Resolution

res·o·lu·tion

1. The state or quality of being resolute; firm determination.

2. A resolving to do something.

3. A course of action determined or decided on

I love family time. Last night we had a great family talk about goals, traditions, and resolutions (sad T-roy and Tammy weren't here). We were sharing some of our resolutions for the new year, and I have to admit, I haven't been set on mine yet, even though I have been trying to think of what it is I really want to accomplish and how I'm gonna make it happen. As it came my turn to share, I thought of it. I want to teach/train/instruct others. Not like a personal trainer, but more of a group fitness type environment that's not at your typical gym. I have been wanting to do some type of instructing for some time, starting back doing Les Mills classes in high school when I worked at a gym. However, I was too young to get the certification, then moved right after I graduated to an area where those specific classes were not offered anywhere close. Since that time over 5 years ago, my vision and passion for health and fitness have definitely evolved and the type of exercise and lifestyle I enjoy have changed as well. So do I know what exactly I want to instruct? No, but I will decide that in the next couple months and receive the proper training and certification to do so, THIS YEAR! 

I also just wanted to reemphasize the importance of finding what has clouded you from reaching your resolutions years past. I can tell you that this year will be a totally different one for me because I have made the connection emotionally, that it's not about 'losing weight' anymore. It's about being healthy and giving yourself and your body what it needs to feel the absolute best! It's not about sticking to a diet. It's not about fitting into a certain size. It's not about seeing a certain number on the scale. Those goals can be motivating during that time you're working for it, but when you 'mess up' on your way to a number, hope is lost most of the time and the feelings of inadequacy and failure can overtake you then or when it's happened over and over and over again. It gets too exhausting to fight against yourself, and it feels as though it would just be easier to not try because of the fear feeling like a failure. Trust me, I know how it feels. I would just encourage you to dig deep into your past and try to figure out what has caused the 'you're not worth it' emotion in you. Talk to those you need to to feel free. And if you want to talk to me first about it, know that I am so willing to do that! Let me tell you, you can have all the desire in the world to accomplish something, but until you truly recognize that you are worthy of feeling pride and accomplishment in yourself, there will not be a true change. The weight (or whatever it is) will come back and the failure feelings will haunt time and time again. Resolute to gain true resolution, and once and for all. I hope this is making some type of sense and it's not all jumbled as it seems to me while writing this. 

Hope you all have a great last day of the year and cant wait to see what 2013 has to offer!

New Years...ask yourself

Pardon my absence as of late. It started with getting my wisdom teeth out, getting ready for Christmas, getting dry socket, pain, misery, sickness, more Christmas prep, Dad basically almost dying on Christmas Eve, heartache, happiness that my Dad is going to be ok and that they caught it in the knick of time, Christmas Day, celebrating Christmas with my family the following day, Family time, and now I finally have a minute to give you a little somethin' after 2 weeks....my apologies! Hope you all had a much more chill and less intense 2 weeks than I did. And a very Merry Christmas!! Hope Santa brought you everything you wanted and more:)

So with all this going on, and not being able to exercise for 2 weeks, because I still have dry socket and blood pumping is not in my list of recommendations, I have felt pretty out of it and cannot WAIT to get back in the gym! I can't believe how much I miss it and how pumped I am to hit it HARD again!

With the new year just around the weekend, I know there are lots of resolutions going through you head, and most of them probably don't last past the first couple weeks of the year, a few months if you're really dedicated. So my resolution for making resolutions this year, is to do things I CAN and WILL do! It doesn't need to be anything monumental, and you don't need to know exactly everything you want to accomplish in the next year, right now! However, I want you to think this weekend about what it is you WILL do in 2013! Mix these questions around in your head:

What makes me feel most accomplished?

What makes me feel my happiest?

What makes me feel my best inside and out?

Is there anything standing in my way of feeling my 'most' _______?(insert word, or any of the 3 previous)

It doesn't need to be anything monumental or out of reach, just think simply. Next week I'll be back with my New Years resolutions and ways to help reach yours.

Enjoy your last weekend of 2012!!

Healthy and Winter-y

I'm getting my wisdom teeth out today...lucky me! I've held off too long, so now you can see both my wisdom teeth really well and they're hurting. Hopefully I'll be coherent enough to post  tomorrow, but I make no guarantees. Maybe while the hubs is home taking care of me and Norah, he can do a little somethin' somethin' on here too ;)

If you're like me, you looove all the food that comes along with the cold season, but don't necessarily like how it makes you feel afterwards...I have found ways to this wintry heart to tummy happiness a couple ways and I wanted to share this one with you today! It is the EASIEST thing ever, so many serving to last a couple days (1 day if you're feeding Nick Hansen) but truly, a couple days for normal eaters, and tastes mmm mmm good!! Here is the quick and easy recipe that will warm up your body:) Nick informed me this morning that this needs to be something we make weekly for the rest of Winter, SOLD! 

(All Organic)

1 container chicken broth (32 oz)

2 chicken breast

2 cups chopped celery

2 cups chopped carrots

1/2 red onion

1/2 cup green onion

2 tsp minced garlic

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste (about 2 tsp each)

**optional - 1 cup brown rice

Prep: chop celery, carrots, red and green onions. Boil chicken for about 10 minutes, when cooked and white all the way through, drain and put chicken in a bowl to cool down a little bit. Once you are able to handle the chicken, shred it with your hands or 2 forks. Throw all ingredients into Crock Pot on low for 6 hours. 

**If you want to add some brown rice, do so 1 hour before serving.

TAP Journey - Connection

Last summer, just a few weeks before finding out I was pregnant, I had my 'aw-haw' moment. A moment that I didn't realize was so pivotal until a few short months ago when I finally connected everything together and let go. 


I think the real connection really started after giving birth to beautiful Norah. I was not expecting the delivery to go the way it did, but the days following I marveled at the human body, my body, for doing what it just did. From the beginning of the actual creation of this little human, her growing inside me, and delivering a perfect, healthy baby was mind-blowing. I have never been so proud of myself and I still get teary eyed saying those words in my head, "I'm, proud of myself." That really was the first moment in my life that I remember being truly proud of something I had done.  I was in awe of my own power. A power that all of us women possess, with children or not. It is part of our divine creation as women. It was then, even after years of being taught I was special and worthy, that I realized I was truly a daughter of God. A realization I hope everyone experiences A LOT sooner than I did.

The details of the critical moments of my childhood are a bit too personal to share in this setting, but I think the principle is the same for all of us. We all have things happen to us, most likely during our adolescence, that subconsciously affect us until we recognize it and take the steps necessary to move on and let go.  I learned that these happenings have major effects that cause us to react a certain way in particular situations. Without some personal retrospection and reflection, we can go on in life not understanding ourselves, questioning and doubting our self-worth and our decisions. After years of keeping the past hidden in the back of my mind and secret, it came back to the forefront and it was as though all the puzzle pieces came together in just a matter of seconds and I understood that it was not just my crazy self putting all those worthless, ugly, fat, no-good-for-nobody thoughts in my head.

I was finally able to make my own connection of the past and present, accept how it had affected me over the years, forgive others AND myself, and let go. There is nothing good that comes from holding on to anything from the past that you cannot change. I'll be honest, the hardest part is making that connection, but I promise once you do, and take the necessary actions to let yourself be free of it, you will finally be free to move forward and make you your best possible self. This is obviously a process, it's not like 1 day will make whatever happened change nor will the years of self-doubt and lack of self-worth go away the next day. However, with this recognizing and identifying things will get SO much better SO much quicker. It has stunned me how people I have known a long time give me such uplifting and kind comments more now than ever it seems, or maybe I'm just in a place now that I can actually recognize them as compliments and accept them. Who knows? Either way, I am SO much happier.





What has this got to do with fitness and diet?  EVERYTHING.  Once my relationship with myself got better, my relationship with food did a 180 degree turn and is better now than I can ever remember.  Finding out what past experiences cause you to turn to or away from food, drugs, relationships, whatever it may be makes it a whole lot easier to face those temptations when they come along and you'll be strong enough to not give in.

Ps-my SIL is in labor right now!! Can't wait to meet little Ellie!!

Flashback

Flashback to my first time back in the gym after having Norah...I wrote this right after coming home that day, funny to remember all those feelings and how it seems so long ago. So proud of myself for sticking to it and accomplishing what I was telling myself back then. 

First time back Saturday May 26^th

Ok…so today was so hard. Nick and I have been work out buddies for years now and I’ve always been able to keep up. That was not the case today! And it was beyond annoying and depressing. It was so crazy to do exercises and being all pumped to do them again, and ended up not being able to even do 1. Even though my mind wanted to do it 100%, my body was physically not able to. Exercises I used to be able to do 15+ reps, I couldn’t even do 2. My strength has not just dissipated, but GONE! Talk about seriously depressing! And on top of it all, I looked like a workout idiot for looking so weak and uncoordinated. I was in shock how much my strength had decreased! I left the gym feeling very defeated and annoyed. Annoyed at the fact that working out used to be fun because I could push my body to it’s limits without hurting myself, being able to not only complete the workout, but surprise myself and N by doing more than I had set out to do. It was fun being strong! Now, realizing it is going to be real WORK to get there again. Losing the baby weight is one thing, but regaining that muscle and endurance is TOUGH!! It’s annoying how you can be so disciplined for days, weeks, months, and lose the majority of that hard work like 75 times faster than it took to get there. Tangent:Like how you can be so good all week with the basics(eating and exercising) then give yourself a whole free weekend and whatever weight you lost magically reappeared on the scale Monday morning (reason why you don’t weigh yourself everyday and that weight is not how to measure health. More on those topics in their own posts later) 

It can all be very frustrating, so how do we make it fun again? How do I not want to kill myself before thinking about working out? How do I not let overwhelming feelings and frustration take over my emotions that lead to poor decisions? 

Ready for it…..?

Look at the positive! Sooo not what you wanted to hear, I know.

Focus on the exciting parts of starting fresh! Now there’s so many milestones to hit and look forward to! The feeling of a sprint not being 7.0, but 8.0..holding a plank for a minute easily and not for barely 30 seconds…busting out 20 pushups instead of a struggling 5…crushing your cardio time vs miles. Those accomplishments are what will make working out fun again! Set your goals and actually accomplish them! There’s nothing that feels better than achieving goals you set for yourself! Make mini goals every workout and day that will boost you! Let’s call them boosters instead of goals, because that’s what they do. They boost your self confidence, your day, and your drive to keep going! Come up with a boosts for yourself this week. Mini boosts for everyday, then a big boost to accomplish by the end of the week to propel you into the next week! 

via Pinterest

Food Week - Mini Menu

It's FRIDAY!!! 

As promised, here is a little menu for you to get an idea of some of the things I eat and when in a typical day. Recipes are on their way for the one you would like to see, so leave me a quick comment below so you can tell me which ones you're interested in..:) 

On the bottom of the chart you can see the typical times I eat each thing, I would prefer to eat dinner earlier, but Nick sometimes doesn't get home until later...the joys of commuting....Poor guy. 

-Prograde Nutrition

-Thinkthin bars

-Cheesey Salsa Eggs

-Protein Spinach Smoothie

-Chipotle Chicken

Hope this helps you all out a little bit! PLEASE let me know if you have questions on anything more specific because I know nutrition is a lot more complicated than this little bit of a menu. 

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!! 

Food Week - Dinner

Dinner is another hard one to fit in. Especially when using fresh, Organic ingredients, it can get a little overwhelming going to the store a couple times a week so the meat and veggies taste delicious and fresh. Trust me, I feel your pain. going to the store twice a week maybe is just one of those things that you're going to have to plan for and accept. I usually have one day where I get the majority of everything I need, then the second run to the store are usually things I forgot about or just need a little bit more veggies or fruits to get us through the following Monday. I am not a planner by any means, so a lot of times it's my own fault I have to go back, but when I plan properly, everything goes smoothly and the trip to the store is really quick because I know exactly what I'm getting.

Another joy that comes along with cooking fresh is it (usually) requires quite a bit of chopping and slicing. So a good tip is to try and chop up everything you need to, like peppers, onions, celery, lettuce, etc. all at once so for the rest of the week it's just a quick and easy throw into a stir-fry, salad, quesadilla, or sandwich. It's remarkable how much easier it makes the whole preparation!

One of my favorite and most versatile meals is my Chipotle Chicken meal. You prepare all the same ingredients, but you can use it for any kind of concoction--you can make it into a salad, while your other husband makes it into a burrito or fajitas, and your kids have it in a fun, easy-to-eat quesadilla. Lots of chopping, but so worth it for it's versatility and easy, tasty leftovers.

It tastes just as scrumptious as it looks pretty! I also just put a little bit of salsa and squeezed lime on top of my salad, 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. 

Food week - Lunch

The hardest meal of the day for me to get in...sporatic schedules in every sense is usually what gets in my way of making this meal a real one and not just grabbing and snacking during the midday hours. So the thing I find most effective is throwing a bunch of stuff together in a blender and drinking it while I go about doing my tasks. Like I said, I've got some work to do because I know it's better to sit down and eat, but hey, it's more important to get whatever I can that is still healthy and keeps my metabolism going. So props to that! Celebrating the small things, right?

My favorite lunch concoction is a strawberry banana spinach smoothie. It's delish and packed full of the nutrients you need so you stay full for hours.


1 cup SO Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk
4-6 frozen strawberries
1/2 frozen banana
Handful of Spinach
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.

Here's the products I use that aren't as self-explanitory as bananas, strawberries, and spinach (get Organic). 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. 

And again, I'll be doing a menu for more lunch options/recipes, so be on the look out for them:)

food week...continued...

ok, so last week was a bust! SO SORRY about that! I was in Vegas for work and forgot how consumed and tired I get during those trainings. I apologize for totally dropping the ball on that one. So let's pick up where we left off, shall we?

Next thing I eat is my mid-morning snack. For me, snacks need to be easy peasy. and that's exactly what this one  is. Grab and go. Now, it needs to be understood that most pre packaged things are not the best way to go, with any protein replacement there's going to be added chemicals, however it's better than a lot of other options and they're easy. Think thin bars however have no artificial sweeteners, fillers, or additives that you find in most, GMO free, wheat and gluten free, contain 20 grams of protein, and taste good enough to curb my sweet tooth. So sometimes I like saving my bar for my afternoon snack when those cravings come around 3.... My faves are the White Chocolate and Chocolate Fudge. I've tried most all the flavors, and those are the ones I always stick with. The peanut butter ones aren't bad either if you're a nut for butter. Haha....that wasn't funny. Oh well.

Anyways, I get mine at Sprouts and i know Whole Foods and pretty much any health store has them.      You can do so much with snacks. You can make a little protein shake, celery with peanut butter, apple and cheesestick, etc. It's important to put veggies in every meal and snack so get your protein whichever way you choose then grab a handful of veggies like carrots, broccoli, celery, etc. You'll be shocked how long you stay full! Remember to drink 24 oz water with it!

I'll be putting together a menu with all the info I'll be sharing this week so you can have it in one place and be able to read it easier.