YERGAH!

I love running, it is one of my favorite activities. But believe it or not, it isn’t the only thing I love to do. I know at times it seems like I am all running all the time, especially after surgery and training up for a half, then running back to backs halfs, then Ragnar it probably seemed that way. But honestly, if I lived in a more bike friendly area- I would be cycling every day and running only on occasion. I also love, love, love group fitness classes. I spent the first couple years of my journey taking every class I could find/afford before I even thought about running. There is something special about the camaraderie to be found in group fitness- whether it’s boxing or yoga, it’s there and it’s awesome.

After Ragnar I was all set to start PiYO. E bought me the DVD set for Christmas and I was just waiting to be out of HM/Ragnar training mode before I started it. I wanted to be able to dedicate myself to the program- following its 6 day a week for 8 weeks schedule. So a few weeks ago I started it and guess what??? I really did not like it. Maybe it’s because I dislike straining my neck as I look up from the floor to the TV to see what is happening. Maybe it’s because I felt it was boring and it did not grab my attention or raise my energy like T25 or Combat did.  I am not sure but I knew I wasn’t going to make it the 8 weeks. I hated to quit PiYo but it felt inevitable. Instead I opted to start back at real yoga classes taking advantage of a great deal one of our local studios was offering for May and bought a month of unlimited classes pass. And so it began…

One of the reasons I love yoga is that it helps me feel centered and calm. It brings me closer to a zen-like state and I like that. Heck, I need that. With all the running (literal and figurative) around I do, I need something to balance out the chaos. My life, most days, is almost all yang with very little yin. And that takes its toll on me- mentally, spiritually and physically. It’s only been a week back into my practice and I have already noticed a huge difference in my mood and my anxiety. I was super stressed all the time before. I would stress over any little thing so easily. It was eating away at me. And as much as I love running it does not have a calming effect on me. It is the opposite. To me, running is aggressive and impactful and although it is awesome, it is not my calming, happy place. It is my I am empowered and awesome and doing all the things and I just want to run and run and run but it is not my zen.

And like I said, I need some more zen in my life. And E, well he needs me to have more zen in my life too!

This go around, when half marathon training begins later in the summer, I need to make sure I do a better job at balancing both. My goals need to be both running AND yoga related. I need to do better with my activity balance, remind me I said this in a couple months ok?

Until then, I am just going to enjoy trying out a new studio and sampling any/every class that works into my schedule and, of course, treat each like the gift it is. The gift that can bring me inner peace if I allow it. That right there is priceless.

All the yoga memes FTW!

Yes, a million times yes! 

Just kidding! I drink beer in my yoga pants. 

Love and hugs,

Dacia

xoxoxoxo

Five Favorites: Spring Things

Now that spring has officially arrived (HUZZAH!) I would like to take a quick minute and share with you five of my favorite spring time things.

Beer!

I love all the spring seasonals. Heck, you know I am a sucker for any type of good beer year-round but there is something about the spring beers that just make me happy.

My favorite spring  beer I can find locally would definitely be Abita Strawberry. We tend to stock up so we don’t really go without it but once it hits the shelves at the stores its like a celebration for us.

Second place is 21^st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon (yes, I love these fruity beers for spring/summer- they are perfect beach beers) but since we cannot get this CA craft beer here in FL we just have to drink it up on our travels. I am super looking forward to our Atlanta trip in April so I can get my fill.

Also super yummy- Bayou Teche Passionne and Covington Brewhouse Strawberry Ale. Sidenote: out of the close to/maybe more 50 breweries I have been to Bayou Teche is my favorite. If you are ever passing through Arnaudville, LA (we did on our drive from Austin to Pensacola) you should definitely check it out!

Baseball

Yes! Baseball season has arrived and although we didn't get to make it to Phillies spring training this year (insert sad face here) I am super excited for some Pensacola Wahoos games (especially the ones we can bring Gordie to) and maybe even some MLB games on our travels this year. I just love, love, love baseball season.

Books

I love warm weather. I especially love the warm weather on days when I can sneak in some quiet time outside on our swing or just lounge on the beach and curl up with a good book. I have four books I am hoping to read over the next few months;  ‘We’ll Always Have Paris’, ‘It Was Me All Along’, ‘What You Can When You Can’ (#wycwyc) out on April 28^th and the next Jen Lancaster book, ‘I Regret Nothing', out on May 5^th! Hmmmm, April 28^th and May 5^th…I think those books would make great graduation presents, wouldn't you agree?

BBQ

It doesn't take more than a handful of days in the 70’s before E and I stop making meals indoors. It becomes salads or BBQ for dinner every night. No more stews, chili, soup. No more roasting or braising. It’s either cold foods (salads, ice cream) or it’s BBQ. That’s just how we roll. You would think I would probably be limited to what I can have for dinner from the BBQ since I am vegan but you would be wrong. I will BBQ pretty much anything. Yep, there is the standard BBQ fare like veggie burgers or veggie dogs but I will grill up just about anything else I can get my hands on. Some of my faves- grilled mushrooms, potatoes, corn on the cob, eggplant, zucchini, peaches, pineapple slices, onions, peppers….I think you see where I am going with this. I love my fruits and vegetables and I love them even more when they are hot off the grill.

Here are some tips and tricks for grilling vegetables : 5 Tips for How to Cook Grilled Vegetables Perfectly

Beach Days

It won’t be long until our weekends are spent at the beach.  Living on the gulf coast we are spoiled by easy access to some of the most beautiful beaches in the country. Spring time means Sundays lounging at the beach with my boys (we do have some dog friendly beaches too), drinking beers, reading books, and taking in as much Vitamin D as possible. I am definitely the happiest and the calmest Dacia when I can devote a day or two to the beach every week.  You would be hard pressed to convince me to ever move north again. I am definitely a beach bum at heart.

What are some of your spring favorites? Are you a beach person or not so much?

Love and hugs,

Dacia

xoxoxoxoxox

Wordless Wednesday- Playing Catchup

8/22 to 8/24 in New Orleans- One of our favorite cities

 

By far the best meal of our life @ Square Root

Chef Phillip Lopez personally crafting each of my vegan dishes...

 



Chef Phillip Lopez, Erick and me after an amazing 15 course meal! He even invited us into the kitchen to take a photo with him. Hands down the most amazing restaurant experience of my life! 

 

Labor Day weekend- chillin' in P'cola

 

Love and hugs,

Dacia

xoxoxoxo

Catching Up and Checking In

I know I have been pretty quiet on the blog lately but man, has life been crazy. I am in the thick of finals for my two summer courses and am trying my best not to stress over it. This past Sunday and Wednesday I turned in my last assignments and all that remains is one final and one paper. Once August 9^th rolls around I will be finished with summer classes and I’ll have two whole weeks off before the fall term starts. I plan on celebrating with a nighttime tour of the Pensacola lighthouse, a sailing excursion, taking the Pensacola pedal trolley pub tour, classic movie night at the Saenger (American Graffiti) and then a weekend trip to New Orleans. I am pretty excited about all the fun stuff we have planned for August. I am even taking a break from finals to go kayaking this Saturday. Which will be my second active adventure and I will be able to cross that goal off my 4 week challenge chart. Yippee! In case you were wondering, walking/exploring/climbing around Ft Pickens was active adventure number one.

Oh and as far as my four week challenge goes, I am on day 17 of 28. I have hit my daily goals (8K steps, tracking, stick to meal plan, 25 minutes of activity) all but one day. I have hit all of my weekly goals (4 or less meals out, run three times, weigh myself only once a week, and drinkend only) with the exception being I missed on running three times once. Last week I only ran twice.  Eh, it happens. And for my monthly goals I have gotten one of two active adventures knocked out but have yet to get in any bike rides. Hopefully this weekend I will be able to get in one of each. With 11 days left in the challenge I think I am doing great and hopefully will be rewarding myself with a new dress from Anthropologie when I go to NOLA.

Hmmmm, what else? I am still meeting with the personal trainer twice a week. We do one day upper body and another day lower body. We do a little cardio but that is mostly during warm up and cool down. For the most part we stick to strength/weight training. I love it. It’s always a challenge. He pushes me and that’s what I need when it comes to strength training. If it was just me by myself I would kind of wander around aimlessly and lift less weight for fewer reps, I’m sure. So it’s nice to have guidance but also someone to push me. And of course, someone to make sure I have proper form and posture and help me prevent injuring myself. Once I start training for my fall half marathon I will continue on with seeing him twice a week but both will be upper body days. I was thinking about going  down to just one day a week but I enjoy it too much (and because it’s through the university it’s pretty cheap, comparatively) so I decided to stick with twice a week for the time being.

Today I ran outside for the first time in months- it’s been since probably March or April I would guess. I had been running after work with E but once it got too hot, I am in Florida so that heat comes early, we moved to the indoor track and/or treadmill for our runs. But we luckily happened to get that random cold front in yesterday and I just knew I needed to get outside and run. I miss it so. There is such a better feeling, IMHO, from running outside vs running inside. The fresh air, the scenery, it’s just so peaceful. And not only was this my first outdoor run in months but it was also my very first run from my house around the neighborhood as E and I usually run up at the university where we both work. Oh, and it was also my first outdoor run in the Newtons. I just bought them last weekend and was excited to test them out on the road. I am not in love with them the way I love the Brooks PureDrift I currently run in but I think it may just take time. They are a bit higher in the drop and they have way more cushion (not to add lugs) and I think (hope) my feet will adjust and I will end up liking them more. If not, I will probably exchange them for the Saucony Kinvaras or maybe some Altras (even though I was told they didn’t have any in my size the last time around) or maybe stick with the Brooks I currently have and just get a new GPS watch.  We’ll see. I am planning on getting in another run tomorrow morning as the high will only be 71 when I head out. Not sure how long this cool morning weather will last but regardless I plan on sticking to running outside in the morning through the half marathon training and leave my evenings from my trainer, T25, and in the fall hopefully some fun group fitness classes.

And speaking of group fitness….Pensacola is getting a Pure Barre studio! In case you’ve been reading my blogs for a while you know that when I lived in San Antonio I attended classes at the Pure Barre studio there and LOVED it. I just so happened to be taking classes while training for the two half marathons I ran while living there. Then I moved to Pensacola where the closest studio was an hour away so no more barre for me. Then last year, back in June of 2013, a Pilates Barre studio opened in Pensacola and I attended classes there. For about four months. It was good. Not the same as pure barre at all. In my opinion, the Pure Barre classes are much more difficult/challenging and much faster paced. But I liked it enough to stay for several months and fork over a hefty sum of money for what was available, what was kind of close enough to pure barre, until I just couldn’t rationalize the cost anymore. The yoga studio was way, wayyyyy cheaper for the unlimited classes pack so started going there instead. Then you know life got in the way and I stopped yoga and pilates and only did group fitness at the university (free, because I was down to only my income), then I had surgery and stopped everything for a while. Needless to say, I am beyond excited this studio is opening up. And during the last two weeks in October, before the grand opening in November, classes will be FREE! I know I won’t be able to take classes at this studio at the frequency or at the cost I did in San Antonio (military discount) but I am super excited that at least I have the opportunity to take them when I want. It’s a really great way to cross-train and I really enjoyed the classes when I used to go.  

I have really been enjoying my summer at home, getting back into a workout routine, getting settled into the new house, and exploring Pensacola. Almost every weekend we have spent in Pensacola this summer has been spent doing amazing local activities. It has been a lot of fun and it really has made me fall in love with Pensacola even more than I did before, which I wasn’t sure was even possible. For me, living here is kind of like living in paradise. I am thankful every day that this is where I live.

Not that I don’t think other places are great, too. Pensacola just feels like home to me.

I guess that’s because it is J

 

 

Love and hugs

Dacia

xoxoxox

Five Things Friday

1)      I have become obsessed with tea. Erick’s sister bought me this tea infuser travel mug so now in addition to just bagged teas I can have loose leaf tea as well. I think you could even use coarsely ground coffee too but I have yet to try it. Anywho, I was really loving drinking tea every day and I even took advantage of a Groupon for 3 month subscription to Steepster (which is like a tea of the month club) which was awesome. Then last week, I found this herbal green tea kit on Uncommon Goods (is that not the best website ever?) and just had to get it. It is all loose leaf teas (three types of green tea) and herbs (nine different ones like hibiscus and lavender) allowing you to make your own herbal tea blends. It is awesome! Making my own blend is definitely the most exciting thing happening in my life at 730a every morning. Lol!

2)      I planted, or I guess I should say we planted, our first garden last night. If you follow me on FB, which I am pretty sure all six of you reading do, then you already saw the pictures. But I am just so excited that I wanted to share them again. Of course, now the hard part begins. The waiting. 50 days is the soonest anything will be ready to pick. Well, except the basil. That could probably be picked now. But we are looking 50-60 days for cucumbers and Japanese eggplant all the way up to 88 days for cantaloupe. The plan is to build a second container and plant the fall crops sometime in early July. We spaced this first container off to the right so that way we would have room for a second. I don’t know why (probably because I am a huge dork- which is totally fine by me) but I am super excited over the idea of bringing our homegrown organic veggies to share with the family over 4^th of July weekend. Here’s to hoping the weather cooperates and that I don’t have a black thumb. I would make for one bad hippie if I couldn’t even raise a small 4’x4’ garden. Lol!

 

     

      I made makrers using shells I collected at the beach a few weeks ago. I was planning on using rocks but I didn't have any on hand. I did, however, have seashells so voila!

 

 

3)      Tonight is the last Hot Glass Cold Brew of the season and I am quite sad. This is definitely one of my favorite Pensacola events. It’s a mix of live music, free food and free (local) beer, and glass blowing demos. Oh, and the artists with gallery/shop space all have food and beer/wine for passersby to enjoy while talking with them about their work. Some are painters, sculptors, glass blowers, potters, and there is even a guy with a 3D printer that does demos. It’s really cool, very informative and tons of fun.

4)      I love spring/summer time. I am definitely a warm weather person and love, love, love the sunshine. I am happy it is finally starting to warm up (although we have like rain forecasted every day for the foreseeable future) and I am feeling quite optimistic that this is going to be an amazing summer. Maybe even the best one yet. One of my favorite things about warmer weather is the food. Not just grilling and BBQs and eating outdoors but all the yummy fruits and veggies that come into season. I am a sucker for corn on the cob, rainier cherries, jersey tomatoes, asparagus, watermelon (all the melon, actually), strawberries, etc., the list could go on for days. And one of my favorite warm weather foods to make is cold pasta salad. It reminds me of my childhood. Except I don’t use mayo, or much pasta, and load mine up with whatever fresh veggies I have on hand. I wish I was a good recipe builder person. I would love to be the blogger that shares all sorts of yummy recipes but I am a fly-by-my-pants kind of cook. It’s why I don’t like baking. I am almost always successful just throwing stuff together and having it turn out. The big downside being that I never can make the same dish twice. Lol. But I digress. Lately I have been making some version of this pasta salad dish for me and E (and even made a heartier version of it for Easter dinner) and it is awesome. So I thought I would share.

Spring Time Pasta Salad (to the best of my recollection)

·         1 cup dry whole wheat orzo

·         ½ bunch of trimmed and chopped fresh asparagus

·         ½ English cucumber, quartered and chopped

·         1 small bag (maybe 3 oz) fresh peas – you could totally use frozen here too

·         A few sprigs of fresh mint

·         2 lemons

·         Dijon mustard

·         Red wine vinegar

·         Olive oil

·         Salt & Pepper

Step 1- prepare the orzo according to package

Step 2- as the pasta is cooking, prep/chop veggies

Step 3- when there is about 3-4 minutes left on the past add in the asparagus and peas to cook them

Step 4- drain pasta and cooked veggies and rinse under cold water

Step 5- add to a large bowl with mint and chopped cucumber

Step 6- make dressing by mixing together the juice of 2 lemons, approximately 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard (you can add this in gradually in case you aren’t a mustard fan- or omit it completely), 1 tablespoon of vinegar, about ¼ cup of olive oil (I use just enough to cut some of the acidity and make a ‘creamy’ dressing) and some salt and pepper. Honestly, I do the dressing all by taste. You could totally swap out for store bought dressing.

Step 7- add dressing to pasta/veggies, mix well, and refrigerate for 30 minutes+

Step 8- enjoy!

 

So much green, so much yumminess!

 

I love pasta salad. We have made a similar recipe but used quinoa pasta (for you gluten-freers) instead of orzo and added chickpeas. That was awesome too. I love to make what I call a ‘greek’ version of this with cucumber, tomatoes, green onion, Kalamata olives, chickpeas, bell pepper and spinach but E does not eat most of those things so I reserve that recipe for family or work potlucks. Lol!

5)      Wow! These past few days social media has really gotten it right! I know I talked earlier this week about my girl Brooke and her story about Shape magazine having gone viral. I never thought that what happened last week would have led to watching her on both Good Morning America and the Today Show. How awesome is that? This morning, during her piece on the Today Show, the world was informed that Shape Magazine (whose editor at large was on as well) would be rectifying this mess by featuring Brooke (as well as some others) in a magazine spread about the realities of extreme weight loss. Right on! I think that is a really important topic and it isn’t often shared…other than from bloggers who of course talk openly about it and share tons (sometimes too many, points finger at self) pictures about where their journey has led them. I know I held nothing back when it came to my skin removal surgery and showing pictures all the time. And I know the before pictures were a gleaming harsh reality of what losing a whole adult human beings (a healthy 5’ 5” woman, in my case) worth of weight looks like. And I wasn’t ashamed, or even hesitant to share, because I agree with Brooke- it is nothing to be ashamed of. That being said, I am also not ashamed that I had the skin removal surgery after. It was for both cosmetic and medical reasons. And yes, sometimes a part of me feels a bit vain. But most days I am beyond happy I had the surgery and I would do it again in a heartbeat. That being said, I am still not planning on having surgery to remove excess skin on my arms or legs nor do I plan on having a breast job- which is another common post weight loss surgery. But I don’t blame or judge anyone for doing so. I think we all have to make the decisions that are best for us as individuals.  And I am happy for any positive exposure stories like Brooke's gets. The more people know, the more they are exposed to it, the more stories like hers (or mine) become the norm. And hopefully this leads to less discussions over whether or not any person should put a shirt on and more discussions about how awesome it is seeing strong, happy, proud, and inspirational women in mainstream media- regardless of the circumstance that led them there.

Well, that’s about it for me this Friday. I hope you have a happy, healthy and amazing weekend!

Love and hugs,

Dacia
xoxoxox

FMM: Vacations!

I just had to because I LURV this topic!

If you’ve taken part in Friend Makin’ Monday (FMM) then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s questions on your own blog then add your link in the comments section over at: http://losingweightandhavingfun.com/ this way everyone over at Losing Weight and Having Fun can check out your responses. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to create your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts, too. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

1)      Where was the last place you went on vacation to?

Funny you asked, I just got home last night from a whirlwind trek around central Florida. E and I headed out to Sarasota and Clearwater to catch two Phillies games, St. Pete for dinner and beers, and Tampa for a Bolts game and a brewery. We left immediately after work Thursday and drove to Lake City. Woke up Friday morning, drove to Sarasota for the Phillies vs O’s baseball game, dinner and drinks in St. Pete then over to our hotel in Clearwater. Saturday we went to (the World Famous) Lenny’s restaurant, Bright House stadium for the Houston vs Phillies game, over to Tampa where we grabbed a quick bite, checked into our hotel and dashed across the street (literally) to the Tampa Bay Times Forum for the Bruins vs Lightning game. We headed back to Pensacola yesterday but not before stopping at Wawa, Cigar City Brewpub and Whole Foods! It was an AMAZING weekend!!! I cannot wait to do it again next year!

2)      Do you have plans for a vacation this year?

On top of all the traveling I have already done this year, I have four more just planned between now and the end of June. I am heading to Anaheim for 8 days in April. It’s for work but I am making a vacation out of it by seeing a bunch of my bloggy and IRL friends, going to TWO NHL games, and of course some breweries. Then Atlanta in early May to see Arcade Fire and spend the weekend exploring, home to Philly for Memorial Day Weekend, and then FITBLOGGIN in Savannah the end of June. E and I have talked about some day trips, heading back to NOLA and spending the summer riding bikes and laying on the beach so I probably won’t be heading anywhere too far until the fall rolls around.

3)      If money was no option, where would your dream vacation be?

This is a tough one. If it was just me- probably India. But if it was me and my significant other maybe someplace romantic (Paris)…or maybe someplace tropical (Fiji)…or maybe someplace with a great nightlife (Montreal). Ok, I guess if money was no object, honestly, I would pick a trip around the world. I would want to see it all J

4)      What is your favorite vacation spot that you have visited?

This is another tough one. Maybe England/Scotland. I spent a few weeks over there and had just the absolute best time.

5)      Have you ever had a staycation?

For Valentine’s Day E and I headed 8 miles away to the beach part of Pensacola Beach and spent the weekend riding bikes, eating out, and relaxing on the gulf. Best staycation EVER!

6)      Are you a lie on the beach person or a go out and explore person?

Both. I am a lie on the beach during the day and go out and explore at night kind of person. I like to do both equally.

7)      When you fly do you have a favorite airline?

This really depends on where I live. When I was in SA I always flew on American and now in Pensacola I prefer Delta. I do fly SW sometimes , mainly because of cost, but I would pick Delta over them most any day. I have always preferred United, AA, and Delta. I would prefer not to fly on US Air if I can help it.

8)      Have you ever had a ‘vacation from hell’?

Not really an entire vacation but I have had parts of vacations that were just downright terrible. Mostly because of who I was traveling with. I don’t have that problem anymore.

9)      Have you ever had an airline lose your luggage?

Yes, but not permanently. The few times this has happened I always got it back in less than 24 hours. Knock on wood that this is always the case.

10)   Do you send postcards to friends and family when you go on vacation?

This is something I started doing last year when a college friend of mine asked me to send her some while I was at a work conference. Ironically, I just sent her some from Houston and spring training weekend today. From time to time I will send them to friends and family too. I like to think they enjoy receiving them. I sent one to E but it got lost in the mail. I am still kind of bummed about that.

Happy Monday friends!

Love,
Dacia

xoxoxo