WANTED: Recipes from you!

oh man it is the final countdown to the my California adventure… sick of me talking about it yet 🙂 ?

My life is a series of to-do lists and errands that absolutely must be done before Wednesday

One of my favorite features on my new mac is the “reminders” application that I already loved on the iPhone. To-do lists are my best friend.

A big task I am attempting to tackle is compiling easy peasy recipes to make while I’m in California. I’ve mentioned that I have slight “phobia” of my kitchen in Manhattan since it’s the size of a small closet and rather cramped. In California I will have a roomy kitchen to test out my culinary skills in. I already have a few go to recipes… and by that I mean I have 5 different delicious breakfast options I know how to make. Step 1 was bookmarking a gajillion recipes from various blogs I adore, step 2 is writing them down in my new fancy schmancy moleskine recipe book. Step 3 is actually creating this delicious delicious meal.

Wanted: easy peasy, healthy go to dinners. Preferably dairy free and if using animal protein only chicken or turkey. Any suggestions?

Day 13 What is your proudest health or fitness related accomplishment?

My proudest fitness accomplishment is running my first 5k this past August.

Running is not easy for me. At the beginning of the summer I could barely run 2 minutes. But I trained my butt off and built up my endurance

and on race day I ran the whole 3.1 miles with ease and without stopping– something I never dreamed was possible at the beginning of summer.

While it was “just a 5k” it became more than that to me. It was proof that working hard paid off. It made me realize how much I enjoy running. And mostly it made me want to run more. Once I have a more permanent living situation (aka I know where I will definitely be living after November…) I want to sign up for a 10k and then a half marathon. The 5k this summer was the first time I ever worked towards a fitness related goal, and I want it to be only the beginning of my running career.

I’ve come a long way since being that girl in gym class who couldn’t run a mile.

What’s your proudest accomplishment?

the 5k [Damon Runyon race recap]

8AM alarm goes off. It’s 5k day! I eat a white chocolate macadamia luna bar, like every other day, get dressed in my race day outfit: lululemon power y + under armor shorts + brooks and walk over to Starbucks for the usual grande 5 pump soy chai.

back at my apartment I pack up my stuff while eating a peanut butter sandwich, as per usual. Soon enough my parents call me to tell me they are outside my building in the car.

It’s time to head over to Yankee Stadium. If you recall the last time I was there was a super special occasion:

my 22nd birthday AND graduation from NYU all smashed up into one magical day.

my outfit this time was a bit different….

I know it’s not the old stadium, but something about being there makes me happy whether it’s for a game, a graduabirthday or a race. As a third generation New Yorker and Yankee fan by blood, it gives me an odd sense of pride to be there.

My mother asked me in the car “are you excited?” Once I got to the stadium a rush hit me– that same rush of adrenaline and excitement that fills me when I enter the gates to Disney. Yes, I was incredibly freaken excited.

The organization at the Runyon 5K both years has been impressive– the line to get my packet was a breeze and finding my heat was clearly marked. It was time to pin on my number and wait. and wait. and wait. and wait.

I bid farewell to my parents who were off to cheer me on in the stadium.

As I anxiously waited for my heat to enter I couldn’t help but think about how vastly different I felt from last year. Last year I was participating with a group of my family and friends completely unsure what to expect– I had never done anything like this. Hell, I had barely even trained.

This year was different though, I was alone, but I felt so prepared. I’ve spent 9 weeks training for this event with couch to 5k, building up stamina and achieving something I never ever thought was possible. After spending all summer working towards this race, it felt unreal that it was finally here. This means summer is almost over, and this is the culmination of all those sweaty runs all summer long at 6:30AM. While a part of me could care less about how quickly I finished the race, another part of me didn’t want to be let down after all the hard work and training all summer long.

Before my heat started the race I overheard to girls saying to each other “I would never do this alone. You’ve got to really love running to do this alone”. Yes, I can understand this mindset, but it still took so much restraint to not give them a sassy response. Yeah, I was doing this alone, but that’s because ultimately I was doing this for myself. To challenge myself to do something I could not do 3 months ago…. And do I love running? This is debatable– the good days are oh so good, and the bad days are super bad. I’m pretty sure the only things in life I actually love are my family, my boy, my friends, musical theater and peanut butter. Everything else falls into the “really like” category”.
What I did realize at that moment is that I do enjoy running, enough to motivate myself to participate in a 5k alone, enough to motivate myself to wake up early even on those days I just wanted to snuggle up with my pillow. Even if I don’t love running at the time, I love the feeling after wards. And that sure as hell counts.

Back to the race….

Once inside the stadium, I knew it was almost time for my heat to run

the course was explained to us– it can be a bit confusing because many of the levels you have to run twice. The last words of advice said to us over a megaphone was “enjoy the run, it’s yankee stadium!” How true, it was all about having this cool experience, raising money, and running around Yankee Stadium.

ANDDDD at 11AM, we were OFF. Not gonna lie, I got a bit chocked up when the race began. This culmination of my summer and hard work mixed with the intoxicating energy the stadium was bursting with created this intense feeling. I was just so freaken happy and proud of myself all at once.

I start off the race slow and steady, trying to avoid my mistake of 2011 and running my butt off immediately because I was excited. With Green Day’s “Nice Guys Finish Last” blaring in my ears, I kept telling myself “you can do this, you can do this, you can do this”. Once I got started and felt my body click into rhythm is was easy. and fun.

(I’m still waiting for the official photos….)

The best part is definitely getting to run around the warning track. Spotting my parents and seeing them root me on behind home plate gave me an amazing burst of energy.

About half way through I realized I hadn’t seen any markers of how many miles into the race I was. I had a basic estimate of where I was knowing that I was hopefully running roughly at 10 minute mile. I wanted to do it in 30 minutes. So. Badly. But then came the stairs– lots and lots of climbing stairs around mile 2. It was impossible to keep my pace on the stairs, and it always took me a second to get back to running at a good pace after the stairs.

I felt like I was racing against the clock. It was no longer about running the whole thing, at this point in the race I knew I was going to run the whole dang thing. In my heart I wanted so badly to finish in 30 minutes, but the clock was telling me otherwise.

The final bit of the race is down a long winding ramp, one that you actually run twice during the course of the race. The second my foot hit that ramp  for the final time, I turned on Big D’s “LA X” and ran my little ass off. I have never run so fast in my life, knowing that I was so close to the finish line and I wanted to get there as fast as my body could. It was an amazing feeling to sprint across the finish line, putting every last bit of energy in.

While no, I didn’t finish in 30 minutes like I wanted to, I did run the whole thing, and finish in 32:25. not half bad. My finishing time last year was 41:26. Talk about improvement!

I might’ve been hot, sweaty, and the color of a tomato, but I couldn’t stop smiling. Because I did it, I did something that wasn’t possible 3 months ago.

As I munched on my victory bagel in the car, my parents and I discussed “soooo, what race can I run next”.

Hey, this 5k, this race, it’s only the beginning! I’m looking forward to my 6:30AM run tomorrow– who would have guessed?

The 5K: Then and Now

Tomorrow I will once again be running the Damon Runyon 5K at Yankee Stadium. While I am still far from a runner, I am more confident in my ability to run 3.1 miles than I was last year. I don’t know much about running but I did learn from the mistakes I made last year.

with my padre before starting the race

the Training
2011: I ran on the treadmill and only the treadmill. Big mistake. The second the race began last year I realized I had no idea how to pace myself since I always relied on the treadmill’s speed to guide me. I did not have a training plan either, I simply tried to walk/run a couple of days a week and prove to myself that I could keep moving for 3.1 miles

2012: I’ve been running both on the treadmill, on my high school’s track and mainly outside in my neighborhood. I have learned how to pace myself and maintain a running state for 30 minutes. I used the couch to 5k training plan via the get running app.

this has been a hugeeee help and I cannot recommend it enough to 5K-ers. It slowly works up your running endurance week by week. I especially love the app because I can still listen to music on my iPod while hearing the commands of when to walk and run.

I am honestly amazed that I can now run 30 minutes without stopping. I never thought that was possible

The Shoes

2011: The sneakers I trained in were not the sneakers I raced in. Big mistake. I was caught in a bit of a pickle last year because I am very strict about wearing my “gym shoes” indoors and only indoors. I didn’t want to wear them for the outside race, so I wore an old pair of sneakers from high school. This wasn’t such a comfy decision.

2012: I went to a running store to have my foot fitted for running shoes specific to my needs. I’ve been wearing them for all my runs ever since and LOVE my new brooks.

The Music

2011: I listened to American Idiot broadway cast recordings and more American Idiot for all my running needs. That is actually how I paced myself– when the music was fast I ran fast, when the music was slow I walked. While I have approximately 20 variations of American Idiot on Broadway (yes, I am obsessed) this got boring fast, but I couldn’t imagine running to any other music since I had such a pattern with American Idiot

2012: I switch up my playlist daily. My playlists have consisted of a bunch of songs that I am currently loving or that pump me up

 

My theory is have 2 or 3 songs that are guaranteed an energy boost in between some filler songs. For example, whenever Favorite Son or LA X comes on I find myself pushing harder and running a little bit faster. When I’ve been making playlists I put a lot of extra songs in between the “guaranteed energy” ones so I can switch it up depending on my mood. 

 

Ultimately my attitude and goals are different this year. I’ve been training hard all summer and amazing myself with what I can achieve thanks to a little bit of training. While Sunday may be the actual race, I feel like I’ve already accomplished the goals I was going for. Never in my life did I think I could run steadily for 30 minutes. That to me is far more thrilling than whatever amount of time it takes me to cross the finish line

 

sweaty siblings at the finish line

Happiness Is…

• my best friend’s bridal shower

trapeze styling, of course

• what could have been a lame saturday night turned hilarious because of good friends and people that work at the bowling alley poking fun at me
  

  yes, I bowled with bumpers. judge away

• being less than a week away from the Runyon 5k at Yankee stadium…. and knowing that I am actually prepared to run it this time
  
• Zumba-ing to “Piragua”, a song from one of my favorite musicals “In the Heights”
• taking a well deserved shower after a long monday of 6:45AM bootcamp, day camp and zumba
• watching the olympics every spare moment I have. Seriously, I’m obsessed with these athletes and all their stories
• a beautiful storm
  
• knowing that in a little over a month I will be living with my best friend in California

but even better is the feeling that there is no where else I want to be right now than here, in good ol’ suburbia with this boy

and these people

I have the rest of my life to live in the city — taking a million group fitness classes at crunch, going to cheap yoga down the street, walking around Central Park, eating vegan ice cream, seeing Broadway shows and loving Manhattan unconditionally.
But I only have one summer where I’m 22, and essentially enjoying the last bit of childhood. The last time I get to work at camp where friendships are instant and I get to spend all night with the people I work all day with.

There comes a time every summer when I become obsessed with my friends and don’t want this feeling to end
That inevitable time has come. While I am super excited for what is next, I also know I need to enjoy what I have right now while I can. 2 more weeks of camp, about a month and a half til California. Here’s to savoring every last bit of this summer.

how time flies

It’s already week 5 of camp, y’all? HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE. More than halfway through the camp season and I’m still learning staff members names….

When this summer began I started referring to it as “the last summer of childhood”. yes, I am 22, and the last summer of childhood should have happened approximately 4 years ago, but I am dead serious about this concept. It is the last summer quite possibly in my life that I will have a true summer. As much as I would secretly love to work at camps for the rest of my life, I sadly have the enter the real world of full time work for minimum wage and with no summer vacation.

While I am the least reckless, rebellious, exciting person ever, it is necessary to push myself outside my comfort zone and do things a bit on the wild side. There is a totally valid point to YOLO: you do in fact only live once, so why always play is so safe?

It all began with this

seeing the dark knight rises at midnight in the middle of a work week? Eh, not the brightest. But I can only be irresponsible and reckless for so much longer…

The midnight showing was brought to you by CAFFEINE

unfortunately starbucks in suburbia closes around 9PM, so I had to actually make coffee. Lemme tell you, this cup of coffee was absolutely necessary. Even so, I still managed to fall asleep during the movie. Multiple times. Talking about the movie with my friends feels like recapping a party I blacked out during. I kept going “WAIT, THAT HAPPENED?” So let this be a lesson to you all, don’t work a full camp day and expect to stay up for a 3 hour movie at midnight.

Thanks to the midnight showing I didn’t make it home til 3:30AM. Silly me ambitiously set the alarm for 6AM  thinking I would actually be functional for bootcamp. LOLZ. I am a believer in no excuses when it comes to working out, however the exception to the rule is exhaustion. It is more important to listen to my body and what it needed. 6AM bootcamp would have been a silly mistake.

—

post midnight showing was a full day of camp followed by a lovely weekend in the city with the boy.

the jam packed mini-vacation began with seeing Fela on Broadway. 2 years ago I saw the original broadway production and loved the energetic, emotional story of african musician Fela Kuti . This production is technically the tour making a pit stop on broadway for a few weeks. The touring production definitely matches the powerful original version.

Saturday was spent loving the beautiful weather in central park.

 

a bonus for the weekend was getting to see my very good friend Jenna on her 22nd birthday. We have a long history of spending summers together both at day camp and sleep away camp.

Saturday night was another broadway show, Bring it On the musical! I’ve been anxiously waiting to see this musical for over 2 years now! Back when I was 10 I was obsessed and watched the movie every single day on pay per view. An added bonus is that the creative team who wrote and directed the musical are some of my favorite broadway people EVER. It’s like they put together my dream team to create Bring it On. The musical does not follow the same story line as the movie, but has a similar style. I think people who like the movie will also enjoy the humor of the musical. I was thoroughly impressed with the musical especially the crazy cheerleading stunts. My hero Lin Manuel Miranda was also sitting in the row in front of me taking notes– made the whole theater experience even more magical.

Being in Manhattan also means being surrounded by delicious food all weekend long. The boy and I made sure to hit up as many of our favorite places as we could cram into the weekend. I also discovered a new favorite dessert place

 

meet STOGO, my new dairy-free obsession. Being an ice cream addict, but currently dairy-free I’ve been crying a bit missing my favorite frozen treat. Only a few blocks away from my apartment is STOGO, the greatest thing ever. I chose the coconut based chocolate chip vanilla and soy based salted caramel pecan. Both were good, but the vanilla was a bit bland after the outrageously awesome taste of the caramel. The boy refused to try it since it was dairy free and he thought it was weird. More ice cream for me 🙂

and what would a trip into the city be without a class at Yoga Vida! My body was crying for a yoga class, since I’ve been a bad bad yogi and haven’t gone to class since the first day of camp 4 weeks ago. oooh it felt so good to have a sweaty vinyasa class. I miss it so much. It is amazing what the body doesn’t forgot– the wise corrections and words of all my various yoga teachers and the things I realized when I did 21 yoga classes in 22 days only a mere 2 months ago.

there is nothing more lovely than walking in union square after a delightful yoga class with a soy chai latte

—

returning to the city briefly makes me realize how much I miss it and how that island has become my home. the second I opened the door to my apartment I felt a sense of being home that I don’t think I will ever feel in suburbia

as much as I would have loved to stay in the city, it was time to back to my other home, my parents home.

after being on a workout break, it was time to kick my own ass again when I got back to the ‘burbs.

ugh, a dreaded 25 minute run.

but the weather was lovely at my old high schools track, a nice breezy evening

and I made a killer playlist of green day, katy perry and ska tunes to keep me moving.

So I kept on running

for 25 minutes.

the longest I have ever run without stopping in my entire life.

#proof

and really, it wasn’t so bad! Okay, maybe it was a bit rough during it at times, but it was all about not stopping. Knowing that I could do it even I wanted to stop because it was difficult. It didn’t matter how fast I ran, just that I was running for the full 25 minutes. And it was a bit glorious to know I accomplished something– something I have never done before. After feeling so brought down by my injury for the past few months, this feeling of accomplishment is even more rewarding..

now I have to mentally prepare myself for 2 more 25 minute runs this week. EEEEEEK

here’s to week 5 and the second half of camp. the last summer of childhood continues!

 

 

My first time(s)

Not that kinda first time…. This weekend has been jam packed with many firsts.

First time making chicken francese

The boy and I attempt to be adventurous every so often and cook our own dinner. It’s pretty tricky to pick something both of us like though– he’s a big meat eater, I only eat chicken and turkey and at the moment no dairy. We agreed on chicken francese following this recipe 

While there was a few issues with getting the breading to stick, it was shockingly flavorful and delicious.

both of us agreed that we would love to make this dish again… and hopefully it will be better next time.

first time seeing the Dark Knight

I know, I know, I know, HOW HAVE YOU NOT SEEN THE DARK KNIGHT!!!! I have a very valid excuse– 4 summers ago when the movie came out I was traveling around Europe. The movie was only playing with German dubbing in Switzerland at the time. By the time I came home later that summer, everyone had already seen the movie approximately 4 times in theaters.

With the upcoming sequel, the boy wanted to rewatch The Dark Knight and was determined to pop my Dark Knight cherry. We attempted to watch it Friday, but I was exhausted from the long day at camp and fell asleep 20 minutes into the movie. I have a terrible attention span for long, complicated movies….

Saturday I was well rested, and full of chicken francese. The Dark Knight was crazy hyped up for me, but I was honestly not disappointed. It lived up to the expectations, and I was surprised how engrossed in it I was. Can’t wait to see the sequel later this week.

first time running for 20 minutes without stopping

Couch to 5K continues… and today was the scariest run of them all. 20 minutes without stopping? YIKES

I am no runner. The thought of this seemed impossible

buttttt I did it! With the help of good tunes, the couch to 5k app giving me words of encouragement every 5 minutes, dreaming about how delicious chai and overnight oats will taste afterwards and telling myself “YOU CANNOT WIMP OUT”.

So for the first time in my life I ran for 20 minutes non-stop. While this is a small feat for some, it’s a hugeeee deal for me!

and I was totes right, those oats tasted even more delicious

first time getting fitted for running shoes

Until today I didn’t really know much about my foot and what kind of shoes I should be wearing. I was told awhile ago I had high arches (thanks dance!) but didn’t really know much more.

I decided to visit Kilometers in Ridgefield Connecticut to properly get sized and fitted for running shoes. Although I am not much of a runner, my feet take quite a beating during boot camp.

For a nerd like me it was super cool to get fitted for the shoes. At the store the helpful salesperson confirmed that I do have high arches and also looked to see if I rolled in or not when I walked. I found out that I have a very neutral step, so my shoes don’t need much fancy extra parts to fix how I walk.

Usually I’m a sucker for bright colored shoes, but today I settled for shoes that were the right fit and type for my foot

not the prettiest, but definitely comfy to run in.

—

Besides the many firsts, the weather here has been terrifying

the rain was so bad this afternoon that I had to pull off the road while driving because I couldn’t see ANYTHING. Scary stuff.

now it’s time to rest up before another exhausting week of camp. I’m SUPER excited because Green Day has a new single coming out tomorrow. Since I began a massive Green Day fan two years ago they haven’t released any new music. So. freaken. excited.

the (not so) fabulous life of a day camp counselor

at camp the days feel long, 8:30AM to 4PM feels like an eternity. Yet the weeks go by super fast and I am shocked that week 3 just ended.

Things are pretty routine and a bit boring around here…

wake up at 6AM and make sure I have everything ready to go for the day: breakfasts, lunch, clothing for the day, etc.

I then either go to outdoor boot camp at a nearby park 3x a week or run around my neighborhood for 5k training 2 mornings a week (and again on the weekend).

Last summer I was a fan of working out after camp. Usually I was super good about going Monday and Tuesday to a group fitness class. Wednesday nights my friends all went out to dinner each week so I ditched the gym, Thursday I had trapeze and Friday there were no group fitness classes in the late afternoon. I had oh so many excuses for why I didn’t want to go to the gym at night.

Working out in the morning means no excuses. I have also come to realize that I love working out in the morning. Even if morning is as early as 6:30AM. Since I started working out in the morning during spring semester of college I have noticed the difference it makes in my energy and anxiety. Now I can spend the nights doing whatever I want…… although I have been enjoying zumba and kickboxing after camp.

With all this sweating, working out and dancing that goes on during the day, fueling up in the morning is SUPER important. After years of barely eating breakfast, I have finally learned the amazingness that is breakfast food. It’s like dessert for a meal.

On boot camp days I eat a peanut butter + honey + whole wheat bread sandwich, no crust after I wake up and a white chocolate macadamia luna bar midway through the morning. On running days I eat 1/2 a PB sandwich before running and try to have overnight oats waiting in the fridge for when I get back

Nowadays I crave a big filling breakfast that will hold me over until lunch at camp.

My favorite lunch of the week was courtesy of trader joe’s

this spinach salad is ahhhhmazing. It satisfies the camp’s “nut-free” policy, my “no-dairy” “no red meat” dietary restrictions ANDDDD is protein filled. A win win situation for all.

besides spending the whole day thinking about delicious food, I actually do have to work….

I am the dance specialist at the day camp I attended as a child. The majority of my day is spent prepping, choreographing 30 or so dances for the summer. My brain is definitely a bit burnt out having come up with these 30 dances in 3 weeks.

Meet my best friend Moleskin

the notebooks with grids are my favorite for choreographing. The above are my notes for 2 “zumba inspired” dances to Jessie J’s Domino and Katy Perry’s “Part of Me”. It’s hilarious how much better I’ve gotten at writing down dances since my first summer working at camp. I can now actually understand what I wrote…

when I’m not preppin’, I’m interacting with the kiddies and hoping to teach them how much fun dancing can be. The first 4 weeks are focused on the big dance show in which almost all of the groups perform for the camp. I get kiddies of allllll ages- from 3 years old til 14. Making age appropriate dances for each level is definitely tricky.

my nights are spent hanging out with friends from camp….

the huge highlight of my week was getting my nails did and finding out that there are new, funky colors to choose from for gel manicures

imma huge fan of gel manicures. Usually I get my nails done and mess them up within seconds of leaving the nail salon. Not anymore– these manicures survive trapeze classes, workouts, and all my klutzy life moments. Until now the color options have been a bit meh, so I was excited for a new batch of colors.

Also, imma huge fan of getting my ring finger done a different color, aka my rainbow fish nail.

and now it’s the weekend. after spending the week grimy, sweating, moving and screaming, the weekends are oh so well deserved.

My #Fitfluential #Fitnessbucketlist

1. Run a Half marathon

Right now I’m taking baby steps to the half marathon. At the end of this summer I’ll be running my second 5k. While to some 3.1 miles is nothing, for me it is a huge deal– in high school I would cry my way through the mile run. Eventually my dream is to go for 13.1 miles.

2. Participate in a Disney race of sort

Disney + exercise = Kayla’s favorite things. Running in a tutu? yes please. After reading an excessive amount of Princess Half Marathon recaps in the winter I became obsessed with the idea of participating in a Disney Race.

3. Participate in an “extreme race” like warrior dash, tough mudder or spartan race

the concept of them scares the bejesus outta me, but I like a challenge

4. Get my Group fitness certification

I started with getting my zumba license– a quick and easy 1 day workshop, but next I want the certification to teach all kinds of classes. In the fall I will be going to California to participate in a group fitness training institute that will not only prepare me to take the AFAA exam, but will also teach me how to me a dynamic teacher. I am so freaken excited to start this journey and cannot wait to see where it takes me

5. Fly out of lines

I’ve been working my way to meet all the requirements to fly out of lines. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to fly for over 3 months now, but I am hoping I will come back better than ever. I can do the required push ups and V-ups, all I need to work on is my take-off and my pull-ups.

6. Work at a gym of some sort

After I become certified, I would love to work at Crunch or Equinox.

7. Survive a hot yoga class

I have yet to work up the balls to attend a class…… some day…

8. Yoga teacher training

Even if I never teach a yoga class in my life, I really want to participate in yoga teacher training. I want to have an experience where I fully dive into yoga. I know that whatever life path I take, what I learn there will benefit me

9. Receive my masters in Exercise Science.

I’m not positive if I want to go back to school and get my master’s, but a part of me knows I’m a total dork and love school too much to quit after finishing college. If I do get my master’s it will be most likely related to exercise science– connecting exercise and the psychological benefits and exploring alternative ways to treat psychological disorders with exercise and yoga. Dream big?

What’s on your fitness bucket list?

Day Camp, Week One: A Survival Guide

How to survive working as a dance specialist at a day camp, maintain a healthy lifestyle and also have some fun…

The Food: 
Over the past 3 summers of working at day camp one of the biggest challenges for me has been what to eat. My own dietary restrictions consist of no red meat, fish or pork and as of recently minimal dairy. The camp I work at is peanut and nut free– a horrifying concept for the almost vegetarian and peanut butter addict. So what’s a picky eater to do without a good ole peanut butter sandwich?

Lunch Option #1 of the week: the double salad
+ a baby spinach + strawberry salad with raspberry vinaigrette dressing. Also delicious with peaches. I will be adding quinoa into the salad next week for some protein punch

+ chicken salad consisting of grilled chicken, grapes and a bit of mayo with a few crackers

Lunch options #2 of the week: wrap & hummus combo 

+whole wheat wrap with fresh pesto (it is in fact the besto), grilled chicken and fake dairy-free cheeze

+ hummus with pretzels and carrots for dipping

Lunch #1 and #2 both make for a delicious and filling meal in the middle of the day– absolutely necessary for me when I’m sweating and dancing all day long. I also love that there is minimal prep to be done in the morning. Besides the pesto wrap everything can be pre made and waiting in the fridge.

The Fitness

while a lot of my job is essentially being a zumba instructor all day long in the summer heat, I still wanted to workout this summer and train for the 5k I’m running in August.

This week I did a test run of going to 6:45AM bootcamp 3 days a week and running 1 morning before camp. I found that working out before camp made me more awake and alert in the morning than in previous summers. It was nice to have already accomplished something before I arrived at camp instead of literally rolling out of bed and going to work.

My fitness mantra for the summer is schedule ahead of time, but be flexible. I know what I want to do but I also need to listen to my body since my job is physically demanding. After being out late Wednesday night for a concert (more on that later) I knew that waking up early Thursday was a bad idea– I needed the extra hour of sleep. As the summer goes on, and my body gets a bit more beat up I know it will be incredibly important to listen to how I feel and not push my body.

week 3 of 5k training and going strong!

Motivation this week was provided by the ska inspired workout mix

I cannot think of a song more motivating than LA X to do my final 3 minute run to.

which brings me to:

The Fun

On Wednesday night I went to go see Big D and the Kids Table, Goldfinger and Reel Big Fish in concert.

amazing. While I may be a musical theater loving geek, I adore ska music. Actually, until I was 20 I didn’t listen to much besides musicals but after seeing american idiot I got into green day which eventually got me into ska (not a totally logical path). The summer I was 20 I felt like an “angsty teen” listening to ska and punk music for the first time. Yes, I was a 20 year old angsty teen….

the concert was a workout in it’s own way– pushing and shoving, jumping up and down, dancing— a very sweaty workout.

I do not recommend getting home from manhattan at 1:30AM before working a full day of camp, but let’s be honest, it is so worth being sleepy

Now it is time to enjoy some well deserved peace and relaxation this weekend!

Back to Life, Back to Reality

ah summer laziness, you were lovely while you lasted.

Today was the first day of day camp. For the past three summers I have worked as the dance specialist at the day camp I went to when I was a lil’ one.

this means back to a routine, and back to super early morning wake up.
In order to make the brutal wake up before 6:45AM boot camp a little less painful, I left myself endless check lists and reminders so I didn’t forget anything on the first day.

towel for boot camp? check. Lunch box so I don’t forget to put chicken salad in? check. Peanut butter sandwich pre work out? Check. Luna bar post work out? check. and nom.

speaking up peanut butter sandwiches, I’ve finally entered the adult world of peanut butter

After being a devoted skippy’s customer my entire life, I knew it was time to break up with the sugary stuff and go organic– peanuts, salt and nuthin’ else. So far I am surprised how good this stop and shop peanut butter is. I learned online that if you keep it upside down, it mixes the oils. When I originally tried organic peanut butter I was disgusted by the texture. When it is mixed though it is oh so delicious.

I’ve been added a teensy bit of honey to sweeten up my peanut butter and whole wheat sanwich– sooo good.

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To say it rained today would be a gross understatement. It all started when I was at 6:45AM boot camp. The sky was looking iffy during the warm up 1/2 mile run. It was honestly one of the most spectacular running experiences of my life– the air was cool, the clouds were quickly moving, the wind was picking up, and I was running my little heart out. Today I finally felt how much 5k training has been helping me with running endurance. I didn’t have to take any breaks during the warm up.

Immediately after the run the heavens opened up… and then continued to open up on and off all day.

A rainy first day of camp is not exactly a good first day of camp.

While there were some great parts of my first day of work, it was a rough day with lots of last minute schedule changes. I am terrible at “going with the flow” and being “flexible” when we are told last minute what to do, so it made for an anxious day with some unpleasant surprises.

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Once home from camp I knew going to a yoga class was my best bet to de-stress.

I was super excited to enjoy my finally cleaned mat– I made a spray out of water + 20 drops of tea tree oil in a spray bottle.

plus

equals one happy and clean yoga mat.

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Gah, yoga was exactly what I needed to decompress after a long day. Sometimes I swear the teacher can sense the exact theme I need, today was breath and focusing on breathing. Something I definitely need to be reminded of during the crazy work days.

and the most magical part of the evening?

seeing the most stunning rainbow ever on my drive home

the kind of rainbow that cars stopped on the side of the road to take a picture of

the kind of rainbow that reminds you that beauty can come from the crummy rain.