The one with the SOCIAL MEDIA!

You know what's annoying?! 

GYM HATERS. 

Why you gotta be upset that I posted my workout, PR, running trail, weight rack, etc? 

Is it because you didn't do it? 

Because you missed the gym today? or maybe you haven't been for a while??

Meanwhile I have to look at your posts of food that I choose not to eat??! How is that cool?

You know what I say fellow gym geeks? POST IT ALL. I would rather see your posts of a successful healthy workout, food prep and progress photos than most of the things that I see on social media these days. Those posts inspire me, give me ideas and keep me motivated. 

So all, tell the world how far you ran, what you lifted and how many pounds you have dropped. I like feeling inspired but that kind of positivity. We see so many negative things these days, right? 

SO KEEP ON POSTING!

And with that being said: it is FRIDAY! I completed a perfect week, what I like to call 5 workouts in 5 days! I love that. 

WORKOUT OF THE DAY! 

THE CARDIO CIRCUIT

30 seconds each followed by 15 second rest

jumping jacks

mountain climbers

lunge jumps

air squats

push-ups

jumping jacks

repeat 3-4 times! 

Have a great weekend!

The one with all of the awkward

SO YOU FEEL AWKWARD IN THE GYM???

GOOD! IT'S WORKING! KEEP GOING! 

Alright, ladies and gents I am here to tell you that it takes a good amount of disipline and self confidence to go to the gym daily and stray away from the treadmill/elliptical zone. 

WHY? 

 Because you are going to look crazy a majority of the time. From the ugly faces by the squat rack to the fun sounds that come out of your mouth on the bench it is all unpretty. But that's why I love it! The accomplishment of a PR is enough to make the self conscious feelings go away.  It is the ability to not care what you look like that will help you to fall in love with yourself! 

Keep killing it! 

I am currently on week two of my new diet. I am a girl who loves m&m's so this had been a challenge. While I am a firm believer in moderation and treating yourself, I am also a believer in being pushed to the next level. That is where I am trying to go. SO sans m&ms and believe me it on more than one occasion has made me a little testy. (This is what the weights are for) 

I do not weigh myself due to muscle gain but I have felt a difference. I feel tighter, look leaner and my rings don't fit. 

SO MY FINGERS ARE SKINNIER. (What every girl wants, right?) 

Workout of the DAY! 

Ab circuit:

50 reverse crunches

30 second plank

50 regular crunches

30 second plank

30 Russian twists

60 second plank 

Repeat!

DIET PLANNING MANIA!! 

SO I know how hard it can be to plan a diet that you can stick to. Not all of us can or even want to meal plan in order to have the results we desire. 

It does take a certain amount of planning but does not have to kill you! 

STEP ONE: Start a food journal. This is important for you to see when and where the problems lie. Write down EVERYTHING you eat and drink EVERYTHING. And try to log the calories if you can. 

STEP TWO: Cut out something bad.. break a habit. If you drink a lot of soda, stop for a week. If you eat a lot of fast food, same thing. This small step can make a big difference! 

STEP THREE: Create a plan you can stick to. Start out just three days a week. THREE. Stick to this plan: 

 40 percent protein

30 percent veggies 

30 percent fat/carbs 

I recommend getting a vegan cookbook and adding meat, usually there are great, flavorful options that are lower in calories and full of veggies! 

When that feels less challenging, go to 4 days a week and then 5. 

Do the same with a fitness program when you are first starting out. DO NOT OVER DO IT. 

TRY THIS RECIPE: 

Parmesan crusted salmon

Mix mayo and olive oil with salt, pepper and garlic. Spread over salmon filets (a thin layer) 

sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. 

Serve with roasted asparagus or your favorite veggie and a fresh salad. 

Healthy and flavorful! 

AND DAMMIT have a glass of wine! (it's heart healthy) 

Pilot blog: The one with the introduction

My name is Erin, I am an individual striving to be as fit as I can. AND have fun. Taking life or ANYTHING too seriously generally results in more stress than is necessary. Am I right? SO... I have decided to write about my life, my strengths and weaknesses when it comes to matters of life, fitness and FUN. I love wine, I am as Irish as they come and generally no meal comes with out a glass, or bottle of wine. In fact people ask me what kind of wine I like and I think, "are there some not to like?" SO now I am figuring out a balance between fun and being fit. First, let's begin with my fitness background:

As a kid I was NOT an athlete. Far from it in fact. I was the kid that took 15 minutes to get through the mile run, mostly walking and talking to my girl friends and hating EVERY minute of it. As I got older this was a similar story. In college, I moved to a more active community that forced me to get off my butt. I got into a little hiking, light running, and tried various hype workouts and diets. I have never been very big, but I was bigger than I wanted to be. For years I would go up and down in weight due to phases of being more active and crash dieting. I had a very negative body image because of it. In my late 20's I got sick, now that I look back on it I realize how long I wasn't feeling great. It was close to 3 years. At 29, I was really sick, dizzy and weak was having mouth and intestinal issues and I could not workout at all. After a series of tests and a variety of "maybe it's this diagnoses" I found out I had Celiac disease. Celiac is an autoimmune disease that is basically an extreme gluten allergy. Watching what I put into my body to this level can suck but it has also helped me to become the better version of myself that I am today. After I began feeling better, and believe me I hadn't felt like that in YEARS, I wanted to get back into shape. It is hard to be in that place, believe me I know. I was REALLY out of shape, weak and scared shitless of the gym. So I started on my own, I bought a treadmill. Sold it. I bought an elliptical, sold that guy too. I was at a loss. Besides hiking I really had no clue what to do. I decided to join a friend on a kettle bell weight class for women. I was so nervous, I wanted to vomit the whole way there. I drove with my friend so I didn't have the ability to chicken out. The class was great and it was awful. I felt great and I felt like an idiot. I hit myself in the knees countless times. That day, began my journey. I committed to going twice a week, and this quickly turned into three times a week. I began to fall in love with weight lifting, with the way it made my body feel and mostly the way it made my mind feel. I was more clear, more energetic and stronger! I started to see a change in my body also in a way I had never seen before! Six months in I decided to take it up a notch, I got a trainer who got me into heavier lifting and strength training. This brings me to where I am now... I am over a year into weight training. In that year, I ran my first 10k and half marathon. I have lifted over my body weight and I have lost over 8 percent body fat. I have thrown away my scale! (It doesn't matter in weight lifting!)

                                                            I am a better me. 

So this brings me to the purpose of this blog: I want to inspire others to change their lives! To set goals, and accomplish them. It feels amazing to be proud of what you have accomplished. I am currently a week into a new routine. I have altered my diet. While I always have been a healthy eater, and much more so due to the Celiac disease, I still needed to take a look at my habits and make some changes in order to bring myself to the next level.

Diet AND exercise are the keys to success no matter what level you are at! This girl still wants to have her cake and eat it too so this is what my new plan looks like:
Monday-Friday (one hour strength workout, plus 2-3 runs)
NO BOOZE (UGH... boo)
40% protein
30% veggie
30% carbs/fat

I also have to eat every 3-4 hours... I thought this would be tough but with all of the workouts I am STARVING! I usually have two main meals and then shakes or snacks in the in between hours.

Saturday and Sunday are for fun.. I have realized that I can have fun without going too crazy but I do have my wine, a cheat meal or two... These are what I like to call "sanity days."

My hope through this blog is to share my story, my day to day struggles and at the same time help you all out with your journey. I will also share workouts, recipes and other fun things that will get us to our goals and through our days! I will be sharing photos of my journey as well, but for now a little FUN!

                                                                What are your goals?

WORKOUT OF THE DAY!

THE "100"

Cardio: 25 minute interval run

(this is great for beginners and experienced runners) 

Run 2 minutes, walk 1 minute

Don't stop! You can do anything for 25 minutes. 

25 jumping jacks

25 air squats 

25 lunges (each leg) 

AND YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE 100! 

I recommend repeating.. should take  little over an hour! 

                                    Please feel free to ask questions and share your stories!