The day was January 1,  2018. I woke up with a roaring headache and queasiness in my stomach. Maybe I had too much fun on New Years Eve. Maybe I was thinking about how my diet was going to change starting tomorrow. After back and forth trips to the bathroom, I drove home from my friend's house to recover. Thank God that fast food is the New Year's Day tradition, because I needed to stock up on it. 

My last two meals on death row (I know, I'm dramatic) were a pulled chicken, rice, jalapeno sauce and cheese burrito from Taco Bell for lunch and an Amy's Mac 'n' Cheese for dinner. The next day was the day my 2018 cleanse started. It only made sense - I went back to work and break was over. I could eat like I was on break for one more day.

Sure, my body isn't what it was four years ago. That's not the reason I want to lose weight and do this cleanse. I rarely ever step on the scale. I want to run faster. I want to feel more. I want to experience more. I don't want to worry about chafing or not being able to keep up. I also don't mean that if you're full figured that you SHOULD worry about these things. That's not the case at all. Everyone is on a different fitness and self love journey. Some days I love my thick thighs and stretch marks, some days I don't.

What did I eat?

I tried to eliminate meat, dairy and processed foods from my diet. Emphasis on TRIED - I definitely succeeded on the "no meat and cheese" part since I try to be conscious and cut down my meat eating because, ya know, animals and the environment and stuff, and me being lactose intolerant. The processed food part, however, was tough. I love my veggies, grains and legumes, but I always incorporate a masala or hot sauce. 

Breakfast: You guessed it - smoothies! The first two days I actually had smoothies for lunch and breakfast. I ALWAYS put my adaptogens and probiotics in my smoothies along with my chia seeds and almond milk for the base. The rest can be fruity or sweet - almond butter, bananas, blueberries, strawberries and more. Please don't come at me for almond butter technically being processed. 

Lunch and Dinner: If it wasn't a smoothie, I was having something similar for my dinner. Keeping in mind a busy schedule, I made two big dinners that would be good enough for two servings. I would switch them off so that I wasn't having the same thing for both lunch and dinner. One dinner was cannelini beans, broccoli and potatoes. The other big meal was potatoes, cannelini beans and simmer sauce.

Snacks: Carrots and hummus (it's processed but it's literally chickpeas and tahini ok?), nuts, you get it.

How did I feel?

I'm not sure if it was hunger or of it was cravings for saturated fats and dairy / meat. It was odd - I felt energized and great but also hungry at the same time. The hunger didn't affect me, which probably shows that it wasn't true hunger, it was just craving. My body was nourished and WAS full and nourished, but it was so used to being full of nutrient-lacking fillers, that it was craving them. It was worth it to not feel guilty and sluggish after eating something, however. Everything that I was doing felt like there was so much more energy behind it. My mind was more clear and I felt more motivated. Since then, I've incorporated meat and occasional dairy back into my life. I also have let myself cheat here and there - which is good for your soul. I don't feel as bad when I cheat, because I earned it and I know that you need to fill your soul with decadent food sometimes. This whole cleanse and process is helping me practice more mindful eating. Many people subscribe to this practice. Instead of emotionally or impulsively eating, I think my choices through more. I think that continuing on this journey, I hope for my overall health and relationship with food to improve.

Of course, exercise is an important part of this health journey. It's 20% in the gym, 80% in the kitchen. Of course, you need to do research for both. Thankfully, the folks at Reviews.com have already done research for which treadmills are the best. Lately, since I live in New England and the snow makes it hard to run outside, I've been doing interviews on the treadmill. Check out their review on the top treadmills here. 

300 posts and five and a half years. I can't believe that I've sat down to write three hundred of these. What can happen in 300 posts? To commemorate this milestone (that really crept up on me), I'm going to relay the history of this blog and reflect on how I've grown. As if the New Year doesn't make me existential enough, this will be a trip for SURE.

Technically, I've been blogging since I could get on the internet. I used to spend my nights in middle school on the home computer looking up how to publish a book for free. Nowadays, that's simple. You can publish an e-book. In 2004, things weren't as accessible. I was also 9 years old and had no idea what I was doing. I also didn't have a manuscript written or anything. I just wanted to write and be heard. 

The wanting to write and be heard part hasn't changed at all.  I'm writing now still, right? I definitely still want to be heard, and I don't think that will ever change. When I started refining my writing skills more and more in high school, and realized that you could make a living from the internet, I got back into blogging. I was also going through a Tumblr phase with the rest of my generation, so I started my first blog: "Freedom of Expression" on there.  Looking back, I cringe at overly curly script fonts and screenshots reflecting an old iPhone iOS as legit pictures on the blog. It was a fun, creative outlet for me to spout opinions on topics I pretended that I knew everything about, however. See what else hasn't changed?

For a long time, I tried to be a fashion and lifestyle blogger. I now cringe at my old outfits even more than the graphic design of the site. I miss the blissfully ignorant days of this site. I didn't pour over analytics. I truly couldn't tell you what I even had for readership (if any). I was just happy to do it. In 2013, I switched to blogger, because I could tell that I could be more comfortable customizing on this platform. At the time, the site was pretty standard for blogging. 

I would call 2014-2015 my most active year. I was posting weekly if not biweekly. I was going HARD in Facebook groups and racking up UMVs in the thousands. Then, college got extremely busy. I don't regret dropping off, because I wouldn't be where I am today if I didn't double-down on school. Currently, my goal is to get back to where I was, if not better.

I've changed a LOT, to quote DJ Khaled, since I started blogging. On paper, my life is "together". I'm supporting myself and am finally pursuing things that I'm interested in. I grew up in a time where people where taught to go with the status quo, get a job and a white picket fence. I always wanted to do something greater, but those people who rose to stardom were seen a "disruptors". As a woman I was taught in society to be seen and not heard. How could I be disruptive?

Where and when I was brought up, it was also not made a normal thing to be to be introspective with myself and constantly check in on my feelings. I was used to always saying I was fine, so much so that I said an abusive relationship was "fine" and "good" for two years. Now, I'm constantly thinking about what I can do to progress. How I can grow and change is constantly on my mind. When I think of something, I don't let it simmer for too long. I just do it. If something makes me unhappy, I stop and I think about why it makes me feel that way. I'm constantly checking in on myself.

Blogging has been there for every change since 2012. They've seen my go through the changes - the clothing, the thoughts and even the writing styles. It's an online time capsule in a way. It's always been a constant for me. I don't mind change - I would actually call myself a fan. It's important to always have constants, however, and blogging has been a constant for me. Here's to many more years!

Right before Christmas, my mother and I went to see the Boston Pops. The Symphony Halls is located in the back bay area of Boston. Here's a little historical note: the back bay wasn't originally a part of Boston land-wise, it was build using sediment. It's located right near the State House, Boston Common, and the theatre district. Boston is a small city with a lot of history, culture, and goings-on.

The back bay is home to many restaurants ranging from Italian, taquerias, cafes, and sea food. We ate at Lucca Back Bay. Some reasons we chose to eat here were because this restaurant was one of many in the area that offered valet for free if you were seeing a show at the hall, and who doesn't want Italian?

Lucca was an upscale restaurant that offered a mix of modern and classic Italian food. From the bread, to the appetizer, to the salad, to the entree, to the desert, it was delicious. If you ever go to Lucca, bring your appetite.

These were our salads:

This was my mother's ceasar: winter romaine, traditional Caesar dressing, Parmigiano Reggiano, white anchovy, crostini.

 

My delicious green salad had organic winter greens, black grapes, ricotta salata, spiced grape vinaigrette, candied pecans. 

My chicken was exactly what I needed that cold night. Warm, crispy yet moist statler chicken baby carrots, green apple, pearl onions, parsnip, carrot-tops.  All of the flavors lingered together and married so well. The veggies were great alone or with the chicken, however the onions and the chicken made the perfect bite.

Whipped sweet potatoes, pancetta & maple sciroppo, sage were a perfect accompaniment. The sweetness of the maple made these sweet potatoes indulgently sweet. I wanted to order a gallon if it to to go.

The Boston Public Market, a market full of local stands of cheese, wine, produce, juice, coffee, sweets, IPAs, and more, in Boston opened in July 30th, 2015. It's the only all-local, indoor, year-round public market like it in the United States according to the market's blog. I visited the St. Lawrence market in Toronto, which bore many similarities to it. 

The market is located attached to the Haymarket station so getting there is almost too easy. It is located conveniently close to Fanuel Hall, Boston's North End, the Government Center Garage, and the TD Garden/ North Station.

Sweater: Forever 21

Necklace: Forever 21

Shorts: H&M

Tights: Drugstore

Socks: Aeropostale

Boots: Primark

Jacket: Forever 21

The BPM "Kitchen" offers many cooking, yoga, and more classes to start the year off right.

 The Taza Chocolate bar sold Mexican stone-ground organic chocolate products from cacao. Products include chocolate drinks, wheels, and bars. Flavors range from coffee, to cinnamon, dark, and spicy.

I got a delicious juice from Mother Juice that has watermelon, cucumber, celery, and ginger. They also sell salads, rice bowls, and energy balls.

Q's nuts sold salty and sweet nuts.

We picked up these "Spiker's shrubs" that are multi-purpose. They can be used as a salad dressing marinade, or in a mixed drink. Flavors like pineapple, ginger, mango, and proved interesting enough for us to give it a try. 

The cookbook exchange - take a cookbook, leave a cookbook.

We also took home some organ wheat-based frozen raviolis from Nella pasta! I took home to corn & carmelized onion ravioli to eat at school. My mother and I bought the goat cheese, basil & roasted red pepper raviolis to eat some time this week. Being self-sufficient for my meals at school have given me a new love for frozen pasta. I trust that this frozen meal won't be full of sodium.

Appleton Farms from Ipswich, MA had a map of the local cheese farms in MA! Oh look, there's even one on Martha's Vineyard!

I have a special place in my heart for Asiago.

The BPM even has a place for plant-lovers!

We ate a vietnamese-inspired lunch from Bon Me. It consisted of BBQ pork, carrots, greens, and rice noodles.

Hopper's Alley is an aisle of local IPAs.

Do you have anything like this near you?

If you don't already know, I'm working towards my B.S. in Public Relations. Communications is very strategic, practical, and planned out. These characteristics lend themselves towards a lot of goal-setting. Goal setting is not just vital in the corporate world, however.

Goal setting and preparation is vital in our personal lives and goals as well. In PR class, we are taught a special special acronym that helps us set goals: SMART.  These guidelines can be very useful when it comes to setting new year's resolutions as well. 

Specific

Clearly define your objective when stating your goals. Do not be vague. For example, instead of "be more healthy", say "I will replace one meat or carb with a vegetable for two meals a day". These are what we all tactics in the PR world.

Measurable

This is how you keep yourself accountable. If you say you're going to go for a run four days a week, if you've only gone on two in seven days, you're not meeting your goal. Measure your progress. Id you're behind, it's motivation to catch up. If you're ahead, it's motivation to set a higher goal. 

Actionable

Actionable means that your goal is clear, doable, and can be done in a set amount of time. Set mini goals to achieve the big goal by the end of the year.

Realistic

This is the same idea as actionable. Dream big, but set small goals to work up to the big dream. Be realistic. 

Time-based

Be not only specific on your goals but also with your time limits. Make your goals time-centered and stick to them. Obviously don't give up if you don't make the time limit. Do, however, try to stick to the time as much as you can. If you can't re-evalaute and make the time limit more reasonable. 

Happy goal setting!

I always do a nice resolve to "love yourself this year" post around New Years. Click here to read my post from 2013, click here to read my post from 2014, and click here to read my post from 2015. I just feel like giving yourself a resolution is a reason to push your real problems deeper down. Health may be a deeper problem, and, in that case, seek a dietician or personal trainer. I think going to the gym is great, and is something we shouldn't have to resolve our selves to do. You can give yourself a resolution to be happier, but have the reason behind that be because you love yourself and your body, and want to be healthier to live a long and happier life. But giving ourself numbers on a scale as a label, we are perpetuating a nasty cycle that begins with body shaming and ends in eating disorders. Here are 27 better resolutions than going to the gym this year: