Samantha K Schmidt

This past week has been an absolute whirlwind. My husband, mom, and I got back late Sunday after a flight delay from Illinois. We spent the weekend celebrating our little man who should be here in under 10 weeks. I love spending time with family, but as an introvert it can be exhausting at times. This week was my last week of school (as a full-time teacher) which was full of end of the year events like late night theater programs and obligatory end of the year party planning. My legs felt like jello by the time I made it to Friday. That's when things started to seem off. Although, I didn't realize it right away. My mind and body were coming down from a busyness high, and subconsciously I realized that this was it. There were no more work days until August (even then I'm only going back part-time), no more travel dates, no more, well, anything until the baby comes. I had a serious "what do I do now?" moment. I immediately started trying to compensate with anyth...

When you think of bodybuilding you might think of Arnold Schwarzenegger. When you think of women bodybuilding you probably think of something like this: This look isn't for everyone and the stereotype tends to keep most women away from this level of fitness, but bodybuilding isn't all about ultra tans and outrageously large physiques. It's about creating a lean, strong body. So if you are reading to get stronger, here are a few tips. Find a Plan I suggest a plan made specifically for women. Male training programs don't take into account the natural limitations of the female body. That's why I like this plan by Jamie Eason. It's a plan for women designed by one. Customize Your Plan Don't be afraid to adjust the routine and exercises. I couldn't do more than 10 push-ups when I first started working out so I switched the push ups for a bench press until I gained some strength. Sometimes I'd even combine all my arm workouts into one day ...

Every now and then I get a serious carnivore craving. Today I was craving buffalo chicken, so I thought I'd try my hand at a vegetarian version. Ingredients: 1/4 cup of Barbecue Sauce 1/2 tablespoon of Hot Sauce 1 tablespoon grape jelly (optional) Chicken Substitute (I used Veggie Patch Nuggets) Directions: ~ Cook chicken substitute according to package directions ~ Meanwhile mix your sauces together in a shallow bowl ~ Toss the "chicken" in the sauce ~ Enjoy! This recipe is great because you can mix it up for different flavor. I prefer my buffalo sauce a little sweeter so I added jelly, you can leave it out for more spice. You can also water down the sauce to make a thinner coat. The choice is up to you.

My naturally wavy hair inspired this outfit of the day. I decided to use the inspiration to go with a bit of a summer grunge look. In fact my original intention was too call this post Summer Grunge, but after looking at the pictures yesterday I became distracted by something.  I started to analyze myself. Should I really be wearing this? My thighs look kind of big and the shirt is really tight. I know I'm not fat, but does this make me look fat? All of these thoughts were circling in my head, but I stopped and remembered how I felt when I first put the outfit on. I felt natural. Sometimes the camera or even the mirror can distort how we see ourselves. It's important to remember that the natural you, is the best you. So I rocked this outfit to breakfast and even got a compliment by an older gentleman that I had a pretty face. (I tried to overanalyze that too, but in the end took the compliment graciously.) So to all my girls out there I tell you, be natural. It's ...

Today I signed up for the Princess Half Marathon! This will actually be my second half marathon, but last year I ran this baby for the first time and man was that an achievement. A half marathon is a huge commitment, so before you register here are some things to consider: What's your pace? You should be running at least a 15 minute mile in order to finish. I seriously suggest having a 5k under your belt before committing to a half marathon. It will give you some race experience and give you an estimate of your finish time. Do you have the time? Training for a race is a serious time commitment. My training program is 19 weeks long, but if this is your first half you may want to train a bit longer. That means 3 times a week for 6 or more months. Find a running buddy to keep you motivated and plan runs even when you're on vacation. Do you have the money? Maybe you aren't running a Disney race (which is pricey but totally worth it), but the cost of any race can still b...

It seems like everyone get's fitness crazy over the summer months, obsessed with getting the perfect bikini bod. Well if you are a fitness junkie and you're not using MyFitnessPal... what are you using? MyFitnessPal boasts 50 million users that have lost weight using their app, but it's not a weight loss plan. It's an all in one accountability app and it all starts with your personal profile. It starts with a few easy questions which the app uses to set your daily nutritional goals including calories, protein, and carbohydrates. You can also customize these goals. For example if you are diabetic you can adjust the amount of sugar you are allowed to intake each day. The next step is to log your daily input and output. MyFitnessPal's inventory contains foods from every brand and nearly every restaurant, and if you can't find it you can always add it yourself. You can also save your favorite meals to add them easily later. You can also log all of your da...

I hope you all had a fabulous 4th of July weekend. If you read Friday's post you know my weekend consisted of the 48 hour cleanse . I will say that overall the cleanse was successful, but dreadful. Friday we went to Fresh Market and prepared all of the weekend meals. Here is a breakdown of what we ate. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are the same for the 2 days. Breakfast: Quinoa with Prunes *this wasn't as dreadful as it could've been, but by day two I was not having those prunes. Lunch: Blueberry Smoothie *probably the most delicious of the cleanse meals Dinner: Vegetable Broth *plain tasting, but not terrible (except for the cabbage smell seeping through your pores afterward) Snack: Kale Smoothie, Pineapple/Pomegranate Drink, and Vegetables *our ninja didn't cut it for blending the kale it was grainy and gross, pineapple drink was okay, and I couldn't eat enough carrots to get full The cleanse does it's job. It cleanses your liver, kidney, and...

Today is Fourth of July and if you are like the majority of the American population you are going to eat (and drink) way too much. Saturday morning you'll probably be having some serious regrets. Well don't fret. I found a 48 hour cleanse that will put you back on track. I went on a mini-vaca this week and after only two days I had gained 4 pounds! (I blame it on the sangria.) Needless to say I was feeling pretty awful and wanted to find a way to clean out all the awful things I had ingested. So I found a cleanse that I knew I could stick to and if you are doubting the efficiency it's Dr. Oz approved. The 48 Hour Cleanse Here you will find a shopping list as well as recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. I already prepped my meals and snapped a few pictures of the final products. Breakfast Lunch Dinner Don't forget to come back Monday for an update.

After I graduated college I went through a really rough time. I couldn't find a job. I broke up with my boyfriend of 2 years, and all my friends seemed to have abandoned me. I was going through a serious bout of depression. After taking some photos for an audition one day, something hit me. It was like a smack in the face. Something I had been ignoring for the past 3 years. I had gained more than 30 pounds. My BMI teetering on the edge of overweight. After months of moping around, my eyes had finally opened. I knew that if I didn't get my life on track my genetics would kick in and I would be stuck with the plagues of my family: obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. So I decided to change my life entirely. I won't say I lost weight in a completely healthy way, but I can say that over the past few years I have found a middle ground between obsessive overeating and obsessive under eating. Today I have a pretty healthy lifestyle, and I thought I would sh...

I have been dealing with a nasty bug the past few days (which is why I haven't been posting), but I'm finally starting to feel better. When it comes to colds I've never been big on all the medicinal methods. Not only do I hate putting all that junk in my body, but cold medicines have always made me feel like a drunk. When it comes to over the counter medicines, you end up only treating the symptoms. There's no healing remedy for the cold except to boost the immune system, so I make this my goal every time I start to get sick. A little advice, instead of pumping all those unnatural chemicals into your body, try a more natural method. Here's a few tips that will get you through a cold both quickly and safely. 1. Stay Healthy : You'll have to commit to this one now if you want to fend off those cold viruses. Eating healthy and exercising regularly helps your immune system fight off those pesky attackers. 2. Stay Hydrated : You're eating all your ve...

It's that time of the month... again. How do you know? Oh, just the mountains that have developed all over your face. It's a clear indicator that Aunt Flo is about to visit. Hormonal acne is a huge pain and nearly impossible to escape. Even if you have perfect complexion you are bound to get those annoying pimples every now and then. I've been having a huge problem with hormonal acne lately due to a switch in medication, but I've managed to find a few ways to deal with these demons. Here are my tips. 1. Wash your face regularly. This seems like a given, but the amount that you wash your face each day can depend on your complexion. I have rather dry skin and only wash my face once a day. If your face is more oily you may want to shoot for twice a day. 2. Use a cleansing brush. Don't worry you don't have to spend $100. Ulta sells one for under $30. Although the expensive version may work a little better, anything is better than just your hands. via  Ulta.c...

Every girl has been there, the painstakingly long process of growing out hair. Whether it's due to a hair cut gone wrong or an overdose of chemicals, we can all relate to how frustrating this process can be. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's gone on a google rampage trying to find the quickest way to get my hair back. Well the sad truth is there is no quick fix, but there is a remedy that will make this process far less painful.  This is the combination that worked for me. Overall good health is the key, but it may take some time to find which products work best for you. 1. Take a multivitamin every day.  Make sure to find one that contains biotin. Biotin is the beauty vitamin, it protects your hair and nails to support growth. These Multivites are my favorite. They provide a lot of immune support as well as biotin. 2. Follow a healthy diet and fitness routine. If you read my last post you know that I've been mostly vegetarian for 8 months. This has cer...

Eight months ago, I made the decision to become pescetarian. It was a decision, that for me, was a long time coming. Although I'd always enjoyed biting into a chicken sandwich I hated the sight of a whole chicken. I had trouble cooking meat for dinner, and absolutely refused  to eat any meat that truly resembled the animal. I was an oddity in my family. I grew up with hunters. I'd even seen deer slain right before my eyes. I consistently came up with excuses on Thanksgiving as to why I wasn't eating meat carved from the carcass of a turkey. Finally, after a few days of research I made the switch. I did it for many reasons. First, the reasons aforementioned. I was never a big meat eater anyway and hated the sight of raw meat. Second, economical reasons. One of the most shocking things that I read was that if all of the grain that went to livestock in this country actually went to feeding our hungry, no one would be hungry! Yea, seriously. Okay maybe it's all propagand...