Are HLBs Becoming Obsolete?

Date: August 28, 2015

Author: astottler

Today’s topic is going to be a bit on the touchy side. Plus, we’ll do some food catch up because I like to actually call this a food and fitness blog, right? I’ll intersperse the food to keep us all entertained!

It’s no secret that I haven’t been blogging as much lately. Partly it’s time. My work schedule has been pretty crazy this summer, and when I get home I have no energy to crack open my computer. (Sidenote-these past couple of days of blogging, I’m reminded of how much I enjoy putting words on the screen and creating something, when I have the time and energy to put in).

(Blueberry banana bread remains one of my favorite healthy pre-workout snacks.)

But at the same time, I feel like I’m running out of things to contribute to the world. Maybe my own healthy habits are waning (definitely true), maybe I’ve moved on to other topics of interest, but lately I’ve felt that I’ve already put everything out there that I have in me to contribute. I’ve been blogging for two and a half years now. My life is so different now than it was then, and I’ve had all kinds of life experiences in between. My blog viewership has also changed quite a bit, not specifically in terms of numbers, but I feel like I have a different set of readers now than I had 2 years ago.

I also used to be better about commenting on other blogs. I still read other bloggers’ posts, but I never seem to take the effort to leave a comment anymore. Maybe the quantity of blogs I read now is higher, that my quality as a reader decreases.

(Panini on a gluten free ciabatta with basil, mozzarella, tomatoes, mushroom tapenade, and a sprinkle of truffle salt. Side salad: balsamic vinaigrette, crumbled feta, dried cherries).

At the same time though, I feel like there are so many blogs out there that have grown stale. Not to be putting anyone down at all, but I’m just not enjoying reading the posts of some of the big bloggers who started it all anymore. I guess after reading hundreds of posts over several years, things kind of blur together to be and the posts seem repetitive. There are so many blogs these days, that how much information is left to gain or be given out?

(I made my pumpkin banana bread and sprinkled cinnamon cream cheese on half. It’s never too soon for pumpkin.)

Maybe I’ve just become so set in my workout routine that there’s no time to try new things or workouts I find online. Maybe I don’t cook as much as I used to, and don’t get the same inspiration. Maybe I don’t have that “healthy living” spark anymore. Maybe my passion is faltering, and maybe I haven’t put enough effort into my health lately to have the energy for these things to excite me.

The healthy living blog world exploded as a result of some key bloggers, but does anyone else feel like it’s dying a bit? Other social media platforms are starting to take over, partly as our population’s attention span decreases. Instagram, vlogs, twitter. Is this the future of the healthy living world? Quick inspiration? Or has everything that there is to say on the topic already been said?

(Still obsessed with this lunch. Side of Vans Gluten Free everything crackers.)

What can I say or write about to inspire myself and others? What can I contribute to an internet that is already so crowded with the thoughts and ideas of others?

(Chicken noodle soup and a cheese pupusa. Pupusas are my latest obsession-cornmeal exterior, stuffed with anything from cheese and spinach to kale and pinto beans.)

I hope to post more soon. I think my blog posts tend to be better when they are a more regular thing. I also want to talk about some vet stuff and let you guys know what is going on in my life now and in the future.

Tell me-are HLBs obsolete?

Breaking Free from the Suffocating Grip of Social Media

Date: January 8, 2015

Author: astottler

Categories: Uncategorized

That’s quite a title, isn’t it?

A lot of people talk about how we need to step back from our phones and computers and experience the world more.

You’ve all heard it before, right? Put down your phones and pay attention?

In preparation for a lot of hard work to come this quarter, I deleted al social media apps from my phone.

And I feel so free. I felt like my social media was pulling me down and strangling me. Like I couldn’t get away. It was a hassle, but I couldn’t break free. With a new quarter and a new routine, I did something I’ve never done when I removed them all from my phone. And my gosh it feels great.

I’m less distracted when I’m doing homework. I don’t surf social media right before bed, and it’s much easier to fall asleep. I’m more focused in everything. I don’t feel the constant need to be checking my phone. Instead of surfing Instagram when I had a few minutes of downtime, I pulled up my GRE flashcard app. Over lunch, I read a couple of relevant news articles.

But most important of all? I feel like I’m regaining my intellectual curiosity-my desire to learn and my ability to sit down for 2 hours reading a textbook. It’s incredible. I finally feel like myself again-the post-social media person before all those apps on my smartphone.

Honestly, that’s all it took. I read some blogs on my computer, but it’s not the time and focus suck that was the infinite hole of twitter on my phone. My gosh, it’s amazing.

So-let’s catch up?

Tuesday was crazy busy-workout, coffee, class, class, class, rush back, drive across the bay, fit in reading in the extra minutes before I taught. Class went really well! I selected an upbeat and energetic playlist for the first week of the year! I’m teaching again next week too.

I stopped by Tin Pot (best ice cream EVER) on the way back to pick up ice cream before meeting up with one of my best friends and former roommate. She’s abroad this quarter, but stopped by before she leaves later this week. While catching up from winter break, I heated up some leftover butternut squash soup that I brought back with me when I returned to school.

We stayed up until midnight chatting. She came to my Physics class the next morning, which I’m sure was an interesting experience given she is an English major. That evening, we went to a Korean place for dinner. I had Bibimbap with chicken.

This is a rice bowl with various spiced veggies, chicken, and an egg cracked on top. It’s served in a hot stone bowl, and the rice gets nice and crispy at the bottom!

This morning, I went to the track to do 10x400m repeats. I biked all the way across campus, only to find that the track was closed for maintenance..

I ended up running on a path next to the track. Each length was .15 miles, so I did 16 of those at a fast pace. It was probably an even better workout than what I had planned!

And since I had a 9am and coffee was on the way back…

And now I need to go. Give some thought to social media!

Thoughts on social media?

Choosing the Right Social Media

Date: August 18, 2014

Author: astottler

Categories: Uncategorized

Let me just preface this post by saying that I’m not going to stop blogging.

That being said, I’ve been feeling a little lacking in motivation lately. And then I started to wonder if it’s holding me back. If constantly focusing on food/fitness is affecting me or making me obsessed.

I also haven’t been as involved in the blogging community lately. I blame this on the fact that I read lots of blog posts during my commute on my phone, and it’s a pain for me to comment on my phone, so I just don’t.

And don’t get me started on the fact that anytime I open Instagram I get hungry.

After some thinking, I’ve decided to step back a little bit in certain ways. For one thing, my phone has zero ability to hold charge, and I can’t make it through a day even without browsing social media. So I’m kind of forced to stop using my phone to browse things during my commute because Googlemaps are important for me to get home within a reasonable amount of time (yayy public transportation), so there’s that.

So here’s what I decided. One of my favorite forms of social media, Instagram, has to go. It’s influencing me too much. When I find myself about to go out and buy a Quest bar, I know I’m in trouble. Not that there is anything wrong with Quest bars-I know a ton of people love them-but they turn my stomach into knots and they have nuts (and I know I’ve reacted to them before). So when an app has me on the verge of going out and consuming an allergen, I know it’s time to step back.

I decided to be more active on Twitter. I like Twitter because it’s a small place to keep track of everything, and it’s easy to keep track of what is going on in the world.

I decided to stop reading so many blogs on my phone (partly not by choice but by necessity), and instead read them on my computer, where I can comment, interact, be more mindful, and not get run over by a bus in the process (#commutingproblems).

I think to reignite the blogging spark I need to be more active and go out there and find and read new blogs, and comment on my favorites.

I also would like to be more representative of what I’m actually doing on my blog. I guess I partly feel less motivated to blog when I’m having ice cream every day and I’m supposed to be promoting health, but ice cream is part of health.

I also worry about posting my exercise schedule. I always worry I’ll be judged for what I do-I’m not obsessed with exercise, I just really like it. I like my Crossfit friends, and love exploring DC by foot on my runs. For me, I can run in the morning and then do Crossfit at night. But that’s just what works for me! (And I definitely don’t do that every day-just to be clear).

But I’ve found that talking about exercise on my blog is a way to express all my thoughts on anything exercise related without annoying the heck out of everyone in real life. I always have to hold myself back when I see my family or all I find myself talking about is my latest run or WOD.

So that’s that. I’m going to be discussing this more later, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on social media. And since this is a food and fitness blog, here’s some food:

Breakfast: Banana custard made in the microwave because I didn’t want to dig and find my pot.

Lunch was the typical green bean salad and milk, plus yogurt, sunflower seed butter, and a twist-nectarine! (Not blueberries like every other day for the past 2 weeks.)

And dinner was at the Whole Foods Salad bar.I normally get soup+bread there for dinner on Mondays, but after trying some of the garlic-y kale the other day, I’ve been wanting more! I need to do a copycat version-it is delicious! I had that topped with Southwest chicken and some other random salad bar items. And then I impulse bought a huge piece of corn bread and ate the whole delicious thing. Cornbread here is so much better. I guess since it’s sort of the South?

And thanks for sticking with this post!

Thoughts on social media?