Walking back into my faith..

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A few weeks ago I was driving to my speed training workout.  I was busy paying attention to traffic, listening to my music and getting my mind focused on my upcoming workout.  Out of no where I heard a voice that said "Kathy go to church." I was the only one in the car so I started to think you have lost it.  Then I heard it again.  I wasn't sure if it was God or my own internal voice talking but it really hit a nerve.  Tears starting to stream down my face as I realized right then that I have stopped making time for God.

I was born and raised in a very strick Catholic family.  Went to Catholic School for 9 years, Church every single Sunday and every holy day.  We never started a meal without an "Our Father" at the Morgan household.  Faith was important to my Mother and Father, so they wanted to make Faith just as important to us. But when I went away from home I also walked away from my Faith.  

I would go to church once in a while because my Dad would always ask me how it was going.  There is one person in this world I hate to upset and that is my Dad.  So I would lie to him and always tell him Church was wonderful and so was my Priest.  My Dad had rules, if you lived or were under his roof you would go to Church.  So any time I would come home that is what I did.  I felt like I was being forced to have God in my life, which at the time I didn't like or understand.

I use to think that since I went to Catholic School I had my time with God.  We prayed every morning and would go to Church at least once a week.  Church wasn't special to me because it was just something I had to to at school.  I hated it and hated my parents for sending me to a Catholic school where I was labeled different.  The public school kids hated us, which in turn made me question my Faith.

When it was time for me to decide if faith was important I completely shut the door on its face.  Of course I would pray for my friends and family, I would attend Church when I was home and would always go to Church every Sunday for lent.  However, once Easter Sunday was over so was my weekly visit to Church. 

The one thing I haven't done in years was pray for myself.  I don't think I deserve to ask God for help when I basically am always turning away from him.  Thing is I need to start praying for myself because my life is what I call in "pause mode"  I feel like I have been in pause mode for a few years now.  I am starting to think the reason I feel this way is because I stopped following God's path. 

I make time for my workouts each week, time for my friends, time for work and time to sleep but I never make time for the one person that built me.  God put me on this earth for a reason and I will never find that reason if I don't trust him and ask him to guide me in the right direction.

So I am making a promise to myself to make time for God again.  It is only one hour a week! I need him in my life to help me figure out what to do with my job, my future and to be with me when the rest of the world is away.  I am a better person when I attend Church.  I smile more, feel at peace and  feel complete.

I will never be the kind of person to throw God down someone's throat or wear I love Christ shirts. I will never question my friends for not going to Church and tell them that they are sinning.  I am not the judge and I will judge others for what or how they believe. I will just sit back like I did when I was in Catholic School and soak it all in.  I am ready to welcome God back into my life and am going to commit to being a better Catholic. It is time to get my priorities straight.  Sleeping in, playing on my computer and getting drink should NOT be a priority.  God should be!

"Technology makes us feel full leaving no more room for God and our Faith. It is time to turn off the TV, the computer and hide the Iphone to find room for God." -The Priest at Church Sunday

What's cookin in Kathy's Kitchen

Source: bhg.com via Jen on Pinterest

I love the picture I found above from pinterest.  It sort of looks like a game and I bet if you get your children involved they might be more willing to eat the foods that you cook for me.  Make them pick a veggie or a meat! This will add variety to your menu's and will be fun for all! I of course would never do anything like this since it is just me but it might work for a family! :) Just an idea!










So many people have asked me to start sharing my menu's.  I have no problems doing so but you must realize that my calorie's intake is going to be different than the next person.  I workout a lot, so that means I need to eat more food for fuel.  Someone that is heavier than will need to eat more, just as if someone is smaller than me they might have to eat less.  You have to know what works for you! So please don't just follow my menu's it will not work magic.  It will just help you see what is cooking in Kathy's Kitchen! 

How I do it... 
During the week I am always looking for new recipes.  If I find one I love I will mark it and will normally put it on the menu for the following week.  I have a ton of recipes, so it is super hard to come up with meal plan eat week.  I normally just go with what I am craving! 

Sunday: 
I always go grocery shopping on Sunday.  It is like going to church for most! I do it every Sunday no matter what.  There are times I might have to change it to Monday if I am out of town but Sunday's are very important in my success. 

Here is what is cooking in my kitchen this upcoming week

(Click on item for recipe)

Breakfast-Protein Pancakes with fruit M/W/F/S (I will not add lemon zest to it but it does sound awesome) Sugar Free Syrup. 
                 Eggs, Turkey Bacon and with grapefruit (I had this last week) T/R/S

Snack-Quinoa Apple Salad (had this last week as well)
           Almonds with pretzels  


Lunch-Always a Shakeology drink with some kind of fruit, Spinach and Almond milk.  


Snack-Cottage Cheese and some Fruit.  I love cottage cheese it is a great source of protein! 
           Graham Crackers with Peanut Butter or with Cottage Cheese (this is a craving that I have         for the week.  I get the low-fat kind and will only allow myself to have two crackers.)


Dinner-Spicy Burgers with 1/2 Corn on the Cob, 4 oz of Sweet Potato and for dessert watermelon. 
           -Spicy Spaghetti Squash (this is a new item for me this week).  I will fill it with veggies, so no side is needed. 


Snack-I love having popcorn at night, greek yogurt or skinny cow ice cream.  

I always have extra healthy items around the house.  Just in case I change up the menu.  I NEVER have crap food here! If it isn't here I don't eat it, that simple! So leave the junk at the grocery for someone else.  Change the way your family eats! 


I also might snack in between snacks and meals.  I am telling you I eat a lot of food and I am never worried I will gain weight.  I eat when my body tells me too! It is so important for me to eat with working out as hard as I do.  I workout sometimes 2 hours a day with my marathon training and lifting schedule.  So fuel is sooooo important for me to be able to preform the best! 

Results from 90 day challenge

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Here it comes again...Pictures! I hate taking them but it is so nice to look back at my progress or lack of it.

 

What a difference!  I started this journey at 154 and am now today 146! I am thrilled with the results.  What a difference 4 months will do on your body.  Sure I am not pleased with the weight but I don't like weighting myself because the number always brings me down.  I will always weight more than normal women because I am solid muscle.. okay so I know I have some fat on me but who doesn't! :) I just have to remind myself that it is only a number.  The scales doesn't know if I am a 147 pounds worth of muscle or a 147 pounds worth of fat! I am loving my abs and my shoulders.  The pictures do nothing for my shoulders but they look great! Most of my clothes from last summer are to big for me! :) I like that!

 

I will NEVER like my back side.  God surely didn't give me boobs but he gave me enough junk in the trunk for everyone.  I am pleased with how my legs did get smaller but I want more.  I wish my legs would catch up with the rest of my body.  I wish they would look as great as my back does here, as well as my shoulders and my abs.  Hopefully P90x will do that for me! 

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 So how I did it!??!?!? I been taking Shakeology every single day in the last four months, eating super clean and trying to limit my drinking.  During the last four months I used Chalean Extreme and Turbo Fire.  I loved what the programs did when they were combined! I also ran 3-4 days a week.  I took one rest day and that was it.  It is all about habits.. YOU HAVE TO make moving a HABIT! 

So now that my first challenge to myself is over, I am ready for the new one.  I am excited to see what the next 90 days will look like.  I am starting P90x Asylum Hybrid.  Basically, that means I will be combining the two programs together.  I will continue my marathon training and eating clean as I can.  I am trying to limit my drinking to once a week and only a few drinks on that day.  It is time to get serious! I love how I feel and look when I have muscles.  I hate how I feel when I soft... since drinking and the crap food make me soft I am staying clear.  I know I will not have a lot of changes in the next 90 days...or should I say I am telling myself that.  My main goal is stay fit and to not gain weight.  I gained 10 pounds of softness the last time I trained for a marathon...this time will be different! If I can stay this weight and not become soft I will be happy! If I can pull off more weight l and develop more muscle tone I will be extremely happy!!! 

So the question is this... if you were asked to join a challenge for 90 days would you be willing to change your lifestyle to get results? It is totally worth it!

Listen to the coaching head...

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You all have heard me talk about pushing yourself to the edge before. If you know me and have been following me, you know I tend to push myself to the edge a lot. I try to do this in every single workout, every single race and every single thing I do. It is how my mind works and I love it! I sometimes push myself beyond what I even think I am capable of doing..this is when I feel accomplished, like a true athlete.

The edge is sort of like my drug. I always reach my high at my edge, like most alcoholics reach their high when they get their drinks. It is why I love working out and love to run! It feels amazing, maybe that is why I would rather workout all day long than do anything else in the world.

However, the edge sometimes can be a dangerous place if your not careful. If you push yourself to far you might slip and fall with no one around to save you. The edge is awesome and scary at the same time. Tonight I felt myself get to the edge but I kept pushing to the point my toes were starting to hang off and very close to slipping.

I don't know why I think my body works like a machine.  I don't know why I think if I get enough water, enough food and enough rest I will be able to workout to my edge every single time.  It just doesn't work that way.  I am a human, not a machine... I break down even when everything should go right.

It hasn't even been 24 hours since I have had either heat exhaustion, food poisoning or the flu.  I don't know why I felt the need to join my running team tonight to do a speed workout. Especially, since I spent the last 2 days in the bathroom, in bed and having body aches.

My coaching head told me to stay home and rest; it is to soon to be pushing yourself that much when you were that sick.  My athletic head was saying come on you will never get better sitting on the coach. I didn't listen to my coaching head tonight, I listen to my athletic head.  Not smart at all.

The athlete got me there but the coach got me to stop after mile 4.  I started to get chills and stomach cramps around mile 3 but I kept pushing myself...that is when I could see myself looking over the edge.  If I kept pushing myself I knew I would slip and I would most likely be sick again or worse in the hospital.  I continued to run one last loop at a very slow pace.  I took a break after mile 4 and had a lot of water while sitting in the shade.  Then made the one mile hike back to my car. Total run tonight was 5.5 miles.

I don't like to quit because it feels like I lost the battle.  I hate it.  As I ran back to the car I kept telling myself that I should have done at least 2 more miles, even when I knew in my head made the right choice. As I sit here now I still struggle with the fact that I stopped running because it got to hard.  Was it to hard because I was sick or was it to hard because I was being a baby? Whatever the reason I know I will not be in the hospital tomorrow because of it and I am pleased with that!

So the moral of the story is... push yourself to your edge but don't push yourself so far that you fall off.  Always listen to your body and not your head.  If you are like me you will want to do what your head tells you to do.  But the coaching head is always right so follow it! :) Lesson learn! This girl will listen and follow its advice from now on!

Sunday Food Prep

 
 

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My bet most of you don't food prep? My question to you would be why not? I bet you prep for many things in your life.  You probably prep for an arrival of a new baby, new job, vacations and parties.  You do this because you want those events to be successful and you want no room for something to go wrong. So why don't you food prep?

If you fail to food prep, you are most likely not having the best food choices during the week.  I know, I know some of you don't have to food prep to have success in the kitchen.  If you are like me food prep is the path that keeps you on the right journey towards a healthy lifestyle.

Preparation is KEY and it is the secret to losing weight. 

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This is how my Sunday's normally look like.

Break down the menu's.

I always make a grocery list a few day's before Sunday's.  This is a huge part of the puzzle for me.  If I don't make a list I am throwing crap in my cart I don't need or better yet forgetting the important things I do need.  A list will save you time and will take out the guessing of what you should prepare.  I always double check to see if I have items on the list before I head out.  Who needs 4 jars of peanut butter? I mean I do LOVE peanut butter but I will never eat four jars in a week.  This will help you save money so make sure you are not buying double of something you already have.

Head to the Store.

I always go to the Grocery store super early or a time no one is there.  I can't stand waiting around for meats or items I need because the rest of the world is trying to get the same thing.  If you are like me and don't like waiting go EARLY! I always bring a pen to check off the items I got...another important part.  Who wants to go home and start cooking to realize they forgot the bacon? Not me!

Bring coupons! If you make your list early you will probably have time to find coupons.  I am afraid that I never use them.  Most of the foods I buy never have coupons but if you like coupon hunting this would be ideal!

Time to Cook

I NEVER put the food away.  I lay everything out on the counter and start the chopping, cooking and bagging.  Why? If I put everything away I normally will find something else to do....which means I will fail on food prep and will fail probably Monday.  So make a good 3 hour block to do all food preparation if you need to do in together.

I look at my list of recipes and start with the meats first or whatever will take the longest.  Today I started the sweet potatoes and quinoa.  While they were cooking away I was mixing up the items for spinach burgers and the quinoa apple salad.  I never do just one meal at a time.  I have my recipe list out and am normally cooking up 2-3 meals.  This makes the time go faster!!! 

I also cut up my veggies and my fruits.  Since I take Shakeology every day (normally lunch), I put all the fruits and items I need in a baggy and toss it into the freezer.  I like my shakes cold and if the fruit is frozen it makes for a better shake! This also saves me time!!! I just grab a bag, mix the shake and head out the door.  All in less than 3 minutes.

Now time to relax.

Once everything is put away and in the containers.  I sit and relax! I have my food ready for the week and workouts planned.  I know that I will not fail because everything is ready for me at home.  Does this mean I don't stray off my menu? I do sometimes but I normally go for a good subway sub! :)

Give Food Prep a try! It is wonderful.  It saves you time and I am 100% sure you will make better choices.  If you need help with food prep let me know.  This is probably one of my favorite parts of the week.

My grocery list this week..

Fruits-5 Granny Smith Apples, 3 peaches, 3 pears, strawberries and blue berries. 6 Grapefruit
Veggies-Raw Spinach, frozen spinach, Asparagus, Zucchini, Tomatoes, Sweet Tomatoes, Avocado, Cucumbers and Corn on the cob
Dairy-Greek Yogurt, Soy Milk, Cheese and Egg Whites
Other items-Thin Sandwich buns, Almonds, Pretzels, Hot Sauce, popcorn, Quinoa, Luna Bars

Total Price for all this wonderful food:  $110.00

I know that is a lot of money for one person but I eat a lot because I workout a lot.  I can eat a lot because I am eating healthy stuff.  If you look on my list the only unhealthy thing is maybe the popcorn and the Luna bars.  I have to remember a bag of 95% fat free popcorn will not kill me, nor will a Luna Bar.

Keep it simple, plan and prepare!! I promise you this will make a HUGE difference in your journey!!! It has mine! :) 

Even I struggle

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I tried to kill myself yesterday morning...Not really but it sure felt like it on my run.  I headed out on the path around 7:45 A.M.  You would think that early the weather would be perfect right? Wrong! It was already 84 degrees outside and the humidity was so thick it was hard to breathe just standing there. I told myself "Kathy you got this! You are a Tough Mudder and you have ran in every element nature has throw at you." So I decided to take the challenge and run my 8 mile run.

I am here to tell you even after running 16 half marathons, 1 full marathon, 4 tough mudders and a few triathlons, that I struggled...REALLY struggled.  The first mile was easy for me but my mind started to play games on me early.  The second mile not so easy and I started to slow my pace.  I normally train anywhere from a 9:30-10:30 pace. As you can probably guess I was running slow for my pace.  I was running a 13:00 minute pace and no I wasn't walking.

Once I saw the time on the watch I started having negative talks in my head.  I started to tell myself that I should just quit because I wasn't getting in the run I had hoped.  Normally, I can turn off the negative talk but this time the demons won.  I even tried to convince myself that I had this run, that nothing would stop me and that I was strong...it just didn't work.  So I stopped and I walked.  I put my head down in disappointment and was so down because I haven't done in this in years.  I stopped even when I did everything right; I drank the water, had the carbs and got the rest. But Nature had other plans for me.  Nature won this time round. 

Surely, I can't be upset about my run because I had NO control over the elements.  After struggling to complete only 4 miles, I got back in my car and wrote in my journal.  I like to write down how I feel after each run, so I have a memory of my training.  Anyways here is what I wrote.

Today I felt like a beginner.  I felt like I have never ran a race in my life.  The struggle was something I am not familiar with but the struggle was a great reminder that I am just like everyone else out there.  Sure after all the races I have been I would expect to know that nature isn't always friendly but I wasn't prepared for what just happened.  Today I was reminded why people struggle when they first start running.  I was reminded how it feels to not get your breathing under control and how your mind plays tricks on you.  The reminder was certainly something I needed as I start my longer runs for the Columbus Marathon.  There will be days that are easy and there will be days like today.  What I must remember from the runs like today is that I learn from them.  Runs like today make me stronger, educate me and remind me that I have absolutely no control. Even with this tough run I am heading home with a smile on my face.  I ran 4 and that was more than what I figured I could do at mile 2.  Keep moving forward Kathy..keep focused on the goals and keep being AMAZING.

So there you have it! I am here telling you that everyone struggles when they run.  Even the experience runners struggle but they learn from the struggles.  Learn from your struggles but keep moving forward it only makes you stronger!

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Difference in two years..

The first picture was two summers ago and the second was last August. (I am aware that I don't match in picture two-I was camping and didn't care). I was working out but I was also failing every single weekend.  I loved the boozes, fries and treating myself to dairy queen.  I was unhappy and what I call soft! I had muscle but you couldn't see it with all that fat over the top.  People this is a body that worked out every single day for long periods of time (2 hours a day).  I lifted but I didn't lift enough to change my body, didn't push myself.

The picture to the right is this summer! I am happy here and am loving my new fit body.  This is a person that works out maybe one hour, if that a day.  I lift heavy, do cardio and eat clean in my kitchen.  I still go out and treat myself with a beer but I now know when to stop.  I allow myself to have treats but only once in a while not every day.  The difference is now I have control and I work it hard anytime I am in my gym.

The first picture I would say I was in the 160's.  The second I was probably 155 or so.  The last picture I was 144.  What a difference a 10 pounds makes! I feel great and honestly I think I look great!  Am I done? No! This isn't a ballgame where it is over after 9 innings.  This is my life! If I stopped what I was doing I would fall back to picture one....I SURE don't want that.  I want to be strong, healthy and beautiful.  I plan on stepping up my game here with P90X and will continue to take my shakeology daily.  I will continue to succeeded and challenge myself with new fitness goals.

You can do this too! I know it! Send me an email if you want to join a July Challenge group.  Katmorgan2004@yahoo.com


Here are a few more pictures to see the change.

Great American Ball Park. Two summers ago.

With my cousins Summer 2012.  I look tiny here and in shape.

At my friends wedding. Pulling off a tight dress.