Sweating for the Wedding

So I kind of hate when people say they're "sweating for the wedding" because I feel like it implies people creating unhealthy goals for their big day or developing healthy habits that'll be given up once they're no longer a bride.

But I know getting married can be the motivation needed to create healthy habits that will be continued long after the wedding & that's what this post is about!

my furry fitness buddy

My Fitness Background

I played just about every sport growing up and was always playing on some team all the way through High School. I played one year of college field hockey until some health issues made it too difficult. I did yoga for 6 days a week until that also became too difficult. After getting that sorted out, I did BBG for a bit until starting CrossFit. 

I joined CrossFit in January 2017, but didn't start going regularly until April. In the summer, when I had literally nothing better to do (cleaning doesn't count) and Dixie refused to be outside for more than 30 minutes (no words can describe her level of diva - she's like Mariah Carey on steroids), I went to CrossFit 6 or 7 days days a week. I definitely saw a ton of improvement, but only for 6 months. After that, I wasn't getting faster or stronger, I wasn't burning fat, and I wasn't feeling my best. I also was in no way willing to take it seriously enough to adjust my diet or sleep schedule for further improvements. And why should I? If I want to have a cupcake for breakfast, or god forbid, eat breakfast instead of this crazy fasting fad thats going on, I'm going find my favorite Kate Spade plates and eat frickin' cake for breakfast.

Asheville, NC

Okay, also, if I'm being totally honest... I also don't care about being "functionally" fit. I'd rather go for more ‘fashionably’ fit vibe. Less donuts&deadlifts, more shopping-is-my-cardio.

HOWEVER, if you're in a place where your fitness goals seem unattainable and need a serious jumpstart to your fitness, I highly recommend going to CrossFit 4-6 times a week for 6 to 8 weeks. You will be magnificently sore, but after those 6/8 weeks, you will be able to do any workout class & do it well enough to get the maximum benefits from that class. 

I stopped going to CrossFit and paused my membership for two months to reevaluate my fitness goals. After I got engaged, I cancelled my membership for good. I think there are tremendous benefits to lifting weights and I love the olympic lifts, I couldn't justify the cost of a CrossFit membership just to have access to a barbell. Especially when i realized how much veils cost. Like WHAT!?

Mackinac Island, MI

 My Wedding Workouts

 1. Body by MG

To satisfy my Doctors' emphatic insistence that I work with heavy weights, I downloaded Madalin Giorgietta's work out guide - Body by MG. Maddy is a former BBG girl who didn't enjoy the cardio or plyometric movements in BBG, so she created a guide that is entirely lifting. Plus, all the movements can be done or easily modified for my apartment gym. It's a great guide to building muscle where you want it (🍑) and toning where you want to be defined, but not bulky (💪). I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to get in shape while avoiding cardio entirely. 

2. OrangeTheory

One issue that I had with CrossFit was how much standing around there was. If I'm going to spend an hour of my time working out, I want to be working every single minute of that hour. Enter OrangeTheory, conveniently located across the street from my office (and dangerously, next to Monkees). The moment you walk in the door, you are working and your heart rate is up. I also love how much cardio is incorporated! You're time in OT is divided between the floor (for weighted and body weight movements), the rowing machine, and the treadmill. I've never been able to run on the treadmill, but somehow I can at OT. I don't know how they do it. I don't know if the music or upbeat instructors, but its great. Plus, I love being able to check my heart rate and seeing if I need to step it up or take a breath. You gotta get those splat points!

3. Tone It Up

The only downside to OrangeTheory is its popularity. I have to book my classes a week in advance, and some times, I still have to sign up for the waitlist! On days where I know that I'm not getting off the waitlist, I use Tone It Up.

I've been using their recipes and meal planning guides every now and then, but I love their "5 Daily Moves" concept and work out videos. Even on my most exhausted mornings, I can drag my but out of bed for some coffee and 5DMs. Maybe I get a video done, maybe I don't. Either way is okay with me. The 5DMs are certainly enough to get my day started & they're FREE! 

I like to balance all of this with maintaining a healthy lifestyle & spending time outdoors, which is a little less appealing in the winter. I got my fill of winter & am not VERY ready for spring.

What are your go to work outs?

xs and os

Indian spiced chicken and veggies

Whenever it's chilly, windy, rainy, or the weekend, I crave Indian food. I'm basically always craving Indian food. There was a place by my old apartment in Baltimore with the best buffet on the weekends. For under $15, I could fill up on as much chicken tikka masala, vegetable pakora, tandoori chicken, garlic naan, vegetable biryani, kheer, and Nepali tea as humanly possible. It was a dream.

When we moved to Virginia, we had a  Staunton Dinner Club that would drive 45 mins to get Indian food. For a small town in the mountains that isn't really close to anything, Staunton has some surprisingly great chefs and frickin delicious food.  

After the move to North Carolina, I started making some diet changes. There was no Kenny’s, so my fried chicken intake decreased significantly (if you ever drive on 81 between Staunton and Roanoke, stop at Kenny’s in Lexington, you won’t regret it). I stopped frequenting Indian restaurants because we couldn’t find one we liked as much.

Making our favorites at home was the next best thing, but what to do about the rice? As much as I love cooking, rice has always been a challenge to me. It’s always to sticky or steamed, and I may have caused a few microwave fires via ‘microwaveable’ rice in my day. Something has to soak up all that yummy sauce. No ancient grain seemed to do the trick and, I'm sorry, but cauliflower rice is flavorless and stupid. But regular cauliflower? That can be crisped and roasted and spiced to perfection. 

So I went with a roasted cauliflower as a base and then started experimenting with other veggies. I’m not a fan of potatoes, and chickpeas aren't my favorite. But golden raisins are amazing! I finally settled on carrots, cauliflower, peas, onions, and golden raisins, but feel free to substitute any of those with your preferred vegetables! 

So customize as you like & enjoy some paleo-friendly butter chicken!  

ingredients 

• 1 bunch small carrots, with tops

• 1 head cauliflower

• 1 can peas

• 1 onion

• 1 cup rehydrated golden raisins (to rehydrate, let sit in a cup/bowl of hot water for 30 min)

• 1 lemon, sliced into rounds

• 2 tablespoons Garam masala

• 6 chicken thighs

• any type of Indian sauce - i've included my easy, customizable recipe below, but I also like Maya Kaimal sauces

01.  preheat at oven to 400, remove tops (set aside for later & peel carrots, cut cauliflower into florets, & chop up a handful of carrot greens

02. toss carrots (and any other veggies that take a while to cook) with oil and salt and roast for 10 minutes.

03. if making your own sauce, go ahead and make it now - my recipe is below. If using canned sauce, add it to a  large heavy pot and bring to a simmer. In a separate pan, sear chicken on both sides.  

04. add crisped up chicken to the sauce, bring to a steady simmer, lower heat, and cover. 

05. add the other veggies, lemon, and at least 1 teaspoon of garam masala to the carrots. stir and return to the oven. 

06. Once the veggies are soft, remove from the oven. Add any extra seasoning you want. Serve chicken on top of veggies with extra sauce. Enjoy.

...sauce recipe below

spicy sauce

• 1 tbsp grass fed butter, ghee, or oil

• 1 large onion, diced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1-inch piece whole ginger, peeled and grated

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 2 tablespoons garam masala

• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes

• 1 can coconut milk

optional spices:  

• ground turmeric

• ground coriander

• ground cumin

• paprika

• extra garam masala

01. Heat butter/ghee/oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat.

02. Add onion, tomato paste, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring often, until tomato paste has darkened and onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

03. Add garam masala and stir to let flavors deepen, about 4 minutes.

04. Add tomatoes with juices, crushing them with your hands as you add them or using an immersion blender. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often and scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot.

05. Add coconut milk and let simmer, stirring occasionally. Taste sauce during this time and add optional spices to taste. This is where you can customize the sauce to your personal preference and make it as spicy as you like. In total, let the sauce simmer for 30-40 minutes.

06. Freeze whatever sauce you don't immediately use. 

Happy cooking! 

Gym Bag Essentials

The last place I lived in didn't have a gym in town. What they did have was a weird yoga studio that didn't really do yoga, a YMCA a few minutes outside of town where you could work out next to a bunch of 70+ year olds, the campus athletic center in town where you could work out next to a bunch of 19 year olds, and a CrossFit box in the next town over if you wanted to spend more time in your car than actually working out. I wasn't thrilled about any of those options.

Once we moved to Durham, (& thanks to a Christmas gift/hint from my momma), I joined a CrossFit gym, bought a class pass for SyncStudio, & have been trying out different yoga studios. 

I definitely forgot how much I love working out, and spending all this time in gyms means my gym bag has basically become my favorite accesory. Yoga, crossfit, and spin are all very different workouts that need very different things. But packing & unpacking my bag before/after a workout guarantees that I'll forget something. Instead, I keep my bag stocked with 10 essentials that I need to kick any workout's ass! 

Check them out below!

01. water bottle

Blender Bottle (starting at $9.99) - S'well (starting at $25) - bkr (starting at $28)

I have a love of water bottles. I have waayyy too many. Blender bottles, Swell, and bkr bottles are currently my favorites. The blender bottles are great for protein shakes and BCAAs. The Swell bottles are great for when I have things to do before hitting the gym or if I'm going straight from CrossFit to spin. I know my Swell will keep my drink cold the entire time. Finally, my bkr is great to just throw in my bag for yoga, where I won't need as much water. Plus, the bkr bottle is way quieter when I inevitably knock it over during yoga. 

02. BCAAs

BPI Sports Best BCAA ($29.49)

branch chain amino acids are great to drink before, during, and after your workout! There's a ton of research available if you really want to get into it- but here are the main points: BCAAs  increase muscle retention and maximize fat loss, they can give you energy before you work out, keep your intensity up during, and help your muscles recover after. Plus, they taste so dang good. Pay attention to the flavor ratings on bodybuilding.com when shopping for BCAAs (or anything, really)  - they won't steer you wrong! My favorite flavor so far is Artic Ice (i.e. blue snow cone syrup... & omg it's amazing).

03. sweat towel

Manduka eQua Hot Hand Yoga Towel ($13 on sale!)

i love this handtowel from manduka. I already use their Pro mat (it's so cushioned!) and yogiToes mat during hot Yoga. This super absorbent towel is great as a handtowel during regular yoga classes and a sweat towel during crossfit & spin. I don't like to work out with a shirt on, and Durham's winter basically ended in February (def not complaining). Plus I got some wonderful heavy sweating genes from my mom and dad. So with the heat, my wonderful genetics, and now shirt to absorb/use to wipe off the sweat, a towel is an absolute must! I've been waiting for the eQua towel to go on sale so I could buy more AND THEY FINALLY ARE! I reccomend buying multiple so you always have a clean towel available!

04. deoderant

Dove Dry Spray ($4.62)

a friend introduced me to dove dry spray and I was immediately obsessed. I've tried to clean beauty swap deodorant, but it doesn't hold up to my uber sweaty genes (again... thanks, mom & dad). Even though I have issues with dove dry sprays commercials for their men vs women's products (ie. grass clippings vs glitter... bc obvi as a woman, by biggest concern in day-to-day life is that glitter will get stuck to my armpit. no. & that needs to be a new fashion trend), but it dries quickly and works really well. So I'll ignore this small misstep in their otherwise lovely adverts. It also smells nice and doesn't leave any weird white residue. 

05.  grips

JAW Pullup Grips ($29.99)

I was reluctant to buy grips since I've only been doing crossfit for a few months. I didn't think I was good or hardcore enough to need them. But then I started to understand kipping. Aaaand then I ripped the shiz out of my hands. It's extremely unpleasant and should be avoided at all costs. I love JAW grips because they are thin enough that they don't affect my ability to grip the bar, but they do a great job protecting my hands! I also love that they are stretchy and move with your hands, unlike typical gymnastic grips. If you don't trust me, these are the grips that Sara Sigmundsdottir uses and she's a badass. 

06. hand balm

Winnies Rip Fix ($10.80) 

and speaking of protecting my hands... when they did rip Winnie's Rip Fix was my hero. It took the sting out of my hands right away and helped them heal SO QUICKLY. I was back to gripping the bar within a few days. Seriously, you will want this in your bag if your hands are in danger of ripping. It's awesome. Now, I apply it whenever my calluses (or knuckles or cuticles or heels) are feeling rough and it helps my hands stay soft. This is probably my best CrossFit related purchase. I actually ripped my pinky yesterday doing about a billion snatches (okay, 75 but still) and I immediately washed my hands and put some Rip Fix on my pinky and it worked just as well as I remembered! I should actually go put more on...

07. snack

Optimum Nutrition Cake Bites ($19.99 for 12 packs)

There are a lot of healthy snacks out there, and I always have one in my bag. Some staples in my snack rotation are bananas, pistachios, big spoon roasters chai peanut butter (so good I could cry), and various protein bars. My current favorite protein bar is Optimum Nutrition's Cake Bites. Yum, YUM, yum. Each "bar" has 3 little cake bites, each with about 7 grams of protein and less than 2 grams of sugar. They're great for satisfying my sweet tooth or quieting my stomach pre/post workout. I'm currently eating the birthday cake flavor, but I think I'll add the red velvet into the mix. They're also a much better pre-workout option than the taco truck that is usually parked by my gym. Tacos and burpees don't mix. The more you know.

08. face wipes

Pacifica Purify Coconut Water Cleansing Wipes ($5.99)

Sweat makes my skin feel so great. I love sweating it all out, but the last thing I want is all that sweat & toxins to be left sitting on my skin. I got Pacifica underarm wipes in a PopSugar Must Have box (ps. It's a consistently awesome box), and they're great for when I have to rush off somewhere after a workout or, real talk, when I have too much caffeine and my pits won't chill. So when I found these face wipes in the natural beauty section of Target (also available at Whole Foods), I just had to try them out. I love the Purify coconut oil face wipes. They make my skin feel so fresh, have a great scent, and are 100% vegan and cruelty-free. 

09. face sunscreen

Coola Organic Sunscreen Mineral Face SPF 30 Unscented Matte Tint ($36.00)

 Another subscription box discovery! I got a sample of Coola sunscreen in my Birchbox two summers ago, and I can't get enough of it. I use the sports sunscreen before outdoor workouts and use the BB+ cream as everyday makeup.  But I keep this unscented, tinted SPF 30 mineral sunscreen in my gym bag. It's water resistant for up to 80 minutes, making it great during a workout with an outdoor component. I also love to use it after a workout when I don't have time to shower right away. My face is always a little red and blotchy after a tough workout, I love that the tint smooths my complexion while the calming ingredients actively work to reduce redness. Plus it is oh so wonderfully hydrating.

10. protein drink 

Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey (starting at 14.98) - Nature's Best Zero Carb Isopure powder (starting at $15.96) - Nature's Best Zero Carb Isopure Ready-to-Drink (starting at $3.57)

Almost everyone agrees that protein after a workout is a must. I'll usually just make a shake at home after the gym, but if I'm not going directly home - or won't be home at least 30 minutes after my workout is finished - I'll throw a shake in my bag. I like whey protein powder, and my two current favorites are Optimum Nutrition in Extreme Milk Chocolate and Nature's Best Zero Carb Isopure in Creamy Vanilla. I'll usually blend those with coffee or cashew milk  and fruits/veggies. If I'm looking for just protein without the heavy calories (i.e., I don't want to spoil my appetite for waffles), I'll grab a Nature's Best Zero Carb Isopure Ready-to-Drink in Apple Melon (it tastes like a melted jolly rancher... I plan on trying more flavors). 

Let me know in the comments what you keep your gym bag!

& don't forget to pin for later!

protein packed banana bread

What makes this bread so great is all the things it doesn't have: no addded sweeteners, no gluten, no butter, no cream, no milk, no flour, no guilt. Not that you should ever feel guilty about eating; it's how you fuel your body, and I'd prefer you over fuel you body than under fuel it. Remember that when this bread is so good that you eat the entire loaf in one sitting. 

It's basically a protein shake, which makes it an awesome post-gym snack. Or mini-breakfast. Or late-night snack. Or anytime food because it's delicious. 

I took this picture the night I made the bread. It was during a crazy storm, so the lighting sucked. I planned on just taking more pictures the next day when it was sunny... 

the bread didn't quite make it to the next morning.

Yeah, that's a super close up shot of all that was left after all-night uncontrollable snacking. 

I have no self control. 

Here's the recipe, yay!

P R O T E I N    B A N A N A    B R E A D

• 4 bananas

• 4 eggs

• 1/2 cup almond butter

• 4 tablespoons coconut oil

• 1/2 cup chocolate protein

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

optional

• 1 banana

• chocolate chips

01. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

02. Add 4 bananas to large mixing bowl and mash. Next, add the eggs to the bowl and mix in using an electric mixer.

03. Add almond butter and coconut oil to a microwave safe bowl and heat until the coconut oil melts. Mix the almond butter and oil and then add it to the bananas and eggs. Mix it all together with the electric mixer.

04. Mix the dry ingredients (chocolate protein, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder) in a desperate (um, I mean separate) bowl. I use Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey Extreme Milk Chocolate. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with the electric mixer.

05. Pour the batter into a greased pan. 

OPTIONAL: Bake for 5 minutes, then add sliced banana to the top of the bread and/or sprinkle chocolate chips on top.

06. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top starts to brown, but the center isn't cooked, cover the bread with tin foil and continue baking. 

 07. Eat and Enjoy! 

Don't forget to pin the recipe for later!

Coming soon

I reeeaaally told myself that 2017 was going to be the year I post regularly, and I'm about 50% there.

I've been brainstorming and writing new posts regularly; I just haven't gotten to where I am ready to share them.

instagram : @hellodarlingsblog

I've been doing a TON of recipe development, and I've been pretty good about keeping at least a general idea of measurements. I even have a few that I've gotten the measurements down (YAY), but haven't photographed yet. I SWEAR THEY'LL BE READY SOON.

A few to look forward to:

• Indian Spiced Chicken & Veggies

• Protein-Packed Banana Bread

• Clean Eating Pot Pie

• Sweet Potato Nests Breakfast

instagram : @hellodarlingsblog

I've also been much more consistent with CrossFit - which for me means going 5-6 times a week. The workouts have been very snatch-heavy recently and I hate snatches oh so much, but I've been going anyway. uhg. Tomorrow's WOD has three segments and TWO of them are snatches.

It's really important that I get my body used to consistent CrowsFit because I'm going to add in triathlon training in early-April! Cardio is not my favorite, especially running, but I found a little spin studio that also offers cardio-circuit and tabata-style classes, so I've been mixing those into my workout schedule 2-3 times a week.

(PS. I hate tabata workouts more than snatches.)

instagram : @hellodarlingsblog

I'm starting to really enjoy stand up spin classes, especially now that I can manage to keep the beat and move the right direction (an embarrassingly huge improvement). Hopefully, stationary bike training translates to outdoor training! My sprint triathlon is in June,  but what I'm really worried about is a century ride I have scheduled in October.

The time I'm putting in at the gym inspired these upcoming posts:

• Gym Bag Essentials

• Best Post-Gym Shakes

• 500 Rep Challenge

• Best Benchmark Workouts

instagram : @hellodarlingsblog

I've been testing out a bunch of Clean Beauty-Swaps for my gym bag essentials and have found a few that I am OBSESSED with. I can't wait to share them!

Thanks for sticking with me during the radio-silence. I am regularly updating my instagram, even when I'm not posting here. Follow me here: @hellodarlingsblog