Easter Weekend Recap!

happy monday everyone!

i hope everyone had a fabulous easter weekend with the ones they love most - i know i did! 
i got to go home and spend the weekend with my family and andrew - it was great!

friday night andrew and i doubled with his brother and went to the new G.I. Joe movie. it was pretty good, however i haven't seen any of the other movies so i had nothing to compare it to. afterwards we went to the "Leatherby's" creamery --- can you say AMAZING?! andrew and i shared a sunday that had cookie dough ice cream, cookies and cream ice cream, hot fudge, and an actual cookie to top it off. wow - so yummy. (obviously not super healthy - but hey! - we shared :))

saturday morning was started off right with a good workout at my favorite gym. GPP. :) it was a rough workout and i was already sore from my other workouts earlier this week!

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Felt

For time:

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 

pushups (strict)

pullups

Post time to comments.

Rest several minutes (3-5) then,

For time: 

15-14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6 reps per round for time:

lunge switches

squat to box jumps

Post time to comments.

--------------------------------

i did the workout at the 630am class and was able to train the 845am class. it was sooo good to be back at GPP and see all my favorite people. i can't wait to be able to go everyday this summer - 4 weeks baby - 4 weeks! :)

***Saturday was special to me because it was my 3 year mark at GPP. for 3 years i have worked with the most amazing and inspirational people i know. i have learned so much and my love of health and fitness has grown immensely. thank you to the trainers at GPP and all of the amazing people that walk through the doors day in and day out. you have inspired me more than you will ever know. it is because of all of you that i wake up at 345am during the summer. it is more than worth it to me. love you all!

annnyyywayyys - back to the post! on saturday after i got back from the gym my mama and i got to go to city creek for the day. it was also my mama's birthday so we celebrated at the cheesecake factory. it was delicious! i chose the low-carb version of the strawberry cheesecake and it was so good. 

here is my beautiful mama on her birthday! she got all embarrassed when they started singing happy birthday to her!

the rest of the day included lots of shopping at city creek! we found lots of cute things at awesome prices. i don't usually love to shop but my mom and i had a great day together. :)

Saturday night andrew and i went on a hike and man was it beautiful! :) when we got to the top of the mountain, the sun was just setting and you could see the entire valley. it is moments like those when i am so grateful to live in such a beautiful place. i wish i would have gotten a picture but sadly my phone was dead. :(

Sunday was great! the easter bunny paid a visit to all of us, i got to go visit andrew at the fire station with jason, and the day was full of family, good food, and lots of easter eggs!

yayee for delicious easter candy and new perfume! :) there is no way i could let myself eat all that candy so i made a little easter bag for andrew and brought it to him when i went to the fire station with jason. :) my favorite easter candy is cadbury mini eggs - the are so freaking delicious! what is yours?

just before church i took my cute little brother jason to the station and andrew gave him a personal tour of all the ambulances and engines. jason was seriously in heaven! 

isn't he the cutest little thing you have ever seen?! i definitely think so!

after the station we had church and i got to wear my cute new dress i got shopping with my mom the day earlier. i also got to share the weekend with my bestie - whitney. seriously love her. 

after an amazing dinner it was time for all the little kids to have their easter egg hunt! i loved filling all the eggs and hiding them all over the yard. it is a great sight to see all the little kids running around trying to get the most eggs. 

the after math of the hunt! 

my two favorite people. whitney and my cute little sister lara after the easter egg hunt. such a great day!

well, that is all i have for you today and i am off to the gym to do this workout! 

Monday, April 1, 2013

Curves

6 rounds for time:

400 m run

20 pushups

20 box jumps

200m row

20 sideups R

20 situps

20 sideups L

Post time to comments.

-------------------------------

- should be a good one! 

xoxo,

lil kate  ♥

Exercise is My Drug

happy hump day ya'll!

i hope everyone's week has been fabulous so far!

i got the topic for today's post "Exercise is My Drug" on monday - after having a terrible start to my day. 

monday morning at 8:25am I sat down in my anatomy class ready to begin my third test of the semester.  now, if any of you reading this post have heard about Andy Anderson's Anatomy class at Utah State, you know it is KILLER. like for reals. i studied my little butt off all week last week/weekend for this test. i walked through the doors feeling confident and prepared. i had definitely put in the time and effort. i started taking the test and about halfway through, it was all i could do to not start crying. seriously. tears were forming in my eyes. the test was SO hard. i felt like my 30+ hours spent studying had been for nothing. i finished the test and walked out of the doors of the biology building so frustrated, discouraged and upset. i pulled out my headphones and stormed off to the gym blasting rap music. i needed to blow off A LOT of steam. what better way to do so than a GPP workout of the day? in fact, the workout on monday happened to be one of my favorite workouts. lucky me :)

Monday, March 25, 2013

Jones'n for 40

2 rounds for time:

40 kb swings 25/35

40 squats 

40 Aussie pullups

40 lunge steps

40 OH db presses 15/20 

40 KB high sumo 35/54

40 triceps narrow pushups

40 back ext

40 tick tocks (20 per side)

40 db biceps curls 15/20

Post time to comments.

--------------------------------

i finished "Jones'n for 40" in just under 22 min. as soon as i finished my workout i had blown off some steam and i felt SO MUCH better than i had 22 minutes earlier. it was so great! 

i got home from the gym around noon and realized i hadn't eaten yet that day (i usually can't eat before tests because i get so nervous i want to throw up - i have issues, i know.) so, i fueled my body with a delicious brunch. 

strawberries with cottage cheese, and whole wheat bread with peanut butter. seriously so delicious, and a great post workout meal. it was actually kind of my pre workout fuel as well.

on mondays and wednesdays i have my zumba class that i take through the university. we recently got a new instructor and she is absolutely amazing! after my lunch i headed off to zumba. it was such a great way to blow off some left over frustration from the morning. i walked out of my zumba class with a huge smile on my face. i couldn't help it. i love to workout! i love the feeling that i get afterwards. exercise truly is my drug. the high i get afterwards is irreplaceable. i don't know what i would do if physically i wasn't able to work out. i would probably be an emotional wreck. actually - not probably. DEFINITELY.

after zumba i was yet to be done with my physical activities for the day. i had one final class in which we were going rock climbing. i usually get pretty nervous rock climbing whether is is real rock climbing or at an indoor climbing wall. i don't love heights. however, that was not the case on monday. i was fearless. i welcomed the adrenaline rush with open arms. i scaled walls that i would have never tried on a regular day. i couldn't get enough of it! the burn in my arms, shoulders, and legs felt great. so in other words, i love rock climbing. 

here is a pic of one of the rock walls!

after an hour of climbing i left the Rock Haus with a great attitude. i had received my score back from my test and it wasn't nearly as bad as i thought it was going to be. in fact, it wasn't bad at all. however - thank goodness i had the entire day clear my head through my physical activities. because without it, i would have been a mess the entire day. yes, the test was THAT bad. maybe i am dramatic, but those that have taken the class can relate.

anyways, hope you enjoy the post! have a great day everyone!

who else feels like exercise is their drug?

if so, what is your favorite form of exercise that you use to blow off steam and clear your head?

xoxo,

lil kate ♥

Spring Break!

well hello again!

i am back from spring break and ready to start crunching for the end of the semester! yes, we still have like 6 weeks left - but if you think about it, it really isn't that long! finals will be here before i know it!

i'm going to give you a quick recap as to how my diet (mentioned in the post previously) and spring break went, but first i want to share something with my readers that just made my day!

so, i know i am not the best blogger and i don't post nearly as often as i should, but sometimes i just think "no one reads it anyways, i don't need to." well, this past week i was proven wrong. this was posted on instagram by my good friend Lexi from happilyhinton.blogspot.com  .

dang, you can't really read it very well but it says "healthy habits started to day. thanks to katelyn murdock's blog."

here i am thinking that no body even reads my blog, but in fact - they were reading and actually being inspired! it was such a great feeling and gave me the motivation to post more. thanks to all my readers. i really love feedback like this - so awesome!

now - back to spring break ... in VEGAS!!! it was seriously so much fun. and the weeks prior to my vacation i was hitting the gym hard to get ready to put that swim suit on at the pool.

my exercising part of my plan went GREAT. everyday i did the GPP workout and at least an extra 30 min of cardio.

eating - i can honestly say i wasn't perfect. however, i did well and lost a few pounds in the process. i am pretty happy with the results, and was glad i buckled down before my trip.

the first day was a day full of driving! we left around 11:30am after practice and were driving till about 8:00pm las vegas time. our first night we just went out to dinner and came in fairly early. we ate at the "sugar factory" and let me tell you - it was delicious! i wish i could have gotten a picture of my food to share with you, but it was gone before i could even think about a picture! haha me and my friend mackenzie shared a hamburger and dessert. it was amazing. and so delicious.

here is the dinner group that went to sugar factory. i know, my friends are gorgeous!

day 2 started off with a morning workout and an hour at the pool. seriously so fabulous! it was 80 degree weather all week long and it was so so good to get some vitamin d!

the gym at my hotel was actually pretty nice and had lots of equipment for me to use. it was a perfect way to start my day - and burn off some of those calories from dinner!

terrible quality photo - my bad! but this basically summarized my gym time - an awesome view, and balancing on some balls! great times!

jealous yet? haha just kidding - but really though the sun was amazing!

after a relaxing morning it was time to go cheer on the girls basketball team in the first round of the WAC tournament! it was such a blast and the girls pulled through with a win! GO AGGIES!

that night after the game we went to a great little Italian restaurant called Maggiano's. it was DELISH! (again - sorry for no picture) we were all starving since most of us hadn't had time to eat since breakfast. i'm pretty sure we all downed the entire supply of bread that they had in the restaurant. the poor waitress just kept bringing baskets and baskets of bread out to us. haha then, my friend aubrie and i shared a chicken and truffle tortelloni - it was amazing. 

we ended the night with a little shopping and prepped for the next day.

day 3 was pretty free for all of us. we had dinner with Dr. Morales and his wife, and then a game boys basketball game later that night.

so, the day consisted of a long workout - the pool - and sadly for me, studying. i have a huge anatomy test coming up this next week so i had to study over the break. lame. i know.

dinner with Dr. Morales was at a buffet in the hotel and it was great. i didn't eat much dinner because i just kept thinking about the cheesecake that was being displayed in the dessert section (i LOVE cheesecake - in case you were wondering). as soon as i cleared my plate i headed to go grab the cheesecake i had been eye balling the entire night. and well, to my pleasant surprise it happened to be sugar free! now wait - i understand that some things should never be sugar free - and things that should never be sugar free tend to taste gross. this however, was an exception. it was so good. and i felt better about eating 2 pieces cause hey- it was sugar free! haha

seriously so yummy :)

after dinner was over, we all primped and touched up before heading to the men's game. sadly the guys lost in the first round but it ended up being a good game. i was glad i got to dance at one more game before the year ended.

                          ↑

 hey - thats me!

day 4 we had a women's game pretty early. the women lost in a devastating last minute fumble and i was done cheering for the year. kind of a relief to be done, but kind of sad at the same time.

for me, the rest of the day was a lot of relaxing and studying.

that night was our last night in Vegas so we went out to eat at Serendipity's (so yummy) and went on the New York, New York roller coaster. 

also a bad pic - gotta get better at that! but anyways, here is the group that ate at serendipity's on the last night

outside the New York, New York! such a fun rollar coaster!

oh and i almost forgot! we got to go to m&m world that night as well - so many to choose from!

we headed home saturday morning after the most heart warming service project i have participated in as an Aggiette. we went and performed at a women's shelter for the women and children. the kids absolutely loved it and we let them cheer with our pom poms and stunt with the guys. it was so awesome to see their sweet faces light up. i even got a little teary - eyed throughout the short time that we were there. i can't wait to go back next year. ♥

the bus ride home wasn't bad and i was able to be dropped off early so that i could go home for the last day and a half of my spring break. i was so excited to see my family and my cute andrew on his birthday! it was such a perfect way to end my break.

now, i am about to hit the gym and the books! summer is coming (is the middle of march too soon to say that? - nahh i don't think so!) and i am ready to finish out these last 6 weeks strong. 

have a fabulous monday!

xoxo,

lil kate ♥

Crunch time!

happy monday everyone!

as the title clearly states - its crunch time for me! spring break is just two short weeks away. and you all know what that means - swimsuit time! i am especially excited for my spring break plans this year because i will be spending my time at the WAC basketball tournament in Las Vegas with the Spirit Squad! awesome right?! i am super excited and ready for the break from classes - but mostly just a break from logan and the freezing cold.

the winter months of january and february are never kind months to me. it is freezing cold in logan and my body thinks it needs a little more adipose tissue (fat tissue) than normal. which - it doesn't! a big puffy coat will get the job done just fine! (im going to start throwing in some terms i am learning in anatomy - it helps me remember it all!) so, during these months it is a much bigger battle to keep the pounds off. but, by recognizing that these months are hard for me i can fight back with a good diet and a daily workout.

before i head to vegas for spring break i am planning on hitting the gym at least 5x a week (which i usually do, but there is definitely a few days missed here and there) and following a strict diet to help me get ready and feel more confident about slipping on the swim suit. (no, i am not trying to lose a lot of weight, because i know that i don't need to. but, i do want to drop just a few pounds and lean up a bit in the next few weeks.)

at the gym i will be doing the daily GPP workout and an extra 30 minutes of cardio. my cardio will probably be done on the elliptical because my IT band doesn't seem to want to let me run yet.
for my diet, i plan on staying between 1200-1400 calories.  no sweets and no eating out. (i have gotten bad at this lately - i just can't resist the cadbury mini eggs that call out my name whenever i go to the grocery store!)  also, i need to cut back on my carbohydrates (not veggies or fruits - but breads, pastas and rice) i have learned that for me personally by cutting back on those kinds of carbohydrates my body loses its "pudge" around my waist much faster. everyone needs to be able to tune into their bodies as well, and discover what affects their body the most, and then learn the most efficient way to help their body fix it. this may take a little trial and error, but will definitely pay off in the end.

i am excited to get started and these next few weeks will be hard - but i am ready for the challenge! 

what are your plans for spring break?

anyone else struggle during the dreary months of January and February?

have a fabulous monday!
xoxo,
lil kate ♥
 

i'm back!

well, here i am! i am back! i know, i am a terrible blogger. i really do try, but sometimes i am just not sure what to write. i want this blog to be inspirational to people. i want it to help people. so, i don't always feel like i have something profound to write about - but then again, not writing at all doesn't exactly help much either. so, my apologies. i will try to be better at writing - and i know, i know i always say that but i really am going to try. :)

today i want to talk about earning your body. everyone wants to have a healthy and fit body - but we don't want to work for it.  we all want to see the number on the scale go down or the pants to fit a little bit better without eating right or going to the gym. unfortunately that's not how it works. we have to earn every pound lost. i myself am guilty of this lazy state of mind - just wanting to be healthy without eating right or working out. not good. it is something that we have to snap out of. i wish i could give you an instant remedy for it and have it be problem fixed! but again, that is not how it works - and for some, it will be a constant battle. 
however, i believe that there are a few ways to make "snapping out of it" a little easier: 

1 - find something in working out that you love. for me, it is GPP.  find whatever program works for you - but make sure it is balanced. if you ask me - GPP is the best program around and i am sure that you will love it, so try visiting the website here first :) 
2- try new HEALTHY recipes! it is always fun to try new things and explore all sorts of good food. if you find delicious recipes that are good for you, why would you want to go back to eating junk food anyways?!
3- finally - FIND A WORKOUT BUDDY! it is always easier to wake up early to get your butt to the gym if someone is picking you up or if you need to pick someone else up. it is a great support system and makes things fun. try it! 

everyone has slip ups and days that they don't want to put forth the effort - but the important thing is to not let it become a habit. we all deserve to reach our health and fitness goals and have the body of our dreams. but, like all good things it takes hard work and dedication. we can do it. 

well, happy hump day ya'll and i hope everyone has a wonderful valentine's day tomorrow with all your loved ones! 

xoxo,
lil kate ♥

oh and p.s. - hope you like the new look on the blog. it actually happened by accident and i am not sure that i love it yet - but, its growing on me

zumba!!!

hello everyone! 
wow, what a crazy weekend it was for me and this week has seemed to fly. i can't believe it is already wednesday.
so, this weekend i got myself in a bit of a bind. my poor laptap fell off my bed and then decided not to work. after an hour and a half on the phone with the dell customer service line being transferred a 100 times i finally got help from my awesome friend jordan. he had it fixed in two days and now i have a computer again! only problem was, everything that was on it before = GONE. pictures, videos, assignments/papers...everything! not fun, but at least i still have a computer, right?! always looking on the positive side :) so now - i can get back to blogging! 

today has been great! i got to sleep in because i didn't have practice, which is always a great way to start off my day :) after my anatomy class (which i love by the way! :)) i got my gym time in... well sorta. i got all the way to the field house only to find that i didn't have my student i.d. to let me in. so, i just had to make due at my home gym!

welcome to GPP...lil kate at pink house #5 style :)

the workout of the day at GPP was "Winter Lemons" but, since i couldn't run indoors at the field house there was no way that i was going to run outside. it is wayyy too cold here in logan! so, i decided to do a different workout that was more "at home" friendly. my choice was "burper" - one we did not too long ago at GPP.

instead of aussie pullups i subbed in bent rows. a heavy breather for sure, but it felt so good to sweat!

(thanks to bodyofamother for the pic!)

after my workout i fueled up with one of my all time favorite breakfasts. a banana and a premier protein shake. i used to be a vanilla protein shake kind of girl but now i can't even drink the vanilla!  so, chocolate it is and let me tell you, it is delicious! :) such a great way to start my day and keep my energy up through all my classes.

if you haven't tried premier protein i definitely recommend it! 30g of protein, 160 calories, and 1g of sugar. it doesn't get much better than that! you can find it at costco or sams club.

now for the exciting part :) today, i had my zumba class that i am taking through the university. can i just say, i love zumba?! it is so great and i really enjoy it. however, i was surprised at the number of overweight people in my class. i mean, i am a personal trainer and an American for heavens sake so i know that the obesity rates are extremely high in the United States. yet, i was still surprised. i shouldn't have been, but i was. there are so many people out there - of all ages that need help getting healthy and allowing themselves to live a happier life. i am a firm believer in the fact that someone can't be 100% completely happy if they are overweight. they might think they are, but they don't know what it is like to be a really healthy person and to do things that they might not be able to do at their current weight. i want to be able to help these people discover a new kind of happiness so badly! this is why i love my career choice so much, because i know i can help. i want to make a difference! now, with that, while i was dancing my heart out to Nicki Minaj in zumba i decided that i want to get zumba certified! not sure exactly when (i am assuming over the summer) but i definitely want to do it. i love fitness, and i love dancing - so what better way to take advantage of my talents! 

i'm super excited for what zumba can bring to me, and what i can bring to others through zumba!

have a fabulous night!

xoxo,

lil kate ♥

Back to the Grind!

happy hump day everyone!

this week has already been super busy and crazy for me. i absolutely LOVE all my classes, but they are killer!  i am taking a human anatomy class that is known around campus for being the hardest class anyone will ever take. and let me tell you, its day three and i am already overwhelmed. funny thing is - my boss at GPP, Neil Anderson took the exact same anatomy class as me, with the exact same teacher as me, here at Utah State when he was here! he still remembers the difficult "two-door" exam questions that my professor Andy Anderson is famous for.  however, Neil did say that he still remembers so much from the class and that it has been very helpful for him throughout his training career. so, i am going to try to get the most out of the class because i know it will make me a better trainer. :)

today was a pretty simple workout that i enjoyed quite a bit - minus the fact that it was super crowded at the field house! the workout was for time, but since it was so crowded it was too hard to time it. annnddd not to mention the multiple questions i got when i did my kipping pullups. 

sooo crowded - except you can't really tell in this picture haha

after a solid 4 hours of studying anatomy and a test earlier in the day, my workout was exactly what i needed. my brain needed a break! working out it is my favorite way to clear my mind a release all the stress that comes from school.

coming back up to school and leaving the comfort of being able to workout at GPP i have realized how careful i have to be to set a time to go to the gym and workout. it is so easy to get caught up with the college life and "not get around" to going to the gym. but, i have set a time to go everyday and i plan on being very diligent in going.  at GPP we have writing on the walls and Neil had me write this quote on the wall that has really seemed to apply to my life this week. 

"If it means something to you, you'll find a way.  If it doesn't, you'll find an excuse."

***I won't have an excuse. You shouldn't either.***

xoxo,

lil kate ♥