Tag: healthy living

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Travel

Saturdays are for the Souls

Happy Tuesday!

Today Iā€™m sharing something that Iā€™m trying to incorporate more in my life: self-care. Whether itā€™s a quiet night in with a good book or a girlā€™s night out with friends, we all need to take care of ourselves. Ā This past weekend, my best friend, Shay and I took a day trip to the city. We both have a heavy course schedule this semester and we decided to take some time before the semester got crazy to adventure and relax.

Walking through the streets of Pittsburgh on a rainy Saturday!

We left mid morning and got to Pittsburgh around 12:00, our first stop was the National Aviary. I had never been there before, but Shay had and assured me it would be an enjoyable time. It was a smaller, interactive place. We spent an hour there but, there were a lot of activities geared towards children that would be great for families. Ā There were lots of exhibits and it was very colorful, most importantly, there was a wide variety of birds.

Flamingo’s hanging out at the Aviary.
Can you spot the bird in this picture?

After we finished at the Aviary, we headed to Burgatory for lunch on the North Shore. It was a 10-minute walk, so we opted for the exercise rather than an Uber.

Although, I have eaten the delicious make your own burgers at Burgatory, I opted for a grilled ham and cheese sandwich was their fresh cut fries. I love their burgers but, they are huge and since we had more things planned I decided to go with something more manageable. I couldnā€™t leave without getting one of their famous milkshakes. I got the cookie monster and Shay got the Sā€™mores milkshake.

I love grilled cheese, but grilled ham and cheese is even better!
Treating ourselves and our sweet teeth to a milkshake!
Checking out some artwork in the Warhol exhibit.

After a delicious and filling lunch, we walked to the Andy Warhol museum. It was a first for both of us. It was a 10 minute walk from lunch to the museum.Ā  The Seven floor museum took us an hour and a half to get through. Tickets for students were only $10, which was a great deal for a few hours of entertainment. There were great displays of Warholā€™s pieces as well as a great history of Warholā€™s life. I personally loved his bright pieces of portraits of different well-known figures.

A few of my favorite pieces from the Andy Warhol exhibit. All photographs of Jackie Kennedy.
I love the bright colors in these flower paintings
We have to talk about the elephant in the room…
Warhol’s famous Campbells Soup artwork

Before, we headed back to school, we grabbed smoothies at Crazy Mocha. A cute cafƩ in the North Shore.

Smoothies at Crazy Mocha!
Definitely a must stop if you are in the North Shore area

Many memories were made during our fun Saturday excursion. We get wrapped up in our busy lives that we often forget to take care of ourselves. My challenge for you this week is to take some time out of your busy day/week for yourself. Have a great week!

Categories
Fitness

2018 Fitness Goals

This year, besides my new years resolutions, I came up with some things I want to work on when it comes to my personal development. One of these goals deals with fitness. Last year, I made a point to go to the gym five days a week. I successfully accomplished that goal with the exception of summer when I didnā€™t go as frequently.

This year, I want to challenge myself more when it comes to my work outs. For example, instead of just running on the treadmill for 30 minutes, I want to change it up with jogging, walking, and adding an incline to challenge myself more.Ā  I want to make my workouts more meaningful. I want to have a purpose of what I’m doing. Here are a few other things I want to improve with my work outs.

  • Walk 10,000 steps a day. This may seem like a lot but with all the walking I do at school to get from building to building, it shouldnā€™t be too hard. This will also encourage me to take more walks when I have down time. Iā€™m also looking forward to using my Fit Bit Alta HR to keep track of my steps. After just using my phone to track my steps for years, I have finally got a Fit Bit, be on the lookout in the future for why I love my Fit Bit. But, for now, I recommend getting one.

    I always wear my fit bit wherever I go.
  • Work on my Weight Training. When I go to the gym, I tend to focus on Cardio, however, this year I want to work on weights training to add tone muscle to my body. Iā€™ve been searching online and on Pinterest for ideas, but I would love to know your favorite workouts. Let me know in the comments below.
  • Get my time down for running a mile. As much as I love to work out, I hate running! Typically I jog or walk on the treadmill with an incline. This year, I want to work on my speed when it comes to running. I plan to spend one day a week just focusing on running as part of my workout.
My latest fit bit stats.

Whether you are a workout enthusiast, or you have never stepped foot in a gym, donā€™t feel intimidated. Ā I try to set realistic goals when it comes to fitness, I KNOW Iā€™m not gonna run a marathon anytime soon. I set these goals to motivate myself. What areas do you want to improve in your life? Organizing? Fitness? Eating? Letā€™s all work together to achieve our goals of 2018 together!

Categories
Fabulous living

New Year. New Me. (Too cliche?)

Happy New Year!!! I hope you all had a safe New Years and rung it in in style. The new year is a time to start fresh. We all get a clean slate and can better ourselves in the upcoming year. The new year is also a time for everyoneā€™s favorite wordā€¦. resolution. We either love them, hate them, or make them and forget about them in a week. This year, I am going to try my best to come up with realistic resolutions and try to stick to them. I plan to write them out and put them where I can see them every day to remind me of them. By seeing them, I will feel motivated to accomplish them. My three resolutions for 2018 areā€¦

  • Snack less. I love to snack, and I have a big sweet tooth, this year Iā€™m going to choose healthier foods instead of my sweet and salty choices. I often get something to eat when I think Iā€™m hungry when Iā€™m not. We all can indulge from time to time but its important to choose healthier options and snack less between meals. This is going to be a tough resolution, but I hope to see changes this year.
  • Read more. I love to read, but I also love my tv shows. I read a lot over the summer and over break, reading relaxes me and I like to step away from technology to escape for a bit (yes, I still read real books and I donā€™t plan on switching anytime soon.) This year, I am planning on carving time into my schedule to read, Iā€™m thinking about incorporating it into my nighttime routine, but I would love your input and thoughts. Comment below!!
  • Be more flexible. I love my schedules, my plans, and my organization. But, Iā€™ve learned I need to be more flexible and not always stick to a schedule. I want to have more spontaneous adventures and outings in my life this year. This will be the hardest resolution for 2018, but I canā€™t wait to see how different I am from the beginning to the end of this year.

I limited myself to three resolutions because I want to be realistic and not over commit myself to things I canā€™t follow through on. What are your resolutions? What changes do you want to see in your lives this year? I know it can be scary, but we can all support each other together on this journey. Iā€™ll be keeping you all updated on my resolutions this year and I hope you will do the same with me. Hereā€™s to change in 2018!

Categories
Fitness

Pound Rockout Workout Class

With a new semester comes a new fitness routine. I am still going to the gym three mornings a week before class and on the weekends. Ā But, I like to try new things which helps break up my routine. My college campus always has new fitness classes and activities. They offer Zumba, Kickboxing, Yoga Ā and this year they introduced Pound Rockout Workout. Itā€™s a fast-paced class filled with a full body cardio workout and drumming.

Get yourself a friend who will take a selfie with you after a full day of classes AND an intense workout.

I was hesitant at first to try it, but my best friend and fitness motivator Shalyn convinced me to go and boy am I glad she did. Ā Fun fact; we randomly match most of the time we are at the gym and it’s totally not planned. This is one of those times. It was pretty surprising we can workout that afternoon and be back in the gym at 7:00 the next morning.

It was a 30-minute work out that got me sweating. Ā The class was at 5:00 which I really liked. I had tried Zumba before but it was from 9-10 at night and I didnā€™t like working out so late. I like to start my day with a workout not end my day with one. The music was fast paced and got me rocking. Each week we stick (no pun intended) Ā to the same routine and songs but every few months she changes up some of the moves or songs. The class focused on a core workout, lunges, squats and got us moving. We used drum sticks to hit the air or floor. After a long day or classes and work, it was a great and healthy way to release the stress and tension I had in me. Ā It was definitely a workout and I felt the effects the next day (or two).

Whether you have a Pound Rockout Workout Class near you or not, it’s always good to try new things and step out of your comfort zone. Try a yoga class or spin class. You never know if you will like something until you try it. My goal this school year is to say yes to more things (another blog post for later) and this class is just one example of that. I said yes to something new and I was so glad I did. Thank you Shay for taking me to class and sweating it out with me. It wonā€™t be my last time there.