Broccoli

Hello, dear readers. And happy weekend! I hope that you are all keeping warm wherever you are.

As part of my healthy-eating kick this week (and hopefully the rest of the year), I have been trying to eat more vegetables. My vegetable options, however, are limited to broccoli, frozen veggie mixes from a bag, corn, and either steamed carrots, peas, or cauliflower. So I have eaten broccoli at at least one meal a day for about four days in a row now- the steamed carrots tend to be mushy, as do the veggie mixes. 

I didn't know I could get so sick of broccoli so quickly. Yes, I know it is a high-fiber food. Yes, I know that it has lots of vitamins in it. And I'm sure I'm benefiting from its sudden presence in my diet. But seriously, I'm getting sick of it. I was excited to have peas yesterday instead of broccoli. Today I put a little corn on my plate with the broccoli to mix it up a bit. Yet I have to admit, it's really starting to get old.

In better news, I took an abs class! The gym had a try-it-free night, so I went with a friend to give it a shot. I really, really liked it. I was sore the next day, but I figure that if I try to imitate that workout two to three times a week, plus attending the class once weekly, it will help me along in my fitness goals a lot. I already paid and registered for the class, so I think that the financial commitment will really make me physically commit to it.

Enough about that. What really got me thinking and reflecting the other night was a great conversation I had with a friend. We had originally meant to run over to the store quickly to get some snacks, but she suggested that we sit down and enjoy them there. And as often happens when you spontaneously take the time to let your mind and conversation flow freely, we ended up having a rather deep and personal talk about things like happiness and our New Year's resolutions. This talk was especially meaningful to me because this is a newer friend of mine, and I can't recall our really having a conversation like that yet.

So: happiness. Big topic, right? For my friend, this was very closely tied to her goals for the year. She said that her memories of happiness were all tied into major experiences she had- family vacations, major accomplishments, etc. What it came down to was that she decided she was going to do things that were going to make her happy, the things that she wants to do. 

She also talked about becoming the person that she wants to be. Readers, this is something that I feel like we read about a lot in magazines and see in self-help books and hear on morning talk shows. But it is true. I am a firm believer in the principle that we get back exactly what we put out to the world. If you are kind, optimistic, and helpful, you will be received positively and will receive kindness back to you. If you are mean, rude, and antisocial (and by antisocial I do not mean shy or introverted, I mean straight-up antisocial), you will have difficulty meeting people and making friends. Pretty simple, right? But beyond this karma-reminiscent idea, it gets a little more complicated. Besides being nice, polite, and welcoming, what other traits would you like to put out to the world? What do you think they will help you accomplish? How will they make you better? What will you get back from it? And how do you go about enacting such change?

I'm thinking it starts with actions- definite, concrete actions. For example, if you would like to be the kind of person who has and attracts a diverse group of people, join a club that is something you've never tried before but have always wanted to. Hold doors open for people. Chat people up in line. Sit next to somebody new in class and say hi. Or joke about the teacher. Or even complain about the reading- but in a lighthearted way; don't be too negative or pessimistic. These are suggestions that I myself need to take as well.

The actions, however, must be organic in nature. They must come from you. Don't change yourself just for the sake of change, or enact such change in a way that is not authentically you. There's no point in being false. You may hurt others and will definitely hurt yourself in the end.

For example, I would like to meet more boys. I could certainly meet more boys by wearing skimpy clothes, dancing very suggestively, drinking to excess, and freely giving out my number and offering...favors. But that, as my friends can tell you, is certainly not me. I dress with a certain degree of modesty. My body does not move like a hip-hop dancer's. I don't like losing control of my actions. And I'm not interested in promiscuous hook-ups. So, while I would meet plenty of boys this way, it would not be true to who I am. And if it's not true to who I am, isn't it counterproductive to my goal of becoming the person I want to be? Maybe you don't like everything about yourself right now. But you do still want to be you. Does that make sense?
I am proud to say that the other night was a step in that direction. My friends and I decided to wander and find someplace to go. And indeed we did! I consider it a good night. For one, I got out, which I consider an accomplishment. I also met and talked with some nice guys. It again proved to me that the opportunities are out there; you really just have to let go a little bit and take a risk.
So about a week into the real beginning of my New Year's resolutions, I'd say I'm making pretty good progress. I hope you are, too.
With love,
Imara 

Here it goes again

Hello, friends! (and I really mean friends, because you're the only ones reading this)
So today I began the fitness portion of my resolutions. So far, I've been very good about reading the newspaper, which was one of the resolutions that I mentioned in my previous post. The New York Times online is my best friend. I know A LOT about Tunisia. And Tucson.
But anyways, back to fitness. I just couldn't bring myself to get started until I got back into classes and a regular routine. And I have to say, I was pretty dang lazy the past couple of weeks. Physical activity was at a real minimum, and my nutrition was definitely not the best. But that's all changing starting today!
Before I go further:
DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT A FITNESS OR NUTRITION EXPERT BY ANY MEANS. THIS IS IN NO WAY AN ADVICE BLOG. I DO NOT EXPLICITLY ENDORSE ANY PROGRAM OR METHOD. I AM ONLY SHARING MY EXPERIENCE AND WHAT WILL HOPEFULLY WORK FOR ME.
Now that I've got that out of the way, I consider today a moderately good day on the fitness front. I had a really great workout, and my meal choices were rather healthy. I am trying to follow the food suggestions given by the Body By Glamour program. For the first week of the program you're supposed to "detox," but not like crazy, drink-grapefruit-juice-and-eat-nothing-but-wheatgrass kinda detox. The idea is "to eat as many whole foods as possible" and to lay off added sugar, salt, refined foods like bread and pasta, sweets, red meat, and fatty foods like cheese. So today, for lunch, I had fish, brown rice, broccoli, an apple, and some low-fat blueberry yogurt, and skim milk to drink. And I felt satisfied and healthy. It powered me through the hardest workout I've had in a long time. And then I had a banana post-workout and a similarly healthy dinner.
After dinner is where I have a hard time. I'm used to having dessert before bed, usually ice cream or pie or cookies or something. Since I didn't have dessert with my dinner, I found myself having a few holiday Hershey's kisses and Reese's cups that were left over in my desk before Christmas. I'm not beating myself up about it- four Hershey's kisses and two mini Reese's cups are not going to derail my whole fitness plan. But this pattern of being hungry after dinner and before bed is something that I'm going to have to work on. I may need to find a healthy nighttime snack to hold me over and keep myself from sneaking sweets late at night.
Enough with food and exercise. I'm back in classes tomorrow, which means that I get to work on another one of my resolutions: meeting more people! Don't get me wrong, I love the girls that I have right now, but I think we're all looking to expand our circle a little bit more. New people are always exciting. So here's to that!
I hope that you all have a great week doing whatever you're doing. Please comment so that I know you're reading this, but keep it anonymous.
And here's a quote for you to think about as you make and keep your resolutions:

"Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance."

Samuel Johnson
English author, critic, & lexicographer (1709 - 1784) (from quotationspage.com)

Much love,
Imara

More resolutions...

Happy midweek, all!
As stated in my previous post, the list of resolutions I gave you was incomplete. I have been brainstorming more resolutions the past few days, so here are a few more I'd like to share with you:
4) Keep up on current events. Growing up, I read my local newspaper every morning at breakfast. And I'm not talking about the comics, I really mean that I read the world, national, local, and cultural news sections every day. Not front to back or anything, but I was sure to cover several stories that interested me, or major news stories. Also, I began reading at an early age, and I've done theater for most of my life: I love stories! I'd really like to get back into that habit of reading the real stories. I'm a student, and often my time in the morning is limited. But I'm going to work towards this goal by making the New York Times my start page (CNN currently is, but I'll be honest- sometimes I'm a little disheartened by their style of reporting. And have you seen the ads they run on their site? It's like Yahoo. Anyways, rant over.). I will also try to set aside fifteen to twenty minutes every day to read a top news story and at least one minor story. Additionally, I will actually read the local newspaper and not just do the crossword at lunch.
5) Volunteer. I never did as much service as I would have liked to when I was younger, and I just seem to keep putting it off. No more. I will get a group of friends together and find something that we can help with. I know for a fact that there's no shortage of opportunities in my area, so this year I'm going to help complete strangers and get involved.
6) Read more. As seen above, I'm a lifelong reader. I miss just being able to sit down with a book and get lost for a while. I have a feeling I'm going to be up to my ears with assigned reading this semester, but instead of wasting my time staring at Facebook at the end of the night, I'm going to read. Currently I have started Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections. Seems like it's a great read so far, once you get used to his sometimes-lengthy syntax. You also have to be able to accept that his characters are a little twisted and that their family is not normal- or, perhaps, embodies the new definition of normal? We'll see. I think their dysfunction is the point. 
7) Dawdle less. Once I get settled in doing work, I'm good. I hit a flow and I can go for a long time without a break. But getting started takes way too long. From now on, I'm going to get to it all faster. I think I'll be surprised at how much time I save myself.
Here's a quote about perseverance that I found a few months ago: "Through perseverance, the snail reached the ark." I think that that's something we can all keep in mind as we try to achieve/fulfill our resolutions. No matter how slow going it may seem, if we keep at it, we will succeed.
I hope that you are all staying safe in whatever crazy weather your part of the country is experiencing. Looks like it's getting to be a tough winter out there. Enjoy the beauty of the snow and the quiet, and count how many Mondays left until your next vacation/long weekend.
Good vibes,
Imara

Welcome!

Hello, cyberworld! And Happy New Year!
I hope that you had a great first week of 2011. Rather than start this blog right on the first day of the new year, I figured that I should wait a week to get started, just to make sure that I've thought this through and that it will be something that I can commit to. Actually, I was on the road for New Year's and I didn't have internet with which to start this blog. But I like the former sentence better. :)
Here's the deal: I'm a young woman embarking on a new part of my life. The past few years, while successful, haven't been that...exciting. Or, frankly, remarkable. And I'm done with that. That is why I am going to make 2011 my best year yet.
Notice that I use the word yet, not ever. I'd like to think that things will keep getting better year after year. I'd really rather not peak this year, relatively early in my life.  But I want this year, in some way or another, to outshine all the rest.
I have made a few resolutions that I think will help me make 2011 the best year yet. I don't consider this a complete list by any means- I'm only listing three. I will add more in future posts as they come along.
1) Commit to fitness. In an extended family plagued by weight problems and the health issues that come with them or are aggravated by them, I am done with pushing it aside and thinking that I'll get to it later. If I wait any longer, I'll never get to where I want to be. I'm not terribly overweight or unhealthy, but I could certainly be better. And I am going to be the best that I can be this year.
Plus my parents bough P90X and are gonna do it. How do you think that would make me look?
2) Meet a boy. I can regale you with a few stories of my failures related to the opposite sex over the years (as a matter of fact, I will later). No more. I'm not even looking for a boyfriend. I'd just like a boy friend. Someone to ask me to dance. A guy I can hug. Heck, just a guy I can talk to!
3) Get more social- as in, get out more. I've lived a very risk-less, ho-hum, weekend-in kinda life so far. And I have all of these grand dreams of epic nights out that I'll remember for the rest of my life (in a good way). This year, it's happening.
So will you join me? Feel free, the four of you who are reading this, to comment. *If I have directed you to this personally, please DO NOT put anything in the comments that will identify a) who I am, b) where I am from, c) my place of education or residence, and d) anything else that reveals personal information.* The idea is that I can be any person who wants to kickstart their life. I want people to be able to see their story in my story. Plus I don't want to get stalked. So please keep it anonymous. I'd appreciate constructive criticism as well.
Here goes nothing.
Sending you good vibes,
Imara