It’s a good thing I love my job and I don’t ever hate going to work!

I’ve had some random thoughts on my mind this week so I figured I would share them with you:

FRIDAY RAMBLES

1. I probably shouldn’t be counting down the days until my due date but I am. I’m pretty sure I did the same thing with Ava but it’s hard not to stare at the calendar these days. I will tell you that it’s going to make these last 40 days a lot longer then they need to be!

2. I’ve been getting tons of questions on how long I will be working, how I’m feeling, and how much time I will be taking off. To answer those questions briefly, I plan to work up until the end of my pregnancy as long as the doctor keeps approving! I’m feeling pretty good (knock on all the wood) besides being exhausted from 3pm on and having some small cramps/contractions I’ve been fortunate to feel pretty normal. I plan to take 3 months of from most of my work, however I will be back to boot camp a little quicker. (I will be demonstrating and teaching without doing the workout until cleared from the Doctor)

3. I’ve had moments over the past 2 weeks where I’m super excited for the baby to arrive one day and then another day I want to cry because I feel like I’m not going to be able to parent 2 kids equally. Some days I’m confident and other days I literally question how I am going to do it all. I love Ava so much but she’s a lot of work and so is Cooper. Now throw a newborn in the mix and that’s going to be a whole other challenge. I’m not superwoman but I need to stay positive. There are so many other moms that do it right?!

4. We have several party invitations in the next few weekends and I really want to attend them all but they aren’t exactly close to home. Part of me feels like I should go to them all and part of me is telling me don’t risk having a baby in another town with a random doctor!!! What are your thoughts?!

5. I’m loving the warm weather and sunshine we are having. I don’t mind the occasional day of rain that allows me to get housework done but I’m thoroughly enjoying beach trips and playing outside in the yard, park, wherever!

6. I’ve had some chocolate cravings this week and Marc asked if it was me wanting the brownies or the baby. I’m not really sure but I’m blaming the baby. I never have strong cravings when I’m not pregnant but I’m rolling with the sweet tooth this little boy has

I’ve also been loving fruit so there’s a good balance there!!

7. I haven’t really been into dinner recipes or dinner at all these past 2 weeks. If anyone has any simple meal suggestions I would love to try out some of your ideas!! My usual choices are unappealing and make me nauseous just thinking about it!!!

Well that’s it…. I hope you enjoyed my Friday Rambles and I hope you have an awesome weekend.

What are some random thoughts you’ve had this week?

Do you have any advice for mom’s with 2 kids? 

First let me start of with the fact that I love my job. As a Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor and a fitness coach, I can tailor my schedule to meet my needs. Right now, I need a little more flexibility to take care of Ava because she’s my other full-time job.

Before I became a Mom, I would try to fit in as many clients and as many classes that I could handle or I should say that my body could handle. Now, as much as I want to take on more… it’s not possible, I am maxed out.

Besides teaching numerous classes per week and training clients, I have a lot of behind the scene work that goes unnoticed.

I watch dvd’s, read articles, learn new exercises, make workouts, make cd’s, study new choreography, email clients, chat with people in my challenge groups, and work on scheduling. I also text or email my clients to check on how they are doing with food & fitness throughout the week to make sure they aren’t slipping up. It may look like easy work but it is very time consuming. Add blogging into the mix and my free time is practically non existent!

I have learned to make priorities and keep lists of what needs to get done first. I try to learn 1 new thing per week, I try to make 1 new music playlist per month, I do my scheduling week to week because people’s schedules change and I try to be flexible, you get it. If I can work with my clients agenda then they can be flexible with mine. It’s a great balance!

I consider my job fun because I am constantly learning and improving at something I love. Plus I am helping others reach their health & fitness goals. Sure it gets stressful at times but I get over those tough days. It is my passion to make others fit & healthy and it is a goal of mine to continue for the rest of my life.

When I see physical and mental changes with my clients I feel so rewarded. It’s the pat on the back that I need to keep going forward!

I forgot to mention that I have a very supportive husband who not only lets me take on a million and one things at once but he motivates me on days that I want to quit and throw my hands up!! It’s all about having people around you to make you a better person!

Do you have an instructor or trainer that keeps you motivated?

Do you love your job?

I always have snacks on hand wherever I go. You can even ask Marc! He often laughs at me, because out of nowhere, I will have food in my hand and be eating a snack.  I remember one time we were clothes shopping and as I was checking out, I grabbed a bar out of my purse along with my money, and started snacking. Marc said, “where in the world did you get that?” haha

With my low-blood pressure I have had several instances where I have felt faint and that usually happens when I haven’t eaten in a while. I’ve learned my lesson and now I try to keep snacks in my gym bag, my car, my purse and even my night stand so I don’t run into any serious issues!

These snacks are great for anyone on the go, for anyone traveling, parents who have to chauffer their kids around, or for those who constantly find themselves in a hunger jam!

My 5 Go-To Healthy Snacks:

1. Banana, apple or orange: fruit is super nutritious, contains fiber, vitamins & minerals and it’s portable! It’s an all around win.

2. Protein Bar: usually I keep a Quest Bar in my bag. They are high in protein and fiber! Plus they are super filling & satisfying.

3. Granola bars: I try not to eat a lot of granola bars but they are still great to keep around. I especially love KIND Bars!!

4. Nuts: I make little baggies with mixed nuts and keep them everywhere. My favorite are almonds, sunflower seeds & pistachios. I will even add golden raisins, dried cranberries, or regular raisins too! This snack is packed with healthy fats and will be sure to hold you over until your next meal.

5. Fruit & Veggie Pouches: even though these fruit & veggie pouches are marketed towards kids, they make a great healthy snack for ANYONE. I usually keep them in my car for Ava but I have eaten them before The ones with yogurt are great too.

The options are endless if you can keep a cooler/lunch bag in your car. Then you can bring sandwiches, yogurts, veggies, frittata squares, etc. By keeping healthy foods on hand you will never have an excuse to make bad choices!

Speaking of healthy snacks… I devoured this Quest Protein Bar last night after boot camp.

I am really looking forward to the weekend. Tonight my plans are to go visit my Niece who is only a week old and then come home to kick my feet up!  Saturday morning I am teaching Boot Camp, and then we are driving up to Rhode Island for a birthday celebration! Can’t wait

What healthy snacks do you keep on hand?

Do you have any to add to my list?

So its early Thursday morning, and as I sit down to blog, I thought of my workouts so far this week.  Instantly, a common thread between them came to mind…

I really didn’t want to work out or go to the gym before any of them.

Sunday I kind of had to drag myself to the gym mid day before football started and I became a waste of space. I didn’t work out at all on Monday and it had nothing to do with time. After a kind of hectic day at work, I came home and whole-heartedly planned on going to the gym once Ava was asleep. Then I got lazy, watched an hour of TV on demand with Kelly, and then convinced myself I should just stay home.

Fearing the same thing would happen after a long day of work Tuesday, I made myself go to the gym later in the night.

I made it there around 8:30 and knew any workout was better than nothing. After a quick 5-minute warm-up on a bike, I did a shoulder workout that I figured would torch my shoulders. Here it is….

SHOULDER SCULPT WORKOUT 

Complete 3 SETS of the Below Exercises

Alternating Balance Shoulder Presses, 12/10/8 reps

Alternating Front and Side Raises, 12/10/10 reps

Seated Shoulder Presses, 10/6/6 reps

Seated Shoulder Fly’s, 10 reps each

Swimmers Press, 10 reps each

I also incorporated several high repetition rotator cuff and labrum exercises at the end using lightweights. 

***Except for the seated shoulder presses, I used moderately lightweights and limited my rest time between sets. This kept my heart rate up throughout the entire workout ***

Examples of a few of the exercises:

Alternating Balance Shoulder Presses 

Front Raises

Lateral Raises

When I left the gym on Tuesday night, the way I felt could not have been more different than Monday night, which lead me to this thought; sometimes it is doing the things that you do not want to do, that make you feel better at the end of the day. 

You have to step outside of your comfort zone at times. Do the things that you have been putting off, or dreading, and once it is completed the sense of relief will far out weigh that looming feeling you had prior.

How do you motivate yourself to go to the gym? 

In case you missed Marc’s first two guest posts, here they are:

Something new to The Fit Skool

NO Better time than now

In the summer I was outside all the time. Now, I am outside when I get in and out of my car or when I walk Cooper. THAT IS PRETTY MUCH IT!!

That means some of us are moving less during the day or choosing to be inside more.

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Have you ever used a pedometer before?

If you are looking to buy one, this SM-2000 Step Pedometer is only $6.50 and if you have amazon prime it ships within 2 days!

If you have an IPHONE there are tons of APPS you can download; to monitor how many steps you take in one day.

I have the Runtastic APP

It is easy to download and it is FREE. It tracks your steps, miles, speed, etc!

The other day I challenged myself not to sit for most of the day. I sat when I ate my meals and drove my car but that was it. I had to think about not sitting a few times, for instance when I wrote my blog, I put my laptop on our high top table and stood, I stood while folding laundry, made several trips up and down the stairs on purpose while putting things away, I stood while I read Ava her night time story, you get the point.

Just by not sitting I forced myself to move more and that alone helped to burn extra calories

I wish I had thought earlier that day to put my pedometer on and see how many steps I actually took, but once I put my pedometer on I was able to track 5,000 steps within a 2-½ hour time frame!

 10,000 steps is approximately 5 miles.

SOOO with all this talk about moving more, I challenge you to buy a PEDOMETER or download an app. They are super cheap and it is a fun way to challenge you to move more! They even make a great stocking stuffer! 

Here are some Tips to Sneak in extra steps to reach that 10,000 step goal:

• Take the stairs whenever you can.
• Park your car at the end of the parking lot
• Instead of emailing or calling a co-worker get up and walk to their office/cubicle
• Take your dog on a 5 minute longer walk
• Walk around the entire grocery store while shopping
• Chase around your baby! This one clearly helps me to move more

 This girl never stops!

How do you stay active? 

Do you sit a lot during the day?

Don’t get me wrong, I will indulge but I won’t be the one unbuttoning my pants or laying on the couch for 2 hours because I over ate.

I choose wisely. I love Turkey and gravy… and in case you don’t know me by now I am a POTATO lover.  So those items along with all the veggies will all be piled on my plate.

Don’t hate me when I tell you I don’t like PIE. People think I’m crazy but Thanksgiving desserts are not my thing. For as long as I can remember I never ate dessert on Thanksgiving. If someone made Chocolate chip cookies, I would eat one but usually there’s only pies:)

So on a healthy note, Last night I tried out a new veggie combo that would make a great side dish for Thanksgiving. Roasted butternut squash topped with Gorgonzola Cheese.

I took 1 pound of chopped butternut squash and drizzled it with oil & salt. Roasted in the oven for 30 minutes at 400 degrees and then topped it with 2 tbsp of gorgonzola cheese right after they came out of the oven. It was yummy!

Here are some Tips for Beating the Holiday Bulge:

Do you have any fitness tips? 

Have you ever injured yourself exercising? How did you overcome your injury?

Does your trainer or instructor correct your form or give you cues on proper technique?

I learned this exercise from Tony Horton, the creator of P90X3. The dolphin hop focuses on your core and upper body. I liked it a lot! I even practiced it after class Tuesday night.

You start in the Plank position:

With your feet together, legs straight, you use your core to lift your hips up and you hop your feet in.

Return to your starting position and repeat!

I love learning new exercises. It keeps me motivated as a personal trainer and group instructor, and it helps challenge my body as well as my clients!

Do you like learning new ways to challenge your body? 

What new exercises have you learned in the past month?

Once I got to the 1 week mark, I wasn’t thinking about what I was eating next or what I should grab out of the fridge, it became routine. I found what worked for me and went with it!!

My breakfast typically looked like this… or some variation of this!

I don’t necessarily agree with people that say white potatoes are bad. They are still a whole food, they have lots of potassium (they helped to keep me full!)

I didn’t eat them every day, but the days I just had eggs and veggies I was hungry earlier.

For snacks throughout the day and night, I stuck with fruits, veggies, salads, nuts, almond butter, muffins, plantain chips, smoothies, avocado, and roasted plantains. I did have coconut milk ice cream one night.. it was okayy.

Lunches were the easiest for me.. they always consisted of leftovers from dinner the night before. I love no-brainers.

Come dinner time I was always at a loss of what to eat, there were some days I didn’t want a single veggie!! Those nights ended up being take out like Thai Food, Salads, or from a prepared food place!

I made these zoodles and they are amazing, I will share the recipe with you soon.

I did have some cheat snacks... snacks that I wouldn’t even call a CHEAT. They are healthy to me and foods that help me enjoy life. I have low blood pressure so I craved salt during Paleo and I really wanted these things.

Here are a few!

PEANUT BUTTER seriously come on. It was 2 ingredients Peanuts & Salt.

Popcorn (homemade with popcorn kernels & coconut oil)

Brown Rice (I had a small serving) it just goes with spicy Thai food

Overall, Paleo made me feel better, I was less bloated, I felt good, and I loved that I was making smart choices. My workouts were full of great energy and I felt strong.

It did make me realize that I am a healthy eater and there are other foods I enjoy that are HEALTHY. The first thing I had that wasn’t paleo was a yogurt parfait… it tasted like heaven! I seriously thought I could eat them all day. HAHAH

I decided to keep with Paleo 80/20. I am still going to enjoy the foods that I think are healthy that are not on the Paleo meal plan but I like how I feel right now!

Have you ever followed a meal plan or diet and stuck with it for a lifestyle change??

What kind of foods in your diet are healthy and what are some things you should probably eliminate??