For those of you who don't know me, I have the diet of a 12 year old boy. This is no joke or exaggeration. I love and crave food that is bad for you, and I wish I didn't. Luckily, my metabolism hasn't left me yet, and my job requires me to workout constantly, but if those things weren't in play I wonder what would happen to me. This week I have made a pledge to myself, not to diet, but to be more aware of the food I'm putting into my body to fuel myself. Now the important part is holding myself accountable. One of the most crucial parts to being an instructor is being able to hold yourself accountable to a goal or to something you want to achieve. This shows your riders, clients, friends, and family, that when you are telling them to set their own goals, that you aren't just saying it. 
        
          Since I've become a fitness specialist and a spin instructor, I get a lot of questions about my diet and my workout regiments. I get asked if I take "pre-workout" or my thoughts on it. I get asked what the best snacks are for pre/post workout. I get asked what I eat for dinner, breakfast, lunch etc. I always feel embarrassed answering that I had shake shack for dinner the night before, or that my pre-workout snack was some pizza bagel bites. I know the correct answers for what people SHOULD be doing, but they always want to do what the instructor is doing. This is what lead me to being more aware of what I was eating. So yesterday, I started the week off with a full grocery shop to prepare myself for fueling my body with HEALTHY things, not junk food. I also have a shipment coming in from New Vision Nutrition, which is a healthy eating food prep that makes it so insanely EASY for you to eat healthy and not have to cook, (look for post on this later on this week). I will keep you all (whoever reads this silly blog) updated with my progress, and how I'm feeling throughout the week. I am making this public, therefore I will actually go through with it. 

         What I'm hoping to achieve from all this, is more energy throughout the week, not being embarrassed to tell people my diet, being able to suggest tips and tricks for eating that I'm actually using, and all around being more aware of what I am putting into my body. Your body is your temple and you only get one of them, so might as well treat it that way. 

Here's the thing. Every instructor is going to have a bad day here and there. How good they hide it? Well that's depending on the person. When you come to take a workout class you have certain expectations for the instructor. You expect them to motivate you, to push you, and to be generally happy or in a good mood. Last week, I had a bad week. Ever since Tuesday it felt like I was finding out one bad thing after another and just having really generally crappy days. This was the first time this had really happened to me as an instructor and I didn't know how to handle it. I didn't know if I should acknowledge it to the class, or put on a fake happy smile and pretending like everything was fine. 

This week I came back down to Earth and put a lot of things into perspective. I realized that there are definitely people who are having worse weeks than me (for example, the people who keep getting hit after hit by each crazy hurricane), but I also realized that it is OK to have a bad day. When you do have a bad day though, try to leave it at that day. Do not bring it into the next day or the day after that. Not everyday is going to be your day and thats ok. You have to find the positive things in life, the things you're thankful for and the things that don't make whatever situation that's going on in your life seem so bad. I am so thankful for my family, my boyfriend, my friends, having a roof over my head, having a steady job, being able to teach spin, and most of all each day I get to live my damn life. There is SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR. Try to find those reasons whenever you find yourself dwelling on the negative. 

         In honor of suicide prevention week, I wanted to do a post talking about mental health and exercise, considering they are very closely related. Exercise can be a HUGE stress and anxiety reliever for a lot of people. Before I became an instructor, I would lose my mind if I was too busy to make it to a spin class or workout class. As many people know about me, I was a swimmer at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. I unfortunately, didn't even make it through my first year without getting injured. By halfway through the second year I was forced to stop swimming for medical reasons. This destroyed me. I was completely heartbroken. I was injured to the point where I couldn't do any exercise without being in pain, so I was put on rest for a couple months. During these months, I fell into a deep depression. I was sick to my stomach, I couldn't get out of bed, I was so SAD. I didn't even know who I was anymore. I went to therapy and worked through it with sessions of me crying for hours. I knew I needed the rest, but for some reason I could not kick this feeling. Depression and anxiety are not something you can just get through over night. You have to find your ways to keep you calm, and to bring you to your "norm". After six months with no exercise, I finally started slowly building back up my regimen.

      Exercise can de-stress you, bring down your anxiety levels, and the endorphins leave you feeling on another level. Exercise is SO IMPORTANT. Everyone says it's great for your health, but it is essential for mental health. People need that release, that 45-50 min classes of not having to focus on anything else besides how hard they're getting their ass kicked! It's hard opening up about that low point in my life, however I feel as though it is crucial for people to know how important exercise can be to someone. In every class, you never know why each person showed up that day. You never know what someone has going on in their life. You never know how the songs you play can impact someone. Next time you take a workout class, focus on everything inside the room. Leave all your problems and stresses at the door and completely lose yourself in your workout. 

Since I've become an ambassador for FRÉ skincare, I have gotten a lot of questions from people asking if I "really" like it or if I'm just saying it to be a good advertiser, but I'm taking a blog post to tell you guys my feelings and opinions on it. First off, I TRULY LOVE IT. My skin has never been so soft, and healthy, and all around under control. FRÉ is made for people who workout or sweat a lot. There is a 123FRÉ trio that is essential for people who workout. I use the "Purify Me" right after I teach a class while washing my face, and then put on "Revive Me" to bring my skin back to life. "Protect Me" is perfect for if you're sweating in the sun, it is "specially formulated for sweaty skin." Made with a deep moisturizer, powerful anti-aging and SPF 30. PLUS FRÉ is Vegan and cruelty-free. I am a full supporter and believer in this skincare, and trust me I've tried everything. You feel the difference from the first second of putting it on. This is not an ad, I really just love this product and want people to be informed about it! 


If you want to give the trio or any of the single pieces a try, use the code, "CARLYB" for 15% off!! Or checkout their website, ​https://www.freskincare.com/

I always say when we start the stretch at the end of a spin class, "This is the best part right here, knowing that you worked your ass off."There is no better feeling than when you finish a workout class; your heart rate coming down, sweat dripping down your face, and body screaming from relief that you stopped pushing it so damn hard. I was always addicted to this high that you get after you complete a class, thats what made me want to start teaching classes. However, the high is a completely different kind of high when you are teaching. It's almost hard to explain. Its a euphoric feeling. It's like the high when you finishing participating in an exercise class, but times twenty! There is nothing like knowing that you were able to lead a group of people to experience that feeling. It stays with you for hours, days, weeks etc.! You look out into the class after the last song and everyone is breathing heavy, slowing their legs down, grabbing their water and knowing you were able to lead them to that success is amazing. I always knew I would love teaching, but I wasn't aware of how much happiness it brings you on a daily basis.

It's the little things in class that make you excited, for example, seeing a person reach down and turn up their own resistance during a hill (without you cueing them), seeing a person grab an extra bar for arms, having people challenge themselves and spin double classes with you, or watching someone self correct their body position while out in a jog. It's the tiniest, little things that make you the happiest. Thats when you know that you are in the right profession. When you're "working" it doesn't feel like work. You look forward to going to teach a class. You are overjoyed to have your friends and family come to class. There is just no better feeling than being happy. Genuinely happy. 

       I have learned a lot in my 23 years of life. I know I haven't learned everything and that I have a lot more years of wisdom ahead of me, however one of the most important lessons I've learned to this date is: You truly start living the second you stop caring about what others think of you. Now I'm not saying walk around being an ass hole because you don't care what people think. I'm saying, be yourself, and when you stop caring what people think of you, you will be free. In every situation in life you should be fearlessly authentic. This phrase will always stick with me. Fearlessly authentic. What does that mean to you? To me? It means your reactions, your feelings, your opinions, just being YOU, 100%, all the time. Don't try to pretend to be someone else or something your not. People will be more naturally drawn to the person YOU are, and if they're not, then you are not meant to have them in your life. If you want to post a selfie, POST THE DAMN SELFIE. If you want to start your own blog, YOU START THAT BLOG. If you want to sing karaoke at a bar, YOU GO UP THERE AND YOU SING KARAOKE. 

       The point of this whole blog post is to be yourself. All the time. And when you stop caring what other people think of you, or how many likes you're going to get on social media, that is the moment you start really living.  




PS check out the new logo for BIKES & BUNS created by @sundaysatsea (check out her insta), or contact her through etsy to have something made right here.

There will be new retail and apparel for sale on this site within the next couple weeks with this logo! I am so so happy with the way it came out and am so excited to have created this brand. Thank you so much for the overwhelming support thus far! I am so glad I put all my worries and cares aside and began this blog 1 month ago.