February is here

It’s a new month.  2nd month of the year.  Time to revisit my goals!!  My weight is at 133.  That will be goin’ down this week!  Here’s the grand list:

1-No candy-Perfect!!  A

2-Treat day once a week.  A- I had a couple extra at the first of the month, but the last 2 weeks of the month I’ve had none.

3-Weigh once a week.  A Yes.  And for sure now with my new challenge.  Thursday is weigh day.

4-Measurements once a month.  Yes.  I did them again at the end of January.  My waist went down an inch and the rest stayed the same.  

My spiritual goals were good too.  I need to work on the eating out budget and one less movie a month.  Reading with my Darci improved, but I need to be better.  I’m hangin’ in there.

My friendly rivalry between my friends is going to be interesting.  We ran 12 miles on Saturday and were discussing the challenge.  One of my friends was placing her bets on one of us (it wasn’t me) and I told her that she just gave me the biggest motivation.  When someone tells me I can’t do something…I kick it up 10 notches and resolve to NOT FAIL (:  I’m doin’ just fine with less crap and more healthy food!

We had a crazy busy week last week with my daughter’s ballet recitals.  I got thinking about some old ballet pictures of ME!!  Here’s one from MANY years ago.  I thought this costume was the BOMB!!  Boy, have they come a LONG way!

And another picture of me with FLOWERS from my Grandpa’s funeral.  I miss them this time of year!  I’m about six years old in both these pictures.

Monday is my day for FOOD talk but I don’t have anything to say about that!  I did legs this morning and I’m tired.  I’ll get busy with the housework!  I will share a song of the day that made me cry buckets yesterday at church.  One of my favorite songs.  I know that my Savior loves me.  Have a beautiful day!

Winter activities

Life has been a little bit of a blur lately!  We’ve been enjoying the Christmas break!!  I have many thoughts running through my head of new goals, organization plans, and ways to be better and get more done.  I will share some of my thoughts and New Year’s Resolutions on December 31st!!

What I really want to talk about today are the highlights from our Christmas break trip!  The day after Christmas we left everything behind and headed up to Heber City to stay with friends for a few days!  The days were filled with fun and relaxation.  Thursday we went snowmobiling!  This was my first time snowmobiling.  We dressed warm since the temperatures were in the teens and twenties.  We had 6 snowmobiles between our families and followed the many trails across the mountains and valleys.  It was beautiful!!  It felt like trail running to me and I loved being outside.  Here I am with a couple kids after we took a break at the warming hut!  It was pretty cold!

Day 2 was not my favorite activity!  We went sledding on the lazy man sledding hill!  It was a hill that had a cable that pulled you up on your tubes and then you picked between 5 or 6 hills to go down.  O.K….let’s just say, I am not a lover of speed!!  I went down the first time holding onto my smallest son in his tube and about had a heart attack.  I remained calm and smiled as I went down only a couple more times.  Each time I went down I tried to feel better about the situation!  I did NOT like spinning out of control down an icy hill at speeds that felt like I would never stop.  That’s enough I’ll say about that.  Most people looked like they were lovin’ it!

Yay sledding!

We always eat well when we get together too.  It’s a tradition to eat at the local train restaurant.  It’s a fancy burger joint that has a train running around a track over head.  Yummy food and always a favorite for everyone in the whole city too!  On another night, we had fondue for dinner!  First we dipped bread, celery, shrimp, chicken, and apples in a cheesy sauce and second we had a toblerone chocolate fondue where we dipped rice krispie treats, cream puffs, pretzels, marshmellows, strawberries, and pretty much everything in it.  Soooo good!!

Everything is good dipped in cheese or chocolate!

The last day was a spur of the moment decision to go cross country skiing.  This one was my favorite by far!!  I’ve always wanted to try cross country skiing.  I know how to downhill ski and have been many times, but I’ve never loved it.  I’m thinking that has something to do with the speed thing!  Cross country skiing is totally different in a completely different environment too.  Once again, I felt like we were hiking in the mountains only it was more like skating.  I loved the exercise part of it too.  It works every muscle group in your body!  So much fun!!

What a great trip!  It’s good to be back.  I’m looking forward to getting my house back in order and sorting out my new year plans.  On Christmas day we saw the movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.  It was an interesting movie and had some really good meaning.  Here is a quote I liked.  This is LIFE magazine’s motto!  Be happy!  Work Hard…

What’s on my mind

New month!  I always like to change up my picture and background!  I have a lot on my mind these days.  I don’t know how I organize my brain sometimes!  I have thoughts about EXERCISE, NUTRITION, and FASHION today.

EXERCISE:  My gym is revamping the personal training department, which is GREAT!!!  It will be a lot more organized and professional.  I’m looking forward to being more involved and increasing my clientele.  I also decided to start up my MOM workouts again.  I volunteer and teach a boot camp class at my church.  I thought about dropping it, but I miss seeing my friends and I enjoy putting together workouts!

NUTRITION:  Ahh, my nemesis!  Currently, I have a very determined spark in me!  I’m doing a 4 day cleanse right now and already on DAY 3.  I LOVE it!  That is very crazy to say because I’m starving, but sometimes I really need a kick in the pants.  I’ve been a slacker for too long.  Healthy eating this whole month!  One treat day on…HALLOWEEN!!!  I’m a candyaholic!  I’ll post the details of my cleanse on SATURDAY when I’m all done!  Good nutrition is REALLY the MOST important healthy impact you have on your body!!!

FASHION:  I follow this cute girl’s blog called Pink Peonies.  She has great style and the way she displays her blog is so pretty.  One problem with her site is most of what she models is WAY over the top expensive!!  I was shocked when I liked one of her tops

and discovered it was only $36.00.  The website is called ShopSosie.  SOOOOOOO cute!!!!  Here are a few things I LOVE!  I’m wanting long tops lately to wear with leggings and boots.  They have tons!

I also want to change my hair color soon!  I’m not a blond nor do I wish to be one.  I found this color from a friend of mine who is amazing at coloring hair.  She will have to try it out on me!!  Slightly daring?

 That’s all for today!!  I have a busy night with kids all over the place.  Enjoy the fall leaves and breathe the yummy air.  Life is beautiful!!

I love this!!  My LIFE!

Personal Training 101

Happy Monday!!!  Besides discussing the menu of the week and music, I’m going to add a MAP!!  Today, my aunt is coming over to be personal trained by me!  So, I had to have a MAP or plan!  I searched some ideas on the internet to get organized.  I found some great things.  First off, I want to list the websites that helped me out.  They were GREAT!!!!

healthifulbalance.com

livestrong.com

fitsugar.com

aworkoutroutine.com

greatist.com

So far in my introduction to health and wellness binder, I have a medical history and general history form I downloaded from NASM.  Then, I have a page on benefits of weight lifting, the seven most effective exercises, a couple beginner workouts, and 6 steps to eating clean.  I want to add a few more pages, specifically one on goal setting.  I have to be organized to get this rolling!  Here are some of the handouts I’d like to use:

  The Seven Most Effective Exercises

 According to Web MD, these are the seven most effective exercises.

• Walking. It is convenient, easy and so beneficial and it can be considered cardiovascular. One hour of brisk walking can burn up to 500 calories.
• Interval training. Adding interval training to your cardiovascular workout will boost your fitness level and help you lose weight, since varying your pace throughout the exercise session stimulates the aerobic system to adapt. Push your intensity or pace for a minute or two, then back off for anywhere from two to ten minutes.
• Squats. Strength training is essential and this exercise works the quads, hamstrings, and glutes.  Talk about multi-tasking, those are three large muscle groups working at once.
• Lunges. Like squats this move works all the major muscles of the lower body. Plus, they mimic everyday life – after all they are just over exaggerated walking.
• Push-ups. When done correctly they not only strengthen the arms and chest but engage the core as well. You can do push-ups at any level of fitness. Start out at the wall or a kitchen counter, progress to your hands and knees and then to the full plank push-up. This progression might take a while but persistence pays off.
• Abdominal Crunches. You can’t burn the fat off your belly, but you can definitely tone this area. A stronger center makes everything in life easier. It is important to work all of the abs.
• Bent over Row. Great exercise that gets all of the muscles of the upper back (which can get seriously weak in sedentary computer users) as well as the biceps.

6 steps to Eating Clean

1. Eat at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables every day.
2. Choose lean proteins, including plenty of plant-based sources of protein.  Examples are: eggs, beans, legumes, tofu, poultry, fish, lean beef.
3. Eat whole grains which includes whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, wheat germ, flaxseed, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, bulgur, quinoa, bran flakes cereal, and popcorn.
4. Avoid processed food (anything that has an ingredient list a mile long, is in a box or wrapper, and has a forever shelf life).
5. Drink lots of water.  Avoid soda and sugary juices.  Water is your best choice!
6. Avoid white flour and white sugar.  Choose healthy snacks such as, whole fruit, nuts, raw vegetables, unbuttered popcorn, whole-grain crackers, low-fat milk, or yogurt.

After all this talk of exercise and eating healthy, I decided I need to practice what I preach!!  For the most part, I’m pretty self-motivated to stay on track.  I do fall off the wagon and let bad habits take control of me sometimes!  Mondays are my days to reevaluate my goals.  This week, I’m going to make dinner at least 3 times!!  We’re going out of town near the end of the week, so that’s all I need.  Here is my menu for the week:

Beef Stroganoff and Caesar Salad

Brown Rice with Stir Fry Vegetables and Fruit

Turkey Burgers and Grilled Vegetables (make sure you add mozzarella cheese and artichoke hearts!)

Here is a GREAT turkey burger recipe that I love from Our Best Bites!

Mar-a-Lago Turkey Burgers 
Recipe from Jeff O’Neill, Mar-a-Lago Club

*Note this recipe makes 8 half-pound burgers.  A half-pound burger is very large!  You can easily half the recipe and get 6 good sized burgers.  I cut the recipe down to work with one 20 oz package of turkey and it yielded 6 large sliders.

2 tablespoons canola oil (I used butter)
1/2 C finely chopped celery
3 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and diced (I grated my apples)
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
4 lbs ground turkey breast (I used 85/15 ground turkey)
2  tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 teaspoons tabasco sauce
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
1/4 cup Major Grey’s Chutney, pureed (I think pureeing is unnecessary)

Saute the scallions, celery and apples in the canola oil until tender.  Let cool.  Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl.  Add sauteed items and the remaining ingredients.  Shape into eight 8-ounce burgers.  Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper.  Place on preheated, lightly oiled grill.  Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is thoroughly cooked.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  Serve on your favorite toasted bread, pita, or hamburger bun.

*The recipe calls for a side of this chutney to spread on top of the burgers.  I skipped that step and just used straight Major Grey’s from the jar.  I make an easy spread using a 50/50 mix of Major Grey’s Chutney and Mayo.  Play around with it and you might like just plain chutney instead of mayo, or mostly mayo with a touch of chutney.  I like it 50/50.  I also topped it with a crisp lettuce leaf and a slice of juicy tomato.

Try it with a side of Sweet Potato Fries, or some Grilled Corn on the Cob for a great (and healthy!) summer meal.

Sorry this post is an earful!  It takes planning and stick-to-it-ness to keep going.  My next post needs to be on addiction.  As humans, we have addictive tendencies.  We get stuck in our same routines and it’s hard to change.  Addiction is seen as negative, so we need to change unhealthy addictions to better lifestyle changes!!  One way I’ve heard to do this is to stick with a plan for 21 DAYS!  After that it’s supposed to be a habit!  Try not eating past 9:00 or 9:15ish for 21 days.  Everyone is different in how we stay motivated.  Sometimes we just have to Smile and Run!!!  How about in this beautiful field in England!  

30-25-20-15 workout

GREAT workout day today!!!  I am 3 days into my 7 week challenge and I feel sooooo much better already.  Imagine how I’ll be 7 weeks from now.  Getting more sleep is the only struggle sometimes.  The weather is turning and it’s nice to see signs of spring!  I can’t wait to see more of this!

I was contemplating quitting my Wednesday workout class with my favorite Moms and so many of them said how much they loved and missed it when I don’t do it, that I decided to make it work.  It really is a nice break.  So, here’s the WOD!!

30-25-20-15 workout

Do each circuit 4 times going down in reps 30-25-20-15 before

moving to the next circuit

Circuit 1

Hand release push ups

Sumo squats

V-ups

High Knees

Circuit 2

Chair dips

 Step ups (each leg)

Tick tock abs with weights

Mountain Climbers

Circuit 3

Side to side pushups

Inner and outer thigh lifts

Full sit ups

Burpees

REWARDS are very important 🙂 in helping me stick to my goals.  Lululemon is sporting all the beautiful spring colors right now!  Here are a few rewards I am loving right now.  After 7 weeks, I’ll narrow it down to ONE…maybe TWO (if I’m really good) things to give myself!

Have a happy, springy day!  Looking forward to Working Hard tomorrow**

 

 

Time to get serious

O.K.  Today is a REAL post about what I love: lifting weights and eating clean!  It is the last week of December and I’m not eating my best and when I don’t eat my best I don’t even exercise!  Hey, at least I’m consistent!  When I lose my momentum in the fitness world I look to someone inspiring.  The other day I got an email from bodybuilding.com that had the profiles of the 5 finalists for their 2013 spokesperson of the year.  Talk about strict dedication!  So, I found a girl close to my size to “copy”.  You can look at her full profile on bodybuilding.com.  She’s slightly younger than me, but she’s 5’6″ and 130 lbs.  What impressed me most is that she’s lost 55 lbs.!  She talks about the many ways she tried to lose weight and ONLY when she added heavy weights to the mix did her body really change.  I soooooo need to get lifting again!!
I’m a BIG fan of New Year Resolutions!  That doesn’t mean I keep them.  What it does do, is motivate and challenge me to be better!  Several of my friends want me to weight train with them.  I’m going to put together a 8 week program for us.  I will use several ideas from bodybuilding.com.  I’ll post the details SOON!  Here are my fitness goals for 2013!!!

• Follow 8 week program.  Do not miss a day!  That’s lifting 6 days a week.
• Run 3-4 days a week. (I’m signed up for a half in January).
• EAT CLEAN!  No white flour, white sugar, or processed foods.
• 3 treat days a month.  This equals out to 10% of the year.
• Body fat at 15% by end of March (My husband won’t like that one).
• Finish my personal trainer course by March.

So, all of you New Year’s junkies, eat up!  We’re starting HARD on JAN 1!!!!!

Hope everyone had a great Christmas!  This is what I got!!

So cute with my red boots!

My vest is white and blue reversible.  Much cuter than this one, but I couldn’t find a pic.

Merry Brightness.  Enjoy the Snow Tonight.

 

My Race

Well, it has been awhile!  This has been an epic and life changing month for me!  In my fitness and healthy life style side of things I haven’t been the greatest example.  I have had some personal challenges to overcome which have prevented me to fully engage in my 6 week healthy challenge and I believe affected my performance in my MARATHON!  

Last Saturday I ran the second marathon of my life.  The first one I ran was 5 yrs. ago and I did pretty good I thought.  I finished in 4:05.  This one, I had HIGH hopes to qualify for the Boston Marathon and wanted my time to be around 3:30-3:40.  NOT SO, not even close!!  I finished in 3:58!  I should be happy since it was 7 minutes faster than my time of 5 yrs. ago, but it was really SUCKY (sorry, I hate that word) to feel SO defeated and to see my fellow running friend achieve a 3:35.  I felt like a LOSER with a capital L!!  I was doing really well until mile 19 or 20 when my whole system (mental, physical, and digestive) broke down.  That WALL you hear about, hit me with FULL force!  The last 5 miles of the race were devestatingly never ending.  I tried not to show the terrible pain and agony that I felt inside on my face nearing the finish line.  Here are a few pics. 

Life can be very much like a marathon.  Our race called life can be so uplifting and exhilarating and yet many times discouraging and overwhelming.  As my mind slowly changed over the course of the marathon from fun, pretty, strong, healthy, ouch, out of breath, out of energy, oww, I can’t run, this is so hard, will it ever end…I did eventually see the finish line and the crowds on both sides and my sweet husband worried sick that I ended up in the medical tent.  I straightened up and realized that I wasn’t a quitter.  I had the courage, capacity, and hope to keep going and finish my race.  

As in life, when it gets hard and so difficult you wonder how you will endure you have to remember that those feelings will not last forever.  You will overcome them and come out on top.  My favorite quote from college that my friend and I always said was, “This will all be but a brief moment.”  Stick it out through the killer pain and  reach your finish line of triumph!  My body will heal and I will come out stronger and I will start over with a NEW look on my fitness and health goals.  

More to come on my new health challenge to keep me away from my nemesis of sugar!!!  I am so happy right now and ready to start a new and exciting look on life.  I’ll post a GREAT workout we had yesterday that I am so sore from.  It is summer and the sun and light make me happy.

SEIZE THE DAY!!

Happy February 1st

So, I want to share my new thoughts for FEBRUARY.  I’m trying to give up sugar for most days 🙂 I figured out that if I ate treats for 10% of the year that would be 3 treat days a month!  I’m a believer of what works for one doesn’t work for all.  I’m not good at having just 1 cookie a day.  I like to eat a LOT of sugary and chocolatey yumminess.  I’m sure it’s not good to eat this way, but it works for me.  So, I will eat healthy every day except 3 days out of every month.  On those days I will not worry about being so strict and enjoy my favorite treats.

Best cake ever!

That is more of a yearly goal for me.  For my FEBRUARY goal I am going to weigh myself every day.  I know their is a lot of controversy around this.  I am constantly reading about how you shouldn’t worry about what the number says on the scale but about how you feel…is that why half our country is obese?  Hmm, I think we ought to pay attention to the scale.  I consciously eat better when I know I’m going to weigh myself.  So, I’ll keep track for a week and post my #’s every week.  So daring of me!!  For some reason I was SUPER up today.  I weighed 137!  I really like to stay under 132.  I’m not freaking out though, I think it was just a flukey thing.  

On the healthy side, I found this AWESOME protein pancake recipe!

1/4 c egg whites

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

2 T almond or skim milk

1 t cinnamon

1 T ground flaxseed

1/2 mashed banana

Mix or blend together, add blueberries to batter or strawberries on top!  Cook on a griddle.

I LOVE PANCAKES!!!