Excuse my French here, but where the hell did January go? Wasn’t it just New Years? I can’t believe how fast this year is already going. [Not fast enough when I’m stuck in a cast…but fast none the less]. Although I’m really excited for what February has to offer, I don’t think I’m ready either! So for now, until I’m all caught up on my internet journal, I’ll happily pretend it’s still January, at least for now.

Day 28-29: Establish a budget [and share it with Elliot!]

Apparently, we are in some sort of “recession” here in America. However, after just one shopping day with me, you will leave thinking our economy has never been in better shape. I’ll be the first to admit I have a problem, but I’m the last one who will do anything to fix it. I like love spending money, so much in fact, I never have any left. Which is where Bank of Elliot comes in to save me. Well, after a particular serious shopping binge, Bank of Elliot shut its doors, and politely demanded I pay back my loans. [Which were pretty high, I hate to admit.] So the CEO of bank of E sat me down and forced me to outline a real budget, one I could stick to that actually fit into the kind of life I want to live. [Who wants to be a recluse just to pinch a few pennies?] Well, this wasn’t easyand it took a solid two days for us to get something I could follow, but the result is great, and actually realistic. It’s sad when my bills equal half of my monthly salary, though! So what does this budget look like? See the pretty, fancy pie chart below!

Pie charts are incredibly helpful to me because I need that visual component, otherwise, it’s really just a bunch of numbers [and we all know how bad I am with math!] Although this will fluctuate a bit [if I travel, etc] it should stay fairly consistent month to month.

If you are trying to make a realistic budget and need some external guidance, visit these sites for some ways to create a healthy, realistic plan that sticks! What’s the point of making a budget if you aren’t actually going to abide by it! NO ONE wants or needs to be in more debt these days!

http://financialplan.about.com/od/budgetingyourmoney/ht/createbudget.htm

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/money101/lesson2/

https://www.wellsfargo.com/student/money/budget

Day 30: Outlaw the elevator and take the stairs!

Although many of us don’t need to climb 60 flights of winding stairs everyday, taking the stairs can still be a rather daunting task, especially on your morning commute. Why exert all of your energy on the climb up when you can just hop in the elevator, press a button and be there in 60 seconds flat? Well, simple. you can count it as a workout! To put it in perspective, the average man will use about 150 calories in 10 minutes of stair climbing or about the amount used in a 20 minute brisk walk! Another great thing about the stairs is that they are EVERYWHERE. Really, everywhere, but rarely are they thought of as an actual place to start your workout. So next time you are thinking of the elevator, take the stairs! Stair climbing burns as many calories as moderate jogging, but gives you a better burn because of the vertical component. [you can burn upwards of 500 calories an hour!] So today, waltz right pass that elevator to the stairwell and climb your way to a better body! Trust me, after just a week of climbing up the Dupont stairs, my ass already feels tighter!

Sure beats a treadmill!

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Claire

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Tags:budget, easy workout, fast and easy way to burn calories, free workout, money, quick workout, realistic budget, recession, stair climbing, stairs

Days 27: I'm catching up!

02.01.10

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I’m almost caught up with my blog, yes! [Which I was this close to being caught up in life!]

Day 27: Start eating breakfast

Eating in the morning is something I used to do everyday, regardless, in college. No matter how late/busy/hung over I was, I ate. And you know what the outcome of it was? More energy all day, stronger attention span, more alert…oh, and I was 15 pounds lighter. So why on earth did i stop? Truthfully, I haven’t a clue. it could be due to the fact my life was a bit in chaos for a few months, either way, I just haven’t jumped back on the breakfast bandwagon. Which is not only bad for my waistline, but bad for my brain as well. Studies show that not only is breakfast linked to a healthy bodyweight, but is linked to improved memory skills, better test grades and work performance, and a higher attendance rate for children and adults! If that isn’t enough to get anyone to eat a bowl of Wheaties in the morning, studies show that breakfast eaters are more likely to meet their nutrient intake recommendations than those who skip the morning meal.

Not all breakfast is created equal though. If you think eating a donut and having a latte counts towards the benefit of breakfast, you are very mistaken. Having a donut, a bowl of sugary cereal or a bagel/muffin is just about as bad as no breakfast at all. These high calorie, high fat, and high sugar foods give you a fake sense of energy, leaving you more vulnerable to a crash an hour later. Eating these are the equivalent of eating a candy bar and cup of sugar.

So what should you eat to ensure you’re off to a great start? I’ll show you what I’ve started eating, which really has already had a profound impact on my day and mood!

Granola, greek yogurt [or low fat plain] and fruit

Scrambled eggs [doused in ketchup!]

fruit!!

healthy omelette with veggies, light cheese and tomatoes!

Days 23-26: Life has been BUSY!

01.31.10

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I disappeared again, i know. I’m sorry! But trust me, this isn’t the only aspect of my life I’ve been disappearing from. No matter how hard I try, i just can not seem to get a grasp on everything. i have some things nailed down and etched in stone, and then the others are so far from my reach i feel like i might lose them. It’s like they are a balloon I let slip from my fingers that is now soaring just above my reach. It’s so scary knowing you might lose people, relationships and dreams you love because time has worked so hard against you.

But I refuse to let time be my biggest enemy, so instead, i’m going to work with it, in hopes we’ll be running down parallel tracks for a while.

While I was fading in and out of conciousness, I still kept true to my mini-lutions. However, one feat was far too large for just a day, even two, so it was my resolution for days 23, 24 and 25, and it was to find happiness in each day. The 23rd wasn’t a good day. I was upset, sad, regretful, anxious, a mix of every negative emotion. Let me prelude this by saying I have a really great mentor at work who has really been there for me through my roughest hours at the job. Well on that day, she saw in my face just how low someone could feel. So she called me into her office and asked me, point-blank, why I was such a mess. [I should also mention how brutally honest she is]. So I told her what I was feeling, how I couldn’t seem to let it go. She nodded her head in agreement, “i know that feeling, I’ve been there.” Which seemed shocking to me since she was never without a smile. And just like she could read my mind, she responded. “i know i may always seem cherry, but on the inside/ I’m struggling with the same things you are. Somedays, I wake up and wonder how my life would have changed had i not followed the path I’m on. But i don’t have enough energy to fuel thoughts like that, so instead, each day, i think of something to be happy about. It could be good coffee, a laugh or my husband, but I think of that and it gets me through the hard times.” She also said the key to this is to think of something new everyday, then on your way to work, recite it, as well as the days before. [Which is why this resolution is more than a day, i knew I needed a few days worth of happy thoughts to get me through my funk.] So on my way out of her office, I recited in my head that I was happy to have such a great confidant at work. And the 24th, I was happy for my morning cup of coffee and bitch session w/ my friend (as well as my confidant) and the 25th I was happy for not having to drive in DC traffic. Well, those happy thoughts didn’t eradicate my sour mood, but they boosted it and they’ve kind of become a routine now =) [Like today, I’m happy to have a cozy home that shields me from the insane snow outside].

my poor doggy!

Day 26: Workout, even w/ a broken arm! I’ve become the little engine that can’t, due to my slight injury. Which is incredibly pathetic when I think about. I’m preventing myself from working out all because I have a slight fracture in my left elbow. This whole defeatist attitude has also allowed for a few extra lbs around my waistline, gross. Although I can’t run, I can do weights on my legs and sit ups, which hurt like he**, since its been longer than I’d hoped since my last workout. But until my arm is fully heeled and I can run, swim, and do body pump, my squats and crunches will have to suffice! I need these abs by june!