Life

Boudoir

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A few months ago, I did something that scared the shit out of me and I wanted to share my experience with you girls. I decided to do a boudoir shoot. And let me tell you, it was hands down the most liberating experience! I left feeling so empowered, beautiful, confident, and comfortable in my own skin (and for an hour or so, forgot I was some one’s mom)!

I originally did it as a Christmas gift for my husband. I mean, what says Merry Christmas more than slutty pictures of your wife, but I think subconsciously I was needing to do it for myself. I had been feeling a little lost since the baby. I wasn’t feeling super sexy since giving birth and just wanted to get back in touch with myself a bit. I doubted it at first. It made me feel like somewhat of an imposter. I mean, really, you’re not a model Lindsey. Was it really necessary to do a photo shoot? Yes, yes, and yes!

This shoot helped me embrace my body in all its imperfections and has helped me love myself a bit more. I was the typical girl when looking through my pictures for the first time. I look fat in that one, my tits are too small, oh god, does my ass really look like that, shit, is that a stretch mark?! About the third time looking through, I finally told my ego to shut the fuck up and I really started to see the beauty. I started to think about all the amazing things my body has been through and done for me, why would I be talking bad about it?

I drank champagne, posed in positions that felt silly, and it was so much fun. I really feel I got to know myself a bit better. I will enjoy these pictures for the rest of my life and even better, I get to look back when I’m old as dirt and think, damn you were a hot mama!

It’s so hard to love ourselves sometimes, but these pictures and this experience keep helping me when my mind starts to go to the dark side. We are so hard on ourselves and I think it’s important to stop and appreciate all that we are as women and have some fun with it along the way! Ladies, if you have ever considered doing a boudoir shoot, stop thinking and do. You are beautiful as you are!

I used Hailey with www.carnefixphotography.com and I can’t recommend her enough if you are in Denver. I have known Hailey for years and she is the most amazing women and photographer. She is all about embracing inner beauty and cutting feminine stereotypes of body image.

Strike a pose bitches 🙂

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Nutrition

Protein Pancackes

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Ok, so I’m not a huge cook. It always seems like more work to me than fun, but I do like eating so everything I make is usually pretty basic. If there are too many ingredients or steps I start to glaze over and move onto something else.  I just want to freaking eat not read a damn novel!

This protein pancake is the shit! It’s super easy, and healthy. My little man loves it too, which is an added mom bonus!

INGREDIENTS:

Half of a ripe banana

1 Tbsp of unsweetened almond milk

1 scoop of protein powder (I prefer plant-based proteins)

1/4 cup of egg whites

1 Tbsp of unsweetened coconut chips

1 Tsp of cinnamon

Mash up the banana and almond milk first. Then add everything else in (sometimes I add the coconut flakes to the mixture and sometimes I sprinkle them on top, like pictured below). Cook on medium heat until desired texture. You can put it in a waffle iron as well. I add berries on top and just a tsp of agave or 100% pure maple.

Enjoy!

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Sweat Sesh

TRX Tuesday

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Happy Tuesday girls!

This TRX pull workout is awesome, it is a quick total body workout and is hard and fun AF! It is a ton of upper body and core, but you get legs and cardio in as well, (can you say tank tops and shorts)!

Start with your straps super short, you need to be able to pull yourself up with a full range of motion. When you do the jump lunges and jump squats make sure you aren’t just using your legs, I want you pulling with your upper body as well. Same goes for the pull ups, your legs are there to assist you, but try to use mostly upper body. If it gets to hard you can back up a bit (like I did towards the end of the chin ups) and it will get a bit easier.

Do each move for 30 seconds (try not to rest between exercises). Rest for 1 minute at end and repeat 5 times through. Get ready to get your sweat on girls!

Mommy Rants

Mexicoma

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Mexicoma or Tropical Depression (noun):

1). The sadness that one feels when it is time to return home after vacationing in Mexico (without kids).

My husband and I took our first vacation by ourselves this last week, and I can’t get back into the groove! Everyone told me “you’ll miss baby so much by day two”, but I’m going to be honest, I survived just fine. I mean of course I missed those chubby cheeks, but I could have easily stayed another 5 days. I know, some may call me a “bad mom”, but this vacation seemed to make me mourn my old non-mom life just a bit. Ever since we have been back, all I can think about is our easy-going days, no plans, drinks on the beach, and sleeping in! I know, I know, first world problems. I’m the girl who always cries when it’s time to leave the beach, but this time was the hardest. Just knowing the responsibility I was coming back to and not knowing when this alone time may happen again put me into a bit of a mini mom meltdown or depression, or what I like to call a “mexicoma”.

It’s been a year and a half since we’ve had our sweet boy and sometimes I still wake up thinking what the fuck are we doing?! I assume this is going to continue, like, forever, but I can’t help thinking sometimes, was I cut out for this, am I an awful mom? I’d like to think I’m not the only mama that feels this way. Even writing about this is tough. It’s always scary to put your honest self out there and risk ridicule, but it feels damn good to get it off my chest!

Being a mom is the most challenging experience I have had thus far. I am growing everyday along with this sweet little boy. I needed this vacation as hard as it has been to come back to reality, to mourn my pre-baby life and I think it is just fine for us mamas to do so.

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Sweat Sesh

TRX Single Leg Burpee

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If you haven’t used the TRX straps yet, get to it ladies, they are awesome! The suspension  straps I am using in this video are a generic form of the TRX, but still get the job done. I personally prefer the real TRX straps, but the gym I train out of has these bad boys instead.

Suspension training is great in that it develops core stability, balance and overall strength  at the same time (can you say killing two birds with one stone)! Not only can you get a total  body workout using just these straps, but they are so portable so you can use them anywhere. I use them at home and always travel with them. They can be connected to doors and even trees (bring that sweat sesh outside)!

This is one of my favorite TRX moves. It targets core, booty, and shoulders. What more could a girl want?! Make sure to engage your core throughout the whole movement (no arching your lower back while in your plank). Do 12 total to start with and see how ya feel! This exercise is moderate to advanced, if you are not quite there yet start with putting your back foot down and work your way up!

 

Mommy Rants

Coming to Terms

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The reason I decided to start this blog was because I was feeling stuck. Feeling stuck with who I was, and what my life was now.  Ever since having my son Reed, life has changed so much. It’s not just about me anymore, but also this little human. Before he came along it was all about teaching my group exercise classes, training my clients, cocktails with the girls whenever, and having fun with my hubby. Pretty carefree (I must admit, I do miss it some days, well most days)!

Before Reed, I was teaching about 10-12 classes a week. I was eating healthy, and in amazing shape. I was a bit obsessed, I must admit. I came to a point in my early 20’s were I put on quite a bit of weight. I was working out, but the rest of the time I was not taking care of myself. I finally started to get my shit together, started eating better, adding weights into my workouts, and not drinking so much and I dropped about 30 lbs. I was so scared of gaining my weight back that I always took fitness to the extreme. I feared missing one workout or eating one shitty meal would throw me back to my “chunky” days. I was even scared to become pregnant. I mean we are all a little scared of the gaining weight thing, but I just kept picturing myself going back to the way I had been before and it fucking terrified me! I was so scared that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with my workouts or that I was going to be the pregnant group ex instructor or the pregnant trainer ( I mean who wants to work out with the pregnant girl)?  Why was I so hard on myself?

I finally decided to punch my fear in the face and became pregnant. It was then that I realized my fit life was not over (have I mentioned I’m a total drama queen)! Becoming pregnant was the best thing that ever happened for me personally. I was so obsessed with the vanity part before. I needed to be the leanest, fittest, most energetic all the time. I thought I felt good then, but looking back on it now I was just beating on my body constantly with no recovery. When you are growing a human, it is no longer all about you so I started listening to my body more.

I kept up with my workouts all through my pregnancy. Of course,  I sometimes had to do lighter weights, take more rest days, eat a cupcake, those sorts of things. But you know what, it was fine! I realized missing a workout or slipping up on some food every once in a while was not going to kill me (whether I was pregnant or not), in fact it was better for me! After I  had the baby I took 2 weeks off of working out completely, the most I had ever taken off before. I must admit it was really hard, but again I needed to take care of my body. These may sound like silly basic things, but they were really hard for me.

Since having a baby I’m finally coming to terms with the fact that my body will probably not ever look like it did before and that is ok! Things hurt that didn’t before, I pee my fucking pants during jumps sometimes, my ass is a little fatter with some stretch marks to top it all off, but who cares! That little 17 month old human  has taught me it is not  all about vanity, it is about being strong and healthy. I’ve told my clients this always, but it wasn’t until him that I actually started listening to myself.

Keep rocking mammas, you are way stronger than you think!

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