Overcoming obstacles everyday!

The changes over the last year have really amazed me.

Today I went to a place called Jump Jam with a few of my classmates and friends.  It is literally a giant auditorium full of trampolines and foam pits with obstacle courses including monkey bars and ropes.  I did the monkey bars.  I did a front flip where I landed on my feet.  While it wasn't perfect, it was perfect for me and that's all that matters.  The girl who I was a year ago could not have done that.   I wouldn't have been strong enough.  While I would have tried my body was not able because I was overweight.  I never even realized how bad it was until I look back on it now.  The movements would have been dangerous to perform and I could have gotten seriously injured.

Throughout the past year I've learned so much from each and every program about how to move my body athletically while feeding it real food.  I've never felt more alive than I do right now.  I've never felt so physically able to do things that I've never done before.  I've challenged myself to do things that I didn't really think were possible.  I never thought I'd be able to do a front flip on a trampoline.  I never thought I'd be one of the girls who my friends look to for health and fitness advice.  Now I'm so glad that they do because I love talking about it.  I want someone to look at me one day and say, "Because of you I didn't give up."  I want my body to reflect how incredible I feel inside and everyday where I'm consistent with my meal plan and workouts I know I'm one step closer to that goal.

While I feel the difference there are many times when I look in the mirror and I don't see it.  Sometimes I feel like I'm still the same girl on the outside as I was a year ago who couldn't do half of the things I can do now.  At first when we got to Jump Jam my initial insecurities crept up and I worried about my belly jiggling around or that my arms couldn't carry me across the monkey bars.  I found myself back in my old self and I didn't know what to do.  One of my closest friends knocked me right out of that by saying, "Emily how are you not climbing on the rock wall by now?"  Hearing her say that reminded me of how far I've come and of course I'm dying to start climbing that rock wall! Positive self talking to myself helps keep me grounded and remember that I am not the same girl I was a year ago.   In my classmates eyes, I am strong enough and while my body is not be where I want it, it is exactly where it needs to be.  I am proud of how far I've come and I can't wait to see where else this journey can take me! I know I sometimes get discouraged when the scale doesn't move or I feel extra bloated when I look in the mirror.  I know I don't even notice most of the changes because I see myself everyday.  Hearing encouraging words from those around me help more than they know.  Here's to everyone who has helped me when my positive voice

My favorite part of this entire journey is that it has become a lifestyle change.  It's not some crazy diet that only lasts a few days or months to get the results you want.  It's a daily commitment to fuel and move your body with the added perk of feeling incredible! I love the things I'm able to do now and I wouldn't change it for the world.

Here's my challenge to you to do something that scares you and show me your strength!

Have a great rest of your week!

Emily

And we'll run for our lives

The past few weeks were weeks where I was crazy busy and running around all the time.  Between finishing out the summer semester, a bachelorette party, and visiting family and friends back home all while planning other exciting events takes it's tole on your sanity.  I know I wouldn't trade the crazy days for anything.  Looking back on the past few weeks and I still can't believe everything I managed to squeeze into such a short time period. A few years ago the only thing to keep me sane might have been food but this go round my different workouts and routines were the grounding point and as long as I scheduled that time with myself I knew it would be ok.

The past few weeks I've had some amazing runs.  I never amped them up as much as I have in the past but simply took it one minute at a time and told myself to just keep pushing until I reached a certain point.  I discovered a cure for beating the treadmill boredom through HIIT workouts.  Focusing on smaller time frames helps to keep me entertained for longer periods of time and it also helped me conquer my goal of running around the entire lake back home.  It's 3.4 miles and I used to walk it a few times a week.  Before this run I was stuck around 2.7 and I'm not sure if it was due to time constraints or physical limitations but finally crossing that point feels amazing.  I took it at a moderate pace and I can't wait to try out a longer run again on my next run day.

Here's to rocking a new week full of new possibilities!

3 Day Refresh Results!

Officially dropped 4.8 pounds and roughly 5 inches! Anndddd the longest three days of my life without coffee are officially over!

After completing it I have to say that there were only 2 bad things.  

1- The Fiber Sweep every morning was a little hard to choke down.  I got more used to it by day 3 but the texture was unpleasant.  The taste got better but I just couldn't get over the texture.  

2- The caffeine withdrawals were incredibly difficult.  As someone who normally starts her day with 2 cups of coffee, I knew going in that 1 cup of green tea wouldn't do the trick.  I am so proud of the way I pushed through and didn't let it get the best of me!

I know I've been super excited to get back to my normal eating habits.  I'm already not as hungry as I used to be and as I was eating my lunch today I was full a lot sooner than I usually am.  I'm super excited to see how this changes my eating habits.  Despite the lack of caffeine, I felt incredibly energized every morning and I slept better than I usually do.  I definitely think that this will help me cut back to one cup of coffee a day which will hopefully make caffeine intake more efficient.  

Here are the two meals I ate for dinner.  I had the spinach salad (top) twice and the cucumber and tomato salad (bottom) once.  I will definitely be making both again! They were absolutely delicious! I could not believe how full I felt in between meals.  

I feel very satisfied with my results as this program helped me finally crush a plateau that I have been facing for quite awhile.  I just couldn't drop below a particular number and now that I'm finally below it, I hope I can just keep it going down until I reach my goal! :)

Have a fantastic weekend!

Emily

Peanut Butter Banana Bread!

Banana Bread has been one of my favorite things to make for as long as I can remember.  Today my mom looked at 2 perfectly overripe bananas and gave a little nudge to make some banana bread.  It didn't take much especially since I already had a recipe on hand I wanted to try.  I modified a few things but the end result was definitely something delicious that I don't feel guilty about.  It was a big hit and I know next time I'll make it into muffins :)

For my batter I used:
- 1 1/4 cups of almond flour
- 1 TBS baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp of cinnamon
- 1/3 cup of peanut butter (you could also use almond butter)
- 2 overripe bananas
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup of light brown sugar
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup of almond milk (I use the Silk Unsweetened Regular that has 30 calories a serving)

I mixed all of the ingredients into my KitchenAid (I hadn't used it in so long so it had a little dust on it) and then into a lightly sprayed 8x8 in pan.  I popped it into the oven for 33 minutes at 375 degrees.

My little brother has already gone back for thirds and I doubt it'll last with any leftovers to get them through the drive home tomorrow ;)

Here's to a great week coming up with lots of goals to accomplish! Starting Thursday I'm also trying out Beachbody's new product- the 3 day Refresh.

Emily

P90x3- Check!

Nothing is quite as satisfying as finishing a beach body program.  Seeing big checks next to each workout each and every day helps remind me of how far I've come since I started.  When I first finished P90X I never took an after picture because I wasn't satisfied and knew I wasn't done.  It was after that program I felt my drive to be the best version of me come through the cracks.  It became a lifestyle and honestly while there's a "goal/ideal" weight I hope to get to one day, the journey is such a rewarding part of the process.  Before Insanity I definitely took my picture.  The results were shocking and exhilarating! While taking a "selfie" isn't necessarily something I enjoy doing, being able to really see the difference as the months pass help me to know that this process is working, even if it's slower than I'd like at times.

Towards the end of this journey I went through a bit of a rough patch.  I began not sleeping which meant even when I was eating correctly it didn't matter.  True health really does involve the whole body; mind and sleep included! I'm back on track now and sleep and I couldn't be closer.  Each of these pictures I take help me remember to take the baby steps everyday to one day reach my goal.

Finishing x3 has given me such a sense of accomplishment.  I really feel stronger in my arms (some muscles even popped out that I never thought I had!) as well as my core and legs.   Another one of my selfish goals is to have my thighs match my calves.  Being a dancer for 11.5 years gave me rocking calves but somewhere along the lines my thighs got lost.  It's not about them looking like toothpicks, but one day I want them to look as strong and impressive as my calves.  Accepting my body and having the patience to trust the process is wisdom I gained after looking at my picture.  While the scale didn't move as much as I would like, I know I felt and feel the changes everyday.  I love the good quality food I'm putting into my body and I love how I feel when I feed myself with those things.  Of course as per my tradition, I did finish this program with a fancy steak and a double chocolate chip cookie from whole foods- but I already accepted I'm human right?

I really love seeing all of those checks knowing each day was a day where I pushed through! Bring honest about whether I followed the diet was tough at times but I know I only got better over time.

I start PiYo on Monday and I am so excited to see the challenges of a new program!  

I also have had a few of those clarifying runs over the past week that I'll have to share more on later.

Here's to bringing it and showing your strength!

Emily

Wait did I just read Eggplant fries!?

After monkeying around on Pinterest for new recipes (obviously being super productive this weekend) I found a recipe for eggplant fries.  I knew that was a food I needed to start eating more of so I decided to give it a try.  Yesterday after an incredible trip to Trader Joes (grocery shopping honestly could not make me happier than it does) I knew tonight was the night to try making eggplant fries.  It was a success! I washed then sliced the eggplant into fry like sizes and seasoned with a tad of olive oil (I realized after that coconut oil would have tasted better so next time!) and Tony's and garlic powder and popped them in at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes.  I paired them with homemade hamburgers and sautéed mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers.

Tonight I also signed up for my first half marathon! I cannot wait to begin training and conquer this new challenge.  I know it's something different and exciting that will give me the extra push I need to motivate myself.  

These next two weeks are the last of P90x3 and I feel like I've finally got my eating balanced and I can't wait to see what else is in store :)

Here's to new challenges and exciting times to come!

Emily

They never said it would be easy

This past Saturday I went hiking with some of my friends on the Rainbow Falls Trail in the Smokies. On the way back from the 5.7 mile roundtrip hike, I somehow managed to twist my ankle.  Now, that's something I've done a million times before but this time was different.  I'm a somewhat clumsy person by nature and as a former dancer I had landed funny on my ankle many times before.  This time I landed on it and immediate paranoia set in.  I have some pretty significant goals that I'm trying to accomplish by the end of P90x3 and I thought oh my goodness what if I completely derailed the entire program and everything I've been working for.  I bought a brace simply as a precaution to warn me not to overdo it.   Wearing it while I over simplify and modify this weeks routines has been quite a challenge.  I miss the jumping around and feeling my heart beat out of my chest rush that usually comes after some of the cardio based workouts.  I'm not a fan of missing out on my runs and spin classes but I know my ankle needs to heal and taking it easy has been extremely difficult.  Slowing down has never been my strong suit.  I've always had more energy than anyone knows what to do with.

Some of my friends have been giving me a hard time the past few days.  They tell me to not move it at all and stay stationary.  I know they have my best intentions in mind but with my personality telling me to slow down is a way of telling me not to be who I am.  I know my limits and when I'm over doing it.  I know that taking a complete break from everything and not trying at all would in turn make me feel less like myself than I already do.  I know my ankle will completely heal and this is a temporary bout of paranoia where I'm overly cautious that this injury is worse than it really is.  While I am sticking to my eating plan and doing modified workouts, I am curious to see what the results will be.  I know as long as I remain consistent I will reach my goals no matter how long it takes.

Here's to staying strong even when you want to give up!

Here's to anyone reading this who needs a little extra push to get through your week.

Have a rocking rest of your week!

Emily