Black Friday Deals for Fitness Folks!

Is anyone else’s email inbox absolutely exploding with Black Friday deals right now?

I’ll be honest, I’m not much of a shopper.  I do 90% of mine online, and I really really really hate crowds.  You probably won’t see me out there in the thick of it on Friday, unless the bike shop decides to give away a Specialized Venge or something.

But thank goodness retailers are totally up with the times, and most are offering awesome Black Friday deals online, and through the weekend.  Some sites even have free shipping and returns, making this gift giving diva very happy!

Since I know I’m not the only one looking for awesome fitness finds at a great price at the moment, I wanted to share some of the best deals I’ve seen come through my email with you, my friends.  If you splurge for yourself this is good stuff, and lots of these would make great gifts for the fitness folks in your life!

Enjoy, and happy holidays!

City Fit Girls- 25% off Gear, Accessories, Wellness Products
** Check out info on the SHIFT program- a new weight loss and fitness program starting next week that has everyone talking!

 

Moxie Cycling- 40% off Site-Wide
*These are seriously some of the cutest cycling tops I’ve ever seen.  They’re amazing quality, fit true to size, and come in fun prints and patterns.  At 40% off they’re a steal!  “The Dottie” below is on my list!

Shoedazzle- 30% off Sale
If you haven’t shopped Shoedazzle yet, you’re kinda missing out.  They have a better selection than most department stores, several high end brands, free shipping, and awesome discounts for VIP members.  When they put stuff on sale they mean it, and offering an extra 30% off is just ridiculous.  I’ve snagged designer styles from this site for as little as $10 before, so be sure to check it out!

SwimOutlet.com- 65% Off Doorbusters Online!
Contrary to the name, swim outlet doesn’t just have swimming stuff.  I’ve bought cycling gear, gadgets, and apparel from them at a deep deep discount, and that was WITHOUT an extra 65% off.  Check them out on Friday, I bet you can snag some really awesome deals on Tri gear.

I’ll keep you posted if I come across any more amazing scores, and please comment below if you have some great tips as well!

I’m inspired. Be inspired with me

Hey friends, I need a favor.

As a tiny way of saying THANKS to one of the most amazing women I know, the Crossfit coach whole helped me start turning my life around over 2 years ago, I entered a fun contest sponsored by Stitch Fix on Facebook.

In order to win, we need votes.

Good news is, this is the easiest thing you’ll be asked to do all day.

Go here, scroll down below the entry form, and click the check box for my entry (Nicole K.) nominating Alexis Weedo.

I mean look at this girl.  Of COURSE you want to vote for her!

My all-time favorite breakfast

Fun fact I haven’t yet shared with ya’ll, I’ve been doing some writing for a few different websites lately, including www.shakeforshape.com.  You should check it out, it’s totally me only more professional and with less sex comments and poop jokes.

Anyhow, this past week or so the admin hasn’t posted any of my stuff because apparently there’s issues, but usually there’s 2-3 articles a week that go up over there with health, fitness, beauty and nutrition content.  Good stuff.

A few weeks back I wrote out a recipe for my 4 ingredient protein pancakes that I eat pretty much every single day for breakfast, and I wanted to share it with ya’ll here because they are just too darn good to keep a secret.

Now I know what you might think when you first read this- ew eggs and bananas, right?  Please, try them.  If you like bananas, this is seriously the tastiest thing ever.  They’re sweet and fluffy and filling and oh-so-tasty.

Give ’em a try and let me know what you think in the comments!

Banana Protein Pancake

Ingredients per serving:

1 banana

2 egg whites

1 tsp of ground cinnamon

1 oz crushed walnuts (or pecans)

Cooking spray (or coconut oil)

Directions:

1. Spray small frying pan with cooking spray
2. In mixing bowl, whisk two egg whites together with 1 tsp of cinnamon.
3. Add banana and smash with a fork.  The banana should still be somewhat chunky, but broken into very small pieces.
4. Whisk mixture again ensuring banana is covered with egg whites.
5. Pour mixture into pan.  Set to medium heat and cook 2-3 minutes each side or until golden brown and egg is cooked through.
6. Once plated, top pancake with crushed nuts and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:

Calories 324.4

Total Fat 19.5 g

Saturated Fat 1.9 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 13.5 g

Monounsaturated Fat 2.5 g

Cholesterol 0.0 mg

Sodium 112.2 mg

Potassium 655.4 mg

Total Carbohydrate 31.3 g

Dietary Fiber 5.0 g

Sugars 15.6 g

Protein 12.8 g

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Don’t be jealous

I admit it, I’m a bit of a hermit.  Sure, I go out once or twice a week, but it’s totally normal for my friends to only see me once a month or so.  Most of them just stalk me through social media, and love me anyway.

Lately I’ve been making the rounds and keep getting told how amazing I look.  *Brushes shoulders off* thanks peeps.  But even more than that, friends are reaching out to me privately to find out what I’m doing to see such great success.

Just this past week I’ve had five different people text or message me asking how I’m doing it.

I think sometimes regardless of how much we know about how to be successful in our weight loss and fitness efforts, it helps to have someone who is doing it tell you the things you already know.

So I tell them.  I’m eating healthy.  Lots of protein and veggies at every meal.  Healthy fats, starchy veggies for carbs.  I eat a lot.  I don’t drink.  I’m very active.  I lift weights every day.  I rarely eat junk food, and if I do it’s as a special treat and in moderation.

Basically, I do all the things we all know to do but always find reasons why not to.

Yesterday when talking with one awesome friend who recently popped out a  human from her vagina (ok actually she had a C-section, but really, it’s the growing the human part that’s hell on the body), she told me:

I’m super jealous.

Boy do I get that.  Before I started seeing my own success I remember trolling Instagram on #transformationtuesday and looking at all the amazing before and after pictures.  I remember wishing desperately that was me.  I would get angry with myself for not being strong enough to get there.  In some of my worst moments I would wish I was actually fatter and completely inactive so that I could do something “easy” like just walking around the block to lose weight.

Yes, I was that stupid.

But let’s face it, we’re all our own worst enemies.  And for a long time, I was mine.

My advice to my friend?

Don’t be jealous.  Do something about it and be your own success story.

 

I don’t have all the answers.  And lord knows half the time I still don’t know what I’m doing.  But I’m doing something, and you can too.

So readers, if you’re seeing success let me know.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE hearing from you.  And if you’re struggling, lay it out there for me as well.  I will totally break out my pom pons for you.

No, Crossfit didn’t make me fat

About five months ago, I quit Crossfit.  Prior to leaving my super duper awesome box, I had been WODing for nearly two years, and loved every minute of it.

But since leaving Crossfit I’ve lost a shit ton of weight.  A few months ago it was enough that people were starting to notice, and at this point it’s enough that strangers are starting to comment on it.  I look good.  Damn good if I do so say myself, and I’m working my ass off for it.

Interestingly, there seems to be a camp of people who believe that Crossfit was holding me back/making me fat/made me gain weight/limited my potential the entire time I was doing it.  They have no problem pointing out to me time and again that it’s only been since I stopped doing Crossfit that I’ve found the weight loss and physique results that I was looking for, and truly believe that Crossfit was the “problem.”

So here I am to set the record straight folks.  Before one more naysayer jumps in and feels the need to spread their drivel let me clarify to the world:

CROSSFIT DID NOT MAKE ME FAT.

When I quit Crossfit I took a long hard look at the things I was doing from a fitness and nutrition perspective and made the decision and commitment to really overhaul  my lifestyle to make lasting changes to get the results I wanted.  I didn’t cut out Crossfit because it was a change I felt I needed to make to be successful, nor did I think it was holding me back.

I WAS HOLDING MYSELF BACK.

Crossfit isn’t what kept me from reaching my goals.

These things are:

• Alcohol- I was drinking most every night, and not just one glass of wine.  The calories in the booze combined with the effect it had on my metabolism, and the poor nutritional choices I made as a result of being buzzed contributed to my unhealthy weight.
• Poor Nutritional Choices-  As I mentioned above, I wasn’t great about making good choices.  While I certainly knew HOW to eat well and to fuel my body properly, I was also just as likely to justify a cheeseburger and fries BECAUSE of the really hard workout I had earlier in the day.
• Eating too Much-  Calories are weird little buggers.  Sure you can eat 100% Paleo for several days straight, but if that involves gobs of bacon and avocado and not so much in the spinach and greens department, you’re not going to see weight loss results either.
• Making Lots of Excuses-  Any time I deviated from the nutritional guidelines I knew I should have been following, I always had a really good reason why.  If I had spent that much time and energy convincing myself to just stick to the healthy choices, I would have been much further along.

Moral of the story is:  to achieve your goals you need to work towards them every single day in every action you take and every choice you make.

I’m not perfect, no one is, but over the past 5 months I’ve made great choices every chance I’ve had and am seeing great results because of it.  It’s not because I quit Crossfit, it’s because I quit making excuses and prohibiting myself from being successful.

So to the Crossfit smack talkers- piss off.  I still love the sport, I love my box, and have a lot of respect for the people who do it.

And regardless of what fitness plan you follow, get out there today and kick some ass.  Who’s with me?

Uh dude, it’s not your body

Lately I’ve had some of the strangest comments made to me.  Now sure, I’ve heard of shit like this happening to other women before, but I guess I was never fit enough that I fell into the category… until now.

Obviously, I’ve lost some weight.  I’m at 36 pounds and counting, and my body looks different.  Like really crazy there’s an entire oompah lumpa gone different.  I’m not “skinny” kids, not by any stretch of the imagination, but I’m getting smaller.  And it’s pretty common knowledge that I’m not done yet.

I have no idea what my “goal weight” is, but I am aiming for a goal aesthetic.  More than that, I have some performance goals I’m working towards.  And imagine that, getting faster and stronger also equates to getting physically leaner, and in my case, smaller.

So I’m trucking along.

But lately people, especially men, have found it not only appropriate but necessary to say things like:

Don’t put on too much more muscle, you’re going to start looking manly.

Or perhaps even more ridiculous and offensive:

Well whatever you do don’t lose so much weight that you lose your boobs (or sometimes your ass).

Husband, thank God, hasn’t said anything so idiotic.  I think he knows that I would smother him in his sleep.

But somehow, that makes it even WORSE.  These are random dude friends who somehow think that they have a right to not only make these types of comments on my body, but that I actually give a shit about what they think or how they feel about the way I look.

*sigh*

Sure, there’s a part of me that wants to be attractive to others.  But kittens, I’m not doing this for anyone else but me.  If I were, there would be no way I would be this successful.