It's Been a While

So, that whole New Years Resolution to blog more often? Yeah, not really succeeding at that.

But since I'm going to try and get that one going again - let's take a look at my progress on my other resolutions!! (If you forgot what they were, check here)

1. Be Less Selfish. This one's been hard. But I've learned that it's about balancing my needs and wants with the needs and wants of others. Sometimes, it's okay to say "Hey, I really need to focus on me right now" and it's okay to ask for something. But if you only ask others and never help them in return - that's where it can get rough.
My main goal in this one was to focus less on me when other people are talking about their own problems. (examples are in the original post!) I think I've improved. Even if I am more tired/hungry/hurt/whatever, the person I'm talking to isn't bringing it up because they want me to chime in.. they're bringing it up because they need to talk about it.

2. Continue to See The Bigger Picture. Well, this one is on year two.. and it's still a struggle. This tends to be problem when my controlling side comes out - if people don't do what I want them to do (regardless of if I tell them that's what I want) I get pout-y. But in reality, if things don't go perfectly the way I want, the world will not crash and burn. Keep working on this one, Ashlyn.

3. Be Happy. I'd say I've been pretty happy in 2014. I have been working on bettering myself and becoming healthier, and that's made me more confident and happier with myself. Sometimes, like everyone, I just get a little down - but everyone is allowed to have those days!

4. Be Heard. Well, I can't say I've tried very hard with this one. I'm still shy, I'm still quiet, and people still talk over me and ignore me. I definitely want to work on this one some more as the year progresses.

5. Blog More! Like I said, this one hasn't gone as smoothly as planned - but here's to the next 5 months and having them go better!!

We're 7 months into the year. But don't worry if you haven't lost that weight or conquered your fears - there's still time to tackle your New Years Resolutions! Pull out your list, evaluate how well you've been doing (be honest!), and make plans to continue to improve yourself!! Even if you can't complete each goal, you can work towards them! January 1st isn't the only day you can start new things!!
Forgot what your resolutions were? Think of new ones! They can be your August 1st resolutions!

For me, the most important aspect of sticking to my resolutions is remembering what they are, why I want to change, and what the outcome will be if I do!!

Two Weeks STRONG

As I said in my last post, I've started using MyFitnessPal again. Today is my 15th straight day of logging my food choices.There are a couple things I want to hit on about this app/website

1) It's not about the calories (for me) - it's being responsible for recording what I eat. This allows me to consider what I'm putting in my body ("Do I really need this hundredth cookie?"). By recording what I eat and how much I exercise it has made me realize how much I snack, how much junk I eat, and how much (portion) I eat.

2) PORTIONS. WOW! I never really considered whether or not what I put on my plate was a proper "portion," I just thought "hmmm, I think I'm going to want this much of this, and this much of this, and only a little of this." But by seeing the suggested servings for foods I am more conscious of this and am able to also create more balanced meals.

3) FRUITS AND VEGGIES! Like really though! An issue I had at first was not being able to eat a lot (quantity). But when I eat things like fruits and veggies I'm filled up quicker, but take up less calorie space in my day. (allowing me to eat more quantity) ...plus eating these things is probably improving the quality of my food as well!

4) Noticing habits - by seeing which days I tend to go over my calorie limit (ahem, days when I have hours of free time) I can see that I tend to eat when I'm sitting around... Noticing this trend helps me to conquer it (hello, water!).

Overall, this app works if you personalize it. Allow it to do its job by allowing yourself to get better. The app can't make you eat healthy, you have to make you eat healthy - the app can just support you in this decision and show you what's good for your body!

It's Been A While

Well, school definitely got the best of me. Not only has it been taking up my time, but also my ideas - I never know what to post! And when I do come up with ideas, I usually forget them by the time I actually have enough free time to sit down and write.

That said,
I got back on the MyFitnessPal bandwagon. I've used it before...
1) When I was in the dorms and eating cafeteria food, it was hard to know what exactly to log for the food.
2) When I was living at home it was easy to say "mom, what do I put in" and she would help me ;) but during the summer I don't dance as often, so I wasn't getting as much exercise.
3) NOW... I'm cooking for myself AND exercising often (dance classes and rehearsals), so it's been easier to keep up and feel accomplished. Overall, I'd say this week was pretty successful.

Summary of my week:

• too many carbs
• not enough protein
• I tend to eat when I'm bored

When I went grocery shopping for next week, I took these things into account and looked into non-carb snack options (my go to's are usually crackers, granola bars, animal crackers, etc..) so I bought some fruits and veggies to snack on. I also planned my meals a little better for next week (this past week was the first week after spring break, so I was a little discombobulated in my planning) and have made sure that I include more protein in my meals (mostly from chicken breasts in dinners and left-over lunches). 

I'm not sure how to tackle avoiding bored-hunger... I've tried sipping at my water bottle, so that I'm less likely to pick up a cracker, but then I sit there and think about how much I want food. 

Any suggestions on avoiding eating while bored?

tl;dr

I am back with using MyFitnessPal to track my food/exercise - I'm hoping it will help me make healthier choices.

Being an Artist

No one said it was going to be easy...

When you're a little girl, being a ballerina seems like a pretty easy job... Perform in pretty dresses, get flowers, receive standing ovations... what could go wrong? Well, let me tell you, actually pursuing a career in the arts- is no walk in the park. And I haven't even started my career - I'm still in college!

I watched a video a few weeks ago of Bon Iver's Justin Vernon talking about what it was like growing up in Eau Claire (our shared hometown). Something he said about being a musician really stuck with me though.. "Some days you don't like music. And I think that's the biggest thing that's proved to me that I love this, is that I continue to do it even though sometimes it feels like it's killing me."
This totally struck a chord! I was thinking about it for days afterward, and still am! Some days I HATE dance; like ready to quit, convinced that I was not made to be a dancer, actually in tears, HATE dance. But, I stick with it - because it's the days where I figure something out or have a really great class that make it all worthwhile.

I'm still unsure of where I want my dancing career to take me; there are so many options! I could be a teacher, a choreographer, a performer... the list goes on! And they all seem just as exciting and just as scary as the next. So, whenever I'm feeling down about my dancing "skillz," I just need to remember Justin Vernon's words of encouragement.. "do it, even though sometimes it feels like it's killing [you]"

Day 4 - THURSDAY

Eating
Breakfast: Scarmbled eggs, coffee, bagel w/butter
Lunch: Salami sandwich, yogurt, celery and peanut butter
Snacks: Triscuits, animal crackers, granola bar, fruit snacks
Dinner: Cinnamon toast crunch


Exercising
I made the executive decision to take Thursdays off for the majority of my things. My Thursdays are already classes/work 9 AM - 10 PM (Only 8 today though!).
I did have Pilates (1hr), Modern (2hrs), and Teaching dance (3hrs) though. (I will have 2 hours of rehearsal on top of that on Thursdays from now on)

Day 3 - WEDNESDAY

Eating
Breakfast: Coffee, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, bagel w/butter
Lunch: Spaghettios
Dinner: Leftovers from Monday's meal
Snacks: 2 Granola Bars, fruit snacks, banana,


Exercising
Arms: WOOF! Wednesday arms are difficult! I'm not sure what it is but I definitely did not do 15 of each thing.
Legs: My Hamstrings were sore when I woke up today, but I was able to do the Romanian deadlifts just fine.
Abs: Definitely didn't feel this as clearly in my lower core today...

Day 2 - TUESDAY

Eating:
Breakfast: Coffee, Cereal, Bagel w/butter
Lunch: Salami sandwich, banana, celery w/peanut butter, 2 peanut butter cup cookies, diet coke
Dinner: Buttered Noodles and Flatbread (Noodles & Co.), Single Scoop Twix Mix Ice Cream (Culvers)
Snacks: goldfish, french fries,

Exercising:
Arms: Tuesdays have a lot that goes in to it... but it really isn't that bad!
Legs: I really enjoy the ball lifts. I feel like I can feel my hammys working.
Abs: Today wasn't as clear as yesterday.