Kirsten Caplinger

✨Let’s talk self care for a minute✨ This word gets thrown around all the time, even more so now than ever. But what really is self care? Face masks and bubble baths? Exercising every single day? Reading a book because everyone tells you to? Self care is TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF. Doing something for yourself. It might be a bubble bath or it might be making your bed. It might be opening up the blinds for the day. The point is, self care is different for everyone. That’s the point, we’re not all the same. As a part of my self care routine, I have decided to replant my houseplants and try to revive them. In less than a month this plant has gone from nearly dead to multiple sprouts forming. And I’m really proud of it. I wrote a blog article going into more depth and listing 30 ways to practice self care. If you need ideas or want to read more into it, I’ve linked it in my bio. Thanks for spreading positivity and taking care of yourself in whatever way you can. Mental health can fluctuate and it’s ok to get off track. Reach out if you need some help 💞

Mint chocolate smoothie 😋 Dessert for breakfast is my favorite kind of breakfast. But what I told you it has a serving of veggies in it? That’s right, this mint chocolate smoothie bowl has an entire serving of veggies in it, but you wouldn’t know. Something that makes this smoothie delicious is that it uses mint leaves instead of mint extract. Either will do, but the mint leaves also make a beautiful decoration on top. Hungry yet? dEATS: 👇🏼 •1/2 cup of riced frozen cauliflower •handful of spinach •1 frozen banana •1 scoop of chocolate protein powder (or you can use about 1 tsp of cocoa) •3/4 cup almond milk •4-5 mint leaves Blend until smooth, use more or less almond milk depending on preferred consistency. Topped with mint leaves, vanilla yogurt and cacao nibs for some added CRUNCH. Can even top with chocolate chips to also get some extra chocolate flavor!

Here’s a lower body workout for you!👊🏼 Most of my workouts I try to incorporate as many muscles as I can within what I’m training that day. Right now that means creating workouts that engage every part of my body that I’m training since I can’t lift heavy. I try to do at least one exercise in every motion, some are more heavily focused than others (I train gastrocs less than quads for example). When I’m in the gym, some days that means choosing one or two main lifts and a few accessory movements. I definitely have to be creative, but I am enjoying getting to put my education into practice! And I’ve been working on trying to do more cardio which is probably good for me even if I don’t like it, but it’s my excuse to get some sunshine right now!☀️

Delicious and healthy dinner alert! Chicken, potatoes, and asparagus. I love cooking new things (never cooked asparagus) and having them turn out yummy! Want the dEATS? 👇🏼 Chicken: one breast, sliced in half; olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes Gold potato: sliced thin with olive oil, s&p, garlic and onion powder as well. Cooked with the chicken Asparagus: sauté in olive oil, season with s&p, garlic and onion powder, and thinly sliced turkey bacon

Core Day ⚡️ This one was killer. Did my typical 3 circuits with 3 exercises. Circuit One: •Romanian deadlifts x15 •kneeling side arm/leg crunch x10 per side •side bend x15 per side Circuit Two: •side dips x15 per side •Russian twists x10 per side •overhead weighted crunch x10 Circuit Three: •single leg lower x10 per side •prone I Y T x10 (can do these on all fours, one side at a time) •Supermans x10 Repeat each circuit 3 times before moving on to the next. Any of these can be performed with or without weights... do what you can do! Honestly might have made up names for a few of these exercises... so if you know the proper name feel free to dm me 🙈

The only dinner inspo you need! Breakfast is the best meal of the day... so why not have it twice? 😊 dEATS: @kingarthurflour pancake mix, dark chocolate chips, banana, maple syrup, turkey bacon

Arms workout 💪🏼 featuring my doggo 🐶 swipe to the end to see the accidental selfie I took after this 😅 Trust me, working out at home has never been my thing. But taking on this challenge has forced me to be creative and I’m definitely getting my sweat on. I have some form to work on (those pushups bring a tear to my eye) so I know that working on strengthening these moves is good for me! What you need: •a chair •a weight, can, or water bottle, if wanted Warm up: I did some butt kicks, knee highs, and jumping jacks for about 5 minutes to get my heart rate up before starting! 1. chair pushups and shoulder press with the chair (you might want a tall ceiling if doing this, or use weights) I did 5 of each for 5 rounds 2. Chair dips, I did 5, quick rest, 5 more (do 10 straight through if you can) 3. Lateral and frontal raise (you can use anything as a weight, try a water bottle!) 10 of each 4. Plank rows (15 on each side, keep your butt down if you can unlike me!) 5. Inchroom, 5 of them Repeat this sequence 4-6 times! Let me know if you try it! I’d love to know how it goes for you. You can always do more or less rounds and use more or less weight. Adapt it to you!

It’s been awhile since I made oatmeal... so I had to share my delicious breakfast 😊 Grateful to have more time to spend cooking right now and enjoying some of my favorite foods. Also to have time to maybe try some new recipes! Stovetop oats with a dash of PB2 and cocoa powder, topped with berries, peanut butter and sprinkled with a few @enjoylifefoods dairy free chocolate chips.

Here’s my first at-home workout for you! I did a lower body day, with a lot of key movements. Each video has multiple ways of targeting the same muscle(s) so that you can modify based on your ability and equipment available. All of these can be done with no equipment at all! I obviously had to make some modifications as I don’t have a home gym but do have some equipment! Writing the intensity and frequency as a range (sets range)x(reps range) because it depends on if you are doing light/no weight (do more) or weighted/banded (go for more weight/less reps) 1. hip thrust/glute bridge (3-4)x(6-12) 2. curtsey lunges/skiers 3x(8-12) 3. lateral step/hip abduction 3x10 4. clamshells 3x10 5. donkey kicks (2-4x(8-12) Let me know what you think and if you try it!

Hello from across the country! I spent a few days on Spring Break skiing in Colorado with my workout buddy. It was refreshing physically and mentally, and I got some fantastic exercise as well! Hoping to make myself more present on here because I love this community so much and how supportive it is.

I snapped this selfie right before I hit a squat PR!⁣ ⁣ If I left it at this, you’d think life seems pretty great, right?⁣ ⁣ Well what this picture DOESN’T show is that I did not want to go to the gym. I was actually crying before I went to the gym because I miss my boyfriend.⁣ ⁣ My boyfriend is currently at Army Basic Training. It’s been a month, I’m hanging in there, but wow is it tough sometimes. I miss him everyday. I can only write him letters that he doesn’t receive consistently and is given minimal time to write back. I got a brief call for the first time in almost a month last weekend. Now I don’t know when I will hear from him again.⁣ ⁣ The good news is it’s going to be ok! I’ve got a great support system and have been very busy with school. But my motivation has disappeared with him being gone. We used to workout together when I first got into lifting and he’s kept me accountable. He taught me a lot of what I know about lifting. ⁣ ⁣ I haven’t made my health a priority as much as I should. I’m busy, I’m stressed, I’m sad A LOT. So this PR is a huge deal for me.⁣ ⁣ Just wanted this to serve as a reminder that you never know what’s going on behind the gram, behind the face someone puts on. Yes, I set a personal record, but I was also sad the entire time I was at the gym. I was in the zone, but still didn’t want to be there. But I knew it was what I needed. And it was so worth it.⁣ ⁣ Don’t let the gym selfie fool you. There’s a lot going on beneath the surface.

Save yourself some money and make your guacamole at home. Worried about it going bad? Keep scrolling for a tip.⁣ ⁣ I got so tired of paying $5+ on a tub of guacamole that would go bad in two days. So I bought the ingredients and made it myself. It’s not even hard!⁣ ⁣ 3 avocados⁣ 1 tomato, diced with seeds scooped out⁣ 1/4-1/2 a red onion, diced⁣ 1 tablespoon lime juice or about 1/2 a squeezed lime⁣ 1 tablespoon salt (give or take)⁣ ⁣ You can smash it yourself with a spoon or lightly blend it. I’ve done both and they both work fine.⁣ ⁣ Wanna get fancy? Add some chili powder. Or other seasoning if you prefer it. But without tastes just fine to me!⁣ ⁣ Worried about it going to waste? Store 🥑 in a mason jar. Doesn’t brown for days 😉⁣

What are fats?! 🥑🧀🍳🥓⁣ ⁣ Fats are another macronutrient and a key part of a healthy diet. Fats have many large roles in keeping the body functioning, from being a form of energy to delivering important vitamins. ⁣ ⁣ Swipe for some more important facts!