Senior Day

Whenever I was little I fell in love with the game of softball. I never thought about if I would get to play in college because when I was little it was all for fun.

The older I got the more that changed, I still had fun but playing in college became more of a reality and it was something that I needed. If it wasn't for my softball scholarship I wouldn't have a college education.

Senior day in highschool was sad and all but all of us seniors knew we had at least 4 more years left to play the game. Senior day of college was different because once you are done you won't get to play this game ever again (except beer league).

I had mixed feelings on senior day on one hand I was honestly happy. Happy that I am almost done and get to move on and see what the next chapter in my life has in store for me. On the other hand it was sad because playing with these girls for 4 years and winning a national championship together is something that is irreplaceable.

Also not being able to play the game in general is something that I am going to miss. The best feeling is winning together as a team and beating that one team we have always hated or that team that we weren't supposed to beat.

The intensity and adrenaline that came with pitching to one of the best teams or best players and being successful is a feeling that nobody else can feel but you.

I know that picture is not very flattering but not many people can look good in the middle of a pitch. Being done for good is bitter sweet but it also means you have to make the most of the time you have left with your team.

Considering we are approaching post-season it is time to leave everything you have on the field. I wouldn't want to do this season with any other group of girls especially the seniors I got to enjoy my last year with.

Chocolate Wasted

I'm not much of sweets person but when it comes to chocolate it's just something that I can't control.

If there is one thing that I probably couldn't give up it would be chocolate for sure (and potatoes) but thankfully chocolate can actually be good for you. 

One of the best things that you can hear is sweets are actually good for you. Chocolate is not only good for you but it can benefit you in ways you didn't even think were possible.

Benefits of eating this delicious sweet: 

1. Reduces stroke risk

- In 2011 there was a study that found the women that ate more than 45 grams of chocolate a week had a 20% lower risk of stroke than women who treated themselves to fewer than 9 grams. 

2. Boosts heart health

- People who eat chocolate regularly benefits from lower blood pressure, lower "bad" LDL cholesterol and lower risk of heart disease. Dark chocolate is the best for this because its inflammation-fighting that reduces cardiovascular risk. 

3. It fills you up

- Chocolate is rich in fiber, dark chocolate can actually keep you full so you won't eat as much. If you eat this sweet regularly it could even reduce the cravings you have for the sweet, salty and fatty foods.

4. May fight diabetes

- A small study in 2005 found that regularly eating chocolate increases insulin, which reduces risk for diabetes. 

5. Protects you skin

- If you have heard of chocolate causing breakouts it is wrong. Dark chocolate is actually good for you skin. The type of antioxidants called flavonoids that is in dark chocolate offer protection from UV damage from the sun. 

6. It can quiet coughs

- If you can't stop coughing try chocolate. There is an ingredient called theobromine that reduces the activity of the part of the brain that triggers those hard to get rid of coughs. Instead of spending money on medicine that you could have side effects from just eat some chocolate. 

7. Boosts your mood. 

- Chocolate eaters have reported to feel less stressed. Who isn't happy when they are eating chocolate. 

8. Improves blood flow

- Cocoa has a anti-clotting, blood-thinning properties that work in a similar way to aspirin that can improve blood flow and circulation. 

9. Improves vision

- Because chocolate can improve blood flow there was another study that showed choclate may also increase blood flow to the retina giving the your vision a boost. 

10. May make you smarter 

- The boost of blood flow to the brain created by coca's flavanols seems to make people feel more awake and alert.

Green Smoothie

A lot of people don't eat the right amount of vegetables that an average person should have. One way that I have found that is easy for me to get the right intake of veggies is making a green smoothie. I know it might look a little off just because a lot of people see a green liquid and say no thanks. But this smoothie is actually really good!

Not only is it good for you but it is incredibly easy to make and takes about 5 minutes. You can see the 10 benefits that the green smoothie gives and the recipe below.

The recipe:
1 c coconut milk
1/2 mango chunks
1 c super greens (spinach, kale)
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup ice

1. Green smoothies have pure nutrition and vitamins that you get from the certain type of fruit and vegetables you choose to put in the smoothie.

2. When you just get fruit juice you can get the vitamins and minerals but you can't get the fiber that you can get from the smoothies.

3. If you don't like eating your veggies making a smoothie is a great way to get your greens. The vegetable is hidden by the fruit and yogurt or whatever else you put in the smoothies.

4. These smoothies take about 5 minutes so it quick and easy to make, all you need is a blender.

5. Making the smoothies at home can also save you money. If you go to a juice bar it can cost you at least $5 for one glass. Not only do you get the vitamins you need you save money instead of buying multivitamins.

6. If you have kids it is a good way to get them to "eat" their greens.

7. Green smoothies is also a great source of energy. Eating fruits by itself will only provide short bursts of energy but combining the veggies will give you the long lasting energy that you need.

8. The smoothies are low in calories but also very filling. It contains high amounts of water and fiber that makes you feel like you just ate a meal.

9. If you need something that is easy to digest then green smoothies are the best thing. Since they are already blended and it's liquid it is way easier to digest.

10. These smoothies also keep you hydrated. Experts say that you are supposed to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day and that people don't even drink half that. Adding water to the smoothies can keep you hydrated and get you drinking water without even realizing it.

Tarp Fail

If you have ever had the not so pleasant experience of tarping a field you will understand where I am coming from with this post.

No team enjoys tarping and untarping a field and if you have ever heard someone say they like don't believe them because they are lying to you. It takes about 15 minutes for our whole team to roll it out and cover our field. After we get the field covered we have to put tires and pretty much whatever we can find on the tarp.

Our tarp that we have isn't the best so we have to look for tiny holes and tape them up (it's ghetto we know) then finally we can leave.

We are supposed to play today but we all got to the field and saw this....

The storm blew off our tarp and it made another Broncho Lake on our field. Seeing this the day before you're supposed to play isn't the best feeling especially after you searched so hard for those stupid little holes that took 10 minutes to find.

Tarping brings out the worst in everybody, with all the yelling at each other and different people saying different things at once we always managed to get it done.

We are supposed to play on our field Friday and Saturday so hopefully the wet vac that the coaches got can suck up a lake before then.

Yoga To Try This

I have never been known to be flexible in any sort of way. I actually can't even touch my toes but I'm getting better.

One thing that I have tried doing more and more is to do more yoga. I go to classes at the wellness that are free. If I can't make it to the wellness me and my roommate will just look yoga classes up on youtube and do it in the living room (it's better than nothing). 

Even just stretching casually can help your body. You don't have to go through a whole yoga class to see the benefits but it definitely helps. 

10 benefits yoga does to your body.

1. Improves your flexibility. (I obviously need that)
-This is an obvious benefit that yoga brings. If you do yoga regularly you will see yourself loosening up and become more flexible. You will also see pain that is being caused by tight muscles go away because they are finally getting stretched out. 

2. Builds muscle strength. 
-Building strength through yoga you are balancing it with flexibility. As opposed to just going to the gym and lifting you can build strength at the expense of flexibility. 

3. Perfects your posture. 
-When your head is balanced directly over an erect spine, it takes much less work for your neck and back muscles to support it. Yoga allows you to stretch the neck muscles you use to hold your head up all day and makes it relax. 

4. Prevents cartilage and joint breakdown.
-Whenever you are doing yoga you put your joints through their full range of motion. This can help prevent degenerative arthritis. 

5. Protects your spine.
- If you have a well-balanced asana practice with a lot of backbends, forward bends, and twists you will keep your disks supple. 

Peanut Butter Fingers

I did my presentation over a blog called Peanut Butter Fingers, pbf for short. Julie Fagan is a full-time blogger, personal trainer, and exercise group instructor. Fagan has been blogging since 2009 and has 1.5 million page views.

Her blog caught my attention because I am also trying to blog about health and fitness and different ways people can lead a better lifestyle. Fagan doesn't only blog about health and fitness she also writes about her life and just random things that happen with her and her family.

One thing that I really took away from reading her blog is just because it might be labeled a "health and fitness" blog doesn't mean you can't connect with people with other things. Letting the readers into your life makes them want to come back and read it because it is something different every time.

Pbf biggest strength is probably how relatable it is. Also a monkey could navigate the blog. There are tabs that are set up at the top for different categories whether it's recipes, workouts or even questions about her life and blogging.

If you are looking for a good blog to learn more about health and fitness or even to just read about random daily things Peanut Butter Fingers is a really good blog to follow. The link is http://www.pbfingers.com.

Stretch It Out

A lot of people don't really think about stretching when you are done with a workout or even before. After lifting with our strength and conditioning coach I finally realized how important it really is.

Our Strength and conditioning coach makes us stretch every time we finish a workout. You never realize what benefits stretching really brings until you start doing it.

Here are some of the benefits that stretching can be.
1. Reduces muscle tensions.
2. Increases range from movements of the joints.
3. Enhances muscular coordination.
4. Increases circulation of the blood to various parts of the body.
5. Increases energy levels.
6. Relief from pain.
7. Improves posture.

Just from those seven benefits you can see actually how important it is to stretch. You can get so many injuries just from not stretching before or even after. It is better to stretch to prevent an injury than stretch out a pulled muscle because you didn't stretch in the first place.