Muncher Cruncher

January Jamming - Mix Giveaway

2012-01-29T18:59:00.000-08:00

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...

2012-01-28T13:02:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-26T20:29:00.000-08:00

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.

2012-01-24T22:19:00.000-08:00

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.

2012-01-23T18:01:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-21T14:50:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-18T18:51:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-17T21:58:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-16T19:36:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-15T15:57:00.000-08:00

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?

2012-01-12T16:21:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-11T18:48:00.000-08:00

A Healthy Grocery List - Muncher Cruncher Approved

2012-01-09T17:05:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-07T21:07:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-05T18:52:00.000-08:00

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...

2012-01-03T21:31:00.000-08:00

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!

2012-01-02T20:06:00.000-08:00

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...

2012-01-01T12:29:00.000-08:00

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?

The Sock 'N Stache Soiree

2011-12-30T17:29:00.000-08:00

Every year around Christmas my family has a holiday party. Every year we've done something different, and it is so much fun.
Two years ago we had an Ugly Sweater Party.

The whole fam went out to dinner in our festive attire. People thought we had just come from family pictures...seriously people? I mean I know we look good...
Last year we had a s'mores bar and a hot chocolate bar and created a memorable music video.

This year we took celebrations to a whole new level.

We put on our craziest socks and favorite 'staches and partied it up. We had dinner, our annual donut on a string competition for the kids, and a cut throat bunko tourney.

I haven't laughed so hard in a while. We had mustaches of all shapes, sizes, and colors, and finger staches that took things to the next level.

Party health tip? Make your prizes non-food/candy related. My mom had some awesome prizes for the winners...itunes giftcards, money, and fireworks.

How did your family celebrate the holidays?

Committed.

2011-12-29T22:35:00.000-08:00

Here comes the new year right around the corner.
And I already am committed to one of my goals for the year.

Run another marathon.
I'm registered, which means I'm committed.
I am trying to forget that I swore to myself at mile 20 of the Salt Lake City Marathon in 2009 that I would never find myself in that position again. Funny how the amazing experience of finishing something so tough can change your thought process. Crossing the finish line of marathon is one of the coolest experiences ever. The end.

So, Utah Valley Marathon 2012 here I come. This time I get to do it with my fabulous sister.

This means we'll have a whole new segment of See Megan Run as I document my training process. I can't wait?

Who's with me? I know some of you are running the same race! Let me know if you're going to be trekking through this process alongside me.

Christmas Day

2011-12-29T00:15:00.000-08:00

Christmas day was full of family food and fun. All of the things Christmas should be about. After our Christmas morning of presents we headed off to church.

We of course came home and had to take Christmas pics in our Sunday best. I miss my Texan sis!

My nephew LOVES my dad, and my dad feels the same way. It is so dang cute. They are buds.

After we took some photos we headed over to my sister's house for our traditional breakfast of Abelskivas, or Danish Pancakes. They have got to be one of the tastiest delights in this world. They aren't healthy in the slightest...but come Christmas morning it is time to enjoy!

I was enlisted to help mom cook!

We fully support apple products.

We spent the rest of the day just hanging out and playing games, the way a Christmas day should be spent.

I tell ya...these people are the greatest. I am the luckiest girl in the whole world to have SUCH a great family. I wouldn't trade them for anything. Not even a lifetime supply of frozen yogurt and diet dr. pepper. That is saying a lot. ;)

Do you have any foods that you have only once in a while that are worth the calories? There are a few for me. I do think there is a fine line between finding an excuse to eat whatever you want and having a real special occasion though. Do you enjoy being with your family on the holidays? I know I sure do!

Christmas Morning

2011-12-27T18:53:00.000-08:00

I'm having the best time with my fam....which means I'm not sitting behind my computer the whole time. It also means you get the holiday in retrospect. I love it because that means I get to relive it alllll over again.

Christmas Morning was Fabulous.

My sister and her three darling little ones drove in from Texas the day before...and because Santa would have had a very hard time finding them in a different state they wrote a letter to Santa asking him to come a day early ;)

We still had a plethora of presents for them to open, so basically they got double Christmas Morning. AWESOME.
Side note: Christmas morning photos are my favorite. Everyone always looks their best.

My darling nephew got a Woody that perfectly matched his PJ's. So cute.

The whole fam was excited about my dad's gift to my mom. Her computer is from the stone age...I think it might still use dial up ;)

I was THRILLED about my gifts from Santa! A new 50 mm lens for my camera and an iPhone4. Ohhhh glorious. Instagram is the best. Do you have it?

Oh, and I can't get enough of this sweet face.

What was your favorite gift from Christmas? I am torn between the phone and the lens right now...I have wanted both forEVER...so I think my excitement won't be wearing off anytime soon.

Post Christmas Circuit Workout

2011-12-26T19:42:00.000-08:00

I was so ready to workout this morning. So ready. Luckily, my mom and sisters felt the same way, so we made it a group effort. We did a circuit workout that went like this...

Post Christmas Circuit Workout

2 minute sprint on treadmill
2 minutes plank
2 minutes kettle bell swings with 25 lb kettlebell
2 minutes of push ups

1 minute sprint on treadmill
1 minute plank
1 minute kettle bell swings with 25 lb kettlebell
1 minute of push ups

2 minute sprint on treadmill
2 minutes burpees
2 minutes squat rows with the cables (40 lbs on stacks)
2 minutes step ups with a bicep curl (15 lb dbs)

1 minute sprint on treadmill

1 minute burpees
1 minute squat rows with the cables (40 lbs on stacks)

1 minute step ups with a bicep curl (15 lb dbs)

30 second sprint (as fast as you can go)
90 seconds ab work
30 second sprint
90 seconds ab work

Done!

I also made it a point to record my calories today. EVERY. SINGLE. BITE. It is the best thing to get me back on track as far as my eating goes. I highly recommend it if you feel like you are needing a kick in the pants in the right direction.

Yay for sweaty pictures with no makeup :)

Did you get a Post-Christmas workout in?

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T23:06:00.000-08:00

I hope your day was fabulous.

There was lots of munching. I'm ready to get back to some crunching. How bout y'all?
xoxoxo Megan

Christmas Eve Dinner and a Christmas Winner

2011-12-24T16:58:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Eve! What a fabulous day it has been...There really is nothing better than being with family. We spent the morning finishing up Christmas errands and then we went to see Mission Impossible. We have been going to movies on Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember. It is a favorite tradition of mine.

We followed up the evening with Christmas Eve dinner at Brio, another tradition I love.

My mom and I shared the Chicken with Sweet Potato Risoto...ummmm...it was DIVINE.

Oh yeah...one more thing...The winner of the Ultimate Christmas Mix Giveaway is....

Drumrolllllll......

AMY MEREDITH!!!

Email me and I'll get your mix to you!!

I hope your Christmas Day is full of Family, Fun, and remembrance of the Savior's Birth.

Merry Christmas to ALL and to all a good night!

xoxoxo

Butternut Squash Soup

2011-12-23T19:52:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Adam! One of my clients has a family tradition where they celebrate as a family on December 23rd and have a "Christmas Adam" party...because before Eve came Adam. Isn't that a fun idea? I love hearing other families fun traditions!

This morning my mom and I wrapped presents like elves in Santa's workshop. After that we spent the rest of the day making final Christmas purchases! It was fun to run all over with her! As our shopping was drawing to a close we started getting hungry and decided some warm soup would be PERFECT for dinner. I requested butternut squash soup, and as we were looking for a squash the man at the store told us to try the butternut squash cubes that are in the frozen section. We were a little weary, but decided to give it a shot. It was a GREAT decision. The meal came together in moments and it was healthy and delicious!

Butternut Squash Soup
Recipe from Elaine Smith
Prep time (with frozen squash) 20 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cans chicken stock (16 oz cans)
1 butternut squash cooked and cubed or 2 packages of frozen butternut squash
1 medium onion (pureed in food processor)
2 tsp minced ginger
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
2 cups fat free half and half
salt and pepper to taste

Cook your butternut squash or thaw frozen butternut squash. Heat up two cans of chicken stock, pureed onion, ginger in a large pot. Add to that your cooked squash. Put this mixture into your blender and puree it, or you can use an immersion blender in the pot. In a separate sauce pan melt 1/4 cup of butter. Add to that 1/3 cup of flour and stir that with a whisk to make your roux. Add two cups of fat free half and half to the roux and heat that through. Whisk it the entire time until it's warm. You don't want it to sit or it will burn in the bottom. Add the roux back to the stock pot until mixture is warm. If needed you can add more buttermilk to thicken it. Add salt and pepper to taste.

We served it with a side of Whole wheat bread and some herb dipping sauce.

My dad was watching Christmas Vacation while we were making dinner, and we couldn't bear to miss it...sooo...dinner was served on trays. Oh how I love being home. Have I mentioned that before?

Do you celebrate Christmas Adam? What are some of your favorite family traditions? What flavor of soup would you have requested?

You have until tonight at midnight to enter the Ultimate Christmas Mix Giveaway! I'm giving away a copy of each of my mixes from the year. Worth it.

The 12 Days of Christmas Circuit Workout

2011-12-22T23:15:00.000-08:00

Today has been a complete whirlwind...but in a 10 hours in the car kind of a way.
Woke up at 5:00 AM.
Trained until 11:00.
Met my dad. Hopped in his car. Drove to Arizona.
Voila.

This morning one of my darling clients allowed me to put her through a "12 days of Christmas Circuit Workout."

It goes a little something like this.

On the 12th day of Christmas my favorite trainer gave to me...
12 Burpees
12 Row Pull ups
12 Med ball Squat/Throw/Thrust
12 Push Ups

On the 11th day of Christmas my favorite trainer gave to me...

11 Burpees
11 Row Pull ups
11 Med ball Squat/Throw/Thrust
11 Push Ups

On the 10th day of Christmas my favorite trainer gave to me...

10 Burpees
10 Row Pull ups
10 Med ball Squat/Throw/Thrust
10 Push Ups

On the 9th day of Christmas my favorite trainer gave to me...

9 Burpees
9 Row Pull ups
9 Med ball Squat/Throw/Thrust
9 Push Ups

and so on and so forth...until you get to one! Get it?
It keeps your heart rate up pretty high, but if you'd like to add an extra challenge you could throw in a 1-2 minute sprint in between each, "day"

I'm exhausted...ready for bed...and ready to NOT wake up to an alarm tomorrow. WAHOO! Tomorrow will be full of helping my mom with finishing touches for Christmas!

Don't forget...you have until this Saturday, December 24th to enter the Ultimate December Mix Giveaway...in which I'm giving away a copy of a mix from each month this year.

One year ago today...There really is no place like home for the holidays...a post with a few more great holiday survival tips.

Delicious Fresh Homemade Salsa

2011-12-20T20:55:00.000-08:00

Every year trying to find a gift for my clients is so hard for me. I, of COURSE, would love to buy them each a treadmill, a BlendTec, some new running shoes, and individual spa treatments; however, I would then be far past broke. Maybe one day clients? ;)

The past few years I have given them each a batch of my FAVORITE low fat Zucchini Cookies. They are still my absolute favorite cookie, but I wanted to shake it up this year. I decided to give them another favorite of mine that is SO healthy and delicious...Fresh Homemade Salsa.

Salsa is one of the best tools when it comes to eating healthy because it is so flavorful, and very low on calories. Most salsa's have 5-10 calories per serving. I love salsa on salad, over chicken, on a baked potato, or with oven baked tortilla chips. There is just nothing like fresh salsa. It's SO good! Plus it's red and green. What is more festive than that?

I got the recipe from SB's Aunt, and it was DELISH! Super easy too!!

Fresh Homemade Salsa
1 (7 oz.) Herdez Salsa Casera
1 (4 oz.) can peeled chopped green chilis
juice of 1/2 lime
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 large purple onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
3 Tbs fresh cilantro
1 avocado, diced

Combine all of these ingredients together, chill, and serve! I put my onion and 1/2 the tomatoes in my mini food processor to speed things up.

This is a GREAT option for a healthy party appetizer or a healthy neighbor gift!

What is your favorite food to eat salsa with?
Don't forget to enter the ULTIMATE December Mix Giveaway to win 12 months worth of mix music!!

The Ultimate December Mix Giveaway!!

2011-12-18T17:33:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness I am SO excited about this! I've been thinking about it all year :) Ok, maybe not that long, but for a while. It is time for December's mix giveaway, but there is a little added bonus this go round!

Titanium - David Guetta feat. Sia
You Make me Feel - Cobra Starship feat. Sabi
Without U - David Guetta feat. Usher
Skyscraper - Demi Lovato
You Da One - Rihanna
Hangover - Taio Cruz
I Like How it Feels - Enrique Iglesias feat. Pitbull
International Love - Pitbull feat. Chris Brown
Called out in the Dark - Snow Patrol
Headlines - Drake
Music Sounds Better with You - Big Time Rush
Young, Wild, & Free - Wiz Khalifa
Pass At Me - Timbaland feat. Pitbull & David Guetta (apparently I love Pitbull?)
Fascinated - Freesol feat. Justin Timberlake
Just in Love - Joe Jonas feat. Lil' Wayne
Feel so close - Calvin Harris
Dance With Me Tonight - Olly Murs
I Was Here - Beyonce

So many fun new songs...SO...the twist? For December's mix giveaway you will not only get this month's mix, but you will get a copy of the 11 other mixes from this year. Over two hundred something songs!!

To enter...
1) Become a follower, and leave a comment telling me you are one!
2) For an additional entry...tell me what you want for Christmas!
3) For even more entries...Tweet (and comment) Blog about it (and comment) or Post it on Facebook (and comment)

Good luck!!

The winner will be announced Saturday December 24th!

Healthified Cinnamon Bun Cake

2011-12-17T22:06:00.000-08:00

I have a darling nephew who loves baked goods more than anyone I know. He's adorable, and for his birthday every year he requests this Cinnamon Bun Cake. It would be a great addition to any holiday party, and is absolutely phenomenal served warm with a scoop of Dreyer's Grand light Vanilla. It would make a perfect Christmas Eve treat, and I think Santa would appreciate it, just saying.

FYI: This recipe is one that my family has modified to lighten it up. I am posting the original recipe and the changes that I made to make it lighter!

Cinnamon Bun Cake

Ingredients for cake:

1 pkg yellow cakemix (You could use a sugar free version here, but we just use the normal)

1 3 ¾ oz vanilla pudding (We go with the fat free/sugar free option)

2 Tbs Oil (We use applesauce here and it makes it moist and SO good)

1 1/3 cup water

2 eggs (Replace these with 4 egg whites or egg beaters)

Ingredients for streusel:

*You only end up using about half of this streusel topping, so although the brown sugar may seem high, you won't use it all.

½ cup flour

1 ½ cup brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 TBS butter - I omit this completely. The streusel works just fine without it.

Ingredients for glaze: Mix 4 Tspskim milk with 2 cups powdered sugar.

Preheat oven to 350degrees. In a large bowl, blend cake mix, pudding, applesauce, water, and egg whites.Beat 2 mins at medium speed. Do not over mix. Spread1/2 batter evenly in a 9X13inch pan sprayed with nonstick spray. Combine streusel ingredients and sprinkle a good layer of the mix over batter in 9X13 pan.Spread remaining batter on top, and then top that batter with an even coat of streusel. Bake at 35-40 minsor until done. Top with glaze while warm. This cake keeps really well and stays moist if you cover it, so you could even make this the night before a big party and warm slices up in the microwave for a few seconds before serving.

This is a great lighter option if you are looking for a warm and tasty holiday dessert.

This week in review...

- I got an iPhone. Best thing ever. I am obsessed with Instagram.

- I feel like I have BARELY been home. Work. Gym. Family. Friends. Christmas-ing. Chaos.

- We threw a "Christmas Morning" themed holiday party on Friday night. Breakfast for dinner, pj's, white elephant gifts...the whole shebang.

- Heathered gray seemed to be the theme. Yep...my pj's were an oversized men's sweatshirt, leggings, and some knee high sweater slippers. I go for comfort.
- I'm LOVING clementines as a snack these days. I love oranges, but hate to peel them, and clementines peel so easily. They are also perfectly portable.

- I ran a pain-free 6.3 miles today, and it felt better than running has felt in a long time. I attribute this to A) having music to listen to once again (thank you iPhone) and B) a SWEET Rockmyrun playlist. If you haven't checked it out yet you REALLY really should.

- I CANNOT believe Christmas Eve is a week away. I am so excited. Are you ready?

Do you leave out a treat for Santa Clause? If not, you should start this year. I hear the big guy reeaaallly like Cinnamon Bun Cake. Are you feeling the holiday stress? It's about that time.

12 Days of Holiday Health - Day 12

2011-12-13T20:30:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it is already December 13th? I can't, but I am excited to be so close to Christmas! Today brings with it my last holiday health tip! If you have missed the other 11 you can read them HERE. I hope that they have made you think about making your holidays just a little more healthy this year!

(Image Source)

Tip #12: Remember Moderation!!

Let's be honest, the holidays are to be enjoyed! I fully believe that you can enjoy your holidays without overdoing it and gaining ten pounds. It is all about moderation. I know it may be difficult to see an entire bag of the "seasonal" Cadbury Chocolate Balls and not devour them out of a fear you may not make it until they reappear at Easter in mini egg form, BUT you can do it. All you need to do is be smart the choices you are making. Try to get in your workouts, drink a lot of water, get some sleep, and try not to go hog wild at your holiday parties you will be fine! It is ok to indulge every now and again, but the problems come when we feel like we deserve to indulge all the time. Remember the hard work you have put in to get where you are. Enjoy your family, enjoy your holiday parties, and enjoy your favorite goodies...but at the same time...enjoy your workouts, enjoy good healthy food, and make your family activities active ones! Do this and this holiday season will be a happy and HEALTHY one for you and your loved ones!

How do you incorporate moderation into your holiday season? Do you find it hard to do, or are you able to indulge a little and keep up with your workouts?

12 Days of Healthy Holiday Tips - Day 11

2011-12-12T22:35:00.000-08:00

I have heard so many people talking about the great things they are doing to help serve others this holiday season, and I love it. It makes me so happy. There are so many people who are struggling, and taking the time out of our busy schedules to do something for someone else can be life changing. I have mentioned before that I think a big part of our health is the love we feel. Well, I think an even bigger part of our health is the love we share.

(Image Source)

Tip #11: Give Service

It has been said by so many people that if you are feeling low, sad, depressed, or unhappy...the best thing that you can do is go serve someone else. I think Christmastime is the perfect time to do it. Make it a family effort. Make it a tradition. My parents are a great example of service to me, and in the past my family has done things like participate in sub for santa, volunteered at the food coalition, and secretly given lonely individuals the twelve days of Christmas to lift their spirits. It is amazing how great you feel when you turn your focus away from yourself and try to do something for somebody in need. It can even be as easy as spending time with a friend or saying hello to a stranger. Take time this holiday season to serve. It will help your health.

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. ~Winston Churchill

It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference. ~Tom Brokaw

Go the extra mile. It's never crowded. ~Author Unknown

Do you have any service traditions? Do you feel better when you are giving service to the people around you?
Click HERE to read the rest of this month's Holiday Health Tips

12 Days of Holiday Health Tips - Day 10

2011-12-11T13:48:00.001-08:00

We are exactly two weeks away from Christmas Day! It is at this point that i turn into a ten year old and bust out the paper chain, start begging people to watch cheesy holiday movies with me, and go full court press with the Holiday tunes.

Speaking of... My favorites this year are Michael Buble's Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, and Justin Beiber's Mistletoe, with Ellen of course.

With the days until Christmas diminishing, all of the Christmas shopping has begun to get CRAZY. I love Christmas shopping! Well, I love any shopping, but it is always fun to try and find great things for the people you love with the excitement of getting to see them open it! If you are still looking for great things to give your friends and family, consider giving them the gift of health. Think about it, good health is something that we want most for ourselves and for all of the people that we love, so why not make your gifts healthy ones this year!

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Tip#10: Give the gift of health!

Here are some great options of healthy gifts that you can give to inspire the people you love!!

- new workout clothing
(shoes, running socks, tanks, etc.)

How cute are these Nike Tempo Shorts? Yes please.

- running /workout accessories
(Garmin, HR monitor, exerspy, headbands, a water belt, a new gym bag, lifting gloves, a jogging stroller)

Remember my Bondi Band?These headbands are awesome to workout out in, and would make a great gift. I absolutely love mine!

- a pass to your local gym, a punch card for fitness classes, or sessions with a personal trainer
- MUSIC!!
(an iPod, headphones, a gift card for music)
- a set of free weights for home
- a TRX trainer
- a medicine ball
- a jump rope
- a massage
- a gift certificate to a health foods store
- healthy cooking items (Here is a list of my kitchen favorites if you are looking for good gifts for healthy cooking gadgets!)
- health books/magazines/dvds
- gift cards to healthy restaurants

Some great gifts for neighbors/teachers/friends may be...
- fruit baskets
- nuts
- whole grain breads with fresh jam
- books
- gift cards

Hopefully these ideas helped a bit! What are the healthy gifts that you are giving or asking for this holiday season?

Click HERE to read all of the healthy holiday tips for this Christmas Season!

12 Days of Holiday Health Tips - Day 9

2011-12-10T22:02:00.001-08:00

Food. Food. Food. I know I've already brought up the fact that food seems to be within six inches of your reach at all moments during the month of December. I'm sure you can relate to the feeling of ending your evening feeling like a stuffed Thanksgiving turkey. For the record, I HATE that feeling, and yet it still happens from time to time. Sometimes feeling stuffed like that at night can lead to waking up the next morning feeling full and gross. There is one thing that always makes me feel better when this happens.

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Tip #9: Drink LOTS of water.

One thing I always tell my clients is to aim to drink 100 oz of water a day. I know it seems like a lot, but it is totally possible, and it will help. It will help to flush your system, keep you full so you don't eat a ton of junk, and is a great natural detox. A great signification that you are getting enough water is the color of your urine. Sounds gross...BUT...it should look light yellow, not dark. Drinking a lot of water can also help clear your skin and it will just make you feel better. Take the 100 oz challenge! See if you can get your water in everyday!

Are you a water drinker? Do you have to make a conscious effort to get your water in or do you drink a lot of water anyways?

Click HERE to read the rest of the Holiday Health Tips

12 Days of Holiday Health Tips - Day 8

2011-12-09T20:43:00.001-08:00

This one is a no-brainer, and it may be my favorite tip of them all. Today was an awesome day that I was able to spend with the people I love the most...my family in this beautiful place.

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Tip # 8: Spend a lot of time with the people you love.

Unhappy leads to unhealthy, and I know I am the happiest when I am able to spend time with my family and friends. I have so many great people in my life that mean so much to me.

I think most of you would agree that a large part of health comes from happiness and love, both of which are emotions that come when you are surrounded by those who love the most.

So BE SURE to make time in your busy holiday schedules to enjoy those individuals who you have in your life. It really is what matters most in life. Don't you agree?

Do you have fun holiday plans with family and friends for the month? I sure hope so! I can't wait for the majority of my family to head to Arizona for a fun Christmas celebration.

12 Days of Holiday Health Tips - Day 7

2011-12-08T13:31:00.001-08:00

One of the hardest things about the holiday season is the ginormous abundance of holiday sweets. I swear they turn up in every possible place. At home on the doorstep, at work, in sample form at the grocery store....EVERYWHERE. So...in order to avoid eating every possible treat in sight, make your holiday treats healthier this year!

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Tip #7: Make your holiday treats HEALTHY ones.

There are always a lot of parties, and most of them are oozing at the seems with treats. It can be difficult to go to all the shin digs you are invited to and keep up the will power. If you can do it...awesome. HOWEVER, there are some ways that you can stop yourself from overindulging and not feel like you are completely deprived. My solution...bring your own holiday treat, and make it a healthy one! If you bring a healthy contribution to a party you will have something there that you know you can eat and I can assure you...other people will appreciate it. These can make great neighbor/teacher/co-worker/friend gifts as well!

One of my FAVORITE treats (any time of year) are my low-fat zucchini cookies.

Cinnamon Almonds

Homemade Cinnamon Applesacue

or even some Dancing Blondies.

Some other great options to bring to a party are...fresh fruit, veggies and dip, or even a great healthy salad!

What is your favorite healthy treat options? Do you feel like you are completely surrounded by junk? If so, how do you avoid overindulging?

Click HERE to read the rest of Decembers Holiday Health Tips

12 Days of Holiday Health Tips - Day 6

2011-12-07T14:39:00.001-08:00

Efficiency is a HUGE thing for me at the gym. You will not see me hanging out at the gym shooting the breeze whomever will chat with me and taking fifteen minute rests between sets. I think I'd go crazy if I did so actually. I like to get to the gym, workout, and get home. I love working out, and sometimes a good long workout is like medicine for my soul. However, I'm all about doing whatever I can to maximize my workout time and get the most bang for my caloric bucks (and my time of course.) During the holiday season, finding time to workout can be tough, but it is doable. When you do find that time you don't want to waste it lallygagging around the gym. You want to make sure you are getting in, and getting it done as efficiently as possible.

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Tip #6: Make Your Workouts Count.

Trying to get a quick workout in doesn't have to mean you don't work up a good sweat and burn a ton of calories. You can definitely do both! My longtime readers know I am a HUGE fan of circuit training and HIIT. It is the best thing you can do for fat loss, it's a great calorie burner, and it is a great way to keep your workouts interesting. I have posted a ton of circuit training workouts and a lot of info on interval training as well. If you are looking for a good way to get in a good sweat and burn a ton of calories while doing so try some of these workouts out!

I did a great full body circuit yesterday that went a little something like this...

10 minute warm up on the treadmill
15 assisted pullups
24 alternating rows with a deep lunge (12 on each side/20 lb DB)
15 squats with a curl (20 lb DB's)
2 minute sprint
(repeat 3 times)

20 single leg squat to walking lunges with 2 push ups at the bottom (I may have to show these sometimes soon. They are KILLER.) Twenty feels like 300.
15 Overhead tricep presses
2 minute sprint
(repeat 3 times)

20 minute set of intervals in the elliptical
Finish with wiping off your sweat. Cause you'll need to...

Side note...Tonight my sister Linds arrived for a little weekend visit. I have missed her SO much since she moved with her fam to Austin, and I was thrilled to see her! She has been my little pseudo mother most of the time I've been in Provo because my parents moved to Arizona. We headed straight to Yogurtland after her arrival, and I can tell you one thing. Me + My fam + frozen yogurt = happiness.

Please excuse the crappy blackberry photo...sometimes you have to take what you can get!

Are you a fan of circuit training? If you haven't tried it you most definitely should! I do a lot of HIIT with my clients and it gets results!

Click HERE to catch up on all of this months Healthy Holiday Tips

Too Funny...and FAR too true.

2011-12-07T14:19:00.001-08:00

Every now and again I come across something that makes me laugh really hard. Today I have found one of those gems. Don't worry...there will be another healthy tip for my 12 days of Healthy Holiday Tips a little later today, BUT sometimes I think laughter bring happiness, and both are part of health. Right?

A friend of mine posted this on his FB wall (ironic once you see what it is) and I loved everything about it, probably because
a) it's true
b) I see it FAR too often
c) people can be borderline ridiculous...

Anyways...this post on Hilarious and Handsome Sports Guys is too funny. It's all about people's Facebook Status updates. I always have to joke a weeee bit about habitual gym status updaters. You know who I'm talking about. Read this excerpt. You'll laugh, I promise.

"Every day, possibly multiple times a day, we check our facebook pages to see what is going on with our friends. Unfortunately, some of our friends abuse their privilege of typing on the internet and force us to read useless and obnoxious status updates. Is it so much to ask for status updates that make us laugh, cry, inspired, excited, or even informed? Well, for these friends, it is far too much to ask. 

 Stop with the pictures. Stop with the updates. This has gotten out of hand.

The Gym Rat

Obnoxious Update: 

“Just got my swole on.”

“About to hit the gym . . . AGAIN!”

“Cranked out 20 pullups tonight. I’m gonna be sore tomorrow.”

Why It’s Obnoxious: 

No one cares about your workout! Believe it or not, most of the people forced to scroll through your daily workout accomplishments probably went to the gym too. And somehow through the holy power of St. Mary, they were able to jog on a treadmill without telling everyone. I’m sure this status is a desperate cry for attention. We all want the occasional, “wow, looking good buddy,” “are you losing weght?” or “omg, I had no idea Brad Pitt was coming to this party.” However, these compliments should be earned, not begged for by turning us into your workout diary. (And on a related note – no one wants to see pictures of you flexing in the mirror. Yes, you are the same person that gives workout updates)

What’s Acceptable: 

People want to hear about actual accomplishments. For example, you bench a small car at the gym. Facebook wants to know about this and see pictures. Maybe you ran in a big race you have been training for or you’re posting hilarious/inspirational, embarrassing pictures of yourself on a daily basis, then update as much as you want. Please, keep us updated on anything funny that happens while you are working out. If someone gets trapped under 400 pounds, we need to know. Some guy pees his pants a little because he curled so much weight, we need to know. A girl falls off the treadmill while talking on the phone and reading a magazine, we need to know.

Possible Fixes: 

“Just saw Arnold Schwarzenegger in my gym.”

“Definitely saw two guys doing synchronized flexes in the mirror – I really need a new gym.”

“Ran the Boston Marathon this morning. Passed a few Kenyans. What have you done this morning?”"

A little bit funny right? Don't get me wrong. I'm GLAD these peeps are going to the gym. I really am. I just don't think we all need to hear about every rep that they're doing, and mile they are running. Am I right?
Read the whole article HERE. It's pretty hilarious.

Do you know some habitual gym status updaters? I'm sure you do...

12 Days of Holiday Health Tips - Day 5

2011-12-06T21:17:00.001-08:00

I have learned over the years that I have so much more fun working out when I have a workout partner. I loved being at home these past couple weeks in Arizona where I was able to go running with Nichole and work out with my sister and my mom doing the filthy fifty. I knew they were planning on me to be there for the workout, and I was counting on them as well. When Benita used to live close by we worked out together all the time, and I loved it! I definitely miss that! Not only is it a heck of a lot more entertaining to be able to talk and laugh/complain your way through your workout, but it gives you some accountability as well. This principle definitely holds true during the busy holiday season.

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Tip #5: Find a Workout Partner

Make your chances of getting your workouts done a little higher by finding someone else to workout with you. I know that this season is SO busy, and finding time in your own schedule to work out is hard enough. The chances of you being able to combine two schedules may be tricky, but if you want to stick to your routine, having someone there to keep you at it is a definite plus. I know that many of my clients are perfectly capable of working out alone; however, it is the fact they know I am there waiting for them three times a week that keeps them consistent. Find a buddy! You may be a huge help in motivating THEM to get in shape too! Worth it!

Do you have someone you work out with on a regular basis, or do you prefer to workout alone? Do you find that it helps to have a buddy?

To read all of the Holiday Health Tips Click HERE.

12 Days of Holiday Health Tips - Day 4

2011-12-05T21:16:00.001-08:00

After getting up in the "4's" to catch my flight back to UT this morning I'm feeling a bit sleepy. This leads me right into tip number 4 for a healthy holiday season. I see people who run themselves ragged trying to get things done for Christmas, and then when it all comes around they don't even enjoy it because they are so exhausted. This is NOT what the holidays are about, and this is NOT the way to lose weight/feel healthy/get things done/achieve fitness goals. I can promise you that. When you are tired because of lack of sleep people tend to cut out exercise because they are exhausted. They make poor food choices because the body craves carbohydrates/sugar due to the need for a quick boost in energy. Tired busy people grab food. USUALLY grabbing food means fast food, and that can be S-C-A-R-Y.

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Tip #4: Get Some Sleep

So, my advice to you? Make sleep a priority. Lack of sleep often is a great segway into getting sick, and nobody wants to have their holiday festivities ruined with germs! Get through the holidays feeling healthy and enjoying them like you are supposed to! If you need to cut back on the chaos to do so, then do it. Sometimes less is more. I have done a ton of posts in the past on why sleep is so dang important...a few faves being...Cheer Up Sleepy Jean...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...and It's a Love Hate Thing.

Do You find yourself running on only a few hours of sleep to get everything done? Do you make sleep a priority? Do you recognize when you're overdoing it and suffering in the sleep department, or do you just soldier through? I know sometimes my sleep takes the brunt of my busy schedule, and when that is the case I pay for it! I am WORTHLESS without some good sleep in me.

Click HERE to read all of the holiday health tips.

The 12 Days of Holiday Health Tips - Day 3

2011-12-04T14:31:00.001-08:00

If there is ONE thing I am extremely faithful on, no questions asked, it is breakfast. I absolutely LOVE breakfast. I seem to wake up every morning hungry and excited to get my breakfast in. It has been proven that those who lose weight and keep their weight at a healthy place are breakfast eaters. It helps to get your metabolism going, helps you to make smarter meal choices throughout the day, and the list goes on and on. Click HERE for a previous post on why breakfast is for champions.

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Tip #3: Eat a good breakfast.

As the days before the holidays seem to get more and more crazy, be sure you start your day off right. Eating a good breakfast can help you to have the energy you need to get through your busy days, get your workouts in, and feel better all around. People make better decisions when the day starts with a good breakfast. Don't find yourself mid-day not having eaten a thing and ravenous...it tends to lead to poor habits, poor food choices, and binge eating.

Some good breakfast choices?

All Bran Muffins
Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes
Healthy Cereal Options

Whole Wheat Pancakes
Greek Yogurt Protein Shake
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins
Crock Pot Steel Cut Oats

Click HERE to see all of the holiday health tips for the season.

What are your favorite healthy breakfast choices? Are you a breakfast eater or do you tend to skip out on your morning meal? I usually go for oatmeal in the morning. It warms me up and keeps me full!

The 12 Days of Holiday Health Tips - Day 2

2011-12-03T16:57:00.001-08:00

One of the first things that usually goes out the window when the holidays come (and when times get crazy in general) is exercise. It is far to easy to find time to do everything else that we need to do, and save our exercise for, "later," or, "tomorrow."

Fact: The holidays are busy.
Fact: Exercise may not be as exciting as going Christmas shopping.
Fact: Cold weather is not extremely conducive to attending the gym and running outside.
Fact: Getting in a session at the gym doesn't get your holiday treats made and your gifts wrapped.
Fact: The stress of the holidays gets crazy and sometimes overwhelming.
Fact: It is hard to enjoy the holidays when you feel like a giant stress case.
Fact: Exercise helps with stress.

Tip #2: Don't skip your workouts.

There are so many benefits of exercise. You will feel better, you will sleep better, you will make healthier choices, and you will avoid the holiday weight that finds itself on our hips. It is SO easy to set it aside, but make this December the year that you don't let it go by the wayside. Combat cold weather by working out indoors at a gym, going to a fitness class, doing a video at home, or dressing properly for cold weather. Make this year one that you stay on top of your health and fitness regimens. You will be so glad you did.

How do you combat workouts in the cold? How do you make your workouts fit in with the craziness of the holidays?

Click HERE to see all 12 days of Holiday Health Tips!

The 12 Days of Holiday Health Tips - Day 1

2011-12-02T17:52:00.001-08:00

I love holiday preparations as much as the next person...maybe even more. I get so excited for all of the decorations, traditions, family festivities, parties, and yes...of course...the food. Oh, the holiday goodies...and the amazing magical ability they have to show up in every possible location all month long.

I want you to continue to have a happy and healthy holiday season this year, so I've decided to give you 12 days of Holiday Health Tips.

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TIP #1: Make your plan NOW.

Decide now what your goals are for the month, what your boundaries are going to be, and make them measurable. For example...
- "I am going to only eat out on Friday and Saturday nights, and I'm going to make healthy meals during the week."
- "I'm going to pick one dessert at this holiday party instead of trying one of all ten."
- "I am going to workout four times every week."
- "I will record my food every day, even at pot luck parties."

You get the gist. You want your plan to be something you can look at and say, "Check...yes, I did that." Starting your plan now, and following through with it will help you to make it to January without feeling like you have spun out of control.

What is a goal you have for yourself for the month of December? How are you going to make healthy choices this month?

You Ought to Know...Rock My Run

2011-12-01T17:09:00.001-08:00

I love my workout music. Y'all know this by now. I thought I'd start December off with sharing one of my new favorite things.

If you haven't visited Rockmyrun.com you need to get there. Now. It is pure awesome. It is a site that has pre-made mixes of awesome workout music. There are so many fun mixes, you could probably find something new to run to every day. All you have to do is register, and you are good to go. The best part...it's FREE.

Free things + music + running = AWESOME

Now, another tip for you.
You know when you are running with your iPod to a mix you put together, and all of the sudden a song comes on that drags your energy levels down about two hundred percent. You're left wondering what in the world you were thinking when you threw that batch of tunes together? WELL...you can choose music by the number of beats per minute. This means you can get a whole mix that is the same tempo, and you can make it match your speed. It reaaally doesn't get much better than that. Your brain can perceive the beat of your music as a heart beat, which explains why a really up-tempo, high energy song can get your blood flowing and give you an awesome boost of energy.

So how do you do this? Well click HERE to figure out how to convert your MPH (miles per hour) to BPM (beats per minute). Once you determine this you can find the perfect mix for your run, download it for FREE, and it will open up into your iTunes. Upload that bad boy onto your ipod, and you're pretty much good to go. You can thank me later. Happy December 1st!

I'm happy...I'm on my way to the airport to visit sunny AZ again! YAY!! I'm getting mentally prepped for some great shopping. I hope your weekend gets off to a great start!

Do you have to run with music? If I am running by myself I absolutely do. When I am running with my sister she keeps my mind occupied. Are you constantly searching for new tunes like me? If you are than you'll be SUPER excited about my giveaway for December. It's coming soon!

Positive Thoughts for a Healthy Mindset - It all started with the Christmas lights.

2011-11-30T05:45:00.000-08:00

I know that there is power in positive thinking. I have to try and remind myself this...in the most positive way of course. It is very easy for me to rattle off to you the reasons why winter is not my favorite.

- snow
- looking more like Edward Cullen and less like Jacob (did i seriously just reference Twilight in reference to my fading skin...yowza. I did not see that coming.)
- having to wear 12 layers to keep warm at work as opposed to my nike tempo shorts
- driving in the snow
- walking in the snow
- falling because of the snow (inevitable)
- not being able to run outside

You get it. HOWEVER...I was actually thinking today about the reasons why I like the cold weather. Like I said, power of positive thinking.

- Diet Swiss Miss hot chocolate. It warms my soul.
- Being wrapped in blankets
- Delicious warm soup
- ABC's 25 days of Christmas movies, and all other Christmas movies for that matter. I can quote 98% of Home Alone. My sister and I used to watch it like it was our job.
- Christmas. Christmas parties. Christmas music. Christmas scents. Christmas lights. Christmas presents. The Christmas Spirit. D) all of the above.
- Appreciating my trips to Arizona and the sun and warmth that comes with it. Did I mention I'm going back on Thursday...YAY!
- Frozen Yogurt and Pizza Factory Salads. Oh wait, that is all the time. But I love them in winter as well as the summer.
- Holidays.
- Did I mention Christmas lights? I did. Well...that is where this thought process started.

Yesterday morning as I was driving to work around 5:30 AM and I passed the Christmas Lights on at one of the outdoor malls that I pass every day. I know this pic from my phone won't do it justice because they are so phenomenally beautiful, but this is what I saw nonetheless.

At a tired moment I got so excited for Christmas and the lights gave me a huge boost! This positive train of thought continued throughout my day...

I had a client cancel, which allowed me to get a quick 6.5 miles in. It was early and I didn't have a ton of energy, but I kept thinking how grateful I was to get my cardio in and done. I also was thinking back to all those months where I couldn't run. These positive thoughts kept me going, and my run went great. Positive thoughts = positive outcomes.

Sometimes my early mornings + being on my feet with my clients + several clients in a row can start to drag my energy levels down. I was feeling tired, and I started thinking about how lucky I am to have a job that I love, and to get to work with such great people. This reminded helped me to push through being tired, and do the best I could to help my clients.

I planned out my food for the day this morning, and stuck to my plan. A thought occurred to me yesterday about how often we dress to hide the gross way we feel inside. Do you get me there? For instance, maybe you overate and didn't exercise one day and you wake up feeling gross. Those are the days where I go for lose-fitting, comfy clothes. I don't want to have to dress according to my food choices. I know that sounds crazy, but that reminder helped me to stick with my good meal plan. My challenge to you there? Go to bed feeling good, healthy, and on top of the game. Don't go to bed feeling defeated, bloated, and thinking you're going to have to start over, yet again, tomorrow. Get in a positive mindset, where your healthy goals are a reward to you. They will be a reward to you because you will feel good, and you'll want to keep going in a positive direction.

Positive thoughts -----> Positive outcomes -----> Positive actions -------> More Positive Thoughts

I think you get the cycle.

What helps you stay positive or overcome a negative cycle of feelings? For me it is usually a good full day of proving to myself that I CAN do it; Exercise of course helps, and preparation is a key part as well. What are you feeling positive about right now?

November 30th: Today I am grateful for a positive mindset. It has changed my whole day. I am also grateful that tomorrow I will be boarding a plane to Arizona. WAHOO!

One year ago today...No Soup for you! This is one of my FAVORITE healthy potato corn chowder soup recipes. It is BOMB.

Preparation. Preparation. Preparation.

2011-11-29T05:45:00.000-08:00

Monday's can be a great recharge day.
A lot of the time for me this means...
getting in a good workout after my rest day Sunday
going to the store to restock on good protein and produce
setting some goals for myself for the week
and getting the motivation to where it needs to be.

Yesterday was a great example of one of those Mondays. After my morning clients I got in a great 60 minute interval session on the elliptical followed by some foam rolling. I was feeling a little sore in one of my hips from the Filthy Fifty Workout this past Saturday, and sitting in the car all day Sunday driving home didn't do much to help that. After the gym I headed straight to the store. I knew that if I didn't I would be eating oatmeal for the rest of the week. I mean I love oatmeal and all...but...let's be real here. I want this week to be an AWESOME eating week, and that takes preparation.

At the store I purchased:
- Cracked pepper turkey for wraps
- Produce (Romaine lettuce, acorn squash, bananas, apples, baby carrots, a cantaloupe, and some frozen strawberries for my protein shakes)
- part skim mozzarella string cheese
- eggs
- greek yogurt
- turkey chili for some Easy Cheesy Chili
- Kashi Golean Crunch Cereal
- Special K Protein Plus Cereal
- Ingredients for Chicken Tortilla Soup (This is seriously the EASIEST recipe ever and it is really good!)

*These are a lot of my standard items. I am usually needing to eat quickly, and these are all great ways to get in some good food quick!

When it comes to eating it is ALL about the preparation. I don't care who you are...it is the truth. If you disagree with me you are craaaasssyyyyy. So, to help promote my good eating this week I whipped up my Chicken Tortilla Soup today and portioned it out so I could have it to heat up in a minutes notice during the week. I highly recommend preparing you food beforehand. It makes life so much easier, and will help you make good decisions with your food chocies.

Tonight for dinner I had some of the soup with some quick and delicious acorn squash. If you were wondering if there was a difference between photos from my blackberry and photos from my Rebel just take a gander at these two shots. I forgot to take a pic of my dinner, so both are old pics. Just squint your eyes at the soup and pretend it's not completely blurry.

My dinner was really healthy, and ready within minutes. There is nothing like a warm bowl of soup to make you feel better when winter starts to get a little too chilly!

What are some of your standard healthy grocery items? Do you have meals that you will make ahead and put in the fridge to help you stay better prepared to eat healthy during the week?

November 29th: Today I am grateful for productive Mondays that help start my week off right. Here is to an equally productive Tuesday!

One year ago today...The Veggie Challenge

Cinnamon Almonds

2011-11-28T07:40:00.000-08:00

If there is one reason I love going to football games it is to smell the Cinnamon Almonds. Can you beat that smell? I don't think so. I have wanted to try making them, and being home in mom's kitchen this past weekend was the best place to do it.

Cinnamon Almonds
Ingredients
2 cups raw almonds
1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup stevia
½ tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 225 degrees.
Combine egg white and vanilla in a bowl.

Whisk together.

Add raw almonds to egg/vanilla mixture, and stir until well coated.

Add stevia, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in another bowl and stir combine.

Pour sugar mixture over almonds and stir to coat.

Spread your almonds on a cookie sheet. I would recommend putting them on parchment paper to make your clean up about 500 times easier. Spread them out so they bake evenly. Bake for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Let them cool once they are done baking and enjoy! These are SO tasty, and would make a great holiday gift for parties, neighbors, or just to make your house smell amazing.

These are so incredibly fabulous, you simply MUST try them. They are a great little sweet fix with some nutrition to them.

November 28th: Today I am thankful for fresh starts. I know...I usually hate Monday's, but today it feels good to get back to a better eating routine and into my exercise groove. I hope you take advantage of your Monday :)

One year ago today...Brain Dump for the Snow Dump.

Have you ever made cinnamon almonds? Are you glad to be back to your routine, or are you missing the holiday already?

Filthy Fifty

2011-11-27T11:27:00.000-08:00

When I am home my family members like to put themselves at the mercy of my workouts. Although I definitely enjoy the alone time a good cardio session can bring, when it comes to weight training I think it is so much more fun to workout with other people. Maybe it is because I enjoy being able to complain about how hard things can be with others who are feeling the same. Who knows? I think it just makes time go by so much faster.

I have a lot of friends who are doing Crossfit right now. A lot of my circuits follow the same high intensity interval training that is the basis behind Crossfit. It is basically a quick, intense, all out way of working out. I am always reading up on different methods of exercise, and trying out new workouts, and I like a lot of the things incorporated in Crossfit type workouts. In my reading this past week I came across a Crossfit workout called the "Filthy Fifty." I have had a couple friends tell me it's a killer, so I wanted to give it a try. Yesterday morning my mom and sister were on board to try it out.

So, while watching The Biggest Loser, we got our sweat on.

We had to make a few modifications from the original Filthy Fifty, but our workout went like this...

50 Box jumps on a 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups (assisted)
50 Kettlebell swings (done with 20 lb DB)
50 Walking Lunges alternating legs
50 Hanging Knees to elbows
50 Push press

50 Back extensions on physio ball with DB rear fly added in
50 Wall ball shots with a medicine ball

50 Burpees

Let me tell you...those 50 burpees are the cherry on top. If a cherry is comparable big spikey thorn poking you in the eye...painful, but oh so good. Oh, and yes...my mom did all 50 burpees. She is a maniac...in such a good way.

Sweaty. Make up-less. Done.

I love family workouts.

Do you like working out with other people? Do you ever do high intensity interval training? Do you have a love/hate relationship with burpees like i do?

The rest of the day was spent helping my mom decorate the house for Christmas. Decorating FIVE trees with extremely tired shoulders is not for the weak my friends. Today will be spent driving from Arizona back to Utah...goooo...Maybe it secretly got warm while I was gone. Here's to wishing huh?

November 28th: Today I am grateful for the opportunity to get to hang out with my family all weekend. They are the best.

One year ago today...Post Thanksgiving Survival Tips

Thanksgiving Dinner

2011-11-26T10:35:00.001-08:00

I absolutely love when my family is all together. It is some of the happiest times in my life without question. We are always laughing and having a good time. My mom and dad did an AMAZING job on the Thanksgiving spread. See it HERE.

My mom always has everything decorated so festively which makes it so fun.

We attempted to take some pics outside...

...Our efforts to be serious didn't last very long.

Then things got just plain ugly.

Which turned into a contest of who could make the best "stank face."

Bryson

Blake

Kiley

Nichole

Moi

Bronson

Grammy

Denny

Papa

It's hard to pick a winner really...I think these pictures are better than serious photos anyways. :) My family really makes me laugh so hard. I think laughter is so important for good health. I hope you find reasons to laugh every single day.
We finished our Thanksgiving night out with our traditional movie. I sure do love the holidays.

November 26th: Today I am grateful for beautiful blue skies. Man, I love the sunshine. It is like medicine for my soul. There is not a cloud in the sky in Arizona today. I sure hope Utah is losing that gross cloud cover while I'm gone.

What makes you laugh? Do you feel like laughter makes you feel better? I think it almost always does.

Thanksgiving Day Food Log

2011-11-25T22:59:00.001-08:00

I challenged some of my clients to take a photo log of everything they ate on Thanksgiving day. I have found that this is an AWESOME way of tracking your food if you aren't so down with recording everything. I figured since I was challenging them I would take the challenge on myself. I can tell you right now It helped completely cut out any grazing while baking in the kitchen.

7:30 AM - I ate a slice of this bread with a little spray butter on my way out the door to go run with my sis.

10:30 AM - By the time we were done with our run, the turkey trot, and the pictures involved I was starving, and devoured my greek yogurt protein shake. I also had about 10 raw almonds.

2:30 PM - I knew we weren't eating until around 4:30 or 5:00 and I was getting really hungry, so I had a snack of an apple and some turkey to keep me from just grazing around the kitchen.

5:00 - Our Thanksgiving dinner was DELICIOUS. I loved it! Here was what my plate looked like. I pretty much cleaned it up except for some of the mashed potatoes and part of the roll. Clockwise we have some mashed potatoes (made with greek yogurt) and vegetable gravy, turkey, cornbread stuffing, sweet potatoes, green beans, and one of my mom's homemade rolls.

I also had some fruit and fruit dip.

9:30 - We went to see Hugo as a family and I had a few handfuls of movie theater popcorn while we were there. I was so stuffed that luckily, I didn't want much. After we came home I had a sliver of my healthy pumpkin pie and a scoop of Dreyers Grand Light peppermint Ice cream.

SO MUCH delicious food, and some fairly healthy options. I felt good about my Thanksgiving day tracking. How did you feel like you did with your Thanksgiving Day eating?

Thanksgiving Morning Turkey Trot

2011-11-25T14:16:00.001-08:00

Happy Black Friday! I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving. I know I certainly did. I somehow was talked into going to Anthropologie this morning at 5:30 AM. Insane right? I found some good stuff, so it was worth it, but SHEESH. We came home and crashed, only to head back out AGAIN to hit up a few stores.

Were you able to do something active yesterday? My family has had a fun time running in the Mesa Turkey Trot for the past several years on Thanksgiving morning. However, every year we've commented on how it takes a lot of time to drive there...get all parked, registered, etc...run...and then come back home. My brother-in-law and sister who live in Gilbert, have said they should start one in Gilbert several times. Well, this year they did it! My sister posted on her FB wall to see if there would be any interest, and there was interest indeed! About 250 people showed up!

My sister Nichole and I decided we'd run before the race just in case we didn't get a chance to join in with all the Chaos. So we got up early and did six miles. I love running with my sister, and I can't wait for June! She and I are doing the Utah Valley Marathon together.

We decided cute socks were going to make the run better. They totally did. We actually got to jump in and run the 5K with the rest of the turkey trotters, so we started off our Thanksgiving with 9 miles. I felt REAL good about it. :) There was a one mile fun run, a 5K, and a 10K, so everyone could join in the fun.

My brother Denny was the race director/course organizer/announcer/heckler/finish line announcer.

Les and Elaine (my M&D) made it out for the big event. My dad has some knee issues, so he rode his bike. I LOVED seeing my whole fam active!

Of course, every race needs a gorilla. Don't worry, he ran the whole race in the costume. NBD.

Isn't crossing the finish line the best? I think so. Go Elaine!!

My sister Nichole, me, my niece Kiley, and my mom after the race.

Even the boys sported some crazy socks. My family loves to dress up just as much as I do.

It was awesome to see so many kids active and involved, and excited to be out there running! My sister and I were talking while we were running about how important it is to help your kids be active from a young age. I think the best way to do that is to get them involved in fun activities that involve friends and family. If they see that everyone is active and having a great time it will help to instill those habits in their lifestyle in a way that is not forceful or negative.

November 26th: Today I am grateful for good deals. Who doesn't love a little retail therapy? (Especially when that retail therapy is coming at you at %50 off!)

Did you do anything active on your Thanksgiving Holiday? Do you have a Turkey Trot in your area? How do you best help your kids to keep moving and enjoy doing so?

More to come on how we celebrated the rest of our Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T17:52:00.001-08:00

Happy Turkey Day!!

I hope your day has been as awesome as mine has been. I can't wait to post allll about it.

November 25th: Today I am grateful for an amazing family. I am SO glad that I am here spending time with my family that I love so much. I wish that my ENTIRE family could be here, but I will take all I can get!

A year ago today...Happy Thanksgiving and a New Adventure

Shoppers Unite

2011-11-23T20:56:00.001-08:00

Are you a Black Friday Shopper? I'm not going to lie..I'm not. I love a good deal as much as the next guy, but I also detest crowds of people trying to fight for one item. My family is more of a...mosey on into Target at 4:00 in the afternoon on Black Friday to get some good deals on the movies left over from the crazies that got there 12 hours ago.

However, if you ARE a Black Friday Shopper you may want to take some last minute work out tips from this crazy lady...

November 23rd: Today I am thankful for the opportunity to come and spend time with my family!

One year ago today...The stair climber - Not for the faint of heart rated & Missing the end of the world. Dang.

Best of luck with your last minute Turkey Day preparations!

Turkey Burning Circuit Workout

2011-11-22T21:17:00.001-08:00

Ok, so this circuit workout has nothing to do with turkeys. Unless of course you do it on Thanksgiving and or after to burn off some of the extra food calories we happen to eat...and then of course it has everything to do with it. Either way, this is a killer circuit. I did it today and I was sufficiently worked to say the least. I also had one of my clients do it tonight.

It goes like this:

30 Hanging Power Cleans (I used a 40 lb bar)
30 Assisted Pull ups (or real pull ups if you are tougher than I am which I am sure a lot of you are)
30 Kettle Bell Swings (I used the 25 lb KB)
30 Burpees (AKA murder)

20 Hanging Power Cleans
20 Assisted Pull ups (or real pull ups if you are tougher than I am which I am sure a lot of you are)
20 Kettle Bell Swings
20 Burpees

10 Hanging Power Cleans
10 Assisted Pull ups
10 Kettle Bell Swings
10 Burpees

I did 60 mins of intervals on the elliptical and then this circuit took me 27 minutes. I was exhausted. Let me rephrase...my body is still exhausted. I'll be interested to see how sore I am or am not. A few things to note about this circuit.

- I loved it. It was hard, but nice to do something different from my usual.
- Don't be afraid of Hanging Power Cleans, but be sure to do them with proper form. You could actually do them with DB's if you had to.
- Assisted Pull ups can be swapped with Lat Pull downs if need be. Just be sure the weight is heavy enough.
- A single DB held in both hands can be substituted for a Kettle Bell
- Burpees are really hard, but oh so awesome.

November 22nd: Today I am grateful that tomorrow I get to go home!! YAY! A much needed break.

One year ago today...an experiment of sorts

Do you get a holiday break? I sure hope so! Do you ever include any power lifts into your workout routine?

Copy Cat Carrabbas Bread Dip

2011-11-21T14:58:00.000-08:00

Let me just start by saying this is a PERFECT Thanksgiving dinner appetizer. Have you ever been to Carrabbas? It is a delightful place. It can be a bit scary calorie-wise, BUT it is delicious nonetheless. I always get the minestrone soup there, and I think it is so dang tasty, and very low cal. Well, if you have been to Carrabbas, you may also recall the dipping herbs and olive oil that they bring out while you wait. That stuff is like crack. It is so amazingly good that it is dangerous. Mainly due to the large amounts of white bread consumed right along with it. Good news...I have the recipe for it, and you can serve it with some whole wheat or whole grain bread and it turns into a delicious and healthy appetizer.

Warning: You will eat all of it, and it WILL go quickly. I've never made it and had leftovers. Usually people are scraping the dipping plate for remainders.

Copy-Cat Carrabbas herb bread dip

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp minced fresh garlic (I just use the refrigerated kind that comes in the jar)
1/2 tsp salt

1/4 - 1/2 cup of olive oil

Combine seasonings in a food processor. (This does not include olive oil.)

Pulse until combined.

Place a spoonful on a small plate and drizzle olive oil over the top.

I actually served this on Sunday along side my homemade hummus and it was a tasty hit! I frequently make this with my easiest whole wheat bread and the combo of fresh bread right out of the oven with the fresh herbs and olive oil is so so so good. You'll love it.

Here's a lil' taste of my Christmas Decor :)

November 21st: Today I am grateful for guiding words of inspiration. I have been listening to talks from HERE, and I always feel inspired after I do.

One year ago today...This is funny right?

Have you busted out your Christmas decorations yet? I know I'm a bit premature, but I am leaving for AZ for the weekend, and I know I'll be glad they are up when I return! Don't forget to plan something active for your Thanksgiving Day plans!

Homemade Hummus - WORTH IT.

2011-11-20T15:27:00.001-08:00

Is it weird if I tell you I tried hummus for the first time like two years ago? I don't know what the holdup was, but I'm so glad that I finally came around I LOVE it now. I have wanted to try and make my own for ever, and haven't ever gotten around to it. After trying this recipe today I'm so glad that I FINALLY did. It is the easiest thing ever, and SO much less expensive. If you like hummus and you don't try making it yourself you are straight up crazy.

altered from THIS recipe on allrecipes.com

Homemade Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans, half the liquid reserved
2.5 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons peanut butter (the recipe calls for Tahini, but I didn't have any)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4-1/2 tsp of ground cumin

I made mine in my mini food processor and it was just the right size. Add your garbanzo beans as well as 1/2 the liquid from the can, lemon juice, peanut butter (or Tahini), and garlic. Blend until creamy. Add in salt and cumin to taste.

Serve it as a spread on sandwiches and wraps, or as a dip with pita chips/bread/veggies/whole grain crackers etc.

November 20th: Today I am grateful for awesome neighbors who not only cook me dinner, but also put out full fledged fires in my oven. For reals...I have the best neighborhood ever, with so many great friends around me. I am one lucky duck.

One year ago today...What are you going to do TODAY?

Have you ever made your own hummus? I am still shocked at how easy and tasty it was. Have you ever had your oven catch on fire? Yikes...scarytown. My house is going to smell like smoke for a week!

Whole Wheat Yogurt Bread

2011-11-19T15:54:00.001-08:00

I have a thing with food expiration dates. They are like big brick walls for me. I do not cross them. If something says it expires on the 6th and it is 12:01 AM on the 6th, you'd better believe I will no longer be eating it. Ridiculous, I know...like my food has some sort of time clock on it. Anyways...it's just one of my "things" and I don't think it's likely to change anytime soon.

With that being said, I always buy my Fage plain greek yogurt at Costco in the big container. It is cheaper that way. About a week ago I picked some up and noticed that they were selling it for. $1.52. HELLO!! I was dying...so cheap. Well I didn't notice until after the purchase that it expired in a week's time, I'm assuming is why it was so darn cheap. I used some to make some greek yogurt protein shakes this past week, but I didn't barrel my way through the whole container like usual. Today was the date of expiration, and I HATE wasting food, so I decided to find something to use it for.

I have replaced fat in recipes with yogurt before, and it has worked fabulously, but I have never done it in bread. I searched and searched online for a good recipe that used yogurt AND whole wheat flour, and I realized this combo was very hard to come by. So, I ended up making up a little recipe of my own.

Whole Wheat Yogurt Bread

Ingredients
1 cup non fat plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup honey
2 1/4 cups whole wheat four (divided)
1 instant rise yeast packet
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter at room temperature
1/2 cup of water (optional)

Directions
Combine honey and yogurt in a microwave safe bowl and microwave together for about 30 seconds. Just enough time to allow you to easily combine the yogurt and the honey; you want it to be at room temperature not hot. Add that mixture to two cups of your whole wheat flour as well as your yeast packet. Stir to combine and cover with plastic wrap for about twenty minutes. Once twenty minutes is up add in the rest of the flour and combine. Add in the salt and the butter and continue to knead. I kneaded mine by hand, but a kitchen aid standing mixer with a bread hook would work wonders here. My dough was a little dry at this point, so I added in a little bit of water at a time and kept mixing until it was a good consistency. Cover your dough with plastic wrap once more and let it raise for about an hour and a half. Prepare a baking sheet with a dusting of cornmeal. Work your dough into your desired cooking shape and place on the cornmeal baking sheet. Cover once more with plastic and let it raise for another 45 minutes. Preheat your oven to 325 and bake your loaf for 40 minutes.

Here are the stats:

This bread was REALLY tasty. I actually thought the density of it was very similar to my easiest whole wheat bread recipe.

November 19th: Today I am thankful for a warm shower. After my morning workout I stayed in my workout clothes while I decorated my house for Christmas. By the time it was shower time...(it may or may not have been 3:00 PM) I was freezing, and my shower warmed me right up and cleaned me right up. Double goodness. Have I mentioned that I hate washing my hair? Cause I do.

A year ago today...Workout Playlist Jams

Do you make your own bread at home? I LOVE the smell of homemade bread. I don't make it very often because I think I could polish off the whole loaf on my own. Maybe if I had more people to cook for. Do food expiration dates make you nervous?

Friday Favorites...

2011-11-18T16:04:00.001-08:00

I think I say it every week. I. LOVE. FRIDAYS.

Friday = Favorite...because of course it leads to Saturday (sleeping in, long workouts, relaxation)

Snow on the weekend = Favorite. Don't be deceived. I detest snow. However, I like when it snows on the weekend because It means I don't have to attempt to drive to work in it.

Next Week is Thanksgiving = Favorite. Rumor has it the temp is 70 degrees there. I love that rumor. LOVE.

Tried a new Whole Wheat Bread Recipe tonight. Fresh bread = Favorite. I'll be posting that recipe tomorrow.

Tomorrow the Christmas Decor goes up. Decorating for Christmas = Favorite. Call me premature with my Christmas excitement...I don't care.

All good things.

November 18th: Today I am thankful for a warm house to come home to. Have you guessed that the cold is clearly not my favorite? I'm so grateful for a warm home, a comfortable bed, and layers upon layers of clothes that keep me warm. Blessed indeed.

A year ago today...Healthy Cinnamon Sweet Potato Muffins. These are MONEY. So tasty. You need to try them.

What is your Friday favorite? Have you decorated for Christmas yet?

Prepare for a Healthy Thanksgiving

2011-11-17T16:51:00.001-08:00

As Turkey day is fast approaching the shopping lists and trips to the store are beginning. I wanted to give some of my favorite healthy suggestions for the holiday season, in hopes that it might help you make some positive choices this year.

I used to eat mashed potatoes and only mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner. Ok...wait. I take that back. My thanksgiving meal consisted of three foods. Mashed potatoes, my mom's homemade rolls, and pumpkin pie. I LOVE pumpkin pie. For my 8th birthday party I requested a pumpkin pie instead of a cake. I'm sure the kids who attended that year were stoked...
Now, I've definitely learned to love a whole new palate of foods, and I get excited for a lot of different tasty dishes come Thanksgiving day. I am a firm believer in moderation in all things. I think that holidays and great food are meant to be enjoyed. I also think that gorging yourself and eating until you are sick is not exactly the definition of, "enjoying your food."
My challenge to you this year is two fold.

1) Include some healthy dishes in your Thanksgiving spread. I'll be giving some more healthy recipes up until Turkey Day, but my favorite holiday staple is my Healthy Pumpkin Pie. A few years ago my mom let me make it along side our normal pumpkin pie as a trial run, and we've since abandoned the normal pie altogether. It's that good.

Click HERE for the recipe

2) Get active! The second part of my challenge to you this thanksgiving is to find a way to burn some calories. Many communities offer Turkey Trot's or Thanksgiving day fun runs that are a great way to get the whole family up and moving the morning of the big day. My family has done the Turkey trot several times in Arizona and it is a fun way to feel like you aren't just sitting and eating all day. Involve your family in a Turkey Bowl football game, go for a bike ride, take a hike, or even just go for a walk. Do something! If you know your Thanksgiving day is going to be packed schedule in a two-a-day the Wednesday before. Doubling your caloric intake and cutting your physical activity in half isn't the best thing for your body, so get moving!

November 17th: Today I am grateful for an incredible healing body. I got in 50 minutes on the elliptical this morning, and was going to call it good...until I got my new running shoes in the mail...I did 6.5 miles tonight with no problem! I really hope this means I'm injury free. It is AMAZING to me how big of a difference new shoes can make.

Also...I was invited to the Yogurtland premier of Breaking Dawn tonight. It was so fun to go! The jury is still out on how I feel about the movie. I am NEVER a fan of talking animals, and there was definite wolf conversation. I always love a movie night!! Thanks Yogurtland!

One year ago today...aghhhh

Do new running shoes help you to get pumped about running again? They get me every time! Have you seen Breaking Dawn yet? Do you plan to? If so, what did you think?

November 16...

2011-11-16T21:22:00.001-08:00

Oh boy.
LOTS of time working + Birthday Celebrations + very little sleeping = no time for blogging. Boo.
Tomorrow.
xoxoxo megs

P.S.
Today I'm thankful for my darling Benita who turned 26 today and got engaged on Friday! What an exciting Week for you Benits. I love you to the moon and back!
P.P.S
If you were looking for something a little more exciting to read...one year ago today...Achhoooo is a great post on how to avoid getting sick at the gym!

November's Mix Winner!

2011-11-14T21:40:00.001-08:00

Happy Monday Y'all.
The winner for November's Healthy Holiday Hit's Mix Giveaway is....#6

RACHELLE WARDLE!!!!!!!
Email me at megolina21 at gmail.com to claim your mix girlie!

November 14th: Today I am thankful for clean laundry. It may be the same gym clothes that I wash over and over and over every week, but there is nothing like having that clean laundry all washed.

A year ago today...my easiest whole wheat bread recipe...If you haven't tried this yet, you need to. It is so incredibly simple, and TASTY. It is perfect to go along with some tasty fall soup!

Spaghetti Squash Pasta Swap

2011-11-13T17:29:00.001-08:00

Pasta is a topic that comes up frequently when people want to talk nutrition. Most people are terrified of it because they know it is higher in carbohydrates, which it is. The processed white flour makes for an increase in carbs, but that isn't usually the huge issue with pasta. With MANY pasta dishes comes a lot of cheese, cream, butter, and all sorts of high calorie and high fat items that can get scary when you're trying to lose weight. There is also an issue with the fact that most individual pasta dishes served at restaurants could probably feed a small family.

Cheesecake Factory's Bistro Shrimp Pasta? 2,819 calories, 77 grams of SATURATED fat, (you're supposed to keep that around 10 grams per day) 184 grams of carbohydrates. GROSS. That has bad news written all over it. I don't even want to think about the fact that this dish is also served with a basket of bread and butter...and let's be honest...probably followed with piece of cheesecake. We could be looking at upwards of 3,000 calories IN ONE SITTING.

You get it.
Now, I hope you understand that pasta doesn't have to be one hundred percent terrifying. Would I suggest you order something else at a restaurant. Yes, I would. BUT, there are some healthier whole grain pasta options that even have some added protein, if you are looking to eat pasta at home. Barilla has come out with some great options that taste good too. Don't be afraid of the whole wheat! I would just say don't make it the only thing you eat. Moderation people.

I do have an alternative option for you if you are really serious about your eating. For one cup of regular spaghetti noodles it is about 220 calories and 45 grams of carbohydrates. Spaghetti squash is an AWESOME pasta alternative, and it is just easy to make. For one cup of spaghetti squash it is about 41 calories and 10 grams of carbohydrates.

All you do is...
Step 1: Cut your spaghetti squash in half.

Step 2: Turn it upside down on a microwave safe plate and cook it for 5 mins. Rotate it 180 degrees and cook it for another 5 minutes. When it has cooked for the full 10 minutes leave it right were it is in the microwave with the door shut, and let it steam for another 5 minutes.

Step 3: Pull the squash away from the skin with a fork. It will resemble noodles.

Step 4: Top it with whatever pasta sauce you like. (I vote something tomato based...just saying)

I topped mine with some light marinara sauce and some edamame for a little added protein. This entire dish is about 180 calories with about 10 grams of protein. It would be GREAT to add some chicken in there to up the protein count, but I was going for quick and easy with the edamame.

November 13th: Today I am grateful for my mom and dad. I got to spend some time with them over the weekend, and I just love them...They are the most incredible people in the world, and I don't know where I would be without them. Well, not here clearly. ;)

A year ago today...how to be a weekend warrior...avoiding the pitfalls that an unhealthy weekend can bring.

Have you ever tried Spaghetti Squash? Do you eat a lot of pasta in your diet? If so, do you eat whole grain pasta?

Greek Yogurt Protein Shake

2011-11-10T19:46:00.001-08:00

My routine has gone a lot like this in the past few days. Train my morning clients. Go to the gym and get my workout on. Come home to a protein shake made with greek yogurt. It is quick. It fills me up, has a ton of protein without a ton of calories, and is a great post workout recovery meal option.

Cinnamon Strawberry Banana Protein Shake
- 1 tray of ice cubes
- 1 cup of Fage Greek non-fat yogurt
- 5 strawberries
- 1/2 small banana
- 1 serving of Biochem Vanilla protein powder
- 1-2 tsp of cinnamon
- 1 cup of water
- a few dashes of Splenda (optional)

Blend this all up in the blender and there you have it.
285 Calories. 41 grams of protein. Awesome.

I use a lot of ice and water because it brings it to the consistency that I like. It makes about two of these glasses full, and I drink them both.

I usually drink it down while I look at Pinterest. I let my lunch time be my waste-time-surfing-the-internet time. That way I can get it out of my system, and get to work after I'm done eating. Go ahead. Make fun of my re-usable straw. Everyone does. It happens to be from an awesome pack of re-usable straws my mom got me from Crate & Barrel. I LOVE them.

I always clean my blender with my quick and easy blender cleaning trick. It makes life a LOT easier.

Today's Workout:

Quick Chest and Tricep Workout:
3 sets of each alternating between exercises

Set #1
15 TRX push ups
alt with
15 TRX tricep presses

Set #2
12 chest presses with the cables w/alternating lunges (40 lbs)
alt with
12 alternating lunges
alt with
12 tricep kickbacks w/10 lb db's

Set #3
Chest flies with 20 lb dumbbells
alt with
tricep pull downs with cables (30 lbs)

Set #4
Push ups with the 12 lb med ball to burnout

Cardio:
60 minutes of intervals on the stairs it was somewhat killer on me today! I think it was because last night at like 10:00 two of my friends talked me into a quick jaunt to the gym for a run. I had already done 70 mins or cardio yesterday, but I didn't want to miss out on the party. I am really glad I didn't. It was one of the funnest runs I've had in a while. 3.5 miles at around a 8:15 pace. I wasn't mad.

November 10th: Today I am thankful for modern day appliances. What would I do without things like a blender, or my mini food processor? Who knows...

Do you allot yourself time to waste on the internet? I have to keep it scheduled or I could be unproductive online all day long! When was the last time you had fun working out? Were you with friends?

Also...Don't forget to enter the Hits for Healthy Holiday's Mix Giveaway!

The 3 R's of Weight Loss Recommit, Rediscover, & Record

2011-11-09T15:27:00.000-08:00

Losing weight is a daily battle. There is no question about that. Individuals who have seen success in weight loss can tell you that getting there was a definite journey; a series of decisions made one moment at a time that added up over time. This time of year seems to be the hardest time for people to stick with their healthy habits and reach their goals. If you are finding yourself struggling, remember the 3 R's of weight loss.

RECOMMIT
Nobody achieves anything by giving up. One of the biggest mistakes that people make is saying things like..."Oh, I screwed up today (Tuesday) so i'll start over again on Monday." Don't think like that. Sure, it is great to have a day that gets you back on track with what you are doing, but how about change your mindset to..."Wow, I really overate at lunch today. I am going to get back to my regular eating habits at dinner." Don't let one bad decision lead to another. Don't let one wandering handful of candy lead you to eating the whole candy jar. Don't guilt yourself for a bad choice made. Get over it. Move on, and start making better choices. Don't wait until tomorrow, do it now. Making a healthy lifestyle for yourself is a matter of recommitting whenever you slip up. Sure, we all have our moments of weakness, but consistency is what is going to help you see results.

REDISCOVER
Far too often I have to sit my clients down and ask them again why they are attempting to do what they are doing in the first place. Goals without purpose are meaningless, and most likely won't be achieved. Rediscover what it is that you really want out of life, and how you are going to get there. Stop thinking into to future as to what it will be like when you, "one day," achieve your goals, and start achieving your goals NOW. It IS possible. You CAN do it. It is also important to rediscover healthy foods that you like when you get in a rut of eating the same things, and to rediscover physical activity that is fun to you. If you are always forcing yourself to do things you hate and eat things you detest, you won't get very far at all.

RECORD
This is the most important one, by far. I have said it, 899,444,564,2343,984 times. If you want to see success with weight loss, WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU EAT. It doesn't mean that you have to be a calorie counting fiend. It doesn't mean that you can never have a treat here or there, but it WILL make you accountable for what is going into your mouth. Writing down your food helps you to realize what exactly you are consuming. It will help you learn better habits with snacking. It may help you to realize that the quality of food you are eating is pretty low. It may even cause you to realize why in the world you can't seem to drop that last 20 pounds. Mindless eating is a scary thing, and SO many people underestimate the amount of food that goes into their mouth. WRITE. IT. DOWN. I promise it is the key to success.

Have you seen success with recommitting, rediscovering or recording? What seems to work best for you to keep yourself on track with your health and fitness goals?

One year ago today...Pumpkin Invasion...Healthy Pumpkin pie, cookies, bread, muffins, and oatmeal recipes

Don't forget to enter this month's Hits for Healthy Holidays Music Mix Giveaway!

November Hits for Healthy Holidays Mix Giveaway

2011-11-06T23:09:00.000-08:00

Every now and again some songs come along that I just LOVE. This months mix has a couple of those. They came just in time too. November marks the month of holiday treats and food festivities, so we're gonna need all the workout motivation we can get to keep burning those calories!

Here it is...

Shake it Out - Florence and the Machine
Sexy and I Know It - LMFAO
You Make Me Feel - Cobra Starship
Brighter Than the Sun - Colbie Caillat
Mr. Know it All - Kelly Clarkson
We Found Love feat. Calvin Harris - Rihanna
Princess of China Feat. Rihanna- Coldplay
Furiously Dangerous - Ludacris
Paradise - Coldplay
5 O'Clock feat Wiz Khalif - T-Pain
Fly Feat. Rihanna - Nicki Minaj
The One That Got Away - Katy Perry
It Will Rain - Bruno Mars
The Lonely - Christina Perri
Fame - B.O.B.
Memories feat. Kid Cudi - David Guetta
Let it Be - Dyme Def
All This Talk of Dreaming is Fine and Sweet - Lex Land (cool down)

I'm not going to lie...Every time I hear We Found Love, 5 O'Clock, and You Make Me Feel it is my own private dance party. These are some good hits my friends.
November 6th: Today I am grateful for music. I love it, which is why I always want to share my tunes with y'all. Music gets me through my workouts, lifts my spirits, and keeps me happy :)

To enter to win the mix you know the drill...

1) Become a follower or and leave a comment if you already are one just leave a comment saying so
2) Tell me what song gets you going every time you hear it? Am I the only one who dances in the car by myself...awkward...
3) Tweet about it, blog it, facebook it...you know the drill.

You have until Sunday November 13th to enter. Winner will be announced On Monday, November 14th. For all my past play lists click HERE.

Saturday Tid Bits

2011-11-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

Just a few things.
- I hate when all the people around me start to get sick. I feel like it only means sickness is looming around me. Yesterday at the gym a man had his gym shorts stuffed with kleenex. I watched as he blew his nose (very snot-ishly I might add) and then stuffed his tissues back in his pocket, wiped his nose with the back of his hand, and picked up his dumbbells again. SO GROSS. I know I'm a bit of a germaphobe but COME ON. Common courtesy? I made a point to touch NOTHING he touched.

- I purchased my favorite Sugar Free Swiss Miss hot chocolate this week, and I have already busted out the Coco Motion twice. Sugar free hot chocolate gets me through the winter.

- I am %95 sure I'm running the Utah Valley Full Marathon with my sis next June. She is already signed up! Anyone else planning on doing it? I think I'm finally in a place where I'm injury free and able to train like crazy. I'm even a little excited...
p.s. I'm recruiting anyone who wants to run the same race, so we can talk about training and such for the next few months!

- I also busted out my big puffy North Face and my Uggs this week. These items become part of my winter uniform when it gets cold. Ugh. I miss being able to run around like this...

- I've been listening to Christmas music all day. For your info...In a battle between Michael Buble and Justin Beiber's new Christmas Album, Buble is killing it. Sorry Beibs.

- I love Saturdays. They are just the greatest. I got in an AWESOME circuit workout this morning that started my day off right!

November 5th: Today I am grateful for my job. We had a work meeting at Elevate this morning, and I was reminded of just how awesome the people that I work with are. I have been so blessed with a job that I love, and fabulous work support. We are going to be doing a lot of things involving the community here in the near future, so I'll be sure to keep you posted.

One year ago today...Oh I love reality TV.

Have you started to listen to Christmas music yet?What was your Saturday workout? It's helping me adjust to this cold weather! What are you grateful for today?

Fat Burning Circuit Workout

2011-11-04T16:29:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted a new circuit workout in a while, so I figured it was about that time. This is a workout I've had a few of my clients do in the past few days and it has been a great way to get a good sweat on. If you're looking for something to mix up your Saturday workout give this a try. You'll love/hate it. Promise.

5 Minute Warm up (you can walk/jog/ellipticize)

15 Med Ball throw Burpees (Hold a med ball, Squat down, jump feet back to push up, push up, jump feet in, pick up the med ball as you stand and throw and catch. Repeat)
20 quick step ups on the right leg
20 quick step ups on the left leg
Plank Hold 60-90 seconds (add a plate to your back to increase the difficulty)
2 min interval sprint - fast as you can go here
(REPEAT THIS 3 TIMES)

15 Push up Jacks (do a push up and then staying in push up position jump your feet wide and in)
15 Squat Curl Press with DB's
20 Slow Mountain Climbers forward
20 Slow Mountain Climbers Opposite Knee to Elbow (working the obliques)
2 min interval sprint - fast as you can go here
(REPEAT THIS 3 TIMES)

3 Squat combo holding 12 lb med ball - 10 narrow squats, 10 normal squats, 10 very wide squats (knees out)
15 single arm cable row squats with right arm (30-40 lbs)
15 single arm cable row squats with left arm (30-40 lbs)
30 Cherry Pickers

2 min interval sprint - fast as you can go here
(REPEAT THIS 3 TIMES)

5 Minute Cool Down

November 4th: Today I am grateful for naps. It has been a long and busy week and I crashed and took a 30 minute power nap when I got home from work. It felt AWESOME.

A year ago today...You can do it!... a healthy list of nonperishable foods to always have on hand.

SIDE NOTE #1: For the next two days walgreens is offering 25 free prints if you enter the code FREE4X6 and a free desktop calendar with the code FREEFORU

SIDE NOTE #2: www.runningwarehouse.com is offering 25% off ANY order you place today (even sale items) with the code FB25D

Easy Cheesy Chili

2011-11-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

You know my thoughts on high protein meals that are easy. I LOVE THEM. I think most people that know me know this about me. My sister suggested that I try her latest high protein creation, and as skeptical as I was...I LOVED it.

Two ingredients:

Chili + Cottage Cheese

Heat up 1 cup of chili (about a 1/2 a can). I used turkey chili cause I'm not a beef eater. Add to it 1/2 cup of cottage cheese. You can heat up the chili first by itself or mix the two together.

Voila. It's the easiest meal EVER. It may look a lil' curious, but it tastes awesome. You can even eat it on the go like me...

Ultimate ghetto. I know. Sometimes (most the time) I have to eat and run. Now, seriously though...when my sister told me to try this I was SUPER skeptical. I like chili ok, and I like cottage cheese, but mixing them made me a little bit nervous. It honestly tastes like cheesy chili. It's delicious. Not to mention it comes in at about 300 calories and 30 grams of protein depending on the brands that you use. Because the chili is canned there is a higher amount of sodium, so you may want to key into that if you are watching your salt intake. For more high protein meal ideas click HERE.

November 3rd: Today I am grateful for a warm heater in my car. I was reminded very quickly this morning just how chilly it can be at 5:00 AM. I know it's only going to go lower in temps from here, but man that heater is my life saver.

Do you like Chili? Do you dare give this protein packed instant meal a try? Do it. I dare you! What are you grateful for today?

One year ago today...Where are you investing your money? Some thoughts on spending money to get healthy, and at the same time spending money counteracting your efforts.

Hip Hip Hurray for Waranty's

2011-11-02T19:01:00.000-07:00

Today's post is short.
Like real short.
My computer is at the doctor because the bottom casing started to peel itself away. WTF?
The good news. It's covered by the warranty.

November 2nd: Today I am grateful for warranty's. Too bad my Ipod didn't have the same fate, huh?

Grateful November Has Arrived

2011-11-01T21:36:00.000-07:00

I am a firm believer that attitude is everything. I think that a large part of our health is reflection of our attitudes and levels of optimism. If you have an optimistic attitude about what you want to accomplish as far as your health and fitness goals are concerned, you will be so much more likely to accomplish them. If you are constantly thinking negatively about what you want to do...doubting yourself and working at your goals with the thought in the back of your head that you'll never actually accomplish what you are working it, you probably won't. Believing in yourself and being optimistic is a big part of being able to accomplish your goals.

I think that optimism and gratitude go hand in hand. When I take the time to notice the blessings and positive things in my life that I am grateful for I feel happier about everything in general. For the month of November I've decided to focus on something that I am grateful for every single day. I think it will be good for my health. You should try it...I think it'd be good for yours too. ;)

NOVEMBER 1st: Today I am grateful for being injury free. I have had a a whole slew of issues in this past year, and I finally feel like I am at a place where my body is whole again. I am just starting to get back into running again, and I'm being very careful. I am most certainly happy to have a body that lets me do so much and is so capable. The human body really is so remarkable.

Today's Workout:

Cardio:
30 minute intervals on the stairs (between levels 8-17)
20 minutes on the elliptical

Lifting: Legs and Shoulders
3 sets of each alternating between exercises

Set #1
12 squats with Leg Press (270 lbs)
alt with
12 single leg balancing shoulder front raises with 25 lb plate

Set #2
20 alternating reverse lunges with 15 lb db's
alt with
12 dead lift to an upright row with 20 lb db's
alt with
Squat with an overhead press with 15 lb db's

I'll leave you with some of the pics my friend Adam took at the cabin this past weekend...he has a sweet camera with an awesome lens.

So fun...

What are you grateful for today??
One year ago today... For the girl who loves pastries, you know who you are...a post on sugar and sweet!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T17:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!! I hope your day has been full of good scary times!

Today on fitsugar I saw this article on what happens in your body after you eat sugar. Very interesting...take a look at it.

Have a great night full of lots and tricks and maybe not...so many treats...

A Halloween Flashback & Some Holiday Survival

2011-10-30T15:01:00.000-07:00

I LOVE Halloween. Ok, I love all holidays. To determine which holiday is my favorite at the moment, I usually just say the holiday that is coming up next. SB and I have been planning our Halloween party for the year for the past month and a half. We decided we wanted to do a WWII themed party at SB's cabin, and the only requirement was that you HAD to dress up. It was a lot of work! However, it was SO much fun! I dressed up as a nurse.

I was SO impressed with how much effort everyone put into their costumes. Dressing up makes everything so much more fun.

We had quite a spread of food. There was a good combo of healthy food and Halloween sweets.

The main dish was chili and corn bread, with a side salad.

Like I said...so many great costumes...

A necessary photo shoot...

And a murder mystery of epic proportions.

I have decided that Halloween parties should always involve men in uniforms. It just feels right. ;)

On a healthier note; let's talk about Halloween.
Tomorrow is the big day...A client of mine and I discussed how Halloween really sets the tone for the whole holiday season as far as eating healthy and getting into a good routine goes. Many people feel as if they struggle with eating well during Halloween they can't get themselves back in line by Thanksgiving and then they just give up altogether before Christmas. Don't let this be your fate!! Think of the progress you could make in the matter of two months, and even if you have a set back here or there giving up altogether is NOT the way to go.

Set some goals for yourself for the holiday season. Instead of thinking that you will just start over come January, don't lose two months when you could be making progress or even just maintaining a healthy lifestyle instead of packing on the holiday pounds.

Read HERE for last year's post on surviving Halloween.
Have a GREAT and SPOOKY Halloween, and don't eat too much candy! ;)

What are your Halloween plans? What is your goal going to be for the Holiday Season?

Turn Your Food Fest Into a Fit Fest

2011-10-27T23:13:00.001-07:00

I think MOST of our parties tend to be planned around food. So, why not mix it up by doing something active instead. That is what we did. Last night we had a big ole Halloween shindig at Classic Skating. Yep, I felt like I was in the 6th grade again. I even snowballed.

SB and I were Beiber fans...or13 year olds...whichever you'd like.

Some people got REAL creative. It's not often that a bobsled team, a homeless man, a tooth fairy, and a sheep get together and skate it out.

You better believe I got my sweat on dancing up a storm. I ditched the skates 1/2 way through and decided I was better off dancing my heart out in the center of the rink!

Side note: There are very few times that a song comes along that gets my heart rate going every time I hear it...this song is one of those. If you're in need of a new AMAZING jam to pump you up whilst working out. Look no further.

It speaks to my soul. I hope you have some incredible Halloween plans this weekend. I know I do. I can't wait to share em! I challenge you to add something active to your Festivities. The chances of you eating your way through the dessert table are a lot less likely if you are occupied with something active. Throw in a potato sac race, involve some musical chairs, or my personal fave...turn your night into a dance party!

Do you have any active traditions that are a part of your festive events?

Homemade Crockpot Cinnamon Applesauce

2011-10-25T21:01:00.000-07:00

Remember how I told you my client brought me a zillion fresh apples? Well, I still have a TON. I want to be sure to put them all to good use, so I decided to make some fresh homemade applesauce. The recipe comes from skinnytaste.com you can view the original recipe HERE. I made some slight adaptations.

First, take 8 medium apples and peel them. I just used a vegetable peeler.

Next, core them and slice them.

Throw the slices in the crock pot.

Add to that 1 tsp of lemon juice, 5 tsp of brown sugar, and 1 tsp of cinnamon and cook on low for 6-8 hours until the apples turn to applesauce!

I don't even really love applesauce, and this stuff is so good!

This recipe makes 3 cups of applesauce. A great and healthy dessert or side dish for your family. Added bonus? It makes your house smell absolutely amazing. I plan on throwing this in some of my healthy recipes as well! Remember that applesauce can be used in place of butter or oil, and it takes out a ton of the fat and calories. It makes it really moist as well.

Do you ever cook with applesauce? Have you ever made your own fresh applesauce? You should try it. It is so incredibly easy and when you make it at home you get rid of all the extra added gunk!

P.S. I have to say thanks to my darling Janae!! She came and brought me a gift certificate to my favorite restaurant The Pizza Factory. Oh I just love her! Thanks girlie!! xoxoxo

Birthday Rehash - part dos

2011-10-24T21:03:00.000-07:00

The first half of my birthday was fabulous. The second half of my birthday did not disappoint either. After lunch with my dad, I went to the gym to do some cardio. I was going to give myself the, "birthday out," but decided I'd be happier with myself if I did something. 60 mins on the elliptical was my cardio of choice for the day, and then it was home to get ready...and put on real clothes. Crazy huh?

My friends and I went to my fave, Pizza Factory, for dinner.

I wish I would have been able to get a shot of the whole group, but I was glad to get the pics I have!

And then it was home to carve pumpkins...

We started drying off the seeds, and I still need to roast them!

Can you guess which one is mine?

I'll give you a hint...it's not that one.

After we carved pumpkins then the group headed off to Yogurtland, and then back home to watch a movie. I opt for frozen yogurt instead of birthday cake...every time! :)
It was an awesome day and such a fun night! I have some great family members and friends. THAT is for dang sure!

Do you save your pumpkin seeds to roast? They are a great and healthy snack! Try it this year.

Mixing Things Up with a Kettlebell Workout

2011-10-24T16:29:00.000-07:00

If you have heard the word, "kettlebell," over and over and you are curious as to why people are working out with something that goes on the stove or a noise making device, this may help clear things up a little. A kettle bell is a weighted device that is similar to dumbbell as far as usage goes, but has a handle on top. This picture might help...

(image source)

Saturday I was absolutely exhausted. After all the birthday festivities. I didn't get to bed until after 3AM, which if you know me is WAAAAY out of my usual bedtime region. I woke up with very little energy, and so when I finally drug myself to the gym I didn't know what I was going to get. I decided I could muster up a little bit of cardio, and then mixing it up with a kettle bell workout. It was a great change.

Cardio:
30 minute intervals on the elliptical

Strength Training:
Kettle Bell workout

*3 sets of each alternating between exercises*

SET #1
20 kettlebell swings w/a squat (w/one 20 lb kettlebell)
alt
15 kettlebell pushups (push ups on top of two kettlebells)
alt
20 alternating lunges (holding a 15 lb kettlebell in each hand)

SET #2
12 single right arm rows in a deep lunge (w/one 20 lb kettlebell)
alt with
12 single left arm rows in a deep lunge (w/one 20 lb kettlebell)
alt with
15 squats with a bicep curl on bosu ball (holding a 15 lb kettlebell in each hand)

Done. This entire kettlebell workout took me about 35-40 mins and my heart rate stayed elevated the whole time. If you don't have a kettle bell at home you can actually just hold a single dumbbell with both hands for the swings, or like normal for everything else and you will get the exact same results.

Have you ever worked out with kettlebells?

The Birthday Rehash - Part 1

2011-10-23T23:08:00.000-07:00

I did it. I turned 27. Thanks for all the b-day wishes! I think birthdays are great because they remind you of all the great and thoughtful people in your life. I started my morning off working. I only had a couple clients, so it was easy peasy. My first client had three of her sisters coming into town so we set up a special group session to work with all four of them at once. It was SO fun! They brought me some beautiful flowers and some homemade sugar free applesauce. Yesssah.

It was SO fun working with all the sisters. It made me miss my own! While we were finishing up their session two of my friends, Ryan and Benita surprised me with flowers, a diet coke, and balloons! I was SO surprised. I get really thrown off when I see people out of context. It was so sweet of them!I wish that I had a pic with them, but I wasn't planning on needing my camera! Oh well...it was an awesome surprise.

I then met up with my daddy-o for lunch at Jason's Deli. He's THE BEST. Jason's is one of my FAVORITE places for a healthy meal when you are eating out. They list all their nutrition facts online which makes me love them even more. He might kill me for posting this pic...but the girl I asked to take it was NOT happy about it. So, I didn't dare ask for a retake. Sorry pops....love you.

To be continued!

Do you get thrown off or awkward when you see people out of context? I totally do... What is your favorite place to eat a healthy meal out?

26 Things I learned in Year 26

2011-10-20T20:33:00.000-07:00

Twenty-Six was a good year from me. I guess I learned some stuff...
1. Being injured is not fun...(torn tendons, hip issues, stress fractures...)
2. Eggs are delicious and so are egg whites
3. You actually won't die from eating tuna
4. Water + Electronics don't mix (Macbook/Ipod incident)
5. Duck Beach is the coolest place EVER
6. My family and friends are pretty amazing. I already knew that, but it's a good thing to relearn year after year.
7. Pinterest is the best creation in the world.
8. Having the people you love move away isn't so great, but it always makes you realize how great they are...(The Fitchies, Benita, Roxies)
9. The Kardashians are fabulously entertaining. I don't know why it took me so long to jump on this bandwagon, but they have single handedly helped with my cardiovascular endurance.
10. I love lifting the most and cardio the least, and yet it is the cardio that mentally makes me feel better. Go figure.
11. Having new people enter your life is always a great blessing and there is always a lot to be learned from others experiences...(SB, Whitters, & insert ALL awesome blogger friends here)
12. I can still be easily pleased with diet dr pepper, frozen yogurt, and a pizza factory salad bar. Some things never change.
13. I need to work on my patience...I'm trying...but can't I just figure that out faster?
14. I wish it was summer all year round
15. I HATE winter. I have always known this, but it was reconfirmed when I got snowed in this past year.
16. It is possible to drive to AZ and back 8 bajillion times in a year. My dad and I are phenomenal road trip partners.
17. I am reminded every day how great my job is, how amazing some of the people I work with are, and how blessed I am to do something I LOVE to do.
18. I do not like mice, and i do not like them in my house.
19. I love my new camera so much I can hardly stand it.
20. There are some things that I will never be able to do without. I think oatmeal, peanut butter, and La Tortilla Factory wraps will forever be on that list.
21. Naps are great.
22. Exercise will always make me feel better. Always.
23. I still love to bake.
24. I am still an all or nothing girl.
25. I will go to Yogurtland or Maverick anytime. Seriously...let's go.
26. Some days are hard, some days are AWESOME, and some days are just normal...but I am a blessed girl with soooooOOOO many things to be grateful for.

Here's to year #27. I feel like good things are in store.

This is it. Don't get scared now.

Do you have any advice for me on how to be a 27 year old? Let's be honest...I still feel like I'm 21.

An Attitude Adjustment

2011-10-19T20:02:00.000-07:00

Today started early.
I woke up tired.
I had a hour and a half break in between clients in which I fully planned to work out.
I didn't.
Instead I worked on a talk I have to give in church on Sunday and some of my free-lance writing.
Both great things, and I needed to work on both of them, but it didn't burn any calories...
I had a client cancel and I could have slipped in some cardio.
I didn't.
I chatted with one of my awesome coworkers instead.
I meant to end up at the gym on my way home from work.
I didn't.
Wednesdays are long days for me, and by the time I was close to home I knew I needed to take a nap if I wanted to do anything else of worth today.
I was supposed to go back in for an evening client, and she ended up cancelling...so i got to take like a 40 min nap.
Nap = attitude adjustment
AWESOME.
I woke up and decided I needed to go workout. I knew I'd feel better if I did.
Guess what? I was right.
I had one of the best workouts I've had in a while. It felt great.
It might have had something to do with the fact that Kim Kardashian's wedding was on E while I was doing cardio...

Wednesday Workout:

Cardio:
5 min warm up on the elliptical (While I eyed the 1 stair machine at our gym that was in use. The guy got off right in time. Wahoo!)
30 Mins of Stair intervals
1 min @ level 8
2 min @ level 12
2 min @ level 16
repeat 6 times! so schweaty. If this isn't difficult enough for you, simply ramp up the levels!

Lifting: Back and Biceps
3 sets of each exercise alternating between exercises

Set #1
12 Rear Rows on the cables w/55 lbs
alt with
1 min rest...I actually wanted to do curls here but there were some vultures waiting for me to get off the machine so I decided to park it

Set #2
12 lat pull downs w/60 lbs
alt with
12 single leg balancing circular bicep curls w/15 lb db's

Set #3
12 Regular bicep curls w/20 lb db's
alt with
12 Rear delt flies with 10 lb db's

Set #4
15 Rear Rows with the TRX
alt with
15 Resistant Bicep curls with TRX

Set #5
15 Core Row outs on knees with TRX
alt with
30 seconds of rest

Finished up with 35 more mins on the elliptical whilst watching Kim K get wed.

I left the gym feeling AWESOME. So much better. I can't even tell you. It is amazing what some exercise can do for a tired/gross mood. Sometimes all we need is a little cat nap. Oh...and I wasn't mad about finishing off my evening with one of these...helloooo pumpkin flavored fro yo. DE-LISH.

Does exercise make you feel better when you are having a bad day or feeling extra tired? It always does for me if I can get myself going!

Speaking of frozen yogurt...don't forget about the contest to win a twenty dollar gift card to Yogurtland and two movie tickets to the Twilight premiere. Read about it HERE. You have until Sunday night at midnight!

This day a year ago: Get out of that rut!

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins

2011-10-18T14:43:00.000-07:00

One of my darling clients brought me the equivalent of a half of an apple tree's worth of fresh apples this week. I LOVE apples, but I knew there was no way I was going to be able to barrel through that many!

Naturally, I looked to find a recipe that would let me bake some of those delicious beauties. I couldn't find anything that I loved, so I did what I usually do...created my own.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups of Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup of splenda (you could use agave/stevia or honey if you'd like)
1/2 cup of white sugar
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 TBS of pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp of salt
2 eggs (or you could use 4 egg whites)
1 cup of pumpkin puree
1/2 cup of applesauce
2 cups of apples peeled, cored, and chopped (this was 2 apples for me)

Streusel Topping
Combine:
2 TBS whole wheat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350. Mix together eggs, pumpkin, applesauce, Splenda, and sugars. In a separate bowl combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Slowly combine dry mixture with wet mixture. Once combined fold in chopped apples. Divide into muffin tins sprayed with non-stick spray or lined with liners. My batch made 18. Once divided sprinkle with streusel topping.
Bake for 35-40 mins or until they pass the toothpick test!

The stats:

These muffins are SO. Dang. Good. Confession: I don't even like baked fruit. But these...moist and delicious. The streusel topping makes it. They would be a great side to a warm soup, perfect for a breakfast, tasty for a snack, or even a good item to throw in the freezer and have to take with you on the go.

Do you like baked fruit? I usually don't. I think it's a weird texture thing for me, and isn't fruit supposed to be cold? Not warm?

P.S. Don't forget to check out (and enter) the Yogurtland/Twilight Premier Ticket giveaway!

Yogurtland & Twilight Contest Giveaway!!

2011-10-17T17:23:00.000-07:00

You know my affection for frozen yogurt. It is no secret. I actually would go as far as to say I consider myself a connoisseur of frozen yogurt. Which is why you also may remember how excited I was when Yogurtland came to town.

It is MY FAVORITE kind of frozen yogurt. I think they have the consistency down to a science. They always have awesome flavors, a million toppings, and they let you sample to your heart's delight before you make your final decision. You can't go wrong.

Well...good news folks. I know that many of my Utah peeps love Yogurtland as much as I do which is why I'm so excited about this contest/giveaway.

SO...
The fabulous people of Yogurtland are offering a twenty dollar gift certificate to Yogurtland, and two tickets to the Twilight premiere in November that Yogurtland is hosting for customer appreciation. AWESOME huh? Going to the movies and eating frozen yogurt are probably two of my favorite things in life. Put them together and you have just about the greatest night out you can get!

To win this amazing prize...
You must go into Yogurtland and take a picture of you eating your frozen yogurt making the best vampire face you can. Yep...You, your yogurt, and the best scary face you can muster. You'll then send me those pics to be posted on my blog, and you'll be entered into the drawing for the prize.

Email your photo entries to me at megolina21 at gmail.com.

You can only enter once per person, however feel free to enter every single member of your family.

Please leave a comment on this post once you have emailed me.

The contest starts NOW and will go until this Sunday the 23nd of October 2011 at midnight.

Your photos will be numbered in the order that I receive them, and I will choose the winner using random.org. The winner will be announced Monday October 24th!

Good luck!!

A Winning Monday

2011-10-17T12:43:00.000-07:00

Today is the day.
Let's just cut to the chase. The winner of October's Sickeningly Sweet Music Mix Giveaway is #44 Stacy from "Ben and Stacy"
She said...

I love this idea! It probably appeals to me because I wear black all the time...anyways...Congrats Stacy email me at megolina21 at gmail.com and I'll get you your tunes!

Happy Monday to every one! I'm feeling unusually optimistic for a Monday. Maybe it's because I got in a great workout this morning? Maybe it's because I'm very happy that it isn't snowing? Maybe it's because I'm wearing my new colored jeans which makes me feel like a kid again (we were all about the colored Gap denim at my house) Maybe it's because my b-day is on Friday? Who knows. It doesn't matter; I'll take the optimism.

Monday's Workout:

30 mins of intervals on the elliptical

Lifted legs & Shoulders
3 sets of each alternating between exercises

Set #1
12 squats with leg press on sled 270 lbs (If you aren't doing these, start now. One of THE BEST exercises in my opinion. You engage SO many muscles, burn LOTS of calories, load up the weight, and tone a million things at once.)
alt with
single leg balancing front raise with 25 lb plate

Set #2
12 step ups with an overhead press with 15 lb db's
alt with
12 step ups just holding db's
alt with
12 single leg reverse lunges on physio ball with right leg
alt with
12 single leg reverse lunges on physio ball with left leg

Set #3
15 Squat throws with a 18 lb med ball (I. LOVE. THESE. just ask my clients)
alt with
20 Med ball throw downs (working the core and shoulders)
alt with
12 Upright row to a dead lift with 20 lb db's

20 more minutes on the elliptical...called it a schweaty day.

Can I just bring up something real quick...Since my Ipod is out of commission (may it rest in peace) I am at the mercy of whatever music the gym happens to be playing while I lift. I can use pandora on my phone as I do cardio, thank goodness. However...while I lift I get whatever is on. Today this song came on...

I'm sorry...Maybe "private eyes, watching you" wasn't a creepy term in 1981, but I feel like I'm not alone in saying it is now. Maybe we have Hall and Oates to blame for all the crazy peeping toms born in the 1980's? No?

Anyways...GUESS WHAT? I have another AWESOME contest/giveaway to announce today!! Two of my FAVORITE things in life combined. Wahoo!

I hope your Monday is looking as optimistic as mine is! :) xoxoxo

Beautiful Saturday's and Delicious Sundays

2011-10-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day. Having the sun out gave me some energy to get a good workout in.

I started out with sprint intervals on the treadmill. Try this...it's killer. You can up the speed if you need to.

5 min warm up jog

Interval Set #1

minute 1 - walk on 4 mph

minute 2 - run on 6.7 mph

minute 3 - run on 6.7 mph

minute 4 - run on 8.7 mph

minute 5 - run on 8.7 mph

Interval Set #2

minute 1 - walk on 4 mph

minute 2 - run on 6.7 mph

minute 3 - run on 6.7 mph

minute 4 - run on 5.7 mph @ 8.0 incline

minute 5 - run on 5.7 mph @ 8.0 incline

alternate between both interval sets 3 (or more times)

cool down jog 5 minutes

Chest & Triceps

3 sets of each/alternating between exercises

Set #1

12 Chest flies w/20 lb DBs

12 Triceps Skull Crushers w/30 lb bar

15 Ab Roll Outs on physioball

Set #2

12 Single Arm Chest Press R&L w/20 lb DB

15 triceps dips on bench w/feel on ball

Set #3

15 Triceps pull downs w/cables 30 lbs

15 Push ups

20 mins of intervals on the ellipticals

Later that afternoon I was determined to go up and look at the fall leaves, and so of course I drug some friends up to Sundance with me.

Isn't that so pretty?? I have some willing subjects too...

Aren't they just darling? Unfortunately it started to get too dark...

We then headed up to Park City to meet up with some friends.

Followed by a viewing of the new Footloose...awesome.

Definitely a fun Saturday! I just love fall activities. I KNOW there is a lot more where that came from.

Speaking of fall...today I made some healthy Potato Corn Chowder and some Homemade Wheat Bread for my friends for dinner, and I forgot to take pics...dang it. I was really in the mood for something fall-ish, and it hit the spot. Try it if you need a dinner idea for this week!

Are you seeing seasonal changes and loving it? I hope so! So pretty!

Don't forget...tonight is your last chance to enter the October Sickeningly Sick Music Mix Giveaway!

Looks can be decieving...All In a Day's Work

2011-10-14T17:18:00.000-07:00

I always joke with the people that know me well that those who don't know me very well think that I do nothing all day. My schedule is so opposite of everyone else's that people tend to not see what I am actually doing all day, which I think leads people to make up their own ideas. I would. ;)

Instance #1: I work as early as 5:45 AM some days, and I usually work until 10 or 11 AM. This means that I am gone and back from half of my work day before some of the people I live around even wake up. A lot of them will see me get home or see my car at home once I am there and just assume I'm chilling at home all day.

Instance #2: I LOVE Elevate, the gym that I work at, and sometimes if I have a break between clients I will workout there. However, as I have expressed before, most the time I go to the Gold by my house on my way home. I know it's weird. I work at a gym, and I pay for a gym pass, BUT it is somewhat therapeutic to me to go somewhere other than work. You get that, right? Well the same crowd of people tend to always be there at the same time as me...around 10-11, and I'm pretty sure they think I just rolled out of bed and finally made it to the gym.

Instance #3: I go back to work in the afternoon usually around 4, and so in the middle of the day my car will be home. I am also a freelance writer on the side, and so when I am at home in the day I do my writing. Those who live around me will often come stop by because they see my car and I'll be in the kitchen working on my computer...I'm fairly certain they think I'm just facebooking.

Instance #4: People see me in gym clothes always...which unless they actually know what I do they often equates to...oh there is the girl who never gets dressed. So lazy that girl.

So, what many individuals see is....
Megan rolling out of bed at 10 or 11 to get to the gym and then she sits home and Facebooks in her sweats. Ummm, I wish? ;) (Not really, but maybe the rolling out of bed at 10?)

When in reality...it's more like
Roll out of bed at 5.
Train until 10 or 11.
Write, write, write until 4.
Back to work...

I guess sometimes what we see can be deceiving, no?

(This is Colston...he doesn't like to be deceived!)

Sometimes the foods we think are, "healthy" at restaurants can be just as deceiving...

Eating out and making healthy choices can be tricky...

Some prime examples?

Applebees Oriental Chicken Salad
1310 calories
93 grams of fat

Blimpie Veggie Supreme (12”)
1,106 calories
56 grams of fat (33 grams saturated fat)
2,831 mg. Sodium

Quiznos Chicken Caesar Flatbread Salad
1,020 calories
69 grams fat
2,120 mg sodium

Macaroni Grill’s Seared Sea Scallops Salad
1,320 calories
91 g fat (25 g saturated)
2,860 mg sodium

Cheesecake Factory French Toast with Bacon2,494 calories
71 g saturated fat
3,542 mg sodium
182 g carbohydrates

Cheesecake Factory Grilled Chicken and Avocado Club
1,752 calories
28 g saturated fat
2,309 mg sodium
85 g carbs
Cheesecake Factory Grilled Kid's Meal Pasta with Alfredo Sauce1,803 calories
86 g saturated fat
876 mg sodium
70 g carbohydrates

Chili's Quesadilla Explosion Salad
1,390 calories
89 grams fat
2,710 mg sodium

Cafe Rio Pork Salad
1,260 Calories

CPK Full Waldorf Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
1,570 calories
25 grams of saturated fat
2,082 milligrams of sodium.

T.G.I. Fridays Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad
1,360 calories

T.G.I. Friday’s NY Strip & Shrimp
1,660 calories

Quizno’s Tuna Melt (large)
2,090 calories
175 grams of fat (31 g saturated fat, 2.5 g trans fats)
2,190 mg. sodium

IHOP Colorado Omelette 1,890 calories
47 g saturated fat
4,200 mg sodium
130 g carbohydrates

P.F. Changs Crispy Honey Shrimp
2,110 calories
70 g fat (10 g saturated)
1,815 mg sodium
290 g carbs

Kinda Scary? YES.

Just some food for thought...

If only every restaurant posted their nutrition facts on the menu like Panera does...

Click HERE for some help with your salad choices.

Are any of these nutrition facts surprising to you?