PT WorkinIt - Fit and Healthy for Life

So you all know I was doing a new workout program last month, right?  Well it completely changed me in more ways than just physical. I discovered I CAN do different workouts and like them, even when they are hard and not something I'm used to.  I had to learn new moves and feel uncomfortable doing them.  They weren't my normal squats, lunges and burpees.  I had to learn to throw punches and kicks!  It was way out of my comfort zone! I discovered I CAN follow a meal plan, even during the holidays when there are sweets around me.  I just have to plan ahead and follow through.  I learned that meal prepping is key to me staying on track, but I can do it in an hour or so one day a week and that makes my whole week easier! I discovered that I need my personal development to get me through those tough days when the workouts were longer and I wasn't sure if I was going to make it.  Personal development keeps my mind strong, makes me tell myself ...

I LOVE granola bars!  They used to be my go to snack when I was hungry between meals and then I started eating a little cleaner, so I avoided the store bought ones for a while.  We still bought them for the kids so they were around and I would look at them often!   I have given in and eaten them a couple of times recently, but the worst part of eating clean happened - some of my favorite foods don't sit so well in my stomach anymore!  Dang it for my stomach not liking the processed food with the chemicals 😉  I've tried a couple different recipes and they are all good, but I had to keep them in the refrigerator or they got too soft. So, this recipe I found the other day bakes them which I guess I always avoided because it would take longer.  However, baking them is totally worth it!  I have wrapped them individually so I can throw them into lunch boxes and they don't fall apart by the time lunch comes around.  AND they can sit out of the ...

Remember I told you last week that I had made some new meals we loved? Well I didn't get a chance to get back on and tell you about this amazing one.  It's a skillet meal and who doesn't love the lack of dishes to be washed! Bacon Cheeseburger Skillet - I'm in the minority on this in most instances, but bacon is not one of my favorite things to eat.  I can do it in moderation, but it is not I choose most of the time.  So this dinner was made with my family in mind - yep I'm that nice of a mom/wife 😍 The original recipe says to put it in a wrap or over lettuce, but I knew my family really wouldn't go for that, so I decided at the last minute to make some rotini noodles.  With that in mind I would make a slight modification.  I'll tell ya about that as we go through the recipe.   The kids loved this meal so I'm sure I'll make it again because it was also super easy! Great for a weeknight when you don't have much time or you just don...

Hey!  So this past week I tried several new recipes - they were so good and everyone liked them!  I love when I can make healthy meals that everyone questions and then tells me how good it is! Now, know that I don't really make these up by myself but I take other people's recipes and modify them to fit my family's likes and my health wants :)  I do, however, think I am getting better at coming up with my own creations!     We love pizza here and we could eat it weekly for sure - and sometimes we do!  But having a lot of wheat too often makes my stomach feel terrible so even though I absolutely love it and will sacrifice most of the time, I can't do it all the time.  And that's where these tacos pizzas come in!  Instead of making my usual pizza crust all the time, I can use whole wheat tortillas or FlatOut wraps and then my stomach doesn't complain as much! Ingredients: Whole wheat or corn tortillas or FlatOut wraps 1 pound groun...

As part of my wellness journey, I have started running online, virtual support fitness groups.  I get a group of ladies (mostly) together and we check in everyday to talk about our day, how our eating went, how the workout went and to make sure we actually did it! This new workout I'm doing is a mixed martial arts program with strengthening and stretching mixed in.  It has been an amazing workout so far and I think it is my new favorite!  I love the challenge I get from it and the external results are astounding after only 2 weeks! I cannot wait to see the results in 2 more weeks and from now on I am sticking to the program without any straying!  So nutrition planning is on and if you need some more ideas, I post daily on my facebook page Here! Always remember that even though we are on a journey to better ourselves, we will always faulter.  We are not perfect beings and never will be.  We just have to keep pushing, learning and doing our best to ...

It has been a glorious 5 days off work and time spent with the family!  We normally travel for the holidays, but we had been traveling so much we decided to stay home and have Thanksgiving.  Our neighbor invited us over to join their family so I didn't have to make a big meal for the 4 of us - plus AJ said he would rather go out to eat than make a big meal that may get wasted.  So I accepted the invitation 😊 I did make some pies, chocolate chip cookies and a green bean casserole to bring over 😱 I did quite well with my eating and only had a little piece of cherry pie and pumpkin pie!  I told myself I wasn't going to have any, but I only eat pumpkin pie once a year so I couldn't resist myself! No skipping on the workout though and I tried to make the green bean casserole a little healthier - this (http://smilesandwich.com/2015/10/26/clean-eating-green-bean-casserole/) isn't the exact recipe I used, but similar.  I tried to follow the one on Beachbody on Dem...

So sometimes life happens and we get busy and things fall to the backburner. I haven't written in 11 days!! Yikes - we have a lot to catch up on! Since last time we have been out of town and played at a really cool playground that was developed for all kids - so kids with disabilities could have the same fun as a child without a disability. It was amazing and really struck my heart since I occasionally work with kids with disabilities. I only took one real picture unfortunately, the rest were on snap chat (terra227). It also gave me the thought that they need an adult sized playground. My SIL and I had fun playing but were too big for a lot of it!  Have you ever seen an adult playground, like with old school playground equipment meant for adults?? Someone should make one! I have also started a new program!! I am so excited and am loving this program. I have done it for 5 days so far and am already seeing amazing results!! It is an MMA style workout but they throw in strength...

So I know I posted yesterday and I don't usually post back to back days, but I came home sick with Bronchitis today and decided that since it was raining and I was home to be resting, making homemade soup was going to be the best thing for me to do and keep me from cleaning! The absolute worst part of being sick, besides having to cancel my patients at work, is that I was told to not workout for a couple days :/  I'm glad it happened this week and not next when I'm starting my new program with the coach test group!  So, this week is focusing on making sure I eat right and prepping for this new eating plan.  Gotta look at the positive, right? :)   Ok, so this soup was amazing and we used AJ's grandma's recipe with the addition of shredded chicken.  It was so good, and I'm excited that we have left overs for me to take to work!  The kids loved it too and it was perfect for our first cool day of fall! Here's what you'll need: Beef soup b...

As we sit on the plane in Florida getting ready to take off to head home, I'm already beginning to think about the coming weeks. I'm so excited to start the new Core de Force and dive into the meal plan for this program. I haven't gotten my book yet but I've heard this plan is different so I'm super excited!! I've also been reading a little bit about carb cycling. As I figure that out I'll keep you all updated too! I think it sounds great but I need to keep researching it for me and my fam. I feel like carbs are my biggest struggle so if I can find a plan where I can still eat them and not have my stomach blow up that would be amazing!!  For now I'm going to stick to the specific plan for Core de Force though. I wanted to share with you our homemade spaghetti sauce today. It's so easy to make and so good. The best part though is that you can freeze it for another time! Plus it's sugar free!! Ingredients 1½ pounds ground beef/turkey ...

Halloween is tomorrow!!  Goodness this month flew by.  The weather is amazing here for the end of October - today's high was 75 degrees and tomorrow's is 81 degrees!  Normally we are walking around with coats and gloves and hats and freezing while we walk house to house just for some candy.  Why do we do that?  :)   Are your kids dressing up? The kids had a birthday party a couple weekends ago and dressed up in their costumes - so here's a preview, there will be makeup and better hair tomorrow! Our kids LOVE and request meatloaf - that seems like a strange thing to me!  I don't think I had meatloaf a lot when I was a kid, but it always seems to have a bad reputation with kids. We don't have meatloaf a lot because it takes a while to bake, but I've discovered that making them in muffin tins they take about half the time!  Glorious!! The newest recipe I modified may be the best one yet.  It makes 12 regular sized muffins and uses h...

Hey Happy Friday!!  Friday's are my absolute favorite weekday because I only have to work until 12ish!!  I get to come home and do whatever I want until I go get the kids from school!  It's amazing!!  Most of the time I go to the grocery store, clean, workout or chat with some friends - but it's my choice and I can do whatever I want! :) Yesterday I finished my latest workout program - 21 day fix extreme from Beachbody - heard of it? It is a fantastic workout because it has 7 different workouts to do weekly and it teaches you how to eat proper portions for your weight and activity level!  I love it and can see a lot of results from it when I am eating like I should...um, not this time....I just have a huge sweet tooth and sometimes it gets the best of me!  But I am learning to control it and have made huge strides from when I started 3 years ago!!  November 2013   October 2016 (silly cat!) I am going to keep going with 21 DFX un...

This is one of my most favorite recipes that I have adapted to fit our families needs and make on a weekly basis.  It provides protein and carbs to keep you full and satisfied for the morning!   Our kids literally have this breakfast every day and if I don't have them made, the kids are quite upset. They call them chocolate bars but that's very deceiving because there's not really much chocolate in it! These take 10 minutes max to make and then time in the fridge to set.  1+ cup natural peanut butter (I like Skippy) 1 cup local honey (for allergy sakes!) 1 1/3 cup oatmeal 3 scoops chocolate protein powder (I use Orgain) 1 scoop chocolate Shakeology (if you don't have this, just do 5 scoops of protein powder) Then I dump in some flax seeds and chia seeds - not measured Heat peanut butter and honey on stove together.  Add in your other ingredients and mix well Spread in a container (I use a 9x13 Pyrex). Place in fridge overnight or freezer for an ...

Hey!  I'm Terra, a physical therapist and fitness enthusiast.  I decided to start a blog because I feel there is so much to share about our bodies, fitness, health, physical therapy, life as a wife with kids AND we all need encouragement, support and positive affirmations in this crazy world.  Life is a journey and when health is incorporated it is a lifetime of making good choices for you and your family.  Choosing to stay active and eat clean (at least most of the time!) takes dedication.  To see results and be your healthiest, you need to be active 5 days a week and eat clean 80% of the time. I want to support and encourage you.  I love helping others learn and teach them what I have learned over the past several years.  If you are interested in getting started on your journey, check back often and see what's new and exciting around here - recipes, workouts, fun/educational articles I have found and just crazy life things. I hope you are read...