P90x Back & Biceps

I think I didn't hydrate well yesterday. I weigh myself right after I wake up, after peeing of course. Today's weight was 2 pounds lower than yesterday. HAHAHA! As much as I would love to drop 2 pounds over night, I'm pretty sure it was mostly water. Haha.

Anyway, back & biceps today. My upper arms are growing. I'm hoping that training for the half marathon, my cardio, will allow for more definition! So excited for summer. That is all I have to say about the results I'm seeing. 

Lets not get ahead of myself here tho. 

First, my ankle is still stupid. With all the random aches, pains, & sprains I've experienced, I'm getting pro at wrapping my body and KT Taping as well! If it didn't cost half a thousand to get certified, I would do it!

I couldn't do the jumping jack for warm ups. I can do hopping jacks, does that count? Funny enough it doesn't hurt as much when I run. It hurts more to put my weight on it on prolonged period of times. So while running, it doesn't hurt. If I'm standing around, it hurts. Any intense jumping will kill it too. So maybe I should just run!

Today is National Pancake Day! In honor of that, and for those that know me, I love pancakes, lets watch my favorite pancake clip:

Post work out meal today was PANCAKES! Or rather, pancake! I only had one! I ran out of eggs so my batter was thick, but its clean pancakes and it was dense. Really dense. I didn't want to water it down too much. I would rather eat one dense pancake than a bunch of pancakes. I'm a lazy eater!

For clean pancakes, it is super simple! Grab a Magic Bullet or a blender, throw in oats [I used half a cup initially, but added too much water and added another 1/4], I used 2 egg whites [that was all I had], cinnamon [you know cinnamon has a great flavor and it is good for your metabolism! Use liberally! I put it on everything!], flax seeds, & water [check for consistency]. Blend it all and then:

Fry! Cook! My batter wasn't so pour-able. I could have watered it down some more, but that was why I had to add more oats, I put too much water. This pancake was dense, but if I had more egg whites, I would have added 4 egg whites.

Regardless of the density, I had a hard time finishing it, it was really filling & dense, it was yummy!!!

I topped it with almond butter which is so, so, so very good. It taste like a snickerdoodle cookie with the almond butter & the cinnamon in the batter. If I wasn't so full, I would make another one! Oh yeah, I'm out of eggs, never mind, I can't. Its time to grocery shop after work. Which is also why you don't see any lean protein in my plate. I'm sad. I want some turkey breast or ground turkey with some seasoning. Some meat. I love meat. 

Alright everyone, have a beautiful & strong pancake day!

P90x Shoulders & Arms, Progress, & Pictures

First order of business, cute socks. 

Now that the world is in order, I shall talk about a few things:

Anyone else does P90x at home?  I really would love to join a gym, its just not financially feasible at the moment, but I keep on thinking my progress would be a lot faster if I join a gym.

But I'm also convinced this just means I should finally just buy this:

Because I'm out training the only free weights I have at home, which is why I haven't seen as much as a progress as I'm used to. I use 10 lb weights and I'm doing a lot of reps, but would love to stay on the 12-15 with the last 3 at a do-able but "struggling" degree of difficulty. The next free weights I have is 20 lbs, and I'm sure that jumping from 10 lb to 20 would result in injury.

Maybe when I get my income tax return. I would rather buy the Powerblock than join a gym. Gym = gas. Does anyone have any opinions on any adjustable sets? Two friends recommended Powerblock independent of each other. I read reviews on Selectech by Bowflex and found that a plastic piece that holds the weight can break! It can break mid use, and hurt you, and render the weight useless. I don't want a weight plate hitting my face!

Anyway, I'm also out of my pre-workout!

Sad face!!! I need to get some more. Do I still need to do a month cycle off? I use this stuff at most 3x a week, one scoop per round. Its jack3d by the way. I love that stuff. I think it won't hurt to cycle off jack3d, but I know if I cycle off a stim, I should cycle off from all its sources. No energy drinks, no coffee, no tea, no soda, which is okay, I don't drink soda.

But anyway, maybe I will. I'll see. I do have credit from bodybuilding.com =] Those awesome folks over there! We had a miscommunication which I totally would understand, and they didn't have to but they credited my account. So sweet of them. I wanted to try the green apple jack3d which is only available at GNC. I walked into GNC and the guy treated me kinda weird. Like "should I be selling this to her?" Weird. I know I look really young, I get mistaken for being 16/17 all the time. I don't think I look that young, but I get it all the time, partially due to the way I act, which isn't immature, but I'm not uptight at all. Anyway, yeah. GNC won't be getting my money. I'm sorry green apple jack3d, but GNC was not nice to me.

I'm also going to the forums at bodybuilding.com to read up on cutting. I don't want to loose muscle mass, which I've stated plenty of times before. But I can tell I'm loosing definition on my arms. I'm sad about that, but I maybe retaining water. I've consumed a good amount of popchips, which has a good amount of sodium! Any advice for cutting without loosing muscles? I know I'm a long way off from where I want to be, but I can tell I'm loosing definition =| I'm not sure what to do, but with you guys by my side, the internet side, I know I'll get a bunch of help (-;

But if you were going to snack on something, it might as well be popchips!

And this is to publicly admit that I failed my clean eating for today. I had popchips :-( I was at the store and needed something to munch and I knew I wasn't going to have "real food" access for at least 3 hours. And it was in a situation where I couldn't "pack" food. The sweet potato popchips are awesome!!! the chili lime was a bit salty for me, but I don't salt my food, ever. So I'm overly sensitive to saltiness.

What was the situation?

I went shopping >.< Unplanned.

No buts, I didn't eat super clean today, but the shopping was a success! I started at a size 16 denim when I started running/weight lifting. I'm now a size 10. I'm still wearing those size 16 jeans so I bought two pairs of size 10 jeans at forever21. Not the best quality jeans, but at $10.50 each, I won't feel bad if I have to buy another pair in a different size. I wanted to be at size 8 initially but I thought at size 8 I would be like at 160? I'm a size 10 at 175, so it makes sense right? I'll see tho. I know I should not look at the scale so much, but I would love to be at 140/150 with a good amount of muscle mass (-;

It was also successful because:

A skirt and a dress form H&M for $8.66!!!

SCORE!

And I guess a progress photo, but I'm wearing a dress, I should find one from when I started to change my mind about health, but that will be on my desktop, I'm on my laptop, Igor:

Alright, have a strong day everyone!

PS. I acknowledge that the last two pots were really not fitness related. H&M does sell work out clothes tho!  The items I bought fit, but not the way I like. Darn you H&M and your super skinny models! You skew the sizes! The skirt was a size 10, the dress 12. Just goes to show that each brand is really different in terms of sizing. Just like the scale, must ignore the sizing. The only size that matters is how big your heart is [cue post workout endorphin mushiness!]. But really, measure yourself and measure your progress by that. Not by a company's standard.

P90x Chest & Back, FAIL!

Maybe not a fail, but I still can't work my left shoulder and I'm not trying to get it injured.

I did maybe 10 minutes of the actual workout and stopped because of the pain. I did squats & lunges instead. A lot of it. Better than nothing right?

What sucks is that I took a pre-workout, 1.5 scoops of jack3d, and I'm all tingly and literally itching to lift, but I can't.

Being smart about injuries is part of working out, so I have to keep that in mind.

Have a strong day everyone!

P90x Shoulders & Arms

I figured I should start inputting my stats so that I can keep track of my improvements.

Stats [Weight (per arm), Reps (if different, 1st/2nd set), Sets]

1. Alternating Shoulder Press
   10#, 20 reps, 2 sets
2. In & Out Bicep Curls
   10, 20,2
3. Two-Arm Tricep Kickbacks
   8,15,2
4. Deep Swimmers Press
   10/8, 18/15, 2
5. Full Supination Curles
   10, 15, 2
6. Chair Dips
   BW, 15/20, 2
7. Upright Rows
   10, 18, 2
8. Static Arm Curls
   10, 16, 2
9. Flip-Grip Twist Kickbacks
   8, 12, 2
10. Seated 2-Angle Shoulder Flys
    8, 12/15, 2
11. Crouching Cohen Curls
    8, 12, 2
12. Lying Down Tricep Extensions
    8, 12/15, 2

Planks- 4 set of 30 seconds each. 

I didn't do the "bonus" round as he calls it.  My left shoulder is in major pain. I wrote yesterday that I was sore. Soreness in my back decreased buy my left shoulder is in pain. Mobility is limited, but not too bad. Obviously not bad enough that I couldn't do this workout but it did hurt and required more "push" than normal. If mobility issues increase, I'm going to lay off for a while. I did let it rest for two days, but it was yesterday morning/the night before that the pain really set in. I currently smell like Icy Hot.

I was actually pretty excited post workout. I was in pain but I figured if I push through it will go away.

Then I did it all and I was doing chair dips when my left arm was just like "what you doing to me?!"

I didn't run this weekend, which sucks and I'm kinda kicking myself with regret, but its okay. I need to build my base mileage, its really a lot about that base miles and I can't keep on doing 3-4 milers forever. Especially since I know I'm gunning for a full marathon as well. Maybe making up my mind when and which full I want to do will make it "more real" for me and light a fire in my derier.

Alright, have a strong day everyone (-;

PS. Updated my contact information and links over there to the right side bar near the bottom. Hello fellow fitblrs! Thanks for taking time to click over from there because I know a lot of us are link phobics.

P90x Chest & Back & Food Friday!

Not even 11 AM and my workout is done!!!

I'm going to fit in a run later, just found out that my parents are having "company" over and I would like to be out of the house if possible. That means a long run! I have a scheduled 5 mile run tomorrow, so maybe a 3 mile run today since I haven't ran in a while.  Today's workout was good. Day 2 of trying out C4, and I like it. I can cycle that with jack3d. A friend also sent me a mix he made and it got me hyped up! I love long [like an hour +] mixes! Thanks Vivo! It just "gets me going," that shiz cray! Haha! This workout, even if its the one I have a hard time with, went by awesome and I did pretty well. I still have to improve form, but I'm working on it. Hard to do when someone isn't there to observe, but hey, if I can do it with shoulders & arms, I can do it with chest & back!

I seem to have a habit of starting some sort of "_______ [insert day of the week here]" and not keeping up with it. But FOOD FRIDAY seems do-able and it might inspire others for healthy eating.  I'm not the best at eating and I gather ideas from everywhere in order to inspire me to eat healthy but not get bored of it.  Why not throw some ideas into the internet world? It might help. Food is such a big part of getting fit, being healthy, being a live and its so much fun and yummy, I think a little motivation for me and for others is something definitely worth being consistent in.  I'll eventually break down the nutrient information in the future. But for now, lets keep it simple!

We shall see tho, I'm scatter brained [working on that] because I'm so interested in so many things, but here we go!

ITS PEANUT BUTTER TURKEY TIME!!! PEANUT BUTTER TURKEY!!!

This was my immediate post workout meal/snack/breakfast I have no clue what to call it. Its 2 slices of Ezekiel cinnamon raisin bread with Laura Scudders all natural peanut butter, two slices of turkey breast, & some frozen blue berries. I had it with my whey protein shake. Surprisingly, I'm not very hungry after working out, I was thinking of eating this with some oatmeal but I'm not hungry.  I'll probably get hungry in a couple of hours but right now, not too hungry. To make this a more complete meal, I would probably throw in some greek yogurt in there. I try to limit my fruits & carbs in the morning because of sugar content. So this is a perfect lunch/morning snack for me.  I love the sweetness of the bread with the savory peanut butter and turkey.  It has some healthy fats, carbs, & protein. So yay! I hope this is "simple carb/quick enough" to qualify as a post workout meal.  I really can't find much simple carbs here that isn't so sugary, we have kids cereal- does that count, but I guess sugar is okay.

Anyway, time to be productive! Go to the bank, gas up the car, buy some brie [I love cheese] and find some new pants!

Have a strong day everyone!

PS. For those lost on the reference, here you go, you're welcome!

P90x Shoulders & Arms and I'm Back!

Sorry for the absence! It was a last minute trip to visit my close friend for her birthday.  I brought my bands to work out, but it wasn't put to used. We danced in a studio instead. Danced a lot.  I learned a few things about dancing and myself. First of all, as a runner [and I guess a lifter] I tend to be pretty "stiff" in terms of my body movement.  My arm swings are controlled when I run, I was told not to waste energy flailing my limbs around.  Same when I lift.  Good strong form.

Dancing, especially the type of dancing that we did [it was in the smexy category, so much fun!] required loose & limber.  It took a while for me to limber up, but oh my gosh. It was really fun, but dang! Loose and limber is hard. Haha! I know there has to be some control there, strong, defined moves, not like jelly like limbs, but its so not controlled like running. You don't sway your butt when you run! Its bad form!  Maybe I just suck as a dancer. I used to dance a lot when I was younger, but that was like years and years ago! I'm a lot better at Tahitian than sexy hip hop, but whatever! Doesn't change the fact that we were dancing for 2 hours one night and another 2 hours in another. Sweat and sexy body rolls with the best friend, what else could you want?!  It was a good change of pace and I really want to improve that now.  See, my brain, its everywhere! Haha. Running, dancing, lifting, and art! And just so much more.

Anyway, as expected when I'm with my friend, we ate, a lot.

My normal eat every 2-3 hours was destroyed and I could tell my metabolism slowed down, but it was worth it for some quality time.  We ate at our favorite buffet twice [crab legs!] and it would just be one giant meal a day with small snacks maybe twice a day. Not bad. I had a ton of sugar too, but its okay. I've done this before and I've managed to "get back to normal" in three days.  I'm still the same weight wise, so that is super good!

Just let me reiterate that it was so worth it! I love food and its ok, believe it or not, to let go once in a while. Just don't over do it. Going there also helped because I don't see my friends very often, okay like every 2 months isn't very often, but it helps to get an "outside perspective," a.k.a. feed my ego [!] once in a while. I know we can be the hardest on ourselves, so we don't see how far we have come, but others can! I got called out by a comedian, we went to go see a comedy show, she said I was "adorable & cute." It was awesome because it was an unbiased perspective. I know, a comedian, maybe it was a joke on me, but I don't think so. Haha. I talked to her after the show she was really sweet! Yay for unsolicited compliments. I also need to buy new pants. I brought pants that are 6 sizes from my original size and um, they fit perfectly! I'm still wearing those pants 6 sizes up with a belt, haha, but I think its time to get new ones.

Anyway, just finished shoulders & arms and I really need to invest in new weights. I'm maxing out my 10 lbs and 20 lbs is such a big leap I just might hurt myself. Sigh. Soon my pretties, soon. I like having a job, it helps pay for my weight lifting and running obsession.  Good thing I'm also set on running, I have a great selection of shoes and clothes.

I also tried my sample of the Icy Razz C4 and dang! I like it! Time to put it in an order! I don't know what flavor I want, my friend recommended fruit punch, but I want to try it first.  But I don't mind Icy Razz, maybe I'll stick with what I know.  I need to cycle of jack3d so bad. There is a sale at bodybuilding.com for C4, buy one get one 50% off, but it has to be the same flavor. So, need to pick one soon. I also want to thank bodybuilding.com for their awesome customer service!!! My order, whey protein powder, was on back order and I wanted to add to it to save on shipping. Was initially told I could, then I was told they couldn't do that, but they credited me some money to cover shipping & then some on my account! If y'all need any supplements or vitamins, they are awesome and well worth it! I'm about to order C4 and if I can find some Tonalin (has to be Tonalin!) CLA I would, if not, maybe some Glucosamine for my joints or Oxy Elite Pro. Need to protect my knees as I up my miles!

Anyway, wouldn't be an entry without pictures!

bodybuilding.com's protein powder dispenser! I love it!!! 

post work out turkey sandwich. I could have gone crazier, but I couldn't find anything else and was hungry!

Oh dang, my sister just walked in with pizza! That could have been my post workout meal!

PS. I had some pizza! Haha. Half the crust with all the topping. I don't normally eat pizza unless its a post running event deal [its something that stuck] but this was $.05 pizza promo form Papa John's! It was good!

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!!

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!

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!

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.

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!

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.

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!

Strength Training 12/13/11- Shoulders & Arms

Today, I did some SUPERSETS!!! I'm only this happy after a bit of jack3d.

Ignore the boxes, online shopping is fun. 

P90x Supersets! HIGH FIVE!

Rocking my USAP Triathlon shirt. I love it, but I haven't done a tri (;

How amazingly hard it is when you superset & use heavier weights.  But I like supersets.  Normal has now become slow, I am now Thor. Just kidding! I just find it a lot more challenging and the heaviest weight I have in my free weights is 10 pounds. I'm still "struggling" with ten pounds in some moves, looking at you flip grip tricep kick backs [even tho I'm not sure why thats a struggle] but I'm getting some solid 12-15 super set reps in some! Definitely noticing a lot of difference in my arms from when I started.  I'm so stoked. My arms are getting where I want them and its amazing what honest work will get you in terms of your body.  I'm no where where I want to be, but I'm getting there and I'm a whole lot closer than where I was when I started, and even yesterday (;

Also did planks. A total of 2 minutes broken into 30 second intervals. How freakin' hard, but it as fun.

I'm about to shower and live life.

Have a strong day everyone!

Strenth Training 11/30/11 Legs & Back

In pictures:

I was wearing long sleeves cuz I was cold. Took 2 scoops of jack3d and worked my ass off with some cardio circuits in between or when I was too lazy weak to do pull ups/chin ups.  Got so sweaty!!! Haha. I still feel like I cheated myself but I just can't do a pull up or chin up or a lot of it. I don't know. I hate those.

I did Legs & Back today. I was going to do Chest & Back but I took too much jack3d and I couldn't concentrate on my push ups. I was so jittery and was trying not to rub my face. Can you imagine doing push ups and your face was tingly like no tomorrow? So I did legs. I'm going to feel this later, but its all good. I need to get a physical soon because I think I have balance problems. Haha! I'm pretty uncordinated but all these lunges made me realize that I have a hard time keeping my balance! I need to work on my core more I guess. That should help. A stronger core also means better posture while running. So it would beneficial for running and life in general I guess. But I kept on thinking I was gonna fall. Maybe I was just tired? But who knows. A physical is a good thing to get anyway :-)

I was also tempted to stop mid point and just run but I didn't. I finished it.  I want to run but not yet. I'm officially registered for my 3rd half so and I want to sub 2:30 for it. I want to loose a lot of weight before then, so officially training for that isn't till February- using the Hal plan again, but I'm going to work in back in so I can blast through my "energy stores," a.k.a. chubs.

Anyway, more on that tomorrow or later tonight on my "goals blog." Have a lot going on in my mind and working out has been a good escape.

Thankful that I can.  I do because I can.

Strength Training 11/29/11

Shoulders & Arms today and in my favorite shirt ever! I love this oversized shirt. Funny thing is, I got it on clearance up here in NorCal, for $1.97!!! But its my favorite shirt to sleep in and workout in.

I've been in a rut lately that doesn't have anything to do with working out.  Been lazy and not motivated because my mind was just pre-occupied with so much junk; but this week, this day, this second is new and it may have taken me a while, but now is what matters.

Back to the grind it is! I'm on track so far in terms of weight loss, I'm actually ahead of schedule, but it all good. I broke that plateau even through thanksgiving my weight dropped (not as much as I would like but that pumpkin pie was worth it) and I'll check the end of this week how much I lost.  I'll talk more about that December 1 when I do my monthly goals :-) That way I'll have a few more days to loose some pounds!

Today's workout was good. Maybe cuz I needed the endorphins, as I always say, or maybe it "gave me a purpose," not that I'm purposeless, but it was good. I liked it. I sped it up a bit and did 3 sets of 30 second planks and some squats when I should have been ballistic stretching, so it was good.

I want to get back into running too. I've pretty much taken November off from running which is LAME but I've been sick on and off and not wanting to venture far from the house just in case I puke. Its still no excuse because we do have a treadmill, but I hate that thing.  I'm loosing muscle definition on my thighs. If you run, you know them runner legs & they pretty!

See the muscle definition? I already have defined calves [which I don't really like, but its better than cankles?] and when I started running [more specifically running hills] I gained a lot of muscle & definition in my thighs.  See that "bump" above the outer knee? I love that thing. Haha. Its like a badge of honor. It might not be "sexy" by other people's standards but to me its a sign of all the miles and hills.  Mines still there, maybe I'm just paranoid because I haven't ran in a while ::sigh::

Anyway, more about running on my December 1 entry. I need to start up a plan and stick with it when it comes to running :-)

Have a strong & beautiful day everyone!

Supplements: jack3d pre-work out & ON Whey Protein post work out

It All Starts Here...

Most people, when they want to get fit, head to the gym, but really, it starts HERE:

the bright yellow kitchen!

for the past 5 days, i didn't run or p90x. goes without saying, i was restless & mildly depressed but i did it to prove a point, mostly to myself. a lot of times when people want to "get fit," they head to the gym, what most people don't realize is that getting fit starts in here, the kitchen. i have the worst eating habits ever [not eating enough or eating enough but not nutrient dense foods], & i decided for 5 days that i would just concentrate on eating right. to me that meant bumping my 1200cal/day to 1500-1800cal/day [even when i wasn't working out, but still doing active things like living life. this was hard]. making sure i was getting my carbs [i don't normally eat carbs. i <3 bread, & if its something i <3, i normally do or die it] & making sure i get my fiber, iron, and all my nutrients in. but i also gave myself some room to eat what i wanted- specifically speaking, pumpkin pie.

five days later? I'm down a solid 5 pounds & broke the plateau that was pissing me off & I've been on for 3 weeks. i think 5 days of no running & p90x messed with my emotions [lack of endorphins] much more than anything. it sucked but i learned something about a big part of working out/getting fit that i couldn't have learned other wise. I'll do another long, separate blog post on what to eat, everyone always asks what i eat, these are just a few things that i learned on the past 5 days.

DO... eat clean! eat your veggies! for me, this is no problem, i love vegetables. i just needed to add more dark greens for iron. eat lean meats! turkey breast, chicken breast! protein helps you stay full!

BUT...

DON'T... deprive yourself. i know thanksgiving is this Thursday & it marks the start of yummy eating. just be smart about what you eat, in other words, don't use working out & eating clean as an excuse to binge. go ahead, have a piece of that dark meat or some yummy ham. i seriously ate pumpkin pie and a biscotti during those five days and i was like i'm effing myself over, but in reality, those "breaks" in food just helped me not to binge, which i know we all do over this season.

DO... keep active! its cold, nothing better than being indoors wrapped in a blanket. but stay active! i know i didn't work out & run during those 5 days, but i wouldn't be surprised if some of those 5lbs i lost were muscle weight. i know its all not because i also measure myself & weigh myself so i'm pretty familiar with my body. but keeping active- not just running or weight lifting- go snowboarding, ice skating, walk downtown, etc. will also help your metabolism to always be "on." thats another thing i'll talk about later on, how to manipulate your metabolism. i know my metabolism is always "on," i can tell, and its crazy how if you have the know how and the drive you can make your body do crazy awesome things.

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY...

DON'T... forget to have fun. its an awesome season. everything seems to be so magical and awesome. its a time to be with friends & family. a time to reflect & be grateful for the past year & the years to come. life is a gift, meant to be enjoyed & lived to the fullest, being healthy helps you live a long one [trusting in the One helps you live forever]. enjoy it, LIVE IT!



PS. I broke my non-workout streak today with Shoulders & Arms for P90x. It feels good to be back <3 Now to shower & walk laps in the mall- I really need new pants. still wearing the same pants since before i started, i'm now down 6 sizes. i think i should buy new ones.

with the workout nectar of life, jack3d

Strength Training 11/14/11 Shoulders & Arms

According to my calendar, I'll do a different post on that later, today was Shoulders & Arms day!!! The last time I worked out or ran was Wednesday.  I had a sinus infection cold thing going on and I was so looking forward to today because I wanted to work out. I miss those endorphins! I was seriously mentally feeling the lack of physical activity.

Took two scoops of jack3d because I wasn't feeling the first one after 30 minutes and I had to take a break. Two scoops is always too much for me, my face, ears, & palms of my hands were so tingly I could barely life the weights. Also, I finally moved on to 10 pound weights where I could. Some of them I couldn't do the 10 pounds with out injuring, like dropping the weights on my face, myself so I played it safe. Suffice to say, my ass is beat.  Or my arms, but I'm glad, that means that my muscles are growing and I'm getting stronger. I'm really happy about this workout.  I'm sitting here post protein shake and I'm just glad that I did it! And form wasn't an issue and I did something!!! Four days off from sickness is four days too long! I'm looking forward to the soreness tomorrow!!! It feels good to get my ass kicked.

I also did planks. It seems so easy, but really your core gets a workout, pretty much your whole body. If you guys & gals want to work out your core withou weights, just planks. You think its easy, but wait till you do it.

googled this pic :-)

So pretty much you lie on your tummy then prop yourself up on your elbows.  Keep your elbows below your shoulders and keep that 90 degree angle steady.  Suck your gut in, make sure your back & legs are straight and hold for 30 seconds, down for 5 seconds.  Repeat as many times as desire! You can challenge yourself to do a minute straight, or 5 minutes straight if you're really ambitious and hard core. Warning tho, its really not as easy as it seems. There are variations too, but I think I'll do an entire entry devoted to planks. They are so much fun, challenging, & its a good simple workout.  I did 1 minute today, and it doesn't seem much but add that to the work out and I'm done. I'll probably do some again before I go to bed. 

Speaking of weights, I saw this the other day and I want it!

Its a hannya kettle ball! Its 35 pounds and its $140~ish! Its an entire set of "demon" balls, but the story behind the hannya is something I love.  Kettle balls are "requirements" for P90x2, so its an excuse to get one, but for $140~ish I can get a set of non awesome but still functional kettle balls.

Anyway, tomorrow is hills or tempo run. I'll see how I am with running because I'm still not 100% there in terms of this sickness but I really want to get out there and do it!!!

I also need to sign up for Turkey Trot if I do decided on doing it.  And if so, 5k or 10k? Its a big even for the city, and anticipate 17,500 runners all in Downtown! Its going to be crazy!!!

Have a strong day!