You Want To Be Productive But Then…

Posted on April 4, 2016 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

Friday was the best April Fools’ Day of my LIFE.

I am truly grateful that all of you are so supportive of my fitness company endeavors. 😉

how I felt about tricking even my DAD about starting a fitness company

This weekend, I had a nice long list of schoolwork and shorter list fun things that I needed/wanted to accomplish, but one thing leads to another, and the list of accomplished fun things inadvertently becomes longer and the list of accomplished schoolwork consequently becomes shorter…

Friday started off on a productive note with banana oats in an almond butter jar, biomechanics, a campus tour and a workout at the gym.

fab lunch: kung pao sweet potatoes over spinach + bbq lentil meatball sub

There were definitely some time periods during which I could have been studying when I opted to chat with new and old friends…

salad with carrots, chicken, beets, and balsamic + some unknown, delicious, cheesy couscous concoction

…but I think some more homework snuck in there before a bunch of my friends and I headed swing dancing!

we’re so gross and sweaty in this photo FYI; TMI

too adorable

It’s always fun to move and groove, even if it’s with clammy men who are either exceptionally advanced or exceptionally…not advanced.

My fellow banana (yellow on the outside, white on the inside) friend, Christine, was in town this weekend so I had to hang out with her. On Saturday, I ate wild berry freezer waffles with peanut butter and an apple in 60 seconds before meeting up with Christine for coffee/tea and a bomb pear almond scone that she kindly shared with me.

Girl talk with Christine is always a fun time! It wasn’t the studying I planned on, but it was 100x better. You should check out her blog for fashion and fitness (especially because fashion is nearly nonexistent here on Moves and Grooves)!

I went to work from 10-1 and then grabbed a freaking weird (but yummy) lunch while ~~studying~~ reading blogs and getting caught up in a political discussion thread on Facebook.

“seared tuna” salad + roast beef, smoked gouda, veggie, mustard, artichoke herb spread sandwich on whole grain ciabatta + apple

I told you it was a freaking weird lunch. Separately, everything worked well, but I must say that the seared tuna was a little more like a fish version of spam. Not the worst thing?

Then I cranked out some work. Wait no, I went to go pray at church with my friend Kelsey for a bit. The prayer time was much needed. Then I actually cranked out some work. Homework intermission was brought to you by Amsterdam Falafel!

three falafel on the bottom with almost every topping possible

It’s one of the places on the food bucket list that Rachel and I are making our way through. Since Rachel already went to Amsterdam Falafel on her own though, I decided to go there on my own for dinner on Saturday night.

I ate this in private. I know for a fact that I looked like a caveman eating this. ‘Twas super tasty!

I ended my night with some yoga. My arms and shoulders were BRICKS from whatever I did on Friday (probably the wall walks), so yoga was lovely.

For Sunday morning, I set my alarm for 8:00 and 8:30, the latter for if I wanted to sleep in. I turned off both alarms and slept until 9:20. I knew I needed it, so I was okay with sacrificing that extra hour of work for quality zzz’s.

Breakfast was a leftover whole wheat pancake with peanut butter, banana, and cinnamon.

Then I went to confession and Mass with Kelsey before heading to lunch to be greeted with the best dining hall meal ever!

It was “Sargent Choice” day for brunch in the d-halls, which meant that the Sargent Nutrition Center took over the options for the whole dining hall. They offered avocado toast (!!!) with sautéed spinach and a fried egg, so I beelined for that (and topped it with sriracha, of course). Plus a side of garlicky kale and butternut squash.

And then for my sweet tooth, I had some plain Greek (!!!) yogurt with kiwi, peaches, and blueberries + applesauce tea cake with brown sugar glaze.

I end up eating more when the dining hall offers things that I normally eat at home, because I’m like:

gx97OY

[source]

My afternoon consisted of a Catholic student group meeting at Harvard and a dorm workout (warmup, foam rolling, and a 20 minute leg circuit workout):

3 rounds of 10 seconds rest, 30 seconds work // Do each exercise twice for each round (once on each leg if applicable)

pistol squats
split jack lunges
side lunges
squat jumps/air squats
donkey kicks

Then stretch!

I showered, did laundry, did some work, and then went to dinner with some friends, which ended with a good ol’ bowl of {three different kinds of} cereal.

Afterwards, I called my parents for a quick bit to talk about some study abroad business! I’m going to Dublin, Ireland this fall!

My beautiful study/snapchat procrastination buddies for the night:

It’s funny because I feel like the three of us talked the whole weekend about how we need to do work, yet we could not get ourselves to be as productive as we wanted to be. C’est la vie.

Hope you all have a productive week!

So tell me:

You want to be productive but then…

Have you ever been swing dancing?

Do you freak out when a restaurant/event/dining hall offers a bunch of healthy food that you love?

Things to do in Dublin, Ireland! 🙂

Quiet and Cozy Thanksgiving

Posted on November 27, 2015 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

I’m such a procrastinator.

But that’s not news, right? I have yet to do any significant studying for my two exams or any additional preparation for my seven-page paper due next week. I’m telling myself that something WILL get done today.

The secret of getting ahead is getting started. –Mark Twain

^^^It’s so harddddddd.

Instead of complaining any further though, I should embrace the attitude of gratitude. ‘Tis the season! It has been a relaxing and lovely two days spent with my family so far, but I started off my holiday break in Boston with a breakfast date!

My dear friend Emma invited me to her apartment to make some FlapJacked pancakes (that I still had from BLEND!) and eggs. We finished all the pancakes and were pretty embarrassed when her apartment-mate asked if there were any left. #shame.

I arrived home with mom late Tuesday night, and since then I’ve been eating, hangin’ with my family, and ~~procrastinating~~ catching up on social media. Because I’m never on social media during school…

Wednesday involved eating, clothes shopping, grocery shopping, eating sushi, cooking, eating, gym, and eating.

Kylie’s simple paleo pancake (SO FREAKING FLUFFY!) with copious amounts of peanut butter and pomegranate seeds + glass o’ milk

late sushi lunch with mom mid-shopping

gym with Pop

homemade crab cakes! + plain Greek yogurt + sriracha

Ben came home late that night, so I stayed up late chatting with him. My eyes were nearly glued shut getting up for church the next morning, but it was worth the QT with the bro.

starting Thanksgiving Day thanking God from whom all things flow

After Mass, we headed home to get cookin’! I fueled myself with overnight oats in a jar before transforming into a wannabe Barefoot Contessa. I was in charge of all the side dishes, and I asked mom to be in charge of the turkey so that I wouldn’t overcook it again.

my love — stuffing

In addition to bread, we used some leftover buttery croissants for the stuffing. Go big, friends.

best roasted sweet potatoes

rosemary thyme roasted baby potatoes

honey balsamic roasted brussels sprouts and string beans

cornbread muffins

da bird

We actually ended up undercooking the turkey at first, so it was a fiasco trying to cook the parts that were still raw while keeping the perfectly-cooked parts separate. You’d think we would have this down after 15+ years, but…guess not. Nevertheless, the turkey turned out delicious and juicy!

I also went on a nice walk with Dad at the park after I finished cooking. It was the perfect, brisk weather for a Thanksgiving walk.

Then we came home with a hefty appetite and dug in!

The stuffing, rosemary potatoes, and cornbread muffins were my favorite. I know you know the carbs are the best part.

Speaking of carbs. Best for last!

apple pie a la mode

We finished at around 6pm, so the rest of the night involved watching Chopped, writing this post, and just appreciating the presence of family. (Imaginary audience: “AWWWWWWW.”)

I feel fortunate that each year, Thanksgiving becomes a lot easier, mentally speaking. This year, I didn’t feel nervous about the amount or density of food that would be available to me, and I think that is because I allow myself to eat heavy foods outside of holiday occasions. I was definitely stuffed by the end of the night, but it just felt like a bigger meal, which is probably a monthly/biweekly occurrence.

As Julia so beautifully wrote, we just need to be kind to ourselves. I didn’t finish every bite on my plate, and I didn’t have pie immediately after dinner with the rest of my family because I wanted to digest for an hour or so. I still ate a lot of delicious food, including pie, but I didn’t feel (self-imposed) pressure to eat or not to eat.

As for working out, I joined my dad when he went to the gym the night before, but I just did a fun strength workout without focusing on calorie burn. On Thanksgiving day, we walked. We went with the flow.

I did not get to this point overnight, so I implore you to not be discouraged if you still struggle with restrictive temptations or anxious feelings during the holidays. In fact, there are many non-holiday instances during which I still feel anxious over food. Recovery is always a work in progress, but every effort to combat disordered habits and thought processes is valuable.

Tonight we’re going out to NYC to eat more. Not before I get some work done though!!!

So tell me:

How did you spend {American} Thanksgiving?

Favorite food from the feast?

Three non-obvious/random/quirky things you’re thankful for! yoga pants, clean public bathrooms, and towels that absorb really well

Weekend Confessions IV

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

Happy Marathon Monday!

I am stoked to be a part of the Boston community for Marathon Monday this year. Y’all know that I’m no runner, but the energy and camaraderie that is emanating from this city is exhilarating!

Boston Forever by Judith Chasin {via}

Also, it’s awesome knowing that so many of YOU love running, and you might know some people running in the marathon. I know that Tina @ Carrots ‘n’ Cake and Morganne @ Nut Butter Runner are running in it! Maybe I can stalk them and track them down to say hello (in the most non-creepy way possible)!

I’ll be sure to fill you in on the excitement after today. Praying for all the workers, volunteers, spectators, and runners!

And now, I have some lighthearted confessions about my week that you can either relate to or use to feel better about yourself. 🙂

I finished a jar of peanut butter by myself in one week.

Here we see the very last of my (delicious) Teddie peanut butter that I bought just two Fridays ago. On Saturday morning, I made some quick oats with cinnamon, vanilla protein powder, banana, and a pinch of salt, and then I just dumped it in the almost empty jar!

My buddy PJ told me, “I’m not even mad, I’m just impressed.”

I was the “mom” secretly taking pictures of my two friends getting Confirmed.

Congratulations to my dear friends Cherie and Janice, who both received Confirmation this weekend! We celebrated with them at Mass and then later at Cherie’s place for fellowship and food. Speaking of food…

I went back for seconds of Cookie Butter ice cream, because COOKIE BUTTER ICE CREAM.

Swing dancing = weekend “turn up” in our books.

Sweaty ol’ stranger men and all.

I’m about a head-and-a-half shorter than all the girls pictured above.

What’s life like up there above 5’3″?

I missed an online homework assignment for organic chem.

Gahhhhh. It’s one of those grades that doesn’t make a huge difference, but it’s especially disappointing to lose points for it because of my carelessness. Thankfully, after emailing the professor, he kindly allowed me to complete the assignment late at no penalty.

Moral of the story: work hard at all times, make sure the professor knows you, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Life happens!

My meals and eating times have been very weird lately.

I’ve been having double lunches and snacky/weirdly-timed dinners.

On Friday, I ate a late lunch at 2pm after class. Then I snacked on a lot of veggies, crackers, and hummus during work. Then I ate dinner at almost 10 pm at Clay Pot Cafe with my mom, bro, and family friends.

normal lunch

super late dinner

On Saturday, after my friends’ Confirmation and anatomy review, my blood sugar was low to the flo’, so I needed to eat lunch in the dining hall before going to Cherie’s place to eat more Indian food and desserts. Then dinner was chips at swing dancing and frozen banana with peanut butter in my dorm at midnight.

lunch before Cherie’s

Finally, yesterday, I ate fruit and peanut butter for breakfast in my dorm, a normal brunch at 12:30pm, a super early snack-turned-dinner at 4pm, and then a light second dinner at 9:30pm.

snack-turned-dinner

second dinner + a biscuit and some curly fries

I have no idea. This is college, so nothing is normal.

I dream that I can be in an a cappella group, but then I sing to myself in my dorm and come back to reality.

I’ll leave the singing glory to my friend Adrienne and her other awesome a cappella group members. They blow me away every single time!

This cover of “All I Ask of You” by Josh Groban and Kelly Clarkson has been on repeat.

It’s a beautiful thing amidst my pop/rap/alternative regulars.

_________________________________________________

Please tell me you can empathize with me on some of these?

I hope you all have a great day and week ahead! Just as I will be cheering on the marathoners, I am cheering YOU on in your endeavors this week!

So tell me:

Something new you tried in the past week!

Is your eating schedule ever outta whack?

Do you know anyone running in the Boston Marathon/anyone who has run in it in the past?

Day in The Life {Last Month of Freshman Year}

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

Hello for the third time this week!

I thought I’d check in with y’all again this week with another one of my favorite kinds of posts— day in the life! Everyone keeps asking me if I can believe that I’m almost done being a college freshman. My answer is always, “Sometimes I have to tell myself that I’m in college.”

I still need nap time and snack time, so I’m basically still in preschool.

Nevertheless, here I am in my last month of freshman year at Boston University, and here is what a typical day during this hectic time of year looks like!

6:40 AM— Alarm goes off // Realize that sun is peering through the windows and panic for a split second, thinking I overslept. But alas, it’s just springtime finally. // Check emails on phone

6:45 AM— Bathroom, brush teeth, put in contacts, etc.

6:55 AM— Eat some frozen banana pieces // Pray

7:05 AM— Get stuff ready and run to the gym // I wear my workout clothes to sleep if I know I’m going to the gym in the morning.

7:15 AM— Arrive at the gym and meet my buddy PJ there // Work out

dynamic warmup
upper body strength
rowing + thruster workout

8:10 AM— Walk back from the gym

8:30 AM— Arrive at the dining hall and eat breakfast with PJ, Sean, and Rachel // I failed to take a photo, but I ate scrambled eggs, bacon(!), and oatmeal with coconut, honey, peanut butter, and banana

9:15 AM— Go back to room to shower // Realize I’m still hungry (yes, even after that large breakfast) and eat a mini blueberry oatmeal bar

9:40 AM— Run out the door to meet a friend before class to go over some homework

10:00 AM— Organic chem lecture

11:00 AM— Anatomy lecture

12:00 PM— Writing class // class got out 10 minutes early, hooray!

12:40 PM— Lunch // A mighty delicious lunch! I enjoy every last bite.

salad of mixed greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, tuna, feta, and honey dijon + turkey and roasted vegetables

1:00 PM— Decide that I want to write this post!

1:30 PM— Walk back to the dorm to get some gum [to fix the tuna breath] and a bigger jacket for my tour // See that it’s supposed to snow in an hour. SO MUCH FOR SPRINGTIME, BOSTON.

2:00 PM— Tour! // A little sleet never hurt anyone…

3:30 PM— Go back to the dorm to change my soaking wet jeans // Steal some dining hall peanut butter out of desperation after running out of my own peanut butter // Eat snack of frozen banana with the PB

4:00 PM— Meet a friend to study for our linguistics exam

5:15 PM— Dinner with PJ, Jon, and Rachel // “ballpark night” at the dining hall

salad with carrots, tomatoes, beets, roasted red peppers, Greek dressing + Italian sausage and peppers

apple crisp a la mode because it’s my FAVORITE

6:00 PM— Anatomy lab // look at cat cadavers, cows and pigs in utero, and…never mind

7:10 PM— Go back to the dorm to drop off my backpack and put on some warmer clothes for intramural softball with the Catholic Center team

7:25 PM— Start walking to the field across campus // Get a text from my friend that the game is cancelled // Back to the dorm

7:40 PM— Check emails + work on planning next semester’s schedule // Find out that I will be dead last for class registration this time around…Oh dear. // Snack on banana and peanut butter

9:00 PM— Homework and studying // Some more banana and peanut butter in there

12:00 AM— Finish typing this post

12:30 AM— Get ready for bed! (I have a 11AM class on Thursdays, don’t worry 🙂 )

A busy but wonderful day indeed! I’m also realizing that I ate a lot of fats yesterday. Bacon, eggs, cheese, peanut butter, more peanut butter, ice cream, sausage… But hey, don’t fear the fat!

So tell me:

What did you eat for lunch yesterday?

What were you doing at 7 AM, 3 PM, and 8 PM yesterday?

What kinds of fun fats did you eat yesterday?

Keeping Sane in College

Posted on September 25, 2014 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

I know, I know. I’m just a college freshman who is three-and-a-half weeks into school and doesn’t know the real meaning of insanity of college. I get it, I’m still a fetus in this place we call the world. But I think I’m speaking on behalf of a lot of my peers when I say that things are finally starting to settle into a routine— we’re getting into a groove, you could say. 🙂

Needless to say, going off to college for the first time ever is a nerve-wracking experience, and anything that entails big changes can make me anxious pretty easily. However, I am grateful to God for providing such a welcoming, supportive environment for me here at Boston University that has allowed me to immerse myself into this whole university deal without major troubleshooting. Knock on wood.

I’ve noticed some routines and patterns in these past 3.5 weeks that have helped me stay sane during school, and I’m here to share them with you all! Many of you are not in school anymore, but the “real world” and the college world both involve work and balance, so these little tips could apply to anyone!

1) Chip away at work

This one is HUGE. No one enjoys the panic of doing an assignment at the last minute before it’s due. For me, the best thing to combat this is to steadily chip away at every bit of studying and homework that I need to do throughout the week.

I like to make a list of the work I need to accomplish, and then prioritize by numbering the tasks in the order I want to do them. Lastly, a check box is necessary so that you can have that oh-so-wonderful feeling of checking off the task.

It also doesn’t hurt to do an extra task that wasn’t initially on your list, then write it in your planner, and then check it off. 😉

2) Eat a good breakfast

{That involves peanut butter.} I don’t care what new scientific research says about breakfast not really being the most important meal of the day. In my mind (and heart), breakfast is the most essential meal in getting my day cranking properly. I have a huge 3-4 hour block of early classes on many days, so I need a substantial breakfast to help me focus and stay friendly.

America runs on Dunkin. Alison runs on peanut butter.

3) Sleep

It’s not always easy, but it’s absolutely necessary.

That being said, I try not to freak out if I didn’t get X hours of sleep, because that just makes me more anxious and prone to sleeplessness. Fatigue is not the end of the world and power naps make the world go ’round.

4) Exercise

Now I’m starting to sound so cliche-healthy-living-blogger. But seriously, making time to move and groove several times a week helps to clear my mind, keep my confidence lifted, and feel more focused on my work, even if that means doing burpees in the dorm room. Y’all know how much I love that anyway.

Sorta miss these stairs. Or do I?

5) Make time for social events

I do my best to make studying my priority, but attending extracurricular activities or just having lunch with friends keeps me laughing and motivated (I work more efficiently when I know I have an event to attend later in the evening). I still don’t go to every single activity or meeting, but talking to people is some of the best stress relief out there.

I can’t keep my mouth closed evidently.

6) Listen to music

There’s a lot of walking required to get around campus, so listening to music has been an awesome way to put some pep into my step, make me want to dance…and make me almost trip over train tracks. Worth it. Listening to a song with a solid beat while walking down the streets of Boston makes me feel like a BOSS.

{iTunes radio and Pandora have been my favorite things recently!}

7) Pray

Talking to our Creator is the bestest.

8) Read blogs/Blog

Both blog-reading and blogging have been on the back burner recently, as you might have been able to tell. But those two things constitute some of my quality “me time,” so I try to read a few blogs while eating meals and write a post or two after I finish my homework (like right now!). It makes me happy staying in touch with my readers and fellow bloggers!

I also like to fantasize about all the new fall recipes that are abounding on the blog world since ~~I’m bitter that I don’t have a kitchen right now~~ it will be soon that I can make ALL THE PUMPKIN THINGS!

9) Keep the dorm room clean

Laundry, cleaning up after my peanut butter/banana messes, vacuuming (YUP, vacuuming!), and washing dishes— keeping on top of all of that makes for less clutter in the room and less clutter in my mind. (<— wow, so zen.)

Not nearly as clean as this (when I first moved in), but it’s not too shabby.

10) Keep in touch with my family

My face lights up whenever I get a text from my mom or I FaceTime with my parents. Keeping them in the loop on a regular basis also helps to motivate me (they’re the reason I’m here!), and it helps me remember that I always have a shoulder to lean on. I also just love them to pieces, so I like talking to them 🙂

No, we’re not twins.

So there are my nuggets of freshman wisdom for you! I should go to bed because I’m sure my typing might be annoying my sleeping roomie. Catcha ya later!

Oh, and you best be sure I’m thinking out loud with Amanda today!