What's Coming Up Next Semester

It has been a while since I had posted here. At least it is not a three month gap I had last time! I am extremely sorry for being spotty on posting here but my main blog is Hevil's Healthy Devil.

I am keeping this blog because it has archived my life for the past few years and I don't want to lose it.

Anyway, life has been crazy. The past few months have been crazy and stressful. I decided to take this semester off after trying to take the second part of chemistry for 6 weeks. The only way to drop the class was to drop the semester, so, I did. Crazy things have happened since I got a novio during the summer til the time we broke up (and after). I have also been working more since I took the semester off.

The FAN Club (Food and Nutrition Club) has been doing pretty well this semester. We had a Nutrition Panel and it was a good experience.

So, my plan for next semester is to get into a Nutrition Class. It's ridiculous how there are not enough nutrition classes for our major. I register for classes on Wednesday but the classes I can take for my major are all full. I can't take further nutrition classes until I take this one class. This class is a new prereq for some classes that I need to take. It is actually a new class, since it has only been a year since they have offered it.

The classes that I KNOW I will be taking next semester are Spanish and Mandarin. I'll have to see if I can get into a nutrition class. If not, I will be taking random classes next semester to get the units.

Another thing I didn't mention in my other post is that I probably won't become a Registered Dietitian. My plan is to get a BA in Nutrition and get a Master's in Public Health. Becoming a Dietitian means a lot of science and it isn't really for me.

I guess that is it for now. I will continue posting here once in a while but be sure to follow my other blog, Hevil's Healthy Devil.

Lately

Hey hey everyone. It's been a while since I posted here. Head over to my other blog, where I post more often. It's called Hevil's Healthy Devil.

I still post here because I have so many memories with this blog. I captured my entire China trip experience here! Oh, memories. Anyway, I should be talking about what I have been up to lately. Here's the scoop.

• I ran a 10 mile race last Sunday. It was the Capital City Classic. 
• Ballroom dancing is so much fun! I have a new interest for ballroom dancing. 
• My classes this semester are going pretty good so far. I had a group presentation in my Spanish class today. It was on Cuba. I did my part of the presentation on Cuban hip-hop, rap, and salsa. I played some Cuban hip-hop music and I danced salsa with un amigo. I got an A on the presentation. 
• I ate thai food for the first time last week. My co-workers and I went out to eat and it was pretty nice eating out with them. Thai food tastes so good! I don't like the smell of the food though. 
• The semester is almost over. I can't believe it!

One last thing I want to say is that I think I know where I want to head with nutrition/dietetics. I want to go in the direction of public health and food policy. I have been volunteering with two state departments for a while and it has really opened my eyes. When I first started college, I was heading towards becoming a pediatric dietitian, working with children. Now, I'm interested in public health and food policy. 

Anyway, I guess that's it for now. I really hope to study abroad one day

What about you guys been up to? 

What are your plans for the summer?

Lately...What I have been up to

This semester has been quite relaxing compared to last semester. Remember last semester, I took 19 units, one of which was chemistry? It was so stressful and I was so busy. Take into account that I was training for my first half-marathon during that time, I was pretty wiped out. I don't know how I survived last semester. 

This semester has been quite different. I am not taking any classes for my major (the upperclassmen got priority). However, I am taking classes for my General Education (GE). I'll be pretty much done with my GE. I am taking 13 units this semester. They are all cultural classes. Asian American Woman, Society and Culture of the Middle East, Spanish and English. I am loving my classes. Even though these classes are not for my major, they will help me in my career. I'll be in contact with many people from different cultures. Learning about these cultures will help my understand my clients/patients better. Along with that, I have been volunteering more. It's a great resume builder!

As you see, I am trying to balance my workload with volunteering (and from last semester). Anyway, there is something that I have been wanting to talk about. 

Listen to your body. That is something I should have done after my half-marathon. Training for one puts a lot of pressure on your body. I was running 30+ miles a week, along with doing boot camp. I slept an average of 5-6 hours a day. I was so busy with school. I overworked my body. I felt my calves tightening and starting to hurt. My knees started to hurt as well. I still worked out after my half-marathon. Even though I wasn't putting in as many miles, I should have let my body rest. 

I am paying the price for it now. I feel more tired and exhausted. My body still feels sore. After my half-marathon, I should have given my body a week rest to recover. Instead, I'll be doing it now, starting tomorrow. I may do pilates, yoga, and walk. But for the most part, I'll be resting. My body needs it. Hopefully, my muscles recover and grow. Hopefully, I won't feel as tired anymore. 

Have you ever overworked your body? If so, how did you deal with it?

What have you been up to lately?

What I have been up to

Here's what I've been up in the past I don't know how many weeks! I've been so busy that I couldn't post everything while things were going on. It's a lot of pictures (especially of food!). Please bear with me.

There is always one food truck on campus every Tuesday and Thursday. I may have talked about this before but I so want to eat this again. They call it the pyrus or something like that. It's a grilled cheese sandwich with apples, almonds, honey and some other things. It's vegetarian. It sounds weird but it was so good! Also, I ordered it with sweet potato fries. AMAZING.

There's this fast food Indian place at my school called Mother India. My friend, Noelle, loves the food there, especially the samosa. She's vegetarian.  My other friend eats meat and loves the lamb curry. I decided to get the vegetable wrap one time and tried the tofu wrap the other time. I've been hooked since! It's wrapped in naan. My cousin's friend once found a maggot in their food so he doesn't go there anymore. That's why I didn't try it last semester. But, I finally gave in and I'm glad I did. 

After watching Catching Fire with my friends, we went to the food court of the mall to eat. I decided to get some Mediterranean food. There's lentils, there's a pita with falafel and there's tabbouleh.

The Superfood Veggie Patty from Costco is the only vegetarian "hamburger" they have at the Costco I go to. They used to have Boca but now it's only this they have. At least it's delicious! I just don't like the price that comes with it.

I went to Panera with a few of my classmates to study chemistry. I ordered the black bean soup and the Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich. They were both good!

These are my cousins, 2nd cousin (cousin's kids), and uncle playing around while the whole family went for a walk on Thanksgiving.

I bought this Greek yogurt with honey at Starbucks while working on a group project with a group mate. Then, we went to find some fenugreek seeds, just in case we would use it for our project.

I ordered this almond paste scone from Fluid one day and it was delicious!

I went to the mall and found this dress. I ended up not buying it. How does it look on me?

While shopping at the mall, we ended up eating a late lunch at Johnny Rockets. They actually had a veggie burger and a wheat bun! I ordered it with sweet potato fries but they gave me regular ones at first. I told them I had ordered sweet potato fries, so I ended up with two batches of fries. I LOVE sweet potato fries.

I ended up snacking on these cinnamon graham bears at school while studying for finals.

I saw this dress at Target and had to try it on. How does it look? I want honest comments, please.

 I also ended buying this other stuff at Target. I got Amy's Organic Soups, Annie's Organic bunny grahams, and some other things for my face. The bunny grahams are all gone...whoops.

They had this at work yesterday so I just had to drink some. I had an 8 am final yesterday and then I went straight to work after. Then, I wanted something sweet to drink. I got Zevia. At least it's not regular soda, right?

 I love pizza but I don't like going to the pizza store and ordering it. I'd rather bake it right in my own oven. So, I decided to buy one of the healthier frozen pizzas. I decided on Kashi Mushroom Trio & Spinach pizza.

Then at Costco, I tried the Spinach & Parmesan Greek Yogurt Dip sample. It was good! So, I decided to get it and I bought crackers to eat along with it at a different store. It's so good!

That's it for now!

Finals=Accomplishment

I am happy to say that I completed all of my finals as of today. I am so happy and relieved!

I do feel accomplished that I made it through this semester. It's been busy and stressful but I persevered and made it through.

I questioned myself many times why I put this onto myself. There were times were I just wanted to give up and drop a class. But, I knew that it wouldn't feel right to me. I'm really not the type to give up.

Anyway, my vacation finally starts and you'll be seeing more posts from me! You MIGHT see changes in the blog. I have bee thinking about having my own domain and changing the banner. We'll see!

Do you feel accomplished after taking your finals?
What are your plans for the winter?

Weekly Goals

Happy Sunday everyone.

I hope you guys are doing well today. I am assuming that most of you had a long break and now, there's either work or school tomorrow. Don't worry. It's life.

Last week's goals weren't too bad. The chemistry exam is pushed back until tomorrow and I have been studying like crazy for it! I enjoyed my Thanksgiving with my family. We had a family potluck and we walked around the downtown area, which is nice. As for yoga, I am incorporating yoga stretches after my workouts but I haven't had a full on yoga session.

Anyway, here are this weeks goals.

I have a chemistry exam tomorrow and then another the 11 of December. Then, the final is on December 16. It's on a Monday. I also have a big group presentation on December 12. Things are coming up quickly!

I went to Starbucks yesterday and I got this while working on that same group project I mentioned. It's the Greek yogurt with honey parfait and it was delicious. And, I'm also going again today for a study group for the chemistry exam on tomorrow. This is the life.

That's it for now.

What are your goals for the week?
Are you ready to go back to work/school?

Going out for Coffee- Coffee Talk

If we were going out for coffee-

We would be at Starbucks, enjoying a skinny vanilla latte. (Okay, since it's the holiday season, the Gingerbread latte!).

If we were going out for coffee, I would tell you how stressed out I am with school. There are many projects, presentations and exams that are coming up and I just need a breather.

If we were going out for coffee, I would tell you how much I miss playing in an orchestra. I recently went to a jazz band concert and my old high school classmate was in it. I've always been in orchestra since elementary school and it feels so weird that I'm not in orchestra anymore. I haven't even had much time to play my cello!

If we were going out for coffee, I would tell you about some new changes I'm planning to make with my blog during winter break. I can't say much right now, since I still haven't decided if I want to change it. However, I have ideas!

Last, but not least, I would tell you about how my cousin and I are wanting to create our own music CD. We have been wanting to record a CD for a long time (since junior high and we're in college now!) We will finish the CD soon (hopefully). We just have been busy! Hopefully, it'll be something we can do during the summer.

So, what have you guys been up to?

My Typical Day

I thrive on routine. I have to have a schedule to get things done.

image from http://www.powellriverminorhockey.com/

Some people may say that life gets monotonous and boring from sticking with a schedule. It means doing the same thing every single day. Where is the spontaneity? 

Well, here's one thing I have to ask. How can one be productive if they don't have a set schedule? It means that you do what you want, when you want. It doesn't necessarily mean getting things done nor really enjoying something if you are always jumping back and forth. 

Having a schedule doesn't mean that you have to always follow it to the T. Life gets in the way and you have to be flexible. However, it is still nice to have something to follow just in case you don't know what to do. 

Here's a sample of my day. 

• 4 AM: I naturally wake up. I check my phone for the time and then fall back asleep for an hour.
• 5 AM: My alarm rings. I turn my alarm off, stay in bed for a few minutes and get up, change, and workout. 
• 6:30 AM: Shower
• 6:50 AM: Eat Breakfast
• 7:30ish AM: Commute to school
• 9 AM: Get to school and do some homework, study or blog. 
• 10:30 AM- 1: 30 PM: Class
• 1:30 PM- 2 PM: Lunch
• 2-4:15 PM: Homework/Study/Blog
• 4-30-5:30 PM: Bootcamp
• 5:30-6 PM: Shower
• 6-7 PM: Homework, eat a snack
• 7-7:30: Commute home
• 7:45 PM: Get home, eat dinner
• 8-10:30 or 11ish PM: Homework, Blog, Study 

Two days of my week goes something like this.

• 4 AM: I naturally wake up. I check my phone for the time and then fall back asleep for an hour.
• 5 AM: My alarm rings. I turn my alarm off, stay in bed for a few minutes and get up, change, and workout. 
• 6:30 AM: Shower
• 6:50 AM: Eat Breakfast
• 7:30ish AM: Commute to school
• 9 AM: Class
• 12:15 PM: Workout
• 1:45 PM: Eat lunch
• 2 PM: Study
• 3-4:30 PM: Commute to another college, eat a snack
• 5-9 PM: Night class
• 9:15-11ish PM: Get home, eat dinner, shower, sleep

My schedule is not set and stone. Sometimes, I hang out with friends. Sometimes, I have to work on group projects so I have to switch my bootcamp time to an earlier workout time. It really all depends! Just be flexible. 

If you have a lot of things to do, having a schedule really keeps you organized. Keeping a to-do list for the day is another good way to be organized. Check things off as you get them done. Be sure to prioritize which things need to be done first and do them in that order. 

Do you guys follow a schedule or do you like spontaneity? 

You wake up that early? Really?

Do you know how early I wake up? Guess. I dare you to guess.

I'm guessing this is how you guys are when you guys wake up in the morning.

Sorry for the distracting picture.

Have you guys guessed yet? Well, guess what. Wrong! I don't wake up at 6 am. I wake up at 5 am every single weekday.

I'm guessing you guys are wondering why I wake up so early. Well, here are a few reasons why I wake up early (even though people call me crazy for doing it!).

1. I wake up early to get a workout in. Getting my workout in during the morning makes me feel productive. It really wakes me up. Also, it frees up the rest of my day to do other things. I tend to push back my workouts during the day since I'm usually busy. 
2. It's really my only "me" time I have except for doing homework. 
3. I usually have to wake up early anyway since I have to commute to school. My commute is not fun. 
4. Waking up early means that I have a longer day to get things done! 
5. I'm posting a 5th one because I don't like the number 4. The 5th reason why I wake up early is due to habit. I've been waking up early for the past 4 years or so. It's hard to break it! 

Now, you guys are probably wondering what my schedule is like. Don't worry. I'll have that post up later on. 

Do you guys prefer waking up early or late? 

When do you guys normally workout? 

Sleep Paralysis

The most scariest thing happened to me yesterday while I was taking a nap. I tried waking up but I could not move at all. I seriously couldn't move! I thought I was hearing voices around me and I tried getting up.  I even tried pinching myself in an attempt to wake myself up. An even scarier thing was that no one was around when I was napping. I must have been in a half-asleep state while still dreaming. I finally woke up and I panicked.

After my panic attack, I went online to search why I couldn't move. I mean, I did study about sleep in my psychology class. I do know that the body relaxes during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. I just just didn't know that it would be that serious that I couldn't wake up. I finally found that I just experienced sleep paralysis. And, it's not the first time I experienced this. It's a pretty scary sensation.

In simple terms, sleep paralysis is when you are conscious but you are unable to move. If you start waking up before your REM sleep cycle is finished, you notice you cannot move. That is because your voluntary muscles relax during REM sleep. Some say your body naturally does that so you don't walk while you sleep.

I looked online and some risk factors of sleep paralysis are:

• Sleeping on your back
• Stress
• Lack of sleep
• Change in sleep cycle
• Having other sleep problems
• Certain medication

Looking at the list, I have to say that I fall into three of those risk factors. I normally sleep on my side but I realized that when I nap, it's usually on my back. Stress is affecting me a lot and I'm not getting enough sleep. I get an average of 5 to 6 hours of sleep. That is NOT enough. I should be at least getting 7 to 8 hours of sleep.

I'm guessing that if I don't want to experience another panic attack again because of this, I'm going to have to somehow relieve stress and get more sleep. It's easy to change my sleeping position but I will have to find time to get more sleep in as well as reducing stress. They're linked because they are both due to school!

Have you ever experienced sleep paralysis?

-It is said that as much as 4 out of 10 people experience it. Another article I found is that 1 in 5 students experience it. I wonder how common it really is. 

What's the most scariest thing that happened to you?

Food and Life

I bought this Vegan Carrot Cupcake last week from the bookstore and it was so good!

I bought this pumpkin empanada last week at Fluid. I've never tried it before until now. It tasted like pumpkin pie.

This is the turkey sandwich I bought from Costco the day before my half marathon. I love provolone cheese! I'm now a pescetarian, so I wouldn't eat this again.

In our culinary class, we made this pasta primavera. It was good, from what my classmate, Noelle, said. It looks pretty good, right? Recipe coming up soon!

I bought this yesterday from a food truck at school. It's sweet potato fries along with an apple, honey, cheese and almond sandwich on wheat bread. I know, it sounds gross but it was so good! It was the only vegetarian sandwich they had and I was hesitant to try it. I'm so glad I did! The fries were amazing too!

Last night, I attended one of my friend's recital. He plays bass and he's amazing at it. He was in orchestra during high school when I was in orchestra. His performance was just amazing. After watching him play, it made me realize how much I miss playing cello. I'm definitely going to start playing it again. This week hasn't really been my week and I feel that making music will help me feel better.

To end off, I have 3 exams next week, and one of them is chemistry. Wish me luck!

By the way, I attended the 24th Annual Envisioning California Conference today and it was so informative. I enjoyed it and the food was good too. I'll talk about it my next post!

How was your week?
Have you ever tried food truck food?

Recent Updates

Happy Saturday everyone! How are you guys doing today?

Well, I'm doing pretty well, thank you very much. I just volunteered for a sports nutrition workshop for my school's track team. It was quite fun. They were a great group and learned a lot from it. As usual, there was the 4:1 carbohydrates to protein ratio for pre-workout and a 3:1 ratio for post workout. 

We also learned that these athletes should eat every two to three hours during meets. It can be snacks such as  Nature Valley Granola bar or some fruit. Drinking water is very important too! Also, the protein requirements for college athletes is twice the amount of the normal person. 

What I also learned is that weight doesn't really matter (it's still important though). As it turns out, someone can still look fit and healthy but weigh more. I was surprised about the weight of some of the girls because I thought they'd weigh less. They looked so fit and healthy. I guess it comes from muscles! So, don't always measure your progress through weight. The measurements of body fat count as well (and how you fit your clothes). I'm not judging or anything but it was an observation. 

At the end of the workshop, the athletes were able to make sandwiches for their lunch. It was to show an example of a post-workout meal. The sandwiches looked so good! There were turkey, cheese, tomatoes, sprouts, avocados, hummus, apples and so many other things that can be used to make sandwiches! Also, there was the Alpine Valley bread (which I love!). I didn't get to make a sandwich, unfortunately. But seeing the hummus, I was in the mood to eat something with hummus after the workshop ended. So, for lunch, I went to Pita Pit after and bought a whole wheat black bean pita with red pepper hummus, cucumbers, spinach and craisins. It was so good ( I love red pepper hummus). 

So, the past week has been a bit stressful. I'd rather not go into it but I have to say, sometimes, unexpected things happened. Classes were fun though. On Monday, in my food preparation class, I made cajun rice (like I've said before, I think). I still won't post the recipe until I re-create it at home. It was so good! Like I said before, I'm really enjoying my classes but there's so much work since I'm taking a lot. I really enjoy my Social and Cultural Aspect of Food Class. What we're learning right now is how religion can influence food choices. 

So, also bought some organic green tea soba noodles and organic teriyaki sauce from the Asian store. I just had to buy the green tea noodles because it's green tea! I also made some whole wheat rotini pasta that my mom likes. I was surprised she liked it because she doesn't really like whole wheat things. I also made whole wheat cinnamon sugar tortilla chips, which I will post later. It's so easy to make.

I also tried foam rolling for the first time. It hurt so good! It really does help. =)

Anyway, I guess that's it for now.

Have you ever attended a nutrition workshop?
What's do you like to eat pre/post workout?

Weekly Goals + Half Marathon Training Update

Hey hey everyone. How are you guys doing today? It's a fine Sunday, isn't it? Well, it was a great day for a run. But, it rained yesterday. Oh, the rain.

Anyway, let's recap on my goals I set last week. I actually completed all of my goals. I'm so happy. I did study for my chemistry exam. I did create a new schedule. And, I did improve my mile time this week. My long run was actually today. I'll talk more about that in a bit. But, first, here's this weeks goals.

So, today was a course preview run. I decided to go, so that I can get a feel of the course before the actual run. We all met up at 7:30 am and it was a bit cold (since it rained yesterday). Thankfully, there wasn't too much mud. There were two options: 11 miles or almost a full half (12.5 miles) . I opted for the longer run.

We started running around 7:45 am and it was exciting. I didn't know what to expect, especially since I haven't ran with a group for such a long time. The course was great. However, I didn't expect a couple of huge hills along the route. What was great was that I was ahead of most of the group.

For some reason, my best time was today too!I think it was due to the excitement. I was so happy. Me and two other people (Lynn and Russ) ended up getting lost near the end, because we didn't see the arrows marked on the ground. We found our way back. We still finished ahead of most of the group. It ended up running 12.8 miles, in 2 hrs and 2 minutes. I have to say, I was impressed with myself!

They had coffee and pastries for our post-run meal/snack. I ended up just going home and making myself a whole wheat peanut butter and jelly sandwich with coffee.

Anyway, that's today. The past week was also cool too. I got to do homework, study, and hang out with friends. Work was fun too. I spent half the day selling root beer floats to raise money.

On Tuesday, my cousin and I went to eat at the school's restaurant. This is what I ordered.

It was sweet potato fries and a grilled veggie sandwich on focaccia bread. It was delicious! They really stuffed the sandwich with veggies.

On Wednesday, I went to Fluid and I ordered coffee and their new egg white spinach breakfast sandwich. It was on a homemade biscuit. I hadn't eaten a biscuit in so long. It was so good! I also ended up eating some ice cream from the root beer float sale.

And, here are some other food of the week:

I've been obsessed with trail mix! I love trail mix. 

I made a pizza with a whole wheat tortilla.  I added marinara sauce and cheese. 

This is new. I haven't eaten a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in a while, so I decided to buy a healthier jelly! 

And look what I bought yesterday. I bought a hello kitty lunch box (to put my lunch in) and new running shoes (for after my half-marathon). 

Well, I guess that's it for now!

How was your weekend?
What are your goals for this week?
Do you prefer running with a group or yourself?
- Personally, I like running by myself. It see it as "me" time. But, it's fun to run with a group once in a while. 

Weekly Goals + Other random things

Hey hey everyone. How are you guys today? I know that this post is being posted a bit later than usual but I had a pretty busy weekend! I went to Six Flags con mi familia and we had so much fun. And, I didn't let my trip cut my run long short, which I was tempted to do.

Anyway, I pretty much kept up with my goals last week. I did my best to do some yoga stretches throughout the week. I even did a full yoga workout yesterday for my rest day ("active" rest day). I did my best to stick to my schedule. That's how I'm able to keep track of everything and get everything done. And, for the last part, I did that. Smile and be happy. Just smiling when you're sad can really change your sad mood. It's surprising how one smile can change things!

Here are this weeks goals.

And, now, here are some random foods!

My family bought these pure protein bars from Costco. They are pretty good, in my opinion. There is a bit of a protein powder taste to it but it still tastes good. They're nice, chewy and filling.

I also bought the Naked Smoothies. They are so good! The Berry Blast smoothie and the Green Machine smoothie were awesome! There was also a Mango one that was good but I like these two better.

 I saw these Balance Dark Chocolate Peanut bars at my school store while looking for a snack. The words dark chocolate and new caught my attention. I just had to try it out! Chewy and chocolatey. That's all I can say.

 I know packaged food is bad but if all else fails, here's what I bought. I bought a Turkey Whole Wheat Pita. I read the ingredients list and it was definitely whole wheat. I wanted something sweet, so I indulged and bought a Fiber One brownie. It was actually pretty good. I hate to say that I bought soda but I did. I don't drink soda much but when I do, it is always that kind, the zero calorie kind. Pretty much, it's best to NOT drink soda. Ever. There are just so many negative effects it has to your health!

Anyway, I guess that's it for now. I pretty much had a great week and a great weekend. I did get my hair permanently straightened (it's suppose to last a year) and it took 5 hours! I know, that long. But, hey. At least my hair is easier to manage now.

How was your week?
Do you have any goals?
Do you like roller-coasters?