The class is:  Kick start to fitness.  Basically a great start for people looking to get into an exercise program and they just don't really know where to get started and may be feeling a bit overwhelmed.  Is this or someone you know?  Maybe the kids are in school or you are just finally deciding it is time to make time for yourself and take a step towards getting healthy.  This will help with you!

Date/Time: Tue/Thur 9:45-10:45am Oct 15th and 17th.  $20

I will be teaching the best exercises to get started with in your fitness routine and the correct way to do them.  Explaining how often you should be working out. The importance of rest in order to rebuild and recover.  I will discuss great cardio options and motivation tips.  We will go over things that can be done with just your own body weight and the best moves to do with dumbbells.  If you are going to take the time to work out, I want to make sure you are doing it right.  What is the point of doing a push up or a squat wrong and not only risk injuring yourself but also really minimizing any benefit you will get from it.  If you are taking the time, I want them to make it worth it.  I think this class will be very beneficial for those looking for help in getting started.
  **if someone is interested in but cannot come at those times please let me know that too**

Also, I still have space in my Clean Eating class coming up Sat Oct 12th 8-9am $10 , let me know if you or anyone you know wants to join that or wants more details on that. read more →

I have two upcoming classes that I think you will want to attend.

Saturday Sept 28th .  8am.  This is a class you will learn a ton of exercises to do on the ball.  So many people have an exercise ball in their house just taking up space and getting in the way.  It is time you learned there are some really effective things you can do with it!  You will physically try the exercises, I will show you the correct way they need to be done and you will leave with a handout explaining each exercise.   I am keeping class size very small so register soon.

Saturday, Oct 12th 8am.  Learn how start eating clean or if you are already trying to do so, you will learn some more helpful info on your journey to clean eating.  The words "clean eating" are all over these days and chances are you don't know exactly what that means or how you are suppose to do it.  That is what I want to help you with.  Learn the best foods you should include in your diet, what things you should do your best to avoid.  Learn what to look for on labels when you are shopping in the grocery store and more.  This class will get you in gear to clean up your nutrition, you won't want to miss it.   class size is limited in this as well so register with me soon.

Both classes are one hour in length.  8-9am.  Cost is $10 a piece.
Sign up for one or sign up for both.  If you are interested in coming but can't make the above date(s), please let me know and I will let you know if I add another class time. read more →

New round of Tue/Thur 6am bootcamp began last week and it is going great.
The next round of M/W/F 5:15am bootcamp will begin Sept 30th and I have a couple spots open so if you would like to join or have any questions about it please let me know. read more →

Hello everyone.  Hope you enjoyed your Memorial Weekend.  That is a holiday that tends to be filled with camping trips, BBQ's and get togethers with friends and family and that often means some treats offered up that you are not always exposed to.  How did you do?  I know I didn't do as well as I had hoped but that is ok.  That is all a part of life.  Every day is a new day and it is about dusting ourselves off and starting strong again.
Right before I left for our camping trip I received a fun package from Ashley at  Fierce Forward.   Inside were 2 of her Limitless Bracelets.   She makes these bracelets that motivate and inspire.

She sent the Purpose Bracelet which stands for Your vision, your direction. What is your purpose, why are you doing it and what will it mean to you. Rehearse and know it; know it to the bone.   Love that!  As well as the Grounded one which  stands for your foundation.  Standing tall and fierce, you know not only where you are going but where you came from and who you are.  You may sway with the wind, but you are strongly rooted in the ground. 
I am suppose to offer one as a giveaway, but sorry I just can't part with one so you can just drool from a far....hehe, guess I better not be stingy...so guess what....GIVEAWAY TIME  :)  One lucky reader will win  the Grounded bracelet and it is very cute (they both are).  Love the color of it.  The bracelets are handmade and have great quality.  Stretchy to fit your wrist and have a stainless steal charm.  You will love it.  Super easy to be eligible to win all you need to do it like Fierce Forward on FB and me and check out her website or etsy store and tell me (either by posting here or on my FB page) which bracelet is your favorite.  I think a couple more of my fav's are the Commitment one and the Growth one!   I know I would love to stack a bunch of them up my arm!!  Who wants to send some to me....hehe :)
I will randomly select a winner this Saturday, June 1st.  Good luck! read more →

New round of bootcamp starting soon and I have space in both groups yet at this time.
M/W/F 5:15 am - outdoor, rain or shine.
Tue/Thur 6am - indoor (with the occasional bit of outside work by my studio)
Both groups run 8 weeks.   No class on Memorial Day or the First week of July.  Those classes will be added onto the end, to total 8 weeks worth of classes.
Contact me for more information or to confirm a spot. read more →

You know how you so often want to try out a new food product so you buy a big box/bag, only to be disappointed and find you have wasted your money because you don't like it?  Why not try smaller portion sized ones so you can see if they are worth buying?  Well that is a grand idea isn't it :)  So with that said, I wanted to share with you an awesome new service I found.  It is Gfreely.com  I have to be G-free due to an allergy so I am always looking for yummy eats and new recipes and I was excited to try this out.  Each month,  they send you a surprise box of tasty, gluten free foods and recipes right to your door.  You can sign up for one month for $25, for 3 months for $23 a month or for 6 months for $19 a month.  Those prices all include shipping.  You can sign up and just wait for your present to arrive at the door.  Dan at Gfreely was kind enough to send me over a box, when it arrived I was so excited to open it up and see what goodies I had to try out.  Mine came with the following:

- Protein pretzel sticks (cinnamon toast flavor).  I was excited to see pretzels with protein and 12 grams in a little bag, that is pretty good!  4 grams of fiber and 120 calories and they were pretty tasty.  I would get these again.
-Popcorners (kettle flavor).  Oh my, these were so yummy! (other flavors listed are- butter, sea salt, white cheddar, cheesy jalapeno and caramel).  The bag had 140 calories (not bad) and 2 grams of protein.  
- Sheffa Zesty snack mix; crispy chickpea noodles, roasted corn, and toasted seeds.  These were pretty tasty too and i like that the only things added were spices and sea salt.
- Super Seedz in tomato italiano.  Oh my!  I am in love!  These were sooo good.  Gourmet shelled pumpkin seedz.  I would totally buy these!  Healthy little snack.
- They also sent Sea Salt flavor in the same super seedz and if I had these first I would have thought they were so good too but since i had the other ones to compare them to they were not nearly as tasty.  They were still good those but the tomato italiano ones stole my heart :)
- Bumble bar - organic energy bar.  I was excited to try it, thought it would taste like honey but i wasn't too impressed, it didn't taste like much at all but hey they can't all be winners right.
- Justin's all natural peanut butter bar.  Is there really any better combo on earth then chocolate and peanut butter?  I think not!  I have heard a lot about Justin's so I was anxious to try.  Let the drooling start as I unwrap the package.  Although it was delicious I don't know if I would go as far to call it healthy.  It is better then a Snickers or Reese's due to it's healthier list of ingredients but this still should be looked at as a treat...a treat I wish I could have every day mind you hehe
-Gluten Free pizza kit - although I am very excited to this I have not had a chance to yet.  It looks wonderful though.  The kit includes: sauce, crust mix and cooking paper.  I love homemade pizza and we enjoy making it together as a family so I can't wait to try this out!
So bottom line, if you love to sample out tasty snacks, this is a great way for you to give lots of different ones a try.  I bet you will love it!   Sign up to receive your box here read more →

How is everyone doing today?  If you are in the Pacific Northwest like I am, you are probably trying to stay dry!

Wanted to do a little post about planks.  You will want to read all the way to the bottom of this post though to check out some awesome workout gear.   I think the question I get asked the most is "what are the best abdominal excersises"  so I want to make sure you are all aware of planks.  I think planks are one of the most effective core exercises.  They are not just a yoga move people, they are for everyone and fit well and should be an important part of any exersise routine.  By forcing your body to stabilize itself in one position, planks work both your abdominal muscles as well as your back muscles.  The plank is also great for building strength for pushups, an exercise that requires quite a bit of core strength.

THere are a number of different ways to do a plank but I want to explain the basics to you.  For a standard plank you basically get in a pushup position.  You can do a plank on either your hands or rest on your forearms.  I personally feel they are more effetive on your forearms.  Hold your back completely straight while trying to hold your abdominals in.  Don't let your hips sink down and try not to pike your butt up in the air.  For beginners you can start on your knees instead of your toes.   If you are knees try to be completely straight from your shoulders to your knees...again being mindfull not to stick out your butt or drop your hips down.  I know it doesn't sound like much but the longer you try to perform a plank, the harder it will be.  DON'T HOL YOUR BREATH!  Keep breathing while you hold yourself in place.   You might start with a goal of 30 second sets and you can work your way up to a couple minutes.    These can be a great things to do doing a commercial break of your favorite show.  Here is a picture from exercise.com since the pics my 4 year old are taking right now of my plank aren't the best

I also wanted to tell you about a couple new awesome fitness gear finds!  First off, have you heard of Lucy?  They have some awesome clothes and they must have heard about my fantabulous backside b/c they named some pants after me...The Perfect Booty Pant, so naturaly they had to send me a pair to try out and tell you all about.  HAHA.   Man, these pants are comfi!   I want to highlite a couple of my favorite things:

• They stay in place!  All you ladies that work out know how important it is to have a pair of pants, capri's or shorts that stay put.  Nothing is worse then constantly yanking up your pants while you are working out.  I loved that these stayed where they were suppose to, even on a run!
• The are long enough!  Another huge plus and hard to find; these  pants come in a tall, which was a good length for me.  They also come in short and regular.
• They weren't too low in the mid section.  I have had 4 babies and my mid section is far from perfect and I don't want pants too low for my muffin top flappin around for all to see :)
• They are moisture wicking - another huge plus when working out!
• And of course as I mentioned above, they are comfi.

So I can say "I love Lucy" and I bet you will too and of course if you know me you already know these pants were not named after me but more so named after what I wish I had and perhaps they helped my bumbositer look a little better.  They also have free shipping, free returns and exchanges so if you aren't completely satisfied, just send them back.   They have a lot of great stuff, including tops, jackets, accessories, capris and more.  You should go check them out.   I would love to try out a jacket or capris from them sometime too.

The other thing I want to tell you about is my new Gymdoll tank!   Gymdolls mission is to provide high-quality, fashionable workout apparel that motivate and inspire you to achieve your fitness goals.  They are dedicated to continuous innovation, promoting the fitness community and delivering an outstanding experience by fulfilling our Gymdoll Promise.  I am in love with workouts tanks that have fun/inspiring sayings on the front.  When I saw this online I was sold.  It cracks me up. I read it and knew I had to have it. It immediately reminded me of my hubby... 

 Don't you love that this reminds me of my hubby :)  This is one of his favorite things to say to me and the kiddos....no he is not mean, he is just joking around but really I should have gotten it for him.  They have some other great tanks, tops and accessories too, you really need to go check them out.  Great news!  If you head over to their site they have a discount code for all of my readers so you can shop and get a 15% discount.  Just enter code DESIGNEDTOBEFIT  at checkout.   The tanks are super comfi and very light weight.   I like that they are nice and long....again don't need to scare people with exposure of my muffin top.  I am known to always be tugging down on my tank during a workout and I didn't have to do that with this one.   I also get super hot when I workout so I appreciate when things are light weight and breathable.  I highly suggest you try out something from their shop, you won't regret it!  Might as well make yourself smile when you are working out too right :) read more →

Does your mood need a boost?    I have talked about this before but it is such an important reminder so I want to touch on it again.  Depression, anxiety, stress, etc are all so very prevalent in todays society.  We all have a million things going on and might not be dealing with it in the best way.  The dark and dreary days that sometimes come about this time of year can also put a damper on peoples attitudes.  Well, get moving.  Exercise is the cheapest antidepressant!  It is amazing what a good workout session can do for you!  I know it works wonders for me.  I am a happier person when I get a workout in that is for sure!  You don't need a gym membership, or fancy equipment (of course awesome if you have them); just some comfi clothes, a good pair of shoes and get moving.  Walking is easy and cheap and the perfect way to get started working out.  So...no excuses.  I know you are busy, I know you are down, but I promise, the only workout you regret is the one you missed!  So in the words of Barney Stinson (kind of) "lace up"  you don't even need to leave your house, just lace up those shoes and get that heart rate up.  Sweat is satisfying! read more →