Just Keep Swimming.

 

Wow.. Today was “A DAY.”

I’m sure we all have them.. and today just happened to be just that for me.

One of those “crazy mom” days.

This was snapped at 10am…

I had one sick boy..

And one crazy girl.

Who has done this to her room two days in a row..

There really was a lot that happened today, I may of hid and cried for a minute but you just have to do what you have to do.

Today also marks 9 years since my mom passed away. How did that go by so fast?! Maybe July 31st will just forever be cursed for me. Who knows?

 

Not the whole day was terrible though. I actually got a mid day break for an hour to teach my last kids class for the season at GPP, which usually doesn’t make me as emotional… but today it did. I love teaching these rock stars.

It was the last day today, and I was missing a lot of kids but how could you not like hanging out with this crew.

They are definitely GPP fit!

I grabbed a quick lunch with friends to celebrate a birthday. We all met at our go to restaurant, Plates and Palates.

Most of the afternoon was filled with madness so I won’t even dwell on it, but when Brent got home tonight I excused my overly emotional self and headed to the pool. Because heck. When life gets a little rough at times the only thing you can do is to “Just keep swimming.”

I spent an hour in the pool and swam just over a mile. It felt good to be in the water and just clear my head.

I felt much better when I got home. Some days that is all you need.

And at the end of the day all you can do is lay and bed and just laugh at what you just went through in the last 24 hours.

Tomorrow is a new day and it will be a good one.

What do you handle bad days?

What is something you did for you today?

White Chocolate Protein Balls

 

**Note: It has come to my attention that my comment system has been down lately. We think we have worked it out. So now your comments won’t secretly disappear! Or be moderated because you use the word “shoes”… It was that dumb. Hopefully we got it figured out! Comment away! Please and thank you!

It has been a pretty rainy two days here, and being the summer girl I usually am, this rain has been quite welcome for this prego momma!

So here is a recipe for a healthy treat on a rainy day.

It was actually Baylees idea to make these today. She loves to help me in the kitchen and her never ending whine to make “ball cookies” today was never ending.. how could I really say no?

White Chocolate Protein Balls

Makes approx: 7 balls

Ingredients:

• 1 Scoop Vanilla Bean Plant Fusion Protein Powder
• 1 Packet of Original Quaker Oats
• 4 Tbs Chia Seeds
• 1/4 C. Agave nectar
• 1/3 C. White Chocolate Wonderful PB&co Peanut butter

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients into a bowl and stir together with a spoon.

2. Once combined use your hands to grab just enough to smash and roll together one ball.

3. Repeat #2 6 more times.

EASY!

WORKOUT:

This morning I headed to GPP to get the workout done before I coached. This workout was rough!

Source

I have been loving the shaping/lifting part of the workouts lately and then a quick sweat fest to finish it up. The timed part of the workout took me just over 13 minutes. Being pregnant I try not to pay too much attention to the clock because I have the tendency to turn into a competitive thing if I let it.  I listen to my body and most importantly the baby. The hardest part of this workout was the burpees.. I don’t think I have ever missed doing a REAL burpee so much in my life as I have lately. Modifying a burpee for this belly has turned into a lot of strict pushups! You just can’t fall to the floor anymore.. ha! I even did double unders today! I wore my running belt to help support a bit and I was proud to get through those comfortably. My longest string was 17.. kind of rusty.. I haven’t done DU for a LONG time so it was fun to pull out my rope and tackle them again.

As part of the 21 day challenge I had a few more things to finish up and by the end I was a hot pregnant mess.

LUNCH:

I snagged a rostierre chicken from costco this morning and made my lunch wrap out of it.

Great idea if you ask me.

I will probably eat a wrap every day of my third trimester. They have been my go to as of lately and not sure they will be beat.

This wrap I had chicken, cucumber, hummus, onion and tomato.

Subway has nothing on me.

Ps. I think subway is disgusting.. They use to be good but I had a sandwich last weekend on our little road trip to Bear Lake and it was just BAD. The bread, the meat, the “avocado” ugh.

What was your lunch today?

What is your favorite Sandwich?

How To Gain Speed

 

Happy Tuesday!

Today I want to to talk about RUNNING!

How can you get faster, as I get slower and slower with this baby bump. Ha!

Here are 5 tips to help you increase your speed.

1. Run with someone who runs faster then you.

I love to run with friends, but I use to not. In fact I avoided it! Why? Because I didn’t feel like I was as fast as they were and I thought I would slow them down. Then I came to the realization that that was just my excuse. When I finally threw that excuse out the window and started running with friends that I knew were fast, I actually got faster. Those runs were some of my favorite runs too, because I hardly noticed my pace because I was having fun just running with some cool chicks.

 

2. Have “easy” runs in your plan.

Not every run on your training plan should be a HARD RUN. The harder you try to beat your time from each run the slower you will probably get. Your body needs slow runs in order to improve and stay injury free.

Your typical week should include maybe three designated hard runs. A “hard run” should be a run that is short, with fast effort;  a longer run at a moderately high intensity; and an even longer endurance run. These three hard runs should be separated by slow, easy runs, cross training or even rest days. 

3. Train via your heart rate.

This one goes along with my last tip. I use to never even pay attention to my heart rate while training until my last marathon. You need to figure out what your max heart rate is and during your runs, wear your heart rate monitor. Your easy runs should be <70%, and hard runs should be around @70%-75% intensity.

I was able to have 15 minute PR.

4. Time on your feet.

If you want to get faster, you must run. It is as simple as that. Spend time slowing increasing your mileage. Overtime you will find that your shorter runs will get faster and your longer runs will increase pace too.

5. Run Hills.

I am one that doesn’t really enjoy running hills unless it’s a trail run, But training sprints on hills can help you increase your speed. When you are used to constantly running uphill, then when you hit the flat your pace will pick up automatically.

Do you have any tips to add?

Bear Lake Reunion Weekend

We had a great weekend at Bear Lake. This trip was full of family, four wheeling, boating, paddle boarding, sailing, beach time and late night games.

Shortly after we arrived we changed and got ready for obligatory extended family pictures. I honestly DREAD family pictures. Something about hustling kids around, making sure everyone is happy, me being hugely pregnant, and the heat are just a few things that make family pictures difficult.. However, I am always glad we do them. It is fun to look back and see how they actually turn out.

Here are a few shots of just my little family.

 

Our first day there started with a morning run for me. The run was quick but I got plenty sweaty and I felt great the whole time and surprisingly I never had to stop to go to the bathroom, which is a pregnant mommas miracle.

After the run we packed up and headed to the beach. We were there ALL. DAY. LONG. And it was awesome.

Brent and I rented a paddle board since I’m kind of limited on my boating activities. I can’t tell you how much I wanted to wakeboard…

The paddle board was awesome to have. I have only been paddle boarding one other time and loved it. My inner thighs were a bit sore the next day from balancing in the waves. I was a little worried about finding my balance with this bump but it came pretty natural for me and I was able to board all day without any falls. If it got a little too choppy then I would just go to my knees. I grew to love this board!

The kids spent HOURS playing in the sand with their cousins.

I took turns taking the kids out on the paddle board with me. Neither of them were as excited about it as I was.

This pic is from my Instagram

I think the highlight of the day was when grandpa gave each grandchild a chance to help drive the boat!

The kids had a blast on the boat and it was fun to ride around for a bit. Bear Lake is beautiful, the blue clear water is amazing.

We love visiting grandpas cabin at the lake. Bee probably spent 90% of her free time on the tramp. She loves making up tricks and showing off.

And for a little randomness of the day. Here is a pic of my go to snack lately.

Best. Combo. Ever.

I hope it sticks. Before this pregnancy I couldn’t handle dairy or gluten without getting really sick and lately I have been okay with it in small amounts.

Have you ever tried paddle boarding?

What is your go to snack lately?

Pioneer Day 2014

Yesterday was a busy day, I knew if I wanted to get a workout in for the day I had to get up early and get it done! 

My alarm went off at 6:30am and I headed out the door. 

This pic makes my belly look kind of small. Ha! I ran a very slow 5k. Then headed to the gym and did a body combat class. 

When I got home the only thing I wanted was a smoothie. It has been a balmy 100 degrees here for about two weeks straight. A nice thick and cold smoothie hit the spot.

I snagged this protein at Costco a few weeks ago and love it! It is plant based and is pretty filling!

Stats on it aren't to shabby either.

In the mix I added: 

1 1/2 cups Orginal almond milk (silk) 

1 cup frozen berries

1 handful spinach 

Ice 

It was sooo thick I had to eat it with a spoon! Just how I like it! 

As soon as I could change we were out the door and running to the pool! 

I was trying to stretch a little bit while sitting on the lounge chair and Baylee told me to get off the chair and do this..

Smart girl. 

The pool we went to has a little kid pool which is awesome for T &B. 

After the pool we met up with Brent for a quick movie date. He had to work yesterday but got done early so we too me the kids to see planes. 

I think I won mom of the year by bringing grapes and edamame for snacks during the movie. Ha! 

We had skipped out on lunch so after the movie we headed to the closest fast food restaurant.

Thanks chick-a-fila! 

I got this grilled chicken salad with berries and of course a lemonade! I'm convinced it is the best lemonade on earth. Although, If it was frozen it would be perfection. 

We spent the night doing fireworks outside with all of our neighbors. We had a great time catching up with everyone and watching fireworks for hours. 

This morning I slept in and headed to GPP to get a workout in before we head to a family reunion. 

This was harder then I thought t was going to be. I spent about 15 minutes on a spin bike afterward to loosen up my legs.  

Off for some family fun.

Do you prefer your lemonade frozen or not? 

Smoothies thick and creamy or thin?

Hook And Sink Workout

 

Here is the workout I promised you guys from my boot camp class yesterday! It was a sweat fest for sure!

This morning I headed to GPP first thing to get the workout done and over with before coaching it! I barely finished it before the next class started. I’m starting to thing this belly is starting to slow me down a bit now..

Source

That seriously kicked my  pregnant butt today. I made it through in about 40 minutes. I had to modify by doing kb swings instead of sit ups, air squats instead of squat jumps and I did an extra run instead of double unders.

 

There is something about finishing a workout, dripping in sweat. At least I can still see a little bit of my toes..

After coaching a couple classes, I grabbed a “very berry” protein shake at the shop across the street. It was perfect and exactly what I wanted after that sweat fest. 

Then headed to a pedicure date with my cute sister in law. I went with a red since tomorrow is Pioneer day for us Utahns.

Then I went to target and tried on a pair of shoes that messed up the pedicure.. boo. I hate when that happens! It was about an hour after they were finished too. I guess it will be known as the nail polish that never dries.

After running a few errands I headed home and the kids and I painted crafts.

I love targets dollar section! It always has a fun craft or two for the kids.

Once Brent got home from work we headed to a PARADE!

It was 103 degrees outside, but we made do and had a blast! We actually ended up leaving a bit early. I felt like it was about an hour longer then it has been in years past. The Bountiful Parade is kind of a family tradition and I have only missed one parade my whole life and it was when I had Tanner and Baylee.

Tanners showing us what his favorite float was, the UTAH float.

This kid bleeds red.

It was a busy day and the kids fell asleep so fast, we decided to skip out on fireworks for the night and are now watching Jurassic Park on the couch. I loved this show when I was a kid!

Do you love parades?

The Dog that Died & Came Back to life.

This morning I woke up pretty early, thanks to my little inner alarm clock! I laid in bed for a little while enjoying every little kick. When I finally made my way downstairs a made a quick breakfast while planning my boot camp class.

I will share the workout with you guys tomorrow. After boot camp I headed to GPP to teach my kids class. I only have one more week of kids class. I am going to miss those kids, they have been so fun to coach this summer!

Following kids class I stayed and did part of the GPP workout and spent some time on the spin bike. I had a lunch date with some friends afterwards to celebrate one of their birthdays. We went to our go to lunch spot!

Plates and Palates!

I got my normal shrimp and spinach salad but subbed chicken instead of the shrimp.

Okay, are you all ready for a crazy story!!?

Meet ASPEN.

Aspen was a Christmas gift when I was a Junior in High School (11 years ago), My sisters and I were so excited to have a dog. She lived at my dads house until my youngest sister got married then she took her with her. My sister ended up having to give her away when she moved into her apartments. She gave her to a nice family who were really good about letting her come visit and take her on trips etc.

One day they texted my sister and told her that Aspen had been hit by a car and suffered and had passed away. We were all really sad to hear the news.

Then yesterday, my dad received a phone call from a girl yesterday saying she had his dog. (We had a chip put in Aspen during the time we had her.) My dad replied by asking if it was their current dog “Bella.” She said “No, Aspen” and he told her that she had died two years ago. She said “ No, She is very much alive!”

My dad called my sister and told her what had happened and she went straight out to pick her up.

Sure enough, it was Aspen!

The girl that had her was having to give away Aspen and just took her to the shelter, the shelter scanned her and told her that dog had a different owner and that is when she had contacted my dad.

My sister Jessica asked her where she had gotten Aspen from and she said that she adopted her from a man who rehabilitated dogs a year ago.

We have no idea how or why Aspen got there or why the family had lied to us, Jessica had tried to contact them but the number had been changed so we may not ever know the whole story, but my sister and the rest of us are so happy she is back. Jessica now is keeping her at her home.

I think my nephew is pretty happy about it too!

Do you have a dog/family pet?

What was your workout today?