'Those who succeed are unwilling to quit.' 

                                                      -Adam Bornstein

     Hello Everyone!!  I am so excited to be able to share a bit of our life with you all!  First of all, let me introduce myself.  I am Kierstin Laws, daughter of Kathy Jensen, wife of Reed, mother of Mikaela, Max, and Mia, and (favorite) niece of Lisa Carter :)  I am 32 years old and have a passion for fitness, organization, cleaning, and overall healthy lifestyle.  I am NOT a nutritionist, fitness/health expert, personal trainer, or dietitian.  I majored in Health Promotion & Education in college and had a few nutrition courses as well as a handful of human anatomy & physiology classes.  These courses, as well as almost 20 years of researching health, fitness, nutrition, and healthy living have helped me stay on track with my weight and help keep my little family healthy and active.
     Katie asked me to tell my 'story' as to how I became so passionate for healthy living, so here goes (try not to fall asleep :)  I have always had a lot of energy & a passion for an active lifestyle.   I acquired a desire to learn more about how the body works... especially when dealing with food and fitness from watching my parents good examples.  I began taking college medical courses in high school and that lit a fire within me to learn more about health.  I got a job at a local gym at 17 and there began learning all about proper weight-lifting techniques, form, and how to properly challenge your body to get results.  I trained & consulted with personal trainers, spent countless hours speaking to nutritionists, and years being inspired by the 'health nuts' that came every day, without fail, to challenge themselves and succeed.
     I also watched person, after person, year after year, sign up for a membership in January only to completely fizzle out by March.  Everyone is motivated in some way or another in January... the KEY is to keep that motivation going throughout the year, and carry it into the rest of your life!    
I watched as people would come into the gym, walk around for a bit, lift a few 10lb weights, walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes while watching t.v. and then stop by the juice bar for a 900 calorie 'protein smoothie' to reward themselves for all of their 'hard' work.  They would come to the gym every day, faithfully, for years doing this same routine.... with absolutely no results, and most of the time weight gain (darn those smoothies!!).
     I learned that to be strong, fit, healthy, and happy, I had to get active!  I challenged myself and made myself push past my comfort zone.  I trained my brain to shut out the word 'can't' and told myself over an over, 'of course I can!'.  This became my mantra.  Honestly, I cannot tell you enough how much that phrase has affected every aspect of my life since then.  I stopped being afraid of the 'pain' in life and decided to give it all I had... I felt I could do and be anything!

Fast forward a few years...
After my second child, Max, was born, I suffered from severe depression.  I went on antidepressants that turned me into a drone with no real emotions, good or bad.
I didn't lose any weight.  I had no motivation, or drive, or will to change or challenge myself.
I was stuck in a hole that I had no idea how to get out of.
I was scared that I would be this way forever and I thought that the 'old me' was gone.
...Until one conversation I had with my wonderful Mom.
I was complaining how awful I felt, how depressed I was, and how everything sucked at the moment.
My Mom listened patiently to me, and then said, 'Stop it.  Stop it right now.  Stop waiting for everything and everyone else to make you happy!  No one is going to make you happy except for yourself.  Go find your happy and stop complaining!'
I was shocked at first, and then it sank in deep into my heart.
She was right... I needed to go find my happy again!  My 'old' self was still in there and I needed to find out what I used to do to be happy.

From that moment on, I made a conscious decision to kick my depressed butt into gear!  I signed up with a little gym that had a great daycare and literally had to FORCE myself to go... every, single day.  I got a haircut and bought some new exercise clothes and shoes.  I wanted to like what I saw in the mirror and wanted to feel like myself again.
I went to fitness classes, making sure to stay hidden on the back row in the corner (so no one could see my chunky butt jiggle when I hopped on the steps).  I strained through endless amounts of situps, pushups, and weigh-lifting Body Pump classes, spinning classes, and yoga twice a week.  I kept track of the fitness schedule and decided that I would hold myself accountable to be at those classes, every day.  I made myself go to two classes a day.  Two hours.  It was a lot, but I needed that extreme to change up my routine.
**You do not need 2 hours a day to get into shape.  I'm just saying, that's what I did.  And it worked for me.
I re-learned so much from those classes and slowly, but surely, day by day, I began to feel stronger and happier.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.  Read, research, learn.  Subscribe to health magazines.  Be inspired.

One class, one hour, one decision at a time.
It took me about one year to get in great shape.  I found that the more I exercised, the more I wanted to maintain, so I researched all about nutrition and fitness.  I wanted to fuel my new muscles with the right foods to maintain all of my hard work.
And now, 8 years,  another baby, and another bout of depression later, I am still maintaining.
I realized that I could wait around for that 'perfect' time in my life when things are less stressful, less chaotic, less busy, to take care of myself... OR, I could just suck it up and get to work!  So, that's what I've done.  Over, and over, and over again throughout the years.   

I learned this lesson all over again:
YOU MUST CHALLENGE YOURSELF TO SEE RESULTS!!  I cannot emphasize this enough.
I know you all know this.
If you are not sweating or breathing hard, you are not going fast enough or working at a high enough intensity.  If you are not really straining to lift that weight by the 12th rep, it's not heavy enough.  Don't leave a workout until you have given it all you've got... even if it's 30 minutes.  
Keep track of your caloric intake & exercise minutes for the day.  EVERY day.
For at least a month.
Force yourself to exercise hard for no less than 30 MINUTES-ONE HOUR every, single day.
Give yourself that hour and kick your own butt.
See what you are really made of.
CHALLENGE YOURSELF!! PUSH YOURSELF!!
Learn how to lift weights.  Talk to a personal trainer or look online.  Lift weights 3x/week.
MUSCLE BURNS FAT!
It will be hard.
You may feel like throwing up... or just throwing in the towel.
It will be tedious.
And annoying.
And you will hate it most days.
BUT it will be worth it because you will train your body to listen to your brain.
You can train your brain to crave the right foods.
You have to start with keeping track of yourself to make yourself accountable for what you put into, and exercise out of your body.
And I promise you will see results.

**Here's a sample of what we eat around here for meals and snacks :)

Breakfast:  Oatmeal with 1 tbsp. honey & 1/2 c. blueberries (fresh or frozen)
3 eggs (1 whole, 2 whites) scrambled with veggies & sriracha sauce
water

Snacks:  string cheese & apple.  1/4 c dried apricots, 5 raw almonds, string cheese.  Apples with 2               tbsp natural peanutbutter.  Protein bar.  Muscle milk.  Whole wheat crackers (without hydrogenated   oils!) canned chicken or salmon with some lemon pepper mixed in.

Lunch:  HUGE salad with green, leafy lettuce, any veggies, berries, & about 6 chopped raw almonds.  1/2 can chicken & about 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar.  You can also sprinkle a small amount of fetta cheese on top.

Dinner:  Broiled salmon (extra virgin olive oil & lemon pepper), broccoli or other green veggie, another colorful veggie, & either barley or brown rice cooked in chicken or veggie broth and sprinkled with Mrs. Dash or a little lemon pepper.  Drizzle everything with lemon juice.

Dessert:  You can make your own fresh sorbet!  Just take frozen berries, or freeze cantaloupe or other melon, and blend in the blender until slushy.  Mix in 1-2 tbsp agave nectar or raw honey, pour into a container and freeze until ready to eat! Dark chocolate is also good for you in small quantities :)

**Rules we have in our family:  We barely drink any juice... even if it is 100% juice, it has TONS of sugar.  We don't drink soda.  Drink half of your weight in ounces of water each day (example:  half of 100lbs is 50 oz of water a day).  Add protein to your diet!  Most people don't get enough protein.  If you're starving at night, eat 5 almonds, or a string cheese, or a 1/2 c cottage cheese, or 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter,   Drink 12 oz of water and wait 15 minutes.  If you're still starving, have some oatmeal, if you're ok, go to bed :)  Track your progress on MyPlate at livestrong.com  It is a great tool.

Good Luck Everyone!  I'm excited to see who can kick their own butt into shape!!