The "Monday" Diet

Anyone do the "Monday" diet?

It goes something like this:

You've been cheating a bit on your diet through the week--a cookie on Wednesday, some ice cream on Thursday. Friday night arrives and your co-workers invite you to happy hour.

"Hey, I have to go," you tell yourself. "It's networking time that could be beneficial to my career!"

You head out to the bar with your co-workers, drink a few cocktails, and munch on the free peanuts. When someone orders a heaping platter of potato skins, you help yourself to one or two, unable to resist their bacon-y cheese-y goodness. On your way home you pick-up some Chinese food--including two eggrolls and some fried wontons--because it's too late to cook dinner.

By the time Saturday morning arrives, you've blown your diet. So you figure, "What the heck... I'll enjoy myself this weekend." You skip your workout because you'd rather go shopping. You go out to your favorite burger place for lunch (and yes, you get the French fries on the side). You have a beer or two with dinner, and finish off your meal with a piece of cheesecake.

"I'll restart my diet tomorrow," you think.

Sunday morning dawns bright and early, and the family wants to go out to brunch. Rather than disappoint them, you think, "The weekend is shot anyway. I might as well start my diet again on Monday."

I call it the "Monday" diet... and I swear it seems to be happening to me a lot lately. Anyone else on this "diet"?

Sore Throat

The general rule of thumb: Exercising when sick is ok if you feel sick from the neck up--stuffy nose, sore throat, etc. But once it reaches your chest--cough and chest congestion--it's time to take a break.

Well, today I have a sore throat. It's so sore that I can barely swallow! I had planned a run for today, but I'm thinking I should take a break no matter what the "rule of thumb" says. I'm feeling rundown, and I think taking it easy might be the smartest thing to do.

Do you exercise when you're sick? Do you have a rule of thumb that you follow?

Interracial Dating

This is a sponsored post.

As some of you know may know, I'm of Asian heritage. Hubby, on the other hand, is Caucasian. To most people, we're an interracial couple. It's nothing I really think about or notice, but other people (occasionally) comment on it.

As a result, I'm fairly sensitive to interracial dating. And I recently discovered InterracialRomance.com, an interracial dating website for men and women who are specifically looking for an interracial relationship. The site features people of all ethnicities, ages and socio-economic backgrounds, and it allows you to search by zip code for interacial personals.

The user friendly site allows members to send messages to potential dates, and you can join for free. The profiles include plenty of information, such as age, marital status, children, pets, music and movie preferences, political views and more. With this much information, it's easy to find someone who could be a great romantic match for you!

Nighttime Noshing

I seem to manage my daytime diet without a a problem. It's the nighttime noshing that gets me! (I've always been a midnight raider of the fridge.)

I'm not sure if it's because:

• I'm sitting on the couch, reading or watching movies, and eating has become a habit.
• I cut too many calories in the day, so I'm famished at night.
• I'm bored/lonely/tired and end up "emotional" eating.
  

Probably it's all those things.

Whatever the cause, I need to find some way to handle it.

Any suggestions?

Exercising On A Random Schedule

Ever since I quit my corporate job to freelance full-time, I've found myself with a varied schedule. This is compounded by the fact that Hubby works a varied schedule, too. Each week he works different days.

So my exercise routine has, as a result, been floundering. I'm waking up later. I'm eating at haphazard times. I'm trying to squeeze freelance work in with spending time with Hubby, when maybe I should be focusing on my work a little bit more.

Overall, this month has kinda been a bust. I've generally felt adrift. At sea. Lost.

I guess I need a regimented scheduled to stay on track. I'm going to have to create one if I hope to be focused this next month.

I think I'm going to try and consistently wake up three hours before Hubby. That gives me 90 minutes for exercise, time for a shower, plus an extra hour to get some work done before he gets out of bed.

Maybe having some time to myself in the morning will help my exercise feel less random.

Fitness Dating

Imagine yourself at the gym, and you probably think of your red face, your sweat-soaked clothing, and your limp hair. But many people think of fitness as a way to meet new people! And the folks at FitnessDates.com have created a website that's devoted to fitness dating.

One of the benefits of fitness dating is that the people you meet are fit! That means most of the folks on the website are probably sexy gals or buff guys. And if you're physically active, it's an easy way to meet someone who will want to join you on your jogs, hikes or bike rides! From the very beginning you know you'll have at least one thing--fitness!--in common.

Moreover, the website lets you explore lots more about a potential date's personality. You can find out tons of information about a person before you contact them, such as their age, education level and height. You can even find out if they have tattoos!

So if you're looking for a way to meet someone who's likeminded about fitness, check out FitnessDates.com.

Commit

I've decided to commit:

One full month of clean eating and serious exercise. No more diddling around... cheating here and there... skipping the occasional workout.

It's an experiment, mostly.

What kind of results can a human really achieve after just four weeks of clean living?

Well, I'm going to find out.

I'm not going to be super super super strict. That would only lead to failure. But I am going to be as strict as I should be for a lifestyle change. This means paying attention to my meals 90% of the time, and giving myself cheat freedom 10% of the time. It also means skipping workouts only if absolutely necessary (e.g. a medical emergency) rather than just because "I don't feel like exercising."

I strongly suspect I'll lose a pound or two in a month.

Scale Movement

No... I'm not talking about the numbers moving on the scale. I'm talking about physically moving my scale to a new spot.

The scale used to be in my bathroom. At one point in my life (about 6 months ago), I was stepping on the scale every single day.

Then I decided to stay off the scale for a while, just to see what happened. After a month of not weighing myself, I ended up at the same weight I started. So the scale seemed to neither help nor hurt.

Shortly after, Hubby and I remodeled. We split our large single bathroom into two smaller ones. Due to space constraints, the scale found a home in the guest bathroom.

However, I was rarely--if ever--in the guest bath. The result? I never stepped on the scale.

Fast forward to this past weekend. I finally get the nerve to step on the scale. To my chagrin, I had gained three pounds.

I immediately found room for the scale in the master bathroom so I can again weigh myself every day. Clearly I need this type of "checks and balances" to ensure that I don't blindly start packing on the pounds. My scale's new home is inconveniently located--I have to step over it every once in a while. But at this point, I'd rather deal with the inconvenience than watch my waistline continue to spread.

Update

Today's run was painful. I was all gung-ho for it, but ended up cutting it short. My legs were sore. I was hot. And for some reason I just felt fatigued through the whole thing.

I've been trying to workout first thing in the morning, but it makes me feel extra tired. I am just not a morning lark. I don't really get a burst of energy until afternoon. But I'm going to keep trying to exercise in the morning for a little while longer... maybe it'll get easier.

As for my diet... it's improved (although it's not perfect yet). Here are today's planned meals:

• Meal 1: Apple (pre-workout)

• Meal 2: Large green salad with beans, carrots, radishes, tomatoes, onion and olives
  

• Meal 3: Veggie burger, brown rice

• Meal 4: Baked potato with vegetarian chili

• Meal 5: Plain popcorn, sunflower seeds
  

Not exactly the most nutritious meals--I could use a few more veggies in my diet. But it's healthier than it's been in a few weeks.

Healthy Vitamins

(This is a sponsored post)

Since Hubby and I are thinking about starting a family soon, I've been pretty much obsessed about my health. I worry about all the usual stuff--eating the right foods and exercising in a healthy manner--but I'm also concerned about my vitamins.

Fortunately, there are websites like VitaminAddict.com that help guide me through the vitamin process. The site lists and reviews various vitamin vendors--like MotherNature.com and GNC. The reviews of the vendors include things like information about selection, prices, shipping and other products.

Moreover, VitaminAddict.com includes detailed information about various vitamins--like Vitamin A, Vitamin B and Vitamin C--to help education consumers. The overviews of the vitamins include information about food sources and spotting a deficiency.

If you’re curious about vitamins or looking for more information about a particular vitamin or vendor, check out VitaminAddict.com.

Happy Fourth of July!

Have a fun, healthy July 4th!

July Goals

I haven't yet heard any news about the July Challenge, but I plan to set my own July goals anyway.

I mostly want to concentrate on getting back on track. I've been lax about both my diet and exercise lately, mostly because of work-related stress. Well, now that I am self-employed, I have more flexibility in my schedule for workouts and diet plans.

JULY GOALS

• Primary Goal: Stretch my foot. It sounds silly to stretch a foot, but I've been having a plantar fasciitis problem. I am currently breaking in custom orthotics. However, I know that it's important to stretch my foot. So I am making a commitment to do so at least 3 times per day.

• Primary Goal: Two "free" meals per week. I wholeheartedly believe in the concept of "free" meals for myself. It prevents me from feeling deprived, and I believe the extra occasional calories keeps my body alert. I intend to plan--and limit myself to--two "free" meals each week.

• Secondary Goal: Prep for HM training. This is a secondary goal because I'm unsure how things will go with my plantar fasciitis and this new orthotic. However, if everything goes smoothly, I'd like to start building a solid base for future Half-Marathon training.

That's it! What are your goals for July?

Romance And Love

(This is a sponsored post)

One of my biggest reasons for losing weight is to improve my love life. Now, my love life is quite satisfactory already. But I find that when I feel good about my body, I tend to be more inclined toward romance. On days when I feel flabby, I'll shy away when Hubby reaches out to give me a hug--mostly because I don't want him to feel my extra jiggle.

However, I realize that it's important to cultivate romance ALL the time--not just when I'm feeling slender and slinky. So thank goodness for websites like RomanceForEveryone.com, which offers lots of great ideas for dating, romance and love. Whenever I'm feeling unromantic, I simply take a few minutes to check out this website, which is chock full of romantic ideas.

There are plenty of romance and relationship articles on the RomanceForEveryone.com website. Browsing the site always sparks ideas for creative ways to show Hubby that I care. And when I act more romantic toward him, I FEEL sexier--even though I haven't lost a pound. So this website improves my love life AND my self-esteem!

The best relationships require a little bit of romantic effort, but websites like RomanceForEveryone.com help make it fun and easy!