Filming for Ford in Seattle

A lot of people will say that being an Actor is tough. The rejection, the uncertainty, the constant chasing for affection... do they like me?? Will I get chosen?? Blah....

In life we all have our paths to choose and when it comes to me and Acting, I can only say that I love it. I love the creativity, fun, and "uncertainty" of it all. I get to play. I get to be. I get to do. In my acting career I have been blessed with quite a few opportunities. Some may be judged as bigger or better than others, some less or more important. Each time I have been able to act, be, do, play I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I am always grateful to get to do my thing. 

This time, however was one of the best so far.....

I had gotten hired for a Ford commercial and this commercial required I travel to Seattle, Washington. So not only did I get to experience the professional joy of being on a shoot, I got to experience the personal joy of travel. The entire experience was magical. I was so excited I barely slept the entire time I was out there! Seattle was beautiful and every person I got to work with was fun and cool. Some of the people I met I consider life long friends. Below, I have included a some pictures and if you would like to see the final product, please go to http://youtu.be/OCc58TfsYyk

Airport chillin'... waiting to board.

Yeah! It's go time. Alaska Airlines was great.

First views on way to hotel

My room! Modern decor, bright colors, and a fur throw! I'm home. ;)

Did I mention the views!! I loved looking out my hotel room window. This is view 1.

View 2 from hotel room window... I love that the cloud looks like a heart.

View 3. Every time I came in or out of the room i made sure to appreciate the views. <3

Stoked! Now time to head out to eat with the group.

So lovely

Fellow actor and now my friend Sha-hid.

The group shot :D

I had to take another solo.. ;)

Lovely views, can you believe by this time it's almost 10 at night?

I was marveling at the fact the sun hadn't gone down yet...

Dinner was so good! We had to have seafood. I tried the freshest oysters EVER!

Then before the sun, I had to report to set! Yummy catered breakfast and wardrobe. Yes please!

In the wardrobe trailer. I didn't keep the glasses for the shoot because my "boyfriend" wore glasses. 

So much art. These trees had knitted sweaters! How cool!

Live music was a joy.

Art was everywhere. Loved it.

Yay it was my turn to shoot. Here's a live set shot.

Inside our car...

Then before you know it, it was time to leave. Bright and early our chariot awaited us and took us to the airport.

Peace from the plane!

Thanks for coming with me to Seattle, Washington. I hope you liked the lovely views. It was a real joy to experience this. I am looking forward to more of the same. If you are an Actor, shoot if you are a person, we can all look to the difficult things but I encourage you to look to the light. The best awaits us there no matter what industry we happen to work in. Cheers to the best life has to offer us.

30 Days are UP! I've Arrived at Greatness.

Friends, I am happy to say that I have completed my 30 Days to Greatness fitness challenge. Yesterday and today I continued to follow the P90X lean program. Yesterday was Core Synergistics and today was Kenpo. This is the first time in my adult life that I have been active every day for 30 days in a row and I must say it has been a wonderful, fulfilling journey in which I have learned a lot. I have absolutely cultivated this healthy habit into my life and am looking forward to continuing a fit and healthy lifestyle. Here is what I have discovered so far on this journey...

Some benefits:
Boosted confidence and esteem
Relief from back pain / knots
Increased physical strength
Increased mental strength
Freedom from really painful cramps and fatigue during my period.

The joy of keeping my promise to myself.

The realization of how powerful I am and can be.
*There have been many things to celebrate, this is just some of the list.

Why am I writing this? Because I'm a person just like you:
I owned the P90X DVDs for a couple of years and it wasn't until now that I started using them.
I was previously a member of Bally's and then LA Fitness and like many people would pay for membership a lot more than I would use it.
I believed I didn't have enough time to work out.
I wondered why I would start a fitness regimen totally jazzed and then fizzle out one to two weeks after making a commitment.
I started to believe I would need a personal trainer to change my pattern.
*I think we can all relate to this. But now those days are over. I'm here to tell you if I can do it, you can too.

What changed?
1. DESIRE. For once in my life my desire to cultivate this healthy habit for the rest of my life outweighed any of the previous excuses that used to stand in my way.
2. I also went about it differently. Instead of wondering if I could do it or would do it this time, I made the decision that it had already been done. When you think of yourself as someone fit and healthy, you start acting like it. This helped me keep my promise to myself, not sabotage myself with food, and engage in my workouts with vigor and the knowing I was coming back tomorrow. You know, the marathon vs. the sprint mentality.

Friends, I will continue to post up about fitness, health, and nutrition. My new goal is to continue the P90X Lean Program for a total of 90 Days and then, purchase another workout like the Insanity or Zumba programs. If you have missed my daily posts while on this journey, click below and remember that subscribing and commenting is love. I write about all kinds of goodness on this blog and I'd love for you to be a part of it. Cheers to living our best life! xo

Day's 28 & 29 of 30 Days to Greatness

Day 27 of 30 Days to Greatness

30 Days to Greatness #26

30 Days to Greatness, Day 25.

30 Days to Greatness, Day 24

30 Days to Greatness, 22 and 23

30 Days to Greatness. Days 20 & 21. Let's go!!!

30 Days to Greatness. Day 19, Hitting a Wall...

30 Days to Greatness, Days 17 & 18!

30 Days to Greatness, #16

30 Days to Greatness. I'm Halfway There at Day 15!!!!

30 Days to Greatness Day 12

30 Days to Greatness, Day 11

30 Days to Greatness Day 10

30 Days to Greatness, # 9

30 Days to Greatness, THIS is Day 8.

30 Days to Greatness Day 6

30 Days to Greatness, Day 5

30 Days to Greatness, # 4

30 Days to Greatness, Day 3

30 Days to Greatness, Day 2

30 Days to Greatness

Day's 28 & 29 of 30 Days to Greatness

Hi friends, it is already my 29th day of this challenge. I can tell you that I feel great. I have noticed all kinds of changes and am happy to report I am having the best period in a long time. I usually suffer from bad cramps and fatigue but none of that has happened this month. I am hoping that is due to my new fit lifestyle. I was supposed to change up my workout after the third week and didn't realize it so I am now changing up my workout after my 4th week. I am still following the P90X lean plan and have made the modifications they have specified. Here are today's stats.....

Today's Workout:
P90X Yoga X as directed by their lean plan.

Today's Nutrition:
Breakfast - An egg scramble with tomato, onion, spinach, and an English muffin. 3 cups of coffee.
Lunch post workout - leftover wheat pasta with tomato sauce, tomato, onion, and portobello mushrooms with a garlic toast. Low sodium V8 to drink
Water all day.

Yesterday (day 27) was my rest day but I still enjoyed a wonderfully active time. Myself and Tony went to Descanso Gardens and enjoyed nature by way of plants, flowers, trees, insects, Koi, Turtles, and more. We took photos and had great conversation. We both have pedometer apps on our phones but I was lower than usual on my battery and taking photos with my phone so I asked him (a little late in our stay) to track our progress with the pedometer. Yesterday's outing was approximately 2 miles of walking and a lot of fun. :)

Tip:
1. Don't have a gym membership or workout DVD? Get out and WALK. This is free and can start low impact as you warm up if you have not been doing much activity. This is also very good for your mood as it will get your blood pumping and your mind out and into nature and the world at large. Track your progress with a Pedometer App. I started with this one and now I use this one.
2. Places to walk:
Your neighborhood.
The park.
The mall.
The beach.
To a nearby errand that needs to get done like the store, post office, video rental, dry cleaners, etc.

The best things in life are free! So get out there and enjoy what's waiting for you. You are worth it. your mind and body will thank you for it.

<3

Day 27 of 30 Days to Greatness

Today has been a great day overall. I must admit I am quite tired and sore. But I have been enjoying major breakthroughs and for that I am grateful. Today I went to spend time at my Grandma's house and got up and ready to go quite early. Since I had gone to bed after 2 am last night and had a vigorous workout late, I was sore and desiring sleep in the moring. In order to be my word to both my family and myself, I decided to do my workout when I returned from family time. While with family, I ate well, made good choices and stuck to what was best for me. I was really happy about that because as much as we love our families, sometimes they do not know what's best. Especially in the food department. I think we can all relate to that a bit no? Anyway, here's today's stats....

Today's Workout:
P90X Kenpo as per their lean plan

Today's Nutrition:
Breakfast - Cream of Wheat with ground flaxseeds, almonds, honey, and cinnamon. 2 cups of coffee.
Lunch - Rotisserie chicken, potato salad, veggie salad with mushrooms, tomato, cabbage, carrots, iceburg lettuce, spinach, and romaine, no dressing. Water to drink.
Dinner post workout - Hot dog at movies with catsup and mustard, 1 cup unbuttered popcorn, and water to drink.
Water all day.

Tip: 
What ever you think is possible is what will be possible for you. That's in fitness, nutrition, or life in general. Instead of saying I can't, how about asking how can I?

Cheering on the greatness in us all. Blog soon....

30 Days to Greatness #26

Today I didn't eat good and I just finished my workout at 11:35pm making it my latest workout ever! I am really happy and proud of showing up and I am not beating myself up over the food although I am aware I did not make the healthiest choices. Here's the stats:

Today's Workout:
P90X Legs & Back with Ab Ripper X

Today's Nutrition: 
Breakfast - Steel cut oats with ground flaxseeds, almonds, strawberries, and blueberries. 2 cups of coffee.
Lunch - Patty melt with french fries. Water to drink.
Dinner - Thai food Mee Krob, Noodles with chicken and shrimp, and a vegetable medley consisting of bok choy, broccoli, asparagus, and snow peas. Water to drink.
Water all day.

Workout Tip:
Gyms are great, but an awesome DVD / workout series that motivates you is where it's at. I LOVE that I can workout at home at any time and I can pause my trainer if I need to get more water, go to the bathroom. I LOVE that I save on gas, gym membership fees, and time! It's great that I can show up and do my best every time without having to think of anything else. All I have to do is what they instruct on the video. If you are thinking of giving it a try, DO IT.

I can't wait to hit the shower. this quick post is sent to you with lots of love. See you tomorrow! <3

30 Days to Greatness, Day 25.

Wow, I can't believe it is my 25th day already. Yet, when I think of how much stronger I am, I can. Today was phenomenal. It was a truly transcending workout in both mind and body. I feel really good. I also had a great day overall. had an audition and a great lunch with my hubby at one of our favorite spots. I have also enjoyed the weather in L.A. today because it seems Chicagoan. It has been overcast and humid. Hot but not boiling. There were even some drizzle drops this afternoon... anyway, back to it! Here are today's stats.

Today's Workout:
P90X Yoga as dictated by their lean plan.
This was the best P90 Yoga practice yet! I went way past my previous boundaries. I was able to hold more, longer, and stretch farther. I was sweating like crazy and felt like a million bucks coming out of it. It was GREAT!

Today's Nutrition:
Breakfast pre workout - Steel cut oats with ground flaxseeds, blueberries, strawberries, and almonds. 3 cups of coffee.
Lunch post workout - 2 slices of margarita pizza (tomato sauce, cheese, and basil) 1 glass of pinot noir, 1/2 a baby greens salad.
Dinner - Peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a toasted English muffin.
Water all day.

Tomorrow I have an audition at 11:45 am. Due to this, I have my alarm set to 6:45 to give me time to workout, eat breakfast, get ready, etc. before I head out. I would much rather get my workout in before noon. Today I also signed up to the Beachbody community. I am not sure how active I will be on there since I blog post each day here but it is nice knowing I will have a place to mingle with others taking this on. I am also wondering about adding more components of the meal P90X meal plan. If I do, I'll let you know.

If you are thinking of taking on your own fitness challenge, DO IT! You are so worth it. <3

30 Days to Greatness, Day 24

As I type this, I am hungry. I'll probably make a fresh juice once I am done. Today went grrreat! I am happy to report that my husband is getting motivated by watching my journey and has started working out every other day and is also watching his calorie intake. Yay! It's nice to see him work on his personal fitness and health goals. How about you? 

Today's workout:

Arms and Shoulders with Ab Ripper X from P90X's lean plan.

Today's Nutrition:

Breakfast - Steel cut oats with ground flaxseeds, blueberries, strawberries, and almonds. 3 cups of coffee.

Lunch post workout - Salad with romaine lettuce, spinach, tomato, onion, portobello mushrooms, and black beans. Cracked wheat sourdough toast with hummus, and low sodium V8 to drink. 

Dinner - Whole wheat fettucine with portobello mushroom, onion, tomato, and tomato sauce with a salad of romaine lettuce, spinach, carrots, and tomato. 

Snack - McDonald's vanilla cone. 

Water all day. 

Energy today was great. Workout was good. If you have any questions I'd be more than happy to address them, I'd also love to hear about your fitness and nutrition thoughts. Sharing is caring, see you tomorrow.