Back on Track

Today, I got the most inspiring message from the heavens:

 

 I can honestly apply this to almost every aspect of my life right now. Oh, God. You and Your perfect timing, using Facebook to reach out to Your people. If you can't beam 'em, join 'em, eh?

So, instead of writing about this week's Insanity workout - which is far from boring in real life but yawn-worthy when talked about - I've decided to list down a number of "routines" I have since started. Also, snaps for my pseudo-sister Pixie and little sister Maia for joining me this week! Pat yourselves on the back (if you still can), girls. 

ROUTINE # 1: WORKING OUT ON A DAILY BASIS

First on the list: Fitness! This used to be a habit of mine back in High School. I was either swimming, playing volleyball, or running everyday after class. I began to lose touch with my healthy side when I was introduced to many sleepless nights (either studying or out drinking) in college. Though I was part of the UP Varsity Swim Team, I didn't train as often. Eventually, I stopped working out regularly altogether and focused more on getting my degree. However, I did manage to sneak in a run around our academic oval a few nights a week. I even started this blog back to help me get back on track, to no avail.

Sooo, I've decided to put my I'm-too-lazy attitude aside and get serious. My 30-60 minute/day workout plan seems to be going pretty well; I really do hope this keeps up. Also, I'm finally starting to regularly update this blog; we'll see how far this goes. Aaaand nope, still haven't weighed myself (lol) but I'm giving myself a week to mentally prepare before I get on that scale. I will in a week, I promise!

ROUTINE # 2: FINALLY FORGIVING
Honestly, I'm not really the forgiving type. I mean, I do forgive, but I tend to hold grudges like teenagers holding on to their smart phones: I have a hard time letting go. Okay so that didn't sound too good but you get the point.

I guess it's because I've forgiven too many people in the past, people who eventually take me for granted since I'm "too nice." I acknowledge that it's my fault, too, as I'd rather avoid conflict and I just tend to let things pass. I've started to change the past few years and I guess people aren't that used to me fighting back. A lot of my close relationships have fallen apart and it sucks, really. You're suddenly the bad guy just because you've started standing up for yourself, trying to make them realize that you're worth more than how they treat you.

But, I've also learned that you can't change how people are. If they're innately indifferent, what can you do? It's either you suck it up for the sake of saving the relationship, or just let it go. Forgive them for whatever wrong they've done you and never look back. Sure, you can still keep a good relationship, but make sure you keep your distance just so you can show them that you're not someone they can just throw around and use when convenient.

Truly forgiving is really hard to do, I've realized. It's one thing to go, "It's no problem at all, forget about it" and another to really mean it. It's a process I'm still trying to get the hang of, really. Though I've made it a point to practice forgiveness everyday, not only with other people but also with myself.

ROUTINE # 3: BELIEVING IN MYSELF
I have this very bad habit of always putting myself down, from judging my choice of outfits to doubting my intelligence in med school. I bet I'm not the only one; I'm sure everyone has their own insecurities. However, I've realized that not believing in myself may affect me on a professional level, since being a doctor does require a significant amount of confidence. The daily workouts are helping boost my ego, so that's a good start. This blog is good practice, too! I'm sure I get critics, especially on how I write and basically why I'm blogging in general, but I try not to think about it. Also, my fiancé tells me he loves me everyday so that helps a lot, too. Hahaha! Kidding aside, it's a process, and I'm really, really working on it. :)

And there you have it! All these self-realizations from one pop-up app that sends the most random, albeit timely messages.

Have a good night, folks!

New Beginnings

Out of all the inconsistencies in my life, my fitness routine probably tops the list given how long I've had this blog and how rarely I update. I've been setting my weight loss goal aside for as long as I can remember, using med school (we've been assigned to a relatively far barangay for Community Medicine for six weeks) new business ventures (product placement: we sell PICOLE healthy ice pops! Contact me for details hihi), and life in general as excuses.

The last time I felt good about my weight and figure was a good ten years - and roughly twenty pounds - ago, and I can honestly say I've yet to regain the confidence I had back then. I used to have a really flat stomach and toned arms during my swimming and volleyball days in high school and my first few years in college. Now all I (still) have is a flat chest. :(

So, I've taken it upon myself to finally, finally, FINALLY get my shit together and start a workout plan I can commit to. The goal is to get a good 30 to 45 minutes of exercise at least four to five times a week. Lately, I've been doing Insanity (currently on my 20th day, woohoo!) during the days I'm home, and skip roping during the days I'm in the community.

I've also been trying to get over my fear of weighing scales because, duh, you can't set a weight loss goal for yourself if you don't know how much you currently weigh. I haven't gotten around to weighing myself yet; I'm kinda waiting to get visual results first before I make my first attempt. I know it sounds stupid, buuuut I'm working on it!

I've also been thinking about training for a triathlon (kasi naman nainggit ako sa mga kaibigan kong pumapower athlete. Hi nga pala, Aissa hahahaha) but who am I kidding. I neither have the time nor the discipline at the moment. It's in my list for after I graduate though, for sure!

Ayun lang, nothing really interesting, just me pushing myself to start working out (and writing) and sharing it with whoever is interested! Let's start living healthy, friends! It's true what they say: losing weight becomes harder as you grow older. I took this for granted kaya START EARLY, GUYS. Don't make the same mistake I made!

That is all! 'til next tiiiiiime :D

Again and again

The activity of this blog is a perfect representation of who I really am in real life: a scatter-brained baby who almost never follows through with anything. I feel that possibly the only thing keeping me from quitting med school is the fact that I've spent way too much of my parents' money to stop at this point. :))

I've been itching to write again and I finally have the time to do so! Also, med school hasn't been too harsh on us lately so I've been working out more, which is always a good thing.

This post won't be about my latest fitness routine, though. I really just need to vent. As if anyone reads this anyways! Lol

So my life has been a pretty bumpy road as of late. I've lost too many people to count the past years and it's been very painful. I've spent way too much time and energy crying, trying to figure out if the reason people leave is because the problem is me. I find myself to be pretty decent; I'm a good friend, an okay daughter, a caring (maybe a little too harsh sometimes) sister. Yet I still can't figure out why people see otherwise. No matter how many times people try to convince me that I'm better off, I know deep inside I'm really not.

It's an everyday struggle, reconciling with this truth: that things will never be the same. This has been eating me up, piece by piece, every single day. I honestly don't know how to just 'let it go.' I'm still my usually unusual self; most people don't know what I'm going through. Though at this point, I feel I'm too careful with everyone in my life, even with family. I've already built this wall around me to avoid being too attached, should people decide to leave again. It's a bad way to handle things, but I guess it'll have to do for now.

Run for Your Life

It's been two weeks since I last updated, thanks to life in general aka Med School. Good news is, I haven't been slacking off. In fact, I've been doing the Insanity Workout, albeit inconsistently, as well as running longer distances with high-intensity intervals. I'm also proud to announce that after three years, I have finished my second ever 15k. I'd give myself a round of applause, but my alter egos are already worn out from this week's academic madness. I guess a few snaps will do, plus a pat on the back. Good job, self!

Here's the race I ran this weekend:

 

I honestly wasn't supposed to join this, given how little training I've had this past month and how swamped I am with school. However, a friend of mine in the Army (who was recently assigned here in Davao) was running and decided to sign me up. I wanted to go for the 10k, but Mister Military Man insisted I do the 15k with him and his friend. I figured an extra 5k wouldn't hurt, so I decided to give it a shot.

I have this weird habit when it comes to races. Regardless of distance, I see to it that I run from start to finish. When my dad and I used to run together, we would set distances and made sure that we saved the walking for cooling down. I guess the practice stuck, because no matter how tired I am, I don't stop. 

Now, imagine how I felt halfway through.

If my legs could talk, I swear they would have been cursing me to the high heavens. I started out pretty good; we did a good 5 minute stretch (which wasn't enough, I know, but we arrived just in time for the gun start) and weren't going full-speed. We kept a steady pace all throughout. However, 8 kilometers into the race I started to feel my feet getting heavy. I shook it off by putting my go-to hype songs on replay (Flo Rida's "Wild Ones" and Avicii's "Levels" get me pumped like crazy) up until the race ended. We decided to sprint the last 100 meters to the finish line and clocked in at 1 hour and 55 minutes. 

The race was generally well-organized. We started on time, water stations were spread out evenly, and even though plastic cups were used, the marshals made sure that we threw the paper cups in specific trash bins located near the water areas. No cups were scattered along the street, which was awesome. We were also given Pocari Sweat by a sweeper on our way back from the turn-around; that kept us hydrated in our last few meters. Breakfast consisting of cinnamon bread, a hard-boiled egg, and a banana was served as well.

Neither of my friends placed, since they were running at my pace. (Sorry, boys!) I do think they could have won though, had they left me behind. Of course, I didn't place either. I did, however, win a cellphone during the raffle! Good thing we were patient enough to wait for the program to end.  Well, I was really just still too tired to move. One of those rare moments where something good comes out of being lazy, eh?

I got to take home this baby:

It's a T29 TV Duo MyPhone. It can house two SIM cards. Plus, it has a TV. Pwede na!

Also, a few pictures post-race:

My friend James and I. I'm clearly worn out, while he's still up and running.

With the rest of the group. Yay, cellphone! 

In fairness, the run kept me up pretty much the whole day. I didn't feel tired, save for a few moments of zoning out. I'm not thinking of running another 15k anytime soon, though. I still think it's best that I work on my endurance more for now before doing anything past 10k.  

All in all, it was a great experience, though! Here's to doing more runs this year!

For Mommy Nature

I chanced upon a video on Facebook earlier today. I couldn't find the exact one on YouTube, so here's a news clip:

 

Here's the link to the Facebook video. 

This, my friends, is solid proof of  how far we've gone. If this won't wake you up on how plastic and pollution affect everything on this planet, I don't know what will. Maybe try choking on a few bottle caps yourself, see how that feels.

I've been an environmentalist for as long as I can remember. When people I know throw candy wrappers and all sorts of plastic carelessly around, I either give them the stink eye, tell them off until they pick their trash up, or I do it for them and throw it myself. I go to the extent of picking up little random bits of plastic on the street and throwing them in proper waste baskets when I can. I don't care if that seems icky; you can always wash your hands, anyways.


During runs, I only drink from water stations when I really feel the need to. I make sure I either carry my plastic cup all the way to the finish line with me, or wait until I see a trash can to throw it in. My dad got me this CamelBak (a hydration back pack that can carry up to 1 Liter of water) I have yet to use. Those who plan on taking running seriously (or even biking and hiking) should invest in one of these; they're handy and lightweight. They probably sell them in outdoor specialty stores around the country, like at R.O.X. in Bonifacio High Street, Taguig. 


The use of plastic is inevitable, I know, especially since it's become a staple in our everyday lives. I won't go the extent of preaching that we shouldn't use it at all, since that would be hypocritical of me. I'm saying we should at least dispose of our trash wisely. Reduce, reuse, recycle, my friends. Bring bayongs or canvas bags to carry your groceries after shopping. Re-use plastic bottles as containers for things like left-over laundry powder and whatnot. Throw trash in their proper bins: if it says Nabubulok and you put plastic in it, then you should probably consider throwing your brain in as well. Trash cans were made for a reason; the world sure isn't one SO STOP THROWING YOUR SH*T AROUND.


If you're thinking of ways on how to reuse your junk, here are sites with awesome ideas:

1)  The Daily Green: 10 Ways to Reuse Plastic Bottles

2) Earth911.com: 8 Ways and Whys to Reuse Plastic

3) Squidoo: 50 Things You Can Reuse

4) Recycling Guide

5) Pantanggal stress lang, for all you Catnatics out there


The end of the world may come sooner than we know it, all thanks to us. Kaya, sana gumising na tayo! Time to give Momma Nature some detox lovin'!


Peace!

Nike Training Club

I used to be very active at sports a few years back. I was part of both the swim team and volleyball team in high school, then focused more on swimming in college. I've been a runner my whole life. My dad, siblings, and I would join our school's annual running event; we never missed a year of it. My father also used to bring me running around our area at home back in elementary school, when I weighed about ten tons. I then started to gradually lose weight, and kept it off quite well during my high school days as well as in the earlier parts of college.


Then Med School happened.


School becomes your LIFE. It takes over every second of your day, leaving you with feelings of guilt and regret if you don't read at least a page of your lessons. You spend every bit of your energy shoving tons of information into your brain. You lose sleep, you forget to eat. During breaks, you'd rather space out than do anything else. I may be exaggerating a bit, but I'm pretty sure my fellow Med/Law students get me on this. You become so drained, exercise is the last thing you'd think of doing.


I actually tried swimming during my first year of Med. This gym near our school had a promo, and my friends and I decided to give it a shot. Things were going pretty well. It felt good to be back in my element. However, the fatigue of school got to me eventually, and swimming just seemed to take up more of my time and energy. It takes about 3 hours to get ready, to get a decent work out, to get dressed. The pool wasn't that big either, so I had to share it with a lot of people, even a high school swim team. That didn't leave me with much space to do proper drills, so I had to cut some workouts short.


This year, I didn't even consider enrolling again. I was - and still am - in my second year (a far cry from first year's load), and was later assigned to be part of the Student Council. Basically, time was the enemy since you didn't get enough of it in a day.


But then, I stumbled upon this:

Probably the greatest thing EVER, since sliced bread. Which I'm not a huge fan of, really. I'm more of a corn-on-the-cob eater, so probably since that. Either way, this app is the shiznit. :D

It's called Nike Training Club, and it's a free app you can get from both Android and Apple. It features a series of exercises, ranging from 15 minute core workouts to 45 minute circuits.

image from missdigisport.wordpress.com

The perfect thing about it is that you get an overall workout for less than an hour! Believe me, one session leaves you feeling as if you've been jogging for an hour. It's perfect for people who don't have that much time to exercise yet still need to desperately lose weight. And you don't even need to leave the comforts of your room for this! Awesome, right??

I got started a few weeks back and it's been going well. I can't say I've been religiously doing this everyday since I am probably the worst time manager ever, but I try to put in a session at least every other day. Getting to do actually finish a workout is the best feeling, since it really is no joke. It's 30-45 minutes of pure pain, but it's well worth it. You also have a lot to choose from. Here's an example of how one session looks like:

 image from www.chandeleah.com

For those of you out there looking for ways to get your fats crying and don't have that much time to, here you go! This is probably more doable than the Insanity (which I've tried doing a few times, and I swear it's torture) and the P90X (which I have yet to experience) workouts, in my opinion. You may need a few equipment for this, but you can opt for the exercises that don't use any. I swear, it's awesome. And the best part about it is that it's FREE!


So, watchamawaitingfor?? Go download! Happy Exercising!


Peace!

Lent

image from rhodiadrive.com

'tis the season to be Holy.

Today, Ash Wednesday, marks the beginning of Lenten Season for all Roman Catholics around the world. Growing up, we were taught to practice two things during this 40-day period: Abstinence and Fasting.

Abstinence, according to Wikipedia (God's gift to information junkies), is defined as a self-enforced restraint from indulging in bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. (The article also mentions that the term most frequently refers to sexual abstinence, but we won't go there. Those are silly things 18-year-olds like myself would rather not talk about.) Fasting, on the other hand, is when one willingly abstains from all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. 

Back in elementary up until high school, we were highly encouraged to practice the former but were told that we were exempted from the latter, being under 18 and all. Unfortunately, that mindset stuck and I'm guilty of still exempting myself every Lenten season. This could be due to three things: 1) I'm still in denial (I mean, who could ever get used to being more than a quarter-year old); 2) I still think - fine, and act - like a minor; 3) I actually don't have a third. I need to count in threes; I'm obsessive-compulsive like that. 

However, since part of getting this blog active means changing my habits, I am now determined to practice both. To make it official, I'm putting them on here. 

For abstinence, three things (again): 1) from Laziness, 2) from Procrastination, 3) from Negativity. I tend to combine these three occasionally, especially when it comes to working out (and studying, though I've been working on that for the past few weeks already. Yay!). I keep on putting things off, convincing myself that I'll get to moving "bukas na talaga, pramis!" Well, enough is enough IS ENOUGH! (For more echos with feelings) Time to get my ass moving since summer is just around the corner. My friends and I have actually committed ourselves to something we call the #BoracayFitnessProgram (Hellerrr syempre may hashtag) We have to get fit by April since we'll be going to the Beach Party Capital of the Philippines. I honestly don't want to be walking around feeling all insecure while a number of sexy-ass women in tiny bikinis pass me by, flaunting their flat bellies with pa-abs effect. Hindi pwedeng sila lang! Gusto ko ako din! So, today I did a solid 5k with a few high knee runs and tuck jumps in between. I plan on working out at least every other day until I'm bikini-ready, too!

For fasting, the usual. Friday is "no meat" day, as well as eating just one full meal for the day. I tried to do this last year, to no avail. This time, I'm not setting the pig in me free. It's only for 40 days, so I'm thinking it won't be that bad.


Of course, as mentioned earlier, all this should and will be given as sacrifice for the Lord. He is, after all, the reason for all this, so I'm quite positive that with His guidance and strength, I'll follow through.

Here's to hopefully keeping this up! Good luck to all my fellow Catholics who plan on abstaining and fasting this season as well. :)

Peace!

Run in the Rain

I just love the rain. Everything about it is soothing. The sound of it, the sight of it, the feel of it. Each drop is a perfectly placed note on the orchestra of the skies. It's the kind of weather that makes you just want to curl up in bed and forget about the insanity that is life. It is, however calming, also the perfect weather for running.

Today, it rained. And I ran in it.

My 2 friends and I, after treating ourselves to a delicious lunch at Bulgogi Brothers (as well as merienda at The French Baker and milk tea at Chatime, pigs that we are), decided to go for a run. I kind of forced them into it, really. I was planning on running by myself, after having been stagnant for the past week. Being a "fitness advocate" and such a good friend (heehee), I felt it would be fun to drag them along. Better to bond losing a few pounds rather than gaining them, right? So, after getting ourselves ready, off we went.

Then it started to rain. Hard.

Now, this used to be the perfect excuse for me to skip running: you'll get all wet, you might catch a cold, yadda yadda yadda. An accidental run in the rain a few years back changed how I felt, though. During one of my jogs in UP, it started to drizzle. I was halfway done and I didn't feel like stopping yet. Moments later, that drizzle turned into hardcore rain. I was initially annoyed, having to run with wet socks and shoes (ick), but having realized that that feeling won't get me to my car faster, I just went ahead and ran. In fact, I literally went the extra mile and did more than my usual 5k; I think I did a solid 8k that night. The feeling afterwards was glorious. I didn't feel as tired. I felt pretty relaxed, too.

So, despite the downpour - and the hesitance of one of our friends - we headed up to Crocodile Park in Ma-a. For you guys who aren't familiar with the area, it's one of Davao's tourist spots well-known for its, well, crocodiles. The Park is a small entertainment center/zoo situated inside this big village named Palos Verdes; there aren't that many houses yet, though the clubhouse, restaurant, swimming pool, and indoor basketball and badminton courts are also go-to places for Davao residents. I'm really bad at descriptions, and I didn't take any pictures, so that means you guys have to visit Davao to find out for yourselves. :p

It wasn't raining that hard anymore when we began, but mid-run, it started to pour down heavy. We all kept running and thoroughly enjoyed it, especially since both of my friends were Rain Run Virgins. We did a good 30 minutes (I'd say about 4k), cooled down, and went home.

This experience is actually perfect timing given our current situation in Med School: midterms just ended and we can't say for sure if we all did well or not. It's scary, too, since we only have one term left to pull our grades up in the hopes of getting into Third Year. Despite this, you just have to keep running, head high, and brace yourselves for the showers and thunderstorms to come. What matters is you embrace experiences, learn from them, strive to do better, and never give up. 

Hope you all had good days as well. For those here in Davao, keep safe!

Also, HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

Peace!

Motivation

I have this bad, bad habit of not finishing things I start. This tends to happen with everything (except food, don't judge) and it's been getting pretty annoying lately. Med School has opened up this whole new world where unfinished business can ruin your hopes and dreams of one day becoming a doctor. It's a hard habit to break, especially at my age. With my birthday coming up and all, I have come to the realization that I have to change, like, right now.

Aaaand so, in line with this, I've decided to get this blog ball rolling (seriously, I cannot even count how many times I've said this) again! Sure, it's a running blog, but with me being the relate-everything-with-everything-else kind of person that I am, I'd like to think that being a "Runthusiast" shouldn't only be about enjoying running per se. A Runthusiast is someone who isn't afraid to go the distance. Someone who would rather explore the world and learn all the good and bad things about it than stay shut away from it, forever fearful of the pain and hurt it might bring. Someone who takes risks, falls, and stands right back up. Someone who is not afraid of both success and failure. Someone who just runs.

...Well. Took it a bit too far there, didn't I?

So, there! Hello again, World! Here's a little starter video on motivation from one of my favorite YouTube artists, David So. You gotta check this guy out. He's heeelaryaz.



Peace!

easy run, new route

Proof that school is bad for one's health: That morning routine I had set for myself didn't work out as planned, thanks to tons and tons of paperwork I had to submit this week. Thank God that's over, for now!

So, I told myself I would go jogging after class Friday night after three days of no decent physical activity. Harroun, a friend of mine, was running as well, so we decided to run together. I was introduced to a different route, thanks to him. Though it's only a 3k trail, it was a good run nonetheless, since the path was totally new to me. There's this newly renovated area by the College of Science and I've since been wanting to experience it. It's this huge circular pathway with a road that's kinder to the knees; it's flatter and not as elevated as the acad oval. There's a lot of sky space as well, so one could see the sky's transition perfectly.

From the College of Science oval, we passed through that street heading to the Chemistry building (I am so awful with street names), turned left heading to the road where the College of Architecture is, turned right on that road and went straight into the acad oval. We did one round then headed back to the College of Home Economics.

Harroun's pace was faster than my usual; I tried to keep up for the most part, but surrendered during the last few meters. It was a good run, nonetheless.

I was thinking of running again this afternoon, going through the same route as yesterday but only extending it to at least 5k, and an 8k at most. I signed up for a 15k run set for March, which is why I am more motivated than usual to keep on running. Wouldn't want to waste P350, now do I?