elyssa: a tribute to change

current location: toronto

stagnation. class. gym. sleep. repeat x 100. it's definitely time for a change.

all is well on the home front - things are just a little bit boring.

a shame since the city is in full fall bloom.

my daily walk to school is filled with color..

and my daily coffee is even showing early signs of christmas..

spicy tomatillo salsa at home:

and warm, brown sugar cinnamon spelt loaf (adapted from a veganized version of jenna's muffins):

..and yet something is off. we love the mountain because it forces us out of these ruts. long country walks. time to think. when routine gets in the way of my health - i know it's time to stop. adjust. tweak. the plan to bring the mountain here:

- take a strength training hiatus.

- bring back 'banish fat boost metabolism' for a 20-minute AM pick-me-up.

- join the boy on daily plate for solidarity.

- keep experimenting with spelt (haven't quite perfected spelt baking).

- plan a reading week vacation.

- sleep more. study more. enjoy the dwindling days of academia.

today i took a moment to acknowledge all the change that has made its way into my life:

i now bake entirely vegan.

i now bake, period.

i practice yoga 4, 5 x times a week (versus 1 x last year)

i exercise 6 days a week (versus 3 last year)

i now consider yoga a workout.

i sleep 8hrs most nights.

i go to school in my yoga clothes (versus changing a million times)

i still beat myself up when i miss a workout. will change.

blog moment: falling in love with jessica's fashion blog

current obsessions:

envisioning thanksgiving dinner. getting outta town asap. this spelt brownie cake. cutting the grocery bill to the bare minimum. more HIIT.

hira: see you at christmas

location: the mountain home (departure for italia in 12 days!!)


week in review: today i said goodbye to my best friend for the seventh summer in a row, as she goes back to finish her third and final year of law school--filled with strength and a beauty that just keeps growing, i know she'll be just alright. luckily, we have this shared blog to keep us connected despite the distance :)

so ramadan is almost halfway over, and i can definitely see progress: no post-sunset binges and stomachaches; now that is something to take note. before i went to elyssa's to say goodbye, i cooked dinner at home for myself and my family. such simple, fresh ingredients made for a delicious and satisfying dinner. the still-warm zucchini bread with tea at elyssa's house just put me over the edge.

...i guess i should have stopped at one piece?

this week, i made some important fitness purchases for italy: a new yoga bag (actually a gift from my friend sana), a resistance band, and Jillian Michael's No More Trouble Zones. i've seen this dvd all over the blog world, and i know elyssa has recently tried the workout as well, and i've concluded that it should be a good strength conditioning supplement to what hopefully will be a yoga and gym-filled semester abroad. i called the resident director in charge of my study abroad program (University Study Abroad Consortium- USAC) and she informed me that there would be a gym at the university of torino, where i will be studying. but she rather strongly hinted at looking elsewhere if i wanted class options and variety in exercise equipment--and of course, we like our class options. i want my yoga, my kickboxing, my body pump etc. i get bored easily.

new challenges: mini boot camps before i go to sleep (jumping jacks, burpees, abs etc)

current obsessions: medjool dates filled with maranatha's dark chocolate almond butter--so filling. a good pre-workout snack, the energy boost is very concrete. suede sneakers.

elyssa: last week on the mountain

location: the mountain (5 days until toronto)

week in review:

as i hunker down to write this post, i notice your current obsessions: 'muted grays and navy solids'. on my trip this weekend, i bought 2 very carefully planned purchases: a soft navy merino cardigan, and an amazing grey yogaish/sweatshirt thing. while the parallel would appear trivial to an outside eye, for me it perfectly encapsulates what you said the other day over tea - - 'with us it's always weird', and by weird, i know you meant..perfectly in sync.

new york was fabulous. literally, the perfect girls weekend. we went all out with the 'girls' theme - long, emotional talks..delightful brunches..a trip to a vegan chocolatiers..dinner at home over f*r*i*e*n*d*s (sitcom).




i worried about how i would react to this trip. for all its benefits, the mountain has a tendency to augment my already present reclusive tendencies. i worried i wouldn't be able to socialize properly and enjoy all that the city and my friends have to offer. this fear stems from the fact that i am best able to eat consciously either on my own or in the presence of those who share my approach to food. at the core of the problem is the lack of faith that i have in myself to make conscious choices in a social environment. while i was tempted to indulge in moments of self-loathing as we walked merrily up the fashionable bleeker street or promenaded down 5th avenue, for the most part..i held it together.

success on vacation is the culmination of multiple, healthy choices. turning down a cream-ridden dessert (not appetizing anyways), in favor of a delightful espresso with a tad bit of cream and a small biscotti. indulging in pinkberry, vegan chocolates, and a vegan cupcake (!) - and choosing healthy alternatives to eating out (a fun excursion to whole foods, followed by a picnic in central park). had i been alone, my diet would inevitably have been more austere, but a happy balance was definitely achieved.

new challenges:

the last week at home is always the hardest. morale is down. the temptation is to say: 'what's done is done. this is what i've accomplished. the best i can do is try and semi keep it up during the year'. NO. no no no. this year, i will say: 'i made great progress this summer. the road to health never ends, school is just another opportunity to further my quest'. throughout the summer, i am able to make healthy advancements because i keep trying new things. the challenge for this week is to ensure that i still have that gusto for healthy experimentation once back in toronto.

- accept my reliance on AM exercise (i've realized i NEED it to get my day off to a good start - and the best way to embrace this 'addiction' is to allow for a brisk 20 min workout every morning)
- new exercise videos are a must (no more trouble zones doesn't really fit into this 'brisk' niche since i still gym it up in the PM)
- work on combatting my social phobias surrounding food (just say 'no, thanks - i'm eating vegan today')
- focus on a low-carb, balanced food week (eating vegan didn't really do it for me as i excessively increased carbs and fat, without sufficient protein, but i'm glad i tried!)
- reinstate the monster

current obsessions:

moving to new york, yacon syrup, nutritional yeast, developing an everyday 'uniform', evening walks

elyssa: home from vacation

location: back on the mountain

week in review:

last week's goal - staying healthy on vacation - successfully accomplished! miami with the boy and the fam definitely benefited my overall health and fitness. long beach swims. conscious eating. bidaily workouts. its tough merging exercise styles with the boy, but we managed with a combination of shared and separate time at the gym. jillian michael's 30 day shred carried me through when the elliptical looked less than appealing. night time yoga sessions from yogadowload.com's free printouts kept us limber and motivated.

the two week beach vacay came with its fair share of downfalls as well. one particularly unhealthy meal at the cheesecake factory prompted a frenzied midnight elliptical burst. tears were shed. lesson learned, however; a lack of moderation is never the solution. so i ate too much, exercising too much can be just as detrimental to my body - and to my psyche. looking back, im proud that we exercised every day and still enjoyed many a delicious cuban meal.

new challenge:

summer is coming to an end and there is no way im going to be able to keep up this pace in the school year. so my current challenge is to enjoy the results i have achieved, and at the same time to make the best of our remaining days on the mountain to see more improvements by the time school rolls around. for now, its full steam ahead.

- replace 30 day shred (daily) with jm's no more trouble zones + shaun t's insane abs (alternating days)
- make the effort to focus on specific muscle groups - moving away from arms and legs, focusing on back and abs
- commit to making the first week of every month 'clean week' - roughly modeled on the clean diet smoothie plan
- try 5 new raw diet recipes - paving the way for special 'raw days' each week

current obsessions:

heirloom tomatos. cabbage. mad men. j crew.