The Fit Skool | by Kelly

August 11, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Keeping my body healthy

For my 30th birthday back in March, Marc gave me a gift certificate for a 60 minute Deep Tissue Massage at a salon on Greenwich Avenue called Dream Day Spa & Salon.

I waited so long to use this gift, but it came at such a great time. My body was looking to relieve some tightness and I needed the relaxation going into my appointment.

The salon is beautiful and the employees were warm and welcoming. They gave me a super comfy bathrobe and some slippers and I headed into my 3pm appointment so excited.

In the ladies locker room lounge they had orange infused water, some trail mix and cookies. I poured myself a glass of the orange water and it was so delicious and refreshing.

When I first met my massage therapist Dalia she greeted me with a smile and asked me if there was anything in particular I needed to focus on. As you know I have had a previous hip & shoulder injury so those areas tend to flair up with muscle tightness so I mentioned those areas to her.

During the massage I chatted with Dalia and eventually was so relaxed I zoned out. She relieved a ton of the pain and knots that I had in my upper back and I’m so grateful for this experience.

When I left the salon, my body was so relaxed but I was surprised at how clear my thoughts were. It was such a positive experience and I knew this massage would help both physically and mentally.

Besides the beach, massage might be the second on my list for relaxation (wink wink) I don’t know how many of them I can line up because they aren’t cheap but they are definitely worth every penny.

Over the past few weeks I have been focusing on my body and treating it healthy in numerous ways. Sometimes I push my body to its limits and exhaust my brain and muscles until they are completely drained but I’ve decided to focus on my over all wellness not just in the gym but outside as well.

Have you ever had a massage before?

What other ways do you keep your body healthy besides the gym?

August 10, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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My happy place

If you don’t know me by now, my happy place is the beach. There’s something about the beach that’s calming, relaxing, and fun all at the same time. We had our fare share of fun and sun this weekend and I was tired by the end of sunday night but I can’t say I didn’t love every second of it.

This weekend was hands down the best weekend of summer. We had no special plans and nothing fancy going on, but it was just stress free and enjoyable.

Our mornings started off with early walks with Cooper, iced coffees and then trips to the beach as a family.

The weather was perfect and I couldn’t have asked for anything more. We spent time with family and friends and also had time to relax at home.

The beach was nearly empty on both days that we went.

The sun was shining and the temperatures were perfect.

Ava is so happy when she is at the beach… I guess that makes two of us

Besides walking I did some workouts at home. Instead of my usual 21 day fix workout, I decided to mix it up and do the Cardio (T-25) My body was telling me “no weights” and I was craving some cardio. I’m glad I listened to my body, because this workout was exactly what I was looking for… some sweat, some heart pumping, and low impact movement. I didn’t want to lift a dumbbell at all and I’m glad I didn’t because I felt great at the end.

I wish I took more pictures of the food we ate because it was quite delicious but sometimes you have to live in the moment… and sometimes your camera is full and can’t take any more pictures so that’s pretty much what happened.

I ate super clean all weekend and enjoyed some wine with family & friends!

LIFE IS ALL ABOUT BALANCE

Do you enjoy the beach in the summer time?

What’s something fun you did this weekend?

August 7, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Things I’m Loving This Week!

Happy Fridayyyyy!!

This was such a fast week and I’m so happy about it. I had a lot of positive vibes this week and it really helped make each day of the week so enjoyable!

There are so many things I love each week and I feel like I need to share those little things with you.

Things I’m Loving This Week!

Honest Kids Juice Boxes my dad bought these for Ava at costco and they contain real ingredients and less sugar then most of the juices out there for kids. Ava loves them and I do too! It’s always hard to get her to drink her water & juice, she’s really just a milk drinker so these are great to have on road trips and days at the beach.

Group Power was pretty awesome on Wednesday. I mean awesome because the group was so energetic and motivating that it made the workout so fun! I got in such a great workout and it felt great to see my class smiling and enjoying themselves. Exercise needs to be fun right?

Hot days call for salads. I’m on a salad kick as you know and I’m really loving the convenience of having salad kits available to throw together in 5 minutes. I’m really enjoying avocados and tomatoes in the salads. It’s so refreshing.

Back to Nature Animal Crackers. Ava eats a very healthy diet just like her mom and dad, but just like us there are some convenient snacks that I like to pack in the car and to keep on hand for when hunger strikes! A hungry kid is not a happy one so keeping crackers and snacks in my purse is a must! These are organic animal crackers that are lower in sugar and contain some healthy ingredients. I’m a huge fan myself

Fudgy Protein Bites I made a double batch of my Fudgy Shakeology bites on Wednesday and because they were made with love they came out EXTRA tasty. Even my mom & dad loved them! If you are looking for a satisfying snack check out the recipe.. it only takes about 5 minutes to make.

Larabars. I love snacks, and although I should take some more time to make these myself they are just too darn good to pass up in the store. I love the peanut butter chocolate chip cookie one. It’s even better when it sits in your car in the hot temps and gets all gooey and chocolatey. YUM! One of these days I’m gonna change my blog name to Peanut Butter Lover.

Night Night Mama. For the first time ever, Ava said “night-night mama” to me. I nearly melted and I came downstairs with such a smile on my face. She has been sleeping like a champ this week and super easy to put down, so what’s not to be happy about? But seriously, she’s too darn cute and I loved it.

Okay well this list could go on and on but I’m gonna end it on a good note. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

What’s something you are loving this weekend?

Are you a big snacker?

August 6, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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My Personal Day

On Monday I took a day off from work. I don’t know if I needed it physically or mentally, but I had planned about a month ago to take a day to just enjoy life and summer.

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?

August 5, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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WIAW: Summer eats

I’m super pumped it’s Wednesday already, the week is flying by and I think it’s because I took a vacation day on Monday!

Ava and I spent the day together and went to the beach, it was lovely!

I am linking up with the WIAW crew to share with you a day of eats from Monday with my toddler around all day!

My morning started off WAY later then usual. After a weekend of less sleep Ava slept until 8am and I slept until 730am. This is totally rare but I loved it. It’s probably the latest I slept in a year. I started my morning with water and a little bit of coffee before realizing my stomach was grumbling. I quickly made 2 eggs with sauteed spinach & olive oil and a piece of whole grain toast (toast not pictured)

We took Cooper for a 25 minute walk and came home to quickly get ready for the beach. I made a Chocolate Shakeology with a banana and peanut butter to take with me in the car for a mid morning snack. I knew once we were at the beach I would be chasing Ava around so it would be tough to sit down and eat a snack.

It was a gorgeous day to be at the beach. There were barely any clouds and the water was crystal clear. Ava and I had fun playing in the sand and water for a couple of hours.

It was right around noon when Ava was getting tired so we headed to the showers to rinse off (there was about 2 lbs of sand in Ava’s hair. She thought it was funny to dump sand on her own head and there is definitely still some in there because it was nearly impossible to get it all out.

Lunch came around 1230. I had a big salad kale, cabbage, broccoli & brussel sprouts with avocado, tomatoes & grilled chicken plus some balsamic dressing. It was delicious and easy to throw together. I also snacked on some pumpkin seeds & cranberries.

Ava napped for quite a while and I managed to get a bunch of computer work done, plus laundry, a workout & a shower. I consider that to be productivity at its best. I wish I snapped a picture of myself after the workout because sweat was falling off my chin and my elbows. Kinda gross but kinda bad A$$.

I refueled after my workout with a greek yogurt plus a cup of blueberries and a random 1/2 sweet potato with butter!

Marc told me he wanted burgers for dinner and I was feeling him on that one. It was 90 degrees out so I didn’t want to turn the oven on. While I made dinner I snacked on some cucumbers.

I decided to do a burger lettuce wrap with another 1/2 sweet potato and lots of yellow squash sautéed in olive oil. This was the juiciest burger I’ve had all summer and I’m so glad I could taste all the flavors. The bun usually takes some of that away!

Because I love night time snacks I filled up 2 bowls… one with fresh peaches and the other with honey nut cheerios.

YUM! I thank Ava for making me buy cheerios, they are a great crunchy snack.

This was a great day of food for me and it was all fresh, clean & simple eats!

What is your go to night time snack? I love popcorn!

Have you ever tried a burger in a lettuce wrap? It’s so tasty, I highly recommend it!

August 3, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
2 Comments

A beautiful wedding weekend

Hi there!

I have lots of photos to share with you from my best friend’s wedding weekend. I will try to keep it short and sweet because I really could go on and on about my friend Megan and her new husband Mike. They truly are a perfect match for each other.

Friday night the wedding weekend kicked off with a quick rehearsal at St. Mary’s Church on Greenwich Avenue. The priest was awesome and the rehearsal was simple! We headed to Fairways At The Griff for a rehearsal dinner.

The food was AMAZING as usual and they had a slideshow of Megan & Mike that literally made my eyes water. I have known Megan since I was 3, and we lived 5 houses apart practically our whole life so I vividly remember all the photos!

It was a great rehearsal and I enjoyed laughing the night away with my best friends!

I even managed to snap a picture of Marc and myself (that never happens)!

Saturday morning I woke up nice and early and started the day with my normal routine, coffee, a walk with Cooper, breakfast, a quick workout, and shower before heading to the “bride’s house” for the day to get ready for the wedding.

The hairdressers did such a wonderful job making all the bridesmaids look beautiful

before we knew it we were off to the church!

The day really couldn’t have gone any smoother.

We arrived at the church right on time and waited for guests to fill the church!

After church we took some pictures outside.

The sun was shining and it was a perfect day to be outside!

We also took some beautiful pictures outside of the venue before cocktail hour.

At 5pm we headed to cocktail hour to enjoy some lovely cocktails and appetizers on the water at the Stamford Nature Center. It was such a unique and fun way to celebrate.

The cocktail hour was outside over looking the lake.

Here are the 5 of our men!

My friend Lauren and her soon to be husband Sebastian

My best friends….

My husband!

The centerpieces outside!

After appetizers and drinks we headed inside.

The nature center is truly a unique and memorable venue!

The large mansion held tons of guests and we had fun dancing the night away!

Megan and Mike are probably 2 of the most genuine, caring, and thoughtful people I have ever met and I couldn’t be happier for them both!

Congrats to the new Mr & Mrs Fina!

What’s your favorite part of a wedding? I love seeing the groom’s face as the bride walks down the aisle! It’s such a special moment.

Have you ever been to a unique wedding venue, if so where? This was hands down one of the most unique wedding I have been to and I wish I snapped more pictures so you guys could see all the details!

July 31, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Things I’m loving lately!

I am upset that I didn’t get to post yesterday but stuff happens and before I knew it the day was practically over!

Yesterday morning Ava woke us up at 430am! I can’t say that I wasn’t upset about it. She actually ended up being a trooper and was happy all morning, played at daycare while I taught class, ate her lunch AND THEN turned into a total crazy ball of crankiness. It hit her all at once and she was crying and rolling around on the floor and walking into things. She was all around pooped and so was I.

To keep her calm in the afternoon, we laid on the couch together and I showed her some pictures of her baby cousin Emily. She loves looking at pictures. Within 2 minutes the girl was out cold and I couldn’t have been happier. Not just for myself but for the fact that she was going to get the rest she needed!

This picture is definitely one of the things I am loving this week. How could you not love baby cuddles???

Here are some more things I’m loving this week:

Crunchy Sea Salt Chickpeas from The Good Bean!! OMG my salt cravings this week were crazy, probably from the hot temps and sweating all day long but these were amazing both on the crunch level and the salt level. You gotta try them, plus they are a good source of protein & fiber!

Egg whites! Has anyone noticed the jump in price for eggs? It seems like ever since the bird flu the prices have stayed hi. For some reason though the egg whites price is still the same so I have been stocking up on them. They are perfect for a breakfast scramble or even as a snack!

My dad LOVES Costco and every time he goes he asks me if I need anything. I usually say we don’t need anything, because I know he will end up buying me something anyways. This time he bought us Cherries & this Sicilian Tomato & Grilled Zucchini Salad.

It was delicious and I’m happy he knows that I love healthy foods & snacks. The first time I ate it I just used a spoon and had it as a side dish to my lunch, I think next time I’m going to top it on a slice of bread or on grilled chicken, its yummy!!

Smoothies & shakeology have been on the menu for snack time this week. Ava’s been loving fruit so I’ve been whipping up some smoothies so she can also drink her MILK at the same time. My shakeology favorite flavor of the week is definitely the PB&J (Vanilla shakeology + Peanut Butter & Strawberries) Yum.

Speaking of peanut butter (maybe this blog should be called peanut butter lover) I dunked some strawberries in the peanut butter jar the other night and man it was great. I love the juicy strawberries with the salty nutty peanut butter. Try it!

I found this picture of my friends and I from sophomore year of high school. I had to post it because it’s just TOO random and I loved how much fun we seemed like we were having even though we all have no clue what we were doing in this picture. Tonight I have my best friend Megan’s rehearsal dinner for her wedding, and tomorrow is her big day!

(Megan is on the left!)

I can’t wait to celebrate the new Mrs. Fina, she has truly found her match and I couldn’t be happier for her.

Stay tuned for lots of wedding recaps & photos on Monday!

What’s something you have been loving this week?

Do you have anything fun planned this weekend?

July 29, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
8 Comments

WIAW: Simple foods

I had originally planned to share my meals from Sunday but after a failed attempt to take pictures of my lunch and dinner I had to switch to Mondays food journal. On Monday I actually managed to snap pictures of everything I ate. All my food choices were simple but nutritious!

I am linking up with the What I Ate Wednesday crew to share my “eats” from Monday.

After a weekend of being sick with a nasty cold, I woke up pretty groggy Monday morning. I didn’t take any medicine the night before and I wish I did because I slept pretty poorly. When I woke up I was still congested but I mentally new I needed to get going and power through the day. I chugged a TALL glass of water and had 1/2 cup of coffee with a splash of 1% milk. I quickly sautéed up some spinach, 2 eggs and a piece of whole grain toast and then headed out the door at 7am to teach Group power.

I went a little lighter with my weight choices for the workout in hopes that I wouldn’t make my cold any worse and I still managed to work up good sweat.

I refueled after with a Protein shake, a banana

and some oatmeal with peanut butter.

Ava was still really sick so I was thankful that my brother was able to watch her all day while I worked. I quickly stopped home after class before heading back to teach my Fit For Life class. I had a group of 19 people which was fabulous but by the end of the class my voice was starting to go!

I chugged LOTS of water after class and then ate a big salad with BBQ grilled chicken, red cabbage, plus tomato & cucumber salad with italian dressing. I also ate a granny smith apple and a small baked potato. I have been really into lunch time salads these days. With the temps being high over 90 degrees the rest of the week I am assuming I will be eating a lot more salads these next few days.

(I forgot to snap a picture of my baked potato with butter!)

After spending about 2 hours on the computer doing coaching work I made a quick Vanilla Shakeology with frozen strawberries and peanut butter. It was like eating a PB & Jelly sandwich through a straw

Ava had her own smoothie (Strawberries, 1% Milk & Ice), she loved it!

Dinner was Grilled Dijon Chicken Breast with green beans & a baked sweet potato, very simple!

I still had an appetite around 830pm so I ate a greek yogurt topped with lots of blueberries and some almonds!

I enjoyed all my food choices today!

What is something yummy you ate yesterday?

Do you find you go through phases of eating the same thing over any over?

July 28, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
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Getting rest as a mom

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:

LOTS of water.
Green Tea with fresh lemon juice.
Tons of fruit and veggies
multivitamin
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?

July 27, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
0 comments

I didn’t push it

I can’t really say this was one of my favorite weekends but it really was relaxing and I guess that made it enjoyable!

On Friday I went to the YMCA for a little bit in the morning and the rest of the day was spent with my sick little Ava around the house. I was still very fatigued myself and my sore throat came and went all day long. My body was telling me one thing… slow down and rest! I didn’t want to push her or myself so we spent time snuggling and watching LOTS of TV… well Ava did but I tuned it out.

She had no interest in books or playing so I just let her rest with me on the floor with some pillows, blankets and Mickey Mouse.

In the late afternoon I started feeling a little bit better. I really think a few cups of green tea and lots of fruit helped me get some energy back. I actually cooked us some delicious blackened salmon with veggies & sweet potatoes for dinner and I’m glad I did because the salmon was AMAZING.

I was looking for plain & healthy foods and this meal was perfect. We spent the night relaxing and entertaining Ava until she went to bed.

Saturday morning I woke up to a snotty kid and some congestion myself. I took that as a good sign because our colds were progressing but man I felt like I regressed a bit. I had a cup of green tea and a few sips of a the iced coffee Marc bought me to get myself going and began to slowly get some energy.

We decided to take Cooper & Ava for a long walk around and I’m glad we did because FRESH AIR is a great cure! It really did make us all feel better.

After our walk we headed to my parents to let Ava play outside in the pool and eat some snacks on my parents deck, the weather was amazing.

Ava loves the outdoor shower and so did Marc.

In the afternoon we grabbed a light lunch from Citarella. We got a Spicy Tuna roll, grilled vegetables & a rotisserie chicken, it was random but delicious.

Ava took a nice long nap and I did some errands (CVS, Anthropologie, grocery store) and then it was time to get ourselves showered up for dinner.

We headed to Villa Italia in Stamford, CT for an early birthday dinner for my mom’s best friends.

Her husband is the owner and chef of the restaurant! We were pretty lucky to be able to eat dinner with her while she was working.

We started off with a glass of wine and an appetizer. Marc had ordered BBQ Chicken Livers.. BLAH the thought and sound of liver almost makes me gag but I was forced to try it and you know what it was actually pretty good and I wouldn’t lie. The BBQ sauce was amazing and the only thing I really didn’t like was the after taste!

I give myself credit for trying it and for all you chicken liver fans out there, Marc said it was awesome!

For my main course I ordered Filet of Basa Calabrese. Basa is a white fish and it was cooked in a red sauce with peppers, artichokes, onions, capers & calamata olives! It was superb and I even had a piece leftover to wrap up. I love leftoverssssss.

It was such a beautiful night and I was so happy that we could enjoy dinner outside on the patio.

I was very surprised that Ava made it through a 2 hour dinner with only a few little tantrums considering she wasn’t feeling well all day.

Sunday our morning started off with another long walk with the family and then errands, a couple trips to the playground with Ava and some relaxation around the house to rest up for the big week ahead of us! I also managed to do some food prep.

My best friend is getting married next weekend so I took full advantage of time at home to kick my feet up!

What do you do when you or your kids are sick?

What’s your favorite italian dish?