REWIND. FAST FORWARD. FUTURE.

REWIND: This blog began a year ago....when my fitness love at the the time was RUNNING!  I ran ALL THE TIME! And had been running for about 5years.  I ran every single day, did boot camp twice a week, and was attending at least two group fitness classes a week.  (I was also eating 1200 calories tops---stupid).   Why did I begin to run? Simply to lose weight.  Because I was once a runner (in high school and ran a lot during my college years), I didn't think it would be too terribly hard.   But I will never forget that first time on the track......just barely trotting to make one full lap.  It was a humbling and very disappointing experience.  I remember having tears swell up as I thought......"I am not who I used to be."  And I admit at the time, I mentally thought that is what "motherhood" was meant to be like.  Meaning, I was now a committed mom and my passions and dreams were to be put on the back burner for the next decade or so.  My fitness goals were gone and my time as an athlete was up.  This was my new life.....a mom who was a "has been".  That thought didn't settle well with me and I struggled the next 24hrs trying to figure out what that meant and why I felt that way or if I should feel that way.  (The next several years I struggled with God on WHAT'S NEXT?  Surely I am you have given me a talent at something other than sports??)

Yap, that's what I vividly remember.  Very sad.  Very confused. 

But that thought only last about.....um, NOT LONG!!!  Because the next day I got up.....with determination.  The night before, somehow I convinced my little brain that I could at least learn to run 2miles without stopping.  I had also told myself....just go, even if it's slow, ugly and bounces all over the track.  So the next morning I ran.....and the next day, and the next day, and the next.  And to my surprise, I was able to run 2 full miles within a month EASY.  That's when I started changing from the inside out.  Two miles became three.  Three became four.  Four became running and walking the backroads.  The next thing I know I am finding that I am at peace EVERYTIME I run.  It wasn't hard anymore.  It was a pure joy.  It became my time with God.  It became everything to me! (Slowly I was getting the "old me" back--just a little at a time......without even realizing it.)

This time last year, I was honored to help lead some ladies in marathon training.  I, too, trained myself to run a full marathon.  In April I ran my first and only marathon of 26.2miles in 4:40.

Some people ask if that was the hardest thing I had ever done..... and I would say NO!  The hardest thing I ever did was START (cos I had every reason not to start).  The rest has been an absolute joy! And the best growing experience I could ever imagine (physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually).  **However, those last 5miles were quite hard, but mentally, I knew it was temporary pain and I knew God was with me to finish the race!! :-).

FAST FORWARD: In the last 6-7months my fitness and goals have changed a lot!!! I hesitantly began crossfitting...which led me into power lifting/olympic lifting.  My new fitness love is lifting those heavy weights!!! **Yes this is surprising to me too!!  My goals are different now....as I have let down the walls of being a "has been" to learning to pursue what God has made me good at.  He made me an athlete and gave me this passion.  And even at the age of 38.5 (ha), I can still be an athlete.  I am finding that I am so darn excited about nutrition and how to fuel my body (an athlete's body) properly.  I am not embarrassed anymore about the fact that I love to workout! That's like being embarrassed that you are good at art or singing or writing?? I am who I am... It's perfectly fine to love athletism even at my mid-life age!  I am not pursuing a "skinny" body anymore.  I am not even sure I am going to lose any more weight.  However, I am learning to fuel my body the best way I know how and in return transform my body for the better.  I do hope to have abs and smaller percentages of body fat.  But, my main goal is to perform and fuel myself the best I can! 

Weight training has been making me stronger and changing my body. STILL IN PROGRESS

FUTURE ME:  I am really, really open to the idea of becoming a certified trainer.   God has been pulling on my heart strings for some time now, and I praying hard about the next steps.  I don't know if I will become a crossfit trainer, a personal trainer, or what? But I am looking at different options and leaning heavily on what God has planned next.  I have no doubt I am headed in the right direction though, as I have a lot of peace about this.  I feel very passionate about this aspect of my life.  But I want to be sure I am being wise about the timing, money, and about how this will affect my family.  Until then..... I will keep on learning and progressing!!!

Detoxing.......

I am TEN DAYS into this SUGAR FREE, WHEAT FREE diet.  I have never in my life eaten this strict or been so aware of what I am putting in my mouth.  It's been such a fun process to learn so far!  But I do believe this is harder than training for a marathon (but maybe that's because I like to run....and I like to eat....HA).

My goal this past week was to give this detox a 100% real effort.   I also wanted to start doing more than just modeling this for my kids, but also have them be a part of the learning process....without "forcing" a big drastic change on them.  This past week I can say, without a shadow of a doubt that I did great!!!  But it took more than just me to do this (like I said before, this is harder than running 26.2 miles).  I had some extra help and some extra ammo on me.....

My Scripture to help me DAILY!!!! I have it EVERYWHERE---even on my car dash!

 I also set a goal to make the kids healthy breakfasts and lunches at least three times this week.  I did it FOUR TIMES....and the kids LOVED IT!!! Gonna do it again this week, too.

As for workouts,  I had a great week of working out.  The WODS this past week were TOUGH!  But I am getting so much stronger and my form has progressed a lot with my olympic lifting.  I can't believe how much I love lifting HEAVY. I did, however, feel more gased than usual in my endurance WODS but I just did my best to "struggle well".  Overall, I feel really good about my workouts and diet combo so far.

Tuesday Afternoon Run

I may have done pullups on this bar at the football field?? HA

Weights at Home

Sunday RECOVERY Workout---8mile bike ride

How do I feel???  I feel amazing!!  The first five days were the hardest, but I am in a groove and in the mindset now! I can already see a change in my tummy area of less "puffiness".  I feel leaner and lighter, but who wouldn't when eating very clean?  I have to admit, I think I will try to stick with this diet longer than 21 days (but with an added SUPER BOWL cheat meal and with a two fruits of any kind in one day).  But who am I kidding?  I may be in a honeymoon phases still. HAHA!

OH---And I did a sonogram body composition assessment this past weekend.  THRILLED!!!!! Take a look at my Body Fat %??? MAKES ME HAPPY!!!  20% body fat now.  A year ago I was 33%!!! CRAZY!!!

UPCOMING WEEK----I have done some meal prep this weekend.  We went to Costco for a huge grocery purchase.  ***COSTCO is the BEST....they have great produce and so much more to choose from when it comes to natural, gluten free, sugar/wheat free foods.  I spent much of my Sunday making meals for the week: Taco Soup, Glazed Chicken, and Deviled Eggs.  It's not a full week but leaves me with NO EXCUSES for those busy days or evenings.

GOALS THIS WEEK---DO NOT CHEAT!  TRY TWO NEW RECIPES! EAT LESS CHEESE!

Sugar Detox Update (Getting the Kids INVOLVED)

I started my sugar detox last Friday.  And Friday and Saturday went great!  Sunday, however, was a harder day.  I think it was because everyone was home and snacking in front of me.  I don't even like those cheap sandwich cream cookies, but I wanted  18   one ALL DAY! HAHA!

All weekend I kept to the rule of only eating ONE fruit a day.  I actually had 1/2 a banana twice a day.  I usually have more fruit (and additional sugar) than this.  Especially on training days.  The weekend was so bad because I didn't actually train those days.  I did run Saturday evening....which may be why Sunday I was so hungry??  But I did not crossfit or lift those first three days of the detox. 

Monday morning (yesterday) was my first day to WOD (crossfit) since starting.  And when I woke yesterday morning, I decided that on workout days, I would allow myself two fruits.  ***Side Note: I have since learned that we (crossfit group) are allowed to have a couple, maybe even three of these choices; green apple, green tipped banana, an orange, or a sweet potato. 

So I have been have 1/2 cup to full cup of organic orange juice and a boiled egg each morning BEFORE working out.  I am eating my other fruit later in the day.

Here are some quick things I am learning and adjusting along the way:
1) First day I still lacked enough veggies to get enough carbs in.  I barely had 10% carbs.  And my calorie count was extremely low.  ***however, nothing to be too alarmed about as it was a rest day. And my sodium was way too high. (BUT I LOVE BACON! AND EGGS----the key is moderation)
2) Day Two- I tweaked the diet a little and I was MUCH BETTER on the sodium.  More veggies but still not enough.  And I didn't hit my protein count. Therefor my calorie count was still too low.
3) Day 3-I ate COMPLETE RIGHT.  But this was my most challenging day to fight sugar cravings so far. I finally hit a daily calorie intake goal I wanted.  I also got the protein count I wanted.  And I only had one fruit.  I also began using my juicer!!! MUCH BETTER!!
4) Day 4-WORKOUT ADJUSTMENT--- I added in one fruit PreWOD (Organic Orange Juice). The rest of the day was much like Day 3 and I felt GREAT! No sugar cravings and did well at workout!!!

Here is my IDEAL DAY on a WORKOUT DAY (at least so far).

****GETTING MY KIDS INVOLVED
In my last post you have learned that I have read the book GRAIN BRAIN.  I have learned a great bit of information and have heard some incredible stories about how our generation is suffering from our use of wheats/grains.  If you haven't read that post...please do.  Even better, get this book!  You will be convinced too.

This whole process started with me wanting to lose weight and fuel my body properly---but it has also led to my husband's decision to get on board (he is down about 35# and still making progress).  Then, as parents, we realized we have failed to educate ourselves and properly teach our kids about nutrition.  **We have indeed taught them about health---through our countless hours of sports.  But what use will the sports be if we aren't teaching them about the nutrition and fuel part?? Reality sets in that we are failing our kids!

But our kids are older now.  Bad habits have been formed and we don't want to be the Food Nazis.  So I have been telling the kids what I am learning....and WHY I am sugar detoxing and HOW that will help me with my training.  I am modeling it.  And now,  I have asked the kids to get involve.  But this is how I am doing it.  Our goal this week (mainly for me---but also for them) is I would get up to make them healthy breakfasts and healthy lunches but they have to eat them.  I won't take ALL grains out yet but will drastically lessen them and I will give them good sugar (fruit).  And I also won't add alot of new foods all at once.  I am on day two of this and it is going GREAT! The kids have enjoyed it so far.

Shame on me for not doing this before..... out of my own laziness and being cheap.  School breakfasts and lunches are cheap and require NO PREPARATION from me!  So for years I have done this. UGH!! So now, I am making up for it by modeling, getting them involved without forcing it....and with baby steps.

Day 1 Lunch- Organic Turkey Meat, 4 crackers with peanut butter, cheese stick, raisins, pistachios and and clementine.
Day 2 Lunch- 1/2 Organic Peanut Butter and Raw Honey sandwich, mixed berries, cheese stick, carrots and celery (half a serving of white chocolate pretzels---a treat).

***Personal Record Alert****
Totally off topic but I am just too excited not to share..... I have been doing smolov training the last month with front squats and yesterday we updated our 1 rep max.
Last month my front squat max was 160#---which was awesome cos front squating anything over your body weight is awesome.
However, 5 weeks after training, I improved that front squat to 200#.  Feeling like a beast!!! :-)

A Want to Be "Wheat Free" Me

If you follow me on FB or IG or even know me personally, you would know that I have been doing some reading on gluten, wheat, carbs, and sugars and how they affect athletes---aka me.  However, in the last month, I have been blown away with what I am learning.

Two weeks ago I walked into a bookstore with the agenda of buying Wheat Belly.  I came across another book, GRAIN BRAIN.  At the time, I didn't have the money to buy both two hardback books, so I decided on GRAIN BRAIN, because I read the introduction and immediately thought about my mom, my mother in law, and many other relatives that were having neurological problems. 

On my ski vacation I read this book and was completely sold/convinced on the conclusions that this book draws:  In short, we are not eating foods that God designed us to eat! We are eating foods that are "fake foods".  The wheat/grain we eat today IS NOT the same wheat or grain our grandparents ate.  We have "sciencified" our nutrients....which is silently killing us.  We are a generation suffering in obesity and neurological diseases, that stem from our poor, poor diets!

***Taken from a website on reasons to be WHEAT FREE****
A gluten-free diet isn’t just for those with celiac disease or a wheat allergy. Although eating wheat products, especially whole wheat, does offer some health benefits, the gluten can actually be harmful. Here are some reasons you may want to go gluten-free.

• Humans don’t fully digest wheat. The undigested portions of wheat begin to ferment, producing gas. Icky, belchable, fart-forming gas.
• Wheat is a pro-inflammatory agent. A pro-inflammatory agent is rapidly converted to sugar, causing a rise in the body’s insulin levels, causing a burst of inflammation at the cellular level, among other problems.
• Wheat can cause leaky gut syndrome. Leaky gut syndrome is a condition whereby stuff is leaking from your gut into your bloodstream — stuff that shouldn’t be there, such as toxins.
• Refined wheat has little nutritional value. Did you know that manufacturers actually have to enrich refined wheat because they’ve taken out all the nutrients? And even then, the wheat’s not that valuable, nutritionally speaking.
• Wheat is one of the top-eight allergens. Millions of people are allergic to wheat — so many, in fact, that it has made it onto the top-eight allergen list.
• Many people have gluten sensitivity or celiac disease, and don’t know it. So, how many people fall into this category? No one knows for sure. But 1 in 100 people has celiac disease — but most don’t know it. No one knows how many people have gluten sensitivity, but estimates are that it may be as high as 50 percent, or even 70 percent, of the population.
  
  
  I could go on and on about this....and probably will do in the next three weeks. But folks, we need to re-educated ourselves on our diets and well being.  I have been so extremely MAD about the fact that I (or should  I say my dad) spent alot of money for me (and it took a whole lot of my time) to go to college as a kinesiology major/nutritionalist major and I did not learn anything to the likings of this!!!  WHY? WHY am I learning this now!  In the last year I have been more educated than ever about what and how my body needs fuel.  I KNOW how to fue my athletic body now---at 38years old.  Just imagine if I would have known back 20years ago??
  
  
  Anyhow, I am left with a challenge for myself.  Tomorrow I will begin a 21 day sugar detox.  It is extremely strict...... the strictest I have ever done!  But I feel like I can do this! IT WILL BE HARD! BUT I WILL SUCCEED!
  
  
   WHEAT FREE ME----SOON TO BE!!!
   

Ten Years

It's absolutely unbelievable to me that 10years have come and gone so quickly!!!

Ten years ago today, I birthed my last of three babies.....Gabriel Robert Turner.  He was the only baby that we somewhat had planned.  He is my mini-me.  He is my most sensitive, most tender-hearted and caring out of the three kids I have.  He is very thoughtful and loveable.  He is the helper and hard worker. And he loves his momma!! :-). His momma LOVES him!

AWE!!! I can smell his little head and feel his bubbles from his lips!!!

My dancer!!! With his fro!

Where did this little baby boy go???

 I can't imagine life or my family without this sweet boy in it!!! I am so very thankful for him:-). 

***So where does this lead me now?  To some more old photos?  It is Transformation Tuesday, right?  So for fun and grins......

Baby Gabe and Mom @ 28/10year old Gabe and Mom @38

First Pic: I was newly pregnant with Gabe/ Second Pic: Just taken last week with Gabe!!

Two Chubby Faces!!! :-).

Two Smiling Faces! Me and my baby boy!!! :-).

I can't help but smile when I see this little boy in these pics with me!!! He completes our little family and gives each of us something to smile about:-).

Mondays Can Be Awesome!

Late last night I got in from our family ski vacation.  And even though we are six days into the new year, my new year began TODAY!  After a full week of eating processed foods and more starchy carbs than I have in a VERY LONG TIME.  However, I am happy to report, I hit Monday hard and have bounced back with a lot of determination (It is only DAY 1 though-ha)!  Now, I will admit, my intentions were to eat better than I did on vacation, but the reality was......IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE!!!  We were in the mountains, in the small ski village of Red River, NM.  Just one small grocery store with very little to choose from.  And of course, I can't deny my mom's cooking--especially after a long day of skiing!!!  BTW: I did look up how many calories are burned in skiing and to my surprise it was right around 1400calories a day for me!! :-).  So at least I wasn't eating bad and being sedentary!

On my drive to and from Red River, I spent majority of my free time reading Grain Brain, by David Perlmutter, MD.  I had gone to the bookstore to buy the book, Wheat Belly,  that I have been reading lots on via the internet, but ran into this book while looking.  I am so glad I did.  It was so informative....about the facts of how and why wheat, carbs and sugar are killing our brains silently (and adding weight to our waistline, too).  I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend this book.  Especially if you or someone in your family suffers from any neurological disorders (like dementia, epilepsy, anxiety, ADHD, chronic headaches, depression, etc...).  Our diets are killing our most important and most fragile organ--Our Brain! :-(

So in 2014, I am getting rid of wheat, bad carbs, and sugars for good! ***Doing a 21 day sugar detox with several from CrossFit in a week.  It's pretty strict too!! YIKES!!!! WISH ME LUCK!!!  (More on this coming after my free seminar on Wednesday).  And I can't wait to see how this transforms my body....and my mind!!! :-).

****So here is a look at a few pics from our vacation!!! There are A LOT!!! And photo credits go to my brother, as he took all these pics.  I'll post more PRETTY PICS of RED RIVER he took tomorrow!! :-).

Addie at dinner--never serious!! :-)

She likes it! She likes it!  She picked skiing first...and was a natural.

Family at Dinner at Texas Reds

Celebrating Gabe's 10th Birthday---Addie was asleep

Gabe with his little cousin, Hayden! GAME TIME!

Gabe and Hayden playing in the snow at the cabin!

My amazing parents!!! LOVE THEM SO MUCH!

Me and my Dad---with Zander photo bombing! LOL

My hubby and brother (Todd and Grady)

Me and my honey!!

Addie and I taking an afternoon walk

Too funny! Zander spent much of his first day like this! He had it down now, though!