Kristen's Nature Blog

I believe that blogging has its cons and pros. Truly, it all depends on what the topic is. For my class, I've had to link all of my blogs to nature, and that has caused limitations in my enjoyment. It's not that I don't love nature, because I do, but I have difficulties appreciating nature during the school year. Sure, the snow is terrible, but often times going outdoors feels tiring and difficult during the busy times of a college semester. In all honesty, thinking about nature during school just makes me depressed! All I want is full, year-round summer and the ability to enjoy that climate! (In other words, I need to move towards the equator.) But I love nature, I truly do. My blogging experience has been up and down. I enjoy writing about some things, like my weight loss journey and places I've traveled. But a lot of times I run out of time and creativity to keep writing blogs. It's something I would consider doing again after school, if I were traveling ...

When I was a child, "tornado" was a word that built excitement. Rainy days and dark clouds beckoned my mom, my sister, and me to the garage where we would camp out for hours. We would sit on the trunk of the car and watch the rain pelt the tree in our front yard. We would inhale the fresh scent of wet, muddy grass. Some days, the streets would be so hot that when the rain fell it caused steam to rise from the cement. Those were the best days to go for a barefoot walk around the neighborhood. They're some of my favorite memories. I love heat, and I love thunderstorms and tornado warnings. When the clouds took of peculiar forms, sometimes we would walk towards them aimlessly. Somewhere in us we hoped for something to form just to see the raw beauty of tornado weather. Then, on nights when it rained, we all slept well, put to sleep by the soothing hush. My mom sometimes told us to get in the car after a nice, long storm. We would drive around just to enjoy driv...

Am I training for a 5K? No, I'm not. I'm just trying to lose weight and gain some toned legs. Perhaps 3.1 miles doesn't seem like a lot, but it adds when you run that distance every day as I'm doing. I've never been in track or cross country. I've actually never been a big athlete, because I've always struggled too much with being "big." But honestly, I do love to run. I actually enjoy cardio far more than lifting weights. I know that's crazy to a lot of people, but it's what suits me. Last summer, I ran a 5k every day and I lost 50 pounds. I hope to do the same again this summer in order to meet my goal of 100 pounds lost. It is hard, though. Being my weight, I'm a slow runner. I see thin people who can run farther and faster than me, but I also know thin people who can't keep a consistent run for longer than a mile. So, I take pride in my ability to push myself this far. There have been times that people have laughed...

As an extension to my weightless weather post, I want to review the Atkins brand. For a few weeks now, I have been testing Atkins' protein bars and even dabbed into some of their chocolates to fight cravings. Here is what I've learned. Since beginning the Atkins diet, I have learned the key to what makes Atkins doable. Now, Atkins is a popular dieting option because it is often high in protein and low on sugar. For example, by Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bar has 16 grams of protein per bar, 1 gram of sugar, and 3 grams of Net Carbs. It also has high dietary fiber and potassium, but even more saturated fats and sodium. Nonetheless, each bar is jam-packed as many vitamins as you'll find in vita-gummies. But what is it about Atkins that really works? Yes, the bars are super healthy, but they also have a strange side-effect that I became aware of after a few weeks. I'm not expert, so I'm not sure what it is, but if I dare each a whole Atkins' prote...