Swim Suit Season!

It is now July! It's officially the hot and summer month.....the month of swim suits! Have I been focusing on my diet enough to feel confident in my bathing suit? Well, no. :S Although, after my last post on the Korean diet I'm feeling pretty confident that my body will be up to my standards in no time!

I bought the P90x exercise dvd set and that's been kicking my butt every morning!! As I skimmed through it to see what it was roughly about, it looked fairly simple and easy. There's some stretching in the beginning, a little jumping jacks here and there, some arm swinging thingies and more. I thought "How hard can this be??" WRONG!! It's pretty intense! It's so intense it can make a grown man cry...........okay....maybe not that extreme...but close! hehe. Anthony even has a hard time keeping up and he's at a 13% body fat ratio. ( I don't even wantto to know mine- maybe like 16 or 17%..*blah!*)

I just started this exercise plan so we'll see after 90 days how everything turns out. :D

In the mean time I was looking up bathing suits online and and seeing what kind of style would best compliment my body style. Nothing beats looking at nice slim Korean girls to get your motivation kicking, huh? haha.

Now, this swim suit here looks really nice! I like how it kind of hides the tummy area if there are no abs to show off..haha. I have one like this in a zebra print. I would post a pic up....but I don't want my readers to get eye-gouched with tramatization. hahaha. ;P *The girl behind the model looks like she's wearing a lingerie version of swim wear. lol*

This swim wear is just kinda weird. The bottom piece looks like something I wear to bed and the top looks like a confused bandana piece.

The black "tape" is not very cute either. Looks like the boobies would flop out any chance they got.

And this.......just looks like a big "NO." Maybe if her breast weren't so big the top would look better, but it's not and it doesn't. I don't know who would wear this? Kinda reminds me of a stripper outfit.... :S Especially with the "pimp" hat tilted to the side.

As conservative as Korean girls/ladies are I wonder how it is at the beach. Do a lot of them wear one-pieces or bikinis? Are they insecure to show off the "goods" or is this their time to shine for the boys? And do they like to tan or keep their beautiful skin looking "milky." I have not had the pleasure of going to the beaches in Korea so if any one has that is reading this please enlighten me. ;D

I like this picture. So cute!! And I love the little hair bun the girls always do! *sigh* One day my hair will be long and I can do this once again.:(

These tops are on my "no" list. The string looks weak like it would undo or snap easily. Plus, they are not to flattering on the top part. I t doesn't give the breasts that "umpf" to them and kinda makes them looks saggy.... But on this model it looks good! *lucky her*

I like them bottom pieces! Very chic and innocent looking. The top however looks like you still left your bra on... :S

I like the frilly look on the bikini top. Sometimes it creates a good illusion and makes the breast look bigger. :D

The classic black bikini. We've all owned one of these sometime in our lives.

Korean Diet

How is it that Korean women look so slim and fit? Well, I believe most of it is being genetically blessed and the other 30% is their diet. Korea's obesity rate is the lowest among other countries. (Guess who's one of the highest? haha) How can I start to follow in these girls' slim & trim waist footsteps? Well, the American diet has to end, that's for sure. Lately I've been doing pretty good and steering away from microwavable foods. (which is highly packed with sodium that causes water retention=bloating and extra water weight) Let's see what needs to done in order to start sliming down-

-Eat less sugar (which is a no brainer.) By less sugar though I don't mean just the sweets. A lot of food products are made out of high fructose syrup....a lot! Everything in my house has it execpt for my rice, kimchi and seaweed. On that note-

-Eat more vegetables. Koreans have vegetables everyday and if not more than twice a day. The panchans served during the meal are always healthy servings of spinach, radish, garlic, and cabbage. This is every mom's dream! *Did you know Kimchi helps aid with digestion? :D*
-Eat more fish! Enough said....but hard to do when you live kinda far from the sea....like the desert! Korea's fish is sooo fresh and prepared daily. Finding "good" fish is a little difficult here especially for me. I hate cooking it ......and scared that I might mess it up or burn it somehow. I usually stick with the frozen mackerel. haha. Not as good as the fresh ones served in Korea's restaurants but it'll do until I get there next year. :D Did I mention I even tried the "tuna diet?" I wouldn't recommend it unless you're allergic to all the other meats and have no other choice. Just after 3 days I couldn't take it anymore! *blaaah* It just doesn't taste as good without the mayonaise.
-Eat small amounts of many types of food. A typical American meal is just the main entree with 1 side. E.g.- spaghetti/bread sticks; Hamburger/fries; Pizza/buffalo wings; Steak/baked potato; pot roast/corn. Koreans have a small amount of rice with- seaweed, egg, kimchi, cucumbers, squid, anchovies, bean sprouts..etc. By having many options you're less likely to over eat. Your brain is "tricked" into thinking that the stomach has had "a lot" of food. Therefor, you feel full faster or atleast satisfied and comfortable enought to quite eating. Ideally, it is best to stop eating when you feel 80% full. (This rule is a hard one for me! I love food too much! Especially if it's a meal I haven't had in f-o-r-e-v-e-r, like samgyupsal!! Mmm...my favorite!)
-Exercise! Yes, it doesn't necessarily have to be excessive exercise but a pretty moderate amount. Walking just 30 minutes a day helps you get the jump start. A little tip I received from a body trainer that I was not aware of. Apparently it takes your body 30 minutes to warm up. In that time it's best to do warm up exercises and weights. After that is done THEN do the cardio. (running, kick-boxing, treadmill..etc) Man! All along for the first 3 months when I went to the gym the cardio machines were my first destination. No wonder I was seeing results quick enough. :(

-Korean walk a lot! Walking or riding a bike is the majority of the Korean lifestyle.
-Eat rice instead of bread. This can be hard at times too! I love tuna sandwhiches, garlic bread, and breakfast biscuits. :P But rice is actually better than the bread, (especially white enriched) for a lot of it is full of sugar. (not all though)

-Last but not least......EAT BREAKFAST! Eating breakfast gives your body the energy needed to start your day. Breakfast also increases your rest metabolism rate earlier in the day, and reduces snacking before lunch. I hear that eating a banana every morning helps lose weight as well.....I've been following that one lately. :D



Between now and next May, I plan on having to lose 10-15 pounds. (Just in time for my Korea trip) I know to some this sounds a lot....but..........I don't care what you think. Hahaha. (Plus, 5-7 pounds is water weight I'm sure) I'll see if my "Korean" diet helps any.....




UPDATE:


I even found a workout video to get things rolling

Wild Shoes

One thing Korea is known for is their fashion. Jeans, shirts, shoes, etc are all so original and different. I can't wait for next year so that way I can build up on my shoe collection! I do have a shoe fettish (along with purses) I have so many pairs that I don't know why I bought them having not even worn them more that twice. T~T

Now that I'm focusing more on saving money (for my big move to Korea) and paying for college I had cut down on my shoe "budget." Now I only buy shoes that I know I'm going to wear atleast 5 or more times throughout the month. I'm learning to be a good girl and control my compulsive spending problem. hahaha. ^-^

Now check out these outrages shoes I found online!! These are some that I wouldn't have to worry about spending my money on!! (being either too outrages or....too expensive...hehe)

I also came across the well-known "Bad Romance" shoes. Lady Gaga wore these Alexander McQueen shoes in her music video. At the time I didn't really care about the shoes....until I watched the video for the second time. I thought to myself, "Yeah, these dragon shoes are actually pretty sexy!"

I admire Lady Gaga for her style and taste. Her music is great and something fresh. We needed a new pop star for a while and our craving (well, atleast mine) was fullfilled. I was hooked since her first song and became a bigger fan once I noticed how outgoing and carefree she was.

The only thing I would note is that she has her ugly and pretty moments. I don't know why she feels like she has to hide behind her face. The thing that annoys me the most is when her bangs are like half way covering her eyes. it's almost as if I flew back into time when I watched the hairy elephant on Sesame Street. lol.


Here's a picture of her on the cover of Elle. She looks stunning. She should make this her "normal" look......but then again Gaga makes sure she goes out of her way to be known as anything but typical and normal. *sigh*
I also came across these Gaga Hello Kitty pictures! OMG, right? Check these out! Talk about wild! I love it! ^-^

Now, speaking of Hello Kitty, look at these Hello Kitty inspired Dr. Marten shoes-

I don't know how I feel about these. I'm kind of leaning towards the ugly side. Maybe if they had HK's face on there it would look better?...... I can still picture girls in Korea wearing them though.. :P

Now, these sneakers would be more like it...I would rather buy this. (too bad I don't care for
tennis shoes/sneakers though. I'm all about wedges and sandals! :P)

Now these next 3 pairs of shoes I would actually wear! Very stylish and chic!

These seem convenient..haha. But they would be alittle hard to wash ever time...

The new style for bridal parties and weddings....

Goat shoes- I Just hope PETA don't find out about these! :S

Haha. These slippers would be perfect for the kids in Korea on Staurdays. Cleaning the school floors would be more fun and easier!

These shoes are kinda sexy....maybe if I was going to a really nice event or wedding?

Gaga Style!!

Pure "nose" ugliness

I can actually picture some people buying these......