Food Favorites and Fall Fitness!

And it feels soooooo good :) 

I'm sorry for the lack of posts this week everyone. I've been moving from school work to working out to volunteering, back to back! 

I'm excited to share some of my favorite things and how I've been moving this past week. 

Since Fall is in full swing now, I am eating pumpkin everything. 

Get in my tummy<3

One of my favorite ways of enjoying this Fall gem in is my beloved yogurt messes!

 Naughtiest way of eating pumpkin? 

Can I get a loud YUUUUUUUM?

I'm telling you, it's ridic. 

Weirdest thing I've been craving lately? 

Salads, salads, salads!

For some peculiar reason, I've been loving my salads and veggies so much. I actually look forward to them and let the hummus do the talking ;) 

I'm super proud of myself for eating only home cooked meals this week! Sometimes it's difficult to prepare food at home, but honestly, it's much healthier and its nice on your wallet. 

I used some of my foodie skills and whipped up this delicious and nutritious dinner! My parents raved about it. 

I took a Cooking Light recipe (my favorite website for healthy eats!) and swapped out some things to make it my own. I used shrimp instead of sausage and used a crap load ton of different veggies to bulk it up! I sprinkled some feta cheese to finish and it went from amazing to hello Chef Alina :) 

I did I tell you? I'm digging my greens! 

On the exercise front, I've been trying to up my running a bit since I haven't been able to concentrate on my speed for a while. You would think that the weather would be getting nicer but it seems like every time I step outside, this happens...

Grrrr. 

Thankfully, my girl Zuzana got me covered! 

I had an awesome rest day yesterday and busted out a sweaty workout today. 

• 30 minute abs 
• ZWOW #37 (Side hops kill me) 
• ZWOW #31 (Basic moves but definitely efficient!) 

I enjoy her workouts so much because it's fast, intense and I don't have to think about the time. Since the moves change constantly, my body is being challenged everyday. 

Usually, at the end of my workouts, I top it off with the #plankchallenge! 

I went from this.

 To this.

To finally this!

Seriously, I can't believe I got this far! It isn't hard anymore to hold myself up for this long and I owe it to my core exercises. 

Whew, that was a mouthful of a post. 

I hope you stayed awake through it ;) 

I just want to say that always remember that we all have struggles and hardships. Everyday!

Not everything in the Smile house is picture perfect but I strive to become a better daughter, sister and friend through these experiences. Live to love and love to live, my friends<3

"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;" 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

Beyond Late

It's Friday! But there's a question that must be answered. 

Where have I been?

 I know I missed a post that I was supposed to do on Sunday about family and health but I'll get to that later tonight. I'm super behind my posts and I apologize! I've been doing (and eating) quite a number of things :)

Homecoming was amazing and I'm so glad I went. 

Who needs a date when you got these girls? 

Dinner was fabulous as well! We decided to go to Carrabba's and it was my first time. 

I decided on the Tuscan Strawberry Salad with chicken and asked if they could substitute bleu cheese with goat cheese. 

Request accepted! 

I had a piece of bread as I was waiting for my entree. Mmm, I love carbs. 

Guys, just look at this beaut! 

  

It came with a strawberry vinaigrette which was to die for. 

This salad was a beast but nothing this girl couldn't handle :)

We then headed out to the dance and 4 hours later, came out as tired, sweaty blobs. I'll save your eyes on this one haha. 

For some reason, always after some sort of dance, I feel like time goes on hyper mode. I do not know where the week went! 

All I know is that I ate good food. 

With a sprinkle of good company :)

I've been trying to push myself in my workouts and my favorite way as of late? 

Plank challenges.

Yup, I'm talking to you Heather ;)

So far, I'm at 5 minutes! So cray cray. I can guarantee that there is always a puddle of sweat dripping from my face at the end of these. 

Try it people! If you have Instagram, hashtag #plankpower and tag me at haebinsmile. I'd love to see how far you can go! 

Whoa, it's 5 o'clock already?!

I'm getting older, I swear. 

An Update and Setting Goals

And it's finally Friday! I'm so excited, but then again, when am I ever not happy for the weekend? 

Walking to Jason's Deli for some grub<3

Jason's Deli is my favorite place to eat after school since it's right next to us. I love the salads and wraps that they offer! A healthy and delicious place to eat when I'm short on time. 

School is getting harder and I'm finding myself sleeping around 11 pm every night, a very different change from my usual early sleeping time. Since school is now is full swing, a couple things have moved around but I learned to adapt! 

Remember when I said I workout in the morning? I'm a morning person and waking up comes easy to me. I have the most energy in the a.m. so that's why I prefer exercising then, but since school starts at 7:05, I have to move my sessions to the afternoon. It was weird to not sweat in the morning but I actually kind of like this because it gives me more time to get a run in or focus more on my muscle groups. I don't feel rushed at all! 

Small improvements but its all about progression :) 

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Here are some goals that I am aiming for this fall! Hoping to knock a lot all of these out. 

Eating and Focusing on Nutrition

My eating habits have been getting better everyday, with more greens and protein to feed my growing muscles! I've been substituting my usual ice cream and cake with natural sweets. This is a big step for me since I am quite the sweets queen. My goal for this year is to start thinking about what is going to fuel me and what foods makes me feel the best. I used to count calories during my ED and I want that to completely be out of my life. Its exhausting and I want to give my body what it truly needs. 

This means eating chocolate when I want it ;) 

Challenging Myself

I get inspired by people and HLB when they do something outside of their confort zone. It could be in food, fitness, or their personal life. My girls Meg and Sloane taught me that its good to step out of your usual routine - it keeps things interesting and fun! I want to be able to eat different things, try new exercises and have unique experiences for myself. I have already been adding things such as feta cheese and guacamole into my diet! Not a huge deal but it makes a delicious difference to my meals. 

I need you guys to keep my accountable, because its easy to fall off the wagon! 

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Do any of you have goals set for the fall? Share it with me!

Whether it be eating more veggies, doing more cardio, or spending more time with your family, YOU CAN DO IT. 

Let's do it together! 

Love you all<3 

Hey Alina!

Oh hey Alina. How are you doing? 

I'm been doing just swell! Actually, I sorta lied. It's been a little crazy here. 

Really? Why is that? 

School has been super hectic and I feel like the teachers are out to get me. But let me tell you, everything else, was just FAB.

Korean feasts were eaten everyday.

Breakfasts that made me swoon. 

A fair share of veggies! Trying to pump my intake y'all. 

Chillin' with my homies. 

Kick-ass workouts that left me sweating bullets! 

Ice cream for hot weather :) 

Wow, thanks for catching me up! I totally forgive you for being out for eternity a while. 

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Haha just kidding everyone! The week has been too crowded and I couldn't get to my little corner of blog bliss. It was nice to recollect and focus on my studies though. The first two weeks of school were laid-back but I knew that it wasn't going to last long. The program I'm in gives no mercy ;) The big difference I've noticed between sophomore year and junior year is the reading. Some nights are filled with 30 pages of reading with annotations and notes. I know, CRAYCRAY.  

I'm hope your week was a great one. TGIF by the way! Been looking forward to the weeeeekend baby. Volunteering is going to start tomorrow and I'm excited to see all my friends at the nursing home :) 

Going to sit the hay if I want to get in a workout before then! 

Keep smiling my loves<3