Marc and I share a strong love for Cooper and treat him like one of the kids. Every day we make it a priority to get Cooper the exercise that he needs. Whether it’s long walks in the morning or evening, park trips to play with other dogs, doggie play-dates, or even swimming trips at the beach.

The days Cooper is stuck inside for too long, he starts bugging us by taking the kids toys to get our attention  So we know he needs to get energy out and do whatever we can do tire that pup out!

PuppySpot has this awesome graphic about fitness for dogs. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share with you guys, so check it out:

It’s so important for humans and animals to get the right amount of exercise. I try to live with the “no excuse” attitude for exercising myself and for exercising Cooper. Sometimes the weather can make it challenging to get outside, so we play fetch inside, do tricks, or suck it up and bundle up in rain gear to make sure he get’s his walks. I know he relies on me every day to give him the attention he needs and I’ll do whatever I can to keep him healthy!!!

Today I am launching the new Group Power workout at 730am. To say I don’t get nervous would be a lie. It’s incredibly hard to remember every move for an hour straight but I do feel confident about it and I really do like this workout.

Lets back up a bit and chat about my weekend.

Friday night was a low key night, Ava had just went to the Doctors for her 18-month check up (a little late because she’s already 19 months) she had to get some shots so we opted for a lazy night because she was tired and drained from her appointment. Saturday morning we woke up took Cooper and Ava for a walk, played in the pool, did some grocery shopping and I had a work obligation in the afternoon.

I also managed to get in a Pull-up workout that I will recap tomorrow.

Saturday night we ordered take out food from and Italian restaurant down the street called Bella Nonna. I got Chicken Francese with veggies & potatoes and we split some Mussels Fra Diavolo to start. It was pretty good.

We spent the rest of the evening on our porch hanging out with our neighbors while Ava played with her friend Ella and our dogs wrestled until everyone was tired!

Sunday morning I headed to the YMCA to support my Co-worker Michelle while she launched the first Group Power workout.

It was a packed house and we barely had enough equipment to go around.  I didn’t have a step box to use so I really think it made some of the exercises a little more challenging, but I took one for the team

The rest of my day was spent doing coaching work on the computer, food prepping in the kitchen and playing with Ava outside in the pool again.

Ava and Cooper had a blast and it was really cute to see them playing together in the pool.

It was a lovely relaxing weekend and now I get to go pump some iron with the New GP workout!

Did you do anything fun this weekend?

What’s your favorite italian dish?

Every Christmas I would ask for a puppy anyways, and as much as I knew it wasn’t possible I still asked for the pure hope that one day it just might happen.

I always wanted a golden retriever but of course they shed too much. I started researching dogs on the internet one day and I stumbled upon a partially hypoallergenic dog called a comfort retriever. It’s a mix between a golden and a poodle. When I started looking at the pictures of the puppies I was sold. I may have done a little dance because these dogs were perfect!

I sent the breeder’s link to Marc, and I’m pretty sure he knew he couldn’t say no to me. We talked to the breeder and in just a few short months Cooper was born.

I counted down the days until we would get him. The wait seemed like forever.

We were so lucky to have the breeder’s friend bring Cooper to our house, when they arrived I ran outside to find the tiniest little fluff ball waiting in his crate. I asked if I could hold him, and she said “he’s yours!” I had the biggest grin on my face and I will forever remember our first encounter.

I brought Cooper inside and of course he peed right away. Poor guy had a long car ride!

He ran around and explored the house, man this little guy had more spunk then I knew what to do with. He was so playful, curious, and of course too cute.

I waited my whole life for a dog and I couldn’t be luckier to have such a fun loving and playful puppy to spend all my days with.

He takes me on new adventures every day and makes me enjoy the rain when all I really want to be doing is snuggling on the couch or of course on the floor.

Cooper keeps me on my toes, he knows how to push my buttons by stealing toys, but most importantly he knows how to make me smile and cheer me up with kisses and his cute puppy dog face!

There’s only one other girl besides Ava and of course myself that Cooper gets super excited for, his girlfriend Barley! When they have playdates he can’t hold back his smile and excitement!

I love my little doggie and I know he’s made a new best friend with Ava because he makes her just as happy as he makes me & Marc.

Happy Birthday Mr. Cooper!

If you have a pet, do you celebrate their birthday? I think Cooper will definitely have a few licks of ice cream tonight

Did you have a pet growing up?

I don’t really dread Mondays at all, but I don’t like ending a weekend of fun. Do you feel the same?

Friday in the late afternoon my co-worker Stephanie dropped her Dog Barley off for the weekend.  They had a weekend trip planned for a wedding, and Barley was ours to watch and care for. I have to admit I was overly excited to dogsit Barley because Cooper absolutely loves her.

They play/wrestle with each other for hours on end and it definitely makes taking care of a dog and a toddler 100x easier.

Ava got to play in her new sandbox that her Grandpa bought her. She was not happy when it was time  to get out and had so much fun playing with the toys.  Covering them with sand entertained her the most.

Friday night was a nice low key night for us. We hung out at home and grilled an easy dinner and relaxed. We all woke up early Saturday morning, ate a quick breakfast and then took Cooper & Barley for a 30 minute walk and let them run around the field for 30 minutes.

When we got home they were both exhausted but I know they had fun.

I’m glad we got their exercise in early because it started to get pretty hot. We decided to take a ride over to my parents to let Ava splash around in the pool. I enjoyed having my feet in their too!

Ava is learning how to blow bubbles in the water.

After lunch, I decided to take Barley for a run. She is super behaved on the leash I figured I would let her get some alone time. I think I may have had more fun then she did. I hadn’t run in a very long time and it felt great.

Around 2:45pm I left for my friends surprise baby Shower in Hamden, CT

It was such a lovely shower for my friend Kelly, with just her closest friends.  We had fun playing some games and eating delicious food!

This game was interesting. We had to guess who each of these famous men were in the pictures. It was surprisingly hard!

Sunday we basically repeated our Saturday morning with a big breakfast and a long walk with the dogs. It was so humid out I was sweating within the first few minutes!

Ava was straight up relaxing in her stroller.

Since I was all sweaty I wanted to do a quick Insanity Max30 workout before I showered. I popped in a cardio challenge DVD and started working hard. At about 13 1/2 minutes into the workout my upper inner thigh started bothering me so I stopped.

I felt it after my run Saturday but didn’t think anything of it. I was so MAD I had to stop the DVD because mentally I wanted to keep going but I wasn’t going to push myself and cause a minor pain to become a more serious injury.

It kinda dampened my mood but I got over it quickly. Marc made some delicious grilled chicken for lunch.

His grilled chicken is always amazing.

In the afternoon we went to Greenwich Ave in attempt to let Ava play on the playground and let the dogs run on the field, but there was a soccer game going on so we just walked with them around Greenwich Avenue until we were all too sweaty and hot.

For dinner we got take out Thai Food. I loved every bite!! Ava ate all the carrots out of my Brown Chicken Dish but I’m glad that she at least enjoyed part of it!

That pretty much wraps up our weekend!

 What did you do this weekend?

Have you ever cut a workout short because of a muscle strain?

It always feels nice to get a great workout finished early in the morning!

We had new neighbors moving in Saturday so we spent most of the afternoon hanging around the house and helping them move a washer/dryer in.

Our dinner came on the early side because we didn’t really eat much in the afternoon. I grilled up some Pesto Chicken, zucchini, and we had some sweet potatoes with it.  Pesto is my best friend in the summer time and I’m pretty sure you will be seeing a lot more of it, so get used to it!

Once Ava fell asleep for the night (7pm woohoo) Marc and I sat on the Porch and sipped on a glass of Cabernet, it was quite delicious and nice to relax such a beautiful night!

We also snacked on some popcorn and finished our night with the season finale of Grey’s Anatomy which was GREAT! I’m slightly obsessed with that show, if I haven’t told you that before.

Sunday started off a little slow in our house. Ava got to watch some TV for a while because I woke up with a migraine. I get them from time to time and this one was pretty brutal. I initially started thinking that my day was ruined and I really didn’t want to be stuck inside on such a sunny day.

I decided to take some medicine and within an hour I felt like a million bucks. I’m always hesitant to take medicine but I’m super thankful I did! I felt like a normal human being again!

Around 9am we took Cooper and Ava for a walk on Greenwich Avenue and then let them both run around on the field. It’s so fun to watch Ava chase Cooper and let her explore the park on her own.

We dropped Cooper off after the walk and headed to the beach, we didn’t want to waste any time! Ava loves playing in the sand and she actually sat on the beach towel for a solid 20 minutes straight. It was nice to just relax and watch her pile sand on my legs.

There weren’t that many people on the beach so that was pretty awesome too. Ava started getting fussy and threw a small tantrum so we new it was time to get her lunch and a NAP!

Ava took a fairly long nap in the afternoon, and while she slept Marc headed to a friend’s Birthday BBQ.  Around 3pm we all went over to my parents for a BBQ. I love BBQ food and I think it’s because the foods are so simple and extra tasty when they are grilled. We had hamburgers, corn on the cob, salad, and potatoes!

We all had fun being outside for the majority of the day and seeing Cooper & Ava smile!

My dad bought Ava a big pool, so she had fun playing in it while he set sit up. She clearly couldn’t wait for him to put water in!

Now I am heading to the YMCA to teach an early Memorial Day Group Power class before we attend our last BBQ of the weekend at the beach!

It’s easy to forget what Memorial Day is all about so lets take the time to remember those people who died while serving in the country’s armed forces.

What fun things did you do this weekend?

What is your favorite BBQ food?

]]> http://thefitskool.com/?feed=rss2&p=6761 0 http://thefitskool.com/?p=6545 http://thefitskool.com/?p=6545#comments Tue, 05 May 2015 19:15:13 +0000 http://thefitskool.com/?p=6545 Continue reading →]]> I had planned on posting a lot earlier today on a random topic about my low blood pressure but I had a change of plans. So check back Thursday for more on that topic!

After training my clients this morning, I had to schedule a vet appointment for Cooper which took up the rest of my morning until lunch time. He was diagnosed with Tracheobronchitis or Kennel Cough. I barely slept last night because of it. Every time I heard him cough I thought he was going to throw up and it was very alarming. My stomach was in knots for him.

It sounds like a hacking cough or like he’s choking, he even spit up a few times early this morning. I felt so bad for the little guy. Luckily he has some medication that’s supposed to help him stay comfortable and to treat the virus.

SO somehow I am not tired even though I have been up since 5am, but I’m sure it will eventually catch up with me!

Who knew dogs could get sick like us!!?

On a different note, today is Cinco De Mayo and as much as I had wanted to make a mexican dish for dinner I don’t think I have time. I guess we will celebrate another night

Today also makes Ava 17 months. While that isn’t a huge milestone this girl is maturing and get smarter by the day. I can only imagine what she will surprise us with next.

I will be back tomorrow with a food journal post and a lot more to talk about!

Have you ever had a sick pet before?

Will you be celebrating cinco de mayo?

]]> http://thefitskool.com/?feed=rss2&p=6545 0 http://thefitskool.com/?p=6449 http://thefitskool.com/?p=6449#comments Mon, 27 Apr 2015 13:17:10 +0000 http://thefitskool.com/?p=6449 Continue reading →]]> I planned on posting this sooner, but I got so sidetracked with my weekend! In case you missed the First Part of our vacation, check it out.

The second part of our vacation was just as great as the first part. We spent more time by the pool, which meant more running around and chasing Ava. She enjoyed looking at the birds & ducks in the pond behind the condo.

So basically she didn’t sit still for more then 5 minutes.

She has actually been able to make some really good “quack-quack” duck noises on her own. I’m pretty sure ducks are currently her favorite animal besides dogs.

We had a couple nice meals outside at restaurants where we sat overlooking the beach.

There’s something so enjoyable about sitting outside at a restaurant.

And of course having a cocktail on the beach. I ordered a Mojito without added sugar!

I’m not gonna lie, eating out with Ava isn’t easy but she was such a trooper and impressed me with her great behavior at the table. I think we also timed everything perfectly and avoided times where she would have probably through a tantrum or have been fussy!

I wish we could’ve stayed in Florida longer!

One of my friends watched Cooper for us while we were away and we received tons of awesome pictures of Cooper having fun playing with his girlfriend Barley. I’m pretty sure he had a fun vacation too!

This is a picture of Marc and his family outside Sandbar Restaurant on Anna Maria Island which is only about 10 minutes from the Condo.  While we waited for our table Ava playing with her cousin Natalie in the sand. This is probably the whitest softest sand ever and I wish I could have brought some back with me!

When Ava wore this hat, my heart almost melted.

I know she’s my daughter but the hat was just too cute on her!

If I could pick a second home away from home it would be Florida. I love the beach, and I love that it’s a hop skip and a jump away from Connecticut.

This vacation was the break I needed from work & life, and I honestly felt rejuvenated once I got back!

Whats your favorite thing to do on vacation? 

Are you a beach or pool person?

This was hands down my favorite Christmas ever. We had some quality time with family in Rhode Island on Christmas Eve and then with my family in Connecticut on Christmas Day.

Tuesday night we headed to Rhode island to begin our holiday festivities.

Here is a quick recap of the 2 BIG days.

Marc and I managed to get a picture in before all the craziness began.

Who wore the Santa Hat better?

Ava loved all her snuggles from her Grandma.

One of Ava’s favorite gifts on Christmas Eve was her stroller. She puts her baby in it and pushes it around…. it was very cute to watch!!

One of the best parts about the day was seeing Ava’s curiosity while unwrapping gifts. We had to start unwrapping her gifts for her and then she would finish it. I think by the end of the day she got the hang of it.

Well actually by the end of Christmas eve day this girl looked like a ZOMBIE!!!  (hahah, no joke)  She still enjoyed her snuggle time with Cousin Natalie.

Ava truly made Christmas more magical for me and has brought so much more excitement for my family too!

They definitely made my day easier by playing with her and her new toys!

I can’t forget about my other child…..

Cooper was quite a character and loved playing with all the toys that Ava would leave behind.

We managed to get another picture together. (no I am not pregnant, Marc just placed his hand in an awkward spot)

OKAY.. to wrap up this long post.. here is a video of Ava with one of her Favorite presents.

Ava impressed us all with her Basketball moves. She is a quick learner and really listens to everything you say.

Clearly she takes direction well. She can already slam dunk a basketball!!

Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas?

Will you be doing anything fun for New Years Eve??

Christmas is exactly 1 week from today, are you ready?? I still have a little more shopping to do but I am confident I will get it done tomorrow. I have my list ready to go!

For the past 10 plus years my best friends and I have been doing Secret Santa together, before we started secret santa we would just do small gifts for eachother! On Monday night we had our girls night and Christmas celebration at my friend Danielle’s house.

The five of us chatted, snacked on good food, and enjoyed our night together! Plus we all got great gifts.

This is Baby Addie, she is 3 months old isn’t she cute!?

We exchanged gifts which was always a blast. My friend Lauren got some awesome slippers to wear on the airplane since she travels all the time.

My Secret Santa got me some awesome workout pants, a manicure gift card, this awesome head massager.. etc.

Cooper LOVED the head massager, it basically put him to sleep!!

I think it is so important to spend time around the holidays with the people that you love. It was so fun!

__________________________________________________________________________________________

SOO.. Now lets talk about Carb Cycling…. a totally different topic. I am a huge Chris Powell fan. I love his approach as a trainer and I love his book Choose More Lose More. It is a sensible program and easy to follow. I enjoy it.

I am not one of those people that can cut carbs. I live on carbs. I need them in my life and when I don’t have them I’m cranky and I crave them!!

Tuesday I started with Low Carb, Wednesday I did High Carb, and today I am on Low Carb again. You alternate back and forth.

Here is a brief rundown of how it works:

• eat 5 meals
• eat a high carb breakfast that includes both carbs & protein within 30 minutes of waking
• Drink a Gallon of water
• eat your remaining meals either High-carb or Low-Carb depending on which day you are following

For more details check out Chris Powell’s website for Carb Cycling 101

When I follow his approach I have noticed my energy is stable and I am not starving through-out the day. This program is great for people trying to lose weight, but It is also great for those who are trying to maintain. I am trying to maintain my weight and it has helped me feel great during my workouts and the best part is that I can eat the foods I love!

Have you ever heard of Carb Cycling? How do you feel about it?

What are some tips you can give that have helped you lose weight or maintain your weight?

]]> http://thefitskool.com/?feed=rss2&p=4888 2 http://thefitskool.com/?p=4799 http://thefitskool.com/?p=4799#comments Sat, 13 Dec 2014 16:05:36 +0000 http://thefitskool.com/?p=4799 Continue reading →]]> I would just like to wish a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my best friend and husband Marc!! 

Thanks for making me smile and laugh until no end!

and thank you for being the best father to our 2 crazy beautiful kids.

I love you and I hope you have a special day