think pretty thoughts - Interview with Katy!

Drum roll please...


I'm super duper excited to release an exclusive interview you can't find anywhere else!  (Yes, I'll accepting my redundancy award soon shortly.)


Miss Katy of think pretty thoughts agreed to sit down and answer a bundle of my pressing questions, and I, in turn, am sharing her genius with all of you!


thinking pretty thoughts

Meghan: You workout like a crazy woman practically every day!  Did you/do you ever struggle with staying motivated and/or making time to workout?  Do you have any advice for women who feel too busy to lift weights?

Katie: My struggle is less about motivation, but more about energy! Some days I feel tired if I’ve been going too hard. However, lack of energy almost always has to do with the way I ate throughout the course of the day. Not having a good balance of protein and carbs at every meal can really ruin energy levels! I really have a high motivation for working out because I know how easily my body loses everything I’ve worked for. I gain weight easily, therefore I stay motivated to be on top of it. It’ s also a lot of fun to me to see how far I’ve come and where I can push myself!

M: You talk a lot on your blog about “clean eating.”  How would you define clean eating, and how should an average Jane change her diet to make it more clean?

K: Clean eating is a way of life. It’s about eating foods in its original form and not from a package. Organic, lean meats, fresh vegetable and fruits, and plenty of complex carbohydrates. It’s about eating foods that are good for our bodies and haven’t been sent through a conveyor belt millions of miles away! A good place to start is investing a little more time in thinking and planning what you’ll eat.  Tosca Reno wrote an excellent book called “The Eat Clean Diet” and it explains everything in easy, understandable chapters. Love that book!

M: Do you weight lift with a trainer and/or workout buddy, or do you tend to fly solo?

K: I fly completely solo...every day! I work best on my own because I’m a talker, so if I were to be with a friend then my tendency would be to want to talk instead of work. I’ve really gotta focus on one thing at a time! I have several personal trainer friends at my gym, so occasionally they will challenge me to a serious butt kicking session. It sucks!

M: You seem to be in favor of “lifting like a man” - different muscle groups on different days, bigger weights, less reps...some women fear this will make them look too buff, so they stick with full body sets of lighter weights.  Are both approaches to weight-lifting equally effective?

K: I think both ways of lifting are effective for different things. Lifting lighter weights, higher reps is effective for building muscle endurance. It’s like walking 2 miles everyday....great for your heart, but for a body change the intensity needs to change dramatically. Lifting heavier is effective for fat loss in that it raises your heart rate because of how hard you’re working, which in essence, is circuit training. Circuit training is known for its high calorie burn and lots of fat loss! Plus, the more muscle you have, the more calories burned on a minute-to-minute basis, which is effective for staying lean long term. 

M: Is your hubby also into the whole clean-eating, iron-pumping lifestyle?  How does your love affair with the gym impact your marriage?

K: Good question! My husband Charlie is very support. He eats well with me, but doesn’t have a love affair with the gym. He loves to get his exercise outdoors through sports: mountain biking, hiking, softball, etc. It’s been a change for him to see me go from being really lazy to super energetic and pumped for the gym, but he is so happy for me that I am finally batting life long body image issues through getting healthy!

M: Do you have a favorite muscle group/cardio activity?  Least favorite?  How do you keep a healthy balance in your workouts and not just do what you love at the expense of everything else?

K: Of course, I love HIIT. That is my favorite form of cardio and my favorite muscle group to work is Shoulders! It hurts so good! The way I avoid sacrificing the rest of my life to exercise is through planning ahead. I will have my bag ready to go that way I can go where I need to go and leave when I need to leave. If I didn’t plan ahead, a lot of time would be wasted and I’d miss out on nights out..dinner dates...the list goes on. I change quite a few times during the day ;)

M: Where do you come up with ideas to keep your lifting and H.I.I.T. fresh?

K: I’ve learned new moves from Bob Harper’s You Tube page, Bodyrock.tv website, and watching my trainer friends as they train. I really am always on the lookout for new ways to workout and I’m constantly researching online how to keep it fresh. If I don’t feel like running HIIT, I’ll take my routine to the stairs and do intervals on that. It’s SUPER challenging!

M: You recently shared that you’ve been rock-climbing for your cross-training.  Any other sports or fitness activities you’re hoping to try?

K: Yes, actually! I’ve been swimming for the last month and it’s been super challenging. I am definitely not a talented swimmer, but have really noticed being in better “running” shape since I included that kind of cardio in my routine. It’s tough! 

M: If you could only give one piece of advice to women trying to get in better shape, what would it be?

 

K: Be dedicated, be consistent. Without those two pieces, your motivation might never come! I didn’t have motivation in the beginning, but with consistency, I soon realized that it’s an enjoyable hobby that brings incredible rewards and now I love it. Enjoy it!!

Now all I wish is that I could've taken her out to coffee instead of just pelting her with emails.  (Do Texans drink coffee?)  


I take solace in the fact that we've agreed to workout together if I'm ever in Texas and shop together if she comes to Seattle.  (Just don't tell her how much I stalk her blog or she might break our plans.)


Thank you so much, Miss Katy!