Two births, sexy ladies, and a voting request...

WHOA...long time.  I think it's fair to say that I've been extremely busy these past few months, but crazy busy for sure over the past 2 months.  Let's see...

F.I.T.T. began in 2009 by my partner, Jen, and the name was amended to FITT-RX  in 2012.  It's birth was, well, very long and well worth the wait!  To make it even more amazing and exciting was that another birth happened as well with the birth of my biz partner's baby boy on Friday, May 4th.  UMMM...can you say crazy timing?  And also the fact that she had that little bundle of joy just 5 hours after co-teaching a TRX class at the studio?  Yes, we believe the suspended plank she held got the ball rolling.  No one in class wanted to lose that plank contest to a woman 40 weeks prego!

What else has been happening?  Well, we are marketing, advertising, teaching classes, feeding our families, keeping ourselves fit(t), going to dance recitals, preschool graduations, graduate school graduations, birthday parties, hockey games and practices, t-ball, soccer...AHHHHH!!!!  These are just to name a few, but we continue on in pursuit of making Elmhurst and its surrounding areas healthy, active, and keeping it fun all at the same time.

FITT-RX has been a part of several charity events since late-April.  We have donated several classes to help several schools and non-for-profit organizations make money to help those in need.  It's a win-win!  Person wins the raffle or silent auction prize and gets fit, then the organization at the same time raises money to help others!

Finally, business-wise Jen and I have applied for this awesome $250,000 grant sponsored by Chase Bank and LivingSocial.  We've sent in our application, answered super thought-provoking essay questions, and now need one more thing to take us to the next level.  VOTES!  If we get these votes, the rest is up to the panel of judges who decide what small businesses are worthy of such a fantastic grant.  We've told them what we'd do with it, which would include adding childcare (this is huge and our biggest obstacle right now), spin classes, locker rooms, showers, nutritional counseling, and many, many more opportunities would be available to us with such a fantastic opportunity. 

So click on the super important word below.  I don't care if you don't live near me...still do it.  You can only vote if you're a facebook user.  Do it, share it...and then send emails to everyone you know and ask them to vote too.  It's easy and takes less than a minute.  Thank you!!!!!!!!!

VOTE!

OK, so how does one be so busy and still get time to think about my food ingestion and exercise?  Well, it's not easy.  You have absolutely no idea how many people think I exercise all day long.  Ah man...I wish it was that EASY!  But the truth to the matter is that I need to find time to exercise.  I do not work out during my boot camps.  Instead, I teach proper form and create an organized workout so people don't have to walk around a gym scratching there head thinking to themselves, "Boy, I wish Jill was here telling me what to do."  Yes, I have heard this...not making it up.  Back to the topic...one way I know I will get my exercise in is by setting goals.  I (and RMFAO) accomplished a goal this weekend, and I have another goal to accomplish in a couple weeks.  First RMFAO....

RMFAO RAGNAR RELAY

MADISON TO CHICAGO 2012

198 MILES, BABY!

Yes, we were sexy and we knew it!

12 freakin' awesome girls, 2 white 15 passenger vans all decked out, 85 to 92 degree temps, and 198 miles to run from Madison, WI to beautiful Chicago, IL.  This is the picture after we crossed the finish line.  We are smiling and SOOOOO flippin' excited to be done.  AND, yes, we look forward to #3.  Too see a RAGNAR video and what it's all about, check this out.

http://www.youtube.com/ragnarrelay

The second goal this summer is to complete the first Chicago all women's half marathon on June 24th.  Looking forward to another exciting time with friends.  You girls all ROCK!

OK, last but not least fo sho...FOOD!

No soda of any kind - check

3 meals, plus 2 snacks a day - check

lots of water - check

staying with only healthy choices - well, this is tough, but I do continue to stay on track (for the most part).  Sooooooo......half a check:)

Alright...this is long enough!  See ya soon!

STAY FITT PEEPS!  Jill

Figuring out why my runs are feeling so much better!!!

Friday's Food Journal

Breakfast:  Kashi Go Lean Crunch with frozen blueberries and almond milk.  Coffee with Cinnabon creamer (so good!)

Lunch:  1 piece of homemade poppy seed bread, a handful of blackberries, and we took our soon-to-be FITT-RX staff out for lunch to get to know each other.  What a great crew!  I enjoyed a chopped chicken cobb salad and ice tea.

Dinner:  1 piece of Wonder Smart White bread topped with sloppy joe's.  This was a bit of a free for all at our house, so with that sloppy joe, I had a few handfuls of Cinnamon Toast Crunch.  Dinner of champions for sure!  Not my most proud-of dinner:)

Evening snack:  Leine's summer shandy and some popcorn

Exercise:
I did not get my long run in this weekend.  I sent my hubby off to the studio to install his amazing custom-made desk.  Him, and my partner's husband, or as we like to call them our Chief Marketing Officers, did an amazing job getting it all together.  Wow, I can't wait to work behind it!  Anyway, because of that, I was carting children off to several sporting events.  The following day, we again drove to a sporting event and I got to load up my car with about 900 lbs. of equipment.  If you see a SUV looking like it's ass is sagging, it's me:)  Tomorrow, it'll all be delivered!!!!!

OK, back to exercise.  I polished off 8 miles lickety split.  Seriously, these runs have been amazing this time around.  I truly owe it to HIIT Training and Tabatas.  Wow!  My endurance levels have soared and I'm so happy about that.

I BECAME A CHEATER!

Back to some journaling.  Thank goodness I enjoyed it, otherwise, I'd be in deep doodoo.  Wait...I was in deep doodoo this morning.  First poopy toilet overflow all over the bathroom floor.  Nice. And no, I won't share who the culprit was.

Let me just start off by saying, I've kept MOST of my habits intact since I stopped blogging to the world my list of foods consumed.  No diet coke (many, many, many countless thanks to Dr. Kelly at Tree of Life!), artificial sweetener, and food scheduling.  However...what I have started doing again is snacking while making dinner around 5:00pm.  So, no more!  Oh yeah, I've also started sneaking in chocolate and some sugary foods a few times too.  I blame the Easter Bunny.

Saturday, April 21st
I woke up at 6am to get my run in for the day.  I signed up for the Chicago Women's Half-Marathon on June 24th.  This is my 3rd week of training, and I am enjoying the runs.  It's been since November since I ran my last half in Savannah, GA, so getting back to a running routine has been nice.  Ran 8 miles.

Breakfast:
After I returned from my run, I consumed a bowl of Special K Red Berries Cereal with a banana, frozen wild blueberries, and almond milk.  Big surprise!  I had a 12oz. mug of a Chai Latte to top off my breakfast.

Lunch:
GREEN MONSTER!

Snack:
Lemon Bar Larabar - yums!

Dinner:
Yes, this is where I become a CHEATER!  While the turkey burgers are on the grill and sweet potato fries are baking, I consume Simply Naked Pita Chips topped with Classic Olive Muffalata both from Costco.  Sidebar:  Today I checked out the grade these chips get on my fooducate app. and they received a D+.  Tossed the rest of the bag in the garbage.  Kept the Muffalata though.  There's a lot of uses for that stuff.  It's good!

OK, dinner:  Turkey burger on a bun, sweet potato fries, spinach salad topped with sweet peppers and creamy balsamic dressing.

I went to a concert this evening and while there, I drank 2-10oz glasses of Miller Lite.  There's no way those glasses were more than 10oz. and at $7 a pop!  Seriously?

Evening Snack:  When I got home from the concert, I had a Mini Babybell Light cheese round.  These are really good, and they're the light variety.  Sometimes, light cheese tastes funky.  These don't.  I buy them at Costco.

It's good to be back!  Studio's coming along very well, and today I wrote my last Elmhurst Boot Camp newsletter.  Looking forward to trudging along to things I love...

Is it going to easy? Maybe not. Worth it? Absoflippinlutely!

Last week, I was on the treadmill at the gym watching the highlights of the Master's tournament.  Bubba Watson was being interviewed, and I couldn't help but bring a tear to my eye.  Seriously, this guy is awesome!  Winning the Master's is a dream come true to many young golfers all over the world, and his emotional interviews encompassed what this truly meant to him. 

GOALS - He had goals.

Hours on the driving range.  Hours on the putting green.  Hours on the course.  All added up to reaching his lifelong dream.

So, I put this into perspective for me.  I run.  I don't LOVE running, but I LOVE reaching goals.  A couple times a year, I make a goal to run 2 half marathons.  I enjoy the training, but NOTHING compares to crossing that finish line after weeks of long, hard work.  Think about it...why train for something if it was easy.  It's not...at least for me.  And then I think about a quote I came across on Pinterest.  It read...

 "I'm not telling you it's going to be easy.  I'm telling you it's going to be worth it."

This is my go-to quote for those I work with.  I'm there for them 110%.  I'll help them reach their goals.  BUT - I'll tell ya, you have to work for what you get.  You work hard, and I guarantee, the prize in the end will all be worth it!

Go, BUBBA!  Thanks for showing the world whatcha got!  You definitely inspired this girl!



Large Reeses' Peanut Butter Eggs are in da house!!!!

Tomorrow starts a new day.  After a fabulous Easter weekend with my family, I get to jump right back into my mindful eating bandwagon.  Ham, potatoes, corn, appetizers (yep, I was full before dinner!), Summer Shandy, wine, apple pie, cherry pie, my mom's amazingly decorated sugar cookies, and yes, my mom's amazing cinnamon rolls with her scrumptious frosting, Whoppers Easter eggs, salads, marinated cucumbers (to die for!), beef sandwiches, chips, french onion dip, and an accidental sip of my husband's diet coke!  I thought it was my ice tea.  Blech!!!

Not to mention my children's eyes when they saw that Easter morning arrived along with Roller Blades, chocolate, coloring books, crayons, etc...  And yes, the Easter Bunny should've brought things he didn't like, however, he brought things he LOVED!  How long are those large Reeses' Peanut Butter Eggs going to stay in the package?  Will power is going to prevail...I hope:)

Like I said, tomorrow starts a new day.  That sentence is HUGE!  Just because someone has a bad day, week, month, year, doesn't mean that they can't jump back into healthy, mindful eating again. 

Week 2 of half-marathon training starts tomorrow!  What's your week 2 going to look like?

Not as much journaling, but a heck of a lot more control. Mission accomplished!

Well, I'm so glad I named this blog Practicing What I Preach instead of Food Journaling.  I've got lots more to preach that does not have to do anything with food.  The food part was the hard part, the other stuff isn't so bad.  I haven't been writing my food down as religiously as I previously was, but can honestly say, it forced me to develop a food schedule so that's stuck with me well.  However, I have noticed some cheating since I don't have the pressure of writing it down for you all to see anymore.  I'll still write a few days down here and there to share, but not for 8 weeks straight!

Took the kids to the gym today so I could work out.  The hubby went on the Prairie Path to run 10 miles.  Overachiever...haha!  He's running the Mini-Marathon in Indianapolis that I was supposed to run, but I thought I'd better not due to the studio opening around that same time.  Lucky for me though, I've got the Madison to Chicago Ragnar Relay to look forward to, as well as, a half-marathon in Chicago come June.

Anyway, here's my workout today.  It was an easy one.  Took about an hour.

Stationary Bike - 20 minutes (moderate to high intensity)

3 Sets of Each:
Concentration bicep curls while doing a wall sit on an upside-down Bosu ball
Chest Flys while lying on the Bosu
Single Leg hip raises while lying on the Bosu
Push ups

Front Plank while lifting leg and going out to the side and up (30 secs each side)
Side Planks
Suitcase Crunches

Step Machine - 15 minutes (intervals)

Healthy Recipe
I found this fantastic recipe on Pinterest.

Smashed Chickpea & Avocado Salad Sandwich.
1 (15oz) can of chickpeas
1 medium ripe avocado
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
2 T. chopped green onion
Juice from 1 lime
Bread of your choice

Drain and rinse the chickpeas.  In a medium bowl, using a fork or potato masher, smash the chickpeas and avocado together.  Add in cilantro, green onion, and lime juice.  Spread salad on bread and top with your favorite sandwich toppings.  This salad also makes a great dip for crackers or pita chips.  Be sure to keep the avocado pit in the salad/dip to keep it from turning brown while you store it in the refrigerator.  Enjoy!

I've also had many requests for the Green Monster recipe I posted a few weeks ago.  The title of the blog starts with Green Monsters so if you need it, it's on here!

Keep being mindful!

OMG...I'm gonna do it. Show an old fat pic...

So Wednesday a few of us laid by the pool, while others golfed and shopped.  I'd be one who stayed at the house and watched the kids swim while catching the Florida rays with my sister, Becky.  It was a great day.  Later on, our entire family had pictures taken at Nokomis Beach.  The sunset was beautiful and everyone, including my photophobic son, did fantastic.  I bribed him with a trip to Walmart.  The kid had the world by the horns at Walmart, and he ended up with a black cowboy hat.  Of course, his sister couldn't be outdone so she opted for some "girl" legos.  We were one big happy family.

Food Journal:

Lunch:  Green Monster

Snack:  Lara Bar - peanut butter and jelly flavor and it was so good!

Drinks:  Sweet Tea Vodka and Light Minute Maid Lemonade - 2 of these super awesome drinks.

Dinner:  Leftovers from the past dinners.  I had a BBQ'd chicken breast, 1/2 ear of corn, broccoli, and red potatoes.

Evening Snack:  After pics and Walmart, I arrived to appetizers on the kitchen island.  After this journaling experience, I've learned that appetizers are evil.  I mean who really needs them?  You eat tons of calories before a meal, and half the time I'm full after eating apps and then eat the same amount of dinner I would've had in the first place.  BUT, with this being said...I LOVE APPETIZERS!  Ugh...so I have crackers with crab dip and crab cheese spread.  Mom and the kids also made cookies, so I polished off a few of those as well.  YES, A PROUD IMPULSIVE MOMENT WHICH I WAS NOT MINDFUL.

Later Evening Snack:  Popcorn

Thursday, March 15th

BUSCH GARDENS TAMPA BAY DAY!!!

Breakfast:  Special K cereal, fresh blueberries, almond milk, and coffee with the fixin's

Lunch:  Grilled chicken tortilla salad, strawberries dipped in chocolate mousse, and water.

Snack:  A super tiny bite of each of my kid's Dippin' Dots.  Talia had banana split and Marco had rainbow.  I would've had more, but they scarfed it down.  Good stuff, I guess.

Dinner:  Grilled chicken breast on a bun (I used half of the humongous bun they gave me), french fries, and (gulp) do I dare say I mixed cherry coke and diet coke together.  I was so tired of drinking plain old water, and yes, I couldn't dare drink an entire cherry coke with calories so I mixed the two drinks.  I feel bad...but just a tiny bit.

Evening:  Crackers and crab dip and crab cheese spread;  A couple tortilla chips with salsa.

Later evening snacks: The big kids went out for drinks and I had 3 beers and 2 buffalo wings. My sister ordered mozzarella sticks which were staring at me until she FINALLY ate the last one. Thank God!

Friday, March 16th (Our last beach day)

Breakfast:  Special K cereal, blueberries, almond milk, coffee

Lunch:  Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich and lots of water

Snack:  A few appetizers (not many) and a piece of birthday cake.  My sister, Kelly, and I have birthdays coming up so the family sang to us.  It was white cake, frosting, and frozen yogurt.

Dinner:  We have friends in Sarasota and they invited us up for a BBQ.  They made these amazing beef and chicken kabobs.  So on this night I enjoyed:  tortilla chips, salsa, 2 beef kabobs and 1 chicken kabob.  These kabobs were loaded with different veggies and strawberries.  I also enjoyed 3 Sangrias.  I was taken my life into my own hands drinking these Sangrias.  There is wine involved and I was a bit worried about a hangover because we had a St. Patty's Day 8K in the morning to run, plus we were staring our voyage back home after the run.  Bottoms up!

March 17th Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Breakfast:  Cinnamon Toast Crunch with Almond Milk (We were running low on my fave cereals)

8K Race:  This was definitely the fastest 8K I've ever run.  The first 4-5K of a race, I always struggle to find my groove, but boy did I find it in the last 4K!  Yippee!  I felt AWESOME!  That Sangria last night can kiss my butt.

Post-Race Snack:  I had to finish that last Green Monster before we hit the road.

Lunch:  The kids wanted McDonald's so I had a grilled Southwest chicken salad and water.

Car ride snacks:  2 twizzlers and 2 pretzel rods.

Dinner:  SPLURGE!  KFC - 2 extra crispy pieces of meat (breast and a thigh), cole slaw, 1/2 corn on the cob, biscuit, and water

Evening drink:  We made it to Nashville and I drank a 1/2 bottle of Land Shark before I fell asleep.

Sunday, March 18th

Breakfast:  Dunkin' Donuts french vanilla coffee with skim milk and sugar; orange; 1 piece of cinnamon raisin bread.

Car ride snack:  2 pretzel rods

Lunch:  6' ham and provolone plus a ton of veggies Subway sandwich on wheat bread with Baked Lays Southwester/Ranch chips; water

Car ride snack:  2 Twizzlers

Dinner at home sweet home:  Grilled Tilapia with seasoning salt and onion; stir fry vegetables; wild rice and quinoa; water.  This was my 3rd and final attempt at quinoa.  At Costco I found a package of wild brown rice mixed with quinoa and, ***ding ding ding***, I found something that works!  Good stuff!

Monday, March 19th

Breakfast:  Special K with berries cereal, frozen blueberries, almond milk, coffee with the usuals.

Lunch:  Leftover wild brown rice with quinoa mixed with stir fry veggies.



So this picture I commented in my title:
Many people who didn't know me pre-1997 (the year I moved to the Chicago area) don't know that I was much heavier as a younger 20 something adult.  They don't believe me and they think that I've been fit my whole life.  Well hold on sista's, I can tell you that in order for me to stay fit is that I'm not naturally like this.  I have to work at it diligently and must eat right.  I'm super jealous of those with high metabolisms who stay thin barely trying.  However, I must also tell them that even though they may be thin, they should still consider exercising and eating right because there are several health benefits that come along with living a healthy lifestyle.

I'm cringing as I'm about to do this...Here's my picture along with a few friends during a birthday celebration.  Which one am I?

Here's to mindful eating and exercise!