Barre Classes and Dark Chocolate Snacks Keep This Temple Student Going

Hannah Blank is a Temple student who loves running, barre, and dark chocolate. / Photograph courtesy of Hannah Blank

Who I am: Hannah Blank (@hannahblank2), 20, from Fort Washington

What I do: I am a junior at Temple University studying public relations. I also work the front desk at Focus Barre & Yoga in Rittenhouse and have an internship at Slice Communications in Old City.

What role health and fitness plays in my life: I started to get into exercise when I began running as a stress reliever in seventh grade. In high school, I began taking yoga and barre classes. Growing up, I watched my mom cook and would help her in the kitchen. Now that I have my own kitchen, I cook daily. I enjoy sharing my passion for exercise and healthy cooking with others.

Health memberships: I get free classes at the studio, and Temple has a free gym.

Monday

On Mondays, Blank works the front desk at Focus Barre & Yoga. / Photograph courtesy of Hannah Blank

5:45 a.m. — Wake up right before my 6 a.m. alarm. During the week, my body automatically wakes up early. I know if I lay in bed, I won’t want to get up , so I hop up to brush my teeth and get dressed for the gym.

6:10 a.m. — There are three gyms around Temple’s campus. The one I usually go to is being redone, so I head to another location that’s still only a five-minute walk from my apartment. Today, I do 15 minutes on the elliptical, two different ab machines, and five minutes of weights targeting my arms and abs.

7 a.m. — I get ready for my internship, packing both my breakfast and the lunch I prepared last night.

8 a.m. — I take the subway ($1.50) and hop off close to my internship but sit in Menagerie Coffee for a while because work doesn’t officially start until 9 a.m, and it only takes half an hour to get there. I order a small cold brew ($3) while I kill time.

9 a.m. — Before I settle at my desk, I heat up my breakfast in the office kitchen. Today, I’m having oatmeal (my favorite!) with half a banana, blueberries, and Trader Joe’s unsalted almond butter on top. While I eat, I check social media and my emails. I don’t tend to go on Instagram or Facebook until I’m at work.

11:30 a.m. — I’ve been sitting at my desk for a while and start to get hungry. I always pack some mixed nuts to keep me full until lunch.

1:15 p.m. — I meal prepped for the week’s lunches and made curry chickpea salad with sweet potatoes, chicken, cauliflower, cashews, and a Greek yogurt dressing. So good! Some dark-chocolate-covered almonds from Trader Joe’s fulfill my sweet tooth.

2:30 p.m. — I need to stretch my legs, so I go out for a walk around Old City.

4 p.m. — Finished my internship for the day. On Monday nights, I work the desk at Focus Barre & Yoga. When the weather is nice, I walk there, but it’s rainy today, so I take the subway ($1.50).

4:30 p.m. — I’m starving, so I stop at Snap Kitchen and grab a Waterloo Watermelon sparkling water and a bag of Paleo Puffs, my new favorite snack ($2.35).

4:45 p.m. — I start my shift at the studio. I’m in charge of putting out clothes, cleaning the studios, and checking people into class. In between classes, I read on my Kindle and scroll on my phone.

7:45 p.m. — Done with work! I close up and then Uber back to my apartment ($8.05).

8:15 p.m. — I’m pretty tired and don’t feel like eating a big meal. I make an omelet while catching up with my roommate and heat up leftover roasted broccoli and Brussels sprouts from the night before and cut some slices of avocado to eat with it. After I eat and clean the dishes, I have some dark chocolate for dessert.

8:45 p.m. — I am in bed! Time to watch Big Little Lies.

9:15 p.m. — I turn my computer off and phone and read my Kindle until I fall asleep.

Daily total: $15

Tuesday

Sparkling water is a regular character in Blank’s life, whether it’s LaCroix, Bubly, or Waterloo. / Photograph courtesy of Hannah Blank

6:30 a.m. — I “sleep in” this morning! I’m planning on going for a run after my internship, so I didn’t have to be up too early.

7:30 a.m. — I get ready for the day, shower, and pack my lunch and breakfast. I have a cup of lemon tea while finishing the last 10 minutes of the Big Little Lies episode I started last night.

8:15 a.m. — I hop on the subway ($1.50). I try to limit my coffee two to three times a week, and I don’t need any today ‘cuz I’m so well rested!

8:35 a.m. — I’m early to my internship again, so I walk around Old City until it’s time to head in.

9 a.m. — I eat the same oatmeal as yesterday! (it’s just so good!), while catching up on emails and social media.

10:45 a.m. — The office is cold, so I make some green tea to sip on and munch on some nuts.

1 p.m. — I go and sit outside in a park near the office with two other interns. Lunch is Trader Joe’s cranberry and apple quinoa salad, baby carrots, and hummus.

2 p.m. — I’m still hungry. Luckily, I packed a chocolate peanut butter bar. I usually eat these when I’m working out later in the day or to hold me over until dinner. I pair it with a lemon LaCroix.

4 p.m. — Subway home ($1.50).

4:45 p.m. — Four-mile run! Running is the best after sitting at a desk all day. I made a playlist on Spotify with the best workout songs and named it Broad Street.

5:45 p.m. — I stop by my brother’s apartment, which is a five-minute walk from mine, to grab some stuff before heading home to shower and do some laundry and dishes.

6:30 p.m. — Dinner is the same as lunch yesterday (chickpea curry salad) plus my standard dark chocolate.

7:45 p.m. — I watch an episode of Veep, but I’m getting up early, so I turn my lights out at 9 p.m. and read my kindle until I fall asleep.

Daily total: $3

Wednesday

Tehina shakes at Goldie make for a delicious treat. / Photograph courtesy of Hannah Blank

5:30 a.m. — I’m up before my alarm…again. I pack my breakfast and lunch and get ready for the day.

6:25 a.m. — I’m on the subway ($1.50) to Center City. I grab a No Cow bar at CVS because I didn’t pack a large lunch, so I’ll need something to hold me over.

7 a.m. — Hannah, the instructor for my class at Focus Barre & Yoga, is running a little late. Fortunately, I have keys to the studio and can open it up. Sadly, Hannah’s moving, so this is my last class with her.

8 a.m. — I change into my work clothes and chat with Hannah for a bit. Then I start my 1.6-mile walk, which usually takes me about 30 minutes, toward my internship.

8:30 a.m. — I recently downloaded the app Ritual, which offers discounts at restaurants and coffee shops. I have a coupon for a $1 iced coffee at Passero’s Coffee Roasters that ends up being free because I have reward points. Even though I usually drink my coffee black, I’ve been dying to try oat milk and decide to add a splash. It’s delicious.

8:50 a.m. — I arrive at my internship. Breakfast today is  blueberry granola with strawberry yogurt and blueberries.

11 a.m. – I have a piece of the raspberry truffle bar I bought earlier.

12:15 p.m. — Today is our intern lunch. They got Chipotle to cater, but I’m not a fan, so I eat my egg salad with carrot sticks and hummus.

2 p.m. — I eat the rest of my No Cow bar.

3 p.m. — Another intern and I walk around the block to stretch our legs and enjoy the sun.

4 p.m. — I walk to Center City to meet my brother at Goldie for a tehina milkshake. It’s one of our faves. We each get the Turkish coffee shake ($5) and sit in Rittenhouse Square.

6 p.m. — We take the subway back to Temple ($1.50).

7 p.m. — I catch up on last nights episode of The Bold Type and relax.

9 p.m. — I read my kindle until I fall asleep.

Daily total: $8.50

Thursday

Blank’s dog, Obi, is just as much a fan of blueberry pancakes as his owner. / Photograph courtesy of Hannah Blank

6:40 a.m. — I don’t have my internship on Thursday and Friday, so I sleep in. It’s a rainy morning, and I’m still a little tired.

7:45 a.m. — I make myself a cup of lemon tea and pack to go home. I typically go home on the weekends to spend time with my family and friends.

9 a.m. — I take the train from Temple University to Fort Washington ($6).

9:40 a.m. — My parents work, and none of my friends are around, so I walk home about a mile from the station.

10:15 a.m. — I am STARVING! I’ve been eyeing a blueberry pancake recipe posted on one of my favorite Instagram accounts, @dadaeats, and decide today is the day to make it. I add some almond butter and cinnamon on top.

11:15 a.m. — I haven’t run at home in forever, so I tackle my old three-mile route.

12:45 p.m. — I relax with a Netflix movie while I paint my nails and snuggle with my dog, Obi.

1:45 p.m. — I had a lot of leftovers from the chickpea curry dish, so I brought some home in a container. I eat a bowl of that with a cherry-flavored Bubly sparkling water. (My mom keeps these stocked in the fridge.)

3:15 p.m. — I take Obi out for a long walk.

4 p.m. — I snack on sea salt chips and hummus.

5 p.m. — I read my book while waiting for my mom to come home from work.

6:15 p.m. — My mom and I watch So You Think You Can Dance (one of our summer shows).

7:15 p.m. — Dinner is leftover turkey meat sauce my mom made and pasta with a few slices of avocado. I eat with my parents, and we fill each other in on our weeks. My mom is a teacher, and my dad is an accountant. Dessert is still dark chocolate!

8:15 p.m. — I get ready for bed. Then my mom and I watch another one of our guilty pleasure shows, Younger!

9:50 p.m. — Lights out!

Daily total: $6

Friday

A new açaí bowl spot in Blue Bell makes for a good friend date. / Photograph courtesy of Hannah Blank

7:20 a.m. — I get up after reading my Kindle in bed. I just started Jennifer Weiner’s new book, Mrs. Everything. It’s so good!

7:30 a.m. — I don’t usually eat this early, but I’m hungry and going to cardio barre at 8:30, so I eat one of the pancakes I made yesterday with a little bit of almond butter.

8:30 a.m. — I have been going to Twisters Wellness Centers for about five years now. That’s where I fell in love with barre! I am using a 10-class pack my friend gave me.

9:30 a.m — I’m meeting my friend at a new juice bar, Nekter, in Blue Bell for an açaí bowl ($11).

11:45 a.m. — My mom and I go to Whole Foods. I get groceries for the week and a salad for lunch. She pays :)

1:15 p.m. — Once we get home, I add grilled chicken to my salad and drink a sparkling water. My mom and I sit out back since it’s a beautiful day.

2 p.m. — I drive down to Temple to drop off my groceries and hang with my roommates. My roommate is excited because she figured out how to make kettle corn, so we snack on a bowl of that.

5 p.m. — I stop at my brother’s apartment to give him some groceries and then we drive back home.

6:30 p.m. — My mom and I walk Obi around the block before meeting my dad for dinner.

7:15 p.m. — Dinner is at our favorite Vietnamese place, Pho Viet Hoa, near my family’s house. I get pad Thai with tofu.

8:15 p.m. — The town I live in is having a festival all weekend, so we meet family friends there and listen to a live band.

10:30 p.m. — Bed time!

Daily total: $11

Weekly Totals

Money spent: $43.50

Workouts completed: 5

Cups of tea drank: 3

Cups of coffee drank: 2

Meals eaten out: 2

Dark chocolate snacks consumed: 3