Friday, January 25, 2013

This is The End

Ello, casual readers!


So the final decision has been made: this blog has been cancelled
"Whaaaaaaaaa?!"

Yes, it is over. As of this evening, January 25th, 2013, 'Shi-Say What Now?' is over. Last year, I created this blog as new hobby--you know, as a means to continue my new found love of blogging seeing that I had made a blog exclusively for my Japanese endeavors. (That blog, by the way, will still be alive in the future since I do plan to be going back there some day and adding to it in some form or another. So don't count that one out!)

Therefore, goodbye, 2012 and farewell 'Shi-Say What Now?' I am moving onto new things like the newly established 'Shicrazyball' and even a newer blog, yet to be announced. (Did someone say collaboration?!) But that shall remain Top Secret for a bit, so hold tight. Don't worry either, I am not going to overdo it with the blogging things. Meaning, I won't have too many blogs going on simultaneously. 'Shicrazyball' is my new, and MAIN blog. 'Japan: My Dream is Here' will be on hiatus until further notice and/or the participation of possible Japanese adventures. The collaborative blog I am working on will be a blog with a different demeanor and will serve as a 'sub-blog', so to speak. 

Don't lose interest kiddies--I'm working out the kinks! 
With that said, this is the end. 
Goodbyes and farewells. 

~Shi<3




Saturday, January 19, 2013

Hello, Its been some time

So I could really use some input here. 

IT'S IMPORTANT!

I want to know what I should do about this blog situation--should I have more than one? Would anyone read more than one? Give me some input, leave a comment or something please. I want to know what I should do!!!!!!!!! :D 

Ultimately, I am thinking of putting this blog on hiatus and continuing with my new blog, Shicrazyball. I have been literally thinking about it all day and its been bothering me a little bit. I mean, new year, new blog right? I'll give it a few days but I may decide to scrunch this down to a 2012 blog and begin a 2013 blog. Sigh.

Decisions, decisions. 

~Shi<3

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Body Rock

So, ya-hey.

Life is liker super boring right now. I think because either something amazing is coming up (return to Japan) or that I'm not busy enough and need more hours at work. One can only read and read and read until her heart's contempt until she just gets bored.

Nevertheless, all this reading has allowed me to research more about diet and and fitness. Good Lord there is so much floating out there. Its mind boggling. I have been looking mostly into new ways to exercise in which I can use in my changing environments. For some reason, it was a lot easier to exercise back at at school than it is here at home. Eating is a little harder too. Even though I still control a great deal of what I eat by doing my own/separate cooking and shopping, there are just not enough people around me who care about sustaining a healthy diet. There's apple cheesecake in the fridge, candies and cakes relatives have brought by, and I work at a friggin' bakery cafe. So many things around me! Sometimes my heart wishes that the world around me could just be Trader Joe's and Whole Foods all the time and everyday. They are such great safe havens. <3 

As I said, I have been doing a lot of extra research (thank you Kindle Self Magazine subscription!) and have learned a lot. Here are some tips for those of you who would still like help on changing your lifestyle/eating habits.

The No-no's, The Uh-oh's, and Counter Woes
Here is a section about what I think you should stay away from and try out if you are going to be serious about this. Start!
1.) Try to avoid cream based products such as dressings and soups. These are huge pit-falls people fall into. No, its not a hot dog or cheeseburger with fries on the side but its not helping you either. Salads and soups are only as good as you allow them to be. If you have these types of foods, have them in strong, STRONG moderation. Aim for broth based soups and vingerettes for dressings on your salad. And use the spritz and disperse method. Meaning usually a little dressing and tossing your salad as much as possible definitely helps. The little you put on the salad gets tossed around to lightly coat your salad and therefore has an enhanced taste as well as keeping it light the calories. There are a lot of homemade dressings you can try too using no more than a tablespoon of olive oil, lemon juice, and a mix of your favorite herbs.

2.) Oh salads and soups, you silly things you. These thing taste their best with bread, don't they? Oh man. This is where it gets hard. Who doesn't love tomato soup and grilled cheese? I have been craving that ALL DAY! But, the most I went for were Wheat crackers and Minestrone soup. If you still want your favorites, try really hard to watch the cheeses you use and always aim for Whole Grain/Whole Wheat or Honey Wheat breads. White breads, or any white grains for that matter, are called simple carbohydrates. Meaning that your body processes them too fast and leaves you reaching for more later. Whole grains are healthier, more complex carbs filled with much more nutrients. Your body takes longer to process these types and therefore help you fill fuller longer. This is why when we eat Chinese take out, we are hungry again in like an hour. Word to the wise--Wheat is your best friend. 

3.) Did someone say snack time? We all love 'em, but watch out. Snacks can lead to unhealthy choices. For example, I LOVE sweets and cannot ban chocolate out of my life. Therefore, I always make sure to have my Skinny Cow candies and a handful of cocoa coated almonds when I get my sweet cravings. Dried cranberries and raisens are like my favorite too. I just had a small after meal tea time with these foods because they satisfy my sweet tooth and serve as a healthy dessert. :) You can stay both committed and satisfied. Sweet, right? 

4.) Protect yourself. I always carry something healthy around with me if I am unsure of what I will be exposed to later--a banana, apple, or pear. A baggie of trail mix, or wasabi peas, a healthy granola bar...all of these things have become like my best friends when I just want a little snack to satisfy a small craving and when I am not hungry enough to have a meal. Its great for counteracting any bad things in front of your face with a nice trail mix bar in your bag. You've saved unnecessary calories and guilt.

5.) Working it out--some things are not for everyone. Not one for running loops in your neighborhood just yet? You can do indoor cardio implemented with two other types of workouts. Start out with simple things like Yoga or Pilates. You can do these things comfortably in your own home using Youtube videos, Wii Fit, online sites' instructor videos, or in a group fitness class. You will really feel and see the effects of these two workout types, I promise. They are great for toning and strengthening your muscles. For example, the downward dog position is great for your upper arm strength. In this position, you start with standing up and drop your palms down to the floor as though you were doing push ups. 'Cept you don't keep you whole body straight while you are in this position, your butt will be a tad up in the air. As you stretch, you should feel a good pull in your upper arms and legs. Look more into it and try out the positions that work best for your body--its important to know your limits so that you do not pull anything.

6.) "Random Dancing!" Okay, don't think too much of iCarly but if you can't deal with working out for a long period of time in one straight sitting, break it up! To keep things fun and interesting, start with workouts that you like and do them for as long as your feel comfortable. If you feel yourself getting bored, you can come back to it later. Say you find yourself getting fed up after 20 minutes. Okay, fine. A few hours later, you find yourself tidying up your house--BOOM! Plank position go! Phew, okay. Back to laundry-BOOM! Push ups, go! Get my gist here? You can make it into a game really. 

7.)Take advantage of nice days. When the sun is shining and the breeze is nice, GO OUTSIDE! I spend 5 hours outside in one day last week. What was I doing? Well I rode my bike to meet a friend at Starbucks (love that place) and sat outside with her for a couple hours. Then, I rode my bike around and then down to the lake. Sat there and read (Mockingjay, omg) and then biked again. It was like having one huge workout split into two different sessions. Very nice, very stress-free, and very affective. Try it. Let me tell you, I got quite the tan.

8.) Split it. If you find yourself craving that delish looking cupcake at your nearest barista/cafe joint, split it in half! You can either have half now and save the other for later or share with a friend! Think to yourself, "that looks good, but do I really need the WHOLE thing?" But if you must, try not to fret too much, we all have our days. :)

9.) Did you know that a loaded baked potato can have over 350 calories in it by the time you add all the fixings?! Lordy! You know, you can make it easier on yourself by adding light sour cream, and delish herbs and spices on top in order to save yourself. A medium sized potato has a group source of protein and fiber in it when you do it right.

Well, that's kinda all I got at the moment. I started with the intention of mentioning a few tips and it turned into this. I just wanted to get these tips out since I have been wanting to share them with others. I need a workout buddy, that's part of it. I have no one to spill my healthy jib-jab on other than health conscious customers at my job, hah. I will be doing more reading though. Be sure about that and be sure to try do to what you can. You can do it, if you really want to. :)

In the future, I want to add more links, pictures, and etc. here for anyone interested. 

~Shi <3

Thursday, May 10, 2012

This is a very serious post. (So no funny dictionary word today.)

I am going to let this link speak for itself. Its insane. But before I give my spiel on it, I want you to look at it. Go ahead.

Did you click it yet? Or do you need me to post it again? -------------->

OH KAY. SO IS THIS INSANE OR WHAT?! I couldn't even believe what I reading, nor could I get through it all because of the disgusting comments this chick was saying. Someone brought this blog to my attention and I cannot remember the last time that my jaw has literally hit the floor repeatedly because of something totally outrageous. I cannot believe the audacity of this girl. I feel like there should be a blog about thin girls, just to rebuttal the situation. But let's face it, that would not fix anything, fighting fire with fire... 
THIS is healthy?!


Blogs and comments like these are what encourages us females to feel so ashamed of the way we were built, the way we just are. Not all of us can be a Victoria's Secret  model and because of that, we feel like we need to strive to be. Putting our bodies and minds under so much stress. I am not perfect either; I know what it feels like to feel ashamed of your body because of someone or something you have seen. It can literally give me a headache, to have to fight to be alright with myself in a world that prizes a size 0-2 jean size. Yes, I have lost a lot of weight to become healthy and fit and because I didn't like what the scale said. So with that said, I shouldn't be ignoring all of my success and striving to be that size 0. My mother reminds me that we are all meant to be a certain size and shape, and that our bodies are built in a way for a reason. Two people can be the same exact weight but one can appear "heavier" than the other and therefore be under the assumption that the person weighs more than the other. But this person only looks that way because they may be shorter and/or built differently than the other person. Makes sense, yes? So even my mother was telling me that I should work on maintaining my weight and not losing anymore because I will begin to look dis-proportioned, and when I see pictures, I am starting to see what she means. But because I'd trained myself to keep up a 'losing weight' mindset, I didn't realize that I needed to switch it to the maintaining mindset. Its a rough transition. I love, LOVE to encourage others to not just lose weight if they feel like they need or want to, but just to be healthier in general. Someone can be very thin and be very unhealthy. Yes, they can eat what they want now and not gain a pound but if we could see what these habits were doing to them on the inside, maybe our perceptions would be a little different. 

The things this girl says on this post really makes you think...really urks you--well it did for me anyway. I have never been so appalled by someone so insensitive. There is even this battle between Lady Gaga fans and Adele fans. Lady G's fans are attacking Adele simply for her size. Its almost like, really!?! This woman has one of the most amazing voices of our time and you wanna talk about her weight?! Adele can sing Lady G outta anything. FACE. IT. Its the same thing with Megan Fox. SHE IS A BOMBSHELL and people claims she has "toe-thumbs". COME ON! NO ONE is looking at her thumbs...trust me. 

Sigh. I'll blog about more healthy lifestyles, food, workouts, and ideas in the future. But right now, I saw this and had to rant. Its insane, its not fair, and its not right. I have my days all the time too, everyone. Don't be fooled. The media and "skinny" craze hits me too but let's band together. Let's encourage each other, appreciate our bodies, and thank God that we are even still alive. I am bursting out of my own funk with these words because I am sick of feeling like &#^@ about my own body image issues. I don't want to feel this way anymore--seeing idiotic and ballsy posts about how skinny women should be makes me realize that I'm not the one with the problem. 

~Shi<3 (aka: pissed.)

PS: If you wanna get more pissed off, look at this: 
STARVING TIP OF THE DAY?! WHAT?! She had really taken healthy, helpful tips to the extreme. 
Example:
47) There are some very simple things you can do to burn calories, for example, make the bed every morning.  Also, get a picture of a model you would like to look like and every time you feel like eating something look at the picture – it will stop you from eating.  (1/9/2010; thanks, Maddy)

 
I am going to be sick....

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Good Food, Dude.

Word.

Oh, HAAAY! Its spring break, and other than running I like to spend my time catching up on reading, video games, bloggin' and homework. ANNnnnd My Drunk Kitchen and Jenna Marbles videos. HAHA. Too funny! I was watching some good old Lifetime and then I thought about Jenna Marbles and how I should be watching that instead. So I came across her blog as well in the midst of me lolin' by butt off and found a cool, and hilarious, recipe for artichokes and dip. I am going to try it at some point soon or something--LOOK!:


Check it out! Let's all try it together, its super healthy and super good sounding, even with all of her sexual references. :P

I am always looking for new foods in order to keep like delicious, fresh, healthy, and influential. For example, I found something called Kiwi Berries. WELL, I HAD to buy them. I mean come on. HA. I had one and was like, "AWWWW man!" They are basically mini kiwis without the hairiness--and who doesn't love that?! Yum, yum!

Now, onward march! (Hey...it actually IS March.)
Anyway, I went to two different healthy seminars/orientations/info meetings and I learned a lot about food and healthy eating. First off, eating healthy (it seems) goes beyond just eating fruits and veggies and moderation and what not. Turns out, the WAY these foods are grown and produced can affect our diets as well. There was this rumor going around about the preservatives and pesticides that were used in our foods can make us fat or be hazardous to our overall health. I never really cared much to really look into that but then I found out about this list called the Dirty Dozen (get your mind outta the gutter!):
1.) Strawberries
2.) Apples
3.) Spinach/Lettuce
4. Grapes
5.) Sweet Bell Peppers
6) Celery
7.) Peaches
8.) Nectarines
9.) Grapes
10.) Potatoes
11.) Blueberries
12.) Kale

Now, this list apparently changes on a give harvest. I am guessing because it depends on the types of pesticides a farmer decides to switch to or can no longer afford or use. But that's sick, and sad because A LOT of my diet now consists of these things. Though I have yet to try Kale. Hmm, Trader Joe's run anyone? (I think I'll stop by there tomorrow. YES! :D )
So your question probably is: "Why are these things so dirty?" ::smirk:: Well, in all "seriousness", its because of all of the chemicals and pesticides that are used during the growing and farming of these foods. Farmers use all of these harmful chemicals in order to get the best out of their harvest and to increase the value and quantity in which they can sell. The downside? The left over residue that we may consume even after its been plucked and 'cleaned'. These foods are the foods that are more susceptible to soaking up the chemicals than other foods such as bananas or pineapples. This is because these foods have a harder or thick skin that does not absorb as much or very little chemicals.  Yeah, so even though organic items can be very expensive or even go bad faster, in someways it can be worth it. What you decide to buy from the organic departments is up to you. I am going to experiment with the organic world myself. For example, I know that Pick 'N Save sells something called Skinny Girl Lettuce or Skinny Lettuce or something like that. Its an organic selection of lettuce/ spinach/ field greens. Just a tip! ;)
On a siiiide noooteeee:
I feel bad too. I had a lot of carbs and I had some custard... but hey, its spring break yo! LOL, are you supposed to splurge a little? ::grabs glass of wine next to me:: Yeah? YEAH! Its cool, I got a date with a ton of field greens and fresh veggies for the next week to vamp it up while I am home. But I refuse to be a hypocrite--moderation is still key I believe. Yes, there are days when you can have your cake AND eat it too. As long as you stay active and remain eating healthy for the majority of your diet. :) Yaaay rationalizing! (I'm human--and female--danggit!)

Back to the point!!! For more information on this Dirty Dozen business, check this out! :D


This is where you can find out more specifics on this very topic. There's always something to learn about the foods we eat!

Speaking of which, I know that many of us may have heard of have seen Super Size Me; a documentary about a man who decided to super size all of his meals at Mc Donald's for every meal every time they asked him. Needless to say, he got fat and he got sick. No brainer.  In one part of the documentary, they talk about what is actually in the chicken nuggets there; basically whatever un-useable part of the chicken (i.e.: everything but actual meat from the chicken) is pooled together, ground up, and turned into this sick pink paste in which they spray with ammonia to rid of the germs and disease that linger on these parts of the bird. So no only are you eating beaks, feets, and nasty what-nots, you're now chowin' down on a side of harmful chemicals. The reason why the "meat" in the chicken nugget is white is not because of it being cooked or, God forbid there being actual chicken in there, it is because the chemicals change it from the nasty ground pink color into the white color. So odd. So freakin' nasty.

ON TOP OF ALL THIS!
The way they treat our livestock in this country--don't even get me started. ICK! There is so much malnutrition, mistreatment, hormone pumping, integration, and animal cannibalism going on its super sick. I don't know how far I should even get into that one. What I learned was so disturbing, to was not even funny. If you want to know more, you may have to check that one our at your own risk.
What has been learned cannot be un-learned. O_O

~Shi <3

Thursday, March 22, 2012

OH, Lordy! It hurts so good!

Urban Dictionary word of the Post--
Sell popcorn: to stand by and do nothing to change events. 

People say, "Oh, I'd love to do x,y,z/blah/blah" but actually do little to change it. I am not perfect, I do these things too. But if we want something done right, we have to either do it ourselves or stop sellin' popcorn! >:)

  Yah, hey! Work out progress report:

A little big ago I posted two "new" workouts that I found posted on Self. It was about rowing and the climbing machine. I have only done the rowing machine once and I was not sure what I thought about it. But, because of the article, I decided to try it again. A friend and I did it together and it was pretty awesome. We each burned roughly 160 calories but we were not rowing for 20 minutes as Self suggested and rowed for only about 15 just to start. In the future, I plan to amp it up to the full 20 minutes and really crank it up. Rowing is a good way to keep your work out consistent. Because of you are controlling your movement at a constant and smooth rate, you're less likely to stop or slow down dramatically, which can decrease your calorie burn and slow your heart rate back towards resting. Additionally, rowing is GREAT for simultaneously working your arms and your legs at the same time. Good deal I'd say. 
Despite what you may think though, it is a challenge but definitely worth about 20 minutes (of 15) of your time at the gym. 

Conclusion---------> Rowing is great for arms and legs.

As for the climber machine (not the escalator-like one)--OMFG. That BS is no joke! Its cool at first; you're steppin' along and you think, "Yeah, this is alright. Its almost like the stair climber, like literally climbin' stairs. Nbd." Let 15 minutes go by, you'll be feelin' this joint for reals-skis! But then again, it was my first time on the machine and for some reason I decided to do a full 40 minutes in hopes it could substitute my run for the day. Man, oh, man! If you want toned legs and a firm boo-tay, get climbin'!
Also, the cool part other than seeing how many calories you've burned, is that it tells you how many flights of stairs you climbed. Mine was well over 100. It made me think of the Climbing for Air charity event that is coming up/happening. I was thinking how much work it would be to climb the U.S. Bank building downtown (M-town) but it would be for two great causes: you'd get a great work out and you'd help someone in need. Win, WIN! But yeah, this climbin' thing is also no joke, try it!!

Conclusion--------------------> Climbin' moves that junk in yo trunk and firms those legs.

I'd planned on running this weekend but that did NOT happen. I was so freakin' sore for these two workouts (on top of lifting, running, and lunges over the last three days), I was pooped! Talk about hardcore. But you know what, it hurts so good. (Odd to say, eh? Get your mind outta the freakin' gutter!) Anyway, I am feeling it mostly in my inner thighs region. Keep in mind that I also do weight lifting so it was not exclusively from rowing or climbing but I can say that I feel those too. I highly recommend both of them still! 
I am going to do my best in trying to find more workouts to try and "report" about in hopes to get more people motivated and to help others find something that they can do too!

Happy 'hurting'. (It's worth it.)

~Shi<3

P.S.: I hope you are running outside again, its been too gorgeous not too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

P.S.S: Went to an interesting seminar about health and the way our foods are processed...prepare to be shocked and a little grossed out next post...

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Twerk it Flip it 'N Reverse it

EW, its snowing. And we were doing so well... :(

HEYO!
(New size for text because normal is actually way too small.) 

I am on the hunt for new exercises. I feel like most of the things that I have been doing now is getting a little old. So. I've done a little research and here are some good ones I have found via/ Self and Shape magazine. I am thinking of subscribing to either one of them or Women's Health. All very good magazines. 

I don't know if you know who Nicole Scherzinger but she is from the Pussycat Dolls girl group, basically, SHE IS the Pussycat Dolls all on her own. Let's face it, not all the girl got attention like she did nor did you really hear anyone but her in their music. (Actually, I recognized Nicole the minute I saw her in the group. I used to be obsessed with Pop Stars and I am sad that no one remembers that show because of stupid American Idol making it seem like it was their idea to have a singing competition show and what not.) Anyway, check out some pictures or go onto YouTube to see what she is about. My point is that she has an AMAZING BODY and its like "OMIGOSH! How does she do this? What is this Black Magics?" I wanted to see if I could look into it an try a few things out myself. She is my current motivation.