We went to Hawaii last month!

Because I'm completely spoiled and because we love to travel... and because I've always wanted to visit Hawaii, we went on a much-needed vacation last month!

We spent the first few days on Oahu, doing tourist-y things like visiting the PCC, checking out the temple and BYU-Hawaii, touring Pearl Harbor, and snorkeling at Hanauma Bay.

We ate at shrimp trucks, soaked up the sun, and generally loved being there :)

We spent the rest of the trip on Kauai and LOVED it!!! So gorgeous, so fun, so much to do and see! We stayed at these fun condos on the North part of the island (right on a cliff on the ocean!) and had a blast seeing the sights, swimming in Queen's Bath, diving in the lava tubes at Tunnels Beach, hiking and sailing the Na Pali coast, eating delicious food, and generally enjoying ourselves.

Best trip ever :)

Thoughts on eating

Typing is still a little difficult (arm surgery) at the moment, but I've read two things I really liked lately :)



"Being the reigning Queen of Cardio causes quite a voracious appetite, and I was gobbling down all of the food.

Breakfast: 400 calories
Lunch: 400 cals
Snack: 200 cals
Dinner: 17,865* cals

*possibly an overly generous estimation, but you get the point."

-from Girls Gone Strong


Sooooooo relate-able haha



"Sure, if a particular nutrition idea — like Paleo or vegetarianism — worked for you personally, that’s awesome. You should be happy you found something that helped you reach your goals.

But to suggest that because it worked for you, at one point in your life, under a particular set of circumstances, now everyone else should follow the same program isn’t just narcissistic. It’s the antithesis of good coaching."

By John Berardi, Ph.D. Paleo, vegan, intermittent fasting... Here's how to choose the best diet for you.


Yes. Yes. I hate it when people act like nutrition is one-size-fits-all.

Thoughts on fitness for the new year

Resolutions! Goals! Yay!

While I don't really like to set NY resolutions, it is a great time to reevaluate the progress I'm making. I look at race calendars, personal study, my career, and more to see if I like where I'm at and where I'm heading.

Fitness goals are always in there, for me. And most people, I think. Lose weight, eat better, exercise more, run farther.... whatever those goals may be, I think the motivation behind them matters.

I heard two thoughts recently that I really like.

"Exercise to be strong and healthy. A beautiful soul needs a sturdy vessel."

"Do you work out because you love or hate your body?"

Just some food for thought - our goals should be based on positivity and wanting to accomplish something good rather than based on fear or negative feelings.

Christmas!

How was your Christmas??

Ours was lovely. Down-time, family, movies (unimpressed by Into the Woods), presents, our own beautiful tree, and an all-around good time.




We had a seafood boil, got Christmas Eve jammies, and I got a festive manicure (among other things).

Love!

New Headbands!

Okay, so I love headbands. Esp ones I can wear when I work out/sweat... keeps the hair/sweat out of my face, hides my gross hair, looks cute.... what's not to love??

So I saw an ad for these on Facebook (marketing at its finest) and I just clicked to see what it was all about... and between the buy 2 get 1 free, $10 off promo code (seems like they're always running one), and free shipping over $20.... I got 3 of them for like $22. Couldn't say no.



I got 3 colors... black (solid, trustworthy) and two fun patterns!

They're stretchy and soft, and I love them so far!



Ignore my grossness.

They're the kind that can be worn different ways, so I've been playing around... they slip a little, but much less than normal for me (I'm pretty sure my head is a weird shape. Never let me go bald). Love them!

Quotes and other stuff I like

In no particular order, screenshots of things that have moved me lately.

Little Red Riding Hood 2014

Ok, so yesterday's ride was simply amazing. I've totally fallen in love with this sport, and this ride pretty much cemented it. I want to do this every year! Women-only races are so much fun!

I drove up Friday night to stay with my awesome aunt, and we went to check out the pre-race festivities. There was food, music, booths (I bought a sweet cycling headband!), and just an all-around fun atmosphere.


This dude = one of the many awesome (all male) volunteers

Saturday morning, my start time wasn't until 9:35, so I got to sleep in and take my time getting ready, which was SO nice! Everything went super-smoothly with getting there and getting started, which was such a relief. I signed up for this ride with a friend, and when she bailed, I was pretty nervous to do this alone. It ended up being such a great experience though!! I'm so glad things turned out the way they did :)

Everything went so perfectly! The weather was ideal, the scenery was gorgeous, people were so incredibly nice (from the people drumming music on the sides of the roads to the people sitting on their lawns and cheering us on to the amazingly costumed volunteers to all the nice and encouraging ladies, these people were seriously the best), the cold I'd been dealing with all week didn't give me nearly as much trouble as I'd expected, the rest stops were great (ok oreos with peanut butter and banana chunks on top are my new favorite race food), and I felt really good on the bike (especially on the uphill - it's such a cool feeling to dig deep and pass people on those tough parts!)!


lunch stop

Crossing the finish line, I just wanted to bottle up that feeling and keep it forever. I love events like this! I love the preparation, I love the energy, I love the feeling of accomplishment, and I love the people!


finish line sprite and beads

Aaaaand I love the ice cream sundaes they give you



I had the time of my life, I'm excited to sign up for some more rides and races, and I'm thankful to everyone who was so supportive :)


Yeahhhhhhh race stuff :)

Birthday!

This last week I turned 25 (yikes) and was given a great birthday :)

Woke up to presents (including a GC for laser hair removal - yesssssssss!) and an excited husband

After work we went shopping for workout clothes and visited the Sweet Tooth Fairy (to which my husband responded, "you shouldn't have brought me here," because now that he knows about how delicious those little cake bites are, he won't be able to stay away :))

Then we went to the new aquarium! It's so cool! Penguins, sharks, otters, rays... so much fun!!!

We finished up the day with a crab boil (cooked by my one and only) and cake!

Loving all the birthday love, and I'm feeling as blessed as can be :)

Women and Strength Training

I love how much limelight women and lifting are getting right now. People are finally realizing that strength training isn't just for men and creepy man-ladies who terrify small children (and most adults). People are starting to separate the myths from the truths and figure out that getting stronger and building lean mass (aka not fat) is a GOOD thing --- no matter who you are! And I love it.

Who doesn't want a bangin' body that comes with the strength to take care of yourself? Who doesn't love the feeling of being able to move that couch, lift that box, or pull yourself up onto something? How is this a new thing? Haven't we (as women) always had to be strong? Why are we just realizing that we can take pride in our ability to intentionally increase that strength? I think it's beautiful, and I love being part of this movement, of this culture change. I love helping women step out of their comfort zones and try new, sometimes intimidating lifts. I love seeing their progress. I love watching them realize and come into their own strength. I love watching them take control of their own lives.

I love the beauty that is the (physical) strength of women.

Obsessed with Autumn

This man (and those leaves in these mountains)

These boots

Pumpkin hot chocolate (or pumpkin anything, really... have you tried the Trader Joe's pumpkin cheesecake? To. Die. For.)

These rice bags (cause, seriously y'all, how else do your feet stay warm in the winter????)

And this movie.



Happy Fall, y'all!!