January Jamming - Mix Giveaway

I thought since it is January 29th I'd FINALLY get my mix giveaway up for the month. Don't you worry, it'll be worth the wait. Now that you've almost made it through a month of your new years resolutions you just might need some new tunes to get you pumped back up!

Lights (Bassnectar Remix) - Ellie Goulding
Down with the Trumpets - Rizzle Kicks
Throw'm Up - Raw Jaws
It's Not You  (It's Me) - T-Pain
I Belong In Your Arms - Chairlift
Turn Me On (Feat. Nicki Minaj) - David Guetta
#1 Night - Cobra Starship
Set Fire to the Rain - Adele
Alive (Feat. Ratatat) - Kid Cudi
How to Love (spanglish version feat. Enrique Iglasias) - Lil' Wayne
Stronger - Kelly clarkson
Lonely Boy - The Black Keys
Let It Be - Dyme Def
Bangarang feat. Sirah - Skrillex
Born To Die - Lana Del Rey
N***** in Paris - Jay Z & Kayne West
Countdown - Beyonce
Good Feeling - Flo Rida
Blackout - Breathe Carolina

Good stuff I tell you. Good stuff. Click HERE to see previous workout playlists.

To win this month's mix...

1) Become a follower and leave a comment telling me you have (or that you already are)
2) For an additional entry leave a separate comment telling me how you're doing on your goals for the year! 
2) For yet another additional entry...tweet about it, facebook it, blog about it, pin it. (and leave a comment for each)

Contest ends Friday February 3rd at midnight. Winner will be announced Saturday February 4th!

Good Luck!

And you thought processed foods were a good idea...

I stand by the principle of clean eating. I think there are a lot of benefits to eating foods as close to their natural form as possible. The more processing that occurs the less what your eating resembles an actual food, and the more it resembles some sort of science project. Loads of salt, sugar, additives, and chemicals we can't even pronounce are added in to many processed foods, and the results can be scary.

Now, don't get me wrong. There are some packaged items that I eat, but the best rule of thumb to go by with packaged ingredients is the less ingredients, the better.

I found this article on thedailymeal.com listing some of the strangest packaged foods. I was blown AWAY by these processed goodies. Tell me these aren't for real. Pretty please?

Iced Pickle Pops Anyone?

Canned Cheeseburger? Really? 

 Pork Brains with Milk Gravy...yumm...

 oooohhh smoked rattlesnake.

  

And let's be honest...what type of after dinner mint is better than Uncle Omher's savory bacon mints.

 (Source for all images HERE)

Unfortunately, I fear there is a lot more where those came from. My advice to you? Skip out on the canned cheeseburger and go for a healthier option that hasn't been processed, preserved, and canned...just saying? What is the strangest processed food you've eaten? What is your favorite WHOLE food? I love fresh fruits and veggies. You just can't go wrong there.

Motivation Factors and a Protein Waffle

Today as I was getting my cardio on my mind drifted from Gossip Girls for a moment...yes, Netflix has been good to me and my cardio as of late. Nothing like letting the upper east siders side-track your boredom. I started thinking about my motivation. I have been feeling very motivated lately to get in all of my workouts and I have REALLY been sticking to a good eating schedule. I began to assess what the difference is for me. What is it that causes me to eat better and what makes me fall off the wagon? This was what I came up with...

My Motivation Factors:

1. When I work out and eat right I feel better. I may not ALWAYS love to work out. Sometimes I really enjoy it and other times I can't wait to be done. BUT, I ALWAYS love the feeling of being done with my workout. I even like feeling sore...that is a little bit sick and wrong, I know. It makes me feel as if something is changing. I like that. I feel better in my clothes.


2. When I work out and eat right I look better. Call me vain if you want, but it is the truth. I believe it was Kate Moss that once said, "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." Let's get a couple of things straight. I don't support that thought that you have to be skinny, but I think we could change the saying to be something like..."Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels." When I am working out, eating right, and on track I look better. It's just the truth of the matter. When I feel confident in the way I look I feel happier. After I have eaten really poorly I often times feel gross. When I've done so for a prolonged length of time I feel really gross, and I hate it. I don't really like when my pants fit tightly...do you?


3. When I work out and eat right I feel strong and capable. I LOVE feeling like I am in control, and this is the case when I'm filling my body with good food. There is nothing better than ending a day knowing you have had a great day of eating and a solid workout...or a week...or a month. You get it. Making positive decisions and improving yourself makes you feel strong and capable!

4. When I work out and eat right, I eat better. It is a positive spiral. A pattern of making good choices makes me want to continue to make good choices. The same outcomes can happen with bad choices. How many times have you thought to yourself..."Well I already ate 6 of the Oreos...I may as well finish the sleeve." Get yourself on the GOOD track!

Dinner tonight was BOMB. I have mentioned before one of my fave blogs to read is Meals and Moves. I have seen Janetha post about her Protein Pancakes and waffles before, and I have always wanted to try them. Tonight I was FINALLY able to. I made mine into a waffle and I loved every bite. Honestly...I can't tell you the last time I had a waffle and it was awesome!

Protein Waffle
recipe from Meals and Moves
(Janetha gives the portions for three servings on her blog, and I cut it down to just one. This was a good move...cause I am pretty sure I could have eaten all three. She also made hers into pancakes which would be so good. She added protein powder into hers, and I didn't.)

Here are the Ingredients for one serving:
- 1/3 cup cottage cheese
- 1/3 cup slow cook oats
- 2 egg whites
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp stevia

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and mix until combined. Cook like a normal waffle, and then top with whatever you'd like!

Nutrition facts: For 1 serving
calories 198
fat 3.8 grams
carbs 24.6 grams
protein 18.6 grams
fiber 4 grams
sugars 3.9 grams

I added a little bit of natural PB, some sugar free syrup, and a few blueberries. SO GOOD.  The texture is just like a normal waffle. Promise. I had a side of scrambled egg whites with mine to boost the protein.

What are your motivation factors? Do you find that once you're on a positive track, you are more likely to keep going?

I COULD bake all day...if I could, of course.

All I can think about lately are all of the recipes I've pinned, saved, dog eared, ripped out, and read over. I have SO many things that I wanted to try to make, and I have not had a spare MINUTE to make anything. It's driving me crazy. I have a baking/cooking itch that needs to be scratched!

If you are curious as to the time for meal prep I've had as of late...please take note of my dinner tonight.

My family likes to mix our cereals. We call it the cereal suicide. It probably comes from the fact that we all love cereal, and it is too hard to choose just one for breakfast.

My protein cereal mix.
- 3/4 cup Special K Protein Plus
- 1/2 cup Kashi GoLean Crunch
- 1/4 Raisin Bran
- 1 cup skim milk

Nutrition Facts: 326 calories 24 grams of protein 56 grams of carbs 4.9 grams of fat 10 grams of fiber
It is higher in carbs than I usually want my meals to be percentage-wise. However, being a person that could probably eat cereal for every meal it is a great quick meal every now and then!

I have some plans to try out some new recipes this week, so let's hope that happens!

Workout for the Day
Cardio: 65 mins elliptical intervals

Weights:
35 mins/full body
Set #1
3 sets of step ups with a bicep curl
- 6 on the right leg w/a curl and 6 without
- 6 on the left leg w/a curl and 6 without
alt with
3 sets of 15 pushups
alt with
1 minute plank with 25 lb plate on my back

Set #2
3 sets of left static lunge with 12 db rows on the right side
alt with
3 sets of right static lunge with 12 db rows on the left side
alt with
3 sets of 15 Squat curl press
alt with
3 sets 15 ab leg extensions on the bench

Do you ever mix your cereals? Do you ever eat cereal for dinner? Does my love for cereal make me a 12 year old? Probably.

"I Don't Need you!" - The Weights-Less Workout.

Sometimes working out at a gym is not an option. Sometimes all you have is your own living room...and hopefully an iPod to blast your favorite jams, because let's be honest, what kind of a workout is it if you aren't blasting your favorite jams? Here is a workout you can do at home, in the hotel, or even at the gym if you'd like. It's a great way to mix up your workouts and challenge yourself!

The "I don't need you!!" Workout
15 Burpees with a push up and a jump
30 plyometric lunges
15 pushups
1 minute plank
**repeat this 3 times**

15 stand-crawl-plank (Start standing, place your hands on the ground and walk forward into a plank, walk your hands back to your feet with straight legs and stand back up)
15 single leg squats on the right leg
15 single leg squats on the left leg
1 minute plank
**repeat this 3 times**

20 jump squats
15 pushups
20 cherry pickers
1 minute plank
**repeat this 3 times**

GRAND FINALE...if you can hack it ;)
15 more burpees with a push up and a jump
1 minute plank (alternate lifting one foot off the ground every 15 seconds)
15 more pushups

DONE!!

Good Luck :)

Weekend Workout

Happy Saturday! I just love the weekends. I don't even mind that it is all rainy and cold! My friend last night told me I must be praying harder than he is because for some reason this area hasn't been touched by snow. It is odd how it doesn't feel like winter, but you know I am not complaining.

A few things from the weekend...
- Netflix on my phone is the best thing that ever happened to my cardio. Time FLIES when you are captivated by good TV.
- I went to CPK last night and had a DELICIOUS salad. The grilled veggie salad with chicken is VERY tasty. I ordered the half and had the dressing on the side. CPK is one of those places that can be a little on the scary side when it comes to nutrition facts, but they now offer their nutrition facts online. I think I get a little too excited when restaurants do this. It makes me feel prepared when I know the best items to order! If you know where you are going out to eat for a meal, check out the nutrition facts beforehand. It's worth doing so! You'll be able to make a smart choice that won't throw off your diet completely. You can see the nutrition facts for CPK HERE.
-I am still LOVING my Lose It app. If you haven't checked it out yet, you should. I have been really diligent at keeping track of everything this week, and I was reminded again what an amazing difference it makes when I journal.
- My Saturday workouts make me oh so happy. Today I got in some cardio and some lifting which felt like a great end to a good week of workouts.

CARDIO :
60 mins of intervals on the elliptical. I actually planned on running today, but EVERY single treadmill was taken. Ugh.

WEIGHTS:
35 mins full body

Set #1
3 sets of 15 assisted pull ups
alt with
3 sets of 20 alternating reverse lunges

Set #2
3 sets of 12 squats on the leg press @ 250 lbs
alt with
3 sets of front raises with a 25 lb plate

Set #3
3 sets of 15 push ups with the TRX
alt with
3 sets of 15 triceps presses with the TRX

Saturdays really are the greatest, aren't they? I hope you have fabulous weekend plans. Do you ever check the nutrition facts of the restaurants that you are going to eat at? Do you have any favorite healthy choices at the restaurants you love? I usually go with the salad options with some chicken for added protein.

Cream Cheese Chicken Chili in the Crock Pot

As you know I am in LOVE with Pinterest. I think it is genius. If you want to see all my pinned items you can follow my boards HERE. One of my favorite things about it is all of the new recipe ideas that are presented to me. I saw the recipe for this Cream Cheese Chicken Chili from plainchicken.com a while back and I have been itching to try it ever since. I am so glad I did because it was every bit as delicious as I thought it would be.

It is basically a quick dump recipe that takes only minutes to assemble in the crock pot and a few hours later you are good to go. (Please excuse the Iphone photos...my camera battery charger is suddenly MIA...BOO)

Cream Cheese Chicken Chili 
Recipe from plainchicken.com

Ingredients:
1 can black beans
1 can sweet corn, undrained
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilis, undrained (I used the mild stuff cause I'm not a heat gal)
1 package of dry ranch dressing mix
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 8 oz package light cream cheese
2 chicken breasts (I used frozen ones and it worked perfect)

Turn crock pot on high, Place frozen chicken in crock pot and top with black beans, sweet corn, Rotel tomatoes, ranch dressing seasoning, cumin, chili powder, and onion powder. Stir that together to combine and put cream cheese on top without stirring it in. Allow it to cook for 3-4 hours. Once chicken shreds easily it is done, and you can stir it all together to combine. Mine took about 3 and a half hours on high, but you could also cook it for 6-8 hours on low.
Makes 6 servings at about 230 calories each.

This chili was SO dang tasty. It was hearty and filling and high in protein. I made up a portion of my favorite oven baked tortilla chips to dip in it. I had a lot left, so I put it in the fridge for leftovers and it thickened up a ton. I decided to heat it up and put it inside a La Tortilla Factory Whole Wheat Tortilla and it was a PERFECT wrap.

I think I liked it even better as a wrap!

 

I think this would be a tasty meal over brown rice or even over a bed of lettuce. I LOVED the flavor! 

Are you loving Pinterest too? I think it is an awesome source of inspiration for healthy ideas and motivation.

There is a HEALTHY app for that

So, I have expressed my love for my Christmas present a few times...I know.  I've become even more obsessed with it because of temple run all of the helpful apps. I think that technology can be a MAJOR time waster, but I also think it can be a huge benefit. It's all in how you use it.

There are some apps on my phone that I found to be EXTREMELY beneficial. I think that some of these tools are really great to help you get yourself on track, and keep yourself there! (Note: I found all of these apps on my own and got all of them for free.)

 I am only going to touch on a couple of the apps I'm loving right now, but plan to go into depth with some of the others in the future.

Fooducate is definitely a great app when it comes to food knowledge. You can either scan the bar code of a food you are looking at or search it manually. As you scan it in it gives the food you are looking at a grade. I scanned in these baby carrots I purchased today.

 It tells you the pros and cons of your food item, gives your food a grade, and offer suggestions for better food options if there are any. Awesome right?

My other absolute FAVE right now is the Lose It app. It is an app that helps you easily track your calories and exercise for the day, helping you to see where your calorie deficit lies.

There are a couple reasons I really like this app. I love that you can scan your food in. Instead of manually having to search for and enter in every item you can just scan in the bar code and the item pops up. You pick the quantity and BOOM done. You can do this with recipes too. I scanned in all the items of the soup I made today and entered in the serving size and instantly I knew the nutritional breakdown of my recipe. So fast and easy. It really is awesome.

Do you have a favorite App that encourages you to be healthy??

The W.I.R. and Consistency

My friend and I used to sit in church every Sunday and come up with a W.I.R. which is short for our "Week in review." It was a collaboration of all of our favorite funny moments of the week that always made us laugh. Because my weekend has been a whirlwind of sorts today's post is a W.I.R. of my own...but this time it's a weekend in review.

- My sweet niece Kiley came to party with me all weekend Don't worry that she's 16 and like a foot taller than me. What a babe.

- Friday was a BUSY work morning, after which I headed up to Park City with Kiley and SB.

- Saturday we hit up the slopes and did some Snowboarding...it rocked.
- Sunday I whipped up some TASTY and healthy lettuce wraps. I REALLY wish I would have taken some pics, but we were cooking for our neighbors and it was pretty chaotic! I used THIS recipe. They were so tasty, easy to make, and they are an AWESOME low cal, high protein meal.
- Before I had to take Kiley up to the airport she was my willing subject while I worked on my photog skills. Being as how one of my New Years resolutions is to improve my photography I was glad she obliged.

Here were some of my favorites...

Darling I tell you...darling.
- Today I celebrated MLK day by working up a storm! Our gym was open, and coming off of the long Christmas break I preferred to NOT have my clients miss more days then needed. Consistency is HUGE when it comes to success with health and fitness goals. It is a principle I most certainly stand by.

If you feel like you are working at weight loss, improving strength, working on balance...whatever it may be take a look at your patterns. If you have two or three days on three or for days off, chances are, you aren't doing much for yourself in making huge improvements. That is DEFINITELY better than nothing, but you will more than likely just stay about the same. To see improvement you need to be consistent in ALL of your efforts.


Short and simple ... consistency = success.


What was your W.I.R. like?Where can you increase your consistency? I hope you had a great Monday holiday!

The Best Kind of Exercise

You see this girl? 

 She is my favorite. Lucky for me I get to have her ALL weekend. 

Today we headed up to Brighton Ski Resort for the best kind of exercise.

 

The kind where you are having so much fun you don't even know you're getting exercise. 

FYI...you burn a ton of calories snowboarding.

Also, I know it may not look it...but I actually do have hair. 

She really is my favorite.

What a perfect weekend workout. 

What is your favorite kind of "Fun" exercise? What was your workout for the weekend?

Can Fat Be Fit?

Today when I was getting my oil changed I picked up a Health Magazine to thumb through. As I was reading I came across this article.

The title was, "The burning question. Can you be fat and fit?" My interest was immediately peaked because this was a topic that came up in one of my nutrition classes in college. I remember my teacher was VERY set in her opinion that you could indeed be fat and fit, and she believed heavily (no pun intended) in the HAES movement. (HAES = health at every size.)

Many individuals agree with my teacher. They say that improving your fitness at any weight is, "enough" to consider yourself healthy. Their arguments often include the idea that we have become so obsessed with size and weight that we have completely gone of the deep end towards, skinny being the picture of health. This size of the argument would say that being active means being healthy.

The other side of the spectrum disagrees. There are health professionals on both sides, but most would fall to this end. They would argue that although it is beneficial for individuals of all sizes to be active, weight is weight. In the end, too much of it can kill you.


Where do I fall with my beliefs on the matter? 

Well...I'll bullet point it for you.

- The world has become overly obsessed with "skinny" and often equates that with health. I am one who likes a little muscle tone and definition on a person and not just a skeleton; to me, that is healthy. - I have worked with clients in the past who fully support the idea that size doesn't matter, and beauty is on the inside. I COMPLETELY agree with the notion that beauty comes from the inside, but i don't agree with the idea that size doesn't matter. Statistics don't agree with that idea either. The truth of the matter is too much weight on a person is dangerous to their health. The list of health concerns that come from obesity is a long one, and it is only getting longer. Unfortunately, a few of the clients who wanted to scream from the roof tops that size doesn't matter weren't willing to put in the work to feel better and to become healthy, which meant losing weight. Sadly, in some cases it was as if they were lying to themselves.
- The BMI chart is not always right. It can be a decent guideline, but it is not the end all. It cannot tell you your body fat percentage. It works for the average individual, but not all of us are the average individual. An athletic person with excess muscle mass may have more weight on them because of it. This by no means makes them unhealthy or obese. Using correct means such as a DEXA scan or a BODPOD to determine where your body fat percentage is and what your goals should be is a better method to go by.
- I think it is AWESOME and important for people of all sizes to be active and "fit." I think those who are overweight can still be fit, and I commend ANYONE who puts effort into exercise. It is not easy.
- I know plenty of men and women who would look to appear, "skinny," and some would equate that to healthy, when in reality they are completely un-fit, and have high percentages of body fat. Skinny DOES NOT always mean healthy.

The bottom line for me is...We are all different shapes and sizes. I don't care about pounds on a scale from one person to the next because that could be like comparing an apple to a box of cereal. We shouldn't go by the worlds standards of beauty to be determined healthy, BUT the fact of the matter is there are certain statistics and healthy measurements that can determine health. Reaching THOSE goals is what is important. My desire is for people to live their lives to the fullest, and to me this means having the most optimal health possible!

Where do you stand on the subject? Do you believe that fat can be fit?

Wordless Wednesday

A Healthy Grocery List - Muncher Cruncher Approved

Today as I whipped up my quick and delicious lunch I got to thinking. I have a lot of favorite healthy food items that I swear by. My lunch consisted of a few of these items which is where this train of thought began.

Lunch was simple:
Whole wheat bagel thin with sliced turkey and honey dijon mustard and 1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese with tomatoes, salt, and pepper. 

 Usually any sort of turkey sandwich I make has spinach and a lot more veggies on it. However, when I went to the store this week they were out of lettuce. Yep. Straight up, 100% out. No romaine, no spinach, no nothing. So annoying...

I am absolutely in LOVE with these little bagel thins. I tried them about a month ago, and I can't even tell you the last time I'd had a bagel before that. Usually bagels come about the size of my head and with about 400 calories right along with it. I'd rather put my calories elsewhere. But, due to the fact that I do think bagels are very tasty, I was delighted to find these little 110 calories delights. They are perfect for sandwiches, are great dipped in soup, and would be awesome made into a little oven pizza.
 
I have clients ask me for different food suggestions all the time. They want to know my favorite brands of this, that, and the other. I am always so happy to share my favorites because finding great food that is healthy and delicious makes me excited. Why wouldn't I want to share it. So...without further a do, my Muncher Cruncher approved shopping list.

Produce:
*Let's be honest. Good fresh produce is AWESOME. This list consists of my favorite specific ways to eat it. It is definitely not all I buy. I can hardly name a fruit or veggie I don't like, BUT keep in mind, these are just my favorites.
- baby carrots
- cherub tomatoes
- baby spinach/spinach (LOVE the huge bag at Costco. Such a great price)
- fresh blackberries/strawberries/blueberries/raspberries to nibble on (frozen for protein shakes)
- apples (I prefer crisp apples so I love fuji, gala, braeburn and honey crisp)
- bananas
- avocados
- Costco mini sweet bell peppers
- Costco broccoli florets (amazing way to take ALL the work out of eating broccoli) 
- Salad Bars (Sometimes it is just more worth it to me to pick up an awesome salad with tons of fresh produce over my buying each item and making my own salad.)

Dairy:
- skim milk
- Almond milk
- Vanilla soy milk
- 0% fat greek yogurt (I like Fage and Chiobani the best. Costco sells a container of Fage at a great price.)
- Eggs (I end up ditching most of the yolks, but egg whites are an AWESOME source of protein.)
- part skim mozzarella string cheese
- low fat cottage cheese

Packaged (dry):
- La Tortilla Factory whole wheat low carb tortillas (one of my favorite products ever made. ever.)
- Whole wheat bagel thins (There are several brands of these. I always get the ones with the lowest calories and highest amount of protein and fiber.)
- Special K Protein Plus Cereal (This stuff is AWESOME. I mix it with other cereals to boost the protein.)
- Kashi Go Lean Crunch Cereal (I try not to over do it on the cereal because most are higher in sugar, but if I do eat it this mixed with the Special K protein plus is my go to.)
- Swiss Miss Diet hot chocolate (They have a sugar free variety as well, but i prefer the diet. It only has 25 calories per serving)
- Ranch Salad dressing packets
- Taco seasoning packets
- Chocolate Muscle Milk Light
- Biochem Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
- Quaker Slow Cook Old Fashioned Oats
- Raw Almonds (I like the Costco bags)
- Brown Rice
- Skippy Natural Peanut Butter

Packaged (refrigerated):
- Costco Deli Turkey
- Costco Mango Salsa
- Hummus
- Kroger brand low fat avocado ranch

Canned:
- chick peas
- non-fat refried beans
- black beans
- Costco all white mean chicken
- Tuna (I actually get the individual servings that come in the pouch)
- Healthy Choice/Amy's/Progresso Light Soups
- Light Marinara/Pasta sauces
- Turkey Chili

Frozen:
- Costco individual Edama mae packets
- Morningstar Black bean veggie burgers
- Chicken Breasts
- Popsicle Brand sugar free fudgesicles
- Vegetable blends (the California mix is my fave)

This is a pretty comprehensive list of the items I have on hand for my meals all the time. Hopefully it will give you some ideas of some new items to try! Do you see any of your favorites on this list? What are your most common go-to meal items?

Steppin' Up Saturday

Happy Saturday! I woke up to a winter surprise from my window. It was like almost 60 degrees a couple days this past week, so this was quite unexpected.

It's weather like this that makes me want to stay inside all day...lucky for me I happen to love my Saturday workouts. Otherwise I might have been tucked away in bed alllll day. The gym was JAM packed. I walked in and EVERY single piece of cardio equipment was taken except for the stairs. I was actually planning on running and doing some weights today, but the exercise gods seemed to want me to step it up a bit. Literally.

 

My Workout was as follows: 

CARDIO: 

60 mins of intervals on the elliptical

5 min warm up level 8

4 sets of quick intervals (1 min level 8, 2 min level 12, 2 min level 16)

5 min catch my break level 10

10 min level 12

5 min level 8

5 min level 12

5 min level 8

5 min cool down level 5 

I usually don't sweat very much when I work out. I don't know if it is because my body is more used to it or what, but today I was DRIPPING.

WEIGHTS:

Nothing too fancy today. My legs were toast, and I wanted a full body workout so I was more concerned with hitting all the upper body muscle groups. 

3 sets of 15 assisted pull ups

alt with

3 sets of 15 Prisoner Squats

3 sets of 12 triceps pull downs (30 lb)

alt with

3 sets of 15 push ups

3 sets of 15 squats with a single arm upright row on the right (15 lb db)

alt with

3 sets of 15 squats with a single arm upright row on the left (15 lb db)

Post gym, I was itching to climb a few more stairs, so we went down the endless stairs at the Marriott Center to go to the BYU basketball game. 

 It was a fun game. BYU killed them. Towards the end of the game it was announced that Yogurtland would give anyone who had their ticket stub from the game 5 free ounces of Yogurt if the Cougars made it to 80 points. You'd better believe they had my full attention at that point. They made the last shot at the LAST possible second. It was crazy. I will cheer for free frozen yogurt at ANY time. You'd better believe I will be redeeming that this week!

I had a GREAT first week of the new year. I felt like I really stuck to my eating goals, and killed it with my workouts. It is amazing how much better I feel when I am in a good routine. It gives me momentum to keep going.  I'm feeling the motivation! I hope you are sticking with your goals as well!


What was your Saturday workout? If you attend a gym is it JAM PACKED with resolutioners? How was your first week of sticking to your goals? If you feel like your week hasn't gone so well don't get discouraged! Restart now, and begin that progress!

Get it out and get it in

I was talking with my sister Nichole yesterday on the phone about our goals for the new year and the places we want to make progress. We started talking about food, sugar intake, snacking, and making positive food choices in general. She and I both are cutting out the sugar and trying to focus on really being aware of snacking and food intake in general.

We talked a lot about how much it helps both of us to get rid of all the junk, and to be sure there are plenty of good options around, so that poor food choices don't sneak in because of lack of preparation. Now, I know that preparation is something that I have brought up many times before, but it is because I KNOW that preparation is a big key to seeing success. So, in hopes to help you stick with the healthy habits you are aiming to acquire...here is a list of what I think you should get rid of and things that you should get your hands on.


GET IT OUT...aka get rid of it
- Christmas junk. The holiday is over. Just throw it out, or at least give it away. If it isn't there you won't eat it.
- Treats and sugar in general. After several weeks of allowing yourself some cheats...probably a few too many, let's be honest...try to go without for a little while. Your body will thank you. Cutting out sugar is the way to see results people. I know it. I've seen it time and time again. IT WORKS.
- Excuses. Stop thinking of reasons why you can't fit in a workout, or you want to eat a special meal. A meal isn't special if you're overdoing it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Just saying.
- Excess carbohydrates. Now, don't get me wrong here. I'm not telling you that you have to eat strictly protein and veggies, good quality carbs are ok. BUT the truth of the matter is, people tend to WAY over do it in that area. Try to go with four carbohydrate servings a day.
- Extra BLT's. No, not sandwiches (although probably those too)...B = bites, L = licks, T = tastes. I have heard this term used many times and I love it. The extra bites of your child's grilled cheese, lick of the beater from the cake, and taste of this that and the other add up. In fact, they add up a lot faster than you probably realize. You may be consuming hundreds of extra calories and not even accounting for it. ENTER: plug for food journaling. It works.

GET IT IN...also meaning...make it a part of your lifestyle
- Exercise. Get yourself back on a good routine. Diet is about 80 percent of your weight loss success, but exercise will SURELY make a huge difference. You'll feel better. You'll sleep better. You'll look better...and on and on and on.
- Water. Your body needs it. It is a great way to cleanse your system after all the junkola that you've been downing. Try to get in 100 oz a day, oh..and be sure you have a restroom nearby ;)
- Precise meals. Follow the three P's. Make the meals that you eat Planned, Portioned, and Plated. Thinking ahead is always going to help you. Portioning out your food, and plating it will keep you from going hogwild in calories as you spoon feed yourself from the pan. Don't act like you've never done it...
- Smart snacks. I cannot tell you how beneficial it is to plan ahead and have smart snacks on hand. If you don't the chances of you incorporating a whole heck of a lot more of those BLT's is quite possible. I just so happened to pick up some of my staple favorite snacks at Costco today...

Fresh blueberries:

low in calories

full of antioxidants

delightful

Cherub tomatoes:

I eat these like they are candy. People think it's weird. 

SO low in calories. 

Great to grab and munch on.

Full of lycopene and vitamin C.

Raw Almonds:

Delicious. 

Full of good fat and protein. 

A little more satiating than fuiris and veggies.

I always have a ziplock bag of these in my purse in case I get stuck somewhere without food. Heaven forbid. 

Confession: I actually didn't buy these today. Santa put them in my "stocking" for Christmas. 

Another Confession: I don't know how to open things up right side up?

 Just a few ideas of things that you can grab and snack on instead of candy. My other sister Linds texted me the other day and told me that target has 100 calorie packs of almonds. I LOVE this concept because people often get nervous about nuts because they don't know when enough is enough. They are a little higher in calories, so you don't want to go buck wild.

An AWESOME snack that my whole family loves is cottage cheese and tomatoes. I'll have 1/2 cup of cottage cheese with about 10 cherub tomatoes and a dash of salt and pepper and I'm in heaven. Not to mention it is about 80-100 calories and 13 grams of protein. Hey yo...yes please. Try it. It's great.

What are you favorite healthy snacks to have on hand? Have you gotten rid of your Christmas junk yet? I may just keep reminding you until you do! ;)

It's 5:00 in the Morning...

Last night having this as the last thing I saw before I went to bed wasn't exactly my favorite.

It happened today. Real life. I knew it was coming, but i secretly hoped it wouldn't. My alarm is the Wiz Khalifa/Lily Allen song that starts out..."It's 5:00 in the morning..." I think I'm funny sometimes.

In all honesty today was a GREAT first day back into my routine. There is just something great about having control over my workout time and my eating and all of that jazz that makes me feel reaaal good.

My workout today was a killer. I was sick for the majority of the break, and my energy levels were super low. That always makes getting back in to the swing of things a little harder.

Cardio: 5.6 mile run

Weights:
Set: #1 (alt between the two exercises three times)
15 assisted pull ups
12 squat presses with a 35 lb plate

Set: #2 (alt between the two exercises three times)
12 Squat curls with a 40 lb bar
1 minute plank with a 25 lb plate on my back

Set: #3 (alt between the two exercises three times)
15 push ups with the TRX
15 triceps presses with the TRX

It was a pretty simple workout, and I swear on a normal day it wouldn't have been so bad, but MAN I was TIRED after I was done.

My food was on track today as well, and it felt great.

5:30 AM Breakfast: 1/2 cup of slow cook oats with 1TBS of natural peanut butter.
11:30 AM Lunch: Salad from Brick Oven. At this point in my day I had two ingredients in my cupboard, both of which were eaten for breakfast. I was done with work and my work out for the day and I was STARVING. I hadn't had time to go to the store yet, and so it was a to-go salad bar kind of lunch day.
My salad consisted of...spinach and romaine lettuce, cucumbers, beets, kidney beans, sprouts, peas, diced egg whites, pineapple, mandarin oranges, cottage cheese, and a sprinkle of sunflower seeds and peanuts. With a side of ranch for some fork dipping. It was delicious.
4:00 PM Snack: a handful of raw almonds, a clemantine, and some sugar free hot chocolate
7:45 PM Dinner: A bagel thin with shaved cracked pepper turkey and honey dijon mustard. A handful of baby carrots and a cup of Amy's organic chunky tomato bisque soup.

It was great to be back with my clients today and to hear them talk about goals and momentum going into the New Year. It seems like everyone is glad to have all of the Christmas junk out of the house, and to have a good start going forward. I hope you feel the same way.

Are you feeling positive momentum going into the new year as well? Have you gotten rid of your holiday junk yet, or is it still looming around your house? I vote you throw it out! Fill your pantry and fridge with good, healthy foods. Make some goals to eat better and you will fell better in return!

Back and Ready to Get After It!

There is nothing like sitting in the car for 10 hours to make you wanna get moving! I just got home from an INCREDIBLE break at home, and tomorrow it's back to reality. Am I ready for it? Yes, and no. I am ready to be back to a good solid workout routine, a great eating schedule, and a better sleep schedule, but I could go back and hang with my fam forever :)

I am excited about my goals for 2012 and tomorrow it is time to get back at it, full force. I am still mapping out exactly what I want my workout schedule to look like in preparation for my marathon and still working around my strength training. With training for races previously I've found that it can be hard to find the time and energy to get adequate strength training workouts in with so many hours running, but I'm determined to figure out a program that will work for me.

I hope your start to the new year has been great! If you haven't set your goals yet, start today! Don't forget that you are capable of far more than you realize. Push yourself to reach the goals that you've been dreaming of. You can do it! Here we come 2012!!

Oh Hello 2012...

Happy New Year! We did it. We made it to 2012. I must say I'm excited to have a fresh start at my goals, but I'm a little bit sad to see the holidays over so quickly. I'm mostly sad to go home tomorrow, but we won't even get into that just yet. I'm going to live up my last day here in sunny, beautiful, Arizona.

Last night we partied hard.

 Hot chocolate. Fireworks. Hot air balloons. Card Games...and lots of family, friends, and neighbors to enjoy the hooplah

 

 My sister and her hubby throw a mean New Years Eve party.

I am definitely a goal setter. I always have been. I like to have something to measure myself against, and improve on. The New Year is definitely a time for goal setting, and I always like to use this time to make some resolutions as to how I am going to improve in the upcoming year. 

I was looking back at my goals from last year, and they were as follows.

1. Run a half marathon in under 1:45

2. Run another marathon 

3. Add another Sugar Free Year

4. Record Food

5. Add yoga to my fitness routine

 

Sadly...because of injuries 1&2 weren't possible. I did great with 3, decent with 4, and unfortunately yoga made an appearance until like March. I could definitely keep working on that. 

I am excited about my health and fitness goals for 2012

1. Run a full Marathon (Being has how I've already signed up I feel great about this one!)

2. No Candy/Treats/Sugar (I did great with this one, but I let myself have some free days over the holidays and it made me feel disgusting. I really am better with just cutting it out completely) My exceptions are frozen yogurt and mentos. :) 

3. Record my food. 

4. Improve my photography skills..this translates over into improving my lil' bliggity blog so it counts as health and fitness. 

Let's do this 2012!! What are your goals for the new year? Do you have plans as to how you're going to accomplish them?