Spring is awakening!

ok.. who's been lazy? (lol totally not pointing fingers) the only place that's getting a workout are my fingers from all the typing which explains why they're so thin. Better yet, who has better plans? The weather has been lovely. It almost feels like spring!! woohoo. summer body, anyone?

To be honest, I have not worked out since my last post. (shame on me) Though, I did attempt to go to yoga yesterday so I sped out of the office at 5:45pm to make the 6pm class. I got to the studio at 5:59pm and the instructor had to turn me away because the class was full! #totalfail Usually, at YTTP, they close the door on the dot but this time, they closed it b/c it was completely full. (full means they've fully utilized their space and filled the studio with over 40 yogis even with the capacity of 36) Instead, I got myself a bubble tea. They're opening way too many establishments which makes it all the easier for me to buy them.

Now that the yoga classes are over, I think it's time to start on those dance sessions! Viv, how many sessions do you have left? Are we allowed to bring guests? My mom asked if she could join :P

Bit by Bit

Okay, it's been 13 days since I last updated, sorry!

Here's the lowdown:
Two weeks ago I was veryyy lazy, I went to one Hip Hop class on Wed and did some mini ab exercises.  That was it. =(

This past week, I was a bit better!  Took a Total Body Conditioning class on Tuesday and worked out a bit on Wednesday.  This past weekend, we celebrated one of my girlfriends bday at La Linea on Friday. Awesome Knicks game showing and celebration afterwards.   Dance, dance, danced my butt off lol.  Repeat performance, different location, on Saturday with new friends. =) Treadmill today.  I noticed I lost a bit of weight, yay!

Update completed.  Signing off to watch Grammys now! So happy Adele won. =)

crsie's january recap

Te Toca A Mi (I think that translates to .. It's my turn!)

Personally,  I thought I was doing well with yoga before Belize -- went 2-3x /week but when I got back, went like 2-3x total which led me to a total of 8 visits (that was half my goal #fail). Pretty disappointed with the number but it's not always about the quantity, there's also the quality of these workouts. The rudimentary classes are helpful but I don't get quite the workout from it. On the other end, the hand stand classes are a total waste because I end up doing skinny jumps in the air because I can't fling my legs high in the air like the cool yogis can. I haven't given up on yoga. In fact, I think it has helped me find my inner peace and I would say that I'm a better person because of yoga. It is amazing how that one hour in the studio can completely clear your mind of any inner negative thoughts. I've learned to calm down and think clearly before I speak, being tactful has its bonuses.  namaste.

Other than yoga, I haven't made any strong commitments to any other wellness activity other than walking which I love. Part of the reason why I love the city so much is because I have the opportunity to walk to wherever I want without taking the subway/bus/train/car and I take long strides. Anyone that walks with me knows that I walk fast but it's fun sometimes watching my mom keep up with her mini jogs. lol Kevin's getting smarter, he's taking longer strides and now I'm having issues keeping up b/c I've been so weak.

I've been so ill the last week that I had to see the doctor. Stepped on the scale and stared at the 122 lbs. wow -- talk about a 10lb gain? I bet it's all muscle :) actually, it's from all the layers that I was wearing but I was too sick to debate. I can't say that I'm totally better but the meds that I've been taking aren't strong enough so I might be heading back to the docs.

At the beginning of the year, I mentioned that I wanted to be healthy, not so much to look slammin'. My body is a bit weaker than your average and staying in shape would keep me healthy (or so I thought). All I could say, I really need to keep up and stay strong because the only way I can combat everything else in life, I need to start with a strong core/foundation/body. This sorta goes back to yoga -- finding/strengthening my inner soul.

Cheers, 

C.DUBS :)

PS -- stepped on the scale again, 117lbs after 5days... very nice!

Yoga Challenge Recap

So our 30 day unlimited yoga ended today 2/5 and I wanted to do a recap on how many times I (Christine, feel free to edit for your #s) went this month....*drumroll*....9! Yes, only 9. I actually was aiming for 10-12x which comes out to be 2-3x per week but it ended up being more like 1-2x for me. A bit disappointed but in all reality, it was pretty tough trying to make their classes as their last offering is 7:30 on weekdays. I usually don't get out of work until 6:30-7 on average, so it has been difficult for me to make weekday classes. I was supposed to go to my final class yesterday (Saturday) as I am proud to say I made every Satruday 1:45 Vinyasa Flow 2 class for the past 4 weeks, but I had a doctors appointment and errands to run prior to my 10 day trip to Taiwan, so I opted to skip it...bad me!

I'm headed to Taiwan this Thursday, 2/9 until President's Day on 2/20. I am super stoked for the trip and excited about all the yummy things I will devour...which means I will probably come back a bit more plump. @_@ Hopefully the walking will partially offset some of that :) I'll try to do some push-up, sit-up, and squats during downtime as well!

I liked Viv's January recap so I wanted to do one as well:

January Recap:
I agree with Viv in that I did not gain or lose weight. I am a bit surprised and disappointed as I went from doing absolutely no exercise to yoga classes 1-2x per week and cardio (elliptical) 1-2x per week. Although the scale does not seem to show much progress, I do however feel better. I feel a bit stronger and I feel like my endurance is higher for cardio activity. Yoga also helped me feel stronger and more flexible - sometimes on the day after a yoga class, I feel like I can take bigger steps when walking. These little improvements are okay for the first month into this resolution but I think I need to step it up some more (after I return!).

My January Wrap Up

Wow, it's been 11 days since I updated.  Sadly, I can't recall much but here goes:

Previous Week
Saturday: Let's see, two weekends ago my parents and I celebrated CNY.  I was a big pig that day and it showed, oy.  But it's okay, it's not like you get to celebrate CNY every day.

Sunday: I downloaded this new app which allowed me to follow ab exercises in the comfort and convenience of my home called "Daily Ab Workout Free".  Obviously, there was only one word that enticed me to download it.  I've been doing these short sessions every 2-3 days.

Monday: NYSC has this amazing instructor whose body is superbly toned and strong.  She put us through the ropes hard! We had bars, weights, steppers, and mats; it was all out war.  I love that class though (Total Body Conditioning).  Gotta take her again!


Tuesday - Thursday: I just remembered that I was so sore from the class.  I relaxed and only did 5min ab sessions the rest of the week.

Weekend Again
Friday: Did the steppers for an hour straight, trying to work on my backside.

Saturday: Woke up super early at 9am to eat breakfast before heading to Zumba and Pilates at my Mom's gym.  I found out pretty quickly that my Mom is pretty uncoordinated; this explains my own clumsiness.  I was quite horrible doing the confusing salsa footwork but I get by.  The Zumba trainer used to be a size 16, now she's this cut chic with abs, all from doing Zumba for 2 years.  She's super passionate at what she does and it shows in her students whom get just as energetic as her - there were lots of whooping and oh yeas heard in the classroom.
If Zumba didn't do us in, Pilates did.  My Mom and I pretty much cried in pain from the intense Pilates moves.  Could. Not. Keep. Up.  I crashed when I got back home.

Sunday: It was Saturday night but technically Sunday morning.  Girlfriends and I danced until 4am in the morning at Slate.  Brunch at a Hawaiian place in Brooklyn, walking and shopping in Soho.  Much needed therapy completed. =P

Monday (today): I'm lazy, 5min ab session.

January 2012 Wrap Up
Throughout this month, I did not gain or lose weight; I've basically stayed consistent.  But I'm okay with that, as long as I'm trying out new classes and getting a bit stronger, a bit healthier. I'm by far not close to where I want to be, but as someone always said, "It's not a sprint, it's a marathon."  =)

Yoga!

I absolutely love it when it's nice and sunny out. It completely changes my mood (and I'm sure you might agree with me). Winter has been good to us this year (let's hope it stays this way).

Amy and I pulled through to the Saturday Yoga session which was over an hour and half long. I finally managed to get a workout from that place! Boy, am I in pain this morning. One good thing which I like about the studio is that it really focuses on the fundamentals of yoga. Often, I find myself doing the wrong poses because the teachers are going way too fast and you're looking over to your neighbor for guidance only to see that they're doing it incorrectly as well. I like that the teachers here are very experienced and when they demonstrate a pose, it's incredibly clean and polished. That was my workout for the week... what a disappointment

oh, did I mention that I bought a towel (below)? Retail = $60 with a 40% discount on top of a 20% discount which came out to $34 with tax. Yes, it's a bit asian but I like it! I can finally not have to worry about slipping off the yoga mat (woohoo).

Happy Chinese New Year!!

Here we go!! It's the Year of the Dragon -- 2012 that means many Chinese people will be getting married and having babies b/c of the almighty and powerful creature. Funny part is that this animal doesn't even exist. Anyhow, GONG HAY FAT CHOY :)  I'm wearing a bright red shirt.


I got back not too long ago from Belize. Kevin and I took a 15minute plane ride to an island off the coast. To my surprise, it was extremely touristy -- mainly Americans. I was really looking forward to practicing Spanish but that was scrapped out fast. The four day getaway was good because it gave me lots of time to clear my head and to reflect on the year. Most of you know that my head is constantly running which may be good/bad but sometimes it needs a break. I got many things squared away and really hoping that 2012 will be a great one, assuming certain things are under my control. 


To the fun stuff, there was plenty of seafood to go around on island and every meal had some deviation of shrimp in it. I finally understand why people like the beach so much (to be honest, I'm still not the biggest fan). It was really relaxing to wake up to this nice scenery. Kevin and I decided to walk for the most part and not rent a bike or golf cart because we don't get to walk very often despite working in the city.  I walked  barefoot to get the free exfoliation in -- the bottom of my feet is silky smooth but i've got bug bite stains lol


On our free days, we decided to snorkel in Hol Chan and Shark Ray Alley!! I realized that I liked swimming but not so much with the fish. There were times where I felt like I was in an aquarium. The fish were quite large (8-11inches long) and they swam in packs.  It was really nice.  The following day, we didn't know what to do so we decided to fish so instead of swimming with them, we're going to catch and eat them! lol


We rented the boat to ourselves for half a day and drove out to fish.  There were 4 ways of catching seafood: a rod, striker, hook and bare hands! I went with the rod b/c it was the least cruel. Kevin and the captain went with the striker (a stick with 3 sharp prongs at the end) -- strike/stab when you see a lobster/fish. The lobster looked a bit different. It wasn't those big blue ones we get here, it was more like a jumbo shrimp, nonetheless we managed to find a few. I had a feeling that I would either lose the striker or hurt the fish so I spectated. Kevin caught a mini fish which we used for bait later on that day.  Overall, it was lots of fun b/c we actually ate what we caught and got a really good workout from it. Though it did start to rain towards the end of the day and we didn't have lunch on board so we were cold and starving. The captain made us steamed seafood over curry sauce and vegetables -- it was absolutely delicious. Food couldn't have tasted better.


man, i LOVE traveling. what to do.... til my next adventure (...in nyc)

Recap on this week

To make up for being semi-lazy last week, I had to rev it up a bit more this week and was pretty successful, at least by my standards. Here is a schedule of what I did:

Sunday - NADA + Chinese Dinner (no bueno day)
Monday - Elliptical 40 mins
Tuesday - Elliptical 20 mins
Wednesday - Elliptical 20 mins
Thursday - Vinyasa Flow
Friday (today) - Missed my 6:15pm yoga class. No thanks to work...(another no bueno day)
Saturday -  Vinyasa Flow

I was active for 5 of the 7 days during the week which has been the MOST I've ever worked out in years, which I'm ashamed and embarrassed to admit. My goal is to do something active at least 5 days per week.

On Thursday evening after yoga class, I stopped by Trader Joe's and picked up some salad and had it for dinner. I also bought some really delicious spicy peanut dressing last week, which is why I am even able to eat salad (I'm not a salad girl by any means). Unfortunately, I find salads very unfilling and usually end up hungry shortly after...and regretfully snacked on a bag of Pirate Booty Aged White Cheddar puffs (they are so delicious!). Maybe if I had some grilled chicken or some sort of protein, it would have been more filling...

California, a little slice of heaven

Los Angeles
This past weekend I went to visit my sister-in-law for her Baby Shower.  She's due on March 15, just in time for the year of the dragon!

During my weekend in Los Angeles I ate pretty poorly.  Big ass chocolate muffins (you know, the Costco kind) and a fried chicken waffle sandwich, oy.  The thing with LA is you must drive everywhere, I didn't get to walk that much either.  However, it was amazing weather at 70 degrees (another reason I left NY, heard it was -10 degrees on the opposite coast!)  Good thing I played some Kinect Dance Central with Dave, Brian, and Lauren!

San Francisco

We drove to San Francisco and got back around midnight, with a brief scare in between (Close call).  On MLK day, Erich and I toured as much as we could in SF for that one day.  First we stopped by Market and Powell Streets to take the Cable Car; it was exhilarating riding on the running board and hanging on to the pole outside of the car! I waved at a lot of people, and they waved back haha.  I also finally ate my first In-N-Out burger: Protein style, baby!

We walked a lot!  Did you know there are 44 hills in SF?  One of them is the Twin Peaks.  Lots of hiking to get to the top but when you're at the top you'll see - the views were spectacular!

Back Home

The night I got back I uploaded pics and the morning after I woke up at 5:30am and hauled ass to make it to my 6:45am Zumba class.  After being a glutton in LA, staying in bed was not an option!  I felt so guilty still that I took the Abdominal class right after.  I'm still a bit sore so I took today off.  Hope everyone had a great long MLK weekend and a soon-to-be Lunar New Year weekend!

Taking Shape!

Although we didn't have a weigh-in, I can feel the changes to my body from the last couple of weeks of working out. For one thing, my butt is starting to take shape. (woot!) It used to be really flat but I've started to notice that it's getting a bit round (and I like it!!). I'm curious to know if I've lost weight because I've been pretty good about my diet -- fruits/bagel/coffee for breakfast, soup for lunch, mama's cooking for dinner, and lots of water. The only thing missing is going to bed early so I can get rid of the dark circles. Any quick fixes/recommendations for getting rid of dark circles? O_O

I've gone to Yoga three times so far and my goal is go 15x (~4/week). should be interesting the next couple of weeks. challenge me and see what happens. :)

love the color of my new yoga mat (it's ultra thin) + the massive impulse sale shopping w/ Amy

Atlantic City, Zumba and Belly Dancing

Atlantic City
This past weekend I went with my two gfs and their bfs (yes, I was the fifth wheel) to Atlantic City!! First time I've actually gambled in a casino for longer than one slot pull.  But we didn't go to AC for the gambling, more so for Lucia's engagement party! Congrats again to the couple!  For my stay at AC, I walked a lot and ate pretty lean (4 meals for that weekend, mostly sandwiches).

Zumba and Belly Dancing

On Monday, since I bought the 20 classes for $19 deal, I headed over to Zumba and Belly dancing!  Zumba was surprisingly quite fun.  The teacher played the Top 40 hit songs while leading us exercising and rocking to the beat.  She says we burned 1000 calories, but I honestly felt it was around 300 for me since I couldn't pick up her moves that quick and was floundering all over the place.  

Belly dancing was educational and interesting but definitely NOT a workout.  Do not expect to break a sweat if you choose this class.  However, I was happy since I got to put on the hip scarves with the gold coins attached, and shimmy around. =P

The schedule for their classes are below as their website is not updated.

Tonight, I met up with a friend for a volunteering meet and then proceeded to go home.  I've been  pretty slack with my exercise regime which consisted only of a one mile jog on the old treadmill today.  I attribute this to my great dislike for winter (not only because of my cold urticaria) but because simply put, I just don't want to get out of my warm bed in the mornings or at night.  But, I must.  I gotta remember this is for my #1 priority. =)

Yoga Challenge

Well, on the topic of Yoga, Christine and I purchased a deal of one month unlimited yoga at YogaWorks for $49 with a $25 gift card. We both started our first class this past Friday, 1/6 at the Union Square location. We took the 6:15pm class so I jetted out of work at 5:30pm. The class was....dare I say, easy? Maybe because most of our yoga classes have been in some sort of heat, be it Hot Vinyasa or Traditional Hot Yoga/Bikram, this one felt easy. A bit too chill for my liking. I was a bit bored and almost fell asleep at one point! Even regular vinyasa flow at YTTP St. Marks location would have me breaking a sweat. I did not sweat at all on Friday and trust me, I sweat easily.

I plan on doing yoga at YogaWorks at a minimum of 2x a week. Hopefully more to get my money's worth :) I went Saturday as well for the 1:45pm class. Unfortunately Christine could not join me because her lazy butt did not wake up until 1pm. I think she went to a later class though :) I plan on going every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday until my membership expires (Sunday, 2/5/12).

For my $25, I used it on my very first official yoga towel. I've been using regular bath towels but now I feel like a legit yogi :D I sweat a lot and have clamy hands and feet so a towel is quite useful for me when I do yoga. It has little beads on the bottom to prevent slipping! The best part is that the very first one I was attracted to was this bright orange color which happened to be 40% off retail of $60 (hefty IMO for a towel!). So lucky! :) I ended up supplementing another $14 bucks for the towel for a total cost of $39 with tax.

Yogitoe-tally Yours,
Amy

How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body

YOGA : funny photos

Tools for working out

I typically like to plan ahead, meaning I bring my clothes and everything else I need to work out. But since I stay at Kevin's periodically, I don't have the tools I need for the gym. Therefore, I've been renting yoga mats at the studio. Because of this inconvenience, I have considered buying a new yoga mat that folds so I wouldn't have to bring another bag with me.

It's pricey for this yoga mat (~$39) but it's SO thin and light!!: http://www.manduka.com/us/catalog/categories/products/mats/eko-superlite-travel-mat/

Kelly sent me this awesome deal: http://deals.dailycandy.com/deal/5361/yogaworks-ny-68-percent-off/new-york

For $49, you get one month of unlimited yoga +$25 to spend at the yoga store. HOLLA. they sell the yoga mat that I've had my eyes on!! Guess who scored a month worth of yoga classes for $25 ... woot I'm gonna hit the yoga studio right after work (I will be losing 4 days to Belize but I can deal b/c I'll have an awesome yoga mat) Will post a review later this week.

Groups are Better Than One

Happy Hump Day! I took the New Year's Day to exercise off.  However, I am back and have been working out in some form or other.  Hopefully this lasts but if I can maintain even 3-4 times a week, I will be pretty dang proud of myself! 

Here's a pic of me doing my morning mile.  As you can tell, I was not a happy camper; it was 7am in the morning, grrr.

At Erich's request, here's the ingredients list for the Chef Salad that I've been consistently getting from Au Bon Pain (ABP per Minah) since last Thursday.  One week done, woot!  I think it's really yummy and I have yet to get sick of it (cough Tommy cough).  I even got some of my team members to start eating salads too! Well, for one day at least. It also comes with a free breadstick (e.g. sesame, plain, cheesy), yum. :)

I took a break from work to do the 15 minutes "Abs Express" class over at NYSC.  That's one of the perks I like about the company: reasonably flexible and corporate discount, woot woot!  I really enjoyed the class; I felt the pain afterward though.  So towards the end, we were tired but the trainer said, "Only 10 seconds left: 10, 9, 8... 8, 8, 10, 12...", wth?! My arms and abs were literally shaking after the last plank!  Lesson of the day: the trainer is great at pushing you until you can't go anymore, and then he pushes you some more.  

Here's a link to their class schedule: http://bit.ly/8HaHx3. 

After going back to work and finishing up for the day, I rallied the troops to the gym so I could force myself to go as well.  Pst, I must confess... I have a bad habit of ditching sometimes, but with 5 other guys going, I couldn't back out!  Onwards, I did 20 minutes of the stepper, 10 minutes of stretching, and 30 minutes of weights.  I tried out some ab machines which were completely complicated and had to get a couple of people to help out.  I even tried the BOSU, it still baffles me.  

Today was definitely a workout, but again, no regrets.  That's what I realize about exercising, you will never regret getting there and doing something.

Unexpectedly Productive // Challenges

For most people, yesterday was the first day back to work after the long new year weekend. It was quite a busy day and I was trying to crank everything out as fast as I can because I needed to leave by 6pm for a friend's birthday dinner at 6:30pm in LES (Happy Birthday Diana!). We had a really nice meal and finished dinner relatively early at 8:30pm. I was motivated to workout after dinner since all factors seemed to have worked in its favor:

1. I was in the LES and YTTP St. Marks was a short 7 blocks away and I knew they had a 9pm class
2. Andrew was playing basketball at 9pm and wasn't going to be home until later
3. All my dinner buddies (good job Christine and Diana!) had done yoga prior to dinner, so it made me want to do it too/feel guilty

So I went for the 9pm Vinyasa flow class and was very proud of myself. It felt so refreshing (also because it was not in heat as the past few times we did yoga - it was all hot vinyasa or traditional hot yoga/bikram)! It was such a productive day for me. The only thing was I crashed after I showered and paid no attention to Andrew. He was not a happy camper haha.

Productively,
Amy

P.S. Did I mention how hard it is for me to workout at home even though I have an elliptical in front of the TV?

The machine is normally parallel to the balcony, but because of the Christmas tree, we had to rotate it to face the window to save space. So should I blame it on Christmas, the balcony, or the socks/miscellaneous items cluttered all over the machine? Sigh! So close yet so far. Requesting the tree to be taken down soon! But working out on the elliptical is kind of boring. Help! How do you do cardio at home/gym without being bored to death?

Return to work after a staycation

It's finally January. I wanted to say CHEERs to 2012!! Viv, Amy and I bought a pass that allows for 20 dance classes for $19! woot. I've been wanting to try Zumba, Belly Dancing and brush up on Salsa Dancing. Who says working out can't be fun?! I'm the type who can never get myself to the gym because I find it to be so boring to sit in front of weights and treadmills. Even if I were to get to the gym, I probably wouldn't put much effort into the exercise. Amy and I took a weight training class our senior year and it was not that exciting. Instead, I'm more interested in dancing or exercises that is led by an instructor. They're the real pushers. My goal is to have a flat belly by the time I get to Belize (in two weeks) so I really need to tone up and watch my diet.

For breakfast, I had a bagel (removed the core) with walnut/raisin cream cheese and for lunch, I had a bowl of chicken noodle soup (it was way too salty - sodium overdose?). Throughout the day, I would have a couple cups of green tea. My coworker, Min, brought back a pack of brown rice green tea from Korea which is absolutely delicious. I asked him for more!! I was definitely craving it all week. Tonight, we're celebrating Diana's 26th birthday, hopefully, I'll grab something light and do a few stretches before heading to bed.

Cheers to a Fitastic 2012!

Happy New Year!!! I am so excited for the fresh year for new beginnings and new challenges. Clearly fitness is one of our top priorities. I know it will be challenging when things get busy and we are all trying to juggle a million and one things, but we need to keep in mind that health is arguably #1. Without health, we cannot do any of the things we do day to day. However challenging this will be, I also believe it is going to be a lot of fun because we are doing it together. I trust that even if we have to drag our feet to yoga class, we will feel amazing physically and mentally, and thank ourselves in the end :)

Exercise:
Vivian and I were supposed to meet for the 2pm Hot Vinyasa class at the 38th Street location. Diana wanted to do it too but she wanted to aim for the 10am/12pm class. Being that yesterday was NYE, I knew that wasn't going to happen :). Hey, at least I was being realistic. Vivian couldn't make it so I ended up by myself.  To my surprise (and delight), the class was pretty empty! I thought it was going to be packed with everyone's new year resolutions. Guess everyone had a little too much fun last night!

Diet:
I ate relatively healthy today. I wasn't hungry for most of the morning and afternoon because I ate so much pasta last night at 3am. Eeeeeek! So far, I had an apple, 3 strawberries (they were awkwardly bitter), some (by some I mean like 12) chicken cilantro MINI wontons (from Costco), and snacked on some ricesnack things and Special K out of the box (Mom, can you please buy some milk??). We are having hotpot tonight so that's going to be a wrap. I'll try to stay away from having too much fatty beef :) I don't want to deprive myself of all yummy things - it's about the balance.

Cheers to 2012!
Amy

P.S. - I had an amazing New Years. Thanks for the party invite Christine<3 (and Kevin)