December 2012 Resolutions

December 1, 2012 by 1 Comment


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The end is upon us. [Cue foreboding organ music]

If the Mayans are correct, we’ve got another week and a half left on the planet. If, however, they end up being wrong there’s a lot of life left and that means onward and goalward.

The last 11-months have been all sorts of mentally and emotionally exhausting; a true lesson in be careful what you wish for. I’ve decided to take December easy on the personal goals and resign myself to wrapping up loose ends.

In December I will:

  • Finish any remaining book edits.
  • Make the new www.kimberlyraemiller.com a live website. If you go to my personal/professional website now there are filler images up, but this doesn’t reflect what the new site will look like. I’ve spent the last few months going back and for with my web designer to work on and approve new design elements and content. I’m hoping to have this live before January 1, 2013.
  • Work out a study/testing schedule for the ACSM personal training certification.
  • Pay attention to why I’m eating. In general I’m a scheduled eater; I eat three meals a day at regular times. I’ve tried for years to implement the five-small meal a day philosophy, but I can never remember to eat snacks or feel hunger at the appropriate times. Having said all that, the last few months have screwed up my hunger cues in a major way, and while I’m not going to worry about “dieting” I do want to pay attention to why I’m rummaging through the refrigerator. Am I hungry, anxious, or looking for a distraction?

This year has been an incredible journey for me, and as I ease out of it I want to make sure I’ve given each element a solid last effort before sending it on its way.

What are you resolving for December?

Kim

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Training to be 30

November 14, 2012 by 1 Comment

It has already been established that I run, but that I am not a runner.

So, why in the world did I sign up for a half-marathon?

The answer is easy: I’m turning 30. Okay, maybe the answer is short, not easy. Nothing about running a half-marathon is easy. And nothing about why I signed up for a half-marathon is easy…or short.

Next month, if the world doesn’t end as per the prophesies of the Mayans, I will leave my 20s behind and enter my 30s. Every year for my birthday I request that friends and family make donations to a charity I’m crushing on instead of gifts. Some folks listen, some folks don’t. I don’t exactly hate presents, but I also don’t need anything while there most certainly are people in this world that truly are in need.

Thirty is a pretty milestone birthday. I’ve heard a mixed-bag of reactions to turning the big 3-0, some friends took it pretty hard, some weren’t fazed by it at all, and some considered it stamp of authenticity on their adulthood. I’m somewhere between all of that. As far as accomplishments go, I feel like I can be proud of the things I’ve done and the ways I’ve grown in my twenties. That still doesn’t mean it doesn’t feel weird to consider myself someone who will very shortly be in her thirties.  There are certainly things I would like to focus on as I go forward in the time continuum, but in many ways they are different from the things I wanted when I was 20 or 25. At those points in my life I was all about establishing myself; digging my heels into the world and telling it who I was and what I was going to do with it. Now, I’m feeling a lot more like sitting back and seeing what the world has to offer. All the simple things that seemed trite and like a waste of productivity hours seem like a really great way to spend the day now.

Running a marathon has always been on my bucket list, but part of getting older is realizing that sometimes you want things that you don’t really want. I really don’t want to spend 4 hours running. But I really do want to test my athletic mettle. And I really do want to give thanks to the world for giving me 30 healthy years on the planet. So, I signed up for Team in Training for the Nike Women’s Half-Marathon in April. By doing this I can, raise money for charity, which is a part of my life that has always been important to me (hence the years working in the non-profit sector) and cross one off of the ole bucket list.

I had my first group run last night. I have to tell you, months of sitting in front of a computer with a much diminished gym schedule really took its toll on my endurance. As soon as my final book edits are done I’m going to get pretty cozy with the treadmill aisle at the gym. I’m pretty sure that makes me a masochist. But at least I’ll be leaving my 20s in the dust.

I’ve been curious about the Team in Training experience for quite a while now, and I’m guessing I’m not the only one. I plan on blogging about the experience, the fundraising requirements and the training elements, that will take place over the next five months. Stay tuned…

Breakfast


Bran flakes with banana and 1% milk
Coffee

Lunch


Salad with hard-boiled egg, onion, tomato, and olives. Dressed with olive oil and lemon juice.

Tomato and rice soup

Dinner


Roasted peppers, eggplant and chickpeas with whole wheat cous cous

Kim

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February 2012 Resolutions

February 1, 2012 by 3 Comments

My 2012 resolutions were certainly pretty ambitions, but I’m an ambitious kind of gal. In order to reach these goals, I’ve decided to shake up my monthly resolution making routine and instead make my New Year’s resolutions a template for my goals all year. Instead of blindly hoping to accomplish a lot of awesome things for the year, and on a monthly basis; this year I’m going to make each month a milestone in achieving my overarching goals.

If you need a reminder of what those goals were, here’s a brief run down:

  • SELL MY BOOK!
  • See my abs/get all toned and stuff
  • Get certified as a personal trainer
  • Get out of debt/focus on financial security
  • Go gluten-free
  • Get rid of gossip.
  • Learn to ride a bike.

Here’s what I did in January to achieve those goals.

Book:
I worked closely with my agent to put the finishing touches on my book proposal.
Abs:
I started working out in an A-day/B-day strength training routine, repeating each twice weekly.
PT Certification:
Nothing really. I’m going to wait until summer time to really focus on this goal.
Finances:
I got a roommate. Splitting expenses has been a godsend to my checkbook.
Gluten-free eating:
I stocked my fridge, freezer, and pantry with gluten free goodies. Unfortunately, I haven’t quite mastered the art of living outside of my own home in a GF way.
Gossip:
I’ve been trying to keep it all in check, but I’ve slipped a few times.
Bike riding:
Hmm, this one may have to wait until the weather warms up a bit.

I’m going to take my resolutions one step further this month. Here’s what I’m resolving for February 2012:

Book:
Now that my proposal is done, I’m going to spend more time working on the actual book writing. I’ve got two chapters polished and ready to go, but when/if I actually sell this bad-boy I’m going to have about 16 more to make happen. May as well get a head start.

Abs:
My workouts were pretty hardcore last month, but they felt a little daunting. My schedule has become increasing more work oriented due to an uptick in freelance work, so I’m going to try and workout smart, as opposed to working out for long periods of time. This month I’m going to aim for four days a week of shorter strength training workouts, each day with a different focus. A, B, C, D as opposed to the A,B, A, B I’ve been doing. I’ll keep cardio at around 40-45 minutes, getting me in and out of the gym in a little over an hour.

PT Certification:
Keeping this one on ice for now.

Finances:
Now that I’ve cut my expenses, I think it’s time to track where my money is going so that I can more effectively make tweaks to my spending. This month I’m going to keep track of my daily expenses.

Gluten Free:
The goal this month is simply to avoid bread, wraps, and pasta when I eat out. That seems like a fairly doable step in reaching my overall goal.

Gossip:
Last month just the idea that this was a goal kept me moderately in check. This month I’m going to start a gossip jar. Each time I participate in what could be considered gossip (I’m going to go ahead and say that saying nice things about other people is not gossip—even though it is technically spreading information about them) I will put a quarter in the gossip fund. . . and then I’ll track it in my daily expense sheet.

Biker in the making:
Like certification, this one’s going to stay on the back burner for a bit.

This new style of monthly resolving may take a little time for me to get used to, but think this may be the beginning of a beautiful goal-oriented year.

What are you resolving for February?

Kim

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Mission Accomplished. What Now?

November 21, 2011 by 10 Comments

HOT BRIDESMAID ACCOMPLISHED!!!!

Hmmm, now I need a new goal.

Living a healthy lifestyle is always my goal. I’m relatively good about eating well, but if left to my own devices I would do nothing but cardio all the time, and I’ve realized recently how awesome strength training is. In order to motivate myself to continue to lift heavy objects on a regular basis I may need something slightly more deadline/humiliation based. That’s why I’m choosing this as my next gym-motivating goal:

and

I’m going to Israel this summer. There are a few reasons behind my choice of vacation destination: 1) I can go on a two-week vacation, airfare and lodging included for $600, 2) Last time I went to Israel it was rainy and cold and I did not get the Mediterranean oasis I was promised, and 3) The Fella is from Tel Aviv and I’m going to meet the fam and friends…eek!

I’ve never been a bikini wearer. I’ve owned them before, but usually I chicken out in lieu of something more conservative. This summer I am going to wear that florescent coral bikini on the beaches of Tel Aviv and I’m not going to feel the least bit self-conscious.

Arguably, this goal is not quite as urgent/once-in-a-lifetime as my best friend’s wedding, but hey I do what I can with what I have—and I already bought the bathing suit.

I’m a goal person. I need milestones to keep me motivated. How do you stay motivated to attain your fitness goals?

 

Breakfast

Trader Joe’s Vanana yogurt with High Fiber Cereal

Lunch


Egg drop soup

Steamed chicken and broccoli over brown rice

Dinner


This would be me scraping the barrel of my refrigerator barrel,
Mashed kabucha squash and baked tofu

Exercise: None, hence the realization that I need a new goal!

Kim

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Finding Silver Linings

November 9, 2011 by 2 Comments

Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.
~Redd Foxx

I learned something today: You’re never supposed to put citrus fruit in the refrigerator. Apparently it ruins the consistency and makes it pulpier. How have I gotten this far in life, and eaten this much mediocre citrus fruit, without learning the rules of proper produce storage?

Other happy discoveries of the day:

  • Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf now exist in NYC! They were a favorite of mine when I lived on the left coast.
  • I’m back down to my lowest adult weight. Technically I was planning on maintaining my weight a few pounds ago, but I think the stress of the last week caused an uptick in my weight loss. I’m not complaining.
  • I have amazing friends that will head into NYC at 9pm after a 12-hour work day, for the sole purpose of cheering me up.
  • Cold butternut squash in a salad is AMAZING.
  • Kabocha squash, roasted and mashed tastes a lot like mashed sweet potatoes only with a fraction of the calories and fewer carbohydrates
  • My parents bought a condo!

Okay, the last one is really big news. My parents have been trying to buy a new condo for over a year, and last week were told that the sale they’ve been waiting for had fallen through and they’d lost thousands and thousands of dollars and my mother shed quite a few tears, on a home that would never be theirs. Then, out of nowhere, the condo was theirs. They closed today. My parents have a new house. I’m looking forward to helping them decorate and spending the holidays in their new home.

If you haven’t noticed I’ve been in a pretty melancholy mood for the last week or so and I definitely needed a little good news in my life. It was that good news early in the day that reminded me of an old trick I did back when I was feeling particularly sad: I took note of everything, no matter how small, that made me happy. I’ve decided to reinstate that old practice until I’m feeling like my old self, hence the list above. Honestly, just seeing a bulleted list of things that are worth smiling over makes everything seem a little more manageable.

How do you cheer yourself up when you’re feeling down?

 

Breakfast

Multi grain tortilla with egg whites and salsa

Morning/Afternoon Snacks


Whey protein with almond milk x2 (one in the morning, one in the afternoon)

Lunch

Salad with lettuce, tomato, chick peas, butternut squash, carrot and orange vinaigrette

Coffee Date


A long lost friend (lost meaning he lives and works in New Jersey) found his way into New York tonight so that we could catch up over caffeine.
Four shot latte with skim milk—I’m still tired. Damn my caffeine resistance!

Dinner

Baked tofu, mashed kabocha squash, and steamed zucchini

Exercise: AM: 45-min strength training session; PM: 45-min spin class

Kim

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Balance

September 23, 2011 by 2 Comments

I few weeks ago I started taking a lunch-time personal ethics class. You know, for fun and inspiration…and a free lunch.

The topic this week: balance; finding balance in our lives and its importance to our overall happiness. What I left with, other than a full stomach, was the overwhelming feeling that I am totally out of balance right now.

The thing that I’m most excited about, working on a book is the thing that seems to be falling by the wayside. I was supposed to get the book proposal to my literary agent last month. My new unofficial goal is the end of next week. Instead I seem to be procrastinating by following through on another goal: getting in the best shape of my life. Also important, but it’s not necessarily healthy if I’m using it to avoid other things.

It’s not that I don’t want to write my book, I do, and I think it will be really helpful to other people. I’m also very lucky to have people behind me professionally that think I can do it. It’s just that I’m scared. Unlike my blog, that deals with my day-to-day life, my memoir focuses a lot on my past, and things that I’ve never really discussed on a public platform. Putting those things out there for the world to judge is a wee bit intimidating.

I’ve got to get over that.

Getting in (really awesometastic) shape is also important to me. While I use my best friend’s wedding as a great milestone, there’s something else driving me. I’m in my late 20s now. I know that pretty soon my metabolism is going to start slowing down, and if I really want to have a shot at having the body I’ve always wanted, strong and defined, now’s a good a time as any to get there. The older I get, the harder it’s going to be. Not impossible, but it’ll be a lot easier to maintain if I start that journey now.

Then there are the other things in my life: work, family, friends, boyfriend, that pesky sleep that I need every night. I’m not doing my best to balance it all.

I’m working on finding my inner balance, a little bit at a time. An hour of writing, a phone call to my mother, a spin class, an email to a friend, and a gossip column at a time.

How do you find balance in your life?

 

Breakfast


Scrambled egg whites with spinach
Ezekial toast
Grapefruit

Snack


Chocolate whey protein and almond milk

Lunch


Whole wheat wrap with tofurky, tomato and the spicest mustard ever
Carrots and cucumber slices

Snack

Post workout chocolate protein muffin

Dinner


Cauliflower soup
Turkey meatloaf

Exercise: 30-minute step mill, core and upper body strength training (with a personal trainer!)

Kim

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I’m in love…

September 12, 2011 by 1 Comment

with freeze dried fruit!

Seriously, I’m obsessed.

I first stumbled upon this new and totally world-rocking product in raspberry form at a swanky Park Slope (for non-New Yorker’s that’s the admittedly yuppy neighborhood I live in, in Brooklyn) market.

It was love at first fistful.

Then, I found them at Trader Joe’s and proceeded to buy every flavor of fruit I could get my hands on.

Mango is my least favorite. I’m partial to the berries, but I did something AWESOME with the bananas last night.

I got home late from a weekend with the fam and decided to pre-emptively take care of breakfast. I hadn’t made overnight oats in a while, and decided to quench my sweet tooth and breakfast in one fell swoop.

I mixed: ½ cup oatmeal, 1 Tbsp cocoa powder, 1 Tbsp chia seeds, 1 packet of stevia, ¼ cup of freeze dried banana slices chopped, and 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk.

I covered the concoction and left in the fridge to do its magic overnight. What came to fruition was a chocolaty banana oatmeal dream boat!

In love. I’m am totally in love. I may never eat anything else again. The bananas rehydrated, sort of. Because they were mostly crushed, there was just this overall banana-esque taste throughout, but every few bites a little chunk o’banana rocked my mouth. Best. Breakfast. Ever.

Here’s a little lookaroo at the nutritional info:

This has been a public service announcement for your belly.

Kim

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April Resolutions

April 1, 2011 by 8 Comments

Who loves the first of the month?!

I do. I do.

I’ve got a good feeling about April. At the beginning of March my main goal was to clarify my career goals, and nix my evil day job. Done and done. Now I’m full-time freelancing, and getting ready recertify as a spin instructor.

Hoorah!

I’ve spent a fair amount of this month working on establishing a work schedule (and space) that does not consist of me sitting on the couch watching Maury and absentmindedly typing away. I feel pretty good about that, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. But man, I miss those paternity tests.

  • Goal one: Get in spinning shape. It’s been a couple of months since this rear-end has seen the likes of a spin bike. I’ve been gifted access to a gym for just this purpose (more about that in another blog), and I don’t intend to waste this opportunity. The goal: Spin three days a week, with an eye on picking up on tips from the best instructors. I also plan on using the gym for nifty things like treadmills, classes, and weights. Now that I’m spending all day at home, working out in here doesn’t seem quite as enticing—a girl needs to get out sometimes!
  • Goal two: Clean up my eating, clean up my cooking. If you haven’t noticed in the last few weeks I have been seriously reliant on convenience foods. Sure, Trader Joe’s is better than the average frozen fare, but all the processed foods are not leaving me feeling my finest. In addition, my new gig has me eating (and mostly drinking) out more than before and it’s definitely having its effect on my energy level and waistband. I can’t cut back on eating, drinking, and merriment for work, but I can up my legit cooking, and clean eating at home.
  • Goal three: Plan for retirement. Well, sorta. I’m not about to retire anytime soon, but I do have quite a few retirement accounts floating around. I’ve spent a lot of time organizing my finances lately, but the thing that leaves me scratching my head right now is what to do with these CDs, IRAs, and 403Bs. This is a boring resolution, but important.
  • Goal four: Finish a new sample chapter for my book proposal. I would like to be super-duper ambitious and say I’m going to finish the proposal, or write 2-hours everyday, but to be honest there are some days when there are just no words left in me. A chapter seems far more doable in a month than a finished project. Baby steps.
  • Goal five: Get my volunteer on. Last year I made the majority of my philanthropic contributions to the world financial in nature, this year I’m going to give back in a more man-power centric style. I already have an appointment for orientation at a local animal shelter scheduled this month, and there’s a local mentoring organization a friend has asked me to join—I’m going to finally take her up on that this month.

I think that’s about all I can handle in the self-improvement sphere for one month. What are your resolutions for April? Can you believe we’re already a quarter of the way through 2011?

Kim

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Bare “Feet”, Baby Steps

March 3, 2011 by 2 Comments

Today as I rummaged the Internet for entertainment I came across this vintage novel cover.  Let me ask you something: Is the fact that this woman is not wearing shoes the thing that really pops out at you in this image?

For me it was not even the fact that she was toppless, but the fact that her topless torso was hardcore muscular, followed by the fact that her neck is freakishly long, and lastly that she has pterodactyl arms.

Then there’s the fact that the old man trying to shoot her obviously found her doing something that upset him seeing as how she’s running away topless with the butt-trap of her Long Johns flapping in the wind.

But I must say, for a time when women were expected to lay off the weights and be soft and pillowy (which, well there’s still nothing wrong with) it’s pretty neat to see a woman as chiseled as that gracing the covers of pop fiction.  Rock on dino arms!

I’ve been thinking a lot about my muscles lately, and using them professionally.  Inspired by my vision board, I’ve been thinking about what I’m going to do come next week.  My jobby-job will be laying off a boatloads of staff next week.  You’ve never seen so many people so excited to lose their jobs.  It’s a sad reality, but an abusive work environment.  Even if I escape next week reliable paycheck in hand, I know I am not long for this job.  I don’t think the company as a whole will last much longer.

I spent this week making sure I would have freelance writing projects lined up (guess who will now be reporting daily on the New York bar scene?), and thinking about what’s next for me.  Based on my vision board and internal monologue, what I’d enjoy most is the opportunity to write and exercise.  So, I think I’ll start my downtime by renewing my spin certification and possibly look into other group fitness classes.  Then, on an afternoon call with my mom, the lady that knows me best in the world, said aloud the pipe dream I’ve let sit dormant in the back of my brain for years, “Why don’t you become a personal trainer?”

I’d really like that.  It would most definitely not happen over night.  There’s a lot of studying involved.  I would probably try to first certify for more group fitness classes, and work my way up.  But I think, down deep, my ideal life would consist of writing and exercise, followed by writing about exercise.

There, I admitted it.  Out loud.  For all the Internet to read.

I’m guessing this doesn’t exactly come as a shock to anyone, anywhere.  But I think there is power in putting things out in to the universe.  So bring on the layoffs, or don’t, I think I know which direction I’m heading.

Food time…

Breakfast

Whole wheat tortilla with refried beans, egg, guacamole and hot sauce
Orange juice

Lunch and Snack

I’m just going to keep using the same picture of this Ghobi Aloo because it doesn’t look as good reheated.

I find that kiwi fruit are a suitable substitute for sour candy

Dinner

I also find neon cocktails to be a suitable substitute for dinner.  Just kidding.  I went out for drinks with coworkers after work tonight (we figured we should live it up while we can still afford it), and then hustled off to improv class and didn’t have time for dinner.

Kim

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Picture this…

March 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

I’ve never noticed this before, but the magazines I frequent have very little that’s relevant to career motivation.  They do however have oodles of pictures and headlines that make for a fantastic personal life vision board.  And, if you look back at my New Year’s resolutions for 2011 prioritizing personal life was way up high on the priorities list.

According to my brand new vision board (that is strategically placed on my refrigerator) the inner workings of my mind are all about making out, working out, hanging out in the the kitchen, and travelling (I’m going to Greece!).  Actually, that combo of activities sounds pretty friggin amazing!  I’m a pretty big fan of self-acceptance, and I’m a pretty big believer that the Universe works in mysterious ways but mostly those ways end up pointing you in the right direction.  Maybe this is  just where I’m at right now, and I should just accept and revel in it and let the professional life fairies take some time off–I’ll still continue with my March resolutions to focus on what’s right in my life and act like the self I want to be, and perhaps in the end I’ll still come out with some more professional clarity.  (I just hope that clarity happens in or around the same time my company is having layoffs, which are expected to go down sometime this month.)

I’m not a particularly crafty person (I want to be, but it seems to be one of those characteristics that bypassed my DNA) but spending the night cutting and pasting and having a shiny new demonstration of my goals was really cathartic.  I must remember not to be so quick to recycle my magazines; I see more vision boards in my future.

What do you do to motivate?

Breakfast

Honey Nut O’s, bananas, and almond milk

Snacks

Grapefruit

Kiwi

There was also a handful of almonds that went unphotographed

Lunch

Ghobi Aloo over brown rice
I made a huge batch of this over the weekend.  Definitely a new favorite!

Dinner

One of my most favorite combos: Veggie burger, avocado, fried egg covered in hot sauce
Steamed baby carrots and broccoli

 

Kim

Filed Under: Daily Confessional Tagged With: , , ,
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