https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/

Name: Gudrun Arngrimsdottir
Age: 36
Location: Akureyri, Iceland

What was your first thought when you learned about the Coaching & Training Women Academy and the Pre- & Postnatal Coaching Certification?
I immediately thought “This is definitely something I have to do!” It came to me at a perfect time since I was starting my maternity leave and I thought it would be the optimal time to dive into this material, using the time between naps and feeding.

What do you do?
I am a certified personal trainer, group fitness teacher and yoga teacher. I have been doing this since 2010, and managing postnatal classes since 2011.

What else do you do?
I have four kids — ages 11,8,6, and 1 — and so most of my time is spent running after the kids, taking them to practices, helping with homework and all the other mom stuff. I am also a singer and I have been trying to make time to do more of that lately.

I love running, going to the gym and doing yoga. I also really enjoy spending time outdoors; hiking, skiing, camping, etc. I read a lot and it’s most often some material that has do do with health and fitness, yoga, and spiritual stuff.

Best compliment you’ve received lately:
“You are really a hard worker,” meant in the context that I go after the things I really want. I don’t just talk about it, I make things happen for me.

Most recent compliment you gave someone else:
I told my friend that she was doing a good job as a grandmother. She is really dedicated to her grandchildren and helping her son and daughter-in-law, and I admire that.

Favorite way to treat yourself: 
Relaxing in a hot tub or the swimming pool alone or with my girlfriends or husband — no kids! Glass of red wine, sitting down with a book in hand and a piece of chocolate. Good cup of delicious coffee with a friend also goes a long way…

Favorite quotes:  
Recently I’ve been diving into the books that Brené Brown has written and I love her work. She quoted Theodore Roosevelt in one of her TED lectures and it really stuck with me:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Another one that I try to remember everyday is “Be your own hero.”

Three words that best describe you: 
Caring. Passionate. Dedicated.

What inspires and motivates you?  
My kids motivate me to be a good role model in every aspect of life. My motivation in health and fitness is that I want to be the best healthy version of myself.

I’ve come to know myself well and I know that my choices affect me in a great way, so I choose how I nurture myself and I try to find a balance in exercise — doing the things I love both in a soft and a hard way.

In the past couple of years, I’ve learned to be my own best motivator.

Describe a typical day in your life, from waking up to bedtime:
Well it’s summertime and everyone is off school and I’m still at home with the youngest one so it’s quite different from how it is in wintertime.

Two to three times a week, I wake up at 5:30 a.m. and I have a running practice or a workout at the gym before everyone wakes up. I get home and since it’s summertime everyone wakes up a little bit later than usual so I enjoy a couple of moments alone with something to read and a cup of coffee. When everybody wakes up it’s breakfast and soccer practices throughout the day and some playing around in between.

What event or situation in your life lead you to enroll in the CPPC?
I have been managing postnatal classes since 2011 so it was logical to enhance my knowledge in this field. Having carried and delivered four kids and trying to find my way in the gym during all the pregnancies and then finding the way back is also a big part of it — there’s a lot I’ve learned from that.

How would you describe your pre- and postnatal knowledge before taking CPPC?
It was rather basic, and the main focus everywhere was always on the pelvic area — remember to do those pelvic floor exercises! — and just doing everything in moderation. I did not have these good tactics of coach/client interaction in my toolbox. That was what I found the most useful personally in the CPPC study guide.

Why do you think learning the information that’s included in the CPPC is so important to your profession?

It is so important that the coaches who oversee the training of pregnant and postpartum women have good knowledge of the physical as well as psychological changes a woman goes through in pregnancy.

I think that oftentimes we don’t realize just how much this influences the woman mentally and physically. This is a time when a woman “loses” control over her body (and mind in some ways) and we as coaches have to be there for them, and give them the necessary tools so that they can regain control, feel empowered and learn to be happy about themselves through all this.

What’s been the best part about going through the CPPC?
All the practical knowledge that comes in handy right away. I felt empowered as a coach right away and the material also had a huge impact on me and the way I took care of myself (mentally and physically) after giving birth to my baby boy.

Now that you’re an official Certified Pre- & Postnatal Coach, what impact are you hoping to have?

I am confident that I am a better coach having done this certification. Now, I hope to empower all women — both the participants in my postnatal classes and the women around me.

I have this vision of having a positive impact on girls and women and the way they look at themselves and treat themselves. I want to be an advocate for a positive body image and self-love.

What effect has your new Certification had on your business / work so far?

I started to use the knowledge right away in my postnatal classes and I feel that in the future it will give the classes more credibility and value when women have to choose where they want to exercise.

I can say confidently that they will be taken good care of in my classes.

How has your thinking about pre- and postnatal care changed since completing the CPPC?
Doing the CPPC definitely underlined that there is no rush in this period, and that it’s necessary to know oneself and to listen to one’s needs. Having someone on your side to remind you of that is so important.

As a coach, the listening aspect has definitely increased, and when I’m coaching I’m always very aware that there are all sorts of feelings going on in the classes I teach. I remind myself of sending out positive reminders to participants, underlining that carrying and delivering babies is no small job and it has a big impact on their body and their life.

What would you say to someone who’s on the fence about enrolling?
Don’t hesitate, give yourself a gift and sign up. You won’t regret it!

The post Coaching & Training Women Academy Spotlight: Gudrun Arngrimsdottir appeared first on Girls Gone Strong.

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Diabetes rates are reaching epidemic proportions, which means that you should be looking for dietary and lifestyle options that will help you reduce the chances of developing this devastating disease. Thankfully, there are some amazing diabetes-busting superfoods out there, which are easy to add to your diet. Diabetes is 95-percent preventable. So, why not consider […]

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This week’s meal planning dilemma — there’s always at least one — is that our dishwasher is out of commission for what might be the foreseeable future. Fortunately for me, we have a “I cook, you clean” agreement, and my husband is the primary dishwasher. Still, I’m planning a week of easy one-pot dinners for us.

Here’s where one-pot dinners shine: they save everyone time, not just whoever washes the dishes! They typically mean fewer ingredients, more streamlined steps, and, yes, less time cleaning up. So whether you’re soaking up the last days of summer or are already in full-swing back-to-school mode, these one-pot meals will help you put easy dinners on the table this week.

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Today’s recipe might just become tonight’s dinner, it’s so tempting. Thanks to Bailey Ryan of Whole Kitchen Sink (formerly Paleo Bailey) for today’s awesome dish. 

These fall-of-the-bone BBQ ribs might first appear to be a bit of a time investment, but I promise you they’re worth the wait! Once they’re on the grill they’re pretty much hands off, leaving you free to enjoy the afternoon knowing dinner will be delicious! The trick to making these ribs perfect is to first remove the skin-like membrane on the underside of the ribs.

It’s a step a lot of us skip, but it makes a huge difference. You simply need to slide a knife between the membrane and the meat on one end of the rack of ribs and make an initial cut. Once you have one end separated from the meat, you can use a cloth or a paper towel to grab onto it and pull the rest away from the ribs.

Make sure to do this prior to seasoning! Then, make sure not to add the BBQ sauce until the last half hour on the grill. If you put it on too early it will burn onto the meat, instead of becoming a delicious caramelized glaze. Of course, this simple BBQ is made with the latest and greatest member of the Primal Kitchen® family, the Organic, Unsweetened Ketchup!

I KNOW you will love this ketchup, because I put it to the test with my (not paleo) boyfriend. I handed him dinner one night with Primal Kitchen’s Ketchup already on his plate, watched him eat it ALL, and then told him it was not his beloved highly processed ketchup. He was so impressed with the flavor and smooth consistency. It’s now our staple ketchup, and I’m thrilled I’ve converted him and gotten to toss out yet another conventional product and replaced it with a Primal Kitchen one!

Ingredients

For the Ribs:

• 1 rack of ribs, fat trimmed, and membrane removed
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

For the Sauce:

• 1 cup Primal Kitchen Organic Unsweetened Ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
• Keto sweetener: 1/2 teaspoon liquid stevia -OR-
  Paleo sweetener: 1 1/2 tablespoon coconut sugar

Instructions

Rinse ribs with water and pat dry. Put a large sheet of tin foil on the counter. If it’s not wide enough, layer another one wide enough that you can tent the rib rack.

Lay the ribs bone side up and remove the membrane by sliding a knife underneath the membrane between the bones. Once it’s loosened you can peel it all off.

Combine the rib seasoning in a small dish, and then season the rack of ribs on both sides. Loosely wrap the ribs with the tinfoil forming a “tent” so the sides aren’t touching the ribs and seal closed at the top.

Heat grill to 250-300 ºF. Place the tinfoil tent onto the grill. You want to keep the temperature right around 250-300. Let cook for 2 hours.

Carefully open the tinfoil tent and brush liberally with BBQ sauce. Gently close tent again, it does not need to be sealed again. Let cook for an additional 1/2 hour until BBQ looks caramelized and like a glaze on the ribs.

Ribs are done cooking when the meat has shrunk, and 1/4 inch of the bone is exposed at the thinner end of the ribs. Remove from grill and let rest for 15 minutes in the foil prior to slicing.

Slice by cutting between the bones, add additional BBQ if you desire, and enjoy!

Bailey spent the last 2 years changing her relationship with food and herself. She lost 120 pounds while working 12-hour overnight shifts in a Minneapolis hospital and is now living a “whole” new life. She shares it all on her Instagram, @wholekitchensink and writes about healthy living, easy yet delicious recipes, and the ups and downs as she navigates finding overall wellness on her blog www.wholekitchensink.com.

Bailey Ryan www.wholekitchensink.com | IG: @wholekitchensink

The post Guest Recipe: Low Carb BBQ Ribs appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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A perfect meal, this time of summer, is one that seems to fly out of the refrigerator and onto your plate, with nothing but a brief stop at the grill (or grill pan). A seared steak, crusted with pepper, or a smoky hunk of eggplant straight from the garden with a salad to keep them company. This is easy living, people.

But what if you want just a touch more to your meal? Get fancy — how about a sauce? I stumbled accidentally onto the easiest and punchiest sauce recently — a magic blend of three ingredients that spices up everything from the grill — steak, chicken, burgers, a pile of vegetables. Zero cooking required. Just mix and drizzle. Want to see what’s in my magic sauce?

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While we love the chance to cook in a new-to-us kitchen, the last thing we want to do on vacation is prepare a meal that creates a lot of extra work and dishes. That’s why we gravitate toward one-pot meals. Not only do they cut down on cleanup time, but they are also easier to execute — which is especially helpful when your rental kitchen isn’t the most well-equipped.

Here are 12 one-pot meals that will let you focus more on vacation than on cooking and cleanup.

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Everything about summer always feels more simple, relaxed, and laid-back. And I firmly believe the dinners in my meal plan should follow suit. There’s no time like right now to lean on the abundance of ripe, fresh produce for veggie-friendly meals. Here are 11 recipes to get you started.

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Meditation can be a life-changing journey and a deeply personal experience. However, there’s more to meditation than simply sitting alone. Communal or group meditation can be a powerful tool to help you stay focused and improve your meditation experience. To find out for myself, I recently began weekly communal meditation. What at first started as […]

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This new Great British Bake-Off trailer is the new “Laurel or Yanny?” video, or the new dress that half the world thinks is white and gold and half says is blue and black. Because, depending on the viewer, the new Bake Off trailer is either emotional and heartwarming, or creepy as heck. Really, it’s a little bit of both, and people are loving it.

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During a heavy-on-the-flashbacks episode of The Golden Girls called “One For the Money,” the four girls reminisce about the time that they decided to start a catering company, pulling an all-nighter to stuff enough whole chickens for a 300-person wedding party. “In Sicily, we [cooked for crowds] all the time,” Sophia said. “And we didn’t have the modern conveniences you have today. We had to slaughter our own meat, prepare our own seasonings, and, if the food wasn’t perfect, after cappuccino, they shot the cook.”

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