So what’s next you ask? I’ve been working one on one with clients since July and am currently running a 6-week macro challenge.  Everyone is killing it and I couldn’t be happier. You can find more details and sign up to work with me here.

I LOVE showing folks how to eat the food they love while still achieving their goals. I’m a goal based nutrition coach who believes everything starts with FOOD. Sorry, but you can’t out exercise a bad diet.

Personally, I eat to fuel my training. It’s that simple. If I dive a little deeper I’m trying to focus on eating all the seasonal fruits and veggies like squash. While my hubby may disagree there’s nothing better than stuffed squash this time of year. Last week I ate all the squash — acorn, delicata and spaghetti squash! However, I want to talk about the Southwest Stuffed Delicata Squash I made because not only was it uber easy to make it was delicious especially if you like Mexican food or chili (hubs note).

Southwest Chili Stuffed Delicata Squash
Serves 4-8

Ingredients 

2-4 delicata squash halved lengthwise, seeds removed
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb. lean ground turkey
1 tbsp Trader Joe’s chili lime powder
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
250g corn
15 oz can diced tomatoes
15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 chopped cilantro
1/2  lime
1/2 – 1 cup cheese

Directions 

Squash: Preheat the oven to 375. Lightly spray squash with the olive oil, and sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Place cut side down on a lined baking sheet and roast for 20ish minutes, or until soft. Set aside.

Chili: Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and spices cook until fragrant.

Add the ground turkey and coat with the spice mixture. Cook until no longer pink.

Add the corn, diced tomatoes, and black beans, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer on low for roughly 5-10 minutes. When ready fill the delicata squash with the chili. Return stuffed squash to the oven and cook for additional 10-15 minutes. Top with cheese, cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime (if desired).

FYI, the above directions will fill 4 whole delicata squash. If you cook less expect leftover chili filling.

What’s your favorite squash?

The post Win at Dinner with Stuffed Squash appeared first on a Happy Healthy Home.

You guys! We can’t forget about the last open workout! All the thrusters and chest to bars. Yeah, I know it ended a month ago, but life happened. What can I say! Let’s dive right into things.

THE WORKOUT

This was a repeat of 11.6

Complete as many reps as possible in 7 minutes of:
3 thrusters / 3 chest-to-bar pull-ups
6 thrusters / 6 chest-to-bar pull-ups
9 thrusters / 9 chest-to-bar pull-ups
12 thrusters / 12 chest-to-bar pull-ups
15 thrusters / 15 chest-to-bar pull-ups
18 thrusters / 18 chest-to-bar pull-ups

If you complete the round of 18, go on to 21. If you complete 21, go on to 24, etc.

INITIAL THOUGHTS
Honestly, I think we all knew thrusters and chest to bars were coming so I wasn’t really surprised. I was surprised that Castro gave the CrossFit community a choice of 3 to vote on prior to the announcement. I knew I would have to break up the thrusters and hammer out the chest to bars.

MY PERFORMANCE
Surprisingly well. I hit 91 reps. I broke up the reps early kept the transition quick and never stopped moving. The thrusters never got hard, but those linked chest to bars fell apart at around 15. I actually redid this workout with a different rep scheme and got the same score… I was not pleased.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, I’m happy with my performance. This is a workout that would have previously crushed me and it ended up being my second best finish during the 2018 open. It just goes to show how much I’ve improved in the last year.

OVERALL THOUGHTS ON THE 2018 OPEN

Now that the open is over I can reflect on my overall performance. It was 10 times better than previous years. I’m actually really happy with my overall finish — 3,062 out of 30,915 worldwide! My takeaway… I have a lot of room for improvement. A few goals include bar cycling mid/heavy loads, overall strength, and butterfly pull-ups.

WHAT’S NEXT…
Fingers crossed I pass my CF level 1 cert. and then start working on my nutrition cert…. because I have SO much time. Oh, and keep training.

From my CF Level 1 training weekend…

Photo Credit: CrossFit.com

The post In the Open: 18.5 and Final Thoughts appeared first on a Happy Healthy Home.

Four weeks down one to go… I can’t hardly believe the open is over after Friday! I’ve loved the process this year even if the workouts are totally random. Sometimes I wonder what HQ is thinking. I mean scaled this week had bear crawls?! That’s not a workout that’s a warmup drill! Anyway, embrace the process right?

Without further adieu…

THE WORKOUT


For time:

21-15-9
deadlifts, 155 lb. + handstand push-ups

then…

21 deadlifts, 205 lb.
50-ft. handstand walk
15 deadlifts, 205 lb.
50-ft. handstand walk
9 deadlifts, 205 lb.
50-ft. handstand walk

Time cap: 9 min.


INITIAL THOUGHTS
Yup, my neck and back are going to HATE me. Deadlifts are not my jam and I’ve said it before — no one should ever do heavy deadlifts for time. With that said, the new HSPU standard didn’t really phase me. You just do what you can do.

MY PERFORMANCE
Last year the 55 rep DL workout KILLED my back. Although overall I’m in much better shape this year, I was very conservative in this workout. While I could have gone with big sets on the deadlifts I did all singles. Yup, that’s right, ALL singles. Then busted out big sets on the HSPUs. But guess what? My back didn’t lock up on me and I feel great. I finished with 79 reps… not my best performance. Oh, and the new HSPU standard didn’t bother me at all. I made sure my HSPUs were slow and controlled so I made each rep.


FINAL THOUGHTS
While I know I could have pushed harder and logged more reps I’m not advancing this year so why kill my back and be out for weeks?! Yes, I want to push, but I’m also in this fitness thing for the long haul. However, even with an extremely low score, I’m still sitting top 10% worldwide in my age group. This is HUGE. Last year I finished top 25%!

Did you do 18.4? Love it or hate it? Any predictions for 18.5?

The post In the Open: Thoughts on 18.4 appeared first on a Happy Healthy Home.

Hey, how did that happen again? Yup, 18.4 will be announced in a matter of hours and I’m just now getting around to recapping 18.3. Well, that’s life. For those of you who enjoy/like CrossFit keep reading, otherwise, check back tomorrow for Friday Favorites.

THE WORKOUT

2 rounds for time of:
100 double-unders
20 overhead squats
100 double-unders
12 ring muscle-ups
100 double-unders
20 dumbbell snatches
100 double-unders
12 bar muscle-ups

Men perform 115-lb. OHS, 50-lb. DB snatches

Time cap: 14 minutes

INITIAL THOUGHTS
When Dave was announcing all the movements I was jumping for joy. Then he said 100 double-unders and I thought —  well, SHIT. I mean I can do double-unders, but I’m not a double-under queen. But that’s what the open is all about. I also thought — well, I’m going to pee my pants and that’s going to suck. #fitmomlife

MY PERFORMANCE
I was giddy walking into the gym Friday afternoon because of muscles-ups! They are my jam. With that said, I warmed up and got to work. I followed my game plan and broke things up from the start. Well, the ring muscle-ups were not clicking which was frustrating because they are my jam! Needless to say, I didn’t do that well and redid it on Monday and slayed the WOD. As in knocked out 101 more reps than Friday. My final score was 348…

FINAL THOUGHTS
Things really clicked on Monday and afterward, I felt as though I could have pushed harder. But then you never know. Did things click because it was the right pace? If I pushed harder would I have done as well? Either way Monday was WAY better and I finished 1,077 out of 30,918 worldwide! Yeah, you could say I’m pretty damn proud of that.

Do you think tonight will be a repeat? I’m secretly hoping for 16.1. I guess we’ll find out in a few hours.

The post In the open: Thoughts on 18.3 appeared first on a Happy Healthy Home.

Well, folks week 2 of the CrossFit open didn’t disappoint. It was a lung burner with a max lift. Oh, Joy – said no one ever. But seriously I wasn’t too excited about the workout because of the 1 rep max clean. I’m just not there, yet. But that’s what the open is about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.

So let’s get to the nitty gritty…

THE WORKOUT

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 reps for time of:
Dumbbell squats  25-lb. dumbbells
Bar-facing burpees

Workout 18.2a 1-rep-max clean

Time cap: 12 minutes to complete 18.2 AND 18.2a

INITIAL THOUGHTS
Honestly, I didn’t think this WOD was very exciting. Probably because it’s not in my wheelhouse. When there’s a movement you’re super good at you are more likely to be excited about it.

PERFORMANCE
UGH — this is one of those workouts I thought I was going fast, but that was not the case. Also, I don’t recommend pushing that hard when you’re super congested and can’t breathe. With that said, I redid it and well I only did it 12 seconds faster! You could say I was a bit disappointed. My final time/score: 8:16 /135 lbs.

Although I’m disappointed I have to reflect and remind myself how far I’ve come. I don’t know if I would have finished in the 12-minute time cap this time last year… So there’s that.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Whew, while I’m glad I redid it I’m also glad that it’s over. Ready to move on.

Did you do 18.2? What did you think? How do you feel about redos?

The post In the open: Thoughts on 18.2 appeared first on a Happy Healthy Home.

The post In the Open: Thoughts on 18.1 appeared first on a Happy Healthy Home.

Anyway, I placed 15th in my age group. Which is right in the middle of the pack. While some wouldn’t be so happy with finishing 15th, I’m ecstatic. Why, because I’ve improved so much in the last year and it showed.

DAY 1
There were a lot of nervous leading into day 1, but after touching the barbell I knew it was go-time. Plus, it was all about having fun!

WOD 1
4 RM Thruster

WOD 2
Row 750 for time
rest 1 min
Row 500 for time

WOD 3
AMRAP – 9 minutes
150m shuttle run
10 53 lb KBS
5 pull-ups

immediately into 3 RFT (3 min time cap)

150m shuttle run
10 53 lb KBS
5 pull-ups

DAY 2
I was worried about heavy power cleans, but day 2 was way better than day one. It was the day I realized my training has really paid off. I had the stamina to keep pushing.


WOD 4 (13 min time cap)
Chipper 10, 8, 6 ,4 ,2
Power clean at 135 lbs
Toes to Bar
Alt 35 lb KB Snatches

…in between each round 60 doubleunders plus 100m row

WOD 5
Run 800m with a 14 lb med ball
rest 30s
2 min max back squats at 105lbs

FINAL THOUGHTS
I loved every minute of it. I loved the energy on the floor, the ladies competing and the feeling of accomplishment I felt afterwards. It gave me the boost I needed going into the open. The venue view didn’t disappoint either. I will definitely compete in NCM 2019.

Do you CrossFit?

Photo Credit: David Kafer Photography

The post 2018 NorCal Masters CrossFit Competition Recap appeared first on a Happy Healthy Home.

I don’t even know why I own a closet full of clothes. It’s partly because I workout more than I should admit and partly because I work from home. Which makes it totally appropriate to wear yoga pants to work. And you best believe I do. It’s totally worth it to invest in fitness apparel and gear.

Trust me I don’t want to rock seethrough pants to the GYM. Here’s the thing, I rotate out pants, tanks, and sports bras often. I update my shoes 1-2 times a year and I always spend gift cards on workout clothes.

So where do I shop for fitness gear and apparel? Everywhere. I love Nordstroms for everything Nike and Zella, Lululemon for shorts and sports bras, Athleta for tops, leggings and sports bras and GAP for tanks – I fricking love their tanks! Regarding shoes, I’m a New Balance and Nike girl when it comes to non-CrossFit shoes and typically just seek out the best price.

For gear, well, Amazon is my go-to one-stop shop — water bottles, food scale, etc.

Without further adieu, here are a few of my tops picks that will work through spring.

Shop This Post + My Favorite Fitness Gear:

!function(d,s,id){var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? ‘http’ : ‘https’;if(!d.getElementById(id)) {e = d.createElement(s);e.id = id;e.src = p + ‘://’ + ‘widgets.rewardstyle.com’ + ‘/js/shopthepost.js’;d.body.appendChild(e);}if(typeof window.__stp === ‘object’) if(d.readyState === ‘complete’) {window.__stp.init();}}(document, ‘script’, ‘shopthepost-script’);

JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

The post New Year, New Fitness Gear appeared first on a Happy Healthy Home.

2016 vs 2017

Sometimes I sit and look at this space and don’t even know where to start. Food, fitness or fun. I mean it’s easy to pop in and share our latest adventure and what I’m eyeing, buying or making. What’s hard is writing those truthful posts. Maybe I’m fearful you won’t like it, the internet trolls will come knocking, or I can’t articulate what I’m thinking. With that said, today I’m diving deeper and sharing my relationship with food and what I’ve learned about myself and my relationship with food since I started counting Macros.

First things first, I LOVE food — especially all things in a treat form (i.e., cookies, ice cream, etc.). However, I’m not a donut person (gasp… I know). Now that we got that out of the way, my relationship with food has been an interesting one. I kind of always ate what I wanted, when I wanted it and didn’t care.  Growing up I played sports, so I never had to worry. Same thing during college, so I never gained the freshman 15. It wasn’t until post-college I really started watching what I ate the pounds crept up. One day I found myself unhappy, working 50+ hour weeks, and nearly 150 pounds. OK, I know that’s not a lot, but when you’re barely 5″4′ it is. Especially when you have “fat genes” in your family. The thought of being fat scares me. Yup, my food and body image issues are serious, but I’ve learned how to work through them over the years.

Moving to Tahoe I lost the weight because I ditched the desk job and became more active. As I’ve aged I needed to really start watching my food choices. Over the last 5ish years I’ve tried zone, paleo, clean eating, intuitive eating, etc. and while they all worked they weren’t something I could sustain long-term. After a while, I just went back to old habits. Over the years, along with my weight, my body composition and self-image has fluctuated. Don’t get me wrong I’ve always been a healthy eater, but it was overeating and poor food choices (aka sweets and alcohol) that always did me in.

Enter Crossfit and the 80/20 rule and life was grand. Basically, I just indulged on the weekends, but like everything else I plateaued. Late June, after seeing numerous friends with amazing results, I decided to hire a nutrition coach and start counting macros. Guess what?! It’s now 20 weeks later and I’m still tracking macros because it’s a lifestyle, not a diet. Also known as “flexible eating.” To-date, I’m down 16 pounds and 3″ in my waist! Not only do I have more energy in the gym, I’m PRing, recovering quicker, and am overall stronger.

A 15 week and 15-pound difference

What I’ve learned mentally counting macros.
 – You can have your cake and eat it too! It truly is flexible eating. Basically, you have a daily budget of carbs, fats, and proteins and it’s up to you how to spend it. So as long as you plan on it, you can enjoy a cupcake, etc.
– It’s ok to have off days. It’s the off weeks that will hinder progress.
– Not everyone will understand and you don’t have to apologize for it.
– If you can get through the first few weeks it becomes second nature.
– If I physically feel good, then I’ll mentally feel good. This, in turn, makes me a better wife and mother.
– While I look at food as fuel, it should and can taste good.
– You make your own choices.
– You will inspire others, but it’s not for everyone.
– I have more discipline than I thought.
– I never felt as though I was depriving myself and didn’t find myself wanting to binge eat.

What happened physically when I started counting macros?
– I lost fat and gained muscle
– I lost inches everywhere
– Less inflammation
– Even better sleep (I’ve always been a good sleeper)
– Increased energy
– Increased strength
– Overall change in body composition
– Improved complexion (maybe because I started drinking more water)

I’m sure I’m missing a few points above, but those are my biggest takeaways.

Before I started counting macros I was a total binge eater. I would be so “good” for days/weeks and then would just eat and eat. Which isn’t good. Now I’m eating more food daily and I’m over 15 pounds lighter. Think about that for a minute.

I’m passionate about sharing my story in hopes that it will inspire others. I know I shared a lot and not a lot today. Let me know what you would like me to tackle next in regards to macros/healthy living.

The post My Relationship with Food and Thoughts on Counting Macros appeared first on a Happy Healthy Home.

White Jeans | Tank TJMaxx [similar, similar] | Emerson’s Dress TJMaxx [similar]

Oh, food let me count the ways I love you. Give me all the good stuff: coffee, avocado, ice cream, pad thai, sushi, pizza, tacos, etc. I just can’t help myself. Hello my name is Tiara and I’m food obsessed — I love food and sometimes it’s all I can think about. While I’m a relatively healthy eater I totally have a sweet tooth, always have.

Recently I decided to get control of my eating because I was spiraling out of control. Meaning while I was making good food choices I was actually over eating. With that said, 10 weeks ago I started working with a nutritionist and started counting macros.

Counting macros still gives me the flexibility to eat all the foods I love because as long as it fits within my carb/fat/protein for the day it’s fair game. I don’t feel like I’m on a “diet.”

What Are Macros?

Macronutrients are what make up the caloric content of a food. Sometimes referred to as “macros,” the three categories of macronutrients are carbohydrates, fat, and protein. The caloric combination of the macros is where that mysterious total number of calories comes from.

Over the last 10 weeks I’ve found balance with food and my body. Before I use to feel guilty if I ate xyz, but now I don’t feel bad if I enjoy a daily treat. At the end of the day I know I’ve eaten the right ratio of c/f/p and my body is processing food efficiently. However, I still seek out better-for-me treat options like JOJO’s Chocolate Bark and peanut butter delight [c/o], which only have 6 grams of sugar per a bar. By seeking out better, yet amazingly tasty, treat options I’m not blowing my macros and can fill the rest of the day with healthy veggies, grilled chicken, etc.

Some may think I’m being restrictive, but it’s truly not the case. The hubs can’t believe how much food I eat somedays. When you start filling your marcos with whole foods it’s truly amazing how much food you can eat even if your c/f/p numbers aren’t high, like mine. Hello, I’m barely 5’4″!

While your macros will likely be different from mine I currently eat 150g/47g/115g. Every night using My Fitness Pal I plan what I’ll eat the next day. This task helps keep me on track while preventing me from standing in front of the refrigerator when I’m hungry trying to decide what to eat. Plus, it calculates and adds every for me! Anything to help make tracking easier is a win.

groovelife ring [c/o]

My body has turned into a well oiled machine and is efficiently proceeding food. I’ve noticed less  inflammation, higher energy levels, increase in strength, and I’ve even dropped 10 pounds in the process [bonus]!

During the the process of counting macros I’ve heard over and over I just want to live my life or I don’t know what you can eat. Well I’m here to tell you for me this is a lifestyle not a diet. I can eat it all with a little planning and trust me I do.

This weekend I enjoyed a few glasses of wine and a nightly piece of JOJO’s Chocolate Bark. It was delicious and it didn’t derail me or leave me feeling guilty. I’m living proof that you can indulge and be healthy. It’s possible, you just have to be willing to put in a little work in the beginning. Yes, I weigh food when I’m at home, but I’ve been doing it for so long now I can estimate when I’m out and about. If you’re looking for flexible eating while feeling and looking your best I highly recommend counting macros.  While it isn’t for everyone it’s truly helped me find balance.

I dare you to track what you eat for one week. See what you are actually eating. I bet you’re either eating too many carbs or fat and not enough protein. Or maybe you’re just not eating enough food. Then figure out how many calories you should eat in a day and try to eat 40/30/30 for one week. Don’t worry My Fitness Pal will calculate all the grams for you. Order yourself this food scale and a bag of JOJO’s Chocolate Bark and start tracking. I guarantee you’ll see results within the first week. Oh and follow me on instagram (@Tiara_Wasner) I post a ton of food and fitness on IG stories if you’re looking for inspiration. Psst — JOJO’s Chocolate will not help you lose weight it’s just a better for you tasty treat with a killer story!

Nourish your body and it will be kind to you. 

Thanks for sticking with me while I rambled, but a even bigger thanks and shoutout to JOJO’s Chocolate for making delicious chocolate bars and sending yours truly a few bags. For those who follow me on Instagram (@Tiara_Wasner) you know I’m a lover of JOJO’s Chocolate! I think Emerson is too.

More marco talk to follow and I promise I won’t ramble as much

The post Finding Balance with Food, It’s a process appeared first on a Happy Healthy Home.