Happy Tuesday!!  How are you all doing, party people?? Everything has been good over here - had a nice relaxing weekend. I babysat, we've been watching a cutie husky, got into trouble at Lululemon on Friday, worked Saturday, taught spin on Sunday...the usual! 

Yesterday at work was also one of the best Mondays I've had in a while. We had an awesome team meeting at work and discussed the difference between motivation and inspiration.

Motivation

Motivation is what motivates you from the outside and compels you to take action...it could be money, shoes, fitting into your favorite dress, the summer coming up, etc. For me, I am motivated highly by three main things right now. Money. I mean, I gotta pay the rent and I have a few vacations coming up that I need to save for! Plus I like to treat myself sometimes with unnecessary overpriced Lululemon crops. It happens. I'm motivated by being able to turn my clients' days around when they come to train and it's the last thing they want to do. And then they leave with a smile and that feeling is the best one ever. Lastly, I'm motivated hugely by doing something I enjoy every day. It doesn't feel like work. Before I left my job in advertising I was a total energy vampire. I was miserable and I let it show. Now I feel like it's quite the opposite. What motivates you?

Inspiration

Inspiration is something from within that you connect with. It's a feeling that drives you to be more passionate and excited about something. I'm inspired by a lot of things. I remember when I was searching for a new job and complaining about my current situation, my both my parents and Michael told me "Rach, you either stop complaining, or find a way to make yourself happy..." I remember being so inspired by this idea that I literally had complete control over the changes I wanted to make. And then I did it because they all believed in me. I've always been inspired by my hardworking parents. I also am inspired every time I work with my clients and they reach a new goal. It just reassures me every time why I love what I do so much. And I'm only getting started! Are you inspired yet? What inspires you?

And now I don't mean to switch gears to abruptly but...

Spiced Carrot Muffins 

I love anything with a little spice to it. I used cinnamon, ginger and ground cloves in these muffins for a delicious blend of fall spiciness. Even though it's totally spring. 

These muffins are super hearty with raisins, sunflower seed and chocolate chips, because, well, can't bake without chocolate chips. 

[yumprint-recipe id='24'] I hope you enjoy!! 

Now I'm off to eat lunch before I head into work for another awesome, busy day.

XO- Rach

Let's chat...

What are you motivated by?

What are you inspired by?

Are you so incredibly excited for summer?

Hi! I wanted to share something a bit different today - all my eats from yesterday plus a day in the life of my new job! So as most of you know, I did leave my job in advertising and I started a new job as a full time Thrive trainer at City Fitness here in Philly! I am also still teaching group fitness classes as well, so I'm totally immersed in what I freaking love to do. It's a WHOLE different schedule and new challenge but I'm so ready for it. I am training semi-private groups with the Thrive training modality (learn more about it here, it's an AWESOME functional training program) and I'm already amazed by the support of my new bosses, co-workers and the motivation of the few clients that I'm starting with! 

WIAW (What I Ate Wednesday) 

So here's a little sneak peak into what it looks like to work in fitness (when you're first starting out)...

7 AM: Alarm goes off, I have coffee and a little pre-workout snack (too sleepy to get a pic) of half a mashed sweet potato, half a banana, a tablespoon of Sunbutter and some raisins. I got this sweet potato breakfast bowl idea from Jen at peanutbutterrunner.com and I am OBSESSED!! Michael also used to mash sweet potato and banana together in college for a side at dinner. It's a winning combo, please try it. 

8-9:30 AM: I head to the gym near my apartment and practice a few of the strength moves in the Thrive training library as well as put myself through a workout that I will be putting my clients through eventually. This helps me gage the intensity and helps me to program my workouts for them. 

9:30-11:30 AM: I eat my (second) breakfast (pictured below) of an AMAZINGGGG chocolate smoothie bowl - recipe coming soon, this one was a winner!! It was packed with protein and healthy carbs. I also pack my day's worth of food, work on this blog post, take care of a few emails and get ready for the day. I also had a few handfuls of trail mix on the side.

11:45-12:30 PM: I commute to Center City by train and head to City Fitness. My current hours are afternoons/evenings, so I've been getting to work around noon and leaving around 9:30 at night. The gym is slow until about 5:30, but I try my best to work the floor, meet new people and set up some assessments! 

2 PM: I train a client. She does AWESOME. 

3-3:30 PM: Eat a delicious salad with spinach, grilled chicken, avocado, tomato, cucumber, olive oil & balsamic and an apple on the side. I'm really craving a coffee but resist the urge to spend $5 on an almond milk latte, because I can't ever just buy a plain old coffee...

3:30-6:30 PM: Shadow a few of the trainers, work the floor and get ready for my clients in the evening. I also noshed on a couple of these protein balls, they're so good! I have been making The Healthy Maven's protein bites every week. They're great. Actually kind of addictive...I made a batch of 20 on Monday and they're already gone. Whoops.

6:45-8:45: Train a few clients and I also had a couple people come in for an assessment! 

9:00: I eat this combo of veggies, rice, brussels sprouts, sweet potato and ground beef before I got ready to make the commute home (I walk about 15 mins to the train station and the train ride home is about a half hour). The wind was CRAZZYYY last night and literally almost knocked me over getting to the train station. 

10:30 I am HOME!!! I had a snack of cottage cheese, PB and jelly (yes, it looks disgusting, but trust me it's so, so good) before bed and then hit the hay at around 11. This morning I'm up and at em' - teaching an 8 AM cycle class at Body Cycle Studio before heading to City Fitness for a team workout, several assessments and some client sessions. It will be another long day and I wouldn't trade it for the world. 

Have a GREAT one, you guys. 

XO- Rach

Is there something you just CAN'T go without eating every day? 

Happy Wednesday, friends. Today is an exciting one over here and I'm feeling very motivated. One of the reasons being that I can't stop thinking about how great Ellie Goulding and Andra Day's performance was at the Grammy's on Monday night and it totally reminded me how obsessed I am with Ellie Goulding...I mean come on, look at this British badass! #goals.  [embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/BB1QN_LTfS8/?taken-by=elliegoulding[/embed]

On a more serious note, today is my last day working at Group Two Advertising. WHAT?! I will no longer be working in advertising and I am pursuing a career in fitness full time. I'm pretty psyched, people. I've learned so much from my time in the agency, but all along I've kept up my fitness jobs part time, and I came to realize that I just needed to take the leap and jump in full time.  Every day when I would get to work, there was just this little hole in my heart because I wasn't pursuing what I am truly passionate about. GOODBYE desk job! I'll chat more about this later, because I know there might be some others in the same boat, but for now, let's talk about these Peanut Butter Banana Protein Bars...

There's not many combos that can beat a little peanut butter and banana. Sure, the taste is spectacular, but aside from the taste factor, the energy that these two foods provide together are perfect for starting your day, giving you a little afternoon boost or keeping you full at night.

 These Peanut Butter Banana Protein Bars are packed with protein to keep you full and satisfy that sweet tooth. They have a dense and moist texture, much like a pound cake or corn bread. And the best part is, these are so easy to make - one bowl, one pan! 

You'll want your bananas extra ripe for this recipe - easier to mix and also adds more sweetness! 

MMM, look at that crumbly, cake-like goodness :) 

[yumprint-recipe id='16'] XO- Rach

Have you ever taken a big turn and different direction in your career?

What's your favorite post-workout snack?

What's one of your favorite food combos?