Friday, March 31, 2017

Thanks For Buying The Chocolate Covered Almonds Chuck!


A blog I follow puts out a 'prompt of the day' calendar each month to help fellow bloggers who are looking for fresh ideas. One prompt this month was

"Share your most outrageous (or inspirational) road trip story."

Immediately, I thought,

Thanks For Buying The Chocolate Covered Almonds Chuck!

If you know me pretty well, you know that things happen to me and my family (specifically my mother, sister and daughter), that just do not happen to anyone else. And these events are usually either baffling, hilarious or deadly things. Often times a combination of two or  all three of those.

Here is a little story about one of those times.

Back in 2012, we took a family trip to Hawaii. It was my mom and stepdad (Chuck), me, Jeremy and Brooke. We were staying in a lovely condo on the Big Island and had been out exploring all day.

<at some point remind me to tell y'all about the really awesome people at CrossFit All Star AND why doing a workout with 150 good mornings is NOT a great wod to do on the first morning of your vacation.>

On the way back to the condo, we realized we needed some groceries so my stepfather dropped all of us off at the condo and then ran to the store down the road. As we were filing in, we noticed we had some new neighbors moving into the condo next door. We laughed a bit because it appeared they were not there for a vacation, they were there for a party!

They looked like locals and there was no luggage that we could see. Just tons of coolers and Rubbermaid boxes full of snacks being hauled in. I can't remember how many people and tubs of snacks, but enough that it looked like they had robbed a Sam's Club.

As long as they didn't get loud and interrupt my sleep, I didn't care! Party on Wayne. Party on Kai.

While Chuck was picking up some meat to grill for dinner as well as drinks and snacks, we all sprawled out all over the condo and were chilling out reading, listening to music, napping, and what have you.

Since this was Hawaii and the weather is generally great, the condo didn't have AC. It wasn't really a problem because we would just open the front door and the patio door. Doing so created a great breeze through the condo that kept everything nice and cool.

Real quick, let me give you a visual of the layout of the condo, as best I can.

When you walked in the door there was a small bedroom to your right, then a small bathroom. On the left were a set of stairs. Once you went past these rooms and stairs you entered into the kitchen and living area. From the couch, you could see the front door and all the first floor.

The couch was were I was perched when I saw something out of the corner of my eye go whooshing by and out the front door!

WHAT WAS THAT? WHO WAS THAT? OH MY GAW!

Then I started laughing hysterically because I realized that one of our new neighbors had accidentally went into our bathroom instead of theirs! I mean, our door was propped open and he/she must have had to go really bad and went into the wrong condo. How long was the Bathroom Guest in there?? How long did BG sit on the toilet before realizing,

"OH MY I'm in the wrong condo!"

But wait....

There's more.....

A little while later Chuck is back from the store and the groceries have been put away. My daughter (Brooke) runs to the restroom before we start cooking. She comes out with a gallon size plastic jar of chocolate covered almonds.  I mean, it's HUGE (say in Trump voice if it makes you happy.)

She has the gigantic jar of chocolate covered almonds open and is throwing them in her mouth by the handful. I take a few from her as she settles on the couch and she continues eating them. As Chuck wanders by....

Brooke- Thanks for buying these awesome chocolate covered almonds Chuck!

Chuck- blank look

My mom- Oh, that's a huge container!

Chuck- I didn't buy those.

Everyone- <insert blank face confused emoji>

Everyone- Wild, uncontrollable laughter as we realize where the almonds came from. Discussion abounds about multiple topics such as the gross factor of eating someone else's almonds. The gross factor of eating almonds out of the bathroom. The question of  was the Bathroom Guest eating almonds while using the restroom and plotting his/her escape? The morality of whether to keep or return the almonds as it was probably a really expensive canister of almonds. The question of how pissed were BG's friends when they realize the almonds are missing.

The decision was made to return the almonds so Mom and I go knock on the BG's condo door.

The door slowly opens about halfway and 3-4 faces peer out at us.

Me- Um, I think someone in your group forgot these.

A hand quickly grabs the almonds and the door slams.

We laugh and laugh back over to our condo with mock incredulity that they didn't even say, "Thanks".

That night, BG and crew did party on. They were not too loud, but it was clear they were having a good time. The next day, they were all gone and no trace of them remained.


Seriously, does this crap happen to anyone else or is it just me?

Stay Strong Y'all!

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Wednesday, March 29, 2017

I Was Featured On Rent The Runway!

Hey guys,

I had an opportunity to discuss the biggest career move I ever made for Rent The Runway! Check it out and read about me and six other women who dared to be BOLD!

Stay Strong Y'all!

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Why Normal People Can’t Have Abs

Did that title catch you attention? Did it make you feel a little smug and justified as to why you don’t have abs? I mean, of course you don’t have abs! You don’t have the genetics of those supermodels or CrossFit athletes. #notfair

Or did it irritate you a little bit because now you think you can never have abs? Like maybe you’ve always wanted abs, but now you realize you can never have them because you are, after all, a normal person.

Well, I’m sorry to tell you, but you are right. If you are a ‘normal’ person, you will never have abs. Think about the average person in the United States. You know the ‘normal’ person. Does he have abs?

The normal person has habits and excuses that they resort to day after day that keep a layer of fluff around their midsections. ABnormal people have a set of rules and regulations that govern their healthy habits and keep those beautiful 6 packs on display.

Abs don’t magically appear because you wish for them. But you can become ABnormal and adopt the habits of those 6 Packers. Once you decide to no longer be normal, you can become ABnormal!

Take a look at these habits and see where you fall.

Normal folks
ABnormal folks
Go to the gym when it is convenient or when they have a spare moment
Fitness is non-negotiable. They have a workout routine and they schedule their lives to incorporate that
Exercise regularly, but don’t track food intake
Know that abs are made in the kitchen
Eat out for lunch daily
Bring their lunch and snacks with them wherever they go
Throw all healthy eating plans out the window on the weekend
Realize that the weekends are just as important to their goals as weekdays
Don’t weigh, measure and/or track foods eaten
Know their macro goals and consistently track & monitor each bite of food
Don’t eat enough protein
Realize that abs are muscles and you need to fuel them with protein to keep them strong
Don’t eat enough/cut calories excessively
To fuel their workouts and keep their muscles strong, ABnormal folks make sure to fuel their bodies every day.
Do 100 sit ups every day
Know you cannot spot train. To have strong, prominent abs, you have to eat right, have low enough body fat for abs to show and strength train.
Run for hours
Realize that cardio is important for fitness, but don’t do so much that they cannibalize the muscle they have.
Have kids/family/job and use them as an excuse
Objectively look at their obligations and schedule time for themselves. They set a good example for their family of self-care and health.
Treats every meal as a celebration and/or last supper
Treats every meal as an opportunity to get closer to their goals or to move away from them.
Dietary compliance is all over the place.
90% + diet compliance. People with abs do enjoy food and treats, but it is savored and enjoyed with the bigger picture in mind.
Eat a diet full of highly processed carbohydraes
Acquires most all carbs from veggies and fruits
Whip into a fast food place because they are starving
Whip the car off the road and dig through their stash of healthy snacks they keep with them at all times.
Gives up after 15 days because rewards aren’t coming fast enough
Knows that this isn’t a diet. It’s a lifestyle. There is no end point.

Now, I’m not saying normal is wrong. Normal is normal. Normal is fine! But if you really want abs, you have to reject normal and accept the ABnormal mindset. You have to adopt the ABnormal habits. You can no longer sit around and wonder why you work so hard, but don’t have abs.

If the ABnormal list looks a little weird and hard, trust me, it is! That’s why most people don’t have 6 packs! But it's not un-doable. It's just a mindset.

And don’t confuse ABnormal with neglecting your other life responsibilities. All of the things ABnormal people do can be done by anyone while still leading a full, balanced life.

DISCIPLINE IS JUST CHOOSING BETWEEN WHAT YOU WANT MOST AND WHAT YOU WANT RIGHT NOW.

Got thoughts or questions? Let me know below.

STAY STRONG Y’ALL!

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Thursday, March 16, 2017

The Problem Of Getting A Bad Ass New Shirt...

A few Friday's ago, LiveSore Nashville came to the box for 17.2 and I went home with this sweet "Traps & Tats" tank.

I frickin' love it. I feel so boss and bad ass when I rock it.

However, I also feel like a fraud. A hypocrite.

You see, the shirt says, "Tats".

As in plural.

As in more than one.

I only have one tat.

Can I wear this shirt honestly?

Should I get another tat?

I want another tat.

But I'm trying to save money.

And I want a big tat.

Hand drawn by my daughter.

Seriously, it's already drawn up.

Or maybe just a little tat.

A small, minimal something that is actually really deep and metaphorical.

Do tattoos go on sale?

Do you want a tat that was on sale?

Can J do it? He's artsy.

Do they sell tattoo guns on Amazon?

Oh wow, they do.

Hmmmm....what all else would we need?

Is it cheaper just to get the tat at my shop?

Wait, can I say, "my shop" since I only have one tattoo?

Hang on. Since my current tat is actually a cover up...do I indeed have 'tats', plural?

The circle of life.

Oh man, two gym buds just brought up the 'let's get tats' discussion.

#want

Random conversations I have with myself.

Stay Strong Y'all!


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Saturday, March 11, 2017

Gooood morning, good morning! Good morning routines!

Good morning! 

I enjoy reading and learning about other people’s lives. Especially really successful, driven people. I want to know what they eat, how they sleep, what they do for fun, how they schedule their day, how they handle email, how they prioritize stuff, how they avoid burn out…..how do they do it??


One thing I have found that successful people have in common is morning routines. They all start their day very intentionally with the idea of starting off calm, focused and centered. 

Most of them do some form of these things.

Meditation
Journaling
Exercise

Most of them do NOT do these things.

Check email
Open social media
Hit the snooze button
Do work/occupation stuff

Their intentions are to spend the first part of their day focusing on their needs and making themselves an overall better person. Most of them emphasize this is not a long, drawn out routine. 5-10 minutes of meditation along with 5 minutes of journaling while drinking their morning breakfast beverage (most drink tea). And then another 5-10 minutes of stretching, yoga or mild calisthenics. Some of them do their daily workout in the morning, so of course, that takes longer.

Basically, one half hour to start their day on the right foot.

By opening email and social media first thing in the morning, you are letting other people determine how your day starts off. And if it is work email, you are letting others dictate your priorities for the day. These successful people choose not to let other people’s requests/needs affect their schedule or feelings right off the bat. Think about it. If something has happened overnight that is a true emergency, you would already know because someone would have actually called you.

The world won’t end if you don’t connect with the world within 30  minutes of waking up. I promise.

Knowing all that, let me share my routine(s).

When I was teaching my morning routine was routine, but there was nothing calm, focused or centered about it. I got up, fixed coffee, took a shower, made myself presentable, fixed a quick bite and drove to school. And that was on a good morning. It didn’t happen often, but I occasionally overslept or I couldn’t find the skirt I wanted or my hair just would not dry or I left the house only to turn around after three miles because I left my bag at home. Ya know, the stuff that happens to all of us.

It worked, but it didn’t necessarily start my day off in a Zen like state. And since I was already getting up at 4:50, getting up even earlier to do all these hippy- trippy- namaste things was just. not. happening.

Then, once I was no longer teaching and no longer having to get up at the butt crack of dawn, I decided to do a focused morning routine. I would get up, fix my coffee and go sit on our front porch swing. I would bring out three books. The book I was currently reading, a copy of The Secret and my journal. I would spend a few minutes reading and writing positive affirmations in my journal. On a super good day I’d even do a few sun salutations!

And get this, I didn’t even bring my phone outside at all!


Then we sold our house and life got way more interesting. I realized last week that I no longer have that morning routine and I miss it. Currently my morning looks like this.
Get up and fix coffee. Open email and read TheSkimm and The Morning Brew while drinking coffee. Nibble on breakfast #1. Open FB and look at notifications. If I see something important, I’ll read that. Then I get dressed and ready for work.

While there’s nothing terrible about that routine (and I do learn a lot with those two emails!), it doesn’t exactly fit with what I’d like to accomplish for myself in the mornings. As the weather gets nicer, I want to get back into that routine of reading, being thankful and sending out positive juju into the universe. Of course, I could totally do these things inside, but something about being outside just makes it better!

Y’all know I’m big on goal setting, so here we go. I’m setting a goal to get this morning routine back on track at least twice per week. I’ve got to go dig my copy of The Secret out of storage and get my journaling pen ready, but that part is easy. It just the part of dragging my lazy-non-morning-person butt up and at ‘em that is hard!


What does your morning look like? 

What could you do to make it a more positive experience?


Stay Strong Y'all!


I just updated my "Affiliates I Love" page, check it out!

Hey, I know you may not know me that well, but can I ask you to do something for me? Do me a favor and subscribe to my email list. Not only will you be able to keep up with all my random thoughts


And if you are hip on the social media, 

Follow me on Facebook at Angie McCord, Fitness, Nutrition and Life Improvement.
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