strength is beauty. beauty is strength

Hi my name is Sierra and I lift weights.

^^105 lb push press^^

I love working out. I love pushing my body beyond it's capabilities, beyond my comfort zone. I love being a girl and being strong. I'm dang proud of the work I put in day in and day out to be healthy and fit. Seriously it's the best thing ever. And I love that all the extra training I'm busting my butt to do is preparing me for what's coming up in just a few DAYS (cough, cough...... college soccer)!!!!!!!!!

^^40 lb sand bag mile carry^^

I think it's the coolest thing for girls to be strong and to excel at sports and stuff. I'm actually quite passionate about it. And if someone, anyone, gives a girl a hard time about the sport they ROCK at (whether it's soccer, weight lifting, tennis, basketball, whatever) I genuinely get offended.

It just means you're jealous ;)

So to any girl reading this blog post who is as passionate about sports and fitness as I am, YOU'RE MY FAVORITE PERSON. Keep working your butt off, keep pushing yourself, keep excelling at sports, just keep it up because whatever you're doing, it's working.

(And to anyone who makes fun of a powerful girl, you're a weenie.)

^^185 lb dead lift thank you^^ 

Can I just say that I LOVE CROSS FIT?!?!?! It's been the most amazing thing for me this year. I've only been working out at a cross fit gym since January, and in these past 7 months I've seen so much improvement in my strength, speed, and endurance!

I love the feeling of mastering a movement or getting a PR or the fastest time of the day. There's just something about it that's so exhilarating!

^^box jumps baby!^^ 

Granted it's been some of the toughest exercise I've ever done. Cross fit is not for the faint of heart! Sometimes I finish a workout and feel like I'm going to die. Sometimes I feel like I'm going to die in the middle of a workout! But as crazy as it sounds, that feeling is part of the fun! Seriously people. If you've never tried cross fit you're living your life wrong.

^^heavy front squat complex (pardon the iphone screenshots)^^

Another really awesome feeling is when you tear the skin on the palms of your hands open after doing 40 something pull-ups or toes to bar. It sucks at the time and takes forever to heal and your hands look like hamburger..... but how freaking cool amirite?!?!

You're working so hard that your skin can't handle the pressure. In other words, home gurl can't hang. And I feel like that's something to be proud of.

^^so many pull-ups^^

^^this doesn't look too bad but trust me when I say it hurt like a freaking mother...^^

I'm so thankful for the chance I had to do cross fit as part of my training this summer. I'm really sad there isn't a gym close to SVU! (gay) The people that I met going to cross fit are totally my people. They're so awesome and encouraging and they feel like family! I can't wait to get back to Kage when I come home to visit.

YAY FOR SOCCER. YAY FOR CROSS FIT. YAY FOR ALL THE THINGS I LOVE!!!

Strength is beauty. Beauty is strength.

the outdoors and stuff

I have been pretty lazy this summer. Sleeping in till the early afternoon, watching movies and TV pretty much every day, eating my weight in magic chocolate marshmallow brownies.... Let me tell you, it's been great. The inside is a nice place to be. And being lazy?

I'm a fan.

BUT

If that's ALL I did this summer then that's pretty pathetic.

So I'm here to tell you all about my OUTDOOR adventures.

This summer has been filled with all things out of doors. I'm talking boating, hiking, cabin-ing, the works.

I guess you could say that it's been ULTRA MEGA FUN.

(I just don't like dirt. LOLZ.)

^^Rose shreds the gnar like a true wake pro^^

^^I learned a thing or two about myself this summer. I say I'm not afraid of heights, and normally I'm not! But throw me 30 feet up on a slanted rock jutting out over murkey water with the possibility of hitting other slanted rocks jutting out over murkey water below and tell me to jump? No freaking way... And I am not ashamed of climbing down 10 feet before I had the guts to jump in. That and my friends threatened to drive away and leave me there till I jumped....^^

^^Four girls and one boy. I think Kelton has this whole "friend" thing rigged.^^

^^I've never laughed so hard in my life. It's a good thing there was water splashing all over the place to disguise the fact I was peeing myself I was laughing so hard!^^

Cabin time this year was on point.

Gabe and I suck at fishing.

Jake and Elaine are the coolest aunt and uncle ever.

Sometimes it's okay to take a nap when you can't hardly hold your dang head up.

I have a new found love for kayaking. 

The Pioneer Day parade is funner with your cousins.

I only need to go to the rodeo about once every few years.

AND, mud fights are the funnest thing ever. Especially when you nail your cousin in the face multiple times. #gotgoodaim  #sorrykylee  #atleastitdidntsmellbad

^^soooooooo tired^^

^^Posin 4 da h8erzz^^

Then we hiked table rock. Which may or may not have been a good idea. 

The sore butt muscles said it was a bad idea.

The view at the top and the people we hiked it with said it was a superb idea.

I'll let you decide.

(the answer is it was a good idea)

^^Gabe was tired so he laid down on the side of the trail to take a nap....it's fine.^^

^^That little black dot in the middle of the pic you have to squint to see is a moose. A real, live moose. In nature? Who woulda thunk.^^

^^this is pretty much how we always are. I'm trying to cheat and he's wrestling my arms off his pile.^^

^^Gabe was tired so he laid down on the edge of the cliff we were sitting on to take a nap...... it's fine^^

^^Thanks for the photo bomb sis^^

^^See? Arm wrestling again^^

^^Post hike beverages. At this point we were all just trying to stand up like normal people and keep our eyelids open.^^

So there you have it. Some of my OUTDOOR adventures this summer. Being lazy was a good time but nothing beats getting outside and breathing clean air, getting a little extra sun, and making some kick-booty memories.

So here's my advice to you...

Put down the ice cream, grab a buddy, go outside, walk around, do some instagram worthy activities, then come home, take a shower, and pop in your favorite chick flick.

That my friends, is the recipe for a perfect summer day.