A 2012 Resolution in Action

A certain spoiled puppy was pretty happy she got to run around at the park for a bit this afternoon:

Something about Harley sitting next to me in the passenger’s seat looking out the window and making that face like she’s ecstatic with life cracks me up.

I was rewarded for my playtime efforts by getting some peace and quiet for the rest of the afternoon:

Moving on to food, I threw together a nutrient dense side as part of my dinner tonight, which I’m deeming fruity guacamole for lack of a better term. Did you know avocado is a fruit? I just found this information out recently. For some reason I always thought of it as a veggie. Add avocado to my list of “fruits” that I think of and refer to as vegetables (bell pepper and tomato are also on that list!).

Fruity Guac  

1 avocado 

1/2 fresh mango

1/2 medium apple (I used a Pink Lady but think a Granny Smith would be great in this)

About 3 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 TBSP lime juice

Mixed up salt to taste, if you don’t have it then regular salt is fine too

Chop up fruits and combine in a bowl. Add the basil, lime juice, and salt, and mix well.

Makes 2 servings. Per serving facts: About 175 calories, 11 g fat, 2 g protein, 21 carbs. These fruits are all great sources of vitamins, and the avocado provides some good for you monounsaturated fats. The best part is you can whip it up in about 2 minutes flat. I think it’d be delish as a snack with some tortilla chip or crackers, but tonight I ate it with a whole wheat Mexican cheese and tomato quesadilla.

One of My 2012 Resolutions in Action   

At the beginning of the month, I jotted down some things I wanted to do this year (starting this blog was one that I quickly got to!). Most of them had to do with self-improvement or continuing to do positive things, but one of the resolutions was a bit unique from the others. I know this might sound silly but…

I vowed to be a little less nice to people who are acting obnoxious and impolite.

I’m not sure if that’s weird, but sometimes I think I’m just too nice. Perhaps it’s just not being assertive enough. I think it has to do with me feeling like I don’t want to sweat the small stuff in life. So if someone is being rude, I think, ‘Oh well, just ignore them. Don’t let it put a damper on your day.’ Though I still believe in not letting people effect your mood in that way, especially with trivial stuff, I also think it’s not being bitchy to tell someone if they’re being inconsiderate.

I’ve gotten to test myself with this twice so far this year, and interestingly enough, both times were the same exact situation with different people involved.

My gym has a big aerobics room where I frequently exercise. Anyone can go in there and do their own thing. Sometimes there are people in there practicing dances of some sort – I’ve seen hip-hop, break dancing, belly dancing, and ballroom style dances, among others. It’s sort of entertaining to watch if I’m on the bike. However, people seem to think it’s acceptable to blast their music super loud while they’re practicing, disregarding the fact that other people are working out right next to them.

In the past, I’ve just ignored it and gotten slightly annoyed with not being able to hear the music coming from my headphones. Not to mention that they usually play the same song 137 times as they practice one dance.

But today, I spoke up. These 2 girls had their computer hooked up to some speakers, and I swear, it was as loud as it could possibly get. For the first few minutes, I just tried to focus on my workout and ignore it. But then I remembered my resolution. I literally  was 10 feet away from them and had to say ‘excuse me’ THREE times because their music was so loud. I nicely asked if they could lower it a bit. Just like what happened last time I was in this situation, the girls just stared at me, gave me dirty looks for a few seconds, and did not even murmur an ‘okay’, but you know what? They turned their music down.

I had a crazy awesome workout this evening, one that might not have been as amazing had I not been so focused on what I was doing and was instead thinking about how I wish I could hear my gym playlist to keep me going. As Charlie Sheen would say, WINNING! 😉