by Jenna Groves

New App: Fitness and Mood Tracker to Keep Up with Friends

I had to design an app for my class and my idea was to make an app that allows you to share your fitness journey with friends, track your moods, and have fitness videos and motivation all in one place. A sort of all-in-one for fitness and mental health, because you need both to have a good experience. I have not come up with a name for it yet, so give me some opinions in the comments on what I should name this new app!

I’m going to show you a few basic layouts that I had in mind for the app!

This would be the homepage of the app. There would be an icon in the corner for your about page with your name, your friends, and your daily mood and what videos you had watched that day on that page. The menu on the homepage would allow you to pick what you wanted to do, whether track your mood, choose a workout, get some motivation, or check up on your friends fitness journey.

This page would be the mood tracker. You would get to it by clicking on the ‘mood tracker’ button on the main menu. You would be able to pick how you are feeling for that day from different choices. By swiping left on the screen you would be able to have more moods to choose from. Once you choose a mood, you would be able to write about that day and why you were feeling that way, so it would allow you to reflect on your mood. The entry part of the mood tracker would be private for only you to see and look back on. You could also opt to hide your mood on your about page from your friends.

This page of the app would be what it would look like when you chose a fitness video to watch and follow. You would choose a category on the main menu, then you would have multiple videos to choose from in that category. Once you choose a video, you would get recommendations so you could continue your workout or save for later with the heart. Your friends would be able to see what videos you watch on your homepage as a sort of “feed.”

This is just a few of the layouts that I decided on. Of course if I were to go through with the app I would make sure that it would work smoothly, but for this specifically I am mostly focusing on the design and the aesthetics of the app. I chose the color scheme to have the light purple and grey accents because it gives the app a calm and happy feeling, and that is how you should feel when working out and focusing on yourself.

For the app layout I used Proto.io editor. It allows you to get a 15 day free trial to sign-up for to design any app that you can think of!

by Jenna Groves

Vegan Banana Bread Muffins

Hey guys! How is everyone doing during this quarantine that has been going on? I am going to be honest, I have not been doing very well with quarantine, so that has led to lots and lots of baking.

I have been trying out new recipes from online, and I tweaked this recipe from The Baking Fairy for a super easy vegan banana bread recipe! You can also add chocolate chips or sliced nuts to the batter to add a little extra something to your bread.

I recorded a video for the recipe, and I am going to link it down below. Hopefully these turn out great for y’all, and help you stay busy at home during this quarantine!

by Jenna Groves

My Top 3 Veggie Burgers: Ranked

  • 54th Street Veggie Burger [Picture taken by me]
  • Earth Burger Veggie Burger [Picture from San Antonio]
  • P. Terry’s Veggie Burger [Picture from P. Terry’s]

I am going to be ranking my top 3 favorite veggie burgers today that you can find in the San Marcos area! Note that I enjoy all of them almost equally, but some of their different qualities makes some better than others. This is just my opinion, so make sure to go out and try them for yourself so you can see what I am trying!

1. 54th Street Veggie Burger

Coming in at number one is the 54th Street Veggie Burger. As the menu states, it is a spicy black bean, grain and vegetable patty topped with pepper jack cheese and garlic aioli. This is my favorite because, to me, it has the best flavor, and also has the best texture when eating. It does not get mushy when you start eating it and it also has the nice flavor of the spices to add a little extra kick. My boyfriend also approves of this burger saying, “it tastes just like a regular burger.”

Although this veggie burger can be on the more expensive side, usually ringing up a total of about $11.00 with a side, it is worth it if you are planning on having a little treat for a good (veggie) burger!

2. Earth Burger Veggie Burger

Coming in at number two is the Earth Burger Veggie Burger. The Earth Burger is the only one of the burgers that is actually vegan, being made out of soy bean and pea protein. You can add cheese for an extra dollar, making it non-vegan, but it is good either way! I decided to rate this burger as number two on my ranking because the consistency of the burger has the same consistency as a regular beef patty, and sometimes that is off-putting to me. Other than that, the flavor is great, especially with the secret sauce, and I like to add pickles and mustard to mine.

This burger costs about $7.00 with tax for a single burger, and about $11.00 with tax for the combo, which comes with fries and drink. Some might think that it is pricey, but having it be a completely vegan burger makes up for the price.

3. P. Terry’s Veggie Burger

Last but not least is the P. Terry’s Veggie Burger with cheese. This veggie burger is made with brown rice, crimini mushrooms simmered in cream, black beans, oats, onions, cheddar cheese and fresh cut parsley. It is made with eggs and dairy, so it is not vegan, but vegetarian! I ranked this burger last because although it has a great flavor, it can sometimes end up with a mush-like consistency while eating it. I also like to add pickles and mustard to this one, and it’s great.

This veggie burger is the cheapest out of the three ringing in at around $4.00 with tax for just the burger and about $8.00 with tax for the combo meal, which includes fries and a drink. If you are needing a veggie burger on a budget, but still want good flavor, the P. Terry’s veggie burger would be your best bet!

by Jenna Groves

Intermittent Fasting: What is it and how can you start?

What is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting is on the rise to be one of the most popular diet trends at this moment in time. Although intermittent fasting is not necessarily a “diet” rather an eating patter, people still refer to it sometimes as a diet. Intermittent fasting is basically an eating pattern where one cycles between longer and shorter periods of fasting and eating. It does not specify what can and cannot be eaten, but rather when to eat. 

Most Popular Methods of Intermittent Fasting

  • The 16/8 method: Also known as the Leangains diet, you fast for 16 hours and have an eating period of 8 hours. Most people skip breakfast with this pattern of fasting, and start their eating period at noon or 1 p.m. and finish out around 8-9 p.m. Then fast again until noon the next day. This is also the most popular method. 
  • Eat-Stop-Eat method: This method involves fasting for 24 hours, once or twice a week. For example, you would have a fasting period from dinner one day until dinner on the next day. 
  • The 5:2 method: This method involves consuming only 500-600 calories on two non-consecutive days a week, but eating regular on the other 5 days in the week. 
Picture is from Healthline

Health Benefits and Weight Loss

Intermittent fasting has many benefits for your body and brain function. It has been found to benefit with weight loss, insulin resistance, inflammation, heart health, brain health, and anti-aging. 

The most common reason that most people try intermittent fasting is for weight loss. It causes you to eat less calories without feeling like you are actually restricting since you are eating less meals in the short period of time. There is studies that show that short-term fasting may increase your metabolism from 3.6-14%.

Informative Video on How to Start Intermittent Fasting

If you would also like to read more in depth about intermittent fasting these two articles by Healthline are great! Intermittent Fasting 101 & 6 Popular Ways to Do Intermittent Fasting

by Jenna Groves

5 of my Favorite Exercises That Don’t Feel Like Exercising

  1. Swimming: Swimming is a fun and easy way to get your workout in without feeling like you are actually working out. Simply splashing around and doing canon balls with friends, family, or even your dog is an easy way to get your heart racing and a quick workout in.

2. Hiking or going for a walk: Going for a quick hike or walk is an exciting way to get some fresh air, see some scenery, and get in a nice workout. Some of my favorite places to walk and hike in San Marcos are around the square, through Sewell park, and Purgatory.

3. Dancing: Doing a quick dance around your bedroom or living room is an easy way to burn some calories and actually enjoy it. This POPSUGAR fitness video a great video to follow along with if you want a structured dance routine workout!

4. Tennis: Playing tennis at your local tennis courts is an enjoyable way to get your heart pumping. My friends and I love going to play tennis and we end up staying at the courts for a few hours, and we don’t even realize that we are actually getting a really good workout in.

5. Yoga: Yoga is a great way to destress and get a light workout in while you’re at it. You don’t have to be a professional, either. This beginners yoga video is a great video to follow along with if you are just starting out with yoga. This SELF article is also a good starting point!

by Jenna Groves

Vegetarian vs Vegan

Since I am a vegetarian, I have a lot of people ask me, “What’s the difference between vegetarian and vegan?” Now I am here to explain the difference and also go into a little detail about the different types of vegetarians and vegans.

You could think of the different types as levels, and there are 7 different levels. Here is an interesting chart from Vegetarian Nation that puts all the levels into a simple guide for quick reference.

1 Lacto Vegetarian

A lacto vegetarian is one that does not consume red or white meats, poultry, eggs, or fish, but they do consume dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream.

2 Ovo Vegetarian

An ovo-vegetarian is one that does not consume red or white meats, poultry, fish, or dairy products, but they do consume egg products.

3 Lacto-ovo Vegetarian

A lacto-ovo vegetarian is one that does not consume red or white meat, poultry, or fish, but they do consume dairy and egg products. This is also the most common type of vegetarian.

4 Pescatarian

A pescatarian is one that restricts their meat consumption to fish and shellfish. They do not consume red or white meat or poultry. Since pescatarians still eat fish and shellfish, this type of diet is considered a “semi-vegetarian” diet.

5 Pollotarian

A pollotarian is one that restricts their meat consumption to chicken and other poultry, and because of this, they are also considered a “semi-vegetarian” diet, like pescatarians. They do not consume red meat or fish and seafood.

6 Flexitarian

A flexitarian is one that consumes a majority plant-based diet with the occasional incorporation of some meats. This diet is not necessarily “vegetarian,” but since the majority of the diet is plant-based, it can be included.

7 Vegan

Last but not least is the vegan diet. Vegans do not consume any animals or animal-by-products. They do not consume red or white meats, fish, poultry, eggs, or dairy. They also do not consume (and sometimes do not use) animal-by-products, which includes gelatin, honey, silk, leather, and wool.