shed30-blog

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5 Q's With A Strong Woman: Autum Purhmann

    Autum is a gem.  If she's not spending time dancing and eating delicious food with her husband, (who is absolutely, obviously smitten with her,) she and another trainer, Rueben, are running a fantastic and results based Paleo Experience Bootcamp class at Highline Athletic Club, in Burien.  Her love for people and health is inspiring and beautiful.  I am honored to call her friend, so let me introduce you to Autum Purhmann.

1.     What made you want to be in the fitness industry? 

Severe morbid obesity is prevalent in the women on my mom’s side of the family. I knew I wanted to live a healthier life and I found a career that catered to this, as it is not only a personal passion, but one I love sharing with others to assist them in improving their health, well-being and quality of life. Fitness is only one piece of being healthy. I’ve taken to focusing on many aspects of embracing a healthy lifestyle.

2.     What was or is your biggest mental and physical struggle/hurdle while you are pursuing health and wellness?

I’ve strived to take what could be a hurdle and turn it into a strength. I’ve had many personal health challenges throughout my life (both with my physical structure –muscles/nerves/bones- and internally with extensive GI challenges). I choose to share my experiences with others and I’ve found this allows me to connect with a broader group of people, as well as allowing me to help, and connect with, many others that I would not have been able to had I not faced such challenges myself.

3.     Has there been a struggle with body image in your journey? Being around "fit" people? Have you overcome that? If so, how?

Certainly! Having a passion for fitness I also love a lean, fit appearing physique. This is not something I come by easily in any way, shape or form! Add to that the health challenges which have created a variety of limitations in what activities I can engage in at different points in my life, and I’ve really had to embrace my journey for what it is and turn this into another strength. I really aim to walk the talk and learn to love myself along the way! Embracing my own unique self and encouraging others to do the same and let go of the self-defeating act of constantly comparing myself others. This is very liberating, but not easy to do! I feel I am really just beginning to feel comfortable in my own skin and embrace what personal aspects I’ve long been self-conscious about. It’s an on-going process, but very worthwhile! Also, learning the difference between the value of having goals I’m working toward (physical or otherwise), but still loving myself through and through where I am at that moment. For example, being clear with my inner voice and how I talk to myself…that being a particular % body fat doesn’t define my self worth, but is simply an aspect of my physique at a given time and finding what I love about myself at different sizes.

4.   What do you do now, that you never thought you could do before? How did you get there? 

This is a tough one for me. I’ve done many things, such as rock climbing, over the years, which were major struggles/hurdles for me, and that I’m very proud of. However, I’m currently deep in my journey of healing my GI issues and during this process the past couple years I had to take a serious step back from exercise. This allowed me to redefine who I am and how I can be a leader in the industry of health and fitness while still honoring what my body and mind needed, no matter how contrary this was to the fitness world. In June, after about 1 ½ years of not engaging in intense physical activity, I am beginning to rebuild my fitness, in many ways from the ground up. This is a humbling experience and one I value! It is fun I many ways and I have a new appreciation for what I can do and my improvements along the way! It also allows me to better relate to a people of varying fitness levels and health challenges.

5.  What are your certs, goals, and the thing that jazzes you the most about life?

I received my Bachelors of Science in Natural Health Sciences with a major in Exercise Science from Bastyr University in 2003. In 2004, I obtained the Health Fitness Instructor (now Health Fitness Specialist) certification from the American College of Sports Medicine, which I still maintain through 20 hours of continuing education per year (although I do much more in various ways and from a variety of sources).

Dancing has always been one of my main passions I life! In fact, my husband I met this way and share the passion, which is fantastic.  I love to travel, spend time with special people in my life, enjoy nature and movement, particularly hiking. I love food and eating and the experience of sharing great food with people I care about (though I do not love to cook!)  I love spending time with my husband and simply creating memories as we experience life.

Autum is fitness specialist at Highline Athletic Club in Burien, WA.  You can find her and more information about the Paleo Experience Bootcamp on Facebook.

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5 Q's With A Strong Woman: Janelle Pica

I would consider Janelle a friend.  Although I have never met her face to face, I have followed her journey for over a year as she has shared her story of Paleo eating and kettlebells, actively healing from hyperthyroid symptoms (diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis).  Janelle is a strong girl, currently able to snatch and press a 20kg kettlebell overhead, training for her RKC and becoming a certified personal trainer.  Everyone, meet Janelle Pica, HKC, a strong girl filled with drive and fire for life, health and training.

1. What made you want to be in the fitness industry? If not working in it, than what made you interested in fitness?

Honestly, I never really wanted to be in the fitness industry. It just kind of happened! I was working through a very hard time in my life with a career change and decided to get back into kettlebell fitness to better channel my stress. Over time I fell so in love with kettlebell training that I scheduled private sessions with a personal trainer in Pittsburgh with the intent of becoming fit enough to handle the Russian Kettlebell Challenge certification. My one on one sessions really got me thinking about becoming a trainer, and once I worked along side my own trainer, I made the decision to become a personal trainer myself. The idea of helping others become the strongest and healthiest version of themselves seemed like the most rewarding career choice I could make, so..that's the direction I went. 2. What was or is your biggest mental and physical struggle/hurdle while you are pursuing health and wellness? As for a mental struggle, pursuing a health and wellness career can be stressful. In fact, it can be so stressful that you can lose sight of your own dream. If you're like me and are the inappropriately busy type, you probably answer a ton of emails, take a lot of phone calls, train people in between those emails and phone calls, plus operate your blog and establish your other health businesses all at the same time. it's NUTS! And, it can seriously drive you insane. There have been times when I seriously questioned if I would be able to pull through and make something of myself. What keeps me going though is knowing I have influenced someone out there who reads my blog, follows my facebok feeds, knows me from other promotional stunts, etc. I cannot tell you how many emails and/or text messages I receive on a daily basis that say things like "Because of you, I was inspired to change me life for the better." Statements like that keep me going, keep me motivated to press on towards this dream of mine. As for a physical struggle, I have to watch overtraining myself. Kettlebell training is very different from the way I am used to training. Here's a fun fact: I used to play basketball pretty competitively and at one point had college recruits after me. My training for my season was always very demanding, but it was more structured over "traditional" training methods. What I mean by that was you had isolated days dedicated just to lifting, designated cardio days, etc. My workouts were often spread over 5 to 6 days. With kettlebells, you do a lot more metabolic conditioning so you can work out less throughout the week and get even better results because of having strength and cardio mixed into the same exercises. However, I have had a bad habit of trying to lengthen my workouts over the week to match what I used to do with basketball training. So, what should have been 30-45 minutes of kettlebells training (mixed between strength and conditioning days) 3-4x a week would often become 1-1.5 hours of metabolic conditioning 5 times a week. All that High Intensity Interval training is great for your metabolism, don't get me wrong. BUT, you can totally over train yourself if you do HIIT all the time. in fact, I have done it before and let me tell you, it does not feel good at all! Finding the line between intense and extreme can be difficult, especially when you are on the road to become a trainer. But hey, I'm learning! 3. Has there been a struggle with body image in your journey? Being around "fit" people? Have you overcome that? If so, how? I cannot say that I have had a struggle with my body image in the traditional understanding of body image disorders. What I will say is this. I am constantly surrounded by a ton of very strong (some times scary strong) trainers. In my line of work, there is a lot of focus on strength and power. While the industry I am pursuing is not so focused on "being thin", we are focused on being incredibly strong. It can work against you though, and I think a lot of people are susceptible to getting so fit and so strong that it is still unhealthy. It's great to be fit, but not great to be obsessive about your fitness. You should respect yourself, your body, always. A great article on this subject can be found here. This is exactly my opinion on the subject. 4. What do you do now, that you never thought you could do before? How did you get there?  I can now clean, press and snatch a 20kg kettlebell. I did a log of heavy one arm swings (I mean 24kg one arm swings ) to prepare for the leverage the whole way up for the 20 kg snatch. Best way to train for that is to do three sets of 5 one arm swings each arm with a 24kg and slowly work your way up to sets of ten over time. Once you can comfortable do ten sets, you should have the leverage and form to swing the 20kg with ease on one arm. All it takes is some extra power generated from your hips and presto! You just did the 20kg snatch. GO YOU! 5. What are your certificates and goals? I am currently an HKC Kettlebell instructor and a certified health coach through Beyond Organic. My goals right now are to become a certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine so I can teach/coach people independently. I also plan on getting my RKC certification in 2013. After that, the sky is the limit for my certs. I will probably have a million of them at some point. haha! What jazzes you most about life? I'd have to say waking up each day knowing that I can have a positive influence on someones life. I live for that! Everything I have arranged for my life is geared towards helping others become the best versions of themselves, and I am honored to help others through the same obstacles i faced in my past. Nothing is more rewarding than knowing you inspired someone else to change for the better.

You can find Janelle on Twitter @PoznaiSebia, on Facebook and at her blog, PrimalBurgher.com

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5 Q's With A Strong Woman: Carol Donahoe

It is with great honor and appreciation that I can introduce you to the first strong woman of this series.  She is my mentor, my trainer and friend, Carol Donahoe.  Before knowing Carol, I didn't know physical health or strength was achievable for myself.  She showed me practically how to eat, how to be active and introduced me to real food and kettlebells.  She is still to this day one of my biggest advocates, my teacher and one of my favorite people.  She has made differences in many womens' lives as a personal trainer, spin instructor, group instructor, and will continue to do so with her passion for fitness and health.  Ladies and gentlemen, meet Carol Donahoe.

1.  What made you want to be in the fitness industry?  If not working in it, than what made you interested in fitness?

Not unlike many other trainers, I decided to go into fitness because I went through a transformation myself and wanted to help others, specifically women, achieve the same things in their lives. When I started working out my goal was to lose the "baby weight" I had put on during pregnancy.  Not only did I do that but more importantly I really found myself.  I became mentally, emotionally and spiritually stronger as a result.  The body composition change became incidental.  To risk sounding cliche, my desire was to empower women.  It's great to change your body but even better to change the way you view your place in the world.

2.  What was or is your biggest mental and physical struggle/hurdle while you are pursuing health and wellness?

The biggest challenge for me was not having a great support system in place.  My friends and family thought I was crazy and frequently voiced their (negative) opinion about my lifestyle choice.

3.  Has there been a struggle with body image in your journey?  Being around "fit" people?  Have you overcome that?  If so, how?

Yes, of course.  Sadly, I think it's a part of women's DNA.  It's hard not to compare yourself to the artificial image of a "fit" woman on the cover of a magazine or a rail thin super model. Once my goals shifted from losing weight and being thin to getting stronger and  experiencing my new found athleticism I started feeling a lot better in my own skin.

4.  What do you do now, that you never thought you could do before?  How did you get there? 

Ooooh, I love this question.  Have you heard the saying "youth is wasted on the young?"  I totally agree!  Being stronger and more secure has opened up so many wonderful roads on my journey that I never would have considered 20 years ago.  I trained for and completed the STP in one day (the 200 mile Seattle to Portland bike ride.)  I started scuba diving, bouldering, playing around with Aerial Arts (trapeze, silks, rope) and the biggest life changer was training for and receiving my RKC (Russian Kettlebell Challenge) last year. 

5.  What are your certifications, goals, and the thing that jazzes you the most about life?

I think I have a certification addiction.  In the last few years I received my HKC, RKC, NASM Certified Personal Trainer Certification, FMS, Z Health R Phase and I Phase, TRX Group Instructor Certification, ME Nutrition Consultant and am currently working on my Precision Nutrition Certification and have Z Health S Phase and T Phase in my future alone with a Primal Movement Certification.  I'm also finding my focus shifting a bit more towards nutrition and fat loss.

I think it's obvious that learning new, cool stuff in the industry jazzes me!  

Carol has been a personal trainer for 13 years working with endurance athletes, martial artists, seniors, youth, everyday fitness enthusiasts and people interested in weight loss. Having made her own personal transformation 13 years ago, she understands how taking care of one’s body through proper nutrition and exercise greatly enhances the quality of life. Carol has a passion for Russian kettlebells, bodyweight training, unconventional methods and fitness tools, unlocking people’s strength and teaching people proper movement to both heal and strengthen their bodies.

 Her favorite hobbies and interests include family, working out, bouldering and hiking.

  You can find her on Twitter @strengthnfusion and on Facebook.  

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5 Questions With A Strong Woman: Intro

Oh boy!  I am so excited for this new series to start.  

I have the honor of personally knowing or being aquaintances with lovely ladies who live to inspire and are fierce examples of physical and mental strength.  They are all women who have affected me in some way or another so I hope their transparent answers and stories will speak to your heart in a way that brings conviction, hope and inspiration. 

I am super stoked that these women would be apart of this series and hope to learn and glean from their wisdom and stories.

Hope you enjoy.  I know I will.

And without further ado, meet the first strong woman, Carol Donahoe.

Photo credit

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Why we shouldn't try to look like her

Correct me if I'm wrong, but a lot of us have an ideal image of what we want to look like (or weigh.)  Am I right?  Well, here are 5 reasons why we shouldn't try so hard to look like "her."

1.  Our metabolism

We are all made differently, we all have different life styles and we also have different metabolisms.  If you are intermittent fasting and trying to lose weight, but your metabolism is out of wack, most likely, you shouldn't be intermittent fasting until after you get your metabolism on the right track since it could do more harm than good.  Some people have very high metabolisms, so much so that it's a good idea for them to eat 10 more bites of starch than another person.  Apparently, some people can eat bread and stay thin.  (Jealous.)  There are ways to "reset" your metabolism, often times known as the HCG diet, but there are also more non invasive ways to help raise your metabolism.  Spicy food, ice water and eating breakfast according to this LiveStrong post.

2.  Our body type

So many beautiful body types on this earth.   So many different curves, shapes and sizes.  It's sad that one "type" of body type has been labeled "beautiful" but the truth is, your body is beautiful. Do you ever find it hard to believe that about yourself?  Doesn't matter who thinks or doesn't think, but your shape, your size and your body is beautiful.  Even the difference in men and women is incredible.  I've spoken with friends about how when our husbands or boyfriends work out, they lose weight quickly, but we are left with more weight to lose and more fat usually.  That is because our bodies are made to carry children.  We hold onto fat differently.  Most of us (ladies) have cellulite because our lower body cells create little pockets that can store fat, but guys usually have criss cross texture that doesn't allow fat cells to store there.  I know, sorry, sometimes, you were just meant to have more cellulite than "her."

3.  Our hormones

That person has different hormone dominance and deficiencies than you do.  I have often times had jealous thoughts that friends could eat ice cream and fast food without bloating up. Some people crave chocolate, sugar and coffee... while other crave fat, alcohol or just the feeling of being full.  Some people lack dopamine, making them lazier and procrastinators.  Other people lack GABA, causing them to have a harder time to relax and calm down, craving alcohol to bring them down to a relaxing level.  Could this truth change how we compare ourselves to others? We all have different hormone deficiencies, so will-powering yourself to do "THIS" diet isn't sustainable, unless your body responds well to that particular diet.  For example, I personally thrived on the Paleo diet.  My husband felt weak and always got hungry soon after dinner.  That doesn't mean that he has to eat differently than me, it just means that he needs to eat way more starch than I do to thrive.  So I guess, yes, he does need to eat differently than me.

4.  Our sanity

Obession is a b*tch.  There's a fine line between dedicated and obsessed, and you have to be at least a little obsessed to get stuff done and goals met.  The hard truth is, most people will never meet these expectations of "her" they have for themselves.  Sometimes, it's because their expectations are unrealistic... and sometimes it's because their priorities lie in different things.  Either way, only focusing on "her" isn't healthy for your mental wellness as well as the people who love you.  If all you talk about, think about and do is obsess about your body or the lack of progress, not only will this be annoying to people around you (yes, most will still love you,) but you will realize one day that all of it is vanity.  Oh hey!  Vanity rhymes with sanity!

5.  Our identity

Does your worth lie in how you look?  If you answered "no," may I ask, do you really believe that?  Are you worth more if someone gives you a second glance?  Are you worth more if you can put on designer jeans?  Are you worth more if you don't have a muffin top?  I'm all about supporting self esteem growth, but if we can take a minute and really reflect on why some of these things are so satisfying and gratifying to us, we may realize that we're receiving our identity and worth in something that is absolutely fleeting.

So what, I can't like designer jeans?

With all that in mind, having an attainable goal is really fun.  Being able to do a pull up, a push up, training for a marathon or certification, a goal to be healthy and physically vibrant.  And designer jeans are really fun, too.  In no way, am I promoting self sabotage or laziness.  But I will proudly promote perspective.  

We shouldn't try to look like "her" because it may do more damage than good on our body, soul and loved ones while we try to attain "her," than if we were thankful for our body and strived for health in the way that we are able too.

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Chicken & Apple Soup

This Seattle darkness is setting in again and even though I really enjoy it, I have to make sure to have things that help me when it gets too dark and gloomy.  One of my must have is some kind of yummy cinnamon scent in my house.  And another thing is alcohol.  And the other thing is soups.

I got some Isernio's chicken & apple sausage in my AmazonFresh delivery yesterday and thought I could use it to make soup.  I had a super old (probably a month old) butternut squash on my counter and decided to open it just incase I could use it.  To my surprise, it was fine.  This is definitely a clean recipe, no grains, no soy, no corn, no anything else that's bad.  Maybe I should add some heavy whipping cream... but for now, I won't.  

Chicken Sausage & Apple Soup Serves 6-8 

2 Tbsp of butter 1 package of Isernio's chicken & apple sausage 1/2 small onion, diced 1 butternut squash, cut into bite size cubes 2 stalks of celery, cut diagonally into slices 1 apple, diced 2 cups of broth, chicken would be best, I used beef bone broth. Cinnamon powder (optional) Salt and pepper to your liking

In a dutch oven, heat up butter and empty the sausage from the casings.  Brown for a little bit.

Add in diced onion, celery and apple*. Saute for a couple minutes until soft and add in the broth.  Add in enough water to cover the top of the ingredients.

Bring it to a boil, add in squash.  Cover and let it simmer for 15 minutes.

It smells like apple and cinnamon even without adding any cinnamon.  It would be lovely with a dollop of honey greek yogurt!  The sweetness from the sausage and apple makes it easy to eat for the littles.

*If you like your apple crunchier, add it in with the squash at the end.    

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Food in Portland

Oh my goodness. So far, the food experience is amazing in this wonderful city. Every place we have gone is special in its own way.  My friend works for Seattle Met Magazine so she got me a copy of the Portland Monthly, a sister company... it was a good starting place to find great restaurants.

Tear Drop - this bar was recommended to us by friends who were on Portland for their anniversary the weekend before we got here. The place is small, but the drinks and the knowledge of the hipster bartenders were fun. They wear suspenders and ties, and have the most unusual mixes of drinks. They are yummy and an experience to drink. I tried mezcal (sister of tequila) for the first time in an old fashion style. It was super smokey and although I wouldn't drink it again, it was fun to try. It had a huge 3x3 ice cube.

Clyde Common - the restaurant right next to Ace Hotel. We stayed at Ace last year and I don't know why we didn't eat at Clyde when we were here. The place is phenomenal. The olive oil they serve with their bread is from Olive Oil Ranch and was so delicious. I had the pork belly served with arugula pesto covering beans and a fried egg on top. My friend had their squash ravioli and the vibe was very "Ballard" like. Reminded my husband of Bastille in Seattle. They had Herradura tequila which is my fave, too.

Imperial - Apparently the chef who opened this restaurant is really good. They lease the space from the hotel next door and I just happened to walk in for breakfast by myself. It's a gem! My server ended up being a former food writer for a magazine and moved here from Seattle ten years ago. I got the goat cheese omelette with mushrooms and leeks. The potato was an au-gratin style and was crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. And I had to get a side of bacon, because she told me that their pigs are only fed hazelnuts for the last 6 months of their life and butchered and carved right in their own kitchen. It was indeed, freaking fantastic. Thin and crispy. I didn't taste any hazelnut per say, but it was delicious. More than normal bacon.

Porto Terra - This tiny Tuscan restaurant probably doesn't seat more than 20 people, but the food there is amazing.  The cheese/salumi/fruit place was my favorite paired with a Tuscan Chianti wine.  I realized there that I don't really enjoy italian wine since my palate is only now starting to enjoy Washington, Oregon and California wines.  My friends did enjoy it, but I ended up getting another glass of a different that I enjoyed more.  I got the grass fed steak (I think it was a filet mignon cut) and it was tender tender tender.  I don't usually like my steaks so pink, but it was tasty.

Red Lips - We needed pizza after a night of cocktails.  This place was good and super laid back.  Crust was thin and pizza was greasy.  Just want we wanted.  'Nough said.

Pine State Bisquits - Ya know, delicious and gut bloating as always. =)

Regarding all the food carts, I wasn't super into the ones we tried.  I think next time, I need to go where there's a long line, or somewhere that a friend recommends.

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Eating On A Getaway

My husband brought me to Portland this week and I am so giddy because of it!  The past three months has been a roller coaster, with losing Mira, job change, insanely busy project for my husband, moving houses, starting a new rhythm as Harley is going to preschool and just because life is sometimes really crazy.  Everything changed at the exact same time, one after the other and I was just holding on for dear life!  

This getaway, even if my husband is at a conference and I'm alone for the first part of the day, feels like exactly what I needed.  A time to reflect, a time to rest, a time to mourn, a time to rejoice and a time to be alone.  Oh, and a time to enjoy delicious Stumptown Coffee :)

Eating on the road or vacation can get tricky sometimes. Thankfully, there are plenty of places to eat clean in Portlandia.  I brought my BCAA's and Think Thin bars (I don't necessarily recommend protein bars... I'd rather have real food, but) I'd rather eat a bar than eat a bagel sandwich on impulse and regret it afterwards.

Anyways, the big idea of this post is this:  I'm totally going to enjoy the food here in Portland.  I'm going to enjoy the time to eat with my husband and our friends.  And I'm totally going to eat a Pine St. biscuit.  And I'm going to do it without being ashamed or feeling guilty.  Or at least I hope so!  This doesn't mean I'm going to eat everything that my little heart desires at unending amounts to satisfy my gluttonous mind.  But I will enjoy what I do eat because I can, because I have the freedom to and because life can really suck, but is really amazing at the same time and I'm thankful.

Like I tell my boys, "People are more important than toys."  I like to remind myself, "People are more important than food." 

I perceived that there was nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil -- this is God's gift to man.  Ecclesiastes 3:12-13

(Thanks to onehundrethmonkey.com for the photo.)

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The Shed30 Fat Loss Challenge

I'll keep this short and sweet.  We are offering the NEW Shed30 Fat Loss Challenge for those who are looking for the whole package:  Exercise, nutrition, community and accountability.

Who

This 12 week challenge is open to women in the Seattle area.  There is a limited number of spots.  Must know how to properly swing a kettlebell.  If you don't, contact us for a personal training session to learn the proper technique before the Challenge starts.  Please email info@shed30.com to register.

What

The Shed30 Fat Loss Challenge includes:

12 weeks of kettlebell classes.  2x/week, 30 minutes each ($240 value)

1 hour of one-on-one nutritional consulting using the Metabolic Effect Hormone Fat Loss nutrition method ($75 value)

Ongoing nutritional coaching via email and text for three months to adjust food/training, if needed ($300 value)

Weekly email with updates, tips, news and encouragement.

Before and after pictures, measurements recorded

Prize for the person who loses the most body fat % within the 12 weeks.

Where 

Classes will be held in Renton, 5 minutes off the MLK Way exit on I-5 or 10 minutes off Exit 2 on I-405.  Inside and/or outside depending on the weather. Kettlebells will be provided.

When

Wednesday, November 7, 2012 - Wednesday, January 30, 2013

No class on December 26th

Classes are 2x/week, on Wednesday mornings at 6:00am-6:30am and Saturday mornings at 6:30am-7:05am

Why

Because we want to offer a full service experience.  A way to get the elite training, the nutritional coaching, the community and the accountability.  A way to get results, develop better habits and to have support available in the way that you specifically need.

Join us for this challenge!  It will be hard work but it will be worth it.  We are excited to be able to offer this at a SPECIAL price of $300 (value of $615.)  If you register before the 22nd, you will get the super early bird registration price of $195!  

Space is limited, register now by emailing info@shed30.com.  

$195 Special! Early bird registration - ends October 22, 2012 $249 You still got time! registration - ends October 26, 2012 $300 Regular registration - ends November 2, 2012

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Dinner for your family and fat loss: Intro

We all know that there's more than one way to eat, be healthy, lose fat, lose weight and diet.  And we all know that these things can get in between family members and friends.  Or you end up having to make two or three different meals.  My goal with this series is to focus on dinner ideas that your kids will eat, but will also coincide with your dietary restrictions and choices.

Dining together at home has always been a struggle for me because my kids don't like to eat vegetables and because I'm lazy.  We either end up eating out, or we end up eating pizza, or we end up eating two different dinners.  All fine, but still not efficient for time, health and budget if done too often.

There are a couple guidelines that I will follow when choosing what my whole family can eat at dinner.  I will have all these things involved for a balanced meal.  The great thing I'm realizing about this approach is that depending on the individual, the plate will look differently.  The diagram below will show the difference between my husband plate vs. my own plate.  He needs a lot more starch for his body to function properly.  

What these categories mean:

Vegetable/fruit - all vegetables and fruit (select fruits for me, any fruit for him)

Protein - grass fed meat, fish, deer, chicken, pork.  I will not eat deer.

Starch - gluten free grains*, potatoes (sweet, sometimes white, colored) and once in awhile, the starch will be beans*.   

*Grains - I will stick with gluten free grains.  These include oatmeal, rice, quinoa and barley.  Mostly because Harley and I are allergic to it and it causes inflammation in my face and gut.

*Beans - Although beans are often times put in the protein category, I am going to use beans in the starch section because it is mostly made up of starch.  We won't eat beans very often, though, since we cut them out when we ate Paleo and we don't miss them.

So to wrap this intro post up, I'll finally share my first "dinner for your family and fat loss" menu!

Steak fajitas with brown rice and guacamole

Steak fajita with onions and colored pepper, cooked in Kerrygold butter Brown rice Guacamole: tomatoes, avocado, onion, garlic, lime, cilantro, salt & pepper

My kid ate it, my husband ate it, he asked for more rice, and my kids fought us on the veggies but they did eat some.  They are eating a banana right now, so they were still hungry, but it's better than cooking a whole 2nd dinner for them (that would of just consisted of chicken strips, mac and cheese, PB and J or hot dogs.)

Disclaimer:  Inspiration for this meal plan comes from Metabolic Effect and their hormonal fat loss certification I am going through.  

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Dinner Party Menu #1

Sometimes, I get the energy and motivation to have family and friends over.  We recently moved houses and since doing so, it is way easier to host people in our new home.  It doesn't hurt that we actually have parking around our house now and don't have to sit under the flight path while we are trying to converse outside.  I don't host very often, but when I do, I like to throw a party.  

I had a little dinner over at our house with my father in law, his wife and a couple friends.  Even though there were fruit flies being annoying and I forgot to pour the wine in the salmon recipe, it was still a success and it is giving me the confidence to prepare for Thanksgiving at our house this year.  I forgot to take any pictures since I was trying to focus all day in timing everything correctly.  But it was a lovely time with lovely food and lovely people that I love.

Menu: appetizer, 4 courses & a dessert board

Roasted grapes, melty brie, manchengo cheese and crackers. It's really easy to roast grapes.  Mine were big so I had to do it for 45 minutes, but you just put it in the oven at 400 degrees.  The recipe I looked at called for a splash of balsamic vinegar, but I didn't do it and it was great. Get the grapes without seeds for easy eating.  I accidentally left the cheese in the oven too long on broil and the goodness leaked out.  It was still okay, but next time, I'm going to undercook rather than try to get the top golden brown.

Arugula Salad with Beets, Chèvre and Pistastios   Dressing was made with lemon juice, sugar, olive oil and ground mustard.  It was simple and a good starter.

Pumpkin Soup with Honey Yogurt and Cilantro My friend, Jen, works for a catering company and likes to host dinner parties with multiple courses.  She helped me with this soup. It is a mixture of two different soups (here and here.)  I used canned pumpkin puree and coconut milk.  Everything in there is clean, dairy free and "elegant" as one of my guests said. (Except the honey yogurt isn't dairy free, of course.)

Beef Rosemary Stew I used stew beef, browned it, added onions, garlic, carrots, celery and rosemary.  Filled it up with red wine from Target and baked it in the oven for 3 hours at 350 degrees.  After three hours, I added some colored potatoes, more red wine and baked for another hour.  Stew is not that hard but for some reason I was getting anxious about it looking at all the recipes.  I ended up using this technique from a fennel stew recipe and used the ingredients I had. It didn't have any liquid but I was okay with that because I didn't want to add flour or cornstarch anyways. The meat was tender and juicy. The bold taste of the stew after the light pumpkin soup was a really fun difference.

Simple Salmon This is my go to salmon recipe I have used multiple times.  My friend, Annie, from Annie Eats Clean is the lovely mind behind this salmon and it always comes out great.  Even when someone leaves out the white wine.  =/ 

Dessert Board One of my guests brought dessert.  She knew that we liked to eat clean so she made almond roca looking things, but they were dates rolled in almonds.  There was also fresh grapes, blue cheese with truffle salt honey (oh my dear lord,) orangey dark chocolate and little crostini crackers with nuts and raisins (I'm guessing.)  

We drank yummy wines from California and had sparkling and still water available.

This dinner menu can easily stay clean.  Instead of the brie cheese, you could serve bacon wrapped jalapenos or smoked salmon on cucumber slices.

What I learned from this dinner:

I need to get more bowls and plates.

I also need to get more silverware.

And cloth napkins.

I don't mind having to wash dishes in between courses, but it'd be better if I didn't have to.

[shed30-blog]

Step 1 for Husband's Health: Cooking at home

A couple months ago, before life became chaotic, I posted this about my husband's health and how I felt like I needed to help him.  My vision was to give him the tools to help him not run on empty, stimulants and fast food.  I am going to incorporate one or two things this week.  

First thing will be something I should of been doing all along: cooking at home.  We will be eating dinners at home, not only to help our budget, but to also know what is going into our mouths.  For some reason, even if what you're eating "out" is clean, you probably don't know exactly what you're eating.  Corn oil?  Vegetable oil?  Soybean oil?  MSG?

What's interesting to me is that John is obviously a "muscle burner" meaning he eats to live and need more sugar/carbs than I do.  I've been going through the Metabolic Effect Hormonal Fat Loss nutrition program and one of the biggest things I've learned is that some people need less or more of certain things to maintain hunger, energy and cravings.  My husband will be needing more starches/carbs, where I need less.  My go to starches will be potatoes and rice.  I want to continue to keep our family away from a ton of wheat since Harley has allergies and since it makes me bloat up like a balloon.

The other thing I will be incorporating this week will be BCAA (branched chain amino acids.)  This will help me with hunger and cravings, and it will help John too in a different way.  Taking BCAA's will "spare muscle loss, and they provide key elements in glucose metabolism through the ability to modulate both glutamine and alanine, amino acids key in the production of glucose," according to an article by Metabolic Effect.

So here is my plan of action:

Cook food at home.  John will need 7-15 bites of starch at each meal (while I'll need 3-5) to help decrease muscle loss and regulate blood sugar.

He does better with low fat dairy (since he's a muscle burner.)

Give him green tea (theanine calms the brain... but might make him nauseous so we will see.)

Add cocoa powder to his diet.  Cocoa powder is rich in magnesium, balances blood sugar, restores function to adrenal glands and the nervous system.  He will hate this, but I'll try to bribe him :)

[shed30-blog]

Paralyzed by Ideals

There are ideals and visions of how I want to physically or even mentally look.  These pictures are posted everywhere on Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook.  Heck, the pictures might even be of your friends and family.  I have realized that those ideals can or do paralyze me from actually accomplishing anything or growing.

The lie:  You want to and need to look like that. The truth:  You don't need to look like anything or anyone.  Everyone is made differently, holding fat and muscle differently, responds to eating and training differently.  Some people work out every single day for over an hour.  And some people get in 15 in the morning.  And some people don't move at all.

The lie:  You need to be perfect before becoming a trainer. The truth:  Though it may be true for some, others enjoy getting help from people who don't look perfect.  Others enjoy walking through health and wellness with other people who also struggle, have kids, have a hard time making time to exercise, eat pizza sometimes and have a life outside of the gym.  Work out and be healthy for yourself, not so that other people will want to be you.  In your authentic progress and struggles, the people that are drawn to you will be drawn to you.  And those are the people you want to be around anyways.

The lie:  You're not good, you're ugly, fat and pathetic. The truth:  Not only is that depressing, it's also prideful.  It's easy to get caught up in self loathing, self bashing and self medicating.  But it's pride.  I've struggle in this area, not seeing myself as I really am, or so disgusted by how I look, it makes me want to find a quick fix, or just go deeper into being self destructive.  Everyone has to start somewhere and if I'm not okay as I am today, most likely, even if I reach some amazing goal, I will still be depressed because putting all my hopes into my identity of how I look... will eventually always fail me.

The lie:  You disappoint other people by how you look or eat. The truth:  Everyone else is consumed by their own journey or lack there off.  Sometimes I get paralyzed thinking that everyone else is thinking about me or my progress... and the truth is, no one cares about me more than themselves to focus all day on my progress or lack of progress.  They are busy with their own lives.  If you do have someone who's riding your hiney about your exercises and the way you eat (with the exception of a trainer you paid or friend you're walking with in accountability,) remember this.  They are not your God.  You can either give them the satisfaction of being their minion, or you can worship the real God that doesn't look at you as a project and disappointment, but rather someone who is covered by grace through Jesus.  

Change isn't authentic and sustainable if it's done for someone else. It has to be for you.  It has to be for your own strength and growth, not for affection and approval from others. 

Thank you This Is Not A Diet for the photo used in this post.

[shed30-blog]

Are the rates for classes for 1 class or a set of classes?

Any rates for classes on my website will be for the whole set of classes.  My standard drop in rate for one class is $20.  

[shed30-blog]

5 exercises you can do with your kids

Sometimes, you won't be able to get up at 5:30am and get in a workout.  Amen?!  (Although I do know some moms who are able to do so!)

There are long and busy seasons especially when you have children, but moving will not only help your body but also your mind.  Get some movement in and use it as your recharge time away from people... or include your kids if you must.  Use the time at the park to play and move with them.  Not only will you get a workout in, your kids would probably love playing with you.

Photo credit: Train Out Pain

1.  Bear crawl.  On all fours, crawl and growl.

2.  Burpee.  I don't include the push up. But by all means, if you can, then do!  If you struggle to do a burpee, step your feet into position instead of jumping into position.

3.  Jumping jacks. If you don't know how to do a jumping jack, I'm sorry no one has taught you.  If you don't want to jump up and down (or don't have a sports bra on) stepping out (one side at a time) without jumping is still very effective.

4.  Frog jumps.  Jump like a frog.  Any questions?

5.  Monkey bars.  Most likely, they will be better than you at the monkey bars.  If you can not move on the monkey bars, use one of the bars to hold on to, pulling your shoulders into the socket... or do flexed arm hangs.

What other things do you do with your kids?  Swim?  Bike?  Climb?  Share with us!

[shed30-blog]

Caught on tape

I can't seem to come up with the words to write today.  So I will just post videos from today's training.  I will not make excuses, I will not write out disclaimers, I will just post it.  And trust that whatever people may think, good or bad, my identity will not come from it.  Enjoy a peak into my life.  

Goblet squatting Harley was really fun... but don't be fooled.  Right after my workout, I had a really not-fun time with my other son.  Good thing that wasn't caught on tape.

[shed30-blog]

Cheap Local Produce

I'm the girl that buys a bunch of produce and let's it go to waste because my intentions are good, but I end up eating out.  Most weeks, there will be food found rotting in my drawers.  But even though that is true, there's something sweet and satisfying getting a box full of produce delivered to my front door or getting a big bag of local produce at the farmer's market.  

In the past 7 years, I've tried a handful of the produce delivery available in Seattle.  Tiny's, Freggies, Full Circle, Spud... I haven't tried Amazon Fresh because when looking at the prices, it seems a little high.  Bountiful Baskets reminds me more of a farmer's market where you don't pick out your produce.  Here's the basics of this non for profit, volunteer run co-op.

No one's making money  Out of the volunteers, no one's getting paid.  The website is a little sad and not very user friendly because they probably didn't hire anyone to do it.  You are ultimately buying produce with 70 other families and splitting it up evenly between everyone.  You have to go to the pick up site at 7:00am (or whatever time they set) and only have a 30 minute window to make it happen.  You are suppose to bring your own box or bag to put the produce in, but if you forget, they have a ton of boxes you could use.  If you forget to come, they will donate the produce and you will not get a refund.

Organic? Not if you don't want Some people want to pay for organic, some people don't.  If you want organic, it's an additional $10 for your organic basket.  If you want conventional, the basket (or I should say the two baskets,) are $15.  Either way, I think it's a great deal.  I usually budget $40 for a trip to the farmers market and could probably walk away with the same amount if I try... but I don't mind having someone else pick the produce for me.

Order ahead Each week, you must sign up by Tuesday.  You just order on the website and use a credit/debit card to pay.  This is when you can decide between organic/conventional, add fajita pack (peppers, onions, garlic kit,) add bread to your order and etc.  They have random things on the website that you can add.

So, what's the catch? This is what I asked when first hearing about Bountiful Baskets over a year ago.  After going today, I don't think there is one.  The only thing that you have to put in is your gas money and your sleep.  They also ask you to volunteer once every month or every other month.  All that entails is arriving a little bit early and filling the baskets.  If you don't do it or can't for any reason, I doubt anyone would care.  

The picture above includes a regular order of fruit and veggies and an additional $5 fajita pack.  I've been seeing colored peppers for 50 cents (for green peppers) or $1(red,orange,yellow peppers,) so this was reasonable.

What I like about Bountiful Baskets compared to other produce services:

You don't have to get stuck with random boxes that you have to keep around your house until the next delivery.  I don't think I've ever actually returned a box, but I have kept plenty of them in my kitchen waiting for the next delivery day, when I forget to set them out :)  

If you want to meet new people, you totally could as you wait in line together.  Most everyone looks like they rolled out of bed and put on sweat pants... or at least that's what I did.

It's affordable.  Extremely affordable.  Other than your first time additional $3.00 fee for getting baskets for your order, you could order two baskets of produce for $15/week.  I think that's pretty awesome.

What I don't like:

You can't pick.

It's not delivery.

I can't help but wonder if it's "left over" produce from someone else.  Qualities pretty good and a lot of the people in the line seem really picky, so I'm in good company with people who will probably care a little bit more than I do.  I heard someone complain quietly about the peaches and a couple minutes later, saw the volunteers box all the peaches up.  

Host a site/start a site If I ran a kettlebell studio or a business, I would jump on opening one of these pick up locations at my place.  It'd be a great way to bring people into the facility or at least offer the parking space as a pick up location.  You could even get your own people to participate.  

Try it out!  See if they have a pick up site near your house.