http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
Packing lunch every day can get boring, but here’s a fun and inexpensive way to make it more fun. My colleague Meghan makes lunch for her kids each day and, on a hunt to keep her “lunch-packing spark alive,” she stumbled on the cutest little way to pack up condiments for lunch boxes.
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
(Image credit: NWHomeworks)
Today the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released the first chapter of a new series that explores what they consider to be the new American Dream. The report, which is sponsored by IKEA U.S., shows how the idea of the American Dream has changed over time and how it will continue to evolve. While the old goal of owning a house with a white picket fence might have been the dream 50 years ago, today it’s more about living on one’s own terms.
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
(Image credit: Samantha Bolton)
If you’ve ever had something in your teeth and no one told you, and then you went to the bathroom or happened to pass by a mirror and discovered a big chunk of spinach lodged in your incisors, you know: You always want someone to tell you it’s there. Right? Right. And that’s not so hard when it’s your best friend or your husband or your mom, but, it’s a bit more delicate when coworkers are involved.
Here’s how to do it, in six easy steps.
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
(Image credit: Maria Siriano)
Homemade deep-dish pizza is something of a commitment and hardly one you’re likely to make on a weeknight. But we like the idea of a pizza casserole and have found the muffin tin puts a weeknight-friendly spin on the concept, producing single-serve deep-dish pizzas that are a breeze to put together.
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
(Image credit: Miss Moss)
From Apartment Therapy → What Kitchen Sink Is Right For You? A Look at Stainless, Cast Iron, Marble & More
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
Hosting dinner parties is one of my favorite ways to spend time and catch up with friends. And while I love whiling away a Saturday prepping for the evening, I also love a more casual gathering on a weeknight.
But after a long day at work, it can be tough to squeeze in the time to get everything together before dinner guests arrive. As meal kits like Blue Apron and Plated are designed to streamline dinner at home on such nights, I decided to see how I could use them to my advantage to pull off a small weeknight dinner party.
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
(Image credit: Barnaby Chambers/Shutterstock)
From organic Gatorade to cage-free Egg McMuffins, American food staples are trending toward healthier ingredients. The latest to hop on this trend is none other than the college dorm staple, Cup Noodles. Nissin Foods has revamped their just-add-water instant noodles by decreasing the sodium content by 20 percent in their most popular chicken, beef, and shrimp flavors. They also removed added MSG from all their flavors and replaced artificial flavors with natural flavors.
https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/
Name: Staci Bond
Age: 45
Location: Cincinnati, OH
How did you find out about the Girls Gone Strong community?
I am an avid exerciser and was looking for some new training ideas. I found the GGS website while looking online at many different fitness sites and was intrigued by how well articulated and “real” the content was and how it really spoke to all women and not just fitness competitors or professional athletes.
What does being a Girl Gone Strong mean to you? It means standing in your power and owning it. Loving yourself fully as you are now even as you work toward your goals, and living an unapologetically authentic life of your choosing. It means standing up for what you believe in and not letting obstacles get in the way of pursuing your best life.
It means being real, being true, and defining your own success and what that looks like for you, and you alone.
Strongest You Coaching Registration is Open!
Apply today!
What do you do
I’m a registered radiographer (x-ray technologist), and hold registries as well in nuclear medicine technology and mammography. While my initial career was focused on working in hospitals with patient care-which I loved, a little over 15 years ago I decided to switch gears, try a new challenge, and go to work in sales focusing my sales efforts on Medical Imaging products which reflects my background. I’m currently the Regional Director of Sales for Konica Minolta Heathcare, Americas and lead the sales efforts of my team covering a quarter of the continental USA. I get the best of both worlds focusing on my background of Radiology while getting to coach a team on how to be successful representing our line of work class healthcare products.
What else do you do?
I genuinely and truly enjoy all forms of exercise but especially strength training and HIIT workouts as well as kettlebell training. When I’m not working at my job or training in the gym I am a devout reader. I adore all kinds of books but especially love the latest/greatest fiction novels or inspirational literature. I can’t get enough live music of any genre, people watching, window shopping, burning yummy scented candles at home, sitting on the deck with a really nice glass of red wine, and going on long walks with my daughter while having our “girl talks”. I also enjoy spending time cooking healthy meals with my family and trying new recipes.
Oh and I cannot forget—we are huge sports fans at our house, and we love cheering on the Cincinnati Reds, Cincinnati Bengals, and The Ohio State Buckeyes!
How did you get introduced to strength training, and how long have you been training?
Time has flown by, but 22 years ago I weighed 245 pounds, felt miserable, lethargic, and depressed. After being diagnosed as morbidly obese, I made the decision that I needed to take care of my health once and for all so I decided to join my local YMCA. 
It was there that I met some of my nearest and dearest friends even to this day, and I began my fitness journey. When I was in the process of losing that weight I was learning how to train my body and was introduced to strength training using Nautilus type circuit machines.
To be honest, most of my training was cardio based and I only used weight circuit machines for many years until the mid 2000’s when I started working out with a personal trainer. My trainer at that time introduced me to more free-weight type exercises but even then I just dabbled in it doing basic biceps curls and such. This went on with the majority of my focus on intense cardio until about 18 months ago when I joined a new gym-(shout out to my Snap Fitness Hebron family!) and learned about HIIT and metabolic type training and it was there that my interest in true strength training peaked. I loved how strong and powerful those girls looked!
I saw the amazing things that could happen lifting heavy weights and my fear of “bulking up” was finally laid to rest.
Once I started SYC I really jumped all in with respect to heavy lifting and strength training and it’s been incredibly transforming for me and I’m so happy to no longer be doing hours upon hours of cardio! I have found that all of the intense cardio not only took up so much of my time, but for me it only served to make me voraciously hungry and exhausted and did nothing for the way be body performed.
Favorite Lift:
Do I have to pick one? I love them all, and although I tore my proximal hamstring pretty badly in the spring due to chronic tendonitis and still can’t lift as much weight as I used to, I would have to say the deadlift is definitely one of my favorites. I like to focus on strength moves that target multiple muscle groups—kettlebells, push presses, and I adore slam balls and wall balls too….. I can’t pick just one. I love these moves because they make me feel strong and powerful!
Top 3 things you must have with you at the gym or in your gym bag:
Water bottle with my BCAA’s, Athleta Sonar capri leggings, post-workout Vega Sport protein shake.
Do you prefer to train alone or with others? Why?
I love to have others around me. I think it’s so good to have someone first of all to spot you, but to also cheer you on and tell you “hey you got this girl”! It’s great to have someone to check your form and be there to give you a nudge when you aren’t feeling it that day or to just pump each other up. Emotional support is so important. I like to have someone that is counting on me to be there for my own accountability because if you have a workout scheduled you can’t leave a friend hanging! It’s such an awesome girl power moment of pride when it’s over and you both kicked ass!
Best compliment you’ve received lately
As much as I love the compliments I’ve gotten at the gym—most recently I was called “a beast” which was a huge compliment to me— the best compliment I have gotten recently would be from my husband who tells me what a great mom I am and from my daughter who wrote a paper on who her role model is and she selected me. That means more to me than any physical compliment I could ever possibly receive. 
Being a positive and inspiring role model for her is my top priority. I want to instill in her the confidence to be a true GGS by whatever definition she chooses that to be for her.
Most recent compliment you gave someone else:
I was at the gym and there was a newbie there and I was lifting heavy and she was watching curiously. She made a comment about how she would never be able to do that. I told her she is more capable and powerful than she knows and that I have been there and had those same feelings before. I told her that I was proud of her for showing up and giving it her absolute best. She needed to know that her body is beautiful and capable, and something to be proud of! It’s about consistency not perfection. We all had to start somewhere but showing up day after day is something to be extremely proud of!
Favorite way to treat yourself:
I love buying new makeup-nothing like a new lipstick color to make your day a bit brighter. Outside of that I’m totally addicted to Starbucks cold brew coffee, OMG-can’t live without it. I also allow myself to get massages for my achy muscles which is definitely a treat! My other weakness is workout clothes-especially cute t-shirts with crazy sayings on them.
Favorite quote:
“Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you’ll be criticized anyway” -Eleanor Roosevelt
Three words that best describe you:
loyal, dedicated, and competitive.
Favorite book:
Intentional Living by John C Maxwell. It’s about achieving significance and building a lasting legacy. It helps you to take that first step in living this kind of life.
What inspires and motivates you?
The smell of coffee!….there is no motivation without coffee-seriously I’d die w/o my morning Cup O Joe!
We only open registration two or three times a year, and they always sell out fast!
Describe a typical day in your life.
There really isn’t a typical day for me due to my type of work. I have to travel by plane quite often but when I’m home:
Wake up 6 am, get my daughter out the door for school.
7 am work in my home office checking email and getting my day set up.
8 am light breakfast pre-workout of some lean protein and berries.
9-10 workout time!
10 am post workout meal of starchy carb and protein while buckling down for a day of work!
1 pm lunch-usually a BAS-big ass salad with lots of veggies and protein!
I work all afternoon until 5 or 6 and then we like to make dinner as a family. We research new recipes that we’d like to try and have fun chopping veggies and cooking up something healthy and delicious! I’ve had to get pretty creative and open to trying new things since I have suffered from gastrointestinal issues for many years and made the decision earlier this year to eliminate dairy, gluten, and eggs and almonds from my diet due to intolerance issues.
9 pm I’m usually in bed with my face in a book!
10 pm lights out.
When did you join Strongest You Coaching, why did you decide to join, and what helped you make that decision?
I joined in Jan of 2016. I was honestly just worn out both physically as well as mentally. I was running myself ragged yet feeling puffy and sore all of the time with zero interest in training. I was typically taking spinning class for an hour two days a week, running for an hour two days a week, as well as doing two- to three-hour long fitness circuit training and metabolic training sessions per week. 
My workouts were “have to’s” instead of “want to’s” and they lacked any kind of fun factor. I felt tired, cranky, hungry, and emotional and not seeing any results despite all of my effort. I came across info for the program in an email from GGS and upon further review and a few questions during a chat session, I felt like it was exactly what I needed. A program designed for real life-not just a quick fix- that is sustainable, realistic, empowering, and fun. I needed to figure out how to enjoy my training and stop abusing my body.
One of the most important aspects of the program for me was the mindset piece. This was what really sold me on SYC. I already loved to work out and felt like I had a pretty good handle on nutrition but was I needed a mental makeover. I didn’t feel comfortable in my own skin despite having lost 100 pounds many years prior. I still felt like I just didn’t measure up. The program takes the best of training, nutrition and mindset and puts them all together in a way that is much more sane and actually easier than what I was doing previously and I was able to get great results!
What has been your biggest challenge in the Strongest You Coaching program?
Letting go of the “lose 20 pounds in a month and get a bikini body” mentality and settling in for the long haul for long term and sustainable results. Realizing that being “on” and going balls to the wall all the time wasn’t serving me. As Jen Comas told us, we only have so much in our willpower tank until it’s empty. I needed to recognize that what I had been doing wasn’t healthy and to be open to a new mindset. I had to let go of being in constant control and trust that the program would work. Jen was amazing to work with as a coach. She never gave up on me and was a constant cheerleader throughout the entire process. She helped me realize that…
it’s ok to ask for what we need and to not let guilt and shame hold you back in life.
What has been your biggest success in the Strongest You Coaching program?
Definitely learning to love my body and not hate it into submission. To let go of perfectionism and control and recognize the true beauty of what my body is capable of doing and not just how it looks. Being proud of who I am today while still working toward my goals. I’m proud of the fact that although I had a major injury about six weeks into the program that could have sidelined me I chose to stick with it and persevere. A lot of obstacles were thrown into my path that I had to navigate through and it was tough. I had the hamstring issue, diagnosis of the inability to eat dairy, gluten, eggs, and a host of other items, and I also developed shingles.
I could have thrown in the towel, gotten really depressed and given up. Jen helped me recognize that obstacles are opportunities to grow and that sometimes when things happen that seem bad you can use them for good. Learning to relax and trust my body and my mind is incredibly liberating and something that I am so grateful for! Oh and the results, of course! My goal was to lean out, not necessarily to lose pounds but to gain strength and I’m proud to say I lost almost 12 inches overall and am much stronger than before the program!
What do you like best about the Strongest You Coaching community?
There are so many things to love. The training program in and of itself is amazing. It’s scalable and customized to the individual’s level of ability. I gained a ton of strength which was phenomenal. I think what I like most is just the team effort and the camaraderie and feeling like we are all in this thing together. I never felt like I was alone in the process because we all need a tribe! SYC gives you that tribe to cheer each other on, lift each other up, and bounce ideas off each other.
I also really appreciate the fact that this isn’t a quick fix or one size fits all approach. No meal plans, no crash dieting, just solid, informative, cutting edge, and well thought out information that you build upon week to week. The fact that this isn’t a quick fix is a testament to the GGS philosophy. A diet will of course work short term but then what? Most gain it all back and then some. I was impressed with the minimal effective dose philosophy.
Bottom line, SYC gave me the tools to make informed decisions on what is best for me with respect to training, nutrition, and mindset. I feel like GGS respects women enough to teach us how to be our own advocates and free thinkers and to help us make sound exercise and nutritional choices that are personalized to our individual goals and objectives.
No one knows their body more than the individual and sustainable changes will come when you look inward and determine how certain foods affect your hunger, energy and cravings.
What is the habit you’re currently working on most?
The hardest thing for me personally and the one thing that I will always be working on I believe is being mindful when I’m eating and stopping when satisfied and not overly full. I tend to multi-task and check email while eating or get on social media and that was something that I didn’t realize could be hindering my results. Learning to tune in and really taste of my food, to savor and enjoy it, was a habit I needed to learn and am still working on.
How has Strongest You Coaching changed your life?
It helped me realize that I have so much more to offer the world than my body and to take responsibility for my actions, wants, needs, and desires. I dug deep and found a way to eat and train forever in a manner than isn’t white knuckling my way through the day using every ounce of willpower I have. In a word, I found freedom.
What would you tell a woman who’s nervous about joining Strongest You Coaching?
Don’t wait-there is nothing at all to fear. GGS is 100 percent dedicated to your success in obtaining your goals. This has been an amazing experience for me. SYC is truly life altering and liberating. They will walk you through the program and are there for any question or need you might have. The concepts are put together in a way that you can understand and implement in real life. If you want a program that nurtures your mind, body, and spirit and to walk away with the tools you need for your best life this is the program for you!
In our Strongest You Coaching program, we help women just like you reach their health, physique, and mindset goals. Strongest You Coaching is about more than just training and nutrition. It’s about changing your self-talk and inner dialogue, learning to let fitness enhance your life instead of rule your life, and finally healing your relationship with food and your body, all with the help of your Girls Gone Strong Coach, and your fellow Strongest You Coaching group.
The post GGS Spotlight: Staci Bond appeared first on Girls Gone Strong.
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
(Image credit: Maria Siriano)
Whether you’re setting up a new kitchen or considering upgrading the tools you currently have, a knife set can seem like a good idea. The advantages are that you get a lot of knives (and, often, kitchen shears and a honing steel) at a reasonable price and you don’t have to think too much about it.
But are you really better off purchasing a block set? The experts agree: probably not, and here’s why.
For now classes are 6pm and 640pm at 2840 Wildwood st in the Boise Cloggers studio.
Book your class NOW!
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