Blank pages

I love tuning into a radio station and get The song, a song that fits so well for a moment. Music can add so much to an experience... Like driving through the Redwood forest while listening to Bon Iver. Or, watching a documentary about the ocean and just as the music build up the most - humongous whales fly out of the water for a few seconds before they hit the ocean and makes the biggest splash you`ve ever seen.

As I was driving home from the gym, tired, thirsty and hoping for a "second wind" this morning, a song came on the radio that completely picked me up. The song is called Unwritten, it`s by Natasha Bedingfield, and it was the perfect moment to hear these lyrics:

"Unwritten"

I am unwritten, can't read my mind, I'm undefined
I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten.

Singing along, loving the lyrics - inspired me and made me feel empowered to go after more, to fill the blank pages of this day with more accomplishments! I got home and threw on my running shoes and went for a run. It was an awesome run. I think I`m sharing this to say that we all can take this day and fill it with great things, great accomplishment, great love. Make this day be lived to the fullest.

My May play-list has several up beat songs like this, watch out - some of these songs can be a little "too" catchy ;)

1. Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield
2. Stronger - Kanye West
3. Hanging by a moment - Lifehouse
4. Viva La Vida - Coldplay
5. Marry You - Bruno Mars
6. Walking on Sunshine - Katrina and the waves

7. The cave - Mumford and Sons

Happy Saturday!
-Kathrine-

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Gluten freedom story: Jazmyn

Today I have a real treat for you =) I asked a sweet sweet friend of mine to share with us about her journey of going gluten free. Her story is fascinating on so many levels... so read on:

Jazmyn`s Story: Quitting Cold-Turkey

A little history to go along with my story…Since I was a sophomore in high-school I’ve had this terrible red rash on my hands that would itch and crack. It was terrible. It looked bad and it felt bad. Pretty much it was bad. I never thought anything of it, other than it being psoriasis and do the best I could to stay hydrated and lotion up. I am blessed to have incredibly great vision. In August of this last year my eyes started getting itchy and red all the time. I granted that it was probably from allergies as we live in one of the driest, sunniest places on earth. After a month of red, itchy eyes I went to the eye doctor who told me I had pretty sever allergies. I continued using eye drops as I always have only to find it worsening with each week. By the end of October my eyesight began to diminish. At first things just seemed blurry far away but progressively they got worse. By the time Thanksgiving came around my eyes would swell at some points during the day and the white of my eyes were a continual pink color. Between October and the beginning of January I saw 4 eye doctors, all of who were stumped as to what would be causing this and causing it to worsen at such an intense speed. 

Our church held a class about healthy eating, raw foods, and affects food can have on your body. I decided to do a little research when a friend asked me if I noticed that it increased after I ate. I took the next three days, didn’t change my diet, and noticed that 1-2 hours after I ate was when my eyes would become itchy and swell. This happened every time I ate during the coarse of those 3 days.

I know quite a few people who had gone gluten-free due to allergies and after seeing the affects of what I was eating and how it affected me I researched a bit to find out that my skin problems and stomach upsetting were some signs of have a gluten allergy. I decided that trying to eat gluten-free for a couple of weeks were worth seeing if it would help. I mean ANYTHING had to be better than what I was dealing with.

Starting that following Monday I quit eating anything with gluten cold turkey. I literally saw the benefits within 36 hours. A day and a half into eating gluten-free my eyes began to clear up. They stopped being itchy and swelling, and my eyesight began to get better with each passing day. By the end of week one my left hand completely cleared up of its rash that I’d had for 9 years (yes NINE years…_) by the middle of the second week my right hand also healed up and my eyes completely restored. I couldn’t believe what a transformation had occurred simply from choosing to eat differently and being careful about what I put in my body. All this was caused by an ingredient??

I found it to be hard, but not AS hard as my thoughts had originally presumed. I did as much research as I could on ingredients, foods, etc that had gluten and prepared myself with a list of YES ingredients and NO ingredients that I keep on my phone for when I go grocery shopping.

Although eating gluten can be a pain at times(there are days when all I wanna do is eat a funfetti cupcake……) but for the most part being gluten-free has only shown it’s self positive. Not only are my skin, eyes and stomach benefiting, but also my diet is much healthier as it has caused me to eat a much more balanced diet packed with fruits, veggies, and lean meats.
I have found that changing my diet to meet my need for no gluten has been slightly trying, very informational, but mostly fun. It’s like a little challenge I have daily and something that I feel proud of each and everyday I move forward. I also, am incredibly blessed to have Katrina in my life as she is a world of wisdom on eating gluten-free and is loaded with recipes to keep fun foods in my life.

“Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.” – General George S. Patton

Live life to the fullest!-Jazmyn-

What a story. Thank you so much Jazmyn for sharing.. You are an inspiration to us all! ;)

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What I do today, will benefit me tomorrow

Today I am thinking about lasting health and how - what I do today will benefit me tomorrow. (Tomorrow, as in 10-20 years from now on.)

Some people seems to age really well. We can find really "fit" looking people in the entertainment world like Madonna. She is a lady that has been around with her music for years and years and managed to stay in shape through pregnancies and through the years.
I firmly believe that what we do with our health right now, will have lasting effects on our life. Madonna didn`t just follow a trainer for a few months, neither did she just do yoga for a month to be where she is at right now, she has worked to stay fit all of her life - when she was in her 20`s, 30`s and 40`s.

Healthy habits will keep us going strong and in some ways "slow" the aging process.
Exercise and diet goes hand in hand and plays a vital role here. Now Madonna probably has all kinds of chefs, trainers, equipment not to mention time, to focus on her health. But her example still stands.

(I want to explain myself, I am not using Madonna as a role model for her skinny-ness. People with allot more weight on their bodies can still be in great shape...! It`s not about how skinny we look, it`s about having a strong heart and strong muscles. Anyone can be skinny or fat, but it takes work to become strong and age well. Which I think Madonna has done well.)

I don`t ever wanna become a slave to something. For example an extreme diet, or too harsh of a work out routine that will only last for so long. Finding a balanced lifestyle where diet and exercise goes hand in hand, with all the other aspects of our lives is really important.

When working out becomes hard or boring to do day in and day out, I remind myself that I`m doing this with the future in mind. For myself and for the people that are important in my life. Quickly the sense of purpose comes back to me and I stay motivated for my work out.
So keep running, you runners, keep skiing, keep walking, dancing, lifting weights - whatever it is. Just stay active. =)
I realize that some of you don`t have that habit of exercising or eating healthy, but you know what, It`s never too late to start, never. Health is for everyone who wants it. It does not require anything, just your choice.

-Kathrine-

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Getting back into the swing

As the last month has been a bit of a hold-back month as far as training goes - dealing with painful knees and then bronchitis, I now feel ready to get going with training again! =)

I have instructed a bunch of classes in the last few weeks, but that is different. My first real work out was done yesterday and it was allot harder then I expected. Usually I love going from one exercise to the other and pushing really hard. But all I wanted to do yesterday was to quit. I felt weak.

At times working out is not all that fun. Not having a work out rhythm can become and ongoing cycle. Always having to do a "first work out" in a while is not awesome, especially finding out that our fitness level is not all that it could be. 
I think once we have established a rhythm, working out feels allot easier, more fun and our fitness level will always improve.

Anyway, when I finished up my work out yesterday and felt "down" about it, I made a decision to look ahead. I told myself that after the next work out I will feel a little stronger and a little more fit. Immediately I started looking forward to my next work out..
This morning I got up and hurried to the gym, I had already decided to be challenged in a EFX (Everyday Fitness Extreme) class at Everyday Fitness. (A high intense interval circuit training class that goes for an hour.) Sure enough, I did the work out and felt 10 times better about it today compared to yesterday`s work out. I remember now that I do love to exercise.

 -Kathrine-

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Super-food Week

Happy Monday everyone =)

It`s always nice to start a new week, especially if last week was challenging.
My focus this week is on eating plenty of incredibly nutritious foods that will strengthen my immune system and boost my overall health. I will be posting my meal plans for some of the days and add the recipes along with it.

Super food are foods high in nutritional value and low in calories. They are superior sources of anti-oxidants and essential nutrients that our bodies cannot produce on it`s own. It`s food with allot of color, it usually tastes awesome in it`s natural state and can be found in nature.
These foods have high concentration of easy digestible nutrients, vitamins and compounds to burn fat, protect and heal our bodies. The green leafy vegetables are especially rich in chlorophyll, which our cells thrives on.
This can be foods like, but not limited too: goji and acai berries, cacao, vegetables, fruits, seeds (chia, flax, hemp etc) and nuts.


Here is my super food meal plan for today:

Breakfast - Papaya Salad (ripe papaya, blueberries and blackberries)

Lunch - Baked beets and Quinoa salad (gold beets, cooked quinoa and minced baby broccoli)

Snack - Coconut water, bee pollen and homemade chocolate fudge,

Dinner - Belgian Endive salad (endive, arugula, avocado) with apricot garlic crumbs (dried apricots, almonds and 1-2 cloves of garlic in a food processor)

Vitamins - pro-biotic, multi vitamin (B12, B6, C, folat etc) and flax oil.

I will post pictures after every meal. I really love capturing amazing foods on photos ;)
Have a wonderful day -Kathrine-

Resources: Eating for Beauty

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Inspiring Determination

Elite athletes work hard for years and years. They work on building the right muscles, balance, focus and all the specialties to their sport. Athletes embraces the competition and take any "setback" and uses if as fuel for further improvement of skill. These people have an ability to come back even stronger, to compete again and again till they finally win. It fascinates me - these character traits.
I came across a few people - "determined" people that have achieved some pretty great things.


The ultra fit Dean Karnazes ran 50 marathons, in 50 states of the US, in 50 days. Why: He wanted to send a message to the people of America; get off the couch and reclaim your health! Here`s Karnazes secret:

"run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must, just never give up"

A Romanian woman, Nadia Comaneci is known to be one of the worlds best gymnasts. At the age of 14 she scored a perfect 10 in Olympic competition, making her the first woman to ever do so. Comaneci has personally funded the construction and operation of a Children`s clinic that provides low-cost and free medical support in Romania. She also speaks no less then 5 languages and has spoken at the UN. Comaneci`s words are:

"Hard work has made it easy. That is my secret. That is why I win."

Lance Armstrong was a promising athlete who got served the worst possible news as a 25 year old. He was diagnosed with cancer and given less then 40% chance of surviving. Despite the odds, he managed to beat the affliction, he then returned to his sport (cycling) and won it`s top prize, not just once - but seven years in a row he won Tour De France. Armstrong is now doing awareness work for cancer, see livestrong.com. Armstrong`s wisdom in few words are:

"Pain is temporary. It may last for a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever".

 Learning about these people inspires me to go after more. To dream bigger, to not let anything hold me back, but to be determined. I love how these 3 people have fought their own battle, and now they fight battles for other people!

 

Something stirs up inside of me when I see the charts of child obesity increasing every day in America, it`s also not right that people suffer from eating normal food because of additives and chemicals. I am not a politician, nor am I a doctor. But I am one that cares about these things, and can make a difference.

About a week ago I got to do a photo shoot with an incredible photographer and a good friend - Myriah Grubbs. I wanted her to capture my passions, and I thought she did a phenomenal job. Here is just a sneak peak ;) Here is me "picking a fight" with some of the "issues" that I care about...

I think one of the main goals of staying healthy is so that we are strong enough to fight battles for others. For our sons and daughters, for our parents, siblings grandparents and friends. And for those that don`t have the resources to make it happen. These are reasons that inspires me for health. 
-Kathrine-

Resources: 

www.lancearmstrong.com, www.livestrong.com, wikipedia,

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