FitViews

Today is Day 1 of Jillian Michaels' BodyShred !! I got up bright and early (Hello 4:30 AM!) and took my weight and measurements. I'll be taking pics after I write this post. Though I won't post them until the end of the program. Just not feeling it right now :) Then, I did workout 1!  AND only had to modify the push-ups, woohoo! First, the numbers: Beginning BodyShred Stats Weight 197.4 Right Bicep 13 Bust 44 Waist 37 Hips 45 Right Calf 15 Not going to lie, I did NOT expect to see that number on the scale. I expected it to read somewhere between 188 and 192. But, there it is. Fruit of my poor choices lately. Funny thing though, instead of feeling horrible about myself as I would have in the past, I felt motivated. Line. Drawn. In. SAND. Starting line! As I took my weight and measurements this morning, then looked myself in the mirror anticipating before pics, I felt no self loathing. Instead I'm just being very honest and real with myself. ...

There was a time in my life when I didn't know how to live healthy. A time when I didn't know how to listen to my body and give it what it needs to thrive. I didn't know that grains and white potatoes make me feel like crap. I didn't know I needed more water and less Sugarfree Rock Star to get through the afternoon. I didn't know how great taking care of myself and making good choices could make me feel. I didn't know my body was capable of working out hard, capable of running for miles and miles, capable period ! I didn't know. Fortunately I took the time (let's be real, it was years) to figure these things out. To research. To learn. To experiment with what works best for me. And now I know ... If only that was all it took! You see, I know, but I'm not doing . I'm not doing the things it takes to take care of my body. I'm not drinking enough water. I'm not running. I'm not lifting weights. I'm not working out at all. ...

I was sent the BodyShred program for review purposes. As always opinions are 100% honest and my own. I first heard about Jillian Michaels' new program BodyShred from a twitter friend. Excitement doesn't begin to describe my response; I couldn't get to the BodyShred site fast enough! After perusing the site a bit and reading about the program I decided THIS is exactly what I need right now!  Jillian workouts are among my favorites and I had great results from her Body Revolution program pre-baby. A new Jillian program?! Yes. Please. I've wandered pretty far off track with our move from Colorado to Idaho. My weight loss and fitness were not a priority (I know, I know, you'd think I'd learn...) During the move my eating was pretty good, but workouts didn't happen. AT. ALL. I think I went 3 weeks (maybe 4?) without working out once. Then, once we arrived in Idaho (while we wait for our CO house to sell) we rented a tiny house with a small yard and I'...

  This year has shaped  up to be the year of travel for me. From blog-related travel, to family-related travel, and even an out-of-state move I have been on the road a lot . I'm completely committed to ditching this baby weight and so I was a bit concerned with how I'd stay on track with all of that travel. I don't know about you, but I really struggle with my food when travelling. I struggle with finding quality Paleo-friendly food. I struggle with portions and I struggle with the expense of good food on the road. The nice folks at Six Pack Fitness sent me one of their Renee Totes in red to try out and I do believe my problems are solved! The Renee Tote Review I immediately fell in love with the look of this bag. It's super cute. I love that it's incognito and just looks like a really cute bag. The Renee Tote is the perfect size for my needs. There is plenty of room for an entire day's worth of meals and snacks. I think I could ev...

My kids think pancakes are a food group. I think they’d eat them at every meal if I was willing. When we went Paleo as a family they pined for their beloved pancakes. OK, maybe I did too… The thing with trying to make a Paleo pancake is that almond flour and coconut flour just don’t behave the same as wheat flour. This isn’t as noticeable in some things, but really can be problematic in pancakes. I’ve tried and tried again at a great Paleo pancake. Some of the failures were soooo terrible! Some were super dry, some wouldn’t even come together as a pancake, and some quite honestly tasted like warm cardboard. Yum, right? Finally, I’ve had success. These Banana Cinnamon Chia Paleo Pancakes may not taste anything like Grandma’s pancakes, but they are pretty tasty. They remind me of a whole-grain banana pancake I had at a restaurant once (though they’re grain-free!). My kids whole-heartedly approve! They could eat them daily right now. I’m not sure if they realize the...

A group of my fitness blogger friends decided to do Day in the Life posts today. I get a lot of questions about my routine. My Paleo eats, how much I work out, what supplements I take, how I fit in my blogging/freelance/work...stuff like that. I thought joining and doing a day in my life post would be fun and a great way to answer all of those questions at once! This was yesterday (Tuesday 1/20). It was a pretty average day for me. 4:30 AM My alarm on my phone goes off. I get up, get dressed in my workout clothes, and take my pre-workout (it says to take it 30-60 minutes before your workout, I shoot for 30). This is a new supp for me and I'm still just taking 1 to see how it goes. I also take my Acetyl L-Carnitine because the bottle says to take it on an empty stomach.  Sometimes I hit snooze until 5, but I'm trying hard not to do that. A lot of people say to sleep in your workout clothes to save time, but that doesn't work for me. What does work for me is...

I've gotten super serious about my nutrition lately. I am laser focused on my body after baby goals. For me that means upping my protein a bit, dropping my carbs a bit, and shaving off a few calories.  Never one for depriving myself completely, I always try to concoct healthified versions of my favorite treats. This helps me keep my mindset right (no obsessing allowed) and still reach my goals. Chips, soda, candy. Meh, no pull there. Ice cream? Frozen yogurt? Now these, these are the things I miss! My Strawberry Protein Faux-Yo is a super easy, protein-pumped-up swap that is simply amazing.   Plus, it's really just 3 ingredients: cashew milk, whey protein, and frozen strawberries! Can't beat that. Strawberry Protein Faux-Yo Makes 2 servings Approximately 100 calories each!! (depending on the type of protein powder you use) Ingredients 1/2 cup Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Cashewmilk (you can also use unsweetened vanilla coconut or almond mil...