Once you sign up, you get tons of emails with loads of workout routines, recipes and other tips to help get you started as well as daily emails with fun workouts they create on their YouTube channel for you to do. I’m not sure how they plan on choosing winners for this “Bikini Series,” but according to this post they did last week, there will be 4 Grand Prize winners that will win Contiki Vacations to go on their ultimate beach adventure as well as 20 prizes for other participants during the duration of the challenge which lasts 8 weeks.

So, I’m really freaking nervous about this whole challenge thing. It’s exciting and cool to have a great support system of women around, but then it’s scary to think about posting progress photos on the internet. It just freaks me out, but I’m doing it anyway because that’s how I roll these days. Also, I really like the TIU program and hopefully it can help me in my own journey to achieving body bliss  so wish me luck on that and hope you all can join up as well!

You can sign up for the Bikini Series – here.

Perfect Fit Rice Protein Powder

Coincidentally, they also sell their own Perfect Fit Rice Protein Powder which I was sent awhile back for review and have been trying it out. Basically, this protein powder is made with organic brown rice protein that is raw, gluten free, Vegan, Non-GMO, Kosher, Non-Fat, Low in Sodium, and Free of Sugar, Dairy, Lactose, Cholesterol, Soy, Corn, Wheat and Allergens. { That was a mouthful }

What I really like about this protein powder is that it doesn’t have any crap in it that a lot of other protein powders include that’s basically just filler and makes it cheaper for them to make. Instead, the Perfect Fit Protein is all quality ingredients and nothing more, nothing less. It tastes really good in smoothies and includes a nice portion of protein (15g per serving) so you definitely get the right amount for post workout recovery, despite it being a healthier option. You can use the powder to bake with as well or make protein pancakes, though I haven’t done that yet. The price point for this protein powder is really good and very comparable to others on the market, but more worth the value for your money, in my opinion, because it’s really good quality. One downside to this powder is that it doesn’t last well once it’s in a smoothie. For example, I made a smoothie with it and then had some leftover which I put in the fridge for the next day. I had it the next day and it kind of made my stomach hurt which I think is due to the rice in the formula itself ( rice expands in liquid over time ) so I don’t recommend letting anything you make with this protein powder sit. It works best when you simply use it right away. I enjoy mine in fruit smoothies.

You can learn more about the Perfect Fit Protein Powder by Tone It Up – here.

On a last side note, they also sent me a really nice Summery lip balm which has a lovely fruit tropical scent to it that was nice to keep in my gym bag so definitely recommend that if you like cute, simple lip balms!

Have You Joined Any Fitness or Health Challenges this year?

What Are Your Thoughts on Protein Powder & What’s Your Favorite Brand to Use, If Any?

I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences!

 ♥ Tianna

• Ingredients: 
  • 1/4 Cup Coconut Flour
  • 1 Packet or Scoop of Perfect Fit Protein
  • 1 Cup Blueberries (If using frozen, thaw first)
  • 3 Eggs
  • 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
  • 3 Tbsp Lemon Zest
  • 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt

   

1. Preheat Oven to 400 degrees
2. Mix together eggs, coconut oil, lemon juice and zest in a small bowl, either with a hand mixer or blender.
3.  In a separate bowl combine perfect fit, coconut flour, baking powder, salt and mix thoroughly.

4. Next, combine dry ingredients into the wet batter and mix or blend well until there are no lumps.

5. Fold blueberries into batter right before pouring into sprayed muffin tins.

6. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until center is cooked.

7. Enjoy!

Check out ToneItUp.com for more healthy treats and some great workouts! The Bikini Series just started, so join and get your bikini body you always have wanted! Let me know how your Blueberry Zest Muffins turned out!

Xo,

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• 2 cups of baby kale
• 1 cup of lettuce
• 1 English (small) cucumber, diced
• 1/2 cup sugar snap peas
• 1 cup broccoli
• 1/2 cup cooked tempeh (cooking directions below)
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• pinch of salt
• 2 Tbs hummus (I used Sabra Roasted Pine Nut)

Directions:

• crumble 1/2 package tempeh and place in pan
• sautee with olive oil, garlic, and salt until browned (~10min)
• rinse and chop veggies, place in large bowl
• top with tempeh and hummus

The hills are alive!

Just kidding. I have had some trouble sleeping lately, and last night was no exception. I woke up at 4 AM (lucky for me, the A’s and Angels were still playing baseball so I got to enjoy that) for no real reason and just stayed awake. One bonus of that is I was able to pop right out of bed at 5 for my morning cardio. Talk to me at 2 PM when I’m exhausted, but for now, I’m feeling pretty good!

This morning’s cardio was another workout from Tone It Up. It’s from their 3rd annual bikini series – which you should totally sign up for. They provide you with weekly schedules and tips/tricks for getting bikini ready. Anyway, the workout I did this morning was Bikini Cardio on the elliptical:

Warm up: 3 minutes, moderate pace

Series One:

2 minutes – sprint

1 minutes – moderate pace

(Repeat nine times)

Series Two:

1 minute – sprint

1 minute – moderate pace

(Repeat five times)

Cool Down – three minutes

Tonight I’ll be doing a barre class as well as a weight lifting class, so it should be a pretty well rounded day!

On to the food items. If you’re following the 7 day slim exactly, today would be day 6. I’m doing an accelerated version since the wedding is on Saturday, so I’ve jumped ahead to Day 5. The big emphasis today is no dairy. I was able to have a Greek yogurt last night, but I didn’t want one so I didn’t have it. You’re also supposed to add salt to meal 5 today to
“bloat” the body before stripping excess water later in the week. Hurray, salt!

Technically I’m supposed to be having a protein pancake for meal one, but I forgot to buy blueberries…so, I went with the egg whites again.

Meal One: 3 egg whites + 1/2 cup mushrooms + 1 cup spinach + garlic and Mrs. Dash

Meta-D, and 1 cup coffee with 2 stevia

I had 20 oz. of water with my morning workout and am working on another 20 now. I’m also having more coffee because I’m wild like that. I will also probably be twitching during the staff meeting I’m about to enter.

Meal Two is my old pal grapefruit again…delicious!

I’m feeling pretty tired right now, but that’s my own fault and has nothing to do with the detox. Perhaps I’ll be so exhausted at the end of today that I’ll be able to sleep through the night no problem. A girl can dream, right?

Additionally, I just confirmed a trip to North Carolina next weekend which means that there’s a potential for a bikini which means that I need to eat pretty clean next week too. I guess it’s good that I’ve decided to try this out for a bit.  Is there anything more terrifying than a bikini? No, I think not.

Anyway, that’s where I am right now. I’ll be back later. And, to keep everyone inspired, here’s the song currently playing on my Spotify:

Jenny from the Block

Breakfast around 6am or 7am (eggs, meat, & veggies)
Fruit or Larabar around 9 am
WOD at 10am
Progenex shake
Light ‘Lunch’ (tuna and carrots or beef and veggies) around noon
WOD at 1-2pm
Progenex shake
Vita Coco
Fruit or Larabar around 3pm
WOD at 5pm
Progenex shake
Nuts or anything I could get my hands on
Full dinner (veggies and meat) at 8pm

There was a ton of liquid and some small items, but no major meals considering I had three challenging workouts a day. I figured it would all catch up with me on Monday and I was right! I had originally planned on starting a Tone It Up ’5 Day Slim Down’ on Monday, but didn’t have time to plan my Monday meals so I decided to push it back to Tuesday and fill up on Monday!

I started Monday morning with the Tone It Up Long & Lean Routine from the Beach Babe DVD. I needed this badly. I probably could have done it five times. My body is sore, but more than anything I’m just tired from not getting much sleep. We had a portion of a leftover Custom Fit Meals from the weekend (Buffalo Chicken with Spaghetti Squash and Kale) that I topped with two scrambled eggs. This was my second CFM of the weekend and I would highly recommend it if you are interested in purchasing pre-made, all natural meals. I also broke out my new bottle of Bragg’s Organic Apple Cider Vinegar for my Meta-D. I can’t believe how much better it tasted! The regular ACV would leave me feeling nauseous for about 10-15 minutes and this morning it went down nice and smooth.

I ate about 1c of grapes in the morning before diving into my lunch at noon. My lunch was a hodge podge of items leftover from the weekend: asparagus spears, 1 chicken sausage with tomatoes, steamed broccoli, and canned tuna with avocado. Not great, but it worked! I ate a Larabar not long after that, but still felt hungry.  My planned afternoon snack was an apple with some (unpictured) almond butter.

I had planned on doing a run or walk after work, but I actually left work a little early with nothing but a nap on my mind. I decided that getting sleep would be better for me than the exercise.  Unfortunately, when I crawled into bed, my mind would not turn off.  I gave it about 30 minutes and then realized it wasn’t worth it anymore.  Instead, I had a craving to run.  Am I crazy??  I laced up, no music, and went out for a jog on a perfect rainy spring day.  I had planned on running 1 mile and walking 1 mile to stretch my legs, but I took an impulsive turn into a local park and just went from trail to trail enjoying the weather, the grass growing, and the sights.  It was amazing and just what I needed.  I was able to think through some things without any distractions and my legs felt great so I ended up running 2.1 miles (in 20 minutes) and walked the last .5 mile home.

Dinner was a homemade paleo crab cake with on top of spinach with tomatoes, strawberries, and walnuts topped with Tessemae’s Lemon Garlic dressing.  My team had gone out to dinner on Sunday night after the competition and every was talking about their ‘cheat meal’ which was really more of a ‘reward meal’ after putting our bodies and minds through a grueling weekend.  Somehow, I wasn’t craving anything and actually wanted to feed my body healthy, nutritious food after all of its hard work.  However, that changed on Monday  I was ready for a little treat and was thrilled to see that my grocery store was finally carrying Arctic Zone ‘ice cream.’  I’d like to look into the stats a little more, but 150 calories per pint, 20 g sugar per pint, 24 g carbs per pint, and 12g protein per pint.  It’s also dairy free!

I was a little disappointed when I opened it and saw ‘chocolate’ looking ice cream and zero cookies, but I guess that’s what you get for so few calories.  The ice cream was good, but definitely no Ben & Jerry’s.  I had several small bites, but then realized that I didn’t really want it anymore (the picture on the bottom right).  I had satisfied my craving  and wasn’t hungry so I put the lid on it and put it away.  This is a major milestone for me!   In the past, I would finish something just so it was done, but I was really proud of myself for listening to my body and being in control of food.    Score!

#Weekly14: 2.60

#220beforeIDo: 102.4725

Sunday morning, something stirred in me really early. Instead of wanting to sleep in until 10:00 (like I did on Saturday), at 6:30 I woke up ready to run. I jumped out of bed, laced up my sneakers, and drove the 2 miles to the beach. I parked and headed out on a path right next to the ocean. And  there I ran for 30 minutes.

 I’m telling you…there is something about a 3 – 4 mile run. I have run for 10 minutes and I have run for over 4 hours. But to me, somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes is where it’s at. The endorphins, the music, the rhythm, YES PLEASE. That middle distance is absolute bliss.

Afterwards, I grabbed a towel from my car, headed back to the beach and did this ab routine from Tone It Up. And MAN,  it was harder than I thought it was going to be!

Finally, when I was sweaty and gross, The Boy agreed to meet me over at Urth for some coffee and oatmeal. Slurp.

What did you guys do for your weekend workout?

Happy Monday

Alright, back to the detox. I’m going to be real here for a second. I’m hungry.

A wee bit hungry; a lot bit sweaty. And terrifying.

This is what I looked like when I got home from the gym. I took a Boot Camp class tonight and it kicked my butt, as is par for the course at the Boutique. I was hungry when I got to class, but I think that was mostly because I messed up my afternoon meals. Here was the rundown for the afternoon:

Meal Three: Two cups of greens + 1/2 grilled chicken breast + cucumbers, celery, bell pepper + balsamic vinegar

20 oz water

Meal Four: Protein Shake (this needs work)

Meal Five: One chicken breast seasoned with Mrs. Dash’s garlic seasoning + 1 cup oven roasted rosemary Brussels sprouts

Brussels are good for you.

I’ve had about 90 oz. of water today and I kind of feel like I’m going to float away, but it’s fine. While this is uncomfortable, so was seeing the numbers on my tape measure. I think that it’s hard because it’s so restrictive and I really haven’t done a diet like that before. Seriously, the only time I put myself on a diet was when I mentioned it in my first post. I literally survived on Diet Mountain Dew, cottage cheese, an apple and sometimes regular Cheerios. That was the end of my freshman, sophomore, and in the beginning of junior year (sometimes) at Michigan State. It was super effective but good God. Don’t do that. Don’t ever do that to yourself unless you like kidney stones.

Anyway, I’ve gotten off topic. I think the biggest thing I’ve learned today is that this is challenging. I should have removed everything from my house that I am not supposed to be eating. It’s hard to open the refrigerator and see the cheeses and some pasta I made last week, but it almost makes me feel good to turn them down and go with the cleaner choice. Clean eating is difficult, but I think when this detox is done, I’m going to start doing it more. I’ve owned a clean eating cookbook for awhile now and I might as well use it, right? It can be our summer adventure!

The most difficult aspect of day one was meal four. The protein shake I made was a colossal failure. It didn’t have much flavor and was super thin… I think that’s why I was so hungry. Tomorrow I can have hummus and veggies for meal four, and I think that will help. The chicken and Brussels I made for dinner were delicious as well. I was allowed to sprinkle a little olive oil on the Brussels so I did that and roasted them with some garlic and rosemary. Next time I’ll just do the garlic. The chicken I just sprinkled with Mrs. Dash’s garlic seasoning (notice a theme?) and grilled it in my Cuisinart Griddler. That thing is AMAZING.

I’ve prepped my salad and Meta-D for tomorrow so I should be ready to roll for day two. I’m going to go get some peppermint tea (you’re supposed to end the day with cinnamon tea, but I don’t like tea so I didn’t want to buy any) and probably get in bed.

Thanks for joining me on day one…if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to play this song to fall asleep to. Let’s get physical, y’all.

For a long time, we have been taught the calories in/calories out mindset, meaning that all you have to do is burn more than you eat to lose weight. According to an article in FitDay, it is more complicated than that. Your body needs certain amounts of fiber, protein, carbs, and good fats. Also, liquid calories don’t give you the same sense of fullness that solid calories do–drinking a regular soda won’t fill you up like eating a large banana would. Now, don’t convince yourself that diet soda is any better. Just because diet soda has no calories, doesn’t mean it is good for your health or weight. Here’s a video that will help you understand why diet soda is not the best choice.

The other day, I saw a lady walk up to the counter at a restaurant. The person behind the counter knew her and asked, “You here for your cake?” She replied, “You know it!” This woman got her cake and literally ran home with the cake in a to-go box.

One of my coworkers started the Insanity program the day before I did. I was so excited for him wanting to get healthier! I love it when people start making those types of choices. Then, I walked into my boss’ office and saw my Insanity bud eating powdered donuts with her. Saddened, I said, “Seriously? You just started doing Insanity. Why are you eating that?” He said that because he was doing Insanity, he could eat the donuts.

That is not how it works, people.

I’m not saying that you can never enjoy an ice cream sandwich again, but I am saying that you will not see the results you are sweating for if you eat junk on a regular basis.

For Your Workouts

Your body needs certain nutrients to give you the energy and stamina to get through your workouts. When you eat or drink simple sugars, like my coworker’s powdered donuts, your blood sugar spikes, giving you a quick burst of energy followed by a crash in energy. Your body needs proper hydration that only water can provide.

Also, eating too much sweets or just too much in general can lead to an upset stomach. Who wants to workout with an upset stomach? Not me. I end up bailing on my workout when my tummy hurts.

Eating proper foods before/after your workouts will help you to push yourself harder, amping up your workouts and getting your closer to your goals quickly.

For Your Health

Exercising doesn’t exempt you from poor health conditions. Even marathoners can get high blood pressure. While this can be hereditary, it is often linked to the consumption of sodium-packed junk food.

There are numerous studies, the China Study being one, out there that declare that proper nutrition can prevent and even reverse signs of cancer and other diseases!

For Muscle Definition

Eating foods that are high in fat and/or sugar leads to weight gain. For us women, that typically collects around our midsection which is, unfortunately, where most women want to lose fat. Muscle definition comes with a low body fat percentage. You can have huge ab muscles, but if they are covered in a layer of fat, you will never see them. Like the saying goes, “Abs are 30% gym and 70% diet. They’re made in the kitchen.”

For Your Passion for Fitness

I don’t know about you, but I am so much more motivated when I look at a before and after picture that shows significant results. I am able to see that all my hard work paid off. If I couldn’t tell the difference between my before and after, I would conclude that whatever I was doing was a waste of time and I would quit. Cause and effect– It’s just like a trial-and-error science experiment! We try a fitness regimen or a diet plan; if it gives us results, it was worth it. If not, we quit. Here’s the deal. Your fitness results will be amplified if you compliment your workout regimen with proper nutrition. When you see those results, you’ll be pumped and you will probably keep working and maybe even work harder!

Clean Eating

You don’t need to punish yourself every time you go out to eat with friends on the weekend with an hour long treadmill run. Just eat real food ! Our bodies don’t need preservatives, added sugars, or excessive sodium. They need real food: fruits, veggies, whole grains, unsaturated fats, and lean proteins. Eating clean is natural and so good for you! For some ideas on how to eat clean, check out Tone It Up and He and She Eat Clean. When you start eating clean and start feeling energized, you will realize that good, healthy food is exceedingly rewarding!

Oh, no. Oh, no no no no no. How wrong I was.

This weight loss/get fit journey is most taxing mentally. Now I roll my eyes and laugh when I think about how I underestimated the mental battles. Have you caught onto the underlying theme of this blog yet: progression is so freaking slow, I am impatient, I really like to complain and I’m totally and completely ignorant about everything? Oy vey.

I’ve touched on the mental battle before but me oh my, it never ends. And I get so easily frustrated with my own self-destruction mentally or how I can’t seem to put it all together. I get frustrated that I’m so uneducated about this whole shebang: fitness, nutrition, healthy eating habits, healthy living habits. I know it all takes time. There’s so much I don’t know that I’m (again, slowly) figuring out.

I allow myself one day to skip the gym during the work week, but twice I’ve taken two skip days. And the whole drive into work on the second skip day, I’m furious with myself. I was so mad at myself for sleepily convincing myself to have another skip day even though I was more than capable of getting up and going to work out.

Then I’d get mad at myself for my adamant refusal to go work out in the afternoons. The gym I go to is a chain, and there are two locations so close to my house that I could go to. But I don’t. Because the one location I do always go to is the one with the cardio cinema where nobody can see me huffing and puffing away in the dark. And I like watching the shows & the movies in a theater environment. I never want to go in the afternoon because then I’ll hit rush hour traffic on my way back. I refuse to consider afternoon work-outs at the other closer locations because:

1) I’m tired after work: This is true but everyone else in zee world is tired after work and most of them can do it, so I could too.

2) No cardio cinema. Uh, no, that’s not diva-ish at alllllllll.

3) There’s going to be a lot more PEOPLE!! It’s going to be so crowded. At 5 AM there’s nobody and I love it. And all these afternoon / evening people are going to have the bodies I want to have but don’t yet and I’m going to be embarrassed and intimidated and assuming they’re silently mocking my paltry efforts: Sigh.

When I am on the treadmill, I still have to talk myself down from the That’s It I Quit This Was A Dumb Idea I’m Never Going To Succeed Because Even Though It’s Been Two Months I Still Suck At Running And I Don’t Yet Like Running STOP THE TRAIN ledge. Oh yes, such a ledge exists and I’m usually always precariously perched on it.

Or when I’m doing Tone It Up exercises and it takes me 15 minutes just to figure out what the hell my left arm is supposed to do in one of the moves. And then I’m still not sure that I do it right. I think about how easy it would be to stop the madness, get up from my floor and to just lay on my bed watching Real Housewives of Atlanta Reunion Part 3 for the 12^th time and eat a whole box of Goldfish Extra Cheddar. I should go do that instead because I can do that. I’m really good at that and have lots of practice in that.

When I do that, I’m content. I wouldn’t say happy because I know what I should be doing: lying on my floor, thinking “NO PAIN NO GAIN DIG DEEPER” or something, and trying not to drop 5 pound dumbbells (are they even called that, I don’t know) on my face. I’ve always been a resident of Easy Street but now I’m doing something that’s hard.

Of course after every workout I’m congratulating myself and feel like a rockstar. If only I could bottle that up and drink in my times of weakness.

With food, I’ve been all kinds of horrible for the last few weeks at breakfast and lunch in The Cubicle lately. As in, I’ve been skipping one or both. I know it’s beyond awful, is not at all helpful and teetering on a slippery slope. There have been a few days where I decided I was NOT going to skip and I am going to eat because I’m hungry dammit. So I go to the vending machines and spend the .50 cents on a bag of pretzels because my bank account number never seems to go up and for some reason, to spend the $6-7 at Subway on nourishment seems like an unnecessary expense and I’d rather have a hunger headache all day. Then, of course, I get home and gorge on everything in sight. And everything in my sight is not healthy. I know it’s bad but I can’t seem to talk myself out of it because AHGRGHTRKYTLYTEJKTR I’M SO HUNGRY SHUT UP BRAIN.

There was one day where I stopped into the grocery store in the morning before work to stock up on frozen dinners and oh my gosh, they’re having a sale on Tostitos & salsa so I ate that all day at my desk and hated myself because I know it’s not healthy. Mentally, I know it is a badbadbadbad idea but I lack the willpower to talk myself out of it.

So as of late last week, I’m working on reading more about nutrition & healthy eating habits. When I’m at home, where I’m so much more susceptible to over-snacking, I make myself pause and think “Dear Caitlyn, are you actually hungry? Or are you bored? Are you sure you’re not thirsty and mistaking it for hunger?”

At work for the last 4 days I’ve been bringing breakfast & lunch that I enjoy and have been even packing healthy snacks for my afternoon cravings so I don’t pig out the second I’m home.

I started figuring out a few months ago that if I didn’t buy junk food, I couldn’t eat it! But then another problem arose: I didn’t know what healthy food I did like. Again, slowly and surely, figuring it out. And yep, I bought a container of blueberries only to try some and find that I hated them.$5 down the drain. My roommates don’t buy too much healthy things so I can’t sample from them.

If there’s a smarter financial way of figuring out what healthy foods one likes, please oh please let me know.

It’s a balancing act. Before, I wasn’t exercising, and I was eating somewhat healthy although my snacking habits on weekends were a mess. Now I’m exercising and I recently let my healthy eating slide. This self-sabotage is frustrating and annoying because I know I and I alone am the one doing it. I know I need to figure it out and yes, it’s taking time and will continue to take more time and it’s a lifelong marathon that will have a lot of stumbles and in this age of instant gratification I can’t get stupid. Just have to keep plugging away and realize there’s as much value in the journey as there is in the destination.

I would also like to note, for the record, that this post was written with “Next Episode” by Dr. Dre playing on repeat 22 times.

Today has just been a really awesome day, fitness-wise. I woke up around 10 and then was out the door for the gym by 11:30. I had an AWESOME back day, because this gym has an assisted pull-up machine, so I went insane on that. I’ve also noticed that people are SO friendly there. This guy came up to me and was being super helpful since I’d never used the thing before, so he was explaining to me how the more weight you set it to, the easier it’ll be. I love Canadians! I also saw a girl there wearing a uOttawa t-shirt, and I was like wow, small world I go there too.

Anyway, for my cardio, I did yesterday’s Tone It Up bikini series workout:

And now just looking at the picture again, I realized round 1 was repeated 9 times and not 3. Woopsies. I should’ve saved the picture to my phone so I could check it, because I was a little confused as to why It only took me 25ish minutes instead of 45, but then I thought it was because the workout was supposed to include abs too. Ah I’m gonna have to try this one again and do it properly. It was still really tough though. My warm-up was 3 minutes at 3.5mph (speed walk) and then for round one I did 7mph for the 2 minutes and 5mph for the medium pace 1 minute. For round to I did 1 minute at 7mph and 1 at 5mph. I did those numbers just because on the treadmills at GoodLife, they have buttons on the screen that say walk, jog, and run, which are 3, 5 and 7mph respectively. It’s just easier to click the button rather than having to press up on the speed going through all the decimals until I’m at the speed I want. If it doesn’t rain tomorrow, I’m gonna try and get in a 10k run, because that race is coming up soon, but if it does I’ll hit the gym for chest and tris and redo this cardio workout.

After the gym, I decided that instead of taking the subway home like I normally do, which takes about 15-20 minutes door to door, I would walk from the gym. I think it’s about a 40-45 minute walk, but I stopped for a coffee and I didn’t check the time, so I think it took me longer. Then when I got back, my mum and I went out for lunch at Fresh on Queen St., which is just a really yummy and healthy vegetarian/vegan restaurant. I normally get the Green Goddess Bowl, which is a bunch of green veggies on top of your choice of brown rice or soba noodles, but today I was starving since it was a late lunch, so got a veggie burger. It was delicious. I made such a mess though, since it was huge and I had to squish it down and all the sauce and ketchup dripped out haha. This was not first date food. If I today’s lunch had been a date instead of hanging out with my mum, if he asked me out again after that I’d marry him straight away because that was not cute. I wish I’d taken a picture of it so you guys could see how big it actually was, just in terms of height.

And then when we came back, it was time to start thinking about the next meal haha. This was my first home cooked meal since I’ve been back, and it was AH-mazing. We had salmon, bok choy, and rice. And yes, I took a picture of it:

It was SOOOOO good. Also, I have come up with a theme song for my life. I’ve basically just changed the lyrics to Just Keep Breathing by We The Kings to Just Keep Eating. It’s my new mantra.

I love to workout. (thank goodness!)  But lately, working out does not seem to be cutting it anymore.  I just had my first anniversary of my 29th birthday this year (roll with it) and it seems this year getting ready for spring is much harder than it has been before.   I have been working out almost every day with a good mix of cardio, strength training and some yoga for good measure.   I usually gain some winter weight of course – but around this time of year I work out and it falls off.  Well – not this year.  I have stayed at my winter weight in spite of my fitness efforts.  So I am doing this detox to try to jump start my weight loss and get ready for summer.

Really, this was Sara’s idea.  She is getting ready for a wedding, as you already have read, and (being the amazing friend that I am) I want to support her!  But the truth is that I need this just as much!  I feel like I am in good physical shape, but I just know I can get down to where I was even last summer.  I felt amazing – thanks to the THE BODY BOUTIQUE.  I did diet last summer, but only to lose a few extra lbs (after my winter weight).

So, I am ready to start this adventure and see where it takes me.  I am hoping at the end of the week, I feel great and can apply some of this to my diet moving forward.  This program has a lot of great recipes for every day moving forward that I am excited to try.   Thank goodness for Sara and this blog for a good support system.  Being honest, i usually start off really strong on a diet and then die off as time moves on.  So, I am hoping that with all of this added support and accountability I will succeed!!!!

I am going to make some modifications to what Sara mentioned above.  I have been making these “Green Monster” shakes for breakfast that I love.   I am going to stick with those just cut out some of the fruit and add some protein (as the slim down calls for).  My shakes include a head of romaine, a huge handful of spinach, 2 celery stalks, an apple, a pear and a banana.  I add some flax seed and lemon juice as well.  This mixture lasts me about 3 days and actually has been great so far.   I also travel for my job sometimes so later in the week I will be substituting some of the protein shakes for think thin bars.

So I am going to be logging my progress and thoughts daily.  I am going to add my starting, middle and end weight as well.  (starting tomorrow morning)   Sara and I look forward to sharing all of our thoughts, drama and self-doubts throughout the week!

Here’s to CARBS!!! I will miss thee!

In all reality, do you ever just have one of those weeks where the pants that fit you previously are just a wee bit snug? Or that pencil skirt that you used to straight ROCK now just seems to accentuate some lumps that you never knew you had? Well, that’s where I am. I’m in a wedding next Saturday and I really want to kick my diet in gear.

I work out nearly every day. I found a fantastic studio here in Cincinnati – shout out to the Body Boutique!- that keeps me motivated and challenges me and my fitness routine, and at the same time allows me to be my ridiculous self. My problem has always been food. I have a love/hate relationship with food. It’s so delicious – and I would like to be able to eat whatever I want – but I also like to fit into my pants. It’s the worst, right?

Everything in moderation is typically how I try to eat now…but that’s way easier said than done. I do pretty well with diet, but it wasn’t always that way. There was a time in my life where I survived on cottage cheese, an occasional apple, and Diet Mountain Dew. While I fit in to an obscenely small pair of pants, I was miserable and that was so unhealthy I cannot even explain.

So, why am I starting this diet where I cannot have wine or cheese or carbs? Simple. I want to reset. I want to try something different. I want to look damn good in my bridesmaid dress on Saturday. And I like the idea of a challenge! The biggest thing with this slim down diet is that it’s not a permanent lifestyle – it’s really just a chance to take a few days and eat really, really clean and really raw and see what happens. It’s going to be hard. I’m probably going to lay on my living room floor and compose a love song to cheese by Wednesday. But I think it will be worth it.

Sam and I will be blogging our adventures on this diet. Why? Because it will help us be accountable. We’re going to do our best to be honest about how we’re feeling and what we’ve been doing. And maybe you’ll want to try it too? Or maybe not. Either way, here we go.

I went to the grocery store to get the necessary items so I can prep for tomorrow. I work full time so prepping meals ahead of time is going to be key. The diet that we are doing is called the Seven Day Slim Down and was created by the Tone it Up girls. They’ve got some great workouts and nutrition ideas, if you’re looking for something.

Basically, the diet wants you to eat a lot of green veggies, lean protein, and fruit. It’s not too difficult because I love most vegetables, but you remove a lot of the things that would typically be used for flavoring. I love to cook, but this really limits what you’re cooking. You’re going to eat 5-6 small meals a day, which is the way you’re supposed to eat I guess, but that can be difficult if you’re not willing to prep. I guess that’s how I will be spending most of my evenings this week!

So, we’ll keep you posted on things throughout the week. I’m sure the first few days will be fine, but it will definitely be harder later in the week. But Sam and I are up for it and I hope it will work! Until then, I’m going to go stare lovingly into the drawer in my refrigerator dedicated only to cheese and make sure it knows I’ll be back in a week.

Goodbye, old friend.

SUNDAY

Rest & relaxation.

MONDAY- Stretch & Strength

After I packed Z his lunch and sent him on his way, I decided to get a workout in before breakfast.

Starting with some stretching:

Followed by a Tone It Up full body routine:

I have a physio ball at home, but rarely think to use it. I was excited to find this entire workout based around it. You can view and even download the entire Beach Ball Workout if you’d like to give it a try.

TUESDAY- Dive & Dash

Another morning, another scuba dive. This time I spent an hour at 24 feet, scraping paint. While this doesn’t sound overly exerting, the small, isolated, repetitive arm movements required made my arms burn.  We’ll call it “fine toning.”

Z was home from training early that afternoon and convinced me to take advantage of the beautiful spring weather and head out for a run. While I was hungry and really didn’t want to, I’m glad I did. Being outside, sun shining down, listening to good music…it was a great run.

WEDNESDAY- Dance

After some stretching, we completed the choreography for our recital routine. Let me tell you…it. is. fast. Tina Turner DOES NOT mess around when it comes to Proud Mary.

[via Boston.com]

Even though I walked away with a slight feeling of whiplash, once it all comes together it should be quite a spectacle.

THURSDAY- Tone It Up

This past week I signed up for Tone It Up’s Bikini Series.

“Join us for 8 weeks of bikini workouts, prizes, motivation & much more!”

Essentially, they provide 8 week’s worth of workout suggestions to get you toned and ready just in time for summer. Coming up with workouts on my own in daunting, so having someone give me suggestions for each day of the week is great!

While I don’t foresee myself sticking to their schedule 100% (for starters I don’t workout EVERY day). I do plan on using it as a guide for my usual strength training days.

The best part is that by signing up, you instantly join a community of women who motivate and inspire each other along the way. There are a number of fellow Baltimoreans who have signed up as well: Kate, Caitlyn, Anne Marie, (just to name a few). We have already started encouraging each other and I think having a network of positive reinforcement is absolutely awesome.

Before I started my first official bikini series workout:

Then it was time for the “Bikini Strap Workout”. Z did it along with me so now he’ll be bikini-ready too. Here’s just a snapshot of what it included.

Those push-up/plank/rows were no joke. Especially 3 sets in…

FRIDAY

No workout to be had. It was the first day off that Z and I have had together in a couple weeks now so it was jam-packed full of errands and hard core spring cleaning.

SATURDAY

Another jam-packed day. I was in total spring cleaning mode…closets, windows (inside AND out). It felt so good!

I had wanted to fit in a quick workout before heading out the door to our afternoon plans but by the time we got around to it we were crunched for time. A short workout is better than none at all, I suppose!

We did our favorite Tara Stiles morning stretch, followed by one round of Friday’s Tone It Up Bikini Series challenge routine:

Now I’m off to work, starting off my week with some SCUBA. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Of course, all of these realizations weren’t very good to have the week the Tone It Up Bikini Series was starting! As much as I would love to keep pushing myself with our Bikini Cardio workout, I keep reminding myself that if I’m good, I can do it in two weeks, and if I try to do it anyway, I could cause some serious injuries, leaving me out of the running for even longer!

Since this is my first post, I want to be up front and honest will everyone who reads this. I have struggled since I was 12 with an eating disorder, making the path to health and fitness full of happiness, but also turmoil, some days. Especially now that I am unable to run and do cardio, it upsets me enough that I will either a) starve myself as punishment, or to make up for the fact I can’t exercise, or b) binge on unhealthy foods to make myself “feel better” – which is only temporary. My mind is constantly beating up my spirit because I will never be able to accomplish what I want to, etc. Within the past year, I have experienced the greatest fluctuations with my weight and body size. A year ago, while I was living in California by myself, without any friends or family, I starved myself down to about 112 pounds. To put this into perspective, my “normal” weight at the time was around 135 and I am 5’10″.

More recently, after the traumatic passing of my grandfather and now terminal illness of my grandmother, my weight is anywhere between 143-150 pounds. Not to say I’m “okay” with this in the slightest; I started to attend Eating Disorders Anonymous in order to cope with my feelings and realize the dangerous thoughts and behaviors and try to stop them from occurring again.

I am sharing this now because of the support that the Tone It Up community brings to each other in the hard times. Others have experienced so much, and the community sticks with them instead of running away. I am so thankful I found this community of girls, but I had to realize at the moment I joined that there were some things I might be unable to do.

Unlike the other girls, I sometimes must have more “cheat” days – if I restrict myself from eating something I really want, it makes me more likely to restrict more kinds and types of foods, feeding into my disorder. Also, because of the stress of working two jobs and going to college full time, I’m going to have a harder time fitting in workouts or figuring out how/what I’m going to eat when I don’t have time to go home from work before a night class.

But I want others to know that it is possible to maintain a healthy lifestyle even with an eating disorder. It seems impossible. The compulsions will always be there, just like with other addictions such as self harm – or even smoking! I want to be a Tone It Up girl who can fuel herself with lean, clean & green foods and workout and feel GREAT about herself – but also realize that with my disorder, I cannot make expectations of myself that are too high. I hope that, with the help of this community, I will be able to be a healthy individual with unhealthy thoughts that will become easier to control.

Sorry for the ramble – if you haven’t yet, sign up for the Tone It Up Bikini Series! We must get our beach bodies ready, the RIGHT way!

xoxo Rachel

After my run, I came home and ate a few Blueberry Zest Muffins that I made last night. 

Aren’t they cute??? I made them in heart-shaped muffin tins! I got the recipe from the Tone It Up website, but I made a few tweaks. I substituted whole wheat flour for coconut flour because I’m cheap and didn’t want to buy coconut flour when I already had whole wheat flour at home, and I subbed vanilla for lemon juice because I’m not real crazy about lemon. I also sprinkled a few chopped walnuts on top for crunch. They were sooooo yummy!!!

My dad’s home this weekend, so I decided to spend the day at my parent’s house so that I can spend time with him. I love it when my dad comes home because, well, he’s my dad and I love to see him…but also because he brings treats!! Dad works for Pepsi and gets cases of expired drinks! (Seriously, does soda ever really expire??) My fave drink is Sobe Life Water.This one is Black Cherry Dragonfruit flavor. It’s one of my favorites…I also really like the Yumberry Pomegranate because it’s pink and I like to say “Yumberry.”

Anyways, back to my dad being home… As a girl, sometimes I wonder how much guys really notice about how much effort we put into our appearance. Do they notice when we pluck our eyebrows or file our nails? I mean, sure they’ll notice if you’re eyebrows look like they could pass for caterpillars, but do they notice those 2 or 3 hairs outside of your perfectly waxed arch? I didn’t really think guys would notice or care about those little things, but today something happened that made me question whether maybe they care about the little things more than I originally thought. I was just sitting on my parent’s kitchen counter minding my own business and swinging my legs back and forth while talking to my dad and Brandon. All of the sudden they gang up on me and start making fun of my chipped toenail polish! Seriously?? I didn’t even think a guy would notice! Yeah, my toenails are chipping pretty badly and need to be repainted; I even threw some nail polish in my purse so I could redo my nails today at my parent’s, but that doesn’t mean I’m letting myself go like Dad implied. “Yep, the first year of marriage, they start letting their nail polish chip…Next year she’ll stop shaving her legs. No need to impress anyone now that she’s married.” I may have gotten a little prickly during the week because it was a busy week, but I DID shave my legs this morning, thank you very much! Meanwhile, my mom is sitting on the couch quietly minding her own business and keeping her chipped toenails tucked out of site. Thanks for the solidarity, Mom. 

Now I’m off to repaint my toenails so that I don’t get made fun of anymore.

This is Tone It Up’s 3rd Annual Bikini Series!

I have to say that I’m really excited to do this! We’re already a few days in – the Bikini Series started April 22nd, 2013 – and I’ve been with it from the beginning! I’ve been signed up to health & fitness emails from SELF.com for several months now, and received an email about the Bikini Series the day it started. Although I’m intensely interested in health and nutrition, I’ve never followed a fitness program like this before. Here are the top five reasons why I think TIU’s Bikini Series is going to be an amazing challenge for me and thousands of other girls like me:

5) TIU has some great hosts

If you haven’t “met” the TIU trainers Karena & Katrina yet, you can view this short video and have a look around the website as well. Karena & Katrina are two lovely girls with a lot of passion for what they do. You can just see their eyes lighting up as they gush about health and nutrition, and are always genuinely excited to share the latest TIU recipe or fitness routine! I think that K&K are very special, in that they are able to connect with a lot of girls and women about the things we all think about: health, beauty, fitness, fun, happiness, and life! They embrace life, exude positivity, and are amazing role models for living a happy and healthy life.

4) It’s accommodating to alternate diets

I have to say that I have NEVER seen a mainstream diet & fitness program like this that is so welcoming and inclusive towards vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians, gluten free eaters, gluten free vegetarians…It’s amazing and inspiring to me. Tone It Up is VERY nutrition-oriented (in fact, they offer a very popular Nutrition Plan that I unfortunately have not had the pleasure of trying yet) and nothing makes me feel better than to see a Vegan recipe scrolling through the featured recipes on their website.

I think that veganism can be a difficult thing for mainstream nutrition programs to deal with because they always try to take the typical omnivorous recipes and make “vegan versions”, which tend to be abound with awkward substitutions that just make the recipe difficult, expensive, and less-than-appealing. TIU, however, comes at it with a vegan mind from the start. Fresh, creative salads, hummus, whole grains, beans and lentils…all of the staples of a great vegan diet are already incorporated into TIU’s standard recipe plan. They also offer a completely vegan and organic protein powder.

3) It’s CHALLENGING

The past few days I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how challenging the Bikini Series fitness routines are. These girls aren’t messing around! I think this is important for a few reasons, and is also something that makes TIU stand out from the rest. So many fitness programs geared towards girls and women underestimate our ability and our desire to really GO HARD when it comes to exercise. They only ask us to do 30 min of cardio three days a week, and on the off days maybe pick up a few 5-lb weights or a resistance band. This is easy, boring, and quite frankly, darn near useless. Unless you’re pushing yourself, you’re never going to see a positive change in your appearance, your lifestyle, or your confidence.

Some of you might point out routines like P90x and Insanity, that are undeniably extremely difficult, and don’t mind letting you know it. However, I think that for their demographic, TIU is much more successful in that they don’t try to shove it in your face that the fitness routines might be tough. They aren’t calling you “extreme” or “insane” for doing their program – it’s all based around a wonderful, light, happy atmosphere of creating positive change in yourself and in your life. I think positivity is a much more effective way of motivating someone than posturing as a “totally extreme raw pumped insane body sculptor” who puts down “softbodies” for not being as totally extreme insane as him.

2) It’s COMMUNITY-BASED

TIU is ALL about creating a community of people who want to help, encourage, and motivate each other so that everyone can reach their full potential. They have their own Facebook-esque community website where you can create a profile, add friends, post status updates, pictures, recipes, and even journal/blog posts if you’d like! TIU encourages everyone who is doing the Bikini Series to “check in” on the community website by making a status update about what exercises you did that day and what great meals and recipes you’ve made. This does wonderful things for motivation, because you can read about all the great things your fellow TIU teammates have been doing, and be inspired to do it yourself. It also helps to hold yourself accountable, because you don’t want to miss a single check in!

1) It’s FUN

That’s right! The #1 reason that I believe makes TIU so unique and successful, is that it’s FUN. You’re encouraged to use social media like Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, and the TIU community to get involved, check in, talk with other people, post pictures, record your progress, and share your thoughts about fitness, health, and life in general. Karena & Katrina post videos of themselves having fun in the sun, riding bikes, longboarding, chilling on the beach, laughing, and basically presenting the ideal image of summer fun. Everyone in the TIU community is supportive, creative, and positive. If you’re having a rough day or feeling discouraged, someone will let you know that you’re going to get through it and that you’re doing just fine. If you’re excited about breaking a personal record or any other kind of fitness or health barrier, there are hundreds of people there to cheer you on.

So, expect to see a lot of posts from me about the TIU Bikini Series. It looks like it’s going to be a fun ride!

What on earth is that green stuff that you are drinking?

I know, I know it looks pretty gross right, but it is actually really good. I first heard about green smoothies when I went to mission school. I came downstairs and I found these girls drinking this green stuff eeeeek!

Out of curiosity, I asked about it. They told me that if I tried it I would love it. So, to prove them wrong I went ahead and tried, and surprise, surprise this southern girl fell in love with a green smoothie!!!!!

Since then, I blend like crazy!!!!

You can find recipes on pinterest, green smoothie girl, tone it up!

You can do it!

Here is my have recipe from Heather Lindsey

So, why would I drink that stuff? Well, there are plenty of reasons. Green smoothies help the body release toxins, they contains lots of fiber (to help things move along )

If you haven’t heard of Tone It Up, check out there website here. They are freaking rockstars and I kind of want to be their best friend. I could go on and on about this program and how much I love it, but I’ll just fill you in on the basics. Karena & Katrina started their fitness program, Tone it Up, three years ago. Its not only a Nutrition Program, but also a community of women working out and sharing their healthy lives with each other. Via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and a special online community blog, women everywhere are connecting with one another not only to inspire, but to help each other through day to day struggles associated with fitness and healthy living. It’s an awesome community, and my favorite part of the program! It makes me stay accountable with my food choices, workouts, and helps me find new ways to eat and exercise. The motto is eat Lean, Clean, and Green, and while this intimidated me at first (mainly because the only thing I knew how to make before joining was cereal) it is totally doable and actually really easy.

They also have a Workout DVD and a protein supplement called Perfect Fit Protein (which is absolutely delish!). The most amazing thing about Tone It Up?  While things like the protein, workout DVD, and nutrition plan do cost some money, everything else like recipes, workouts, and special challenges are FREE! There is literally no reason why you can’t join in on the fun!

Which leads me to the BIKINI SERIES!! This is an eight week workout designed to get you ready for Summer (aka: bikini season). Throughout the eight weeks, K&K send you weekly workouts and meals to help keep you on track. They encourage everyone doing the series to update them via social media on workouts and meals throughout the day. Their fun spirits and bubbly personalities make it super easy to stick to the plan, not to mention they have incentives like free bathing suits and trips to amazing beaches around the world as motivation. {Way better than the free water bottle I got going to my gym.}

I absolutely love Tone It Up and how it has changed my way of thinking about food and fitness for good! K&K are truly an inspiration to me and many other women pursuing happy and healthy lives. Check them out and sign up for the Bikini Series, the challenge starts Monday, April 29th. You won’t regret it, promise!!

Sign up with me and other women all over the world here!!

Check out this video, how could this not get you excited about Summer?!

XOXO

Love, Calley Rae

It’s bikini time!  Or should we say tankini time!Whatever the case may be summer is quickly approaching.  Too be honest Erin and I both fell of the wagon a bit post her Hawaii trip.  Nothing like having to be half naked and wet to get you motivated.

Karena and Katrina over at Tone It Up! are kicking off their 3rd Annual Bikini Series!

It’s not too late to join.  They post great workouts, nutrition tips, and recipes.  Plus they are super positive and really motivating.   Disclaimer, they are both really hast and have not had babies.  But we won’t hold that against them.  Erin and I have signed up for the Bikini Series challenge.  Eight weeks of working out and clean eating.

Want to join?

Off to do some toning while I watch the Real Housewives.  (How I adore nap time).

J.R.

God had a different plan. (when does He not? I always think I have it figured out..I know He laughs at me sometimes)

Back in March 2011 I joined the Tone It Up team, not knowing what to expect really. I was just wanting new work outs and wanting to know what to eat and how to eat and all that healthy stuff. I never fully committed myself to being a “Tone It Up girl” until the start of this Bikini Series. <– definitely check it out! I would sometimes get work outs from the website, occasionally make something healthy from the recipes, but I never figured out what it all really meant. I was too worried about how much my stomach stuck out, how my arms looked from the side, the number or letter size on the back of my clothes, and the number on the scale.

Long story short, from March-December 2011 I was getting so wrapped up in how I looked, I felt terrible if I ate something bad, I was not confident in my body, and I was beyond self-conscious. I was never “over-weight” but I was NEVER happy with how I looked or how I felt. Then, in December 2011 I had passed out twice and the doctors decided to put an ICD in, under my muscle by my heart, incase I were to pass out again, it could shock me back to life. (Really though Jesus would if He wanted to) After being so sick and going through that surgery, I lost about 10 pounds weighing 125. I thought, hey! this is great I didn’t even have to do anything and look at me. I was happy that I had the surgery because I lost the weight. How sick is that. I am being so honest here because I know it might help someone who thinks or feels the same way, even in the slightest way. So, I lost that weight and as I recovered from it all, I was so careful about what I ate, I was scared to eat too much, and I was worried I would gain all the weight back and what would I do if I did? It was and still is today so hard for me to lose weight because of my heart. So, as 3 months went by I came across Tone It Up on pinterest and decided, hey this will keep me the same, I can do these work outs, I can eat this food sometimes, and I will look the same. I bought it in March 2012, but it was not until today, April 26, 2013 that I have truly learned what it means to be a Tone It Up girl.

I had surgery on my heart on March 4, 2013, almost two months ago and you wouldn’t be able to explain how I am doing what I am doing except through Jesus Christ! I have signed up for the “Bikini Series” and I have never felt better physically, but more importantly spiritually. My happiness doesn’t come purely from working out and eating healthy. My happiness comes from Jesus who has given me the ability to work out, to eat healthy, and to live my life as if I didn’t have a disease. To show the world that it DOES NOT MATTER what disease, what ache, what condition you have, Jesus can make it possible. You may have to suffer a while, but He will pull you through it. I am living proof. I consider myself a Tone It Up girl because for the first time in my life, I am feeling better than ever about myself, my relationships, and my life. I am no longer worried about if my stomach sticks out, I don’t care about the size of a shirt, if I buy it in a large because it makes me look sexy and its comfortable, I’m going to buy it! Eating healthy and working out isn’t something I do because I want to be skinny, I do it because it has been one of MANY gifts God has given me to be able to take care of myself and show every one that it is possible. Life is worth fighting for and I know my Tone It Up journey and my heart health journey is just beginning, there are going to be hard days, sometimes I might not be able to do as much as I want, and some days I may just be in a funk, but I have SO much more fight in me because of my Savior and because of this amazing community I am apart of!

Just to share the first week of the Bikini Series, here are some pictures from this weeks check-in’s off my instagram. (“ashlintiu” if you want to follow me!) I am already feeling so much better and I can definitely feel a difference and it’s only week one! This is not a diet, it’s not a fad, it’s a LIFESTYLE. I am not doing this because I think I am fat, I am doing it because I have chosen to take care of this body that the Lord has blessed me with, sick heart and all! It’s a happy lifestyle to eat clean, take care of my body, take extra care of my heart, work out regularly, cheat on occasion with what the foods I love (aka FROZEN YOGURT if you didn’t know by now!), and love my life and the people in it completely! I have chosen this and will never look back again!

My before picture is in this first picture and as much as I didn’t want to post it, I wanted to be honest and upfront with everyone and I know that I am only going to get better from here and I can’t wait to see the change :) P.S. workout clothes from TJ Max are THE way to go!

I have found a new love for dancing, in my room, where no one is watching haha I hope to gain the confidence over the next couple of weeks to not be so shy about my new dance moves :)

This is my favorite part! I made this, this morning, a journal to track my meals, but also to just talk to God about what I am struggling with, what I am thankful for, what I need to work on, and to really grow and learn more about myself and my God :)

These are just some of my lovely meal check-ins that were SO yummy and by yummy I mean actually good, not just good for YOU!