Hi everybody! Just checking in real quick with a life update and a few pieces of news to shed some light on why my posts haven't been as frequent as they once were. First off, though, that picture! It looks almost like a painting, but it's actually a photo of Stillhouse Cove in Rhode Island, where I was this past week visiting family. Instead of putting up a picture of clouds, which I was about to do, this one seemed more optimistic and cheerful, which is the tone of this post, too. Okay, onto the news... :)

I don't write many personal life posts here on the blog (I prefer to have this blog serve as more of a fitness resource for you rather than a personal journal for me), however, when life events happen that affect my writing and publishing, I want to keep you all informed! Don't worry - nothing bad is happening. In fact, it's all good!

I'm a barista at Starbucks.

Gold nametags & fedoras at the drive-thru to promote the Starbucks Rewards program. #noshame

I used to work for Starbucks back in college and I loved it. The partners (what Starbucks calls its employees) were fantastic, the company was (and is) great to work for, and the job itself was (and still is) pretty fun. When I moved to upstate New York in 2015, I spent a great deal of time applying for many full-time Wellness Coordinator and Health Promotion Specialist positions (what I ultimately want to do), but nothing worked out (yet!). The time came to look at other options, even if only part-time, so I took a job as a barista back in March to start earning a bit more while I continue to work on my career trajectory.

I'm concentrating on my CPT studies.

Back in October I decided it was time to pursue my Personal Trainer certification. It seemed like the logical next step for my career and would help develop my training for my group classes as well. I was really good at setting aside time to study... for the first 2 weeks I had the materials. After those 2 weeks, I started having the "not this again" feeling and the studying slowly went to the back burner. BUT! I've set a test date (September 29, 2016) in hopes that that'll kick my butt into gear now. So far I've been pretty good, and I aim to keep it up (September is approaching faster than I care to admit!). While this means that my blog posts will be secondary to my studies right now, I do hope over the course of my cramming that I can provide you with better workouts and health advice here on the blog. Quality over quantity!

I'm considering going back to school.

"It's your life, but only if you make it so."

Since having a few initial interviews for Wellness Coordinator and Health Promotion Specialist positions over the past few months, I've learned that in order to be considered for that type of career, I need to boost my credentials. After meeting with an academic advisor here at SUNY Albany School of Public Health, getting my MPH (Master's in Public Health) is the next best step. The idea of going back to school for a Master's in something I am passionate about excites me, and the more I think about it, the more it seems like the right decision. I'll keep you posted!

What this all means...

Alright, so I have a lot going on in my personal life, but what does this mean for YOU? Well, if you've been a long-time subscriber, you may have noticed my publishing frequency has dropped significantly over the past few months. It's a shame, honestly, because I have so many things I want to write about, and so many workouts I want to share with you. Unfortunately, I just don't have the time that I used to what with working, studying, and teaching fitness classes.

While I focus on the above, my goals for the blog are still to create quality content for you all and keep publishing - the blog isn't going anywhere! I aim to publish at least once a week while I focus on my CPT studies right now. I have a few killer workouts in the queue (get excited!), along with some lifestyle-focused posts and a few recipe & product reviews (hint: some great giveaways are coming!), all of which I'm excited to share!

So I hope that you'll continue to follow along, and also take this time to look back at previous workouts, healthy lifestyle tips, and delicious recipes. Let me know what workouts you're loving or recipes you try! And of course, thank you for your patience and being loyal readers of the blog - I couldn't do this without you!