52 Weeks of Saving in 2013

If grade school taught us one thing other than to always share it was that there are 52 weeks in a calendar year. One thing it didn’t teach me was how to effectively save and budget my money, so now that I’m older I love hearing {and sharing} operative and simple ways to budget.  Most recently after my return from our holiday hiatus I spent some much needed time catching up with my office go to gal {yay Verna!} who got me up to speed on a little 52 week savings plan she had put to order for the new year! After some chatting and a little web surfing as on the how to of putting this plan into action, I found it actually quite simple and kind of fun if you ask me. While we are not sure who the original author or creator of this little plan is I have noticed around the web peeps referring to it as the 52 Week Money Challenge. I like to think of it as 52 weeks to my 2014 Oh S#*% Account. The simplicity behind this plan is such; for 52 weeks beginning with week one you put money away each week. The weekly dollar amount directly corresponds to number of the week it is. For example, week one you put away $1, week two you put away $2 and so on with the maximum amount you will be putting away in a single week is $52! Check it out below!

So if you take a look at the Account Balance that corresponds to week 52 (bottom right corner above), assuming you stick by the plan come December of this year you will have $1,378.00. I'm not suggesting that this be the only savings you do throughout the year, but this is a fun and simple way to have a little cushion after the holidays going into 2014! Whether you plan on saving each week just for yourself or you decide to put away for you and your children, grandchildren, significant other, brother, sister etc. who wouldn't want $1,378.00 extra?! Get creative with this, save in jar, save in a safe, only make a bank deposit every time your balance hits $100.00 execute this savings plan in a way that works for you. Maybe even use it as a learning tool for your kids and get them started early teaching them saving is not only important, but fun too! Not to worry, its not too late to start, we are only coming up on week 5 so if you put away $15 today you're already caught up! Happy Saving!  

BOOTCAMP: Cant Stop Wont Stop

2013 is here and so is the 28^th session of Yardo’s Bootcamp Golds Gym Downtown LA and while I am not one of the relentless few, lucky enough to have been a part of this unique group since day one I am in my second year, which means I have attended 6 consecutive boot camp sessions at 6 weeks a session (w/ a one week break between each). I began during the last weeks of session 20 back in Dec 2011 and am now confident enough to invest some time to share with you our journey through session 28 of bootcamp ! For me, Ive known for a while that there is so much more to boot camp than the kick-A$$ early morning sweat… The camaraderie of bootcamp goes far past the actual 6AM meetup 3 days a week and it certainly starts with having a fearless and devoted leader… Adam/Yardo, please stand up! So for the next 6 weeks I intend to share with all of you our bootcamp journey as we each strive be the ideal walking business card for Adam (quote in quote) kidding but in all fairness we kinda are… right?! Nonetheless I hope our journey motivates, inspires, awwwes, scares and just plain informs those of you who don’t know about Yardo’s Bootcamp a group which is based on commitment, forged by good friendships  and undoubtedly bound in Camaraderie. And with that said...

Week One Day One:

Monday morning typically start out with a weigh in around 6:00 am. This can be a little brutal, especially right after the weekend, but for the most part I like to believe it keeps me in check (most of the time) This past Mondays weigh in was after 3 weeks off and facing the scale was like an exercise out of an episode of Fear Factor or something... And the work out (WOD seen in pic above) went a little something like this:

Welcome Back to Torture

• Weigh In

• Stairs 16 flights up and down as many times as possible in 15 min (I was able to cap at 4 x's up and down) this was followed by a 2 min break

• DLs (deadlifts) & Push Press - 15 x's each as many rounds as possible in 8 mins followed by a 2 min break 

• Squats (20) Tuck Jumps (15) Pushup Row (10) 8 mins as many rounds as possible followed by a 2 min rest

• Burpees 4 mins as many burpees as possible- DONE! 

Day Two: 

 I'm pretty sure day two kicked all of our As$es! Its a little difficult to see the deets of the WOD but the following is what made us sweat:

2 ROUNDS

• 100 Air Squats 
• 50 OH Lunges (25 lb plate held over your head)
• 50 DL's 
• 50 Curls 
• 50 Chest Press (lying on the mat with a 25 lb)
• 50 Burpees 
• 50 Bicycle Crunches 
• Stairs (up and dwn 16 flights)

And then do it all again! In the words of one of my nearest and dearest... "Aggressive!" 

Day Three:   

 

Here were all are killing it wearing our ankle weights. This mornings workout was a circuit based on exercises that incorporated the use of ankle weights. We did a lot of jumping around and kicking our legs (as seen above) We stared off on the treadmill for a warm up, I was only able to get in a mile and a half (not used to wearing ankle weights and they were making my ankles itch... higher socks are a must!) Once warmed up we headed into the room and our hour plus circuit went like this (not sure if I'm referencing all the exercise we did by the correct name but for the most part you will get the idea): 

10 Stations- 1 min or so at each- remember we have ankle weights on:

• Squat Jumps with 10 lb bar 
• Sumo Squats upright Row with Kettle bell (i just know thay s*#% was heavy)
• Mountain Climbers 
• Alternating Front Kicks (think Rockettes)
• Burpees 
• Ab Roller of Death (as Adam calls it)
• Step Up's w/ 15 or 17 lb weights
• Jump Rope 
• Hip Raises on the mat with the yoga block (squeezing the yoga block between your knees) 
• Leg Extensions

Overall our first week of boot-camp was a success! Great energy great effort and awesome workouts! More to come next week!

   

Intent... Play for Keeps in 2013!

 Just 7 days into the New Year and Im sure a lot of you have your New Years Resolution/s on the mind… And with all of these resolutions and goals flying around me lately, I stand by the idea that we don’t need a special day whether it’s a Monday or a New Year to make changes in our lives… I'm sure change has been on your mind as much as mine over the past week and Im confident that 2013 is promising... bringing a brand new year and a clean slate. Good news is we can use the marker of the New Year to provide us with a measurable time frame for progress which can be very empowering. What we are able to effectively measure we can positively change! I want this New Year to be different from any other year and there isn’t a doubt in my mind that it will be!

How do I want to make this year different you may ask… Well, change is a tough thing, but a good thing nonetheless. In order for this year to be different than any before, SOMETHING(s) have to CHANGE, so without creating some list comprised of two scoops of obsessive and eager enthusiasm sprinkled with a bit of unrealistic expectations all with a cherry on top I will instead create one that is perfectly in line with ideals I feel I already adhere by… and then choose one little word to invite into my life which will remind me to play for keeps in 2013!

My word for 2013: Intent

Intent/ aim, meaning, determined, committed   

I will live with it. I will invite it into my life. I will let it speak to me. And I plan to follow where it leads me. The possibilities are endless.

Resolutions 2013: Intent
Be Strong: work out 3-5 mornings a week without question.
Be Healthy: become a connoisseur of quick and healthy meals. Remember to eat healthy snacks between meals. take a vitamin/s h2O
Be Smart: embrace new opportunities. They help you grow.
Be Happy: remember to be grateful, treasure the small things.

Be Wise: "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do."
Be Motivated: shower and get dressed, i know... sounds simple but stuff actually gets done when you do.
Be Organized: just do it 

Every Life Deserves Hope: 28th Annual AIDS Walk LA

Less than one month from today, on October 14^th 2012 I have volunteered to lead our team with The Dr Phil Show and The Doctors in the 28^th annual AIDSWalk LA! AIDS Walk Los Angeles is a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) fundraising walkathon benefiting APLA and more than 26 other L.A. County AIDS service organizations. This year, The Dr. Phil Show/The Doctors is supporting the annual AIDS Walk and our team will join an estimated 30,000 walkers to raise millions for HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention, and advocacy programs. While our team is newly formed (and we are willing for 10 more staffers and/or family and friends of staffers to join us) not to mention we (both shows) are in full swing production we are looking forward to walking for a great cause and to an overall inspirational day filled with energy, excitement and hope.  If you would like to sponsor myself or a make general donation to our team head on over to one of the following donation pages and extend your efforts in supporting AIDS Walk LA!

Sponsor Me Here! 

Sponsor My Team Here!

Sick & Tired of The Sick & Tired: Happy People Don’t Complain

Do you ever notice that the happy people in your life really kinda just don’t complain…. And the unhappy people are constantly bitching and complain or dwelling on questions like  “how do I change my life”, “where do I start my changing” or “what do I do first?”, but really its about them finding the will/want to change. In other words, what do we do when we know we want to make changes, we know there are so many things we can do better and improve upon, but sometimes need a bit of a nudge to get there? And some of us so much more so than others… Forgive me in advance {and this doesn’t mean im unhappy} but, I'm going to complain for a second because I’m sick and tired of being around people who are unhappy with how things are going in their life and having to constantly hear them complain about it!

Do you find yourself or sometimes people you surround yourself with continually complaining about...everything? "I hate the way I look in these jeans", "I wish I could quit my job and do what I love", "I'm tired of being single", "If I had the money, I would go on a vacation". Sound familiar? These are just a few of the things that we complain about all the time - but how many of us are actually willing to do something to change them? Truth be told, you will never look good in those jeans if you don’t want to work to…. there’s no magic pile of money waiting for you with no effort required so that vaycay you're dreaming about, well you can Fugetaboutit! And you wanna quit your job… well, your job, as lousy as it may seem is someone else’s dream job… trust me And if you cant love yourself how do you ever expect anyone else to… As harsh as my words may seem {and don’t go complaining about them or anything } the true beauty of all of the things I mentioned above - weight issues, career, relationships, finances - are all things that can, with a little work, be changed - we just need to find and possess the will to do so. If you hate the way you look - start to change how you eat {skip that grade burrito} and get some physical activity in {and you can check in on Facebook at your local 24 all day long but only YOU knows if you’re working as hard as you could or should be}. If you don't like your job - find another one or set your sites on doing so, and hopefully what comes your way next will be something you love. Remember it's easier to find a job when you already have one. If you're tired of being single - put yourself out there, join a dating site, be open to the possibilities, date and STOP being negative! If your finances aren't in order - reflect on your current spending and figure out a way for you to start saving more. Sure none of these things can happen over night - but change can happen...if you're willing to work hard to change it.