I have never been a morning person. I can stay up all night, but I dread mornings, even when I get more than 8 hours of sleep. When I started my new job in December, I was forced to become a morning person. I went from having to be at work at 10 am to having to wake up at 6 to be at work by 7:30 am ready to interact with 3 and 4 year balls of energy all day long. Talk about a wake up call.

When I was waking up later, I had all the time in the world to mosey around and get creative with breakfast, but now I feel like I’m at a constant battle with the clock to make it out the door on time. I know that breakfast is important and I need to eat it everyday, but it is just way too easy to run out the door with an empty stomach.

Most mornings I was eating yogurt and a banana, but I was still ending up hungry (and hangry) before lunch. I really hit the breakfast jackpot when I paired my usual Dannon Oikos Greek yogurt with crunchy belVita Breakfast Biscuits. The 12 grams of protein in the yogurt help keep me full until lunch and the biscuits help keep my energy levels steady all morning long. The belVita Breakfast Biscuits come in 5 flavors, but my absolute favorite is the Apple Cinnamon. (I’ve also had the Golden Oat and Chocolate flavors so far.)

I really thing that the key to having your morning run smoothly is to put in a little prep the night before. Every night before bed, I lay out my banana, belvita and coffee mug on the counter. In the morning, I just grab my yogurt out of the fridge and I am ready to go, no missed breakfast, no excuses.

Most mornings, there is a hungry little monster who makes me share my belVita. Even after eating his breakfast at home, I’ll hear “Mama, do you have your biscuits?” from the backseat. Luckily, they come four to a pack, which is more than enough to split with this little man.

Thanks to belVita and Dannon Oikos, I have one less thing to worry about in the mornings. If you’ve ever had to get a four year old up, dressed and out the door in the morning, you know how much every minute counts. And hopefully, one day the little man will learn which shoe goes on which foot, so our mornings will run even more smoothly.

If you want to learn more about Dannon Oikos and belVita, you can check them out on facebook (Dannon Oikos / belVita) and twitter (Dannon Oikos / belVita.)

The post How to Become a Morning Person #MorningWin appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

I love the pre-made shakes because they taste just like a milkshake and they are the perfect thing to throw in your purse or gym bag for when you find yourself starving without being able to get something good to eat.  They are only 100 calories but pack in 18g ofprotein, as well as, calcium, vitamin-D, and B-vitamins. And seriously, they taste soo good!

The Designer Whey protein bars are my absolute fav. They come in three flavors- Triple Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Caramel, and seriously taste like candy bars, with only 160 calories and 10g of protein. Most of mine were very quickly scooped up by Tommy because he is a huge fan of them.  He’s been traveling a lot for work lately and they make a great airplane snack. They also make a great afternoon with a cup of coffee. So good!

The Protein 2 Go are also a favorite of mine. I carry a bunch of these in my gym bag for a quick post workout protein kick and I also have a few in my desk at work, for when I am craving something fruity but don’t want to reach for junk. Each little packet gives you 10g of protein and great tasting water for only 50 calories and 1 gram of sugar.

Last, but not least, are the two protein powders I received – Vanilla Almond and Strawberry. Like all Designer Whey proteins I’ve tried, they blend great and don’t leave you with the weird chalky after taste.

My favorite thing lately has been using the strawberry protein to make protein ice cream. It has only 4 ingredients and is super easy to throw together in the blender when you sweet tooth kicks in!

I was also sent vouchers to try Smari yogurt, a new Icelandic yogurt that Designer Whey has teamed up with. I haven’t been able to find it in any stores near me, but I am keeping an eye out for it because it sounds delicious. It is supposedly thicker and creamier than Greek yogurt, made from all organic milk and packs in 20 grams of protein per cup! If you’re in NYC and have seen this, let me know where because I am dying to try it!

What is your favorite protein flavor? What’s your favorite protein recipe?

**I was provided these products free of change thanks to Fitfluentual and Designer Whey. All opinions, as always, are my own!**

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What do these two events have in common? I am pushing my boundaries. I am doing things that I thought were impossible for me to do, and guess what? They are possible. A few weeks ago I received an email telling me that I had been chosen by Reebok and Fitfluential to be a part of Team Fitfluetial in the upcoming Spartan Race in Tuxedo, New York.

My reaction? Breathe in, breathe out..holy crap, this is so exciting! Breathe in, breathe out..holy crap, I haven’t run in months!

So what’s a girl to do? Lace up her sneakers – her new and very blue Reebok Sublite Duos and push her boundaries.

I ran a three mile loop, and by ran I mean ran quickly and almost effortlessly down the hill and struggles and walked for parts back. In the end, I felt tired but refreshed and I knew that I could do this. I feel that Crossfit is preparing me for the obstacle portion of the race and I am planning on staying after this Friday to try to master the rope climb. Now the only thing I need to do is practice my burpees because I have a feeling I will be doing a whole lot of those in the near future! While the Spartan Race isn’t your typical “mud run” I am feeling confident. I feel like I will be able to get through it, but I know that it will be a challenge. Life is about pushing your boundaries and mastering challenges and the Spartan Race is no different.

Have you ever done an obstacle course race?

Reebok has provided me with training gear and entry into the Spartan Race. All opinions are my own.

The post I’m Doing the Spartan Race! appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

The Dark Chocolate takes my morning cup of joe to a whole new level, turning it into a yummy mocha, with a fraction of the calories you would get in a coffee shop mocha. While my almond mocha is delicious, I was missing Chai Tea Lattes in my life. So what else was a girl to do, but brainstorm and find herself an alternative?

Almond Milk Chai Tea Latte

 

Print

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 1 cup Silk Almond Milk
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons or 1 teabag Chai tea

Instructions

1. Combine Silk Almond Milk and cinnamon is a small pot.
2. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally until milk comes to a slight boil and froths at the top.
3. Pour milk over tea and steep for about 5 minutes.
4. Enjoy!

3.1.09

Now that I’ve got your mind on Almond Milk, head over the the Silk Facebook Page and check out some more delicious recipes created by some fellow Fitfluential bloggers. They’re adding new recipes weekly until they hit 30, so make sure to keep checking back!

Which Silk recipe do you want to try? What kind of milk do you drink?

FitFluential LLC compensated me for this Campaign. All opinions are my own;

The post Silk Almond Milk Chai Latte appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

The seminar was hosted by Katie from Paleo Pioneer and a registered dietician. The seminar lasted a little over an hour, but was incredibly informative and taught me about how the American diet has changed, how gluten was molecularly engineered in the 1960s and is slowly effecting all of us, and how the paleo lifestyle is a diet from a time before the diseases that are killing Americans were ever a problem.

The seminar started with some info about how the American diet has changed since the times of our grandparents. After the Great Depression, processed foods became abundant because people did not want to ever fall back to a time when there were widespread food shortages. With their long shelf lives, low prices and ease of cooking, processed foods became the norms in the 70s and 80s. Incidentally, this was also the same time that gluten, the protein found in wheat, was molecularly engineered and obesity, diabetes, autoimmune diseases and cancer rates began to skyrocket.

So what is paleo? Paleo is the diet that our ancestors followed before the luxuries of modern farming, mass produced “health foods and pop tarts. The paleo diet turns the modern food pyramid on its head and completely eliminates grains, dairy and highly processed foods. Instead we are to get our nutrition from meat, fruits, veggies, healthy fats and nuts.

Although the diet may seem extreme at first, with some prep, planning and substitutions, you will never miss the processed foods that you were once so dependent upon. We went through some ideas on how to sub different foods, meals and snacks with paleo friendly items. We also discussed the cost of going paleo. Some people claim that paying extra for quality cuts of grass-fed beef with make your budget go out the window, if you offset the costs of not purchasing prepackaged, processed foods, the dent in your budget is not that noticeable. Especially if you take into account the fact that you won’t be eating out as much!

After the seminar, we were treated to some paleo goodies, which you would never be allowed on a “diet.” We indulged in paleo brownies, cookies and fudge, and trust me, you could not taste the difference!

Overall, the seminar gave me a great deal to think about regarding my diet, and the diet and lifestyle of my family. Tommy and I have been discussing and weighing the benefits of it, and we have decided to start taking steps to going paleo!

The post Paleo 101 appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

I have been told to try crazy diets that border on starvation, that involve eating canned tuna or sauerkraut for almost every meal and that water with cucumber slices is the key to ridding my body of excess water because it will make me pee more often. News flash, drinking any type of water will make you pee more often. Plus, my plain water in my Camelbak is doing me just fine, thank you very much!

I have been offered and repeatedly encouraged to try weight loss pills that are illegal in the United States. The person who offered them to me had them shipped from Hong Kong and ignored the fact that they have lead to heart attacks and strokes, in effort to find a quick way to lose a few pounds. Not to mention, the same person suffers from high blood pressure and is putting their life on the line for a quick fix. Just because a friend of a friend tells you something is a magic pill, doesn’t mean it really is. You can’t sprinkle anything on your food to make it less calories either. Sorry to burst your bubble, but those fries are a calorie bomb any way you look at it. Not to mention, they are almost completely devoid of the nutrients your body needs to nourish itself, because after all, that is the reason we eat.

I have been working my butt off for the last couple months. I work out regularly, I eat fairly well (this could always be better), but I’m a work in progress. I feel stronger and fitter everyday and I have even gone down a size in clothing. I feel amazing and I see my body changing. The process isn’t instantaneous like most people would like. It takes a lot of sweat and tears to reach you fitness goals, but I am getting there step by step.

So you can keep your diet plans, your pills and your magical waters because I’m not interested in doing it your way, my way is working just fine.

The post You’re Doing it Wrong Right appeared first on Frolic Through Life.

That’s right kids, I am your newest FitFluential Ambassador and I couldn’t be happier about it!

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I took the day off yesterday to rest and relax before driving back into schoolwork to finish my last paper. When my mom suggested that we go shopping, I couldn’t turn her down. We did some damage at Loft and I left with a new dress, two new skirts, shorts and a new top. My mom also had a bunch of coupons so we saved over $100 on our purchases.

I am also very proud to say that all of the things that I bought yesterday are a dress size down from what I usually wear,

and they all fit great! I was so happy trying on the clothes and I can’t wait to wear them!

After Loft, we stopped at TJMaxx where I purchased my first ever kettlebell! And it only cost me $16. Win!

Now it might not be the prettiest kettlebell (am I the only one who thinks kettlebells are pretty?) but it does the job and it does it well. I did a really random kettlebell workout when I got home, basically just to try out different moves and see how this thing works, and I am feeling a bit of soreness this morning. When I get a good workout put together, I will definitely share!

I also got a book that I ordered a while back, in the mail this week. I’ve been interested in juicing since Tommy and I watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, but I never really knew what combos went well with each other and what juices were good for what. This little book has a ton of great recipes that I can’t wait to try out! Keep an eye out for some juice recipes as well!

Have a great Thursday! We are so close to the weekend I can smell it.

What’s your favorite juice combo? What’s your go-to fitness accessory?

The post A Smaller Size! appeared first on Frolic Through Life.