Checking Out for Thanksgiving and a Much-Needed Vacation

Hi Readers of FitFadFan! I hope you enjoy reading my blog. I try to provide a variety of content from workouts, to recipes, to neat gadgets. I am writing today to let you know I will be heading out on vacation this Saturday for five days with no international cell service. And while I could auto schedule posts to keep bring you content, I've just been so busy with family in town, planning my Thanksgiving Holiday, and trying to get everything in order for this vacation. 

So with that being said, I want to say that I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family, friends, loved ones or however you enjoy spending it! I'm so thankful for this blog, my passion for writing and fitness, and above all, you, my readers! I can't thank you enough. Without you, I'd have no blog. 

I hope you can bear with me for a week with no blog post. But I promise to come back and write something great :) I have not had a real vacation in years and I'm so lucky I get to go on a Carnival Cruise to the Cayman Islands and Cozumel. I've never been to either. So if you have any cruise tips or have been to any of these places, let me know what's good! 

All I know is that I will be doing lots of walking at each port. And I heard my cruise boat has an outdoor track on the top of the boat. Imagine the views for that run! I can't wait to relax and truly tune out from the world for a little while. Be back soon!! 

Where's your favorite place to vacation? 

Mommy and Baby Workout Routine

So I had the joy of watching my 2 month old nephew the other day. And let me start by saying, man, that was some hard work! I don't think I could do it on a daily basis. My entire schedule was off. And anyone who knows me knows I live by a schedule. Although I don't feel like I did much over the course of the day, I do feel like I got a pretty decent workout in. lol My little nugget would get bored if I kept him in one position for too long, so I had to keep switching arm positions and bounce him around throughout the day. He's already nearing 12lbs and it doesn't seem like much until you have to hold him for hours on end. 

I always thought if I ever decided to have kids that it would throw a wrench in my workout routine. But I realized the other day that there are quite a few exercises you can do with a baby that will benefit both of you! So whether you have a newborn or might be babysitting a new born, try out these exercises:

Sugar Leads to Weight Gain

I found some shocking staples to my diet had large amounts of sugar. I'm allotted a total of 30g of sugar each day and you'd be surprised how quickly those 30g come and go... I eat an apple almost every day and just one gala apple has 16g of sugar! I drink Vanilla Chai Tea Protein shake and it has 26g of sugar! FAGE 0% Total Greek Yogurt has 9g of sugar! And my cranberry and nut trail mix has 14g of sugar! If I ate all these every day, it adds up to 65g of sugar...well over my allowed amount. While I won't be cutting out apples or Greek Yogurt from my diet, I'll probably cut back on eating them daily. And I sure won't be drinking that protein shake anymore!

Eat Your Stress Away the Healthy Way

Everyone has stress in their lives at some point or another. But it's how you deal with it is what matters most. Improper coping or handling of stress often leads to other health issues. Did you know that 43% of adults suffer adverse health effects from stress? Stress can lead to headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, anxiety, and the list can go on...

Fat Burning Recipe: Chicken & Chickpea Salad

Work full-time and not in the mood to slave over dinner when you get home in the evenings? But still want to eat a healthy meal? Don't sweat it! There are lots of options for a quick and easy meal that healthy and nutritious too. My Chicken & Chickpea Salad Recipe packs a big punch in flavor while incorporating ingredients that can help burn fat. 

The End of Another Decade, Now Onto 30...

Well today I say goodbye to a decade that treated me VERY well. I'm 30... I know most females dread turning 30 and feel it's that marker that once you pass, everything is downhill. And not that relieving feeling when running downhill where your run gets easier. It's the downhill sense that your health will get worse, your brain slower, and your looks will fade. If you asked me 10 years ago, this was exactly my feeling towards turning 30. I said I would do whatever I could (including a nip and tuck lol) if it meant I'd look and feel young forever. 

So, was I ready to turn 30 this year? Now that the day has arrived, I feel at peace with 30 and I'm actually embracing it. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that so much happened in my 20s. There were quite a few ups and downs; so much I'm surprised I didn't vomit from the whiplash! But, it's all made me who I am today. I'm happy where I am in life. I have a great job, I live a healthy lifestyle, have an amazing boyfriend and friends, own a beautiful home, and am in a very comfortable place in my life. 

Here's a quick Top 20 Milestones from My 20's list, the good, and the not-so-good times:

1. Came of legal age to drink
2. Gained more than my Freshman 15...
3. Got into a car accident and totaled my car
4. Graduated college
5. Moved to Florida all by my lonesome
6. Started a "real" job 
7. Got fired from said job
8. Went broke for a little bit
9. Started a new job
10. Began truly living healthy, and lost 35 lbs
11. Sister got married
12. Removed some excess baggage from my life
13. Bought a house
14. Began a new relationship
15. Became an aunt
16. Was laid off
17. Started a great job that allowed me to save a lot of money
18. Hit goal of 18% body fat (yeah this is a big deal to me to make my list!)
19. Completed a long bathroom demo and remodel project
20. Became an aunt for a second time

There's a little more to the list, but I don't want to get too personal with it. I think you get the idea.  

Therefore, I'm excited to see what happens in my 30s and can only hope I will embrace the next decade so well! 

Manning is Returning to Indy

Well he's not returning to Indy the way I would love for him to... to be a Colt again. Nearly two years ago I felt like I had my heart broken when news broke that Indy and Manning were parting ways. It was like a horrible breakup that you never saw coming. Manning was coming back from his injury and we all were anticipating a great season with him. But just like that, dreams were shattered. It was an emotional release felt by all Colts fans. As awesome as I think Andrew Luck is, I still feel sad when I watch Manning throwing passes for the Broncos. I can't help but root for him every week. I miss him.