The Skinny is Back

I stopped blogging because my little blackberry curve was the only device I had to rely on for pictures, and it sucked. I found it wasn't really worth blogging without some better quality photos. Now I have a droid and I feel like my whole life has benefited from this improvement. So I'm giving this another try.

It looked like I'd just use my blog to review the products I received from Influenster. I don't think I'm going to do any catch-up posts on those because it feels irrelevant at this point. I will still try to post my opinions on products I like, or maybe those I hate, in the future because it was fun while it lasted. (Also because my blog got the most traffic on those kinds of posts). Sometime soon I will post my thoughts on my first-time purchases from Lush and Fortune Cookie Soap.

So what's the real skinny these days? I'm working hard at working out. I actually believe I'm going to stick to it this time. I've always "liked" exercise, but not enough to make it a regular part of my life... Welcome, Cassey Ho. You've heard of blogilates, right? I had Cassey's POP Pilates: Bikini Booty workout bookmarked since last May and I'm not even sure I ever did it before recently. But, some switch went off in my mind over the course of my month-long Christmas break at home, and now I am hooked.

Last semester was stressful. Up until that point things had been a breeze. I was just living and loving life. Then, I took ten giant leaps back in the progess I'd made adopting a relaxed, carefree attitude. I wasn't taking care of myself-- my sleep shedule was shot (more than normal), I ate to make myself feel good, I was almost completely sedentary. It was making me sick. When I was home for break, I was bored enough to turn to exercise.

I kept up with Cassey's JaNEWary workout calendar until I came back to school. When I got here, I just  didn't know how to fit working out into my school life. I didn't exercise for only two short weeks, but right away I was noticing the negative changes. I was already starting to stress out again and it was the beginning of the semester. I was feeling sick every day. My skin was breaking out again with a vengeance. I felt very badly about myself. While I was home, I would wake up and work out every day for at least an hour. I woke up looking forward to the burn. My mood was lifted. My skin cleared. I was feeling more confident than I had in months. I felt so good and stronger day to day. I needed to get back to that.

At least home cooked is better than fast food!

It's only been a couple weeks, but I've been very consistently following Cassey's workout calendar, adjusted to my lifestyle. I go to the gym Monday nights and Thursday mornings and run 2 miles/30 minutes at different speeds and inclines. I've been eating cleaner, choosing raw veggies over the fries or chips I looked forward to every lunch. Already I am feeling so much better again. My skin has cleared right back up since I've been consistent in working out too, so I am convinced of the correlation. That alone is a positive enough result to keep me going. I've also noticed some tiny muscles forming on my string bean arms and I'm hoping to see more definition all over as I keep going. It's so exciting!

Back from the gym, Turtle Power!

This time, I fully intend on exercise becoming a regular part of my life. As much as it's helping me build confidence and strength, I can't see going back to my entirely inactive, unhealthy habits. I encourage you guys to start loving exercise too. I know a lot of us "like" it enough to do it once in a while, but we don't stick to it or push hard enough to gain from it. I really think when you put a little extra effort into it, you see the benefits immediately. Then, you'll be hooked too. If you're just beginning like me, definitely follow blogilates and download Cassey's workout calendar. She makes it a lot of fun and you'll look forward to doing her videos each day. Good luck making your necessary changes to live more happily! Care enough to care for yourself! :)