Let's try this again...shall we?

 

 

Hello beautiful readers! Sorry that it has taken me so long to update, but I am here now & hope to be returning and writing on a weekly basis :)

 

Let me start off by wishing all of you HAPPY 2013! I'm a bit late, but oh well.

 

 

I had a wonderful holiday and break from work and really took the time to catch up on some me time and relax. It also gave me the opportunity to look at the year ahead and what I really want for myself. Lucky for me, being a Tone It Up girl, K&K had us all covered with a wonderful challenge to kick off 2013!

 

What I love about these ladies is that they create challenges that not only focus on fitness and nutrition, but on how to better yourself as a whole. Seeing as one of my main goals for this year is to gain back my confidence and focus on self-love, this challenge is absolutely perfect. A large part of that is kicking my butt in both the gym and the kitchen, but it is SO much more. It is looking in the mirror and loving myself. It is finding what makes my heart happy and putting my all into that. It is loving and adoring everyone around me. It is focusing on all my blessings and never forgetting the good in my life.


A year from now, this will be me...

A started off this challenge really strong. On Monday, an old injury flared up and I had to listen to my body and take it easy for a couple of days. A bit of history on said injury - When I was 13, I had a gymnastics incident...basically I attempted a back flip and landed on my head/neck. I was taken to the hospital, put in a neck brace and found out just how lucky I was to have no damage to my spinal cord. Because of this injury though, I have 2 pinched discs in my neck and 1 in my lower back. I have also lost the curve in my lower spine and the curve in my neck has actually started to bend the other way. Last but not least, I have early signs of arthritis in my spine...at 23. Boo!

I used to let this injury be an excuse to hold me back from exercise. Now I am learning to work with it and listen to my body. The flair up earlier this week reminded me that I need to take care of myself and really listen to my body. My body does amazing things for me and I need to treat it as such!


I also started another challenge on Monday - Tina Reale's Best Body Bootcamp. You can read more about it in the link, but I absolutely love the concept! Lots of new and challenging exercises for me to try and it also focuses on setting and achieving personal goals every week. It is an 8-week fitness challenge that just so happens to align quite nicely with the Tone It Up one :)


Another goal of mine for 2013 is to fall in love with running. I did my first registered race near the end of 2012 and I really want to keep that going! I will be running my first 10k at the end of April and decided to join a 10k clinic, not only for the motivation and guidance, but also for the tips and tricks! It starts on February 5th and I couldn't be more excited!


I am going to end this post here...and head back to work ;) I love getting as much motivation and inspiration as possible, so if you would like to follow me on my journey, I post daily on Twitter and Instagram :) 



Bye for now!! xo











I'm Back!!!

Hey guys! Sorry that I haven't updated in awhile...a nasty case of strep throat knocked me out during the second week of the Holiday Hottie series and this is my first week getting back into my workouts!

Tonight's workout was AWESOME! I hit the gym with my case of exercise flashcards in hand - basically just a bunch of exercise routines/circuits I have found on Pinterest and put on flashcards. I knew that the BF was having dinner with his parents and the gym is always dead on Friday night, so I took full advantage!! Just one I got finished with one circuit and thought I was exhausted and done, I grabbed some water, looked through my flash cards, and moved onto the next one!! I was a sweaty mess by the end and LOVED it! Here is what I did....

I started off w/ a quick HIIT WO on the treadmill.

Then I did one round of this bad boy!

Then I did this 3x with 5lb weights.

And FINALLY, I finished it off with this!! Each exercise for 30secs with a 30sec rest in between each for a total of 30 minutes! Phew!!! 

 TGIF!!! This evening has some Crockpot Apples and Perfect Fit Protein Ice Cream in store for me!

OOHHH! One last thing! I am super excited to be participating in @nutritionella & @LeanGrnBeanBlog #elf4health 6wk challenge starting on Monday! If you read this tonight and are interested, it is the last day to sign up for the whole 6-weeks. Definitely recommend everyone checks it out :)

Sleep tight, beauties!!

First Holiday Hottie Weekend!! - Days 6&7

Just wanted to do a quick weekend check in before I get ready to head off to Skyfall!!

This weekend has been really great - except for one thing...I am really good at drinking water throughout the week, but on the weekends I suck!! This will definitely be an area of focus for me moving forward! My weekend has been full of Christmas planning, relaxation, and crockpot apples...I am seriously obsessed! Crockpot apples in my oats, and my yogurt, on their own and with the Perfect Fit Ice Cream! OBSESSED!! 

Last night, I enjoyed an evening to myself! The BF was out on a boys night, so I watched a chick flick, made my 5DSD grocery list and ate this....

OMG! Perfect Fit Ice Cream with Dark Cocoa Powder! I topped it off with some pomegranate seeds and it was complete bliss! I still can't get over this ice cream - the texture and taste are so bang on!!

Thank goodness my order of PF came in, I have been enjoying that stuff like crazy lately!!

I have been keeping on top of the WOs K&K have been posted, and also throwing in #plankaday! I am up to just over 1:30, which is great considering my 1st one from a few days ago was @ 1:14! My arms are starting to take the hint...time to shape those babies up!!

Now onto the BEST part yet....my week one results!!!!

SO close to my #HolidayHottie goal and SO ready to kiss those 180s goodbye!! 

The TIU community has been vital in my success and I am super grateful for you beauties!

I hope you are all have a wonderful Sunday :)

xoxo

Holiday Hottie - Days 4&5, Week 1

Hey Holiday Hotties!!! I didn't a get a chance to post yesterday, so this will be a 2in1 special!! Day 4 of the series started out great, but unfortunately got a bit out of control. There has been some restructuring at my office, which made for a rather upsetting and stressful day. Luckily, this will not effect me directly, but it is still tough to see it going on. I let my nerves get the best of me and had zero appetite. I ended up leaving the office 3 hours late and I felt totally exhausted. I figured since I hadn't eaten anything, my planned cardio routine was not a smart idea. Instead I headed home, ate a couple of salad rolls and enjoyed some much needed meditation. It was an early night, and I was ready to wake up feeling refreshed and strong!

And that I did......  

 

I woke up and got in my 2nd #plankaday, TIU's fine toning plank and 30 crunches, situps and pushups. I was ready to face my toughest challenge of the Holiday Hottie series...today was the farewell party for our students, which meant I was serving up pizza and some of my FAV cake. I knew this was coming, so I brought some of my handmade salad rolls and a couple of Perfect Fit Peanut Butter Balls. AND I DID IT!! No cake and pizza for me :) Saying no was made a lot easier but having my own tasty lunch to look forward to and drinking tons of water.

I also knew that I would be enjoying a fabulous meal with the BF tonight! We cooked up some dijon baby carrots, garlicky asparagus, cajun shrimp and steak-one papa bear and one mama bear size! Normally, we would have had a a big ol' scoop of cheesy mashed potatoes, but neither of us really missed the extra carbs. 

 OK...now for the best part of my day...dessert!!!! I made the sweet crock pot apples and easy perfect fit ice cream from the TIU Blog. I've seen a lot of recipes on Pinterest for this frozen banana "ice cream" stuff, but I was highly skeptical of both the taste and the texture. Ummm, soooo...I'm in LOVE!! It is freaking unbelievable! I added some dark cocoa powder to their recipe, and I was amazed at just how incredible it came out! It can easily and realistically help me fight any ice cream cravings that creep up, and it is sooo versatile! Here I am...clearly excited!

The BF and I had a scoop on top of the crockpot apples and it was absolute bliss! Definitely the perfect treat to end the week :)

Congrats again to all of the #HolidayHottie winners! I am beyond happy for all of you and your dedication has been incredible to watch! I am really looking forward to the slim down next week and focusing on those 2-a-days! I am so thankful to have such a strong support system, both at home and with the TIU community.

Although it is Friday, this girl is a granny when it comes to sleep and it is way past my bedtime!! I am going to wind down with some kitty cuddles and get lots of rest for another Holiday Hottie day tomorrow.

Ooh, one more thing...I am looooving the TIU PB Balls!! If you haven't had a chance to try them yet, I highly recommend you get on that!

Hehe! Sweet Dreams beauties! xo

Holiday Hottie - Day 3, Week 1

Hello everyone!! This post is a wee bit late as I really enjoyed that pumpkin facial last night, and took some much needed me time!

 

 

 

 

After work, I got in 30mins of cardio and the Malibooty workout x3. I looooove that workout, and I felt so strong doing it!

 

I ended my day with some of K&K's delicious Hearty Mushroom Soup, and my first handmade shrimp salad roll! Super tasty :) I then put on my pumpkin facial mask and had some time to reflect on just how much this community means to me....

 

Day 3 felt really great, and it has been wonderful connecting with so many awesome women!! I have received some great support from SO many TIU sisters on Twitter - @berry_holli, @MariePOuellet, @gab365, @TracyTIU, @lauriev767, @GeorgieToningUp, @sophiehowl27....just to name a few :)

Your tweets have been such an inspiration, and I thank every last one of you for following along as I start my TIU journey!!!

 

 

 

 

Much love! xo

 

 

 

 



Holiday Hottie - Day 2, Week 1

 

Phew! That was a loooong day! I think I may have had TOO much excitement for this series yesterday, that I actually wore myself out!

I woke up this morning @6am and headed down to the beach for the Holiday Hottie Cardio Circuit. I keep telling myself that doing it on the sand is what made it so tough...truth is, this series is clearly showing me just how much work I have ahead of me. I am trying not to become overwhelmed, and continue to re-direct my energy towards the positivity and strength within the TIU Community. You can check out my quick booty call check in here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRtviIlfod8&feature=plcp

All day I was feeling pretty beat, and if you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen that brought on a big ol' craving!! I reached for a chocolate truffle...ughh! Good news though!! I dropped that truffle so fast the second I laid my eyes on a packet of Perfect Fit sitting on my desk. I added that to some unsweetened vanilla almond milk, and sipped on that instead :) Yay me! It's those small accomplishments that can turn your day around :)

I <3 Perfect Fit

  

 And turn it around it did!! I came home and started putting together a couple of TIU recipes. First on the list was the Holiday Hottie Hearty Mushroom Soup. I used tofu and added a looot of spice! It's just about done, and I can't wait to have a bowl! Second on the list was the TIU Peanut Butter Balls. Why have I never made this before!?! Have you ever seen that Ikea commercial where the lady runs out to her husband in the parking lot yelling "START THE CAR!!!" If not, she feels like she is stealing because the prices at Ikea are so good....that is how I feel about the PB Balls. For serious. They are that good!

Peanut Butter Balls!!

Hearty Mushroom Soup

 I wrapped up the evening by completing some quick workouts from the Beach Babe DVD. I started off just planning on doing Karena's Long and Lean Routine...but that DVD is so darn addicting! I followed it up with the Summer Arms and Bikini Abs workouts.

 

 What started off as a not so energetic day ended with me feeling relaxed and ready to take on a new day. That is the point of this series after all :) I am certainly starting to listen to my body, and it feels great. Now it is time to sip on some kombucha and enjoy Obama's speech :) 

Cheers to another successful and rewarding day!!

Love! xox

Holiday Hottie Series - Day 1, Week 1

 

I am going to make this super quick, as I am exhausted! It has been such a wonderful and fulfilling day, and I feel surrounded by so much love! It is amazing how connected you can feel to a group of women you have never met. Your support means the world to me, and I am beyond grateful!

Today has been incredibly successful, and seeing My Fitness Pal update at the end of the day left me speechless - If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 167.5 lbs in 5 weeks - SAY WHAT?!? That's @ 20lbs for me and if I end up anywhere near that, I will be SO ecstatic! 

I want to leave you with a couple of things before I sign off for the night...

 Of all my intentions, here is my #1 - Gain back the confidence I need to be my best self. Oh, and rock a @ToneItUp bikini. #HolidayHottie #NBD

Last but not least, I posted my first TIU check in video!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPNIAZ0s59A&feature=plcp

If you are following the Holiday Hottie series, I wish you a successful day 2. Remember why you started, and you will get there in no time!

LOOOVE!!! xo