Gym Bods and Cinnabons

When I get in a rut, I’m deep in that rut. Saturday I ate an entire cinnamon pecan bon from Cinnabon and had no regrets. Literally sat in my bed, ate the whole thing, washed it down with a venti iced chai with coconut milk and then split a pizza with a friend and washed that down with a beer later that night. I’ve gone from meal-prepping badass to drive-thru junkie real quick.

I have run the entire spectrum in the past year and a half when it comes to fitness. Just earlier this year I was ready to sign up and prep for a fitness competition. Now I look back and say to myself, why would you ever do that, Dani Hunt? There are days when I just want to sit on the couch and eat chips, and then there are days when I’m ready to hit do a double. I really do have a love-hate relationship with the gym. When I’m focused, I’m super in tune with my gym schedule. People are always so quick to offer up the programs they use and swear by. I know what I need to do, finding what works for me isn’t the issue. It’s my own head. So here I am at the start of a new school year, ready to grab my fitness life by the horns, even though, I know I have a super busy few months ahead of me. Between grad school, being a teacher, coaching swimming, and maintaining my sanity, finding the balance of it all – let’s just hope I don’t completely lose all of my marbles.

At the start of each school year, I like to set a goal for myself. This year, I want to focus on my well being and not give in to the stresses of work. Whenever I stress I comfort myself with food and relaxation, and this often times can dip into a slump. So to balance that out I want to think the opposite. I want to put out all of my stress in the gym. I realize that I am saying the complete opposite of what I was putting out in February. I was in a different place mentally. I was motivated and ready to push myself to a new level. Now I’m having to refocus and get myself together. Tomorrow is a new day.

Anyone else out there on the struggle bus when it comes to fitness? Let me know how you deal below!

 

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Wimbledon, World Cup, WHAT?!

Okay you guys. So I dunno what is happening with me this year but I can’t get into ANYTHING. We are well into the World Cup and usually I’m excited about major sporting events like the WC, but I barely made it through one game. Some friends have said, “It’s cause the US isn’t in there”, but that really has nothing to do with it. I thought I would snap to when Wimbledon started but for the first time probably EVER, I had to google, yes GOOGLE, whether or not Serena Williams won her match on Wednesday. Um, what?! No, I haven’t been busy doing other things. My mind has been everything but. So let me fill you in on what’s going on and what’s coming up.

Okay. So, first and foremost, I have been doing some teacher work over the summer. I have been revising and writing curriculum for secondary English teachers for the district I work for, so that has taken up some time – and been a little stressful, but that’s beside the point. While I had been looking forward to a work-free summer break, I wouldn’t be me if I literally had nothing to do for two months. In addition to teacher stuff, I have tabled my thesis and opted to take a capstone course in the fall to finish off my graduate studies. In order to do that, I am having to do some prep work until then. Mainly, just some extra reading, but we all know this ain’t no beach read. It’s a little tedious. But there’s some good stuff coming up.

If you remember, back in February I attended the Create & Cultivate conference in LA. Well, C&C is having a Style Summit here in Houston – so I will be in attendance. It is a free event – you just need to RSVP – so if you are here in the Houston area, check it out! The summit is July 21st at the Galleria in the Saks wing. Say hi if you see me!

Shortly after the style summit, I am headed back to New York towards the end of the month (my usual trip) and will be hitting of course Yankee Stadium a couple of times. I am sitting in two different areas of the stadium, so be on the lookout for a post on those game day experiences.

At the end of August I’m headed to Chicago or the first time for the Create & Cultivate Chicago conference (can you tell I love C&C?!) and I’m headed to Wrigley Field to see the Cubs take on the Reds!

I’m really excited about what’s to come over the next couple of weeks. It’s going to be fun and I’ll be sharing all the good stuff over on Instagram so you got to remember to follow me @thegamedaystylist

Danielle

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I *Don’t* Got This

 

If you’re like me, when the OTR II announcement came out you shut everything down, changed all of your plans, just to make sure you got the pre-sale tickets for the that September 15th show in Houston, or wherever you are. If you have no clue what I’m talking about, Beyonce and Jay Z are heading back out together like the King and Queen they are for On The Run II. They’ll be in Houston together in September and of course, I could never miss that for the world. I missed out on their first On The Run tour a couple of years ago, and I wasn’t missing this one. So I got tickets on Thursday. I pounced on that presale. Anyone else?

Aside from my excitement about Hov and Bey, here is a little honesty moment. I don’t have it all together and am not as stress-free like I said I was a few weeks ago. All the herbal tea and Soul Cycle in the world can’t handle this one. Truthfully, I have been hiding from all of the things I have going on hoping that all of my imaginary clones are going to do it all for me. Work out for me. Write my thesis for me. Meal prep for me. Teach my students for me. Be social for me. I’m tired. I don’t wanna move. I wanna sit on the couch with Willie and eat chips. I like taking on projects and setting goals for myself. Sometimes those goals are a little lofty and unattainable even though I tell myself, “I got it”, all the time. But these last two weeks, I haven’t had it. I’ve reached a breaking point. I’ve officially taken on more than I could ever handle. I’m running out of time on my thesis (yet again), and I don’t have time to do everything that I want to do. I haven’t had time to work out – which has been my stress release in the past. So I’ve had to press the pause button on many of my goals so that I can get what’s most important done; Theo.

I have two weeks (I think ) to finish what I’ve started. The finish line is so close if I could just block out all of the distractions and work. If I could transport myself to some writer’s ranch or something, I would. I originally planned to use my Spring Break to get everything done, but I was so mentally exhausted that the only thing I wanted to do was sleep and watch MLB Spring Training. No, I can never get enough baseball. Hmmmm maybe next year I’ll spend Spring Break in Tampa with the Yankees. Anyone down? Hit me up if you are.

Anyway, I know I’ve been saying for weeks that new content would be live this week but honestly, I can’t even keep my mind focused on one thing. But here’s what is coming up next week: a review on Black Up, a makeup line that I just found out about, and *gasp* I bought some apparel from Athleta so I will be reviewing that as well. For those of you that know me, you know I am Team Lululemon. But I just might make the switch…maybe…

Next week! I’ll be back!

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Stress Management – Without Involving Girl Scouts

Here’s a fun fact for you: I was a Girl Scout and proud of it. But you know those boxes of cookies we sold? I think they were designed to make us feel good which is awesome. Great business idea. However, we’re not supposed to eat the entire box of thin mints in one sitting even though it feels so right. For the second year in a row, I’m going to try to say “no thank you” (with the nicest smile ever) to the Girl Scouts in front of Kroger. Last year, I tried and failed when a little one with her two front teeth missing came up to me and I just snatched the form from her and bought four boxes. Failure. So I will try again and let you know how that goes.

Anyway! Sorry I have been completely MIA. The past two weeks have been absolutely insane. I wrapped up the swim season at the state championship in Austin on the 17th, and this past weekend I was in LA for the Create and Cultivate Conference. That was a blast and I will be sharing my recap of the conference later this week.

To update you, I am officially at the halfway point with Theo. I still have lots of work to do with him but I think I will actually be done with it by mid-March. I mean, I have to be done with it soon, cause um, I applied for graduation so your girl gotta be done. With the ultimate deadline ahead, my stress levels are constantly flux. Some days/weeks I am great – productive, eat right, get my workouts in, everything is good. Then there are times when I’m a complete slug and eat an entire bag of sour gummy worms. They are my ultimate indulgence. Sour gummy worms and Swedish fish. And gummy bears. Anyway, you get the point. I’ve been looking into ways to manage my stress that are not nearly as detrimental to my overall progress – fitness and work wise. Let’s be honest, four-hour Netflix sessions and Girl Scout cookies are just not productive – or healthy – by any means.

  1. Herbal Tea

I am quite possibly an old woman trapped in a 31-year old’s body. I’m literally in bed by 8:30 every night with a cup of tea. All of my teas are caffeine free and I also love a good Chai. When I’m out and about during the day, my go-to Starbucks order is a venti iced chai with coconut milk. If it’s night time, I get it hot. It’s basic but I love it. But pretty much daily before bed, I have a cup of tea with no sugar or honey. I just drink it plain. Whole Foods and Kroger/HEB (for my Texas peeps) have really good selections. I feel like you can never go wrong with Celestial Seasonings and their selection of teas. I’m finding out that tea really calms me down at the end of the night. There’s nothing worse than lying in bed and your mind just won’t. Stop. Going. Next thing you know you’re up until midnight…Not cool. You may have the whole next few days planned out, but you’re even more exhausted.

  1. Soul Cycle

So it’s no secret that I work out and throw all of my frustrations into a workout but once a week I go to Soul Cycle. I go on Sundays for Soul Survivor. Soul Cycle has become part of my Sunday routine. I get to start the week fresh this way. Enter the week with a clear mind and focus. I don’t know if it’s the combination of a dark room and breaking a sweat or just having a badass instructor. I think it’s both actually. Yeah, definitely both. Cat G is my homie. Seriously. Go see her at Memorial or River Oaks. If you’re in the Houston area (or anywhere, really. I first went at Bryant Park. That’s where I first fell in love.) and are interested in Soul Cycle, click here.

3. Turn OFF My Phone

Okay. So my phone is attached to me. It’s an extension of my right arm. So to turn off my phone is like cutting off my hand but honey – lemme tell you – it’s been allowing me to breathe. I turn my phone off for 45 minutes a day. It’s a break from the constant notifications, texts, emails, and calendar alerts reminding me of deadlines I have missed. Most importantly, it’s a relief from the anxiety I actually have when my phone is frequently buzzing and I’ve got so much to do. I have considered no longer using my calendar on my phone and only relying on my life planner, but I also need the alerts to remind me of meetings. Try it.

I realize I have a lot going on, and I don’t want anyone to feel bad for me. I took these things on, they are my projects. So many people are always like, “Well why don’t you just stop doing so much?” Here’s the thing: It’s easy to just drop one thing and make my life easier. However, I took on the things that make me busy for a reason. Grad School is almost over, and the finish line in right there (you see it?). I just have to buckle down and once summer comes and I can sit back and be proud of everything I’ve accomplished. I’ll be a Master – Master of Badassery.

Trust me when I say that I don’t aspire to be busy. I like to take on projects and have things that I focus on, but never just be busy for the sake of it. I like to go with the flow. I don’t like having to consult my multiple calendars and planners to see if I’m able to have lunch with a friend on the weekend. Believe me, I’m looking forward to when I don’t have all of this stuff – May 31st can you get here any sooner?!

So, let me ask you this. How do you manage stress and can you ignore the Girl Scouts outside your grocery store? Comment below!

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Juggling it all

“Most of us have trouble juggling. The woman who says she doesn’t is someone who I admire, but have never met.” – Barbara Walters

If I told you my goals for the year, I’d say them confidently and give some kind of cocky head tilt when I was done. However, in my head, there is a full three-ring circus going on. Oh, but I’m a professional, don’t worry. I’m on the unicycle juggling everything; full-time job, this blog, coaching, and three personal goals. When I tell you the struggle is real…y’all have no idea.

My life revolves around my phone. As a socially-connected person, I am always scrolling through Instagram or Twitter, replying to SnapChat stories, and checking my email. While most people unplug, I stay plugged in and here’s why. I’m in my final – I say final cause I’m mentally done – semester of grad school. I’m in the middle of my thesis and it’s a study on – yep – Instagram and fashion bloggers. Go figure. Two things I love, fashion and Instagram, and I’ve had two mental breakdowns in the process. Theodore (yes, my thesis has a name. I even lovingly call him Theo), is daunting and frustrating, and way behind schedule. I was supposed to be done with him in December, but coaching got in the way and I’ve pushed him to this semester, and of course, I’m running out of time again. Panic! But not going to drop the ball here. Oh no, I’m better than that. Let’s throw something else in the mix to make this more fun. How about my New Year’s Resolution?

Ah, so I’m supposed to do a fitness competition this year. 2018 was supposed to be the year I do it. I have everything in place and lined up. I’m supposed to be eating right and getting all of my workouts in, teaching, blogging, coaching, working on Theo, manage a social life and stay sane and look presentable. You mean I can’t go to work in head to toe Lululemon? I can make it look cute, I promise. With all things in the air, all I want to do is shove my entire face into a bag of Cheetos, aka Orange Gold, with a sweet tea and some Sour Patch Kids. While my head is saying let’s do all of this, right now. All of the outside voices are saying you can’t. Oh but baby, I can. Here’s to hoping I get through the end of this month a little ahead of schedule and my sanity still intact. Excuse me while I go update my three planners…

Leave it to Barbara Walters to remind me that juggling is not supposed to be easy. I will struggle and have a hard time, and it will be difficult. It will be all about how I manage the struggle.

PS: I’m so glad the Eagles won the Super Bowl, but that halftime show was nothing to be desired. I expected a whole lot more. But, now that football’s over…bring on baseball. Go Yankees.

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Hello, 2018 it’s good to see you…I think.

Oh, Hey….

Remember in 2017 when I said the new content was coming soon? Well, better late than never, right? So we’re on the 12th day of 2018. Almost halfway through the first month. It has been an interesting start, to say the least. After ringing in the new year in Las Vegas with my best friend Kristin and Britney Spears, my heart broke the very next day. My beloved Oklahoma Sooners lost the Rose Bowl playoff game. I cried. I asked why?! I couldn’t believe it. Baker Mayfield was supposed to win a National Championship. He had the Heisman, and needed the rest. This was our year – we were way overdue for a Championship trophy. It was time, this was the year and I watched it slip away. Just gone. We looked so good the first half and had a nice lead and it was gone. Gone. So here came the tears. I don’t cry over sports, but this… this was painful. Time to pull it together and move on, but excuse me if I randomly start crying every now and then. I’m looking at you, OU Defense.

The next day we arrived home to my car that would not start. Seriously? Is this how we’re going to be, 2018? I thought I left all of the nonsense in 2017 but apparently not. A failed jump and tow truck later, I was finally home and ready to focus on the new year and a new resolution. To be honest, I think resolutions are stupid. We all think of these crazy goals on December 31st or earlier, that we will start on January 1st and then by the end of January – we’re over it. Or maybe that’s just me. So I’ve decided to focus on small things, instead of making crazy resolutions like giving up carbs. Yes, I did that once. I don’t recommend it. I gave up after three days. And you can start to go crazy.

Ultimately, I resolve to take care of business. I know that sounds weird, but there are a number of things that I have hanging over my head. For starters, grad school. I was slated to graduate December 2017. However, due to my slacking my workload as a swim coach and teacher, the fall becomes very busy for me, and writing a 60-odd page document in less than three months became more and more impossible. So now I’m slated for May 2018, and God knows I’ve got work to do there. Along with graduate school, I have a few other things to bring to this game of life, and I’ll introduce them when the time is right. Just hold on, it’s coming.

This year is going to be a good one. I can feel it. But for now, it’s time for me to take a step back, buckle down and handle some business – all while looking good from the stands.

P.S.: Is it Opening Day yet? I’m ready for baseball. #allrise

XOXO

Dani

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