i've never considered myself athletic. i've gone through phases of playing tennis, hiking, doing yoga, or biking quite a bit but nothing's ever really stuck. life happens and i get out of the habit or routine of staying fit and then i get to the point that i feel so out of shape i'm too scared to even attempt anything physically challenging because i'm afraid i'll keel over and die if i do. which is pretty sad considering i'm only 21 years old. 

 i've also noticed that when i'm lacking in the exercise department i'm lacking in the eating healthy department. i've always prefered real, nutritious, freaky-healthy, organic foods over fast food or most junk food for my meals but my biggest challenge is when it comes to dessert. my sweet tooth just may be the downfall of my life. if i could i would fully support eating ice cream for breakfast, lunch and dinner. unfortunately that's just not the way it works if you don't want to be in a constant sugar coma. 

 i've also come to learn in my wise-old-age of 21 that if i try to cut out sweets completely it only lasts so long until i'm waist deep in a pile of chocolate wrappers. we're told everywhere that the whole deprivation thing isn't the best way go in the attempt at a healthy lifestyle, but i guess that's just something i've had to learn firsthand.

 so here's the point i'm getting to...i'm usually anti-scale but when i felt my jeans getting a bit snugger and my attitude getting a bit blah-er, i took the plunge and weighed myself. i was pretty bummed about the results but i think a reality check was just the wake-up call i needed to change some of my habits.

 it's been a slow process for the last couple of weeks but here are a few changes i've made and i'm already feeling so much better about life in general...

 1. i started running.
sounds awful, right? well i've learned that it's not as bad as you'd think it would be. i've learned to actually like waking up 30 mins earlier a few times a week because i've felt much more refreshed and energized on those days. it's been fun to feel myself getting better and stronger every time i go. i've loved exploring the town i live in. it's a nice for me to really just have time to think about life. and to listen-i mean really listen-to some of my favorite music. plus it's always been on my bucket list to run a half marathon and i finally feel like it's something i could do, so i signed up for the halloween half marathon! i'm pretty nervous about it, but more than anything excited to get all dressed up in a halloween outfit and run down provo canyon! plus i've gotten my brother and a couple friends to also sign up so it's been fun to train with them and talk to them about it.

2. i started juicing.
my mom's been on all sorts of juice fasts/cleanses and i've always been very skeptical about it, but now i am officially converted to the art of juicing. our friends austin and kerry have done it a bit which was what got me interested in it at first. then my mom had a spare juicer that she offered to me and nicolaus. but what really convinced me to try it was watching the documentary on netflix called fat, sick and nearly dead. (we don't have free cable in our new apartment so i've spent a lot less time watching the kardashians and a lot more time watching documentaries on juicing, organic farming, andy warhol, the grateful dead etc. so i think the whole cable-free thing has been for the best.) sooo, nicolaus and i have been juicing (almost) every morning for breakfast for the last few weeks and it's been great! it's crazy how much better/more energized i feel. it's also crazy that our juices actually tastes good even though they have kale, spinach, wheat grass, kale, beets, ginger...but we always add some sort of fruits like apples, pears, watermelon, peaches...we have a really good recipe book for juices, but we usually just make it up as we go. it's been fun buying random fruits and veggies that i'd usually overlook in the grocery store and experiment with all the different flavors. i've also noticed that the more i eat healthy the healthier i want to eat. this doesn't mean i've completely given up sweets, but i'm just learning to be a whole lot better about moderation.

 also, if you don't have a juicer, but want to try some juice recipes click here for some good ones that only require a blender.


3. i got a pass to the quarry.
i've been learning to rock climb this summer and even though i'm still not very good at it i love doing it. it's such a fun hobby for me and it's so fun to get out and go adventuring with friends in the mountains. and there's no feeling like reaching the top of the climb that you thought would for sure be impossible for you. so when nicolaus and i heard that the quarry was having a special and we could sign up for passes with out paying a start-up fee we jumped on it and signed up. climbing in the gym is a lot different than outdoor but i like it a lot too. it's very hassle-free and easy to just go at nights after class when it's already dark outside. plus i really feel like i can learn good technique there and get stronger/better quicker. kerry, austin, jake & ashley all have passes too so it's a fun to go with everyone. pluuus they have awesome yoga classes there which is one of my very favorite things to do. it's been really cool to develop a hobby that's a good workout too because i'm not a big fan of the gym and i just feel like i'm having fun and it doesn't even feel like exercise!

 i stole this photo from kerry's blog. it's from the camping/climbing trip we went on over the weekend that i'll to post all about once i get my film developed :)