health & fitness focused

it's a long road ahead

[chanzillaa]

so much for that

for me, precision nutrition was a bust. it moved far too slowly for the $97/month it cost; i stuck with it for 2 months, although it’s pretty clear the program is slow because it’s meant to last for 12 months. the staff seemed really nice and i liked the course format, however i wasn’t a fan of how the workouts were presented. they were laid out one at a time on a webpage with short clips. i’m too spoiled by my youtube fitness, i guess. i canceled and they sent me a blender bottle thing. it came with little notes saying to keep it hush, it was a surprise for the co-hort...but i can’t help but be suspicious at the timing lol. i used it once and wasn’t crazy about it. i had to do way too much shaking and my protein shake was still powdery afterwards. would just rather stick to an actual blender. 

i’ve returned to fitness blender. currently making my way through fbfit2 (am halfway done at the moment), but i’ve been pretty terrible at consistency. now that i’ve switched to working a later shift, things should be easier... and yet here i am.

i have been dabbling in yogaglo for a month or so now; i have only paid $18 and am getting about 2 months worth of access. my interest in taking actual yoga lessons piqued after doing a workshop for yoga teachers at sutra studio. i canceled yogaglo after a month citing lack of time, but they offered me another month, saying they couldn’t add more hours to my day, but they wanted to at least offer me more time. i thought that was really sweet! i just finished their Foundations of Flow program, which i thought was fantastic. Jason Crandell is an amazing yoga teacher, however the constant sun salutations were really making my head spin. i also did the Yoga for Newcomers program with Annie Carpenter which i thought was great. both programs were [supposed to be] 3 weeks long.

sutra studio is supposed to move at the end of next month... and i’m contemplating getting a membership there when they do. they have a special where it’s $40 for the first 30 days of unlimited access, and then after that it’s $120 unlimited.

we have a 5k obstacle course race coming up this saturday. i was pretty hyped for it at first, but that died down. andy and i tried picking up running a 5k every sunday as well when we first signed up, but that...also died down lol. welp, hoping it’ll still be fun. our team name is scrambled legs & achin. #corny

oh yes, i’ve also paid premium to use the lifesum app. it’s prettier than mfp, so hopefully i’ll stick to at least this thing. 

[chanzillaa]

precision nutrition: week 1

i have jumped into the world of coaching! after about a year of working out with Fitness Blender, it’s become clear to me that i’m not getting to where i want to be. i’m not blaming this on FB’s programs at all; they’re great, and so wonderfully affordable, too! however, i think i need *more*. 

enter precision nutrition. i happened upon their website due to listening to the fitness podcast, achieving fitness; they recommended their nutrition certification as highly recommended certification for new coaches. while visiting them, i saw that they offered coaching for clients! i promptly signed up for the pre-sale list and we officially began july 23, 2018.

it’s been okay so far... it’s all pretty slow going. i’ve “met” my coach (corresponded through the website) and spectated during a meet and greet session, hosted with zoom. i happened to wake up late for that meeting sadly, so i was in no shape to be on camera and talk about myself haha. it was pretty cool seeing all the other lovely ladies in my cohort, though. in the chat was also a couple of the other assistant coaches, and the previous year’s competition winners. (they have a competition where if you have the best transformation, you win a ton of $$$)

our workouts actually start tomorrow. this past week has been the goal setting and self reflection phase, where i think about my whys and my hows. yesterday we took measurements and icky before photos (SIGH). suffice it to say i’ve been rarin’ to go, especially when comparing PN to FB, where there’s a video for me to do every day, 6 days out of the week. 

i have high hopes for PN, but i also feel apprehensive due to the cost. it’s $97/mo, and a part of me is afraid the slow process is somehow a way to get as much money out of nonbelievers as possible...? i want to believe they’re more ethical than that haha. they talk about how building habits is a slow habit and needs to be reinforced every day, so i get it... i’m just eager to start. 

along with this steep price tag, they have a money back guarantee. if i stick with it for the 12 months, and am not satisfied, i will be refunded. they had this pretty neat deal where if i paid for the entire year in one payment, i’d get 2 months free, essentially; so $997 for the entire year. i wish i had that kinda money to throw around haha. the way i figure it though... if they get me to where i want to be, then they deserve the “extra” $200 i’m throwing their way.

[chanzillaa]

fb fit: day 4 ~ HIIT + Abs

i have a love/hate relationship with HIIT. i particularly like the tabata technique :D it aligns well with my shitty attention span lol. 

i kept up pretty well up until... idk, 75% of the way through? my head started to pound, and because i took my glasses off to do the jumpy bits, every time i lifted my head to continue watching the video, the bright white light in the background seared my eyes. i made it through though! and it felt good (at the end). according to my apple watch, i beat my HIIT calories burned record, so that’s kewl. 

i’ve been running into this issue since monday where i’ll feel amazing after my workout, but about an hour or so later, i will collapse because of my need for nourishment. i think this pain is amplified by the timing of completing the workout as well as taking my birth control pill simultaneously, on an empty stomach. finishing up this video, kelli strongly encourages that we get our carbs in ASAP after the workout, because our body needs the fuel to keep going... but i don’t. i suffer for a few hours, until dinner is ready from 830-9pm. 

ah well, a couple months more and i’ll have get to cook dinner myself! that’ll probably be even more challenging honestly lol. still excited to tackle it though :) 

[chanzillaa]

fb fit: day 3 ~ my strength

day 3 of fb fit was upper body strength training. lifting weights and all that jazz. it was a welcome reprieve from the cardio i suffered through yesterday lol. 

i think i will always prefer weights to cardio. and then cardio to core. my core sucks. :| i know it will never get better if i don’t work it it (and i do!), but it just KILLS my neck. doing toe touches from yesterday’s vid strained my neck and i def felt it this morning. i really should go see a chiropractor... but i don’t know how much that costssss...

when doing these exercises, they always say you should be focusing on your core, not your neck, but i can’t help but experience the pain anyway. it’s not like i’m intentionally sticking my neck out... my core just sucks. 

anyway, if i had to choose a body part i’m happy with, i’m at least happy with my arms. workout complete. :) 

[chanzillaa]

fb fit: day 2 ~ still at it

lol i swear i cycle between the same goddamn tumblr themes. maybe they just don’t do a great job making other themes available? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

our gym membership with SLS ends this saturday. we canceled it because we’re planning on moving to billerica (or at least... more south?), and there’s no sense in paying that super expensive yearly maintenance fee lol. it’s just as well... andy never wanted to go anyway :\ and it was costing me $90 a month lol. it was more expensive than our internet! 

anyway i’ve been doing random at-home workouts... i was doing blogilates for a while, but after i finished the beginner’s calendar, i didn’t have the patience to do the 5 VIDS PER DAY required for the normal calendars? it just didn’t really seem to... have a point, i guess. it seemed kinda hodgepodge and without structure. 

so then i tried HASfit for a month. they’re GREAT - i love how down to earth these guys are. i even support them on patreon! but i have a similar kind of issue here as i did with blogilates, where i’m not sure that the month has a point. i’m sure both calendars provide you with a great workout, but i kind of want something more... directional, i guess. 

now i’m back to fitness blender! this time, i’m doing their programs. i purchased 3 of them during cyber monday (the programs are already so cheap as it is lol) and am currently on day 2 of one of them! i’m pretty excited. i did their physical fitness test yesterday (benchmark abilities: running a mile, pushups, planking, etc) and the first video today. i even took a bunch of “before” pictures in my underwear (lol) and posted them to this tumblr! but on PRIVATE of course! there’s no way i’d be comfortable enough to show the whole internet my bod >.< i’m supposed to take more in 4 weeks, and then another 4 weeks, etc...

anyway i’m doing their 8 week fb fit program and am really hoping to finally see some results since the videos this time seem particularly pointed. i did day 2 today and could barely keep up! i really have my hopes up this time! doing HASfit for a month really feels like my muscles were at least defined... and i honestly feel like i’d see more results if my eating was more controlled. :( 

for that reason, i bought a meal plan from fitness blender as well! honestly, the way i eat is likely the biggest thing holding me back here. the shitty thing though is i can’t really... use the meal plan until i move out. my stepmom (woah... it’s my first time calling her that lol) is constantly in the kitchen and it’s just not realistic to expect i can use it whenever i want to. but that’s all right, we’ll be moving out in a few months hopefully...

man, i sure have rambled a lot in this post. maybe i should just resign myself to making this a blog blog instead of a fitness blog haha. 

[chanzillaa]

whaddaya know

didn’t do the 3.5 miles on saturday. :( andy, my dad and i went to a dealership and spent a good chunk of our day there, so i was really unmotivated to do anything aha. 

yesterday i was feeling unmotivated even as i pulled into the gym parking lot. however, since metabolic effect was with somebody other than mel (it was nick), i enjoyed myself. then i did spin & strength with julianne afterwards and i actually felt energized even after that. and this is when i was texting andy that i was worried i wouldn’t be motivated, since i wasn’t last week. 

i then had a panic because i thought i lost my keys. i left them in the changing room but thankfully somebody turned them into the front desk. i do that way too often -____-

and then we picked up andy’s car! :D and he drove to work today. 

life is good. 

[chanzillaa]

meh

been trying to do more core exercises but not feeling much the next day. yesterday, i was supposed to go to spin after work but i felt lazy and just went home instead. then did this workout:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gze8oMuj4as

tomorrow there’s an achievement for 3.5 miles on the health app so will try and go for that probably. that’ll likely take me a while though :( plus it’s raining tomorrow! argh. 

maybe it’s just the shitty weather lately, but feeling motivation flagging again...

[chanzillaa]

fitness blender

so yesterday instead of going to the gym with Roseda (as i went to the dealership with andy & daddy instead), i did a youtube workout: Abs Workout for People who get Bored Easily - Core and Cardio Workout

i thought it was pretty good and there were no repeat exercises which was neat.

today i was going to go to the gym after work, but because of the debacle that was the dealership this morning, i’m staying later at work so that i can use less vacation hours lol. so i guess that means i’ll do another workout video when i get home? hmm...

i also could always use the gym downstairs at lexia lol... but it just seems so weird! besides, i’d have to go back to my car to grab my workout stuff. :T nah. 

[chanzillaa]

holy moly

it’s been a whole goddamned year! wow. 

so, i’ve still been doing fitness stuff, but .. don’t have much to show for it. i gained like, 10 lbs, i think because of the implant that i had in my arm lol. i had that removed. despite trying to be more active and eating better, i was only gaining weight, so it was the clearest option.

yesterday i did 2 fitness classes at SLS: metabolic effect and spin & strength. i didn’t feel super energetic though :( but at least i went, so that’s important. 

tuesdays & thursdays i’m supposed to go to planet fitness with roseda, but today, andy needs to go test drive a couple civics... so maybe i’ll do yoga tonight instead.

i have real appeal from my health insurance at lexia but since we’re switching health insurances, not sure i’ll still have it. then again... i haven’t been to a session for like a month ^^; so... yeah. but i do fantasize about going back. 

had the urge to blog and drop in! hopefully it wont be long before i pop in again. 

[chanzillaa]

weekly ‘runs’

last week i went for a run with chhunheng on the path i previously posted about. it was an okay run. we didn’t do that great.

we did the same thing this morning! it was worse though. it was colder ^^; and we went to the boulevard today. 

i’m feeling more motivated though! even though it’s only bit by bit. i feel like hanging out with chhunheng even though it’s only been once a week is good for me. he’s a pretty positive influence. he has offered to call me every morning m-f at 515a which is when he gets up to go to the gym. i’m going to try doing it next week!!! tomorrow i’ll get up for active class at 9am. I NEED TO DO THIS

i said no to hanging out with al & tomas last night. i (mostly) enjoy going over but it’s obviously a bad influence... late nights, alcohol and unhealthy food. :\ i can’t recall the last time i said no to them haha...

thao will join us on our weekly runs which will hopefully be fun :) i’ve been bugging andy about it but i’ll stop because i don’t want to accidentally make him uncomfortable (if i haven’t already lol)

LET’S DO THIS

[chanzillaa]

cardio trim - day 4

today was easy, but thank goodness for that. 

100 side leg raises,  + in one workout, + in one go, + one side at a time

i’m comfortably sore from the workout yesterday, not to mention i went for a bit of a jog after work. it was kinda shit when you look at the numbers haha but hey whatever, i actually enjoyed it. the wind felt really good and i think i really prefer running without earphones on.

it was super windy and felt nearly stormy, but it was very warm compared to how it’s been lately. i found that the trail by my house only really takes like a 10 min brisk walk to get to. i want to go on the trail more regularly since it’s not hilly at all and is a straight path but the fact it’s so close to the river and also that it isn’t very popular makes me nervous. someone could literally just tackle me into the river if they wanted. ... lol.

also i met a dog on the way home and i really wanted to pet it but i got too close too fast so it kinda jumped on me and i think really freaked out the owner so they quickly walked away. :( poop. got a nice scratch from that but honestly i didn’t mind at all. it was my fault.

just gotta keep the darebee workouts up for 30 days and finish a 5k by april 11th for the zombiesrun race. i can do that! 

[chanzillaa]

cardio trim - day 3

part 1: hopper 6 nonstop sets of (well i broke it in half): 30 hop side-to-side 30 half jacks

part 2: abs 3 sets of: 20 sit-up punches 20 sitting punches 20 flutter kicks 10 back extensions 10 back stretches 10 climbers

that’s gotten me pooped. my core is nonexistent. 

went to the gym today. then promptly went home. i think i subconsciously and purposefully forgot my sneakers at home. ha.

[chanzillaa]

cardio trim - day 2

so i’m back to try some more darebee stuff. i took a break for reasons. doing this one with andy to ... hopefully motivate the both of us. 

link to darebee cardiotrim workout  

part 1 + bonus go 5 sets of: 40 march steps, 20 high knees, nonstop + 60 high knees

part 2, 3 sets of: to fail (10, 16, 12) push ups 10ct pushup planks 40 punches 20ct elbow plank 20ct raised leg plank 20ct side plank

my arms feel nice and tired. the to fail push ups were new and challenging. 

i know i talked about running my first 10k this year but i doubt that’s going to happen. i just haven’t been into things this month and it sucks but it is what it is. i’m going back to the gym tomorrow for active class and well, there’s always darebee every day. 

i got the stuff for the zombiesrun virtual race but it turns out andy forgot to even sign up. i spent $70 to do this thing on my own... great. i’ll likely run the 5k and try the 10k but not kick myself over trying to jog the whole thing. i’ll accept walking some of it. 

we’ll see. 

i guess i just feel really negative right now but i feel like i have to put this somewhere:

i see my reflection (face, body) and hate it. i look down at my fat (stomach, arms, body) and hate it. even taking stupid selfies now. i’m so conscious of just...fat. and that never really used to bother me all that much but coupled with feeling myself slowing down and having trouble doing simple things, it’s so miserable. i’d say at this rate it’s like 75% vanity and 25% health concerns. vanity includes looking good and wanting to fit into shit i used to fit into, right? lol. i’m almost afraid to weigh myself at the gym tomorrow.

it needs to be done though. if i don’t know, i wont be able to set a clear goal (not that i’ve ever been able to achieve losing any weight, says the dark pessimistic voice in the back of my head) to complete in the first place.

i’m .. just in rough patch atm. i’ll be fine tomorrow i’m sure

[chanzillaa]

[chanzillaa]

[chanzillaa]

[chanzillaa]

my shins have been hurting since running last week :\ so I spent some time on the elliptical in addition to a shorter distance on the treadmill. hope I don't come to regret that decision