Layer Up

I have basically taken on intermittent fasting during the work week, because it is a lot simpler for me to make a large breakfast and pack protein powder then to have a numerous small meals all through out the day. It's been working great for me. I am more satisfied when I leave each meal, and meal prep the night before takes no time. I will eat breakfast around 7:30/8:00AM, drink 2 protein shakes through out the day, and then have a satisfying dinner.

I started layering my breakfast by accident due to what I was making. Now it's turned into a delish meal and way fun to eat. Pictured above are the following layers:

• Layer 1- Raw spinaich
• Layer 2- Brussel sprouts cooked in 2 pieces of bacon with 4oz chicken sausage.
• Layer 3- 2 eggs
• Layer 4- More raw spinach with 2tsp EVOO and avocado.

The meal is nothing unique or fabulous, but the layer idea is easy for me to eat on the go without mixing everything together like I typically do. Simple switch. New breakfast.

Core Values

Every coach and staff member within Trinity Training Systems (aka: CrossFit Central, Relentless Boot Camp, CrossFit Central ATX, RedBlack Gym) are writing out their top 4 personal core values. The words I chose are the foundation on which I perform work and daily conduct myself. The road map to how I live my life.

• Balance- Work hard, play hard. I feel this Core Value encompasses everything from family, fun, faith, and friendships. When I choose the all or nothing route, my life is chaos.

• Integrity- I was back and forth between choosing integrity and respect. I, personally, use them interchangeably. However, I did a little research into the 2 words and after reading more I know without a doubt integrity is one of my core values. Read more here to distinguish the difference between the 2 words.

• Character- My Dad always said to me, "It is the quiet moments out of the spotlight, when no one else is looking, that most defines your character." That statement has stuck with me forever. I even received a poster at Baylor basketball camp when I was in junior high with the exact statement and hung it on my wall.

• Making a Difference- This is why I do what I do. Coach. Train. Lead. It is the reason why I left my job and started a brand new career. The core of who I am is to make a difference in others lives.

Blink. It's all changed

Me & Baby Maximus

Tell the ones you love that you love them. Simple statement, yet so profound. I spent the weekend visiting my 2-week old nephew (1st experience to be an Aunt), seeing my Nannie & Poppie, then a crazy family reunion with my Mom's side of the family on Sunday.

I go through life 100mph. I prefer to live life that way too. Nothing wrong with it. It's actually who I am, and actually encompasses 3 of my Strengths....FOCUS, Achiever, Arranger. However, I was very present this weekend to the fact that life goes by quickly. In a blink of a moment, everything has changed.

One of my best friends, my brother, is now a Dad. I am so happy for him, but I also know our relationship will forever be different. His son, Maximus, will come first. When I want him to visit for the weekend, it is no longer a quick jump in the car and a road trip to the ATX. When I see an amazing job opportunity for him, there is a child and a girlfriend to consider. When I just want to go grab a drink and shoot the shit with him...well, we know the rest...It is not about him anymore.

I know my grandparents are getting old. Age is inevitable. But to see first-hand your Poppie (grandpa) not the same strong man he used to be, and your Mima (grandma) taken away in an ambulance all in the same weekend, let's just say wake up call.

Life is precious. Time is short. I will not go one day without telling the ones I love how important they are to me. I will seize every opportunity to spend time with the people I care about. You never know when it's the last time you will see that person or if it's the last time you will have the same relationship you once had.

I am thankful for the amazing relationships in my life. I commit to not take advantage of any of them and appreciate and enjoy every moment I have with the ones I love.

Quote for the day: "I will greet this day with love in my heart.  And how will I do this? Henceforth will I look on all things with love and I will be born again.  

 I will love the sun for it warms my bones; yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit.

I will love the light for it shows me the way; yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars.

 I will welcome happiness for it enlarges my heart; yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul.

 I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due; yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge."

Picture Text Food Log

My youngest sister (pictured in the middle) and I have taken on a new approach to food logging. Instead of writing everything down, we are taking a picture of our plate and texting the picture to each other. If it's something new, then we will add a text to the picture to explain the meal.

We have found this is a great way to get a grasp on food quantity and hold each other accountable simultaneously. One of the biggest problems I see with clients that switch to cleaner eating is they do not eat enough vegetables and over load on nuts and nut butter. The ability to send a quick picture text allows both people to grasp what is being eaten and stay on track.

Do you have any different ways to approach food logging? How do you stay on track with nutrition?

Triple P

I know every once in a while I want the yumminess that comes with the texture and taste of a pancake. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I L-O-V-E my new protein powder. I perused the internet to find a clean pancake recipe using protein powder. I came across a few recipes, made a few tweaks, and BAM I came up with the recipe below.

Triple P- Protein Powder Pancakes

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 scoop of protein powder
2TB coconut flour
1/8 tsp baking powder
Water to stir in to make pancake consistency

Directions: Beat eggs together. Stir in remaining ingredients and add enough water to make the batter mix well. Coat pan with coconut oil. Pour in batter.

I paired mine with chicken sausage and spinach and topped the pancake with Ghee. No need for honey. I used Cookies -n- Cream protein powder so it was plenty sweet and tasty.

Team PURSUIT

2 of the 6 members of Team PURSUIT sportin' CFC Endurance tanks

Have you read Strength Finders 2.0 by Tom Rath? Great book and I highly recommend it. At CrossFit Central we strive for excellence, which is rooted in our core values of Trust, Honor, Integrity, and Loyalty.

The entire staff has been split up into 4 teams, and I have the honor to work directly with Jess Clark, Heather Reed, Karen Pierce, Chels Ross, Lindsay Spurck, and Kat G. We all completed the Strengths Finders test this past weekend. It was amazing to see how spot on the test was with where we all stand.

Just this week alone, I have met with 4 of the 6 team members and learned so much about where they are going; what their up to; their dreams, desires, passion, motivation. I am blessed to work with such loyal colleagues/friends. We are called Team PURSUIT.

Playing Unbroken & Realizing Strengths Under Intense Tenancity

My Strengths are the following:
Arranger- A conductor. Figure out the best way to get things done.
Woo- Winning others over. Enjoys the challenge of meeting new people and getting them to like you.
Communication-To explain, to describe, to host, to speak in public, and to write. The need to bring ideas/events to life.
Achiever- Constant need for achievement. Everyday starts at zero.
Focus- Set goals. Needs a clear destination and knows where they are going.

For you that know me, these Strengths are right on target. I say the word, "FOCUS," daily to my clients. The Woo almost cracks me up, because I absolutely feed off the energy of meeting new people and consistently make it a game to see how many people I can meet in new settings.

Within each of Strengths, there is the flip side that does not work in my favor; however, that is the beauty of this entire training. Finding out everyone's Strengths and spending 80% of the time working in that domain versus focusing on how to "change" people to make them work more in line with what you think is best.

Time to play the Strength game.

Sweet Potato Leaf

Sweet Potato leaves

 I made my very 1st trip to the Farmers Market at Barton Creek mall this past Saturday. It was one of the many things I did that morning that started my day off so well. I only had $10 cash on hand but  left with okra, fresh eggs, and a new fav--- sweet potato leafs. These greens were a great substitute to the spinach leaves I eat daily with breakfast. The nutrition facts are basically the same as spinach but provide a new twist on the meal. Check it out.

I ate mine raw coated with 1TB of almond oil, sea salt, pepper and topped with 2 eggs, chicken sausage, and avocado. I tried sauteing the stems today, but did not enjoy the end result. Too much like gnawing a piece of cud =). I only recommend eating the leaf. Enjoy!

Cookies -n- Cream

One of my new fav things is the Protein Evolution by Intek. Just ask Gilly and ChelsRoss how much I love this product.

Let me count the reasons:

1. The powder mixes well
2. Taste great-- I absolutely L-O-V-E the Cookies -n- Cream flavor
3. Absolutely no after-taste-- I found a lot of the grass-fed whey proteins taste sour
4. Keeps me satisfied well after my workout
5. Quick go-to snack/meal that I enjoy when I am running around town coaching
6. For me, it satisfies my random sugar cravings
7. Inexpensive and 34g of protein per serving

You can find it at Total Nutrition ATX on Brodie Ln, currently knows as Nutri Shop Austin. Tell them Showout Meg sent you. 

Ab Wheel

Hollow rock. Tight mid-line. Strong core. Mid-line stability. These are all words coaches use to bring more awareness to the mind and muscle connection when doing all kinds of exercises within CrossFit.

Recently, Coach Crystal Mac, Heather, and I created a challenge consisting of 30 days of 30 ab wheel roll outs. Basically, 5 days per week for 30 days we are performing 30 ab wheel roll outs and specifically focusing on the hollow rock position. No lordosis. No dropping the belly to the ground and popping up quickly. Controlled, hollow position.

I am on Day 6 and going strong. The 1st day I was extremely sore. I am excited to work on connecting my upper and lower body strength with my powerhouse and to improve on the hollow rock, kipping pull-ups, handstand pushups...and the list goes on.

I also joined a pilates studio last week. I am learning how to use the Reformer, Tower, and a whole host of exercises I have never done. I see this as a good complement to my current CrossFit training. More updates coming soon. 

Do you have any fitness challenges or goals you are working towards at the moment? Share below.

Go, NOW.

Love my siblings! Tyler & Paige

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." -Steve Jobs (co-founder of Apple)

Conversations I've had over the past week coincide directly with the quote above. I am fortunate to have people turn to me for advice, encouragement, and a reality-check on their current job situation or to make a change NOW.

I think back to a conversation with Tyler, my brother, I had earlier this week. He is 24, ambitious, smart, dynamic, athletic, passionate and he is in a job that is absolutely opposite of his strengths. The phone call was prefaced due to a text I sent him of Kris Kepler showin' out and DJing at the Iron Belle this past weekend. Tyler responds, "You have the best job ever. I am so jealous."

Immediately I pick up the phone and call him. I believe anything is possible if you set your mind to it and DO WORK. Plan you work, work your plan. The conversation ended with a sense of urgency to make moves and start living his dream.

Yes...I am blessed to be in a career that I absolutely love at the age of 30. I praise Jesus for that opportunity. I challenge you today to follow your heart and intuition and go NOW after what you really want out of life.