I'm TERRIBLE at writing in a journal! Seriously it's no joke there is some sort of mental block I have that keeps me from maintaining them like I should. That will become evident the longer I have this blog. It'll go like this: posting, posting, posting, *bam* nothing, random post, nothing, nothing... So to counteract that my friend Kirstin and I made a bet.
The Bet
We are starting a diet challenge. Both of us used to do sports and want to get back into shape. We roughly have the same amount to lose so we are going to track our loses, diet and exercise in our own journals. Once a month we are going to get together and swap journals to take a look at how the other is doing. I have roughly 5 months left on my contract here in South Korea. The winner is the person who loses on average the highest percentage of pounds and inches. The winner gets to pick an activity and no matter how crazy it is the loser has to do it... Kirstin already knows what she wants to do. If she wins we are swimming with sharks because she is a sadistic sadistic SADISTIC person...
I need to come up with my super winning activity. I have yet to discover anything Kirstin is completely adverse to but it will come to me!!! Ah friendship...
Anyway the problem is I am incredibly bad at keeping journals. I am however on the computer a lot during the day at work. So to keep myself from forgetting or not completing a day here or there I created an online journal. I really liked the layout on this website it's very clean and simple to use. I've tried other ones before but most of them are very cluttered and tend to spam you a lot. Spark People for instance had a lot of great features but there was so much clutter on their website I got to the point where I hated going on it and was just tired of all the spam e-mails they were sending me. My Fitness Pal has a very clean website. My hope is that if I forget to update my paper journal one day I'll have updated it online and I'll be able to fill in any misses. I'm also hoping it motivates me to cheat less! Here's to winning and NOT SWIMMING WITH SHARKS...
Monday, January 21, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Winter Blues got you down?
Everyone has probably at one time or another been told to go workout if they're feeling the Winter Blues. Working out releases endorphins that make you happy right? Well how you choose to workout can also make a difference. Scientists have found certain types of workouts affect the brain and nervous system differently (5 mood boosting workouts).
The top of the list might come as no surprise... Yoga! That's right yoga and new studies show that people who do yoga at least 3 times a week have increased levels of GABA (a neurotransmitter that may reduce anxiety). So if you need a little pick me up during your week take a break and do some yoga stretches!
The top of the list might come as no surprise... Yoga! That's right yoga and new studies show that people who do yoga at least 3 times a week have increased levels of GABA (a neurotransmitter that may reduce anxiety). So if you need a little pick me up during your week take a break and do some yoga stretches!
Eat clean, train dirty!
I don't know who came up with that phrase but I really like it! This is the first full week that I've been drinking 3 smoothies a day and I can't believe the difference! I feel a lot better. Even when I eat a regular meal at dinner time I still drink my homemade smoothie to make sure I'm getting enough fruits and vegetables.
What I find interesting is that we are raised in America learning about the food pyramid. Well guess what? The food pyramid isn't necessarily the best way to live your life. Whereas carbohydrates aren't necessarily the root of all evil like some dieters believe, they are also not necessarily what people should be using as the cornerstone of their diet. Fruits and vegetables are actually better choices. The provide and abundance of vitamins and nutrients that can help us lose weight and stay healthy.
So second night of doing the relaxing yoga stretches and I finally feel like I slept most of the night! I got about 6 hours of sleep before waking up for some reason my subconscious doesn't feel like divulging. I'm taking that as a good sign. Hopefully if I keep up with it I'll get to the point where my body relaxes and I can sleep a whole night. Some of it may be discomfort as I've noticed if I move wrong while sleeping I can jar my ankle rather uncomfortably. Hopefully solving the ankle problem will solve my sleeping problem!
Onto the ongoing bane of my start to 2013 the ankle. Still stiff. I think the sudden cold snap aggravated it honestly. Last night instead of going to the gym I met up with my friend Kirstin and we had dinner (it was relatively healthy I think) and then went for a walk instead. I noticed today that it's feeling much better so I'm starting to think that I've been overdoing it at the gym perhaps. Even though I've been sticking to low impact I might have to ease up a bit. I visited the doctor on the 28th of last month and he told me 1 month so I better try to listen better I suppose.
It is made infinitely harder due to the amount of time I've spent this week looking at different marathon training routines. I swore this year I wanted to make a change and I really think getting into running is one of them. I've become addicted to fitsugar.com. One of their articles is called: 6 ways to become a better runner and it has a bunch of links to other articles about hydration, diet, proper form and training routines for marathon training. I REALLY want to try these! Unfortunately I think that's going to have to be after I come back from my vacation. Another two weeks of no sports, no impact exercising puts us into the beginning of February and then there's only two weeks before I leave on my first "adult" vacation with my good friend Kirstin. If I re-injured myself before going to The Philippines I might actually cry!
In other news my awesome mother sent me a care package! I've yet to find anything but whey protein in Korea so far. After lamenting about it to her at the beginning of the year she packed up two jugs of vanilla soy protein along with a bunch of vacation clothes into a box for me! I don't know what I'd do without my wonderful family and friends!
What I find interesting is that we are raised in America learning about the food pyramid. Well guess what? The food pyramid isn't necessarily the best way to live your life. Whereas carbohydrates aren't necessarily the root of all evil like some dieters believe, they are also not necessarily what people should be using as the cornerstone of their diet. Fruits and vegetables are actually better choices. The provide and abundance of vitamins and nutrients that can help us lose weight and stay healthy.
So second night of doing the relaxing yoga stretches and I finally feel like I slept most of the night! I got about 6 hours of sleep before waking up for some reason my subconscious doesn't feel like divulging. I'm taking that as a good sign. Hopefully if I keep up with it I'll get to the point where my body relaxes and I can sleep a whole night. Some of it may be discomfort as I've noticed if I move wrong while sleeping I can jar my ankle rather uncomfortably. Hopefully solving the ankle problem will solve my sleeping problem!
Onto the ongoing bane of my start to 2013 the ankle. Still stiff. I think the sudden cold snap aggravated it honestly. Last night instead of going to the gym I met up with my friend Kirstin and we had dinner (it was relatively healthy I think) and then went for a walk instead. I noticed today that it's feeling much better so I'm starting to think that I've been overdoing it at the gym perhaps. Even though I've been sticking to low impact I might have to ease up a bit. I visited the doctor on the 28th of last month and he told me 1 month so I better try to listen better I suppose.
It is made infinitely harder due to the amount of time I've spent this week looking at different marathon training routines. I swore this year I wanted to make a change and I really think getting into running is one of them. I've become addicted to fitsugar.com. One of their articles is called: 6 ways to become a better runner and it has a bunch of links to other articles about hydration, diet, proper form and training routines for marathon training. I REALLY want to try these! Unfortunately I think that's going to have to be after I come back from my vacation. Another two weeks of no sports, no impact exercising puts us into the beginning of February and then there's only two weeks before I leave on my first "adult" vacation with my good friend Kirstin. If I re-injured myself before going to The Philippines I might actually cry!
In other news my awesome mother sent me a care package! I've yet to find anything but whey protein in Korea so far. After lamenting about it to her at the beginning of the year she packed up two jugs of vanilla soy protein along with a bunch of vacation clothes into a box for me! I don't know what I'd do without my wonderful family and friends!
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Marathons
Now I am definitely not capable of running a marathon currently. However if I where I definitely think I'd be hitting the ones on this list! Fitness magazine came out with a list of the 16 easiest marathons (Easiest Marathons). This list includes a few I've heard of before such as: The Portland marathon, Vancover marathon, etc. It also includes some I'd never heard of before including foreign marathons in countries such as France, Germany, etc.
One that I'd never heard of but definitely would love to try now is the San Francisco Marathon apparently if you make it to the end firefighters in tuxedos hand out necklaces. How is that for incentive to finish a race?!?
The truth is I've always wanted to run a marathon. It's on my list of things to do before I die. It is definitely one of the reasons I've been eating healthier and trying to workout.
One that I'd never heard of but definitely would love to try now is the San Francisco Marathon apparently if you make it to the end firefighters in tuxedos hand out necklaces. How is that for incentive to finish a race?!?
The truth is I've always wanted to run a marathon. It's on my list of things to do before I die. It is definitely one of the reasons I've been eating healthier and trying to workout.
Why sleep?!? Why?
Well I'm still not getting enough sleep and it's frustrating me a bit. I did manage to sleep 5 hours before waking up at like 2am. It is frustrating. I've had insomnia before but this stretch of it has been long and I'm definitely tired of being tired. The weather has been incredibly cold too which is not helping my ankle. All things considered this has left me really wishing the week would end already. After saying that I am not ready for the week to end yet...
I didn't go to the gym yesterday my ankle was so stiff. I think I'd convinced myself it was almost better since it hadn't been hurting, this was a reminder that when a doctor says 1 month, they mean 1 month... NOT TWO WEEKS CARA... It seems to be feeling better today so I'm going to go but I'm restricting myself back to the bike. Seems that's the only thing I can do that doesn't bother it.
In other news I was reading an article today about the human body and willpower. Midnight munchies a common problem? Don't feel like eating healthy at dinner or working out after work? It might not just be that you're tired. According to new psychology studies we use our willpower everyday for every little decision we have to make and we appear to only have a certain amount of it per day (Reach Any Goal). I found this really interesting because on some levels it does really seem to fit. I feel like I have a lot more willpower and stamina in the morning and then as the day goes on the desires to do unhealthy things seem to get stronger and stronger. The human ability to control our impulses and desires seems to weaken so if you have major decision to make or planning that needs to be done do it in the morning!
I didn't go to the gym yesterday my ankle was so stiff. I think I'd convinced myself it was almost better since it hadn't been hurting, this was a reminder that when a doctor says 1 month, they mean 1 month... NOT TWO WEEKS CARA... It seems to be feeling better today so I'm going to go but I'm restricting myself back to the bike. Seems that's the only thing I can do that doesn't bother it.
In other news I was reading an article today about the human body and willpower. Midnight munchies a common problem? Don't feel like eating healthy at dinner or working out after work? It might not just be that you're tired. According to new psychology studies we use our willpower everyday for every little decision we have to make and we appear to only have a certain amount of it per day (Reach Any Goal). I found this really interesting because on some levels it does really seem to fit. I feel like I have a lot more willpower and stamina in the morning and then as the day goes on the desires to do unhealthy things seem to get stronger and stronger. The human ability to control our impulses and desires seems to weaken so if you have major decision to make or planning that needs to be done do it in the morning!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Lunch!
I've been trying to drink water like crazy. While at work I try to drink 5-6 of those 16 oz water bottles. Most people think that 8 glasses of water a day is enough to stay hydrated. I find that I feel better if I drink at least 10-12. When I'm working out at the gym I tend to drink even more mostly because I REALLY sweat.
Today's lunch smoothie as you can see is bright green. It surprisingly doesn't taste like vegetables! I know what your thinking but it's true. Today it's strawberry banana flavored. This morning before work in my blender I added:
1 cup kale
1 banana
5 frozen strawberries
1 container drinkable apple yogurt
1/2 cup soy milk
I add the drinkable yogurt sometimes for digestion. You can find it everywhere in Korea and since it's still quite liquidy it doesn't make the smoothies too thick. Kale and spinach, I'm finding, don't have a very strong taste so if you add fruit to your smoothie you're not going to taste the green stuff.
I've been using a lot of the recipes from blendedrecipes.com to start with. Now that I'm a bit more comfortable adding things together on my own and experimenting though I've been coming up with some of my own recipes as of late. I just read an article about Superfood Combinations in Fitness Magazine that gave me some ideas for some interesting combinations. Obviously not all of them could be combined into a blender orange juice and dry cereal sound like they'd be gross in a smoothie but some of them seem promising. I'll let you know how it goes...
Day 1
Since I broke my diet yesterday, today is once again day one..... Grr.... Actually it's not that bad. I realize realistically people can't be perfect and I'm definitely far from it. I have also already planned to break my diet this weekend as I will be out of town, my goal is to make the healthiest food choices possible and to get my gym time in before hand.
Last night I went to the gym for about 2 hours. I did 40 minutes on the bike (2 more weeks and then I can try the treadmill hopefully), stretches and then an upper body workout. It was a good workout but boy the gym has gotten crowded! Looks like I'm not the only one trying to keep a resolution!
What I have also realized recently is that Korea is even more of a food culture than America, which I didn't think was possible. Meal time is considered a time to be with others, you don't eat alone, it just doesn't happen. There are some restaurants in Korea that won't serve just one person, their menus are set up for 2+. It is difficult to take yourself out of that aspect of the culture without them feeling sorry for you. I had noticed this to some extent with the Head English teacher at my school. He is a vegetarian and therefore usually had to prepare his own food as just about everything in Korea has some meat in it ( FYI Koreans don't think seafood is meat, so be warned if you ever come to South Korea and ask for a vegetarian menu you will likely get seafood). Experiencing it has been a different matter all together. I think it will probably continue to be a rather large adjustment as most of my coworkers know I love Korean food and so they want to share what they bring! I am lucky though in that my coworkers are incredibly nice people. Yesterday I didn't have my gym bag with me so Su Yeon reminded me to make sure I went to the gym!
One thing I definitely do need to work on immediately is my sleep schedule! I typically go to bed but find myself having a difficult time falling asleep no matter how tired I am. The smoothies have been helping with my energy level because of the protein and vitamins but I still find myself tired and not wanting to get up in the mornings. I started working out earlier in the day (right after work) to make sure that it wasn't that the exercise was hyping me up. To combat this problem I bought some walnuts this week for my afternoon snack instead of almonds as walnuts are a natural source of melatonin which is supposed to regulate sleep. I will eat a handful of these this week. I also found a yoga workout from Fitness Magazine that is supposed to help with relaxation: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/yoga/poses/yoga-routine-before-sleep/. So starting tonight I'm going to try this yoga routine before bed to see if that helps.
Last night I went to the gym for about 2 hours. I did 40 minutes on the bike (2 more weeks and then I can try the treadmill hopefully), stretches and then an upper body workout. It was a good workout but boy the gym has gotten crowded! Looks like I'm not the only one trying to keep a resolution!
What I have also realized recently is that Korea is even more of a food culture than America, which I didn't think was possible. Meal time is considered a time to be with others, you don't eat alone, it just doesn't happen. There are some restaurants in Korea that won't serve just one person, their menus are set up for 2+. It is difficult to take yourself out of that aspect of the culture without them feeling sorry for you. I had noticed this to some extent with the Head English teacher at my school. He is a vegetarian and therefore usually had to prepare his own food as just about everything in Korea has some meat in it ( FYI Koreans don't think seafood is meat, so be warned if you ever come to South Korea and ask for a vegetarian menu you will likely get seafood). Experiencing it has been a different matter all together. I think it will probably continue to be a rather large adjustment as most of my coworkers know I love Korean food and so they want to share what they bring! I am lucky though in that my coworkers are incredibly nice people. Yesterday I didn't have my gym bag with me so Su Yeon reminded me to make sure I went to the gym!
One thing I definitely do need to work on immediately is my sleep schedule! I typically go to bed but find myself having a difficult time falling asleep no matter how tired I am. The smoothies have been helping with my energy level because of the protein and vitamins but I still find myself tired and not wanting to get up in the mornings. I started working out earlier in the day (right after work) to make sure that it wasn't that the exercise was hyping me up. To combat this problem I bought some walnuts this week for my afternoon snack instead of almonds as walnuts are a natural source of melatonin which is supposed to regulate sleep. I will eat a handful of these this week. I also found a yoga workout from Fitness Magazine that is supposed to help with relaxation: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/yoga/poses/yoga-routine-before-sleep/. So starting tonight I'm going to try this yoga routine before bed to see if that helps.
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