taking it easy

this week has been quite different. i'm used to being on the go, keeping my schedule busy. 

unfortunately, last tuesday, my body said "take a break". i scraped my knee. i could not bend my knee very well, so i could not go to the gym for the whole week (can't do Body Balance! waaah!) then i got a fit of major dizziness (i was already at the office by this time). everything sounded far away, like there was something blocking my eardrums. then i perspired a lot. so i had to hail a cab and get my ass back home to rest.

so my tuesday was basically this - went to the office, got sick, went back home, slept for 3 hrs, woke up at 1:30PM, ate instant noodles (my first meal of the day), ironed some clothes (see? i could not not do anything! i have to do something), made some microwaveable fudge brownies with cream cheese, slept for 2.5 more hours, had dinner (BON CHON!), did some groceries, did my manicure, vacuumed the house, watched Naruto on cartoon network, then went back to sleep.

for the past weeks, i've been doing a lot of pondering. too much mental and emotional stress can wear me out. so my bad day is like a wake up call to me. it reminded me to take it easy. that the Lord will provide for me. if it is meant to be, it will happen. if not, then i'm still thankful. either way, i have crossed out one item from my bucket list, and that's something to be damn proud of :D

for now, i'm happy watching Naruto (gah astig talaga! sana mag shippuden na!) and reading fiction (a hardbound book from one of my fave authors that i got for Php99.00! yahooo!) while sipping my 50% sugar Taro Pudding Milk Tea with Extra Pearl, and meeting up with friends. YEAHBAH!

random sweaty stuff

for the past months, i have been buying workout stuff instead of the usual casual/office clothes, and i have discovered a few cool items fit for the gym.

first, the best thing that has happened to energy drinks -- getting themselves powdered! presenting, gatorade thirst quencher powder! now isn't this more convenient than buying and bringing a bottle of gatorade everyday? just put a scoop of this in your water bottle and add cold water when you get to the gym :) plus, it's cheaper too! you get the whole container for around Php290.00 and can make around 7 liters of gatorade. that's just about Php21.00 per 500mL! if you buy the 500mL bottle, it costs around Php 32-35. thanks florian for introducing this to me!

second, revlon colorstay liquid pen. the good: it really is smudge-proof! it stays on even after a Body Combat class with all the sweat and hot lights. i can even line my lower lashes without looking like a zombie an hour after. the pen tip makes it easy to apply too. the bad: is there really liquid in there? you have to shake shake shake the pen before a good amount of color can come out. but all in all the pen is pretty good. although for non-workout days, i still prefer my revlon kohl eyeliner (syempre revlon parin haha!). it's a lot more pigmented and it makes my eyes pop out more :D

third, everlast PINK handwraps! need i say more? LOVE!

aside from the cool purchases, what else have i been up to recently?

- BODY COMBAT 48! kicks, kicks, and more kicks! one of the most challenging releases yet. booyah!

- once launching season is over, i can't wait to try the new release of Body Balance. from what i have seen/heard, it looks freakin hard. WOOOHOOO!

- strength training. ok, so REALLY don't like weight training. i prefer cardio any day. or yoga. unfortunately, i need it. kelangan magpa-lakas. but i don't know anything about it. good thing my strength-training-addict friend, mik, is now training me! we've had 3 sessions so far, and MAN do i feel the burn!

- i started painting my nails again! neon pink, then dark blue, then maroon, then coraly-blue-green :)

- i really really really need to continue writing. i should make time for this :(

- i became a year older! :) thank you Lord for another year. for the blessings, family & friends, for the progress, for Your guidance. i am praying that You would continue to shower me with your blessings, and that You would take to where i need to be. saka po sana yung iba ko pang request, Lord. hehe alam Nyo na po yun :) Amen.

Body Combat, anyone? :D

my writing has taken a backseat for a while (my reading too, actually). it feels like haven't written for so long! 

fortunately, i do have an excuse for that. my hands have been busy punching instead of writing/typing and my brain has been busy memorizing instead of brainstorming for ideas.

so far, this year has been quite a ride for this Little Lady. you see, since late january this year, i have been slowly treading a new path - becoming a Body Combat instructor. 

my friends know that i have loved this class for YEARS. this was my stress-release. my break from hours of sitting and thinking and typing at the office. my chance to live my superhero childhood imagination. but i never thought i would have the chance to become an instructor. i mean, yes my officemate/combat-buddy and i have talked about this years before. how it would be awesome to be on-stage and share the class with gym members. how "work" would mean doing something that you really enjoy doing. but i never imagined that it could actually happen in real life. how come, you ask?

because the only "work" that i knew how to do meant endless thinking and analyzing, not moving around and breaking a sweat. because as i have mentioned in my previous post, i have been quite sedentary for most of my life. for years i have been on the heavy side. i wasn't strong. so being a fitness instructor was definitely not on my mind.

well apparently, with the help and intervention of a few people (you guys are angels!), i discovered that being a fitness instructor IS possible. you really just have to work hard for it. myself especially, given my previously un-fit lifestyle and having no martial arts background at all. plus, it's not just your physical strength and endurance. you have to think while moving too. it's physical and mental work. so for the past months i have been busy training, practicing, trying to get the hang of it - on top of my day job.

honestly, i feel good with what my body has achieved. i mean, it's a far cry from what i was a year ago. i have accomplished 90% of the fitness goals that i've set last year. BUT given this new responsibility, i feel like i have to take my fitness level a notch or two higher. i still need to increase my endurance and strength, and i could do with losing a few more pounds. so yeah, i do celebrate what i have achieved so far (yey to new clothes!), but at the same time, realize that there's a lot more room for improvement. i'll be setting up my game plan for the second half of the year soon. wish me luck! KIYAH!

PS. special thanks to the following: my mentors - teacher ben, kerwin, mark, jon. your comments are very much appreciated and welcome. the one who started it all - winnie :) fellow evils, BC47 batchmates, combat-buddies, friends, mom and dad for the endless support :)

rollercoaster month

geez, this has been a crazy month. a lot of things are happening at lightning speed! but i like it :D it makes me feel more alive. let's break it down a bit more. this month, i've felt...

very very thankful... that my dear friend BJ is now in remission. the Lord is truly great. to family and friends, thank you for all your prayers and help.

ecstatic... that all the hours clocked in at the gym and efforts of controlling portions are finally starting to pay off. JUSKUPO!

revitalized... at the office (doesn't that sound weird? haha).

delighted... that my article was printed in our company publication. thank you for giving me the opportunity to write.

stressed and frustrated... which is surprisingly not work-related. (hay Lord, i am asking for your help again. i don't know how to do this.)

chillax... while listening to 106.7 Dream FM at work.

relieved... at nakaraos din sa BC tuitions. woohoo!

excited... for the start of mentorship :)

glad... that i met new friends.

cheery & child-like... after watching 2 good movies - Crazy Little Thing Called Love and Rio.

calm... before going to bed, after spritzing lavender linen spray on my bed & pillows.

looking forward... to a SUNNY SUMMER! i love the heat and the sun and the wind! and to a nice Holy Week with family and relatives.

HAVE A SUNNY AND WONDERFUL SUMMER EVERYONE!

struggling with weightloss

i have been chunky most of my life. i couldn’t complain about it though, because i have been sedentary from childhood till early adulthood, except maybe a few summer swimming classes. and then i graduated from college and went on a month-long US vacation (which was when I was at my biggest. hello thanksgiving and Christmas and new year dinners! and NY pizza OMG!). since then i have always been struggling with weight loss. this is one aspect of my life that has been really holding me down. i've been going to the gym for a couple of years now, but i have only started seeing significant results a few months ago. what did i do differently this time? basically i got tired of the jokes and nasty comments and self-pity that i started making a plan to solve it (it’s called Project 2011 FIGHT! hahah!). here are my 6 personal pointers that helped me a lot.

1. Just do it.

-       When you're thinking twice if you should workout because you feel too tired or too lazy, think no more. The answer is "Just Do It". 5 minutes into your workout, you'll feel so energized, you'll thank yourself for getting your ass off the couch.

2. Indulge once, cut back five times.

-        I love food. I'd rather spend hours at the gym instead of controlling my food intake. But even if I exercise myself to death, I couldn't get significant results. So I started making a conscious effort to control my food portions. But after 2-3 weeks of cutting back, I reward myself with 1 Quickly Taro-Taro (ahhh heaven!) or a serving of ice cream. A treat once in a while is ok since it would stop me from eventually losing my mind and bingeing.

3. Get online help.

-       Sign up in weight management sites such as www.fitday.com (It's free!). You input the food you eat and activities for the day so you could monitor your calorie intake versus the calories burned. There are also features wherein you could set your weight goal and then the site would compute what your calorie deficit should be. It really does help because 1) it makes you more aware of what you're eating/doing everyday, and 2) it helps you familiarize yourself with the approximate calories of your food. I did this religiously for 2 months. Now I do rough estimates since I already know how much to eat everyday.

4. Get motivation and inspiration anywhere you can.

-     You need your personal motivation in order to keep going with your weight-loss journey. But it doesn't hurt to get motivation from others too.  Read success stories and be inspired. Utilize your desktop wallpaper. Watch The Biggest Loser. Take a look at your "goal clothes". Looking for a challenge? Make a bet. Have fun working out with your friends (luckily I have this workout-addict friend who made me level up my workouts. LEVEL 5 RAWR!! Now I have my BC batchmates as well YEY!!). Pray.

5. Have concrete goals.

-       You can't just say "I want to lose weight." That's too vague. You have to be specific with what you want and you have to have a timeline (a realistic one, please). When i started going to the gym a few years ago, i had general goals. But I only started to really lose weight on when I said “I want to get back to my college weight. I want to be able to wear good-fitting, trendy clothes. I want to have more defined cheekbones and jaw lines. I want to be able to do higher and more powerful roundhouse kicks. I want to be able to do 8 or more consecutive muay thai jump knees with ease. I want to have stronger arms and legs, all in 6 months." I have less than 2 months to go! Next in line: 5lbs lower than my college weight, push-ups on toes, stronger core, all in 2.5 months.

6. Make time for it.

-       It's all about priorities. When I need to go to the gym, that timeslot is taken. Unless there are special occasions or emergencies, I will be unavailable when it is time to work out. There was a time wherein we had to be at the office until midnight, so I could not go to the gym during my regular schedule which is after 6pm. So I worked out during lunchbreak instead. If you want to do it, there are no excuses.

I haven’t met all my goals yet (and I still get the occasional fat joke)… but i'm street brawling and side-kicking my way to achieving them all. FIGHT!

nagging thought

my mind has been loaded with so many thoughts recently. so many things to accomplish, so little time. well, i guess that's quite a bit normal by now, hihihi.


there's work (as usual),
then brainstorming & meetings for Sizzlers' Blends,
then memorizing,
then social gatherings,
then squeezing in workouts whenever possible,
among other things.


but the most nagging thought that i have at the moment is...


CONQUER THAT DAMN PLANK ALREADY! GRRR! (WHIP WHIP WHIP!)

2011, here I come!

at the start of the year, we usually hear about Resolutions. things that you promise to start doing (or stop doing) for the year.


honestly, i don't feel like giving specific things to do. it would be really hard to remember those come june, right? so i'd rather have general things/goals to focus on, then make mini-plans to make them happen one day at a time.


so for 2011, i will be focusing on the following:
- healthy living (let's start the year with a bet! *wink*)

- enrich my love for make-up (bading!)

- try to travel more (anybody who wants to go to Guam?)

- nurture personal relationships (oha!)

- continue journey towards financial independence

(change bryan to Little Lady hehe)

hmmm... i think those are doable enough.
cheers everyone! may 2011 be a wonderful year for all of us!

me, myself and i

i have been focusing on myself this past few weeks. earlier this year it was work work work. now i go to the gym more often. although still not as much as i want to. gusto ko 4-6 hrs a day, parang biggest loser level! haha! i'm serious. i also started cooking my own food -- for dinner, at least (thanks to one of my former officemates who inspired me to cook). my tiny refrigerator used to have water/soda and chips. now it has water, half a bag of chips, juice, the occasional soda, chicken, fish, veggies (o ha!), yogurt, cheese and 2 bottles of GPS (for emergency purposes only. ahahah!) still stuck on doing easy dishes though.

i've been cleaning the house and doing the laundry and rewarding myself by enjoying wwe (wooh orton! and omg john morrison! high flying moves plus newly seen submission holds? love. hahahaha!) and the biggest loser asia. (go nai! wooh!) 

* off topic: i loved wwe's video on its Make A Wish foundation. i wish all the wwe superstars would smile more often. it makes them more gwapo. hahah!

i also have been looking for and going to events/sales/bazaars/exhibits. my favorite venue so far is the megatrade hall, basically because i could just take a 10-15 minute walk and i'm home :) i don't necessarily have to buy anything. gusto ko lang maiba, hindi puro department store/boutiques ang nakikita ko.

unfortunately, i'll have to put in more effort to squeeze in this "trying to be healthy and happy" regimen for the coming weeks. yes, you guessed it -- starts with 'W" and rhymes with pork. this is it pancit! crunch time! so please Lord, give me the discipline and will power to keep this up. please please please. i NEED this po. because i feel that i am not good enough unless i do this. thank you po.

let's go sago!

PS. sana mag Christmas na! one HAPPY Christmas please! Amen!

happy women's health month!

apparently, march is women's health month, so SLF had this health & wellness program kick-off. there were booths with freebies, free consultations, free make-overs etc.

i got a couple of discount cards...

slippers...

a back-issue magazine...

a consultation and a starter kit from nestle...

and other stuff (tissue, notebooks, pens, etc.). i got free tests for my blood pressure and blood sugar as well (normal pa naman. haha!)

this one's my fave though. i registered to be able to get cervical cancer shots at a relatively low price. we were also allowed to register dependents who wanted to get shots and they get discounts as well. i've been thinking about getting shots before, kaya lang it's expensive, kaya ok na ok to :) tapos salary deduction pa :D

dance

i tried doing hiphop and body jam classes in fitness first this week. although i sucked at it, i saw how beautiful dance is. i dance a little, but i'm not a dance enthusiast. yea, i loved the movies step up and step up 2, and i super love jabbawockeez. but i'm not really a dancer. so i sucked in body jam. haha! 

but i really had fun in class! what we usually hear is that dance is a form or expression. your emotions flow when you're dancing. but aside from that, i saw that there is a sense of sexiness in dancing (yep, even in hiphop). because i usually do body combat (this is my favoritest class in the whole world btw), and i feel powerful. it's like, "if men can throw a strong uppercut, so can i." but in hiphop and jam, i feel more feminine. and i love it :)

so, from now on i'll try to attend hiphop and body jam classes more often! i'll improve, I PROMISE! more calories burned.. dancing skills improved (hopefully haha)... plus if i do hiphop/jam before body combat, i feel more energized. i can punch and kick harder. probably because my muscles are already warmed up. 

alright. hiphop and jam it is! :D