RECIPE: Gluten Free Chocolate Strawberry Shakeology Pancakes

February 28, 2013 By Amy 2 Comments

Chocolate Strawberry Pancakes

I don’t think there is a day that goes by that my kids don’t ask me to make them pancakes for breakfast. I mean EVERYDAY! And they don’t just want regular ole pancakes… nope. They want chocolate chip pancakes!

Well, as any healthy eating mom knows, you really can’t (or shouldn’t) give them pancakes everyday, right?

I am one of those moms that likes to create food. Many times, I will experiment with food and see what ”works” and what doesn’t.

My goals is to make something healthier, more flavorful, and better than the original.

I may not technically know what I am doing (spoiler alert… I’m not a chef), but sometimes I hit a home-run

So, I was experimenting with my own creation of how to make a TO DIE FOR gluten free, tasty and “healthier” pancake for my kids one morning and

as I looked to my right, the answer was staring back at me.

Tropical Strawberry Shakeology.

If you don’t know how much I LOVE Shakeology yet… well, let me tell you.

It has become a staple in my household and my entire family drinks it daily.

We love the Vegan Tropical Strawberry. SOOOO delicious and nutritious.

We honestly love how berrylicious it is. I mean, look at that color.

My kids LOVE it and ask for it all the time.

I love how convenient and easy it is to bring with me in my bag while I am out and about, shake it up in my blender bottle and BAM!

Instant meal!

Not to mention… Seeing how it helps maximize my results from Insanity… EXTRA bonus!

On the go meal in a bottle

SO, I take my Pamela’s Gluten Free Pancake Mix (we love this stuff too), mix in a little of the Shakeology, some egg whites, Chia Seeds and water

and start in with my experiment.

After I put a ladle full on the pan, I add a few Enjoy Life non-dairy, nut and soy free chocolate chips to them.

And voila!

Yummy pancakes that I can feel good about giving my kids to eat in the morning.

NOT EVERY morning… but

I usually pair the pancakes with a side of Lifeway Kefir

Lots of protein, probiotics and calcium.

The kids are happy and I am a happy mom!

I do want to mention that if you haven’t tried a POWERCAKE yet… you are missing out on an experience that is SO worth trying!

Powercakes is another healthy, nutritious, clean, and DELICIOUS spin on a regular old pancake!

There are so many different types, flavors, combinations, and Powercake recipes that you won’t know where to start!

There are also other recipes that you can try to top off your Powercake, eat with your Powercake, or eat instead of a Powercake.

This is what truly got me started experimenting on my kids pancakes.

My personal favorite is the 3 ingredient pumpkin power cake. YUMMY! And SO easy!

Oh, and one last thing… you can make extra and have them again tomorrow Time saver!!

Leave me a comment below…

Have you tried Shakeology yet?

Have you ever used any of these other ingredients?

Have you tried a Powercake yet?

DON’T FORGET:

1) Leave a comment below

2) Follow me on Twitter and Instagram

3) Subscribe to my YouTube Channel

4) Like my Facebook page

Disclaimer: All opinions and recipes are my own. I am a Beachbody Coach and do make a commission from any Beachbody products but I also believe in them 110%.

Filed Under: About me Blog, Blog, Front Page, Gluten Free, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: Food, Gluten free, Insanity, Powercakes, Recipes, Shakeology

#FitGearFriday 2/22/13 – BULA Hat and My New Myers Cross Training Tank

February 22, 2013 By Amy 2 Comments

#FitGearFriday 2/22/13

Today I am looking out the window at HUGE snowflakes falling down and thinking

about what I would like to feature as my pick for #fitgearfriday.

Well, one of my FAVORITE items to run/ski/snowmobile in during the cold weather is

my BULA hat.

It has a slot inside the hat to put headphones (it actually came with headphones)

and it keeps my head SO warm when I run in really cold weather.

It is so comfy and the material is soft and washes really well too.

The other nice feature of this hat is that it just looks cool.

Don’t ya think? LOL

Make sure to check it out at BULABULA.com

I am also SUPER excited because my new Myers Cross Training Tank came in the mail today!

It has one of my favorite verses on the front of it.

I love the way the material feels… so soft and breathable.

I can’t wait to workout in it… so stay tuned for a full review of it next week!

What fitness gear do you like to use in the colder weather?

Have you ever used a hat from BULA?

DON’T FORGET:

1) Leave a comment below

2) Follow me on Twitter and Instagram

3) Subscribe to my YouTube Channel

4) Like my Facebook page

Filed Under: #FitGearFriday, About me Blog, Blog, Favorites Friday, Fitness, Front Page, Product Reviews, Uncategorized Tagged With: FitGearFriday, Gear, Reviews, Running

#FitGearFriday 2/15/13

February 15, 2013 By Amy Leave a Comment

I LOVE Fitness Gear Friday

What fitness gear did I find, hear about or use this week that I am recommending to you?

Well, I am in LOVE with these handheld water bottles for my short runs.

They are by Nathan Sports.

This is the handiest little water bottle and it fits really snug on my hand while I’m running.

It carries just enough water for my 3-4 mile runs.

Nathan QuickShot

Moisture-wicking, adjustable Wall Mesh hand strap
Unique, adjustable hand strap eliminates the need to grip the Flask and offers alternative hand positions
10 oz. (300 mL) Flask with Race Cap
Power Stretch Mesh pocket with Velcro® closure
Incorporated, waterproof I.D./medical emergency card
Race Cap with high-flow, one-way valve opens and closes automatically and offers a quick burst of fluid
Wide collar allows for easy flask removal and replacement for cleaning
Reflective detail
Weight: 1.6 oz.

What is really cool (and something that I just discovered recently) is that you can

get a little carry pouch for the front of the bottle to carry your money, cards, phone, etc…

Another cool option that Nathan offers is called the QuickShot Plus

QuickShot Plus

Unique, adjustable hand strap elminates the need to grip the Flask and offers alternative hand positions
10 oz. (300 mL) Flask with Race Cap
Dimensional zippered pocket with internal Power Stretch Mesh pocket
Power Stretch Mesh pocket with VELCRO closure
Wide collar allows for easy flask removal and replacement for cleaning
Incorporated, waterproof ID/medical emergency card
Reflective detail
Weight: 3 oz. (.09 kg)

AND, to round out the QuickShot series is the Thermal QuickShot

Thermal QuickShot

Unique, adjustable hand strap eliminates the need to grip the Flask and offers alternative hand positions
10 oz. (300 mL) Flask with Race Cap
Insulated, zippered carrier keeps fluids cool
Dual external Power Stretch Mesh pockets
Power Stretch Mesh pocket with VELCRO closure
Weight: 3.1 oz. (.09 kg)

SO MANY GREAT OPTIONS!!

Have you tried any of these water bottles on your runs or walks?

Would you consider purchasing one of these?

What type of Hydration system do you use on your short runs?

Leave me a comment below and share this with other fit friends!

Don’t forget to read my other #FitGearFriday picks

~ 2/8/13

Filed Under: #FitGearFriday, About me Blog, Favorites Friday, Fitness, Front Page, Product Reviews Tagged With: Bottle, FitGearFriday, Fitness, Gear, Running, Water, workout

#FitGearFriday 2/8/13

February 8, 2013 By Amy 1 Comment

#FitGearFriday

This week, I am starting a new # on Twitter called #FitGearFriday

Each Friday, I will post new fitness gear that I have either used, I am thinking of buying

(and need your opinion)

or fit gear that I have found a good deal online and I want to pass along to you.

This week, I have ordered and I am excited to get my new Myers Cross Training Tank

If you are not familiar with Myers Cross Training, you need to go to

the website RIGHT AWAY!

Michelle is AMAZING!

I love that it has Proverbs 31 on the front…especially since I am a Thirty-One consultant!

Anyway, this is the LAST DAY to pre-order your tank!

So make sure to order yours today!

A couple of weeks ago, I was sent some workout clothes (aka… fit gear)

from PVBody.com.

They sent me a running shirt and a pair of pants.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the shirt!

It is absolutely one of the most comfy workout shirts I own!

It is made by a company called 15 LOVE.

It has thumb holes, a little money pocket and it is incredibly soft.

I really enjoy wearing it.

The pants, however, are a little “different” for my taste.

They are a shiny material that I’m not too excited about.

But, they are comfy so I will wear them to workout at home

or as a second layer on my long, cold outdoor runs.

Make sure to click on the links above and check out their fit gear.

What FIT GEAR do you recommend?

Is there FIT GEAR that you think I should try or talk about?

Leave me a comment below!

Filed Under: Blog, Favorites Friday, Fitness, Front Page, Product Reviews, Uncategorized Tagged With: Clothes, FitGearFriday, Reviews

What I Discovered After Taking a Bexlife Gym Diet

February 7, 2013 By Amy 1 Comment

A couple of months ago, I read a post by Rebekah at BEXLIFE.com about taking a Gym Diet. She is a fellow blogger and FitFluential Ambassador.

I started to think about this gym diet idea and

after completing my first Triathlon in August

and a Dirty Girl run in September

Dirtiest day of my LIFE! And, one of the most fun

I was feeling run-down, tired, possibly overtraining and family/work wise, I found that I was getting REALLY busy!

So… I took a GYM DIET!!

I TOOK A BREAK!

Can you guess what happened from me taking my gym diet?

First thing I noticed was that I lost weight!

Yup, being 5’8″, I like to keep my (goal) weight between 130-135 lbs

It is a SCARY thing to post a picture of your weight!!

My weight does fluctuate daily but as you can see, I am within my goal.

I should be happy right?

Well, losing weight is great and all,

BUT, how do I feel?

What do I look like?

Do my clothes fit better or worse?

Do I still have the same strength and muscles?

What’s the good, the bad and the ugly of taking a Gym Diet?

What did I discover from taking a Gym Diet?

1) I miss Running a lot. It clears my head, relieve stress and help me to focus

Otherwise, I am all over the map. I have the Shiny Object Syndrom just like Kelly Olexa

But, after a scary run this past summer and all of the bad stories I have been hearing

about attacks on women running outside, I am quite nervous to run alone now.

Sad but true.

2) I miss Kick-boxing a LOT too! It helps me to relieve some stress from my daily life

I am a firm believer that hitting a bag is the MOST fun way to feel strong and powerful

3) Eating healthy helps my body function at its peak level.

All of the (excuse me) “crap food” out there (see my past post on GMO’s) can really make you feel like you ARE WHAT YOU EAT!

I do have to be honest and say that it has been nice not worrying SO much about what I eat and letting

myself indulge a little more than I normally would.

According to my family, it is nice to see me eating like a “real” person.

BUT, I NEVER FEEL GOOD AFTER EATING BAD FOOD!!

Eating healthy is REAL and it is ME!

4) Exercise and eating healthy will my body stay healthy and not get sick.

Luckily, I didn’t get sick during this two month “adventure” but being tired all of the time is almost just as bad.

5) Exercise gives me better quality sleep and I don’t feel so tired in the morning or during the day.

It is amazing how you can get up at 5 am, punch out a workout/run/swim, etc…

and physically feel SO much better than if you had slept in until 10am.

6) My clothes fit better.

I have lost weight but my clothes definitely fit worse. They are less comfy… jeans especially.

7) I don’t feel as Strong as I was. I can definitely see a loss of definition in my arms

and I am sad that I let it go. BUT, I will get it back.

So, this past Monday I started doing INSANITY by Beachbody.

Yes, it is that crazy workout program you have seen on TV.

I have heard SO many great things about the program and

I really think that it will help

me get back into my daily routine of working out again.

The daily workouts are between 40-60 minutes and the

really nice thing about it…

I can do them from the comfort of my own home

AND, my kids LOVE doing it with me too! Double BONUS!

I also plan to start running again. Maybe outside or maybe

on a treadmill.

The incident that I had over the summer kind of scarred me… okay

it scarred me A LOT.

BUT… I will not let it stop me from doing something I love.

I just have to be really smart about it.

SO…

I have set 10 goals for myself to start this month to get back on track!

1) I will NOT overtrain and get myself run-down again

2) I will start and finish the entire INSANITY

3) I will make my meals as clean as possible each day

4) I will drink my Shakeology each day for breakfast

(the Tropical Berry is SO delicious and Vegan, non-dairy and non-GMO)

5) I will drink LOTS of water each day (something I work on really hard each day)

6) I will keep myself accountable via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

so make sure to follow me @spotonwellness

7) I will post my progress here on my blog as well as in my Accountablity group

on Facebook (Keep Me Accountable… search for it and request to join)

8) I will look ahead at my calendar each week to make sure

I schedule time each day to complete the workouts

9) I will prepare my food ahead of time so I don’t feel the need

to buy unhealthy options when I am starving

10) I will have FUN!

Have you gone on a Gym Diet?

What is your favorite way to exercise?

Now, go ahead and do these 3 things

1) Leave a comment below

2) Subscribe to my YouTube Channel

3) follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Filed Under: About me Blog, Blog, Fitness, Front Page, Gym Diet, Insanity, Kids, Workouts Tagged With: Beachbody, BexLife, Dirty Girl, Dirty Girl Run, exercise, Gym Diet, Insanity, Shakeology, Spotonwellness, Triathlon, workout

Motivation Monday, Insanity Day 1 Fit Test and a BIG Confession!

February 4, 2013 By Amy 1 Comment

~ Lazy people want much but get little,

but those who work hard will prosper and be satisfied ~

Proverbs 13:4

This was a verse that I read this morning when I was tired, the house

was quiet after the kids left for school and I decided I wanted to

lay back down for a couple minutes (yeah right… more like 35!)

I had 0% energy.

But, I did make time to read God’s word

and yeah, He was speaking DIRECTLY to me through the verse above.

I read it and heard, “Get your lazy rear-end up and get moving!”

I am a planner.

For the past week I have been planning to start my new workout program,

INSANITY,

today and boom… yup,

I was “tired.”

You see, there are 2 things that really get on my nerves

1) Laziness

2) Whining

And for the past couple of months, guess what… (Confession time)

I have been REALLY LAZY about working out!

Yes, I have been busy just like everyone else and probably a LOT burnt out…

But, ENOUGH EXCUSES!

Life doesn’t wait until your “ready”

I just turned 40 (cough) in January

and I am going to kick aging in the BOOTAY!

So, I got my lazy buns up,

put on my workout clothes

put in the FIT TEST DVD

WOW!

That was SOOOO incredible!

I am back on track and in the game!

NO MORE LAZINESS!!

Day 2 tomorrow

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram for more updates @Spotonwellness

Tell me:

1) What did you do today to Invest In Yourself?

2) Have you ever tried the Insanity Program?

3) Would you like to join my Insanity Challenge?

Disclaimer: I am a Beachbody Coach and do receive a small percentage of each sale on my Beachbody Coach website. However, EACH AND EVERY opinion is my own and ALWAYS will be. :)

Filed Under: About me Blog, Blog, Fitness, Front Page, Insanity, Mamavation Monday Tagged With: Beachbody, Bible, Fitness, God, Insanity, Vlogs, workout

A Simply Snackin Review: A Convenient and Tasty Snack

January 10, 2013 By Amy Leave a Comment

After being away this weekend, I came home to a lovely surprise from a company called Simply Snackin.

They sent me a variety pack of their “on-the-go protein snacks” in 6 different flavors.

So, what exactly is Simply Snackin?

Well, their tag line is…

WORLD’S BEST 60 CALORIE ON-THE-GO PROTEIN SNACK

Here… Let me tell you about it instead

So, Simply Snackin is…

Simple
Convenient
Nutritious
Delicious
Unique
High in protein
Low in fat, sugar and carbs
Gluten free
Did I mention, tasty?

Through January, if you go to simplysnackin.com and enter SSjan2013 , you will get 10% off the purchase price.:) Yay!

Disclaimer: Simply Snackin sent me the samples to do a review for them but… (As it has ALWAYS been and ALWAYS will be) ALL of the opinions are my own.

Filed Under: About me Blog, Blog, Front Page, Gluten Free, Product Reviews, Vlog Tagged With: Reviews, Simply Snackin, Spotonwellness, Vlogs

Live Each Day as a Gift

December 17, 2012 By Amy 2 Comments

Just like so many other parents in our country today, I was a bit afraid of sending my children off to school.

The events of the past few months and especially the events on

Friday have changed my life and the lives of SO many people

and my heart cries for peace… especially at Christmas time.

As a mom, I understand the unbearable and horrific pain of losing a child.

It is something that I cannot begin to explain OR try to comprehend.

But, without my Faith in God and his everlasting love, I know I would not have ever made it though the pain.

So, I hope and pray that each of the families in Newtown, Aurora and Portland can feel God’s loving arms wrapped

around them in their time of despair and suffering.

And I pray that these horrific “events” will NEVER happen again so we don’t have to live in fear each day.

ALWAYS remember to

LIVE EACH DAY AS A GIFT

Filed Under: Blog, Front Page, Kids, Life, Uncategorized Tagged With: Gift, God, Kids, Newtown, Poem

What was I for Halloween? A Black Sheep!

November 1, 2012 By Amy 6 Comments

So, if you are anything like me – a mom who eats healthy and loves her kids a LOT -

You will probably relate to what I am about to say.

Halloween is one of my most UNFAVORITE days of the year!

Why?

1. I am the BLACK SHEEP in my family.

No, make that BOTH families – BOTH my own family AND my husbands family.

I have succumbed to this fact long ago.

Now, I don’t ~~think I~~ go around preaching from a soapbox about how you should eat

this and shouldn’t eat that. At least I don’t think I do.

What I don’t do is buy junk food or bring it in our house.

I educate my children about nutrition and allow them to make their own decisions… to a point anyway.

They say that when I give them “the look” that they know they have had enough. LOL

(I didn’t know I gave a “look”)

2. Being a Christian, I think you can understand that I do not agree with the meaning behind Halloween.

3. My children and my own life mean more to me than junk food.

I think that goes without saying but…

I am all about moderation and having a “treat” once in awhile,

I mean, I LOVE Reese’ Peanut Butter Cups as much as the next guy

BUT…

I don’t buy it and now I have 2 LARGE bags of it in my kitchen!

4. I cannot stand the movie trailers and commercials they play on TV for these HORRIFIC movies and TV

shows that seem to always come out at this time of year.

Okay, so don’t get mad at me if you are a horror flick junkie.

I am okay with other people watching what they want to watch but…

when a commercial for a HORROR movie comes on during a Sunday afternoon football game that would

scare even the oldest adult in the room… it’s NOT cool when your small kids are in the same room and see that crazy… STUFF!

5. The fact that we teach our kids from the time that they are small to NEVER take

Candy from a stranger and then…

“Okay, go to that house and say TRICK or TREAT and they will give you CANDY”

seems like we are sending a BIG ole mixed message.

BUT…

Seeing my kids dress up as a Cowboy and Pocohantas and looking as cute as ever,

watching them laugh with their friends while running

(yes, there was a little bit of exercise going on so that made me happy)

from house to house,

using their manners after ~~an apple~~ a piece of their FAVORITE candy is dropped into their bag

and just plain ole having FUN!

is priceless.

So, at the end of the day, when I stop to think about all of the people that have lost so much this past week

and won’t be able to celebrate at all,

and how blessed I am to be able to spend time with my kids, our good friends and come home to a warm home…

I guess Halloween really isn’t TOO bad.

But shhhh…. don’t tell my family I said that

Leave me a comment below and tell me…

Are you the Black Sheep in your family?

How do you feel about Halloween?

Do you ever feel like you are fighting a losing battle?

Filed Under: About me Blog, Blog, Front Page, Happiness, Kids, Uncategorized, Wellness Wednesday Tagged With: Black Sheep, Candy, Halloween, Junk Food, Kids

18 Reasons to Label GMOs and Say YesOn37

October 18, 2012 By Amy 1 Comment

What if the food you are eating is making you sick?

What if the government, the FDA and the Food Companies all KNOW that this is happening but they don’t want to do anything about it?

What if 61 other countries around the world already label their food if it contains GMO’s but the USA doesn’t?

Do you know that they take spider genes and put them into goats

with the hope that the goat will produce milk with spider web qualities so they can make bullet proof vests!

Would that make you upset?

Do you want the right to decide?

On the ballet in California on November 6th it will be put to a vote.

Say YES on Proposition 37 and make a difference in your life and the lives of your children and loved ones.

Watch this video and you will hear some very interesting and scary facts about the health of our country.

http://youtu.be/Ao_Hs2nNQDA

Below are some interesting facts from tweets during a twitter chat hosted by Leah Segedie @bookieboo on labeling GMO’s.

What are GMO’s? Genetically Modified Organisms
Most of us are eating GMOs everyday with out our knowledge. Did you consent to that? I didn’t.
I didn’t consent to feeding my children GMOs. I don’t even know where they are! Let’s #labelGMOs for more choice!
GMOs are plants that have their genetic makeup altered in a laboratory. They Rcreated 2B herbicide tolerant OR pesticide
The toxins found in these seeds will also be found in YOUR body. Because chances are you ALREADY consume them
Here is a link of all the health risks associated with GMOs
GMOs were introduced quietly into our food supply in 1994 or 96. Since then, it’s in EVERYTHING
Pesticide companies are now spending ONE MILLION per day in California to stop labeling. We won’t let them, will we?
When over 61 countries, including China, Russian and all of Europe does something, you may wonder why. IN fact France and Russia have a BAN on GMO seeds right now after French study connected GM corn to cancer, http://t.co/4lG2iv8x
The US government does NOT require safety studies of GMOs and there are no long-term human health studies. In fact when the FDA approved them, their own scientists were telling them to test them…they could have problem. Nope!
Pesticide companies are now spending ONE MILLION per day in California to stop labeling. We won’t let them, will we?
Some of our most common GMO food crops: corn (85%), soy (91%), sugar beets (95%) and cotton (88%).
This is NOT a law to take your GMOs away. This is a law ONLY to label them. Eat whatever you want, just give me a choice.
EVERY HOUR AN INDIAN FARMER COMMITS SUICIDE DUE TO GMOS. If you want to read about what’s happening in India, go here
GMO Corn is actually both a poison AND a food. It has a pesticide inserted inside seed. Then we eat it.
GM foods have been linked to something called “leaking of the gut”…which causes all sorts of allergies and cancer
The people funding the opposition are all from pesticide, biotech and big food companies. They don’t think you can handle choice.
Check out this link to the Non-GMO Standard for some more interesting information regarding GMO’s.

TAKE ACTION!

Do you agree that food companies should label our food if it has GMO’s in it?

Have you added the Twibbon to your twitter or Facebook account to show your support for labeling GMO’s?

Will you make the pledge to vote YES on 37?

Filed Under: About me Blog, Blog, Front Page, GMO, Uncategorized Tagged With: GMO, Spotonwellness, Yeson37

Delicious Gluten Free Pumpkin Apple Quinoa Chocolate Chip Muffins

October 11, 2012 By Amy 8 Comments

Ummm, yeah… YUMMO!!!

I don’t know about you but… I LOVE FALL!!!

It is my most favorite season of the year.

I love to snuggle in a sweat shirt, run in the cold, see the beautiful autumn colors and yes, eat the flavors of the season…

like pumpkin, apple and cinnamon.

And, like many of you, I also love to search on Pinterest.

I find many great recipes, funny stories, creative ideas and of course, awesome workouts.

During one of my many ~~many~~ searches, I found a recipe that sounded SOOOO GOOOOOD!

It was for Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Quinoa Muffins by Lisa @ Onceamonthmom.com

(follow the link to the original recipe I followed and re-designed below)

It sounds SOOOOO yummy, right???

It also sounded like the perfect recipe to try and make

for an open house I was having to launch my NEW Thirty-One Business.

(If you are not familiar with (or if you LOVE) Thirty-One, check out my website and catalog)

My new Thirty-One Organizing Crossbody Purse, Timeless Wallet and Wristlet

So I printed out the recipe and after making a few changes to “clean” it up and make it a bit healthier,

this is the recipe that I came up with.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Sucanat

1 1/4 cups quinoa flour OR (I used) Garbonzo bean flour

1/2 tsp of guar gum or (I used) xanthan gum

1.5 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 cups cooked quinoa

2 eggs

3/4 cups pureed pumpkin

1/2 cups milk

1/4 cups butter, melted

1/4 cups un-sweetened applesauce

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cups mini chocolate chips (semi-sweet)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients.

Flour, sucanat, salt, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum

and pumpkin pie spice (I used one by McCormick)

I used Enjoy Life mini chips. They are dairy, nut and soy free.

One word… YUMMO!!!!

The smell is intoxicating!

And, my kids LOVED them.

WARNING: you will want to eat more than one.

But, that is okay because they are FILLED with such healthy and delicious ingredients.

They didn’t last long in our house!

A couple tips that I found helpful when making these muffins:

1. DON’T use muffin liners. Use a non-stick spray or rub some oil into each muffin space.

I used the paper liners and they stick to the muffins

2. As hard as it may be… let them cool before you taste one. They just taste better.

3. When I make them again I will use quinoa flour instead of garbonzo bean flour.

(I didn’t have quinoa flour at the time)

Another option I may even try is to use 1/2 quinoa flour and 1/2 almond flour for a more nutty taste.

What do you need to do now?

1. Leave a comment below and let me know what you think about the recipe

2. Go to Pinterest and repin my recipe to your board

3. Follow me on twitter and subscribe to my other channels to hear about more great recipes

(hint: I have a fantastic recipe coming next week using eggs and quinoa

Filed Under: Blog, Front Page, Gluten Free, Recipes Tagged With: Gluten free, healthy treats, pumpkin, quinoa, Recipes, Spotonwellness

Get Rid of Pesky Fruit Flies FOREVER

October 4, 2012 By Amy Leave a Comment

Have fruit flies? 3 easy steps to help you get rid of them.

Like many of you, I LOVE fruit.

But sometimes I don’t eat the fruit fast enough.

That creates a BIG problem.

Fruit Flies!!!

Those little buggers drive me crazy!

So, I found a simple 3 step solution that will hopefully help you get rid of your fruit flies, too.

1. Throw out old fruit

Go through all of your fruit and see if there are any pieces that have gone bad.

Throw out that bad fruit.

Don’t put it in your inside trash can. Make sure to take it to an outdoor trash or compost.

2. Put your good fruit into the fridge

This will contain all of the fruit temptations from those little pesky flies.

They will have NO choice but to opt for #3

3. Contain and Destroy Release

Take a small container and put a single piece of the bad fruit into it.

Place a piece of saran wrap over the top opening of the container. Make sure it is TIGHT.

Take a toothpick and poke about 5-6 holes into the saran wrap.

Set it on your counter and watch the magic happen.

It took me almost 2 days to get all of the flies.

I did a release (OUTSIDE…Not inside) after the first day and put the container

back on my counter to catch the remaining flies.

And, as a side note, I also have lemon scented hand soap on my counter next to my sink.

They were attacking that as well so make sure to get rid of that temptation, too.

Have you ever tried this?

Did it work for you?

Do you have any solutions on how to terminate catch and release fruit flies?

Filed Under: Front Page, Solutions, Uncategorized, Vlog Tagged With: Solutions, Vlogs

To Be or Not To Be… Gluten Free

August 31, 2012 By Amy 4 Comments

What would you do if you were Gluten Free (by choice) and your doctor asked you to do this?

Filed Under: Blog, Front Page, Gluten Free, Uncategorized, Vlog, Wellness Wednesday Tagged With: blood test, gluten, Gluten free, Spotonwellness

How to Find 5 Positives on a Crummy Day

August 18, 2012 By Amy 6 Comments

Do you find it hard to find the silver lining sometimes?

I know, it can be especially tough on a rainy day.

Hear my 5 positives on my crummy day and tips to help you find yours, too.

Filed Under: About me Blog, Blog, Front Page, Happiness, Uncategorized, Vlog Tagged With: Chobani, livestrong, positives, Spotonwellness, SpotonwellnessTV, Vlogs

Silver lining

August 18, 2012 By Amy Leave a Comment

Filed Under: About me Blog

A Newbie Triathlete Experience from Start to Finish

August 15, 2012 By Amy

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”

by Friedrich Nietzsche

I am a TRIATHLETE!!

Have you ever challenged yourself to try something new, something so mentally and physically challenging that you kept on questioning why am I doing this to myself? Maybe it’s a new ski run down a big mountain or sky diving out of a perfectly good airplane???

Do you get excited? Or does it make you completely bonkers?

Some of you know what I am talking about, right?

Well, I am NOT one of those people who gets excited!! LOL

Last summer, I went to watch my friend compete in her first triathlon. It was SO cool and looked like a LOT of fun! I thought to myself, “Okay, I can do this. It will be a lot of fun and such a great physical challenge.”

Somehow I never thought about the mental part of it. ~~Stupid~~ Silly me!

All spring I have been training in the pool and the lake, on the bike and of course, running. As it is with most newbie triathletes, the swim is usually the most feared. I mean hey, you really can’t just stop swimming like you can on the bike and the run.

But then I was concerned about popping a tire. Oh man!

As race day approached, I was getting more and more nervous. My stomach was in knots!

And then I read a post by Meredith at SwimBikemom.com about a Triathlete named Jackie. She was the inspiration I needed.

12 hours ’til race time

My bag is packed with all my gear…

I try to get ready for and into bed early but my mind does not stop going and going and going… making sure I have everything, my tires are inflated, my water bottles are filled, etc…. The list goes on and on.

10 pm- 9 hours ’til race time

I am STILL awake!!

Not only that, but there is a twitter party going on with Leah Segedie @bookieboo about GMO’s and #yeson37 that I am really interested in!

So, I join the party to distract myself.

It helps a little but then my phone dies midway through and now I am left to looking at the ceiling and my thoughts. It is going to be a LONG night!

I finally fall asleep sometime around midnight!

4 am – 3 hours ’til race time

I wake up a little early (I had my alarm set to 4:15 so I could leave by 5) and even though I didn’t sleep very well (I had a dream that I was doing a triathlon in a mucky pond… Yuck!) I feel pretty good and excited!

6 am – 1 hour ’til race time

I get to the transition area and start setting up my gear. Since it is my first time, I take a look around at everyone else’s to make sure I am doing it correctly. By 6:15 I am all set up.

I eat a banana with peanut butter while I take my bag back to my car and search for the restrooms. I also find my friend (the same one that I watched do this same race the year before) and she gives me the words of encouragement that I will do fine. It is SO nice having someone to “coach” you through.

Race time

As I make my way down to the beach, I see my family arriving. My kids are SO excited and come running to give me a (much needed) hug.

I have to wait on the beach for about ~~what feels like eternity~~ 20 minutes before I am at the start line. They start 3 people every 10 seconds.

GO!

I run as fast as I can into the water. At least it is warm It starts to get really mushy, yucky and I have to swim.

The weeds are tall and if you get off of the fresh cut path, you get tangled in them. About halfway through the swim there is a man near me about 6 feet to my side that is having difficulty. Swimmers call out to the help team on kayaks. My family is concerned it is me because they know it is in my general vicinity. They have faith that I am okay but have to wait to see me exit the water before they are sure.

I finally get to a point where I can touch the bottom again and I am able to start running out of the water. I step on a GIANT rock, right on my left foot instep, and it hurts, but… I don’t have time to think about it.

I hear my kids and family yelling, “Go mommy, Go!” The words fuel my soul.

The first transition goes smoothly. I make my way out with my bike to a 15k ride along the river. It is WINDY!! So, Murphy’s law held true and there is a headwind each way. Ouch!

Each athlete has their age marked on the back of their calf. For me, it is very motivating when someone older passes by on the bike and run.

I am almost finished with the ride and realize that I made it without getting a flat tire. Thank God!

I finally get back to transition and get my running shoes, hat, etc.. on. My legs are jelly!

I keep saying to myself, “common, you are a runner, now RUN!” but my legs keep saying, “noooo way”

The run is tough. It feels a LOT longer than 1.5 miles. I keep thinking about how I am almost done. I have goosebumps because I can now see the finish line.

I sprint the last 200 meters.

I cross the finish line and feel an amazing sense of relief, satisfaction, and happiness.

I hear my kids yelling “way to go, Mommy! Yay!!!”

I get my results and I finished in 1 hr 16 minutes. It is 1 minute over my goal time of 1hr 15min but… I am happy that I finished

As the days have passed by since the race I realize that my nervousness was for nothing and as long as you have faith in yourself, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. You just have to go and DO IT!!

Watch the video I made and see if you can tell how nervous I am per-race and how excited I am post-race

Have you ever competed in a triathlon?

How did you feel going into a new competition?

Filed Under: About me Blog, Blog, Front Page, triathlon, Uncategorized, Vlog, Wellness Wednesday, Workouts Tagged With: biking, blogs, cycling, Running, Spotonwellness, swimming, Triathlon, Vlogs

My Scary Solo Run and 5 Safety Tips to Remember When Running Alone

July 11, 2012 By Amy 15 Comments

Imagine this: it is late morning and you are out for a nice long run in your hometown. This is the town you grew up in and you have always felt safe. There are a lot of people and houses around so you don’t think twice about going for a run by yourself. But, now you are being followed and stalked by a truck with 3-4 men and you start to feel nervous and scared. What should you do?

Well, here is what happened to me this week while I was out for long run in my suburban hometown. First, please understand that I wasn’t running in the country with very few houses and people. On the route that I was running there are a lot of cars, houses and people outside at all times. It is a place that I have ran the roads MANY times before without any issues or bad experiences.

Until this particular day.

I was visiting my family and staying at my sisters house. It was a beautiful morning and I ~~NEEDED~~ wanted to go for a run. After telling my sister the route I was going to take, I left around 10:20 am and set out on my usual 4 mile course that has me traveling past my old High School, my grandmothers old house and a few friends homes. It is one of my favorite routes to run; almost like a trip down memory lane. Sometimes, if I’m lucky, someone I know will be outside and I get to stop and chat with them along the way. But, since it was Monday morning they must have all been working. So it was just me, some good music and my thoughts.

It was a really beautiful morning – not too hot and just the right amount of breeze to help keep me cool. I was just about back to my sisters house, on the last 1/2 mile, when a crew cab pick up truck (from a painting company) and 3-4 guys drove by me and waved. So, I waved back. Innocent enough right?

Well, as I came around the next corner, I noticed that they had pulled into a little hidden drive on the same side of the road as I should have been running. BUT, since it is a blind turn/corner, I always run on the opposite side so cars can see me. As I came around the corner I noticed they were backing out of this blind drive and I started to get more nervous. As they passed me a second time, they waved again. Then, they turned down the street that I needed to take to get back to my sisters house.

I decided to keep running straight past my turn and wait for a few minutes for them to hopefully lose interest and be on their way. But, when I finally turned around to take the street (they went down) to get to my sisters house, I could see that they had stopped in front of a house halfway down the street and the driver got out of the truck and went to the front door. I think they were pretending to have business at this house because there wasn’t a single car in the driveway. I immediately thought that this was a ploy to wait for me to run by the truck.

I decided to slow down and walk and as I did, I noticed another girl running past their truck toward me. When she passed me, I ran next to her to warn her of this situation so she could stay alert. She was VERY thankful.

As I started to run again toward my sisters house, away from their truck on another side road, I called my sister to make sure to keep our kids inside when I ran past so they would not yell out to me and give away my “home” location. As I was talking to her, I could hear them drive up another side road behind me. They turned the opposite direction and drove away. I was hoping that it was the last I would see of them.

As I approached my sisters house, I told a neighbor of what had happened. He was a little shocked and concerned and made sure that I made it home safe. When I was in front of her house, I looked around to see if I could see (or hear) them and I couldn’t, so…. I made my way up the side of the yard and into the back door of the house. I could finally let out a long, deep breath that I was holding in for what seemed like 20 minutes.

Below is a video I made about 5 minutes after returning home. As you may be able to tell, I was pretty shaken up and not thinking too clearly.

So, what 5 safety tips do I recommend when you are out exercising solo?

Carry a cell phone - I always run with my cell phone. Like many other runners, I use it for my music and interval timer. But, I also use it to call someone so they would know what is happening and the person following me could see that I was informing someone else of their presence. Also, use your cell phone to take pictures of the person or the vehicle and call 911.
Run in populated areas and during busier times of the day - it goes without saying that running during hours of daylight and in areas where there are people around is safest
Tell someone the route you plan to run - so they know where you are and how long it should take you to return
Don’t use headphones in both ears - even though I use headphones for my music, I (always) use ONLY the left one so my right ear toward traffic is free and I can hear cars and people approaching.
Carry pepper spray - make sure it is easily accessible and you know how to use it when you need it

My bonus safety tip is … Learn self defense, especially if you are woman. Being able to kick the snot out of someone that is trying to hurt you is just a plan ole good idea. At the very least it will make them think twice and hopefully give up the fight.

Please comment below and pass this on to others you know. Stay safe!!

Do you have any tips or recommendations on how to stay safe while running or exercising alone?

Filed Under: Blog, Front Page, Uncategorized, Vlog

Is ACTION the First Step to Success?

June 13, 2012 By Amy Leave a Comment

The path to success is to take massive, determined action.

Tony Robbins

Happy Wellness Wednesday!!

Yesterday I spent the day at a Get Motivated Seminar. Have you ever been to one? In my opinion, it is amazing. For only $1.95, you get a ticket to hear some of the most influential speakers and celebrities you can think of. A few that I had the privaledge of hearing yesterday were Bill Cosby, Steve Forbes, Joe Montana, and Steve Wozniak. Last year when I went, I heard Rudy Giuliani, General Colin Powell, Terry Bradshaw and Dick Vitale, (plus a few others) speak about their paths to success.

So, what was the common theme that I heard throughout the day? No matter what your goal is, you need to take ACTION to make it happen.

It is funny because when I got married, my initials changed to ACT. I have always believed that God has put me, just like all of you, on this Earth to do something wonderful and make a difference. So, with my initials now ACT, combined with a passion and a desire to motivate, educate and inspire others to be the best they can be and achieve their goals, I am finally understanding what my true calling is and I am taking ACTION to make that happen through my website, YouTube channel, etc….

A second way that I am taking ACTION was by attending a School Board of Education Meeting. The discussion was about the new, federally mandated changes to our school lunch programs that will be implemented on July 1st. I really want to be a part of that change to make sure it is a positive one and help our kids eat healthier lunches. It is important to get them on the right nutritional track and make sure they have the food/feul to get through those long school days.

One interesting point that was made at the meeting was how the process of change will take a couple of years to complete. Lunches will come first (2012-2013) and breakfast will happen next year (2013-2014). So, one possible solution to help during the long process of change is to make sure the kids AND the parents are getting the education need to help them understand the new school lunch regulations as well as the basics of what is a healthy choice and what isn’t AND why. This education and knowledge can also be implemented by the parents in their homes, too, giving kids an even better chance at eating healthy meals all day.

A second solution is to do a complete overhall of the food program. Just watch an episode of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution show on TV and you will get an idea of what it takes to change a school lunch program and how it affects so many people in a positive way. I am sure that making the change isn’t easy but no one ever said change is easy right?

There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction.

John F. Kennedy

SO…

What does it take?

ACTION!

To accomplish your goal of a 5k… it takes ACTION!

To start that business you have always wanted to start… it takes ACTION!

To stand up and fight for our kids health and nutrition…it takes ACTION!

Be that person who makes a change.

Be that person that takes ACTION for what you believe in and make a difference to someone else today.

And don’t forget to thank God for your blessings, talents and gifts

How have you taken ACTION in the past?

Are you motivated to take ACTION with something new today?

Filed Under: About me Blog, Blog, Front Page, Uncategorized, Vlog, Wellness Wednesday Tagged With: ACTION, Spotonwellness, Success, Vlogs

5 Methods That Can Help You Stop the Childhood Obesity Monster from Invading Your Household

June 11, 2012 By Amy 8 Comments

Hi guys! Happy Monday I hope you all had a fantastic weekend like I did. My family and I spent time at our cottage on the lake. We cleaned, cleaned, mowed the lawn and cleaned some more getting it ready for summer. There are only 9 days left of school and the kids are beyond excited. Actually, I am really excited, too! It is going to be a fun filled summer!

Every summer, we spend a lot of time at our cottage. We wakeboard, we swim (the kids will play in the water from sun up to sun down. They literally LIVE in a bathing suit the entire summer) and we do get to relax. I love that my family and especially my kids, are active. Because, another common event that also happens at the cottage is…we eat out…a LOT!

My view at our cottage. It is Heaven on Earth!

This is me attempting my first try at Stand Up PaddleBoarding. I am HOOKED!

Usually on Saturday nights, we will take the boat to a restaurant for dinner. Then, on Sunday morning, we go to our favorite diner for breakfast. As you can imagine, this isn’t just hard on the wallet but, it’s hard on the calorie count!

Well, this is my second week as a Sista of Mamavation and this weeks topic is Childhood Obesity. As a fitness & nutrition enthusiast/blogger, a parent of two elementary school age children and a person that eats (as my husband says…) “too healthy” (if there is such a thing as TOO healthy??), this is a topic that I could spend HOURS talking and writing about. But, I have come up with five basic methods that I use to help my kids (and husband) make good, healthy food choices and help to keep the obesity monster out of our household:

First and foremost, I educate my kids and family (and myself) about the different foods I am buying and we are eating. It is important for them to understand why they should or shouldn’t eat a particular food. So, if you are with your kids and on your drive home from the grocery store, start a conversation with them about the foods you have purchased. Don’t just say to them, “don’t eat sugar, it is bad for you.” As important as this is to tell them, it really doesn’t teach them WHY they shouldn’t eat sugar. Give them the reasons that it is bad for them and also, tell them about the bad things it can do to their bodies. When you (or your kids) are educated about the foods you/they are eating, you/they are able to make better decisions for life.
In my family, we eat as many whole foods as possible throughout the day and with each meal. I stock up on foods from the perimeter of the grocery store and stay away from the processed junk in the middle aisles. Fruits and vegetables are a FREE meal/snack in our house and my kids can eat them whenever they want to. I always say, “Just grab, wash and eat.” We ALWAYS eat a vegetable or 2 with each meal and we try to eat a rainbow of colors, too. If we go out to eat, no matter what meal they choose to eat, we always start our meal with a salad. I have even taught them to dip their forks in the dressing instead of pouring it all over their salad. It is amazing how much LESS of it you will eat by dipping instead of pouring. My daughter has adopted this practice more than my son… well, as we say, he is a work in progress
I live by example in front of my kids and family, as best as I can (I am human remember). I don’t just talk the talk… I walk the walk (eat the food), too. How can I expect my kids to eat healthy if I don’t eat healthy? They are watching… ALL THE TIME!! I will use the example of my husband, maple syrup and pancakes (sorry, Hun). So, it is breakfast and I have made some delicious healthy pancakes to eat. I pour a little syrup onto my kids’ cakes and spread it around. As we are all watching, my husband is drowning his pancakes in a gallon of maple syrup!!! (And don’t give me the excuse that it is okay because it is REAL maple syrup either. LOL.) Now, the kids are asking for more syrup! Ugggg!!! If you expect them to do as you say, they need to see you do what you say, too.
Using Moderation is key in our house. I remember when I had taken my son to his 4 year well visit with his pediatrician. She said to him, “What is your favorite food?” and he replied with a BIG smile, “Pizza!! But, only in Moderation!” Oh, such a happy and proud mommy moment. One trick I use to help me use moderation with food (for me, it’s popcorn) is to set limits before eating. So, using the VERY unhealthy example of pancakes and maple syrup in tip #3 above, I would tell myself that I will only have one serving size of maple syrup instead of half of the container on my pancakes. It does help; especially when you use it in conjunction with tip #5.
Be mindful of what you are eating and how much you are eating. I know, if you are like me, sometimes you find yourself looking into the fridge and you don’t even remember how you got there and you are now snacking on something you don’t even really want to or need to eat. Or, you think you can’t taste the maple syrup on the pancakes unless they are swimming in it. Well, try the dipping fork thing again with the maple syrup. Dip your fork, take one bite of the pancake and really concentrate on how it tastes. Can you taste the syrup flavor? Chew slowly and really concentrate… be mindful.

Of course, staying physically active is just as important. The more you exercise, the better you feel and the less likely you are to eat junk.

If you can follow these 5 methods, you will be well on your way to having a healthy family and stopping the obesity monster from finding its way into your house.

What are some tips you have that have helped your kids eat healthy?

Are you mindful when you eat?

UPDATE: We have a winner of the Chobani Greek Yogurt

Giveaway! Congrats, Laurel. You will be emailed the

details and Chobani will be in touch! Enjoy!

Thank you to EVERYONE who entered! Check back soon

foranother great giveaway!

Filed Under: About me Blog, Blog, Front Page, Kids, Mamavation Monday, Uncategorized Tagged With: Childhood Obesity, Education, Health Eating, Kids, Mindful Eating, Moderation

Three Essential Elements to Finding a Healthy Balance

June 6, 2012 By Amy 3 Comments

Do you remember being 5? 8? 10? 15? And there was only 2 weeks left of school? Yup… “summeritis” has hit my family and my kids are going crazy. They are so excited to go on field trips, have field days and end of the year parties, not to mention that in a couple weeks there won’t be any more homework, it has been hard to contain their excitement and get them to go to bed at night.

Well, this past week has been eye opening for me. This is the first year that I am making a calendar for our summer events, etc…. I started making this calendar last week and it is CRAZY! As my kids are getting older, I find we are SO stinking busy! Summer camps, our cottage, OBX vacation and of course, my triathlon and Dirty Girl run, too! It is all good stuff so I am excited!

But, life shouldn’t be about schedules and putting appointments on a calendar, right? It is about finding (a healthy) balance for everyone involved.

Hmmm….. Balance??

BAL·ANCE

Noun, verb, bal·anced, bal·anc·ing.

Noun

1. A state of equilibrium or equipoise; equal distribution of weight, amount, etc.

2. Something used to produce equilibrium; counterpoise.

3. Mental steadiness or emotional stability; habit of calm behavior, judgment, etc.

4. A state of bodily equilibrium: He lost his balance and fell down the stairs.

5. An instrument for determining weight, typically by the equilibrium of a bar with a fulcrum at the center, from each end of which is suspended a scale or pan, one holding an object of known weight, and the other holding the object to be weighed.

So, if finding balance is so important, how can you find it as a kid, as an adult, as a parent and as a fitness professional?

Well, there are 3 common elements to finding a healthy balance.

Staying physically active
Eating healthy and nutritious meals/food
Getting good quality sleep each night

As a Kid:

Being a kid is tough work. Just think about it. You have to communicate with adults, make new friends almost every day, and of course, always remember to carry your light saber so you are prepared when you have to fight the Galactic Empire! LOL

Most importantly, to find a healthy balance as a kid;

Kids need to play, to be physically active, and to use their imaginations. Aka… they need a chance to just BE KIDS! Let them play in the mud (that is a hard one for me) and let them run in the sprinkler on a hot day.
They need healthy nutrition to have the energy to play. Kids can be picky but they will only eat what they know. Make healthy food fun and your kids will enjoy that broccoli and spinach
And, they need good quality sleep at night so they can get up and do it all again the next day.

As an adult:

I don’t know about you but when I was a kid, I just really wanted to be an adult. I wanted to be “free” of homework and chores, to own a house and to make my own rules. Well, as we “adults” all know, that is NOT what happens when you become an adult.

No, you end up having MORE responsibilities like getting a job (= more homework), owning a house can drain your bank account and now I have to do ALL the chores, and, there is ALWAYS someone else making rules you have to live by.

BUT… a few ways we can find a healthy balance as an adult is:

“Do what you love, love what you do” I am not sure who said that quote first but it is one of my favorites. Find something that you love doing and make a go at trying to do it for a living.
Find a way to be remain physically active. Being physically active makes your brain happy and your body, too! Join a fitness class, take a walk with a co-worker at lunchtime, join a softball team or make a goal to run a 5k at the end of summer and train each day to accomplish that goal.
Eat a well balance, healthy and nutritious food at every meal. Be mindful (conscious) of what you are putting into your mouth. What you put in will determine how you feel soon after. Junk in gives you junk out. Eat a rainbow and you will feel like you found the pot of gold
Get lots of good, quality sleep every night. This is a hard one for me. See, I am BOTH a morning person AND a night owl. It can be tough to pull myself away and go to bed but once I am there, I always think, why didn’t I get here sooner? But, getting good quality sleep is essential to being alert and functional the next day, not to mention it gives me the energy to keep physically active.
Oh yeah, and if you can find a job that pays you well, you can always pay someone else to do those tedious chores around the house

As a Parent:

Wow. .. If you are a parent, you know what I am going to say, right? Being a parent is such a blessing and yet, THE HARDEST JOB you will ever LOVE!!!

When I first got prego, I worried that everything would go okay and the baby would be fine. I stayed active, watched what I ate and of course, I read all the books to tell me what should be happening and when. And then, the baby arrived. Oh My….

It became MUCH harder to keep him safe and protected. And that is why the quote below is SO true.

Making the decision to have a child – it’s momentous

It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.

Elizabeth Stone

The really fun part about being a parent is seeing the world through their eyes. You get to live vicariously through them and share some common experiences.

I remember the first day my son went to kindergarten and I thought, I remember kindergarten. I began to realize that he is going to remember many of his experiences just like I do. It has been fun to travel down memory lane again… even if my memory was sucked out of me when I delivered my kids LOL!

So, finding a healthy balance as a parent means that I need to make sure everyone in our house is happy and getting what they need to function on a daily basis. Many moms forget that this SHOULD include them. As the saying goes (and my husband just said it last night)

“If mama ain’t happy, NO one is happy”

A few ideas of how to find a healthy balance as a parent:

Understand that your kids are little people. They have a brain and they are SMART! Teach them to make the right decisions, to be polite and to treat others as they would like to be treated. Always remember that they will imitate what you do.
Keep physically active, in FRONT of your kids. Take them to the park. Don’t sit on the bench and just watch them. Slide down the slides, bring a soccer ball and kick it around with them. Play baseball or freeze tag in the yard, or go out and jump on the trampoline with them. Not only will you have fun and get great exercise, but you will make LOTS of fun memories at the same time.
Eat healthy and nutritious meals together. Pack their lunches with healthy and nutritious food. School lunches today are horrific! (That is a different post so I won’t even get started on that) Make a fun dinner together that is healthy and again, use a rainbow of colors. One of my blogging friends (blends has a lot of wonderful recipes that are filled with “power”, color and nutrition. Go to Powercakes website to check it out.
Sleep is probably the hardest thing to accomplish as a parent. But, quality sleep is essential to your body functioning at its proper level. My son is 8 and last night he was up around 3 am with leg/growing pains. So, in the end, neither of us had good quality sleep. But you just keep on keepin’ on, right? Try to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Make the room dark and don’t watch TV before bed. Do something to relax you, like read a book and get your mind ready to sleep. Being rested = a happy and healthy person.

As a Fitness/Wellness Professional:

As fitness professionals, we are supposed to be the ones that find a healthy balance for not only ourselves but for our clients, too. For me, that means that I am always researching the best way to stay physically fit, eat a healthy and nutritious diet and be happy.

So, how should help our clients find a healthy balance in their lives?

Give them the tools to stay physically active and achieve their goals. Figure out what kind of speed bumps they may have in their day/week and help them to find a way around them so they can keep on their plan and ultimately, accomplish their goals.
Educate them to make healthy and nutritious meals. There is a LOT of miss-information out there about what to eat and what not to eat. As fitness/wellness professionals, we are the ones that are researching and understanding the correct answers to these questions. When a person is educated, they can then make an educated decision. And at the end of the day, our clients will feel they have made a correct decision based on that educated decision.
When our clients are physically active, it is essential for them to get good quality sleep and rest so their body can recover and repair. This is a great blog about how sleep is probably more important than exercise and nutrition and how it can affect weight loss and gain. Therefore, teaching our clients that yes, you can get up at 5 am to workout but make sure you get to bed by 9-10 pm to get in at least 7-8 hours of good quality sleep the night before.

Every day we are bombarded by “do this and do that” messages. Especially in the age of information and the internet, it can get really confusing. As you have read above and probably know already, staying physically active, eating a healthy and nutritious diet and getting good quality sleep are a couple of KEY pieces to finding a healthy balance in life.

How do you find a healthy balance in your life?

Do you get enough quality sleep at night?

Only 4 more days to enter my Chobani giveaway. They will send you a box of their flavored Greek Yogurt!! Yummy!!

Giveaway will end at 11:59 pm on June 10th and the winner will be announced on June 11th.

Open to US and Canadian residents only.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: About me Blog, Blog, Daily Positivity, Front Page, Happiness, Kids, Uncategorized, Wellness Wednesday Tagged With: Balanced Life, Eating healthy, Healthy Balance, Kids, nutritious, Physical Fitness, Sleep, Staying Active

What do kids, boxing and eating carrot cake have in common?

June 4, 2012 By Amy 16 Comments

Yup… we are building an ark. LOL. It has rained here for the past 3 days. And it has been so dark that we have had to use the lights in our house ALL day. Crazy, I know! Man, I hope it stops soon.

But, at least the flowers have water, right??? (That is my lame attempt at a silver lining… Ha! Please, sunshine… come back!!)

Well, today I am writing my first post as a Mamavation Sista & Cheerleader! I am SO excited!! I look forward to being part of this community as a source of fitness and healthy eating tips for moms that are trying to lose weight and get their family living a healthy lifestyle. So, for more information, check out Mamavation and see what the Sistahood is all about.

Okay, so here goes. My name is Amy and I am a 39 years old. Holy Poop. Did I just say that out loud? When did I turn 39? No, really, my age doesn’t bother me. It is just a number right? It isn’t how I FEEL. Heck, I feel better now than I did when I was 25. (That is probably mostly due to going to bed before 4 am )

I have been married for (almost) 10 years to G. He is a very handsome, patient, funny, smart, loving (okay, yes, I am buttering him up a little. I really want a nice anniversary gift… HA!) But seriously, he is the best husband a wife could ask for. And the thing is… I KNEW it the MOMENT I saw him. Yup, love at first sight.

We have 3 kids. Our son is 8 (we call him Squirrel) and our daughter (we call her bugga) will turn 6 next month. They are the LOVES of my life.

My son is a bright, funny, dramatic, challenging (at times), super cuddler with a super imagination. He is a kid that will make you crazy one minute and make you laugh the next. He LOVES History. He will watch, listen to or read ANYTHING about the Civil War. He wants to be a soldier and then an archeologist. Maybe he will be a History teacher? It is fun to predict, right?

My daughter is super smart (already reading and doing 2^nd grade work and she is only in Kindergarten), a fast runner (and super cuddler, too) that loves reading, math and writing notes, but she especially loves to make people laugh and feel special. She has a raspy little voice and she loves to sing and perform. She also LOVES animals. She wants to be a Marine Biologist and train dolphins. We predict either that or she will be a veterinarian.

In between our son and daughter, I delivered a stillborn son. Our little Angel in Heaven, Chickpea, was born premature at 7 ½ months gestation. It was undoubtedly the saddest and most awful day of my life. But, it was also the most spiritual day of my life, too. In that moment of delivery, the only people I saw in the room were my husband to my left and Jesus, accepting him into his arms and holding him just like the picture below. It was SO powerful. A moment and vision I will NEVER forget. We miss Chickpea everyday but know that we will see him in Heaven again someday.

Keatonprints.com

Okay, so, besides being a wife and mother, what exactly do I do? Well, first off I am a Radiation Therapist (RTT). A Radiation Therapist is someone who treats cancer patients with Radiation. After starting and stopping and starting RTT school in the early 90’s, I finally figured out that being an RTT was the right thing to do and I finally graduated in 1998. Being an RTT has taken me in so many different directions. I have worked in many different hospitals/clinics all over the Northeast both full time and as a temp staffer (Locum). After that, I started my own temp (Locum) agency, doing that for 4 years. Then, I worked for a major Oncology company traveling all over the US, training other Therapists how to use their new equipment. And, I was lucky enough to continue working for this company from home for over 5 years after I had my kids. I promised (myself and) my kids that I would always be here when they need me and do my darndest to work from home. And, I have been truly blessed to be able to do that.

Now, after being laid off in January from an Oncology Sales Management position that I was in for almost 2 years, I am “doing what I love and love what I am doing.”

BLOGGING!!!

See, my true lifelong passion has always been fitness and wellness. Yes, my education and career is in cancer care, but I believe that by Investing in Yourself and living a balanced life – mentally, spiritually, and physically – you will truly LIVE your BEST life and you can prevent many life changing illnesses.

I remember being a teenager and getting up in the morning, throwing in a Jane Fonda workout video and getting my workout in before school… legwarmers and all.

It was always a dream of mine to own a fitness center, too. So, being the entrepreneur that I am, I looked at what was being offered locally, thought about what might be a good fit for a small town like the one I live in, and so I started a Cardio-boxing fitness center. Yup… Cardio-boxing.

My kids LOVED coming to the studio to play Ninja!

Now, if you haven’t ever taken a cardio-boxing class, well, you are missing out. It is SUCH a great, total body workout! You use muscles that you didn’t even know you had. And, you burn LOTS of calories per class. AND, we had bags to hit. Hitting something = less stress!!

It was an instant hit (ok… pun intended). All of my classes filled up quickly and people really enjoyed the workout. The problem ended up being that because people can usually only take a class before or after work, the hours for a mom of two small kids was rough. My kids would just get home from school at 4, I would help with homework and play for a few minutes and then I would have to leave to start teaching classes from 5-8. I would get home in time to help get them into bed. It began to put a lot of stress on my family… stress that was NOT helped by hitting a bag.

So, in April I decided to close the boxing center and take my fitness passion online at spotonwellness.com. Now, I can truly say I have my cake and I eat it, too! (A gluten free, stevia sweetened, healthy carrot cake that is

I am also part of the FitFluential community where I have pledged to help others live healthier lives. So, my plan to be FitFluential is this:

Each week/day, you can come to my blog and read about many different topics and even do a Tabata boxing workout with me.

Mamavation Monday. What is it like being a mom that is addicted to working out and training for a triathlon? Oh, there are some exciting topics coming up, so stay tuned.

Tabata Tuesday – Boxing workout (only 4 minutes long)

Wellness Wednesday –Learn how to stay balanced with my Spot on Wellness Triangle

Tabata Thursday – Boxing workout (only 4 minutes long)

Favorites Friday – Anything from music, fashion, recipes, kids stuff, books or a giveaway. You name it, it may be on the list.

Speaking of Giveaways… Enter below for a Chobani Greek Yogurt Giveaway. You have until June 7th to enter!

I am also training for my first Triathlon (it is on August 11^th). I am very excited and I think it will be a LOT of fun.

So, tune into my YouTube channel, SpotonwellnessTV, to see more videos on my training or to join me in my Tabata boxing workout. Just beware: I LOVE to Vlog so… you have been warned

I am truly excited to be a part of the Mamavation sistahood. I look forward to reading all of your blogs and can’t wait to meet some of you at an upcoming conference.

Feel free to contact me anytime at Amy (at) Spotonwellness (dot) com.

Or follow me on

Twitter @Spotonwellness

YouTube – SpotonwellnessTV

Facebook – www.Facebook.com/Spotonwellness

Instagram – Spotonwellness

Pinterest – Spotonwellness

And, don’t forget to check back in next week to see a new and exciting addition to Spotonwellness!! Ooooo… I am SO excited!!

What topics would you like to read more about?

What is your favorite flavor of Chobani Greek Yogurt?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: About me Blog, Blog, Front Page, Kids, Mamavation Monday, Uncategorized Tagged With: About Me, Boxing, Chickpea, Kids, Mamavation, Mamavation Monday, Spotonwellness, SpotonwellnessTV, Tabata

Favorites Friday: Phillip Phillips, Frozen Yogurt Bites and a Chobani Giveaway!

June 1, 2012 By Amy 27 Comments

Hi Guys,

Happy June 1st AND Happy Friday! I am SO looking forward to this weekend… especially after I was sick last week, my son was sick earlier this week and my husband is sick now. Uggg! It has been a rough 2 weeks!

Any-who!

Today is FAVORITES FRIDAY!!

MUSIC

First and foremost, did you watch this seasons American Idol? Well, last week I watched one of the MOST talented young singers I have ever heard win the title of American Idol. At least since Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson. This guy is the ENTIRE package. The unique voice, the charm, the smile, the GOOD looks, etc., etc., etc…..

Well, in-case you missed it, take a look for yourself.

I will be buying his album ASAP.

Okay, so NEXT!

FOOD

Well, sometimes while I am reading fellow bloggers posts or tweets or searching pinterest, etc…. (the list goes on and on ) I come across a recipe that sounds like it will be a homerun for my family.

For a recipe to be a homerun in my family, it has to have 4 parts (get it, like 4 bases (including home plate) in baseball…)

Be nutritious - the ingredients must be as close to clean and whole foods as possible
Be quick and easy to make (I don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen, nor do I really want to)
The ingredients list must be SHORT. If a recipe has TOO many ingredients, I (usually) don’t bother even trying to make it. I have probably missed out on some great recipes because of this but….
The kids have to like it. If you are a parent, you know that this is usually the HARDEST part of making a new recipe. Kids are notorious for sticking to their favorites, not liking a food because of its ~~stupid~~ color (green) or sometimes, they are just downright… picky.

Well, about a month ago, I came across a recipe by Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean (@Leangrnbeanblog) for………..

CHOCOLATE DIPPED FROZEN YOGURT BITES!!

Yeah, that title screamed HOMERUN to me, too!

Since that day, I have tried to make a couple of different versions of this recipe. FINALLY, I have created one that my kids LOVE, LOVE, LOVE and even tell their friends about ;)

Main Ingredients

1 cup of Plain non-fat Chobani Greek yogurt

(I use plain yogurt so the bites don’t have a lot of sugar but you could use a flavored one of your choice)

1 cup of chopped up fresh strawberries

1 scoop of strawberry protein powder

1 cup of granola (I use gluten free granola (ie… Kind granola or Go Raw)

Liquid stevia (sweeten to taste)

Note: If you use a flavored yogurt, you don’t need the stevia

Mix all of these ingredients together in a bowl and spoon into either…

Lindsay (@theleangrnbean) suggests using ice cub trays (great idea, but I don’t have any since our freezer has an ice cub maker) so I put mine in a mini-muffin tray but beware… they are really hard to get out (just let them defrost for a few minutes)

Chocolate Topping

1 teaspoon of bakers coco powder (you don’t need very much, it is potent stuff

1 scoop of Vanilla protein powder

Liquid stevia (sweeten to taste)

Mix together using a little water to make it smooth but not super runny

Spoon on top of each of the yogurt bites in the tray

Place tray into the freezer and…

wait

As I said, my kids (actually, my entire family, husband included) LOVE these. I give them to the kids for a snack when they get home from school or as dessert, instead of ice cream.

It is always fun to try making something new.

If you do end up trying this recipe, let me know what you think about them.

Okay, so now for the

GIVEAWAY!!

My friends at Chobani have agreed to send one winner a box of Chobani yogurt. It will include 12 different flavors!

Now, I have to tell you. I was SO excited the day that I received my box of yogurt. If you read my post about being a newbie blogger , that was one of my first “goals” to make me feel like I had become an official blogger.

So, if you are interested in receiveing a FREE box of Chobani yogurt too, enter below.

The contest will run until 12:01 am on June 11th. The winner will be announced on June 12th. After a winner is chosen, Chobani will contact the winner and send them their FREE box of yogurt.

Open to US and Canadian residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Blog, Favorites Friday, Front Page, Gluten Free, Kids, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: Chobani, Chocolate, Favorites Friday, Food reviews, Giveaway, Phillip Phillips, Recipes, Yogurt, Yogurt Bites

How to set SMART goals and a Tabata Thursday Boxing Workout for extra BURN

May 31, 2012 By Amy 2 Comments

When I was in the grocery store the other day, I overheard a lady saying, “It doesn’t matter if it is Atkins or South Beach, I just want to do whatever works to lose the weight FAST.”

Now, this isn’t the first time that I have heard someone say this. We all want to lose the weight fast right? But… it should be our ultimate goal to create a healthy LIFESTYLE so we can lose the weight safely and effectively. It is important to remember that to lose weight, you need to incorporate 3 basic things into your life:

Cardio
Strength training
Healthy nutrition (clean eating is the best) at EVERY meal

So, you can start by making small changes to your daily routine OR, if you are the type of person that has to jump in feet first (and you are healthy enough to do this), you can do a complete overhaul right away. It is important to find whatever works for you. You should realize that the first month can be the toughest but once you get started, you will feel that sense of accomplishment and how great exercise makes your body feel… you will soon be hooked and it will become a habit.

First thing… Start by writing down your ULTIMATE goal. IE… Running a local 5k in 3 months.

Once you have that goal written down, break it down even further into monthly, weekly and daily goals.

IMPORTANT: One of the most effective ways to structure your goals is by using the SMART goal model.

S = Specific

- Make sure your goals are VERY specific. Yes, you want to run the 5k. BUT, if you have not ran in over 5 years, you have a desk job or you are coming back from an injury, you need to start off slow and work you way up to your goal. An example of how to start by writing down a goal for this week would be going for a walk for 30 minutes each weekday at 9 am. See how specific that is? Once you feel comfortable and after you have had about 10 minutes to warm-up, you can start to incorporate a light jog into your walk. Start with jogging for 30 seconds or from mailbox to mailbox. Walk again for 2-3 minutes (or at least until you feel you are ready to go again) and jog again for another 30 seconds. Repeat this routine for the 30 minutes.*

M = Measurable

- Make sure you can measure you goals. IE… Can I measure (keep track of) my goal of walking/jogging for 30 minutes each weekday at 9 am? Yes, that is measurable.*

A = Attainable

- Are the goals attainable/achievable? Is walking for 30 minutes a day something that you would enjoy? Is it nice weather out so you are able to get outside? Is it possible for you to run at all or do you have underlying injuries that prohibit you from running? These are just a few questions you need to ask yourself when setting your goals.*

R = Realistic

- Are the goals realistic? It is not a good idea to start out on your first day by trying to run a full 3 miles if you haven’t ran in 5 years. Be realistic. Again, start with walking for the 30 minutes (or how ever long you are able) and work your way up to incorporating a light jog when you feel comfortable and ready.*

T = Timely

- Always remember to set an end time for your goal. We have said that you have the local 5k in 3 months that you are working toward. That is a timely goal with a specific end date. When you have completed this goal, set another goal for yourself and so on and so forth.*

*Always remember to talk to your doctor before starting any exercise routine.

Finding the best way to create a daily fitness habit and healthy eating lifestyle is what will ultimately help you reach your goals of being healthy, fit and strong.

So, if you are up to an extra challenge, I have created a Tabata Boxing workout to help you get fit in only 4 minutes. This is a pretty intense workout but you can do it to your own comfort and intensity level.

If you are not familiar with what a Tabata workout is, click here to read more about it.

Basically, Tabata is a 4 minute High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workout where you follow a set format:

20 seconds of a high intensity interval (IE… sprints, jabs, squats, etc…)
10 seconds of rest
Repeat 8 times for a total of 4 minutes

As I said before… Today’s Tabata Boxing workout is INTENSE!!

Jab/Cross RIGHT side
Squat jump with RIGHT side kick
Jab/Cross LEFT side
Squat jump with LEFT side kick

Don’t forget to warm up for 10 minutes before starting this workout and do a 10 minute cool-down at the end. Also, make sure to stretch and drink lots of water when you are finished, too.

Now, for another important piece of today’s workout… the MUSIC!

Here is the video to one of my favorite songs by my favorite guys… NICKELBACK.

How do you set your goals?

Do you have any goals set for yourself right now?

Filed Under: About me Blog, Blog, Fitness, Front Page, Tabata, Uncategorized, Vlog, Workouts Tagged With: Boxing, Tabata, workout

8 Ways to Help You Stop Late Night Snacking

May 21, 2012 By Amy Leave a Comment

I have a confession to make. I am a… LATE NIGHT SNACKER

You see, every day after I wake up, I get the kids on the bus, workout, eat breakfast and go about the rest of my daily schedule. Later in the afternoon, I get the kids off the bus, shuffle them from here to there, help with homework, make dinner and finally, get the kids into bed. If I am lucky, I have time to do a few more chores, maybe sit down with my husband to watch one of our favorite shows (like Modern Family) and finally, read a few pages of my current book and get some good sleep.

Usually, that is how my “routine” goes.

I eat healthy and I know what I should and shouldn’t eat. I am also a creature of habit. So, I tend to eat the same thing for breakfast and lunch EVERYDAY.

Wake up:

Hot Lemon Water (check out BradGouthroFitness.com for more info)
Pre-workout banana

Post Workout:

Protein Shake (Almond+ milk, Unsweetened Choco Almond Milk, Sun Warrior Vanilla Protein Powder, Psyllium Husks, Chia Seeds, Organic Baby Spinach, Frozen Organic Berries, Flax Oil and Coconut Oil)
1/3 cup KIND granola with Almond+ milk

Lunch:

Egg white Puff with Spinach and Franks Red Hot Sauce
Fruit of some kind

Mid-Afternoon Snack:

Apple with natural peanut butter

Dinner is usually a toss-up but I always make healthy meals for my family. I am very mindful of what we are putting into our mouths and bodies.

I also workout… hard. I have a scheduled list of my training and what I will be doing every day of the week. From running to cycling, HIIT and Tabata workouts to TRX. Is what I am doing right or wrong? Well, I am hoping I have educated myself enough to know what I should do and how to do it.

Here is what I did today for my workout:

So, if I am mindful of what I eat and how I push my body to be the best it can be each day, what is the problem right? Well, my “routine” works great … UNTIL… nighttime.

Ugggg.

After the kids are in bed and I am ready to decompress, I am usually on the hunt for a snack. It isn’t the same thing every day. Sometimes it is popcorn, sometimes it is chips and sometimes it is fruit. Sometimes, like tonight, it is a glass of wine and a piece of dairy free chocolate. ;( And sometimes, it is ALL of them together. I just can’t hit the nail on the head to squelch my craving. But I know I probably eat at least 300-400 calories between 8-11 pm. By the time I end up going to bed, I feel crummy and my stomach hurts. I get SO irritated with myself for sabotaging all of my hard work throughout the rest of the day.

So, if am as mindful an eater as I think I am, like I am for the first 3/4 of my day … why do I do this to myself at night?

Maybe it is because I eat too FEW calories throughout first 3/4 of my day?
Maybe it is because I am bored?
Maybe it is because my body is lacking some nutrient that I missed throughout the day?

I am sure there are a few other reasons that I missed (and by all means, please let me know your thoughts

So, after doing a little google search, I came across a post by Peanut Butter Fingers. (Ironically… PB (natural) is one of my FAV snacks

Here are a few of her suggestions that I thought were very useful and spot-on.

Drink a Hot Beverage – This is something that I do quite often. I like a cup of tea (decaf) so I am going to do this again and be MINDFUL of how it makes me feel
Plan to Snack – Many times I will try (her suggestion) of an apple with Peanut Butter and this is a great option. Sometimes, I just forgo the apple and have a spoonful of peanut butter and that seems to do the trick
Evaluate Your Hunger – As I contemplate this one, I can honestly say that I am probably NOT hungry and in fact, I am probably just thirsty. I know I don’t drink enough throughout the day so, therefore, this brings me back to the option #1 and #7
Entertain Yourself – Oh, this is a tricky one. Isn’t watching a show or working on the computer entertainment enough? LOL

A few other mindful eating options that I personally have found to help cut down on the late night snacking are:

5. Chewing Gum - This has always been a way that I find keeps my mind off of eating and my brain thinking that I am snacking. I am also one of those that chews gum while they workout. I HAVE TO. If I don’t, I feel soooo much thirstier. Crazy, I know. But, it tricks my brain into thinking that I am drinking and keeps me feeling hydrated and my mouth busy

6. Brush your teeth – The minty-ness in my mouth makes any food sound and taste unappetizing

7. Drink a glass of COLD water – If it is summer and hot outside, a glass of COLD water will make you feel full AND refreshed

8. Kiss – enough said

Okay, so now you (and I) have 8 different ways to help us STOP late night snacking and be more mindful of what we eat.

Let me know if any of these tricks work for you.

How do you stop yourself from eating those late night snacks?

Filed Under: About me Blog, Blog, Fitness, Front Page, Gluten Free, Uncategorized, Vlog, Workouts Tagged With: Late Night Snacking, Lemon Water, mindful, Protein Shake, Snacking, workout

Happy Mother’s Day!!

May 13, 2012 By Amy Leave a Comment

Making the decision to have a child - it’s momentous

It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.

Elizabeth Stone

WOW! That is SO true!

If you are a mom out there… Happy Mother’s Day to you

It is a day to celebrate being a mom.

It doesn’t matter if you gave birth to your child

adopted a child, you are a foster mom, or a mom by marriage…

You are special and God Bless you for doing the hardest job on earth!

I had a FANTASTIC day and I hope you did, too.

My kids (and husband) made me feel SO special today.

Here is a little vlog about my day and the gifts I received.

I am very blessed to have my two beautiful children to raise and call me mom.

They always make me laugh and bring me LOTS of joy.

But, on Mother’s Day I also cherish my baby boy Chickpea who is in Heaven.

I remember his little face and think of him and miss him everyday.

Keatonprints.com

We may not always understand why God does what he does, but I have Faith in Him

and know that what He does for me is best.

Always remember that no matter what you are going through,

you are never alone and the experience will only make you stronger.

I am so blessed to have had those special moments with God and Chickpea

and my heart and life has been forever changed.

But, here are a couple of cute pictures of my kids having a good ole’ time today playing “race-car.”

They are obviously TOO big for the BIG wheels but they were having a lot of fun.

And no, I am not trying to hide them from the public… LOL

They wanted to wear those huge helmets

And, here are a couple of pictures of some of the beautiful gifts my kids gave me today.

Okay, so on a different note… Can you believe I had a SPIDER on my face while I was sleeping???

That was HORRIFIC!!

Anyway….

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you mom’s.

How did you celebrate being a mom today?

Filed Under: About me Blog, Blog, Front Page, Happiness, Kids, Uncategorized, Vlog Tagged With: Chickpea, Gifts, Kids, Mother's Day, Stillbirth, Vlog

These Should Make You Laugh! Fitness Friday Funnies

May 11, 2012 By Amy 4 Comments

Happy Friday!

As I was reading my internet goodies this morning

(Twitter, Facebook, BlogFrog and MamaKatsLosinIt.com)

I came across a post by MamaKat titled A Day at the Office.

If you are not familiar with MamaKat, she is REALLY funny.

She has one of the best blogs out there.

And, she always makes me laugh.

There are a couple of really funny videos in the post that made me laugh… HARD!

So, I decided to do a little post of my own to help kick-start your Friday

and hopefully make you laugh, too.

I am calling it Fitness Friday Funnies!

These guys are RIDICULOUSLY funny.

I am sure you have seen or heard a couple of these people at your gym, right?

Do you remember feeling like this when you first started?

And, who doesn’t love Jim Carrey.

HAVE A FUN(NY) FRIDAY!!

Filed Under: About me Blog, Blog, Fitness Friday Funnies, Front Page, Happiness Tagged With: FitnessFridayFunnies, Funny, Laugh, Videos

Tri-Training Week 3 and A Cinco de Mayo Salsa Recipe

May 5, 2012 By Amy 2 Comments

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

I cannot believe it is already May 5^th!

2012 is FLYING by!!

I am not sure if there is a full moon or not this weekend

but my kids have been acting VERY squirrelly!

They are ready for some weekend fun and it is gorgeous out today so…

This was my 3^rd week of training for my first triathlon

It has gone really well and I created a vlog to give you a little recap

MONDAY: Swimming

For my swimming workout, I am still trying to work on my breathing

As I have said before, I still have a hard time going from exhaling to inhaling

Without getting a gallon of water up my nose

BUT, it went really well

I found a couple of websites that gave me some great tips and drills to try

The first website, swimsmooth.com, had a lot of great tips about breathing into

The “pocket” and other terminology I wasn’t aware of.

At swimming.about.com, there are a lot of drills I could try

to help improve my balance and breathing. I started off using flippers

And that really helped propel me through the water and keep me afloat

(I sink like a ROCK!!)

I also found that doing the breaststroke really helped my breathing, too

The motion of going in and out of the water on each stroke was a great drill

I found this video very helpful in explaining how to do the breaststroke correctly

TUESDAY: Off

WEDNESDAY: Sprint Intervals and BodyRock

I LOVE doing these sprint intervals 2 x’s per week

It is going against my tri-training program but… it helps me to

Relieve stress and feel all sweaty and good inside

5 minutes	Warm up
35 seconds	Sprint
1 minute	Walk
1 minute	Jog
Repeat the series	10 x
5 minute	Cool down
Finish with	Stretching

This takes almost 35 minutes and about 3.5 miles

As for the BodyRock session, go to their website at Bodyrock.tv and check it out

They offer completely free daily workouts that will improve your fitness level in only 12-30 minutes per day

Caution: You will be VERY sweaty but feel AMAZING after completing all of this

THURSDAY: Bike and TRX

The weather has been so good to me during my training so far

It was about 70° and sunny so I checked my tires and hit the road

It was a nice ride but as Murphy’s Law states:

It felt like I was riding into a head wind EVERY direction I rode.

Also, the butterflies are out in full force

It was like dodging bullets!

And man, those cute little buggers REALLY hurt upon impact

Unfortunately, I did not get to use my TRX system on Thursday so…

It was a really tough day and I was SO tired that I went to bed early

That almost NEVER happens for me. It felt good.

FRIDAY: Sprint Intervals and BodyRock

Unfortunately, Friday was a tough day, too.

Even after a great nights sleep, I was still tired and a bit cranky.

Okay, a LOT cranky!

and I did NOT feel like doing much of anything except relaxing

(warning: here comes a little crazy talk)

But, after “Angel Amy”

(the little person inside my head that understands I ALWAYS feel better after I workout)

had a long conversation with “Bad Amy”

(the little person inside my head that tells to just lie around and do nothing)

about why I should go for a run,

Angel Amy told Bad Amy “Look, you always feel better after you run so just do it!”

So, in the end Angel Amy won and we all whipped off another round of my sprint intervals

And yes, I felt MUCH better after.

Thank you Angel Amy

SATURDAY: Off (Active Rest Day)

Today, it is GORGEOUS outside and I plan to take the kids

To play a little tennis at our local High School

And maybe even go for a little bike ride on the bike path

SUNDAY: Bike and BodyRock

My plan for tomorrow is to get up early and ride while the sun is coming up

I’ll tell you this… it is so heavenly and peaceful to ride during a beautiful sunrise on a

Warm and peaceful Sunday morning

Seeing God’s beautiful artwork is so amazing

And Last but Not Least…

In honor of Cinco de Mayo,

I have created a new

SALSA Recipe

On Thursday night, I made a Powercakes Pizza

While it was baking, I “tried” to create a topping to go onto the Pizza

However, my Pizza topping ended up to be more salsa like than anything

So….

Since it is Cinco de Mayo (perfect timing right?)

I am posting my recipe for you to try and enjoy today

2 Vine tomatoes

1 handful of fresh organic baby spinach

3 baby artichoke hearts

2 cloves of garlic – freshly pressed

2 scallions

A small handful of fresh chopped Cilantro (technical terms I know

Salt and pepper (to taste)

Some Italian seasoning (to taste)

1 TSB of Nutritional Yeast (very cheesy tasting and healthy)

I chopped and mixed this all up together and it was SO yummy!

So, what happened to the Powercakes Pizza?

Well, because I had to let it cool

I didn’t eat it untilthe next day

Yup, it was YUMMY!!

I ended up eating my salsa on some Simply Sprouted - Way Better Life Tortilla Chips

These chips are about as natural and basic as you can get for a “healthy snack food”

It was the perfect combination!

Let me know if you have a chance to make the salsa.

Do you have a favorite Cinco de Mayo recipe?

Any Triathlon training tips you can offer?

I would love to hear from you.

Filed Under: About me Blog, Blog, Fitness, Front Page, Recipes, Uncategorized, Vlog, Workouts Tagged With: Tri-Training nutrition recipe swimming cycling Powercakes Salsa vlog spotonwellness

A Few of My Goals as a Newbie Blogger

April 24, 2012 By Amy 2 Comments

Every morning I have a routine

Get the kids up to get ready for school

Pack their lunches (sneek a peek at my Twitter account)

Get them on the bus (check my FaceBook account)

Workout (if I haven’t done this BEFORE getting the kids up)

Check my Twitter and FaceBook accounts

Shower

Make the beds (after checking my Twitter account again)

Empty/load the dishwasher

And finally… check my FaceBbook and Twitter accounts…again

To be honest, sometimes I check twitter before i get the kids up

Okay, now I am starting to sound a little addicted

Blogging and tweeting has definitely become part of my daily routine

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to blog, vlog and tweet!

I am hooked!!

When I first started to tweet and blog more regularly a few months ago,

I had a couple of “simple” goals in mind:

1) Educate Myself: Learn from others by reading their blogs

and attending conferences

2) Communicate: Start blogging/vlogging/tweeting more consistently

3) Make Meaningful Connections: Through Twitter, Facebook and by commenting on other blogs

4) Motivate and Inspire: My main focus is to motivate and inspire others to life a healthy lifestyle

BUT… Here are a couple of the more interesting, crazy, funny, weird goals I have for my blog:

* Receive a box of Chobani yogurt – When I first started my blogging adventure,

I read about 2 or 3 other people I was following on Twitter had received a box in the mail and

I thought, wow, that really means you have made it

* Be followed by at least 100 people on Twitter @spotonwellness (BTW… I am at 78 today so...)

√ * Have at least 1 subscriber to my YouTube Channel (thanks MamaMoz)

√ * Have a conversation (via email of course because I am NOT a stalker)

with one of my favorite bloggers, MamaKat (@mamakatslosinit)

* Become a FitFluential Ambassador – to me, this means you have made it to the BIG time!

√ * Attend a major event like the Fitness Magazine Blogger Meet and Tweet in NYC

(#fitblogNYC) on May 9^th

And last but certainly NOT least

* Be involved in some way, shape or form with LiveStrong - This is not only a blogging goal for me, but a personal/career goal of mine, too

As I had said before, I LOVE to blog/vlog and tweet

It has become as much of my daily routine as working out, brushing my teeth and, well … maybe even breathing

What were your goals when you first started blogging?

Do you have goals for your blog?

Filed Under: About me Blog, Blog, Front Page, Uncategorized Tagged With: Blogging, Dreams, goals, newbie, vlogging

How do you stay Positive?

April 19, 2012 By Amy Leave a Comment

We can always choose to perceive things differently.

You can focus on what’s wrong in your life or you can focus on what’s right. – Marianne Williamson

Did you know that it takes 5 positives to negate 1 negative?

I don’t know about you but sometimes when I am having a difficult day

finding only 1 positive can be TOO difficult.

But, here are a few ways to help you stay positive during your day.

1) Smile

It is really hard to be negative and unhappy when you are smiling

I like to smile at random people when I am walking by them.

The other day, I was picking out a bunch of bananas and an elderly man

was doing the same thing next to me.

I looked at him, smiled and said, “Hello sir. How are you today?”

We struck up a nice little conversation and it made my day.

2) Find Your Happy Place

This can be either mentally or physically

I have a few different happy places…

snuggling with my kids,

hugging my husband,

going on a hike with Cooper,

sweating it out during a hard workout,

and of course… closing my eyes and envisioning that I am on a beach ANYWHERE

will always make me happy.

3) Writing in a Journal

Every night before you go to bed,

jot down 5 positives from your day into a journal.

If you want to take it a little further,

think outside the box and write down a few that are not so evident.

ie… I am always happy when I hear my husbands c-pap machine roaring away

at night because I know it means he is still breathing

4) Laugh

Tell a joke

Look at funny pictures

I found these two on Pinterest.com

I often go to the Ellen DeGeneres website and look at her viewer pictures.

They are FUUUUUNNY!

I like to laugh. I definitely makes my day more positive.

5) Think Positively About Yourself

Remember to always think about yourself in a positive way

There are too many people out there that want to bring you down,

especially if you are in a good mood and they aren’t.

Pat your own back and toot your own horn.

Not in an obnoxious way but give yourself a little praise.

If you run a mile, don’t say, “Yeah, I ran a mile but I wanted to run 2.”

Instead, say to yourself (and others)

“YES!! I ran a MILE today”

Your positive attitude will be contagious!!

So tell me…

How you stay positive (#dailypositivity)

and let me know 5 positives from your day!

Filed Under: About me Blog, Blog, Daily Positivity, Front Page, Happiness, Uncategorized, Vlog Tagged With: Daily Positivity, Funny, Happiness, Laugh, Smile, Wellness

My Feet are Happy! A NB Minimus Review

April 18, 2012 By Amy Leave a Comment

Have you ever tried on a pair of shoes and thought, “wow, my feet are SO happy!”

That exact experience happened to me yesterday when I tried on a pair of

New Balance WT10 Minimus trail runner

These are THE most comfortable shoes I have EVER tried on.

They are perfectly snug on my instep and heel.

The toe box was wide enough that my toes can splay out and not feel constricted.

They are super light,

and… unbelievably flexible.

I was surprised just how confortable they are AND how great they look, too.

In my mind… They are a fitness shoe home-run!

I am going to order a pair today and I will do a follow up post as soon as I

receive them and get to try them out on the trails.

But first, I need your help deciding.

I can’t choose between the black with blue, the gray (both pictured above) or the black and pink (below)

UPDATE (4/30/12)

Okay, so I have had these trainers for almost a week now and I am IN LOVE!

When you put these on, they just envelop your feet and are SO comfortable.

They are snug in the mid-step and heel while the toebox

is roomy and piggy friendly.

I purchased the gray and black and they go with everything.

They are very flexible and airy.

I have not had a chance to run trails in them yet, so I will update this post again at that point

to let you know how they feel out on the trail.

Stay tuned!

Filed Under: About me Blog, Blog, Fitness, Front Page, Product Reviews, Uncategorized Tagged With: New Balance, Review, Shoes, trail runners, trainers

A Post-Run Chat

April 12, 2012 By Amy Leave a Comment

HAPPY THURSDAY!

What a beautiful day today.

The birds are singing, the sun is shining and yes, I am running!!!

Here is a little vlog about my run, etc…

I really wanted to get this on my website this morning (hence why I say, “Good morning”)

BUT… as many of you can relate, technology is great

until it DOESN’T work!!

So, I’m sorry its is a little late but hey… better late then never!

Ps… Cooper said to say thanks for watching

Filed Under: About me Blog, Blog, Uncategorized, Vlog Tagged With: Chat, Dog, HIIT, Hike, Intervals, Running

Have you Tried…???

April 5, 2012 By Amy 8 Comments

Have you Tried…???

Many times, we get caught up in doing the same daily routine over and over again.

Our comfort zone is, well… comfortable.

But, sometimes change is good… especially when it comes to exercise.

It is good to make your body wonder what is coming next.

That is one of the reasons why HIIT training is so beneficial.

So, since summer is almost here, I have added a couple of different ideas and ways you can get out there

and get your fit on!!

Stand-Up Paddle-boarding!!

Wow!

It was so much fun gliding through the water so quiet and peaceful.

I could see all the way to the bottom of the lake.

Also, it is a great core workout… especially when a boat goes by and you have big waves coming at you

Balance…balance…balance

(PS… Yes, I am using a windsurfing board! Two uses for one board )

Wake Boarding!!

This particular day I had swam for a couple of laps and went up

to our cottage to get into some dry clothes.

My (7 year old) son had been practicing and getting used to standing up on the wake-board

for a couple of weeks near shore and he was ready to go out behind the boat.

Everyone had been nagging me for weeks/months/years

to try wake-boarding and I really had no interest.

It wasn’t that I didn’t think I could do it. Heavens NO!

I can do anything I set my mind to.

The problem was that my mind was telling me

“you are a bit klutsy and a broken leg will not be a fun way to spend the rest of your summer”

So as I was in the cottage, changing into my dry and very warm clothes,

my heart finally told my mind to SHUT UP and go for it!

I thought, “my 7 year old son is about to do it,

he is scared but he is going to try and that is very brave of him.”

And so I put my swim suit back on and marched down to the water

and looked my son in the eyes and told him,

“buddy, because you are SO brave and I am SO proud of you to try wake-boarding behind the boat today,

I am going to try it too!”

(and my mind said, “did you just say that outloud?)

He had the BIGGEST smile on his face and said to me, “You can do it mama. I know you can!”

Those words made my day/year/life

(As he turned to walk away, I think he also muttered the words…

“it’s easy, so don’t worry.” Yeah, easy)

He went first and popped right up out of the water effortlessly, time after time.

He had a blast. He is a natural.

He must get that from his dad

And so, as I tried to get up on that wake-board, time after time,

with GALLONS of water rushing up my nose and in my face

I FINALLY DID IT!

It was cool. It was hard. It was fun.

It was a great feeling to overcome a fear and especially, NOT GET HURT TRYING!

Entering a Race!!

I have been a runner for quite a few years now… mainly for fun and exercise.

Okay, so some may call that a jogger but… whatever

This picture is actually from my second ever 5k race at an Oncology Conference in Vancouver.

I raced really hard.

All I wanted was to come in under 28 minutes and set a new PR.

I set a PR at 27.34

It felt great to accomplish another goal.

PS… after I did this race at 6 am,

I walked back to my hotel,

took a shower,

walked 1/2 mile to the bus depot,

went to visit the Capilano Suspension Bridge

took the bus back to the city to the Outdoor Market,

walked around there and enjoyed a DELICIOUS lunch

(BTW… This is from my pre-Gluten Free days)

After I ate lunch and explored a bit

Oh look… I found a couple of Stand Up Paddle-boarders!

I walked about another 3 miles,

rented a bike

and rode 8.85 miles around Stanley Park.

After returning my bike, I walked a mile back to my hotel and…

COLLAPSED!

What an AWESOME day!

Vancouver is SO BEAUTIFUL!!

So… as summer approaches, get out there and try new ways to stay fit.

You never know what adventures you will find your self taking

AND… you will probably have a LOT of fun doing it too!

What different ways will you enjoy your summer

and get your Fit On???

Filed Under: Blog, Fitness, Front Page, Uncategorized, Workouts Tagged With: About Me, Blog, Fitness, Pictures, Running, Travel, Workouts

Ta-Da!

March 30, 2012 By Amy 9 Comments

Yesterday was an eye opening, Ah-HA kind of day for me.

As I was reading through my tweets and checking out the different posts of the bloggers I follow, I came across one that made a significant impact on my life. It was a post by @MizFitOnline called Exercise is Not My Passion. As I read the post, it gave me goosebumps.

You see, for as long as I can remember, I have been “into” fitness and healthy nutrition.

It IS my Passion.

If I could live in a gym, I would.

If I could exercise all day/every day, I would.

I read about it, I watch videos about it, I train others how to do it and 99.9% of the time, it comes up in conversations I have with just about ANYONE… from the pastor at my church to the secretary at my kids school.

But, after I read that post (Exercise is Not My Passion by @MizFitOnline), I stopped and thought about how true her words were and how they gave clarity to my daily actions and career choices.

See, I am a type-A, Gen x, multi-tasking, entrepreneurial, think outside the box kind of girl. It isn’t unusual for me to come up with a new business idea or product I could patent, multiple times a day. It can get a little crazy up here in my head. Thank God I have a supportive husband who listens and brings me back to ground zero.

You see, as a Radiation Therapist (RTT) for the past 13 years, and a crazy fitness freak for my entire life, I have struggled with seeing exactly what God’s plan was for me.

“Maybe I should do this or maybe I should do that” is a VERY common phrase in my vocabulary.

I enjoy being an RTT. It gives me great satisfaction knowing that I am helping others in their fight against cancer.

I also enjoy being a fitness trainer and wellness coach. I continually strive to educate myself, obtain/maintain certifications and motivate others to live a healthy life.

And so, as I read on, MizFitOnline finishes her post by saying,

”My passion is helping people & promoting healthy living.”

Well, Ta-Da!!

That’s IT!

Yes, I love fitness and exercise but that is just part of the whole picture!

I have a passion for helping others live a healthier life and be the BEST that they can be!

So, as I move forward, I will combine my career as an RTT and my love of fitness and healthy nutrition. I will follow my TRUE passion, and also what I now understand to be my calling of helping others by motivating, promoting and educating a healthy living lifestyle.

A very BIG thanks and shout out goes to:

@bonnielang for being a new friend that I have found SO much in common with. Good luck to her and her husband as they try to create a much needed webseries to help young cancer survivors. Click here for more info on that project and here for Bonnie Lang Fitness. She always has a LOT of great fitness tips and workouts to share.

@aBLYSSa and her post about What Should I Say to the 16 Year Old You? Wow! It is a post (and video) that will stop and make you say…

Okay 16 year old me…. DON’T slather on Crisco and lay in the HOT August sun on a deck chair over aluminum foil.

It is just plain STUPID and RISKY!

And last but certainly not least, @PowerCakes and @justkeepsweating have both been motivating me to be the best I can be.

I really look forward to trying some new exercises and eating your delicious recipes.

Thanks!

QUESTION OF THE DAY!

Do you have a dreamjob that combines your passion and career? What is it?

Filed Under: About me Blog, Blog, Fitness, Front Page, Uncategorized Tagged With: Dream-job, exercise, Fitness, healthy living, nutrition, Passion, Radiation Therapy

Yay! It’s Official!

March 23, 2012 By Amy 1 Comment

YAY!

Well, its official. Thanks to @FitFluential and @GotChocoMilk, I won a scholarship to the Fitness and Health Bloggers Conference this June in Denver! Yay!

It is amazing how fast your dreams can happen when you reach out to others, listen to advice and jump into the action.

I can’t wait to meet the other fantastic bloggers at the conference and learn all I can about making this website, my blog and my wellness business bigger and better than ever before.

FitNutTip of the day…. Don’t forget to Refuel with Chocolate Milk after your workouts! I do!!

Filed Under: About me Blog, Fitness, Front Page, Uncategorized Tagged With: Blogging, Conferences, Fitness

How Will You Follow Your Dreams?

March 20, 2012 By Amy 4 Comments

This is me on The Roseman Bridge in Madison County, Iowa in 2001. It was

always a dream of mine to visit here and I was SO happy on this day.

“The old dreams were good dreams; they didn’t work out, but I’m glad I had them.” Clint Eastwood as Robert Kincaid in Bridges of Madison County

This is one of my favorite quotes (and movies) of all time. It is in a frame in my office and I read it often. Especially today.

Today was a very hard day. It is the day that one of my dreams, the dream of owning my own fitness facility, is coming to an end.

But, I am SO glad I had the dream, I followed my dream and I don’t have any regrets about it at all. Plus, I had a lot of fun doing it, too.

So, does this mean that I am going to sit like a lump on a log. Of course NOT! My new plan is to continue to motivate, educate and train others in my community and online.

As anyone in my family can attest to, I have a LOT of dreams and ideas. Sometimes I probably drive them crazy. It isn’t that my family doesn’t think that I can and will accomplish all of my goals, hopes, dreams and desires. They know I will if I really put my mind to it. No, they just know that sometimes I need help with focus.

So, here is my plan to facilitate my newest “dream” of becoming a top notch fitness and wellness blogger and help make it into my new “reality.”

- Jump right in. During the past few months, I have been blogging here and there but I have not been very regular about it. My new plan is to blog at least once a day so I can stay connected with my followers.

- Attend a conference this summer that will help me better understand the social media and blogging world. One conference I plan to attend is the Fitness and Health Bloggers Conference in Denver, CO in June. The agenda looks so interesting and informative. I also hope to be one of 40 lucky recipients of the Refuel with Chocolate Milk Scholarships to the FHBC Conference. After being laid off in January, a scholarship would surely make this conference financially possible for my family and me and also help to jump-start my blogging career.

- Connect with others through Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. I have been using a personal Facebook page for a couple of years now but I wasn’t too involved with Twitter until a couple of weeks ago. It is amazing how many fantastic resources there are and how many people you can learn from on Twitter. One of the first groups I decided to follow was @FitFluential. Their motto is, “FitFluential is a growing family of fitness fanatics spreading a positive healthy message year-round. Fitfluential is Fitness Found.” Perfect!!

- I have even made a couple of friends/connections that I am very excited about. One person in particular is Bonnie Lang of BonnieLangFitness.com. She is an amazing blogger with a lot of great information and advice to offer. You can find more links to other blogs, websites and interesting ”stuff” on my resources page, too.

- Last but not least (and probably not last either) is that I will always continue to dream. I will update my bucket list of dreams, set goals and push hard to accomplish them. Life isn’t always easy but at least I won’t regret trying to live it to the fullest.

Do you have any dreams or goals for 2012? If so, what is your plan?

Good luck to you!

Filed Under: About me Blog, Front Page Tagged With: Blog, Blogging, Dreams, FHBC, FitFluential, Fitness, Fitness and Health Conference, Health, Refuel

Can you believe it?

March 1, 2012 By Amy 6 Comments

WOW! Is today really March 1st? Already?

On January 6th, I turned 39. Yes, it is my last year in my thirties and I now realize that I only have 10 months and 5 days until I turn the BIG 4-0!! But, I embrace my age (even if it does come with “issues”) and try to live each day to the fullest. New experiences are exciting to me and as usual, I will step out of my comfort zone to keep trying new things.

So, one of my favorite physical activities to “do” in the winter months (actually, I love it all year but winter is the best time) is to go for a morning run. In the cold. The colder the better. I know, I’m not in the majority here but…

I was just thinking about my run yesterday. I completed a 3 mile run with 10 rounds of (HIIT) sprints and man, it felt SO good. I try to do these runs about 2 times per week. I love doing any type of HIIT workout because I am a work at home, mom of 2, super multi-tasker and even though I love to exercise and be in the gym, I would rather complete a hard workout in a short time than spend hours doing the same activity. I mean, I would love to run a marathon, because I know I could do it, I just don’t think I could mentally do it. I usually get bored around mile 8 and that is why I am setting my sights on three different challenges in 2012/2013.

The first event is going to be a sprint triathlon. Now, I already run and cycle, no problem, but the swimming part… that is going to be a tough one. And even I know, practice makes perfect, right? The scary part about the swimming, unlike the running and cycling, is that you CAN’T STOP. You have to keep swimming. So, I will start hitting the pool to practice ASAP.

The second event is the Dirty Girl Mud Run. If you are not aware of what this event is, let me tell you more. It is a 5k charity race where you get REALLY muddy and challenged with obstacles (and, did I say MUD?) while on your way to the finish line. I have joined up with some of my local friends on a team called the Chicks with Dirty Kicks. See, those who know me are laughing right now because I really HATE to get dirty so again, this is going to be a challenge for me that is out of my comfort zone. But, we are going to have a blast!

The last event that I would like to enter is the Disney Princess Half Marathon. It takes place in February 2013 at Disney World. I mean hey, combine my love of running with Disney and that is an event made in Heaven. Plus, it is only 13.1 miles long so I am hoping that the scenery will keep my attention… oh, sorry, a bird flew by.

Anyway, I will keep you posted about my progress and my training plan(s), etc….

Do you have any tips or training plans that have helped you accomplish one of these events? Please feel free to leave me a comment below.

Filed Under: About me Blog, Blog, Front Page, Uncategorized

iEatGFree – Questions answered

December 2, 2011 By Amy Leave a Comment

On November 1st, after listening to a very complelling and convincing interview with cardiologist William Davis, MD, and reading his book Wheat Belly, I decided to try a new approach to my daily nutrition by eliminating gluten and wheat from my diet.

4 weeks in and… I feel GREAT!!

Many of the questions I have been asked over the past four weeks are:

Why did you decide to eat a gluten free diet?
How do you feel?
Have you noticed any weight loss?
Is it hard?
What do you eat?

Well, you can read my first blog post, Is Gluten Free for ME? to better understand WHY I decided to start eating a gluten free diet. Lets just say, with a family history of ciliac disease AND many convincing reasons (both scientific and clinical) I have heard and read about, my ”gut” feeling was I needed to take gluten out of my diet to SEE if I could FEEL better.

So, how I am feeling? I do feel different, and in a good way. I have noticed that I get better quality sleep (much deeper sleep), and my focus is better. I feel that I am not as puffy under my skin as I maybe was before. I have had people tell me that I look like I have lost weight; especially in my face. Once I get my scale back into working order, I will report back if I have indeed lost any weight. I only have about 5 lbs to go so…. fingers crossed.

I have never been a bread or pasta fan and so I don’t crave it at all. In that respect, it really hasn’t been too hard for me. If I had any bread during my day, it was usually at lunch when I would have a half of a whole wheat sandwich thin, toasted with (natural) peanut butter. Really, it was only a vessel to get the peanut butter into my mouth with a bit of crunch. Most of the snacks that I had in my pantry were already gluten free so I didn’t have to make any big changes there either.

I have found that with every food that you currently eat with gluten, there is (probably) a gluten free alternative on the shelf at the grocery store. AND, you may find tastes even better. BUT… please keep in mind. It doesn’t mean that they are necessarily a healthier alternative. Many times, they have more fat and calories so beware. Ultimately, you should try to eat whole foods and eliminate processed foods of any kind for complete wellness.

Lastly, people always ask, “so what do you eat for your meals each day?”

Usually for breakfast, I like to have cereal of some kind. I like the crunch in the morning. So, I will have a bowl of Rice Chex topped with flax seed and a side of Greek yogurt. Or, I may have my Greek yogurt with Enjoy life GF granola mixed in. Very tasty either way.

For lunch, I either have a salad, a lettuce wrap or egg whites. For my salad, I use organic baby spinach, hard boiled egg whites, yellow or orange pepper, steamed vegetables (I like them hot in the salad), 2 slices of (cut up) Canadian bacon or chicken strips, some turkey pepperoni mini bites (for spice), artichoke hearts (my favorite) and feta cheese. If I make a lettuce wrap, I will put Dijon mustard, a slice of Canadian bacon, artichoke hearts (again, my favorite), a couple pieces of steamed veggies and role it up. My egg whites I mix with baby spinach and feta with some sliced peppers on the side for crunch.

For dinner, it is a mix of many different things. With 2 kids and a husband to make dinner for, it can get a little tricky but I am finding many different dinner recipes that are GF and tasty. The kids are even enjoying them too. I am a meat and potato girl at heart so our favorite is Venison, cooked on the grill with mashed potatos (we use 0% fat, plain Greek yogurt in them) and veggies of some kind.

My daily snacks are usually some kind of fruit, like an apple with peanut butter (natural), a clementine (in season right now) OR a handful of raw (not roasted) almonds OR a glass of 1/2 unsweentened chocolate almond milk, 1/2 skim milk. As Rachel Ray says, “Yummo!”

I am very interested to hear what you have tried and please feel free to ask more questions. I will be trying new recipes and GF items from the store and reporting back on my blog about how they taste, their cost, etc…

Filed Under: Front Page, Gluten Free

iEatGFree – Turkey BUTT…

November 24, 2011 By Amy Leave a Comment

I don’t know about you but…. I LOVE THANKSGIVING DINNER!!

Over the past week, many of you have asked me how I plan to cook a Thanksgiving dinner for 13 people and still eat gluten free. Well, I have found some creative, healthy(er) and gluten free ways to make a few of our favorite Thanksgiving dinner staples and surprisingly, it won’t be that hard to manage.

Mashed Potatoes – This is by far one of my FAVORITE foods. However, it is not normally a “healthy” side dish, so I try not to eat it very often. You probably already know that one of the most nutritious parts of a potato is the skin. One little trick to make our MP’s quick and easy is I use the little red potatoes, skin on, and boil them whole. By using the little red potatoes, not only do I eliminate the need to peel the spuds - which my family will not let me do because I am terrible at it - but all of the nutrients are kept in tact. Another little trick I use to add flavor and healthy protein is by mixing in a cup of Non-fat Greek Yogurt. It adds a creamy consistency and the tang of sour cream. Yummy!!

Green Bean Casserole – Is this one of your favorite dishes, too? I love this dish and was really nervous that I would not be able to find a way to make it gluten free. BUT… where there is a will….

First, frozen green beans (or fresh if you can find good ones) are easy and taste almost as good as fresh
Second, Progresso makes a Gluten Free Creamy Mushroom soup that you can use in place of your usual Campbell’s brand
Third, to replace the fried onions (because they are not gluten free) that go on top of the casserole, I am going to try using FunYuns as a topper. I have not tried yet, so this will be a first. Please keep in mind that these are NOT a healthy addition to a meal but to eat them in moderation on a Thanksgiving casserole… it’s gonna be just fine.

Turkey Gravy - Honestly, I have never been a big gravy fan but my family loves it. So, in my search for turkey gravy that is gluten free, Heidi (from the blog - Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom) suggests using Tom Sawyers Gluten Free Flour to make the BEST gravy ever! This is one recipe that we are going to try with our gravy this T-Day.

Dessert – Okay, truth be known, dessert is a bitter-sweet (no pun intended) part of the conversation for me. I have a love/hate relationship with dessert. BUT… it is Thanksgiving and as long as you don’t eat this way everyday, enjoy! So, I found a recipe by William Davis, MD, that is for a gluten free pumpkin pie with a wheatless crust that I would like to try making this year. I will let you know how it turns out!

Stay tuned and next week when I will post my gluten free food reviews from our Thanksgiving 2011 dinner. Until then… Happy Thanksgiving to you all! And a BIG thanks to my family for being my Thanksgiving gluten free taste testing guinea pigs this year.

Filed Under: Front Page, Gluten Free

Is Gluten Free for ME?

November 15, 2011 By Amy 3 Comments

A couple of weeks ago while researching nutrition and fitness “stuff”, I came across a podcast, The Paleo Solution, Episode 95, that I found very interesting. Robb Wolf, the author of The Paleo Solution, was interviewing Dr. William Davis (a Cardiologist) who wrote the book Wheat Belly. Okay, so what were they talking about? To put it simply, Dr. Davis was talking about the negative health effects from eating wheat (and gluten) and how eating a gluten free diet can change your life. I was amazed at some of the incredible examples and science based reasons of why we should NOT EAT WHEAT!! But, I know what you are thinking. The FDA says we should eat whole wheat, whole grain foods… and what about the food pyramid or I mean, food plate… yada, yada, yada. I was eating the same “healthy” diet and had all of the same questions too until I listened to the podcast interview. It has changed my way of thinking.

Now, I don’t have celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity. I do however, have a family history of celiac disease. Since celiac disease is an inherited autoimmune condition, I was really curious to see if I notice any changes in myself and my overall health by eating a gluten free diet. PLUS… I am always up for a challenge and love improving my health and well being.

So, this is the first blog in a series called, Is Gluten Free For Me? about my own personal gluten free experience . Each week I will post my comments, thoughts, experiences, opinions, tips, and strategies, etc… from eating a gluten free diet.

My hope is that you will decide to take this challenge with me. Or, maybe you are already eating a gluten free diet and you would like to share your experience with us. Please post your comments, thoughts, opinions, tips, questions and strategies, etc… and don’t forget to share this information with your friends and family. Lets take back our health together!!

PS… Just to give a little background information about celiac disease and what gluten is…

According to the website www.ciliac.org, Celiac Disease (CD) is a lifelong inherited autoimmune condition affecting children and adults. When people with CD eat foods that contain gluten, it creates an immune-mediated toxic reaction that causes damage to the small intestine and does not allow food to be properly absorbed. Even small amounts of gluten in foods can affect those with CD and cause health problems. Damage can occur to the small bowel even when there are no symptoms present. Gluten is the common name for the proteins in specific grains that are harmful to persons with celiac disease. These proteins are found in ALL forms of wheat (including durum, semolina, spelt, kamut, einkorn and faro) and related grains rye, barley and triticale and MUST be eliminated.

Invest in yourself and keep moving forward!
DISCLAIMER: All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. Spotonwellness.com makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. This is a personal weblog. The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer. In addition, my thoughts and opinions change from time to time…I consider this a necessary consequence of having an open mind. This weblog is intended to provide a semi-permanent point in time snapshot and manifestation of the various memes running around my brain, and as such any thoughts and opinions expressed within out-of-date posts may not the same, nor even similar, to those I may hold today.

Filed Under: Front Page, Gluten Free

Is there a positive to having a big butt?

October 23, 2011 By Amy 2 Comments

Well, after a long and busy summer, fall has finally arrived. I struggle with this season every year. Fall has always been my favorite season because of the cool, crisp air, the changing of the foliage and last but not least, I don’t have to worry about wearing a bathing suit for another 9 months or so.

Do you feel this way too? Does wearing a bathing suit stress you out?

[Read more...]

Filed Under: About me Blog, Front Page

Leave me a comment below…

Have you tried Shakeology yet?

Have you ever used any of these other ingredients?

Have you tried a Powercake yet?

DON’T FORGET:

1) Leave a comment below

2) Follow me on Twitter and Instagram

3) Subscribe to my YouTube Channel

4) Like my Facebook page

#FitGearFriday 2/22/13

What fitness gear do you like to use in the colder weather?

Have you ever used a hat from BULA?

DON’T FORGET:

1) Leave a comment below

2) Follow me on Twitter and Instagram

3) Subscribe to my YouTube Channel

4) Like my Facebook page

I LOVE Fitness Gear Friday

Another cool option that Nathan offers is called the QuickShot Plus

AND, to round out the QuickShot series is the Thermal QuickShot

SO MANY GREAT OPTIONS!!

Have you tried any of these water bottles on your runs or walks?

Would you consider purchasing one of these?

What type of Hydration system do you use on your short runs?

Leave me a comment below and share this with other fit friends!

Don’t forget to read my other #FitGearFriday picks

#FitGearFriday

What FIT GEAR do you recommend?

Is there FIT GEAR that you think I should try or talk about?

Leave me a comment below!

Can you guess what happened from me taking my gym diet?

What did I discover from taking a Gym Diet?

I have set 10 goals for myself to start this month to get back on track!

Have you gone on a Gym Diet?

What is your favorite way to exercise?

Now, go ahead and do these 3 things

1) Leave a comment below

2) Subscribe to my YouTube Channel

3) follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

~ Lazy people want much but get little,

but those who work hard will prosper and be satisfied ~

Proverbs 13:4

INSANITY,

Tell me:

1) What did you do today to Invest In Yourself?

2) Have you ever tried the Insanity Program?

3) Would you like to join my Insanity Challenge?

So, Simply Snackin is…

Through January, if you go to simplysnackin.com and enter SSjan2013 , you will get 10% off the purchase price.:) Yay!

LIVE EACH DAY AS A GIFT

So, if you are anything like me – a mom who eats healthy and loves her kids a LOT -

You will probably relate to what I am about to say.

Halloween is one of my most UNFAVORITE days of the year!

1. I am the BLACK SHEEP in my family.

2. Being a Christian, I think you can understand that I do not agree with the meaning behind Halloween.

3. My children and my own life mean more to me than junk food.

4. I cannot stand the movie trailers and commercials they play on TV for these HORRIFIC movies and TV

shows that seem to always come out at this time of year.

5. The fact that we teach our kids from the time that they are small to NEVER take

Candy from a stranger and then…

BUT…

and just plain ole having FUN!

is priceless.

Leave me a comment below and tell me…

Are you the Black Sheep in your family?

How do you feel about Halloween?

Do you ever feel like you are fighting a losing battle?

What if the food you are eating is making you sick?

What if the government, the FDA and the Food Companies all KNOW that this is happening but they don’t want to do anything about it?

What if 61 other countries around the world already label their food if it contains GMO’s but the USA doesn’t?

Do you know that they take spider genes and put them into goats

with the hope that the goat will produce milk with spider web qualities so they can make bullet proof vests!

Would that make you upset?

Do you want the right to decide?

On the ballet in California on November 6th it will be put to a vote.

Say YES on Proposition 37 and make a difference in your life and the lives of your children and loved ones.

Watch this video and you will hear some very interesting and scary facts about the health of our country.

Below are some interesting facts from tweets during a twitter chat hosted by Leah Segedie @bookieboo on labeling GMO’s.

What are GMO’s? Genetically Modified Organisms

Most of us are eating GMOs everyday with out our knowledge. Did you consent to that? I didn’t.