Importance Of Health

This summer I did boot camp in Stillwater and the trainer said this quote and it has been in my head since:

"If you don't have your health, what do you have?"

This is so powerful. Yes you'll have your family and friends. But if you don't have your health and can't be living, then what do you have?

It's so powerful and can be viewed differently by everyone. I know someone who thought this was the stupidest saying ever. Each person has their own opinion.

What are your thoughts on this quote?

This outfit is a favorite of mine! I wore it to school a few weeks back. It's maroon cords from Gap, a black t-shirt, a cream sweater from Eddie Bauer, a knitted green scarf from Old Navy and a fun necklace of course paired with my favorite brown boots!

Balls To The Walls

So remember when I wrote about how I signed up for a half marathon? Or did you laugh at that, just like me?

It’s true folks. I don’t know what’s scarier, having my parents drop me off at college where I knew no one and wave bye or running this stupid half marathon.

When I was going to ‘check out’ it literally took me 2 minutes to push the final submit button. Because I was that nervous!!

I am doing it with my good friend Catherine and possibly our friend Katie.

I will be following this training plan:

If this is hard to read it is basically shorter runs T/W/Th/Sat. Off M/F.
Long run on Sundays. It's a 12 week deal. I started this week.

Until the race day I will be going balls to the walls. AKA working my ass off, actually running (unlike the last 10K where I trained a few days before).... This is the plan at least!

Goals for this half marathon? 

FRICKIN’ FINISH WITHOUT DYING.

Seriously.

When I finish I will be getting some gadget; a necklace, bumper sticker, key chain, something to prove that I am CAPIABLE of anything even if it scares me.

I may or may not wear the medal I receive for a week. But we will see.

Updates to come.

I'm Back In Action.. Ready For Change

It's been forever. I apologize for my lack of blogging! December has flown by and I've only done 4 posts (including this one!). That is SO unlike me and I will be changing that going forward. :) 

Today is a new day for me. A new start. Most people start on January 1st, they make a New Years resolution. Today, I am regrouping, restarting and changing my lifestyle.

So let's back up a little.. I'm going to share my story a little bit: I went to college in August of 2012, weighing somewhere between 210-217. I played hockey in HS but was always the bigger girl, I liked to think it was muscle, I had broad shoulders, etc. Now I realize that I was just unhealthy and out of shape. Back to college- I went to Concordia in Moorhead, MN. I met some of my best friends there. But it clicked for me, you have free time, you have healthier options in the dining center (salad and veggies already prepared) maybe you should try to eat healthier and workout. No diet plan, no start day, just make changes.

Well these little changes resulted in a major weight loss of 50 ish lbs. And about 4 dress sizes smaller. Then this past summer (2013) I really started caring about food, organic vs. non organic and my exercising became something different than 1 hour on the elliptical. This is where I saw the most changes! I dropped about 8 more pounds and was in a pant size 4 originally starting at a 14-16.

HUGE changes and I felt great. I started using new protein powder and my energy increased significantly.

Then I was gearing up for my sophomore year of college. When things changed... My want to exercise wasn't there as much. My want for unhealthy cravings came back. I put the worst food in my body and too much food in my body. I gained back weight and am NOT proud. But all I can do is change my unhealthy habits back into my healthy habits. I'm embarrassed, ashamed, disappointed, mad, sad and so many other things.

But today is my day to make the change. The holidays are over and it's now my time to shine!

I recently decided to change my major resulting in a school change. I will be living at home this semester and although I may get bored because I won't be with my friends 24/7 I hope this is a time for me to focus on ME (something I don't do enough).

Changes that I want to make: watch what I am eating, try tracking my food in a notebook, eat whole foods, workout, run (I have a half marathon March 15!), sleep, drink water.

I will as always be updating the blog on my struggles, highs and lows, and everything else going on in my life.

Cheers to new starts and healthier living!

Some fun pictures from Christmas and my trip to Disney World with my family!

Dinner out. Bria and I.

GORGEOUS. 

Funny story to this picture, my sister and I
got stuck on a ride. She is 21, she was also
crying. I thought it was funny and I was laughing
at her.. Which made her even more mad.
Oh the sisterly love we have for each other.

The Epcot ball

My sister and I

I cannot tell you how many Christmas trees
I saw in the 6 days we were in FL. The parks
had so many trees. This one happens to be at the airport

I'm in the pink, my sister is to the right of me.
She was so scared. My dad is in front of us,
he was ready to blow chunks.

My sister Bria and I

Safari ride at Animal Kingdom. So cool. The animals
came so close to us.

Bria and I on Christmas

My sister and cousins. L to R. Bria, Carlie, Me, Callie and Alahna

Callie and I

My grandparents and Bria.

More fun posts in the near future! Keep popping back! 

Races. School. Family. Friends. Food; Life.

Hello friends!

I keep disappearing on you! I haven't been keeping up with my normal blogging, for a few different reasons: it's finals time, my last week at Concordia and dang it life is smacking me in the face.

So I have obviously been super busy with school. Finals are keeping me up a little later, cutting into my exercise time and making me want to eat bad/order pizza at odd times. Not to add on the monthly gift I just happened to receive this same week. Cheers to that.

I had a wonderful dinner out with friends to celebrate my good friend Allie and I. We are both leaving at the end of this semester to peruse our dreams! (She is going into nursing in Nebraska). I couldn't be more excited! But I also don't think it has hit me that I am leaving my 'home'. Where I feel comfortable, where my friends are, where I can giggle, where I can stay up late and watch movies, where I can go to dinner and see my friends every frickin' night. These are the things that haven't hit me. I have no idea when they will, but I am thinking it will be sometime in January. But don't worry Conco I will be back :)

Back row L to R; Sarah, Lauren, Allie, Rachel, Maria
Front row L to R; Shelby, Hannah, Me, Heather

This weekend I am housesitting/ babysitting so I will be gone Thursday- Sunday. Coming back for finals Thursday and Friday. Then I have one more final and leave Monday. Wednesday I go to Disney with my family. I come back the day before Christmas. Then I celebrate Christmas. Then I am making some BIG changes. More to come. Y'all will be informed, trust me.

But until then, no promises I will pop in and say hi. Because as I go into these next two weeks I want to spend my free time with my friends and family. After all isn't that a big portion of the Holiday season?

Oh and to add to my hectic life. My bff/ workout buddy Catherine and I signed up for our first HALF MARATHON. Excuse me while I go pee my pants because I am so nervous... Let the training begin folks. 

Happy Holidays if I don't blog until December 26th! :)

Two Weeks.

These next two weeks are going to FLY by (Well really December in general). I am going home for good/leaving Concordia and going to Disney in a little over two weeks, then comes the best time of the year CHRISTMAS.

I want to enjoy my time with my friends before I leave. I want to have those movie/pizza nights on Tuesday nights. I want to go out on Saturdays and come back at 2. I want to go out to breakfast with my friends on a Sunday morning when we look nasty and all the old people look cute from church. I want to go on one more run with my roommate Lauren. I want to exchange back massages with my friends because I know I won’t being doing this with my dad! I want to have dinner with my friends every night. I want to laugh about White Girl Probs on twitter with my friends. I want to live life up.

But then there’s the reality of finals and that thing called healthy living. Oh ya, how does that pizza/movie night sound now? *laughing to self*

But seriously as I move forward in these two weeks I really want to get to the gym every day as I believe it will help me stay sane through packing up my room and finals.  Along with keep me happy while saying all those sad goodbyes.

I also am going to eat healthy meals so when I do splurge I don’t feel as bad.

Working out everyday will either consist of Body Pump at the gym or running. I hope to get in one more cycling class too!

WE WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS. But at the end of the day I want to remember, if I can’t get to the gym it’s ok… LIFE GOES ON. : )

This sweater is a recent purchase from Eddie Bauer.... My heart loves this store but my bank account, well that's another story!

Polo- Forever 21
Sweater- Eddie Bauer
Jeans- Macy's
Boots- Macy's