GRETCHEN TRIES STUFF EP 13: The One With The Kosher Diet
GRETCHEN TRIES STUFF EP 13: The One With The Kosher Diet

I've done a few month-long challenges now: A month without sugar, my month of living zero-waste, and of course my totally failed month of waking up early (expect an update on that one as I re-attempt to become a morning person). This April—kind of in honor of Passover—I decided to give going a Kosher a try. How hard could it be? 

As a kid, I always had a vision that Kosher food involved some rabbi standing in front of an assembly line of package food, blessing it as it passes. This isn't exactly how it works (unless is secretly is, in which I need someone in the know to contact me immediately!) 

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Gretchen Tries Stuff, Food, JewishGretchdiet, eating, food, foodie, Gretchen tries stuff, holidays, jewish, kosherComment
I RAN A MARATHON AFTER YEARS OF INJURIES

It was going to be my Boston Qualifier. I was coming in after an amazing experience running the Portland Marathon in the fall. My enthusiasm for racing (and confidence) was high. At the time, I felt a random occasional pain in my knee was nothing of great concern—something that could wait until post-race to be dealt with. I felt it fairly soon into the Eugene Marathon (a fast, flat course that held particular importance to me being in the city I was born and went to college in). By mile 9, I was limping—bad. Mile 12, I made the hardest decision I've ever had to make in a race: to quit. I was worried about getting super far out from the finish line and being so injured, I'd have to take the medical van back in, so when the course split (half to the left to head into their last mile back, full to the right to head out for another 14.2 miles), I went left. I hobbled across the finish line and straight into the medical tent.  

Some 6 years later, I finally returned to avenge myself.

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LifestyleGretcheugene, eugene marathon, marathon, marathon training, run, running, sport, training, workoutComment
DATING WHEN I WAS 21 vs 31

I've been talking a lot lately about the dating scene to friends. Now days, I'm one of the only people in my friend group who is single, and I often hear people express their absolute horror at the idea of being single again in the age of dating apps. I can't really take offense to this attitude—My dating experience now days feels a whole world apart from when I was a young, optimistic 21-year-old.

Dating when I was 21 was easy. I was still in college and there is almost no easier time in your life to meet people than in college. I met my boyfriend at the time by making eye contact with him in the Subway line at the student union. It was literally that easy to meet new, exciting people.

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Conversations, Adulting as A Millennial, Life UpdatesGretchbeing single, dating, dating apps, dating in america, dating when you're 30, millennial, okcupid, relationships, tinder Comments
GRETCHEN TRIES STUFF EP 12: The one with intermittent fasting

"Never skip breakfast;" "Eat within the first hour of being awake;" "Eat many small meals throughout the day." 

I've heard these statements a lot over the years so when my roommate mentioned she was going to try intermittent fasting, I was a little skeptical. The concept itself feels reminiscent of a starvation diet based on name alone. As someone who has spent years in thearpy for an eating disorder, the negative effects of a starvation diet have been drilled into me and I try to also stay away from anything that could temp me into old bad habits. But then a few days later, I suggested video popped up on my YouTube feed all about intermittent fasting—I preceded to spend the next hour doing research on the concept.  Intrigued, I immediately jumped into my own 10 Day Intermittent Fasting Challenge.

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Gretchen Tries StuffGretchdiet, fasting, Fitness, health, weight lossComment
WHY I YOGA

Is yoga trendy right now? With the rise in popularity of mindfulness, mediation apps, and companies like Lululemon and Outdoor Voices, yoga can feel pretty mainstream. My roommate happens to be a licensed yoga instructor who favors the more traditional aspects and is often irritated by the common practice now days of removing the more spiritual aspects of yoga in favor of using it as a trendy workout. I tend to just nod in agreement, shuddering to think what she might say to me if she knew my past history with yoga and my utter dislike of the word "chakra." 

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LifestyleGretchFitness, health, meditation, mental health, training, weight loss, working out, yogaComment
MY PICKS {IKEA SUMMER '18}

Does anyone remember the Valentines episode of 30 Rock, when Liz Lemon and her boyfriend go to Ikea to buy a dinning table? Brilliant stuff. If you haven't seen it, drop whatever you are doing, watch it, and come back (the rest of my blog post will be patiently waiting.) I have friend who dread the very idea of going to Ikea. "It's too crowed," or "It takes too long to find what you need," or even "I get lost every time I go there." To anyone who feels anxiety any time someone suggest they go shop at Ikea I have a a quick world of advice: Never go to Ikea on a weekend during a holiday in China. You will immediately regret it and end up walking around with a new appreciation for people suffering from claustrophobia, getting bruised up like a salmon trying to swim up stream, and in the end forsaken your quest to buy bedding for your new apartment decided that the airplane blanket you took of the plane is "good enough." (Someday I'll tell this story in full.)

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Style, Home, Shopping GuideGretchbackyard, design, home design, ikea, shopping, summerComment
MENTAL HEALTH: IT'S OKAY TO BE SAD

I could feel it starting to sneak up on me. Just a heaviness that seemed to be stalking my every move, hiding behind corners whenever I turned around to see who's there. Then it pounced. What started as a relaxing Friday of cooking turned into a night of drowning my anxiety and a sudden wave of sadness in chocolate ice cream and Meg Ryan movies from the 90s.  

Sometimes it's easy to identify why you're feeling sad, be it a bad week, a breakup, or the death of a loved one. Sadness, for me, usually comes in two forms: an overwhelming sharp pain in my gut accompanied by a stream of tears on my pillow, or a dull feeling inside without an identifiable cause.

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ConversationsGretchdepression, mental health, mood, sad, sadnessComment
READING PICKS {Spring '18}

Spring is here and I couldn't be more excited. After a long winter, I'm feeling super thankful for the warmer temperatures and sunnier days. Flowers are popping up all over my neighborhood, and I finally got to get back into the garden and beginning planting for summer. It's starting to truly feel like spring for me. The changing of the season also means a self-checkin on how I'm doing on my 50 Books Reading Challenge. At 11 books, I'm just slightly behind pace for my goal (this past month has been a little hectic and I just haven't gotten as much reading done). I guess I'll have to kick it up a bit this spring to make up for it.  I followed up my winter Harry Potter binge with a whole lot of non-fiction. In particular, I focused on a lot of autobiographies written by strong, inspirational women. (It was a very self-empowering book-marathon.) 

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LifestyleGretchbook picks, books, reading, reading list, reading picks, spring Comment
FIVE BLOGS I'M OBSESSED WITH

Anna Akana, an actress and YouTuber, posted a video four years ago call, "Yes, I'm Sexy." The video is a follow-up to an earlier video in which she discusses how she doesn't "feel sexy." This video gives a piece of advice that I've applied to a few different aspects of my life: Find someone you think is the bomb and do what they do. This feels like kind of weird advice but it's been a very valuable tip in my life: from finding hobbies I like and fashion styles that make me feel more confident to ideals for my blog and website layout. 

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LifestyleGretchblogging, fashion blogger, inspiration, social influencerComment
THE CLASSIC vs BELGIAN WAFFLE DEBATE

I'M A HOLZGANG.

For me, growing up, that came with some expectations for how I behaved and conducted myself in public. A lot of it was little things. Such as, when you're a Holzgang you correct every single person who goes, "Oh! you're German" to explain that "actually, I'm Swiss." Others where a little bigger. For example, I have vivid memories of being told "Holzgangs don't quit" on multiple occasions. Like that time in 5th grade when I didn't feel like practicing violin and my dad made me practice Simple Gifts over and over saying, "Holzgangs don't quit." (I can still play that song by memory on every instrument I own.) Or the time in 7th grade when I'd been attacked by hornets (itchy, painful hornet bits all over my body) and I still had to go to volleyball practice that day because Holzgangs don't quit. Or that time when I was 30 and decided to give up alcohol for 100 days but then got a really exciting job offer and wanted to have a sip of champaign to celebrate but couldn't because Holzgangs don't quit, and when I talked to my mom about it she laughed because apparently my dad quits stuff all the time.... wait, what?!

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FoodGretchBelgium waffles, breakfast, brunch, classic waffles, family quirks, family traditions, food, Holzgang, traditions, wafflesComment
HOW TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU WANT TO DO IN LIFE — and then do it!

When it comes to career stuff, I've been pretty lucky... you know, minus the fact that I graduated college and entered the job market during a major financial crisis (considered one of the worst times in US history to be a college-educated adult looking for your "big break" of an entry level job).  It also didn't help that I was a newspaper major looking to break into an industry that was in a period of constant flux and uncertainty (or even dying—depending on who you asked.) 

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ConversationsGretch20 something, career, career advice, freelane life, growing up, writer's life, writing Comments
GRETCHEN TRIES STUFF EPISODE 11: The one when I realized I'm not an early riser

Waking up early multiple days in a row is just plan difficult for me. For my latest Gretchen Tries Stuff challenge, I tried to force myself to become an early riser for the entire month of February and it wasn't nearly as easy as I thought. Maybe I haven't found the right routine for getting up? or maybe being a morning person just isn't for me. 

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Gretchen Tries StuffGretchearly riser, Gretchen tries stuff, GretchenTriesStuff, how to be an early riser, morning routines, mornings, waking up earlyComment
EVERYONE HAS IT FIGURED OUT {but me}

I'd say I've spent way more of my adult life (than I would like to admit) looking at a situation I'm in and saying, "gurlllll, you need to get your shit together." So eventually, I decided to do something about it. Steps I've taken to work towards a better future an suppress that voice inside me that says, I don't know what I'm doing. 

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ConversationsGretchadult, adulting, coming of age, get your shit together, growing up, mental health, self loveComment
I'M VALENTINES INDIFFERENT {But that doesn't mean I can't wear pink: My Top Valentine's Day Picks}

It's almost Valentine's Day (whether you like it or not). I classify myself as a Valentine's Day Indifferencer but that doesn't mean my lack of feelings for the holiday get's in the way of enjoying pink versions of all my favorite items and V-Day sales. Here are my top picks for Valentine's Day (+my overall feeling about the holiday)

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StyleGretchdating, holiday, pink, relationships, shopping, valentines dayComment
MENTAL HEALTH: BODY IMAGE ISSUES + SPORTS

I'm a pretty motivated runner and have been for the entirety of my adult life. Over the years, when discussing my love of running with friends who aren't as enamored with it, I'll often hear the statement: "I wish I was as motivated as you with running." While I know they mean well with this statement, in my head I'm thinking: "No, no you don't." Not because I don't think running is a good thing to enjoy, (it can be a great way to stay healthy and manage stress, and I think running is just overall fantastic) but because the drive that keeps me so motivated is often coming from that same voice that tries to tell me I need to run up and down the office stairs every day. 

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ConversationsGretchEating Disorder, excessive exercise, Fitness, mental healthComment
GRETCHEN TRIES STUFF EPISODE 10: The one with essential oils, lotions, serums & more!

Throughout a large chunk of my life, I've been pretty lazy about my beauty routine. Until recently, the most makeup I typically wore was tinted sunscreen, I had no idea what a serum was, and I rarely actually washed my face (splash of water seemed good enough...right?). This lazy beauty routine worked well for me for most of my 20s, but unfortunately, this would not last forever. 

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Gretchen Tries StuffGretchbeauty, blogger, essential oild, skin careComment
APP ADDICTION + The Struggle to Manage My Screen Time

They say the first step to managing an addiction is admitting you have a problem: "Hi! I'm Gretchen, and I'm addicted to Instagram... and Tumblr... and Pinterest..." But now that Im aware that "I have a problem," what do I do about it? Why are apps so addicting and how do I manage my time on my phone when I use it as a business tool?

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ConversationsGretchapp addiction, apps, instagram, life balance, lifestyle, managing screen time, mental health, phone, phone addiction, pinterstComment