Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Foodie for a Day Wednesday - The Cold Addition

Can you believe it’s the last day of August? I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around how fast this summer has gone by; it’s crazy! 


Today I’m keeping it easy as I’ve been overtaken by a cold. I went into work at 6 this morning but as I was getting ready, let’s just say, it wasn’t pretty. Things calmed down and the flem seemed to be sitting until I went to yoga and sent it moving with some Bhastrika breath. I thought I was going to go into a coughing fit right in the middle of class. I actually had to get up and leave at one point. More water and coughing without feeling like I was disturbing everyone else. 


I had plans to start working with Gigi Yogini today after class but due to the nature of my being, we decided to put it off until Friday. I made a stop at Trader Joes for some foods to make a sick lady feel better: LOTS of juice with Vitamin C, Organic Veggie Soup (well I went for a Lentil Veggie soup - so good!), and I splurged on some Powerberries (dark chocolate covered fruit juice pieces made with acai, pomegranate, cranberry and blueberry juices - and they say “an excellent source of vitamin c.”) 




It’s possible I was starving when I was at the grocery store and craving chocolate. ;) 


But a can of soup and half a bottle of juice later and I sure hope I’m on my way to recovery. My lunch break tomorrow will consist of a trip to Whole Foods to pick up a Gigi Yogini recommendation to beat this cold. Sure hope it works! 


And with that, I’m back to bed to relax!

The Street Aesthetic of New York City by Christian Andersen

One of my friends and coworkers posted this video on Facebook and when I saw it this morning I needed to share it. If I didn't already miss NYC, you know this video took it over the top. NYC is one of my favorite places and gives me this unexplainable feeling that LA has never been able to give me. This video is absolutely gorgeous, so please check it out!

The Street Aesthetic of New York City from Christian Andersen on Vimeo.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Healthy Living Summit Recap #1

Could I have taken any longer to recap my weekend at the Healthy Living Summit?  I’m saying probably not and while I should probably be spending my evening do other things, I don’t want to do them, I want to share my experiences at HLS!
I arrived to Philly around 10:30/11 AM and went straight to the hotel hoping I’d be able to check-in early.  To my delight, I was able to and spent the afternoon in the hotel room napping and relaxing after traveling for the last 10+ hours.
My first roommate to arrive was Amy (Setting Goals, Taking Chances).  We walked around the hotel a bit chatting and getting to know each other until it was time for early check-in.  We got our HLS t-shirts and swag bags and then headed back to the room.  When we got back, we dug through our bags in amazement of all the fun things hiding inside.  There.was.so.much.stuff!


After a quick freshen up, we headed over to the Reading Terminal Market for the welcome cocktail party. 


The cocktail party was fun but super overwhelming!  At times I felt my social anxiety taking over and it was very difficult for me to just go up to people and start talking, so I was very happy when others came and introduced themselves.  Thankfully I had Amy there and since she was kind of feeling the same way, we were never able to feel alone.


We had some delicious food and drinks and took crazy photos in the photo booth!

Friday night was fun but we all really came for Saturday!  And thankfully, my other roommate for the weekend, Danielle (Dani Eats Veggies) made it!  She was sad she missed the cocktail party due to transportation problems but happy she made it, and so were we!
I totally stole this picture from Amy's blog. :)

After an ice breaker activity, we broke up for the day’s sessions.  There were a few hours we could choose between two different panels but then we would come together to see our keynote speaker, Dawn Jackson Blatner.  (More about her in a future post).
The panels I attended were fun and really interesting.  Here’s what my day looked like:
-Budgeting for  Healthy Lifestyle with Lauren


-Utilizing Social Media to Network and Make Friends in Your Area with Theodora, Ashley and Cynthia



-The Numbers Game with Tina, Beth, Janetha and Lisa

The ladies are being introduced by Katy


-Monetizing Your Blog (Without Selling Out) with Katy


Super fun and informative sessions.  I need to review all of my notes (Yes I took notes! Lots of them!) and hope to tell you more about what I learned soon!

And this whole event was planned by Meghann from Meals and Miles and she did an INCREDIBLE job! 
More to come about the Sunday morning Fun Run and Dawn Jackson Blatner’s presentation at HLS.  I’m too tired to keep writing tonight and her talks were so good, I want to be awake when I write about them! :)


Did you miss The Food of the Healthy Living Summit

Monday, August 29, 2011

Music Monday


I am so thankful I have friends with good musical tastes because I always get introduced or re-introduced to the music that’s out there.  I’m particularly lucky because my best friend Tracey knows good music and is always sharing good music.  Her most recent share was “Ocean” by John Butler Trio.  This song makes me swoon and melt.  I love good music.


Sunday, August 28, 2011

Friends, Fire, Fun!

I would call today a successful day off!  I woke up with the intent to go to yoga, spend a couple hours at the beach and come home and relax.  That's not exactly how my day went, but that's okay!

I was trying to check my email and blog this morning but our internet was down so as I ate breakfast I was troubleshooting.  It was clearly an issue with Time Warner because nothing was working.  I had a feeling I wouldn't get to yoga in time, so my friend Heather and I decided to move up the beach and I'd move back yoga.

We decided to go to Dockweiler Beach which has fire pits, not with the intention of snagging a fire pit but when we got there, there were some free and we were like "well, why not?"  Blayne met us after a few hours along with a few of their friends and then Corrine came a couple hours later.  We had a little barbecue + s'mores party; it was fantastic!

Heather and I were NOT prepared since it was such a last minute idea/decision so thank you to their friend's for supplying us with all of the delicious outdoor BBQ/picnic necessities.  Next time, you guys bring nothing and we'll bring the food! :)

My phone was dying but Blayne took a bunch of pictures I hope to share later.  For now, here's the one I took on my phone of the fire.  Good night!



Friday, August 26, 2011

Fitness Friday


Another relatively easy week of workouts due to traveling and trying to get back into the swing of my life again.
SAT 8/20/11
30 mins walk/run (2.5 miles)
SUN 8/21/11
90 mins walk through Philly (5k as part of the HLS group)
20 min walk through Central Park NYC (It was a nice day and after the train and subway, I didn’t feel like also taking a bus)
MON 8/22/11
60 mins yoga w/ Lisa
Walking through NYC
TUES 8/23/11
Rest / Travel
WED 8/24/11
35 mins elliptical
THURS 8/25/11
30 mins run/walk (2.45 miles)
25-30 mins arms & stretching - lifted heavy and it felt great!
FRI 8/26/11
90 mins yoga
(I technically haven't gone yet but will be going after work!)

Source


Thursday, August 25, 2011

How to Travel Healthy

Having gone on two trips this month may make it hard to believe but I don’t travel very often, aside from going home and the occasional trip for a big show or event.  But I have to say, I do consider myself someone who knows how to travel.
I’m the girl you want to be behind in the security line because I’m ready and through about as quick as I possibly can.  With my trip to the east coast, I was making friends with the TSA agents because I was ready and waiting on others.
I know how to save money on expensive food and beverages at the airport while staying within TSA guidelines.
I know how to eat healthy and be prepared when hunger strikes so that I’m stuck in a moment of starvation with only candy bars and fried food options in front of me.
I’m not perfect and still like to enjoy local foods and save some room in my suitcase and backpack.  But after traveling so much this month, I wanted to take a moment to share some of my tips on how to travel healthy:
-Pack a lunch/dinner (that can go through security)
I brought a Tempeh spinach sandwich + a cut up peach and then I bought a soy latte once I made it through security

-Pack plenty of healthy snacks like power bars, trail mix and fruit
Pretty sure I packed this x5!


-Starbucks Via Ready Brew + powder creamer (all you have to do is ask for a cup of hot water)
Saving money AND it comes in handy to avoid nasty hotel room coffee!

-Bring an empty reusable water bottle (fill it up at the drinking fountain once you get through security)
Source


-Bring along packets of oatmeal + peanut butter (the easiest way to make breakfast on-the-go)

I bought a whole grain bagel + banana and with my packet of peanut butter, I got a little protein and didn't have to eat a bagel with no topping (remember: no butter or cream cheese for me!)


Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Foodie for a Day / The Food of the Healthy Living Summit


You’d imagine healthy food at a Healthy Living Summit, yet I was still pleasantly surprised by the delicious healthy food available!
Friday night was a cocktail party and I failed miserably at taking pictures of my plate of snacks + drinks.  Sorry...
Saturday began with a delicious array of fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal, juice and coffee.  Our breakfast was courtesy of Attune Foods!  I settled down with a cup of Oikos blueberry Greek yogurt with chopped strawberries and Uncle Sam’s Honey Almond Cereal which I used like a granola.  Along side, of course, was a cup of Starbucks coffee with soy milk (x2)!

A quick snack break between sessions was brought to us by Quaker and consisted of their new Quaker Chewy Smashbar.  A delicious granola bar with pretzels, chocolate chunks and graham pieces.  I’d say it was a hit!
Source


Lunch was by far the highlight of food in my opinion!  By reading Kath’s blog, I was introduced to Great Harvest bread and I have been waiting for the day that I could actually try it myself.  Well thanks to the Healthy Living Summit and Great Harvest Wayne, I had the opportunity to try it and it did not let me down!


I had two sandwich halves - the Smoked Tofu and Roasted Veggie, with a side salad + some delicious quinoa salad!  I will be finding the Great Harvest in the LA area and splurging for some delicious, chewy bread in the very near future!

Rounding out the afternoon with another snack, once again provided by Quaker, we had Lightly Salted Rice Cakes with Naturally Nutty nut butters!  We were all so excited and the nut butters went fast!  Clearly I was so excited I forgot to take a picture, but I was snacking happily!
Gathering a group of 200+ healthy living bloggers in one place is a difficult feat and any large group really would have been difficult so we were on our own.  My roomies, Dani & Amy, decided to head out for some place that looked good.  By the time we stumbled upon and decided on The Corner, we were starving and I’m pretty sure anything would have tasted good.


I went for the Summer Vegetable Stew with eggplant, okra, zucchini, squash and tomato over steamed rice with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.
There are about 10 photos of this glass of wine as I was trying to play with the different settings on my camera.

We were all happy with our meals, though unsure if we liked it so much because it was food and almost anything would have tasted yummy at that point.  But with a seat on the roof-top deck enjoying the warm evening, we were happy.
The ladies ended the evening with a walk for some fro-yo but I was suddenly not feeling well and decided to walk by skip the yogurt.  Their delicious looking cups of fro-yo were tempting though!

The event ended Sunday with an oatmeal breakfast bar courtesy of Quaker Oats.  More fresh fruit, cereal, yogurt, coffee and of course oatmeal + toppings!


I went for the oatmeal with cinnamon, a bit of almond butter, chopped nuts and fresh fruit.  I ended up chopping up my strawberries and adding them to the oatmeal to make it even more delicious!  Plus coffee x2 (of course)!!


And I grabbed a delicious white nectarine for the road train!  It was a delicious snack!

I’ll be back with the recap of the Healthy Living Summit-beyond the food soon!
(And I would like to take this moment to apologize for the horrendous pictures!  Spending my weekend around so many bloggers made me realize that my camera/photography skills are not where I would like them to be.  I’m now on the market and taking suggestions for new cameras - that hopefully won’t break my bank account, especially while I’m not ready to upgrade my phone.)





Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Busy busy busy!

Today has been non-stop! I was hoping I'd have time to blog earlier but I didn't and my flight was used for trying to rest + a little sleeping. 

Last night in NYC, I got to see a bunch of my friends: Ida, Tina, Jilly, Jay, Laura and (of course) Lisa.  Ida and I went for dinner and I met the rest for drinks after. It wasn't a late night but I also knew since it was my last night to see my friends it wouldn't be an early one, let alone an early enough one to meet the needs of someone catching a 7am flight. 

3 or so hours of sleep later and I was flagging down a taxi on the upper east side of manhattan. I had planned to take the subway but knowing my easiest route was down until 5am (the time I needed to be at the airport), I decided it was best to pay (significantly) more money to make travel easier and a bit safer in the wee hours of the morning. 

After landing, getting my baggage, waiting for the Super Shuttle and getting dropped off at home, it was already 11am. I took a quick shower, ate a bowl of cereal and finished up some web work and headed off to work.  

It's a late night at work with a quick turnaround to be back in the morning and I know there's no time to blog when I get home if I have hopes to hit the gym before work. I plan to fill you all in on my lovely trip in more detail, especially the HLS events so hang tight, I promise it's coming!

I'm also taking suggestions on a new slr camera since this weekend made me realize I want to kick things up a notch!  I have ideas brewing in my head and there's plenty of potential in my future! Night folks! 

Monday, August 22, 2011

Making up for lost time..


I must apologize tremendously for my lack of posting but internet access (aside from the 3G service on my iPhone) has been hard to come by this weekend.  While my friends are working today I decided to transport myself to Starbucks for a cup of coffee and free internet on this rainy day in NYC.
This isn’t going to be the post that shares my experience and everything I learned at the Healthy Living Summit but rest assured that is coming!  It will probably wait until I get back to LA so I can spend the required time and energy that it deserves on the post.  (As in, I’ll probably write it on the plane and hit “publish” when I get back to my apartment). 

Source


I didn’t want to leave anyone hanging on last week’s workouts:
SAT 8/13
10 min abs & stretch
10 min buns & stretch
10 min arms & stretch
10 min abs & stretch
I didn’t feel like going to the gym or yoga today but I still wanted to be active and move my body.  I decided that doing a few “8 min ___” sessions was a reasonable compromise with myself and a way to look at more exercise options you could use when traveling.  And after completing this little sequence, I was tired and a little sore.  I wouldn’t do this every day but it’s a nice way to change things up when you’re feeling bored at the gym, don’t want to go or don’t have the time.
SUN 8/14
35-40 mins walk/run (3.1 miles)
MON 8/15
35 mins elliptical
20 mins legs, abs and stretching
TUES 8/16
A girl’s gotta rest
WED 8/17
90 mins yoga
43 mins walk/run (3.6 miles)
THURS 8/18
Rest/Travel
FRI 8/19
Rest/Travel
I’m heading back to my friend’s apartment to enjoy the rest of the day! There is yoga planned for later and I’m super excited!!

Friday, August 19, 2011

I Have Arrived!

It's true! After a potential plane re-routing mid flight (thank God that didn't happen), 5 mins to get from my first flight to my second flight (due to not having a gate for my plane upon landing), the AirTran being closed when my plane landed and figuring out how to get to the subway difficult (it opened back up 10 mins after I walked around aimlessly), a long subway ride to the train station, a fight for food and water before I passed out, a qweezy tum, a nap on the Amtrack to Philly (woke up right before my stop), a $10 taxi ride to the hotel, a little trouble checking in...BUT I
MADE IT!

My hotel roommates haven't arrived yet and even though I got an email saying my name was added to the room, the hotel didnt actually do it and left the room with 1 bed. The manager was the one helping me and she must have seen the exhaustion in my eyes because she worked it out and checked me in. A little nap and relaxing, a power bar and soon to be a shower and I'll (hopefully be good as new)! I'm still not feeling great though...my body works on a schedule and going off that schedule never turns out well. Plus veering from my usual foods is hard too.

Internet access sucks so far so it's looking like I'll be continuing to blog from my phone. The room has Internet but you need an Ethernet cable which 1-I didn't bring and 2-my MacBook air doesn't take an Ethernet cable without an adapter and I don't have that either. #fail

Send me positive vibes! I'm nervous, anxious, excited and did I mention nervous?!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

The Weekend We've All Been Waiting For!!

Okay, so maybe that's the overstatement of the week because it's really the weekend *I've* been waiting for (for the last few weeks)!

I'm off to the Healthy Living Summit in Philadelphia (& a trip to New York of course)!

Despite a semi hectic afternoon and early evening, I made it to the airport and through security fairly easy. I made friends with the guys at security, grabbed a coffee and sat down to eat my pre-packed dinner. Being vegetarian, lactose intolerant and someone with a fairly easily bothered tum, finding food I can eat at the airport can be a real nightmare. Thankfully I had some tempeh and spinach that needed to be finished off and a peach at the peak of ripeness. Boda-bing, boda-boom, I had dinner!

(a picture of my super awesome dinner may appear here once I can get Internet access that isn't on my phone so I can really blog.) ;)

I finished off dinner with a little stretching and a couple down dogs. I highly considered a good 20 min vinyasa but traveling alone makes me super paranoid of my stuff and I didn't want to shut my eyes for a moment and wake up to my stuff being gone. But a little stretching was actually perfect. I may do a bit more before boarding. I have a layover but both flights I am the unlucky middle seat so a good stretch will be good for me.

I'll do my best to blog throughout the weekend but if I don't, just know it's because I'm having an awesome time making new friends in Philly and seeing old friends in NYC.

Namaste!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Foodie for a Day Wednesday - NAKED (juice)


Preparing for the Healthy Living Summit is crazy!  Not because it’s actually crazy but because I have no idea what to pack and even though the dress code is pretty much non-existent (they even recommend yoga pants for Saturday!), I still have no idea what I want to wear and pack!  And then even as I figure it out, I change my mind.  I’m so excited I get to attend but I’m sure you can imagine the nerves are also taking over a bit, but I am trying to push them away.  It’s going to be a crazy-wonderful experience that I’ll be able to talk about for awhile!
Between getting ready for HLS and work, other aspects of my life are coming together and things are about to get really busy!  In a good way!
I went to yoga this morning and after class I had lunch with my yoga instructor to discuss the possibility of my working for her part-time until November.  After a delicious lunch and great conversation, I made my way over to the gym for a quick run.  I was looking for a 2 miler but 2 miles came and went and I felt good so I kept going.  I ended around 3.5 miles and while part of me wanted to keep going, I also knew I didn’t want to over exert myself before a long weekend so I stopped.  Sweaty and feeling good!  I’m now waiting for some text to come through so I can work on another freelance project I’ve picked up creating email newsletters and maintaining web presence for an artist.  Things are all coming together!
But after a morning and afternoon of heavy exercise, I knew I needed something when I got home that would help replace vitamins and nutrients, without making me feel weighed down.  I was so happy when I remembered I had a Naked juice in the fridge.  
I purchased two the other day at Target the other day when I was feeling slightly congested and knowing there was something going around the office with people not feeling the best, I didn’t want to be the next to go down.  VITAMIN C to the RESCUE!  I drank the “Blue Monster” driving home from Target, while the “Green Monster” was waiting for me to come home today.  Both were delicious and once opened, didn’t last long!


I love how these juices are full of delicious fruits and veggies, taste delicious and don’t have any ingredients that make you question what is going into your body.  Real food is so good for you and makes your body feel good.
The ingredients in my “Green Monster” are: apple juice, mango puree, pineapple juice, banana puree, kiwi puree, chlorella, broccoli, spinach, barley grass, wheat grass, parsley, ginger root, blue green algae, and odorless garlic.
I know “Green Monster” isn’t the most appealing looking juice but it sure makes up for it by tasting delicious!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Music Monday - Bern & the Brights

When I was living outside New York after college I was introduced to the band Bern & the Brights.  The band is from New Jersey and extremely talented.  This past week I found myself wanting to hear some of their music again so thanks to Spotify I was able to make that happen.  It also made me want to share it with you all.  Be ready to bob your head and get up and dance.
Enjoy "Sleepless Aristotle"!



Sunday, August 14, 2011

Living in LA is like....


Like I mentioned yesterday, today was quite the early day.  I woke up at 3:45, showered, ate breakfast, poured myself a cup of coffee and ran out the door for work.  I was surprisingly energetic and felt quite well rested.
Anyway, after we finished our even this morning, we went for a late brunch at Barney’s on the Promenade. Yay for french toast + strawberries!  But the whole point of this post is not to tell you about my french toast but rather about the quote that was on the bathroom wall as I was drying my hands.  I know this sounds strange, but hang with me here....
If you (or anyone you know) has ever moved to LA (especially for the entertainment industry), they have probably had a moment that felt like this quote.  Maybe they feel this way everyday.  Maybe they feel like this is just that temporary place for them to be while they figure out their life, their path, their career and where they ultimately want to end up.  But I think it’s accurate.  So accurate it made me laugh and I had to hurry back to my seat repeating it in my head because I didn’t want to forget it.  So accurate.  So funny.
“Living in LA is like being stuck on a set of a movie you didn’t want to see in the first place.”
I don’t know where it’s from.  I tried googling it but nothing came up.  But it’s brilliant.

Source


Saturday, August 13, 2011

Early to bed, Early to rise


“Early to bed and early to rise makes a (wo)man healthy, wealthy and wise” – Ben Franklin
And it is with that, that I head off to bed as this lady has quite the early day tomorrow.  Work event that starts at 7am is calling me to begin preparations at 5:30 so to not feel overwhelmed and stressed out.  You better believe my lunch is made, my bags are packed and my coffee is ready and set to “delay brew” (at 3:45am!) so I can walk downstairs and just pour myself a cup.
The coffee will flow tomorrow and I’m ready.  And a bit excited. 



Friday, August 12, 2011

Fitness Friday


This week ended up being a bit easier than I initially planned.  I need to work on changing up my workout a bit more as I’ve found I have been bored on a few occasions.   While I was home, I started reading while on the stationary bike and really enjoyed that and have continued that a bit into my workouts this week.  On Thursday I wasn’t feeling well as I was lifting so I quickly ended my workout and headed home; it’s all about knowing your body.
Fri 8/5
10-15 mins stationary bike (& read)
Sat 8/6
90 mins yoga
Sun 8/7
20 mins walk/run
20 mins stationary bike (& read)
Mon 8/8
30 mins stationary bike (& read)
Tues 8/9
15 mins abs & stretch
Wed 8/10
90 mins yoga
Thurs 8/11
30 mins elliptical
7 mins arms (was planning more)
Fri 8/12
Rest
A fun week ahead with my trip to NYC and Philly but until then I’ll have to step it up and get in some lifting since I didn’t do any (or hardly) this past week.

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