VLOG inside! hump day motivation + WWAW (what we ate wednesday)

it's hump daaaay! and heavy leg day. and we hit the gym (wut) together .

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sure we can be normal. for what?

why is wednesday referred to as hump day? i heard the reasoning years ago but Googled it anyway to reconfirm as i typed this post:

'Starting around 1965, Wednesday began being referred to as “hump day.” Smack dab in the middle of the traditional work week, arriving at Wednesday symbolizes that we've made it over the hump and the weekend is in sight.'

sounds about right!  not working a traditional job since the beginning of 2013 when my IT contract ended has diminished the 'monday blues' and those feelings of always wanting to speed through the week to get to friday and the weekend.  i am a WSAHM (working stay at home mom) and being here with my boys has taught me to slow the heck down and live in the now.  i look forward to every single day!  yeah, entrepreneur life is a scary, huge sacrifice (especially with young kids in the mix) but i would have never, ever gotten the chance to GROW as quickly and as much as i have these past 2 years in every. single. aspect. of the word.  each day is a new adventure over here and i am head over heels in love with this temporary journey with my boys (Dego is 9 months already yall, DANG.) now that Sonny is no longer working a traditional job either (this is now week 4) and his schedule allows him to be with me and the boys more often, we have been taking full advantage of this blessing.

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the endorphins were flowing after our workout this morning so we made quick vlog! i also included 2 clips of some of exercises we did. we focused on unilateral training (one leg at a time) for most of the exercises instead of both.  why?  sometimes when you train both arms or legs together, you can cheat by letting your dominant side do the brunt of the work.  so, working them one at a time helps you:

• create balanced growth and development in both limbs equally
• correct size asymmetries
• improve general balance
• engage smaller muscles like the abductors, gluteus medius, and quadratus lumborum in ways we can't duplicate training two legs at a time.

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here are a few things we dined on today:

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i found the Ranch Tuna Creations, woo, hoo! someone mentioned this flavor on Instagram and i had never seen it until the last time i was at Walmart. i like. i didn't add a thing and ate it straight from the packet while out and about today.

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i whipped up a snack using my Ninja Blender single serve thingy and Dego loooooves this combo! it's 1 heaping cup of all natural, unsweetened applesauce + 1/2 cup roasted beets (you can do frozen or fresh and even canned if you must) + 4 or 5 strawberries.

i could not stop eating it myself! tasted way better than those prepackaged flavored applesauces in stores. but you knew that already, right!

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for my meals 4 and 5 i had quesadillas using La Tortilla Factory light flour tortillas.  they were stuffed with spinach, onions, mushrooms, Weber Beer Can Chicken seasoned chicken breast chunks, and Lisanatti almond cheddar cheese.

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i folded them in half and cooked them on my griddle for 2-3 min on each side until the cheese started to melt and the tortilla was crispy. no avocados in the house :( but this citrus pineapple Pace Picante sauce sufficed!

now i'm going to lay down, blink, and it will be time for me to get up and go teach my Barbell Strength class. GOODNIGHT!

Q: what have you ever ended up doing (or being) that you said you never would do (or be?)

le

Cross Fit Fulshear

i have been wanting to try Cross Fit foreeeeever and i finally got the chance!

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one of my biggest fitness inspirations, Alli Vasquez, is co-owner of CrossFit Fulshear! I'm incredibly excited for her and was honored to have been invited to their Get Real event yesterday morning. she is so passionate about sharing her purpose with others and such a humble, sweet woman.

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there was Zumba indoors, and a boot camp happening outside.  i planned to do both before i realized they were happening at the same time!  so after a few songs i stepped outside for some team circuit training. i've always seen the row machine at the gym and never used it...until yesterday.

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the trainers coached us through a combo of kettle bell swings, high knees, walking weighted lunges, rowing, mountain climbers, and then we flipped a few tires. fun, fun.

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flexin' cause we had all just killed it out there!

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i grabbed a quick snack outta my bag as i had a full morning of training ahead of me in addition to this event.  i had a crunchy nectarine right after boot camp, and some chicken breast chunks, carrots, and grape tomatoes for later.  then, Alli hopped on the bullhorn cause it was time....

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for our WOD! my very first one!

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i see that acronym aaaaaall over instagram on some of the fitness pages i follow. it stands for Workout Of the Day. ours was 1 min of the following exercises 3 times straight, no breaks:

• wall ball squats

• kettle bell swings

• toe touch sit ups

• ball slams

• row machine

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after each coach explained the exercises i was all like, 'but where are the muscle ups? handstand push ups? cleans?' bwhahahaha!  yeah, i am definitely not ready for all that stuff, but those are the moves i think of whenever i hear the words Cross Fit. one of the trainers graciously recorded some footage of me in action:

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YEAH. loved it.  i'd also love to stick with it so that i can look back at this a few months down the line and see my progress. we'll see what happens!

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big thanks to Alli and the Cross Fit Fulshear team for hosting such a FUN event.  if you're located and never tried CF or looking for a CF box, give them a shout!

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i had to head back to Houston to train one of our 6 Pack USA clients and spotted this baby on the way to my car. taking pics of cars is so not my thing but when it comes to Vettes...i couldn't help it! isn't she everything!? looked like it was about to transform into an autobot or something #chills

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fueling up and eating with my hands cause i forgot my fork!  i used two kinds of Weber Seasoning (from Walmart) on the chicken breasts: Beer Can Chicken and Garlic Sriracha. i hope you spent your weekend doing something you enjoyed too!

Q: why do you cross fit?? why haven't you tried it? what do you like (or dislike) about it?

le

no beastmode + avocado crema dip

concerning the game....

WHAT?!

i'll just keep it classy and congratulate the Pats.  moving on......

being at home to raise my boys has been one of the biggest blessings in my entire life. i am so thankful.  the only time i really hear crying from Dego is when he's uncomfortable (needs to be changed, hungry, the usual). other than that, he's showing that gummy smile off and cackling at Chiso! i thought Chiso smiled a lot but Dego takes the cake in that department.  Chiso is now a threenager. even on our most difficult, trying, exhausting days, the Lord reminds me how hard i prayed and cried for these boys.  that thought alone makes whatever i'm upset or irritated about (toddler temper tantrum, spilled food, disobedience, etc.) just not that big a deal anymore.  i actually dropped a big bowl of pancake batter and it splattered EVERYWHERE recently. everywhere. the ceiling, walls waaaaay across the room, under tables... just a gigantic mess. albeit my fault, instead of getting angry i stared at the chaos on my floor and laughed (not a crazed, hysterical, witch-like laugh or anything lol) then Chiso chimed right in with me.  i cleaned it all up with a smile.

these guys constantly remind me to stop sweating and stressing the small stuff. we just don't have time. or the energy, most days.

 so before the big game started i went outside to get a 1 hour walk/jog/run thing on!  that's all i had planned to do, but i saw new fit mom Ashley Horner on IG outside doing 300 walking lunges with her 12 day old new-born strapped to her chest and that motivated THE heck outta me.  so i did 300 walking lunges too before heading back home to...

mr. P.J.!

i'm finding it harder and harder to post these kinds of pics to IG because i don't want to discourage our 6 Pack USA clients as they work towards their own fitness goals.  i do maintain my current body fat % using my own personalized plan, but i also indulge in moderation as i am able to easily compensate via my diet and/or exercise for those indulgences to keep me where i want to be. so there! yes, i had a few slices of pizza on game day and i was back on track with no guilt or worries the next day.

my brother and sister-in-law came over to watch the game with us so i made a few snacks including this one i'd love to share with ya:

Avocado Crema Dip 

the stuff: (source)

• 3 ripe avocados
• 1 - 6 oz container 0% greek yogurt
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper
• juice of 1 lemon or lime
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• cracked black pepper & sea salt to taste

do this:

1. add all ingredients to your blender or food processor
2. blend until super-duper creamy (keep scraping down the sides if using a blender)
3. get scoop happy! you can dip anything you want, but i chose plantain chips and the bell peppers.

switching to the 8oz baby bottles for parties / get-togethers was a great move.  one of my pet peeves is walking around picking up half-finished water bottles at the end of a party!!!! never again. that dip in the center of the veggie plate is just Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix + 0% greek yogurt. my mom gave me that idea but used to use sour cream. so yummy!!! it really brings veggies to life.

love this stuff!! my Sprouts Farmers Market usually has a great variety of flavors too; there are so many to choose from.  we recently tried the Cheddar Caramel Mix and gave it two thumbs way up.  if you're gonna sneak snacks into the movie theater, bring this stuff!

did you watch the big game? where?

le

let the Christmas shopping BEGIN + clean, gluten-free, dairy-free SUGAR COOKIES!

finally started a little Christmas shopping!

 for myself :lol: .  i found these guys yesterday at Hobby Lobby for half price and i can't wait to make healthy sugar cookies with Chiso.  here's a tip that you may or may not have known- you can just pull up the featured Hobby Lobby coupon right on your mobile device and show it to the cashier, no printer or hard copy needed.  i found that out while in line yesterday cause the lady in front of me did it.  i logged onto www.hobbylobby.com super fast before my turn and immediately clicked on Coupon; it was for 40% off one regular priced item. SCORE.

we might leave these out for Santa this year, try'em!

clean, dairy-free, gluten-free, vanilla and chocolate sugar cookies

the stuff:

• 1 1/2 cups almond meal / flour
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup honey or agave nectar
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla OR almond extract (either works)
• dash of sea salt

--->for the chocolate cookies, make 1/4th of the almond meal unsweetened cocoa powder (which leaves 1 1/4 cups almond meal left, right? right.)<---

do this:

1. mix your batter well.
2. place bowl in the fridge for 20 minutes. **i know you want to skip that step but don't!** it determines the texture of your cookies.
3. press dough out on flat surface and use cookie cutters, or roll dough into 22 balls.
4. bake for 7-9 minutes on 350 degrees or until golden brown.

makes 22 cookies! per cookie: 44 cals, 3g fat, 4g carbs, 3g sugar.

Q: :shock: Christmas shopping....... have you started!?

le

wienervention - the cleanest hot dog i've ever eaten

another early gym date accomplished this morning and officially 1 month postpartum! i expect to get a lot done today. 

i had my usual preworkout snack, some hot, magical coffee, and headed out for an hour of treadmill intervals. i alternated btw:

5 incline @ 4 mph - 5 minutes

15 incline @ 3 mph - 5 minutes 

walking IS boring but there are ways you can rev it up.  i always swing my arms vigorously, walk heel-to-toe with a wide stride, and i never hold the side rails either. that's cheatiiiiing ;)

can i do a blog #throwbackthursday? i'm doin' it anyway!

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while we were headed home from the hospital last month with our brand new baby boy, something beat us there- my Wienervention Kit from Applegate!!!

that nostalgic red and white pattern always reminds you of what? a summer picnic, yep.

however, the Houston heat was too much and i just wanted to lay down somewhere and stuff my face in the AC.  i'd like to give a gigantic high-five and thank you to one of my favorite natural and organic brands, Applegate, for the goods. i knew the kit was on the way, but it slipped my mind after giving birth and all.  my mom and aunt were at our house tidying up and waiting to help out with our new family member, so unbeknownst to Sonny & i, they went ahead and cracked the kit open and prepared a welcome home lunch for us! perfect timing, right?

i actually used to avoid hot dog wieners for this very reason...  i've always thought of them as the wack parts of meat that didn't make the cut all blended up together with fat and other UFOs.  i would only have them every blue moon, like july 4th or memorial day at somebody's BBQ. at home? not so much.  also, reading 'mechanically separated turkey, chicken, or beef' in the ingredients list is not very appetizing. thank God we have many healthier options to choose from these days; these Applegate wieners are in a league of their own! a wienerventioW was overdue.

rest assured these top-notch dogs are:

• all natural
• contain no antibiotics
• humanely raised beef fed vegetarian/grain diet
• gluten-free
• casein-free
• contain no fillers
• contain recognizable ingredients! every single one.
• really, really tasty.

nailed that presentation.

they also sent along condiments, cause you can't build a stellar dog without them.

• Annie's Organic All Natural Ketchup (her salad dressings are crazy good, especially the artichoke parmesan, trust)
• Rick's Picks Zesty Dill Relish - (which tasted like a combo of sweet & dill relish! i've always topped my dog with one or the other..not both. i bet it would be amazing in potato salad as well.)
• Annie's Organic Yellow Mustard

 for the buns, we had a choice of Rudi's Organic Bakery Multigrain or White hot dog buns!  i loved them both and you can snag a coupon for a bag of your choice right on their website. from the bun, to the condiments, to the wiener, this is THE cleanest hot dog i've ever eaten.

time to change the meat you eat and give Applegate a try.

in newborn news, 

i think he'll be tall.

more tummy time, aka, push up practice!

le