Back to school!....OH WAIT!

      It  was back to school week for most and for the first time graduation has officially sunk in. Every year around this time was always so exciting. At the end of summer  my mom would plan a  girls weekend to  go shopping for new "back to school outfits." I usually had a friend along and the weekend was all about eating out, staying at a hotel, and mapping out our daily shopping plan of action.  I always loved getting back into a routine and having a fresh new year ahead.

      I'm all grown up now I guess. I just recently started a "big girl" job working in HR for an apparel company in Kansas City that partners with Nike and Hurley to make  logo apparel and caps for college bookstores, line coaches, title boxing, and others. It's a really great job and I'm SUPER grateful to even have a job in this crazy market. The struggle has been trying to figure out how to balance life outside of my 8-5 job commitment. Its tougher than I expected and takes some extra thought to plan healthy meals, get my workouts in, and see friends during the week.

A little peek at my work! Such a fun and stimulating work atmosphere!

     At the beginning of the school year, I always enjoyed trying something new that would be a challenge for the year. Last year it was kickboxing. With all of this crazy transition in my life I decided to celebrate the new year a little early and came up with a list of 'new year' resolutions and goals. I thought now would  be a really great time to do my detox which I love to do every 6 months. Its such a challenge to commit your body to something like that for a week. It feels great getting rid of the toxins you take in every day and know you are setting the stage for a more healthy and balanced self. Medical detoxes are the way to go! Putting nutrients back into your system while getting rid of all the other garbage is really important in a detox. This time I went with the "Core Benefit Medical Detox" and loved it. This detox was a mixture of medical protein shakes, nutrient rich pills, and a vegetarian diet. I made vegetarian jambalaya, veggie chili, veggie stuffed peppers, lots of chia and berry oatmeal breakfasts and rice cakes with peanut butter and strawbabes! 

      Another goal for the 'new year' was  to participate in a destination race. Where better to race then Malibu in November? On November 9th Erin and I will be meeting up in California for the race weekend. I'm beyond excited for this race, the temperature, the scenary, the terrain, the course map, the vacation! Since I've done a few races before, I'm hoping to really work on improving my time which means a little bit more intensity in my training plan. I hope to couple my running workouts with strength training, cross-fit, tempo runs, and hill repeats. I also decided to calculate my body fat index pre-training and post race just to see how my body reacts to the training I'm doing and be more knowledgeable about racing. Ill keep you posted along the way! 

Better Check it out! 
Malibu International Full & Half Marathon 2012 - HOME  



      So there it is. Some may call it post grad depression and some may call it a really great excuse to vacation in Malibu for the weekend....whatever it is its happening to me. College was the best, but its not the end of the world. My challenge for you in whatever transition you might be in whether it may be going back to school, starting a career, becoming a new mom, or anything else, set a couple goals for yourself for the year that will keep you stimulated in the mundane. Hopefully your goals will make you feel accomplished and alive and the end result will be something exciting to look forward to.

A shower for the 'Couple Crush'!

Bride- to- be Gabrielle Braverman's wedding day is fast approaching. It will be surreal watching Mitch and Gabrielle finally tie the knot over Labor day weekend with 5 years of mostly long distance under their belt. I met Gabrielle in college while Mitch was states away in Indiana playing college soccer. The happy couple had been dating 4 years when she and I met. During my junior year we became best friends and I found myself being hyper protective over her. She was quite the catch and I wasn't sure if this boyfriend of hers was going to live up to my expectations. Mitch came to visit Fort Collins one weekend and I really loved him even if I didn't want to at first. I not only loved him as a person, but he was the perfect balance to my already amazing friend. He also fit right in with our core four and all of "our men" which was a huge deal breaker for us since we try to do holidays, mini trips, dinner parties, and all of life together on a regular basis. The more I get to know this couple the more blessed I become because of them.

Two weekends ago was the second of 4 parties to celebrate the couple crush. We really like a good excuse to celebrate, eat good food, and spend time together so we gathered close friends of the bride and gifted her with great stuff for her first home with husband. I busied myself on Pinterest researching bridal shower ideas that would fit Gabrielle's personality. After deciding on a vintage theme I spent many nights crafting decor.It was so much fun and made me feel close to her since we are currently 10 hours apart and I have been unable to be a part of a lot of the wedding details. At the shower we drank mimosas, played games, and enjoyed a backyard garden brunch complete with homemade quiche, various kinds of muffins, a yogurt bar full of toppings, and chocolate cupcakes.

 A bridal shower bonus was meeting one of Gabrielle's best friends. Gabby went to North Carolina last summer to be with Mitch while he played soccer for the Charlotte Eagles. Although, with reluctance we let her spend the summer with her babe, we were so excited when we found out we had a new friend to meet. Hillary Salvaggione. She's an incredible person. Inside and out. Her and I decided one day that we would be instant friends when we met because we love so much of the same things (*Breakfast, throwing parties, holidays, blogging...GABRIELLE) Check out her blog. She's an adventurous, newly preggo, MAJOR BABE and she is so fun to follow.http://lifeonsugarhill.blogspot.com/ 

                                  Can't wait for many more memories with Hillary, our new addition.

I don't know where I would be without this core! They are my joy. So excited to have 2 of the 4 married off in just three weeks. Wedding photos to come....

 I better save the rest for the MOH speech. Can't wait to toast to two of my favorites. LOVE YOU
 GUYS! 

Jamie Eason's Zucchini Turkey Burgers

Another great recipe comin atcha! This one comes from the amazing Jamie Eason, fitness model and write for bodybuilding.com.

I have been making these on Sunday afternoons to prep for the upcoming week's lunches for the Hubs and I. The recipe makes about 9 burgers, and are chock full of protein and veggies!

Turkey Zucchini Burgers (makes 9)
Originial recipe here

Ingredients:

• 2 packages of ground extra lean turkey breast
• 4 medium zucchini, grated
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp black pepper

 Directions:

1. Set broiler on high, arranging rack so that burgers will be about 2 inches from the heat.

2. In a large bowl, combine grated zucchini, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, dried basil, oregano, pepper and then turkey.
3. Mix well and scoop out 4-to-5 oz portions. Mixture will be really moist so for easier clean up, use a foil-lined baking sheet, prepped with non-stick spray.

4. Place burgers in oven and broil for 7 minutes. Carefully flip each burger and continue to broil for another 7 minutes on the other side. Serve warm!

I have also made these into meatballs, that go great on top of spaghetti squash for a great low carb meal!

Eat More Veggies...Juice Em Up!

Just recently I have found a new hobby...juicing. It all started with a "Coffee Girl" a precious coffee shop in Kansas City that is the home to a large and in charge industrial juicer. I walked in the shop and having smelled fresh ginger, oranges, and kale I immediately knew I was doomed. My first juice at Coffee Girl was delivered to me in a huge mason jar with a cute little straw. I sipped and died all at once. After Coffee Girl I went on a mission to find my very own juicer. Any juice including a beet has to be my current fav. I have found juicing to be such a great energy booster after workouts or just a great way to start my day. Sometimes I can even substitute a juice for my morning coffee! (GASP! I wasn't planning to admit it)

First Juice at Coffee Girl

I've always gone the smoothie route in life and after juicing the past couple of months I was curious to see the different health benefits of juices and smoothies and find out how they compare.

Juices

 1) Digestibility

- Whole foods have a lot of pulp and fiber. This requires quite a bit of work from your digestive system. Juicing delivers a fresh and super concentrated supply of nutrients to your cells and tissues a lot quicker than solids and smoothies. The bloodstream can easily absorb all the minerals, vitamins, and enzymes with fresh juices.

2) Concentrated Nutrition

- It turns out you can consume a lot more vegetables by juicing rather than eating. Because it’s easier to grab an apple on the way out the door before work or school, we tend to eat larger quantities of fresh fruit and miss out on our 5-9 servings of daily fresh veggies. Juicing is a quick and easy way to reach that serving size goal. Just remember the 3 to 1 rule. 3 parts veggie and 1 part fruit. The fruit should just add sweetness. Your intent should focus primarily on obtaining the nutrients you receive from the vegetables.

3) Power

- Juicing can improve brain function and vitality, treat inflammatory bowel disease and arthritis and is great for detoxing.

Smoothies

 1) High Fiber

- As mentioned earlier, smoothies have lots of fiber from the whole foods you toss into the blender. Fiber not only fills you but it also encourages the elimination of bodily waste. Fiber is part of a healthy diet and fiber DOES have great nutritional value so it’s important to keep both juicing and smoothies in your diet.

2) Slower sugar release

- Juicing contains lots of natural sugar. Juices lack protein so when your diet is heavy in fresh juices without any protein to accompany it, you may spike your blood sugar. Smoothies also have a lot of sugar, but they can be paired with protein from nuts and powders, fiber from chias and flax, healthy fats from coconut oil, avocados, and fish oil to lower the glycemic index of your beverage so your body can absorb nutrients much slower.

3) Post workout support

- Fresh juices won't support the recovery your muscles need after a workout. Protein is needed after a workout and this can best be met through a smoothie and not a juice. Blending up whole foods in a smoothie after a workout can also replenish your electrolytes and glycogen stores.

Things to remember:

 -Almost all commercially prepared drinks have been pasteurized. This process destroys vital enzymes and heat-sensitive nutrients so preparing your juices at home rather than purchasing them from the store is best.

 - When juicing, try and enjoy your juice immediately after it’s made. The longer it sets the more nutrient damage and loss due to oxygen exposure. 15 minutes is the maximum time your juice should set before drinking.

Recipies to try:

5 carrots

1 beet with leaves and stem

2 stalks celery

1 cucumber

3/4 lemon, peeled

1-2 in. piece of fresh gingerroot

1 cucumber

1 fistfull kale

2 stalks celery

1 broccoli stem

1 pear or green apple






CHEERS to healthy sips!

Adventures with Laurey!

The most difficult thing about moving from Colorado to Kansas City has been leaving my core four and building new friendships here. One of the many things I love so much about "my core" is that they are always up for any adventure. We never sit around  unless its to watch the Bachelor and drink wine of course. Some of my best memories in college were our  mountain getaways, running trails between classes with Erin, driving to Denver  to run at Wash park with Lauren capping off our runs at Linger (fav. spot in the Lower Highlands), dub step yoga with Gabrielle and so much more. Having friends that love to adventure and exercise as much as I do is one of the reasons we are so close. My friendships with them will never be replaced, but I'm so thankful that I have found a new friend in Kansas City that is also passionate about exercising and adventuring. I met Laurey in May and we became fast friends. So far we've hiked, gone to sporting events, and went white water rafting but best of all we recently decided we would try something we both had never done before. We took a paddle board yoga class. We became immediately obsessed and started dreaming of how we could own our own boards before the class was over. It turns out paddle boards are SUPER expensive so we plan on doing a couple days of rentals while we save for our own.

 The class was at this beautiful  lake in Shawnee Mission Park. At the beginning our instructor went over the basics, how you stand on a paddle board, techniques of paddling, sitting down etc. She then led us out to a perfect little cove for our yoga practice. We all anchored our boards to the bottom of the lake so they would stay somewhat still and completed an hour practice on the paddle boards listening to the birds, frogs, and fish. It was so quiet and peaceful as the sun  began to set. The practice was a little more intense than other yoga classes as your constantly using your core for balance and fighting for stability on your floating yoga mat. Only one girl fell in. We laughed, we talked, we were silent, and we stretched. It was easily my favorite summer adventure so far.

I couldn't bring my camera out on the lake to document, but I wanted to include some pictures of us before we started.

I'm sure there will be many more paddle board pictures to come!