'Twas the night before Whole30

Whew! What a day! I have spent the last few hours getting everything prepped for us to start Whole30 tomorrow. It's a lot of work- meal planning, shopping, cooking, etc. But I know it's worth it. It seems that, with a good plan, most of the work will be at the beginning of the week. I'm excited to do this! What I really like about Whole30 is that it's not a diet. It's not about weight loss. It's about restoring and healing your body.  One of my favorite passages from the book:

 We only have one body... Gotta take care of it! 

Yesterday I did most of our shopping. We hit up the West Side Market and scored a ton of fresh, organic veggies for a great price.  Check out this bag of spinach I got for $5!

So, today I prepped breakfast, lunch, and dinner for both of us for the next two days. Some of our meals later this week rely on leftovers, which is a time saver. This is the current state of our refrigerator.

And here is our very first Whole30 meal!

I'm not quite sure what my "schedule" for blogging will be quite yet, but my goal is to post at least once a week. I'm going share our progress, as well as some yummy recipes. Stay tuned! 

Convenience breakfasts (p.s. I'm baaaack!)

Has it really been 5 months since I last posted? Wow! (And oops!)

Well, I have had a few people ask me about my blog and if I am going to be keeping up with it, especially post baby. The answer is yes! While I can't make any commitments as to how often I post, my goal is still to share helpful tips and encourage others on their health journey. I will also share about getting back into pre-pregnancy shape (not much to share on that front yet... I still have two weeks until I am cleared by the doctor to resume normal activities!)

Anyway... As you saw in the title, this post is about convenience breakfasts! I have always been a huge advocate for eating breakfast everyday. It is one of the most important things you can do for your body. It is even more important to me as a nursing mom. I need to take care of myself in order to take care of my baby and skipping breakfast just doesn't fit into that scenario. However, I don't always have the time to make anything for myself. With a little planning ahead, I can prep a couple of options so that I have a healthy and delicious breakfast ready to go! These are great for anyone that needs a grab and go breakfast (not just moms!) In fact, I started making these for my hubby to take to work with him... He loves them!

Overnight Oats

These are SO easy to make and we are hooked on them! Simply mix all of the ingredients together, cover, and store overnight in the fridge. They are ready to eat in the morning (and yes, you eat them cold! Perfect for warm summer mornings.) 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quick oats

1/2 cup milk of choice ( dairy, almond, coconut, etc)

1/2 cup yogurt (you can use non-dairy yogurt... It works! 

1 tbsp chia seeds...don't be weirded out by these! Super good for you! If you don't have any/don't like them, I think the consistency would be okay without it.

Chopped fruit of choice

Simple and delish! 

Ready to go smoothies: 

This is an awesome option for those if you that enjoy smoothies. You simply throw all of the fruits, veggies, nuts, etc. (a great way to preserve fresh produce!) that you would put in a smoothie into a sandwich bag and throw it in the freezer! When you're ready to make your smoothie, all you need to do is add your liquid/yogurt/ ice and blend! I like a splash of orange juice in my smoothies, so I freeze the juice in ice cube trays and pop a cube in each bag. While this isn't necessarily "grab and go," it certainly speeds things up in the morning. 

What's your favorite "quick" breakfast? 

A long time coming...

Hello, blog world!

I realize that it's been a little while...okay, months since I've posted anything.  If you remember my post from August, I started a new job and it has definitely been an adjustment. I found that I just had to put the blog on the back burner for a little bit. That's not to say that I put my health on the back burner, because I certainly did not! I just needed to make sure I was focusing my time and energy in the right places. Between home life, work, and finding time to work out... there wasn't much free time left over to blog. I even felt like I didn't really have anything new to blog about. But I have missed it! And I'm here to share with you today : )

This post here...this has been rolling around in my head for a couple of months now. I've wanted to write it, debated with myself about how much I should share, talked myself out of writing it, etc. It's personal. But I really felt like someone might benefit from what I have to say and I needed to share this. So here I am.

Just a forewarning if I have any male readers... I am going to talk about some girly stuff in this post. Like girly stuff you might not want to know. Nothing gruesome. I'm just warning you.

Many of you know that in August I hit my year long goal of losing 50 lbs. It was a long hard journey ( you can check it out here ) that I began for many reasons. One of the reasons that I did not share, and part of the reason I was hesitant to write this post, is that we wanted to start a family. I have struggled with a hormonal imbalance since I was 16. Weight gain, lack of menstrual cycle, etc. The solution at that time? Well, so that I would at least have a monthly cycle, I was put on birth control. Fast forward to early 2012: I decided to stop taking the BC. I wanted to see what my body would do without the extra hormones controlling it. I knew we would be trying to start our family within the next year or so and I knew that I needed to make sure my hormones were in check. So I went off the pill and my cycle started, although rather irregularly... and then it stopped. And then I began to gain weight. Like, 60 lbs worth of weight- partly due to hormones, partly because I wasn't treating my body right. I was miserable and tired and frustrated with my body. Another trip to the doctor in the summer of 2012 (a different one...the first doctor that simply put me on BC was not helpful to me at all) revealed that my  hormones were indeed imbalanced and that because of that imbalance, I had developed insulin resistance. Simply put, my body takes extra carbs and sugar and doesn't process them, but instead immediately stores them as fat. Specifically, the body stores the carbs and sugar as fat in the midsection--- which is where I had gained most of my weight. My doctor recommended that I begin a low carb diet to help with insulin resistance and hormone imbalance. I also did a little bit of research on my own and found that women who have insulin resistance experienced great success with a gluten free diet on top of a low carb diet. Armed with all of this new information, I began to revamp my diet. I cut out soda and sugary drinks, as many processed foods as I could, bread, pasta, and artificial sweeteners (Side note: so, so bad for you!! That includes Splenda and the "Stevia" that most stores sell!) I started to incorporate more fruits, veggies, lean proteins, nuts, eggs, etc. Along with completely changing what I ate, I was working out as well. If you notice, I have never once referred to this as "dieting."  Diets are not sustainable for life. This had to be a lifestyle change. I wanted, no, NEEDED to be healthy and I had to change my lifestyle to reflect that. And it did work. Between exercising and eating clean, I began to lose weight and and after a few months I began to just feel better in general. I had more energy, I wasn't getting sick...but I still wasn't getting my cycle (That's kind of important for having a baby.) It would have been easy for me to get discouraged, but I had to remind myself that I was trying to undo years of wacky hormones and treating my body like crap and I knew that wasn't going to be undone within a matter of a few months. In February of 2013, we decided that we were going to try to get pregnant. Because my cycle still wasn't regular, my doctor put me on progesterone which would balance my hormones enough that I would get it but would not act as a contraceptive. I reluctantly began taking it. As much as I did not want to take hormones again, I wanted a baby even more.  She told us that if we didn't conceive within six months we would move on to the next phase of hormone treatment. Well, six months came and went and still no baby. Over those six months, I continued to do everything I could to become a healthier version of myself. I also continued to pray that God would heal my body. More than anything, I wanted us to be able to conceive naturally. And something great happened over that period of time. While we didn't conceive, I got my cycle. In July, August, and again in September. That was a HUGE thing! I had not had a consistent cycle in YEARS. But because we didn't conceive, we went back to the doctor in August. She then put me on Clomid, which is a pill that makes women ovulate. Because along with my previously irregular cycle it appeared that I was not ovulating on my own (another thing that's kind of important for having a baby.) I wasn't really a fan of this pill, but I decided to give it a shot. At the same time, I was still eating healthy, exercising, and I had just hit my 50 lb weight loss goal. We did our first round in August...and it didn't work. In September, my doctor ordered some more tests, for both myself and my husband, so we decided to just let things be that month. I already mentioned that I got my cycle on my own that month, but we decided to skip that month's round of Clomid. In October it was time to start another round, but I had to do some blood work first--- blood work that came back with a surprise! We were pregnant! After doing the math to figure out when we conceived, we realized that it happened in September. Which meant that we had conceived naturally

Post blood work pregnancy test...because I had to see for myself!

I share all of this because I honestly don't believe I would be where I am today if I had let my health continue on as it was. Besides being pregnant, I am the healthiest I have ever been and I know it's because of the changes I made. My husband said something to me the other day after our ultrasound that really acted as the catalyst for me sharing this. He said, "I know if you didn't do what you did to get healthy, our baby girl probably wouldn't be here." Those words really enforced the importance of the changes I had made.Now, I surely can't take all of the credit. I mentioned earlier how I prayed for God to heal me, and He certainly did! But I know He has also called me to take care of the body He has given me and that I am walking in obedience to that.

Halfway there!

Maybe my story resonates with you as well. There are so many people out there struggling with illnesses and health problems that can be relieved or resolved by changing the food they eat! Granted, I am not a doctor and changing what you eat and drink may not be the cure all. But it's a really good place to start. What you put in your body matters! Eat and drink for your health.

Run, rock, and roll!

Last week I ran my third (third?!) 5k since I started running last January--- the Rock n Roll Half and Mini Marathon. Obviously I did not do the half.  The mini marathon was a little more than a 5k because it was 3.5 miles... But I digress. 

To be honest, I was a little nervous about this race. If you have been following the blog, you know that I've been dealing with a case of runner's knee since about June, right before my first 5k. I didn't make it through without stopping to walk. My second 5k was a few weeks ago. My goal was to finish in 35 minutes without walking. I really was hoping my knee would hold up.  My time was 35'46" (11'32 pace) and I had to walk about .3 miles. I wasn't too disappointed with my time because it was realllly close to my goal, but I was a little disappointed that I had to walk. I had to listen to my body though and my body was screaming at me to give my knee a break.  As you can see, I did not look like I was having a good time. 

I was really excited about race number three. I love my city, and being that Cleveland is the city of rock and roll, it only seemed appropriate to participate. It also happened to be the inaugural race for our city, which made it even more exciting.  As the race approached, I did everything I could to reduce any knee pain I might feel. I ran intervals, did strength training, stretched, etc. I also tried to keep a positive mindset and set new goals. Again, to run the entire race without stopping to walk and to keep about the same pace. I knew it was a pretty lofty goal considering the past two races, but I went with it anyway.

Race day, I met up with my running buddy and we headed downtown. It was POURING. I just kept thinking this was going to be no good. Buuuut the rain stopped and the sun started to come up (the race started at 8, so we were down there by 6:30,) so we lined up in our corral and got ready to run. The waiting is the hardest part. But finally we were out and on the road. The first mile was great. There were so many people out cheering for us. I had to choke back a sob at one point because I was so emotionally overwhelmed by the support. I started to think about how far I've come and and that I am a runner now. I am a runner now. And there are people cheering for me. It gave me such an adrenaline rush. Until I hit mile 1.5, which is when I hit a wall. I started to think "I need to walk." Except the thing was... I didn't. My knee wasn't bothering me. There was no reason for me to walk. I argued with myself about it for a few minutes, but I realized if I walked I was giving up and I wouldn't reach my goal. So I didn't.  Lucky for me, there were more people to cheer me on and another adrenaline surge hit me. It also helped that my power song on my running playlist came on. I don't know about you, but Katy Perry's song "Roar" just amps me up! That really got me moving. Before I knew it, we hit mile 3. My knee was bugging me a little, but the pain was manageable.... Until we ran down a huge hill (downhill running and runner's knee don't mix.) But the end was in sight. I saw the finish line and I just started hauling it. I had made it and I just wanted to finish--- and I did! We collected our finisher's medal, water, and banana and celebrated our time: 37'49" (11'06" pace.) That time right there, plus the fact that I ran the whole race, meant I had met my goals. In fact, I improved my time from the last race. As my friend and I talked about how we did, we realized we were pushing each other without even noticing. When I wanted to walk, it didn't seem like she was going to let me and when it seemed like she wanted to walk, I kept running as well. That's what I love about running with a partner; it's nice to have someone to push you along the way. 

This race really enforced to me the importance of not only listening to your body, but being aware of where you're at mentally. If I didn't do both of those things, I truly believe I would not have been successful in my race. Physical, mental, and emotional awareness are huge keys to success in health and fitness.  And I think I needed that reminder.

I probably should mention another HUGE factor in wanting to run this race. There was a free concert at the finish line by my favorite singer, Gavin DeGraw. So that was some motivation to make it to the finish line as well ; )

Overall, I am so happy with how the race went. I am looking forward to my next one, whatever it might be. In the mean time, I will be in the process of healing up this old knee of mine. 

With my finisher's medal in front of our very own Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...

"I've got the eye of the tiger."

Fall in love with pumpkin

Hey everyone! So... I know it's been a while since I've posted. The past month has been a huge adjustment with many, many changes (blog post about that coming soon!) With all of the changes, I had to put some things on the back burner... The blog being one of those things. BUT I am finally getting into a routine and I am looking forward to getting back to blogging. With that being said, I have a SUPER delicious smoothie recipe to share. 

Autumn is one of my favorite seasons. There are many reasons for that, one being everything pumpkin. Since I love smoothies and I love pumpkin, I combined them and made a pumpkin pie smoothie. Here it is:

-8oz almond milk

-1/2 frozen banana 

-3/4 cup pumpkin

-1tbsp ground flax

-a couple generous shakes of pumpkin pie spice

-2 to 3 ice cubes

So, so tasty!

Pumpkin is pretty versatile, so have fun experimenting with it. I use it in smoothies, oatmeal, pasta sauce, chili, etc. Enjoy!

Why I Train Hard- Guest Post by Alex Ash

So...I realize it's been a little while since I've posted anything. I just started a new job and things have been a little crazy as I get used to this new schedule, which unfortunately means I haven't been working on any new posts. BUT I didn't want to leave all of you hanging so I have left you in the capable hands of my "fit friend," Alex!  I have known Alex since elementary school, but we reconnected over the past year because of our similar views toward health and fitness. She is a yoga instructor and, like myself, values the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have as the first guest post. Enjoy!

P.S. Alex is also a guest contributor at MindBodyGreen....you can check out her most recent article here!

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WHY?

I was hunched over, hands on knees, stomach in my throat, panting. Hard.

“This is so dumb—who does this to themselves?” I thought.

I was in the middle of a “Primal Boot Camp” –a fitness class designed to ‘tap into our primal selves’ and to ‘get off the treadmill like lab rats.’  The class was held on the beach and involved lots of sprints to and from the water to a nearby picnic table, along with lots of other high intensity activities. Don’t get me wrong—I know what I signed up for. I knew it would be hard and I knew I would most likely struggle. But I thought, “Hey, it’s only an hour, right?” I know that a good, real workout does not just mean hopping on an elliptical for 40 minutes with a PEOPLE magazine in tow. So dripping sweat and covered in sand, I came back to the question, “Why am I doing this? Why do I care so much about being fit and healthy?” The people I passed lounging in their beach chairs, soaking up the last of the hot summer sun, certainly seemed to pose the same question as well.

It’s not the first time the question has come up for me, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. However, after a conversation with Holly later that evening, my answer became a little clearer. I do it because sure, it helps how I look on the outside and I’m vain enough to admit that I like looking toned and fit. But more importantly, I do it because of how it makes me feel on the inside. If I could bottle up the feelings I have after a tough workout or yoga class, I would. The feelings of confidence, accomplishment and sometimes even a little surprise are unparalleled. The, “Wow, I can’t believe I just did that!” To be able to recognize that at one point in life, that type of workout was not even an option, and to realize how far I’ve come, is another reason. Yes, my heart sometimes feels like it’s beating out of my chest, but its pumping empowerment through my blood and veins. I leave feeling exhausted, but knowing that I can do anything I work really hard at. I am filled with gratitude for feeling strong in my own body AND mind. And with each workout, I get to know myself a little better—“How far can I go? Do I need to pull back a little bit tonight?” Putting myself through a physical workout forces me to live in the present moment—tuning into the nuances of my body and connecting my movement with my breath.

And in case you’re wondering, I have bad days too. I have ‘lazy days’ where peeling myself off the couch seems like a horrendous idea. I have days where mac and cheese AND pizza seem like great dinner options. But I also know that usually, there’s something else bothering me behind these cravings. Sometimes I’m just tired, and that’s okay. I have learned the difference between allowing myself rest and finding refuge in food or self-pity—and it’s a constant practice to overcome these low points. On these days, I know that the feelings I mentioned above are waiting for me, if I trust the process and push through by heading to the gym or studio, even when I don’t feel like it.

So the short answer to my question of why I do this really boils down to one thing:

Because it makes me feel alive…and isn’t that why we’re all here?

Lifestyle changes, vacation, and freedom.

My husband and I just enjoyed a week long vacation to Florida/North Carolina. It really got me thinking about my lifestyle change because this trip did not look anything like our last trip to Florida, our honeymoon in 2011. I wrote a blog post about staying on track while traveling earlier this spring, but I wanted to hit on a few things I did during this trip that made a huge difference.

I was very active during this trip. I had to be. I knew if I went from working out 6 days a week to nothing and then tried to resume business as usual when I got home that I would be hurting. My activity looked different from what I do at home but the point is that I still DID something. I didn't run a lot because, well, it was very humid and muggy and even waking up to go out at 6:30 a.m didn't make that much of a difference. I ran a couple of times, even though I had to modify a little bit. I ended up incorporating run/walk intervals because my body is not used to that heat. I also tried to stay moving when I could. If we were in the pool, I'd tread water. At the beach, I would walk up and down the shore or body surf. We also played a few rounds of golf. My goal was to stay moving when I could.

Food was different this time around as well. Last trip was full of fast food, junk snacks, and I'm pretty sure we ate out EVERY MEAL. Now, besides the fact that   eating that way is expensive, I didn't WANT to eat that way this trip. We packed healthy snacks (apple slices, grapes, string cheese, organic popcorn.) We did go out to eat a few times, and I carefully picked out my meals. We stayed at a villa and had a full kitchen, so we were able to grocery shop and cook for ourselves often. That's the beauty of a lifestyle change as opposed to a diet. People always say "You can't eat that, can you?" My response is usually something along the lines of "Well, I probably CAN, I just choose not to." When I limit myself to things I can/can't eat, I'm setting myself up for failure. My perspective towards the things I eat have changed so that I have a healthier relationship with food, so to speak. That's not to say that I don't occasionally indulge... Because I certainly do. But I limit those indulgences, I savor them as a special treat, and I don't make excuses for myself to overindulge (a.k.a. I'm on vacation, I can eat what I want! NO.) 

One of my few indulgences this trip was this amaaaazing Creme Brûlée. So. Good. 

Now when I said earlier that this trip looked a lot different than our last... I really meant that it LOOKED different. 

This is a picture from our trip to Universal in 2011.

One night during this trip, we went to Bubba Gump at Universal for dinner.  I thought it would be cool to recreate the picture from our honeymoon. After we took the picture, I pulled up the old picture and put them side by side and WOAH. BIG. DIFFERENCE. We didn't even realize that through my lifestyle change, my husand had benefitted as well. 

The biggest difference for me this trip, the biggest realization I had, was the life of liberty I now lead. I think back to our first trip or I look at pictures that I was embarrassed by and I just immediately remember that feeling of being a prisoner to my bad habits and a body I was ashamed of. This time around, I had confidence. I wasn't petrified of being in my bathing suit. I'm not cringing at the pictures of myself IN my bathing suit. I'm not cringing at the pictures of myself period. I'm not saying that to be vain. I was just able to realize that what I was experiencing, for the first time in my life. was freedom from things that had a hold on me for too long. This trip really opened my eyes to living a life of freedom. A verse that kept resonating with me is Galatians 5:13 (MSG) "It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows" Is that powerful or what?!

Once we come to enjoy the freedom God has given us, we are no longer bound to the things that hold us captive and we stop trying to sabotage that freedom.  Whether it be food, the expectation to look a certain way... whatever it might be, we were not meant to live your life as slaves to those things. We were created to live a life of freedom!