Monthly Archives: April 2014

50 Shades of Fit

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Hi!

I don’t know what was going on in my brain last night, but I was OUT OF IT.

1) I could not remember the ballet barre combinations for my life.

2) I forgot to turn on my car headlights at 8 PM. I didn’t realize until I got to my destination. (My town is very well-lit at night, don’t worry.)

3) I did some other questionable things concerning driving and my car….But I won’t get into those details.

I got home in one piece and I didn’t hurt anyone else, so praise God for that. I also ate this awesome salad (among other things) for dinner:

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I know it doesn’t look like much, but I finally made use of the tahini sitting in our fridge in a homemade dressing! I just combined about 1 tsp. tahini, 1 tsp. yuzu (Japanese lime soy sauce, essentially), a squeeze of honey, and a squirt of water to thin it out. That stuff was goooooood. It was a little too much for the amount of spinach I had here, so I just added more spinach. 🙂 I want to add it to a soba noodle salad or something like that next time!

Anyway, here are my recent moves:

Monday: 5 min stair master + lower body supersets [10 pistols each leg + 20 Bulgarian split squats//20 hamstring ball curls + 20 single leg bridge pulses each leg] + 8 min ab tabata [4 rounds of reverse crunches, spiderman plank, and spiderman kick through right and left]

Tuesday: ballet!

50 Shades of Fit

The amazing Julianna @ Julianna Banana tagged me in the 50 Shades of Fit Featured Blogger Series started by the also amazing Kaila @ The Healthy Helper! You can read Kaila’s awesome introduction post about the movement here, but this is an excerpt of what 50 Shades of Fit is all about:

There truly are (more than!) 50 shades of fit and as long as you’re incorporating fitness into your life in a healthy way for the right reasons, then you’re doing it right! Too often I see people ridiculing other for ‘not lifting’, eating certain food groups (or not eating certain food groups!), and or for not being as physically capable as other are. But this is not fair!

Fitness doesn’t have an end point. It isn’t a mountain that you can get to the top of. It’s a continuum that  we’ll all be on for the rest of our lives and no one place on it is better than any other. Instead of criticizing, judging, or ridiculing others based on where they are, we should be lifting each other up, encouraging each other, and congratulating each other for making choices to stay healthy, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

So take a moment to appreciate where you are on your own fitness journey and try to remain positive and tolerant of where other people are on theirs. There’s room for all of us in this world.

– See more at: http://healthyhelperblog.com/2014/02/23/50-shades-fit/#sthash.LW0rFgQy.dpuf

Her words hit the nail on the head, and I couldn’t be more excited to participate in the survey questions that come with being tagged! So let’s get started:

Currently, what does “fit” mean in your life?

  • Being able to move and groove every day (ahem, blog name), whether that means doing an actual workout or taking active study breaks every 20 minutes.
  • Embracing rest.
  • Feeling strong and energetic during my every day activities.

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When did you initially get more interested in incorporating health and fitness into your lifestyle?

When I was younger, I figure skated competitively, and I always loved to do pilates, yoga, and workout DVDs with my mom (I’ve memorized the lines of certain workout DVDs…). I was never into sports because my hand-eye coordination from 1-10 is about a 3, but I still loved to stay active.

I’ll be honest and say that my interest health and fitness rekindled a couple years ago for vanity reasons, and that unfortunately turned into disordered eating habits. However, in the past year or so, health and fitness have become less about a nice figure and more about feeling happier, moving with greater ease, and treating my body with respect. Now I believe that I have truly become interested in health and fitness.

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What are some of your favorite ways to get moving?

As Julianna said, there are SO many ways to get moving— it’s difficult to choose just a few! Some of my favorites include dance, circuit workouts (especially with burpees), yoga, Pilates, walking, and hiking.

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Some activities that I still want to try include long distance runs (yes, running), a mud run/obstacle course, CrossFit, BodyPump, and and hot yoga! We’re talking long term goals here.

In what ways do you inspire and encourage others to add some sort of fitness into their lives? + What advice would you give someone who is just starting their fitness journey and exploring what works for them?

I can only hope that through this blog (and my off-blog geeky-ness about the benefits of staying active) I am able to inspire others to just move more. Anything is better than nothing, and starting small is the way to go. My daily workout used to be 15 minutes on the elliptical, and that was fine. As I started to push myself more and get out of my comfort zone, I realized that I enjoyed so many different things. A couple years ago, I never thought I could run a sub-8 mile, do 100 burpees in a row, lift heavy things, or even do a proper pushup, but with time (and sweat), those things happened. Believe me, if I could do it, YOU can do it.

Most importantly though, have FUN when you workout! Please?

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{2012}

Thanks to Kaila for starting this rockin’ movement and to Julianna for tagging me!

Three people I tag to share their “shades of fit”:

Ashley @ Miles on Oats

Leigha @ Minou Girl

Jessica @ Story of a Girl

…and just…EVERYONE!

Hope you all have a wonderful Wendesday!

So tell me:

Have you ever tried tahini (not in hummus) before?

What does “fit” mean to you?

What are your favorite ways to get moving?

 

 

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Fantastic Fats

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Good morning!

Just as last week flew by, this weekend was over *snap* like that. But that just means that it was filled with fun, right?

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Katie‘s roundin’ up the marvelousness!

You know what it was also filled with? FATS! Definitely the best macro, in my opinion. Fats=fun. I definitely used to fear fats, thinking that I would become as squishy as a jellyfish:

But after a while, I realized how BORING eating is without fats! I mean, have you seen the copious amounts of peanut butter, avocado, eggs and cheese I consume? And they don’t necessarily turn me into Squishy. Arman also hosted a fun fats fiesta on his blog a little while back, but I didn’t get the chance to join it then. You should check out his post, but be careful not to drown in butter when you get there.

Let’s take a look at the fantastic fats {and activities while we’re at it} of this weekend, shall we?

Friday

First off, I ate peanut butter in my breakfast and snack:

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On the way to the Coffee House performance, I was so glamorously scarfing down a piece of avocado toast with smoked salmon and this yogurt sauce. I also got yogurt sauce on my purse AND on my chorus teacher, because I’m Alison, and I paint my world with Greek yogurt.

Saturday

My dad took me as his guest to a lovely Pro-Life breakfast event, so I went sweet and savory with a corn muffin, fruit, French toast, and some scrambled eggs.

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I also went home and ate a spoonful of almond butter because breakfast is incomplete without nut butter.

Dance company had a short and sweet lecture/demonstration at a nursing home, which went well! But one sweet, elderly lady was telling me that she thinks Japanese people are more graceful dancers than others and that white girls are confused. I think she was trying to compliment me…but I’m not even Japanese. I’m probably more white than I am Asian, come to think of it. (âž” Maybe not. I just commented “yum!” on my mom’s picture of cooked tendons from a Chinese restaurant.)

For late lunch, I had seafood salad for some omega-3 fatty acids (right?) + a side of avocado oil-roasted brussels sprouts a la mother:

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After Saturday evening Mass, I came home hungry for some rice, broccoli, and coconut curry chicken of which I failed to take a picture because a) it wasn’t that interesting and b) I was hungry.

Sunday

I got to sleep in a wee bit before heading to teach Sunday school, but I also had time to make a breakfast that I hadn’t had in a solid two weeks: Hot banana oats with Greek yogurt and pepita sunseed butter!

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I ate this while watching The Pioneer Woman on Food Network (TV is back after Lent!), and the perfect Sunday morning was fulfilled.

Fast forward through teaching third graders about the canonization of Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII (WOOHOO!) and I’m at the gym since my dad offered to drop me off on his way to the gym (we go to separate gyms— logistical reasons for when he goes to work). I hadn’t been in weeks! I’m actually going to cancel my membership soon because I’m going to college this fall, I enjoy working out at home/outdoors, and I need to slow down workouts anyhow.

Moves:

5 min arc trainer warmup, then 3 rounds of each:

  • 15-20 TRX rows + 10 pike pushups
  • 10 TRX bicep curls + 20 tricep dips
  • 10 pushups (of different variations) + 20 supermans

Then an 8 minute ab tabata, which was two rounds of weighted Russian twists, toe touches, cross knee planks, ankle touches, plank toe touches, leg lifts, spiderman plank, and plank.

I also walked on the treadmill for 25 minutes while waiting for my dad to come pick me up!

I was “hangry” when I got home, and I had something awesome in mind for lunch (I was fantasizing about it while on the treadmill): AVOCADO GRILLED CHEESE with sriracha chicken + unpictured brussels sprouts with hummus.

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When I dipped the grilled cheese into that sriracha sauceâž” HOLY MOLY.

An hour or so later, I ate a banana with sunflower seed butter, and then another spoonful of almond butter 🙂

After a couple of hours of research and blog business (did you notice something different about the domain??), I was hungry for dinnah! I was feeling breakfast for dinner, so I whipped up a fat-tastic meal, which was an omelette with spinach and feta + avocado toast.

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The ketchup came out in squirts, so it looks like a massacre, I know. It was delicious though!

Well, I’m off to go eat some dried figs + Greek yogurt while finishing up some more homework. I hope you all have a fantastic week ahead!

So tell me:

What did you do this weekend?

What are your favorite sources of fat?

Have you ever tried avocado grilled cheese? If not, please do. It’s good for the soul.

 

Fascinating Friday{ish} Links #33

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Eep! I’m super duper late again! Punctuality is one of my weaknesses.

I did not foresee the busyness that consumed this week, but it went by in a flash, which is always a good thing (6 more weeks for the high school seniors…almost there…). I actually just came back from my school’s annual Coffee House performance, where my friend Daliza and I performed Strings by the Young the Giant. We were the emcees for the night too, which was fun! And the talent was really legit last night, let me tell ya.

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For breakfast yesterday morning, I had a smoothie that looked like it would be a winner when I was throwing the ingredients into the blender, but when I tasted it, it was just meh. I should just stick to Amanda’s cookie dough smoothie forever.

Into the blender went 4 strawberries, 1 small banana, ½ c. milk, ¼ c. oats, 1 huge tbsp. peanut butter, ½ scoop of vanilla protein powder, ½ tsp. chia seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, a lot o’ spinach, and a little bit of ice.

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With a side of Greek yogurt for spoon dippin’

It was actually tasty, but it just wasn’t as thick or peanut buttery as I prefer. Maybe I’ll do less milk next time.

I made up for breakfast’s lack of peanut buttery satisfaction with this classic after school snack:

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Moves Thursday: I did end up going outside for a bit because it was just too gorgeous to not do so! In my backyard:

  • 50 jumping jacks
  • super duper quick jog around the cul de sac (<— I had to look up how to spell that. I didn’t know it’s three words!)
  • 10 pushups
  • 10 [unassisted!] pistol squats each leg + 20 split squats each leg + pistols + 20 side lunges each leg + pistols + 20 single leg bridge pulses each leg

And then I had modern dance class later in the evening!

Moves yesterday: Just some random moving and grooving throughout the day. Little jog in gym, a few jumping pull-ups on our door bar thing, some pushups, dancing to Beyonce, and one round of this.

Alright, now I’ll leave you with this week’s Fascinating Friday (ahem, now Saturday) Links! Enjoy 🙂

fascinating friday links

Health and Fitness

[Don’t let cardio take over] 3 Reasons to Cute Back and Cardio and What You Should Do Instead via Your Trainer Paige

[Cons of the raw diet] 3 Reasons No One Should Be On a Raw Foods Diet via Mind Body Green

[Diet experimentation can help you] Never Underestimate Diet Experimentation via The Big Man’s World

[Don’t be deceived!] How to Choose a Healthy Granola Bar via Chelsea’s Healthy Kitchen

[If you wanna get guns out for when the sun’s out] Increasing Strength and Arm Definition via Fitnessista

[Sweat it out] Bodyweight Interval Core Workout via PurelyTwins + Dumbbell Chipper via Nutrition Nut on the Run + Fast-Paced Sweaty Leg Workout via Peanut Butter Fingers

Food For Thought

[Hmm…thinking about it] Why You Should Be a Part of the Running Community via Olive to Run

[We do it for eating, so why not for exercise?] Intuitive Exercise via The Real Life RD

[You are beautiful, mamas] My Love-Hate Relationship with My Pregnant Body via The Tiny Blue Lines

[Do what you enjoy] There is No ‘Right’ or ‘Wrong’ Workout via Perfection Isn’t Happy

[Try these things] 6 Easy-to-Steal Rituals of Extremely Successful People via Marc and Angel Hack Life

Food For Belly

[So many colors and flavors!] Stacked Side Salmon via Spoon Fork Bacon + Hippie Bowl via Clementine Daily

[Of course I want this] Oatmeal Cookie Dough Breakfast Bake via Running with Spoons

[So classic, but so good] French Onion Soup with Mini Gruyere Toasties via Top with Cinnamon

[Wait, what?] Crepe Cake with Salted Caramel + Mascarpone + Cinnamon Pear Puree via Kitchy Kitchen

[Ooo!] Avocado Cup Salads Two Ways via Smitten Kitchen

[I can dig the savory oats] Spring Egg and Vegetable Savory Skillet Baked Oatmeal via Oatgasm

[I mean…Yeah] Healthy Peanut Butter Rice Pudding via Chocolate Covered Katie

Miscellaneous Fun

[Make your weekly menu more convenient] Tips for Prep Day via Kath Eats Real Food

[For bloggers] 11 Helpful WordPress Plugins via Running with Spoons

[Now I want to see the movie Frozen just because of this] Navy Baseball Players Lip Synch to Frozen via The Berry

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

So tell me:

Do you prefer to exercise outside if it’s nice out?

What do you love in a smoothie? 

Which links did you find fascinating?

Behind the Scenes #18: Honey Mustard Dill Yogurt Sauce with Smoked Salmon

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I’ve missed you!

I apologize for being MIA for the past couple of days, but I want to thank you all for your pep talks and congrats for my commitment to Boston University! I’m glad today’s Thursday because I get to play catch up in a random fashion though Amanda‘s ingenious Thinking Out Loud linkup 🙂

Thinking-Out-Loud

1. Colorful spring fruit is making me so happy. My mom made little containers of fruit salad yesterday— what an adorable woman. The fruit salad includes strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, kiwis, and pineapple. I ♥ the bounty of summer!

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2. I am somehow able to almost finish a jar of nut butter right before every early morning AP Calc review session, and it’s absolutely perfect because that means I get to take overnight oats on the go. I no longer give a single dang if anyone judges me for carrying a jar of nut butter to school. Actually, I never cared.

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Overnight oats in a sunflower seed butter jar = bliss. Until I realize I’m eating it in AP Calc. 😉

3. I’ve been a little overzealous in trying to find a roommate for college. I’ve met a few friends through the BU Facebook page already, but I found one girl that I clicked with right away. We excitedly agreed to room together…but then I turned into the #1 A-Hole of the Year. I realized that I’m in a special program that requires me to live in a specific dorm hall, but my newfound roommate wouldn’t be able to live in that dorm hall with me. Yeah, I forgot to mention that minor detail.

I sorta wanted to punch myself in the face because I felt so bad, but we’re gonna try to work something out. Starting off this whole college thing with a BANG, Alison.

4. This dinner last night:

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Smoked salmon on a whole wheat English muffin with honey mustard yogurt dill sauce + black grapes + broccoli

When I don’t have ripe avocados or cream cheese on hand, I love having this sauce with my smoked salmon:

Honey Mustard Dill Yogurt Sauce

  • 3 tbsp. Greek yogurt
  • 1 tbsp. spicy brown mustard
  • 1-2 tsp. honey
  • ½ tsp. dried dill

Mix it all up and dollop it on your toast and smoked salmon! Top it with a generous amount of cracked black pepper if you so fancy. I definitely fancied the black pepper.

4. Today we had a half day of school! I actually just got back from having lunch with my friends Je’lyn, her sister Jade, Jeannine, Veronica, and Sam. We went to a snazzy cafe/bakery/market called Iron Tomato, and I got a loaded monster salad.

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It had mixed greens, chickpea salad, grilled veggies, artichokes, beets, grilled chicken, goat cheese, and honey mustard dressing.

Whenever there’s a salad bar, I go cuh-razy, which can sometimes defeat the purpose of a light meal, but guatever. And then I obviously had to get gelato, because you need to balance out all the veggies. 😉

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Vanilla honey pecan!

5. It’s a beautiful day today, so I think I’m gonna skip the gym and do some exercise outside instead!

6. I started listening to the radio in the car again since Lent ended, and I did not miss any good music. Royals and Team by Lorde are still playing, Kesha and Pitbull are still yelling Timber, and Let Her Go by Passenger still annoys me.

7. You wanna know something ironic? I got a t-shirt or sweater from EVERY one of my top colleges except Boston University. Of course. If they don’t send me one in the mail, I’ll order one online. I wonder if they have anything as fantastic as those Maryland leggings.

8. Speaking of BU again, I have an astonishingly similar college decision story as my brother, Ben, when he was choosing his college three years ago. You see, he was in between Johns Hopkins (in Baltimore, Maryland) and Northeastern (in Boston, Massachusetts). He was 90% sure he was going to Johns Hopkins in MD and only 10% was left for Northeastern, so he initially did not think he had to visit Northeastern. But then our wise mother took him to visit it anyway “just in case.” Sound familiar?? After the visit, his probabilities of going to either JH or Northeastern changed to 50/50, and lo and behold, he ended up at Northeastern in BOSTON.

I promise I didn’t choose BU just to follow his story. God just thought it would be funny if things worked out that way 😉

9. Currently listening to:

Any other Young the Giant fans out there?!

10. I hope you are all having a lovely Thursday so far!

So tell me:

Do you like smoked salmon?

What do you like to get in a salad?

Current favorite song?

I’m Going To…

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Boston University Class of 2018!

Who guessed it?! Because I didn’t.

My mind was playing ping pong these past two days as I contemplated whether I wanted to go to Boston University or University of Maryland, but in the end, I just felt more at peace with BU. I didn’t have to flip a coin either 😉

BU-Terriers

[source]

Officially a terrier! So fierce, I KNOW. 😉

My thoughts?

  • Never say never. I had no idea that Boston University would come into play during this college decision process.
  • My parents were so smart in making me visit BU “just in case.”
  • I’m so excited to be close to Ben and some of my other friends who are going to college in Boston as well!
  • I think I was mostly torn because I was so mentally set on UMD, and I was pretty stunned when I realized that I like BU so much.
  • My friend, Jeannine, said to me before I visited my top three colleges: “If you second guess your first love, then maybe you don’t love it as much as you thought you did.” <— Sums it up perfectly.

I was thinking of ways to tell my parents. I thought of just telling them straight up, but that would have been boring. I thought of writing a sign that said “Boston University,” putting it on my back, and then asking for a back massage so they could see the surprise, but that would have just been weird.

So I ended up doing something in the middle— I wrote “Boston University” in block letters on a sheet of paper, and when my parents were just chillin’ in the living room, I said, “Dad? Mom?” They both turned around to see me holding this:

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All credit goes to God. I have no doubt that His hand is in all of this, as it always is.

I’m excited for this adventure!