Beautiful comes in all forms.
Much like diet, it’s personal!
There’s no right or wrong definition. When I heard about Under Armour’s What’s Beautiful competition aimed at getting women to set epic goals and prove themselves, I was really excited. You goal, your definition of what beauty is, is totally customized!
I immediately signed up, and I hope you will too! All you need to do is click here and enter some basic info, including what fitness goal you WILL accomplish. You can customize the top pic (like your Facebook header), join teams, and follow/encourage others!
To me, beautiful is embodied by spirits unwilling to settle for less than they are. Strong woman are beautiful to me, so of course that’s what my goal involves. 🙂
Check out my goal and challenges thus far here:
The competition is 100% personalized for you. There are mini-challenges you can participate in along the way, but you can choose those that apply to you.
You don’t have to do the challenges… but you might want to because there are prizes along the way (read: Under Armour schwag bags) and one BIG reward at the end: a trip to Costa Rica to attend a four-day yoga and surf retreat, complete with massages, spa treatments and healthy, locally sourced meals prepared by personal chefs!!!
Once you create your profile, I’d love it if you’d join my team: Team Fabulously Fit! There are four of us FitFluential Ambassadors headed it up. We have some diverse goals, but the underlying theme is healthy and fitness. We are super excited to cheer for you and motivate each other!
Our team includes: Lindsay @ Itz Linz, Melissa @ Treats With A Twist, Lindsay @ Cotter Crunch, and me!
The competition will be using the hashtags #whatsbeautiful and #iwill. Follow along both hashtags on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to stay motivated and dedicated to achieving YOUR goal!
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Don’t worry – we’re still going to talk about food today! My WIAW meals were right in line with the No Shit Diet principles. Including a little dinner indulgence. 🙂
Check out my eats and treats below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see what delicious foods everyone else is enjoying!
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Breakfast:
Per usual, I started my day with a cocktail (apple cider vinegar, water, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos).
Breakfast was a 2 course event today:
Atlanta Farm Fresh Greek yogurt is the best ever. I don’t know if you can get it outside of the Southeast, but you can check out their website and see! In Atlanta, you can find it in Whole Foods and Kroger.
Their plain is really good (I normally only eat plain Greek), but I couldn’t resist this in lieu of a fruit this morning: Strawberry Basil Balsamic. It’s as good as it sounds.
Part 2 was Toad in a Hole. Made with one of my local eggs and a slice of P28 protein bread. Topped with fresh basil, pepper, and red pepper flakes. #yolkporn
Post-Workout:
All of that deliciousness fueled one helluva spin class. Did I mention I don’t spin? This was my 3rd class ever. It kicked my butt. By the time I got home I was ready to eat ALL the foods.
I settled for a Carrot Cake Batter Shake: This is one of my favorites – it was the first time I’d used tofu in a smoothie, but not the last. Gives it the perfect texture!
Lunch-ish:
I saw Janet’s post about Black Bean Tostadas and knew I had to make them immediately. I made a single serving, eliminated the salt, and added onion powder, turmeric, cilantro, lime juice, red bell pepper, and jalapeno.
It fell apart (probably due to the pepper), but it was delicious! I just ate it as crackers alongside my sea bass and broccoli slaw.
Then I had “dessert.” Roasted kabocha squash with coconut oil, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne, and maple extract. Topped with a peanut sauce made from peanut flour, cinnamon, ginger, maple extract, water, and stevia.
Dinner:
I got my tickets. To the Gunshow! Chef Kevin Gillespie lead one of my favorite Atlanta restaurants, but recently left to do his own thing. Last night I got to try it out for the first time. The fact that it’s called Gunshow was just the icing on the cake.
This is an entirely new format for a restaurant – there are no servers and the kitchen and dining room are one. Everything is made fresh. There is no set menu, they aren’t concept-driven. The food served that day is based on what’s available locally and what they’re in the mood to cook. The kitchen brings the food out dim sum-style on a cart or tray as they finish the dish. The chef that made your food is also delivering it to your table and describing the dish. How cool is that?! One thing I love about cooking is seeing the reaction people have. That must be hard for a chef in a restaurant who’s trapped in a kitchen all night.
Gunshow Menu
Our group of 10 ordered one of everything. And it was all amazing.
My top 3 dishes: a goat cheese ball rolled in burnt bread crumbs with a house made strawberry jam, the braised short ribs, and the spring vegetables and ramps with bee pollen.
The great part was that after splitting all this among 10 people, we weren’t over-stuffed. Don’t get me wrong – I was full – but it was a happy amount of indulgence.
My friend Jessica had the description of the night:
The food spans such a spectrum and I love that [Kevin Gillespie] doesn’t box himself, or the other folks in the kitchen, into a defined style. I told someone tonight that it reminded me of a first date. Perhaps he was trying to impress and over time we may learn each other and reach a warmness and familiarity. I was impressed and even more excited that we have somewhere else to discover that is different, although not better
Jessica, Chef Kevin, and me
Dessert:
We had to try the desserts too! I would be hard-pressed to choose between the strawberry cheesecake (top pic) and Kevin’s great grandmother’s banana pudding (bottom right).
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Obviously #iwill be hitting the gym hard today! 🙂 Join our team by clicking here: Fabulously Fit, or just leave me your email in the comments and I can send invite to our team!
What’s your fitness goal? What WILL you accomplish?
What’s the best thing you’ve eaten this week? Anything #strangebutgood?
I love the What’s Beautiful campaign. What a great idea to team up to head a team! That sounds funny, but you know what I mean. I have joined, but need to get going on some challenges!
The Under Armour campaign still confuses me, ah ha ah! The web site is just so hard to navigate, but I will try my best to figure it out and promote 😉
My fitness goals are really just to keep doing what I am doing and not get hurt? LOL! That’s always a GOOD GOAL!
I have often wished I could re-design that site for them.
I love that you guys are joining together and doing the What is Beautiful campaign. Such a great way to motivate others and achieve our goals.
Amen, love the campaign. Such positive message.
Oh man strawberry basil balsamic sounds awesome and that’s all I could think of through this whole post;) hah.
I love the concept of the restaurant, so fun!! And the dessert….holy yumm.
I need to have another look into the Waht’s beautiful campaign. The first time I visited the website and signed up, I was pretty confused – maybe I just need to approach it with a little more patience 🙂
It isn’t the best website I’ve ever seen… but I love the concept and once you get into it everything becomes more clear. 🙂
What an awesome team of fabulously fit ladies! I love the what’s beautiful campaign. So fun and a great way to get closer to your goals!
That’s such a cool concept for a restaurant! I remember when Kevin was on Top Chef, I thought he should have won his season. I’d love to eat at a restaurant of his though.
He should have! I think he’s the best chef in ATL. And I eat a lot. 😉
I just commented on your facebook page that I wanted to hear about this place and here it is! The concept is definitely interesting, but since I’m a pescatarian, I always worry that there won’t be something that I can eat at certain restaurants, this being one. I still want to try it though.
As many items as there are on the menu, I think you’d be fine. It would be hard for a vegan though.
i saw that strawberry basil pic on instagram…. sounds so interesting! and woot woot team fabulously fit!
Yeah! I like your riff on the black bean tostadas (and thanks for the shout-out). Looks delicious… and yes are definitely already beautiful. Good luck with your goals. 🙂
Thank you! I love the idea. I think next time I will intentionally make chips – they would be great with guac!
All that food at the gunshow looks amazing! Yum the desserts…bet they were unreal hehe!
That greek yoghurt flavour sounds delicious as well; strawberry basil..wow!
The What’s Beautiful campaign is so positive, love the message its sending out…my fitness goal for this year..well I want to be able to squat x2 my body weight and would like to have some six pack abs…think that may take some time though!
I am sure you can do the squats!!! Get a good spot and you’re golden. 🙂
Gunshow sounds like a great place and I love your competition. Hmmm…I wonder about joining because I do need to get more active. I wouldn’t want to commit and then weenie out in a few weeks. Let me think about it! You will be an inspiration to a lot of people, Laura. Have a great day!
You would be a great team member! No one will be “on” you if you get distracted, but it’s really motivating to see what others are doing.
Love it! So excited for our team!!
Toad in a hole….HELLO!
Fave thing this week has to be my Rainbow Trout 🙂
Fitness goal coming up in 17 sleeps!
You’re so close!!! I’m cheering for you from ATL! 🙂
I’ll join your team! I have a few running goals, and a 5 minute plank. I’m excited to watch everyone go after there goals! Your kabocha squash is calling my name right now… can I have that for breakfast?
Haha – I had it for breakfast yesterday! 🙂
Strawberry Basil Balsamic? Heck to the yes! That sounds amazing!
Very fitting place for you to eat 😉 Love it when everyone orders something different and everyone can sample bits and pieces. And I’m slow apparently and haven’t figured out exactly how to sign up for the what’s beautiful challenge. Maybe I really need this upcoming vacation more than I realize!
Vacation – that’s what’s beautiful. 😉
so jealous of the dinner. I love Kevin! I saw him once at the ATL airport. That was my claim to fame. haha.
and so glad we are on the same team. YOu make the FABULOUS FIT look even more Fabulous, and well, fit
Awwww… YOU are the most fabulous. 😉
Love your food as always!!!! 🙂
Love the joining of forces for this UA thing. You know all about me & I posted today too. Very long so you may have to bookmark!
LOVE that restaurant concept. So fun (and delicious)! Bring on the banana pudding. 🙂
I am a member of Team Fabulously Fit. My goal is to move while it’s joyful and stop when it’s not…as I’m trying to get over a workout slump and get passion back into it. I can’t say I’ve stopped every time I wanted to–but that isn’t the point–it’s more to remember why I’m doing what I’m doing…if that makes any sense!
SEE YOU SO SOON.
I LOVE your goal. I want that on a workout shirt, actually.
Haha you literally got tickets to the gun show. Love it! I want to try that toad in a hole dish. Looks great!
That strawberry basil yogurt looks sounds soo good! Recently my favorite eats have been strawberries. I know boring, but after being crazy expensive all winter I love that they have been on sale and taste amazing to snack on all day.
No shame in that! I’m all about the berries right now too. 🙂
Sounds like you’ve got a great team! 🙂
Spin always kicks my butt. That’s why I love it.
loving the #whatsbeautiful campaign 😉
we are working hard every day to reach our fitness and health goals like getting better at doing headstands.
I want you guys to teach me how to do a headstand at Blend!
I hadn’t heard about this restaurant until you posted about it on Facebook yesterday. This is such a creative concept and I’ll definitely be checking it out. Everything Kevin touches turns to pork gold.
You would LOVE it! I’m happy to accompany you any time. 🙂
Your kabocha dessert looks incredible! I’m posting a kabocha “dessert” idea today (you might like it!) . . . and I’m betting drizzling peanut sauce on top would have been amazing–I should have thought of that!!
Whoops–I meant a sweet potato “dessert”, not kabocha. 🙂
Part 2 of your breakfast sounds amazing!! There is nothing better than combining a dippy egg with toast :).
Love the What’s Beautiful campaign! Such an empowering campaign to be a part of.
I saw this the other day and thought about signing up, it looks like a great way to have something to keep track of your goal and with my wedding coming up I really want to FEEL good about me, and look good too 😉
You should!!! I’d love for you to join our team. 🙂
I love the concept behind this restaurant; fresh, local and what you feel like cooking. It sounds like my own kitchen and having the chef deliver it himself…that’s badass. If I’m ever in Atlanta, I’ll have to check this place out. Glad to see Kevin do well; I loved him on Top Chef and since I watched the show, I’m obviously qualified to say that.
Yesss! Come to Atlanta! 🙂
I’ve never had any kind of banana pudding, so that intrigues me. But even more than that, I want to try the strawberry basil balsamic yoghurt.
Really?! It’s a Southern delicacy. 😉
That’s the thing about being born in a country that isn’t America. We have our own culture and cuisine 😉
Right… that was kind of my point about it being a Southern thing. 😉
I joined your team :). I loved Kevin on Top Chef and that concept sounds amazing!
Yay!!! Welcome to the team. 🙂
Okay, so, not going to lie, I usually just breeze over corporate/sponsored stuff, but I kinda really love UA gear (and Costa Rica), so I might actually give this a go. Will DEF give that Greek yogurt a go–says it’s in Nashville’s Whole Foods, and balsamic strawberry? Yeah, already planning a trip there on Sat, now I need to add another item to the shopping list…
Let me know what you think if you find it!!!
What an interesting restaurant idea and what a great idea to go with a big group so you can try a bit of everything!
I have never given tofu a shot in my smoothie! Come to think of it, that sounds like an awesome idea. I already use it in my homemade dressings!
Awesome post. Your desserts section caught my eye in particular. I’m a huge cheesecake junkie. 🙂
I need to try a tofu-based dressing!
Cool that you joined up with other FFAs to start a team!
I started a team, too, with a goal to get enough miles to get around the world: http://whatsbeautiful.ua.com/team/109
So far, I’m enjoying the campaign, and doing my best to knock out some challenges!
My #IWILL goal is to do a triathlon. EEK!
What a neat idea!!! I’m excited to see you make it around the world. 🙂
Hi Laura. I just discovered your blog. Can’t wait to meet you at BLEND this weekend. I would love to chat with you about training and competing.
Thank you so much for reading/commenting! I can’t wait to meet you, too! Definitely happy to talk competing. 🙂
Such an inspiring campaign to everyone, self consciousness is too strife in society 🙂
As always a delish WIAW!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Love the idea behind this campaign! i’ve got to look into it!!!
Yes!!! Join our team! 🙂
What a kick butt team! Love the What’s Beautiful campaign and message 🙂
I see you eat kabocha squash and I’ve been eating it to reduce some of the simpler sugars in my diet. Do you know how many calories are in one though? I always find a lot of conflicting stuff online and I’m questioning how sugary it really is.
I don’t really focus on that… I just don’t add sugar to it. It’s just a winter squash…