Happy August!

Happy August everyone! Today we start our trek down to Florida and officially leave Michigan. The hubs and I tend to take our years from summer to summer. For us, leaving Michigan means summer is over. Whenever this time of year comes around, I tend to think about the goals I have had over the past year, which ones have been accomplished, and which need to be reset.  

This year has been pretty incredible for me. One of the biggest goals I was able to achieve was starting this blog. The interest in creating a blog spurred May of last year. So, summer of 2012 was filled with research on how to start a blog and tons (seriously, tons) of help from the hubs. Like the site, the pics, the everything but the writing? He did it.

Now, we are two months away from the one year anniversary and some new goals! There are some great ideas we have floating around about how to increase media on P+K. And, of course a few other fun goods as well. I am super excited about what this "new year"  will bring for the P+K family! What are some of your big goals for this year? Have any of them been accomplished or are there some that need a refresher? If you start your new year's goals on January one, you are halfway through accomplishing them! Hopefully, this half-way point works as a time to sit reflect on your year so far. I can guarantee that we will be reflecting over the year together, and hopefully, continue reaching for those incredible achievements together!

Hehe, please bare with my introspection and know that there will be plenty of great things ahead for the whole P+K fam! Oh, and if you are wondering what this picture is, I took it in the middle of one of our fields up here. Yep, we are totally in heaven here in Michigan. But now it is back to home, cats, and super warm weather!  

Things I am Currently Loving

It has been a while since we have talked about the products, shows, or blogs that I am currently loving. I have found myself missing all of these things when we are on vacation, are forgotten to pack, or I am away from my house for more than five minutes at a time. Hermit, yes.

Since we have been away from home for a while now and will not be getting back for a while longer, some of these are extra missed and will be tightly embraced when I return to them. I should also warn you that we are getting to the nostalgic stage of my being away from home. This means we are bound to have a post completely comprised of pictures of the two cutest cats ever quite soon. Prepare.

Hommemaker

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Hommemaker is a blog created by Emily Henderson's assistant, Orlando Soria. This is easily the funniest blog I have ever read. Somehow, Orlando is able to get me wanting to cry in one sentence, then bursting out laughing in another.  

Orlando, like Emily, also posts pictures of recent projects and his own home. His home is beautiful and has a bit more of a masculine, refined style when compared to Emily Henderson's. If you are wanting some great style tips and quite a few laughs, check out his blog. He does not update daily, but it is totally worth it when he does.

Keurig Vue

I ordered this beauty for our cat sitter to use while we were out of town a few months ago. Turns out, I have found my new love/obsession/addiction. This thing is incredible and I am pretty sure it loves me back.  

One of the neatest features about it- other than the massive water storage and super nice touch screen interface, is that all k-cups are recyclable. Score! Once the cup has cooled, you remove the coffee bag inside and recycle the outer cup. You're welcome, environment.

This coffee machine of awesome also makes iced coffee, iced tea, lattes (yes, lattes), and multiple size and strength coffees. Oh, and did I mention that it has an auto-on? Well, it does. Maybe I am too new to the Keurig market and all of these features are not super impressive, but I am super impressed.  

Inside the Magic

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I know that we have talked about Inside the Magic before, but being this far away from Orlando for so long has helped me realize how much I enjoy the podcast and site. The creator, Ricky Brigante, is literally, my only contact with Disney while we are away. Somehow, Ricky is able to bring a bit of Disney magic into every story he does. Besides, the podcast and articles on his site help me better plan and anticipate our next trip to Disney in August. Yes, that is how much we/I miss Disney- we are willing to go during the hottest month of the year!

Victoria's Secret Cami Sport Bra

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I got this sport bra a few months ago on a sale and my only regret is not getting more. The bra is super comfortable, looks good with everything, and does not move- at all. This has quickly moved to the top of my list for must-have workout attire. The back is also super cute and has a sweat wicking mesh-like material. I got mine in the gray, but will definitely be getting a few more of the brighter colors as well!

Extra perk, it has a nice neck line that looks good, but is not super revealing. It also fits really well with a heart rate monitor band underneath!  

Shark Diving

Yea, the one in the black and yellow wetsuit, that's me...

I know, I know. I have been doing quite a few "Lifestyle" posts instead of fitness or food posts. But there is just so much going on right now that I want to share. One of the most fun, and most recent, things is shark diving in the Bahamas. We went through Stuart's Cove and had an incredible experience. There were two dives, both in the same location- a sunken ship about 20-minutes off the coast of Nassau.

It was crazy. I so wish I had pictures from before we got into the water on the first dive, but fins, wet suits, and a giant tank do limit picture mobility a bit. If I had gotten a picture, you would see sharks circling our boat while we were jumping in. As I said, crazy.

One of the coolest experiences ever was the beginning of the second dive. We were on the bottom, waiting for the shark feeder to come down and I was able to look up towards the surface. When I did, all I saw was about 10-15 sharks circling about 20-feet above me. It was incredible. Those experiences that bring such calm when they should bring fear are some of the best experiences ever!  

All the sharks were reef sharks between 6-10 feet. The first dive had a couple, but the second dive is where they really came out. This totally makes sense considering that the sharks got fed during the second dive. We were able to take our GoPro's with us, so there will be some videos on the blog sometime in August (hopefully). Until then, Enjoy these pics!  

How to Gain Weight The Healthy Way

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For some, being too thin or unable to gain weight is a legitimate problem. Sure, it may turn those of us trying to lower that scale's number green with envy, but gaining weight can be just as important (and difficult) as loosing it. In fact, in the past week I have had multiple people tell me they have had life-long issues with gaining weight. Some people need to gain weight after going through an illness or surgery, for others, it is just in the genes.

Just like weight loss plans, gaining weight can be done a few different ways- some are healthy and some are not.  Sure, about 99% of people will gain weight if they eat three meals a day from McDonalds, but this is unhealthy no matter who you are or how it effects you. Eating a diet high unsaturated fats, trans fats, salts, and empty carbs is no good. Thank goodness, there are a few other ways to gain weight that are better for us and work faster too!

Quit Smoking

This is a double whammy in the health department. On average, people who quit smoking gain between five and ten pounds. A cigarette-free lifestyle will also increase energy, increase immunity, decrease illness, give a better complexion, massively reduce the risk of cancers, and increase one's lifespan. Yes, this can be an extremely difficult process, but it is one that comes with too many rewards to pass up. 

Nicotine replacement therapy is one of the most common ways for smokers to take the leap. Researchers have found that NRT will help during the first six weeks of quitting, but does not help increase long-term results. If you are looking to use e-cigarettes, you may want to do some research before purchasing your starter kit. Researchers are finding that e-cigarettes are 10% less successful that quitting smoking cold turkey. When it comes to quitting, the old school method may still reign supreme. 

If you have unsuccessfully tried to quit smoking in the past, there are a few great resources that I would recommend. First, this wikihow article may seem cheesy, but there are some great knowledge nuggets mixed in through out. Next up is cancer.org's internet database of smoking tips and related articles. Finally, this 25-step how-to created by Reader's Digest has some great tips and bits of knowledge as well.

Eat Plenty of Snacks

Snacking throughout the day is a great way to keep your body at a healthy weight level. To make sure you are doing your body proud, try to keep an even mix of simple sugars, fats, and proteins in each snack. If you are really trying to pack on the calories, drinking your snacks will be the best option out there. Protein shakes tend to have a higher amount of healthy carbs, protein, and fats than other energy drinks, juices, or meal replacement shakes. Try to snack between 2-3 times per day and have at least 1-2 of those snacks be a meal replacement shake.

Weight Train

Weight training can be great for gaining weight and loosing it. If you wish to gain weight, keeping a high calorie diet while weight training is best. Be sure to mix in some cardio with your weight training. Weight training is great, but it is not enough. Those trying to lose weight tend to schedule three days of cardio and two days of weight training in their weekly exercise repertoire. If weight gain is your goal, try flipping this on it's head. Weight training three days a week with cardio mixed in will help muscles bulk a bit faster.

Be sure to eat a post-workout snack high in protein, fats, and carbohydrates. A protein shake or energy bar would be the perfect post-workout snack! Weight training will increase your muscle size and your metabolic rate. Be sure to add in extra calories and fats to keep up with this higher metabolism.

Have a High Nutrient Diet

Eating a lot of unhealthy foods multiple times per day is one way to gain weight, but this will increase your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and a whole slew of other not-so-great issues. To gain weight and be healthy, eat a diet high in plant fats, lean proteins, and simple sugars. Plant fats such as those found in nuts, avocados, almonds, hummus, almond butter, and peanut butter are high in monounsaturated fats and nutrients. Eating plant based fats instead of animal based fats will give the same fat content, but does not pack in as much saturated fats. A diet high in saturated fats increases the Low Density Lipoprotien count and increases the risk of heart disease. 

Try placing chopped nuts on a salad or creating a trail mix snack. You can also use almond butter, whole wheat bread and banana for a healthy, high carb sandwich. Eating multiples of mixed food like these will also take your body longer to break down and increase nutrient retention.

Dried fruits are also great if you are trying to pack on a few pounds. Dried fruit is about 1/4 the size as it's full bodied counterparts. This means that the same one cup of dried berries or bananas will give four times the sugars, carbs, vitamins, and nutrients. It is wise to get no-sugar-added dried fruit since the fruit alone already has such a high amount of sugars. 

Don't Leave Out the Extras

If you are trying to gain weight, you are at a distinct condiment advantage. Adding on extras to your meal like ranch dressing, nuts, ketchup, olive oil, and mayonnaise can help in the weight department. Add at least one of these to every meal to increase the carb and fat density. Dressings of any kind can be used on salads, sandwiches, veggies, anything. Just be to opt out of the low-fat and fat-free options. These are rarely good for anyone and especially bad for those trying to gain weight.  

Add full fat cheeses to salads, soups, and sandwiches for an extra dose of hearty. These will increase the carb and fat count of any meal.