2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Ever since I was seven years old I’ve been obsessed with New Years resolutions. In the wee hours after midnight I would write in my journal goals and aspirations for the new year.

Looking back at my 2012 Resolutions I am happy to say I succeeded far more than I thought I would. To be honest, I have the whole healthy living and FitFluential blogging community to thank for helping me achieve my goals this year. Reading other peoples posts about fitness and food inspired me to change my own life and adopt a more healthy life style. For that I thank you, every single one of you reading this blog and those of you writing your own blog, for all the inspiration.

In 2012…

• I Graduated New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Drama (and on my 22 birthday :))

• I spent all summer training for my second ever 5K. In August I ran the entire race at Yankee Stadium– a small feat for some, but a huge feat for the girl who couldn’t run a mile in high school

• I became less terrified of my kitchen

• I stopped hating yoga and actually kind of fell in love with it… and took on a 22 day yoga challenge
  

• I moved to California, briefly. 

• I spent the summer with some amazing people
  

• I injured my right arm. While this is not an accomplishment or something I wanted to happen, it forced me to take a step back and listen to my body. It also forced me to learn how to dance with one arm….

(I did finally get to fly again, 4 months after the injury happened)

• I became a licensed zumba instructor. While the process was not particularly difficult, it was still the first step towards becoming a fitness instructor

• I became a NASM Certified Personal Trainer (and a crazy woman during the 8 weeks I spent studying for many many many hours)
  

 

• I spent all of 2012 dating this awesome guy….

 

• I started my first ever “adult job” as a personal trainer. After only ever working at camps and as babysitter, getting paid minimum wage is quite exciting 🙂

 

Not gonna lie, 2012 was a pretty awesome year. I feel incredibly lucky and blessed for everything that happened in the past year that made it such a great year.

With that said, I’m so so so excited for 2013 and all the possibility it holds. Can’t wait to start auditioning my butt off as a Manhattan actor…. AND begin my world domination the fitness world 🙂 I’m totes gonna be the next Jillian Michaels, no?

what did you accomplish in 2012?

new year, new rules [a challenge for 2013] + giveaway

Ah, it’s good to be home. Even if my hometown is currently a cold, slushy mess. This morning I woke up at 8AM without an alarm (thanks jetlag!) and was greeted by a flock of turkeys in my backyard.

Yup, definitely not living in the city right now.

Despite the snowy conditions here I still managed to get my butt to the gym this morning for a group fitness class. In London my workouts were in “vacation mode”. Yes, I worked out most mornings but I lacked the motivation and discipline to do a real, ass kicking workout. The week ended up being a really nice recovery week for my beat up body.

[see! I went to the gym! and discovered this strange, strange machine]

Eating healthy wasn’t a priority especially since every meals was eaten at a restaurant. This week I consumed more sweets than I care to admit.

[prixe fixe menu? well I guess I’ll eat a brownie… if I have to….]

 

Being home means vacation eating and lazy workouts are over—it’s time to get back to healthy choices, home cooked meals and sweaty workouts.

I am super excited to announce that I will be participating in Prescribe Nutrition’s “New Year New Rules”  program.

But wait Kayla, you don’t want to lose weight, why are you participating in a food program?

For starters, I’ve always had some belly problems and digestion issues. Many of those problems have been resolved after cutting back on dairy last summer, but I still think there is more to be done for me to really feel my best. This program is not about dieting but focusing on eating clean and eliminating common allergens (dairy, gluten and sugar)

Also, for someone like me who is still getting comfortable in the kitchen I love a challenge that pushes me outside of my comfort zone (ya know, making peanut butter sandwiches every single day) and forces me to try new creative foods.

Not gonna lie though, I’m a bit a worried about how to eliminate gluten from my diet. Bread is arguably my favorite food after peanut butter, but I know it will force me to make healthier decisions and really plan out my meals in advanced. At first I thought eliminating dairy would be an impossible nightmare but I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how manageable it is.

Participating in this program will not only guide you through the process but also provide healthy and yummy recipes. I’m definitely excited to branch out from my usual lame cooking and try out some new recipes!

Find out more about the creators Prescribe Nutrition

Interesting in joining me? I am giving away a 20% discount to one lucky reader.

How to Enter:

1. Mandatory. Leave a comment with why you are interested in participating in the New Year New Rules program.

2. For an additional entry follow me on twitter @kaylaruth. leave a comment saying that you followed

Contest ends December 31st 6pm EST and I will chose a winner within 24 hours

highlights from LONDON

I am writing the rough draft of this post somewhere above the Labrador Sea en route from London back home to New York.

My family had a great week seeing theater, exploring the city and visiting friends.  We stayed in the St. James area which was perfect for my family– close by to the tube (subway) and it was walking distance to the theater district, Chinatown and Little Italy where my family ate most nights.

I’ve now been to London a few times both with my family and on my own and it’s definitely one of my favorite cities to visit. Our trip wasn’t the most typical since we were more interested in seeing musicals than seeing churches, but we still got to see some great parts of London along the way.

Here are some of my favorite bits of this trip to London and absolute must do’s if you visit:

• Seeing Taboo in Brixton. No joke, one of the main reasons my family decided to go to London was to see my favorite musical Taboo performed live. I originally fell in love with the show 8 years ago when we saw the second to last performance of the Broadway production. It was absolutely thrilling to see my favorite show in London and hear the amazing score live.

In addition to seeing Taboo we also loved the stage adaptation of “Singing in the Rain” and “Let It Be” which used all Beatles music. If you are looking for other musicals to see in London I highly recommend “Les Miserables,” “We Will Rock You” if you’re a fan of the band Queen,  “Wicked” and “Billy Elliot”. Like New York, London has an amazing array of theater to see—one of the reasons I love this city.

• Cruising down the Thames on a “City Cruise”Boat. I highly recommend taking one of the many boats that cruise down the river.

 

• Shopping at Harrods. This store is the mother of all department stores and a must-see for any shopaholic. Other mega department stores to visit: Harvey Nichols and Selfridges.

[source]

• Christmas lights on Regent Street. London during Christmas time is absolutely magical.

(my dad tried marmite, he hated it)

• Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park. You’ve never seen a winter themed carnival like this.

 

• Carnaby Street. Unfortunately we weren’t able to visit Carnaby Street during the day when all the stores are open (another must visit for shopaholics) but we still got to see part of the Rolling Stones Exhibit currently on display.

]

• The London Eye. This mondo Ferris wheel offers the best view of London. We didn’t go on the London Eye this time around since the whole family has already gone, but it’s definitely a must do!

 

 

As much as I love London, it’s definitely nice to regroup, adjust to the jetlag and come home to my parent’s house for a few days before starting up work again.

Anyone else spend Christmas somewhere fun?

Even in London my family managed to do the typical Jewish tradition and eat Chinese food on Christmas. Unfortunately the Les Miz movie hasn’t been released in England yet or else we would have also gone to the movies 🙂

London Calling [day 1 & 2 + a WORKOUT]

hello from London! I am here on family vacation and happy to report it is currently not raining and I have some what adjusted to the 5 hour time difference. Win win.

Much of our first day here was spent traveling and napping. One of my guilty pleasures while traveling is reading fitness and fashion magazines that I would never otherwise purchase.

in actuality I spent most of the 6 1/2 hour plane ride sleeping since it was an overnight flight. Usually plane rides are my favorite time to watch movies and TV shows, but sleeping was definitely more important.

We arrived in rainy London groggy, very confused about what time it was and ready for a nap at our hotel. After a nap it was time to grab dinner and walk over to the theater district to see the stage adaptation of “Singin’ in the Rain”

the show was excellent, classic songs from the movie, excellent dancing, and simply an all around fun musical. Hopefully it will make it’s way over to Broadway next.

One of my favorite parts about London is walking around since it looks so different from what I’m used to in New York. It’s also especially magical over here since it’s the holiday season.

 

This morning I woke up early and headed to the hotel gym before family breakfast. When my parents first booked the hotel I immediately google searched that there was a gym and a nearby starbucks…. priorities 🙂

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the hotel gym and came in ready to just wing it depending on what they had. The gym is relatively sparse– a few cardio machines, stability balls and some dumbbells. Once I got there I scribbled down a circuit that focused on dumbbells and enjoyed a nice sweaty workout while listening to a Jillian Michaels podcast

Since all the cardio machines were being used while I was there I ended up doing quick cardio bursts in the form of jumping jacks, high knees and running in place in between each circuit.

The trickiest part about the workout? The weight on the dumbbells aren’t listed in pounds like in America so I had to pick up each dumbbell up and “test it out” to figure out what weight I wanted to use. I’m pretty sure the other gym-goers thought I was crazy picking up all the dumbbells to test them out.

It did feel real good to workout after lots of sitting while traveling.

After a nice breakfast of porridge and a shower it was time to explore the area.

We ended up at this ridiculous winter carnival. I’ve never since anything like this!

The concept of a winter carnival is unheard of to me. It was HUGE and filled with winter themed rides (like the Swiss Alps themed hotel above….) and lots of food.

After exploring for a while it was time to head over to Brixton for dinner and a show.

Warning: major musical theater geeking out ahead. When I was 13 my family went to see the musical “Taboo” during it’s second to last performance on Broadway. It immediately became my favorite show, even though it was an incredibly unlikely favorite for a 13 year old considering it centered around Boy George and the 80s club scene in London. I was infatuated with the songs and characters and was truly devastated that the broadway show closed. When my family heard it was coming back to London, 8 years after falling in love with the show in New York, we knew we had to come see it (yup, the main reason I’m here in London thanks to Taboo!)

While the London version is slightly different than the version I fell in love with on Broadway, it still was unreal to see my favorite show again 8 years later and hear those songs live again.

It’s unreal that I got to see this show again.

 

 

hope you all are enjoying vacations and the holiday season. Anyone else traveling somewhere far away and fun?

oatmeal for dinner [ recipe ]

After being a crazy woman for the past 8 weeks, it feels SO weird to not be studying right now. I can sit back, relax, and not feel guilty about watching old America’s Next Top Model episodes.

Other things I don’t feel guilty about… eating oatmeal for dinner. Since I’m leaving the city Tuesday for vacation and haven’t had much time to plan out meals there’s very little food in my apartment…….

And sometimes you just want a comforting warm bowl of yummy oatmeal on a cold and rainy new york evening.

good enough for dinner apple cinnamon oatmeal

ingredients:

• 1 cup + 1/2 cup of almond milk (I used vanilla for extra flavor)
• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 apple, cut up
• lots of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of honey

directions:

1. In a medium sized sauce pan heat 1 cup of almond milk, the oatmeal, chia seeds, the apple mix with a few shakes of cinnamon over medium heat.
2. Keep stirring the mixture until it starts to thicken (if you’re like me you will probably freak out that it’s soooo watery and you did something wrong. Don’t worry, it will thicken!)
3. Once the mixture thickens add the addition 1/2 cup of almond milk and honey.
4. Stir until the mixture becomes thick once again. Add additional cinnamon if desired.

I keep telling myself, “I’ll start going legit food shopping once I’m back from vacation”. Until then I’ll enjoy oatmeal for dinner instead 🙂

 

What’s your favorite way to enjoy oatmeal?

For me this is definitely my favorite hot oatmeal recipe I’ve ever made, but in the summer time I’m a huge fan of overnight oats

CERTIFIED!

I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!

Excuse me while I go freak out!

I am now a NASM certified personal trainer! It has been a crazy crazy 8 weeks studying for this exam and I am so relieved it’s over. When the proctor told me congratulations I had to hold back the tears of joy and instead kept staying “oh my god! oh my god! oh my god!”

Stay tuned for a recap of how I studied for the exam for those desperately looking for help via google… cuz yes I spent an excessive amount of time google searching times over the past few weeks.

But for now it’s time to sit back, relax, clean my messy messy apartment and go shopping 🙂

it’s beginning to look a lot like chanukah

good morning all!

a very happy chanukah to all those celebrating

I’ve been “lighting” the candles on my velcro menorah every night since I’m too lazy to seek out real candles. I’m super excited to celebrate the holiday this weekend with my extended family. In actuality Chanukah isn’t a very religious holiday, but it’s a great excuse to see my aunt, uncle and cousins and eat some latkes.

mama found me some dairy-free chanukah shortbread cookies. not exactly healthy, but hey it’s the holidays 🙂

My chanukah wish list this consisted of a food processor, toaster oven, and fitness classes.

It’s funny how what I want  for the holiday has shifted from toys and electronics to practical items for my apartment.

 

This morning I’m bringing back old Kayla traditions: grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s early in the morning to beat the crowd, eating breakfast while watching morning talk shows and eating my favorite breakfast while I was in California: whole wheat english muffin, peanut butter, honey + chia seeds

The past three days I’ve been at new staff orientation from 9-6 which was incredibly helpful but hella exhausting. Tonight is my first night actually working a shift at the gym and talking to members about personal training. I’m so so so excited to get to wear my staff outfit but definitely a little nervous to step outside my comfort zone and reach out to people.

Of course on top of working has been studying and more studying

post-spin class protein shake (vega vegan protein + banana + frozen strawberries + almond milk = heavenly) while studying the isolated functions of muscles.

I don’t wanna say exactly when I’m taking the NASM CPT exam in case I do fail, but I’ll just say it’s very soon. I am feeling very confident in the material at the moment thanks to these crazy study sessions, doing really well on practice exams and reinforcing the material at orientation these past few days. Here’s to hoping hard work pays off!

 

Time to head over to the gym for a quick strength workout before a staff meeting. Perks of being a personal trainer!

NASM Live Workshop [recap]

Today was my NASM Live Workshop for Personal Training. It’s times like this I am grateful to live in Manhattan because I knew it wouldn’t be too difficult to find a workshop in the city. Today’s workshop was held at Crunch on 38th Street with Brent Brookbush.

What it is:

NASM Live is a hands on workshop that touches on some of the key aspects of the NASM exam. The main focus is how to create an effective training program for a personal training client that corrects postural distortions while progressing through the stages discussed in the textbook.

What it is not:

Sadly, NASM Live is not an exam prep workshop. While it touches on things that will be on the exam, the main focus is not “how to pass” but more importantly how to effectively train clients.

In the long run how to train clients is more important than passing the test…. but not gonna lie at this moment it’s a tad bit frustrating for someone in my situation who is pretty close to taking the test and could use a formal exam prep class.

What did we do?

The workshop started off with discussing the statistics of obesity in America and why what we do as personal trainers is so important and will only become more necessary as the epidemic continues.

Next, we focused on postural distortions by doing “overhead squat assessment tests” with each other. Anyone studying for NASM knows that the overhead squat assessment is an important part of the test. It was helpful to have willing guinea pigs to test out what I know about the squat assessment. It brought what I was learning in the textbook to real life.

When you spend as much time as I have basically attached to the NASM textbook and flashcards it was a nice reminder that as a personal trainer I will be working with real people, not some textbook picture of what something looks like. It sounds silly, but it’s a nice reminder.

Then it was lunch time. I was thrilled to find out we actually had a lunch break and I didn’t have to eat my brown bag lunch that I put together at midnight….

After lunch we took one person’s postural distortions and from there created a workout specifically for them and their goals. We got to actually test out the SMR (self myofascial release aka foam rolling) techniques on our own bodies in addition to all the stretches.

We then discussed what other exercises would be appropriate.

After completing that exercise plan we created another for a “more advanced client” with a different postural distortion. This time a few of us, including myself, got to actually participate in a series of super sets (back to back exercises) as an example of training for strength.

Bench pressing followed by push-ups on a stability ball at a slow controlled tempo are not easy!

After a few supersets with different willing guinea pigs, it was time to discuss the final phase of training and wrap up for the day.

It doesn’t sound like a lot, but going over each aspect in detail took the entire day.

Things that were incredibly helpful:

Overall it was incredibly helpful and eased my nerves as a new personal trainer… especially considering I already have a job at a gym. For me personally the “art” of making an effective program completely clicked today.  I feel more prepared to meet with new clients and take them through a well planned out, science based exercise program.

It also was helpful in showing myself how much I’ve learned in the past few weeks since I started studying. It’s hard to feel like I’ve accomplished something when I still feel like there’s so much studying to do, but it felt good to realize “hey I definitely didn’t know any of this stuff back in october”

But a side note:

Since I am currently in studying hell with an extreme focus on knowing exactly what the textbook says, at times it was a bit difficult to talk about things not exactly how the textbook lays it out. For someone like me who is good at memorizing facts and numbers, it began to mess me up when I was told slightly different statistics or numbers for things than I had previously learned.

Is it worth it?:

While I do wish there was more of a focus on the exam, overall it was an informative and really interesting day. I have definitely been in a NASM slump this past week since I’m kind of burnt out on studying, but as cheesy as this sounds today reminded me why I’m doing this– it’s not to pass some test and memorize the anatomy of a bone but more importantly to work with actually people who want and need my help.

So yes, all-in-all it was definitely worth my time and money.

even better fried rice.

greetings from a [very long] NASM study break

That stack of notecards is the bane of my existence.

This week has been a bit… much. Working + Studying + Being Sick = one overwhelmed Kayla. Being sick ruins everything!

Work is going well minus the whole sick thing. It’s definitely forcing me out of my comfort zone– I’m usually not a very extroverted person and tend to avoid talking to strangers at all cost. Meeting new clients is definitely going to be a challenge for me, but it’s good to leave my comfort zone, right?

Some perks of being a personal trainer (or at the moment a personal trainer in training– PTIT)

• getting beat up by my fellow co-workers. I was the guinea pig last week for a mock training session with one of the veteran trainers. He definitely didn’t take it easy on me and proceeded to reduce me to a pile of sweat. Good thing I love working out!
• being required to wear yoga pants. Nice and comfy all day long, yes please.
• when the work day is over I’m already at the gym and dressed for a workout.

 

 

So, tonight I finally felt the good kind of rumbling in my tummy– HUNGER! Considering I’m usually hungry ALL THE TIME, having no appetitive for the last few days has been odd.

It was time to bring back a California favorite : picky eater “fried” rice

While the first time I made it it was pretty good, I definitely went a lil crazy on the soy sauce. Today’s creation was like a million times better than the original

brown rice + soy sauce + sesame oil + carrots + zucchini + eggs + CHICKEN!?

oh yes, that’s chicken in there. It’s well known that I’m TERRIFIED of cooking chicken, like, don’t make me touch raw chicken because it freaks me out and I’m convinced I’m gonna get food poisoning, terrified. I’m making strides to get over my chicken phobia, friends!

new and improved picky eater fried rice

•  Start by heating up a frying pan on medium heat
• While the frying pan is heating up, prepare all the toppings: today I cut up some carrots and zucchini in one dish, scrambled an egg with a bit of pepper and salt in a second dish, and cut up a chicken breast into small pieces seasoning it with salt and pepper.
• Add a bit of olive oil to the heated pan.
• Once the oil is heated up it’s time to cook the chicken. It’s easy, I promise! Let one side cook for about 2 minutes, then flip all the pieces over. Once each side is cooked (it will look white and no longer pink) mix in a splash of soy sauce. Continue to move the chicken around the pan to season it with the soy sauce. To check that it’s fully cooked cut open a piece– it should be fully cooked inside.
• Move the chicken to plate on the side (I put it on a paper towel to blot the excess oil)
• Next up is the veggies. In the already heated frying pan add a bit more olive oil and add in the carrots and zucchinis. After about a minute add a splash of soy sauce and sesame oil. Once the carrots are a bit soft, move the veggies to a bowl on the side.
• Last is the scrambled eggs. Pour the eggs onto the pan and mix until cooked.
• Now it’s time to mix it all together with the rice. I used microwave brown rice because I’m lazy, but any already cooked rice is fine. Put the chicken, veggies and rice in the pan with the eggs. Add a touch of soy sauce and sesame oil until it’s seasoned to your taste.
• Enjoy!

Adding soy sauce throughout was a good idea because it seasoned each ingredient throughout the process so by the time I added the rice I didn’t have to add much more. The salty flavor was way more subtle this time. Adding sesame oil was also new-to-me and added an extra flavor to it.

What’s your favorite add-ins for fried rice?

for me it’s definitely the above + edamame. And in the case of hibachi rice peas.

What else can I do with all this raw chicken I got in my fridge?

(I’m looking for something easy and fool proof….)

 

and lastly go check out Instamotivation . Um perfect for finals season… or if you’re studying for a daunting personal training certification like this gal…….

livin’ la vida loca + [lowerlegworkout]

Things are definitely a bit crazy over here. Life is currently a balancing act of work, studying and trying to have a tiny bit of fun on the side. I keep telling myself that this craziness will die down soon enough and my life will eventually return to a steady routine– just the way I like it. But for now, shit is cray.

Something I’ve tried to maintain throughout this craziness is my daily fitness routine… which let’s be honest isn’t too difficult when you work at a gym :). I’m definitely loving the little perks of being a personal trainer like wearing yoga pants all day and getting to workout in my downtime.

 

This morning I decided to give myself a bit of extra time at the gym before taking my favorite zumba class and squeeze in some strength training. My shoulder has been acting up since taking a yoga class earlier this week, so I decided to focus on lower body instead

lots and lots of squats. I didn’t want to completely destroy my legs before zumba, but I definitely felt the burn.

I’ve noticed that more often than not I’m the only female surrounded by a bunch of intense men in the free weights section of the gym. Come on, ladies! let’s step it up!

 

 

Slowly I’m starting to clean my apartment and stock my fridge with fresh and delicious food. I might’ve convinced myself today that lugging heavy bags of groceries from Whole Foods counts as an upper body workout.

Trying to eat healthy and cook at home can sometimes be tricky in the city– getting delivery is incredibly easy and convenient compared to dealing with my itty bitty kitchen, and on top of that the boy was here all weekend which means we wanna go to our favorite restaurants in the area.

For dinner tonight I attempted to make a new dish inspired by one of my favorite bloggers, Julie.

In a skillet a I cooked 1 apple with some butternut squash (pre-cut thanks to Whole Foods, yay for being lazy!) and apple chicken sausage in olive oil. Besides a minor mishap with the knife that left me with a bloody ring finger (I was more concerned about my manicure getting ruined than the fact that I sliced my finger pretty badly….) it was a delicious and easy dinner.

side note: when buying chicken sausage make sure to read the packaging if you don’t eat pork! some brands use pork casing, even with chicken sausage.

After this picture was taken I added a bit of honey and cinnamon which might not sound like it would taste good with chicken… but I promise you it does! See, I can still make healthy meals in my itty bitty kitchen… even if it means risking my ring finger’s life.

Hope you all had a good weekend. While I’m sad the weekend ending means my boyfriend has to head back home, I’m actually pretty excited to head back to work tomorrow. Let the work and studying craziness continue…..