Working 9 to 5

I am an official Trainer!!

It feels awesome! I have done a lot in a few months and am so excited to be in such a good place. I love the gym, the people, the vibe and all of my fellow trainers. Reston Sport and Health is going to be a great place for me to grow and learn.

I have so many big plans for this blog including workouts based on fitness level, workout videos on certain moves and interesting articles and facts that I learn being in the fitness business.


Can't wait to get creative and hopefully have people doing the workouts I post!


Last but not least...Rooney Pic of the day!

Dog Day Afternoon and Date Night

Yesterday was the first time in a long time that Brent and I slowed down and just spent the day together with no obligations or schedule other than Puppy Party at 9am.


We took the Roon-Dog to Wags and Whiskers an event in Shirlington VA so he could play with all the other dogs and we could look for a good boarding location for future trips. Unfortunatley I didn't take many pictures but here is a view down the street of all the pups hanging out while the owners ate some lunch.

Of course Rooney finds the long grass to roll around in and get tons of bug bites that he can itch later! A passerby politely told us that we should probably get him out of there because he has seen quite a few rodents making the grass their house.  Rooney doesn't mind...

After our Doggy outing Brent and I decided to hop on our bikes and ride to Fairfax Corner to walk around and grab some dinner. We ended up leaving the Corner and rode to The Cheesecake Factory at the mall. Its amazing how people in Fairfax look at you like your a crazy person riding your bike and not driving a car.  Fun times! I love date night!

We love our Mountain bikes and ride them as much as we can, even in cute silver sandals that aren't very bike appropriate but very date night appropriate. 


12 miler this evening after work at REI from 10 to 5pm!

Spicy red pepper and basil hummus

I love HUMMUS! All kinds and pretty much mixed with anything, its so versatile that you can really get creative and throw whatever you feel like into the food processor. It all tastes good!


I make hummus a lot because as 2 veggie eaters and a CSA that gives us pounds of herbs every week it only makes sense. It makes a delicious Sammy spread and dip for veggies or pita when your feeling crazy. 

Standard recipe:
3 cups chickpeas
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 cup water
1 TBL of Tahini (the key and I love the Maranatha Brand)
1 TBL of Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Extras (This batch but they change regularly):
2 chili peppers
handful of parsley
handful of basil
**Not in this batch but one of my favorite extras is Olives (Delicious!)


Each batch lasts about a week in our house.

Today we are going to Wags and Whiskers in Shirlington VA, hopefully Rooney makes some new friends and has a good time! Very Excited for an afternoon of the 3 of us and no obligations except for our 12 mile run tomorrow.

Farm Share Wednesday

Yesterday was a busy day with a 9 miler in the morning (ughh 5am) before I walked with Dad. I can feel that I am getting faster with my run taking 1hr and 28min (thats a 9:40 pace) and 1 mile in the middle was a 9:06, not bad if I do say so myself.

Followed by a vet appointment and eventhough he looks like he is smiling in this picture Rooney does not like the vet and he acts nicely for all the nurses but then attacks our house!

The dreaded exam table, dun dun dun...

After the Vet we zoomed into Arlington to pick up our share from the fabulous CSA we belong to,  Spiritual Food CSA in PA.


Our Farm Share wasn't as hearty this week as it normally is but that will give us a chance to use up some of the goods from previous weeks that we haven't gotten to you yet.  It is still a good amount of food but for 2 vegetarians we go through it pretty quickly.

More Watermelons and Tomatoes! We went through 11 tomatoes last week so 6 will be easy to find uses for...maybe some homemade salsa later this week

6 

Eggplant, Zucchini, Squash and a variety of peppers with different heats!

Lettuce!!! We haven't had lettuce in months!

I am super excited about the homemade Sauerkraut...not sure what I am going to do yet but you will see.

Delicious whole wheat raisen bread. I think that little butt end found its way into my belly, mmmmm.

LENTILS, I LOVE lentils. They are the ultimate superfood with lots of protein and fiber.

Last but not least the most adorable picture of the day...

I don't think he can be cuter

Feeling like Fall!

I love days like today, a cool 68 degrees, perfect for a good run or a walk to work!


I dropped my car off this morning to get some work done and had a 1 mile walk to the "office", so awesome to go to work in gym gear ready to get people healthy! My walk was really nice and peaceful, it feels good to clear your head before a long day of working out.


My Scenery:

I haven't seen lily pads in ages...I didn't hear any bullfrogs though

I love walking around the gym asking people how their workout is going, if they have any questions, showing them a new stretch for that one muscle they can't seem to relax.


Today was my first training session with a potential client, a young 18 yr. old guy who by the end of our hour session was shaking the entire pull up apparatus...it was awesome!


I got my ghetto name tag today, gotta love label makers! The real one is coming and then when my shirt  arrives I will be official.

Rooney Picture of the day (check out his new favorite toy = Cardboard Boxes) and Awesome Video from Puppy Party on Saturday morning. Puppy Party is a room full of Pups under 16 weeks running around like maniacs. The purpose is socialization, I think the only purpose is for us owners to get some peace and quiet for the next 10 hours.

Off to Hang out with the ladies at Mary's New Apartment! Happy Housewarming Mary! Can't wait to see what you've done with the place.

Back to Work!

The 2 months that I took off from Corporate America to study and work part time at REI while I worked on  becoming a personal trainer has been amazing! I have had so much time to spend with my family and do things that most folks my age don't have the luxury to do. Don't get me wrong studying was hard and it is a never ending process in this industry; I will always have to retake my certification, learn new moves and of course get my nutritionist cert but the time off from a high stress job to reach a milestone in my journey of becoming what I want to be is awesome! Thank you super fantastic Husband!!


During my time off last week my Aunt Barbara from California was in town and all of us ladies headed out to Occoquan VA for afternoon tea.  I am a huge tea drinker (no coffee for me) and I have never actually gone to tea. SOOO much fun, this place The Pink Bicycle tea room was absolutely adorable. As we waited for our table we each got to pick a hat for the day, you can't see it in the photos but mine had a pretty sweet veil in back. 


We each got a cure little tea pot with the tea we requested...by the end of this I was about to float away on tea!

MMMMMMmmmmm Finger Sandwiches and Lemon Bars. I love Lemon Bars so gooey and delicious.

Ladies who lunch photos (My Mom, Me and Aunt Barbara)

Mutti is the hippest Grandmother in the world!

All of us at the table enjoying each others company

Here I am ready for my first official day of work as a Personal Trainer! Sport and Health here I come! I am so excited to work at this Gym, I see so much opportunity with applying my Personal Training knowledge, my soon to come Nutrition Certification and hopefully my Group Exercise Certification. More to come about my first day later.

Rooney Montage!!!

I have taken an insane amount of puppy pictures over the last 2 weeks...here are some of my favorites!

Passed out at my feet in Petsmart waiting to make his name tag

 With his favorite treat! Ice Cubes!

 Afternoon Nap amongst the speakers and cords of Brent's Desk

 At the Rivah House thinking about swimming...

 SWIMMING!!! But looking really scared doing it.

 Exploring the dock looking for a place to jump in

 With DAD and stick!

 Zonked after a long day

 With his bud Cobber waiting patiently for treats....mmmmmm

 Of course...sleeping again  : )

Lots going on in the Long's life...coming soon!

Puppies, Marathon Training, Job Interviews...OH MY!

A lot is going on in the Long family this week!  We got a PUPPY!!!! An adorable amazing little creature who is awesome as long as he's not chewing everything we own. Meet Rooney! How could you ever be mad at that face.

Marathon training is continuing! We completed 14 miles on Saturday which is the longest that I have ever ran and I could tell.  It was a little rough but looking forward to the 16 miler this weekend.


We have decided that we need to do destination runs for the long distances and not just run out the front door to the boring sights of shopping malls and loud streets. This weekend we ran Difficult Run which goes from Reston into Great Falls Park, VA! Amazing park and views of the Potomac. Here I am crossing a small stream

It was hot but the tree cover made it more bearable along with the camelback! I don't know where I would be without that camelback this summer, it's been a lifesaver. It was a Christmas present from the in-laws last year! YAAA!


PS - 3 Job Interviews this week!! Personal Trainer title here I come!