You shouldn't look "pretty" after a workout

I never thought I would say this, but my family has GOT to quit washing dishes!



I never did enjoy tetris..



We just got a new dishwasher recently and we used it for the the second time last night....What tends to happen, because we've been without a working dishwasher for over a year now, we'll wash three bowls, all the silverware, two plates and three cups and THEN remember we have a dishwasher and put the last single dish in the dishwasher by its lonesome. Where it then waits for possibly a week, because that cycle continues and it takes forever to for us to fill the dishwasher to use it. I don't mean to complain, gettin in the habit of washin' my dishes was great, and it lead to other cleanin' habits and havin' a dishwasher is wonderful! I just think its humorous that we don't use it.

I'm going to come out and say it....I've postponed my whole30 challenge. Failure, loser, weakling, weiner, whatever your choice of word to describe my decision I don't care. Since school has started back its been busy, and already loads on loads on loads of homework, readings, and quizzes. The campus ministry that I'm involved in had an incredible first large group session, fillin' the room and it sounded so good when we were singin', it filled my heart with joy! We've given our hearts grief to those who already lost loved ones this year and are workin' diligently in our ministry teams to find more Mercy ministry in statesboro, connect with more students on campus through hospitality, make those who are new or have been here aquainted withone another through social settings, and worship through music durin' large group.

I am so excited about everything that is happenin', and not knowing what's goin' happen is half the fun!

So with all of that, and honestly I really could finish and be ok, but I can feel the stress levels rising with every meal that I'm carefully figuring out. I've decided it would be better to wait til the next time my family does the whole30 later this semester. I am so proud of those who are still on it and goin' strong though! You are doin' such a great job and I can't wait to hear the results of everyone's experience.

Just because I'm stoppin' my time in whole30 does not mean I will be goin' back to grains, or processed sugars, even some dairies, and not even beans. (We had some people over last night and had baked beans for them...I hadn't realized til then how gross, they looked and felt and even sounded when you stirred them..yuck!) I love the way I feel in the mornin's when I wake up, and throughout the day, I have more energy to push myself in my workouts, and I finish my "To do" lists almost everyday!

I've decided to get into the power liftin' part of crossfit as well. David Purser, personal trainer at the RAC, is teachin' me technique right now and helpin' me with weight. I was doin' cleans and jerks with a 4lb bar yesterday on the mats, and I felt pretty silly. Then David used his wise words to remind me about the importance of making sure the form is right, "If you can't do it right with 4lbs, you won't be able to do it right with 400lbs." He then went on to say I'll more than likely never do 400lbs, cause most women that can do that are...not so femenine anymore. I'm more than ok with stayin' femenine. Anyways, after workin' with the 4lb bar for a while I got to do the actual weights bar, I don't know the correct term for it..sorry! Then I got to try the jerks and some squats with added weight, and I really thought it was fun! I decided after lifting that I still felt pretty good and wanted to do a little more of my workout so I chose to run...well I felt like this:



I look so damn good right now

But what I really looked like was this....



Ya'll my legs were jello and I didn't know it until I had already started runnin'. It's like if you've been on the elliptical or stair stepper for a while and you get off and you just can't walk right because of the motion you've been doin'. So I decided to stop before I fell, or put myself in anymore of an akward looking situation. Regardless of the mess I looked like, I really enjoyed the workout.

Let me hear of your funny stories to, I love reading them! Have a great day ya'll!

Many Blessings!

Gracie

Spring Break

It's the spring semester and everyone has been back from the two biggest holidays our society has: Thanksgivin', and Christmas. Everyone has indulged a little and more likely a lot, and now has spring break in their sights and wants the perfect body, to go with that perfect swim suit, to impress the perfect guy... Now I love the beach, I love the sun, the water, I even love the sand. I love how you can smell the salt water and there's always a breeze, but I do not love this time of year when everyone on campus is in the gym. Don't be offended if I come up and tell you you're using the leg press as a squat machine and you need to get off( but you should probably be embarrassed cause thats just sad...). If you don't know what I'm talking about...



No, you really don't know what the hell you're doin'.

One of the biggest tips that I can give you for workin' out in general is, if you have a question about how to use somethin', ask it. Don't be embarrassed, because it will be way more embarrassin' when you're doin' the above and someone comes to tell you you're wrong and you have to get off. Or you don't read the description on the machine weights and you end up hurting yourself and you can't workout for the next two weeks because of it. Ask people what they're doin' and if they don't wanna talk to you or don't say anythin' chances are they either don't know what they're doin' either or they hate life(..kidding).

So, ask questions if you need to, or ask someone if they'll show you how to use a machine. This makes the gym goin' experience for everyone better, veterans won't get completely pissed at you for takin' a half hour on one machine and new people won't be following in those footsteps but hopefully the footsteps of asking for help. Now that I've had my rant about that here is another fast workout for you to try. This is not an at home workout unless you just happen to have a rowing machine in your house.

*Note: I am not a certified personal trainer. Doing this workout may result in injury.
FOR TIME:

(This means FINISHING the workout in the fastest amount of time you can)
500m Row
50 squats

400m Row

40 crossfit sit-ups

300m Row

30 push ups

200m Row

20 walking lunges(Each Leg)

100m Row

10 burpees

I'll start posting my more in depth, and more weight training related workouts very soon.
Again, I'm not a certified personal trainer, and you should always work with someone incase of injury. Drink plenty of fluids(like water..not coke or sprite...), and stretch!

Let me know if you have any questions, or workouts that you love to do!

Bless ya'll!

Gracie

Crossfit and I know it

Good afternoon belles and beaus!

I don't know about you but my cravin's for candy just don't stop. I don't even like the pretzel m&ms, and today I had to pry myself from the gift totes I bought for my littles that had those m&ms in them. To curb my cravings I make some hot tea, or fill my water bottle, or hit the gym hard to forget about them. Just recently the RAC (gsu's gym) invested in some sandbags for the weights room, and if you're obsessed with crossfit like I am, you know how excited I got.

Obviously you may not have tractor tires or kegs or the weights to do some workouts, but if you wanna kick your booty in one of the fastest and best ways I know how you could try this workout: 10!

Squats, jump pull ups, and pushup

  Let me get that keg for you

Go down into a low squat, as you're coming up jump for the pull up bar and lift your chin to or above the bar, when you release and come back down go straight into a push up. It's very similar to a burpee, but variated. The 10! This means for this you will do 10 reps of the exercise(s), then 9, then 8, then 7, then 6...all the way until to get to 1, which would be your last rep. (10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1). (The exclamation after the number is called a “factoid”, from your high school math days.)
This is not an easy exercise and if you are going to do it, make sure you have plenty of water and you have a partner to count and be able to get help if anything should go wrong. Try not to take ANY breaks inbetween sets and always bring your best, working slow if you have to, but remember don't stop til the last rep!
That's really all I have to say today guys, I know it's not like any of my other posts but I wanna go to the gym now!
I hope you enjoy the post, and keep yourselves safe when trying new workouts!
BLESSINGS!





Pancakes FAUX Fancakes

I'm happy to inform you(and sad to say) I just figured out how to, and added the followers gadget to my profile...Don't judge, follow.

So if you're anythin' like me you really enjoy a stack of pancakes, and waffles are out of this world delicious, and maple syrup really satisfies your tastebuds but cane syrup truly tickles your fancy.

YUM.

Well, ya'll, I'll tell ya what I want, what I REALLY REALLY want...

I find the spicegirls really get me. Anyone else?

I want waffles and pancakes. I'm sure most if not all of ya'll know pinterest and have perused its categories(especially the fitness and food, or at least I do..). Well I came across a recipe for "pancakes" and I did some tweaking of my own and they taste exactly like banana nut bread; let's be real with ourselves, banana nut bread is the bees knees.

Now this is not for whole30, although it keeps within the guidelines of whole30. Since its pancakes, it keeps your mindset in the thought of your still eating flour, so this would be more suitable for those who are just doing paleo. The base mix for the pancakes is just two ingredients and you can add whatever you'd like to give them your signature!

Base mix for Pnacakes FAUX Fancakes:

2 eggs

1 ripe banana

#Boom

 *1 batch makes about 7 small pancakes

Banana Nut Fancakes:

2 eggs

1 ripe banana

1/2 tsp vanilla

pinch! of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice

1/4 chopped nuts

• Mix banana and eggs till somewhat smooth. I've been mixing it by hand so it doesn't come out completely smooth like batter, but if you mixed it in a stand mixer I'm sure they would be smooth. If that's a neccesary must for you.
• Add vanilla and mix throughout
• Add all your dry ingredients and mix well throughout

  Heat 1tbsp coconut oil in a skillet.You'll want to keep your stove on a lower heat setting, it only takes the pancakes about 30-45 seconds to get a good cook on each side.  They can be a little difficult to flip, and the sides don't cook up like regular flour batter does, so take your time and don't try to rush.

  If you absolutely must have maple or cane syrup, opt for a more organic kind rather than just good old log cabin(my favorite) or mrs. buttersworth(bleh).

What's absolutely wonderful is cut up a banana and place in a small skillet and add cinnamon and heat til the banana is warm and soft or crispy if you'd like. Add some of your syrup to the skillet and let warm. Top your banana nut fancakes with this then sprinkle a little salt on top, or if you like spice, add a little chili powder to your bananas and syrup. You won't regret it I promise!  

*1 batch makes about 7 small pancakes

I hope you try the pancakes and enjoy them! Let me know what ways you make them, and I'll try them when I finish whole30! Keep up the great work other whole30iers, and have a great day! Blessings!

Let's get Physical!

Good afternoon does and bucks! How are the my fellow Whole30 challengers doin? Well, I'll be the first to say...I had to start over...My brother's birthday was on the 4th and I took one look at the funfetti cake and shovelled as much as I could at one time, without chokin', into my mouth. While it was delicious on my tastebuds, I felt like a pregnant cow by the end of that piece of cake. Lesson learned, and we're back on track with day three of Whole30!
Yesterday momma, daddy, and I spent all afternoon in the kitchen cooking snacks and meals for the weeks ahead. You'll find some of the recipes on Christan's blog. Plus she's a lot better at keeping the blogposts comin' every day, and she is beast mode in the Whole30 challenge, VERY inspirational.

As school starts to get closer, and my cold starts to dissipate...finally...I'm beginning to think about working out again, and how good its going to feel to blast my legs with an intense workout and really work my arms. I love the weights, and the heavier they are the more I love them, but that doesn't mean I can blast out 12 reps of 400lbs on the leg press. Although that would be quite impressive for my size! When I lift weights I feel like I'm really pushing myself and doing something for myself.

I hate cardio, if I'm gonna do any cardio I'm gonna do the stair stepper, or run stationary stairs. I used to run miles when I was younger, I was 15 when I first started running and I could just run til I ran off the edge of the world! I would love to start again, but I have really got to get my knees up to par for that, and I definitely don't stretch like I should. Cardinal sin of exercising, and the most shameful reason for injury, everyone just looks at you like, "you idiot, you should always stretch before exercise..".

I just like to get to the nitty gritty of the workout as soon as possible. I remember at summer conference for RUF one year, Georgia Southern's(Hail Southern! This is the college I'm at, and my hometown!) RUF group decided we were gonna workout on the beach, and we had a friend and fellow RUFer, David Purser (coolest and most dedicated guy you'll meet) that is a personal trainer at the universities gym, with us. Well the big thing then, and still now, was crossfit; we decided crossfit in the sand? Bring it on! I think all but two of us threw up, and several lay limp on the ground for a good while after the workout. Crossfit in the sand kicked our southern sass', but it was just the nitty gritty I was lookin for to get me motivated to continue crossfit workouts. My favorite by far and the tire flip. Mainly because it's this huge tractor tire that ways more than two of me! And the guys no longer add "for a girl" at the end of, "wow she's strong." I definitely feel like a badass, thanks to David for pushing me to show him and myself that I CAN keep up with the big guys...most of the time!
I hope ya'll are already pumping out your exercises, whether it be running, weights, yoga, swimming or whatever you do to get moving!
Let me know of any questions about, or topics you would like to hear about!
Have a great and blessed day ya'll!
Gracie

That girl in the picture makes me wanna kick some ass!

Confession #1 of a Southern Belle

Confession: I didn't start Whole30 on the first...I know, I lied. Unintentionally though! Well I spent my new years eve and and new years day in Brevard, North Carolina at Camp Ridge Haven. If you've ever been to camp, you know the food is not compatable with something like the Whole30. Instead, I have started today January 3rd, and I have a terrible headache, my throat hurts and my body aches. Now at Ridge Haven there were several that were sick when I arrived, so I'm not so sure if its the detox or if sickness is catching up to me. All there is to do is wait...(sigh)

How was everyone's New Year celebration?
I know many of my friends and family ranged from staying in with their parents, to going out for drinks, dancing, or falling asleep at 9pm (Momma and Daddy). My grandparents were so enthralled in a movie and computer games they completely missed the new year, gotta love them!

Well, let me give you some background information on Ridge Haven. This is an incredible youth ministry camp, that all are welcome to. I have worked there three summers now, one as an intern: serving in the kitchen, setting up games, serving the counselors, and serving the kids, and two summers as an assistant director: leading camps and reporting to the ministry director, helping counselors night and day, and helping children as best I can. It has been an incredible experience and has changed my life in so many ways. Camps are 1 week long from monday to saturday, and we do our absolute best to make them as exciting and enjoyable as we can. Counselors are what hold the camp together, discipling kids all week, sharing their story/testimony and guiding children through the large group sessions they have morning and night. There are games and obstacle courses that we use as tools to teach kids encouragement, obedience, patience, trust, and courage. Please please go check out their webpage if you are interested, its such a great place, that I hope to continue going to myself.



BraveHeart Camp at Ridge Haven. Specific camp week for children who have lost parents or siblings. An incredible week of grieving and healing, and my favorite camp week to direct of the summer.

Anyways! We had a staff reunion for the New Year and let me tall ya'll, it was FREEZING! Now I came up from south Georgia where it doesn't go far below 48 on most nights, but it was getting to the 20s while I was up there! I thought it was the next ice age coming on us. We had a dance party with the winter camp that was up there, and bowled(which I am terrible at...), and just fellowshiped with one another, it was truly a great way to bring in the new year with all those that I don't see until the summer and love so much!

Regan, Gracie(Me), Audrey, and Stacey. Our first photo of the New Year.

 I hated seeing everyone leave, and leaving myself, but it was nice coming back to the Boro and seeing all those that I love here as well. I hope ya'll had a great New Years day and have a blessed and succesful new year! Can't wait to hear your own stories!

Much love and many blessings,

Gracie & Silas