16 Hour Delay

Posted on January 11, 2017 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

I feel like under-eye circles are the battery display of my body.

I got 7 hours of sleep on Monday night (which is average), but I still felt pretty tired, and I had purple circles under my eyes.

yesterday’s breakfast of overnight oats!

I decided to nap after breakfast, which turned into almost TWO extra hours of sleep (still catching up from last week)! Then my under-eye circles were gone.

Purple circles = battery running low. No circles = fully recharged.

Yesterday I talked all about SEEK in San Antonio, but I didn’t tell you guys the story of how I got home. It all started after one last breakfast with the BU crew at our hotel in San Antonio. A couple of my friends and I then took a Lyft to the San Antonio airport at around 8:30 am.

handy dandy standy table at the San Antonio airport

My first flight was only 30 minutes to Houston, so that was fine. Then came the delays. Thanks to the winter weather that I forgot existed in the northeast, our flight from Houston to New York was delayed 20 minutes… then 50 minutes… then 90 minutes (at this point, I also started to realize that I developed plantar fasciitis in my left foot)… then we boarded. Then it was delayed for another 30 minutes… then we took off, flew, and landed!!…

…in Washington DC. *sad trombone* The runways at LaGuardia airport in NYC were too short and snowy for our plane to safely land, so we were diverted to Dulles Washington airport. There were a couple flights in the same situation as us, so we were stuck on the plane without a gate in DC for a couple hours. I didn’t even care that we weren’t making it to New York that night; my butt just really hurt.

free TV on demand for all as a consolation gift

Eventually we made it off the plane, but everyone was in a fit about when the next flight to LaGuardia was and whether we were getting hotel vouchers for the night. ‘Twas a mighty unfortunate situation for clients and employees alike, especially at that ungodly hour of 1 AM.

Some people on my flight had been traveling for over 24 hours from Auckland, New Zealand!! God bless ’em.

We got our generous hotel and meal vouchers for the night and headed to our hotels for the “night”. I bought a caesar salad at the airport and ate it in my large Embassy Suite at 2:30 AM.

thank God for a comfy bed and a shower though! I was so ready to sleep in the airport

I slept for a solid 3.5 hours before I had to wake up again and eat breakfast at the hotel (which was included — so many things to be thankful for).

plus some scrambled eggs + ketchup

This Embassy Suites had two huge pet swans in their lobby too, which was something to wake up to.

Our scheduled flight to LaGuardia was at 10am, but once we boarded, we were delayed for another hour (our flight was less than an hour, so we could have already been in NY by then) due to some paperwork that had to be completed for the diversion process. People were just about fuming from their ears.

But we finally landed in NYC at almost noon, only 16 hours after we were originally supposed to land. We were safe and sound, which is all that matters. My whole fam picked me up from the airport, and then we headed to lunch at a Korean restaurant in Flushing called Kun Sohn Korean Noodle House.

We all shared loads of fresh, hot, handmade noodle soups + dumplings + seafood pancake + kimchi. The perfect food to drive out the winter chill. Later that night, I went to an evening Mass and then straight to bed at 6:45pm for my 14 hours of glorious sleep.

On Monday, I ate breakfast, did some cleaning, and then moved and grooved. I worked out once in San Antonio on the one day I was willing to sacrifice sleep and get up at the butt-crack of dawn. I am thankful for that one workout though! It did also make my butt sore for the next three days. I’ve used the word “butt” four times in this post already.

I did Colby’s day two cardio and core workout from her 10 day burn challenge. It was so nice to get the blood pumping, but my body was feeeeeelin’ it after a wonky week of sleep, eats, and travel.

After a quick shower, I met up with two of my best dance friends from high school, Susie and Charli, for lunch. It was so good catching up with those beauties!

devoured this veggie burger (my only vegetable last week was salsa #notmad)

After my two hour nap yesterday, I ate a classic lunch.

avocado toast with eggs + salad with homemade honey dijon vinaigrette

Then Madre and I went to Bed Bath and Beyond and the nail salon, where I started studying for gross anatomy (the prof says that she “cannot overestimate how incredibly much work this class is”).

img_6117-2

“which bones and muscles is she massaging right now?”

Yoga is what my body needed, so I did this great yoga video by Leigha Butler before dinner (Madre was simultaneously doing Pilates right next to me in the basement haha).

Look what I had after dinner!!

dried figs with {full fat Fage} greek yogurt 🙂

Also, I had some of Madre’s pork soup, which was seriously the best soup/pork I’ve ever tasted. I don’t know why, but this was my JAM. She simmered it for hours with pork bones, lemongrass, kefir leaves, and salt. That’s it.

Doesn’t look like much, but it’s what’s inside that counts.

I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday! I’m going to be seeing some lovely ladies tonight. Both of their names start with a C 🙂

So tell me:

Have you ever had to stay overnight in a city due to a flight delay?

Two things you did yesterday!

Reinforcing Lessons About Exercise

Posted on June 25, 2015 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

There is currently a fly buzzing around the kitchen, which makes me equal parts mad and sad. Mad because it wants to get at my banana bread mug cake. Sad because flies are gross.

Alright, I have some foodie talk this morning before we get into the meat of the post.

First of all, I ate classic overnight oats in a sunflower seed butter jar (with 2+ tbsp left in the jar) for breakfast yesterday! It might be one of my all-time favorite breakfasts. I enjoyed it in my backyard since it was such a gorgeous and mild morning. Very few things could have made it more perfect.

Secondly, I think pita bread needs to be on people’s grocery lists more often. That’s right, I’m asserting my opinion over your grocery list. *smiling purple devil emoji* For good reason though! Pita bread takes sandwiches to a new level. The fluffy, doughy factor is superb, AND you can fit more oddly shaped foods inside.

inside the pita: avocado, pork souvlaki, mint yogurt sauce, tomatoes, and sriracha added later

Let me know if you buy some pita bread now. If you do, I’ll look into marketing and advertising as a side job.

Speaking of jobs, I want to talk about some lessons that my physical therapy internship has taught me/reinforced. There is very little doubt in my mind that physical therapy is what I want to continue pursuing as a career, and it’s thanks to my summer internship experience and what it has taught me!

Besides everything I’ve learned about anatomy, diseases, and therapy techniques, I’ve sort of re-learned a lot of lessons about taking care of our bodies through movement.

Health Lessons Reinforced Through My Physical Therapy Internship

Do not dismiss seemingly easy exercises. Go back to the basics and re-check your form/range of motion. Try an exercise that you’ve never done before, even if it looks easy. You’d be very surprised how well certain exercises can work those smaller (yet still very important!) muscles.

like these…they kill those smaller glute muscles you never knew you had

Flexibility is essential. This doesn’t mean you have to be able to bend backwards until your head is through your legs, but flexibility is certainly important for your overall health and fitness. A full range of motion will help you in your fitness endeavors as well as in injury prevention.
- P.S. Hold a stretch for at least 30 seconds. That is the minimum for lengthening to actually occur. You can hold it longer, but it won’t make any difference. 30 seconds is the magic number!

Almost every injury or anatomical issue can be aided by core strengthening. Planks, y’all. Your core protects your back, promotes good posture (which also protects your back), supports your legs, and helps with balance.

[source]

speaking of form…

Form is everything. I’m sure you all knew this already, but this is just to reiterate. Don’t go for another rep or for the advanced variation of an exercise if your form is off. Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Oh, unless…DON’T DO IT. I’m guilty of bad form, and I have indeed injured myself as a result.
- Also, make sure to learn proper form before performing an exercise. I’m guilty of this as well, and guess what. I hurt myself because I didn’t know what I was doing.

Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. This is especially for people recovering from injury or getting back into an exercise routine after some time off. You might feel great when exercising, so it is easy to over-do it and agitate your body. You have to think about how your body might respond later.
- Good to remember this in a time of high-intensity exercise hiatus too 😉

It’s all about progress. The looks on patients’ faces when they can walk without a limp or raise their arms completely overhead for the first time in months— it is the best part of the job. Exercise and movement is about YOUR progress. You will be filled with so much more joy if you just concern yourself with that rather than everyone else’s abilities.

even if it’s literally one step at a time up a mountain

Be thankful for the ability to move. Exercise is nourishing for our bodies (in healthy amounts, of course). Whatever you do to move, keep safety first and rest when you need to. Exercise doesn’t have to be about getting big, getting skinny, or hitting PRs. It can just be about joy. It can just be about necessity for health. In any case, be thankful for movement and don’t disregard the “easy” stuff. Every form of exercise has its place.

With all that said, my PT internship has helped encourage me realize that there are so many ways I can move my body and improve its fitness without pushing it too hard. I can work on flexibility/mobility, balance, and strengthening those smaller muscles.

Kayyyy I’m done talking…typing…whatever. Hope you all have a grand ol’ day!

So tell me:

Do you like pita bread? What would you put inside?

What is one way you’ve progressed with your exercise/fitness recently? Resting more counts 🙂

{Disclaimer: All information I learned is from two physical therapists with their doctorate in physical therapy. One is also a certified personal trainer.}

Virtual Breakfast Date {Finals Week}

Posted on May 6, 2015 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

Let’s have breakfast this morning, yes?

I don’t have a photo of my actual breakfast that I’m eating this morning (the photo below is what I ate last Wednesday), but it involves the basics— carbs, peanut butter, banana, and eggs.

And Wednesdays are bacon days in the dining hall 🙂

…I would tell you that my brain was battered, deep fried and salted yesterday. Okay that is entirely too dramatic, but what I’m saying is that my organic chem and anatomy finals left my brain a little burnt.

[source]

As I was taking my chem final especially, I felt like I was getting sicker. It might have just been allergies, but in my mind, my stress levels were increasing and my immune system was failing me.

…I would tell you that a song called Pikachu came up on iTunes radio the other day, and it was terrible. BUT Pikachu is my childhood, so I appreciated it.

…I would tell you that it finally feels like summer in Boston. I even ate dinner outside in shorts and a T-shirt last night!

…I would tell you that the summer weather screams for ice cream.

the president of BU hosted free ice cream hours on Monday, holla

free ice cream at admissions ambassador party

Free ice cream tastes ~that~ much better.

…I would tell you that the dining hall has had some hits recently. Sweet potato and avocado in the same week, heck yes.

…I would tell you about something that upset me yesterday. At the outdoor workout pad that I often go to, a guy came over with his friends, and he started doing pull-ups…while smoking a cigarette. It didn’t bother me so much that he was smoking, but it bothered me that he was smoking around several people who were working out and obviously respirating a lot. Cigarette smoke isn’t really the breath of fresh air most of us want when we’re huffing and puffing.

….I would tell you that my college friends are starting to say goodbye for the summer and it’s breaking my heart into pieces. However, I’m certainly looking forward to seeing my friends and family back in New York!

…I would tell you that my friend is playing Backstreet Boys right now and I’m JAMMING OUT.

[source]

“I want it that wayyyyy.”

Thanks so much for letting me chat your ears off. I hope you have a lovely rest of your day! I have some errands to run and studying to do for my last final on Friday. Catch ya later!

So tell me:

What are you eating for breakfast?

If we were having breakfast together, you would tell me…

Quick— tell me a classic throwback song!

Currently…

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

To think that I used to be bored at some points in my life cracks me up. At times now, I WISH I had time to be bored! But not really, because that’s no fun. 🙂

I hope you all have been doing well, since I know you’re all busy bees too. Since I haven’t checked in with life lately, I am sharing some current happenings with you all, inspired by Amanda’s “currently” posts!

Current book: Better by Atule Gawande for my intro to health professions writing class.

Current music: My own voice (I gave up music for Lent). I’m basically like Tori Kelly…with undertones like those of a pre-pubescent teenage boy.

Current guilty pleasure: Watching Jamie Oliver’s FoodTube channel and listening to those melodic British and Italian voices.

Current beverage: Wahhhhter. All the day. I can’t wait for smoothies at home during spring break!!!

It calls to me.

Current food: Apple chips with peanut butter. I mean, I have a lot of things with peanut butter, but this is my go-to right now.

And just because I haven’t shared my recent eats lately, here are a couple collages. Lots of sandwiches, eggs, and peanut butter per usual.

That bottom right picture is peach cobbler from the dining hall (WOW so good)….with cottage cheese. Sorry if that made you gag, but here’s what happened: I got the cottage cheese first, expecting to just put some usual fruit and granola on it, but then I found the peach cobbler, which of course I could not pass up. So I reasoned, “Well, the fruit is still there, the carbs are still there… I’ll go for it.” So I put the peach cobbler on my cottage cheese.

I must admit that the combo was a little funky fresh at first, but it was still pretty good! I probably wouldn’t do it again though.

Current obsession: Wearing fuzzy tights underneath jeans. Why did I not do this earlier?! My mom bought me a couple pairs of super comfy, fleece-lined tights a while back, and I only recently decided to start wearing them underneath my jeans. My legs are so much happier when I walk out in the frigid Boston wind now. I’m sorry for previously judging people who wear long underwear.

[source]

Current wish: That I could read more blogs and not have 300 unread blogs in my reader ahhhh.

Current need: To form more synapses in my brain more quickly so that I can remember everything for my linguistics exam tomorrow and anatomy lab exam on Wednesday.

Current triumph: Not yet tripping on the uneven sidewalks of Boston University (despite almost faceplanting multiple times).

Current bane of my existence: Winter. It’s been long enough.

Current indulgence: This dinner that my roommate treated me to as a late Christmas present. She took me to an on-campus, sit-down restaurant called Late Night Kitchen, which is in the basement of one of our student centers. I was very impressed! Maybe it’s because I was starving, but my pesto grilled chicken sandwich with crispy french fries were ON POINT. (In the words of my roommate, they were “A1.”)

Current procrastination: Right now— I’m blogging to procrastinate my studying 🙂

Current blessing: School. Sometimes I feel like I’m drowning in work, but when I take a step back from the stress, I realize that a) it’s a blessing to be at such an amazing college, b) I’m learning some awesome things, c) there are so many resources and people to help me. What’s there to complain about!?

Current excitement: My next door dorm neighbor/bff Rachel is coming to New York with me for spring break! I’m in charge of taking her around NYC, which means I’m in charge of taking her to eateries and restaurants, which means I’m overwhelmed but so super excited!

Current mood:

Current link: I WANT THIS OMELETTE. It’s mesmerizingly fluffy.

And there you have it, friends! I may or may not be coming back tomorrow with a recap of my NEDA week talk from last Monday. I’m definitely bummed that I wasn’t able to get a post up regarding NEDA week when it was, well, actually NEDA week, but better late than never, right?

I hope you have a fantastic Monday!

So tell me your current…

…guilty pleasure

…wish

…bane of existence

…procrastination

…food!

Things I Learned Last Week

Posted on February 16, 2015 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

HI!

I know I checked in with Weekly Moves and Grooves yesterday, but I missed sharing life happenings with you all and hearing about your lives too. Last week was jam-packed with studying and activities, so blogging just couldn’t happen.

But now I’m here and ready to share some of the crazy-fun-weird things I learned last week!

Studying with a friend really does do wonders.

I usually like studying by myself, but the night before our anatomy exam, my friend Cassandra and I reviewed all the material by testing each other and using a white board to draw bones, tissues, and muscles. It definitely made me feel more confident during the test!

Breakfast for dinner in the dining halls should be a weekly occurrence.

Carbs and dairy and carbs. The essentials.

Two snow days in a row doesn’t mean a thing anymore.

We had another blizzard last Monday, which resulted in cancelled classes on Tuesday as well. That would be a total of five snow days this semester! What is school?

Some professors are holding classes on a couple Saturdays to make up lectures and labs, which is good from the academic standpoint as well as the *ahem* tuition standpoint.

Oh we had a blizzard yesterday too. It’s time to migrate, like, last month.

Officially taller than me.

Boston wears snow beautifully though.

A snow day does not mean more free time.

Holy smokes, last week was BUSY. The snow days were used to catch up on work, and then the work/appointments/meetings kept coming, which is why I didn’t get to blog.

Busy, but good busy (for the most part). 🙂

Grilled cheese + tomato soup is one of the greatest food combinations.

I already knew this, but I learned that I should have it more often, especially during the winter.

This grilled cheese was swiss, tomato, and caramelized onions on wheat. Mmmm.

My friends talk about my blog when I’m not around.

Rachel told me, “I was telling Cassandra that if I were Alison, I would be making my dessert look pretty and taking a picture of it.” I am both flattered and embarrassed.

I will go the distance for brussels sprouts.

I don’t usually like tempeh, but the dining hall was serving orange maple tempeh with brussels sprouts and zucchini, so I got it just for the brussels sprouts.

The tempeh was bland, but the brussels were worth it.

I am a certified Boston University tour guide!

Come to Boston University so that “I can show you the worldddd…shining, shimmering, splendid!” (<— Aladdin, anyone?)

A little bit o’ love can mean so much to someone.

Some people at the Catholic Center got together to put together Valentines for people who are homeless in Boston. The joy of the recipients is always a reminder of what love is all about— giving. #cheeeeeese

How to dissect a cat.

For anatomy. My lab partner and I named our cat Larry (is it terrible that we named him?).

I have a new favorite way to eat cottage cheese!

Remember my usual concoction of cottage cheese with strawberry yogurt, banana and peanut butter last semester? I guess I wanted a new combo along with this new semester. Now I’m loving it with frozen blueberries, peaches, and granola!

Cheetah Girls 2 is still fabulous.

Rachel and I had a little “Galentine’s” night in with popcorn and classic Cheetah Girls 2. We knew all the words to the songs and loved every minute.

I have a banana problem.

I feel the need to stock up on bananas whenever I leave the dining hall, so now I have enough bananas in my dorm room to make a pyramid out of them.

Chill pill. I’m on it.

Luckily, there are no fruit flies in the winter!

I’m evil for liking raisins.

A loving Valentine’s snapchat from Rachel (who does not approve of raisins at all):

Hope you all have a rockin’ Monday! Happy President’s Day to my fellow Americans! My parents are coming to visit Ben and me for our day off 🙂

So tell me:

One thing you learned last week!

How did you spend your Valentine’s Day?

What is your favorite childhood movie?

Please tell me you like raisins.

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Daily Moves and Grooves

pray. eat. move. groove.

Tag Archives: anatomy

16 Hour Delay

Reinforcing Lessons About Exercise

Health Lessons Reinforced Through My Physical Therapy Internship

Virtual Breakfast Date {Finals Week}

Currently…

Things I Learned Last Week

Studying with a friend really does do wonders.

Breakfast for dinner in the dining halls should be a weekly occurrence.