Change

Something big in our household changed last month (OMG...it's July already).

Not only did our lil' man turn ONE (more on that at a later day)...but Tate got a new job!

Up until last month, Tate worked the same job since he graduated college. He loved it. He loved his clients, the people he worked with and he loved changing peoples lives.

After 7+ years, he realized it was time for a change if he wanted to continue to be challenged and to better himself in the fitness industry. He started just looking and sent out a few resumes to see if anything was worth leaving his great job for.

He had many interviews and at the end of it all, only 2 stuck out that he thought were fit for him. One of the options was one he actually didn't even want to interview with thinking he wouldn't like it. Well, their was a reason he went to the that interview because that is the job he ended up taking. It's funny how that works out.

It was very hard leaving his job. Not only would it be a big change for him, but for us as a family since Turner's daycare was by Tate's work and also a big change for everyone that Tate worked with on a daily basis, co-workers and clients alike. The words spoken of Tate by his coworkers and clients before he left made me the proudest wife ever. But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Bigger and better things were in store for Tate. Those bigger and better things led us to Title Boxing.

Tate is now the General Manager of a brand new gym opening in the Lakeville/Apple Valley Area. The gym is called 'Title Boxing Club'. Here is a lil' blurb from their website!

'A fitness club with a punch. TITLE Boxing Clubs offer explosive total body boxing and kickboxing fitness workouts to help women and men burn up to 1,000 calories per hour in each group class. If you are looking for a fitness club that offers effective group exercise classes and personal training, TITLE Boxing Club is the fitness club for you.'

Tate is BEYOND excited about this opportunity. We prayed for God to guide us when making this decision. Title Boxing is where he lead us.

The gym opens this Monday, July 7th. Tate's been working his hardest to get everything in order and getting many members signed up before they even open. I love hearing him tell me everyday how many more members he signed up. The excitement in his voice puts a big smile on my face and reassures me that we made the right decision.

Some photos of the gym that Tate will be managing!

What's even more exciting is that this is just one of three clubs that will be opening. Tate's boss actually bought 3 clubs and the other 2 will open in the next few years.

Grand opening is July 10th from 11am - 12pm. For anyone interested (in the local area), your first class is free. Go ahead an check it out. I can't wait to take a class.

Like their FB page and follow them on Twitter

I'm hoping in the near future to have them host a MN Blogger Event!!! How fun would that be to get a great workout in while hanging out with some of the greatest ladies?!?

May Fitness Challenge

When I saw that Kristin & Erin were going to host a  Fitness Challenge link up for May, I was super excited! I LOVE LOVE LOVE setting goals. Goals motivate me. I'm just finishing up breastfeeding this month so I didn't want to be too extreme with my goals, but I also know that those extra 500 calories I have been burning a day for the last (almost) year will be ending soon...I need to start making changes since I feel like I won't be so restricted on what I can do.

Running has been a challenge as I've never really had boobs before and with these milk jugs...well it's hard. I had to find the perfect sports bra to wear in order to control them. I also haven't done much cardio since losing weight was not on my priority list. I was really into strength training and trying to gain weight. That is still my area of focus but I will start to incorporate cardio more as I love going for runs with the jogging stroller and Mya. I also love to go to a spin class (really helps the booty)!!!

My 4 goals for the month of May...

NO SWEETS/TREATS 

Lately I have been eating them NON STOP @ work. We have a huge bin full of mini candy bars and I am there eating a lil' piece once an hour. WTF!! I'm dropping this cold turkey. No more sweets until Turner's first birthday party on May 31st!!!

12 GYM VISITS
I'm usually pretty good about this one as I love the motivation of getting the $20 from my insurance company (I am soooo frugal) for doing so...but this last month was brutal as I had to go everyday from April 21 to the 30th in order to get it. I did it...but it was hard. I'm setting my goal to get there at least 2-3 times a week so that I am not scrambling at the end of the month.

DO SOMETHING ACTIVE EVERYDAY
Whether it be a walk with my family, @ home HIIT workout or just a few ab and arm sets while playing with Turner, I want to do something active everyday. I usually am good about this, but I think I do miss doing something EVERYDAY...so setting this goal will definitely remind me to get something in!

LEGS 3 DAYS A WEEK
We all have our 'area' that we are unhappy with and would love to focus on. My #1 area is my ASS. I would like a nice, plump booty. Starting this month, 3 days a week will be focus on leg workouts. I'll be focusing on my glutes, hamstrings and quads. I'm excited to hopefully see some improvement in this area during May...a nice booty for the summer is in the works :)

I really encourage everyone to make fitness goals. I think I might do this as a monthly thing. Making goals keeps you motivated and accountable. Linking up with other bloggers this month will also help with the motivation. You need to ALWAYS remember that you will NEVER REGRET going to the gym and getting in that last workout

Pinned on Pinterest

#4WEEKSFIT

Home HIIT Workout

It's not a secret that I really enjoy fitness...and doing a workout @ home is my favorite way of getting my workout in. Don't get me wrong...I do enjoy the gym, but when I need something quick and fast...an @ home HIIT workout is my go to workout! HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training.

Tate is very good at coming up with these workouts pretty fast. This one is my favorite. I love the feeling I get when I finish and I easily burn 200+ calories!!! I just did it last night after Turner went to bed...my legs are feeling it today!!!

I use a 30lb kettle bell and 8lb dumbbells when I do this workout. You can easily use no weight or use DB's if you don't have a kettle bell. 

Also...if your not sure how to do one of these...go head and Google it and check out images. I do that all the time when Tate give me workouts. You could also check out YouTube for a video of it!

Food challenge update

A few weeks back, I blogged about the 100 day food challenge that Tate and I started. Now that we are 3 weeks in...I thought I would give you all an update on how it's going!!!

TOP 10 THINGS I HAVE FOUND GREAT ABOUT OUR FOOD CHALLENGE:

TEN

It is so much easier than I had thought

I honestly thought I would have a hard time finding foods to eat since I am a very picky eater and that I would slip up all the time...but it's been the complete opposite. I have yet to have any type of candy (even as a cheat snack) and find myself munching on a raw carrot when I get hungry.

NINE

Meal planning weekly is much easier than doing it monthly

I use to meal plan for the whole month and then try to buy as much as possible at the beginning of the month. It was always hard figuring out meals towards the end of the month and then meals would get switched around because things would come up, etc. Now I meal plan for the week ahead usually on Friday evening and sometimes hit up the grocery store that night after Turner goes to bed (it's a bonus that nobody is @ the grocery store on Friday night).

EIGHT

Some people think we are a bit crazy, but MORE people have been intrigued.

Some people have stated they would never be able to do this and think we are crazy for doing it, but more people have asked questions and want to know more. Co workers have asked for certain recipes of things I make and would like more information on items that are in food. Some have even tried to better their diet but not necessarily do the full transformation of real food eating. I love educating others!

SEVEN

I'm learning so much!!!

WOW...I can't believe how much I am learning while doing this. I really can't believe all the stuff they put in processed food that is not good for us. I feel like I have only scratched the surface on information that is out there about what is in our food.

SIX

My energy level changed within the first week.

This one blew me away. I have a 5 month old who LOVES to get up very early in the morning. I'm talking on average...5:30 am. I usually don't go to be until 10:30 pm. Before we started this challenge, I always felt tired and was dragging through the day. I was always yawning and just wanted sleep. Now...I am not even really that tired at the end of the day. I have so much energy through out the day and feel like I get so much accomplished without feeling like I need a nap. I honestly have never felt so great!!!

FIVE

I have tried new foods that I am loving!

It is widely known I am a very picky eater. I hate cooked veggies and cooked fruit. I don't like 'blah' food. Well, when you've committed yourself to something, it forces yourself to eat food you wouldn't have tried before. Now, I still don't like cooked veggies or fruit, but I do love raw veggies. I can't get enough of snap peas...just love them. I also love my spinach salad I have everyday with a hard boil egg, sea salt and pepper and some olive oil...so delicious. We make our own homemade granola and it tastes amazing (I have never liked any granola out of a box). I also make whole wheat muffins that are super delicious! My list is growing and I love it!!!

FOUR

Cheat meals are OK!

This one is big and needed to keep one sane! Tate and I have agreed that we get one cheat meal day. That means we get one cheat breakfast, one cheat lunch, one cheat dinner and one cheat snack. We could take it in one whole day or break it up during the week. We have broken it up and have stuck to only the one. Sometimes we feel like crap after wards and regret it, other times we feel satisfied. Sometimes it's not even a full cheat meal because 1/2 the meal was actually healthy. 

THREE

I'm starting to notice a change in my body.

I feel like I have more muscle tone and my stomach pooch is going away. I feel like I have always had a lil' stomach pooch even before I had Turner...I always thought that I wish I had a baby for an excuse why I have this. Tate's noticed a change also. I love that within in 3 weeks I am noticing that change so I can imagine what I will feel/look like in 10 more weeks.

TWO

I feel even more connected to my husband.

We've been on the same page for awhile on finances and raising Turner, but I always battled with him on my eating habits. In his profession, he learns so much everyday about eating healthy and the benefits. He would hear me complain about my stomach pooch that I hated (to which he would disagree that I even had one), but tell me if I wanted to feel better about myself....I should eat better! I was too stubborn and thought working out would get me to where I wanted to be. Well...now that I've seen a change, I know my husband was right that eating better is the biggest way to see a change in your body. We agreed that when doing this, we would do it together and share the responsibility of making lunches, dinner and snacks. I love having his help with all this! 

ONE

Everything about this is POSITIVE!

There has not been ONE SINGLE negative thing that has come of this change we've made. Everything truly has been positive and I am so grateful for it. I can honestly see this becoming a lifestyle change. I look forward to the weeks ahead to see what more changes I will see. 

I hope to soon blog about some of our recipes we've fallen in love with during this challenge and also the strength training workout Tate created for us. We will be taking our measurements again when we reach the 6 week mark so I am anxious to see how far we've come to reaching the goals we've set.

Would you ever consider doing a real food challenge? 

Tate & Bridget's 100 day challenge

WHO:

Tate and I will be embarking on a 100 day challenge!!!

WHAT:
Tate and I have decided to do a 100 day challenge of eating 'real food' and working out consistently. We are going to eat food in it's most natural state and cut out food that is just down right now good for us or our bodies. With my husband working in the fitness industry, he has written up work out schedules for us to do during this 100 day challenge.

We do plan to have cheat days/meals. We don't plan to deprive ourselves of great holiday food. There will also be times when we plan to go to dinner with friends or attend a social gathering and would like to indulge. We decided to do have a cheat day/meal once a week.

WHERE:
Making all the food ourselves and workouts can be done at gym or home!

WHEN:

October 28, 2013 was our start day because that is exactly 100 days until we leave for the wedding in Mexico.

HOW:

A few weeks back I was thinking where I could find information on what is considered real food and what is not. What we can include in our diet and what to eliminate. I was on Facebook and someone had liked '100 days of real food' and I new immediately it was sign that we for sure should do this and that was where I was going to get lots of my information. 100 days of real food has so much information for anybody thinking about doing it or wanting to do it.

I am NOT getting paid and was NOT asked to blog about this at all...I really did happen to stumble upon this site and have found it to be very resourceful and wanted to share.

We plan to follow pretty closely to the real food defined on the 100 day so of real food website.

* Whole Foods - eating food in its most natural state

*Lots and lots of fruits and vegetables

*Dairy products - yogurt and eggs

*100% whole wheat and whole grain products

*Seafood - wild caught salmon, cod & tilapia

*Meats - turkey & chicken

*Natural Sweeteners - honey

*Snacks - dried fruit, seeds, nuts & popcorn

*Beverages - water, almond milk, tea, wine & beer 

(wine and beer will be in moderation)

If we buy packaged food, we decided that we need to be able to pronounce or know all the ingredients and try to have 5 or less ingredients.

WHY:

My husband recently became a Certified Nutrition and Wellness Consultant (recent as in last spring) and has always talked about eating better. 

For the last month I have been thinking how I could eat even better and get back into shape before our Mexico vacation/destination wedding in February. I brought up the idea of the 100 day challenge to Tate and he immediately was on board. So here goes nothing!!!

Our GOALS:

Bridget

*Gain 3-5 lbs of muscle (yes...you read that right, I want to GAIN weight)
*Increase size/strength in glutes & quads
*Decrease inches in waist
*More definition in arms
*Decrease % of body fat

Tate
*Increase size in arms & chest
*Decrease % of body fat
*More definition in core, back & arms

Tate and I are also excited to see how we feel during this. We hope to have more energy since we are feeding our body natural food vs highly processed food.

Other items:
We did take our measurements when we started and before pictures.
We DO NOT plan to calorie count.
I am still breastfeeding so it's very crucial that I still get enough calories to produce milk for the little guy.

We are almost one week in and so far so good! Let's hope it keeps going this well ;)

Fitness Fun (Healthy Snacks)

Another fitness/health tip that my great husband provided me and I will share with all of you!!!

Plan for healthy snacks throughout the day!

How many times have you gotten hungry and didn't pack a healthy snack option? It happens to people all the time and they go for the quick fix bag of chips, candy bar, pop, fast food, etc.

Source

By planning ahead and packing healthy snacks with you each day it will help you avoid the temptation. Try packing almonds, fruit, Greek yogurt, veggies, etc.

Google images

I am a very picky eater and have a hard time finding things I like. Some things that I pack for snacks are:

Oatmeal

Fruit

Celery and/or carrots

Almonds

Cottage cheese

String cheese

Boiled egg

By packing healthy snacks, this will give you a boost of energy, save you money and help you avoid those unnecessary high calorie quick fix items!

Fitness Fun (Portion Control)

I wrote a fitness tip post awhile ago...and I have many topics on the back burner from my fitness husband....so I thought I would post one today!

Today is all about PORTION CONTROL!!!

How many of you have went to a restaurant recently and ordered a burger, wrap or sandwich and when it came out...it was the size of your head?!?!

It seems like restaurants are trying to 'one up' each other on how big of portions they give. The problem is not just restaurants, I know quite a few people that do this same thing at home.

Source

Overeating leads to obesity and weight gain. It can also lead to health problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.

Controlling your portion sizes is vital to managing your weight.

To prevent over eating...

1. use a smaller plate.

2. keep portion sizes smaller than your palm.

3. eat slower.

4. stop eating when your body tells you it's full

Source

Portion sizes are not the only reason Americans are at the highest obesity rate ever (two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese), but it definitely is a larger factor.

The next time you cook a meal or go to a restaurant, don't forget that a To-Go box and leftovers are a good choice.

Fitness Friday

Being married to a Health Enhancement/Fitness Director...it definitely has its perks :)

I love that I get free advice, free training sessions...even if it is unwanted!

He is currently sending out emails on a weekly basis to people that have signed up in the community for the 'Be Active' campaign and I thought I would share some of those with you!

HERE ARE GREAT WAYS TO GET STARTED WORKING OUT:

Set a realistic, measurable goal for yourself

Getting to the gym _x_ amount of times per week

Drink _x_ amount of water each day

Exercise for _x_ amount of minutes each day

Start with exercises you enjoy

Walking, swimming, biking, rowing, tennis, etc.

Finding something you enjoy at the beginning is going to help you build momentum

Put it on your calendar

Don't let yourself have that "not enough time excuse"

By putting it on paper or on your computer/smart phone, it will be a schedule part of your day

Find a workout partner or group

Talk to a co-worker or neighbor about starting a routine with you

Join a gym and begin taking classes or hire a trainer

Join a league, walking or cycling group

Having a person(s) to do it with will greatly increase your chances of success

Track your progress

By logging you will see improvement

Too many people obsess over the scale, if you track your progress, you see progress and will feel better about what you have accomplished so far

My Fitness Pal and Spark People are very popular programs to track

 

Home ownership weekend

I took a beating this weekend and I have the marks to prove it!

Friday night wasn’t too bad besides being a klutz. I first was in the yard training Mya and when I pulled on her leash, the end of her leash came up and wacked me really hard in the eye. It hurt so badly. We have a leather leash so I feel like it hurt worse than a nylon leash would have. After that, I was upstairs doing stuff and ran into the foot board of bed. Running into it is a regular occurrence and now have a massive bruise on my thigh, AGAIN, that looks very pretty J

After successfully kicking my own ass, Tate and I head to Menards to get ideas for the kitchen remodel project. We asked many questions and got a good idea of items needed and different qualities for flooring and counters. It was fun.

Saturday consisted of cleaning, projects, going to Lowes for kitchen ideas, dog sitting and beginning bathroom #2 renovations.

The cute dogs I was watching after. Lulu is the black boxer/bulldog mix and Einstein is the Norwegian Elkhound. So fun, but lots of work and always make me question if I ever want 2 dogs at one time.

My latest project is finally ALMOST finished. Just need to find drawer handles that I like and then I get finally showcase it all to you :)

After a long day of great productivity, we went out to eat for dinner and hit up Home Depot for more ideas. After hitting up all major home improvement stores, I think we have narrowed down the flooring we will be doing for the kitchen and now we want wait until it’s on sale to actually buy it!

I woke up pretty sore on Sunday, but once again…had lots planned. I started my 12 week training for the triathlon that I will be doing in September on Sunday with a nice 30 minute run. 

This is my July training schedule. Looks like fun, doesn't it :)

The rest of Sunday consisted of removing wallpaper from the bathroom which is not fun at all. I am almost done. It’s amazing how a room just looks updated by removing the wallpaper and having plain white walls. Can’t wait for it to be finished!

Another race...done!!!

This past weekend, Tate and I raced for The Salv.ation A.rmy in 'T.he Mos.t Ama.zing Rac.e' and it was so fun to do.  I posted about this in early June (read post).
In order to even be able to participate at all, a team had to raise more than $200.  We did this and are very thankful for our family and friends that donated.  Step 1...check!!

Early on Saturday morning, they had a 'qualifying event'.  Meaning, the top 20 teams to finish in the qualifying event got to go on to the final race.  There would be a total of 30 teams in the final race.  The other 10 teams were the top 10 fundraising teams who automatically were put in the final race.  Since we were not in the top 10, to the qualifying event we went.  There was a rain delay, but eventually we got on our way.

Here we are waiting for the qualifying event to start.

There was supposed to be 5 challenges for the qualifying event, but due to the rain delay...they eliminated 2 events so we only had to do 3.  The 3 events consisted of:
-Eating a bag of mini powder donuts and drinking 2 cups of coffee.
-Performing basketball drills and making a 3 point shot @ Will.iams Arena.
-Describing 4 shape magnets to your partner and the partner having to run through a slip n slide tunnel type thing and find these 4 magnets that the other partner just described on a tower full of them.

Tate and I finished 6th in the qualifying race...so we were good to go for the final race.  Step #2...check!!!

We reported for the final event and it all started at 2 pm that same Saturday.  Everything starts and finishes @ the Ston.e A.rch Brid.ge.

Some facts:
- Top 3 fundraising teams get a 'fast forward'.  Meaning, they get to skip a challenge.
- Only ways of transportation for this race was Met.ro Tr.ansit and Nice Ri.de bikes.

I will try to remember the challenges as best I can...so here we go!

1st Challenge: Making a fishing pole out of a steel rod.  Tying the fishing line to the pole and attaching a magnet to the other end.  We had a list of fish in our envelopes that we had to pick out of an enclosed are.

2nd Challenge: Heading over the Guth.rie Theat.er and memorizing 7+ lines each that we had to perform in front of judges.

Here we are trying to remember our lines...


















3rd Challenge: Going over to Aquatic Center on campus.  We had to split up for the this challenge.  On person had to jump off the top diving platform and the other person had to swim to the bottom of the deep end and find a blue rubber band on some fish's that were down there.

Here is Tate jumping off the platform.

















4th Challenge: Heading over to BWW on campus and find a local celebrity that was inside and get their autograph.  It turned out to me T.im Mahone.y from 'The V.oice'.

5th Challenge: We had to take the bus over to St. Pa.ul.  Go to Landmar.k C.enter and break an ice block with 2 tickets inside.

Here we are running to get the clue before breaking the ice block...


















6th Challenge: Go over to the Sci.ence Mu.seum (SM).  We had to find certain items on the walls in the visitor center and answer questions.

7th Challenge: Go upstairs of the SM to the first floor.  Tate had to go around the gardens and find little red kettles and grab a card out of each kettle.  Then hand all 5 to me and I had to go find the answers.

8th Challenge: Head over to a S.alvation A.rmy station, still in St. Pau.l, and put together 5 bell ringer kettles correctly.  After the judges said we put them together correctly, we had to take them apart and put the pieces back.

9th Challenge: Answer 5 questions about Dava.nni's Pizza and then call in with the answers and order 2 pizzas with 3 toppings on each pizza.

10th Challenge: Go to Dava.nni's (back to DT Minneapolis) and eat the 2 pizzas we ordered while on the way there.

11th Challenge: Head to another Salva.tion Ar.my location and answer questions about the new 'Fia.t' Car.  We had to examine the car, go inside and answer any questions.  If we didn't know the answer, go back out, examine again, go back in and try to answer more.

12th Challenge: Head back to the finish line.  Before we could finish, we had to do the same type of 'magent' thing we did in the pre qualifying event, but instead of shapes, it was items dressed on a skeleton.  I had to describe to Tate items that the skeleton was dressed in and he had to go find the items.

We finally finished then.  We finished in 9th place in a time of 5 hours and 14 minutes.  We were very proud of our time because when we had done this 2 years ago...we finished 17th in a time of 6 hours and 5 minutes...so we def improved.

It was a lot of fun.  I wouldn't mind doing it again.  It is fun and for a good cause.  I would highly recommend to anyone to do at least once.  It definitely is an experience.

I did it!!!!

This past Saturday, Tate and I took part in our first sprint triathlon.  I was nervous and excited at the same time.  I am happy to say that not only did I finish, but I beat my goal by 9+ minutes.  How cool is that?!?!  I couldn't believe when I crossed the finish line and saw the time was 1:20:57. 

This was a race called 'My Fir.st Tr.i' which meant that this had to be the first triathlon for all racers.  I liked that so I didn't feel intimated or out of place.  This race consisted of a 1/4 mile swim, 10 mile bike and a 2 mile run. 

How did the race go??!  Let see...the swim was horrible for 2 reasons.  I don't like swimming in lakes...they gross me out and there is seaweed...and if you even prepare for the swim like I did...it is still so hard.  I couldn't wait to end the swim part and the whole time I was thinking 'I am so far from shore...will I ever make it back'.  The bike was so hilly I couldn't believe it.  I will def be getting a nice bike if I ever do one again.  I used one that Tate got for free from a client of his...I can see why he wanted to get rid of.  I couldn't change gears a couple times so I had to walk up 2 hills because I couldn't pedal on the gear it was on.  The run was so easy compared to the rest, even after doing the other 2 parts. 

I had a great time and it was something really fun for Tate and I to do together.  Tate finished 4th overall and I finished 21st overall (100 racers total).  I actually got first in my age group for women's. :)  This is something that we would definitely do again.  We really don't have a desire to do a full triathlon...we liked that sprint distances. 

Here are a few pictures of us with one of Tate's co-workers that did the race also.

Before the race started...all geared up in a swim attire!!!  We look so good with those caps on...haha

Tate finishing the 10 mile bike!

I just finished and feel so relieved!!!!


















All three of use after the race....so glad it was over :)

The M.ost Amaz.ing Ra.ce

Tate and I have decided to help the Salva.tion Ar.my with the fight against homelessness and hunger and do the M.ost Amaz.ing Ra.ce fundraiser.  The race takes place on July 23.  We did it 2 years ago and had a great time!!!.

Here is a photo of us after we finished the race a few years ago...















*The photo is the property of the Sal.vation Ar.my*

For the few people that read this blog...we are looking for help fundraising!  Our goal is to be the top fundraising team!!!  Please click the link --> HERE <-- to give a donation.  We hope to make all people that donated proud on race day.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU in advance!!!!

Here is the link for the RACE DETAILS if anybody else is interested in joining!!!