Fall into Fitness!

Life has been so busy lately! Between being sick, making a lot of trips to visit my boyfriend, and my TSS hours increasing I have been insanely busy/tired! I haven't been making it to the gym as much and I've been eating a little less healthy which is a very bad thing for me. While I've been able to maintain my weight, I feel like complete crap! I've decided that no matter how tired I am, or how long my day is, I can squeeze at least 30 minutes of fitness in a day. I need it!

This is why I joined the Planet Fitness by my boyfriends house. It's only $10 a month, and while they don't have classes or anything too great, it's just what I need! I joined during the $10 down sale, which made it even more worth it!!

The next big adventure was my decision to become SPINNING certified! I have loved Spinning since I first started taking classes in October 2011. I believe that, along with healthier eating, Spinning was a big factor in my losing weight. So, I decided to share my passion for fitness and healthy lifestyles and become an instructor. That way I can help people along their journey - wether its losing weight or gaining fitness. I took a certification class from 8-5 in Latrobe, Pa and it was wonderful! I took my exam and passed! I am now a certified Spinning instructor!! Woohoo! I have yet to begin teaching, but I did create a Spinning profile for my first class! Hopefully it's soon!!!

I believe that's everything exciting that has happened to me since my last post. I will be spending my Thanksgiving break from work with my boyfriend and his family. I decided that I thought it would be fun for Alan and I to participate in a Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning 5k. He agreed that it would be fun, so we signed up! It's gonna be so COLD for the 8 am run, but I think it'll be fun, and a good way to work out a bit before we gorge ourselves on Thanksgiving dinner!! :) It's my favorite dinner of the year - yes even though I am a vegetarian....

Also, as of today, we have been invited by some friends to join their Spartan Race team July 2013. So that'll be our next fitness adventure!

In May, I plan to run the Independence Blue Cross Broad Street 10 Miler Run - with no injuries this time! I plan to run with the American Red Cross, but to do this, I need to raise $500. As of now, I have $20. I am still in need of $480 more! Please please please help! Any little bit helps!!! Here is the link to my page where you can donate: Katherine's American Red Cross Profile.

That's all I have for today. Next time I will be posting some recipes, I just need to do some more tests on them!

Peace, Love, and Happiness. xo

Oh October..

So, it's been a while since I have posted. Probably because I've been kinda bummed about the way things were going in my life. My hip was hurt and I was unable to run for a long time (5 months), my boyfriend lives 3.5 hours away from me, I am at a career stand-still until I get a graduate degree....

Aaaaaaaanyway, I am done sulking over what isn't going my way and I am taking strides to make changes in my life. First off, I love my job. Of course, it's not theee best job out there, and it occasionally (read: more often than not) makes me crazy, but I get to work with kids who are funny, silly, and like to have fun - in between their issues that we work on.

I was able to resume working out, doing low-impact activities, around mid-July. That was nice, but the best part came when I was able to resume going to spin class again! More recently, I was cleared to run. So far, I have only run one consecutive mile. Slowly but surely, I will regain my running endurance.


About a month ago, I decided to talk to my spinning instructors, one of whom is in charge of the business end of the gym, about becoming a spinning instructor. They were both delighted and very encouraging of my idea and I was told that once I become certified, I will get hired to teach at my gym!!! At first it'll probably just be as a sub, but then I may get my own class! Who's excited?! THIS GIRL! So, Saturday, November 3rd, I will be taking the certification course! Wish me luck!!

That brings us to my most recent achievement. I did the Run For Your Lives Zombie 5k Obstacle Course this past weekend in Maryland. It was incredible! It was rough, but Alan and I finished the course with a group of his friends. We didn't do much running, unless it was away from zombies, but we did a lot of mud jumping, electric rope dodging, army-crawling under barbed wire, and jumping into the coldest water I've ever been in. It was a real physical challenge, but I proved I could do it. I think my next challenge may be the Warrior Dash!

Well, that's all for now, I am currently cuddled up in bed with an upper respiratory infection, awaiting the wrath of Hurricane Sandy... all alone. However, I am prepared!

Peace, Love, and Happiness. xo

Summertime, and the livin's easy...

I absolutely love the summertime. It's such a great time to get outside and workout without feeling bored. You can jump on your bike, go for a hike, jump in the pool, or just take a walk and enjoy the fresh air. My favorite thing to do is to go hiking, wether its a harder hike to get to a beautiful view, or just a leisurely hike through the woods.

Unfortunately, because of my hip injury, even though I have been off crutches for 3 weeks, I am unable  to part-take in most of those outside activities, but just being outside is enough for me.

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July holiday & weekend. My boyfriend came to visit and our 1 year anniversary of dating was on July 5th, so on the 4th I made a wonderful dinner for us (and my grandparents). I made mozzarella stuffed chicken breasts, healthy fettucini alfredo, and garlic parmesan pull-apart bread. (Since I don't eat meat, I didn't eat the chicken, but it looked so good and I was told it was yummy!)

I also made a bunch of 4th of July inspired goodies. I made white (blue) chocolate covered oreos, firecracker cookies, and white chocolate covered pretzels. They're so yummy - I can't stop eating them!

Click on the picture to take you to recipes!! (or you can check them out at the recipes tab)

Peace, Love, and Happiness. xo

Busy as a bee!

It's been a busy few weeks since I've posted.

I went to Rhode Island for my best childhood friend's wedding (June 17). We left Thursday (after I got off my crutchess!!!! wooohoo!) night at 10 pm and arrived (after too many bathroom breaks) to Coventry, Rhode Island at 8:30 am. We took a nap, then headed to 1st beach in Newport. Even though it was chilly, I was determined to wear my new bikini I bought for the very first time! After the beach, we grabbed dinner and spent the night in having a few drinks and playing some games at my friend's house. I didn't go to sleep until late, but had to be up early because we had plans to help decorate the ranch for the wedding on Sunday. We had such a great day decorating and exploring around the area a bit. Saturday and Sunday nights we had a hotel so we were out of the bride's way, they had a bunch of people staying there, so 5 of us got a room - we were a little squished, but we made it work! The wedding was a beautiful Sunday afternoon wedding. We sang, danced a bit, and ate a lot. The wedding was over early, so we went to the beach for a bit since we don't get to the beach too often living in Pa. We checked out on Monday morning around 10 am, and didn't get home until 12:30 am Monday night (or Tuesday morning..) - too many pee breaks, we stopped at some outlet shops, and got some grub (Mad Mex in State College!!!).

I was exhausted upon returning home; luckily one of my clients was on vacation, so I only had to squeeze one client's worth of hours into Tuesday through Friday. Tuesday, my boyfriend got into town to hang out for his weekend (his 'weekend' days off are Wednesday and Thursday.. grrr) and Wednesday (June 20) was my birthday. When I got home from work on Wednesday, my boyfriend had decorated my room with princess crowns, 23 foil balloons, and he had blown up 50 latex balloons. It was so sweet (he got me some other stuff too, but this was the most noteworthy!) For dinner, most of my family got together for a hibachi dinner and then my boyfriend and I went to Shaffers for ice cream!

My boyfriend left Thursday night, and my friends arrived on Friday evening. 2 of my friends got here in time to go to dinner, so we got Rey Azteca (DELICIOUS Mexican food) and then came back to my house for a game/drink night. My other friend got here just in time to start playing Quelf (such a fun game - if you've never played it, go buy it!!). Saturday, we spent the day at my aunt's pool drinking and eating tons of yummy food, then my family had a cookout for me! Another friend had come in from Harrisburg at cookout time. We went back to my house, cleaned up, then headed down to Thunder in the Valley where we ate more and drank some buuuuurrsss.

It was a fabulous few weeks filled with so many friends, family, and love and tons of food.


Needless to say, the number on the scale has gone up a few pounds from all the eating I've been doing and the lack of exercising. I have been back to the gym 2 times since I got off my crutches, but I do have to be careful I don't injure myself again. The doctor told me things like the stationary bike, elliptical, and swimming were good, so I've been doing those in moderation.

Anyway, a few weeks ago, my boyfriend (who doesn't cook) decided he wanted to make me dinner. Not just any dinner - spanakopita. Now, I don't know if you've ever had that before, but it's a DELICIOUS greek dish that's a phyllo dough filled with a spinach and feta mixture. It's an easy dish, but a decent amount of work goes into prepping it. I was a little skeptical that he wanted to make it, but he did a fabulous job. (I do have to admit, I helped him out a little, but it was only because he was in a time crunch...). Anyway, click on the picture to get to the recipe, or head to the recipe tab! :)

Peace, Love, and Happiness. xo

Summer Salads

One of my favorite things to eat in the summer time is salads. Fresh crisp greens, with some nuts, a little cheese, and occasionally, some fruit (strawberries, grapes, raspberries...) The possibilities are endless. One of my all-time favorite salads is Strawberry Spinach Salad with Balsamic Dressing.

When you think of salad, most people think 'low cal! Let's do it!' when in reality, salads can easily be 700 calories before you know it. Just think about it, dressings, such as ranch and caesar, can be approximately 75 calories per tablespoon. When pouring dressing on your salad, I would bet that you're putting more than a tablespoon on. Then comes the cheese. Who doesn't love cheese; but at about 100 calories for 1/4 cup, it adds up quick.

So, here are some tips to avoid turning a healthy choice into a calorie and fat laden lunch or dinner.
1. Start off with a lettuce that will give you some nutrition - spinach, romaine, spring mix rather than iceberg, which is tasteless and hardly worth eating
.
2. Choose a lean protein - grilled chicken strips, sliced turkey, tofu, even a small amount of black beans or chick peas add a lot of flavor.

3. Add a few tablespoons of cheese - feta is always delicious, cheddar, whatever you like. Believe me, a little bit goes a long way.

4. Nuts are a good option for salads, but again, the calories add up quick, so choose a nut that has a big bang for your buck. Candied nuts are okay occasionally, but add extra fat (not the good kind) to your salad. A few tablespoons of toasted almonds or walnuts are a good choice.

5. Slice up some strawberries or whatever fruit makes you happy.

6. Choose a dressing that will give your salad a flavor boost without adding a TON of calories. I generally like to use about a tablespoon of balsamic (olive oil is good too because it has healthy fats, but at 120 calories per tablespoon, I generally save that for sautéing veggies, and not weighing down my salad). Other choices that are light and refreshing are fresh salsa (I'm not talking about the stuff in the jar - ew!) which you can make yourself at home or get in the vegetable section of the grocery store, or lemon juice and some herbs and spices.

Salads can be delicious and fun. I'll probably post some recipes over the summer as we start grilling out more, but for now, here's my all time favorite. Click on the picture for the recipe!

Peace, Love, and Happiness. xo

S'more please!!

I have not come across a single person in my life that doesn't like s'mores. How could you hate them? You have graham crackers, chocolate, and toasty marshmallows. I almost drool thinking about them.

I present to you, an easy and delicious peanut butter (cause I have an obsession with peanut butter) s'mores bake. This way, you can make about 12 servings of s'mores at one time and you don't even need a campfire to do so. Now, I know this is not really a healthy dessert, but I am in love with it and thought that everyone could enjoy something a little different.

I baked it for my boyfriend (and whoever else wanted to part-take in eating this sinfulness!) and while it was good, there was something about it that I felt needed changed - so change I did...

Today I attended a picnic party celebrating Memorial Day and I didn't want to show up empty handed, so I decided that I would bring the s'mores bake. This one (pictured to the right) turned out so much better than my first one (which you'll see posted in the recipe). It took a little trial and error to get it right, but I think I've figured it out :)

Check out the recipe by clicking on the picture and enjoy! Let me know if you make it and if you liked it!

Happy Memorial Day - Remember all those who have given their lives so that we could enjoy the lives we have today!

Peace, Love, and Happiness xo

Zombie Run

A few months ago, Alan, my boyfriend, had told me that he wanted to do a Tough Mudder with me. I couldn't believe those words came out of his mouth! He had recently become inspired (not because I was on his butt about being healthier or anything...) to work out and start eating a bit better, and wanted to see how much he could push himself. This would be an ultimate test; a test we would endure together. If we could make it through this, we could make it through anything.

Despite it looking like hell on earth, I decided that would be an awesome adventure to accomplish together. In theory it was great, but reality told a different story. He's recently been in and out of the hospital a few times (he's okay now!) and with my recent hip injury, we decided to save it for another time when we are on top of our game - maybe next year?

Instead, on October 27, we are going to do the Zombie infested 5k obstacle course. It's still an obstacle course, just a little more on our level right now. We just registered and are heading down to Darlington, Maryland to RUN FOR OUR LIIIIIIIIVESSSSS! Should be a dirty, good time! Check it out, give it a shot, let me know if you'll be in Maryland that day... :)

Let's just hope that these bones of mine can handle training this summer...

Peace, Love, and Happiness xo

Today was a LONG day...

So when I got home, after I ate about 5 cookies... They were delicious;  made them last night to take to the preschool I work at and had some extras. Anyway, I showered and decided I needed something quick (I was HUNGRY!) and healthy. I had spaghetti squash, already cooked, in the fridge, so I poked around and decided to make this wonderful dinner. It was quick, super easy, and delicious! (I also knew I had to make something light because Alan is on his way to my house for a few days, so I am making him a peanut butter s'mores bake ... I'll post how it turned out after we try it tonight!!)

Anyway, here's a photo of my Greek inspired spaghetti squash with cauliflower 'mashed potatoes'. (Click on the picture to get the recipe!)

Buon Apetito! 

Peace, Love, and Happiness. xo

DELICIOUS Breakfast!

This morning, I decided I was going to make myself some pancakes. What's better on a Sunday morning (or afternoon by the time I crutched downstairs and around the kitchen to make them...) than banana oat pancakes?

I'll tell you - banana oat pancakes with peanut butter!

I took a recipe that I found via Pinterest, with which I'm obsessed, and made it my own. These little babies have a good amount of protein and 3 filled me for hours - which if you know me, is hard to do. They were SO delicious. There were so many pancakes that I'll be able to eat them for breakfast for the next few days! Who's excited?! I'M EXCITED!

I'll be posting the recipe for all who are interested in the recipe tab. Be on the lookout for it in the next day or so!

(*EDIT 5/21/12 click on the photo to view recipe!)

Peace, Love, and Happiness. xo

Make A Lifestyle Change. Tips and Advice To Help You Lose!

So, when it comes to losing weight, I'm not any kind of master, but I do have experience. Dieting does not work. It just doesn't. It's a short term fix, but generally as soon as you get off your diet, you're going to start eating the foods that you weren't allowed on your diet, and you're going to gain the weight back - and sometimes more! No body wants that. Ew!

You need to make a life style change. This means watching your portions, choosing healthier foods, and exercising. You want a piece of that delicious cheesecake that's been staring at you all day? Have one! But make sure that it's a small piece because, let's be real, it looks SO much more delicious than it tastes (unless it's my dad's cheesecake, of course!). Even if it is delicious, the first few bites are always the best, but then it just loses it's oomph (not always, but usually), but it's there, on your plate, so you eat it. 

If you decide to eat something 'bad for you' (nothing is bad in moderation.. unless you're eating pure sugar!), you just need to make sure to balance out the rest of your day. This is why I use an app/website called Lose It. It allows me to customize a plan where I count my calories easily, put in my workouts for the day, and it gives me reports on % of calories from fats, carbs, proteins, etc. It also gives you reports which are easily accessed on the website. You can also befriend people that've signed up through the website. It doesn't reveal your weight, just the work you're putting in and the pounds you've lost or gained. It helps me to feel accountable for my actions; if I eat a lot, and gain, others are going to see that. That keeps me motivated to stay on track. 

The biggest thing about using Lose It! is that you don't want to lie. Lying about how much you ate is only harming yourself. You are the only one that sees the calories and information about that; its a tool to keep you on track. Your body is the most accurate record keeper; if you're lying on the app, you're still going to see the effects of your habits on your person.

The app runs on apple and andriod systems. (No, I'm not getting endorsed for this, but I should be with the amount of people that I've turned onto it!). *Even though I say that I count calories, I make sure not to be obsessive about it. If I go over,  I go over. I just make sure that I eat a little better tomorrow, and maybe workout for an extra 10 minutes or so. It's a HUGE balancing act, but the reason I use it, is to keep myself mindful of portions and how quickly calories add up and cause excess weight!

One more tip I'll give in this post is about weighing yourself. There's people who don't weigh themselves, there's those that weigh themselves once a week, and then there's people like me who weigh themselves every day. I've looked into this a lot because I've been told its bad to weigh yourself everyday. Personally, if I don't weigh myself everyday, I tend to get more off track. You do whatever you need to do; whether its once in a while, monthly, weekly, or daily. Its just a way of keeping yourself on track. Whatever you decide to do, try and make sure that you're weighing yourself in the same fashion every day - in the morning, at night, naked, clothed. You'll get a more accurate reading if you weigh yourself at the same time and in the same fashion. The big thing is to make sure you do not obsess over the numbers. I assure you that if you're eating a healthy and balanced diet, and working out, you will lose weight. Don't be discouraged if the numbers go up occasionally; bodies fluctuate and retain water, which can mean an extra few pounds on the scale. 

That's all for now. I need to study for my GREs (yuck!) and take care of some errands. 

Peace, Love, and Happiness. xo

Green Monsters

I need to take a minute, a whole entry, to just glorify a smoothie. It's a life changing smoothie. It's delicious, and nutritious, and you can make SO many variations with it.

Its called a green monster. Seriously, Google it. The possibilities are endless!

Okay, I totally get that it looks unappealing. I assure you, it's delicious. The basic green monster is spinach (I promise you can't taste it), a banana (I use frozen; it adds a nice chill without the chunkiness of ice and makes the smoothie a bit thicker), flax (optional, but always good for Omega-3s!), and milk - whatever kind makes you happiest; I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk. 

The green monster is completely fabulous in its most primitive form, but I generally add some berries, 1/2 of a mango, or peeled apples (don't worry, I eat the peel while I'm anxiously awaiting my smoothie to blend) - you really can add whatever you like. If I am having it as a breakfast or post workout smoothie - I add a scoop of protein powder to it so that I stay full longer. Sometimes I'll just have a bowl of oatmeal in the morning and then drink a basic green monster as my 'coffee'. Its full of so much nutrition and deliciousness, that it wakes you right up and makes you feel good. 

Start your day off right with some green deliciousness! :)

Welcome to my new blog. A lot of people have been coming to me and asking for advice; saying that I've inspired them. This seriously brings so much happiness into my life. If I can help one person on their way to a healthier lifestyle, I'll be thrilled. Getting control of my weight has brought me so much happiness because its been a huge lifestyle change. I'm eating better and working out more, which means I'm leaner, my skin is more clear, my brain is more focused, and most of all - exercise releases endorphins, endorphins make you happy, happy people just don't shoot their hus... oh. This isn't Legally Blonde?

Anyway, I hope that my posts can inspire you to go out there and create a new world for yourself. One that will make you the best you can be!

Peace, Love, and Happiness. xo