Holy Buckets…I'm Back!!! Updates GALORE!!

I think my life has finally settled down enough to allow me to start blogging again.

Since my last post I had started looking for a job, living pay check to pay check, and real life decided to kick me in the a$$ with my student loan bills!  I probably put on close to 15lbs of "who cares" weight and I had no motivation to workout besides when I taught cycling 5x a week.  I felt overwhelmed, stressed out, and disappointed in myself.

Needless to say the last half of 2013 was a struggle, but 2014 turned around for me!  At the very beginning of the year I was offered a job which helped with a lot of my stress.  I had also decided in 2014 that I wanted to conquer some goals.  I wanted to tackle things I had never tried before.  I was sick of being "down."

In February one such goal kind of threw itself into my lap.  I ran into someone at a bar in town who also happened to be a fitness competition coach.  Well I was probably over revealing because I had a few too many shots and talked to him about how I'd been wanting to do a competition for years, but just didn't know how to start, what to do, how it all worked, etc.

Well about a week later I ended up meeting with him to go over prep and how contests work.  I had a contest already picked out- NPC Duel of Champions here in Omaha on June 7th, 2014 (the day after my birthday).  I had always thought I would do a bikini competition, but he thought I'd do better in a figure since I am built broader.  We took some measurements and body fat percentage.  I started at 138lbs and a little over 24% body fat.  I check in with him every two weeks for measurements.  After a month I am down to 17.95% body fat and 130lbs.  This last time I went in I had my shoes, so I also got to practice posing for the first time.  Let me tell you it looks way easier than it actually is.  I've been practicing while sitting at work or driving in the car.  I want to do as well as I possibly can.

My shoes!

That is why I have been quite diligent with my prep I figure if I'm in this and I'm going to walk on stage in 13 weeks (OMG!!) why not go for it?  And so far I am loving it.  It has given me something to work for.  I am motivated again.  Not only are my clothes fitting again (which is always nice), but I feel better and I have more energy because I'm no longer eating whatever crap.

I know some people will think I'm crazy for doing it or wonder why.  The reason I'm doing this and have wanted to is to say I did it.  The dedication and will power it takes to compete is amazing to me and I want to prove to myself I have that same dedication and will power!  I have the most amazing support group around me to push me through this.  When I told a small group of my friends they didn't judge and immediately asked if they could come cheer me on when I walk on stage.

My awesome cheerleaders after one of my races- they were the loudest ones!

The biggest issue that has popped up so far is gum.  I started chewing gum to crave my sweet tooth.  Well apparently one day I chewed too many pieces of gum (yes, it's possible).  In case you didn't know there is an ingredient in sugar free gum called Xylitol, I believe.  Well it can't really be digested by your stomach and so the bacteria in your stomach feeds on it which can cause gas in your stomach.  That gas can then turn into massive, horrible stomach cramps.  It was awful- it didn't help to lay down, it didn't help to stand up.  Nothing made it feel better.  Well, I learned my lesson and backed WAY WAY off my gum chewing habits.  

Well, I think that is enough updating for now.  Watch out for my next post!  I'm going to review a brand new product (at least to me) and a couple of possible giveaways coming your way!!!

I'll leave you with this recent quote from Academy Award winner, Lupita Nyong'o.  I think it's quite fitting, don't you?

Progress

I've been doing CrossFit for close to two months now and I'm finally getting my eating down.  I've always known that your "diet" is 80% of your results, but just because you know something doesn't mean you follow it.  Am I right or what?  I wanted to share some pictures because I haven't really been seeing a difference in myself.  I also decided to take my measurements recently and I am:

1. Up 2lbs
2. Down 3% in Body Fat
3. My muscles (biceps, legs, and butt) have all grown at least .5 an inch
4. My chest has gone down an inch (not sure how that was possible)
5. I PR'd in a recent 5K!!

I feel stronger and more confident than ever!!  To prove that sometimes all that matters is a mental change; here are some before and currents.  Why don't I say after?  I always consider myself and under construction and still working to be better than before!  Stole this idea as well from Rachelle, of Bare-To-Bake.  Also, I'm using these pictures to show why nutrition is SO important when it comes to seeing results!  I have no idea where I would be today if I would have nailed nutrition down much sooner, but oh well you can't dwell on the past.  I only learn and move forward :)

This was me two years ago when I first started really getting into fitness after quitting college soccer and started training for my first half marathon.

These were both taken about two weeks ago.  About a month into finally nailing down my nutrition!

Also, what has helped me change my physique and muscle tone has been CrossFit!  My muscles are growing, I notice my biceps and legs are harder, and I'm so much stronger already!!

A picture during a Sunday WOD...WARM-UP= technique practice!!

Do you see those shoulders!!  I've never had that definition before.  Plus, I've never felt confident rocking my 80s inspired PINK top, but now I LOVE it and how it makes my muscles look. :)

Flashdance anyone??

I will leave you with a picture of my "dream board."  It has sayings and pictures to motivate me.  It also has a list/pictures of my long and short term goals, along with steps I have to get to every day in order to complete my goals!

Do you use a dream board??  Have you reached any of your goals??

And On The 7th Day, She Cooked

"If you fail to plan, then plan to fail."  

Such a TRUE statement for anything in life, even your diet.  That's why I am always cooking food in advance if I know that I won't be home for a meal.  Sometimes I have a big cooking day, like Sunday's or I'll cook during my class breaks in the week.  I don't usually cook these massive, amazing concoctions.  Usually it's just ground turkey, chicken, and some sort of meat in the crock pot as well.  I'm a pretty simple kinda girl.  I don't like to put a lot of time or effort into my meals, so it usually ends up being meat and a veggie or salad.  If I can mix it all together into one dish...YIPPIE!

Here's a pretty common example of a meal.

Cooked ground meat, sauteed veggies, mix together, and TADAA..AMAZINGNESS :)

For some reason this week though I was channeling my inner Rachel Ray.  The first two recipes are based on different ones from PaleOMG.  If you haven't checked out her blog...DO IT!  The first one was egg muffins.  I put one whole, beaten egg in a muffin tin and sliced up a piece of bacon inside of it.  You can honestly put anything you want with it- veggies, bacon, cheese, etc.  I just think bacon is the BOMB DIGGITY!  Next, I made a turkey dish.  I baked cooked ground turkey, hot sauce, and sweet potatoes...yummy in my tummy.

Egg Muffins:

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees

Beat one egg and pour into muffin tin

Mix in any other ingredients you want

Cook for 10-15min (or until eggs are no longer gooey)

Turkey Meatza..maybe:

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees

Shred a whole sweet potato

Place in Skillet and cook with Coconut oil for 5min

Add in Ground Turkey and cook until turkey is completely cooked

Add 1/4 cup Hot Sauce

Coat turkey and sweet potatoes evenly

Pour mix into a baking pan and place in oven

Cook for 5min

The next thing I decided to bake is based off of Bare-To-Bake's recipe for peakaboos.  I exchanged some ingredients to make it paleo-acceptable.  

Preheat oven to 375 Degrees

Mix 1/2 cup coconut flour (next time I'll use less), 3 whole eggs, 1tsp of baking soda, 1tsp vanilla extract, cinnamon (to taste)

Place evenly among muffin tins and cook for 10-15min (will still be gooey in center)

Cut in half and place a nut butter (I used cashew) and stick back together

Top with more cinnamon!!

When I went shopping on Sunday, I decided to try something new that I have been seeing on Facebook, Instagram, and LOTS and LOTS of blogs: Kombacha Tea.

I had the mango one.  There is also plain and a chia seed one.  It's pretty good, but it does have a little bite!

So, do you need to make all these meals and spend all this time making meals for the entire week??  No, but make sure every day you know exactly what you are going to eat. Whether you are eating at home or some where else; YOU NEED TO HAVE A PLAN! With that I will leave you with a picture of my scheduled cheat meal this past weekend: FROYO..mmmmm

Rainbow Challenge and Bad weeks

HeY!

So the previous week was a TOUGH one!  I was sick, dealing with overtraining syndrome, and starting to deal with it by eating.  I wasn't eating junk food, but still eating probably more than I needed (which no matter how healthy of food it is overeating is overeating).  


I found a PERFECT article in Runner's World to describe how I was feeling.  It's called Undereating (or something like that).  It's about how undereating is becoming larger among long distance and cross country runners because there are studies that show lower weight = faster time.  What runners forget to see is that yes, a lower weight will make you faster, but if you're underweight or not eating properly you will hurt yourself and your training.  This section right here jumped out at me with HUGE letters and totally describes how I was feeling.  I have been training and running for 8 years (if you include high school cross country).  Even though I have been told that only 1% of Americans will ever complete a marathon I had become a part of the endurance racing world and met many people like me that I was feeling "average."  I am a marathoner and I LOVE that feeling of knowing I am part of a small percentage of people (slightly crazy) that will ever run 26.2 miles.  Unfortunately, after hanging out with runners (which I still love doing) I didn't think I was that extraordinary or different and endurance athletes don't like being average.  It's why we push our bodies to the extreme and run, bike, or swim so far.  We love knowing that few will attempt what we do everyday.  When I started thinking I was "average" or normal I wanted to push myself harder and further.  I was training 2 times a day, 6-7days a week, each time for at least an hour (now I see why I was so tired).  

"there's a part of them that's threatened to be average."

It's okay though I'm feeling better and back on track.  I learned it's okay and completely normal to have bad days, even bad weeks.  Days or weeks when we are unmotivated and feeling a little sorry for ourselves.  Instead of staying in that funk I decided to kick myself off the couch and get over it.  This quote helped me A LOT, "Fight it. Fight it hard. Pick ur butt up, get uncomfortable and go workout. Just do it. You'll feel better."  


So this inspired me to start writing one inspirational or motivational quote on my mirror each week to get me moving.  So here's this week's: 

"No workout will undo a bad food choice"

I think it's perfect for keeping me on track.  I know deep down that I am what I eat, but sometimes that's hard to see when I'm looking at my peanut butter container.  Now looking at this every day will remind me that no matter what workout I do or how hard I push myself, if I don't make the right food choices I'll undo everything.  I'll post them each week, so you can use it too if you want!

Okay, one challenge for me this week is to eat what I've cooked or put together.  I'm trying to eat more clean and eating clean is all about cooking and baking all your own food.  This is going to be toughest with my protein bars.  I love protein bars because they're so easy to just grab and keep in my purse or backpack as a mid-morning or afternoon snack.  Well, I want to kick those along with other items, but after seeing this little blurb in Oxygen Magazine it won't be so difficult...

Okay, so here's my BIG challenge for the week.  It's really to help me get more variety in my veggie and fruit choices.  I am doing a "rainbow" challenge.  Each day I will eat a food from the color of the day.  So here's how the week is going to look:

MONDAY: Red

- I ate red cherry tomatoes

TUESDAY: Orange

-I packed orange peppers and carrots

WEDNESDAY: Yellow

- I have yellow peppers, tomatoes, and spaghetti squash

THURSDAY: Green

- I have celery, green pepper, and arugula salad

FRIDAY: Blue

- I bought blueberries

SATURDAY:

- I bought purple grapes and raisins

SUNDAY: RAINBOW

- I am going to eat (or try to) one of each color on this day!!

I'll let you know how it goes!  Now I will leave you with some YUMMY pictures of clean foods I cooked on Sunday...

oatmeal muffins

stuffed pork tenderloin

clean pesto chicken pizza

chicken muffins, hummus, green pepper, and pre-workout PB ball

Pre-workout PB ball