Spill It Sunday #2

Decided to take part in my second ever SPILL IT SUNDAY this week! Partly because the theme looked really fun, and partly because I have something big to share with you all!

If you follow me on Instagram then you already may know what the big announcement is (or at least have an idea!), but if not, here it goes….

I am studying to be a Certified Personal Trainer with NASM!

It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while now, and considering my workload this semester as well as the fact that I’ll be  away for my internship all summer, I decided NOW was the perfect time to start the program!

I have a love for health and fitness as you all know, but I’ve long wanted some credentials to back up all the things I share with you on a daily basis. I looked into a bunch of different programs and decided NASM had the prestige and accreditation that I was looking for!

I was able to work out an awesome opportunity with the NASM team and they’ve agreed to provide me with the self-study CPT course free of charge! In exchange, I’ll be documenting my study journey on the blog for all of you to follow along with! I hope this will give my readers that are looking to pursue their own Personal Training certificate an inside look at the process it takes to get there and will help me stay accountable with my study habits.

I have to admit, after receiving my book I can tell the material is very dense and will take a lot of memorization to get through…but I am eager to dive right in! Also with the help of the resources NASM provides for structuring your studying and supplementing with online tools, I think I’m in good hands to prepare for the test! 🙂

I am given 6 months to learn the material and take the test but I am hoping to be prepared in about 75 days or so (if all goes according to plan with the study guide I’m following!).

[already loving the material!]

Let me know if you have any questions about my new adventure! Oh and before I forget, if anyone who is looking to become a CPT plans on pursuing it through NASM, the company has generously offered to give anyone who mentions my name and my blog a FIFTEEN PERCENT discount as well as FREE SHIPPING! Pretty sweet deal, seeing as the course is pricey! (And just to be transparent, I am receiving no monetary compensation or affiliate credit for anyone that signs up and mentions me! Just a straightforward discount for all of you!)

If any of you out there who have received your certification have any advice on studying, test taking, or the like….please feel free to share!! Any advice or suggestions are GREATLY appreciated!

And one last thing before I jump into Spill It Sunday! THE WINNERS OF MY NAKD BAR GIVEAWAY! Congrats to….

Congrats ladies! Please send me your address at [email protected] !!

Time to spill it….

–>The last 5 people you spoke to on the phone

Well if I’m being honest, I think my mom would take of up the last 5 calls on my phone! No surprise there! Ha! But if we’re talking the last 5 DIFFERENT people then….

1. My mom

2. The receptionist as my Dr’s office

3. Chris from NASM

4. Petsmart (for Ella’s haircut!)

5. My Dad

–>The last 5 meals you ate

Hmm I am hesitant to post this as I captured a FULL day of eats yesterday that I plan on sharing for WIAW this week! Usually I just do a compilation of a bunch of eats from the past week, but I decided it would be fun to switch things up and actually do a full day! So instead of sharing my last 5 meals I’ll share 5 foods I’ve been loving lately…

1. Don’t roll your eyes, but….KABOCHA! Hear me out! I know I love this stuff ALL YEAR ROUND…but it’s been especially amazing lately! And lucky for me the local store I shop at stocks it every week and has squashes that are bigger than my head! Totally necessary since I can put away 500 grams of the stuff at a time! (<–from that one time I measured out my normal portion just to see!)

2. Pink Salmon from Trader Joes! The BEST canned salmon I’ve ever had!

3. The new Raspberry Lemon bar from Bearded Bros! It’s their newest variety and it’s so delicious! It’s their first nut-free bar and I love the combination of lemon and raspberry! So tart and sweet at the same time with a great texture from the seeds that are in it. Love the softy, chewiness of it too!

4. All things cocoa! I’ve been adding it to EVERYTHING lately! As you can see from all the chocolate baked goods I’ve been making, I’ve become a bit of a chocolate addict. And the richer and more bitter, THE BETTER! Total fan of cocoa powder straight up on yogurt, smoothies, and what have you! It’s especially delicious paired with instant coffee granules or chocolate peppermint Amazing Grass!

5. Shredded cheese! A little random but it’s like eating string cheese without having to do the work! LOL Talk about lazy. But I love picking up little handfuls and sprinkling them in my mouth! Food’s supposed to be fun, right?

–>The last 5 places you travelled

1. Boston

2. Baltimore

3. Canada

4. Philippines

5. San Diego

–>The next 5 places you will go

As in out of town? Or the next places I will physically GO to? I’ll go with the latter!

1. Upstairs to watch the final few episodes of Breaking Bad! Almost done with the final season EEEEP!

2. To my room to change into my running gear!

3. Outside for a nice run in the (hopefully) sun!

4. Back to the kitchen to experiment with some cupcakes for my sister’s wedding shower.

5. To the living room for some studying.

–>The last 5 workouts you did

1. Does sweating profusely and having your heart race a mile a minute because you just got pulled over for the first time count? Yes. Yes it does. I don’t think I’ve ever been so nervous in my life! Luckily, the cop was very understanding and I got off with a warning. Hoping it’s my first and last ‘getting pulled over’ experience EVER. SCARY!

2. 4.8 miles to the gym, 4 miles on treadmill, and then a 1.65 mile run back home!

3. THIS circuit from PBFingers!

4. 60 minutes on the arc trainer and my one mile progression run!

5. This Barbell and Core circuit that I shared a while back!

–>5 things making you happy right now

1. New projects and new endeavors (see above…plus my upcoming half marathon and internship!).

2. My blog getting a new look! I’ve been working with Kristi from Creative Kristi Designs for a few months now and later this week Healthy Helper should be up and running with a sleeker, simpler, more professional look!

3. Getting some things with my degree figured out…I feel I have a much clearer picture of what I’ll be doing over the final two years of undergrad! There was some confusion about the credits I came into the college with and what would be the best way to make sure they were all being used properly. Well, we got it all figured out and now I will for sure be graduating on time, using my scholarship to its fullest extent, and going down a path to set me up for what I really want to do in grad school!

4. Massages. My mom bought me a Groupon for a full body massage and salt scrub treatment as an early mother-daughter valentine and I am SO excited to use it! If money were no issue, I would get a massage everyday. No joke.

5. A possible trip to see one of my best friends for Spring Break! If everything works out with our schedules and flights aren’t to pricey, I might be headed off to Nashville for a little weekend getaway!

Give me on of your Top 5 lists!

What was the best part of this weekend for you?

What’s your go-to study strategy for big tests?

Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Kaila

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Todays’s Healthy Help: Picked up honey for my mom at the store!

Never too early  to start Lending a {Healthy} Hand for this week’s round-up! Tell me what you’ve done to help someone else lately!