Middle School Lecture Today: Do What You Love

After spending the afternoon lecturing an 8th grade leadership class, I left feeling fulfilled. As I prepared for my lecture I knew what I wanted to talk about, and went in with nerves.
My nerves turned in to enthusiasm as I saw how interested the class became!

What we chatted about:
-What was I like in 8th grade, and why these kids should stay focused on the bigger picture (rather than drama & dating, find their passion and explore it)
-What I did in high school to get me to college (followed my passion and didn't focus on much other than friends, fun, and a lot of sports)
-How my passion grew during college and turned in to this blog. Which turned in to more and more opportunities for me.
- How working 7 days a week in college paid off (finally!!!!)
- Ignoring negative nay-Sayers and continuing to pursue YOUR goals.
- Network and educate yourself by being you.
- Don't be embarrassed of your strengths (own them)
- Have fun, and it pays off. You can love what you do and make a career out of it if you believe in yourself and work your butt off!

I had so much fun and hope to public speak more often!

My Favorite Snacks Lately

I am a health nut, and may or may not in some peoples eyes be "obsessed" with eating healthy. To be honest, it doesn't bother me nearly as much as it used to.

It doesn't bother me as much now, because I know I get to eat DELICIOUS fresh/organic/flavorful foods everyday! I do this by choice knowing when I eat bad I don't feel as energized, happy, or confident.

So what are my favorite healthy on the go snacks lately?

Dales raw protein bars:
Mint chocolate chip
Graham cracker
Vanilla cashew
http://dalesrawfoods.com/cmd.php?af=1475881
Great raw, vegan, gluten-free sources of plant based protein. Low carb, and great all around protein bar! Did I mention they are delicious?

Life Time Protein Powder:
Chocolate (it tastes like pudding to me!!)
Tasty, vegan protein powder that doesn't taste like chalk!!!

Dry Roasted Edamame:
Good source of phytoestrogens

Artisana Raw Cashew Butter: Rich in B vitamins, protein, iron, potassium, zinc, and healthy fatty acids! I put it in dressings, shakes, or spread it on rice cakes with cinnamon

Raw Walnuts: A great source of Omega-3'a

Adventure Is My Way of Learning

I am always trying to learn more whether it be from people, cultures, experiences, journeys, books, etc. The more I venture out, the more I learn. I love learning about myself and as I evolve I learn what direction I want my life to go.
By taking on new things and really putting myself in uncomfortable situations I think I've grown a great deal. For instance, going away without my family to college was scary. I was financially dependent on my parents. Although I thought at 18 I was a grown up, I was rudely awakened with a reality check in college. Going through a mini identity crisis at 18 is normal; some float others sink. I made sure to get my act together, get motivated, and figure out my life. Without the adventure of moving away, I may still had been dependent on my parents today.
By taking a chance on my passion for health and fitness and creating a blog like this, opens me up for a lot of ridicule. People have hurt my feelings by certain negative comments, but I wouldn't be where I am today without hearing them. I wouldn't have pushed harder for my blog which led to my job now.
When I got hired for my "dream job" I felt like I may not be deserving. Looking back, all the adventures I took prior led me to where I am today. Adventures teach you what you want, what you don't want, and gives you some confidence in the direction you have the choice of going.

Go on an adventure, there's no better time then now!

Own Your Decisions

I have always been envious of people who don't apologize for who they are. A few people I can think of own every decision they make, and I am working on building that quality.
This means I own my abilities and stay confident in them. I need to own up to my talents and be proud of them. I am a great worker, I am a good singer, I am a really good athlete, I am good at motivating people, and I have good style. Yep, I said it!
Also, I need to own my mistakes. When I mess up, have more to learn, flake, say something inappropriate, or can improve on something. All these things must me recognized in order for me to grow and learn from them.
When I eat junk, drink too much, or miss a workout I MUST own up to it. Instead f saying I shouldn't have eaten that, I am working on owning it. "Yes, I ate that cupcake and it was DAMN good!". Working on accepting these sorts of things and moving forward will make life much easier.
We can all learn from ourselves, and if we just own up to our actions!

Pack It & Portion It

I packed my food everyday for years. Everything weighed out, measured, and portioned to ensure I was eating exactly what was prepped for the week. I have never minded being super regimented and it doesn't bother me following a diet plan.

I am writing this post for 2 reasons:

1. When you pack and prep all your meals you are in control of everything that goes in your body. You know what's on your food, and you can trust how it is prepared. If you ever get hungry, your healthy options are ready to go. Yes, it seems like it takes more time. When you cook in bulk once or twice a week it takes a few hours, but it also saves tons of trips in the car running to a restaurant to grab a quick bite.

2. You don't have to weigh and measure your food ( I don't need to that often because I am now good at eyeballing portions). If it seems crazy to you, then simply familiarize yourself with what 4 oz should look like or what a cup of veggies would be. I promise you will eat more mindfully.

I hope the whole food scale weigh and measure thing doesn't scare you, and you give it a shot!

Photoshoot

As some of you may have noticed I have been posting tons of behind the scenes instagram and Facebook pictures. I am working on a project for my blog that I will share for you once it's ready! I think you'll all like it! For now, I leave you with some behind the scenes shots.

Big thanks to Mike Byerly Photography and Amanda Kroon MUA.

All my clothes are Lorna Jane and can be found here: comfy, cute, and colorful!

Protein Bars: What To Look For

We all love a quick and easy to grab snack when we are busy. The advertising agencies have done an amazing job of filling our magazines and gyms with photos of delicious looking chocolatey caramel goodness. Are these really going to make us more toned, lean, and strong?

When picking out a good protein bar I look at a few things:

1. Ingredients: If I can't pronounce it I shouldn't be eating it; it was most likely created in a science lab.
2. Grams of protein: If there are less than 15 grams of protein in the bar, I usually pass it up. It's not really that great of a source!
3. When it was made: If the bar has been sitting on a shelf for months/years I don't want it. I want fresh, and real food.
4. Sugar and saturated fats: If there is tons of sugar and saturated fats, you might as well grab a snickers bar pre or post workout.

So what do I do?

Check these out. This is the only bar I have found and been impressed with. It's raw, vegan, gluten free, paleo, fresh, and DELICIOUS! Dale's Raw Protein Bars are always stocked in my house!

International Women's Day: Confidence: My Battle

Since I was a child, I have been super outspoken. My family tells me I would walk up to strangers and immediately ask "What your name, where you live?". As I've grown up that confidence comes in ebbs and flows. I have hit high points and low. My self-esteem has taken quite a few hits when I allow what other people say about me affect me.

How I deal with things now is much different. I am who I am, and I do not apologize for it. Don't read in to that statement too much and immediately think I am cocky or arrogant. I am always learning, always trying to better myself , and I have MUCH to learn.

I am writing this post for two reasons. I am inspired by the many strong and confident women I surround myself with. My family and friends are absolutely amazing (I am so lucky), but I also run in to so so so many women who lack confidence.

We all are great at certain things, and we have to pat ourselves on the back for our strengths. We have to own our weaknesses and work on them, but not let those weaknesses downplay our strengths.

Today, I am inspired by women. Thank you for being so dynamic and crazy, I live meeting and learning from you all.

Happy International Women's Day!

Thea's Skinny St. Patty's Day Spritzer

Skinny St. Patty's Day Spritzer

It's time to party! You can definitely go out this St. Patrick's Day to have some drinks, and keep it low-cal. Why not have some people over and start it off by serving this delicious Skinny Spritzer. It is festive and delicious!

Ingredients:

• Green food coloring
• 1 chilled 750ml bottle of dry white wine $
• 1 liter chilled lime-flavored diet soda
• Fresh Lime 

Directions:

1. Bring out wine glasses.

3. Slice lime.

3. Pour lime flavored diet soda in to glass, fill half way.

4. Place 1 drop of green food coloring into each glass.

5. Divide 1 chilled 750ml bottle of dry white wine among glasses.

6. Add lime.

7. Serve! I liked to add some cute napkins to keep things extra Irish :)

Nutrition Facts:
TOTAL Calories: 605 Carbs: 20 Fat: 0 Sugar: 5 Fiber:0
Calories Per glass: 76 Carbs per glass: 2.5 Fat:0 Sugar:0.6 Fiber:0

Pumpkin Paleo Protein Pancake

My friend Kate makes a mean protein pancake. I tried to replicate her deliciousness and I seriously fell in love! This is amazing

Pumpkin Paleo Protein Pancake
6 egg whites
1/4 C. Canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie)
1 Tbsp. coconut flour
1 Tbsp. ground flaxseed meal
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. coconut butter (Artisana)

1. In a medium bowl mix with an electric mixer (or in my case a fork) egg whites, pumpkin , coconut flour, flaxseed meal, cinnamon)
2. Spray frying pan with non stick spray.
3. Pour mixture on pan at medium heat.
4. Flip pancake when it starts to bubble.
5. The pancake will fluff up when ready.
6. Top pancake with 1 tbsp. coconut butter.
7. Dig in!

How I Motivate: Fake It Till You Make It

I am often asked, "how do you stay motivated?" and "how do you make sure you eat healthy?". I have thought a bit about it, and I just fake it till I make it!

You may wonder what the heck that means... Let me explain!

- I know eating cookies and milkshakes won't give me a flat stomach: Instead of never allowing treat meals, I allow them every now and then. I see temptations daily, and know they will be there the next day and the next. I can talk myself in to knowing I won't miss them and they are always there.

- I read up: If I need an extra boost in the gym, I grab one of my favorite magazines and look for some new moves to incorporate!

- Keep my goals around: sometimes I have a list, sometimes photos, or set daily phone reminders to keep me focused. If I know my low of the day is 3pm, I set a reminder to GET UP or TAKE A WALk.

- Cook new and different foods: When chicken and veggies is boring and you feel like there is no way to stick to your diet, switch up the flavors! One night may be Mexican spiced, one night indian spiced, another Italian, or my favorite Hawaiian (pineapple relish).

- Make clean treats: You can stay on your plan, motivated, and reaching your goals with sweet treats. Check out my posts for some ideas on 100% clean treats!

I hope you know you can reach every goal you set! The motivation is in there, you just need to find it!

Bike To Fit

Tired of the same old cardio routine at the gym? Do you usually run, or do the elliptical? Don't be scared of the bike! Try this for a semi-quick, yet effective bike workout!

Bike To Fit (ON A SPIN BIKE)

Bike 5 minutes at an easy/moderate speed with light resistance

1. Bike 1 minute with the resistance cranked up
2. Bike 1 minute FAST with the resistance light
3. Bike 2 minutes slow with the resistance light
Repeat 10 times for a 35 minute cardio workout

You Are What You Believe You Are.

Fat! Ugly! Tired! Stupid! Too old! Could lose some weight! Should really get a better job!

These are things that many of us tell ourselves when we look in the mirror. Well, I'm going to tell you I have a feeling you're right.

You are what you think you are. If you start believing in yourself and your abilities HUGE opportunities will come about. You may be an overall happier/more confident person, may be a better friend, may have the confidence to try something new. You will never know what's on the other side until you believe you can change.

Look in that mirror tonight and boost your own confidence. You don't need people to do it for you. If you have nice plump lips, own them! If you have curly hair, rock it! If you are super good with crunching numbers, don't be shy to tell people!

You are what you believe you are, and until you are ready to tell yourself you are AWESOME I won't believe you!

Simply Sweet Nails

I love a cute and classy nail look. Something different that catches the eye without being too crazy and over the top where it's too loud to wear to work.

The one nail a different color thing is in, so I went for one nail glittered. I went with a neutral glitter rather than gold or silver this time to make it even more subtle.

The colors I used are called bubble bath and champagne.

Raw Zucchini Pasta with Raw Pesto

I am going to a dinner party tonight, and the theme is Italian. I thought I would try making something new, and fresh for my dish. Raw zuchinni pasta with pesto sauce comin' right up!

Ingredients:
6 organic zucchini
1.5 c. raw organic pine nuts
1 bunch basil
1 cup parsley
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
6 Cloves garlic
2 tbsp. cold pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt to taste
Paprika to taste

1.Wash all veggies.
2. Use a potato peeler, julienne peeler,  or spiralizer (if you have it) to slice the zuchhini.
3. Place zucchini aside in a medium size bowl.
4. In a vitamix blend all other ingredients to make pesto.

5. Pour pesto on top of zucchini.
6. Serve.

This is probably one of my favorite recipes I have made thus far. ENJOY IT!

Upper Body Circuit

Don't know what to do at the gym today? Try this awesome upper body circuit, try to take very little rest and see how many rounds you get in!

10 shoulder press
5 pushups
10 bicep curls
5 pushups
10 tricep extensions
5 pushups
10 plank & row (each arm)
5 pushups
10 Pullups
5 pushups

Repeat up to 5x

Tea Time

My sweet tooth hits me in the evening, tonight I decided to kick it with a 5-calorie treat.

1c boiling water
1 tea bag (cinnamon, vanilla, dolce)
2 tbsp. unsweetened almond milk
1 packet stevia

Lean Tuesday

I am not judging anyone who wants to go all out this Fat Tuesday, but I will be going all lean and green today. Don't judge me either! :)

I have been slowly getting a bit more serious with my training, and diet over the last few weeks. I am super motivated, so I decided to just stick with my plan this Fat Tuesday.

Meal 1: Lettuce, tomato, onion, turkey patty
Meal 2: HUGE salad, veggies on veggies on veggies, and organic grilled chicken with lemon juice
Meal 3: Dales bar
Workout: Chest, and arms
Planned Meal 4: Protein shake with fruit!

Happy Lean Tuesday! There's no better time then now to start getting serious!

Sunday Runday

Get out today and try this run workout! You may need a stopwatch!

Run 2 min
Sprint 30 sec
Run 1 min
Sprint 30 sec
Jog 1 min

Repeat for 3 mile loop

Got Milk?

I grew up drinking milk. Lots of it; I think my parents laughed at how many gallons we would go through each week. It's healthy right? Strong bones, good skin, long hair, it helps us grow taller, helps strong brain function. All the famous stars are in the milk ads, so that means they must drink it too! I never even thought twice when drinking a glass, until lately.

Besides the fact that cows are often treated horribly, injected with hormones, and kept in tight quarters (that's for another post later on) I want to touch on the health benefits or lack there of.

-Milk is supposed to provide us calcium for strong bones.
Think about it, cows have big strong bones, not from drinking milk!! Calcium can be found in vegetables, almond milk, beans, nuts, seeds, and herbs.
- It has protein.
You can get protein from meat itself, legumes, nuts & seeds, grains, vegetables, my favorite protein powder
RISKS: 
- Bacteria
- Lactose intolerance
- Cancer
- Pus/ flem
- Diabetes
- Crohn's disease
- Asthma
- Pollution
- Liver disease