#26

A look back on the past year.  I think that it can be easy to always think ‘this next year is my year’ or ‘anything will be better than this past year.’ But whether you realize it or not each year is pivotal and plays a monumental role in the person that you are.  I know that I am young but if there is one thing, I now have begun to realize more and more each day is that when life is easy no strides forward are being taken.  I now more than ever enjoy living in the hard because I know the wisdom, knowledge, and growth that comes out of the hard times far surpasses floating through life. 

So, if you think that 2019 was a rough year, remember how far you have come.  See the trials that led to growth, the tears that pushed you forward, or the heartache that made you stronger.  Even if you only learned one thing this year that is one think more than you knew last year.  Remember those times and sit back and see where you are now and how much stronger you are now than this time 1 year ago. 

Or maybe 2019 was THE YEAR. Goals were accomplished, relationships were formed, and growth occurred. Wow. How amazing.  Carry that over into the new year. Let that strong finish propel you into more growth, stronger relationships, and accomplishing more goals.  Continue to set what most people will think are ‘unrealistic’ goals, and then don’t stop until you get there. 

Praise God for the good and the bad going into the new year; and know that if you keep seeking Him in everything that you do then you will always win.  It may not seem like it in the moment but God will forever rein and I hope you find peace in that today. 

#dominatehumbly

#25

It has been a while since I shared my top 5 essential items for working out.  I will link everything below in pink so you can check it out if you want!  SO here it is my 5 holy grail picks at the moment...

1. Wireless Earbuds

I honestly don't know how I ever made it without wireless earphones. They are a game changer for sure.  The ones I have are the Powerbeats3 Wireless.  I have had them for about a year now and I love them and have never had any trouble with them!

Powerbeats3Wireless

2. Shaker Bottle 

This is one of the items that not everyone would benefit from but if you take any type of pre workout this is the best blender bottle that I have found, and this is because it does not have one of those stainless steal shaker balls in it.  It instead has an agitator that connects to the lid which is so nice because it is less noisy than a blender bottle and one less piece that you have to keep up with! It also keeps your drink cold for a very long time. 

Shaker Bottle

3. Animo Acids 

I am by no means a nutritionist so find what works best for you, but Essential Amino Energy is something that I take usually post workout and LOVE. I think that is helps with soreness and recovery.  I have been a fan of Essential Amino Energy for years now.  It is very unlikely that I use a product for years... so that means its good.  I have tried most of the flavors but two of my favorites would have to be grape or fruit fusion.

Essential Amino Energy

4. Brooks Running Shoes 

If you know me you know my OBSESSION with tennis shoes so I have tried a whole lot of different brands.  I have been wearing the Brooks Ghost 11 Running Shoes here for a while now when running. For as many miles as I have put on them they have held up very well.  Since I bought mine they have come out with the Ghost 12, might have to upgrade here soon;)

Brooks Ghost 11

I also have another tennis shoes that are a little more flat than the Brooks ones that are better when working out. They are APL and beside the fact that I think APL makes really cool looking shoes I have LOVED them. 

APL

5. Leggings 

In my opinion there is no doubt that Lulu Lemon leggings are worth the money.  They are a statement piece when it comes to my athletic wardrobe.  They stay up better than any legging I have ever worn and have the cutest styles!! If you are wanting a pair I recommend the Align legging, but I also really love the Fast and Free Tight.

Fast and Free Tight

Lulu Lemon Align Legging

But, I have also found a dupe that is a really GREAT option.  The name of the brand is 90 Degree By Reflex, and they stay up very well while running and working out.  A lot of the time if you look in the active wear at TJ MAXX they will have tons of 90 Degree clothing and I have loved all that I have ever bought from them!

90degreebyreflex

#24

It has been a while since I have posted a workout on here because I have been really into motivational writing lately.  I had a really good upper body workout (and by good I mean my arms were noodles afterward and the next day were sore:/) and so I wanted to share it with you all.

Warm-up (5-10 min)
my warmup consists of many different dynamic exercises-- if you would like me to do a blog on what a typical warm-up for me consists of let me know!!

3 rounds
15 reps- hammer curls
15 reps- tricep extensions

3 rounds
15 reps- dumbbell bent over rows
15 reps- chest flies

3 rounds
15 reps- curls
15 reps- bench dips

3 rounds
15 reps- lawnmower pulls
15 reps- lateral raises

3 rounds
15 reps- plate look-throughs
15 reps- rear deltoid flies

** I typically rest 0-60 seconds in between rounds of the exercises and then a full minute in between the super-sets.

5 continuous rounds
45 second plank
15 second rest


The majority of the time this is how I style my workouts.  I enjoy super setting two exercises that focus on two separate muscle groups together.  I know that not everyone is on the same fitness level!! So, at the moment I am working at a higher rep range with a moderate weight.  Depending on where you are in your training the repetitions and weight could be adjusted to fit what works best for you.  I just thought these were some good exercises that focused on all of the upper body and wanted to share!!

#dominatehumbly

#23

Lowball. 

How many times can you look back on situations in life and say, ‘man I wish I would have just known that I could have done better.’  I think often times we believe that we are going to fail before we ever give it a shot. We lowball ourselves.  What if we took failure out of the picture… what would be the first thing that you would do if you knew you could not fail? Whatever you just thought of is obviously a huge goal for yourself. So, what is holding you back? A fear of failing?  How about you try chasing your dreams with failure not being an option? Say to yourself, “I will not fail” and go into that situation full force knowing that there will be setbacks but not letting failure be an option.  Work so incredibly hard and do whatever it takes to succeed.  That may look like working 16-hour days to get started or putting your social life on the back-burner. If you want something bad enough, you will do whatever to get it… so how bad do you really want it? This is such a hard concept because nobody wants to work for what they want and if they fail getting back up again is not an option.  Often times as we grow up we are taught to think that failure is such a bad thing and that we have to avoid it at all costs.  Yes, failure stinks and nobody wants to have to endure that but so much is learned when we fail.  I guarantee you once you fail at something once or maybe twice you will not fail at it again. You will instead learn from it and learn ways to succeed in that area instead of fail.  Step out on that limb and if it breaks climb the tree to a sturdier one. 

Whatever it is that failure is keeping you from go get it.  There is no better time than right now.  But, promise me that if you do fail that you will not let that keep you down and that you will instead run with even greater persistence toward what you want to achieve.

#dominatehumbly

#22

Life is faced with difficult decisions that we, as humans, often try to make on our own instead of looking to God for answers.  I find myself doing this WAY TOO OFTEN. Jesus says in 1 John 5: 14-15, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”  Go to Jesus in fervent prayer when life throws difficult decisions our way. It can be easy to think that praying and asking of the Lord means that we can just sit back and let Him handle it all. But that is not the case. Jesus opens the doors to new chapters and opportunities and all we have to do is simply walk through it.  Jesus does not lead us in the wrong direction so why would we not enter through the doors that he opens for us? It can be hard and I have struggled personally with putting my whole trust in the Lord. It says in Hebrews 11:6 that it is IMPOSSIBLE to please the Lord without faith. Whoever draws near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek Him.

I do not have it all together and have been a person of very little faith certain times in my life.  But I have never heard anyone say “I wish I wouldn’t have had so much faith.” It is always the other way around people wishing that we would have had more faith.  It is so incredible how the Lord continues to take care of and bless us so immensely when we still have so little faith. I can think back to several times in my life when my life was filled with doubt and little faith but Jesus still pulled me through those difficult times and for that I give ALL glory to God.  

Looking back now, those difficult times in my life are so little. Trust me when I say that in the moment the anxiety and fear of whatever I was facing seemed and was so real and if I was asked if I would ever get through it some days I bet I would have said no.  But those trials in life are the broken pieces that make up our beautiful mosaic of life. Life is too short to fret the small things. Give it all to God and put your trust in Him. He will open doors that you never imagined ever even being unlocked for you. When he opens those doors walk through. It will lead to great things.