Monday, June 1, 2015

Who Else Had A Wonderful Weekend?

Did everyone have an amazing weekend? 
I hope so!

My weekend was great and I got to see many people!
It started off with a killer leg workout with my favorite gym buddy

Then we met up with my sister Amanda, her boyfriend Justin and his daughter AND my sister Brenna and her boyfriend Mike for dinner. We were celebrating Amanda and Mikes birthdays. We enjoyed some delicious food from Buca- everything in moderation is key. 

After that I went home (WBL) and got to spend some quality time with my sister Brenna! We watched lifetime movies and she made Strawberry Shortcake :) The next morning we went for a walk on Lake Avenue (if anyone is ever in WB they should run/walk/bike/rollerblade etc on Lake Ave... IT'S BEAUTIFUL!)

Sunday afternoon was one of my great friends, Stephanie's bridal shower. It was so great to see and catch up with her.. it had been way too long. I cannot wait to be a part of her big day in a couple weeks 

Today, Dillon's sister and I went to the gym- I worked on arms today and she went on the treadmill and bike today! Now its time to prep some meals. My step-sister shared two recipes with me that I cannot wait to try.. buffalo chicken salad and regular chicken salad

Happy Monday all, it's going to be a great week :)


Monday, May 25, 2015

Sunday Prep Day

Prep day fun!

I actually don't mind prep day because I really enjoy cooking!

I made a egg and egg white bake, with salt and pepper. I cut up veggies to have with the egg bake for breakfasts.

For lunch/dinner, I made shredded chicken breasts (put in crock pot with seasonings of your choice on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours) then just shred up - with brown rice (1/2C.) - and broccoli (3/4C.)
AND 
sliced cucumbers with cracked pepper turkey breast (store bought) with roasted garlic humus. 
I will alternate the two meals for lunch and dinners!

I also cleaned up my fruit (raspberries and strawberries) and my veggies (green peppers, carrots, pea pods) to have for quick grab.

This did not take me long at all once the chicken was cooked, I put it in the crock pot at around 10 for 5 hours on high and had all my prep done by 4! It really is not hard at all if you have planned out what different things you will make!! Give it a try and you'll see how easy it'll be on you during the week :)

Friday, May 22, 2015

Goals For The Long Weekend

Happy FRI-YAY to all you beautiful people :)

I decided to make goals for myself this weekend, I am still trying to find my routine and get into the swing of things here. Who knew moving and starting a new job could be so stressful! 
I started my new job this past week, three days of training and then one day in the clinic. It went well, overwhelming but good. 

So about these goals I set, here they are
run every day (shorter run, intervals, longer run)
increase my weights while doing the Rock Hard Challenge
sunday = prep day for the next week
get my fitbit steps in daily (at least 10,000)
and lastly... being super duper happy :)

I also wanted to mention that I haven't lost much weight or inches but I know I am getting a heck of a lot stronger- I actually have muscles in my arms, my back, and I've always had stronger legs.. but holy crap they're getting even more stronger and it makes me feel so good about myself and my journey. This is the feeling that keeps me going, that gets my butt to the gym, that gets me to keep choosing healthier food choices, and that makes me a better, happier person. 

"Once you start seeing changes, you become addicted."

I will be posting on Sunday about the recipes I prep for the upcoming week, so stay tuned and have a wonderful weekend!

oh and here's a super cute picture of my puppies!

Friday, May 15, 2015

Back At It

Finally...

We are back it my friends!
Yesterday, Dillon and I got a gym membership at Anytime Fitness. I am so excited to get into the routine of things (eating and exercising). It has been a rough couple weeks with moving, my grandpa passing, and settling in. 
My eating and exercising has not been so good. My mental wellness has been in a rut too, it has been emotional, not wanting to workout, not planning meals for a couple weeks. It's definitely hard finding your groove and routine but I can't wait to start running and lifting again. 
I also had planned to start my Advocare journey earlier this week, but with everything going on I didn't want to not give 100%. So today was my day to start. With the gym available, able to have time to plan my meals etc - I thought I will start and give it my all!

Today's workout was one mile jog (4.8 speed), one mile inclined sprints (6.5 incline, 6.5 speed), one mile on the stair master.  Then later today, we will go back and do our rock hard challenge upper body workout.

In struggles like I've had these past couple weeks, you just have to remember to pick yourself up and remember why you started. Just have to keep chugging along and move closer and closer to your goals. 

Happy Fri-YAY :)

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

hello there

hello there,

So if you haven't heard, my grandpa passed away last Thursday morning. It was very unexpected and difficult to be going through. On top of that, Dillon and I were moving that weekend two hours south. 
The last week and a half has been a little crazy, emotional, and tough. I had to say goodbye to amazing co workers and then my incredible grandpa. My co workers had got me a beautiful cake and made lemonade with denture looking ice cubes - which was adorable!
 

Last Monday, I decided to take a week off my running schedule because I knew I'd be busy with packing and moving. Now looking back at last week, I am so glad I did. But now that we've moved, we have to find a new gym. The two gyms here are Fitness Connection and Anytime. Later this week, we want to look at both of them and see what they have and how much they cost. 
I also recently purchased the Advocare 24 day challenge. I wanted to start it yesterday and I did. But I don't think I'm in the right mindset right now (my brain is all over the place) and I decided I want to wait to keep going until we have a gym so that I can get back at it in there throughout the challenge. 

 
Dillon's College Graduation 05/08/15


My beautiful family, please keep them in your prayers through this difficult time.

Sunday, May 3, 2015

sorry for being MIA

Hello everyone :)

Sorry for being MIA for a while, its been a crazy week and another one yet to come.
Dillon and I are in the process of moving, so trying to pack as much as we can and get things cleaned up. It's definitely bittersweet, I have to leave a wonderful business and great co-workers but now we will be a lot closer to family- which will be nice because I miss them all like crazy!

This is our last week in Bemidji, we have a lot of stuff packed so I made Venison Chili in the crock pot for our dinners. I add black beans, garbanzo beans, corn, peppers, onion, and diced tomatoes. With a can of tomato sauce and some water. 

We are still getting our fitness on though, so that's good! I've really been liking inclined sprints on the treadmill. Yesterday I did incline at 7.0 and speed at 7.5 - 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off - 15 times. It's such a high intensity workout and I love it! Today, I set the incline at 11.5 and walked at 3.3 speed for 20 minutes. Plus weight training, squats with 145 lbs, dead lifts with 95 lbs, and then arms from The Rock Hard challenge (info in previous post). 

Now to get stuff done before the Wild game tonight!! 

Happy Sunday everyone!

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Active Weekends!

Happy Sunday everyone!
This may be a longer post - you have been warned :)
I have two more workouts for you guys, one lower body and one upper body from The Rock Hard Challenge! These are challenging but very efficient. 
Lower Body

Goblet Reverse Lunge (4 sets, 6 reps each side) - hold single dumbbell vertically with palms at your chest and perform reverse lunge

Sumo Squat to Stand (3 sets, 8 reps) - set your feet wide, squat low and grab your toes with your hands (palms stay in contact with the tips of your toes throughout exercise) Stand up while keeping your hands in place

Stability Ball Leg Curl (4 sets, 10 reps) - lie on your back with your heels resting on a large stability ball, rest on your back with your hips off the ground, dig your heels into the ball and bring it in toward your body so your knees are at a 90 degree, slowly extend your legs to start position

Leg Lower (3 sets, 8 reps) - lie on your back with your hands under your hips and your legs fully extended, slowly lower your legs (squeeze your abs) when your legs reach the floor, quickly bring back up

Pallof Press (3 sets, 8 reps each side) - hold handle with both hands at your chest, extend in front of you- holding for a couple seconds and bring back in 
*this can be used with a cable pulley OR a resistance band at home tied to a door knob*

Single Leg Box Squat (3 sets, 8 reps) - set up a bench/box directly behind you (should be high enough so when you bend your knees they are at 90 degrees) extend both arms in front of you for balance, then extend one leg in front of you, then sit down on the box, then stand up pushing through your one foot

Glute March (3 sets, 8 reps each side) - lie on your back and dig your heels into the floor bringing your hips up "march", bringing one knee as close as you can to your chest on each rep

Kneeling Hip Flexor Mobilization (3 sets, 10 reps each side) - drop to one knee and push your hips forward, stretching your hip flexor on the rear leg, hold for two seconds

Upper Body

Single Arm Overhead Dumbbell Press (4 sets, 6 reps each side) - hold one dumbbell at shoulder height and press upwards with the other hand on your hip

Renegade Row (3 sets, 8 reps each side) - hold a pair of dumbbells and get into a pushup position, supporting your body on the handles, brace your core and support your body with one arm as you roll the other dumbbell to your shoulder

Inverted Row (4 sets, 8 reps) - set a barbell on the spotter bars on the rack about two feet off the ground, lie under the bar and pull your chest up to the bar, keep body in straight line

Incline Dumbbell Press (3 sets, 10 reps) - on an incline bench, hold dumbbells at shoulder height and press upwards

Scapular Wall Slide (3 sets, 10 reps) - stand flat with your shoulders against the wall, put your hands up with the tops of your hands against the wall, move them up above your head making a "V", hold for two seconds and then go back down to shoulder height

Close Grip Pushup (3 sets to failure) - get in pushup position, making a diamond with your hands

Incline Dumbbell Curl (3 sets, 8 reps each side) - on an incline bench perform dumbbell curls, alternating arms each rep

Plank (3 sets, 30 seconds each)

This is a lot of information again, but I recommend using it as a resource when you want to work certain areas. If you have any questions about these exercises you can always comment below!

This weekend for me was full of activity and it was amazing! We did these workouts above, got some running in, were able to bike around the lake, go for walks through Itasca State Park and see where the Mississippi started!



Cheers to another healthy, happy, active week ahead :)