Birthday Surprise

Happy Sunday, and happy first day of March! Who can believe it? I hope you all have stayed warm this weekend, as it's been pretty chilly in Houston, and I know many cities have it much worse than we do. And though my body may have been cold yesterday, my heart was warm because three of my very best friends, with whom I will be boarding a plane at 6am to San Francisco in just over a month, treated me to a birthday surprise yesterday evening. They didn't tell me much, just that they would be picking me up around 3:45pm, and to dress casual cute. That's all I got out of them.

We headed toward Galveston, where we enjoyed seafood by the water at Topwater Grill. After much deliberation, I went for tilapia topped with mango salsa, and that came with a side of black beans and sauteed mushrooms. My plate was clean at the end of the meal, and we made our way over to Kemah for a Comedy Cruise. It was something new for each one of us, and I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Some of the jokes bordered on inappropriate, and we were by far the youngest people on board, we were laughing all evening long. And even better than this new experience, I loved getting to spend eight hours with some of my greatest friends. It's almost inexcusable how infrequently we see one another, considering how close we all live to one another, but whenever all of us do manage to get together, it's so easy to pick back up right where we left off. And we made a list of all the things we want to do within the next couple of months, so here's to not letting work consume our lives!

And without further ado, here's a little fitness survey for you to enjoy on this rainy Sunday afternoon.

What fit activities do you like to do together as a family?

Can I answer this one in the past tense? Because we don't all live in the same city, and our schedules often overlap, this isn't something that happens so much anymore. When I was younger, however, I remember going to the park on a very regular basis. And if my memory serves me correctly, I had the ability to wear out anyone who was with me. Bike and wagon rides around the neighborhood were also a family favorite. It's too bad that I can't convince anyone to join me on my 13.1 mile runs through various cities!

Why is fitness so important to you?

I love being active. I love how good it makes me feel. And I love pushing myself to new limits. Remember Felipe's class on Thursday evening? Yeah, I'm just now recovering from that one. But seriously, I love living an active lifestyle because exercise gives me energy, and it makes me feel as though there's nothing I can't do. And the promise of a long, healthy life doesn't hurt, either!

How do you motivate yourself to work out when you just don’t feel like it?

Oh, this is a tough one. There are certainly days when I get home from school and it would be so easy to just curl up on the couch with my computer and not move another muscle for the rest of the day. But I then evaluate the situation - is my body tired, or am I just being lazy? If it's the first, then I'll typically let my body rest, or I'll go for a light and easy walk. If I'm just being lazy, I remind myself that something is better than nothing, and that I have never regretted a workout. In fact, I usually find that I have more energy, and once I get going, I really get into my groove.

What is the top diet tip you’ve learned from the show the blog world?

As I have mentioned before, I don't really do diets. But what I've learned is that living a healthy lifestyle doesn't mean depriving yourself of the things you love. Everything in moderation. For so long I felt the need to negate what I ate, but now I know that if the majority of my day is filled with healthy choices, there's nothing wrong with letting myself enjoy dessert guilt-free. I find that restricting myself of something only makes me want it more, so why not just let myself enjoy a little bit of it?

What do you eat when you need a quick energy boost?

I love popping in one or two of my no-bake energy bites. That, or a Luna mini. Are we seeing a pattern here? Anything with a little bit of chocolate and staying power!

What the one treat you have to have, no matter what?

Dark chocolate. That, and frozen yogurt. Combine the two, and you can find me in heaven.

What’s your best stay-slim trick?

I wouldn't call it a trick exactly, but I think this one goes back to the question on diet tips. Everything in moderation. And I don't worry so much about calories, rather, I worry about what is going to taste good and what is going to make me feel good. That, and I drink a lot of water throughout the day. And I recommend that for so many reasons. 

When a salad didn't sound good, a smoothie hit the spot

Have a great rest of your weekend! Make sure to do something for yourself, because you deserve it. See you guys this week!