thefitandfreeemily

[thefitandfreeemily]

Laters, Baby.

(Sorry, couldn’t think of a good title. It was too funny to pass up.) ;)

  As many of you have read, over the past year or so, I haven’t felt “quite right” about my blog. At first I thought I needed to put more effort into being a “real blogger;” investing in ebooks, blog schools, web buddies to coach me through some of the areas I was having trouble staying committed to. And while I truly…

[thefitandfreeemily]

5 Ways to Get Off Your BUTT and MOVE this Winter!

5 Ways to Get Off Your BUTT and MOVE this Winter!

Howdy, friends!

It seems crazy to me that the topic of winter is already on my brain, but here in Iowa you just never know what mother nature will throw at you. We’re already in to 30deg mornings and last year our pipes froze THREE TIMES (-30 before windchill, thank you very much), sooo… luck favors the prepared. ;)

Columbia (via being a POPSUGAR Select Blogger) challenged me to come up with…

[thefitandfreeemily]

Back to Life, Back to Reality

Back to Life, Back to Reality

I’m sure most of you can tell that something has been a-brewing here on FF/E. When I posted my “I’m not happy” feelings in my Adrift post, I wasn’t exaggerating. I took a close look at my life and priorities and thought What am I doing wrong? Where am I failing? 

The truth is, I’m failing at a lot of things. I just have too much on my plate, mentally and quite literally. Although I’ve made some…

[thefitandfreeemily]

September Wrap-Up (Bonus Giveaway!)

September Wrap-Up (Bonus Giveaway!)

  I can’t even understand how tomorrow is the first day of October. WOW, this fall is flying by already. I’ve kept myself busy with work and working out, and really taking a look at where my priorities fall (more on this tomorrow). All-in-all, September has been a HUGE month of changes and positive forward movement in all areas of my life.

September 2014 – How’d I do?

I worked pretty dang hard…

[thefitandfreeemily]

Chocolate Protein Donuts (Manitoba Harvest Hemp Protein)

Chocolate Protein Donuts (Manitoba Harvest Hemp Protein)

Anyone else knee-deep in meal prep tonight? Sunday nights are synonymous with “dirty every dish in the house in the name of weekly meal prep.” Messy, but necessary. :)

Yesterday I got a bit of a jump-start on meal prep by whipping up some post-workout treats. My group class instructors are always going on and on about how important protein is, within 30 minutes of a good workout. Typically I keep…

[thefitandfreeemily]

Currently (September 2014)

Currently, September 2014

Thinking… too many things at once. Anyone else having information overload this week? Between my job and just life-events (school back in session, family activities, etc), I kind of feel that my brain has reached it’s very small limit. I need a bigger hard-drive. ;)

Feeling… a bit overwhelmed, but also optimistic. I think I’ve gotten a bit of that drive and passion back…

[thefitandfreeemily]

What's Worth Fighting For

What’s Worth Fighting For

If my last postbrought me any positive realizations about myself, it is this: I don’t give up easily. Clearly I don’t have it all figured out, but I keep showing up. A lesser person would have thrown in the towel a long time ago, right? I was thinking a lot about this on the treadmill this morning. Why do I keep coming back to the gym? Why even try? Believe me, I’ve thought every single day about…

[thefitandfreeemily]

Adrift

I have a lot of thoughts swirling around in my head tonight (well, it’s “tonight” when I’m writing this), so get ready for an old-school “Here are Emily’s thoughts” kind of blog. Expect little sense to be made. You’ve been warned…

adrift: (definition) floating on the water without being tied to anything or controlled by anyone. Without guidance, purpose, or support.

My weight-loss, or lack thereof:

[thefitandfreeemily]

September 2014 Goals

Hello, internet buddies!

I hope you all had a great Labor Day (and that you didn’t have to work). :) The family and I had some great quality time; taking Harper to the Iowa Children’s Museum, canning a TON of pickles from the garden, and just having some good relaxation. It was a great way to end August.

  August 2014 – How’d I do?

I am REALLY HAPPY with how August went for me.I put in a lot of…

[thefitandfreeemily]

Back to School Snacking (ft. NatureBox!)

Back to School Snacking (ft. NatureBox!)

School’s back in session, and guess who’s excited?!

That was Harper’s attempt at a “first day of school” picture. MOM – do you like how I STYLE? She has asked all summer when school would be starting up again. I guess she was getting sick of hanging out with Adam and I. How rude. ;)

Going back to school means we’re back on a tight schedule around here; coordinating our opposite work schedules,…

[thefitandfreeemily]

In the Groove (and Staying FLEXIBLE)!

In the Groove (and Staying FLEXIBLE)!

Good morning, friends!!

Recently, I joined a new gym. This is super long story that I’ll dive into another day… but long story short, I AM LOVING IT. I’ve always been someone who thrives in a group atmosphere, and I love that this space is so welcoming. It’s unlike any other gym I’ve been to. It’s like my “Cheers,” everyone knows my name! :)

A few people have asked me how I’ve found my new…

[thefitandfreeemily]

Summer Vinaigrette Cucumber Salad #spiralized

Summer Vinaigrette Cucumber Salad #spiralized

Good morning, friends!

We’ve had a pretty mild summer, here in Iowa. Normally at this time of year, we’re well into the lower 100’s for WEEKS at a time! Finally, a couple of weeks ago, summer started to heat up around here. Which FINALLY got our garden rolling! We have a few 10×4 ft beds, and I’ve been eagerly waiting for all my veggies to come in. Once the heat showed up, we went from nothing to…

[thefitandfreeemily]

The Highs and Lows of Massive Weight Loss

The Highs and Lows of Massive Weight Loss

I guess I should say, the ATTEMPT at massive weight loss. ;)

It’s no surprise to any of us that losing weight is hard, especially when you have a massive amount to lose. I mean, c’mon. I’m staring at 170-ish pounds to knock of this body. That is literally what my husband weighs. It’s no small feat.

Maybe that’s why I hate talking about how absolutely devastatingbeing in this body can be. No one…

[thefitandfreeemily]

August 2014 Goals

Something only hardcore FF/E readers may notice … yes, my title is in “proper case.” I kind of hate to uppercase my blog post titles (it makes them seem way too official), but I got sick of the all lowercase vibe I’ve had for a long time. Random moments with Emily. ;)

Good morning! So, August. Not really sure what happened to July, but I sure didn’t kick near enough butt. My tough love lettermay…

[thefitandfreeemily]

three weight-loss lessons from my staycation

(image adapted with creative commons permission)

  1) Sitting all day (boredom) is killing me.

Let’s set aside the fact that sitting all day could literally end your life sooner, and let me just say this: It was world’s easierto eat well and move when not tethered to a cubicle all day. Shocking, right? Although I figured I would be more active (duh), what I didn’t expect was how easy it was to…

[thefitandfreeemily]

what i'm loving: staycation!

*blows dust off blog*

Akhem. Why hello there, old friends. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve posted anything!

No excuses or regrets on my end, I’ve taken on my Tough Love message full-force. I’ve weighed ALL THE FOOD, sweating out to ALL THE EXERCISE and just generally embracing ALL THE LIFE. It’s been great! Now that I feel like I have a little more stability in my health routine, I’m shifting…

[thefitandfreeemily]

time for some tough love (#tribelove #justtrollin)

time for some tough love (#tribelove #justtrollin)

What a whirlwind post-Fitbloggin has been!

Immediately after getting back one week ago (after a million rain delays), I was thrown into a mountain of work. I seriously put in about 20 extra hours this past weekend. Now (Monday night, as I type this) I feel like I finally have a moment to catch my breath and try to process all the amazingness that happened in Savannah. (Sneak peak: here are my…