Food Friday: Steffi's Burgers x Phyllo Bags

It's not too late yet! Well, would say: It's never too late ;-) Yet, it's still friday, even though it's 10pm German time zone. Anyways, I'm sitting here and writing about my roommate's recipe for last night's dinner ;-) 

As you know I'm having lots of friends over from my hometown, but it's nice, isn't it? This week my dear friend Hong Anh was here, who taught me longboarding! Therefore we've spend every single minute boarding and cruising through the streets. Yes, I even took it to work and she waited for me every single day =D That's also the reason why I haven't posted anything the last few days. Anyways, last night after spending some nice hours at the Tempelhof Airport, it was like coming home to mum's since Steffi (roommate) was cooking for us. 

What did she serve us? Burgers and phyllo bags aka 'Bulette mit Blätterteigtaschen'. Click on for the recipe.

Getting back on track: #3 Muscle ache and maintaining

How do I feel after a good workout the day before? I can feel my muscles which I haven't used for a while and don't you feel great?! :) Yeah, it might hurt and you're feeling like: Oh my, I cannot move anymore, just want to lay down and sleep forever.

Trick: Do not! MOVE instead! What? Yes, really, I'm telling you, the muscle ache will leave when you keep on exercising and moving. If not, the ache will take much longer to heal itself. Then you'll wait another week for the next workout and then the day after you'll have another ache. So, get moving and try to get used to exercise. 

I try to exercise most of the days rather than working out one day per week and skipping six. With this method, I can skip one or most of all two days in a row and then get moving again. You do not have to go for another run or do the same workout again, find some light exercise like yoga or find a sports hobby like longboarding, soccer, tennis, biking, beach volleyball, inline skating or climbing. Anything fun!

How to find a hobby? Try things out and do it for one week, and then another and see if it fits your lifestyle and if it has the right purpose for you. For example: Yoga and meditation for me is to keep me focused, to clear my mind and to calm down in this hectic world. Longboarding is passion and freedom, I'm feeling like a kid again. Need this for new inspiration and energy. Find YOUR active hobby!

Furthermore: Working out hard you might also feel: Okay, I can now allow myself some ice-cream, cake or cookies. My thought would be: Did you workout the first time in your life or do you do it every single/or other day? If so, then hell yeah, go for it! If it was your first time, I'd try to stay away from sugar and fats or did you workout to maintain bad food habits? And NO, I do indulge as well, but just not as often ;-) 

I choose to nourish my body with greens and engery. Just anything which lifts me up. At the end it's your body, it's on you!

I might post an article on how to say NO to bad food choices soon, so stay tuned, keep moving and never give up! :)

Beat the summer heat x let's skate

What to do when the thermometer shows 38°C (100°F) and you still want to stay active? Get out of the house and get your butt moving! In the heat? How? Spend some time in nature, go hiking in a forest, it will cool you down or go to a lake and swim a bit. When you're an early bird, get up before work and go for a run.

Working from Monday to Fridays I'm always longing for some get-aways over the weekend. Sometimes I just want to get out of the city and see some trees! A bit of nature, a bit of fresh air to rejuvenate my mind and soul. What did I do this weekend? Well, I met up with some friends, took a train to a station close to a lake and then we rode 8 km to the swim spot. Riding my longboard on big and empty streets is so much fun although the sun is burning on my skin, but there's nothing better than feeling some freedom! After a good ride I'm always feeling superduperüberamazing, haha. It's like: Rolling, swimming, yoga, sports, sun bathing, eating healthily, rolling, swimming, yoga, sports, sun bathing, eating fresh and repeaaaaaat!!! :)

The other day we also went up to the Berlin Teufelsberg and it was just nice to have an overview of the city and being on top of it. I love being out in nature, it's a nice contrast of working in front of the computer all day. You can suck in some fresh energy and just enjoy the present moment of it. No rush, no hectic, no electronics, just being here and now.

Yes, I am enjoying Berlin a lot!!! :)
Hope you guys can get some fresh air and enjoy the summer as well ;-)

xx

P.S.: Here are 12 tips from health.com to stay active when it's too hot to workout, try them! Next time I'll try to take some pictures of the road, the lake and will show some nice spots of Berlin to have your city-get-aways ;-)

Getting back on track: # 2 Strength training

Today was the first time since three weeks that I started my strength workout again. I would do this two to three times a week, 60 minutes each session. So, I try to mix it up, one day going for a 45 to 60 minutes run and then the next day strength training. 

Why? Because I feel sooo much better when working out. I'd do this in the a.m. to kick up my metabolism and to just have a fresh start into the new day. You know what I do before major exams? Meditation and then working out! It frees my mind and then I can really focus on the important things. Try it.

And girls! Don't be afraid of some sit-ups and push-ups, I think strength training is essential since you're just toning up your muscles a bit. And no, I don't want to bulk up and become a female hulk! I just think that especially when you get older it's more difficult to gain muscles or to actually keep them, even more when you're a girl. Why start exercising when you're already  sick? Start now when it's still easy to kick your butt and get moving!

Tips?

Food Friday: Mango x Green Salad

In summer I'm always longing for fresh and raw food. The other day I was invited for an International dinner at friends' place. Everyone had to bring some food from their own culture. This is just a nice activity to spend some quality time with friends, good food and to get to know their roots better.

This was another improvisation session for me. I wasn't thinking about any special dish from Vietnam, instead I bought some ingredients and mixed everything up with a bit of fish sauce. Read on for the recipe.