The Empower Fitness Conference

This past weekend was amazing & I'm SO sad it's over!!! It all started last year when I found out about the Empower Conferences that are held around the country. I REALLY wanted to go, but it was expensive & I never ended up signing up for it. As the weekend came & past, I was SO sad that I missed it. Fast forward to the beginning of this year & I started seeing advertisements for the  conference. Then there was a call for volunteers on their FB page & I found out that if you volunteer, you get to attend the conference for FREE!!!

My shift started Thursday night & it was EXHAUSTING!! All of the equipment for the classes had been shipped to the hotel in boxes, so we had to open everything up & get them to the correct room for Friday morning. I had gotten up early to workout as normal that day & this was like a whole other workout on top of that! I was SO tired when I got home from volunteering that night.

Friday is when the conference officially opened & I was hoping to go some time during the day, but I had to continue my job as mom first & drop off and pick up the kids from school, so I wasn't able to attend any classes. I showed up to volunteer again at 5 & we quickly moved a few things around & then we were told we could go attend a class!! I was SO excited since I had missed all of the classes during the day. I chose to go to a Yoga/African Dance class and it was AMAZING!!! I am on a dancer & don't do Zumba or anything that I feel will make me look like a fool. However, the instructor quickly put me at ease and we just had FUN! I really didn't think the two went together, but it was just such a GREAT way to move & I got into it & just let go. I finished up Friday night by deflating a ton of exercise balls, which was fun too LOL We had a bunch of time for girl talk & bonded.

FINALLY Saturday rolled around & I was able to take some classes!! I even got to sleep in & didn't get up until 7!! I went to my first class at 8:45, which was a Vinayasa Yoga class. It was PACKED, but I still really enjoyed the movement & the instructor. After that I went to a Kamagon Ball demo/class. Kamagon balls are kind of like rubber kettlebells, except that they have two handles & are filled with water. The water gives a little extra resistance & it was SUCH a cool class. It was set up like a bootcamp class, & I really enjoyed it & the instructor :) We had a quick break for lunch & then I took a class called Strength & Alignment. We got to work with Leslee Bender, who created Bender Balls as well as PostureFit bars. They are short, weighted bars with a big cushion on them that you can use for many things!! We started off putting them behind our necks, so we could feel proper alignment in our spine. It was amazing to try squats with them & without them, there was a HUGE difference!! I am really fascinated with proper alignment after taking this class b/c I have something weird with my hip that I've always wondered if I could do anything about it. I'm looking into more information on it, as well as any classes in my area.

With each class being over 2 hours long, I was physically tired & just GROSS from working out for 6 hours. I had some time before I had to volunteer again, so I went to a seminar. It was good & interesting, but I felt that I had heard the same things before, but I did leave early & maybe I missed the best part!! Saturday evening was another quick night of moving a few things around & packing them up, but then there was a room we couldn't get into, so we all were able to go home early!! I was SO tired & happy to be able to go home & see my family! I missed them after being gone all day.

All in all, I had a GREAT time at the conference. I wish there had been more/better freebies, but I loved the classes that were offered & I really enjoyed vounteering!! We had an awesome group that was together for 3 nights in a row, so we really got to know one another. I already miss those girls & wish that I had gotten information from them to be able to keep in touch. It was nice to be around people who understand my love & passion for fitness. A lot of times people don't understand it & think it's something negative in my life, but being around fitness professionals showed me that I am not alone. I am definitely motivated to finish my Personal Trainers cert & I am also thinking of getting a Group Fitness cert too. The classes I attended were SO fun, I'd love to be able to go next year as a professional!! :)

The Empower Conference is held around the country, so definitely check out the website & see if/when there's one in your area!! http://empowerfitnessevents.com/events/

Love Your Tummy Project

I am excited to announce that I am starting the Love Your Tummy project on March 1st!!!

I want to make it an inclusive project, which means, you're ALL invited to do it with me!!! :) Actually, I NEED you to do it with me so that it works LOL I want to share pictures & stories of women who have struggled with their tummies, after children or after losing weight. This is for all of us!!!

It starts with me. I have struggled for the past 6 years with the tummy that my twin pregnancy left me with. I never had "stretchy" skin anyway, I got stretch marks from puberty. However, I was HOPING pregnancy would be different. I put olive oil on my belly, shea butter, you name the home remedy & I tried it!!! I always thought I had a cute tummy before pregnancy, it was not necessarily flat or a 6-pack, but I liked it. Well, I gained 50 pounds with my twins & my belly was stretched to it's max!! I swear, I think my girls were born early b/c my body couldn't give them any more room!

This pic is from 3 weeks before the girls were born:

So no one really talks about what happens to your belly after the baby is out of it....it just hangs there. :/ Not for all women, I understand that, but for me & other women, you're left with extra skin & stretch marks. Since having my twins, I've really struggled with my belly. I've hated it. I've tried coconut oil, dry skin brushing, even stretchmark oil & I honestly think that nothing will help my belly, except a tummy tuck. It's been a huge weight to carry around, it's something I think about every day. I used to plan my outfits around my belly, if I bend down or sit down, it is pushed over my pants. Even when I work out, I am terrified of my shirt lifting up & showing my belly.

BUT, I'm DONE with all of that nonsense!!! For the past year I have been working towards loving ALL of myself. That includes my belly. I have been following some pretty awesome, fit ladies who have shared pics of them getting competition ready, or even featured in a magazine, all with tiger stripes & a mummy tummy!!! I have been inspired. My belly DOESN'T have to hold me back in fitness, and it SHOULDN'T hold me back from loving myself.

I am still in process of learning to love my belly, I KNOW that it held my children & housed them until birth. For that I am thankful. I hold onto that when I really think poorly of it, but I have decided that I want to start a movement. I want real women to be proud of their bellies, whether they've have multiples, multiple pregnancies or have lost a lot of weight. Ladies, ALL of those things are things to celebrate & be proud of. It may have left some marks on our bodies, but that is OK.

If you have a picture & a story that you want me to share, please submit it to my fitness FB page: The Sweat Life: Health & Fitness. I will begin posting them on March 1st!! I am excited about this b/c I know how much seeing other women love themselves & their bodies has helped me accept my own body. I am hoping the same goes for all of the people who are touched by the Love Your Tummy Project!!!

Exciting things ahead

You guys, I LOVE lifting!!! It is seriously my passion :) I am in Stage 3 of the New Rules of Lifting for Women & it has been amazing!! My body is continuing to change as I gain strength. I am also in a group for accountability with eating clean (MotherPumper14by2014 on FB-- join if you want to be part of this great group of ladies!). We started last week & I am down 2 pounds since we started!! I have been maintaining since the summer, not really losing but not gaining either. I haven't been focusing on my diet like I should be & I think it's showed. I am fine with my weight actually, but I definitely want to eat clean through the end of the year & hopefully burn fat. I can't wait to start the new year feeling my best! :) We are also going on a cruise at the beginning of December, so I want to be looking good for that too LOL

I have loved being a Train Dirty Fitness Ambassador. Crystal, the founder of Train Dirty Fitness, has given us a lot of opportunities to partner with companies as well as try new products or get discounts on products. I am SO excited to be meeting her on FRIDAY!!! I am driving to Wisconsin to be certified to teach a Train Dirty Fitness bootcamp :) I can't wait to bring TDF to Chicago!!! I am hoping to get classes started in a school or church. I am still praying for opportunities to hold classes in the area.

I am ALSO going to the Sweaty Betties' conference, Inspiration & Perspiration, this weekend. It is a fitness & motivational conference. I am hoping to come back with a focus on my goals for 2014. I am SO excited to meet some awesome ladies that I only know through FB as well as network & meet some of my awesome fitness idols!! Life is getting exciting for me & I can't wait to see what the next year holds!! I am hoping to go back to school & get certified as a personal trainer or wellness coach within the next year & maybe start working at a gym. Things are a little up in the air in that area though.

As far as life, I am loving the Y! I have made some friends in the weight room, I love lifting with the old guys in the morning! They certainly make me feel good about myself. One old guy stopped me on my way to the treadmill the other day & told me that I had the best figure there!! I am still feeling good about that one, even though that's not what it's all about. I have to say that it's OK to let a compliment make you feel good, even days after it's paid! :) I am also loving the Yoga class at the Y. Our yoga teacher is just so gentle & relaxing, even though she pushes us to try new things. I think my favorite poses she's had us do are handstands & birds of paradise. They are crazy hard poses, and I am still working on them, but it is fun to try new things :)

I'm baaaaaaaaaaack

Whoa, it looks like I took a 3 month hiatus from the old blog!! Sorry about that. I honestly was struggling for awhile there though. After we moved I couldn't hit the weights & I wasn't motivated to run, so I took some time off :( We FINALLY got a membership to the Y in August & it's been awesome ever since!! I started a new lifting program in September & I'm just starting Phase 2 today :) I love seeing myself get stronger, I am writing down the weights I lift & it's been so cool to see where I started & where I am now. I've still been having trouble cleaning up my eating, but I am working on it. We're going on a cruise at the beginning of December & I want to look good for that!! :)

I also have some awesome news. I have been picked to be a Train Dirty Fitness Ambassador!!! What that means is that I get to promote the Train Dirty Fitness mentality; here it is in Crystal's own words:
TDF Ambassador: someone with a kick a$$ attitude who believes in the vision of TDF: #safeplace, free of judgement, everyone fits in, and health/fitness are consistent not quick fixes. 

It's been awesome to work with Crystal & be a part of her TDFA team :) The ladies there are amazing & totally supportive!! I love it. I am also planning on getting certified to train groups in Train Dirty Fitness bootcamps! That's coming up in November & I am putting together birthday money & Christmas money to do it LOL

Other than that, life has been interesting!! The girls started Kindergarten, which has given us all a new routine. Charlie is still at home with me all day, which is so fun. I even asked him this morning if he wishes he went to school, but he said he's happy being at home with me :)

Have a great week friends!!! I'm hoping to be blogging more, especially as I get more involved with TDF & look ahead to new fitness ventures!! 

It's Valentine's Day today!! I have to say that I am excited!! :) I love Valentine's Day, maybe b/c I love hearts, roses, pink & chocolate?? I don't know where this love stems from, but it's there & I like to make it special for my kids & my husband. I started the celebration yesterday morning, with heart shaped cinnamon rolls & today I will serve the kids hot dogs cut in half & then put back together to create a heart. Last night, I just had to feed my husband & myself, so I made heart shaped hamburgers for us. Love is on my mind <3

Today I ran with my loco running buddies. We are crazy!! Last week we ran in ankle deep snow & today we ran on the trail that was basically a skating rink. The best part of our run today was getting off the trail & just running on the sidewalk. We did end it on the trail & we got 10.5 miles in, not the 12 we had planned, but for the conditions of the trail, I think we did pretty well :) I also had an amazing run around PR on Monday, when the kids were in preschool. It was cold, windy & a little snowy, but it was awesome. Except for those random sidewalks where people hadn't shoveled well & left tons of ice all over. There were many times where I was sure I would slip & fall, but thankfully I kept light on my feet & was able to hobble, jump & walk over the ice.

All in all, I am happy folks!! I am happy with how I feel, I am happy with the foods I am eating, I am happy that I feel healthy & am starting to see results of the lifestyle changes I've made so far in 2013. I have hit my stride with the daily mile challenge for Feb & have run every day since last Monday. That makes 11 days so far :) I love lifting weights & seeing muscles pop up! I am beginning to look into what supplements I need to help build up my muscles. I am still losing weight, which is not bad, but I would rather be building muscle right now. I do want to lean out, burn fat & build muscle, so really the # on the scale will eventually go up again, once those muscles get bigger. lol I'm hoping that some changes I'm going to make during my next Whole30 will help with that. I used bacon occasionally during my last challenge, but I am cutting it out this time around. Sadsies!! If you know me at all, you KNOW that will be a big challenge, I Lurve me some bacon :)

Other than that, I just want to celebrate love today, so I hope that all of my dear readers get to enjoy the day, whether it be with family or on a romantic date.

Snowy 10 mile run.

Today I did a "two-a-day". I ran 4 miles this morning & lifted weights and then this evening I did a Jillian Michael's DVD. Feeling pretty strong today!! I am just motivated to keep working on building strength, especially now that I am training for a 15 mile run in March. I don't want my strength work to suffer b/c I am getting more miles in.

Speaking of more miles, I ran with my running buddies yesterday. 10 miles.Outside. In.the.snow. DEFINITELY not comfortable! lol I went into it knowing my feet would get wet. I was telling my running buddies that as we were at mile 3 or so, and we were commenting on how the snow didn't seem to be "wet" snow, we felt pretty good. Well, going on mile 5, we were feeling it. A few times during our run, we would cross streets & that's when you would feel the difference. The concrete just felt right. In the snow our feet were slipping, and every time our foot would come down, you would need to stabilize it. It was hard work and mile 6-8 were terrible. Even mile 9 was hard, but I knew we were almost done, so I hobbled through it. When we were done running, my legs just felt like tree trunks, or elephant legs. They were just heavy. And the PAIN! Oh my, I was scared to sit down, but I knew I had to go get my kids & I had to drive to go get them...so my muscles cramped up, all that stabilizing in the snow? Yeah, I felt that in every single muscle in my leg! A hot shower helped, but I still needed to take some pain medicine later that day. Sheesh! It was hard, but definitely worth it!!

It's the hard things, where you don't know if you're going to finish, that make you stronger. Running is definitely a mental thing, even more so than physical, I think. Your mind can either be your best asset or worst enemy, so that is where the real test comes in. I think a lot of things in life can be related to that. In fact running in the snow reminded me a lot of how life works out. Sometimes your footing is unstable, you may even slip & slide when you take a step. However, you keep going, not knowing how the next step will turn out. You fight through the mush, that wants to pull you down, to keep going & keep moving. Every step is a step of faith, & you need to be strong mentally & physically to finish strong. It is not easy, but it is worth it, it is painful, but you are getting stronger.

sweaty from my work out, but excited about my muscles!