Posts Tagged by nicole kennedy
Energy Boosters
| August 21st, 2012 | Advice |
It was pretty difficult getting up this morning. My alarm went off at 5:30 and then again at 5:47 (random time, I know). I eventually made my way downstairs to watch a few minutes of the news with Bry before coming back to bed to blog. I opted for no coffee this morning, because I’ve been trying to get myself off of feeling like I NEED it to function properly.
Although I’ve been taking my B12 gummy vitamins, my energy level has been rather low lately. I’m not sure whether it’s a result of not sleeping that well, but I’ve been doing a lot to boost my energy lately.
Spinach shakes
Case in point… I’ve been drinking more of my spinach protein shakes. I shared with you my spinach protein shake recipe in the past and they always tend to give me a boost in energy, because of the abundance of nutrients! In a placebo-controlled study, researchers found that following a marathon, runners receiving 1500 mg of vitamin C per day recovered normal cortisol levels more rapidly than those taking 500 mg or the placebo. Because pumping out cortisol stresses the adrenal glands, faster recovery means less fatigue.
I even had to run to Whole Foods yesterday during my lunch break to pick up my favorite whey protein blend for my shakes. I’ve tried some of the vegan powders and I just can’t get into the grainy texture. Maybe one day it will grow on me, but not today.
Exercise
Exercise of any kind can increase energy levels even among those suffering from chronic medical conditions associated with fatigue, such as cancer and heart disease. Although I can’t always get in a long run, since my calf injury (which feels much better BTW), I’ve been trying to do at least a few miles everyday. Just getting outside in the fresh air, wakes my body up and gets me energized.
Drinking more water
Drinking water is actually really good for you (shocking!). Since water accounts for approximately 60% of your body weight, your organs and vital bodily systems need water to do their jobs. When you’re dehydrated, your body systems can slow down a bit, making you feel extra sluggish.
I’m definitely not the spokesperson for drinking water, because I know I can drink a whole lot more. However, I’ve been trying really hard to drink more water and less Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee during my work day.
Getting more light
I’ve been trying more and more to leave work during my lunch breaks to get some sunlight. Although my office is rather bright at times, other days it seems like everyone just shuts the blinds and we keep it dark. A study published in 2006 found that brief exposure to a bright white light increased alertness and boosted brain responses. This is partly due to the fact that melatonin can’t be produced when you’re in bright light.

On an unrelated note, I was published on Philadelphia Magazine’s Be Well Philly website. You can read about my must-haves for racing season!
How have you been getting more energized lately?
Do you take walk breaks at work during the day?
This or that survey– fitness edition
| August 15th, 2012 | Uncategorized |
I found this survey from Clare’s blog and I knew that I’d eventually cave and do it. I like surveys, because they remind me of the days of MySpace and the multiple questionnaires I’d fill out per day. Please tell me that I wasn’t the only one…
1. Run/workout in the heat and humidity or freezing temps and snow?
Snow, snow, snow. I absolutely loathe running in the heat, because I live in the Philadelphia area and our summers feel like you are in thick air. I wish I was joking, but I’m not. I’m very envious of all you southern Californians with the perfect running weather year round. Therefore, cooler weather is my favorite time to run outdoors!
2. Have washboard abs or flat abs?
I’m alright right flat abs. I don’t know if I’ll ever have “washboard” abs, because I like sugary cereal too much to give that up, so flat abs are a O.K. for me.
3. Dr. Oz or The Doctors?
Dr. Oz 100%. I’m actually pretty bitter about this situation, because the year after I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree, Dr. Oz was the commencement speaker at my university. Talk about bad timing! However, I’ll forgive him for being late one year. I love his show, because he makes various health topics easy to understand (almost too simple) and I can appreciate the fact that he is an actual real-life doctor. He’s no actor, ladies!
4. Cardio or strength?
I can’t pick both? Eh, okay. I pick cardio. I’ve done cardio for as long as I can remember. I started dancing when I was 5 or 6 and since then cardio has held a place in my heart. Over the years I’ve integrated other forms of cardiovascular activity into my daily routine, such as RUNNING! Although I do love a good weight day, I don’t feel complete unless I do a little cardio.
5. Cravings: Protein or carbs?
Carbs. Yep, I’m not afraid to admit that. Give me a bagel, cupcake or piece of cheesecake, any day! I wish I had cravings for protein more, but I don’t. Now I’m not saying that I live off of sugary carbs, because I don’t. However, given the option of a piece of fish plain or on a sandwich, I’ll usually go with the sandwich for the bread. No shame.
6. Jillian Michaels or Bob Harper?
Jillian Michaels. She’s a tough cookie. During college, when I wasn’t dancing, I would do her onDemand workouts in my tiny bedroom. I’m pretty sure I’ve gotten bruises from her kickboxing video. I may have accidentally kicked my bedpost and nailed my ankle on the side of a wall once or twice…
7. Frozen Yogurt or Ice Cream?
Frozen yogurt! I love frozen yogurt and am pretty sad that there isn’t a froyo shop any where near my house. When we lived with Bryan’s parents there was a place only a few minutes away and I miss that luxury! Since I can’t get my froyo cravings met, and I really dislike the taste of froyo from the grocery store, I buy my favorite ice cream flavor of all time: Turkey Hill Vanilla Bean from their naturals line.
8. To train: Upper body or Lower body?
I would have said lower body a year or so ago, but I’ve been loving the free weights and really trying to build up my arm muscles. I have decently strong leg muscles from dancing my whole life, so doing leg exercises comes easy for me and I like to challenge myself at the gym.
9. Protein powder or food with protein?
Eating food with protein is always better than any type of additive, but sometimes there just isn’t any other option. When I get home from a tough workout, I like to make my simple protein shake with vanilla protein powder. Because I don’t eat any meat besides fish, I have to make sure that I get enough protein in my diet. My favorite forms of protein from food are eggs, tuna, and vegetarian meat products.
10. Lunges or squats?
Squats. No real reason behind this answer. I just like doing them more.
11. Sweet or salty?
Sweet. I tend to reach for sweet things like cereal more often than pretzels or chips.
12. Workout attire: cute or comfy?
Cute. Not saying I wear makeup and belly shirts to the gym, but I like feeling good about myself when I work out. I’ll never go to the gym in a baggy t-shirt and basketball shorts, because that’s not what makes me feel good. If that makes you feel good then wear that!
13. Body Pump or Heavy lifting?
I’ve never tried a Body Pump class or have done enough “heavy” lifting to make a decision on this one.
14. Yoga or Pilates?
Yoga all the way. I really dislike Pilates, and I’m not sure why. I took some classes in college and really preferred yoga. I try to go to yoga at least once a week, if I can. I’m lucky that I have classes at Whole Foods and lululemon to look forward to on the weekends!
15. Nike or Adidas?
Nike. I currently wear Nike sneakers and tempo shorts when I run, (I need NEW sneakers badly, and not Nikes) and my gym bag is from Nike, so I am going to go with Nike.
16. Running on the treadmill or outdoors?
I’d prefer to run outdoors, but the weather here is terrible and I am a wimp in hot temperatures. Cold weather all the way. The majority of people go indoors during the winter to run on the treadmill, but I prefer to get outdoors and embrace the cooler air.
17. Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s?
Whole Foods. I do like Trader Joe’s for their butternut squash raviolis, but overall I like the atmosphere and options that Whole Foods offers. Plus community yoga on Saturdays!
18. Summer or Winter Olympics?
Summer. But you probably knew that if you’ve read my blog lately. I’m all about the competitions in gymnastics, track and field, and swimming.
19. Steamed veggies or roasted veggies?
Roasted. I can’t seem to steam my veggies without making them soggy… and who likes soggy veggies? Not me!
What’s your favorite place to buy groceries?
If you had to choose cardio or weights, what would you pick?
What type of sneakers do you wear when you run?
Please fill out the survey and link back to my blog so I can read it! I’d love to read all of your answers!
“The secret”
| August 14th, 2012 | Living |
I’ve had “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne on my bookshelf for years now. I purchased it sometime during college and have probably read it three times. I don’t actually remember the day I brought this book home, but it has enlightened me to change my way of thinking multiple times.
The actual “secret” isn’t really that hard to grasp. The secret is the law of attraction. The law of attraction basically says that everything enters your life because you attract it into your life. It is attracted to you, based on the images you hold in your mind.
I know what you’re thinking… “Nicole, you’ve fallen off the deep end.”
But I promise you I am not here to lecture you on how to live your life, I just want to give an overview of this book incase any of you were interested in buying it yourself.
According to this book,
“Fragments of a Great Secret have been found in the oral traditions in literature, in religions and philosophies throughout the centuries. In this book, you’ll learn how to use The Secret in every aspect of your life—money, health, relationships, happiness, and in every interaction you have in the world.”
My favorite tips from the book:
So how am I going to go about making sure I am receiving positive things?
- Thinking as positively as possible. I’m not the most optimistic person, but I am going to try my hardest to not let the little things bother me, and focus on what I want to accomplish.
- Making a vision board. A vision board can basically be done on Pinterest by pinning the things you want. However, I want to have something that I can hang in my closet, so every time I get dressed in the morning I see it.
- Keeping a gratitude journal daily. There are a few bloggers that do this already, but I want to keep mine offline. Not sure if I’ll be using my cell phone to track this or in a personal paper journal, but it will be someplace that I can access easily.
So, I have to ask…
Have you read The Secret?
What are you’re thoughts?
Would you be interested in reading it in the future, if you haven’
Midsummer Night 5K
| May 22nd, 2012 | Running |
Good morning everyone! I started my week with a rough morning. I had my workout clothes set out all ready for a morning workout, but after only getting approximately 4 hours of sleep when my alarm went off at 5:45am, I knew I should get back to sleep. I slept for another hour and a half and finally rolled out of bed. I headed to work on a terrible, rainy Monday worked until 5pm then made my way to the gym for a “quick” 2 miles on the treadmill (18:55min). The word quick is in quotations because I’m still not nearly as fast as I want to be, but I’m making progress.

Check out those guns. Bryan calls them my bones. They. are. muscles.
I would have done some weight training yesterday, but my stomach was growling for dinner. Thus, I listened to my body and walked back home. I’m still looking for a race to run this summer. Anyone in the Philadelphia area have a race in mind? I’m thinking about doing the Bryn Mawr Midsummer Night 5K. It’s only $17.00 online for 1 race. I don’t see the point in running the whole series (3 races), as I’d rather spend the money on various races.

I know my friend my Krissie is running this series, so maybe we will do it together. I’ve never done a race after work, but this might be a good one to do. The course is rather flat and I’m hoping that by 7pm the summer heat will be under control. I’m still not 100% which race I want to do yet, but I’m pretty sure I’ll just bite the bullet and register.
According to the race website,
“the 5k race will take place in the quiet and safe neighborhood surrounding South Ardmore Park, Wynnewood Pa on the second Thursday evening of each Summer month (except for August- 3rd Thursday). The course will consist of 3 circuits on a slightly rolling course called the “Ardmore Loop.”
Are you running any races this summer?
How do you deal will running in the heat?
May Goals
| May 2nd, 2012 | Goals |
I can’t believe it’s May! Does anyone else feel like the holidays were just last month!? I for one am very glad April is over. April was pretty crappy (I was sick a lot), and I am very excited to start May off on a good foot. I would have published my May Goals on May 1st, but I was really trying to set achievable goals for myself this month. Take a look at my May Goals. I hope to accomplish all of them! MUAH-HA-HA.
Fitness

Run 5 mi on the treadmill.
Register for a race for June.
Practice yoga at least 1x a week.
Personal

Develop a good face routine.
Drink at least 48oz. of water daily.
Start keeping a written journal.
Blogging
Put together a notebook for post ideas.
Publish more interview posts.
Begin a guest posting series.
Color Me Rad Winners
| May 1st, 2012 | Giveaway |
Thank you for all of those who entered my giveaway for registration spots for the Color Me Rad run. I love seeing people interested in running! The 3 winners of the Color Me Rad giveaway are:


Shelby

Bridgett

Becky @ The Bex Factor
Please send me your email addresses and race location you’d be running so I can send you over your registration codes. Bry and I will be at the Philadelphia run, so I hope to see some of you there!
April Goals Review
| April 30th, 2012 | Goals |
Fitness:
- Register for a 10K to run in May [did not complete]. Unfortunately, I didn’t register for a 10K, but I did register for another 5K—the Color Me Rad run.
- Register for a half marathon to run in the fall [completed]. I registered for the Philadelphia Marathon (half) in November.
- Run at least 3mi 5 days a week [did not fully complete]. Idid run a lot more than in March. Check out my monthly workout calendar:
- Do yoga at home at least 1x a week [did not fully complete]. I DID, however take two yoga classes in one weekend.
- Make sure to foam roll when needed [completed]. Yep, my best friend is back.
Personal:
- Finish reading Kara Goucher’s ” Running for Women” [did not fully complete]. I did start reading it again.
- Start reading “Catching Fire” [did not complete]. Not interested in reading this any time soon.
- Continue using the Clarisonic and my AHA creme before bed and track progress in 1 month [completed]. More on this soon, but I stopped using the Clarisonic because it was breaking out my skin. I have been using and loving my AHA creme.
Blogging:
- Film at least 1 video a week for the blog [did not complete]. Maybe in the future.
- Write blog posts the night before [completed]. It's nice not having to worry about it in the mornings.
- Start a new interview series with other healthy living and lifestyle bloggers [completed]. You can find interviews with Fitting it All In (Clare) and Gliding Calm .
- Get some guest posts up on the blog [did not complete]. Still working on this for May.
I’m a FitFluential Ambassador
| April 29th, 2012 | Fitfluential |
You may have noticed if you follow me on Twitter that I’ve been using the hashtag #fitfluential a lot lately.
You also may have noticed that I added the FitFluential button to my side bar.

So you’re probably wondering… what is FitFluential and what is a FitFluential Ambassador?
FitFluential is a “nationwide network of fitness enthusiasts sharing their journey both online and offline through multiple social media platforms.” The website was designed in order to bring together health and wellness brands with ideal market via customized marketing campaigns.
As an Ambassador, I will get to work with many different companies to showcase new products, media campaigns, and more! But, as always I will only choose to work with companies that coincide with the Simply Nicole brand.
FitFluential also has a blog! The main reason why I enjoy reading it so much is because there are many different authors. I like this because it keeps the blog fresh and exciting. I never know what I’m going to read next. I hope to write for the blog in the near future and share those articles with all of you!
My bio will be up on the Ambassador section of the website within the next few weeks, so keep an eye out for that as well.
Color Me Rad – Giveaway
| April 26th, 2012 | Giveaway |
The other day, Color Me Rad Asked me if I would like to run the Color Me Rad run in Philadelphia. Of course I said YES!! I’ve been toying with the idea of registering for a few weeks now. Specifically because proceeds of the Philadelphia run goes to the Special Olympics. I’ve never done a run like this before, so I am so excited. I’m not going to lie, I hate getting dirty, but I’m excited about this! I can only imagine what I’m going to look like post-race. I didn’t want to run the race alone so I asked Bryan if he’d be interested in going with me. He was excited to say the least.
If you aren’t familiar with the Color Me Rad 5k, here is some quick information.

How does Color Me Rad work?
As stated on the Color Me Rad website, “Start out as clean as a newborn babe, and throughout the run, you’ll coat your chaffing thighs with blue, green, pink, purple, and yellow until your face, shirt, and body come out silkscreened like a tie-dyed hippy on the other side. Yup…that is how you turn regular running into The Art of Running!
Each section of the run adds a new explosion of color to your clean, painter’s palate until you cross the finish line into a final blitzkrieg of color.”
Is it timed?
Nope. I’m not sure if I’ll be running this or walking along with Bryan, but either way I’m sure I won’t even care about timing.
What is the “color” made of?
The blasts of color that will be thrown at participants are clusters of “non-toxic, non-rash-inducing, Kroger branded, colored corn-starch.”
Is there a race in my city?

I’m giving away 3 entries! To enter:
- MANDATORY: Comment below and let me know what races you are planning on running this spring/summer.
- EXTRA ENTRY: “Like” Simply Nicole on FB and leave a separate comment letting me know you did.
- EXTRA ENTRY: “Follow” Simply Nicole on Twitter and tweet “I want to Color Me Rad! @_nicolekennedy is giving away 3 entries!” Please also leave a separate comment letting me know you tweeted.
*Contest ends on Monday April 30th @ 5pm EST.
Weekend Recap
| April 23rd, 2012 | Weekend Recap |
Looking back on my weekend, it was very calming and refreshing; which was much needed! Friday at work was a bit stressful, so I wasn’t able to take a full lunch break. However… because it was our monthly Employee Appreciation Day we were pampered with a 10 minute massage. My shoulders and upper back were burning. When I run, I sometimes hold a lot of tension in my shoulders. After 10 minutes of bliss, the stress came back. Luckily, I was able to leave at 4:15 and get home by 4:30.
I got dressed and headed to my complex’s gym for some treadmill training. I brought along Sharkies athletic chews for some extra energy during my run. It must have worked, because I pushed myself to run my fastest 3mi yet– 28min! That’s a 9:13 pace! It wasn’t easy by any means and I did have to stop a few times to catch my breath. I’m going to talk with my Doctor in May about getting an inhaler for the time being.

damn you sun!
On Saturday, I headed to Whole Foods for Rooftop yoga! So much fun! I was hesitant on going (as usual), because I haven’t practiced since the summer. I know that yoga is a judgment free zone, but as usual I was nervous and tried to talk myself out of it. Luckily, I packed up my yoga mat and went, because I had a GREAT time.

The weather was perfect for outdoor yoga. Warm with a light breeze, I imagined I was on the beach.

After class, Bry and I walked around Whole Foods and grabbed a few groceries. One of which was an Odwalla Original Superfood shake. One word: delicious. Actually, two words: FREAKING AMAZING. I will be buying this again very soon.

Sunday consisted of yet another yoga session. This time at Lululemon. In case you didn’t know, Lululemon offers free yoga classes every Sunday at specific locations. Check your local store and find out if you can take advantage of a free class! I will definitely be back soon!

While there, I picked up a headband to wear both during yoga and on my runs. My hair has WAY too many fly-a-ways and is really starting to get on my nerves.

My weekend had a lot of yoga and my legs definitely feel it! Foam roller, here I come!
How was your weekend?











