With every athletic performance, I truly believe that FUELING your body properly is such an important factor in how well you will do. I would always tell my kids with student teaching, it’s like fueling a car. If you try to run your car on empty, what happens? BUT if you give the car what it needs and then try to run it – what happens? As long as it’s not over-do for inspection or has broken parts (aka injuries) giving it proper fuel will help it go longer & work efficiently!

TIPS For Fueling Your Engine Properly

via Sleep & Nutrition!

[source]

Next post I will talk about Hydration & some Top Food Choices For Performance.

Let’s talk about SLEEP first – because the night before I made sure to get to bed early enough to FUEL my engine with rest. Thrive Forward states:

Sleep is an important part of recovery -

as the saying goes: a good rest is half the work.

Thrive Sports Edition states , “Your body regenerates muscles cells during sleep by releasing growth hormone. If your stress levels are too high, your body will not be able to get into a deep phase of sleep for this to occur. If you can naturally reduce your cortisol levels, through clean plant-based nutrition, and supplementation with things like arginine and maca, your body will be able to release growth hormone during deep, delta-phase of sleep. Growth hormone aids in muscle tissue, tendon and ligament repair and growth. Exercise is a complementary stress – ultimately beneficial, but initially very strenuous as your body breaks down muscle tissue. However, with proper nutrition timing, your muscles can be built back stronger than before exercise broke it down. As you progressively incorporate these new elements into your training plan, you will see the adaptations that you body is able to make, and you’ll be recharged, repaired, and ready to do it all again.”

• I made sure to get at least 8 hours of sleep on Friday night!

I also recommended eating a good solid meal the night before of protein, carbs, & fats to help build up that energy in the muscles for the next morning! My Raw Restaurant was a perfect pre-workout fuel the night before! YUM! Looking at those pictures make me hungry.

Next Let’s talk about Nutrition

“One of the biggest determining factors in an athletes success is the ability to recover. If you can recover more quickly, you can schedule workouts closer together, you can train more in less time, & you can improve in a faster rate.” [source]

I couldn’t agree with this more! I’ve stated before that now that I’ve been eating mostly plant based foods, my energy is unreal & my recovery rate is so much quicker! On a day of a competition, and in my case 4 workouts in 8 hours, proper fuel & a quick recovery rate is KEY to your performance.

I did a post back [here] all about Sports Recovery. I stated that This question is very important when it comes to proper fueling. A lot of people can workout hard every day but if their nutrition is off, they will not see the gains in strength or changes in their performance they are looking for. I always stress to my clients that nutrition (especially before/after a workout) is so key to reaching your goals. You have to think of your body like a working machine; if you give it proper nutrients it will perform better rather than just giving it empty calories that will fade off and not withstand your workouts or efforts.

• Thrive Forward states that “When you work out for longer than one hour, your body starts to deplete the levels of glucose in your blood, and must turned to glycogen – carbohydrates stored in your liver and muscle tissue – to fuel your activity level. If you would like to work out as hard the next day, you must replenish this glycogen.”
• Glycogen is a form of glucose (energy) produced and stored by liver and muscle tissue.

If you think about it, when you take away the glycogen, you’ve got to add it back in so that your muscles can be prepared for the next day, or in my case, the next workout that was an hour later.

How I used this principle
during my competition:

My first Event was at 10:40am

• I woke up around 630 am so I could get a good meal of protein, carbs, & healthy fats into my system with enough time to digest.
• I knew my first event was full of jump roping, burpees, & squat cleans so eating too close to this would not be optimal for my stomach (especially during burpees)
• 730am I ate some previously made [Lemon Carrot Poppy Seed Cookies] & topped them with some warmed coconut butter (which I buy here at Iherb.com –coupon code XUG228 for first time users!). I then stuck them into the freezer for a few minutes while the coconut hardened.
• I also had 1 cup of coffee with 2 big glasses of water to make sure I was hydrated but wanted some coffee! My tip here is to not over-do the caffeine. I had just enough to enjoy the flavor & give me a small boost in the AM (and the bathroom department – sorry not sorry) but honestly didn’t need much help there because my butterflies took care of that!
• 

By the time we were done with the meeting, registration, & getting prepped I realized that I probably should have a quick snack (aka energy) so I ate a date on the way into warm up!

If you didn’t know –

DATES are are natures perfect fuel.

[source]

They are loaded with quick carbohydrates to give you that energy you are looking for.

Thrive Forward states:

After the first WOD – “Pick Your Poison” I literally could not stop shaking after. The reasoning for this? Well, imagine a room full of people surrounding you, cheering at the top of their lungs, music bumpin’ in the background, and 7 other teams all doing the same 2 minute MAX EFFORT with the event you’re in. It was also the first WOD of the day so nerves were high & stomach butterflies were a-flyin’! The combo of all of this made for a longer recovery period for me to calm down. I felt like I needed some type of sugar to refuel but literally looking at food made me feel nauseas.

I have pushed myself to the limits before but in no way had ever felt that close to getting sick. I made sure to walk around, taking nice big deep breaths to try and recover. Then it happened… a RAISIN saved my life!

[source] 

Ok, so maybe I’m being dramatic with “saving my life”  BUT when nothing else looked good, my friend Jen offered me some trail mix. See, raisins & I have this thing…this connection. Aside to hummus, I could eat raisins at a rapid speed in copious amounts if I wanted to. I. LOVE. THEM. And it’s not surprise that the sugar in the raisins was exactly what my body needed to calm down at that point.

In the Fuel For Fitness portion of Thrive Forward it states that eating fruit is a great way to gain energy & refuel because your body uses less (energy) to break down the fruit, therefore leaving YOU with more (energy) to use in your event.

After a workout you’ve got to rebuild the stored carbohydrates that you just burned. The raisins also stabilized my blood sugar which led me to being able to rehydrate with water & coconut water afterwards.

Once my body finally settled down – it remained consistent the rest of the day! I had about 1 hour break in between each workout which gave me enough time to eat something directly after but yet being able to digest it in enough time to not alter performance.

Some more of my eats looked like this…

• Between WOD 1 & 2 – Raisins + water + coconut water + walnuts
• Between WOD 2 & 3 – Banana + water + VEGA SaviSeeds (I love these things!) Got some good carbs, fats, & protein.
• 

• Between WOD 3 & 4 – I snacked on some more trail mix, water, & also had some of my [RAW CARROT CAKE POWER BALLS] that I made for the whole crew!
• I changed up the recipe by adding in 2 tablespoons of coconut flour to make them less moist (my apologies for using that word) .

• I also rolled them in coconut flour instead of coconut flakes to keep them from sticking in the container.

On the way home after watching the final workout I ate an apple in approximately 1 minute and drank another container of coconut water. When I got home, Papacakes had grilled veggies & grilled portabella mushrooms waiting for me. I literally ate 2 bowls of the veggies with nooch & approximately a whole container of hummus from Whole Foods SO GOOD. About an hour later I was still hungry so I ate a new dessert creation that I will be sharing within the next couple of days here! I was so happy to have showered & be eating that I didn’t even pull out my phone to snap a pic! My thoughts were “Food, GET IN MY BELLY.”

In conclusion, to benefit your athletic performance it’s good to have a combo of proper nutrition, sleep, hydration, & recovery that can help you.  I also got a lot of good ideas via Chef Katelyn who posted about her competition [Do’s & Don’ts!].

With the choices I made – I felt that I had enough energy throughout each event & had a quick recovery to get to the next workout.

I personally stuck with simple foods & not many veggies because I didn’t want too much fiber causing any digestive issues during the hours I would be competing. I chose fruit, nuts, seeds, & lots of water! I also mixed in some Pom Berry Electrolyte Enhancer packets from VEGA to my water bottle.

It’s important to know how your body works best & the choices you can make. I know that I need simple things in between workouts that aren’t too heavy but give me energy. Some people around me could literally eat whatever they wanted before their event and be fine! That’s the beauty of being TRUE TO YOU because only you know how certain foods react in your body; especially during workouts/athletic events.

Next post I’ll go into detail about some hydration tips & Top Food Choices you can pick from for benefits in performance!

What is your favorite way to fuel up during back to back exercises?

,

Kasey

[All of the above food items can be found at www.iherb.com –
you can use my coupon code XUG228 for first time user discount!]

For today; I hope you’ve got your reading muscles ready because today is a whole post dedicated to my first CrossFit Competition called the Patriot Games!

Each year, RAW Training holds the Patriot Games on Armed Forces Day to honor those serving & who have served. It is open to any teams of 4 people (2 guys & 2 girls) where your strength, endurance, team work, & cooperation are all put to the test as you are to complete 4 WODS (or 5 if you made it to the finals) in 8 hours.

[Photo Credit MetCon Photos]

Below you will find details of the 4 workouts that we did in order along with how I felt during/after each WOD,  & videos of 3 of them thanks to the boyfriend.

Professional images taken by Chris Nolan of MetCon Photos.

I’ll also end with some tips if you have any type of athletic competition coming up & some things I did throughout the day that may help you.

_________________________________________________________

We arrived to the competition early enough to check in & have a meeting where they reviewed all of the workout standards in detail. That morning I made sure to get up early enough (around 630am) to have a substantial breakfast of carbs, healthy fats, & protein to sustain me for a long day where I knew that big meals during the day wouldn’t be the best option.

After the morning opening ceremonies that included an awesome star spangled banner, you could truly feel the excitement that was about to take place.

Looking around the room you saw such a beautiful diversity of people who all came together to work for a goal. If you took the time to look around the turf field we were all sitting on, you could see so many people proudly representing their box or team.

Not only did you feel the pride for your team, but you also felt the collective pride for our country as you noticed the Red White & Blue themed outfits. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach getting stronger with each minute ticking by towards the first WOD of the morning.

WOD #1 was called “PICK YOUR POISON”:

Strategy was a huge part of the day because you had to pick workouts that each teammate could succeed at. I looked at the list & immediately was drawn to double unders because I knew that was one of my strengths (credit to when I was a kid and used to see how many times I could get the rope under my feet totally prepared me for these without realizing it then ). Once I picked that it was tough because the pull-ups and KBS would be my second choice followed by the snatches but they happen to be directly before & after the double unders. I ended up picking the last 2 minutes which was 3 burpees over the bar followed by 5 squat cleans.

Our Stats looked like this:

Al – 54 total Wall-Balls

Justin – 66 total 30lb ball over the bar

*he was 8th out of 47 teams for his total in this one!

Justin – 40 hand release push-ups

Lori – 29 total reps (5 pull-ups/5 KBS rounds)

Kasey – 94 total double unders

*I started out doing 75 unbroken (which I believe is my PR) when I took a break and looked up at the clock, I realized that it had only been 55 seconds. At this point my arms & legs were drained! If we go back to what I studied in college and currently, lactic acid had built up in my legs at this point so jumping rope felt like I was swinging a 30lb rope under my tree trunk legs.

Lori – 34 total (1 arm snatches with a 45lb dumb bell)

Al – 611m Row total

Kasey – 23 total (3 burpees + 5 squat cleans with 65lb)

*I think the look on my face says it all in this one In all honesty I had about 5ish minutes to rest before getting to this part of the WOD but I tell ya, my whole body was shaking after 2 minutes of all out double unders. I’d be lying if I said this was easy to transition between any of these workouts. 2 minutes (before doing the WOD) didn’t seem like a long time until you’re in the middle of giving 100% for that whole 2 minutes. I’ve pushed myself pretty hard before in the last years but this was the closest I ever was to throwing up after a workout. It took me a good 30 minutes to cool down after this one. I needed to refuel but looking at food made me feel more sick so I opted for raisins! I swear they were the perfect way to refuel after this one to bring my blood sugar back to normal & calm down my body. After a few more minutes I snacked on some nuts, seeds, & more dried fruit.

Pictures below are of other athletes (most from my box) in order of the events.

Between each 2 minute WOD was a 30 second transition into the next one.

Wall Balls [Jen CFIC ]

Ball Over Bar [Rosiland CFIC]

Hand Release Push-Ups

5 Pull-Ups + 5 KBS [Neen CFIC]

2 Minute ROW [Rob CFIC]

2 Minute Row

3 Burpees + 5 Squat Cleans [Johnna CFIC]

__________________________________________________________

WOD #2 was called “Load It, Lunge It”

When the 15 minute clock started, your team had to collectively rep out 80 reps of each exercise. Once you finished 80, 2 people had to lunge that loaded bar to the next station where you added plates onto the bar before beginning the next exercise and so on.

Overhead squats:

Kasey “Team Powercakes” CFIC

Al “Team Powercakes” CFIC

Justin “Team Powercakes” CFIC

Sumo Deadlift High Pulls:

Rosiland CFIC

Thrusters:

Justin “Team Powercakes” CFIC

Jen CFIC

Lunges from Thrusters to Deadlifts

Al & Lori from “Team Powercakes”

video from the end of the workout

My favorite part of this video was hearing my grandma say “Now this I can do but not that over the head stuff!” haha love it!

Recap of this workout: I knew going into this that Thrusters would be tough for me at 75lbs. I’ve done heavier before in a workout but not after doing reps of the other movements. 75 really isn’t a light thruster weight for me. I repped out as many as I could but my boys & Lori really did an awesome job with these! I promised them I’d make up for it in the other movements –especially deadlifts! They are my favorite.

Our Team finished in 12:30 which was 29th out of 47 teams for that WOD.

______________________________________

WOD #3 “Meet Me At The Bar”

This one was a fun one! As a team we had to get those above items around the building (which included a decent up-hill portion in the back), then once we all finished, we could go inside to the bars and do AMRAP of pull ups & toes to bar before the 8min time cap ran out.

I chose to carry the 30lb sand bag & then when I finished, run back & help out my teammates who needed it. I met Lori towards the end & we both held the kettlebell to get her to the finish. The boys handled the plates & sled!

Pictures of others during the run:

Dameka CFIC

Hm, I spy a BN SHAPE TANK!!

I was so excited to see our boy Adrian reppin’ the bnshape tank!

Our team finished with a total of 132 reps on this workout which was 40 our of 47.

_____________________________________________________________

WOD #4 “Sloshed”

So, this one was a doozy for sure! We were glad to be in the 4th heat so we could see how this one worked. You can watch the video here to see how we did it.

Basically the slosh pipe (that was filled with water so it made it very un-steady) had to stay above our heads (with only 2 hands at a time) while one member from the team had to get the bar ground to over head as heavy as they could. Each pound was a point. If the slosh pipe came below our heads, we as a team, had to do 8 burpees before picking it back up. I’m happy to say that we never had to do burpees! It was a close call though – that thing was not easy to hold!

I was able to do a 105lb ground to over head but ran out of time before being able to do more! It’s exciting to know that I have definitely gained strength with my lifts.

Our total pounds for our team was 620lbs which was 29th out of 47 teams. Woo hoo!

The next part of the workout was in the soccer field where the team had to do suicide sled pushes. The time ran out before we finished so I didn’t get a chance to go (I was going to be last) but everyone told me how it was way harder than they thought to push the 25lb plate on the turf field. I’m pretty sure that not many teams were able to finish this one in 8 minutes.

_________________________________

The top 6 teams made it to the finals where they surprised everyone with a tug of war battle! The top 6 teams (which included one from our box) all faced off & it was fun to watch.

OH and at the end, they gave out a “Most Heart” award for the team that showed the most heart. They called the winning team up to congratulate them & then asked if anyone on the team had something to say. The one girl spoke first, thanking her whole family and friends for coming out to support them that day. Then she passed the mic off to her boyfriend where he began to explain how much he loved his girlfriend…

before you know it he was on one knee proposing!!!! HOW ADORABLE!

In the end, it was an awesome day of friendly competition, motivation, cooperation, inspiration, & all finished with some love thrown in!

Here’s a team Powercakes photo at the end of the 8 hours of workouts – lookin’ sweaty & tired! For the record, Al left before I could grab a pic so the water bottle had to do! Very proud of us! We ended up finishing 40th out of 47 teams. The beauty of CrossFit is that everyone cheers each other on whether you finish first or last in any work out. The whole day everyone was cheering for people that they didn’t know and seeing that was inspirational in itself. There were all different levels competing for the goal of completing the day & it was so awesome to see that happen for everyone!

So proud of everyone from our box! They all worked hard on Saturday and even though it was a long day full of workouts – we all completed our goal & motivated each other along the way. It was really fun to get back into competing because that’s my true love – being an athlete! I love all types of fitness and CrossFit gives me an outlet to still find that athlete within & compete. I think the beauty of being true to yourself is to do what you enjoy because YOU enjoy it – not because you think you should because everyone else does. I love CrossFit workouts but I also love having an “arm day” at the gym including bicep plate lifts & hamstring curls! I love it all.

Next post I’ll be sharing my TIPS for competing when it comes to proper food & fuel along with a take on an old recipe of mine that everyone seemed to enjoy during the day! I’ll give you an inside look at how certain food choices worked with the timing of the events and tips that may help you!

,

Kasey

Today is challenge TWO of the #whatsbeautiful campaign that I am working on with FitFluential & Under Armour Women.

Don’t forget that you can still join in! Details are [here]

& you can join team true to you [here].

On the website, Under Armour has 6 challenges for the team to complete! Today I am highlighting the SUPER ALTER EGO challenge!

I personally feel like a super hero version of myself whenever I look back at pictures and see what I am accomplishing. It’s like that reminder that my hard work & enjoyment is paying off. Buy definition an alter ago is a second self; another aspect of one's self. My friends & family joke with me whenever I call myself “Powercakes” instead of Kasey! I always say “Powercakes says” or “my Powercakes side came out to play”! Therefore my alter ego may be POWERCAKES but in reality it is ME! We are capable of being our own alter ego’s by just being a more positively intense version of ourselves during a workout, competition, or while achieving your goal!

This weekend, I channeled my inner POWERCAKES & pulled off a 105lb ground to overhead lift (which is my best so far). I felt like I could do more but our 8min time cap ran out. This made me so excited to get back at it & see what my max would be. This is my next goal & knowing that I worked hard enough to get to this point was such an amazing feeling!

Ultimately YOU are your own super-hero!

This week I’d love to see you LOVING yourself with a confident smile or picture where you are your own super-hero version of yourself!

Shout out to some lovely ladies who are starting their week off with #IWILL goals!

When you post it to the website don’t forget to also post it to [twitter], [facebook], & [instagram] to share it with everyone and tag @UAWOMEN @POWERCAKES #FitFluential #WhatsBeautiful #IWILL

Be true to you & let your inner super-hero shine through!

Today fill in the blank for your goal this week ….

#IWILL ________

,

Kasey

I first wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who wished me luck!

Big thanks to one of my biggest inspirations, my girl PetiteFi,

& everyone else for the Instagram love!

Special shout out to my wonderful family
& boyfriend Corey who supported me the whole day!

I swear every muscle on me is feeling it today and I’m sure tomorrow may be a little worse…my body usually really feels it 2 days after! We did 4 WODS in 8 hours and I’m sure I’m not the only one who gave it their all every single workout.  It was so much fun & I’m proud of myself!

My plan is to edit videos today from the events & get a big post together for Tuesday to highlight each workout, how we did, how others did, & tips if you plan to compete in any type of events like these! In the meantime, you can check out this recap from Friday .

It was a beautiful day out so I went & got a ton of fresh veggies from the local Farmers Market! Do you buy local? I love supporting local farms!

Got some squash, zucchini, dates, bananas, eggplant, green beans, & brussels! I was craving some grilled veggies so I asked papacakes to teach me some of his grill skills & I was pretty impressed with my finished product. I used melted coconut oil, sea salt, & pepper to season them before grilling.

In the middle of grilling, I got a new shipment from iherb.com! I ordered some liquid stevia, coconut nectar, molasses, vanilla stevia, & coconut flour! I’m excited to try the molasses in some recipes! Do you have any that you like? I’d love some inspiration!

You can use my coupon code XUG228 for a
$10 discount on any order over $40
& a $5 discount on any order under $40 for first time users!

Later on Friday the boy came in for the weekend & we went to an amazing local place called Eden for some raw & organic local eats!

Of course had to snap a picture all dressed up! I've been to this restaurant before for breakfast but couldn’t wait to try out their dinner menu! They rotate their menu with the seasons so it’s always fresh! I literally wanted to order everything off of the menu.

We sat outside to enjoy the warm weather & started out meal with drinks! I got a fresh cucumber, mint, & apple juice while Corey got a sunrise smoothie with strawberries, pineapple, & orange.

They have so many apps to choose from like dehydrated veggie chips with sauce of the day, beet carpaccio with macadamia nut cheese, arugula, & grain mustard, or you could get what Corey and I decided on which was raw dehydrated beet & flax crackers with a SHIITAKE CEVICHE – this consisted of jicama, fresh chiles, cilantro and lime. I have a baby mouth & can’t handle too much spice but this had a nice kick to it and was really refreshing!

Now when it comes to the main meal, It was a close call between the AMARANTH AND QUINOA GNOCCHI with spinach, butter beans, sun dried marinara and cashew parmesan  or the STUFFED PORTOBELLO marinated & stuffed with riced cauliflower and chopped kale, topped with coconut ricotta and a smokey sunflower sauce. BUT I ended up choosing the MUSHROOM BURGER served on dehydrated carrot, flax, and zucchini bread, topped with cashew cheese, avocado, pickled red onion and arugula served fresh greens & a side of oil/vinegar.

This was the most amazing thing I think I’ve ever eaten; hands down.

Let’s dissect this delicious-ness into pieces…

The raw flax carrot & zucchini bead was so moist which made perfect end pieces to the burger. The burger was mushrooms, seeds, & spices which was totally free of gluten! AND OMG the Cashew Cheese was UNREAL! Basically just cashews & nooch – which we all know I’m obsessed with. The pickled onion was the most perfect topper to add crunch & bite. And really, who doesn’t love creaminess from avocado?

I honestly have to say that I couldn’t even finish both pieces of the bread! As much as it was all so amazing, it was pretty dense so I was full & saved a piece of the bread to have for a snack this weekend!

Corey ordered PEANUT LENTIL CURRY with tomato, green cabbage, peanuts and onion served over brown rice.

Eden also gives options to add tempeh, tofu, or organic grilled chicken to your meals! Corey ordered some shredded chicken on top & it looked & tasted amazing! Peanut lentil curry is such a winning combo.

Afterwards we walked around for a while & then pit stopped at Starbs for drinks! I got a half passion tea half green tea unsweetened (my go to) & Corey got something, that I am totally blanking on what it was called, but it was delish!

Eden also has some other great meals as well such as black truffle rice noodles, spicy cauliflower and potatoes with kale, and wild rice with edamame.

If you’re ever in the Pittsburgh area you should totally check it out.

It was the perfect #POWERMEAL to have the night before the competition because my muscles needed that fuel for sure. Can’t wait to share with you the videos & workouts that we did in detail on Tuesday! Keep an eye out for the #WHATSBEAUTIFUL challenge of this week coming up tomorrow on the blog!

Have you ordered something recently at a restaurant that just completely blew your mind?

I’d love to hear about it!

,

Kasey

Goes perfectly with the #WHATSBEAUTIFUL campaign – I’m setting goals throughout the weeks and this is one of them! It’s a TEAM competition…can you guess what our team name is? Team Powercakes it is! Totally not my idea my friend Al suggested it so we went with it! I’m off to pack my cooler full of snacks & water! Gotta bring the power!

Enjoy your day!

Did you accomplish a goal this week? I’d love to hear about it!

 Kasey

Happy Thursday everyone! Today I wanted to share with you the monthly activity happening for the Eat Clean Diet Crew!

I can agree that Tosca Reno has inspired millions of women and men to achieve their dreams, change their lives and take their power back! I love seeing all of the success stories routing from her initial Eat Clean inspiration! Myself & the Eat Clean Team wants to invite each of you whom Tosca has inspired to tell her your story for the [Tosca Reno Life Changer] Video Roundup. Participate in the video roundup and you will enter to win a chance to phone date with Tosca Reno!

When I met Tosca two years ago & then was asked to guest post on her blog, it completely made my day. The person I’ve looked up to wants me to share my story? How awesome! I’ve continued to be inspired daily by her & her positive attitude towards life.

Here is my video submission for the Round Up!

Do you want to participate?

How to submit your video in 5 SIMPLE steps:

1. CREATE: Create a 10- to 20-second-long message to Tosca about how she has changed your life on your webcam or video camera. Feel free to get creative with props, photos, animation – anything!

2. UPLOAD: Upload your video to your YouTube Channel. If you have a Google+ Account you automatically have a YouTube Channel. If you do not have a Google+ account or a YouTube Channel you can create one here. NOTE: If you do not want other people to view your video mark it as “unlisted” during the upload process.

3. CAPTION: In the caption of your video include a description about yourself, use Tosca Reno’s name and use the hashtag #ToscaRenoInspires.

4. SHARE: Share the link to your video with us in an e-mail to webeditorial@eatcleandiet.com. Use the subject line “Tosca Reno changed my life!”. If you want your video to be made public, please also post it to your social media networks. Be sure to tag @toscareno and @eatcleandiet on Facebook and Twitter, and use the hashtag #ToscaRenoInspires.

5. RECRUIT: Tell all of your friends who love Tosca to participate too! Everyone enters for the chance to have their story featured on Tosca Reno’s websites and social networks, and a phone call from Tosca.

They will unveil the final roundup of messages and videos on Tosca Reno’s 54th Birthday, May 22nd! Don’t forget to wish her a happy DAY & let me know if you submitted a video!

You can find me on

[Facebook] [Twitter] [Pinterest] & [Instagram]

,

Kasey

Good morning everyone! Happy Friday! Today for Feature Friday I have a guest post that goes right along with my Tosca Reno Inspires video from yesterday! Did you know that this week was National Women’s Health week? I’ll let Michelle share her post with you today!

__________________________

Celebrating Empowerment

Through National Women's Health Week

via Michelle Pino

Michelle is a Spa Manager at a spa inn Verona, NY. Michelle has provided these tips in hopes to educate others on how to lead a more motivating and less stressful life. She enjoys cooking, DIY projects and learning about healthy lifestyles. Michelle is thankful to have had the opportunity to work with Kasey and together share their ideas on “­­­­­­­­­Powercakes”.

______________

Being a woman today means wearing many different hats. We are often so busy of taking care of everyone (and everything) else, that we have little time or energy to take care of ourselves. But let's face it: we need to take care of ourselves. That's the emphasis of National Women's Health Week, which President Obama instituted in 2012 as a way to empower women to pay more attention to getting and staying healthy. It starts each year on Mother's Day, and this year runs from May 12 through May 18.

In order to really kick off National Women's Health Week, May 13 is National Women's Checkup Day. It is the perfect day to schedule some of the screenings that we need in order to help prevent disease. Some of these tests include mammograms as well as screenings for heart disease, diabetes, and sexually transmitted diseases. Getting preventative care for those diseases and other conditions can certainly keep us healthier longer. In fact, we can drastically reduce our risk of developing quite a few illnesses by getting regular screenings and staying in touch with our doctors.

Because we are often so busy, it is way to easy to overlook our own needs. We often choose our foods due to the convenience factor, not necessarily because they are good for us. We often don't get enough rest, and we don't take enough time to ourselves to really relax. All of that and more takes a toll on our health. But it's time that we take control of our own health and improve it - mentally and physically. We need to pay attention to our bodies and really listen to them in order to be at our best.

Recent healthcare reforms have changed the way that insurance companies do business. That's why many preventative screenings are now free. Now is the best time to take care of our bodies so that we can keep moving forward and get even stronger. Take the time to ensure that your health will stay good for a long time to come. Empowerment comes from strength and knowledge, and that's what National Women's Health Week is all about.

Here is an example:

What better way to boost motivation than to treat yourself to some fabulous workout gear or a fresh pair of new kicks?  Bright colored apparel, like these Asics from Zappos, is very popular this spring.  Bright colors so appropriate for the warm weather and motivation!  I think music and quotes inspire me the most.  I love this motivational quote tank from The Hunt; also in a fun-bright color, so perfect!  Yoga is great for beginners and the more advanced athlete.  Yoga serves as a great way to stretch your muscles to help prevent injury.  Simple yoga poses like the “Warrior” poses, pictured below, are simple stretches that can be done in the comfort of your own home.   I’m new to golf, but I find it very relaxing.  I’ve been learning at Kaluhyat, which is a golf resort in New York.  They’ve got great instructors, and several courses to practice on. But the biggest change that makes the most difference in how you feel is in your diet.  Simple swaps for sugary snacks, makes a difference in your energy level.  No need for those unstable yo-yo diets: personally, I don’t think it’s healthy to cut foods out, but rather incorporate healthy foods into daily meals.  Luckily we live in an age where finding delicious healthy recipes like Mediterranean Paleo Pizza. I am not on the Paleo diet, but this pizza recipe sounds really scrumptious!  If you’re going to start eating healthier, it’s best to keep an open mind and try new things!

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Kasey

When the campaign started again, I knew that I wanted to make a video highlighting some of the girls I workout with because they inspire me daily! Soon I want to highlight some of my clients as well because they are so inspirational as well. I would also LOVE to highlight any of YOU that are working towards your goal! Feel free to always tag me in a post so I can see your progress! You know I love sharing things on [twitter] [facebook] & [instagram].

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Speaking of sharing – I had to give a shout-out to my lovely client Kim because we are seeing so much improvement in strength & muscle definition! This girl has been working hard for the last few months balancing a job, being an amazing mother to an adorable son, & everything that comes along with it! She makes the time a few days a week to meet with me and gives 100% every single time.

Um, how awesome & strong does her back look? LOVE it.

That is #WhatsBeautiful today!

Today we worked on, among many things, close grip pull-downs where we really focused on slowing down & squeezing each rep. It was the heaviest she’s done so far but her form was right on, which is so important to me! We did these for a total of 12-15 reps during our 3 rounds of a workout, or until the last one was challenging but form was still on point!

This really works your back, lats, arms, & core to keep everything tight & stabilized!

To recap the campaign so far, I challenged you this week to show me your favorite CORE workout!

If you would like more information you can check out my previous post [here] with all of the info!

What’s beautiful for you today?

Fill me in on something you’ve accomplished –

no matter how big or small the task!

,

Kasey

are we cute or what!? #sarcasm

I know this looks like I got engaged,
but I promise I would have already flipped out via twitter! haha

Finally got a good one!

We spent the night playing with the new APP “Heads Up” which was developed for the Ellen DeGeneres show. Corey found it and couldn’t wait to play it with everyone. It was seriously so fun. I happened to snap a clip of Corey in the middle of round where we had to hum the song followed by him realizing I was taping it

We also celebrated our one year anniversary this weekend & the boy totally took care of his girl by getting me some of my favorite foods! Does he know me or what?

We laughed because I truly am a simple girl & this made my day. This is also a great test completed because I was mentioning how I was craving PB Puffins the other day and the store was out so he saved the day! He also got me a book called “The book of us” which is a book with 150 questions about our relationship that we can start filling in! I can’t wait to sit down & start filling it out!

As if that wasn’t cute enough, he made my morning by making a good ol’ Sheetz run to grab me a coffee! Not sure if you guys have Sheetz around you but they have really great coffee! I added my own stevia & some coconut oil to make it creamy.

The rest of the day I spent with the family for Mother’s Day dinner & we enjoyed some grilled vegetables, gluten free pasta, & papacakes grilled up some shrimp! Like I’ve said before, I do enjoy sea food every now & then, especially with papacakes makes it! Can you believe I forgot to take a picture? We were all so hungry and I try not to have my phone by the dinner table while we’re eating so I forgot! BUT I promise it was so good & dinner was filled with some awesome conversations & catching up!

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So let’s talk FITNESS! Today I wanted to CHALLENGE you with the #WHATSBEAUTIFUL campaign that I’m working on with FitFluential & Under Armour!

How it works:

On Monday’s I will be challenging the team to weekly challenges on my blog!

• Create a profile [here]
• Join TEAM TRUE TO YOU [here]
• Use the [website] to upload your weekly challenge as well as uploading the UA challenges that they are hosting!
• The [website] is where be where you can upload your progress along the way!

Today’s #IWILL Challenge: If you look under [Team True To You] there is an “Upload Challenges” button – click that and upload your favorite CORE WORKOUT to the COMMUNITY THROWDOWN.

Under Armour states,

“Turn Upside Down Tuesday. Failure Friday. You know the drill.

So keep it going. Post your challenges to the community here.

And keep each other going strong. “

Can you add in a new core skill that you want to work on today?

I love playing with handstands & holding myself up for as long as I can in between lifting sets. Maybe try stringing a few burpees together or hold a plank for a few seconds longer. Having a strong core is so important for everyday activities & performance in fitness. What will you do for an added core power boost?! #IWILL ________

Let me know if you upload your image to the site by also posting on [twitter] [facebook] or [instagram] by tagging me @Powercakes with hashtag #IWILL #WHATSBEAUTIFUL #FitFluential & show me your Community Throw Down upload!!

,

Kasey

I am fortunate to have many amazing women in my family that I want to shout-out to today.

First to my beautiful mother who is full of so much positivity & love. She follows her passions by being a personal trainer as well as a singer in a band!

I am very lucky to have a very open & honest relationship with my mom. We talk about everything & it’s something I am so thankful for.

Growing up, I always complained that I had a “healthy personal trainer” mom whenever I wanted sugary cereal and she would try and convince me on a healthier choice. I can’t help but giggle now that I am basically following her foot steps & I am realizing how thankful I am that I did have that “healthy personal trainer” mom because she set an awesome foundation for the rest of my life.

I also wanted to send my love to my lovely grandma aka Nanny!

She is so loving and I am so lucky to have her as a grandmother.

I grew up with all 4 of my grandparents in my life until my senior year of high school where I unfortunately lost my dad’s parents, Mimi & Pap. I miss them all of the time and I have pictures around my room of them as constant reminders that they are still watching over me.

And although my Aunt Rita did not have any kids of her own, we always celebrate her on Mother’s Day as well! She has so many nieces & nephews that all look to her as a motherly figure. She is 88 years old & still rockin’ her red hair! Hence the nickname “Rockin’ Rita!”

I’ve learned to really appreciate each moment we are given with our loved ones. I am feeling blessed today and can’t wait to enjoy another Mother’s Day dinner tonight with everyone. I hope you enjoy your day & celebrate all of the mother’s in your life!

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Kasey