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Cold Legs and Hot Buys!

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My legit reason for not working out, running, or blogging these past few weeks.

Its been sooo cold! And ugly! I self diagnosed myself with SAD so that has sucked up normal spice for life. I’m back now! So, lets recap…

Came, saw, and conquered the Hot Chocolate 15k! It was brutally cold! Freezing fog, and I wore running shorts because I’m a freak geek. I had a goal of sub 1:45.. My official time was 1:48 and 11 seconds. Considering the unexpected hills, trust me…I was pleased.

My playlist was awesome, the race was awesome, the whiskey shot was awesome, and I had a blast! I can’t wait until next year!

My reward for my conquest was a new pair of kicks! I now own a pair of Brooks. My dreams are coming true…

I was so excited about these guys, I ran 17 inaugural miles in them in 3 days! New shoes and still living off of the high of finishing that race! All the excitement of logging miles actually seeped into my laptop because I am registered for another race next weekend.

So! That’s enough a lot but in new food news, I also added a wonderful staple to my self-healing repertoire of eating… Bone broth!

This stuff is amazing!! I was immediately addicted! I’ve read SO much about healing benefits and just HAD to make it. I asked fellow IGer Paleo On a Dime for a great recipe because her food is awesome!! She directed me to a recipe on her blog and I went for it.

I’ll post the recipe below. I am so excited about it! Finally, something awesome I can make and bring to my sick minded ailing friends suffering from colds this season. I didn’t have am entire chicken carcass, but I had just made a batch of greens the night before so I had some big bones hanging around, so I used those.

Bone Broth
2 smoked or roasted turkey legs (my hubby smoked ours)
4 cups water
1 chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup baby carrots
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
4 sprigs of Thyme

Combine all ingredients in a large crock pot. Cover and cook for 24 hours. Strain, store, sip and enjoy!

If that recipe wasn’t enough good vibrations, my wonderful husband found a steal on me some jeans. Yes my husband buys my clothes and underwear. I have little style sense. I’m über hippie and hobochic 🙂

Well, I’m off to hit 5 miles on the road and get some arm work in… Happy Hump Day, Hip Huggers! Any natural healing remedies you’d like to share? I’d love to hear some!

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Becoming Golden

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So, looks like we got a little snow today. This was just the beginning…

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Which was fun because per the weather gods, we were only supposed to get a light dusting. No. full blown white, fluffy. edible well, to my dogs at least snow!

My only complaint was it kept me inside yet another day. I am truly a weather wimp. I do NOT like being cold! Maybe its that warm California Golden Coast blood flowing through my veins, but I am so uncomfortable when its cold… like, more than you..

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Whining aside, I had to get a sweat in today. I haven’t mentioned it really since this prehistoric post, but I am running the Hot Chocolate 15k this Saturday. I was on a great training streak until my birthday…then I crashed and burned.

Not alarmed though, I have still been working out! I’ve done 30DS more times than I can count, some really awesome HIIT workouts from Fitness Blender and the Catching Fire Challenge, as well as hitting the gym and lifting heavy — before it got dumb cold.

So, am I ready to run 9.2 miles? Yes. Now, a 4:30 wake up call? A crowd of over 15,000 people? A frigid 30 degree start? Eh.

But, I am nonetheless excited out of my mind!  My dear friend Lisa is running it with me and we always have a BLAST whenever we get together, so we’ll start painting the town tomorrow when we meet up for the Expo!

So, no more workouts, or runs…just deep stretching and taking care of this body the next 24 hours. Today, I was bored crazy found some very well timed holistic remedies for inflammation. I don’t get sick a lot, which I attribute to a good, healthy diet, regular exercise, my daily acv, and the Good Lord’s grace…but I do get flare ups from time to time with foods I eat and just random body pains…especially the tummy.

I was researching the benefits of ginger, which I am pretty well rounded in, when I came across this Ayurveda remedy for inflammation called, “Golden Milk”

So, I had all the ingredients to make the paste as well as the milk. I figured why not? I had tried my hand at oven baked cheese crisps earlier and they came out golden and perfect! Luck was on my side….

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 So I made it. I drank it. I lived to write about it. I must say, I feel very kinda weird right now. My tongue is a little numb, my stomach feels warm, and my head a little heavy….so, must be what detoxification/healing feels like!

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I’d certainly research it before trying it, but its a win for me. I am going drink it nightly for 40 days and blog about it then…I hope to have a good report!!

Here is the recipe:

1/2 cup mineral water
1/4 cup turmeric

Paste:
In a small saucepan, combine the water and turmeric, stirring with a wooden spoon for a few minutes. Once it thickens, pour into glass jar (carefully because it stains) and cover tightly and store in the fridge.

Golden Milk:
1 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp. turmeric paste
1/2 tsp. coconut oil
1 tsp. raw honey
Heat milk and paste in saucepan until combined. Add oil, honey, and cinnamon if you’d like, and stir until warmed through. Enjoy!

I’m off to wrangle kids together, and get ready for a busy day tomorrow, Hip Huggers!

Question: Ever skip out on race training? Did you still do well?

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80/20.. Always Plenty!

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I get asked often on Instagram and Facebook how I lost weight and kept it off? Do I EVER eat bad? How long have I been running? Who runs the world? You know those complex questions…

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I kindly answer questions, but sometimes wish I had a FAQ page so I wouldn’t have to sound like a broken record. But, the one great thing about retelling my journey is I can reflect back on what I did. What worked, and what did not.

Pretty much EVERY aspect of life involves the uber famous 80/20 rule. I have yet to see this philosophy not work! No matter what phase of my weight loss I was in, I had accidently adopted the 80/20 rule. For those that may not know – Eating clean 80% of the time and relaxed eating 20% – very simple math that can make or break your eating plan. Done wisely, yes it works! And it still works.

80-20-eating

The ultimate reward for eating healthy, whole foods is a more efficiently fueled and functioning body to sustain life, not rewarding yourself with that big mouf’ burger.. Never Forget That! That fact is what will pull you out of a many slumps you’ll face when you are staying on your plan, exercising and yet seeing no results. Which happens at times for many different reasons, and should NOT be blamed on that cookie, glass of wine, slice of pizza. Those things actually HELP your body to recognize that you will not eat nuts and berries for the rest of your life but will again indulge in a little sugar, fat, and carbohydrate. Your brain loves those things, so don’t try and outsmart it…just be smart!

With that said, even with those cheats – all things in moderation! As healthy as exercise is, you wouldn’t do it 365 days a year. Why? Your body needs rest. Being proactively healthy can be a bit stressful, especially first starting out. Give your brain a break! here is a VERY interesting article my hubby sent to me a few years back when I was absolutely obsessed with eating right…click to enlarge:

cheatmeals

I remember when I first began losing weight. After a few months, I started to notice I could only go so long without something…naughty. Those became my cheat meals. I mean, I was eating oatmeal for breakfast, a 600 calorie meatless TV dinner for lunch (bad idea but that’s another post) with rice, broccoli, and chicken breast for dinner…maybe 1200 calories a day! Absolute metabolism murderer, but I knew very little about long term weight loss and I was just high on seeing results…#laterpost.

Every Saturday, I would buy one bag of Maui onion chips from Target and yes, inhale the entire bag! That was my only cheat meal of the week, and the thought of those chips made me turn away from anything off of my food plan all week! That was my 50 Shades of Grey in a loveless, boring marriage with bland, low calorie foods.

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My, how things have changed! Healthy food is never boring now and that mega bag of greasy chips is now almond crackers, snack peas, rice chips, or any of the TONS of healthy snack options I have discovered over the years. Food is meant to be enjoyed, you just have to learn how to enjoy it and do your body good at the same time…its all about balance!

Now that we have that equation in the mental math books, we can exaggerate that thinking and apply the 80/20 eating to our 80/20 lifestyles! We will touch on this topic next week!


Question: Do you think eating 80/20 is practical? Would you try it?

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Lean in 2014 – Junk Food

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Hello Hip Huggers!

If you are anything like me, one of the greatest struggles in eating clean and staying lean in 2014 has been… junk food cravings, aaahh!! I can run 6 miles, go beast in the gym, but a pack of Oreos will have me on my knees. As I woke up today on my birthday (stay calm) and contemplated all the “permissions” I have today to get cupcake wasted my sugar fix, I came across one of my favorite blogger Kenzoufit’s post about quitting junk food.

I myself eat without a doubt 80/20 clean and try and keep MOST of my food intake within the low glycemic index, but every now and then, those Oreo’s start visiting me in my dreams! Ebony and Ivory is what I call them, and what a perfect pairing they are…

Anyway, she mentions some very great habits to adopt in the effort to combat that way of eating, which as we all know if abused can totally sabotage all the hard work you’ve put in! UGH! So, here are my favorite tips from her post:

Start Cooking. I cannot tell you how my culinary skills have improved by cooking healthy myself. Unless you want to pay an arm and a leg at the Hot bar at your local health food store, or eat mindless massive bowls of salad, you are going to have to learn to grill it up, bake it up, sauté it up so you can eat it up! And be creative! Grab eggplants, zucchini, veggies you have never tried before and cook them! I use coconut oil whenever I am cooking stovetop, and I cook on medium heat. Make a marinade for your protein, add Italian seasonings to your veggies, if you are eating a carb, look for something rice based (rice flour tortillas are so good!) or 100% whole wheat or brown. Trust me, once you start cooking, you will be Googling clean recipes daily and you will become quite the clean eating, culinary sensation!

Resist the Urge.  Now, if you have youngins’ such as I do, you may find yourself with a pantry full of snack foods. Yes, I am that mom. For me and my house, we will serve the snack food to friends and guests and even snack when bored because that’s what we do snack every now and then. The problem isn’t having snacks in the house, its the lack of control that leads you to think they are for YOU! I don’t go anywhere near my kids snacks, really! I tell myself you are taking food out of their mouth, you thief “no” and that works for me! However, you are going to want to snack and enjoy a treat ever so often. So my advice, eat and walk away. Don’t go park it on the couch, cookies at arm’s length, but rather grab a serving and be done with it! Deprivation just leads to overindulging later, remember that. If you tell yourself you can’t have that cookie but can have some peanut butter, you will frequent that PB til the jar is bare! Way more calories ( good or bad) than a few cookies. So, have a taste, but not everyday and not when you haven’t eaten a meal! Remember eat healthy more than not. 80/20!

Don’t Give Up. Food management is an art, and it takes time to get down. Don’t give up on your whole healthy eating plan because you didn’t say “no”. Regroup, and get back to your plan! MyFitnessPal is a wonderful way to track your eating and stay accountable until managing your food is second nature, and it will be! Take the time to create meals and research the calories/nutrition so you don’t overwhelm yourself later trying to add up calories, make it simple and doable!

Kenzou has a TON more tips and even for a weight loss guru such as myself, I was taking notes and taking names! She has lost over 70 lbs. with Low GI eating and has fantastic recipes and weight loss motivation. Check her out at kenzoufit.blogspot.com

Until next time, Hip Huggers! Eat clean, train mean!

Oreos for me! What is your hardest food to resist?

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Smoke and Mirrors

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Hello, and Good Morning to you all out there! 

Guess what? I am 33 years young today, and I truly mean young! I have never felt more awake on a birthday in my failing memory as I do today. Full of energy, high on life, and looking forward to a great year.

So, let me touch upon something I mentioned a post awhile back. Today, I gave up on turned down a job that 3 weeks ago meant the world to me. No, not a dream job, but something I felt I needed to do to keep me busy and possibly enhance my hopeful future career as a fitness trainer. But, it was not for me. 

Funny how from one angle, an opportunity can look like field of gold. But really, slows you down on that path to where you have professed you want to be. Smoke and mirrors. Things look one way until the smoke clears or that mirror becomes distorted. Then, you are stuck looking around wondering how the heck you ever got wrapped up in all of it? Why your eyes deceived you. Why your thirst for something was unquenchable until you see it for what it is REALLY worth. That was a not-so scathing tough lesson as it was just a part time job, but it was a stark reminder that dreams take focus and hard work! You can’t just pure wet your way around that fear of failure, but you must tear down that wall, brick by brick..

Yesterday being MLK Day, we all are inundated with that one word… dream. What is my dream? Being a phenomenal mom? Loving wife? Well yes, those are efforts I strive most days daily to improve upon, and happy to be the mom/wife that I am. But what is my DREAM? What do I lie in bed at night and think about. When I am feeling my bossiest, where am I on my way to?

My dream is to be a fitness trainer. I want to help people lose weight and gain knowledge. I want to be fortunate enough to change lives for a living, not make a living fortune. That was corny, but I really mean it. I want my days to be filled with sessions and travelling, bands and kettle bells, spandex and hoodies. I want my biggest job expense to be a gym membership. I want my phone to constantly be going off with texts, and emails from clients about their non-scale victories and prospective clients to ask if I am taking newbies. I want to end a session and go pick up my kids from school.  I want the first GNC charge card, lol! 

From a child up until last year, I wanted to be a social worker…always. I have lived with that desire of leaving my job everyday knowing I made someone’s life better, and may even perhaps saved it! I looked forward to helping people that could no longer help themselves. I wanted them to leave knowing I was going to do everything I could to lift them out of their situation.

Well, you know what? Health and fitness IS my social work. This is me helping someone make a better life. I have transformed the eating habits of my family. I have helped friends lose 20-30 lbs and see frowns turn into smiles. The looks on my friend’s face when their body changes. That late text, “can I eat this?” That “you’d be so proud of me the way I ate this weekend”… that is life to me!

So, as I have been blessed to see yet another year of life, I am also blessed to have a passion and a desire to do something for the rest of my life that will make a difference! I am standing up and walking in what I know is my destiny.  Step by step. Onward and upward.

Even so with this blog! I am a very comical person, I live to laugh and joke. However, when I started this blog, my vision was to help people lose weight.

I found myself scrolling through older posts and realized, “wow, my blog is a whole lotta bout me!” That is not my intention for this blog, and could very well be why I have gone from hoping to post twice a day, actually posting once a day, to posting once or twice a month. Why this change? Fear. I may have to be certified to exchange fitness services for $$$ but I don’t have to be certified to share what I KNOW about losing weight, and keeping it off while enjoying food and life! I AM the expert at that, damn it.

So, the landscape around here will change a bit. More self-help and less self-seeking, sum that up as you please not too harsh hopefully, I’m still learning. So, be on the lookout for my next post… really soon! And thank you, readers! You are honestly the heartbeat of this blog. Whoever and wherever you are.

 Question: What is your dream job? Your REAL dream job?

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Far and Few…

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Happy New Year, Hip Huggers! I bet you were wondering where I’ve been all year…

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Well, i’m alive! I have so much to write its crazy! However, I am strapped on time, ugh! Sitting in a dressing room as I write this but I have to share a few highlights of my year so far. Most importantly, I had to share today’s gem…

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I ran a far 10 miles. Yes, I pushed through the fear of my body totally falling apart at the runswith hips, and I did it! Longest distance ever ran, so Nike have me a medal. 10 Mile High Club, holla!!

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Well, my actual farthest run ever was from Cali to Texas in an attempt to find myself… but I won’t overwhelm you with that… for now…

I have also still been getting it in at the gym. I upped my home workouts and geez, am I seeing my body start changing. I knew I had to start mixing it up.. I’ve got serious goals this year…

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I’m still training my clients and boy and I gonna be one heck of a trainer. My fear was not knowing how to separate my sweetness from my self absorbed determination to drown people with the passion to get fit or seriousness. Oh, but there’s a big fat check in that box! I am Trainer-in-Chief around these parts…

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Lastly in my quick review, I adopted a new 4 month old Shih Tzu. Her name is Lucy. I have a weird way of correlating names and title to stuff with things going on in my life I have a meaningless tattoo that proves it so that will make more sense in my next post…

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My Love 🐶

Ok, I gotta get back to business. See you later Hip Huggers!

Are you sticking to your New Year goals? What changes have you made so far?

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End of the Beginnings…

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So it’s official, I’m running the Hot Chocolate 15k Feb 8…

Super excited but also a little ansy, here’s why: I only have 4 weeks to train!! I mean, I literally just finished week 1 of the 10k training program on Nike, and now I have to either drop out or start my weekly long runs at 9 miles.. Ahh!

But, for all intents and purposes, I am excited! I get to run with the girl that really sparked the desire in my heart to run in the first place! My sister is definitely the reason I actually started running… But Lisa is the one who introduced its existence to me 🙂 I can’t wait! Speaking of run, that was the second part of my workout today… 3 miler!

This sweat fest was the first…

Work out done. Then trained my 2 new favorite people!

Came in and refueled. I have been eating excellent through the holiday season..of course. Not doing the mindless avocado, egg, and protein dance either  that I am totally not complaining about but, getting back to eating whole pots bowls of beans such as my favorite, lentils 🙂

And of course avocado — they always steal the show. However, they are 1st runner up to this delicious coquito my neighbor made for me us. Sorry lentils, pretty hurts.

What a day! I need that drink!

On top of training my new peeps, and kicking my workouts/running up, preparing for this race, and possibly going back to work, I’m gearing up for a serious week ahead! If 2014 is anything like this week, it’s going to be a year to remember.. for good reason! 🙂

January, I await you! Happy New Year, Hip Huggers!!

Late Happy Monday! Enjoy your week! Have you ever “undertrained” for a race? How’d you finish?

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Salud! And Summings Up..

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Hola!! Long time, eh? Well, laptop self destructed itself and that has left me blogging from my app indefinitely. I’m not fancy enough for a tablet and am too  lazy busy to drop my laptop off apparently for repair. But, I need to do something because this blog has become my 3rd home (gym is 2nd) and I have missed promoting the joys of fitness…

Well, back at the ranch lots of working out has been goings ons!! Lots of legs and heavy lifting..

I have even injected running back into the groove of things… I was challenged in Nikeplus and that’s all it took to get crazy competitive again…

Random, but I remember how toned my lower back was when I was running 20+ miles a week. I need to get back there and that’s that. Also random have been on this MonsterMilk that I got on sale half off and it is gonna be tragic when I run out!

I may have to break down and buy that big $50 tub and sacrifice my Visa payment, or flu shots desire for things like this…

I also started operation Beyonce booty. Is time for a glute upgrade.

I’ve got a lot of work to do. But I can sure rock a pair of jeans in the mean time 🙂

Anyone? Anywho.. it’s Christmas Eve and I just finished a 4 miler.

Going to brave Walmart one more time to make sure we have every tiny thing we need. Because I think they’ll be closed so employees can spend quality time with their families and that’s really what Christmas is about these days, right?

Have a Merry Christmas Hip Huggers!! And a Happy.. well, i’ll see y’all before the New Year! Salud!

3 mile run tomorrow 🙂 Do you work out on holidays, too?

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Almonds and Adjustments

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Weekend is over. Boo. But it was well spent considering the wealth of knowledge I embarked on… and all the arsenic almonds I ate. Here’s how: I started reading this book I bought while out thrifting for jeans. I am a big Dr. Oz fan so I figured for $2 it was a good buy…Mind blown. Most of the book is about how your body processes and responds to food, but there is sooo much more info! Even how the battle between “to eat or not to eat” takes place…There are other chapters about exercise, recipes, surgery (if it’s your thing), meal planning, etc. The most fruitful information I received was supplements that I need to be taking. Here are a few new players…Cinnamon being one of them. Mind blown. The biggest change I already am making is fat. Carbs make up less than 30% of my overall eating, protein about 30% too, but fat is about 40%. Most of my meals, like last night’s love fest, look like this…I am going to up my carb intake (whole grains of course) and reduce my saturated fat intake. This is going to take a lot of patience and learning over the next few weeks as I adjust my eating– which I have not really adjusted in about 2 years. I’m also eating more low glycemic foods, meals, and snacks such as this…I’ve been maintaining weight and have been cool with that. But, I learned soo much about inflammation, cholesterol, and omentum (brown fat) that I need to really, really help my body out. I didn’t realize how much my body puts up does for me. She’s my new best frennnn!

This is the beginning of a beautiful relationship with my inner body. I expect great things!!

Fats, carbs, protein. Which group is your primary eating style? How does that work for you?

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Bow Down, Doubters!!

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Have you heard the buzz?! Queen Bey released her self-titled album at midnight…no announcement… exclusively on iTunes… Like a boss. I totally sweat Beyonce. Love. Her.

That totally warped my whole Friday. I had so much planned to get done. Instead I danced around sat and watched all her videos on the visual album… Because I’m uh.. obsessed.
And, uh, apparently distracted. I have not worked out in 2 days. I’ve been so busy! Christmas lights shopping has taken over my life! I’m not even worthy of blogging right now, Hip Huggers. I’m such a tease boob. But I do feel great today!!!

I have been keeping up with my 3L though. I frequented many public bathrooms today, against my better judgement, but I am a week into my challenge… and allowing no excuses.

Was at Target and finally found what I’ve been searching for…

I need it for a specific mug muffin. I’ve become a boss at making mug muffins! There are sooooo many different ways to try them! I made a cinnamon flax one yesterday…

Topped it with Justin’s maple almond butter.. Heaven. Even if I did share almost half…

Lastly, I opted not to take the position. Very hard decision, but I decided I was going to be a trainer and that’s what I am going to do! I can’t let doubt take over my mind. I did have to quiet that b*tch in my head, she was being a thorn!! We worked it out though, for now….

Onward and upward.

What artist are you absolutely obsessed with?

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