Get.Inspired.

... Something with me really clicked today.

I've had a TON of things running through my brain lately. Where I'm going, where I'm going to end up, am I taking the right path, am I going to enjoy what I'm doing and most important am I going to HELP someone? Even if it was just one darn person... I could live with that. All that being said ...

Today, for the first time in YEARS I attended church. Yes, I was VERY apprehensive about it. Last time I went to church I just didn't feel comfortable, I didn't understand what was being said and it just didn't make any sense. So, I decided to attend a very laid back church that several friends had mentioned to me. It seemed like a great place to start back up with! Another great thing about this, Maddox's father, step-mother and their children also attend. So, we can go as a family. Which is so very important for Maddox and his brothers. Yes, I know people think it's 'weird' for us to do things together but everyone does 'weird' stuff so why not do it together? Plus, it sets a positive example for not only Maddox but his brothers.

I fell in love with this place. It only took ONE hour. I didn't feel out of place, uncomfortable and most importantly I got the message. It made sense to me ... It moved me.

I look at myself right now, in this very moment and am proud of myself. I am proud that I've 'changed' my ways, my judge mental thinking, my outlook on life, and my hope for my family and children. I can look at myself and know that I am becoming a more positive person. Now, I still have a very long way to go but I think we will forever be 'constructing' ourselves so to speak.

Now, the question is what can I do to help people? Move people? Change people? INSPIRE people? Well ... I am going to keep down this path and keep moving forward. That's all I can do for now. I can continue to do everything possible to make a positive impact on the people in my life now and the brand new people I meet. Slight side note, I never use to be a person to talk to random people in public. My grandpa use to embarrass me to death because he would literally talk to EVERYONE and I mean everyone! Ask any girl I played softball or basketball with, he was everybody's grandpa! Now, I found myself talking to people pretty much anywhere I go and I initiate a lot of conversation. This is coming from the girl who was scared to death to speak in front of people. I won't be giving speeches in front of hundreds of people any time soon but hey, maybe some day right? Baby steps ... Anyway, my goal is to 'pay it forward' ... All those people who inspired me, helped me and pushed me to help me get to where I am now, I need to keep it moving and make an impact on someone else's life.

Well, now that I've typed this entire thing from my phone and my hand is cramping ... This is my question to you -- What inspires you? What motivates you in life? Not just fitness but LIFE ....

Think about it ...

- Ashlee

Picture Perfect!

I found this picture on Pinterest! It's so fitting! ❤❤❤

RECIPES ...

Here are a couple of my favorite snack recipes...

 

Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup nonfat milk
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 egg whites (I’ve used EggBeaters)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sugar
raisins or nuts (optional but I haven’t used either yet)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Soak the oats in milk for an hour. Spray muffin pan with cooking spray. Combine the oat mixture with the applesauce and egg whites, and mix until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk dry ingredients (except the cinnamon and sugar) together. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just combined. Add nuts or raisins if desired. Do not over mix the batter or the muffins will be tough. Spoon muffin mixture into muffin pan. Combine the cinnamon and sugar and top each muffin with some of the mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done. These can also be frozen and reheated in the microwave for a quick breakfast.
Number of Servings: 12
Calories: 92
Fat: .5
Protein: 2.9 g
WW Points: 1

 

Quinoa Pancakes

Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa
3/4 cup all purpose flour --- I use whole wheat flour!
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon course salt
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg white
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, plus more for skillet
1/4 cup lowfat milk
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, plus more for serving
fresh fruit or fruit preserves (optional) for serving

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together quinoa, flour, baking powder, and salt. In another medium bowl, whisk together egg, egg white, butter, milk, and syrup until smooth. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and whisk to combine.
2. Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with butter and heat over medium-high. Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls into skillet. Cook until bubbles appear on top, 2 minutes. Flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside, 2 minutes. Wipe skillet clean and repeat with more melted butter and remaining batter (reduce heat to medium if overbrowning). Serve with maple syrup and fresh fruit or preserves if desired. 

 

 

What You’ll Need:

1/2 cup raw quinoa
1 cup + 1/4 cup almond milk
1/2 cup water
Dash of sea salt
1 banana, 1/2 mashed, 1/2 cut into slices
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fresh mint for garnish

What To Do:

1. Bring 1/2 cup of quinoa, 1/2 cup water, 1 cup almond milk, and dash of sea salt to a boil in a small pot.
2. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook stirring occasionally until all the liquid has been absorbed (about 10 minutes).
3. Remove quinoa from stove and transfer to a bowl.
4. Mix in the mashed banana, cocoa powder, vanilla, and honey. Stir until evenly combined.
5. Pour the remaining 1/4 cup of almond milk over quinoa, garnish with banana slices and mint (if desired), and enjoy!

Three Hundred and Sixty-Five Days ...

.... A lot can happen in a year's time! I mean, A LOT!!!

   Where do I even start? First, I guess I found myself. My true passions in life. Being a mom and helping others. The woman I am today and the woman I was just one short year ago are two different people. I am so happy, positive and living the life I want to live on my own terms. What more could I want right now?

February, 2012 ....

This is where I started!! A complete lifestyle was such a huge step for me! Eating habits, exercise habits, day to day activity habits and just an overall view on life change!

Some of the things that I accomplished this past year ... I ran two 5Ks, one 10K AND my very first half marathon! I couldn't be more excited about that! I joined a gym and am CONSISTENT about going. I've seen my body completely change, right in front of my very own eyes. It's completely amazing what can come of hard work and eating correctly -- for the most part!

We took our very first trip together! It was about darn time! After 10 years, I think we deserved it! Although, Vegas wasn't my favorite place we still got to spend quality time - just us! Next time, family trip! Hopefully to a warm place with a beach!

I've made some amazing friends over the past year, rekindled friendships and grown even closer to some of my existing friends. Friends and family are so very important! Without their support and encouraging words, you have nothing.

I have a completely different outlook on my life. Much more positive about how things are going. I wake up every day, ready to tackle new obstacles. Attack life. I hope to pass this on to my children, husband, friends and family. It makes things sooo much easier when you have a good attitude about life!

For the first time in a LONG time, I was able to spend the entire holiday season with my children and family. I didn't have to worry about a 'schedule'. Such a blessing! That meant more to me than anything! Time with them when they are little is so very precious and I wouldn't trade that time with them for anything! Your children are only little once and it passes by sooo quickly. I mean, my goodness Maddox is almost SEVEN! Where on earth has that time gone?

I've also decided to become a personal trainer as well as a spin/cycle instructor! I really, really want to help people achieve their fitness goals. Other mommies, women and men! If I can pass on some of my knowledge and help them achieve their goals, I would consider that a huge victory! Pay it forward ...

A HUGE accomplishment for last year .... I LOST 50 pounds!! Holy moly! It was hard work but I did it!

February, 2013

 

 

 

Now this year, I have a whole other set of goals! Best the very best 'me' I can be! Help others, inspire others, whatever I can do to pay it forward! I hope through my blog, Facebook, whatever I can reach out to someone and help them get going on their goals!

 

What inspires you? What pushes you?

 

Here's to a FABULOUS year!!

 

 

-Ashlee



 

Word jumble .....

... I've had a little bit of  'writer's block'.... I kept going to write something and nothing would come out. So, I thought if I just start type surely something would come of it.

Several people have asked me if I'm still blogging and writing. I am, just took a little break!

Recently, I've had so much on my mind and I've been keeping studying for my personal training! It sure is a lot of reading!

I've been thinking a lot about support, friends, people in our lives. What makes a 'true' friend and someone who truly supports you versus someone who just kinda half asses it? This seems to just be an issue lately. People seeming interested and on board with your path when really they are just being nosey. It really is about the quality of your friends and not the quantity. The older I get the more and more I realize this.

This entry isn't so much about fitness as it's more about life, I suppose. I am at a time in my life where my 'quality' of friends is so very important! Bottom line with this, I am here to be the very best friend/supporter and I'm hoping I get the same in return.

So, what can I do to continue help support people and my friends? Blog? Post on Facebook? I have a dear friend who I find so inspiring and that's what pushes me. What can I do to help push and motivate others? For now, I am going to continue to share my story, my ideas, my struggles.

I am kicking my fitness and diet into high gear! Not that I wasn't working my butt off before but now I have a whole new set of goals. And a big thanks to my friend, Courtney for the inspiration!

This entry was a little bit all over the place! Oh well ... my blog, right? Ha! Now that I got some of the jumble off my brain I can get back to regular posts!

-Ashlee

One door closes...

.... And another one opens!!

 You always hear the phrases 'everything happens for a reason' or 'blessing in disguise'... But you never really, really think about it until it happens to you. Well, it happened to me. November 8th, 2012. I was let go from my job of 8 years. I had been there since I was 20 years old. I basically grew up there. I was good at my job, really good but we parted ways. I was mad, pissed, sad, upset. I called Jake from my office and was hysterical. His response... 'Oh well'. Oh well? I just lost my job? Never in my life did I expect this. He just seemed so calm about it. He then told me, I was going to find something that I REALLY wanted to do. Well, this happened to me for a reason...

   I guess you could say this was another 'big' decision on my part. With the help of a friend and talking it over with Jake, I decided to get my personal training certification. It just seemed SO right. I could take my passion for fitness and health and HELP others. Losing my job opened up an opportunity for me to learn something new and experience something I had an absolute passion for. I learned a lot of valuable things, that I was able to take with me. Now I could do something that made so much sense to me.

   I've been doing a lot of research, talking to other trainers and absorbing everything that I can. If I am going to do this, I am going to put in 110%. What have I got to lose, right? Jake and the rest of my family and close friends are offering such much support, words of encouragement and kind thoughts. I really don't think I could do it without them. As annoyed as Jake gets with me over my 'healthy' ways nowadays he really does help me a lot. Which means the absolute world to me. I also have a wonderful sister and friends that have been there for me when I need it the most. They are all helping me turn my negative, unfortunate event into an extremely positive one. I will come out on top.

 .... This is the door that I am opening, my 'blessing in diguise', that fire burning inside me... I will take my passion and help other people. I chose to look at this as an opportunity rather than a massive set back. Sure it seemed bad at the time but really it opened my eyes. So, that's where I stand... Eager and ready to move forward. Here's to closed doors ....



-Ashlee
 


  

My BIG decision...And accomplishment...

.... I've really gotten into running! Probably my absolute favorite form of exercise. I put my headphones on, Pandora and just GO! I do almost all of my running outside... On the road and trail! For me this was the most therapeutic, wonderful 'release' from any stress, worry or bad things going on around me. I didn't have to talk to anyone. I could just go. My two feet carrying me down the road. It didn't matter how hot it got(or cold once I got into the colder months)I could have that hour or so to myself.

   I'm talking with a fellow co-worker(who also runs)about a half marathon that she had just signed up for. She had done one other marathon and then had some medical issues which had prevented her from running. So, she was healthy again and ready to run! This really intrigued me... a half marathon? 13.1 miles? Hmm, I really am crazy! The longest distance I had gone was 5 miles and I really struggled with that. The coolest part about this particular run -- it was in Las Vegas!!! The 13.1 miles were on the actual strip of Vegas! I mentioned it to Jake and he thought I was a little nuts for wanting to run that far, let alone go all the way to Vegas to do it. Probably so, a little strange. I couldn't get it off my mind though as a couple of days went by. I thought to myself, I never thought I could run 5 miles. Heck, I could barely make it through 1 mile to begin with. I've come this far why can't I keep going? Another thought that I had about this run was... It's in Vegas! Jake and I had NEVER been on a real trip together. I mean, never. Other than a weekend trip to the lake or down to Oklahoma, we had never been anywhere. My goodness, we have been together for 10 years... It's about time to go somewhere OUTSIDE of Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma! I talked with Jake a little bit more about it and he seemed to be on board with it! So -- I did it! I signed up and paid the entry fee! NO TURNING BACK NOW! I had to train for it. I had to really nail down my diet. I had to prepare myself for this. I wasn't going to waste that money I paid for the entry fee!!! That feeling that I got when I hit that 'submit' button to confirm my registry was unforgettable.

   I talked with a few people that I knew had trained for this type of thing, researched diet plans and running schedules. I decided on a 16 week schedule for myself. August 4, 2012 was my start date. It was go time. My training schedule was a combination of 2-3 runs a week, strength training and other forms for cross-training(hot yoga, spin classes and kick boxing classes). I was so focused! Another cool thing about this trip, my sister and brother-in-law decided to go with us! We decided to make a little mini vacation out of it!!
 

   I'll fast forward a head some... The count down is on. My training had gone so incredibly well. I was right on track with my schedule and diet. Plus, I was down a total of FORTY FIVE pounds!!! I had lost 45 pounds in less than a year! I was probably in the best shape that I had EVER been in!! I was getting all sorts of words of encouragement. People on Facebook, random texts, phone calls... People asking me for advice(me -- fitness/diet advice -- really?)and asking for my 'secrets'. I'm not going to lie, it was a nice feeling. This is where my want to really help people began to grow. I could help some other mom, woman, whoever really down that road. There were definitely times where I need someone to push me, scream at me, keep me going. I wanted to be that voice for someone else!!


   A little further ahead... We arrived in Vegas! We made it there in one piece and all my running gear in tow! We had that whole Saturday to sight see and what not. The run was the next day at 4:30pm! So, what happens while we are wondering around Vegas? MIGRAINE! -- I randomly get really, really bad migraines. I took what had with me, which was some extra strength Tylenol. Normally I take Excedrin migraine. I knew this wasn't going to make it go away. I kept going though. I had really been looking forward to this health and fitness expo that we got to go to for frree. Plus, that's where I had to pick up my race bib and shoe chip. So, we are there trying to look at everything and I feel like I'm going to die! I tell Jake that we need to get back to the hotel NOW! We got a cab back and this was literally the craziest driver I had ever experienced -- super for the headache! We walk into the lobby of the hotel ... I throw up in my mouth(sorry for the disgusting details)and had to get to the bathroom! Yuck! Finally made it up to the room, threw up a few more times and tried to sleep it off! Now... I'm panicking...  I HAVE TO RUN 13 FREAKING MILES TOMORROW!!!

... Well, I woke up the next morning. I felt great. We went down for breakfast. While down there, I met a mom and daughter who were also there for the race. We had decided to take a cab down to the start line together. I hadn't even thought about this, so meeting them was fabulous! They were shutting down the entire strip at 1pm that day in preparation for this event. So, I was going to have to go down there alone -- not my favorite. We made plans to meet in the lobby at 2:30 to head down there!! ....

 Ok, my nerves are starting to get the best of me. 30 minutes to start time we start to enter our corrals. I'm in corral 3 of 100. I had NEVER in my whole life seen anything like this. So many people, the lights... Holy cow! What have I got myself into? Well, there's no turning back now. We have 5 minutes and we are starting! People are starting to get excited, my stomach is turning... Let's go already!!!!!! As soon as that gun went off... it was on. I had to go. I had a goal time in mind but all I really wanted was to finish without walking....

.... Which is exactly what I did!!! I did it! I ran that whole freaking way! I couldn't believe how awesome I felt! As I crossed that finish line, I really had to hold back from crying. I had done it. All that training, sweat, tears, sacrifice of my time had paid off! I can't even fully explain that feeling that I was experiencing at that moment. My whole body was almost shaking from excitement... And I wasn't even tired!! Now, I had to find my family!!! There were soooo many people and my phone was dying(thank you maids in the hotel for unpplugging it while I left it in the room so it could charge during the day)and I was wandering around through the sea of people!! Finally found them. Ok people, let's go EAT!!!!

   The next morning, I couldn't help but smile. I had really done it. I finished and I didn't walk. In my eyes, I had dominated that half marathon! No, I wasn't the fastest. No, I didn't place. But yes, I had finished. 1 hour, 59 minutes. I had just ran the entire Las Vegas Strip! My Facebook and phone literally had been blowing up. I can't even believe all the kind things people said to me -- thank you to all those people! Also, thank you to my husband, sister and brother-in-law for coming all this way to support me! How awesome!

Well, that's my 'big decision and accomplishment'! I did something that I never in my right mind thought was even possible! Which just goes to say, anything is really possible. It doesn't have to be a half marathon, it can be anything. 3 miles, 6 miles, lose 10 pounds, make it through a fitness class... Whatever your 'goal' is ... don't short yourself because it seems so big and out of reach. You CAN do it! Yes, you will have to work hard. Yes, you will have to be uncomfortable at times. Yes, you will have to push yourself. In doing all of that, I pushed myself harder than I ever had and I made it.

So -- what's your goal? Dreams? What do you want to accomplish? .... Whatever it is... GO DO IT!!!!


-Ashlee


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