oh life...

I keep thinking I'll get back on track and blog regularly but life if just so busy. Here is a quick summary of the last few months. I walked for graduation, I worked my butt off at my new job and am currently looking at shifting positions or getting a new job entirely because I'm so burnt out, Steven finished his classes and graduated (YAY!!!), we spent the summer going to mission farewells, family reunions, a wedding and will soon be taking a little vacation. I think that about sums it up. I'm really hoping life slows down a bit soon because this pace is totally killing my workout routine haha.

I've noticed that I'm really good at the planning stages of things but I'm not very good at being patient with myself to see certain things through. With the crazy hours I've been working (I think my longest day was 17 hours starting at 6 AM, 4:30 including waking up and commuting) it has been EXTREMELY difficult finding what works for me despite hours of pinterest and notebook planning. Honestly, I felt like I was just living to survive for a while- it was not pretty. I have gained an additional 10-15 lbs since taking this job and it has been oh so frustrating. I definitely let me myself get lost in the service of others, which is great, and has been so rewarding in many ways. That being said, I have recognized I need more balance in my life and my health is too important to be sidelined the way it has been (hence the current job hunt).

I've read blogs of girls who've gone through body transformations and sometimes think, maybe I should keep my mouth shut until I have more to say, till I am on the other side of this transformation. Then I think, no- this is the hard part. This is the part where people want to quit, give up, binge eat, self- harm even. This is the stage where people need inspiration, someone to empathize with them, and someone to keep pushing them. So despite the struggle this journey has been for me at times, I hope it brings hope to someone else in my shoes. Sometimes life just happens and we just have to do our best to grow from our experiences. This is true even when it comes to fitness. I don't think I necessarily chose to gain weight- circumstances I had put my body under stress and I adapted. A while back I made some great steps in the right direction and I feel like I'm ready to take those steps again. I've lost the weight before so I know I can do it again. This blog will be a way for me to be accountable for the work I'm putting in but also a way for me to track what's working, which recipes I'm enjoying, and other tips and tricks to help others along the way.

I'll be posting soon about some of the steps I'm taking now to get back on track with things as well as a fun couples workout I designed for Steven and I to test out our exercise room-in-progress. More on that to come!

<3Kayla

Updates updates updates!

It has been FAR too long since my last post so I will try to wrap up the past few months to get everyone caught up. After feeling like I was wasting so much class time in my personal training program, I decided to pursue that endeavor on my own and quit the program to finish my undergraduate degree at BYU. I haven't focused back into it just yet because life has been crazy (we'll get there soon) BUT it's definitely something I want to do to supplement the social work career goals I have. SO- In December, I took my last test at the dreaded testing center and kissed my undergrad career goodbye. Around the same time, my mom got married, and I decided to try out my skills as a master baker and made her this lovely wedding cake. I failed to prepare for the assembly with supports so it caved in a little but it was one tasty cake and went perfectly with the simple winter wedding.

Doesn't this just look dreamy?? I have such a gorgeous mom :)

Flash forward to January and I started applying to jobs like crazy. After a couple weeks of hunting I landed an amazing job working for the Utah Youth Village. I've always known I wanted to work with kids, and have taken a special interest in abuse victims through my education and volunteer work. This combines both and landed me in a little girls home in Salt  Lake where I help teach skills to the girls which they are rewarded for using both in points, privileges, and a better life hopefully. Right after I started the other associate in the home quit leaving me and the "parents" of the home rather overworked. I referred my best friend Ashley for the job (graduating in psychology next month) and she was just hired on last week! This means less overtime and more girl time for me- woo! After a week or so or training we'll start seeing her around the house more and life will slow down a bit. 

Flash back a bit, when I first was hired (maybe 3 days in), I left home for some training up in SL and got into a car accident! My car took a pretty hard hit and I had some bad whip lash for the first few days especially, but considering all, things turned out alright. I'm still visiting the chiropractor and massage therapist when I can, but it could have been much worse so I'm just grateful for that.

This little guy got me through some great road trips and college nights. C'est la vie!

Funny enough, the night before, we had just brought home a "new" car we got from Steven's sister KC. We were hoping it would be an upgrade for him from his '89 Subaru Legacy. After my car got totaled however, we decided to keep ol' blue until she just couldn't go anymore. 

Steven is doing well but is suffering from some major senioritis haha. He is so ready to be done with school and lucky for him, after a couple spring and summer classes, he will be! For now at least. The plan for now is to apply to physical therapy schools in the fall and to find work as a tech or volunteer assistant until then to get some experience/exposure hours. He's been enjoying breaking up the monotony of school work with frisbee tournaments especially this weekend's exciting exhibition game BYU hosted here in Provo. They rented out the high school football stadium for the game again University of Utah and were tickled to have over 500 fans show up to support the schools! After a game leading to universe point, BYU took the win, and couldn't have been happier with the progress it marked in the direction of the program. I'll post some pics of his frisbee escapades when they become available :)

Finally I am rededicating myself to my fitness goals. It was always hard to maintain a routine during the school year, then between the accident and massive amounts of overtime, I've yet to get back into things since graduating. I have however gotten set up at a gym near where I work and gone several times there so there is some progress. I've also been consistently drinking tons of water and cutting back on junk food so baby steps! I just need to follow my own advice and find what clicks for me again with the current lifestyle I have then get to it! I just ordered a body fat monitor so I can track those numbers in addition to weight loss so I know how much of my weight is muscle vs fat and can better measure my progress. I'll post more on my goals/efforts/progress later but I am determined to get back on track and finish my goals off. 

Getting back to the good stuff

 <3 Kayla

Fitness goodies

Everyone loves freebies. so here's some tidbits about exercise, nutrition, etc. that I have learned and want to share with you all!

First off- foam rolling is amazing.

I didn't really know much about foam rolling until starting my program but now it's something I will go on and on preaching about. The purpose of foam rolling is to force tight muscles to relax which will reduce discomfort & pain while helping to fix muscular imbalances therefore preventing injury. For example, Steven has problems with his knee because his outer thigh muscles are tighter than his inner thigh muscles. These muscles attach to the kneecap so the tight muscles pull the kneecap out of place essentially.  I have now "prescribed"several exercises for him to strengthen the inner muscles and showed him how to roll the outer ones to help him balance out that muscle group so he can quit killing his poor knee. Seriously. this stuff is amazing. 

Second- everyone should be lifting weights

I feel like the fitness/health industry has been better recently about encouraging women to lift weights but really, EVERYONE should be incorporating it into their routine and here's why. Lifting weights helps alter your body composition by increasing muscle mass. Bodies with greater muscle burn more calories while working out. If you're worried about bulking up ladies, you would have to try really hard both by working out a certain way and eating a strict specific diet to do that so no worries- lift those weights! Another reason lifting is so important is because it helps your bones get stronger. Overweight individuals have lower rates of bone density problems such as osteopenia or osteoporosis because their excessive weight puts stress on their bones and forces them to adapt to bear the weight. Weight training is how everyone else achieves this result and can delay onset and/or prevent development of these diseases so you can be mobile for longer as you age. so just do it :)

Finally- make fitness fun for you!

Whether it's with cute workout clothes, group dance classes, or a hottie workout buddy (or Richard Simmons), find a way to make working out enjoyable, or at least bearable. the endorphins will also help with this :) Similar to making a diet work for you (which I will post about later), you need to find a routine that you don't dread like the plague because otherwise, it will be much harder to make yourself stick to it everyday. Also, be open to trying new things. Steven and I tried out a yoga class recently and we totally loved it! it was super relaxing, threw something new at our bodies, and was something we found we liked and could do together. so you never know until you try it. Find what works best for YOU.

happy sweating!

<3 Kayla

biceps :)

So i feel like I left everyone off with cliff hanger last month and decided it was time to sit down and give an update on my crazy little life! Studying to be a personal trainer has been interesting to put it simply. There are days where I feel like I am a complete psycho and can't believe I ever signed up for this program. Then there's days like today. Today during our lab hour, we had an extra long workout and I really pushed myself because I can get tired of being the weaker trainer (the other kid in my class is a stocky buff gym guy {yes there really is just me in him in all my classes}). Obviously my cardio routine I've done for the last year doesn't exactly make me look strong the way his workouts do.

At the same time though, I realized that I had gotten comfortable with my routine at the gym and had stopped pushing myself much in recent months. So anyways the past few days I've really been trying harder, risking failing and looking like an idiot at the gym (while wearing a bright red T-shirt labeled "Personal Trainer in Training" on the back- talk about drawing attention to yourself!!!) all so I can start seeing results again.

So we get back from the gym, I go sit at my desk, cross my arms and boom! I noticed that I could feel my biceps flexed out and they were def sticking out farther than what I'm used to. I waited until after class that day but then flexed around for a bit and realized there's a big difference in my arms with what they're like now and what they were like even a month ago when I first started my program. I showed Steven when I got home because I was so pumped about seeing results and so proud of myself for the hard work I've been doing.

So it's days like these that remind me that I'm not completely crazy. I am growing (literally) and getting stronger every day. I'm even learning things that I've been able to use to help Steven who is constantly battered with sports injuries. and then I have Ryan cheering me on...

So overall I think I got this :)

<3 Kayla

lovely little thoughts

Sometimes short and sweet words say it best. I saw this on Pinterest the other night after getting home from the gym and just LOVED it. It's going to be my motto for the next little bit.

Lately I've had a lot on my mind so blogging has been the least of my worries. I feel like the closer I've gotten to graduation, the less I knew about what I wanted to do when I was done at BYU. I finally had an epiphany and my mind has felt so much more at peace. Logically it all makes sense now, although the answer to my prayers did come as a bit of a surprise. I've decided to get certified as a personal trainer. As I may or may not have mentioned in the past, I will then go on to get my masters in social work and use my skills both as a clinician and a personal trainer to offer exercise therapy to girls who have been abused. I've brainstormed doing something along these lines for about a year now but I always put myself in a different role as I've contemplated starting such an organization, working with this target group. Finally I realized that I want a way to have an active healthy lifestyle and what better way to do that than to help others gain confidence and inner strength when life has thrown them a curve ball?

When I first got an answer that this was what I should pursue, I was a bit scared to be honest. Well, I'm still a little scared even. I mean- I'm still working on my own figure and now I'm going to jump in to learn how to train others?? This almost seems crazy. I have grown so much though in the last year and by the time I'm done with my certification, I'll be exactly where I'd like to be physically. There is so much research available about the positive effects of exercise, much of which counter common residual effects of trauma and childhood abuse. Using exercise as treatment then makes SO much sense and is somewhat being done already with recreation therapy. I've even found a local girls treatment center that places heavy weight on their nutrition program and once I'm certified, I'd love to join them in bringing the fitness aspect to their establishment as well. This is so exciting to me guys :) I feel like I'm taking that leap of faith, for sure, but as always Heavenly Father is there to watch over us so I know it will all work out.

Love this scripture!

Go be amazing.

<3 K

We can do hard things.

   This last weekend I went with my internship group to complete a ropes course and it was such a neat experience for me and I just wanted to share a few thoughts. There were things we did that were really scary. like falling from 40 feet in a swing scary, and jumping from the top of a tree to a wobbly tall platform 6 feet out scary. As a group we accomplished tasks that of course seemed impossible through creativity, determination, and a little perseverance. At one point I was walking a wire, reaching out to my partner hanging out of a tree just to have enough balance to make the last 3 feet or so to the finish line. Doing all these things was a reminder to me that we create so many limitations in our heads that we let dictate what we do.
    When we were jumping from the tree, one of our research leaders, who is a professor at BYU, talked about how even though we knew we were safe, and harnessed in, some of us really struggled taking that leap. He explained to us that our autonomic nervous systems freaks out like we're going to die when we face something scary even if our conscious self knows we are safe. This is the fancy way of saying that our bodies are wired to elicit certain responses (such as an elevated heart rate, sweating, locking up, etc) when danger is perceived. Knowing logically that we are not in any real danger though, we can recognize our body's responses as a trained reaction rather than something actually rooted in potential harm. Our minds are incredible but it's important to know the difference between what's in our heads and what actually poses a threat.
     It's been said before that working out is 50% perspiration and 50% determination and I fully agree! So much about exercise is in our heads. Motivating ourselves to get moving, pushing ourselves so we can grow stronger, run farther, last longer.  Sometimes I get to a point where my legs are burning and I'm sweating like a pig and the thought pops in my head that I've done enough, I can take it easy on myself and cut my time short for the day. Then I think back on the hard things I've done throughout my life both physically and mentally, and I realize that I take myself for granted sometimes. I can do hard things. In the last year, I've gone from never having stepped foot into a gym, to working out, regularly, for over an hour at a time, on a fairly regular basis. I'm still trying to get into the swing of things figuring out my schedule between work, my internship, and my volunteer work, but I'm doing it! This last year has been tough in ways but I am making things happen and am working my butt off (literally) and it feels great.

It really is wonderful to be young with the world at your fingertips

<3 K

Ready, set, GO!

I LOVE new starts. A move, a new apartment, a new friend, a new season, a new year. I just love the idea of being able to start fresh on things. For me the end of the school year marks a new beginning for me. It means spring and summertime with (hopefully) more time, extra sun, and good old summer fun. As you all know, I've been working towards a healthier lifestyle in the past year and have done pretty well in some aspects. It's been hard work and has been harder to keep up during the school year but even with what I have accomplished this far, I can say I'm proud of myself. This being said, I still have some pounds to drop to get to my goal weight as I have done more maintaining the past few months than losing. I have found that when I journal/track my successes I do better at staying focused so for the next few weeks I will be updating you with my thoughts on this whole process. I'll try to keep up with other posts too to keep things from getting too boring ;) So here's to a fresh start on fitness!

   
One of the tools I've used to help keep everything straight as I work towards my goals is this free app for my iPhone called myfitnesspal- love this sucker.

myfitnesspal app

The app allows you to set a goal for your daily calorie intake then lets you know if you're over or under depending on what foods you've eaten for the day. It will also subtract calories based on the exercise/calories burned for the day that you enter in. You can also add water intake, and notes to keep track of your other fitness/health goals. Seriously, this thing makes "journaling" so easy. I almost always have my phone on me too so taking a couple minutes to enter in my meal after I eat is really pretty easy to do although it might take a couple days to get in a habit of getting everything in. I find this especially helpful because some times I eat more calories worth of food than I realize. This helps make me aware of the calories in my food and encourages healthier eating as I work to stay away from the red zone past my goal!

The only thing I haven't cared for with this app is that there is no estimate provided for calories burned during strength training. I guess I don't get that when I go to the gym either (as opposed to an elliptical or something). Also eating out can be tricky... all the more reason to skip it! :)

There are so many resources available to help people become healthier so I always love hearing about what works for others in the real world (not some paid bimbo in a magazine ad- ha!). What works for you guys??

For those of you done with yet another school year, I hope you too are enjoying this lovely summer weather. It is fantastic. end of story. 

<3 Kayla