Coaching Success

Today I had the opportunity to hear a young UCLA coaching legend speak.

Valerie Kondos Field is in her 23rd year coaching the UCLA gymnastics team, though she was also an assistant coach for eight years before taking the reins. I have always admired Coach Val because she is famously not a gymnast; in fact, she was a ballerina when she applied to be the dance coach for UCLA's team in the 1980s.

Coach Val told all about her background and then told us about her connection with John Wooden. Also famously, the two coaches became close friends over the last two decades of John Wooden's life. My favorite anecdote she told was about a day when a reporter interviewed the coaches together and asked something about whether Coach Val would be the next John Wooden. Apparently Coach Wooden chuckled and said, "Why would she want to be the next John Wooden when she can be the best Valerie Kondos Field?" Oh, Coach.

The biggest aspect of Coach Val's speech that inspired me was her three tips for success for her athletes.

1. Improve 1% every day.
2. Ruthlessly attack your weaknesses.
3. Observe without judgment. 

I love them all. And obviously Valerie Kondos Field knows a thing or two about success (six national championships and 12 conference championships, for example), so I'm inclined to listen to her advice. But I think that each of these ideas is one we can all learn from. To focus on improving just a little--instead of being overwhelmed by too much at once--seems doable for anyone. The second speaks for itself: know what your weaknesses are and be willing to do all it takes to improve upon them. Coach Val even admitted that her big weakness is motivating herself to work out (who would have thought?! It's tough for all of us, apparently). And the third is one I hadn't thought much about but that inspires me. To observe the world and people around us without passing judgment sounds difficult, and I can certainly improve there.

As for the original legend, Coach Wooden's definition of success (perhaps the most famous ever written) is:

 

That guy just rocks. (These photos are from a statue newly erected at UCLA in honor of our beloved Coach.)

We spent the rest of the day at a UCLA volunteer retreat for young alumni, always fun, and always an opportunity for me to take cheesy pictures.

When we got home around five, I forced myself to throw on a yoga video. At first I wasn't excited at all, but halfway through I felt great and managed to get through the whole 45 minutes. Honestly, I felt fantastic at the end; I really needed the stretch and core work that only yoga can give me.

And now...the moment you've all waited for: the winner of the Under Armour hoody giveaway! I loved reading about all your favorite fall things, by the way. But the winner is...

Lauren! (There were a few Laurens in the running, so please be sure it was your comment!) E-mail me at abetterlifewithburgers@gmail.com to claim your prize!

Thursday or Friday? Hoody GIVEAWAY!

Did today feel like a Friday, or was that just me?

(Source)

That one's for the introvert in me.

(Original source)

Seriously, I laughed for about five minutes when I read this one.

If you caught my post on Facebook tonight (do you follow BLWB? it's the coolest thing to do!), you know that I made two meals tonight: one for us and one for a coworker going through a tough time. A bunch of us signed up to help her out with meals this week, and it was fun to get in the giving spirit before the holidays!

For us, I made a new pasta recipe; I'll definitely share the magic with you guys, because it was phenomenal! [And I also promise to share a photo with you as soon as I find the cord that connects my camera to my computer.]

For my coworker, I decided to go with some classic comfort food:

• Homemade chicken noodle soup
• Sourdough bread (with a card that suggests what to do with it - dip it in the soup, bake homemade croutons, make garlic toast)
• Mixed green salad with vinaigrette dressing

I hope she likes it! I get so nervous making food for others; usually I just cook for me and Terry. I'm eager to hear what she thinks. 

Tonight's boot camp workout called for 40 minutes of cardio and some crazy difficult planks. I ended up only completing 30 minutes on the treadmill because my IT bands were aching, and I'm vowing to do a solid 10 minutes of foam rolling to solve that problem. Tomorrow is also my last chance to complete Goal 1 for this week: working out before work. Honestly, I'm kinda cheating, because we have an inservice day tomorrow (teacher meetings, but no students), which means I don't need to be there at 6:45 like the rest of this week. So I think I'll get up at 5, complete my circuit workout and intervals, and leave the house by 7. Wish me luck!

-------------------------------------

Under Armour Hoody Giveaway

Well, given the comments on yesterday's post, it sounds like a lot of you might be excited about my giveaway today! As you know, Under Armour gave me the opportunity to review their Fleece Storm Full Zip Hoody, and I love it! You can check out my full review here. But let's get to the good stuff: how you can win one of your very own!

First things first: Under Armour is extremely generous; instead of sending me two of the same size and color, the winner gets to select his or her size and color! And yes, guys can win, too! (Under Armour has male versions of the hoody.)

To enter the giveaway:

• Leave a comment with your favorite thing about fall or winter weather. (Mandatory)
• Send a tweet that mentions this giveaway and my twitter handle (@BetterBurgers) and Under Armour's handle (@UnderArmour) (Optional for a bonus entry)
  Example tweet: "I'm entered to win an @UnderArmour hoody from @BetterBurgers!"

I will choose a winner Saturday night 10/27 at 5 pm PST. The winner will be announced that night. Good luck!

Why You Should Boot Camp Your Booty

Well, did we all make it through Friday the 13th alright? I didn't even realize what day it was until mid-morning, but I seem to have survived. And we have a giveaway winner! (See below.)

I spent most of the day at home getting certified as a CPR/First Aid instructor--success! Terry and I are both officially instructors and can certify anyone in CPR, First Aid, Care for Children, and AED/CPR. So, hey, if you're in the LA area and need or want to get certified, let us know!

After our course, which was pretty draining, we were both seriously dreading our training run of 4.5 miles. We had to do it; we skipped it yesterday thinking today would be better. But first we caught up on So You Think You Can Dance and Colbert Report snacked on pistachios and cake. Talk about pre-run fuel, huh? And then I prepped dinner before we laced up our shoes and headed out, grumbling the whole way.

This is me. (Source)

Luckily, once we got going, we knew it wouldn't be horrible. The first mile always SUCKS for me. My muscles are still trying to figure out what the hell I'm doing to them, and my mind keeps repeating how many miles I have to go. But after that first mile, I usually feel pretty good for awhile. The last mile is also rough, but by that point I've come so far I can't just stop. Running is a seriously mental activity, at least for me; I struggle a lot but enjoy the challenge--and the post-run endorphins!

We got home and made pizza for dinner, topped with zucchini, mushrooms, and mozzarella cheese. I shaped them into rectangles to spice things up, and Terry said it was my best pizza ever. Coincidence? I think not!

"Fun" pizza - yep, I'm a real crazy gal

What to do with the other pizza crust while you wait for the first one to cook.

We spent the rest of the night watching Jeopardy and looking at silly websites like Jenna Marbles and Failbook. Yep, Friday nights around here are wild. 

In other news, I got the Final Jeopardy question right!

Okay, guys, let's get serious. Today marks 10 days until Boot Camp! Who's joining? So far, several of my friends plus my mom have said they're in! So exciting to have such a good group on board! 

From Tina's site

For those unaware, I'm going to participate in Tina's Best Body Boot Camp again from July 23 to September 16. Here are the facts:

• It's 100% online, so you can participate from anywhere in the world.
• Tina e-mails the workouts, along with video demonstrations of each move. 
• The workouts are designed for 5 days per week, but you can accommodate as needed.
• The workouts are around 60 minutes, but again you can accommodate as needed.
• I found a lot of the workouts very challenging, but you can adjust to make them easier or harder depending on your fitness levels. Tina provides lots of variations.
• There's a Facebook group you can join to see how other people are doing, motivate yourself, and ask questions of Tina or other participants.
• The workouts are all different. Sometimes you repeat the same series of moves, but there's always something tweaked.
• Tina provides both resistance (strength) and cardio training.
• It costs $25 for 8 weeks of workouts.

Here's why I think it was so awesome:

• For 8 full weeks, I had complete workouts built for me, which was motivating. I couldn't use the excuse of not knowing what I wanted to do or just throw out a lazy workout, and sometimes I need that kick in the butt.
• The boot camp forced me to try new moves, like the Turkish Get Up, which got me out of my comfort zone.
• My tush was like a rock. No joke.
• I usually did my workouts in the afternoon, so I got to see everyone's Facebook comments about the day's workout and got so pumped to try it out.
• I could do every single move in my apartment or outside. I could have done it all at a gym, also. No excuses.
• Side note: I got to meet Tina at BLEND Retreat, and she is just the coolest. That's just a bonus.

Okay, are you in? Have I convinced you? Remember it starts July 23! If you have questions, let me know via e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter. 

And finally, the winner of The Simply Bar giveaway is...

Anonymous! 

Please e-mail me your info at abetterlifewithburgers@gmail.com ASAP! Congratulations!

Hope y'all have a very happy Saturday. Terry and I are going to figure out our hike for tomorrow and then call it a night. 

WIAW + a Giveaway!

Happy WIAW! Today turned out to be quite an adventure, so let me fill you in.

7:15 am - Breakfast

Banana bread and tea

 I woke up at 7 for a little bit of work and to write this morning's blog post. Though a certain someone wanted to keep sleeping.

In it, I discussed my summer bucket list and gave a review of The Simply Bar. Check it out, and then enter my giveaway (details below). I also did half of a yoga video before showering and getting ready for my errands.

10:15 am - Baby carrots

The container fit perfectly in the cup holder!

I munched on these while I stopped at the bank, went to The Grove's Crate & Barrel, grabbed a few items at Bed, Bath & Beyond, and stocked up on produce at Trader Joe's.

Hello, color! Nice to see you again!

 1:15 pm (why are these all :15?) - Lunch

2 scrambled eggs, 1/2 diced tomato, 1/2 avocado, whole wheat tortilla, and cheddar cheese

I gobbled up lunch while I unpacked my Crate & Barrel goodies:

6" chef's knife, orange stripe bowls, wooden spoon, 4-cup measuring cup, picture frame for Terry's grandparents, box grater, a muddler for cocktails, and towels. I finally used up the last of our wedding gift cards. A successful trip, I'd say!

3:00 pm (there we go) - Snack

Chocolate cookies

At this point I got to work on my project for the day: organizing our hallway cabinet.

Before

During

My little helper

After!

7:00 pm - Dinner

Zucchini latkes

I saw this recipe on Courtney's blog the other day (along with two other delicious-looking zucchini recipes) and thought we'd give it a try. It was phenomenal! Such a quick side dish and something very different.

We also whipped up a quick salad: corn, avocado, tomato, lettuce, and red onion with a BBQ sauce-honey-Greek yogurt-apple cide vinegar dressing.

After dinner, we took a long walk around our neighborhood and then enjoyed a piece of marble cake from our anniversary night.

Another delicious day over here! Tomorrow I have plans for a meeting at my new job and lunch with a friend. 

The Simply Bar Giveaway

Get excited, folks! Time for a giveaway! I reviewed The Simply Bar earlier this morning. For a chance to win one of each flavor (Cinnamon Pecan, Caramel Peanut, Chocolate Peanut Butter, and Lemon Coconut), you can:

• (Mandatory) Leave a comment below sharing something from your Summer Bucket List
• (Optional, for an extra entry) Tweet: I'm entered to win @TheSimplyBar from @BetterBurgers!

This opportunity is only open to US residents. I will randomly select a winner on Friday at 5 pm PST.

Good luck!

We Have a Winner!

I can sense your excitement through the Internet. We have a winner for the OXO Good Cookie Spatula giveaway! I assigned a number to each person who entered based on the time they entered (first person to enter got #1, etc.). Then I used a random number generator to determine the recipient of the spatula. And the winner is...

Yeah...8 entries. Makes for a good
growth rate for the next one - let's hope!

Michelle! Congratulations! Michelle, be sure to e-mail me your mailing address so I can ship your spatula to you ASAP!

Thank you so much for those who entered the giveaway. I hope I get to host many more. Meanwhile, if you were interested in the Good Cookie spatula as a little gift for yourself this Christmas (as I said, you can never have too many spatulas!), they're sold out online but you can check out Bed Bath & Beyond or amazon.com to purchase one. It really is a nifty little guy! (Perfect for a gift, perhaps...? With some homemade cookies...?)

I had so much fun hosting a giveaway! Thanks for participating!

My First Giveaway!

What an exciting day for my little blog! Terry and I agree that a spatula is the absolute perfect utensil for my first giveaway. Here's the story behind that (are you curious to know how there could be a spatula story in my life?): When Terry and I first moved in together, I made a trip to Bed Bath & Beyond. When I reported back to Terry about my purchases, I felt the need to justify only one impulse buy: the spatula. So, offhandedly, I said, "Oh, and I bought a spatula, because, you know, you can never have to many spatulas." Little did I know I had uttered words that we would continue to quote over the next four years. (Yes, we have a lot of spatulas, but not a crazy amount. But then, what's the normal spatula count for a household of two?) Now we constantly joke to each other about how thankful we are that we never run out of spatulas. We are truly the coolest.

Needless to say, I am thrilled that OXO chose to send me one of their "Good Cookie" spatula to review and another to give away. I'm already a huge fan of OXO products and highly recommend them, so here are my thoughts about their newest spatula.

First off, I was shocked at its size! It's tiny! It would fit perfectly in anyone's kitchen.
I would have especially loved this little guy in college.

Look how cute the little inscription is! "Be a good cookie." :-)

I also love the color. Our kitchen is all bright colors, and you can see it works perfectly with our theme!

So what to do for my experiment with the new spatula? Obviously, I needed a cookie, but I wanted to try something new. Chocolate cookies? Sure!

Two pounds of chocolate.

My version of a double boiler. Works perfectly every time. Set a heatproof bowl
over a pot of simmering water and stir the chocolate until smooth.

These cookies came out dense,  thick, and fudgy. I would actually argue that there may have been too much chocolate. And that's saying something for a chocolate lover like myself.

I added walnuts to the second batch. I loved the crunch!

So, how did the OXO spatula hold up throughout the baking? It was great! I definitely recommend it! I mentioned I was surprised at the tiny size, and that size turned out to be just perfect for cookies. Often when I bake, my huge spatulas make it awkward to get the food out neatly. Fear no more! This spatula scooped up the cookies perfectly, and I look forward to trying it with other foods, like casseroles or pancakes. And - bonus - it was super easy to clean. I just sponged it off, but it can also go in the dishwasher.

And here's the greatest part (from the OXO website): Your purchase helps OXO support Cookies for Kids' Cancer, up to $100,000; 50% of profits benefit pediatric cancer awareness. Amazing! Cookies + cancer-awareness: That's the kind of company I like to see.


So! Here's the deal: If you're interested in getting your very own Good Cookie Spatula for FREE, there are three ways to enter:

1. Comment below with your favorite type of cookie or a cookie recipe you hope to try soon.
2. Comment on the A Better Life With Burgers Facebook page with your favorite type of cookie or a cookie recipe you hope to try soon.
3. Send me an e-mail (abetterlifewithburgers@gmail.com) with your favorite type of cookie or a cookie recipe you hope to try soon.

As promised, I would like to take this opportunity to shamelessly increase my subscribers, so while you comment/e-mail/Facebook, go ahead and click that cute little "subscribe" or "like" button! :-) 

I will randomly choose a winner on Friday of this week, and he/she will receive the spatula as an early Christmas gift!

Some Workouts and a Special Announcement

Remember me? This week drained every bit of energy out of me before I made it home each day, so blog posts would have been halfhearted at best. But I survived Friday, and you can expect plenty of blog updates this weekend. First, I'll catch you up on the two (count 'em, two) workouts I squeezed in over the last five days.

Thursday's Workout
I felt so exhausted on Thursday that the idea of cardio actually made me dizzy, so I stuck to a short arms-only workout to at least say I did something.


Upper Body Series 2

• 10 tricep push ups (keep your elbows super close to your ribs and your wrists under your shoulders)
• 50 crunches (I alternated between regular, straight-leg, and bicycle)
• 10 wide-arm push ups
• 2 minutes nonstop bicep curls
• 1 minute Superman swimming (lay on your belly and lift your shoulders/upper chest off the ground; stretch your straight arms out above your head and lower to your hips, then back above your head)

I repeated the whole series three times and felt decently fatigued, but I'm interested in trying this workout again when I'm not as exhausted. I wonder if it would feel too easy, but you could always amp up the repetitions or times.

Today's Workout

I felt desperate for cardio after four days of nothing, so after cleaning house this afternoon I headed to our cozy gym for a workout. (Sometimes, if two or three people are working out in the room and the door is closed, the two walls of windows completely fog up. Disgusting. I absolutely MUST have the door open; how can you work out when you can't breathe?) I combined a past incline walking workout with a touch of running and then hopped on the elliptical for 20 minutes, levels 13 and 9, two miles total. 

(Thanks to Julie for inspiring me to post my workouts in a much more attractive style!)

After all that, I got to enjoy some leftovers from dinner earlier this week. Jenn and I tested an Italian place in Westwood, Pomodoro, which had great service and delicious pasta. I wasn't crazy about their bruschetta (Jenn figured out that it was under-seasoned), but I would certainly go back. $32 for two meals and an appetizer (plus leftovers for each of us) ain't bad!

My eggplant pasta dish

Jenn's chicken with spicy pasta sauce

Tonight's leftover pasta was just as yummy alongside some cheesy garlic bread. I've really taken comfort food to a whole new level this week, and I have some ambitious plans to amp up my vegetable intake as soon as possible. 

But first, I have a special announcement! I'm sure my excitement will far exceed yours, but I am thrilled to announce that I get to host my very first blog giveaway! That's right, I have a special gift for one lucky reader. I haven't decided how to do the giveaway, but I might use this opportunity to shamelessly up my subscribers. So, if you aren't already subscribed (thanks to those who have! You have no idea how excited I get when I have a new "official" reader!), consider doing it! You can also like A Better Life With Burgers on Facebook and/or follow me on Twitter. (By the way, I'm new to Twitter and completely confused by the whole thing. I will accept tutoring - a Twitter tutor? - from anyone willing to help!) I'll have more about the giveaway on Monday.