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Eat, Lift & Be Married

healthy recipes, fitness tips, wedding inspiration, and adventures in married life

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Hi, my name is Paula Dubovoy and I am so glad that you are visiting my site. I have a passion for fitness and event planning and would love to help you feel AND look great for your big day! Crash diets and extreme workouts are not an option- I'm all about helping you live a healthy and balanced life. I'd love to hear from you!

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PISTOL (SINGLE LEG) SQUAT PROGRESSIONS! If single leg squat variations, aren’t currently part of your workouts... they should be. Especially if you incorporate a lot of running into your routine! Single leg squats will 🔥 up your glutes (something you most likely have been told you need to work on), build functional strength and stability in your legs and hips, develop proper range of motion in the ankles, and correct muscle imbalances to prevent the risk of injury. But they’re not easy! So here’s how you want to work your way up: 1. Single leg sit to stand. Keep your opposite heel on the ground for balance. Work up to 3 sets of 10 reps, making sure your knee stays in line with your ankle. 2. Single leg sit to stands... same concept as above, but keeping your opposite heel off the ground. 3. Assisted pistol squats. TRX straps are the ideal, but a jump rope looped around a tree works just as well! Start by using the straps as much as needed. As you get more comfortable / build your strength, use the straps less and less to help get you back to your standing position. 4. Pistol squats! Start with one. Then try two. Keep building and practicing and you’ll soon be a pistol squat pro!

THIS WEEK 🙌🏼 An encouraging message / exactly what I needed to hear from @vive.church about breaking bad habits - let me know if you’re interested in hearing it! My first @f45_training_northsunnyvale workouts back since January... modifying them of course, but super grateful to the coaches for helping me with finding exercises to sub for the ones I can’t do. Back on the bike to teach my spin classes. Even if I’m hardly “spinning”... I’m on the bike! Exciting packages in the mail from @winkdesserts and @eatfatsnax. Winning the giveaway of my freaking dreams. A huge thank you to @caseyhirsch and @bare_bowls for hooking it up with alllllllll the goods. Including this new pullover, which I love. ✨ Weeks like this one remind me to appreciate the big things AND the small things equally. Because there is so much good in every day, we just have to choose to see it.

You could eat all the kale in the world... but if your thoughts are toxic then you’re still poisoning yourself from within. Your mindset is just as important as what is on your plate. A good relationship with food looks different for everyone, but it comes down to a combination of balance and doing YOUR best. Some people may have access to all the locally sourced, organic foods, and others may not. But regardless of your situation, everyone can still make choices to honor and nourish your body. Everyone can be appreciative of what your body has done for you and what it’s still capable of doing. Ask yourself WHY you’re doing that juice cleanse. WHY you decided to start tracking macros. WHY you’re eating a salad. WHY you’re doing a sugar or alcohol detox. WHY you choose to eat the way you do. Is it because you hate your body and the way it looks? And maybe this is the quick fix you’ve been looking for to look like _______? Or do you make the choices you do because you love your body and want it to genuinely feel and perform its best? This shift in your mindset is everything. It’s something I’m working on too, trust me. But by making decisions because I LOVE my body, not hate it, I can be the healthiest version of myself - both inside and out.

Happy #nationaldrinkwineday! Tag your BWF (best wine friend) below! This weekend in Mendo was great - such a quiet, cute town, the perfect place for a relaxing getaway... and so much good food! I’ve been enjoying a season where I’m less focused on “training”, and more focused on rest and enjoying foods I may not typically indulge in. I think it’s important to have times when you are more disciplined and structured with your diet and exercise, but it’s also equally as important to have times where you aren’t as disciplined and structured. When you get the ice cream if you want it. Order the pancakes. Drink the wine. Our bodies AND minds need those seasons every now and then too! That said, I don’t necessarily feel my best when I’m leaning more towards the higher sugar/carbs spectrum more often than not. And while I typically enjoy those foods in moderation even when I am more structured with training, it’s more of a treat. Not on the reg like it has started to become! That’s why I’m actually really looking forward to following the guidelines for Phase 1 of the #F45challenge meal plan tomorrow! I may be two weeks behind in the challenge, but better to start late than never. The first (two week) phase focuses on eliminating foods that may cause inflammation, and focuses on recalibrating your diet with foods that promote energy and healthy digestion. Feel free to DM or comment if you’re interested in hearing more about it, or want to do it with me!! Having an accountability partner makes a HUGE difference! And if you find yourself in a season of splurging, then enjoy that season! Every body and mind needs something that is unique and individual - listen to what that is for YOU and don’t let anyone tell you different!

Weekend getaway essentials: A hot date ✔️ @patagonia pullovers ✔️ @lululemon joggers ✔️

Grit. Goals. Girlfriends. Let the 2019 @runarete_sfpen season BEGIN!!

Rain or shine; wine. -poem by me

Thankful for my little fam, and to have found someone who loves me for who I am, EVERY day of the year. The good, the bad, the weird, the pre-coffee, the injured... he embraces all sides of me. Love someone (or something)?! Tell them! Whether it’s your partner, a coworker, your folks, your running buddy, your son and/or daughter, your dog, a piece of pizza, a glass of wine.... Tell someone you love them today. Everyone can celebrate this holiday today! It doesn’t take more than a minute and it doesn’t cost you a thing. But chances are, you’ll make their day. ❤️

Happy Workout Wednesday 💪🏼 MEDICINE BALL circuit because I truly believe food is medicine, but exercise is also medicine for your mind! Circuit 1: MB sit-up to toss x 15 MB transfer (modification: bent leg jackknife) x 15 Alternating push-ups x 16 total Overhead tricep extension x 15 Repeat 3X Circuit 2: Lateral slam x 15 each Sit-up to twist x 16 total Russian twists (not pictures) x 50 Reverse crunch + press x 15 Repeat 3X PS. if you don’t have plans for Valentine’s Day tomorrow, grab your gym crush, your partner, or a friend and do this work out together! And just like that… now you have plans!

There were many times I honestly didn’t know when or if I’d be walking again. BUT HERE WE ARE!! 💙 Something just clicked. Yesterday I was on crunches, doing a little bit of step/hopping, but still relying primarily on the crutches to walk. But then before bed, I put a little bit of weight on it... and then a little more... thought to myself, ok this isn’t so bad and tried a full step. And I did it! 🎉 If you would have told me yesterday that I would be walking scooter-less AND crutch-less today, I wouldn’t have believed you. But today has been 50/50 with crutches and without and let me just tell you... it feels amaaaaaazing to be walking again!!

While I have talent in some areas, I will admit that I do NOT have a green thumb, and I am NOT an impressive cook/baker by any means. The meals I make have a lot in common with my little succulent: low maintenance minimal effort simple and usually green 🌱 I’ve learned to embrace my inner “succulent chef” and stick to basic meals... like this one! Sauté greens in ghee. Add leftover baked chicken and leftover roasted buffalo cauliflower to the pan and heat until warm. DONE. Devour. ➖ Roasted buffalo cauliflower recipe: Toss cauliflower in avo oil and bake at 450° for 40 minutes. Toss in @primalkitchenfoods buffalo sauce (or any buffalo sauce) and roast another 5 minutes. Great on its own or dipped in @primalkitchenfoods ranch. 😝

It’s a good thing I drink my coffee quickly. 🤫

There’s a certain kind of confidence that can only come from attempting something new. Do what you think you can’t. Become what you thought you couldn’t. Self-confidence grows out of attempting things you never thought you would. ✨ 📷: @likeasummersdayphotography

Week 1 in the boot ✔️ Five to go! Things that made me excited today: I am making @bewellbykelly’s buffalo cauliflower tonight and have literally been thinking about it all day. 🤗 anyone else get excited about cauliflower orrrrr.... . I put on leggings on today, so my legs are no longer freezing. Tomorrow is FRIDAY!

Sometimes life resembles a plate of perfectly sliced avocado on toast, topped with a poached egg and a runny yolk that just oozes over. 🤤 I know you know what I’m talking about! Other times life resembles a container of almost empty Greek yogurt with a heaping spoonful of @thecoconutcult, a glob of peanut butter, chopped banana and blueberries thrown in, and the remaining bit of chocolate coconut granola from @hjrenn emptied on the top. The good news is that while one may look perfect, polished and put together, and the other appears to be a hot mess thrown together.... they’re both equally as good. Life gets messy, and that’s ok. Easy to say, harder to practice, especially when you’re someone who likes to have everything planned ahead and in order! Let go of the things you can’t control and embrace both the put together days AND the thrown together days. Take a deep breath and let those anxious thoughts go. Which one do you feel more like today?! 🥑🍳🍌

Progress doesn’t always feel like progress. In fact, sometimes progress has a sneaky way of making you feel like you’re actually taking steps backwards. When I took my first shower since my surgery this week, I got so down because I was remembering what it was like to take a shower before my injury… a shower not sitting in a chair, terrified of the chair somehow breaking or slipping. Instead of focusing on the fact that I was actually able to take my boot off and get my foot wet. When I started using the crutches again this week, I was holding back tears because I felt like I was back to day 1 after surgery... instead of focusing on the fact that even though I am on crutches again, I am using them to get back to walking. And that I’m starting to finally put weight on my foot again, while using the crutches. Those are just two examples of so many thoughts I’ve been battling in my mind, that I have to consciously decide what I’m going to focus on. And I’m realizing that some things may feel like a step backward, but in the grand scheme of things, are actually progress. Even when it doesn’t feel like you’re making progress or moving forward, you are. Don’t talk yourself into believing anything different. I know it’s not easy to believe that because I don’t always believe it myself... but it’s true. Let’s believe in that together. 🖤

Sometimes, in the midst of an injury, a challenging situation at work, a family crisis, a seemingly unforgivable argument... you just need to sit back and look at the big picture. Whatever you’re going through can feel SO BIG in the moment. And I’m not saying it isn’t a big deal. But when you start to zoom out on the situation, you will begin to see it from a different perspective. And maybe you’ll start to see that whatever you’re going through is a temporary situation, surrounded by so many blessings. What is true on the mountain top, is true in the valley. Keep faith.

Lunch date at work with Mo and getting back to alllll the veggies post Super Bowl feast! Made a salad with rainbow cauli, roasted Brussels, watermelon radish, chicken, pistachios, walnuts and balsamic vinaigrette. Anyone else eat their bodyweight in wings, buffalo chicken dip, nachos, and chips and guac yesterday?! Not mad about it one bit! What is 1-2 things you did last week with your nutrition and eating habits that you’re really proud of? Now what’s one thing you want to improve on this week? Comment below to put it out there for accountability, and let’s make it happen this week!

godliness • “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8 This verse has always meant a lot to me, reminding me that I can train and train and train, but at the end of the day, what holds the most value for both the present AND eternal life is godliness. When I found out in September that I didn’t make it into the Boston Marathon with my qualifying time, I was reminded of this. And after rupturing my Achilles, I was reminded of this again. Getting it during this season of my life will now always be a reminder of where my priorities should be, in a place I will see while running, swimming, spinning, and lifting. A reminder that godliness is MOST important... more important than any workout or race.

The @runarete ladies showed up this morning! PRs, placing top in their age groups, waking up early to run in the rain and cold (don’t kill me Midwest for saying that - it was only 50° here... that’s cold) . I’ve run countless races, over a hundred probably, but this was only my third race spectating. And even after alllll the races I’ve done, I realized there’s a lot more to being a spectator then I thought! I forgot my cowbell. I didn’t make a sign. I got caught driving in road closures. I didn’t have a race map printed. I wasn’t mentally prepared for how hard it would be to be out there..... not running. Not even walking for that matter. I have a lot of improvements to make, but also a lot of time I won’t be running. I want to use this time, and these opportunities on the sidelines, to become THE BEST SPECTATOR IN THE CROWD. Study the course. Print a map. Get to multiple points on the course. Make a sign. Ring my cowbell. Know who is running what distances. Bring extra bags for teammates to use for their post race goodies. Bring face wipes for their salt/sweat. Next opportunity: Napa Half. The race I was training for. Will it be hard to be there not running? Maybe, probably. But I’ll be there with my sign, with my cowbell, and there at the finish line to hug and high five, celebrating what incredible accomplishments I know will happen. 💙✨

Tag: Disneyland

LA, Hollywood, and How I Really Feel about Disney

After living in the Bay Area for a year and a half now, Mo and I decided to embrace our inner child, and book a trip to Disneyland. I have distant memories of Disney World in Florida as a 1st grader (when I was absolutely terrified of every ride), and 20 years later, here we […]

Read More LA, Hollywood, and How I Really Feel about Disney

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