Ramble of the Evening: Showing Gratitude for the Little Things

I apologize if you've come to my blog today expecting some workout pictures and my routine, but lately I've been trying to focus more on the mental stuff rather than the physical stuff.

So my ramble of the evening begins...

Sometimes we're so busy and stressed, we get carried away and forget about the little things. While on campus studying on a Friday night, I went to get myself a latte at the Starbucks. Something as simple as the barista commenting on my make up and saying "I really like you're eyeliner, it's really cute!" easily made my day. It's these little gestures/comments that can make people's days. I know it sure made mine!

I walked away feeling happier and more cheerful, and it made me want to "pass on the good deed" of making someone feel happier/ helping someone out. On my way back to my study area, I bumped into two random strangers would looked puzzled and lost. I kindly approached them, asked where they were heading and if they needed directions, and directed them towards the right direction. The guy left with a big smile on his face and said "Thank you, I really appreciate that".

It kinda makes you think "hey! I'm putting faith back into humanity!", or maybe something like that.

I've also spent some time over the past weekend thinking about the different things I want my future to consist of, in terms of my career and my fitness related issues (personal training, running my blog, starting a business of some sort, etc).

It frustrates me that I want to do so many of those things right now, yet I need to focus my time on school and need to build my way up there. That being said, it only makes me want to work harder to do better, and achieve the many other things I also want to achieve. It's by doing that step, that will allow me to take another step towards my other fitness and business related goals.

So here's to the start of a new semester, of the continuation of motivation, concentration, dedication, and hard work on both my studies and my personal health and fitness levels.

(It's cold in my house hehe)

Cheers!
xoxo

Selina :)

Yogi Tea Quote: Gratitude Journal Entry

Tonight's yogi tea quote writes "May your inner self be happy and secure".

The first thing that came to my mind was inner peace and yoga.
My long time friend Alyssa is a strong believer and advocate for yoga. She occasionally tells me things about yoga, it's benefits, and how it can help build one's body and mind to be stronger. I listened to what she said, but I don't think I 100% fully understood the things she meant until the first day I tried out yoga with her.

Man, that stuff is hard. If you ever thought that yoga seems easy, boy are you wrong. It takes so much focus, energy, balance, and flexibility to accomplish even the simplest moves. Even though we were taking baby steps during our class, I was still sweating up bullets and feeling breathless and falling down throughout. But by the end of the session, when we took a few minutes of time to ourselves to just lay down, and clear our minds, that's when my inner peace kicked in.

I felt so relaxed, so weightless on my shoulders - I almost drifted off into sleep. Through that experience I understood why Alyssa and many others practice yoga. It really does bring inner peace and happiness. And when you have peace and happiness within you, you will slowly feel more secure, confident, and strong.

To wrap things up, tonight I feel gratitude for the many great friends I have in my life. Never under estimate what a simple friendship and the simple things your friends say or do can affect your life. It may not seem important at that moment, but somewhere along the road, you reflect back on what they've said and done, and realize how it's slowly changed your life.

Alyssa has moved away last week to pursue the next chapter of her life, and I'd like to wish her the best of luck in her studies and where-ever yoga and yogi tea takes her next!

Cheers!
xoxo

Selina :)

Yogi Tea: Quote of the Night

Slowly over the last couple weeks, I’ve started to look forward to my cup of Yogi Bedtime tea before bed. With each tea bag comes a little slip of paper attached on the string with a quote. You may have seen me post a few of these on my instagram. 

Tonight’s quote is “Inspiring others toward happiness brings you happiness.” 

I think these little quotes are great. They make me reflect a little bit about the day and something related to the quote. It makes me appreciate things more, and be grateful for many things that I probably take for granted. 

And that’s exactly what I told myself I’d work on in the new years - to be more grateful, thankful, and to try and write these things down and share it with my blog readers. 

I had a really tough day today. It was the first day back to school, and like most people I was definitely not in the groove. I felt tired, sluggish, and nothing close to energetic. I had to study for some exams I have in the next couple weeks, and it hard to get back into the habit of things. I took a break and went out and had a nice steak dinner with my mother, but before that, I was very down, feeling depressed, and snappy at times too. 

But my mom, being the great mother she is, didn’t pout or yell back at me for being snappy. Instead she apologized (even when I was wrong), and just told me to back to focusing on my studying. My mom is the most selfless person I know. Everything she does, she wants the best for me. If I could grow up and learn half her traits and be half the mother she is for my kids, I’m sure my kids would appreciate it too. 

So while I’m sipping on my yogi tea and trying to figure out how to express my gratitude... I thought of this. I am so thankful (yet can never thank my mom enough) to have my mom in my life. She makes so many sacrifices for me, all because she wants the best for me. She supports me 100% in all the things I want to do, but isn’t afraid of telling me her true opinion on things. 

The yogi tea quote also reminded me that everything I’m doing now is to help me reach my goal (personal trainer and nutrition dietitian). Even though studying doesn’t bring me happiness at that moment, when I am able to do what I want to do, I will experience happiness then. And it’s then that I can bring happiness to others too - both mentally and physically! 

So if you’re ever feeling lost, depressed, or confused - sit down and have a cup of tea, and just reflect upon what you’re thankful for <3 

Cheers 

xoxo

Selina :) 

New Year, New Me!

Hello fellow readers!
I'm very very sorry for the lack of updates the past couple weeks - I needed time off to spend with my friends and family, and I also needed time to myself to think about things.

The past few weeks I haven't done much weight lifting, and my diet hasn't been consistent. I felt like I've basically fallen off track. But every time I encounter these "falling off track's", I learn more about myself, what I really want (my goals), and what I need to do to reach those goals.

1. New goals of the year
When I think about what I want to accomplish in 2014, a lot of things run through my mind. After a couple weeks of having time to myself, I've realized that there are many things I would like to change and improve on - in terms of my health, my diet, my lifestyle, and a few things about my own personality traits.
I would like to work on my patience levels, and express my gratitude for many things on by writing it down or sharing it on the web with you guys.
Here's a recap of other NRY I posted last time:

2. Continuing to work hard in school
I am very happy with my results from last semester. It feels so good to know that all the hard work has finally started to pay off. I'm finally getting one step closer to being accepted into my program to become a registered dietitian :D
The holidays have made me kinda lazy, but I'm excited to start school again. School is what keeps me on track! I have a set schedule, I know where I have to be at what time, and I can allocate my other activities such as workout sessions, family dinners, and studying time around class times.

3. I have decided to follow some bodybuilding.com workouts for the next few weeks to kick start the new year workout sessions. I enjoy planning my own workouts, but I feel that I'm lacking some surprise elements in them. Hopefully changing up my workout plans ever so often will keep things exciting for me :)

4. Being more active on my blog
I remember when the school year first started, I had a set day where I would blog once a week. Slowly along the way I started slipping and didn't post on the day I wanted to and it became once every couple weeks. This year, I am going to make it my goal to post my workout routine on my blog EVERY TIME. Since I'm aiming to workout 3 times a week, expect to see a few posts every week ! :)

I'll post some "progress" pics in a couple days to show you guys and myself where I am right now. There probably isn't much progress anymore from all this crazy non-sense holiday eating.

Cheers!
xoxo

Selina :)

The Holidays Are Here!

Aloha! 

First things first, I am done with exams! 

Horray! Fall semester exams are finally over and I feel freeeeee! 

Complications did come up and I'll have to get some exam rearrangement, so hopefully that goes well. 

#2 The holiday seasons are here and I am ready to celebrate! My mom isn't very big on celebrating christmas with decorations and cookies and all the flown blown works, but thankfully this year I will be doing much of that holiday season festive stuff with my boyfriend and his family :) 

It feels like it was only a few months ago before I met this wonderful man - but it's already been a year! He reminds me every morning of how blessed I am to have him, my mom, and all of my wonderful friends. It really makes me reflect upon the many things in my life, and also reminds me to be faithful for everything I have - and not the things I don't have. 

#3 If you're a frequent visitor of my blog, you may or may not have noticed the Vitacost banner on the right hand side there. That is my vitacost link for when I do part of my grocery shopping online. Vitacost delivers all the things you need right to your door with only a few clicks and a simple transaction. My order should be arriving in a matter of a couple days and I am beyond excited to show you guys what I've ordered! 

Lastly, by clicking this link here, you can receive $10 off your first $30 purchase from vitacost. If you live in the United States, there's also free shipping over purchases of $49 (before tax)! 

To get $10 off your first $30 purchase, click here --> https://www.vitacostrewards.com/k4ZWKKi 

Remember to ALSO click my banner link when you are ready to check out! Yo just may find yourself some foodies in your cart! 

I'm looking forward to the holidays, rest, family, friends, but of course also the gym! Can't use the holidays as an excuse to completely throw away the hard things I've worked for! 



Cheers!
xoxo

Selina :) 

School, New Ventures, and Christmas Promotions

Hello fellow readers!

Exams are tough, but the days are slowly going by and the end is near!
I am very stressed, but I'm trying my best to pull through!

I'm very excited for the new year, because I have set a couple new goals / resolutions for myself. New years resolutions used to be very "loosey goosey" for me, and they never stuck. As a matter of fact, not a lot of goals stuck.

But now that my life has changed for the better, I've become a stronger person and I'm looking forward to working towards these goals.

1. I've been very bad with keeping track of my food intake, and I believe that this could be affecting the maximum results I'm seeing from my workouts. 

2. When I first started my fitness journey, I ran almost every day. But once I started picking up the weights and seeing results, I've slowly stopped running. I really want to pick it up again during the new year because I once loved it so much, and also because I want to shed some of this fat to show off the muscle I've built :) 

On a related note:

If you're reading this and you haven't downloaded my ebook yet, you can do so here! It's a short but detailed collection on topics related to health, fitness, and exercise.

So wait no longer - download your copy today!
In favor of the holiday seasons, use the promo code (xmaspromo) to download yours at a discounted price too!

I sincerely think that this is a great resource for individuals who are first starting out in their fitness journey. I have put what I've learned along the way PLUS answering the question that I had when I first started. However, if you have already started your journey (congrats!), there is always room for more! Did I mention that there are also FREE workout routines included in the book? ;) 

Put "Be a healthier, more physically active and fit version of myself" at the very top of your list! Download today! 

3. SAVING MONEY $$$. Probably my biggest concern. With absolutely zero income and countless zero's of expenses, this is starting to take a toll on my bank account. I'm a full time student, but despite living at home, I still try to put in my share for bills and buy my own groceries. I am going to work on SPENDING LESS MONEY on unnecessary things like online shopping (but it's so fun!) and SAVING money by checking the flyers for the grocery deals of the week, ie. a penny pincher and a coupon collector haha. 

There's more that I want to tell you guys, but I must get back to studying now! 

Bundle up if your city is covered in snow! 

Cheers! 

xoxo

Selina :) 

Weekly Update + Online Grocery shopping!

Happy Sunday!
The last few days have been nothing but my face in books and my hands writing away.
I'm sipping on away on my morning coffee as I'm writing this, because it is my obligation to let you guys know what's been going on lately.

1. Made my very first Vitacost purchase.
Vitacost is one of the many amazing websites I will to continue to shop on. It's a US based company, so many of their products can be found around the states. The great thing about this site is: 1. Free delivery within US after spending $49, 2. delivery right to your door, AND 3. not only do they have a great selection(food, supplements, personal hygiene products, home use items, etc), but 4. the prices are MUCH cheaper than retail.

I can't claim that every single item is, but almost 8/10 items I look at seem to be cheaper. That includes them being cheaper than Canadian retail prices too! So if you've never checked it out before, don't wait! www.vitacost.com

NOTE: When you've collected a few items in your shopping cart, come back here and click on this banner below to complete your purchase to receive some goodies from the site/myself! (Please also send me a screenshot of your order conformation along with your mailing address to selinachan.business@gmail.com)


2. Workouts have been a little off because I lose track of time so easily when my head is burrowed in books and I've locked myself in a room >.< I've been trying to eat healthy still, packing oatmeal, lots of fruits and granola bars with me to school while I study.

I've already got a few thoughts about my own new years resolutions stirring around in my head. What's yours? I would love to hear about it!

But other than that, I don't have too much to update.
Enjoy your sunday before it's gone!

Cheers
xoxo

Selina :)