by Christina | Mar 25, 2016 | Wellness
Disneyland is my place. My favorite place. I’m kind of obsessed with it, and I’ve been obsessed for as long as I can remember. I’ve wanted to write a post about Disneyland for a long time, but I get overwhelmed with all of the things I want to say. So I’ve decided I’ll probably turn this into a little series and break up the information. Since I love traditions and I’m definitely a creature of habit, I have a certain method of “doing” Disneyland, and it’s what I do every time. There are steps. A strict regimen. My way is not necessarily the best way or the right way for everybody, but it’s the best way for me. I want every Disneyland trip to be a totally magical, unforgettable experience, and it always is when I follow my method. I probably seem super OCD and uptight about it, but that’s okay. I have so much fun at Disneyland every time, so it’s worth it. 95% of the time I cry at least once of pure happiness during the day. I’m not kidding.
Disneyland is super tourist-y, obviously, and I understand that not everyone can be a professional like me. However, it pains me when I overhear fellow Disneyland-goers say or do things that are anti-productive to the Disneyland experience or preventing them from squeezing all of the magic they could out of the park. So, I’ve decided to compile a list of some of my go-to rules for Disneyland. This is like a Disneyland 101. Like learning the ABCs. I just want to break it down — super simple.
- Watch Disney movies before you go. This is a non-negotiable tradition for me, and I don’t know why more people don’t do it. It totally enhances the magic. You watch the movies, you get swept up in the whimsy and you dream of entering a fantasy world, and then voila – you’re finally there! Watching Disney movies beforehand makes you think, “Ugh, I wish I could just be in this movie.” And if you’re going to Disneyland the next day, then you’ll actually feel like you are in the movie when you’re there. (Can you tell I’m into mind tricks?) If I’m planning a big Disneyland trip, as in 3 days in a row or longer, then I usually do a whole week-long Disney marathon event, make a big list of all the movies I need to watch, and then glue myself to the couch for the week. If I’ll be in the park for just a day or two, then I usually pick 2-3 films to watch right before I go. I always like to mix animated and live-action films, as well as older films with newer ones.
- Choose a strategic date. This is pretty self explanatory, but going during the holidays is going to be a mess. Don’t expect small crowds. Same with spring breaks, and certain periods during the summer. Check isitpacked.com for a better idea of when the best time to go might be. Also, check the weather beforehand. I love Disneyland, but when its 110 degrees outside or pouring rain, it’s not always the best experience.
Plan out your ride schedule (roughly) ahead of time. Be smart about the process. Planning might seem like unnecessary work beforehand, but it will make your day at the park smooth and seamless. There’s nothing more annoying than going to Space Mountain, then over to Haunted Mansion, then back over to Matterhorn, then over to Splash Mountain, etc. Tackle each part of the park one at at a time, and plan accordingly. If you are going to eat lunch in Adventureland, then be in Adventureland around lunchtime. You get the idea. Land-hopping all day long is a waste of energy and time, and it gets way too exhausting. If there are extra things you want to see, like parades or the fireworks, work that into the schedule, and account for that when deciding which rides to ride. Fantasyland, for example, is closed right before and after the fireworks, so don’t plan on riding Peter Pan at 9 PM because it won’t be open. Even if you’re not going to a certain event, knowing what time things throughout the park will be happening is useful info. No one wants to get trapped in Frontierland during Fantasmic!
Look at menus and eat good food, which may require reservations. This ties in with planning beforehand. Some restaurants require reservations weeks in advance, like the Blue Bayou. Others don’t require reservations that far in advance, but at least a week or so before, like the Plaza Inn for character breakfast or Carnation Cafe. The food is seriously one of my favorite parts about Disneyland, and it always will be. Do your research and see what looks good, and please do not go to Disneyland and get something super basic like a cheeseburger. You can get that any day. It physically hurts me when I hear people say Disneyland has bad food. Um, no. You’re just not going to the right places. Beignets, churros, caramel apples, turkey legs, chimichangas, Dole Whips… The possibilities are endless! I’m planning on writing a whole post about where/what to eat in Disneyland, but trust me when I say that Disneyland has some of the best food, and the park is extremely accommodating to anyone with food restrictions or allergies like me.
Use Fastpasses. It kills me when I hear someone say, “What’s a Fastpass?” Like, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! If you’re not using Fastpasses, then you’re definitely not maximizing your time or getting your full money’s worth. Why would you wait in lines if you don’t have to? You can double or triple the number of times you can ride the rides if you’re smart about using your Fastpasses. Fastpasses should be the first thing you get when you enter the park, and as soon as you’re able to get another one, do it. And please be smart about them. There is no reason to waste a perfectly good Fastpass on Thunder Mountain, which would take you no more than 20 minutes to wait in line for, when you could skip that 90 minute line for Space Mountain in the 90 degree weather.
Take pictures at strategic times and take advantage of the park’s photographers. Let’s be honest, one of the best parts of going to Disneyland is getting some amazing pics. You gotta hit all of the classic photo-ops – the Walt & Mickey statue, the castle, the very front of the park, the teacups, etc. Try and get pictures when there are the least amount of people there, which would be very first thing in the morning and during mealtimes. Think, If I was a parent, what would I be doing with my kids right now? If your answer is “possibly taking pictures” then it’s not the time to go. Also, pay attention to the sun. Don’t waste time taking pictures if the shadows are going to be all weird on your face in photos! At major photo destinations, like the castle or with characters, there are Disneyland photographers there to take professional photographs. Even if you don’t want the Disney photo that you have to pay for, don’t be afraid to ask the photographer to use your own phone or camera to take a picture for you! They are more than happy to help, and they know how to find flattering angles. There’s nothing worse than working hard to get a stranger to take a picture of you in front of the castle only to discover it’s out of focus and half of your face is cut off. The professional photographers also have lights for nighttime castle pics so you actually can take a cute nighttime photograph.- Wear shoes you are comfortable walking in. Do not be afraid of hard-core walking. Disneyland is not the place to be rocking your stilettos. Save that for the after party. Disneyland is the place to be comfortable and free. You’re gonna be on your feet most of the day, waiting in lines and running from ride to ride. Your feet hurting is literally the last thing you want to be worried about! And don’t be afraid to walk even when other forms of transportation are available. The tram, for example, can be super slow at certain times. Instead, you can walk to reach places faster during those time periods. Sometimes, shuttling back to your hotel might actually take an hour when walking would only take twenty minutes. You might be tired, but your bed will be 40 minutes closer.
Be picky about who you go with. You don’t want others in your group to ruin the magic. I would personally recommend going with a Disneyland profesh such as myself, because we know all of the tips and tricks and are very efficient with our time and obsessed with having a magical experience. On the other hand, if you want to just go with the flow and not follow a “plan,” then definitely don’t go with someone like me. Also be wary if you have a certain way of “doing” Disneyland and so does the other person, and you’re both stubborn. There might be some clashing going on. Disneyland is not the place to be arguing with your friend about what ride you’re going to go on next. Find out your friends’ agendas, so to speak, before you go. For example, if I want an intense 8AM to midnight, riding all the rides all day long kinda day, I bring someone different than I would if I feel like just leisurely strolling through the park, looking through shops, and riding only my very favorite rides. Also, don’t bring someone who is notorious for complaining, because let’s be honest, there are lots of “annoying” things someone could complain about at the park. Long lines, big crowds, lots of waiting, tons of walking…It’s time to focus on the fun and the magic, not anything else.
What are you favorite parts of Disneyland? Any tips/new traditions I should try? Let me know in the comments if you have any suggestions! XO
Photography by Julia Dasen.
by Christina | Mar 21, 2016 | Wellness
I caught an article the other day about how to eat healthy as a college student, and some of the recommendations the author suggested were somewhat unrealistic or just not actually even healthy. Sooo I decided I definitely needed to write a post about it because I had major struggles with the eating situation when I was in the dorms, but I did figure out how to survive. I started having major health problems during my last quarter living in my dorm room and was put on a restricted diet during that time, which made it even more difficult to find things to eat since I wasn’t cooking my own food. So I sat down and figured out a plan, determined to maintain my health as much as I could despite the fact that there was barely anything offered on campus that I could eat at the time. I did make it work though, and if I could do it, so can you.
Every school is different, every menu is different, every dining hall is different. I’m lucky enough to go to a college with a lot of extremely healthy dining options, but I still was having trouble finding things I was allowed to eat based on the diet I was following for my health. Besides that, I’m kind of a hermit so I hated eating in the dining halls anyways. Mostly because I wanted to use mealtime as my TV break from studying, and also because I was too lazy to go all the way to the dining hall or to find someone who wanted to eat at the same time as me that night. Not that there’s anything wrong with eating alone – I did it all the time, but why go out to eat when you can snuggle on your bed in your jammies and throw on The Bachelor? There are definitely strategies to eating healthy at the dining halls, which I might write another post on later, but right now I’m going to focus on how to do it without even dealing with the dorms, for all you homebodies like me.
The key to eating healthy while living in the dorms without having to deal with the dining halls is having a mini fridge with a mini freezer and a microwave. If you don’t have one, get one. It’s gonna change your life. You can get by without the freezer, but it will make your life way easier. The microwave, however, is honestly a necessity. If you don’t have one and can’t get one, then find someone who does and become his/her best friend. The other key is to have a Trader Joe’s nearby. Trader Joe’s is a college student’s heaven because it has a million ready-to-microwave foods.
Breakfast:
Eggs – Yes, I made eggs in my room. All you gotta do is stir them in a bowl and microwave them and you’ve got some scrambled eggs. Throw some cherry tomatoes, avocado, and veggies in there and you’ve got yourself a yummy scramble. You can also poach eggs in the microwave (YouTube it), which I personally love to do because it’s super fast and I love runny egg yolks.
Yogurt – Yogurt is an on-the-go student’s dream – just toss some in a bowl and top it with nut butter, fruit, nuts, coconut, or anything else you want!
Oatmeal – Keep some milk in the fridge and use it to microwave instant oatmeal in your room, then top it with whatever you want (like the yogurt). Breakfast for me in the dorms was always scrambled eggs & oatmeal – it took about 5 minutes for me to throw together, and it was super filling and delicious.
Chia seed pudding – You can find a ton of yummy chia seed pudding recipes online to switch things up. Mix in some flax seeds and top it off with different fruits, nuts, nut butters, seeds, coconut flakes, or anything else.
Sidenote: Throw a protein powder (one without all of those extra added ingredients) in with your yogurt/oatmeal/chia seed pudding if you’re not having it with another source of protein!
Canned salmon – Sometimes I would toss some canned fish into my bowl and mix it with olive oil, tomatoes, avocado, veggies, etc. if I wanted something different from eggs.
Toast – If you have a toaster, this is gold. Having bread for sandwiches is perfect, but sometimes I would just have “toast” without toasting it… I know it’s weird, but it’s college. You could make avocado toast, PB toast with a banana or other fruit, etc.
Lunch/Dinner:
Salads – Buy different types of greens and other toppings at the store and you can just throw it all in a big bowl/on a big plate for lunch and dinner. TJ’s has shredded carrots, cherry tomatoes, avocado, radishes, cucumbers, nuts and seeds, or whatever else you want to throw on your salads.
Veggies – This is where Trader Joe’s comes in for the kill. They have a whole section where half of their veggies can just be steamed in the microwave. They have bags of broccoli florets, cauliflower, green beans, brussel sprouts, asparagus, butternut squash, sweet corn, and other vegetables that you literally just poke a hole in and throw in the microwave to cook. I also liked to keep frozen veggies in my freezer that I could microwave later on, which meant I didn’t have to go to the store as often to get fresh produce.
Quinoa/rice/etc. – Look in the freezer section and get some quinoa or rice or whatever else you want. They have portioned-out bags that you just throw in the microwave to cook and then you’re all set to go!
Proteins – Canned fish is a winner. I also lived off of microwave chicken while I was in the dorms. In the freezer section you can find huge bags of chicken so you can just pull out as much as you want for that meal, stick on a plate, and cook in the microwave. Over by the pre-made salads they also have pre-cut/cooked meats you can go for. Sliced turkey and ham are other great sources of protein that are easy to throw on sandwiches or eat with a salad or other veggies. If you can get to Whole Foods, they have a ton of cooked meat at the hot food bar that you can stock up on and keep in the fridge.
Other random food/snacks:
Fruit – Get any fruit you like and keep it in your room to snack on! My favorites for the dorms were bananas, apples, blueberries, and raspberries. They used to give out fruit at the dining halls so I never had to buy any – I just stocked up every chance I got!
Nut butter – I’m obsessed with the crunchy almond butter from TJ’s. It’s so delish. Eat it with your fruit and sprinkle some cinnamon on top! You could also slab some on a piece of bread for a quick snack.
Avocados – I eat avocados like candy. Sprinkle some salt and lemon juice on top and go for it, throw it on bread, or mix it in with some canned tuna or salmon.
Canned salmon/tuna/sardines – So easy, and so delicious. Get that protein in!
Nuts – Almonds, walnuts, pecans, macadamias, cashews, etc! Nuts are an amazing source of healthy fats and protein. I especially love the mixes they sell at Trader Joe’s if you want to always have a good variety. You can sprinkle nuts on top of yogurt, oatmeal, etc. – soooo nom.
Pumpkin seeds – I have a weird obsession with pumpkin seeds. You can eat them on their own as a great source of protein in a snack or you can sprinkle them onto yogurt, oatmeal, or salads for that extra crunch!
Shredded coconut – Literally obsessed with this stuff and might or might not eat it every day without fail.
Bars – I’m not really a “bar” person, to be honest, but while I was in the dorms and on-the-go I always went for LaraBars because they’re so delicious and have really great ingredients. RxBars are another great option — so many yummy, healthy flavors!
Dark chocolate – I’m a major dark chocolate lover, so I always kept a bar of extra dark chocolate in my room. Just in case. 😉
Random Necessities:
Olive oil, Balsamic/Red Wine/ Apple Cider Vinegar (whatever you like) – Toss it on your salads, your veggies, and your proteins to flavor things up!
Coconut oil – Coconut oil is magic from heaven and I eat a big spoonful every morning in addition to cooking everything with it and putting it on everything. It’s delicious and so good for you.
Cinnamon – I can’t live without cinnamon. Throw it on your oatmeal or with your fruit for a sweet treat!
Chia/hemp/flaxseeds – Perfect to toss on oatmeal and yogurt or for on top of bread. Also necessary for making chia seed pudding!
Salt & pepper – Throw it in your scrambles, on your meat, on your salads, and on your veggies so you don’t get too bored. Also pick up any other seasonings you like!
by Christina | Mar 2, 2016 | Wellness
Last week was National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (#NEDAwareness), and it called attention to a few topics that are very close to my heart – body image and body shaming. I was debating whether or not to write this, and the week somehow passed by without me getting a chance to share my story. I didn’t write it last week, and I regretted it, so I’m going to do it now.
Most people are too uncomfortable to talk openly and truthfully about weight. When I got sick last spring, the weight loss crept up on me quickly, stealthily, and dangerously, bringing with it a host of other cognitive and emotional changes that made me feel as though my life was spiraling completely out of control. Extreme mood swings, hair loss, intense fatigue, coldness, leg cramps, and insomnia, to name a few, were regularities on top of the intense gastrointestinal symptoms I was experiencing that started it all. I saw myself dropping weight uncontrollably, and I was terrified that none of my doctors knew what was going on. Test after test, appointment after appointment, and neither my doctors or I could wrap our heads around how I was eating so much food and still dropping so much weight despite all of my efforts to gain it back. I was afraid. None of my doctors could figure out the cause of my original gastrointestinal pains, but now they also couldn’t help me handle this new threat to my health. Meanwhile, I knew other people noticed my quick weight loss as well, yet no one said anything.
For months I felt completely alone. I felt like my body was disintegrating and like I had no support. I felt like people were avoiding me, and I had no one to talk to. My family and close friends were not saying anything to me about it, and they changed the subject when I tried to bring it up. All I wanted to do was scream, “IS ANYONE ELSE NOTICING HOW MUCH WEIGHT I AM LOSING?!” I wasn’t sure if they didn’t notice or if they just didn’t care. The truth was, it was neither – they just didn’t know how to talk about it, and they were scared to bring it up. But that’s how it felt. I was so desperate to talk to anyone about it, so desperate to feel like I wasn’t totally alone in my fear.
I did, however, get reactions out of other people, and those reactions scared me.
On one hand, I heard that some of my old friends were asking people if I had an eating disorder. People were taking screenshots of photos of me and sending them around to each other, trying to figure out if I had anorexia. This included both people I had never met and some people that I had previously been extremely close friends with.
On the other hand, some people would say, “Wow, you look amazing! What have you been doing to lose weight?” That brought tears to my eyes. Every day was different, and it was confusing. One day I had someone praise me for “looking like a model,” and the next day one of my closest friends started crying because she was so worried about my weight loss. The thing is, I had to force that friend to engage in a conversation about my weight with me to begin with. Still, those who were closest to me wanted to avoid the elephant in the room. Walking around Los Angeles, I was approached multiple times by different photographers asking me to model for them, handing me their cards. This never happened to me when I was at a healthy weight for my body size.
What does this say about our society? How can I clearly look so unhealthy and malnourished, yet still have my body type praised by some? I remember the first time someone asked me how I lost the weight, wanting advice. I felt sick to my stomach. All I could think was, YOU DO NOT WANT THIS! Is a size 0 worth the daily pain, the loss of cognitive abilities, and the constant fear for your life? It terrifies me that society has glorified such an unhealthy state-of-being, that so many people are so concerned with their weight, and that people would sacrifice their health in order to look a certain way. And who is it to please? Themselves, or others?
If you’re interested in the rest of the story and want to read my full article, please visit this link for the complete version: http://www.hercampus.com/school/ucla/body-shaming-lets-end-it-now
If not, then I just want to make sure you see the following:
Speak up. End the body shaming, toward both others and yourself. We all make mistakes, and we all are nervous to address certain things, but we can change that to help people who need it most. Appreciate your family, friends, health, and happiness. And don’t be afraid to reach out to someone you’re worried about. You might just save that person’s life.
