Staying Motivated & A Bit Of Tuna Fish

Motivation, where have you gone? Yesterday I was feeling down on myself. I have been working really hard at eating clean and training hard in order to lose the weight I would like, develop the body I want to have. I have been at a constant weight for the past, who knows how long and can't ever seem to get past it. It's the worst feeling, even when I know numbers aren't everything and that I have made SERIOUS progress, i often still find it defeating me. When you are dieting, you hit a plateau and this is where you have to increase your training and stick to your diet REALLY GOOD in order to break through it, or also your barrier. THIS IS THE HARDEST THING IN THE WORLD. I always go about a month of doing really well, when this starts happening and I STOP. This explains my consistent weight, not losing anything problem. I carry most of my weight in my legs, and have a smaller upper body but when I work out, no matter what I am doing, I always lose weight in my upper body. WHY? WHY? WHY? Because my body hates me, and it wants me to break through my barrier before I can lose weight in my bottom half. Really though, it's been such a hard task but I am honestly determined this time to get through it and to defeat the barrier. I want so badly to feel good this summer all around, not just in my arms and abs, but in my legs and butt and calves. It is going to happen! I managed to brush off my hard feelings yesterday, throw on my gym clothes and work extra hard at the gym. I got on the scale and wasn't happy with the numbers, but realized each day I am getting closer, and each day I need to work harder. Eric and I are going to the gym tonight and I can't wait for him to push me. He is honestly the best and always tells me what I need to hear. It may not be the sweetest, sugar coated bunch of words, but he tells me in the end I will be happy and that I can push through it if I truly want it. He is such inspiration and keeps me going. I'm lucky to have him as my coach, my biggest fan, my husband and my best friend<3


Side note that also relates to Eric....

He is a butt face!<---Only because he is ALWAYS right and this whole eating clean, working out is making my mind GO CRAZY. Before our wedding, I was eating healthy, clean and right and knew that I needed to try new things that were good for me since I am older and wiser now and could probably like food I used to hate. One of these foods is cottage cheese. I tried it one day during the summer and I swallowed it down because I knew it was good for me and I still hated it. This past month, I decided to take a second shot at it and buy a small package. To my surprise, I LOVED IT! I crave it all the time, eat it everyday and just last week bough 10 containers of it because I go through so much cottage cheese! SO WEIRD! I never thought the day would come that I would like cottage cheese but it has, and Eric was so happy, especially because he loves to throw it in my face that he was right. Well, it was last week that we were in PC and Susan made Eric a tuna fish sandwich....YUCK! I grew up eating "chicken tuna" and never ever liked tuna fish. I like fish, but not tuna. Well, being the daring person I am, tried a bite and to my surprise ENJOYED IT! I wanted to show my excitement, but played it off and ever since then I have been CRAVING TUNA FISH. It makes me sick to know Eric was right about me eventually liking these foods. I can't help but think "healthiness" is taking over my mind. I am happy, but embarrassed that I like them now. Eric loves it, and he is waiting until the day when I will like pickles or mustard....but don't plan on that anytime soon!


It's friday & I hope everyone enjoys their weekends!
xo Ashley

Spring Break

Eric was lucky enough to have spring break this past week and even though my spring break isn't until April 1st, it felt like I was on spring break because we both got home close after 5 and had no homework! We were also able to spend each night together! YAY! I loved having Eric home at night, and we took full advantage of every minute we could spend with each other!

Eric and I hit up the gym every night and it kicked our butts! It was so good to have him as a gym partner this week, to really push me and get me working hard! He has been helping me with pull ups and over this past week, I can say I did between 30-50 pull ups A DAY! I felt SO AWESOME! Even though Eric helped, I could really see definition in my arms and by the end of the week I was so HAPPY with my results!

After a week of hard work, we decided to head up to Plain City on friday to visit family. I love going up there! I always get such a happy and giddy feeling when we get close to arriving and it feels like a vacation when we are there! Plain City is such a cute little town and so happy, fun and relaxing! We ate tacos, fondue,

played games and had a blast with Mark, Susan, Shel and Jared. I really had a lot of fun just laughing and playing games with them and it was definitely needed! On Saturday, Eric and Mark went to get the trucks oil changed while Susan and I ran 5 miles! Susan is a crazy runner and has been training for her half marathon, so I am glad I was able to hit up a nice run with her! We may be slow, but we get things finished and we always feel so much better afterwards! She is a great running buddy, and I wish I had her closer so that I could stay motivated to run! We spent the day doing girl things, while the boys went shooting and then met up for dinner at the Pie. We all love pizza, so it was a great way to spend the last hour
before we headed back to SLC for the Jazz game. Eric and I are HUGE jazz fans, and will snag any tickets we can when offered! My dad is always so sweet to share his tickets with us, and we can't ever thank him enough. We sit on row 20, and this game we bought me a jersey! FINALLY!!!! I felt so spoiled that my hubby has been so kind to put money aside to pay for it, because it made my day! It is #15....the man Derick Favors! He is my favorite player and has shown so much improvement this season! The jazz won, and the night couldn't have been better!

Lastly, sunday we hit up the gym and did our weekly grocery shopping. My parents were so sweet and invited us to dinner for St.Patricks Day so we went there and had a BBQ. It was delicious and got me very excited for summer! Eric and I finished off the day with a nap, homework and bed. Back to school and work tomorrow! Hope you all have a great week!

xo Ashley

Food & A Healthy Lifestyle

I have felt ups and downs towards how I look, and the way I feel lately. When Eric and I met, we both loved going to the gym. He was looking towards body building, and I had recently decided to make big changes with my life, and to get in shape so that I could feel better about myself and the way I look. It was such a good hobby to share, and we kept each other motivated! Eric was at the extremes in his dieting, and work outs and he got me into it. We would prepare meals for the entire week on sundays, and would eat the same food almost everyday. After we got home from work, we would train really hard at the gym and when we got engaged, we really kicked our butts into gear so that we would feel great at our wedding! Eric has been such an amazing motivator, and always pushes me. I remember one time at the gym, I cried and yelled at him (in front of people) because I was so tired and felt he was pushing me too hard, but I know he was only doing that because that is what I had told him to do! I am grateful he did that because it has taught me so much about the gym, my abilities and kept me motivated.


<---This is one of my senior pictures. I hate to say I was overweight, but I definitely struggled with how I look a lot of my life, and it hasn't been until I got into college that I have developed a better attitude towards myself.


We went off track after the wedding, and it wasn't until a few months ago that we both knew we needed to get our butts back into gear and develop our healthy habits again. I know summer is coming, and I want to really get to where I want to be, so that I can feel confident again! Between our busy schedules, Eric goes to the gym during his lunch break, and I go after work.

Not only have we been working out and training hard, we have got back into eating small and balanced meals. I have been taking a lot of pictures lately of some of the things I am eating and I would love to share them! It is helpful to me to document what I eat, and it is motivating. I have found a website called Dashing Dish and it has some AMAZING recipes! I have loved making new things, especially the desserts on here that are protein backed, low sugar and low in calories! Check it out!

 

Eric and I LOVE food, as does mostly everyone in the world. It's important to have moderation, and to not deprive yourself from the things you love but to eat them in small portions, or like said before, moderation. 

Some of the pictures shown are greek yogurt with a drizzle of honey, twice baked sweet potato, whole wheat pancakes & eggs with sugar free syrup, protein pack oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, salmon & a spinach salad, fat free cottage cheese with berries, and the great 98 calories slice of rich chocolate cake!

There are so many great recipes out there that are full of protein, low sugar and overall healthy choices that are SO EASY! I have never been a great cook, so if I can find them and make them, so can you!

This post is not to brag, or to complain about the way I feel but rather I hope to be motivation that anyone can eat healthy, and eat good food while eating healthy! It takes dedication, and motivation but if you are someone who doesn't feel confident with themselves, or someone who wants to make some changes, YOU CAN DO IT! Eric and I both work hard, and we aren't quite where we want to be, and we don't always make the best healthy choices, but we try and we are willing to put effort into our health so that we can feel good!



xo Ashley

BIRTHDAY BABE

I'm late on the bloggin....but it was the hubby's birthday last weekend! Eric has hit the age of 22 years old! WAHOO!! It is weird to think he is 22, because all my life I thought that once you get to be 22....you are way old. He feels 22, he feels old because he gets to do adult things and be a big old adult and what not...even though he's been that way for a few years(: anyways...we had 3 days full of celebrating!

1. FRIDAY: I am the worst at surprises, so I was so proud of myself when my parents told me they were giving us jazz tickets for friday nights game to celebrate eric's birthday. I had kept it a secret all week and friday had come....well plans didn't go too well and I was very sad. Needless to say....I was antsy to get off work, didn't get off on time, got stuck in traffic, took a back road and got lost, was late to meet eric at the restaurant which then made it a 50 minute wait that we couldn't stay for and the surprise got ruined. I cried, and Eric felt bad because I was so excited, but was also exhausted and in the end, he was just happy go lucky about going to the jazz game and didn't care that my entire plan was ruined!

2. SATURDAY: Eric and I woke up and I gave him the second half of his birthday present with his cute hand made card! He loved his presents! (I gave him the jazz hoodie he is wearing, and a new nice basketball, work out tanks, and I owe him dinner) After we drank our delicious green smoothies, we went to the gym and KICKED OUR BUTTS. Eric played the "it's my birthday so you have to do this.." card and we worked out together. It was so much fun and it made me think of summer when we had the time to work out with each other everyday. I often hate how sore I am the day after working out with him, but in the moment I love it.

Saturday continued: We headed up to Plain City to celebrate with the Roddoms! (It's marks birthday too!) and we had pizza and delicious rice krispie/ice cream/raspberry dessert! I love hanging out up there and celebrating birthdays made it that much better! After that, we went and met up with some old friends of Eric's and went bowling! It was a BLAST! I beat eric (again) but he was a good loser(:

3. SUNDAY: We come home from plain city, showered and headed out to a movie with my family! We went and saw warm bodies and I thought it was such a cute movie! We snacked on popcorn and when we were done hit up costco for our weekly grocery shopping. 

My mom knew Eric loved funfetti cake, so she spoiled us with this cutesy cake and eric got to blow out the candles again!

Overall, a great weekend full of celebrating and I hope its one my hubby can remember! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

xo Ashley

Weekend of fun

I was so happy when friday came, even though my friday psychology class is TERRIBLE and I was put through the ringer with finn at work, it made driving home to meet my husband so much better! Friday, Eric and I came home and were starving. We have a tendency to do that, after a long day of work and often find ourselves un willing to make food at home. It is really affecting my "eat healthy, change of lifestyle" sort of thing I am working on right now. It's okay though, we all have our cheat days and I am still proud of myself for sticking with it during the week! So, Eric and I always always always decide on pizza for our weekend meal because it is our absolute favorite. However, this time we decided to venture off and try something new and I was in serious need of protein! So we headed off to american fork and hit up gandolfos. They have really yummy sandwiches and I was pleased to see my sandwich was BIGGER than erics! I shared with Eric, so I didn't eat the entire thing but I was a happy girl when I was finished!

On saturday, as much as my mind and body were telling me to sleep in...I couldn't. Eric and I woke up around 5:30 am to go to the airport and his paintball tournament. I had to pick up my parents because they were flying home from Hawaii, and then they dropped me off at Eric's tournament! I had a lot of fun, even though I got really bored and tired, I was so happy to be there to support Eric in something he loves to do. Him and his team took second, and he was always the last man standing on his team. He is such a good player and I love hearing about his excitement towards the game!

After the 6.5 hour tournament, Eric and I headed to the mall to buy his birthday presents. I am terrible at keeping secrets, so he found out part of it but thats okay! We went out to dinner to one of our favorite restaurants, Chili's, and then came home to watch the jazz game! I loved spending the entire day with my hubby, but can't wait to crawl into bed tonight and fall asleep! I hope everyone had as good of a weekend as I did!

xo Ashley

BUSY BUSY BUSY

hello readers,

I have felt mixed emotions about this blogging thing but have decided I should stick with it, if I can, during mine & eric's busy lives. A little update on us, still happy as can be as a still somewhat new married couple. We have been busy with school and work, and are anxious to see some sun as summer slowly creeps up on us! Eric is at the University of Utah and working hard at National Benefit Services. He is planning on majoring in economics, possible minor in math...we'll see what happens! He is such a hard worker and I can't thank him enough for all that he does! I am at Utah Valley University in my first semester in the Elementary Education program and I know that in the end, this hard work will pay off! I am super busy, making lesson plans, working on assignments, learning teacher things and even though it's hectic, I absolutely love it. I am so excited and nervous to start "field" work in a few weeks where I will get to go into the elementary school and teach a bit, observe and be around students! It won't be my first time in the classroom but I can't help but be nervous to know I may be the teacher for a solid 3 weeks. I am nannying right now for a cute family, not far from home and they keep me busy too! I feel like a little mom, like they are my own kids and I find myself dealing with the frustrations and exciting moments a mom would feel. It's been a really great experience and I am enjoying the time I get to spend with the kids each day! I am currently working on potty training Finn, the little 2 1/2 year old and so far its me-0 finn-1 haha. I have been proud to say I have got him going #1 in the toilet....not so much #2. We are still working on it, but no more diapers for him! It's been a teaching experience and I can't wait to have a family of my own with eric! It won't be planned for any crazy time soon but when it happens, i'll be ready! I am anxious for this weekend, even though eric and I hardly make crazy plans because we are so exhausted and in desperate need of quality time together, we enjoy every second of it. 

I hope you all keep updated with us, so I know this blog isn't a complete waste! 

xo.Ashley

Last Day

 Today I have been in a bit of a slump mood. I don't know if it's because I am tired of going to school and have had a bad week of attending or if it's because I know that after today, I will have a lot of free time on my hands now that I won't have a job.

Today is my last day working at the daycare. It's a bittersweet feeling. I have worked there for over 3 years and I have really had a lot of great experiences working there. Besides the stress, tears, hard feelings and constant complaints it's caused me, I will miss it. It's hard to let go of something you are used to, a routine that you know and a place/job you feel safe in. I have met so many great people while working there and really developed a lot of amazing friendships. It's been a challenge working with all girls because we are dramatic, sensitive, rude, nice, happy, sad, crazy. I will miss everyone very much and want to thank them all for putting up with me and my moods these last 3 years. I will miss the kids even though they make me crazy and cause me to cry somedays. They are all fighting their own battles and are going through so much as little kids. I have had such a great time teaching in all of the classrooms and I learn something new from them each day.

 I am glad I took so many pictures the whole time I was working there so that I can look back and remember all of the good times. I will miss the daycare but I am very excited to have other opportunities working in other fields and making new friends where I find my next job. I will always remember the daycare and will take all that I have learned from there with me as I continue through life.