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)