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Hey! I hope you had a great weekend!
Today I’m doing something new. I have my first blogger interview to share with you – Colleen from Keep It Real Clean! Colleen is an awesome healthy living blogger, and we first met by being City Fit Girls Ambassadors in Philadelphia. She is the sweetest and makes amazing food that she posts on her blog!
Check out my interview with her below and be sure to visit her blog! She also featured me as part of her Balanced and Bold Series, if you’d like to check it out!
Hi there! I’m Colleen and I’m a 26-year-old healthcare professional living in Philadelphia. I moved to Philadelphia in 2012 to pursue a job and totally fell in love with the city. I love exploring our city and discovering new ones when traveling. When I’m not running along the river trail or experimenting in the kitchen, you may be able to find me enjoying a happy hour 😉
I started Keep it Real Clean as a way to share my journey to a happy, healthier me and to connect with other like-minded ladies (and gents!) to figure out the best ways to balance it all. I was (and am!) extremely fortunate to have been offered an amazing opportunity, but the journey of starting a new, stressful job while balancing adjusting to a new city, a relationship and trying to fit in a healthy lifestyle was definitely a challenge. I share my ways to fit in cooking healthy meals, completing effective workouts, while still finding a balance for a happy, healthy life.
Okay…to be honest….I started Keep it Real Clean from a semi “selfish” spot. I always loved to read others’ blogs and loved to be able to connect with others over blogs. About 2 years ago, I started thinking, you know what? I could totally do this! Even if no one reads it, it would be a good way for me to have a creative outlet for writing, versus my day to day medical documentation. Since then, it’s totally morphed into more of a community and I hope it can keep growing!!
It can be so tough to balance it all and to be honest, lately I’ve gotten a major wake up call! Previously, I was adamant about posting 4 days per week, but I was starting to feel like I was missing out on things (UMM, like sleep!) and I started to feel less inspired. I realized that instead of trying to crank out postings I should take a break and only write when it was something I was enjoying, because after all, I started it as a hobby so might as well keep up with the fun! I also realized that I really enjoyed Instagram and even though it doesn’t churn out a bunch of traffic I really enjoy connecting with others there. So I decided to keep up with that and put aside places like Facebook. All about balance and finding the fun!
Each week, I sit down on Sundays and make fill out my calendar with anything vital that needs to happen, like work or doctor’s appointments, then I fit in any social plans that I have already, then I add in my workouts. Each week I aim to do cardio 2-3 times weekly and weight training 2-3 times weekly. I will figure out what times I’ll do a workout and add it to the calendar, rather than just having a weekly goal I like to pick an exact time so I have a plan. Sometimes I try to incorporate social things with workouts so that I can enjoy time with friends without feeling guilty about it. Instead of a happy hour, how about hitting up a Cycling class together? Perfect!
I am the QUEEN of Prep cooking and meal planning, along with planning my weekly workouts. I also plan out all of my breakfast, lunches, snacks and our dinners. Not only is it a better way for me to balance it all, but I also save money and not end up with a fridge full of food that is about to expire! I often find that if I get stuck and have to buy something I’m not nearly as satisfied as if I brought my own. I feel like by being prepared with healthy meals for the week then I can be a little more flexible for a meal or two over the weekend!
My gym bag has actually grown recently. Before I was all about just a pair of running shoes, but now since I’ve mixed up my workouts, my gym bag is suddenly a new bag every day! Some days it’s full of a jump rope, a pair of lifting gloves, and a pair of resistance bands and then other days it’s a yoga mat and a towel and a water bottle…it’s always changing based on my workout for the day!
Here’s the thing – because of my work schedule it’s not really an option for me to have a meal that takes longer than 15-20 minutes to toss together. When I’m looking for something quick, easy and filling I typically throw together a stir-fry. I toss together some mixed veggies, a protein (mainly chicken or shrimp) and then add in a sauce. I like to make an easy sauce with low sodium soy sauce, a little sriracha, rice vinegar, a splash of maple syrup and a little water. Easy, peasy and a good way to use up some veggies that are about to go!
I am trying to learn how to do this! I swear, I haven’t learned the “Art of Relaxation” yet, but I would love to figure it out! I love spending time with my fiance and my family up in my hometown of Skaneateles. In my opinion, it’s the most beautiful place in the world and it seems like it’s impossible not to relax when you look out on the beautiful lake! When I just need a relaxing day at home, I’m all about a Bravo binge…Real Housewives anyone?
Be sure to connect with Colleen on Social Media:
Instagram: http://instagram.com/keepitrealclean
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/keepitrealclean
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/keepitrealclean
How do you balance blogging and day-to-day life?
