• Go to the gym frequently.
  See rest of entry below.
• Eat healthier/eat out less/cook/buy groceries.
  See rest of entry below.
• Put aside money each paycheck into a savings account.
  I’ve set up a high-yield savings account at eTrade and have starting making deposits.
• Go to bed earlier/get up earlier.
  Still working on this…
• Take care of my skin/hair/nails.
  Though I’ve had a few lazy nights where I just went to bed, for the most part I am taking the time to apply moisturizer and to invest in better conditioning products for my hair.  I think taking a daily vitamin is also helping too.
• Drink more water.
  Been pretty good about this but I need to buy a water bottle to carry with.
• Take my vitamins and supplements/drink more wine.
  Taking my vitamin every day.  Trying to get used to the taste of my superfood powder.  Been mostly good with getting that glass of wine in.
• Clean more often.
  I’m much better than usual but realized that I have more clothes than will actually fit into my dresser.  Sad that it took me so long to know that because my clothes are always NOT in my dresser!
• Be more social.
  Haven’t really made any strides with that yet.
• Spend at least one hour each week on my web projects.
  I’ve been updating this here blog, so that’s a plus, but I’m still neglecting other projects I should be paying attention to.
• Explore Los Angeles.
  Haven’t started that yet, though I am going to a different location for my gym and that’s in an area of L.A. I never go to so it kinda counts… right?

I’m quite proud to say that tonight will be the 13th day in a row (not counting weekends) where I have gone to the gym right after work.  I’m at the point now where I know I will deeply regret it if I don’t go.  I have no excuse to skip it.

When I leave work, right outside my building’s lobby, I can take a left and walk 10 minutes to the subway station, or I can take a right and walk 10 minutes to the gym.  Even when I’m super tired or just feeling lazy, I make myself take that right.  I don’t even stop to think about it or give myself time to complain.  I just need to get myself there, and once I’m there, everything else falls into place.  I don’t have to do a hardcore workout every time if I’m not feeling it.  Just getting in the gym is half the struggle, and once i’m in, I always get a satisfying workout, at least 15 minutes in the sauna, and then a brisk 20-minute walk to the subway station.   After another 10 minutes on the subway, it’s an 8-minute walk to my apartment, a 30-minute walk with the dogs, and then shower, dinner, and a relaxing evening at home.

So, have I noticed a difference?  Well, let’s see:

My energy during the day is better.  My mood is elevated and I’m not easily irritated (though it’s just my nature to find most people irritating), it’s getting easier to wake up in the morning, my legs feel stronger and more flexible (I make sure to stretch them), and my mind problem areas, my stomach and back, are starting to get more toned.  Those two are not quite there yet, but today especially I noticed a slight improvement.

I by no means consider myself “fat.”  At 5′0″ and 105 lbs, I know I am very lucky to be the size I am and that many women would kill to have my body.  I’m not being egotistic or anything; I want to make it clear that I don’t have a distorted body image and do appreciate what I have.  I’m not trying to lose weight, but instead, I want to sculpt and tone certain areas of my body.  My lower back, sides, and stomach carry most of my body’s fat, and it is my personal preference to have a leaner, more defined appearance in these areas.  Now, I know you can’t “spot reduce” and that to decrease fat in a specific area, you just have to decrease body fat overall.  I’m trying to do this by building more muscle and doing a bit more cardio (not that much though since I don’t like cardio).  I’m slowly getting there.  The other day I overheard a personal trainer tell his client (and I’ve heard this before) that in females in takes 4 - 6 weeks of steady exercise before 1 pound of fat is replaced with 1 pound of muscle.  I also know that most people stop right before this period.  I’ve always worked out but never steadily for more than 4 weeks before taking a week or two off and starting again.  I plan on going steady this time!

In addition to the exercise, I know that I have to eat better.  There’s a saying that “abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym.”  I believe this to be true.  My abs are pretty strong, but my torso area doesn’t look very defined because there’s a layer of fat covering up  my muscles.  The exercise is helping reduce my overall body fat, but I also need to make healthier eating choices.  Not only for my appearance, but also because what you eat really does affect your mood, energy, and of course, your health.

Today is the 12th day (again, not counting weekends), that I’ve eaten vegetarian before 6 P.M.  It hasn’t been hard at all and it’s been much healthier than eating the fast food lunches that work provides.  Before, I was taking in 1,200 - 1,500 calories before I left work.  Now, it’s more like 700 - 900.  I still eat whatever I want for dinner, which I think is very necessary.  If I were to deprive myself completely of foods I love, I would never be able to maintain this.  Also, I’m not being a strict vegetarian which helps me be flexible and stick to this.  I still eat fish and eggs, cheese and milk.  Ralphs has been having a sale on Lean Cuisine frozen dinners.  All entrees, be it the $4 ones or the $2.50 boxes, are just $1.77 each!  You can sure bet I’ve been stocking up and have been bringing a vegetarian or fish entree for lunch, plus a cup of light yogurt.  Throughout the day I snack on fruit, almonds, and the occassional cookie or crackers.

It did take a few days to get use to eating smaller (normal-size) portions, but now I find myself quite satisfied.  As for dinner after work, anything goes but I am trying to eat healthier and not eat out. I bought a slow cooker to make sure I have food ready for me when I get home.  This goes a looooooooooong way towards making sure I don’t eat out or quickly fry up something unhealthy.  Of course, I have the Lean Cuisines in the fridge as a last resort, but I want to make sure I don’t deprive myself of foods I love.

During the weekends, I don’t go to the gym and I eat out a couple times.  I don’t feel badly about it because I tend to be very active on the weekends running errands and walking around Hollywood.  The only thing that bothers me about my routine is that by going to the gym in the evenings, I am missing out on events or meeting up with friends because I am instead in the gym.  Maybe after I reach the 6-week mark, I will try to adjust my sleeping patterns so I end up getting up early and going to the gym before work.  More on that in a separate post.

I’ve been really good so far about eating vegetarian until 6 PM, but oh lordy, I almost lost it yesterday.

The office-provided lunch was Popeye’s fried chicken.  I really, really like their spicy fried chicken. It tastes so good in my mouth, crunch crunch crunch. (Hah, obviously I’m still thinking about it.)

The smell of fried chicken permeated the office while I lunched on my butternut squash ravioli and steamed veggies.  It was torture.  I had to get out of the office and went on my now regular 30-minute uphill lunchtime walk.  Unfortunately, when I got back, I could still smell the fried chicken and saw that there were plenty of leftovers.  It was so hard to resist, and I don’t know how I managed to, but I did.

Lunch today, which should be arriving any minute now, will be Costco hot dogs.  They are surprisingly very good, and very bad for you.  One hot dog is about 560 calories and most of us eat at least 2.  Ugh!

I brought in three-cheese rigatoni with veggies in a tomato sauce.  Healthy, yes, but it surely won’t smell as good as a Costco polish hot dog with mustard and chips.  Mmm!  I must get out of the office again once the food is here and remind myself of the reason why I’m doing this.  My mood and energy levels have been way better ever since I started; can’t stop now!

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Day 5 - 2009 Resolutions - Part 1

Friday afternoon, less than an hour left in the work day. We had our monthly townhall meeting earlier this afternoon.  It does a really good job of putting everyone in a “the-week’s-over” frame of mind.  Unfortunately, we’re not quite there yet.

I’m not as sore as I was last night.  I guess all I needed was a good night’s sleep.  My legs are only just a little achy.  My arms and chest are almost back at 100%.  However, as expected, my abs are starting to ache, especially the sides along my ribs.  Those torso twists are killer!

I’m really looking forward to going to the gym this evening.  I wonder how busy it will be on a Friday afternoon.  I feel great right now. My mood and energy levels are the highest they’ve been in a while.  Drinking a lot of water, going to bed earlier, and working out regularly has helped tremendously.  Though, I will have to say that I think the biggest factor is not eating the lunches that are provided here at work.  Today was Jack in the Box.  Instead of greasy, fat and salt filled burgers and fries, I had a double vegetarian sausage patty with egg on a whole grain bun and half an avocado.  I then went for my usual lunch break walk which is about .8 miles uphill (pretty steep in parts).  I do the 1.6 mile walk in about 30 minutes.  Not too bad; don’t want to come back to work all sweaty.

I truly believe that changing my diet is largely responsible for my change in energy and mood.  I feel more sociable and less irritable.  How great is that? Stuffing yourself with processed, artificial, calorie-heavy food really does weigh you down both mentally and physically.  I don’t miss the food at all since I only ate it because it was easy and free and I’m lazy.  Thankfully, all that is changing.

I also thought that drinking more water every day would be hard to do, but now that I’m working out regularly, my body is actually craving water regularly. I automatically reach for my glass of water and refill it several times a day without having to think about it.  The same goes for going to bed earlier.  While they do give me a burst of energy immediately afterwards, my evening workouts ensure that I’m tired and ready for bed now by midnight, if not earlier.

Man, I should have done this sooner.

Day 4 - 2009 Resolutions

Me so sore. Soooooooo sore.

Today was abs day. So my abs aren’t sore yet. But my arms, chest, back, and my legs—oh god—my legs are on fire. It’s difficult to reach around and take my shirts off. The mere sight of stairs make me cringe. When I sit down, like I am now, I never want to get up again.

I have to soon though. Gotta make lunch for tomorrow. I have no idea what! Got some collard greens I can cook, but how and with what. Bleck.

I’m not getting discouraged. I actually enjoy being sore. It’s a testament to all my hard work. I’m just tired and cranky right now. It will take a a few more days before my body gets used to my routine. I’m already getting tired much earlier now. Might actually be in bed at, gasp!, 11 PM tonight.

I need to buy a slow cooker. Like now, so good night.

Day 3 - 2009 Resolutions

I’m actually gonna go to bed before midnight tonight.  Actually, I’m in bed right now, typing on my netbook.

Me tired. The gym is a great way to spend and gain energy. I was really hyped up earlier after my workout, but now, I’m quite ready for bed.

Speaking of my workout, the gym had no water! There were signs about an “unforseen” emergency and how there was no water.  At  first, I thought, okay, so no drinking fountains, but no, it was much worse than that.  It was also no sinks, no showers, and worst of all, no toilets!  Ugh! I really had to pee when I first got there, but thankfully, I managed to hold it.  What I hated was not being able to wash my hands, which I usually do pretty reguarly in between weights/cardio/stretching/sauna, etc.  I really need to wash my hands frequently if I’m going to be using them to wipe my face, handle my phone, or anything else that may spread other people’s sweat and germs around.  I had to make it a quick workout; I did 3 sets of 8-10 on four different machines that isolated my biceps, triceps, and shoulders. I then spent about 15 minutes in the sauna before walking to the subway and coming home.

Lunch from work today was Poquito Mas (a Mexican fast food place), but I instead had the eggplant stir-fry I had made last night. It smelled and tasted so good.  I have a bit left in the fridge that I may bring again tomorrow plus I think I’ll make an egg salad sandwich (on whole wheat bread of course).  This eating vegetarian until 6 PM thing isn’t so bad after all.

I’m also going to be ordering a slow cooker soon.  After a workout and the walking, I have little desire to spend my evening cooking and cleaning two meals (dinner and tomorrow’s lunch).  A slow cooker will save me a lot of time and allow me to come home to dinner already made.  I have to do a bit more research into brands and features, but I will definitely be getting one soon.

Alright, time for bed, now TWO hours earlier than usual. Yowsah!  Good night.

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Day 2 - 2009 Resolutions

Gotta get to bed so I’ll try to keep this short.

Went to the gym after work. It wasn’t as crowded as yesterday when it was filled with people who were all gung-ho about their own resolutions to lose weight and/or get in shape. It was still busier than usual though.  I’m pretty excited about this new routine now. I’m finding it very easy to simply get out of work and walk to the gym.  My problem before, when I was going to the gym closer to home, was that I struggled to get up early in the morning. When it came to going after work, by the time I walked to the subway and waited for my train to arrive, my mind and body was already in “go home and relax mode.”

Now, because I’m simply in the gym 10 minutes after I leave work, I’m still in “work and be productive mode.” It’s awesome!

I really enjoyed the lunch I made today.  The office provided Wendy’s and I was not tempted at all. I made sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day and took my vitamins.  I’ve been taking Nature Way’s Alive! but now that I’m running out I’m going to explore cheaper options and look into something I don’t have to take 3 times a day.

I had one of Tim’s delicious turkey burgers on whole wheat buns tonight for dinner, and then because I was still hungry (I’m usually ravenous after working out), I finished up my leftover chicken and Brussels sprouts with a glass of wine. Delish!

When all was said and done, at 10 PM I was pretty tired.  I just wanted to lie down, be lazy, and eventually fall asleep.  I normally would have, but there were things to do. I needed to shower and go through my skincare regime before going to bed, but most importantly, I needed to make lunch for tomorrow!

I had bought eggplant yesterday and looked for an easy eggplant stir fry recipe online.  I found this great recipe for Easy Stir-Fried Eggplant on About.com.  I didn’t have any cornstarch, and instead of a regular onion I had to use a green onion.  I also used a lot of fresh Thai chilies and threw in a handful of sliced oyster mushrooms.  The verdict…

Ohmygawddabomb! I love the texture of stir-fried eggplant; it takes on an almost pork-like quality. The oyster mushrooms, as before, were perfect. Again, I had to stop myself from eating it and now I can’t wait to have it for lunch tomorrow with some rice.

Anyway, I need to go to bed. I just took a relaxing shower without washing my hair… huh what?

I’ve read numerous times that you shouldn’t wash your hair everyday, that it would strip your hair of the natural oils your scalp produces to keep your hair healthy. This is especially important if you have dry or damaged hair (like me!).  However, what I never could understand is how can you take a shower without washing your hair? It just seems so icky to be in the shower, get your hair wet, and not shampoo it.

Well after some research, it seems that the point is to NOT get your hair wet.  Even water itself without shampoo can remove the good oils.  I guess that’s what shower caps are for and why there’s an old cliche about women saying they’ll be busy “washing their hair” as a way to reject suitors.  Though I still don’t really understand how that came about—how is washing your hair something that takes all night?

Anyway, it felt kinda weird at first, but I quickly got used to showering with a shower cap on.  I simply clipped my hair up first and held it back with a headband before putting the cap on.  Afterward, contrary to what I expected, I didn’t feel “unwashed” or that I needed to jump back in just to wash my hair. I think I’ll try washing it every other day and see how my hair likes that.

By the way, some great products I recently bought are Pantene’s moisturizing shampoo and conditioner (my hair has been softer and shiny!) and I absolutely love love love Neutrogena’s sesame body oil. I bought a small trial size once when I needed something quick for the gym and it was and is the best thing ever! It has a great, light scent and absorbs quickly.  Doesn’t feel greasy at all and leaves my skin soft.  At about $11 a bottle, the price is the only con I can think of, but a little does go a long way.

Alright now, I’m going to bed 15 minutes earlier than yesterday. Woo!

Good night.

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