Exercising with Andrew, my hubby, is one of my favorite things to do. Lately we've been going hiking on Saturdays when the weather is nice.

I'm IN LOVE with the Utah mountains and I'm so proud to live in the Provo/Orem area. There's so much to do to stay active here. There are biking, running and hiking trails galore and I can't get enough of them! Not to mention just a few hours away we have access to SOUTHERN UTAH which is home to soooo many red rock and desert wonders. 

I'm always trying to get my other family members to move out here to Utah because of how awesome it is, but sadly I don't think it will happen for any of them. But oh well, that only makes me more excited to have kids someday and build my own family here.

This is Mount Timpanogos, a mountain that sits right in front of my house and is less than a 2 minute drive to its hiking trails:

Here we are  hiking up the front side of the Timpanogos mountain. (BTW, that's not the mountain, that's just the rock formation he's pointing to!)

MMmmmm!! Trail mix to keep us strong and energized!

Yah, he wasn't ready for this pic when I snapped it, obviously!!!

*GIVEAWAY!*

I will be giving away a $25 Target gift card to one lucky person who TWEETS & shares how your family lives a fit and healthy lifestyle. Hashtag it #YogaEatRun and#C9atTarget to enter to win!

Make sure you're ready for warm weather fitness with C9 by Champion at Target!

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Target.

(This has been a sponsored post brought to you by Target! Keep an eye out for more giveaways soon!)

I made this video to show you all THE RIGHT WAY to freeze your CHICKEN for better meal prepping success! (And please excuse my saturday morning bedhead and no makeup self!)

I used to bring my frozen chicken breast package home and stick it ALL in the freezer. That caused me a huge hassel when it came to meal prep because I would end up having to thaw out the ENTIRE BLOCK of chicken breasts. A while ago I came across this commercial for Ziploc Perfect Portions freezer bags and found the answer to my problems! (btw this is NOT a sponsored post!)

Watch my video above to see how it's done!

What you'll need: 

1. Ziploc Perfect Portions freezer bags

2. And some lean chicken filets!  

Pull out a freezer bag, stick your hand in it like a glove. With that same hand, grab a chicken filet and wrap the bag around it. Now you can freeze your chicken indiviually for quicker, easier access and thawing. Whooo! 

I hope that helps some of you out. I'm sure most of you know about this already but just in case some of you didn't, you're welcome!! :) 

Happy Monday!!! I am SO motivated and ready to kick some butt this week! After seeing great results (I've already lost +2lbs!) from only 5 days of staying on track with my diet and exercise, it's got me more pumped to keep going strong. I have big plans for being very productive this week, and I hope that by the end of the week I'm going to feel fulfilled and happy about my efforts. 

It's SOOO important that you PLAN your week and goals out. I even created this excel spreadsheet that I will use to help me check off my goals every day this week: 

Here's my strict plan for workouts this week that I plan to stick with no matter what!

Monday: WEIGHTS / CARDIO 30 mins on spin bike

Tuesday: CARDIO 30 mins on elliptical / yoga & stretching

Wednesday: WEIGHTS

Thursday: CARDIO 30 mins on / 2nd Series Yoga at 3B Yoga Studio

Friday: WEIGHTS (<----going to see The Great Gatsby!)

Saturday: CARDIO 30 mins on spin bike 

Sunday: REST

Goals:

• Drink at least 1 liter of water per day (hopefully more but I'll start with that)

• Read scriptures in the mornings

On a side note, for the first time EVER in my life I got my hair dyed this week, what do you think? It's not a drastic change, but I think it makes me look a little more chic :) 

 What is your PLAN OF ATTACK this week? I want to know, tell me in the comments! 

It's May 1st! The beginning of a new month, a fresh start. I'm thrilled to start afresh and to stay positive and hopeful throughout this month. By the way don't you love my yoga calendar by Briohny? She's the girl in that amazing yoga video by Equinox, and I absolutely LOVE my calendar. 

I'm excited for this month especially because I started training again with my favorite personal trainer and mentor, Matt with Zoned In Fitness.

He will be leading me through a 3-month online program where I will train with him and get closer to my goals. If any of you are looking for a great trainer to work with online, I definitely recommend him, he's the best I know of.

I weighed myself just now and for the record I weight 130.8. 

My goal at the end of 3 months is to weigh 120 or less. 

For the first phase of my program I will be weight lifting total body 3x a week, and doing cardio 4x a week. Matt will be monitoring & guiding my nutrition plan. 

I took some skin-showing BEFORE photos but I really don't want to share them on here YET. I'd rather wait until the end of these three months to show you my progress. Then you won't think "... yeesh". Instead you'll say, "WOW! good job!" and that will make me proud.

I'm really excited to give this MY ALL and stay committed. I think this is just the challenge I was looking for that I described wanting in my last post.  

I'm also going to be doing this awesomely *CUTE* Instagram challenge, so if you're not already following me on Instagram, head over there and let's do it together!

So have a happy May 1st DAY! No matter where you're at, pick yourself up and start FRESH!

"It's a lifestyle." I'm sure you've heard this phrase over and over before but what does it really mean to you? 

There's a certain level of maintenance that we as humans require on a daily basis in order to stay in good health and wellness. We must brush and floss our teeth to avoid cavities and the loss of teeth. We must shower to stay clean and protect against certain ailments. The same principles apply to exercise and healthy eating - we must eat healthfully to stay alive and we must exercise to stay in good health and avoid disease. 

My personal trainer Matt taught me this, he says, "What would happen if you fed a plant soda? It would whither away and eventually die. So on the same token, why would you feed your body things that aren't biologically good for it?" 

Living a healthy and fit lifestyle is a matter of taking proper care for ourselves out of necessity. Deciding to live a healthy lifestyle is not really an option, it's an obligation and a privilege that if ignored, will yield negative outcomes. 

Thank goodness being active has so many other benefits like improving mood, better mental focus, and looking good! 

*GIVEAWAY!*

I will be giving away a $25 Target gift card to one lucky person who TWEETS to me why YOU think living a healthy and active lifestyle is important. Hashtag it #YogaEatRun and #C9atTarget to enter to win!

Content and/or other value provided by my partner, Target.

(This has been a sponsored post brought to you by Target! Keep an eye out for more giveaways soon!)

I am SO EXCITED to share this incredible Overnight Oats recipe I made this weekend that I got from Alexandrea, my lovely friend on Facebook who shared it with me. Click here to see the original link where I got these recipes from The Yummy Life. Granted, I changed up some of the recipe ingredients to suit my own taste.

Overnight Oats is a protein-packed, fiber-filled, and low-calorie oatmeal recipe that you leave in the fridge overnight to soak up all the flavors and soften. It's got the texture of porridge and pudding in one. You can leave them in the fridge for up to 4 days.

They are filled with Greek Yogurt, Soy milk, honey and chia seeds. The chia seeds fluff up overnight and are soft by morning.

I made five different flavors: Mango Almond, Raspberry Vanilla, Peanut Butter Banana, Blackberry Walnut, and Banana Cocoa.

These babies are great for breakfast or a post-workout snack! I can't tell you how excited this week is going to be for me because of these little gems! I already had my first one this morning and O-M-GOSH they are DELICIOUS beyond description! No joking here, you've GOTTA try them!

Here are your basic ingredients that will be needed for ALL of the flavors:  

• Mason Jars size: Half Pint (8 oz) = 1cup

• Old Fashioned ROLLED OATS 1/4 cup (not instant, quick, or steel-cut)

• Vanilla Soy Milk 1/3 cup (or any milk of your choice like skim, almond, etc.)

• Greek Yogurt 1/4 cup (I prefer the brand Fagé, it has 23g of protein per serving & zero fat) 

• Chia Seeds 1 teaspoon (you can find at any store now-a-days)

• Honey 1 teaspoon (or sweetener of your choice)

You're going to add these ingredients into your mason jar, along with the other recipe-specific ingredients, put the lid on, shake it up well, and refridgerate over night! Simple, quick, and easy meal prep!

Below are the various recipes I made. Click on the pink button below to take a look at the individual recipes!

 Mango Almond: has mango chunks, almond extract, honey and almonds! 

274 calories, 10g fat, 36g carbs, 3g fiber, 15g protein

Peanut Butter Banana: has peanut butter, honey, and banana! 

327 calories, 13g fat, 43g carbs, 4g fiber, 16g protein

Raspberry Vanilla: has raspberries, vanilla extract, and raspberry preserves!

(I had to use boysenberry flavor because that's what I had on hand!) 

275 calories, 5g fat, 51g carbs, 3g fiber, 12g protein

Banana Cocoa: has peanut butter, honey, and Hershey's Cocoa! 

242 calories, 5g fat, 42.5g carbs, 5g fiber, 13g protein

Blackberry Walnut: has walnuts, honey, and blackberries! 

318 calories, 14g fat, 39g carbs, 4g fiber, 14g protein

 I hope you guys try these for your next meal prepping session! Tell me what you think in the comments!