When Nature Attacks

This morning I woke up to sunshine and blue sky. I was so excited to get out and enjoy the weather so I headed to the Rose Bowl for a run.

One of the things that I love most about running at the Rose Bowl is the greenery- it is such a lovely setting!

I started out with a lot of energy and optimism but shortly into my run, the wonderful bushes and trees that I enjoy so much became my nemesis! Even though I had taken some allergy medicine before leaving my house, I was having a major attack. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't swallow and I felt like my head was in a vice!

After trying to power through for a mile or so, I gave up and wheezed and walked my way around the rest of the loop.

I was so disappointed to have my allergies interfere with my enjoyment of a beautiful Saturday.

Today's Question: Do you have seasonal allergies? If so, how do you keep them under control when exercising outdoors?

Year of the Rabbit

This Saturday was great weather so I started my day by going for a run at the Rose Bowl. After such a tiresome week it felt great to get out and get active again.

After my run, my husband and I decided to try something new. Even though we live less than ten miles away, my husband and I had never spent time in Chinatown.

So we went joined a group of fellow curious Los Angelenos and headed to the Chinese New Year Parade.

We started the day at Empress Pavilion for dim sum. We were dim sum first timers and loved the experiential dining and family style meal. Although, I really don't know exactly what I ate!

Chinatown was full of activity and we had a lot of fun exploring the shops and checking out some peformances.

Then we settled down to watch the parade which was full of dragons, martial arts, and music.

It was really fun to check out a different area of the city and have a new cultural experience.

Sunday was beautiful and sunny so we headed to Santa Monica Beach to get some fresh air and exercise. We walked up and down the bike trail, enjoying the view and working on our tans. Some days I love living in Southern California!

Today's Question: What new cultural experiences have you tried recently?

Week In Review

So far Spring is shaping up to be busy for me. Very busy. Which is why I've been MIA. Here is a look at what I've been up to over the past week.

Last Saturday was so beautiful! I went to a morning information session for Team in Training after being so inspired by Tina from Carrots N Cake. One of my New Year's resolutions is to run a half marathon and I am thinking of joining up with Team in Training. I love that they are so motivational and that the run is dedicated to raising money for a wonderful cause. I would love feedback from anyone who has trained with them.


After the meeting my husband and I enjoyed the weather by having lunch on the patio at Katsuya. I had a veggie hand roll. And then I had another! It was delicious and really relaxing way to spend our Saturday!

On Sunday our friends Kelsey and Andrew were down visiting from Berkeley so we met them for the day at Disneyland. The day started out chilly.

 

And then got rainy so I ditched my cute floral sweater for a more weather-resistant ensemble.

Even with the rain we had a great time channeling our inner kid and riding all of the rides! Plus, it was wonderful to see our friends!

This week was really busy at work and my workout schedule definitely suffered. I just could not find my motivation! Instead, I focused on eating some really delicious food to fuel my work week!

I made this Corn, Pepper, Jack Risotto which was hearty and filling with a nice spicy flavor:

I also had the most amazing salad ever at a vegetarian healthy eating restaurant in Orange County.

It was full of romaine lettuce, tomato, corn, carrot, quinoa, tempeh, veggie steak and topped off with papaya vinaigrette. It was a veggie dream and a perfect answer to anyone who is disbelieving that healthy vegetarian fare can be flavorful and filling. I can't wait to go back soon!

Today's Question: How do you keep your workout schedule intact when work gets busy?