Favorite Gifts

I wanted to share with you all one of my favorite Christmas gifts as well as my favorite birthday gift!

I received an Erin Condren life planner for Christmas and it was one of my favorite gifts!
I am a planner, one that loves organization and routine, and can never have to many sticky notes! I was on the hunt for a 2015 planner but wanted one that was a bit different and unique and would get the job done (aka lots of space for writing things down). While on instagram one day I came across the Life Planner by Erin Condren and knew I had to have it.

A few things I love about these planners: you can personalize them (personalizing makes anything better), laminated cover, inspirational quotes throughout planner, stickers for special reminders, meals/exercise list area, to-do lists, pockets (great for receipts), and so much more. It also fits in my purse so I can take anywhere. Erin Condren definitely knows what she is doing and has so many other great products to offer. I think these would be great gift ideas for any woman- whether she is a busy Mom, college student or working woman it would be helpful for anyone.

For sometime, I have wanted some sort of an activity tracker. I bought a Polar last year which tracks heart rate and calories burned however you have to wear a band below your chest as well which isn't my most favorite. Gets a bit annoying at times in my opinion. I only wear it to workout because it is a bit inconvenient. So I have been looking at fitbits and jawbones for some time because I thought it would be great to track movement throughout the day as well as sleeping patterns. We actually sell Jawbones at my new job so I thought why not get one of these. Pat ended up getting me one for my birthday and I LOVE IT. I actually like it way better than my Polar, even though they track different things, I just love the convenience of it and how it is lightweight and you can wear with anything. I have mine set to vibrate after I have been sitting 20 minutes, this is a great reminder to get up and move more. It also vibrates every 2,000 steps I walk. I have mine set for 10,000 a day, which is surprisingly a lot harder to reach when you sit at a desk for quite a bit of the day. It has been so helpful though to encourage me to walk a bit more as I do strive to hit that 10,000 mark (which is about 5 miles). I love that I can wear it to workout and you can set a timer to track your activity as well as put it in sleep mode. I always thought I was getting a decent amount of sleep until I realized how much I toss and turn during the night, so this has been very informative! Totally a great purchase!

A little fitness survey...

Happy Friday Folks!

I couldn't be more excited for a weekend at home. Last weekend was almost like a blur it happened so fast, Pat and I headed to Nebraska for his cousin Mandy's wedding bright and early Saturday morning. It was a beautiful wedding and great to see a lot of his family that we don't get to see very much. We had to leave early Sunday morning since it was Father's Day, we hurried home to make lunch at my parent's house with my whole side of the family. And then it was Monday again..

 

Me and Lover Boy

Pat and his Aunt Beth

The beautiful ceremony and couple

 

So needless to say I'm looking forward to a semi-relaxing weekend, hopefully will get some stuff done around the house before we head to Beaver Lake next Thursday with some of our great friends- Nick & Ashley! Can't wait to sit on a boat and enjoy the sun for a few days!

 

As I was reading one of my favorite blogs today, Peanut Butter Fingers, I came across this POST  thought I'd repeat, 1. Because I love surveys (weird I know) and 2. Because I love fitness:)

 

 

1. What did you eat for breakfast?
A piece of toasted Ezekiel bread topped with some avocado and one fried egg with a side of fresh strawberries.

2. How much water do you drink a day?
I drink at least a gallon of water a day. People think I'm crazy... but water does a body good:)

3. What is your current favorite workout?
Currently I love Title Boxing's Power Hour Class. Pat and I became members a few months ago, and it is such an AWESOME workout, plus I get board with the same ole' cardio so it's nice to mix things up!

4. How many calories do you eat a day?
Most days I'm not sure, but when I'm counting I try to stick around 1200-1500

5. What are your favorite healthy snacks?
Oh goodness- I love my snacks! Here are my most favs: beef jerky, celery with almond butter, string cheese with some turkey breast, hummus with carrots and cucumber (I make my own sweet potato hummus and it is fabulous!), almonds (raw, cocoa, smoky flavors), protein shakes, homemade energy balls, quest protein bars

6. What do you usually eat for lunch?
I pack my lunch and snacks every day. For lunch I try to stick with a big salad with either tuna, steak, or chicken. I make my own salad dressing as well or even just use some lemon juice. I may top it with some fresh fruit and nuts or dried cranberries.

7. What is your favorite body part to strength train?
Shoulders!

8. What is your least favorite body part to strength train?
Chest (probably because this is my weakest area)

9. What are your “bad” food cravings?
I have a major sweet tooth, so it definitely takes major discipline, but when I do "splurge" my picks would definitely be cake, especially the frosting:) or ice cream and anything with chocolate!

10. Do you take vitamins or supplements?
Yes! Multivitamin, Calcium, Vitamin B, Fish Oil, L-Carnatin, CLA, Probiotics

11. How often do you eat out?
Usually only on the weekends, 1 to 2 times a week

12. Do you eat fast food?
I hate fast food. But if its my only option I try to shoot for a salad if possible and nothing fried, ever.

13. Who is your biggest supporter?
Patty boy and my Mom and Dad, hands down.

14. Do you have a gym membership?
Yes- we have memberships to both the YMCA, Title Boxing Club, as well as a Yoga studio

15. How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
8- and its so important!

16. Do you have a “cheat” day?
No I don't have cheat days, but I will "splurge" a little more on the weekends, I try to keep it really clean during the week.

17. Do you drink alcohol?
Honestly since college I really don't. These days one drink will give me a headache and alcohol just does bad, bad things to my body, so it's just not worth it to me, I feel so much better without it.

18. Do you have a workout buddy?
My Momma:) or my good friend RaeAnn, we share a lot of the same fitness passions! Most of the time I'm solo though, which is totally cool with me, its my "me" time.

19. What is the best thing that has changed about your life since committing to a healthy lifestyle?
I've always enjoyed fitness and nutrition. But over the last few years I have grown an even stronger love for not only fitness but living a healthy lifestyle. I'm blessed with umm... probably the worst metabolism ever. I've always had to watch what I eat, but over the last few years have noticed it has gotten even harder. So you have to make a choice. And I can truly tell a difference in what "clean, whole" foods do for your body. It's definitely a lifestyle you have to choose to live, and in my mind is worth it in the long run without a doubt.

20. What was the last healthy thing you did?
Went to Title Boxing after work tonight, great way to end a long week!



Food blogger? Why not?

This past weekend was a complete whirlwind. I had an extremely stressful week at work, what's new though? Absolutely no free time at all. Then Friday we were out of town for a funeral, followed with an extremely long day on Saturday. I helped a friend with a wedding out in McPherson, the wedding was absolutely beautiful, so sad that the weather wasn't nicer, hard to believe its May. I literally felt like I had been hit by a truck on Sunday though, I was then stupid enough to go for a 3 mile run and a long walk with Buddy, which only made matters worse. A person who sits at a desk every day definitely gives their body a wake up call after standing for 13 hours, holy cow!

 

So I fell a bit off track over the weekend and need to get back on track, so I thought why not blog what I eat a few days a week to hold myself accountable? Sure sounds like a great idea. So- if you are not interested in knowing what I ate today then feel no need to read any further:)

 

Within the last few months I completed the Whole30 program (which I would definitely recommend). During this program I can't even describe how good I felt by the end of the 30 days! I used to be an avid diet coke drinker, and have now not had a diet coke in months! I've been researching a lot and I had no idea that diet soda, or any soda for that matter has the same affects on your body as alcohol does, crazy! Needless to say, I love the way my body felt after eating whole foods, no processed junk at all. I felt stronger, more awake, more energized, my digestive system was better, and I even think it helped clear up my allergies! So during this little 30 day deal, I cut out gluten and dairy among many other things. Gluten was easy, dairy was definitely tough though. However, I felt so good after the program I've continued to leave gluten out of my diet and have only added back in a bit of dairy because I loved the way I felt. I've quit worrying about calories and try to eat 5-6 small meals a day. I've also gone organic, which I LOVE. I honestly can tell a difference in the produce, meats, etc. in my mind definitely worth the extra money! So after completely detoxing your body from these foods when you do indulge, you definitely FEEL it on your body, and I always find it hard to get back on track. Soo... self- let's stay motivated!

 

 



Breakfast- 3 egg whites, 1 egg, 2 pieces uncured bacon and spinach leaves sauteed in Ghee (clarified butter), Coffee with low fat coconut milk

Snack- Protein shake with unsweetened almond milk and handful of raw almonds

Lunch-  Tuna with 1 tblsp low fat mayo and mustard, mixed with pumpkin seeds and one serving of nut thins w/ flax seeds

Snack- One cup raw celery with raw almond butter, 2 slices turkey breast and 1 piece low fat string cheese

Workout- 1 hour cycle class- 10 min leg band workout- 2 mile walk

Dinner- Baked Siracha Salmon and Roasted Broccoli drizzled with EVOO

This entire day is about 1600 calories, a bit more than I would like to have had but I definitely got in a lot of protein- this comes to about 147 grams and I typically try and stay between 100-125 grams of protein but I also cut out most carbohydrates today to try and help bounce back.

Lastly, you may wonder what this is? Well - I continually try and get my husband to eat healthy, but its not the easiest task. One of his favorite foods are chips, so I decided to make my own version. I'm currently dehydraing some sweet potatoes to make sweet potato chips, I'm so excited to see how they turn out! Basically just slice one large sweet potato into very small slices, I then topped with some salt, pepper, paprika, and chives. Great snack option!

Here we go

A huge box came to our door last night...and this is what it contained.



Patty boy ordered all of this- I guess he wants to get "ripped". This should be interesting, coming from a guy who eats nothing even semi-healthy, and hates cardio (which he will now be doing twice a day). All I know is this stuff better not go too waste!

Happy Thursday!

Much Love~

Amber

Bodybugg or iPhone??

I'm stumped. I want both of these items extremely bad, however, I can't have both right now so need to pick between one or the other.

The first is a bodybugg- have you heard of these fabulous devices???

They basically count the calories consumed and burned throughout the day so you can stay in control of your weight, knowing how much more or less you should eat. I think it sounds pretty darn amazing, especially for someone like me who is obsessed with anything fitness related! My only concern is how accurate can this really be?! But I've seen pretty good reviews on it, and also know a few instructors at the gym I go to who introduced this to me, as they have had great experiences with it and say it is quite addicting! I think it'd definitely be great for someone like me who has to sit at a desk all day, as it monitors your steps and would help remind me to walk as much as I possible can! Anyone who has tried this, feedback is appreciated!

Secondly is the iPhone- I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't have one..am I that out of date?! (hey I'd just rather buy clothes or shoes instead:)

But seriously- I finally got a smart phone and thought that was a huge step, until my husband got an iPhone and I became addicted! It seriously blows mine away, is so much faster, has waaayyy better battery life, PLUS I wouln't have to use my iPod anymore... 2 in 1, it would be awesome. I am constantly getting these annoying updates on my phone- phone storage low- blah, blah, blah, I don't even have that many apps downloaded, so it'd be nice to be able to download more fun things to occupy my time even more:)

Tour de Cure

This past weekend Pat and I biked in the Tour de Cure race for the American Diabetes Association. As I mentioned in this post on 2.13.12, the hubs got me my very own bike for my bday. It was put to great use on Saturday as we biked 25 miles! I had done the race last year and assured Pat not to worry, he'd do just fine. Let's just say Pat is not much into cardio...I could never get him to run with me, so biking is probably the best I'll do. However, we probably hadn't biked more than 10 consecutive miles prior to the race. But we did it! I was so proud of him, seriously- I couldn't stop smiling:) We had a few lil' tiffs along the way, as he'd yell to me, "AMBER SLOW DOWN"....and then I would for a few miles...ha, what an experience. Next year I hope to somehow convince him to do the 40..we'll see how that goes! All in all, it was a great workout, for a great cause, and great weather!