Fit Therapist

With the new year approaching, tons of people will make the goal to get fit in 2014. Being fit and healthy has been a year round goal for me and since the gyms will have an influx of membership in the next coming weeks I decided to begin Insanity . I have just completed my second week and I must say it is truly INSANE! I consider myself to be in good shape for women my age. Before, I worked out three times a week and had adequate nutrition. However, Insanity has definitely intensified my workouts. I am working out six days a week and following their nutrition plan of five small meals a day (for the most part). I altered my schedule and am training my body to wake up and work out before work. Personally if I waited to after work to conquer these challenging work outs, I would talk myself out of doing them. On top of Insanity I have continued my yoga practice, part of my exercise routine I can not live without. I have also incorporated daily multivitamins, fish oil, BCAA's and glutam

With Christmas around the corner, everyone is running around for their last minute gifts. Fortunately, you can buy happiness this holiday season. Behavioral science and social psychology studies from San Francisco State University and the book  Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending , by Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton draw on quantitative and qualitative research explaining how to buy joy. These studies suggest that  Buying Experiences, Not Possessions leads to Greater Happiness . Going to a concert, on a vacation or a dinner with your partner not only fulfills your needs for social connectedness and satisfaction, but it is the gift that keeps on giving due to the fact that it creates fond memories that you can access for the rest of our life. We do not get bored  of these memories like we would a material object. Consequently, people who purchased experiences displayed less buyers remorse than those who bought "things."  So this holiday season  instead of shopping t

Since I enjoy my field and learning I have come across some good reads. One book I picked up in between semesters was the 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. This book talks about how people express affection over 5 "languages" including words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time and physical touch. It seems like a simple concept but rarely to couples ask their significant other "How do you feel most loved?" We just assume that our partner feels love the same ways we do whether that be saying "I love you," holding hands or even taking out the trash. Everyone has their own way of expressing and feeling love. I have taken the test to assess my love language once when I was single and yet again in my relationship. While the results changed slightly, I still had the same overriding love language of "Quality Time." When getting into a relationship, I asked my boyfriend to take the test as well. Luckily we speak the same languag

With obesity on the rise in the United States, more Americans are becoming aware of their unhealthy behaviors and incorporating more healthy alternatives through diet and exercise. However, when considering overall health it is important to mention your brain. As we age, our memory and concentration fade, especially after we finish our schooling. It is important to keep your mind sharp to prevent from decline and have an overall healthier you for years to come. Even in my young age, I have realized studying and remembering things are not as easy as it was in my undergraduate studies.  Therefore, I decided to become more active in my brain health. Every day, or almost every day, I participate in fun and functional “brain training” games at Lumosity . My scores have gone up, partly because of continual practice but I have noticed my memory and concentration have improved.  Other ways to train your brain include reading, puzzles, math problems, learning new things, etc. These activities

My father posted an amazing story today on 20 Things a Father Should Tell His Daughter .  This was a great list for every father to keep in mind while raising young girls; although my dad never said this verbatim he had the gist of it. Personally, I believe that my father has played a huge role in the woman I am today. He taught me how to be strong, independent, and that I could do anything I put my mind to (including driving stick shift and building Ikea furniture.)  From an early age, my mind was set on being a therapist (I know an abnormal dream profession for a young child). Through my studies, I have learned the importance of attachment in the development of our children. "Attachment" is the bond that infants form with their caregivers and this leads to not only how we develop mentally, personally and emotionally, but affects our personality and development of future relationships.   According to the U.S. Census Bureau , 24 million children in America live in biological

Hello Everyone! I am excited and skeptical about writing this first post. Every time you start something new and unfamiliar it can cause uncertainty. Additionally if you know me personally, I am not the most technologically savvy. I have never had an interest in writing a blog; however my uncle began a blog and mentioned how much joy and fulfillment it brought him. Also, in my pursuit of my degree I have realized that I acquire interesting and inspiring knowledge every day that can help others. Through writing this, I hope to dispel some of my creative juices, express myself professionally and hopefully light a fire in you with some of the topics I chose to post about. Please take the time to follow my uncle’s blog at   http://adventuresofteacher-dad.com/ and I look forward to writing more.  Future Therapist