I could honestly eat them for every meal of the day, and I’m pretty sure I have at some point. One thing I’ve never attempted to make (until now) is a frittata.

What the heck is a frittata?

First of all, it’s freakin’ delicious. 

It’s a flat-style Italian version of a omlete, typically made with beaten eggs, veggies, meat and cooked in a cast iron skillet. You start out on the stove, pop in the oven, slice and devour. If there’s one piece of kitchen equipment I use the most, it’s my cast iron. I’m pretty sure I bought it for $20 at Wallmart. Yup, best thing ever.

I’ve tried to find ways to spice up our Saturday morning breakfasts around the Fit and Free household. I definitely don’t have time to make this dish during the week. But the weekends are ALL mine! The whole fam was super impressed with how this turned out – especially Harper! She picked around the kale a bit, but I was excited she at least tried it out.

We’ll be getting kale in our garden soon (it’s tiny and cute now), and this will be a recipe I use again and again to incorporate those greens! Kale winds up tasting a lot like spinach in this dish, but less stringy. Paired with onions, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms – it makes for one filling and super healthy meal!

Here’s the line-up:

You could of course change this up. If you’re a meat-eater, a great addition would be some diced Canadian bacon or crumbled sausage. Not a mushroom fan? Throw in some diced peppers and tomatoes! There are so many ways you could adjust this dish to your own dietary needs or food preferences.

You’ll start by microwaving the diced sweet potatoes. Piece of advice – it would be to make the SP’s thinner than I did. They still turned out great, but you’ll get more holding power (as in, the slice not being too dense and falling apart) when cutting and serving, later.

So, throw those beautiful orange gems in the skillet and brown, setting aside when crispy. Then, it’s just a matter of getting all your veggies in the pan to mix and mingle! Throw in the kale, mushrooms and onions. Cover for a few minutes to let wilt, and then stir until cooked.

Throw your potatoes back in the pan, mix, and pour your eggs over the top.

I was a little nervous while lifting the edges of the frittata up, making sure all the egg was getting cooked. The weight of the veggies seemed to be too much for the egg, and I was POSITIVE this was going to be a massive failure.

Enter the magic broiler step.

Popping your skillet under the broiler (I threw a little cayenne pepper on top) ensures the top eggs cook thoroughly and binds the dish together. Just look at this gorgeousness!

And the best part? It’s only 4pp per slice for all you Weight Watcher friends!

I really hope you enjoy making this, and making it your OWN! It’s the perfect way to use up those leftover veggies and still make a beautiful, filling, and healthy meal.

What’s your favorite way to incorporate veggies? Ever made a fritata?

At least I got to wake up and look at this gorgeousness …

Seriously, I will never get sick of these views. This morning’s run was perfect! Who knew (okay, every runner ever, I’m sure) how perfect mid-60′s with a slight breeze is for running? I was in heaven. It is so hard for me to get out of bed early enough to see the sun come up (4:30 am – 5:30 am) but I’m always happier when I force myself to GET OUT THERE. 

Today was the kickoff of Tina’s Best Body Bootcamp (more details on that below), and as part of the introduction we were to complete a few fitness tests. First up – run one mile, timed. I’m a long ways off from being able to run a full mile without stopping, but I really tried to push myself. Setting little landmarks to hit helped a lot. Just run to that stop sign, just run to that hill, just run while that car passes you, etc.

The latter works pretty well for me since there’s not usually any cars out here.

But today – THREE cars passed me, one right after another. What?! I couldn’t help but laugh at myself – but they each gave me a little wave and smile and it really did help push me further! I hit a big milestone, in fact – running for 3.5 straight minutes!

Totally worth the goofy face that follows:

Yeah, I was full on tomato-face at this point. Sweaty, but happy. That’s the best I can hope for! All in all, I ran/walked about 2 miles, but timed the first mile only. 14:16! I’m not the fastest, but at my weight I’m very happy with this number! I can only get better, right?

Best Body Bootcamp (Fitness Test + Start of Week One)

So, bootcamp!

If you’ve been around FF/E for awhile, you may remember me talking about Tina’s Best Body Bootcamp. In fact, I’ve participated in her BBB three times before! I’m a huge fan of Tina for a million different reasons. She really pours her heart into these bootcamps. When I heard on her blog that she was starting up another new and improved round (online community! beginners series! free ebook!) I hopped on board immediately.

If you’re interested in signing up - here’s the info page. I believe you have until the end of this week to still catch this round! It’s a great value for eight weeks of awesome kick-your-butt workouts and online support.

Like I mentioned above, today’s task was to assess our starting points with a fitness test. We’ll then check our progress at four weeks and at the eight week end.

After my morning mile, I got sweaty with a wall squat, modified push-ups,  jump squats and a elbow plank that left me shaking.

Ummm, that was painful…

I was trying to make a “woo! I got this!” face on that wall squat. Yeah, that’s a true “holy $h!t I’m in PAIN” face instead. Luckily my attitude improved after the elbow-plank. I’ve improved my time on those since my JMBR days!

BBB Starting Stats

Wall Squat: held for 40.4 seconds
Elbow Plank: held for 47.5 seconds
Push-Ups (modified): 14 in 60 seconds
Jump Squats: 29 in 60 seconds
Mile: 14 min, 16 seconds

I also took some starting measurements, and I’ll be using some photographs I took (sports bra and capris. yikes.) when I started Weight Watchers four weeks ago for comparison. My physique hasn’t changed since then, so I figure it’ll be a good set of photos to use. You all will definitely not be seeing them until I have some progress to show. They were … eye opening, to say the least.

This Week’s WO Plan

Monday – Fitness test AM + PM Straight-Set Strength & Light Cardio (Zumba, Xbox) & Yoga
Tuesday – AM Couch to 5k  + PM Yoga
Wednesday – AM Couch to 5k + PM Yoga
Thursday – AM Straight-Set Strength + PM Light Cardio & Yoga
Friday – AM Couch to 5k + PM Yoga

(I’m thinking of posting my weekly workout plan every Monday like this – let me know if it’s something you find interesting and/or helpful!)

Here’s to a great day, week, and eight weeks of bootcamp! Feels great to have started it off with a bang.

I’ve had this post sitting in my drafts folder, since the day Angelina Jolie’s decision was announced. I hemmed and hawed over posting, wondering if you all would find this interesting or informative. When I saw the posting in Clever Girls about 23 and Me Genetics, I was totally floored that a company like this even exists, and jumped on the opportunity. I’ve been compensated to share about this company, but the passion and scary life experiences are (fortunately/unfortunately) all my own.

When news broke of Angelina Jolie’s decision to have a preventative double mastectomy hit my Facebook feed, my friends where (understandably) flipping out. What is the Breast Cancer Gene? Why did she do this? How could she, as a woman, do something so drastic? Some people were understanding, some not so much, but everyone was a little shocked.

I was proud and empowered.

Given the chance, (insurance coverage) I would do the same thing, because I know what it’s like to go down that road.

At age 23, I was tested for the same BRCA gene.

My mother (diagnosed at 38, died at 42), along with two of my grandmothers and one aunt have all faced Breast Cancer. The fact that the majority of the cancer was found pre-menopausal and fairly aggressive puts me at an extremely high risk to develop cancer. At 23, I had been fighting with my insurance company to cover a mammogram  When you have a strong family history, it’s important to have baseline mammograms  so they know what your normal tissue looks like. This way, if there are any (even slight) changes, they can catch it early.

I decided to take matters into my own hands and see an Oncologist (cancer specialist) to go over my mother’s charts and my history to get an official order, in hopes that my insurance would finally wake up. (Spoiler alert: they didn’t.) But at that appointment, Oncologist (Dr J) scared the ever-loving-$h!t out of me.

It was then I learned about the BRCA gene.

Dr J (who was amazing, by the way), and I sat down and talked about the possibilities of testing positive for the Breast Cancer Gene, and what this would mean for my future. 

1) Did I want to have kids and pass this on to them?
2) I would need to consider “preventive measures” like a double-mastectomy or small does of oral chemotherapy (which increases your chance for other cancers. Yippie.)

The most staggering statistic: if I tested negative I still have roughly an 80% of developing Breast Cancer. With the gene, it’s just a matter of when. (Let that sink in for a moment.) 

Even though it was the scariest moment in my life, I felt empowered with the information Dr J was telling me. No one had EVER told me about this gene, or the possibility of getting it tested. Why?! Why was it that I had to demand these answers for myself?

We MUST be our own healthcare advocates and investigators.

23 and Me Genetics

Getting your DNA screened (like the BRCA test I went through) is quite possibly the best thing you can do for your health. It can be a very intimidating and expensive process. My genetic testing cost my insurance $5,000. For one simple blood test. Thankfully, the BRCA gene mutation was not found in my system. But, that doesn’t mean I can really rest easy. I’ve always felt like I have two ticking time-bombs on my chest, and at the fist chance I get, I will have them removed. My insurance will not cover this until age 35. Another post for another day.

This is why I was thrilled to know that there are companies out there like 23 and Me Genetics.

23 and Me Genetics offers  a service where you can have your DNA privately tested and screened without you ever having to go to a laboratory. You  log in, register for a test kit, get the kit and spit into a cup, return your kit and discover all the fascinating things about your DNA make-up. I love that this can empower us to change habits and look further into our genetic history.

You can learn about your ancestry:

• Relative Finder
• Global Origins
• Ancestral Lineages

And about your health:

• Carrier Status
• Disease Risk
• Drug Response

(See their full list of screenings here) Which are ALL tested in one kit! SERIOUSLY impressive.

You cannot change your genes, but you can change how they express themselves. Since learning more about genetics when I was first tested, I’ve made daily changes to help prevent my risk of breast cancer. Knowing what you’re pre-disposed for can greatly change the path your body takes. It’s totally fascinating to me – and I hope it is to you, too!

Knowledge truly is powerful, and I wanted to stand up and cheer when I heard the Angelina news. I commend her (and anyone) for taking a radical approach to her health. I hope it spurs more conversations like the one I’m having here today, and hopefully more companies like 23 and Me Genetics to offer the public some answers.

Have you ever had genetic testing done?  Do you find it interesting and empowering, or unnecessary?

As a total side-note I wanted to mention … I eventually did get my insurance (after getting my “real” job) to cover mammograms for me. My current doctor had found a lump last year. I never blogged about it, because it was an extremely traumatic experience for me. It turned out to be fine, but I definitely fear that it will be serious someday.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

I’m not sure what the scale will say tomorrow – honestly, I still haven’t gotten out of my funk. I came THISCLOSE to a full-blown binge this week, something that hasn’t popped up in almost an entire year. What is that about? Probably still fighting the gluten thing. Good news, I didn’t binge. Bad news, I’m just feeling very “meh”. I too often focus on the big picture of holy crap I want to lose 150+ lbs  instead of just taking it day by day. I’d love to come here and write about how amazing I’m doing all the time – but this is life, right? It’s important for me to acknowledge that it’s not all sunshine and rainbows – not all conquering fears and overcoming obstacles, you know?

I’m someone who needs a lot of support (hello, blog) and pats-on-the-back when I do a good job. I LOVE that Weight Watchers hands out little stickers, key chains and tokens for various accomplishments. That is right up my ally. When I open my little weigh-in book and see my stickers it motivates me like crazy. Yeah, I was definitely the kid in class trying to get the gold star on the poster-board everyday.

So, in the spirit of trying to find some extra motivation and break down the big-picture, I decided to set some mini-goals for myself. Most importantly, when I hit those goals – I want to reward myself! It was actually a lot of fun picking out things that I’ve wanted to buy/wanted to do in a long time, but have put off. I even made a board on Pinterest so I could often look back and see a collage of all these things. Maybe I’ll print them off and make another vision board!

Future Milestones & Rewards!

#1: 50 lbs lost (260 lbs) // Sephora Trip

I. Love. Makeup. 

Really, I just love all prettily packaged things. Sephora is like my dreamland; my mecca. No lie – most of the time I go in there and just touch everything and sigh lovingly. So many gorgeous things! I’m definitely a goo-hoarder, so while I don’t really need anything new now … well, let’s just say I have a constant $300+ wish-list sitting on the Sephora site.

Obviously I don’t have the money to splurge on totally ridiculous things like $300 worth of makeup (oh to dream of that life!) BUT, I can definitely reward myself with one or two items I’ve had my eye on for a while. Sephora is putting in a store at our local mall in Coralville this fall, so I wouldn’t even have to drive to Des Moines (2 hours away)! Fate.

I think a bold new lipstick or some funky nail polish is in order!

#2: 75 lbs lost (235 lbs) // Weekend Getaway

This milestone will mean a lot to me. Not only will I have lost 75 lbs from my highest weight, but I will be at my pre-pregnancy weight. For those of you who don’t know, Harper was completely unplanned. Like a knock you on the floor, cry for three days because you’re scared $h!tless, unplanned. I was on a huge roll with my weight-loss at that point, and getting pregnant totally turned my world upside down. Adam and I weren’t even sure we ever wanted to have kids! He was still in school, I was working retail, and life was really hard.

It obviously turned out more than okay – but this weight has a lot of emotion behind it for me. Since Harper graced us with her presence three years ago, Adam and I have only been on two dates, and away from her (overnight) for one night. Our wedding night.

Yeah, I’d say it’s time to treat ourselves to a weekend getaway, don’t you?

The best part about this reward is that it will be SUPER cheap. My dad has a house and Clear Lake (not as fancy as that sounds, I promise, ha!), so I’m hoping to snag a weekend there. Canoeing, campfires, and small-town adventures with just my husband. How perfect!

#3: 100 lbs lost (210 lbs) // Massage

Free day off work? Check. Massage? Check.

Right before I got married, I went to a fantastic massage place in Coralville (for you locals) called Peaceful Nature Massage. Holy moly, it was the most amazing experience I’ve ever had! Extremely affordable, too. It’s so hard for me to visualize what weighing 210 lbs will be like! The lowest weight I’ve ever been in my adult life was 217 lbs. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate!

#4: ONEderland (199 lbs) // Hair Makeover

This is the one I’m most excited for. My hair is a dirty-blonde now, and just very boring. I used to dye my hair pretty often in college, but never professionally.

I’m debating between a honey blonde, cool-toned deep red, and a platinum blonde. I’m really leaning to the deep red, because it’s something I’ve always wanted to do … probably since high school! What do you think?

#5: half the person I used to be (155 lbs) // Start a Wellness Certification

My little (not so secret now) passion project. For the past year, I’ve been doing endless research into wellness fields that I would like to get involved in. I’m not saying I’d quit my full-time job (although, who knows!) but I absolutely want health and wellness to be a part of my life. I want to be able to empower people to embrace and love who they are through being active and healthy!

The top three options that have held steady for me:

1) Zumba instructor: I’m obsessed with Zumba. If I had to pick one exercise to do for the rest of my life, it would be dancing. There are several different certifications within Zumba, which excites me! I’d love to do a senior class, and maybe even go to elementary schools and teach Zumba for kids! How much fun would that be?

2) Institute for Integrative Nutrition: this is a big dream, and very VERY expensive. It’s basically like going to school, so we’re talking $5,0000 big ones. It’s the best schooling for being an integrative health coach, but I would want to be 100% sure of my career path before jumping into this one. It’s a big commitment that I don’t take lightly. If I wanted to open a coaching business, this is absolutely where I would turn.

3) National Academy of Sports Medcine CPT: personal training certification. I think this might be more up my ally, and would work really well WITH Zumba!

This milestone will require the most saving from me, which is why I bumped it out so far. I don’t want anyone to assume I think I have to be “skinnier” to meet this goal. I have met many instructors at every weight/size/whatever. 

#6: GOAL WEIGHT (unsure as of now, 135-150) // THE DRESS

You guys. This dress.

I have lusted after this dress for six years. I found the seller on Etsy back when she first popped up, and have been obsessed ever since. I might get it in a deep blue or green (red is definitely not my color), but it’s gorgeous regardless. The dress itself probably isn’t that amazing to most people (and I know she can make it in any size) but it’s something I’ve told myself for years that I would buy when I hit my happy weight. What that will be – who knows! According to the BMI charts (insert eye rolling) I could get down to 125 and be healthy. BUT, I know my body shape and I would look absolutely skeletal at that weight. So for now I’m thinking 135 (at the very lowest) to 150. We’ll see what happens!

What do you think?!

I also have a few goals set for maintenance-mode. At six months of maintaining I’d like to have surgery to remove any loose skin that remains, and at one year of maintaining I’ll be getting a tattoo. I originally wanted the tattoo for goal-weight, but figured it would be a better idea to have the surgery first (if needed) because it will be on my arm. The tattoo is a super personal one, and I’ll do a whole post about it in the future. (You can see some parts of it on my goal board, anyway!)

So. Time to focus on my mini-milestones. First up, -50 lbs lost. Sephora, I’m comin’ atcha!

What’s your next mini-goal on the horizon? Any reward planned?

We had some great examples on Facebook the other day!

 Good morning, all!

My weekend was absolutely lovely. Busy, but a great time! Adam headed off with some old friends for a camping trip, and Harper and I drove up to Cedar Rapids to see my cousin get married. This was the first time Harper had really been to a wedding, and she was tearing up the dance floor like a PRO!

Needless to say, I didn’t get any running in this weekend with the traveling/wedding busyness, but I did manage to pop in a few quick workouts at home.

Ever since cancelling my gym membership last year when we moved, home workouts have been key to keeping me moving. I have a huge collection of DVDs, but recently I’ve discovered the gloriousness of my xbox! The Kinect games are ridiculously fun, and I finally learned how to stream YouTube and other browser-based fitness programs. Seriously life-changing.

A couple weeks ago, I mentioned that I was test-driving an online program called MyFitU, in my quest to find another at-home program. Here’s the skinny:

If you’re skimming (and/or scrolling to the bottom for the giveaway ), here’s a few main points to take away:

– Daniel Meng, fitness trainer to the country stars, including Kenny Chesney (12 years), Jake Owen, Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts’, up-and-comers Krystal Keith and Patrik Wayne, ESPN College Gameday analyst Kirk Herbstreit and many more, has created a revolutionary fitness program called My FitU.

– My FitU, which is also used by Daniel’s celebrity clients when they’re on the road, is a unique application that acts as a personal trainer, healthful eating mentor and weight loss coach all in one.

– My FitU is designed for the everyday woman or man (affordable, simple and convenient), and is just like having Daniel as your own personal trainer right by your side 24/7. (In fact, Daniel even answers members’ questions directly!)

– Visit https://myfitu.com to start your free, two-week trial, and also to see what superstar Kenny Chesney has to say about Daniel! OR stick around for the bottom of this post to win an ENTIRE YEAR MEMBERSHIP FOR FREE!

 

My FitU Review

The concept of MyFitU is simple – set up your profile (age, height, weight, goals (weight-loss, muscle gain, general fitness, etc) and the program creates a specialized routine (with a fitness calendar and schedule) for you to follow. I was particularly impressed with the nutrition section. While I didn’t follow it (now on the weight-watchers wagon), I loved that each day was planned out to a T. It would be great for someone that needs a bit more guidance on how to eat healthy, and what portions are appropriate. It provides personalized grocery lists, meal plans, and on-site recipes to browse

When you select your day, MyFitU brings you to your workout menu. Here, the program shows you your whole routine and how to carry out each movement with proper form. Many of these examples also had videos to show the full range. I thought the description were very clear, making each move easy to follow – even for true beginners.

Most of the exercises called for your basic home-gym equipment - dumbbells, a mat, and a stability ball. When I set up my profile, I selected that I would be working out from home. All of my routines involved very little equipment. You can also change these setting at anytime, which I think is great. Love that flexibility! If I were to sign up for a gym routine tomorrow, I can adjust the program to give me routines that use the equipment. It truly provides a pocket personal trainer, for considerably less than a “real life” personal trainer.

The routines are typically structured in to strength/cardio days, are 30-40 minutes along, and many include audio/ HD video instructions.

My FitU also has a great app for the iPhone. (Screenshots below!) It’s super-fast, and offers everything that you’d find on the browser-version. They even offer the safety videos, which I found very helpful. Topics like “Spine Safety” and “When Should I breathe When I Lift” were particularly interesting! I always breathe during the wrong time – something I’ve known from other workout DVDs. I have to make a huge conscious effort to breathe correctly.

Overall …

What I love:

• Cross-platform integration. Between the browser-based system and the iPhone app, you can take your personalized program anywhere. You always have the option of printing out your routine, if you’re a paper-person (which I often am). 
• Variety and clarity of moves. You can’t mess this up. Everything is very clear and put together well. If you’re a bit advanced, you could easily look at the list of pictures and bang-out an intense workout. If you’re a beginner and need a little hand-holding? The videos and instructions to a great job of informing you on proper form and safety.
• Free trial. No credit card required. I know this doesn’t really reflect the program – but I’m definitely a person that hates having to give out my card info when I’m participating in a trial. I constantly forget to cancel after the trial period is over and wind up getting charged. Anyone else with me on that?
• Price tag. My FitU starts out at just $20 a month (!!!!) with slight price breaks when you purchase a 3-month, 6-month or one-year plan. Insanely cheep, considering most trainers will charge $75 per hour.

Not a fan of:

• iPhone exclusive. I know that it costs companies more to develop on droid platforms, but MAN do I wish they had this app for my Motorolla HD RAZR! My iPhone works okay, but it would be insanely helpful to see the moves/calendar on a larger screen. For this reason, I didn’t use the app very much. I either pulled it up on my computer or streamed it to my living room TV.
• Lacks “oopmh”. This is my issue of self-motivation, but I didn’t really find the program very exciting. I’m someone that needs a connection to the trainer or other participants. For example – Tina’s Best Body Bootcamp has a very similar step-by-step feel, but has a community built in for support. Workout DVDs have a trainer talking you through the moves and motivating you. MyFitU does have an option to share your progress and connect with other participants, but it feels very sparse and not intuitive. If you’re a person that really likes individual plans/progress, you might not even notice this at all. For me, I just felt too isolated.

Ready to win?

You made it to the good part, congrats!

• PRIZE: One-year membership to MyFitU.com (valued at $182).
• TO ENTER: simply comment below! Tell me how YOU fit your workouts in at home.
• GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Wednesday, June 19th, 2013 at Noon (12pm) CST
• NUMBER OF WINNERS: One
• ELIGIBLE FOLKS: Anyone! Oh the beauty of web-based companies.
• WINNER ANNOUNCED: Thursday, June 20th, 2013 on this here post! (I will reply to your comment and put an announcement at the top of this post.)
• LEGALESE: To enter you must be 18 or older. Winner will be chosen by random drawing from the pool of comments on this post. One entry per email address. Once a winner is notified and verified, MyFitU will be provided with the contact information of the winner and they will be responsible for  prize fulfillment. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. To enter, leave a comment on this post. No purchase necessary to win. Entries will close on Tuesday, June 19, 2013 at noon (CST). The winner will be contacted by email on or before Wednesday, June 20, 2013. If the winner does not claim the prize within seven days, the original winner forfeits the prize and a second random entry will be chosen from the pool. This contest is sponsored by MyFitU  and is void where prohibited by law.
• DISCLOSURE: I was in no way compensated for posting this giveaway.

Until tomorrow!

FF/E’s Facebook Page just hit the big 1k milestone! I did a little happy dance during breakfast.

I so appreciate all of you – readers, commenters, subscribers, twitter followers, facebook “fans” (I hate that word), Instagram stalkers …ALL OF YOU! Like I mentioned in that status, you all help me so much on my journey. Recently I’ve gotten a few paid opportunities through this blog (Verizon, and two soon-to-be-live low-key sponsored posts) and they’ve made the difference between being able to pick up a few groceries or not for that week (On a related note – student loan payments can kiss my booty). I love being able to continue to pour my heart into FF/E – and YOU make that possible.

So, thank you. A lot.

Rate The Week
June 1 – June 7

No. WW weeks completed: 3

Yeah. pretty bad.

Although I did find quite a few gluten-free recipes (checked out a book from the library and started a GF breads/treats board on Pinterest), I’m having a really hard time adjusting. I think this has a lot to do with my binge eating history. Time after time, foods that were very starchy/carby/floury are what I would turn to for comfort. My main trigger foods all involve heavy doses of gluten – pizza, bread sticks, toast, pasta (by the box), chips, spaghetti o’s, etc. The fact that my body is now rejecting this type of food is almost funny. I spent so many years gorging myself on these foods … saying “goodbye” has been a lot harder than I thought it would.

I’m fully aware of how ridiculous that may sound to most of you who’ve never had an eating disorder or addiction to food. But holy crap. This is hard. Now that it’s off-limits, all I want to do is binge. 

Goal for next week: Plan out the week – and track everything.

I’m really happy with my movement this week! Not only did I continue the MyFitU program (review and giveaway coming TOMORROW afternoon!), I started back into running this week. On Thursday I had 30 minutes in between work and taking Harper to swimming lessons. I wanted to take a nap, but instead I had an awesome (and emotional) run! It feels good to be active, even though I dread exercising every single time. Any ideas on how to harness that awesome after-feeling BEFORE the workout? Still working on that one.

Although I’ve enjoyed the MyFitU program, I want to just focus on cardio for a while. Doing both is wearing me out – FAST. I thought my legs were going to straight-up collapse yesterday at work. Running + lifting + heels? No good, my friends.

Goal for next week: Stick to my running schedule, dial back on strength-training for now.

I sound like a broken record here, but I need to repeat my goal (again) for next week. I’m going to have some down time tomorrow (Sunday), which will be a perfect time to sit down and find a daily affirmation I can find strength in. I really love “meditating” on a phrase every now-and-then. In fact, I read one daily about this blog! It helps me keep focused on what’s important and what makes my soul happy.

In other emo-news, I had a bit of a breakdown on Thursday’s run. One minute I was running up a hill, listening to Mumford and Sons, the next minute I was ugly crying. Yeah, that happened more than once on the run. I haven’t really been able to gather my thoughts on it to write anything cohesive … but maybe I’ll give it a go this coming week. Either way, it was a great release for me. I think that deserves a little emotional-strength fist-bump, wouldn’t you say? Progress!

Goal for next week: find or write a new morning affirmation. Read it, every morning!

Weigh-In Update

What was something positive from your week? What are you looking forward to next week?

The alarm buzzed at 4:30 am, and after a few snoozes and Adam shoving me out of bed, I threw on my clothes and headed out the door.

Only after taking this obligatory “this is my fake excited face” photo …

Running at any weight is hard, in my opinion. My dad is a marathon runner, and I still don’t know how he can just head out the door and run for five hours. No music, no fuel, nothing fancy – just run. Maybe someday I’ll get to that point – where running is more of a meditation in motion, but for now – it just kind of sucks.

In a good way, though.

I love getting up before the sun rises. The birds are quiet, everything is kind of blue-toned, and the air is crisp.

Living out in the country is so peaceful. Running on gravel isn’t the best thing in the world, but I figure it’ll give me a little extra oomph when I hit the paved roads for my 5k race. All that un-even terrain has to be good for something besides honing my cat-like reflex skills.

So calming, right? The picture below is where I started to get into it. I stopped fighting the pain and pushed through it

Being an overweight runner has it’s drawbacks. BUT, it’s the cheapest form of cardio out there. I don’t need any equipment, no TV, no gym membership. Just some decent shoes and good tunes. The first week of Couch to 5k training isn’t that much running anyway. 1 minute on, three minutes off. Repeat 10 times.

However, if we’re being completely honest, sometimes its was hard to make a full minute. Can we talk about hills?

These damn hills…

See that bad-boy in the distance? The area around my house is ALL like this! Just a series of hills, each one rising in elevation. Someday I’m going to have to draw out the insanity to show you all. It really is like running a constantly climbing roller-coaster. Hill, platform, hill, platform, etc.

There may have been some “holy $h!t I’m going to die” moments.

Exhibit A:

That is not an exaggerated angle. Just me, running practically vertical. No big deal.

It seemed like my training was timed just the right way, so that everytime I had to run, it was up a giant hill. The walking sections were on the flat platform-like parts of the road. Seriously. This 277lb chica was ready to see the turning point.

About 24 minutes into my walk/run … I saw my last hill.

You better BELIEVE I did a crazy happy-dance before I turned around and headed home. I’m pretty sure the farmer in that house was either still asleep or in the fields working, so no one had to witness my sweet dance-skills. Because let’s face it, I was dripping with sweat, my face was beet-red, and I was so tired my “dancing” was a lot closer to “flailing”.

My legs were totally shot by the time my house came into view, again. I basically collapsed on the cold pavement of our patio! After some cool-down stretching (lots of hip-openers), I headed inside to race through the rest of my morning.

Picture first, duh. Pictures or it didn’t happen.

(Neon glory!)

All in all, a decent run for where I’m at physically and mentally. I was proud that I pushed myself on those hills, but I’ll definitely be looking for a less intense route for tomorrow morning. I get really excited when I think about running and my future. I want to look back at this post someday (hopefully not TOO far away, that “someday”), as I head out for my normal 5 mile morning run and think wow, look how far I’ve come.

Envisioning my goals actively come to life is a huge motivator for me. I try my hardest to actually see myself running five miles. Watch myself try on a size 8 in a normal clothing store. Feel what it will be like to hit goal weight, run a marathon, bike 100 miles. If I can see it and believe that it will happen, it somehow makes the day-to-day grunt work easier.

Okay, maybe not easier – but definitely worth it.

What about you? Any goals that you can see yourself completing? Really try to SEE it happening!

I cheated and started my weekend early, taking yesterday off from work. My awesome daughter turned three, and we’re prepping for the birthday party! Those of you over on Facebook (SO close to 1,000 friends there – come join the party!) and Instagram are probably sick of hearing me gush on and on about her the past couple of days. Deal with it.

Because seriously, look at that face …

Birthday pancakes require that amount of enthusiasm. ha!

I stuck to an omelet with a side of hash browns. Even though it knocked out 20 of my 43 points today, it was well worth it! I don’t know why Weight Watchers is less stressful than counting calories, but it’s working for me – mentally. Knowing that I’ll have a day full of activity, fruits, veggies, and a light (but filling) dinner keeps me level-headed when having celebratory foods. Plus, can we take a moment to recognize the amount of strength it takes to go to IHOP and NOT order pancakes? Stupid gluten in everything that I love.

Rate The Week
May 25 – May 31

No. WW weeks completed: 2

My goal last week was to pack a lunch every day. While I did pack a lunch every day … I didn’t always eat it. Sometimes lunch just rolls around and all you want is anything but what you packed, right? Being gluten-free is proving really challenging for me. Maybe if I was a meat-eater, it wouldn’t be such a big deal, but trying to find something to “just grab” at work is a problem. Pretty much everything is either beef, chicken, or wrapped in bread. Just another reason I need to bring my lunch! For those of you that are GF – PLEASE tell me this gets easier! 

Other than being a bit frustrated with my lack of options, things went really well! I’m getting really good at finding meals that are high-volume, low-point. That is a big bonus of being a Pescetarian – LOTS of fruit and veggies are always around. With many of those being zero points, staying in my budget is relatively easy. Some days it’s even hard to reach my full points, but – trust me – I always find a way.

Goal for next week: RESEARCH some gf bread recipes that don’t taste like … gf bread.

Well, I”m only up ONE star from last week, but I’m getting there!

I spent my week diving into this guy … MyFitU!

Yeah, that’s Kenny Chesney.

There will be a full review and giveaway next Sunday. It’s basically an online-training program. It’s definitely not my favorite thing of all time (hey, I’m honest), but it might be for one of you! I’ve used this program’s recommendations for strength training, and then (when I wake up) running in the mornings. Which was … one time this week. Ugh, why is it so hard to roll out of bed at 4:30 AM? Oh right, no one in their right mind gets up that early. ; )

I know the scale has been very kind to me the past two weeks, and eventually that luck is going to stall out if I don’t move my booty. So, move my booty I shall!

Goal for next week: EVERY MORNING. No excuses. Just do it.

My goal did NOT happen, (so it’s repeated for next week) but I still kind of kicked butt in this category. Our WW meeting this week was all about emotional eating, and figuring out what triggers those emotions. I did a lot of journaling on the topic, and it has prompted me to write-up a few new Life of a Binge Eater posts. Look for that next week!

Dealing with BED and food addiction isn’t an easy road. I’m so close to hitting one-year binge-free, but it’s a constant struggle. “Living in the pause” (topic of next week’s post) has helped me tremendously. Stop, breathe, pause, recognize what it happening and what you’re feeling. Applying this is basically everything in my life has been kind of life-changing. I tend to get really worked up and anxious/emotional. Progress people, progress!

I’m not sure if this category will ever have all five wings filled in, because I feel like I have a lifetime of emotional learning ahead of me. Anyone else? : )

Goal for next week: find or write a new morning affirmation. Read it, every morning!

Weigh-In Update

What was something positive from your week? What are you looking forward to next week?

Verizon hooked me up with a Motorla HD RAZR and I pinky-swore I would chat with you all about how technology and health can merge into one beautiful butterfly. The topic of this post and my opinions are all from my own brain. (You can see the VZW Voices posts/information by click-click-clicking here)

Good afternoon, lovely people!

Did you have an awesome long weekend? It was rainy and pretty dreary in Iowa City, so we didn’t get out much. I did, however, get out for my first Couch to 5k run of the season! I’m training for an awesome 5k in September through the Pretty Muddy Women’s Run.

But all in all, the run went fine! I realized while I was running that I had three different apps going on my phone at the same time. Geek much, Emily? Then it hit me – why haven’t I done a “favorite apps” post? I can’t live without my phone, especially when it comes to fitness related endeavors. So let’s get this party started!

My Favorite Fitness Apps

I have somewhere around 20 fitness related apps installed in my iPhone and the Motorola HD RAZR that Verizon provided me with as part of their Health and Wellness Voices campaign. These are just the cream of the crop, in my opinion!

1. Ease into 5k

($2.99 – iPhone, Droid)
I’m not one to spend money on apps (cheapskate!) but this is well worth the money. Couch to 5k re-branded most of their support material (like this app) Ease into 5k, so this directly supports that program. I LOVE love LOVE this training plan. It really does take you from not-a-runner to being able to run a 5k. I completed the program back in 2009, and even though it took me repeating a few weeks to complete the training, it really got me into 5k shape.

The app is clean and simple to use. I love that you can have your own music or playlists going through the app. Sometimes I listen to a running playlist, sometimes I’m more in the mood for an audiobook. Whatever you want to listen to, the app will play over your walking/running prompts when it’s time. You can set a lot of customization options on this app (display, voice, prompt-style, graphics) and share your progress with social media! There are free “Couch to 5k” apps out there, but trust me – this is the best and easiest to use.

2. Sworkit

(Free – iPhone, Droid)
Sworkit is easily my favorite fitness app at the moment! I made sure to tell all the other Verizon bloggers about it at our meeting, and a few of them have emailed and tweeted me how much they love it! The premise is super simple. Open the app, pick your poison (strength or yoga) and how many minutes you have. Even if you only have five minutes – this app will whip up a program for you! It walks you through the entire workout with easy to follow graphics and prompts. You can even click on the video icon to be shown and more in-depth demonstration.

This app rocks! I’ve used it countless times when traveling, especially when I don’t have access to a gym. No equipment is needed for ANY of the moves! I pin a lot of routines on my Pinterest board, and sure – You Tube has a ton of resources. But sometimes you just want something quick and dirty, and this is it! Did I mention it’s FREE?

3. My Fitness Pal

(Free - iPhone, Droid)
If you’re calorie counting, you need this app. My Fitness Pal is, hands down, the best app for tracking your calories and losing weight. The food database is unreal. I used this app on and off for three years (now I’m on Weight Watchers) and never had to add in a food. EVERYTHING is in there! Of course you can build your own recipes, save common meals for easy adding (example: you have the same veggie omelette every morning. Save it as “egg breakfast” and never have to individually add all those veggies and mix-ins again!), and connect with other users to cheer each other on!

MFP also syncs with a ton of devices. Fitbit, BodyBug, Jawbone, and more. If you have another electronic tracking device, it probably syncs in with MFP – which makes tracking your exercise a BREEZE. It’s not as pretty as other trackers like Lose It (link below), but I found it more accurate.

4. Nike Training

(Free - iPhone, Droid)
This app is like Sworkit on steroids. Same concept, a bit more detailed. One aspect of Nike Training that I enjoy is the featured NTC workouts. They often have celebrity routines (like Serena’s posted in the pic above), which is a fun way to get yourself motivated! This doesn’t have as many time options as Swork it, and many of the routines need equipment like medicine balls or dumbbells. If you already have a few pieces at home or are looking for something to change-up your gym routine, this might be for you.

5. Nike+

(Free – iPhone, Droid)
Best running app, in my opinion. I love that it syncs with my Daily Mile app, and that you achieve different levels and accomplishments with every mile you log. You can compete with your friends, map routs, and make detailed notes on each run. Since I live out in the country, I take a lot of different routs. It’s great being able to save them and look back to see which ones worked for me and which ones killed me. There are A LOT of hills out in this area!

Honorable Mentions

Plant Nanny (for tracking water), GPS Pedometer, Period Tracker (a seriously CUTE and amazing app if you’re trying to get your hormones figured out or just interested in all that womanly jazz. ), Gorilla Lite, Interval Timer, and Lose It.

I hope you enjoyed this little round-up! I rely on my phone(s) so much when training. I’m definitely the person that has to have music or something pushing me to do my best.

What about you? What’s YOUR favorite workout app?

Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Health and Fitness Voices program and have been provided  with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.

Every Friday afternoon I meet with my Weight Watchers group. I weigh in, attend the meeting, and set goals for the upcoming week. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you’ll catch those weigh-ins “live”. Since Saturdays are the start of my week (if I lose weight, my points adjust starting Saturday mornings), I figured this would be a perfect opportunity to talk about my week and my weigh-in results. These posts are probably more fun for me than you, but I figured Saturday is a good time to post an easy-to-skip post.

Or maybe you do like these posts? I know I like seeing how other people are losing weight from week-to-week. Let me know!

Rate The Week
May 18 – March 24

No. WW weeks completed: 1

Not gonna lie, I kind of felt like a bad-ass in the eating department this week. Adam and I’s food-prep helped a TON in this category. It’s amazing how much easier it is to eat healthy when 90% of the work is done before the week starts! I did swap out my salad one day for a giant burrito and chips from the cafeteria (23 points!) and last Saturday there was cake and mixed drinks at my sister-in-law’s graduation party. Minus a few slip-ups here and there where I didn’t really listen to what my body wanted and only what my mind told me I was craving (hell0 chips and dip, I’m lo0kin’ at you), I did AWESOME this week.

Food prep is a major advantage, and letting go of the guilt from “eating bad” is essential for my success. You eat, you count it, you move on. I think I’m finally starting to get that.

Goal for next week: eat a packed and tracked lunch, every day.

Utterly dismal. 

I made zero efforts on working out this week, mostly because I wanted to get a good feel for tracking points. I have a tendency to get SUPER overwhelmed, and I knew that tackling a new schedule with both eating and moving would send me into a panic-spiral. Now that I’m comfortably in week 2 of WW, I’m ready to up my activity. I was given a membership to

Goal for next week: Stick to the training plan from MyFitU and hopefully start adding in some running intervals outside!

I’m giving this one “three wings” (lol) because I didn’t make a conscious effort this week to work on my emotional strength, but I had a pretty decent week regardless. I know that journaling and taking my supplements have helped tremendously with my mental state. Also seeing an awesome victory on the scale (see below!) certainly pumped me up. I’ve also been spending more time reading, which always seems to help me gain a bigger perspective on life and not get caught up in the day-to-day stressors as much. Anyone else?

Goal for next week: find or write a new morning affirmation. Read it, every morning!

Weigh-In Update

WOO!! I was pretty freakin’ stoked! I know the first week is always a big loss, but it’s SO encouraging that I’m on the right track!

What was something positive from your week? What are you looking forward to next week?