P90x Chest & Back

Today's schedule called for Chest & Back!

My favorite thing at the moment because I want to sculpt my back! Its freakin' hard but its worth it. Shoulders & arms were hard when I began, looking forward to making this my b!tch!

I was watching this last night:

Jamie Eason is awesome and she is a great motivation.  Anyway, its very informational and if you have 14 minutes to spare, watch it. Some things that stuck with me was:

• simple carbs after working out
• no high endurance [or whatever word she used] cardio

I like how she said that simple carbs post workout acts like a broom to sweep all the whey protein to the muscles.  The high endurance cardio, or whatever term she used, kinda scared me because I love running and I'm doing a lot of high mileage running. I'm upping my lean protein intake and be strict on my BCAAs as well. I hope it will help. I'm going to try to talk to her about it. I love how she is personable and a lot of people I've contacted have answered. I'm still looking for personal recommendations, but I have a feeling she knows what she is doing. 

In honor of post workout simple carbs, I had my first slice of white bread it what seems like years. Its probably years!

I also posted on FB [deleted it off FB, I'm kinda scared of posting too much workout stuff there, I link this blog on occasion, but not as often, because I don't want people to think I'm the fit & food police. I'm not, I just love to share life, & this happens to be a big part of mine right now] & Twitter about understanding why guys & girls who workout do it without a shirt. Haha. I was told that some reasons were a)it helps you be aware of what muscles you are working out [which is true, I was wearing a long sleeve and it got too hot. I workout from home, so I'm okay with being shirtless. A gym is another story] and b)it shows proper form which helps avoid injuries. It just cracks me up because I was like  "Shirtless? For a leg workout? You're just making up excuses!" Haha. But no really, the little ego boost, even if its just you in the house, can get you through the last 5 reps, or 20 minutes of a workout. 

You also notice the subtle differences. I'm not sure if I'm imagining things, but damn. Abs 2012 is going to be a fun one. I really want to make it happen, and it will happen! I'm not sure if the Tonalin CLA is helping. I'm sure it is. I didn't do ab ripper today but I'll do it tonight to hopefully knock me out. I haven't been sleeping well. I slept between 11:30-12 last night and woke up at 3:30, tried to go back to bed, knocked out for an hour and woke up at 7:30. Its just all bad. Probably not helping my recovery.

I'm also doing a "30 Day Challenge," which really is more for habit forming than just 30 days then back to same old, that someone on Tumblr [I'm not as active on Tumblr, I'll link it when I fix it up, meanwhile, if you have the smarts, you can find me there!] is hosting! Its going to be so much fun and should only help me!!! Whee!!!

Anyway, I also ran yesterday. Following the schedule, was half a mile short but I ran after work and was starving. I skipped 2 meals and I still had to grocery shop. So 3 miles as opposed to the 3.5 it called for. Its all good tho. I've been running 4 miles, so its okay.

As for grocery shopping:

Four bellpeppers, thinly sliced chicken breast, oranges [for the house, I hardly eat fruits, except berries] berries, cherry tomatoes, whole wheat pasta [learning to carb up for reals, not just 2 slices of Ezekiel bread on high carb days], rice crackers, gum, a salad [I was hungry!], greek yogurt, tomato sauce, & almonds. The almonds I already divided to 19 pieces each, roughly 100 calories each. I love almonds. This should last me a week because apparently my parents are changing their eating habits too [yey!] and while this would last me a couple of weeks, sharing is caring. 

Time to go get cleaned up and go to work, after work, its work on design comps [I'm a free lance graphic designer as well]. Life is beautiful!

Have a strong day everyone!!

Updated My Calendar

A lot of people ask "what I do," in terms of losing weight. I guess the weight lost is the most noticeable things about me and what the people I'm around with  notice the most.  They don't really care for my PRs in running and stuff ::cries:: Haha. Its all good, I'll get people hooked into running, I've done it before, I can do it again!

Anyway, I'm always a little bit hesitant to share because it looks crazy in calendar format. Crazy looking things tend to overwhelm people, and I'm one of those people who if I get overwhelmed, I tend to give up. But don't be overwhelmed when you see it.  I also hesitate to share since what works for me, might not work for you. But I like to share because when I started, I was shared to. Not everything that was shared to me worked for me but it gave me somewhere to work from.  And it wasn't just from a place as vast as the internet, it was from someone I know and trusted. So if this gives someone somewhere to start, so be it.

Just reminding you dear reader not to get overwhelmed when you click on the picture to enlarge:

This is just for the tail end of January to February. I can give you access to my full calendar if you ask . Look at the left hand side, but if you can't tell:

• PURPLE = CARB CYCLING
• RED = HALF MARATHON TRAINING
• BLUE = P90x

Green is just the holidays and stuff .  

Please note that all of this is pretty flexible. The only thing I'm going to be strict with is that I get in my work outs and that my nutrition be clean. I'm going to be really flexible with Legs & Back for P90x because I have my long runs on Saturday. Those kind of things, we need to be flexible with. No schedule should be so strict that it drives you crazy. You don't want to get crazier, you just want to get healthier right? 

My schedule is pretty intense because of my goals. I'm carb cycling because I want my metabolism to be on high and I want to kick a plateau- as mentioned. It also works for me because it keeps me accountable to my high carb days because I'm constantly on a low diet that its just not good. I'm also training for a half marathon, Hollywood Half [link on side bar] on April 7, I just now realized that I'm 2 weeks behind. Oops! P90x is to maintain my muscles and I really wanted to stick to the P90x calendar as close as possible. As you can see, I skipped a bunch of non strength training things [Kenpo, Core Synergetics, Yoga, etc.] because of my running schedule [flexibility is on play once again].  I did shuffle it to include Chest, Shoulders, & Tri and Back & Biceps on phase 2 and end of phase 3. 

So yeah, that is my crazy calendar. On top of that I'm going back to school, still free lancing [dedicating a lot of my time here too, take steps towards where you want to be], & working a part time job. It can be done if you want it bad enough. I admit I'm not the busiest person, but honestly, if you want it bad enough, you'll find a way; if not, you'll find an excuse.  

So there you go. That is what I do. If you need help planning your own, as some people have expressed, let me know! We can totally make up a plan [both nutrition & fitness plan] that is geared towards you and your goals. I would love to help you out as long as you're willing to acknowledge that I am in no way a nutritionist or a trainer, not yet anyway, just someone who is passionate and would love to share this part of life with you!  And also acknowledge the fact that I'm still on this journey myself. It feels weird being asked for help when I feel like I still have light years to go.

P90x Shoulders & Arms and Chest & Back

I really need to get some sort of structure. LOLS. I'm just this and that-ing P90x and I'm not sure if its doing more harm than good.

Another double session! It felt good tho.

That carb up helped. Like I said I weigh myself everyday and this past week, and I was up a couple of pounds from my lowest weigh in. But I'm back where I was. I know, I know, its probably all food, but whatever. I'll take what I can. I really shouldn't focus so much on the number on the scale, but I think I want to drop at least 30 more lbs, I'm not its possible without losing muscles, but we shall see.

Of course, what kind of blog entry would this be with out pictures!

Pre-workout sanity.

I was actually kinda tired. I started my work out at 2:30, finished at around 4:20. So almost two hours, It would have been two had I done the stretching part of the chest & back, but I skipped some of it.  Last time I ate before working out was 12, so I was hungry (every 2-3 hours, hunger calls) but I can't work out if I had eaten within the hour, so I intentionally didn't eat.  So of course, after I worked out, I was hungry! This is how happy I was to eat!!! Super happy!!!

But I actually had this too! No quick/simple carbs, I had my whey protein shake, hoping that is enough because I can't find simple carbs in this house, (next workout, I'm getting ensaymada!) which is possibly a good thing?!?!

My pills! Haha. Thats lean turkey breast ground up with brussel  sprouts & tomato sauce! I love it. Its just super clean and its yummy. I seasoned it with Mrs. Dash & some ground up peppers. So its spicy!

Did I ever mention what supplements I'm on?

I think I did, but I added something new today, so if not, here is the list:

• Optimum Nutrition BCAA 1000s [not pictured]
• Optimum Nutrition Whey Protein [not pictured] (Rocky Road)
• jack3d
• Biotin 
• D3 [not pictured]
• Fish Oil
• One A Day Women [I also have GNC Active, I'm just finishing my One  A Day]
• Tonalin CLA

I started on the BCAAs because I want to avoid muscle lost when I start upping mileage for my runs. I maybe just paranoid, or I maybe not, but I worked hard for my muscles and I want to keep them! I'll see if they help, I don't want to be on too many supplements, but so far, I think I'm okay. I'm going to integrate all my workout and run calendars into one tonight, so yeah, running is coming! April can't come any sooner! Oh wait, I have a run on March 11! March 11 can't come any sooner! Anyway, My pre-workout is jack3d, going to buy some C4 (C4 to cycle with jack3d) & something else (maybe a thermogenic burner, [which I want to avoid taking] but I won't take it yet, I just want my shipping to be free- LOLS!) soon, like maybe tomorrow or tonight. 

Anyway, time to work on that calendar! Happy Sunday everyone!

Power Song Saturday! Run- 4 Miles!

I ran again. I wanted to do 8, but I under estimated the heat and didn't bring enough hydration or hydrate prior.  Its HOT. I know, I know, a lot of people are training indoors and I shouldn't be complaining about the heat, but would you believe it if I actually prefer the cold?

I have a playlist on my mp3 player and when a couple of songs come on, its set on random, I like to run to em. One of them is this:

OH YEAH! I'm sure I've mentioned this some where in the blog before, but if EVER there was a song made for HIIT, its this song! Haha. I was pumped when it came on. I was doing HIIT, but really it was just lets get out there and do some cardio and use up those carbs I had last nigh- carbs in the form of fries from Red Robin. All I had was fries and a zombie. I was told to carb up, probably wasn't the carbs they had in mind, but it was yummy.

For those wondering, this is my 2nd power song

Anyway, 4 miles done. I'm taking today to write up my calendar, clean my room, and P90x my arms. I got part of my order from bodybuilding.com. I bough BCAAs and whey protein powder but the whey is in back order so I got my BCAA and in the box was a sample of this:

 Perfect because I knew GNC was giving out samples but the person didn't give me one!!! Do I not look like someone who takes strength training seriously? Don't answer that! Haha! Just kidding. But I'm excited to try that out at night. I just had my post run oatmeal and I'm going to go eat a bit more and be productive.

Its going to be a wonderful day!  I know yours will be just as wonderful too!

Run- 4 Miles

A friend sent me a mix to run to, and this song was on it. Of course, the running version is here. It caught me off guard and it cracked me up. Thanks buddy. 

i ran 4 miles & it felt so good (felt so good)
on 3 hours of sleep i ran four miles
i ran 4 miles & i'll never go back (never go back)
to the not running ways of the past

Haha. Anyway (-;

I really want to go inside there and take pictures while its cold and foggy and gray and empty like that. Its such a  contrast to when its summer and they paint the slides, or do something to it and make it brighter, and there are tents and the lines of people go down the stairs. So empty. I want to go do a photo shoot in an abandoned carnival too. Oh yeah, this is a run blog.

Did a 4 miler with miserable time, but I'm not paying attention to time and pace right now. Just get out there and do something, needed to clear my head and I wanted to run. Its so amazing how hard it is to get out there sometimes, but when you're there, doing your thing you're just like "Dang! This is fun, and I get to do it again tomorrow!" Either that or I'm a dork/riding that endorphin high.

I also stopped/paused a bit to take pictures. I never realized some things in the park where I run. Its pretty cool during this season when things seem so gray.

Of course I would never go in that water to swim, wade, or anything. I run in a park with a man made lake, this is the creek to the side of it. It would be cool if the water in the lake was maintained. The tri I'm eyeing does their swim in a reservoir and it would be cool to train out doors. But alas, its dirty. And its against municipal code.

Its supposedly 66 degrees outside, but as y'all know, I get cold easily and I had to "bundle up," to my standards anyway.

I hate the way I look without glasses but I prefer running with contacts, Its easier for me to zone out in my runs without something slipping off my face every two seconds. That is my purple & yellow Nike Tempos. In honor of Lakers' win last night. And that will be all of my sports politics. Haha. I'm wearing my running tights and using Lunarglides +3. I really like em, plus my Nike+ pod was already in them. That jacket I'm wearing is from Costco out of all the places! It was a Christmas gift from my Dad. Its awesome and dry-wick and my favorite part are the sleeves. Observe:

Thumb holes! 

Mitten covers!

Isn't it awesome?! For someone who gets cold its a must. It keeps me warm too, its compression as well. It has a cord management "system" so that I can stow my mp3 player in the pocket and the cord runs through the inside and has some loops the run them to the back of the neck. I have no problems putting my mp3 player and phone in the pockets, it doesn't bounce up and down. It also has "vents" in the back. I sweat easily so the vents help keep my back feeling fresh. That bump on my wrist is my Nike+ GPS Sportswatch. I don't like how it slides up and down my arm when I run. I don't like it sitting on my wrist bone and I hate it too tight. But I love my watch. I love my jacket. I love everything.

Anyway, have a strong day everyone! I'm going to eat and nap because um, I had 3 hours of sleep.

Then probably a P90x session at night. This plateau is to be climbed out of!

P90x Chest & Back

I really am not a fan of chest & back, but I'm loving it.  I like having a sore back, as weird as that sounds. Its muscles I haven't really focused on before. I'm also hoping it will help me out with this dress*:

I buy dresses for motivation.

It looks like it fits fine, but its zippered in the back and it only zips up 2/3s of the way. Damn you boobs or "back fat," which ever one it is! I'm glad it fits well in the arms considering my arms were my problems before. I'm also glad it zips up at all considering that is a large, in juniors sizes! JUNIORS size! Haha. Okay that may not mean a lot for most people, but to me that means a lot. I know, I know, sizing differs from brand to brand, but the fact that its a)juniors sizing and b)a large, not an extra large, is like a minor victory for me. I was always insecure when I was younger & was actually wearing juniors sizes and relegated myself to wear over sized pants, tee, & hoodies. Nothing is wrong with that, but I'm actually like the trends right now. I love lace. Okay, this is my fitness blog, not my fashion/personal. I shall stop. Oh wait, if you look at my left leg (the actual left in the picture) you'll see that dark "line" on my shin.  Its actually a giant bruise. I walked into the dishwasher door while it was down twice yesterday. It was a big bump that I iced down and now its bruising like crazy. Haha.

Oh, lets also ignore my legs. I'm not dirty, its just my phone. I know it looks like I waded through mud, but I didn't. My power calves tho? Well, they carry me on my runs, can't hate on what works for you!

Physically, all those push ups make me want to puke!!! I can feel it in my back tho, which I really want to start sculpting. I should really form or follow the P90x schedule -____- Hopefully toning my back muscles will help with the whole zip up thing for the dress and the running will help lean me out and just drop more fat! It was a mentally hard workout. I'm trying not to think about things too much so I don't stress out cuz we all know stress leads to increased cortisol levels, which doesn't help at all. Anyway, I don't want to think that out here, I like to keep this blog positive.  Mental struggles are part of life, and I love to keep things real, now is just not a good time.

Moving on....

I "gained" a pound today. But last night at around 9:20, I had this,

No regrets! It was my "cheat" day.  I had a salad chicken breast, spicy corn & steamed veggies from El Pollo! I actually cooked for the family last night, but I don't eat pork. Its just a preference. Pork is a good meat, after not eating it for a long time, it just has that weird porky taste to me. So I went out and bought my own food.

As far as other things, today was just a thinking day. I ordered more ON Whey protein and BCAAs from bodybuilding.com and I'm looking at C4 to cycle with jack3d because jack3d has been giving me some strong withdrawals. Maybe that is why I've been so thinky lately? I also don't want to get used to jack3d, I love it so much.  So right now looking at different pre-workouts and if I can't kick this 170-175 plateau in a month or two, I'm going on Oxy Elite Pro. I say a month or two because that is when I start training for my next half marathon and the increased cardio will for sure help out.

I'm also going to up my carb intake because I have a feeling, and I've been told that its most likely true, that the reason I've plateaued for such a long time is because my body is clinging on to fat because I'm always low on carbs.  Even when I'm carb cycling, my high days usually consists of 2 slices of Ezekiel bread, which I believe is already low on carbs.

I love this whole work out thing. Its a lot of finding what works and what doesn't, and it keeps me busy and gives me something to look forward too.

*Here is a tip if you're trying to drop weight or just tone up in general. Reward yourself, but not with food. I don't say that with disdain or disgust to people that do reward themselves with food, I still eat the occasional candy bar or ensaymada [sweet brioche bread that is to die for] here and there. Its not a reward tho, its something I learned to work into my calorie intake. For example, post-workout, have an ensaymada! Quick energy. I bought this dress to reward and motivate myself. It almost fits and its just motivation for me to work to make it fit. The occasional indulgence is good, but it should never be a "reward." Some "rewards" can be dresses, jeans, massages, etc.  I know a lot of people who workout then reward themselves with food and wonder why there isn't anything happening.  You can workout, then eat a #1 from a fast food joint and meet your calorie intake for the day. Add that to the other meals you are eating and you've got your reason right there.

Just remember that FOOD = FUEL. I have to remember that as someone who actually needs to eat more carbs. I don't want to, but I have to. I also have to remember that as someone who needs to drop weight. So its just something that is true going in either direction.

P90x Shoulders & Arms and Chest & Back + Random Musings

Today was another double day with some intense Tahitian drills. I'm not sure what hurts more, P90x or my cheeks from smiling while doing the Tahitian drills. My quads hurt as well, but that is too be expected.

Since I do so much P90x, I'll just really be random about this entry, everyone needs the random once in a while, especially with such a big entry below.

That was pre-workout. I tend to take webcam pictures as progress shots. Be thankful I don't post all of them. I have alot!  I knew I was going to do the double session. I thought I was going to have a hard time getting started but it was actually fine. I was looking forward to it and I needed the endorphins and was looking forward to clearing my head.

One thing I realized is that I have the same reaction when I'm pushing through pain while I'm running and when I'm "struggling" to complete the last few reps.  I tend to cuss myself out for "getting myself into these situations," and then I push through it and keep on going. Its like I don't stop running when the pain comes, I keep on running till the pain stops.  There comes a point on my runs where it hurts more to stop than to keep on going. Same thing when I lift.

Also I noticed that I don't really like my arms. Maybe that is why I keep on working them out.

post workout

I think I have short t-rex arms. My legs are long, but my arms. Oh man. I'm thankful they are perfectly functioning and I'm sure they are fine. One thing I'm loving about weight training is the way my body composition [more muscles, less fat] is changing. Leaning out makes me seem taller or longer. But my arms, I want my arms to look longer at least. I don't think they will physically get longer, but at least longer. I'm not a fan of my t-rex arms, but I am thankful for them and I'll do what I can with them. I love my arms, lets just be clear. T-rex or not, they are loved, and I will devote that much attention to them because I love them that much.

Like I mentioned I did Tahitian drills which really work out your core & legs [quads!]. I was sweating buckets but it sure was fun. I need to look for my pareo so I can dress up too. As you can tell, I'm a pretty random person, Tahitian, P90x, t-rex. Its the endorphins speaking.

That is pretty much it. Looking forward to another week of working out and taking steps to get where I want to be. I need to double check my calendar but I'm pretty sure that half-marathon training starts next month & I'm super excited for it.

PS. I weigh myself everyday and I'm pretty sure I'm almost breaking that plateau. Will probably need this week to do it, and I will do it!

Lesson #1- EAT!

I just got a question in regards to eating & working out. Its funny because out of everything relating to fitness [including strength training & running] EATING is what I struggle with the most. Let me put my usual disclaimer, I'm not a nutritionist and what we need will vary from what our goals are & what we do.  When strength training is my focus, I up my lean protein by a lot. I don't eat a lot of carbs to begin with but when my focus is running and I'm running a lot, I up my carbs.  Its really a learning process and finding what works for you and what doesn't.

HOWEVER, it doesn't mean that there are things that generally apply to all of us.

Even before I go to Lesson #1, let me state a fact, DIET is not an evil four letter word. Its just a four letter word. You don't go on a diet, you already are on a diet. It maybe a good one or a bad one but you're already on one. Simply put, your diet is what you eat. So take away the negative things associate with the word diet. Because if you think its a bad thing, you're never going to want to stick with it.

Now that we got that out of the way...

Lesson #1- EAT!!!!

A lot of people, me included, didn't get this part for a while. But if you're exercising/working out to loose weight and cut back on your intake, sounds logical that you'll drop weight, and you will.  But pretty soon, you're going to plateau. Why? Because your body is only interested in one thing, TO SURVIVE.  Once your body learns your routine, its going to adapt to it.  Your body doesn't care how much you weigh, its just interested in surviving.  So if you don't get enough, enough being at least your BMR [basal metabolic rate] which is typically is 1200 for women & 1800 for men- its actually a lot higher than that, in real life, your body will fight to survive.

How will it fight? By storing fat.

This is how it might go down between you and your body:

you: I'm going to start running and lifting weights! I want to drop some pounds!
body: What is going on? I feel the burn! I feel the burn! This hurts, but it feels good!
you:  Oh man! I want to drop pounds faster! I'll cut back on my eating.
body: This physical activity is good for me! Wohoo! But wait a minute? I need some fuel. Whats going on here? Fuel? Where you at?
you: I think I'll skip breakfast. Maybe have an orange for dinner too.
body: OH NO YOU DIDN'T! Wheres my fuel? I'm not sure when I'll get a full tank next so I'll save whatever I can!

How does the body save fuel or energy?

In the form of fat. Which is what you're trying to get rid off right?

So EAT!!! Like I said before, and my friends will vouch for this, I was probably the worst eater in the world. I called myself a lazy eater. And I was.  Part of it stemmed from the fact that I didn't want to get any bigger, and my mentality was "I got this way because I ate so much." Part of it was because I was just pure lazy.  But now, I'm constantly eating. Every 2 hours, 3 hours max, you'll find me eating. Its crazy, but I wouldn't be doing it if didn't work. By eating smaller more frequent meals, you're also always revving your metabolism.  For me, I learned to manipulate my metabolism so that it will do some of the work for me. By always having it on high, I'm always burning. If you treat it right [eat right, build muscles. get proper rest, etc.] you can manipulate your body into doing a lot of the work for you (-; I've noticed a big shift in my metabolism, and a lot of it really comes from how and what I eat.

STOP HERE! I forgot to mention something as well!  DRINK WATER!!! DRINK WATER!!! If you're peeing every 20 minutes or so, you're doing it right. Okay maybe not 20 minutes, but if you find yourself peeing a lot, you're doing it right. Stay hydrated. For zero calories, water cleanses your system, keeps your body running, & keeps your metabolism going! Drink green tea too! Coffee as well! I learned to drink the tea and coffee without sweeteners to keep them at zero calories and just because I like bitter things. But yeah! This is something I had to learn too, drink a lot of water!!!

How much should I be eating?


Now that you're willing to eat, you gotta know how much you should be eating.  To find that out, you have to know your BMR. Basal metabolic rate, which in simple terms is how much calories your body will use up just to survive. If you were to lie in bed all day, and stay alive, that is how much your body will use. 1200 calories a day for women and 1800 calories a day for men is a good baseline to go with, but those aren't magic numbers. For a more precise number, go use this calculator at my favorite website to read, bodybuilding.com

Anyway, here is mine:

What do those numbers mean?. If you want an almost exact number, go get a heart rate monitor and wear it and do nothing. Anyway, this means that I should be consuming at least 2087 calories per day.  To me personally that number is super high, I'm used to 1500 calories a day. But guess what keeps on happening to me? I'm always not always but often plateauing- I'm on one right now or I'm tired.

Anyway, lets say I do eat that much a day. Lets take my 2087 calories per day and break that down.

Like I said, I'll eat every 2-3 hours, that translates to roughly 5-6 small meals a day.  For the sake of ease, lets do 2000 calories a day at 5 meals at 400 calories each. That is a pretty high "allowance" for food per meal! 400 calories is A-LOT if you change your mindset. Most people hear "meal" and think "#1 meal!" That #1 is probably 1500 calories with a truckload of sodium.

Since I don't follow that meal plan, yet [I'm re-evaluating my meals at the moment] I'll describe to you my typical intake.  I don't like counting calories that much, nor am I strict with it. I just eat clean and eat enough. I still have my cheat meals and I don't deprive myself of those! But for the most part, you're going to find that I'm a creature of habit. If it works, I'll stick with it till it stops working or I get tired of it.

Cat's Day In Food

Breakfast- 400-600 calories.  I know not all of us are breakfast people, I wasn't, but never skip breakfast.  You just woke up your body needs fuel. Don't skip it. I personally devote a lot of my calories during breakfast for a couple of reasons. I usually do a fasted workout, I workout right when I get up [or really an hour after I wake up] on an empty stomach.  So I devote a big part of my daily intake to breakfast because I want my body well fed after my workout.

• oatmeal [the normal ones or steel cut, not instant or quick oats]

• 5 egg white omelet with spinach & cheese

• greek yogurt [non fat 0%]

• rice cracker with all natural peanut butter or Nutella, or both, so good! don't over do it with the pb or nutella, less than a teaspoon of each is fine.

• Ezekiel toast with cheese [I love the laughing Cow wedges!]

I'll usually eat one of the first two with one of the last three with my whey protein shake. If I'm still hungry, I'll eat one of the first two with two of the last three. It really depends. But I don't mind eating a lot for breakfast.  

Snack- 100-200 calories. I'll usually have a rice cracker with some peanut butter or a Balance Bar. I love those things.  

Peanut Butter or Chocolate Almond or Smores!

Lunch- 300-500 calories. Lunch is tricky for me. It really depends on what I'm doing that day, but here are some things I might have for lunch.

• 200 calorie salad from the grocery store. Its pre-portioned and its good. 

• Tuna on Ezekiel toast or with carrot sticks. Tuna salad: tuna, greek yogurt, & curry powder. Its so good. Or instead of curry, Mrs. Dash seasoning. I like the Fiesta Lime, pick what you want. 

• Spinach with Cat's Sauce Boss [its what I write on the tape on the tupperware!] I make a big batch of sauce in the beginning of the week. Its pretty much jarred organic spaghetti sauce [always watch the sodium on these] with lean ground turkey breast and Mrs. Dash Seasoning. It lasts me about a meal a day and is about 100 calories a serving. 

• Orowheat Sandwich Thins toasted with cheese & Cat's Sauce Boss 

"Sloppy Joe" with Spinach & Rice Cracker with all Natural PB

• the ever present greek yogurt

• rice crackers

Snack- 100-200 calories. I try not to have more than 1 Balance Bar a day. Another snack idea is greek yogurt [I love yogurt, can you tell] with cinnamon & Bear Naked Granola- the protein one.  

Dinner- See Lunch (;

Cat's Sauce Boss with Spaghetti Squash

Like I said, I keep it really simple.  I'm not a nutritionist and by no means do I claim that what I eat will work for you, but its what works for me. I have people who see that and really think its not enough, and I have people who say its okay.  Like I said, I'm re-evaluating because I'm currently finding myself in a plateau, I can't break out of that 175 pounds. I know the scale isn't the end all be all to measuring health. My body composition is changing and I'm gaining muscle, but I know that I have fat to drop so I do expect the number on the scale to change.  I'm still putting in the work working out so I know I need to dial in nutrition to see change. Ideally, I would love to be at 130, but supposedly (and I'm starting to see why) that isn't at all healthy for my height, I'm 5'6.5" and my body composition, the way I carry my weight. I'm already a size 10 at this weight, and my goal was a size 8, so I'm thinking if I'm at  130-120 [120 was my original goal, wtf was I thinking] I'm going to be not muscle skinny. I want my muscles I worked hard for them. As I go on this journey tho, the more I'm convinced its not about the pounds on the scale, but the pounds I can lift! Heck yes lets get stronger! Haha! The numbers will just be the numbers, my health, my strength, those things will be the determining factor (-;

Anyway, that is my typical day in food. I'm not starving and you guys don't have too.

With all that said, the whole point of Lesson #1 is this:  You shouldn't starve yourself. 

Go eat! Eating is a good thing, food is so yummy and the occasional burger or pizza [I'm craving The Habit real bad right now] is NOT a bad thing. The occasional "cheat" meal will also prevent your body from getting used to clean eating.

Pretty awesome cheat meal! 

I still manage to fit all of these into my life <3 <3 <3

Now that we've established the fact on why you need to eat, Lesson #2, which I'll save for another blog entry, will just go a little deeper than calories and into macros.


PS. That entry might take a while or I might ask someone else to write it because frankly, it still confuses me sometimes, but I'm not as clueless as I was when I started!

PPS. Yes, I take phone pictures of what I eat! If I can't think of anything to eat, I look through em and pick one!

P90x Shoulders & Arms and Chest & Back

Double session because I could!!!

Riding that post work out endorphin kick with my crazy eyes!!!

CRAZY eyes! Haha!!!

"Eye" love it. I love my post workout blog entries. I'm not sure why. I really keep this blog for me, and if random people find it helpful or encouraging, that is a good thing! I love to share life with other people and I think that is how life is supposed to be lived, shared. Side note: I'm a really open person and I tend to be more open and "thinky" post workout, its the clear headedness!

Anyway, I always say that I'm not fond of and am current struggling with pull ups. I use a chair but its just "bleh" in my head, like is this working?! So I went back to bands. Its like a step back but one thing I learned with working out a)at home and b)with free weights is that you can't sacrifice form. Machines are good, but they do some of the work for you, like stabilization. With free weights, you have to engage your core and pay more attention to form in order to a)have an effective workout and b)not hurt yourself!!! Therefore I have decided to push my ego aside and step down from the chair to the bands. Which really isn't a step down if its going to help me in the long run. With the bands, I actually can pinpoint the muscles in my back that is "working/getting worked" with the chair and my pull up bar, I feel like I'm not targeting those muscles.  Anyway, it is all good, I'll be okay.

Oh yeah, I also don't like push ups. I feel like puking every time I do chest and back, but the important thing is, I'm doing it. I do as much push ups as I can with proper form and take the rest of the allotted time to plank/sphinx plank crunch thing.  Its fun. Its challenging and I get to work my core.

Shoulders and arms are easy peasy now, just fine tuning form and debating if I need to step down to five pound weights with some in order to fix my form. Another ego-kick but I can't look at it that way. Or I can, but it doesn't change the truth that stepping down weights means I'm being safe and I'm fixing my form which only benefits me in the long run.

That is the funny thing about truth, regardless of how we see thing, it still stands true. If you believe something to be false to be true, it doesn't make it any truer. And the endorphin induced "gushy thought" for the day is, the truth is, you are perfectly capable of what you set your mind into! You are also perfect, the way you are as a person. There is nothing wrong with you, with me.  This working out thing just came about as a recognition of the truth, not in order to obtain truth (-;

If that made any sense, props for you.

Anyway, off to eat my quick energy, had my protein shake and now going to eat some sort of carb and load up on lean protein!

Have a strong day!

PS.  In regards to running, I'm still running. I have a bunch of runs I haven't uploaded onto Nike+ and is still on my GPS watch. I'm just paying more attention to P90x because someone advised me to do so before I start training for my half again because once that happens I won't be able to devote as much time to P90x! I'm also keeping in my mind that I want to do a full marathon either Fall of 2012 or early 2013, so I'm thinking that far ahead in terms of running and am looking up running plans for that. I still want to drop at least 20-30 pounds as well. So to the next PS.

PPS. In terms of weight loss, or really fat loss, I want to drop 20-30 more pounds of not muscle. I don't want to loose that. I haven't budged in the scale, but my BMI has been dropping and so have my inches. This is what happened in the beginning as well. Scale didn't budge but my clothes are fitting better.  I'm disappointed about the scale number, but like I said, my disappointment doesn't change the truth! I'm keeping at it. I'll do a blog post on that soon, I'm not that uncomfortable mentioning numbers, but I want to kick this plateau!

PPS. 2 more days! Excited for this.

Pick Yourself Up, Dust Yourself Off and Start All Over Again

Before Aaliyah, there was Sinatra

This isn't a workout song per say but it applies to working out, eating clean, and messing up. And life in general.

If you messed up, ate 3 [at the end of the day, I had six total] cookies [that would be me!] and failed on pull ups [that would be me again!], just pick yourself up, dust yourself off, & start all over again!

It really is about keeping on even during set backs or even when you "fail." Failure means to stop and give up, as the Babe, Ruth that is, said, "It's hard to beat a person who never gives up." and that person would be you.


PS. My core/abs, shoulders & arms, and glutes hurt tho, not excuses just stating that they were in fact put to work yesterday.

P90x Shoulders & Arms

After reading today's results from the 2012 Olympic Trials, I want to go for a long run!

Those guys are crazy fast & I admire their dedication and motivation.  Regardless if they placed or not, to be able to run in the trials itself shows how good they are. The top 3 men & women who placed all ran 26.2  miles under 2 hours and 30 minutes. That is crazy fast. My goal for my half marathon is sub 2:30, that is half the distance they ran!

Anyway, P90x today, I already took jack3d and if its one thing I learned, don't take jack3d & do cardio, or a long run. It messed me up. I finished shoulders & arms and planks and sphinx planks and a bunch of ab workout like ab ripper and my abs are all sort of messed up now, but its all good. It reminds me to eat clean, something I haven't been doing, because that is the only way those puppies, my abs, are going to show! 

I'm so excited for this summer, even if its summer like conditions here, I'm excited for summer. I want to go body boarding and if given the opportunity learn to surf! That would be fun! Its so summer like here our local sports store is offering 20% off practically the entire store [custom bikes I believe are the only things not included] till it snows! I'm thinking of hitting them up, for I'm not sure what, but 20% off is a good deal.

Anyway, I'm off to be productive! Have a great Saturday!

Rocky doesn't quite work with this hoodie (; 

PS. My goal for 2012 is a sub 2:15 half marathon. The same time, but they covered double the distance. Holy fast batman!

RUN ON! Except I don't really do long run in my Frees anymore.

PS. I did do my run today, and I'm super tired now, its almost 12 am the 15th of January, but I'm hungry. Greek yogurt time? Or just sleep it off? I want some cottage cheese for some casein protein.

Lake run. Compression jacket wins! DON'T stop! My post run meal
of sloppy joe with spinach & rice cracker with all natural pb!

Just For Laughs

I eventually would want my CPT Certification and would love a Running Coach Certification as well! This cracks me up to no end (;

Hit & Miss: Food

I feel like I'm always on a constant state of carb cycling. I'm probably messing myself up becuase I'm such on low carbs ALL the time than even on my "high" days, I'm only eating 2 slices of Ezekiel bread. I love love love bread, the reason I maintain distance from carbs is because I know I can over do it. Just give me a loaf of San Francisco sourdough, and I'll be fine.

Anyway, its also been a while since I've had spaghetti. I'm Filipino and we Filipinos are notorious for our sweet spaghetti. Combined with the pasta, all that carbs/starch, its just not a very healthy thing. Its been a while since I've had spaghetti.  Today, I finally had some.

nom nom nom!

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti!

• spaghetti squash, cooked
• jar of organic tomato sauce [no added salt or sugar] 
• fresh mushrooms
• lean ground turkey

1. Prepare spaghetti squash the easy way! Split it length wise (the hot dog way) and place cut side down on a shallow dish with .5-1 inch of water. Microwave for 10-12 minutes, until tender. Time will be determined by the size of your squash. After done, let it sit and cool a little bit. Remove seeds and strands surrounding seeds- don't remove the flesh! Use a fork to scrape out the flesh into the strands. Set aside.
2. Spray a pan with some Pam and brown the lean ground turkey.
3. Pour the jar of sauce into browned turkey.
4. Add mushrooms.
5. Mix with spaghetti squash and enjoy!

That recipe sucked! Haha. its more like guidelines!

Its really easy tho.

I used turkey patties I had in hand already, not lean ground turkey breast.  It added to the calorie count a bit. But its okay. I also used the jarred sauce because it was simpler than making my own. It also was tasty and no added sugar and salt meant it wasn't that bad for you. It was 60 calories per serving (1/4 a cup) and the jar had six. The mushrooms were left overs I wanted to use. I'm sure you can add bell peppers and any other vegetables you wanted. 

As for the nutrition information: squash vs. pasta (1 cup serving)! Calories 42 vs. 221. Carbohydrates: 10g vs. 42g. With the way I made it, I approximate it to be 150 calories a serving.  Which is a generous estimate. But yeah. 

Its good. I like it and now I have enough sauce to last me this week. 

A miss tho is this:

I wanted something chocolatey and read somewhere that greek yogurt + cocoa powder + some sweetener is a good dupe for chocolate pudding. I love greek yogurt and I know it has a tang to it, so I was hesitant. I ate this but it wasn't that good. I used Stevia as my sweetener and the tang of yogurt is just not comparable to pudding. I don't mind tho, I still love my yogurt!

Anyway, have an awesome day, or night everyone! 

Eat happily!

Run

I ran today and I have my workout mat ready, debating if I want to get a P90x session or something in. Chest & Back or Legs & Back. Something with my back. I have work early in the morning so I would love to sleep, but I'm thinking I can get at least a 20 minute ab session in before then. Its not even 6PM!!!

The run was more of a walk. I haven't uploaded it on Nike+ since I'm not sure if the website is up yet, but my times were miserable, but I just wanted to get out there.  And out there I got. I went to the park and walking there is about a mile and the loops is 2 miles. I can't believe I used to lap that loop 5 times to get 10 miles in. Thats insane. I must have been really bored. Being out there is just encouraging me to keep my cardio up. I've been loving strength training so much as of late. Maybe that is why I'm super excited for the race on April.

Funny story. I always sprint the last bit home after my runs.  No matter how tired you are, when you race, you run the chute to the finish. Thats just the way it is. No matter how tired you are, just do it. Feed off the energy of the crowd! Anyway, I was about to take the last turn home & I was running with my contacts on and my contacts tend to shift.  About 10 feet away, I saw this blurry looking animal. I was like "OMG. What is that? Thats a big looking thing. Dog or cat? Why is not moving?" I'm not really scared of animals but this thing being blurry and it was just there, I was pretty cautious. So I creep up to it and when things got a little bit clearer I laughed.

It would have been stellar if it was real! Haha. We do have mountain lions that reside near by, I guess this is a bit of a stretch, but it would be cool to see a big cat chilling in the street as long as it wasn't hungry. If it was real, it would have won the race between it and I.

Speaking of races, someone is trying to talk me into doing a half next weekend. Oh man, debating on it, but I'm in no way prepared. It would be an ego blow if I sub slower than my old half, but then again, it would just motivate me because I probably super suck now.

But anyway...

I was talking about supplements & vitamins and I spoke to a couple of people and did some research and I think I'm going to add two things to my supplements & vitamins list: Fish Oil, CLAs, & BCAAs.  Okay, that is 3 things, but yeah. I'm currently just on a daily vitamin, biotin [my hair!], jack3d, & whey protein.  I need to do a bit more research on CLAs [I really wanted to stay off fat burners, might as well go on Oxy Elite Pro- is that mainly CLA based] and also on BCAAs, but I don't want to loose my lean muscles when I start to run. I'm aiming for a full by fall this year! I'm not sure what yet because I have a feeling a lot of life changes are going to happen this year, but thats my goal. If not, beginning of next year for a full. So I'm going to start running like crazy! I've also began doing brick training some time ago, but nothing serious. So we shall see.

P90x Shoulders & Arms + Tahitian + Planks + Sphinx Plank Crunch

Let me just say that I was not motivated at all during this workout.

This is the first time that I worked out this late, I finished at 9:30 and it was a little bit over an hour long.  I woke up this morning not feeling well and my tummy was not cooperating with my body so I said I would work out at night. I was dressed to work out at 6:30, and didn't start till 8.

I was cold and I was just not motivated.

But as they say, you regret the things you don't do more than the things you do end up doing, even if it gets you in trouble.

I didn't expect to get a killer workout this session, but I got all this in:

• P90x Shoulders & arms
• 8 minutes of Tahitian [thighs & abs galore]
• 2 minutes of planks [1 1-minute set 2 30-sec sets]
• 44 Sphinx Plank Crunch

For something that I wasn't so eager to do, I'll take it. I would have taken a half assed P90x session, but it was a really good shoulders & arms session & the rest was just awesome as well. I'm liking ab/core workouts now. I think paying a lot of attention to form in weight lifting and also in Tahitian helps me realize how important the core is. Plus, like I said, 2012 is the year of abs! ABS! I need to lower my BF% #%$&*!!! So frustrated with that, but will get that done or die trying!

I super set the P90x, so my heart rate was pretty high. On my rest I do the planks and the and plank crunch and some cardio whatever.

I know I'm playing it by the ear, which may or maybe not be good, but it is way better than nothing.

Anyway, I'm going to print calendars now and get a schedule going. Debating about doing a half marathon next week. Going to be with very little training since my last half, but thats part of the fun :-) I'm so excited to run Hollywood Half. Like so excited. I have no clue why, theres a big uphill part in the end and I'm looking forward to that!

Onto a picture, because it wouldn't be a cool entry without this cool beanie!

I love my beanie!!!

Love it alot!!!

Unrelated to fitness story, when I was younger, my nickname was Tyine [tea-yin] which lead to Tyine-goy. Which lead to Ungoy, which is Tagalog for MONKEY!!! I love it!

I also bought ear warmers at Daiso, I look so yuck with it but it was only $1.50 and I wouldn't mind getting it dirty and since I'm anemic, I'm always cold [I'm wearing my compression tee when I workout, indoors.] so its useful for me. No picture of that tho, since you know, I look yuck. Haha.

Anyway, I'm also debating about joining a gym. Its only $20 month to month for Bally's, but I believe its every other day access and I can save that $20 and buy a set of PowerBlock. Which makes more sense in the long run. I just love working out from home. However, I'm maxing out my 10 lb weights and supposedly the next one we have is like 25 lbs. Which is weird because no one lifts weights here but me. The free weights I use were my sisters that they don't use. Being able to do it from home = no excuses. The arguments for the gym is that I can take classes, I have access to machines to work out my legs, and cardio equipment.  In the end, I probably won't do it, maybe I have it already made up in my mind that I would rather take that $20 a month and put it else where, I just need to think it out.

Yeah, thats about it. I need to read up on more supplement stuff. I'm almost out of whey protein and jack3d.  I'm thinking about adding creatine and BCAAs, but I need to do A LOT more research. Its a lot of money for supplements.

Have a strong day everyone.

Tomorrow is a run day! I'm charging my watch right now.

Lunch Time!

I'm constantly eating, its kinda scary, but I wouldn't be doing it if it works.

Post workout lunch:

Tuna sandwich composed of 2 slices of Cinnamon Raisin Ezekiel bread [its high carb day for carb cycling] & tuna spread [tuna, greek yogurt, sichimi togarashi (japanese pepper blend) & curry], spinach & tomatoes. With my whey protein shake.

Its my favorite tuna. I normally eat bland foods so I like to make my food spicy without adding too much sodium or fats.  Sichimi togarashi is just peppers & spices. Curry is spices. Greek yogurt is a good replacement for mayo, and its a lot healthier. Ezekiel bread is just my favorite. And its sweet, the cinnamon raisin one, which is good enough for me!

Can't go wrong with sweet!

I'll have more food posts up soon. I know I struggle with eating, I eat clean M-Th. F-Sn, all bets are mostly off. Haha. Need to change that.

Have a strong day everyone!

P90x Chest & Back + Legs + Tahitian Drills + BodySpace

Woke up early! Decide to work on my chest & back, then wanted to do legs and some Tahitian drills!

End blog entry.

Ahhh! My thighs are sore! But what do you expect! Tahitian drills are a killer. I still have an hour left so I'm going to throw my laundry in the wash and do some more Tahitian drills! I forgot how much fun they are and how much they work your core and legs! I just recently got back to it. I'm hoping it will help with my lack of grace in movement. Haha. Just kidding! I'm a very gracious dancer, I'm fluid like water! [Every time I'm on "hyper speak" online/blogging, you can safely assume its the endorphins].

Tahitian drills for those who want:

and also

Did one of each, pretty much the same thing, so I'll probably do two more of the first one! I love dancing!!! Its so much fun! Keeping fit doesn't have to be boring! As a matter of fact, switch it up so you don't get bored. I'm a creature of habit so P90x doesn't get boring for me, but it helps to throw in things like dancing once in a while! Plus it helps on the floor, DANCE FLOOR!

Anyway, its time to measure in, for the first time. Thanks to Beach Body! I'm on BodySpace too, if you're smart, you'll know my user name! Sadly, I don't know my one max rep and all that other stuff. Or my BF% and now [I'm editing this entry] I can't find someone to help me measure. LOLS, but I can measure my wrist? Hahaha.

I look so weird with my baby hair all over the place! Gina, the lady I go to for hair cuts, commented how much "new growth" of hair I have. I'm going to start taking biotin to hopefully help my hair grow thicker & stronger.

Speaking of vitamins, I'm going to put in a big order of whey protein powder [I'm thinking chocolate peanut butter form Optimum Nutrition, but it only comes in 2lbs, I want the 5lbs. I currently have rocky road which I love, so might stick with that] and jack3d and vitamins and other things This means research time. I'm debating going on Oxy Elite Pro, but I think I can do it the "old fashioned way" of diet and exercise. Might be harder since I'm on a new weight level, but gotta do what you gotta do. When I'm on 10% body fat, maybe I'll start taking it. I guess I just want my abs that bad. Because you know, I want my BEACH BODY!

I actually bought a beanie and a swimsuit cover up. Two different things, but I'm looking forward to snowboarding soon, the beanie is HARDCORE! Its so warm and has built in ear warmers and its so cute! And its yellow! The beach cover up is cute too. Okay enough girl speak, if you guys didn't know, I have a life outside of working out, and that includes dressing up. A little bit hooked on fashion as of late. And vain or not, it did correlate with loosing a lot of weight.

Anyway, off to do that laundry and more Tahitian and planks.

I'm going to take this weekend to structure a solid workout plan to get where I want to be!

Have a beautiful day, beautiful!!!

P90x- Shoulders & Arms

Woot! Its good to fall into a routine.

Like my shoulders & arms routine that I love. Tomorrow is chest & back. I'm still on the icky side of things and I'm not pushing my runs, but its okay. I'm giving myself a week, I don't want to get worst before I start training seriously.  As far as strength training, I'm debating joining a gym, but its just membership fees and gas to get there. I know P90x has been so helpful but I'm maxing out on my 10 lb free weights and bands. I guess I can buy more free weights? I have no clue! I want to do Jaime Eason's Live Fit Trainer. I'll look into it more and see if I can modify it to not join a gym because I really don't want to. I know I can get results at home! Save me money! By the way, Jaime Eason is such and inspiration! Super motivating.

I need to buy a calendar, or make one, and set up my schedule. I'm just winging it and I know to see results I need to be a tad more strict.

I mentioned on my twitter that I chopped off my hair, I had a little more than 6 inches cut off and yeah, its still long, but its the shortest it has been in 3 years. Its even tho, don't let the picture fool you! Haha. I'm liking my webcam pictures because it is SO evident how much I've changed physically.  I don't notice it and I get discouraged at times but looking back at "progress" pictures help. And the verbal feedback from people I haven't seen in a while.

I also incorporated this into my planks [I did 4 sets of planks, 3 1-minute planks and 1 30-seconds plank]. I love it.

That was my workout music today, some Nero. Please ignore the shaking, that was my protein shake. But I love X2 Core. Its amazing!

In other news, I really need to step up on my eating habits so I can cut down on my BF%.

If y'all didn't know, my fitness goal for 2012 is abs and a sub 2:00 half marathon. I know what I need to do to get there, and it will be done!  I guess its good that I didn't gain any weight since December 14 considering I went out of town and then came back home just in time for Christmas & New Year. Pretty much non-stop eating. At least I have no new weight to get rid off! ::thumbs up::

Now to just get rid of what I want!

Have a strong day everyone!

PS. I swear running will happen soon! Haha. A strong core = better running form. I miss it so much. I just like running without my watch and I don't feel like its "blog worthy" without some proof. I've also been sick, but I have new running gear I need to test out & review!!! Love it!

Happy 2012!

I'm starting 2012 sick, so yesterday was a rest day. I slept most of the day and today I'll try and get at least a 2 miler, but I'll have to see.

Since a lot of people are going to start running for weight loss new years resolution, here is a video I found that talks about running and weight loss:

It features my favorite ultra runner Josh Cox & Ryan Hall's wife, Sarah! Two favorite runners!

Anyway, for weight loss, I always encourage weight training just because its a little bit more beneficial than just cardio. But running is a great way to use up calories [calories in vrs calories out] and its mostly free if you have the gear.

Anyway, run on my fine friends. Run on.

I'm starting to train for the Hollywood Half this April 7.  Anyone else going to do it? I would love to sub 2:30, sub 2:15 is even better.

I really need to add a lot of speed work. I haven't been training as I should be. I've just been "content" with finishing, its time to step it up for my 3rd half and do some damage to the road (;