Sniffles No More

Hello everyone!!

It’s been a week since my last post, and well, I truly wanted to post but for the last week I was battling a cold. The only thing that I could possibly blog about would have been tissues, nyquill, sneezes, and soup. I thought I’d spare everyone the boredom and take a little blogging break! A week later and my cold is DONE (thank god!).

Now that I feel better, I finally feel like I can resume my normal workouts, eat a wider variety of foods, and go back to the regular flow of life.

Yesterday I ventured out for a run for 1/2 marathon training. My schedule called for a 4. 5 mile run which is the farthest distance I’ve gone in quite some time! I missed my training run with the running group Saturday because I was still feeling iffy, so I decided to run alone on Sunday. The temperature was a brisk 21 degrees! It was hard for me to adjust to the cold temperature for the first five minutes, but I eventually warmed up.

In the beginning of my runs in the cold, I try to inhale through my nose and exhale through my mouth. Now, I don’t know if there is any proven science behind this, but your nose helps to filter, moisten and warm the air making it less harsh on your lungs. I try to do this type of breathing at the beginning of my run to get my lungs used to the cold air!

Sunday Runday!

Overall, I was pretty happy with my pace! Since I hadn’t been training because of my cold, I was worried that I’d go too slow. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was going at a sub 10 min/mi pace! My goal is to continue training at around this pace.

I hope your week is off to a great start!

-Anjali

Up to the Challenge!

Happy weekend my loves!!

It is a gorgeous day in Cincinnati, and I hope that wherever you may be you are finding yourself with a beautiful day as well! This morning I woke up bright and early at 6:45 a.m. for first run with the running group! Although I didn’t need to meet them until 8, I wanted to get up, hydrate, eat & digest. My go to pre-run breakfast is a simple one, but it works to fuel me up! I toasted a slice of Ezekial bread and topped it with peanut butter, honey, and a few banana slices. When the mileage increases, I usually add another slice but since today’s run was only 3.5 miles one slice was enough for me! Everyone is different in regards to pre-run meals so keep that in mind! I’ve just found that this meal digests well before my runs!

The Run

My intention for the run was to head out with the 10:00 min/mile pace group, however they were gone by the time I got to the meet up spot! My only choice was to go with the 9:30 min/mile group and under! I must admit, I was nervous! I knew that I was capable of running a 9:30 min/mile, but I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to keep that pace the entire run. Once we got going, I quickly became comfortable with the pace. If it weren’t for running with a group, I would have never challenged myself! The 3.5 miles went by really fast and I felt great afterwards! I plan on continuing challenging myself by sticking with this group! You’ll never make progress if you don’t step out of your comfort zone 🙂

Post- Run

I got home, and was ravenous! The first thing I did when I got back was to test out Nuun hydration tablets! I bought nuun at the running store the other week and was excited to try it out. Nuun tablets turn your water into a sports drink without sugar! It’s loaded with electrolytes and turns your water a little fizzy. I tried out the tri-berry flavor and LOVED it!

It was really good and is a great alternative to drinks like gatorade or powerade! I’ll definitely be incorporating nuun into my 1/2 marathon training hydration!

Next up was breakfast + coffee!! I kept it simple with 1 egg and 2 egg whites scrambled topped with hot sauce & a side of grapes.

I have to say, getting up early on a Saturday and getting my workout in before 9:00 really made me feel like I was going to be productive with my day. I even got some studying in! It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you set your intentions.

Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!

xoxo,

Anjali

Pressing Pause

Happy Labor Day Weekend my friends!

It has been quite a while since my last post where I talked about Tone It Up’s Beach Week event. Since then, I started graduate school and experienced one of the most intense and stressful weeks of my life. Never have I crammed so much information into my brain in just one week. Oh my goodness! Although I did manage to eat healthy and workout most days, I did not successfully complete Beach Week. Sometimes you just have to focus on what you need to accomplish (in my case graduate work).

During this past week, I have certainly felt anxiety up to my eyeballs and realized that in order to get these next two years of school I absolutely need to turn to outlets that help me reach a middle ground. Thus enter running and friends.

When my brain was crowded with information, I needed to press pause on school work. I laced up my running shoes and visited one of my favorite views of Cincinnati.

What a view 🙂

I stood there for a few minutes, took out my earbuds, and just breathed in and out while taking in the view. Taking a few uninterrupted moments really helped me achieve a sense of peace and clarity. I have a feeling I’ll be visiting this spot quite a bit this semester..

My second outlet of stress relief this week was taking time to enjoy my friendships. Throughout the week, I felt like I had been shutting myself in my room without interacting with my roommates. Yesterday, I was so happy that my roommate Annie suggested that we visit Cincinnati’s Findlay Market.  Findlay market is Ohio’s oldest public market and one of Cincinnati’s most beloved landmarks. The prospect of endless stations of food and fresh produce surely got me out of my desk chair and into the car. As soon as we arrived, I was immediately in love!

the outside of Findlay market

The first place Annie and I visited was Churchill’s Fine Teas. After smelling practically every tea in the store, I chose the Karma Sutra Chai and Cranberry Autumn tea. I also purchased my first tea ball! I’m so excited to make my first loose leaf tea in my tea ball!

After pursuing the entire market, Annie and I both ordered the Vegetarian Crepe from “A Taste of Belgium”. It consisted of goat cheese, balsamic glaze, spinach, and roasted red peppers. It was love at first bite.

Annie with her beloved crepe

nom

The combination of good food and a great friend really made the afternoon special. There is nothing better than taking the time to enjoy some of life’s beautiful moments. Yes, graduate school is demanding, but without taking the opportunity to enjoy life I will surely miss out on the wonderful world around me.

I hope you all are having a great Labor Day Weekend and that you are taking the time to indulge in the beautiful moments of life with friends & family.

-Anjali

Running a New City

Hi Friends!

Yesterday I was feeling SO much birthday love! On top of birthday wishes from old friends and new friends, my roomies, Annie and Laura treated me to a much needed pedicure (relaxation at its finest). We then ventured to Annie’s parents house for an amazing dinner. Happy Birthday was sung and birthday cake was devoured.

I get shy when people sing to me…

Roomies!

Yesterday was truly a blessing, and I feel so thankful to be surrounded by such great family and friends! The birthday love continued this morning when I received this package from Dave:

Chocolates upon chocolates

Dave sent me a gift basket full of chocolate (he knows the way to my heart!) Now, I don’t know if I can eat all of this by myself, but I’m relying on my roommates to help me out 🙂

Workout

Half marathon training continues..but this time in a new city! I have found running in Cincinnati to be quite the challenge! Although the sites are beautiful, the terrain is very hilly!  I find myself stopping at various points during my runs to catch my breath and walk. My goal for the next few weeks is to decrease these stops and to build up my stamina. Hopefully once these goals are accomplished I won’t feel and look like this after my runs..

If anyone has tips on conquering hills, I would love to hear your insight! Maybe these hills aren’t necessarily an obstacle, but rather a revival. Perhaps these hilly challenges will allow me to reach a whole new potential!

Question: What’s your fitness revival at the moment? What’s allowing you to reach a whole new potential?

Pink Shades for the Win!

If you haven’t noticed, Revival of the Fitness has made a few changes! I’ve updated my side bar and you can now follow me easily on twitter and pinterest! It’s time that Revival of the Fitness explores social media! I love connecting via twitter and have found great inspiration and motivation from my followers. I’m looking forward to connecting with the blog world via twitter and pinterest!

 Run baby Run

This morning, I continued with 1/2 marathon training . The schedule called for 3 miles at race pace. My goal time is 2 hrs and 10 minutes which would put me at a little under 10 min per mile. Before setting off for my run today I set up my Map My Run app so that I would hear my stats as I ran. According to the app, I ran at a 9:12 min/mi pace!

I couldn’t believe my results because to be honest, I felt horrible while running. I stopped twice for about 30 seconds each. The first stop was for water at a water fountain and the next was to walk and catch my breath. I was so happy when the 3 miles were over because I honestly don’t think I could have gone farther today.

After reviewing my run, I have made a list of actions to improve:

1. Drink more water prior to running!

2. Perform dynamic stretches before running to warm up the muscles

3. Focus on breathing and incorporate the cycle of breathing in through the nose at out through the mouth

4. Remember to keep good runner’s form!

I think these actions will help me feel better during my runs. Hopefully tomorrow I will feel more confident with my run!

Although I didn’t quite feel great while running..I felt like an Olympian! That’s because I was sporting my new Oakley Commit Square Sun Glasses that Dave bought me as an early birthday present. Although my birthday isn’t until the 20th, I couldn’t wait to try them out! Pink shades for the win!

fierce

I love these sunglasses! They have nose grips that prevent slippage while sweating and the polarized lenses are great for sun protection! These glasses are definitely going to become a favorite running accessory (Thanks, Dave!).

Well, I am exhausted my friends! I think an early bed time is in the cards for me so that I can get up and complete my run first thing in the morning!

Keep shining,

Anjali

Revving up the Routine

Thank you to all who read yesterday’s post  and reached out to me via comment or twitter.  It was so wonderful to read your stories about long distance relationships and saying goodbye to the one’s you love. All of your stories put a smile on my face and gave me the extra validation that with strong communication and love, a long distance relation can work. Last night, after writing the post Dave shared with me some potential good news! He found out that his job will be sending him to Ohio at least once and maybe twice in the next six months! This made me SO happy! If everything works out, we could be seeing each other in the next 1-2 months! (Keep your fingers crossed)

Morning

This morning, I woke up relatively early at 6:45 to go running with my sister before she had to go to work. We completed 3.1 miles for 1/2 marathon training.

My run via Map My Run

 

Since I ran my mileage on a treadmill in California, running outdoors this morning was a revival for me! It felt so great to hit the pavement and set my own pace. I definitely realize now how important it is to complete the majority of your training outdoors, where you are exposed geographic and weather changes. It’s good for your body to experience change in your routine, and running outdoors can provide that change your body needs for optimal training.

Food Revival!

Today, I added a few ingredients to my normal favorites to add some variety to the routine! As a mid morning snack I added 1/2 tbs of chia seeds to my apple cinnamon Chobani and topped it with some Heart to Heart Cereal with Kashi. Aren’t the heart shaped cereal bits just darling?

Adding a little love to my cho-yo

Chia seeds are a superfood that are full of omega-3s which is great for the heart! They are tasteless, and can be added to pretty much anything! I love adding them to yogurt, protein pancakes, oatmeal, and overnight oats!

My next food revival made an appearance on top of today’s lunch salad. I found a pack of sundried tomatoes in the cupboard and decided throw them on top of my salad for extra flavor.

Sundried Tomatoes!

The sundried tomatoes really added an extra punch of flavor to the salad! It would have paired nicely with some feta cheese, however we did not have any on hand.

Puppy lovin’

On the top of today’s to-do list was to give our pup (ok so she’s 6..) a bath. I always cringe when I have to give her a bath because I know how much she dislikes it.

“get me outta here mom!”

Ah those puppy eyes always melt my heart! She wasn’t happy with me about the bath torture, but eventually she forgave me. I’m sure in no time she’ll be rollin around in the grass getting that white coat dirty! Dogs will be dogs 🙂

Hope you are all having a great start to the week so far. I’m still busy packing up all of my belongings for the move. I can’t believe I only have 2 more days at home until I move to Cincinnati! It is crazy how fast summer goes.

Keep shining,

xoxo

Anjali

 

 

 

Curried Chickpea, Tomato, and Cucumber Salad

So I ate a super delicious lunch this afternoon and I am so excited to share it with you all! I don’t have an official name for it..but I guess I’ll call it “Curried Chickpea, Tomato, and Cucumber Salad.” I love Indian food ( I’m half Indian) and this salad is a quick and easy way to get the indian food flavor without the effort.

Ingredients

1 large can of chickpeas

1/2 red onion thinly sliced

1/2 cucumber sliced

3 roma tomatoes diced

2 tbs of olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon of curry powder

1/2 teaspoon of cumin powder

2-3 tbs of yogurt (I used tzatziki from Trader Joe’s)

Directions

Mix chickpeas, red onion, cucumber, and tomatoes in a large bowl

Step 1

 

In a container mix olive oil, lemon, curry powder, and cumin.

Pour dressing over the veggies and mix well

Top off the dish with 2-3 tbs of yogurt.

Enjoy!

 

Deliciousness!

This salad was so easy to make! It is full of protein thanks to the chickpeas and yogurt. This recipe yields about 3 servings..so I have leftovers in the fridge! Yum 🙂

 

Tonight I am heading out for a 4 mile run with a great friend! Although I am feeling tired, I’m looking forward to catching up with her own our old cross country practice stomping grounds!

Have a wonderful Wednesday loves!

-Anjali

Cardio Revival

Happy Friday Loves!!

I hope everyone had a great week and that you have fun weekend plans to unwind 🙂 Tonight, I am looking forward to going out for sushi with my sister, Kiran, and my best friend, Alyssa! Sushi is one of my absolute favorite foods + I need some good girl talk!

Today’s Workout

Do you ever have that feeling where you think you’re running super fast for a long distance only to realize you weren’t? Well..that’s how I felt on my run this morning! I set out for a jog around the neighborhood armed with my “Map My Run” app. The entire time I felt strong and kept thinking “This must be a 9:00 minute/mile pace!” I was surprised to learn from “Map My Run” that I only ran 2.5 miles at a 9:50 min/mile pace. Although I was surprised by my performance, I am trying to not let it get me down. I know that I felt great during my workout and that is all that matters!

I returned from my run, but still wanted to add a bit more cardio to my workout. Thus, I put together a simple cardio circuit that left me huffing and puffing!

Cardio Revival Workout

10 Burpees

20 Mountain Climbers

20 Squat Jacks

10 Jump Squats

1 minute rest, then repeat 2-3 times.

Afternoon

The rest of my day was spent with my friend, Alyssa! We headed on out to the mall in hopes to find some staple outfit choices. I bought a few basics from H& M, Victoria’s Secret, and Nordstrom, and Alyssa put an awesome pair of jeans on hold at Express. I was drooling over Nordstrom’s anniversary sale..especially over their workout gear + shoes.

Can I have them all please?

Tomorrow, I am looking forward to a long run early in the morning with my sis then I will be heading to the West Side Market for the very first time in years! I can’t wait to see all that this market has to offer.

I hope you all have a safe and active weekend.

-Anjali