Street art in the making under the bridge at Garfield Park

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My new favorite tool

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Love.

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True.

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Georgetown French Market happening now!

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French market finds!

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Rooftop cocktails!

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Good night :)

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Living Clean

Hi friends - it's me and I'm alive! I know, I'm not so great with my "new year's" resolve to blog more... but I'm working on it. It's been a hectic few months. To prove this, here are some highlights:

• Had a record streak of gym attendance! 17 weeks in a row according to 4square, so at least I was on one resolution! I was feeling great and built a ton of muscle.
• Then my apartment got burglarized. Long story short, it was definitely a creeper and my roommate and I lost a lot of important stuff. More importantly, we were not safe living there anymore so we were displaced for a month.
• During that month, I traveled a lot for work. I went to San Francisco (a fave!), Orlando/Tampa, and New York. I also had a huge work event I had been working on since August happen. It was successful - yay! But...
• I bumped up my move in date due to the burglary, so I moved literally a few days before my big work event! 
• The good news: my honey and I have moved in together and merged households and doggies :)

So, as you can see... hectic, busy times but lots of good and positive fresh starts that came about. Since I had all this traveling, moving, etc (and generally just being displaced) it was not easy to continue my workout streak and I also lost out on eating healthy. Some things just aren't easy under certain circumstances. But I am resolving to get back on track. Last week I did a week of clean foods (a sort of cleanse) to get me on the right path and it definitely worked! I'm not into fad diets (or diets at all) as I think your habits should always reflect a healthy way of living for yourself and the impact you have on the environment and those around you - but - I do think a reset is really useful when you get back on track. I'd never do a juice cleanse, mainly because I do not have the willpower to stop eating solid foods and I also don't think it's the healthiest thing for my body. Anyway, I wanted to share the cleanse I did because it was really easy and I felt amazing. This week, I am adding the workouts back in, so I know I'll be rocking and rolling in no time!

3-Day Clean-Food Detox Plan by Gaiam

(Note: adapt this to what you need. I did about five days. I also let myself have a couple cups of coffee. It didn't feel like a diet at all!)

Day 1

Breakfast: 1 cup of steel-cut or Irish oats (measured after cooking), topped with 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts and 1 cup of fresh or frozen berries.

Snack: ½ cup plain nonfat yogurt mixed with ½ of a banana, sliced, and 2 tablespoons Grape-Nuts or other high-fiber cereal.

Lunch: Washed baby spinach leaves (or other dark green salad greens) topped with 4 ounces of grilled chicken, 8-10 sliced red grapes, sliced red onion and 2 tablespoons slivered almonds. Dress salad with fresh lemon juice and 2 teaspoons olive oil. Serve with ½ of a 6-inch whole-wheat pita pocket.

Snack: Sliced green apple with 1 ounce of cheddar cheese.

Dinner: Bake a 5-ounce piece of cod or tilapia (or other white flaky fish). Place fish in a baking dish, top with 2 teaspoons olive oil, fresh lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt and pepper. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes, or until cooked through; serve with ½ cup brown rice and steamed broccoli.

Day 2

Breakfast: In a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, make a 3-egg-white omelet filled with 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese and ½ cup of sliced tomatoes and onions (or other vegetable of choice). Serve omelet with a navel orange or half a grapefruit.

Snack: 1 slice of whole-grain bread topped with 1 tablespoon all-natural peanut butter or almond butter.

Lunch: 5-ounce salmon fillet grilled or poached (can purchase canned salmon if easier) served over a bed of baby arugula (or other dark green lettuce) and topped with ½ cup of chickpeas (or garbanzo beans), fresh lemon juice and 1 teaspoon olive oil.

Snack: ½ cup 1% cottage cheese (calcium-fortified if available) topped with ½ cup of fresh or frozen berries.

Dinner: Broil a lean 4-ounce ground sirloin burger (or lean ground turkey burger) and serve it on a whole-wheat English muffin topped with sautéed mushrooms and onions. Serve burger with a large mixed green salad dressed with balsamic vinegar and 1 teaspoon olive oil.

Day 3

Breakfast: Combine 1 cup of plain nonfat yogurt (look for Greek yogurt if available), 2 tablespoons flax seeds, 1 cup of fresh or frozen berries and 2 tablespoons Grape-Nuts or other high-fiber breakfast cereal.

Snack: 1 hard-boiled egg and a handful of baby carrots.

Lunch: Top a 6-inch whole-wheat tortilla with ¼ of a sliced avocado, 2 slices of tomato, 2 slices of part-skim mozzarella cheese, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard and 1 romaine lettuce leaf. Wrap up and enjoy with a bag of fresh green or purple grapes (about 15-20 grapes).

Snack: 1 cup of skim or soy milk and 1 ounce of raw almonds (about 20 almonds).

Dinner: Bake a 5-ounce boneless skinless chicken breast with fresh lemon juice, 2 teaspoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of capers or sliced green olives (in oven-proof baking dish at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes -- or until cooked through). Serve chicken with a corn salad comprised of 1 cup of frozen, thawed corn niblets, 1 diced plum tomato, ¼ cup black beans, topped with a pinch of sea salt and pepper.

For nutrition info and more tips, visit Gaiam. Don't forget to consult your doctor!