Motiv-action - Day 28/29

Yesterday, I allowed myself to do nothing. *slap on the wrist!*

Today, I ate a huge hamburger, onion rings and milkshake meal for lunch at work. I'm glad, however, that I had sugar snap peas in the morning, and I'm going to finish off the night with some grapes. 

Today I just freestyled my workout. I decided that while I was checking my phone and reading articles, I may as well do some lunges. I did that for roughly 5 minutes. Then the same with squats for 5 minutes. I eventually put my phone down and did my daily butt workout. I'm still not in an ideally toned state, but I hope I can power through the last week and a half of workouts to be comfortable.

What he said:

Bad - Day 24/25/26/27

I declared Thursday another break day.

Friday, I was unable to do Bootcamp. A meeting went late into the lunch hour and we were unable to get our workout in, so we just went outside to eat lunch. In the evening, I did some unorthodox workouts with a combination of daily butt and floor-type workouts for butt and abs.

Saturday was another break day. Or does walking around 2 shopping malls for *ahem* eight *cough* hours count?

Sunday was another break day. Took a nap midday and didn't really get out of my laze enough to get a workout in. But I did have an hour walk in the morning with the dog. 20 mins longer than we usually walk.

Today, I mustered up some energy to do my daily butt workout. The progress on my stamina has increased greatly! I can how pulse my leg for a full minute without cringing in pain. This is amazing! I am really happy with the progress I'm feeling (not so much seeing) on my butt. My underwear is feeling looser, so that's a huge win! Well, not really because that means I'll have to go shopping for new expensive undies. :/ 8 more hours of shopping...? lol

Ok, time to get serious on this workout stuff. I will have to do more legs and abs stuff tomorrow as Bootcamp on Friday will turn me into it's bitch if I don't get some pre-torture workouts started tomorrow. Goodnight!

R.I.P. Robin Williams.

Beachin' - Day 23

I found a new workout for the beach and it was difficult!

I only gave myself 2 stars. But I'm glad I learned some new moves, especially for my legs/thighs. I'll be doing those again in the future.

After that, I did my daily butt without. Always hurts so good!

I'm glad I buckled down and did a workout today. I know bootcamp on Friday is going to hurt, so I may as well start hurting tonight.

Tomorrow, I am contemplating a run or another workout. We shall see...!

Catching Up - Day 19/20/21/22

It's been a crazy few days. 

Day 19 - Cousin's wedding. I will count "dancing" as my daily workout.

Day 20 - Food festival. I will count the hour round-trip walking we did to and from the festival. Including stairs both ways! And walking all over the park to each cultural pavilion.

Day 21 - Lazy day. I'm allowed one of these days, right?!

Day 22 - Today. I only did my daily butt workout. Feeling tired. And that's why I'm going to sleep as soon as I finish this post.

Goodnight and is will continue with a better workout tomorrow!

Random: I took this internet quiz today. I'm so smart, so why aren't I rich?!

Head, shoulders, knees and toes - Day 18

O.k. So not quite head, shoulders, knees and toes. But I did work on my areas most in need of focus.

First, I started off with Shaun T's butt workout. It hurts but it's worth it!

Second, I worked on abs. I did upper, lower and side ab sets. I could tell I needed to work more on my core and back muscles as my back was popping up when doing floor series. So I hope to do that tomorrow or Sunday. Or Monday as I'll be losing alone/workout time in the next couple of days.

Third, I worked on legs/butt. Lunges and squats. You can never do too many!

It's really hot indoors this evening. So I am currently dripping sweat right now.

Time for some beauty rest. The wedding will be so much fun tomorrow!

15 mins of workout time. Better than none!

All A-Butt Butts - Day 17

I ate a large dinner of spaghetti and cereal. Yes, it happened.

So I decided to not do any core/abs tonight.

Today was all about the butt. I love that my undies seem to be getting looser. I love seeing progress!!!

I did 15 minutes of Butt Buster and then 5 minutes of Shaun T's butt workout which I have been repeating the last several days. Feeling the burn! But it's getting easier!

I might not do good on working out this weekend as I will be partaking in wedding and festival feasts. So starting Monday night, I'll be doing core and abs again. 

Goodnight!

P.S. I also saw a cool quote today posted by the Spartan Race on FB:

Baking - Day 16

So today I did the core workout I wanted to do yesterday. It was great! It feels effective on my body.

My form was lacking in some of the sets, but I hope to be able to do these again in other workouts.

I'm gonna keep tonight's post short. It's extremely hot this evening and I can barely move another muscle.

Mañaña!

Oops & I Did It Again - Day 15

I mistakenly did the Strengthen and Lengthen workout instead of a core workout. But that's ok, I needed something new!

I found tonight's workout somewhat easy in terms of simplicity. But the techniques were difficult to master having to stay vertical and not move the hips. But I liked the sets and they were easy to remember.

After that, I decided to do a repeat of Shaun T's butt routine from last night's workout. It hurt a lot - again. But I am getting used to it and hope I can build up more endurance doing this again tomorrow.

Aaaaand...! Ichibum has challenged me to do 1 REAL push-up this week. I have only been able to do modified push-ups this entire time. My arms feel like sticks. I don't know if I can do it. But I will try. As hard as I can! My goal is to do this by Friday evening. Wish me luck!

Ab-Butt - Day 14

I got home and ate a Paleo dinner (unintended, but it worked out well). Then paid a bill and did some chores. As soon as I felt tidied up, I got into a core strengthening workout. 

I did Core Crunch, which contributed a lot of strength to my abs and back. It feels really good to be conscious of not allowing myself to slouch or negatively impact my sitting or standing postures.

I luckily got a call from ichibum and got a break in between for some ab-burning laughter and motivation talk for her and myself.

As soon as we hung up, I decided to do just 5 more minutes of focusing on my butt thanks to Shaun T. It was killer! Worse than my 15 mins of core sets! But it felt good and really effective.

I hope I can motivate myself to go for a run tomorrow evening...! Either that or another workout on focus areas. Goodnight!

Every Little Bit Counts - Day 13

I spent the entire day watching TV and eating. Glad that I don't feel bad for doing a short workout until the end of today. It was way too hot to be doing any physical activity. Even my dog was so hot during our walk, he plopped down on the grass to get himself cooler.

Tonight, I decided all I could do was abs. After last night's 5 mile run, my ankles feel bruised/sprained. But I'm sure it's just new muscles ripping.

I did the Ab Burner workout and it felt alright. I felt the burn except for a few sets. I did modified side planks, but I should have pushed myself to do regular side planks. Tomorrow, I will push!

Goodnight!

Wow! I haven't visited this page in forever and didn't realize that Tammy you were keeping it alive (I believe you now when you say you've participated in marathons and mud runs...kudos to you!)...reason I'm even on here was to find the nick dreamer birthday video to post on my bro's wall in an attempt to embarrass him. Epic fail considering I accidentally posted it on my own FB wall instead of his! Anyhoo you've inspired me to get back into shape after giving birth to my lil parasite (I guess I should be called Mrs Em now). Stayed tuned for some mommy diary posts from me once I go on mat leave...heehee

Running - Day 12

Wow, I ran 5 miles tonight! All in less than an hour!

Feeling exhausted from the long distance. But my pace was pretty good! I am quite pleased.

This is a new app I downloaded - again another Nike+ App. Gotta love it. It shows calories lost and average time per mile. And when you stop running, it pauses the workout for you (i.e. waiting at stop lights).

Glad I stuck to my workout tonight. I almost decided not to do one. Must have more will power! 

Looking forward to tomorrow's workout...! 

Bootcamp - Day 10/11

Another tummy ache stood in my way on Thursday (too much fruit). Although, I did enjoy a delicious bottle of Cherry Coke from Seattle (thanks, ichibum!). So I wasn't able to do much other than a few sit ups before bed.

I did Bootcamp at lunch today (Friday). It rained a little, so we had to do circuit training in the gym. Got lots accomplished with each station focusing on everything from strength to legs and cardio.

I figured out a couple of things I wanted to invest in for workouts: jump rope and a kettle bell. When I can't do any running on crappy weather days, jump rope will give me some good stationary cardio. And the kettle bell will be good for squats on any day. Always need to work on my legs...!

In the meantime, I'm feeling progress and maybe even fooling myself into seeing progress. All I'll have to do is keep it up!

Catching Up - Day 7/8/9

The past couple days were unfavorable. Felt exhausted on Monday and tummy ache on Tuesday (no more PB & Chocolate from Jugo Juice for me).

However, I just came back feeling pumped after watching "Lucy" starring Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman. Cool concepts and mind blowing ideas mixed with intensity had me feeling invincible!

So tomorrow is exactly a month from having to #lookbetternaked (half naked). I thought I should get a head start and push myself to do a workout today before I completely commit to my exercise regimen.

Tonight I focused on abs and legs. I have to give it to myself for already being lean up top. So my abs are pulsing sweetly above my gut. I hope to get that toned down with more healthy eating for the next month. The workout was rated intermediate-to-advanced, so I found that I had to do modified sets to do the actual set and feel a proper burn.

Then I focused on legs and pushed as much as I could to feel the burn from the squats in the right places. My hips are really pronounced. I'd like to get them slimmed down to make my overall figure more evened out. Progress and results will come in the weeks ahead, I know it!

Time for some shut-eye. Sleep = energy!

Running - Day 6

I enjoyed a good evening run. There are tornado warnings north of the city, so the winds have really picked up - like the simulation of sitting right in the middle of 10 electric fans. Weeeee!

I managed to run for 20 minutes and then mapped it out - 2.5 kms. Not bad! I hope to work up to a longer distance at a fast, consistent speed. I think I'll start using the gym at work during the lunch hours as the days grow colder. But for now, I'll enjoy the outdoors and cement terrain.

🌴🌴🏁🏁🏁🌴🌴

Bootcamp - Day 4/5

I did Bootcamp at lunch today!

We did Bootcamp games, to be exact. I liked the spin they put on it because we got into teams and got into competition mode!

Our team (blue) tied with the red team before we had to do a tug of war tie-breaker. Then we lost. But we did pretty well because we only had 4 people on our team and everyone else had 5! Not bad for 2nd place.

I'm glad I signed up for this because it forced me to do more upper body challenges. Otherwise, I'm all good with lower body/legs and core strength. Just gotta keep working on all target areas.

I'll count yesterday (Day 4) as my "rest" day since I had a stomach ache and did not have the ability to get into a workout. Looking forward to next week!

This is where we did Bootcamp. Best view of the city. We are so lucky!

...sting like a bee - Day 3

It is at a "feels like 30C" temperature at 10:00 p.m. I don't know how I even did this workout...!

"Beach Legs" was a great focus for today. I felt the muscles tear a lot with these sets. Definitely hurts/stings like a bee. So let the fat covert to more muscle!!!

My goal is to get a higher/toned butt and this helped to build the muscle underneath to push everything up. And I like the squats so the muscles tame my hips!

I also did 5 minutes of booty rockin' from Shaun T. It was hard. But I like that he does pulses. Seems effective!

Now, time for sleep. Lame...!

Float like a butterfly... - Day 2

I am currently dripping sweat. Feels like I'm in a sauna/furnace!

Got a late start to the workout. It was too hot after work to do anything, so this was the only logical time to begin. 

I did "Box Smart" which had a lot of side-to-side sets. Perfect for toning my hips! Feels good! Lots of leg work. I felt inspired by Muhammad Ali throughout. 

The newest: a friend at work passed on info that there are free Bootcamp classes from now till end of August every Friday at lunch, so I will be adding this weekly routine to my workouts! Very excited, but also very scared. But it will be worth it. I don't care if I'm still fat or don't lose any weight. I just want to be rock hard and not have any flab jiggling on the beach this summer!

And with that, I shall collapse. 

Return of the Mac - Day 1

In order to motivate myself to look better (half) naked, I am challenging myself to workout 6 out of 7 days a week until the end of August.

Today, I went back to beginner mode in the "Get Lean" category. I went for the Sweat and Shape workout to target all areas of my body.

Today was a little surprising. Being that we did a successful run at the Spartan Sprint last weekend, I thought I was more fit than how I feel right now. It hurts!

I could really feel my legs had lost their strength and my upper body is lacking as was usual. I am definitely going to feel the effects of this workout come tomorrow afternoon.

For now, I'm just glad I got back into the groove. My main target areas are abs and legs. However, after the Iggy Azalea concert last night, I don't mind rocking a toned badunkadunk!

4 out 5 stars!

Yoga Toning - Day 40

I remember doing this workout before and finding it difficult.

Today, it was a much better effort. I managed to do all of the poses, even the Crow pose for 2 seconds.

I had to remind myself to be aware of all the muscles I should be flexing in each pose, but it was good when I focused.

Next time, I will push to last throughout all poses!

15 minutes and 4 stars!

DIVA Class #1

It was good to get back in this class since the initial "preview" class in March.

Although it was not as difficult of a workout, it was a good challenge to work up a sweat. We did body isolations, diva walk, hip hop and choreographed steps.

Did some moves to Ciara's "Like A Boy" and it was fun. Looking forward to next week's class...!

Run! - Day 39

So I had to guesstimate how far I ran. I timed it so that I ran for 30 minutes, which is approximately 3 kms. 

It was great! The weather is nice and cool and I worked up a sweat without feeling uncomfortable. 

It's amazing how much distance you can cover in 30 minutes. I even saw some stores I've never seen before in a neighbourhood near the main shoppes.

Looking forward to Wednesday's workout as this week's workout says I should take a break tomorrow night. Perfect! 5 stars!

Present - Day 38

Starting a 4-week program using the Nike App. I also chose to include runs and I am pleased to see 3 miles of steady running has been included for every other day...! The weather is warming up and I'll be so happy to include this in my workout.

Today I did 30 minutes and it was somewhat difficult to get back into exercising as I have been neglecting it for a while now.

Otherwise, it was a 4-star workout. Done!

Insanity Asylum - Day 37

First time to try Insanity via DVD. Fun!

I'm a visual learner and this was a treat because I could be more aware of my form and speed.

I randomly chose Core Cardio and Balance because I need a lot of cardio to get leaner. It was definitely a sweat!

Also happy to learn more workouts. Although I didn't last through as many sets as I wanted to.

37 minutes and 4 stars!

Vino and Vinyasa - Day 36

Although I am still as hungover as a grandpa's ballsack, it was an amazing day on Saturday...!

Sister's stagette consisted of a lovely and intimate group of ladies.

As we got into our yoga poses, it was great to visualize one's capability of conquering a pose. We often forget how to give ourselves credit for the little things and this really gave me that feeling of validation.

The yoga DJ played some amazing music too (yes, we had a DJ)! I am looking forward to getting his playlist. Doing a fun spin on yoga with added dance moves was fun and entertaining.

Head stands were an advanced pose that we all got to try. Not sure I will try it again. But I wasn't the only one with that same thought. Haha

At least we got rewarded by enjoying glasses of wine afterward with the ladies who shared their intentions for the bride's future. Such a great set of memories to hold in our lives...!

1.5 hours of yoga and 5 stars!

Easter-themed inspiration for our ongoing Spartan Sprint training:

ichibum day 50 (skipped day 49)

Got my car detailed this morning and didn't want to wait an hour and a half to get picked up. Decided to walk/jog from 5325 91 Street to the Whyte ave shop. 105 st and 82 ave. 

Omitting voiding the puddles and jogging in winter boots and jeans, it was a good start to the day. My goal was to make it to Whyte ave shop under an hour under my condition and yup. Did it. :)

And now for some yoga in a bit for a stagette. Woot woot.

- peace out

Ichibum

ichibum day 46

Day 46 went for a double whammy. Insanity class for an hour and then yoga for an hour. I don't like yoga but my body needs it. It was kinda zen-like. Especially nice break from hectic office work. So 2 hours resulted in this:

I had a couple of free passes so I invited Eileen and Jess to go too. We unintentionally matched that day. Black Yoga pants and black shirt. Damn youngin's were able to keep up with the class. I barely kept up lol

Day 47. Did not work out. 

Day 48. Did not work out. 

And all I'm doing is eating this weekend. Fml. :(

Cooking

Not going to work out tonight. I am cooking enough food to last me the week before I head to the hometown for Easter. 

In the meantime, I thought of you, ichibum, when I saw this:

We'll see if we make a good couple of colorful Spartans...!

Sculpt - Day 35

Tonight's workout had some sets I've never tried before. Really enjoyed it.

This week I'm focusing on butt and abs for this weekend's partying. Gotta wear a dress, and eat a 3 course meal. Pressure's on...!

Looking forward to trying Ichibum's Insanity workouts after this week as well.

15 minutes and 5 stars!

UPDATE (9:00 p.m.): took pic of my butt this weekend and again today. I literally see results! This is crazy!!! I guess it really does make a difference to take a break. So happy!

Ichibum day 43, 44, 45

IiNo work out day 43 and 44. Drank a lot and lots of food :) day 45 did play Vball. 2 wins!! And celebrated with a sugar laced slurped. :( there goes my work out. Damn cravings!!!

Better luck tmr...

Ichibum 

Return - Day 34

I'm back! It feels good to get a proper workout in after so long.

Today I went back to the beginner sets in getting lean. Felt good to get my heart rate up and muscles burning. I almost felt a little stronger and able to have more endurance. I am keeping in mind that having a break from workouts is good. I'm pretty sure I was experiencing muscle fatigue and not resting enough for my body to enjoy a vacation with 32 days of workouts in a row.

I also finished most sets, so today is 5 stars!

Ichibum day 41/42

Day 42 did not work out.

Day 43 Vball. 

But I'm eating better. Smaller portions, breakfast lunch dinner. And I don't mind it. That's a good sign right?

Ichibum - day 40. Suunto sucks

My suunto heart monitor watch froze on me! 

So lame! I'm pretty sure I worked out more than 108kcal! Took out the battery and reset it. Aiyah what a hassle. 

I wasn't planning on the gym but a friend cancelled on me so why not. I need to eat better also. So many things I know I have to do but can't seem to do it :(

Peace out. 

ichibum

ichibum - day 39 go go go

Since Friday April 4/14-April 7/14, I did not work out. But I did work like a mofo. Shop was short staffed 3 out of 4 of those days, I took one day to watch the handsome Chris Evans in Captain America 2 movie and dinner with some friends. I didn't have enough energy to go to the gym at all. Mind over matter. Mind over matter. Sigh. Easier said than done. 

Today, did the insanity class at the gym. My old lady knees had a hard time keeping up with all the jumps but it was a good work out! Hotrain didn't take the class with me this time but a lady there recognized me from last week's class and said "glad you can make it. Keep it up". It was simple but encouraging. 

Spent some time in sauna to relax my muscles. Went home, ate a steak, and quinoa. Protein to rebuild muscles :)

Haha dani-wok. Don't make it a habit please! A&W is good once in a while! Haha jk

Peace out. 

-ichibum

Today

Today I had A&W. That is all.

Return - Day ??

Long weekend in the hometown meant no time for workouts. 

I am glad to be back at it today. However, dog sitting has proven to be another hurdle to my exercise as the visiting dog does not like anything I do that is cardio-like! I feel ya, boy. 

Instead, I stopped warming up and went into a 15-minute yoga workout. It was a nice way to ease into the week, at least. I didn't get to fully work on my form as my own dog ran toward my face to get some kisses as I was doing downward dogs and vinyasa flows.

The irony! 3 stars.

ichibum day 34 - competition begins

Pump up track:

Ohhh yeaaaa mama said to knock you out! That's how I felt today. As I was on the elliptical, doing my thing, I saw a girl probably 1 o'clock to me and being the curious George I was, I peeked over to see how many calories she had burnt, how long she was running for etc. She looked fit and was going hard. She was going at level 8, I was going at level 15. She had 5 minute lead on me, so my competitive side hit me. I'm going to catch up to her calorie-wise. She was a good 55 calories burnt ahead of me, I was going to catch up to her. I was running like a mad woman, adrenaline rushing through my veins, slowly but surely, the calorie gap decreased.. 40, 30, 20.. I was worried I wouldn't complete my mission in my 35 minute cardio time. I had 4 minutes left and I caught her at the 363 calorie mark on the elliptical! Yes! Mission accomplished! It was a small victory for me, but it felt good. I managed to out do her calorie count by a difference of 11 by the end of my 35 min cardio. Woot woot :)

I followed tree's work out pic she sent in the group chat in addition to my regular routine. I always did 30 box jumps at every work out so that was easy. The leg pull in were a challenge for me though. 

According to my suunto watch, I burned 222 calories doing cardio meanwhile the elliptical said I burnt 390. I'm going to say that my watch is more accurate since I have a heart rate strapped to my chest. 

End of my work out:

I'm going to try to wake up early to go to the gym tmr since I know the evening is write off. Another day closer to spartan. 

Peace out. 

-ichibum

ichibum - day 33. Sore like eff

Pump up track: Party People - Missy E

My muscles are feeling it today. Big time. I walk like the first time a guy goes into a jail and dropped the soap. Not good. 

I still went to the gym, the burn is good but so painful lol 

No carb diet starting Sunday-Thursday. That's doable right?? Right??? Just for April... Haha

I'm going to start doing insanity every Tuesday now. Chance up my routine ^^ 

peace out

-ichibum 

ichibum - day 32 - 1 month and going strong

Yes! High five right back atcha! 1 month has gone by since dani-wok's crazy suggestion: let's do spartan sprint. Hahaha 

So after a month, I might not have lost the weight I wanted, but I feel healthier and stronger. That counts right? Lol I'm eating better for sure most of the time. I still have my vices such as chips. I try to not give in to temptation but I can't help it :( 2 ppl have said I looked healthier. I'll take what I can get ;)

Obviously I missed day 31. But today, I went to the gym with my cousin Hotrain and we took an insanity course. This one was waaaaaay more challenging than the one I took a few weeks ago and it kicked my butt. 

So my goal for April : lose 10 lbs at whatever cost. Eat right and exercise. Hahaha

And Tree is doing spartan with us! Yay!! Come back to the blog Tree!!!

Peace out. 

-ichibum