Office Update

Last night we began the process of moving our upstairs office downstairs to a brand new setup on the first floor! So far, the work table is built (and my hands are blistered) and that's about it! Will keep you updated with progress but Finn has already given his seal of approval on the desk!

{Oct 23 2012}

Three things I'm thankful for:

1. Dad is home from the hospital and doing well so far.
2. Wireless keyboard!
3. A husband who makes me breakfast for dinner. :)

Happy Tuesday! We are off to buy a camera I believe!

Weekend Review {8.27.2012}

Greetings, Monday! This was a fun weekend!

We kept Friday night pretty low-key. Eric and I used up a gift card to Longhorn Steakhouse (neither of us had ever been before that we could remember...) and then stayed in the rest of the night. I stayed up and caught up on blog reading while Eric crashed early after his 4:30am wake-ups all week.

Saturday morning started with a 9am yoga class (felt great for the shoulders+hips) and then was pretty uneventful the rest of the morning/afternoon. I made chicken posole soup for a Mexican potluck hosted by my sister and her husband (Kirstin and Chad) and packed it up for the drive to Columbus. We left for Columbus and had a great time at the party (margarita jello shots were involved courtesy of my mom!) and then headed back home totally exhausted on Saturday night!

Yesterday we went to mass at Holy Angels (on the University of Dayton campus) and then I took Parker to Petsmart for his first paw-dicure. They used a little dremel-like device to grind down his nails so now he can sit on our wood floors again without sliding down slowly. He was a champ about it and I rewarded him with a hike in the heat at Sugarcreek Reserve. It was a fun time and I even let him get in the mud a little bit. He doesn't seem to be a water dog but maybe he just wasn't in the mood yesterday! After that adventure, we came back home and headed over to my in-laws house for Sunday night dinner. We took Parker and he ate up all of the attention from the family. My sister-in-law, Megan, is moving to Atlanta today for her first post-grad job so we all said our goodbyes last night. It was bittersweet but lots of fun, as always.

Lots of partying this weekend, and the scale reflected it this morning! Up 2.1 pounds from my newest "normal" so I'm drinking lots of water and reigning it in today. I am planning on taking an advanced Yoga Flow class tonight at 6:00pm so hopefully that will help me to get it in gear!

Any tips for pressing "reset" after an indulgent weekend?

Terror

Good morning! Just popping in to share some cute scenes from this morning. My sweet puppy has temporarily turned into a terror! My mother in law and sister in law dropped by yesterday and brought Parker some beanie toys to play with. My gosh! He has gone nuts for the beanie squirrel! We have a little groundhog that runs in our backyard so maybe he is in training for the takedown? Anyways, have a happy Sunday!

*excuse the picture quality - they were taken on my iPad's camera.

Reclining Bound Angle Pose

I ended up going back to Day Yoga Studio (on Brown Street, located on the University of Dayton campus) yesterday for a 75-min Gentle Yoga class. I decided to go ahead and buy a month-long pass to the studio because they are closest to me and their schedule works well with mine. I would still like to try out the other studio in the Oregon District and maybe I will get a quarterly pass to that studio next month! Gentle Yoga was great and left me feeling totally peaceful and relaxed. A highlight of class was holding supta baddha konasana (reclining bound angle pose) for about 5 minutes. I had never done this pose before and modified it by laying on a bolster (no props under my legs and no strap pulling my ankles in) and it was an intense 5 minutes!

(source)

Holy cow! I have always had tight inner thigh/groin area but that really showed me just how tight I really am there. I need to do that stretch daily...my life will never be the same!

I didn't realize it yesterday when I bought the pass, but the studio has no classes on Fridays. They do offer a few on Saturday mornings though so I have taken it easy tonight in order to be up and ready tomorrow morning for a 9:00 Yoga Flow class! I am excited to get my sweat on. Not quite ready to try hot yoga yet...

Today was uneventful other than that. I did score my first maxi dress ever from The Gap - originally $69 marked down to $19.99 plus an additional 25% off today only...so with tax only about $16! I am planning to wear it tomorrow to Kirstin and Chad's house for their mexican-themed gathering. Ayyayayay! ;)

The Search is On

Lately, my body has been craving a return to yoga. I have been practicing yoga for about six years now, always at varying levels. When I began practicing, yoga was my exclusive form of exercise. As the years have gone by, I've incorporated lots of other methods of exercise, but nothing gives me the total reset that yoga gives. For this reason, I'm heavily considering making yoga my primary form of exercise again. I've not returned to this way for a while because yoga feels so indulgent...like it's not a "real" workout because it feels so so good. I know that's not really true, but it's a psychological thing I guess. Yoga also always helps me to be more present and patient with life, and enjoy today instead of rushing ahead to the future all the time.

source

In light of this change, and in the spirit of taking advantage of our new urban location, I am actively looking for a yoga studio to join.  I've never frequented a yoga studio before, only practiced at home (through Yoga Today) and at various drop-in places. I love Yoga Today for their community, their great price, their variety and their quality of yoga and instruction, but at this point in my life I'd like to integrate into the community in Dayton a little more and meet some people and potentially some friends. Also...to be completely honest, I've been having a really hard time calming down and clearing my mind in the new house. Every time I roll out my mat and light my candle to get in the yoga zone, I notice a dusty corner or start thinking about refinishing the hardwood! Oh, home-ownership! Anyways, I visited this yoga studio on Tuesday and can't wait to go back. It is less than 2 miles away from our house on University of Dayton's campus, too and has really affordable monthly passes so I am very interested in joining full time. There is another studio in the Oregon district of downtown Dayton (a trendier, hip neighborhood) complete with exposed brick inside the studio that I haven't had a chance to check out yet. It is less than three miles from our house, but I haven't decided if location or cool factor is more important to me in a studio. Quality of instruction never hurts either.. of course! I'd like to take a few classes at each but eventually I would like to buy a monthly/quarterly pass to one and start to establish a community there. Med school has provided a crazy schedule for Eric and I think it would be great for me to get out of the house for an hour or two each evening to give him some peace and quiet for studying or relaxing. It will also make me calmer and give me something to do each evening, which is a win-win in my book. I will keep you updated with the search!

Hope you have a great day!

Three Little Things {8.10.12}

Yesterday I started my first day at a new job. I wanted to share three little things that got my happy going yesterday.

1. The beautiful recess during outdoor play.

2. The conversation about sleepwalking that I had with my mentor during quiet time. (She would get up in the middle of the night and bang the peanut butter jar on her kitchen counter when she was a newlywed and she was afraid her new husband would think she was a looney.

3. Having a quiet evening at home with Eric (with a quick stop to the Dixie Dreem) and watching The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Swedish version). Great night!

Fourth Fish Fry

Today was such a nice day off. Eric and I started it off with a walk at South Chagrin Reservation but only made it about 1.5 miles before we just got too. hot. We headed back home to shower and make a leftover lunch and then decided to go visit my parents in Mansfield for the afternoon.

We rocked out a bit in the car and decided that hip dancing in the car (shaking your hips while sitting in the car seat) is way more fun than the shoulder/neck/arm moves I usually pull out in the car. I'm always looking for ways to improve my car dancing skills!

When we arrived in Mansfield, we chatted with my mom and dad for a bit over pretzels and hummus (an appetizer which has become a staple on our family days) and then headed off to Ashland, a town about 20 minutes away, for a fish fry hosted by my mom's coworker. The fish fry was at a really neat log cabin out in the country, and as soon as we were out of the car, we hit up the buffet line. The food was mostly standard cookout fare but the fish was really amazing - caught in Lake Erie and fried up on the spot. Of course, the marshmallow, pretzel and peanut butter brownies that my mom brought kind of stole the show for me. So good! Unfortunately it was quite a scorcher today in Ohio so we fried a bit ourselves, but overall it was a great time!

Before parting ways, we all stopped at Dairy Queen to cool off. I went with an old standby of a small twist with peanut butter cups on top and Eric got a candy-box blizzard (? I think that's what it was called..it is the Blizzard of the Month). My parents both went with fruit smoothies. After taste testing every one else's dish, I can honestly say we all made great choices! Eric and I just finished up the drive home and are now relaxing for the rest of the night. Maybe I will get a little more read in "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest"...according to my kindle app I am only 9% through. I've gotta get on it!

Have a great night!

Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue

Just checking in quickly! Hooray for days off; I'm thankful for a day of freedom! Today is started off right so far with a breakfast of champions - eggs! And whole wheat toast..delicious. Not quite sure what we're in for today but we may head down to my parents' house. Today may also involve some heavy Craigslist surfing for a new dishwasher and/or a new pedestal sink for our bathroom/kitchen remodel in progress now. I'll keep you updated!

Enjoy your day with friends and family!

Happy June 27!

Today is so important for many reasons! It is a double family holiday!

1. Today is my parents' 31st wedding anniversary! Happy anniversary you two love birds! Thanks for setting such a great example for your daughters and their husbands. We're lucky girls!

My cute parents at a basketball game earlier this year. 

2. It is also my sister Erin's 28th birthday today! That's right..all on the same day. Happy birthday, Erin! Love you!

Erin's the blonde in our family... and the genius. Ironic?

Growing up, I always looked forward to June 27 because it is a very big day in our family. It used to always have a big celebration and usually a really great family dinner. Unfortunately, my family isn't all together on June 27 too often anymore, but it still feels like a holiday to me! This year, today is even more eventful because we leave tomorrow evening for Dayton to close on our new (80 year old?) house Friday morning. That means that we are officially in crunch time until home ownership. We are so excited, but there is so much to do! 

As you can probably imagine, life is a bit crazy lately but I hope to make a more regular appearance on the blog! I'll be back with little updates soon! Enjoy the beautiful day!

Intuitive Eating: Can It Really Be So Simple?

As you can probably tell from the title of this post, I've been giving a lot of thought to intuitive eating. The last month or so, I've stopped trying to control my macros (ensuring I get the right mix of fat, carbs and protein with every meal) and my food groups (3-5 servings of fruits and veggies, limited sugar, etc) and have instead only been trying to make clean choices and eat when I'm hungry, and  to weigh myself less. About ten days ago, I stepped on the scale to see what the damage was, and I was shocked to see that I'm about 2 pounds down from my lowest weight since high school (I hit this point while on WW in January, and while DEFINITELY feeling like I was on a diet). So what has led me to this point?

I have struggled with my weight my whole life, but didn't do much about it until high school. While in high school, I became active in marching band (lots of practices = lots of calories burned and less mindless snacking), discovered yoga (the first exercise I had ever enjoyed enough to do consistently) and took on a part-time job (which also cut down on the mindless snacking). As a result of these three lifestyle changes, I ended up dropping a lot of my baby weight and hitting a low, but healthy feel-great weight.

In college, my love of yoga temporarily took a back burner, and my love of hanging out with friends, campus dining, and, yes, alcohol took its place. As a result, I gained about 20 lbs over the course of 4 years. It was a slow and steady gain and a direct result of too large of portions, too many empty calories, and too little exercise. I never beat myself up too much about the high calorie intake because I figured the ~2 miles I walked everyday on campus made up for any extra indulgences.

After I graduated college last August, I realized how much control I now have over my schedule and my eating habits and decided to make a conscious effort to drop some weight. To do this, I turned to Weight Watchers. I found it easy to keep track of my eats and not too restrictive if the points were spread out evenly over a week. However, I also found myself eating as little as possible during the week so that I could save my points for the weekends and enjoy indulgent environments with friends and family.

After about 3 months and about 8 pounds lost, I got a little sick of WW back in January and felt like it wasn't a sustainable lifestyle for me. Although I was seeing consistent losses from week to week, going hog-wild on Friday and Saturday nights left me feeling awful every Sunday night. Around this same time, I read the book "Master Your Metabolism" by Jillian Michaels and began to incorporate the concepts of "clean" eating (limiting processed foods, high amounts of sugar, and chemicals) into my diet. As recommended in the book, I tried hard to get in all of the recommended food groups, but still had a tough time giving up sweets and treats entirely. I tried to follow the adage to have "breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper", but would usually end up throwing in "dessert like a rock star" somewhere after 8pm each night. During this time, I created a calorie surplus of (mostly) clean, healthy options, and about half of the 8 pounds I had lost on WW came back over the course of two months.

About a  month ago, I took a serious look at my food intake and realized that I was trying so hard to follow the rules that I forgot to listen to my body. For me personally, I don't tend to get hungry for a big breakfast and would rather drink a bottle of water and eat a piece of fruit than eat a 300 calorie meal when I first wake up. However, after I get home from work, I am usually famished and easily eat half of my daily calorie intake after 5pm. While this might not be ideal according to "the rules", it is what works for me. In terms of exercise, I would rather take a 60 minute walk around the neighborhood  or do a long, slow yoga practice after work than do 20 minutes of a high intensity workout...and sometimes I would rather get 8 hours of sleep or a little R&R after work than work out at all! Since I've started to really listen to my body and make changes accordingly in my daily life, my body is choosing to drift back to its happy place, and I'm embracing it! I just can't believe it really is that simple!

Questions:
Do you track your calorie intake daily or follow more of an intuitive eating approach? Which do you prefer?

Memorial Day Weekend Wrap-Up

Sorry for the silence the last few days... I haven't intentionally left the blog unattended but between the three day holiday weekend and trying to prepare to leave town again this weekend, I've been pretty busy this week and can't believe it's already Thursday! And almost June! Welcome Summer!


This weekend was a great one and was filled with lots of fun and lots of family time. I didn't snap any pictures (forgot my camera at home!) but I'll give you a quick run down. Eric and I were originally planning to travel only to my parents' house in Mansfield Sunday-Monday, but on Friday morning we decided to make it a full weekend and visit Eric's family in Dayton. I'm so glad we did! What could have been a semi-boring weekend was instead a great time with beautiful, HOT weather and lots of QT with both of our families. We left Cleveland for Dayton on Friday evening and arrived late Friday night with just enough time to greet my in-laws before heading to bed. I was exhausted after a full day of work and then a four hour drive, so it was time for some rest.

Saturday morning, I woke up and went on a walk around my in-laws neighborhood and then washed the car with Eric and relaxed. After lunch, we headed over to Eric's grandparents' house and swam in their pool for a bit while catching up. Then we came back to Eric's parents' house, ate dinner and then went out to Elsa's (a local restaurant) for a few beers with Eric's family. I have not really been getting too excited about alcohol in the last few weeks so I just had one bottle of Bud Light (plus a lime...counts as vitamin C, right?) and then switched to water.

On Sunday, we woke up early and took another walk around the neighborhood. We then had a great breakfast and went to mass with Eric's family. I had a hard time focusing and kept staring at all of the cute kids in the church...they definitely kept me entertained but spiritually left a lot to be desired! After mass, we left almost right away to make the two and a half hour drive to my parents' house in Mansfield. We stopped in Columbus at DiBella's for lunch...yum! They are some of the best subs I've ever had and I love this place! We only go every once in a blue moon...but boy are they good! When we arrived in Mansfield, we relaxed in the heat with my parents and played a couple of games of Euchre on their deck. Eric and I ended up winning both games, which I think was a shot to my parents' ego as they are regulars in the neighborhood Euchre club, and Eric and I are very casual players...we can't be competitive even if we try. My sister, Kirstin, and her husband, Chad, arrived in time for dinner and we had burgers and hot dogs on the grill. We ended the night with leftover wedding cake that Kirstin brought from the wedding and we watched the first half of "Bag of Bones" - a Stephen King made-for-TV movie that my parents rented for the weekend. By the way..what a scary movie! I normally don't like horror films and I wasn't crazy about watching this one, but my mom is a big Stephen King fan and I think everyone else enjoyed it (mostly). Some parts were just way too graphic, but the plot was pretty interesting.

Monday, I woke up bright and early before anyone else at my parents' house and took one of my parents' three dogs, Brutus (a yellow lab) for a walk around the neighborhood. He is by far the highest energy dog of the three and I thought it would be nice to exercise him a little bit while everyone else was able to rest (he tends to wake my dad up first thing in the morning because he wants to be fed). I think the walk took his mind off of breakfast and he was a happy pup. I can't wait to get a dog...it is on the top of the list for things to do after moving into the new house. Their energy is just so contagious! After Brutus and I returned from our walk, I had breakfast with my family and then decided to go shopping with my mom and sister. We hit up a few discount stores for good deals and I ended up getting a really cute red beachy dress with long sleeves for only twelve bucks! What a deal! I also got a NY&Co belt for 1.99 and a new pair of sunglasses for a few bucks, too. I am a total sucker for warehouse shopping...it feels so not-glamorous while you're doing it, but bargains are the way to my heart and this trip did not disappoint! After getting our shop on, the girls met up with the guys for lunch at Subway and then we headed back to my parents' house. We finished the second part of "Bag of Bones" and just relaxed until dinner. My mom made an awesome smoked brisket and a whole lot of other delicious things for dinner and then we ate key lime pie for dessert. After dessert, it was time to head back home to tend to the kitties and face reality. Luckily traffic was minimal on the way back to Cleveland and the rest of the evening was pretty low key. Although I didn't feel like I indulged too much this weekend, it is nice to get back to an environment with fewer temptations and more healthy choices. I love traveling, but sometimes it's so hard to keep moderation at the forefront when you're surrounded by great food and feeling the vacation mindset.

Anyways, this is getting to be a long one so I'm off for now! It was a great weekend, and there's another one right around the corner!

Q&A:
How was your Memorial Day Weekend? Did you go all out to ring in Summer or did you keep it low key?

Big Changes

Hello! Happy Thursday! We've almost reached the weekend and I am definitely looking forward to three days away from the office! I have a big announcement to make today, so here goes nothing:

Drum roll, please?

(source)

This week I received and accepted an offer for an assistantship to Wright State University in the Master's of Public Administration Program. That's right! I am going back to school! This is also the same university where Eric will be starting medical school, so we will be moving to Dayton, Ohio at the end of July to be college co-eds once more. I am hopeful that in taking this step, I will be able to apply the problem solving tools I learned in my engineering studies and career to non-profit organizations and people in need. I think there is a lot of room for technical minds in the humanities, and I am so excited to join the ranks! I am also very excited by the idea of incorporating volunteer work and interaction with those less-fortunate on a daily basis, and to have a career that fulfills and challenges me both mentally and emotionally.



I've spent a long time thinking about and planning this next step in my journey and I have to say that I experience excitement, nervousness, anxiety, hope, and so many more emotions every time I think about my new career. Above all of these emotions, I am most grateful for the opportunity to make this next step and for the support and love that my family and friends have shown me during the last few months. I have a lot more to say about this topic, and I have barely started the transition, so I am hoping to break this journey into little pieces and document it in a blog series. Stay tuned for more, and please let me know if there's anything you'd like to know more about!

Q&A:
Have you ever considered a career change? Did you go through with it?

So. Many. Beans!

I have had a big bag of dried red kidney beans from the grocery store bulk bins sitting in my cupboard for at least three months and have been SO intimidated by the thought of preparing them. I'm not sure why, but I just haven't wanted to make the commitment of soaking them overnight and then still feeling motivated enough to actually cook them the next day. Last night, in my quest to clean out the cupboard, I decided to get serious: it was time to conquer the kidneys...and to do it with as little effort as possible (per usual)!

Enter our friend, the slow cooker...

(source)

After a quick rinse in a colander, I threw the dried beans (~ 1 lb)  into the slow cooker and put on a large pot of water to boil. After the water had come to a boil, I filled the slow cooker (mine is a large 4 qt model) and put in about 1/4 cup of garlic and onion powders. I would have loved to use fresh garlic and onion, but we were out of both, so powdered won this round! After I stirred up the ingredients, I turned the slow cooker to high (after reading here that cooking on low may make the beans waterlogged) and left it be! I put the mix on at about 9:00pm and turned it off at 5:00am when I woke up this morning. It worked out perfectly and they were well cooked without being mushy! One thing that totally surprised me is just how much water the kidneys took in. I woke up this morning to a slow cooker almost filled to the brim with beans and with hardly any water in sight!

And as for how I plan on eating a full pound of kidney beans? Excellent question, and I plan on getting creative! I took a scoopful for lunch today and mixed it with roasted sweet potatoes and a spoonful of hummus. Interesting combination but it tasted great! For dinner tonight, I threw together this quick recipe:

Red Beans and Rice (generously serves 4)


4 c cooked kidney beans
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp cajun seasoning
8 oz smoked sausage of choice

Pretty simple here...throw all of the ingredients except the sausage into a large pot and heat at medium-low heat for about 10 minutes (or until uniformly warm). While ingredients are warming, slice the sausage into bite-sized pieces and throw into pot. Tastes great served over brown rice!

This is getting to be pretty long so I think I will call it a night...plus I still have to perfect my recipe for kidney bean ice cream before it gets too late (kidding!!). Have a great night!

Perfect Anniversary Weekend + IKEA!

Happy Monday! Isn't it amazing what a relaxing weekend can do? I'll try to keep this recap short and sweet!

Friday:
After work, Eric and I went out to a local neighborhood who was having their annual garage sale. We stopped at about 6 different houses but didn't find anything that we couldn't live without so we walked away empty handed. The neighborhood had some insanely big houses though, so we drove around for a while and day dreamed about one day living in our dream house! So gorgeous! After we left the neighborhood, we decided to stop at Big Lots so that I could pick out a new pillow. I haven't been sleeping too well lately and I think it's because my pillow has been totally de-fluffed! I picked out a memory foam pillow (my first ever...love!!) and then we found  a total steal on a queen-size memory foam mattress topper. We bought it because I've been really interested in getting one for a while...and let me tell you! It has changed my life for the better! Needless to say that I got some solid sleep this weekend!

Saturday:
Saturday was our six-month wedding anniversary and we started the day off with iced coffee to celebrate! While we were having breakfast, Eric found a show on TV called "Hillbilly Hand Fishing"...which is probably exactly what you are imagining it to be. My family is pretty big on fishing, but this is one type that we've never tried! Maybe this summer... ;)

After breakfast, we headed out to Cuyahoga Valley National Park to a spot called Brandywine Falls. They have a trail there with a beautiful waterfall that used to be the site of a manufacturing mill but is now turned into a historic trail.

The waterfall at Brandywine Falls..gorgeous, right?

We took a less traveled path for a 3 mile hike. It was a hot one but a great time! We came home and relaxed a bit before Eric started on dinner. He made this lemon shrimp scampi recipe and it turned out wonderfully. I am very lucky to have such an amazing chef in my life! After dinner we headed out to the movies to see The Avengers. I loved the movie and gave it a 9 out of 10. I am not usually into the superhero movies very much, but this one had a great cast list and was really entertaining to watch. I could have used  a little more emotional substance (such a girl, right?) to move it into a greater-than-9 rating. All in all, Saturday was a perfect day!

Sunday:
I woke up Sunday with an urge. to. shop. Furniture shop! I have been needing new nightstands in my life since the ones I had were a little (lot) "dorm room". (They were 8 years old and were assembled by my early high school self... who did not have an inch of technical prowess at the time and were crooked and mismatched as a result.) It was time for change! Eric agreed to make the drive to the nearest IKEA in Pittsburgh and we took off after breakfast. I love IKEA and, although it's 100% overwhelming, I could spend all day in there walking around and totally redesigning my whole apartment over and over. I love the clean, bright lines that they use and the fun patterns in their accessories. So many cool design ideas! We finally settled on two new Hermes nightstands and a kitchen side table. We left Pittsburgh around 3:30 in the afternoon; we were going to hang around the city and explore for a bit longer but we were both pretty exhausted and decided just to make the 2-hour drive back to Cleveland. When we got back, I assembled the nightstands and set them up and I am crazy for them! They are a serious upgrade. I didn't take a before picture, but I did snap an after picture...




Ta-da!

 As for the side table, we are going to wait until after the move to assemble it and put it to use, but here's a sneak peek!

Forhoja kitchen cart in birch (source)

After such a fun weekend, I was pretty beat. We hit up the grocery store to stock up for the week and called it a night!

Looking Forward

...to the weekend! Tomorrow marks six months since our wedding and I am so excited for the weekend. We are planning to keep a low-key weekend (i.e. no traveling) and are starting it off tonight with dinner at home and a rented movie. We hardly ever sit still together but I love it when we do! It is my turn to choose for movie night, too, so I'm pretty stoked to start searching! Tomorrow morning, we are headed for iced coffees and hopefully a good workout. Then we are going on a long hike to a new trail we've not yet explored. I think it will be great to get away and just enjoy ourselves and get some fresh air!

I'm already more relaxed! And this is just Google! source

I will be back for a full recap on Monday! Have a great weekend!

Taking It Easy

I have a confession: I'm having a really hard time working out this week. I'm not sure if the weird back pain I've been having is the culprit, or the post-vacation lull of this week, but one way or another...I'm doing a whole lot of laying on the couch. I've noticed that weeks like these enter into my workout schedules somewhat often: maybe once every two months or so. Although it is hard not to start criticizing myself for feeling so...bleh, I really am starting to believe that the best way to conquer the slump is to let myself really feel the lack of energy and to take the hint that my body just isn't feeling it this week. I am hoping that by not pushing it, I will ultimately get back in to my fitness routine sooner. For me, taking it easy looks like gentle yoga, leisurely walks, and light stretching instead of high intensity speed workouts and loads of sweat. Having said that, I think Eric and I are continuing the low key theme tonight and taking a nature walk after we both get home from work. It is 60-ish degrees today and so beautiful outside...and I'd like nothing more than to enjoy it! So here's to taking it easy!

source

In other news...if you live near a Dunkin' Donuts...I highly recommend stopping in and trying a turtle iced coffee...holy cow! Definitely not an every day occurrance (especially during an exercise slump!) but an awesome summer treat! I would take this over an ice cream sundae anyday..and I love ice cream!


I'm off for now...have a great afternoon! Enjoy this wonderful weather if you're able!

Brushing Up: Spanish 101

I used to be really into the Spanish language and learning about the people, the cultures, and the environments of Spanish-speaking folk. However, as school+life slowly took over my free time, I have lost a little (a LOT) of my comfort and vocabulary in speaking the language. So! This feature will be a short vocab lesson on new words that I am trying to bring back into my vocab! And studies show that you remember vocabulary much better when you write it down and use it in a sentence than when you simply read it a few times…so without furthur ado…
Let’s get started! (Vamonos!)
brindar – to drink  a toast, to offer. Ex: Me gustari’a brindar a la salud de mi hermana y su esposo nuevo.(I would like to offer a toast to the health of my sister and her new husband.)
aprender – to learn. Ex: En la escuela, yo apriendo hablar espanol.(In school, I learn how to speak spanish.)
exitoso – successful. Ex: Un di’a, yo espero tener un negocio exitoso. (One day, I hope to own a successful business.)

On Fear...and Kicking it to the Curb!

This weekend, I took off on a long walk outside on a beautiful, 70deg St. Patrick’s Day morning with a travel mug in my hand and a Jillian Michaels’ podcast in my ears. The title of the show was “Negating Ourselves & The Spirituality of Food” (two separate topics covered…not a weird topic mashup).  The show focused mainly on these two topics, and at the end of the show Jillian took a call from a listener who had recently lost about 100 pounds and was now feeling more insecure of her body image than ever and looking for help. Slowly, Jillian walked her through her feelings and explained that the reason she was feeling so physically insecure is because she is now able to be rejected, and is afraid of that potential failure. Prior to losing the weight, the caller had been flying under the radar and had never even been in the dating scene, and now that her figure was attracting positive attention, she was not only thrown into the dating scene, but also eligible for all of the heartache and rejection that the dating scene often brings along with it. Suddenly, the caller was realizing that she was able to be rejected. Granted, she was also now eligible to completely rock it, but being thrown into this social perception was the primary cause of her new-found insecurity.
Initially, I found myself thinking that Jillian’s words were making a lot of sense, but I didn’t think that they applied to me. I am no longer overweight, I live a healthy lifestyle, and I enjoy being “in the game” with respect to my peers and social scene. However, as I thought about it more, I broadened my view on Jillian’s theory and realized that there are many places in my own life that I do choose to fly “under the radar” for fear of rejection and failure.  By not giving 100%, I create an automatic out for myself in these areas of life should things not go according to plan. While it is somewhat easy and not too painful to admit “I didn’t achieve Y, but that’s okay because I didn’t really focus too hard on X”, how hard (and scary) is it to say “I tried every way I could think of and gave everything I had to X, but I still didn’t achieve Y”. When Y is something that carries huge weight in your life, and involved some sacrifices and hard work to attempt, not achieving that goal is often a very tough concept to stomach.
So how can we overcome this fear of failure?
By measuring ourselves internally, as opposed to externally. What exactly does that look like? While that picture is different for every single person, for me it means that I determine my worth as a person. It means that I am strong, intelligent, loving, thoughtful and beautiful despite the outcomes of my efforts. When you no longer measure yourself by the things you achieve (or don’t achieve!), you no longer fear failure, because achievement does not determine your worth. And when you no longer fear failure, you no longer hold back from giving 100% to something that might seem a little crazy or daunting. And then something cool happens: the nature of hard work builds in a back-up feature, because the more committment and dedication you put into that crazy goal, the lower your chance of failure automatically becomes.
So that’s pretty cool right? Got it? Just to prove my point, I will leave you with a cheesy quote:

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

Thank you, FDR! And yes, I just winked.