MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY

Start making commitments to yourself!

We all make commitments to our friends, boyfriends, husbands, kids, jobs, and god knows what else but what about YOU!?!

I sit back and do the same. I get caught up in pleasing others, stop what I am doing for myself to do something more for my husband, my doggies, friends, family and I sit back and wonder what is missing sometimes. What is missing is ME! My love for music, working out, cooking, sprouting, reading learning and dancing! Putting others before yourself is ok sometimes, but is never ok if this is the life you lead!

Take charge of YOU first and the rest will follow....

HONG KONG FUN

I may be obsessed with Hong Kong, but how can you blame me! Great food, amazing culture, so much to explore and learn! I could explore for years and still not experience all of it. 

Gorgeous Light Show, shown every night at 8 PM through the window of a restaurant in Kowloon called Aqua. I enjoyed a glass of red wine while watching this delightful show :)

This was interesting to me and I had never encountered it before. Its basically edamame, ginger, seaweed and onion. It is used in this culture as a starter to your meal. 

Sweet and sour fish with cashews and watercress. VERY spicy, yet appetizing. I love how spicy Chinese food is! Spices such as red chill peppers are great for the metabolism and help balance out all that sauce.

Shredded beef with shallots and onions. I focused mostly on the shallots and onions on this dish as I had my mushrooms coming and I wanted to try everything on the table and not waste my calories on fatty beef!

Braised tofu with Chinese mushrooms. The health benefits of mushrooms are endless, so I always try to incorporate some type of fungus into my dinner! The tofu was lightly breaded which I usually avoid but I will say it was quite tasty :) I got the sauce on the side as I asked the chef to go light on cooking oils, I guess that is light lol

My pupils are so LARGE so I look like an alien haha

Loubitons, Louis Vuitton and my favorite red dress! Out for day shopping throughout Hong Kong! Walking in heel is quite difficult, but I have noticed a nice defining shape in my calves because of it!

Loving the streets! Tons of walking and fashion! People love to dress up here and its fun to put on my nice dresses during the day.

Thinly sliced Beef capriccio, with tomatoes and arugula. I added the tomatoes to this dish because the Vitamin C in the tomatoes helps carry the Iron from the beef into my system. Connecting all of your foods to increase the vitamin consumption is key! Sometimes people crave certain foods or feel tired all the time due to lack of vitamins and minerals. The best way to receive all these vitamins and minerals is through food. Supplements are ok too just not always the best way. 

View from our room at the W! Writing away and getting inspired by the fast-paced lifestyle.

Just thought I would prove to you all how amazing the shopping was :)

I reached out to you my Stars and wanted to know what you thought was the healthiest choice out of these 3 options!

Shrimp Chips- 1 cup=104 calories, although relatively low in calories, fried, dried and salted is never a good choice

Spicy Wasabi Peas- Packed with protein, iron and not a high level of fat these were the best choice out of the three choices. Although they had some salt, they were so spicy I could barely eat them!

Shredded Nuts- A very tasty treat just very high in salt and they were so roasted with who knows what!

Tons more where this came from but back on schedule bringing you a lovely Motivational Monday to start off your week!

FITNESS IN HK

I am LOVING the lifestyle here in HONG KONG. People walk EVERYWHERE! LITERALLY! It is so much more efficient to just walk or take a subway than it is to drive because of how overcrowded it is here. I have been really indulging in the culture and learning the way of the Asian woman because they are all so small like myself. I am 5'1 and built very petite. The way someone of my size eats and exercises is much different than your average bear :) Asian women typically are of my stature and it is interesting to see how they eat and incorporate fitness into their everyday lives. People here literally walk everywhere! I tried turning on my pedometer today but it shut off and I forgot to check it :( 

I took this picture to show you how many people walk around here! Just look up the hill :)

Wherever I am not sure if its just me, but I enjoy finding myself in a new gym. New equipment, faces, exercises classes, trainers, routines the whole bit! I love it. I went to California Fitness Wan Chai while staying at The Fleming and Sweat at the W in Kowloon. This trip was great for me because I ran to the gym, headed to a foam roller and stretched and than would continue on with my normal routine. I had many trainers and fit club members come up to me and ask me about the different floor exercises and stretches I was doing. It felt great teaching others about my routines and explaining to people why I was moving to different machines every 10 or so minutes. I guess people here like to stick to one machine! I hate doing that, not only is is BORING, my calves may start to cramp or worse my leg might just stop moving. I love the change up and get to jump rope, run, use the elliptical and the stairs and work all different parts of my legs but still get that cardio blast. I do love a good TABATA of course but its always nice to change up your routine!

HONG KONG PART 3

I am loving this culture! Tons of vegetables with spices! You can't go wrong with spices and vegetables! I have been loading up on my veggies and I can tell you its not very hard out here to get my 5 recommended servings of vegetables and fruits! With all that I am walking, I know I will look perfect for my wedding day!

My handsome hubby and I at Cafe Grey at the JW Marriott! My hubby got me my first Herve Leger dress which I had wanted for FOREVER! I just wanted to reach my goal weight and body fat percentage before I got it!

A delicious Iced Tea with mint leaves and spiced with ginger! I love the Asian culture, you rarely need sugar with all the flavors from spices!

Gorgeous lunch at the W pool! Cajun spiced grilled chicken with spring greens and sliced carrots! They look like huge bacon strips but an organic carrot! Dressing was a olive oiled balsamic vinaigrette! I always get my dressing on the side just in case! I like to control my food not let it control me.

Instead of a welcome cocktail, I had some green Jasmine tea to give me a bit of a boost around my 4 PM slow down!

My gorgeous new dress! Reward yourself with clothes not food or dessert! If you completed your goals go and grab yourself some new shoes or clothes! Way better than a piece of cake I promise :)

Headed down to a gorgeous Chinese dinner :)

HONG KONG PART 2

Here are some more pictures of my fun trip to Hong Kong :)

Really fun night market. This place reminded me of Downtown LA Fashion District but instead of Holly Dogs they had Spicy Crab.

Traditional start to a Chinese Meal, peanuts and spicy cucumbers. I couldn't help myself and indulged in some salty roasted peanuts but made sure to keep those cucumbers near by to curb my hunger before dinner arrived.

Fried rice, vegetables and cashew beef. I focused mostly on the vegetables, had a taste of the fried rice and had a few pieces of beef. Its ok to indulge! I just made sure to fill up on those veggies which were deliciously spiced with garlic!

Had a great time checking out the gyms around Hong Kong. Here are my feet at California Fit Club! I enjoyed there various machines, more later on this adventure.

I needed help on deciding what to eat for lunch yesterday! Thanks for all of your responses! 

Star Systemz Skinny Star Tip: ALWAYS ask! A la Carte will work out the best. All of those choices were very unhealthy. If I had to I would have gone with the burger, no cheese, no bun and vegetables as the side dish besides fries. Never fret, Always ask! Remember you are at a restaurant and they are there to service you. See whats on the menu and see how you can use the same ingredients but mixed in a heather version.

My hubby and I enjoying the views from a night bar. I enjoyed some tea as I had already indulged in two glasses of wine, Peking duck and sauteed veggies :) I wish I could show you all pictures but we were at a very exclusive club, The China Club Restaurant, where photos were not aloud! But hopefully I will have more to show you as time passes!

HONG KONG EATING FUN

Hong Kong lifestyle is very interesting! Everyone here is super fit and you rarely see any unhealthy, obese people. I have been watching what a customary meal is in this culture and it is very surprising! Tons of noodles and pastries. I have never walked around so much in my life. I can not remember a time I had blisters on my feet wearing flats all day! I wish I knew how many miles I walked just out of curiosity but I can tell you I don't feel guilty indulging in an extra glass of wine at dinner time! Here are some of my eats so far...

Special blue ginger tea! Tea is VERY popular in the asian culture and it really has been helping my cravings for soda and other beverages because the teas are so flavorful! I don't even need to add honey to sweeten it! Ginger also supports a healthy immune system which is vital since I just traveled in a germ filled plane.

Delicious tomato broth vegetable soup filled with carrots, zucchini, bok choy, mushrooms and chard. The broth reminded me of tomato sauce so I felt as if I were eating a veggie pizza! Of course I skipped the roll in the corner :)

My finance enjoyed a delicious burger and fries with ketchup!

Contest winner Jessica Rosholom knew to well what I would eat! 

The shopping in Hong Kong is like NOTHING you have ever seen! Better than New York, so I have heard. Here I am in Prada while my fiancé is buying shoes I decided to try on some sunglasses!

A 3 story Louis Vuitton! 

My fiancé bought these shoes with me at Louis! I am so glad because my Loubitons could not walk these streets!

Fun city lights and very tall buildings!

Pinot Grigio at a local pub! I of course did my Star Systemz Skinny Star trick! This drink total was 105 calories not bad!

View from the Ferry!

Lunch at BLT steakhouse! Instead of overloading on calories at the Brunch Buffet I decided to order off the A La Carte menu! 

My gorgeous Tuna Tartare! The fats in the tuna and the avocado will provide me with the long term energy I need to keep up with the fast paced lifestyle of Hong Kong.

More pictures soon! I just have to say this: No excuses! I am in an AMAZING city and instead of taking taxis everywhere I am walking and enjoying the people watching, views and window shopping. I am making smart choices at every restaurant but of course enjoying my fair share in wine and treats. Its called moderation! 

TRAVEL TIPS-HONG KONG EDITION

Traveling is ruthless on your health, well of course if you make it! I have learned along the way some important tips to staying beautiful and staying healthy when traveling. I just landed in Hong Kong yesterday after 23 hours of flying! My fiancé and I are exhausted but so excited to spend time in another continent and see a lifestyle that is so different than anything either of us has ever experienced!

A few important tips in this video I made in the hotel room once we arrived :) Don't laugh to hard, its the FIRST video I have ever made. I plan to make a ton while I am out here so follow me on youtube, FACEBOOK or Twitter @starsystemz

Some quick tips for you:
1. MOISTURIZE
-The plane circulation is very drying to your skin. I always bring chapstick, eye moisturizer, hand moisturizer, and face/neck moisturizer. Go into Sephora or any department store and ask for samples. Most of the time they are travel sized and will fit beautifully in your carry on!

2. BRING HEALTHY SNACKS
-DO NOT expect the airport or plane snacks to be healthy, they rarely ever are even when they provide you with nuts most of the time they are salted and roasted. I brought some fruit, lara bars (vegan) and raw vegetable sticks. This kept me munching and away from the fun snacks the airline provided.

3. Drink TONS of water!
-This will keep you hydrated and healthy. Being on a plane with a ton of germs and other diseases without any ventilation is not good for your health. The least you can do is stay hydrated. Alcohol looks nice on a flight but unless you really need it, alcohol will just dry you out. Drink water and see how you feel after that!

4. ALWAYS DRESS NICE yet COMFORTABLE
-Showing up to the airport in your pajamas is so not cool. I am so over seeing girls look like slobs its not cute. I'm not saying to wear your tightest dress and highest heels just jeans and a nice t-shirt will do just fine. I promise you, people will treat you with respect and who knows who you might meet!

Jeans, cute tank, blazer and comfy wedges

I hope everyone enjoyed an amazing Easter and had lots of chocolate!