Tag Archives: beyonce

My fitness journey started with a little Beyonce.

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Wow, it’s Thursday already. On Monday I thought to myself, “Hmmm feels like this week is going to be kinda long.” Wrong.

Moves.

Tuesday – 100 burpees throughout the day + upper body workout

*10 burpees between each exercise

Wednesday – active recovery day

  • some walking
  • Blogilates’ extreme abs 3 (done virtually with my friend Dom!)
  • stretching and foam rolling
  • some dancing
some tulips from my walk

Beyonce and the start of my fitness journey. I started gaining interest in fitness as a sophomore in high school. My cardiovascular health was never really great, so I had very humble beginnings that started with 15 minutes on our basement elliptical. Running a mile was a sTrUgGLe for me at this time as well.

As I was still just starting out my training, if I was feeling spicy, I would do a few rounds of Beyonce’s “Move Your Body” music video dance (which is really fun btw) to get my heart rate up. Yesterday I wanted to do it just for fun on my active recovery day, and I just remembered how I used to be winded at the end of it when I was in high school.

Not that I’m super fit (especially cardiovascularly, which is still a weak point for me), but this is all to say that you should never be ashamed of where you are in your fitness journey. You are not pathetic if you can’t run a mile without stopping, do a pushup, do a squat, whatever. You are not pathetic if you get winded with 15 minutes of elliptical like I did in high school. There are benefits to increasing cardiovascular endurance, but start and build up safely and consistently from where you are. That’s perfect.

Johnnyswim. Do you guys know this artist? It’s a husband and wife who make sorta folksy-pop music that is really beautiful. Their new quarantine project is called “Songs with Strangers,” where they select a person on their Instagram Live each week. In ONE DAY, they write, produce, mix and release a new song with the help of that person (usually the person just contributes their story, which becomes the basis of the song lyrics), who ends up getting half of the rights to the song. And let me tell you, these songs are wonderful. Here’s one of my favorites:

It’s also awesome that they’ve been posting the full 7-8 hour Instagram live videos of the entire process. Musicians are amazing.

So tell me:

What do you like to do on rest days / active recovery days? (Sometimes I don’t walk or really do anything. Yesterday was still pretty active!)

Do you remember some things you found difficult at the beginning of your fitness journey?

Do you like Johnnyswim? Are there any cool celebrity quarantine projects that you fancy?

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A Single Lady’s Birthday

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Putcha hands up!

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I had a wonderful single lady’s birthday yesterday! Not just in the sense that I don’t have a boyfriend, but 99% of my day was spent with just me, myself and I. But thanks to Facebook, email and FaceTime, I felt surrounded by my loved ones all day ♥︎

(I’m trying to type this post, but I’m so mesmerized by the above gif. THAT SYNCHRONIZATION.)

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After breakfast and blogging yesterday, I answered some emails and messages and FaceTimed Madre before working out in the teeny exercise room in the apartment building. I did another strength-based, low-impact, 16-minute workout to be kind to my hip/thigh/knee. 4 rounds, 30 seconds work, 10 seconds rest:

*DB = dumbbell

I ate a multipart lunch after the workout. It included carrots and hummus, avocado egg toast, grapes, and popcorn. The bliss of an almost empty fridge (seriously, I am a big fan of all these foods).

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There’s no way I’d rather eat this avocado egg toast than by myself. My face becomes a Jackson Pollock canvas for dripping egg yolk and bright red sriracha.

I then took a bus downtown to the St. Francis Chapel in the Prudential Center for confession, Mass, and prayer. I may have been by myself all day, but with God, we are never alone 🙂 I did also see three friends at Mass!

Carrot cake was on my mind all day, because as fun as it is to be able to drink legally now, there’s nothing like celebrating a birthday with good ol’ cake. I 100% searched “best carrot cake in Boston” earlier in the day to find that Flour Bakery had stellar reviews for their carrot cake. Luckily, it was only a 15 minute walk from the Prudential Center!

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It wasn’t the cheapest piece of carrot cake ever, but it looked so cute and delicious. And it was the last piece left. And the internet said it was exceptional carrot cake. And it was my birthday.

Bag o’ cake in hand, I walked/bussed back home to find Christie waiting for me with half a dozen Georgetown Cupcakes! How sweet (no pun intended)!

Before digging into the plethora of cake, I had some necessary tasks to complete: shower, laundry, real dinner. Then it was time to EAT CAKE. Christie basically had a tasting party of all the flavors.

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The carrot cake from Flour is amazing. It was my favorite cake of the night. It has raisins and walnuts (how I like it), it’s moist (not sorry) and dense, and the cream cheese frosting is perfect. I’d say it’s comparable to Lloyd’s carrot cake from NYC!

Mini cakes next!

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Reviews from top left:

  • Peanut Butter Fudge: YUM. Not an overwhelming flavor of either chocolate or peanut butter. Perfectly balanced and delicious. Second favorite.
  • “Vanilla Butterfly Surprise”: Perhaps intended for five-year-olds OR named by a five-year-old. Very tasty but we could not figure out for the life of us what exactly the flavor was. Vanilla funfetti but distinctly toasty. Brown butter? Sugar cookie? Toasted marshmallow? Popcorn? Fifth favorite.
  • Earl Grey: Earl grey flavor is definitely present but also light and pleasant. Third favorite of the night.
  • Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake: Raspberry cheesecake with cream cheese frosting on top. I’d be happy with just the cheesecake, but all of it together was wonderful. Fourth favorite.
  • “Purple Rose”: Just a vanilla cupcake, but well-executed. Sixth favorite, but it was still a great cupcake.
  • (another Earl Grey)

Now we have about 50% of everything left for snacking 🙂 Thank you so much again for this delicious treat, Christie!

An overall lovely day. Everyone’s birthday wishes also made my heart so full.

I’m going back to New York today for a week! It’ll be good to be home with the fam and to see some old friends!

So tell me:

What food/dessert do you like to eat on your birthday?

Most interesting cake flavor you’ve ever tried.

Two things you did yesterday!

 

 

 

Friends Pushing Me to Be Better

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I just ate a dinner of popcorn, Chex Mix, celery, chocolate cake, an apple, “gorilla dip”, and a singular chicken wing.

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#nutrition

Also, the only thing I watched from the Super Bowl last night was the halftime show and the Honda commercial with the singing sheep, and that was everything I needed.

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I love Coldplay, Beyonce, and Bruno Mars, but did anyone else feel like the halftime performance as a whole was a weird combo?

Anyway, I have nothing more to say about the Super Bowl, so let’s talk about how my wonderful friends have been kicking my butt in the best way possible.

Rewind to Friday: I had biomechanics in the morning, a good lunch with friends, bible study, a workout, homework, and productive procrastination (working on a birthday gift for someone!).

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Two of my dear friends, Mai and Kelsey, are in my bible study, and listening to their perspectives and insights on Scripture and faith in general was so inspiring. Most of all, their willingness to share their own doubts and trials humbles me to face my own doubts and trials.

Saturday started off with a walk through winter wonderland to get to work (unintentional alliteration).

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I tried to pack more substantial snacks so that I wouldn’t be so lightheaded and cranky like I was last week at work, but I guess all the walking, cooking, and cleaning I do (and the fact that I end at 2pm) just does me in. Needless to say, lunch was again demolished.

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While I was studying, my pal Connor came up to chat with me for a bit, and he gave me nuggets of wisdom to deal with my academic stress. His words were simple and things I knew logically, but I still needed someone to tell them to me in order to internalize it. 1) Happiness is important. 2) Don’t stress out because other people have more knowledge than you. Do what you need to do, but there’s no good in comparing and worrying.

Good stuff.

Saturday night involved a workout, some studying, and Tasty Burger (!!!) with the best friend.

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A cheeseburger from this joint was on our food bucket list, and Saturday night was the night to crush it.

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We liked their milkshakes as much as we liked their burgers! The shakes were uber thick and creamy. Like, you had to work those cheek muscles to drink it through the straw.

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love at first bite

Rachel and I talked about our Lent resolutions since it starts this Wednesday, and one of my things to “give up” is makeup. I don’t wear a lot, but I do wear a little every day. I told Rachel with hesitance that I would give up makeup, but the next day I told her I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do it. She insisted that giving up makeup would be good for me, and that I shouldn’t cave just because it’s hard (it’s definitely not supposed to be easy!). I agree. Wearing no makeup will help me focus on my character and fight vanity.

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My roommate Jordan also gave me a great slice of humble pie when I told her that I’m not always early (and sometimes a little late) to things, especially if I’m meeting with a close friend. She told me that everyone, close friends or professional mentors, should have their time respected. Duh, common sense, right? But it’s easier said than done for me these days (punctuality is slacking). Jordan is 100% right though. I should never take advantage of my friends’ time just because I’m close to them.

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Lastly, my amazing friend Christina invited me to do mobile soup kitchen with her last night. I joined her and some other kind volunteers, but I knew that I wanted to make it back in time for the Super Bowl halftime show. Towards the end of the route, I started to get impatient and antsy to make it back to campus, but just watching how patient, considerate, and kind Christina was with all the people we met was a humbling and beautiful sight. A lesson in selflessness right in front of me.

I am constantly in awe of my friends and the beauty of their souls. God is definitely shaping me up through their example and words. And of course, so many bloggers push me to be better too. Thanks, guys ♥︎

Hope you all have a happy week! We’re kind of hoping that BU calls in for a snow day today…

So tell me:

Do your friends keep you “on track”?

What is one lesson you learned/were reminded of this weekend?

Thoughts on the Super Bowl/halftime show?

Best thing you did this weekend. Probably Tasty Burger with Rachel!

Letter to My Future Husband

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If you’ve been reading my blog for a couple months, you might know that I’m a huge fan of Tori Kelly and her song Dear No One especially.

It’s basically about not having a significant other at the moment, but knowing that, in time, that perfect someone will walk into your life. My favorite line from the song:

But I’d love to have a soulmate, and God will give him to me someday, and I know it’ll be worth the wait.

Believe it or not, I have a hopeless romantic side. I am a normal seventeen-year-old. I currently do not have a boyfriend (Mom and Dad are happy about that), and the reasons are that a) I’m going to college soon, b) I’m way too busy, and c) I personally think high school is early for dating. I just believe in very meaningful, committed relationships, which I really don’t think I can find right now  in my lil’ high school. No offense, dudes. However, I do have many friends that have boyfriends now, and sometimes things do work out splendidly. Prime example: Kylie and her husband who met in their high school calculus class.

The point of all this? In honor of Valentine’s Day coming up this Friday and all them single ladies out there (holla!), I wanted to write some sort of “Dear No One” letter to my future husband. Maybe I’ll even get to show this to him one day 😉

Dear Future Husband,

How ya doin’?

I don’t really know our age difference, but I’m guessing you’re in high school or college working hard, praying hard, and playing *outside* hard. (Don’t worry, I’ll try not to be chopper wife.) If you’re procrastinating a bit, that’s understandable. I struggle with that too. And a bunch of other things such as crying over Facebook story videos, so I hope you’re ready.

Let’s ponder the possibilities of how we will meet, shall we? Perhaps I will admire you from afar as you walk through the university cafeteria day after day, getting the same sub sandwich. I may or may not memorize your order down to the last slice of havarti cheese. I’ll probably tell you that I love havarti cheese also, and then we’ll bond over our appreciation for some really delicious dairy products.

Perhaps we’ll be at some student club potluck dinner, but this time YOU will be trying to get my attention by loudly overemphasizing how much you love the mac and cheese dish I brought. Because I added havarti of course. I’ll try to play hard-to-get and pretend I don’t notice your compliments, but that won’t last long and I’ll go over to you to share the recipe.

Or maybe we will always sit next to each other at Mass on Sundays, never fully realizing that God destines us to be together.

Whatever happens, I’ll be thrilled to have found you! No more solo Super Bowl Sundays. 😀

I’ve never had a boyfriend throughout high school because who has time for those anyway? I also want to leave a lot of room in my heart for you— I am one of those people that believes that true love waits. I pray that you’re a respectful gentleman, treating us ladies with dignity, loving us not just for our looks but for our inner beauty primarily. If you have a girlfriend right now, that’s cool beans. But guard her like you would guard your wife (me!), because she will be someone else’s wife one day too.*

You may or may not be a man of faith right now, but by the time I start dating you, you will be 😉 If there is one thing I could ask my future husband to do, it would be to pray every day. Your relationship with God will help you find where you need to be in order to serve Him and serve others. And…I dunno…maybe He can help you find your soulmate. Just thrown’ that out there.

I’m curious as to what your interests are. Music? Sports? Computers? Gardening? Whatever you do, I hope you love it! If you like fitness, that’s AWESOME. We can be that cute couple doing mud runs together, having burpee contests, hiking up beautiful mountains, and giving each other stinky, sweaty hugs. If you like healthy food, that’s a double bonus! But if not, that’s alright. I have a bunch of blogger friends that can help ME help YOU love healthy food.

Lastly, our families. I’m sure they’ll get along quite well. My mom will want to take pictures with all your folks and post them on Instagram, my dad will want to have nice long chats with them, and my brother might be a little protective…But you’re my future husband, so they obviously love you. 🙂

Well, I guess Ill sign off now! I thoroughly enjoyed writing to you, future husband. I can’t wait to meet you.

Love,

Alison, your future wife.

P.S. If you don’t exist and I become a nun, I’ll be Jesus’ bride, so that’s okay too.

Notes: My second and third scenarios for how I might meet my future husband are based off of what really happened to my aunts and uncles when they met 🙂

*More on this idea starting at 2:52 of this video

So tell me:

Anything sweet and awesome about YOUR significant other…

…OR Something you want to tell your future loved one!