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?

Eggplant Chips + WIAW

April 24, 2013 By Laura

Life gets busy.

I know this isn’t news to any of you, but it’s hitting me hard this week.

I’m 10 days out from my next figure competition. The asparagus (click here for the reason behind that) begins this weekend. I’m thinking next Friday’s #strangebutgood link up will take a twist as my diet gets to the most strict point… not-so-strange but good, anyone?

Balancing work with the competition preparation is not easy. In addition to my 7 meals and regular workouts, I’m running sprints every day. It’s a lot of fit in, especially since I dislike working out at night. I’m TIRED. Cutting a good amount of carbs and basically all sodium and fat leaves my energy level a bit low.

But I’m focusing on May 4th (competition day) and staying motivated. I don’t want to get on stage and have any regrets!

I’ve been taking a couple of products I received from GNC through a FitFluentiual campaign that have helped me maintain my level of activity: Ultra 25 Probiotic Complex and TriFlex.

The probiotics (said to replenish good bacteria needed for digestion) made a BIG difference. Those 25 billion active cultures kept my gut healthy (translation: I have no problem going #2). This make me happy and had prevented bloating! This particular pill also has “enzymes and ginger for additional digestion support.”

The TriFlex I think I need to take longer to say 100% whether it’s made a difference. It is supposed to “promote joint mobility & flexibility” and contains Glucosamine, Chondroitin, and MSM – all of which are great for joint health. I have been taking it regularly. That, in addition to seeing a new chiropractor, I *believe* have kept my joints are feeling good despite some crazy workouts!

My WIAW meals were still pretty good, despite and lack of yummy, yummy fat. Mmmmm… peanut butter… I digress.

Check out my 7 low-fat, low-sodium, protein-laced meals below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see how more normal people are eating!

Meal 1:

My day began with my morning cocktail (apple cider vinegar, water, and Aminos), as always.

I was going to go ahead and run sprints before breakfast, but my metabolism is out of control lately… I am STARVING all the time. Breakfast had to happen before I entertained the idea of working out. I wanted everything at once… so I had it! It was PB&J-ish… with a coffee flair! After adding baking powder to my Mango-Coconut TVP Oats, I’m hooked. I used it again here for an especially voluminious bowl.

PB & Raspberry TVP Oatmeal

1/3 C Textured Vegetable Protein
1 T oatmeal
1 tsp coffee
3/4 C water
2 T peanut flour
1 tsp ground flax
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp butter extract
1/4 tsp maple extract
5-6 drops liquid stevia
Raspberries

Bring TVP, oats, coffee, and water to a boil. Cook until liquid is mostly absorbed. Add in remaining ingredients, adding additional water if needed.

Allow to simmer until water is absorbed and your TVP oats reach your desired level of thickness.

Note: I add 1/2 the berries at the end of cooking and use the other half to top because I can never decide if I like them better cooked or as a topping.

Meal 2:

First, I ran my sprints like a good kid. Then I put a Mexican Sweet Potato Pie in the oven to bake. It only made me wish I made a second one for myself. This was to take to a good friend who is a new mom!

Finally, it was food time. And my continued bison obsession. As part of my Sunday food prep, I made up several burgers to be able to grab quickly.

I ate this one atop a spinach, heirloom tomato and cilantro salad. With red pepper flakes, obv.

Meal 3:

Lunch was my current favorite – sea bass. This is even better than swordfish right now… and that’s a big thing for me to say since I consider swordfish the “steak of the sea.”

Eaten post-workout with a giant mound of lightly sautéed kale and a super-fast sweet potato and shiitakes with rosemary and garlic.

Meal 4:

Clean chicken salad made from the “naked” (nothing added) Whole Foods rotisserie chicken, a little Greek yogurt, vinegar, cumin, and diced cucumber.

Meal 5:

I couldn’t totally cheat on my favorite fish. Steak of the Sea for dinner (swordfish)! Served with my BBQ Roasted Cauliflower and eggplant chips.

Evey time I post eggplant chips on Instagram, I always get a billion questions about how to make them. It’s the easiest thing ever, so I felt silly blogging it… but even simple meals can count a recipes, right? The “secret” is at the bottom of this post. 🙂

Meal 6:

This was a hodge-podge. I had a little chicken left and a little Monchong (fish) from last night. So I made a combo to get my protein in. I had celery sticks and sugar peas on the side. I adore sugar peas – the dessert of vegetables!

Meal 7:

My favorite meal of the day is desert. I took some non-fat Greek yogurt and mixed it with cocoa powder, cinnamon, vanilla, and a little stevia. Then I melted some frozen cherries in the microwave with some ginger so my “sauce.” Then I topped all that with homemade popcorn and more cinnamon. Paradise.

Eggplant Chips

1 eggplant
Olive oil spray
Optional toppings: onion, garlic, nutritional yeast, herbs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut eggplant into thin slices (~1/8 in thick). Spray with olive oil and spread evenly across a foil-lined baking sheet.

Place in over and bake ~10 mins. Remove from oven, flip slices, and top as desired. Return to over for another 5 mins, or until crisp.

Note: These can be stored in the fridge – simply place them in the oven under broil for 2-3 mins to crisp back up.

I’m linking these up to Heather’s MMAZ – check out all the eggplant love!

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Protein count for the day: 163g

What was the best thing you ate yesterday?

What keeps you motived when you’re tired/busy/etc?