 26+ miles. I think it's wonderful that many people partake in marathons and admire them all, but it's just not my thing.
This is our attempt to make a long term, positive change for our health. Strength and endurance will be built over time by eating well, being active, and taking good care of our bodies, including getting enough sleep. The Tough Mudder is going to be a great way for team members to bond and hold each other accountable for long term goals.
The awesome part about Tough Mudder that I love: no man left behind. You can't finish until your whole team finishes. And the whole point of this is camaraderie, so it promotes teamwork. It's not a race. Sure, it's tough and extremely physically/mentally exhausting, but that's just one part of the whole point of this thing. People from different teams are also encouraged to help each other.
We're taking baby steps. None of us are in poor shape, per se, but we have seen better days in college. Working 8-9 hrs/day in front of a computer does nothing for our health. The terrifying thing is that it's getting easier and easier for me to sit for longer periods of time. It's quite disgusting. I have caught myself sitting 3 hours with no break and... it's not a good thing.
And it really doesn't help that Diablo 3 is one of our main sources of entertainment this last 2 weeks :). Check out my new setup! I bought a new monitor and am using a desktop for gaming ... eventually I'll upgrade it and use it for everything ... eventually.
It's hard to play games with Loki decides to lay in front of the keyboard... (Well, it's hard to do anything when he does that, and he loves to do that...)
Oh, and here's our whole setup in the office room... haha.
We do spend a lot of our free time in this room...
Anyway, back to Tough Mudding.
By making this commitment as a group, we are going to keep each other motivated. We're slowly changing our diet to include more whole/organic foods. It's not going to be a strict diet; it's going to be one that will properly fuel our body for the training we're putting it through. All junk in moderate amounts. No one plan to deprive themselves.
My personal goal is to get leaner and lose some body fat. Get some buff arms. I'm not worried about gaining bulk-- I don't have enough testosterone.
I'll probably occasionally post work outs, meals here just in case anyone is interested in what we're up to :)
My coworker and I area also joining 24 hour fitness. We tried it out with their 3 day free pass Mon - Wed-- we're going to be taking the classes, not using the equipment. The idea is that I take these classes, and along with the Tough Mudder recommended workouts, I will get in super shape.
Has anyone here done a Tough Mudder and have training advice or tips? Would love to hear your thoughts.
Asides from gaming, I've also made a few creations.
I'm bringing back my poly clay rose studs due to high demand. I found pearlescent Fimo clay and mixed that with a red and fuchsia to get this pearly baby pink:
I also found Swarovski flatback butterflies, so wanted to make studs with them as there are no holes through the beads. They're cute!
These Disco Ball earrings have been in the works a while, but I'd always forget to order the materials when I place orders with my supplier. I finally remembered:
Super shiny checkerboard round beads!
I launched a series of Chevron necklaces-- inspired by the geometric trend that's going on right now. Instead of using beads, I went ahead and make my own from polymer clay. Took a while to get the shape right. I think I will do a tutorial on these when I have the time. You are free to request other combinations if you'd like!
This granite one is a little different. It's very modern and chic; it looks like you're wearing granite. It's poly clay mixed with some black and silver speckles. Very cool :)
The redesign of the Sugar Scrub jars have been in the works for months now. Finally found a jar I like, fits a good amount of product and is easy to ship! Enjoy the new Vanilla Latte scrub I have available as well:
I love. love. love. the way this smells. I'm addicted to making my own Vanilla Lattes, and this makes me really want one. ( I'm.. actually sipping one right now... haha)
And the Matcha Mint, which people have grown to really enjoy:
Last but not least, I leave you tonight with photos of Achilles' (our housemate's) murder presents for us left over the last two days:
He actually had 2 today, but I'm not posting the other one because it's purely guts. One of the ones pictured above was left over from yesterday's presents. Yesterday, he also brought back a dead, but fully intact rat-- he left it for us! But we didn't touch it, and a neighbor's cat came by and took it off our hands, hahah.
Achilles has been quite the hunter lately.
Have a wonderful and safe long weekend, everyone!
I have a 15% coupon going on this weekend with code: heqimday2012
