Howdy y’all!!! Thanks for stopping by and checking out my blog Hooked On A Healthy Balance!!!
About the Blogger–
My name is Andrea and I am a twenty-something recent graduate from the University of Texas at Austin class of 2013, Hook ‘Em!!! Upon graduation I moved to a suburb of Dallas, Tx where I am waiting to pursue a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. Beyond school I am an avid exercise enthusiast and love being active in any way, shape, or form. I also have a passion for healthy eating/cooking and try to promote a healthy lifestyle for the mind, body, a soul.
At UT I earned a Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology and Health with a minor in nursing. I love love love the human body and think it is one of the most fascinating and resilient things out there. I plan on returning to school sometime in the near future in order to pursue my dreams of becoming a physical therapist. I want to be able to help people reach their goals and at least achieve that bare minimal level of wellness we all deserve. With my schooling I have taken many classes that have helped widen my knowledge pertaining to exercise and nutrition. I have taken exercise physiology, nutrition, applied anatomy, neuromuscular, and exercise prescription courses that have taught me how to turn my passion into a career.
About the Blog–
This blog will follow my daily life in Dallas, TX as a recent graduate and young adult pursuing another degree and working. I invite y’all to be part of my daily activities and follow my daily musings of working out, eating healthy (for the most part), experimenting in the kitchen and at the gym, spending time with my family, and fitting in time to go out with friends and have a social life!
The most important people in my life are my family– Mother, Father, older brother (Nick) and younger sister (Haley) and of course my adorable miniature dachshund Winni (whom you will see and hear ALL about) and my friends, both from high school and college. You will also hear a lot about my little sister, Haley. She is an amazing high school volleyball and I love to go out to her games and support and hope to follow her with all her potential college endeavors.
Fitness, Food, and Finding that Balance–
Right now my typical fitness regimen includes always trying to workout at least 5 days a week incorporating both resistance training and cardio to my workouts. I love to do HITT cardio circuits to get my heart pumping and a good sweat going! I also love to run! I have trained in the past for half and full marathons but due to injury have not been able to compete in a race yet (Hoping to change that soon now that I have more time to train properly). I also love the BodyPump class by Les Mills. It is a GREAT fast paced toning class that keeps you moving and engaged so the class flies by before you know it (my type of workout)!!
Food wise, I do my hardest to eat clean about 90% of the time and the other 10% I am pretty flexible. I have finally found a balance that works for me after a long struggle. By watching myself for the most part during the week and indulging when I want to I can happily say that I feel no guilt in having that extra serving or ice cream (my ULTIMATE WEAKNESS) from time-to-time. I am also experimenting with flexible dieting and paying closer attention to macronutrients rather than calories. I also try not to be obsessed with numbers. Numbers are numbers and they do not determine happiness or how great a person you are. I like to call myself a food experimenter in the kitchen. I am by no means a chef (Check out my old room-mate and great friend Chef-Krista for some good quality recipes) but I do like to play around with recipes and try to use wholesome ingredients to increase the nutritional quality of the food I make and eat!!
Besides eating healthy I DO enjoy going out with friends for a night out! I love trying new restaurants (especially mexican food) and throwing back a margarita a few margaritas and dancing the night away!
I am NOT a registered personal trainer or registered dietitian but any recipes, workouts, or spots science related things I post are based off of my education in the field of Exercise Science and what personally works for me to be balanced and healthy. I will not be posting my exact diet or how many calories I consume on a daily basis as I do not track that personally. I also do not post everything I eat so please do not think that this blog is all encompassing of my daily intake. What I do may not exactly be right for everyone out there but if I can help motivate or provide support for at least one person out there than it is worth it to me. Please feel free to ask me questions or ask for advice, I would love to help!!!!
- You can follow me on my facebook, or tweet me @ALdeschenes. You can also follow me on my Pinterest and my personal Instagram.
Hooked On A Healthy Balance 
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-Marpay Fitness