Author Archives: Hailey Srstka

New places and new adventures

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Today I am writing you from the kitchen of my new apartment in Minneapolis, and boy do I love it! Compared to what I was living in last year in Hawai’i this place is a major upgrade. Not to mention I feel so at home in this city its amazing. I’m really looking forward to all that it has in store for me over the next few years.

Although I have had a really busy week with moving in, getting adjusted, and starting a new school year I have managed to pretty much stick with my September yoga challenge. This weekend I had friends drive up from home which made me stray away for one day, but I did the video I missed on top of the next day’s video, so I got back on track. The challenge has been amazing so far. Each day serves a different purpose in yoga practice and it has really opened my eyes to what it means to practice yoga. Yoga is so much more than the poses and breathing, but also connecting with your soul and being present in the moment. I really like that the videos tend to be a bit abstract as well. They are not just your basic cookie cutter yoga poses and messages, but really outside of the box and fun.

So that will continue through the month, but I have also implemented a workout regime as well. Sunday-Saturday, seven days a week, I’ll be getting active and starting healthy. Monday-Friday are pretty high intensity in terms of workouts, but Saturday and Sunday I will be keeping low key. Going for a walk or run, or spending some quality time on the yoga mat. My goal is to at least do something everyday to get my self moving.

This summer I successfully lost 20 pounds, and 5% body fat, which I feel so accomplished and happy about. Some may say that I didn’t have weight to lose, but I was not confident with where I was at all, and I knew that it wasn’t who I was. I’ve always been a health conscious person and when that got away from me I was miserable. Although that is a significant amount of weight to lose I’m still not done. I plan to drop 10 more by Halloween to reach my goal of 30 pounds total before Christmas. That may sound like a lot for just a little over a month, but with the right diet and exercise I know for certain that I can achieve this!

What are your fitness and health goals for this month? Share with us so we can help keep each other encouraged and motivated! Good luck and remember to always Start Healthy!

 

Andrea

Great things are around the corner.

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Hi again!

Boy have I had a busy, busy, busy week! I worked everyday, and on top of that had to pack for school.

To recap from last week, my goal was to fit in three intense workouts with other not as intense workouts in between. I’m happy to share that I not only achieved this goal, but exceeded it! I worked out six days, and only one day did I do something low key. It feels amazing to feel my body and my mind changing over the course of this journey.

I also mentioned that I had something BIG planned for September. Since my journey to starting healthy is really focused around my love for yoga I decided to incorporate it into my life even more than I already do. Usually I try and practice three to four times a week, but I really want to get in the habit of doing yoga everyday, even if it is just for a little bit. I like to do yoga at my house and I follow a channel on youtube religiously. The instructor’s name is Adriene, and I would be lying if I told you her videos weren’t the best. I LOVE HER SO MUCH! She offers this yoga challenge that takes course over a 30 day period, and all it is doing a video each day. Each day’s video has a different theme and a different message to incorporate into your practice. It’s seriously cool, and seriously motivating. Not to mention that some of the videos aren’t even 20 minutes long, so I really have no excuse to not do them everyday. I hope that you’ll guide me through this step of my journey, and really be there to push me when I need it. This is so much bigger than just myself!

I hope your journey to starting healthy is underway, and going well. Feel free to join me in my 30 day yoga challenge for the month. The more the merrier!!

 

Until next time stay active and start healthy!

 

Andrea

Keep on Keepin’ on!

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Good day Start Healthy Friends!

Sorry I was MIA last week. As I had said in my previous post I was traveling and did not have access to Internet or my computer for a majority of the time. However, I am happy to report that my workout plan was a success! I ran my butt off and my yoga practice was at full force. The Color Vibe 5k we ran on Saturday was a breeze and a blast. Jeff and I ran together, and finished it in less than 30 minutes! There is no greater feeling than accomplishing your goals even if they are just small ones. We posted pictures on our social media accounts, so be sure to check them out!

Now, on to this week with life just as hectic as ever! I have exactly one week of work left before I move to Minneapolis for the start of a new school year and boy is it a busy one. With at least eight hours of work everyday up until I leave I am really going to have to make my time count. Between that, packing, and remembering to sleep I am really struggling to find time for exercise. I am very much a person of routine so this is hard for me. My goal for the week is to get at least three days of hardcore exercise in (running, lifting, spin class), and on the other days do something not as intense like yoga or walking. As long as I get moving at some point everyday I’ll feel accomplished! I would love some encouragement throughout the week, so please feel free to cheer me on and give feedback.

I hope this post was short and sweet! I have some major things planned for the month of September as far as my personal fitness goals go, so keep you eyes open for next weeks post. Happy Tuesday and don’t forget to start healthy!

Until we meet again,

Andrea

On the Road to Start Healthy

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Hello again Start Healthy friends! It’s been a week since I embarked on my journey to Start Healthy, and I have never felt better. I’ve implemented a solid workout plan, and am really trying hard to stick to the meal plan that I’ve been using throughout the summer. In today’s post I want to talk to you about the types of workouts that I enjoy doing, and my goals for the next week.

When I think of a fitness goal I hate to think of it as a number on a scale. Creating goals influenced by what we think is “acceptable” because of what society says is just ignorant. To truly create a realistic goal we have to understand that every body type is unique. I can say that my goal is to look like Candice Swanepoel, a well-known Victoria’s Secret model, but that doesn’t make sense. Aside from the major factor that I will never be five feet and ten inches tall, I will also never look like her because that is not the type of body that I possess. My goal within these next couple of weeks is to accept my body for what it is, and try to make it the best version of itself that it can be rather than the best version of someone else’s body. Yes, losing weight does involve numbers and I would be lying if I said watching that number on the scale goes down does make me joyous. However, I’m more concerned about my body mass index, my fat percentage, and the way that I FEEL more so than an arbitrary number. If I feel good and am healthy, than why should any number have such power over me?

As far as exercise goes, I belong to a gym that I love. Besides an amazing array of exercise equipment available to its members it also offers a selection of interactive classes and other amenities. I love being in a class environment because I feel that being surrounded by others working to get in shape, and having a teacher there to really push me makes me work that much harder. The classes I go to are mainly lifting, tabata, or high cardio classes. It’s nice because none of them are ever more than 45 minutes, so I really have no excuse for not squeezing at least one into my day. Outside of those classes, I love to run, bike, and do yoga on my own. Without those three things I probably would not be able to keep my sanity. Cardio is such a good stress reliever, and really allows me to have a few moments to myself outside of my hectic life. I used to be a very avid runner before I went to college. Sometimes clocking upwards to ten or twelve miles a day. Unfortunately, I’ve strayed away from that over the past couple of years for a number of reasons, but one of my exercise goals outside of yoga on this journey is to get back into my running groove. The Start Healthy team is signed up for a couple of 5k races at the end of August and I’m really using those as a kick-start to get back on the running path.

This week my goals are going to be kept simple and attainable because I am heading out of town on Thursday for a week. The beautiful thing about yoga mats and sneakers is that they’re easy to take anywhere, so I really have no excuse to not keep up while I’m away. No days off, right? Sixty minutes of yoga a day, and a three-mile run are what I plan to squeeze in. However, I need your help. Hold me accountable to this goal while I’m away! Encouragement is always welcome, and highly encouraged. Let’s Start Healthy together.

 

Until next time, stay active, and start healthy!

 

Andrea

My Journey to Start Healthy

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AndreaHello fellow Start Healthy friends and followers! My name is Andrea Loudenback, and this is my journey to start healthy. I’ve always lived a pretty healthy lifestyle. I love working out and finding new ways to make meals healthy, fun, and exciting. However, with the hectic life that I lead between school and juggling three jobs, my health sometimes slips away from me. I’m really looking forward to using this challenge as a way to get healthy and stick to it. My ending goal is to one day gain my yoga instructors license, but for now I just want to get into the habit of doing yoga every day and becoming the best possible version of myself.

Now for a little bit more about myself. I’m twenty years old and will be starting my third year of college this fall. I spent my first two years of school at the University of Hawaii studying marine biology, but switched my major to animal science at the end of my sophomore year. I plan to spend the rest of my education at the University of Minnesota starting this year. I really enjoyed Hawaii, but decided it was time for a new scene.

My favorite past times outside of school include any type of activity outdoors. I love to bike, swim, run, hike, snowboard, surf, go to the beach, and do yoga. Anything that can be done outdoors is something you can catch me doing. Another huge part of my life is music. I’ve been playing piano since as long as I can remember, and it’s something that has really stuck with me throughout the years. Along with all of that there is nothing I really enjoy more than I good book and a cup of tea.

I would love to hear encouragement from all of you as I embark on this journey. Help hold me responsible for my goals! The best part about being involved with the Start Healthy Team is that we are all here for each other. So, I challenge you to come along with us on this journey. Create your own goals and share them with us. We are all in this together!