Lady A concert

At the AAC last night, Lady Antebellum appeared on stage after performances from Thompson Square and Darius Rucker.  What a great group of performers, right?!  Lady A absolutely rocked it!  I didn't realize how much I love this band and how much "I love L-O-V-E" -- Lindsay Williams :)

There were maybe 15 of us in a suite; and as a friend of mine says, it's definitely the only way to be at a concert.  As Lady A sang a song by Aerosmith, I turned to my sister and said, "We need to go to more concerts."  So, it's settled.  I'm going to start attending more concerts!  It's so fun to enjoy good music with the company of great friends.  Not sure how my boyfriend will feel about my decision to attend concert after concert since he missed last night's show because he was hunting...  

The last song of the night was my favorite.  Here's the video from YouTube.  Take a listen...

Collin Mangrum, Vandals ABA

Just an FYI in case you didn't know, the American Basketball Association has been around since 1967.  It's like the d-league of the NBA's d-league.  Make sense?  Ok well, since I'm not an ABA expert, click here to learn something new about the ABA.


My cousin, who played a few games for the Texas Legends in the NBA-D League, has been playing for the North Dallas Vandals of the ABA.  Due to the NBA lockout, several NBA-ers were sent down to the D-League to get back in shape; so Collin was unfortunately inactivated.  He then asked to be released so he could find somewhere else to play.  Since joining the North Dallas Vandals, Collin is shooting 60% from the floor and is averaging the most points per game.  Heck ya!  So proud of him!  But what's next for Collin after the Vandals' season is over?  Guess you'll have to wait and see...


"In Jesus name I play."  

Collin Mangrum, #32

Actual final score against a Houston team...

Mangrum's #1 Fans!

Vacation, Lake Tahoe

Matt and I had an amazing trip to Lake Tahoe!  If you haven't been, it's definitely a place you need to go see. It's so beautiful and will literally take your breath away.

We stayed at Harrah's, where we had access to gambling, restaurants and great views.  Our plan for our mini vacation was to win some money, relax and eat.  We love good food so where we were going to eat each night was a huge deal and required a lot of discussion before we made a decision, ha!  The first night we ate at Friday's Station Steak and Seafood Grill.  Since there was a 2 hour time difference, Matt and I were starvvvvving and ready to eat by 4pm Tahoe time (6pm Dallas time).  Unfortunately, Friday's Station didn't open until 5:30 for dinner so better believe we were the first ones there.  Our food was pretty good.  I ordered a steak and veggies.  I enjoyed it, though I've had better steak here in Dallas.  Matt ordered the surf and turf and appeared to love every last bite.  The second day of our stay we went on a yacht cruise!  That's definitely a must if you're visiting Tahoe for the first time.  The views are spectacular.  Lunch was provided on the yacht - sandwiches and chips; I ate the chips...  Dinner that night was by far our favorite meal of the trip.  We ate at the restaurant at the Tahoe golf course, Edgewood.  Wow!  Best sea bass ever.  The staff was also incredible, going out of their way to cater to my gluten intolerance.  I greatly appreciate a cook that is extra cautious with my allergy.  Another activity you must do is the gondola ride!  Ride the ski lift up to the top of the mountain and just sit and look at how beautiful Lake Tahoe is.  Sunday was the Superbowl so we went to Stateline Brewery to watch the game.  It was a great spot with a lot of big screens and beer.  They even had gluten free beer, what?!  After the game we were ready for our last dinner of the trip, we went to Gi Fu Lo.  No bueno.  First of all the service was bad, our waitress had little interest in us and the food was just kind of average.  Matt's meal was too spicy and the menu provided him no warning of that.  Definitely not worth the high prices.

So if you find yourself in Lake Tahoe, make a reservation at Edgewood and pass on the Chinese food; take a yacht cruise and a ride on the gondola.  Oh yeah, and win some money!

"Do the KIND thing"

All natural
Gluten free
Non GMO (genetically modified)
No trans fats
Amazing!

There are several different flavors and I haven't had one that I didn't like!  These bars are my new favorite snack.  I'm so thankful my client, Jo-Ann, introduced these to me!  KIND has three different types of bars: KIND Fruit and Nut, KIND Plus and KIND Healthy Grains.  Certain bars are higher in protein, calcium, antioxidants, fiber and omega 3.  Protein builds and repairs those big muscles of yours, calcium keeps your bones strong, antioxidants protect your body from free radicals, fiber keeps your tummy feeling fuller longer, and omega 3 promotes better brain functioning.  Sounds good to me!  

Stay healthy my friends!

xoxo

BarreAmped, Thnx Suzanne!

  

So I know I've mentioned several times how I'm obsessed with BarreAmped... Well, over the weekend I became a BarreAmped certified instructor!  I just can't get enough of it, lol!  Seriously tho, I cannot wait to start teaching these classes and I cannot wait for you to see the results BarreAmped can do for you!  Suzanne Bowen came to Dallas to train me and seven other girls to be instructors.  So let's be honest, I am pretty critical (shocker) when it comes to other proclaimed fitness gurus.  I analyze their philosophy, teaching methods and their reasoning to see if they know what they're talking about.  After spending the weekend with her, I can honestly say that Suzanne Bowen is a LEGIT fellow fitness guru.  As soon I realized she not only knew what she was talking about but that I was actually going to learn something from her, I got my BarreAmped booklet out and started taking some serious notes!

So I want to thank Suzanne for coming to Dallas and for proving that BarreAmped is truly a phenomenal results driven fitness program.  I'm honored to have learned from her and to be a certified BarreAmped instructor.  Come see me at Classic Pilates!   

Suzanne Bowen and me

Stretching after "pretzel"

Winning with Vitamin D

My fitness friend, Danny, shared a "blog worthy" article by Liz Applegate explaining why vitamin D is crucial for a runner's health and performance.  Love it!

Here's what you need to know:

What is vitamin D good for?  Vitamin D increases the absorption of calcium and maintaining bone health.  It also may protect the body from osteoporoses, cancer and high blood pressure.  All good things right?!  So why are so many people vitamin D deficient?  The sun is our primary source of vitamin D.  Modern day lifestyles prevent us from getting enough of the sunshine vitamin and we've been taught for so many years to protect our skin from the sun.  Also, even during summer months, it's only between 10am and 3pm when the sun is strong enough for vitamin D production.  Who wants to run outside during the summer heat in Texas? Thankfully, God gave us food with vitamin D such as eggs, mushrooms, milk, fortified juice, fish and cheese. The recommended daily allowance is 600 international units per day but many scientist, physicians and nutritionists don't think that's enough.  1000 IU - 3000 IU are recommended to reap the benefits.  So eat up, sunshine!

If you're a runner, like me, then you'll appreciate these benefits from vitamin D:

-reduces the chance of stress fractures
-reduces the chance of overuse injuries
-reduces soreness in muscles after a race or hard workout
-reduces missed workouts due to a cold or the flu

Thanks for sharing, Danny!  See you tomorrow for some InCinR8-tion!

Be good to yourself