Fitness Update + What I Eat

I have gotten a handful of requests lately to share an updated fitness/health routine, and I felt like now is the perfect time as most of us are trying to be a little healthier during the summer. While my fitness routine isn't really the best at the moment, I've been trying to eat healthier and do my best, so here's an update on what I've been doing...

When it comes to exercise, I pretty much just go on runs and I occasionally do a few sit-ups, squats, and push-ups after a run. I try to run at least three times a week but aim for five. During my ideal week I would run Monday-Thursday and again on Friday or Saturday (but that has happened probably once all summer-- most weeks are just 3 times)For distance, lately I've been doing a route around my neighborhood that comes out to 3.3 miles from leaving my house to making it back in my driveway. I run the first two miles and then walk the rest of the way home, and then on Friday or Saturday I usually try to do something that lasts 6 miles or more... this usually means running out (the distance I want to go until I turn around) and walking/running as needed on the way back. 

I used to just run the whole time I was out but I've noticed that really limits me because it doesn't make me as excited to go on a run and kind of feels like torture. I get tired just like everyone else and need (and want!) to just walk sometimes. When I do a half running/half walking combo I'm more motivated to go because, honestly, I'll know the run will be easier and I'm just trying to get some exercise without torturing myself... haha.

Because of my internship this summer (I work from 9-3 Monday thru Thursday), I try to work out before work during those days. This usually means waking up at 5:30, eating something small (I'm always hungry immediately when I wake up) and relaxing with my coffee for about an hour before I'm in the mood to run. I'll go out around 6:45 or 7, be back 45 minutes later, and shower, get dressed, and on my way to work by 8:30.

I love working out in the morning because my internship really drains me of any energy I have, and I love feeling like I don't have to do anything when I get home in the afternoon. If I run in the afternoon I have unlimited time so I could run a lot further, but the chances of me getting myself to go on a run in the afternoon are really, really slim. It's just not in the cards a lot of the time because I'm tired by then! Getting moving and getting running out of the way early in the day is also an amazing feeling.

On Tuesday night I felt frustrated because the weather had been bad for a few days (crazy thunderstorms! I could barely drive!) and I hadn't gotten any form of exercise since the Thursday before. I don't like taking breaks of more than 2-3 days between exercising because then the motivation to be healthy for me really goes out the window. So, I opted to do a YouTube video of an at-home, no equipment required, full body workout. It incorporated a lot of jumping jacks, some squats and burpees, and a few ab exercises. I was so sweaty and couldn't even make it to the end of the video! This was my first time doing something like this and I really liked it-- it was kind of fun to change it up and do more body-weight exercises than just cardio. I might try to do something like this once a week to mix things up in the future!

In terms of eating healthy, here's what a typical weekday looks like for me:

Breakfast (before I run): coffee with almond milk, a Siggi's yogurt, or a greek yogurt with granola (if I go this route I'll eat half before and the rest after my run)

Breakfast (after I run): if I only ate a Siggi's before I run I'll usually have something small afterwards, before I get to work. This might be a High Brew Cold Brew coffee drink (I've been loving these lately), or a piece of fruit, or something random we have in my house that sounds good. (I know it's not the healthiest, but we usually have some sort of bread like monkey bread or blueberry bread from a nearby bakery and I can't resist a slice!)

I drink a lot of coffee. I drink it in the morning first thing (after a glass of water-- I never consume anything before having a big glass of water) and again at work in the morning, afternoon, or both. Sometimes black, sometimes just a tiny splash of cream.

Lunch: I pack almost the same lunch everyday for work and I love it. We usually take lunch at noon, unless there's some sort of treat (which there usually is! we had cake on Tuesday and donuts on Wednesday, omg) and then I'll eat later once I get hungry. Since I only stay until 3pm, lunch at noon definitely keeps me full for just three hours. I make a wrap using high-fiber, high-protein wraps and add turkey, avocado, and seasoned salt. Sometimes I even add Trader Joe's green goddess dressing which is the best thing in the world and everyone needs it. 

I usually dip my wrap in hummus, because I always pack carrots, cucumbers, or baby bell peppers with hummus. Sometimes I'll also pack a piece of fruit or grapes, or skinny pop as my "third component" to the wrap and veggies/hummus. That's it! It's healthy, easy, and I love it. If I want to mix it up I'll make a salad, which I share more about my go-to salad below.

Afternoon Snack: Like I said, my lunch keeps me full until I leave, but as soon as I'm out the door of work I'm suddenly starving. I try not to go home right away after work because I know I'll be tempted to make dinner immediately and I won't get anything done for the rest of the night. If I go home, I'll usually have some sort of snack, which honestly can be anything. Some days it's chips (kettle cooked are so good) or cheese and crackers (obsessed with trader joe's Italian Truffle cheese right now), and some days when I'm motivated to keep being healthy I'll have fruit or more veggies and hummus. It really just depends what I can find in my house haha

Dinner: This varies a lot. If my mom is home, because she's an amazing cook, she will make recipes I've never heard of and everything she makes is unbelievably good. This could be a pasta, a protein and roasted veggies, salad, or anything else.

If she won't be home by the time I'm bound to need to be fed (seriously, when I get hungry, it's game over-- I need food immediately or I go crazy) she will have marinated salmon, chicken, or shrimp for me to make. If I'm having salmon or chicken or something I'll just make that in a pan and eat it right away, or if I'm making shrimp I'll do my new favorite thing... a salad with romaine, TJ's Green Goddess, feta, and tomatoes. SO good.

Dessert: I have dessert 99% of the time and I love living my life this way. This just will never change! Usually this means going out to get ice cream or froyo with my friends because we all work at different times and it's an easy way to treat ourselves and hang out at the same time. Like killing two birds with one stone! If I'm not going out with my friends to get dessert, then I probably won't have dessert, but I really go get ice cream/froyo a lot. 

On the weekend:

On the weekends, my diet is completely different and it's totally a free-for-all. My mom and I usually drink coffee together and have some sort of pastry for breakfast (she'll wake up early and get croissants from a bakery by our house or we will go on a walk together for scones or something).

At some point during the weekend I make avocado toast with an egg-- usually on Fridays when I don't work and have to fend for myself, lol. I also have a newfound Diet Coke obsession, but I don't have more than one in a week, probably. Plus, I refuse to go get one unless I'm with my friend Caroline who helped establish the addiction. Thanks a lot Caro!!

For lunch my mom and I love making sandwiches like BLT's and snacking on a ton of chips or veggies and dip. She has been making dill dip homemade recently and it's so good! We kind of go crazy for unhealthy food on weekends because we are pretty good during the week, so it all balances out :)

To Wrap it Up:

I try to eat healthy during the week and then during the weekend I just do whatever I want because I want to live my life and enjoy it and not really worry about it. I've mentioned it here and there but in high school when I tried to control what I ate too much it really got out of hand and doing that never ends well. Doing my best for my body is all I can do, and that means ice cream on weeknights and croissants and chips and a drink with my mom on the weekends. This is what works for me, and I am really over trying to do anything crazy just to look a certain way or anything like that.

I'd love to hear your routine for the summer or anything you do to try and be healthy while also living a balanced lifestyle! Hopefully this answered some of your questions, and as always, thank you for reading!

xoxo