First Run of the Year

This blog was created a little less than one year ago to keep me accountable to the world, so how have I done this year? Not great at all. Not even a little bit good. No pats on the back for me this year. I won't lie, it involved a big dose of laziness, also evidenced by my lack of ability to keep up this online diary. I didn't start a blog to make revenue (although if it ever happened I wouldn't mind one bit) or compete with other blogs (so many good ones out there!), I wanted to express myself in a somewhat public forum and hopefully meet interesting people going through similar life circumstances along the way. That said, after a year of putting things off, I finally bit the bullet and went running with my DH today (he has diligently run almost every morning this past month and I've joined him 0 times). And my first thought after agreeing to go (and delaying his run by almost 2 hours) was what should I wear? So here's my outfit for my first real workout of the year.

Glad Solved My Dressing Woes

I love packing salad for lunch - quick, easy, light, healthy and yummy - but I always run into problems with the dressing. Mini tupperware containers made for dressings seem to leak no matter what. Packing the mini tupperware in a ziploc bag helps but then I have to deal with a messy wet bag and a drippy dressing container. So I started taking the entire bottle of dressing, but leaving food in my office fridge is, well, let's just say not the best option, and taking it back and forth was tedious. This was my ongoing small but annoying battle with salad dressing until I saw one of my coworkers whip out this wonderful invention for lunch one day.

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead

To kick off our new commitment to a healthier lifestyle, DH and I watched a documentary called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. It follows a man named Joe - 42, overweight, and taking tons of meds for his increasing health issues - who decides to eat (drink, really) nothing but fruit and veggie juices for 60 days. I really enjoyed it, and it definitely bumped up our motivation a notch. Highly recommend it for everyone, not just folks looking to detox or lose weight.

Blendtec & Green Living

Green smoothies! DH and I are so excited to start a health regimen that includes veggie and fruit smoothies and juices. I already eat a ton of veggies but not so many fruits, and DH eats a ton of fruits but not a lot of veggies. This is a great way to ease into a healthier lifestyle and establish some positive eating habits.

After weeks of research on blenders, we narrowed it down to the Vitamix and the Blendtec. Both have rave reviews and in the end, it really just boiled down to cost. Costco was having a great deal on the Blendtec, so we hopped over on Sunday just before the sale ended and purchased the Blendtec Total Blender.

We also picked up different types of fruits (berries, pineapples, bananas) and a giant bag of spinach for our main greens. And right when we got home, we (well, more like he) made our first smoothie!

Ingredients:
Water
Ice
Silk
Banana
Berries (blue, rasp, black)
Spinach

It was light, it was yummy and maybe it was in my head but I felt instantly rejuvenated. At some point I'd love to do a full on detox for several days (3-10 days at first), but at this moment I'm just looking forward to replacing dinner and maybe breakfast too a few days a week with a green smoothie.

Zara's 2012 Semi-Annual Sale

I have to say, shopping online can be a little dangerous if you're not careful. I spent tons on Zara.com, on items I didn't really need (but looked so very need-worthy online). When I was in the store, I was too lazy to dig through the racks plus the dressing room lines were loooong, so I opted to shop online instead. Then, a few days after ordering, I saw that every.single.item I purchased had gone down in price. I would have jumped for joy, but Zara doesn't offer price adjustments. CS recommended that I return and re-buy everything...so I did. sigh. Here's my review of the items I purchased:

First up is the Short Yoke Trench coat. The fit was too boxy for my shape, and it was more of a light tan color than beige. Plus, the sleeve had a distinctive blood stain on it. Yup, you read that correctly. Grossed out, I practically threw it back in the box.

Next, Zara's tweed-esque blazers.

Review: Perforated pumps

In an effort to find Prada's Perforated sandal after seeing it on Cupcakes and Cashmere, I came across a surprisingly high number of knockoffs...or as eBay sellers love to say, "inspired by" sandals.

Prada

Review: Corso Como pumps

I've been eyeing the Corso Como Del Quilted pump for a few months now. I hadn't seen it in person, but it seemed to meet all of the criteria I was looking for in a work shoe: pump (check), in nude, tan or beige (check), with a practical heel height (3", check), in a classic style (quilted, Chanel-esque, check). I couldn't find it in stores, so I ordered it on Nordstrom.com twice, and both times they cancelled my order. It was driving me crazy - I just wanted to try the darned thing on! So when I saw that MyHabit had a Corso Como sale, I crossed my fingers and logged in, and sure enough, it was part of the sale! I quickly ordered the quilted pump and another patent pump in the same style and hoped I would love it.

The price was comparable to other retailers (the shoes are pretty much on sale everywhere now, if not sold out) and the fit was perfect. I now understood why people raved about Corso Como so much. The cushioning in their pumps is like a little soft cloud for your feet. But alas, it was not meant to be. The beige was more like a light olive and really unflattering next to my skin (light/pale). I sadly packed the shoes back in the box to be shipped back.

But wait - I bought another pair!

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale ended Sunday night. I browsed online during the pre/private sale for cardholders, then again after the sale went public, buying more and more each time. I always feel a little sad once a sale ends since the search/hunt is so much fun for me, but as always my bank account could use a break. I haven't received all of my purchases yet, but here's what I bought:

Review: Popsugar Must Have bag

I've heard about beauty subscription box services (like Birchbox and Glossybox) for awhile now, and as much as I love the thought of a surprise box of goodies coming to my door every month, I have sensitive skin, which means "testing" new beauty products every month is out of the question for me. So when Popsugar came out with their "Must Have Bag," consisting of items from beauty AND fashion, fitness and home decor, I decided to give it a try. Plus, each bag supposedly includes a variety of full-sized products worth over $150 for a $35/month subscription. I opted for the 3-month subscription, which brought down my monthly cost to about $31.67 + tax. Shipping is free.

I received my box a few days ago and this is what I found inside:

Yum Series: Ham Sandwich

I'm really into sandwiches these days.  And by "into," I mean buying and eating them.  After buying a sandwich for lunch every single day last week (Did I mention I have an obsessive personality?), I decided to give my wallet a break and pack a simple sandwich at home.  I went grocery shopping armed with a list of super ingredients for my deluxe sandwich but ended up not liking the quality of most of the veggies, so I'll have to buy my lettuce, cucumbers, alfalfa sprouts, tomatoes, avocado, red onion, and a few other things later.  I worked with what I could get, however, and came up with a fairly healthy lunch.  I plugged all the ingredients into My Fitness Pal and discovered it was about 400 calories.  Not bad, but higher than I expected.  To lessen the calories, I'll probably put in half the ham and more greens.  Or eat half of the sandwich and save the other half for dinner.  Or maybe nix the ham altogether and make veggie sandwiches.  Yummm.  The picture looks like it's a really boring, plain ham sandwich but it was really good! 

Happy Independence Day

Wishing you a safe and happy 4th of July!

 Triple Berry Cake - perfect dessert for the 4th!

A Perfect Life

Yellow decor in my bedroom :)

My Google Reader has over 50 subscriptions, and everyday I drool over clothes, shoes, handbags, homes - new & renovated, dream jobs, celebrity news, and DIY projects (and probably 15 other categories of things I can't think of right now).

I have wishlist/favorites/To Do folders and tags in my Reader, Gmail, Firefox, the hard drives of 3 laptops, and on my iPad & iPhone notes.  Plus more saved pictures and links than I will ever have time to go back and organize.

The Internet is so amazing and inspiring, but at the same time it's easy to feel inadequate when you're constantly looking at people's best, spread over various blogs and websites - seeing what other people have accomplished and acquired.  It's OK to want things, and even having an ever-growing wishlist is fun because I usually don't get around to purchasing 1/98th of the things on my list, and 8 months later I look back and wonder why the heck I thought I needed to have that particular purse/necklace/dress.  But at some point recently, I started to feel overwhelmed by all the things I wished for.  And worst of all, I started to feel like I didn't have enough, or do enough, or achieve enough in my life so far. 

Only a handful of people in my reality know, but I really dislike my job.  The industry I'm in is tiring and competitive, not to mention boring imo, and the corporate environment - while the one I work in has several amazing, fun, friendly people - is just not the place for me.  The position I'm in is one that I would have never chosen, and one that I took because I finished grad school at a time when the economy just plain sucked.  I have a creative side, one that loves to write and be artsy, but due to my choice several years ago to go down a non-creative path, I've never had the time, discipline and tools to really focus on the side that I feel I'm meant to pursue.

After my mini epiphany the other day, I'm changing my perspective.  I'm filled with joy to have my DH and my loving family.  And when it comes down to it, that's all I need.  Well, in addition to my health (minus a few pounds).  Everything else is a plus.  And when you look at all those extras, there's really so much to appreciate. 

Will I stop coveting a single-flap (circa 2008/9) Chanel Maxi in Grey Caviar with SHW?  No.  But I'm learning to love my life and every part of it for what it is while I take steps to change it into what I feel it should be.

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Friday Escapades

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I'm not much of a morning person. DH would say that's a gross understatement, but basically I'm one of those folks who wakes up just in time for work. I know I should (and can) change this but I don't think I really want to yet. Anyway, because of my rushed morning schedule I tend to eat breakfast at work. My usual breakfast MO is steel cut oatmeal with granola and honey - a morning meal for champions. But today, I took an extra 30 seconds out of my routine to grab 2 hardboiled eggs (thanks, DH!) and a little apple from the fridge before running out. Once I got to work, I felt a little self-conscious eating TWO hardboiled eggs, so I cut one up in slices to eat neatly with a fork back at my desk and decided to eat the other one while I cut the apple. This was all discreetly going on in my work kitchen when I must have accidentally inhaled a little piece of the egg and basically started coughing up my heart and soul.

The kitchen door was wide open, meaning all 19 co-workers could clearly hear me choking on something I was obviously inhaling in secret (we have the worst acoustics with our set-up). Several colleagues asked if I was OK (um, I wasn't. I couldn't even talk) and another started laughing AT me because I was basically convulsing from all the coughing while others casually asked if I was OK.

15 minutes and about 6 cups of cold, lukewarm, and super hot water later, I was able to muster up a shaky little voice and say "I'm OK, just went down the wrong throat...I mean, tube!" That induced a few more minutes of coughing and now I'm back, safely at my desk, and a teeny bit peeved at hardboiled eggs and myself.

Happy Friday!

 

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Lazy for Leaner Legs

The past few months have been busy busy lazy busy. Though I've been fairly active in the last month I've completely fallen off the workout wagon and have not made any effort to go to the gym. I also noticed that although I've been out and about walking around, my calves look and feel bulkier than usual. To prevent my jeans from fitting like second skin, I'm going to try out this quick video until I can get my daily exercise routine started again. FitSugar says:  "If you can spare 10 minutes, we can help you whip your legs into shape. Press play and let trainer Holly Perkins lead you through a killer workout to tone your entire lower half — from calves to glutes, and everything in between." Let's hope 10 minutes can work miracles.

What's For Lunch?

Hello there. So I've gotten lazy in recent weeks with health, finances, and blogging. On the food front I haven't been eating the well-balanced meals I hoped would continue through the end of the year. It's only March and I haven't lost hope yet, and I'm really great about avoiding most "bad" and fast foods, but a certain chain that is (imho) bad, unhealthy and should be unappetizing has been so darn appealing recently. I just love it. coughdeltacocough.

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Dinner has become somewhat of a "whatever's in the fridge" ordeal or if we're even lazier, whatever leftovers DH may bring home from his work-provided dinner. I've been pretty good about not buying lunch (for health purposes and to save money), but my work has provided lunch fairly consistently in the past weeks so I saved a little money but I'm still eating out. I drew the line yesterday when I had a fridge full of lovely veggies all week long (bought them last Thurs at the Farmer's market. Last Thurs!) but have been too lazy to prepare and cook it, and therefore ended up buying lunch ($6) and 2 boxes of Girl Scout cookies ($8). ugh, I can't resist buying those cookies and I don't even really like them that much! Also on the list of offending foods is Trader Joes' mini chocolate chip cookies. *guilty face*

So what's the remedy?

Get Madonna's Arms

Another fantastic 10-Minute Workout (arm circuit) by celebrity trainer Andrea Orbeck.

Gifting Grace Sale

It's President's Day weekend so you're going to find sales going on all weekend long, but the best online sale I've come across so far is on Gifting Grace, a JCPenney and Hearst company that is going out of business.  I've never heard of this site, but talk about the sale is all over the web now and I couldn't resist the amazing prices.  There's plenty of well-known brands, such as Philosophy, Bodum, DwellStudio, Jonathan Adler, Victorinox, Natori, Steve Madden, Juicy Couture, etc. and everything on the site is 50% off + tax free + free shipping over $75!  Here's the scoop:

From now until February 29, 2012, get 50% off all regularly priced gift and clearance items.  The website is http://www.giftinggrace.com/ and the promo code is "FebFamily"

Some notable deals (prices reflect the 50% discount):

Quick Workout

I found another great workout video on FitSugar.  It's perfect for cold weather days when the last thing you want to do is leave your house.  Best of all, it's only 10 minutes long!  I'm not a morning person, so my workouts get done at night - which is ridiculously difficult to do after a full workday - so this would be a great boost for me after sitting at my desk all day:

More OXO goodies

I first heard about OXO while wedding planning a few years ago and have been obsessed a huge fan since 2010.  (If anyone from the company is reading this, I'd love to be a OXO product tester!)  Since then, I've purchased quite a few of their products.  Here are my top 5 must-have, makes-your-life-easier kitchen products from OXO.  GG = Good Grips

1. OXO GG Silicone Cooking Colander.  Found here.  I have the gray one but it apparently also comes in red AND there's a larger version!  Also in red.  I might have to add that to my next shopping list...

This is great for boiling corn, edamame, noodles...anything that requires a colander afterwards.  You place your food in this, then place the whole thing in your pot.  Once it's done, you just lift it out and your food is instantly drained.  No need to take out a separate colander, pick up your hot pot of boiling water, then pour it over a colander in your sink.  Genius.  OXO deserves a round of applause for this one. Plus you're reducing the amount of dishes you have to wash after cooking, and thus also reducing water usage. This thing will save you time and money!

Workout like a Victoria's Secret model

I found a great (i.e. short) workout video by trainer Andrea Orbeck, who has trained many Victoria's Secret models.  FitSugar promises it will work your entire body in just 10 minutes.  Enjoy!

Healthy Lifestyle - Breakthrough

I don't want to call my new healthy eating habits a "diet" since I am looking for a lifestyle change, not a quick weight loss fix.  I started this new "life" the second week of January (2012) and it's been great so far.  I've stuck to my chopped salad for lunch every single day this past week (Mon-Fri and still loving it), and I've ended each day under 1,200 consumed calories for the last two weeks - even when DH and I had dinner plans!  And lastly, I've lost 6 pounds!  So to motivate myself, I decided early on that I would allow one freebie day a week or every two weeks (depending on how the week went) where I would not limit my calories and not even guilt myself for it since I wouldn't track it on MFP.  This may seem a little counter-productive, and yeah yeah yeah, moderation is always best, but I knew just having such a day would motivate me.  And it worked!  But today is my "free" day, and I'm not really enjoying it.  Let me explain. 

Yum Series: Enjoying the Fruits (veggies?) of my Labor

So in my last post, I neglected to mention a few kitchen tools I use almost daily - mainly a wonderful tool called the Vidalia Chop Wizard.  Yes, you probably saw it on TV.  And no, I'm not one to buy anything I see on infomercials, but this one caught my eye a few years ago.  I was literally in the middle of telling DH (who was just my cute boyfriend then) how I need some sort of easy chopping device for veggies, when the ad for Vidalia came on.  I took it as a sign and bought it, and guess what?  I love it!  It does exactly what it advertises, and it's ridiculously simple.  It comes with 2 different blade discs you can use:  One with really small squares and one medium-sized squares (for lack of a better description).  You place your food of choice (veggies, cheese, etc.) on the blade and press the top handle down.  As cheesy as it looks, this little tool has saved me a lot of time in the kitchen.  I can cut a bell pepper into lovely little bite-sized squares instead of awkward, uneven pieces.  OK that sounds unconvincing and a little unappetizing, but the bottom line is, the Vidalia is awesome.  If you're convinced and want one for yourself, it's available here and here.

Photo courtesy of Amazon

Sunday Food Prep

One of the best ways to ensure I don't stray off the health food path during the week is if I pre-prep my foods during the weekend.  DH and I will go grocery shopping once a week or once every two weeks, and I start washing and cutting the veggies immediately after we get home. If I decide to sit on the couch or check my email, the window closes, I get too lazy to prep, and end up avoiding the veggies during the week since it's not easily accessible. 

Photo courtesy of Jamie Oliver

I've been trying hard to bring my lunch to work and not eat out, but I've been really busy the past few weekends and unable to pre-prep anything.  Luckily I have many healthy options around me at work, but it really pains me to pay $$ for a salad that would cost next to nothing to make.  I wanted chopped salad for lunch this week, so we went to a local Korean market on Sunday and stocked up on veggies and fruits.  If you're not familiar with Korean markets, they have ridiculously low prices on produce, and the biggest sales are usually
Thurs-Sun.  Their produce is fresh and the prices ensure a large crowd, so it's best to go earlier in the weekend.  We were busy all weekend and were restless at home on Sunday night, so we actually went at 11pm (the market closes at 12am everyday!).  Luckily, they must have restocked everything from the weekend because there was an abundance of yummy veggies for great prices.  Here's what we bought for around $20:

Target

Target is a dangerous place.  Not physically (well, maybe a little on Black Friday), but it is definitely a threat to my wallet.  A typical trip to Target starts with me and a very specific shopping list, then ends with me buying a lot of other stuff I didn't know I needed.  And now that I've recently started to buy groceries and even some electronics at Target, there's no telling what may end up in my cart.  Grocery shopping used to be such a big event for me, since I would go to my neighborhood Ralphs, then Trader Joe's, then specialty markets and Costco (honestly it gets out of control).  But I'm making an effort to cut that out since it's such a time and gas waster, so Target has really become a convenient one-stop shop for me. 

I'm really impressed with how they've branded themselves and become so popular in the past decade or so.  And with the introduction of their own brands, like Up and Up and Market Pantry, and designer collaborations (like the ever-so-popular Missoni for Target), there's clearly no slowing down for Target.

I came across a fantastic website called Target Savers a few months ago, which lists current Target deals and prices for each week.  (Target's sales/prices change every Sunday.)  I make sure to browse TS before my trips to Target so I don't lose out on any amazing deals, especially those that will get you an item for free.  Recently I've noticed a recurring post called Target Deals:  Healthier Options, which is super helpful when you're about to venture to a place that sells enormous bins of cheese balls (Seriously, who needs that much? I clearly don't, but I've put it in my cart several times, then turned around and put it back before I leave the aisle because I just can't get myself to take it home. I love cheese a lot, but the bin is a bit daunting).

Photo courtesy of Target.com

I still love love love Trader Joe's, and they obviously have a lot of specialty health options that Target does not offer, but it's too far from my house so I stock up on all the items I can't get elsewhere when I have a chance to shop there (like Cinnamon Almonds. A great snack as long as you don't eat the entire bag in one day. If you haven't tried it and have a TJ's nearby, go buy it now. You won't be sorry...unless you're allergic to or really hate almonds and cinnamon...although I wasn't a fan of cinnamon at all until I tried these. But I digress).

Target is great for standard health food staples like salad greens and fruits.  Any other Target lovers out there?  Share your favorite Target item!

New Detox and Cleanse Program

Photo courtesy of Healthline

I was walking by the kitchen at work yesterday when I overheard a coworker talking about a 21-day cleanse she signed up for on the recommendation of her friend, who had just completed the program and loved it.  She mentioned it was also loved by various celebrities, including Gwyneth Paltrow.  Then this afternoon, one of the blogs I follow posted a link to a caramelized brussels sprouts recipe (posted below), so of course I clicked on the link and it turns out the blogger is on a modified version of the 21-day cleanse, also mentioning that Gwyneth was a fan of the program.  Hearing about a 21-day cleanse endorsed by Gwyneth twice in one week, I did some research this afternoon.

The cleanse is called the "Clean Program," which you prepare for with what's called the "Elimination Diet," all of which is designed by a cardiologist and cleanse specialist (Dr. Alejandro Junger MD), and is the supporting cleanse to the book "Clean," which is apparently a New York times best seller.  There's endless information on the website, but from I gathered, the program consists of a shake for breakfast, supplements throughout the day, lunch (there's a list of specific foods you can and cannot eat), and then a shake for dinner.  My coworker mentioned a stricter program where you don't eat lunch (I'm assuming you drink another shake?) that's more expensive, but I didn't see it when I went on the website.  The program that I saw will run you about $425, which in the grand scheme of things is not horribly expensive, but if you

I Love Shoes

Pumps, flip flops, wedge heels, sandals...I love them all.  I really don't need any new athletic shoes right now, since I have about 5 semi-new pairs in my closet, but I purchased the last one in early 2010 and I've heard enough about the new lightweight, minimalist shoe trend to want to try it out.  Since I'm starting on a new fitness venture this year, and I received several retailer gift cards this past Christmas, I'd like to give a new pair a try.

Photo courtesy of Vibram FiveFingers

I'm not quite ready to go Vibram yet, but a minimalist-type shoe might be the perfect way for me to eventually ease into barefoot sport shoes.  Something like the Nike Free 3.0 v3 might work.

Photo courtesy of Nike.com

I'm loving the Bold Berry color.  According to Nike's description, the Free 3.0 v3 offers the benefits of "barefoot-like freedom [with] shoe-like support."  That sounds pretty spot-on to what I'm looking for, and the reviews are fantastic.  My only hesitation is that I have a low arch, and I'm not sure if this shoe would provide adequate support.  I guess a trip to the Nike store will answer that question.  I like to try on clothes and shoes before purchasing, but it's also important for me to read reviews and compare prices online.  For brands I'm not familiar with (for sizing purposes), or for shoes (regardless of brand, for fit and comfort purposes), I'll try the product at the store, then purchase directly from their website online when I get home. 

One of the gift cards I received is from DSW, currently having an Athletic Event where they are offering 500 Bonus Points with any athletic shoe purchase (now through January 16th, no code necessary).  If you shop online frequently, I highly recommend using a cash back website.  I use BigCrumbs or Fatwallet, but heard great things about Ebates as well.  BigCrumbs is currently offering 6.4% cash back on all DSW purchases. 

Happy shopping!

My Fitness Pal

This is embarrassing to admit, but for years, when people would talk about tracking calories, I interpreted it to mean that 1) they only ate in (as in at home), because 2) they would have to measure and weigh every ingredient that would go into every carefully crafted meal that they meticulously prepare to figure out the exact number of calories they're ingesting.  I have no clue where that thought came from, but that was my idea of calorie counting.  So when a colleague told me about a free calorie tracking website called My Fitness Pal, I told her I wasn't interested.  After hearing enough people rave about it, I logged on to check out the website and instantly realized what a dunce I'd been.  If you're not familiar with My Fitness Pal or calorie trackers in general, they are free websites with an extensive nutrition database and simple tools to help you track your daily caloric intake and exercises.  I've found MFP to be very user friendly and easy to access.  It's ridiculous that I didn't hear about it until mid-2011!

Once I downloaded the iPhone app, I no longer needed to write down what I had eaten or remember it until I could get to a computer.  For me, logging as soon as I'm done with a meal or snack ensures that it gets tracked.

When you log in, MFP will tell you how many calories you have remaining (or the total number of calories you have for the day, if you're logging in for the first time that day).  From the home page, you click on

Resolution Update

Chocolate berry cake ~ YUMMM! (Personal photo)

Maybe it's just me, but whenever I resolve to make a positive change to my life, my mind and body, "they" do everything in their power to make the change that much harder.  I hardly ever crave cookies and chocolate, but I've been snacking on exactly that for the past 7 days.  And I normally do not snack!  Since the 1st, I've eaten brownie bites, Nutella, maple syrup cookies (it was a gift...), chocolate chip cookies, dark chocolate bars, and chocolate-covered almonds.  OK, so I took maybe a bite or two of each, but that still puts me further away from my weight loss and healthy eating goals.

Also challenging have been my trips to the gym (or lack thereof).  On my way home from work I'm super motivated and excitedly planning my workout regimen for the evening, then flash forward a few hours and I'm being woken up from a peaceful nap by my DH, after having fallen asleep while thoughtfully waiting for him to come home from work (aka watching TV on our couch) so we can go to the gym together.  And we never end up going.  le sigh.  I have, however, been really good about shopping recently, so at the least, I've been burning calories on my power walks in the mall.

Gym memberships increase quite a bit in January, with high attendance in the early months and a slow decline throughout the year.  I'm glad I didn't exercise insanely last week (or at all, actually) only to burn out and demotivate myself for the rest of the year. See? I was doing myself a favor.  Haha!  Kidding.  I had an L.A. Fitness membership for 7 years but canceled 2 years ago after moving to an area where it wasn't convenient for me to drive there anymore.  While, coincidentally, I stopped working out almost completely after canceling my membership, I don't think it's the membership that keeps me accountable.  I still have access to a gym - it's small but has ellipticals, treadmills and weight equipment, as well as a sauna and individual TV's on each machine, just a few steps away from my house.  But getting there feels so much harder than stopping by L.A. Fitness everyday after work like I used to.  I swear, the closer you are in distance, the harder it is to get there.

On a positive note, I was able to accomplish one goal this week:

Resolving to Keep My Resolutions

Photo by Missy of So You Think You're Crafty

Happy New Year!

I love the start of a new year. The possibilities seem so refreshingly endless - no broken resolutions, no skipped exercise sessions, no failed attempts at dieting...yet. My resolutions have been the same since junior high: lose weight, exercise regularly, eat healthy foods. Usually after breaking all the resolution rules on Day One - where I would partake in unlimited snacking and what I call "second dinners" with my food-loving, extended family - I would start a promising routine of planned meals, strategic food shopping, and daily workouts. Then, one by one, each resolution would fade away and I would find myself 10 pounds heavier at the end of each year, wondering where I went wrong.

2011 marks the most weight I've ever gained my adult life. While I renewed my love for veggies - even trying brussels sprouts for the first time and loving it - I ceased exercising completely and stopped going out as much as I used to. This new sedentary lifestyle has not boded well for me in 2011 and ended in a 20 pound gain in just 1 year, totaling 40 pounds over the last 6 years. Sigh. To end this vicious cycle of weight gain, I've come up with a few starting points to help me (and you) stay on track in 2012 and on.