Decide to do these 4 things TODAY.

Hey guys! We are half way to the weekend!


Today was a LONG day for me. But a good day, besides picking up 7,452,325 goldfish twice.... I’ll take it. 
Probably because I woke up at 5am.

I met my sister at GPP and we did this workout. It was rough. There was a total 2 miles of running, broken into 800m, but throw those KB swings and V-ups in the mix and I felt like I ran 20 miles. My goal was to sub 20 (do it in less then 20 minutes.) Needless to say, I had to stop and tie my shoes TWICE. That is what I get for attempting to put them on and tie them while driving… I didn’t reach my goal. NEXT TIME…




On GPP’s website (where I do my workout everyday) We post in the comment section our time/weights/thoughts/complaints/ramblings, etc.

Usually,I just post my results of the workout that day to keep track. Today, I added a “next time” part and I think I’m going to roll with it, kind of like a rolling goal sheet. So, next time the workout pops up, I can check my time, weights or whatever and see what I hoped to improve on or my thoughts on the workout to see how I can challenge myself and improve me. It will be cool. I love accountability. It keeps me motivated in the gym and life in general.

I love these comments. They inspire me to work harder and push myself in the gym everyday. The community aspect of GPP rocks and the cool thing is YOU could be part of it too! We love to hear from other people and you will find motivation in them and maybe even relate to some of the other commenters. Try it.

I also took some time today and jotted down a few things I want to do everyday and think everyone else should. I will share them with you.

#1. Be Accountable: Plan your workouts, journal them, not just your weights,pace etc. But how you felt! Maybe you were sick but fought through it, or you had sweat in your eyeballs and enjoyed every grueling moment. I think this is important because if you have a day you just don’t feel like working out you can flip through your workout journal and be motivated by YOU!.

• Like I said above, I’ll be posting those on the comment section of GPP’s website and I bought a little journal today to keep a personal record to.

#2 Be nice to yourself: Do you talk to yourself in a positive way? Think about how you talk about yourself. In the mirror or with your friends. If your friend said something negative about you, do you really want that person as a friend. The way you treat yourself will reflect on how others treat you.

• I have gained some weight and I catch myself constantly complaining about it. Yesterday, a good friend told me I was gorgeous. (I was post workout- covered in sweat, smelly and really frustrated with myself at the time.) --->a little opposite of gorgeous.. but you know what? It made my day. I truly didn’t even know how to respond.. it caught me a little off guard and I’m grateful to that person everyday. I am so lucky be surrounded by such amazing people. SO, I’m going to start being a little nicer to myself. I’m going to put a little effort into finding positive things and maybe getting ready a little more. (I really sit in my gym clothes for the majority of the day…) --->big secret…ha!

• 

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#3 Start helping other people- Just be nice. Bring dinner to someone, introduce or compliment a stranger. Go out of your way and do a act of service for somebody.

• I love being a trainer/fitness instructor. It gives me fulfillment in a aspect of my life, that I can make a difference or impact someone’s life in a positive way. Out of the gym I tend to fall into my own schedule, worrying about other duties, my errands, my house chores, my kids, etc. So, now I want to make it a goal to go out of my way and do something for someone else. Maybe take my friends kids to the park so she can catch a little break, or surprise a family with dessert.

#4 Spend time with the right people- People who make you feel better about yourself, who lift you up inside and who you know will always be there for you through thick and thin. Find people you inspire you to be a better person. Who motivate you in all aspects of life and make you strive to be like them.

• The majority of my day is spent with people like this. I am lucky to be be surrounded by them. If I run into some negativity I will try my best to be a positive light instead of add to complaints.

Source--->like GPPfit FB!



These are my new commitments. How about you?


Questions of the day:

Do you log your workouts?

What is one thing you can commit to doing TODAY?

Not Always Organic

Happy Monday!!
Did you guys have a busy day like mine was? Mondays are always a little crazy but I look forward to Monday and the structure and schedule that comes along with it after a fun weekend. Well, maybe everything but laundry…
This morning I headed to the gym and the workout today was a total body circuit. For 10 minutes we had to do as many rounds of possible of 3 different exercise, rest one minute then move to the next triplet—three times! The workout was 32 minutes long and it was rough! …. so I guess that means it was a good workout. I definitely felt a little drag after consuming my body weight in chips and salsa at family BBQ's yesterday. I love rough Monday workouts!
I made a shake with a fresh peach post workout!

Let me tell you this was absolute heaven post sweat fest. I LOVE peaches and I need to go purchase a plethora of them this year because this shake may happen every day!
I used my new post workout protein powder. I purchased this after chatting with a friend about post workout nutrition and this came highly recommended.
After Shock- Pina Colada!
Pina Colada plus Peach = Heaven!

After a quick errand to Costco with the hummer and the jeep..

It was time for LUNCH!

I grilled some tilapia, baked some sweet potatoes and roasted some broccoli. This is a common lunch for me but today I melted 1 tbsp. of coconut oil over my yam today and it gave it a whole new delicious flavor.

I guess I’m on a coconut kick today with my shake and then my yam.

Let me tell you, Coconut Oil + Yam is the JAM!
Eating Organic?
One question or comment I get a lot is, “You only eat only “organic” foods huh?”
Confession?
Um. NOPE. I eat mostly healthy but not always organic.


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I would LOVE to eat organic all the time. I’m not a fan of pesticides and antibiotics that are found in fruits, eggs and meats. But it can get pretty expensive, especially meats. I can grow my own garden, raise my own chickens but there is no way I’m going to kill, pluck and cook those chickens or deal with a cow in my backyard. Those are some pies I don’t ever want to deal with.
So I try to purchase organic fruits and veggies only in the dirty dozen. Not all the time though! I do not buy organic chicken, or beef. My sister, MIL and Dad have chickens so I am able to get eggs from them which is great!
Make sure you wash your produce thoroughly before eating organic or not.
Here is the dirty dozen and clean 15 list you can check out.

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It is apple and peach season around here and there are local fruit stands all over! There is one that I pass on my home from the gym and I stop by and pick some up every now and then. I love to support local families by buying their produce and it always taste better then getting it from the grocery store.

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So I guess my point is you can still eat healthy without eating organic. Eat what you can organic, but I don’t think you need to stress about it too much. Some people may argue the health benefits and what not but don’t think you have to eat organic to be healthy.
Question of the Day:
Do you buy Organic? Thoughts?
Coconut oil goes great with________?

Lets Race!

Hey guys! I hope you had a great weekend and enjoying these last few weeks of summer!
Brent went hunting this weekend with his brother and so I have been playing single momma for the weekend. Phew! Kudos to single moms out there. It is hard work! Completely worth it, but I found myself pretty exhausted after chasing around four legs with my two.

We went to the park a few times.. Yes a few, in one day. These two are always on the go and just getting out of the house for an hour helps these little bundles of energy tone down a bit.
( I have no idea where they get it from )
Yesterday, I taught pump and did this workout, then we headed to my friend Lindsey baby shower. I went to school and worked with Lindsey in the dental office for a few years. The shower was had a ladybug theme and was decorated in red and black with little lady bugs all over.

They served chicken croissants, salad and a pasta that had sun-dried tomatoes in it, which are my favorite!
It was fun seeing the girls and chatting and chasing each others kiddos around. It is crazy to me how close we all still live but it was possibly the first time we have seen each other in months!! In high school these are the girls I would spend every single day with and we all promised we would all stick together and still hang out after graduation.. Boy, the changes, colleges, marriage and kids brings down on that…
Do you keep in touch with your high school friends? (Not including stalking them on FB…)
I want to plan more dinners/lunches or even play dates. Any ideas?
I have some fun news!
I mentioned in this post the upcoming races I have this fall and then this weekend I found out I won a free entry into this race.

Bear Lake Monster Run is actually a trail run! I love trail running but usually hike/run them… I have never done a trail race before so I’m pretty excited to be part of this race. It is a half marathon distance so I will be considering this a great training run for the Big Cottonwood Marathon coming up!
Bear lake, Utah is one of my favorite places to go to because of the blue lake and the raspberry shakes! YUM! Hometown drive-in --->. I’m coming for you!
Bear Lake isn’t to far from my families ranch in Wyoming and we were planning on being up there for labor day so hopefully we can find a place to stay in bear lake and head up there after the race.
Plans? They come together eventually right?
My friend runs the Utah Running Guide Facebook page and is always giving away entries to races in Utah! If you’re a local go “like” the page and maybe you can win an entry to a few races as well!
Hope your all having a great Sunday!
PS. Next weekend is a LONG weekend! Yay!
Questions of the Day:

• Any trail racers out there have any advice?

This is my first one and I have no idea what to expect!

Simple Salmon

Happy Thursday! Today has been a great day! Minus dealing with a minor flood up in our master bedroom.. oomph. Sad to say we spent the majority of the day pulling up carpet, collecting fans and figuring out where it came from… bright side? The kids have their own personal splash pad. AND we have actually been wanting to get new carpet anyway so I’m kind of okay with it. Just bummed it had to happen that way.

For dinner I made a easy and quick salmon dinner! Salmon is probably my favorite fish from the sea. Salmon is power packed with disease fighting vitamins, acids and minerals.The health benefits of eating salmon actually speeds up your metabolism. Which affects your sugar absorption rate and can lower your blood sugar level. Not to mention is packed with protein and heart healthy Omega-3.
I through this together as I went and it turned out to be pretty tasty. You can’t beat a recipe that only requires  4 ingredients!
LEMON PEPPER SIMPLE SALMON

Ingredients:

• Wild Salmon filet
• 1/3 C. Lemon juice
• Mrs. Dash – Lemon Pepper
• 1 tsp Crushed Garlic

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven 375 degrees.
2. Place filet in glass oven safe dish
3. Pour Lemon Juice over the top
4. Spread Garlic over the top
5. Sprinkle with Lemon Pepper
6. Bake for 30-35 min.

Enjoy!

So light and flakey!
I eat salmon probably once or twice a week, depending whether or not I can find it on sale or snag some from my fishing Uncles.
I do prefer it to be grilled but Brent was gone (AKA the grill master). It still turned out fantastic being baked though.
Have a good night!! Tomorrow is FRIIIIIIDAY!
Question of the Day:
How do you cook your fish?
What is your favorite fish?

Upcoming Races And pre-race eats.

Hey guys! Hope your having a great week so far. Good news is we are Half way to the weekend!
Woo hoo!
Most of my summer is usually scheduled around race events. But due to my quad injury that was proven to be quite the set back I skipped out on a few of my favorite half marathons and relays. During my recovery, we transferred my bib to my husband and he got run his first half marathon, which I actually enjoyed watching him make that achievement.
I’ve decided to wrap up this summer in a big way. I have two more races lined up and I’m so excited about them! One marathon and one last relay!
I will be running in the Red Rock Relay Zion again this year. I did this relay last year with my girlfriends and we are all in the game again. This year we will be representing GPP and will have a news crew following us and capturing all the craziness that comes along. Our theme this year is awesome and I can’t wait to share it with you guys, but you will just have to wait and see!

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The Marathon I am running is the Big Cottonwood Marathon.

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This is the first year for this marathon and I’m more then excited to be part of it. It is going to be a fast marathon. Check out that elevation map!

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Goodbye toenails. On a positive note, this marathon IS a Boston Qualifier! It is my goal to qualify for Boston some day. Probably won’t happen this year for various reasons, but I think this race would be a great course to give it a shot. You can still REGISTER for the Full Marathon! Come race with me!
I’m taking a different route on my training for this marathon. I’m not following a training plan. I am not going to tackle long runs every weekend. I’m simply going to do what I am doing right now. Some people might think that is crazy but I am confident that my GPP training will give me the endurance to get through 26.2. I will continue to run in addition but nothing over 14. With my last marathon, I ran, did GPP and was teaching. It proved to be to much on my body and I ended up injured. I believe this will be a smarter approach for me.
Big Cottonwood canyon provides cool temps and a very scenic course. It will be unforgettable that is for sure.
What I  eat pre-workout/ morning of a race.
I often get asked what I eat the morning of a race or before I workout. I keep it pretty simple and the good thing is these things you can find at any grocery store anywhere you are.
Everyone is a little different and this is what works for me, I find if I eat a carb and a small amount of protein prior to a race I don’t have any bathroom issues prior to or during. Luckily, I have never had to “pinch the penny” during a race.

What I eat 1 hour prior to race.
Different options: Maybe try and see if one of these works for you!
Eggs and Fruit:

• Each whole egg has about 6 grams of protein and contain 1.5 BCAA
• Easily digested
• Boiled easy travel easy if needed and are quick to pull and peel from the fridge.
• Combine egg protein with a low fiber fruit
• Banana, peaches, cantaloupe, honeydew or watermelon.

*You want to avoid fibrous fruits day before and day of race such as, apples, berries, dates, figs, pears and grapes!
Apple sauce with protein powder

• Apple sauce has low fiber compared to a actual apple due to fructose content
• I mix in 2 tbs of vanilla egg protein powder which adds BCAA.

Okay, this one your going to think I’m a crazy mother runner, but it works.
BABY FOOD

• It is easily digested at any age! fruit, veggies and meats! My favorite our of course my kids favorite.

Ella's!

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On one of my long training runs at the beginning of the summer I went to grab a gel and didn’t have one so I grabbed a these instead and it was the best run I have had in a long time! They taste a whole lot better then gels too!
Protein shake:
If I have the pre-race jitters and my stomach just isn’t feeling to hot. I’ll have a small protein shake

• Easily Digested
• 2-3 tbs of protein powder
• 1/2 banana
• water/ice

About 10 minutes before gun time or even a early morning workout I will drink about 150 calories of a coconut water or Gatorade and drink 8 ounces of a water.
I hope that gives you a few ideas!
Question of the Day:
Do you have any races coming up your excited about?
What do you eat pre workout or before races?

Pumpkin Chia Waffles!

Sundays around here more often then not result in waffles first thing in the morning.
I have loved making these waffles, but I was out of bananas this morning and decided to sub 1/2 C. pumpkin for the banana and added 2 Tbs. of Chia seeds to the mix.
Voila!


PUMPKIN CHIA WAFFLES!


Ingredients:

• 3 whole eggs
• 1 Tbs. coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 C. Pumpkin Puree
• 1 cup egg whites
• 1/2 cup Silk unsweetened Almond milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4-5 drops of NuNauturals liquid stevia, or sweetener of choice (to taste)
• 1/2 tbs of cinnamon
• Dash of nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 Tbs. Chia Seeds

Directions:
Blend all ingredients in a blender and pour into a greased waffle iron (I just sprayed it with olive oil.
I topped them with some PB2 and Raw honey. They were to die for.
Perfect start to our Sunday!
Our weekend started pretty great too. Friday night we headed to the park for a little hoover ball!
We met up with a group of GPP peeps. Brent and the twins even came to play!

I wrapped up RX+ week yesterday with a 2 hour event that consisted of four workouts! TOUGH stuff!
The first workout was a half- mile burpees. Yes, you read that right. BURPEES ---> Everyone's favorite movement. No?

Source: gppfit.com
We started at 7 am on a field at a elementary school. A wet field..
We were soaked and covered in grass by the end.

photo credit: Janetha!
You can’t really tell but I promise we were covered freshly cut grass.. I have a rash on my thighs to prove it..
This may sound a little crazy but I think this was actually my favorite workout. It was actually a lot of fun to burp in wet grass with these crazy cats.
The second workout was a core workout that involved side planks, halos and swipers--->for demos on the movements and the whole workout go here.
My shoulders were fried by then and I had a rough time holding those side planks! But I got through it!
Third was JUMP- Jump is a group circuit we go through 8 plates spread across the room for high knee sprints, squats, lateral hops, rolling pushups and more burpees!
and the fourth and final workout on the agenda was Caterpillar

We all started in the gym with a 25 pd plate and had to move them 200m one way until they were at one end, then move them all back. We did this by making a long line and tossing the plates to each other and bringing them back. I unfortunately didn’t get to participate in most of this workout because I left to teach body pump. But at least I got to catch a picture of them all doing it!
When I got home we put the babes down for a nap and both Brent and I crashed for 3 hours!! Brent had been hunting all morning so he was just as tired. The babies played with their Aunts and went down fast because they were just as worn out as us!
When I woke up I was pretty sore…I went for a quick 3 mile run to shake it out. I’m glad I did because when I got up this morning I’m not sore at all!
After a shower. (FINALLY!) I headed up to my Aunts house with the twinners to meet my 3rd cousin that was here visiting from Germany! I have a crazy long family line and we are actually pretty good at keeping in touch. Even though it was my first time meeting him, some of my other cousins have actually been to Germany a few times to stay with them.

The one on the left is my cousin and the other is his friend. It was fun to talk with them and hear their stories and experiences being here in the U.S.

They were here for school but are leaving Monday morning back to Germany.
Today we are planning on heading out for a little family walk.
They are just as mandatory as waffles.
Have a great SUNDAY!
Question of the day:
What is mandatory for you on Sunday?

Two days time

Hey guys! Sorry for the Hiatus on the blog! It has been a crazy past two days and at the end of the day I chose sleep over the blog.
I promise I love you all just as much. Sleep even trumped showering… (Just kidding, kind of.)
Here is a quick recap of the past two days!

Day 3 of 2-a-days started at 6 am with a fun hike/run up my favorite trail in Bountiful. I think I could run this everyday and never get sick of it. Not to mention if all these peeps do it with me! When we started it was still pretty dark outside, bonus was we got to watch the sunrise.
Breakfast has been the same thing the past few days. Exciting I know.


Egg whites with a veggie and fruit pre-workout- (I can’t really workout with a full stomach, so I make sure to wake up early enough to let this digest a bit before the workout.)

Post workout has been a protein shake to help with a quick recovery. Some days these meals have been swapped, depending on the time I workout.

Even T likes his daily dose of protein powder.

flashback photo, but same outcome..

He loves expensive toys..
Along with 2 a-days, we are following a structured meal plan as well so needless to say, my lunch has been the same salad all week with a few different veggies in the mix.

So far I have been doing perfect on the diet and the workouts. I only have 2 left! This week has been challenging and hard but at the same time it has been SO much fun. The power of community is addicting and motivating. It has been a great experience! Even the ladders that we did last night..

I even got to keep up with a cowboy and princess. These two got game for sure.

They even had energy after to play at the park!

A kipping two-year old. Exactly what I expect.
Readers Request:
I recently received a readers request for a lunge workout, ----> Ask and you shall receive! This can be done while holding weights if you would like. If you are new to working out I would cut the reps in half and just use your body weight.

Just like that, those legs and booty will be burnin’!






Last night we celebrated my little brothers birthday with the family. His actual Birthday is TODAY!

Happy Birthday Jamison!

He just found out yesterday that he broke his foot sometime last week and has been playing football with it all week! Now its in a cast and he uses crutches! He is a fast healer.. we hope!
He sure is a great uncle to these two!

Love ya, bro!
Happy FRIDAY!!
Our night will be spent playing hooverball! ---> I’ll clue you in later what hooverball is..
Tomorrow morning is the last workout of RX + week at GPP and it will be a two hour event in which I have to follow up with body pump! What a Saturday!
Catch  ya’ tomorrow afternoon!