Kendal Gapinski

What a Whirlwind It’s Been

Photo by **Alexas Fotos** from **Pexels**

Holy shit, guys — it’s already August.

Which means in less than a month I get married.

Also, we’re in the middle of a global pandemic.

Oh yeah, and I decided to switch jobs during this time, which has added to the chaos.

I’m sorry that I’ve been slacking in keeping up with this blog. I can’t promise I’ll be better over the next month, but definitely after September 12, I should be able to jump on here more often.

In the meantime, though, I thought I’d do a little catch up on life so far and what’s been going on.

This year has been weird. I mean, I know it’s been a weird year for everyone, but I feel like over the last 6 months, everything has changed. At the start of this year I knew it was my Saturn Return (for all my astrology nerds out there, a time in your late 20s when things really start to shift around), but I was not expecting this level of change.

My sister bought a house, and roughly a week later my parents moved back from South Carolina, which has been an absolute dream. Now the entire family is only 10 minutes (instead of 10 hours) apart, and it’s been so nice to be able to pop over there whenever I want to to chat and hang out.

I’ve also been in full wedding planning mode after several months of holding off since I wasn’t sure what was going on in the world and if we’d postpone or have to drastically change things. Luckily, our venue is outside and able to host a socially distanced wedding, I got some sweet Quartantined for Life masks, and we have a short guest list to make everyone as safe as possible while still being able to (somewhat) have our big day. Needless to say, it’s been stressful.

And then because I must thrive on insanity, I switched jobs around a month ago. I’m no longer at the school district and instead took on a job doing marketing and communications for a packaging company, which I LOVE so far. I’m working from home (which I’ve grown to really love) and feel so challenged and inspired by the work. The marketing team is small (but mighty) and it’s been crazy trying to learn everything I can about a global billion dollar business while also taking on new projects and planning a wedding. I’m also taking on a few freelance writing opportunities too, just to keep things interesting.

Oh yeah, and did I mention that we also started the process of looking to buy a house? I wasn’t kidding about the whole “addicted to being busy” thing.

Anyways, that’s life right now. A little chaotic, but honestly I wouldn’t change it (minus the whole global pandemic thing).

Since I don’t love to write about myself and just leave it at that, I thought I’d share a few quick tips of things that are helping me stay sane these days:

Schedule, Schedule, Schedule. Every day I write down my to-do list, an hour by hour schedule of what I want to get done, and leave space on the bottom to list out tomorrow’s must-dos. This has been a GAME CHANGER for my time management.
Get a workout in early. Ya’ll know I love my Peloton, but recently I’ve dedicated myself to Robin’s 4-week Tabata program, and checking something that’s really hard off my to-do list first thing in the morning has been such a great way to get in a good mindset for the day.
Take at least one night off a week. Last night, I sat on the couch and watch five episodes of Real Housewives with a glass of wine and I. Felt. So. Good. Today. I needed a mindless night of doing nothing and it gave me a little pep in my step today to push through some projects. Some days you need a mental health break, so don’t be afraid to take it.

That’s it. I’m sure there are more ways to handle chaos (share them below, please!), but this is what’s been working for me. I look forward to sharing more in this space (but again, no promises until late September) and maybe one day I’ll even write a thorough post about how to plan a wedding in a global pandemic… if I ever give myself a minute to breathe.

Stay safe and be well.

[Attempting to] Thrive During Quarantine

I haven’t felt the urge to write in a little while, mostly because the world has flipped on its head over the past month or so. We’ve been in quarantine for roughly 2ish weeks, and I’ve been working from home for a little less than a month.

I work for a school district, so when the governor closed schools on March 13, my work went into overdrive. I was swamped answering calls, updating the website, sending out communications to families and more. Now that I’ve found more of a rhythm and things have leveled off (a little, anyway), I thought I would share some of the things I’ve found most helpful in dealing with this entire mess of a situation.

Find a routine. It’s taken a few weeks, but I now have a fairly solid routine that I really enjoy. I’m up early, usually around 6:30, and spend a few minutes cleaning up the house and making coffee. Each morning, I strive to get 2,000 steps in before I sit down to do work (which sometimes means I pace back and forth in my living room like a crazy person), and then I write down in a blank notebook the day’s to-do’s, an hour-by-hour schedule, and five things I’m grateful for that day. After all that is done, I work for a few hours (using my new stand-up desk which has honestly been a game changer), and then take a break around 11 to work out. After that it’s lunch, a quick call to my mom to check in, and then spend the rest of the afternoon finishing up with work/meetings. I stop to make dinner around 6 and then spend the rest of the night with Tom and Zoe (my little sister who moved in with me just before the shit hit the fan in order to work at a local restaurant, which shut down approximately one week after she got here). We’ve been trying to find new shows or movies each night to watch, but we also “play” a little trivia by watching an episode or two of Jeopardy, which is a GREAT (and underrated) way to pass the time.

Focus on movement. I’ve always loved exercising, but recently I’ve really started dedicating at least an hour a day to working out. I’m privileged enough to have a Peloton bike, so I ride 3-4 days a week, mixing in some yoga and weights most days too. In addition to the 2,000 steps before 8 a.m., I also try to get a nice long walk in with Zoe at least once a day, especially now that the weather is getting nicer. Honestly, compared to working in my office, I feel like I’m moving more now than I have before and it’s something I intend to carry back into “normal” life.

Clean and organize. I’ve been saying FOR YEARS that I want to clean out the house and purge all of our belongings that we no longer need, but that I didn’t have the time. Well, I don’t have that excuse anymore. I’ve been spending weekends going through the house (since weekends seem to be the time where the boredom sets in the most), and I’ve seen such a difference in my overall attitude. Not only does it eat up some time, but I think the idea of cleaning out something, even if it’s just going through the junk drawer in the living room, brings a sense of accomplishment to the day… even if you’re just spending the rest of the day binging Tiger King.

Find joy and gratitude. Love her or hate her, I’ve been following Rachel Hollis’s free Next 90 Days challenge for the past two weeks. The idea is that every day you do your best to complete the Five to Thrive (drink half your body weight in ounces of water, move your body for 30 minutes, write down five things you’re grateful for, give up a category of food you know you shouldn’t be eating, get up an hour earlier and use that time for yourself). Sure, it’s a little hoaky, but having a list of things to accomplish each day has been super helpful during this time. Additionally, there is a theme each week of the challenge, and they send out a 30-45 min video lesson on that theme. Last week, it was all about perspective and this week the focus is on finding joy. For me, that’s translated to spending some time every morning writing down things I’m grateful for, because honestly, I am so lucky. The big things currently making the list? My family is all still healthy, both Tom and I are still receiving a paycheck, Zoe is here with me, and the only big sacrifice I am being asked to make is simply STAY HOME. If you would have asked me 6 months ago to stay home for a month — when I was go-go-going nonstop and felt so overwhelmed — I would have jumped for joy. Instead of focusing on the worry and anxiety (which, trust me, I have that too), I’m trying to really think about my quarantine as being a privilege. It is a luxury that all I am being asked to do is work and stay inside my home that’s filled with food, Netflix and a comfy couch. Not everyone has that luxury.

Give yourself some grace. This is a weird time, ya’ll. I have been trying to use it to focus on improving my health and my work, but I definitely don’t want to make it seem like I’ve been handling this perfectly. For comfort, I’ve been turning to lots of snacks and sugar. I have days where my anxiety feels overwhelming and I’m not sleeping soundly. I worry about Tom being out working and potentially getting exposed, but I also worry about him not working and figuring out how to support ourselves with a single paycheck. I worry about my Dad who has bad asthma and an 80% lung capacity. I worry about myself, since I have asthma. I worry about our wedding in September, and whether it will happen or if it’ll be canceled and we’ll lose thousands of dollars. It’s hard, and it’s hard for everyone. So even though I’m challenging myself to work out, eat better and focus on the positive, there are days where that just does not happen. There are days when I just want to sit and watch Housewives while eating a big old bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. And I think that’s okay. We all need those days, so long as you can pick yourself up and keep moving forward.

We’re all trying our best to get through this, and that can look different for everyone, but this is what has been working for me. I hope it helps someone.

Above all, stay safe and stay home. I hope to see everyone on the other side of this stronger, happier and healthier.

Student Voice in Education

Last school year, the Cheltenham School Board gathered at the district’s high school for a town hall meeting with the community. This time, though, instead of teachers and residents of the community asking the questions, students peppered the board with inquiries about school safety, start time, equity and achievement, gender non-conforming students and more.

This event was one of the many ways Cheltenham School District – like others around the country – is including student voice into the decisions surrounding education.

“Student voice in education is critically important,” said Julie Haywood, board president of the Cheltenham Board of School Directors in Elkins Park, Pa. “Their perspective really does have an impact on our decision making. You have to look at each of these students as a future leader, and having them participate in the democratic process is an important part of their education.”

More and more districts are turning to students for their input on everything from the food served in the cafeteria to education funding policies. With students being the ones impacted by these decisions, many schools are questioning why young people are often left out of these critical conversations, said Dr. Dana L. Mitra, Professor of Educational Theory & Policy at Penn State College of Education and expert on student voice in education.

“We give that right to adults to have a voice in their own lives,” Dr. Mitra said. “Why not our students?”

Student voice in action

Typically, most student voice initiatives fall into three larger categories: at the classroom level, at the districtwide level, and at the state and local politics level, said Dr. Mitra. In the classroom, including student voice can be as simple as giving students the option to help set classroom expectations. As districts continue to focus on social, emotional, and personalized learning, including student voice in these dynamic conversations is coming naturally to many.

“Even just listening to students is the most basic level of including student voice in education,” said Dr. Mitra. “It helps to raise issues to adults and administrators that may not be seeing them.”

At the organizational level, more districts and boards are actively soliciting student input for important policy decisions. At Cheltenham School District, students are involved both formally and informally with the board, said Haywood. The district has two members of the high school’s student council that meet with the board during its monthly legislative meetings to report on what is happening at the high school.

In addition to this monthly meeting, Haywood notes that when the board is looking at policies or curriculum that directly impact students, they will “actively solicit their views.” When the board was recently looking at the district’s dress code, Haywood said that the board sent the proposed policies to the student council, who then solicited input from their peers before sending the feedback back to the board.

By having these types of interactions and discussions, Haywood noted that students have been able to work with the board to make changes that impact students directly. For example, after the school stopped its open campus program that allowed students to leave for lunch, students reached out and asked if there could still be a way to reward seniors with a special privilege instead. The students and board worked together alongside their food services department, and were able to carve out a separate area of the cafeteria for seniors to have lunch away from the rest of the student body.

“This provides the board an opportunity to listen,” said Haywood. “The policies and decisions we make directly or indirectly affect students.”

At Pittsburgh Public Schools, student voice is such a priority that they have created a role dedicated to including student voice in the conversation surrounding education. Project Manager for Student Voice Asia Mason said that her main focus is managing Pittsburgh’s Student Advisory Council. This group consists of roughly 65 students who are trained as leaders and come together quarterly with district officials to discuss some of the decision-making processes surrounding curriculum, behavior, policies, communications and more.

Anyone can nominate a student for the council from one of the district’s high schools. Then they are placed on a ballot, and their peers then vote on who should serve. Once nominated and voted in, students then attend a four-day intensive leadership workshop, where they learn about leadership skills, the mission and vision of the council, and how to engage with various district stakeholders.

During the first year of the council, it created a survey that was sent to students to help identify a few of the student body’s top priorities. Some of these included school lunch, class schedules and college opportunities and programs. The students in the council worked directly with school officials to learn how they made decisions that impacted these priority areas and worked to created realistic solutions. For example, Mason said the council wanted to expand school lunch opportunities. Working with administrators, she said that students knew that “it was not possible to go out to lunch every day or to order in Pizza Hut,” but they were able to work with food services to sample different types of food and new recipes.

The council is also shaping the district’s curriculum and board policies. Mason noted students have served on subcommittees that helped shape the district’s suspension ban and create new programs for ESL families. They even had a group of students travel to Poland last summer and then use what they learned there to help enhance the district’s curriculum surrounding the Holocaust.

Schools that are interested in providing more opportunity for student voice need to keep a few important keys to success in mind, said Dr. Mitra. She noted the importance for organizations to seek out diverse students, including those who may be struggling in school. These students are often the ones who can provide valuable information that shifts policy changes and makes a positive impact on the student body at large.

Then there are the smaller details districts should pay attention to. Dr. Mitra noted how things like the geographical space, how to arrange the chairs to show equity among the young people and adults, and even the timing of the meetings can impact the success of the initiative. It’s also crucial for both the adults and young people to recognize the strengths they are bringing to the table.

“For example, the adults will obviously need to do a lot of the work that involves the legal side of things,” she said. “While young people are probably better at collecting data about the experiences of their peers.”

Expanding outside the classroom

As districts continue to seek out student voice for more and more of their decisions, the movement is now turning towards the inclusion of student voice in local and state politics, said Dr. Mitra. Specifically, she points to lobby groups that now have youth wings that actively engage with local and state governments about educational issues.

“This is an enormous opportunity for young people to make an impact in state legislatures where the education policies are actually decided,” said Dr. Mitra.

At Pittsburgh, their work on student voice inclusion expanded last year to include a partnership with the Pittsburgh City Council. The 25-member Youth Participatory Budget Council, made up of students from Pittsburgh Public Schools, met throughout the year to discuss issues that faced the city and worked to come up with a proposal for spending a small portion of the city budget, set at $125,000. Mason said the district is hoping to expand that program, and ensure that “holistically our students across all schools are exposed to those types of opportunities.”

“In education, I believe including student voice is important because they are our main constituents,” Mason said. “That’s who we are here to serve. They are directly impacted by our decisions… why wouldn’t we include them in the process? They are the experts in being students.”

SIDEBAR:

Making it work

While student voice initiatives that are wholly grown within the district can “tend to lose sight as they get pulled in a million different directions,” Dr. Mitra said that there is a strong correlation between a successful student voice program and a school working with a third party nonprofit organization. Here are a few resources to help get districts started on their student voice initiatives:

International Journal of Student Voice. A journal co-founded by Dr. Mitra, the International Journal of Student Voice encourages practitioner and student submissions. Readers can sign up for the list serve and will be alerted as articles are published. (https://ijsv.psu.edu/)
Youth and Adults Transforming Schools Together. YATST is a network of youth and adult teams committed to building school communities in which learning is engaging for everyone and students are fully empowered. (http://www.upforlearning.com/)
The Neutral Zone. The Neutral Zone is a diverse, youth-driven teen center dedicated to promoting personal growth through artistic expression, community leadership and the exchange of ideas. (http://neutral-zone.org/)
Youth on Board. Youth on Board is a youth-led, adult supported program where young people have the space and tools to recognize and utilize the power they hold to dismantle political and economic structures that reinforce inequity (http://www.youthonboard.org/)
Youth Leadership Institute. Youth Leadership Institute builds communities where young people and their adult allies come together to create positive community change that promotes social justice and racial equity. (http://www.yli.org/)
Gardener Center for Youth and Communities. The Gardner Center for Youth and Communities engages in research-practice partnerships to produce research that informs policy and practice, and emphasizes the importance of equity and capacity building in youth-serving organizations. (http://gardnercenter.stanford.edu/)

This article was published in the November/December edition of the PSBA Bulletin.

My Peloton Review and FAQs

I love my Peloton that I made space in my TINY storage room for it.

It was only a matter of time before I wrote about my Peloton.

My sister, Hannah, purchased one towards the end of last year. I was skeptical – I figured I’d get sick of it after a few months, and that it wasn’t worth the $2,000+ price tag. Before making the jump, I decided to try out the app ($12.99 per month) using the bikes and treadmill at my local gym.

It took one class before I was hooked.

I loved the guidance of the instructors and how they pushed me right when I felt like my legs were slowing down. The music was great, there was a ton of variety in the classes, and it felt like I was part of this small community of people supporting and cheering each other on. I gave Hannah’s actual Peloton bike a try shortly after that and purchased the bike during the Black Friday sale.

I’m not kidding when I say it’s the best thing I’ve ever purchased.

Since then, I’m almost at 50 total rides, and I’ve worked out every week for 13 weeks. I actually look forward to working out (who woulda thought?!). When I switched to riding in the morning, I saw an immediate change in my mood. I feel stronger than I have in the past and more motivated than ever before. I’m also down about 8 pounds (though, let’s be real, that’s 80% due to diet changes).

When I was doing research, there were plenty of Peloton reviews out there, but I had trouble finding one that answered all of my questions. So, before you take the leap, here are a few things I wish I would have known ahead of time.

Let’s get right to it… how much does it cost?

The bike is not cheap, and I’m not gonna lie, when I looked at the price tag I was put off (especially with a wedding this year!). For the bike plus accessory package (which I got for free as part of the Black Friday deal and included weights, a mat, shoes, headphones and a heartrate monitor), it was $2,244. I also added a two year service plan for $175. Delivery is $250. In total, the purchase cost $2,565.21. There’s no way I could have forked over that much at one time, but what sealed the deal for me is that Peloton offers 0% financing for anywhere from one to three years. Since there isn’t any interest, I chose the three-year financing through Affirm, which means a roughly $65 monthly payment for the bike. Additionally, Peloton charges $39.99 per month for access to the classes and the ability to track metrics, use the leaderboard, etc. In total, each month my bike + membership is roughly $105, which when I did the math, was about $15 cheaper than what I was spending monthly for my gym membership.

Does that mean you can quit your gym?

Absolutely! I’m a group fitness class lover and I honestly haven’t missed it over the past three months. In addition to the spin classes, the app offers strength, yoga, treadmill, meditation, cardio, and bootcamp classes. If I had the space, I’d buy a cheap treadmill, a few more sets of dumbbells and set up my own gym. For now, I have the bike, and a few sets of dumbells, which is still enough for me to do a majority of the classes.

Why spend the $$$ on the bike instead of the $12.99/month app?

I thought the same thing too, which is why I did the app for a month or so before committing. And honestly, if it’s just not in your budget right now, you can totally get by using the app on a different bike. BUT (and this is a big but) it is hard to know your cadence and resistance if you’re using something other than a Peloton bike. That meant when I did the app I was basically guessing when instructors would tell the class to turn up the resistance or to speed up. Once I transitioned to the bike – and I actually experienced what something like 80 cadence out of the saddle felt like – I realized how different of a workout it was. The leaderboard ended up also being a huge thing for me – I love group classes because of the community spirit, and having access to compete and virtually “high five” others in the class boosted my overall effort.

Do you get bored?

I wanted to give it a few months before reviewing the bike for this reason. I tend to get bored with workouts easily, but three months in and I can say I still look forward to using the bike to work out. I think that’s because there are so many class options – there are artist themed rides (Backstreet Boys, Coldplay and Pink are three of my favorites), intervals and arms for full body workouts, HIIT and Tabata for short but mighty workouts, low impact for your off days and more. Cody’s Groove Rides have you dancing and performing choreography on the bike, while the plethora of 90’s rides are always a good time. I often spend a few minutes at night going through that day’s list of on demand rides to favorite a few for the future.

What about the non-cycling classes?

If spin wasn’t my thing, then I’d forgo the bike, but I would still be an app user. The strength classes kick your ass and leave you sore for days. I did a boot camp class at the rec for a year prior to Peloton, and have to say that the 30-minute Peloton classes leave me just as sore, if not sorer, than those early morning boot camp sessions. The yoga is nice, and they do have different styles like flow, restorative or power yoga, but it’s no substitute for a real in-studio class. I love the stretching and foam rolling classes for recovery days. As far as the tread, I’ve only taken one or two, but I loved them and plan to get a treadmill once we have the space for it. They also are always adding new programs. For example, they just put out a 4-week sleep meditation program, and before that was a total strength program that had you working out three to four days per week for four weeks.

What are some of your favorite classes and instructors?

It really depends on what type of coach you need that day. For days where I want to have fun and laugh through a ride with a good pop playlist, I’ll do a ride with Cody (his XOXO series was awesome). When I want to sweat and push myself, I’ll do a Jess King or Kendall ride. And when I had a bad day and need someone coaching me through it, I’ll do anything with Robin.

We get it, you love it. But what are the downsides?

Aside from the cost, it can have a glitchy moment where the class freezes for a second or two. Also, the heart rate monitor that comes with the bike is NOT WORTH IT. I ended up having to buy a Scosche monitor a few weeks after getting the one that came with my package because it stopped working. While I have a several instructors I love, there are also a few that I really don’t like. There also isn’t a pause button, so you need to make sure that you can dedicate that chunk of time to just the workout. The leaderboard pushes you, but it can be defeating when you’re down further on the list (though you can tap it and have it disappear if you need to).

Okay, so how do you put it all together?

The hardest part when I transitioned from a gym routine with set group classes to the Peloton was figuring out a schedule to stick to. The bike is so fun that it’s easy to just want to ride every day, but that’s probably not the best for my health or fitness goals. After a lot of trial and error, here’s what a week typically looks like for me:

Monday: Intervals and Arms class, or a 20-min ride plus a 10-min arms toning class
Tuesday: Full Body 20-30 min Strength Class
Wednesday: Rest, Yoga or Foam Rolling Class
Thursday: 45 Minute Ride (usually something that pushes me, like a Sweat Steady or Tabata)
Friday: Rest, Yoga or Foam Rolling Class
Saturday: 30 to 45-minute fun ride
Sunday: 20-min ride or strength class, depending on how my body feels

This is a ton of information, and probably the longest post I’ve ever written, but I’m hoping this helps someone! I went into Peloton hoping for the best, which it turned out to be for me, but that doesn’t mean it’s right for everyone. If you are planning to buy one, you can use my promo code (ZSWWRV) to get $100 off accessories like shoes and weights (and full disclosure, I get $100 to the apparel store). If you are interested in knowing more, let me know! I’m (obviously) thrilled with the bike and the community that comes with it. See you on the leaderboard! #KendyKen

Finding Health, One Bite at a Time

Photo by **Natasha Spencer** from **Pexels**

For the past few years, I’ve struggled with my weight. Hell, I feel like I’ve been at battle with my body for as long as I can remember. But my health journey really kicked off when my weight crept up after college, and now despite trying my best to eat less and move more, it doesn’t want to come off.

And that’s been hard to process. Really hard. I’ve tried calorie counting, intuitive eating, low carb, Whole 30, Weight Watchers, Noom, etc. Yet every time, I’ll drop a few pounds, but stay stagnant once I’m past that initial 2-5 pound drop. Inevitably, after a month or two of stagnation, I’ll get frustrated with the lack of results, binge on pizza and nachos, decide I need to get on a new plan and start the process over again.

Several months ago, I realized that I’m a Gretchen Rubin Obliger, and that accountability was key for me. Through one of the many health podcast groups I’m a part of, I connected with a health coach (Taylor, and she’s awesome! Check her out at https://www.habitcoach.org/). Working with her has been tough too, but it’s forced me to stick with something long term.

Yet, I’m not down a bunch of weight. And yes, that’s still extremely frustrating. But I’m starting to come to terms with the fact that my screwed up relationship with food and my body is something that’s going to take time to reset. I may never get down to that college weight again, but I’m still thankful for this journey. My relationship to food is shifting. Over the past few months of working with Taylor, I’ve realized a few things:

Consistency is key. I follow Rachel Hollis (she can be problematic, but a lot of her work is great), and one of her practices is to choose a word each year that represents what you want to achieve. My word for 2020 is consistency. I lack it in a lot of areas, but food and finances take an especially hard hit. Since I tend to lose weight s u p e r s l o w l y, I’ve realized that I need to stay consistent to see any results. That point in time where my weight loss stalls on a diet and I give up? I’ve started to wonder what would happen if I just push through – weight loss or not. Would I feel better? Sleep better? Eventually push past that plateau? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, though, I should give myself the chance to see what happens when I actually stick to something long term.
Mindset changes everything. Duh, Kendal. But my mindset before working with Taylor around food, and why I ate the way I did, was effed up. In a recent call, Taylor told me she was proud of how much I changed the way I talk about food and my diet. She’s right, I have. Before, I was full of excuses. I HAD to go through the drive through because I had a busy night and didn’t have time to cook. There was NO WAY I could work out that day because I stayed up late the night before watching Fraiser (side note – if you’ve never watched Fraiser, you are missing out). My mindset now? Everything is a choice – and I have the power to choose.. If I go to Chick Fil A between evening meetings, I made the choice to do that versus eat a few different healthy snacks I keep in my desk that can make for dinner in a pinch. By recognizing where I’m going wrong, it’s a little easier to steer the right way.
…But I’m still a work in progress. Choosing Chick-Fil-A over the healthy options on a school board meeting night? Yeah… that happened just last week. But I’ve come to realize I need to, as the song suggests, LET IT GO. I recognize what I chose to do, acknowledge there were better options, and try better the next time. The guilt is still there sometimes, but I’ve realized that when I shame spiral, it’s usually straight down into a plate full of tacos and pizza and beer that end up making me feel MUCH worse.
Find what works for you. I’ve done a bunch of diets, which may not have been great for my metabolism, but it has been great to see what I like, don’t like and what works best for me. Focusing on getting protein, fat, fiber and greens at every meal (ala Kelly Leveque or the Nutrition Addition’s Megan Kober, two of my favorite people to follow) feels best to me. I like three solid meals a day, not 5 small snack-y meals, and I feel great when I get a 12-14 hour fast in every night. I’m not counting calories, which can lead me to a numbers game (…hmm I have enough calories to fit a whole cheesesteak in today as long as I eat nothing but that and some rice cakes), but at the same time, I have a light structure to keep me in line. One day, maybe, intuitive eating will work for me, but for now, this makes the most sense.

Just to reiterate, I haven’t lost a ton of weight. In fact, I’m only down about 5 pounds from where I was when I started working with Taylor. But I felt like sharing what’s working for me and what I’m learning might be helpful, since I know weight loss is so ingrained in our society. My mom, sisters and I talk about it incessantly, as do my colleagues at work. Yet, I’ve come to realize that I’ve felt lonely and isolated about my struggles with weight loss. That I’m not doing it right, that something’s wrong with me, that I’ll feel this way forever, blah, blah, blah.

I know I want to change that, so I’ll be sharing my struggles, wins, losses, etc., here in this space. Sure, it’s another way to stay accountable as I continue to find what’s right for me in my health journey. But maybe it’ll also help others to realize that the struggle is REAL, and we’re not alone.

A New Year with New Goals

Ahh, the start of the new year. I love it. I know it’s cool and all to be against resolutions, to tell everyone that you’re just fine the way you are, but there’s something about a fresh start and tackling new goals that I just LOVE.

Leading into the new year, I spent some time journaling and reflecting about the lows and highs of 2019. Getting engaged was obviously one of the biggest highlights, but so was growing my freelance business, traveling to five new states and buying my Peloton (sounds silly, but I SWEAR this is one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself).

For 2020, I started to think of my goals by picking a word that represents what I want to achieve this year. My word for 2020 is Consistency. It might sound silly, but I started really caring about my health at the end of last year. I hired a health coach (shout out to Taylor Lawrence!), tracking my calories and getting serious about becoming the best version of myself… But I always seem to struggle with consistently following those well-intentioned plans. I’m great Monday through Friday afternoon, but come Friday evening, a box of pizza and some wine sound like a MUCH better option than the Cesar salad.

That goes with things outside of diet too. I love to workout… until I decide to take a three-week break. Some of my weekends are so jam packed with social events that I’m home for less than an hour a day, while other times I might go two weeks before I hang out with anyone outside of Tom and work colleagues. One week my sleep is on point, I’m reading nightly, working on my goals… and the next I’m binging Lord of the Rings until 1 a.m.

So for this year, I’m going to find consistency. That doesn’t mean always being “good” (whatever that means), but it does mean giving myself a regular routine that sets myself up for success. I started by laying out what things I do daily that make me feel best. That includes items like working out in the early morning, eating mainly whole foods, limiting sugar and snacks, drinking half my body weight in ounces of water, and getting to bed by 9:30. Now that I figured out what made me happiest and feel best, I’m working to incorporate these habits into everyday life.

While my health is one of my biggest goals for this year (hello wedding dress that I want to fit into!), I made a long list of things I want to do this year that would make it a FANTASTIC year. A few of my favorites:

Start tackling some of my debt and pay off at least one loan.
Blog more (which is why I’m here right now!).
Get to level 5 Spanish on Duolingo.
Get married and have the BEST time at the wedding.
Read at least a book a month.
Hit 100 Peloton Rides (again, I’m obsessed).

I took the thinking that if I have daily habits that make every day feel great, then I should also list out the events that would make the year great as well. I’m adding to the list constantly, and while I don’t know that I’ll tackle absolutely everything on it, I’m sure that by intentionally setting out what I want the year to look like, I will make it one of the best years yet.

What are your goals for 2020? Share in the comments below!

Travel Adventures and some BIG NEWS!

Sorry it’s been so long! I’ve been busy traveling with Tom, and then once we came home it’s been insane. The start of the new school year is next week, which means it’s been all hands on deck to get ready!

So, let’s start by getting some big news out of the way right at the top… while on vacation, I got engaged! Super exciting, and super surprising (even though we’ve been together for almost 8 years!). We were in Pittsburgh out to brunch with some friends when Tom said he wanted to stop by Mount Washington in Pittsburgh. We posed for a photo while his friend took our photo and next thing I knew he was down on one knee popping the question! I said yes (after first asking if he was joking 😬), and we spent the rest of the week celebrating as we traveled around New England.

New England, by the way, was absolutely stunning. It was definitely of my favorite trips I’ve ever taken. First we went to Mystic, Conn., where we stayed at a shack of a hotel but managed to have dinner in one of the nicest spots on the river. We then took a walk down main street and snagged some homemade ice cream. It was a gorgeous little town and I’d love to spend a long weekend there someday.

After spending a night in Mystic, we drove up the coastline, briefly stopping in Newport, Rhode Island; Hampton, New Hampshire; Boston, Mass., and finally stopping in Portland, Maine. I think that day was my favorite of them all. I loved seeing all of the little towns, and the coast had some of the prettiest sites you’ll ever see.

Throughout the entire trip, the weather was stunning, and once we were in Portland, we spent a day exploring the small coastal city and Cape Elizabeth, which is just a 20 minute drive from downtown. I LOVED Maine, and want to go back to spend some more time exploring and traveling north.

After a mild bout of food poisoning in Maine (I love clams and mussels, but they don’t seem to love me), we were off to Vermont! While driving to Burlington, we passed through White Mountain National Park and the views were STUNNING. I was fighting hard not to puke, so unfortunately I don’t have any photos from the park, but it was another spot I added to my “must-return-to” list.

We made it to Burlington late that night, grabbed dinner at a nearby Uno’s (which was the only place open), and crashed. The next day we woke up and wondered around the small town and Lake Champlain coastline. It was artsy and hipster-y, which I loved. We grabbed lunch outside at a tiny spot in town (where Tom got a burger with foie gras… how fancy) and then snagged some gelato as we headed out of the city.

After eating our way through New England, we wanted to do something outdoorsy our last day of vacation and were planning to stop in northern New York. But as we were driving, we realized that we wanted to take advantage of the gorgeous weather and kayak the next day, so we muscled through the long drive and came home. The next day we went to the Schuylkill and made a day of it, though it wasn’t without its obstacles (mainly lots of flips over rocks, getting stuck on the damn, and paddling by river people who live by the water). Still, we had fun together.

Now that we’ve been home, we’ve spent practically every night at venue visits. Recently thought we found the dream location at a small farm in New Providence! I’m planning on slowing down the wedding planning slightly now that we have a venue, but I’m sure I’ll keep you all posted on it here!

It may have been a busy two months, but I can’t wait for what lies ahead.

#NSPRA2019 in Washington, D.C.

Late last year, I had heard that the National School Public Relation Association (NSPRA) conference was scheduled for Washington, D.C. this summer. Since the conference is one of the best professional development opportunities in my field, and D.C. is just a short train ride away, I was able to get permission to attend. It also didn’t hurt that I went to college in Washington, D.C., so I knew the area well and was able to select a less-expensive option and metro to and from the conference every day. (We’re all about saving money where we can in public education!)

I booked it several months ago, and all of a sudden on Sunday the time was here! So, I headed to the MARC train (the best way to get in and out of the city for less than $20), and was welcomed with that swampy heat I remember from my college years. I spent Sunday checking into the conference, networking with others, chowing down on some CAVA, and re-familiarizing myself with my old stomping grounds.

On Monday, the conference began and it was AWESOME. We heard from a variety of speakers on a whole range of topics, including social media, strategic marketing, customer service, utilizing students as interns and more. One of my favorite speakers was Michele Norris, former NPR host and creator of The Race Card Project. Michele shared some of the stories that came out of the project and the importance of confronting your own biases. It was incredibly impactful.

Aside from the conference, being in D.C. again for the first time in 6 (!) years since I graduated was so nice. It felt so good to again hop on and off the metro, stroll around Bethesda and get an Elm City pizza with fried eggplant from Pete’s Pizza. I even hit up the American University Book Store to grab a new t-shirt, since mine was getting old and tattered.

Overall it was a WONDERFUL experience. In my former role, I had the opportunity to travel a ton for work, and it was always my favorite part of the job. It was nice getting a small taste of that this week in D.C.

My Mid-Year Check-In

Is it just me, or has 2019 absolutely FLOWN by?

I got to work today and started the day by checking my planner before it hit me that OMG WE’RE HALFWAY THROUGH THE YEAR AND I HAVE DONE NOTHING.

Okay, so, that’s not exactly true. I know I’ve done some things. But that giant resolution list I set out at the start of the year? A lot of it is still sitting untouched.

Since today marks exactly halfway through the year, I thought it would be a good idea to – publicly – discuss some of my goals and how close (or far) I am from hitting them. Maybe you guys could do it too, and we can all be accountability buddies?!

So without further ado (and hopefully without too much judgement) here it goes:

Get back to be comfortable with my body.
Status: Working on it. After a (failed) Whole30, I feel like I’m finally starting to realize what works for me and what doesn’t. If you’re on the struggle bus too, check out the nutritionist Kelly Leveque’s book Body Love or follow @TheNutritionAddiction on Instagram. Both ladies share a similar philosophy of basing meals around protein, fat and fiber with limited carbs that I have found tends to work best (for me, anyway).
Run a race somewhere new.
Status: CHECK. Ran a 5K at King’s Dominion in Richmond in June.
Get my finances in order.
Status: Ehhhhh… let’s just say I’ll be taking a closer look at this moving forward. I wanted 2019 to be the year where I finally pull my finances together, with a few specific financial goals, but I’m definitely not where I want to be with it (thanks student loans). I have recently found a personal finance guru that I relate to called The Budgetnista, so I’m in the process of following her program now.
Get a new website and blog up and running.
Status: CHECK! You’re here!
Travel to four new places.
Status: I’ll be checking this off in a few weeks when Tom and I take a road trip up to New England. Where are we going exactly? I’m not sure! The plan is to just hit the road and head north.
Do the wheel in yoga.
Status: Yikes…. not quite there. Check back in December.
Clean out the house, Marie Kondo style.
Status: As evidenced by the fact that I’m currently storing my bike in my kitchen, my crock pot on a seat at the dining table, and some vintage glass dishes on the entertainment stand by the TV, this is not quite where it should be. (But I’m gonna blame Tom on my lack of progress in this area. While I’m a minimalist, he is most definitely a maximalist.)

So that’s it — the good, the bad and the ugly. By posting this I’m hoping to better hold myself accountable as we work through the last six months of 2019. Hang on, it’s going fast.

What were your goals for the year? Share them in the comments below so we can all hold each other accountable!

A bit of this and that

In addition to using this website as a portfolio for my writing and design work, I’m also going to use it for a blog. To write about what, you may ask? Just a bit of this and that.

I don’t get the chance to write as much as I once did, so I’m looking forward to writing about topics that I want to talk about. I’m in the middle of a health journey, so expect some of my favorite recipes and fitness musings, as well as posts about what is and what isn’t working for me.

I also love to travel and eat (hence the health journey mentioned above), so there may be some posts with food, restaurant reviews, local spots to hang out and even some travel recaps. Overall, you can expect a good mix of things in short, fun posts.

Thanks for coming along this ride with me! Enjoy!