Monday, June 23, 2014

Death to Diets

I'm going to say this now: I hate diets. I hate the word "diet" because modern society has ruined it. What is a diet?

1di·et

 noun \ˈdī-ət\
Definition of DIET1
a :  food and drink regularly provided or consumed
b :  habitual nourishment
c :  the kind and amount of food prescribed for a person or animal for a special reason
d :  a regimen of eating and drinking sparingly so as to reduce one's weight <going on a diet>

 "Diet." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 23 June 2014. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diet>.


Monday, May 26, 2014

Samantha Wright and My Goals

My fitness hero is Samantha Wright. Look at her.


This is her blog: http://www.pixiestrength.com/.

There, now that you've seen her, why is it I'm looking to her for my inspiration on body type and fitness? I have a few reasons.


  • She's 5'2". I'm 5'3".
  • Her body is made for strength. So is mine.
  • Our frames are very similar.
  • She's proof that women can be strong and carry muscle well.


I've already been hitting the gym and working out with real weights. Sadly, due to my job, I've lost some of my motivation, but have recently been inspired again. At my last visit, I could bench press 75 lbs, squat 80 lbs, deadlift 95 lbs, and bar-curl 50 lbs. I'm sure I've lost some of it, but I want to regain that lost strength and surpass it.

To reach my goal, I'm going to be back at the gym three times a week, get back into daily walks, and continue strong on my ketogenic eating regimen. (I refuse to call it a diet.) I will carry baskets whenever possible for shopping, and I will park as far away as I can. I will always take the stairs. I will return to doing yoga daily.

So there.

Long Time No Blog

I had a moment of memory today. I remembered this blog. I remember that I was very much interested in gyaru and how gyaru woke me from my appearance apathy.

I've since "graduated", realizing that I didn't want to be lumped into one standard of beauty that wasn't truly mine. I didn't want an unattainable body; I wanted the body my frame is meant to hold. I don't want straight blonde hair; I want to enjoy my thick curly hair and go ginger. I don't want to wear what's being sold in the gyaru stores (actually, I do want some of them, but bear with me); I want something unique and true to my own style. 

Where does this leave me? I have to rely on my will and my current means to make these things happen.

It's truly time to wake up and be a Realist Gal.

Stick with me on my journey, ok?

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Is this thing on?

Hey cats and kittens, it's been a while. So much has happened since my last post that I feel so amazingly bad for not posting anything. Trust me, that's going to change.

See, ladies, I went through a Gal-crisis. Here I was, unemployed and gaining weight, on the side of depressed, and honestly, not caring at all about how I looked. I found myself looking hard at my roots (not my hair, duh), seeing what I'd become and where I was going. Then things changed.

I got a job (which I LOVE), have the summer off from college, and put on another ten pounds from not being as active as I was and working in the presence of bagels and doughnuts. It was evaluating what was different and where my attention was that I reached an epiphany. I was not living by my own life motto: Nothing changes until you make it change.

So, my dears, I have made a massive change. I am back to eating a mostly raw and mostly vegan diet starting today (I've been easing into it over the last week -- I'm a realist, duh!). I'm cutting wheat and corn completely from my diet (don't get me started on how bad they both are for the human body). I'm embracing that I am, in fact, a geeky gamer gal, bringing all aspects of my personality into my fashion choices. I WILL rock that X-men T-shirt with a cute skirt and shoes.

What am I doing for exercise? Read on.

I'm a huge fan of Hatha Yoga. Even if all I do is the Surya Namaskara (Sun Salutation), I feel calmer and more positive about my day, and all my little aches and pains disappear for the rest of the day. I haven't had to have a chiropractic adjustment since I started Yoga in January. I stopped practicing when I got more tired and busy at work, and have started incorporating it again. It's amazing how much of a pick-me-up the fifteen minutes I spend on a slow Sun Salutation makes me feel, and it keeps me limber.

What else am I doing? I'm actually going to start doing Para Para again and playing video games that keep my body moving. I miss playing Dance Dance Revolution and am strongly considering arcade nights again. I'm cutting my Warcraft and Mass Effect time to only a couple of hours, and I'm walking during my breaks at work.  I'm riding my bicycle to do errands. I'm parking at the back end of the parking lot when I go shopping. I'm watching my posture and doing ab exercises at my desk several times a day. I'm lifting more. I don't bend over to pick things up, I squat.

So what does all of this have to do with my Gal-crisis? Everything, really. Seriously, if you're feeling crappy for days on end and don't even want to look at yourself in the mirror, how realistic is it to think you're going to work on those falsies and bronzer every morning? For me, however, that's part of my personal revival. I'm doing my make up every day now, putting time into my hair. At work, I keep my look toned down for the most part, but I'm still being conscious. Being Gal isn't necessarily about pure vanity -- there's an attitude to consider.

I'm keeping my blog. I'm tracking it all. I'd love to see what you guys think about what I've said and get some feedback and suggestions for incorporating my inner-me with my outer-me. I'm a geek, a gamer, a personality, and I'm pretty sure I'm still Gal.

-J

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Yoga Day

Hi, Gals! As I'm getting back into blogging, I'm going to make Tuesday a Yoga day. I'd love to see how many of you are interested in learning about my journey in the discipline of Hatha Yoga to improve my mind and body.

I know there are a lot of you out there who aren't the magazine-definition of Gal. Not everyone is skinny, has the same kind of proportions, or has time for hard workouts. I've learned that thirty minutes of Yoga every day can do wonders for physical fitness and mental wellness, so I wanted to dedicate a day to holistic goodness.

No, I'm not going Mori-gal on anyone, but I do believe that a strong mind is the key to a happy life.

-J

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Foundation Tutorial

Sorry I've been absent, gals. Real life reared its ugly head and kicked my ass. In the interim, however, I will share with you an amazing video I found.

Now, I know not everyone has perfect skin without makeup, and this is a fabulous tutorial by someone with heavily scarred skin. I think she's beautiful without the makeup, but given the pressure on women to always look perfect, I think it was very brave of her to bare it all, as it were.


The thing I like best about this is that she blends very well and ends up not looking like she's wearing a mask or pancake face. Watch and learn, ladies!

-J

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Make Up Makes it Better!

I feel it necessary to explain my lack of blogging lately. I know, I'm trying to post something once a week, but psh. I'm a realist. (See the title.) I've been supremely busy with the American River Review (I'm Gallery Director this year) and a few other projects going on. One of my clients is very ill, and I'm worried about him. Orange Lounge Radio has been nominated for a Podcast Award (vote for us please!), I went to Disneyland where I promptly got sick and have been sick for over a week.

Monday was Halloween, and while I don't particularly celebrate it anymore, I took the opportunity to glam up a bit. I'd been feeling horrendous all day, and I still felt crappy, but dang it, we were going to see Ghostbusters at the movie theater, and I wanted to have fun. I did white and faint pink eyeshadow, dark thick black eyeliner, heavy mascara (which always makes me look like I'm wearing falsies), and a really cute casual outfit. The result? I was still sniffly, still tired, but emotionally, I felt great and had a really good time.

Just goes to show, there's some benefits to this girly stuff after all.

Take care, Gals!

-J