Sprint 2 the Table

Appetites and Adventures

Gratitude and a Simple Giveaway

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I have a confession.

When I added dairy back to my diet, I worried people would be pissed I wasn’t going vegan forever.

When I added seafood last week, I wondered if people would think I sold out.

When I read all of the encouraging comments you left, I felt gratitude.

Pushing myself to the limit in this past month of training has left me feeling a little vulnerable.  I’m feel strong and I am proud of what I’m doing, but I am outside my circle of comfort and that can be unsettling at times.

You reminded me that:

  1. The people who read my blog (yes, YOU) are amazingly supportive
  2. I shouldn’t worry about what others think of my eating habits (you’d think I’d never forget this since I blend spinach into everything)
  3. If you focus on doing what is right for you, and the rest will fall into place.

We’ve all struggled at some point in life with body image – if nothing else, its part of growing up!  What I continue to learn (re-learn?) is that you shouldn’t CARE what others think about you.  Especially when it comes to diet.  Your diet is just that – YOURS.  It’s a personal thing.

Some people are naturally teeny.  Some people have bigger bones.  Some were built to bench 200 lbs.  Some are aerodynamic sprinters.  Some people can eat red meat with no problems.  Some people can’t stomach the thought of eating an animal product.  And that’s fine.  Just don’t wear fur and we can all get along. 😉

Sunday will mark the beginning of the 29th year of my life.  The last year of my 20s.  Sometimes I’m amazed at what I’ve done in that time… and sometimes I panic because I wanted to accomplish more (wasn’t I going to rule the world by 30?).

From my perspective, the important thing this to keep your goals in sight and stay focused on the things that mean the most to you – family, career, athletics, crazy food creations, etc.  If you believe you can’t, you won’t.  If you belive you can, you will.

You can do anything you want to if you want to badly enough.  Bring it, world domination!

Thank you all for reminding me to stay true to myself, and that support will follow when you are genuine.  It sounds simple, but sometimes it’s hard to remember.

Speaking of simple…

For my birthday I would like to give you a gift!  The people at Simply Bar have offered to send a sample pack to one Sprint 2 the Table reader!

I first tried the Simply Bar at this spring’s Blend Retreat. The Simply Bars were in our (overflowing) shwag bags, and were there to fuel us through a strenuous hike.

I’m a big fan of anything that is natural, tastes good, is low in sugar, and is high in protein.  Here’s how The Simply Bar fits the bill:

  • 16g of protein from non-GMO soy crisps
  • 3g of sugar means no sugar crash
  • These gluten-free, vegan bars actually taste good too
  • At 160 calories they are filling, but won’t leave you over-stuffed

Their current flavors are: Peanut Butter Chocolate, Lemon Coconut, Caramel Peanut, Cinnamon Pecan, Cocoa Raspberry, and Cocoa Coffee.  I haven’t tried the last 2 flavors, but that Lemon-Coconut is positively addicting.  The texture is great – crunchy with a bit of chew, like a rice crispy treat.

How do you win? Receive up to 4 entries by:

  1. Follow me on Twitter or Subscribe to the Sprint 2 the Table RSS feed or email
  2. Tweet: You could say something like: I’ve entered to win a sample pack from @thesimplybar with @sprint2thetable http://wp.me/p16jDn-1rZ  #giveaway
  3. Be Social: Twitter Follow The Simply Bar, Pinterest Follow Me and/or Pin Something of Mine, Instagram Follow Me
  4. Comment: What goal do you believe you can/will accomplish one day?

Please leave a *separate comment* for each entry!

Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST Wednesday night,  July 18th.  The winner will be announced here on Thursday, July 19th!

Open to US Residents only.  If you’d like to try these bars but didn’t win, check out their Store Locations to find a local retailer, or simply order your own sample pack on The Simply Bar website.

***

Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life’s
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

~Dr. Seuss

Are you a Seuss fan too?

What are you doing for my birthday this weekend?

Comments

  1. Simply bars are everywhere lately! They look so good! What a great post! I’m glad you feel supported in your decisions! Bottom line it you have to do what makes you happy! You should feel so proud of everything you’ve accomplished thus far!!! I love the Dr. Seuss quote! My goal is to someday have an established nutrition practice and be a competitive CrossFit athlete!

  2. Well, I never thought I would actually go through with being a trainer or a specialist in fitness nutrition and now I am. That was a huge hurdle for me in respect to believing in myself and doing it for myself. Although, without such a supportive husband, I don’t think I would have ever taken the plunge.

    I’m really proud of you for doing something for you. You have a goal and you’re going about it the smart healthy way! That’s the most important message here. You hired a trainer that helps you with your physical goals, as well as your health goals.

    As far as what others think, the people that support you for your decisions are the ones you want to keep around. The one’s that judge you for being you…not so much. I think you’re pretty awesome! Thank you for sharing this journey!

    • Thank you for being so supportive! I love that you went out and grabbed what you wanted. Fitness nutrition is so fascinating to me.

  6. Goal – One day I will become a homeowner! Quite a big step to purchase a property and own a home yourself but it will be nice not to rent one day. Great review and these bars look delicioius! I would love to try the Lemon coconut flavor too – would be very refreshing for summertime! Thanks so much for the giveaway!

    • That is a great goal! I’m sure you will get there soon… it is nice to not have a landlord!

  7. I don’t want to win the bars because I don’t really like them. (I know, everyone loves them, but I just don’t like the texture!) I just wanted to say that I’ve gone through that too during times when I’ve added chicken and seafood into my diet (now it’s just seafood). I worried so much that people would think that I was giving up or not dedicated enough. Honestly, no one cared but me! Just do what feels right for you. And rule the world!

    Happy almost birthday! You can totally have one of these loaves of bread. They sent me 4 breads and 4 bagel packages!!

    • I appreciate your honesty. 🙂

      And YES I’s love a couple slices of bread!!! How do you like it so far?

  12. Happy early birthday! I loved your post… I live with a very supportive boy, who does not fuss when I come home with bags of fresh produce, or squirm when I ask him to buy me some sprouts when I already have 2 heads of lettuce, and who literally goes out of his way to make sure there is somewhere I can eat when we go on vacation or out-of-town. Sometimes I feel vulnerable, too, showing everyone what I eat on my blog. But I now look at blogging as a form of journalling, going more low-key and low-stress, lately… plus, the blogging community is very supportive.. I am not popular enough to have hate mail yet!! Anyways, keep up the good work… and does worry so much about what we think. 🙂

  15. Happy early birthday – I’m so sad I won’t be there too help you celebrate! The truck from Atlanta has been delayed, so mutt perfectly timed weekend plans aren’t going to here as perfect. I still hope to be unpacking boxes on Sunday in celebration of your big day! 😉

  16. Happy early birthday! And yep, you do (or eat, rather) what works for you. Who says it’s one size fits all or that we must be vegan or nothing, or paleo or nothing? I tend to go through cycles on how I eat, but I never identify myself by what I’m eating. Lawd, no – I identify myself as a southern girl raised on fried chicken and mashed potatoes…I just, unfortunately, can’t eat like that anymore. 😉 The bars sound delicious.

    I follow you on Twitter!

  18. What goal do you believe you can/will accomplish one day?

    I believe that I’ll (one day) look in a mirror and be happy with what I see, by working toward what I want and accepting what I was born with/can’t change. One day. 🙂

  22. A goal I know I will accomplish one day….improving my running. I’m by no means a natural born runner, but am learning to enjoy it and am working on improving my times!

  23. Happy early birthday, and you’re 100% right: You don’t have to answer to anybody about what you eat or what you decide to do with your body. That’s part of the beauty of being alive! You are doing great, and you’re so inspiring. Keep going, stay strong, and lettem have it!

    • That is NOT a common goal – it amazes me when people are able to do marathons. You have to be in the better shape than 99.9% of the population!

  25. Best blog post I’ve read in…a very long time. The world needs more gratitude. “Believe” Yep, that’s what it’s all about. I believe you’re an amazing person and hope you have a fantastic birthday weekend! 😉

  26. I believe I will run a 5K run one day as I’m practicing running long distances right now! Thanks so much and I love your review and that Lemon Coconut sure looks yummy!

  30. I love this post. You are amazing, girlie! Happy early birthday. I will be camping this weekend (IN THE RAIN — because I’m that badass), so I won’t be around to say it on Sunday.

    Goal — handstands. Run another marathon. Touch my toes (more than once). And just generally be completely awesome. 😉

    • Thank you!!! How was the rain-camping?

      You have such awesome goals. Handstands are too cool. You should run a marathon in ATLANTA!!! 🙂

  31. GREAT post! Of course I will never judge someone for choosing the diet that works for them–that just makes no sense, even coming from a vegan ;D

    And the goal I want to (AND AM) accomplishing is to live my life the way that feels right, not that I’m told is right. I’m really loving it all right now, so I can’t imagine what I’d change at the moment, although I know opportunities for positive change will come in the future!

  32. Happy Early Birthday!!
    You should be proud for listening to your body. I went through something similar earlier this year – adding back meat for health reasons. It took be forever to write about it and come to terms with the changes I had to make. Some days I’m still coping. But you gotta adapt in order to thrive. Happy weekend friend!

    • I’m so proud of YOU! It’s so important to listen to your body and what it needs. I’m actually having fun eating fish now – it’s like a new toy to play with in the kitchen. 🙂

  34. Great post! And I agree, you should do what feels right for you, no matter what anyone else thinks! All that matters is that you know that what you’re doing is right for you! 🙂 Body image and diets are such personal things, and I know how hard it is to judge yourself based on what you think that other people think about you. You need to love yourself and treat yourself well 🙂

    Someday I *will* get over my own body image/eating issues…it’s something I’m slowly working on. It’s a day by day thing. Some days suck. Some days, I feel darn good. I just know I feel myself getting stronger mentally and physically, and I like that 🙂

    • What a great comment/food for thought. You are so very right. It sounds like you have a great mindset to go forward and conquer your goal. 🙂

  37. Happy almost birthday my dear!!! I hope you have the best day! Turns out our birthdays are exactly 1 week apart! 😀 I hope you celebrate a lot and just enjoy yourself to the fullest. I loved this post by the way… love all of yours but this one was especially motivational and thought provoking. <3 Happy birthday weekend to you!!!

  40. Happy birthday!! Great post, too. I fully believe in eating whatever makes you feel good- and who cares what the label is.

    My goal for this year is to make trips to visit my close friends who have moved out of NYC and I miss dearly. They’re spread all over (Canada, Ohio, California…), but friendships are worth the effort.

  43. I love the quote, “Those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.” I think it’s great you’re doing what’s best for you. I don’t know why people get so upset by how/what other people want to eat. You have be true to yourself and Happy early Birthday!

  44. oh i want these! so delicious and SIMPLE! I just wanted to tell you how much i love your honesty here. I really admire it and i think you wonderful. EVERY LITTLE THING ABOUT YOU, keep the positive outlook. I hope we meet one day.
    <3

    • Thank you so much, Lindsay! I think you basically rock. And we MUST meet some day. We should all just descend on Heather in CO. 🙂

    • I won’t doubt you… I love cottage cheese in smoothie and I’ve certainly added sour cream in cakes!

  47. Laura, I hope you have a wonderful birthday! As for what others think of your diet, I firmly believe that your body tells you what it needs and it’s no one else’s business. And with the workouts you’ve been doing, you need all the high-quality fuel you can get!

  48. I hope that one day I will be fully content, no matter where I am or what I’m doing. A work in progress!

    • Wouldn’t that be amazing?! You must do it and then share with me the secret. 🙂

  49. I did all 4. 🙂
    My goal is to make time to be healthy, while balancing my school + work schedule! And to tone out my arms and lift 10lb weights!

    • Making time is the key! I tend to schedule workouts like they are a meeting – it really helps. You’ll get to those 10lb weights faster than you think!

    • Pull-ups are so great for your back muscles. I bet you’ll be able to do several! 🙂

  55. I have a picture that I posted to my instagram account in the beginning of summer. It is a picture of a very fit female with GREAT abs. I know that one day I will achieve this goal. I recently joined a great gym in Denver & there is a lot of motivation and support there to get SUPER fit. IF i don’t achieve it by the end of summer, I know that I can do some day. Hard work pays off.

    • Isn’t IG a great form of inspiration? When you get there, I’m going to post your pic as my inspiration, LOL!

  56. Yea!! You are soo right on with your points in the post. It’s a simple concept, but I always need to be reminded to just do my own thing 😉

    • Thanks, Allie! It’s funny how the simple thing take effort to remember sometimes… but so worth it! 🙂

  61. Happy birthday, Laura! Great post. I can totally relate- and I’m glad you know no one is judging you. 🙂 Something I plan to accomplish someday… gosh, that’s hard. I have lots of fitness goals, but really, I just want my daughter to grow up to be a strong woman and leave her own mark on the world. So my goal is to have the wisdom to raise her well!

    • What a cool goal. I bet you are on amazing mom! And now I’m off to check out your Tri recap. 🙂

  64. I believe that some day I will do a triathlon. I just added swimming to my workout routine, so hopefully that will be sooner than later!

    • You know me so well. 🙂

      I had no idea you had mommy ambitions! You better be blogging about that 9 mos without beer. 😉

  76. One day I will complete a full marathon. I have done a few half marathons and am quite nervous
    for a full…but one day! Along the lines of what you consume food wise, you are right – worry about you! What makes you feel good is what you should do! Stand proud 🙂

    • I would love to do a full one day too but the thought makes me nervous. You can do it though!!! It’s all about training properly (or so I hear).

  81. I know I will do a full marathon some day……I just need to pick one and train for it!

    • So many marathon goals! We should to all get together and train as a blog community! 🙂

  85. One day I want to have the self confidence and positive body image I know I deserve! Nobody’s perfect (:

  86. love this post! and I am 29, so I am trying to enjoy my last year before turning 30 🙂
    Lori and I always worry about what people will think of us or judge us for something we are doing or not doing, but then we realize we are doing what we enjoy or love, and those that really know and love us will support us! glad you got the same feeling!!!
    hugs

  87. In truth, my main goal in life is to feel joy and contentment in my choices, my soul, and my self. I think I’m getting there. 🙂

    P.S. I completely understand what you mean about the nervousness about blogging diet changes. The funny thing is, I’ve never proclaimed to be vegan or labelled myself anything, but because I rarely eat it, I do feel stressed about whether to blog it on the rare occasions I do, like this weekend where the restaurant I went to last night had literally no no-meat option!

    • That is one helluva perfect goal. You seems to live so freely with your heels clicking… I have no doubts you achieve that goal daily. 🙂

  89. I have the opposite problem I think. I always worry that people feel like I ‘sold out’ when I started embracing the whole healthy living blog world and using the world blend comfortably and STOPPED eating meat.

    I think the answer is that we do worry so much about others judging, and in the end, people are just really happy when you are YOU. [At least, all the people we’d want to be around anyway…]

    • And THAT is why I love you so.

      (was Blend a blogger word before the retreat? I’m so not in the loop…)

  93. I also subsribe via RSS but I think I’ve gotten a bit confused on how I get entries.

    Also, is this fair since I’ve already won some from someone else AND will be hosting my own giveaway soon?

  97. my goal is to repaint the interior of my house- the whole thing, but broken into smaller projects – over the next 12 months.

    • Ohhhh… that’s a big one. Are you doing the ceilings too? My thoughts are with you. 😉

  98. I already follow you on Twitter chickadee! =)

    Also – I was veggie for a year & started eating meat again this year. I was pleasantly surprised by how accepting people were!

      • Nope =( I was getting a lot of protein for my diet – that’s something I was very conscientious of. However, I was borderline anemic, and eating meat definitely improved my endurance. Then again, a B12 and iron supp probably would have done the same thing!

  99. My goal is to visit Europe one day and see all the old, historic sites that I learned about in school! Happy Birthday and thanks for the giveaway!

    • Break out the Rosetta Stone! 🙂 I’ve always thought it would be cool to learn another language too.

  104. I’ve seen so many posts about Simply Bar, I need to try them! I already follow you on twitter 🙂 @j_mosh

  106. Beautiful post bff! <3

    I know where you are coming from for sure, but over the past year I have learnt NOT to give a worry or care what people think of you! We are who we are and we should be proud of that 🙂

    I love my Laura and alwayyyyys will

    • Thank you so much, Meg! You are such an inspiration to me, my twin! 🙂 Love you too!

  108. I believe one day I will finally have reached the physique I desire! Clean eating, cardio, & weights. Repeat.
    First time to your blog, but these sound like yummy bars! I’ve been looking for some…. just tried the Mint Chocolate Cookie Pria bars.

    • I have the same goals – and you are right, it’s all about consistency of clean eating and the right exercise. We will get there! 🙂

  109. It’s perfectly acceptable to go from a vegan diet to carnivorous. I eat a lot of vegan foods, but I love a hunk of boar. As long as you’re giving your body what it needs no one has any right to tell you what you’re eating is wrong. Plus, as you pointed out in a previous post there are tons of people out there who don’t even know how to make basic healthy choices.

    • The only time I eat boar is in Europe. And it is always amazing. 🙂

      Great point about the previous post. It’s all about making good choices for your body.

  112. I just recently started a new “eating journey”, after gaining some unwanted weight my first year of college I am trying to eat “clean” and got rid of my beloved frozen pizzas! I have always worked out so that part was not as challenging but my goal is to continue my eating habits even in the fall when I return to school and for the rest of my life. I love how great I feel and want to make this a pemanant lifestyle. I also recently discovered the world of blogs! There are so many great people like yourself out there that share your stories and help motivate people like myself to reach my goal! I am so glad I stumbled across your blog and just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to share your story, recipies, workouts and advice it truely is greatly appreciated 🙂

    • Congrats!!! Homemade pizza tastes way better anyway. 🙂

      You are right one with thinking of it as a permanent lifestyle. You’ll rock it back at school. Thank you so much for your kind words, 🙂

  120. I can/will move to barcelona, spain to work and live there in the next two years. I dont know a single person there.
    Their economy just needs to stabalize a bit first!

  121. Ive never had a simply bar before. They sound good!
    My BIG goal — overcome my eating disorder. I’ve had anorexia for a little over a year now and I’m doing my best to get my body and mind back into shape and have a healthy relationship with food. It’s hard, but your blog has been very inspiring and I love seeing the recipes you have to share. I love cooking and baking, and I’ve been able to use some of your recipes in my food plans and have really enjoyed all of them so far. 🙂

    • It’s so good to hear that you are working hard at recovery! I know you’ll defeat it. 🙂 AND I am totally flattered that you’ve made some of my food. 😀

  122. my goal is to clean up my eating. my weight is ok, but my diet really isnt

    • That’s awesome that you recognize it! I find that clean eating is a habit, just like anything else.

  126. I hope to become more fit (stronger, more endurance in cardio) and be more confident in my own skin, rather than being self-conscious of the way I look. I’ve never felt comfortable about my body and it’s a struggle to feel okay with myself, but with clean eating and regular exercise, I hope to be in the best shape ever! You’re such an inspiration and I love your blog!

  132. What a beautiful post. And the Dr. Seuss quote at the end, perfect. I love Dr. Seuss and sometimes I could live inside one of his stories.

    You are awesome because you are you and that is why I read your blog.

    • I feel the same way! I now tear up reading some of his stories.

      Thank you so much, Candy. YOU are awesome too. 🙂

  137. Pay no heed to anyone else but me. I’ll send you a bottle of red wine to pair with every slab of red meat you eat to get you back to the dark side. Tempting isn’t it???? BTW a belated Happy Birthday my friend!!!

  140. My goal is to trust the Lord and go on an adventure! I just graduated from college – so I feel like I have so much ahead of me!

  145. My goal is to continue to be kind to my body. It def thanks me during this recovery phase, but my mind and my mood is not so happy. I want to hit the gym. hard. I don’t want to eat 2000 cal/ day. I want to continue to fit into my pants..So many I want and don’ts..
    Instead, I NEED and DESIRE to embrace the changes.

  149. 1). I love your blog! 2). I follow you on Twitter 3). I follow you on Instagram 4). A goal I wish to accomplish is to run a half marathon and WIN A SAMPLE of Simply Bar! 🙂

  150. I feel like I will reach my goal weight and a slim, healthy body someday. It is slow going, but I’m down about 40 lbs. in the last year (my baby will be 1 yr. 7-31).

    • That’s is amazing progress!!! Good luck getting the rest of the way – slow and steady is the way to win! 🙂

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