TGIF!!!

‘Bout time it got here!

Today has been another busy day, but that’s alright.  Aside from school, it was filled with things on my schedule! Which included a good workout and finally seeing CoCo.  It’s been raining here on and off all week, so it’s been tough to see her.

Anyway, Heather recently posted this survey and, being that it’s Friday and time to have a little fun, I decided to play along too.  Feel free to borrow if you’re in the “survey” kind of mood!

1) What is one of your favorite ways to spend a Saturday?

An ideal Saturday would go like this:  Sleep in –> breakfast –> ZUMBA!!! –> CoCo! –> grocery shopping –> spending the rest of the day doing nothing and loving every minute of it.

2) List your top three favorite TV shows.

• Walking Dead (it took a while to get in to, but now I really enjoy it!)
• Say Yes to the Dress
• It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia

3) Would you rather be in pictures or take them?

Take pictures if the subject’s inanimate..but I’m like to be in them if it’s with friends! Of course, that’s not to say I’ll happily capture fun moments as well.

4) Why do you blog?

Healthy living bloggers (including readers) make up such a fascinating community and it’s great to be a part of it.  I love being able to connect with friends all over the world who share the same interests, but blogging is also an outlet to learn about all things food, exercise, and health related.

5) Share five websites that you visit regularly…

Besides the obvious Twitter and Facebook (which I average roughly 1000 visits/day):

• Pinterest
• Damn You Autocorrect (it’s freakin’ hilarious. Good way to get in your daily laughs.)
• Livestrong for meal and fitness tracking
• Fitocracy to log workouts.  This is a really cool site as it makes a “game” out of your workouts.  Feel free to ask for an invite if they’re still requiring one!
• Bloglovin’ to keep in touch with all of you!

6) If you could have lunch with one person from your Twitter list who would it be?

Wow, that’s a tough one! There are too many to choose!!

7) List a few of your favorite snacks.

• Banana + peanut butter
• Yogurt + peanut butter
• Toast + banana + peanut butter
• Peanut butter

8 ) Do you have a pet? If so, what kind?

Yes! Chloe, my cat, and CoCo, my horse, are here in Auburn with me then there’s our dog, Shadow, back home!

Not to leave out the 2 birds and humungous plecostomus we have too!

9) Which three material possessions would you struggle to live without?

• Phone
• Laptop
• HRM/Garmin 305

10) What’s your favorite drink?

Water. I’m still drinking a gallon a day!

11) Do you enjoy cooking?

Yeah I do..but I really don’t do it that often. Quick meals are more my thing!

12) Do you have children?

Nope!

13) What are your favorite hobbies?

• Horseback riding
• Blogging
• Working out
• Baking
• Photography

14) Would you consider yourself to be shy or outgoing?

Outgoing definitely. Not so much that I’ll go up and talk to every single person I see (on occasion, I will)…but I’m not shy.

15) If you could change one thing about yourself, what would you change?

Nada! Well, I’d like to have a flat stomach..but that’s nothing new.

16) Who is your favorite actor/actress?

Him:

Not only is he a great actor, but he’s soooo nice to look at.

17) What’s the coolest thing you’ve done this week?

Um…wow.  Honestly this week has been pretty typical. Let’s see…I’ve set a few new weight lifting PRs! Woohoo!

18) Do you live near your family or far from them?

Farish- 4.5 hours.

19) List three of your talents.

• I’m able to wiggle my nose like a bunny!
• I can horseback ride!
• I can fall up stairs with ease and finesse.

20) What is your greatest attribute?

I make a point to treat everyone how I would like to be treated and am very empathetic towards people.  I tend put the needs of strangers/acquaintances very high on my list of priorities especially if they’re in need of a little extra attention.  Same goes for animals and nature.

**What is one of your favorite ways to spend a Saturday?

**List three of your talents.

**What’s the coolest thing you’ve done this week?

So, you may or may not have noticed I’ve been a bit absent from the blog lately.  Not that I don’t want to write long, well thought-out posts…there just hasn’t simply been time to do so.  You all can easily relate.

Obviously my days have been busier than that. Regardless, I hate that I’ve been so absent lately and feel we’re in need of a bit of catching up.  Here are a few things that have been on my mind as of late…

1.  I’d rather doctors not narrate during a procedure.

“This may hurt”, “This will hurt”, “That’s strange…”. 

Being told something is about to hurt only makes it 10x worse.  I’d really rather not know.

2.  Speaking of doctors, I’ve tossed the idea of becoming one to the side.  It’s not what I truly want.

3.  Yesterday’s yoga session taught me one thing: I need to do more yoga.  Teaching a couple times a week is not enough- my flexibility is SHOT!

4.  Genetics lab started today.  So far, so good.

5.  I’ve been considering getting certified as a personal trainer.  It’s been on my mind for some time now and I’m ready to take the leap.

6.  My very first personal Groupon buy: Shaun T’s Rockin’ Body Dance DVDs.

*fingers crossed it’s actually rockin!* 

7.  I’m almost through New Rules of Lifting Stage 2 and am still loving it.

…and still need to write a review of Stage 1.

8. I’m still eating although no food has been on this blog for quite some time. (Don’t worry, you’re not missing anything spectacular.)

9.  I miss my camera!!  It’s still off being cleaned and using a point and shoot isn’t cutting it.  Part of the reason there hasn’t been a ton of food photographed lately as well.

10.  When did people start not using the Oxford comma?

Apparently, it’s a regional thing whether we learned to use it or not which is fine and dandy, but it’s still strange to see it not being used.

Hopefully things will slow down a bit tomorrow. Not sure about you, but I’ve been ready for the weekend since Tuesday!

Talk to you soon!

**If you’re a personal trainer, why did you choose the certification you did? (ACE, NASM, ACSM, AFAA…?)

A much needed note. 

It’s been a busy week and I’m sure most of you can relate.  We may feel like we’re running on empty with more to go…but it’s okay.  Just breathe.  Breathe deep!

Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.

Much better.

Sorry so short, but the rest of this busy day lies ahead.  Then tonight, I’ll have the pleasure of taking a yoga class (rather than instructing for once).  While I do love teaching, I’m looking forward to getting lost in my practice rather than having to think about every move.

Speaking of yoga, I recently came across this beautiful video and wanted to share.  Even if you’re not into yoga, you’ll be amazed by this woman’s capabilities.

(She’s breathing very deeply, so turn down the volume if you don’t want to hear it.)

Amazing isn’t it?.  I only hope to have such strength one day!!

**If you’re a group instructor, do you enjoy being a student as well?

**What’s one fitness goal you have for yourself? 

A friend recently shared this article to her Facebook family and I wanted to pass it along.  It really helps put things into perspective.

Ten years ago, plus sized models averaged between size 12 and 18.  Today the need for diversity within the plus-size modeling industry continues to be question.  The majority of plus-sized models on agency boards are between size 6 and 14, while to customers continue to express their dissatisfaction.

Katya Zharkova is the model pictured above.  Curvaceous? Yes.  Gorgeous? Radiantly so.

Now here’s the same model side by side with a typical fashion model.

Big difference.

It’s safe to say they chose a modestly thin model for comparison, too.  Imagine Katya next to this model:

Or her…

Unfortunately, skinny is what the modeling industry wants.  Despite the industry’s recent attempt to advocate healthy body images, rail-thin models still crowd runways and magazines.  Even America’s Next Top Model preaches healthy weights…but yet, we get this:

True, it may be more efficient for models to be so thin so they’re able to fit into whatever clothes they get thrown into.  But fact is, Americans love thin girls.  That’s the society we live in and it will most likely stay that way for a very long time.  As sad as it may be.

Too bad, too.  Being healthy is so much more fun!

Much more beautiful than skin and bones, dontchya think?

I met a girl yesterday in Zumba in a very stereotypical girly manner with a conversation starting beginning with a perky, “I love your top! Where’d you get it?”

“Target,” she replied, “they have some really cute workout gear!”

Honestly, I’ve always viewed Target as a glorified Wal*Mart with high prices (I know, shameful) so the quality of their clothes was unsure. 

Regardless, I soon found myself driving to Target, through thunderstorms and all, to find that shirt.  Unfortunately, they were sold out…but it’s still on my list:

Fortunately, Old Navy was right next door.  They’re currently having a huge sale on their active wear!

I got a few of these v-necks in different colors.  They’re loose fitting (but not too loose) and long.  Perfect for yoga!

Their whole selection was cute, comfortable, and very reasonably priced.  I may go back for more!

In other news, I dyed my hair for the very first time!

I’ve had highlights added a few times but have never dyed my whole head.  Curiosity finally got the best of me and I gave in!  Rather than dumping a load of money at the salon, a home dying kit would (hopefully) do the trick.

Before…

And after!

It’s not a drastic change but that’s not what I was going for anyway.  This kit really brought out the red in my hair along with lightening it.

Fortunately for me, Michael played my personal hairstylist and applied the majority of the dye while I happily sat there waiting.  Good thing, too- it would have taken forever doing it on my own!

The forecast is calling for another day of straight thunderstorms so I’m going to try to get to the stables while there’s still time.  Have a wonderful day!

**Where do you buy your workout clothes?

**Have you ever dyed your hair?