You a Crazy ...girl.

hey guys,

wow this past week has been quite the whirlwind. as much as I am happy with this career change in my life, it has brought on some much expected anxiety and overwhelming feelings.

for someone who has a temper tantrum when my towel for the shower isn't set out the night before, a change of career is HUGE. HUGE, I tell ya.

buy this for me?!

I have woken up almost every night dreaming of being at my office desk and screwing something up.

I am legitimitely crazy. Or it might have something to with being a female. Please don't be offended by that- I know most of you can agree with me.

Always have been a little nuts.

How am I supposed to work 8 hours, get to the gym, eat healthy AND still maintain my relationships with my friends, Andrew and my family?

Hmm, we shall see. I am still workin' on this. My workouts are not where I want them to be -- but I know that will change if I keep going.BUT Smelly Gym is really starting to gross me out..

Source

I mean, can you really keep a facility clean with hundreds of people sweating bucket loads every day? Ugh...

Anyway, this weekend was my FIRST ONE OFF in months. It felt amazing to be able to do whatever I felt like doin'.

What did I feel like doing? Taking these babes for a walk in the Old Port definitely was high on the list.

 

Oliver & Fitzy- my two best buds <3

Andrew and I made steamed artichokes. They were so delicious and fun to eat. I don't suggest these bad boys for a first date though. That would be a delicious mistake.



Reason WHY they aren't first date material.


We first boiled some hot water with a big nub of ginger in it. Then we cut off the top of both artichokes and set them down in the steamer bucket. They were done after 25 minutes. For the best flavah, dip them in butter. I tried olive oil and had to pretend it was just as good for about 30 seconds...until I switched back to the real stuff.

Anyway, that is all I have for tonight. Hope your Monday wasnt too painful ;)

Have a great night !!

P.s Review for next time: Bintliff's in Ogunquit with Mamacita and Dad!

P.P.S Thank YOU for voting for Cassi & Luke!! You can vote HERE if you havn't yet!

The Best Part of Wakin' Up..

Good Morning! Today I woke up at bright and early at 6 A.M because the rest of the house, Andrew and two friends, were going to Saddleback Mountain for some snowboarding. The smell of bacon wafted into my bedroom so I obviously had to get up to see if they had made me an egg bacon sandwich. No dice.

Instead I went with a whole wheat english muffin with peanut butter. Yum.

What does that quote mean?

After my breakfast, I contemplated going back to bed but instead got some energy to walk the 2 miles to the gym! The streets were nearly empty besides all the crazy dedicated runners on the icey pavement. Bless their souls.

Once I got closer to Planet Fitness, I thought of cozying up here and people watch read the newspaper and drink a cup of hot coffee.

Instead, I trudged on through the unplowed streets to the smelly gym to get my fitness on.

Remember this post when I said that walking in the snow is a real workout? Well, today my point was driven home when I arrived at the gym completely warmed up for my workout.

I had a great lil' workout and now I am home sipping on this stuff and deciding what to do with my day. Enjoy your weekend!

Also, I must bring up the fact that it is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. This is a pretty powerful post that I read from Kailey and her honesty is amazing. If you are strugging with an eating disorder, I suggest you read this if you think you're ready to move on in your life. <3

Harder, Better, Faster Stronger: Why YOU should pick up Weights

I grew up in a house where I was lucky enough to have active parents. I remember taking long hikes on weekends, learning how to bike with my dad, and ski trips like the one below.

Fun Skiing Trip!

Whenever I see Oprah or Montel on television, it is hard to not be reminded of my Aunt Barbara intently watching TV while multi tasking babysitting and bicep curls. You could definitely say I got my passion for healthy living from my family.

Mom, Sister, Me

This is probably the reason the gym never really intimidated me. I was there all the time, it seems like, while my parents finished their cycling class or my dad played hoops with us.

When I moved to Portland and joined a new smelly gym. I did feel slightly intimidated by all the meat heads guys doing squats with 500 pounds on the bar.

awkward. Source

I knew that I had to quickly get over this because weight training is part of a healthy lifestyle. A few of the MANY benefits of a weight training program....

• Use it Or You'll LOSE IT: Muscle mass naturally decreases as you age. If you don't do anything about the lean muscle you lose, it will be replaced with fat.
• As you have strength gains, your body becomes more efficient at burning calories. As cardio helps you burn a ton of calories at one time, strength training helps your body burn calories after you have left the gym! Perfecto!
• Happier: Pumping iron has mood altering effects that keep you smilin' and confident. :)

Where to Begin?!

• Exercise Video's If you've never lifted weights before, start with a weight training exercise video in your own house! Jillian Michael's 30 day Shred is one of my favorites. Best thing about its a only 20 minutes of (sweaty) exercise. You can either buy cheap weights OR use cans of soup. Trust me, 50 reps with 2 cans seems heavy after a while..

• Feel Good, Do Good I know my best weight workouts come when I feel positive about myself. If I am feeling down or unmotivated before the gym, I pick out a cute exercise outfit and put on a little mascara so when I am pumpin' iron I feel confident!

• Have a Plan! Whenever I know its a strength workout day, I typically have some sort of routine I am going to follow. This is key to not feeling intimidated or nervous around the weights. Below is my trusty workout journal with work outs that I borrowed from Janetha, Julie, and Tina.

Have a Great Weekend!!