If you head blindly into a lifestyle change or diet without any knowledge in that area, you are setting yourself on a path to failure.

You aren’t going to see the right results [in the time frame that you want] therefore you will be unmotivated and you will give up.

Do you know these terms? Glycemic Index. HIIT. Basal Metabolic Rate. Glycogen. Lactic acid. Plyometrics. Isometrics. Posture. Core. If not, start doing some research! Okay, well you don’t have to get that obsessive, but it never hurts to know more and it’ll make your path to a healthier lifestyle a lot easier.

You can hire a personal trainer or take classes but one of my biggest motivators that got me to change my lifestyle (that was also FREE) were all the health and fitness blogs I subscribed to. All that addicting information opened my eyes to a whole new world that I barely knew anything about and I wanted more. I wanted to be part of it. I wanted to see if I applied all those tips and methods to my life, would it work for me?

Having knowledge suddenly made me realize how “easy” it was to achieve my goals and it provided me with the motivation that I needed because a clear path suddenly opened up. It seemed like there was no room for failure.

Unfortunately, there was. The only thing that could stop me was myself but luckily for me, one of my biggest fears is failure and I knew if I let that happen, I’m never going to let it go especially with all this knowledge that I now had.

It got me excited.

I was unstoppable.

And I still am.

Are you?

That everyone lived to be 100 years old. My sister would always point out the fact that she would live one year longer than me since she was a year younger …and inserts an evil laugh somewhere.

If I didn’t each everything single piece of rice in my bowl during dinner, the rice gods would punish me. But then I was never religious nor really believed in that stuff so there were always leftover rice in my bowl.

That there were little rice gods living in every single grain of rice. I was curious so I’d bite it in half to look for them, thinking, “oh god, I just bit their head off.”

If I swallowed watermelon seeds, watermelons would grow in my stomach. It’s okay… I love watermelon anyway.

That leprechauns existed. Because our teacher played a trick on us when we were 7 and I think I believed it until I was like 10. I use to tell everyone the story and when they told me it was fake, I’d get angry.

That people really live on clouds. Because another teacher told us her plane got stranded on a cloud so she had to live there for weeks. I wish we could really live on clouds!

That we’ve been on mars and all the other cool planets. Imagine my disappointment when I learned we only traveled to the boring, old moon.

Well, at least I’m wasn’t the only stupid kid.

I bought this necklace stand at Winners while shopping with a girlfriend a couple days ago but there’s nothing on it yet because most of my necklaces are too long. The ring on top was from one of Seoul’s many amazing department stores. The necklace dangling on the bottom-left is my current favorite; I picked it up from a local designer at Stanley Market in Hong Kong (where my dad grew up). The Ladurée Marie Antoinette tea is delicious and straight from Paris. St.Ives leaves my skin buttery smooth. Tresemme’s Heat Tamer Spray is a love affair between my locks and my flat iron. My mirror desperately needs cleaning. What’s in the box? That’s a secret. And yes, I still have my high school grad pictures up. It’s been 5+ years but I’m too lazy to change it.

No, I’m not missing anyone but I love blasting this song when I’m hitting the cardio hard with some crazy intervals. It’s not the fastest song but I love the beat and always gets me pumped up … and I love M-Flo!!

I use to be one of those people who would hate exercising and would come up with every excuse to NOT go to the gym. I’ve had a gym membership since I was 15 but sometimes I wouldn’t go for months even though they were taking $38 from my bank account monthly.

I didn’t start going regularly until I started to realize that working out had to be a priority. I couldn’t treat it as something that I could do, but it was something that I MUST do just like going to work, sleeping and eating. Unless my body wasn’t physically up for it, I told myself I had no choice but to work out, whether it be at the gym, at home or at 12am. Once you make it a habit and get into that mindset, you’ll learn to love it.

Anyway, this 30 Day Blog Challenge has been a major FAIL! I was so insanely busy the last week that I had no time to update at all… but then blogging isn’t my priority so I’m allowed to say that.

My wedding was either going to be themed Old Hollywood or Marie Antoinette’s 18th century flare. I couldn’t decide between the two for the longest time but I finally chose my beloved Marie! I have a dilemma though; I really wanted purple to be my wedding color but when I think of Marie Antoinette, I think of pinks, blues, pastels… NOT purple the dark, luscious purple I want but I’ll make it work somehow. I won’t be surprised if I change my theme in a couple years though… my taste is forever evolving. I’ve seen a lot of darker themed weddings lately and I really want to wear a black wedding dress!

They will probably claw my eyes out when it grows up but AWW.

21^st birthday. The first time I ever puked in a club… now I can’t say “I NEVER PUKE!!” anymore. I still rarely do though.

A random day back in high school when her and a friend showed up on my doorstep hammered out of their minds.

Fine… and also:

• A good, long and hard hike
• Dim sum
• Horseback-riding in the mountains
• Japanese Tapas

… and lots of poutine in between.

Ice cream sandwich; bought a giant box of these earlier this week and it’s almost gone.

Although I try to live a pretty healthy lifestyle, I encourage splurging occasionally and eating anything and everything that you love— and I’ve been craving these ice cream sandwiches all summer! I DON’T believe in totally cutting out everything because you’re just going to end up craving for it… and my favorite saying, what’s life without good food?! And honestly, I splurge A LOT.

BUT if you’re a long way off from your goals or if your goal is to be super ripped then you obviously shouldn’t splurge as much as I do. I reached my first set of fitness goals (weight) nine months ago so I’ve been maintaining ever since and all the exercise I do allows me to eat whatever I want… including lots of ice cream sandwiches. The only thing is that I don’t eat effortlessly because I work hard to give myself this pleasure.

If you want to eat whatever you want, be prepared to compensate for it down the line. You can either keep a strict diet with minimal exercise or my route,  eat a lot with lots of hard and intense exercise (a.k.a. best of both worlds).

Today was definitely a splurge day.

Dinner #1

Dinner #2

Delicious cherries.

All gross and sweaty in the studio after my workout. Work was less stressful than last week, workout was a fun sweat-fest and then came home to NOT having to cook dinner (the best part)! The sister has so much free time this summer that I just give her my credit card and she does all the grocery shopping while I’m at work. Our house is stocked with fresh and healthy food and she even cooked honey-soy glazed salmon, yam fries and kale chips tonight. Life is good.  Now, I wish someone would give me THEIR credit card.

Speaking about groceries, here is what my kitchen ALWAYS has to be stocked up on:

• giant bag of baby spinach (pre-washed)
• egg whites
• skim milk
• bananas
• plain oatmeal
• canned tuna
• bags of frozen cauliflower in the freezer (one of my favorite veggies)
• frozen berries

…and then everything else depends on what’s in season (especially fruit— LOTS of it) and the protein depends on my mood.

What do you always have to have in your kitchen?

Day 1 – A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.
Day 2 – A photo of something you ate today.
Day 3 – Your idea of the perfect first date.
Day 4 – Your favorite photograph of your best friend.
Day 5 – A photo of yourself two years ago.
Day 6 – A photo of an animal you’d love to keep as a pet.
Day 7 – Your dream wedding.
Day 8 – A song to match your mood.
Day 9 – A photo of the item you last purchased.
Day 10 – A photo of our favorite place to eat.
Day 11 – What’s in your makeup bag?
Day 12 – A photograph of the town you live in.
Day 13 – Your favorite musician and why?
Day 14 – A TV show you’re currently addicted to.
Day 15 – Something you don’t leave the house without.
Day 16 – Your celebrity crush.
Day 17 – A photo of you and your family.
Day 18 – Something you crave a lot.
Day 19 – Another picture of yourself.
Day 20 – The meaning behind your blog name.
Day 21 – A photo of something that makes you happy.
Day 22 – A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.
Day 23 – 15 facts about you.
Day 24 – A photo of something that means a lot to you.
Day 25 – What’s in your purse?
Day 26 – A photo of somewhere you’ve been to.
Day 27 – A picture of you last year and now and how have you changed since then?
Day 28 – Your favorite movie.
Day 29 – Something you could never get tired of doing.
Day 30 – A photograph of youself today + three good things that have happened in the past 30 days

Note: I didn’t come up with this! I’ve seen it on tons of blogs in the last couple of weeks.

These pictures can’t capture the BOOTIFULGORGEOUSAMAZINGNESS of the view and the sparkling, clear, green-blue water.

“BEFORE” [we get all sweaty and gross] picture.

Garabaldi hike crew. Our plan was to go up to Black Tusk but we didn’t start the hike until 3pm-ish since there was a national BBQ championship going on. Who can resist a good BBQ?!

COUGAR NIGHT [what!!]. All clubbed-out with Nicole.

Local choreographer Stephanie Sy has turned her routines into a fun flirty fitness dance class, SexyStilettos Dance. Grab your Girlfriends and dancing shoes and come let Lavish Entertainment & SexyStilettos Dance show you the time of your life! Come learn a sassy Lady Gaga inspired routine, receive a professional makeup application by EnvyME Studio, complimentary cover to gossip nightclub, one free drink and also a chance to win a pair of tickets to Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball Tour! Register before August 1st & receive $5 off!

Event Hightlights:

• SexyStilettos Dance Workshop w/ Stephanie Sy
• Professional Makeup Applications
• Skip the lineup & receive complimentary cover to gossip nightclub,
• One free drink to get the night started
• Tons of live models w/ funky Lady Gaga looks
• Special performance by Baby Gaga (lady gaga impersonator)
• Best-dressed contest (lady gaga inspired outfits) Winner will win a pair of tickets to Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball Tour

Location: Gossip Nightclub
Date: Friday, August 13th 2010
Theme: Lady Gaga
Cost: $25 for workshop (includes everything)
Club Tickets: $15 (after 10pm nightclub only)

If you’re going to buy packaged food (which we almost all do), look at the ingredients. Think about the material the item is packaged in and what will happen to it once you’re through. Make sure you know what’s in there and not just what’s not. [Source]

$1850 sports bra?!

• Craving for pastries? If you feel like you’re going to DIE without one, get a piece of whole-grain bread/tortilla and sprinkle some sweet toppings on it like honey, organic maple syrup, low-fat cream cheese sprinkled with cinnamon, etc.
• I read a lot of health blogs and come across yummy and healthy recipes often so I usually email them to myself so I always have it on hand in my Blackberry or iPod Touch. Google Mail labels are the shit.
• My co-workers must thing I’m a boring nut. EVERYDAY I eat oatmeal for breakfast and salad (with egg whites and some kind of protein) for lunch. I’d die for oatmeal and my salads are yummy, okay. BUT then it’s a whole different story when I get home. *munchmunchmunch*

The lymphatic system and the lymph capillaries helps in getting oxygen and nutrients to the cells by removing dead cells, poisons, toxins, and excess water from the tissue spaces around the cells.

• That shows how important your lymphatic system is so learn how to flush it.
• Fit Is One Thing; Obsessive Exercise Is Another

Dim Sum Breakfast (x10). This was just the beginning.

Chinese fast food: brunch at Cafe de Coral. Boyfriend’s favorite place.

Lunch. This wasn’t all of it… was suppose to be for 10 but 4 of us ate 90% of it.

Guilt-free sweets.

Afternoon snack of fish balls and various animal organs.

Fresh seafood dinner.

Mango-filled desserts.

Evening snack of delicious dumplings.

Midnight meal.

Late night dessert.

Perfect drunk food. Ramen with spam and egg = definition of lazy Asian.

Neutrogena Sun Fresh Sunless Lotion. I try to avoid tanning my face and always use a sunless tanning lotion. One of my biggest pet peeves is the scent of most lotions but Neutrogena is my top choice because it comes in a lovely grapefruit-nectarine fragrance and DOESN’T give you an orangey glow.

Mac Chromeglass Show Coral. Beautiful shiny peach color with pink undertones which looks PERFECT with tanned skin. This is my HG lip gloss but it’s discontinued. Luckily, I still have a bunch of tubes left over but I don’t know what I’m going to do once I run out.

Clinique Moisture Sheer Tint SPF 15. Nothing feels worse than having a face full of make up while you’re sweating under the sun so I rarely wear face products in the summer except for maybe some bronzer and sometimes this light and sheer tinted moisturizer.

Bangles. Most of my favorite and dramatic necklaces are too heavy to comfortably wear in the heat so I assort to bangles and rings. I keep a large collection of everything for every occasion.

Floppy Hat. Blocks your face from the sun’s harmful UV rays and look chic while doing it. Everyone needs a giant floppy hat!

What you shouldn't do in Korea: pick up your bowl while eating!!

• Don’t take the black cabs in Seoul a.k.a. the Luxury Cabs!! We jumped into one after getting off the airport bus because it was right there and we saw the meter; 4500won…. soooo cheap!! The next day, we were informed that if we took a gray cab, it would’ve been half the price. Damnit.
• Korea is not as cheap as they say it is… well definitely not as cheap as HK anyway. But then I probably needed a local to really take advantage of the “cheaper” districts in Seoul.
• I shopped more in the past 5 weeks than I did in the last year. But in the end we were totally shopped out— we had 500,000won left over and tried so hard to spend it but couldn’t.
  

  Buys from 1st day in Seoul. The knock-off Chanel is for my puppy okay.

• I used my iPod Touch for 5 weeks straight and I still can’t get use to typing with the touch screen. I don’t know how you guys do it but I think my fingers are too fat and stupid. I’m so glad to be reunited with my Blackberry.
• I have officially mastered “hovering” [over toilets].

Korean Seafood Pancakes: my favorite!!

Potato Swirls & Potato Fries... better than any you can get here.

Yummy mini hot dog things from a stand across the street from our hotel.

I can’t wait to hit the gym.

I miss oatmeal and can’t wait to eat it everyday for breakfast again.

…And egg whites with green onion and soy sauce.

I can’t wait to go hiking.

I can’t wait to get rid of this 20in layer of fat that has accumulated the past month
(although with no regrets). I’m gross and squishy all over but looking forward to the challenge.

I can’t wait to regain my strength.

I can’t wait to be able to do a 600 rep workout effortlessly again.

I can’t wait to eat a Monty Mushroom burger from White Spot.

I can’t wait to go camping.

I can’t wait to have dim sum with po-po.

I miss our super comfy king-sized bed.

I miss my HDMI cable.

I miss all my books I left at home that I wanted to read but couldn’t bring with me.

I can’t wait see see MOCHI (whom I missed the most)!!

I can’t wait to have girls’ nights.

I can’t wait to go home!!!

Asia was fun but there’s life to get back to. The only thing I’m not looking forward to is getting up and going to work (getting up early to go shopping is an entirely different thing) and paying Vancouver prices for food and drinks (and clothes and shoes and make up and bags…). Anyway, I shall be home on Saturday afternoon!

• There are bugs ALL over Phuket. Don’t be surprised if you find a dead spider in your rice, fearless flies on your food during dinner and ants and lizards crawling up the wall behind you.
• Sales girls at the malls are hella rude and just sit around talking but employees everywhere else are super nice and definitely knows the meaning of hospitality.
• Most places don’t believe in AC.
• But the beaches definitely felt like heaven on earth.
• Thailand makes you want elephant and monkeys so bad it’s not even funny.

Phuket

Beijing:

• Beijing food was such a huge disappointment; it was okay but definitely not my favorite. I also had the worst PEKING duck I’ve ever had there. Ironic.
• I felt like I was covered in 10 layers of dirt every day from the smog and heat.
• But the heat was bearable because it was dry and cool in the shade (unlike Hong Kong).
• I took a deep breath by accident and my throat was scratchy and irritated the rest of the day. Air pollution is no fun!!
• It was weird that we were in a lot of touristy places (even the airport and a 5-star hotel) and employees barely knew English. It took so much effort just to explain “brown bread” to them.
• I was scared to drink anything because I didn’t want to use their public washrooms.
• If I have to pee in another hole in the ground again with the most pungent smell emitting from it, I’m going to scream! Some of them were so bad that I was willing to hold it in for an hour long bus ride… I give huge props to the cleaning ladies who sits in the washrooms all day. I am so prissy. But I really tried.
• On the other hand, the washrooms that do have 1 or 2 stalls with actual toilets are pretty clean since they are barely used (but still smelly).
• Despite all this, I had more fun in Beijing than I even did Phuket! I’m obsessed with Chinese history so I was in so much awe being in places that I only read about.
• I want to come back again with proper gear to conquer more of the Great Wall. Vancouver trails are nice and some still a good challenge, but the Great Wall really lives up to it’s name and is full of historical significance which makes it that much better (Grouse Grind, my ass). Just don’t wear a dress and sandals like I did.
• Going up the wall is so much easier than going down. Hella steep with uneven and worn-down steps + my weak knees = not a good combination. It took me double the time to go down and I was secretly racing an old man but he beat me.
• I also want to come back to spend more time in the Summer Palace; so beautiful there.
• I already knew this but holy shit, Air China really sucks ass.

Great Wall of China

Hong Kong:

• Hong Kong = food heaven!! There are so many restaurants and bakeries here it’s not even funny— and they are always full.
• But then I don’t think I can survive here because there are way too many people. Not as many as China but still to many.
• The first week we were here, I dragged Boyfriend out and we literally shopped till we dropped every single day …well he just held my bags. It didn’t help that public benches are practically non-exist in HK so we always came home exhausted (and I consider never shopping again), get a really good sleep but then do it all over again the next day.
• He loved it when I went into shoe stores where he can sit and bask in air-conditioned glory— those were the only times he encouraged me to take my time and shop.
• I hate it when “dirty water” drips on me.
• I hate that I have to dress so conservatively while the weather is so hot and humid or else the locals will stare and make you feel like an idiot. I won’t care in Vancouver but I do here even though I’ll never see them again.  The bitches in Vancouver need to take stare-down lessons from the old Chinese ladies here.

60+ DELICIOUS skewers (chicken, beef, gizzards, chicken hearts, lamb, squid) + 8 beers + 1 bottle of nasty but super strong alochol = less than $20CDN. The only catch is that it was from a probably really dirty food stall but then we didn`t get sick so who cares.. I want more!!

Misc:

• I will never take Vancouver weather for granted ever again!! *complains about the shitty weather when I get off the plane*
• I miss clean and smog free air.
• I hope Vancouver bans the use of air conditioners that sucks hot air back outside. It’d be so sad if Vancouver becomes so gross and humid like HK.
• I was standing in the aisle of a supermarket today feeling so bad for myself for living in North America because our [junk food] choices are so boring. Asia has all of it PLUS MORE.
• I like how breakfast at hotels here always have congee.
• I’m so sad that we didn’t get to eat creepy crawlies in Phuket or Beijing but we have one more visa entry to China so hopefully we still can.
• You guys were right, I lost 5lbs from the heat and all the walking but I’m pretty sure I gained like 10% body fat. I don’t know what’s worse.
• We are getting so awesome. AT BARGAINING! But bargaining just for $0.30CAD is sooo ridiculous and tiring even though you do it anyway… because you’re in Asia and will feel like you’re getting ripped off if you don’t.
• I can’t wait to be in Korea for the World Cup. I know I can only hope, but obviously I’m routing for an Asian team and it doesn’t get any crazier than in Korea!
• The country never sleeps!
• I complain a lot but I still love Asia!! Complaining is more interesting than praising.

Never underestimate the intelligence of your body. It’s a product of millions of years in evolutionary development.

Here are some of my random thoughts and also tips/quotes I’ve collected over the last couple months and shall leave you with while I’m on vacation. Please feel free to debunk any myths or if you need credit for the quotes.

Nothing tastes as great as skinny feels. – Kate Moss

• …but that doesn’t mean you should be an idiot and starve yourself. Just apply it to your fitness goals. “Skinny” doesn’t look good per se but lean and toned does!
• Stop thinking about calories and start thinking about nutrient density.
• Respect your food and think about it as source of life-fuel rather than something to get anxious and obsessive over.
• Buy fun and pretty lunch containers so making/packing lunch will be more fun.
• Eat fruit instead of drinking it.
• Spend the couple extra dollars and buy your veggies pre-cut and/or frozen if you are too lazy to prep them. Frozen fruits and veggies have the same amount of nutrients since they are frozen after being picked— at their peak ripeness!
• Cravings usually last no longer than 10 minutes… so wait it out!
• I grew up eating rice with tons of side dishes so now I have to eat everything with rice (or another carb) on the side. A great alternative that I love is cauliflower rice/mash.

Knowing your body shape can help you customize work out routines, particularly if you lift weights. Hourglass-shaped people should take care to include a varied abdominal routine, to help maintain their small waists. Pear and inverted triangle shapes can do additional exercises to help increase muscle in their more narrow areas, and reduce bulk in wider places, giving them all-over shape balance.

• If you’re going to workout anyway, why not just push yourself to your maximum potential? I always want to say something to people on cardio machines and hardly breaking a sweat at level 1 and going as slow as a snail since they are wasting their lives away but then I’d probably want to punch you in the face too if you said that to me. On the other hand, they motivate me to work harder.
• If you’re going to starve yourself, prepare to get fat.
• People with food scales and measure every ingredient they consume are crazy and wasting time. Getting that into it = getting stressed out = harder to keep weight off.
• Restricting calories increases stress hormone, making it harder to keep weight off…
• Diets don’t last. Once it’s over, you’ll revert back to your old habits a.k.a. yo-yo-dieting. Stop dieting!!
• You notice people who obsess over counting calories and jumps on every single fad diet are always the ones with weight problems, insecurity issues and/or eating disorders?

Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint. – Mark Twain

• The more you read, the less you know. It’s great to know but don’t get too caught up on information you read about (especially online) because there are always ifs and buts which will only stress you out and make you feel hopeless (eg. You need to eat carbs to replenish after working out but you’re on a low carb diet! What?!).
• If you’re feeling strong and healthy because your routine works for you and then someone comes in and says you’re doing it all wrong, ignore them! Everyone’s bodies are different. You need to find out what works for you.

• Being skinny is just as bad as being fat.

  As in skinny-fat; when you’re all bones and covered in a layer of fat with no muscles in between.

  Over-training is just as bad as no training.

  As in an imbalance between work and recovery.

There’s lots of people in this world who spend so much time watching their health that they haven’t the time to enjoy it. – Josh Billings

• My philsophy: eat anything you want but in moderation.
• Restrictions will eventually make you crack.
• Non-negotiable law: fat-loss requires a caloric deficit overtime.
• “Overtime” = weight loss requires a lot of PATIENCE. If you’re dropping the pounds too quickly, chances are that it will only be temporary.
• Always assume you are burning LESS calories than you think while exercising.
• Aways assume you are eating MORE calories than you think.
• “Stretching” and “warming up” are two entirely different things.

Dessert is metabolic suicide.

• Eating dessert after dinner causes insulin spike = all the calories you ate at dinner turns into fat. Instead, eat dessert at another time like in the afternoon.
• Turn your body into a self-efficient metabolism machine by LIFTING WEIGHTS.
• You don’t want to lose weight. You want to lose body-fat.
• I always though ab rippers, rockers and other ab machines are a waste of time and money. Toned abs = diet, posture, genes and simple core-strengthening exercises like Planks.
• Your abs are a muscle and needs rest too. Don’t train it everyday because you wouldn’t do that for any other muscle group.
• Hamstrings holds up your butt. Pecs hold up your boobs. Work those muscles hard and don’t be afraid to lift heavy— even if you’re a woman!
• Good carbs = fruits, veggies and whole grains. Evil carbs = packaged with 50 different ingredients you’ve never heard of.

A man’s health can be judged by which he takes two at a time – pills or stairs. – Joan Welsh

“Genes do not determine disease on their own. Genes function only by being activated, or expressed, and nutrition plays a critical role in determining which genes, good and bad, are expressed.” -T. Colin Campbell Research

Especially the fact that BP will most likely get away with this. And the fact that we are driving ourself into this hole where all our social, economic and environmental problems will never be fixed.

via Caught in the Oil

We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors,
we borrow it from our Children.