Days Like This

It's days like this where I realize what I have. For some reason, I have those special days when my blessings really are made evident to me. 

Where I'm with family and friends,

when I have lots of GOOD food,

and my health is where it should be. 

It's days like this when I know that my ED past is a blessing in disguise. Everyone that has been with me these last 17 years have been supporting through the bad times and picked me up when I fell. I struggled with food for such a long time but now? I appreciate every single second that God gives me. 

That smile that I faked before meeting my friends? 

It's real now. 

The anxiety before eating a meal?

Gone. 

The frustration I felt when I didn't exercise everyday for a certain amount of time? 

Who the heck cares? 

There is much more to life than food and exercise! I think many people forget about that when they are trying to live a healthy life. Mental and emotional health is just as important, if not more important, than physical health! Never let anything or anyone hinder you from having fun :) 

Eat out once in a while, have a rest day and spend time with your loved ones. 

Because that my friends, is when you are truly living. 

God bless my loves, and have a great night<3 

Today is a Gift

Hey everyone! It's been too long and I've missed all of you. I hope everyone's week was filled with love and happiness<3

Hmm, so where have I been? 

Basically, my head has been running in circles. I'm trying to juggle between being an IB student, taking the SATs, volunteering and working out for the last week and a half. I can't seem to find a good balance with everything and it's been stressing me out! 

I'm a perfectionist. In some ways, this is very helpful because it helps me to make sure I get things right. But at the same time, it can push me to the point where I am just tired of trying to be perfect.

My thoughts as of late:

Yes, of course I want to get into an amazing college, preferably out of state! It is, by all means, possible. But, sometimes things don't happen the way we want it to. 

I'd love to get really high scores on the SAT. It's the one thing that could determine whether I get into a certain university or not. Will I get a high score the first time? Probably not. 

I should eat more vegetables today since I haven't had any greens today. Did I get to eating it? Nope. Some days, my body is going to crave carbs more than veggies. That's okay.

I should run outside since I haven't ran in a week. But honestly? I'm not feeling a run so I'll just stick to weight lifting inside. 

I want abs like that! Gah, I have to eat super clean to do that. But HECK no am I giving up grains. I love my bread too much. 

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My mind has been crazy lately, battling with expectations from my family, peers and ultimately myself in all areas of my life. It's been difficult to decide what is important and what matters to my future right now.

The future scares me. I don't know where I'll be or who I'll be with. I have no clue about where my body will take me, what my mind will tell me and how my heart will continue to lead me. I find it hard to trust in my own instincts since I've been wrong so many times in the past, mentally, spiritually, and physically. 

So today, I am going to strive to be willing and dedicated to be the best version of me. This doesn't mean that I will have the best grades or the "perfect" diet. Not all my workouts will be successful and exciting. I'm very unsure about what God has planned for me but I know one thing. 

God will never give me something I can't handle. He knows my fears, goals, my past and my future. 

Right now, all I need to do is be in the present and to enjoy every beautiful second this life has to offer. 

I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13

My November Goals!

Hey y'all! Happy Sunday to YOU :) 

Today, I'm going to make a list of my goals this Thanksgiving season. I'm a little behind since it is November 4, but better late than ever right? Right!

I have ALOT to talk about so let's get started! 

 Drink more water! 

In the summer time, this is very easy for me to do since it is blistering outside! But when it becomes colder, I tend to forget about actually drinking water and later, I end up being super thirsty. Of course, I reach for more food and this leaves me with a tummy issues. Definitely need to keep up with it this year! Tea will be a staple during the holidays<3 

Make a Workout Schedule

I realized that since I'm busy with IB work and SATs, it would be helpful if I made a workout plan for the week so I can stay accountable for my training. I'm always second guessing on what I would do on what day and it takes too much effort trying to sort it out the hour before my workout. I've been seeing awesome progress and I don't want that to stop because I'm being lazy! 

I hope to have at least 3 cardio days and 2 strength training days to keep my body guessing. 

Let's do this!

Decrease Nut Butter Consumption

OH SNAP! 

Yes, nut butter. It's crazy, I know, but I've been feeling a little sluggish and slow lately. I probably eat about 2 or 3 tablespoons of nut butter a day and while its freaking delicious, I feel like it's too much. I should replace that with more veggies and fruits to keep my energy up. I will not by any means, take it out of my daily eats but just cutting a little back with make a huge difference. 

Stop My Bored Eating

 My nickname might as well be Snackface.

Being as active as I am, I know my body needs more than three meals to get me through the day!

I eat WAY more than most people haha. 

I love fueling myself right but when it comes to the point where I'm mindlessly eating granola by the handful? That's probably not so good for me. I just made almond butter granola (recipe coming soon<3) last night and I already ate 1/3 of it! What the fuhhh? 

I need to slow down and savor the food I make and eat to enjoy it, not just shovel it down just because it's in front of me. Does anyone have that problem too? 

Darn you granola. 

Increase Speed During Runs

I'd love to be able to get faster times when I go run! It would help me in get stronger and up my mileage. I don't know about you guys, but I love running in the cold! This girl does not like the heat :) 

Smile and Laugh More!

Smiling is contagious! 

Seriously, try standing next to someone who is genuinely laughing and see if you can suppress yourself from joining them. Impossible, right? 

I think it's just the idea of being positive that tricks us sometimes. 

When I'm studying for a test, it's more likely that I'm grumpy or unhappy with the fact that I have to devote my time to school. I'm not the kind of person who says. "More homework? Oh YEAH." 

Being super busy with my responsibilities have been bogging me down but Papa Smile always says that even if it's something I have to do anyways, be happy while doing it! 

This month will be hectic and there will be times where I just want to quit. 

In those times, I have to remind myself that I have been blessed in every way and there's no reason for me to give up! 

Have an amazing end to your week, my loves. 

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What are your goals for this month? I'd love to hear about them! 

Whatever they are, you got this :) 

Veggies For Breakfast

Hello loves! How is your Saturday going? 

During the school week, I lose a lot of sleep even though I try to hit the hay early. I either have to wake up early to study for a test or look over notes! Weekends are definitely my time to take a breather and relax. 

I had quite the agenda today and I knew a protein packed breakfast was the way to go. I was going to be on my feet the whole day so my body needed the fuel :) 

Enter the Green Pumpkin Protein Smoothie! 

Recipe coming tomorrow! This was super filling and it had the perfect amount of sweetness. 

I have a feeling smoothies are going to stick with me for a while :) This recipe has 2 different veggies in it! An awesome change from my usual sweet omelets.

After breakfast, I tried to knock out some homework because I knew I wouldn't have time later. 

The life of an IB student! 

I worked up quite an appetite and I wanted something satisfying to hold me over till lunch. 

The new obsession of mine? 

Sweet potato with almond butter<3 Seriously, match made in food heaven. 

I've been adding a lot of healthy carbs and fats to my diet and it is doing wonders! 

You're probably wondering where ice cream and pastries have gone in the blog. Upping my protein intake benefited me in the long run and I haven't eaten any sugary foods in over 3 weeks. Honestly, I don't miss them very much and if a sweet craving hits, I find myself turning to frozen grapes or greek yogurt and nut butter. This doesn't mean that I'll never eat dessert again but eating sugar in moderation has been helping my training and my stomach! 

I took a break and browsed my favorite foodie blogs. I'm talking to you, Kath<3 

Guys, Mama Smile has some legit cooking skills. I don't know how I'm going to live without her cooking in college! 

Soybean soup with crab!

Those are some Hugh Jass peppers.

I'm off to the Kid's Festival! 

This festival is sponsored by so many local businesses, it's free to everyone who comes. It's such a fun place to be with our family, especially on a beautiful day like this!

Children's Yoga! How cute!

Wellness center leading kids to dance for their health!

Local cheerleading group! If only I can do that...

Beautiful<3

The weather was the BEST today and it just made me even more excited for the season ahead. Oh, winter, come soon!

Those girls on stage gave me the motivation to shake my tail feather as well. I got home around 4 and was rearing to get my sweat on!

Workout

• 20 minutes of abs
• This circuit with dumbbells: 

• This circuit: 

Thank you Julie and Courtney for these workouts! I was definitely "scared" to try both of them ;)

• One mile run 
• 1200 jumps on weighted jumprope

My clothes were absolutely drenched with sweat at the end. 

UCK. I stunk. 

Workout, shower, eat. 

Oxtail soup. So comforting! 

Whew! What a lengthy post. I'm sorry I didn't warn you about that! 

One thing I'm not sorry about? 

Having a nice bed to sleep in :) 

Can't wait to show you some smoothie love tomorrow<3

Sleep well my friends! 

Because I Love You

Before I get into this post, let's talk about today's workout! 

Yesterday was rest day due to the homework I had piled up for me. 

Thank you homework for ruining my life taking so much of my time. 

I jumped back into the swing of things by focusing on my arms and legs today. 

Workout

• 20 minutes of abs (Hurts so good.) 
• HIIT It Hard Workout
• Awesomesauce arms
• Sexy Legs Workout

Lastly, I beat my PR of the plank challenge!

Remember to push yourself to your best ability during your workouts :) 

The more you push yourself, the faster the results. 

I remember only being about to 2 minutes of planks. Practice makes progress! 

I scurried to the bathroom and took a 5 second shower because this girl was HANGRY. 

The awesome spread! Mama Smile delivers, my friends. 

Oxtail soup!

Spicy Kimchi!

Drool worthy, no? 

After dinner, my parents went for a drive and stopped by Publix for much needed food! 

T'was a great night<3

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Have you ever tried to implement healthy habits into your own family? Being a huge foodie and health lover, I learned that this can be a hard process. One of my biggest accomplishments is to include more whole grains into our diet since we consume a lot of white carbs such as rice. 

We now mix brown rice with white! Tiny steps people, tiny steps ;) 

Two years ago or so, my mom was taken to the hospital suddenly because she felt pain in her chest. We discovered that she had high blood pressure and her pulse was abnormal. This was one of the most scary events that ever happened to our family. Our mother was our rock, our support and I looked up to her more than anything. She ended up staying in the hospital for a month, transferring into different hospitals to find treatment to help her case. After a long period of tests, it was discovered that her potassium levels were extremely low and it was affecting her energy. To make a long story short, she was able to come home after a month and a half. 

This experience helped me understand how health not only affects one person, but the whole family as well. When I was in the darkest part of my eating disorder, I never noticed that my actions brought so much worry and pain to my family and friends. It wasn't until I met my dietitian that I realized what I was doing to the people I love. It's my turn to give back what I know I have a passion for.

Because I love my parents, I will continue to convince them to make smarter choices, whether it be to include more veggies into our dinners or taking long walks with them. 

Because I love my sister, I'll keep telling her about the new workout moves I learned and encourage her to run with me outside, no matter how annoying I can get.

Because I love my friends, I'll tell them to join me in my workouts and give them tips on how to pack healthier lunches to school. 

Because I love myself, I'll continue to nourish myself and work hard to fight my ED thoughts to become the best version of me. 

I encourage all of you to try to imply healthy life changes in your parents, your friends, your siblings and your own life. It's worth it, I promise! 

Never Regret a Workout

Kickbutt workout this evening! To be honest, I was not feeling so hot after school today but I knew if I got my heart pumpin', it would fix just that.

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Workout 

• 20 minutes of abs
• ZWOW #34 - Absolutely killer! 
• ZWOW # 12 - Oldie but a great cardio video! 

I finished this all off with a 2:30 minute plank! Heather, challenge accepted ;)

Lately, it's been crazy hot here in South Florida and I haven't been able to run. I feel like I can't run 2 miles without having a heat stroke! ZWOW's are amazing and usually last from 10 to 20 minutes. Trust me when I say that the intensity makes up for the time! She incorporates all body parts so its a full body blast. Whenever you don't feel great, try to fit a workout or a mini session to lift your mood! You'll be glad you did! 

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Dinner was not that attractive but it was dang good! 

Grilled pork belly with veggies for wrapping! 

A wee little piece of dark chocolate to round out the meal. 

Dark Chocolate = LOVE. 

I'm want to have weight training session early tomorrow before heading to the hospital so that means it's time for bed! 

Look out for a post on Sunday about health and your loved ones :) 

Have a fabulous night<3