Why, Google. Why.

Why have you ripped my beloved Reader from my clutches as if it were a donut and you were Jillian Michaels?

I'm sad, but have migrated over to Feedly and it's not the same, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. I'm sure it has pros and cons like everything else, but I don't have the attention span to assess them at this point in time. I'm not super familiar with Bloglovin'. Mostly because I detest the name. I'm not sure who's in marketing over there, but whoever it is was clearly phoning it in on the day they picked that name.

Anyway, Bloglovin' said I needed to post this

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

in order to claim my blog. I was hoping for an image, but apparently it's just text. I'm not even sure what's happening here you guys, but I hope that you'll continue to follow me. You're my only means of adult conversations in a world of dogs, toddlers and Dora.

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Meal Prep: How, Why & What

If you follow me on IG you've already seen this and know what I was up to on Sunday - that's right. Meal Prep!

Does the thought of having to carve out an hour to focus solely on prepping food for the week totally freak you out? Don't let it. It sounds like a tedious task, but once you get into it, you won't know how you ever survived without it. My meal planning journey started when I read A Place of Yes by Bethenny Frankel. When I read it, my oldest was 10 months, I was working and life was crazy busy. Just like now, just in a different way. She talked about how when she was on some Martha Stewart Apprentice-like reality show early on in her career, it basically turned her life upside down. They were putting in sometimes 20 hour days and the other cast members were "dropping like flies". They'd eat whenever and whatever they could get their hands on. She, on the other hand, being a healthy, natural-food chef, always made time for good, healthy, clean food and rest. The others didn't sleep (which I'm learning has a HUGE impact on weight and recovery), ate whatever was easiest and essentially, had their priorities all out of whack. Bethenny said that was her #1 priority - eat clean and rest - no matter what.

She knew that was the only way to be the best version of herself. 

She ended up getting essentially second place and she may have lost the battle, but pretty sure she won the war (sadly, only in regards to her business career). I'm not sure why that stuck with me like it did, but that's really when I made up my mind to start meal planning and prepping. It's pretty much the only way to truly eat clean, especially in my part of the country. One of my husband's friends said the other day, "McDonald's has a pretty good diet selection". I about punched him in the face died, but I digress.

I made up my mind to learn how and what to cook. Now comes the planning part. This is just like anything else, it's going to take practice. Just be consistent and make time for it. I use these adorable little meal planner books from May Books, but find what works for you. Just like workout clothes, I find that the cuter it is, the more I'm apt to use it. Maybe, for you, it's Evernote, Pinterest, or eMeals. Whatever it is, just schedule 30 minutes during the week to find your recipes and plan them out so you can do your shopping. Our grocery store offeres a shopping & delivery service for $14. I used it A LOT when baby #2 was born. When I worked, I'd go on my lunch break and stick my grocery bags in the fridge (I obviously could only buy a few things so, I'd end up going a few times a week). The point is, if you want anything bad enough, you'll figure out a way to get it done. Period. If you don't particularly care, that's fine, just don't allow yourself to make excuses. I used to. Then I got over it, sucked it up and made it happen.

So here's a list of what I most often prep in quantities:

Salmon Salad
Tuna Salad
Quinoa Caprese Salad
Banana Protein "Bread" (found out the hard way, keep this refrigerated!)
Turkey Chili
Turkey, Beans and Rice
Chocolate Protein Bars 
Hard boiled eggs
Veggies for snacking
Cut veggies for dinners (red onion, carrots, tomatoes, etc. Makes dinners a lot easier if I can just grab cut veggies and go)
Sweet Potatoes for these
Cooked Chicken Breasts (boiled, grilled, whatever)

It will vary sometimes, if I find a new recipe or get sick of eating this stuff all the time, but this has been it lately.

I hope this helps you meal plan and prep if it's not something you're already doing, or are getting bored with.

What do you meal prep?

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Motivation Monday: Workouts & Mindsets

Hi Everyone! Hope you guys had a great weekend. Mine was more productive than normal, so I'm trying to hone in on why so that I can duplicate it and share it with you.

I just started an intense 6-week training course with Advocare, called Ruby Boot Camp. It's meant to challenge, stretch and drive you. Here are 10 things I learned and have committed to (worth the read, I promise):

1. Today, I choose to quit allowing other people to control my thoughts. I refuse to be affected by negative people. Therefore, I will choose to spend my free time with positive people.
2. Today, I choose to stop blaming others for my problems. I will never use other people as an excuse as to why I cannot be successful. I will stop giving my problems to other people to solve.
3. Today, I choose to quit being victimized by the media and other propaganda. It only matters what I know and in whom I already trust.
4. Today, I choose to control my own destiny. Nobody else pays my bills or has the responsibility to care for myself or my family. Therefore, I take responsibility for my own future.
5. Today, I choose to cast away fear completely. Fear is unbelief. I BELIEVE. Therefore, there is no room for fear in my live.
6. Today, I choose to stop complaining. I even choose to stop complaining about those who complain. If I complain, I remain. Therefore, I choose to be grateful in my conversations, but most importantly, in my thoughts.
7. Today, I choose to take the words 'frustrated' and 'can't' out of my vocabulary. Both of those words reveal a false perception that I'm powerless. I choose to shift my energy away from those things I cannot change and toward people and situations that I can change.
8. Today, I choose to be patient with people and treat them with honor and love. I choose this for all people around me, including myself, regardless of their past or my past or even how they treat me. I choose to see the good and success in myself and in others without evidence or deserving it.
9. Today, I choose to forgive all those who have hurt me in the past and all those who will disappoint me in the future. I even forgive those who deny hurting me or do not know they've hurt me. I understand that offense is an enemy to my destiny and will steal my success and peace. I have a forgiving and humble heart. I refuse to gossip or 'vent' to other people.
10. Today, I choose to be decisive about my future and act upon that decision daily. I have made up my mind about what I want for my life, and I refuse to be passive about my future. I am a person of action. The centerpiece of my action is serving others. My highest call as a leader is to serve others.

This started at 6pm, which meant that I had to have EVERYTHING done by then. Dinner on the table, kids bathed, food prep, etc. I busted my butt to get everything done before then and much to my surprise, I actually did. I set a goal (deadline) and that was the key. I have really been working on my goal-setting skills and have a post planned for that this week. Hopefully, if that's an area you're looking to improve, it will help.

I'm so incredibly grateful to be part of Advocare. It's changed me and my life in too many ways to list here. I was and to some extent, still am, the most cynical, introverted person on the planet. Advocare has coached me out of my comfort zone and I truly love the person it's helping me become. I know, I sound #craycray, but if you know me personally, I hope that you see the change too.

Now, what's been keeping me motivated in the gym - new workout clothes. I know. I'm semi-ashamed too, but seriously, it works. I still have yet to pull the trigger on any lulu stuff. Probably because I know how much mark-up is in workout clothes and it's #redic, but I see some of these in my future. I did however just snag these and I am pumped.

You don't have to spend a ton on workout clothes. I mean, you can, but then you'd have to tell me about it so I can live vicariously though you.

I get the majority of my stuff at TJ Maxx, Nike and UA outlets, Ellie (hands down best quality and value), and any other places I can find deals. I will say that I have some stuff that I wish I would've just sprung for Lulu or  something else. I have three pairs of capris that I can think of, that I hate and don't wear because the don't stay up. Take that for what it's worth, but if you're having trouble getting in the gym, go buy yourself a new, cute item. I bet that'll do it!

So, get your butt in the gym or on the road and contact me if you're interested in being personally challenged to be the absolute best version of you. The payoff is 100% worth the effort and I'd love to have you on my Advocare team.

What motivates you?

PS

I'll be posting goal-setting exercises, meal-prep and clean recipes later this week :)

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My Grocery List

I get a lot of questions about what I eat. Not because I'm a perfectly clean eater, but because I think busy girls are always looking for new, easy, healthy recipes. These are my staples. My list will vary from time to time, depending on recipes, but this is the core of it. My area doesn't have a Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, etc. so I'm pretty limited to standard grocery stores and Sam's. I do buy my beef (and chicken when they have it) from a local farm that grass-feeds their stock, however but, the majority of the time my chicken comes from the grocery store. My list looks nearly identical every week so, here it is!

* denotes organic

Produce

• Apples* (if I can't find organic, I don't buy them at all. These are No. 1 on the Dirty Dozen List) 
• Bananas
• Lemons
• Avocado
• Cherry tomatoes
• Sweet potatoes
• Red onion
• Carrots*
• Celery*
• Zucchini
• Broccoli 
• Romaine lettuce*
• Kale*
• Mango
• Blueberries* & Strawberries*
• Asparagus
• Cherries (in season)
• Hummus (I like Sabra Roasted Red Pepper and typically eat with veggies or tortilla chips)
• Bell Peppers (ideally organic but, they're hard to find around here)

Meat

• All natural chicken breasts (will bake, boil or crockpot these and chop up or shred)
• Organic chicken breasts (will marinate and grill these)
• 99% Lean Ground Turkey
• Grass-fed ground beef 
• Filet (when the husband wants steak - usually once a month or so)
• Organic Salmon
• Organic Mahi Mahi (not often but, maybe 3x's a month)
• Canned tuna (Wild Planet is my favorite) 

Dairy

• Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
• Dark Chocolate Almond Milk
• Non-fat Greek Yogurt (FYI - there's some controversy on full-fat vs. non-fat dairy these days and how each affect your insulin levels. I haven't done enough research to decide which is best for me just yet so, I've been sticking with my usual non-fat Chobani)
• Finely-shredded Mozzarella (mostly for the kiddos and hubs but, let's face it it. Sometimes I just want some mozz on my Stuffed Sweet Potato.
• Eggs (I use organic. Farm fresh if I can find them but, a lot of people will use Egg Beaters for things like Egg Muffins.)

Carbs

• Udi's Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread (frozen) or Ezekiel Bread
• Brown rice tortillas (not very often but, I like to have them in the freezer)
• Corn tortillas (not often but sometimes I like to do taco meat on them)
• Black beans
• Pinto beans
• Quinoa
• Brown rice
• Whole oats
• Sweet potatoes!!! I listed these in the produce section for shopping purposes but, I use them as a complex carb. 

Other

• Natural Almond Butter
• Natural Peanut Butter
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Organic Coconut Oil
• Almonds (or a nut mix without peanuts)

Pantry

• Salsa (watch out for hidden sugars here)
• Cook Simple Dinners (these are great in a pinch and don't mind that 1 customer review. I'm here to tell you, these are awesome)
• Jiffy Cornbread (because the husband likes it)
• Low-sodium chicken broth
• Tortilla Chips 

I use this grocery list from Clean Mama because it came with one of her amazing kits, but these are great too.

I am going to do a separate post of just a bunch of resources for meal ideas as well. They may be redundant but, thought it would be nice to have them all in one place. Make sure to follow me on Pinterest for meal ideas too!

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Lessons Learned

Everyday is a learning experience. In some way or another, I learn something about myself. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good. I learned a good lesson this past weekend.

I ate horribly. I mean, horribly this past weekend. I had a cheeseburger (which was amazing) and my husband is a sucker for a DQ Blizzard and he always cons me into one. I figured,

"Oh, I'll just work it off at CrossFit tomorrow." 

Well, that my friends, is the kind of thinking that needs to be stopped. Immediately.

Why? Well, because you put yourself (myself) at the top of a very slippery slope. Tomorrow becomes the next day, which becomes the next, and the next and well, you get the idea.

So, I got to Crossfit the next day and got through the warm up and ready for a butt-kicking workout, as is par for the course. Unfortunately, my youngest had other plans which included, but were not limited to, screaming like Steven Tyler for 30 minutes straight.

I didn't get to work out and I was totally bummed. More so because I was working out for all the wrong reasons that day. I was basically trying to account for my lack of clean eating the days before. Hint: that shouldn't be your purpose for working out. It will keep you going for a little while, but it's not a strong enough purpose to keep you going when the going gets tough...and it will.

I definitely eat clean 90% of the time, but there are times when I have my wine cake and eat it too. But I own it. I live life when I'm out with the girls. I'm not that weirdo that orders water and a house salad because I'm on a 'diet'. I'll drink wine and have some Bang Bang Shrimp, but you know what, I'm in control. I don't let it control me. And I think that's really the key.

You being in control of you and what you put into your body. 

I don't typically 'fall off the wagon' unless I fully intend to jump off of the wagon - and usually it's into a bottle of fantastically delicious wine, but that's neither here, nor there. When I do, I don't beat myself up, but I do recognize it and get back on track. Jen does a great job of teaching you how to get back on track. A method I'm using right now, as a matter of fact.

The Lord has blessed us all with only one life. You get to choose how you live it. I don't want to live with any regrets (I wish I would've started eating clean and working out a year ago, etc.). I don't want to ever have that guilt feeling that I felt when I couldn't work out. If life happens and I can't work out that day, I don't want it to stress me out. 

I want to be able to say, "well, at least I've been eating clean and taking my supplements." 

Because life does happen. Kids get sick (or scream for 30 minutes) or you're traveling for work and you won't be able to get a workout in. But,

You're always in control of what you eat or don't eat.

A clean, healthy lifestyle is sometimes a challenge, yes, and if it were easy, everyone would do it. But if something doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you. It shouldn't stress you out to the point where you're losing your s&!* everyday, that's not what this is about. This is about living the absolute best life you possibly can while you can - because you only get one. How do you want to live it? The choice is yours.

No excuses. Is there something that you've wanted to do but have been letting excuses (or fear) hold you back? What do you want out of life? Whatever it is, grab life by the cojones and go get it. You only get one. Live it with no regrets.

What are your goals or something that you've been wanting to do, but just haven't done yet? 

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Black Bean Truffles - The Ultimate Late Night Craving Crusher

OMG you guys, this is no joke, the BEST clean 'dessert' I've ever tried.

I'm not sure about you, but nighttime is my toughest time, in terms of willpower. I always want something after dinner and let's be honest, fruit? Not gonna cut it.

I will usually do Muscle Gain as my 'dessert', but sometimes, I need something to actually eat.

And then this happened...

{source}

...and this is why Monica is a fabulous genius.

I admit that when I saw this recipe I saw the words 'food processor' and immediately dismissed it. I don't know why, but I have this preconceived notion that anything that requires an appliance other than an oven is way to difficult for me to attempt. Boy am I glad I got over that today, because this was honestly one of the easiest recipes. You just throw everything in the food processor and hit 'on'!

I just finished a batch of these and barely had enough to actually make because I consumed 3/4's of the 'batter', which is actually fine because it's vegan. You guys. Vegan. Seriously. Yes, and it was the highlight of my day. 

I didn't coat them in chocolate because my batter wasn't thick, it was more like pancake batter so, I couldn't roll balls of them. I ended up putting them in silicone muffin cups and freezing them. Also, I went with the coconut oil instead of PB. One word. Amazing. 

Head on over and see what this amazing-ness is all about and make some immediately. And remember, just because they're clean, doesn't mean you can eat a 5 gallon bucket full of them. I only say that to warn you...because I promise, you'll want to.

Enjoy!

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{Recipe} Easy Chicken & Quinoa

My husband's grandmother makes the most amazing Chicken & Rice. I mean, like, she has to make a double batch - one of which is just for me. It's so good, I'm afraid to know what's actually in it, but that didn't stop me from trying to make a healthy version of my own. I'm not gonna lie, I straight. up. nailed it. Husband and kids love it. I love it. You'll love it.

Ingredients:

• 3 diced, cooked chicken breasts (you can grill, bake, boil, whatever.)
• Olive oil 
• 1/2 cup (or so) of diced carrots
• 1/4 cup (or so) of diced onions
• 1/4 cup (or so) of diced celery
• My husband can detect celery and onion from a mile away so, I use dried Mirepoix instead (which I get at my local Schnuck's. I tried to find an online source with to no avail. Sorry)
• Garlic (I always use the pureed squeeze garlic and I just used a good squeeze, probably 2t. or so)
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup quinoa (I use pre-rinsed)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar-jack cheese
• Parsley (I used dried)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Cook your chicken. I trimmed and boiled mine (they were still semi-frozen, thanks to my stellar memory and forgetting to pull the chicken out of the freezer before 2pm) in seasoned water for about 45 minutes.
2. Drizzle some olive oil into a dutch oven (or similar type of pan) and throw in your veggies, s&p, garlic and mirepoix (if using) and saute for a few minutes until softened.
3. Throw in your chicken and parsley (I used probably a teaspoon)
4. Then add your chicken broth and quinoa
5. Stir to combine, bring to a boil, then cover and let simmer until quinoa is done - about 20 minutes or so. Just watch it (you can tell when it's done when it looks like it's kind of 'popped open'. Similar to brown rice.)
6. Toss in the cheese and stir until melted and combined.

The things I love about this recipe are:

1. It's clean and wheat-free
2. It's filling (and for me, that is quite a feat)
3. It tastes like it shouldn't be healthy
4. The husband and kids loved it
5. It's EASY and stuff I always have in the freezer or pantry
6. It makes great leftovers
7. It's totally tweakable in terms of serving sizes and tastes

Enjoy!

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Paperwork Organization

Most people have all of their important paperwork where they can easily access it if/when the time comes. Well not me. When my husband and I got married and moved in together (not necessarily in that order) we just kind of threw all the 'paperwork' in a box and tossed it in the office. I am not genetically predisposed to being organized. It takes a lot of practice, persistence and discipline for me. Time after time, he'd need something for one reason or another and I knew I had seen it somewhere at some point in time, but couldn't recall it when I needed to. This resulted in a lot of frustration (in our house, it's the wife's job to be the organized one) and often times, money not well spent in late fees, etc.  I am trying to be more proactive, instead of it taking something getting to the point of making me snap that I only then do something about it. I'm a work in progress, what can I say.

Ok, back to this life changing little system here.

From this...

{via *I didn't take a before pic so, I borrowed this one. Mine was MUCH worse...}

To this!

I mentioned above that I'm not inherently organized. For me, it's a learned behavior. Well, who better to learn from than a professional? It's kind of my M.O. If I don't know something, I just do what someone that I want to emulate does. It's pretty simple, actually.

I've spent years trying to do it on my own and it just wasn't working. Time to call in reinforcements. So, I hired a professional organizer to teach me how to get it together. Best $150 I've spent. She gave me a framework in which to work from. You know the saying "teach a man to fish...", well, she 'taught me to fish'.

Items I used:

• File Folders (I went with the standard ones because I used so many. You could use pretty ones, though)
• Hanging File Folders
• File Folder Labels
• File Storage Box(es)
• Sharpies or Label Maker

So here's how this went down.

1. Gather up ALL random paperwork
2. Start digging in and making piles (trash was a BIG one for us. It helped having someone who owns her own business as well, go through the tax paperwork with me. She helped me decide what to keep and what to toss)
3. Label your piles with a sticky note so you don't get confused with what is what 
4. Grab your file folders and label accordingly
5. Make 'category' folders with your hanging file folders
6. Stick your file folders in your hanging file folders
7. Stick hanging file folders in your file box and you're done!

Here's some close ups of my categories.

It took us about 3 hours to go through 5 years of paperwork. If your counters or offices look like the 'before' picture, schedule yourself 3 hours and knock this out!

Anyone have any of their systems or tips to share?

I'll also be sharing about how I handle incoming paperwork and keep that sorted and filed. It used to accumulate on the kitchen counter and it drove me crazy(ier)!

PS.
Erin over at Sunny Side Up gives a great tutorial on how she organizes her household paper. Check it out here.

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{Day 3} of Pre-Challenge and a {Recipe}

Hi Everyone!

Heading up to Indianapolis this weekend for a patio shopping trip (Homegoods, you'd better not disappoint me) so, will hopefully have some goodies to share. Follow me on instagram! I may need you to help me decide on things.

I got a good yoga practice in yesterday. This is one of my favorites. Yoga Journal has a great line-up of videos. I mix it up every once in a while, but I always come back to hip and side opening practices.

Have I mentioned how much I hate food logging? I'm sticking with it, but wow, it is an eye opener. Join me at MyFitnessPal. Sucky things are less sucky when you know other people are doing it too.

After three days of logging just how much I eat, I've realized I really need to work in more veggies. I love veggies. I'm just lazy when it comes to prepping them, in all honesty. Why? No clue, but I'm going to have to get over it. I was seriously craving pizza last night (no clue why. This is not something I ever crave. I actually don't really crave things anymore unless I'm tired. Then it's like I shove food in my face hoping that it will give me energy when in reality, I just need a nap.) I knew that neither pizza or a nap were in the cards, so I had to have the next best thing...

Zucchini Pizza Boats

*update: hmmmm. well, zucchini is way misspelled ^^. that's embarrassing... sorry!

Ingredients:

• 1 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise
• 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/8 cup red sauce (I use Classico Tomato & Basil because it’s lower sugar)
• 1.5 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 Tbsp parmesan cheese, shredded
• 6 grape tomatoes, halved
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Mini turkey pepperoni slices (optional, I used 1 regular one and cut it julienne)

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Using a spoon, dig out the meat of the zucchini from each half by scraping out the inside and place in a bowl. I turned the spoon over and kind of scraped it out.
3. Mix garlic, red sauce, and salt and pepper into scooped out zucchini.
4. Refill zucchini “boats” with mixture.
5. Top with mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, pepperonis (if using) and parmesan.
6. Bake for 20-30 minutes. 

This was the first time I made these, but next time, I'm going to try and dry off the meat of the zucchini, or maybe leave out the cherry tomatos. It's a pretty watery recipe. It didn't affect the consistency or taste, but they were slippery!

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{Day 2} of Pre-Challenge and a {Recipe}

Hi Everyone!

Dinner last night consisted of a concoction I came up with what I had on hand and I was surprised that even the husband liked it. It's a great meal that you can make for dinner and eat on leftovers for lunch the rest of the week. It could also be doubled and frozen, I suppose. Haven't tried that out yet, though.

Turkey & Quinoa Taco Salad

• 1lb lean ground turkey
• 1 14.5 oz pinto beans (rinsed and drained). You could do black beans, too. 
• 1 jar of salsa (your preference on kind and amount)
• 1 packet Taco Bell Taco Seasoning (the best, in my opinion)
• Brown Rice and Quinoa (I used this. AMAZING. And perfect for a busy night when you don't have 30-45 min to cook the rice or, you could just do one or the other. Up to you!)

How to:

Saute your turkey until thoroughly cooked in a large saute pan. You're going to be adding to this so make sure there's plenty of room for more. 

Add your taco seasoning and cook according to package.

Rinse and drain your beans and throw them in. 

Add your brown rice and quinoa.

Add salsa and voila. Done!

I served mine over a bed of chopped romaine lettuce and topped with 1/2 of a diced avocado and sriracha (of course), but you could eat it plain or with organic corn chips, gluten-free crackers, the possibilities are endless :)

No workout today - unless you count the Dollar Section at Target. I gave that a real workout today. 

And here's where you can check up on what I've eaten today. 

Finished up a couple projects so, I'll be sharing those once I get the photos taken!

What did you guys have for dinner last night? Any recipes to share?

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Satisfied

The reason I started blogging was probably the same as so many other people - to have an adult conversation and to record my life. It also serves as an accountability factor for me. I am definitely not an expert on the majority of things I post about, but it's my way of making a verbal commitment to you (all three of you, hi Grandma.) and making me much more likely to follow through.

As of late however, I've become satisfied. I worked my butt off to get here, but now it's become my new comfort zone. I've gotten comfortable with where I'm at and have really become lax with my diet and workouts. I've started noticing that I'm actually getting less done and having less energy. Not cool. 

So, I am going to start journaling and sharing what I eat and what my workouts are each day. I will still share projects since we're working on things, like the patio right now so, there may be more than one post in a day. PS. Here's a sneak peek of that.

The rug...OBSESSED with, so stay tuned :)

I'd love to have you follow along with me, if you'd like. I don't know about you but for me, I need that accountability and support factor to keep going, even when I don't want to. Also, food journaling...hate it. HATE it. I don't know why, but it's just such a chore to me. I tell everyone on my team to do it at some point so, I have to do it too. Follow along and join in at MyFitnessPal @niki_hellostripes. This is by far the best tracking app and bonus - it already has all Advocare products built into the database. Ok so, moment of truth....

June 1, 2013 is after an 8-week hiatus from Cross Fit that started with a sick little one and has continued due to a conflict of scheduling with preschool and the times the box offers child care. You can tell a definite difference. I'm afraid to even see what my one rep maxes are right now. I've also been slacking big time on my Catalyst and Muscle Gain (in addition to diet) so, that has a lot to do with it.

Starting Monday (I hate saying that, it sounds so cliche, but it's Saturday and Sundays are rest days), I will be embarking on yet another leg of my journey. I would love it if you'd join me and keep me filled in in the comments section or on instagram :) you can follow along @niki_hellostripes

Here's to a great rest of the weekend.

See you Monday!

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