by Debbie Rodrigues | Oct 31, 2016 | Other
Halloween isn’t a tradition where I come from or where I live. But let’s face it: it’s almost impossible to escape the hype.
When I used to give English classes, we organized Halloween parties for the little ones.
Sometimes, we even did some trick-or-treat adaptation by having the kids stop by one classroom or two or even the reception.
It was simple, but really fun!
In Belgium, things grew a lot in the past years.
The first time, we weren’t even prepared for it.
We had absolutely no sweets at home (we never buy them for ourselves) and we were painting the living room (yes, at night, before a holiday).
Our first reaction was:
Who is knocking at the door now?
We had no clue of what was going on so we didn’t open the door. It was only the day after that we realized it.
Lucky us, the “trick” part didn’t go through, otherwise…
Since then, we plan things in advance and get some sweets just in case some kid shows at our door.
Healthy Halloween Roundup
But for this year, I was thinking about doing something different.
When I was setting up my plan in advance, I realized that except for the usual less healthy stuff, I had no idea how to enjoy a healthy Halloween.
Instead of doing some crazy Google search, I asked other fellow bloggers involved with Health, Fitness and Wellness to share their tips and recipes in this round up.
Since Halloween isn’t the only party coming up soon, keep these tips in mind when getting ready to celebrate.
Without further ado…
5 Tactics For Not Overindulging On Halloween Candy
It’s OK to enjoy yourself during Halloween, but Cynthia points out the importance of not going overboard.
She keeps it simple and accessible to everyone.
5 Healthy Halloween Tips
Another great post from from Cynthia.
This time, she doesn’t focus on what you should eat, but on what you should do during Halloween.
It’s easy to get caught up with the celebration and forget about your long term goals.
Plan your holiday ahead with these tips and you’ll surely be able to stay on track.
Healthy Halloween Cocktails
That sounds interesting too, doesn’t it?
How about some healthy drinks to celebrate All Hallows’ Eve?
Julie posted these eye-catching suggestions for the party.
Note that they contain alcohol, therefore, not suitable for the little ones.
Vegan Chorizo Pumpkin Quesadilla (Gluten Free)
When Suzlyfe shared this recipe, I was in love.
Is it real? Does such a vegan deliciousness really exist?
Oh yeah!
And if you aren’t vegan, there’s no need to skip this one as she also shares the full version of it.
What are your plans for Halloween?
Before going out party, plan your evening so that you can enjoy yourself:
- Check your costume beforehand.
- If you’re going to drink, don’t drive.
- Grab something to eat before the party.
- Remember to hydrate (with water). 😉
With little planning, you can have a great time during Halloween without losing track of your goals.
I hope you liked these tips!
Make sure you visit the bloggers mentioned in this roundup and drop them a line, please.
Happy Halloween!
by Debbie Rodrigues | Oct 20, 2016 | Other
I put together my 50 before 50 list earlier this year. Now it’s time for the first check-in six months later.
Until last year, I published monthly accountability blog posts.
In January, I used to write my commitments (I don’t like the word “resolutions). Then, every single month or at least that was the intention, I shared where I was in my progress.
I didn’t write my commitments for 2016. At least, not in the same format I used to. But since I turned 41 last May, I decided to put together an extended accountability list for before my 50th birthday.
When you think of it now, it feels I have all the time in the world, but believe me, it’s not that simple.
You can read the original post here.
My goal today is share with you where I stand in my progress so far.
My ultimate 50 things to do before 50 bucket list
- Write an ebook
- Run a 5K race
Attend a CrossFit event I attended (didn’t take part in) this year’s Antwerpen Throwdown- Improve my yoga skills
- Finish a knitting project
- Visit a new country
- Clean my email accounts
- Take a spa day
- Start studying Japanese again
- Finish the CrossFit Open Scaled
- Minimize my wardrobe
- Go to the movies alone
- Donate blood or plasma
- Go to a restaurant alone
- Practice meditation daily
- Run a 10K race
- Read two books per year
- Attend swimming lessons again
Offer more services to my clients Not only I updated my coaching packages, but also include other alternatives such as online courses- Do four photoshoots
- Finish the CrossFit Open RXed
- Increase muscle mass
Launch a course Launched not only one but two courses: Planning For Productivity and 5 Days To Mindful Planning (free and paid versions)- Improve my mobility
- Visit my mom on a yearly basis
- Bike regularly in the summer
- Attend a TED event
- Finish a sewing project
- Become a “regular” somewhere
- Be able to do handstands
- Start and finish a new project
- Plan offline days on a regular basis
- Have an article published
- Visit Japan
- Become a better Vegan
- Volunteer
- Improve my cooking skills
- Go to a Jazz concert
- Meet new people
- Become a speaker
- Motivate others achieve their dreams
- Continue my studies
- Advance as a Reiki Practitioner
- Fly First Class
- Let go of all grudges
- Buy a new car
- Get another certification
- Practice random acts of kindness regularly
- Become really good in CrossFit
- Enjoy life!
Follow-up
In the meantime, you can follow my progress on a Board I created on Trello*. There you can also see the ongoing items.
The next check-in will take place in May 2017.
You know I’m all about making lists.
While those we create on a daily basis to become more productive are excellent, bucket lists also help us achieve more in the long run. Think about it!
Whether it’s a 20 before 20 or a 50 before 50 list like mine, it’s rewarding to be able to check out items from it.
Read the other posts in this series:
*Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” It means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link. However, when you order through my link, it helps me to continue to offer you lots of free stuff. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Thank you, in advance for your support!
by Debbie Rodrigues | Jul 28, 2016 | Other
Another year and another unforgettable experience even from far: The CrossFit Games 2016. Lots of changes, surprises and great experiences.
2016 marked the tenth year of the CrossFit Games.
A lot has changed since its early days in Aromas, but yet the passion is still the same.
The Downs
Since I live outside the US and unfortunately cannot afford to attend the CrossFit Games live. But, I follow everything online.
I’m beyond thankful for this opportunity. Not only it’s free, but it’s also a top quality show.
We don’t miss a single event, including Teens and Masters.
This time, however, there was a significant change of commentators, and that’s my single point of “complaint”.
The combo Tommy Marquez, Caity Matter Henniger, Pat Sherwood was so perfect. Why changing it?
It did look like a pure marketing move, and I guess it’s a price to pay for the growth of the sport.
Money comes from sponsors, and they don’t do it for charity.
They want to be in the spotlight. And if it’s what it takes to keep on bringing so much material for free, we have to deal with it.
That’s probably the reason why instead of having insightful comments about the athletes and their performance, we had to deal with how “beautiful” everyone was or “I want to hang out with guy” remarks.
Besides, showing the goods available at the Vendor Village to people abroad made no sense. On the other hand, why wasn’t it shown to those in the US who could eventually get a last-minute ticket to attend it?
Having to stare at the CrossFit Games logo during what I imagine was whether commercials or commentators on ESPN was annoying too.
I missed some late events live because I felt asleep during the long breaks.
Taking into consideration it was after 2 AM, going to bed was the best thing to do. And I did catch up the day after anyways.
Perfection doesn’t exist, does it? It was still great!
The Ups
The entire CrossFit Games 2016 was incredible.
Whenever you think The Dave Castro has done it all, he surprises us, again!
The way he planned and executed the first events back at his family’s ranch was simply fantastic.
It was a true homage to those who contribute to the sport before Reebok and the cameras.
Talking about cameras, the effort put by the production team to make the Facebook Live transmissions possible was priceless.
The image quality was not HD. But who cares?!?
Those truly into CrossFit are not there for the pixels, but for the action.
It takes a lot of dedication to bring us close to the action despite the adversities.
Mainly because they didn’t have to do it. It was an awesome surprise!
The athletes
Male
I’ve mentioned it sometimes in the social media, and here I am again: I missed Dan Bailey.
That sprint event would fit him perfectly.
But I’m sure he’ll work extra hard to make 2017 his year.
Just like Josh Bridges did!
Was I the only one who got goosebumps with him winning Murph? Unforgettable!
I’d have been cool if he had made it to the podium, but Mat Fraser was a man on a mission.
From Aromas until the end, he almost made it all look like a walk in the park with his consistency.
But while things were quite clear from the man’s side, the ladies got us excited until the very end.
Female
Starting with the incredible Sam Briggs.
Just making to the CrossFit Games 2016 after all the drama with her visa was challenging. And rocking it at Aromas and in other events throughout the weekend was out of this world.
For those who may not know it, getting a visa for athletic competitions is not always as easy as it seems.
In fact, one Brazilian male athlete, Thiago Felix, got his visa denied twice. He was one of the teenagers and couldn’t participate in this year’s CrossFit Games.
He did all the work, qualified among the 10 best Teenage Boys 14-15 in the world, but had to watch it from home.
Sad, just sad…
Luckily, Sam made it and showed us all what she’s made of.
The only sad news was her announcement that this was her last CrossFit Games.
Even though I understand her decision, I’m still going to miss seeing her.
Another display of heart was Jennifer Smith.
She was struggling with plantar fasciitis before the CrossFit Games, and it got worse after the 7K run in Aromas.
Yet, she participated until the final event, but it was her entrance in the Soccer Stadium after Murph that will be remembered forever in the history of the Games.
On the floor, the battle between Katrin, Tia-Clair, and Sara was breathtaking.
The first four positions from last year were the exact ones in 2016. That’s how much all these ladies have improved!
We all knew it was going to happen, but I think the intensity was way beyond any expectations.
To Tia, there’s also the fact she had also been training for the Summer Olympic Games that take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in just a couple of weeks.
Whatever adjective we give to this Australian lady it’s just underrated.
The results
Congratulations to:
- Vincent Ramirez
- Kaela Stephano
- Nicholas Paladino
- Allison Weiss
- Shawn Ramirez
- Helen Harding
- Ron Mathews
- Cheryl Brost
- Ron Ortiz
- Shellie Edington
- Will Powell
- Mary Beth Prodromides
- David Hippensteel
- Shaun Havard
- CrossFit Mayhem
- Mathew Fraser
- Katrin Tanja Davidsdottir (the second female athlete to win the CrossFit Games twice in a row)
The next time
One of the athletes I’m sincerely looking forward watching next year is the teenager Sydney Sullivan.
At the beginning of the week, I was surprised by her performance.
It wasn’t even close to what she showed in 2015 nor during the 2016 Open.
To my surprise, this young lady was in fact on a waiting list for a live transplant.
At the age of 16 years-old, Sydney is already inspiring us all with her dedication and will-power.
Each year, right after the end of the CrossFit Games, I start my personal countdown for the next time.
With 2016 being the last year in Carson, it’s even harder to guess the madness awaiting the athletes.
My personal goal for 2017 is to give a shot at the Open.
It’ll probably be a friendly-scaled version of the Masters’ exercises, but I want to taste the experience and test myself.
One of the things that makes CrossFit so special is that all athletes, independent from their fitness level, know exactly how hard it’s to perform each exercise.
I cannot wait to see what The Dave Castro is preparing for those amazing athletes.
And you?
Read also these posts about CrossFit:
Please check the list of link parties I join here.
by Debbie Rodrigues | May 9, 2016 | Other
With my 41st birthday coming soon, it’s time to share my 50 before 50 list with my planning for the next years. Who’s with me?
I only heard about X before X lists one year before my 40th birthday. I did my best, but I didn’t manage to make all my wishes come true in such a short period of time.
For 2025, I want things to be different, though. That’s why, while I’m still a couple of days away from my birthday, I’m already sharing with you my 50 before 50 list.
Without any further ado, here we go…
My ultimate 50 things to do before 50 bucket list
- Write an ebook
- Run a 5K race
- Attend a CrossFit event
- Improve my yoga skills
- Finish a knitting project
- Visit a new country
- Clean my email accounts
- Take a spa day
- Start studying Japanese again
- Finish the CrossFit Open Scaled
- Minimize my wardrobe
- Go to the movies alone
- Donate blood or plasma
- Go to a restaurant alone
- Practice meditation daily
- Run a 10K race
- Read two books per year
- Attend swimming lessons again
- Offer more services to my clients
- Do four photoshoots
- Finish the CrossFit Open RXed
- Increase muscle mass
- Launch a course
- Improve my mobility
- Visit my mom on a yearly basis
- Bike regularly in the summer
- Attend a TED event
- Finish a sewing project
- Become a “regular” somewhere
- Be able to do handstands
- Start and finish a new project
- Plan offline days on a regular basis
- Have an article published
- Visit Japan
- Become a better Vegan
- Volunteer
- Improve my cooking skills
- Go to a Jazz concert
- Meet new people
- Become a speaker
- Motivate others achieve their dreams
- Continue my studies
- Advance as a Reiki Practitioner
- Fly First Class
- Let go of all grudges
- Buy a new car
- Get another certification
- Practice random acts of kindness regularly
- Become really good in CrossFit
- Enjoy life!
Due date: May 12, 2025.
Read also these posts about my previous birthdays:
It may not be the wildest list you have seen out there, but I mean every single item. Sometimes, it’s harder to keep it simple than to go nuts.
Above all, I have the sincere desire to keep on improving in different aspects of my life: personal and professional. I was just not made for the comfort zone.
To assure accountability, I’ll be sharing updates every six months. Nine years fly! And no, I don’t mean it as a joke at all! I don’t want to be caught by surprise with half of the list open by 2024.
Besides, some of the goals require extra follow up like books I’ll read per year and photo shoots.
It’s fun to think that the older we get, the longer is the list.
It doesn’t scare me, though. On the other hand: I’m excited to be able to cross off the entire list by 2025.
Do you have any plans set till your next birthday?
For Holistic Health tips read also:
Please check the list of link parties I join here.
Be Healthy and Live Fully.
