Category Archives: Working Out

While I didn’t run the whole thing nonstop, my overall time and average pace improved, which pleases me. I honestly don’t ever see myself ever having a sub 10-minute pace for a long duration. That’s like, my sprinting pace. Seriously, I have short stumpy legs and I feel like I’m carrying 300 pounds when I run that fast, though it’s more likely that all those years of smoking have ruined my lungs.

The strange thing is, I now look forward to my running days more than resistance days. It has always been the other way around. Running outside is much, much less painful[ly boring] than a treadmill. Just looking at the treadmill in my dojo makes me cringe, so I put it on craigslist. No hits yet though. Anyone in LA interested? …after I just gave the treadmill a glowing review? Ha.

In other workout news, after two weeks of solid effort, I’ve  made the executive decision to stop going to boot camp. These are going to sound like excuses, and I guess they are, but: 1) my work schedule is 7am to 4pm. Boot camp ends at 7am so I’m not getting to the office until closer to 8. 2) My fling with the morning workout has ended. Back to evenings it is for me. 3) I think I’m just better at working out solo.  HA! As I’m typing this I just got an email for a $50 off coupon, plus $25 off returning student discount for the next boot camp session. It’s like they know…

But wait! That doesn’t mean I’ve quit completely! Not even a little bit. Yesterday it dawned on me that I have put in a solid to intense workout 15 of the last 17 days, and 11 days in a row. The other night I discovered my new favorite workout app: Sworkit! You choose what you want to work, how you want to work, and how long you want to work it. A series of 30-second workouts flash on the screen with a timer, and audio cues guide you through it so you don’t have to keep one eye on your phone while you’re spazzing about doing burpees.

Monday night I did 20 minutes of cardio followed by 20 minutes of strength; all body weight exercises like jump squats, wall-sits, push-ups, etc. Basically everything I did at boot camp, with the same intensity and burn to boot. Last night I did 15 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of strength, all while watching the OKC/MEM game so it seemed to go by really quickly. I love this app! There is a free version, or a full-featured version for only a buck. Really can’t beat it.

Tonight I have a 4-miler on the schedule, and tomorrow I will begrudgingly take a rest day. Yes, rest days are important. The old me savored and looked forward to rest days. The current me is on such a roll that I’m really and truly scared this one day of doing nothing will ruin my momentum.

I won’t let it, though. Maybe I’ll have a hot date with my foam roller tomorrow night. Can I foam roll my chest? My boob muscles hurt from all the bouncing when I run.

Posted by Mae in Running, Working Out

Don’t get me wrong, I am still proud of myself for even attempting running at all, and I find my steadily increasing pace time more humorous than disappointing. After that kickass nonstop run last Thursday, I thought I might at least match my time on Saturday’s (3 miles) and Sunday’s (5 miles) scheduled runs.

That was not the case. It may only be spring on the calendar, but it’s hot as all hell in Los Angeles right now. I got off to a later start than I wanted and the sun was already way up in the sky and shining brightly down on me.

Maybe I didn’t eat enough the previous day, or that morning, or the heat just got to me, but as soon as I began running I could already tell it was going to suck.  Instead of circling the track the entire time, I ran around the entire perimeter of the park and down some side streets to vary the terrain. I walked more than I wanted to, but was pleased that I still finished in under 40 minutes.

It seems cruel to make me run five miles the day after I struggled to finish three, but I put my big girl pants on and got it over with. Again, later than I wanted to; it was already in the upper 70s by the time I began.

The park was so fucking busy; I was dodging rowdy dogs on leash and their oblivious owners, flying soccer balls, Entourage style walkers blocking the running paths, and children on bicycles who should have been administered field sobriety tests. I suppose if I ever do think about running a race that I should get used to stuff like that. Not those exact things, but obstacles that may slow me down.

I walked a LOT this time. I tried to make up for it by throwing in some sprints here and there, but at every five minute mark, the app would chime my pace in my ear and it kept getting worse and worse. My lungs are so, so, so weak. I truly admire people who have the endurance to run long distances on a regular basis. I know it’s not “easy” for you guys either, but the difference is you get it done while most of us do not.

My next run was to scheduled for this morning, but I had a hell of a two-a-day yesterday and was too sore to even get out of bed. I’m definitely not skipping it though. I’m hoping the heat won’t be too unbearable tonight. Oh, and if you’re getting bored of my workout posts, you’re in luck because tomorrow I’m going to have another one (with an iPhone workout app review) tomorrow or the next day too. Hey! I’m on a freakin’ roll and I never thought I’d be back here again, let me enjoy it!

On a closing note, check it out! I’m in with some great company here.

Diet-to-Go: The 100 Most Inspirational Weight Loss Bloggers of 2013

Posted by Mae in Running, Working Out

A week and a half ago, I pondered aloud:

I kinda sorta wonder when I’ll finally get my act together. Can someone wake me when that day comes? #weightlossprobs

— Mae (@reducedfatgirl) April 26, 2013

My dear friends pondered in agreement, and I knew I wasn’t alone. Is it something in the water? Is Mercury in retrograde (whatever that means)? It almost feels like I’m starting over again at 283 pounds, where every Thursday I thought, “I’ll just wait till Monday,” and every Monday I said “I’ll just wait till the 1st of next month.”

When I think back to that day two years ago (oh no, I missed my blog’s 2nd anniversary) when I up and decided to walk into my old weight loss clinic, there was no a-ha moment, epiphany, or unfortunate event that really forced me to start losing weight. Maybe I did it because I didn’t over think it. It wasn’t circled in red on my calendar. I didn’t make a big deal about it to myself.

They say that failing to plan is planning to fail, but I seem to have experienced the opposite. Many times I’ve spent hours perfecting a workout and nutrition calendar, only to derail three days into it. Per my last entry, I signed up for that Cardio Sculpt class on a whim, and bought the boot camp Groupon without really thinking about what I was getting myself into. You already know how my first boot camp class went, and after my second one last Friday morning, I feel my mojo slowly coming back.

Yesterday, while my house was being cleaned, I took the dogs over to my aunt’s house to hang out. Almost everyone has a “trigger” environment, and my aunt’s place is definitely mine. You see, Filipino households are always stocked with food. Whenever I am there, I find myself standing in front of the open pantry and seeking out snacks to graze on. Sometimes I will plan ahead and bring fruit to eat, but planning never seems to work for me.

This time, I had no plan. She asked if I wanted sinigang na baboy with rice (only my FAVORITE Filipino dish) and I said no. Instead, I had a plate of broiled chicken, some rice cakes, a mini babybel, and a lot of water. Sounds terrible, but there weren’t a lot of healthy options, and I’d only be there a couple hours anyway. There was no reason for me to gorge myself; I wasn’t going to starve otherwise.

This morning I got up bright and early and started my day. Ate breakfast, and sat around for an hour before deciding I was gonna go on a run. If running is the hardest part of boot camp for me, then I better practice, right? I reminded myself that there was a point in time where I could jog for 30 minutes straight. Since I’ve put off running for so long, I am basically back to square one, and I really want to get back to that C25K graduate I used to be.

So I warmed up by walking to the park; the same one boot camp is held. Then I started on the track that our instructor had us run around last time. My intent was to run it twice, and with the walk to and from the park it would make my total distance 2 miles. But I just kept running. Well, run/walking. My lungs aren’t strong enough yet. When my RunKeeper app told me I had just completed a 5K, I was near the end of the loop towards my exit, but I ran another time around the track. My walk home was supposed to be a cool down, but I ran that half mile home.

After stretching (and forgetting to stop my Polar…I’m slow but it didn’t REALLY take me an hour and 15 minutes to run 4.26 miles), I burned nearly 600 calories on a “whim run.” I’m very much looking forward to boot camp tomorrow morning, too. I think I may have been converted to a permanent morning worker-outer. I have SO much energy the rest of the day, and sometimes even want to get a second workout in before bed. What the hell is wrong with me?

I’m turning into some of you freaks.

P.S. Shoutout to Vega Sport‘s Pre-Workout Energizer. This thing works for me every single time. It may just be in my head, but as long as it makes me not want to die during a workout, I’m all for it.

Posted by Mae in Running, Working Out