My Life Lately: More Iron, Less Yoga, and NEW PANTS!

I haven't updated you guys on my general life in a while. I figured it was time!

Where to even start? 2014 has already brought a ton of changes, mostly for the better.

• To start things off, I am so happy to have become best friends with Abby from Yes To Yummy over the past year. I just returned home from an AMAZING trip with her! Besides the fact that she is a constant motivation for me to be creative in the kitchen, she is one of the most caring, loving, giving, and intelligent people I have ever met. I am blessed beyond belief to have her in my life. How awesome would it be if we could go to college together in the future!

• A while back I posted about starting to count macros. Well... let's just say that's out the window now. Not that I think it couldn't have worked. But I tried it for about three weeks, and while I found it new and interesting, I also became enlightened. I have been counting calories for years. I am only 16! This... I'm sorry, but it is NO WAY to live.

I train hard. And honestly, I have little desire to ever eat something that I would consider processed, fake, or filled with man-made who knows what. So as long as I am eating healthy and pushing myself in the gym, why on earth do I need to count calories (at least at this time in my life)? I want to focus again on eating mindfully, and hopefully that will provide my mind and body with peace.


This was taken back in December! 

• This past year especially, I have cut way back on yoga. I almost say this with regret, because I love yoga and still hope to be able to teach one day. But right now, my heart is in weight lifting. 

I have never been so thrilled to go to sleep, knowing that when I wake up I have an hour to myself... I have never been a competitive person with others, and power lifting/weight training is ALL about personal competition (which I love!) 

I am proud to be able to SHAPE MY BODY the way I have always wanted it to look. It's a mental game for sure, but it is worth every tear and drop of sweat shed. Some teenage girls want makeup and boys...all I want is lifting gloves and a barbell across my back. It's fun to be the only girl in the weight room at times!

 

HUGE thanks to the girls Carrie, Tara, and Staci for motivating me to lift heavy, eat more, and not be afraid of "getting bulky:" (because thats not gonna happen!!) I may not know you personally, but following your blog posts and advice make me feel as if your a friend. I really hope this doesn't make me sound like a giant creeper. 

 

You've probably noticed my increase in lifting if you've been reading my Week of Workouts posts. I have for sure seen improvement since starting this past December when I got a gym membership. I plan to keep you guys updated with any other achievements I make fitness wise. 

 

• Speaking of weight training... I now have grown a butt. Six months of squats, deadlifts, and other heavy work has given me a behind that I never have had! Lol. 

In celebration of my new butt, I have cleaned out my closet and gotten new pants... actually, new clothes!

Okay, well, maybe I was *forced* to do this because none of my clothes fit correctly anymore...

• I am still working on healing my gut, but am more lenient. I think this (getting rid of food stress) has helped ALOT. 

I recently read a post on Marks Daily Apple that made a ton of sense. It talked about a study that was done that proved people's bodies will react differently to food according to how they think about the food. It makes sense! If I THINK my body will feel bad eating something, it probably will.

I still sprout my beans and such, but I am in cooperating more non sprouted beans and have had no nasty reactions. I also eat quality Greek yogurt a occasionally with (USUALLY) no awful side effects.

• I get to DRIVE legally soon! Lol. I get my drivers license in a month!! 

What have you been up to lately?

Natalie