The Ups and Downs of Having a Meal Plan

Today was actually pretty productive. On Tuesday and Thursdays I have class from 10 to 11 and then have a 7 hour break until my class from 6 to 8. Usually, this means that I lounge around and do nothing for several hours and then at 8:00 panic and realize how much work I have.

Not today! I managed to get in nap (counts as productive), got my Russian homework done, finished almost all my readings, and worked out with Ali.
Sadly all the treadmills in the gym were taken (which is a tad ridiculous since there are a billion), so I just spent 30 minutes on the elliptical. It wasn't too bad because I ended up watching the end of the movie Avatar while working out. Embarrassing story: I cry at almost any movie I watch. I had to work hard to hold back the teary feeling because I was in the middle of a public gym. I do not want to be the girl crying while working out again haha.
Afterwards I headed back to the house, and decided to continue my workout by running a little bit on the treadmill. I ran a mile in 9:40 (yay!) and then decided to walk for another quarter mile to cool down. I finally decided just to spend the next 7 minutes walking on a slight incline with 5 pound weights so I could complete a full 20 minutes on the treadmill.

I also attempted to take pictures of my meals today because its been awhile since I last busted out my camera. Although the food we are served is usually really delicious, I'm really missing my kitchen back home.
Today I had my usual breakfast of scrambled egg whites, a piece of turkey bacon, and oatmeal. I've even gotten used to eating unsweetened oatmeal! The trick is I put a billion things in it like chocolate chips, brown sugar, raisains, and fruit.

For lunch, we are usually given a meal or two and then left to assemble it how we want (for example everything you need to make a wrap). Today was Greek themed, so we had all the items to make a pita pocket!

While I originally went for tofu with Tatiki, I made another one using one my falafels and hummus and it was thousand times better. Lunch at the house is almost always a winner:)

It was good lunch was so delicious because dinner was not. I was not a fan of the porkchops and potatoes, but I didn't have time to be picky (lame night classes) so I didn't try to get creative with alternatives.

When I got back from class, the cereal was calling my name and made up for the lame dinner.

I could eat literally over 3 bowls of cereal in a heartbeat, so I've learned ways to stay satisfied on one: mix a bunch of different cereals together. When I mix granola, Captain Crunch (not healthy haha), and Shredded Spoonfuls, I'm always convinced I can't replicate it and am even happier with the bowl. Win win!

Off to bed! I've realized I really need to get to bed earlier when I have morning classes so that I won't depend on my "productive naps" so much.

We Run the World

The upside of going to college in the middle of smoggy LA: having an absolutely beautiful, free gym at your disposal. Well, free except for the pesky college tuition and housing costs that accompany it. I'm sure my student loans would beg to differ with the free gym statement.


Today my crazy sorority rush schedule ended, and I finally had a normal day of classes with no responsibilities before, during, or after.

Final day of the busiest week ever!

Which means I finally made it to the gym in order to kick my butt back into gear and work off the billion cake pops I had during the weekend (and yesterday). Seriously, those things are the most wonderfully addictive desserts in the world.
I once again went for a run on the gym treadmill, and realized that although I miss my great views from home, I really like running on the treadmill. I always start really slow and speed up throughout my workout, and pressing the faster button always makes me feel so tough and in shape. Add that dorky feeling plus Beyonce's Run the World (whee! new playlist!) equals me running faster than I've been able to run in awhile.

I'm a pretty slow runner (I'm talking 11 minute pace), but I made it up to 7.3 mph (just over an 8 minute mile) pace by the end. The run ended up being a little over 2.5 miles, and I left the gym feeling awesome.

And when you're having an awesome day, why not roll with it? A few hours later, my friends and I decided we wanted to renew our motivation to complete Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. Even though we all had to manage using different weights (we rotated through 3lb, 5lb, and 8lb which were death since there were conveniently 3 circuits). It was actually really fun completing it with friends even though I already feel myself getting sore now.

I also am going to a super fun event tomorrow that I'll tell you all about! And you may actually (gasp) see a picture or two, but until then here's a hint.

I have an 8:30 am class tomorrow, so it's time for bed. Night!