The Scoop on Calories, Carbs, and Keeping It Real

My guest post for Erin over at Creative Soul In Motion is up and running!  Go check it out by clicking here.  It’s a lot of the facts behind calorie counting and carbohydrates, as well as my personal spin on how to keep healthy living realistic.  I promise it’s a good read for the Monday after a long Thanksgiving weekend – might help you get back on track if you strayed a bit from your normal eating/fitness routine.  Please venture over and take a look.

This is my first guest post for another blogger, so a big thank you to Erin for the opportunity!  🙂

Some other exciting blog news!

1.  Fitness & Feta is now at its own ‘dot com.’  Anyone else realize that?  No more “wordpress” in the URL – just http://fitnessandfeta.com/.  Woohoo!

2.  I gave my pages (the tabs at the top) a little makeover this weekend.  Take a look at the new format, the hover text, and the drop down menus.  Oh, and probably more importantly, the updated content:

• My About page now has four NEW drop down options:  A Little History, Contact, FAQ’s (coming soon), and a Disclaimer
• I consolidated Workouts and my On My iPod page into one static Fitness page.  The Workout page is what I did the most work on this weekend, so take a look – all my past workout posts in one place for easy browsing!
• I consolidated Recipes and Dining Out into one static Food page.  The Recipe page has been updated to include my Thanksgiving post recipes, and the Dining Out page has been updated to include the restaurants I wrote about in my Portsmouth post!
• NEW:  Tips & Tricks
• NEW:  Opa!
• NEW:  The Awk Spot
• Updated:  Blogroll – some new additions in there!

3.  I added a “What’s Hot Right Now” section on the left hand side underneath my “Recent Posts” section.  “What’s Hot Right Now” will show the 10 most clicked on posts of the last 48 hours, whereas the “Recent Posts” will show my last 10 posts regardless of traffic.

Coming Soon!

• November Recap
• Luna Bar FREE Giveaway
• Resisting Holiday Food Temptations
• Balancing Blogging, Work, Fitness, and a Social Life
• Pet Peeves of a Fitness Instructor
• And more – if you have requests for future blog topics, keep em coming! 

Have a wonderful day 🙂

The Paint Bar

Looking to try something different for your next girls night out or date night?  You should prooooobably venture on over to The Paint Bar in Newton.

Two of my roommates and I gave our fourth roommate a night out here for her birthday present.  I was a little nervous/hesitant at first, but definitely pleasantly surprised.

How it works:

Before You Go

• Visit The Paint Bar’s website.
• Look at the calendar to choose a date that suits you (also will want to make sure that date’s painting is one you like!)
• Reserve your spot right online or by phone.  When I signed up, it was a super easy process and I could sign all four of us up at once.

While You’re There

• Register / Check In – here they give you a set of paintbrushes.
• Find your personalized easel (already set up for you with your name on it!)

• Get your paint ready!  This part made me a little nervous, but they had very specific directions stating how many squirts of each color you would need.

• Get a drink!  They serve soda, beer, wine, and snacks too.  You can’t bring in your own alcohol, but you can bring in your own food.  Had we known that!  People were going all out with cheese and cracker platters, cookies, etc.  Really cool, right?
• Put on your smocks 🙂

• Paint!  During the lesson, the instructor stands at one end of the room and leads you through the painting step by step.  Literally says which brush to pick up, which colors to dip it in, and the exact way to paint.  It’s really cool because it is a very laid back atmosphere – definitely put my nerves at ease!  In between the instructions, they played fun music and you could just sit and chat with those around you.

After

• You will be amazed at how your painting comes out!  I liked that everyone paints the same painting, but everyone’s comes out a little bit different.

• Hang your paintings up and enjoy them at home!  (We still haven’t decided what to do with them yet)

This night out was super relaxing.  I mentioned that I’ve been having a few stressful weeks lately, and I definitely found this almost therapeutic!  I think this is perfect for a girl’s night out, something different to do as a date (just make sure to book the couples class, not the general class – I felt badly for the one man amongst the crowd of women when we went), or even as a private party since The Paint Bar offers those too!  What a great idea for a mother-daughter business.

Question:  Have you ever been to any place like this before?

Be Thankful Challenge:  I’m thankful for ACTIVITIES!