Best of Pinterest: Spring Recipes

It's (un)officially summer in San Diego! As a so-cal girl through and through, I'm loving the warm weather, the long days, and the spring & summer produce in our CSA. Asparagus, artichokes, avocados, blood oranges, blueberries, fennel, peaches, strawberries. Honestly, it doesn't get much better.

I've been inspired to make Spring recipes that I've been pinning all year, and these are first up on my list. What are your favorite spring & summer recipes?

Sources & Recipes: 1,  2,  3,  4,  5, 6, 7, 8

Get Moving

We’ve all been there: the rut. The point when you’ve gotten out of the exercise routine and starting back up seems impossible. I mean, its Newton’s law. It takes more energy to put something in motion than to keep it in motion. We’re going heads up with physics, people.

But its possible to get out of it and actually enjoy working out. I promise, because I’ve been there. Here’s how to get to that place:

1. Start somewhere.

It doesn’t matter where. Just do something. Put Beyonce on youtube and dance around your house. Jog one block around your neighborhood. Okay, maybe two. Let your dog pull you along on a hike (pictured, above). Your body will complain at first, but the biggest hurdle is just getting going.

2. Next time, do a little more.

One Beyonce song and then one RiRi. Four blocks around the neighborhood. Hike a decent hill. Push yourself past the point where it starts to hurt, and you’ll be amazed at how fast you progress.

3. Find something you enjoy.

This was game changing for me. I can’t deal with the gym. I just can’t. I spent years trying to guilt myself into going. When the self-guilt-trip worked, I’d just cruise on the elliptical and do a couple sit ups and hate it the entire time. It wasn’t until I discovered yoga and pilates that I actually looked forward to working out.

4. Find deals & try new things.

I’ll admit – I got a little addicted for a while. I bought pilates groupons, yoga groupons, boot camp groupons, dance class groupons… You name it. Most studios also have an introductory deal, so you can keep things cheap for a while if you studio hop. I've learned the hard way, though, that the key is making it sustainable is choosing studios / gyms that are close by and that have convenient class times.

5. Go with friends.

For built-in accountability & to make it something you look forward to. There have been many mornings when I’ve wanted to bail on a workout, but I know I’d be letting my friend down if I did. So I wake up instead of throwing my alarm out the window. 

6. Focus on the positive.

I truly believe that viewing exercise as a punishment or a chore does not work. Reframe how you think about it. Change "I have to work out because I ate so much pizza last night" into "I have the opportunity to work out today." Its amazing that you get to invest in your fitness and your health. Focus on your new confidence, your improvements, your new guns, or how great you feel after working out. It’s much more effective.

7. Set a goal.

I find that I sometimes need something to look forward to for motivation when #1-6 aren’t enough. Maybe it’s an upcoming vacation or friend’s wedding, signing up for a 5K, or a numerical goal like an 8 minute mile. Honestly, is that fast? I don’t run, but it seems fast to me.

I tend to be an all-or-nothing person.  So when I stop working out, whether it’s from getting sick or traveling or a brutal month at work, it’s really hard to get back in and these tricks always help me jump start the routine again. If you find something sustainable, set challenging but realistic goals, and start to feel the positive benefits, I know you can do it too.