Be Excellent

It's one of those days where I'm feeling like my hard work is paying off...there's very few things in the world that feel better than that. It's a good, happy, sunny day. Go make the most of it. One thing Mat the Trainer said at BOOTCAMP today gave me a little bit of renewal of fight for my goals. Not quoting him, but he said something to the effect of...

"Be excellent. Be extraordinary. Do something today that gets you closer to your goal(s), whatever they may be. In your decisions, ask yourself if it will get you closer to your goal, then act."

I am going to keep that with me. Enough that I put a note on the leftover chocolate chip cookie dough in my fridge that won't be out of my house until tonight, now has a note on the lid.

Over the top?? I don't think so, it's already worked three times haha. So go into this weekend strong, committed, and over the top. Don't let the weekends be a set back anymore, let them propel you into the next week and look to the end of it and how much closer you will be to your goal. Let's hope I'm listening to myself and do the same. I'll report back on Monday.

Have a fabulous last September weekend!

Current Post-Workout Obsession

If you're like me, after getting your trash kicked, the last thing I want is something hot and heavy (wish I could think of another way to describe it). What I'm meaning is - I want something cold and don't feel like chewing, I'm still trying to catch my breath! Protein smoothies are a really easy, quick, and yummy way to get the nutrients you need after a killer sweat sesh. I can't even explain all the reasons why it is SO IMPORTANT to fuel and refuel your body no more than 45 minutes after a workout. That is when your body's cells eat up everything and they need to be replenished. This one is simple and seriously tastes like a milk shake! If you're craving ice cream when my sweet tooth hits majorly around 4 or later, mix up one of these bad boys and you'll be fuller longer and satisfy that craving, at least a little bit:)

1 cup SO Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk
4-6 frozen strawberries
1/2 frozen banana
1 scoop CytoSport protein powder (about 30 grams protein)
1 Tbsp Udo's Omega DHA Oil

Throw it all in a blender and mix it up! If you want it thicker, add a couple ice cubes. Thinner, add a little bit of water. And if you want to make this in the middle of the day as more of a meal replacement, add a big ol handful of spinach!

Here's the products I use that aren't as self-explanitory as bananas and strawberries. Vanilla Protein from Costco: $48.99 and it lasts forever. SO Delicious Coconut milk from Sprouts: $3. Udo's Oil from Sprouts: about $28 and lasts a couple months. 

The Sprouts items you can get from basically any health food store, Sprouts and Good Earth are just the ones we have in our area, and they carry them at both. I know Whole Foods, Trader Joes, any of those places would have them too. 

ENJOY!!

Wear it Wednesday - Headphones

......That actually STAY in your ears!!

Let me tell you, that is about all that matters to me. Minus the fact that music comes out of them, and the volume will adjust accordingly. I have been on the lookout for buds that stay in for years now, so long I almost thought I might have to resort to ear hole surgery so ones would fit, or worse...wearing the ones that wrap around your head and cover the whole ear. No hate if that's what you prefer, I just can't stand the big things covering my ears, the bouncing, and almost the feeling of claustrophobia from the headband. Let's be honest, they just don't work when running or trying to do anything intense. But with buds, I was literally shoving them back in my ears about every 15 seconds while I was running. I tried almost every set I could, borrowing family and friends' to see if theirs worked, but they would always tell me they had that same problem too. Good news, people! I FINALLY found some!

Skull Candy's name for them is perfectly suited - The FIX

These are the exact ones I ordered and let me tell you, they have been life changing! It comes with a whole little zipper case I can fit my shuffle in with them, and 3 different size buds depending on your big or bitty ear holes. Volume control on the wire strand, as you can see in the picture. My husband got these for me, knowing my strife with this whole situation, and when I got back from using them for the first time, he immediately asked me how they were. With my big smile and crazy enthusiasm, he was pretty proud of himself.

These are definitely a more expensive set of buds if you're used to just getting the free ones with iPods or $15 ones from Target. But, they are well worth it, especially if you do lots of running or high-intensity training. They run for $69.95 on Skull Candy, and come with a great warranty.

TAP Journey-The High School Years

This TAP Journey series is just going to go reflect back on where I've been so you can better understand how I got 'here' and know the background of what I've done in the past. How I FINALLY got a balanced emotional state, which in my book is THE ONLY way to have lasting, healthy success. Brace yourselves for the drama of High School...

Well, it all started my Sophomore year when I became a woman, meaning...ya know;) (PMS) I still hate talking about that stuff..yuck! But anyways, when I started 10th grade I was fitting into kids clothes and 00's, more like training bras and supportive tanks. I was proud of my boyish figure and had no desire to step into womanhood. I always hated talk about PMS and bras for some reason, and still to this day feel uncomfortable when a Victoria's Secret chick sees me looking at bras and asking to measure me...I don't know what it is...now for the little more TMI part that it a bit crucial. I had AWFUL periods for months, like every two weeks and major clotting and nastiness. I missed so much school because I was had to rush to the bathroom every 5 minutes, so I just wouldn't go to school. Cramps and pains like crazy which I remember my mom telling me, "this is going to prepare you so much for childbirth, because this is what contractions feel like." Perfect, Mom. I am glad for those experiences now, because of course, she was right, those early phases of contractions did feel so similar to that...kind of. I'm sure feeling that aided me in the process of giving birth naturally...kind of. More on that later. So to help control all this fun woman stuff, I became even more of a woman by getting put on 'the pill' to help regulate. And it did, but at the cost of jumping up to a size 4 and D's in a matter of about 3 months. Talk about a major body change at a time in life where we only focused on the important things in life...NOT! Nonetheless it was very hard for me to accept this new rounded body that I was never excited about getting or expecting it to change THAT fast! In those days where all that seemed to matter was status, friends, boys, and Friday night sporting events, now was not a good time for a drastic change like that. Then, that summer, we moved to Mesa, Arizona for my dad's new job.

Junior Year. New HUGE School. So many kids, you would never know that I was new because I saw a person every day that I had never seen before. Already intimidated, plus this new body I was not proud of, made me even more nervous and unconfident. I made the basketball team and made some good friends doing that. I was so self conscious about my body. Didn't go to any school dances...

Senior year. I decided not to continue playing basketball. With only 3 classes every day, I was done by 11am with school, then I'd go work at my dad's restaurant during the lunch rush, and got a job at a gym working the front desk. I quickly worked my way to a Sales Rep, so basically after 2pm, I was at the gym the rest of the day whether I was working or exercising. I made good relationships with all who worked there and the members. My co-workers saw how into fitness I was, eager to learn more and reach my goals, one of the trainers offered to train me for free to help me get there. I lost 18 lbs in about 6 weeks. Mind you, I was not large at all, I was insanely disciplined and went a little too extreme with the whole thing. Eating maybe 1,000 calories and intense exercise for about 2 hours every day. Never ever taking a bite of ANYTHING not on my "eating plan" and cutting even more calories than what was recommended for me. I even remember getting in arguments with my friends and family for not eating with them. I was going on a cruise the beginning of November and wanted to feel great. And when the cruise came, I was at the weight I said I wanted to be, but I was still embarrassed of my body. Why would that be??? After the cruise, a crazy battle with myself started. I tried to be just as perfect on the cruise, but for those of you who have been on one, know that's impossible. For some reason, once I got back, I wasn't perfect anymore. I would eat perfect probably up until about 3, or maybe even the whole day. But then, I would take a bite of something "not allowed" and go crazy the rest of the day thinking.. "I'll just eat all of this now since it'll be my last time having it, then I'll start being perfect again tomorrow."That thought process happened over, and over, and over again....I could never accept the fact of not being absolutely perfect, and would beat myself up. I would still exercise hard everyday, but eating was always my downfall. It was because I knew I could be disciplined and I had done it in the past, that I always thought something would click again and I would be that hard core without making one mistake, so I just kept expecting the click to happen the next day. But then every tomorrow would come and the click wouldn't...

Vacationing and Dropping

 just got back from a super fun long weekend in St. George/Las Vegas with my husband’s family. They have a house down there so that’s where we all stayed. The rest of his family got there the day before us, and when we walked in and saw all of the junk food, including some of our favorite indulgences, we were worried…

Does anyone let vacations become an excuse to not work out or eat healthy? I think the majority of people do. I know I use it as a reason to not feel too bad about having a treat or 2. And I feel like that is totally fine and healthy! Because if I’ve learned anything from my years of reaching toward fitness goals-it’s that deprivation is not your friend-it’s all about moderation and making a lifestyle change. By allowing exercise to be a part of your daily routine, more often than not, you’ll go for healthier foods and not stuff your face with all the junk food in sight. Hence the reason why it’s even more important to exercise while on vacation. Even if it’s just doing more active things all together so you still get that bonding time. Go for a hike, play tennis, go swimming, cliff jumping into a lake (you can burn some calories swimming to the shore and hiking back up). Exercise is not a sacrifice. It’s simply a way of life, just be more active.

Luckily, there was a Gold’s Gym down there so we got to go there everyday before starting our day’s activities. It’s not everyday you have a built-in babysitter, so we took advantage of it! One of the days, we went into Vegas and had lunch at Chipotle, which offers fabulous healthy options!

It’s important to realize you can eat out. When you walk into a food court, don’t go to a pizza or chinese joint that has nothing healthy to choose from-go to places like Subway, where you know you can get a well-rounded, healthier meal. Chipotle is not only fresh and clean meats and toppings, but it tastes just as yummy as it is good for you! I got a simple Chicken salad with black beans, corn, pico, fajita peppers, and their amazing Chipotle Vinaigrette dressing. TIP: Don't pour the dressing on your salads, just dip your fork into it as needed for bites. You'll be shocked how much less you use!!

Also, got back from this 4 day vaca and to find out, I actually dropped a pound while I was gone! Don't let vacationing put you in a "gimme a break" mode. You won't be happier.

Green Banana Smoothie

It’s super important to replenish your body after a workout. It’s within that first hour, especially half hour, that your body absorbs what you put in it really fast! So it’s even more important that you give it the good stuff within that time frame. One of my “go-to” concoctions is this Green banana smoothie. I serious have something like this everyday and it does the trick. It’s simple, fast, healthy, and extremely yummy!

3/4 c to 1 c Organic apple juice

1 Organic Banana (I prefer frozen)

1 large handful Organic Spinach

1 scoop protein powder (or equivalent to abut 25-30 grams of protein)

     

Protein is crucial. It helps rebuild muscle and leaves you fuller longer. Now your body can only absorb so much protein at one sitting, so no need to get protein happy with this and put in multiple scoops-it won’t do you any good and it’ll just add extra unnecessary calories. about 30 grams is great for a post-workout.

30-15 CORE

Michelle and I went for a run 6 mile run this morning. while chatting it up, she asked for a good ab workout, so here it is! There’s tons of different types of exercises you can do for your abs, but first it’s important to strengthen your CORE. It’s what gives you better posture, protects your back, the base of really any body movement, and it holds everything in (super important and wanted especially after having a baby). Out of every muscle area in your body, I’d say it’s the most important thing to have strong! One of the best ways to strengthen your core is by doing plank-type exercises. So I put together a workout that you can do in just a few minutes, even just at home, that will activate the heck out of that core, and probably make you sweat a little bit.

***IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER THROUGHOUT ROUTINE***

- Always have your hips tucked under to protect your low back and engage core

-Hold your core tight throughout (like you’re about to get hit in the stomach)

- Breathe! Where applicable, exhale on the return to starting position

- Keep your body in a straight line (No dips in the back-being in front of a mirror helps)

- Go directly into the next exercise.  Take as few breaks as possible.

-Repeat the set 3 times

GO GET IT!!

Chipotle Chicken Bowls

Wanted to share a delicious meal that I made last night! Healthy, light, simple to make just lots of chopping, easy to tweak, and easy to make in bulk so you can have some for left overs:)

Clockwise we’ve got Lettuce, sauteed peppers and onions, black beans, homemade mango salsa, limes, brown cilantro lime rice, and chipotle chicken

It tastes just as scrumptious as it looks pretty! I also just put a little bit of salsa and squeezed lime on top, it doesn’t even need dressing! You get a perfectly healthy and balanced meal without sacrificing one bit of flavor and yumminess!

Ingredients (all Organic):

2 chicken breasts

2 bell peppers

1/2 cup onion

1 cup brown rice

1 cup black beans

3-5 cups lettuce

2 TBSP olive oil

Mexican seasoning

Mango Salsa

limes (to taste)

cilantro (to taste)

Prep: Marinate Chicken by first applying olive oil to both sides of chicken breasts. then sprinkling mexican seasoning on both sides, a pretty ample amount so you get the flavor. let marinate as long as you can, at least 2 hours if possible. squeeze lime juice on when you put the chicken on the grill/skillet, this will keep more of the lime flavor on there. Cook brown rice, and when its just about done, squeeze in lime juice and throw in chopped cilantro to taste. chop and sauté peppers and onions in a little bit of olive oil. warm up black beans. 

Serve as desired, I made mine into more of a salad, because I needed more veggies that day, but this is a really easy recipe to do whatever you want with it-make quesadillas, fajitas, burrito bowl so a tortilla is on the bottom, however you want it! I just squeezed some more lime, cilantro, and put some mild salsa on top and it didn't need any dressing since it was so flavorful. 

Wear it Wednesday-Music Stylings

“Wear it Wednesday” is when I will be sharing some products with you and kinda what I think about them. today I wanna talk about iPods, their pros and cons, and which ones you should invest in. First of all, if you’re like me, you can’t workout without a good beat in your ears. I find that I push myself harder while listening to music and it helps the time pass by a little bit easier. More on the benefits of listening to music while working out later. Here’s some of the options you have for iPods:

iPhone

Pros- iPhone if you need to remain accessible while you’re working up a sweat (don’t let this be a distraction to you though),GPS tracking which makes it super easy and accurate to track your runs or sprints, access to the app store (TONS of really cool exercise apps, I’ll post about my top faves later), easy music selection-

Cons- Bigger to carry around-can’t really have it in your pocket if you’re running or doing any kind of intense training–you would have to get an armband (Incase’s is the best), dumbbells being dropped on iPhones will ruin your day

Great for- Weight lifting with little movement

iPod Nano

Pros- Small and Light, Screen view, clip-on, Multiple colors, built in Nike+ Pedometer (No GPS capabilities), Watch function with timer and stopwatch, $129

Cons- Can’t think of any

Great for- Weight training, Cardio (especially running), Intense circuit training

iPod Shuffle

Pros- TINY, Clip-on, Easy volume and track adjustments, Multiple colors, ONLY $49!

Cons- No screen, Smaller GB capacity (But still, 2GB is about 480 songs)

Great for- Intense circuit training, any type of Cardio

My personal favorite is the Nano, because you get the best of both worlds. I can’t even feel it while I’m working out. In all honesty, my headphones are heavier than the Nano and the Shuffle. It’s also cool because if you’re a runner, it can track your miles, total time, and pace, then save it so you can look back.

If you’re looking to be a little more cost-effective, then the Shuffle is TOTALLY the way to go! Although people could complain about no screen on the Shuffle, it’s really not a big deal at all! I only use it for working out so I just have it filled with upbeat music that keeps me motivated while I exercise. Any way, you can’t go wrong with these products whichever one you choose. They’re all amazing!

HAPPY EXERCISE ROCKIN!