Day 30: Oriental 1

I had a delicious white peach for breakfast this morning. Thanks to my lovely co-worker!

For lunch I had a ham sandwich the boyfriend made me, cherries and a few pieces of dark chocolate. For dinner I went to Hardtimes Cafe and had half a bowl of chili and 3.5 boneless chicken wings.

After dinner I went to Oriental 1 class at Saffron Dance studio. It was a great class. My teacher's name is Nica and she is trained in ballet. Our warm-up is very familiar from my years in the ballet studio, but the class is completely new to me since it's mostly belly dancing technique. I really enjoy Nica's energy and personality and I hope to take many more classes with her!

After class I walked to Courthouse to meet up with the boyfriend, my best guy friend and our other very good friend. The boys smoked some hooka and had some beer while I enjoyed a nice glass of dry pinot grigio. 

Dhoonya Technique Class Dance: Part 1

Here is the dance I've been learning in Dhoonya Technique class. This is as far as we've learned in the last two classes. 

I love it so far! What do you think?

Day 28-29: Food Photos

Here are some photos from the last two days.

 Delicious iced chai latte from Northside Social.

 Outside of the Saffron dance studio.

 Delicious farmers market cherries.

Austin Grill food truck where I purchased a veggie burrito bowl for lunch.

Day 27: Getting comfortable with Dhoonya

Today was a great day! I had a "cinnamon roll" Larabar for breakfast, which was nothing special but something to easily transport to work. I had a much better lunch, though. Thanks to our trip to the farmers market this weekend I was able to enjoy a homemade caprese salad, fresh cherries and Italian rosemary bread from a local bakery. 

After work I grabbed an iced chai latte at Northside Social (my horrible $4 addiction) on my way to Dhoonya Technique class. Class was great tonight. I'm finally starting to feel really comfortable with the Bollywood dances and songs. I'm very good at remembering choreography so I've always done alright in the Basics class, but the Technique class was much harder because I had to focus on how I was executing the movements. I'm finally able to enjoy myself in class now that the movements and steps are more familiar. I can't wait to go back in 2 weeks and learn more of the dance.

For dinner the boyfriend grilled a salmon filet and sauteed some spinach. We had more of the Italian rosemary bread from the farmers market. We dunked the bread in an olive oil mixture with lots of pepper and fancy Italian cheese. I had a stale (ugh) cupcake for dessert that I am now regretting because I wasn't that hungry when I ate it and it wasn't that good because it had been sitting in our fridge for too long. Oh well, you live you learn! At least I ate well all day until that point and exercised. :)

Day 26: Renewed with yoga

This morning I started my day with Flow Yoga. The instructor asked us to focus on a goal for the week and I thought of my fitness goal with Dhoonya. I felt strong and ready to conquer my day after the session and happily headed over to Northside Social to use my 10% off coupon from the class.

For breakfast I enjoyed a dirty (shot of espresso) chai latte and a granola bran muffin. I had a few bites of the boyfriend's bacon cheddar biscuit and gave him the last few bites of my muffin in return. We skipped lunch in favor of the outlet mall and enjoyed a handful or two of Kashi's cheese crackers in the car. On the way home from the mall I had 2 blocks of the Serendipity 3 chocolate bar I purchased on Friday.

For dinner the boyfriend made delicious pork chops, pan-seared and baked with BBQ sauce from Rocklands. I made a delicious salad with lemon garlic dressing, pine nuts, parmigiano reggiano and sea salt and ground peppercorns. I also steamed some red potatoes from the farmers markets and added sauteed yellow onion and garlic, parmigiano reggiano, salt & pepper and olive oil. We paired our dinner with delicious French pinot noir and some dark chocolate pieces for dessert.

Days 20-25: Another week flew by.

Another week has flown by and I have to be honest. I haven't been focusing very much on my fitness goals. I went to my first Dhoonya Technique class on Monday, which was wonderful, and a Pilates reformer class on Saturday, but other than that I haven't made exercising a priority. 

This week there were many treats: mini cupcakes at Cusp, (lame) ice cream social at work, co co. sala chocolates and Red Velvet cupcakes from clients, happy hour and pizza at Fireworks Pizza, happy hour and fundraiser at Front Page, ice cream at Serendipity 3, coffee and wine at Northside Social and a catered party at our apartment building.

Luckily, I was able to loose a pound over the last week thanks to never over-eating, walking everywhere (in heels) and my two exercise classes. I'm ready to start fresh though and get focused on my goal again!

Days 14-19

Lots has happened over the last several days and I must admit a lot of treats were eaten. This past Wednesday there was an ice cream social at work and my bosses took my co-workers and I to Art & Soul on Thursday. The Boyfriend and I ordered Mediterranean take-out on Wednesday night and Chinese food this weekend. My friends and I went to Ben's Chili Bowl on Friday, Firefly on Saturday and Fireworks Pizza on Sunday. Due to all the eating out we never even went to the grocery this week! I did go to Pilates this weekend, but other than that I have not been exercising.

Day 13: Dhoonya Basics

Tonight we danced to this fabulous song. The dance was really fun and easy to learn. I filmed myself doing the dance when I got home but am too embarrassed to post it. Maybe later. ;)

Day 12: Pilates

Today I woke up and ate a 365 strawberry cereal bar on the way to my pilates reformer class at Thrive Pilates. After class I snacked on some 365 baked BBQ chips and enjoyed a salmon filet and salad for lunch. For dinner I had a bowl of Ben & Jerry's vanilla caramel fudge ice cream and some whole wheat crackers and tzatziki sauce while I did some spring cleaning.

Day 11: Donut Dreams

Last night I dreamt that I went to a donut shop and they were sold out of strawberry iced donuts. Obviously I woke up quite upset and really craving donuts. So the boyfriend took me to Dunkin Donuts where I ironically scored the very last strawberry iced donut! I had that and 1/2 of a maple donut as well.

For lunch the boyfriend made a delicious spinach, mushroom, tomato and swiss omelet. I'm so happy we  went to Whole Foods this week to get all of the fresh vegetables!

Tonight we went to my very good friend's birthday party. Our cab ditched us and it ended up taking an hour to finally find one. I indulged in a gin and tonic while I waited. For dinner we went to Los Cuates in Georgetown and I had chicken fajitas. I only had about five chips before my meal came and I only had one tortilla with my chicken and vegetables. I also skipped the margarita and stuck with water. I ended up being perfectly satisfied and not the least bit full. 

After dinner we went to the Daily Grill for drinks. I ordered a very special drink called the Daily 75. It contained Grand Marnier, lemon juice and Chandon brut. It was a beautiful creation!

After drinks we took a little trip to Serendipity 3 in Georgetown. I shouldn't have had another sweet considering I ate donuts for breakfast and had 2 cocktails, but I have been dying to go to Serendipity 3 for years and this was my chance! I ordered the Frozzzen Hot Chocolate and had a few spoonfuls of fudge from the boyfriend's outrageous banana split sundae. 

After Serendipity 3 we walked to a house party in Georgetown to meet two very good friends of ours. We just rode home in a cab with them and are ready to sleep in preparation for our early morning pilates class. Good night!

Day 10: b.fit

Best Friend (BFF) writes: "Today Legs and I went to a b.fit class! It was great (although now I feel as if my legs are going to fall off). The class was a cross between ballet and pilates. It definitely worked the core! Legs did the whole class without a problem, while I had to take frequent, short breaks. We had such a good time and I hope we can go again next week (or at some point in the near future)! I love you, Legs! I had fun (although I don't know how happy I will be in the morning once my muscle get sore :-))."


Editor's note: Despite having taken this class once before I was still unprepared for how hard this class turned out to be. The BFF handled the class extremely well! And she's a liar, I took several breaks as well! Thanks for joining me, BFF! I had a blast!

The BFF and I after tonight's class. Love you!

Days 8/9: Yoga Class Cancellation

I've been bad about updating, so let's see if I can remember what I've been up to! Wednesday I had a 365 oatmeal packet for breakfast and then half an order of red curry with chicken for lunch. I headed straight to yoga class at Saffron Yoga with the boyfriend after work but the instructor never showed up! The boyfriend and I ended up going to Whole Foods to pick-up groceries since our fridge has been quite bare. We had homemade (thanks, BF!) fish tacos and guacamole and chips for dinner.

Thursday I had 365 mini frosted shredded wheat for breakfast. I had a tuna sandwich, cherries (delicious!), and 365 baked BBQ chips for lunch. I had a couple squares of dark chocolate as a snack. For dinner I had leftover tuna, strawberries and a fresh baguette with olive oil and Gouda cheese. I had a small bowl of Ben & Jerry's vanilla caramel fudge for dessert.

Day 7: Ice Cream

No breakfast again this morning. This was less to do with hunger and more to do with poor time management. I was starving by lunch so I ended up with something super unhealthy. I had a pasta combo meal from Corner Bakery and one of their monster cookies. I was still famished upon my return home from work so I had a small bowl of ice cream with my favorite toppings. The boyfriend made scrambled eggs with lots of sauteed vegetables for dinner, so I had a small bowl of that and some crackers and Cava tzatziki sauce on the side. Today was a rest day, so no exercise. But I did do a lot of vacuuming at home and I could feel how sore my arms are from my last few classes.

My unhealthy lunch, but we all have our days, right?

My ice cream sundae in my new bowl from Crate & Barrel.

Day 6: Dhoonya Basics

Mondays are rough! It's always hard to get back to work after a wonderful weekend. I wasn't feeling quite right today, so I was only able to eat 1/2 of an instant oatmeal packet from Whole Foods. I skipped lunch because I really had no appetite. After work I felt like my blood sugar was crashing, but I still didn't have an appetite. The boyfriend drove me to Smoothie King to grab a small Caribbean Way smoothie before my Dhoonya Basics class at Saffron Dance. I was able to have a few sips before class started.

I don't know how I feel about Smoothie King's motto, "Chewing is over-rated." It's a little scary if you ask me. I rarely drink smoothies, but the only thing that sounded appetizing was fruit and this seemed like a good, quick, portable option.

Class was great! The dance was incredibly difficult and physically exhausting to perform. If I work on it for a little bit maybe I'll post the dance on here. For now here is the song.

Wow, what a great song! I'm really getting into this Bollywood music.

After class I finally worked up an appetite! The BF made me a great kale salad with my favorite lemon garlic salad dressing made locally by a woman in Maryland and sold at our Whole Foods in Clarendon. I also had 3 small red fingerling potatoes with olive oil and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. I was also able to finish about half of my smoothie from earlier. Dinner ended up being a victory: fruits, vegetables, some healthy fats and delicious cheese! Just what I needed after an intense dance class.

Day 5: Yoga & District Taco

This morning we woke up early to take flow yoga at Saffron Yoga in Clarendon. It was a great 1 hour and 15 minute class. Unfortunately, the boyfriend got a neck spasm at the beginning of class, so he couldn't perform some of his favorite poses. I had a great class, however, and was complimented by the instructor on my eagle pose.

 BF picking out his yoga mat.

 The empty studio since we were 20 minutes early.

 The BF goofing around before class started.

Recreating my eagle pose back at the apartment.

Every time we take yoga at Saffron they give us a coupon for 10% off anything at Northside Social. So we redeemed our coupons for breakfast. I got a small latte (I believe in whole milk lattes, so no skim for me) with a dash of cinnamon and a bran and granola muffin. I ended up eating about half of the muffin and drinking half of the latte since I wasn't super hungry.

 My lovely breakfast.

And this is when I called it quits.

I had a very boring lunch consisting of Trader Joe's chicken and rice while we watched Shutter Island on instant streaming Netflix. I still wasn't very hungry, so I didn't eat much for lunch either. All of a sudden I was starving at 8pm, so the boyfriend did a quick run to District Taco to pick up dinner. I got a burrito bowl with carne asda, black beans, and all the vegetables they offered. I skipped the rice since I already had rice for lunch. I also split an order of chips and guacamole with the boyfriend because I was so hungry.  I paired my Mexican cuisine with a Black Cherry Boylan soda (no diet soda for me!). Delicious!

My burrito bowl and favorite beverage.

I had an amazing weekend and although I'm sad it's over I'm super excited to have my first summer Dhoonya dance class tomorrow night!