Hi!

Hi everyone, this is Bernadette checking in! Danielle was kind enough to let me get in on the "Stake it!" fun, so here I am. For those of you who haven't seen my blog, I'm a twenty-something Washingtonian currently living near my boyfriend's family in Norfolk, VA. I got my undergraduate degree in Annapolis, MD, and I'm moving to Baltimore in May (!) to go to Nursing School. The boyfriend is starting Law School in VA in the fall, so we're trying to make the most of our last few months together!

....and, I'm trying to get back in shape! I'll be busy busy busy with school this summer, so I want to start out IN SHAPE, and develop a workout routine that will keep me sane (and fit) while I'm in school. Plus, I plan on spending most of August at the beach (my whole family goes ever year), and I don't want to spend the whole time hiding in cover-ups!

Diet: I follow a vegan diet, so you would think it would be easy to loose those last few pounds. Nope! I LOVE baking and eating baked goods, and the bf loves hearty lentil-filled meals, so it's to hard to cut back! I've starting tracking my intake using Calorie King. Calorie King is a great resource, whether you use the FREE food library, or if you choose to download the Nutrition and Exercise Manager to track your calories, fat, protein, fiber...and anything else! The database holds about a gazillion different name brand and generic foods, plus it's easy to add your own foods as well (which is great for me, since I eat a lot of non-traditional and homemade foods). Plus, you can also track your weight, measurements and....

Exercise!: I joined a gym in January, and I love taking the "Boot Camp" and "Core" classes they offer. I also love the elliptical machine. However, the gym is downtown, and it's often difficult to find a parking spot, so I haven't been going as often as I'd like the past few days. I have started running (okay, jogging) with the bf, and I would like to make that a bigger part of my routine.

Plus, I'm a certified yoga instructor (I did my training at the Satchidananda Ashram aka Yogaville in Buckingham County, VA-- a great place, I'd highly recommend if you ever need to "get away" for a weekend or a longer!). I practice yoga daily--sometimes that means I just jump up from my desk and do a few sun salutations to get everything circulating!

Okay, that's a pretty long first post! I've really enjoyed reading what everyone else has written, and I can't wait to share more about my own fitness journey in the future! Thanks again, Danielle, for including me!