Amazing Day...

My perfect day...wake up early to a hot cup of green tea...go to my TGM hot leverage class...come home and clean while listening to the sultry voice of Adam Levine...write and drink a cinnamon coffee...and then go to "work" which isn't work when you love what you do! I have such a blessed life!

I made the most amazing Chocolate Banana whole wheat flax seed pancakes after my workout today...can you say unbelievable!!! They are just as much a mouthful to eat as say, super healthy and so delicious!

Now I am just packing and gearing up for Houston. I am so excited! Not only have I not taken a trip in forever, but I have dreamed for so long about going to the Olympic Training Center and it is finally happening. Six months ago when I was contemplating applying for this job (actually a year ago was when I first saw it listed and just couldn't leave my then job mid-season), I never in a million years believed I would get the opportunities I have been offered so soon. Visits to the OTC, trips to the fiesta bowl and an Olympic Hopeful for 2016!!! Sometimes when I sit back an acknowledge all of the opportunities I have been given I am so blessed. It makes all of those missed chances and what ifs slip away. I truly feel that at this very moment, this is where I am supposed to be. Will this be so forever? Perhaps not. But for right now I am confident that I am finally doing something right.

We all fall off the wagon sometimes...

I went shopping...and at half a chocolate cake that I baked at 10 o'clock last night. Think I'll at least go for a run after work tonight to try and compensate. Ah tomorrow is another day...and I get to go home tomorrow!!! I'm so excited! Going out with friends tomorrow night for our annual thanksgiving eve get together and then spending all day Thursday with family and my mom doing our "projects" and then shopping on Friday before I head back to Columbus...Cannot wait!!!

What I have been up to as of late

It seems that I live at my place of employment with moments of life in between. Because of this I have been spending a lot of sleepless nights on the Internet buying things for the home and thinking of new things to try. Like... Seaweed chips. Yes look at all that green. I'm obsessed with edamame as it is, and try to drink green tea more than coffee. I meant to go to whole foods just to pick up coconut sugar and instead mistakingly came home with organic coconut. No worries though, I made a delicious breakfast with it...

Honey Oat energy balls

1 c dry oats
1 c coconut
1/4 c of flaxseed, honey and natural peanut butter

Mix and roll into balls...soooo good!

Last night, exhausted and opting to stay in I glitterfied fake fruit...and recycled some canvas from my old apartment and painted my favorite Shakespeare quote

Tonight I am trying to use up my groceries in preparation for my thanksgiving trip home and then to Houston. So excited to visit home I made an old fashioned American meal that reminded me of dinners at home...good ole BBQ chicken with garlic red skin potatoes and organic green beans. No recipe, just good home cooking, aren't you proud mom?

Bills are paid, apartment is livable. Tomorrow I am off to try a new workout. A mix of dance, yoga and Pilates done in a steam room (120 degrees) with concrete floors, in the dark, just some string lights and candles and loud club music! I'm so excited!!!

Then it's off to order my bridesmaid dress! Can't believe this wedding is approaching so fast!

Guess its been a pretty full week! I also discovered a new, old bookstore this week. An old church filled of new and used books. We're talking first edition classics with beautiful transcriptions! I literally spent over two hours in there the other day and was almost late for work. I cannot wait to have a library!

Well off to do some Zumba. I might be a little late catching on to the craze but I am addicted!

I'll let you know how the workout goes tomorrow!

Mmmm delicious casserole

I must admit, I use recipes as guidelines and typically don't follow them to a tee. This dish included. How to make it...

1/2 box rigatoni (I prefer whole wheat but couldn't find it so I actually used white, ugh)
1/2 white onion
1 can Italian style diced tomatoes
1/2 bag frozen spinach thawed
1 chicken breast cubed and pre cooked
Salt/pepper/olive oil to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, pour into casserole dish, cover with 1 c mozzarella cheese and bake for 30 mins at 375 degrees!

The original recipe called for cream cheese (8oz garlic and herb). I'm sure it would taste extra yummy but I am watching my dairy intake so I only sprinkle about 1/2 c of cheese on top and opted not to use the cream cheese. I also halved the recipe because it's just me and as you can see I'll have left overs for a few days!

Some days I am wonder woman

Maybe it was the rain and the recent chilly weather, but yesterday I found myself a little under the weather and didn't do much of anything. I even ate carbs! A bowl of popcorn (I know crazy)! But a cup of green tea and a bowl of popcorn always make me feel better. But today, today I feel amazing and accomplished.

Today I...

-Cleaned my entire apartment

-Did my arm workout

-Laid in bed for an hour and answered emails, blogged, etc.

-Painted the $1 store picture frames I picked up for my shelf wall in the living room. Might take more time but I picked up four frames (2, 11x8, and 2, 8x10), and used white paint I had to redo them. How can you beat four frames for approximately $8 (with cost of paint), I saved well over $50!

-I made a delicious spinach, chicken pasta bake and have lunch cooked for tomorrow

-And now I am going to go get ready and go to work, paint my nails and later go for a run!

What a productive day! And way too "adult like" for me! Tomorrow, to the gym and something fun before work!

Excited for the weekend even though it's crazy busy. But the best part about it is that in 2 weeks I will be enjoying Thanksgiving with friends and family! Cannot wait to go home!

Christina Perri - A Thousand Years (Official Music Video)

I cannot wait for this movie to come out. I watched all three movies within two days, vowing I would probably never like them nor be a fan and yet, I was hooked. And this song is beautiful...

No that is not a shamrock shake...

It's my post workout protein packed delicious spinach shake.

Sounds gross I know, but it really isn't that bad and it is amazing for you! Here's what's in it...

Approx 1 c flat leaf spinach
1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt (I use Oikos)
1 banana
1/2 c vanilla almond milk (more if needed to blend smoother)
1 tbs flaxseed (ground)

Blend and enjoy! Don't add any extra sugar, you get plenty of natural sugar with the banana!

Don't want to work...

Or do much of anything today which is apparent by the state of my kitchen. I do however have to work and will have to clean my kitchen at some point today. Fat to Fit journey starts tomorrow (technically Saturday), but I am going to start my workouts tomorrow. Due to the fact that the trainer will be posting more of a meal and stretch plan for the first month I have designed my own workout for the next month because I am anxious to start seeing more rapid results. I will follow his meals and was excited to find that I have most of the groceries he will be buying for the next week and don't need to pick up a lot at the store. Considering the fact that I already eat pretty healthy, I want to focus on the workouts and he said he is starting his journey in reverse...food first with simple workouts and then moving to the more difficult. So here is my workout plan for the next two weeks. The weight is what I start at and I increase it accordingly once I begin the workout. Sometimes it's too heavy, sometimes too light, but by week two I do the same reps but up the weight by at least 10lbs to continuously challenge the muscles. I change my weight workout every two weeks slightly also to keep the muscles challenged because two weeks is when you plateau on the same workout. I change my cardio by adding different interval work and always do it at the end of the workout because I am trying to burn fat not looking to train for distance running. Well off to work I go...after over ten hours of coaching yesterday I am just burnt out for the week and ready for the weekend and Texas!

Month 1 Workout:

First 2 weeks:

Legs: Friday, Monday, Wednesday

Leg Press 3 x 10, 3 x 12, 2 x 15 @ 90lbs

Lunge walks 3 x 10, 3 x 12, 3 x 15 10lbs

Single Leg Lunges 3 x 10, 3 x 12, 3 x 15 no weight

Stability Ball Hamstring Curls 3 x 10, 3 x 12, 3 x 15

30 min Jog at light speed

Arms: Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday

Chest Fly on bench 3 x 10, 3 x 12, 3 x 15 @10lbs

Tricep Pull Downs 3 x 10, 3 x 12, 3 x 15 @30lbs

Deltoid Pull Downs 3 x 10, 3 x 12, 3 x 15 @ 30lbs

Bicep Curls 3 x 10, 3 x 12, 3 x 15 @10 lbs

20 min Interval Run and abs

Saturday: Day off hot yoga class

Guess sometimes you start at the top

As I previously posted, I'm about to embark on a fitness quest. I have always started a workout and after seeing small results and feeling better about myself I quickly lose interest and let myself get right back to where I started. However this time there is a lot to get fit and healthy for. First off, I am in two wedding next year. My best friend's and my sister's. My best friend's bridesmaid dress is yellow and I refuse to look like a school bus walking down the aisle. My sister's is a beautiful blue and on the beach and I want to be able to take the size 10 dress I ordered into a size 4 (don't worry Kate I will GLADLY pay for the alterations as well)! So before I begin my quest, I need to find a gym. My small apartment fitness center consisting of two treadmills, two old elipticals and an "over 100 exercises" machine is not going to cut it. So I googled the other day and found a gym within running distance of my apartment. It's that close. And it's close to my work as well so there is no excuse not to go. Little did I know what gym I would be walking into.

I talked to a friend of mine who is an amateur physique competitor and I told her what gym I was planning on joining and her reaction has me more intimidated than everything. Apparently my gym houses one of the top fitness professionals in the world. If you want to compete in the fitness industry you go to this gym. She prepared me for girls and guys walking around in bikinis posing and flexing with their fake tans and muscles all over the place. For a girl who wants to get where they are and has long milestones to get there, this can be a bit overwhelming. After thinking about it, I decided I am going to do it anyway. Hoping it will be beyond motivating.

So wish me luck as I go and stand in front of a mirror with one of the top trainers in the world, in a bikini as he pinches and pokes and tells me exactly how far I am from reaching this goal and hopefully pinches me into the wake up call I needed to finally change my life.

I can remember before the diagnosis when I could fit into size 4 jeans and how amazing it felt not to change outfits ten times to find a pair of jeans that don't make your rolls hang over. Or how great it felt to put on a bikini and not be self conscious. How amazing it felt to have people tell you how great you look and ask what you have been doing. It feels better than any piece of cake or chocolate tastes. The feeling of leaving the gym and not knowing if you were going to be able to walk down the stairs because you have pushed your muscles to the limits and the how incredible it is to have them start to respond to your pushing. There was a point in my life when I felt this way. When I didn't need to take medication and when I didn't feel like I was constantly being judged for the amount of weight I keep putting on, taking off and putting on. It's time to take control.