Working on sleep discipline + an overdue Christmas vlog!

Posted on January 10, 2021 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

pray.

I have come to the acceptance that I’m naturally a night owl, but I think it’s less of some hormonal / physiological thing and more of a vice…

People have said that going to sleep is like accepting that the next day is beginning, which can be daunting or undesirable for people who are tired and want to “rest” (i.e., do things besides the thing they are required to do the next day). Which is SO ME.

I know that I stay up too late on weekend nights doing things like learning Kyle Hanagami dances, watching Youtube videos of fitness/food influencers, or talking to friends. Anything but sleep and wind down. And then I complain of not getting enough sleep, at no one’s fault except my own (usually).

I made a resolution a while ago to be silent by 10pm, but I’ve become very lax with that, partially because I became lax with the accountability of it to my friend. Will be reinstating that now. But something that I keep thinking about is taking at least 60 seconds to check in with God when I am really tempted to open up a new tab on my browser at night… to just tell Him what I’m really feeling and what it is that I really want to do with my life at that point. Because no decision is isolated, and my decisions at night definitely affect the next day, and I would prefer to have healthy, productive days.

Working on it.

eat.

My brother and his gf brought over the new Korean chicken sandwiches for us to eat from Shake Shack yesterday, which were very tasty! I air fried some frozen curly fries on the side, which hit the SPOT. Few things beat a crispy, seasoned curly fry.

Made my own special sauce in the ramekin there: light mayo, ketchup, vidalia onion dressing mixed together

I became hypertensive for a short time after this meal, I’m sure.

move.

I did a fun running circuit workout last weekend. That’s right, I said FUN. It was 3 laps of running around the neighborhood (~1/2 to 3/4 mile each), followed by this circuit:

10 pushup burpees
15 pushups
20 v-ups

Repeat with 2 laps + circuit, then 1 lap + circuit.

Was a chilly but lovely time.

groove.

I totally forgot to share this Christmas vlog that I filmed three weeks ago now… But in case you want to join me retroactively on my Christmas day festivities, please do!

https://youtu.be/bFjdzJc-Mq8

I hope your 2021 is going well (or as well as it can be) so far 🙂

So tell me:

Do you have trouble with sleep discipline?

Curly fries, regular fries, sweet potato fries, or tater tots??

Being Careful With So Much Free Time + Recent Eats

Posted on January 6, 2016 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

Remember Facebook/AIM/Twitter statuses like this?

[source]

Translation: “Someone hit me up, I’m bored as !@#$.”

For the record, I never posted statuses like this, mostly because “af” was a little too rebellious for me. I did post photos like this though…

ONLY five years ago!?

…which are 100x worse in my opinion. This is NETC, the Italian class “pet”. I’m in physical pain looking at this/thinking about the fact that I posted this on Facebook.

Anyway, I’ve been trying not to fall into that “bored af” mode. I’m keeping busy by meeting up with friends, catching up on blog stuff, chores, errands, exercise, and reading. My planner is really helping me stay accountable for daily tasks.

That being said, I’d be lying if I said I’m not looking for things to do sometimes. Living in this age, when I’m looking for things to do, I almost robotically turn to social media. It pains me to say that I don’t turn to a good book or calling a friend or doing something else productive, but it’s true. I open up Facebook or Instagram.

Katherine from The Peanut Butter Lover just posted an incredible reflection on how subconscious scrolling is the norm these days. I am most definitely in that camp, and as hard as I strive to be more present (said everyone, always), I can’t help but fall into the trap of the hypnotic newsfeed, especially when I’m not as busy like I am during school.

[source]

Besides the problem of not being present, I have to be careful with how much time I spend looking at fitness accounts on Instagram. I’ve recently found myself watching minutes, half-hours, whole hours browsing various fitness accounts.

Please let me be clear. I only enjoy following fitness accounts that are uplifting, genuinely inspiring, and balanced (for example, @kaisafit, @shaunaharrison, and @fitphotographermom). When I’m spending time on such accounts, I’m not comparing my body to theirs or thinking about how I can burn more calories. If I was, I would certainly express that (honesty is the best policy on Moves and Grooves after all). I’m more so thinking things like, “How can I get to where they are? What exercises do I have to do to achieve that? Should I do that today even though I’m sore? I want to be that strong too.”

[source]

Even though my mind is in a much healthier place when I’m looking at social media these days, I still need to be wary of the comparison trap. I have come a long way throughout recovery, and the major lesson I’ve learned is that I don’t need to be her. I know this, but I need to remind myself of it often.

I do believe that I can find fitness inspiration without disordered thinking, but I just have to be careful not to become so immersed in it. I have an obsessive personality, so I need to use my extra free time prudently while I’m on break.

Now that we’ve had a nice heart to heart (or, my heart to yours…), let’s look at some of the good eats from this week!

A classic: toast, pb, banana, cinnamon + glass o’ milk

spaghetti squash, tomato basil sauce, and grilled Italian chicken (carbs were had before and after :))

new favorite: Kylie’s simple paleo pancake with peanut butter, Greek yogurt, cinnamon + glass o’ milk

I met up with my dear friend Fiona (from college) on Monday. We went to the outlet mall, ate some Shake Shack, and had our own heart to heart conversations. She’s studying abroad this coming semester, so I’m gonna miss her like crazy!

“Concrete” at Shake Shack. I got vanilla frozen custard with strawberry puree and “crispy crunchies”.

chicken, avocado, mixed greens, colby jack cheese, and sriracha sandwich to go

good ol’ overnight oats topped with granola

avocado, egg, cheese, sriracha sandwich + salad with homemade honey mustard dressing

clementines are off the CHAIN right now

strawberries ‘n’ cream protein smoothie

this was so good: quinoa, honey balsamic chicken, and roasted broccoli

dried figs with Greek yogurt!!! bringing back the good stuff

Additionally, I’ve been eating leftover cookies that overfloweth in our refrigerator and caramel popcorn that my aunt gave us. It’s a hard life, eh?

my aunt’s delicious oatmeal fruit cookie mini muffins

Hope you all have a great day! I mean it.

So tell me:

What do you find yourself doing if you have too much free time?

Did you post embarrassing things on social media in your younger days?

Are you still eating leftover holiday treats? “New Year, new you” is not a thing here.

Have you tried any delicious recipes recently? I’m thinking that honey balsamic chicken and roasted broccoli will be regular recipes for us!

Fueling for a Day in the City

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

The city is exhausting!

New York City in particular has the most draining effect on me. I definitely love the city, and I’m so lucky to be living close to one of the greatest cities in the world.

Besides the walking and heat, there is so much stimulation from the millions of people, cars, lights, sounds, and smells. If you try to slow down, you will either get run over by an automobile or pushed over by busy people. That being said, walking, dodging flying objects/people, and climbing stairs for a few hours requires lots of fuel.

Starting with breakfast!

Actually, starting with pre-breakfast. I woke up hungry at 5 AM. Why.

spoonful of Nuttzo power fuel

I tried going back to sleep, but then 6 AM came before I could. After dropping off dad at the train station, I was READY for breakfast.

Greek yogurt with cinnamon, nutmeg, chia, and maple syrup // banana, strawberries, granola, and a giant scoop of peanut butter

A little while later I warmed up a couple of strawberry cornmeal griddle cakes that I had froze, and I snacked on one with some maple syrup as a morning snack. I did get to sleep a little more too!

I took the day off from my {flexible, volunteer} internship to join up with some good friends from BU who are also NY/NJ locals, health professionals to be, and…Asian 🙂

By the time I had arrived at Grand Central and then walked 19 blocks to Shake Shack, I was a hungry, hungry hippo (<— always wanted that game when I was a kid).

We surprised our friend Dana with cupcakes and horridly off-pitch singing (on my part) for an early birthday celebration before ordering and chowing down on our burgers from Shake Shack.

My first Shake Shack burger! It was perfect and I miss it already.

Tina and Cassandra were kind enough to pick up Georgetown Cupcakes for Dana, and Dana was kind enough to share with all of us!

happy early birthday, Dana!

We trekked it over to High Line Park, where we took touristy pictures despite not being actual tourists. Before that though, we stopped by Eataly to use the restrooms, and LOOK WHAT WE FOUND.

A NUTELLA BAR {inside Eataly, not inside the restroom}

Take deep breaths, I know it’s a lot to take in. We didn’t buy anything, but I need to go back to try it out soon!

Back to High Line… (thanks for the photos, Cassandra!)

{posed}

After High Line and a quick walk through Chelsea Market, we parted ways and went home. I took a nap on the train because I was dead meat. I think I felt almost as tired as I did after our 7 mile hike in Colorado!

My stomach felt weird when I got home, but I knew I needed a snack. Or two.

steamed veggies + 34 Degrees poppy seed crackers with hummus

more Nuttzo (this spoonful + more because this spoon has limited space to hold drippy nut butter)

A couple hours later I ate caprese again as a dinner appetizer, along with the other cornmeal griddle cake from the morning.

I was kinda full by the time I ate real dinner, but I didn’t stress out about it, ate slowly while conversing with Pop, and finished every last bite enjoyably!

salad with homemade maple mustard dressing + ginger cilantro lime / pesto turkey meatballs + roasted sweet potatoes + corn on the cob

Huzzah for leftovers!

Night snack was this cinnamon roll Quest bar from the never-ending Blend swag bag.

I microwaved it for 23 seconds (as suggested by a reader), and the Quest bar morphed into a Quest lava flow.

I should start making Quest sculptures when they’re hot

And that’s a wrap! ‘Twas a blessed day of eats as always.

I have one more day of my internship this week before I head up to Boooooooston for the weekend! 😀 Hope you all have a wacky Wednesday in the best way possible!

joining the WIAW party on Peas and Crayons!

So tell me:

Do you ever wake up hungry? It used to happen a lot more when I was depriving myself, but I guess it still happens once in a blue moon!

What is your favorite fast food burger joint?

Something sweet that you ate yesterday!

My First Time {At Chipotle}

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves

Good morning!

This is the last week before spring break, and I can hardly stand it. Last week I said I had two field trips and a college visit on Friday, but that has decreased to one field trip and a college visit. I decided to pull out of one of the trips so I wouldn’t be too stressed over making up work.

Not gonna lie, I had a mini breakdown on Saturday morning because I was overwhelmed by all the things I had to do this weekend and the fact that I haven’t been getting that much sleep. Not insomnia or anything. Just overall, I was fatigued and not a fan of getting up early on Saturday and Sunday after long days and late nights. I mean, everything that happened this weekend was super fun, but at the same time, I just wanted to slow down and rest. I didn’t need to cry, but I just vented to madre, and I felt much better afterwards.

It’s weird— I wouldn’t cry if I didn’t have anyone to talk to, but once I get the words flowing, the tears follow shortly after.

[source]

It is springtime.

Other than that episode of typical Alison, my busy weekend was still nothing short of marvelous!

Thanks for hosting, Katie!

Friday

I received this Polar Loop activity tracker in the mail on Thursday because I won it from Gina‘s giveaway a while ago (luckiest win I’ve ever scored)!

I don’t need it for any reason in particular, but I’ve been wearing it for the past few days to see what it has to say about my activity throughout the day. Since I don’t have the heart rate monitor with it, I know it doesn’t show the most accurate readings, especially when it comes to calories (seriously, I don’t pay attention to those counts at all). I don’t completely know how to work the thing yet in terms of setting daily goals and such; I apparently need to walk, jog and jump, like, an extra hour every day, even if I’ve been dancing and walking ALL DAY. Yeah, no. I’ll probably end up giving it to mom for her walking/running ventures.

It makes for a pretty sleek watch though!

Moves

I headed to the gym after school to do a bodyweight upper body workout that looked like this:

5 min. row warmup + supersets of the following:

15 TRX rows + 10 TRX pike pushups
20 tricep dips + different pushup variations
10 TRX bicep curls + 10 BOSU pushups
40 sec. pulling down on the rope machine + 40 sec. pulling up on rope machine

I may or may not have done some core exercises. I forget!

After a quick, but necessary, afternoon nap, my friends from company, Livv and Jane, went to our other friends’ (from company) senior high school musical production of Legally Blonde! We actually bought the last three tickets available, so we were sitting in the very back corner of the theater, laughing our heads off and making comments at everything like little rascals. 😉 It was such a great show though!

Thanks for this beautiful selfie, Livv. Freaks in the back of the theater.

Saturday

Up and at ’em at 8:20 AM (okay, that’s not that early, but this girl was still exhausted) for an altar server meeting at 8:45 AM.

After getting back, I made a comforting bowl of banana oats with Greek yogurt and sunflower seed butter. The usual.

I maneuver my spoon to save the nut butter for last 😉

Then it was off to assisting dance class at 11 AM, followed by my very last Saturday modern class of my high school career. 😦 It was a great, challenging class. After that, most of company (some people had prior engagements) walked over to the train station to go the city. We had a performance at Peridance that evening!

Once we got to Grand Central, we subbed it over to Union Square, where I had this stuff for the first time:

Is Chipotle popular or something?

I finally “lost my Chipotle virginity” (<—my dad is so creeped out that I said that), and it was fantastic. The guac mountain was as good as people say it is. I must have gotten a little excited and asked for way too much food, because this bowl easily turned into THREE meals (lunch, dinner, and then lunch the next day) for myself. Now that’s a deal!

We made a Starbucks stop and then hung out at the park for a bit before going to the Peridance Center for warmup, tech rehearsal, and the performance, which started at 8:30 PM. Luckily, we were third in the program, so once we finished performing, we booked it out of there. Girls were beat from the long day.

No, this isn’t part of our dance. We’re just weird.

Before catching the train back home though, we were craving something…

Shake Shack vanilla frozen custard. Creaminess factor was unreal.

Sunday

That alarm could not have sounded worse at 7:40 AM. Dad and I had a religious education faculty meeting at 8:30, so that happened, followed by teaching per usual. I do love teaching, so there is no complaining there! I attended 11:30 AM Mass afterwards.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day yesterday, so I took a short study break to do some sun salutations and random burpees outside. The Polar Loop was also urging me to move around, so I thought, heyyy why not?

A two hour nap also took place, which was just what my body needed.

I baked.

I did homework.

I read blogs.

I typed this.

I ate dinner.