The OC Fit Girl

11/7/12

Interview with a Real-Live Model

Happy Day-After-Election-Day!

Well, my sister in law Michelle is pretty much the nicest person I have ever met (besides my other sister in law. Go figure.), and she is a real-life model and commercial actress.

She is also super trim-tight-skinny, which makes every girl jealous (but not the hate-jealous. She is so stinkin' nice, you can't help but love love love her!).

I sat her down (well I sat down; I can't be sure if she sat down, since it was a phone interview), and listened to her mush about her job, health, and fiancee.

So, what is your job, exactly?

Michelle: Haha, I do commercial modeling and acting in Los Angeles. It's freelance work, which means it's sporadic...sometimes I work six days a week, and sometimes only one; it depends! My agent will usually call the night before and I have to be out in L.A. by four or five A.M. the next morning, and the day can last anywhere from 4 to 15 hours. It keeps me on my toes!

How did you get into the entertainment business?

Michelle: I started when I was about fifteen, and my mom would pull me out of school to do background work in commercials, movies, and TV shows. It wasn't that glamorous, haha, I put in a lot of hours without much payback. After high school, I took acting classes and found an agent. I slowly got into modeling, as I started to get calls for photo shoots, but I didn't really pursue it . Now, I do it nearly full time, and I love it! I have the best job.

What is the most memorable commercial job you have had?

Michelle: Well, there was this one commercial where we were filming at Six Flags Magic Mountain, and we had to ride the same roller coaster over and over again! It was seriously crazy. I mean, I love roller coasters, but when you are riding one over and over again for hours...whew! Oh, man, just thinking about it...

Ha! That is crazy.On another note, we can all see that you are beyond gorgeous and have a great figure. Do you watch what you eat?

Michelle: Honestly, I have always been naturally thin; for the longest time I didn't have to watch my diet, or exercise, or any of that. Lately, however, I noticed that my body is changing (aka my metabolism is slowing down now that I am older), and so for the past few months I have made some healthy lifestyle changes. I drink more water, substitute fries with a salad or broccoli, eat more fruit, and limit my junk food. I also bought a gym pass with Casey!

That's awesome! Tell me a little bit about how you and Casey met.

Michelle: We met at our church. I remember after service one night everyone went to Red Robin, and I saw him and thought he was really cute. It's crazy that we are now engaged!

How cute! How did he propose?

Michelle: He did a scavenger hunt all around Orange County, and left notes/gifts at our favorite places. He proposed on the cliffs in front of the Montage Hotel in Laguna Beach. We both love surfing and the beach, so it was perfect.

You guys have been together for a LONG time. Do you have any good relationship advise??

Michelle: Well, we both put God first, and we always try to put the others' needs above our own. This is so key, because it ensures that we both feel respected and loved! We also laugh a lot, and make sure to have a lot of fun together. It keeps things "fresh".

I love that. You guys are doing real-estate together, right?

Michelle: Yes! We recently began doing real-estate in Orange County, and we love it! It has really taught us how to be a team, and work together. Selling houses has been a lot of fun, even though it's "work". I love helping people find their perfect home!

Well, there you have it, folks:

an interview with a real-life model, actress, real-estate agent, and all-around beautiful person inside and out.

Just goes to show you, looks aren't everything.

;)

Happy Travels,

Beth

11/1/12

Candy Hangover??

Blah. Blah. Blah.

I have a candy hangover.

Symptoms: super tired, super lazy, slight headache, and everything feels a bit gross.

Most of my food yesterday looked like this:

So today, I will be drinking lots of green tea, hot water with lemon, and water, as well as eating a TON of veggies :)

(source)

My fridge inspiration for the week:

(Source)

Body Inspiration for the week:

Suddenly, all of that left-over candy sitting in my desk is no longer worth it.

;)

Hope you had a happy Halloween!

10/30/12

Simple, Easy, Delicious, Healthy Soup Recipe!

Happy Tuesday!

Last night, I was craving something warm and full of flavor...I decided to make my mom's famous Mexican Soup and home-made cornbread!

It is fiber and protein rich, low in calories, and absolutely delish.

It's incredibly easy, and it only take 15 minutes of preparation. I made a mongo-huge pot of it so that I can take it to work for lunch this week.

I know, I'm genius.

Here is what you need (to make a mongo huge pot):

1 tsp Olive Oil

2 Cans of Whole Corn

2 Cans of Black Beans

1 Can of Kidney Beans

1 Pound of Fat Free Ground Turkey (or chicken!)

3 Bell Peppers

1 Onion

2 Large Cans of Stewed Tomatoes (with no sodium!)

Cumin

Dried Red Pepper

Salt

Black Pepper

Curry

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder (no sodium!)

Optional (AKA the fattening stuff):

Olives

Cheese

Sour Cream

For Garnish:

1 Avocado

What to do:

1. Chop the onion, and put it in a somewhat large skillet with 1 tsp of olive oil. Mix it around, and let the onion cook for about one minute.

2. Add the ground turkey to the skillet and let it simmer until the meat is cooked through.

3. Meanwhile: Put the two cans of stewed tomatoes into a large pot, along with the beans, corn, and seasonings to taste (don't put the red pepper in yet or you won't be able to eat the soup because it will be way too spicy!). Mix the ingredients together, cover the pot with a lid, and let it simmer at medium heat.

4. Once the meat has browned, add it to the pot. Cover and let it simmer for 30 minutes.

5. Now, go read a book while the soup simmers and the flavors deepen!

If you want to make the cornbread, this is the time to do it.

Here is what you need:

Home-style cornbread:

2 Cups Cornmeal

1 1/4 Cups Fat Free Milk (almond milk works as well)

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 Cup Honey (I use organic raw honey - clover honey is too sweet)

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 Cup Oil (I use Grape Seed Oil - Vegetable & Canola work as well)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Combine dry ingredients, then wet ingredients in a bowl and stir

3. Coat an 8x8 (or 9x9) baking pan with oil

4. Pour batter into pan

5. Put in the oven, and let it bake for 20 min.

And...voila!

6. Back to the soup! Now that the it has simmered for a while, go ahead and add the bell peppers. I don't like to add them too soon, because I like them somewhat crunchy.

7. Add 1 TSP (not tablespoon!!) of red pepper to the soup, and let it sit for 5 more minutes.

8. Pour into bowls, top with cheese/avocado/sour cream (I just did cheese) and consume!

10/29/12

Los Angeles Half Marathon Recap!!!

Hola mi amigos!!!

The Los Angeles Rock N Roll Marathon was YESTERDAY, and I must say that I can't believe it came and went so quickly...all of that training leads up to three hours of non-stop excitement (and PAIN) and then it is over (sadface).

Danica and I arrived in L.A. around 3:30 pm on Saturday. We rushed to our hotel, checked in, and walked the .8 miles to the expo at the L.A. Convention Center.

It was pretty standard:

After getting our bags filled with fun samples of things like peanut butter GU and muscle relief gels, we headed to Yard House to grab some grub.

(Above: the delicious Ahi Tuna Sandwich on Rye, with good 'ole french fries. Can't go wrong, my friends.)

(Above: This green iced tea is amazing! It is infused with Jasmine. yum.)

We went back to our hotel right after dinner, watched some TMZ, and fell asleep.

In the wee hours of the morning, I woke to this:

I did about 30 minutes of yoga to warm up, woke Danica, changed, ate a Cliff Bar, drank some Mamma Chia, and we were off!!!

Pre-race was pretty exciting:

Lots and lots of people!!!!

(Our shoe trackers)

And at 7:52, we started running!

I have to say, one of the best things about this Half Marathon was that it was Halloween themed! I saw some pretty crazy/cute/scary/disturbing costumes.

One of my favorite:

I also loved the cute cheerleaders:

At mile 3, we toured the USC Colosseum :

Around mile 6, my right knee started to HURT...like burning, awful, crazy hurt, but I pushed through until mile 8 when I couldn't take it anymore. I walked mile 8, and started running again at mile 9.

SOME WORD OF ADVICE:

If you are injured, and are determined to push through a race no matter how awful it gets, DON'T STOP RUNNING, because when you start to run again, it hurts 10X MORE!!!!!

(This is my "I'm happy cause I'm running but what the blankitee blank did I get myself into!!??" face. )

Anyways:

Mile 9 brought on the dreaded hill:

And after mile 9, my knees were not only in pain, but my HIPS started to hurt too!

I cannot tell you how disappointing it was.

Oh, well.

I walked miles 10 and 11, then ran 12-13.

That mile marker was such a beautiful thing to behold. Ha.

I crossed the finish line in 2:46...my goal was 2:15, but I blame that on my walking 3 of the 13.1 miles.

Overall, it was a fun race, but let's be honest, Los Angeles is not a pretty city, and it was 86 degrees outside, and my knees were on fire for 7 of those miles, so it wasn't exactly as FUN as I had expected/daydreamed about.

I met up with Danica after I crossed the finish line, and found out that she ran it in 2:10! GOOOOO DANICA!!

We camped out at L.A. Live for about an hour, resting our exhausted knees/shins/hips/feet.

And then headed over to California Pizza Kitchen for some much needed FOOD!!

(This pear and Gorgonzola pizza hit the spot!)

All I can say, is that I am GLAD IT IS OVER!!!

(here is a lovely, beautiful, sweaty post-race picture for you)

Now, it's time to go to the doctor and RELAX!!!

<3 Beth

10/22/12

The Beauty of Eggs

It is now 10:23 am, and after three full hours, I am still 100% full from my 3-egg broccoli breakfast.

8/1/12

Week 2 Half Marathon Training Update!!

How Half Marathon Training Isn't What You Think It Would Be

Training for the Los Angeles Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon hasn't been as easy as I expected.

To begin, I am not a lover of running. It's more of a casual dating relationship. I run because it makes sense, I am addicted to endorphins, and nothing beats the burning-in-the-lungs / eek-I-am-going-to-die feeling that running brings.

However, I am NOT a fan of the injuries (an Achilles tendon issue, calf issues, and shin soreness) that running brings. Sure, part of it is my fault for pushing my body to the max, but that is what I want in a good work out and I don't want to worry whether or not I am injuring my body. I just want to run faster and longer every time I lace my trainers, instead of waiting and waiting for my body to be ready to increase mileage.

Training for the week:

Monday: 3 Miles easy, 20 Minutes Pilates

Tuesday: 3 Miles easy, 20 Minutes Stretching

Wednesday: 2 Miles easy, 20 minutes Pilates

Thursday: 4 Miles easy, 20 Minutes Stretching

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 4 Miles easy, 30 Minutes Pilates, Lots and Lots of Stretching

Last night Joel and I headed to the tiny gym at our apartment complex to knock out some treadmill fun, and I dared Joel to wear a headband, and he did!