Rumble, Rumble

This weekend was a complete wash, literally!!! Just thunderstorm on & off all friggin weekend! Flood warnings everywhere! It calmed down long enough last night for me to go out and get take-out. I guess the entire eastern seaboard, from Florida to New England is suffering from the same storm front.

Okay, this week has been awesome workout-wise. I am happy to say I worked out for 6 straight days, as planned! Yaaahooo!!! It's been a while and it feels great! Here's what I did, starting from Wednesday since I already blogged about Mon. & Tues.:

Wednesday:
AM: 30 minutes cardio on the eliptical (20 minutes of HIIT, 10 minutes moderate) + Abs
The only hitch with this is I didn't do it first thing in the morning, more like right before lunch time. I woke up late and couldn't make it to the gym early enough before work!

Thursday:
AM: 30+ minutes running (moderate steady-state) on the treadmill
PM: LBWO (BFL) + Hips Adductor & Abductor + Leg Exercise on the Smith Machine
My legs still feel sore from this leg workout!!!

Friday:
AM: 30+ minutes running (20 minutes of HIIT) on the treadmill + Abs

Saturday:
AM: 35+ minutes running on the treadmill
PM (LATE): UBWO (BFL)
UBWO not getting done was a close call. I almost didn't do it because it was late by the time I got to it, but I did it!

And on the seventh day, I rested. :)

I can't say that my motivation has fully come back. To tell you the truth, the workouts sometimes feel more like a chore rather than something I enjoy. But I'm slowly getting there. I'm trying not to do too much, hence no running outside for 5 miles yet. I'm trying not to get burned out too soon. I am happy with the running this week. That's 5 days this week of running! The treadmill is helping a lot, especially the knees. It's also helping me with the speed & developing my ability to run on an incline. Maybe when the weather improves, I can start running outside again.

That's it for the week! Now I'm off to food shop. The rain has stopped momentarily. Hope it stays that way for a while. I don't particularly enjoy hauling groceries outside while it's pouring out.

Hope everybody had a great weekend!

Quick

I'm keeping this short coz it's late and I'm tired.

Workout and eating went according to plan today. Ran on the treadmill this morning for 3+ miles. Then tonight, I did UBWO. Eating has been clean.

I'm starting to feel good about the running. I'm slowly building up my mileage again, as well as speed. I'm getting the hang of running on my treadmill in terms of dealing with the boredom. Also, I'm starting to really, really love owning a treadmill. I've started to appreciate how convenient it is having one of your own. The best part is I can run on it with just shorts & sports bra without being self conscious. ;-)

So far so good!

Shopping Frenzy & Cooking

What a busy weekend I had! First of all, my parents are in California visiting friends & relatives so we couldn't celebrate Father's Day this weekend. We'll do it this coming weekend once they're come back. As a result, I had the whole weekend to myself!

Saturday, I went out early for a run, showered, ate breakfast, did some housework, ate lunch, then off I went to the mall for a major shopping spree. I so needed clothes! I bought tons of summer clothes (both casual and for work), 3 pairs of fancy flip flops, 2 sandals from Nordstrom (in addition to the 2 pairs I bought the week before!), and a Maui Jim sporty sunglasses that I can wear for my runs. My bank account is hurting, but I so needed new clothes!

One thing I noticed about the trend with clothing now is the color brown. It seems like everywhere I turn, brown is prevalent. Anybody notice it?

Anyhoo, on Sunday I woke up late. After breakfast, I started cleaning my closet and ended up missing church. Ssshh, don't tell my mom, LOL! The good news is I found more clothes. I found barely worn clothes that I outgrew and that fit again! The best part is that they are still in style! After lunch, I went to Target and bought a new blender, among other things. I got rid of my old blender when I got the Magic Bullet. Unfortunately, when making a large batch of EFL Golden Pancake, The Magic Bullet just doesn't cut it. It leaks at the bottom and gets all messy. Hence, a new blender was needed. It didn't cost that much though, Thank God! I'm still keeping the Magic Bullet, since it's good for shakes.

After Target, I went food shopping, went home, and started cooking for the week. I made the EFL Taco Pasta Salad, Rachel Ray's Chicken Satay Stir-Fry with Orange Scented Jasmine Rice (modified to be more BFL friendly), and of course, the EFL Golden Pancakes. After cooking, cleaning the kitchen, and loading the dishwasher, I just crashed!

I so love having the whole weekend all to myself!

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Off to a good start this week!

Woke up early this morning and made it to the gym. Did 30+ minutes cardio on the treadmill (20 minutes are HIIT) + Ab Bootcamp. The running was great! I didn't beat my record, but I still reached 2 miles in under 19 minutes. I'm getting consistent with this! One thing I need to do is to get new running shoes. I have a pair at home that I bought at a specialty running store. The pair I leave at the gym is something I bought somewhere because it was on sale. I noticed that it causes me to land on my feet hard and it puts too much stress on the shins and knees. Probably next month, when I get paid again ;). In the meantime, I'll just bring my good running shoes to work everytime I run on the treadmill.

Eating has been clean so far. Later, if I don't get distracted I might do some yoga.

I want to say my mojo is back, but I don't want to jinx myself. I'm keeping my fingers crossed though.

Hope everybody had a great Father's Day weekend!

2nd Day Straight

2 days straight of working out!!! Yay! Today I did 20 minutes HIIT on the eliptical, UBWO, and abs. I ended up not doing UBWO last night as planned. I was just too tired! Ended up making some homemade protein bars instead as I am out.

Today at work was just full of temptation at work when it came to food. Went out to lunch with a friend, so that wasn't too healthy. Then at work we had brownies that one of secretaries made for this one guy who was leaving the company for Virginia. It was also another secretary's birthday so people brought in carrot cake and Coldstone Creamery ice cream cake. Yummy! Luckily, by the time I got back from lunch the brownies were gone. I ate the last piece of ice cream cake, which was soooo good! The carrot cake didn't look too good so I didn't have any. But I think just the ice cream cake alone had enough calories to last me for the whole day! So when I finally got my act together in terms of workouts, my eating suffers. LOL! Oh well! Such is life!

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So I called this heating & cooling company that I usually deal with to schedule my AC annual routine maintenance. Unfortunately, I called close to 5 pm and they close at 4 pm so I got their answering service. Here's how the conversation went...

Lady: Hello! S Heating & Cooling, how can I help you?
Me: Hi! I'd like to schedule a maintenance for my air conditioner.
Lady: I'm sorry. They close at 4 pm so this is the answering service. Would you still like to leave a message?
Me: Yes. I'd just like to schedule the routine maintenance for my air conditioner.
Lady: Wow! I'm surprised you still have air conditioning.
Me: What do you mean?
Lady: Well, you're only one of the few. Probably half the people in this country don't have air conditioning anymore.
Me: Huh? Interesting.
Lady: Can I have your name?
...and so on and so forth....

WTF?!? Did I miss something? Has the world change and I wasn't paying attention? I kept thinking about this whole conversation on the way home, while passing all these houses and taking note of their air conditioning units.

Strange!

Blogging Funk

Hey all! I'm in a blogging funk. Just nothing interesting going on with my life. Also, my motivation has deserted me. The last couple of weeks have been tough. I need to get back to a routine again and get serious.

I worked out today after taking a break from Sunday to yesterday. I was able to run on the treadmill this morning for about 30 minutes (20 minutes are HIIT). And yes, I ran on MY treadmill. A combination of television & iPOD did the trick of getting me distracted. And I was able to do 2 miles in less than 19 minutes so I still got it ;). After work, I ran outside for 2 miles. It wasn't bad when I got home but by the time I went outside, it got really muggy so I had to cut the run short. Tonight, I'm going to try to get an UBWO in.

The good news is that my eating has been clean. I think the lack of exercise has helped curb my appetite.

This weekend for the first time in weeks, I have absolutely NOTHING to do, which is awesome! I can use the time to go shopping and get some much needed clothes that fit, cook my meals for next week, and to plan, plan, plan.

One thing I need to do is to be more consistent with my cardio, and preferably do it first thing in the morning. I need to lose more body fat. I'm fairly lean but have no muscle definition. I want those cut arms! I'm also thinking of going back to the BFL weight lifting style in order to train my body to lift heavier. The supersets were great, but I find that I have to lift lighter in order to get all the reps in. I'm sure I'll go back to supersets again when I get bored with BFL.

That's it for today! Hope everybody's doing great!

Three Days of Rain

No, I'm not referring to the weather. Although, in this case, it would be very appropriate.

I'm talking about Julia Robert's play in Broadway, which I will be seeing TOMORROW. YAY! I'm so psyched!

I'm praying that she'll be in the play and not her understudy. That would totally suck!

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Speaking of rain, did anybody experience some nasty thunderstorms last night? It was so bad around here! It lasted ALL NIGHT LONG! It totally derailed my workout & laundry plans last night. Thankfully, the electricity didn't go out completely. However, the lights flickered on and off all night.

The bad part is that I completely lost my cable, so no TV and no internet. I felt so lost! LOL. I'm still thankful that we still have power. There were a lot of people in the area that completely lost power, even lasting up to this morning! I guess losing cable is nothing compared to that.

So needless to say, no workout yesterday. I'm going to try to make it up today. Fitting 3 days of workout into 1 day is going to be a challenge. I have to do today's cardio HIIT, some modified version of yesterday's planned LBWO, and some modified version of tomorrow's UBWO. Yikes!

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I just saw that I've been tagged. Thanks Melissa! I'll try to do it after I come back from NYC.

Happy June!

Hey gang! First of all, thank you for your nice comments from my previous blog. I'm not really close to the guy that passed away, but we know each other. We've talked & joked around in the past and we always greeted each other by name when we pass. I was still affected emotionally by his sudden death. His funeral is tomorrow morning. I'm not going since it would probably be awkward considering we're not really close. However, many people around here are going. There's going to be an educational fund set up for his kids, so I'll probably just contribute through that.

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On to more lighthearted topic...

My Memorial Day weekend was awesome, if you don't count the overeating, LOL! But, I was expecting this. I got a lot done around the house on Saturday. I was actually on my hands and knees scrubbing my kitchen floor! Does that count as a workout? I sure hope so, coz I missed my UBWO for that day, LOL. Anyways, I have these linoleum floors comes standard with most home developments around here, and dirt just keeps getting into these tiny pits in the floor. I mop pretty frequently, but once in a while, you just have to give it a thorough scrubbing. Next year, if finances go according to plan, I plan to replace the linoleum with tile.

Then Sunday, I had my whole family over for some BBQ. It was actually a bribe so can get enough people to help me set up the treadmill, LOL. Hey, it worked! My treadmill is now set up in my basement and what a beaut it is!!!

Monday, I went to another cookout. I just felt so bloated once the holiday weekend was over! But it was enjoyable nonetheless.

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Fitness...

Surprisingly pretty good. I'm back to running! Monday morning, I was staying at my parents house and we went to the park nearby. My parents walked and I ran 4 miles. The knees held up pretty good! Yippee!!!

Tuesday afternoon, I ran on my treadmill. It was just too hot to run outside. The treadmill was great! Very light and airy on the knees. I ran 2 miles :( I had it facing the TV, but I just got so bored! Physically, I could have gone longer but mentally, I couldn't get into it. I just have to get used to this new set-up and find a good distraction.

This morning, I actually got up early and was out the door by 6 am. It was mid 60's, but already humid and no breeze. Yuk! I only ran 4 miles though. Nature called and around the last mile, I had to carefully walk home to avoid some jarring ;-D. I still have to do my LBWO today. But it will get done! I can either go to the gym here at work sometime this afternoon, or wait until after work and just do it at home.

I'm still doing the booty shrinker routine. So far, I've done it twice this week. It's still kicking my butt.

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WTF!!!

I went shopping this past Saturday and either I actually got smaller or the clothing sizes went up again within the past month or so, but I actually fit in size 0 shorts...COMFORTABLY. I've always had issues with my thighs, because they're just so BIG, so I've always stayed away from shorty shorts (not necessarily Daisy Dukes where your butt cheeks are hanging out, LOL). But I tried some on this weekend in size 0, and they actually look pretty decent on me! So I bought a pair and I am quite happy with it. :-D

I still need to do more shopping. My clothes that were comfortable on me last year are now falling off! Thank God it's summer and I can now wear short skirts & cropped pants. This means no waiting for alterations! YAY!

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Hope everybody's having a great day! One more day till the weekend!!!

Taking a break from running...

I am so upset that I have to take a break from running. My knees are still bothering me from last Tuesday's run. It's not like they're hurting, but I can feel some pressure in them. Plus, they make this clicking sound when I bend them sometimes. I had this problem before and I know that the only cure is rest. So no more running this week. I'll see how I feel next week.

Inspite of no running, I'm still religiously completing my other workouts. Yesterday, I did 20 minutes HIIT + 10 minutes MISS on the eliptical, and then abs. Today, I did LBWO. I decided to do the leg machines this time, instead of the usual lunges & squats, to ease off some stress on the knees. I did the workout BFL style with lighter weights on the machines, concentrated on proper form, and did the movements slow. When I used the leg machines before, I had heavier weights and ended up putting too much pressure on my shins, hence, shin splints. So today even with lighter weights, I still felt the burn and no shin splints. ;-)

As I was completing my last leg machine (the adductor), I looked over the Smith Machine and noticed that it was empty. So immediately, Janel's Booty Shrinker workout came to mind. I went over there and set it up with just 10 lbs. on each side and proceeded with the routine. All I can say is, OH MY GOD!!! My legs felt like jello! I was actually sweating so hard I can feel the sweat dripping from my back. I did 2 sets of each exercise for 12 reps each, and it was more than enough.

Surprisingly, my knees felt better after the workout. I did read somewhere that leg weight lifting helps strengthen the muscles around the knees. This doesn't change anything though. I'm still going to take a break from running, just in case.

Apparently, I made an impression on the Smith Machine. I was in the locker room and this woman stopped me and told me how amazed she was when she saw me, this small woman, working out on the Smith Machine. In my gym, normally only guys use this and it is very rare to see a woman on it. She definitely made my day when she told me that.

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So what did you all think of American Idol? Most of the show was a cheese fest, although there were some funny moments. I was happy to see Taylor win. He clearly deserves it. No matter what, I think both Kat & Taylor will do well in their respective careers.

Tonight, I'm going to see The Da Vinci Code. Anybody see this movie? Both my brothers saw it. One brother, who read the book, loved it, and another brother, who didn't read the book, hated it. I'm going to keep an open mind and just enjoy the movie.

18:28

Hello all!

Yes, I set another personal best yesterday. 2 miles in 18:28!!! I think I got about 2.17 miles at the 20-minutes mark. I'm very proud of myself!

Workouts have been great! I was too tired last Friday after the wedding to do anything. So no running, as I hoped. However, I went to the gym on Sunday and did UBWO. Yesterday was the 20 minutes HIIT & abs. Today I did another session of UBWO. After work, I went out for a run. Unfortunately, my knees started bothering me so I only got in 3.5 miles. My next run is on Thursday, so I'll try to do better.

Eating is so much better. I finally ran out of the Quaker multi-grain snack, so that's that. =)

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How about 24? Figured it's going to end with another cliffie! I knew we haven't heard the end of the Chinese. Don't forget also that whoever were in cahoots with the president is still unknown. Overall, a great episode! Jack brought down the President of the United States! Jack's the Man!!! Geez! We have to wait until January to find out what happens next?!?

American Idol - I had to spend 20 minutes text messaging my vote for Katherine McPhee at the "request" of my mom. I felt bad for her! I wish she chose the right songs. Actually, the last song wasn't her fault. Who in the world picked that song?!? Anyways, I love her voice - it's so effortless. I can see myself buying her CDs. I hope she still does well. I can actually see her doing musicals or theatres, especially considering her rendition of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow". I have to admit, Taylor outperformed Kat tonight.

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The wedding this weekend was a lot of fun. Here's a picture of me tearing up the dance floor. HA HA HA!!!

Stress at work

Either there's no other choice due to lack of resources or my boss has a lot of faith in me. One of my co-workers gave birth this weekend and I inherited all of her work. She was 2 weeks early so there are things that are left unresolved. It's not that bad, it's just that I have to do more to get up to speed with her projects. Needless to say, I am currently doing the job of 2 people. To top it all off, she has deadlines to meet within the next couple of weeks, which becomes my deadlines. The work is not bad if it's just routine stuff. However, the nature of our work is very technical and specific. So now not only do I have to know the intricate details of my projects, but I have to know my co-worker's as well. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy my job. I guess I just have to get used to working at a faster pace.

On to fitness...

Eating has been so-so. Clean during the day, but disastrous when I get home. I seem to have been suffering the same fate as a lot of the blends, which is bingeing. My weakness is the Quaker Oats multi-grain snack. It's only 60 calories per serving, but I can't seem to get enough! I made the mistake of buying it because it's low calories. Unfortunately, it is so good that I just keep on eating until it's gone. Also, I have this reduced fat slow churn ice cream in the freezer, a leftover from when my parents were over. Guess what I've been snacking on late at night????

Workouts has been okay too. I've been doing the minimal requirements, which are cardio HIIT, UBWO, and LBWO. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to do any long runs this week. It's mostly due to rain. I had the opportunity Wednesday & yesterday, but the sky looked like it's going to rain, but then it doesn't. It doesn't help that all the weather reports here are predicting rain. It's really frustrating!

The good news is that yesterday I did a killer LBWO. My butt is still sore and it hurts to sit. Today, to make up for the lack of running, I did 30 minutes HIIT on the treadmill. My goal was to get 3 miles in 30 minutes, or hopefully 5K in under 30 minutes. Get this...I reached 3 miles in 28:08!!! Also, I ran 7.1 mph for my level 10. I was curious as to what time it would take me to run 5K, which I mistakenly believed to be like 3.25 miles. So I kept running and reached 3.25 miles in 30:30. It turned out that 5K is 3.125 miles (DUH!), so I think I got it in under 30 minutes. I can't remember. I know, it's slow by a typical runner's standard, but I'm very proud of this! I think I'm going to alternate my treadmill HIIT sessions with 20 minutes and 30 minutes from now on. I usually do them on Mondays so one week I would do 20 minutes and then the next week do 30 minutes, and try to better my time each week.

Despite my not so stellar week, I weighed myself today right after HIIT and the scale read 109 lbs. I guess I didn't sabotage myself that much.

My treadmill finally arrived! There was a confusion with the delivery though. I called the delivery company and they assured me that they would give me at least a day's notice before they deliver. Well, they called me Tuesday as they were 10 minutes away from my house to get directions. By the time I got home, this big box was sitting at the end of my driveway. I called my dad and he came over to help me bring it into the house. Well, I didn't realize the thing weighed a ton! It came in pieces, but the motor, belt, & handle came in this one big, heavy piece. It took me, my dad, & my next door neighbor to just drag it into the house. Right now, the treadmill is sitting in my living room. I have to get my dad and my 2 brothers to help me move it to the basement, where it will permanently reside. So I have it, but still can't use it. Bummer! I think if I do sell my house, the new owners will be getting a treadmill since I don't know if I want the hassle of moving it to the new location.

Tomorrow is the wedding that I'm going to. The wedding's at 10 am with the reception at noon. I might as well kiss clean eating goodbye for tomorrow. Maybe if the reception ends early enough, I can go for a run in the afternoon.

Have a great weekend!

18:47

Hey guys! Gosh, this must be a record! I'm usually prolific with my posts. Unfortunately, last week has just been a series of ups and downs. I just had too much things to catch up on at work. Also, a combination of allergies & TOM just totally sapped me of my energy. When I recovered from that, my motivation has left me. I missed 2 days of workouts last week and the ones I was able to do were a struggle! I literally have to drag myself to do them. And I only got one day of running, which was a 5 mile run last Friday.

Anyways, this week is a new week. I have to kick it up a notch since I have a wedding to go to this weekend. I have to make sure I fit into my size 2 dress or I'm screwed! I wore my size 2 jeans today and although it fits, it felt kind of tight. Maybe a week of intense workouts and clean eating will do the trick.

Today started out really good. I did my 20 minutes HIIT and got 2 miles in 18:47!!!! That's a 9 seconds improvement from last week! By the 20 minutes time point, I ran about 2.13 miles! SAWEEET! The only thing that's frustrating is that I'm stuck at 7.0 mph as my maximum. Next time, I'm just going to have to suck it up and see how 7.1 mph feels like, LOL!

Is anybody getting a lot of rain? Today has just been on and off torential rain. We got a lot of rain this morning, which caused me to work at home for half a day because all the roads from my house to work usually gets flash floods. The sun came out mid-day and I wanted to run outside after work, but it rained again. I really can't wait to get my treadmill. I tracked it yesterday, and it's somewhere in New Jersey. Hopefully, I'll get it soon!

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I just have to tell you all, I really enjoyed doing the Top 25 list. I had a little bit of apprehension going through it, but after it was done and reading your comments, I was really glad I did it. I especially enjoyed reading the other Top 25 list. It's so interesting to read stuff that we have in common.

Donna - I've never been to Hershey, PA. I think it's about 2 hours away from me so a get-together is definitely a posibility. Are you going anywhere near the park? I don't know if you've ever been there, but if you haven't, beware! I have heard that it's right by the Hershey's Chocolate Factory and the whole place smells like chocolate!

Cheri - I saw Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Ashley Judd, Jason Patric, & Ned Beatty! We got awesome seats, around the 2nd row! I especially remember the day we saw this because it was during early December and we had a rare blizzard that day. I remember taking the Greyhound bus there. Would you believe that the play was not cancelled? It was the first time that I truly appreciated the title "city that never sleeps". If it wasn't for the expensive tickets, we would have just canned the whole thing. Greyhound ended up cancelling their service later that day so we had to take the Amtrak back. What a stressful day! And you're right, the play wasn't even that great. I don't think it's the actors. I think I just didn't get the play.

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24 - Again, another great episode. I can't believe next week is the season finale! I wonder if we'll find out who those behind-the-scene people are. Or if it's something they'll reveal for next season?

AI - I know this is kind of late, but yeah, America's crazy for not voting for Chris! My favorite now is Katherine. I think she is super talented. She just needs to pick the right song and bring it on like Elliot did. And she is so beautiful & sexy as hell! She definitely have the total package of being a pop star.

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That's it for now! I'm going to catch up on the other blogs now, as well as tracker. But it's probably going to take me at least a couple of days. I'm sure I missed a lot!

18:56

That's right! 2 miles in 18:56 - A new personal best!!! YEESSSSSS!!!! That's my 20 minutes HIIT on the treadmill first thing this morning. I was so pumped! At the 20 minutes time point, I racked up about 2.11 miles! Last week, my record was 19:07 for 2 miles. That's an 11 seconds improvement this week! The only thing was I wasn't able to get abs done. I only had time for cardio since I had to go back to work. Oh well!

Things kind of went downhill from there. Allergy struck me hard today! I couldn't even concentrate at work. My nose was just stuffy & runny at the same time and my eyes were watering all day! I finally caved in and ran to the drug store during lunch time to get some allergy medicine. I feel like shit! Allergy must be pretty bad this season because the allergy drugs at the drug store were almost gone! I also overheard a couple of the pharmacists talking about how bad it is this season. Also, my black car is covered in yellow pollen stuff. I came home and all I can do is lie down and rest.

Well, I still feel like shit so I'm going to sleep. At this point, if I still feel like this tomorrow and couldn't get my workout done, I couldn't care less.

Weekend Recap

It is Sunday night and I am finally getting some rest. This weekend was super busy! Finally got my master bathroom painted. I just have to do some small stuff like caulking the edges, re-grouting some of the tiles, replacing the shower head, etc. But the bulk of the work is pretty much done.

Workout wise was pretty good. Did not get the UBWO in but I think all the painting & scraping took care of that, LOL. I did get to run yesterday morning. I walked first for 2 miles because my mom wanted to go and she's not too familiar with the area. After we got done, I dropped her off and I headed out again for a run, about 3.5 miles.

Eating sucked. I pretty much resigned myself to having a free weekend. It's hard to stick with the program when there's other people around. But now that I'm on my own again, it's time to get back to my routine. So tonight, I made some EFL Turkey meatloaf & EFL Golden Pancakes for this week.

Speaking of pancake, I just got a Magic Bullet!

Actually, my mom bought it for me. She was so cute, she told me she got me a juicer! I was kind of upset coz I know how bulky they could get. I finally got good look at the packaging and realized it was the Magic Bullet. I was so excited! It came with a juicer & blender attachments, which is probably why she called it a juicer, LOL. I used it for the first time to make the EFL Golden Pancakes. The only thing is, either I didn't tighten the bottom enough or it did it on its own, but the bottom loosened and I had some pancake batter leaking out. Kind of messy. I have to be careful next time.

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When shopping, do you guys tend to accidentally grab someone else's shopping cart? Well I do it all the time! Normally, I leave my cart to grab something then I don't pay attention and grab someone else's. Anyways, I did it AGAIN today at Target. I think I went pretty far this time before I realized the cart wasn't mine. Luckily, I saw my cart, left the other cart, and quickly left, pretending everything's normal, LOL!

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School (for Erin)

Right now, I'm taking classes towards a Certification in Regulatory Affairs. Basically, it teaches you FDA regulations involved with licensing pharmaceuticals, biologics, & medical devices. The class that I just took happens to be about medical devices. You only take 4 classes for the certification. I already took 2, counting the recent one. Last year, I finished my Masters in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, which was purely science, so it was a lot harder. I have to admire those that work full and go to school full time. Especially those that have family also. I've only taken one class per semester, no obligation elsewhere except for the upkeep of a house & work, and it is challenging as it is!

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That's about it for this weekend! Hope everybody had a good one!

Friday couldn't come any sooner

Paper is finally done!!! I'm so happy! That's it for this semester! Now all I have to do is wait for my grade.

Workouts are going. Yesterday, I did LBWO in the morning then 4 miles walk/sprint intervals in the afternoon. My legs felt like lead during my run so I did what I could. I was only going to do 2 miles, but as I was on my way home I got so pissed at myself for giving up so I quickly walked to this stretch of flat 0.5 mile road where the schools are located. Since it was around 6-7 pm, there were hardly any people there except for some high school function by the track & field which was still going on. I was pretty happy with it in the end.

Today, I woke up late again and missed the 6:15 am spinning class. I still went to the gym in the morning but did 20 minutes HIIT on the recumbent bike. According to the stupid bike, I only burned 152 calories. I don't think that it's correct. I was huffing and puffing and the back seat of my bike was completely soaked! I then tried this one equipment in the corner called the VersaClimber:
Has anybody tried this equipment? Good Lord, I thought I was going to pass out! A co-worker of mine was telling me about this. She said she can only do about 5 minutes of it. I ended up doing 10 minutes by sheer will. By the time I finished, my heart was going a mile a minute and my shirt was completely soaked. One thing for sure, I did not look as happy as the woman in the picture, LOL!

Next week I'm going to TRY to switch my running to the mornings, then weight lifting in the afternoons. It's getting way too hot here already. This morning at 5 am, it was already 66F! It went up to 80F yesterday and today. Guess summer's here!

This weekend is going to be super busy! My parents are here to help me paint my master bathroom - FINALLY! My house is about 14-15 years old and I bought it about 3 years ago. It had 2 owners before me. Although they maintained the house really well, they did not do anything to make the house aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Most of the walls still have contractor paint when I moved in. Those that they painted sucked! The master bathroom, for instance, has this ugly green color on one wall with ivy borders that's peeling off. I'm so happy that it's finally getting some fresh color! I still have a lot that I want to do with the house, but it's getting there. Next painting job is the 3rd bedroom/office, which is currently has this obnoxious, super bright yellow wall paint. Then next year, depending on finances, I'm planning to replace the vinyl floors (aka dirt magnet) in my kitchen, powder room, and the foyer.

Hope everybody have a good weekend!

Presentation update

Got my presentation done this morning! It went okay. Actually, it went well but I made a different assumption than what the professor intended. He needs to write his descriptions more clearly!

We basically have to pick one from different hypothetical scenarios and recommend the best regulatory pathway. Mine is our company has a medical device that's already used by the military, but we want to make it available to the "general consumers". So that's exactly what I did. Except we kind of crossed paths with the term "general consumers". I interpreted it as make it it available for the hospitals, clinics, laboratories, etc. so the public, as in the general consumers, have access to it. His interpretation is that it's over-the-counter, meaning you can get it off the shelf at say Rite Aid. The kind of device we are talking about is not something one would expect to be OTC.

So basically, he said the presentation was good and my conclusion was correct based on my interpretation. But, he wants me to write my paper as if the medical device is OTC. For someone who is supposed to be a regulatory expert used to dealing with the FDA, my professor needs to work on using the appropriate language so it's specific. FDA regulations are very vague and are subject to interpretation to begin with. It's so annoying! I now have to do more work on the paper (I thought I was almost done!) and submit it by the end of the week.

Oh! The funny thing was I printed out some notes for my presentation. Turned out the last 2 pages did not print because my printer ran out of paper. I didn't realize it until during my presentation, LOL! Luckily, I had the file open on my desktop so I quickly looked at the slides and winged it! He also asked me this really difficult question which threw me off the loop. It took me awhile but I got it! Not as smoothly as I would have preferred, but I'm happy with it!

Workouts...I had to double up today. Did 20 minutes of HIIT on the eliptical (314 calories burned) + UBWO + abs. I varied my UBWO slightly today by doing 2 different exercise per body part and 3 supersets each. I also increased the weights & decreased the reps as I moved from one superset to the next. The exercises were the same as the last 4 weeks though. I didn't have time to come up with something new this weekend. I'm still feeling the burn so it's all good!

One funny thing at the gym...there were 2 guys there that I know that were sort of working out, sort of goofing off. They were LOUD!!! People were giving them the looks. I was sort of trying to ignore them by just doing my workout and listening to my iPOD - basically pretending I didn't know them. Unfortunately, one of them came over and said hi to me, LOL! Nice guys though, so it didn't bother me too much.

No running today to give my legs some rest. It's a good thing because it will give me sometime to work on my paper and do some housework.

This is me...

Okay, here's my picture.



This was taken in December, as indicated by the heavy clothing. Now I just have to figure out how to add it as my profile picture. I forgot already!!!

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Now for some treadmill update. Sears sucks! Went there yesterday to pick the treadmill up and get a price adjustment. Apparently, Sears price match everything except the Nordictracks. So I got my refund and purchased the treadmill directly from nordictrack.com last night. I still saved over $100. The only thing is I have to wait 2-3 weeks for delivery and they can only guarantee curbside delivery. I have to track the shipment and make sure I'm home for the delivery and maybe have the delivery people at least take it inside the house. Right now, I'm still okay with not having a treadmill since it's still nice enough to run outside. So overall, it worked out for the best.

I also went to the Nordictrack store at the mall to see if I can order it there. For some reason, it's $300 more at the store than online for the same exact treadmill. Wierd!

No workout yesterday, but did a lot of walking again at the mall. My mom & dad came over to help me with the treadmill, but we ended up just shopping around. My mom is a marathon shopper! I was exhausted by the time we were done! Also, I had another cup of Coldstone Creamery ice cream, but this time, my mom & I shared the small waffle cup of ice cream. I got Monkey Bites this time. My dad got the Birthday Cake Remix. Both were awesome! I have to stay away from that place - it's dangerous! Unfortunately, they bake the waffle cups right there and you can smell it from afar and it's like calling you!

Besides my treadmill & shopping episodes this weekend, my entire weekend was pretty productive. Of course socially, it was shot, but I got a lot done! I was able to work on my paper, got 3 loads of laundry done, cleaned,

Today was okay. Got my cardio HIIT done on the treadmill and got a new PB of 2 miles in 19:07 minutes - a whopping 0.01 seconds faster, LOL! I'm still happy about it. I didn't think I was going to beat my time because I could only go as fast as 6.8 mph (7.0 normally), but I started out faster so I just barely made it. I also did my ab workout - crunches, medicine ball workouts, pilates, knee ups, & back extension.

When I got home, I went out for a run. I was just planning a short run, about 3 miles. However, even that was a challenge. My legs just felt off and my left knee started bothering me a little bit. I can actually tell that my running was off and no matter what I do I just seem to land on my left leg hard, hence the cause of my knee issue. I had to have some walking breaks thrown it. I got in about 3.5 miles of run/walk, so it's still all good!

Another thing, my allergy has been bothering me all day!!!! I've had allergies for a couple of years now, but it was more of an annoyance before. I don't know what it is this year, but I've been having full blown allergy symptoms! Ugh!!!!

My paper is almost done! Yay! Tonight I have to work on my presentation slides because I have to submit it to my professor tomorrow morning. My presentation is Wednesday morning via the phone (gotta love online classes!) then he gives us additional time to re-work on our paper based on feedback from the presentation, and then the paper gets submitted on Thursday. Once I got into it, it wasn't that bad. I will work on my presentation while watching 24 ;-D.

NEW TOY!!!

NORDICTRACK

C2200 TREADMILL

SAAAAWEEEEET!!!!

Here are the specs:

• Solaris™ Illumination Console
• 2.25 CHP Commercial DurX™ Drive System
• DuraSoft III™ Impact Cushioning
• 0-10 MPH 1-Touch™ Speed Control
• 0-12% 1-Touch™ Power Incline
• 20" x 55" Quiet Treadbelt
• 10 Workout Programs
• 1-Step™ Pulse Monitor
• CoolAire™ Fan
• Carb Counter™
• Odometer with MyMiles™ Tracker and 2 Profile Memory
• iFit.com® Compatible
• 300-lb. Weight Capacity
• Dimensions: 37.6" X 64" X 71.4"
• Lifetime Motor Warranty
• One Year Parts/One Year In Home Labor Warranty

I got it at Sears on sale for $799. I still have to pick it up, which my Dad will help me with tomorrow since I need a bigger car. When I got home, I saw it on sale at nordictrack.com for $699 + free shipping. Plus I realized that I still have a $10 coupon for opening a Sears account. So tomorrow, I can hopefully get a price adjustment - Sears matches with an additional 10% off, then my $10 coupon. I have the printout from nordictrack.com all ready in my purse. Yay! This treadmill is pretty cool! It's not anything fancy, but more than enough for me. The weight limit is 300 lbs has very good cushioning for the knees (I tried it out :-D). I can't wait to get it home tomorrow!

I also bought a really nice dress for the wedding I'm going to in May. I got it at Lord & Taylor on sale for $75!!!! It cost a lot more than that regularly! It's a size 2 and fit perfectly.

Overall a great day of shopping!

Once I get the treadmill set up, I want to put a small and cheap LCD TV against the wall in front of it. I've seen some with a DVD player already built in. Should be good for distraction during long runs.

For workout today, I did LBWO this morning then yoga at night.

Eating is not so good. I had a small cup of Coldstone Creamery ice cream. I had one they call "Founders Favorite" which is a sweet ice cream with nuts, brownies, & caramel. Eek!!!! Not good, but oh so yummy!

Hope everybody's having a great weekend!

Exam Day

I just got done with my exam. I think I did at least okay. It's kind of hard to tell because the questions were subjective. I hope at I got at least a C so I don't have to reimburse my company for the tuition. My company covers continuing education 100%, as long as you get a pass or at least a C. Keeping my fingers crossed!

This weekend, I'll be working on my paper & presentation. Once that's done, that's it until the next class which will be in the Fall. I can't wait for this semester to be over.

On to fitness...

5.5 miles run today!!!!!! WOOOOOHOOOOO!!!! I was so excited! I had to make 2 quick stops though to stretch because my right hip started bothering me, which is something new. Once I got done my run, my hip felt fine. I made sure to stretch thoroughly just in case.

After my run, I rested for 30 minutes, ate dinner, rested for an hour, did UBWO, then finally a much needed shower (LOL!).

I kind of switched my workout around around. I was supposed to do LBWO yesterday but was not able to. Today, I was supposed to do HIIT and then tomorrow is supposed to be UBWO. However, because I missed yesterday, I decided to just run today because it was so beautiful outside. LBWO will be tomorrow morning (hopefully), then shopping, then maybe a shorter run in the afternoon.

I have to admit though that I'm a very slow runner, but I'm okay with it. Coming from not being able to run for more than 2 minutes a year ago, this is indeed a tremendous progress. Since I'm fairly new with this, I decided to focus on distance/endurance rather than speed for now. Between the HIIT work on the treadmill and once I get more comfortable/stronger with running outside, I think speed work will come easier in the future. Is this a good idea?

That's it for today! Have a great weekend!

Workout, eating, & AI

Today's workout was spectacular! I didn't wake up early enough to go to the gym, but made it up by going just before lunch. Workout was as follows:

Cardio (Treadmill): 3 min. walking, 20 min. HIIT [2 miles in 19:08 - NEW PERSONAL BEST!!! 2.09 miles in 20 minutes] 3 min. running moderate pace, 7 minutes walking
Abs: 3 sets Ab Bootcamp

After work, I went out for my run - 4.5 miles.

Eating has been so so. We had a baby shower at work and I ate A LOT of junk! Oh well, it's over and time to move on.

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American Idol - interesting today.

Katherine - I thought she did great and looked beautiful! Don't know about the dress though. Is it just me or did she needed a body shaper? The judges' comments kind of annoyed me. If Katherine is as good as Whitney Houston, do you think she would actually need American Idol?

Elliott - He did awesome!!! If he would only fix his teeth! What was up with Paula's crying though? I thought she was going to have a nervous breakdown!

Kelly - If America's smart, she would be out this week. Have you noticed that she hasn't been in the bottom 3 yet?

Paris - Great voice. I don't know what's with her though, but she just doesn't do it for me.

Taylor - Not so good this week.

Chris - I LOVE HIM!!!

Laziness over

My one day break last Wednesday turned into a 4-days break. No excuse for it, except that I was LAZY!!! However, the constant rain that started Friday night and lasted to this morning didn't help either. But that's over. The sun is up and I just came back from a 4.5-miles run.

The good news is that eating has been clean. So even with no work out, I don't feel fat or bloated. :=D

Still too much to do tonight. I still have to cook my protein pancake as I am out, then clean my refrigerator since I'm getting my new one tomorrow morning. I also have to study for my exam on Friday.

That's about it! Hope everybody had a great weekend!