Day 3

16 May

After an exhausting Tuesday, I made sure to go straight to bed after dinner; call me a grandma, but I went to sleep at 9:15pm. I would have gone earlier but I got caught up in Guilianna and Bill :-P .

I slept in until 7:20am (does that even count as sleeping in?!) and felt a little more rested than I did yesterday; the storms throughout the night have me tossing and turning though. Once I establish a routine with my internship, my body will adapt (I’m hoping)!

2 scrambled eggs with cheese and spinach, a mini-pita pocket with humus, and a bowl of fresh fruit was on the menu for breakfast. The nutritionist mentioned changing up my breakfasts to incorporate healthy fats, whole grains, and protein to increase my energy and keep me satisfied- another change that I’m eager to make. I’ve also switched from lattes to regular coffee with skim milk and syrup; I like to have a cup with breakfast and a cup at work- it’s a big girl thing ;-) .

On the agenda today: Employee Health and Fitness Day! A full day dedicated to employees making a conscious effort to stay fit at work by providing them with the tools, equipment, and ideas they need to be successful at it. Set-up for the event was last night; tables, chairs, and streamers-oh my! It was circus themed with lots of reds, blues, and yellows hanging from the ceiling of the gymnasium. A 5k kicked off the event; when the runners were done and heading back to the gymnasium, they stopped by the putting green where I was!  Participants had three tries to get the ball in the hole; not to toot my own horn but, toot toot I made them all-first try ;-) .

Observing another fitness class tonight at 4:30pm- Step and Sculpt (sounds familiar NCSU Fitnasty :) ).

Because my internship is unpaid, I’m trying to find a part-time job I can handle on the side. It’s not ideal at the moment but it can’t help my shopping, grocery store, and having fun problems having a small income. I have an interview at a local gym; we’ll see!

Have a happy hump day!

P.S. I’VE BEEN ACCEPTED INTO OAKLAND UNIVERSITY! I haven’t mentioned it before, but I received a graduate assistantship for fitness and wellness back in March when I attended the NIRSA conference in Tampa, Florida. In order to accept the GA position, you must be accepted into the actual graduate school first (makes sense); I applied right after I came home and have been eagerly and nervously waiting since. I’m so grateful for this opportunity! I can’t thank God and everyone at NC State who has believed in me and pushed me to apply and interview for GA positions. I’m excited about the new opportunities, people, education, atmosphere- new EVERYTHING that’s coming my way in August.

Oakland University. Get ready-here I come!

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Day 2

16 May

Seeing the sunrise on a Tuesday morning is a great way to start the day! So is taking Body Sculpt and Stretch at 6:30am :) . Today is going to be a busy day so I thought a morning workout would give me the energy I needed to get through.

Beginning with a functional warm-up, the workout started with walking lunges, lat. pulls downs using a flat resistance band, and 2 sets of 10 push-ups. Big muscle groups + littler muscles assisting=big calorie burn and fatigue! I’ve never used flat resistance bands before and I actually liked them a lot better than the round ones with the handles; they didn’t rub against my body and were much easier to increase or decrease the tension to make the exercises harder. I find that the tubing with handles can get uncomfortable when you hold the rubber part if you wanted to increase the tension on the band without switching bands entirely. Squats, lateral raises, and an overhead press/lateral raise combo were next. This exercise was different; while one arm pressed the weight overhead, the opposite arm pressed the weight to the side. It not only worked your muscles physically, but cognitively made you think about what each arm was doing- a “two-fer“! We then tied the flat resistance band around our ankles and completed side steps to work our abductors..ouchie! Plie squats, biceps curls, triceps kickbacks using the band, triceps push-ups, planks, low back, and obliques rounded out the workout.

I felt accomplished leaving! Nothing too fancy but a nice change from my usual strength workouts; the key to continue seeing results is to change-up your routine. Even if it’s the same exercises, changing the tempo, order, weight, and/or time between sets leads to muscle confusion and eventually seeing results! I believe that’s why a lot of people stop exercising and/or get bored with their workouts; they don’t change-up their routine enough and plateau. Change is good!

The rest of the day was spent meeting with more employees, observing a wellness profile, staff meeting, and setting up for a big event that’s taking place Wednesday- Employee Health and Fitness Day! Lots of activities including a 5k race around campus, a putt-putt challenge, fitness classes with twists, and prizes for all!

Remember my saying “I thought a morning workout would give me the energy I needed to get through”? Wrong-o. My energy was lagging. Whether it was from a hectic day 1 or getting up at 5:30am, it was non-existent and I struggled to enjoy the activities of today. I haven’t posted yet, but I met with a nutritionist last week to go over my diet; I plan to write an entire post about what I’ve been going through and how I’m revamping my lifestyle.

See you tomorrow!

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Day 1

16 May

Hello! I hope everyone had as wonderful of a weekend as I did!

I started my internship the Monday after graduation; it’s 10 weeks long, so the quicker I can finish it, the sooner I’ll be able to go home for a little! Not that I’m rushing through the experience and will enjoy it thoroughly, just tough to go straight from a full semester to 8 hour days and 40 hour weeks.

I got ready for work (which is what I’ll be calling it from here on out :-P ), ate breakfast, packed my new Lululemon gym bag  and was on my way! I felt so grown-up driving to work during rush-hour in the morning with my coffee in hand dork. When I arrived, I was given another tour of the facility and keys to my office; I have my own desk with a computer AND telephone- SO professional! The day went by extremely fast as I believe anybody’s first day on the job would; lots of running around, meeting all of the employees and getting to know “who’s-who”. I chatted with my supervisor, going over policies and special projects that I’ll be completing during my 10 weeks; I even received a photo I.D.!

I didn’t pack lunch like I normally would simply because I didn’t have a chance to go to the grocery store and I knew there would be places nearby I could quickly grab a bite to eat. The campus has (I believe) 3 cafe’s located in walking distance from the gym! All have at least 1 entrée, a full salad bar, made-to-order sandwiches, paninis, and wraps stations, daily soups, and a dessert/frozen yogurt bar. The best part isn’t even the variety of foods to choose from, it’s how cheap it is! I bought a sandwich, apple, and Greek yogurt for ~$3! I’ll still be packing my lunch most days, but it’s nice to know that I can buy a cheap but healthy meal too.

I decided to observe/participate in the lunchtime Cardio Kickboxing class in place of eating my gourmet, cheap meal. I love taking kickboxing classes; depending on my mood, I can kick my butt or keep it low impact without sacrificing a good workout. Combos featuring both punches and kicks were incorporated throughout the class, and the instructor gave variations to make it more or less challenging-like the different options! The class was 45 minutes, which was perfect for a mid-day sweat-sesh. Part of my responsibilities as an intern is to observe and participate in the classes to get a feel for how different instructors teach their respective formats. Coming from a college background, I’ve been spoiled by the participants I used to teach; they could jump, squat, and throw with the best of them without getting fatigued. I want to teach a different population in a new environment while still giving them a great, functional workout. The more experience I can get with a variety of clients, the more I can become an adaptable instructor/trainer!

Before I knew it, 6:30pm was here and I was on my way home! The evening finished off at the Carolina Ale House for dinner and to watch the Eastern Conference semi-finals between the NY Rangers and NJ Devils.

Can’t wait to see what the rest of the week has in store for me!

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NC State Class of 2012

13 May

It’s official! I am an NC STATE ALUMNI! Saying that gives me the goosebumps; I still can’t believe it happened-SO SURREAL! I don’t think graduation could have gone any better; my family was here, the weather was perfect, everyone was in a great mood, and I didn’ttripwhenI walked across the stage with my “diploma” in hand! The weekend only got better with a delicious post-grad meal at The Pit; authentic, hardy and sloppy BBQ with lots of drinks! The only way to top Saturday was to spend Sunday with my lovely family, especially on Mother’s day. 

 Guess who?

Philip Rivers! Quarterback for the San Diego Chargers and an NC State alumna! He gave our commencement speech (which I thought was beautifully written) that sent an empathizing message to all of the graduates. Not only is he a talented athlete, but he also plays an active role in giving back to the community. We hear about athletes these days and the mostly bad situations they get into but rarely hear how some athletes give back to their respective charities, beneficiaries, and communities. Kudos to NC State for picking an awesome speaker!!

On Sunday, my family and I enjoyed a drink at Starbucks followed by a walk around Lake Johnson.

Unfortunately we couldn’t spend all of Mother’s day together as they had quite a drive back to Pittsburgh, but at least we got to be together the entire weekend! I’m so grateful for them :) .

First day of the SAS internship tomorrow!

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It’s Here!

11 May

NC State Class of 2012

The day has finally come! My parents are on their way down now along with my brother, Chase, and my gramma. I could not be happier!! I love it when my family comes to Raleigh; I can show them everything I talk about; they can finally put a name to a face or place.

This morning I scrubbed my apartment clean from top to bottom; there’s really nothing like a clean apartment, especially when family is coming to visit. Post cleaning, breakfast in a bowl of muesli with a sliced banana and Trader Joe’s cookie butter. Has anyone tried their cookie butter? Warning: Your taste buds will explode. It has the consistency of natural-hardy peanut butter without the runs and a hint of toasted graham cracker..unbelievably good! It was my first experience putting nut butter atop muesli; usually I incorporate a healthy fat in the form of toasted almonds, flax or pumpkin seeds, but the nut butter added creaminess and I stayed satiated much longer than before. Must do more often!

 A coffee date followed at Bruegger’s with a small hazelnut coffee and skim milk; who knew Bruegger’s doesn’t make lattes or have syrup? Being a latte-addict, I was quite bummed. But I improvised and, although it was no latte, it worked.

I headed straight to the gym to get a sweat-sesh in before today’s festivities; 30 minute HIIT on the elliptical followed by a halved-version of Ripped and Chiseled. I didn’t realize how winded the intervals made me until halfway through the weights but I wanted to get a strength workout in one way or another; instead of completing rep for rep, I halved all of the exercises; the workout flew by!

Once my family gets here, we’re heading to SAS to tour the facility! Resting up tonight for the BIG DAY tomorrow!!

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The Newest Addition!

4 May

Meet your newest member of Sweat Pink Ambassadors! It’s an honor to be a part of an organization that empowers women to sweat, burn, reach their limits but listen to their bodies, embrace their shapes, and kick assbutt in ALL THINGS PINK! Our mission:

“We believe that kicking ass is best done in pretty shoes. We’ve learned that real women sweat, and sweat hard. We know that assertiveness, strength, and ambition are the ultimate feminine qualities. We concede that sometimes it takes hours to get ready, but we’re also no strangers to just rolling out of bed and going. We’re convinced that we run faster in pink shoelaces. We believe in pushing ourselves, and we believe in giving ourselves a break, too. We’re all about the rush of endorphins and the thrill of the challenge. We’re all for looking  great and feeling even better. We’re committed to finding our best fit, and making it stick.”

I’ve wanted to become an ambassador for a healthy living organization since I started blogging, but was a full-time student and needed to focus on graduating. As much multitasking as I do on a daily basis, I didn’t want to put mediocre work into school or blogging, and since I blog for pleasure, school took precedent. Now that I’m graduating next weekend, I have plenty of time to do what I’m passionate about; making the world healthier, one pink rep at a time!

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Yes I Say Pop

29 Apr

I love survey’s that really make me think! I’ve seen this food preference survey pop-up on blogs and was waiting for a study break to complete it.

Coke or Pepsi? I don’t drink pop, but if I had to choose, I’d pick coke since I’ve been exposed to Rum and Cokes.

Lemonade or Fruit Punch? Lemonade! Especially if its pink ;) My mom always told me I have a hole in my mouth and would always drip on my shirt; needless to say, fruit punch was never a staple in my childhood growing up.

Caramel Apple or Cotton Candy? Cotton candy hands down; attending Penguins games growing up was not complete until I hunted that man down and had my cotton candy!

Butterfingers or Snickers? Hm. I’d prefer Reese’s! But I guess the point of this survey is to pick one that’s listed duh, so snickers.

Pudding or Jell-O? Probably pudding; the consistency is much more satisfying to me than that of jello!

Turkey or Chicken? Tough! I feel I gravitate more towards chicken on a weekly basis, but I have favorite recipes with turkey too. Chicken.

American or Provolone Cheese?  Provolone; a little goes a long way.

Crackers or Cookies? Seeing as I have a mouthful of sweet teeth, cookies dominate.

Pretzels or Chips? Both are addicting! Chips, especially multi-grain tortillas.

Mexican or Japanese Food? It depends what mood I’m in! I tend to only go out for Japanese food (sushi) and stay-in for Mexican-style dishes  I can make healthier.

Chinese or Italian Food? Same as above; I like to go out for both but prefer to make healthier respective dishes at home. Sometimes you need the most authentic-tasting meals though!

Pie or Cake? CAKE.CAKE.CAKE.CAKE.

Ice Cream or Cookies? Can’t I have them together?

Pasta or Pizza? I love homemade pizza; gourmet pizza shops are delicious occasionally. Pasta if it’s in a light sauce!

Pop or Juice?  Juice if I had to pick; just give me the actual fruit!

Chocolate Bars or Chocolate Truffles? Truffles-I feel these are more rare than a bar I can’t pick up anytime, any day.

Apples or Bananas? CAN’T ANSWER. These 2 fruits are my STAPLES!

Cauliflower or Broccoli? I ate broccoli waaay before cauliflower, so I’d pick broccoli first.

Onion Rings or French Fries? Make them sweet potato fries and I’m sold!

Blizzard or McFlurry? Blizzard-so many more options!

Fried or Poached Eggs? My mom introduced me to poached eggs and as the saying goes, “like mother-like daughter” :)

Crepes or Pancakes? Pancakes; I don’t think I’ve ever had a crepe.

Hashbrowns or Roasted Potatoes? Roasted potatoes with a crust on top are to.die.

Oatmeal or Cereal? If you asked me in high school, cereal hands down. Now-a-days, oats all the way!

Fellow Pittsburgher’s and those who want a good laugh! Here’s a hilarious website explaining phrases, words, and everything else people from Pittsburgh say; I’m guilty of more than half!

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