results are in!

the 60 day healthy living and paleo challenge is officially over at CrossFit Farmland. i definately took away some great information and healthy living advice over the last two months. i do intend on trying to focus on eating a paleo diet, but they didn't call it a challenge for nothing.

 veggie stir fry with chicken

i'm a 20 something who enjoys an occasional night out, a cocktail or eight, and a juicy cheeseburger with fries. i dont find it realistic, nor would i be honest if i told you i was never going to drink alcohol or eat a piece of cheese ever again. i am not ready to cut all of the junk out of my diet. its my well being, and will suffer the consequences of the "bad" stuff i put into my body. we can't all be perfect. but i do intend on sticking to a healthy diet as much as possible and will make some exceptions for occasional indulgences. during this challenge i also tried to make it to the gym 4 days a week and did pretty good with this. my goal is to stick to 4 days a week, 5 if it works with my schedule.

i'm not lying when i say that following a strict paleo diet, eight hours of sleep and getting in a good workout makes you feel fantastic!

i can finally say i know what it feels like to be full. full in my stomach, not my gut. do you ever get that feeling after eating a big burger (with a bun) or spaghetti and your gut feels huge? you feel bloated, and downright miserable? yea, we've all been there! i definately noticed a difference in the way i felt after eating. i was satisfied. and i felt good.

now on to the results. i kind of want to kick myself in the butt for the weekend i had prior to getting my body measurements, specifically my weight. it was a great weekend, and the scale definately reflected that. its weird how fast i gain and lose weight-im usually within a 5 pound range, and the day the weighed in was on the high end of that range. ugh.

so...overall, i gained about 5 pounds, but lost 3% bodyfat.

my wod results for "helen"

3 rounds AFAP

400m run

21 kettelbell swings (35#)

12 pull ups (assisted)

time before: 12:39

time after: 10:42

so i improved my time by 1:57!

pretty neat.

and i wanted to die afterwards.

i am for the most part happy with my results, minus the weight gain, but i am not going to let that get me down. i can only improve from here and intend on continuing to work hard to get the results i am looking for! change doesnt happen over night!

tonight i went for a 2 mile run followed by some burpees, sit ups, squats, and pushups.

i couldnt get my sleepy butt out of bed this morning to make it to the gym and then i had a meeting for school tonight-and the wod looked scary as hell. so i made up my own!

followed by some homemade salsa.

cooked up some ground chicken with reduced sodium taco seasoning.

and made a refreshing chicken taco salad with salsa

i love spicy food. this hit the spot!

gotta finish up some laundry then off to bed for another attempt at waking early to hit the gym at 6am!

paleo pancakes

well now that the paleo challenge is over i am finally starting to try something other than eggs for breakfast. makes sense right?

i have my NEW body measurements but i am still waiting to do my "helen" wod and hope that i set a PR on that after the 60 day challenge, so i will post those results once i have them all!

so for now....i give you rotting bananas!

Paleo Pancakes

Recipe adapted from: The Paleo Project

Ingredients:

3 bananas

3 eggs

1/4 cup almond butter

1/2 cup pumpkin

1/2 tsp cinnamon

heat skillet

combine all ingredients

plop batter onto hot skillet

these took a lot longer to cook that i expected. my suggestion would be to make them thin! or it might not be a bad idea to cut down on the pumpkin. this was the ingredient the original recipe did not include, but i wanted to. or, just be patient! they will get done, it just takes a while.

flip!

wait.

stack.

add your favortite toppings.

dig in!

i topped my pancakes with strawberries, blueberries, and light agave.

de-lish!



slacking.

sorry guys! i have completely fallen off the blogging wagon.

its summer. life happens :)

i dont really know where to start so here is a recap in photos...

my mock bowl of "cereal" almond milk, banana, raspberries, blueberries, almond butter, chia seeds.

me and mike at the lumberjack show in woodruff

four wheeling up north!

the siblings! travis, lynae, me, taryn at the dam 

stacy, me, lauryn before the waunafest 5k run! good job ladies :)

me and mike celebrating tami and austin's wedding!

typical breakfasts for me....eggs, fruit, almond milk, fish oil

paleo challenge is officially over and i will be giving my thoughts and results on that in another post!

i have become addicted to almond butter.

"spaghetti"

ground beef, onions, tomato sauce, and zucchini

so good! who needs pasta!?

and last but not least....my first ever mud volleyball experience!

such a great time with some great people!

thanks guys :)

ahh...there. the last couple weeks in a nutshell.

now (hopefully) back to regular blogging.

more to come!

cute as a button!

these little guys have been stirring up quite a buzz around crossfit for those participating in the 60 day paleo challenge. i figured i better give them a try and let me tell you, they did not disappoint!

i tweaked the original "paleo almond joy" recipe a fair amount but i dont think you can mess up too bad when your main ingredients are chocolate, coconut, and almond butter :)

im gonna call 'em...

mini paleo almond butter cups?

yea!

mini paleo almond butter cups

one bag dark chocolate chips (70% cacao or higher)

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil  (or coconut oil)

2 tsp. natural light agave (or honey)

3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup almond butter

1/2 tsp. almond extract (or extract of choice)

toasted almonds

microwave chocolate in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until melted. (i started with 1/2 the bag) 

line a mini cupcake pan with paper liners. (i didnt have liners, so i simply sprayed it with pam olive oil for easier removal)

use a spoon to drop about a teaspoon of chocolate into each cup-enough to coat the entire bottom and sides.

place in refrigerator to harden for about 5 minutes.

combine oil, agave, coconut, almond butter, and almond extract until smooth. (i used a small food processor and it worked great.)

spoon this mixture into the center of the hardened chocolate.

place in fridge to harden about 10 minutes.

melt the rest of your chocolate in the microwave.

top each cup with chocolate and a toasted almond and place back in the fridge to harden.

eat any extra filling or chocolate by the spoonfull :)

and enjoy!

how cute are these!?

...i may not have let them get quite hard enough. so what. i wanted to try one!

killer monday.

or monday killer? yea. thats more like it.
oh monday, how i despise you. especially when i find out this is how my day is going to start:

"EVA" 5 rounds for time

800 meter run

20 kettelbell swings (35#)

20 pull ups (jumping)

completed in 32:06--ouch! now that's a 6:00am wake up call :)

rushed home to get ready for work, made a quick breakfast of veggies and scrambled egg whites, gathered leftovers from last nights dinner for lunch, and flew out the door.

i hate being rushed. but such is life. i dont think it will ever change.

but it felt so nice come 5:00pm when i was off the clock to know that i could go home and had the rest of the evening to do whatever i want. i hope i can stick to these early morning workouts as much as my schedule allows for it. my work schedule is inconsistent, so i am going to do the best i can!

i never tried salmon until a couple of months ago and man, was i missing out! this stuff is go-ood!

dinner is served!

with a side of asparagus.

i bought a bag of individually wrapped salmon filets. just defrost, microwave, bake, or grill.

so quick and easy! tonight i baked the filets in about 20 minutes. easy peasy! but they're goin on the grill next time! the asparagus i prepared in a frying pan with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.

some other eats this past week that are worth sharing:

veggie kabobs: green and red pepper. mushrooms. red onion. olive oil. and some seasonings.

and pork chops on the grill. so good! thanks to my master griller boyfriend :)

earlier last week i took my sister taryn out for lunch for her birthday!

chipotle!!

she went for the burrito as big as your head-as i normally would too!

but i opted for a "salad" as they call it which consisted of romaine lettuce, chicken, fajita veggies, salsa, and guac. this was surprisingly fantastic! i usually go for the burrito bowl-in which i then have rice, black beans, and cheese. but i honeslty couldnt believe how much i actually enjoyed my salad without those "non-paleo" additions. i dare ya to try it ;)

well my bed is calling my name. another early morning workout coming my way!

i've got a good little recipe to finally share with you tomorrow!

ready, set, go!

phew! what a hectic week and a half! we moved over the weekend so all last week was spent packing, and this week has been unpacking and organizing the new farmhouse! buh bye old school apartment, hello home :)

ahh a yard! and the hammock mike got for us! LOVING the new place! but i kind of forgot how much work it is to move. and how much it messes with my schedule! it led to a lot of unplanned, and repetitive meals. i think i made this salad for lunch three days in a row. but it was SO good!

romaine. chicken breast. strawberries. sunflower seeds. raspberry vinaigarette. yum!

i think one of the hardest things for me trying to live a healthier lifestyle is my weekend habits. i just seem to lose all self control and pig out. like last weekend for instance, while moving saturday and sunday, it was go, go, go. my meals pretty much consisted of pizza hut pizza and taco dip. and brownies. yea. thanks mom! im not gonna lie, it was delicious, but let me tell you how sluggish and bloated i felt come monday. ew! i had monday off of work to do some more unpacking and organizing and ate much better then. got a good work out in that evening, and tuesday morning i was all refreshed and ready to get back on track with my eating!

i had an extremely boring lunch after a thirty minute walk, but couldnt believe the energy i had afterwards. amazing what some greens and protein and a nice walk outside of the office can do!

i seem to get so lost when my routine is broken. i am a planner. when things dont go as planned, i get flustered! but something i am terrible at planning is my meals. this is a goal of mine in the next month of this paleo challenge. i am starting to get bored with my meals because they are getting  pretty repetitive.

eggs for breakfast.

fruit for a snack.

salad for lunch.

spinach. chicken. quac.

meat and veggies for dinner.

that's beer butt chicken my friends! thanks dad!

i need to take the time and do more research on the paleo lifestyle and start making some recipes. the first thirty days i basically followed, with some exceptions, a list of paleo foods, and combined them to make a meal. i didnt actually cook or bake with them. and in order to make this happen i am going to try and switch up my workout routine a bit also. starting at about 5:15am! eek!! but i am hoping that by waking up earlier a couple days a week to workout will leave me with my evenings open-so that i can come home after work, prepare a meal, ENJOY it, and still have time to relax before hitting my pillow. right now, its wake up, work, workout, eat, dishes, bed.

best of luck to the rest of the crossfitters on the sixty day paleo challenge! please share any good recipes you have tried--i think i have the motivation i need to get through the next thirty and then some! of course i will have slip ups because sorry to say, but i am not going to NOT eat another piece of bread in my life, or cake, or chocolate milk, or taco dip. its just not going to happen. but i will say that i am learning what i need to eat more of and what i need to cut back on and am definately noticing changes in the way i am feeling.

hope everyone has a great fourth of july weekend. i am headed down to lake geneva with some friends for a fun filled weekend on the water! gonna be a hot one :) see ya next week. hopefully i will start to have some more exciting posts if i get this cooking thing down! oh, and we can have a grill at our new place now. YES!

finding motivation.

believe it or not, i have had a few friends asking me where i am finding my motivation. good question. me? advice? what? i honestly find that its a struggle for me to stay motivated. i can finally say i have gotten to a turning point in my life where i want health and fitness to be a part of my life. now, im not saying that this will happen to everyone, but its like i hit a wall and kind of got over the "partying" stage. dont get me wrong, i still like to have a good time, but just dont see the need to go out and drink and get wild five nights out of the week. maybe i'm just getting old. my hangovers last an entire day. i eat everything i shouldnt. and just plain old feel like crap. for some reason i just dont find that fun anymore? weird, i know. call me lame.

but whatever. i have found something that makes me happy. and thats how i stay motivated. i have struggled with confidence issues my entire life. and to this day, i still do. its a work in progress, but i have finally found a passion for exercise, living a health(ier) lifestyle and i actually look forward to a good workout! it clears my mind. i can let out any anger or frustrations. and it gets my a$$ moving after an eight hour day in front of a computer. (yuck!)  it just makes me feel good! :)

some days i am more moitivated that others. i find that my eating and exercise habits go hand in hand. some people can exercise and eat pizza every day, some can eat healthy every day and not exercise a day in their life, but for me its all or nothing. the more thought i put into my meals to make them healthy and balanced, the more motivated i am to hit the gym. or vise versa. once i get in a good workout, i am much more likely to make myself a healthy meal or snack. why would you want to ruin a good thing? i have a hard time busting my butt at the gym and then diving into a mcdonalds big mac and large order of fries. its a guilty feeling. like all that hard work just went down the drain.

you have to have the right mindset. either you're ready to make a change in your life or not.

the best advice i have gotten, and will give right back, is DONT GIVE UP!

set a goal and stick to it. its up to you, and only you, to achieve it!

check out a fellow CrossFitter, Sara's blog for some motivation as well!

here are some of my eats from yesterday and today:

hard boiled eggs. make 'em black. white. and black again :)

fresh fruit.

green stuff. orange stuff. more green stuff. sunflower seeds.

chicken breast. onions. mushrooms. guac.

i have an obsession with guac right now. i even made it myself. first time ever!

its awesome.

im starting to miss cheese. and pasta. and oatmeal. and yogurt. and chocolate milk. and ice cream. and, did i mention cheese? tear.

but. so far i am staying strong. i had my slip ups last weekend. and am pretty sure there are more to come this weekend. c'mon...its summer! i am trying really hard to nail the paleo lifestyle during the week but am finding that in MY real life, committing 100% to this lifestyle is nearly impossible. sure, it could be done and i am understanding why certain foods are cut out on this "diet" but in reality, i would have to eat a modified paleo diet. not that thats a bad thing either! i really am feeling good eating these paleo foods and am learning that it really isnt necessary to eat a half loaf of bread with your hamburger. 

live and learn.