a first.

I am so excited!  Amber from My Life in High Heels tagged me in this game!  It worked out perfect for this Tuesday morning because my life hasn't been all that exciting lately other than putting together what feels like a million wedding decorations...

and making this recipe that i found at one of my all time favorite blogs, Peanut Butter Fingers.

 

ooo and i laid by the pool on sunday which i thought was going to be a relaxing 'time to nap' sort of day but nick decided he would rather sit at the end of my chair and splash water on me while threatening to throw me in about every 2 minutes.  i did not nap but it was still a good day.

 

isn't he just a gem?

now for my first ever blog game.  6 things you should know about me:

What is your secret obsession?

i have two obsessions. 

   1.  law and order: SVU

   2.  coffee. 

i am not a tv person at all.  i grew up not watching much television and even through high school and college i was always the girl that looked really confused when my friends were talking about the bachelor or bachelorette or any ridiculously obsessive shows like that.  i do, however, LOVE law and order: SVU.  there are marathons on tuesdays and no matter what time of day it is or what i'm doing, the tv is on even if it's just for a little background noise.

oh and who isn't obsessed with coffee??

What is the best gift you ever received?

the best gift i ever received is my bike.  my parent's gave it to me when i was in 7th grade and i love it.  it's about 13 years old now and the handle bars are rusty but it gets me from place to place and some of my favorite moments are when i'm on it.  nick and i plan on getting new bikes with some of our wedding money but i don't know if i'll be able to give my old one up!

If you could have coffee with anyone, who would it be?

if i could have coffee with anybody, it would be nick.  i know that sounds corny but every moment with him is perfect and i learn from him, am at peace with him, and he is my best friend.  

What is your biggest struggle in blogging?

my biggest struggle in blogging is learning how to connect with other bloggers.  i love commenting and reading other blogs, i just don't ever want them to get the impression that just because i leave a comment, i want a comment in return.  i really just love people and writing and reading which are three things that the blog world have provided me with.  if i could just get better at link-ups (i'm still learning) and things like that, all would be great!

High heels or flats?

my two favorite pair of shoes are my brooks-ghost 5 running shoes and my nike frees.  so i guess my answer to this question would be flats.  i do, however, love a hot pair of wedges every now and then!

What is something that people are always surprised to find out about you?

i played the piano for 11 years.  it taught me to appreciate the art of music and it taught me a whole lot of patience.  that is a hard instrument to play, woofta!  (i'm sure all instruments have their challenges).  but i love being able to sit down and read old sheet music every so often.  it's kind of like riding a bicycle in that it just comes back to you.  not perfectly, of course, but most of the notes are right :)

my week in one post.

another week flew by.  another week closer to the big day.  and it still hasn't hit me.  i went and picked up my wedding dress, MY WEDDING DRESS, yesterday and while i feel beautiful and it fits me perfect, i just haven't yet grasped that my last name is going to be different 3 weeks from TODAY!  i think i have been so busy trying to get everything done and finished (i'm hand making A LOT of things), and get in touch with different people about different parts of the day that the thought of what's actually occurring that day hasn't hit home yet.  boy...planning this wedding has been the time of my life but if you are married or are currently planning a wedding, i think you can agree that their are some stresses that come along with it.  nick has been great and even though he works 12 hour days, he comes home and asks what he can do to help me and i am so thankful for  him.

so my week:  let's start with some sweating...

a bike ride of course (3 of them actually)!

a new exercise class which was mehh...so i did this 2x instead!

incline walk 10 minutes

3 sets of the following supersets:

kettlebell swings 25x + dumbbell bench press 15x

hamstring ball curls 15x + upright row with barbell 15x

 

adductor machine 15x + push-ups on a bosu ball 15x

bicep curls 15x + tricep dips on bench 15x

sprints on the treadmill at an incline of 3

(sprint 40 seconds, rest 20 seconds)

cool down and stretch

and last but not least, yesterday i went for a walk.  it was 7:30 AM and i stopped to take a picture and looked over my shoulder down the road and i saw this 'animal' running on the opposite side of the street towards my direction.  at first i thought it was a dog.  then i looked again and it was NOT running how a dog would run.  then i thought it was a wolf because it's ears stuck up and it had this weird tail, but then convinced myself it was a coyote.  my heart sorta dropped into my stomach and my throat got really tight and i figured if i just started to walk back towards my house it would ignore me.  

well...

a car came up behind me and honked. HONKED.  who honks at 7:30 in the morning, seriously!  without even thinking i took off sprinting (and i mean knees in the air, arms pumping, ugly look on my face sprinting)...and i don't think i have ever ran so fast in my life.  i had my phone in one hand, i was hikin' up my spandex with the other, and i was screaming all during the course of running dang near a six minute mile.  looking back at myself i know i looked ridiculous but all i could think about was a headline in the paper that read "bride to-be, attacked my a coyote," and i just kept going.  i finally got to where my street turned and looked back and it was crossing the street so that it was now on my side and once again, took off in a dead sprint.  right before you get to my house there is a hill (lucky me), and i looked back one more time and sure enough it was still following me down my street.  i punched in my garage code, hit the concrete and ROLLED into the garage as if i were james bond or something, and jumped up to hit the button so that it would shut again.  i ran into my house, locked the door (i have no idea why), and looked out the window and about 10 seconds later it ran past my driveway.  it was the longest half mile of my life and holy moly i am never walking again at 7:30 in the morning, ever!  i called nick and he started laughing and my heart was racing so fast that i could hardly speak.  he said something that made me smile and then i went on this huge laughing strike where i seriously couldn't stop because i could just picture myself as all of those cars drove past me on their way to work.  i hope i made their morning because if i had seen myself, i would have died.  

so now that your all caught up on my workouts (and new record mile time)...

my week also consisted of buying and wrapping my bridesmaid gifts.

snacking a lot...

and visiting the church where my mom and dad were married.  it's 2 hours from my home town (where my mom grew up), but is actually the town where i bought my wedding dress.  we went and picked it up yesterday, visited her old church, and my grandpa as well!  it was a very good night.

my goal this weekend is to breathe.  when we start trying to do too many things at once, our brains go on overload and if you're anything like me, you probably lose sleep, get crabby, and struggle winding down during times that you should.  one day this week it seemed as if everything was going wrong.  i had that "poor me" attitude and i was driving myself crazy.  i put everything down, closed my eyes, and drifted too a place a where i was reminded that not every day is perfect but the bad days, in fact, made the good days so much better.  it was one of those times where you open your bible and it's like you read words that were meant for you in that very moment and i finally was able to look at my day and be thankful for so many things.  i was completely motivated and i want to motivate others.  so if anything this weekend, i'd like to be the girl that can motivate you to smile at strangers, be kind, and never fall asleep at night without making sure you didn't miss out on a second of your day.

love love love. 

elizabeth.

rest is best.

What's the best part about waking up on a Sunday?  It's my rest dayyy!  Thinking about everything we did yesterday, however, doesn't make it feel like it was a rest day at all but any day spent doing anything and everything with this guy is wonderful to me.

 Back to the whole 'resting' thing...

Sometimes I think our world gets so crazy that even thinking about resting seems like one more thing to do.  I've learned that having a rest day not only from workouts, but in every day life as well can be one of the greatest things.  It sounds easy but often times it's not.  When it comes to working out, in order for the body to change (become more fit) it needs to be exposed to stresses and once this has happened it needs time to adapt to them in order to change.  This can also relate to your life.  In order for us to grow, change, and become the best that we can be, we need to be exposed to stresses and like before, our minds and our bodies need time to adapt to this crazy crazy world.  Sundays are usually when I take this time because I am usually at home and when I'm at home I can rest and also get things done that I've missed during the week.  It's resting and it's not all at the same time and which ever way you want to do it,  rest and recovery should be a part of your weekly routine :)

Rewinding to the weekend...

 

 I have this new love for trails. It seems like every bike ride I take I am falling in love with new trails and new adventures.  I've lived in this town almost my entire life and I'm still finding new places to go and ohh how sweet it is!

Another thing about my town is that even though we're a little on the smaller side compared to other suburbs...we get outdoor concerts...for cheap!

And so my Saturday was spent watching Josh Thompson (horrible horrible picture I'm sorrryyy) ...

And with my friend from Fargo who recently moved to Minnesota and also came to visit me for the day and night.  Meet Katie Sue...she is my antique loving, free spirited bestie and she is the best.

Last but not least.  A little love from the soon to be Mr. and Mrs!

 

I'm off to work and to kickboxing and this little circuit workout found here.

 

Happy Monday!

It was a productive Monday and I love it!  I had an awesome workout with one of my closest friends, I did some much needed wedding tasks that I've been putting off, and I spent the afternoon with my dad while cleaning some areas of the house, which once again I have been avoiding.  

Cleaning windows is NOT my favorite thing, especially in the condition that they were in, yikes....

But I did it, and life goes on :)

I really wish I could have went back to my weekend though, which consisted of this...

and this...

and a whole lot of this...

I wanted to take a minute and share some Stay Slim Secrets that crossed my mind while I was up on a ladder scraping away spider webs from above our front door :)  These are things that I believe have truly helped me when it comes to balancing food and fitness and healthy living and while there are TONS of ways to stay slim, I wanted to write about just a few!  Take em' or hate em', as long as you're trying to be the very best you every single day!

START YOUR DAY WITH A BANG:  Exercising in the morning can help ensure a healthy behavior all day long.  It can help you move more for the rest of that day, eat healthier, and avoid having the foods that are tempting you, all because you had a healthy start.

WEIGH YOURSELF ONCE A WEEK:  This is often enough to make sure you stay on track, but not so often that you become obsessive over every number.  Step on the scale first thing in the morning when your stomach is empty.

BE PICKY:  Share with others that you are focusing on eating healthier and they can help you stay on track by having healthier options around.  When you're hungry, think about what you're in the mood for and PICK those foods first as you will become satisfied a lot quicker.  Involving others and being picky with yourself and your workouts will for sure jump start that weight loss or healthy living goal.

AVOID BANKING CALORIES:  Avoiding foods all day and saving your calories for "later" (indulging) will only set you up for failure.  Why?  You're STARVING by the time that time rolls around and when you're hungry it is very easy to get out of control when you're faced with a stocked pantry and fridge.  Eat three meals and a couple of balanced snacks a day!  (It's harder than it sounds, I know!)

CONCENTRATE ON BEING ACTIVE:  Even if you don't have time to get in a 45-60 minute workout or you can't make it to your favorite class, move your body for 15 minutes and you can maintain that fitness level.  The healthiest people are NOT the ones that spend hours and hours in a gym.  Healthy people are consistently active, do a variety of exercises, and indulge in a little chocolate and salt every now and then.  And frozen yogurt, do not forget frozen yogurt.

AVOID PIGGING OUT AT NIGHT:  When I wasn't eating enough during the day, I found myself so hungry by the time 9:00 rolled around.  I would eat the first thing I could find which often meant no preparation required which usuallyyyy means it's not very healthy to begin with, especially right before I was going to lay down for the night.  When you're eating balanced meals throughout the day your metabolism is consistently working and you wont have a huge spike in hunger when night time arrives.  If I'm hungry at night, I usually eat some greek yogurt, a couple bites of cottage cheese, a small glass of milk...(ok chocolate milk), or berries.  

I hope you had a fantastic Monday!

What are your stay slim secrets? 
What's your favorite snack before bed?

why i choose health.

i just can't get enough.  my outlook on health and fitness have changed tremendously over the past few months and nothing has felt more fulfilling than the transitions i've made about taking care of my body and my mind. 

one year ago:

i was attending school full time and was commuting every day which meant leaving at 7:15 AM and not getting home until 6 PM.  i developed this fear that if i didn't get a workout in FIRST THING in the morning, i wouldn't feel accomplished for the day and "all hell would break loose."  because of this, my alarm would go off at 4:30 AM in order for me to run pointless miles on the treadmill with no food in my stomach, no passion for what i was doing, and left me feeling not healthy at all.  

guess what?  i did it anyways. 

it's like it was engraved into my brain that i had to run.  i couldn't do anything else besides miles and sprints and inclines.  i hurt more than i will ever admit to anyone.  weekends were no different as i would wake up at 7 AM in order to get myself to the gym and once again, run run and only run.  occasionally i would do some sit ups but i found myself in so much pain and stress that i would just go home.  

stress?  from working out?  i never thought this was possible but yes, this is exactly what i was going through.  

there is a key element on the other end of the health spectrum that i was also struggling with and even ignoring for that matter; nutrition.  i was so busy counting calories and finding ways to eliminate things out of my diet that by the time i actually thought about what i was eating, there were probably only 5 things to list.  yogurt, oatmeal, peanut butter toast, trail mix, raw veggies.  i was getting enough calories (or so i thought), but the foods i was eating were not doing anything for my workouts or my lifestyle for that matter.  i had a problem and was extremely afraid to admit it. 

after many struggles and really taking a step back to re-teach myself about how to be healthy and stating the reason for it, i have learned so much and can finally say that my outlook on fitness and even nutrition have completely changed.  i've learned that exercise is really just a huge period of trial and error.  it's finding what works for you and what doesn't.  i was the opposite of many people in that i had a slight addiction to working out for all of the wrong reasons.  i wasn't doing it to benefit my health, i was merely trying to burn calories and trying to cut things out of my diet that i thought would make me gain weight.  after all, i read somewhere that the key to losing weight is to "burn more calories than you take in." sound right?  while this is true, it is the one sentence that led me down a path of self destruction, insecurity, and so much pain.  i took that sentence and completely removed it from my thoughts and instead replaced it with sentences like, "use your food as fuel."  "you can get through this cardio session because you have strength trained your muscles to be strong enough to get you through it and you have supplied those muscles with food, real food!"  

going through all of this has taught me patience, hard work, balance and ways to rebuild some much needed self confidence that i somehow lost long ago.  do i still struggle with all of it?  are there still days that i find myself having small set backs?  of course i do and i probably always will, but i am now on the right track towards the healthiest version of me and i cannot tell you how fulfilling it feels!  i love being able to share my passion of healthy living with others and because of it, i'm going to pursue what i wish i would have done a long time ago.  right after my wedding and honeymoon, i'll be attending some workshops in order to become a personal trainer.  i smile just thinking about it and i believe i've finally found one of my callings. 

now, for the less in depth part of this post...

some things that helped me from where i was then to where i am now:

1.  switch up your workouts.  as soon as i started doing different types of exercises i noticed many changes in my body and my eating habits.  running is hard enough on your body and when you're doing it EVERY DAY...of course you're going to hurt!  try a group fitness class, go for a bike ride (my new favorite thing), do circuit training in your garage (i'm pretty sure my neighbors think i'm crazy), and dance or do anything that gets your pretty self movin!

2.  know your limits.  my limits were something i pretty much ignored back then.  it didn't matter that i was tired or that i was hurting or even hungry for that matter, i was going to finish that last mile.  dumb.  listen to your body.  push yourself, yes, but there is nothing more important that you can do than listening to your very own self about what's going on with you and only you.

3.  strength train, and think about the muscles you're working when doing so!  by far, this is the biggest change i made that developed my passion for fitness again.  i've always loved being active but as you read earlier i wasn't doing it correctly and when i started weight training, this whole other passion and whole new person developed!  you can use any equipment or even your own body weight for that matter!  try try try your hardest to strength train three times a week. 

4.  use a heart rate monitor.  my Polar Watch has helped me manage my heart rate during my workouts so i can visually see when i need to step it up a notch in order to be the most efficient during that time.  it also helps you keep track of your time and calories burned, which are little bonuses.

5.  i know it sounds pretty cliche', but HAVE FUN.  the minute i started having fun exercising again was the exact moment that it didn't feel like a chore.  i used to write my workouts in my planner every single day just to have the satisfaction of crossing them off when i was finished.  now i find myself looking for the next class or even just telling nick things like "I benched 85 lbs today!"

lastly, here are a couple workouts i'd like to share with you that got me through the weekend!

yesterday was this killer legs workout, yeeeesh! 

complete 3 sets of each exercise:

 

kettlebell squat 25lbs

Split Squat with dumbbells

hamstring curls on stability ball

50 jumping jacks

walking lunges (30)

calf raises of step aerobics bench with 18 lb barbell on shoulders 

kettlebell swings 25lb

kettlebell single leg dead lifts 25 lbs (15 each leg)

mountain climbers on bosu ball 25x

i work this afternoon but am going on a 15 mile bike ride beforehand followed by this little circuit:

- Push up to side plank rotation 15x

- Row with Tricep kickback in static lunge 20x

- Push up with Dumbbell Row, 10 each arm

- Wall sit with dumbbell Curls 25x

- Spider Planks 25x

(-repeat circuit 2x)

i hope you all are having a wonderful weekend and you get a chance to MOVE THAT BODY!!!

according to my iphone.

trying to bring out the inner artist in me and paint my table numbers.  

new town, new stores, and ring shopping for nick.   

i woke up wednesday feeling awful...soup is the only thing i've eaten in two days which makes me pretty sad on such beautiful summer nights.  

a little thank you card action via instagram.   

there is nothing better than frozen yogurt on a monday night and this plaaace...well just look at nick.  

photography location for my wedding day, which by the way is in 34 DAYS!!

i write about tears and i write about turning points.

Neglect, indifference, forgetfulness, ignorance are all impossible to God.  He knows everything.  He cares about everything.  And He loves us.  My eyes repeatedly read these words tonight.  Sometimes I find myself searching for answers about my past that I thought I had let go of a long time ago.  I feel a heaviness upon me that's trying to force out perfection.  I feel a coldness that's making me feel pressure in an uncomfortable way.  The aches are finding their way back to my neck and I try to breath slowly and remind myself that I have nothing to fear.  I read again, "Neglect, indifference, forgetfulness, ignorance are all impossible to God.  He knows everything.  He cares about everything.  And He loves us." 

He loves me.  As a child, I felt this constant pressure to be perfect.  I felt like I needed to always do the right thing in order to be a good person.  I did my very best to please the people around me and because of it I was a very good daughter, student, and player.  But all of those things started to tear at me when I wasn't impressing those around me.  I felt as though loving something for the sake of loving it or having an interest in something different would be frowned upon and so I ignored my constant passion for words, traveling, and creations of many sorts. 

Two days ago I had a lot on my mind but I wasn't entirely sure how to speak it because I thought that telling the one person I loved what my true passions were would once again not be good enough.  I reminded him again of my insecurities and mentioned how I'm not entirely sure if I'll be able to live up to what I'm supposed to be.  Tears rolled down my face as I apologized. He asked me two things.  First he asked me to breathe, and then he asked me what I was apologizing to him for?  "There is nobody in this world that you need to impress but you," he spoke quietly.  I looked at him completely confused by my own self because I really had no idea why I was apologizing.  I wasn't sorry about my past.  I wasn't sorry about my insecurities.  And I wasn't at all sorry that I had set such high expectations for myself that I never reached.  Never is the key word in this sentence because it's a word that I never should have used.  With a more positive meaning, I should have said that I'm not sorry about setting such high expectations for myself that I haven't yet accomplished.  Haven't, as in, I'm still working on it and I have nothing but time to keep at it. 

This life I live and this life that you live is merely a moment that is waiting for you to reach whatever expectations you set for yourself at the very right time for you and only you.  It is waiting for you to cry so that the person that loves you can remind you that trying to be everything is going to make you completely lose your mind.  That the pressure you feel every once in awhile is your past self reminding you to be better, be kinder, and be stronger than you were during that time.  As I cried, I was expecting myself to never get past that feeling of uncertainty that laid over me yet within seconds his warm eyes reminded me that I make him proud and that is truly enough.  I don't ever want to rely on anyone else to build my self esteem, however, if there is one person that can remind me that it's not about being perfect, but rather, being present, I find myself being able to once again, dream those dreams I had always tried to hide and it felt so so wonderful.  I said my goals aloud.  I gave him a thank you kiss.  And I sang at the top of my lungs while the cloudy sky turned pink and the humid air became completely breathable.