I’m large and in charge!
Vegas is out of town – watch out.
That’s right. I’m without supervision this week. Not just because Vegas is gone though – I’m also hosting Jen’s What I Ate Wednesday!
And I made myself bacon.
By Laura
I’m large and in charge!
Vegas is out of town – watch out.
That’s right. I’m without supervision this week. Not just because Vegas is gone though – I’m also hosting Jen’s What I Ate Wednesday!
And I made myself bacon.
By Laura
I am back in the US.
Reluctantly.
Every time I go to Europe I cringe at the thought of coming home… not just because re-entering this country is a case study in an operations fail. 2 hours to get through customs to a connecting flight. Really?!
That said, Vegas and I are back in the States. We managed to eat our way through Greece first though! Some of it was a bit strange. Some meals were better than others. Overall, the experience and trying new things with Vegas (who still thinks I eat some weird shizz) was better than good.
…
By Laura
My idea of heaven is getting paid to workout.
And to eat… errrr… cook.
Several months ago I earned personal training certificates through the International Association of Fitness Sciences (IAFS) in Functional Training, Bodybuilding, and Sports Nutrition. This is 8x Mr. Olympia Lee Haney‘s program (he’s basically my version of a movie star).
I wasn’t sure how or if I’d use it… I ended up training a couple of friends and deciding it’s something I really did love. So I added a link on my site for training and nutrition. Between getting married and moving, I never did much to promote it. Now that we’re settled, the time has come!
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By Laura
We create our own destiny.
I refuse to read my horoscope.
Someone told me that Mercury is in retrograde. After Googling to see WTF that meant, I called bullshit. There are times where life gets more challenging, time is short, motivation is lacking… but in the end we decide how we handle it.
Right now my struggle is on the superficial side, but a struggle nonetheless. It’s diet. I’m supposed to compete in 8 weeks and I’m struggling with getting back on track. However, I’ve decided to allow myself to be flexible. If I don’t make this show, there will be one the next weekend. And the next. And next year. I came to that realization by being honest about where I am. I talked to my therapist trainer Monday night and he reminded me that a lot is changing for me. I got married. It’s a new life. I don’t have to do EVERYTHING at once (insert shocked face). Doing stuff like enjoying dinner with Vegas on her birthday is more important right now.
That’s not to say I’m giving up. But whatever happens… I own this!
One thing that helps is treating myself with healthy buys… like a haul from iHerb. Beet powder (which I love in pancakes and Red Velvet protein shakes), Cocoa Cardio (Red Velvet Waffles!), peanut flour, and gelatin are daily staples. If you have any digestion “issues” I highly recommend it (here’s a post I did on it). I’m trying the collagen version for the first time with this order.
Another motivator is energy. I was thrilled when I received the two-10 discovery pack from FRS®. The pack includes a big bottle of FRS concentrate, a sample pack of soft chews, and 2 cans of their energy drink.
My favorite thing about FRS is their ingredient list and why it was developed. It was originally created by health scientists to provide chemotherapy patients with natural, sustained energy. The FRS patented Healthy Energy formula has the all-natural antioxidants quercetin (found in blueberries and apples) and green tea extract, plus seven essential vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, C and E). I’m all about immune system support after getting the plague.
Not only are these drinks more delicious than the junk from the gas station, but they also doesn’t rely on chemicals, sugar and massive amount of caffeine to give you the shakes energy.
So, I’m challenging myself to go with the flow and not be so hard on myself. At the same time, I’m committed to doing my best and staying active. It’s what makes me happy! #iownthis
Learn more about the FRS two-10 discovery pack, and check them out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
This post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of FRS.
This WIAW is 8 weeks out from my competition. See above.
Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else’s delicious creations!
The usual morning cocktail, followed by my morning sludge.
Breakfast is the new standard – basil and garlic egg white scramble with a whole egg dropped in for #yolkporn. Toast with coconut oil and cinnamon.
I baked Sizzlefish trout with lemon and Italian herbs. Eaten standing up with red bell pepper slices and kabocha.
Chicken with sugar peas. Simple… but a perfectly cooked piece of chicken is actually one of my favorite things. That and hot sauce.
Rice cakes with Nuttzo nut butter. I probably look forward to this meal a little too much. I had one with chocolate protein “icing” too.
Rinse and repeat from last night. A giant peanut butter-sweet potato pancake made with Japanese white sweet potato.
Peanut Butter-Sweet Potato Pancake
Blend and cook!
I love yogurt. Really. I’m just as happy with bowls like this as I am with *most* regular desserts. Well, average regular desserts. Oh man, I love dessert.
This dessert bowl was 1/2 scoop of Growing Naturals vanilla rice protein mixed with plain Greek yogurt, cinnamon, almond extract, and vanilla liquid stevia. Then I mixed up 1/2 T cocoa powder and 1/2 T coconut flour with stevia and just enough water to make it a fluff. Topped with crumbled leftover pretzels from the plane. Sweet ‘n salty perfection!
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If Mercury means being impatient, then maybe I am a believer… ha!
Do believe is horoscopes and Mercury and all that jazz?
What are you owning right now?
By Laura
Do you realize how much you sit?
It makes my hips hurt!
I’ve gone through a lot of “hacks” to have standing desks. At one job I stacked up Girl Scout cookie boxes to set my laptop on. When I’m at home working, I use the condo gym to build a treadmill desk. I can’t stand to sit still. Standing up while I’m working helps to improve my focus. Hey! Something shiny!
When my boss suggested I look into a “real” standing desk, I was thrilled. After some research, VertDesk offered to hook me up with one of their adjustable height desks. Talk about not sitting still – I was bounce-off-the-walls elated. The VertDesk even has a push button control to make height adjustment easy. My co-workers can adjust it to their height and use it and, if I ever DO decide to sit, I can simply push a button to lower it.
We’ve all seen the articles about how sitting is killing us… but why exactly is a standing desk beneficial?
By Laura
I’m on the wagon.
Seriously. 9 days sober.
It’s finally time to get back on the stage. I took a year off from competing to grow and it paid off well. I put on about 15 pounds (20 at my highest)… and a decent amount of that is muscle. Looking back at pictures from a couple of years ago, I can’t believe I was that tiny!
I was hoping to be able to do Physique, but I’m not big enough yet so I’m staying with Figure. Maybe next year……
By Laura
I am not-so-secretly a teensy bit Type A.
In my head, I hide it well… but no.
1 more day until Vegas gets here for the holidays. I Can’t Focus. So I make lists (you’re not the only one Meghan). Lists of things to cook, places to take Vegas, items to remember to bring to mom’s for Christmas, errands to run, random tasks to complete before Vegas gets here… it’s all fun to me though.
So today I bring you a list of fun things I’m focusing on to pass the time while waiting for Tuesday. It’s a perfect 10. Because I like lists of prime numbers or 10.
Flowers arrive from Vegas on the regular. Last week’s delivery was a friend for House Plant – Christmas Cactus. Now we both have mates from the desert.
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By Laura
Don’t fight the festive.
My former Grinch-self is kicking me in the shins.
As advertised, Vegas and I got a tree. Vegas did the lights (after a debate over whether wrapping or running lights up and down is better). We hung ornaments. There was Christmas music and champagne.
This, after being opposed to Christmas decor of years. My former self thought it was a waste of time and money, not to mention messy.
My new smiley-self loved every minute of it.
(And that’s not just the wine talking.)…