While I’m on my honeymoon in Italy, I have lined up some great guest posts for you. For the next week and a half, I will be posting 1 or 2 “Savvy Spotlights” a day, highlighting some of my readers and blog friends. You may see another fun post or two mixed in there as well.
I’ll start recapping our Italy trip when I return. Have a great week!
My awesome blog friend, Nicole, will be kicking off the series. She and her husband recently went on a cycling honeymoon through Italy themselves, and reading her recaps got me super excited for our trip!
Q. Introduce yourself!
Hi, I’m Nicole from Geek Turned Athlete. I write about my journey in becoming more confident in my abilities as an athlete and pushing my limits to become stronger not only physically but mentally. My blog is always REAL and from the heart. I’m not perfect, and I will share those times when I’m not and laugh about them later.
Q. Savvy Eats approaches the concept of healthy living from the standpoint of “Smart Food, Smart Fitness, & Smart Life.” What does ‘savvy living’ mean to you?
‘Savvy Living’ to me means “working smarter not harder.” My husband and I like that saying because you can either do things the hard way or do it in a more efficient way to achieve the same results. For instance, there are people who will just run themselves into the ground with their training and accumulate overuse injuries. I train less than about half of the amount of people attempting their first Half Ironman, but I still intend to get a decent time because I’m training with a purpose. This is not to say that I don’t mistakes. I’m still learning this art of “working smarter not harder.”
You could also apply eating healthily to this. My husband and I are in pretty good shape not only because of our exercise regime, but because of what and how we eat. And don’t think, I’m one of those girls who orders salads with no dressing or dips my fork in dressing before taking a bite of my salad. There is nothing off limits (unless it is dairy or gluten because my body doesn’t like those things, unfortunately!) We have dessert almost every night, and yes, we eat chips. We eat pasta and bread. There is no need to cut cookies, cake, and everything you think is “bad” to eat out of your life.
Everything in moderation is what we say. If you cut all that stuff out, you are not going to be happy, and mostly likely you will binge. I’d rather die happy with a bowl of pasta than to never have any for the sake of not “getting fat.” If you eat healthy most of the time (working smarter), you can splurge on the things that really are worth it once in a while. By having a diet that is so restrictive (working harder), your life won’t be much fun, and really, how long can you sustain that lifestyle?
The husband and just moved back to the states recently after living in Europe for 2 1/2 years. Living there only solidified our way of eating: Enjoying whole non-packaged foods.
Smart Fitness:
Q. There are a lot of ways to stay fit: running, cycling, yoga, Zumba, strength training, and more. Which is your favorite, and what tip would you give a beginner?
I’m a triathlete and a runner, but I also love yoga, rock climbing, and snowboarding. I’m just about willing to try any new sport. I wasn’t always this active. I couldn’t even run a mile my sophomore year of college or do 2 real pushups. I know how it is to be a newbie to fitness.
My advice is to find something you like and keep trying!! I know that it is hard at first. Oh, trust me, I know. Keep at it. I know this, as well. It will get easier. Believe in yourself. Most of the time, it isn’t your body holding you back, it is your mind. All those doubts that you have about yourself can make you never want to go back to the gym after a trying session. Tell your “low confidence” side of yourself to “go suck it,” and get back in there. 
Your body is so much stronger than you think it is. (I use that mantra when I teach spin class too.)
Smart Life
Q. Julie and Dan are currently on their dream vacation: cycling through Italy! What is your dream vacation?
Oh honey, the hubs and I did exactly what you two are doing right now in June. We had a ball!! Here are the recaps from our cycling trip through Tuscany where I drank almost an entire bottle of olive oil in the week that we were there. It was amazing!
Q. Anything else you’d like to share about yourself, your blog, etc?
If you want something bad enough, you WILL make it happen. Stop making excuses for yourself. You can do anything you put your mind to. I’m a living example of this, and I’m still working at being the best I can be everyday.
Enjoy your life. Take time to sit still sometimes, and take it all in.
Thank you, Julie for giving me the opportunity to talk to some of your readers! I hope you are enjoying your trip as much as we did!
Ciao!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
“I know how it is to be a newbie to fitness” — I love that line. I know it, too. I was SO un-athletic in high school it’s not even funny. So, I love this series. Keep ‘em coming! <3
“Work Smart NOT Hard!” is one of our favorite sayings in my office!
I love that you weren’t always a runner/athlete either. So glad not to be one of the few
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