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February. A month of love. A time to celebrate those around you who mean so much to you. A month to start looking forward to spring and getting out of the dark cold winter months. A time to celebrate your Valentine.

It’s hard to believe that I met my Valentine and his wingwoman five years ago on February 11th. I was the new girl at CrossFit Thoroughbreds as you read in our three-part series of How We Met.

my valentine

When I think back to how it all happened, it was just meant to be. All of the stars had to align for us to meet. If all of those circumstances didn’t line up, I don’t know how or if Jeff and I would have met. And where would we both be today?

The problem with fate is that we don’t even know what is happening until all the cards fall into place. Sometimes we get so caught up in what we need to do and achieve that we don’t take time to enjoy the ride. We get caught up in what we want to strive for next. And sometimes we just need to relax and let what’s meant to be, happen.

valentine day roses

I, of course, do not know how Jeff and I would have met had Gram not broken her hip, had we not picked that week to go to Florida, had I not picked that CrossFit gym. What I do know is how grateful I am for the opportunity to go to Thailand, to take care of Gram, to spend the last five years of her life with her, and how grateful I am that she led me to my Valentine.

My Valentine. How I got so lucky I will never know. This guy treated Gram like his own. He loved her with all of his heart and was so patient with her. He persuaded her to do so many things when she wanted to be stubborn and just stay at home. He cared so deeply for her and for me. He tried to do whatever he could to make my job easier and make Gram happier and more comfortable.

my valentine and gram

If you have spent time with my Valentine you know he is really just about enjoying life. He will fly all night at work then come home, sleep a few hours and be ready for the company arriving the next day. He enjoys celebrating any occasion with others and can’t wait to see his friends at ski week or anywhere else.

Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day. Take this month to celebrate you, your loved one, your friends, and your family!

Stay Strong & Be Inspired, Stacy

Equipment Needed

  • dumbbell (optional)

Weekly Wednesday Workout

In today’s workout, you will do three rounds of 12 reps of three different movements on each leg. Rest as needed in between each round.

Movements for each round:

  • 12 lunges right leg
  • 12 lunges left leg
  • 12 reverse lunges right leg
  • 12 reverse lunges left leg
  • 12 curtsy lunges right leg
  • 12 curtsy lunges left leg

How to Do the Moves

For the video of movements click here. Remember there are always modifications. Let me know if you need help or suggestions. Don’t forget the warm-up. Make this workout work for you!

Photo by Sergio Pedemonte on Unsplash

Stay Strong & Be Inspired, Stacy

 

My husband sent me an article called “3 Signs You Are Growing Old Instead of Growing Up” from one of the subscriptions he gets from All Pro Dad. All Pro Dad is a great website for inspiration on how to deal with different situations with your children. Although the website focuses more on men (and dads in particular), I think it can be read by all. We are all growing older, every day. So what do we want to do with our lives going forward? What are our goals for the remainder of our lives? And once we achieve them do we just stop or chase another dream or goal? Or are we satisfied and become complacent? How can we grow up instead of just growing old?

“A good way to grow up instead of growing old is to get out of your comfort zone.”

The quote above says it all. No matter how old or young you are, get out of your comfort zone. Try something new or scary. Be willing to take the leap of faith. Do what you are passionate about. Show your children, your family, or your friends that you are willing to try something that may make you uncomfortable. Grow your soul.

grow up on a boatI have a friend who cannot swim. She is afraid of the water but she has put herself out of her comfort zone several times. She enjoys being on the water on a boat and even has a trip planned to spend six days on a catamaran sailing the British Virgin Islands. I am so proud and excited for her. If she wasn’t willing to put herself out there (with a lifejacket of course), she would miss out on the most beautiful waters and sites of the islands. How fun is that?

Jeff and I try to keep our relationship alive and young by complementing each other, staying active, and eating healthy. We want to stay sexy for each other, stay active and athletic so we can leap out of our comfort zone as we get older. We want to be able to try new things like skiing (for me), scuba diving (for us both), or hiking no matter how old we are in years. The more active we stay, the more active we can be as we age. If we become complacent in our lifestyle, those things may not be as easy, and we may not be as motivated to try new things. And anyone who knows me knows I have FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), so I definitely don’t want to grow old!

grow up skiing

Wherever you are in your life, don’t be afraid to try new things. Pray on it. Make a list of pros and cons. Get out there and live. Life is too short. Be an inspiration for your partner. Be an inspiration for your children and grandchildren. Get out there and grow up, not old!

Photo by Razvan Chisu on Unsplash

Stay Strong & Be Inspired, Stacy

Equipment Needed

  • dumbbell or some type of weight

Weekly Wednesday Workout

In today’s workout, you will do three rounds of 12 reps of four different arm movements. Rest as needed in between each round.

Movements for each round:

  • 12 bicep curls right arm
  • 12 bicep curls left arm
  • 12 shoulder to overhead right arm
  • 12 shoulder to overhead left arm
  • 12 shoulder raises right arm
  • 12 shoulder raises left arm
  • 12 rows right arm
  • 12 rows left arm

How to Do the Moves

For the video of movements click here. Remember there are always modifications. Let me know if you need help or suggestions. Don’t forget the warm-up. Make this workout work for you!

Photo by Sebastian Dumitru on Unsplash

Stay Strong & Be Inspired, Stacy

 

Today’s post is a link to another post called “100 Ways to Live to 100: A Definitive Guide to Longevity Fitness.” The article goes over a variety of things to do and not do to improve your physical and mental well-being to live longer.

Because some of the concepts contradict one another you can’t do them all. But this article provides an inspiring way to try to live longer and healthier. Just making one change can have a huge impact. Work on getting 1% better.

My favorite item from this list is number 24:

Know it’s never too late

“One month of healthy eating will confer immediate results in the realms of cell regeneration, decreased inflammation, and improved digestion. Starting young is great, but it doesn’t matter how old you are. Meet with your doctor beforehand to get your bloodwork done. Then come back after and note the changes, specifically in vascular health.”

Instead of changing your whole lifestyle in one day to try to live longer, start with baby steps. Try replacing red meat with grass-fed or local red meat. Try adding one cup of veggies to one of your meals a day. Try to cook with olive oil instead of butter. Whatever you do, just take one step at a time!

Bookmark this article and find something you can do to improve your daily life to live longer and better. Enjoy!

Photo by Luis Morera on Unsplash

Stay Strong & Be Inspired, Stacy

 

Equipment Needed

  • dumbbell (optional)

Weekly Wednesday Workout

In today’s workout, you will do three rounds of 12 reps of six movements. Rest as needed in between each round.

Movements for each round:

  • 12 squats
  • 12 squat pulses
  • 12 sumo squats
  • 12 sumo squat pulses
  • 12 cossack squats right leg
  • 12 cossack squats left leg

How to Do the Moves

For the video of movements click here. Remember there are always modifications. Let me know if you need help or suggestions. Don’t forget the warm-up. Make this workout work for you!

Stay Strong & Be Inspired, Stacy

 

“The American Psychological Association reports that insecurity is multifaceted. It pertains to an overall sense of uncertainty or anxiety about your worth, abilities, skills, and value as a person, conveying the message that you’re at risk or in danger of something or someone. That negative impact of insecurity could be physical, mental, or emotional. Without security, you can’t accomplish full trust or function to your fullest potential.”

Why do we have insecurity? Are we influenced by outside factors? Is there a way to feel more confident about relationships, our looks, our bodies, our talents, our jobs, and our material goods? Why are we so negative to ourselves? And how do we overcome it? Check out this website.

I try to be a positive person, and I try to count my blessings for all that I have in life and for all the amazing people I have met. But sometimes insecurity creeps in, and I feel anxious, sad, hopeless, or depressed. And that’s when I need to check myself and find ways to overcome it. I feel if you don’t deal with the insecurity it can really pull you into a deep dark place. Because I don’t want to stay in that place of insecurity, I take action to cope with it by talking to my husband, my therapist, or reading some self-help books. One of my favorite authors is SARK. Just picking up one of her books makes me smile. Her website is filled with positive thoughts and reinforcements as well. Two of my favorite books are Succulent Wild Woman and Transformation Soup.

 

It’s so hard when you see insecurity in others whether it be friends or family members. You want to tell them they have no reason to be insecure because you see all of their amazing qualities even when they don’t see it in themselves. They are smart or beautiful or talented. But when you feel it yourself you understand why others feel that way, too. Sometimes it’s so hard to believe that the most beautiful, famous, successful woman is insecure. We think how can she be insecure when she has it all (or what we think is “all”). But guess what? Insecurities are there for everyone. We just need to figure out how to deal with them in a healthy way.

Insecurity is a universal experience, but not all people experience insecurity so intensely that it disrupts their life and ability to function. If insecurity is creating unwanted impacts in your mental, social, or physical health, it could be time to take action and address the issue with professional support and assistance” (written by Eric Patterson, LPC).

Somehow we need to figure out how to be more confident and count our blessings. No matter who we are, we have so much. We have our lives, our health, our families, and our friends. We have roofs over our heads, food to eat, and freedom to explore. We need to remember that every situation is just that, a situation. We need to form our response to that situation and that can be in a positive or a negative way. We create our own happiness and security. Positive self-talk, pushing away negative feelings, looking forward to the future, and focusing on the good in this world can make a huge difference.

Photo by Melanie Wasser on Unsplash

Stay Strong & Be Inspired, Stacy

Equipment Needed

  • dumbbells
  • ab mat

Weekly Wednesday Workout

In today’s workout, you will do four rounds of 15 reps of 4 movements. Rest as needed in between each round.

Movements for each round:

  • 15  Thrusters
  • 15  Abs of your choice
  • 15  Jumping Jacks
  • 15  Dumbbell Rows

How to Do the Moves

For the video of movements click here. Remember there are always modifications. Let me know if you need help or suggestions. Don’t forget the warm-up. Make this workout work for you!

Photo by John Arano on Unsplash

Stay Strong & Be Inspired, Stacy

 

Jeff and I headed out west to visit some really good friends prior to our ski week in Taos. Although it took us seven hours to get there because of the weather and traffic, it was well worth it. As soon as we pulled into the little town of Glenwood Springs I loved it.

glenwood springs

Upon our arrival, our friends had a delicious feast waiting for us. They knew we would be hungry after our long drive. We had some amazing homemade pizza, pesto-filled mushrooms, marinated chicken, Greek pepper salad, wine, and great conversation. The next morning, we got to see the beautiful mountain views from their deck in Glenwood Springs.

glenwood springs

That day we went skiing at a local ski resort called Sunlight. I really enjoyed it. It was a beautiful bluebird day. We started on the green runs, and Jeff even gave me a few ski tips. I started feeling a little more comfortable. Clearly, he’s a better skier 🙂 Watch this video!

The resort had a great vibe. It was customer appreciation day so they had a costume contest and donut eating contest sponsored by Sweet Coloradough. They also had a DJ and everyone was dancing and playing cornhole. It became my second favorite ski resort behind Deer Valley.

Later that evening, we went downtown Glenwood Springs for dinner and drinks. We went to Riveria Supper Club. We sat at the bar until our table was ready. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable.  The table before us stayed longer than expected so they treated us with a free appetizer and round of champagne. We didn’t mind waiting and loved the freebies! The four of us split salmon, beef stroganoff, a burger, salad, and bone marrow. We were all a bit tired so we just headed back to the house for a nightcap.

glenwood springs

Instead of skiing the next day, we decided to go on a snowmobiling tour. We woke up to a downpour of snow.  It was a blast! Jeff and I rode together. The guide led us through the trees and up and down the trails. Then we stopped in a wide-open field, and they let us free ride for 30 minutes or so. I took the sled for a few spins and had so much fun. It was a snowy day so we didn’t get to see the majestic views from the summit, but eventually, the clouds broke up, and it turned into a beautiful sunny day. We continued on our journey, and they took us on a new trail. We had a group of about 10 snowmobiles and everyone was riding pretty good so they kept us out about an hour longer than normal, which was awesome but by the end of the ride, By the end, I was frozen to the bone.

glenwood springs sled

Our trip to Glenwood Springs was short but very sweet. I really enjoyed the mountain town and the beautiful views. Check out the bighorn sheep we saw on our way out of town. Sunlight was a really fun and cute local ski resort that I can’t wait to visit again.

glenwood springs sheep

Stay Strong & Be Inspired, Stacy

Equipment Needed

  • kettlebell or dumbbell

Weekly Wednesday Workout

In today’s workout, you will do 5 rounds of 5 reps of 5 movements. Do each movement as fast as possible to get a good cardio burn.

Movements for each round:

  • 5 jumping jacks
  • 5 kettlebell swings
  • 5 jumping lunges (each leg)
  • 5 up/downs
  • mountain climbers (each leg)

How to Do the Moves

For the video of movements click here. Remember there are always modifications. Let me know if you need help or suggestions. Don’t forget the warm-up. Make this workout work for you!

Photo by Gabin Vallet on Unsplash

Stay Strong & Be Inspired, Stacy