Gratitude ♥

happy thursday!

well, so far the "Vitality Wins" game has been going great! i mean yes, it is only the beginning of day 4 but i really agree with a lot of the concepts that are promoted in the game.

one of the things that has really stood out to me is the "gratitude journal". everyday you are supposed to write down 3 things that you are grateful for that day.

i think that it is so important and beneficial to reflect on the things you are grateful for everyday. health isn't just about the nutrition and the fitness. at GPP we believe that to achieve optimal health you have to have a perfect balance of six aspects of health (mental health, emotional health, social health, spiritual health, financial health, and physical health)
notice, that i bolded "PERFECT BALANCE". you have to nurture each of the six aspects equally otherwise your body and life will be out of equilibrium. i love that vitality wins has also realized this and encourages you to take a few minutes everyday to reflect. this can help nurture all of the six aspects because you can realize how grateful your are within all of those six aspects of health.

here are a few of the things i wrote down monday and tuesday for what i am grateful for.

whether or not you are participating in the "vitality wins" 8 - week challenge with me i want you to take a few minutes everyday to reflect on what you are grateful for in your life.  i am sure that like i, you will discover how refreshing it can be.

count your blessings everyday! we are all so lucky to have the bodies we have and the opportunity to live our life to the fullest.  it is a beautiful life!

xoxo,

lil kate ♥

It's time for a Challenge!

hello! hello!

so, last week my team decided to participate in an 8 - week challenge called "Vitality Wins" and today is day one! no, its not a diet - just healthy living :) 

"Vitality Wins" is an online game that you can play as a team or by yourself.  it is all about eating healthy, being active, taking time for yourself (mentally, spiritually, etc.) and service.  i am actually really excited to get started. 

it is based on a point/token system. every day you get points for eating right, working out, getting enough sleep, etc. there are 35 categories where you  can earn points each day. you can also earn badges for going above and beyond. 

this is the screen where you can log all your daily points. you just click on the little box and either answer "yes or no" to the questions, your serving size, or amount of time you spent working out.

the whole idea of this is to have fun - and not feel like you are trying to diet or lose weight.  we are focusing on clean eating and feeling better! 

our team is called the "aggie cheer challenge" and we are competing against a group at the University of Utah and Weber State. and lets just say - the aggies are in it to win it!

i will keep you updated on my progress as well as my team's! 

have a fabulous monday!

xoxo, 

lil kate ♥

All In

alright, i am going to be real honest. i have been bad. yes, i have been working out everyday but the eating - flushed it down the toilet! it is time to get out of this funk - i was in it, then i got out of it and back to my normal weight. then, the funk came back! so, starting today i am going to be ALL IN.  no cheating. perfect eating - gotta shake this cold turkey! like i have said before eating is at least 80% of staying fit and obtaining optimal health. i have only been working on 20% of my optimal health. not good. however, it isn't the end of the world and it happens to everyone. no one is absolutely perfect at eating and exercising ALL the time. 

funny as it may seem i notice that i begin to eat badly when the numbers are low on the scale. (anyone else?) a low number should motivate me to continue to eat healthy! i think that when i see a low number that means i don't have to watch what i eat anymore- kinda like "well since i am low, i can pig out."  i gotta get that thinking out of my head! that mind set is right along the lines of "fit a destination" i have been in the mind set that i have reached my destination. i need to constantly remember that "fit is NOT a destination. it is a way of life" 

my game plan for being ALL IN will go as follows: 
- no sugar - whenever i go off of sugar i see results pretty quickly. it is one of those things          that i have really tuned in with myself. its not the same for everyone, so when dieting pay attention to what makes a difference with YOU.
- 20-30 min of extra cardio everyday - GPP has discovered that if you are trying to jump start fitness and weight loss adding a little extra cardio to your daily GPP workouts works really well. (no, i am not looking to lose a bunch of weight, because i know i don't need to - i am  just trying to get back to my normal weight)
- no eating after 8:00pm - snacking late at night is one of the easiest ways to gain a couple of pounds quick!
- stay between 1200-1500 calories everyday - i have found that for me personally this is a good range for me to stay in. closer to 1200 calories if i am trying to lose a couple of pounds, and closer to 1500 calories if i am trying to maintain.

*i am sharing my game plan with all of you so that you can hold me to it. i am ready to be ALL IN again! i have missed it!

today i started my day out right with practice and a great training session with my team. here is the workout we did: 

i really enjoy this workout because it allows everyone to get into their own groove and finish it themselves. it was a nice mix up and the team seemed to enjoy it as well. :)

now, this weekend was pretty epic! first and foremost i finished and passed my ISSA certification test! i am so happy! it was a long and very time consuming process, but i learned a lot and am now officially certified through ISSA and GPP :)

the best email i have received in a long time :)

friday was great because i was surprised with a date from andrew! he called me up and told him to meet him in brigham city in an hour. it was a double date with his brother sterling and his date. it was super fun - not everything turned out as planned but it was still a blast and i was just glad to have been able to see him!

then, on saturday i went on a group date and we hiked up the wind caves! it was about 3.4 miles of pure beauty. logan canyon is so gorgeous and the leaves are already starting to change. it is simply breathtaking. i absolutely LOVE fall! here are a couple of pics of the adventure! :)

me and ashton! - aren't those leaves to die for?!

the whole group :)

me and my brother marcus. he planned the date with his roommates!

it was a super fun date and i like going on doubles with my brother. some people think its weird that we do, but i don't mind it at all!

well, thats all for today! i will keep you updated on my journey! have a fabulous day and remember that it is never too late to start eating healthy - if you start your day off with a cookie, just re-group and eat healthy the rest of the day! don't lose a whole day to one little thing :)

xoxo,

lil kate ♥

Trust Your Trainer

okay, so as you have probably already figured out from the title of this post, tonight i am going to touch on trusting your trainer.
the past couple of weeks i have been getting frustrated as a trainer. i am not always available to go to the gym with each and every one of the people asking me for help so i often have to give them their workout, demonstrate it and give the precautions and send them to the gym on their own. (i really hate this method, but sometimes it is all i can offer due to other obligations i have) then, when they come back to me they said half way through they thought it was too hard so they decided to just run. or just do abs. running and ab workouts are great. but if that is the only thing you do because it is "easy" you will flat line and you will not see results. our bodies are programmed to adapt. if you are running the same amount of mileage and doing the same number of reps and ab movements you WILL NOT improve physically. at GPP we focus on optimal health. we will not give you a rep more than absolutely necessary, and we will not give you a rep less than what is absolutely necessary for you to benefit from the workouts. we balance your weekly workouts to a tee. we believe in 10 aspects of fitness (cardio, stamina, strength, flexibility, balance, speed, power, agility, accuracy and coordination) and every week you will get a perfect balance of these 10 aspects if you commit to coming in and doing our workouts 5 days a week. now, although i am in logan i am still following the GPP workouts everyday. i give them to my clients because i know they work. i know the program backwards and forwards. yes, i still have more to learn but i have a really good start. i know that if my clients take those GPP workouts and do them how i tell them to, they will see results.
i have also gotten frustrated when clients and friends ask me about nutrition. when i point out things they can fix in their diets, give them guidelines or tell them to count their calories/carbs/sugars/ protein intake, they look at me as if i don't have clothes on! dieting is NOT easy. you have to WORK HARD at it EVERY DAY. yes, you will be hungry for most of the time. but you WILL LIVE. if you aren't hungry then you aren't doing it right. 
now, i am not saying i know everything there is to know about training because i don't. but, i know enough. i know what works, and i know that you have to work hard to achieve your fitness goals.
now, to everyone reading. TRUST YOUR TRAINER. they probably have a pretty good idea of what they are talking about. nutrition and fitness isn't easy. it isn't something you can just go through an entire day without thinking about- more than once. dieting isn't fun. working out isn't always fun. but, IT IS WORTH IT. so, trust what your trainer tells you. trust that they know how to help you, and listen to them.  try to remember that you are the one that came to them for help. if you never listen, and never take to heart what they tell you then you will never improve your health. your fitness will either stay the same or more likely rapidly decline. 
optimal health is not always an easy road, but it is a rewarding one. we all need to just take it a day at a time, and do our best everyday. the lifestyle is worth it. and so is the journey.


xoxo,
lil kate ♥

i ♥ the aggies - and peppers :)

waz up?! waz up?! 
well everyone let me just tell you, this weekend was perfect!!! it started off with the Utah State vs. University of Utah game, andrew coming to visit, dinner with my bestie and a great new recipe. i honestly couldn't be happier. :)

i couldn't wait for the game on friday for two reasons. one, it was the biggest game of the season, and two, i got to see my really good friend andrew! he came up for the game and rooted for the utes in the usu student section. pretty gutsy right? anyways, it was super fun to rub the win in his face just a little bit ;) 
the aggies played an awesome game and it ended in a win for utah state. 27-20 in overtime. after the aggies won, the entire student section stormed the field with such excitement. it was SO FUN!
here are just a few pics from the game! look at all of those screaming fans!

it honestly doesn't get better than this. the game was SO MUCH FUN to perform at and be a part of. i love my school :)

after the game i was able to hang out with my brother and his roommates, andrew, and a couple of my roommates. it was just a fun, chill night that was totally perfect!

saturday morning i woke up to my brother marcus calling me asking me if i wanted to go on a run with him :) it totally made my day! of course, i accepted and we went on a nice two mile loop around campus. it was a beautiful morning. not too hot, not too cold - with the sun just coming up over the gorgeous mountains. it was a perfect way to start my day.

then, later saturday night my sweet jassy mckay invited me over to make dinner with her. she said she already had everything we needed for the dinner so i was in charge of something for dessert. 

well, she picked a new recipe she found on pinterest and man was it a winner! it was so delicious and healthy! win win!

we made "southwestern stuffed peppers". just the name made your mouth water right?

the stuffing that goes inside the peppers

the finishing product! soooo good!

so, now for the recipe!

you will need:

• 4-5 large bell peppers
• EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
• cilantro
• one can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
• one large chicken breast (or two - depending on how much chicken you want in it)
• one can of sweet corn
• 2 cups of rice (i prefer brown rice but you can choose whichever kind you like best)
• one 15-16 ounce jar of salsa (we used pepper salsa but you can pick your fav!)
• one packet of taco seasoning
• 1/4 of an onion 
• shredded cheese

first you need to preheat your oven to 400 degrees. cut the peppers in half and lightly coat them in EVOO and put them in a baking dish and cook for 20-25 min.

second, grill up your chicken either on a grill or in a frying pan. sautee your onions as well.

third, in a large mixing bowl combine your chicken, onions, black beans, rice, salsa, 1/2 of the taco seasoning, corn, and cilantro(just however much you prefer).

once your stuffing is mixed well, carefully spoon the mixture into the peppers. sprinkle the shredded cheese on top and cook for another 20 min.

take out of the oven and sprinkle freshly chopped cilantro on top. then, ENJOY!

***now, what is great about this recipe is that if you have left over stuffing you can use it for so many other things! like today, i put it in a tortilla and had a little burrito. it would also be good in a salad - similar to cafe rio.***

the left overs from our peppers made into a completely different meal. and still, just as delicious!

now, for dessert. i was at the store, kinda rushed trying to decide what a perfect katie/jassy dessert would be. nothing was catching my eye until i came across "pink lemonade cake mix" it was perfect! jassy and i have both always loved pink and every time we watched a movie at her house we made lemonade. you could say it was meant to be. :)

it was a bit of a stretch but they actually turned out to be delicious!

 we each had one cupcake, then i took some of the leftovers to my brothers apartment where they all devoured them. :) if you are a lemonade fan i definitely recommend these!

me and the beautiful jasilyn brinkerhoff happy to be together making a delicious healthy meal!

well, that is all i have got for you tonight. hope you all enjoyed and you all need to go and try that recipe out - you wont regret it!

xoxo,

lil kate ♥

Motivation

alright, i am going to be real honest. lately i have been having such a hard time being motivated in my workouts. getting to the gym isn't usually the problem for me. its once i am there. i am struggling to find motivation within myself to REALLY push through a workout that i am doing alone. i get the weird looks and the big "meat-head" guys coming up to me telling me i am doing something wrong. sometimes i just don't want to deal with it and i end up wasting 30 precious minutes of my day wandering around the field house like a fool. i know, i know - i REALLY need to "LOSE MY STORY!" 

anyways, today was one of the all time HARDEST workouts that GPP throws at you. it is called "Spector". there are two movements in the entire workout. that's it. two of the hardest movements. and when they are put together it really is a hellish workout.

so the idea is to start at 20 reps of power squat cleans (or burpees) and then 1 rep of the other movement. then, you slowly climb down the ladder with the movement you started at 20 reps and slowly move up the ladder with the movement that you started at 1 rep with. until you reach 1 and 20 again. let me tell you something - that was ROUGH.

as i was saying before - the motivation hasn't quite been there lately. however, today i got a little extra motivation from my GPPeeps (it always helps me to read the posts, and blog links on the GPP website) and my amazing parents. today both of my parents sent me a text saying that "Specter" took them well over an hour, but they did EVERY rep and with PERFECT form. i was SO PROUD of them for not quitting. most people would stop when the rest of the class did, but not them - they stayed into the next class and finished the workout completely. i love them and the drive that they have. it helped me push through my own workout today.

my next bit of motivation came from something Neil put on the GPP website. it was exactly what i needed to read at that very moment! (side note- that is one of the things that i love most about GPP - when i read the comments or articles on the website it always seems to pertain to me exactly. love it. :)) it is a short paragraph on motivation - and i loved it, so i decided to share it :)

"1: Get Motivated
Get your backside HERE and recommit to your motivations EVERY FRICKIN DAY. Be perfect. Lose your story. That story you sell yourself and others on, about why you aren't as healthy as you ought to be (BTW - you are a pretty good salesman) is the reason you aren't stronger, healthier, more functional as a human. Its also the reason you may not be too comfortable in your own skin right now. Good reason or not, it is holding you back. It will continue to hold you back until you make a habit out of doing what the first sentence in this paragraph says (please re-read). " *see full article here
i have seen it and heard about it time and time again. "the story". i too, have my own. it goes something like this: "well i already went to practice today, and i am so tired, and i don't want to shower again, i am just eating these cookies today - i won't have any tomorrow (as i am finishing off the batch the next day by myself), i will work out later. the list can literally go on and on. but, i am going to stop with the story and jump back on the band wagon. i WILL motivate myself and be proud when i kicked butt in a workout. i will help others find their inner motivation as well. together as a COMMUNITY we can accomplish so many things that we never thought we could by helping each other out. something as simple as a small compliment can make the difference as to how someone approaches their workouts or their diets. COMPLIMENT people when you notice a difference. it helps, it is what keeps people going - myself included. I PROMISE.

well folks, that is my rant for the night. i hope you enjoyed. good luck if any of you try this workout. it is a beazy.

xoxo,
lil kate ♥

Labor Day Weekend!

this weekend i was lucky and got to spend it at home! i had to bribe my older brother marcus to come home friday night just so that i could go and work at GPP on saturday morning. i can't even tell you how much i love it there. and i got to see my cute little millie which always makes me happy!

this was saturday's workout and i enjoyed storming it with my GPPeeps :)

my sweet millie :) this is Jill and Kerry's little girl. Kerry trains the saturday morning classes at GPP.

then, today my family decided to all wake up early and do the stadium workout from GPP's Rx+ week.

stormed this bad boy with the entire family at 7 o'clock am this morning. absolutely loved doing it with family.

triceps dips!

the sad attempt of an after workout picture.

and tonight ended with an awesome FHE activity. i actually won a donut eating contest...yeah me! i actually felt pretty sick afterwards because i ate it so fast! but i was the proud winner of some college essentials - tp, milk and cookies!  gotta love the college life! but, tomorrow i am starting new with my eating.  i definitely need to eat clean because this friday is the big game! Utah State against University of Utah! Gotta be looking my best :) 

hope you all had a fabulous long weekend and are ready for another week of work and school!

xoxo,

lil kate ♥