Welcome to my life.

April 26, 2013 by 15 Comments

Not that you all probably care about my super fascinating, exciting (note the sarcasm) life, but I figured I would share some pictures that describe me pretty perfectly right now.

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Story of my life. I know it’s mean, but there are just some people that you are like, “Nope.”

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I very rarely paint my nails, just because it gets chipped in 3 seconds, but if I did, this is the color they would constantly be.

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If anyone can tell me where to find these shoes, I will be forever in debt to you. I may even buy you a pair in thanks.

Doing yoga. Lots and lots of yoga. Except I don’t look like that. I look more like an awkward cat.

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Eating as many veggie bowls from Chipotle as humanly possible.

Watching this video. Oh my goodness gracious. Get ready to pee your pants.

Playing Candy Crush. WHY DID NOBODY WARN ME NOT TO GET THIS?!

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Re-living this moment over and over. Today my mom told me I need to differentiate the fine line between persistence and annoyance. From here on out, I am vowing to be the most persistent person ever that wants to get a job with Ellen, and if I’m being annoying please come over and slap me. Would re-enacting that video from above be awesome or creepy? Awesome I hope, since now that the idea has popped in my head it’s all I basically want to do with my life.

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Wearing the coolest shirt in the whole freaking world that my awesome friend Tara made for me. She has one, too. They say “I want to work for Ellen.” YES YES YES.

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Hanging out with my girls and getting really excited when they will wear matching outfits. I wish it was acceptable to match my friends. That would be cool.

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Eating delicious food. This is muesli from Costco (the holy land in my opinion) with banana. Uh, yum. I basically want to live in California because they have delicious, healthy food like this everyone. And wine. They have great wine.

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Chilling with my sassy cat who gets really pissed when I stop petting her.

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Watching a lot of Ellen and wondering where I can get that wine purse.

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Finding this awesome frog outside and getting more excited than the kids.

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Rocking my Ellen sunglasses and being really awkward taking pictures on the way to work with my giant forehead.

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Loving this picture and this day!

Sorry my posts have been a little random and all over the place lately. I have been super busy this week, but all that will slow down because I have 2 weeks off nannying now! Still working at the gym, but I get a little vacation up north which is very exciting. See ya’ll tomorrow!

What’s going on in your life right now?

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Today is a good day.

April 19, 2013 by 12 Comments

All week I have been following the Tone It Up weekly workout schedule. I have also been adding in 15-20 minutes of Tara stiles yoga videos in the mornings, and I feel fantastic. There has been a lot of running (surprise, surprise!) and a lot of stretching and I haven’t even felt like my calves were going to snap in two so that is a plus. I really like the TIU workouts, because Karena & Katrina are just super fun and adorable and encourage me to keep going with the videos because they have cute abs and I do not.

When Luke and I were in California, we went to Manhattan Beach (where they live) and fell in love with it. It is such a happy, healthy area with cute people out running in the morning for us to watch while we eat our pancakes. They also have like 5 coffee shops within a one block radius which I really appreciate. Every single house they have along the beach looks significantly different, with each one more adorable than the last. I could totally see myself living there one day!

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Oh, and there was a big, buff man leading a boot camp on the beach. I think that is the cutest thing that all those moms go do their workout together and then probably go get breakfast. Ugh, so adorable.

Anyway, one of the things I really love about today is that I do not work and I actually have time to get a good workout in. And go to yoga, for the first time in probably months. Oops. And I have time to go to the post office and mail a package, even though I think the average waiting time there is 3.7 hours. I swear, I always get stuck next to the “talker” in line. You know, that person who wants to know every little detail about your life and be your best friend and then never talk to you again. I’m all about meeting new people and hearing other’s stories, but the post office line of frustration is not the time or place.

I also love that we’re getting some intense thunderstorms in Michigan today. Storms make me happy. Especially on days like today when I can just stay inside and clean and by clean I mean dance around my room and move things around and drink tea and get distracted every 5 minutes.

I also love that Luke and I are going out to dinner with my sister at P.F. Chang’s tonight! I have been craving their food for the longest time and we are finally going. Thank goodness.

I have so many happy things to say right now, but I’m writing this on Thursday night and I obviously need to go watch Glee, because that is what is important right now. Bye!

What is the best thing about your day today?

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What a Day & Simply Eight Review

April 6, 2013 by 16 Comments

Even though I did about a million little things that no one else would ever deem as productive, I feel like I conquered the world on Friday. I had no where to go for the first day in what seems like forever. I made a huge to-do list of everything I wanted to accomplish, and I’m proud to say I got every single thing done except 1! Life’s good. I won’t bore you with every little detail, but I will share some of the highlights.

  • I knocked out a couple of awesome workouts. In the morning I did a 30 minute Tara Stiles basic yoga flow DVD, along with my TurboFire routine for the day (40 minutes). Then towards the evening I did the Tone It Up sunset workout (10 minutes) and a different Tara Stiles yoga routine (30 minutes). I felt amazing going to bed last night. I love not being rushed through my workouts and allowing myself the opportunity to actually enjoy them. However, this is not what I look like when I do yoga.

  • I literally finished half of my goals for Melissa’s organization challenge. A couple of days ago I talked about my 8 tasks I want to complete in April, and I’m proud to say I finished four of them yesterday! I went through all my clothes and switched out winter for summer and go rid of things I don’t wear/don’t fit, organized my Pinterest boards, went through and edited my blog reader, and created a password/username document. Yay! Hopefully Luke will help me clean out my car later this weekend….. Smile with tongue out

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  • I responded to all of my e-mails, caught up on blog reading, completed a few online trainings for work, and did some social media stuff. All random little things, but things that make me feel much calmer once they are completed.

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  • I deep cleaned my room/bathroom, had the windows open all day, and now I feel like I live in the cleanest, most dust-free place ever.

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  • I made a list of all the things I need to do for my LA trip next week! You’ll hear more about that in the next few days…. Smile

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I also want to talk about something exciting I received in the mail yesterday! I was contacted by a local (WOOOOO!) company, Simply Eight, a couple of weeks ago. Basically, they’ve gone back to the basics and developed cookies and granola bars that use 8 or less ingredients. I think this is a really awesome quote from their website:

“Our foods are inspired by our grandmothers’ kitchens.”

I love that. Who doesn’t love fresh cookies from grandma’s house?! Anyway, it’s so wonderful that they’re not using nasty chemicals or ingredients that nobody knows how to pronounce. I was pumped when I was asked to sample some of their products! I received:

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  • real chocolate chip cookies
  • real peanut butter chocolate chip cookies
  • real chocolate chip chewy granola bars
  • real peanut butter chocolate chip chewy granola bars

All I have to say is this: delicious. You guys, seriously. This stuff is amazing. The cookies actually are made with eggs; I love that. And get this: THEY’RE CHEWY. My mind is blown. My favorite product?

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Are you surprised? I’m not. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad combination of chocolate and peanut butter, but this is one of the best. You can actually taste the ingredients in all of the products and can just tell you’re eating real food. Here’s the nutrition stats for the PB chocolate granola bar, just so you can see for yourself.

I really want to thank Simply Eight for reaching out to me and letting me know about their wonderful company. I will definitely be looking for these products at grocery stores in the near future and hope they are able to expand to reach some of you guys in the near future! I also hope they develop some more products, because this is such an amazing idea. Americans really could benefit from the “less is more” attitude. Check out their website for more info and to order products online!

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Alright, I’m starting to feel like the book I’m using for the Spice Up Your Life challenge knows me way too well. Last week I challenged you guys to admit 5 things to yourself that you wouldn’t typically say. That was actually easy for me to do. I think it’s important to be honest with yourself! That’s kinda what this whole challenge is about. Just guess what page I opened up to this week….

59. Escape, for the day, weekend, or week.

How perfect is that with my upcoming LA trip?! I can check that off my list with no problem. I’ll be giving you guys a breakdown of everything we’re doing before we leave. Just in case you want to come to Cali and find me Smile with tongue out But anyway, I challenge you to get a day away, too! Even if you’re not actually going anywhere, just take a day (at least!) for yourself. You deserve it. Do what you love and forget the rest for a little while.

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Last but not least, my friend Erica wanted me to share this with you guys. I died.

Enjoy<3

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Ramblings Like Crazy

April 4, 2013 by 22 Comments

I know I just did a post like this, but my mind is all over the place tonight with things I want to write about. So I think I’ll write about them all. Excuse the random-ness. That’s exactly how my life is right now.

  • It’s my last day house-sitting. Boo. I have to stop pretending like I’m rich now and go back to reality. This week has taught me a couple of things. I learned how difficult it is to take care of a house, especially a big one. I learned how your heart jumps every time a dog barks after dark. I learned how much I love silence, but I learned how lonely I get and how much I really appreciate the company of my family. I get to house-sit again in a couple of weeks, and now that I’ve got the swing of things it should be a little easier to get used to.
  • I love wine. I had this crazy thought that I wasn’t going to drink at all during the month of April. HA. It’s April 3rd and that resolution is long broken. Honestly, why do I make these ridiculous promises to myself that I know I won’t follow through with? And, to make things even better, a lady bought me a bottle of wine at the store last night! I was in the worst mood there and was standing in the aisle staring at the bottles of Cabernet, even though I buy the same type every time, and she goes, “Rough day?” And I told her yes. She ended up being in line behind me at the checkout and told the cashier to just put it on her bill. I love her.
  • I also really love reading blogs. Last week I deleted a bunch of blogs that I was consistently reading, because they weren’t benefitting me in a positive way. I am now left with significantly fewer blogs, but I am actually able to read every word now and really pay attention to what I am reading, instead of rushing through them. I’ve gotten a lot of great ideas lately, from Melissa’s organization challenge to Heather’s rest week, to some great recipes and workouts and just general life advice. So thank you ladies!
  • I can already tell that BeachBody is going to be a great company to work with/for, even though I haven’t really gotten started yet. I’ve been super busy yet and haven’t had the opportunity to put as much time as I would like into my business, but that will all be changing this weekend when I start to develop my own challenge group (and I really hope that some of you will decide to join me!). I’ve been doing a lot of training over this past week and now have a solid understanding of what I should/can be doing daily. I’m ready to get this going and learn to make an income from home.
  • The combination of TurboFire and yoga routines I’ve been doing is just about as perfect as perfect can be. I get my sweat on big time in the morning with Chalene Johnson and then wind down later in the day with Tara Stiles. Goodness, I wish I had unlimited hours in the day to get everything done. I hate feeling rushed during exercise, and that’s all I’ve been feeling lately. I’m trying to just breathe though it and tell myself that I have all the time in the world, but the truth of the matter is that I just don’t.

  • I’ve been staying up really late lately. And by late, I mean midnight. Midnight may seem like nothing for some of you guys, but it’s basically the middle of the night for me since I wake up around 5:30 every day. I just feel like I have so many things to get done on the computer and need to get them done before I go to bed or I won’t be able to sleep. Then I feel like I need to get up earlier than I need to so I don’t have to rush through my workouts, but I end up messing around on my iPad in the morning and being late anyway. Lose, lose.

  • I feel like everything is frustrating me lately. I have no patience and no motivation to hide my irritation. I’ve been trying really hard to just take a deep breath and move on, but that’s not always possible. I’m hoping that I’m able to get over this soon, but it’s really bad right now. My to-do lists aren’t helping with my stress like they usually do; I feel like more things are being added than I can handle and take care of. Especially since I have a different week next week (LA vacation), I’m freaking out about getting everything done in time! Since I have so much frustration and stress, I tend to take it out on my loved ones, which really isn’t fair. It feels good to just say that and get it out, but I hope these feelings go away soon!

  • I’m freaking out about going to Ellen next week. Our flight lands at 10:15am at LAX and we need to be in Burbank for the taping at 2:00pm. We have plenty of time to get there, since we’re renting our own car and it’s 20 miles away from the airport/hotel, but I’m still worried. What if there’s a flight delay? What if our car isn’t ready? What if the traffic is crazy? Keep me in your thoughts next Wednesday that I don’t lose my mind and that I’m not drunk by 7 a.m.

  • I’m starting to think that too many vegetables upset my stomach. I’ve been feeling really bloated and gross lately and can really only account it to the amount of veggies I’ve been consuming in the past few weeks. I love them, but I’m pretty sure that’s what is making me feel like crap. Any suggestions on good things to eat for lunch/dinner with less vegetables and no meat since I’m a vegetarian? Ugh, this is getting complicated.

  • Shopping makes me a lot happier than I previously thought. I went to the mall yesterday and simply buying a couple of new outfits put the biggest, goofy smile on my face. I hate spending money, but I love having new things. Honestly, I think online shopping is the best. Who doesn’t love getting mail?!

I think that’s enough randomness for one night. You can (hopefully) look forward to a normal post tomorrow. I’ll be back at home, back to my regular schedule, and working on my time management skills to lead a less stressful life.

Give me your random fact today!

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Spice Up Your Life, Week 7

March 23, 2013 by 9 Comments

I am so happy right now. It’s super early on Saturday morning, no one else in my house is awake, and I’m drinking coffee from my Keurig that I can make literally without even getting out of bed. I have a really busy day, but busy with good things:

  • 8:30 am: yoga class
  • 9:45 am: going out to breakfast with Luke
  • 11:15 am – 1:15 pm: training a couple of clients
  • 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm: church Easter party for the kids
  • 4:00 pm: going somewhere new & fun with Luke!

I’m not necessarily happy because of my day filled with good stuff, but because of a couple realizations I’ve had over the last few days. (1) I am 100% positive, without a doubt, that having kids and working in the fitness industry is what I am supposed to do with my life. (2) I work better with a schedule, hence why I made up a generic exercise schedule that I can mix and match and alter a little bit every week. (3) Living on my own is going to solve a lot of the problems I’ve been having lately; this will be happening sooner than I thought…..*hint hint* (4) 17 days from right now I will be on my way to Los Angeles with my wonderful boyfriend!

I also realized that I did a great job at my challenge from last week of creating a sacred space. I started out the week doing Deepak Chopra’s meditation challenge, but got bored of it after a few days. Instead, I turned to doing some Tara Stiles meditation routines each morning. Typically the night before I will pull up a couple of her videos (7-ish minutes each) on my iPad so they are easily accessible to me in the morning. I wake up, drink my coffee and read a few blogs, do my routines, and then get ready for the day. It really gives me a solid mindset for the day. I love it. Anyway, I just ranted about really boring parts of my life. My bad. Where I was heading with this…..

My sacred space is the floor in my room. Yeah, I’m weird. Over it. I love rolling my yoga mat out between my bed and the window and being able to see just a little bit of light through the cracks in my blinds each morning. I love foam rolling. I love laying on my stomach while on my computer. I am always on the floor! So, there’s a little random tidbit about my life. Don’t judge me Smile with tongue out Did you find a “sacred space” for yourself?

Moving on to this week’s challenge!

84. Plan and prepare a seduction dinner.

LOL. That’s all I have to say about that. This book, I swear. It’s got some weird challenges in here. But definitely things that will put us out of our comfort zones! Once again, I’m going to switch around this challenge a bit and say to just simply make dinner for someone! I know that personally I have fallen into this pattern of just kinda eating what is in front of me. I snack like there’s no tomorrow and am just really impatient when it comes to food. I miss cooking and need to get back into it. Once again, will be a lot easier when I get my own place….very, very soon! More details coming soon Smile

This video from Jenna Marbles pretty much describes my eating habits lately perfectly:

“I don’t just eat the popcorn; I EAT the popcorn.” LOL. Yes! I adore her.

Here’s what I’m going to do this week for the challenge:”

  • Have a serious Whole Foods/Trader Joe’s grocery shopping experience on Thursday. And my goal for this trip? Only buy what is on my list. We shall see how that goes.
  • Make a good meal for Luke! What do ya want babe? Better let me know now or you know it’s gonna be some “healthy crap you don’t like.” Smile
  • Make actual meals for myself. I’m super good at assembling things, but really bad at actually incorporating them into one dish. Practice makes perfect.

Who are you going to have a good meal with this week??

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Almond Butter Cookies, a’la Tara Stiles

March 22, 2013 by 14 Comments

Hello, hello! Today I want to share with you my favorite healthy cookie recipe, ever. Tara Stiles, aka my new obsession, posted this on her blog not too long ago. I tried it immediately and have been hooked ever since. I thought it was only fair to share it with all of you as well!

Almond Butter Jumble Cookies

  • 1/2 cup almond butter
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 cup oats
  • 1/2 cup oat flour
  • 2 tbsp. egg replacer and 6 tbsp. water
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 3 tbsp. maple syrup

Mix together. Use your hands. Get messy. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. The end! SO easy and SO good. You can add/substitute cranberries, raisons, walnuts, peanuts, peanut butter, cocoa powder, coffee grounds, or basically anything else in the whole world that you like. Okay maybe not anything….

Check out her website for tons more awesome videos, recipes, and just good stuff.

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Speaking of good stuff….

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Yup. That was waiting for me when I got home last night. I was SO excited! As you can see, I snagged one before I could even take the picture. So far I’ve tried the raspberry/dark chocolate and the coffee/dark chocolate, and both are fantastic. I had a cup of coffee this morning, followed by the coffee flavor, and I was so darn happy all morning. Coffee yogurt is the way to go. I knew they would be, but it’s nice to have experienced these yummy lil things for myself now! Thanks Chobani! Smile

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Still speaking of good things? Yeah, we are.

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I am never buying things in stores anymore. Online shopping is the way to go. Getting mail is seriously so much fun. If you ever want to be pen pals or send each other goodies, I’m totally down Smile with tongue out

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Things are going well! Really, really well. I am busier than I ever have been in my entire life, but I’m really doing things I love. I have 2 more new personal training clients that I just adore. I got 2 new nutrition clients as well. I’m definitely happy that it’s Friday…this week needs to just go ahead and wind itself down. I do have an extremely busy weekend as well, but things just seem better on a Saturday; am I right?

Also, three of my shows ended this week (The Bachelor, Biggest Loser, and Pretty Little Liars)! That leaves me with 5 extra hours a week. Sure, I multi-task while watching these shows, but they are not going to be added to my to-do lists now. That’s kind of a sense of relief, but I’m also really sad they’re done. No worries, I still have 8 shows that I watch each week :x

What is your favorite TV show in the whole wide world?

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Get It Done.

March 18, 2013 by 26 Comments

Hello friends! First of all, I want to wish a very happy 17th birthday to my little sister! She’s a gem. Here’s us skipping around Disney a couple of years ago.

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I am in just about the best mood ever typing this right now. I just had a fantastic Sunday filled with relaxing, working, time with friends, and wine. That makes me super happy. No big St. Patty’s Day partying for this girl; I’m way too lame for that. Tell me what you did though! I love to live vicariously through others that are more adventurous than me Smile with tongue out

As I said before, I’ve been participating in Chalene Johnson’s 30 Day Challenge in order to give myself a kick in the butt. So far it’s fantastic. She is super cute and motivational and makes me want to get up and do something with my life. Score. So far she has had participants evaluate goals that you want to accomplish within the next year, tell someone about goals to keep yourself accountable, narrow it down to top 10 goals and one “push” goal, and start making detailed, yet simple, to-do lists. You can learn more about all this by signing up on her website!

Here is just a brief overview of some tips she has for powering through your to-do list:

  • Categorize it into things that need to be done “today,” “this week,” and “soon.”
  • Don’t write it on paper; keep in on a mobile device that you have with you everywhere you go for easy reference.
  • Write your “push goal” at the top of each list (this is basically what motivates you to do everything you do).
  • Anything that pops into your head, write it down.
  • Do 2-3 small tasks each day that move you closer towards your “push goal.”

Most of this is stuff I already know/do, but it’s nice to have a concrete outline to follow and reinforcement that what I’m already doing will pay off sooner or later. I did download a new tasks application on my iPad to get away from my planner that currently holds all my to-do lists. I find myself writing down lists for the week at the beginning of the week on Sundays and then adding in certain tasks to the list on my phone to complete during each day while I’m out. Why write it down twice? I’m wasting time that I can’t afford to lose! Although my Vera Bradley planner is super cute….

You guys, my life has seriously been so much happier and easier this past week since I’ve been consistently practicing yoga. I can’t say enough good things about it. Tara Stiles has really opened my eyes to a new way of thinking and I wish I could thank her in person! I love not only her sense of ease with yoga, but her way of thinking about life as well. She is just so chill and healthy and happy and peaceful; everyone’s goal I think! I am so proud of people who found out their passion in life and went and made it happen. I will make that happen for myself one day. Hopefully this 30 Day Challenge will help a bit with that!

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On a completely different note, let’s talk about food for a second. As I mentioned before, I signed up for Fitfluential’s March DietBet. I’ve already lost 33% of what I needed to lose in order to “win,” so yay for that! I honestly haven’t been dieting at all. I’ve just been simply eating the foods that make me feel good and staying away from the ones I know make me feel like crap. That’s it. Once again, I haven’t been exercising like, at all, lately. So ya know I haven’t been burning calories in that department. It’s all the food! I always knew what you ate played a big role in your weight, but I’m starting to actually believe it now. And I gotta credit yoga and breathing/meditation techniques for allowing me to have the control to say no to those crappy foods. Here’s what I had yesterday (Sunday):

  • Oatmeal with cinnamon, a diced apple, and coconut granola (breakfast)

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  • Strawberry Cheesecake quest bar (snack)

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  • Protein shake (lunch)
  • Popcorn + green apple sucker (snack)
  • Olive Garden minestrone soup, salad, breadsticks, and Cabernet (dinner)

Pretty good for a weekend day if I do say so myself! And you know what? I feel great. Now I just need to remember that this week when I’m tempted with little kid food constantly.

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So here’s my very loose goals for this week:

  1. Practice lots and lots of yoga.
  2. Eat lots and lots of clean, whole foods that make me feel fantastic.
  3. Complete tasks on my to-do list each day and stop putting them off.
  4. Spend some time with friends and stop being such a loner.

Good enough for now!

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And of course, a quote to start off your week in the right way:

“It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be.” –Albus Dumbledore

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What was the best thing you did this weekend?

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Spice Up Your Life, Week 6

March 16, 2013 by 11 Comments

Hi friends! I had an amazing day yesterday. Like really freaking good. I woke up early to watch some more Tara Stiles videos on her youtube channel. Gosh, I love that woman. She makes me so happy. I just want to be her best friend, but there’s no way I’m cool enough for that. Then I was at the gym for a little while working, followed up by running a few errands, and babysitting all afternoon. Kids make me smile. Then Luke and I had a date night at Cheeseburger in Paradise, where I got a Calypso Salad, containing avocado, strawberries, pineapples, mandarin oranges, apples, honey roasted almonds, and red onion and a Skinny Margarita. The margarita was fantastic; literally tasted just like tequila and lime (just how I like it!). I may or may not have convinced Luke to split some key lime pie with me as well. We also saw The Call, which was really scary and made me never want to pump gas ever again. I am not happy about that movie; not happy at all. It broke my heart.

I do have a question for you guys. When Luke and I go to LA next month, we’re not sure if we’re going to rent a car or take cabs everywhere we go. We’ve been trying to compare prices and they’re honestly quite similar. Anyone have any suggestions on if you think it would be better to drive ourselves or get cabs? A pro of our own car would definitely be that we could drive along the coast and not have to worry about waiting for a car. A con would be that we both suck at directions and LA is confusing as it is. Thoughts, suggestions?

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Last week in the Spice Up Your Life Challenge I asked you guys to say no to someone. How did it go? I have found that a common theme among many of us is that we tend to say yes to everything. I know that I am a huge people pleaser and always try to keep my promises, yet I don’t take care of or keep promises I make to myself. Gotta work on that! I did really good with the challenge this week. Here’s what I did to say no to others and make a little bit of time for myself:

  • didn’t work any hours behind the desk at the gym (not that I had time to anyway; hopefully I will next week because I actually really enjoy it!)
  • said no to my inner voice telling me not to and bought a set of Tara Stiles yoga DVD’s online
  • took my time responding to e-mails instead of feeling the need to do it immediately
  • said no to my inner voice telling me to workout and took a rest week full of simple yoga routines

Small changes, but definitely made a difference in my happiness levels. I’m hoping to continue this “free” mindset my week next week and see if things can increase even more. I’m starting to realize more and more every day how much I love yoga. I always kinda knew I was into it, but taking time for myself to relax AND work my body/mind this week was perfection. This may be a new path for me. Yoga helps me to connect to myself and make better decisions throughout my day. So yay for that!

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Challenge for this week:

40. Create a sacred space.

Um, wow. What weird timing to get this goal when I’ve just been preaching about the benefits of yoga and meditation. The book describes this goal of more of a legit sacred space. I say to find somewhere you feel comfortable and develop it into a happy place where you can go whenever need be. Examples of where this could be:

  • In your car. Even though I have terrible road rage, when I don’t put any music on in my car and have my commute to just think and be alone, I am ridiculously happy. In the mornings I listen to the news, but coming home at night I usually sit in silence. It gives me a chance to reflect on myself and my day and to also just have some quiet time after being around loud people all day.
  • In your bedroom. This is where we all do the most relaxing thing ever: sleep. Your bedroom should be a place you can go to reflect, write, watch TV, relax, workout, stretch, read, ANYTHING. I do pretty much everything in my room, but that very well may be because I still live with my parents. It will be interesting to see if that changes once I move out. In my opinion, your bedroom should be your happy place. Anything goes.
  • In your mind. As long as you know how to block out the rest of the world and concentrate on yourself, all you need is your mind. I’m working on this one. I would love to be able to walk down a busy street and not be affected by others; just myself.

And here’s some ways to make that space sacred for you:

  • look forward to the time you get to spend there each day
  • fill it with things you love
  • only allow others there that benefit you!
  • associate positive thoughts with it

There are obviously many more places you could choose and ways to make it happy, but these are just the main ones I can think of right now. This week I am going to focus on transforming my mind into a place that is full of happiness for me. I’m going to try to get rid of all the negativity, worry, and rushing I feel on a regular basis and focus on relaxing, breathing, and knowing that I have complete control over my body.

Enjoy your weekend! Good luck to all the ladies running in the DC Rock N’ Roll half this weekend <3

Where is your sacred space?

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My Favorite Snacks

March 15, 2013 by 17 Comments

Typically I post a recipe for you guys on Fridays, but I’m just not feeling it today. I’m exhausted and not feeling one bit so creative. So instead, I thought I would talk about one of my favorite things: food. I snack all. the. time. Since I don’t eat meat, I’m hungry a lot of the time, even with the extra protein I try to take it. Hence why I’m always eating. Recently, these are some of my favorite things to eat:

  • Clif bars

  • Apples

  • Hummus and carrots

  • Fruit snacks

  • Protein shakes

  • Popcorn

  • Trail mix

  • Pop chips

  • String cheese

  • Juice

I was honestly trying to sit here and think of other things I eat on a regular basis (not including meals), and that’s pretty much it. Very rarely do I eat snacks other than those things. What’s funny is that popcorn and string cheese were the only things I ate prior to about 2009. My taste buds have really changed in the last couple of years. Want to know how I know I’m getting old? Anything over a little bit of sugar makes me feel sick. Do I still eat it? Of course I do. I also feel old when I drink my large black coffee. And when my knees crack when I go up or down the stairs. And when I go to bed at 8:30. Oh well.

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Yesterday was really hard for me. I recently signed up for Chalene Johnson’s 30 Day Push. I would highly recommend it if any of you are interested in figuring out what the hell you want to do with your life; and it’s free! The past few days have been focusing on goals that I want to accomplish in the next year. It makes me really sad to look at my goals list and see all the wonderful things I could do if I just stopped making excuses and did them already. For some weird reason I have been feeling really bad for myself lately and I gotta snap out of that. Why would I sulk around when I could get out there in the world and make shit happen? I’m also trying really hard to stray away from the misconception that I have to do what I feel like I should. Why can’t I do what I want? Tara Stiles says, “Who made the rules?” I support that.

I really believe that things will be easier once I’m out of my parents house. It’s very difficult to do what I want without being judged, because what I want to do with my life is not “typical.” I understand how that can cause some uneasiness with my loved ones, but people have to trust me (and I have to trust myself!) that I can be successful if I really set my mind to it and dedicate some serious time.

Just so you guys kind of understand what I’m talking about, here’s the 10 goals I would most like to accomplish in the next 12 months:

  1. Open my own online health business.
  2. Start writing a health book.
  3. Have 10 steady PT clients.
  4. Meet and/or speak with Ellen DeGeneres and Jillian Michaels.
  5. Stop my crazy eating cycle.
  6. Practice yoga 1 hr./3x/week.
  7. Lose 10 pounds.
  8. *something I can’t say because I would get in trouble!*
  9. Move out of parents house.
  10. Run 1/2 marathon.

Chalene encourages you to “go crazy” on these goals. Put yourself out there and don’t make goals that are “comfortable,” so that’s exactly what I did. My problem is that I tend to forget about what I really want in the moment. My thought process goes something like this:

I want that cookie.

*eats cookie and feels like crap*

10 minutes go by

I should have some ice cream.

*eats ice cream and feels like crap*

later that night listening to a Jillian Michaels podcast…

Why on earth did I eat that stuff? I feel terrible and I don’t even like it!

Everyyyyy day. This happens to me all the time. I think I just get so caught up in what I’m doing for other people, that I forget to think about myself. I’m a personal trainer and a nutritionist; I need to live up to what I am preaching! Hopefully the rest of Chalene’s challenge will help me to get my shit together.

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Update on my Tara Stiles obsession: it’s increasing by the minute. I kind of love her.

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What is one goal you have for yourself this year?

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Thankful Thursday

March 14, 2013 by 24 Comments

Is that a thing? Thankful Thursday? It probably is. I feel like there’s a theme for every single freaking day of the week. If it’s not a thing (which I’m sure it is), I’m making it up now. I’m sick of talking about all the crap in my life. Let’s focus on the happy things!

  1. An absolutely delicious lunch yesterday from a local restaurant, Chomp. My girls have been asking me to go there for a few days now, and I honestly didn’t know what it was. Finally we had an opportunity to go, and let me just tell you: I am obsessed. If you are friends with me in real life, get prepared because I will be asking you to go there with me most likely in the next week. Their food is such fresh, with an extensive healthy menu and raw juice/smoothie options. I got the lime life juice (carrot, cucumber, apple, lime) and a pear salad (mixed greens, avocado, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, apple, pear, cranberries, walnuts, goat cheese). I think we will be making that place our Wednesday lunch spot every day until forever. So many things on the menu I want to try. I also have a feeling I will be spending a lot of money on juice from here on out….good for me, not so good for my wallet. juicesalad
  2. Massages. How lucky am I to have a boyfriend who I can say, “My shoulder is still killing me” and his response is to e-mail me a groupon gift for a deep tissue massage? I like him. And yes, my shoulder is still messed up from getting my blood drawn LAST THURSDAY. Something’s not right there. I also go to a local place near my house, Relaxing Waters Spa, that has infrared massage beds. I want to sleep in one of those please.
  3. Wine. Enough said.
  4. Sweatpants. You guys, I kid you not when I say that I have been living in sweats for the past 6 months. Regular pants suck. And since I have a job that doesn’t require me to wear real pants, I certainly will not. The other day the only clean sweatpants I had were these bright coral tight ones from Abercrombie. Yes, I wore them. And in case you were wondering, every single pair of jeans I own was clean. Sorry I’m not sorry.
  5. Tara Stiles yoga. Alright, if you haven’t discovered Tara Stiles by now, go to her website immediately. She posts so many amazing videos that are not only inspirational, but practical as well. I adore (I really like the word “adore” lately) her outlook on life, her earthy, fragile demeanor, and her peace fingers. I would look like a fool if I did that, but somehow she looks freaking cool. I’ve been starting every morning this week with a couple of her routines, since I’m taking the week off from exercise. It’s crazy how much better I feel throughout my day when I do yoga in the morning instead of an intense workout. Is that a sign?
  6. Kisses and “I love you’s” from children. Nothing makes you feel better about yourself than when a 2 year old comes up to you all on their own, gives you a big kiss on the lips and a hug, and tells you how much they love you. I promise, you will have a big, goofy smile on your face for hours.
  7. Sixteen Candles. Re-watching it on ABC Family yesterday reminded me how much better the old movies typically are than the stuff that is released nowadays. Except Luke and I are going to see The Call tomorrow and I’m pretty darn pumped.
  8. A little bit of extra free time this week. Not exercising has allowed me to get a little bit of extra sleep and save time on excessive showering, freeing up some more than necessary time for me. My body feels weird not working out, but I’m not thinking it’s necessarily a “bad” weird. Just different. We will see what happens when I attempt to go back to a regular exercise schedule on Saturday.

That’s all I’ve got for now. Some pretty fantastic stuff though!

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Just wanted to share one more thing with you. As ya’ll know, I’m a certified trainer through AFPA. I get their news via e-mail each month and love sharing the articles they send me. The one that caught my eye this month is about the correlation between self-control and exercise, specifically short bursts of it. You can check the full article out here. What they’re basically saying is that when you do some high-intensity exercise (like HIIT training) for a short period of time, there is increased blood flow to your brain and you are more productive. Makes sense to me, but I would like to know more! The article is too short in my opinion.

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Last but not least, do me a favor and follow me on facebook, twitter, instagram, and pinterest! The cute little snazzy buttons that link to these are to the left of my picture on the home page. I would love to see what you guys are into, other than your blog Smile

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What is one thing you are thankful for today?

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