The busy girl's guide to health and fitness

I cannot believe it has already been a year since I last put myself through the perils of marathon training. I certainly have a love/hate relationship with training.....it is really fun to push your body and see exactly what you are capable of, but man, it is a LOT of running. Pretty much my entire summer revolves around training, including my eating habits, which can put a damper on summer fun sometimes. This blog post will talk about all things marathon....hopefully it will help some of you out! If this is your first marathon, I know how excited, overwhelmed, nervous, and all other emotions you are feeling right now. 26.2 miles is a LOT of miles! My biggest advice in this circumstance is to take one step at a time...literally. You are way more capable of doing this than you know. Before you even set out on a run, make sure you have the following: Marathon Training Plan There are so many to choose from, I know. Do your research! Pick one that goes along with the allotted time

The weather is FINALLY starting to get warmer which means a lot more runners will be headed outside to hit the pavement. There is nothing better than getting in a nice, long run on a beautiful spring/summer day in Chicago, however if you are a serious runner (or even semi serious) you should have been running outside in the cold weather too. While it is natural to want to retreat indoors and just run on the treadmill when it is cold out, constant treadmill running will really set you back from where you were running outdoors when it finally warms up. Last year when I was training for my Ragnar Relay, I did basically all of my training indoors on the treadmill. I went into my first leg super confident that I would CRUSH it since I had been training, but when I got out there, I struggled soooo hard. Here's why: Pacing It is great to have something that automatically paces you, however if you rely completely on that, when it comes time to run outside you are going to start goi

It doesn't take much time being at the gym to know that people suck. Nothing is more frustrating that getting into zone during your workout only to have some idiot do something to annoy you. Below is a list of some things to do at the gym so you do not become THAT person that everyone can't stand. 1. Wipe down your machine There is nothing worse than waiting to use a machine at the gym only to find that the person using it prior to you has left a trail of their disgusting sweat. You know those little wet wipes that are in practically every corner of the gym? Use them! 2. Machine "Reserving"  This is about as annoying as people using folding chairs to reserve their parking spot in the winter. We all want to get in to the gym, put in our work, and get out, but "reserving" multiple machines at a time is just not ok....this is not your private gym. The same goes for the space you use while working out. Don't spread your crap all over the place to t

"Is butter a carb?" For those of you have seen Mean Girls, you know what I'm talking about, but questions like this are all too common in the healthy food world. And with so many conflicting theories on what is healthy and what is not, it is very hard to wade through the immense amount of advice and information out there. So how does one maintain and healthy and clean diet? It is not as hard as you may think.... 1. If it came straight from nature, eat it.  Rule of thumb here: if you can pick it from a tree, pull it from the ground, etc, you SHOULD eat it. Whole foods are healthy foods, and the majority of your diet should consist of these in their natural state. An healthy is super good for you with load of vitamins, fiber, and natural sugar. However, when you douse it in caramel or chocolate, that now becomes unhealthy. I see this most commonly with salads. People have a salad packed full with healthy greens, veggies and protein which serves as a great meal......

Let's face it, sticking to your workouts and eating healthy while traveling is REALLY hard to do. You're not in your usual environment with your regular schedule and eating out for every meal. But while sticking to being healthy is hard, it is not impossible. It takes a little bit more of planning and preparation, but I can tell you from experience, you feel so much better when you do not all out forsake your typical healthy lifestyle. Before you pack for your trip, do your research! Does the hotel you're staying at have a fitness center? Obviously this option is ideal to be able to help stick to your workouts, but it is not a deal breaker; do not just decide to not workout based off no fitness center being accessible. If you are staying in an urban destination, search around and see if there is a gym nearby the hotel and call to see if they offer day passes to use their facilities. If that is not an option, there are still a number of exercises you can do right in you

How many of you out there do not eat breakfast every day? The majority of people I know typically skip this meal and I am here to tell you why NOT to miss breakfast and give you tips on being able to fit prepping and eating into our crazy, busy mornings. First of all, breakfast is so delicious....why would you want to skip it? Eating in the morning kick starts your metabolism so you can head into the day being a lean, mean fat burning machine. Also, if you eat something of sustenance (ie, not just a piece of fruit or a granola bar), you will stay fuller for longer and will be less likely to snack between meals. Eating a substantial breakfast is especially important if you are like me and get your workouts done in the morning. If you start your morning with an intense workout and then do not eat anything at all, or something very minimal, your body will not be able to repair itself and you could also go into "starvation" mode where your body holds on to the extra fat inst

I have met two people in this world when it comes to chiropractic care; people that swear by it, or people that think it is complete phooey. Let me start by saying that not too long ago, I was in the former group. I thought chiropractic care was good for those that had serious injuries, but did nothing for those that are not injured. But now, I swear by my chiro and think it is important to share my story of how my thoughts and opinions changed. Let me start by saying that I have had some pretty terrible posture my entire life which is something that runs in my family; my grandmother had a very bad hunchback. I thought I would be able to fix this by doing different types of stretches and exercises that were good for improving posture, or by doing a bunch of yoga. However, I found that it wasn't that simple. At the beginning of the summer, I started suffering from a lot of dull achy pain in my upper back, along the shoulders, right below my neck, etc. I had just started train

How many of you year after year have made an unattainable resolution at New Years to go to the gym every single day, eat healthy, etc and then find yourself two weeks later right back where you started? We have all been there....I know I have. And I can pinpoint these people at the gym every year for the first two weeks of January clogging up the gym and then never seeing them again. So how do you actually stick to your resolution of living a healthier lifestyle? 1. Choose A Realistic Goal If you set a goal of working out 5 days a week (which is a great goal) if you don't even exercise once a week, chances are you will not be able to stick to that goal. I hate to be that negative Nancy, but I have been there in the past and I know how many times I have failed to stick to an unrealistic goal that I have made. Small, realistic goals are the only way to not only stick to your resolution, but it starts the process of making it a lifestyle change instead of a resolution. So start

  I don't know about ya'll, but as a busy working girl (2 jobs AND school), I find it very hard sometimes to keep up with a healthy lifestyle. And then I go on social media and watch bada** women like Melissa Hartwig (Co-creater of Whole30) working out and looking AMAZING and I can't help but to feel bad about myself because I don't look like her. Then I have to remind myself that this is what she does for a living and has way more time to spend in the gym and cooking than a regular person such as myself has. BUT, I know first hand that it is possible to achieve your health and fitness goals despite being a busy gal. That is what inspired me to create this blog. My fitness journey started 6 years ago when I woke up one morning and was just sick of being overweight. I was 5'4 and about a size 12/14 and wasn't athletic by any means. I didn't workout ever and my eating habits were terrible, hence how I go to be in that state. Once I finally set my mind to