QuarantineFIT: Favorite Resources for Killer At Home Workouts

Typically when I’m back at my parents house for a holiday or to visit for a long weekend, I struggle to find any sort of motivation to workout. My bed is to comfortable to get up early, the basement is too cramped to move around and the neighborhood is too hilly for a run. I usually have a ton of excuses.

But when I moved home for the foreseeable future at the beginning of March, I knew I was going to have to find a way to get motivated to work out at home.

While my bed is STILL too comfortable (I can sleep 10 hours most nights) I’ve been shocked at how much I’m enjoying working out at home.

I have a good mix of equipment here:

-15 LB Kettlebell (thanks, sis)
-25 LB Plate
-Dumbbells in 3 LB, 5 LB, 8 LB, 10 LB
-Sliders
-Resistance Bands in a variety of sizes
-Pull-Up Bar
-Yoga Mat
-TRX

And while I’ve loved coming up with some of my own workouts (you can watch some on my Instagram page) and running (healthy!) 3x a week - what’s really kept me going are some incredible fitness instructors offering free workouts on Instagram, Youtube and Zoom.

Here are my recommendations if you need a little variety in your at-home-workouts.

Anyone else contemplating canceling their gym membership for good?

Jon Chaimberg

Jon Chaimberg owns and operates APC gym in Montreal, but when they were forced to temporarily close due to coronavirus, he took his training to Instagram.

I have taken a TON of his classes and they still leave me sore.

He puts together killer rep schemes to make even the lightest set of dumbbells feel like bricks. Instead of 15 rows, he’ll have you do
1 Row / 1 Second Hold
2 Rows / 2 Second Hold
3 Rows / 3 Second Hold

All the way up to 7.

Or he’ll switch up the range of motion, so you’re doing 10 full chest presses, 10 lower-to-mid way pulses, 10 upper-to-mid way pulses, and 10 more full chest presses.

His classes are long - coming in at a full 60 minutes of work and there are lower body/leg focused classes and upper body focuses classes with abs mixed into both.

On the weekend, he goes live or posts an IGTV of him and his wife, Maddie, doing what they call “Hollywood Squares.” They each go through different exercises so you always have a choice of what you want to do!

Maddie also posts her own workouts on her page, and the APC Gym Instagram has live classes throughout the week too.

If you want to wake up sore - these are what I recommend!

Shadowbox

Each week, Shadowbox has been offering Instagram Live classes that run about 45 minutes. The free Live classes are usually on Saturday and Sunday, but they offer tons of classes throughout the week if you sign up for SBX Virtual. The prices are extremely fair - $5/class, $12 for 3 classes or $40 for 10 classes!

These classes leave me absolutely DRIPPING and since I’ve been trying to use 3 pound weights for some of the shadowboxing, I can almost never properly reach up to do my hair the next day.

I swear boxing classes are some of the absolutely best all around classes - and I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find that that’s still the case even without gloves and a bag (read my review of the in-studio experience here!)

The classes incorporate shadowboxing with easy to follow combinations, cardio, and usually some core and lower body focused rounds as well.

From June 8 - June 14, all Shadowbox classes will be offered for free to book. Shadowbox asks that you instead use your funds to donate to Color of Change.

Rachael’s Good Eats

Rachael DeVaux has hosted and posted live workouts on her Instagram almost every day of quarantine.

They cover everything from HIIT, upper body focus, lower body focus, core and total body. I love that she mixes up the type of circuits - sometimes you’re going for time and sometimes you’re counting reps.

And, it’s great that you can either follow along live, or watch after the fact when she posts them on her IGTV or YouTube channel.

And all for the price of FREE 99.

MadFit

It’s been amazing how quickly MadFit caught on during quarantine. My friend Kayla sent me her videos, then I found out my sister was doing them every day, and then another friend mentioned that she had been loving her videos too!

She posts most of her workouts on her YouTube channel and I can’t get enough of her 10 and 15 minute ab routines. I like to do them at the end of my workouts as the cherry on-top! They’re straightforward, she doesn’t talk too much, and they’re very varied.

Her dance and song routines are also incredibly fun! And on the days I’m feeling wishy-washy and I can’t commit to anything, I’ll put together a bunch of her 10-20 minute videos and before I know it, I’ve worked out for an hour!

AARMY

I don’t know how I had never heard of AARMY before, a New York City and LA based fitness-studio opened from ex-Soul Cycle instructor Akin Akman.

AARMY is offering a ton of free Instagram Live content and at the beginning of quarantine I was starting almost every morning with their 10 AM EMOM and 10:20 AM 400 Abs series.

I also tuned in for some of Akin’s Bootcamp classes - and let me tell you this guy is NOT MESSING AROUND. He’s a beast!

If you have your own spin bike, they also offer cycling classes on IG Live.

When studios are back open - AARMY is on the top of my list to try out.

Ripped Training Method

Not quite sure how I found the Ripped Training Method videos, but they’re quick and effective 30 minute strength workouts that I’ve been adding into the mix and enjoying! So far, I’ve only taken classes by Jamie because I know I like them! But they have over 30 workouts posted including treadmill classes! Next rainy day, I might give one of them a try.

CorePower Yoga On Demand

Every week, CorePower Yoga’s On Demand website has some free classes that I’ve been adding to the mix. I’ve done more yoga in quarantine than I’ve ever done in my life! And I’m actually really loving it!

One CorePower yoga class I took challenged me to try a pose I never would have thought I could attempt previously - firefly! I also took a really fun, sweaty endurance yoga class. They have a good mix and you can take classes that are 20 minutes, 30, all the way up to an hour.

Mr. & Mrs. Muscle

These quick 10 minute videos made up of 30 second intervals are AWESOME when you don’t feel like committing to a long workout or don’t know what you feel like doing. You can do a quick 10 minute video and be done, or string together a bunch for a full-body workout. They have a mix of videos that required weights and other’s that are body weight. I love their color coordinated outfits and beautiful windows.

Alex Najarian

If you like kettlebells - Alex Najarian’s classes are amazing! I joined one of her free Zoom classes one weekend and was super impressed. She also offers programs you can pay for to get daily workouts.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

February - You Were The Best

February seems like a lifetime ago, but I keep remember how wonderful and happy it was. February 2020 was SO. FETCH. and I’m so grateful that I had so much quality time with family and friends before this pandemic started.

It seems like a good way to spend a very rainy, VERY windy day - looking back on a month filled with all of my favorite things. A moment in time when I was in NYC, happy and healthy and full of appreciation for all the incredible things I get to do in this life! I don’t care how cheesy it sounds.

2 Hockey Games!

The 3rd Annual Brunch & Barclays! Making all my favorites wear Islanders swag, getting good and tipsy, and going to a hockey game! It’s always one of my favorite days. This year, we started with brunch at Miti Miti, a Mexican spot in Brooklyn. The bottomless brunch was a good deal, though the food itself was pretty pricey. But they had a ton of vegan options, which was a definite bonus!

The game coincided for the second year in a row with referee appreciate night - something that I definitely think we should participate in next time!

The Islanders scored with about :25 left in regulation to bring the game to overtime and I was overjoyed…for a few minutes. Until we lost just a minute into OT. C’est la vie.

I got to go to a second Islanders game just a few days later when work gave out free tickets. This time, we got the W! I’ll definitely miss how easy it is to get to a game at Barclays if the team doesn’t play there next season.

My third Islanders game of the season was technically in March, but pre-quarantine. The annual trip with my parents and Allison and her family to the Coliseum! We were able to pre-game in the hotel and even had a cute little balcony overlooking an empty pool! There was a lot of hand washing but it was still such a fun day - we even did dinner together afterwards before heading back to NYC.

Family Time!

My mom, dad, sister, aunt, uncle, grandma and grandpa were all in the city in February! This is a BIG DEAL.

My sister joined me for brunch and the Islanders game and my parents drove in to give me my Christmas gifts that I wasn’t able to travel with after the holidays.

Then, my aunt and uncle drove my grandparents in over President’s Day Weekend and I met up with them and my cousin for a great dinner with lots of red wine.

Being able to see everyone I love without leaving the city was a very big treat.

Apartment Upgrades

I really wanted to challenge myself to use the time I’ve been home to organize and “purge” in my apartment. I did a ton of purging in my kitchen, a decent job at purging my drawers and closets, my bathroom is in really good shape - but there are definitely a few more things on my to-do list.

That being said, my apartment is feeling comfy and cozy.

I bought myself some plants on Amazon that I’ve managed to keep alive (for now).

I have a new comforter and pillows and my bed feels luxurious.

My Tupperware drawer is a DREAM when I open it.

This new fruit basket makes me smile and I feel super organized with my “swim” “bike” and “run” bins set up under my bench!

Nothing sparked joy more than steam mopping my floors!

Vegan

For the month of February I experimented with veganism. I’ve been wanting to start eating a more plant-based diet for awhile not, mainly because of the environmental benefits.

I had meant to read Jonathan Safran Foer’s “Eating Animals” during my vegan February and if I had, I probably wouldn’t have eaten a turkey sandwich on March 1.

Though I’m not longer eating vegan, I definitely have a new-found appreciation for lentils, beans, tempeh and tofu.

For three weeks I ordered meals from Territory Foods which made it super simple - I didn’t have to think about cooking or eating vegan I just had to pop a meal in the microwave. And the meals were SO good. I was worried it would just be all tofu, but there was a ton of variety from week to week. I liked the meals 100X more than Kettlebell Kitchen’s.

Some of my favorites were

• Spicy Baked Tofu with Cabbage and Brown Rice

• Ethiopian Style Lentils & Braised Collards

• Golden Noodles with Coconut Grilled Tofu & Veggies

• Smoky Maple Tempeh with Sweet Potato Corn Hash & Swiss Chard

• Roasted Tofu with Persimmon Chutney, Brussels Sprouts & Butternut Mash

• Bok Choy, Carrot, Mushroom & Tofu Stir-fry

Plus, they deliver right to my gym and I found the cost super affordable. They also offer vegetarian options, keto, paleo - basically they’ll cater to any diet. (You can use the code PBBF at Territory Foods for $25 off your first two weeks!)

It felt a little bit like cheating though, so I did cook myself my own meals too. Some of the recipes I used were -

1. Ginger & Coconut Split Pea Soup from Food52

2. Turkish Lentil Soup from Gimme Some Oven

3. Cashew Tofu from Gimme Some Oven

And then my own concoction of white beans, kale and soy chorizo.

I realized that I already cook a lot of vegan dishes anyway. The biggest thing was not being able to add an egg on top of a grains and veggie bowl or chicken to my stir fry.

Eating out was definitely harder, especially when my parents came into the city. We ended up eating at a Georgian restaurant! Oda House on the Upper East side actually had a ton of vegan options (though communicating with my waiter was a little challenging at times).

My favorite part of the meal was a tie between the lobiani (mashed pinto beans baked inside yeast dough) and the khinkali (the Georgian equivalent to pierogies). I would love to go back and try more dishes here.

I had high hopes that being vegan would curb my sweet tooth - instead, I just ate boxes of Oreos and Thin Mints (both vegan!) and pints of Van Leeuwen’s ice cream (the chocolate oat milk cookie dough chunk was my favorite of the three pints sampled in February).

All month I thought I was going to stick with it beyond February - and then I ate a turkey sandwich and haven’t looked back. We’ll see. I’m definitely still going to read that book!

Writing Class

I was finally able to sign myself up for a writing class, the Creative Nonfiction 101 at Gotham City Writers. It was a great value - 6 weeks of classes, 18 hours of instruction and we learned about writing op ed pieces, memoirs, travel writing, reviews and features.

Despite ending on Monday nights at 10 PM, I remained motivated to show up. It was a small, interactive class with a professor who reminded me of our Eurotrip tour guide. I didn’t learn any life-altering writing tips, but it was a good way to get me writing every week for the homework assignments.

It was also interesting to see what I ended up writing about for each assignment. For the memoir, I wrote about how grateful I was to have the experience of growing up with a best friend who was Muslim. For my profile piece, I wrote about Jenny Donnelly and how the running community has led to a increase in fast female runners competing at this years Olympic Marathon Trials. For my review, I wrote about Becco, one of my favorite New York City restaurants. For my op ed, I wrote about why US airports are so much more miserable than airports in other parts of the world. And for my travel piece, I wrote this listicle!

Our last class was unfortunately conducted on Zoom once I was already back on Long Island - but I’m glad it still happened.

2 Piano Bars

Brandy’s

I finally got my parents to Brandy’s After a short wait outside on the sidewalk, we entered the small, cramped piano bar on the Upper East Side that serves me tequila cosmos and sings the perfect blend of Billy Joel, showtunes and Jimmy Buffet (when I request it).

As usual, the time flew by and we spent a happy few hours here singing along to song after song.

Marie’s Crisis

I spent Valentine’s Day with two of my lifelong friends singing showtunes in a West Village basement and it couldn’t have been more perfect. We spent something like 4 hours at Marie’s on a Friday night and I’m very thankful that Lana and Allison put up with my constant “just one more song…”

Highlight? A medley of Ragtime songs <333

Brandon James Gwinn was the pianist and I highly recommend finding out his schedule so that you’re guaranteed to see him! You not only get showtunes, you get a comedy show.

2 Musicals

Luckily, I had a good amount of live musical theater in February before Broadway theaters went dark. The theater community has been especially hard-hit with the coronavirus - we’ve already lost legend Terrence McNally and many more theater stars have been fighting the virus including Aaron Tveit and Nick Cordero.

Meanwhile, the Dear Evan Hansen performance on James Cordon’s #HomeFest and the Hamilton casts reunion on John Krasinski’s “Some Good News” have brought moments of joy to many while simultaneously helping with fundraising efforts to help the shuttered theater industry.

Little Shop of Horrors

Allison and I first went to see Little Shop of Horrors because once I read the New York Time’s article about Gideon Glick’s portrayal of Seymour - I knew I needed to go! Gideon has been one of my favorites since I saw him in the original cast of Spring Awakening and last year I got to see him as Dill in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Though Little Shop is one of the most kitschy shows I’ve ever seen, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Jagged Little Pill

In January, I saw Alanis Morisette live at a work event and it was an exhilarating thing - standing at the very front of the stage, suddenly realizing that I still knew almost every word to the entire Jagged Little Pill album. When she broke out the harmonica, I went wild.

I knew I had to buy tickets to see Jagged Little Pill when I got home! Though the show took on a lot of hot button topics, I enjoyed the singing and obviously already knew I loved the songs. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see Lauren Patten who supposedly brings the house down during You Oughta Know, but Ezra Menas as an understudy was also amazing!

2 Concerts

DERMOT KENNEDY DERMOT KENNEDY DERMOT KENNEDY! If you haven’t yet listened to this man’s voice - stop reading right now and GO LISTEN.

I can’t remember the last time I was so obsessed with someone’s music.

And in February I got to see him in concert TWICE.

The first time was a super intimate acoustic concert thanks to one of my friends getting me on the list and I am eternally grateful It was amazing being so close in such a small room.

The second time was at Radio City and it was totally different with the full band and a huge crowd. But both concerts were incredible and made me feel more in love with Dermot.

He’s been going live a lot during this quarantine and it’s wonderful

Skiing

Allison and I took an amazing ski trip with OvRride and I highly highly recommend them. I definitely plan on taking a trip again next year, and hopefully more than one!

We got picked up right on the upper east side, had no problem getting a seat, and were given bagels and water as we drove to Windham Mountain. The cost included bus transportation there and back, bagels, water, granola bars, beers on the ride home, a lift ticket and rentals.

We had a solid day of skiing and I felt much better than I did last year when I put skis on for the first time in 12 years. It was a beautiful day - we were even warm at times.

And back to my apartment by 8 PM after bus brews! Such a great day.

Trail Running

I had some awesome trail runs in February - it’s definitely my new favorite way to spend a Saturday or Sunday, though I sometimes still feel like a baby deer with wobbly legs and twisted ankles. Especially on the downhill!

I headed to Prospect Park for another trail run with Trail Women BK on a gorgeous day and Abby and I ran almost 8 miles on a trail in Connecticut during a weekend trip!

In Central Park, I stuck to the trails as opposed to the road as much as I could.

A Quick Trip

In February I even got to take a quick weekend trip out of NYC to a friends family house in Connecticut. We all were questioning whether it was worth the effort of renting a car for just a quick weekend trip but by the end of the weekend we all agreed that even for 48 hours it was BEYOND worth it.

We played board games, cooked in a giant kitchen, went for a trail run/hike, went to a cute little town for fresh baked bread and ice cream and on our way home went to Beacon to a farmer’s market and to walk through the cute town.

I think it left us all feeling rejuvenated!

2 Breweries

Strong Rope Brewery

We stopped by this brewery in Brooklyn after the Islanders game and played cards - it was great and I cant wait to be this close to all my favorite people again, drinking beer!

Housatonic River Brewing

I was thrilled to find a brewery near the house we stayed at in Connecticut - what is better on an unseasonably warm afternoon after a trail run than some flights outside?! Nothing.

I miss you February, you were really wonderful and I’m grateful for the memories!

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

Home Sweet Home: A Travel Guide

Travel has come to a screeching halt. No one knows the next time they’ll walk with wonder down the streets of a new-to-them city or try a local cuisine straight from the source.

When will I write my next travel guide? (Aside from the ones that are still pending due to my laziness…) When is the next time I will hoist a carry-on into an overhead bin or eat a Biscoff cookie on a Delta flight?

A recent writing prompt encouraged me to write about my current surroundings as if they were a new travel destination. It was a fun activity to look at my childhood home through a different lens. This little home I grew up in re-imagined as a new hotel in a new land on a new adventure.

Local Customs

The residents dress very casually and comfortably. It seems that they are very big fans of the NHL as nearly everything they wear displays the League’s shield. For such big fans, there’s a definite lack of hockey on TV…

The females don’t wear a lot of makeup (or any whatsoever) and don’t seem to give much thought to things like manicures, haircuts, or the shaving of leg hair.

Apparently the plumbing here isn’t great, because I’ve been asked to dispose of my toilet paper in the garbage can instead of flushing it. Squares of TP aren’t yet being rationed, but I’ve heard it’s a possibility given a mounting shortage.  

Morning coffee and afternoon tea is taken very seriously in these parts. Coffee is almost always enjoyed with a book or the newspaper and afternoon tea typically pairs with a crossword puzzle or Sudoku.

There is a lot of hand washing and hand sanitizing with an obvious lack of physical contact of any kind. No one seems to be willing to share a drink or a meal, which is sad as someone who thinks food tastes better when shared. No one hugs hello or goodbye - not even a handshake seems customary.

People seem to take a lot of vitamin C and various supplements - zinc, magnesium, echinacea, elderberry - they seem very concerned with their health.

Night Life

The locals don’t seem to have any qualms about drinking before the widely accepted 5 PM happy hour standard.

The house wine, 14 Hands Cabernet, is a definite fan favorite. The pours are heavy and frequent – glasses don’t remain empty for long thanks to an attentive waitstaff.

There are no sports playing on the TV screens. Instead, there’s an eclectic mix of news, stand-up comedy specials, Netflix documentaries and reality TV.

Some nights, there’s “live” entertainment in the form of showtunes from a livestreaming piano bar or at home performances from stars like John Legend and Mariah Carey.

When the ladies are not staining their lips and teeth purple from red wine, the bartender will mix up strong cocktails like margaritas or gin-concoctions with fresh squeezed grapefruit. The glass always comes with a fancy garnish.

The bar is never crowded, but sometimes voices pour in through FaceTime and Zoom as friends and family swap stories through cell phone screens. It’s shocking how loud a bar with three people can get.

When it’s nice out, the party gets taken outside to a nice deck. Sometimes there’s even a fire!

Cuisine

The local cuisine is very internationally inspired.

There’s been an Irish meal of corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots which was later re-purposed for a delicious corned beef hash with crispy potatoes, eggs and peppers.

Greek influences led to a delicious salad with chick peas, grape leaves and tzatziki sauce.

My Mexican mood was met with shrimp tacos resplendent with pickled onions, cilantro, avocado, lime and fresh cabbage slaw.

Another night I was served pot stickers doused with a delicious sauce of soy, freshly grated garlic and ginger, pineapple juice and sesame oil. These pork pot stickers were paired with cauliflower rice and spicy kimchi for an extra kick.

All-American more your speed? The chef can grill up a burger you’d want to write home about.

While some of the locals don’t seem to appreciate meals like breakfast and lunch, the kitchen is fully stocked for people like myself who need a meal every 2 hours.

Everyone here seems to agree on a few things: chocolate Entenmann’s donuts are phenomenal and Ruffles potato chips with French Onion dip is a love language.

My favorite part is that the waitstaff knows I prefer to eat with the small utensils.

Day Trips

When people want to get away, the biggest destination seems to be a nearby beach or park to walk and run in relative tranquility.  

I found a really great set of stairs to run up and down repeatedly, which is my idea of a fun day trip.

Sometimes we take a quick drive over to visit another family, but they never invite us inside. Instead, we sit far apart in their backyard. But they always have wine and chocolate waiting for us.

Gym

The lodging has a robust yet makeshift gym. Though the ceiling is low and there is a lot of obstacles (rocking chairs, fishing poles, plastic tubs filled with old clothes), there’s a decent amount of equipment to ensure a good sweat.

What to Pack

If you want to plan your own trip to this tiny house surrounded by bamboo in the middle of a Long Island suburb, make sure you bring the following:

-Sweatpants and leggings
-College and high school hoodies
-Sneakers for lots of walks
-Slipper socks
-Books
-Face masks
-Hand cream
-Sunglasses for tanning on the deck

If you want fun writing prompts sent to you email during quarantine, you can sign up for The Isolation Journals here.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

You Don't Have to Say You're Fine. Or Feel Guilty If You Are.

“How are you hanging in there?”

“How’s it going?”

“Are you OK?”

I’m asking friends, family and coworkers these types of questions on a daily basis as 99% of my relationships have suddenly become long distance.

I try to cycle through, because no one wants to have to think about how they’re really feeling these days too often.

Typically, these are questions asked in passing in the office hallway, as you walk into the gym and greet the person at the front desk, when you pass a friend on the subway platform.

Especially in New York City – when someone asks you how you’re doing, it’s out of polite obligation. A feigned nicety, dripping in disingenuous interest. The asker isn’t waiting for or expecting a real response. And the person being asked knows that all they’re expected to respond with is a “good, how are you?”

The answer is almost always a brief and typically inaccurate “good.” Maybe an “oh, you know…” before trailing off. Or if you work in my office, a somewhat sarcastic, “living the dream.” The point is that no matter what your short answer is, the person who asked the question has already stopped listening.

But now we find ourselves in a new world. Nowadays, if people reach out and specifically ask how you’re doing, they’re probably asking because they actually care.

So as the person being asked how you’re doing, I have a news flash for you: 

YOU DON’T HAVE TO SAY YOU’RE FINE.

Even if you haven’t lost a job. You’re allowed to be not fine.
Even if you don’t have family members in healthcare. You don’t have to pretend you’re fine.
Even if you are healthy. You don’t have to say you’re fine.
Even if you are perfectly content to work at home. You can be decidedly un-fine.

You can say you’re scared, or stressed, or bored. You can say you’re not quite sure how you’re feeling. You can say you’re confused.

In fact, the person asking is probably looking to commiserate with you. They’re probably not fine either.

On the flip side, maybe you are feeling fine. Maybe you’re in self-quarantine with a happy, healthy family. You’re all working from home, making your full salary and enjoying quality time together. You’re making delicious homemade dinners and playing board games at night. But you’re feeling guilty that life is actually feeling pretty nice right about now.

As long as you’re aware of that privilege, you don’t have to feel bad for being happy! But try to do something to pass that smile along to someone who could use it.

Ask a friend how they’re doing and be prepared to listen to their response. Even if it’s not fine.

Coronacation: Days 9 & 10

DAY 9: MONDAY

THE WORKOUT

I combined a bunch of body weight exercises to create my own F45-style class.

:20 On / :10 Off x4

• Moving Jumping Jacks (5 Forward, 5 Backward)

• Wide Mountain Climbers

• Lateral Shoot Thrus

• Squat Stomps

• Side Plank Hip Dips

• Reverse Burpees

• Crab Toe Touches

• Drop Squats

• Low Hold Alternating Step Back Lunges

• 10 Heel Taps, 4 Speed Skaters

• A Steps

• 5 Bicycles to 5 Jackknifes

Repeat 2X Through!

It was a 48 minute workout and I was definitely feeling it! The hardest for me were the wide mountain climbers. Couldn’t make it :20 through.

EATS

Breakfast of oatmeal - the biggest excitement here is that I put maple almond butter in it.

Lunch - a salad of random things including grape leaves, chickpeas, cucumber, etc.

A stress-fueled midday Irish Soda Bread binge

Leftover shrimp tacos

STAYING SOCIAL

It was so nice getting together with my college roommates via Zoom! We got a good laugh at Nicole’s “Easter ham” and while all conversations nowadays come around to coronavirus, this chat had more laughs than outrage which left me in a good mood.

WIN OF THE DAY

Caught up on 2 or 3 podcasts!

FAIL OF THE DAY

Pay cuts are officially hitting as of April 15 pay checks which wasn’t great news to receive, and resulted in me eating a lot of Irish Soda Bread.

WHAT MADE ME SMILE

Friends that are using their sewing skills to make face masks for healthcare workers!

DAY 10: TUESDAY

THE WORKOUT

Started the day with half of Bertha’s yoga class that she’s offering to her coworkers on Zoom. She’s such a great yoga instructor! Loved it and was sad to log-off at 9 AM but I also wanted to tune in to Jon Chaimberg’s leg day - I’m not walking properly the next day so, safe to say it was an effective class!

EATS

Pre-workout Lara bar followed by breakfast of yogurt with some Cheerios

Afternoon snack of white cheddar Boom Chica Pop

Lunch of celery stuffed with tuna salad and some baby carrots/hummus (+ potato chippers)

Dinner was some chicken strips with potatoes, carrots and red cabbage

Dessert was some raspberry almond dark chocolate bark and a scoop of mint Talenti with a glass of wine (after swearing I wasn’t drinking until Friday night…lasted two days, oops).

STAYING SOCIAL

After work, I laced up my sneakers, put on a podcast, and ran to my grandparents house.

When I got to their backyard, my sister was there and we had each been poured a plastic cup of wine + a chocolate.

We stayed over an hour chatting and drinking, and my tipsy mile run home was not my fastest to say the least!

WIN OF THE DAY

I wrote some cards for my friends, snail mail will hopefully make someone smile :)

FAILS OF THE DAY

I got really sad about a pair of jeans that I didn’t bring home with me that I felt like wearing. It was weird - mental sanity is slipping!

THINGS THAT MADE ME SMILE

The phrases “hump ass” and “huyah huyah.”

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

Coronacation: Days 6, 7 & 8

DAY 6: FRIDAY

THE WORKOUT

I used small exercise bands to do a full body workout that was awesome. I put together arm, leg and abs exercises from different Instagram accounts.

Afterwards, I did the boxing portion of a Box + Flow livestream and had SO MUCH FUN. My parents were out to pick up their taxes and I used it as an opportunity to jump around and dance and sing the songs at the top of my lungs and it was a really fun 20 minutes. I’ll definitely be trying to tune in to some of their other classes.

EATS

Oatmeal & Coffee for breakfast now that we are re-stocked on bananas.

Split Pea Soup & the final slice of multigrain toast (cue the tears).

Echinacea tea in panda mugs & a Sumo orange to get that Vitamin C while watching Gossip Girl

Looking real real cute during quarantine.

Takeout from one of our favorite local restaurants - a thin crust pizza with prosciutto, roasted red peppers and mozzarella and a salad with pine nuts, beets and goat cheese.

Dessert was my now-standard piece of Entenmann’s chocolate donut + mint Talenti ice cream

STAYING SOCIAL

My sister met my mom and I for a walk at a local park and we shared a good laugh at our quarantine nicknames - created by combining your mood with the last thing you ate:

Despondent Cottage Cheese

Hopeful Chicken Noodle Soup

Stressed Split Pea Soup

Also got a good laugh at my sisters outfit which we determined made it look like she was out for a walk around the rehab facility in her matching purple jumpsuit.

WIN OF THE DAY

Made progress on my book - I’m at the point where I just want to finish it so I can start something new. It’s good, but I’m not enraptured by it.

FAILS OF THE DAY

I’m starting to feel angry all the time. Every time I log on to Facebook or turn on the TV or read a new article and see people posting stupid memes about how hard it is for them to stay in their houses. I’m trying hard to educate people instead of just hate them when i see that they went out and bought N95 masks that should be used by a healthcare worker.

I’m so, so scared for my mom, who never lets her emotions get the best of her but cried at breakfast this morning. She feels that her and her coworkers are not being protected and that it’s only a matter of time before she gets sick. N95 masks are recommended to be used for 8 hours max, but they’ve been given one that is going to have to last them “the duration” of this pandemic.

We think it’s hard to wake up on a Monday morning and go to the office to do our desk jobs? I cannot imagine the pit in my mom’s stomach when she wakes up knowing what she is about to face at work these days. And it makes me sick that people just don’t seem to care. I don’t remember the last time I felt so angry and helpless.

WHAT MADE ME SMILE

Friday night, my mom and I were supposed to be in the city seeing West Side Story on Broadway. Yet another plan ruined by COVID-19, but luckily, the Broadway community managed to save the night.

When I learned that Marie’s Crisis, the classic West Village showtunes piano bar, was streaming live from their Facebook page, I informed my family that we would be tuning in. I forced them to listen to 2+ hours of showtunes by my favorite Brandon James Gwinn.

Highly recommend joining Marie’s Group so you can watch. Every night of the quarantine, you can enjoy showtunes from 4 PM - 9 PM so really, there is no reason to complain about being stuck at home. Just make sure you Venmo some tips to the musicians!

DAY 7: SATURDAY

THE WORKOUT

Jon Chaimberg’s workouts continue to kick my ass in the best way! I took another at 9 AM on Saturday morning.

If I’m ever in Montreal, I will definitely be heading to his gym to take a class.

THE EATS

Oatmeal, obv.

Lunch was toast with veggie cream cheese & lox

Dinner was my brain child and it was amazing if I do say so myself! My dad executed perfectly to make shrimp tacos complete with avocado, cabbage slaw and the best part - homemade pickled red onions! Fresh cilantro and a spritz of lime and my taste buds were in heaven.

The only problem was that the grocery store was out of corn tortillas and we had to eat flour tortillas - I am TEAM CORN TORTILLA all the way. I survived though, and it was such a good meal. Made even better with one of my dad’s world class margaritas!

WIN OF THE DAY

My knee has been bothering me, and while I knew it wasn’t 100%, I had reached the point of mentally needing a run despite what my legs were saying. Smart? No. But do I regret the 5.5 miles I ran on Saturday? Not for a second, even if I’m limping a little the next day.

I felt like I could fully breathe for the first time in a week. I felt like myself and for a little while everything didn’t feel so doom and gloom.

I also cleaned out some of the drawers in my room - lots of Limited Too camisoles still floating around in there.

FAILS OF THE DAY

Having to use Clorox wipes to clean off everything that came back from the grocery store was just another “YIKES, what is happening” moment.

STAYING SOCIAL

Allison joined me for our jaunt through the forest and while we stayed a very good distance apart, it was good to have someone out there to take self-timer pictures with because did you go for a trail run if you don’t take a jumping picture by the random pond?

THINGS THAT MADE ME SMILE

I’m still loving my re-watching of Gossip Girl. With Chuck and Dan on my TV screen, I am happy.

It’s VERY hard for my mom, dad and I to agree on something to watch, but Saturday night we all got very into the new Netflix movie Lost Girls which retells the story of the Gilgo Beach murders on Long Island. It’s a news story we’ve talked about for a long time since my mom used to work with one of the main suspects. Watch it and let me know who you think did it!

DAY 8: SUNDAY

THE WORKOUT

Sunday was rest day after 6 days of solid at home workouts. I did a yoga video to stretch some things out and I really liked it. My mom started it with me, but the 5 breathe downward dog holds were a little much.

I also went for a long walk at the beach so I could listen to a podcast. Usually, I listen to 5+ podcasts a week during my commutes, but I’m so behind now! It feels weird to just sit on the couch and listen to a podcast. Walking and podcasting are a perfect pair. I walked about 3 miles and listened to an episode of Armchair Expert where I was upset to hear that Dax Shepherd still doesn’t seem to be taking coronavirus seriously.

THE EATS

Breakfast was a Siggi’s yogurt with some Cheerios for crunch

Lunch was a tuna fish sandwich with avocado on a Long Island everything bagel with bread and butter pickles and Doritos aka it was amazing

Dinner was a giant salad filled with various leftovers which proved my theory that everything is elevated with the addition of pickled red onions.

Dessert was a mini Milky Way and a chocolate truffle because I’m rationing the Talenti (probably not necessary considering we have three pints).

STAYING SOCIAL

My sister stopped by for a visit on Sunday. While she’s not coming into the house these days, it was sunny enough for us to sit outside on the deck catching up.

WIN OF THE DAY

Sunday morning I woke up determined to finish my book and I’m proud to announce that I sat there with my coffee and yogurt until it was done! Overall it was a good book, but I just never got super into it. I’m excited to move on to something else. I’m thinking of starting The Man in the High Castle.

Another win of the day was getting feedback on some of the pieces I wrote for my writing class - I was most proud of the travel listicle I wrote (and posted here) and the feedback was positive which made me really happy!

FAIL OF THE DAY

Every day I realize another horrible situation someone is being put in because of everything that is happening. Sunday, I spent awhile thinking about how horrible it is that anyone who loses a loved one right now doesn’t get to have a wake or a funeral of more than immediate family members. I can’t imagine how awful that must be for close friends who aren’t allowed to attend or family members who aren’t nearby and can’t fly to get to their loved one.

It’s just such a huge reminder that there is still a lot of be grateful for.

THINGS THAT MADE ME SMILE

This video of Skylar Astin singing Pure Imagination from Willy Wonka. It prompted me to pull up this old picture from my Spring Awakening stage door days.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

Coronacation: Day 4

I’m sure that the Coronavirus pandemic will become a chapter in history books. They’ll list statistics about the number of people infected, the number of deaths, the number of borders closed, the number of jobs lost, the plummeting stock market prices. But the facts are rarely effective in telling the full story. The facts won’t tell you about the runners who trained for the Tokyo Marathon and never got a chance to run. The facts won’t tell you about the recovering alcoholics who couldn’t get to an AA meeting. The facts won’t tell you about the small, every day things we took for granted up until a few days ago. An office to go to, your daily conversation with the barista at the coffee shop, running with a group of people, turning on a hockey game at the end of a long day.

My story throughout this pandemic is one of extreme privilege - cancelling a trip to South Africa, though heartbreaking in it’s own right - is not the same as losing a job, losing a house, or losing a loved one.

But I would like to chronicle this time - on the brink of 30, and moving back to my childhood home for an indeterminate amount of time.

I hope you can relate to some of what I write. I hope you can laugh at some of it. I hope it can serve as a brief distraction. And I pray that we can all get through this.

DAY 4

My wake up time continues to creep closer to 9 AM - today, I managed to roll out of my bed and into my “office” at 8:55.

I had made the mistake of lying there scrolling through CNN, Facebook and Instagram for a good 30 minutes, which I’m quickly realizing is the absolute worst way to start the day. With lots of bad news and stressful new statistics.

Once I realized that it was before 9 AM and I was already feeling anxious and stressed, I flipped my phone into airplane mode. It didn’t last really long, but I’m going to need to be more aware of how much time I’m spending on my phone.

When I went to get breakfast in the kitchen it was a crushing blow to realize there were no bananas in the house. My breakfast options are usually toast with peanut butter and banana, yogurt with banana, oatmeal with banana…banana is always part of my breakfast. Once I recovered from that, it was time to get to work.

Workout break for Day 4 was my own Kettlebell circuit. It was great, and afterwards I took some time posting it to my Instagram account. Though there is SO MUCH amazing home workout content on Instagram right now! Trainers, studios and friends are pumping out so many live classes, circuits and ideas that I might just end this quarantine in better shape than when I started!

My knee is still bothering me too much to run though, and that’s making me very sad. It’s the one thing I can count on to decrease my stress levels and with the weather getting nicer, I hope I’m feeling better soon.

I’m not sure how many days I can include “I took a shower” and “I ate lunch” in these blog posts. I’m boring even myself.

My dad and I participated in a creative exercise - turning the toilet paper he managed to find into an art project. Which do you think is best? Everything is fine. This is totally normal…

We felt bad buying 20 rolls of toilet paper when there are so many people looking for it! Wish that the store had taken the pack apart and sold the rolls individually somehow. But now we are ready 20 weeks, according to the packaging.

Around 6 I headed down to the beach to take a walk and try to catch the sunset. The sky was a little too cloudy for pretty colors, but walking and talking with Allison (6 feet apart) was glorious nonetheless.

Dinner was another turkey sandwich and UPDATE I think I have figured out the bakery that makes the bread I’m obsessed with at Crazy Beans Cafe (Backstory - I go there to buy slices of multigrain bread and every time I ask where they get it I’m told they can’t say!) Now I just need to figure out how to get an entire loaf…

We spent the rest of the night FaceTiming with my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents and shared a lot of laughs, despite my father speaking at top volumes directly into my ear.

When I told them I was planning to use the quarantine as a time to grow out my leg hair, my father proclaimed “If you’re growing it out, you’re taking it home with you! You’re not clogging our drains!” This is life now, my friends.

THINGS THAT MADE ME SMILE

The Tonight Show: At Home Edition - Jimmy Fallon and Lin Manual Miranda and really cute kids. Loved this!

A package arrived at my doorstep today - RX Nut Butter variety pack from my most wonderful friend Kayla. I am SO excited to have one of my favorite things fully stocked at my parents house. I forgot how amazing the chocolate peanut butter was!

Joking that this box of corks was from my mom’s wine consumption the past week! (It’s probably from three plus years).

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

Coronacation: Day 5

THE WORKOUT

Thursday’s workout was an Instagram Live class with Jon Chaimberg from Adrenaline Performance Center in Montreal.

It was 50+ minutes of an amazing total body workout where he proved that using 5 pound dumbbells can still create quite the burn with innovative rep schemes and static holds. I’ll definitely be tuning in for more of his live classes in the coming weeks.

Later in the afternoon I tuned in briefly to an EverybodyFights HIIT class that got my heart rate going but I was pretty tired at that point and didn’t last too long.

Too many home workout options! Not enough time in the day.

EATS

Breakfast of yogurt + a drizzle of RX chocolate peanut butter courtesy of Kayla and some peanut butter puffins for good measure.

Highlight of the day was my dad bringing home dark roast with almond milk from the drive thru Dunkin Donuts.

Lunch was an odd mix of random things - side salad and hummus with carrots, celery, cucumbers, peppers along with an egg.

Dinner was leftover corned beef and cabbage from St. Patrick’s Day.

STAYING SOCIAL

Today’s House Party involved some of my best friends at work - I usually see them way more than my friends or family so it’s been very weird being apart for so long!

Catie is crushing her embroidery, Brittany is raising the cutest pup, Rebecca gave us a glimpse of New York City outside her window so I know it still exists, and Brynn made us all hungry cooking a beautiful brunch spread.

WIN OF THE DAY

I put on real(ish) clothes - but let me tell you, my definition of real clothes is quickly taking a nose dive.

FAILS OF THE DAY

My wake up time has continued to creep closer and closer to 9 AM.

I’ve been extra aware the past few days of all my friends that are riding this thing out with their significant others and fiances and husbands and I’m almost 30 years old and came home. I’m beyond happy to be home with my parents and to have this huge chunk of time with them that I never would have had normally. But it’s also just made me more aware of the fact that I haven’t had a romantic relationship in over 3 years. Even my younger sister is quarantining at her boyfriends house a few towns over instead of at my parents’ house.

I go down that train of thought every once in awhile and then I pull myself out of it. Not worth getting upset right now, this situation is what it is and all any of us can do is make the most of it! Like watching American Idol on the couch with my parents while my dad talks over all the performances just like he did when I was in high school!

Another fail is the fact that people in our area are taking advantage of the situation and knocking on doors pretending to be with the CDC and proceeding to rob people. So now not only do we need to deal with people losing jobs, people dying, hospitals running out of masks, etc. - we need to deal with being scared to open our front doors. Cool cool cool.

THINGS THAT MADE ME SMILE

I’ve started to look forward to my daily National Geographic newsletters. You should sign up for them!

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

Coronacation: Day 3

I’m sure that the Coronavirus pandemic will become a chapter in history books. They’ll list statistics about the number of people infected, the number of deaths, the number of borders closed, the number of jobs lost, the plummeting stock market prices. But the facts are rarely effective in telling the full story. The facts won’t tell you about the runners who trained for the Tokyo Marathon and never got a chance to run. The facts won’t tell you about the recovering alcoholics who couldn’t get to an AA meeting. The facts won’t tell you about the small, every day things we took for granted up until a few days ago. An office to go to, your daily conversation with the barista at the coffee shop, running with a group of people, turning on a hockey game at the end of a long day.

My story throughout this pandemic is one of extreme privilege - cancelling a trip to South Africa, though heartbreaking in it’s own right - is not the same as losing a job, losing a house, or losing a loved one.

But I would like to chronicle this time - on the brink of 30, and moving back to my childhood home for an indeterminate amount of time.

I hope you can relate to some of what I write. I hope you can laugh at some of it. I hope it can serve as a brief distraction. And I pray that we can all get through this.

DAY 3

My wake up time has gotten a little later each day - oops. I slept in until 8:30 and then spent my first 30 minutes of the day on the couch reading with a cup of coffee. My mom read the paper and i read my book until it was time to log on to work with a big bowl of oatmeal.

I had been really distracted on Monday by sitting at the kitchen counter which is right in the middle of the house so on Tuesday I cleared off my sister’s vanity in her bedroom and turned it into my makeshift desk. The walls are very bland. I might need to color myself a picture. I regret not bringing some pictures home with me!

Now, the basement is my gym and my sister’s room is my office. I refuse to work from the couch or bed!

I worked on my laptop for most of the morning, caught up with coworkers and checked in to see how everybody was doing. I sent a few emails, but things are just really slow and it’s depressing.

SWEATY LUNCH BREAK

Today’s lunch break was a good long sweat. At 11:45 I tuned in to Instagram Live for a “Stop, Drop & Jab” with a New York City trainer whose class I’ve been wanting to take. While the two minute plank and 50 jump squats certainly burned, the rest of the “15 minute workout” wasn’t much to write home about.

From there I transitioned into an ab circuit that my F45 studio had posted - I did 2 rounds for a total of around 12 minutes.

Next up was sheer torture that a friend had sent me and I will pass along for you now!

ROUND ONE

100 Squats
25 Burpees
50 3-Count Mountain Climbers (1 2 3 1, 1 2 3 2, 1 2 3 3, 1 2 3 4) *So it’s really 200 Mountain Climbers
20 Switch Lunge Jumps (per leg)
25 Jump Squats
20 3-Count Toe Taps (Use something taller if possible - I used my couch to really have to drive the knees up)
25 Push Ups
5 Minutes Jump Rope (I didn’t have a jump rope so I did 5 minutes on the treadmill)

ROUND TWO

80 Squats
20 Burpees
40 3-Count Mountain Climbers
15 Switch Lunge Jumps (per leg)
20 Jump Squats
15 3-Count Toe Taps
20 Push Ups
4 Minutes Jump Rope (My sister was on the treadmill so I alternated between stuff like high knees, butt kicks, jumping jacks, shuffles, jumping in place)

ROUND THREE

60 Squats
15 Burpess
30 3-Count Mountain Climbers
10 Switch Lunge Jumps (per leg)
15 Jump Squats
10 3-Count Toe Taps
15 Push Ups
3 Minutes Jump Rope (Or cardio of choice)

This took me 40 minutes - if you give it a try, leave your time in the comments! I might come back to it in a few weeks and see I can do it faster!

After I was reduced to a puddle of sweat, I headed back to my laptop and lunch. Leftover salad was clutch. As I sat and at, I also yelled workout commands at my sister which was beyond fun.

CONCERTS GALORE

Back in my “office” I was delighted to find that one of my favorite singers, Noah Kahan, was live on Instagram performing! I tuned in for the last few songs and it made me so happy.

To my surprise, as soon as that wrapped up, i realized that another favorite, Joshua Radin, was also streaming live! Had some fun listening to him too.

Then, at 4, John Legend had a little concert.

My parents came back from their walk to me screaming DERMOT KENNEDY IS LIVE ON INSTAGRAM! Definitely the grand finale to an afternoon of artists doing what they can to spread some happiness!

I highly recommend checking throughout the day to see if your favorite celebs are up to anything on Instagram. I also noticed that Demi Lovato and Miley Cyrus were live together at one point.

Gotta love technology…can’t imagine what we would be doing right now without it! I just PRAY that internet providers can keep providing service with the huge amount of users flooding systems, working from home, etc.

STAYING SOCIAL

When I was done with work for the day I actually put some real clothes on to make me feel a little bit more human.

Then I got on the phone with my friend Callie in San Francisco and we went for a walk & talk together. It’s so nice catching up with friends but it’s also just a reminder that there is not much else going on in people’s lives right now - almost every conversation comes back around to coronavirus no matter how hard we tried to steer it in other directions.

Next was a quick Happy Hour Zoom call with some other friends (and my parents) before a big corned beef and cabbage dinner to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with my parents.

Obviously, the playlist featured Unicorn by the Irish Rovers and Galway Girl by Ed Sheeran.

We ended the night watching the first two episodes of Schitt’s Creek - though the concept of a family losing everything and suddenly finding themselves poor was a little hard to laugh at given the current economic situation.

Eventually, we switched to Trevor Noah’s comedy special on Netflix followed by YouTube videos of Jerry Seinfeld and Sebastian Maniscalco.

WIN OF THE DAY

Completed the Newsday crossword puzzle!

Completed by 10 pull ups throughout the day!

WHAT MADE ME LAUGH

Sebastian Maniscalco - shout out to #Pete for putting this guy on my radar!

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

Coronacation: Day 2

I’m sure that the Coronavirus pandemic will become a chapter in history books. They’ll list statistics about the number of people infected, the number of deaths, the number of borders closed, the number of jobs lost, the plummeting stock market prices. But the facts are rarely effective in telling the full story. The facts won’t tell you about the runners who trained for the Tokyo Marathon and never got a chance to run. The facts won’t tell you about the recovering alcoholics who couldn’t get to an AA meeting. The facts won’t tell you about the small, every day things we took for granted up until a few days ago. An office to go to, your daily conversation with the barista at the coffee shop, running with a group of people, turning on a hockey game at the end of a long day.

My story throughout this pandemic is one of extreme privilege - cancelling a trip to South Africa, though heartbreaking in it’s own right - is not the same as losing a job, losing a house, or losing a loved one.

But I would like to chronicle this time - on the brink of 30, and moving back to my childhood home for an indeterminate amount of time.

I hope you can relate to some of what I write. I hope you can laugh at some of it. I hope it can serve as a brief distraction. And I pray that we can all get through this.

DAY TWO

On Sunday night I swore I was going to stick to a schedule and wake up at 6:30 to workout, shower and eat breakfast before reporting to my laptop for work from home day one.

That was before I drank beer and stayed up past my bedtime :) So instead, I rolled out of bed at 7:15 and was working out by 7:30 - still giving me enough time to shower and pour a cup of coffee before 9 AM.

A dream deferred

Then, it was time to face the reality that I was going to have to cancel my trip to South Africa.

I can’t even estimate how many hours I spent planning and dreaming up this trip. The amount of blog posts and news articles I’d read. The number of bus schedules I’d looked at and menus I’d perused. The number of Google Map routes I’d explored.

I’d planned out everything - there were 30+ confirmation emails I had to go back and find. Some were as simple as clicking a cancel button, but a lot required emails and dates and confirmation numbers and booking references and questions about re-booking and refund policies and I’m sure I’ll be going back and forth on some of this for weeks to come.

Each time I sent an email or clicked the cancel button, I felt my eyes well up with tears. It might sound dramatic, but I had spent so much time planning and picturing myself doing all of these things that it was a pretty devastating way to spend the morning - making it all go away.

The good news is we will likely get to reschedule our trip - but I’m not going to lie if I say the thought of redoing all the work over again fills me with excitement. I think I need some time before I’m ready to get excited again. Plus, there is so much uncertainty right now surrounding my schedule and what life will look like in the coming months that I honestly am not sure that a 3 week trip will be possible at any point. The trip may look different when we re-plan it, and I’m giving myself some time to process that.

If anyone is interested, I might post the itinerary I had put together- because it’s quite impressive if I do say so myself.

lunch break - a quick trip out

My mom and I took a quick trip to CVS so I could buy some tampons, shampoo and more Emergen-C.,,the essentials. It’s really crazy to see the empty shelves where the toilet paper, Lysol wipes and hand sanitizer used to be.

After we got the necessities we drove over a couple of parking spots to Crazy Beans Cafe. I had to laugh - it strikes me as so suburban to drive across a parking lot instead of keeping the car parked where it is and just walking. I got myself an iced vanilla dirty chai latte and 4 pieces of multigrain bread because they have the best bread ever (and refuse to say where they get it from!) Just a casual $12, oops.

While I waited for them to make my drink I thought of some of my other favorite dirty chai lattes - they’re usually my go-to treat at the top of a hike or when I’m getting a mid-day pick-me-up on vacation. It made me wish I knew when I’d get to travel again. Or hug my friends!

A definite up-side to the quarantine business is that people seem to be going on a lot more walks! My mom and I drove to the beach and did a few laps of the walking trail, it was chilly and windy but sunny.

Then it was back to work - a few phone calls, but unfortunately not much good news.

What was good, was my turkey sandwich. You know I love a good turkey sandwich. Like, really love.

We made them on the crazy delicious multigrain bread from Crazy Beans - turkey, American cheese, mustard, bread and butter pickles, spinach and avocado.

I will admit that I might have dozed off in my bed for 20 minutes or so in the late afternoon.

Dinner was a big giant Greek salad, because my mom and I are insisting on some healthy meals up in here. Greens, chickpeas, dill, feta, dolmades, tzatziki, carrots, onions, cucumber, tomato - mmm I was a happy camper!

Then it was time to wrap up my Gotham City Writer’s Creative Nonfiction 101 Class. Sad that we didn’t get a chance to say a real goodbye to our professor and classmates, but really glad that instead of outright cancelling, we were able to call in via Zoom for one last 3-hour lesson.

I’ve been trying to think of companies and industries that are benefiting from this crisis, and Zoom certainly seems to be one of them - along with online streaming services like Netflix and at home workout streaming services like Peloton!

THINGS THAT MADE ME SMILE

I highly recommend revisiting some of NPRs tiny desk concert series while you’re home! It brought a lot of joy to my day. Harry Styles’ dropped yesterday and I also took some time to listen to Maggie Rogers and Dermot Kennedy.

THINGS THAT MADE ME LAUGH

I was all about the NYC coronavirus-related content today.

THIS video from Trevor Noah

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

Coronacation: Day 1

I’m sure that the Coronavirus pandemic will become a chapter in history books. They’ll list statistics about the number of people infected, the number of deaths, the number of borders closed, the number of jobs lost, the plummeting stock market prices. But the facts are rarely effective in telling the full story. The facts won’t tell you about the runners who trained for the Tokyo Marathon and never got a chance to run. The facts won’t tell you about the recovering alcoholics who couldn’t get to an AA meeting. The facts won’t tell you about the small, every day things we took for granted up until a few days ago. An office to go to, your daily conversation with the barista at the coffee shop, running with a group of people, turning on a hockey game at the end of a long day.

My story throughout this pandemic is one of extreme privilege - cancelling a trip to South Africa, though heartbreaking in it’s own right - is not the same as losing a job, losing a house, or losing a loved one.

But I would like to chronicle this time - on the brink of 30, and moving back to my childhood home for an indeterminate amount of time.

I hope you can relate to some of what I write. I hope you can laugh at some of it. I hope it can serve as a brief distraction. And I pray that we can all get through this.

DAY ONE

I’m two months away from 30 and today I waved goodbye to my NYC apartment, not sure when I’ll return. 2 weeks? 2 months? I left a note for myself: “Welcome home, we missed you! Light a candle and breathe.” Who knows when that will happen.

Packing for a Pandemic

What do you bring with you when you don’t know how long you’ll be gone, but know you’ll be spending a lot of long hours inside the house?

One Suitcase

Filled mainly with leggings, sweatpants and workout clothes - there won’t be much reason to wear real pants for awhile.

My Backpack

Two laptops, two chargers, some headphones and a lot of books I managed to pick up before the New York Public Library closed its doors.

Workout Equipment

A strong home workout routine is what I anticipate will keep me sane throughout this experience. Various exercise bands, a 25 lb plate, my vibrating foam roller and a pull-up bar were all packed into the car.

Food

Two bags of food - being back in the ‘burbs means Stop & Shop - not the millennials’ beloved Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. I’ll be rationing my LesserEvil paleo puffs and popcorn. Most importantly, a 6 pack of Captain Lawrence Orbital Tilt IPA.

Home Sweet Home

When I arrived home it hit me. For the first time in over a decade, I’ll be sharing a house with my parents. It’s not very big. There’s one bathroom.

The governor had just announced that all schools in NYC, Nassau County, Suffolk County and Westchester County would be closed for at least 2 weeks. Seeing the amount of calls, texts and emails my dad was getting and realizing the amount of stress he must be under was hard. So many people were looking to him for answers. No one wants to have to say “I don’t know,” to people who look to you for guidance. But these are unprecedented times. We are all having to figure it out on the fly.

Speaking out figuring things out - the first thing I did when I got home was attempt to do a crossword puzzle. Then I remembered how absolutely awful I am at crossword puzzles.

I’m not sure if it’s just me, but being told you should be staying in the house has had a weird psychological effect. It’s really got a way of making you want to go outside. Staying inside all day on a Sunday isn’t that crazy of a concept, but now, everyone is feeling trapped.

So my sister and I laced up our sneakers and walked the mile to my grandparents house. We called the house phone and told them to come to their front door and we stood on the sidewalk and yelled across the lawn to them before moving to the backyard and sitting an entire deck apart from each other. Though I hadn’t seen them in weeks, there were no big hugs or our classic faire la bise with big “MWAHS!” We couldn’t go in the house.

No return to Long Island would be complete without a bagel, and when my sister and I got home we loaded up everything bagels with vegetable cream cheese, lox and tomato.

There were a lot of episodes of Gossip Girl watched on the couch the rest of the day, too much scrolling through Instagram, and a lot of refreshing CNN’s live updates.

When my mom got home from work, we had dinner (bangers and mash - we maturely made sure to say bangers 99 times during dinner) and I had my fork swatted away when I temporarily forgot about coronavirus and went to take a bite of my moms’ food.

After dinner it was back to the couch, where I was already creating an indent of my ass, to watch the democratic debate.

Somewhere along the way (about halfway through my second IPA), we lost interest in the debate and instead devolved into laughter about the “computers on wheels” at my mom’s hospital.

“We can’t call it a cow because patients might think we are calling them cows - so it’s a wow!”

“What the fuck does the W stand for?!”

“I don’t know why we call it that, it’s just so we don’t call it a cow!”

The final thing I did on my first day home was make an Entenmann’s chocolate donut & mint chocolate chip ice cream sundae with lots of whipped cream. There are few things more nostalgic to me than an Entenmann’s chocolate “doe-doe.” I’ll never forget the time I was younger and my dad made me an ice cream sandwich out of one - a true revolutionary! As a ate my sweet treat on Sunday night I still felt nervous about the days to come, but also felt infinitely safer and secure being home.

Things I’m Reading:

11 Charts that Explain the Coronavirus Pandemic

Americanah (I’ve been reading this for approximately 5 months, to be honest)

Things That Made Me Laugh:

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

Let's Grab A Drink & Catch Up!

Hi there beautiful people! 

I feel like we haven't had a proper chat in awhile - I've been really enjoying writing more thematic posts but once it's awhile it's nice to just throw out some of those smaller tidbits that don't necessarily warrant an entire post, but still might be of some interest. A lot of bloggers have "coffee chats" with their readers, but in reality, I'm way more likely to catch up with a friend over drinks. So grab a drink, I'll grab a drink, and we'll catch up!

Stepping Up My Nail Game

My parents beg me to keep my nails looking professional. For some reason, they don't find my constantly chipped and peeling nails to be endearing or work appropriate. While I was home last weekend, I finally got my first ever gel manicure and my wallet is weeping because I think I might be hooked!

For $39 + tip (another $8) I got a pedicure and a gel manicure. From what I understand, I got a pretty damn good deal AND my nails are still looking perfect 6 days after. Had I gotten a regular manicure - chances are they would have been chipped by the time I made it back to my house.

Now the challenge is finding somewhere in NYC to maintain this habit.

Brewing My Own Kombucha

On my way from the Denver airport to Morgan's house I asked her if she had any water in the car. She didn't, but she had home brewed kombucha. Instead of rolling my eyes and saying, "You WOULD make your own kombucha Morgan!" I asked her if I could please please please have a piece of her SCOBY to take back to New York so I could start brewing my own too. Then, I said, "You WOULD make your own kombucha Morgan!" My favorite outdoorsy hippie.

I've been spending WAY too much money on the 'booch ever since I discovered it about a year ago. And I've looked into brewing my own a few times. But I was too lazy to order a "starter kit" and starting a SCOBY from scratch seemed a little too complicated. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, there will be a post on this to come for sure!)

Long story short - I put a piece of Morgan's SCOBY in a Tupperware, in two zip lock bags, in a shopping back and checked it in my suitcase hoping for the best. It was a success and tonight I bottled my first batch of home brewed kombucha! Once it carbonates for two days I can refrigerate it and see how it tastes! I'm nerding out hardcore over this and really hope it tastes good.

Reading

I have been reading up a STORM. I often find myself walking while reading my Kindle. I'm sure I look like a crazy person but lets be real, everyone else is looking at their phones, is it really a huge jump for me to walk around reading?

Here's what I've read recently - lucky for me, I've liked it all (Except A Manual For Cleaning Women).

Paper Towns by John Green

Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

This book completely captivated me and I haven't stopped thinking about since. Has anyone out there read it? I would love to chat. Please, don't let the introduction turn you off! But also, definitely don't check this out of the library if you're looking for a light summer read.

Me Before Youby Jojo Moyes

Yes, the movie everyone is freaking out about. Yes, you really will sob uncontrollably in your bed with tears streaming down your face. It may get so bad that you can't properly read the pages.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

The Eternal Wonder: A Novel by Pearl S. Buck

Orange Is the New Black by Piper Kerman

Doing Less

I'm trying to be more OK with down time. Unscheduled time. Time to plop down on the couch and think, "Whoah - I have nothing to do right now." Unfortunately, I'm finding that this is really really hard for me.

On the other hand, I'm constantly feeling guilty when I start thinking, "Ugh, do I really have to do that tonight?" It happens for any number of things. Grocery shopping, working out, meeting up with a friend, blogging. And these are all things that I enjoy.

When I have responsibilities and plans I find myself dreading them and wanting to crawl into bed yet when I actually have that option, I feel like I should be doing more. It's a vicious cycle and one that I'm sure tons of twenty-somethings struggle with. 

I'm definitely working on finding a balance. But in the meantime, reading articles like this one let me know that I'm not alone in some of my anti-social "just want to go home now" tendencies.

A New Kind of PR

I'm on a self-imposed 1 month running break which has been a bit of an emotional adjustment. Running has become such a part of my identity and social life in the past two years that I've been struggling more than I'd like to admit. Every morning I wake up and see my Facebook and Instagram feeds full of morning miles and smiles. So why the break?

I've been constantly injured now for over a year - unable to run more than 13 miles when all I want is to train for my next marathon. The Brooklyn Half Marathon was an absolute nightmare. And I will be qualifying for the 2017 NYC marathon and I need my body to be on board- so for now, running has taken a backseat to strength training, physical therapy, cycling and swimming.

I wrote a review awhile ago on SWERVE Fitness and since then I have become somewhat of a regular at their midtown studio. I love it. And though I'm not PRing any races, my SWERVE score has been slowly climbing to the point where I have absolutely SHOCKED myself at a score of 802.

My last free class is this Friday and I'm really not sure what I'm going to do after that. Having the metrics and being able to set goals and challenges for myself outside of running has been a huge help! Also, their showers are amazing and their smoothies to die for.

If you've never taken a class with them before, they're offering new riders a free class in June and I highly suggest checking them out!

Eats

Oh come on, you knew this was coming!

In the world of food I've been to a few places worth mentioning.

Harlem Tavern

My new favorite place to go for brunch for a few reasons - jazz music, outdoor seating, reservations, drink included with your meal, $16! The menu options here are out of this world. I tried the lobster and shrimp egg white omelette (!!!) and it was FILLED with seafood. Their Bloody Mary was on point. I'm almost scared to share this place with the Internet in case it gets overrun with brunchers!

Jane

When I returned from Denver the one thing I was CRAVING was a giant hamburger. I think it might have had to do with the fact that it was Memorial Day Weekend and my social media was blowing up with cookouts and BBQs. We had Memorial Day plans to ride bikes to the Captain Lawrence Brewery but unfortunately, the weatherman lied and called for rain all day. We cancelled our plans and opted for brunch instead (and then it ended up being beautiful out).

The burger I had at Jane was pretty damn good - bacon and caramelized onion - but nothing beats one homemade by my dad!

by CHLOE.

This place has been all the rage and I finally stood in line to see for myself how good the veggie burger was. It's a tempeh-lentil-chia-walnut patty with pickles, onion, beet ketchup and special sauce.

Unfortunately, it didn't blow me away. It was a little dry and had way too much bun! There's a bunch of other stuff on the menu that I'm tempted to try, so I may be back despite a disappointing experience the first time around.

Gran Electrica

My summer mission is to hit up some of New York City's best margarita establishments. Even if it means paying a price. Shockingly, my first stop on this mission was in Brooklyn. These margs from Gran Electrica were really good, and the outdoor area of the restaurant is so beautiful! I was very excited to learn that even their flavored margaritas qualify for the happy hour pricing ($8 margaritas from 5:30-6:30). I went with the Margarita de Pepino (cucumber, lime, cilantro, lime salt).

Summers On Long Island

After going home next weekend, it's official. I need to spend MUCH more time on Long Island this summer. It was such a relaxing weekend - sitting out on the deck with breakfast and my kindle, getting my nails done, meeting friends for coffee, eating lunch on the water, listening to live music on the water, watching the hockey game with my grandparents, going to a yoga class with my mom. Family time is my absolute favorite time.

That's all for now, I think I've rambled enough :)

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: 

7 Blogging Goals for 2016

Hi there. 

I haven't blogged in awhile, though I promise, I'm taking Peanut Butter Is My Boyfriend to the next level in the coming months. 

There's a lot of different things I'd like to get better at in regards to the blogosphere and perhaps if I write them down and put them out there, I'll be held a little more accountable. Maybe. No promises. 

Food Photography

The number one way to draw people into your blog is with pictures of food that makes them drool. Come on, you know it's true! 

I've been trying to take the time to practice my food photog skills but I'm trying to read as much as I can on the subject as well. There are some phenomenal bloggers out there who have written extremely detailed posts about their tips for capturing that 'grammable, Pinnable, postable pic. 

There's much more that goes into a food picture than pointing and shooting your iPhone at it. Natural lighting, backdrops, DSLR cameras, "food props" - these are all things that I'm having a great time learning about. It's a little overwhelming, especially when there are so many talented ladies out there, but I'm inspired and slowly but surely I'm trying to improve the quality of the images here on Peanut Butter Is My Boyfriend. 

This was my photography session with some Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Bites using a recipe from Gimme Some Oven. Her recipes are a new favorite of mine!

If you want to learn more on the topic, I recommend checking out this post by Nicolesy on Food Props and Styling Resources and this post by Laura at A Beautiful Plate about using cheap, everyday items as backgrounds for food photographs. 

Becoming Part of the Healthy Living Blog Community

Since Kaitlin added me to the Bloggers Gonna Blog community on Facebook, I have learned a TON about the huge network of Healthy Living Bloggers out there. These women are so inspiring, so intelligent, so motivating and so damn bad-ass. Not to mention they are successful. 

One goal of mine is to become more involved with the community aspect of blogging - leaving comments on others' blogs, taking part in meet-ups and link-ups and contests and exchanges. There is so much that I can learn from these ladies - and I am so grateful to have Georgie and Christina leading the charge on this amazing community. 

Creating Catchy Graphics

Though I'm not a big fan of Pinterest, I know that it's a HUGE way to draw traffic to my blog. And the way you get noticed on Pinterest is with clickable graphics. This involves not only good photography, but good design. 

Learning to use programs like Canva and PicMonkey while trying to figure out the ins and outs of Pinterest is another major goal for the coming months. 

I'm straight up terrified of Pinterest but, we'll see if I can make the plunge! 

These were granola cups that I made from Chocolate Covered Katie's recipe - they were perfect for a potluck brunch!

Become a Brand Ambassador

There are tons of brands out there whose products I love and who I think my readers would love too. I hope to team up with some brands this year - to not only get some free goodies, but to share these awesome brands' products and stories with readers!

There are some healthy food companies out there with wonderful messages, business practices and stories and to have the opportunity to interview some of the folks behind these companies would be so interesting and rewarding for me. 

Make Some Ca$h Through Advertising 

You may have noticed some sidebar and banner advertisements going up on Peanut Butter Is My Boyfriend. So far, I've made a few cents. Literally, cents. But I'm learning the whole business side of blogging slowly but surely and while it's certainly not an easy task, I hope to one day make Peanut Butter Is My Boyfriend somewhat profitable. 

Post More 

Sounds so cliche, but it's true. I'd love to come up with a schedule and pump out more content. 

What types of posts are your favorite to read? 

GET TO KNOW YOU ALLLLLL - MY BEAUTIFUL READERS

Seriously. My biggest goal is to connect with the people who read this. I hate looking at my "metrics" and not having a clue who is behind them. So come out of hiding anonymous readers! 

Leave a comment. What's your name? Where are you from? Do you know me in real life? What's your favorite food? Did you watch Making a Murderer?

LETS BE FRIENDS.

Any and all feedback is always appreciated - thanks for sticking around :) 

8 Perfect Gym Bags for Working Women

Is it just me, or is it impossible to go to work and the gym without looking like a bag lady for the entire day? Honestly – I’ve got my breakfast and lunch to pack, my gym clothes, my toiletry bag, my work clothes…it’s a little insane and probably giving me scoliosis.

Lately, I’ve been trying to look and act the part of a twenty-something working professional in Manhattan. That means I’ve ditched the Limited Too camisoles that somehow still fit me (barely), I’ve finally thrown out the flats I bought at Kohl’s a million years ago, and I’ve said goodbye to the cotton t-shirts to make room for my new and improved workout wardrobe of dry-fit gear.

2016 is the year I finally learn that buying things just because they’re cheap and a short term fix isn’t smart. Instead, I’m looking to invest in “perfect” purchases that will stand the test of time, even if that means shelling out a few more bucks.

My most recent quest is to find that all-purpose, classy, functional as fuck bag that can transition me seamlessly from apartment to gym to work to happy hour. I'm tired of looking like the bag lady with 3 different mismatched reusable bags and my college backpack.

It’s a tall order and so far I haven’t found the perfect fit. But my research has turned up some pretty stellar options that I thought I’d share with you, in case you’re in the market for your next Mary Poppin’s bag too.

Before we get into the bags – let’s talk about the 4 factors that are most important to me.

Size

I’m a petite person and a giant duffel bag that I could curl up inside of just isn’t going to work when I’m walking to and from the subway and schlepping up multiple sets of stairs. Not to mention cramming on the cross-town bus during rush hour. That being said, I’m often trying to fit two outfits, two pairs of shoes, a book, 2 meals and toiletries in this bad boy – so I do need a good amount of space. And there-in lies the first conundrum to my mission.

Style

As of now, I mainly use a Northface Backpack as my commuter bag – not exactly professional – especially considering the blue/teal/green flannel pattern. Backpacks are so convenient and much more comfortable than shoulder bags that make you walk lopsided and fall off your shoulder whenever you wear a big winter coat. I’m definitely open to a backpack if I found the right one – but it isn’t the perfect solution. It is inherently less professional looking than most other options and in the summer, the back sweat it produces isn’t the most pleasant thing in the world.

Style-wise I’m looking for a bag that can pass as a work bag which means it’s a neutral color. As much as I love colors and patterns, I’m trying to reel it in with this purchase.

Organization

This is one of the most important factors for me. I don’t want a bag that’s just one big compartment. I thrive on little pockets for my jewelry, a side slot for my water bottle and – key here – SOME PLACE TO PUT MY SWEATY CLOTHES AND SNEAKERS that’s not going to stink up my work clothes.

I’m no yogi – so straps for a yoga mat aren’t one of my requirements.

I am however dedicated to blogging more this year – which means the idea of a padded laptop sleeve appeals to me, though it isn’t a make or break feature.

A hard bottom so that the bag maintains some form and makes it easier to find things would be clutch as well.

Price

As I said – I’m willing to spend a good amount on this purchase with the intention of using it as my everyday bag for a good long while. But anything over $200 is realistically out of my price-range considering I do have less-than-ideal options that I could make work. I want a gym bag that's affordable - after all, it's still going to be holding my sweaty clothes, dirty sneakers and there might be some lunch spillage every once in awhile!

So I’ve done all the hard work for ya – the scrolling through Amazon and Kickstarter and Lulu and a million other sites.  I even asked my friends from the Bloggers Gonna Blog Community, who had some great suggestions. Finding a bag that's perfect for the gym and the office is harder than I thought.

What have I found?

Unfortunately, I’ve found that my perfect bag probably doesn’t exist. But there are some great options and maybe one of them will be perfect for you. So without further ado...

Po Campo Midway Weekender

What I Love:

• Separate Shoe Compartment!
• Lots of little sections inside
• Keeps its shape
• Cross body or over the shoulder straps
• Fits laptops up to 15”
• Yoga/Jacket Strap
• Semi-water proof

What I Don’t Love:

• I’m just not crazy about the look of this one. Totally a personal preference – there’s a bunch of different color options but none of them excite me.

Price:

• $95 and free returns. Available online here or on Amazon here.

Herschel Supply Co. Novel Weekender

What I Love:

• Separate Shoe Compartment!
• Keeps its shape
• Cross body or over the shoulder straps

What I Don’t Love:

• One big compartment on the inside makes organization difficult
• No laptop sleeve
• A little too big
• Just looks like your standard duffel bag

Price:

• $80. Available here.

You could also check out the Herschel Supply Co. Outfitter Luggage - this is a duffel bag that has BACKPACK straps as well. It's also large and looks like a duffel, but it's got a shoe compartment. They're $140 and can be purchased here.

Herschel Supply Co. Heritage Plus Backpack

What I Love:

• No surprise here, this one made the list because of the separate shoe compartment!
• The convenience of a backpack
• Simple style makes it look more professional than my patterned North Face
• Laptop sleeve
• Lots of compartments

What I Don’t Love:

• I just don’t know that backpack screams “professional”

Price

• $75. From what I can gather, they’re no longer available via the Herschel website – but I found some on Amazon.

Moop Shop “The Porter”

What I Love:

• The look – I’m not 100% sold on the canvas material, but from the pictures, it looks like a beautiful bag!
• Compartments and key chain
• The site specifically points out that it fits the following: 3 books, 17” laptop, sneakers, water bottle – sounds perfect!

What I Don’t Love:

• No separate compartment for my sweaty things

Price:

• $137. You can order online here.

Gaiam Everything Fits Gym Bag

Recommended by: Katie

What I Love:

• Sweaty things compartment with ventilation!
• Lots of separate pockets
• Water bottle pocket
• Option to carry a yoga mat
• Seems to be the right size
• Keeps its shape
• Fair price

What I Don’t Love:

• This one, like many of the others with all the right features, doesn’t scream “sophisticated work bag” to me – it screams, “Gym Bag!”

Price:

• $60. Available here.

*"Don't buy the teal Lauren - professional, professional -"

Om The Day Bag by Lululemon

Recommended by: Carmy

What I Love:

• The description is exactly what I’m looking for – “This structured gym bag takes you from workout to work and then out for dinner – hands free and with plenty of room to spare.” Yes, please.
• The shape and style of this bag makes it super "fetch" despite being a gym bag
• It comes with a removable laundry bag AND interior wet/dry pocket
• It has a zipper pocked for a laptop  

What I Don't Love:

Actually there's not much I don't like about this bag - it might be the winner - and my first ever purchase from Lulu (cue the gasps!)

Price:
$128 and available here.

Fivesse Home-Gym-Work Bag

Recommended by: Priya

What I Love:

• Again – this back describes exactly what I need – to go seamlessly from home, to the gym, to work.
• Tons of compartments – there really is a spot for everything!
• Stays upright
• Shoe compartment AND laundry bag

What I Don’t Love:

• Overall, I could deal with the look of this bag, though I’m not a huge fan of the colors. I wish they had some more options. It’s a little strange to me how one side looks like a gym back and the other like a work bag. I think they took the whole “use for the gym and for work” idea a little too far. Plus, the solid colored bag is sold out – and I’m trying to avoid too much pattern.

Price:

• Currently on-sale for $40 – I’m hoping this means an updated version is on the way! You can buy it here.

Lo & Sons The O.G. Overnight Bag

Recommended by: Lauren

What I Love:

• There's a shoe compartment, which if you haven't realized by now, was one of my main search requirements
• It could easily transition to a work bag
• There's a laptop sleeve
• There's a second size option (The OMG is a slightly smaller model with the same great features)
• As someone who travels for work, the fact that this easily attaches to your suitcase is that little extra sumthin' sumthin'

What I Don't Love:

• That price tag hurts.

Price:

• $295 and available for purchase here.

YOUR TURN -

What is your go-to for an everyday bag?
Do you use one bag for the gym AND work?
What features are most important to your when choosing a gym bag?

A Look Back at 2015

This year I finally took the plunge and paid cash moneyz for a blog with my own URL. Peanut Butter Is My Boyfriend now looks jazzier and I'm hoping to step up my blogging game in 2016.

From content to graphics to food photography, I want to learn, experiment and grow and I cannot do that without feedback and support from YOU readers. 

What type of posts do you like best? Which do you skip? Anything new you'd like to see? 

I've learned a ton reading blogs like In It 4 The Long Run and The Nectar Collective and I'm ready to learn even more in the new year. 

But before 2016 is here let's do a recap of 2015. It was a jam packed year and I LOVED it. 

January

I started 2015 on the road in D.C. for a work event - with a new department that welcomed me with open arms. I learned so much from them and had a great year. 

New Year's Day dawned bright and early and Tina and I visited the NP_DC tribe for a KILLER PR day - running those Lincoln Memorial steps was no joke, but seeing the first sunrise of the year was awesome. 

I ran the Bluepoint Brewery 10-miler on Long Island to officially kick-off Pittsburgh Marathon training. Looking back, I can't believe I was crazy enough to train all winter long. At the time, I was super motivated, driven and determined. Peter was my rock all winter - making sure I got up on those chilly mornings for long runs and being lame on Friday nights with me. Not to mention chauffeuring me to the 10-miler on a freeeeezing cold Saturday morning. 

I went on a work trip to Ohio where I walked around all week in a boot thanks to tendinitis. Then, I took the boot off to walk/run a 5K with coworkers.

To finish the trip, I  took an 8-hour bus ride home from Ohio when all of our flights were cancelled and arrived in an NYC preparing for a blizzard. It wasn't as bad as predicted, but it made for a very slippery couple of runs in Central Park. 

February 

The beginning of February was stressful as I stubbornly moved apartments by walking all of my things from my old place to the new place. when all was said and down, I loved my new apartment but vowed that next time I move, I will spend the money on professionals! 

I enjoyed 2 reunions with my college roommates in February - one in NYC and one on Valentine's day for a hockey game at Quinnipiac. 

Then it was off on yet another work trip - this time in Santa Clara California. The low point was being super sick in the hotel room one day but the high point was extending my trip to go on a mini 24-hour vacation in San Francisco with my soul-sister Emily and her boyfriend! Her mom even bought us flower headbands so I could sing, "If you're going to San Francisco be sure to wear flowers in your hairrrrr" the entire time. 

February Posts: 
Frustrated, But Back

A Muddled Training and Injury Update

Pittsburgh on Pause

Your Guide for Eating Mexican on The UES

Japanese Tapas in California - On The Floor

March 

Marathon training wasn't going so great, but then I had a wonderful (freezing) 25K race on Long Island with Peter. We both somehow won awards and the 8:20 pace revived my hopes of a speedy marathon pace. 

March was also the month when a big group of my favorite people got together for one last HOORAH at Nassau Coliseum for the Islanders last season on Long Island before moving to Barclays Center. 

I also attended my last ever Islanders game as a fan in March when I brought Peter to his first ever game at the old barn. 

We celebrated Nicole's birthday in Stamford and I was proud of how well I could hang after running a long run that morning! 

March Blog Posts: 

The Run I've Been Waiting For

So I Sampled 2 Dozen Psycho Donuts

Food, Fitness, Friends - The Usual

San Francisco in 24 Hours

Row Row Row Your ERG - ROW HOUSE REVIEW

The Wrap That Won My Heart

Restaurant Review: MAYA

Not So Fly Mile High Run Club Review

20 Miles of Smiles

April 

The miles kept increasing and the so did the temperature, thankfully. 

After months of trying, I finally got a reservation at Bobby Flay's new NYC restaurant - Gato. We ate lots of delicious food and the best part was GETTING A PICTURE WITH BOBBY FLAY who was cooking in the kitchen that night. 

Peter and I took a trip to Boston the weekend before the marathon and visited the Sam Adams AND Harpoon Breweries. We celebrated Jess's birthday with an amazing brunch and my little cousins came to work with me one day! 

April Blog Posts: 

SLT Review: Strengthen Lengthen Tone (Shit, Legs Tired) 

The Longest Recap In The History of the World; AKA TL;DR

Restaurant Review: GATO

May 

The highlight of May was my second marathon! I ran a PR in the Pittsburgh Marathon despite completely burning out after a too-fast first half. Spending the weekend in the burgh with Melissa, Peter and ERIN (who came home from New Zealand) was amazinggggg. 

Melissa and I celebrated our birthday the following weekend with a boozy brunch at Calle Ocho which was a ton of fun. 

The Brooklyn Half was later in May and I ran a PR thanks to Peter pushing me - we crossed the finish line in the rain and spent the rest of the day celebrating when the sun came back out. Unfortunately, this was the start of my month-long IT band struggles. 

I also saw my little sister GRADUATE COLLEGE. So crazy. 

May wrapped up with a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend in Philadelphia. I met more of Peter's family and his best friend and we ate and drank and enjoyed the sunshine on a roof. I also met Mad Mex. 

May Blog Post: 

Am I Ready to Beat the Burgh?

Pittsburgh Marathon Part 1

122 Days Until Marathon #3 - EEEK

Brooklyn Half Race Recap

MAY: Finally Starting to Recap

June 

June took me on the road for work for a loooong time but before I left I saw Les Mis AND Ed Sheeran with Peter. Both were fantabulous. 

My work travel took me to Tampa Bay and Chicago where I ate a ton of amazing food and most importantly got to visit with my two aunts and spend a really meaningful night with my Gran. 

Another highlight was reconnecting with Staci and having Peter join me on my final stop of June, Las Vegas! 

June Blog Posts: 

First Stop, Tampa!

Chi-Town

Back to Tampa, Back to Chicago

Guac Off: Lemon vs. Lime

VIVA LAS VEGAS

July 

I celebrated the birth of my dearest friend Allison with a trip to the vineyards of Connecticut and also stopped by the Meow Parlour in NYC! 

Fourth of July was an amazing weekend in Montauk with my favorite group of ladies (AND my hip cool parents who actually got me into the PACKED OUT Sloppy Tuna. They're so much cooler than me!) 

The Cheers Becky Ladies continued an amazingly exciting summer with a long weekend road trip to Cape Cod which was absolute perfection. We cooked delicious food, enjoyed the beach and sun and had some fun floating in the pond. 

The end of July brought some good times spent in NYC for the first time in awhile. Brooklyn Brewery, happy hours, brunches, Kayla's birthday celebration and a BBQ at Peter's house on Long Island, a concert at BB Kings and a comedy show wrapped up a busy busy summer month. 

July Blog Posts: 

Through the 4th

Family & Friends & The Cape

BAEgels on the Beach

I Got My Headstand! Cooked A Lot! Saw GORILLAS.

Busy Week

August 

A fake wedding and an amazing family vacation were the highlights of August. 

August Blog Posts: 

Books! Read Them!

Wolman's In The Hamptons

One Of Those Weeks (And A Wedding)

Rolling For Roots Hummus

Six Sunday Links

September 

I started September with one last "Long Island Summer Weekend" which was incredible - I got to show Peter all my favorite things about home and my parents worked their butts off to ensure that I did everything on my list. It was the best weekend ever! 

We celebrated Peter's birthday in September with one of the best meals I've ever had!

September is also when I returned to running. I had a long streak of Friday "long" runs to NP workouts and the excitement of summer faded into the routine of the fall. I started working at the running store again 2 days a week as I tried to save money to buy a road bike. 

September Blog Posts: 

Running Is A Roller Coaster

Summer Weekends Wind Down

Sushi For Days

Finally All Caught Up!

The Most Perfect Weekend Ever

The Running Update!

Toronto, Eh?

Review: Blue Apron!

Restaurant Review: Two Hands

Restaurant Review: Marc Forgione

Happy Birthday Peter! Hanging Onto Summer

Resetting for Fall

Five Friday Faves

Six Sunday Links

Weekly Mileage 22!

A-Z Survey

Are You "That" Girl?

October 

More routine. The weeks blended together and not a ton happened, but after a jam packed summer, the predictable days were welcomed. 

I took a long weekend trip to celebrate my grandma's birthday which made me really really really happy. 

I ran an eventful race on Halloween which was exciting! 

October Blog Posts: 

Small Talk

Friday Funk

Six Sunday Links

Happy Hockey Season! A Few Words.

Six Sunday Links on Monday

What's Next On My Fitness Journey

Six Sunday Links; Swagger & Sass

Restaurant Review: Bluestone Lane

November

November started with the NYC Marathon which I spectated and celebrated but didn't run (2017?). 

Again, more of me being pretty low-key and in the zone with my routine. Mondays - swimming lessons, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the running store. 

A little bit of a rut with my fitness life -  not exactly sure of my goals, not exactly sure what my body was feelin' in terms of mileage. 

The best part of November was my first college football game at Penn State! Meeting Peter's friends, exploring Penn State and tailgating for the Penn State v. Michigan game was such an amazing experience.

Thanksgiving on Long Island was amazing and delicious. 

November Blog Posts: 

Essena O'Neill Quits Social Media - It's Not "Real Life"

Race Recap: Haunted Island 10K and a Cheating Accusation

Six Sunday Links November 8 - Avocados, Running & Singing

#SquashGoals - Your Guide to Winter Squash

Accepting the Social Media Comparison Trap

Six Sunday Links and a Trip to Long Island

Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispies Treats

Do You Have An 'Unhealthy' Relationship With Food?

Six Sunday Links After Billy Joel at MSG and Penn State v. Michigan Football Game

10 "Useless" Things I'm Grateful For

A Weekend to Remember

Turkey Trot Race Recap: I Hated Every Second

December 

December's highlight was definitely our trip to Austin, Texas. It was everything I hoped it would be and more!

Christmas was Christmassy and amazing but not long enough as I left the following morning for a work trip to Boston where I will ring in 2016! 

So there we have it. 

December Blog Posts: 

10 Things I've Realized While Learning to Swim as an Adult

8 Things That Got Me In The Holiday Spirit

Race Recap: 5K In Austin, Texas

The Definitive Guide for Your Trip to Austin, Texas

I'm not much of a resolution girl, but I do have a few goals for 2016. 

• As I mentioned, taking my blog more seriously is a definite priority of mine. 
• Cutting down on my "stuff" - cleaning out my closets, throwing things out, and investing in quality over quantity as I go into the second half of my twenties. 
• Running-wise I hope to run marathon #3 and to Boston Qualify. I've almost completely ruled out a spring marathon (though I still have 2 more weeks to ponder it) and I think over the winter I'd like to continue focusing on fewer but faster races before a fall marathon (Chicago? Long Island? New Jersey?) 
• I hope to purchase a bike, continue to practice swimming and to compete in my first triathlon in 2016!

Cheers! 

8 Things That Got Me In The Holiday Spirit

While the entire east coast complains about their inability to “get into the Christmas spirit” due to abnormally warm temperatures and lack of snow – I have felt plenty festive these past few days and as an added bonus, I haven’t been freezing cold or trudging through black slush on the NYC sidewalks.

So here are 8 things that made me hum, “it’s Christmas time in the city” even though I wasn’t bundled up in 20 layers.

1)      Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree & 5th Avenue

This was the start of the festive feels for me. Peter and I decided to dedicate one Sunday afternoon to doing some touristy things around town. We met at Bryant Park and after scoping out a grand total of one holiday shop, decided we needed food before we got too hangry around the masses of slow-moving sidewalk-blocking travelers.

We headed west to Hell’s Kitchen and found an adorable Thai restaurant. OBAO had tons of lanterns hanging from the ceiling which made me happy even though my first time trying pho was a little underwhelming. I think I’ll stick to ramen.

Next up was Rockefeller Center – bum bum bum. We took a cheesy selfie with the tree even though it was broad daylight and spent a few minutes watching the ice skaters. This is probably the first and last time we’ll view the tree in t-shirts.

We spent the next hour or so walking 5th Avenue to see the stores extravagant lights, windows and decorations. Again, broad daylight, but still nice!

My favorite was this new snowflake hanging in the street outside of Tiffany’s! At least I think it’s new – I don’t remember ever seeing it before!

2)      Gingerbread Houses

This is the first time in recent memory that I made a gingerbread house but I think it’s a tradition I would like to continue for-ev-er. Peter and I picked up a kit and devoted a full 2 hours to decorating it while watching Elf.

Peter was a frosting MASTER and I got relegated to sticking on the candies since I couldn’t be bothered to be so painstaking in my frosting duties. I also did a great job eating the candies, taking fingerfuls of frosting and decorating the gingerbread man, snow woman and Christmas tree that went outside of our gingerbread house.

Can I just remind everyone who has yet to watch Elf this year to DO IT. Truly incredible how quotable it is!

And while you watch Elf and make a gingerbread house, you MUST drink hot chocolate. I mean, duh.

3)      Decorations

There are a few decorations around NYC that signal the holidays for me. They go up, and I know Christmas is coming. Those big red balls and giant lights on 6th Avenue, the tree outside of Radio City Music Hall and the gorgeous lights at the Columbus Circle Shops.

And last but not least, the holiday decorations in reception at work.

4)      Holiday Parties

This year, I went to a Holiday Happy Hour with my new department at work, a Holiday Happy Hour with old coworkers AND the official office Holiday Party. I also went to Peter’s post-Holiday Party-party. Phew.

But by far the best Holiday Party I attended was the Annual Fehling Adult Christmas Party that my aunt and uncle throw at their house on Long Island. Peter came for his second time and my aunt and uncle were here from South Carolina – I was thrilled. It’s a pajama party, there’s a shotski and the variety of desserts is unreal (though my all-time favorites are the Christmas Crack and Peanut Butter Balls).

5)      Waiting For 15 Minutes For A Parking Space At the Mall

True story – it didn’t feel like Christmas until we spent a day walking around an insanely crowded mall after waiting 15 minutes in the parking lot stalking shoppers back to their cars. 

6) Gift Giving and Shopping

I did a lot of my Christmas shopping online this year, but there were 2 days where I was running around the city, dripping in sweat, standing in lines, carrying 7 different bags and riding the subway with a giant tube of wrapping paper sticking out of my bag. It was miserable but also SO EXCITING. More than getting Christmas gifts, I absolutely love giving Christmas presents. And even though I’m awful at it, I love wrapping presents.

So I bought a bunch of super lame stocking stuffers so I could individually wrap each thing for Peter while sitting on my living room floor listening to Christmas music.

7)      Christmas Carols

I have two absolute favorite Christmas songs – and no, one of them is not Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” – although I DO love belting that one any time it comes on in a bar. Or in the car. Or at a November Project workout.

However, my two favorite Christmas songs are – Little Drummer Boy by Josh Groban (who is PS OMG making his Broadway debut next year) and Do You Hear What I Hear by Carrie Underwood. I am also not opposed to any Christmas song sung by Idina Menzel.

8)      Cookie Exchange

I hosted my first ever cookie exchange this year and I hope to make it an annual tradition because – who doesn’t love holiday cookies?

I got really into it, printing and cutting and gluing recipe cards and awards and place mats. I bought tons of ingredients. I bought green frosting and peppermint kisses to decorate with. But none of that changed the fact that I’m just not a baker.

I thoroughly failed at following the recipes. I mixed up the baking soda and the baking powder and I used a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon. I improvised as if I knew the first thing about what I was doing. My cookies were most definitely not the best.

But we had a wonderful variety and some festive almond milk egg nog to wash it all down. We all took home the following in cute little holiday boxes:

S’Mores Cookies
Peppermint Sugar Cookies
Grain-free Peanut Butter Chocolate Truffles (made with a secret ingredient – chickpeas!)
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Red Velvet Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Funfetti Cookies with Vanilla Icing
Tate’s

Yumm-o.

Now I’m home on Long Island, sitting on my couch looking at the brand new FAKE Christmas tree that my parents bought. I’m a little sad about the switch to synthetic boughs with zero pine-scent, but I will admit that the 8 different lights and spinning functions are kind of cool.

With a 74 degree forecast for Christmas Eve, my dad and I are considering an unofficial Polar Bear Plunge into the Long Island Sound. We’ll see who chickens out first…

Merry merry!

A Weekend to Remember

This was supposed to go live last Wednesday - it did not. Here you go!

Thursday through Sunday of last week were 4 days of straight up, “someone pinch me is this my life?” perfection. What made them so special was the person by my side for 96 hours straight and the fact that when it came time to say goodbye on Monday morning, I happily would have spent another 96 with him.

THURSDAY

Thursday night was rainy and cold but that didn’t stop Melissa and I from standing on the sidewalk for 5 minutes waiting to capture a video of the most epic billboard – a runner that flashes between saying “I Hate Running” and “I Love Running.” Truth in advertising.

After wandering around for a while, we got a table at one of the 123190 Irish pubs around Penn Station where you can get a cheap drink and awful food. John Sullivan’s fit this mold perfectly. $6 pinot and a grilled salmon burger fresh out the freezer section of Costco. Melissa, Peter and I had a few drinks, caught up and then Peter and I walked over to MSG for BILLY JOEL!

The incredible thing about Billy Joel is that he’s now played 23 concerts at Madison Square Garden and people are still flocking to see him. Plus, he could legitimately play 23 different concerts because his library of music is so vast.

Highlights

• Every second.

Ok, for real, some of my favorite moments were:

• Billy dedicated “The Entertainer” to Donald Trump
• Showing off my talent of singing every word to “We Didn’t Start the Fire”
• RIVER OF DREAMS
• Peter somehow recognizing the intro to the intro to the intro of “New York State of Mind” 
• Being able to record a video of the line, “And the microphone smells like a beer” to send to my dad
• Going to the bathroom and thinking, “Holy shit, that’s THE Billy Joel singing that I hear through the door as I pee right now!!”
• Peter spinning and swinging me around the suite during “Only the Good Die Young.” I felt like I was in a movie with my handsome man as we sang and laughed and spun and then he gave me a dip to close out the night.

If you are a Billy Joel fan, I can’t say enough about his concert. The rest of the weekend I think Peter and I brought it up to everyone at least 10 times. “Did you know we saw Billy Joel on Thursday?” Everyone probably wanted to smack us but it really was even better than I could have hoped it would be.

Thursday night we got back to Peter’s parent’s house around 1 a.m. and immediately fell into bed.

Friday

6 a.m. wake-up and a quick stop at the bagel store before hitting the road. We hit some traffic early on, but then it was smooth sailing (minus the multiple stops to fuel Peter’s caffeine addiction and to accommodate my pea-sized bladder).

I had a sudden craving for hot chocolate and on Peter's next Dunkin Donuts stop I got myself a cup. It really hit the spot. Although now I need to try their new salted caramel, mint and s’mores flavors. You know, for comparison’s sake.

We made good time and made it to State College in Happy Valley (for a while I thought these were two made up names…) around 11:30 a.m. Edit: Happy Valley IS a made up name We couldn’t get into the house until around 2 so I looked at Peter and said, “Nap in the car time?” “Lunch time?”

“I thought we could go for a run around campus,” Peter said.

This is why I love him even though later that night he would tell me I looked like a little boy in my flannel shirt.

So I got the sleepy thoughts out of my head and we parked the car and stepped out into the brisk Pennsylvania afternoon. It was so great going for a run around the campus with Peter reminiscing and pointing things out to me. It was hilly, but I felt surprisingly good and was also running naked (aka no GPS watch, duh). The sun was shining despite the cold and we ran 5 miles at around an 8:30 pace. After sitting in the car for 6 hours, it felt great and woke me up much more than a nap would have.

Immediately following our run we went to The Berkey Creamery! It’s right on the campus and part of their food sciences college and it was my first visit to this Penn State institution. We split a cup of chocolate chip cookie dough and drove around campus taking some pictures, climbing some steel sculptures, ya know.

Next was my first ever shopping trip to WEGMANS! I had extremely high hopes and as we walked in I was greeted by a Gala Apple Cider free sample. I bought some Nature’s Path granola, not because I needed it, but because the cost was like 50% of the price in NYC.

Things I was impressed with at Wegmans:
-Bakery Section (I’m lookin’ at you, free sample of cranberry bread topped with brie)
-Beer section
-BUILD YOUR OWN TRAIL MIX BAR
-Grind your own CHOCOLATE peanut butter

If I had to pick three foods I eat almost every day, it would be peanut butter, bananas and baby carrots. 

I wouldn’t say I am a Wegmans addict, but it was definitely fun getting to go to one!

Finally it was time to check out or home for the weekend – and dayum we were living in style! For the past two years Peter and his friends have rented this gorgeous house a quick drive from campus and it was awesome!

We showered and took a “quick nap.” Peter told me to set an alarm but I said I didn’t need one…next thing we knew it was 5 p.m.

A trip to Mad Mex for the infamous GOBBLERITO was in order.

What the Heck Is In A Gobblerito?
-Turkey
-Mashed Potatoes
-Corn
-Stuffing
-Black Beans
-Topped with gravy
-Side of cranberry sauce

When this burrito arrived it resembled a small child. We ate every last bite and each drank a frozen margarita that probably contains more calories than one should consume in a day. Mango for me and Pumpkin Spice (yes, a pumpkin spice margarita) for Peter.

We left Mad Mex and walked around some shops for a little bit. I was tempted to buy ALL THE THINGS because Nike and UnderArmour make Penn State’s apparel but I had to keep reminding myself, “She doesn’t even go here!”

Wannabe Nittany Lion!

When we got back to the house, almost everyone had arrived and we had a few beers while I got introduced to the gang and went to bed early.

SATURDAY

Our alarms went off throughout the house a 5:30 a.m.

This was no joke people.

Tailgating at Penn State is SERIOUS business.

We drank coffee, we packed the 3 trucks, we stopped at Dunkin for 2 dozen donuts, and drove to the tailgating fields.

I was unprepared for just how many people tailgate here. Fields upon fields of cars. I will never forget the following image:

We pulled into our spot and I looked at the pick-up truck in front of us. As the car was pulling into its spray painted space, 6 guys were leaping out of the flat bed and doors, whipping things out left and right and before I could blink a canopy was going up.

I laughed and said it looked like a hummer had just rolled into battle. Then I got out of the car and saw that the exact same thing was going on with our group.

No joke within 5 minutes -  4 coolers were lined up, 2 tables were filled with food, a grill was warming up, corn hole was out, the speakers were on, the lawn chairs were set up. It was a spectacular demonstration.

It was also 7:15 a.m.

We all started with a glorious warm rum cider accompanied by donuts, bagels with cream cheese and lox, breakfast burritos with bacon and hash browns, and homemade pumpkin chocolate chip bread toasted on the grill.

The next 5 hours passed so ridiculously fast I can’t even fathom it.

I learned what the stump game is and was pleasantly surprised by how clean the portapotties were. I was cold, but not frozen. I ate everything in sight. I whipped out these amazing 50 cent football hats I found at Good Will.

We made a lot of "Hey Arnold!" references. 

And then it was time to go into Beaver Stadium for the Penn State/Michigan game.

It was a white out game and inside the stadium looked soo awesome. The sun was shining on us the whole time and although Penn State lost, it was a good game and I got to experience a touch down!

Apparently it’s a tradition at Penn State that for each point, the guys in the student section toss a girl up into the air. So when Penn State got a touchdown, Peter hoisted me up.

Other Random Things:

• The women’s bathroom line was like 10X shorter than the men’s.
• There were snipers on the roof.

Instead of sitting in traffic for a million years after the game, we headed back to our “camp” and tailgated for another 2 hours. Peter was grill master, cooking up 32 cheeseburgers.

When we eventually got home, 15 of us spent the night dozing in and out of naps, eating pizza, and eventually, falling asleep before 11 p.m.

SUNDAY

We woke up fairly early after a full night’s sleep and I quickly abandoned my, “Maybe I’ll got for a run…” idea in favor of being a lazy Sunday bum.

We cleaned up the house, packed the car, and waved goodbye.

Breakfast was at Peter’s all-time favorite, the Waffle Shop. We had stopped here on our way home from the Pittsburgh Marathon so I knew it was great, but I wasn’t prepared for the HUGE line winding its way around the front of the restaurant.

It went quickly, and we feasted on French toast and the “Nest Egg” – potatoes covered with veggies, cheddar cheese and a friend egg.

Then we walked around town a little bit, checked out some stores, and made one last stop at The Creamery. We each got our own this time – since we had successfully expanded our stomachs throughout the weekend. I picked the Peanut Butter Marshmallow and OMG it was so sweet and creamy and amazing.

The trip home went super quickly – we made wonderful time AND saw the most amazing sunset as we drove through the city.

We decided to stay the night at Peter’s family’s house and enjoyed a nice dinner with them (and delicious, fudgy brownies) before an early bed time.

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT a wonderful 4 days.

It was so nice getting to meet Peter’s friends and hearing all his memories from his time at Penn State. It’s such a beautiful campus and I loved walking around! And this is how big my smile has been every time I think about it. 

10 "Useless" Things I'm Grateful For

I read an article this week called “Choose To Be Grateful. It Will Make You Happier” and I really loved its message.

A lot of times, gratefulness and thankfulness aren’t our overarching emotions. We are tired, stressed, disappointed. There are some people whose jobs are overwhelming, whose family problems or money struggles seem insurmountable much of the time. But maybe it’s these people who can benefit the most from the ability to take a second to cultivate gratitude – to find something to be positive about, to smile about.

Of course, it’s Thanksgiving tomorrow, so the world is all mushy and gushy and grateful and thankful. And I’m all about that kind of stuff. But the article challenges us to also be grateful for “useless” things.

I am beyond grateful that so many important parts of my life are well and good –my family, my friends, my job, my apartment, my health. But what about those tiny things that I don’t appreciate on a daily basis?

10 "Useless" Things I'm Grateful For

1)      Sunsets that turn the sky pink and purple and red and change by the second. You take a picture of the sky and when you look back up from your phone, it’s already completely different. 

2)      A perfect, green lawn. A quad at a college that’s rumored to be spray painted because it’s so flawlessly green.

3)      The warm, melty, sugary, sweetness on your tongue when you take a sip of hot chocolate after drinking coffee – the contrast makes me wonder why I don’t drink hot chocolate every day.

4)      When you laugh so hard your stomach hurts, when you smile so big your cheeks hurt and your eyes go all squinty.

5)      A warm shower after a cold yet sweaty run.

6)      Songs that transport you back to a different time and make memories so vivid. When I hear “Starships” I will always go back to Senior Week at Quinnipiac. When I hear “What A Wonderful World” I will be dancing with my dad. Scratchy beard against my cheek.

7)      The feeling when everything on a run clicks – you’re going fast but it feels like you’re floating.

8)      Walking into your childhood home and feeling like you never left, no matter how long it’s been.

9)      A book that you seriously can’t put down. The characters are real and you need to know what happens.

10)  Perfect, bright lighting that makes your plate of food look like a work of art.

In “Choose to Be Grateful” the author does mention that there may be a downside to all of this “feeling thankful” – it makes you crave sugar. Which I guess would explain the large quantity of vanilla almond granola I just consumed.

Anyway – next time you’re feeling less than thankful  - that’s the time to realize all the amazing things we have to smile about.   

I hope you all enjoy your Thanksgiving, eat a ton of delicious food, and most importantly – make an epic leftover sandwich. 

Do You Have An 'Unhealthy' Relationship With Food?

I’m beginning to think more and more that it’s almost impossible for anyone in today's society to have a “normal” relationship with food – whatever that means.

For a long time I was under the impression that there was something wrong with me because occasionally, I would experience feelings of guilt related to the foods that I chose to eat. But newsflash:

We've Been Taught to Feel Guilty About Food

If you look at the messages we receive every day – it’s really no wonder that we have these thoughts from time to time, or more often than that. Most likely, these feelings of guilt didn’t just arise out of nowhere one day after eating a pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. We have been taught to feel guilty about eating certain foods. 

A teacher never stood in front of our classrooms and told us, "You should feel guilty if you eat this this or this." But after days and weeks and months and years of small, subtle messaging from the media, our peers, etc. many people (women AND men) find themselves frustrated with their relationship with food.

Recognizing These Feelings of Guilt

We all have weekends where a cocktail at brunch turns into some beers to watch the game which turns into ordering nachos which turns into margaritas and guac and a trip for some ice cream to top it all off (please don’t tell me that’s just me!)

Have I gone to bed on days like that and thought, “Ugh – why do I have no self-control? Why did I do that?” Yes, I have. Then, I realized those weren’t the healthiest thoughts to be having.

There are tons of articles written about removing the guilt and shame we associate with food. We recognize that phrases like “earn that cake,” “guilt-free doughnuts” and “cheat meals” promote an unhealthy relationship with food.

It’s great that we’re recognizing the need to stop feeling bad about ourselves based on what we eat. That we are more than the calories we consume. We are not our diet decisions. 

Guilt  Leading to More Guilt?

But I fear there’s a new problem. Now, when people recognize that they’re having these types of thoughts – they’re also thinking, “I’m bad. I shouldn’t be thinking these things. I shouldn’t feel bad about my breakfast. I shouldn’t feel guilt about my side order of fries. Why can’t I stop these thoughts and feelings? What’s wrong with me?”

It’s a tiring and seemingly endless cycle.

1. Eat something delicious – be it fried, fatty, carby, loaded with sugar etc. –
2. Find yourself thinking, “I shouldn’t have done that…that was bad…”
3. Realize, “Why am I getting so down on myself just because I ate something that I think tastes good and I wanted to eat?”
4. Think, “I can’t stop these feelings of guilt about what I eat. What’s wrong with me?”
5. Repeat.

I wish I could offer you advice on how to make it stop but I don’t know that I can.

You Are Not An Anomaly 

What everyone can do is remind themselves that so many people, day in and day out, have thoughts like this.

Just like eating the doughnut doesn’t make you “bad,” having feelings of shame and guilt afterwards doesn’t make you “bad” either.

Yes, the goal should be to eradicate the connection between your self-esteem and your food choices – but it won’t happen overnight and it won’t be easy. In the meantime, give yourself a pat on the back for at least being self-aware enough to acknowledge those guilty feelings.

When those guilty feelings arise, don’t stomp your foot and pout and say, “I don’t want these feelings! I just want to eat my donut!”

Accept that the society we live in today makes it almost impossible to eat carelessly and thoughtlessly.

Resolve yourself to working on it, acknowledging it, and trying to get to the root of it.

Don’t get down on yourself because you’re unable to kick that twinge of guilt when you go for your second slice of cake.

And most importantly, don’t ever think you’re the only one at the party that’s fighting with their thoughts while taking another forkful.

YOUR TURN
Do you sometimes feel that you have an "unhealthy" relationship with food? 
What types of phrases surrounding food get on your nerves the most? 

Accepting the Social Media Comparison Trap

The more prolific social media becomes, the more prone we all are to the comparison trap.

You know what I’m talking about. Scrolling through your Instagram feed and getting down on yourself because you failed to make a filtered to perfection protein pancake breakfast dripping with homemade coconut-oil chocolate sauce with a side glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice that you picked off your very own orange tree.

You’re on the subway, feelin’ ready to conquer the day after a great 3 mile run in Central Park. You open that favorite app of yours and suddenly, your 3 miles seems like it wasn’t good enough amongst peers who busted out a casual 15k before 8 a.m.

As I’ve written about before, I think it’s so so important for us to realize that the people whose posts are making us feel inferior are likely going through the exact same thing every time they scroll through their feed.

No one is safe from this trap.

There are lots of articles out there about how to steer clear of this unpleasant and perhaps dangerous psychological pattern and I think they’re really well-intentioned. I read them and I feel ready to open Instagram free from self-judgement. 

But that lasts about 2 seconds.

I also know myself, and I know that there’s no way in hell I’m breaking my Instagram habit.

So instead of trying to figure out a way to avoid it completely, I have a different suggestion.

I suggest accepting the fact that some days we will be more susceptible to this kind of negative self-judgment. Some days we will compare ourselves to others in a way that gets us down. And quite frankly, I think that’s OK. I think that’s normal. I think that means we are human.

I also think there will be days where we are able to see that negative self-talk coming on and we will have the ability to sidestep it. We will tell that picture perfect breakfast:

“I know you were taken with a DSLR camera with a pretty background and perfect lighting and my handful of dry cereal eaten on the walk to the subway tasted GREAT thank you very much.”

There will be days where we see someone accomplishing something inspiring before 8 a.m. and instead of beating ourselves up about it, we will say, “Damn, that’s badass – good for so and so. Maybe tomorrow I’ll start my journey to unassisted pull-up greatness too!”

Accepting that these are both completely normal reactions will help us to acknowledge and accept our feelings on any given day.

The last thing you need to do when you’re comparing yourself to someone else because of something you saw on social media, is to get down on yourself FURTHER because you aren’t “enlightened” enough to avoid the comparison trap entirely.

So remind yourself that you’re human and cut yourself some slack.