Smart Food
For breakfast this morning, I mixed together 1/2 c. oats, 1 c. milk, 1 T. chia seeds, and 1/2 scoop protein powder, and let it sit for 20 minutes. The oats got all soft and plump and chewy.
I topped it with
- Cherries
- Blueberries
- Coconut
- Cocoa Walnut Butter (recipe to come when I perfect it!)
- And…cherry butter!
This weekend, Dan and I went cherry picking at a local farm. We came home with over 11 pounds of plump red cherries, and had a lot of fun! Even though we got downpoured on at the end, going cherry picking was a perfect afternoon date, and we got some delicious food out of it as well. 
With these cherries, I made 8 pints of frozen cherries, 4 pints of sweetened frozen cherries (can you tell I LOVE frozen cherries?), 2+ pints of cherry butter, and left the rest in the fridge for snacking!
The cherry butter is fantastic, and was totally worth the time it took to make it!
I cooked down 3.5 pounds of pitted cherries, 3.5 c water, 3.5 c sugar and 0.5 tsp nutmeg in my crock pot to about 1/3 of the original volume and blended it with my stick blender. It took almost a full 24 hours though, so I think next time I’d make it stove top to speed things up a bit!
This was also my first experience with canning. I think it went well…the seal on the jars held!
Smart Fitness
As promised, I have a great gift bag from Iron Girl to give away to one of you! It contains…
- Iron Girl visor
- Swim goggles
- Athletic socks (1 pair)
- “Runervals with Iron Girl” DVD
- Bodycology Skin Softening body wash
- Bodycology Cucumber Melon body mist
- Dr Teal’s Peppermint Food Scrub
- Rohto Redness Relief eyedrops
- Rohto Dry Eye eyedrops
- FlexPower pain relief cream
- Luna bar
- Luna protein bar
And….drumroll please….
TWO complimentary race entries to ONE of the following races:
- Iron Girl Triathalon in Racine, WI — July 31
- Iron Girl Triathalon in Boulder, CO — August 28
- Iron Girl Triathalon at Lake Tahoe (CA) — September 19
To enter, leave a comment telling me how you get motivated for a hot summer workout.
For a bonus entry, tweet “I want to win the Iron Girl triathalon giveaway from @savvyjulie http://bit.ly/bTEy3l ” and leave a second comment saying you did.
I will choose a winner at 1 pm EST on Friday, July 2!
Smart Life
Off to the DMV today to get my New York State driver’s license (with my new married name!)
Lakes are motivation for me on a hot summer day. If I go out for a run or a ride in the heat, I’ll reward myself by going to the lake afterwards and jumping in. Ah! Refreshing!
I tweeted about the giveaway! @dailysweat
Wow – this is an awesome giveaway Julie! I’ve never done a tri but if I won, I’m pretty sure this giveaway pack would inspire me.
I get motivated for summer workouts by putting on cute, breathable tank tops and shorts and drinking a ton of h20!
This post left me drooling. I just love cherries!
I stay motivated with lots of water, and sometimes bribing myself
I think this might be the best giveaway I’ve ever seen. EVER!! Haha I’m excited. I motivate myself by looking at the weather forecast the night before to see how stinking hot it’s going to be- it makes me extra motivated to get my workout in 1st thing before it’s hot & miserable. Plus, I love ‘early morning me time’.
i get motivated with a giveaway like this with a race entry to boot – there is no better way to make me work out than knowing i have a race coming up! fab giveaway – and cherry butter? i LOVE that idea!!!
i try to think of awesome cold green monster i could drink after the workouts!
Ooooooooo this giveaway is awesome!!! Let’s see… this is my first summer with a workout regime (usually it’s just a lot of tanning and staying up really late at night) but so far it’s been all about commitment. I’m 100% committed to my training program and this commitment/promise is what keeps me going. When I’m working out I always repeat a phrase in my mind or out loud: You can do this!!
What an awesome giveaway! I did the Irongirl 15k in Tampa this year – it was a great event and I can’t wait for next year if they bring it back!
How do I motivate myself for a hot summer workout? I think about how much stronger I will be afterwards & picture an ice cold beer waiting for me when I get home! (Although I don’t always have a beer after a workout – it’s just a fun little motivator.
(p.s. I tweeted you link too via @ActiveEggplant)
I get motivated to exercise outside my doing it first thing in the morning – then it isn’t “too hot” to be working out outside!
It helps me if I have a buddy or a group to run with on hot days! Seeing others in the same sweaty pain as I am helps!
Well, one of the only ways I can get myself to stay consistent with working out is to sign up for mid/end of summer races… it works most of the time
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I am 100% with you on the deliciousness that are frozen cherries. 11 lbs sounds like a decent amount haha.
Usually the heat is pretty motivating, honestly. The second I get up I put on my running clothes and my shoes because I know it’s going to get hotter and hotter so the heat makes me get up and go! And then I have the whole day to relax because my run is out of the way.
in the summer nothing motivates me more than the promise of a heaping bowl of vegan ice cream at the end of my workout! coconut milk ice creams are my fav!
I tweeted about it!
It’s all about the right music!
I actually prefer running in the heat vs the cold, but sometimes the heat and humidity do wear me down… I run early, first thing in the morning, to try and beat the worst of the heat – plus, it feels like an extra special accomplishment!
New music is a definite motivator. I also make sure to have a nice cold treat waiting at home…frozen chocolate covered banana!
While probably not the healthiest motivation – ICE CREAM – gets me out there and moving. No one can deny what a reward a droopy cone is on a hot day.
You look so adorable in the cherry picking pictures!
My motivation : aside from the fact of how fantastic it feels riding my bike at 20mph, it’s how amazing I’ll feel when I’m done! Sweaty, exhilarated, on an endorphin high, and with a huge smile on my face.
There is nothing better than working out on a gorgeous Minnesota day!
I get motivated for summer workouts by reminding myself how good I feel afterward (this applies to all times of year, I suppose), and also by visualizing myself looking and feeling fabulous and confident in a bikini
Hard work pays off!
A great motivation can be signing up for a competition like a tri – I’m doing my first in 2.5 weeks!! The workouts leading up have been making me feel strong and confident and I’ve learned to love that sweaty, endorphin high – not to mention how my body has changed over the training period. And then I can go home, take off my sweaty socks, have a shower, thrown on a sundress, and head out for happy hour with friends
Just wanted to say that this is an amazing giveaway! I wouldn’t actually be able to participate in any of those events, but I’ll be sure to spread the word!
this giveaway would be a dream come true! I’m gearing up for my first full iron man next year and could use some great girly swag for training.
and……… tweeted @happyherbivore
My marathon plan is what keeps me motivated AKA the big picture. I know I have to do every single training session if I want to succeed with my goal. Honestly, I don’t even notice the heat all that much at 6AM in the morning any more. Oh and count me in for the giveaway!
I also Tweeted: http://twitter.com/gregstransform/status/17502526813
Knowing how good the air conditioning will feel when I’m done. Well that and marathon training.
My motivation is knowing how much more awake and alive I will feel afterwards. And the cool air conditioning at my house always helps!
So I guess if I win I am going to sign up for a tri……I guess that would be pretty good motivation!
That package of goodies is awesome!! Love the photo of you gardening. I’m not sure what makes me get out in the heat for a workout…I kind of enjoy it!
I also tweeted
I know that if I don’t wake up early enough to get in my run before it gets hot, I won’t do it! So to get motivated, I simply look at my race calendar and realize that if I don’t run, I won’t do well nor will I enjoy the racing experience
And I tweeted, too =)
(the number of times i start writing my email password into the “website” box of the commenting forum is getting a bit ridiculous)
i keep myself motivated with a wall-o-motivation. i have a large poster on one of the walls in my office and i write different mantras i hear, and motivational quotes, and even just thoughts i have about my training runs such as “come race day, you will regret skipping workouts for television you can later watch on hulu.”
Ooh…I do NOT like hot weather workouts…but…I suppose just putting on the shorts and tank. No turning back then!
Tweeted!
I get motivated for a hot summer workout by thinking of the cool green monster I’ll have afterward!
I stay motivated by playing a upbeat playlist and imagining great food I can make for dinner after my work out. At at times, beers on the terrace motivate me as well!
Being signed up for a marathon in the fall REALLY helps motivate me to push through those hot summer workouts! And doing Bikram helps make the warm weather not so bad!
I make sure to get up at 6am five days a week to work out before I have to get ready for work. I lay out my gym clothes the night before so I don’t have to think about anything when I wake up. I also like to reward myself with some tart frozen yogurt when I am amble to make it out of bed and make my workout!
what an awesome giveaway! and i love cherries too!
i get motivated for a hot summer workout by thinking about the cool, refreshing green monster waiting for me at the end!
Sunshine definitely keeps me motivated! I took sunshine for granted when I lived in California but now that it’s such a treat, it motivates me to get outside!
What an amazing giveaway! Thanks!
The best thing I can do to motivate for a hot workout is go at a time when I know it won’t be as hot (in Cali that means about 6 am yikes). And when I have to endure a hot workout, water or G2 keeps me motivated to keep going – and knowing that I am doing something fab for my body!
Food keeps me motivated! Haha. In all seriousness. Nothing is more rewarding than a healthy, delicious indulgence after a hard days work in the workout world
I get motivated for a hot summer workout by thinking about my trip to Punta Cana in August! I gotta look good in the Dominican!!!
The best way to get me motivated for a hot summer workout is to remember their is fruit sorbet in the freezer and a bathing suit upstairs in my drawer!