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As you are probably well aware, I have been following along to the Body Beast program over the past few months thanks to a suggestion from Kathy. There were three different phases, and I just completed the very last phase yesterday! I stuck through the entire program, not skipping a single work out. I did take a few days off to go to the beach, but I made those work outs up when I came back.

Today, I wanted to share with you my thoughts on the program. I did not take measurements when I started. Blogger fail, I know. I did weigh myself, and unfortunately, I have not lost a single pound during the entire program. I did, however, gain a shit ton of muscle! I needed to tone up every where. I was unhappy with literally every single part of my body before starting Body Beast. Now? My arms, legs, back, and shoulders are all more muscular and toned. I actually have a lot of definition in my upper back, and I have some guns to carry around for sure! My legs have gotten a lot tighter, and starting to show signs of the wonderful, toned legs that they once were.

I am happy with my results, as I knew going into the program that it was focused on muscle and strength. It did make me realize that the only way to blast belly fat for me, is to do more cardio. I followed the lean phase and there was only one (sometimes two) cardio days each week. The cardio routine that Sagi does has you lifting weights and resting still, and I quickly realized that I needed a different cardio exercise. I usually subbed in a T-25 cardio work out on those days.

The trainer is Sagi:

Also, you get to look at guys like Nick while you lift:

So there is that…Also, I really like the bro talk back and forth. I would rather listen to that than Jillian tell me that she has 400 lb people doing jumping jacks so I can too. That shit is not motivation, Jillian.

Now that I am done with the program, I really want to focus on blasting some more fat, and really hone in on my stomach. It is the only area that didn’t get enough results with Body Beast. I am so impressed with every other part of my body after completing the program though, that I will continue to sub in the body beast work outs along with my next phase in my journey. I want to keep the muscle I built. I am a freaking beast now. I can lift way more than I could when I started. The endurance has shown in other aspects of my life. For example, I can cut our grass with no problems. (A big deal seeing as how we have a push mower and our entire yard is on a slope.)  I can lift a 25 lb of dog food and 15 bag of cat litter up our stairs at the same time. And when I flex….I actually have something to show for it.

I learned that I actually enjoy lifting weights. I thought I hated all work outs, but I really just hate cardio DVDs. I hope to eventually purchase an elliptical machine for our home, but until then, I am stuck doing cardio DVDs.

My next journey? Jillian Michael’s Body Revolution. Jillian gets on my damn nerves, but that bitch knows how to widdle my waist in to shape and kick my ass. I am going to go into the program knowing that I am a damn beast and can hang with the the bros. And keep coming back to Sagi and his beast bro talk to keep my muscles fierce.

Have you ever done Body Beast or Body Revolution? Are  you working another program right now?

–I can’t help but laugh at Gracie. We buy the dogs $35 grain free special food because of all Gracie’s allergies and I am finding myself yelling at her every day to stay out of the cat littler box. WTF. I guess it is a good thing Olivia eats grain free too? Gross.

For shame Gracie, for shame!!!!

Gracie’s face when I told her I was going to tell all of blog land her dirty secret.

–Chris discovered that Olivia doesn’t like being chased around the house with a light saber. We, on the other hand, think it is pretty freaking fantastic. Guess what our new favorite game is? She is not amused.

–Upon arriving home on Saturday evening, we discovered that our house was being  held hostage. By a nasty ass fucking spider. Now, I will squash a spider with a shoe, but upon researching what it looked like online real quick with our phones…it turns out it looks an awful lot like a brown recluse. Fuck that noise. We thought we were going to have to go through the front door, grab the animals and move to a new house. Luckily, Chris had an airsoft gun handy and asked me to back the car back out of the garage. He shot that bastard into two pieces. Only then did we feel safe to enter.

The Spider is in the corner of the door frame. This is how a real man kills a poisonous spider, obviously.

— We have been binge watching The Good Wife like it is our freaking job. Every night after work we squeeze in a few episodes, and most of our day Sunday has been spent indulging. I have a feeling we will be caught up with the current season in plenty of time before it starts!

–When I first saw this meme, I couldn’t stop laughing. Probably because it is SO TRUE!

Also, this one:

And now, of course, it is time for some ecard Confessions:

Go link up with two bad ass bitches this Wednesday!

Tattoos. Every person out there has an opinion about them. There are three types of people out there. You either love tattoos, hate them, or don’t ever want one but are indifferent of others who have them.

Some consider it a form of art, others consider it a form of rebellion. Most people that have a tattoo will tell you that theirs is just meaningful for them. Maybe you were going through a hard time and getting your tattoo was some how spiritual or therapeutic for you. Maybe you are a girl that just turned 18 years old, and has parents who have tattoos and you just knew that you always wanted one and always knew exactly what you were going to get. You have  your dad draw it, because you don’t really have anything in common with him, except this appreciation for body art. He is a very talented drawer, and you feel so special that he created a design just for you. Maybe you add two hearts in memory of your Grandpa Carl and Grandma Jerry because they were the two most important people in your life that you lost too soon.

Maybe that 18 year old girl was me. Yes, I have a tattoo.

On August 17th, 2001 (my 18th birthday) just a few days after I started my freshmen year of college, I met my parents at Ink Wizards in McDonough Georgia to see my dad’s tattoo friend for my first tattoo. It was my birthday present from my parents that year. I remember taking the sketch that my dad created and asking Jeremy if he thought it looked good. He asked me where I wanted it, I told him my upper right shoulder blade, and that was it. A few hours later I emerged from the studio, feeling like such a damn bad ass for being able to deal with the needles long enough to get inked. You have no clue how big of a baby I am with needles and pain. I can’t tell you how freeing the experience was for me.

I love my tattoo, and there has never been a day that has gone by that I regretted getting it. I can’t remember who, but someone once asked me if I was going to cover it up for my wedding. Why would I do that? My tattoo is me. It means so much to me, and I got it knowing that if I wore anything barring my shoulders, it would surely show. I was almost insulted being asked that question.

You don’t have to like tattoos. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I just feel like you should never judge a person because they have one. I was the “goody goody” in high school. Never one to get in trouble or bring attention to myself. I am more of a shy, reserved person. When people find out I have one, they almost always say “I never thought you would be the type of person to have a tattoo.” What does that even mean? Is there a type?

(Sorry for the horrible quality of this picture, it is incredibly hard to take a picture of your own shoulder blade with an iPhone.)

Truth be told, I really want another one. I have always wanted more than one before I even had my first one. I want one on my inner wrist. I have been working on what to get there for years. I have three ideas, and I think I have finally figured out what “the one” is! Now I just need to track down Jeremy. You see, he has gotten quite popular since I met him back in 2001. He has been on TV shows, won all kinds of national awards, and now has two shops. Karmic Tattoo in his original starting point….McDonough, GA and now one in FL as well.

Do you have, or would you ever get a tattoo?

Another weekend has come and gone. Can you believe next weekend is the first weekend of August?! It is quite apparent, as Target was filled with kids picking out school supplies when I was trying to get my grocery shopping on yesterday.

Friday- I was needing some sushi, so I stopped by Whole Foods on my lunch break. Their brown rice sushi rolls are my favorite! This is the spicy tuna:

We stayed in Friday evening, made a pizza and watched The Good Wife. It was nice and relaxing!

Saturday – I made breakfast and we watched an episode of The Good Wife, then it was time to get to work! I cleaned the inside of the house and started some laundry while Chris went to the gas station to get gas for the lawn mower. Then I cut the front and back yard in the hot hot sun. Nothing like being productive and getting my sweat on! There isn’t a single level part of our yard, so I totally consider cutting grass some serious cardio!

After all that work, it was time to have some fun! There were a lot of events going on this weekend in Birmingham with Cityfest, Vanilla Ice/Coolio Concert….and the Chive event at World of Beer. I am sure you can guess which one we ended up at.

World of Beer was super crowded for a Saturday afternoon. They had a great DJ playing and we snagged a patio table. We managed to hit the 50 point mark and joined the 50 Club while we were there. They made me a special beer cocktail that consisted of a blueberry beer and a lemon beer…and it was delicious!

Morgan and her husband ended up coming to hang out with us since Cityfest was a bust! Yay for an impromptu meet up!  We started to get hungry, and they have never been to Jack Browns…so burgers it was!

Sunday – I did the meal planning and grocery shopping for the week, and the rest of the afternoon was spent parked on the couch binge watching more of The Good Wife of course!!! That show is awesome and I am glad we decided to give it a try!

I also finished book 7 of the Stephanie Plum series and have moved on to book 8! Of course, I can’t leave you without a few pictures of cat shenanigans. I hope everyone has a great week!

Favorite Song:Good Charlotte – Little Things – Good Charlotte was one of my favorite bands in high school/college. I heard that Joel and Benji are back to making music as The Madden Brothers. I heard one of their songs the other day and it sounds nothing like Good Charlotte. That makes me sad.

Favorite Moment: Last night I met up with Meighan, Meegan, Laura and Morgan for some girl time. We ordered delicious drinks and appetizers at World of Beer and chatted about all sorts of things. I love that blogging has introduced me to so many wonderful people!

Favorite Product: Nexxus Color Assure – Several months ago I shared that I was trying out a new shampoo. I got my hair done back in…March I think? Anyways, while my roots have obviously grown out…my color still looks fabulous! I didn’t like the shampoo the first two weeks I used it, but once I got used to it I really love it. I am still using it now! Don’t worry, I have an appointment next weekend to get my roots fixed. Did I mention the bottle is pink? Let’s be honest, that is what drew me to it in the first place.

Favorite Afternoon Drink: Strawberry Zevia – Sadly, there is no caffeine, but this stuff is delicious! I am trying real hard to quit my artificial sweetener addiction…again. I drink a shit ton of water every day, but I need a little carbonation in my life. This is sweetened with Stevia instead of the “harmful” sweeteners. They make a whole line of different sodas including one that is like coke and one that is like Dr Pepper. I find them at Target in the water aisle, not the soda aisle. They are a little pricey, at like $4-$5 for a 6 pack…but totally worth it!

Favorite Funnies:

So wrong, yet so funny.

Or just choosing an outfit for any outing….

I am pretty sure we can all agree with this:

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Go link up with Amanda and tell us your favorites!