Resolution check in

Time to check in on my 2012 resolutions!

Reduce artificial sugar intake
I’ve made some improvements but I’m not where I want to be. I still get cravings which lead me to believe I have a sugar addiction. I still have ice cream cravings though when I indulge, I allow myself smaller servings than what I used to have.

More cardio exercise
Still can’t get into running. I ran three times in January and zero in February. However, I have gone snowboarding twice this month so that counts. I’ve also added a one-mile walk weekly. It’s not a significant amount but something is better than nothing.

Barre class 4 times a week
I’ve kept it up except for last week when I went zero times due to sickness and injury. I’m back to my regular schedule starting this week though and I’m going to squeeze in 5 classes when I can to make up for my break.

Kale in my smoothies
Heck no. I tried it once and I did not enjoy it. Once I finish my bag of flax seed, I’ll switch to chia seeds as I read it had more nutritional benefits. I’m changing this resolution to increase the nutritional profile of my smoothies.

Overall, I think I’m doing okay on my resolutions. I’m not achieving them completely all the time but I’m making strides which is what it’s all about.

I’ve fallen and I can’t get up

Okay, that’s an exaggeration. I can get up. I’ve been hurt and sick all week, pardon my silence. I’ve been a wreck for the past seven days. It all started when I decided to go to barre class the day before a snowboarding trip. I am not usually that sore after a class unless I take a class with one of the hard teachers (*cough* Teresa *cough* *cough* Jeanette) so I figured I would be fine. WRONG! The instructor introduced a new variation for thigh work and it BURNED LIKE THE FIRES OF HELL. I was seriously grimacing during the exercise.

Then after foolishly staying up until midnight playing plants vs. zombies, I woke up at 5 am to get ready for the road trip. I got to sleep in the car so I was good and ready to go when we got to Heavenly. As V and I were putting on our gear, we realized something was terribly wrong. I had forgotten to bring our snowboarding boots! *facepalm*

So V and I had to settle for rental boots. I never appreciated my own boots so much as I did this past weekend. I couldn’t get the rental boots laced tight enough without cutting the circulation off my feet. But riding with loose laces wasn’t a good option either. So I rode through the discomfort.

It was also my first time wearing a helmet and I wasn’t used to the extra weight on my neck. Two days of neck strain resulted in stiff, immovable neck on the third day. As if muscle soreness and stiffness wasn’t enough, I came down with a cold. I am so looking forward to the three-day weekend so I can recover and get back to normal.

 

 

 

 

F@&$! knees

V and I went for a run this weekend with disastrous results for me. It was a breeze for V, he took off like a freakin gazelle even though he hasn’t gone running in years. I jogged the first half of the trail, feeling light and optimistic. My Vibrams felt good and I was landing correctly on my forefoot. But the the trail turned to gravel and concrete and it killed my knees. Even just walking on the gravel hurt. Each step caused a twinge of pain and I briefly considered jumping in the lake and swimming across as a shortcut. I’m currently wearing a knee brace and hobbling around like an old woman.

I’m so bummed that even with better shoes and stronger supporting muscles, my knees are still not up to the job. I’m jealous of people with good knees. I might try to find a good track near my house and give running another shot but until then, I’ll just have to powerwalk on the treadmill and decrease the speed. Last time, I was walking at a 4.2 speed setting (no idea what that number means) and my knees hurt afterwards. My knees are so broken.

The run wasn’t all bad though, several good things did come out of it:

I worked out five times in one week!

my ankles held up well in spite of the rugged terrain

my muscles aren’t that sore, more proof that the Dailey Method is strengthening my muscles

even though the run was my second workout of the day, I wasn’t too worn out afterwards which means I’ve built up my stamina.

2012 so far

I didn’t think I’d say this ever, but man, I am ready to go back to work! Four-day weekends are getting to be too unproductive and demotivating. It’s really bad for my workout schedule too. It’s so much harder to get out of bed when you don’t need to.

This month, I’m looking forward to Dine About Town and already have reservations booked at Luce, Campton Place, One Market, Sutro’s and Bisou. We considered going up to Tahoe for a weekend this month but the snow conditions aren’t that great so we’ll wait until February.

Let’s check on my 2012 resolution progress.

1) Reduce artificial sugar intake – Still eating one to two treats a day. A friend gave me a dozen cookies from Momofuku Milk Bar and it would be a sin to let them go to waste. I have managed to resist ice cream so far though. I don’t think I’ve had ice cream in the last three weeks.

2) Act on my goal to incorporate more cardio exercise in my lifestyle – Nope, still haven’t gone out running.

3) Keep up my routine of going to the Dailey Method four times a week – Haven’t worked out since last Wednesday! I was sick last week so I skipped two workouts. I’ll be back on track this week though.

4) Try adding kale to my smoothies to increase daily veggie intake – I forgot to do this the last twi times I made a smoothie. Maybe I’ll try adding a few spinach leaves to my smoothie tonight.

I’m at zero for four so far, whoops!

Eating less

As I mentioned before, I lost weight by eating less and exercising more. Surprisingly, increasing exercise turned out to be the easier part of the equation. I am still struggling with eating less. In fact, this past weekend was filled with gluttony.

Food, and frankly, overeating, is a big part of my lifestyle and culture. In a typical Filipino household, eating only one serving is an insult. You show appreciation for the food and the person who cooked it by eating a lot of the food they prepared. And bottom line, I love food. If something tastes good, I want to (and will) keep eating it and eating it.

Thankfully, I’ve never had a serious weight problem. But I know that my metabolism is slowing down so it’s important that I adjust my lifestyle now before it turns into a real problem.

It’s a constant challenge but here’s what has worked for me so far:

• Getting buy-in from V. He cooks most of the meals so he usually picks the recipes. He makes an effort to select lighter recipes and he also remembers to put less food on my plate.
• Stepping away from the food. This isn’t proper behavior if dining with other people, but if it’s just the two of us, I try to leave the dining table after I’ve had one serving of food. By stepping away from the food, I prevent mindless overeating.
• Keeping junk food out of the house. If junk food is in the house, I will eat it. My area of weakness though is ice cream and cheese. I’ve been able to eat less of it, but we still keep it in stock.

Figs and roasted beets salad prepared by V

Now don’t get the idea that I do all of these all the time. I certainly don’t. But every time I do, it means one less instance of overeating. By taking it one meal at a time, I can still enjoy food while working towards a better diet.

I love Dailey Method

I mentioned that I lost 10 lbs in my previous post. Here’s how I did it.

It pretty much amounts to the oft repeated advice – eat less, exercise more. I’ll write about the “exercise more” part today and the “eat less” part  later.

I’ve never been an active person and I’ve always checked “sedentary” on lifestyle questionnaires. This is not to say that I didn’t try to be more active, I just couldn’t stick to something for longer than 3 months.

Exhibit A:  Fitness attempts while in college

• 1 semester of water aerobics
• 1 semester of weight lifting
• several months of Abs & Back gym class

Exhibit B: Fitness attempts post-college

• marathon training
• membership at 24 Hour Fitness – yoga classes and elliptical machine
• membership at Club One – personal training, elliptical, treadmill
• EA Sports Active on the Wii – circuit training

Excuses for quitting:

• class times were inconvenient
• gym was too far
• gym smelled bad
• no energy after work
• too boring
• knee pain

Of these excuses, the knee pain was the worst (and most legitimate). It forced me to quit even if mentally/emotionally, I wanted to keep going. Once my knee started acting up, it would just get worse and worse and I would be in pain ALL the time. I would get sharp pains from climbing stairs and walking on uneven surfaces like cobblestones. And the pain wouldn’t subside until months after I stopped exercising. I even had to wear a knee brace on our honeymoon because my knees can’t  hold up against NYC streets. So long story short, I have bad knees.

Then I heard about barre workouts. It’s a combination of ballet, yoga and pilates moves that are designed to tone your body and give you a lean physique. After more research, I convinced a friend to try the Dailey Method with me. The first class was BRUTAL. I wanted to quit within the first 15 minutes and I was ready to forfeit the remaining two classes in my introductory package. The package cost $50 and at that point, I would have paid another $50 not to have to go through it again.

I was sore for three days after that first class. I could hardly walk afterwards because my leg muscles were still quivering one hour after class ended. My friend and I decided to at least finish the three classes, can’t let good money go to waste. Then at the end of the third class, we realized that we were already showing signs of progress! Our thighs were beginning to show some definition and our triceps felt a little firmer. And that’s why I love the Dailey Method. Results in just three classes. I’ve been going religiously since June of this year and I have zero knee pain. I also have:

• slimmer thighs and calves
• higher butt
• upper arm definition
• smaller waist
• flatter abs

I love it and it hurts so good!

What makes it so hard? 

Blog reboot!

Let’s give blogging another try, shall we?

I’ve been blogging since 2001. I keep falling off the bandwagon but as they say, pick yourself up and get right back on!

Since May 2010, there have been some major-ish changes in the life of V and K:

- Moved to a new apartment. Our new apartment is three blocks away from our old apartment. Our apartment complex has a sauna (I’ve used maybe five times), a steam room (haven’t used it, smells funny) and a gym (used twice). It also has an awesome rooftop which we’ve used a lot for hanging out and parties.

I hosted a bridal shower in our "sunroom." It's really the area in front of the elevators leading to the rooftop.

- V started a full-time job. No more house spouse .

- I lost 10 lbs!! I started eating less and got hooked on barre at The Dailey Method. I was using EA Sports Active for a few months but had to quit due to knee pain.

- I started a side business. Head on over to The Shoe Tote and buy a protective bag for your shoes!

I was also able to keep up with my goal of traveling internationally at least once a year. 

Dilemma

I think my masseuse may be a cult member.

My neck had been achey for the last few weeks so I treated myself to a massage. I wanted to try someone near my house so I found someone who had great reviews on Yelp.

She was good and really focused on breaking up the knots on my neck. I was even considering buying a massage series.

But last night, I received a promotional e-mail from her. She explained that she was trying to raise money so she can attend a lesson with her “teacher.” Hmm, alarm bells. I did some research and found out that her teacher is this woman addressed as “her holiness.” More alarm bells.

Alarm bell count:
- the masseuse signed her e-mails with “blessings” and addressed me as “dear”

- the masseuse said she would perform an energy transfer on me at the end of the session

- the masseuse appeared to pray over me at the end of the session. she had her hands raised to the sky and was mouthing words

I don’t know that I’ll go to her again. Would you go?

Smoothie Wednesday

I picked up some kiwi fruit from Berkeley Bowl and decided to throw it into my smoothie.

Recipe: pineapple, kiwi fruit, strawberries

Grade: 3/5, way too tart! I think V would have liked it more.

Smoothie Wednesday

I was going for a tropical taste but the freezer aisle at Trader Joe’s doesn’t offer too many tropical fruits.

Recipe: strawberries, mangoes, pineapple

Grade: 3,5, it needed more tropical flavor