Getting Fit for 2016

In 2015, I became really serious about running. I ran a handful of races and really increased my fitness ability and I also started to realize that I'm much stronger and more capable than I ever thought possible.

People think that you gain a false-sense of confidence when you begin working out  - but I'm here to tell you it's not false. The more you workout, the better you feel. The better you feel, the more confident you will become in all facets of your life. Trust me. 

Change your habits, Change your mind.

I'm not saying that to be cheesy either. In 2014, I was very unhappy. I was reeling from a breakup that left me feeling very broken, and I began chasing friends and people - trying to have people accept me for me. Being walked on constantly, I finally realized I didn't want that life anymore. I stopped going to bars with people that weren't really my friends and instead, I became a fitness obsessed hermit. 

Sometimes you can go from one extreme to another, but eventually, you'll balance it all out. Don't give up on your journey.

Just being by yourself and figuring things out can be really clarifying. 

Okay, enough wisdom, Young Grasshopper. Keep reading for some tips to get to kickstarted for 2016.

1. Create a playlist or find some good ones on Spotify.

I like listening to Discover Weekly on Spotify, Running Playlists, or EDM Playlists. All of these get me pumped to workout or run. I love listening to good music while I workout it’s a major stress reliever.

I think I listened to all of KYGO's songs on repeat this year.

It's amazing the amount of new music you'll get to listen to while you reach your stride. 

Check these out if you're at a loss for music inspiration:

Spotify

8 Tracks

Frat Music

2.    Gear Up

Get a good pair of headphones that won't fall out of your ears while you’re getting your pump on. There is nothing more annoying than having your earbuds ripped out mid-squat or mid-sprint. NOTHING.

      Here's a list of my fave headphones/earbuds:

Yur Buds - These have some serious staying power! Also, you can still hear ambient noise like cars so you won't get run over in traffic.

LED Flashing Earbuds - Pairs great with some EDM 

Gym Headphones - These are wireless which is great for the gym. I wouldn't suggest wearing these running because they are noise cancelling -- You won't be able to hear traffic or cars that are about to run you over.

I swear by having quality workout bottoms. No, I’m not talking about yo glutes. I’m talking about the pants/shorts that you wear while working out. If you cheap-out, I believe you will be pulling your pants up 50% of the time which distracts from working out. Or maybe that’s just me and my Beyonce bum. If my pants are falling down, I can't concentrate on my reps or strides.

      

       MY FAVES

Nike Stay Warm Running Tights - Best for cooler fall days, but I can wear these in any weather with no problem.

Nike Long Running Tights - Light weight and great for running and lifting

Nike Dri-Fit Pro Core Compression Short - These are pretty short, but I love wearing them with tall socks for my squat days. Impossible to run in though. Don't get these to run in. Unless you like your cheeks hanging out ;)

      Flip Belt: Again, I swear by this. You can stick your keys, money, and phone in your belt while you run or lift. It doesn’t ride-up like some other running belts I’ve tried -- and it keeps your phone from flying out of your sports bra or waistband. It also doesn’t pool sweat into your phone (ew gross I know) which is a major bonus when you sweat as much as I do.

      Get yours here!

      

      Headbands: I LOVE wearing headbands while working out. Again, maybe it’s a sweat thing, but it totally keeps the sweat from dripping into your eyes and I swear by them.

This girl's etsy shop is to DIE - I get all of my headbands from her.

     Polar Watch – This is not a necessity, but I do think it’s fun once you’ve been working out for awhile to try this out. You can see how many calories you’re burning as you’re working out AND you can use it while doing HIIT workouts to keep your heart rate in check.

I have THIS ONE

SWOON this is the new one

FitBit – I really love my fitbit. I think they can be a bit over-rated but I love checking in on my steps and seeing patterns in my daily steps. Having a desk job really makes me antsy to get up and walk more.

I have THIS one

Accessorize it HERE

      Hydroflask – Seriously obsessed with this water bottle. It keeps your water cold and it keeps me drinking water. I also really love the Brita Water bottles because they filter your water as you drink and it has a straw. What more could you want?!

HydroFlask
Britta Water-bottle

4. Write down your goals – Take a piece of paper and write down three short term fitness goals and three long term fitness goals. This helps me when I’m feeling lazy and not wanting to workout – I look at my goals and remember why I’m doing this fitness thing.

For example here are my short-term health goals:

-Workout 3 x a Week

-Eat fruit for breakfast 3 x a week

-Eat a cup of veggies for dinner 4x a week

Long-term goals:

-Run a half marathon by the end of 2016

-Lose 10 LBS by end of 2016

-Don’t injure yourself this year! Stretch daily!

I have THIS journal and use it when I need to keep track of all my fitness goals and progress.

Although stretching could be included in my short term goals, I hurt myself a LOT this year in 2015 from over-training and not stretching enough. It’s a long term goal of mine to make this a major goal.

Try to put dates by things – for most of these, these are year-long goals. If you want to shorten the timeline – you can certainly do that.

5.    Schedule your workouts:

Schedule them into your planner or set reminders in your phone. Make appointments with yourself, and keep them! You wouldn’t cancel an appointment 2 minutes beforehand – so don’t do that to yourself. Even if you can only do 15 minutes, then do it J

 

Photo Cred: HERE

6.    YOUTUBE is your friend: 

A lot of times I feel extremely unmotivated and don’t feel like making up my own workouts. This is when YouTube comes in handy. Here are my favorite workout channels:

My favorite fitspo --> @hunnybunsfit on Instagram

1 Tone it up

2 Heidi Somers

3 Hunny Buns

4 Nikki Blackketter

5 Cambria Joy

Hopefully this helps you get started! Comment down below with your favorite tips for 2016 and working out.

Stay tuned with my moving adventures from Oregon to California.

xo P.

Disney Adventure Time

Long time, no blog.



I don't even know where to start.

A few months ago, I applied to a job with Disney to work for the Creative Costuming Department - Buying and Sourcing Fabric as an Assistant Costume Buyer. A handful of interviews later, lots of sleepless nights, and lots of anticipation later. I got the job!

If anyone knows me, they know that Disney has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember.

There's a picture of me from when I was little - wearing a red Mickey polo, grinning from ear to ear like a wild bandit, and wearing a "Disney imagineering" badge...

I mean, I guess I've come a long way since that first picture was taken. Including my Mother's sense of style (hint: please look at the buttons glued to that light-switch cover). I suppose you could say that I get my creative side from my genetics ;) It's in my blood, man. Button infested light-switch covers and all. Thanks Ma.  Gosh those bangs are glorious works of art in themselves. *facepalm*

To say I'm excited is an understatement. 

You see, I've been working my tail off the past year-and-a-half at my job as a Men's Assistant Activewear buyer and I've come such a long way -- it was totally bittersweet to give my two weeks on Monday.  I am overflowing with excitement for my new job, but at the same time, it makes me terrified to leave a job behind with the fact that I was going to be promoted in less than 45 days. But guess what? You'll never know if you don't take the plunge. 

Needless to say, I can't wait to move to Anaheim, CA and start my journey by the end of this month.  I found a roommate on Facebook and I can't wait to live in her gorgeous condo with her.

Sometimes you just have to quit your job, sell everything and start from scratch. It's the most freeing feeling in the entire world to know that I get to start over and do what I wanted to do years ago.

You see... when I was a Senior in college, I applied to be in the Disney College Program and I got in. That's right.  I was supposed to move to Florida with the white sandy beaches and the everlasting sun. 

>> This was the final Spring Term of college, and I had planned on never returning. But.. 

Life got in the way, and I made some .. choices to stay because of a boy, and guess what?  I really don't recommend doing that. Dreams beat boys any day. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. 

Next Friday, I'll be jumping for joy as I prepare for the next chapter in my life.
My Disney Adventure.

xoxo
P.

Corn Starch & Food Coloring

You might be asking yourself what I've been up to the last month or two.. 

A small portion of my time involved Corn Starch & Food Coloring in the form of the Color Vibe in Portland. It was such a blast and I want to do another color run sometime in my near future.

Bonus++ you get some pretty awesome pictures you can laugh about later.

Especially the gross combination of the colored powder and sweat.. mmm yummy..

The tutu made it all worth it.. Like, why can't it be acceptable for an adult to wear a tutu everyday? *sigh*

The energy and music was contagious, and the laughter as the people dumped colored powder onto innocent runners was well worth the price of admission.

If you've never run a race before - I highly suggest doing a race similar to the color run.

It's not timed, there's lots of people that walk after the first mile {or even from the starting line} and the music will keep you going.

The essentials you'll need are:

--White Tutu (got mine on Amazon)

--Waterproof case for your phone -- you'll be happy to be able to take pictures w/out worrying about ruining your phone

--Tall socks.. just because it's fun.

--Shoes you don't mind ruining (scored mine at Goodwill)

--I also bought the "fun pack" that the Color Vibe offered online -- this included color packets to throw color at people, a sweet handkerchief that I used as a headband, as well as a tee shirt!

-----------

Next up.. Timber's Game:

On Wednesday, I got to go to the Timber's Game in the Adidas Suite. 

Even though I don't really follow the sport of Soccer, it's fun to go to the games and laugh and talk with co-workers.

The match was a tie, but the energy from the Timber's Army was so intoxicating to experience. They sing hilarious songs, chant loud, and wave their Timber's scarves like nobodies business.

---

And that my friends is the end of a very long and draining week.

Currently, I'm commandeering Starbuck's wi-fi while I "study" for the GRE.. Yuck.

If you've never cracked open a GRE book - consider yourself lucky.

This test is all about tricking people.. similar to the SAT, studying can be draining.

I find myself putting off studying until the weekend, simply because I enjoy working out and relaxing after work too much to tax my brain on GRE gibberish. 

With that... I leave you with this: My favorite tall socks, and my adoring Asics. <3333

MUCH LOVE.

xoxo

P.

DIY Container Garden

I have found that the older I get, the more focused I get on the weirdest tasks or ideas. First it was crochet, then it was baking, now it's growing herbs. Look out world.. old lady Paige coming through.

All joking aside, I love the idea of growing my own plants and herbs. This idea came to me one day - simply because I love adding fresh herbs to my meals, but they ALWAYS go bad in the fridge when I buy them from the store and don't use them fast enough.

Now... a little back story about my black little thumb... I have killed every single house plant I've ever owned. Yes.. even the two cactuses that I joked about DIED. How does one kill a cactus you ask? I have no idea. I blame Ikea. I think it was defective. RIP cacti. 

Anywho.. so here we are. Once again crossing my fingers my plants don't wilt and disintegrate. I planted Basil first because apparently it's the heartiest to plant, and the easiest to keep alive. Yes, I laughed at that too when I read it online.. and then I got some Oregano seeds and went wild with those. Next came Rosemary, and then I decided wildflowers would also be fun.

Now let me also just say that I live in the city, on the 17th floor, and that means I can't run around in overalls outside gardening, and hoeing all day. Ok I just wanted to say hoeing because it made me giggle. BUT that just means I get to container garden. The old lady in me just jumped for joy.

Have you even looked at container gardens on Pinterest before? SWOON.

If you haven't, I highly suggest it. Unless you have things to do. Then I don't suggest it. Because Pinterest is a major time-suck and I'm totally ok with that.

Just look at these creative ideas:

Link from Pinterest

Link from Pinterest 

Link from Pinterest

Link from Pinterest

Needless to say, the sky is the limit with these adorable little container gardens! My teeny tiny garden is small, and maybe not quite as cool as these, but still really fun and mighty.

.. and knock on wood.. I haven't killed too many yet... Yes, too many. Two containers I did throw away, but I still have 7 that are alive and kickin! That is a success I would say.

 Okay so lets get started on creating the container garden of your dreams!
First get some cheap-o planters. These came from Winco. Yes I got these at a grocery store. Sue me.

I loved the texture and the shape, but the color was too boring for me so I picked up some spray paint from Wally World -- Make sure you get spray paint that sticks well to plastic (it will say so on the spray can), but if you have some spray paint lying around somewhere - use that! That's totally fine.

Here is the spray paint I used -- Rust-oleum has great coverage. It only took me two coats to cover my planters!

Then you're going to want to lay down some cardboard or some paper so you don't get spray paint on your balcony.. or the ground.. or on yourself for that matter. Comprende?

Let your container dry for a few hours in between coats to make sure your paint doesn't peel off. Once it's dry, you can fill it with dirt aka soil and whatever seeds or plants your little heart desires!

Then -- I got really excited when I realized I could use some of my chalkboard spray paint I found at Walmart to paint these weird little containers I found at Target that were on sale for like 40 cents. Booyahhh. 

My little balcony garden 

Look how adorable these turned out! I found these little cups at Target in the kid's kitchen area for really cheap. They were a HIDEOUS color before I painted them, and I'm so happy with the result! I probably should have drilled holes in the bottom for drainage, and I still might do that, but my plants are growing so well right now -- I am beyond thrilled with my little project. Look at those happy little Herbs.

I've been really careful not to over-water these suckers. Next time I think I will drill holes and add some little vintage plates for them to sit on -- Which I still might do!

Happy Planting! Go wild :) 

xoxo

P.

Ps. Make sure you buy organic, non-gmo seeds. You want to have happy healthy plants that won't make you sick. Okay.. Carry on.

Tofu Scramble: 21 Day Fix Approved

You absolutely.. without a doubt.. HAVE to make this Tofu Scramble. I don't care if you're following the 21 Day Fix or not. I don't care if you're vegan/vegetarian or not. I don't care if you hate tofu. You're trying this recipe.

Step 1 Collect the ingredients.

+ Firm Tofu (non-GMO)

+ Red Bell Pepper

+ Garlic

+ Red Onion

+ Spinach

+ Nutritional Yeast

+ Turmeric

+ Garlic Salt

+ Vegetable Broth

+ Bragg's Liquid Aminos

Step 2 Start your engines*

Note *This step is optional

Step 3 Chop up one clove of garlic

Chopping up garlic just HAS to be the most fun. I love smashing it with the knife, and then peeling off it's skin. WHOA. That sounded way creepier than I intended it to... anywho.. you know you love it too. Don't lie.  Chop it into small pieces while your pan is heating on low/medium heat. 

Step 3 Time to get acquainted with Mr. Onion

Ain't he a beaut?!

Chop the onion up so that it will fill about 1/2 of your green container.

Then, spray your pan with coconut oil cooking spray.. 

Now it's time to marry the onions and the garlic together on low/medium heat. Don't be like me and throw them in on medium/high heat. The garlic will start to burn and you'll have to start over. Oops.. Wasn't me. Lets just say I have experience in setting off my smoke detector.. but it's okay. I promise you it will all work out just fine.

Step 4 Get your trusty, low-sodium veggie broth out and put a little-teeny-tiny-splash of broth in with the garlic and onion to help them along.

Keep stirring the garlic and onion around so it doesn't stick to the pan. Again.. you learn things in the kitchen. Things you can't seem to forget.

Step 5 Gather the nutritional yeast, garlic salt, and turmeric together

So.. now you're going to put 3 TBS nutritional yeast, 1 tsp turmeric, 2 pinches of garlic salt, and 3 TBS water into your magic bullet or blender... and blend that puppy up until it's mixed thoroughly.

Yep.. I really did just say that.. Yellow, the color of.. egg yolks, folks.

Moving along.

Step 6 Get your tofu ready..

Cut it into a nice little square so that it measures out to be 1 red container.

THEN -- this step is pretty important.. but of course I didn't take a picture of it, so I hope you're still reading along..

Sandwich the tofu between two paper towels and squish the tofu down as much as you can to get all the water out of it. When using firm tofu, it's nice because it has less water content, but you still need to squish the water out of it. Repeat this process if necessary. 

Now comes the fun part.

Step 7 Crumble the tofu into the pan so it looks like scrambled eggs.

Yes.. I AM aware of how un-appetizing this looks at this very moment in time, but have faith. I promise you I'll deliver..

Results that is.

Not the actual tofu scramble to your doorstep.

That might be kind of difficult.

Really awesome.

But really difficult.

Step 8 Add the spinach and your red bell pepper at the very end of the cooking process

Add these two ingredients at the end so they maintain most of their nutrients. The longer you cook vegetables, the more it depletes their nutrients. 

The spinach and the bell pepper combined should measure out to one-half of a green container.

Step 9 Put it in a bowl.. or plate.. whichever you prefer

Once the spinach is wilted a bit, it's time to plate your food up. Or in my case, bowl it up. 

Step 10 Top with some liquid aminos (Bragg's or Coconut Aminos are my go-tos!)

Bam! You're all done! Eat up and enjoy :) I know you will!

Ingredients/Measurements:

+ Firm Tofu (non-GMO) - cut one "brick" of tofu to measure out to 1 Red Container

+ Red Bell Pepper - 1/4 Green Container

+ Garlic - 1 Clove

+ Red Onion - 1/2 Green Container

+ Spinach - 1/4 Green Container

+ Nutritional Yeast - 3 TBS

+ Water - 3 TBS

+ Turmeric - 1 tsp

+ Garlic Salt - 2 Pinches

+ Vegetable Broth - 1 Splash

+ Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or coconut aminos) - 1 TBS (to your liking)

Let me know if you have any questions! 

Stay tuned for one more week of the 21 Day Fix. 

xoxo 

P.