Fair Warning: LONG post ahead. Holy Moly. There have been SO many changes going on in my life over the past few weeks, I don't really know where to begin. I guess I'll start with a hearty hello to everyone again! It's been quite a while since I last posted, and this is my first post to you all from upstate New York! Before I get into the exciting news that the blog is one year old (eee!), I'd like to update you on what's been goin' on...

First, A Life Update...

As you all know, at the end of September I moved from Rhode Island to upstate New York to (finally!) live with my boyfriend. It's been one of the best decisions I've ever made. Living together is just amazing, especially after 4+ years of long distance and weekend commutes back and forth. The place we're living is great, and it's VERY convenient to almost everything we need, including the gym I'll be teaching at soon! The move itself was downright exhausting, though. We started packing each other's places a few weeks before our move date, and once that came it was just non-stop going. Packing boxes. Unloading boxes. Canceling accounts. Setting up new accounts. Cleaning apartments. The list goes on. Through all the chaos, I didn't have time to snap any pictures except this one of my packed apartment (well, the living room) ready to be loaded onto the truck:

Once we got to Albany, we unloaded all my stuff, then went right back to loading the rest of his stuff, cleaned his apartment and started the unpacking process. As of today, we're still disorganized and have a lot of unboxing to do, but the essentials are taken care of and we're slowly getting back to our usual routines like they were before we moved.

One thing I've been dying to get back to is, of course, working out. Packing and unloading the moving truck were both quite a workout for sure, but there's nothing like being in a class and getting pumped from the music and energy of the group! I've been missing that for so long! Yesterday I finally got back to it and attended a "Butts & Gutts" class at VENT Fitness, which is the gym I'll be teaching at starting next week!! (I'm planning on posting more about that experience after my first few classes, so stay tuned.)

Feelin' the burn after my first class back!

Officially a VENT Fitness Group Instructor!

To wrap up the life update, I'm happy. This move to Albany is a much needed refresher for me. It will be a growing experience in many ways, and the start of the next exciting chapter in my life. :) But now onto the more exciting news...

Happy One Year Anniversary to the Blog!

Guys, I can't believe it! The blog is ONE YEAR old (as of Monday)! I know everyone says they can't believe they've been blogging for a year, and I'm in that group too.

I started this blog as a way to reach a broader audience with the workouts and healthy living advice I was teaching/giving to my group fitness classes back in RI. It was also a place to put pen to paper so to speak, and write about my fitness journey, becoming an instructor, and the next adventures I'll have in the fitness industry. It has grown SO MUCH in the past year, I'm kind of in shock. When I first launched the blog on October 5, 2014, I wasn't sure where it would take me. I'm still not. But I know that from starting this blog I have (virtually) met hundreds of amazing people from other bloggers to fitness pros and enthusiasts alike, and my passion for motivating and inspiring others has grown tremendously.

This post is getting pretty long as it is, so I'll spare you the lengthy details and just give you a highlight reel of what's been going on on the blog for the past year:

My First Post Ever: The Beginning of Something Bigger than Myself
The 100th Post: 100-rep Workout for the 100th Post!
Most Viewed: Back & Biceps Dumbbell Superset Workout
Most Shared on Social Media: 10-Minute Ab Burner with Alternating Planks
Becoming a SweatPink Ambassador!
Becoming a Fitfluential Ambassador and an IDEA Inspired Blogger!
My first syndicated post on BlogHer: 9 Fun Outdoor Activities that Double as a Summer Workout
The post I'm most proud of: Warm Coconut-Peach Breakfast Freekeh

All of the above would not be possible without YOU! You all have been such valued supporters of the blog over the past year, and I can't thank you all enough. Seriously. This blog wouldn't reach the audience it does without your shares, your likes, your comments, and your encouragement to keep posting. What started out as a little experiment and hobby one day has turned into a, well, bigger hobby, and something I love dearly. So thank you, thank you, thank you for taking the time to read my posts and even more so to comment and share them.

What's next for the blog? This I'm not sure of yet. A few ideas I have are blog link ups, fitness challenges, and more workouts hopefully complete with pictorials of the different moves. Those are all things I have been wanting to get to for a while now, and what better time to do it than with a fresh start for the blog and in my own life?! I hope you stay tuned and continue to live happy, healthy lives, once healthy choice at a time. :)

Readers: chat with me! What's something you'd love to see on the blog in the coming year? What's something that you think could be improved? How about for those of you who have ever moved before... how did you handle the stress and exhaustion? What's everyone been up to lately? Fill me in - I've been gone for too long!

Welcome to the blog chat! What's the chat about? Well...

I've been thinking long and hard about where I want this blog to go and what content to put out there for you all. There are a LOT of fitness blogs out there and I want to make sure that I am giving you up-to-date, relevant, USEFUL information that you want to read, follow, and most importantly, refer back to! So, I'm asking for your help in constructing a plan. Below are some of my ideas for future blog posts and what to make next. Please use the comments section of this blog post to share your thoughts on the topic, and/or list anything else you'd like to see in the (near) future!

1 | Fitness Challenges:

If you remember from the start of this year, it was one of my goals for 2015 to create at least TWO more fitness challenges for you all. I think we can surpass that goal, but I need to know what you want out of a fitness challenge in the first place. Here are some thoughts on challenge topics:

Exercise challenge you can do right at home to target specific areas of your body (e.g. week 1 = legs; week 2 = arms; week 3 = abs & core; etc.)

No-equipment workout challenge

Specific equipment workout challenge (for example, a program using only a resistance band, or a chair)

Nutrition challenge (e.g. monitoring water intake, protein intake, limit fast food/dining out, etc.)

What about check-ins? Which do you/would you use most often:

Private Facebook group

Instagram check in

Twitter check in

Private blog page dedicated to the challenge (with password-only access)

2 | Workouts

Are you more of a gym-goer or a workout-at-home type? If you take any fitness classes, do you workout on your own as well? I'm curious what you do for your fitness routines because I want to create workouts designed to be incorporated into your day-to-day seamlessly.

Where do you save workout images/videos to take with you?

Facebook

Download to your phone/tablet/computer

3 | Product & Class Reviews

So I've already started a section for this on the blog, but I'm curious if any of you would find it useful. I am not sponsored by anyone, nor endorsed by any product, so all reviews would be purely my opinion. Now this also means that I can't go out and buy 5 Smartwatches to review and tell you which I like (though I wish I could - where's that money tree again?). The products would have to be small and relatively inexpensive, but there are a LOT of those out there for the fitness industry, so I'd love to share my thoughts on a few!

For class reviews, this would serve a great purpose - it would allow you to not only see what classes are actually out there to take, but as an instructor myself, I could give you an honest-to-goodness opinion on whether the class is worth it. Now, I know we all have different tastes and fitness levels, but I would try my best to keep it neutral.

4 | Videos

This one might be a few months to years down the road, but I've often thought about creating a YouTube channel for workout videos as well as little "get-to-know-me" vids for a more personal side. Now, #1 issue is I don't have a video camera, but I do have a pretty good smartphone that could do the trick! :)

Ellyn Ferriter, MPH, CPT

Hi there and welcome to my blog! I'm a certified group fitness instructor, personal trainer, and fitness nutrition specialist. I am passionate about empowering people of all ages to live more confident lives by making fitness fun and enjoyable. I'd love for you to follow along so, together, we can make our lives better, one healthy choice at a time.