since my dad bought his dream blender- the blendtec- we have been making smoothies in this house like a busy day at jamba juice! i thought i'd share one of my favorites that my sister created; it's a great way to start off your day and give you a boost of yummy-ness. truly.

small handful of spinach 
a little over a cup of Trader Joe's Green Plant juice blend
frozen strawberries
frozen blueberries
scoop of vanilla whey protein powder 

so to start off my improve yourself series, i decided to write about something that i know we all struggle with- wanting to be healthier! i'm no expert on this. i have taken a nutrition class and really enjoyed it, but these are tips that i've found that i've tried myself and have noticed a difference!

The best and healthiest way to lose weight and keep it off is to watch your calorie intake. Watching what you eat is the number one way to keep the weight off, and exercise is what helps us stay fit, keep your body and heart healthy and it makes you feel great! releasing those endorphins makes you happy (and happy people just don't shoot their husbands! -gotta love legally blonde)




 Keeping track of calories can be so hard! here's a very simple way to help you- MY FITNESS PAL. It's the best way that I've found that is the easiest and convenient! I'm sure a lot of you may have iPhones, or iTouches or any cell phone that can download apps. Search My Fitness pal and the right app will have this blue icon photo (above). You can tell how many lbs you want to lose (up to 2 lbs a week) and it will give you how many calories you should eat daily to reach that goal.

If don't have a device that downloads apps, no fear! Just go online HERE to sign up for free and start keeping track of those calories!

I did this religiously during last Spring and lost about 6 lbs and kept it off during the summer and I barely had worked out (shame on me!) Monitoring your food intake DOES work. So if you're needing a gradual way to kick off your new years resolution, don't give up and try this out!

I hope this first series of improve yourself has helped at least one person out there to want to change a little daily everything in your life to get better health :)

saw this today and it gave me the guilt trip...


yes, i should be running right now. but am i? nope, i'm at the library doing homework so i can have a fun weekend to blog about, duhhh (:
this winter has been killing me with the whole "new years resolution goal to work out at least 4 times a week". i even live right across the street from the university's gym and i've barely accomplished my goal the past couple weeks. pathetic. it's time for a change. but will i be running right now? nope, but i promise i will tonight. pinky promise.