Category Archives: Lettuce Libations

Hello lettuceheads! 

I hope you’re as excited as I am to recap my 2012 Perform Beautifully Oakley Ambassador Experience in the beautiful Napa Valley, California. I thought gabbing about how I was going to this wonderful fitness retreat before I went was bad (how I won it in the first place could easily have overloaded people-family, friends, boyfriend, coworkers) but coming back has far surpassed my previous gush fest as I’ve now oozed my experience to anyone and everyone who would listen. I could never “over “relive this trip in my mind, looking through pics, videos, or by telling all those around me. Consider yourself warned. Since I want to share it all with you, this may have to be a few posts versus just one- this stuff is just way too good.

Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are. 

-Marrianne Williamson

My man drove me to the airport. As we drove and before I left, I had NO IDEA how much Id be representing the midwest, let alone Indiana. Since I really was one of the few, I made sure everyone knew how much I loved it and how great it was and all what its allowed me to do with my life. I have such love in my heart for my hometown and I cant appreciate more those friends, family, and experiences that make it one of the warmest places around. I hope that I showed just how brightly we all shine despite not having a beach or mountains or perfect weather 24/7. Though, wouldnt that be quite a cherry on top?

Hes dreamy…hard to leave.

When I arrived to California, the weather was puuuuurfect, I met an incredibly successful business owner and Mom from Wisconsin who had one of the top selling eye clinics around- top seller being Oakleys, hmm I wonder why, and my adorable New Hampshire boot camp/personal trainer, world traveler power house AJ- her eyes twinkled and her smile made me feel at home. I knew this trip was going to fly by…

I had a whole sweet suite at a top of the line golf resort and spa, ALL TO MYSELF! I slept like a King. And yes I loved my fresh white robe- walking around like a Kardashian.

Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.

-Henry David Thoreau

Shortly after arriving we had a cocktail meet and greet with the fellow 2012 ambassadors and some original ambassadors from last year. We also met some of our Oakley mothers/family. They took care of us over the weekend,  with “taking care of” as an understatement. They truly all were so sweet, warm, and playful. From the staff, to the account reps, to the pro athletes and celebrity trainers. My cheeks still hurt from smiling. There was a dynamic mix of triathletes, personal trainers, marathoners, bloggers, social media extraordinaires, singers, outdoor activists, slackliners and all around beautiful performers. The 10 ambassadors were joined by the Oakley company that is specifically focusing on Women (roar!!!), the top selling accounts for Oakley, and magazine marketing/editors!

Below Texan Cari, myself, Carolina Carly, Manmouth Christine, and New Hampshire AJ during our appetizer, cocktail introduction to Oakley as a brand/company. We then had a dinner and saw the new line we’d be wearing all weekend. A true sneak peak! No one was wearing what we had, not in stores yet, color me special, because I sure felt it.

Below, along with Page, Cali triathlete with blog, Christine tickle me romantic musician and skiier from Manmouth, Carly’s fast legs from Carolina, and a Texan rockstar personal trainer, bombshell boot camp leader. I could go on and on about these chicas- obviously.

Our incredible swag we got from Oakley! Asics running shoes, Garmin (OMG!!!), fantastic Oakley gear, Oakley shades, and the list goes on. Fitness magazine also hooked us up with more swag below!

Yummy and colorful din din!

The next day at breakfast before our Stretch by Asics, Rolling O Lab experience, Garmin presentation, and 5k run in the winery!

How gorgeous is this run!? view!?

At winery with original ambassador Lacey- owns her own yoga business! Looking good in our Oakleys!

Our Bike Ride all around Napa, thank you Trek!

 At one of the winery’s, we went to several,  I literally wanted to soak in every moment with every inch of my being.

We ate dinner here, after a hike up to the winery, we ate here in this gorgeous dining area

Cari, my Texan all star, thought I should put LETTUCE in my hair instead of a flower- you know, for brand recognition and all Thank you Cari (http://www.cari-fit.com/)

An awesome, refreshing booty workout with Katrina and Karina from www.toneitup.com

Katrina (pictured right) is from Indy!

We visited the Culinary Institute of America and had a great dietary presentation by pro triathlete Jenny Fletcher and RD, among many other things, and 5x Ironman finisher Marni Sumbal! She is such an inspiration and great resource- we were told we look like sisters. http://trimarni.blogspot.com/

Pretty Hike- sweet wind mill!

 BUNS OUT (along with No Cal Christine our beautiful singer and skiier and Emily from Mohab- the sweetest slackliner, not to mention talented and balanced to say the least).

In every community, there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart, there is the power to do it.

-Marrianne Williamson

Posted by Maria in Lettuce Libations

 Happy Wednesday the 8th of February. What, already!? Where the heck did the beginning of the month go? I think we all know that the Super Bowl madness was insane and so fun. Big props to naptown! I was out nearly every night just walking around, went to an exclusive Play Boy Party, made eye contact with Adam Levine as he was transcending the escalator with his entourage, not yet noticed by anyone other than my boyfriend and I, and spent quality time with friends and family- all sharing in an incredible environment… leading up to a quality football match…that I could barely keep my eyes open during.

I’ll mention and you might figure that I was quite spent, doing 2 hour Spin classes, regular workouts, walking around on my legs all day and still working my 40 hour job. So many people were making sacrifices as well, but it didnt feel all that difficult when there was so much to do. Then all of a sudden it hits you, and youre falling asleep during the coolest commercials that occur all year. Thank goodness for Madonnas fun halftime show which woke me up a bit!

Staying on the fitness wagon wasnt tough for me, but considering that a majority of your weight loss/management is in the kitchen, I felt the need to cleanse out the nasty residue consumed over the weekend- much like I deep rinsed my dish washer. The cool thing on both accounts, is that it worked! Yay to no residue on my dishes and yay to me being proactive and eliminating some of the toxins that I dabbled in over the weekend. Upon talking to another Y member after a Spin Class, we shared with eachother the reflections of fueling poorly and how it affects your mood, bodily response, and psyche. After feeling a little sorry for ourselves, we both agreed we can be our own worst critics and patted ourselves on the back for doing a 2 hour spin class!!!  Upon coming back to reality, I did a revised shakeology cleanse to initiate  my regular routine of clean eating.My revised cleanse had me drink shakeology 3x a day plus some other fuel to make sure I was eating enough for the day considering my activity (some fruit, oatmeal, peanutbutter to help fuel the 1000 calorie workout from Monday night).

It worked crazily in getting it all out which I love, while not starving myself and feeling very energized. I would highly recommend this to anyone so long as theyre following a fair plan. If you want the directions to the cleanse, facebook message me and Id love to share with you the 3 day cleanse instructions. There are some whacky ones out there, in fact most are, which I do NOT recommend. Now Im back to drinking it once a day and eating properly, while maintaining my exercise schedule. Im so happy to get back on routine, but would have truly regretted not living it up during the Super Bowl. The bobs and weaves of proper nutrition will always be there, its just a matter of how to stick to plan and not beat yourself up in the process.

Some fun pics throughout the long fun weekend:

Before our exclusive party- with my dear friends from College

With our friends visiting, in from Michigan- @ Burlesque Bingo in Fountain Square

Waiting in line for the Barenaked Ladies concert downtown before the game!

Some announcements, Tropical Strawberry Shakeology is open to being ordered on Valentines Day, February 14! So excited.

The E&E formula is an all natural pre workout blend that helped me big time during my 2 hour sessions. It took a moment to adjust, but I love it now to help with my workout’s efficiency and recovery.

You can find both at: www.beachbodycoach.com/Mialettuce. If you saw the invite on Facebook, Im doing a new challenge where everyone buys shakeology and drinks it once a day for 30 days, sharing results, effects, recipes, and holding eachother accountable. Im so happy to be able to help people from the convenience of facebook exclusive groups. Please let me know if you want in on this, this deadline is February 14th and you can buy everything at: www.shakeology.com/Mialettuce.

This pretty much sums up the fact that it was a whirlwhind of a week, completely worth it, and now its back to normalcy. I’ll leave you with my addiction for egg white and oatmeal pancakes (1/4 cup each, add baking powder, cinammon, vanilla extract and cook stove top like a pancake) with Better N Peanutbutter. SO amazingly good.

Also I add chobani yogurt to my shakeology- another amazing and fun add.

This concludes my thoughts and reflections for the week and I cant wait to see you in class or hear from you virtually. Never hesitate to reach out and lets rock it out together

Maria ”Like the Lettuce” Romaine, xoxoxo

Posted by Maria in Lettuce Libations

Hey guys! Hope you all had a FANTASTIC Christmas/Holiday weekend. Mine was incredible. I am very blessed with a beautiful healthy family, wonderful friends, and a great boyfriend who knows me all too well. I received such cool goodies- theyre going to surely be used big time come 2012. Some of those goodies included a vacuum, baking pans, crock pot, large grill, blender, my first pearl necklace, an AWESOME pace/running watch (Soleous) and some cash money to spend at lululemon- my favorite workout gear store. If it wasnt clear before, its clear now that my late twenties will be devoted to becoming a better cook

It was great to be around everyone, especially since I could focus on family- happy that I was sticking to my plan. I made sure to get my workouts in (some at home- including kettle bell squats that left me quite sore for the road trip to Chicago) and I was able to eat great colorful, nutritious food despite their being option upon option of heavy comfort filipino food.

I adore the feeling associated with a long table adorned with gorgeous dishes everyone throws together with their own tender loving care, however I know the way my body would feel if I were to dive into these dishes every day of the holiday weekend. Ive been there before, and its not worth it. Personally I was very proud that I went through the holiday feeling great not beating myself up for the treats I did consume because I felt in control. I didnt feel relieved that the holiday was over because I was sick of eating, I was actually just excited to get back to my food/favorite dishes that I whip together to suit my own personal taste. Fortunately I had plenty of shrimp, rice, vegetables, and oatmeal concoctions to keep me satisfied throughout the holidays.

Regardless if you stayed on track or totally got off the train, hopefully you really enjoyed quality time with your family and were able to honor the reason for the season- whatever that may be. Here are some fun pics we took over the weekend:

Now for this week’s blog, as we are finishing up 2011, I wanted to recap what made my year incredibly fulfilled, ie my Top Ten Tools of 2011 that helped me reach my Health and Fitness goals!

1. Heart Rate Monitor. I purchased the Polar heart rate monitor so that I could better estimate my calories burned during the workout. It helped me work harder throughout my workouts and also gave me a much more realistic view of what I needed to consume each day whether that be to lose weight or to maintain my weight. The little skin irritation it may cause is the only downfall because I wear it often, however if you dont wear it EVERYTIME and use it as a guide, you shouldnt encounter this problem.

2. Road bike- I bought my women’s trek 2011 road bike at Bicycle Garage Indy after my old vintage Bianchi bike had been stolen. One of the best decisions ever. It was light, comfortable, and I was able to be the fastest Ive ever been (computer to track pace etc). I enjoyed long rides for a workout with partners and had tons of fun racing to the various finish lines.

 3. Triathlon Races- Some of the most fun Ive had in my life. Swimming in choppy open water, biking to the best of my ability, and striding to finish on foot. I trained here and there but doing one every 3 weeks was really the only training I needed. I was able to maintain my group exercise schedule, add swimming to my workouts, and kick some butt in Indianapolis, Chicago, and Nashville. I started out thinking I could do some Sprint distances to see how they felt, but after LOVING the Olympic sized distance, I know 2012 will incorporate a few longer ones. I also had such fun celebrating afterwards with some of the coolest of gals. Aint no party like a party with people who thrive off of competition! Quite the definition of “Work hard, play hard.”

 4. Hot Yoga Classes- I cannot claim such beautiful positions, yet, but I have totally fallen in love with the straining efforts, concentration, meditative peace, deep stretch and message behind these classes. Its such a wonderful combination to add in a rigorous workout schedule. Part massage part high intensity workout. Im very excited to get stronger and longer with this addition to my routine.

 5. Sweaty Bands- Hands down the BEST head bands ever. Nothing has ever stuck to my head through sweaty workouts or just bad hairdays like these. THE BEST. Wearing it here amidst a hiking adventure. www.sweatybands.com 

 6. Shakeology - I talk about this all the time and yes I sell it. However it took me a long time (3 years) of having it in my life as a nice treat before I realized what drinking it every day did. Its eliminated my cravings, gives me energy and holds off my hunger. I can only eat so much in a day, and from 3:00 on I really only consume liquids, I dont eat dinner until 9:00 at night. As someone who also calorie counts, not only does this 150 calorie snack/meal replacement taste like a milk shake, it provides such key nutrients (over 70 ingredients) much of which youd find at a whole foods store. Need stronger skin, nails, hair? Need more energy? Need your muscles to recover faster? Need help with digestion? I will continue to introduce people to it because it is wonderful and the people who drink it daily like me reap SUCH rewards. You can always let me know if you want a sample or if you want to get in on any challenge where we commit to drinking it every day.

 7. Blender- Thered me no shakeology for me if there wasnt something that whipped it up in my specific fashion- frosty/frothy! I love that it tastes like a Wendy’s frosty, only better, and Ive actually had my share of testing out blenders. As much as the cuisin art helped me out, and the ninja does the trick, nothing makes it as smooth as Kitchen Aid. Kitchen Aid would definitely be my recommendation- unfortunately I got it for my mom instead of for me. But it will be my next blender purchase since I use it everyday Im sure that wont be far from now.

8. Beachbody Gloves - take my Turbo workouts up to that extra notch. Helps me scorch an extra 100-200 calories every class and helps work those upper body muscles. I dont necessarily lift weights. I just punch hard!

 9. Dr appointments (Dermatology and Dentist)- So whats the point of working out super hard and eating right if youre not getting your check ups? My skin and teeth were something this time last year that I wanted to address. I did it and my skin has never been clearer, and many of you may or may not know but I actually am going through invisalign right now. I didnt have braces growing up because my teeth were relatively straight and I didnt NEED them. As an adult, my wisdom teeth were continuing to crowd and the small imperfections were something that drove me nuts. I realized that if I didnt do something about it, I would need to shut up about it. Instead of shutting up, I got the braces and cant stop talking about invisalign and how excited I am. My advice is that if you feel strongly about something and it will help you shine in the way you know you can, go after it. Make sure you are coming from a place of love for yourself. I could have apologized and told myself “Maria you dont need to do this for yourself, its silly” but instead I told myself “why the heck not, Maria you NEED to do this for yourself, be a little selfish, vain even, and get that smile you’ve always wanted”. Invisalign has been great. I cant wait to show you the end result!

You may be able to see up close the “invisable” braces.

10. This Site and YOU GUYS- Being able to share with you all my story and hopefully have it help you has been such an inspiration for ME. Im not sure how it affects everyone else but I know I love reading certain people’s blogs and realizing that there are so many resources. So many people are just like you and me, normal human beings with busy schedules, but still make their health and fitness dreams come true. I have accountability in sharing my tales with you all and I love being accesible in this format to address questions I get from you all left and right. I wish I had more time after class to talk to everyone and facebook is wonderful, dont get me wrong. As I pursue my future in health and fitness, I thank you guys for giving me a reason to try new things, stay true to myself, and put my best foot forward so that I can be the best Maria possible. I know 2012 will be INCREDIBLE and I am so stoked to see what all we can experience together. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

xoxo, Maria, Like the Lettuce, Romaine

Posted by Maria in Lettuce Libations