After a whirlwind of a week last week, I must admit that it’s a little bittersweet getting back into the swing of things. Wednesday through Saturday were some of the best days of my life, and those memories will be tucked away in an extra special part of my brain forever.
Workout
That being said, I still managed to get my adrenaline pumping this morning with an awesome workout! To start, I completed five rounds of ZWOW #14. I capped my workout off with two rounds of the Tone It Up Bikini Bootcamp workout. After that, my biceps and thighs felt like absolute jelly, so I cooled it down with some deep stretching. I rocked my new Reebok gear that I received at #RBKFITBLOG and felt pretty bad ass. 
Photo courtesy of Cait!
The rest of the day was spent catching up on blog-related tasks, including an interview and many, many, many emails. This morning, it looked like my inbox threw up on itself but now that it’s trimmed down, I can breathe a huge sigh of relief.
Lunch
I broke for lunch after a few hours of work and made my LeanCleanGreen salad. Mmm mmm mmm. The combination of the fresh lime juice and avocado seriously wins me over. I could eat this salad every day. Apparently, I was really involved in my work because I totally forgot to snap a picture of said lunch! Enter recycled photo.
Luckily, today’s salad looked virtually identical to the above salad so, I can assure you that you’re not missing out on anything.
Dinner
So many of my recipes come as a result of happenstance – a fortunate accident of sorts. Tonight’s was no different; and so balsamic-glazed quinoa came to be.
I was craving another salad with avocado and pondered for a minute over what to do for a satiating protein source. I boiled one serving of quinoa for about 11 minutes on medium heat before adding the following to it:
- 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. raw agave nectar
- 1 tsp. spicy brown mustard
- black pepper to taste
The result was pretty amazing, guys. Served over romaine and topped with (slightly browned – whoops!) avocado and sliced red peppers, it was another home run salad. You hear me, Kelly Olexa?!
Food + Fitness Does Not Equal Happiness
On Saturday evening, I had the sheer pleasure of going out with two fellow Tone It Up sisters: Jenn and Jenny! We’ve been Twitter buddies for awhile now and were so excited to finally meet each other in person. Well, my friends, sisters is officially what we’ve become.
Me, Jenn, Jenny
We talked from the second we saw each other until the second we said goodbye. There might have been a nano-second of silence the entire time. I drank some pinot (some being the operative word, here…that glass was huge!)
and ate some phenomenal food: collard greens with garlic and a hearts of palm burger with sweet potato fries.
Thank you, Garden Grille, for yet another fabulous meal! While the food was phenomenal, the company was even better. That is a message I’ve truly taken away this past week. It’s crazy how just a few days can really alter your outlook on a particular aspect of your life. I write a healthy living blog and talk largely about food and fitness. This sort of talk will be commonplace throughout my life, as it is the base of my career. That being said, it isn’t the heart of what truly matters. This is something we all know deep down but, sometimes, there are specific moments in time that make us realize the true heart of the matter.
Jenn, Jenny, and I met through Tone It Up (thank you, K&K!). We met through a little spot in cyber space whose roots are intertwined in food and fitness; a world where so many women hate the bodies they have and want to change them. Throughout our entire dinner, not once did I think about food and fitness. I was simply in awe at how amazing my new friends were, how we laughed at the same things (practically until we cried), and bonded like true sisters. Food was the backdrop to our newfound friendship.
I thought back to that morning when Cait, Matty, and I went to Wildflour. Cait and Matty talked each other’s ears off about books and various other things they have in common. That night, Matty told me, “She is awesome.” I can’t really argue with him there. It’s moments like these that make me feel truly alive.
Two book nerds.
I love when candid moments are captured and immediately transport you back to that one moment in time. Prior emotions rush through your body and all you can do is smile, whether those emotions are gratitude, peacefulness, pure love, or a combination of all three.
Food and fitness are essential to being healthy but true health comes from a synergy of food, fitness, and, most importantly, building lasting relationships with people that bring out the best in you. Last week’s events – every single one of them – did just that. So, hug your loved ones extra tight tonight and thank them for shaping you into who you’ve become, bringing joy to your life, and making your life complete…because they, unlike food and fitness, are anything but a backdrop to your life.
Stay lovely,
Heather
The winner of the FITNESS swag giveaway is Tonia. Congrats, girl! Email your name and address to heather@fortheloveofkale.com!
What a beautiful post – I feel, as bloggers, sometimes we lose sight of the bigger picture. Words like these make me feel so grateful and hopeful for our generation!!
It’s so easy to get caught up in our little bubble but in reality, there’s so much more out there! Here’s to hope.
Aw, what a fantastic post! Really enjoyed it, thank you for writing
I love the last paragraph – you’re so uplifting!
Thank you, Angela! I’m so happy you enjoyed it.
Such a sweet post!
Truly goes to show that if you follow what you love, you’ll meet the right people to support you along the way!
Amen sister!
amazing post!!!
those are friendships that I treasure!
love meeting new people that inspire me in such a different way
hugs
~Lori
Thank you so much, Lori! Means so much to me coming from you. Couldn’t agree with you more.:-)
ahhh this makes me so so happy
Beautiful pictures and beautiful friendships <3 I am so happy for you
Seeing your beautiful comments again makes me smile. Missed you, girl!
thank you for this wonderful post! I definitely agree that it’s best to not get fixated on health and fitness.
Beautiful post and it is so, so true. There are so many things in life that equal happiness, not just one or two things! <3
Truly beautiful post. Such a refreshing concept, one we don’t see as much as food and fitness related posts, however, in my opinion, even more important. I love your shirt in the last few photos!
SO cute
Your last line really sums it up – there has to be a synergy of all the components of a healthy life for someone to even begin reaping the benefits of food and fitness. The last year I struggled with depression and not really feeling fulfilled with life in general – all of the veggies and running I was relying on to “make me feel better” didn’t do a lick of good. Now that I’m starting to re-align the non-food aspects, I’m feeling more “wholly healthy”.
This is the perfect example of what I was talking about, Faith. You’re LIVING it! Amazing. <3 xoxo
Such a lovely post! It’s all about balance and all about harmony
.
Side note – I love that you are incorporating ZWOWs into your routine and because of you, I am going to give her workouts a try too! They sure seem intimidating but your inspirational posts tell me to give it a go!
Yeah, girl! You can do it – they’re so empowering!
Food and fitness are a small small part of the happiness equation. A big part of the health equation, which is only a part of happiness as a whole…in my humble opinion
PS – I want your hair!
Such a beautiful post my friend. Fitness and nutrition are important, but friends and family are truly the best blessings in life. So glad you have made such strong friendships from blogs. Amazing.
Thank you, sweetness! <3 You’re wonderful.
Congrats to Tonia! I am just now getting a chance to read this post. It makes me so, so happy <3 you seriously turn me sappier every day and I kindasorta love it. The Garden Grille meal looks fab. MUST try that burger next time. But there is SO MUCH to choose from! Glad you enjoyed your pinot – that IS a nice serving, haha! You 3 girls look so gorgeous. I'm glad you had a great time. I agree, the new friends I've made through blogging are amazing and whenever I stop and think about it, I can hardly believe it!
Wow, ZWOW #14 workout was awesome! Thanks for the recommendation! I am impressed that you did two rounds of the boot camp after that!
You’re welcome, Nick! So glad you enjoyed it.