I had no idea what my plans would be but my body needed a rest from exercise. I wanted a day not to think as much and just go with the flow. Sometimes parties, weddings, taking care of a toddler, teaching classes and being active in general just calls for a day of relaxation.

Ava and I went to the beach on Monday and it was SUPER peaceful and enjoyable. Ava was in total chill out mode which was sort of unusual but I think our personal day came at the right time. We both played in the water & sand, and just enjoyed the summer weather.

(Oh yeah and it was fun to watch her chase the seagulls… she would yell tweet tweet and then run towards them!)

Of course I wish Marc was there, but we have our real vacation at the end of the month to look forward to.

My personal day didn’t consist of anything fancy, we didn’t go eat at a restaurant or go shopping but watching Ava play with her toys at the beach without having any other obligations or commitments was truly a blessing. I felt like I was able to just let my mind relax and not worry about social media, blogging, teaching classes, coaching, training, and all my everyday activities.

Being healthy isn’t all about working out and eating healthy its also about relaxing & enjoying life.

It was the best day off I have had in a long time!

Have you ever taken a personal day for yourself?

What have you done to enjoy the summer weather?

]]> http://thefitskool.com/?feed=rss2&p=7674 0 http://thefitskool.com/?p=7571 http://thefitskool.com/?p=7571#comments Tue, 28 Jul 2015 14:17:00 +0000 http://thefitskool.com/?p=7571 Continue reading →]]> While I don’t want to ramble about the “cold” I have, I think its important that you know I’m human and I do rest. Everyone always thinks I exercise all day long but the truth is I don’t. There are only so many classes and training you can do in a day and for me my hours are limited.

I have learned over the last 19+ months that Moms don’t get much rest. You really do have to make time for it.

I’m not talking about sleeping, I’m talking about sitting in one place for more than 5 minutes. That rarely happens for me unless Ava is napping.

Usually I try to cram in as much as possible in the 1-2 short hours that Ava naps but when i’m run down and sick I’ve learned to just CHILL. That means I sit down and rest. I may have my computer on my lap because of course I need to multi-task, but I avoid the chores around the house like cleaning & laundry, that stuff can ALWAYS wait and sometimes I have to remind myself that I need to be healthy to take care of Ava.

(This isn’t the greatest picture of me, but I used my selfie setting to take a picture to see if Ava was sleeping!)

I’m glad that I listened to my body over the last 5 days and I took advantage of any down time I had. I was able to bounce back from this cold a lot quicker. The old me would push myself 110% even when I was sick and then I would pay for it by not being able to teach classes for a couple days. The last time I was sick was 3-4 months ago and I remember teaching class with a sore throat and bad congestion and pushing through it like it was nothing. I eventually lost my voice and couldn’t talk for a week so I had no choice but to hit the sidelines and rest.

I’ve learned my lesson and now I take every opportunity I can when I am feeling fatigued and run down to kick my feet up and let my mind & body relax.

When I am sick here are a few things that helped me speed up the process to getting back to normal:

1. LOTS of water.
2. Green Tea with fresh lemon juice. 
3. Tons of fruit and veggies
4. multivitamin 
5. sleep

I chugged water all day every day to flush out all the bad stuff and staying hydrated was so important. The green tea helped me get a boost of antioxidants, the fruits & veggies & smoothies helped keep my throat cool

the vitamin helped me get an extra does of whatever my body wasn’t getting from food

and the sleep sealed the deal. The more I slept the better I felt! While I’m not 100% yet, I feel a ton better then I did this past weekend!

Do you have any tips for curing a nasty summer cold?

Do you try to push through your colds or do you rest?

I feel like I have so much to talk about but not a lot of time to write so this post is going to be short & sweet.

During the week I take note of some of my favorite things from food to drinks and everyday activities. I love sharing these favorite things with you all.

Here are a few “Things I’m Loving This Week”

Mamma Chia Seed Your Soul Bars

Last week I tried one of these Mamma Chia bars and I was surprised at the juiciness and taste. I had the blueberry & dark chocolate bar and it tasted like real fresh blueberries. I also loved that I was getting Omega’s from chia seeds with each bite.

21 Day Fix

On Monday I started a new 21 day challenge group with the fitness program 21 Day Fix & 21 Day Fix Extreme. I am really digging the new workouts. They are low impact and not as intense as Insanity Max30 but still give my muscles a great burn!

Oatmeal with Peanut Butter & Strawberries

Almost every day this week I have eaten Oatmeal with Peanut Butter & Strawberries for a mid-morning snack. It’s super tasty, filling & healthy!

Chocolate Protein Oat Bars

If you haven’t tried this recipe yet, I highly recommend these protein bars for a quick snack or a post workout treat. They are yummy and I really can’t get enough of them.

Playgrounds

We have made several trips to different playgrounds over the past couple weeks and the playground really doesn’t get old. The excitement on Ava’s face when we first get there is worth the trip. She starts yelling Weeeeeeeeee, like she’s going down the slide and we aren’t even out of the car. She also learns something new every time we go. This week she learned how to climb up the slide the wrong way. She thought she was on ninja warrior. After a few failed attempts she got it on her 4th try. I swear this girls determination is intense! I corrected her after and told her the right way to get to the slide was the stairs, I’m pretty sure she wasn’t happy about that.

We are heading to Bishop’s Orchards this Saturday for a fun father’s day outing with Marc’s family and we are so excited to see them.

I hope you have a great weekend and Happy Father’s Day to all the father figures out there

What are some things you are loving this week?

Do you have any fun father’s day weekend plans?

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=6087 http://thefitskool.com/?p=6087#comments Mon, 20 Apr 2015 10:57:17 +0000 http://thefitskool.com/?p=6087 Continue reading →]]> The other day I went to go buy a can of corn to use in a veggie chili. I spent about 5 minutes searching for a can that just contained corn and water or corn/water/salt. Most of the canned veggies contained sugars and other ingredients. All I wanted was corn!!! Finally I found one and I had to pay 20 cents extra for it.. go figure! It got me thinking about how hard I work to eat clean.

Over the past few years I have really focused on eating clean and nutritious foods. I try to stay away from packaged foods and I buy minimally processed foods.

There was a time where I made excuses why granola bars were easier, why I needed crunchy foods (pretzels, crackers, chips) in my life, and why these foods were all convenient for me. While they did make my life easier because I just had to purchase them, I didn’t like how bloated I felt, I had less energy and how I could never seem stay full and satisfied.

Once I started experimenting with simple and easy whole food recipes I decided I felt better when I ate cleaner. It took a while to fully transition but now its routine for me to prepare healthy snacks and meals.

Although I have always been a healthy eater, my snack choices in the past weren’t the wisest and I believe that has to do with the fact that I wasn’t as educated about nutrition as I am today!!

I had no idea granola bars were bad for me until I started decoding food labels to find that some ingredients were chemicals, there were added sugars and ingredients I have never heard of.  Now I look at all nutrition labels and ingredients before I buy anything in a package.

Of course there are still some foods that I buy in boxes or cans, but I make sure to read the labels to make sure I’m buying the best product.

My Package Food Checklist

• Can you pronounce all the ingredients?
• Are there any added sugars?
• Does it contain artificial sweeteners?

If I don’t know what the ingredients are I don’t buy it, If I can’t pronounce it, it stays on the shelf, and if it has added sugars/sweeteners its out.

I hope this post makes you think the next time you go buy something at the grocery store. Even a simple jar of BBQ sauce can have a list of ingredients that you don’t want to put in your body so take the time to check it out and find some healthier options!

Have you ever taken the time to read food labels?

Are you a healthy eater or do you find its something you need to work on?

Yesterday was a complete day of rest for me. It was about time that my overloaded schedule caught up to me.  I don’t have time to be sick anymore, we leave for Florida tomorrow morning and this cold just needs to end!

I was on the couch for most of the day yesterday and I stepped outside to get fresh air when I could.

Thank goodness I have family in town that loves to spend time with Ava.

My mom helped me a ton! It’s a good thing she likes Cooper because he loves hanging around too!

So as much as I preach as a trainer/instructor to “listen to your body” I have realized that as a Mom you sometimes that doesn’t happen.

I had to put my game face on and change diapers, feed Ava and keep her occupied all while trying to get myself better. I didn’t have time to kick my feet up and take a nap or close my eyes.. I’m sure all you moms out there know what I’m talking about! Taking care of a sick baby is hard, but getting yourself better while taking care of kids is even harder.

Last week I pushed my body a little too much. It wasn’t with exercise it was with studying for my CPR course and staying up super late night after night, spending time with my family after my grandma passed away, I did extra coaching last week, and did an extra 2 fitness classes on the weekend. Eventually my body said enough is enough and I took a seat on the couch.

I’ve been loading up on fruits & veggies though and it seemed to help a bit.

So while I had all the warning signs of being fatigued and run down I still pushed to get things done because I had no choice. 

I ended up having to find subs for a handful of my classes this week because I had no voice. That was so hard for me to do, but I needed to get healthy for myself and for my family.

On a positive note.. I am feeling 50% better! I’m almost there and that makes me feel soo good.

This time tomorrow I will be in Sunny Florida and I’m sure that will make everything better

I hope you all have a great day!

If you have kids, how do you get yourself better when you are sick?

Do you ever know when you are pushing your body too hard but you don’t back off?

CPR can save lives and although I hope I never have to perform CPR it feels great to know that I have the knowledge to do so.

The closest I have ever been to saving someone’s life was when I was a lifeguard. I had to jump in and pull out a boy from the deep end after he hit his head on the diving board.

Last night I spent 2 hours doing an online portion of my CPR certification. This is a new learning course the Red Cross has started and I’m a huge fan of it.

Sometimes in group settings I get distracted but by doing the course at home I could go at my own pace and I felt 100% focused. The new online program has tons of great videos with real life situations that make it easy to follow and refresh my learning!

While studying I snacked on a couple Fudgy Chocolate Protein Bites!

I passed the online portion of my test, and I finish the rest of my course with hands on training at the YMCA this Friday!

On a different note, I ate a really delicious dinner last night before I started studying. We had Chicken Stir Fry with Brown Rice.

 

I quickly made this meal with 1 package of chicken breast, 1 bag of trader joe’s stir fry mix, and 1/2 bag of stop and shop asian stir fry blend, plus 1 cup chicken broth, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp teriyaki and 1/4 cup of fresh pineapple. (add more soy/teriyaki to taste)

 

It was pretty simple & delicious!

Do you know CPR? If so, how long have you been certified?

Are you a fan of stir-fry?

I set my own goal on February 4th… to get stronger and fitter by my 30th birthday (Today March 9th). When I asked myself why I wanted to get stronger, the answer was for “myself.” Not for anyone else. I haven’t shared this with anyone, not even Marc. So there you go Marc. There’s my goal and my secret

I asked myself WHY?? Why do I want to get stronger? My main reason was that I wanted to prove to myself that I could finish this program. I know I probably sound super corny when I say this but I was excited for this challenge!!! Every time I began one of the beachbody programs in the past, something happened (injury/pregnancy). I kind of felt like I was jinx.

For the first time in 4 years I have been able to kick my own A$$ without an injury or a pregnancy sidelining me. If you are curious what went on in the past few years, here goes: 4 years ago I had hip surgery… it took a full year to recover. Even after I recovered and I was cleared for everything, I was afraid to push 100% because I was scared of re-injury. Then I got pregnant, and although I exercised I didn’t do intense exercise. 8 weeks after I had Ava I broke my collar-bone. That was a little over a year ago and you know what?? I am the strongest I have been in 5 years. I am so happy I can say that out loud.

In the last month I have seen progress in my core strength and I can see changes in my arms, specifically my triceps. This took all my guts to post these pictures. I am a pretty private person. Yes I have a blog but the purpose of my blog is to help people and motivate people to be healthy besides that, I am shy, reserved and I keep to myself. So basically thank you for letting me share this with you!! I don’t know if you can see the change but I sure do and I feel it.

To be able to share with you my progress is sort of like a weight lifted off of my shoulders because I put myself out there to better myself and to let you know its okay to be vulnerable. It actually feels good.

I’ve reached my 30th Bday today and seeing physical changes and strength gains was ALL I needed to keep pushing forward. I am mentally in this and it feels good. Being a part of a challenge has helped me stay on track and has given me a positive energy that I can’t really explain. You will know the energy I am talking about when you are 100% committed to something.

Sure there have been days when I didn’t want to work out or my energy was low but I looked over some motivational quotes and they helped me to push through and work hard. Even trainers/instructors need a little kick start every once in a while. I think back on the past month and there were several days where I didn’t work out (I was sick or my body said NO and I listened)  but then there were good days when I worked 110% and even did a double workout! I will thank my fitness classes for the doubles!

I have to thank Shakeology for curbing my sweet tooth on numerous occasions. My diet was on point I’d say 90-95% of the time. I treated myself here and there with wine, lava cakes, 1/2 cup of ice cream, or a slice of pizza but I think I have found a great balance! 

You have to enjoy life too right?!??!

What is something about your body you want to change and WHY?

 What can you do to change your mind to focus?

We got about 10 inches of snow from Sunday night to late afternoon Monday.. and this snow was not light & fluffy it was heavy & wet! I literally spent an hour shoveling and felt like I got no where! I thought I was tired but I think the snow was just kicking my butt. My legs were tired, my arms were tired, and I got cold!

Thankfully Marc did the other half (the harder side)

Last night I was thinking about a post and immediately this trainer tip came to mind:

Trainer Tip Tuesday #11: Listen to your body

I find myself listening to my body for EVERYTHING! Our bodies are SO smart. They tell us when they are hungry, tired, energized, happy, sad, stressed, anxious, sore, injured, I think you get it.

When it comes to Health & Fitness, here are some ways I listen to my body:

1. When I am sick I rest unless I have a head cold. Sometimes exercising makes me feel better but I usually will know within the first few minutes and if my body says no I stop and I will make sure to “lay on the couch!”
2. When I have an injury I rest. There’s a difference between being sore or having aches and pains that don’t go away or nag at you day in and day out. Those signals should not be ignored. Over the course of the last 4 years I have had a torn hip labrum (I had surgery) and I broke my collarbone a year ago. Those injuries side lined me for a long time. Mentally it was a huge challenge (but that is another blog post). I did however, listen to my body and of course my doctor’s orders. I immediately took the amount of time that was necessary for my body to heal.
3. I make sleep a priority. Seriously guys I turn into a pumpkin at 10pm. I get up early for work so its crucial that I am asleep right around 10 that way I can get between 7-8 hrs. When I get 5 hours I get run down and I don’t function!! Luckily I’m not one to hit snooze but the days that I feel like I need more sleep are usually the nights when I don’t get to bed on time or Ava has a surprise for us in the middle of the night. Sleep is key for health & fitness success!!!
4. If you feel pain with anything you should STOP. Yesterday I started to get some pain in my shoulder while shoveling. I immediately stopped and came inside to ice. I was so frustrated and I can’t even begin to tell you how mad I get when I feel pain. Injuries are not fun and with my job they just can’t happen so I am glad I did the right thing. You should never push through pain and if you are taking a fitness class or working with a trainer you should always let them know if something doesn’t feel right.

I use these ice packs when I need to ice my shoulder or hip, I love that they have the velcro strap it makes it so much easier to keep the ice in place!

I could go on and on about how I listen to my body when it is hungry or thirsty or when it tells me not to do something but I know you can all relate in some way or another. The point is, if you listen to your bodies cues you can successfully live a healthy & happy fit life!!

For more tips, check out the links below!

Trainer Tip #10: Take your Warm-up Seriously!

Trainer Tip #9 Keep your muscles confused

Trainer Tip #8: Make time for yourself

Trainer Tip #7: Get more out of your Group Fitness Class

Trainer Tip #6  Choose exercise that you enjoy doing

Trainer Tip #5 Quality vs Quantity

Trainer Tip #4 Lift a little heavier

Trainer Tip #3 A short workout is better then no workout

Trainer Tip #2 Exercising outdoors

Trainer Tip Tuesday #1: If you don’t like an exercise, start doing it!

What are some ways you have or have not listened to your body?

Have you ever pushed through pain and did it lead to an injury?

I read tons of blogs and they have children that seem happy and healthy 100% of the time and that is not the case over here. Although I love sharing pictures and comments of all my fun days together with Ava, the truth is that the days she is sick are the worst and I wanted you to know that.

I feel helpless, I get frustrated, I want to cry and I don’t understand why.

When I say I don’t understand why, it means I don’t understand how come Ava seems like the only child that is ALWAYS sick. Or is it just that when Ava is sick it stresses me out?

I just want her to be healthy forever and not get sick. 

Sometimes when Ava is fussy (because she is sick) I try to ignore it and play with her, I try to distract her from feeling so miserable and unwell.

Even if I have to push her in this car for 30 minutes.. whatever works to get that little smile out of her!

Well sometimes it works and then other times I have to move from toy to toy and then it’s Mickey Mouse on TV. If that doesn’t work I try reading a book, usually I have no success with that by this point.

Then I panic, I text Marc or call him…. “I don’t know what to do!!!! I feel so bad for her.” He gives me suggestions and usually I get a second wind. I think to myself “I can handle it. She’s fussing because she’s trying to tell me something.” She’s hungry, she’s thirsty, she went to the bathroom, she’s tired.. it has to be one of those. Once I narrow it down I’m like WHY was I getting so worked up. She can’t talk, and she’s making noises to tell me what she wants.

Then I get mad at myself for getting all worked up. SOOOO…

I bring myself to the computer to sit down and write a blog post. I decided to share this struggle with you. Handling a sick baby is one of my weaknesses. Again I’m not perfect, I’m a new mom and I’m trying to figure it all out.

As I finish up this post I feel 100x better, that is not a joke. Blogging is a way for me to relieve stress. Sharing this stressful experience with a sick child has honestly been stress-relieving and I am happy to share with you both my good and bad experiences.

This isn’t just a fitness blog it’s a health blog too!

Here are some ways to deal with stressful situations:

1. Go for a walk or get some fresh air
2. Exercise
3. Read a book
4. Practice Yoga or meditate
5. Get a massage or doing something fun for yourself.

If I don’t manage stressful situations and I let them build up with out dealing with them right away, I end up getting run down and sick. Of course I ended up catching Ava’s cold and yup I felt run down and tired. Lucky for me I can take medicine.. unfortunately she can’t!  Does anyone else tend to get sick around the holidays?

I am feeling so much better now, but I plan on getting lots of rest tonight so that I can enjoy Christmas!!

Here is a sneak peak at Ava’s Christmas outfit... she is giving Rudolph a big KISS on his RED nose.

Moms out there, have you ever had a similar situation?

How do you handle stressful situations? How does your body handle stress?