The Best of KITC 2017 + What to Expect in 2018

I’m always surprised how much content I end up producing every year — and I don’t mean that as some pat on my back. No, I’m just saying I legit forget about half the things I say. At the end of the year I love taking a second to go over the year. From a business standpoint I like to see what resonated with you. From a personal standpoint I remember that hey, despite being in grad school hell I’ve done a fair amount of writing this year.

I love how Davida did a full recap of content from the past year and thought I’d do something similar. Below are your favorite posts from the year (based on page views) as well as my favorites from 2017.

Your Favorite Posts from 2017

▶︎ The Introvert’s Energy Struggle: How I’m Managing My Energy. The struggle is REAL when you’re an introvert living in an extroverted world. I still use these tips as I navigate working in a field that requires me to be super “on”.

 

▶︎ When You’re Into Fitness But Your Boyfriend Isn’t. I didn’t expect this post to spark SO much conversations but boy did it. Despite Jeremy not being into fitness + wellness, I’m so grateful for his support of my own journey over the last 6+ years. He was there to cheer me on as I conquered the NYC marathon. And he was there to deal with me when I was a total brat after running the marathon.

 

▶︎ How To Start Journaling for Clarity (+ 20 journal prompts!). 2017 was the year I got back to journaling for myself. When I started getting more and more into blogging, keeping my own journal fell to the wayside. I wouldn’t say I’m consistent with my journaling habit now, but I try to brain dump once a week or so. If you’re interested in journaling and clueless about where to start, these prompts will help you out.

 

▶︎ How To Wake Up Early To Workout. I’m 100% on team morning workout. If I don’t get it done in the morning, it ain’t happening. BUT I’m also not a morning person. Really. This post came as a response to one of the most frequent questions I get asked — how the heck do you manage to wake up early to workout?

 

▶︎ 25 Books, Courses and Podcasts to Inspire Personal Growth. You guys know I’m a total personal growth junkie. This list is a round up of some of my favorites as well as books I’ve been told to read countless times. I should probably update the list with some of my newer favorites too!

My Favorite Posts from 2017

In no particular order…

▶︎ I Tried It: Cupping Therapy. This post was easily the most fun one to write this year. Oh man cupping was a WEIRD, painful, bizarre experience.

 

▶︎ I Gave Up Instagram For 72 Hours – here’s what happened. This scenario inspired me to rethink my relationship with social media as a whole. It also is the reason I now take a Social Media Shabbat every Saturday. It’s made a huge difference for my mental health and social media addiction.

 

▶︎ Some Days I Feel Like I’m Crushing It. Other Days, Not So Much. Ah, 2017 in a nutshell. Moments of feeling like a total boss. And moments of feeling like the laziest blob of a human ever. It’s something I still feel a lot of guilt surrounding. But I’ve come to realize that we are all dealing with our own challenges. Someone working 9-5 versus me being in grad school and working a non-traditional schedule — one is not harder (or easier!) than the other. They are simply different.

 

▶︎ Why I No Longer Stay Healthy On Vacation.  This post most perfectly sums up my current philosophy when it comes to health + wellness. I’ve shifted my mindset about what healthy looks and feels like quite a bit since I started blogging. My trip to Chicago and approach to wellness on that trip embodied how far I’ve come.

 

▶︎ Reflections on Grad School: How Do You Know If You Made The Right Choice? I was really scared to press publish on this post because I was really scared to admit how unsure I was about school. What would people think? Oh that Kayla, can’t stay in one place for more than a few months. 

I cannot even tell you how many emails and texts I got about this post. Friends from sleep-away camp and childhood reached out to tell me about their grad school experience. People that told me at some point they felt the same way. I’m glad I pressed published. And I’m glad I decided to stay the course and I will finish my program in 2018.

 

What’s to Expect in 2018

2017 was the year I fully embraced my shift from fitness blogger to “wellness” blogger. And 2018 will be the continuation of that. I’m excited to continue to explore wellness from all angles, not just fitness.

Look, I love working out. And I do a fair amount of it in my life. But I’ve realized that it’s only one part of the wellness pie. It took me awhile to realize that healthy and wellness were about SO much more than eating kale and working out. It’s about your job. Your relationships. The people you surround yourself with. And just overall being happy because that’s a huge part of being healthy.

So, I started writing content that reflected this. Maybe it’s less SEO friendly than a studio review. Or recipe if I was that kind of blogger. But it’s the content that feels most authentic to me.

I also don’t have a ton to say on the fitness front anymore. I’ve found the workouts that work for me, my body and my schedule. Yay! But that also means I’m not keen to travel around NYC trying out every quirky studio that opens. I’m not saying I’ll never write another studio review. It just won’t be a regular thing.

2018 will be the year I graduate grad school. Even typing that gives me a surge of anxiety. I’ll talk about this more in my upcoming 2018 related content, but I have NO clue what is going to happen after I graduate. I will keep you posted on what’s next for me in my “real life” as things start to unfold and [hopefully] fall into place

 

And the big news…

I’m INSANELY excited to announce that in 2018 I will be launching at podcast. As a lover of podcasts, it’s something I’ve been thinking for awhile. Well, I finally got my shit together, gathered some friends, bought a mic and pressed record. More information coming SOON. Like, probably next week 🙂 Stay tuned!

Thank you for coming along for this crazy journey, as always. What were some of your favorite posts from 2017? What do you want to see more of (or less of!) in 2018?