Tuesday Things: Yoga + Kombucha

Happppyyyyy Tuesday!

 {Shadow Game Strong}

{Going up on a Tuesday}

{Happy, because, day off}

I don't know about you, but I LOVE Tuesdays… mostly because they are my day off. Yay!

I started my glorious day off by attending a BIKRAM yoga class.  This was my second one ever.  Going through the poses is so therapeutic and empowering.

After tackling a bikram class in the morning, you feel like you can accomplish everything and anything on your to-do list.  I mean, it is quite a feat just to make is through the class.

I'm pretty sure I sweat every last ounce of body fluid out of my body during the class so I decided to refuel with a Kombucha.  (Yes, I am becoming a real Yogi ;) ).

{I picked one with Chia seeds to give me extra energy}

{First, I showered}

Have you every tried Kombucha?  It's delicious and super good for you!  Some of the benefits include:

~Helps Digestion

~Weight Loss

~Prevents Cancer

~Cleanses and Detoxes

~Helps Immune System

~Increases Energy

You should ALL try this.

After lunch, I headed to Barnes and Noble.  If you haven't noticed, this is where I like to go to get stuff done + check out new books.  I could just read + sip coffee/tea all day long.  Everyday.

{Some books that I skimmed through today}

P.S. Starbucks spelled my name wrong.  Again.  How hard is it to spell Maddie?!  It's IE! 

(I needed some protein so I got a skinny, nonfat mocha.  What do you order at Starbucks?)

I ended my afternoon by heading to the local health food store, Down to Earth.  I'm thinking about buying some PB2.  

Have you tried it?

Who can resist the peanut butter taste with 85% less fat?  Not this girl.  

{I've been doing Insanity for 3 weeks and Yoga for 1. Back muscles coming in strong!} 

Anyway, I hope you all had a productive Tuesday.

Tomorrow-- Hump day.  So, basically, almost the weekend.

At least, that's how I choose look at it.

xoxo

Maddie

Sunday Sweat Sesh + Cookies

Today was… busy.

 I started the day off by pressing snooze on my 6:00 am alarm.  Who wants to get up at 6:00 am on a SUNDAY?!  Not me. I could only sleep for so much longer before I had to get up, eat breakfast (cereal, turkey bacon, and of course, coffee) and go down to campus to proctor an SAT test.  You know, the college admission test that takes foreverrrrrrrrr.  Yeah.  My morning sucked.

(This is not my desk…)

When I got done around 12:30pm I was starving.  I could have eaten the entire pantry!  But, I settled for a 4 egg white and veggie (spinach, pepper, and onion) scramble instead. I had 50 minutes before I was scheduled to take the kids to the beach so I decided to do my Insanity workout for the day (even though all I really wanted to do was sleep!).  It's my 3rd week of Insanity and I did the Plyometric Cardio Circuit. I gave it everything I had: went faster, harder, and longer than I ever have before.  (I'm already feeling it--yay!).  

I showered off and got ready for the beach but the weather wasn't cooperating… none of the kids wanted to go anywhere.  So what did I do?  I went and hung out in Barnes and Noble, of course!  I love browsing the isles for new books.  Today, cookbooks and diet books caught my attention.  There are so many out there!  Which ones do you like?!

(Just a quick snap of my reading material)

After I felt satisfied (or overwhelmed with information) I headed back to the dorm.  Lisa, one of my Japanese dorm students, loves to bake as much as I do.  We are hoping to try and bake something at least once a week, and today we gave it our first go.  I asked her what she wanted to make, I showed her all these really cool and fancy recipes, I told her I wanted to bake something semi-healthy, but what did she want to make?  Chocolate chip cookies.  You can't go wrong with them so I agreed.  We found a recipe from the blog "Deliciously Yum" and decided to give it a try.  (Click on the link to get the recipe).

(WOW, they did not disappoint! )

After eating two cookies (they are mini), I realized I had two hours until I had to "man" the lobby (be dean on duty) for the rest of the night, so I decided to try another yoga class at the studio I just bought a membership to.  The class is called Power Vinyasa.  It's a flow style yoga, in a 95 degree room, with great music.  I have never, ever, not even in Bikram Yoga (105 degree room), or Insanity, sweated so much in my life.  Both my mind and body felt stretched and rejuvenated. This was THE MOST GLORIOUS yoga class I have ever been to. EVER.  I can't wait to go back.  

I definitely turned my Sunday around and made the most of it!  How was yours?

Happy Monday! 

xoxo

It's Workout Time!

My life is pretty hectic-- I mean, I'm 20 years old and basically a mom to 20+ high schoolers from other Hawaiian islands, the "mainland," and Asia (Korea, China, and Japan).  My life is very busy, but not necessarily in an active way.  I am usually "Dean on Duty" for 6+ hours and day; that means that I sit in the lobby and hangout with the kids, help them with homework, drive them where they need to go (the mall),  and most of the time, try and get them to turn their music down.  Can anyone relate?

(Some pictures of Dorm Life)

So believe me, I know how hard it is to make time for yourself.  I especially have trouble because I work the night shift, which means I start my day when the kids get out of school, usually around 3:30 pm, and I finish my day around 12:30 am.  Sounds like I have a lot of time in the morning, right?  Well after sleeping in till 8/9, having to help out in the kitchen at 10:30, and monitor the lunch line at 12:00, it doesn't leave me much personal time.  Hardly enough to get anything done, let alone get a workout in.  To say I have been struggling would be an UNDERSTATEMENT. 

My schedule, is the main reason I have decided to give INSANITY a try.  It gets your heart pumping, your body sweating, and revs up your metabolism for hours!  All this in about an hour!  It is MAX interval training which means you give it all you have for a short period of time and then you get a 30 second rest.  It's a lot of cardio, but also combines resistance and abs exercises to tone and strengthen your muscles.  Since starting Insanity, 3 weeks ago, I haven't missed a single workout! And this morning I did my second Fit Test and I just BLEW my first Fit Test out of the water!  Results after just 2 weeks!  I am determined to carry this out for the full 9 weeks.  Like Shaun T, from Insanity says, "You gotta give it everything you got!"  

Insanity may not be the answer for everyone, but it has helped me get out of the workout slump I was in.  Now, I'm always wanting to do something active!  Find (or make up) some sort of exercise  that fits you as a person, your schedule, and that you just really enjoy doing!  It makes all the difference in the world; you should look forward to your workouts!  

Let me know what your daily workouts look like!  Has anyone tried Insanity?  How did it work for you? Comment here and let's chat!

xoxo

2015-- Starting off Strong

Ok, I know it's already kinda late in the month (the 24th?!), but here are my goals for 2015.  I want this to be my best year yet!  Cliche, yeah?  But who cares…  I've been doing them since my Christmas Break ended, so basically all of 2015, so far.

Here they are:

1.)  Workout consistently.

Duh, is this not everyone's first one?  But, I mean serious business.  I love living a very active lifestyle.  Being here in Hawaii, my schedule is very different than what I am used to, so I have gained weight since being here… sad right?  Not the best bikini body that I had hoped (ok, and dreamed) of.  But no more sitting around!  I'm starting this year off with a BANG.  And that bang sounds a lot like INSANITY.  Yep, we've all heard of it.  All the hype must be for something, right? I'm hoping so.  My thighs and butt could use it.

(Yokahama Bay during Thanksgiving Break)

2.) Yoga

I have only taken a few yoga classes, but I LOVE them.  They energize, de-stress, and stretch your mind and body, and I love that feeling.  I have not done any yoga since being in Hawaii and I have really missed it.  I bought myself a yoga mat (since mine is home in WA) thinking I would just YouTube some yoga, but I couldn't stop there… Yesterday, I went to try out my first BIKRAM yoga class.  I loved it so much (even with all the sweat), I bought a month membership right after the class.  I can't wait to take advantage of all the different classes the offer.  My goal is to try and get 3 classes in a week! (fingers crossed)

(My new yoga mat)

3.) Drink MORE Water

I don't know about you, but I did not drink enough water.  I have found out that I do not drink enough water if I carry around my big Nalgene water bottle.  I don't know what it is, maybe just that it seems too big to actually finish, or maybe that it gets warm before I can finish it?  I don't know.  But, I started buying a big pack of water bottles from Costco (yes, I recycle) and now I drink a lot of water.  I use one bottle a day and I try and refill it 4-5 times.  It's so much easier, and more rewarding too.  

(4-5 of the Costco bottles a day)

4.)  Keep a Food Journal

I know this doesn't seem important, and I am not necessarily counting calories, but I do like know what I put into my body.  If you are anything like me, you like to eat healthy but you don't mind a cheat meal (or two or three…).  This was getting out of hand, and I wasn't being aware of how certain foods made my body feel.  (I'm detail oriented in some ways-- food, has not been one).  Lately, I have been using the app "My Fitness Pal."  Yes, this app is generally for weight loss, but that is not what I use it for.  I track what I eat and I like to see my macro (carbs/protein/fat) breakdown.  During Insanity, I'm trying to keep my carbs (complex--for energy) and protein higher, while I try to eat only healthy or very little fats.  During Insanity I want my Macro ration to be 40% carbs,  40% protein, and 20% fat.  After Insanity, I might lower my carb and protein intake because I won't be doing MAX interval training 6 days a week.  

(My food, insanity, thoughts journal)

5.) More Devotional Time

Even though I am here in Hawaii being a student missionary for the year, it is SO hard for me to better my relationship with God.  We have worship, we go to church, we pray, but doing all that stuff does not necessarily mean I have a strong relationship with God.  I get so tied up with the schedule of the dorm, and being everywhere and anything the kids need me to be, that I forget about my personal relationship with God.  This year, I want to make a BIG effort to have daily devotions with God.  So far, the books/apps I have been using are: the app, "She Reads Truth," the devotional book "His Princess" by Sheri Rose Shepherd, and of course the Bible.  (If I find something new, I'll let you know!)

(Devotion book and my Bible)

These 5 things are just my top priorities for 2015 (there are many other things that I "want" to do/change in 2015).  These were not listed in any order, they are all important to me.  I want to combine all of these resolutions, or a better term-- lifestyle changes-- in equal parts to live a healthy, balanced life.  

What are your 2015 resolutions and how are they going?  Comment here, and let's keep each other accountable! 

xoxo

About

Hi, my name is Madeline, but everybody calls me Maddie.

I'm 20 and just trying to live my life.  The hard/funny/cool thing is, is that I am living in Hawaii, task-forcing (being a dean) at a boarding high school, Hawaiian Mission Academy.  I'm from a little town called Wenatchee, Washington (PNW for life!) but now I'm in Honolulu.  That is a BIG change for this small town girl.   I have taken a year out of college to have this year of service.  I love anything and everything outdoors: hiking, swimming, chilling at the beach!  I also love to read; I'm a sucker for romance novels (I know, lame). And I love to be healthy, whether it's hiking, running, yoga,
or strength/weight training.  I also love experimenting in the kitchen.  Yes, I am a little addicted to Pinterest, don't judge.  I love eating healthfully or finding ways to make not-so-healthy recipes healthier.  Anyway, I'll try and make this interesting. . .

P.S.  I have big brown/gold eyes.  My dad has ALWAYS called me Cow Eyes, hence, the name.

That is all.


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