Life gets in the way...

As I looked back at my last blog post, I realize that it has been over a year since I have posted anything! I guess I can just use the same old excuse, "life gets in the way" to justify such a long absence. Last year was a whirlwind of juggling a teaching job, wedding planning, and a new move. Reflecting back on the year, I ask myself how on earth did I balance it all?

I know that at the age most of us are at, we are in a constant battle with ourselves to be successful professionals and keep our health in mind. Working long days is exhausting and having to muster up the energy to get in that workout can be even more daunting. So how do we do it? Do we just forget the workout part and let ourselves off the hook? I know that for me, this would result in a very grumpy and irrational Danielle.

In all honesty, this was a battle that I needed to fight last year while working so many hours. I played around with the before work workouts and in all truth, they did make the rest of my day feel wonderful. As the winter started to gloom in, and it was no longer light in the mornings, I found that it was VERY difficult to get out of bed and I waited to workout in the afternoons. To my surprise, this was also a great way to end my day and I came to a conclusion that as long as I got my workout in, my day was better, I was happier, and even my students would comment on how my mood was affected by my workouts (sad but true).

I can remember many drives to the gym, thinking that I could take a nap at any second and how much I was dreading starting the workout but in all irony, I would end up feeling 100% better the minute I started. We fight a mental battle with ourselves everyday, a battle to get through all that we need to and better ourselves.

As I am now officially on summer break, I make it a goal of mine to post more recipes and findings that I have had the last year. Your fitness relationship is something that will grow day by day. Let yourself continue to learn from others and make it a passion to be your best self. You can't control the drama you may face at work, the negativity that sometimes life can bring, but you can control you and how you feel. When it comes to your body, energy, and happiness- be selfish. I promise it will pay off :)

Coconut Oil

So my newest obsession is coconut oil. Not only is it great for you, but it is delicious too! I have been incorporating coconut oil into my diet everyday since Monday. Yesterday I felt completely amazing! I had so much energy, and I was just in a great mood. I found this http://skinnyms.com/101-uses-for-coconut-oil/ yesterday while reading up on it. Take a look at just how amazing this tropical fruit is for you.

Baby Steps

Do you relate to any of the following thoughts?

"I'd like to work out more, I just don't have time."

"I hate running, it is way too hard!"

"I love food too much to eat better."

"I honestly just don't know where to begin."

These statements are extremely common. We have all thought them at some point and I am sure most of us have said them out loud. These statements all may be true, but are they holding you back?

About 3 years ago, I said the very same statements even though I was running competitively, I simply did not understand what good nutrition was and how to properly fuel for everything I was putting my body through. Instead of eating many greens, proteins, and complex carbohydrates, I was merely "carbo loading" all the time! As a result, I was 15 pounds heavier (and remember I am 5'1'') and sluggish in my running and daily life. I attribute this to my lack of knowledge and as hard as I was working and trying, I was just going backwards.

Although, I look back at those days and wish, "If only I knew then what I know now" I also am thankful now for the knowledge that I have gained. I use this knowledge to pursue a lifestyle of balance and also find that I enjoy my food much more now then I did before.

Focusing on your health means embracing your creativity. You are the artist in designing colorful meals that send your taste buds to the moon and back. You are the designer in creating meals that keep you sustained and alert, meals that carry you throughout the day to be efficient and productive. Embrace your creativity and find the flavors that you love to eat.

Embrace spices to add flavor to your food before resorting to oils and dressings. Experiment, there is no failure. On that note here are some marinade/dressing combos you can add to stir fries and salads that I have created:

-1 tbs Miso Paste (same paste used to make Miso soup in sushi restaurants)

-1 tsp Chili Garlic Paste

-Half Lemon

-2 tsp Soy Sauce (Low Sodium if you can)

-1 tsp Garlic

-1 tsp Sesame Oil

Mix and enjoy

-1 tbs Turmeric

-1 tbs Siracha

-Half Lemon

-Dash of Cumin, Salt, and Pepper

-1 tsp Olive Oil

Mix and enjoy

Be your own culinary artist and share your wonderful recipes please :)

Where the Heart is

As the weeks approached leading up to the Boston Marathon quickly crept up on me, I became excited and also nervous. I went into the Detroit Marathon naive with no idea of what racing 26.2 miles would feel like. Lets just say it really took everything I had and so I anticipated the pain of my next to be unbearable!

Ever since I was young, I heard about the Boston Marathon. I have been a competitive runner since I was in 7th grade so I have invested 12 years of my life into this sport. To be honest, I had no idea what it would be like. I don't like to build things up to be huge because I get nervous so I down played what a big deal going to Boston was. Well lets just say when I arrived to Boston Saturday night, I quickly learned what this magic was about.

In all my years of running, no place ever captured me like this one. Waiting to check into the hotel, which was connected to the Expo (we had no idea so this was exciting for us) I met two of the nicest ladies who were so generous in sharing their abundance of information on the Boston Marathon with me. Our hotel was the Sheraton Boston which was about 2 blocks from the finish line, at the time we thought we were so lucky for choosing that one. Everything felt so right, so magical.

As the weekend rolled on, I made some of the greatest connections with people who loved running more than I do which is impressive! I met people who had run the marathon for 3,4, 5,7, even 30 years. They built up excitement in me and countless moments, I found myself tearing up at the thought of how beautiful this sport is and the breed of people it brings.

The morning of the race, my mom and I walked with the other 27,000 runners to the shuttle buses. I stood in the crowd of people, hearing bits of conversation about how many marathons they have run and where they came to Boston from. As I finally took a seat on the bus, a woman sat next to me. We quickly learned we had the same qualifying time and ended up becoming fast friends. We spent the 3 hour wait in Athlete's Village together and kept each other from getting too antsy about the race.

We met a man who told us that he had run 54 marathons but technically this was his first. When we asked him why, he said that he had gone through Chemotherapy last year and this would be his first marathon back. Both of us immediately cried when he told us, the thing about that weekend was you didn't have to hold back your emotions. Runners are passionate people and it was okay to express how you were feeling, how happy you were to be surrounded by people who truly care about life and embracing their passions.

Most of the talk about the Boston Marathon, unfortunately has unfolded into the bombing situation and so I am writing this post to also remind people of the beauty of this race and of that day before everything unfolded. I have never enjoyed a race more in my entire life. I became emotional at mile 24 thinking of how lucky I was to be there at that moment, surrounded by people who were fulfilling their dreams, by crowds who got us through the race. There is no way any of us could make it through that distance (except the pros probably) without the support from the sidelines. From the kids handing us water cups, giving us high five or from the people holding signs that say "You are Amazing."

Never in my life have I been so touched and overcome with such pride in this sport. But the true amazing people are not only the runners, but also the fans that come to enjoy this moment. My mom who anxiously waited over 3 hours for me to run a race and spend way too much money on a hotel and flight and warm weather clothes that I neglected to pack now that I am all Southern and spoiled!

When the bombs went off, my mom and I were two blocks from it. We saw the smoke, we saw the crowd run. We stayed in Cambridge that night later learning we were a mile from the suspects home. This definitely does not comfort my mind but what does comfort it is the support we received that night. The calls, texts, facebook posts, the love we knew we had behind us.

As I am trying to move on past that day, I am just looking at my life differently. I am one of the luckiest people in the world and so thankful to be here today to share this story. I hope after this weekend people are inspired to follow their dreams. It does not have to be running related or even sports related, but related to what makes you happy and brings out the best in you.

I will be back to Boston again to run that marathon, I will combine with other runners around the world to make sure our sport stays alive. Always keep in mind where the heart is...

Biggest scare of my life

I'm sure many of you have heard about what has happened at the Boston Marathon today. Danielle, being the superstar that she is ran it today. I am so proud of her for doing it, she ran an incredible time. I am also so thankful that nothing happened to her today. My mom was there with her and I finally just got to speak with them. I am so so so thankful they are ok. Hearing their voices was the biggest relief I have ever had. I don't know what I would do without my two best friends in the world. I don't think I will feel completely ok until I see them both back home and safe again. Say a prayer or send your good vibes to those in Boston right now.

I love you two more than you could ever imagine and I can't wait to see you home soon so I truly know you're safe.

Happy belated siblings day!

So yesterday I was not aware it was siblings day until the best sibling ever (Fensta aka Danielle) wished me a happy siblings day. It completely made my night better. I haven't been feeling the best lately, and it was just a nice surprise. Go ahead and just remind your loved ones how wonderful they are to you; it will make them feel good and in return make you feel good too!

Miss you fensta I can't wait to see you in May <3 your best friend.