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By kilax, January 31, 2012 11:22 am

Below are the results of the blog survey I put out last week (I left it open for one week and it is now closed).

I had 28 respondents. I had 207 subscribers in Google Reader, so that is a 13% response rate. Pretty typical of a survey?

Do you like filling surveys out? 

I actually do, and always fill them out at work, and most of the ones emailed to me (except for that stupid Runner’s World one about energy efficient cars).

Anyway. Here are the results to the mandatory questions. 

Do you read ilaxSTUDIO through an rss feed aggregator or organically?

Well, since 9 respondents don’t use rss, that means my poll percentage rating just went down even more. Ha ha.

Which of the topics below do you find the most interesting for me to post on?

People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

What is really interesting is that most people voted that they like Health + Fitness the most, which is the category I try to post in the least! I figure the blogosphere is so over saturated with health blogs – what more do I have to add?

Tell me, do you prefer for me to post my commentary on Health + Fitness related news, or do you want to hear about my personal health (weight loss, body image, etc.)?

I was surprised to see Recipes + Food in #2. I was not surprised to see Running + Training in last! That is not really interesting to anyone other than me. 

Which of the topics below do you find the least interesting for me to post on?

People may select more than one checkbox, so percentages may add up to more than 100%.

Fashion + Beauty got the most votes, followed by Memes (no surprise – they are fun to fill out but boring to read/hard to comment on, case in point, the 11 Things Meme that is still making its rounds) and Recipes + Food. I was surprised Recipes + Food got a high rating followed by a low rating. I do think reading recipes is boring. 

Which is more boring for you guys – the recipes, or talking about food products and restaurants?

I was surprised Running + Training did not get more votes here! I definitely agree that Memes can be boring to read, so I will continue to limit those. 

Should I continue to ask the Friday Question?

Do you like having a weekly summary of my training posts, or would you prefer to see them more spread out (throughout the week)? 

20 people said continue a weekly summary and 8 people said make them more spread out. I am not sure if I will do a post for each workout – I am not that creative of a writer. But maybe I will mention my workouts more. 

Should I continue to do giveaways?

How do you feel about the amount of photos on the blog?

How often do you like me to post?

One a day got 17 votes, more than once a day, 3, and a few times a week 8. So almost 30% of you think I am posting too often? I have a feeling it will slow down soon, as a result of my work-related stress. Ironically, this is my second post of the day…

Do you care what time of day I post?

2 people preferred morning, everyone else didn’t care. I will continue to post when I get up for work (between 4:00 am and 4:30) everyday if I can.

As for the non-required, form comments, I did get a few answers there too!

What topics would you like me to write about more (include anything I don’t write about now that you would like me to write about in the future)?

• My history. Running. 
• Posts like the one about how people present themselves on the internet. 
• All the movies I watch, including a movie rating system.
• Why I became vegan, what I eat to fill the “protein void.” (quotes mine, not theirs, ha ha)
• How Steven and I met, favorite places in Chicago.
• More Data.

Would you guys be interested in reading about my opinion on movies? Be honest!

Which topics would you like me to write about less?

• Food
• Running/Training/Health/Fashion
• Running

Most people who responded had a disclaimer that said they just skip the posts they are not interested in. I do that too. So no worries.

Any other thoughts you’d like to share?

This section was filled with blog love and compliments. Thanks, you guys!!!

After reading all of these results, I kind of wish I would have asked about blog post length. Do super long blog posts (like this one, ha ha) turn you off? Do you read them all? They sure turn me off!

Alright, here is a summary of all my follow-up questions for you guys. Thanks for participating!!!

1. Do you like filling surveys out?
2. Tell me, do you prefer for me to post my commentary on Health + Fitness related news, or do you want to hear about my personal health (weight loss, body image, etc.)?
3. Which is more boring for you guys – the recipes, or talking about food products and restaurants?
4. Would you guys be interested in reading about my opinion on movies? Be honest!
5. Do super long blog posts turn you off? Do you read them all?

Comments (14)

By kilax, January 31, 2012 4:24 am

Awhile ago, Erin sent me this article “Meatless in the Midwest: A Tale of Survival” that bashes Kansas City (and the Midwest) for not being a more vegetarian-friendly. I think the article is pretty far off. Sure, Kansas City is not the vegetarian Mecca of the world, but why does this author think he will find vegetarian food at a steakhouse? Or in the middle of nowhere in the Midwest? I love this quote from the article:

…it is important to not forget that hunger is the price a picky eater must be willing to pay without becoming insufferable

Listen to your own advice much? The author complains that there are only two fully vegetarian restaurants in Kansas City. Um… that doesn’t mean you can’t go somewhere that serves meat and figure out what you can eat there. I mean, come on, we practically only eat out when we go to Kansas City, and it’s not in those two fully vegetarian restaurants every time. In fact, I had not even heard of one of them before (more on that below)!

Later on in the article, the author recommends checking out websites in advance for options (duh), going to a Chinese restaurant (more veg-friendly options?), and bringing your own food to eat before or after (duh). That’s all obvious to me. Of course, I am not from NYC (like the author) – where there is a higher per capita of vegetarian restaurants. But what did he expect?

While it is totally awesome to go to a restaurant and know I can order anything off of the menu, I am realistic. I know that is rarely going to be the case. I try to avoid restaurants I know won’t have anything close to a vegan option. But hey, sometimes you can’t. Get over it. 

Back to that quote – which I do love – do you know anyone who is extremely picky about food and is a martyr about it? 

I have to admit I have had my whiny baby moments. But I am getting better… right, Steven?

Alright, I kind of got off on a tangent on that silly article. I just meant to mention that I am happy Erin sent the article to me, because we were in Kansas City last weekend and went to the vegan restaurant listed in the article – Füd – and absolutely loved it!

We went with our two friends Amy and Adam, and got a nacho appetizer: (!!!)

And our own plates, which we all tried a bit of. I had macaroni and cheese, Steven had a fish filet, Adam had bbq pork and Amy had a chalupa.

What was cool is that they used very different meat substitutes that I had not even heard of! The “meat” on top of my macaroni is some sort of fruit! Who knew?! I loved it and want to go back. And try everything on the menu. 

Comments (73)

By kilax, January 30, 2012 1:44 pm

Please read this knowing that I am physically fine.

When I was walking back to my office today from lunch, a car hit (tapped) me in the crosswalk. It’s kind of hard to explain what happened – I am downtown, so it’s mostly one way streets. The street I was walking south on to get back to my office goes north, and the cross street goes west. Not sure if this information matters or not. My thoughts are all jumbled right now!

One car turned left (west) in front of me in the crosswalk, because he had time/space, and the car behind him went too, assuming the crosswalk was empty? I guess?

All I know is I was walking through the crosswalk (I had the walk sign – I rarely jaywalk) and this car turned around the corner headed straight for me and I thought “I am going to get hit by a car.”

It was such a scary thought to have.

He hit his brakes, tapped my left knee, pushing me a bit to the right, and I ended up throwing my lunch bag on his hood (my water bottle went rolling down the street). I went after my bottle, then back to the car, sure he was going to take off. He actually rolled his window down and said “I am so sorry – I didn’t see you there.”

Then I cursed at him, because I am classy like that, “Well thanks for not fu*cking killing me.”

Then I walked back to my office. Another pedestrian asked if I was fine. I am. Just so shaken up. Rapid heart beat, sweating, shaking. Fun fun fun.

I came back and told my coworkers and got checked out from the nurse to make sure I was fine. I am. I am just so freaking emotional right now, apparently, I could not handle this. I started crying right away. I called Steven and told him I was fine, then what happened. Ugh. I feel like such a baby and like I should have done something different. I feel like I should have punched that guy in the face. I wish a traffic cop would have been there to give him a ticket.

At least I am fine though. I mean, I have to run tonight!

Comments (12)

By kilax, January 30, 2012 4:29 am

Soy Curls! What are those?

They’re a new vegan product Steven recently added to FakeMeats.com!

Soy Curls only have one ingredient – whole soybeans – and are all natural. 

The idea is that you can substitute these in your favorite meat recipes. We decided to make a fajita mix with them!

The first thing you do is soak them in water for 10 minutes. 

Then you drain the water, season them and add to your recipe (then cook according to the recipe)!

Super simple! For the fajitas, we used the Chik-Style Seasoning (also available on FakeMeats.com, from the same manufacturer, and all natural), and Steven added taco seasoning too. 

Yum yum yum.

They turned out really good. We were both like “Holy crap, how can these be so good?!”

The chewy, pull-apart-with-your-teeth texture reminded me of Gardein products. Only a lot cheaper – under $3.50 for the 8 servings in a bag. And they don’t have to be refrigerated (but that will extend their freshness, if you do). I have a feeling we are going to be using these Soy Curls a lot. 

Since Steven has been running FakeMeats.com, it’s really given us the opportunity to try a lot of fun vegan (and vegetarian, for him) products. I love how adventurous he is in trying new things, and how many cool products there are out there!

How often do you try to cook with new products, or new to you foods? Do you stroll around the grocery store looking for new items like we do?

Comments (14)

By kilax, January 29, 2012 5:22 am

Day 827 | January 23, 2011: 5 m run (easy)

Would you rather run in the dark:

• on the snow-covered streets? or
• on clear streets but with 30 mph winds?

Distance: 5.0 | Start Temp: 30° | End Temp: 30° | Time: 42:50 | Avg Pace: 8:34

Day 828 | January 24, 2011: cross

I went to cardio kickboxing and used it to work out the day’s frustrations again! I started to feel pretty drained during the middle of the class and wasn’t kicking as high as the start of class.

Day 829 | January 25, 2011: 5 m run (easy) + strength

I think I was still tired from kickboxing when I got up before work to run 5 miles. But at least the sidewalks were clear! Well, mostly. My headlamp warned me about the huge ice patches. 

Distance: 5.0 | Start Temp: 20° | End Temp: 20° | Time: 45:54 | Avg Pace: 9:11

At strength class in the evening, we did a kettleball + step workout. Which happens to = torture. I was wiped. Good wiped. 

Day 830 | January 26, 2011: 5 m run (easy) + strength

I was surprised by how warm it was for this run I did before work – 32°F! In January! I was also surprised to see another runner – since we’ve gotten snow I haven’t seen many in my neighborhood. 

I also saw another type of runner when I first started my run – a deer! He was running through someones yard. It was kind of creepy, since it was still dark out, and it took me awhile to register what I was seeing. 

Distance: 5.0 | Start Temp: 32° | End Temp: 32° | Time: 47:49 | Avg Pace: 9:33

During my lunch break, Brian came over and we did a workout with weighted sticks (not bars, but shorter) and the bench.  The weighted sticks made me feel like a ninja. A tired ninja!

Day 831 | January 27, 2011: 8 m run

I ran 8 hilly miles in Kansas City with my BiL, Andrew. We basically chatted it up the whole time. I love running with Andrew! Except for those damn hills. I don’t blame him for them. Too much, anyway. Ha! Who am I kidding? Andrew, I blame you for everything. 

Distance: 8.0 | Start Temp: 33° | End Temp: 37° | Time: 1:24:27 | Avg Pace: 10:33

Day 832 | January 28, 2011: 5 m run (easy)

On Saturday I was also lucky enough to have a running partner – my friend Laura, who drove a really long distance to come run with me. We ran on the same trail that I ran on with Andrew the day before. We ran at dawn and saw about 9 deer cross the trail in front of us. So neat!

After our run we ate breakfast at HyVee – then our chat session was quickly over! We never have enough time together. Laura is such a sweetie. I want to spend a whole day hanging out with her!

I see a lot of visits to Kansas City in my future, especially since my sister wants to move there! I know I will have more time with Laura… hopefully sooner rather than later!

Distance: 5.0 | Start Temp: 26° | End Temp: 26° | Time: 48:01 | Avg Pace: 9:36

Day 833 | January 29, 2011: rest

Week Summary: 28.0 miles

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By kilax, January 28, 2012 5:51 am

Last time I traveled I packed an overabundance of workout clothes. This time, it’s all about an overabundance of purple.

Oops?

I am going to make a wild guess that I like wearing the color purple.

This is where I would ask you guys if there is a color you wear more often than others, or what your packing methodology is, but since I have already written posts about both, I will skip it. Geez, I feel like I am really running out of material!

Oh! Here is something to ask that I really do need help with – how do you keep your things organized while you travel?

When I am in a hotel room, it’s really easy to keep my things organized because I have so much space. But when I stay in someones  homes, I feel like my things explode all over… and it makes me crazy having my stuff everywhere! I usually wear two outfits a day (exercise + street clothes) when I travel, so I just have so much extra clothes. And all the other stuff that comes along with being a runner. 

Do I just need to take the time to repack my suitcase each time I use it, to keep the mess contained? Or should I stack things up around it (like I started to in the picture above)? Or should I just shove everything back in it?

Also… how am I going to fit all of this stuff I bought at HyVee in to my suitcase?! Damn you HyVee and your awesome food selection!!!

Comments (43)

By kilax, January 27, 2012 11:45 am

Warning: this post is about body image. Please don’t read it if you find these discussions triggering.

Also, I am NOT fishing for compliments here – just sharing my thoughts and hoping to hear yours.

I like to think that I have a great relationship with my body. In fact, I sometimes think it’s too great – too lax. All of these years that I have been up and down in weight (and I mean, drastically up and down) I have been really easy on myself. I didn’t worry about my weight too much. I wasn’t too embarrassed. I was annoyed when clothes were tight, but I still went out in my swimming suit. I even posed for pictures!

Lately I have been trying to eat healthy and keep working out. I want to get to a healthy weight and stay there. This is a lot different than my “whatever” attitude of before! I hope it sticks. 

Anyway, Brian had new shirts designed for his Business (Essential Fitness Now) and gave us all one during our Wednesday strength class. We all posed for pictures, and I was really looking forward to seeing them. I have lost a bit of weight and was feeling slim and thought I might look nice. 

GRC friend, Bobbi, GRC friend and me

I was so shocked when I saw the picture and all I thought was “My legs are so big compared to everyone else’s!” and “I look like I have a belly roll!”

What. The. Hell. Where did these thoughts come from? I have NEVER compared myself to other people in this unhealthy way before. Sure, I have said “I look nothing like my sister – she is taller and slimmer than me,” but I never had thoughts like this that made me feel bad. My best friend is a lot slimmer than me, and I have a ton of pictures of us together, but I have never thought anything of it. It just is what it is. 

I was SHOCKED that I had these thoughts, and really ashamed of myself. And ashamed that they were upsetting me. That is so so lame. 

I thought about it more, and it kind of feels like making excuses, but I have such a different body type than the people in the picture. I am larger and more muscular. I will never bee teeny tiny. And I don’t want to be!

But why did I have these thoughts? Why now? This is really kind of bugging me.

Do you struggle with comparing your image to other people’s?

And what is even more stupid is that these ladies are so cool and supportive and not competitive or judgmental about weight at all. It’s such a great environment to be in. Before class, they were even telling me how nice I look. So what is my deal?! I hate that those thoughts were in my head. 

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By kilax, January 27, 2012 5:45 am

Do you have close relationships with any of your neighbors? Do you know any of their names?

In MWF Seeking BFF there is a statistic quoted that 28% of Americans know none of their neighbors by name. Honestly, I am surprised the percentage is not higher. We were close to a family in our neighborhood, but they moved to Albuquerque a few years ago. I was pretty bummed. We did a lot together. The husband and I would even run and race together!

 We haven’t developed relationships with anyone else, to date. More often than not, I am knocking on their door to ask them to turn their music down, not to give them a plate of cookies.

We have actually had many neighbor issues, but I try not to write about that stuff here. It just makes me even angrier.

I had to fill out some security forms at work and I was supposed to write down the name of a neighbor who knows me well. I had no one to write down. So they had me list the name of our neighbors who moved. That made me feel kind of lame.

I am wondering if anyone else is in the same situation as me?

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By kilax, January 26, 2012 5:34 am

• I started writing a blog post this weekend and was looking through some older posts of mine to reference.  I ended up finding this post from December 2010 saying “I see blogs posts of people attending wonderful holiday parties with their close friends, and I sometimes I think ‘I wish I had a wonderful holiday party to attend with close friends.’ “Geez, if that doesn’t support the social comparison theory I mentioned in this post, I don’t know what does. My, how things change in a year. 
• Related, I wanted to point out this study which says that seeing happy pictures of other people on Facebook makes you sad. Two interesting quotes from the article:

Facebook photos generally depict smiling, cheerful people having good times, conveying a sense of happiness. Of course everyone likes to smile for the camera, so that good cheer may be inflated or false. As others view the photos, they may believe this conveyed sense of  intense happiness is real, making them think that their friends are much happier than they are.

The study, which was published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, also found that people who spent less time socializing with friends in cyberspace and more time socializing with them in real life were less likely to report they were  unhappy.

• I stopped writing the blog post I mentioned in the first bullet, because as I was searching my archives, I realized that I was almost completely rewriting a post from the past. Has that happened to anyone else? You start writing something, think “Gee, this seems familiar…” to have it turn out that you have almost written the same thing earlier?
• I mentioned the other day that I have a really good memory for things that people have said to me. That’s true. But I seem to have no capacity for retaining actual useful information (things I learned in school, trivia, facts, blog posts I have already written, you get the idea). Are you better at remembering factual data, or people-related information?  (<– for lack of a better definition)
• Kelly was kind enough the other day to explain Pinterest to me. I was really not getting it. You all talk about how cool it is, and you could waste days on there, and I am the QUEEN of wasting time on the internet, but I just couldn’t figure it out. I guess I will give it another try. Who else is digging Pinterest? 
• I find it ironic that an announcement about my work position was made back in December and there has been no update about it. Ironic because I am so pushy, anxious and an instant gratification sort of gal – so making an announcement to someone before I know anything about it would be totally something I would do. A taste of my own medicine, I suppose.
• Thanks to everyone who is filling out the blog survey! There is a lot of great feedback on there. I kind of wish I could see who is saying what. I would like to know who wrote that the read my blog “Because I think Kim is super hot.” Ha ha. Do you guys want me to do a post talking about the results?

The winner of the RelaxReflect Giveaway is #18, Leah. Leah, please email me your mailing address (kilax@ilaxstudio.com) along with your choice of skull cap (material, style and color) and I will get the order in for you!

Thanks for participating!

Comments (31)

By kilax, January 25, 2012 4:38 am

Or both?

I feel like I am getting buried at work, and the more I do to dig a hole out for myself, the more I get piled on. It doesn’t seem to matter if I come in early, work on the weekends, or stay late – I can’t get caught up.

I feel stressed. I’ve been talking to my favorite coworker about it, my close friends, and of course, Steven. There is nothing I can do but go through tasks one by one. So I do. And I try not to spaz. In the long run, this all won’t matter. It’s just hard not to get worked up about it when I am in the moment. 

When I finally got a chance to look at google reader yesterday, I saw this article titled “When Stress is Good For You.” How appropriate! The article goes over what physically happens in our bodies when we are stressed.

The body has a standard reaction when it faces a task where performance really matters to goals or well-being: The sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands pump stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol, into the bloodstream. Heartbeat and breathing speed up, and muscles tense.

How you react to that determines whether stress is harmful or helpful:

• If your blood vessels constrict, your blood pressure will rise, and may feel dizzy as your heart beats irratically (HARMFUL).
• If your blood vessels dilate, blood flow to the brain increases and you feel a surge of energy, similar to getting pumped when you work out (HELPFUL).

You know, I never thought of the physiological aspects of stress. I always just thought of my mental panic. I didn’t think that stress could actually be good for me. This article suggests that you can have some control over whether you feel harmful or helpful stress, by practicing thinking positively, deep breathing, meditating, and regulating your mental and physical states. You know, all those things you know you are supposed to do but forget about in the heat of the moment. 

The article even mentioned that:

Many workplace wellness programs have also begun coaching people to hit “the optimal performance zone”—with enough stress “to be stimulating, to focus you, to challenge you” without taking a physical toll.

Well, that sure sounds nice!

I keep bringing this up over and over (work stress), but it is my way of dealing with it. I hope I have a reason to quit talking about it soon.

Do you most often feel helpful or harmful stress?

Do you perform well when you stressed?