F.I.T. - CAULIFLOWER SALAD

f.i.t. = Food In Tummy!

My trainer gave me a challenge to come up with 1 new healthy lunch that can be saved and finished for another day. (apparently my soups and shakes on the go didn't qualify as a filling lunch). After filtering through many recipes, I finally found one that I new I would love! As always, I had to change a few things to make it my own but overall, this is definitely something that will be sticking around in my fridge!

Cauliflower Salad

1 1/2 cup cauliflower, cooked and chopped

1/4 cup celery, chopped

2 hard boiled egg, whites only, chopped

1 tbsp light mayo

1 tsp mustard

1/8 tsp onion powder

pinch of pepper and salt

dash of paprika on the top

Steam cauliflower and rinse in cold water to cool when finished. Pat with a paper towel until dry. Chop the cauliflower into small bites. Mix into a bowl with celery and eggs. Add the mayo, mustard, salt, onion powder, and pepper. Mix well. Sprinkle with paprika. Chill for 1 hour before eating.

NOT JUST A CLICHE!

A moment on the lips equals a lifetime on the hips!

This is what my Trainers tell me before they criticize my food logs and before they kick my butt for 2 hours 3 days a week. They tell me that any binge eating of sweets, sugars, salts, and junk foods will promote weight gain in the years to come. Who wants that? It just puts more emphasis on the fact that I need to be more aware and cautious of what I put on my lips for fear of it ending up on my hips. 

I have to be honest with you, my lapse in concentration on my body the last year has really taken its toll on me. The arrow on the scale has slowly but steadily kept moving to the right, my clothes have been feeling more snug, and people say I look "good" instead of "fabulously thin and fit" or any other description that doesn't mean that my face has rounded out a little more since the last time they saw me. This battle I have been on, for the last ever it seems, is finally coming to an end! I have climbed on the horse and have got back on the track. The 3 things that my Trainers are having me do to help spark change in my body is:

1-Reduce food intake to 1150 calories per day

2-Increase physical activity to 60 minutes 5 days a week  

3-Eat 6 meals a day and keep the foods fresh

So far, this plan has worked. I have lost 5 pounds, 1 inch off my waist and lowered my body fat percentage by almost 2% in 1 week. I am thrilled that I can see results and it makes me push myself that much harder. My goal is to get down to a more comfortable weight by the end of October when I have my IVF procedures. Wish me luck and remember:

7 days without exercise makes one weak!

WALK ON FOR J.D.R.F.

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation held a 'walk to cure' diabetes last Saturday and Sweets and I participated along with other family members.
 My brother Matthew has had type 1 diabetes for over 15 years and he recently was asked by J.D.R.F. to sit on their board, which is a great honor. The walk was about 3 miles and was held at Wheeler Farm. Lunch and drinks were provided afterwards along with many kid friendly activities such as face paintings, bouncy houses, ice creams stands and an animal petting station.

When Matthew was first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes he was 17 years old and recovering from a very serious car accident that left him in the hospital for days with numerous broken bones and surgeries. Because we have no history of diabetes in our family, it was a shock to us to learn about this diagnoses during his recovery period. The doctors told us that the cause was severe trauma and shock to his body. He went through so much with his accident that his pancreas just stopped working. It was a scary time for all of us, but he held his head high and never let it stop him.     

Matthew is an incredible person whom I love dearly and think the world of. We are very close siblings and I was honored when he asked me to be the Captain of our team for the walk. We had friends, family and co-workers that donated, supported and walked with us. It was a great event and such a good cause to raise money for the Research of hoping one day to cure diabetes!

THE INFAMOUS "TOUR de FRANCE"

The Tour de France started July 2nd and ended July 24th. It is a crazy-awesome bike race consisting of 22 teams and 198 riders pedaling about 2,143 miles with only 2 rest days!

HOLY CRAPOLA! 

They bike in rain and shine! 

I mean, it is seriously INSANE! 

For the past few weeks this tour has been on our TV constantly. Every morning before work we would turn it on and every night before bed we would turn it on. There wasn't much else that we watched or did besides the "Tour". It is always exciting to see the cyclists and their teams bike hundreds of miles in a day, day after day, to win the race around France. There were some pretty nasty falls this year that took out some cyclists, and then there were some pretty awesome stage wins! 

I am totally unsure about this year's outcome of Tour de France! 

Although I don't really mind Cadel Evans, winner in yellow, I much would have preferred Andy or Frank Schlek, the brothers who took second and third. However, anyone that beats Contador, a not so friendly cyclist or person, is a winner in my book! Overall it was another great race and I can't wait for it to start again next year!

SEVEN - POINT - FOUR

Last week I took my sweet namesake niece Julia on a hike up to Dog Lake in Millcreek Canyon.
It was such a beautiful day and it felt great to get into cooler weather and do some exploring!
We packed a little lunch equipped with PB&J sandwiches, fruit snacks, fiber one bars, string cheese and lots of water and headed out on our big adventure. We even packed a little lunch for our sidekicks Tahoe and Callie.  

After a few wrong turns later, we finally made it to the top! It took us about 2.3 miles longer to summit because I was not paying attention, but it was so pretty that we didn't even mind. Once we arrived at Dog Lake we sat down and ate our lunch while the dogs cooled off. They swam and ran all around the lake and had so much fun playing fetch in the cold water.  

After another wrong turn we finally made it down the mountain. I seriously don't know what my problem was. I have done that hike a gazillion times so how I missed the trail TWICE is beyond me!
We ended up hiking 7.4 miles and it was well worth it.
Thanks Jules for the awesome day hiking! 

TAKING IT TO THE STREETS

Lately, T and I have been "taking it the streets" and running on Wasatch. As you know, he and I usually spend our time at DD but, considering the weather we have been getting lately is all rainy, snowy and wet(!), Dimple Dell is an awful place to run. I mean you can go there, but you won't be running! You most likely will be slugging through the mud at a rate of no-pace and spend 1/2 of your time pulling out your filthy shoe that was swallowed up by the ground. Nonetheless, we have thoroughly enjoyed our new route on the streets and find much joy in spending this quality time together!   

running with a stick in his mouth

There is a perfectly routed loop by our home that equals 4.5 miles exactly. We tend to hit this up a couple times a week and we definitely feel tired afterwards. It ain't your flat, out and back run ... it's more of an up and down roller coaster, shoot me ten-times over, winding loop run! It's a doozy, but we love it!

catching some zzzz's

And typically this is how I find T afterwards! Curled in his bed, resting his exhausted body, yearning to take a snooze. He is just the cutest lil' button ever!

Thanks T for all the fun and great adventures that you take with me (and Sweets) on a daily basis. You bring us so many smiles and truly uplift our spirits!

DITCH THE WORKOUT!!

As many of you already know, I am a lover of ZUMBA! I have been apart of this dance craze for  2 1/2 years and I am in total love with it still. In the meantime of not having a gym membership for the last  year with our moving of houses, I was taking classes here and there at different facilities but I have now recently joined at TAC and have resumed by ZUMBA workouts! While there is so much to explain about ZUMBA, (the latin style dance moves of reggaeton, salsa, merengue and hip-hop, the targeted body sculpting moves using the toning sticks, the thumping international beats of loud music to get your heart beat up and blast the calories away, the friendly workout for all types and shapes, the invigorating party-like atmosphere of dancing), I will just give you a quick summary of what I think its all about...

* shaking the 'junk in your trunk' in front of a mirror and other peeps for 1 hour

* twisting and contorting your body in 'sexy' ways that are foreign to you

* hooting and hollering, or 'panting', like a chimp to try and keep the energy up

* 'easy to follow' moves of Latin Americans with rhythm that us white folks attempt here in America

* a form of 'dance' that one does believing they are actually good dancers when in fact they are horrible

* an excuse to get 'down and dirty' in spandex

I will forever be a fan of ZUMBA and I encourage those who haven't tried it yet to do so. It is so much fun and you don't even need to know how to dance. You just need to know how to let loose and have fun! Give it a try - 

CHUGGA CHUGGA...CHOO CHOO!

And I am off! The "train"ing for my Winter Quarter Goal has been going full speed ahead! I couldn't be happier with the dedication that I have made to working out, eating right, and completing my goals. I am getting more comfortable on our Kreitler Roller during my workouts, but with this weather, I really need to be biking outside! There is such a difference with working out inside as opposed to working out outside. So far, my legs are holding up, but my bum is not. I guess I am not used to sitting on a slim piece of metal with no cushion except for the black material! OUCH! Otherwise I am chugging along and will hopefully make the goal of biking 50 miles next month!  

I have been following this plan 3 days a week so far and it has been a great one! After this week I am switching programs to something a little more intense and longer. Pray that soon, we will have a good 40-50 degree weather day, so I can take this "train"ing outside...

Minutes	Level
5	Warm up at an easy level (10 to 12 MPH)
2	Moderate effort (12 to 14 MPH)
2	Easy
2	Moderately hard (14 to 16 MPH)
2	Easy
2	Hard (16 to 19 MPH)
2	Easy
1	Hard, then reverse the order back to start

S.G.R.

Sweets and I headed down to the warm SG this past weekend for some R-&-R, running, biking and friends!

 It was a must awaited vacation and the weather couldn't have been any more perfect, with highs of 60 degrees and sunny skies! 

Although I didn't get to train like I wanted due to my AS, I still attempted and joined forces with SDAY, BECKY and 3000 other peeps to run the St. George 1/2 marathon Race. While those awesome chickas completed the 13.1 mile run in perfect time, I ran beside them for 8.2 miles. The best part of my not-run run, was that I was still able to walk after and my legs weren't shooting with pain!  For me, that was an improvement.



Following the race, Sweets and KDAY hit up the Barrel Roll for some mountain biking action. The first one of the season is always hard on the tush, but they blazed through the red rock and had such a good time.  

We all hit up a scenic trial Sunday afternoon to loosen all of our legs up, and to wear the dogs down. Tahoe was so happy to have a fellow 'golden' named Kashi play with him the whole weekend. They ran wild on the trial, and were completely worn out for the drive home!

Thanks for the fun run girls, and thanks to the Days' for the awesome memories...

 

(collage: thanks to kday)

MONDAY GRIND

...back to the DDP trail...

i just love this lil' guy! he is quite the explorer and always seems to put a smile on my face. after taking me on a scenic and intense run, he laid down and waited patiently for me at the top of the hill. if the weather had been warmer (i mean LOTS warmer), i would have joined him on the ice. thanks T for kicking my butt this morning. a few more of these runs and maybe i'll beat ya!

IT IS THE FIRST OF MANY...

I love hiking with Tahoe in the winter!

Although the snow was just starting out, it was enough for us to hit the shoreline trail!

I can't wait for more snow and more hikes with Tahoe!

Missed you sweets...

BYE-BYE HOLIDAY FOOD...HELLO PAVEMENT!

ITS OFFICIAL!!!

BECKY-SDAY-JULES

JANUARY 22, 2011

13.1 MILES

WASATCH CREST

Weston and his friends mountain biked the Wasatch Crest on Saturday morning. It was an early start and a long drive to get up to the top of Brighton, but well worth the chilly drive to see the beautiful leaves changing! Forgotten shoes, flat tires, biker traffic, flying off trail and altitude were not enough to stop these manly men from conquering the ride and "puke hill".

HILLS...THE UPHILL BATTLE

I think that most people are aware that here in Utah, we are not hurting for hills to run up or down. This can be a benefit to you, or your worst nightmare...which in my case is HELL! Not only do I dislike hills for obvious reason of having to lug up all my extra lbs against forces of nature and gravity, but it is SO uncomfortable for me. With my A.S., I have nerve spasms in both legs through my sciatic which pulls my hamstrings. It is the most uncomfortable pain ever. I only notice the sharp sensations after running or biking hills where my hamstrings are actively engaged. For this reason, I have been training on flat ground with slight steady upgrades (because again, this is Utah and nothing is flat here). But on figuring out ways to improve my running and help me get ready for a 1/2 marathon in 3 months, the only words I keep coming across are HILLS! Apparently hills play a vital role in training, especially if you don’t spend much time in the gym pumping iron! Well, I don't have a gym pass and I like to think that I am busier than that to sit in a sweaty, stinky, germ-infested weight room with burly testosterone men for 1 hour! ( i am not referring to a gym with fun classes of spinning, pilates, yoga or zumba! I love gyms for that reasons) Unfortunately, this predicament leaves me no choice...I'll take it to the hills!

In my attempt to do so, I am going to go ever so slowly and ease into short hill sprints and long gradual hill runs. Cross your fingers that I am able to do this and that it doesn't kill me! If anyone has "hill training logs" or ideas to help, please let me know!!!

(ps-i'll start tomorrow)

LOVE YOUR BODY (plus extra miles)

Becky, Sday and I ran, chatted, laughed, counseled and ran some more for the Wasatch Woman's 10k on Saturday. They, meaning whoever was supposed to be in charge of the runners on the course, detoured the 10kers in the wrong direction, onto a major road with heavy car traffic and a slim shoulder, thus adding 1.2 miles to our race. All in all, we ran 7.2 miles instead of 6 miles. It was the most beautiful race that I have ran in a long time, running through the Halloween pumpkin patch and festival and of course the gardens at Thanksgiving point. The beautiful leaves changing, the flowers, the perfect weather and the company made for a race to remember.

SURPRISE!

i surprised my sweets a few days ago with a cyclocross bike

that he has been eyeing for weeks!

enjoy hunny...

YOU READY?

I am ready!

Sday is ready!

B is ready!

I hope you are ready!

GOOD, BETTER, BEST

First off, let me just say that I LOVE my husband! Ok, with that being said, I will continue on...

Lately I have been thinking a lot about the words from Dallin H. Oaks in the 2007 Liahona article entitled "Good, Better, Best". I have also had the words "Good = Mediocre" in my head. I am not sure why this is but it must mean that I need to work on and fix a few things in my life.

I was tossing and turning in bed last night thinking about how I am not any "better", or at least the "best" at the things that I have been doing or training for. I know that I am not going to win any medals with my athletic races, school projects, interior design work, spiritual growth or office work, but I can at least push myself harder to be a "better" or "best" person in those fields.

I had set my alarm to go off at 6:03 am for my early morning run. As I rolled out of bed, I gave my sleeping sweets a smile and whispered "thank you" to him. Running down the dark streets of our neighborhood with Tahoe, I kept thinking that my pace is just "Mediocre". Tahoe was pulling on the leash to go faster and instead of resisting and telling him to heal, I let the leash drag on the ground speeding up my pace to catch him. He of course ran faster, and faster, thinking this was a fun game! By the time I caught him, exhausted and out of breath, I picked up the leash and walked. I made it about 10 steps before the word "Good" popped in my head. I dropped the leash and started picking up my pace again. I was not about to let my hard efforts of waking up at the butt-crack of dawn get thrown away all for a "good" run. I returned home 1 hour later sweaty, tired, thirsty, and yet satisfied that I pushed myself to be a "better" or "best" runner.

Weston doesn't know it, but he is the one that pushes me to be a "better" or "best" version of myself. He pushes me to run faster and become healthier, to set higher goals and aspirations, and to get "A's" on my projects in school. Sometimes I fail, and sometimes I give up, putting in only a "good" effort. But knowing that I have Weston right by my side, whipsering in my ear to be "better than mediocre" gives me that extra push to be the "best". I can't always be the leader, although I try, and I am so thankful that I have my best friend to pull, push, carry, inspire, teach, etc. me when I need that extra help. Whether or not he realizes it, he is my motivation!

So "Thank You" sweets...

and all that DIRTY DASHING!

MIKE + EMILY + SARA + JULES + WESTON =

TEAM PINK!

we ran uphill in mud

rolled and hurdled over hay bails

crawled through tubes

climbed muddy walls

jumped through tires

sloshed in the swamp

slid down the slip-n-slide

and swam in the mud pit

Weston was awesome to race this DD twice! He raced with us in the AM and then was off to ROUND 2 at 4 with his peeps! What a stud to take one (or two) for the team.

Weston and his crew

Man he is sexy when he is dirty...

HERE I COME...

The Dirty Dash-

In Midway-

Tomorrow Morning-

I think I am going to be sick...