Jessica's Journey Update!!

Here's an update on how Jessica has been doing on her road to the Naturally Fit Transformation Competition. She has been doing amazing! Her dedication and persistence is inspiring. She has not wavered from the plan once and I cannot wait to see what sort of transformations we will see in the next 9 weeks. So far she is down almost 9% body fat and 3 dress sizes!

 

Sooooo I am 9 weeks out from this transformation contest and I am so excited. This has been a wonderful and challenging experience.  In the very beginning it was nice to see the results just show up so quickly. It feels amazing to watch my body change, I feel so much better inside, and my work outs are improving. As I get closer to my goal weight, the pounds are not coming off so quickly. During our bimonthly weigh ins, Emily has added some more work outs and of course changes of my diet. I will say the morning cardio sessions are the hardest to accomplish. I am just not a morning person. So my plan to over come my sleeping habits is to have my all my stuff packed and in bed by 10. If I cannot joyfully wake up I can rely on my boyfriend giving me a wake up call. He is at work by 5 am and he lives in Salt Lake City. And last, I surround myself with the thought that I love myself enough that I can follow my diet, wake up for my work outs, and not give up for the next 9 weeks. 

Michelle's Mission Complete!

Here's a summary of how Michelle's Zooma Half Marathon went. I'm excited to report that a paleo lifestyle not only helped her achieve her goal, but she excelled at it!! It's amazing what can happen when you take someone with great athletic ability and tweak their diet to promote recovery and reduce inflammation. Way to go Mom :)

Mission accomplished, and then some….  What a great reason to visit Emily during my spring break – to run the Zooma Half Marathon at the way-too-beautiful Hilton Resort outside of Austin.  My goal was to run under 1:55:00, my previous personal best.  Through bobbing blue bonnets and incessantly rolling hills, I managed to run 1:47:21, place fourth in the master’s division (runners over 40), first in my age division (50-54), and 23^rd out of 1,036 runners.  Emily coached me through the last .1 of the race, challenging me to pick up the pace and sprint to the finish.  I maintained a paleo (primal) diet throughout my training, and regular weight-training and yoga to supplement at least 35-40 miles of trail/road running a week.  At this point my training and diet are ingrained in my over-all lifestyle, and I feel great.  A side note:  I ran a 10K three weeks ago in Albuquerque in 45:22, which placed me in second place of women, and 11^th overall in a field of 108 runners.  I’ll be qualifying for the National Senior Olympics in the 10K in Las Cruces this July in order to compete in the national games the following summer (2013) in Cleveland, Ohio.  Coming up this weekend – the Jemez Mountain Half Marathon – the mother of all trail runs up and down thousands of feet of elevation.  Can’t wait!!  Thanks, Emily. 

--Michelle

I'm Back...with snacks!!

It's been far too long since my last post. The easiest way to sum up why is school...'nuff said.

I'm sure you are all wondering how Michelle's Mission turned out and what's happening with Jessica's Journey. Well, don't fret! I will have posts from both of them within the week :)

In the mean time, one of the most frequently asked questions I get is "What do I eat for snacks?". The first thing to do is stop thinking of meals v. snacks. "Snacks" can quite simply be smaller versions of "meals", like a small portion of leftovers. The key to success is preparation! Make sure you are cooking multiple meals at a time and cooking more food than what you plan to eat at that moment to ensure you have food for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Always have your cooler/lunchbox with you and fill it with more than you think you need for the day, this way you will always have access to clean food! Here are some more ideas for snacks that you can mix and match:

• Sliced Veggies (bell pepper, green beans, snap peas, jicama, cucumber,  carrots, etc.)
• Guacamole/avocado
• Boiled eggs
• Deli meat (nitrite/nitrate free)
• Jerky (nitrite/nitrate free, gluten/soy free!)
• Smoked Salmon (always wild caught!)
• Olives (olives, salt and water only!)
• Coconut Flakes
• Nuts (in moderation!)

Happy snacking!