Snapchat, Podcasts, and Current Snack Addiction

Posted on July 23, 2015 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

1) I used to think Snapchat was the worst social media platform ever. Sending anyone photos that will be forever deleted (or so they say) after a few seconds seemed funny, but also very….dangerous? My fear was opening a snap and being like:

[source]

2) But now Snapchat has this whole “My Story” phenomenon, and I don’t hate it. You don’t have to scroll through a feed to see what people are up to, and I find some people’s stories to be quite entertaining. Mine aren’t that cool, but if you want to follow me and see me livin’ life (in case you don’t see enough of that here), my username is alisonmty. Option two would be to scan this:

3) Continuing on the theme of social media, what is the deal with accounts like this?

Zero posts, not following anyone, over 19,000 followers. I don’t know, I just don’t.

4) Yes, I am continually doctoring my social media obsession. I did a pretty good job a few weeks ago by limiting my time on social media to about half an hour total every day. Then I fell off that bandwagon, but I should hop back on.

5) Okay one more thing regarding technology, but this seems more productive than social media. I’ve started listening to podcasts! What I mean by that is I’ve started listening to two podcasts— Girls Gone WOD (found out about them through Tina’s blog) and The Catholic Guy’s Show. They’re both funny, informative, and thought-provoking. Listening to podcasts is like being a passive listener to a really good conversation that fascinates you.

I would appreciate any podcast recommendations! (I do know about Serial.)

6) Popcorners are the most addicting snack in all the land. It’s like opening the door to Narnia when you open the bag.

times 5000

*Dad opens bag*

Me: Be careful, those are addicting.

*Dad chuckles*

*I go over to eat one…then two*

Me: They’re just so good!

*I go for another one*

Me: See, as soon as you open the bag…!

Dad: Yeah. Close it. Close it.

7) Sandwiches on English muffins have been rockin’ my world. Not because sandwiches between two pieces of regular bread aren’t fantastic, but when English muffins are BOGO, you hop on it and put yummy things inside.

goat cheese and turkey meatloaf

avocado, goat cheese, two eggs

8) After a hot and humid weekend, the weather eased up beautifully yesterday! My morning walk was crisp and pleasant.

9) “25 Things Girls Put On Instagram That Annoy All Women”. Okay, going back to Instagram for a quick sec because I just found this. Although I definitely don’t agree with some of the things on this list, I do find the post hilarious. “Bathroom selfies: Oh well your house is just lovely, laundry on the floor and all.”

10) I promise there’s more in my brain than social media and petty first world problems. Those things just keep it lighthearted around here. 🙂 Hope you all have a splendid day!

So tell me:

Do you use Snapchat?

Your current snack addiction?

Do you listen to podcasts? Have any favorites?

What annoys you on Instagram? Chances are, if someone’s posts are annoying me, I’m not following the person. That being said, I’m not a fan of random selfies with an emoji as a caption. I’m fine with selfies in general (meaningful caption, with friends, at a cool place, etc.), but the emoji caption is just…alrighty then. There you are.

WIAW: Then and Now

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

You wanna know what’s pretty darn cool?

These photos of Pluto.

Wanna know what else is pretty darn cool?

Looking through my blog and seeing progress in my health, faith, and maturity. I’ve only been blogging for {almost} two years, but what an eventful two years they have been!

I’ll save the teary-eyed talk for my actual blogiversary (which I have not even memorized), but today for What I Ate Wednesday, I want to do a little “then and now” comparison of my eats. The “then” photos are from early 2014, and the “now” photos are from yesterday. So this is comparing my eats between a 1.5-year period.

What I am taking away from this comparison of eats is that:

a) The eats don’t look all that different between then and now.

b) The volume of eats is more or less the same between then and now.

c) The caloric density of my eats is much greater now. (My eats last year were very “clean” with minimal sugar and oils.)

d) I’m doing much less activity now.

e) I’m pretty sure that I feel more energized now.

Breakfast

THEN

plain 0% Greek yogurt with a crumbled banana muffin, banana slices, and nut butter

NOW

full fat Greek yogurt + chia seeds with a crumbled berry banana muffin, banana slices, and giant scoop of nut butter

Snack

(In this instance, my “then” snack was more calorically dense than my “now” one.)

THEN

Coconut nut bar

NOW

finished off a bag of Enlightened wasabi crisps*

Lunch

THEN

grilled chicken on undressed spinach + grapes + carrots + BelVita

NOW

two fried eggs with goat cheese and honey on an English muffin + zucchini sautéed in sesame oil

Snack

THEN

plain 0% Greek yogurt with banana slices and nut butter // I would often only add the nut butter if I had just worked out

NOW

handful of almonds and the last Quest bar from Blend (finally!) // not post-workout, just hungry

Dinner

THEN

farro with baked salmon and steamed greens // little to no oil or sugar

NOW

quinoa with turkey meatloaf (included eggs and panko, topped with a sweet ketchup maple glaze) + salad dressed in a homemade maple mustard vinaigrette

Dessert

THEN

Greek yogurt with dried figs // I still eat this and love it, but today there’s a lot more of this…

NOW

peach blueberry cobbler a la mode + some unpictured 2% milk

Like I said, the eats may not look that different, but when I keep in mind the caloric density of my foods today and the absence of formal, intense workouts lately, I have to say that I’m proud of my progress.

And guess what. I feel so much better now. I don’t agree with those who say “clean eating” makes you feel better than ever. Yes, eating nutritious foods most of the time makes me feel great, but getting rid of sugars and oils from everything makes me feel crabby, not better than ever.

My goal in this comparison is not to judge my past self or ridicule myself for being a little restrictive, because that time period was just another part of my journey. I’ve learned that recovery seems to keep unfolding itself, even if you think you’re just about done, which is why I say I’m 99.9% recovered.

So tell me:

Do you notice any differences between your eats now and your eats a year (or two) ago?

What did you eat for lunch yesterday? That goat cheese, honey, egg sandwich hit the spot.

Do you like meatloaf? I LOVE MEATLOAF, and the one I made last night was fantastic.

*My friends at Enlightened sent me more of their crisps because I’m in love with them and I blogged all about it. Honesty = best policy.

Why Did I Eat It?

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

HEY I’m blogging in the middle of a school week! That doesn’t happen very often these days, huh?

I’m even joining in on the What I Ate Wednesday fun for the first time in a few weeks!

Today I’m showing you what I ate on Monday, a regular ol’ day in college. But I also wanted to share the reasons why I ate what I ate.

{My roommate just read that to herself and mocked me: “And this is why I added a pinch of salt. And this is why I had three scoops of oatmeal instead of two! And this is why I had 27 scoops of peanut butter instead of 24.” So this is how I am perceived in the world.}

I said it in my NEDA week post, but I’ll say it again: it can be difficult to not analyze food to some extent, even after recovering from an eating disorder. However, my mindset towards food has shifted from focusing on restriction and calories to focusing on nutrients, fuel, and happiness.

Sometimes I choose to eat certain foods to make sure I am getting enough macros, nutrients, etc. Other times, I choose to eat foods because I’m in a rush. Still other times, I choose to eat foods because they just taste good.

So here are Monday’s eats and the answers to the question: Why did I eat it?