Leg Day

Who is this #FitFam?

Standard

Imagine you walk up to a wall…and just start talking.  You talk about everything from your macros for the day to how much weight you just pulled and how many times you’ve already pooped today.  You are deep in the heart of fitness talk…and the wall?  Is your husband.

He has no clue.  He doesn’t care to have a clue.  He just stares blankly until you mention a word that resembles something he understands and cares about. This takes awhile.  Finally he hears the word “dinner” and takes his cue, “YES! Dinner! What’s for Dinner?!” and walks..eh em BOLTS away.

humpfh.

Enter The #FitFam.


img_6595-e1500474068507.png
You’ve probably seen fitness posts that include a million hashtags. #Fitness #CleanEating #SWOLmates #WeightLoss #Gains #DoYouEvenLiftBro and of course #FitFam.  Each of those little hashtags represent a connection to an entire world of people who REALLY DO want to talk about your protein poops and post workout pump!  People who find inspiration in your successes and will help you through your struggles.  They are your #FitFam..Your Fitness Family.

These are the people that get genuinely psyched when you succeed.  The people that will offer you any and all advice, shoulders to cry on and squat racks to spot on.  The outpouring of amazing support from my #Fitfam has been unreal. The best part?  Whether you know it or not, you start using those hashtags, and it will make you discoverable.  You too will be motivating and inspiring others in your own unique way.

img_6594-e1500474037479.pngI want to give a shout out to the people that have made such an amazingly positive impact on my journey so far..most of which, I’ve never met, let alone spoken to over the phone.

Ben – St. Cloud.
Ben is one of my original trainers turned Mestie. Man. Bestie.  He and I can literally talk about anything.  Fitness talks are pretty much nothing but passion for the pump. Ben is now an Officer in the U.S. Army and our chats are mostly via Facetime and Text.

Chris – NYC
Chris is a 30-something dad that has been through an amazing journey of his own and is now Power lifting.  He is always good for an extra kick in my ass to get the job done and has already shared so much of his knowledge and experience with me.  I also love watching the videos he sends me of his young daughter that he is teaching to lift. Chris inspires me daily.

Mollie – St. Cloud
Mollie and I actually work together.  We both have a similar mindset for what/where we want to go on this fitness journey and at the same time, the understanding of the grueling demands that radio can have on our fitness schedules and more.  She inspires me with her fearless approach to this journey.  Mollie’s focus in her transformation is Cross-Fit.

Jason – Milwaukee
Jason is a Physical Therapist who travels and is one of the most positive lights on fitness social media.  He’s like a shot of Inspirational Adrenaline in the ass.  He even offers some advice when needed.  He is the one that helped me find my love for KT Tape.

Robin – Iowa
Robin is a student, the mother of Batman the cat and always has the most fun snapchats to watch.  Whether we are showing off our current post workout pics or encouraging each other to get up and do the workout anyway, she’s been fantastic for me.

Vinny – Nashville
Vinny, aka Bigg Vinny has been through some amazing transformations including his appearance on NBC’s The Biggest Loser.  From weight loss to now Power Lifting, Vinny and his wife have always been there when I have questions or just need my butt kicked on the road.

Stephanie – St. Cloud
I work with Stephanie as well. We talk Clean Eating All. The. Time.  She is a great resource for a more holistic approach to fitness and nutrition. Steph’s fitness choice at the moment is Barre and Barre Fusion.

Bodyspace/Instagram Fitfam
I have a profile on Bodyspace and the outpouring of support is amazing.  Special shout outs to:
Stephanie Sanzo / StephFitMum- Austrailia
Kristi Youngdahl / kyoungdahl – Minnesota
Chris McGann – Roanoke,US
Todd Morris – Camp Douglas, US
RedRiverRogue – Florence, US
Jaye – Pearl Harbor, US

There are so many others that I could list, but it would take forever and It’s Leg Day Bitchachos.

Don’t forget to look beyond the wall in front of you, there are always like-minded people looking to share stories, inspiration and more with you.  You just have to seek them out.

Good Luck, FitFam! xoxo

Advertisement

Day 3 of 21 – First Workout & Random Acts of Swearing

Standard

legdaytoilet

Whew. Day 3. Helloooo Day 3.  Today was my first session with my new trainer, Tyler.  When I walked into the gym, I saw my Mestie, Ben.  We hugged, high-fived and warmed up together on the treadmill.  Ok, let’s clarify that.  I warmed up. He took a break from lifting weights the size of me.

Tyler, much like Ben, is all about form.  I love this.  Bad Form = not just potential injuries, but the possibility of being “that guy”.  You know..the dude that everyone looks at like, “What in the hell is he doing?” Note: you don’t want to be that guy.

Bent over Row, Lunges, Leg Lifts.  Sounds pretty easy right?  Well, tell that to my legs.  I have the most restless legs in the world tonight.  Stairs and I are fighting and I’m purchasing a parachute on Amazon Prime for my free falls to the toilet seat.  Oh Leg Day, you son-of-a-bitch..you ol’ sailor you…I LOVE YOU.

Words cannot express how great I feel after a workout like that.  My form was on point. Tyler mentioned on more than one occasion that he was excited to see I was not just practicing good form, but that I was strong.

Strong is what I want to be.  Not skinny, not great in a bathing suit.  I just want to be Strong, Healthy and Fit.
I made a new recipe tonight, Egg Roll in a Bowl.  Pretty much all the good stuff from the inside of an egg roll.  Find the Recipe here

Tomorrow’s goal?  Power through another session, especially if it’s upper body. I’m gettin’ my hair did…so this girl won’t have to even try to wash her own!  Oh, and drink more water.  This one is big.

I’m off to bed, swearing with every step down the stairs as if calling my legs dirty names will make them hurt less.  Nope.  Magnesium will though.  (yes I supplement)

Labor Day is PREP Day..and Leg Day..and I need a Nap already day.

Standard

Things have been really up and down over the past  few months.  From festivals just about every weekend the first 2/3 of the summer, to big changes at work, the least I can tell you is that I’m tired and have been for more than a month.

Getting up and going gets tougher and tougher the longer and longer you wait.  I always asked myself how people got into their situations of being confined to a couch and living a lifestyle that is a one-way ticket to heartattack-ville.  Well, if they are anything like me, they might have just allowed themselves to ride the trolley right down the path of lazy. Then got lost and didn’t even remember where they were going originally.

I’ve learned a lot in the last few months about myself and how a simple daily outlook can change our paths for the better.  I had a coworker who would tell me the two following statements:

 

  1.  “Did you Die?”  Ok. When you’re upset about something, NO ONE wants to hear this. We want to clang pots and pans together, march around like a one-man band screaming “pay attention to me, agree with me!”  Well, 9 times out of 10, we DIDN’T die.  We ARE overreacting AND we just learned a solid lesson in the act of “choosing our battles”.  This statement has helped me to take the emotion out of so many of the situations where passion outweighs our brains at first.  Solid advice, bro.
  2. “Don’t let ONE negative thing, unravel your ENTIRE day.”  Simple Right? Well, not always.  Sometimes, we don’t even see ourselves on the red eye to “Negative Nancyville”.   Remembering this concept has helped me to cope with the really bad, and really focus on the joy of the day.  Sometimes, it’s just looking at the horizon and noticing how beautiful the colors are and taking it in.  The little positive things add up to a lot if you let them!

Whew..that bit of philosophy out of the way, I’m trying to dive back into the amazing world of fitness, meal planning and me-time.  Three things that add up to amazing positivity in my life.  And three things that ..well, when one went down in flames..I would say F it to the other two.  (see above Trolley to Lazy Land)

So after a killer BACK workout last night and Leg Day in the books today thanks to my Mestie (man bestie for the layman), Ben, I’m off to a sore and yet successful start.  I have a killer treadmill in my basement that calls to me to get off my arse and use it.  I have the skills to create the culinary version of love and awesome in the kitchen. So now..what’s holding me back?  Me.  …well it WAS me..two days ago..and the 30 days before that…and before that.  It’s not about never having to restart…I think it’s about restarting as soon as you can and only resting…not quitting.  big difference there.

I wanted to share one of the recipes I’ve created for this week.  It is also saved in MyFitnessPal account  and it’s slightly adjusted from the original recipe I found on Pinterest.

 

Happy Noshing!

xo Babs

13687151_1766446050298866_59807507_n

Baked Raspberry Oatmeal

9 Ingredients / 8 servings

  • 3 cup (40g dry), Old Fashioned Oats
  • 2 tsp, Baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon, Salt
  • 1 cup(s), Organic Sucanat
  • 1.00 cup, 1% Milk
  • 1 tsp(s), Vanilla extract
  • 2 large, Egg
  • 1 Packet, No Sugar Added Applesauce
  • 1 cup, Raspberries – Raw
    Mix Oats, Baking Powder, Salt together. Then mix in wet ingredients. Finally Fold in the berries and bake in an 8×8 Square pan (spray with Non-Stick first) for up to 35mins at 350 or until nice and golden brown. Serve warm.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 8.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 264
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 4 g 6 %
Saturated Fat 1 g 6 %
Monounsaturated Fat 1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 49 mg 16 %
Sodium 354 mg 15 %
Potassium 41 mg 1 %
Total Carbohydrate 51 g 17 %
Dietary Fiber 4 g 16 %
Sugars 29 g
Protein 8 g 16 %
Vitamin A 4 %
Vitamin C 8 %
Calcium 10 %
Iron 9 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

Sicky McSickerton & the Weight Gainers

Standard

Ok.  So usually when you hear of people getting sick you think, “oh they will be just WASTING AWAY!”.  Unless “waisting away” means the number on your waistline running away to college and gaining the Freshmen 15, I’m not part of that.

I ducked around the stomach flu at Christmas, I’ve weaved in and out of the Upper Respiratory Flu like a prize boxer.  Then I got cocky and went down like Joe Glass against Piston Honda in Mike Tyson’s Punch Out. Ding Ding Ding.  Aaand she’s out.

Yup. Out for almost 4 days last week.  Now, if you’ve ever met me, you already know that we were all expecting a fat lady to sing and pigs to fly at even the thought of this.  I am a workaholic.  There, are you happy? I said it.  So, for me to take that much time, just because I’m sick, is redunkulous.

So I spent most of last week with my son at daycare, my husband at work and the dog curled up with me on the couch or in bed watching netflix, pinning on Pinterest or both simultaneously. This, mind you, all while suped up on good ol’ Nyquil, mentholatum greased all over my face and tissues all around me.

In the end, I’m still dealing with that lingering stuffy nose, but I’m on the mend.  Today was my first workout since my “epidemic”…and…wait for it.  It was LEG DAY.

Ah yes Leg Day.  The only time it’s perfectly normal to walk like the chicks on trashy reality TV Shoes like Campus PD after a bust.  I swear after the first set of Kettlebell Squats, Deadlifts and Sled Pushes, I thought it was all over.  But oh no, Benjamin had 3 of these glorious sets in mind for me.  The good news?  I made it through and sweat my nards off.  The Bad news?  there is no bad news. I made it through and didn’t barf.

So I enjoyed a sweaty post workout selfie, a Quinoa bar for complex carbs and some Amazing Rosemary Mint water.

One of the things I’ve been doing lately is jazzing up my water. My newest obsession is kinda different, but i really like it.  It’s Rosemary Mint Water.  It’s really refreshing and some of the benefits of Rosemary are pretty awesome!

  • Rich source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds
  • Improving digestion
  • Enhancing memory and concentration 
  • Neurological protection
  • Prevent brain aging 
  •  Protection against macular degeneration

 

(FULL Medical News Today ARTICLE HERE)

Come to find out that Rosemary is actual a member of the MINT Family..no wonder they rock together…I mean people have been putting MINT Jelly on their Rosemary Lamb for years…why not just drink it…minus the lamb…and the jelly.  Ps..when they say aids digestion.  That’s not a suggestion. just sayin.