mighty me

It’s Tuesday, and if you’re reading this you survived Monday, so HOORAY FOR EVERYONE!

My good mood and positive outlook are still with me today, as you might be able to see, even though the sun is not exactly shining today.

My morning routine was a little scrambled today, as I had an appointment to get to after taking Markus to work. So instead of going right into my morning workout, I woke up and did an 8 minute mediation before heading downstairs to breakfast. I decided I would workout after my appointment, when I had more time. Plus I had a big idea that I would go for a run today. I’ve signed up for the Rhythm Race on August 18th, so I figured I might as well prepare myself by, um, running.

My workout started with the Whistle Workout from BodyRockTV. I love this work out. It’s 16 minutes instead of 12, and those extra 4 minutes are killer.

I’ve done this workout 3 times now and I’m so glad that I started writing down my reps because today I saw some improvements I was not expecting! Check it out:

Here’s a list of the exercises. It’s 24 rounds of 10:30. (For full explanations of exercises, see the link to the video above.)

1. Surfer kick-outs
2. Alternating upright row with a twist
3. 5 high knees + 1 half burpee
4. Back lunge with kick (right)
5. Back lunge with kick (left)
6. 5 star pushups + 1 burpee
7. Ninja jump tucks
8. Exploding pushups

The first time I did this workout my reps looked like this:

1. 7/7/6
2. 15/15/15
3. 5/5/5
4. 13/14/13
5. 13/14/14
6. 2.5/2/2
7. 7/7/7
8. 8/14/13 (I ended up doing these on my knees after the first round so I could maintain form)

Now, after doing this workout 3 times over the span of a month, my reps looked like this:

1. 11/10/10
2. 15/14/15
3. 8/7/8
4. 12/13/13
5. 13/13/14
6. 2.5/2.5/2
7. 8/8/8
8. 14/12/13

I highlighted my notable improvements.  I was SO proud of myself when I saw this. It felt so good to see that my hard work is paying off. I’m getting stronger and faster. A lot of my (and most people’s) fitness adventure is kept alive on faith and trusting that changes will happen, aesthetically. That’s well and good, but sometimes we (myself included) forget about the changes in physical strength. It was a good reminder to me of what happens on the inside. Plus, having tangible results every now and again is just so inspiring! And I couldn’t not pat myself on the back. Not even my little negative voice can deny that I’ve made improvements!

After I caught my breath a bit, I hit the pavement for that aforementioned run. I have a little almost-2-mile path that I do in my neighborhood and I decided I’d go with that default run today. For not running very consistently, it went really well! I even went a little farther, since the run ends at my front door, and I wanted a chance to walk and cool down a bit.

woop woop!

Today’s been one of those days that reminds me why I actually work out. Not just to have toned muscles and a strong, healthy body. But to pat myself on the back, to build confidence. To stop and say to myself, “Wow, Jenny. That was impressive.” “Wow, Jenny. You are strong.” And to mean it. To see how hard I work and push and then see how I survive it. It becomes a metaphor for life. It’s how I get my swag and take it into my real world.

I can do anything. I am Mighty Me.

Have you done anything lately that makes you feel mighty?

Are you running any fun themed races soon? 

failure: you can do it!

Happy Monday, Swagsters!

It is a bright, sunshiney day and I’ve got a disposition to match it! Ever since I  woke up yesterday, I sort of feel like I’ve been floating around, smiling and okay with whatever comes my way.

Workout

This morning I woke up and did BodyRockTV’s Get Pumped on the Patio workout, followed by abs and finally, I rounded everything out with an 8 minute meditation. It’s all about balance! Exercise + meditation are honestly, for me, the most positive ways to start my day. Admittedly, my meditation has been sporadic, and I’ve been getting to it “when I can” so today I decided to just throw it on the end of my workouts, since I do both in the same room.

Right now I’m feeling so energetic, like I haven’t experienced in a long time. I think I was actually overwhelming Markus a bit when I took him to work this morning. He was still waking up and I was practically bouncing off the walls in the car. (If cars can have walls… you know what I mean.)

Budget Update

Okay Swagsters, I have been doing really well with my budget this week. It’s been great not going to the grocery store every day and spending money. It takes a lot of stress off my back to not feel like I’m constantly handing all my money over to various vendors. Wednesday is the first official day of my new budget system as well. I’m excited to see how things go!

Grocery day is also Wednesday, and I must admit, I’m going to be cutting it rather close. I definitely need to refine my planning a bit. I totally underestimated my veggie consumption. Don’t ask me how that happened.

Tonight I’m going to work up my meal plan for the next week and my groceries as well. This week I readjusted my budget to $50. Upon further reflection, I realized that $50 is a much more realistic number than $40, for me. And I don’t think that’s a terrible amount of money to spend at all for one week of clean, vegan eating! I ended up spending about $54 at the end, because I ran out of carrots yesterday and that’s simply not going to fly for me. Gotta have my carrots.

I caught myself thinking, “Dang, Jenny, you failed at your budget this week. You had to buy more. You didn’t do very well.” Well I let that thought go for about 5 seconds before I stopped it and said, “Hey there, Negative Voice. I’ve never done this before. I’m practicing and it’s probably going to take a few weeks to adjust. So, why don’t you just cut me some slack, okay? I’m trying, and that’s the most important thing.” (And then, in my mind, I stuck my tongue out at Negative Voice, but that’s not very mature, so let’s gloss over that fact, yeah?)

Do you ever do that to yourself? You try something new and then immediately adopt this attitude that you should be brilliant and perfect at it and shouldn’t have to need even an inch of flexibility with it because you are you and you don’t fail (where “don’t” = “are not allowed to”). I catch myself in this trap so often. It’s one of those things that goes along with having an eating disordered past. I’m not allowed to fail. Everyone else is free to do so, and I won’t even judge them for it. “No one’s perfect!” I’ll say with lots of compassion. But then I’ll turn to myself and say, “How dare you fail! That’s not acceptable! You specifically wrote on your blog what your budget was and what will they say when they see you went over?!”

What an overwhelming way to speak to myself! I’ve let it go on too long, and my goal this week is to really work on being compassionate towards myself. I work on taking power away from my negative voice, but a lot of times it’s not very compassionate. It’s almost like I roll my mind’s eye at myself and say, “Come off it, Jenny! Be positive for a change! Stop thinking this way! STOP BEING MEAN TO YOURSELF, YA BIG DUMMY.”

Oh right, because that’s toooootally being nice to me.

Yesterday I worked on readjusting my approach. When I spoke back to my negative voice, this time, I tried it differently. I brought some patience into the mix. I brought some compassion to the table. And it makes a HUGE difference. I relaxed a lot quicker when I spoke back with love instead of anger. I’m killing the Negative Voice with kindness.

Weekly Goal

So that brings me right to my personal goal for the week: stay aware, practice mindfulness and be compassionate towards myself. I do not have to be perfect and I do not have to be a harsh critic of myself. I will strive to be gentle and nurturing with myself. Because I deserve my own love.

Can you relate to my perfectionism? What do you do to combat it? 

Do you have any personal goals for yourself this week? 

How do you practice compassion towards yourself?

I have got to jet, Swagsters! Work is on the docket today and I’m at risk of running late! Have a great Monday!

living simply

In another lifetime, (at least it feels like another lifetime) I lived in a tiny studio apartment in historic Henderson, KY. It was a little green house, and my friend and I lived in the upstairs unit.

our little green house

We lived on a quiet little street that lead you directly to the river and the downtown area. We had 2 kitties, Lily and Harry. We shopped at the world’s tiniest farmer’s market, where we were able to only buy cucumbers, various forms of squash, tomatoes and the occasional red pepper. Strangers smiled, waved and inquired after your well-being. We biked or walked all over our little town. We had a very small shared living space that consisted of a kitchen table, 2 big fluffy chairs, a radio and just enough space to lay down our yoga mats. Our apartment was so small, our clothes closets were actually in the shared living space. We didn’t even have a TV. Most days, if there was sound coming from our wide open apartment windows, it was NPR over the radio. It was so quiet. So peaceful. So simple.

Why am I taking you on a tour of an apartment I lived in 3 years ago?

Admittedly, I am feeling incredibly nostalgic lately. I’m realizing that there is a big part of me that misses my Old Kentucky Home (if you’re from KY, you’ll get that reference). I miss the southern hospitality. But above all, I miss the simplicity of the way my roommate and I lived. It’s not that life was simple, it’s just that whenever we returned to our apartment, it welcomed us with simplicity. It was as though the apartment itself was saying, “Shhhh. You’re home now. Relax. Everything is okay.”

Before I get in over my head, let’s all agree that I’m having an existential crisis right now. Many days in a row I have been asking myself “Who am I, really?” Am I Kentucky Jenny? Am I Connecticut Jenny? Is there a Constant Jenny that links the two together? How does a person know when they are being their Authentic Self compared to when they are being the Adapted Self?

I know right?! I overwhelm myself sometimes.

After much meditation, lots of yoga, lots of looking inward, and a tear or three or four, I feel like I might finally be getting somewhere. I’m getting to a little green house in Henderson, KY. I’m getting to a place that welcomes me Home and says, “Be simple. Live simply.”

I can’t actually go back to Henderson. I can’t go back to that apartment. I can’t go back to the life I had there. But I can let simple be the essence of Constant Jenny.

This is probably an anticlimactic post because I don’t have a game plan. I can’t say to you, “These are the changes I am implementing.” I could say, “I haven’t watched TV in 3 days.” But that’s not the point. This is the kind of thing that happens organically and isn’t exactly tangible. What I can say is that this morning, for the first time since I moved to Connecticut, I feel like Me, capital M-me. It’s a feeling that words can’t do justice.

It feels simple. It feels good. It feels like home beyond geographical restraints.

Do you do anything that helps you remember who you really are? Meditate, pray, journal, etc?
Have you ever asked yourself these questions?  
What are your thoughts on living authentically?

I realize I’m not asking simple questions today, swagsters. But I invite you to explore this with me. We look outside of ourselves for answers more often than not, when sometimes, the answer is within us all along, if we’re just willing to go inside and listen.

the perks of sleeping soundly

I took it way easy last night. After dinner I pretty much planted myself in bed with my kindle and the rainstorms. As I previously mentioned, my friends and I have started a little book club and our first book is Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I’m already about 1/3 of the way through it and holy cow… I have half a mind to call out of work so I can keep reading today. I’ve been completely sucked into this. It’s so good!

comfy cozy rainstormy night

I fell asleep a little after 10 and woke up organically this morning, without an alarm at 7. My alarm had been set for 8, though, so I took the time to have a nice long wake up. I laid in bed til about 7:45 doing my morning phone-errands and listening to NPR. It was a total #jadorelavie moment.

When I got myself out of bed, I was feeling more than ready to workout. Admittedly, I’m a bit sore from yesterday’s return to weight-lifting, but not too sore. The kind of sore that benefits from moving, know what I mean? So I went with the most recent BodyRockTV workout. It was tough, but my joy of being back in my routine helped me push through.

Last night I also scored a major win. I happened to have a $25 gift card to Overstock, and I’ve really been wanting to get heavier dumbbells for my house. I only have 5lbs right now and those don’t cut it for my weight lifting needs. As much as I enjoy BodyPump classes, working out at home has spoiled me and I would just rather do it on my time instead of the gym’s schedule. So I meandered over to Overstock and scouted things out. I found a set of adjustable dumbbells that max out at 40lbs. Well that’s well more than what I need. After my gift card and using a free trial of the Club O in order to skip shipping, I was going to get these babies for $9.99. Then inspiration struck and I searched the web for Overstock coupon codes. Swagsters… I nabbed this dumbell set for $6.49! I practically feel like I’m an extreme couponer. This is the next step in ridding myself of my gym membership and saving $25 a month. Next on my home gym wishlist is an equalizer, but we’ll give it a bit more time before I invest in that. 🙂

Speaking of saving money, however, I made my budget system last night! I figured out what I need each month, each week and even each shift at work, assuming I work 5 days a week. It includes bills, rent AND my contribution to the savings Markus and I decided we need to get a new apartment in a year. It is so beyond doable and I’m really excited to get started. Hooray! I feel really empowered now, and really in control of my situation. Such a good feeling. 🙂

Having all of that figured out was a major contribution to my finally being able to sleep last night. What a relief!

Last thing before I go: a new breakfast recipe!

Banana Bread Breakfast Protein Pudding

Recently I’ve been thinking about trying to omit tofu from my morning breakfast pudding. Now don’t go thinking I’m hopping on the “soy is bad” bandwagon because I am not. I personally think it’s a crock. I love soy-based proteins and I will not shy away from them. Ever. But for the sake of diversity in my diet, I’d like to change it up and free up tofu for other meals during my day. At the same time, I like a nice, thick, creamy breakfast pudding. This yummy breakfast just sort of… happened. I was officially out of silken tofu for the week and, to keep within my budget, I don’t plan on buying more. I did a quick run through of what I had available to me and this meal was born. And it is GOOD. The full recipe is on my ReciPage and so I’ll leave the link for you right … HERE.

Well that’s it for today, my friends. I hope you all have a great Friday! I’m off to work in a bit and planning to have a nice night in with my Kindle and the Olympics Opening Ceremony!

Are you reading a book right now that you just can’t put down?

Do you workout at home or a gym? 

Do you have any fun weekend plans? Are you going to watch the Olympics? 

ballin’ on a budget

Happy Thursday, Swagsters.

I finally made it back to BodyPump this morning! It felt good to hit the weights, and I’m already feeling the work I did!

But let’s just get right to the serious stuff, guys and gals…

I need a budget.

It seems like every month I’m scrambling to get this bill, that bill, rent, etc all paid on time. It makes for an endless cycle of stress. Sometimes I get so stressed out about money that it wakes me up at night and I can’t sleep. I’m currently about 4 days into this cycle right now and let me you tell you…. this swagster needs her sleep. I’m practically non-functional today. I’m so serious about trying to get a good night’s sleep right now that I told Markus I will be sleeping in our extra bedroom tonight and when he gets home from work, just simply leave me be. You know it’s serious now.

At any rate. A big part of why I am having so much trouble sleeping is financial stress. I realize these are kind of just the times we’re all living in, but I also truly feel that I can do something about my circumstances. My job is a blessing and a curse. As a server, I have the ability to realize I need money, pick up a shift and pay a bill with 5 hours of work. Not too shabby. The problem is that I tend to take that for granted and I end up sort of flying by the seat of my pants most months. Since I don’t have a weekly “allowance” in the form of a paycheck, I struggle keeping a structured budget.

But now, this is all going to change. I was inspired by the #surviveon35 challenge I’d been seeing on twitter and through FitFluential. I also remembered a conversation that my coworker and I had a while back about the way that she budgets every month. It helps her afford lots of trips to Fenway, music festivals, etc. Now I’d love to have leisure money but my purpose right now is to SAVE. Markus and I need a new apartment and it’s never going to happen if we aren’t paying attention to our income and spending.

I took the first step yesterday by grocery shopping on a strict budget. Normally I grocery shop and spend about $60 by just haphazardly throwing things into my cart. I figure this isn’t an awful number, but the fact is, I typically end up back at the grocery store 3 or 4 more times throughout the week and usually drop about $15 to $20 each time. Okay well there is just no reason that I should need $140 in groceries for just myself in one week. Especially now that I’ve peeped all the great #surviveon35 ideas.

So this week I figured I could do my shopping on $40. I knew I already had some things around my house that I could use and I set myself to making a menu for the week. I came up with 2 or 3 options for each meal and then I made a grocery list. I put on the list only what I needed and vowed that I would not purchase anything extra.

And… I did it! I not only did it, but I had money left over! I still have about $9 to spend for the week, if I need it!

$9.33 left over!

This small feat inspired me. I can do this. I can budget, I can save and I can stop losing sleep over money. So now I’m going to put myself to actually budgeting the rest of my life, not just my groceries.

This is something I’ve never done before, and I’ll admit, it seems like a challenge. But I’m ready to take it on. In another life I would have just hoped that life would get better, easier, less expensive. However, knowing what I know now, I realize that I simply must take an active role in changing my circumstances. So wish me luck, swagsters. This is how I’ll be spending the rest of my afternoon!

For now, I’m going to leave you with some pictures and links to recipes. I can’t take credit for any of the food I made for this week, I borrowed recipes from all over the internet. As the weeks go on and I get more comfortable and knowledgeable with my budget, I’m positive I’ll branch out and work on some of my own meal ideas.

Breakfasts are going to be largely unchanged. I’ll be switching back and forth between protein pudding and protein oats.

Lunches and dinners will largely be a choice between any of the following (and maybe a few randoms in between):

Baked artichoke falafel over steamed veggies or spinach salad.

Click this link for the falafel recipe. (Note: I didn’t have all purpose flour, so I used almond meal. They still turned out fine but I assume this is why they are cookies and not balls.) 🙂

lentils and quinoa in a lemon-tahini sauce

Make this! It’s so good. Here’s the link. (Note: I’m not a fan of rice, so I used quinoa instead. Totally perfect substitution.)

sweet potato and green bean curry over cauliflower “rice”

Best lunch. Ever. Here’s the link. As for the “rice,” this is just 1/4 head of cauliflower ground up in a food processor. Done.

These 3 recipes alone make up 13 meals! That may sound to you like it’s not a lot of variety, and I’ll certainly work on finding ways to change things up a bit, but for now, this is going to work just fine for me!

What I can say for sure right now, at the beginning of my new adventure, is that I am taking control of my situation instead of wishing it away and hoping for the best. That’s a big realization for me, and I’m proud of myself for that all on it’s own! (Proud! I’m proud of myself!) Being proud of me is probably going to be a game changer. I’m not punishing myself for being bad with my money, I’m recognizing an opportunity to make a change for the better. Those are two totally different approaches to the same situation and we’ve just got to chose the one that leads us to higher swag levels. Am I right or am I right?!

Do you follow a budget? Do you have any tips for me?

the end of staycation

Hey Swagsters!

Last Wednesday I was talking about how Hump Day finally applied to me, and now life is back to normal. This “Hump Day” is actually the first day of my work week. Nothing lasts forever, eh? 🙂

So that obviously means my staycation is officially over. It was a lovely 5 days with so many people that I love, I can only be grateful for the opportunity to spend time with them all.

When I left off Tuesday morning, I was trying to re-plan my beach day since it had begun raining quite heavily.

It was not exactly bikini weather.

So Holly and I did some serious brainstorming, trying to think of something fun to do today and then it hit us: shop for school supplies!

Sorry, I’m not sorry, but shopping for school supplies is literally one of my favorite things to do, and as I’m starting school again next month, it was perfect. We got a great head start on it and I didn’t have to sort through what was left from the droves who had picked everything over.

pencils, erasers and notebooks, oh my!

I just love the back-to-school anticipation. But let’s check back in October when I’m potentially pulling my hair out over assignments to be turned in. 😉

We worked up an appetite, so I suggested to Holly that we head to a yummy restaurant in Hartford called Tisane. They have really yummy, interesting food and a lot of it is or can be vegan friendly.

veggie tofu potstickers

edamame two ways: steamed pods and edamame hummus

I opted for 2 appetizers. They were so yummy and I was left feeling very satisfied.

We finally decided to head to a matinee film. We went to see To Rome With Love. Ummmm not sure how to describe how I felt about the movie. Theoretically, I liked it. But it was also very confusing and a little disjointed. It was hard to see how all the different story lines were related. I felt like I was asked to accept this as a real depiction of life but to also to suspend reality for sporadically placed fantastical bits. We were left scratching our heads, but we still had a good time and it certainly gave us something to talk about!

We ended our day with a visit to my sister. We just chatted and had a nice time together.

The next morning Holly and I were up early to head to Boston, where Holly would catch a plane and head home. It worked out perfectly because it gave me the opportunity to replace my sadness from Holly’s departure with happiness to get to have lunch with Heather! Obviously, we went to Garden Grille and Wildflour. Duh. Is there any other option really?

edamame and white bean burger, kimchi remoulade, vegan chipotle mayo and a pickle!

What a comforting lunch! Heather and I had precisely the same lunch which is turning out to be a trend whenever we eat at Garden Grille together. What can I say, that girl has really good taste. 🙂

raw vegan cheesecake

After lunch we headed over to Wildflour, because that’s just what you do. I snagged an iced coffee (something like my 3rd or 4th on the day… hey… I was tired!) and this delicious raw vegan cheesecake, which I enjoyed at a stop light on my way out of town. 🙂 It was quite a torrentially rainy drive home, but I was grateful. When I say I was tired, that is a massive understatement. My staycation had caught up with me and the rainy drive helped me stay awake.

Once home I had just enough time to munch on some dinner (nothing special so not pictured) before heading right out to meet my friends Melissa and Bonnie. We decided last week to create our own little book club, as we’re all on a kick to try and have fun, cheap, straight-edge fun. So last night we met at the bookstore and each presented 5 books that we wanted to read. We actually came up with a hilariously intricate system of rating books and finally decided on the first 3 books that we will be reading:

1. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
2. The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy
3. The Great Gatsby (we’re all opting to re-read in preparation for the movie!) by F. Scott Fitzgerald

We had such a great time talking about our book ideas and laughing.

When I got home, I found myself full of gratitude. In one day I had spent time with so many people that I love and that represent so many different aspects of my life. What a fantastic way to spend the last day of staycation. 🙂 I’m a very, very, very lucky girl.

My night ended with menu and workout planning for the week. I got back on my workout grind this morning, and now it’s time to get ready to re-enter the real world. I’m looking forward to going back to work, making some money and also some pretty fun adventures with food this week! Keep on the look out, y’all. The Swag is officially back.

Lyman Orchards

Heyyy Swagsters.

I wasn’t sure I’d have time to update while my friend was in town. However, I woke up at 5 this morning and couldn’t fall back asleep, so lucky (?) for us, here I am. 🙂

And here’s what’s been happening!

Holly’s here!

choo choo!

Holly, who is getting her PhD in Missouri right now, happened to be in Boston for a conference, and once she was finished there, she took a train into Hartford so we could have our little reunion. In case I haven’t mentioned it before, Holly is one of my best friends from college and life has kept us apart for the past 3 years, so our time together this week is long overdue!

We relaxed for a bit after I picked her up, and then we headed over to Blue Back Square for dinner. We ate at one of my favorite places in the area: The Counter Burger. They have, hands down, the best veggie burger I’ve ever had at a restaurant and I love the way you get to customize your burger any way you want.

in the belly, you go!

Usually I opt for cranberries, avocado and balsamic glaze, but today I was feeling the tex mex thing. So I ordered a veggie patty over lettuce with jalapenos, black bean and corn salsa, scallions and guacamole. Yum! And don’t forget the massive order of fries that we got as an appetizer. (So big it still looks untouched when we got our dinner!)

After dinner, Holly and I had some time to kill until Markus got off work and it was a gorgeous Saturday evening, so we sat outside and listened to the live band that was playing in the square. I won’t give their name, because I don’t have anything, erm, positive to say about them. But they gave us lots of laughs after we overcame our initial confusion. Sometimes you just gotta give up, take stuff as it is, and find the humor in this crazy life.

huh?

Sunday: Lyman Orchards!

Sunday was another beautiful day in CT so Holly and I made our way to Lyman Orchards for some peach and berry picking.

beautiful view from the orchards

beautiful berries.

this haul would easily have cost me $10 at the grocery, but i spent just under $3 to take them home. /swoon

I love, love, love picking fruit at the orchard. It reminds me of being young and going out with my sister and parents picking apples and having family time. It brings back a feeling of so much love. Every time I go, I’m always grateful my parents took us to do that kind of stuff. I feel like I appreciate it so much more as an adult now and I savor those memories. (Love you, Mom and Dad!)

Holly and I were sad to see that most of the peaches weren’t ripe enough to pick yet, because we love peaches but also because we’d had plans to put them in a cobbler later. However, once we hit the Orchard’s market store, we realized they’d pretty much brought all the ripe peaches in to sell in bunches, so we were able to snag a couple for our upcoming dessert.

After the Orchard, we went to Whole Foods to get dinner supplies and then came home to make this bad boy:

peach and blueberry cobbler!

making my kitchen smell divine and my tummy rumble in anticipation!

fresh outta the oven

The recipe for this cobbler can be found here. It turned out delicious. Not too sweet, tart from the fruit… basically the perfect summer cobbler. It would be great with some vegan vanilla ice cream or vegan whipped cream on the side. It would (and will!) also make a yummy, super healthy breakfast!

Well Swagsters, that was my Sunday. Staycation is about half way over! Time flies when you’re having fun, right? I continue to be grateful for this time with my friend and the time to relax and enjoy the summer a bit.

Today’s activities are up in the air, we were supposed to have a beach day but it seems that it’s going to be a rainy Monday! Time to get flexible and creative!

Did you do anything fun this weekend? What’s your favorite summer time activity? Is there an activity you love doing today because it reminds you of happy memories from your youth?

And don’t forget your Proud-of-Me lists! Have you been keeping at it? It’s easy to make excuses and say, “Oh, I’ll just do it tomorrow.” In fact, I’m guilty of that one night this week. But I am back on track and reminding myself that it only serves to make me love myself more. Plus it only takes a couple minutes! Don’t deny yourself the opportunity to give yourself love. YOU DESERVE IT!

What are you proud of yourself for doing this weekend?

 

ION and Om Street Yoga

Stay-cation is only just started and it’s already more amazing than I could’ve asked for.

Caitlin, Heather and I parted ways a little while ago, and now I’ve got about 2 hours til Holly’s train arrives. Instead of going to full into detail, I’m going to give you some pictures of the fun I’ve had in the past 24 hours.

Dinner at It’s Only Natural

Chalkboard tables are the best!

passing the time while we wait for dinner

Cait’s Katy Perry charade.

side salad with lemon tahini dressing.

dinner before: “cheese”burger and sweet potato fries

dinner after: it never stood a chance

Om Yoga in the Streets and breakfast at Hartford Baking Company

sangha, spreading compassionate practice

brought my protein pudding with me and enjoyed a delicious cup o’ joe

Heather, Cait and I just chatted our little hearts out. I have to say that I am really feeling a deep sense of gratitude right now. I have some very amazing women in my life. Our conversations always lead me to discovering something new about myself. People that help you know yourself on a deeper level are people you simply must keep around in your life.

Forgive me if I’m short and sporadic this weekend, I will try to check in as much as I can. However, these are the moments I live for, these are the days that all my practice of being healthy, strong and happy get to be rewarded. This is the stuff of life, and I have every intention of being there for it.

the start of staycation!

Happy Friday Swagsters!

It’s the big day for me: the start of my stay-cation! As I type, Heather could be here any minute, so I’m going to keep this short.

I was supposed to work on the outdoor patio today, but it is a very dreary July day here in CT and has been chilly (by my standards) and raining (scientifically proven fact) so I ended up having the day off. I feel like the universe was looking out for me on this one because it turns out I had a lot to get done before my first round of house guests arrived! Or, if things didn’t have to get done, I’ve sure kept myself busy today!

I started off BodyRocking the latest workout this morning. Man, are my legs already looking forward to a yoga/rest day. It was a tough workout, as always, but definitely made tougher by fatigued legs! I’m pretty sure two long nights at work didn’t help my situation at all.

After discovering I had the day off, I took myself and my MacBook to Starbucks to work on blog-related things.

snack time!

I enjoyed one of those new Starbucks Refreshers in Very Berry Hibiscus flavor. It lived up to it’s name- very refreshing! I also had some dried apple pieces as I worked away. It was a productive and delicious time, if I do say so myself.

The result of my work is that I have a ReciPage now! I figured I’d better get recipes organized now before it became too daunting of a task later into the life of my blog.

I came home around lunch time with one thought on my mind: comfort food. It’s so dreary today that I just had to have something that warmed me to my soul.

mmmm

I remembered I had frozen some curried lentil soup not too long ago, so I roasted up some brussels and sweet potato frites (obvi) and enjoyed them alongside. So yummy and so perfect. Never mind that we’ll be dining at ION tonight and I’m sure to have more sweet potato fries. Sorry I’m not sorry.

Afterwards I ran some more errands around town, chatted with my Mommy on the phone for a while, straightened up some last minute things in the apartment and finally hopped in the shower.

By the time I was finished primping myself, my belly was rumbling. Dinner will be a little later than normal for me, so I opted for a snack that I knew would hold me over.

peanut butter jelly time!

I just discovered this new greek style almond milk yogurt at Whole Foods today and I couldn’t pass up trying it out. I threw in some powdered peanut butter and (not pictured) psyllium husk. Talk about a filling snack! (And delicious, to boot!) I will definitely be good to go until dinner.

Swagsters, do you have any fun plans for this weekend? Anyone else on stay-cation? What’s your favorite stay-cation activity?  What’s your favorite rainy day comfort food?

I’m hopping off now, but keep your eye out for tweets and instagram pics (find me at @tofu_swag on instagram) of our delicious dinner tonight!

pride for days

Hey hey! We’ve made it to Thursday!

Last night I worked and it was wayyyy busier than I thought it would be. But that meant more $$$ than I was expecting so that was a total bonus. After work, I went to Cuvee, a martini lounge around the corner from my work. It was my friend’s birthday, and I wanted to make sure I popped in to say hi. I sipped on water…

…a most welcome drink considering it was ridiculously muggy and humid last night, and socialized with my friends until about midnight, when Markus and I headed home.

I was exhausted!  I’m almost NEVER up that late. I think I might have actually fallen asleep before my head hit my pillow last night. Since it was such a late night, I allowed myself a lie-in this morning. I woke up close to 8:30 and decided to head straight to the coffee maker instead of to my workout room. In general, I prefer working out right when I wake up, but I knew I had time today, and it’s just another way of listening to the body when it says, “ummmm can we hold off for a couple hours, please?”

When I did make it to my workout, I was excited to get moving. Since yesterday was yoga day, that meant today was back to BodyRocking! I warmed up with this Lite workout, before hitting up this bad boy: Whistle Workout. This ended up being one of those workouts that made me want to vomit, cry, quit, runaway and never come back. But because I’m a Swagster, and we are such badmamajamas, I finished it and I felt like a champion!

right after bodyrocking… you can still see the fear of death in my eyes. 😉

sweaty shoulder blade stains after lying and panting and recovering

The rest of my day is a mixture of noms and cleaning. I’ve never been so excited to clean my apartment. All the fun visits from friends happening this weekend has me riding an anticipatory high!

After my workout and my first round of cleaning, I needed lunch!

leftovers!

I finished off the last of my refried beans with some guacamole over greens and sweet potato frites on the side. So yummy and satisfying! I’m so glad the heat wave finally broke! My body thrives on warm food and it felt good to put some in my belly!

Mid-week updates!

Let’s check-in with each other, swagsters! How are you doing this week? Have you been keeping a list of reasons you’re proud of yourself? I know it can be awkward at first if you aren’t used to it, but it’s such good practice! If you’re having trouble with this at all, allow me to share some of the things I’ve applauded myself for this week:

1. I make yummy recipes that people appreciate/want to try/have tried and love.
2. I laugh at myself for being klutzy instead of telling myself I suck.
3. I asked for what I wanted from my doctor instead of standing by while she made choices for me.
4. Even if I get off to a rough start at work, this week I’ve been able to turn my attitude around.
5. I went out with friends and stayed sober, proving to myself I am in control of my actions and I can have fun without drinking.
6. I listened to my body and adjusted my workouts appropriately.

Easy, peasy! It can be a big deal or a little deal, but all that matters is you take a moment to say, “Job well done, Self!”

Feel free to share with me in the comments any of your goals, even if it feels awkward. This is the judgement-free zone, Swagsters and if YOU’RE proud, I’M proud.

I’ve gotta wrap it up now, some more cleaning to do, laundry, my daily meditation, maybe a nap and then off to work for the night! See you tomorrow!