Mountain Recap

Although a day late because I was under the weather yesterday, I wanted to share a quick recap of our mountain weekend! We went on a long walk as soon as we arrived and I kept thinking “I should take some photos! No, don’t be silly, you can take some tomorrow, just enjoy the walk!” and I totally should have listened to my initial instincts because it rained Sunday and the weather was foggy/overcast so I didn’t get the amazing images I had envisioned…sigh! But the walk was lovely and the weather Saturday was just warm enough to enjoy a fire under the slightly cloud covered stars!

I will have more food posts from our amazing meals but I wanted to share these tasty treats first! I have had a hankering for coconut lately so I decided to try my hand at coconut macaroons! These bite size bombs are addictive and indulgent, so beware! Coconut Macaroons: Bake @ 350 for 25 minutes

• 14oz coconut flakes
• 120z condensed milk
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 4oz chocolate

I will admit I am not 100% pleased with them but that didn’t stop me from eating SeVeRaL throughout the weekend! Combine the first two ingredients in a bowl with the vanilla extract and mix until will blended. Beat egg whites separately until it forms stiff peaks and then fold into coconut mixture. Spoon onto baking sheet and bake until golden brown. Set in the fridge to cool, melt the chocolate, dip the cooled macaroons into the melted chocolate and return to the fridge to set.

These suckers took no time at all to whip up and they disappeared just as fast!

 

Enjoy!

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Getting Silly

One day closer to the weekend…WOOHOOO!!!

This weekend Phil and I are heading up to the Poconos and I am SOOOO excited to hike, cook, bake, lounge, and take in the stars all bundled up on the deck! That has nothing to do with the topic of my post really, haha, it’s more of a ‘heads up! lots of delicious, not so healthy, food posts to come!’ for all those food porn lovers!

AnYwAy…my office has instituted a weekly hump day celebration and yesterday was the first! From 2:30pm-3:00pm on the sales floor we had a dance party complete with DJ and MC (after all, we are a DJ, photo and video company)!

I was a bit skeptical on how this was going to play out, thinking: ‘this is going to be soo awkward and really silly,’ as if that’s a bad thing!! It wasn’t really awkward but it sure was silly and definitely put everyone in a much happier mood! Even though it was only a half hour, the dance party was a lovely distraction from the stress of work. Believe it or not, taking a little break and moving around not only boosts office morale but also increases productivity…clever bosses we have!

Consider giving yourself a little dance party break and see if you don’t have a renewed desire to dive back into the task at hand!

Working through it

Happy Hump Day!

I didn’t post about it yesterday, mostly because I didn’t want to speak too soon, but I am back at it after a 10 day exercise hiatus. As some of you may recall, I fell pretty bad in Whole Foods at the start of the month and the pain in my knee has kept me out of the gym and off the mat.

Yesterday morning I made it to my normal 6pm spin class and even though my knee didn’t feel 100%, I pushed through. I wouldn’t say I was in pain but there were definitely high levels of discomfort.

This morning was a little under an hour of vinyasa which was met with very little discomfort. I will admit I didn’t push myself too hard but it felt great to kick the day off with a warming flow & get the body started!

Even though its in the 30s-40s the sun is shining and its a beautiful day…I’m thinking an afternoon hump day walk might be in order today!

Service Day Success!

HELLLLLLLLLLO and Happy Monday! I hope all those reading had a wonderful weekend and are kicking off their work weeks with a SMILE!

This weekend I had the privilege of representing my school at the Rittenhouse Square Farmer’s Market in Philadelphia. As some of you may or may not recall, this is the market I frequent every weekend so I felt a particular sense of pride rocking my red this Saturday.

For several hours myself and some fellow IIN students spread the word about our school and healthy living – creating the ripple effect right here at home!

It felt amazing to speak to people in the community about what we’re doing and the importance of Health Coaches. For us, healthy living and responsible consumption is a way of life, growing in popularity but still a long way away from being mainstream!

I feel like by taking it to the streets, we were really getting the word out there! I’m totally riding high from the weekend and hoping to use this momentum to my advantage this week!

Find what drives you and grab hold!

Just look up

Happy Friday! My girlfriend sent this shot to me the other day and I was totally inspired. While I think we can all agree there are many majesties in nature, very rarely do we simply look up and admire the sky.

Obviously people marvel at a beautiful sunset when the sky is lit up with many magnificent hues or when the sun pierces the darkness as it begins to rise, but what about the middle of the day? Perhaps I am alone but I often take the sky’s beauty for granted.

Especially this weekend, I am going to make a point to just look up and take in the infinite blue!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Getting over the hump!

Its the half way mark! If you’re feeling stressed, tired, or frustrated, just remember, the weekend is almost here!

For me, there are a few Wednesday traditions that help get me through the week! Admittedly, I tend to move a little slower on Wednesday but I try to do these few simple things to make the day breeze by!

1) Sleep in a little! I am fortunate enough to make my own schedule, so I usually give myself an extra 30-60 minutes of sleep on Wednesdays.

2) Bump the tunes! Most days I listen to lectures for school on my way into work but Wednesdays I turn the volume up on the tunes and sing along.

3) Tea Time! No matter what I take 5 minutes to do nothing but sip some tea and stare into space. If its nice out I will take it outside but if not, the simple little mid-day break does wonders to improve my mood.

4) Pre-make Dinner! While I LOVE to cook, I am under motivated most Wednesdays and find heating something I made earlier in the week to be the most effort I can muster; so, I try to make some yummy stir fry, soup, etc… that reheats well and save it for Wednesday nights!

5) Early Bedtime! Even with a little extra sleep in the morning, I am totally shot by days end, so I make an effort to get in bed an hour earlier than usual. 9 times outa 10 I am out like a light!

Taking even just one of these steps are guaranteed to help with the hump day blues!

Smile folks…you’re almost there!!!

Back at it!

HAPPY MONDAY and beginning of November! Its only been a week of not posting but it feels like forever! I was a little under the weather last week and then catching up with work which made it difficult to carve out blogging time BUT I’m back and happy to be reading and sharing with the word press world!

The weather here has dropped and I am greeted by a frosty breeze each morning! This makes hitting that dreaded snooze button all the more inviting! I guess there is nothing wrong with another 15 minutes snuggled under the warmth and comfort of my bedding!

This week is all about getting back at it – blogging, eating and exercising…though a recent fall at my local Whole Foods has prevented me from doing any of that third agenda item. I slipped on some spilled spinach from the salad bar and smashed up my knee…fingers crossed its nothing serious but needless to say physical activity is an impossibility at the moment!

I am remaining positive, focusing on the things I can do rather that what I can’t and concentrating on diet and healthy habits over exercise this week (lots of sleep, staying hydrated, focusing on anti-inflammatory foods)!

Here’s to getting back at it!

Surrounded by Love

Happy Friday Folks!

I am looking forward to a fun filled fall weekend with friends and family! There is lots on tap for this weekend: gym, farmers market, pumpkin/apple picking, wine tasting, costume making, a halloween party and of course a little yoga!

I found this photo on an acroyoga site (link included if you click the photo) and felt it embodied this idea that’s been swirling around my mind and came up again yesterday during another inspiring lunch with Kristin Ritter.

Kristin has been an incredible asset during my journey and is a constant cheerleader for all I am looking to accomplish. We spoke about how supportive friends and family can be but also the challenges that crop up in those relationships. Family and friends love and support you doing whatever makes you happy but might not always be on the same page or agree with everything you have to say, which is TOTALLY OKAY…

BUT that’s why important to surround yourself with like minded people too! When you start to feel like the crazy health nut its paramount to have a circle of people who are trying to accomplish the same things as you – it helps keep you inspired!

No matter what its all love, just in different ways!

Surround yourself with love each and every day!

Snooze Struggles

Its Tuesday on week two of my ‘body back’ journey and workout one for the week is complete; though I barely made it! I used to be able to roll out of bed and walk down the street (literally a block) to my Tuesday morning spin class but since I’ve moved its more like a 5-7 minute drive (or 25 minute walk).

I made it onto the bike and starting pedaling by 6:03am…not EXACTLY on time but I was there so I am counting it as a win, especially with all my snooze struggles this morning!

I hit the snooze button 3x this morning, totaling 24 minutes and surely angering my boyfriend who both hates every alarm tone I use and the fact I can never get out of bed…sorry Phil!

Am alone in my snooze struggles??!?! I’m going to start putting my alarm in the bathroom so I’m forced to get up to turn it off…hopefully this won’t lead to me just grabbing it, hitting snooze and climbing back into bed, hahaha, but we’ll see!

Anyway, spin felt great and I am happy to be kicking off week two well! I feel stronger with each workout and look forward to a few weeks from now when I will be back into my routine!

Happy Here

Happy Hump Day! Yesterday was my first day ‘back on the horse!’ I felt great having gotten up to do cardio in the morning before work and making it to yoga in the evening BUT I got frustrated during yoga.

Since I haven’t been keeping up with my regular practice, poses that normally flowed with ease were a bit more challenging, some even out of the realm of possibility. With every bind, twist and fold I felt the extra flesh my body has accumulated standing in the way of reaching once achievable poses.

As I felt myself getting discouraged, the poses got harder, which didn’t do much to quell my mounting frustration. I took a deep breath and reminded myself:While I may not be where I was, I’ll get back there and I should enjoy the journey! Instead of looking at this as a negative, I need to find happiness and joy in allowing my body to relearn poses, perhaps this time with more thoughtful alignment and appreciation for the energy behind my movements.

I have to remember to be happy here!