Back in....PINK! (plus some yummies;)

I took a brief hiatus from blogging last week to play 'Cake Boss Babe & Party Planning Extraordinaire'  for my now 6 year old daughters who celebrated her birthday on the 20th. Everything I do in my life seems to heir on the side of an 'all or nothing' approach (which always gets me way, way over my head). Also, next year I will most likely be going to classes full time as I registered for Business Management at our local college, so this might have been my last chance to go overboard at birthday-time for a while. I spent weeks shopping, organizing, writing my plans for the cupcakes, and cake and decor, sending out invites and putting the day together. The party was Monster High themed and I think it turned out spooktacular, and went off without a hinge, the 'ghouls' had so much fun! Here's some photos of the day:

Makeup Modelling for Alicia Thompson Photograghy

On Sunday I had the pleasure of being a model for one of my amazing besties, Alicia Thompson, who is a local freelance makeup artist. The reason I was asked to be a model is because she was updating her portfolio to return to her passion in makeup artistry post-babies. Our other BFF Lana Hamilton (who I briefly mentioned in the previous post) is a talented local photographer who offered to take the head shots and help put the day in play! My baby sister, Nina, also came to model, so between the four of us it was a fabulous day of awesome laughs. I am so lucky that despite living in this shitty oil patch town, to be surrounded by a close network of such talented, inspiring, and beautiful women. I honestly don't know how I got so lucky! Lana is currently on a leave of absence until further notice but you can find her on facebook. Alicia is just kick starting her business, and can also be found on facebook. Some shots of the day:

Alicia hard at work on my beautiful sister 

A few of my shots

Valentines

Valentines just so happens to be my favorite day of the whole year. Not because i'm taken, or because I look forward to being lavishly spoiled with chocolate and roses (which was not the case this year), and I've never been the kind of girl who craves expensive jewelry, it's just not my style. Maybe I love the day because it's all about love and I am so lucky to have an army of friends and family who I love whole heartedly, it just makes me get right into the lovey spirit of the occasion. Then there's the whole lust part, but again i'll leave that part a mystery;) Anywho, so knowing Valentines was on it's way, a few weeks ago I made arrangements for a little surprise for my Mister. Boudoir photos. I had to pull some strings (to say the least) including sneaking to the next town to go lingerie shopping un-suspiciously, go to the session, take the money out of our joint bank account without it being noticed, then get down to my bra and panties in front of a complete stranger. It all went off without a hinge and honestly was an awesome experience. I went to a local photographer Lauren Brooke, whom my bestie (another local photographer whose on leave right now, Lana Hamilton) recommended. Lauren was awesome, super friendly and super comfortable, I didn't feel awkward for a second, and she was really good at posing me, which I feel is super important because a lot of the poses feel pretty weird and you feel like you look stupid even though you look hot. When I got the disc back I was sooooo excited. I'm still high on what a babe I am, I seriously recommend all ladies to just go for it and get sexy photos done, it is such a confidence boost (not that I really needed it) but it's an awesome experience, plus one day when you're old you'll be able to look back on your sexy younger self. :)

Heres just a little peek of Laurens fabulous work;)



Kirk worked all day on Valentines, so I got up early to give him the album of photos as a surprise before work, got in my cardi-oohhh, got dolled up and took my daughter to school and dropped my toher daughter off with my sister so I could clean while day drinking red wine, eating dark chocolate while listening to sexy music to feel Valentinesy. He didn't get home until late so we had a quick supper together and he had to go to bed (he worked again at 3am) so that kind of sucked but it's what you make of it so I still had a pretty good day. :) I cooked roasted oregano/basil potatoes, steak with sauteed mushrooms, and greek salad. It was so good!

Sexcersise....because I can!

HAPPY HUMP DAY! Figuratively, and hopefully to all of you literally as well. I won't go into my personal life details on this matter, because though I live a little bit on the wild side and like to push the limits (always) I still like to keep a little mystery too. ;) Some great reasons to talk about sex today.. hmmm. It's hump day. It also happens to be cardio day for me (sexcersise=great cardio), Valentines is just around the corner, it feels good, and feeling good is healthy. I'n also a huge believer in sex being a huge variable in performance. And I am all about performance on all aspects of life. So in honor of sexcersise on hump day:

True dat. I love you Tina Fey. You're a bad ass babe for sure. <3

Do your workout! Sexy people like other sexy people!

Speaks for itself.

You're training for a marathon and you didn't even know it.

Okay maybe among other things. I can almost relate.

Just do it.

On that note, time to go do my cardio! :)

<3- Steph 

Zombie Apocalypse Training (volume 1)

Okay so in honor of the Walking Dead season premier last night i'm going to dedicate today's post to surviving a zombie apocalypse. I'm kind of obsessed with Zombies, I even did the local zombie walk last summer with one of my besties (and awesome local freelance makeup artist). Okay, and I do kind of like biting. Just kidding? Walking dead, Dawn of the dead, Zombieland, I love em all. I think a zombie survival checklist is relevant to our everyday training schedules. ;)

Heres to the ugliest hot zombies, Alicia and I...

How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse

1. There's a reason they're called the walking dead. They don't jog. They definitely don't sprint. And if you're in reasonably good shape, heart and lungs and brains in working order (in addition to being absolutely scrumptious), once the dead rise you'll be getting a hellacious cardio workout. Good shoes are essential. (break em' in now, no time for blisters)

2. The world's gone horribly pear-shaped and there's shamblers toddling about everywhere, including the aisles of your local Whole Foods. Keep some granola bars handy. They'll give you the burst of energy you need to scale the side of the building from the fifth floor to the roof, make the flying leap over to the fire escape. Also, just because the world has ended doesn't mean you need to forget about having enough fiber in your diet. (always stay adequately nourished, you never know when it may strike)

3. Bet you thought I was going to say shotgun, didn't you? Nope. Firing a gun in any semi-populated area after Zombieggedon is tantamount to ringing a big-ass dinner bell. What you need is a good old headknocker for up close wetwork. Up close and personal zombie disposal without drawing a crowd of shamblers. Headknockers come in a variety of shapes and sizes. You can find one in every garage, every toolbox in America. A hammer, a hatchet, a crowbar, a two-by-four. A Louisville slugger. Destroy the brain and you're good to go. Big plus: relatively quiet and no need to reload. (it might be a good idea to take up organized sports now..specifically baseball)

4. They secrete fluids from the mouth, the nose. Goo pours from their eyes and ears and other orifices. And that's just the living homo sapiens. Zombies are a bajillion times worse and absolutely teeming with bacteria. You'll need some wet-naps for cleaning up after a good session of ooey-gooey headknocking. (They won't go to waste in the mean time when you're getting in your sweaty prep cardio)

5. The Surgeon General recommends six to eight cups of water a day, on average. But since you're gonna be running, jumping, climbing, and screaming all day long, you'll probably need more. Get used to drinking from toilets. (okay, we'll definitely wait until the zombies actually strike for that one).

6. Let's face it. America is fat and only getting fatter. I'm just ballparking numbers here, but let's say the average American weighs 170 pounds. So, New York is gonna have... Let's see, 9 million times 170... New York's gonna have 1,530,000,000 pounds of rotting human flesh sashaying about. That's a billion and a half to you and me. You're gonna want to sprinkle some Old Spice on your bandana and wrap it around your face to help with the stench. (This might be necessary in your day to day life depending on whos next to you at the gym)


7. Remember that leather jacket you got back in 1997 after browsing through a J. Crew catalog? I want you to dig that sucker out of the back of the closet and try to bite a hole in it. I'll wait. See? It's hard to bite through, isn't it? When the zombies rise, you'll want some good work gloves and a leather jacket. Dungarees. Steel-toed boots for stomping on zed skulls (if you've switched from running to last stand mode). A little leather can give you the protection you need when dealing with a onesy or twosy. A little protection can give you enough time for your buddy to brain Mr. Chompers while he's gnawing on your forearm. Any more zombies than two, your best bet is hunching over in a protective ball, placing your head between your legs and giving your gluteus maximus one last smooch in thanks for all the good times. If you have Kevlar motorcycle gear, in addition to looking cool, you're freaking gold, hombre. (it's okay to look hot in the mean time, afterall once the apocalypse strikes no one will care about your badass jacket)

8. Wal-Mart? Target? The mall? Whatever you do, don't go to a large retail outlet in hopes of living out your Dawn of the Dead consumer fantasy. That's where stupid people go, and stupid people usually become zombies. They're halfway there, after all. Nope, what you need to find is a defensible building, hopefully brick, with few windows. Old WPA buildings, dams, power stations, water treatment plants. Anywhere that the government might've beefed up security after 911. Get yourself to a defensible position first! Worry about food and water later.

9. You've been bitten by the dead girl in the garage - Of course she didn't need your help! She was just hungry for living flesh! - and you don't have much time left before your husband starts resembling a talking sirloin steak. You're gonna have to take yourself out, I'm afraid. You'll want a large enough caliber to make sure your noggin is vaporized. Place the barrel on your soft palette, pointing toward the ceiling, and give it a squeeze. Your loved ones will thank you for not having to shoot you themselves. Well, some of them, anyway. (Go to the gun rage, or stock your freezer with wild game in the mean time, the skills and meat will never be wasted.)


10. You've done it! You've reached safety, if only for a while. Now you need to reaffirm your humanity after all the running, screaming, headknocking, and death. Hopefully, along the way, you've run into another survivor with great abs and a canny ability to assess any situation. Best way to reaffirm your humanity? Sex. That's right. Bow-chicka-bow. Life affirming, mind blowing sex. Unless you're into the weird stuff.  (again, never a waste to have good cardio, you never know when you'll go from a wild sexcapade to zombie escaping during the apocalypse)

THIRSY, milk, and ABS!

Thirsty Thursday! Did you drink enough water?

Today was day 2 of the Raw Recharge Challenge! I'm happy to see on facebook that there was at least a few members participating! I love the energy of doing something health/wellness related as a team, I feel like it really builds adherence and becomes way more fun to participate in a 'challenge'!:)

My juice today consisted of coconut water that I had leftover, fresh dill, cucumber, celery, and lime. I was going to mix an avocado in after the juice was juiced but then decided I just liked it thin so I ate the avocado with a spoon. I used to find avocados SO nasty unless they were lathered in garlic and salsa in guac like form, but now my taste buds have changed a lot and I can pretty much just mow them and love them.. often times when I'm rushed I just eat an avocado on the go as they're full of good fat and I feel like they're substantial enough to be a small meal (with a side of bulletproof 'buttered' coffee of course;).

Tomorrow i'm thinking maybe coconut milk, celery, cilantro, and cucumber. I need to restock my fridge or I might have to repeat a juice recipe from the previous day.

I also wanted to share my awesome ab workout today.. 'basic' but effective (and grunty;)

10 minutes turbo skip followed by stretching (VERY IMPORTANT to warm up, and stretch! Don't skip this!)

I did  6 rounds of 5 exercises,  30 seconds on 10 seconds rest (totalling 30 rounds/15 minutes)

1. tuck abs
2. bicycle abs (advanced)
3. oblique crunch left
4. toe touches
5. oblique crunch right

(If you don't have a timer you could do 30 total of each exercise in sets of 10)

Take a Quick Breathe...QUICK (keep your heart rate up!)

50 Burpees (This is something I adopted from the wonderful Melissa from Hot Body Method:)<3
Full burpees please, with a push up, don't skip the pushup, go to your knees if you must but JUST DO IT!

Stretch! Don't forget post workout snack!

badass abs

I've been a bit quiet the last few days, I had a crazy girls night out last night, which was really needed. I feel rejuvenated now that I got a break from being a mom for a night, but i'm ready to get back to reality now. I don't really like to party because it interferes with my training but lately I just feel overwhelmed and maybe a mild case of the winter-blues. I just want to be on the beach or in my pool with a corona in hand soakin' in the sunshine. I am the biggest sun worshiper in the world, and somehow I ended up here. That said you have to make the best out of any situation you're in and not let it get you down, so maybe this week i'll go for a little artificial sunlight and keep extra warm by getting hot n' sweaty. Today I was feeling a little under the weather (to say the least) but I hydrated hard, and stuck with the coconut charcoal and I got a good ab workout in despite the hangover.

Just crazy lil' me on my girls night (and no I didn't wear fishnets and gum boots to the bar;) 

Don't forget to get on board the Sexy Squat Challenge, if you missed that post, it's not too late! You can find the post here. Day 4 already but rest day for the challenge. Tomorrow is inner thigh lifts, and for those of you who may be reading this and don't know what to do if you don't have an equalizer you can either get creative and carefully use a chair) or if you're really beginner you can do laying on your side and lift your thighs instead.

I've been writing my workouts to be specific muscle group days (with a little bit of cardio each day, usually skipping and burpees). I do an arm and chest day, then ass and leg day, then ab day, and then I repeat (6 days a week) today was ab day. I'm a big fan of bodyrock so occasionally I switch it up and do a workout (I did the last 30 day challenge 3 times through, and totally loved it, and the fact that it is FREE is a huge turn on for me compared to other HIIT workout videos) Since i'm still learning and working on my own body at the same time, it's become really important to me to be able to give credit to myself for writing the workout and doing the work. :)

I was reading bodybuilding.com just 'cuz I can and I think it's a great recourse, and I found this article about ab training, some really good tips! If you're interested you can find the article here.

My Workout Today:

I set my Gymboss interval timer to 30 seconds on/10 seconds rest (30 rounds total, 3 rounds of 10 exercises)

I start as usual with a 10 minute turbo skip, sometimes I switch this up with jumping jacks or a sprint on my treadmill but skipping is really efficient. Then stretch.

1. woodchop (left) - I used a 10 lb weight
2. tuck abs
3. woodchop (right)

4. sit ups

5. holding plank
6. reverse crunches
7. side plank pulses (left)
8. bicycle abs
9. side plank pulses (right)
10. holding plank

TAKE A BREATH! 5 seconds, gotta keep your heart beat bumpin';)

50 pushup variations
-10 spiderman
-10 tricep pushups
-10 staggered (left)
-10 staggered (right)
-10 regular

Then a Stretch! Don't forget a post workout snack!

<3 - Steph



***The entire content of this Blog is based upon my own opinions, the information on this blog is not to be used without your own research and advice of a qualified health care professional. The information is not intended as medical advice, and I will not be held liable or responsible for any injury sustained in your home, gym, or elsewhere. Please consult your health practitioner before starting any new diet, cleanse, detoxification, or exercise routine.

Thirsty for the weekend...

THIRSTY THURSDAY! In case you're not on my Facebook page this is your reminder for the week! Make sure you're getting enough water! 8+ cups depending on your sex and activity level. If you're in a situation over the weekend where drinking becomes irresistible, clear distilled liquors are the 'cleanest' and a cup of water per drink (and then there's always the coconut charcoal cure).

I am super tired today, which is unfortunate because it's ass day, but i'm a girl on a mission, so it might be a love affair with coffee at 6pm kind of night. Sometimes these things are crucial.

10 minutes turbo skip followed by stretching (VERY IMPORTANT to warm up, and stretch! Don't skip this!)

I did  6 rounds of 5 exercises,  30 seconds on 10 seconds rest (totaling 30 rounds/15 minutes)

1. 1 legged squat left
2. Low squat side lunge
3. Plie squat 'pulses (plie squat but stay low and move up and down slightly;)
4. Lunge and twist (right and left)
5. 1 legged squat  (right)

(If you don't have a timer you could do 30 total of each exercise in sets of 10)

Take a Quick Breathe...QUICK (keep your heart rate up!)

50 Burpees!!!!!
Full burpees please, with a push up, don't skip the pushup, go to your knees if you must but JUST DO IT!

Stretch! Don't forget post workout snack!

If it feels good, do it, on hump day!

HUMP DAY! YES! Friday is almost in sight, and it's another long weekend for me, which is fabulous, because I have all sorts of things to attend to. Today I got my nails done by my beautiful sister, and since i'm feeling extra hot I kinda wanna get out for a girls night! We'll see if this works out! You only live once, and there needs to be room for fun amongst the madness and dream catchin'. 

Today I launched the BodyRock.tv squat challenge, which I will refer to as the Sexy Squat Challenge for the next 30 days, lets work towards that spring break body together! I am so excited that 9 of you (at the time of writing this) participated in day one! And if you are starting late that's okay, just start NOW! Thank you so much to my awesome little team<3 Aso a huge thank you to the few people who participated in the Raw Recharge challenge with me, I think it was a great way to kickstart my page. xoxoxo

So in honor of the Sexy Squat Challenge...

On another note, In was so busy today that I probably didn't eat enough, eggs and green juice for breakfast (with butter-coffees-n-keep-em-commin'), so for dinner I was feeling quite hungry, so I created a little bit of heaven...
because if it feels good, do it.

Becca and I shared this, Summer insisted on quesadilla. It's 1 Avacado sliced wrapped in 6 pieces of bacon. :) 

If you're interested in why I think eating grain free and high fat is good for the body (and soul) you can find more info on the bulletproof lifestyle here. 

After dinner the girls had dessert done right. 

Banana 'bits', organic vanilla yogurt, raspberries, and a dark bittersweet chocolate chips.

<3-Steph

***The entire content of this Blog is based upon my own opinions, the information on this blog is not to be used without your own research and advice of a qualified health care professional. The information is not intended as medical advice, and I will not be held liable or responsible for any injury sustained in your home, gym, or elsewhere. Please consult your health practitioner before starting any new diet, cleanse, detoxification, or exercise routine.

Lifes Too Short (advice)

I also wanted to talk about something that's been on my mind since the weekend. On Saturday night my fiance and I had plans to go to our 'couple besties' house for games and a glass of vino (or two;) but it just so happened that my man worked over an hour later than he was supposed to. I waited for him like any good woman may, but he ended up getting an invite from his new work buddies to stop for a drink on his way home (and he just started a new job), so he did. After I waited for two hours for him to finish work, he phoned me to tell me that he would just meet me there because of the invite. I was kind of frustrated but knew in his position I would do the same. This served as a great reminder for me that it's important even when you're in a loving relationship, to just do you. I shouldn't have waited, I wanted to hang out with my friends, so I should have just went with the flow, instead of pacing around waiting for my man to lead the way.

This has been a long lesson for me, I settled down and had children really young, and with that came putting myself aside, I have no regrets and I love my life, and I am so lucky to have found such a loving and supportive mister (especially on this journey to health and fitness, and quite frankly I might not be where I am without), but on this journey to figuring out who I really am and where my passions lie, I've really learnt that if i'm happy, everything falls into place.

You should never put your own plans or life on hold in the wait for somebody else. You can love them, and miss them, but at the end of the day, you're number one. Maybe that sounds a little bit selfish, but what I mean by that is that I truly believe that when you do you first, the rest will come naturally! Maybe this is the key to a happy and fulfilling life. That's not to say you shouldn't do nice deeds for somebody else, it's good for the soul to make others happy, especially those you love, but you can't neglect yourself, or living your own life, or chasing your own dreams, in lieu of those things.When I strive to be content with myself first, the rest of the good stuff falls into place. At the end of the day if you're aiming to be a 'better' person on the inside (and let's face it, the outside too) You shouldn't be doing it for anybody else. I'm doing it because it makes me feel good, and when I feel good, it shines into every aspect of my life. I think this is something we all have to think about, because it's really easy to get caught up in the moment and forget what you really want. If you have a dream, chase it, no excuses. I know that sounds kind of hokey, but it's so true.

Progress goals and Power Balls

It's Motivational Monday again! Today I posted a brief blurb on my Facebook page about what is motivating me this week; the prospect of Concrete Hero this summer (August 17th). Concrete Hero is a obstacle race (think Tough Mudder) for a cause, the BC Cancer Foundation. My bestie Lindsay and I have been trying to come up with a team name so we can get registered but so far we got nothin' (and i've been hummin' n' hawin' for over a week)! Anyways, so i'm excited to train a little harder with this in mind, because it's going to be a lot tougher than the runs i've done in the past due to the obstacles. I completed Emporer's last year with silver (A 20 km mountain race in Tumbler Ridge) so I have no doubts about this run and can't wait for the adrenaline high! I haven't been running as of late because i've been focusing on HIIT, including skipping and the occasional sprint, but no long runs. For training last year I usually ran 5-6 days a week for half an hour, with an incline sprint every 10 minutes for 1 whole minute, then at least one longer run OR trail run a week (6+ km). I think i'm going to start running asap (as in probably today) I think i'm going to play with my routine a little bit and maybe train with shorter runs (15-20 minute sprints) combined with my usual HIIT/strength workout, and then one long run a week to build my endurance. I'm also going to have to adjust my food because i've been eating low low carb since I started paleo (probably only one serving of carbs per day) and i'm not sure what i'll need if i'm doing more cardio each day. My carbs will consist of either quinoa, berries, or tuber veggies like sqaush and yam. I probably don't need to start training this early, but I really want to rock it!

We obviously all have big goals like looking good, losing weight (feeling better/healthier), or even setting an example for our children, but our other performance goals like completing a run that is a certain distance, or even small progress goals each week, can be even more important when it comes to fuelling our fire, especially since you can sometimes forget about the BIG picture if your results aren't coming as quickly as you expected. My goal this week is to get in 2 runs maintaining a 6mi/hr pace and to increase my daily push-up number by 5! What is something that is motivating YOU this week? I would love to hear from you!

Last week I posted a recipe for home made almond milk/coconut milk, if you made it you probably were left with a huge container each of the 'pulp' what to do, what to do?? I meant to post about this sooner but didn't get the chance. I decided to turn my 'pulp' into Paleo Power Balls!

Ingredients:
(use organic ingredients whenever possible)

10 dates (I used medjool)
1/2 cup leftover almond pulp (OR raw dry almonds, or other nut)
3/4 cup leftover coconut pulp (OR dry coconut flakes, or any nut)
1/2 cup nut butter (I used almond)
1/4 cup of coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
2 tbs cocoa powder
1 tbs cinnamon
1tsp vanilla
1/8th tsp sea salt
1/4-1/2 cup coconut flour (this will vary depending on if you used the leftover pulps, or dry nuts, as the pulp is wet, if you are using dry nuts it may not need much flour)
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

For Rolling
1/4 cup flaked coconut optional
1/4 cup sesame seeds (or other seed) optional

The method:
In a food processor (I used my Ninja), combine all ingredients (excluding the coconut flour and chocolate chips, coconut flakes, and sesame seeds) until well mixed. At this point it will probably be quite dry, add coconut flour, 1/4 cup at a time, and mix until its cookie-dough consistency. Add chocolate chips and hand mix, then roll into 1.5 inch balls. In a small bowl, add flaked coconut and sesame seeds, and roll each ball. Refrigerate in an air tight container for at least an hour. My batch made 12 balls, but this could vary depending on if you used the pulp or not.

12 minus one, thanks to a little Summer cutie

I also made another batch  to try and use up all the leftover pulp I had These ones were more coconut based... let's call them.

-1/2 cup leftover almond pulp (OR raw dry almonds, or other nut)
-3/4 cup leftover coconut pulp (OR dry coconut flakes, or any nut)
-1/2 cup coconut 'Manna' butter (By nutiva, I find mine in the peanut butter isle at my local Pricesmart, I posted about this awhile ago but in case you missed it, it's pure coconut flesh in a jar the consistency of a butter)
-1/2 cup coconut flakes
-1/4 cup of coconut oil
-1/4 cup honey
-1tsp vanilla
-1/2-1/4 cup coconut flour (this will vary depending on you used the leftover pulps, or dry nuts, as the pulp is wet, if you are using dry nuts it may not need much flour)

For Rolling
1/2 cup of hemp seeds optional (you could also use any other seed or coconut flakes it's all whatever you like best!:)

The method:
In a food processor (I used my Ninja), combine all ingredients (excluding the coconut flour) until well mixed. At this point it will probably be quite wet, add coconut flour, 1/4 cup at a time, and mix until its cookie-dough consistency. Roll into 1.5 inch balls. In a small bowl, add hemp seeds, and roll each ball. Refrigerate in an air tight container for atleast an hour. This batch made 10 balls, but again this could vary depending on if you used the pulp or not.

Today is the second to last day of the Raw Recharge Challenge, it went by SO fast! I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, I'm definitely feeling 'recharged'. My juice this morning was 1.5 cups of water, half a lemon juiced, a handful of herb mix, a handful of cilantro, and 4 stalks of celery. Not too bad.

<3-Steph

***The entire content of this Blog is based upon my own opinions, the information on this blog is not to be used without your own research and advice of a qualified health care professional. The information is not intended as medical advice, and I will not be held liable or responsible for any injury sustained in your home, gym, or elsewhere. Please consult your health practitioner before starting any new diet, cleanse, detoxification, or exercise routine.

ass-saturday

I've been a bit quiet over the weekend, playing catch up at home and a night out! I was planning on going to yoga this morning with my bestie but I was too tired after a late night. Today is my active rest day. So far not a lot of active has happened but I think I might repeat my ab workout from the other day.

Today is day 5 of the Raw Recharge Challenge! Almost a week already! I'm definitely loving it and think that i'm going to make it a part of my daily routine. Since I didn't post yesterday I thought i'd share my juice...which was MORNING MOJITO MINT! So yummy! It was 1.5 cups fresh coconut milk, a handful of fresh mint, half a cucumber, and one lime.

(and  day 5:)

Just a little insight into what I might eat in a day I thought i'd share my meals yesterday (which is one of the only days a week I get to just be home and eat 3 meals not rushed). Breakfast was my green smoothie, local bacon, and 2 soft poached farm eggs.
I had a afternoon workout, so after, I had 1/4 cup cooked quinoa, couple raw cashews, 1tbs each of hemp and sunflower seeds, 2 tbs organic bittersweet fair trade chocolate chips and a dash of cinnamon! It was awesome, energizing and SO clean;) Dinner I just kind of threw together on our way out the door for myself because the kids had quesidillas (which I hate feeding them but they are my girls FAVE) so I had an 'avocado' boat filled with homemade taco seasoned local beef (I used lime zest, onion, garlic, cumin, hot sauce, salt and pepper, cilantro for seasoning, but I will post a recipe asap:), topped with salsa and garnished with cilantro. I didn't really snack throughout the day but I had 3 buttered coffees (you can find the 'method' here.)

Now to the ass! Yesterday was my favorite workout day...Ass day. I love love love squats 'cuz sometimes pain is beauty and I know anytime i'm doing them it's paying off. 

10 minutes turbo skip followed by stretching (VERY IMPORTANT to warm up, and stretch! Don't skip this!)

I did  6 rounds of 5 exercises,  30 seconds on 10 seconds rest (totalling 30 rounds/15 minutes)

1. Squat jumps
2. Low squat side lunge
3. Plie squat 'pulses (plie squat but stay low and move up and down slightly;)
4. Lunge and twist (right and left)
5. Deadlifts (I used 20 lbs on a t-bar, but if you don't have a bar you could do regular squats)

(If you don't have a timer you could do 30 total of each exercise in sets of 10)

Take a Quick Breathe...QUICK (keep your heart rate up!)

50 Burpees!!!!!
Full burpees please, with a push up, don't skip the pushup, go to your knees if you must but JUST DO IT!

Stretch! Don't forget post workout snack!

<3- Steph

***The entire content of this Blog is based upon my own opinions, the information on this blog is not to be used without your own research and advice of a qualified health care professional. The information is not intended as medical advice, and I will not be held liable or responsible for any injury sustained in your home, gym, or elsewhere. Please consult your health practitioner before starting any new diet, cleanse, detoxification, or exercise routine.