Done and Done!

(Relentless Boot Camp featured in Austin Fit's Kick Mo's Butt- read the article HERE).

Excellence, wherever... and within whomever you may find it, is always a result of effort... never by accident. -Guy Finley

2010 ended with a BANG. CrossFit Central was voted  Best Training Studio with 87% of the votes and Relentless Boot Camp came in 2nd as the Best Boot Camp in Austin Fit's Best of Health & Fitness December issue.  I am so thankful to be a part of this community!

2011 is right around the corner and my goals are written out and now the revisions are taking place daily. Every year I truly believe more and more in the goals I write down, and that they will happen. In 2010 I wrote that I wanted Relentless Boot Camps to be recognized as a top boot camp in Austin (done & done), and that I wanted to win 2010 Coach of the Year at CrossFit Central (done & done). There is power in writing down goals, but most importantly, TAKING ACTION.

As my Dad would always say growing up, Character is the quiet moments out of the spotlight when on one else is looking. This quote was a driving force for me this year when days were tough.

A big thank you to Coach Jeremy Thiel for the support, mentoring, encouragement, and tough love in 2010. WATCH OUT 2011!!!

Happy New Year's Eve!

Miracles do Exist

I had to take a moment on my blog to celebrate my alumna's success. My good 'ole Baylor Bears are in a Bowl game for the 1st time in 15 years! Tomorrow at 5:00pm GAME ON. Miracles do exist.

Did any of your football teams make it to the playoffs? We all know the Longhorns are staying at home =).

SIC'EM!!!!!!!!!

Tomato Soup--kind of...

One of the top reasons I live in Austin is due to the hot weather; however, there are sporadic moments and a few months where the weather is too cold for my own liking. In those cases, I like to enjoy warm soup. The other night I did not want to run to the store, so I warmed up tomato sauce and added a few extra ingredients.


Tomato Soup-
Bertolli Tomato Sauce
Kalamata olives
Sauteed spinach
Avocado slices

Cheers to 2010!

Cheers to an amazing 2010 and an even more exciting 2011. Athletes in the Relentless Boot Camps I coach joined together for a Christmas party to celebrate all the success of this year, make new friends, and SHOWOUT! Each one of these individuals have made a huge impact in my life and shaped me as the woman I am today. Have I mentioned how blessed I am???!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Holiday Workouts

 pictured: Myself and Relentless Boot Camp coaches at UTB

Keep on trucking through the holiday! Below are 6 workouts to keep you on point during our 2 week break. I look forward to seeing everyone ready to kick it into a new gear this New Year on January 3rd. 3, 2, 1 GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Workout #1-
10 pushups
10 thrusters
9 pushups
9 thrusters...all the way down to 1

3 rounds-
10 (right, left) 1-arm overhead squats
10 push press
Run

Workout #2
3 rounds-
10 American swings
20 mountain climbers
short run

21-15-9 (perform 21 reps of everything, then 15, then 9)
Sumo deadlift high pull
Walking lunge with KB in front rack position
Russian swing
2-handed KB clean

Skinny Tito's Holiday Drink

Why I drink Skinny drinks, specifically Tito's...

A vodka drink (one shot) has as little as 55 calories, zero carbs, zero fat, and is deemed by many as the cleanest type of alcohol. 

If you go vodka, you may as well go with the best.  Tito’s is recommended because:

• distilled 6 times (3 more than most vodkas) –rendering the nectar of the alcohol without toxins found in most other brands 
• made in a batch process in an old fashioned pot still – like fine Cognacs and scotches 
• every batch is tasted and qualified by Tito himself 
• 100% corn with no additives, so it is guaranteed totally gluten-free

As Tito puts it, no “squinch face” and no headaches (with proper hydration techniques, of course).

Tito’s has won the World Spirits Competition in San Francisco, beating 71 vodkas from around the world and just was recognized as the world’s best vodka and tonic at New York’s Cocktail Challenge. Tito’s is made in Austin, TX, goes down smooth and treats you right the day after. 

My favorite Skinny Tito's drink-

1 part Titos 

2 parts Club soda

2-3 fresh squeezed limes

salt on the rim

Workout before breakfast...

Merrily in the 5:30am Tu/Th class at Deep Eddy Park sent me an article regarding the benefits of exercising before breakfast. The author writes,

In other words, working out before breakfast directly combated the two most detrimental effects of eating a high-fat, high-calorie diet. It also helped the men avoid gaining weight. 

Check out the article HERE. What are your thoughts?

Try out one of our 22 locations around Austin and start your morning off on the right foot this New Year.

Running...

Running long and hard is an ideal antidepressant, since it's hard to run and feel sorry for yourself at the same time. Also, there are those hours of clearheadedness that follow a long run. -Monte Davis

I run my very 1st 1/2 marathon in February. Over the next few months I am changing my interval training days on the track to more distance on the road or mile repeats. My friend & fellow boot camper, Michelle, emailed me the quote above. It reminded me of when I was in high school and I would go on a long run after getting upset with my parents, arguing with a boyfriend, or just having a lousy day. The endorphins truly do go to work and clarity appears.

I am excited to watch my mental toughness and physical endurance increase over the next few months. Training at SICFIT Austin and 1 (maybe 2) days per week of longer runs, and I will be ready to crush the Austin 1/2!


Watch out friends for all the mental clarity that is to come over the next few months!

Fried Green Tomatoes

Big, red, juicy tomatoes are on sale so I bought a few. Instead of how I regular use tomatoes in a salad, I decided to make some good 'ole soul food, and it was simple.

Ingredients:
Tomatoes
Almond flour
Egg
coconut oil

Directions:
Dip tomato slices in egg. Shake excess egg off tomato slice. Dip in almond flour. Place breaded tomato in skillet greased with a tad bit of coconut oil to prevent sticking. Cook about 2 minutes on each side. BAM. Fried green tomatoes. I enjoyed mine with sauteed spinach and a grass-fed hamburger patty.

Changed my life...

BEFORE

AFTER

Norma participated in the 1st Annual Trojan Challenge last year. I saw first hand how impacting 8 weeks of relentless kettlebell coaching, nutrition guidance, and team camaraderie from peers changed her completely. She writes--

"The Trojan Challenge CHANGED MY LIFE! It changed my eating, changed my mentality about working out---I can do exercises now that I was afraid of at one point. I am more confident now than ever before. I signed up again this year to take it to the next level!"

There is still time to commit to the 2nd year of the Trojan Challenge and kick off 2011 with a bang, reach your goals, and get fit! MAKE IT HAPPEN.

Page 61

Be the 1st 25 people to make moves NOW and not wait until January and receive 15% off a Relentless Boot Camp kettlebell and up to $30 off boot camp-- AND be entered into a December prize drawing. Find the ad on page 61 of Austin Fit and MAKE IT HAPPEN.

What makes you happy???

 

Coach Lisa Thiel, Me, and Emily Baker-- HAPPINESS!

I receive emails weekly from Success Magazine. Yesterday this email showed up in my inbox, and I took the time to read it. It was exactly what I needed to read at that very moment. I whole heartedly admit I fall short to all 3 traps, but the 1st trap explained below hit home. One of my strengths is also my biggest weakness---perfection. Living in a when I (fill in the blank), I will be happy” syndrome is shorting me from life.


When I am financially free, I will be happy.
When Relentless Boot Camps are a well-oiled, #1 branded outdoor program in the world, I will be happy.
When I truly fall in love, I will be happy.
When I can do a muscle-up, I will be happy.
When I can buy a new car,  I will be happy.
When I can do 20 consecutive pull-ups, I will be happy.
When I can give back as much as I receive, I will be happy. 
The list is endless. You get my point.

All I have is now. I choose happiness. From nothing, who I am is the possibility of happiness!

Which trap is hindering you the most? I highlighted the most profound statements for me below.
___________________________________

THE HEAD GAMES OF HAPPINESS


What makes you happy... really?

That’s a serious question… maybe one of the most important questions of your life. But did you know most people can’t answer it correctly?

In his book Stumbling on Happiness, Harvard professor Dan Gilbert explains that most of us think we know what makes us happy, but typically we are wrong.

I have found there are three major traps in which you might be unknowingly making yourself unhappy.

The first unhappiness trap is postponing happiness. The “when I (fill in the blank), I will be happy” syndrome. The reality is happiness, isn’t something to be acquired in the future. You are either happy now or not; “then” never arrives. Living and striving for “then” results in a constant state of unhappiness. Now is the only time you have to be happy. If you can’t be happy now, you most certainly will not be happy later.

Now is the only time you have to be happy. If you can’t be happy now, you most certainly will not be happy later.