Pinterest Fitness Myths

 

Since I've been trying to get back on that fitness grind, I've been frequenting the Health and Fitness section of Pinterest once again.

While a lot of these pins are helpful or motivational, a lot of them contain "facts" that are just plain false.

Here are some of the worst perpetrators. *These are all factually inaccurate!*

 

That does not burn 100 calories. If an intense 20-minute Jillian Michaels video only burns about 170, there's no way this can be true.

 

This is all kinds of wrong. The whole 3500 calories = 1 pound is not always true because of body type/metabolism, etc. It's different for everyone. And #2-4 are just not factual. It would take less than 20 minutes to do 1000 jumping jacks. That's not going to make you lose a pound. 

 

You can burn fat at any point during a workout...the whole 30-minute theory is bonkers.

 

I've never tried this, so I can't say for sure that it's a myth. But it goes against my main philosophy for weight loss (moderation!). I don't think you should have to give up anything completely. Plus, even if you did completely give up sugar for a month, that doesn't mean you're going to give up cheese, bread, and french fries. It's all about moderation, friends. No "magic formula" is going to give you a "bikini ready body."

 To me, this is a myth. Losing weight (not "loosing" by the way) helps you feel stronger and more beautiful. But it's not going to make your life 100% better or make all your dreams come true.

___________________________________________

As I said, Pinterest is an amazing resource for fitness tips. Just don't believe everything you read! And pin with a critical eye!

-Ellen

2014: Back in Action

As the last few days of 2013 approach, I'm starting to look back on my accomplishments and shortcomings.

One major achievement to be proud of is my loss of (give or take) 15 pounds this year! So far I'm 5 goals down and 2 to go (see photo below).

However, I do wish that I would've been more consistent with my fitness level. I tended to lose weight by exercising a little, not eating much, taking long breaks from exercising, and doing weird erratic things like that.

As I made my list of resolutions for 2014, I made it my goal to lose another 10-15 pounds this year. (That will get me to my goal weight!) But I hope to be much more consistent this time and not as crazy and sporadic.

Also, I'm going on a tropical spring break trip with some of my friends, so I wanna look my best for that.

Because of my excessive holiday eating/laziness, I decided to start on this resolution early. Today, I re-started Jillian's 30 Day Shred. It's amazing how taking time off from exercising can set you back SO MUCH on your fitness level. This 20-minute workout made me feel totally exhausted. That's crazy! I really need to get back in gear with my health.

Soon, I'd like to add extra cardio and possibly extra strength work to the 30DS. 

I plan on making a motivation board this weekend to hang in my room at school. I also created a calendar of dinner plans for January and I need to make an exercise plan as well.

Wish me luck on Part II of my fitness adventure! :)

-Ellen

Halloween Food '13!

Halloween Questionnaire

1. Do you / does your family celebrate Halloween? If no, for what reason?
Yes! We love Halloween. We've always gone to fall festivals and haunted houses, decorated our house, and handed out candy to trick-or-treaters. It's the best.

2. Are you attracted to spooky & macabre things naturally? 
Yes! I'm a big fan of scary movies and the supernatural in general.

3. What has been your favorite costume you have ever worn? 
There have been quite a few great ones. But this one tops the list:

I'm the waffle.

4. At what age did you / do you plan to stop trick-or-treating, or participating in Halloween at all? 
I think the last time I went was in 8th grade. But I will ALWAYS participate in Halloween!!

5. Do you feel like less & less people participate in Halloween nowadays compared to when you were a kid? 
In my neighborhood, yes. Because most of the kids are grown up now. But in general, I think the holiday is growing every year!

6. Have you ever bobbed for apples? Were you successful? 
Yep. My record was less than 1.5 seconds.

7. Hypothetically speaking, if you had a child [too young to make their own decisions], what would you dress him / her up as? 
This is a very big decision. I can't wait to make my future baby's first Halloween costume. Maybe a baked potato.

8. Do you intend to take your children trick-or-treating, if ever you have any? 
.....YES.

9. What is the coolest jack-o-lantern you have ever seen? 
I've seen some of Ray Villafane's in person at the state fair. Like this one:

So cool!

10. What did you usually use to collect your candy in? 
A pillowcase.

11. Were there any creepy houses that you refused to go to, or weren’t allowed to go? 
There was one especially scary house in our neighborhood. It was AMAZING. Plus, they gave us a ton of candy, a can of soda, and a toy every year.

12. What was your favorite candy to get? What about your least favorite? 
Anything full-size. And I loved getting Twix bars!

13. Did you ever receive anything that wasn’t candy? 
One house gave out glow sticks every year. Other than that, I've gotten soda, toys, goodie bags, and, once, a Beanie Baby.

14. Have you ever been to a Halloween costume party? 
Maybe a few.

15. Are you good at carving pumpkins?
I can do the easier patterns! I love it!

 
16. Have you ever carved a really extensive pumpkin, or were they always simple carvings? 
That Tigger one was probably the hardest I've done!

17. Did you ever go on hayrides as a kid? 
Yep! We went to the Headless Horseman festival every year for the haunted hayride.

18. What has so far been your greatest Halloween experience? 
Impossible to say. One of the most fun Halloween memories I have was scaring trick-or-treaters with a big group of my friends in high school. We had dummies all over the yard, but one was really a person who'd jump up and scare the little kids!

19. Have you ever encountered a house with a bucket of candy outside on their porch with a sign saying only to take a certain amount each? If so, did you take more than it said? If not, would you take more than it said if you did see such a thing? 
Only empty buckets!

20. What is your favorite Halloween / horror movie? 
So hard to choose. Non-scary favorites are Nightmare and Hocus Pocus. Scary favorites are probably Halloween and Friday the 13th.

21. Has anything ever scared you on Halloween? 
Josh once jumped out of the darkness in my garage after a scary movie and Halloween bonfire.

22. Are you more interested in cute, funny, “sexy”, or scary costumes? 
All of the above :) I like clever costumes.

23. Have you, or anyone you know, dressed as a Harry Potter character? 
Nope. Only for homecoming week.

24. What color do you most relate to Halloween?
Orange. Black. Purple and green.

25. Have you ever been through a corn maze? Was it difficult & / or scary?
Every year :) So fun!

Monster House

Our house needed a Halloween costume, so it got one:

 

 I also made some paper chains out of orange and black construction paper. And I cut out some bats from black posterboard and taped them around the house.

More decorations to come :)

Pecan Cookies with Praline Frosting!

This cookie has turned into a fall tradition for me. They're my boyfriend's favorite, and they are full of yummy fall flavors! Ladies and gents, I implore you to bake up a batch of these. They're sugary, creamy, nutty, and delicious.

Here's the link to the original recipe!

Pecan Praline Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup finely chopped pecans
Brown Sugar Frosting (see below)
Pecan halves for garnish

"In a large mixing bowl, beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer. Gradually add sugars, mixing well. Add egg and vanilla; beat well.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, soda and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture, stirring after each addition. Stir in the chopped pecans.

Chill dough for 30 minutes.

When chilled, remove from the refrigerator. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place the balls of dough on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

When cool, spread Brown Sugar Frosting over the tops of the cookies. Top each with a pecan half before the icing sets.

Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Brown Sugar Frosting

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup half & half
1 Tablespoon butter
1½ cups sifted powdered sugar (plus a little more if needed)

Combine brown sugar and half & half in a saucepan.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil 4 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in butter. Add 1½ cups powdered sugar. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add a little more powdered sugar, if needed, to achieve a desired spreading consistency"

It's October! Time to decorate...

October 1st is one of my favorite days of the year! It means my favorite month, leading up to my favorite holiday, has arrived at last!

My October 1st traditions include: Putting up most of my decorations, listening to Halloween music, drinking cider, baking those Pillsbury pumpkin sugar cookies, and watching The Nightmare Before Christmas. I also went to Target to buy some candy for my Halloween candy jars, black and green light bulbs, batteries, and a few other Halloween essentials :)

Here are some photos from my decorating sesh yesterday:

 

The hook on our ceiling was perfect for this guy! (Which I got on Nov. 1st last year for under $20!)

 

Witches, rats, spiders, and skulls. And my Halloween block countdown!

 

Our coffee table. Complete with skull goblets, a coffin, and a severed hand.

 

Some stickers and a mad scientist.

 

Stanley was intrigued by our new dinner guest! I also put out some Halloween place mats and light-up pumpkins.

 

Skull, witch, and vampire stakes in the yard!

 

A giant arachnid and some orange LED lights. October perfection.

I'll be putting more up throughout the month! Can't wait to transform our little house into a haunted mansion!

-Ellen

Tumblr!

Hey! So, I'm just now getting back into Tumblr.

Since I can't resist autumn/Halloween photography, my Tumblr is completely autumn-themed!

Please visit, and enjoy!

CLICK HERE :)

13 Days of Halloween

 

Is anyone else a little dismayed about this line-up? Where are the Halloween/spooky movies of my youth? No Halloweentown whatsoever. No Matilda (which isn't a Halloween movie, but it usually on here!) I also enjoy It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! as well as Spookable Pooh (lesser known, but a goodie) neither of which appear on this list! And I really don't believe Twilight or Harry Potter need to be included. I am, of course, happy about Hocus Pocus and The Nightmare before Christmas, but other than that, I'm probably not going to tune in.

There are only about 3 zillion Halloween movies in this world, and THIS is the list they came up with?

What do you think? What's missing and what needs to be omitted?

Cheers,

Ellen

DIY Costume: Ewok!

I know it's not even close to Halloween, so, why, you may wonder, am I wearing this crazy costume? Well, my friends and I had an event last night where we all dressed up as something beginning with our first initial. So, naturally, I chose to be Ewok Ellen.

If you love furry little Star Wars creatures and you need an easy and funny Halloween costume, this may just be the perfect costume for you.

Materials:

• Headband
• Brown fur (Comes in a small package at craft stores)
• A yard of burnt orange fabric
• Brown top
• Brown/black bottoms (Leggings)
• Brown/black shoes (I just wore moccasins)
• Hot glue gun
• Cardboard
• Eyeliner/black or brown face paint
• Spear (Or jank spear made of cardboard, like mine)

 How To:

For the ears: 

• Cut out two ear-shaped pieces of cardboard (Mine were like 3'' tall. Pretty tall.)
• Cut small pieces of brown fur to cover both sides of the ears
• Hot glue the fur to the cardboard ears. Press the fur together on both sides to cover the outside edges.
• Hot glue both ears to a little black headband. Make sure they're secure! (Lots of glue!)

For the hood:

• Drape the fabric over your head. 
• Have a friend trace your face with pencil. 
• Cut out the hole, starting smaller than you think it should be. (You can always make it bigger, but not smaller!)
• Cut diagonally across the front of the fabric to create a draped appearance.
•  Trim the back to be a little shorter and get rid of any superfluous fabric.

Putting it together:

• Put the hood on and the headband over it.
• Mark with pencil where the ears will stick out.
• Cut slits where the ears will stick out.
• To put on the costume, put the ears on first, then the hood, letting them stick out through the slits. 

Final touches:

• Add a little eyeliner ewok nose!
• Carry your spear with pride.
• Practice the ewok language.

*                *                *                *                *                *

 

Hope this was helpful to all of the aspiring ewoks out there. Try not to end up like these out-of-control little dudes on the Today Show. And have a happy Halloween :)

Why I Love Halloween

As far back as I can remember, I've had a deep love for anything and everything Halloween. Even as an elementary-schooler, I would spend hours doodling bats and ghosts in my books, adding notes about decorating ideas, and planning meticulously detailed parties and celebrations. In fact, one of my first Halloween memories was planning an entire haunted house when I was six years old. Skeletons in closets, a haunted lagoon in the backyard, and even a mini-hell in my laundry room! Of course, I had neither the means nor the ability to transform my home into my vision, but on my sketch pad and in my mischievous little mind, my house was a spooky masterpiece.

But...why? Why did I have such a strong connection with this holiday? In case you're interested, I came up with the following reasons:

• I love to be creative. As you can probably tell from my crazy haunted house plans, I was a rather imaginative little kid. And I'm the exact same way today. Unlike the regimented plans we had each year for Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving, Halloween was always up for interpretation. A lampshade could be the hunched back of a werewolf. A patch of exposed dirt could be the grave of a zombie. My zany little brain thrives on this stuff, much like a vampire thrives on human blood. (...? I'm weird)
  
  
  
   
  
  
• I love fall. Halloween is the perfect ending to this amazing season. Pumpkin patches, apple cider, jeans and boots, autumn breezes: these are some of my favorite things in life. How could I not love a holiday that celebrates all of this? This is why I love October itself even more than Halloween. Preparing for Halloween and partaking in all these fun fall events is my absolute favorite part of the year.  

• I like dressing up. Oh my gosh. Best thing ever. It's not every day you get to wear face paint, striped tights, insane hairstyles, avant garde dresses, and scary masks! I just think it's the best thing ever. Call me a theatre kid.

• It's genetic. My parents are nowhere near as obsessed as I, but they are completely festive, and more importantly, completely supportive. I have fond memories of dragging the old, blue, ceramic candy bowl out of storage with my dad. My mom teaching me how to make popcorn balls and caramel apples. My dad would don a vampire cape sometimes for the trick-or-treaters, and my mom once rode around on a bike, cackling like Mrs. Gulch, dressed in full witch attire. [True story.] And for every Halloween party I threw, you can bet they'd be helping me shop for supplies, prepare the food, and transport me and my guests all the way to the Headless Horseman festival and back. [Yes, they're great.]

• I have a dark side. It's funny for me to say that, because pretty much all of my friends would describe me as candy corn sweet, as friendly as a grinning jack-o-lantern. And I doubt any of them would link me to anything remotely macabre. But the thing is, I do have this other side that no one really sees. Not in a creepy way, or anything! But I'm fascinated by the paranormal. I like the rush of terror you get during the climax of a horror film. I enjoy the release that comes after screaming your lungs out at a haunted house. And I like to think about the great mysteries of life. What happens when we die? What is real, and what is solely imagined? Which brings me to...

• The magic of it all. The mystery of Halloween is beyond intriguing to me. If you don't know, this holiday originated with the Celts, who believed that spirits could come to earth for one night, the eve of winter, and dwell amongst the living. Humans wore masks to frighten these souls away, and lit lanterns to guide them back to the afterlife. And who's to say they were wrong? Halloween is the closest thing we have to magic. Even the most insisting skeptic gets a chill down their spine on a dark Halloween night. Why is that? Even if no post-mortal souls are roaming the streets on October 31st, each living soul is wondering, maybe just slightly, if someone is creeping up behind them...The magic and wonderment that accompany this holiday are unlike anything else. 

• The bittersweet ending. This may sound strange, but I think my very favorite part of Halloween occurs right as it's ending. Your friends have gone home, the candles have been blown out, and the disgustingly tall pile of candy wrappers has been dumped in the trash. As you flip off the lights and crawl into bed, you're hit with a brief pang of fear. It's not midnight yet...perhaps something scary could still be lurking behind your closet doors. But, succumbing to logic, the fear quickly subsides. And just as you close your eyes to go to sleep, the memories of the season flood your brain and you're filled with warmth and fulfillment. And as you imagine these lovely things, you drift off to sleep, leaving whatever spirits may be present to gently drift home, only to return next Halloween night.

Sneak Peak: Halloween Costume #1

If you haven't figured it out by the color scheme of this ghastly green blog, I have a bit of a penchant for all things spooky. Especially a certain holiday that occurs on the last day of October ;)

This year, I'm going to be attending many Halloween events, so I'm planning on creating 2 or 3 different costumes! Here's the first costume piece I've created, a darling little derby hat:

Can you guess who I'm dressing up as? :)

More pieces to come. And a DIY post showing how to make all of my costumes, including individual pieces like this one!

 

37 days till Halloween...........!

Recipe: Raisinet Cookies

Hi there! Today's post is my recipe for Raisinet Cookies!

I invented this recipe on the spot because I needed something to bring to a friend's dinner party and I had very little time and ingredients on hand. I wasn't sure how these were going to turn out, but I was pleasantly surprised! The raisins and chocolate provide just the right amount of decadence, and they blend beautifully with the cinnamon to create a sweet and spicy little bite! Great fall flavors that are sure to please all cookie-lovers (and it makes the kitchen smell wonderful, as well!) Enjoy.

Ingredients

• 1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup Raisinets (I used dark chocolate!) 
• 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
• For cinnamon sugar: 2 Tablespoons cinnamon, 2 Tablespoons sugar 

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
• Beat together butter, sugars, and vanilla until fluffy.
• Beat in the egg.
• Gradually add flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Beat until combined.
• Gently mix in the Raisinets.
• Drop spoonfuls of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 7-10 minutes.
• For cinnamon sugar: Combine equal parts cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle over warm cookies. 
• ENJOY! :)

PS: So sorry for the lack of photos! I was really, truly in a hurry! :)

Buckets of stress!

[Forgive the non autumn-related post!]

Ever since I was a little kid, I've gotten way too stressed about school. I remember a specific incidence that occurred in probably 4th or 5th grade. I was sitting on my bed, bawling over a science project that seemed far too overwhelming at the time. I had taken out a sheet of paper and listed every step in the process that needed to be done (I still do this today in my assignment notebook with post-its and complex schedules). I read over the steps and just felt a wave of stress come over me. The tears were instantaneous. My dad presumably heard me crying, because he came into my room to see what was wrong. I remember him trying to calm me down, saying it was completely manageable and I had no reason to stress.

Fast forward 10 years: an almost identical scenario is unfolding. My 19 college credit hours are a little more intense than any 5th grade science project I can imagine. On a daily basis, I have to attend classes, prepare all my meals, work out (well--most days...), do extracurriculars, plan for the upcoming week, and try to keep up with my TV shows and get enough sleep. This semester, I've had more homework and responsibilities than ever before. Tomorrow alone I have to write a 2-page literary analysis and complete a lengthy group project which culminates in a 40 minute presentation about a current event. The prospect of this was just too much for my brain to handle tonight.

So I cried. Because deep down inside, I'm the same over-emotional, over-achieving elementary schooler. I really care about doing well in school. I don't want to have to rush through assignments. I want to do each little thing to my best ability. And when it seems like that's impossible, I get very frustrated and hopeless.

If I could go back and give a word of advice to my 5th grade self, I would say: Chill out, Ellen. You're in 5th grade. It doesn't really matter if you get an A or an F on this. But you're going to get an A, because you are great at time management and you know this will all work out in the end! So, I should probably say the same thing to myself now. I got the tears out, I had 2 cookies (stress eating. yay, great, calories). And now I just need to take a breath, plunge into my work, and come out on the other side with a smile on my face.

In the end, when I think back on college, I'm not going to remember the grade I got on a paper or a group project. I'm going to remember the fun times I had with my friends, the crazy things I did, and the achievements I made in my personal life. Just gotta focus on that mantra...then maybe my inner stressed-out-child will calm down a bit.

Autumn bliss.

There's nothing better than sitting alone outside on a gorgeous, cool, crisp fall day. I chose to spend my short amount of relaxation time penning some poetry and doodling. I am so lucky to have a backyard this year. I can just sit out here and escape from life. Or I can push past the branches and plants to get to the old, wooden swing in the forest behind the house. It's amazing to just sit on the swing, feel the ancient frayed rope, look up at the thin beams of sunlight peering through the branches, and just...be.

One of the many many reasons I love fall.

False Alarm.

Just in case anybody reads this little blog, thought I'd mention that my scale was wonky and I actually didn't gain any weight...:)

Have a good one.
-Ellen

Gotta get up and try.

I'm writing this post on a disappointing, frustrating, and sad day.

I knew that the first few weeks of school would be a huge struggle trying to balance my IU life and my health life. But I didn't anticipate the level to which I would fall. Skipping workouts, having far too many "little treats", and snacking mindlessly throughout the day. I weighed myself this morning and almost burst into tears. I've gained back almost half of what I originally lost. And what I originally lost wasn't even that much. 12 pounds is not that noticeable to begin with. Let alone, whatever I'm at now.

It just sucks. It sucks so much to think back on my unwavering determination throughout the summer. Diligently counting calories, forcing myself to workout even when I didn't feel like it, and having a positive and hopeful attitude. I did so well and I felt so good. And now I just feel weighted down, literally and figuratively. I've been bogged down these past two weeks about my mountainous piles of homework, the pressure to join resume-building extracurriculars, the exhaustion that comes with my crazy sleep schedule and millions of classes I'm taking...It's just ridiculously overwhelming. I haven't been able to get myself to workout. I haven't prevented myself from eating poorly. Because I don't have the energy and my will power is gradually diminishing into nothing.

I wrote on my white board: Today is the day I recommit myself. Little things add up. Lose that weight.

And I read it and thought, yeah, I'll try. But I just feel so hopeless. There's too much to worry about and my health is falling to the back of that list.

Here's the plan:

• 1300 calories a day, absolutely no excuses or slip-ups.
• No unhealthy snacks, ever. 
• Workout 6 days a week. Even if it's just 20 minutes.
• Plan meals and workouts diligently, and FOLLOW THROUGH.

I really hope I can do this, you guys. I don't know how I can feel good about myself unless I somehow do. The goal, which I made at the end of the summer, is still to lose 10 pounds this semester. But after this gain, it's now basically to lose 15. That number seems so huge and impossible. And I am just terrified because I don't know how I'm going to do it. It's only the second week of school and I'm swamped. It's only going to get worse.

I can't even have a positive attitude right now. It's just time to go into drill sergeant mode and force myself to power through this semester. I'll need all the support I can get. So, please, remind me if you see me, I need to be healthy more than I need anything else.
-Ellen

My First PSL a.k.a. Fall is HERE

I've never been much of a coffee drinker, but I have always been a big fan of fall. And, as such, I could no longer resist the pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks.

It's SO GOOD. I love the subtle hints of fall flavors and the smooth, seasoned whipped cream on top. Loooovveee.

In my mind, this means it's the start of fall. I'm wearing a sweater, pumpkin-flavored things are showing up everywhere, and ust a measly 50-something days separates us from the greatest holiday of all. HALLOWEEN.

I can't fit into society if I put Halloween stuff up before October. But, when that day comes, be prepared for about a million and three Halloween ideas, recipes, and ravings from your bud LOLlen.

Just warning ya ;)

Have an excellent FALL day,
Ellen

Yipes! This week's pits and peaks.

Holy cow. I've had some super happy times this week, as well as some very sad ones.

Peaks: I've been overjoyed to be reunited with my SH and sorority friends. I absolutely love so many people at this school and I hope to get closer to all of them this year! I've even met some new friends, many of them being new SH members. I'm so happy to have my two families here at school :) Also, I have almost finished adding the finishing touches to my room decor. I really like it! And I think my housing situation is going to work out really well.

Pits: Homesickness really set in a few nights ago. Perhaps it's silly for someone my age to miss my own bed, my cat, and my parents...but I definitely still do. All the time! Especially in these first few weeks in Btown. It's just so hard to feel at home sometimes. But I think I may be starting to. Also, my freaking WEIGHT has been keeping me down. I'm not sticking to my plans. I'm eating and drinking a foolish amount of calories. WHYYYY. Hopefully I'll find a balance sometime soon. Because I already gained back 3 pounds and I would like to re-lose it instantly please. So upsetting, especially after how hard I worked to lose those pounds.

In other news, happy 3 day weekend! I'm going to spend most of it doing homework. Oh, hello, 19 credit hours...

Hope to blog again soon!

Til then,
LOLlen

Back to School Health Updates

Hi there :) I'm officially settled into my Btown abode, which is cute and great in every way. I've reunited with most of my friends. I'm ready for another fun school year to begin!

What's a little more difficult is settling into a new way of eating, drinking, exercising, and living. I was so acclimated to my summer routines that it's been tough adjusting to the college lifestyle. I've exercised the past two days as well as planned out my full week of exercising. I plan to attend a group exercise class every day this week except Sunday! I haven't weighed myself since arriving, and that makes me a little nervous, but I'm going to give myself a full week of healthiness before trying that again.

I've also tried to schedule and plan healthy meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and I've stocked the kitchen with fruits, veggies, and healthy snacks :)

I'm just hoping that the stress and busy-ness of school doesn't force me into ordering out or skipping workouts. I tend to be pretty good at scheduling and time management, but when you add a social life and extracurriculars into the mix, that becomes a pretty challenging task.

Anyhow, classes start tomorrow and then I'll really start to get into the swing of things. Can't wait!

How are you staying healthy at school this year?

-Ellen

I'm a BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLY.

Oh hello there. I'm BACK!

If you're reading LOLlen for the first time, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Ellen! A college girl who loves to sing, write, and draw with sidewalk chalk.

I just had an incredibly transformative summer. If you would care to hear all about it, feel free to visit my summer blog by clicking here!

The reason I'm a beautiful butterfly is because I just emerged from the safety of my little cocoon. I'm about to return to college after three months at home. I had a ton of fun things to do, and very little to worry about. I'm thrilled to be going back at school, but I'll definitely have a lot more on my plate! Also, I did undergo a big transformation this summer, physically and emotionally. But...I'm not really at beautiful butterfly status yet. (Yeah, that's a status now.) Because my journey is still going on!

I'm very into fitness at the moment. I've lost about 14 pounds and I've got about 15 more to lose before reaching my ultimate goal weight. So, this blog will definitely focus a lot on health and fitness!

But, there's more to look forward to!

I plan on blogging all about fashion, friends, DIYs, recipes, celebrations, and whatever else pops into my crazy little brain.

I look forward to continuing my blog, and I hope you'll enjoy all of the whacky things I post :)

Your's truly,
Ellen