End of May Update

Good evening and hello again! Since the last time I updated, SO much has happened! Looking back on a relatively short time, I've experienced a remarkable amount of change. For a brief summary, I'll explain the end of my semester. My friends and I had so many unbelievable times, and purely enjoyed our last weeks as seniors. We had some great adventures, and some great celebrations. For our senior retreat, we went as a class to Lake Placid, which of course was wonderful. So many cute little boutiques, great food, and purely relaxation time. When I know I"m going to be picking at unhealthy things, I focus on only consuming those calories, to make it easier to come back, and to not feel so badly. Instead of eating a lunch and dinner meal, I just allowed myself to taste and try all kinds of foods that I wanted to, in small moderation of course. That way I could really enjoy myself and not have to worry about getting too off track. After Lake Placid, we traveled back to Albany for our senior tea, which was a fun time to yet again dress up, and yet again eat great food. The chocolate covered strawberries were the size of my fist, yes please!

My graduation on Sunday was one of the best days of my life. It was so exciting and full of happiness, but it was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do. I am beyond obsessed with my school, and saying goodbye was no easy task, and something that I'm still getting used to, probably for awhile! But then again, I'm excited for college. Focusing on what's ahead, I am determined to keep up with my summer health goals, and to not jump off the heath train like last summer! I went grocery shopping and loaded the fridge with so many great things, motivating me to stay true to myself. Greek yogurt, strawberries, lettuce, you name it, it's in my fridge. What I love most about summer is how you can eat whatever you're in the mood for, and it is a-ok. Bowl of cereal for dinner because it's cool? Why not. I also bought a new drink called Neuro TRIM, which is so not like me, but I thought this one could be okay. It doesn't have many ingredients, and it's a fiber supplement drink that was recommended to me. I have to say, it tastes very good! I also have noticed that since drinking it, I feel full, but not uncomfortable. I'm not recommending it as a diet drink because I don't think that's the key to a healthy lifestyle, but I think it's interesting to try it out and see what it does to my body.

Delicious low sodium turkey breast, provolone, fiber one bread sandwich with fresh strawberries - delicious!

my Instagram shot of neuro trim! I'm working on my summer goals, so far planning out my meal goals and working out at least 4 times a week, fitting it in any way that I can. What are your goals, and how do you stick to them?

Rainy Tuesday

Hello and happy Tuesday! I haven't written in awhile but I feel like I have so much to talk about! A few weeks ago I went to Woodstock with one of my best friends Annika and I had a great time. It was definitely a huge culture shock for me, which definitely made it that much better. Everyone just seemed generally relaxed and happy and I loved the vibe I got just from being in the town. So many cute little shops and cafes on the main stretch, and so much tye-dye! I definitely don't need to see tye-dye for the next 50 years after seeing so much all at once. I met some of her family and we just kicked back and relaxed, blissful. The huge thunderstorm Saturday night didn't hurt either. I took this picture when I was in town, because the guy literally just walked across the street bare footed and lied down on this bench. I couldn't get enough of him!

The end of the semester has brought lots of spur the moment celebrations, aka, food outings, and I've loved every second of it. As long as you order smartly, you can have just as much fun as everyone else without feeling guilty about eating something with crazy high calories! To celebrate a surprise day off of classes (school tradition) my friends and I went to the Cheesecake Factory! Sounds scary, but I got out with under $10 spent, under 500 calories eaten, and a full stomach. I usually get the factory chopped salad which is full of so many amazing veggies and super low cal, but I was absolutely craving pizza! So I compromised and got the sausage flatbread. All the love and yumminess of pizza, but 1 fourth of the calories. It was delicious.

And a couple weeks before that, we went to Ben and Jerry's to celebrate (something?) and instead of a creamy 400 calorie cup, I was just as satisfied with a lower calorie nonfat Frozen Greek Yogurt. Raspberry Fudge Chunk-so good!

Finally on to my workouts! So for the last couple of weeks I've been getting really down on myself for not seriously sweating and being sore like I used to be after and during my workouts, and I couldn't figure out why. Then a couple of weeks ago another one of my best friends Emily told me I should try a workout app! There's honestly an app for everything. So I downloaded Nike Training Club and I'm so amazed by my results. So many new workouts and I sweat like I've never sweat before during them. I do advanced level workouts, and choose workouts depending on whether or not I want to strength train or "lean up". Also, if I do big cardio, I have the option of doing 15-minute target workouts, which focus on any part of your body that you choose. So today I did 30 minute intervals on the treadmill, and then did a 15 minute butt-focus workout. I sweat as much as I did in the 15 minutes as I did on my run! Also, I finally feel sore after, and it's the best feeling ever. Moral of the story, go download the app and run to the gym! Eats wise, my dining hall just got Greek Yogurt-waahooo! It's the little things, but this, is, awesome. Also, I have become obsessed with my banana snack before workouts if I'm dragging going into it. I cut out about a quarter of the banana andI put a tablespoon of PB in it. So good, and so energizing.

I bought some Luna bars over the weekend and I'm so excited to try them out! One of the boxes is protein packed bars, so I'm even more excited for that! My weekend was really nice otherwise. Stayed off campus for a night and had a relaxing weekend and enjoyed the (somewhat nice) weather. We went on a really nice walk near Loudonville which made me a very happy girl and had some yummy food during the couple of days. It's supposed to be beautiful this weekend so I'm even more excited to be outside again. Definitely will have to make it exciting to write about it! Enjoy the rest of your week and I will update next week! -Linnhe

Happy Wednesday!

It's almost Thursday which means it's almost Friday which means it's almost the weekend! At least that's how I see it. I've been really in my ultra health zone lately and it feels so good. My last few workouts have really kicked my butt and I walk away sore! So hard to do but such a great feeling to accomplish.

My weekend was super nice, mainly because of the amazing weather we had here in New York. On Saturday we went out and had to do some work stuff, which definitely paid off because we went to Saratoga later on, which is one of the cutest towns around. It's preppy, has cute shopping, and near the water. What's better? We went to an Irish Pub and I had an amazing salad with grilled salmon that was just to die. Sunday not too much happened, I got some work done for the week and was lucky enough to go out again for some relaxation and yummy yummy sushi.

Moving on to the week, Monday was so beautiful outside I just couldn't bring myself to stay in. It was 90 degrees! Definitely the best April ever. I went on two runs earlier and later in the day and soaked in every stride, loving every second of it. I had class later at night and definitely felt my calves burning. Treadmill to outdoor running is definitely quite the transition, especially with the heat. Today was lazy in the morning, and ultra productive in the afternoon. I woke up and had a big wonderful breakfast (scrambled eggs, slice of wheat toast, and a small serving of potatoes) and relaxed until class later in the day. For lunch I had a big salad with dark greens, chicken, melon, and some veggies.

I of course was reading my favorite blog, www.balancedhealthylife.com , and came across a workout that I absolutely had to try. I got to the gym so pumped up and it felt incredible. Before I left the gym I was already seriously feeling it! I left the gym feeling amazing and still dripping with sweat, which is always my goal. Doing the interval workout definitely reminded me how important it is to switch up your workouts so that your body doesn't adapt to the same exercises.

Workout:
-10 minute treadmill intervals (4.0-8.0, 1 minute per switch)
-50 plie squats (light weight)
-30 alternating lunges (medium weight)
-8 sumo squats (heavy weight)
-25 bicep curls (medium weight)
-25 squat jumps
-30 side lunges (medium weight)
-30 hip circles
Complete this circuit twice, and at the end, a 10 minute job/light run to cool down and move the body

Thank you Kjirsten for this amazing workout! Highly recommend to anybody looking to sweat.

For dinner I was starving and knew I needed to replenish my body with healthy yet filling foods. I had a big serving of green beans, 2 ounces of baked white cod, and 3 egg whites, all in marinara sauce. I also ate two rice cakes with PB and a little jelly because PB always makes my body feel satisfied and energetic.

My goal this week is to find some great new exercises to try out and to see how it changes my body to change things up. As of now, I already feel great with my new found love of intervals and circuits, and I'm excited to continue the trend.

What are your favorite circuit workouts? Where do you go for tips and inspiration?

Weekend and Intervals

Happy Saturday! Best day of the week if you ask me. I woke up this morning and had a small omelet with a little ham and a little cheese, and a side of whole wheat toast. Yum! After I digested a little, I planned out my workout and hit the gym. Today was my first attempt at intervals on the treadmill and let me tell you, I so wish I had started this method earlier. When I'm forced to run on a treadmill, I get so bored and 30 minutes feels like 74 hours because there is nothing interesting going on and the only thing to look at is the time. That being said, I took some advice and tried an interval workout on the treadmill and I'm telling you it was the best. I felt so accomplished, didn't worry about how much longer I had, and was shocked at how fast everything was going because I was only focused on little chunks of time for the 30 minutes.



After my run I did a little bit of strength training but not too much because I did it every day this week. I came back to my house, made a protein shake, and I feel back to my 100% already. Definitely a perfect way to start the day out.

This weekend is a little boring, nobody is really on campus and that leaves for nothing to do and nobody to do it with. Hannah and I went out to dinner last night, and being Friday, I got to splurge a little bit, which also motivates me for the rest of the week to eat cleanly. I had a sandwich sized serving of pulled pork (a southern girl cannot resist) without the bun, and a couple of sweet potato fries and I was full until this morning. And I can't forget my medium iced coffee for dessert! I breathe caffeine, healthy I know.

I'm going ice skating with a couple of friends in the area later for Agonies, and then out again for a fun night. Tomorrow is my study, clean, workout, relax day, and I must say I always look forward to it.