I looooove matcha…I love it so much that I legit have to physically stop myself from posting photos of my morning matcha on a daily basis. No seriously…I legit post a matcha photo every other day on my Fitspo insta…
…and I will take a train from Harlem to Chinatown for a raved about matcha…I’m a match maven! (Seriously, that matcha emoji is everything to me)
Ask anyone that knows me well and they’ll tell you I’m a frustrated dancer.
My parents put me in ballet as a little girl and I was committed to the costumes, the glam, and the idea that movement could speak volumes…I should mention that I was super deep for a 4 year old.
So I consider myself to be a smart cookie. I mean, I graduated college with honors and I’m at an ivy for my MBA (p.s. if you are tired of hearing that…I’m not, so I will say it until they put me in the ground). And I’m athletic, I swam and rowed in college, I was a junior olympian in swimming, won countless horse shows…so I like to think I know health and wellness.
Then why was I so dumb about food?!?
Now when I say dumb I don’t mean like because Oreos are vegan I thought they were healthy. I mean allowing my food noise and my disordered eating to take over my life dumb. Nothing put more of a damper on family affairs than when you are on some insane diet, and your out of town relatives have to listen to you order so far off the menu, that you would have been better off bringing your own food. I’m the kind of nutrition nerd that was making her parents show at Whole Foods, when it was called Fresh Fields.
So a few months ago I realized I was letting my disordered eating take over. I was starting to obsess about my calorie counting app, toying with starting a new diet, and wondering if I could find the willpower to go keto. Now those things may work for other people, but I’m looking to go through more of a Khloe Kardashian lifestyle change, slowly but surely, and as a lifestyle change.
After a good bout of Facebook stalking, I came across the Tovita Nutrition instagram page. They had just coached the gorgeous new Miss California USA 2016, and I wanted in on that Tovita glow. I emailed the ladies, and worked with Molly for 8 weeks. The only person that knew about my nutritional fairy godmother was my mom.
What I gained during those 8 weeks never involved a diet, is was about learning to be intuitive and smart with my eating. Through Molly’s guidance I lost 12 pounds, but gained so much more. During my family vacation to Orlando I wasn’t a raging diet monster. If I wanted to indulge I did, and mindfully, and when I was over it, I moved on. It sounds simple, and it wasn’t. But having the accountability of knowing someone would check over my food journals, give me advice, and be supportive was helpful. I think the best compliment came when my cousin said, “I’m so glad we can all sit and enjoy a meal, and you’re not over there eating something depressing.” Full disclosure, this was while we were at a Mexican restaurant where I had all the veggies they could pile on a skillet with some chicken and salsa.
I’m hoping over the next few months, I can share with you dear reader all the tips and tricks I learned from Tovita, how I’m evolving in my lifestyle change…and the smaller jeans I get to rock right now.
So if you are looking to have a kick ass coach, or you just want a virtual buddy who will tell you that “no, more than a tablespoon of coconut oil is not healthy.” Check out the ladies of Tovita.
XOXO,
MacKenzie
I adore Lauryn Evarts at the Skinny Confidential.
Girl crush would be an understatement about this lady. She is aspirational, real, and the friend you wish you had.
I’ve been following her blog for some time (coconut milk ice cubes, chia seeds, diva cups…she covers it all), so when she announced that she was creating the bombshell body guides I just had to try it. If you are wondering, I bought the guides, tried them, and fell in love with them long before I talked to anyone at Skinny Confidential to review them…that’s how much I loved them!
Continue reading “Workout Wednesday: TSC Bombshell Body Guide”
Not since East Coast versus West Coast has there been such a debate, Flywheel or SoulCyle.
I used to be a spin instructor, so I’m super picky when it comes to where I take spin classes. Like no joke I lose patience really quickly when its a wordless, 4% incline, super basic type of spin class. Yes, I know all the spin instructors out there are probably yelling about contraindication spin…blah blah I know, and sorry not sorry, I don’t like those classes.
For every person in my class at CBS, I’m finally ready to answer what the difference is…from a philosophy stand point. Because rather than get in to price comparison, locations, instructors, and all that jazz, I figured I’d tell you about what makes the style different.
Soul is an interesting beast. It is truly a cult that when you agree to drink the kool-aid, you are all in my friend. Its about the pack, the collective motivation of the group. Your position in the room matters in relationship to the pack. I personally like to lead the pack from the front row. Its the kind of experience where you go, turn off your brain, and surrender to the energy of the room and the instructor.
Flywheel, on the other hand, is where I go when I want to plug in and compete against myself. Flywheel isn’t about the pack, the music, the rhythm, or anyone else, it’s about you. Honestly, Fly is where I go when I want a slightly selfish experience, when I want to just focus on my ride. Your position in the room doesn’t matter, but if you are super competitive like me you take a spot and laser focus on the torq board (the leaderboard that runs during class showing you your position among the room). I have to forget trying to ride the beat of ever song, forget about catching the same cadence as my neighbor, its about how hard I push myself.
Both have their ups and downs, and I’ve ridden both. I have moments where I love spin and when I abhor it, but when I’m in the mood to spin I go for Soul or Fly. I honestly prefer Soul more because I worked so hard to get to the front of the pack, and I love any place that allows me to twerk on a spin bike. Thanks to some persistent classmates here at Columbia, I’ve started riding Flywheel. The extremely competitive person in me loves that I can see how I fair, and that I have actual stats to try and best for the next ride.
If you are ever walking around Manhattan and see a girl changing from a Soul top into a Fly one with a high bun, it’s probably me 🙂
XOXO,
MacKenzie
With the stress of school, my number one addiction is the post workout endorphin rush.
I’m pretty sure if I didn’t sweat it out for at least 10 minutes every day I would go crazy.
I love new fit challenges, and one challenge I’m embarking on come Monday October 12th is the Amanda Bisk Fresh Body Fit Mind 12 Week Challenge. I’m mainly telling you all this so everyone can hold me accountable to completing the full 12 weeks. But also because I’m headed to LA in January for a big job trek, and we all know what Dion Sanders said about feeling good. (You Look Good You Feel Good, You Feel Good You Play Good, You Play Good They Pay Good!)
In the mean time leading up to Monday I’ve been all over Amanda’s insta feed to find workouts to ease me into the sweet torture I know is starting soon. One awesome workout I found on her page was this Name Workout.
So my full name has lots of Ms and Ns in it…I’ve never been more mad at my parents until I was doing 40 full burpees back to back.
I wanted to share it here, so you can tackle your first name, middle, last, married, and sweat it out while celebrating yourself! Come on, who doesn’t love a workout based YOU!!!
If you’d like to follow my #FBFM journey or join in the fun, I’m going to chronicle it all on my instagram.
I’d love you hear how you are sweating it out this Wednesday.
XOXO,
MacKenzie
Sorry for going MIA Monday, I needed a bit of a break…and I was neck deep in learning team meetings, managerial statistics homework, and catching up with some classmates.
Today I want to ramble on about one of my favorite things (that will hopefully become a regular part of this blog), boutique workouts. My workouts are pretty varied, and I belong to Equinox. I love my EQ workouts and classes, but sometimes I want to get dressed in my best Luon and head some place new, and that’s where boutique workouts come in.
A week ago I had a late start to class on a Thursday and decided to try out a spot I frequently see on Hannah Bronfman’s snapchat. By the way if you aren’t frequenting her instagram or www.HBfit.com, you are missing out on some awesome wellness inspo!
I’ve been intrigued by 305 Fitness for a while now. As few may know I’m a frustrated dancer. I’m not amazing, but I have dreams of breaking it down Step Up style. So I put on my best day glow VS Sports pieces and headed down to the village for a 7am partay!
First off I knew I was in for a good time when DJ April Fresh stepped into the DJ booth. Yes, you heard that right, there is a live DJ! My teacher for the morning was Denese Butler. There were black lights, strobes, I’m pretty sure glitter fell from the ceiling (or maybe I imagined that). It was like going to the hottest club, I was having so much fun I didn’t notice I was working out. I was dripping in sweat, smiling ear to ear, and riding an insane cloud of endorphins.
I took a 305 arms class, which had a concentrated arm segment. But I legit couldn’t walk for 4 days after the class, and I loved it!!! The studio is fun, kitschy, and reminds me of my 6 years in the 305.
I’m not lying when I say 305 Fitness is one of the toughest classes I’ve ever tried, but one of the most fun. I can’t wait to go back and let off some steam from all the managerial statistics and corporate finance stuff swirling in my brain. I think the best and most rewarding part about the class, its a safe space to be free, have fun, and embrace your inner Sasha Fierce.
If you want to check out 305 Fitness follow the link here.
Hopefully I see you in class, and leave a comment with any NYC boutique workout recommendations you have…or some classes you’d like me to review for you!
XOXO,
MacKenzie
I have to be honest about my absolute worst relationship. I hate running.
Now the asterisk of this statement, I’ve run 3 marathons and 1 half marathon.
…and I have hated every second of it.
I have tried so hard over the last year, like any bad relationship, to make it work. I even recently signed up for a half marathon as a way to force myself to fall back in love. Much like a last ditch effort vacation to rekindle a romance, I knew it was a bad idea when I hit register but went through with it anyway.
Between the stress of business school orientation, and reading Maria Menounos’s Every Girls Guide to Diet and Fitness, it hit me that it was time to cut it off. She talks in her book about the 50 year plan. Try as I might, I don’t see myself 50 years from now running road races. I don’t need to pick up a lifestyle habit that stresses me out, makes me feel awful, and just doesn’t give me that emotional support I get from other forms of exercise.
I have new fit goals, and I’ll share them another time. But I think I’m ready for a trial separation from my worst relationship. Running and I will see each other time to time through some HIIT intervals, a Precision Running Class at Equinox, or even a trip to a boutique workout…but in terms of being as serious as we’ve been in the past, I think those days are over. And maybe, just maybe, one day I’ll run another Disney race, or this time apart will draw us back together, but for now running and I are going to see other people.
XOXO,
MacKenzie
Miss USA to MBA 