The Fit Skool | by Kelly

March 20, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
6 Comments

Things I am loving lately

It’s Friday… Woohoo.

I don’t have much going on this weekend besides catching up on some coaching and getting organized for my 30 day Challenge. I guess I didn’t make any plans for tonight because we are supposed to get something like 5 inches of snow. I’m still hopeful that spring will hit soon.

It’s nice to have a weekend with zero plans. It allows me to get all the “little things done.” Including a manicure, pedicure, or massage. I think I need some sort of treat, what do you think?

Today I decided to post some of the things I have been loving lately:

Healthy Fats: Over the past couple of weeks I have been eating my fair share of Nuts, Avocado, & Peanut butter… I can honestly these 3 fats are my favorite, they make everything taste better right?

Sweet Potato Soup: I know you guys hate me because I can’t share the recipe but this soup is gold

Stick rolling: Since I strained my hamstring I have been doing extra stretching and deep tissue massage with The stick. It is torturous but helps get rid of all the extra tightness I have going on.

Pushup Jack: This exercise is no joke and I fatigue pretty quick but there’s something about it that I like.

Maybe I like it because the first time I did it I thought I was going to face plant and I didn’t! haha Marc took a video of me doing the exercise and screened shot these 2 pics from it!

Zoodles: (Zucchini Noodles) If you haven’t gone out and bought a Veggetti yet, you probably should. It’s cheap & easy to use, plus you get this fun little side dish to eat!

VACATION: Marc and I planned a Trip to Florida for the middle of April. I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am to get away. I’m also very excited to be on a beach and in a pool with Ava. If she’s anything like her mama she’s gonna be a water baby!

I hope you all have an awesome weekend!

Thank you to everyone that sent me comments on my Reader Feedback Survey from yesterday! In case you missed it please feel free to comment

What is something you have been loving this past week?

Do you have any fun plans this weekend?

March 19, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
10 Comments

Reader Feedback

Usually when I think of topics to blog about, it is something that has been on my mind, something I experienced, or just something I want to chat with you about.

Clearly my blog discusses healthy living with a little lifestyle thrown in the mix, but I wanted to get some feedback from YOU the readers. You are the reason I write these posts so I want to make sure you are reading something you enjoy!

I am posting a brief survey so that I can keep up with what interests you and what brings you back to read my blog because lets face it, I don’t want to write these posts for myself I want to write them for you.

Some days I question why I blog and what I am doing this for??

My hopes when I originally started this blog was to help you get creative in the kitchen with me, to motivate you to workout, to help you eat smarter & to brighten your day. I also hoped that by sharing some of my experiences from fitness, to injury & pregnancy this would help you learn a thing or two. I am not perfect and I’ve made lots of mistakes from trial and error but sharing them with you can make us both stronger!

Here is my little survey, Feel free to comment below or send me a private message.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO READ MORE OF AT “THE FIT SKOOL”:

1. WIAW & FOOD JOURNAL POSTS
2. MY LIFE, FAMILY, & WEEKEND RECAP POSTS
3. TRAINER & HEALTH TIPS
4. MY WORKOUTS
5. HEALTHY RECIPES

OUT OF THESE 5 CATEGORIES WHICH ONE IS YOUR ULTIMATE FAVORITE TOPIC?

I am open to suggestions and if there are topics I don’t discuss that you are curious about I would love to hear your recommendations! Please don’t forget to comment

XOXO,
Kelly

March 18, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
2 Comments

WIAW: Rewind to Monday

I decided to mix up my What I ate Wednesday Post by sharing my food journal from Monday instead! Mondays are an active day for me so I tend to eat a little more and my snacks are a little more substantial.

I am linking up with Peas and Crayons for another WIAW post

My morning started off with a cup of French Vanilla Coffee and a splash of milk. Followed by 2 Eggs over easy, Mushrooms & Spinach with olive oil, & a small baked potato. This breakfast is so filling and satisfying for me.

From 730-830am I taught my usual Group Power class. My snack came shortly after the class around 9am. I had a coffee protein shake, a banana, and spoonful of peanut butter!

At 1030am I taught my Fit For Life class with my seniors. Apparently I have been working them a lot harder these past couple of weeks because I have received several comments on how they really liked the challenge I had been giving them! (Yes I sweat in that class!)

Lunch was leftovers. We had a lot of food from the weekend so Marc and I didn’t have much to do to get lunches organized. I opted for a bowl of my Sweet Potato Soup that I cooked this weekend to tide me over while I heated up my other food.

I had chicken marsala with green beans and I also shared some oatmeal with Ava. I didn’t take a picture cause to me oatmeal looks gross in pictures haha.

My afternoon snack was a Pita with Egg & Avocado (looks weird but tastes delicious) and also baby carrots

It may seem like I’m lazy, but dinner was Leftover Herbed Chicken over a salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, gorgonzola cheese & balsamic with a side of Brussel Sprouts in olive oil & sea salt. Besides baking the brussel sprouts I didn’t have to cook anything, and no cooking can be pretty amazing on Mondays.

Around 8pm my hunger hit again… I had a PB &J Shakeology (Chocolate shakeology, Peanut Butter & Strawberries)

It needed some more strawberries but it was still chocolatey and delicious!

What afternoon snacks keep you satisfied?

What is something delicious you ate yesterday?

March 17, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
0 comments

Tips for night time mindless snacking!

There are nights that I find myself guilty of mindless snacking. Food can be comforting and it’s also tasty.. so why wouldn’t I like to eat at night when I sit in front of the TV and watch some of my favorite shows like Grey’s Anatomy & Scandal.

There are nights when I’m not hungry but I still find myself grabbing something from the fridge or pantry to snack on for NO REASON.

Sometimes I ask myself, “are you really hungry Kelly?” Most of the time I might need A LITTLE something but there’s other nights where I know I don’t need food but I just want to snack because food is awesome.

Here are a few of my tips for avoiding “MINDLESS SNACKING”

1. Drink a tall glass of water or club soda with ice. Most of the time we are just thirsty so I will first drink an 8oz glass of water and wait 15-20 minutes to see if I am still hungry.

2. Brush your teeth or mouthwash with a minty flavor. Having clean fresh breath will make you question if you really need that snack or not. If my stomach starts rumbling then I will have the snack!

3. Do something productive around the house. If you are sitting in front of the TV all night those food commercials may make you hungry so instead do some laundry, organize your closet or junk drawer, or pick out your clothes for the next day.

**If none of these tricks work and your body is telling you it needs food then it’s the right time to grab some fruit or nuts from the pantry and get your snack on**

HAPPY ST PATRICK’S DAY! I will be sure to celebrate in one way or another today even though I am working. Maybe I will rock a Green shirt tonight to Boot Camp and make some Shepherd’s Pie for dinner. I like corned beef and cabbage once a year, but I didn’t buy the stuff!

I hope you have a wonderful day

Are you a mindless snacker?

Will you be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day?

March 16, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
4 Comments

Family Weekend & Secret Soup Recipe

Monday is here again and I’m loving that the temperature seems to be rising around here. There’s something uplifting about that!

We were fortunate to spend time with Marc’s family this weekend. They came down from Rhode Island Saturday morning and it seems like the weekend flew by from that point on. I had made some delicious meatballs & meatloaf for lunch so we had sandwiches & salads before Marc, his brother and his dad headed to New York to the Barclay’s Center to watch some college basketball.

They were clearly rooting for URI.

URI ended up losing that day so they were out of the tournament, but Marc had fun spending time with his family.

I got to spend the day with my mother in law which was fun. We did some shopping with Ava and I was so pumped that I actually stumbled on a pair of Asics Gel sneakers that are SOOO comfortable.

They weren’t that cheap but they fit my feet perfectly and that’s what you want in a sneaker right?

I also bought Ava some cute spring clothes and a giant book that she wouldn’t put down in the store.

She loves to read and I’m all for it

The evening was spent hanging out at our house and chatting/relaxing. It was quite nice to have a girls night!

Sunday I slept a little later since we were up a little past my normal bed time, I had a little coffee and then we had some breakfast. Shortly after I headed over a family friends house to do some cooking.

I learned a secret recipe for Sweet Potato soup. This recipe is out of this world delicious.. I mean I can’t get enough of it!!

I’m not quite sure if I’m allowed to share the recipe. This recipe came from a dear family friend who is a Chef at Fairways At The Griff in Greenwich. I feel honored that he taught me how to make it.

I’m pretty sure this Velvety Sweet Potato Soup recipe will become a staple meal in our house and I’m super pumped to have it in my fridge right now!

Now I am off to teach some Group Power… I am not gonna lie I need a cup of coffee to get going today

What did you do this weekend?

Do you have any recipes that you won’t share??

March 13, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
4 Comments

My 7 Healthy Pantry Staples

Wow, it’s Friday and I’m loving it.. this week was lightening fast and I’m pumped for my weekend ahead.

I wrote this post because I’m curious as to what everyone else has in their pantry. I try really hard to keep these 7 items on hand at all times because I use them a lot!

My Top 7 Healthy Pantry Staples:

1. Peanut Butter I usually buy Stop & Shop’s jarred peanut butter. It has 2 ingredients: peanuts & salt, and it only costs about $2! Marc, Ava, and I go through a jar in about 10 days or less so extra is always necessary in our pantry.

2. Canned Tuna & Canned Chicken Some days are busier then others and if I have no food in the fridge I love having a quick protein option like canned tuna or chicken that I can whip up in 2 minutes with some avocado & tomatoes!

3. Mixed Nuts & Dried Fruit When in doubt a filling snack for me is a Nut mix. My favorite nuts are pistachios & almonds. This is from Trader Joe’s and is about $5 or so and I’m obsessed with the great flavor this mix has.

4. Oats & Oatmeal Packets Believe it or not growing up I hated oatmeal. The texture was just gross to me. Now I am a huge fan. The single serve plain oatmeal packets are great for portion control and on the go snacks! I have been eating oatmeal at least 5x a week this past month!

5. Healthy Soup Not all canned soup is healthy. I make sure mine doesn’t have extra sugars, processed chemicals, or any ingredients I can’t pronounce. I usually make home-made soup but a back up soup is always great to have!

6. Almond Milk this is only $1.69 at Trader Joe’s. Almond milk has grown on me and I love it with my oatmeal and coffee! It also contain 45% of your daily calcium.. that’s awesome!

Pickles I try to keep pickles on hand when I need a salt fix they are packed with sodium and I love the taste! An added bonus is they are low-calorie!

I definitely have other pantry staples but I would say these 7 items are on my top used list!!

Well it’s Friday the 13th again… not like that matters but I am looking forward to a relaxing weekend!!

What are your healthy pantry staple items?

Are you a snack person?

March 12, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
0 comments

Hamstring Strain

This is not something new but for a couple of months on and off I had a nagging ache in my hamstring. I pretty much knew it was a strain but it came and went and didn’t bother me with most exercise.

I guess you could say I neglected it, but I blame life. Life got in the way, Ava was sick, the weather has been terrible, I got sick, basically the winter happened. I finally got an appointment yesterday and It felt great to be tortured with massage and stretching.

Although going to Physical Therapy means you have an injury, I still love it because every time I leave I feel great. Basically my Physical Therapist told me that I have a hamstring strain, and my hamstring was crazy tight. I pretty much knew this going into our appointment because it started limiting me last week.

It wasn’t until last week (when I was sick) I was doing WAY less then I normally do and I started to feel my hamstring ache on and off. Funny right? You think with an injury the more active you are the more it hurts. Not with this one. Activity helped my hamstring feel better, it kept it loose.

So although a hamstring strain in some cases can be debilitating and super painful depending on the level strain, mine is only a mild strain and I am happy it won’t effect my job or anything else right now. All I need to do is stretch, massage, and perform my PT exercises!

I am SO TIGHT… and here are a few of my stretches that have been helping a ton:

The Mermaid Stretch:

Adductor Stretch:

The Figure 4:

One of my fears was having this injury sideline me, but GOOD NEWS it won’t! I can still squat, deadlift, and teach my classes. As long as nothing causes pain

As a trainer I have learned not to ignore injuries. They can be painful the longer you put them off and they will take away from your ability to progress your fitness! I am glad I got this appointment in before anything turned serious!

Have you ever had a minor injury before?

Have you ever had an injury that was caused because you delayed seeing a doctor?

March 11, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
0 comments

WIAW: The best leftovers

It’s already Wednesday and I’m pumped. This week is cruising, unlike last week which was the longest week of my life with all the snow days.

Yesterday I was thrown off by the days and almost forgot to snap pictures of my food. I wasn’t focused so bare with me.

I am linking up with Peas & Crayons for another What I ate Wednesday post (WIAW)

My breakfast was 2 Eggs, mushrooms and a whole grain english muffin.

Mid-morning I snacked on a banana and peanut butter on 1/2 piece of toast (sorry no picture)

I’m usually not a leftover fish person, but this Lemon & Herbs tilapia was banging. I had a sweet potato and zucchini on the side. I was quite satisfied with this lunch and it held me over for a long time.

In the afternoon I had some plain greek yogurt with fruit and some granola which is not pictured because I decided after I took the picture that I needed more!

When I opened the fridge for dinner we had a bunch of leftovers from food we made this weekend. The first thing that caught my eye was carrot soup that a family friend made for me. SO good and so healthy.

I had asked my mom to make me some meatballs on Saturday (because sometimes you just want your mom’s cooking) and there were still some leftover so I knew I had to eat some!! I decided I didn’t want sauce or pasta, so I just ate them as is with a side of green beans. I also had a small piece of whole grain bread with it.

After boot camp I wanted to refuel with some protein so I had my Chocolate Shakeology.

Delicious!

Do you ever crave your parents cooking or your relatives cooking?

What is your favorite night time snack?

March 10, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
0 comments

I’m not artistic but painting is fun

Yesterday I made a special post about my recent fitness & health goal on becoming fitter by my 30th. After being sick this past week with either strep or a sinus infection (not really sure what it is) I have delayed my journey. I am going to keep working towards my goal, but my body needed a little break and I am okay with that. I am still eating healthy but I’m not doing the insanity workouts until I’m 100% better.

I never got a chance yesterday to share my experience from this past weekend at Arts Studio plus. A bunch of my friends and I celebrated my 30th with a painting class. I went into the class thinking I was going to fail because I am the least artistic person but I wanted to challenge myself to try something new.

Who knew painting could be so much fun??? There was wine so I guess that helped, but the night flew by.

When we first arrived, I’m not gonna lie I was a bit nervous and had no idea what to expect. The instructor was fabulous and guided us through step by step.

Here are some progress pics.

We were all so focused that at times I got up to check on everyone’s painting and to say hi. Then I would totally miss out on what the instructor was saying and have to ask my friend Danielle to tell me what to do next.

I really enjoyed the class though, and who would’ve known that my non-artistic self could actually make a forest look somewhat decent.

It also surprised me to see the guys paint some ridiculously good paintings as well. All in all it was a fun night and it felt great to step out of my comfort zone and try something new!

Yesterday I got to spend the day with my family. We did some shopping at Target and I also bought some workout clothes at Sweaty Betty…

Ate some delicious/healthy food.

Curry Chicken Salad

And Turkey Meatloaf from Garelick & Herbs

We even went for a nice walk on Greenwich Ave to enjoy the beautiful weather for once!

Ava thought it was fun to knock on all the stores doors. It was quite funny!

I hope you all have a great day

Are you more artistic or more athletic?

Have you ever tried a painting class?

March 9, 2015
by Kelly @ The Fit Skool
4 Comments

Is your mind in it??

I am a firm believer that your mind has to be 100% in it to succeed.

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?