http://aiwsmah.tumblr.com

http://aiwsmah.tumblr.com

http://aiwsmah.tumblr.com

Did you catch that?  I decided to move back to my old Tumblr blog.  Wordpress is a great blogging platform, but I just love the flexibility that I have with Tumblr that I don’t have here, mainly in how I style my blog.  Because the WordPress themes are quite similar to each other, I find that I can’t ever seem to achieve the style and look that I want.  If your blog is a serious one, it should be a good reflection of you right?

I hope that all of you will still visit me at the new address: http://aiwsmah.tumblr.com.

I decided tonight to go ahead and do my fitness measurements.  There have been slight changes and this has made me so happy!  I really encourage anybody who is trying to lose weight to keep track of their measurements because it’s these that will show you the changes that you are making to your body.  Remember what everybody says, your weight tends to go up at the beginning because you are putting on muscle mass and they weigh more than fat.  This can be a bit disheartening, even if you keep it in the back of your mind.  I still find myself disappointed by the scale, but I am super impressed by the improvements shown with the good old measurement!

Shoulders:  Start – 44 inches                       Now- 42.5 inches

Chest/Bust:  Start – 37 inches                        Now – 37.3 inches

Abdomen: Start – 36 inches                      Now- 35 inches

Waist: Start – 32 inches                                   Now -32.5 inches

Hips: Start – 43.5 inches                                  Now – 43.5 inches

Thighs:  Start – 27 inches                               Now – 26.5 inches

Calves: Start – 16.5 inches                             Now – 16.5 inches

So as you can see, there have been some changes.  An inch or half an inch here or there.  When I attended my fitness club for my fitness consultation, I paid careful attention to where the consultant was measuring so that I could replicate the measurements at home and keep track of my progress without a personal trainer.

I definitely want to get my hips and below slimmed down more, but for my body type I think this usually happens last haha.  First to gain weight, last to lose it type thing.  There has been progress on the upper body however which I am proud of.  Especially the abdomen (measured across the stomach)!

I will continue working and take measurements every week or two.  I do keep track of my progress using a scale as well, but I feel that I won’t really be able to rely on it for a progress report for a few weeks after my body has started to even out a bit more.

How are you doing on your goals?

How could I forget?

…Especially when it was right in the post title?  Yup, I promise you I am NOT a bimbo.  THe pretty colours in the colour swatches just got to me I guess.

Anyways, I was wondering what your opinion of bloggers who use Twitter is.  You see, I follow many successful blogs that utilize Twitter, but for the most part they are much more active on Twitter than they are on their blogs.  I can understand the reasons and I definitely do not want to criticize them.   Rather than make a blog everyday, they use Twitter to keep their readers in the loop.  Then they spend more time writing quality blog posts instead of posting small quick ones.  Many of them use a longer weekly blog post to go through what has happened lately in the lifestyle department, and then of course they make blog posts about other things every few days or so.

I was wondering how you felt about this as maybe becoming a direction for this blog.

I am a full supporter of Project 365, but I feel that maybe this isn’t the type of blog for it.  I think blogs that suit Project 365 are those that are photobased (photography) maybe motivational (quote of the day), etc.  Not necessarily those where the author needs to write extensive posts.  I’m not saying that these authors are lazy or anything, I’m saying that their method and medium of blogging is different than the one I need to use for this blog.

I can’t post to you every day about my weight or body sizes… these are things that change gradually.  And because I am no fitness guru, I can’t give you a post each day about a new exercise to try.  Most of what I plan to start posting in this blog will involve research first… simply put it isn’t something that I can post in 15 minutes or even an hour each day.

I suppose for now I will say that I feel I am forced to leave Project 365 although I am still an avid supporter.  This blog just really isn’t the right type of blog to do it in, unless maybe I was jobless.  I still do want to interact with my readers on a regular basis though, so I was thinking that perhaps Twitter could be a new method of doing that.  What do you think?  Would you follow me and this blog on Twitter?

My friends have mixed feelings about Twitter, some swear by it and some think it’s just another example of how to become a socially defunct nerd.  But they don’t matter since they don’t read this blog haha.  So what do you think?

What is that place?  Well that’s the magical part, that my dear readers is the wonderful Athletic Club,  a fitness centre of the most elite caliber reserved exclusively for dear people such as you and I.  Actually, I made up that last part, but honestly I can’t imagine that a fitness club gets much better than that.  AND THE PRICE!  Oh my goodness let me talk to you about the prices.  For between $40-50 per month (paid in bi-weekly installments) you get full-access.  I’ve done some shopping around and other clubs that offer far less seem to charge around the same amounts.  Honestly people, after reading this post, if you don’t get what I get, you and your club need to have a serious discussion .

I didn’t want to take photos inside, I thought that would be creepy.  So all the photos that follow are from their website.  Actually most of the pictures are 3D generated images, but trust me they are very close to what the gym itself actually looks like inside.

This is on the second level in the co-ed cardio room.  All of the machines do have televisions which is awesome!  I remember at my old gym there were  few televisions scattered about on the walls, but they were so hard to see.  I personally find that cardio can become very boring, so I appreciate the distraction.  Not only that but I like that I can still watch my favourite shows while working out.  I know #lazyass.

I’m very glad that they have the selection of machines that they do.  I’ve never seen a gym with such variety, and also the sheer numbers.  It’s clear that they pay attention to which machines are the most popular and have been sure to make sure that there are more of those types.  I also noticed that even among the machines that are the same types, they have selected a few different brands.  This is nice because some people might be used to different interfaces or feels.  Even personally, I found one type of treadmill that I would never use because when I was trying to operate it I found the interface very difficult and frustrating.  I then went to another that I found much more simple and I am sticking with it.

Now the lounge doesn’t look quite like this (never saw a fireplace), but it does have the billiards table.  Members can buy smoothies and other drinks as well as some snacks.  I actually think that the prices are quite good.  I assumed they would be more expensive because of the convenience (finish workout, can grab smoothie right away).  I found after comparing that their prices for energy drinks are actually cheaper than at regular stores and their smoothie prices are pretty standard.

The change room and shower area is quite nice.  The floors are heated and it is very large and spacious.  They also provide hair dryers so we don’t have to bring our own, and they aren’t like the cheap Conair ones you get from the drugstore.  Overall, I feel like i am walking into the spa when I come here haha.

There are many different yoga and fitness studios and they have a nice variety of programs.  The studio in the image is the sky studio which means that it has a skylight and one wall that opens to become a giant window.  The focus of the classes in here are to become in touch with nature as a method of relaxation.  Each of the studios is a nice size and I haven’t had issues of feeling crowded in the classes.

There is a gymnasium and they will have sports activities.  Unfortunately it is still under construction so I do not know what it looks like.  I hope it opens soon because I really would like to take kickboxing classes which are only offered in that facility.

And the entrance really does look like that!

So far I am definitely loving the gym.  I was so nervous to enroll because I was afraid that I would feel intimidated going to a regular gym.  I felt intimidated going to my university gym even though I was around people my own age, I was afraid that in this gym I would be surrounded by crazy body builders and staff who would look at me like I was a fat idiot trying to figure out all of the machines.

Luckily the staff is extremely friendly and everything there has felt so comfortable.  It feels like a natural extension to my day to go there.

Now for everybody reading, don’t be wooed by the beautiful photos and my word alone.  Before joining any gym you should definitely get a tour and maybe ask if you can have a trial period so that you can attend and get a feel for it yourself.  Everybody needs to find the gym that suits them, makes them feel comfortable and welcome.  If you don’t feel comfortable there, then you won’t want to go and in the end you might fail on your goals right?

If you have any questions about my gym or membership, please don’t hesitate to ask!  And below is their official website where you can find all of the photos (except for the first) that I used in this post and more.

http://www.theathleticclubs.ca

I am still here, don’t worry.  And I haven’t given up my goal of 366 posts this year.  I actually have a few lined up and I will be working super hard to make up for the days I have lost.  So why the delays?

Well, I have been spending a lot of time working on my other resolutions.  Mostly, I have been making sure to go to the gym and try out lots of new things there to keep me motivated.  Unfortunately, this usually means that I have to go either right before or after work, and then I’m exhausted and just can’t seem to get my fingers into typing mode!

I have also been thinking a lot about my new label for this blog, Glam-Fit, and the changes that I will need to make in order to embrace that.  I am working on a new blog description, and thinking about changes I can make to the layout, as well as things to add into the sidebar.

I am extremely glad to see that this blog is reaching out to people though!  According to my flag counter, I have gained viewers from 11 different countries.  This is amazing and far above what I ever thought I would gain so quickly!

Please continue spreading the news about this blog, and please continue to follow.  Trust me, it will be worth it

Today’s post is going to be quite short (I know sorry!!).  In order to transform the blog into the Glam-Fit identity that I want to take, I feel that I need to start working on revamping the layout asap.  Actually, I would like some feedback and input if you don’t mind!  I am trying to decide on layout colours, and I’m just wondering what colours you guys think could be used to help make this blog mega glamourous!

Here are the colour palettes that I enjoy.  I found them all at Colourlovers.com (that link will bring you to my profile there).

Color by COLOURlovers

Color by COLOURlovers

Color by COLOURlovers

Color by COLOURlovers

I know, they all seem to have pink in them.  I can’t help it!  Pink, purple and green are among my favourite colours, I’m just so attracted to them.  Once I have a colour scheme picked out, I will be making some customizations to whatever WordPress layout works best.  :)

So for today, I’m going to be working on that… oh and playing Sims 3 lol.  Sorry, but glamour lives on even in video games!

★What is a Glam-Fit blog?★

Ok, so my ideal for this blog is for it to become what I like to call a glam-fit blog.  It’s just a categorization I suppose.  Basically instead of saying “beauty, fashion, fitness, wellness” I want to simply say Glam-Fit.  Basically, just a combination of the words glamour and fitness.  See, many girls post about their favourite fashion brands, etc.  I want to do the same, but with an emphasis on fitness.  For example, maybe I’ll make posts about Lululemon and their products (actually planned for the future once I get time to take pics).  And even regular fashion too!

Since I am very serious about losing weight, I would like to post about the new fashions that I am feeling comfortable with, as well as my sizes.  Let’s face it, many times we see beautiful women wearing beautiful clothing, but we all think to ourselves that we can’t wear it.  We look at it, and if it looks good we start to assume that she must just be incredibly petite or something.  That is very poor and de-motivational thinking ladies!  I want to show you that you can look great in a shirt that’s a size medium, or pants that are a size 10.  In fact, I am a size 11 right now and even though I don’t like how I look currently, I do believe that I have many clothes that are great fits.

★Are you with me??★

This is my new goal.  In the next coming weeks I hope to do a redesign on this blog.  Let’s face it, that header is not so great (lolol).  I’m not afraid to be fit and glamorous.  Some people might say it’s self-absorbed or something… I think it’s about confidence.  Even I need confidence and I want to help other girls and women have confidence as well.

P.S.  that is my before picture… I know.. size 11!

I have always looked at Japanese-style makeup and thought it definitely wasn’t for me.  Until recently at least.  My favourite is the infamous ‘Gyaru’  (ギャル).  For those who don’t know, gyaru translates roughly to ‘gal’ in English.  This makeup style can be quite controversial among some Asian populations as some see it as being essentially racist.  You see, two of the main features of ギャル is that 1. the girls often colour their hair to be ash brown or blonde and 2. enlargement of the eyes through the use of contact lenses, double eyelid creators and specialized makeup techniques.  To a lesser degree, there is also shading of the sides of the nose bridge so that it looks less flat and plastic surgery to create smaller noses is prominent.  Many people view the style as a way to eliminate Asian features and look more Caucasian.

However, there are many different styles of ギャル.  Some even include extreme darkening of the skin through tanning as well as creation of tan tattoos on the body.

Source: cherrypopfiction.blogspot.com

Notice the features I mentioned?  Anyways, on a side note I just looked through a bit of the blog and I really like it!

Anyways, back to the post.  I think that gyaru is very interesting, but I have come to learn a bit more about Mode-kei now and I would like to incorporate that into my style for 2012.  But wait, what is Mode-kei?

Think high-fashion, more glamourous (I think classy) looking clothing.  Clothing and makeup tends to be darker and with less focus on accessories (like bracelets and such) and more focus on your silhouette.

source: cheeserland.com

Picture taken from Cheeserland.  This is actually one of my favourite blogs and I am really impressed by the authors recent style.  Cheesie is on the left and Lie is on the right.  After seeing an episode of NHK Tokyo Kawaii with Lie in it, I have been so envious of her style ever since.

source: xiaxue.blogspot.com

Again, another picture of Lie.  I really hope to be able to replicate her amazing eye makeup, and I really enjoy her clothing style as well.  I’ve been searching for a style for a long time, I’m so tired of being told that I look like I am in high school or something.  Unfortunately, it takes a long time to build up a wardrobe… sigh.

Who are your makeup and style inspirations?  And I really hope to not have to deal with people telling me that it is wrong for me to take inspiration from an Asian woman because I am not Asian, half-Jamaican, etc.  It’s not about race here at all, I just really enjoy this style.

What do you think of Lie’s style… yay or nay?

As you can see I have been overly excited about the opening of a NEW gym… that opening day was actually on Friday.  It was actually 15 days late, but I didn’t mind waiting.  I felt a bit better about my holiday over-eating knowing that I was dead set on starting my gym routine right away.  I know some of you are going to point out the obvious, it opened on December 30th.  Clever marketing right?  Basically it opened right in time for New Years, and all those resolution people.

I’ve never really been a person for resolutions, but I do have at least one that I would like to make this year.

I am going to go to the gym and not let anybody take that away from me!

Oh yes, giant font and everything, this is getting serious…

But seriously, unlike some people I really enjoy going to the gym.  In fact, I had never been to a gym until my final 1/2 year at university.  I was just too afraid and self-conscious.  But one day after work I decided that since I had been paying for a gym membership for the past 4 years (included in my tuition) that I might as well get a little bit of use out of it.  And then I fell…

Yes, I fell in love with going to the gym!  And it wasn’t for some stupid reason that I liked going and seeing all the hot university boys lifting their weights.

I went to some trial yoga/pilates/wellness classes and really enjoyed them.  For some it was because I liked the challenge, for others it was because I liked the trainers style.  And then I started to go into the actual gym and use treadmills and weight machines and such because I always had a gap between when work ended and when my classes began.  I grew to love that too.

For me, I don’t necessarily work out because I want to drastically change my life, at least that’s not how it used to be.  My frugality was what prompted me to go to the gym in the first place.  Yup total scrooge reason for wanting to go wtf.  Now of course there are some changes that I would like to make.  It’s because I like a challenge, especially a physical one that I can become a little bit of a workout addict.  Although I can’t actually say workout addict because I can only seem to get the desire to blow these challenges out of the water when I got to the gym haha.  Maybe they are pumping some kind of gas in there to make you go crazy with challenge frenzy!

That’s why I think that I am not like all of those resolution people who decide they want to go to the gym and lose weight.  I’m not motivated by some desire to look like an Olympic swimmer and so I don’t experience the disillusion when I look in the mirror a month down the road and realize that I’m still so far off.  Some people are scared off by that hard work you know!

No, unlike these people, I am motivated by the physical challenge.  I religiously keep track of what weight I can use on which weight machines and how long I can go on each cardio machine.  It gets to the point where I think I have tunnel vision.  It looks kind of like this… now things are about to get silly.

And I am absolutely positive and determined not to become like this guy!

Anyways, enough memes.

Now I bet you are wondering a bit about my resolution… you know the “not let anybody take that away from me” part.  Well, last year when I was getting into a really good flow and routine, I began to realize that some friends (who are no longer friends for unrelated reasons) seemed to get all weird when I started having a life and couldn’t work that extra shift they wanted me to or whatever.  Like I said on my About page,some of the people who I have associated with in the past were just weird/selfish like that.  Definitely not true friends.  So this year, my mission is to pretty much do whatever I damn well please to do, sorry if wanting to do something for myself clashes with your expectation of what you want me to do for you.

Yaya, rant session complete.

I will actually post my review of the gym and perhaps some photos if I can take pictures in there without looking like a creep.

I know so many people make New Years resolutions.  It’s almost a requirement!  I don’t know about all of you, but even I have had many friends who made me feel that if I didn’t have a resolution, then I wasn’t doing it right.  Even if I was content to not make a resolution at all, I was treated as though I was a commitment-phobe or something.  The fact is that I actually do silently make a resolution, I just don’t always want everybody in the world to know about it #personalspace.

Well since in my last post I mentioned that I want to join Project 365, so I need to write posts each day of the year.  What topic would be better to kick it off then…..

So here we are with my wonderful guide to New Years Resolutions.

1.  Don’t submit to that peer pressure crap.  This isn’t kindergarten anymore, you should be grown up enough to NOT have to pick something random just so that you can hang out with the cool kids.  Take it from me, it doesn’t make you cool.  Oh… and by following this rule you are totally not submitting to peer pressure, ok?

2.  Pick something you can actually manage.  Don’t pick something like… “I’m going to lose 30lbs by the summer” if the closest thing you get to a work out is running to McDonald’s to get a Big Mac and you have no idea what the inside of a gym looks like.  Unless of course your resolution is to have everybody else snicker about you because you know they totally will when you fail.  That or they’ll throw you a pitiful pity party.

3.  Pick something that you actually want.  I mean, if this is going to be your life mission for the next year, then you should definitely pick something that you actually want.  Think of it as if you were wishing from a genie.  You only have a certain number of wishes and you better not waste them because you won’t get any more.  And I am being quite literal here, who knows when they will die right?  Sorry to tell you that I don’t think wishes carry over to the afterlife, so you better use your New Year’s properly.

4.  Take a second to be a little bit selfish.  Resolutions are supposed to be about yourself.  Nobody likes a saint, it makes the rest of us look bad.

5.  Make up some crazy reward that you will give yourself if you actually resolve your resolution.  Face it, people are like dogs.  If there are treats we tend to perform better haha.  Remember this, in grade school your teacher bribed you with candies and small trinkets, so it must work right?

6.  Remember… the buddy system.  Every now and then we need someone to remind us that we need to get back on track.  A little nudging in the ribs does us a lot of good sometimes!  Besides, if your buddy quits you can always make fun of them.  Think of the fun you could have with this way down the road!

Ok, capiche?  Now you can make awesome resolutions and keep them!  Hope you had a bit of a laugh while reading through those.  Oh wait… I suppose I better share mine with you to right?  They are quite simple.

.

.

.

.

.

.

1.  Go to the gym at least 3 times each week.  Except for on weeks when I have to work crazy amounts of hours because overall health is important too!

2.  Purchase a new DSLR camera and pursue my photography interest as a hobby.

3.  Write in my blog each day so that I have 365 posts!

4.  Practice with my makeup more and study fashion through magazines.

5.  Start learning Japanese again.  I am undecided on this one as the place I had planned to study has changed

6.  Meet new people and make more friends! I mean the sincere kind here… I have too many friends who pretend to be friends.

Not bad right?

Yes I have 6.  Maybe you are only supposed to have one, but I feel very strongly about these six.  Care to share about yours?

Stay tuned for more posts about New Years coming soon!