{Survey}: Currently.

current book(s): nothing fun, sadly. my chemistry, calc, and religion books have been the only ones I've been reading - but i do have Terra sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read!

current music: i am loving the album God's Not Dead by Newsboys - i just rediscovered it on spotify and can't get enough!

current guilty pleasure: not quite sure where to go with this, haha. but froyo is always on this list! that and pinterest (aka my time sucker).

current nail color: sparkly teal!

current drink: water & pumpkin spice coffee. all a girl needs.

current food: i just ate my new favorite breakfast again this morning - it's plain greek yogurt mixed with honey and a few spoonfuls of  blueberry muesli, topped with sliced banana, TJ's creamy salted peanut butter, an extra drizzle of honey, and today i added some granola on top. seriously, this is the most filling breakfast ever!! not to mention it's the perfect combo of flavors and textures - i love the chew that the muesli adds.

current favorite show: my one of my roommates and my neighbors got me hooked on the bachelor! it's so ridiculous and fun to laugh at. i also LOVE once upon a time (my roomie got me hooked on that too.. sigh), and modern family.

current wish list: this shirt:

kind of kidding. but kind of not.

current bane of my existence: chemistry. and math. and missing my family & kitties!

current celebrity crush: this guy will always be on that list.

current indulgence: strawberry froyo at the dining halls. SO GOOD. totally broke my 'rule' of trying to only eat desserts on the weekends for that one.

 current blessing: being able to attend this school & not having to worry about paying for it or taking out loans thanks to my amazing parents. and SO much more!

current slang: well i don't think i really have any 'current' stuff.. but i do always say fudgemuffins when i'm frustrated. everyone thinks it's hilarious, haha!

current outfit:  a tshirt and running shorts because i was feeling lazy this morning and don't want to have to change before my run later today. hey, whatever gets me out the door, right?

current excitement: that i don't have to work this weekend and can go to the grocery store on saturday morning. it's the little things! especially since all i will be doing all weekend besides that is studying for midterms.ughh.

current mood: a little overwhelmed, a little anxious about my schoolwork, but overall really really happy. i love my life here and no matter how hard it gets i wouldn't trade it for a thing. and lately God's been teaching me that taking time to just rest in Him does wonders for my stress.

 {pin it}

current link: no clue, so i'm going to link back to brittany at GoTheXtraMile cause that's where i got this survey from ;)

happy thursday everyone!

taking a step back.

so this weekend has been so busy and stressful and exhausting. i have a LOT of work to do, midterms are coming up, and i feel like no matter how hard i work, i'm only chipping away at a mountain.

 

{pin it}

i'm stressed about doing well in my classes and figuring out if my major is right for me. i'm missing home a LOT at the moment. and i'm still trying to figure out how to properly manage my time as a full-time student with a part-time job.

 {pin it}

but then... i took a step back. i FaceTimed my mom, i laughed, i cried, and i realized that no matter how bad i think it is,  my life is pretty darn beautiful.

 {pin it}

and for that, i am incredibly grateful.

Recent Eats & Workouts.

my life lately = class + study + work + eat + sweat + sleep.

needless to say i'm so happy it's the weekend! even though all i'll be doing for the rest of the weekend is working and studying, it's a nice break from going to class.

i thought i'd stop in and share some recent eats (since i missed WIAW), and all of the awesome workouts i did the past week!

the friday special sushi bowl - sticky rice with carrots, cucumber, edamame, shrimp w/ spicy mayo, and AVOCADO! this bowl was so good - i wish it was offered on more days than friday!

obligatory friday froyo. peach & tart flavors with lots of strawberries, cheesecake bites, walnuts, almonds, pink & white cookies, and graham cracker crumbs.

tortilla with crunchy almond butter, banana, chia seeds, and honey

plain greek yogurt with TJ's blueberry muesli, a little honey, and frozen berries

lots of sweet potatoes with nut butter & honey! i bought a couple of sweet potatoes at trader joes last week - best decision ever :-) and they're really really cheap, too!

my favorite shrimp & corn chowder

whole wheat turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and dijonaise. 

another bowl of plain greek yogurt with muesli, frozen berries, and honey

an oatmeal bowl - i made it with a packet of maple TJ's oatmeal, milk, and chia seeds and then topped it with almond butter, banana slices, shredded coconut, & a few crushed up coconut cookie thins (from TJ's, best things ever!)  

workouts this week:

sunday: 6 mile run (longest distance i've run in who knows how long!)
monday: 20 minutes of elliptical, 1 round of kaila's workout, 1 mile treadmill run, stretches
tuesday: 2 mile treadmill run + 10 mins elliptical
wednesday: 30 minutes elliptical intervals (i was a sweaty mess by the end!) + abs in between classes
thursday: 3.4 mile run before class
friday: IFT WOD that looked like this:

warm up: 4 laps of farmers' carry around the gym with a 26# kettlebell
WOD:
complete each exercise for one minute before moving onto the next. rest for one minute in between rounds.
-slam balls
-KB thrusters
-double unders
-push-ups

i used a 16# slam ball and a 26# kettlebell for the thrusters. by the end of the workout i was DEAD. but super proud of myself because i did my first double under!! and managed to get four in a row in the last round!

all in all it was a great week for workouts considering that most days i didn't have much time to squeeze one in (but was always glad that i did!). today i'm SUPER sore in my legs from yesterday's workout so it's definitely a rest day. i might take tomorrow off, too, or do a yoga video on hulu or something.

oh & a random outfit pic before i go - it was raining a little bit this week but it was still warm so i went with leggings, a tank, a scarf, and boots!

and i'll leave you with this:

tell me: best thing you've eaten / best workout you've done this past week!

Five Things Friday.

1. They had sweet potatoes at the dining hall last night!! I've been craving them all week and was planning on going to the grocery store this weekend specifically to get them because I wanted them so bad. So needless to say when I saw them on the menu I flipped! That was all I ate for dinner last night - and yep, I ate three. #noshame. also, PSI, sweet potatoes with peanut butter AND froyo = best decision ever.

2. I have the best mom in the entire world. I got a care package from her last night and she had crammed in like 10 protein bars, PUMPKIN SPICE COFFEE, lots of dark chocolate, coconut m&ms, biscotti, cashews, dried apple chips, pita chips, popcorn, sour patch kids, and redvines. So basically all of my favorite things in one box!

3. I start work today, and am being trained today and tomorrow. Working 12-13 hours a week on top of my hard classes is going to take a little bit of getting used to, but  I think (hopefully!) I will get the hang of it in a week or two. Plus, then I won't feel guilty about spending money on fun things when I'm grocery shopping! ;-)

4. I love LA. Because I wore shorts yesterday. In January.

5.Remember that crazy insane workout I did on Tuesday? Well, DOMS majorly hit yesterday and I could barely move my arms, they were so sore. I felt like that kid from A Christmas Story where he's all "I can't put my arms down!" except it was the opposite because I couldn't lift them up, haha!

tell me something great about your friday!

Life Lately.

hey guys!!

i'm finally adjusting to being back on an actual schedule down in LA after 3 1/2 weeks of pure relaxation. i am loving being back here at my second home, though!!

these sunrises will never. get. old.

life lately, well, let's just say it's been pretty hectic. in a totally awesome way. i've been doing so many fun things with my friends (like going to a UCLA gymnastics meet, seeing les mis, going out for pizza & froyo, watching the bachelor together, and so much more!). i've met even more amazing people this quarter, and am just soaking up the blessing that my life is right now.

at the gymnastics meet!

i've been getting back into the swing of actually doing work - this quarter i'm taking the next chemistry & math classes in the series i'm in, and a religion class on judaism, christianity, and islam. i'm praying that i don't get murdered by the research paper i have to write.. cause this girl is not a writer!

i also applied for a job and after 3 interviews last week, i got it! i start training sometime next week and couldn't be more excited.

insert random photo of my current favorite outfit(:

on the workout front: remember how i said i was going to be doing best body bootcamp? well, i had the best of intentions when i signed up for the bootcamp - it's such a great way to kick off the new year. but, when i signed up, i kinda sorta forgot about the craziness that is the beginning of a new quarter. i also forgot how crowded the gym gets, and that my personality just doesn't quite go with doing solo workouts. i'm a group exercise girl through and through. i forgot how much i love my barbell class and if i did best body bootcamp, i wouldn't be able to take that class.

so instead of putting the pressure on myself to finish out the entire 8 weeks of the bootcamp (which is almost an entire quarter), i decided that it's just not for me right now. this isn't in any way saying that tina's program is anything but awesome (because trust me, the program is really great), but i didn't want to stress myself out about something that i don't need to be stressing about.

i'm going to save all the workouts from the program for another time in my life when i can really 100% commit to them. and i'm happy that i'm able to make that decision with 0 guilt.

and for now, well, let's just say that i'm IN LOVE with my intense functional training barbell class. it kicks my booty unlike anything else i've ever done. today we did a really great workout:

• 5x3 snatch
• 5 rounds of
• 15 RDLs (romanian deadlifts)
• 10 bent over rows

• 100 burpees for time

it's safe to say that was one of the hardest workouts. ever. the instructors didn't tell us about the burpees until we'd put all of our weights away (silly me, thinking that we could be done). there was a 10 minute cap on the burpees and we just did them as fast as possible.

and HOLY CRAP THAT HURT. like hell. but i did in and finished in 7:59 - the first girl in my class to finish! i was so proud of myself. i can't wait to see how i improve by the end of the quarter!

walking back up to my dorm was quite the challenge, my muscles are so dead. i don't even want to think about tomorrow.

so right now, i'm putting myself through the pain of the stick:

and slurping up this yummilicious drink ($3 and ohsoworthit):

and somehow have a huge smile plastered on my face despite my level of exhaustion.

growin' dem muscles :-)

pretty sure that smile isn't gonna be there when i try and get out of bed tomorrow ;)

what's the hardest workout you've done lately?

FRS Review

Sustained Energy. Increased Endurance. Immune System Support.

These all sound like pretty darn great things, am I right?

I'm all about energy. Having enough to get me through a kickbutt workout, refueling post-workout to have increased energy for the day, and those pick-me-ups when that late afternoon slump starts to hit.

Through the FitFluential ambassador program, I was given the opportunity to try out some FRS products - all products that give you natural, sustained energy.

Where does this natural energy found in all FRS products come from? Quercetin.

So... what the heck is quercetin?

According to the FRS website, it's  powerful antioxidant that's found in foods like blueberries, apples and grapes that has been proven in clinical trials to provide sustained energy and many other health benefits. Quercetin acts like a 'super-fuel' in the body by enhancing the production of mitochondria - those little organelles in cells that produce energy.

What did I think?

At first I was I little bit thrown off by the color of the quercetin. It creates a natural yellow color in the drinks, which I was not at all expecting when I opened them. Once I found out that the color came from the quercetin, I was relieved because there weren't any weird colorings added to the drinks.

I also at first thought that the quercetin tasted a little weird (I think because I didn't know what to expect because I'd never had it before). However after a few sips of my first drink I came to like the flavor.

I found that I got an energy boost from all of the products I received, but certain products I liked more than others.

Which products would I buy myself?

This is a key question that I wish more bloggers included in their reviews. Sure, you can like something and say it's great, but would you spend your own money on it?


On a regular basis, I wouldn't buy the Healthy Energy drinks, but if I was looking for a pick-me-up (cough cough finals week) I would definitely buy a couple for the energy boost.

However, I wouldn't buy the Healthy Slim drinks for myself because I'm not trying to lose weight (the drinks have Slendesta in them to curb appetite). For those of you that may be interested in the product, I took a few sips of each just to see what the flavor was like, and I liked the Strawberry Melon better than the Tropical drink.


My favorites were the Pomegranate Blueberry Soft Chews and both the Blackberry Acai and Orange Cream Healthy Protein drinks. These are the products that I would buy for myself to keep on hand.

The Pomegranate Blueberry Soft Chews tasted a lot better than the Orange Hard Chews. The chews reminded me of Starburst which I liked a lot!The recommendation was to take two in the morning and two in the afternoon, which is what I did. I found that I had a lot of energy for my morning workout and never hit that afternoon slump! Two thumbs up.

Both flavors of the Healthy Protein drinks were really good - I loved the smooth creaminess of the drinks. No chalky nasty protein drinks over here! These babies had 25 grams of protein and 7 grams of fiber for staying power, all for 200 calories or less. They would be great if you didn't have time to make a full meal after a workout, or were just looking to add some protein to the side of a PWO meal.

I'm always down for a post-workout drink that tastes good and keeps me full and energized for more than an hour or two.

If you're interested in trying out a few FRS products, they have a free trial on their website - you just have to pay $3.95 for shipping and they'll send you a 9-day supply of a few different products! Pretty sweet, no?

Also, if you still want to learn more about quercetin and how it works, check out the FAQs and the science of quercetin on the FRS website.

**Disclaimer: I received these products free of cost through FitFluential. All opinions are my own.**