Bedtime Essentials for Better Sleep

As a lifelong insomniac, I have always had trouble with my sleep. Whether it was falling asleep or staying asleep, I struggled to get enough sleep on a daily basis. This along with the fact that I was a graduate student trying to manage internships, classes, work, and somewhat of a social life was a recipe for a disaster. I was constantly tired, but when it came to actually sleeping, I found myself tossing and turning as soon as I laid down. It wasn't unusual for me to sleep 3-4 hour nights before going into my internship placement. I know this wasn't the healthiest, and trust me when I say I suffered both physically and mentally because of this.

Now that I have graduated from school, I have found more time to focus on myself and my well-being. And, sleep is one of those things that I am making a priority. I'm still working on managing internal things that affect my sleep, such as stress, but I have found some things that I could do externally to help me with my sleep. I've tried many different items, from pills to special scents, to help me with my sleep throughout college, and these are a few of the items that I have found to have had the best effect on my quality of sleep.

Cat Eye mask

One of the most important items for me when I want to get a better sleep at night is an eye mask. As a light sleeper, any amount of sunlight wakes me up. Light often came into my room early in the morning due to the location of my room. My room windows faced the side where the sun would come up. This eye mask solves those issues as it protects my eyes from the sun. In addition, this eye mask blocks my eyes from any other sources of light that might come into my room at night, such as through the cracks of my door.

For eye mask recommendations, I suggest you look for an eye mask that has an adjustable strap in the back. This is important so that you can make the mask fit you comfortably. In the past, I made this mistake and often had eye mask that were too loose or too tight for my head, creating an uncomfortable experience. If possible, I also recommend trying the eye mask on before buying. I know this isn't always going to be possible, but I have had issues where light would seep in from my nose area. If I had tried the mask on, this would be known prior to buying. My current eye mask now is my absolute favorite as it features and adorable design and a cooling feature for my eyes. 

Sleep Pretty in Pink Earplugs

The next item on my list is earplugs! These have been a personal life saver for me and are probably one of the biggest aids in me being able to fall and stay asleep. As a light sleeper, any sudden noise tends to wake me up or cause me not to fall asleep. The noises could be as simple as footsteps or someone cooking to people talking, but they all affect my ability to sleep. Using earplugs helps solve this issue since they block out the majority of everyday noises so that I am able to sleep.

When it comes to earplugs, I know some people may be worried about missing their alarm because earplugs drown out noise right? I had the same fear when I started using earplugs, but I was desperate to drown out sleep, so I tested things out over the weekend. To my surprise, I really didn't have an issue with this at all like I had thought. Earplugs are meant to drown out noise, but your phone alarm is next to you (usually) and loud enough that it won't be drowned out. Plus, a phone has vibration to it when it rings so that helps wake you up as well. My suggestion when it comes to this is to do a test run over a weekend and see how you react. 

VEEYOO Blackout Thermal Insulated Curtains

VEEYOO Blackout Thermal Insulated Curtains

VEEYOO Blackout Thermal Insulated Curtains

The next item on my list are these blackout curtains from VeeYoo®. I was in the market for new curtains, and VeeYoo graciously offered to send me a set. I did some research prior to agreeing and found VeeYoo reviews on google to be overall positive, making me feel confident in this collaboration. I'm currently in the process of preparing for a move and my new room has this large beautiful window that lets me look outside during the day. While this is great in the summer, it also means that light comes in very easily once the sun rises. The curtains that are currently used at this apartment are sheer white. Again it's beautiful, but just not practical for a light sleeper like me, which is why I chose to purchase a set of these blackout curtains that not only block out light, but also keep my room cool. 

This particular set is in the color navy blue. It's pretty dark in person, but when I look closely, I can see the blue color pop out. What I love about this particular set of curtains is the fact that it is triple woven meaning light does not go through at all and heat is blocked. There are also ties that help keep the curtains closed preventing light from going through the cracks. Honestly, with these curtains, my room can be completely dark in the middle of the day which is so helpful for me when I am trying to fall asleep. I do recommend these curtains from VeeYoo if you want a dark room to help you sleep. In addition to curtains, the site also sells VeeYoo® table cloths, VeeYoo® Bathrobes, and VeeYoo® table runners. After my move to my new apartment, I will definitely be looking into the site to help me purchase some of my home essentials! 

Bigelow Sweet Dreams Herbal Tea

Finally, the last item on my bedtime essentials list is herbal tea. In the past, I've never believed in the power of tea, but this changed once I entered my graduate year. I think part of the reasons it works is because of the fact that it forces you to slow down, sit, and just focus on the moment. I know that I am always "Go, go, go" during the day, but when it comes to making and drinking my tea, I take a step back. The tea that I have been loving lately is from Bigelow and it's the Sweet Dreams blend. It's all natural and caffeine free. The caffeine free part is something to look out for with tea because you don't want extra caffeine in your system when you are trying to fall asleep!

Bedtime Essentials for Better Sleep

Sleep is important. This is a message I have learned the hard way, and now that I am out of graduate school, I am putting my sleep on the top of my priority list. From learning to take care of my internal self to getting external items to help my sleep, I have been able to improve my sleep quality and quantity. It's taking time, but I am starting to experience the benefits of getting enough sleep. If you are currently struggling with getting quality sleep, give some of these bedtime essentials a try and see if it will help you get a better nights rest! 

Why I Became Vegetarian when I was 8 Years Old

My Story:

Most people in my life know that I am a vegetarian. They know that I eat salads, that I love carbs, and even more than carbs, I love sweets. It takes absolute will power for me to turn down dessert. However, what many don't realize about me is that fact that I have been a vegetarian for over 13 years and I am 22 now. This means that I made the decision to become vegetarian when I was only 8 years old. It all started for me in first grade. My teacher at the time was reading Charlotte's Web to us one day and the story got my little brain thinking.. "Why would anyone want to eat this adorable pig?" "How can anyone harm him" and "Is this story even true?" In my head, I wanted to believe that this fictional story was just that.. fictional. However there was something in me that knew that this real, that people do kill animals to eat and that to them, animals were seen as just food.

Following this book, my brain started making connections to past events in my life that include, holding a chicken on a chicken farm, petting a pig on the farm, and raising my own goldfish. These events may seem small, but they really did show me that animals had feelings and that they were loving and intelligent. Animals were our friends and we don't purposely harm or kill our friends. I thought quite a bit about this after the story and my mind shifted to eating less animals in my diet. There was one incident though that was the game changer and when I officially eliminated meat from my diet. One night, I had seen my parents cooking dinner. They were preparing red meat and lobster. I remember the terror in my eyes when I saw the cute lobsters I had just been watching getting placed into a pot of boiling water and being cooked alive. I watched as their movements slowed and they went from living creatures to food. I didn't say anything, but I was horrified. Even more, my parents were cutting up the red meat and it was just a bloody mess. I knew instantly that it was blood and that it came from an animal. In my little mind, I couldn't handle it. I loved animals and now they were in front of me, dead and as food. It just did not seem right in my mind that a loving animal could be so brutally turned into food. I swore off meat forever that day.

Growing up, I lived in what I would call a traditional Asian American household. My parents immigrated here from China and with that, they brought much of there culture here (which I really appreciate now!!). In the Chinese culture though, as in many other cultures, meat was just a regular part of a meal. Meat was also seen as a luxury food item for my parents as they had grown up poor and just could not afford meat. Now, we were able to and my parents wanted the best for me which meant feeding me as much "luxury" foods as they could afford. They wanted the best for me and I am very thankful to have such caring parents. With that being said, you can imagine how my parents reacted when I told them I was going to stop eating meat (because at that time, I didn't even know about the word vegetarian). They were confused and they thought I was joking. They would always place meat in front of me, telling me to eat it. I would refuse. At first, they weren't too upset, but it eventually got to a point where there was strong tensions between us during meal time. I know that everything they did was out of love now, but back then, we would often get quite angry at one another over the topic of meat, leading to fights during mealtime. Who knew a little kid could be this passionate? I recall one dinner in which I broke down in tears and stormed away from the dinner table over an argument about eating fish. My parents told me I would never be able to watch TV again if I didn't eat the fish. I was pissed over this conversation because I knew that they still didn't understand me and now they were using other ways to persuade me.

Eventually my parents accepted the fact that I was serious and they began to let me have my way. It definitely took a while for them to come to terms with this. I don't recall any incident that was the turning point. I believe time and persistence my end was what won them over. We started adapting our meals so that I could get the nutrients I needed while sticking to my no meat meals. We brought vegetarian protein such as various tofu's and beans to add to our dishes. My parents also began taking out my portion of the dish before adding me. This allowed me to eat what they were eating without making cooking more difficult. Overall, my parents have been supportive of my decision to go vegetarian after accepting the fact. There are times they make comments such as "You would be stronger and faster if you ate meat," or "Your skin is bad because you don't eat meat," but I don't let that bother me. I know they are coming from the right place, but in the end, I know myself the best. I now accept the fact that they probably won't even be able to understand my choices, but I am just thankful they accept me and are willing to try and adapt.

As an adult now, I am so glad that I stuck it out and stood up for what I believed was right. I have not had meat since then (on purpose, but slip ups have unfortunately happened on accident). I have no regrets and am proud to call myself a vegetarian.

Why I Became Vegetarian when I was 8 Years Old

Tips for Parents Whose Child Wants to be Vegetarian:

As someone who has grown up as a vegetarian and also someone who cares for kids, here are some of my tips for parents if their child wants to be vegetarian-

1) My first and most important tip is to talk to your child and find out why they want to go vegetarian. (Note this conversation should be one where you listen to them and not try to persuade them otherwise). This is so important in my opinion. You want to understand their motivation behind their reasoning and ways that you can best support them. If you show that you care and respect their decision, they are more likely to work with you to ensure that they have a healthy diet. Being dismissive will cause your child not to listen to you and even worse, forcing your child to eat meat can cause your child to not trust you or have an unhealthy relationship with food.

2) Don't just take meat off the plate. Instead, replace meat with foods such as beans or soy based products. Nothing is sadder than eating just rice and veggies or plain pasta (from personal experience, I know it's not fun). Now, you can find many "fake" meats on the market that can mimic real meat and add flavor to a dish. Also, make sure your child's diet is varied. Since children are still growing, they need to eat all types of food so make sure your child's diet is filled with fruits, veggies, grains, healthy fats, and plant based protein.

3)Iron is the most common nutrient deficiency in vegetarians and vegans. While plants may contain iron (hello spinach!), it is harder for the body to absorb iron from plants than from animal sources. Ways to increase absorption is to pair iron rich foods with Vitamin C rich foods, such as oranges, or foods rich in fat, such as olive oil (aka... olive oil in a salad helps with iron absorption).

4) Other nutrients that should be monitored are, Vitamin B-12, Protein, Vitamin D, and Calcium. Vitamin B-12 is only found naturally in animal products, therefore it is important to make sure you find foods that are fortified foods such as fortified cereals.
Protein is known to be found in meat, but thankfully, it is so easy nowadays to find non animal based protein sources. The key here is to make sure you provide your child with a variety of plant proteins to make sure that they receive all the 20 amino acids of protein.
Calcium and Vitamin D are also 2 that are a bit harder to find in a vegetarian diet, especially if your child cuts out dairy. Thankfully, it is easy nowadays to get these nutrients through non dairy milk or yogurt, the sun, and even broccoli. Most people don't know, but broccoli has a lot of calcium! If getting any of these nutrients prove to be too hard at time, supplements can help fill in the gaps. It's not my favorite way of getting the nutrients and not good for long term, but it does help at times when you are lacking.

4) Make some main meals vegetarian based. I think this tip is so important as well. Consider making a main dish once a week that is vegetarian. This will be beneficial to all. Your family can try a new dish and your child will feel included at meal time and cared for. It shows them that you are on their side and you respect their decision. On other days, cooking healthy, and yummy vegetarian for your child doesn't have to be hard. You can cook the same dish and just cook the meat separately. You can then take out a portion of your dish for your child or separate the food before adding in the different types of protein.

5) Nutrient wise, it is very possible for a child to become a vegetarian and to be healthy. (I am living proof :) The key here is to be supportive and educated on what a healthy vegetarian diet looks like and to work with your child to make meals that they like and are nutrient rich. It takes a little bit of time to get used to, but if you make an effort, it won't be too hard and your child will appreciate you for it!

Some Yummy Vegetarian Dishes I Have Had Before

VS Pink High Waist Cool & Comfy Tight Review

As a runner and a fitness lover, you can never have enough leggings! I have several pairs of leggings and tights from Lululemon (Oh so expensive, but it is my favorite), Under Armor, Nike, Aerie, and many other brands. Surprisingly, I have never gotten a pair from Victoria's Secret or VS Pink's Sport line. I think what held me back from trying their leggings was due to the cost vs. value that I perceived from the brand. When I think of Victoria's Secret, the first thing that comes to mine is lingerie, which is the complete opposite of athletic wear. As a result, I just never considered buying from them... until recently.

Pink launched a new line of sportswear that includes sports bras and leggings called Cool and Comfy. The line features brightly colored sports bras and black leggings to match. These leggings are designed to be seamless and smooth on your body. They are made to "hug" your body and can be worn at the gym and beyond. To me, they are sounding a bit like Lululemon Wunder Unders and I love my pair so these were worth a try.

Design:
It's hard to deny that these leggings are incredibly cute! The design that I chose came in 2 colors: Red and White. I had a hard time deciding between the two, but I eventually opted for the red pair (also known as pure black and red pepper on the website) since I don't own that many pieces with red on it. The leggings are a solid black color from the waist down to the calves. There is a slight partial ribbed texture that runs on the waistband, the butt area, and the hip area. Otherwise, it is smooth for the most part since these leggings were completely seamless. I believe this new textured material on leggings is gaining in popularity and I am starting to become a fan of it. I think it adds to the usual black leggings. On the calves, there is a red diagonal strip that runs around with the words "Pink" located on the back of the strip. Below the strip, is an adorable black and red polka dot design. It easily catches my eye and it looks a little bit like mesh from far away, but it isn't. The waistband of these tights also stands out to me. The waistband has a noticeable ribbed texture to it and is slightly thicker than the rest of the tights.

Victoria Secret/Pink Cool and Comfy Tights Review

Fit & Comfort:
My first impression when putting these pairs of tights on was "Whoo they are tight!" I am about 5"4 and 120 lbs and usually a small or a medium in leggings. I got these in a small and they are a perfect (tight) fit. I feel that I could have gotten a medium if I wanted a bit more space, but the small works still! I would just keep that in mind though if you are between sizes and ordering online, I recommend for you to size up. As I walked around and tested my new leggings out, I felt that they were, like the name implies, comfy. These leggings are on the thicker side and with the ribbed texture in certain places, it felt very comfortable to the skin. They are smooth against me and the waistband provides a good amount of compression. These leggings are also warmer than the average pair and do feel like they are good quality. However, I don't quite feel that these tights are made for high intensity workouts. This is due to the material of the leggings which I will talk about below. I can see these tights though as being perfect for lounging around and light activities such as walking or yoga.

Ribbed Texture on the Cool and Comfy Tights

Red and Black Polka dot Pattern 

Material:
The material of these leggings as stated is "imported nylon, polyester, and spandex." These materials are what I expect from leggings. The percentage of spandex in these leggings is only 6% and I do feel that these leggings could have a bit more spandex to them. They are stretchy and they do stretch very well, but I feel that this pair might end up losing their shape if I were to do high intensity workouts in them. My favorite pair of leggings, which are the "All the Right Places Leggings" from Lululemon have ~11% spandex in them which is double this pair. Despite this fact though, the material of the leggings feels soft against my skin and I enjoy having them on.

My Opinion:

There is without a doubt that the Cool and Comfy Tights are super adorable and I can easily see myself wearing them around. They can be paired simply with a black, white, or red top. They are flattering on my body shape and the seamless design makes it comfortable to wear around. The tights are thicker meaning they will keep me warm throughout the fall and the ribbed textured is a unique feature. However, I do have to point out that even though these pants state that they are for working out in, I would keep those workouts to a minimum and stick with low-medium impact exercises. These aren't the type of leggings I could picture myself running in due to the fact that it doesn't seem to wick sweat and the fact that they do roll. So even though I do not recommend these tights to run or do high intensity workouts in, I still love them and think that they are the perfect pair of leggings to lounge and walk around in. If you are a fan of VS Pink or of leggings with a simple, yet cute design, I would highly recommend them!

The price for these leggings as of now are listed for just under $50. This is a high price point especially for a Graduate student (whose also working an unpaid internship). To be honest, for the quality of the leggings and my recommend usages for these leggings, I do not think they are worth that price. However, I have seen deals and sales online where the tights drop significantly in price. Last week, I saw a deal on their site that included a pair of tights and a sports bra for just $35. In that case, I would say they are definitely worth the price! 

Cool and Comfy Tights/Leggings Review

Pros:

• They are super cute!
• Feel smooth and comfortable against the skin
• Thicker material
• Perfect for lounging around or light activities
• Squat proof :) 

Cons:

• No pockets :( 
• Not ideal for high intensity workouts --> Not Sweat Resistant and occasional rolling down
• Not as much compression as I would like 

My Review of the Cool and Comfy Tights by Pink/VS

Shop My Look:

Top: Underarmour Tank Top

Leggings: Pink/VS Cool and Comfy Tights

Shoes: Nike 

Easiest exercises to Burn off Halloween Candy

Easiest ways to burn off Halloween Candy

It's hard to believe, but October is coming to an end soon, and this can only mean one thing... HALLOWEEN! 

If you are anything like me, you know halloween means a couple of things: 

• Costumes
• Haunted Houses
• Corn Mazes
• Trick or Treating
• Scary Movies
• And of course.. .LOTS OF CANDY 

Yes, LOTS of Candy (especially the after halloween sales!) Halloween is known as the start of the holiday season and with that comes a lot of food. It's only right to indulge and enjoy yourself this time of year since it only comes once and in the end, you need to enjoy your life. As long as you have balance, it will be alright.

Today I wanted to do some fun calculations just to put things into perspective. When it comes to losing weight, Calories In<Calories Out. For maintaining weight, Calories In=Calories Out. The formula is simple as long as you know how many calories you are putting into your body. The more you weigh, the more you burn as well since a heavier person has to work harder to do the same things that a lighter person does. This is when it starts to get tricky for some people since many people tend to underestimate their food or forget to count all the foods that they eat. 

Candy is tricky, especially around this time of the year where it is all around you. Fun sized candies seem like they would be low in calories, but the issue is that many people eat more than one serving of fun sized candy because it so small. It can be so easy to grab a couple handfuls or some snack sized bars from the table, and it does add up fast since there is a lot of sugar in these items! I wanted to do something fun today and compare the amount of calories in popular halloween candy to how long it would take you to burn those candy calories off. Lets get started with some of the most popular Halloween candies!

What are the calorie counts of the most popular Halloween candies?

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup (1 package, 2 prices, 1.5 oz):  
Calories: 210
Sugar: 21 grams

To burn 2 pieces of Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, you would need to do 60 minutes of walking, 20 minutes of running, 29 minutes of swimming, or 66 minutes of weight lifting. 

Twix (1 package, 2 pieces, 1.7 oz):  
Calories: 250
Sugar: 17 grams

To burn 2 pieces of Twix, you would need to do 72 minutes of walking, 24 minutes of running, 34 minutes of swimming, or 76 minutes of weight lifting. 

M&M's Milk Chocolate (1.7 oz package):  
Calories: 240
Sugar: 21 grams


To burn of one 1.7 bag of M&M's Milk Chocolate, you would need to do 69 minutes of walking, 23 minutes of running, 33 minutes of swimming, or 79 minutes of weight lifting. 

Snickers Fun SizedBar (0.6 oz):  
Calories: 80
Sugar: 8.5 grams


To burn one fun sized Snickers bar, you would need to do 25 minutes of walking, 8 minutes of running, 11 minutes of swimming, or 25 minutes of weight lifting. 

Sour Patch Kids (56 g Bag):  
Calories: 200
Sugar: 35 grams


To burn a bag of Sour Patch Kids, you would need to do 23 minutes of walking, 19 minutes of running, 27 minutes of swimming, or 64 minutes of weight lifting. 

Skittles (1 Fun Sized Package):  
Calories: 61
Sugar: 11 grams

To burn a bag of fun sized Skittles, you would need to do 18 minutes of walking, 6 minutes of running, 9 minutes of swimming, or 19 minutes of weight lifting. 

York Peppermint Patty (1 piece):  
Calories: 140
Sugar: 25 grams
To burn a York Peppermint Patty, you would need to do 40 minutes of walking, 13 minutes of running, 19 minutes of swimming, or 45 minutes of weight lifting. 

How about other fun ways to burn off candy?

If you are not a fan of working out or the traditional exercises, here are some other ways to burn off some of that extra Halloween Candy.

• Vacuum the carpet for 30 minutes (~100 calories). 
• Raking leaves for 60 minutes (~250 calories).
• Going grocery shopping (as long as you aren't buying more Halloween candy!) and pushing the cart around for 45 minutes (~110 calories).
• Doing yard work for 15 minutes (~75 calories).
• Sing and dance like no one is watching for 15 minutes (~50 calories).
• Give a massage for 60 minutes (~210 calories).

Tips:

Exercises to burn off Halloween Candy

• Keep in mind that if you eat extra calories above your daily calorie amount, the workouts you do need to be extra as well in order to maintain your weight. 
• Remember that these exercises don't need to be done all in one day. You can break it up and do a little bit extra everyday. (Every little bit counts!) You are more likely to stick with the extra workout each day if you don't go overboard one day.
• When you do eat Halloween candy, try to limit yourself to the serving size that is listed. It is so easy to go overboard (trust me I know!), but your body will thank you for it. Halloween candy is not bad for you as long as you eat it in moderation. :) 

*Calorie Count of candies provided by Calorie King. Calories burned provided by My Fitness Pal and and Calorie King and are based on a 140 lb woman. Your actual calories burned will vary depending on your age, gender, and weight. If you are a male, you will burn more. You will also burn more if you are younger and are heavier than 140 lbs*

8 Tips for Staying Healthy While in College/Graduate School

My Personal 8 Tips to Staying Healthy While in College & Graduate School

It's already Fall :)  Halloween is coming up. Midterms are around the corner and you just got assigned another project. The last thing on your mind right now is exercising and eating healthy. However, when it comes down to it, staying healthy is just as important as writing your 20 pages essay for English Class.

Graduate school, and especially college is undoubtedly an exciting time. For many of us, this is the first time we are away from our homes. This is the first time we are given freedom. We are surrounded by people who are our age and working towards our future goal. I know for me personally, I was extremely excited to live somewhere else besides my home. Unfortunately, as many of you already know and are probably experience, college and graduate school is also an incredibly stressful time of our lives. Between the readings, essays, exams, and balancing a social life (because in college, yes there is always something to do), you can find yourself living an unhealthy lifestyle. 

So how does a student stay healthy while juggling the requirements of school and a social life?

It has taken me quite a bit of trial and error, but here are things that worked for me when it comes to staying healthy.

1.  Make Small Changes:

If you are used to one type of lifestyle, it can be tough to change your lifestyle all of a sudden. Because of this, I recommend making small goals each week that you know you can accomplish. For example, if you are someone who never goes to the gym, make it a goal to go to the gym 1x or 2x a week. This is a small, reachable goal. Once you reach your goal, you can increase the goal until you reach the level you want. I find this to be the best way to make changes because it guarantees a higher chance of success. If I were to start of with the goal of going to the gym 6x a week, I would most likely fail. This would lead to me being upset and giving up on my goal of being healthy. When small goals are made and you reach them, you will feel motivated to keep going.

2. Prioritize Your Goals:

This tip relates a bit to the last one in the sense that you must pick a few things to improve at a time. When you start a journey to being healthy, there is a temptation to go overboard and try to do everything at once. You'll want to start running, lifting weights, meal prepping, drinking kombucha.. This list goes on. There is a lot you can do, but realistically, you can only do a couple of things at once. Because of this, you need to prioritize which changes are the most important and doable for you at first. For example, if you want to increase you activity, you can make it a goal to take the stairs everywhere rather than the elevator. You could also make it a goal to walk around for 5 minutes for every hour you spend sitting and studying. (I personally love this tip as it breaks up my studying time and it helps me actually focus better on my studies!)  

3. Make Time For It:

I wish there was a way to avoid this, but there is no way to deny that exercise and eating healthy are likely to take up time. Before you panic though, I am not saying it will take up a lot of your time, but you must plan for it. I understand that being a student already comes with a heavy work load, but if you want to get healthy, you have to plan for it. From meal prepping to working out at the gym, these things require time upfront. However, you will reap rewards from these activities after. Meal prepping is done once or twice a week. After that, you will have food for the rest of the week and save yourself some money! Exercise will lead to you being more focused and energetic throughout the day which will help you with your studies. Long story short, do make some time for it, but you don't need to go crazy. 

4. Try HITT:
Besides running, HITT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts are one of my favorite ones to do. HITT is a short, but highly effective workout. HITT workouts range from very short (4 minutes) to longer ones and you can pick the one that fits your own schedule. The thing that makes HITT so effective is that fact that you must push your body to the near max while preforming the exercises. HITT is made to get your body sweating and your heart beating right away. I personally love to do HITT workouts throughout the day or in the morning as a way to kick start my body.

5. Try Eating More "Plant Based" Foods: 

We all know the importance of having a proper diet. A healthy diet allows our body to function properly and gives us the energy to go about our day. I am a big advocate for eating plant based. According to Wikipedia , 

"A plant based diet is a diet based on foods derived from plants, including vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, and fruits, but with few or no animal products." 

 know This could have different meaning for everyone, but for me, that means incorporating more vegetables, fruits, nuts, and plant proteins into my meals. Whenever I reach for a snack, I always for for a piece of fruit with a protein such as butters or buts. The fruit provides me with nutrients while the protein keeps me full. For my meals, I make sure to load up on veggies, making sure that they take up about half of my meal. A good way for me to achieve this is to blend my fruits and veggies. I can throw all my veggies and fruits into a blender and drink my plants! This is perfect for a student who is always on the go (like me!). On the side, I choose to eat some carbs such as pasta and a serving of plant protein such as beans or tofu.

6. Limit Your Caffeine Intake: 
Along with this, I am going to add: "Get Enough Sleep!" The lack of sleep is the one that I struggle the most on. When my schedule gets busy, sleep is almost always the first to go. When it comes to coffee though, the debate on whether it is good or bad for you is half and half. Coffee is known to increase your metabolism, improve your energy, and burn fat. However, caffeine also leads to a dependence on it which is not good. What is known though is that too much coffee is certainly not good your your health. Because of this, I recommend limiting yourself to 2 cups of it a day. If you find yourself needing more than 2 cups, you may need to look into your sleep habits and making sure are getting enough hours of ZZZZZZ each night.

Coffee can be helpful for a tired college student, but too much coffee is not healthy. Make sure you are getting enough sleep and not relying on coffee to get through your day.  

7. Forgive Yourself:

This tip has a couple meanings, but the main message to take away is that no one is perfect. We are humans and life sometimes gets in the way. If you had planned to wake up early to hit the gym before class on Monday before classes started, but hit the snooze button a couple times too much, don't fret too much about it. There are times where plans don't go the way we want and as long as it doesn't become a frequent thing, it won't matter in the long run. The same can be said with your diet. You've been eating clean for weeks and all of a sudden, you go out with your friends and you have fries and a milkshake. It's not the end of the world! You had fun (which is 100% allowed) and got to spend time with your friends. The thing that matters now is that you get back on track after the meal.

8. Do It Your Way:

There is no one or right way to get fit. We are all different with different needs and different responsibilities. When it comes to exercise, find what you enjoy and stick with it. Some people may prefer high impact workouts like running (me!) while others like low impact yoga. Some people may like to work out alone while other perform their best in group classes. A example of this that I struggled with before was the idea that "You need to workout in the morning." I tried this tip and while it made sense for some things such as running (running outside at 6am vs. 9pm at night in the dark), it did not make the most sense for workouts such as the gym. I find myself more productive, less drowsy, and stronger when I worked out during the evening or at night vs. the crack of dawn.  My body just could not wake up. Now I will still wake up to run in the morning for safety reasons, but whenever it's a gym day, I save that for later in the day and I allow myself to get some extra (much needed) sleep!

While studying is important as a student, taking care of your body and making sure you are healthy is equally as important. 

Looking Back on my Blog~

Hey guys! I know I've been gone for a while (over a year in fact!), but I have been just busy with life and questioning if I should return to blogging. It wasn't until recently though when a few of my readers emailed me with questions/comments that I really thought about my blog again. It's crazy for me to think that people actually read my blog, have questions and even just praise for me. I've been gone so long that I thought my blog was forgotten about, but I'm glad to know that isn't completely true. I took a look back on all my post this past week and I honestly was amazed at the flood of memories that came to me as I read each post and saw my photos. I felt as if those memories were just not so long ago, but at the same time so long ago. It's been about two years since I've seriously blogged and while that doesn't seem that long in terms of time, I feel as if I have changed tremendously since then.. those changes largely having to do with college.. It really feels like a different world here than back at home despite not even being that far from home!
I started blogging all the way back during my sophomore year. At that time in my life, I had loads of free time on my hands and wanted something to do which is why I decided to write my own blog! Throughout high school though, times got stressful for me and soon blogging became a way for me to relax and gave me a way to have time to myself. I enjoyed writing my post and putting my thoughts down onto something. I think a lot.. My brain is always thinking and writing it down helped ease my brain. At the same time, my blog was slowly gaining attention and growing in readers which was a great thing. I did begin to feel some pressure to post better content/more frequently and while it wasn't bad, I was not able to keep up with it once college started. Everything was new in my life once college started and I wanted to enjoy it. Blogging took a back seat and there were times where I would think about writing a post, but chose not to due to a variety of factors such as "pressure to write more," "making the post interesting so people will read," and other excuses. I'm thinking now and I do miss blogging a lot. I miss having a place to write things down, a place to share my ideas, share my experiences, and a place to connect with others. I am planning to start writing a few post here and there again, but probably with different content than before. I'm excited to share with whoever is still reading experiences, ideas, and advice that I have. If no one is still reading, I still may post honestly. As I said before, blogging turned out in a way to be a stress reliever for me and I'm hoping it will help me deal with my college/exam stress that is coming up haha! =)
Now for the fun part of my post.. I've included some photos from 2016 to now that I wanted to share. They are just little snippets of what have been going on with me!  Enjoy =)

This photo is from Chinese New Year! I am here with my mommy and we are enjoying dinner at a restaurant. It was a great night and I greatly enjoyed being away from campus for a little bit! 

These were some pictures I took that I found adorable.
The first is a squirrel in the middle of snow! This year's winter has been "on and off" so I bet all the animals were confused.
The second is absolutely beautiful and I couldn't believe I captured it with my phone. The snow flakes that day were perfect flakes.
The last two photos are from right before spring break! I took a trip to the beach and there I walked my boyfriend's dog as he hung with his friends.. (I personally prefer animals over humans...!)

A picture from Valentine's Day! Call us crazy, but my boyfriend and I went to New York for the day to celebrate! We got up at 7 and drove 3 hours to get there.. Our destination, a hot pot buffet followed by walking around in China town and shopping! It was an amazing adventure <3. 

These pictures are just some funny/cute things that I've encountered this past year. The first is a creative bunny sculpture made from food that I saw in the dining hall. The second photo is from my Valentine's trip to NY. During our exploring, we discovered a store that was selling the cutest items including this set of adorable "lover's" cup. My third photo is from a club/volunteering group. One of the kids that I was working with made this scary magpie with a bunch of eyes. He thought it was scary, but to me, I thought it was the funniest, cutest bird ever! I mean just look at it! 

My last set of photos are from spring break! The first is me (I'm sure I look different from last year..!) on the train towards NY. I was trying to keep myself entertained by messing with my hair and lots of snapchat filters. The last photo is a delicious homemade green tea matcha cake made by my cousin! All I can is that it was DELICIOUS and way better than anything you get from the store. I actually am craving it now as I am typing! 

Even looking back on these pictures, there's so much fun memories that I have already had this year! Crazy to think that it is April! I have less than a month less till finals and then after the exams, freedom from anything academic! I can't wait! I hopefully will be blogging ~ once a week or so from now on. Writing this post was relaxing for me and I miss reading other's blogs! In my down time, I will be going around and seeing what everyone has been up to the last year! Take care~

Cash Cash + Throwback OOTD

Happy Belated Valentines Day everyone!! I hope you guys all had a wonderful day yesterday filled with love whether that would be with your family, friends, or significant other! For me, I had a simple night in filled with tv, candy, and happiness! Tonight my bf and I are going out to eat to celebrate Valentines! (restaurants were booked last night haha!) I am hoping to be able to do a fun little "Valentines day post" next week!

As I am slowly trying to ease blogging back into my life as I go to school, I have been craving to do outfit post again. However, it's really hard to find not only the time and place to shoot pictures especially with living in a dorm! These following picture were from the summer, weeks before I started college! It's crazy how fast the time has past!

So as you can clearly tell, it is not winter when these photos were taken! I could actually see the ground haha! (I haven't seen clean ground or grass in weeks!) I cannot wait for it to be just a bit warmer again so I can stop wearing my big poofy coat and break out my dresses and skirts! I think the weather right now has been making me quite tired along with everything that is going on. I am much more involved this semester (volunteering and a job) and while my classes aren't killer, I find myself feeling sleepy and having a short fuse. 

I'm very fortunate though to have a single!! It does get lonely at times and while I miss my old roommate, coming back to an empty room after a long day is the best feeling! I'm not going to lie though, now that I have the whole room, my room has gotten extremely messy. I guess I gave up trying to be neat for my roommate! 

For my throwback outfit post today, I am wearing quite the colorful outfit! I have on a bright orange crop top that I got a while ago. I don't find myself wearing crop tops often, but when I do, I like to pair it with something high waisted. The thought of showing my belly with an outfit isn't what I am used too. I like for my belly button to be covered haha! For my skirt, I have chosen a dark blue high low skirt that I got a while ago. This skirt is one of my favorites since it has something that my other skirts don't have- pockets! Yes pockets are so useful and appreciated to me! These pockets are located in the perfect place for me to put my hands into.

For my jewelry, I opted to wear a necklace that I had made a while ago in my jewelry class. The necklace is made of gold hoops linked together with green beads. For my earrings, I found this cute pair in my closet. The earring is also a gold colored flower with a pearl on the bottom. For my shoes, I have on some tan colored flip flops! 

Crop Top- Wetseal

Woven Mini Skirt- Forever 21 or Dresshead

Necklace- Made by me! 

Earrings- Similar @ Kohls

Flip Flops- Forever 21

In other news, our school hosted a Winter White concert for us and Cash Cash came!! I had decided not to go, but last minute, I wanted to go! This resulted in an overpriced ticket, but pretty worth it in the end I felt! 

Are you guys over winter as of now?

How was your Valentine's Day?

Are you a fan of Cash Cash?