ONE ACTIVE WEEKEND
Happy 5th of July!
I hope you all had fun weekends. It was SO hot here, but I managed to spend as much time outside as I possibly could. The July Fitness Challenge started Friday and I have been loving all of your posts. You guys have kept me motivated and inspired. I’m already excited for today’s workout! It’s not too late to join in if you haven’t already!
I want to catch you guys up on what I’ve been up to before I head out on my run! I was thinking about how easy running is going to be when it starts to cool down. The heat has added minutes onto my time and it’s so exhausting. If I don’t fuel up or hydrate, I’m sleepy for the rest of the day. I made the mistake of not running last summer and that set me back in the winter. I plan on sticking it out! If you are running in this crazy heat, make sure you’re eating tons of healthy food and drinking plenty of water!
One thing that helps is running in the evening. It cools down about 10 degrees, which makes it a little bit more tolerable. Its also pretty on the trails when the sun starts going down. I love all the wild flowers.
I wanted to get a head start on the July Fitness Challenge by food prepping for the week and it was one of the best ideas. I can’t believe I hadn’t done this sooner. I grilled plain chicken, ground turkey, zucchini, bell pepper, green onion, butternut squash and yellow squash.
I also made hard boiled eggs and stocked the fridge with other foods from my grocery list on the July Fitness Challenge page.
This really helped me stay on track and I plan on making a new food prep list for this week. Kyle makes his meals for the week and he has really inspired me to do the same. It made a huge difference in the way I eat.
I woke up bright and early on Friday morning because I was so excited for the challenge to start. I did my 45 minute walk in the morning with Grumples! He was ZONKED afterwards.
The next workout was the walk/run for one hour! That was SO HARD, but I loved it. I felt so good afterward and I can’t wait to do this again. I was drenched in sweat and had to chug the water when I got back. Make sure you get lots of water in if you are going to do this workout. You could also do it on a treadmill if you want a cooler environment and easy access to water.
You guys also did so awesome on the first day’s challenge!
My mom and dad met me at the Riverwalk for another afternoon workout!
We walked five miles along the river. My dad is one heck of a power-walker, so it’s hard to keep up with him. I felt like I was jogging!
We stopped for coffee at the Grapevine at the Riverwalk after our walk.
This was me after three workouts and zero coffee!
My parents invited Kyle, Becca and I out for dinner with them on Friday night. We went to one of my favorite spots! The Garden Cafe ♥
All of the food was fantastic per usual! I ordered a steak salad. We all split the fried green beans because you can’t go to the Garden Cafe without ordering some. You also can’t leave without dessert. We all split one of their signatures…the buttermilk pie!
♥ Love these two!
Such a fun Friday night! I love Charlotte, but it’s always nice to take a ride out in the country.
It was 99 degrees on Saturday afternoon, but that didn’t stop us from taking a hike up Crowder’s mountain.
I packed my backpack with two giant bottles of water, protein bars, and some other snacks from CVS! Having a backpack full of extra weight made the hike even harder.
We made it up to the top in 35 minutes. That is a pretty good pace! I usually make it up in 45 minutes.
♥
Steve (Kyle’s friend) getting his yoga on!
CVS is a great place to stop before hiking! They have all the essentials: trail mix, bottles of water, first aid, protein bars, and more! Their pistachios are my favorite and way cheaper than most stores.
I was EXHAUSTED on Saturday night. I took a shower, walked Grumples, had a salad and then passed out while watching a movie. I added my meal prep on top of some romaine.
We took Grumples for a walk on Sunday morning. He LOVES the fountain.
Grumples in the City!
I made homemade banana nut muffins on Sunday and they are heavenly. I’ll post that recipe soon!
Becca and I never go a Sunday without coffee together and so we stopped at Amelie’s.
I picked up a Tuna salad wrap from Trader Joes for lunch and then we headed to the pool for the afternoon.
I decided to cook up some homemade pasta sauce on Sunday night for dinner.
I served it with homemade meatballs, spaghetti squash and whole grain pasta.
This is one of my favorite recipes. I jarred up some extra for my parents because they’re always asking for it.
Becca and I headed out on Sunday night to pick up some snacks for a movie. I bought lightly sweet Boom Chicka Pop and dark chocolate almonds. This is a delicious little snack/dessert combo!
I woke up really early on Monday morning to start my day. I have a neighbor that always sits on her porch with coffee in the morning. Grumples and I always stop and chat with her. I brought my coffee to-go, so I could have a cup with her. I also brought her some of my delicious muffins.
I fit in seven miles on the 4th of July! It was hot and humid. I didn’t think I could do it, but I immediately changed my mindset and turned all those thoughts into positive ones. It’s crazy how powerful our mind is.
I had Becca meet up with me for a three mile walk after. She was such a great friend and brought me water! I’m so lucky to have her.
After our walk, I changed out of my sweaty clothes, washed my sweaty face and headed out to lunch at Zoe’s Kitchen!
I had the chicken salad and fruit plate. It was amazing. I want to order this again! It had cucumber, pineapple, romaine, grapes, strawberries, cantaloupe, green apple, pita slices and chicken salad. It was refreshing, filling, and the perfect summer treat!
It took a while for my post-run tomato face to go down! 🙂
I went home and showered, had a nap and then a cup of coffee before heading uptown for the 4th of July celebrations. I was really proud of myself for having such an active weekend. I plan on being just as active this week!
New favorite snack combo: Lightly Sweetened Boom Chicka Pop & Honey Mustard Pretzel Gold Fish!
There were so many people uptown for the fireworks.
We walked to picked up food to take back to Kyle’s for dinner and movies.
I had a salad from Rock Bottom Brewery. It had chicken, egg, bacon, lettuce, tomato and a side of ranch.
I was so worn out and had the best sleep of my life last night.
I had blueberry and strawberry oatmeal for breakfast this morning and now I’m about to head out for the challenge workout! I hope you all had a GREAT weekend.
Don’t forget to join and follow the July Fitness Challenge! xo xo
QUESTIONS FOR YOU!
- How did you celebrate the 4th of July?
- What is your favorite meal/recipe to food prep?
- What do you take on your hikes?
I didn’t know honey mustard pretzel goldfish were a thing, and now I’m off to go on a hunt to find them.
1. I celebrated the 4th of July at a friend’s party! He lives in downtown Chicago so a bunch of us went up to his roof, fired up the grill, had some drinks, and set off fireworks! So much fun!
2. My favorite thing to meal prep is this thing I like to call a fiesta egg bake! Basically a giant crustless quiche made with eggs (duh), chorizo, potatoes, bell peppers, and onions (and cheese if you’re into it!). Serve it with some guac and extra veggies, sooooo good! Makes my mornings super simple 🙂
Oh they certainly are a thing! I’m going to make some kind of salad with honey mustard dressing and use those as the croutons.
I bet that was so much fun! The fireworks in Chicago are gorgeous. Summers in Chicago are so much fun! S
Yum! My friend does that! Your version sounds scrumptious and I just might have to try it!
xo
May or may not have just walked to the store and bought honey mustard pretzel goldfish and lightly sweetened popcorn. This may be the worst thing I’ve ever done because I don’t think they’ll last the night… SO GOOD
I may or may not have just created a monster.
SORRY.
not sorry.
You inspire me to live a happy and healthy lifestyle. I used to eat junk food and refuse to workout but your blog has changed my life. Your positive energy is very contagious. Thank you for blogging and being open with your readers. I wish you so much happiness! Kyle seems like a keeper.
That means so much to me Justine!
Thank you for sharing that with me. xo xo I think Kyle is also a keeper!
Keep up the positivity!
I’ve never heard of Zoe’s Kitchen before, but that salad looks huge, delicious and SO refreshing! Yum!
Active weekends like this are the best and always make your upcoming week feel better 🙂
I’m really craving a salad and pie now after your pie picture!
http://www.justbeingbrooklyn.com
It’s the best. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to actually eat there!
I LOVE active weekends and continuing it throughout the week!
lol I eat salad so I can eat pie 😉
xo
Taylor and I tried to see the fireworks from the roof of JJ’s Red Hots, but there was a tree directly in front of where the fireworks were. lol. Oh well.
I’ve only been to Zoe’s Kitchen once and I got the same thing. It is soooooo good!
It really is the best!!!
I think the city of Charlotte should do a show rather than the ball park next year!
Just reading your posts and seeing you go out and make the most of your days always makes me want to get up and do the same so today I fit in an hour workout and got my friend up and out on a walk with me and my dog for a nice 3 mile sunset walk, thank you for the inspiration it was SOOOO much fun ^_^ so for the fourth of July I had a bunch of family come over and we spent literally the WHOLE day out in the pool and my backyard and it was sooooo much fun, we all work really busy schedules so it’s always nice when we finally get to see each other. I don’t meal prep right now but that is on my list of things for this month because in fall I will be SUPER busy with my classes and I don’t want any excuses to fall off my good habits. Unfortunately I live in a place where the highest hill is not even 100 ft and it is a man made hill so we don’t have much for hiking, but when I go on long walks I always bring some kind of backpack filled with at least 2 water bottles and maybe some snacks depending on how long I plan to go for.
Hi Caitlyn!
That is wonderful! Walks are the best, especially with friends or pets! Sounds like you had such a FUN 4th of July!!! Glad you bring water on those hikes. I think thats the most important one!
Hi Taralynn,
I’ve been loving the July challenge! I started it already on Thursday, it’s kept me so motivated! 🙂
Also I’ve added some sets and cardio at the gym and I feel so good! Love how simple it is to do.
1. Didn’t celebrate the 4th, I’m from Finland 😀
2. Quinoa, eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower, garbanzo bean stew with coconut milk
Also hummus, I make it every Sunday/Monday and enjoy it throughout the week with carrot and peppers
3. Haven’t done hikes yet but leaving to Italy for a trip and planning on hiking there with water and sunscreen!
xx Henrietta
That is so good to hear!!
Your food prep sounds super delicious.
I’m so jealous of your Italy trip! WOW! Have so much fun! 🙂
I honestly can’t deal with the summer heat and humidity–I’d rather suffer the consequences of not being on my a game in the winter!
On another note, thanks so much for featuring me in my downward dog, Tara!
Yes. It’s pretty nasty, but I’m using it as a painful training working! Hate it now, love it later! I have been working on running earlier morning/later night. No problem for the feature! Love your commitment.
1. I ran a 5K, rode my bike & then headed to a cook-out at a friends house. It was pretty perfect. The BF had to work that night at 11PM, so we dipped out early, but on our drive home we saw all sorts of different fireworks, we didn’t know where they would come from next.
2. Meal prep is my jam. I make sure to fit it in to every weekend, if I know I’m going to be away I try to pack the freezer with some extras so it’s already done when I get back & can start my week off right.
I usually do a weeks worth of overnight oats for work breakfasts. And I love making buffalo chicken in the crockpot, then I can use it for salads or tacos, or just plain old eating, it makes all sorts of meals come together in a flash.
3. We usually hike with Cambak backpacks so our water is built in. But I make sure to have gum & trailmix. And sandwiches if we think there is even a remote chance we might hike during mealtime. Nobody likes a hungry Jessie.
I’m loving the July Fitness Challenge so far, I’ve been mixing and matching my cardio since I’m training for a thing or two, but I’ve loved incorporating the mini circuits after all my workouts.
Love how active you are! Can you just move to Charlotte so we can do this stuff together!? I know you like drinking coffee on the porch, so I think we’ll get along just fine!
It stinks your boyfriend had to work, but at least you guys got to see fireworks!
I bet that is delicious. I need to use my crockpot more in the summer! For some reason I think of it as a winter pot.
HAHAHA “nobody likes a hungry jessie” love that.
Love hearing that. I’ve been doing the same. I do my workout listed for the day and then add more if I need to!
Nope! Definitely bust out that crockpot! It’s great, because it doesn’t heat the house up.
And I think we would get along just fine, coffee + hiking? I’m in. I tried a great coffee shop last weekend, it’s in an old post office, so the counter is on top of old PO boxes. I’m headed back this weekend for brunch. It was probably top 10 lattes I’ve ever had. So smooth!
You’re so right! I can food prep some chicken!
UGH…WHERE IS THIS PLACE?! Lets meet there. I need to find a new coffee shop this weekend. LOVE exploring.
Had a great 4th, been enjoying your July challenge and it’s helped me make better food choices all day. As I prep for the workout or feel the soreness from the previous one!
I’m not into food prepping, I don’t even like leftovers.. 🙁
For Hikes, I just bring water! & leave snacks in the car!
So, I see you’re doing the fit challenge AND MORE! WOW! It really put a whole lot into perspective, of what it takes to live up a healthy and active lifestyle. Doing this Fit Challenge is way more than my usual workouts, but yet you do it as like your warm up!
Hi Crystal!
I love hearing that. The challenge has been tough because I’ve added them on top of my usual workouts for some days! Love that you’re feeling the soreness. Means you’re working hard! Just make sure to do it at your own pace and on’t overdo it!
Hey! It’s not for everyone.
The berries you posted today for the fit challenge inspired me to go out and buy some!
You’re so humble about your active life, haha I love it. It keeps me from wanting to quit. This challenge has been mentally training FOR SURE.
To put it into perspective, I read yesterday’s workout to my Husband and he literally asks “are those options? or are we supposed to do everything?” haha.
I don’t have Instagram, I’ve been tempted to get in on it. So those berries aren’t my post! But berries do sound good. 🙂
You should never want to quit 🙂
HAHAHAHAHA LOVED YOUR HUSBANDS RESPONSE! Today’s workout was tough though! Im sore.
That is actually funny. Your email (chan) is the same as the person who posted it! I guess I should have paid attention to the names! They’re different lol WHOOPS!!!
haha now we’re on insta! just finished creating it and following you “MartinCrystalRivera” 🙂 this might be a fun way to stay moto!
PERFECT!!!:)
Is Grumples wearing a shock collar?! I hope that you are working with a qualified dog trainer to teach you how to safely use it if so. Using them improperly can make a dogs behavior even more unpredictable, and it can hurt and kill dogs.
I know you have mentioned in the past that he has some challenging behaviors but PLEASE do your research and try positive methods of training before aversive training is used, which should only be done with the supervision of a trainer.
Yes. Grumples is wearing a training collar that was provided during his training courses. The beep sound lets him know that he is doing something wrong and it vibrates to distract him if he lunges at a car/person or other dog. It’s for emergency use only and we hardly have to use it. It does not hurt him or scare him. It’s used as a distraction because he is not treat oriented. I’m very careful with my dog and would never do anything to hurt/harm him. He would be harming himself or end up getting put down if he bit someone or a kid. He does have random behavior issues and this is safer. Again, it does not hurt him. It’s a distraction. And recommended by his trainers.
Please consider – if you are really afraid that he will bite someone – that a muzzle may be appropriate. There is nothing wrong with them (when trained to wear them the dog doesn’t care) and it would be much safer then having to worry about a 1 second slip that could be the end (literally) for your dog and a serious injury to another person. It might be something to bring up to your trainer, especially if his aggression is truly random.
I’m glad you’re getting Grumples help, and I think it’s great you’re being open about it as there is probably still stigma around not having a love everyone all the time dog, but obviously not all dogs are like that.
He has a muzzle. It does not keep him from lunging at people or cars. He is 90 lbs and very very strong. The vibration/beep noise has been the best solution so far and every time he hears the beep he stops. I hardly have to use it, but when we are walking in the city with lots of people and cars, he wears it for protection. His behavior has been so amazing lately and we have been walking by people and he has ignored them. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt him and I know that some training collars are dangerous, but this one is not and I made sure of it. He’s getting so much better and I am very proud of him.
Thank you for being open and honest about this. I think it would be interesting for your to write a post about it! A LOT of people struggle with this, it would probably be really helpful and eye opening to people!
Glad Grumples is doing well 🙂
Wow, Taralynn — keep up the great work! Thanks for all the encouragement/challenge for your readers as well!
1. My husband and I spent the weekend with my folks and driving through the Beartooth Mountains on Monday. It wasn’t as active of a weekend as I’d hope, but walks, horseback rides, and baby goats were involved, so I was satisfied!
2. Lately I’ve been meal prepping pancakes — chocolate, oatmeal, nectarine — so that Alexander has something to eat early in the morning before he leaves for work. They make a great snack, too.
3. I typically take a ton of water on hikes, plus some fruit (apples!!!!). On long hikes I’ll also pack granola, veggies, and nuts.
Thank you Lauren!!
Your weekend with your husband sounds so fun! I still need to go horseback riding.
Prepping pancakes! That’s a great idea.
I don’t know why I haven’t thought about taking apples yet!
I love following your journey! You inspire me to eat healthy and keep active.
I have a question for you: I’ve recently started working out in the mornings, first thing when I wake up so I can fit a workout in everyday before I leave for work at 8am. I know I shouldn’t work out on an empty stomach but I just don’t have the time to eat something healthy and then wait 45 minutes to digest. Any suggestions for quick, easily digested snacks that will fuel a workout but don’t require a wait time before cardio? Also I’d rather not be drinking protein shakes… Thanks so much!
Thank you Lauren!!
I was reading an article on what to eat before running a morning race and it said that if you ate a dinner, you should have enough calories and energy to carry out a morning workout/run. I don’t like to workout on an empty stomach, so when I wake up I’ll have a couple of egg whites and half a protein bar. Don’t eat anything heavy! Something small to get you through and then eat afterwards! I HATE protein shakes before a workout. I don’t know how people do it, but it makes me feel full and sick. I like to eat light before a workout and eat more afterwards to refuel.
I understand that problem Lauren! I personally can’t eat anything before I work out otherwise I feel like I am going to puke…even if it’s been an hour since I ate. I think it’s really how your body responds to things. If you can’t eat before a work out, make sure to get your nutrients and fuel in afterwards!
My husband and I spent the weekend of the Fourth running, playing soccer (okay, he did!), playing frisbee, gardening, drinking lots of smoothies! It was packed with lots of trips to see family and friends, but I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
Looks like your weekend was fantastic! Jealous of your seven miles 😉 I can’t wait to get back to my longer runs post baby!
Sounds like you had one active weekend and spent a lot of time outdoors! That is my favorite thing to do 🙂
Congrats on the baby:) XO
Hi Taralynn!
I always admire your colorful exercise leggings in your blog posts. Where do you usually get yours from? All of the colorful pants I’ve found seem to be really really thin and almost see-through if I were to be doing any squat/yoga-like activity.
Thanks! I’m loving the July Fitness Challenge! 🙂
Thanks Michelle!
Most of them are from Prismsport! They are so comfortable and light! 🙂
You are so inspiring! I always read your posts when I’m working night shift and they make me want to get outside so bad!! I should start reading these during the day when I can actually get out when I feel inspired.
ANYWAYS! I am so impressed by your fitness.
1.I’m Canadian so I didn’t celebrate 4th of July but I did go camping and hiking with my family for Canada Day 🙂
2. I love having food prepped! It makes meals so much easier. I always have quinoa on hand, I love adding it to salads or adding veggies to it with some dressing. Cooked sweet potato is always in my fridge also. Lately I have been loving making quinoa bowls- I add quinoa, spinach (either sautéed or raw), black beans or chick peas, sweet potato and tahini dressing. Sometimes a few more veggies too! So so yummy!
3. I love hiking! I always take water, sunscreen, trail mix (with some kind of chocolate in it of course), a yummy sandwich and granola or protein bars. Having good food is a must when hiking!
Awwwww thank you Jillian!!!
🙂
That sounds SUPER fun!!! I bet the camping and hiking is great in Canada!
You’re inspiring me to go food prep now! The quinoa bowls sound awesome. LOVE that idea!
All sounds delicious. I need to go hiking with YOU!!
Heck yes girl! Come to the Yukon and I will take you on lots of great hikes! 🙂
Our plans were changed around on the 4th, so we ended up having breakfast, went to the lake beach for a couple hours, went and hung out with bf’s family for a little while in the after noon, had supper, and went home! It was a lot of running around making it an exhausting day but fun!
This week it’s the turkey meatballs! I also love rice because it holds up. But those are my two main things I like. I’ve been trying roasted vegetables (but unfortunately I can’t get myself to like them very much, I can only handle steamed right now as I’m trying to eat more veggies each day!)
For any kind of hike I make sure to bring lots of water, and snacks like granola/protein bars, apples, nuts, etc!
P.s. love that you can find such cute coffee shops around your area. I’ve got to do some digging and find something around me! There aren’t too many independent shops around here! Mainly Caribou (nothing wrong with that) and Starbucks.
Nothing wrong with caribou!!
That does sound like a super fun and eventful day! I bet you slept like a baby Monday night! I know I sure did.
Turkey meatballs are so good and really great as leftovers. I think the more and more you eat veggies, you create a taste for them! I used to HATE them. Now I can’t get enough.
Sounds like perfect hiking snacks!
Wow! An incredible active weekend for sure! I don’t know how you can run in the heat! It kills me! Haha.
I had a great 4th. It was fun and busy, but in a relaxing kind of way 🙂 My husband and I had a little getaway to Fargo, ND where we just chilled and hung out with family and on the 4th we went to Detroit Lakes, MN and went to a flea market and then hung out on the beach for a couple of hours. My birthday was the 5th so it was a fun little birthday getaway weekend. I am performing in Shrek the Musical right now as Princess Fiona and we had our opening night last night. It was nice to get away for a few days and just relax!
I try to food prep as much as possible. I always tell my husband that food prepping saves lives. HA! I do a lot of chicken and roasted veggies. Prep a lot of salad ingredients to toss together in the morning. My favorite food prep is doing like a tex-mex Qdoba/Chipotle style burrito bowl with brown rice or quinoa and all the fixings: chicken, black beans, corn, veggies, cheese, guac, etc!
We don’t have mountains of any sort in ND so hiking doesn’t really happen LOL! But if we did, I’d bring a lot of the same stuff you do! I am going to go visit my best friend in Denver next month and hope to go on a couple of hikes!
It kills me too! I just keep thinking about the cold months ahead <3
Your 4th sounded like a great one! Happy belated birthday!
ALL OF YOUR FOOD PREP SOUNDS SO GOOD!!!!
I bet you’ll love the hikes in Denver!!
Hi Taralynn! Just wanted to say you’re such an inspiration, I’ve followed you since you had tumblr and I’ve made a ton of your recipes. I want to be able to run for cardio and do some 5k’s but I can’t go for very long at all, any suggestions on how to work up to being able to go for a couple of miles? Thanks for sharing your life it gives me motivation that I can lose my extra weight and be fitter
Hi Mel!
Thank you so much 🙂
Running definitely doesn’t happen overnight. You need to slowly work your way up! Try running 3-4 times a week and slowly up your miles. When I first started out, I’d run 2 minutes/walk to minutes for thirty minutes. Then I’d focus on running for a certain amount of minutes vs running fast. You’ll naturally get faster the more you run. Don’t force running, add a little bit every single day!
Sounds like a great weekend! I love to food prep baked oatmeal, salads, veggie burgers, and i almost always cook up some rice or bake a few sweet potatoes
Do you make your own veggie burgers? I need to try to do that!
Damn you and your boy are hot
hot couple alert