Ok, so, I told you about my smoothie adventure, and yes, it is continuing. I am very proud of my continuing commitment to this and how I have stuck with it. I even ran out of protein powder!! I had to make an emergency run to get more!
Back in February I made a birthday purchase for myself. I purchased it on the recommendation of Amy, one of the owners of Infinity Personal Training and my friend Sallie Ann. They both raved about it, Sallie Ann said girl you have to get one.
So, I did, it is a Fascia Blaster by Ashley Black, and when I tell you it works, it works. I really got it because I have seriously ugly legs and my calves are rock hard and hurt when touched. Also, my balance is bad and I have very little flexibility.
I received it late December and started using it right away. Within a week, I noticed a difference in my balance, it is getting better and my hips no longer hurt like they did. Also, my calves are loosening up and are no longer rock hard and hurt to the touch.
Now, the downside is I look like I took a walk on the docks and they beat the living daylights out of me.
I have so many bruises it is unreal, but that is normal in the early stages of using this tool. I am very happy with it so far.
I had Amy take pictures of my calves, so I can compare after a full month. I will not be posting those, I don’t post pictures of my body parts anywhere.
If anyone ever tells you that they have pictures of me without clothing, they are lying and there is major photo shopping going on.
If they used someone with a really gorgeous body, I need those photos as I am horrible with Photoshop and could use them.
Other than that, you will not see anything of mine here or anywhere else.
As far as the Fascia Blaster goes, buy one, well worth the expense. I am feeling better as far as pain goes and my calves are looking and feeling better.
Buy the book first and read up on what fascia is and how it effects our bodies. I am learning a lot.
I added the avocado to my evening smoothie and I am not sorry, so thick and creamy and very filling. I am finally getting enough calories, greens and protein in my life and I love it.
My body doesn’t trust me anymore with all of my yo-yo dieting and abuse I have put it through. But it is getting there. It is slow going but I am in it for the long haul, and I do mean long. I plan on living until I am 150. I really hope Dean Cain is alive then because I think if I live that long I might be able to catch him…..
As usual, any comments or questions can be sent directly to me at angie@angieworld.com
Smoothie Update
As you have all ascertained from recent posts I am doing meal prep in order to get a handle on my eating habits. Ramp up my protein intake and also the amount of greens I am ingesting.
Over a week ago, Ray (owner of Infinity Personal Training, along with his wife Amy) posted a video. The video was the answer to the question he is most asked. What is the one thing one can do consistently to lose weight.
His answer was a morning smoothie, not just any smoothie, it is one filled with greens and protein. I’ll break it down for you, this is what I put in mine:
2 servings of protein powder, I use plant based protein as I like that the best. No after taste that whey has.
1 cup of frozen blueberries, I use Kirkland brand organic wild blueberries
1 cup of frozen strawberries, also Kirkland brand organic.
2 huge handfuls of power greens, also bought at Costco. Literally named powergreens.
32 ounces of water
1 banana.
A lot of sugar, not for the diabetic, but it is all fruit, so I am ok with it.
I said I would try it for 7 days and report how it went, now this was in replacement of coffee in the morning as well.
So, instead of starting my day with my beloved coffee, I started with this concoction.
A week ago, today was my first day, I found my blender wasn’t optimum for the full amount, so I broke it down into two different smoothies then combined for one giant one.
The first day I noticed I wasn’t craving caffeine, I didn’t even get the caffeine headache I was expecting.
Monday was great as well, I didn’t really notice any differences.
Tuesday brought the caffeine headache, had coffee in the afternoon to stave off. Also after my workout I was craving another smoothie, I began to have another in the evening for dinner. This one was different, I only used one serving of protein powder and used antioxidant blend of frozen fruit. Once again, gotten at Costco. I also didn’t use the powergreens I used Green Superfood, watermelon flavor.
By Wednesday I noticed increased energy and my mood was amazing, I was happy, like obnoxiously happy, like my old self. Does anyone remember her?
I have seen many benefits from this, I will continue having the smoothie for breakfast. It has made my meal prep so easy, I baggy up the ingredients for one day in one baggy, I do 7 days at a time. The only thing that does not go in the bag is the banana and the protein.
Also, my evening smoothie, I believe I will trade out the banana for an avocado, as I need the healthy fat intake.
I highly suggest trying this, it really did make a difference for me, in helping me get the appropriate amount of greens and protein in my diet.
Legacy
This past week we said see you later to my Aunt Laura Fay. She was the last of the aunts and uncles to make the trip home.
I was talking to my cousin Sherrie Ann at the funeral and I said they really don’t make women like that generation anymore. The children of the Depression.
My Aunt Laura Fay, Aunt Dorothy, Aunt Evelyn, Aunt Estelle, Aunt Ruth and my own amazing mother were daughters of the Great Depression. Not only did they survive the Depression, they survived in Oklahoma. There is a difference, the rest of the country, it was financial, in Oklahoma they were battling the Dust Bowl as well. They grew up in an era that knew great poverty and hunger. People were literally starving to death.
These women who grew up in that time and place learned what sacrifice was, they learned what it took to keep a family whole, together, not scattered to the winds.
They knew how to make it look easy, they had perseverance, strength of body, strength of character, they had heart, they knew how to get things done and keep their femininity. Not an easy feat, but one they mastered.
Sherrie Ann and I were talking about that, I said there will never be women like them, she said you’re wrong Angie, you and I are women like that. Our cousins are women like that and their daughters.
I looked around and thought about it, she is so right, my cousin Terry, that recently passed, she was one. She was a nurse that went on to teach others how to nurse. She was a no nonsense yet give you the shirt off of her back type of woman.
My cousin Cindy has the biggest heart I know, Paula as well, both tell it like it is, but stand by your side women. They don’t have your back, they have your side, if you need them they will be there. Whether it is to listen, give advice or help you get even. I’ve never tested that last bit, but I know it’s true.
I look at my own daughter, strong, resilient, yet willing to help in any situation.
I look at my cousin’s daughters and I see it, I’m so proud of the generations coming after us, they did learn from us.
As a Testerman I believe it is in our DNA to stand strong, to be resilient, to see a need and help in any way we can.
My dad told me a story about his dad, my great-grandfather, I know my family connections get confusing due to the adoption. But follow me.
Their family fared better than a lot in their community due to the fact that great-grandpa Testerman learned to farm in Missouri. He knew about irrigation and how to not plant in straight rows. That is what caused the dust bowl in part in Oklahoma. Anyway, they had crops.
Great Grandpa and Grandma kept what their family needed to survive. Then they would get out burlap sacks and fill them up with corn, beans, potatoes, wheat and oats. Then Great Grandpa would drive around the community and leave them on the neediest families’ doorsteps.
One day, when my dad was 6 or 7, his dad told him to come on, he was old enough to help.
So off they went, making deliveries that literally made the difference between life and death.
After they were done, my dad asked his dad why he did that, didn’t they need food.
He never forgot what his dad said. “We’re Testermans son, this is what we do, we have enough to get us by, but these folks would starve without a little help. We see a need, we help where we can.”
This is our legacy, the Testerman men have been very good about marrying women who have this type of blood running in their veins as well.
We stand united, we help where we can, in our family and in our communities. We are Testermans.
I’ll miss you Aunt Laura Fay, I am far better off having been your niece, say hello to Uncle JH and the rest of the bunch for me.
To My Cousins
Today is equal parts sorrow and joy, sorrow for my cousins as they have had to say goodbye to one of the best mothers anyone could have. Great joy because now she is free from pain both physical and emotional. I say emotional because I know she has been in mourning since her husband, my uncle JH passed. She is now with him once again.
I can see it as clear as I can see the room in front of me, Aunt Laura Fay running up to the gates of Heaven, telling Saint Peter hello and waiting impatiently for the gates to open to grant her entrance.
Standing in front of the throne of God, His arms outstretched telling her welcome home my good and faithful daughter. Then chuckling as He watches her run down the streets of gold into the arms of her beloved. Then turning to hard hug her son. She is free, free from pain, free from worry, free from worldly concerns. She is reunited with people she has been missing for so long.
I am so sorrowful for my cousins, I know the pain of losing the best mother, I know many of our cousins do, we were all so fortunate to have some of the best mothers on earth.
We all love our Aunt Laura Fay and will be there for our cousins, mourning with them, rejoicing with them and saying goodbye with them.
I loved her non-nonsense way of speaking, she told it exactly like she saw it and didn’t mince words. But she doled that out with kindness and in a loving manner. She wasn’t rough about it, she lived through tough times and really knew how to pull through those times with one’s soul intact.
My cousins did not gain an angel, they gained an intercessor in heaven. They gained a saint waiting for them to join her at the feet of God.
Today I mourn and rejoice for a life well lived.
Angie World 