Seltzer VS. Soda

Let's be real. Soda is fucking delicious... and it has been the hardest thing for me to give up on my fitness & health journey. I tried to replace it with all those make-yourself-fruity detox waters out there, which are delicious and great for your health and go make one right now! But I was still grabbing a bubbly, cold can of Sprite on the daily. 

Maybe it's common sense to the world and I'm just way behind the collective population, but I kinda forgot seltzer water existed and serves as a FANTASTIC substitution for soda. It was one of the only options left in a vending machine at school so I put my money in, opened it and when I took a sip the clouds parted, the sunshine came beaming down, the angels started... you get it. 

I LOVE that there are 387523270 flavors to try, so drinking it never seems to get old. And of course let's take a quick look at some labels for perspective. SO happy to not be wasting all those unhealthy calories!
         
             SELTZER WATER                                                PEPSI

      

                                              

[HONEST REVIEW] Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor

4 out of 5 stars

[I am in no way affiliated with Polar, nor have I been paid for my review.]

I purchased the Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor a few weeks ago as a little motivation tool in my health journey. So far, I've been really pleased with the results. 

[PROS]

• Cost: Only $55 through Amazon, with Prime shipping available.
• Setup: I had it setup and ready to use 5 minutes after I took it out of the box.
• Motivator: On several occasions I've been nearing the end of a kickboxing class or run, took a glance at the watch and was encouraged to KILL IT for the last bit of my workout. I'll set a calorie burning goal, which really motivates me to keep going when I really want to quit. 
• Comfortable
• Water-Resistant 

[CONS]

• Basic: If you're like me and really just need a heart rate monitor and calorie burning counter then this is a fantastic product. The higher end models have GPS, smart coaching features, intense feedback and more though. 
• Strap: You have to wear a strap around your chest the whole time, which is how the watch receives heart rate info. It's comfortable and I never notice it but I really wish they could have built that sensor into the watch. 
• Sensor: Often when I'm beginning a workout I have to play around with the strap positioning for a few minutes to get the watch+strap to sync up properly. It's not a huge deal but becomes a little frustrating when I am ready to activate beast mode ;) 

Overall, I'd definitely recommend the watch and love how it's helped me keep track of my fitness journey. Let me know if you have any questions about it and I'd be more than happy to answer them!

                                                                 

New Month, New Goals!

I'm an avid list maker. I have lists for everything – places I want to go, things I want to try, to-do today, to-do this week, meals to make, items I.... I think you get the point. 

My favorite thing about a new week, new month or new year = new list of goals! I try to keep them realistic so it's easy for me to stay motivated: I can and will finish this list.

1. Run 50 Miles: Between school, work, kickboxing and yoga -- 50 miles in one month is a pretty solid milestone for me. I'm still a novice runner for sure & currently max out at 4 miles/run. I'm hoping this will encourage me to increase my distance, as well as motivate me to get out there more often!

2. Finish 5 Books: I LOVE reading but find it becomes the first thing I ditch when life gets a little busy. Reading calms & enlightens me and I want to make it a point to do more of this this month to help with overall happiness. 

3. Maintain >3.5 GPA: This is pretty straightforward. I'm in school for aerospace engineering (with the hopes of working for NASA one day). I NEED to stay focused on my classes and make studying a priority... which I'm ashamed to say a good old weekend Netflix binge has won out way too many times recently. I mean Mad Men, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt? I'm only human.

4. Try 3 New Things:  Going back to that whole list thing: I have a looong list of things I want to try. I NEED to figure out what I want to do and set aside real time for it, or else the month will just fly by as it tends to do. So far I think I'm gonna go with a trapeze school class, paddleboarding and participating in a dancing flash mob (eek!). 

5. Travel: I live in NYC and haven't been outside the 5 boroughs since Christmas. With school and work, I don't have time for a nice long vacation but even just a weekend excursion upstate or home to Florida will do. I need a little sunshine and R&R! 

What are your goals for the month? I'd love to hear them!
Really, leave your goals in the comments and let's inspire each other :)