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Celebrating 100 Posts
Yay! You’re officially reading my 100th post! I didn’t celebrate my blog-iversary (because I’m crazy), so I thought I’d make up for it by celebrating my 100th post. It took me awhile to really find my groove in the blogging community, and I’m still learning every day, but I think I’ve grown a lot in the past 13 months. I really love blogging and even though it took me about a year to find my niche in this blog family, I think it’s a success! And I consider it a success because I know at least one person is reading it…win!
After reading this post by Caitlin, I started flipping through the pictures on my phone. I’ve had it for about a year now, and well, a lot has happened! So let’s take a trip back in time to celebrate this important blog moment, shall we? Here’s what’s happened to me in the last year, according to my phone.
I went to a lot of weddings.
Dane Cook sang to me for my 21st birthday when Dustin took me to his show.
I celebrated turning 21 with friends.
I saw the Trans-Siberian Orchestra with my family.
I worked in NYC during my winter break and ran in Central Park for the first time.
Worked with amazing people at a professional photo shoot, where I met Jackie Warner.
I visited my dad in Tennessee and introduced him to Dustin.
I ate a lot of great food.
And dessert.
I went to Key West for my final spring break and felt confident in my skin.
But I still avoided this bar.
I ran my first half-marathon.
I helped my best friend get married.
I went to the National Magazine Awards in an awesome dress.
And met Jillian Michaels.
Moved to New York City and had my first blogger meetup.
I sweat it out with Brett Hoebel.
Discovered the wonderfulness of 16 Handles fro-yo.
And got Dustin to fall in love with Chipotle.
I got him to fall more in love with me too, or so he says. We celebrated 2.5 years together on this day.
Told you it was special!
And there you have it! Of course there were plenty of other things that happened, but I figured you would be sick of the photos by now (if you weren’t before you reached this point…if you’re still reading this, thank you!). I hope you enjoyed my 100th post and pray you’ll be back for my 101st!
p.s. My 101st post likely won’t be up until Sunday or Monday. I’m going out of town tomorrow and will have very limited access to a computer. Hang tight, I promise I’ll be back!
What big things have happened to you this year?
Livin’ the Fit Life
Today was a great day.
I woke up to this pretty little note from my awesome roommate.
This screams "Operation Beautiful" to me.
I asked her to remind me to pack my phone charger and toothbrush because I’m staying overnight in a fancy hotel tonight for a work event. I love being called beautiful first thing in the morning — it just started the day off on the right note.
Then I went to a sweat-tastic boot camp class for work. We tested out Barry’s Boot Camp, and holy cow did I feel the burn!
Intense.
The class was split into four sections: two “treads” sections and two weight-lifting segments that focused on abs, back and shoulders. We did various sprint intervals on the treadmills for 15 minutes, then switched to weights, went back to treads, and then lifted some more weights! I was sweating within the first five minutes and didn’t stop until after I got out of the shower. It was a really tough class, but that’s exactly the way I like ‘em 
Where the magic happens.
Then I went to work and knocked a lot off the to-do list, met an old friend for lunch and had my first blog post published for FITNESS magazine. Make sure you check it out!
Then I headed out to my second workout…for work! Seriously, I love that I sweat for my job. It’s fantastic.
Dress number three! I love that it has pockets.
I’m staying at the Gansevoort Hotel for the night to test out a new product. After receiving the new toy, I took the CoreFusion Cardio class and worked up another serious sweat! It was based on a lot of barre-type moves, so it was a different type of workout, but my muscles were burning! Needless to say, I’m definitely going to feel it tomorrow.
Note: I do not have those abs.
I headed back to my fancy room after the class to shower and eat some grub. I’ve never been in this nice of a hotel before, so let me share some pictures with you.
Mini bar. Do not touch.
Huge mirror. That's me giving the thumbs up sign.
There's a phone in the bathroom! Just like in FRIENDS.
I’m a happy girl
I got even happier when I received this tweet:
Awesomesauce.
Remember when I sweat it out with Brett Hoebel earlier this week? I’ve determined that we’re going to be friends. Enough said.
Finally, Libby met me at this fancy hotel, fawned over my room, and then we headed up to the bumpin’ rooftop bar where we paid way too much for a drink, but had a good time and enjoyed some pretty sweet views.
Bright light and cramped space don't make good pictures.
Not the greatest picture, but it was dark out. I work with what I’ve got.
So it’s safe to say I had a pretty good day. Now I’m headed off to dreamland so my muscles can recover and I can get up early for another workout. Saturday is rest day!
How was your Thursday? Try any new fitness classes lately?
Sweating with Brett Hoebel
Guess who went spinning with Brett Hoebel this morning? This girl did!
Brett Hoebel and muah.
Side note: I told you I’d bring you some sweaty goodness today. I’m the sweaty, he’s the goodness.
As you already know, I’m a huge fan of The Biggest Loser and absolutely loved watching Brett on the show every week in season 11. I love that he has a strong science background and his experience with Capoiera (a Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts and dance) was fascinating and definitely brought a new element to the show. I was extremely disappointed when they revealed that Anna Kournikova would be joining next season, effectively replacing Jillian Michaels, Brett and Cara Castranova. I just don’t think she should be on the show because she is not a certified trainer. It’s clear that this decision was based on an attempt to improve ratings.
She has a pretty smile, but she's not qualified.
Anyway, Brett came to a SoulCycle class and then he hung out with Jenna and I for a bit (he’s friends with her). He’s a total sweetheart and very humble. I loved chatting with him and learning more about his career path. My final opinion: he’s a great guy and I really hope he succeeds in whatever he decides to do. Not to mention he’s very, very easy on the eyes!
Like I said, he's nice to look at.
The rest of the day was filled with work and yummy eats. My lunch was a whole wheat pita layered with hummus, cucumbers, feta cheese and chickpeas. Delicious! I followed it up with a strawberry Chobani.
Quite a tasty lunch.
Closeup action.
I plan on having that lunch again tomorrow.
On to fashion shot number two! I wore another new dress to work today and quickly realized this is going into my favorites pile.
Got this little number from Kohl's.
Isn’t it cute? I love the pattern.
I’m off to bed to try and get a good amount of sleep before another spin class tomorrow morning (lots of spinning this week)! Have a great night!
If you could work out with any celebrity, who would it be and why? I’ve met Brett and Jillian Michaels, so now I need to get my hands on Bob Harper!
Added Pounds on The Biggest Loser
Week four of season 11 of The Biggest Loser has passed and it’s been a whirlwind of a show. A team of unknown trainers have been revealed, game play has gone on and pounds have been added in unbelievable amounts. Looking to catch up? Here are a few highlights:
The producers brought in two new trainers to replace Jillian Michaels after this season. Recently revealed as Brett Hoebel and Cara Castronova, the two took a team of players to Fitness Ridge, which is the training camp for the Unknowns team (All players who opted for the Unknowns received four weeks of immunity from elimination). Hoebel is famous for his holistic approach to fitness and his experience in Capoeira and Muay Thai kickboxing. He’s definitely a looker, just like Bob Harper, but doesn’t seem to be as hard-core as the Bob and Jillian combo.
Photo via Fit Sugar
Castronova is a two-time Golden Glove champion and her main focus is boxing, which is good because Jillian is always the one seen doing the boxing. She appears to enjoy putting the contestants through boot-camp style workouts when they’re not boxing. Thus far, the Unknowns have been doing a great job shedding weight, but it was just revealed that their meals are cooked for them to fit exactly into their caloric intake regime and they don’t have to clean up after themselves. Talk about spoiled!
The contestants are competing as couples this season and my favorite is the Aqua team, Courtney and Marci. Courtney is a 22-year-old who was inspired by The Biggest Loser to lose 112 pounds at home, bringing her back under the 400 mark. At the start of the show she weighed in at 323 pounds and has been shedding ever since. She seems to be the most determined of them all, doesn’t partake in game play and is inspiring to watch. With an optimistic attitude, you never know what this girl is going to achieve! I’m really rooting for her to be the big winner, er, loser.
Go Aqua Team!
Temptations have begun on the Ranch, this week in the form of the contestants favorite foods. Each player had to confront their favorite dish — from mac n’ cheese and cheesecake to pizza and fried chicken — and decide whether or not they would compete. Whoever ate the most calories got to choose which team would be sent to the Unknowns camp for the week. Arthur (blue team) was the only contestant to participate and sent the green team packing. I give this bunch major kudos for denying all of the temptations and food-taunting they’ve faced this season — they’re really proving that they are here to change their lives.
Game play still hasn’t left the building, though. The black team, twins Don and Dan, did a phenomenal job of throwing the weigh-in last week. Both stepped on the scale to reveal a nine-pound weight gain per person! I know twins are often in sync, but even when you’re throwing a weigh-in?! Dan was sent home, which was the best idea because he was extremely homesick, while Don faced the wrath of Bob and Jillian this week.
Each gained nine pounds in one week.
Unfortunately, Don didn’t fess up to throwing the weigh-in and instead acted out an f-bomb filled show, denying that he gained weight on purpose. Nobody believes him, so why not fess up? People would have more respect for him if he just said, “Yeah, I did it” and then moved on.
This week’s episode was cut short due to the State of the Union address, so there was no weigh-in or elimination. Next week’s teaser shows that someone gained six pounds! Honestly, what a slap in the face to Bob and Jillian. I have a feeling it’s going to be Don, but we’ll have to wait until next week!
Have you been watching The Biggest Loser? Who’s your favorite team?
P.S. Fellow blogger Jen, from The Biggest Loser Blog for phillyburbs.com, found this awesome video of a girl, Emily Skaar, rapping a potential number for the opening credits. Talk about creativity!
