the importance of variety [and a cheat day].

i've been doing a lot of researching lately about new exercise regimes and healthy recipes to incorporate into my diet. the number one tip that's really resonated with me has to do with varying exercise routines in order to engage new muscles and burn fat. i never really thought about things like going to the gym or trying new workouts when i was in high school, and in college the only new thing i really tried was the elliptical...at an incline and resistance of 1 since i was too afraid to get too bulky...lame! 

now, i've been focusing on adding free weights, new machines and new exercises targeting certain "problem areas" at the gym as well as trying new dance classes! let me tell you, dancing for an hour in heels will make you feel things in your legs you never even knew existed. try it. i also happened to return to my all-time favorite non-dancing workout: Hot Power Fusion yoga at CorePower in Sherman Oaks. i thought for a second that they cancelled today's class and i legitimately almost screamed. that class is my equivalent of a spa day...and a workout all in one. perfection.

my favorite websites to go to for inspiration are of course pinterest in the fitness section, FitSugar, which posts all kinds of awesome health tips and the occasional workout video, poppilates videos here, and some other videos here.

aaaand in case any of you were wondering, my favorite dance classes as of late look a little something like this:

next on my list? a pole dancing class. seriously. i hear it works your body like crazy!

buuuut another super important part of maintaining variety, is allowing yourself to let go a little. so, to you i present the ultimate sweet-tooth breakfast: 1/2 s'mores pancakes and 1/2 peanut butter banana oreo pancakes courtesy of Bea Bea's in Burbank, CA.

LIFE.

tomorrow i'm heading home to new york to see my family and friends and then on to north carolina for vacation!!!!!! i'm so, so, SO beyond excited =D

xo jordan

weekend realizations.

happy monday, everybody! i hope you all had wonderful weekends, as i know i did. even though i've had work the past 3 days, i managed to squeeze in some time with friends, at the gym, and in the kitchen. here's what i realized in the process:

1. as much as i want to try and reduce my dairy intake for moral and health reasons, nothing beats an egg with cheese + two pieces of ezekiel cinnamon raisin toast with butter. truth.

2. if you do not get enough sleep for a week and consume enough nutrients, you will get sick. and lose your voice...which may seem raspy and sexy at first, but is really just annoying and painful.

3. it is okay to have frozen yogurt for dinner if you've been "good" the past few days, it makes your throat (& heart) feel better, and tastes just plain awesome. 

half peanut butter, half cookies and cream with cookie dough and crushed reese's. O-M-G.

4. dining al fresco with friends never gets old.

grilled ono tacos with french fries in old bay seasoning. yum!

5. i really do love trader joe's.

6. being nice to people pays off and is good karma. i scored a free bag of sunflower seeds at TJ's this morning because i was short a dollar and asked him if it were possible to take it away...he said absolutely and gave it to me anyway since he didn't want me "worrying about that stuff." so sweet.

7. i love my life. i seriously think dancers have the most fun lives ever. i mean, who else gets to dress up like it's halloween everyday and dance it out for a living?! no one. :)

until next time!

xo jordan

the life of a busy bee. [& my one year anniversary with LA!]

TGI-almost thursday. beeecaaaaauuuuse i can now finally sleep past 7:30!!!! i know, i'm such a baby. most people my age, or older...or younger...have to wake up much earlier than that to make it to work or school on time, but for those of us struggling artists here in hollywood, 7:30am is a time we rarely see on our clocks. let's face it, we work night jobs that get us more tips and the only times we really have to wake up earlier than noon are for auditions. as for me, i ordinarily only sleep until 8:30 or so, but the hour really makes a difference. i promise.

what i've been up to the past three days has been working downtown for LA Market/Fashion Week in a showroom that sells activewear apparel. i was sort of doing a cross between modeling and personal assisting, but whatever it was, it was awesome. fashion has always been a huge passion of mine, not to mention clothes i can dance, hike or do yoga in, but i haven't ever really been able to experience the fashion industry...aside from things i'd heard from my mother or cousin who work(ed) in fashion. 

in any case, i've been working downtown from 9am-4pm and then running straight to work on the west side from 5pm-11pm. so one can only imagine how all this running affected my eating...

these ziplocs of dried cranberries and almonds + oatmeal to go (prepared the night before with almond coconut milk and a sliced banana in the morning) + coffee in my thermos + a zbar for a snack have been saving my life.

in the midst of all the busy bee madness, however, i have managed to shovel in a few real nutrients and salad! 'cause ya know, i'm participating in the june salad-a-day challenge and all. basically, for me to enjoy a salad, all i need is to know that it contains one or all of the following:

avocado.

smoked salmon.

goat cheese.

a fruit.

or a veggie burger patty.

SO GOOD. i kid you not. 

in other news, it just so happens to be my one year anniversary with LA and to quote a fabulously talented and adorable singer who is also one of my role-models, "you can travel the world, but nothing comes close to the golden coast " :) 

weekend recap & the june salad-a-day challenge.

wanna know what i love about mondays? 

they're like this constant reminder to get back on track. and after a weekend filled with way too many painful hours of work, not enough protein and more baked goods than any person should eat in a month, today's monday motivation was more than welcome. 

aside from all the working, i did manage to squeeze in some quality time with friends and try some tasty foods. friday night i met up with my friend robin for dinner at a cafe near our apartments called Crave. i'd been there once before with connor (the day after i got back from the ship!) and remembered their amazing caprese salad. despite all the other delicious sounding sandwiches and even breakfast plates, since they serve them 24 hours a day, i wanted to stick with a salad in keeping with the june salad-a-day challenge! more on that later...

dinner was absolutely delightful, but even more so was my first trip ever to Krispy Kreme to celebrate National Donut Day!! 

what, did you think i wasn't going to celebrate this ridiculously important holiday even though i'm trying to eat a salad a day? please. look at the title of this blog.

let's skip to sunday when i went to meet up with one of my best friends, jordan, who's here for the next few months trying out LA life. she's currently living in Venice in one of the nicest neighborhoods ever - here, let me prove it to you...

cutest ever. well, we kind of had an indulgent girl's night and went with these awesome pretzel cheeseburgers...

...and two different desserts that were eaten while watching hours of Girls and far too quickly to snap a picture. needless to say, i don't regret a second of it, mostly because today is Monday and i managed to get myself back on track with a sweaty trip to the gym, some fresh veggies, lots of fresh fruit and several spoonfuls of peanut butter.

now, back to the salad-a-day challenge - it was angela's idea over at Oh She Glows and i think it's pretty brilliant. nothing fancy, just a little contest with yourself to stick with eating one salad a day. it's not so much to ask really, i used to have a salad a day when i first moved out here, but i think i got a little sick of them. good thing there are about a million food blogs and recipe sites for me to investigate and find salad inspiration :) you should join us! i think we'll all start to feel more energized, healthy and happy soon.

xo jordan