Consistent Inconsistency

That title may sound confusing, and my thoughts may be out there, but I am determined to write and get them out! Writing is so cathartic for me, and I definitely need to get some thoughts I have been reflecting on down on paper-ish! :) I have been contemplating this quote all week, and feel that God has been showing me, through many people and facets, how He sees me, and how wildly differently I see myself.

Wow...what a thought-worthy quote, right? Our behavior is directly impacted by our thoughts. We think so many thoughts about and towards ourselves throughout the day. How many times do we put ourselves down, tell ourselves we can't do something, or doubt our abilities? And yet we set goals for ourselves and want to do positive, worthwhile things, all while focusing on the negative. We cannot consistently do something good if we are always putting ourselves down. Whether our goal is to lose weight, get healthy, start a business, pass a class, or write a book, we will never accomplish these goals in a worthy and positive manner while remaining in a negative thought cycle. We will always be inconsistent, and likely fail in all of our endeavors if we do not first fix how we see ourselves.

I am determined to see myself the way God sees me. Galatians 3:26 states that I am a child of God! Philippians 4:13 says I can do all things through Christ because He is my strength! I find myself questioning these truths constantly, mostly because I tend to focus on my shortcomings instead of my potential. I focus on all the times I have not followed through with something; my inconsistencies. However, this just leads to even more inconsistency, more negativity, and the cycle continues.

I believe that we all have to focus on our thoughts and mind, and from these feelings, we act. Sometimes, we just have to keep telling ourselves that we CAN do it, keep telling God we DO trust him, and wait for the feelings to follow. The way we talk to ourselves is so much more important than we think! Let's all aim to be kind of ourselves and encourage ourselves in all that we do. If we find ourselves being down and negative, let's remember our identity in Christ, that we are God's children, and that we were made for a purpose. We all have God-given potential just waiting to get out! The more we seek God and find our identity in Him, the less negatively we will see ourselves and the more peace we will have about who we are and what we were made to do. As Matthew 6:33 states, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Food & Fitness Plan! October 6-10

Hello everyone! Happy first Monday of October! I am going to try and be better with my food and fitness weekly plan posts because it helps me stay on track, and hopefully helps and motivates someone out there to plan out the week too! I'll plan Monday-Friday, since most weekends are filled with last minute plans (which doesn't have to mean falling off the healthy train!) So here is my plan for the week!

Monday 10/6: Preworkout: HB egg/egg white Workout: Leg day with my trainer, incline walk for 20 mins (my legs were dead after my training session! Definitely will be feeling that tomorrow!) Breakfast: banana protein pancakes w/peanut butter Snack: quest bar Lunch: leftover BBQ chicken, carrots, hummus Snack: nuts Dinner: leftover BBQ chicken (Taking advantage of leftovers since I did not have much time to meal prep this weekend!)

Tuesday 10/7: Preworkout: hard boiled egg w/nuts Workout: run + the new TIU workout! Breakfast: banana protein mug cake Snack: carrots with dip (either hummus or guacamole...can't go wrong with either one!) Lunch: sausage and tater casserole, super easy! Snack: nuts Dinner: planning on a taco salad since I will have to eat it before or at bible study!

Wednesday 10/8: Preworkout: banana w/cashew butter Workout: chest and tricep workout from my trainer with some cardio! Breakfast: sausage and taters Snack: carrots with dip Lunch: taco salad Snack: nuts, fruit Dinner: turkey burger

Thursday 10/9: Preworkout: nuts Workout: run! Breakfast: veggie scramble Snack: carrots w/dip (can you sense a pattern here haha) Lunch: sausage w/taters Snack: larabar Workout: with my friend Hanna! We do circuits and cardio and always leave the gym sore and happy! Dinner: with Hanna :)

Friday 10/10: Preworkout: nuts Workout: back and biceps workout from my trainer with some cardio! Breakfast: sausage and taters Snack: carrots w/dip Lunch: taco salad Snack: nuts Dinner: probably out with my man!

The theme of this week's plan was: use up what I have and stop spending crazy amounts of money on food haha seriously though, the only things I am running low on at the moment are salad greens, which I am planning on stocking up on today! So I should be good to go for the rest of this week! I will probably sprinkle in some extra snacks, fruits, etc into the plan, but I am excited about all the food and workouts I have this week, which definitely increases my chances of sticking to the plan!!

I also want to get into the habit of practicing my planks and push ups before bed every night. I want a nighttime routine and I think these exercises will be great before I brush my teeth, take care of my face, have some quiet time etc before bed! We will see how it goes this week!

Let's have a great first week of October everyone!

October: Balanced Mind, Balanced Plate

I am so excited that October is finally upon us! I can honestly say that October-January are my favorite months of the entire year. I love fall, Thanksgiving, and Christmas! I am looking forward to the next few months and making the most of this season! I am also excited that a new month is starting. That means new goals and new opportunities to reach them! Last month, I set some goals that I reached, and some that I didn't. But that is the nature of life! I'm going to keep pushing towards my goals and stay as motivated as possible!

October goals:

1. Run 5-6 miles once a week. I was able to reach this goal last month and want to continue this month!

2. Keep up with toning workouts! Again, I was able to reach this one! So I want to keep it up :)

3. Increase plank time to 90 seconds. This one is new! My friend Hanna and I have been working on our planks and are able to do 60 second planks about 4 times. I really want to increase my time to 90 seconds! I hope I'm able to reach this goal! Practice makes perfect, so I will just have to up my plank game!

4. Scrapbook, sketch, and read. Yea...this goal needs some work. I am really struggling with finding some free time to enjoy some of my favorite hobbies. I want to make this a priority for myself...because I really feel that down time hobbies are just as important as active hobbies! I hope to somehow find the time to scrapbook, sketch, and read for fun this month!

5. Lastly, a new goal this month is to have a balanced mind and balanced plate.

What do I mean by this? Well, a lot of things. I've realized a couple things these past 2 weeks that I would like to share. It's hard to be honest, but writing really helps me get my thoughts in order, so I'm going to utilize this skill to clarify this goal, even to myself.

I've been pretty consistent with my healthy eating since July. I have been loving the consistency with my workouts and am feeling accomplished with my results in both nutrition and fitness. However, the last month has been an anxiety roller coaster for me. Personally, I feel better on a lower carb diet, but I started becoming a bit too much of a perfectionist in this department. I started cutting out healthy and vital carbs such as sweet potatoes, some grains, and even fruits, and replaced them with healthy fats like avocados, nuts, and grass-fed butter. While this is fine for most people and is a healthy component of an eating plan, it made me focus too much on what I couldn't eat. I think we all need balance between the right carbs, proteins, and fats. My body functions wonderfully on a low-ER carbohydrate diet...but I started getting a little too extreme with how low carb I got. Why not have the grass-fed butter with the potatoes? Why not have fruit with my nuts? Contemplating whether or not I should eat fruit was not a mental state I wanted to be in.

All of these thoughts led to a lot of anxiety for me, and finally, I burst. The weekend of my birthday, I gave in to all my sugar cravings, and proceeded to give in for a week thereafter. I had been anxious for so long about how I was eating that I just needed that time of freedom. But, my little sugar/carb parade made me feel pretty icky, and only provided a temporary relief. While I firmly believe that we need foods that fuel our bodies and provide us with good nutrition, it should not become a stress in our lives, because stress inevitably leads to unhealthy choices. We all need balance, and the level of stress I was experiencing was not balanced, even if how I was eating before my birthday was a healthy and acceptable eating plan.

That is why this month, I am going to focus on having a balanced mind and balanced plate. I am going to try my best to make healthy choices, but not fear foods that are healthy such as potatoes, fruit, or even some grains! I am going to put foods into my body that make me feel healthy both physically and mentally. I am not going to make every food decision a debate in my mind (something many dietitians struggle with...because we know too much about food!) and focus on all the other aspects of my life such as my fiancé, family, upcoming wedding, friends, and work! Life has so much to offer, and I want to make the most of the time God has given me on this earth. I want to live a healthy life without it making me a miserable and anxious mess!

The funny part is, I'm not entirely sure how to accomplish this goal. I'm going to pray and take things one day at a time. I know God will provide me with His strength to make choices that honor and please Him, without letting these choices rule my life, mind, or happiness. And when I feel my perfectionist tendencies rearing their ugly head again, I'm going to step back and remember that life is so much more than what we eat, and we were put on this earth for bigger and better purposes! So I will have my meal, balance my plate, and move on with my life!

Here's to a wonderful October!

Workout Rant & Mugcake!

Blah. That's the word I would use to describe my workout this morning. Lately I've been feeling like if I don't run, my workout is not as WOW feeling. But I also have to take care of my knees/joints, and don't want to get into the habit of running every day again! Yesterday, I ran 4 miles and had a great session with my trainer. I left the gym feeling amazingly fatigued and so happy with the workout! Today, I got a good back/biceps workout in the weight room, then did the elliptical for 30 mins. I felt NOTHING. I didn't break a sweat, my heart rate barely made it in "the zone," and I left feeling kind of disappointed in myself.

But then, as many Pinterest quotes have reminded me, a bad workout is better than no workout at all! And plus, it wasn't a bad workout! My arms are already sore from my toning session, and I definitely challenged myself with my weights. Some days, it has to be okay to not completely push yourself in both cardio and toning work, but still know you got a solid workout in. It isn't always about the number of calories you burn! Working out has to have a deeper meaning than just burning some calories. So I am going to be proud of my workout today, and have a great and healthy day!

On a side note, I made an awesome mug cake post workout!

It consisted of: 3T peanut flour, 1/2 mashed banana, 1/2 scoop cellucor protein powder, and 1 egg! Mix all the ingredients in a microwavable bowl, then microwave for 3 minutes! I sliced mine in half, then topped it with some strawberry jam!

Have a great Thursday everyone, and get a workout in, even if it's a blah one!

Aquarium, Shrimp, and Early Birthday Celebrations!

This past Monday, my fiancé and I both took the day off work and decided to have an early birthday celebration, 5 days before my birthday. After brainstorming ideas, I decided I would like to go to the aquarium! I love zoos and aquariums and thought it would be a fun excursion to enjoy together. We headed to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, and had a great day there!

We had so much fun roaming around the different exhibits and learning about all kinds of marine life. By noon, we were both ready for lunch and headed to Cafe Scuba, the aquarium's on site grill. I ordered a chicken breast lettuce wrapped sandwich with a side salad. I was pleasantly surprised with how yummy it was!

After lunch, we walked around a bit more and watched two informational videos in 4D! Pretty cool!

We got done with the aquarium around 3...and really wanted to eat at Bubba Gumps for dinner, which is right next door. We rested a little and then decided to just have an early dinner...at 3:30...yes we are 80 years old haha but it was actually a good idea to eat early because we ate a ton of food! I have never been a shrimp person, but after trying both popcorn shrimp and grilled shrimp, I will definitely be eating and cooking shrimp more often!

We started with the popcorn shrimp, which was not only shrimp but had fried vegetables too! It was SO good! As my dinner, I got the salmon and veggie skillet without rice, and my fiancé got their jambalaya! We also added a skewer of grilled shrimp because I wanted to make sure I would like grilled shrimp and not just the fried version! Grilled was delicious as well!

We were so full and happy after dinner! We decided to go to a nearby Barnes and Nobles and peruse the bookstore, which is one of my all time favorite things to do! After some reading time, we both wanted something sweet and headed to Yogurtland for dessert before heading back home. I walked in, and knew I just wanted all things sugar and chocolate. I have been trying to go for healthier options at froyo lately, but that night, I wanted to go big or go home.

And I did! And to be honest, I did feel a twinge of guilt because it had been a while since I had had sugar like that. But I told myself one treat is not going to kill the progress I have made lately, and sometimes I just have to let my sugar dragon win. Not all the time mind you, but once in a while, a huge sugary yogurt is completely acceptable.

I had a great early birthday celebration with Vasken this week. I can't wait to see what other adventures God will bring to us as we prepare to begin this new phase of our lives. 215 days until we get married!

September 15-20 Fitness and Meal Plan

How is everyone's week going so far? I had yesterday off of work, and I have today off too! So for me, the week has been great :) I thought I would share my fitness and meal plan for the week, since it's a short-ish work week for me and I don't want to fall into the trap of spending too much money on random groceries! I'm planning on going out a few times, but my goal is to use up what I have at home in a healthy and nutritious way! I also have workouts that I want to do from my trainer as well as my Tone it Up Frisky Fall challenge! I put it all together since my meals depend on the timing of my workouts! Food and fitness blend together when it comes to a healthy lifestyle! Monday (yesterday): I had a great leg workout with my trainer and did some cardio and the TIU bikini arms workout! The rest of the day was spent at the aquarium with my fiancé! I had amazing seafood and had so much fun!

Tuesday 9/16: No pre-workout meal! I am trying to do some of my cardio/running workouts on an empty stomach and see how I feel with fasted cardio! Workout: Run 5 miles, TIU yoga Breakfast: Protein waffles! Also look out for my pumpkin protein waffle recipe coming soon as well!) Snack: veggies if necessary! Lunch: beef kebab tacos with paleo tortillas from Against All Grain! With a side of veggies of course :) Snack/pre workout: nuts Workout: Cardio Barre Dinner: Pita Jungle with my girl Michelle! Planning on the broiled chicken salad because their chicken is bomb.com!

Wednesday 9/17: Wednesdays are my long days at work so I usually have multiple meals and snacks planned. However, I always listen to my body and eat what I've packed if I am truly hungry! Pre workout: protein waffle w/pb Workout: Back/Biceps workout from my trainer, cardio, and possibly new HIIT workout from TIU! Breakfast: veggie scramble Snack: hard boiled egg and veggies Lunch: turkey burger with guacamole and salad Snacks: nuts & jerky Dinner (light since it will be late!): paleo tortillas with nut butter

Thursday 9/18: No pre workout meal: fasted cardio attempt! Workout: Run 3-4 miles, frisky fall routine and TIU bikini abs Breakfast: green protein smoothie Snack: carrots & quest bar Lunch: salad with hard boiled eggs Snack/pre workout: nuts Workout: circuits and cardio with my friend Hanna! She is quite possibly the best workout buddy ever! Dinner: out with Hanna!

Friday 9/19: Pre workout: protein waffle w/pb Workout: Chest/Tricep workout from my trainer, cardio, TIU quickie workout Breakfast: veggie scramble tacos Snack: carrots with guacamole Lunch: salmon burger w/salad Snack: nuts Dinner: unsure!

Saturday: MY BIRTHDAY! That's right, September 20th is my birthday and I have no idea what my plan is yet! But enjoying time with friends and family will definitely be part of my day!

That's about it for my plan this week! As always, life happens, but I am attempting to stick to this plan pretty closely! I hope this helps some of you plan your week out to ensure a healthy eating and workout week. Planning is key to any kind of success in my book! So get to it! :) Have a great day everyone!

Food, Fitness, and Wedding!

Happy Monday everyone! I hope it was a great weekend for all of you. I thought I would write a post just as an update of my life, eats, and workouts lately! I love to write so I figure, why not? :) Life has been busy but wonderful at the same time. I have found a groove and lifestyle that I love regarding work, friends, family, and health. Not that I don't have my challenges, because trust me I do! But then I realize God is with me through it all, and there is no other hand I would rather be in than His!

I have been meal planning and cooking like crazy lately! My meals last week were delicious and not in anyway boring. I made a huge batch of turkey marinara to take to work this week, consisting of some ground turkey, marinara, and bell peppers!

I also made a batch of grass fed beef, and some pumpkin protein squares to have some emergency protein and pre/post workout snacks on hand!

And yes, I am eating my beef with a little mermaid spoon....and proud of it!

As many of you know, my fiancé and I are also in the midst of crazy wedding planning stress. We have been busy planning photo shoots, the honey moon, managing the guest list, and a million other things that are on our list. We had a Starbucks date this week to discuss a few things...and I think I tired him out a bit!

My workouts have also been consistent lately. I am really seeing progress in my abilities to lift heavier weights! I also started the Frisky Fall challenge at Tone it Up which has served as great motivation! Their online community, workouts, and overall vibes are all fantastic! They have a "100 miles by Halloween" challenge, and I have already reached 22 of them! They post daily toning workouts and inspiration, which always gets you in the mood to workout! I highly recommend checking out their site, www.toneitup.com.

I am also keeping up with my personal training sessions, and am actually on my way to one soon! Having my pre-workout nuts to power me through!

This week, I have two vacation days which I plan to fill up with fun adventures, cooking, working out, relaxing, and just enjoying some time to myself. I cannot believe we are already halfway through September...it's crazy how fast time is flying!!

Anyways, I am off to get a good workout in before my day begins!! I love kicking off a new week with a workout, which sets the tone for a healthy week to come! I hope you all have an awesome Monday!

It's FALL! September Goals

Happy September everyone!! It's finally (almost) fall!! I am beyond excited! 1.) I love fall fashion! Boots and flannel and sweaters and everything!2.) It's my birthday month! I'm not the biggest fan of celebrating, but I am trying to be!! 3.) September is just one step closer to CHRISTMAS!!! My favorite time of the year!

And of course, with every new month, I like to reflect on my previous month and my goals, as well as think of new goals for the new month! I spent some time Monday morning coming up with some goals. I wanted to write about them to get my thoughts straight, as well as to stay accountable in accomplishing them!

1. Start scrapbooking. Yea, I had this goal last month, but never got around to it! I did print pictures, but I never got around to actually scrapbooking. This used to be one of my biggest hobbies and was so relaxing for me. I really hope to get back into it this month!

2. Sketch more. A lot of people don't know this about me, but I am an artist. I sketched and painted for over half of my life before adulthood took over and life got in the way. I miss having that creative outlet so much. I really want to make time this month to sketch at least once a week.

3. Gratitude list. I think the art of being thankful is definitely something that comes with practice. Even Paul states that he has "learned to be content in all circumstances" (Philippians 4:12). I want to spend time every day in the presence of God and tell Him how awesome He is and thank Him for all of His blessings!

4. Lean, clean, and green meals. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I have found my grove the past couple months with my workouts and nutrition. I have tried to remain as consistent as possible, while indulging in life's pleasures from time to time (hence, beignets on our 2 year anniversary!) But I have noticed a huge difference in my performance in the gym and my body composition when I eat healthy proteins and vegetables throughout the day!! I want to keep up my lean, clean, and green habits in September as well.

5. Run 5 miles, once per week. I am so happy that I have been able to run longer and faster lately! I want to run 5 miles at least once a week this month!

6. Lastly, I want to keep up with my toning workouts. I am seeing such great results working with my trainer and doing my own toning workouts from my log book. I have never liked lifting weights and am definitely a cardio queen, but seeing the results makes me want to lift and tone even more! I hope to keep up with my toning workouts 3 days per week, and possibly start lifting heavier.

Well, those are my goals for this lovely new month! I hope to be able to reach them all and, most importantly, enjoy the journey! Happy Tuesday, all!

Our 2 year Anniversary!!

This past Saturday, August 30th, my fiancé Vasken and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary since we started dating. Vasken planned an amazing day for us filled with activities and events we both love. It was without a doubt an unforgettable day, so I wanted to write about it to not only share what we did, but also as a lasting memory to us of our fun day together! The day started out at 7:30am. Vasken picked me up and we drove about 45 minutes to an amazing hiking trail called "Bridge to Nowhere."

The trail was 4.5 miles to the bridge and 4.5 miles back. Needless to say, it was a long and strenuous hike!! But it was beautiful being in God's creation and such a great feeling of accomplishment getting to the bridge!

The night before, we had stopped by Whole Foods to pack lunches for the hike. I chose chicken, sweet potatoes, and tons of veggies! I also packed some nuts with a few dark chocolate almonds mixed in. However, it was SO hot that the chocolate melted all over the rest of my nuts! I didn't mind!! ;)

We ended the hike around 3pm and burned a crazy amount of calories in the process!

From the mountains, Vasken drove me straight to my favorite nail salon to get a mani/pedi! He is definitely a keeper!!

After getting pampered, we got ready for the evening and headed out to dinner. Vasken surprised me and took me to dinner at the Langham Hotel, a beautiful hotel in our area. Our experience eating at their Royce Steakhouse was unforgettable and delicious!! We found a nice card on the table the minute we sat down (my fiancé's first name is Jerusalem...just so there is no confusion!)

The service here was incomparable. Our server walked us through the entire menu as we were overwhelmed and excited about all the options. We finally decided on the Caesar salad as an appetizer, two steaks, and mushroom and asparagus side dishes. Everything was delicious and definitely lived up to the name this restaurant has!

For dessert, we ordered beignets. Little did we know the staff already had a surprise dessert for us as well. We enjoyed the chocolate espresso cake and our beignets. I fell in love with the beignets!! They were to die for and so amazingly light and sweet all at the same time!

I thoroughly enjoyed every part of our dinner and desert. This was a special occasion, and I knew these foods would be a once in a lifetime treat! I have never tasted beignets this delicious before, so I had absolutely zero guilt after dinner!! After our dessert overload, we decided to walk around the hotel. It was beautiful and had romantic light decorations outside.

This day was an unforgettable memory that I will always cherish. I feel so blessed to have a wonderful fiancé like Vasken who thinks of the best ways to celebrate things together!! It was a day that I will never forget! I can't wait to make more memories together as we start our new married life together soon!!

Running on Up!

Hello everyone and happy Sunday!! It's been a hot but beautiful weekend where I live. I've been enjoying it so much. I'm having a relaxing Sunday afternoon today. After church, I came home and made a quick lunch with some leftovers from last night's 2 year anniversary dinner with my fiancé! Post on that coming soon! But I ate my leftover skirt steak with chimichurri sauce, which was incredible! I added some veggies and egg whites to round out my meal.

I also made a big batch of my Paleo Kung pao chicken to take to work this week....it was one of the first recipes I posted and is one of my favorites!!

Isn't it gorgeous!?! It is so colorful and full of healthy veggies and protein! As well as YUMMY!

I thought I would also write a little update on my workouts lately. I've still been doing strength training and toning work about 3-4 times per week, and am loving the results I am seeing! I am increasing my weights and being able to do more than I thought possible! My feet/knees/all other pains have also been better, so I've been increasing the number of runs per week, as well as my mileage and speed! I'm not pushing too far, but it feels great to be running more!

I'm glad I have been averaging less than 10 minute miles, and even faster in some cases!! I'm making sure to rest between runs do I don't make the same mistake I made when I injured myself in the first place (7 mile runs three days in a row are never a good idea!)

Anyways, I plan on hitting the gym this afternoon with my fiancé, which I am excited about, and enjoying this Sunday afternoon and long weekend!! Have a great weekend and Labor Day everyone!