Make Money While Following Your Passion

December 26, 2016 By Laura

Life in the fast lane isn’t always satisfying.

“Forget about the fast lane. If you really want to fly, harness your power to your passion. Honor your calling. Everybody has one. Trust your heart, and success will come to you.” ~ Oprah Winfrey

Everybody has something in their life they are passionate about. That one thing they interject into practically every conversation. We often say “If only I could get paid to…” But people HAVE figured out how to turn those passions into a profession. Why shouldn’t YOU make money while following your passion?

Why not use the New Year as a starting point for a new career goal? #adulting

If one has an affinity for cars, that can be turned into a career as an auto mechanic. If the focus is on sports, avenues for coaching and physical rehab are open to those so inclined. And so it goes with a zeal for fitness and nutrition as well….

Work It Out: Motivation & Inspiration

August 27, 2013 By Laura

Motivation is a key success factor in a fitness program.

And in life, for that matter.

We aren’t always 100%. That would be super human. When I’m struggling with motivation, I look for things that inspire me. That inspiration gets me fired up to Work It Out.

The need for motivation and inspiration isn’t limited to working out. I seek it out as it relates to recipe creation, work, relationship building, writing… even to fighting off procrastination.

There’s no better way to procrastinate than to surf the web seeking inspiration!

Places I Find Inspiration:

Magazines – I like Muscle & Fitness Hers, Food & Wine, Gourmet; I rip out the pages of the articles/pis I want to keep. Some are taped to my fridge…
Websites – In addition to a million blogs, check out sites like Lifehack and Greatist
Other People – Do you have a boss or friend that has a particularly positive energy? Call them up for a chat!
Your “Idols” – We all have a few people we want to be when we grown up. I have a couple related to fitness, and a few in the business world. Follow them on Facebook or Twitter; you get a “surprise” tidbit in your feed, and you can ~~stalk them~~ check in to see what they’re up to when you need a boost
Pinterest – Don’t laugh. I have a board just for Inspiration, and I browse it when I’m needing a boost
Music – You know the song that gets your foot tapping? The one you can’t help but bob your head to? BLAST IT!!!

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In addition to my general suggestions, here are some quotes that light a fire under me:

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” -Socrates

“Your biggest challenge isn’t someone else. It’s the ache in your lungs and the burning in your legs, and the voice inside you that yells ‘I CAN’T’. But you do not listen. You just push harder. Then you hear that voice fade away and start to whisper ‘I can.’ That’s the moment you discover that the person you thought you were is no match for the one you really are.”

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” -Anais Nin

“If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, you don’t ask what seat. You just get on.” -Sheryl Sandberg

I mentioned in my list above that I take inspiration from other blogs. Below are a few recent posts that have made me think:

Bonnie’s post on body image and her new motto, “Fitness for a Fuller Life”
Amanda’s 20 Ideas for Socializing Without Food (so timely as I head into competition mode!)
Thomas, a competitor and trainer at my gym, sent me a link to this post on his blog when I mentioned I was struggling with motivation (side note: dude is a beast)
Calee is always so good at keeping it in perspective; from her post: “Stop working out like it’s your job… Fitness should work for YOU. YOU should not be working for fitness.”

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I also love before and after stories. As hard as the path my seem, there’s always someone who’s come further. #noexcuses

Where do you find motivation/inspiration?

Who are your “Idols” – for fitness, career, life, etc?

What’s Driving My Marvelous (Monday)

April 29, 2013 By Laura

No one likes regrets.

Especially when it involves wearing a bikini on stage in front of a lot of people.

My favorite uncle likes to say:

If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, oh what a merry Christmas we’d all have.

My goal is to go into Saturday’s figure competition without thinking “if only I had…” or “but I should have…” No regrets. That’s what’s driving me right now, even though I’m tired, busy, and really hate running sprints.

That’s not entirely true… I have a lot of fantastic friends whose encouragement also drives me. After this post where I admitted to be being busy and more than a little overwhelmed, Jody reminded me that what I’m doing is not easy and I need to give my body time to recover. So I took my first bath in years.

Then, after a particularly hard-to-motivate-for run (I’m doing sprints daily now), Heather took the time to encourage me. She is the queen of training and balancing a busy life (and running), so I especially appreciate her props.

Note: I’m kidding about the fat and happy. I chose this and I AM happy. These last couple of weeks just get hard.

Something else that can drive a workout is new stuff. So often we think of treating ourselves with food, but new clothing or “toys” can do it too!

This weekend I took myself shopping and got new eye cream, eyeshadow primer, 2 new tops, a bra (so badly needed), and my first EVER top from Lulumon. I didn’t get a pic, but it’s this one.

I also brought my own marvelous lunch to the mall: a crumbled Indian-spiced bison burger, sweet potato cubes, broccoli slaw, and red pepper. I held it up proudly for a pic infront of Victoria’s Secret. ~~Bison and Boobs.~~

As much fun as spending money on yourself can be, free stuff is even more awesome. Thanks to Fitfluential and Reebok, I had the opportunity to try out these Bose SIE2i headphones (as always – my opinions is my OWN).

Let me just say these ROCK. I didn’t even know what I was missing out on until getting these high quality ear buds… it was like surround sound in my ears!

Bonus: They aren’t PINK

How do Reebok and Bose go together? They partnered to release first ever Bose in-ear headphones specifically engineered for exercise. Their features are designed with workouts in mind. Click here for a video with more detail on the technology.

Here is what I liked:

They are sweat proof – there was NO sliding about in my ears even when I was sprinting
They didn’t give me a headache. In the past I’ve had some ill-fitting buds that were so uncomfortable I had a headache by the end of my workout. These still felt great 2 hours later!
The buds come with 3 sizes (small, medium, and large), and the small actually fit me
The shorter cable doesn’t get in the way of movement while lifting, but there is an extension cord for when you need length (I used it so I could place my iPhone on the treadmill while running sprints)
There is a remote in the cord that allows you to easily change songs and adjust volume (you can also take calls, but who doesn’t that during a workout?!)

It also came with a stretchy armband to holds your iPhone, but I didn’t use it. I am looking forward to using it when I do some running this summer – it even has a separate pocket for keys! For lifting, I can’t stand having something strapped to my arm. My pythons need ROOM. LOL!

The downside? At $149.98, they are pricey. Here’s how I look at it: I spend 1-2 hours everyday working out. It’s worth every cent if it makes that experience more enjoyable and comfortable. That means a better workout for me, so I consider it another investment in my fitness.

Lastly, the ultimate driver: Progress. It’s not big. But I do believe that is a booty:

Do these Bose headphones make my butt look big? 😉

It may not look like much, but it’s a BIG improvement after a lot of work. I dislike sprints, but I really hate having a pancake butt or a saggy ass. So sprints it is! I can do anything for 5 (more) days.

And all of this is what’s making my Monday Marvelous. Thank you for another week starting out right, Katie!

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One more bit of awesome – 2 separate friends sent me their progress shots this weekend. I was flattered that they trusted me enough to share those proud (scantily clad) moments!

Do you make a conscious effort to live life with no regrets?

Are good headphones important to you? What is your fitness “splurge” item? Lulumon? 😉

Work It Out: From Running to Lifting

March 26, 2013 By Laura

Competing is not for the faint of heart.

Or for those who dislike asparagus.

Body building requires a lot of hard work and discipline. I love the weights – that part doesn’t seem like work to me (most days).

The diet… well, those few weeks leading up to a competition get a little rough. You probably didn’t want to be near me the last week because I was ~~a total bitch~~ tired of chicken and asparagus.

This post isn’t about asparagus. Today’s Work It Out is a guest post from a friend and fellow comptitior. Jennifer trains at my gym, House of Payne.

We competed together in the NPC Jen Hendershott Big Shott Bodybuilding Classic last year (Jenn in Physique and myself in Figure). She was such a great friend – calming my beginner nerves and raising a margarita toast to out successes post-competion.

Jennifer, Christina, Steve (our trainer), Devy, and Me

Jenn is a big inspiration. Like me, she’s a former runner. The muscle she’s gained in the ~7 months I’ve known her is absolutely incredible.

Below is the story of her transformation. I hope it inspires you – even if you aren’t interested in competing, it’s a great reminder that we can do anything we want to, if we want to badly enough.

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Close to 2 Decades of Fitness

The year is 1994 and I sign up for my first jogging class at Gainesville State College. Little did I know at the time what my fitness future would hold. I had an amazing coach who shared his passion of fitness with me. He gradually took us, beginners, and taught us how to build up stamina and endurance in running. Through the class, I developed a liking to running. I’ll never forget how I felt when I completed running 2 miles without stopping. My coach told me if you can run 2 miles, then you can run 6 miles. Well, I kept on running. I even thought I was “Forrest.” Forrest Gump, that is.

I ran all the way through college, 3 pregnancies, and into mid 30’s. Then all of a sudden, I realized my body had massively changed. I was fat. I was flabby in a lot of areas. I couldn’t eat the junk that I ate in my 20’s and look good. I felt as if my muscle tissue was a lot less than it was in the previous years.

I took a huge leap and decided to change my eating and my training. I always loved the way girls looked in Muscle & Fitness Magazine. I wanted that look. I wanted biceps and a 6-pack. So I started weight training at home. I started out with a beginner set of barbells and a pull-up bar.

I trained 1 year at home and starting transforming my body gradually. I mainly did strength training 4 days a week and 2 days of cardio. But I wanted to do more and continue to transform my body. So I hired a personal trainer. Also at that 1 year mark, my pursuits became a little different. At first, I just wanted to get fit and lose some weight. Gradually as I transformed my body and learned more about weight training and its results, I decided to enter a figure contest.

So I entered my first figure competition. I will be real honest, my first time out I was not even close to the top 5. However, that first competition set me on fire to compete. This was the best thing to happen. I went into that competition thinking that I was going to win. Oh Yes! However, I left that competition and decided I was going to put in the time and build some serious muscle. I was going to be a competitive figure athlete.

For the next 3 years, I studied and researched training methods. I also hired a nutritionist/coach who monitors all of my food and helps develop my training splits. He has developed a plan to help me build lean muscle mass in the off-season and he knows how to turn me into a lean competitor for the stage.

I have competed in 4 figure competitions since 2010. However, in November of 2012, I stepped on stage as a physique competitor and placed 3^rd in the competition, which qualified me for the national stage.

Physique is a new division in the body building world. This division is for women that have a little more muscle than figure. The Physique division also requires a routine that enables you to present your physique and display your muscles in a way that figure girls don’t get to do. I absolutely adore it. I love being on stage and the center of attention. I especially love showing off my hard work that I have done in the gym and through my nutrition.

As I write this, I am in prep for Team Universe in July 2013. This is my first national show. I am giving my 110% to this competition. I still have the same fire in my soul as I did with my first competition. I love the structure, workouts, and the discipline required for competing. Every time I do a show I feel as if I learn something new about myself. I have also learned in order for you to succeed, you must step out of your comfort zone and push a little bit harder.

Train Hard and You will be Amazed at Your Results!

XOXO

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Follow Jennifer’s journey on Facebook and Instagram, and be sure to check out her blog!

Did anyone try last week’s Super Slow technique?

Would/have you ever considered competing?

Learn Something Every Day

November 6, 2012 By Laura

You learn something new everyday.

Some days you learn lots of “somethings.”

#1 When it comes to hotels, trust but verify. Especially when I comes to hotels. Next time I choose. And it will NOT be La Quinta. That place is filthy.

#2 If someone wants to keep your bikini bottoms in place by sticking them to you skin with craft glue, say no. I lost at least 2 layers of skin peeling my bottoms off.

At least I had my post-competition Nuttzo treat to make me feel better.

#3 Cupcakes and greasy cheese after following a very strict diet will give you a rumbly in your tumbly. #sorryimnotsorry

Thank you to Jenn Hendershott for having these backstage!

There are no pics of the nachos… but I ate 2 plates. The first plate had tofu on it. I also drank a beer. Or two. Thanks to my cousin for coming out to cheer me on a for sponsoring my post-competition treat-fest.

#4 Fake eyelashes feel like little aliens on your eyelids.

#5 Never say never. Just 5 years ago if you had told me I’d be walking across a stage in stripper heels and a bikini doing a fitness competition… I would have laughed in your face. This former beer-guzzling girl refused to wear a bikini for years (it took me until grad school to do so willingly). Anything is possible.

#6 Keep it simple. Sometimes there’s nothing better than toast with peanut butter and sliced banana for breakfast. Don’t fight it.

#7 When the heavyweight winner stops to get 3 BBQ sandwiches and a milkshake on the way home, do not be surprised if he doesn’t offer you a bite.

I was perfectly happy with my Subway egg and cheese sandwich. Mmmm… eggs…. add avocado, jalapenos, and tomato.

#8 There are no excuses. The man in the picture below is in a wheelchair. This is his second competition. Any time I think about slacking or making an excuse, I’m going to remember him and the “sticktuitiveness” he displayed.

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The professional pics aren’t up yet, but I’ll post them when I get them. You guys are going to be SO sick of me…

Can you tolerate a sub-par hotel? I’m a hotel snob… my idea of camping is the Holiday Inn. #sorryimnotsorry

What have you learned lately?

Sorry I’m Not Sorry

September 21, 2012 By Laura

I’m exhausted.

After a killer leg day (more on that Monday), I’m too pooped to poop. ~~Good thing since I’m so sore I can’t lower myself to the toilet.~~

So today is a random post. I hope you don’t mind. #sorryimnotsorry <— new favorite has tag.

1. Inspiration

I find this especially appropriate after the afore-mentioned leg day. It’s contains some language (as my mother would say), but I think it’s appropriately used. #sorryimnotsorry

2. Things I Should Care About More At The Gym

I really loved this post from Sarah. Flashing people accidentally? I’m probably guilty. #sorryimnotsorry

The Someecard pic she included was especially awesome… because I’m a klutz and have the shin bruises and oven scars to prove it.

3. Smoothie Demo

I’m doing my first “food” demo this weekend! My trainer and his wife asked me to do a smoothie demo at their gym to show people how quick and easy it is to get a good protein punch.

There will be 4 blender recipes, including my Carrot Cake Protein Shake… and a new smoothies that I’ll post on Monday. Confession: I’m nervous. #sorryimnotsorry

4. Jamaican Tofu Chowder with Collards

This vegan chowder recipe from Janet has been on my Soup Pinterest board for ever and I really want to try it now that it’s getting cooler.

Or Allie could just make it since she has too many collards and bring me some when she visits in a couple of weeks. *Yes, I’m that lazy right now. #sorryimnotsorry

5. Pumpkin S’Mores Cake

Does this really need an introduction? I’m making this Pumpkin S’Mores Cake from Stephanie after my competition. It could trump last winter’s Sweet Potato and Toasted Marshmallow Cake.

~~And I might eat the whole thing.~~ #sorryimnotsorry

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One more (did I take it too far?). I’m ravenous today. Leg day is an appetite booster. #sorryimnotsorry

What is your #sorryimnotsorry today?

What’s your favorite recently pinned/bookmarked recipe or inspiration?