end challenge.

[seen while driving around LA]

Today was a much needed rest day. I know I’m supposed to take rest days but the issue is I love going to the gym, so much that I wrote all about it yesterday. Since I haven’t been doing much here besides sipping chai tea lattes, going to Trader Joe’s and applying to many many jobs, going to the gym is something to do that makes me feel like I accomplished something.

For my fellow workout-a-holics who love love love their gyms it is still so important to take a rest day– the body needs to recuperate. My body has been hella sore since working out with a trainer on Thursday and I’m hoping taking the day off to fully heal my body will have me back at 100% tomorrow since I am taking a trapeze class.

Today is sadly the last day of the challenge [I got a few days behind]. Hmm I definitely gotta find a new challenge now…

Day 28 Have you ever done a home workout video? If so, which ones are your favourite?
At home workout videos are not my favorite, but I do them from time to time if I can’t make it to the gym. I was lucky to receive a freebie of the “Zumba Exhilarate” box set. It is great for people who are too self conscious to go to a zumba class, or who want to see what it is all about before going to a class.

For me personally though I prefer to feed off the energy of an instructor and those around me. Also I have zero shame so I am no longer embarrassed by what I look like in a zumba class 🙂

Day 29 Recipe time! Share your favourite fall recipe!
Delicious pumpkin bread I made last fall! Because there is nothing more delicious than pumpkin bread

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups of flour
1 Tb. baking powder
2 tsps. ground ginger
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 stick of melted butter
1/2 cup of apple sauce
1 can (16 oz) pure pumpkin

Recipe
Grease two 9×5 loaf pans
Adjust oven rack to lower- middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees
-Mix flour, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves in a large bowl.

Meanwhile, whisk eggs and sugars in a medium bowl. Whisk butter and applesauce until fully mixed in and then add pumpkin.

Beat wet ingredients into dry ingredients until smooth. Divide evenly between the two pans.

Bake for around 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Let cool for a few minutes and then run a knife around the pan to loosen the bread.
Day 30 Your goals for October

• Find a job, workshop, gig, something that occupies my time in Los Angeles
• have an idea of what I am doing for the winter/spring
• continue to take dance classes
• continue to take flying trapeze lessons
• doing something acting related
• start studying for the certified personal training exam
• complete my dotFit certification
• cook more
• eat out less
• enjoy all that Los Angeles has to offer

cooking in cali

Today was all about eating cleaner (and not spending so much money eating out)

After a butt kicking workout this morning I had cool and refreshing over night oats waiting for me in the fridge.

I topped the oats off with a spoonful of peanut butter and a handful of peanut butter puffins and enjoyed them while soaking up the beautiful weather.

overnight oats are always a great meal post workout.

And then I got adventurous for dinner. Meet my new bff, the food processor. How I have been deprived of this awesome gadget all these years? This thing is awesome and super easy to use.

First up in the food processor was a strawberry salad dressing courtesy of Oh She Glows

mix up 1 cup of strawberries (washed and cut), 1/4 cup fresh basil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1-2 teaspoons maple sugar and some salt and pepper in the food processor then voila, you’ve got a delicious strawberry dressing.

My salad consisted of spinach, strawberries, almonds and pumpkin seeds.

In addition to the salad a put a new spin on my favorite simple chicken salad. Instead of using mayo, I made a macadamia nut garlic paste instead.

in the food processor goes 1 cup macadamia nuts, 2 garlic cloves, 1/2  teaspoon salt. Mix it up before adding 2/3 cup of olive oil.

My chicken salad was plain and simple, just chicken, grapes, and yummy macadamia nut paste.

The chicken I used in it from trader joe’s was a bit meh. With better chicken this dish will be perfect. Good thing my boyfriend is on the other side of the country because I loveee a good garlicky meal 🙂

My favorite way to eat chicken salad is with carr’s crackers

of course I had to call my mom after to brag about successfully making a delicious nutritious meal. Hey this is a big deal for a gal who’s afraid of the kitchen!

Day 27 Do you use any meal replacements or shakes?

I’m not big on liquid meals and the feeling of having all that liquid in mah belly. I sometimes make protein smoothies as a mid day snack / pick me up.

Anyone have a favorite food processor recipe? I’m obsessed!

settling down

It is finally time to settle down.

After feeling like a gypsy living out of my suitcase for the past week, today was the day I finally got to unpack. Usually I loathe unpacking, but today I was giddy to have all my clothing nice and organized.

This weekend the bestie and I roadtripped to San Diego. It was very cool to explore San Diego for the first time.

Highlights included:

-the San Diego Zoo

– seeing the amazing Amanda Palmer in concert with Neil Gaiman as an opening act

– sweating it out in the hotel gym

(…. I took advantage of the empty fitness studio and had a fake solo zumba class. Hey, it beats running on the treadmill)

– enjoying a delicious smoothie – in -a bowl with yummy fruits and granolas from a nearby cafe (I definitely have to replicate this breakfast)

– and of course goofing off with my best friend

I have fallen into my usual trap of maintaining a strict exercise regiment, but totally slacking when it comes to eating healthy. Since arriving in California almost every meal I’ve consumed has been courtesy of some delicious restaurant. Yes, I’ve been eating lots of killer salads, but I also crave homemade foods that I know exactly what ingredients were used.

Today was the day to finally head out to one of the lovely Whole Foods of California and buy some fresh food to eat. Back to my usual eats like overnight oats (which I am so excited to have a batch of in the morning), chicken salad, homemade quesadillas and fresh produce.

—

Unfortunately a wrench has been thrown into my California plans because the program I moved out here to participate in was cancelled due to low enrollment. It leaves me a bit freaked, for one this program was supposed to be a great start to pursuing my passion for fitness and becoming a group fitness instructor. I am also freaked because I am bad at doing nothing, I like to feel occupied and busy and like to have tasks I need to accomplish every day.

But this is also an opportunity. Today I took my first dance class since I graduated college. My first tap class since I was in high school. Today I started working on a certification I need for a job I might be doing when I get back to New York. Today I signed up for a trapeze class out here.

I am lucky that my parents are supportive of this opportunity for me to live in California and explore the west coast. Now it’s time to take full advantage of everything Los Angeles can offer me.

 

Day 23 How many hours do you sleep at night?
On a good night I aim for 8. Unfortunately there are periods of my life where this is not possible (aka this summer when 6 hours was the golden number). Thank you, theater school for teaching me how to fight through exhaustion— I don’t recommend it to anyone.

Day 24 Have you ever fallen for a fitness “gimmick”?

I can honestly say I have not, although I do remember this weird ab device that was supposed to remind you to suck in your belly and tighten your core by vibrating. My next door neighbor and I tried this “suck in your belly, tighten your core” method for a whole day. It ended up just giving me a belly ache and no six pack….

Day 25 What is something that you do well?

I have a lot of strength for my size, something that is both a curse and blessing for flying trapeze. I’ve been told I fly with the strength of a male… I take it as a compliment.
Day 26 What is one area of your fitness that you’d like to improve upon?

My flexibility. It has always been my weakness, since the days of dance. There are certain things that certain bodies were not meant to do– my body was meant to be strong, not flexible.

California Living

Los Angeles, I could definitely get used to you.

So far so good here in LA. I can drive to the complex that has my gym, Starbucks and Trader Joe’s alone without getting lost… And let’s by honest, what else do I really need besides the gym, coffee and groceries :). Today I finally drove more than a mile away and didn’t kill anyone or cry– success.

My California life so far revolves around eating good food and sweating. My friend and I are going to San Diego for the next few days which I’m super excited to visit for the first time.

As excited as I am to explore San Diego, I’m definitely looking forward to starting a routine once I’m back in Los Angeles. I’m looking forward to unpacking my ginormous suitcase, settling down, grocery shopping, cooking my own food, and following an actual schedule. It’s nice being in a carefree mindset with no real obligations, but that lifestyle definitely doesn’t fit me. I’m ready to work my butt off for the class I’m taking starting next weekend, and to possibly start studying for my NASM Personal Training certification.

Anyone else get a bit anxious when their life lacks schedule and routine?

It’s funny, in college I was the most productive when my schedule was jam packed with school and rehearsals. It meant I had to efficiently use the bits of free time I had.

back to the challenge

Day 21 Are you a coffee drinker?

oh yes. I have a lovely caffeine “addiction” aka I get headaches if I go too long without caffeine. It is very well known among my friends and family that I absolutely must go to Starbucks every single day, however I don’t always order coffee.

Day 22 What would you put in your fitness survival kit?

Here’s what I have in my gym bag

– deodorant
– body spray
– tiger balm
– lots of hair ties
– sneakers
– flippy floppies for showers
– print outs of favorite workouts
– 100 calorie almonds
– luna bars.

The essentials for me are deodorant (just say no to BO), sneakers, and hair ties.

—

Enjoy the first weekend of fall! It’s a bit hard to think about seasons when I’m surrounded by palm trees.

“it’s all happening”

L’shana tova to all those celebrating the Jewish New Year. When I decided what date to fly out to California I liked that it was right after the new year. While January is a time when I usually make resolutions and recount the year, I technically get to start over twice. Today begins the new slate in the new Jewish year and Wednesday begins my new adventure and the next chapter– the big scary real world. Perfect timing.

Autumn is definitely happening in New York, it is crisp and rather chilly out right now. I loathe cold weather and keep reminding myself that Wednesday I am moving to the land of eternal sunshine and warmth.

Last night I said goodbye to Manhattan. See you again when I’m back for a week in October. Until then, I will miss my home.

Day 16 How do you measure your fitness progress?

Sometimes it is hard to track my fitness progress when weight loss isn’t the goal. Instead I look at what I can do now that I wasn’t able to do a few months ago or a few years ago. I can run 3 miles, something I definitely couldn’t when I was in high school. I cut off 10 minutes from my 5k time last year. I can make it though an intense zumba class without feeling like I am going to have a heart attack. I can still fit into the jeans I wore when I was in high school and didn’t gain the freshman 15. I can feel how much easier it is to fly as my muscles have become stronger and stronger. When I was extremely into yoga I could feel the progress in each class– poses became easier and more familiar as my body became more flexible and aware of the vocabulary in a yoga class. I wasn’t concerned with the poses I couldn’t do, but instead I was excited about how much deeper I could get in the poses I already did.

How do you measure your fitness progress? 

Workout Mojo

I finally got to go to Yankee Stadium to see a baseball game!!!!!!

My family surprised my grandpa who had no idea 11 of us were going to the baseball game. Unfortunately the yankees did not win, but it was a lovely evening to sit around and watch baseball with my extended family.

—

Recently I’ve been feeling a bit “meh” at the gym. During exercise classes I just kind of go through the motions but don’t challenge myself or push myself to work harder. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been taking classes with my favorite instructors and I’m no longer doing outdoor bootcamp, but I want my workout mojo back!

On Wednesday I’ll have a new gym and new classes to take. Luckily the gym I have a membership with in New York has an incredibly convenient location near me in California. I’m hoping this change of scenery will bring back the workout mojo. I usually love going to the gym and sweating, but recently not so much. Very odd. Anyone else who generally loves working out every hit a workout rut? How’d you get your mojo back?

Day 15 What are your 5 favourite vegetables?

• carrots
• potatoes
• baby spinach
• eggplant
• zucchini

I am pretty sure some of those are not considered vegetables but shhhhhhh…

new and improved fitness bucketlist

some people stay up late watching TV shows, reading… you know doing normal people things. No, no, I stay up late researching grad schools and trying to find any information that I can on these programs. The best find of last night? If I happen to go to NYU for a masters in Nutrition there’s a class I am required to take that the lab is cooking. Like… they teach you how to cook things. Sign me up ASAP, pro favor. How is that a class?

Granted… I did major in theater so I took some odd classes for my undergraduate degree. African dance was a freshman requirement, amazing.

Day 14 Share your fitness bucket list

I had made a bucket list in July, but here’s my current fitness bucket list

1. Run in the Disney Princess or Tinkerbell Half Marathon

I mean Disney + Fitness = Kayla is in heaven. If I knew where I was going to be this February I would already be signed up and training my butt off for the Princess Half, but unfortunately I have no idea where I will be or what I will be doing

2. Become a certified personal trainer

This might be happening sooner than I originally anticipated. There’s a pretty big possibility that I will be studying for the exam while lounging around my pool in California and taking the exam soon after my “vacation” is over.

3. Participate in Yoga teacher training.

Yoga teacher training is about so much more than eventually teaching yoga. It sounds like an incredible opportunity to dive deeper into my yoga practice and learn more. Imma a nerd and just wanna learn more about everything. While I am not positive I would want to be a yoga teacher, participating in the training program is something I really want to do for myself in the future

4. Become an AFAA certified group fitness instructor.

In addition to becoming a certified personal trainer, I also want to teach group fitness. I already learned this summer that I love teaching zumba classes, now I want to be able to teach all types of classes like boot camps, conditioning and kickboxing.

5. Survive and Cross Fit and Hot Yoga class

the thought of both Cross Fit and Hot Yoga terrify the bejesus out of me. But I wanna try them out after hearing how much people love both of them.

6. Do a muddy run

There’s a bunch of “muddy runs” out there to participate in: Pretty Muddy, Tough Mudder, Spartan, Warrior, etc. I wanna get down n dirty in the mud while also completing scary obstacles!!

7. Fly out of lines

The next big step for my flying trapeze career is flying out of lines. This means without being connected to the safety lines that instructors use to guide you to a safe landing. Right now my focus is rebuilding my strength, confidence and awareness in the air after 5 months of injury hiatus, but once I’m back in the swing of things (literally) it’s time to start working on my pull ups and clean up my flying.

 

What’s on your fitness bucketlist? 

WANTED: Recipes from you!

oh man it is the final countdown to the my California adventure… sick of me talking about it yet 🙂 ?

My life is a series of to-do lists and errands that absolutely must be done before Wednesday

One of my favorite features on my new mac is the “reminders” application that I already loved on the iPhone. To-do lists are my best friend.

A big task I am attempting to tackle is compiling easy peasy recipes to make while I’m in California. I’ve mentioned that I have slight “phobia” of my kitchen in Manhattan since it’s the size of a small closet and rather cramped. In California I will have a roomy kitchen to test out my culinary skills in. I already have a few go to recipes… and by that I mean I have 5 different delicious breakfast options I know how to make. Step 1 was bookmarking a gajillion recipes from various blogs I adore, step 2 is writing them down in my new fancy schmancy moleskine recipe book. Step 3 is actually creating this delicious delicious meal.

Wanted: easy peasy, healthy go to dinners. Preferably dairy free and if using animal protein only chicken or turkey. Any suggestions?

Day 13 What is your proudest health or fitness related accomplishment?

My proudest fitness accomplishment is running my first 5k this past August.

Running is not easy for me. At the beginning of the summer I could barely run 2 minutes. But I trained my butt off and built up my endurance

and on race day I ran the whole 3.1 miles with ease and without stopping– something I never dreamed was possible at the beginning of summer.

While it was “just a 5k” it became more than that to me. It was proof that working hard paid off. It made me realize how much I enjoy running. And mostly it made me want to run more. Once I have a more permanent living situation (aka I know where I will definitely be living after November…) I want to sign up for a 10k and then a half marathon. The 5k this summer was the first time I ever worked towards a fitness related goal, and I want it to be only the beginning of my running career.

I’ve come a long way since being that girl in gym class who couldn’t run a mile.

What’s your proudest accomplishment?

how often do you weigh yourself?

One week until California 🙂

In other news, Green Day tickets when on sale this morning and a managed to get some pit tickets!!! I never thought I’d say this but I am so flipping excited for January to come!

Day 12 How often do you weigh yourself?

It’s funny, when I am living in the city I rarely weigh myself. There’s no scale in my apartment… and I’m not planning on purchasing one any time soon. Every so often I will weigh myself at the gym out of curiosity just to check up on where that number is.

When I am at my parents house there is a scale in the bathroom and I therefore feel the need to weigh myself every day before I take a shower out of curiosity. The thing is I am fully aware that weight is a number, and an inaccurate number at that. Since I weigh myself every day it becomes obvious how much that number fluctuates depending on the time of day, what I ate, and what I drank.

Ultimately, I exercise because it makes me look good and feel good– not because of what the scale says. I choose to eat healthy not because I want a smaller number on the scale but because it makes me feel more energetic and means I won’t get belly aches.

Are you guilty of weighing yourself every day like myself?

out with the old mac, in with the new mac.

My new computer is up and running! If you ever need to transfer files from an old mac to a new mac, Migration is a life saver. Everything from documents, to photos, to iTunes playlists to bookmarks transferred. I am amazed and so pleased that the process was easier than I anticipated. out with the old, in with the new!

Day 11 Describe your dream fitness vacation

My dream fitness vacation would be to Club Med Cancun, one of my favorite places in the world.

where there is a trapeze rig in my backyard

and a beautiful beach steps from my front door.

My dream fitness vacation would be some place warm, with a beach, a trapeze rig, somewhere beautiful to run, and fun group fitness options at the gym. Having an amazing array of food options is a fabulous bonus 🙂

what’s your dream fitness vacation?