observing lent and the no junk food challenge

being that tomorrow is lent, is anyone observing it? i'm not catholic but m & my MIL are and they'll be giving up something for lent. i've done it several years now with them. this year, i can't seem to think of what to give up so i've decided to add on. and in doing so, i'm hoping that it will help me give up or eliminate some things i really shouldn't be doing or eating.

this year i've decided that i will eat more fruits and vegetables. at least the daily recommended amount, which is 5 servings. you see, i don't get enough fruits and vegetables in my diet. i'll go days and days without eating a single serving of fruit. vegetables are easier to come by since we do eat a proper dinner at our house everyday. apart from that, it's pretty bad. of course, there will be times when i eat nothing but fruit. i'll go on a giant fruit binge and eat like a whole 1-lb thing of strawberries or a 6-oz thing of raspberry and some kiwis. there's even been times when i ate like 10 nectarines in one day (over the course of a few hours). i know, my fruit and veggies eating is all out of whack. i need to be better at it.

my trouble is that i don't care for your typical apples, oranges, pears, bananas, etc that you can can get just about any time of year. i like to think that the fruits i like are more tropical, seasonal… more exotic? hahaha, something like that. i love fruits that are crunchy with lots of hints of sour/tartness to them. yes, like super firm and crunchy nectarines or peaches. or very green mangoes. pineapples are good too, and for sure passionfruits but those are hard to find here. and all the berries you can think of is definitely a go too. but all of these are hard to come by sometimes, especially when they're out of season or just isn't readily available (or too expensive). regardless, i've told myself that price isn't the issue here and that i should just suck it up and eat more. so, starting tomorrow, we shall see!

also starting tomorrow is this new thing m and i are going to try. it's really 21 days but we've decided to cut it short to only 20 days since we're taking off to europe by that time. so what do you think? want to do it too? why not! no junk food for 21 days (or 20 days for us). i saw this on pinterest and decided to give it a go. :)

motivational monday: one thing at a time

i wrote this long blog post last week thinking i'd post it, but i never did. what was it about? umm... about m and i, running for 30 days straight. actually, i think it was 32 straight since we started on january 26 and ended on february 26. yeah, pretty crazy, i know... and we actually did it too! we set out to run for a whole month with 1 mile being the bare minimum and we did it. like for real, no crazy excuses thrown in, nada, zilch, period. was it hard? you bet it was. it was insanely hard, especially during the first week. but as the days went on, it got a tad easier. i'm not saying it was easy towards the end or in the middle or at any point. every day we fought the urge to skip our daily runs. and each day the running won. we went out and ran. period.



last month i personally covered 67 miles (see graphic above) – the most i've ran in a long time. i think if i look back at my nike+ history, there are definitely months that i've ran more than the 67 i did last month. but 67 miles last month was a big accomplishment for me, especially lately anyway. i haven't been running a whole lot the last several months so it's a big deal to me. i'm just so proud of myself for sticking it through and so thankful to have m around who inspires me everyday to keep at it and stay positive.

with a few days of rest out of the way, this week is the start of a new challenge. i look forward to conquering another fitness goal. i'm just hoping that my eating habits will be better and that the number on the scale will actually reflect that. okay, maybe not the scale entirely, but other areas such as loose clothing, etc. you get the point.

below is the new challenge i hope to conquer by the end of the month. feel free to pin it for later, do it now, or whatever you like. and here's to us all getting fit, being healthy(ier) in our own body, our way. :)

a new approach to losing weight and getting fit: weekly exercise challenges

i think i've come to the conclusion that i suck at long-term challenges or goals when it comes to exercises, especially strength-training exercises. i tell myself i'd do all these exercises and then i'm really good for the first week or two and that's it. looking back on the month of june, it wasn't very successful. i didn't do everything i said i would. i think i stuck it out for the first week and stopped soon after. i did however stuck to the minute planks, pushups and dips, but that was it. i think that was easier to stick to and do on a regular basis because it only took a few minutes. the exercises were still challenging enough, but the fact that i could do them in 5 minutes or less was maybe the reason why those stuck and the others didn't?!

now, having set some kind of exercise challenges/goals the last few months, i think i know what kind of person i am when it comes to working out. i know i run regularly (at least 3-4x a week, some weeks may be a run or two less or more, but regardless, i make sure i run at every week). i also know i do my minute plank, 30-second side planks, 20 pushups and dips just about every night. i also know i can never go beyond the 10-14 day marker for any zone-targeting exercises. so maybe instead of setting out month-long goals, i will focus on itty bitty goals for starters. start small and over time, it will accumulate to great things. :)

with this new enlightenment, i think it will be an accomplishment if i finish one thing this week. and that is to do one full (proper) strength-training workout. even if it's just 10 minutes, as long as it targets the abdominal, arms or legs – that would be quite the fete. i know one session isn't a whole lot, but for someone who gets bored easily, one session a week will do. one session of 10 minutes or longer per week for someone who can't even be bothered to do anything beyond 5 minutes of strength workouts, that is. one session will be a whole lot more than no session at all. i say i can do it. i know i can.

what's the exercise workout i have in store this week? i have a few in mind. there's this 6-exercise routine in the britney spears cover shape magazine issue (not sure if it was june or july 2013), but i'm thinking i can do that. 6 different moves, for a minute, 3 times. sounds easy enough and all under 20 minutes or so. if i don't do that routine, i could always do one of the 15-minute videos from nike's training app. i've done those in the past and they are quite the workout. i know i'll work up a sweat. and lastly, if i don't do any of those two, i'll probably just make up my own. you can't go wrong with a few pushups, dips, lunges, squats, planks, bicep curls and military presses. yeah... those are good options as well.

okay, stay tune. i plan to update at the end of the week. i hope when i check back on sunday night or monday morning that i've accomplished what i've set off to do here.

random stats (for myself, really) just because:

• miles ran this year as of today: 255.15 miles
• lifetime steps with fitbit as of this morning (member since feb 24, 2013): 1,993,073 steps
• weight lost since january 1 of this year (as of yesterday): 9.6 lb (from 108.6 lb) -- i know i haven't highlighted this a whole lot, but it's pretty impressive. i haven't been under 100 lb since before baby #2. making slow progress to my goal weight of 97 lb! :)

:)

this month's exercise challenges

alright, as usual (at least for the last two months since i've started this) i am doing another set of exercise challenges. except for this time around instead of saying i'm going to do these exercise (like i said last month), i'm actually going to tell myself which days i do which exercises. yeah, hopefully this will be a lot better in that it will force me to actually do them on those days! otherwise, i'd either end up doing them 2-3 days in a row or none at all. i know, awful!

okay, here are this month's set of exercise challenges/workouts in addition to my regular 3-4x a week runs.

monday/wednesday/friday: mommy tummy fix abs workout (image below) + sexy toned arms workout (image below) + 20 pushups, 20 dips, 1-min elbow plank, 30-sec side planks (both sides)




click here for the step-by-step workout details


tuesday/thursday: legs exercise (image below) + 20 pushups, 20 dips, 1-min elbow plank, 30-sec side planks (both sides)


simple and easy legs workout. takes just 15 minutes to do it.

saturday: mandatory rest day :)

sunday: optional rest day if needed. otherwise, do these exercises: 30 pushups (10 full, 10 halfway up, 10 halfway bottom), 30 dips, 1-min elbow plank, 30-sec side planks (both sides), 30 squats, 30 lunges or 15-min yoga (actually, more like do 5-7 sun salutations + a few warrior poses)

alright, i think that should do it. good luck to me and this month of june! i'm excited to start these exercises tomorrow night. :)

just because: today's weight is 101.4 lb. stay tune! ;)

my may month exercise in review

at the beginning of this month, may, i decided i would take on another exercise challenge or two in addition to my regular running schedule (i'm sort of training for the sf half marathon next month). yes, the mommy tummy fix (abs workout) and that 6-weeks arms challenge in addition to the add-on challenge, the planks, were all sculpting exercise i said i would do this month. well, i'm afraid i didn't really stick with any of them. a little disappointed in myself, i know. but what i did do was do some of the exercises. maybe not all of them regularly, but enough. for example, most nights out of the week, say 5-6 nights in a week, i would do at least 20 pushups, 20 dips, 1 minute of elbow plank, and 30-seconds of side planks (both sides) and all in that order. if i felt like it, i would add in 30 lunges on both sides and 50 squats – but those are rare because most times i don't feel like it. plus, squats are too easy. they're not challenging enough. maybe i'll add in 2-minute wall sits or something, that should be somewhat challenging, then go up from there. i should be able to hit 5 minutes if i keep at it. yeah, my quads are pretty crazy. i can hold a 3-minute wall sit just like that and 4-5 minutes if i have to. but nothing to praise about because i still suck everywhere else. i didn't even do that arms exercises i said i would. actually, i didn't even look at it once this entire month! okay, maybe once when i thought i would do it. yup, pretty bad, i know.

now, all isn't lost this entire month. i am happy to say that since joining one of fitbit's community groups and vowing to myself that i will be better, i did manage to lose 4 pounds. pretty awesome eh? actually, almost 5 pounds. when i joined the group challenge (it's called independence day challenge because it's set to end on july 4th), i was at 106. i know, that's nothing for some of you, but for a petite girl like me, it's a lot. so i set out to get down to 101 lb come memorial day. well, i'm happy to tell you that memorial day has come and gone and i'm down to 101.2 lb! whoooo hoooooo!! ;) now, i just need to get down to my 97 lb goal weight come july 4. yes, 97 lb, i know. and no, again… it's not a small number. it's still pretty decent considering i am only 4 feet 10 inches. actually, i think i'd be pretty happy if i can just drop below 100. it's been forever it seems. but 97 would be nice. that was my pre-baby #2 weight and i have yet to get there. i know, almost 2 whole years since miss v. i did really well last year around this time, but then my weight ballooned and i've been trying very hard the last few months to get it back down. i think i'm about where i was last year around this time. now, i just need it to stick and go a tad lower then i should be good. of course, do all those strength training exercises too and keep running.

okay, we'll see what's in store next month. i think i need to be better at getting myself to do the exercises i said i would do. :)

here are a few stats i'm throwing out there:

• miles ran this year as of today: 205.78 miles
• lifetime steps with fitbit as of today (member since feb 24, 2013): 1,497,755 steps
• weight lost since january 1 of this year: 7 lb (from 108.6 lb)

and this is what i keep telling myself. so, so true. i gotta keep at it. just stick with it and the results will come. :)

another new month, another set of exercise challenges

i cannot believe april came and went! and with that i successfully finished my 30-day exercise challenge. okay, i will have to admit i did take off more days than i had intended to (maybe 3-4 more rest days than the scheduled). but for the most part, i did do almost everything i had set out to do. i successfully did 250 squats in a row, on both days 29 and 30. the most seconds i could hold an elbow plank for was 90 seconds and 60 seconds for the side planks (i never attempted beyond that – i'm sure on a good day if i wanted to try, i probably could?!). as far the pushups in a row and dips, oh man... those were tough. i only managed 50 (modified) pushups in a row and did 60 dips in a row until my arms gave out. yeah, you can say i had some pretty ambitious goals and i didn't quite meet them. but overall, it's not a disappointment either. i think i did pretty good. who knew i could do 250 squats in a row without resting? yeah, it was tough, but it felt good once i did it. i think it helped that i broke them up into mini increments of 10's or 20's, and adding those up bit by bit helps. i'm just so proud of myself for sticking to something for a whole 30 days! now, the next challenge is doing it longer! six weeks maybe?!

here are a few stats i'm throwing out there:

• miles ran this year as of today: 171 miles
• lifetime steps with fitbit as of this morning (member since feb 24, 2013): 1,30,696 steps
• weight lost since january 1 of this year: 5.6 lb (from 108.6 lb)
• today's weight: 103 lb (lost 4.6 lb since april 1 -- not bad?! i can't believe i was 107.6 at the start of april!!)

this is the new workout i plan to do this month. i need to do something about my mommy tummy. i figure i really should make an effort and try to do the best i can to see if i can at least get rid of some flab. for anyone who's a mommy, you should know what i'm talking about. tummy after baby (or babies in my case) isn't so great. for sure, not the same as pre-baby. and it's creeping up on 2 years after baby #1, so seriously... no more excuses here! the workout below says to do it for 12-weeks and combine it with some cardio, etc, but i'm taking baby steps here. i'm approaching it 4 weeks at a time and with my usual 4x a week running. we'll see where i am at the end of may. i'm excited to get started.

this month's goal: do the workout below 3x a week, for 4 straight week! good luck to me.

i also plan to add in a 6-week arm toning workout too to go with the mommy tummy makeover workout. i don't have the graphic for that workout at the moment, but when i do, i will be sure to update it. so stay tune! :)

*** UPDATE 5/3/13 ***

i saw this on pinterest and so i think i'm going to join in and do it too! 30-day plank exercise challenge? sure, why not?!! let's get those abs into shape! :)

2013 boston marathon tragedy, 30-day exercise challenge update, new challenge

yesterday's tragic event at the boston marathon was just awful. it really hit close to home. we don't run big race events very often, but the boston marathon was definitely one race we'd hope to someday be able to run. i know it's one of those races where you'll have to qualify to get in or be a part of some kind of charity group. i figure if we can't qualify it ourselves, maybe we'd consider raising money for charity and running it that way. yes, all of this one day in the future as we tackle city marathons one at a time.

i heard about the bombings at this year's boston marathon 3 hours after the incidents. i know, a little late. but when i heard about it, my heart just dropped. i felt so bad for all those spectators, participants and event members near the explosion sites. just thinking about them how moments before they were cheering on all the runners (maybe even a loved one who was running the event) who were approaching the finish line or approaching and crossing the finish line themselves. oh, it's just awful. i think i went to bed thinking about it. i had to tell myself i needed to get to sleep because i had a 4 or 5 mile run this morning. i needed to keep up with my half marathon training as i will be running the sf marathon in june. i'm sure and hopeful that after yesterday's tragic event that security will be tighten around all marathons or big events. i heard the london marathon is this weekend and that the event will go on. the london marathon is also one event on our list we'd like to run in one day too. i told m we'd have to get an england address first before we can even apply to run. actually, he already has an england address, i just need to get one myself. or he'll just run it without me, and i can cheer him on. (you see? it's terrible right, just thinking about how it could be anyone, at any event.)

okay, moving onto other things more on a lighter note. how have i been doing in my 30-day exercise challenge? not bad actually. so far, i've passed the halfway mark and i am proud to say i have been going strong, still is and i hope to reach the finish line in top form. i did however modified what i had set out to do once i got going on the exercises though. instead of resting on the 7th day, i work out 5 days straight, then rest on the 6th day. after each rest day, i bump up my reps on the different exercises. i'm proud to say i can do 110 squats easy – yes, just like that. so far, so good. i think after this 30-day exercise challenge i'm going to do another one but with much tougher exercises such as lunges and arm strengthening moves. yeah, i'm not a big fan of lunges so that will be tough. we'll see how many lunges in a row i can do. ugh, i hate lunges, just thinking about it. hehe ;)

modified 30-day exercise challenge:

• day 1-5: start with 50 squats on day 1, increase squat count by 5 (should be at 70 squats on day 5), 30-sec plank, 20 pushups, 15-sec side planks (each side), 20 dips
• day 6: rest
• day 7-11: start with 80 squats, increase squat count by 5 (should be at 100 squats on day 11), 45-sec plank, 30 pushups, 30-sec side planks (each side), 30 dips
• day 12: rest
• day 13-17: start with 110 squats, increase squat count by 10 (should be at 150 squats on day 17), 60-sec plank, 40 pushups, 30-sec side planks (each side), 30-sec plank, 40 dips
• day 18: rest
• day 19-23: start with 160 squats, increase squat count by 10 (should be at 200 on day 23), 75-sec plank, 50 pushups, 45-sec side planks (each side), 45-sec plank, 50 dips
• day 24: rest
• day 25-29: start with 210 squats, increase squat count by 5 (should be at 230 on day 29), 90-sec plank, 60 pushups, 60-sec side planks (each side), 60-sec plank, 60 dips
• day 30: 250 squats, 2-min plank, 75 pushups, 75-sec side planks (each side), 90-sec plank, 75 dips

oh, i've joined a bunch of groups on fitbit to keep my motivation going. in one of the group forums, someone started an independence day (july 4th) challenge. it's for anyone who wants to lose or maintain weight or be able to do a certain set of exercise or whatever by july 4th. so my goal for that challenge is to lose those last 10 pounds! yes, it's so frustrating. 18 months later and i'm still not back to my pre-baby #2 weight. ugh, i know.

independence day challenge (as of 4/15/13):

• starting/current weight: 106 lb
• memorial day goal: 101 lb
• independence day goal: 97 lb

i think if i really discipline myself, i can get there. i'm also trying to eat better, so hopefully that will help a bit? i don't know. i haven't been eating very good lately, even with all this exercising and half-marathon training. so today i've decided that if only i can get myself to eat very good (strict 1200-1400 cal diet) 2 days in a row, i can splurge a little bit on the third day. so eat good 2 days, splurge a little 1 day, and just keep repeating. when i mean splurge, i don't mean eat all the crap i want. it just mean if i want to have ice cream, i can have some. just not the entire carton! so yes, with that said, good luck to me! :)

alright, we'll see where i am come july 4th! i'm excited. now i say, if you want to set a goal for this independence day challenge, why not?! whether it's losing weight, maintaining weight or having the ability to do 50 or 100 pushups in a row or 250 squats, etc… you can certainly join in!

okay, stay tune for updates. :)

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random stats i'm throwing out there (more for me, personally):

• miles ran this year as of today (according to my data on garmin): 137.73 miles
• lifetime steps with fitbit as of this morning (member since feb 24, 2013): 749,254 steps
• weight lost since january 1 of this year: 3.2 lb
• today's weight: 105 lb

30-day exercise challenge

these two ladies are quite the inspiration. i have this picture up on my mini calendar right now. every day after i've done my exercises, i can cross it off the calendar and see this picture. it's a little reminder and inspiration as to why i'm doing this.

i feel like i'm always restarting. and yet again, i'm starting something new. okay, maybe it's not really new, but it's a new start. here's what i'm thinking. wait, actually, before i start, let's reflect on the last month or so. where am i now and what have i done?

okay, so it's been over a month since i got started (feb. 26) on the fitbit one device. as of sunday (because i haven't synced today or yesterday's data yet), i have about 507,304 total lifetime steps, climbed 1,218 floors and walked 209.8 miles. that's a lot of steps, floors and miles since i've started wearing the device. i average about 15.8k steps over the last 32 days. yes, these steps include my running steps as well. that's more than the recommended 10k steps a day. so pretty good right? well, i don't know. i feel like it doesn't say a whole lot because with all those steps in, i still can't seem to drop a pound! actually, i did lose about a couple, then gained it all back, so that doesn't really count.

here was what i had hope i would do every day. and did i do it? umm... i did, some.

go get it, girl!

• walk at least 20 minutes during lunch (monday-friday)
• accumulate at least 10,000 steps every day (the more, the better!)
• have at least one 20,000 steps day in a week -- for the most part, i've been very good and met this goal, except last week because i was just too busy
• run 4x a week, 2-5 miles -- okay, almost. i think i skipped a run or two in the last 2 weeks
• strength training exercises, 3x a week (no time limit required… just need to do some!) -- alright, i haven't really done this
• be watchful and careful of what i eat. eat more fruits as snacks. and remember to drink more milk or have a piece of cheese for that calcium requirement! -- ahh... still working on this one

okay, so here's something new i'm throwing into the mix. yes, in addition to my 4x a week running (i actually really need to get going on my half-marathon training), and better eating habits. a 30-day exercise challenge. actually, more like mini strength training exercises. i'm thinking of something like squats, planks, pushups, and dips. nothing too fancy but not terribly easy. here's the low-down.

30-day exercise challenge

• day 1: 50 squats, 30-sec plank, 20 pushups, 15-sec side planks (each side), 20 dips
• day 2: 55 squats, 30-sec plank, 25 pushups, 15-sec side planks, 25 dips
• day 3: 60 squats, 30-sec plank, 25 pushups, 15-sec side planks, 25 dips
• day 4: 65 squats, 30-sec plank, 25 pushups, 15-sec side planks, 25 dips
• day 5: 70 squats, 30-sec plank, 25 pushups, 15-sec side planks, 25 dips
• day 6: 75 squats, 30-sec plank, 25 pushups, 15-sec side planks, 25 dips
• day 7: rest
• day 8: 80 squats, 45-sec plank, 30 pushups, 30-sec side planks, 30 dips
• day 9: 85 squats, 45-sec plank, 30 pushups, 30-sec side planks, 30 dips
• day 10: 90 squats, 45-sec plank, 30 pushups, 30-sec side planks, 30 dips
• day 11: 95 squats, 45-sec plank, 30 pushups, 30-sec side planks, 30 dips
• day 12: 100 squats, 45-sec plank, 30 pushups, 30-sec side planks, 30 dips
• day 13: 105 squats, 45-sec plank, 30 pushups, 30-sec side planks, 30 dips
• day 14: rest
• day 15: 110 squats, 60-sec plank, 35 pushups, 45-sec side planks, 35 dips
• day 16: 120 squats, 60-sec plank, 35 pushups, 45-sec side planks, 35 dips
• day 17: 130 squats, 60-sec plank, 35 pushups, 45-sec side planks, 35 dips
• day 18: 140 squats, 60-sec plank, 35 pushups, 45-sec side planks, 35 dips
• day 19: 150 squats, 60-sec plank, 35 pushups, 45-sec side planks, 35 dips
• day 20: 160 squats, 60-sec plank, 35 pushups, 45-sec side planks, 35 dips
• day 21: rest
• day 22: 170 squats, 75-sec plank, 40 pushups, 60-sec side planks, 40 dips
• day 23: 180 squats, 75-sec plank, 40 pushups, 60-sec side planks, 40 dips
• day 24: 190 squats, 75-sec plank, 40 pushups, 60-sec side planks, 40 dips
• day 25: 200 squats, 75-sec plank, 40 pushups, 60-sec side planks, 40 dips
• day 26: 210 squats, 75-sec plank, 40 pushups, 60-sec side planks, 40 dips
• day 27: 220 squats, 75-sec plank, 40 pushups, 60-sec side planks, 40 dips
• day 28: rest
• day 29: 230 squats, 90-sec plank, 50 pushups, 60-sec side planks, 50 dips
• day 30: 250 squats, 90-sec plank, 60 pushups, 75-sec side planks, 60 dips

okay, that's it! good luck to me! yesterday was day one and i did all of that. now, let's hope day 2 and beyond goes well. :D