The Fit Skool | by Kelly

January 6, 2016
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
14 Comments

WIAW: Pregnancy Eats

Over the past couple months What I Ate Wednesday has helped me to stick to somewhat healthier meals during some of my tough nausea days. To be honest, I always felt better when I forced myself to eat my normal foods. Most days thinking about veggies and healthy foods just never sounded appealing so I stuck to mostly carbs those first few weeks of pregnancy. I am happy to say I’m eating somewhat healthier/normal meals again

I’m linking up with the What I ate Wednesday crew over on Arman’s Blog Today, to share my food journal with you from Monday. It was a more “normal” day of eating for me.

My morning started off with scrambled eggs, roasted red peppers, and potatoes. Marc was nice enough to saute the veggies for me the night before. Something about cooking veggies makes my stomach turn. I also was able to stomach a little bit of coffee.

After teaching Group Power my belly was ready to refuel. Literally the second I leave that class I’m like where’s my next meal haha. I ate a banana in the car to hold me over.

Once I got home I made scrambled egg whites with bacon on a piece of whole grain toast. Man I love bacon.

A random few handfuls of sunflower seeds also made it into my morning snack.

I taught my usual Fit For Life class at 1030 and when we got home I made Ava some lunch first. While she was eating I quickly snacked on a salad before I decided what I wanted to really eat.

I had a pita stuffed with Chicken, roasted peppers, and lettuce.

This picture only shows half because someone was too hungry to wait for the picture

I also had a string cheese and clementines.

I did some computer work while Ava laid on the couch and watched some TV. She wasn’t feeling well and wasn’t napping. About 10 minutes into her Little Einstein show she fell asleep.

There’s something about sleeping babies that is so innocent and cute.

Of course my belly started rumbling the second she closed her eyes and I didn’t want to make a ton of noise in the kitchen because she needed her sleep.
I decided on a peanut butter sandwich with sliced strawberries! I was super quiet and didn’t wake her up.. plus my belly thanked me.

It was delicious.

Dinner was leftover food from Asiana. I had a Ginger Chicken dish with veggies & brown rice.

I loved it.

For a snack at night I had a bowl of strawberries because Ava was eating them and a small bowl of leftover Annie’s mac & cheese from Ava’s dinner.

Sorry no picture.. but I think we all know what mac & cheese looks like.

I tried to stick with the 21 Day Fix Nutrition Guide as much as possible but definitely went over on the carbs. I think it’s important to listen to my body at this time too, extra carbs it is!!

What’s something yummy you ate this week?

If you have ever been pregnant, did you have nausea during your first trimester?

January 4, 2016
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
2 Comments

I’ve been waiting a while to tell you….

For the last 2 months or so I’ve been keeping a big secret from all of you and if you didn’t see my blog post on Saturday….

I’m PREGNANT.

We are so happy to be expecting our second baby July 13, 2016.

Over the last 2 months I have struggled to keep this secret 1. because I wanted to tell you so bad and I felt the need to wait until our 12 week ultrasound and 2. I’ve felt so sick that I thought maybe if I vented all my miserable symptoms they might just go away.

But I held off on telling you because I wanted to wait to make sure everything was okay first. I may have given away some hints to you in my WIAW posts on some random foods I have been loving these past few weeks like chicken cutlets, meatballs, actually all the protein, eggs, cheese, chocolate chip cookies, potatoes, cereal. Maybe if I said those were daily staples it would’ve given it away or you would just think I was weird.

The day I found out I was pregnant I was beyond THRILLED, I was super excited and I was feeling good. Fast forward 5 days and my days were filled with nausea, fatigue and pure laziness! I went through this before with Ava but I prayed it wouldn’t happen again.

I had big ideas of posting something a little more creative then this, but it ended up being just what I wanted. A genuine picture of Ava being excited to be a big sister by touching the baby in my belly and her giving me a hug because she’s so lovable! She’s going to be an amazing big sister.

To answer some questions you may be having I did a little question and answer session for you

Pregnancy Q & A:

How did you find out you were pregnant?

I found out I was pregnant on a Thursday morning. I had taken a pregnancy test 2 days before and it was negative but I had a very good feeling so I decided to try again. To my surprise it was POSITIVE. I ran to tell Marc and we couldn’t believe it

What were your first symptoms?

My first symptom was nausea then came fatigue and the nausea hasn’t stopped.

How did your family react?

I told my mom and dad separately because my dad was still at work and I couldn’t wait any longer to tell someone. I wrote down on a piece of paper saying “I’m going to be a big sister!” I had Ava hand it to my mom and she immediately got excited and said yes!! A couple hours later I drove to my parents house with Ava, and she handed the paper to my dad. It took him a second to process it, he looked at me and said you’re pregnant??!?!! I said yes and he was excitedddddd. So were my two brothers

Friends?

I told my friends about 9 weeks into my pregnancy. I figured they would start being skeptical when I went MIA or if they hung out with me and I didn’t have a glass of wine. I told them while we were walking on the Avenue around the holidays. They were super excited for us.

Due Date?

JULY 13, 2016

Will you find out the gender?

YES I can’t wait. We found out with Ava and I am counting down the days to find out this one

How many ultrasounds have you had?

We have been fortunate to have 3 ultrasounds so far. The first one was super early and the Doctor couldn’t see much so we had to come back a few weeks later. Our most recent ultrasound was great we got to see the heartbeat and see our little baby moving around.

What are your symptoms?

Nausea, migraines, headaches, fatigue, I’ve had occasional mood swings and I blame it on feeling so yucky. If I were feeling good I would not complain!!! The nausea has taken the cake. I feel better when I eat and drink something every 2 hours. If I miss that window the day seems to fall apart and I find myself on the couch and unable to function.

What week are you?

I’m 12 1/2 weeks so I’m praying that this first trimester sickness ends soon!

I will be posting some pregnancy updates for you so that you can see how I’m doing with everything!

Have you ever been pregnant before? if so have you experienced morning sickness?

How was your holiday weekend?

January 2, 2016
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
5 Comments

Bring on 2016 & a HUGE SURPRISE!

It’s official HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all!!! I wish you tons of health and happiness for 2016.

I am totally excited for the New Year to begin. Over the past year I have grown so much as an individual, a mother, a fitness professional, and a wife. I am proud of all my accomplishments this past year. Of course I have had struggles in all areas of life, but I’ve learned to be more calm, more patient, more positive, and really take life one day at a time. I’m happy with where I am today and I hope you are too.

With that being said. I’m so excited to announce…..

I’M PREGNANT!!! That might come as a huge surprise to some of you, but I feel like I may have given it away in some of my previous posts.

We are expecting Baby #2 July 13, 2016!!

Marc and I are thrilled, and I know Ava will be too once she realizes what this all means.

To say I’ve been feeling great would be a GIANT LIE!!! I’ve been hiding my morning sickness and nausea for 12 weeks and I can’t wait to spill all my random pregnancy complaints to you

It’s been a rough but exciting couple of months but I feel like a 50 pound kettle bell has been lifted off of my chest. It feels great to share this news with you because I really wanted to tell you the second I found out. I’ve had several doctors appointments so I decided it was best to make sure everything was still looking good at my 12 week ultrasound.

I have tons of details for you, so stay tuned for all the updates and pregnancy related posts.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL

I would also like to announce the winner of the Made in Nature FIGGY POPS GIVEAWAY Chris Bortot. Thanks Chris for your comment and support. I will be contacting you shortly so that Made in Nature can send you a free bag of Figgy pops!!

December 31, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
0 comments

Quick n’ Sweaty New Years Eve Workout

When I have the day off from work, I prefer to do at home workouts. I don’t know if other people feel the same way, but I prefer to challenge myself in a different way then I do when I’m teaching my classes.

Sometimes I pop in a 21 day fix or Insanity DVD and other times I just create myself a challenging workout!

I decided to share with you a workout that I plan to put myself through today. I chose a 20 minute workout because I assume with both Marc & Ava around my time will be limited and plus 20 minute workouts are over in a jiffy!! What’s not to love?

Before completing the below bodyweight circuit make sure to warm up. I chose a 5 minute bodyweight warm-up of jumping jacks, jogging in place, skaters, butt kicks, and light stretching.

If you are looking to get in a quick workout try this QUICK N’ SWEATY NEW YEARS EVE WORKOUT:

Complete each exercise for 1 minute. Repeat circuit 2x for a 20 minute workout. If you have more time complete another round

**Please consult your doctor or physician before beginning a new workout program**

December 30, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
8 Comments

WIAW: surprise dinner

HAPPY HUMP DAY!!

In case you missed my post yesterday be sure to check it out for a chance to win a FREE BAG OF FIGGY POPS!!

This week is a short one for me and I’m SO excited for another long weekend with my family. It’s been a great holiday season but after this weekend I’m ready to get back to a schedule and some “healthier” eating. Do you agree?? I have been eating healthy about 85% of the time but I would like to bump it to 90% which means not randomly grabbing a leftover chocolate cookie to snack on after breakfast

I’m linking up with the What I ate Wednesday crew over on Laura’s Blog Today, to share my food journal with you from Monday.

I woke up starving Monday morning and the first thing I could think about was getting my belly full. I made 2 Scrambled Eggs with peppers & potatoes, 1/2 cup of coffee, and a glass of water. This meal never fails.

After Group Power I was STARVING and my body needed to refuel immediately. While I was packing up my stuff in the room I drank my protein shake and I ate the banana in the car!

Once I got home I made myself a piece of toast topped with avocado and egg whites. I also finished Ava’s eggs that were on her plate from breakfast.. I don’t waste any food.

Oh and this Chocolate chip cookie made it into my morning. Thank goodness they are officially GONE!

I headed back to the YMCA around 1015 to teach my Fit For Life class. It was a challenging workout for the group and everyone left feeling good. Once again my belly was rumbling and I decided I was going to make a quick lunch at home. I had the same thing as last week, go figure. It’ probably because I HATE deciding what to eat. When there’s stuff in the fridge I just grab it and eat it. Sometimes my laziness with food gets the best of me.

A chicken salad pita sandwich. With a side of veggie & cabbage soup. I apologize for no picture, I will blame my hunger on that one.

In the afternoon I opted for a string cheese, I gave a TINY piece to Cooper because he heard me open the cheese drawer and came running. I couldn’t say no. I also had some baby carrots and watermelon.

Dinner was my favorite meal of the day. Marc cooked dinner and basically surprised me with a delicious meal. I knew we were having steak but I didn’t know what else he put together. First I had some salad.

That was an appetizer because I was so hungry. It wasn’t fancy but it did the job.

Then we had steak with a balsamic reduction, roasted sun chokes, and parsnip fries!

It was healthy & tasty, my kinda meal. I’m pretty much all for Marc cooking. Whenever he cooks I know it’s going to taste amazing. I also love the fact that he cooked and cleaned up everything. I hate doing dishes so this was awesome, I felt very spoiled.

Because my night is never complete without some sort of snack. I cut up a nice size bowl of strawberries and also ate a random bowl of leftover mashed potatoes.

I guess since I only had veggies and meat for dinner my body was saying give me carbs. Or I just wanted them

Your turn: What’s something yummy you ate this week?

Are you looking forward to getting back on track in the New Year?

December 29, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
20 Comments

FIGGY POPS Review & GIVEAWAY!

You guys, I am so excited for you today….

Not only am I sharing some details with you about one of my favorite snacks Made In Nature’s Figgy Pops but I have the chance for one LUCKY reader to win a Bag of Figgy Pops to try out for themselves and of course their family and friends (if they want to share any!)

I stumbled upon Figgy Pops at Costco (my dad’s favorite store to shop at). He pointed them out to me and before I knew it they became a frequent purchase.

From the moment I laid my eyes on the bag, the product details, and the ingredients, I was sold. Made in Nature is a healthy organic snack company. It’s refreshing to know that every time I reach in the bag I am eating a “clean & healthy” snack.

Figgy Pops are my favorite snack for on the go traveling. They are also great if you need a burst of energy during your afternoon slump and they make for a great pre-post workout snack! Talk about convenience, I guess I can eat them at any time during the day!

I love that they come in little bite size balls. It allows me to pop them in my mouth when I’m in the car, while I’m doing work on the computer, and while I am chasing my toddler around the house trying to refuel my body!!!

I almost had to hide the bag on several occasions. Not only because I want to eat them all, but also because Marc and Ava love them too.

I want to say I’m kidding, but I’m not. I’m pretty sure they are drawn to the bag when they open our pantry and I can’t blame them. It’s a great balanced snack for everyone and I love knowing that I am giving Ava a healthy snack to munch on in between meals.

Ava says “MMMMmmm” when she eats them. When she approves, you know they are good.

I plan to keep them stocked in my cabinet at all times. The blend of sweet fig base, with tart cherries and bits of crunchy nuts make for a ridiculous flavor combination.

Now, about the giveaway….

To Enter the GIVEAWAY:

Comment below in this blog post: Why do you want to try Made In Nature’s Figgy Pops? When do you think you would snack on them?

For additional entries:

1. Go to my Facebook page & leave a comment with why you want to try Figgy Pops. Tag a friend that you think might be interested for a bonus entry.

2. Follow me on instagram: @TheFitSkool leave a comment & tag a friend

The WINNER will be selected at random and announced on January 2, 2016.

Good luck!

To find out more information about Made In Nature and their other delicious products please visit their sites:

Website: http://www.madeinnature.com
Figgy Pops webpage: http://www.madeinnature.com/product/figgypops/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MadeInNature
Twitter: https://www.facebook.com/MadeInNature
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madeinnature/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/madeinnature/

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post by Made In Nature. All opinions are my own. Thank you for your support!

December 28, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
4 Comments

Christmas Weekend Recap

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your family & friends. Everything about this Christmas was amazing.

Ava showed me a new meaning to Christmas. I saw so much joy in her face that I didn’t care about anything else besides spending time with my family.

Marc and I didn’t go crazy on presents with each other, we were just too excited to give Ava gifts that it didn’t matter what we got each other.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little stressed about the amount of toys we currently have in our house right now. Between all the gifts Ava received on her birthday & Christmas we basically have a small toy store.

I think we need to stash some away so she doesn’t get overwhelmed.

Here is a quick photo recap from our Christmas Celebrations:

Christmas Eve we went to Marc’s parents house in Rhode Island.

We got to watch Ava play with her cousins and we all enjoyed the numerous courses that Marc’s dad served to complete the “Italian 7 Fishes.”

I don’t eat all the courses but I did enjoy some delicious stuffed mushrooms, stuffed clams, etc.

When it was time to open presents I was so excited. Well I was excited to live through the kids. They had a blast tearing through presents and unwrapping the insane amount of gifts that they each received.

Ava truly loves her cousins and I couldn’t help but smile when I saw her rocking her little cousin Amelia in her little rocker.

It was such a fun night and went by way too fast.

Christmas morning was hands down my FAVORITE moment of the year.

When Ava woke up we told her Santa came, she got excited and started to walk down the stairs.

She bent down and looked at the tree, smiled, looked at us and started listing some of the big toys she got that she could see (that were unwrapped). She tried to move faster down the stairs and almost fell.. luckily she caught herself.

When she saw all the presents she couldn’t hold back her smile. It took her a while to get through all her presents because each one she opened she wanted to play with for a while.

It was such a fun morning that when we looked at the clock and it said 12pm we were shocked. It was time for my parents to arrive and for us to have some Christmas lunch and open more presents!

The day flew by and we enjoyed each other’s company. To be honest the rest of the day I didn’t take a single picture. I put my phone to the side and just enjoyed living in the moment with my family. It was PERFECT and a great ending to Christmas.

To continue our celebrations a little longer, we had a friends christmas party yesterday.

It was so much fun to hang out, chat with my friends, and of course see the kids open some gifts!

Do you have kids? Were they excited to see what was under the tree?

What was your favorite gift?

December 24, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
0 comments

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and your families!!

I am so thankful to be able to celebrate the holidays with both Marc’s family and my family!

(This picture is of Marc’s parents tree from 2014)

I am super excited to see Ava’s reaction to all the toys and fun stuff she will get under the tree from Santa this year! She is already excited and it makes this Christmas extremely special!

(Picture from Christmas 2014)

It is crazyy to think how so much has changed since last Christmas. I anticipate each year to get more exciting because Ava & Cooper make the holidays so much fun and now that Ava really understands what’s going on, I can’t help but join in on her excitement.

I hope you all have a great holiday!

(Picture from Christmas 2013)

Xoxo,

Kelly

December 23, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
0 comments

WIAW: Just one cookie

Hi Everyone!!

I’m going to make this post short and sweet as I will be teaching my Group Power class and then heading up to Rhode Island to begin our Christmas Holiday festivities!!! I can’t wait.

I decided to link up today with the What I Ate Wednesday Crew to share my food journal from Monday. I chose Monday because I was took Monday off from work so I was home most of the day minus a few small errands.

I wouldn’t say I was sick but I had a migraine all weekend so teaching classes and working out was not happening according to my Dr. I was fine with that because I hadn’t really taken a sick day in a while. That meant I got to hang out with Ava, get caught up on Christmas stuff and get organized for our trip to Rhode Island.

I started my day off with a LARGE glass of water. No coffee for me. Huge sad face, but caffeine does not agree with migraines.

I made 2 scrambled eggs with veggies, olive oil and potatoes. Potatoes have become a breakfast staple for me and I never get sick of it!

My morning snack was a banana, a piece of toast topped with 1 egg and mashed avocado. UMM delicious. I love that flavor combo. If you haven’t had eggs and avocado you must try it.

Lunch came on the early side around 11:30. I had a whole grain pita stuffed with chicken salad. It wasn’t anything fancy but this chicken salad is AMAZING. I bought it at Citarella and I will be buying it on the regular! I also had a string cheese with it.

In the afternoon I had some of this Energy Mix and a Grapefruit.

I don’t know why I didn’t take a picture of the grapefruit peeled, it would’ve been much prettier.

Dinner was a Grilled Chicken Salad with roasted red peppers, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers and balsamic dressing. This is a picture of my half eaten salad

On Monday evening my mom came over so we could finish making our holiday cookies. My cookie request was chocolate chip. I know it’s not really festive but you CAN’T go wrong with a chocolate chip cookie.

So YES I had one or maybe two and also a bowl of raspberries!

Your turn: What’s something yummy you ate this week?

Have you ever had a migraine before? Are all ready for Christmas and the holidays?

December 21, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
4 Comments

Healthy Eating During The Holidays

Christmas is in 5 DAYS!!

How did that happen?? I’m super excited, but I can’t believe it is here already. I mean I guess I can, we have been watching Mickey’s Twice Upon A Christmas for a month now… so it makes sense that Christmas is almost here. I hope you all had a nice weekend and you have all your Christmas shopping, wrapping and errands done!!!????

I thought today would be a perfect day to share with you an article that I wrote for one of our town newspapers, The Greenwich Sentinel. It was published last week, and I was thrilled to be a part of their holiday newspaper.

You all know be my now and I love to preach healthy eating and living year round so you can sort of guess what my article had to say. While I do indulge in my favorite treats on occasion here and there I do like to be mindful of keeping a good balance.

Click on my article for more details on how to HAVE A HEALTHY HOLIDAY SEASON

In case it’s too hard to read from the picture link here’s the article:

HEALTHY HOLIDAY EATING

With the holiday season approaching, are you already thinking about how you are going to work off all the extra plates of turkey, stuffing, pies & cookies? There’s no need to add stress to your upcoming busy social schedule. Learning how to find the right balance with food will allow you to indulge in that cookie or cocktail around the holidays without doing any damage to your waistline.

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be a struggle, focus on moderation. If you are mindful of everything you put on your plate, you can save room for those special foods you look forward to every year!

My 4 Quick Tips on how to plan for a healthy holiday:

Plan ahead. One of my key tips is to plan ahead. Write in your planner or your phone calendar which events you are attending and allow yourself to celebrate with 1 food or drink item at each special occasion. Remember you want to enjoy your indulgence, you don’t want to regret it. Take your time eating or drinking your special treat, and enjoy the social aspect of the holiday season.
Exercise 30 minutes each day. Now that you have your plan, make sure you include 30 minutes of exercise on most days. Put it in your planner and get to it. A 30 minute walk with your dog counts and of course that 60 minute Boot Camp class is even better. Stay active!
Load your plate with an assortment of colors. Balance each day with a variety of different fruits, veggies, protein, carbs, and fats By doing so you won’t deprive your body of any nutrients, and you won’t have any guilt when you reach for that holiday cocktail!
Enjoy your time with family & friends. Remember the holiday season isn’t just about gifts, food, desserts, and cocktails. It’s about spending time with your loved ones and enjoying the company of those around you. That’s what the holidays are all about!

Keep these tips in mind as you dive full speed into the holidays. I am confident with your focus and mindful choices you can make it through all the celebrations without adjusting a notch on your belt buckle!

Kelly Garofalo is a lifelong Greenwich resident that has a strong passion for all things health & fitness. As a Personal Trainer, Fitness Instructor, Health Coach, Mom, Blog Writer (www.thefitskool.com) and health enthusiast she strives to help others achieve their wellness goals no matter what size they are.

What are your goals during the holiday season?

What’s your favorite holiday goodie to indulge in?