Classroom Immaturity

Yay the Bruins won last night!! That calls for a celebratory day at the beach :)

Ok, so maybe not really a beach party...but soaking up the rays works for me :)

I got up this morning and went straight to the gym before eating breakfast. I don't normally do this, and now I can't decide which I prefer. I usually like to eat breakfast before working out because I feel like I have more energy...but this morning I had plenty of energy to complete an intense interval workout.

Hill and Speed Interval Workout

Minutes	Speed	Incline
2	4	0
3	5.5	0
1	3.5	8
1	6	8
1	3.5	9
1	5.7	9
1	3.5	10
1	5.5	10
1	4	0
0.5	9	0
1.5	4	0
0.5	9	0
1.5	4	0
0.5	9	0
1.5	4	0
1	3.5	9
1	5.5	9
1	3.5	10
1	5.3	10
1	4	0
0.5	9	0
1.5	4	0
0.5	9	0
2.5	4	0
2	3.5	0

I followed this with 15 minutes on the elliptical and then called it a day.

Since I was sweating like crazy, a cold breakfast was calling my name and I took some inspiration from Julie, and made a smoothie that included:

1 banana
Frozen strawberries and blueberries
1 scoop of vanilla whey protein powder
1 small spoonful of peanut butter
1 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Sorry, I was so hungry that I forgot to snap a picture :/. I can tell you that it was mighty delicious!


Classroom naughtiness ;)

I am currently an occupational therapy graduate student and this summer the one class I am taking is kinesiology. Kinesiology is the study of anatomy and the mechanics of body movement. A lot of what we are learning right now it how to measure joint range of motion and manually measure the strength of muscles at certain joints.

Manual Muscle Testing

Goniometry - measuring range of motion

On the first day our professor told us that we needed to wear tank tops to every class because:

"You guys are going to need to feel comfortable stripping down and touching each other"

Say what?? We all starting cracking up- and then our prof finally realized that what she had said sounded totally sexual and inappropriate. What she meant was that we were going to be practicing things on our classmates and having a tank top on would make it easier for us to identify bony landmarks and muscles. But, needless to say, there have been many more "dirty" comments because things sometimes just sound wrong and even though we are all "too old" to be thinking dirty thoughts, I think that immaturity can make learning fun ;) So here are some more quotes for you to enjoy. I'm a nerd, I know...

Here is something I told my roommate...and then I realized how wrong it sounded -

"I was trying to study, and then I got bored, so I started to palpate myself..."

Oh dear...just an fyi, palpate is another word for "touch" - you get the idea. Then we proceeded to think of it as a pick-up line that a guy could use:

"Can I palpate you later?"

Or if the guy is really naughty:

"You can measure near my bony prominence" ;)

Finally, yesterday in class our prof was talking about people who write with their left hand and how they flex their wrist when writing- apparently this is called a "hook". So she said-

"So when you see any hookers" 

Hi! I'm a hooker :)

Hahaha..oh my...there is some nerdy humor for you...I think it's entertaining, at least it is when my brain is fried from staring at a textbook. So anyway, I'm sorry if I have offended you, that was not my intention!

I'm off to the beach soon, I hope you all have a wonderful day :)

Do you prefer to eat breakfast before or after a morning workout?

Do you think that naughty humor can make learning more fun?

Elliptical Reading

The sun is finally shining!! AND it's going to be in the 70s today :) After several days of clouds, rain, and chilly weather I am totally looking forward to this...even if I will be spending 4 hours in class later.

I wasn't really feeling a super intense workout this morning, so I just spent 35 minutes on the elliptical followed by 15 minutes of running on the treadmill.

Last night's b-day celebration
As I mentioned yesterday, it was my roommate Jessica's birthday, so a group of us went to dinner on Newbury Street to celebrate! Before heading downtown, we stopped in Davis Square to see if we could spot Mark Wahlberg filming his new movie. Sadly we only got to see them setting stuff up :(

Apparently they were using the Somerville Theater to film a movie premier scene. Even though we only got to see this it was still kind of exciting! Filming of any kind never takes place in Columbus, OH. This movie is supposed to be about a teddy bear coming to life? That's kind of creepy...I don't know whether it's a kids movie or a horror movie...

I vant to suck your blood..muahahaha

Sorry, that was lame haha.

On to dinner. We went to a restaurant called Cafeteria...it was delicious! We ordered pitchers of the sangria, and it was some of the best sangria I've ever had.

It was perfect and not too sweet :)

Since it was in the 50s yesterday - yes, you read that right..it's the middle of June and it was in the 50s, talk about miserable...anyway, since it was cold I decided a warm meal was much needed:

Grilled cheese and tomato soup anyone? YUM. Totally hit the spot.

I love that our summer class schedule is much less intense, and going to dinner on a Tuesday night is no big deal. FINALLY starting to enjoy some of what Boston has to offer :)

Happy Birthday!!

Reading while working out
So today while I was ellipticizing, I decided to read The Help on my Nook. I've read so many times that you shouldn't read while working out because then it means you aren't working that hard. I don't know if I believe this. I actually covered more mileage on the elliptical in 35 minutes than I normally would and I was sweating like a beast.

Maybe it's because instead of focusing on how my legs were burning, I was enjoying my reading material? I don't really know, but I think I got in a really good workout. Also, it probably helped that the words aren't really small on the Nook.

Now, I could never read while running or doing something where I'm really bouncing around, but for some reason it's easy for me on the elliptical. So, for the days when I'm not feeling a workout, I think that whipping out my Nook could actually be beneficial and help me get in some good exercise :) Score!

What are your thoughts about reading while working out?

Healthy Reminders

Happy Birthday to my awesome roommie Jessica!!

At the 2011 Scooper Bowl

Kelly and I blew up balloons to put outside of her bedroom door

So excited for a yummy b-day dinner tonight down on Newbury Street!

My workout this morning was heart-pumping. I did a circuit-style weight routine and then 20 minutes of easy cardio. The weight routine looked like this:

Chest press on stability ball - 15 reps
Bent over row with non-working hand on stability ball - 15 reps each side
Reverse lunges holding medicine ball - 20 reps each leg
Reverse flys - 15 reps
Squat with stability ball against the wall - 15 reps
Bicep curls - 15 reps
Single-leg hamstring curls on ball - 12 reps each side
Tricep extensions - 15 reps
Deadlifts - 15 reps
Lateral shoulder raises - 15 reps

Rest for 1 minute then repeat once. This took about 25 minutes!

Lunch today was delicious! I made a little salad and some super easy crab cakes :)

Recipe (adapted from How Sweet It Is)
Serves 1

1 6oz can lump crabmeat
4 wheat saltine crackers, crushed
1.5 tbsp egg white
1/3 tbsp mustard
1/3 tbsp light mayo
pinch of salt and pepper
1/2 tbsp olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, except for the oil, and mix well. Heat skillet on medium heat and add olive oil. While skillet is heating, form two patties from mixture. Place them in the skillet, and cook until lightly golden brown: about 3-4 minutes on each side.

These are sooo tasty!

Self-reminder as to what being healthy really is all about:

So, part of the reason that I started this blog was because I want to stop being so concerned with my weight, body, how it should look, etc. I sometimes focus too much energy on wanting to be skinny, even though I know that isn't what is important in leading a healthy life.

Today, my brother is having one of his infusions for his Crohn's disease, and it's something like this that reminds me of what being healthy is and isn't.

• Being healthy doesn't mean being skinny, counting calories, dieting incessantly, and trying to have the body of a celebrity
• Being healthy does involve taking care of yourself in all aspects of wellness- physical, mental, social, intellectual, emotional, etc.

I think it's important to remind myself of this sometimes. My brother has Crohns, my mom and aunt have Multiple Sclerosis, and my grandmother has breast cancer. I may not always like what I see in the mirror, but I am a healthy person. I do not have diseases or conditions that impact my everyday life. I need to be thankful for my health and grateful for having a body that lets me do the things I enjoy. I love working out and being active, but I need to keep in mind the important reasons for doing it - it keeps my heart healthy, prevents chronic diseases, keeps my muscles and bones strong, helps clear my mind, and boost my mood. These things are so much more important than fitting into a size 0.

I guess I sometimes need a friendly reminder of what being healthy encompasses so that I can focus on the more important things in life :)

What helps you recognize the real meaning of being healthy?

Toe Tappin'

This morning's workout was another sweat inducing one:

30-minute treadmill interval workout that looked like this

Time	Speed (mph)
1 min	4.0
4 min	6.0
30 sec	9.0
1 min 30 sec	4.2
30 sec	9.0
1 min 30 sec	4.2
30 sec	9.2
1 min 30 sec	4.2
30 sec	9.2
1 min 30 sec	4.2
30 sec	9.4
1 min 30 sec	4.2
30 sec	9.4
1 min 30 sec	4.2
30 sec	9.6
1 min 30 sec	4.2
30 sec	9.8
1 min 30 sec	4.2
30 sec	10.0
1 min 30 sec	4.2
30 sec	10.0
1 min 30 sec	4.2
3 min	6.0
2 min	3.5

 

Followed by 10 minutes on the elliptical and 10 minutes on the stationary bike.

So, as this post title hints at, I'm going to be tap dancing this fall :) YAY! I could not be more excited! I danced from age 6-16 and tap dancing was something that I absolutely fell in love with. I danced competitively for 6 years and one of my groups even placed 2nd overall at the American Dance Awards national competition.

Side note: while in NYC for that competition, all of the dancers took part in creating the world's longest kickline down Broadway for the Guinness Book of World Records (so fun, and we were on GMA!)

I stopped dancing when I was 16 because it was becoming too demanding and there was too much drama occurring at my studio. I never regretted my decision, but I did always wish that I could find a place that would allow me to keep dancing at a high level without competing. However I could never find something like that in Columbus, OH :(

Now that I'm in Boston though, I stumbled upon a new program that is for dancers age 18+. You go to a day of placement sessions where you perform small routines and are put in a group based on your level of skill. After that there are ten weeks of 1-hour classes where you learn a routine with your group. At the end of those weeks you have a performance! Ahh this is exactly what I have been missing. I recently went to my little cousin's dance recital, and it made me miss performing so much.

I love the fact that this won't be a huge time commitment. That is really important to me considering how much time I will be spending in class and studying. Also, I'm so excited to have an opportunity to meet some new people that share a similar passion! I'm going to have to whip out my tap shoes and start practicing this summer :) Tapping is such a good workout too, and yet you don't realize that you're even working hard because it's so much fun!

Here is a video from So You Think You Can Dance for those of you that aren't sure what tap dancing is!

Hope everyone is having a great Monday! I'm off to class soon to learn some more manual muscle testing and goniometry (measuring joint range of motion). Can't wait for the Bachelorette tonight :)

Annoying Things at the Gym and Delicious Cookies

Oh my goodness, my roommate Kelly and I just made the most yummy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies...but more on that later.

This morning I got up, ate my breakfast, and had a delicious cup of coffee. My coffee is "double chocolate" flavored :). After letting my stomach settle, it was time to get my workout on. My time in the gym consisted of:
15 minutes on the step-mill
20 minutes on the elliptical
15 minutes of running on the treadmill

I don't know why, by the step-mill is a killer workout! Within 5 minutes of being on the thing I was sweating like crazy.

Now, I want to enlighten you with some of the things that I find most annoying at gyms. I realize these things may not occur at all gyms, but I've seen them at every one I've been to.

1. Not wiping off machines/mats - People, there are spray bottles and towels for a reason. I do not want to get on a machine after you have been dripping your sweat all over it. Also, there are signs hanging around the gym asking you to wipe them off...so why aren't you doing it? Not only does wiping off the machine after you've been on it help eliminate sweaty leftovers, but it gets rid of bacteria...:) that's a good thing, yay! Ok so let's please do that.
2. Running on the treadmill while holding on - This always perplexes me. If you're holding on while running, it doesn't look very safe and I'm often afraid the person is going to trip and go flying. Also, it decreases the effectiveness of the workout. So I guess this doesn't really annoy me, but just makes me curious
3. Grunting/screaming in the weight room - This is mainly for the men out there, but I've also heard some ladies do it as well. I understand that a little grunt here and there can actually help you get through a tough lift, but do you need to grunt so loud that I can hear you across the gym while I have my iPod blasting songs from Glee? No, you don't. I'm sorry, but that's not necessary and it's actually really frustrating for me because it breaks my concentration while counting reps and remembering to breath. Also, I have only seen this once, but it was obnoxious! A women was doing arm circles with 5lb weights and screaming...not grunting folks, screaming! I think the annoyance factor on that one is self-explanatory.
4. Using profanity while exercising - Sometimes I've heard men swear while lifting weights instead of grunt. And generally, it's not a baby swear word like damn or hell...it's the f-bomb or sh*t. I think this is a bit inappropriate to be doing in a public venue if you ask me. Also, if you like to swear while watching your favorite sports team losing...please don't do it on the treadmill next to me- that's just rude.
5. Sitting on the benches in the locker room while naked - Um...ew, this grosses me out. I don't mind people getting naked in the locker room, that's what it's there for. But do you need to sit on things with your naked lady parts? Yuck, it gives me the willys. 

So anyway...those are things that I've seen happen at every gym I've been too. I find them really annoying and just wanted to share. Most of these I find disrespectful to other people working out, but then again, that's just my opinion! 

Now for the cookies:

Chocolate-Chip Oatmeal Cookies   (from The Repressed Pastry Chef)

 

 Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (and a little more for good luck as Kelly likes to say)

We had 23 cookies in the end

May have stolen some handfuls...;)

What to do:
Preheat the oven to 325° F
In the bowl use an electric mixer to cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg then stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and then stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the quick oats and chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto un-greased baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes then remove sheets from oven and let them cool. Eat and enjoy!

I want to eat them all!

These taste fantastic!! They are slightly crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle...omg it's like heaven in your mouth :)

Hope everyone is having a good Sunday! I'm off to do some more studying and then I have a Skype date later with Chris...yay!

Movie and a Smoothie

Not much has happened today...the dreary weather made me want to curl up on the couch and watch movies all day. I did NOT do that, at least not all day, but tonight is another story. I did review the muscles that we've been re-learning in my kinesiology class. It's amazing how learning about the actions that certain muscles perform makes me appreciate strength training so much more. I can actually understand how doing certain exercises will benefit said muscles...and I like knowing that what I'm doing is working :)

So after doing some studying and eating a simple dinner, watching a movie sounded like a perfect activity. My roomie and I decided to watch Easy A

Not gonna lie, I love this movie. It's fun and entertaining and you don't have to really think about anything while watching it. Emma Stone's movie parents are awesome...some of their lines are hysterical.
After the movie ended, my stomach was grumbling...as is typical about an hour after I eat anything. So, I decided to whip up a smoothie...nothing special, but it was delicious

In the smoothie:

• Frozen banana
• Frozen strawberries
• Frozen blueberries
• Spoonful of peanut butter
• A little scoop of vanilla whey protein powder
• A cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk

I think I slurped this thing down in less than 5 minutes. How I didn't get a brain freeze, I have no idea.
Anyway, I just realized the Finding Nemo is on ABC Family!! SCORE...yay for a movie night :)

"I shall call him Squishy and he shall be mine and he shall be my Squishy" - Dori

Have a good night!

First Post - What up blog world?!

Hello and welcome to In Sweetness and In Health. I have been wanting to start a blog for a while, and finally got up the courage to do it (yikes). This blog is mainly going to be about my life as I try to stay fit and healthy while attending graduate school and try to live it up more so than I have done in the past.

Let's start with last night's fun :)

Some of my friends and I went to Gypsy Bar in downtown Boston. This was an interesting, yet totally fun, experience. This place was full of sweaty, and sometimes smelly, people and I kept getting whacked by some girl's insanely large purse...but the strobe lights, pumpin' music, and friends by my side made for an awesome night.

Basically we danced the night away, and we were all shakin' what our mamas gave us ;) Let's just say that my quads and the balls of my feet are dying today...I do not think my feet were made for heels.

Also, we had some random girls come up to us and they were marketing a new product that is basically a stick of pure caffeine that you inhale....um, what?

See the little orange thing? That's it...

We had to try it and then fill out a questionnaire. This stuff tasted disgusting. Apparently ten inhalations = 1 cup of coffee...ew, I'll take a tall latte over that thing any day.

Today is my rest day, so no workout for me. I had wanted to lay out and try to get some color on this body that was swallowed by a ghost during the beantown winter...but no, it's cold and rainy :( 

Any suggestions??