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Some “real” thoughts/words for a Friday

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Hey everyone! TGIF, right? I know my Friday posts are usually light and fun, but I’ve got to use this time today to write about something with a little more substance. So, grab some coffee (or wine, if you’re reading this later in the day) and get settled… it’s a long, wordy, fairly picture-less post, but I am hoping some of you can relate and shed some light in the comments section.

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I don’t know what has been going on this week, but I’ve just been in a bit of a “funk” for the vast majority of it. Why, you might ask? Well, that’s the thing. I can’t put my finger on it, which is probably the most frustrating part of it all! When I try to think about it, about what is really the issue, I keep coming back to the same thing: I am tired. Not necessarily due to lack of sleep (regardless of how busy I am, I can generally still get my 8 hours of sleep, which is my only saving grace in the crazy-busy lifestyle I am currently leading), but more with everything I have been juggling.  As much as April was an absolutely wonderful month filled with so many birthday celebrations, baby celebrations, wedding celebrations and general “start of spring” celebrations, I think I packed in too much. It makes me tired just thinking about everything that I did in April, but, since we’re on the topic, let’s just recap for the fun of it.

April Highlights

-On top of everything, and even though I have loads of flexibility with my “real” job and get to work from home as often as I would like, it is still tiring. Commuting into the city and to the gym right from work at least 3 days out of the week is a lot! On the days I come into the office (mostly Mon-Thurs), I leave the house around 7:45 and don’t get home until 8:15-8:30. After a full day of work, commuting with lots of bags, teaching one or two classes, I am beat. Mentally and physically exhausted. Granted, I do this to myself, so I’m not looking for pity, but it’s times like this that I realize I am trying to do TOO MUCH.

-Also, my very good friend, JP, gave his notice right before my birthday, so it’s been pretty lonely around the office without him!

–Teaching lots of classes

–I battled ANOTHER bad cold

–Really busy weekends

–Trying to keep up with cooking healthy meals once a week

–Birthday celebrations, part 1

–Birthday Celebrations parts 2 & 3

–Long weekend in NYC

–Lots of busy weeks

–Hosting Sara’s baby shower

-Christy’s Shower, trying to have a social life, gardening

And, these are just the events I made it to… I was not able to make it to my dear friend, Caitlin’s, baby shower in Maine because of teaching which made me so sad:(

For the first 2 weeks in April, I was teaching SIX classes each week. And, after the 2nd week, I was still teaching 5. And you know what? It was too much. I found myself running on empty far more often than I should and getting more injuries, the number 1 sign that I needed to slow down. But, did I? Absolutely not. And was that smart? Absolutely not. Do I have issues where I take on too much? Definitely.

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Doesn’t the world we live in tend to foster the mind frame of “I am SO busy. I do this, this and this. How much do YOU do?”, and those who don’t do as much are seen as inferior by those who do too much? It totally does. And, sadly, I find myself caught up in the comparison of “who leads a busier life?!” more often than I would like to admit. Is this something I am proud of? No, definitely not, but I am working on it, though! Being busier than someone doesn’t make you better (not saying I felt that way, but I think it’s common).  Teaching 10 classes a week AND working a full-time job doesn’t make you a better instructor than someone who only teaches 2 or 3. Working multiple jobs and still being able to make every social event doesn’t mean you can manage your time better than someone who doesn’t do that. More isn’t always better. It’s tiring and although one can likely maintain juggling lots of balls for a short period, there will be a time where they will hit a wall, and I am here now, being honest, saying I have hit that wall.

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My Dynamax class has not hit the minimum number of participants for this session yet, and even though taking a break (if my numbers don’t go up) for a session would probably be a blessing in disguise, my immediate reaction was, “I failed at this. My numbers were so high all the other sessions, but they aren’t this session. What did I do wrong?”. Luckily, Athena reminded me that it wasn’t a failure; I agreed to teaching this class as a short-term thing… a “I’ll try it out for a session. It’s just 8 weeks” sort of thing, yet, 8 months later, I am still teaching it (granted, it’s one of my favorite classes, so it’s not a burden at all). She also reminded me that if I don’t have to teach it this session, I could have more time for MY OWN workouts… what a thought, huh?!

You may be asking yourself “why does she keep doing this to herself? Why doesn’t she just take time to relax and do nothing?”. Good question. Quite simply, I feel guilty when I am not maxing out my schedule. I know, I seem so ridiculous even to myself when I say type that. I feel like I am wasting time if I am not filling it with plans. I LIKE the feeling of being on the go and having a full schedule. Heck, when I have a day off, I find myself spending time FILLING UP my day off with all sorts of plans. Do I really need to go to Target? Clean the apartment? Cook or bake? No, probably not, but I do them because when they are finished, I feel good! I feel great, actually. The satisfaction of crossing things off my to-do list far surpasses the looming feeling I get when I don’t do the things I feel like I should be doing. Crazy, again. I told you I was being honest here!

Anyway, what I am trying to say, is that this week made me realize that even though I think I can handle everything and keep taking things on, there will always come a time where it’s too much to handle. As my mom tells me “you’ve hit a wall. It happens. It’s a reminder that you need to slow down.” It’s OK to take an afternoon and do absolutely nothing besides snuggle up on the couch and read a book, catch up on magazines or get sucked into watching hours of reality TV. It’s OK to say “no” to things that people ask you to do. It’s OK to put off cleaning the apartment, going grocery shopping or cooking in lieu of hanging out with friends and grabbing a drink or bite to eat. Unfortunately, for people like me (please tell me I am not the only one), all of that sounds great in theory, but it’s incredibly hard to actually follow through with.

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I am going home to Maine for Mother’s Day next weekend and I am really excited about it. Especially after this week. For the first time since Christmas, I am going to be able to spend more than 24 hours there, and this couldn’t come at a more perfect time. Maine, by nature, is a relaxing, peaceful and slow-paced (ok, more slow-paced than Boston, especially in Shapleigh!), and even though I might start to go stir crazy by the end of the weekend, I know it is just what I need to get back to my normal self!

If you made it this far, thanks for reading and listening to me vent. I hope that maybe some of you can relate or share some words of wisdom to help me out!

Questions for you: Do you thrive on being busy? Are you a list maker? Have you ever “hit a wall” like I have? Do share- it will make me feel better (and less crazy!!). I promise I’ll be back to regular, light-hearted posts in no time. Just had to get this off my chest!

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

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So, I teased you yesterday when I posted a picture of the meal I made on Tuesday night, so I figured it was only fair for me to share it with you now! We are in the midst of getting ready to host Amy’s sister, and our dear friend, Sara’s baby shower, so things are likely a bit hectic in our household!

I bought a spaghetti squash last week, but never got around to making anything with it (I made this meal instead.), so I figured this was a great week to use it before it went bad.  Plus, after I’ve been away on a little trip where I’ve eaten out and eaten more indulgent foods and desserts than normal, I always like to “detox” a bit upon my return by eating loads of veggies.  This meal certainly helped to get me back on the right track! Loaded with veggies, chicken breast and some light cheese, you can enjoy a generous portion, guilt-free.

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

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Ingredients:

  • 1 small-medium spaghetti squash
  • 1/2 cup onion
  • 1/2 cup green pepper
  • 1/2 cup zucchini
  • 1/2 cup summer squash
  • 3/4 cup broccoli
  • 1-2 tsp minced garlic
  • 2-3 thinly sliced chicken breasts, cut up into small cubes
  • 2 tbsp reduced fat cream cheese
  • 2 tbsp goat cheese
  • 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
  • 2 tbsp Italian bread crumbs
  • Oregano
  • Basil
  • Italian Herbs & Seasoning
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 1-2 cups of pasta sauce
  • Little bit of shredded cheese

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Directions

1. Start a pot for the spaghetti squash (refer to this post for better instructions!) and begin to cut up your veggies. Heat a pan with a little bit of EVOO and add in the onions and minced garlic. Let those soften and cook for about 5 minutes. Next, add in the green peppers and let those cook with the onions for another 2 minutes or so.  Finally, add in the remainder of the veggies. Add in your spices of choice. I like to add in a couple heavy dashes of wine, because well, “wine not” (as my mom says).

0412. When the water is boiling for the spaghetti squash, place it in the pot and boil for 15-30 mins (depending on the size of the spaghetti squash that you get).

3. When the veggies are cooked, remove from the pan and set aside. Cut up your chicken and cook it in the same pan you cooked the veggies in.

0444. Once the spaghetti squash is cooked, remove, let cool and use a fork to get the “spaghetti” out. Once the chicken is cooked, add it to the veggies and mix together. Add in the cheeses, bread crumbs, 1 tbsp or oregano and 1 tbsp of Italian Herbs & Seasoning and a few dashes of basil. Stir well to ensure that the cream cheese and goat cheese melt. Add in 1-2 cups of sauce and place mixture into a baking dish. Top with cheese and bake for 20 mins at 375*. I broiled mine at the end to get that nice, crispy topping.

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046Get a bowl, serve yourself a nice heaping of this, and add some extra sauce on the side if you need more (I always need more sauce).

049Voila! here you go. This meal did take some time, but it was worth it. My sister came home from travel and had some and was raving about it! I think this would also freeze well, so if you made a big batch, you could have some for later.

Questions for you: Do you feel like you need a “detox” when you get home from a trip? What’s your favorite healthy meal to make or eat? I love Life Alive if I’m not cooking:)

Friday Catch-Up: Lots of different pictures!

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TGIF! This week flew by for me, but I think that is because I had Monday off. Whatever the case, I’ll take it! While I was looking through my pictures on the train ride home from the gym (no service=try to do whatever I can to keep myself busy, aka looking through my pictures), I realized that I took pictures of all sorts of things this week! So, grab a cup of coffee (or glass of wine), relax and bear with me as this post is long could go all sorts of different ways!

Eats

I planned ahead on Tuesday night and packed myself a nice, little, deconstructed taco lunch for Wednesday. I was able to eat outside, which made lunch even more enjoyable!

042Spanish rice, beans, corn, chicken, yellow peppers, onions, salsa and cheese. Perfection.

I put this together while I was making a Spaghetti Squash Casserole (recipe to come- SO good). It’s always the best time for me to get a healthy lunch together when I am already cooking in the kitchen. Since it was really cold on Tuesday, I was happy to have these babies to keep my toes warm:

039I got these for my birthday and totally made fun of them, but I’ll be honest, I kinda love them now!

Here’s a little teaser for the recipe I will post soon

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Exercises

I caught up on my April Arms Challenge workouts that I missed from Tuesday and needed to do on Wednesday.

005Wednesday’s workout was preacher curls and plank holds and I decided to do the plank holds on the stability ball. Wow! It’s amazing what a simple change up to an ordinary “staple” move can do… my core has been SO tight ever since. Love that:)

Taught a great double on Thursday, even though it was quite the whirlwind in trying to get there.

010I look somewhat put together here, but let me tell you, I was the definition of a hott mess when I first entered the gym. Let me break it down for you…

  1. I left work at my normal time on Thursdays (4:30) to have enough time to walk to the T (about 5 minutes), get on a T, go the 5 stops to Central Square and get there by 5ish (usually).
  2. I was all excited when I walked down the stairs and saw a T waiting for me- awesome! It’s the best when that happens.
  3. My first thoughts: Why the heck is it so freaking hot on this train? Don’t they have air conditioning? Why aren’t we moving yet?
  4. Turns out, there was a medical emergency and we had to stand by. I thought of walking to another T stop, but I realized that if my train wasn’t moving, no other ones were moving. Great. It’s was now 5pm.
  5. I decided to try and get a cab. The traffic in the city was miserably bad and there were no cabs. Even better.
  6. I finally got a cab and said “please take me to central square as FAST as you can”. Luckily, I had an awesome cab driver who drove so crazy, but there was still the problem of incredible masses of traffic.
  7. I realized that if I made it on time, I wouldn’t have enough time to change AND be on time… that left me with no other choice but to change into my gym clothes IN the cab. Let me tell you, putting on tight Lulu in a small space and sweating while you’re doing it is not easy. Just sayin’.
  8. I called the gym and said I was going to be late, but it didn’t look like I’d be that late- awesome!
  9. We got onto Mass. Ave and the traffic was back and there were flashing lights ahead. I realized that I was close enough where I could run and still make it on time. Mind you, I had 3 bags on me- they call me the Bag Lady at work.
  10. I paid the $24 for the cab, got out and SPRINTED (well, as fast as I could with multiple, heavy bags on me) to the gym and made it only 1 minute late. How’s THAT for a crazy race to the gym?!

012I can’t tell you how happy I was when I walked through the door of my apartment tonight. I have a serious love/hate relationship with PT, that’s for darn sure.

Other random pictures from my phone

Snuggles with Charlie

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Coffee in my favorite mug

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Spring is definitely in the air

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I won a giveaway!

My good friend, Rachel, hosted a giveaway last week and I was so, SO hoping I’d win since I LOVE jojo jewelry. Check out Rachel’s blog post for all the details, but let me show you what I picked!

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015Rachel got us beautiful diamond blings for her wedding and I wear them ALL the time. All of the Shapleigh girls were also in Sara’s wedding, and she got us a pair of bling earrings from jojo, too. I chose to get gold metal since the other 2 pair I have are silver. I’m absolutely in love with the pair that I chose! Definitely go on over to her site and check out all the bling she has to offer. You won’t regret it:)

Oh, and when I was perusing the Bling, I stumbled upon the jojo Kitsch hair ties and decided to get a package, too. Whoops!

016Well, I think that about sums it up! Thanks for sticking with me if you made it this far:)

Your turn: What’s the best part of your week so far? Any crazy things happen to you? Do you have any jojo earrings or jewelry?

Twenty Eight

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Twenty eight. 28. I am 28. Still getting used to saying that! I will recap on last night a little later, but I will say that I had the best time. The headache I have right now? Yeah, not such a great time, but that’s ok!

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I am not big on setting goals, mostly because with my personality, if I set a goal and don’t accomplish it, I will be so hard on myself. I lose sight of the whole purpose of why goals are made and end up focusing solely on whether or not I can do it, which kind of defeats the purpose of making a goal, right? So instead, I try to think about things I might want to accomplish this year and go with that. But this year, before I do that, I want to take a second to reflect on the past year. I often focus too much on all of the things I WANT to do and things I haven’t done yet and forget to acknowledge all of the accomplishments that I’ve made, so today I am going to change that. I am going to look back on my 27th year and feel grateful for everything I have done. I know I am forgetting some things, but here are the big highlights from last year:

  •  I started Burpees to Bubbly! I have been reading healthy living/fitness blogs for years and years and never really had the urge to start one, only because I was afraid no one would like it. I was also afraid that I would get too obsessed with it and with posting on a regular schedule and, in turn, it would become a chore rather than a source of enjoyment. So far, so good. I feel frustrated at times because I want to be a huge blog, but I try to remind myself that I have only been doing this for a few months and it’s all about baby steps. I’m still working on finding my “groove,” but I have had fun thus far experimenting with post styles and topics and can’t wait to do more of it this year.

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  • I got my AFAA certification and started teaching fitness classes. I have been an avid class-goer for as long as I can remember and now that I am finally teaching my own classes, I wonder why I waited so long to start. I like to think I am making up for lost time when I cram in teaching 6 or 7 classes in a week, but more recently I realized there is no need for that. I am still learning how to say “no” when people ask me to sub or take on new classes, and although I am still not great at this, I think I am getting better. Recently, I let got of some classes in order to free up some of my time and even though it was hard to do, I think it was a smart choice. I was feeling overwhelmed and frustrated that I didn’t have time to GO to any classes. I was bored with all the workouts I was teaching and wanted to go to classes to get new material, but teaching 5 or 6 days a week, I didn’t have time. Now that I have more days off from teaching, I am excited to “gym hop” and try out new classes and new instructors. This year, I am also excited to go to more conferences and trainings so I can learn about new types of workouts and exercises and become more involved in the fitness community.

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  • I was promoted at my “real” job. I don’t talk about my real job much on the blog, but I am very grateful for it. Not only does it pay my bills, but it gives me incredible flexibility which allows me to teach classes:) I also get to travel because of my job, which has its ups and downs, but most of the time it’s fun to have a chance to have a change of scenery and get out of town for a bit.  I also work with really great and fun people (even though my bestie, JP, got a new job and won’t be there anymore), which makes going into the office better.

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  • I’ve become more financially stable. For years I was spending more than I was making and I have spent the last year or so trying to pay off that debt. I am finally debt free (well, besides school loans) and looking forward to building up a savings so that I can be a responsible 28 year old. I am also going to move into my own place in September, so I need to save up for that. Having extra income from teaching has been awesome. Not only is it great to get paid to workout and do something I love, but having “extra” money every two weeks is amazing!
  • I have made a conscious effort to try to relax and slow down. Obviously, this is still a HUGE work in progress and is one of my biggest challenges, but I really am trying to be better. I have treated myself with spa days and meals out and have been easier on myself if I don’t get all my things done that I think I “need” to do done. Like I said, I have my good days/weeks with this, but I think being actively aware of my issues and trying to fix them is a step in the right direction.

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Well, there you have it! Granted, these are just some of the things I am proud of myself for, but since they are the bigger ones, I thought those were the good ones to list out. This year I want to be more mindful of my accomplishments- no matter how big or small they are- because I shouldn’t wait until my birthday to pat myself on the back for things I do on a daily basis, right?

Here is to 28 and officially being in my “late” 20’s. I’m excited for what is in store for this year and I hope that you all stick around with me as I share my journey via Burpees to Bubbly.

Questions for you: Tell me- what is something you are proud of accomplishing over the past year? Do you like to make goals?

Sickness & Exercising- want your input!

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Happy, happy Friday, Burpees to Bubbly readers:) For the local Boston readers, how happy are you about the spring weather forecast for the next handful of days?! My birthday is a week from Sunday (eek! 28!) and I am praying that the weather holds up through then.

Ugh, so for those of you who have seen some tweets or Facebook posts, you’ll know I’ve been battling an awful cold this week. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t seem to catch a break with sicknesses this winter: Pneumonia, ear infection, stomach bug, and now this.

Let’s be honest, being sick is never fun, but in years past, it didn’t add as much stress as it does now that I have a teaching committment 5 times a week.  I hate having to get subs because I want my members to have consistency and keep coming back for that. As a former avid-class goer, I would seek out the best classes and hardest instructors, so when they were out, I was always skeptical of the subs. Granted, I was pleasantly surprised by some subs, but more often than not they were nothing in comparison to the actual instructor- anyone else feel this way?

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(UXF group- I’d be so sad to miss this!)

I know I talk to my mom about this all the time. She goes to a “Party Boot Camp” on Tuesdays and loves the instructor (Hi, Jackie!!), so when Jackie it out, my mom is always bummed because she goes to the class because she loves dance parties.

momdanceSo, what I am trying to say, is that even though I felt awful and could barely breathe while I was working out (and, had to cough and blow my nose throughout! sorry, everyone:( ), I pushed through it and taught. I am not saying that was the best idea, but since I felt ok physically (meaning, I wasn’t glued to the couch), I figured it’s better for me to be there then to not be there.

me after a double (Post double… totally beat!)

My question, though, is when is it too much? When is it better to rest rather than push through it and “sweat it out”? I am one to always push through things (I get this from my mom), but whenever I have a stomach issue, I generally take time off from the gym. With most sicknesses, my appetite usually remains unaffected (except for pneumonia… didn’t eat for days with that), but when I am sick to my stomach, I don’t eat, so therefore wouldn’t have the energy to work out.

With a cold, I usually suck it up and push through it as best as I can. Even though I didn’t have great energy as I was teaching (don’t worry, I was still able to yell! 😉 ), physically I felt ok enough to be there. I took it easy on myself and only did about 75% of the class, which was probably a good idea. Stuffy nose+cough+tight chest makes it hard to workout AND instruct.

I want to hear from you, though.  When you’re sick, do you push through it or do you take some time to rest?