Nature's candy

Hey reader. I know its's been a while, but I've just been continuing to implement all of the things I've been talking about. I have even been taking out all of my friends on the paddle boards so sometime I can finally have my picnic on the middle of the lake, but that's not why I'm here now.

I just want make a mention of my new favorite snack. I've rediscovered dried apricots. I never really cared for them, but now that I'm beginning my summer traveling, I'm on the lookout for healthy snacks to avoid the standard chips and such, and these dried apricots have ben the answer. For one thing, they're dried (so I don't have to worry about them need refrigeration), they have a decent amount of fiber (so I get full and don't much the whole trip), and best of all they're super sweet (be careful not to buy the ones with sugar added, especially because they don't need it).

 So I highly recommend if you haven't given these a try yet. Next time you go to the store grab a bag and give them a chance.

Enjoy your summer.

Balloon regime

Hey reader. As always, I'm trying to keep my workout sessions engaging and fun. I'm trying something  else I did when I was a kid. I can remember at almost every party with non-helium balloons my friends and I would start little games of don't let the balloon touch the ground.

I had a bag of them sitting in my basement closet with our other miscellaneous things, and I figured I could put them to good use. If you make an effort to hit them relatively hard, chasing them around can really get you going. If you add fans in to the equation it makes it even more interesting, as it makes the balloon's movements less predictable. You can even bounce them off the walls and ceiling to add angles in to fun. Granted it takes about an hour for it to really qualify as exercise, and it's lowish key at that, but every once and a while, why not? That also gives me an opportunity to spend some quality time with my itunes library.

I really enjoyed it, and I'm glad that at my age I can still have fun with balloons. I even invited my friends to try it at my last little party, and they loved it. That just goes to show you, if you look like a dork you're probably having fun.

So until next time, do something dorky. Who cares who's looking.

Hard core whimsical workouts

Hey reader. I know it's been a while, but everything is moving along pretty well. I've been keeping up with all the things I committed to when I said it was time to dig deep, and I feel really good.

In addition to tracking everything I eat on my "mypyramid" app, I've been keeping up on the exercising too. Today was a pretty quality day as far as they go. I went SUP (big surprise, I'm sure. I must sound like a broken record). I also indulged in some swimming in the lake, with my board on tow. I feel like such a baby that I have to keep reminding myself that there isn't anything dangerous in my lake every time a scummy plant touches my foot. I try to paddle out to the middle of the lake, and then slide off to avoid plant contact. Either way, it's a nice change to the usual exercise staples.

Lately I've been trying to mix up the workout routine. Today after the swimming I gave jump roping a shot. I can't remember when I used it last, but I was impressed with my skills. I managed to be 17, jumping rope, and still look kind of cool. WOO!

I think I mentioned it before, but I'm a reasonably skilled belly dancer. I used to dance at least four times a week, and after Christmas that regiment slowly came to a halt. In the spirit of these nostalgic workouts I have been trying lately, I believe it's time to bring that exercise back into the routine.

I know everyone says it's important to find activities you like, but it really is true. If you haven't found one yet, I highly recommend you keep looking. I'm proof that there is something for everyone, even some unorthodox activities can be super fun, and burn more calories that sitting on the couch.

So until next time, go do something fun.

Time to dig deep

Hey reader. Today was a fantastic workout and it helped relight the fire. I cleaned stairs at apartment complexes  (as I will be doing every thursday for work). After I got home I wanted to have a real hardcore workout. I've been slacking a little lately with my eating, and i've been trying to at least break even.

Today I went paddle boarding and tried to make a whole workout on it, and in the lake. By the end of my about hour long session I did: 50 sit-ups, a 1 min. plank, 30 sec. side planks on both sides, 24 reverse sit-ups (when you raise your legs instead of your torso), a little swim (which I haven't done in that lake since I was a little kid. It felt good. ), and my usual 3 laps around the part of the lake where I know I can swim back to my dock.

That insane workout motivated me to eat strictly and properly again. I'm tired of working out as hard as I can, just to break even. I'm done! Time to get back to business and remember what I'm doing all of this for. My health and to tone up (especially while the lake is still a resource to me).

I just finished overhauling the fridge and pantry, and threw out all of the old vegetables I won't eat and the junk I don't need. I even had a little talk with my mother so she won't bring any new trash into the house for a while. I'm motivated now, but I'm not sure how great my will power will be when actually tempted. Either way the fridge and fruit bowl are ready to be refilled, and I think I did my inventory pretty well. I can't wait 'till I go grocery shopping this weekend. Because of all the work I've been doing for the family company I can afford about 2 oz. of oolong tea, too. This fresh start is going to be a good one (my screw up wasn't even too awful), I can feel it.

So this just goes to show you, just because you aren't doing great that's no reason to stop. It just means it's time to dig deep. So until next time, what are you digging deep for?

Work and a Workout

Hey reader. Lately I have been working for my parents' cleaning company, and that's been going well. It's no barrel of monkeys, but it's still work. The bulk of my job consists of vacuuming stairs in apartment buildings. Running up and down stairs all day, certainly takes care of most of my exercise for the day. I'm kind of enjoying it (in a weird way), because it keeps me from sitting on my couch all day, a few days a week.

I really like the job because of the obvious, I get paid part. I've had my eye on a body fat analyzer, and my funds are finally able to recover from after I got the paddle board. I really want the analyzer, because with all the muscle building my weight fluctuates a lot, and doesn't always reflect how tone I am. This product uses micro pulses of electricity to measure the body's composition, so this way I think start getting some more reliable way to measure my progress.

Right now I know I could be working harder, but my workouts continue to be pretty intense. My weight hasn't changed very much, but my general definition, especially in my abs, has definitely improved.

Well, that's how I've been doing. I gotta say I'm not entirely displeased. So until next time, work hard and play just as hard.

Quality Day

Why hello there. I must say that today was in fact quality. I got up early and paddled across my entire lake, instead of just doing circles in the little area I usually do. It only took a few hours, and It probable would have been faster if the wind wasn't so hard. Granted, the extra resistance was kind of a nice challenge.

After I got showered up and put some fresh clothes on, I made some, I guess you could call it, ramen. Not like the stuff from the package, but home made onion, garlic, ginger, chicken broth with spinach, cilantro, and of course rice noodles. This is the first time I made it like this, and I love it. My whole house smells good too. 

Good workout, good food, what else cold I ask for? Until next time, make today special. 

Paddle Board Win!

Welcome reader. Well I managed to accomplish another SUP goal. As of yesterday I can do 10 push-ups the 50 crunches, and some light belly dancing. I'm still working on the one foot boarding, but I'm getting there.

I can defiantly feel I'm getting stronger and my definition on my arms and abs is certainly improving. I need to do this as much as humanly possible without hurting myself before the fall comes. I might even get a wetsuit so I can go later into the season, funds pending. We'll see.

Well, that's about all. Until next time find something you like, and go for it.

Well that didn't work like I hoped, oh well

Well tried my sunscreen cold hives experiment. My unsprayed arm section and my sunscreen section looked almost exactly the same. They were similar enough to say the sunscreen didn't do anything. Well back to the drawing board.

At least I had definitive fun on the lake again (I'm loving this summer). Now that there are two boards around I want to start taking friends out with me. Today I took the first one, let's call her "B", and she was pretty impressive. She had a lot of motivation as she forgot her bathing suit. Falling in for her meant wearing my clothes home, and washing lake scum out of hers. She did great and we had fun without me having to worry about if she could do it.

I'm also getting back into herbal tea. I usually just do green or oolong tea, maybe mixing them with herbal, but I made a cup of mint tea from fresh leaves from my garden and another cup from some ginger I had laying around. Both were pretty good, by themselves. I hope to get more oolong when I get the chance, but my garden herbs and lipton green tea will certainly hold me over. I have a small jar of lemon zest I could brew with breakfast. Woo, living on the edge!

Until next time, keep brewing?

Fun X2

Salutations reader. Today has been a day of serious fun. My mother has been taking my paddle board out almost as much as I have, and finally decided it was time she had her own. Now we have two boards to take out, and we can go together. I plan to take some friends out this week to have picnics in the middle of the lake. I can't wait.

Other than that, not too much to speak of, but I'll be sure to make some progress soon.

Until next time, "keep adventuring and stay not a grown-up"

rain, rain, go away

Hello person on the internet. I can say for sure kale smoothies will be a regular thing for me. I tried the recipe I talked about yesterday, but with about twice the kale. It doesn't get quite as smooth as say a spinach smoothie, but definitely not bad. Be warned that little bits of green will get stuck in your teeth, though.

I wish this rain would let up so I can work out outside again. Today is the first day of June, and I can't believe how crapy it's been. For the past couple of days it's been raining and cold, and since it's finals week, my school gym is closed. I guess I'm going to have to get creative. I used to be a pretty good belly dancer. I learned a few years ago, and it might be time to break that back out.

As of this second, no extra goals to speak of, but here's where I stand today.