As promised, I wanted to let y’all in on what I learned from my recent reader survey. First and foremost, thanks a bunch for filling it out! It was super helpful for me and I can’t believe I took so long to do a reader survey.
I mentioned this already but I learned that we got a lot of ladies in the house. Okay, I kind of already knew this thanks to google analytics, but the amount of estrogen up in here was confirmed.
A lot of you have also been around for a few years. Thank you for following along on this crazy, crazy journey with me.
What you guys love: personal posts, coffee dates, random life updates and favorites. This was pretty unanimous across the board.
What you guys are mixed about: fitness reviews, yoga content and sponsored posts (<-- I totes get it! And feel the same about certain blogs I read sometimes. I'll continue do my best to be picky about the brands I partner with only sharing brands I believe in while creating useful content around the sponsorships.) My life has changed [a lot] since I started blogging about fitness ~6 years ago. I went from being a college kid with big Broadway dreams to a certified personal trainer. I tried to do the corporate life, 9-5 thing and it didn’t go so well. I went from not being able to run a mile to running a freaking marathon. I used to hate yoga. Now I teach yoga.
One thing I’ve been struggling with:
Lately I don’t feel like a healthy living blogger. I’m more like a healthy-ish living blogger. How do I dish out advice and new content when I’m not exactly walking the walk, talking the talk and uh eating the eats?
My eating habits are… so-so
There were a few requests for more food content centered around meal prep and what I eat in a given day. I’m almost embarrassed to admit how little I really do cook. Have I turned my oven on in the last month? Maybe? Oh god, I really am living out my Carrie Bradshaw dreams.
I make the same dish ~4 days a week. Sautéed cheezy kale with chickpea, over rice. Sometimes I make frozen chicken tenders (at least they’re organic?) and Dr. Praeger’s spinach littles for a lazy meal. More often than not I go to sweetgreen or my favorite sushi restaurant. The delivery guy at my favorite Chinese restaurants knows me by name. And I never cook on the weekends with Jeremy.
I’ll never be super passionate about cooking. I love the idea of cooking, but once I’m actually in the kitchen I’m an anxious mess. Living in NYC I feel fortunate that there are a ton of healthy options nearby. And not-so-healthy options which I totally take advantage of too. I might have to get in touch with an online nutritionist to make it healthy overall. The way I have been dodging healthy eating isn’t healthy!
My life no longer revolves around working out
Which is ironic considering I’m teaching more fitness classes than ever.
Monday I taught back-to-back Yoga Sculpt classes at CorePower. As an instructor I don’t do the bulk of the class, but running around the heated room is both exhausting and exhilarating. After teaching the two classes I realized there was no way in hell I was staying for the following yoga class. I was tired, hungry and just wanted my morning chai from Starbucks.
In theory I could’ve worked out later in the day. My night class for school was cancelled (hallelujah!) so I had the rest of the day “free” to do what I wanted.
But instead I sat like a lump on the couch for 3 hours, which always happens on days I wake up at 4:15AM. I then finally went for a long afternoon walk. Old Kayla would’ve felt ALL the guilt for not “actually” working out. Instead yesterday I was grateful to be outside in a tank top in October (wtf is with this weather) and that was that.
I’ve found what works for me on the fitness front
Both financially and physically. If I had all the money in the world to spend on fitness maybe things would be different. I’d go to SoulCycle all the freaking time and work one-on-one with a personal trainer. And have fun insights from those experiences. But that sure as hell is not the financial situation I’m in at the moment.
Physically I also know that what I’m doing these days is fine. Lately my workout regiment is a mixture of:
- Yoga Sculpt 1-2 days a week
- the strength class at Uplift,
- the lift class at Body Space Fitness
- Bar Method (<--- I've been REALLY into Bar Method lately)
- a yoga class or two of sorts.
I don’t need to go balls-to-the-wall in every workout to get the endorphin rush I crave. And I’m sure as hell not doing two-a-days. Ain’t got the time, energy nor money for that.
I also say no to a lot of studios that invite me to come in and take class in exchange for a review. I love my little routine and I don’t love taking the subway to all corners of NYC for a free workout. Sometimes I’ll take a class that I LOVE and is interesting enough that I want to write about it. And there are a few “trendy” workouts I want to try and will report back on.
Sometimes I get caught in the comparison trap.
Comparing my body to other people I know. Sorry, Kayla, all the working out in the world will not shrink your butt and thighs. It’s genetic just like your height and petite frame.
I’ll compare my content to that of others in the “healthy living blogosphere.” Wishing I posted trendy food photos on instagram. Maybe then it wouldn’t have taken me eons to get to 10K followers.
There are many healthy habits I’ll never master.
Meal prepping. Using exclusively clean beauty products. Those face masks everyone uses on instagram.
But as I’ve realized in this “wellness” journey over the past few years, healthy isn’t an all or nothing thing. It’s not like I have to check off a bunch of boxes and if I don’t check enough off I’m deemed unhealthy. Maybe the significance of healthy meals in our lives is to supply energy to every part of the body and keep us free from disease. As our body ages, it might be necessary to look after our health and diet to avoid medical complications. Nowadays, heart attacks seem to be the leading cause of death among humans. Therefore, it is advisable to pay regular visits to relevant health professionals like cardiologists (visit https://cvgcares.com/ to know more) for the betterment of our lives.
I drink way too much caffeine these days. And spend too much money on Starbucks. Sleep is pretty hit miss with my schedule. And I don’t always workout 6 days a week.
But I also feel happy right now. I love my job, feel excited about where my life is heading and feel grateful every day for where I’m at. And to me that is the ultimate indicator of healthy.
one of the things i love about you is how you’re not like, totally obsessed with running 10 miles a day and then taking spin plus a yoga class, you know? i mean, you’re defffffinitely way more on top of the fitness game than most people (and me!) so seeing your workouts is so inspiring, but it never leaves me feeling inadequate or thinking i need to do those things to be healthy. you’re realistic, honest, and motivating. i think what’s most important is that you’re happy, like you said, and that makes me happy for you 🙂
I hear ya! I love teaching fitness classes and being a “wellness blogger”, but we have to remember that wellness means different things to different people and it should come down to what makes you feel your best, not how many workouts you can get done in a week (which is seriously challenging when you’re also teaching!)
I am a healthy-ish loving blogger who’s also a total wimp, so I get this 🙂
Cooking? What is that 😂 I think that unfortunately too many in the fit set have chosen to show things that are very one-sided and then their followers forget that it’s all edited and believe that certain habits and lifestyles are attainable and desirable. Sure I’ve had a day with multiple workouts, but that’s not my everyday. Yes I eat healthy meals, but I also never go a day without dessert. I love spinning, but due to back/hip issues I often take more time in the saddle or ride with a little more/less resistance. I think “healthy” is a very individual thing and people need to realize that.