Tag Archive for oscar

Valentine’s Day Weekend Recap! {Photos}

Posted on by

I’m not usually one that’s big on Valentine’s Day, but when it falls on a Saturday, it’s just a good excuse to spend time together and do something fun!

Charlie told me we had plans on Saturday (V-day), but didn’t tell me what we were doing. We ran a few errands, hopped in the car with Oscar, and headed north. Traffic sucked, but after a few hours, we arrived in Santa Barbara! I’d never been there, so it was a really nice surprise.

We stopped for food first (obviously) at The Natural Cafe. It was actually the first place we saw, and we decided to try it. It was SO SO good. I got a chicken/veggie/rice dish and it was amazing. The chicken was perfectly cooked and I devoured it.

IMG_6568After lunch, we walked down to the beach for a bit.

IMG_6581We let Oscar walk on the sand for a minute and just as we suspected, this is what happened:

He is such a goof! Sand is like his kryptonite. It makes him nuts!!

This led us to the main event of the day. Yes, our valentine’s day revolved around our dog. We headed to Douglas Park, which is an off-leash dog park located on the beach in Santa Barbara. It was gorgeous there and Oscar had a BLAST running around and playing with the other dogs. Here are some photos from the park:

IMG_6585

Frolicking on the beach.

IMG_6600

Oscar trying to play with another boxer puppy.

IMG_6610

Dirty pup after running through sand and murky water for HOURS.

Oscar had a BLAST running around. He was terrified of the ocean water, but him and a few other dogs found a big body of stagnant, murky, muddy water and ran through that for a while. Just lovely, right?

IMG_6588We ended the day with a coffee and a nice sunset before heading back down to Santa Monica.  Oscar was tuckered out by the time we got home.

Last Oscar photo...but seriously...is he not the cutest dog ever

Questions:

1. What did you do for Valentine’s Day?

2. What’s your favorite V-Day candy?

Mine is definitely conversation hearts.

Posted in Weekends tagged with , , , , ,

Oscar Rides The Treadmill

Posted on by

Happy Thursday! Can you believe Christmas is in exactly ONE WEEK?! Crazy, right???

I still haven’t done any shopping. Oops! It kind of crept up on me this year, but I’ll make up for it! 🙂

Guys, I have to show you this hilarious video of my boy, Oscar. We decided to put him on the treadmill the other night to see what he would do….

NOTHING. He did nothing. We were cracking up. I thought for sure that he would be weirded out when the belt started moving, but nope! Just sat there like a turkey on a conveyer belt. That dog!

In other news, my workouts lately have been SO AWESOME. I haven’t updated you guys lately, so here goes!

Back in November when I was home for Thanksgiving, I made a stop by Bret Contreras’s garage/gym. Bret was my very first trainer and still my most trusted! He put me through a workout and followed it up with a plan for me to do out here in sunny CA.

I’ve been doing this program ever since then, which is about 3 weeks. I am doing 3-4 full body workouts each week and varying between heavy weight (1-5 reps), medium weight (8-12 reps), and low weight (20-30 reps) in each workout. I’m doing things like back squats, front squats, deadlifts, hip thrusts, chin ups, and bench press. There are also some other exercises that are thrown in, but it’s fun to stick to the major lifts for the most part.

pull up picThis program has been GREAT for me. I not only love doing it, but my body is responding REALLY well to it. My butt is totally getting firmer. I haven’t seen results this quick in a long time. Maybe ever?

Anyways, here are my workouts for the week!

Sunday: Rode bikes on the beach with my brother + walked all over Venice (done)

SM VENICE2 VENICE1Monday: 20 min. HIIT + Full Body Workout (done)

Tuesday: Boxing  (done)

Wednesday: Full Body Workout (done)

Thursday: Boxing

Friday: 20 min. HIIT

Saturday: Full Body Workout

Sunday: Active Recovery

I’m gearing up for the weekend. I have a few holiday parties to go to, so it should be a fun one! I’ll definitely have some pictures to share next week!

Question of the Day

1. What is your favorite holiday food?

I love the cookies. Hands down 🙂

Posted in Oscar, Workout tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

A Day in the Life Part II

Posted on by

Here’s another edition of “A Day in the Life!” from yesterday!

6:30am: My alarm goes off. I purposefully set it extra early so that I can snooze a bit more.

clock7:30am: I finally decide it’s really time to get out of bed and get ready for the day. Charlie tells me that Oscar had to go out super early this morning and that he might not be feeling well. 🙁

7:45am: I start getting ready for the day, which includes putting on my brand new @ReebokWomen gear! (note: SkyScapes are my new obsession)

reebokoutfit8:33am: Charlie and I head out to get our morning coffee at our local joint. The edmeds24 machine is broken and I have to get a regular coffee (the horror!).

8:45am: I get on the road to head to the Reebok FitHUB Studio City grand opening! (I’ll have a full post up next week about the event!)

9:12am: I pull over to do a conference call for work.

9:36am: I arrive at the Reebok FitHUB store and quietly find my yoga mat. Tara Stiles is teaching and Haylie Duff is hanging out, which is such a treat!

Thank you for a great yoga class at the BRAND NEW Reebok FitHUB Studio City!! The store is OFFICIALLY OPEN!!!Fantastic morning with some great ladies! Nice to meet you ! Thanks for this great event!10:30am: Yoga class finishes and I start taking photos, chatting with people, and then buy a pair of shoes (naturally).

11am: I leave the store and head back down to Santa Monica. Traffic sucks in a major way, so I take some side streets and make it down in about 30 minutes.

11:30am: I arrive home to a literal SHIT STORM. Poor pup. I call the vet to make an emergency appointment.

photo 5

11:36am: I sit down to do some work before the vet appointment and eat a snack of an apple, almond butter, and a protein shake (with pumpkin added…YUM).

applealmondutter12:47pm: Charlie gets home. We take Oscar out one last time and try to get a “sample” to bring to the vet. It’s a hilarious adventure and ultimately, we got something! {I know you wanted to know, that’s why I told you.}

1:37pm: We arrive at the vet, fill out paperwork, and are seen almost instantly. If only human doctor’s were this fast!

1:45pm: The vet sees us and checks Oscar out head to toe.

2:16pm: We head home with some meds for the pup. He seems like his goofy self, so hopefully it’s nothing serious.

photo 3

2:40pm: We stop at the Co-Op so Charlie can get a smoothie and I can get some chicken. As soon as we get back to the car, we realize Oscar needs to go outside. (Yes, we found out the hard way).

2:52pm: We get home, Charlie heads back to work, and I work from home for a few hours. I make some chicken and sweet potatoes to eat for what I guess I’ll call lunch.

5:07pm: I head to the gym to take a boxing class. I’m tired, but I know I’ll feel better once I’m done.

6:41pm: I leave the gym a sweaty mess and feel good. I head to the grocery store to get dinner supplies: ground beef, avocado, and some chips and salsa for Charlie

7:50pm: Charlie gets home. He cooks dinner while I shower, and eventually we devour the food. SO GOOD. I had a bunless burger with avocado and a slice of cheddar cheese. It was delicious.

8:25pm: Now…I’m writing this post and we’re on the couch cuddling with our love bug who is exhausted.

photo 2

Questions of the Day

1. Do you own a pet? What do you do when he/she’s sick? I feel so helpless when Oscar doesn’t feel good. :-/

2. Am I the only weirdo that sets my alarm a full hour before I need to get up?

 

 

Posted in Day in the Life tagged with , , , , , , ,

Tuesday Things & a Funny Oscar Video

Posted on by

Hey guys,

I’m currently at the grand opening of the Reebok FitHUB Studio City this morning. This yoga and breakfast event is hosted by Tara Stiles and Haylie Duff! I’ll have a full review up on the blog next week! In case you’re curious now, you can find other Reebok FitHUB locations here: http://fitness.reebok.com/Reebok-FitHub/Articles/2014-10/New-Reebok-FitHubs/

Tuesday Things (random thoughts from my brain)

1. My new lifting program from Bret Contreras leaves me SO hungry! I am basically doing a full body lifting session 3-4 days per week. I’m loving it so much, but my appetite is through the roof! SO excited to be lifting BIG again and I can’t wait to see how this changes the game for me.

Glute pump goin' on. Heavy squats, Bulgarian squats, 45 degree hyperextensions, banded hip abduction.

2. Kombucha addictions are expensive. I think I need to either pick having a gourmet coffee OR a Kombucha every day, not both. If I just start making my morning coffee at home, I can make room in the budget for this Kombucha addiction, which seems to be ever-growing.

3. Sugar affects me much differently these days. Since I have stayed pretty consistent with staying away from sugar since my No Sugar Added Challenge ended, anytime I do eat sugar, I feel pretty sick. It has made me not want to eat really sugary foods. This is a new thing.

4. I bought a Squat Sponge for when I do hip thrusts. Game changer.  (a.k.a, no more bruised hips!)

$T2eC16J,!zoE9s5nd0o2BR1KZf0MSg~~60_57

5. I watched the movie “Come Back to Me” on Netflix last night. It was kind of your typical thriller with the naive girl who can’t see the obvious, BUT it was actually pretty good. I wouldn’t say it’s GREAT, but it definitely had me on the edge of my seat. Thought I’d share since finding good thriller movies on Netflix can be kind of a needle in a haystack ordeal.

come_back_to_me

6. For your entertainment, watch my dog completely talk back to me. Punk.

 

 

Posted in Oscar, random tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Thanksgiving Weekend Recap {Pictures & Videos!}

Posted on by

Happy Monday AND December 1st! This is the best kind of Monday, the start of a new month! How many of you set some goals for the month already??? I definitely did! While I don’t ever think waiting for a Monday or 1st of the month is necessary, it sure makes it more fun for my OCD brain. 😀

Ah, this past week/weekend was quite busy and enjoyable! We drove into emmawatson-fans on Tuesday night and didn’t get in until about 2am. LA traffic is no joke. Our little guy did great on the road trip, though and at one point, even offered to drive.

oscardriveWednesday, I headed to an old friend’s house to get a workout in. Bret was the person that got me into lifting weights, so I had to revisit the past and train with him while I was home!

I hit some MAJOR PR’s while I was there!

275 lb Hip Thrust for 3 reps

215 lb Deadlift for 1 rep

I haven’t even come close to those weights before so I was beyond stoked! It was a great way to start out my trip!

Thanksgiving morning, Charlie, Oscar and I headed out to the park for a family workout. We did:

Turkey Leg Workout: 5 Rounds

  • 10 Push Ups
  • 15 Lemon Squeezers (or you could do sit ups)
  • 15 Squats
  • 100 yd. Sprint

Oscar did all the sprints with us! He was tired out by the end (and so were we!).

oscarparkOur Thanksgiving meal was delicious, and so were the desserts. Since we had extended our No Added Sugar challenge, this was the FIRST TIME we had sugar in 37 days!!!

The verdict? We both felt super sick and decided that we will try to stay away from sugar as much as possible. We will still have treats here and there, but the way we both have felt while OFF the sugar is sooooo much better than how we felt ON sugar. We definitely won’t be going back to any old habits.

Friday was a fun day that revolved around…DOGS. We started the day by taking Oscar to the dog park. We have so much fun watching him play with the other dogs! Afterwards, we headed to my mom’s house so that Oscar could meet my furry brother, Knuckles.

oscarknucklesThey loved eachother. Knuckles was so tolerant of Oscar’s puppy antics. We took them both on walks and hung around for most of the day.

Saturday was my nephew Matty’s 2nd birthday! He has gotten SOO big. He is truly a little boy now. It was fun to watch him play around with the other kids. His excitement when the cake was brought out might have also been the cutest thing ever. He was SOOOO EXCITED.

sanchezfamMy sister’s little family (soon to be 4 of them!)

After the party, we were all pretty exhausted, so we hopped in the car and started the long trek back to LA.

oscarsleepOverall, this was such a wonderful Thanksgiving with my family! I love being able to spend time with them and got a much needed break. Now I’m ready to tackle the new month with a clear, fresh mind!

P.S. I’ll be releasing more information about my FREE E-BOOK, The 10 DAY SEXY SLIMDOWN, this week! Stay tuned! If you can’t wait, you can subscribe to my newsletter on the top left of this page. 🙂

Question of the Day

1. What was the highlight of your holiday?

 

 

Posted in holidays, Vacation, Workout tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Weekend Fun w/ Oscar + Not A Lazy Sunday Workout {video}

Posted on by

I am really loving the weather lately in Santa Monica. It’s slightly chilly, yet still not “cold”. I realize it doesn’t get REAL cold here, but I’m from Arizona, so to me it gets freezing!! Right now, it’s perfect sweater weather.

Life with Oscar is pretty awesome, too. We love this dog SO SO much and are so happy to have him in our lives.

dogfam

I could cuddle with this guy all day….

cuddlingwithoscarThis weekend was a random mix of all kinds of activities! We packed a lot in, but I still feel like I relaxed too.

Saturday morning, Charlie and I did a recording session with eight 9-year old girls! My good friend runs a fantastic day camp called Sand Sisters. They do all kinds of activities like paddle boarding, yoga, crafts, and singing songs at the recording studio! It’s an amazing program designed to get the kids outdoors and using their hands to create. They work on self image, empowerment, and bonding with their “sisters”. If I was a kid, I would definitely be in this camp!

We brought Oscar to the studio with us and weren’t sure how he’d do with a bunch of kids running around. Turns out he LOVED it and totally wanted to partake in all of the action.

oscaratstudio

That evening, we wanted to go see Interstellar, but we didn’t plan ahead and it was basically sold out everywhere we went. Bummer! Instead, we ate dinner at home and watched reruns of The Office. I lasted about 10 minutes and crashed out on the couch.

Sunday morning, we headed out to watch some football. Chiefs won, woohoo! After the game, it was time for a workout!

Not a Lazy Sunday Workout

3 Supersets of the following:

-Medicine Ball Thrusters + Plank Walks

-In/Out Bench Jumps (video below) + Kettle Bell Swings

-Kettle Bell Cleans + Kettle Bell Snatches

Finisher: 3 sets of: 10 Squats + Sled push + 5 Push Ups + Sled Push

Pardon my awkward face at the start of the video. I’m confused a lot 😀

This was a really great full body workout! We were exhausted by the end of it.

After we showered up, it was Oscar’s turn for a workout. We took him to the dog park for the first time and OMG, he had a blast! That dog runs SO fast. He had so much fun playing with the other dogs. We ended up staying there for almost 2 hours. We finally headed home around 6 so we could make dinner and relax. I peaked in the back seat about a minute after we left the dog park and this is what I saw:

oscarafterdogparkClearly, he got some energy out!

Hope your weekend was great, too! I’ll be back tomorrow!

Question of the Day

1. Do you workout with your significant other? Why/why not?

2. Do you let your dog sleep in bed with you?

We only let him come in when invited….we swore we wouldn’t at all when we got him, but he’s so damn cute we just can’t resist!

Posted in Weekends, Workout tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , ,

If We Treated Ourselves Like Dogs…..& a Shoulder Workout

Posted on by

This week flew by. Having my new sidekick, Oscar, definitely keeps things a bit busier. I’m lucky to be able to take Oscar to work with me, but I don’t want him to feel cooped up all day either. We walk and/or run in the mornings and then take 2-3 walks throughout the day and 1 in the evening. He definitely gets his exercise!

By the end of the day, this is what he looks like:

oscartongueOkay, okay….who am I kidding…he wears me out just as much haha…

lizzyoscarsleepingIf We Treated Ourselves Like We Treat Our Dogs

Yesterday morning, Oscar and I set out on a 2 mile run. He does so great on the leash and just runs alongside me the whole time! My new running buddy is the best!

Having Oscar around this week definitely got me thinking. What if humans treated themselves more like we treat our dogs?

Most of us make sure our dogs get walked and do some sort of exercise daily. We don’t feed them crap food, and instead make sure they’re eating what’s good for them. We give them treats, but don’t overdo it.

Why, then, do people give themselves so many passes? Days without exercise. Junk food more than health food. It’s a bit backwards if you think about it. I wonder what would happen if we all started treating our bodies and health/fitness like we treat our animals. Think about this the next time you’re feeling unmotivated to go workout or the next time you find yourself indulging in junk food a bit too much. If we all just paid a little bit more attention, I think we could all make some positive changes for the better!

Shoulder Workout

Tuesday evening, I did a shoulder workout with a friend of mine. We both wanted to do something quick, but effective. Here’s what we did:

4 sets/15 reps of each of the following exercises:

-DB Shoulder Press

-EZ Bar Upright Rows

-DB Alternating Front Raises

-Rear Delt Fly’s

Burnout: 7 sets of Lateral Raises w/ 5 lb plates

Here’s the kicker: rest only 30 seconds in between sets.

It doesn’t look tough on paper, but we had a good shoulder pump going by the end!

Photo on 10-20-14 at 6.40 PM #2After work today, I’m heading down to the boxing gym to get my punching on! Hope you have a great rest of the day!

Questions for the Day:

1. Do you prioritize your dog’s health?

2. Do you prioritize your own health in the same way as your dog’s?

Posted in Oscar, Workout tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Exciting News + No Sugar Challenge Update – Day 24

Posted on by

Hey!!

If you haven’t entered my giveaway of a free race entry to a SoCal Reebok Spartan Race, you can do so here! Ends tonight at midnight!

It’s been a few days since I’ve blogged….sorry about that! Work and life got a little busy this past week…..

Remember the exciting news I couldn’t tell you yet?

Here it is….

Say hi to my boy!!!!!Meet Oscar!!!!!

He is our little pride and joy. Oscar is 8 months old and was a rescue pup from Boxer Rescue L.A.

I’m a totally obnoxious dog mom…..so get ready to see lots of pictures of our sweet guy. 😀

Giveaway

Have you guys entered my Reebok Spartan Race Entry give away???

It ends tonight at midnight and I have to say….not many entries (so better chances of winning!)

Workouts

My workouts have been great lately….and now that I’ve got Oscar…we’re walking and/or running several times a day. He’s a VERY energetic dog (like his momma), so we play a LOT. He’s keeping my cardiovascular health in check, that’s for sure!

Here are my workouts for this week and what I plan to do into the weekend:

Sunday: Back/Biceps (done)

Monday: 20 min. HIIT + lots of walking/running w/ Oscar (done)

Tuesday: Shoulders + walking/running w/ Oscar (done)

Wednesday: Legs + Boxing

Thursday: Chest/Tris/Abs

Friday: Boxing

Saturday: Active Rest

Sunday: Full Body

No Sugar Challenge Update

It’s officially Day 24 of the challenge! We’re extending it about a week, so we’ll end up at about 37 days total.

Cravings: I don’t even think or crave diet soda any more. This is a habit that I’d like to keep dormant after this challenge ends. It’s terrible for me, but I never wanted to quit. Now that I have, I might as well stick with good old water and Kombucha (OBSESSED w/ Trilogy flavor)

kombucha

Feeling: I definitely want some sugar LOL. Fruit is just not doing the trick. I want a cookie. There, I said it. 😀 They have these cookie’s at the coffee shop I go to and for now, all I get to do is stare at them and drool…

redVelvetV2I actually highly recommend checking out this company (Cookie Good) if you’re looking for gifts. They are TONS of fun flavors like Oreo Butterfinger, Bacon & Maple Syrup, Peanut Butter Pretzel, Birthday Cake, and soooo many more. They taste like heaven.

In all reality, this isn’t all that hard, but I do like to enjoy a treat every now and then. Not being able to do that has been kind of sucky, but it’s also fun to challenge myself like this.

Progress: I feel like I lost some fluff at the beginning, but have stayed pretty much the same since. I’m not doing this to lose weight and haven’t changed my eating habits aside from cutting out the added sugar/fake sugar. I am definitely welcoming the almost-abs, and have plans to kick things into gear with a NEW challenge in December. (I love challenges!!)

Day 1

day1

Day 20

DAY20

Hope your hump day is a happy one!! See ya tomorrow!

Posted in Oscar, random, Workout tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,