no more p90x for me! :D

image courtesy of TRX Training website

you heard that right. a month into the program and i'm throwing in the towel. i've tried this program once or twice before and i did the same thing. now, i remembered why. it's because i just can't seem to watch another minute of the same dvds over and over again, week after week. sure, you say week 5 and forward have different dvds/workouts, but yeah... i don't know if i can do that for another 8 more weeks. it's just too much at the moment. i'm mentally not strong enough for this program or any program for that matter. must be because i need more excitement in my workouts. who knows?!

now, what i can tell you is, although i haven't been doing the program and have given up on it, i haven't stopped working out. i still run about 3 times a week and do strength exercises at least once a week! okay, i know i should be better and do more, but at the moment, that's not too bad. i am still pretty active, just not as active as i would like to be. ummmm.. how's my eating? well, okay, sure, i'll give it to you. it can definitely be better. i have to say, i did lose some weight before the big turkey day just to gain it all back. i know christmas is fast approaching so i'm really hoping at least i will lose a few and hopefully get through christmas with it back or steady without any weight gain! ;) hahaha, i know, wishful thinking, but hey... one must try!?!!

oh, since there's no more p90x for me, i've taken on TRX. yeah, the suspension training stuff used by the navy seals. ah huh, that's the workout. so far we (my awesome hubby) and i have gone to two morning classes and so far, it's kicked our butts -- real good, in a good way. i feel like i've really worked out after each class.

okay, that's enough for now. hopefully the next time i give an update i have more good news in the food/eating/diet department. that's because i have no doubt that i will keep on exercising/working out! :)

stay tune!

p90x, days 1, 2 & 3

i started p90x this week. i have to say, it's kicking my butt, big time! i like to think i'm in okay shape (because i run 3-4x a week -- hehe), but man oh man, these last three days have been so tough. my body is still sore from all the different exercises. of course i know why! i haven't done any strength training workout in months. and having really long days with not enough sleep doesn't help too.

so how am i doing? let's say so far, i'm 3 for 3, even with 2 ab ripper x workouts in on day 1 and 3, and running on day 1 and 2. tonight's my fourth day and i have to say i'm looking forward to it. it's going to be tough again, i just know it, but i'll survive. it can't be any worse than day 1. yeah, day 1's chest & back workouts were brutal. it was so hard because i took the fit test the day before (and that included doing pushups and such until exhaustion), and my arms and legs or whole body you could say was sore from just that fit test alone. then doing the first day's workout where it calls for lots of pushups? yeah, that was rough.

now, if only i can get a handle on my eating habits. the last three days, although i've been trying to be good, i have to be honest, i haven't really. i need to tone down all this eating. especially since the holidays are coming up, i must make sure i can get this "will power" food deal under control so by the time thanksgiving and christmas comes, i can tackle it with ease. basically, i really just need to watch what i eat and count my calories. i'd want to have plenty of calories left at the end of the day rather than be in the red.

i know i still need to post my before measurements. but if i don't get to it, for sure they'll be up come day 30; with both day 0 and day 30 measurements.

okay, stay tune!

starting p90x on monday

so i've decided that i really need to do something, anything! because whatever i have been doing, i haven't put a whole lot of effort into it. with this said, i've decided that i really should give the whole losing those last several pounds (gained from baby #2) another try. yeah, i stopped running at lunch time because there were a few other factors that came in that i became sort of sensitive to. i won't go into specifics, but yeah, something like that. i guess if i wanted to, i can substitute walking during lunch instead of running. that wouldn't be so bad. of course, i'd rather run, but i'm not going to... unless i have no other available times to run.

anyway, i'm starting p90x on monday. i've given this fitness program a try about 2 years ago but only made it to week 4. i have never made it beyond that point and my eating habits were good, but never that great. i felt good during the whole four weeks, but somehow i just fell off the wagon. this time around i'm hoping it's different.

my ex-sis-in-law and i are doing it together. she got really bored with her jillian michaels dvds and decided she wanted to do something else. i'm hoping that with her doing this with me (although she's about 180 miles away), that we'll still be able to be successful. we're hoping to check in with each other every week or every other day or day and see how we're both doing. hopefully by our check-ins and talking each other through our triumphs and struggles that we'll be able to stick it out. a few obstacles or the biggest one i say is the upcoming holiday season. it's going to be tough getting through thanksgiving, christmas and new years. well, new years isn't a big deal for me, but i'm pretty sure she may be partying it up on nye. ;) whatever it is, the big challenge will come in a few weeks time. let's hope we both make it out okay. of course, i wouldn't mind if during the whole 90 days we only had like a few cheat days. there's nothing wrong with indulging a little bit once in a good while if you've been good. plus, i strongly believe in throwing your body off sometimes and that's a good thing. you can't always go at the same speed and expect changes. eventually your body gets used to it so a little mixing up may be a good thing.

i cannot wait to start and get serious about getting my pre-baby #2 weight and body back again. like one of my motto to myself: a year from now you'll wish you had started today. i hope to be here one year from now again and said i've done it. i've really stuck it out and did it. so stay tune and let's go through this journey together. i'll be back sometime later this weekend to post all my before measurements, plans and how we're really going to do this. it's going to be fun. stay tune! :)

nike women's marathon 2012

photo courtesy of adoremai @ instagram

i didn't run the nike women's (half) marathon this year, but my lil half-sis (MN) did. she's totally not a runner – wait, i take that back. she doesn't typically run on your normal basis, at least not like me anyway. she barely trained for this event, but nevertheless, she ran the half marathon distance of the nwm race yesterday and did fantastic! 13.1 miles in 2:37:21. that's pretty impressive for someone who's never ran longer than 5 miles in her entire life until yesterday's race. way to go girl!

below are our instagram photos from the day's events. :)


MN before the race @ NWM 2012


All done! :)


C and I with MN at the finish line

making use of my lunch hour

this is the fourth straight week that i've ran during lunch. i'm not running a whole lot, just twice a week. there are 5 lunch opportunities in a week, so why not sacrifice two of them to get in some running? especially when the days are getting shorter and the sun rises so much later! yes, a big change from summer for sure.

anyway, i've been running during my lunch period the last few weeks. like i mentioned above, this is my fourth week and so far, so good. since my last post, i've kind of stopped the nike training app stuff. i know, so awful. that only lasted 7-8 days, not even 2 weeks! well, i'm hoping i'll stick with this running during lunch. i know they say you gotta give yourself at least 21 days to make a new habit stick. i'm hoping this one will stick. i've gone past the 21 days, but of course, that's just what people say. let's see what my body/mind says. now, i just need to watch what i eat and add in some strength training exercises. maybe i'll pick up the nike app again, or do something else. oh, i do have all those workout pins on pinterest. maybe mix in some of those with my 4-5 runs throughout the week, we'll see.

whatever it is, the number on the scale isn't diminishing and that's not good. it's almost a full year since baby #2, so yeah.. very disappointing. i told myself i'd do better this time around. i guess in a way i am or is better, but then again, i didn't or it's not any better. i must really just do it! i know, like my motto that i keep telling myself, "a year from now you'll wish you had started today" – no way, i don't want to have any of that! i don't want to be wishing a year from now i'd started today. so i guess like nike puts it best, "just do it!"

my diet so far today. it hasn't been super, i really need to plan my meals better.



breakfast: 1/2 spam musubi + starbucks tall coffee w/ half & half + 2 packets of raw sugar
lunch: 1-1/2 spam musubi
dinner: spaghetti + steamed green beans (planned)

yes, and drinking lots of water!

today's exercises: walked 1.2 miles (25 minutes), ran 2.7 miles (27 minutes)

quick update

so since my last post i've been trying to shed this weight. so far, no go. i'm still stuck at 105. i weighed myself this morning and that's what the scale said. that's due to me not really eating properly and exercising sporadically. now, i can assure you, for the last week and a half, i have been better (at exercising, that is). for one week straight, i actually recorded at least 15 minutes of exercises a day. i'm not counting mini walks here and there as part of those 15 minutes. those 15 minutes were of actual time committed to being active. i did a lot of mini workouts from the iphone app, nike training club. yeah, the app's pretty good. it's got video and photo how-to's should you need it. i have yet to go through all the different videos, but with the ones i've done so far, i really like it. they have workouts starting at 15-minute to 45-minute ones. generally i just stick to a quick 15-minute workout that targets a specific body part and do two of those for a full 30 minutes or go for an all-around body workout in 15 minutes.

anyway, so far this week i've been really good! i ate great yesterday (i use this app and this app to track my food intake -- yes, i use both because one has something i need that the other doesn't and the other doesn't have or have, you get what i'm saying here). i've definitely been eating a whole lot less than i have been in weeks! and today, i'm still going strong. my diet is good. i ran 4 miles this morning and saw the sun rise. i ran again during my lunch break, another 2.5 miles and tackled the heavy foot and car traffic of busy downtown san francisco. i'm thinking if i can keep this up, i should plan to run during my lunch breaks at least 3x a week or something. nothing major. just a simple 2-3 miles should do. it doesn't hurt, especially with the days getting lighter later and darker sooner. sucks, i know, running without sunshine.

alright, that's all for now. will check back hopefully in a week or so to see how good/bad i've been. i hope it's good. :)

getting back into shape

i'm reposting what i posted at my other blog here. i decided that after a long hiatus, it's about time i pick up this blog again and start jotting down my journey to get back into shape. it's been 10 months since the arrival of baby #2 and i need to regain my body again. so here's to lots of running, getting back into shape and reaching that goal weight! :)

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so the olympics have been on the last week and a half. seeing all these athletes and their crazy amazing bodies is… what's the word? well, let's just say i've been inspired to get back into shape again. i mean really get back into shape and for good this time around. it's another added motivation. of course i know my body will never be as rock hard as theirs, but close enough will work for me. i just want to be lean and toned; in shape and healthy. i'm thinking i'll be approaching 30 in a couple of years, i really should try to enter my 30's at the best shape of my life and keep it.

 since baby #2, i've been easing myself back into exercising and eating better. but the last couple of months i've fallen off the wagon and the numbers on the scale are not good. i want to say i'm almost the same weight as i was exactly at this time (9-10 months post baby) compared to baby #1. i was hoping with baby #2 it would be different. it was for a while, until recently. and i can't go on with what i've been doing recently; eating whatever i wanted, skipping runs and strength training workouts. my weight has creeped up to 108 lb from 101 lb. i cannot be 108 lb this time around, no way!

to help me get into the best shape of my life i've decided to take baby steps, as we all should know, losing weight and looking good doesn't happen overnight. it takes a lot of time, effort and commitment. you must want it and do something about it to make it happen. you can say i'm making that first step today. with 2 months to go before my baby turns 1, i want to ensure that come her first birthday, i'm a step closer to my ideal figure. i'm not exactly sure what ideal is, but for now, let's say something in the ballpark of lean, toned (with muscle definitions please?! =/) and 95-100 lb.

these are the things i'll be doing for the next 2 months (and beyond):
- run 3-4x a week, 15 miles total to start, then slowing increasing to 25 miles/week
- strength training 3x a week (pilates, yoga, basic strength moves)
- 2 sets of 20-rep modified pushups, dips and lunges every night
- drink lots and lots of water
- eat at least 1 piece of fruit and 2 servings of veggie a day (i'm terrible at this, sometimes i'll go on for days without eating a single piece of fruit! veggies on the other hand i'm much better at, but still not good)
- portion control, really pay attention!

here are some things i'll keep as reminders along the way. the quotes below are great. they've helped me a lot in the past and i know they'll do the same this time around.


i love this quote. i try to tell myself this every day... i want to look ahead a year from now and know i've really done it or at least is getting there because i've made the commitment to start today.


this is my favorite all-time no slacking quote. no excuses, just do it!


here's me with my cutie pie (baby #1) at the nike women's marathon (nwm) expo in october 2010. i was at my lightest weight (96 lb) post baby #1, and before baby #2 of course. i want to get there again.


me before the nwm. i must get there again... not only with my figure, but also with my running speed! ran my first ever half marathon in 2:04. i know i can do it again. :)