Feel Good Friday

Happy birthday, Abrey & Michele!!!!!!!

I hope you're all ready for an awesome weekend :)

So, did any of you write out a little reminder to yourself of how
awesome you are? Did any of you read it each morning?

Share your experience w/ the side challenge! Do it before the end of
the night tonight, then I'll do the drawing of the side challenge
participants tomorrow morning :)

YOU all have meant sooooo much to me. Thank you!

Feel the Burn Thursday!

Good morning, girls!

What workouts have you been doing lately?  Be specific!  We all love new ideas, even if they're old :) What's your game plan for this gorgeous weather weekend?  Anything to offset Easter dinner? ;)

It helps me to have some kind of race/event goal in mind, then I am excited to work out hard, and I'm pressured in a good way to work out hard.  I just decided to aim for my first sprint triathlon.  I know Valerie has multiple marathon race goals this spring.  Mini Me, Meghan, & Marianne are doing a half marathon this summer.  Amy C & Isolde are each doing different sprint triathlons later this summer. 

There are so many different events to pick from. A 5K walk for your favorite charity?  There are running races, trail runs, bike rides, walks, duathlons (run, bike, run), triathlons (swim, bike, run), adventure races (run around a city w/ teammates, Amazing Race style, scavenger hunts, etc.), and muddy obstacle course races (Warrior Dash, etc.).  There are family fun runs, doggie charity walks (Bark for Life), etc.  There are endurance walks (Relay for Life, etc.).  There are relay team marathons, city-to-city relays, etc.

I challenge you all to find something fun that floats your boat & commit to doing it!  It will excite you, you can recruit your healthy-minded friends to join you, you can have fun, & best of all, it will get your butt out there working hard to get ready for it!!!!

Here's my favorite search engine for races: http://www.runningintheusa.com/Race/Default.aspx

And completing something that was hard for you will give you SO MUCH CONFIDENCE! 

If you've done a race goal before (any goal), then share your thoughts on it, how it makes you feel, how it helps you train, etc.  Sell it to those on here who haven't set a race goal before :)

Whatcha Eatin' Wednesday

Good morning, sun-kissed sistas!  I hope you have all accepted Meghan's challenge to get out and enjoy the weather outside this week. It's BEAUTIFUL!

Reminder: If you want to participate in the side challenge going on right now, see last Friday's post & create your own little message to yourself that you read each morning.  Call it a manifesto, a vision, a mantra, whatever you want.  It's for your eyes, to uplift you, to remind you of how incredible you are, to change your mood, to invoke a spirit of love, gratitude, confidence, and peace.  Do it soon so that you can have a day or two to read through it and share with us all on Friday the effect that this writing you did had on you.  Email me or comment on this Friday's post with your experience, share a line or two with us if you feel like it (you don't have to), etc.  At the end of the day Friday I'll do the drawing to see which of the participants won the prize of the dishwasher-safe, re-usable snack baggies!

For today's foodie post, share with us what yummies you've been enjoying.  Any good & healthy grill recipes now that the weather is gorgeous?  Any good cold salads now that it's warming up outside?  Even if it's the same ol' same ol' go ahead and share with us! 

On Saturday I enjoyed this Strawberry Chicken Salad recipe that is a modification of a less-healthy version from a dear friend of mine about 10 years ago.  I had literally been craving it for weeks.  Totally hit the spot :)  Super simple, too.

Strawberry Chicken Salad:

• Bed of lettuce, baby spinach, spring mix, green leaf, romaine, whatever you want (I prefer spinach)
• Strawberries, washed, de-stemmed, & sliced (I used frozen ones thawed out b/c it's just what I had on hand)
• Chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into bite-size cubes

Dressing (makes TONS- I quartered it for just the 2 of us):

• 1 cup olive oil
• 3/4 cup truvia (original recipe calls for sugar, so let conscience be your guide :)  )
• 1 small minced onion
• 1/3 cup vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon dry mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds

Directions:

• Cook the chicken thoroughly in a skillet
• Mix all the dressing ingredients together
• Put lettuce on plates, put chicken on top of lettuce, put strawberries on top, drizzle on dressing (a little goes a long way)

If you want to put more carbs in there, it's good with Far East brand Rice Pilaf. You could also add mandarin oranges or pecans if you wanted to the salad :)  Oh, and the picture isn't really the salad I made- it's just what Google found me :)

Tuesday Motivation

Good morning, girls!
Well, me, Jen, & Mini Me are all cleaning up storms, stirring up dust, and prepping for our moves.  All this spring cleaning feels great.  I love it. 
On that note, here's a little message about spring cleaning not just your homes but spring cleaning your minds.

Eliminate Clutter Inside and Out
by Jon Gordon

"We just de-cluttered our house in order to put it on the market. It feels so good I wonder why we didn’t de-clutter it a long time ago. Why do we live with so much stuff we don't need? It's not just a house question but a life question too.

"Why do we fill our life with so many things that weigh us down? Things we never use. Thoughts that hold us back. Habits that limit us. Distractions that derail us. Negative people that drain us. Fear that paralyzes us. And countless time zappers that sabotage our performance and productivity.

"We spend so much time and energy on things that don’t matter that we don’t focus on what does matter. We fill up with so many things that generate negative energy that there’s no room for positive energy to flow into our lives.

"So today I want to encourage you to Spring Clean Your Life-both inside and out.

"Get rid of the physical clutter which might include a messy house, a pile of papers on your desk, mail spread out all over the counter, a closet filled with old clothes you never wear or old salad dressings in your refrigerator. When you attack that to-do list, go through your piles of paper, clean up your desk, or throw out the trash in your car, you clear out the old and make room for the new. This simply makes you feel better.

"The same goes for mental clutter. Spring clean the junk in your mind and you’ll eliminate the mind clutter that prevents you from focusing on your priorities and you’ll make room for great thoughts, exciting opportunities, endless possibilities, and an infinite supply of joy that is waiting to fill you up. You just have to make room for the good stuff.

"Spring is a time of vitality, renewal, and re-birth. Seeds sprout plants, flowers bloom and nature comes back to life. You can do the same. Just get rid of your clutter and your energy will soar.

"Action Steps:

1. Pick one space in your house and/or office that is cluttered. Organize it and throw out the clutter. Observe how you feel when you are finished.

2. Identify one toxic belief or habit in your life and let go of the clutter."

So, ladies, what do you think?  It's a little hokey, yes, but give it a little thought today.  Is there mental clutter that you should let go of?  Something that is preventing you from being successful in hitting your weight loss & fitness goals- something that's inside your head- something that you can overcome & clean away?

Monday Morning Check-In

Good morning, girls!  How did your 4th week go?  Let us  know how much you're up or down, what your thoughts are, what your game plan for this  week is :)  Make it a great week!