Avoid the Holiday Bulk-Up!

Ahhh, it is finally the best time of the year! Wow, how time flies. While I 'm sure everyone can't wait for the the cozy sweaters, Christmas baking, candles, lights, and happy music, it is crucial to not completely abandon the workout and dieting routine you have finally perfected!

Here are a few little tips to avoid the holiday "bulk-up":

Remember to keep your portions small! You don't need to avoid all of the delicious appetizers and cookies that make Christmas so wonderful, but do remember to enjoy them in moderation! If you know you are going to a holiday event on Saturday, save that day for your cheat meal. Using a small plate can be helpful (rather than hovering over the food and inhaling the entire thing before you even realize it).

If you can't make it to the gym, make time for an in-home workout! In fact, last year my amazing sister Paige bought me a kettlebell and workout book for a gift, which has been put to great use this year! Buy yourself a little Christmas gift: kettlebells, workout videos, yoga mat, or even a cute new workout outfit- anything that will motivate to stay fit during the colder months. For some reason a new workout tank gets me SO excited to exercise (must be a girl thing?) so treat yourself! And why not give a "healthy" gift to your loved ones? Maintaining your workout regimen will greatly benefit you, especially if you're indulging :)

why WOULDN'T you want to workout when you have these?

If you are cooking, opt for some healthier options! Instead of high-calorie dips and appetizers, bring a colorful vegetable plate, a colorful dip with pretzels, cute sliced-fruit desserts, or why not my delicious sweet potato recipe? Avoid cream-cheese dips (even though they are incredibly delicious)

fruit kabob- healthier alternative

New Year's Resolutions. Why not start them now? A gym membership or setting a new goal can be the perfect fuel to kick off the new year healthier than you ever have before, but why wait until January 1st? A healthy lifestyle is a DAILY routine, not an on/off habit. If you want to see results, you must dedicate yourself every single day.

Drink lots of water! Holiday drinks and celebrations can quickly add excessive calories to your intake, so be aware, and try to replace as much soda/juice/alcohol with water! 

how perfect is this?

Most importantly, enjoy your loved ones, and keep your body happy by staying healthy!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! (soooo happy I can finally start saying that!)

Morgan

The Importance of Emotional Health- In Loving Memory of Kaitlin Marie Augusta Beske

When you think about health and fitness what is the first thing that comes to mind? Naturally, I picture exercising, people at the gym, and dieting. However, "fitness" is comprised of not only physical health, but emotional, mental, spiritual, and social health. These are important aspects that are often forgotten about. While I know this is a very different post for me, its been weighing on my heart that I should share HOW important emotional health and concussion awareness is.

This is dedicated to my best friend of 20 years, my gorgeous and radiant angel now in Heaven, and our "quadruplet". 

Kaitlin Marie Augusta Beske

Incredible photo by Ashley Lemke

The story all began when Kaitlin and I were 2 years old. Somehow my parents picked the perfect neighborhood, Jupiter Way, for us to build a house and grow up in. To our luck, we were blessed with the Beske family living down the street- little did we know the incredible impact Cindy, Chuck, Kaitlin, and Andrew would have on our lives! Kaitlin quickly became our favorite neighbor, our best friend, and shortly after, our "quadruplet". (If anyone reading didn't already know, I am a triplet with my sisters Paige and Lauren. Kaitlin became one of us!).

Quadruplet Stuffed Animal Slumber Party :)

Our days consisted of running back and forth between our neighboring houses, playing with baby dolls, Barbies, and stuffed animals for hours on end, and sharing WAY too many giggles. Kaitlin grew to be the very first friend and best friend I've ever had. Our bond was unbreakable.

Luckily for us, our friendship was not limited to our younger years as many friendships turn out. Despite my family's brief move to Texas in second grade, Kaitlin and I wrote back and forth to each other and maintained our adorable 8-year-old friendships through letters. One year later when my family was fortunate enough to move back to Minnesota and into our SAME house on Jupiter Way, Kaitlin and I were ecstatic! I'm pretty sure my sisters and I went to the Beske's house before starting to move back into ours. :)

Limited Too matching plaid pants... yup.

We were inseparable. Our friendship flourished through junior high school as we both made the "Starliners" which was the Lakeville Junior High Dance Team, started our own daycamp for young girls called "Dance, Fun, and More", and watched Bruce Almighty way too many times. I won't dare post all of those embarrassing pictures!

Beske front and center :)

love you Kait.

As time quickly passed, we spent endless hours together on the Varsity Cougar Dance Team in high school, on weekends at competitions, and on weeknights when we needed a "lazy movie night with cookie dough." Like I said, Kaitlin was like our sister.

so many incredible memories!

best-friend Henna tattoos :)

Before we knew it, we were graduating high school. Kaitlin would be attending Bethel University in Minnesota, and while I initially attended Winona State University in Minnesota, I had plans to transfer to the new and exciting city of Boston. (But not before the Bergs and Beskes took our amazing senior spring break trip to Cancun!)

Cancun 2009: Quadruplets :)

My sisters and I were so lucky to have Kaitlin as a part of our family..... and for us to be accepted into the Beske family as if we were one of their own!

Although 1,000 miles seperated us once I moved to Boston, Kaitlin remained my best friend. My future bridesmaid and lifelong sister. I am so blessed to have made incredible memories with her when I was home at the end of August this year. Kaitlin, Paige, Cindy, and I went to the Twin's game (my first time at the new stadium) and had way too much fun.

I will forever cherish these pictures.

already looking like a real-life angel :)

Unfortunately over the next few months, Kaitlin encountered a few concussions causing head trauma. Due to complications and a few months of struggling, this head trauma resulted in Kaitlin taking her life. I will never forget the phone call I received from my sister late at night on October 21st. How could the happiest, most bubbly, vivacious, faithful, and incredible friend have felt so helpless?

While we cannot spend the rest of our lives questioning how such an incident could have occurred, we can cherish the incredible memories Kaitlin shared with us. We can also realize how important emotional health is in our own lives! And this was the point of my post. It is my hope that whoever is reading this knows that life is so precious. You are SO cherished here on Earth, and if you are ever feeling down, please at least know that I am here to listen! I am 100% confident that Kaitlin felt loved, but she was not the same after her concussions. This brings up another point: take care of yourself while exercising, and if you encounter an injury, make sure you and your family are aware of the symptoms, just as the Beskes were. While we can't bring Kaitlin back, we can educate others to be aware of the dangers concussions can bring, and live in her memory!

Quads Fo Life <3

While Kaitlin may not be physically present on Earth anymore, I can feel her around me every day. Her positive spirit, contagious laugh, and pearly smile could brighten any room. It is my hope that everyone reading this takes time to evaluate their health and well-being after reading this. Life is too short.

Rest in Peace my beautiful angel. Prepared to live each day to the fullest for you every day forward! You will never be forgotten Kaitlin.

Thanks for letting me share,
Morgan

Mix It Up: Beating Salad Boredom :)

When training for an event or trying to become more healthy in general, I'm sure we all know how salads seem to take over as a staple meal. Packed with nutrients, vitamins, and fiber (and hopefully minimal fats), salads work wonders in achieving goals..... unless you get sick of them. I've been on a salad-kick lately, and I started forcing myself to be creative because I could not eat the same thing over and over. Here we go:

MIX IT UP!

Lettuce! Use whatever lettuce floats your boat. After all, its the goodies you put on top of the salad that makes or breaks it! Romaine, Spinach, Spring mix, you name it. Spinach is my favorite since it is SO nutritious, and honestly you can hardly taste it when it is mixed in with everything else.

Vegetables! LOAD EM UP. I find that salads are the easiest way to get all my veggies in for the day (duh) so get creative! I like red/yellow/orange peppers, tomatoes, avocado, corn, shredded carrots, cucumbers, onion, ANY vegetable you can tolerate!

Need a little sweet or salty? This is my favorite part (wow, I sound like such a salad nerd...)! I love adding a small amount of sunflower seeds or raw almonds to my salad. Dried fruit can be delicious too, but try it in small amounts since it tends to be SO high in sugar. I enjoy a small sprinkle of dried cranberries, better known as Craisins. Sometimes I add 1/4 teaspoon of brown sugar to my Balsamic Vinegar to give it a little more "sweet".

Protein should be incorporated into every meal of the day. As mentioned before, I've heard trainers say you should be eating 1g for every pound of body weight.... if you're 150lbs, shoot for 150g of protein per day. It is difficult, but it helps you to build and maintain muscle while keeping you full. Especially if you are eating salad, incorporating protein is crucial (otherwise you will be hungry in 10 minutes since spinach and lettuce aren't all that caloric). Grill a chicken breast, shrimp, or salmon. Shred up some deli meat or toss some black beans, chick peas, or edamame on! Delish.

 Dressing: the most obvious, best choice for dressing is Balsamic Vinegar. No, not vinegarETTE. Although it isn't all that flavorful, I've come to really like it, just make sure to use it in VERY small amounts. A little goes a long way and you don't want your salad to be too acidic! I always do less than 1 tablespoon and that is plenty. Mix it up with olive oil if you want, and if you really can't handle balsamic vinegar, shoot for a dressing that is low in fat. I also really like Newman's Own "Lite" collection.. Lite Roasted Garlic Balsamic Vinegarette or the Lite Low Fat Sesame Ginger.

What to avoid: any dressing high in fat... I'd highly recommend avoiding ranch/ thousand island/ bleu cheese. These dressings can make a salad worse than a cheat meal.  

Long story short: mix it up and don't get bored. Remember how easy it is to PACK A LUNCH, and they even sell tupperware that comes with a little salad compartment that hooks into the top lid... no more excuses about "hating soggy salad." Now go enjoy another salad (and don't forget about your cheat meal once a week!)

Morgan

Mexican Chicken

I always find myself craving tacos, but in trying to be healthy, I don't want to indulge in greasy ground beef!! My Mexican chicken is a great alternative and is super easy!

Mexican Chicken

yum :)

INGREDIENTS!
1 chicken breast
1/4 c. Corn
Handful of spinach
1-2 tablespoons salsa
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
Cooking spray

Coat a small pan with cooking spray and begin cooking the chicken on medium heat, turning after about 5 minutes so each side is light brown. Chop the chicken into bite size pieces (you can do this before or after you cook it). After the chicken is thoroughly cooked, add 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning into the pan with a tablespoon or two of water (you don't want the taco seasoning to be chunky, water helps it to thin it and glaze over the chicken).

Add in the corn and spinach, allowing it to heat up. I also enjoy adding chopped onion, bell peppers, and black beans! If necessary, add another sprinkle of taco seasoning to the mixture.

And with that, you're done! Enjoy it with a side of salsa and you have yourself a delicious and quick entree.

the picture doesn't do it justice. SO YUM

The great thing about this recipe is that you can save all of these ingredients for another meal, or for another helping of Mexican chicken tomorrow! Refrigerate the corn and toss it on a salad; use the spinach in your eggs, salad, stir fry; close the taco seasoning packet for next time (you'll have a leftover); freeze the other chicken breasts in individual bags to make your next dinner super easy- just take a chicken breast out of the freezer each morning and it will be thawed by dinner time; and use the salsa with anything you think of :)

This is a great meal for anyone with a busy life, on a low budget, or a collee student... I think a majority of us could fit into that category so give this meal a try!!

If you're really craving taco shells, try the "whole grain" taco shells- 2 shells only have 110 calories! Heat then up in the microwave or toaster oven.

Hope you like it!
Morgan

Edamame Salad

First of all, let me say how delicious and easy this salad was! I've been on a salad-kick for the last few weeks, trying to get back into "pageant" shape, and I stumbled across this delicious recipe (from Pintrest, posted below) for Edamame Salad. I personally love edamame- it is packed with protein and nutrients and is nice and filling. Combining it with all of these simple ingredients made it even more delicious, and it was a nice change-up from the typical lettuce/spinach salad I eat every other day!

Edamame Salad

Salad:

1 c. frozen edamame, cooked to package directions, then shelled

1/3 c. dried cranberries

1/2 c. sweet corn kernals

1 c. carrots, julienned (you can buy these pre-cut)

1/3 c. bell peppers, chopped

1/4 c. onion (red or sweet- I did sweet) rinsed in cold water

Dressing:

2 T. Extra Light Olive Oil

1 T. Balsamic Vinegar

1 t. brown sugar

First, I began my chopping up all of my ingredients. The great thing about this recipe is that all of these vegetables can be used again on future salads (if you have leftovers) or on another batch of Edamame Salad!

Steam and shell the Edamame, dice the onion and rinse in cold water!

chop and measure your other veggies...

Combine it all in a bowl- so colorful!

 After you have chopped everything, combine it in a bowl and prepare your salad dressing. I actually designed my own salad dressing because I didn't have some of the ingredients listed on the original recipe. I had olive oil and balsamic vinegar in my cabinet, so I decided to use these with the brown sugar that the original recipe calls for (you could also try honey or agave nectar). Mix together your 2 T. of olive oil, 1 T. of balsamic vinegar, and 1 t. of brown sugar in a small container. I used a mini-tupperware that I usually use to store dressings in!

And just like that, you are done! Time to enjoy! I would save the dressing to pour on with each serving (rather than pouring it all on at once) so that it doesn't get gross. The original recipe actually called for 6 T. of olive oil...... I only used 2 T. and never even finished off the dressing! So use your judgement on how much dressing you usually like.

This also travels very well and tasted great as leftovers. I enjoyed this for my lunch break at clinical today, and it was so pleasantly satisfying! I hope you enjoy! Stay tuned for a few more recipe posts :)

Morgan

This is the original recipe from which I got the idea!
http://www.themeaningofpie.com/2012/02/marshas-edamame-salad/

"Get Your Rear In Gear 5k"- Raising Awareness for Colon Cancer!

Today I ran the Get Your Rear In Gear 5k at the beautiful Castle Island in Southie! It was awesome that it was so close to my house- I was still able to have a lazy Saturday sleep-in before I rolled out of bed to run! This race was extra exciting because I got to run with my best friend Miss Boston- Kelsey Beck! Two of her friends have parents battling colon cancer and I know a few friends fighting it so this was a perfect cause and reason to be active.

Miss Collegiate Area & Miss Boston

 

 

We got to the race JUST in time. The National Anthem was ending, I was still putting my bib on, and the gun was off! We quickly hopped in line and had to start our "hellos" and catching up as we started the race... this made the race FLY by! Although we were totally out-of-breath from talking, we had so much fun.

a mid-run snapshot!

There was such a great turn out for this event. Like I said, we were running this for all the people we know fighting colon cancer, and to see such a great turnout was truly inspiring. It is incredible how many people were showing their support for colon cancer.

Get Your Rear In Gear 5k

my favorite running route- Castle Island

could Castle Island be more amazing?

Kelsey and I helped to push each other through the race (have you read my blog posts about HOW MUCH I love a running buddy?) and before we knew it, we were crossing the finish line! The best part about races is that you get to see friends, socialize, AND get your workout over with WHILE supporting a great cause.

another mid-run picture, hehe :)

pageant buddies, best friends :)

we had to re-enact our finish after everyone was done. kodak moment ;)

And I've told you another great perk about races- the free goodies. Thank you to ALL of the sponsors at Get Your Rear In Gear for filling up my college cabinets with post-run fuel!

so much goodness

The race was so much fun and totally inspired me to combine a little of my nursing-knowledge for this blog to make people aware of colon cancer and ways to potentially prevent it. Colorectal cancer is a cancer of the large intestine and occurs when cells start growing and dividing into abnormal cells that don't die on their own. These abnormal cells can grow into polyps, which if left untreated, can become cancerous. While some cancers are inevitable, we can still change our lifestyles to hopefully increase our lifespan and chance of disease!

-Watch your intake of red meat!! Limit yourself to about 2 portions per week and aim for lean cuts. The high fat and salt content may contribute to colon cancer.

-Make sure you are getting all of your vitamins and minerals!! Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables- yum!

-Exercise! Get moving! Obesity contributes to colon cancer.

-Don't binge drink. Try to cut back on the amount of alcohol you consume.

-Get screened! Colonoscopy testing should start at age 50!

-Don't smoke!!! (and avoid a million other cancers but quitting!). 

-Check out your family history and be aware

-Motivate your loved ones to become healthier and provide them with support for their colonoscopy.

These are all ways to hopefully prevent colon cancer, but ALL of these tips contribute to a healthier you! It is never too early to start. Try to make a few changes TODAY! What are you waiting for? Life is too short :)
These health measures not only prevent colon cancer, but could help prevent high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, and heart attacks! Kill two birds with one stone (or many birds for that matter) by adapting to a more nutritious lifestyle- you will feel so much better inside & out!

This day was just SO inspiring that I passed a bloodmobile on my way to get coffee after the race... I decided it couldn't be more appropriate to give blood today and hopefully save a life! So that is exactly what I did. Giving blood is the easiest, most pain-free and simple way to save a life! Plus, you get to eat cookies after... who would object to that????

all smiles watching blood drain from me :) haha!

Thanks for reading! Lets raise awareness for colon cancer!

Morgan

Tufts 10K For Women

Yayyyy!! Today was the day! I was so happy to complete the Tufts 10k For Women in Boston. The course was beautiful, starting at Boston Common, looping around the Charles River, Storrow Drive, Boylston Street, and finishing in front of the Common!

Yesterday I went to City Sports to pick up my bib and race packet... the best part about races is the goodies that come along with it! It made me even MORE excited to run, if that is possible.

Nothing better than another race shirt :)

I was so excited to put my training to the test. I haven't followed any specific training plan, but I was able to squeeze in a few 6 mile runs over the past few weeks, mixed in with my typical shorter runs. I think that really helped me to mentally prepare for the actual race, when everyone is zooming past you and you seem to lose track of your typical pace! Running in a crowd is so different than running by yourself! I filled my iPod with running essentials (thank you Paige and Jaycee), ate delicious carbohydrates all weekend, loaded my body up with water, and rested all day Sunday. I was R.E.A.D.Y!

These little babies carried me through :)

Today I got to Boston Common, stretched, (peed like 6 times, I was so excited), and lined up! It was FINALLY time to start running so I started my watch, blasted some Kap Slap "Back To School Mix" in my headphones, filled my lungs with air, and we were OFF! I tried to start nice and slow, forced my brain to stay focused and positive, and didn't let myself stop once. I didn't even get a side-ache (these are huge accomplishments for me!). Just under 52 minutes later, I was crossing the finish line, where I was SO HAPPY to find my darling roomate Erin surprising me and congratulating me on my finish! Thank you for supporting me Erin!!!

Successful Finish! I had so much fun!

The race was amazing. It is always so incredible to see so many people out being active and supporting a great cause. More importantly, I was so proud of myself. To me, running is not about winning or getting the best time. It is about competing against MYSELF, working to better myself physically and mentally, and about proving to myself that I CAN do anything I set my mind to. Sometimes I get so down about the stresses of life: nursing school, relationships (or lack there of), exam grades, being homesick, and wondering what I'm meant to do in this world. I kind of had an epiphany today at the race: it doesn't matter who is surrounding you, who is supporting you, or how perfect your life is. Live your life to the fullest, find something you enjoy, and work hard at it! Running is exactly that for me, and it is SO wonderful to have a passion that ONLY I get to control! It was the most amazing feeling today knowing that I finished this race because I worked hard to get there! Sorry to get all sappy :)

The motto of the race is "Start Strong, Finish Stronger" and based on that last paragraph, I would say I did!

Look how much stronger I finished!!! (this is a joke)

It was such a great race, that I came home and started researching when my next 10k could be! If you haven't ever run a race, I strongly suggest trying it! Compete against yourself and give yourself something to work towards! I have a 5k this Saturday and I couldn't be more excited! (nerdy, I know!)

Thanks for reading everyone! I can't believe I've had over 4,200 views on my blog!! If you have any suggestions, I'll take them! Thank you!

Morgan