Motivating Myself to Keep Exercising

Most days, it is hard to stay motivated. It's easier to grab fast food, sit on the couch and watch a movie than to go to the gym. But easier is not better. I need to constantly remind myself of the benefits of working out and eating right.

One strong motivator: how much I have changed in the past year. Since last March, I have lost nearly 40 pounds. When it takes that long, it can be hard to notice the differences. However, they are clearly evident if I take the time to look at pictures of myself.

Here is me in March, just as I started working out and eating less:

Here is what I look like now:

You can really see the change. Pictures like this keep me motivated to get to the gym and keep running!

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Spareribs, Sauerkraut and Dumplings

For Valentine's Day this year I cooked a dish that reminds me of home like no other. It's a family recipe that my Mom knows by heart and my Dad gets on special holidays. Spareribs, sauerkraut and dumplings: Here's my plate before I started inhaling it. Not everyone likes it. I didn't like it until I was an adult and came across a very similar dish in the Czech Republic. I craved home-cooked food at the time and I instantly became obsessed with the dish. The tricky part about the recipe is that it wasn't really written down. My Grandmother, Anita, wrote a copy for my Mom a long time ago but my Mom has since changed parts to simplify the recipe. This is the recipe that my Mom told me and I adjusted on my own. For the Dumplings: These are the dumpling when they were boiling, as they start to get done, they float to the top of the water. 3 c bread crumbs (about a half of a loaf dried on a tray for a day and broken up in a food process...

A Place to Log My Progress

This blog has just been sitting out here for nearly two years without a new post. So, I thought I would put it to some good use and start logging my progress with some of my new hobbies. This is what I look like nowadays, blue hair and all. What have I been doing? I started jogging. It is very slow going and it hurts like hell. But it will be worth it. I'm painting and drawing. I am not very good but I get better with each attempt. I figure that if I keep it up, I can only improve, right? I want to start writing fiction again. This one is arguably the hardest for me. Even though I am a professional writer and write for a living, it is different for me when it is fiction. I've signed up for an online class to try to get over that hump. Also, I am always watching some horror movies. My goal is to start writing fewer reviews and more substantive content over on my other blog: www.horrormoviemaven.com . Do you have any hobbies you have taken up recent...

Halloween Project 2009: Zombie Box

I love zombie movies. My first date with Brian, I made the poor guy watch Dawn of the Dead and Shaun of the Dead . A while back I saw a photo of a glass case that held a fake shotgun that said "in case of zombies break glass" (click here for my original inspiration). Of course, I wanted one. However, they were a promotional item for a videogame. Plus, the shotguns were fake, not at all useful if zombies actually were going to attack. I tried to see if I could buy one of those fire cases that hold fire extinguishers and fire blankets and just adapt it. Those boxes, it turns out, cost at least a hundred dollars. I decided to take matters into my own hands and build myself an emergency box to prepare for the zombie apocalypse. I bought a frame for a few bucks from a discount store and hand painted the glass: The objects surrounding the glass were part of my "cat deterrence system." Oddly it worked. Livia prefers to sit on my paper projects anyways. I built a...

Put on the Glasses

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