Category: Life Updates

So are you doing now… ?

Now that I am a couple months out from graduation and all the holidays have come and gone, I am getting the “what are you doing now?” question rather frequently. So here’s the quick update… 

Jobs… I am currently working for my uncles company as a part-time receptionist. It has taught me a lot but it has defiantly confirmed that I have a love for people and being behind a desk isn’t a life long goal of mine. In addition to working as a receptionist I am working as a “rookie sports coach” at the local YMCA. My team is all 3&4yrs old and we are the Purple T-Rex! Rrrr!!! 
Future Job Outlook… I recently passed my test to become a certified nurses aide one. I did this to allow me to get some clinical experience as I wait to hear about nursing school. In the meantime I am applying to CNA positions in both hospitals and nursing homes in the Raleigh area. I’ve got quite a few applications out there but haven’t had any bites. If anyone has connections (especially in the hospitals) I could defiantly use some help! 

Personal training… Well I defiantly miss it!! I miss being around people and helping them to achieve their health goals through fitness. I want to get back into it soon!! As of now though, I don’t want to try and make a career out of it. I want something that is more stable and not based on commission as a life long career. I hope once I land my first CNA job I will be able to find time to get back into personal training. 

Training… I am currently training for Ironman 70.3 Raleigh. I have a couple races leading up to it, but nothing quite as exciting or notable. Training is going pretty well and it defiantly keeps be busy. I am looking forward to the big day and although training has its good days and bad days I am still loving having this as a hobby. 

Boys… I know “love” is in the title of my blog so I guess it’s only fair that I share. Last I wrote, in one of my “things I’m loving tuesday” posts I had a new boyfriend. Well unfortunately, things didn’t work out the way we had hoped and our relationship was rather short lived. So for now, I am single and loving it!!

Nursing school… The applications are in! I have gotten one rejection so far but fingers crossed for the other schools. I hope to hear back in the next month or so from the remaining schools. 

Family…They are great and constantly on the go. Alex is in baseball season so we are all following him around most every weekend.  

…I think that’s about it for now! Let me know if you have any other questions. Goodnight! 🙂 

Whole30 Challenge…

Failed. This Sunday morning I came to the conclusion that the Whole30 Challenge was not the healthiest option for me. As you read in last weeks update I was struggling with low energy and headaches as well as some digestive issues, while at the completion of week 2, the same issues were still present. I was constantly low on energy, was still waking up with throbbing headaches and my digestive system was completely twisted and causing some extreme discomfort. I think a lot of the digestive issues came from the large quantities of protein I was consuming as well as the large amounts of fiber from all the fruits and vegetables. The headaches and low energy I believe are on account of the great amount of training that I am doing as I prepare for my next half ironman. Most of my headaches felt like they were a result of low blood sugar. Even though I “failed”, I want to share what I have learned during my experience, as this still may be a great route for you to try:

1. The cravings for “bad” foods did decrease. Be patient through the first couple days, no doubt it is tough. Keep in mind, you aren’t a dog. You can say no to food.

2. I thought it was a great kick start towards getting back on track to eating healthy. Because what you can eat is laid out so clearly it made it easy to choose what to eat and stay on track.

3. You must like eggs and sweet potatoes to complete the challenge. These will be your staples.

4. Guacamole tastes great on just about anything.

5. If you are trying to lose weight, I can see how this would be very a beneficial way to start. Fruits and vegetables do not have nearly as many calories as other forms of carbohydrates making it so you can still eat quite a bit.

6. If you are doing a good bit of exercise, especially high volumes of cardio, it may be beneficial to make slight adjustments to the plan and add some form of a grain carbohydrate to help keep your glycogen stores up.

7. Be prepared to do a lot of cooking. Fruits and vegetables will not keep you full as long as you are accustomed to with your more traditional snack options.

8. It is a great opportunity to learn to read the ingredients list on packaged foods. It will defiantly be an eye opener to the large quantities of sugar and crazy number of chemicals present in the foods we are eating on a regular basis.

9. It got me to eat a lot more protein. Although this wasn’t ideal for my digestive system, it was beneficial to my muscle recovery.

10. I tried and enjoyed quite a few new foods. When you venture from your typical way of eating you get the opportunity to try quite a bit more and this was a fun way to experiment in the kitchen.

For those of you who have done it, what did you learn? And for those of you who are considering it, what questions do you have?

Take care and have a great Monday!

Whole30 Week 1

A week ago today I started the Whole30 Challenge. For those of you who aren’t familiar, it is a 30 day cleanse of processed foods, added sugars, leguems, grains, dairy, and alcohol. AKA anything super delicious… Don’t even think about it!! 

Update: 
Days 1&2 were pretty rough, I was always starving. I couldn’t seem to eat enough calories. Day 3, I noticed my energy was up but eating so many fruits and veggies defiantly caught up to my digestive system if you know what I mean… Day 4&5, a lot better. I started to get the hang of eating a lot more protein. Day 6&7, rough again. I had a long run on day 6 and a long bike on day 7 (10miles on day 6 and 2hrs on the bike on day 7). This is when my lack of carbohydrates caught up to me. My run was good but I did notice I was getting a headache and a slightly dizzy feeling by the end, like my blood sugar was low. Day 7, my legs felt like lead, my head ached, and I had zero energy. I ate 2 Lara Bars (190 calories each) before beginning and I was only able to make it to 20min before calling it quits so I could eat some more and potentially recover a little more from my previous days run….
…because of this issue and the amount of training that I am doing I will be adding some whole grains to my diet for the coming week to see if that makes a difference. From what I have read, many other triathletes had to alter the plan as well to be able to maintain their training appropriately. Even though I hate to make alterations to the challenge.. Fingers crossed it works!
What I’m Missing Most: 
Tortilla chips and cheese. I didn’t realize how much I loved each of these until I could no longer have them. 
Best Meals So Far: 
Valentines Day Dinner: zucchini pasta, shrimp and scallops and some kind of other squash. It was delicious and all thanks to my Valentine 😉 

Mushroom stuffed with ground turkey and guacamole and a side of clementine. 

What I’ve Learned So Far: 
You must like eggs, sweet potatoes, and avocado to survive the challenge. These are the staples to my diet. 
A few more thoughts to close out week 1…For as tough as this “diet plan” is to follow, I am enjoying mixing it up and trying some new things. It is also forcing me to cook more often which isn’t always a bad thing either. Hopefully I will learn a couple more good dishes for you to try as well. I’ll be back again next Monday for week two update. 

Happy Monday Y’all! 

Whole30 Update

I’m STARVING!!!! I love all that I am eating I just feel like I can’t get enough food in me.  Day one, I consumed less than 1,000 calories and I felt like I ate all day. Day two I did much better, getting to 1,900 calories, thanks to the addition of smoothies, but still I feel like I am never full. I know I am an avid exerciser so I am sure that has a little something to do with constantly being hungry… so I want to know if anyone else who maybe started off with this, “I’m Starving” issue was able to turn the tables to feeling full while remaining on the plan? Any and all suggestions/comments welcome!!

On a positive though, I am sleeping better and generally feel more refreshed when I wake up in the morning 🙂

Here is what my first two days on the Whole30 plan consisted of:

DAY 1:
Breakfast: Hardboiled egg and berries
Lunch: Almonds (probably not the most substantial lunch ever)
Dinner: Spaghetti Squash, Broccoli, Chicken, and a Clementine
Snacks: Hardboiled egg, and an apple with almond butter

DAY 2:
Breakfast: Hardboiled egg, berries, and a kale, orange, mango, and strawberry smoothie
Lunch: Sweet Potato and kale chips
Dinner: Salmon, kale chips, and half an avocado
Snacks: Apple Pie Lara Bar, almonds, banana and apple in almond butter, and another smoothie just like I had at breakfast

Whole30 Challenge…

Accepted!! Starting on Monday, my good friend and training partner, Kimberly and I will be embarking on a 30 day challenge of no processed foods. The challenge is to eat only whole foods for thirty days in a row. This means no dairy, grains, alcohol, legumes, or anything with added sugar. Calories are not restricted only the foods we eat are. 

The point of this “diet” plan is to help aid curbing those cravings for “bad” foods. Also it has been noted by past participants that their energy levels have increased, feelings of being less bloated, weight loss, less frequent headaches, and better sleep. We will see what happens to the two of us through the process.  
But for now, we are in the planning stages using this as our guideline for the weeks ahead: 
Do any of you have recommendations for recipes based on this list? All suggestions are welcome!! 
I will be sure to keep you updated weekly as to my progress and if this sounds like something you are interested in or would like more information about check out the website listed below. 

http://whole30.com
**Please note I say “diet” in quotes as I do not believe in dieting, I believe in lifestyle changes. This although is temporary, it will hopefully envoke some lifestyle changes in my eating patterns long term. Also note “bad” is in quotes. There are no such thing as “bad” foods. There are just foods that are “better choices” and there are foods that should only be consumed be in moderation.**

Raleigh Snow Day

As much as us southerners complain about the cold, I think we all really do love those one or two snow days we get a year. Yes, it does close down everything but it does bring about a few good things as well….

First and foremost, most of us got a lot more fresh air and exercise during the snowy weather. Many went outside to throw a few snowballs and maybe even sled down a half dirt, half ice little hill. Bet you didn’t think of all the exercise you were getting as you laughed and ran back up the hill to go again. Then once you were outside for a while, shivering set in. This shivering although it was uncomfortable helped you to burn a few extra calories. And finally, snow often times means a little more family and friend time that is often lacking in our busy day to day lives.
I hope you took some time to enjoy the snowy weather. Never know when it’ll hit again down here! 

Holiday Update

Sorry for the long time between postings. It has been a busy and very happy holiday season. To give a quick update lets head back to Dec. 18th. That is the day I graduated from NCSU and drove home to Charlotte…

Charlotte is where I spent time with family through Christmas. We did our typical Christmas Eve traditions of going to church, making a big family meal, driving around looking at Christmas lights, opening a new candy cane ornament and PJs from Grandma, and of course we wrote our letters to Santa (yes at 22 I still write a letter to Santa). We have a great time and lots of laughs as we act maybe a little less than our age…hangiing spoons on our noses, making the wine glasses sing, and balancing napkin rings on our heads, but it is all in good fun. Christmas day we also have our family traditions. On Christmas day we first have to check for Santa. Santa comes to the basement and Dad has to go downstairs and check first to make sure he came. And guess what… he sure did!! 😉 My favorite part is always the stocking because it is always jam packed with more than I could ever imagine or fit in there myself. Next, we move back upstairs for breakfast and presents. Alex (my brother) always goes first handing out his gifts to everyone since he can hardly handle keeping secrets…hints why he buys on Christmas Eve!! We open one gift at a time to make Christmas last as long as possible. This year we finished opening gifts at 2pm (granted we don’t start till about 10am). It was a great Christmas 🙂

Then a few days later as a family, plus a couple extras (Lindsey, Alex’s girlfriend & John, my boyfriend) all flew down to Mexico to ring in the New Year. Everyday was 70-80 degrees!! I defiantly miss that since NC has become the Arctic all of a sudden. We were there for one week and had a blast hanging on the beach, playing games, and doing maybe a bit too much drinking. John and I (and I think Alex and Lindsey) managed to get in a few good workouts. It was fun getting to run in a new place and explore a little. My favorite thing to see along my runs were all the Iguanas. They are some awesome but slightly scary looking dudes. While we were in Mexico we had a very cultural New Years Eve experience. We got on a boat with about 400-ish other people, maybe 30 others who spoke English, and cruised to an island for dinner and a show. I think we even saw a Mexican proposal…not sure though since it was in Spanish. Even though the water was rough, it started raining, and the food and drink sucked we still had a great time brining in the New Year all together with our extra large 12 grapes (a Mexican tradition similar to our black eyed peas and collard greens) and dancing. I’m pretty sure we all agreed that we would never do it again but we were all glad we had the experience. On the last day of the trip we visited the Myan Ruins. That was pretty cool but then again there were so many Iguanas I think I was more fascinated by them than anything else. It was a great trip with lots of laughs and good memories.

And now… unfortunately the holidays have come and gone and it is back to reality. Well kind of! I am currently applying for nursing school. I am looking to apply to accelerated bachelors of science nursing programs to start in the fall. I got my first application in yesterday. If any of you have advice or experience let me know!! I am all ears 🙂

I hope you all had a happy holiday season and returning to reality hasn’t been too rough!

Stay Warm!! 🙂

Graduation

Wednesday, December 18th, 2013 marks the day I became a college graduate. I have to say, it was all (and still is) a bit unreal. It felt like the day I had waited forever for had somehow gotten here so quickly.

The night before graduation we had a nice dinner with family and John at 518 West, an Italian restaurant in downtown Raleigh. My only request was that it was in the city I had grown to love over the last 3 years as I wanted my family to witness just how great of a place it is for themselves. Dinner was delicious and the company was even better. This is a picture of myself, my brother, and grandmother at dinner.

Wednesday started early with the big commencement ceremony at the PNC arena. It was a very nice ceremony and our student speaker did great. Even more impressive, he kept it all a secret from his mother that he was the speaker. I’m sure she was shocked!

Then, later that afternoon, was the departmental ceremony. This ceremony allowed each graduate a chance to introduce all those who were there to support them as well as speak of their future plans. Although some did have upcoming plans, it came as a relief to me that many were in my same place as I am and did not have anything immediately planned.

To round out the fabulous day before packing my bags and heading home for the holidays, John and I headed to the bell tower to take a few pictures as many graduates do. We had a beautiful day with a blue sky.

                     

I can’t thank all those who helped make this day such a special day for me enough. I could defiantly feel the love and support from each and everyone of you. 
Thank You!! 

Liar Liar…

…Pants on Fire!! That’s what I have to say to all those people who say the last semester of college is great and you’re going to have so much fun!!

The truth behind your last semester of college is that it is as stressful if not more stressful than your first. This is because there is this big UNKNOWN of what is to come after graduation. The last semester is full of trying to get through classes you are no longer interested in (senioritis) and applying for jobs so you can enter the big, scary REAL WORLD!! Now don’t get me wrong, I am excited to become apart of this big, scary real world, just the path to get there is quite daunting and exhausting.

Today’s post will help give some clarity to all those who are asking daily as to what my path to entering that big scary place is…

Long Term Goal: 

Get a real, big girl job in a career that I am passionate about. Now I am sure many of you are laughing at that sentences and thinking “ha!…good luck.” and I can’t say I blame you. I have defiantly realized that it is much easier said than done but I am determined to find it. On that note, if any of you have experience in finding that “perfect” career, I am all ears and would love some advice. All I do know is that I want a career where I am up and moving in a fast paced environment and helping others. The two areas that (I think) interest me most are nursing and corporate wellness.

Where I am now: 

Currently I am doing all that I can to pass genetics (send prayers my way please…Final is the 9th). This is one of my last three classes that I need to graduate. Beyond getting through school I am applying for nearly every health/wellness job in Raleigh and Charlotte.

At this moment I have two part time job interviews lined up in Charlotte. One is as a Personal Trainer at a YMCA (12/11) and the other is as a Group Fitness Instructor at LA Fitness (12/5). Aside from those two positions, I have Personal Training applications in at another Y and LA Fitness in Charlotte and at a Life Time Fitness in Raleigh. I have also applied for several “Wellness” positions within Rex Healthcare and Healthtrax in Raleigh. In addition to both of those I have applied to two temporary (1year positions) at the Interfaith Food Shuttle in Raleigh. Both of these positions are nutrition education coordinator positions.

I have to admit, I never thought I would be applying for part time / temporary positions coming out of college, but like everyone says, your first job isn’t usually the perfect job or your last job. Wish me luck and send lots of prayers as I have a lot coming in these next couple weeks!

Since this post was a little on the stressful side and totally off from the Holiday Cheer that is going around I thought everyone could use a good laugh to end their night….

This is my boyfriend and I at the annual Christmas party dressed exactly the same, both of us in his clothes!!  He had convinced me that everyone wore tacky sweaters and it would be funny (I had never been to the party before) but turns out he lied…everyone else was dressed super cute and sexy! It was a night that couldn’t end fast enough for me but is funny to look back on now 😉

Lazy Days

Thanksgiving break has treated me well and I have enjoyed my few days of being SUPER DUPER LAZY! A quick recap of the week:

Monday: I made the dreaded drive home and snacked wayyyyyy to much to stay awake. I hate when you have those terrible days of driving where you can tell its going to be a long trip in the first 20-30minutes. But regardless I made it home where I was happily greeted by my mother and puppy (nothing like coming home to a pup…they are always so excited to see you 🙂 ). Shortly after arriving home, mom and I headed to pick up my grandma for a girls night. The three of us went to California Pizza Kitchen, one of our favorite girls night out restaurants since the boys aren’t so keen on it. Dinner was followed by a little shopping before heading home to hit the sack for an early bed time.

The happy puppy! This is Chase, the 100lb, nearly 9year old, big baby of a golden retriever we call family 🙂 

Tuesday: I started my lazyness…I slept in till about 10:30!!! It was great. After finally rolling out of bed I got in about a 45min workout using the Nike Fit Club app (check out Saturdays Workout Post to read more about the app). Then mom and I headed out to get our nails done. I got sheer luck on my fingers and opi red on my toes. Shortly after getting back home from our girl time my brother and the ever so cute Roxy arrived. Roxy is his girlfriends super cute 15week old puppy. Grandma and I took the pup shopping then came home for a delicious chili dinner with the whole crew.

Wednesday: Again I started out the day lazy with a 10:30ish wake up. We hung out around the house most of the day. I got in a quick 30min workout, we all ate lunch then the boys headed to the golf course and us girls headed to the craft store. We got paint and a couple canvas. Check out the final product below. Dinner was at a new restaurant, Stone Mountain Grill. Following dinner we broke out a new favorite game 5seconds. I’m not very good at the game but it brings out a lot of giggles.

Thursday: Turkey Day! Once again I slept in (probably seeing a theme at this point). After getting up, having a quick breakfast and workout it was time to get to turkey day festivities. My cripple brother, Alex, (he had hip surgery about 8weeks ago and is doing great now) and I headed to the grocery store to get all the last minute items then it was time for me to get ready and pick up grandma. We had our good friends The Tillers over for an afternoon and evening of fun. We had a great spread of food and lots of laughs to go around.

Friday: Black Friday! The day started off slow and we didn’t participate much in the normal Black Friday madness…mom and I actually only made it to the mall for a return. Before heading to the mall, mom and I stopped at grandmas to help her get Christmas out of the attic, since she has seen “fall for too long this year.” For our evening activity the family plus John (my boyfriend) went to the Bobcats game. Bobcats won and it was a great way to spend the evening. Following the game John and I came home to drinks and ping pong with my parents. Although they beat us it was once again a great way to fill the night with laughs.

Saturday: The one and only day I was out of bed before 10…John had me up at 8:30 this morning!! Probably a good thing since we ended up having a day full of company. Shortly after getting up, John and I headed to the grocery as some old friends (see picture below) were planning on stopping by for lunch as they were traveling back to Georgia from Connecticut. We have known them since I was taller than my brother…and for those of you who don’t know me that well, Alex passed me when he was in 6th grade and I was in 8th. It was great catching up with them. John and I also managed to get a few games of ping pong and rings (another great game) in while everyone was here. I am the overall champion but he defiantly had me in a few sticky places (we are not a competitive couple at all 😉 ) Saturday night finished with football and steak dinner.

Tomorrow I will be headed back to good old Raleigh. But before I do, a few more pictures from the week to send you off with….

I hope this gives you a good catch up on the week. Have a goodnight! 🙂