Hanging out with Jillian in the Morning

Hello Everyone!

So, in honor’s of my “wake up earlier” goal and yesterday’s accomplishment, I decided to take another stab at it today and managed to get out of my very comfy bed at around 6:30 am. I was shooting for 6:10 but I’ll take it! In order to complement yesterday’s run, I decided to do some strength training this morning and what better person to do this with than with my beloved Jillian:

I completed the entire 30 day shred workout sometime last summer and I absolutely loved it! I may have mentioned this before, but I actually started seeing results on my entire body! About a month or so ago I re-started the program but things got busy (read: school) and I was just able to complete week 1. Well, today I picked up from where I left of!

I remember week 2 for some reason being more difficult than week 3 so I was scared and wondered whether I should start off with the basics again. However, I pushed through and didn’t find it as hard as I thought. I was sweating bullets (which felt awesome) and once it was over I was super happy to be able to finish another morning workout. Just makes my day that much better!

After the workout I rushed to get ready for work and couldn’t eat anything. By the time I got to downtown Manhattan (over an hour later!) I was starving! I began craving bananas for some reason (random) so I passed by my local Duane Reade  and picked up a couple (50 cents each if you are wondering). They were all super green. I usually like my bananas in the “middle” not green but not too ripe either but I got them anyways and inhaled one as soon as I got to my desk.

While checking through work email I then proceeded to have my breakfast which consisted of almond butter and jelly on a 100% whole wheat English muffin brought from home, prepared the evening before (not pictured) paired up with my fruit and café (w/ almond milk, no sugar) also courtesy of my casa. Failure to plan is planning to fail!                  

Hope everyone is having a fabulous hump-day. Break is over. Back to work but I leave you with today’s wonderful quote from the runner’s world calendar:

 

Q: Do you enjoy working out first thing in the morning?   

Morning Run & The Coolest Piece of Mail

So Ive been trying out this "working out in the morning" thing for the past week or so. To be quite honest, I woke up at 6am last week for a nice 3 mile run and it felt amazing to work out before work but for some reason I lacked motivation to wake up early again for the rest of the week. I ran on Saturday but it was later on in the morning (around 10-ish).

Well, this morning I took another stab at the 6 am wake up call and although I had to battle with my pillow for a bit I made it out the door in less than 10 minutes (it helps to prepare everything the night before). I think what motivated me the most to get out there was making "virtual running plans" with a friend. Meaning that we'd each wake up early and go out for a run in our respective neighborhoods. Then, we'd come back and report to each other that we did it! And we did indeed.

I bought new running sneakers a couple of weeks ago and my pace has improved significantly. I am not sure if its the sneakers or what but I'm sure that's playing a role regardless. I was running with very old sneakers (Nike Frees) which had gotten me through several races (including my first half marathon!). I didn't realize that the older sneakers get the more they may slow you down. This is my hypothesis. Would love to hear thoughts from experienced runners out there! I went to a very cool running store with my sister (Jack Rabit) and got myself my very first pair of Sauconys! So far so good!

I actually ended up running a little bit over 3 miles but I took a snap shot of this in the middle of my run because I was so excited to be going under 10 minutes a mile. This is one of the things that makes running so amazing, progress!

So, in other news..

A few months ago I purchased a Groupon deal for one of my absolutely favorite snacks: Kind Granola Bars! If you know the brand, you know that it can be expensive in comparison to other granola bars. However their quality and deliciousness can also make it quite worth it. The Groupon deal was such a steal so I went for it.

About a month after my purchase they sent me an email with an even better deal (one that I forgot to take advantage of). But it was super nice of them to send me exclusive offers (like really, really good offers) after my first purchase.

So anyway, I went to parent's house yesterday to visit and pick up my mail. Well, hanging out in between a pile of junk mail and bills I found what has to be one of the coolest "pieces" of mail I've ever gotten:

　

This definitely put a huge smile on my face. Yeyy for unexpected items, specially when is something delicious that I can eat! Definitely awesome!

Thank you Kind for you Kind Gift (point intended).

Hope everyone had a great Tuesday! 

　

**I was not compensated by kind for this post nor was I even asked to write the post. The thoughts are honest and my own. Getting that in the mail was beyond awesome.

:)

LIEBSTER AWARD!

Hey Everyone! Happy Monday  Tuesday! Hope you all had a good day. Felt like Monday to me because I had off yesterday ( I can get used to 3 day weekends for sure). One downfall of a long weekend though: I ate way too much! But lets safe that for another post!

This morning as I scrolled through my email I noticed a comment by Kayla on my previous post letting me know she nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award. Goes without saying that the comment made my day :) Thanks Kayla for the nomination! She blogs over at The Lovely Ride. In her last post she explains what the Liebster Award is about so go check it out!

Ok, so I am supposed to:

1. List 11 Random Facts about myself.

2. Answer a series of questions that were emailed to me 

3. Nominate other bloggers (with under 200 followers) for the award.

So...without further 'ado, here goes:

11 Random Facts about Mabelle:

1. I was originally born in the Dominican Republic and I moved to the US when I was 9 years old

2. My favorite kind of music is Salsa (specifically old school salsa from the '80s!)

3. I LOVE dancing (specially Spanish music)

3. When I was younger I dreamed of being a backup dancer for Spanish artists (I still want to do that)

4. When I was younger I also wanted to be a model (still want to do that)

5. When I was 17 I wanted to go to college for nutrition (but somehow ended up majoring in computer science and ultimately ended up graduating with a BS  in business. Don't ask me how that happened!)

6. I used to be bullied when I was a child for my weight

7. My highest weight was close to 200 pounds (around 180-190)

8. When I got my first IPhone I ended up returning it 2 days later because I couldn't get used to the touch screen. I eventually got it back and now I cant live without it.

9. I used to be in the bowling team, chess team and dance when I was in high school

10. I wanted to be a cheerleader back in the days and actually tried out in the 6th grade but didn't make the team :(

11. I graduated salutatorian in my high school class

Kayla's Questions:

1. If you had to choose between one of the following and give up the others, forever, what would you choose? Chocolate, chips, wine, or ice cream?

Chocolate! Is that even up for discussion?! Although have to admit wine is a close second :)

2. What sports did you play as a kid? Were you any good?

Never played any sports! My sister was the sporty one. I do remember being good at Volleyball in High School (at least the serving part) and now that I think about it, I also recall not being so bad at basketball as well. Fun times.

3. If you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go?

Italy or Spain!! Cant wait to visit Europe again :)

4. What's your favorite blog to read?

I have several blogs that I love and follow consistently. From the top of my head a few of my favorites are Live, Laugh, Eat, Toronto Runner and The Candid RD.

 5. Do you have kids or want to have kids someday? Did your mind change drastically about this topic at some point?

 I don't have children yet but I definitely look forward to having kids and a family. I always dreamed of children from a young age. Cant wait to meet the father of my children (unless I already know him :)

6. What's the best book you've ever read?

I am an avid reader of self-help, motivational, inspirational books. I would have to narrow it down to two: The Magic of Thinking Big and the Millionaire Next Door. There are many others! You can see some of my faves in the amazon carousel in the bottom right.

7. What crafty skill do you wish you had or do you wish you were better at?

Ummm interior decorating. I have my own apartment (which I absolutely LOVE) but I wish I were more creative with painting it, etc. I have done my best so far :) 

8. Where would you live if you knew you had a job there?

I would say Europe-- specifically Spain, Italy and/or France.

9. Are you a dog or cat person?

Dog person for sure.

10. What's your most embarrassing moment?

Ummmm two main moments come to mind but I'll share one of them--- When I was in the 10th grade I was reading a report to my class in english. I had only been in this country for 5 years and although I was fluent in English by then my accent was still pretty strong. One of the words in the report was "Focused". I wasn't sure how to pronounce it so I said "fuckused" by mistake (you can imagine how that came accross!). The entire class busted out laughing   I was mortified! The funny thing is that I kept reading as if nothing had happened.  My poor teacher must have felt so sorry for me. Thankfully, she understood it was a language thing.

11. Where do you see yourself in five years in a sentence?

Happily in love, successful, even happier than I am today, doing what I love for a living and with my first child. 

THANK YOU FOR READING! Will be nominating some of my favorite bloggers for this award. Excited! :) 

PS: I ran 4 miles this weekend and got started on week 2 of Jillians Shred in 30. Did I mention she is CRAZY! But I love every second.

QUESTION: Tell me one random thing about yourself.

FORTUNATE FRIDAYS

So glad we’re finally at the end of the week. Waiting for weekends is such an oxymoron. We anxiously wait for weekends without putting much thought on the fact that every week that passes means time is going by quicker and quicker. That doesn’t mean I am not thankful for the weekend though because I sure am.

Welcome to another round of Fortunate Fridays. Here is what I feel fortunate/am thankful for this week:

1.    The cup of decaf with soymilk and almond biscotti I had on Tuesday night before my class. Tuesday was such a good day in terms of my eating because everything I consumed was because I was listening to my body. ‘Intuitive eating’ I would say. If you missed the post check it out here.

2.    The friendly reminder that is good to get out of our comfort zone sometimes always and do the things that we want to do/express how we feel because you never know what the outcome may be. I was pleasantly surprised with the response I received from my 'tuesday confession'. You just never know! Also, realizing that in life we should not always focus on the outcome of things as long as we do what we need to do and leave the rest up to God, he knows what is best for us at all times. I listened to a sermon by Joyce Meyer the other day that said we should learn to put our faith in God and not in other people as God will never let us down. That has stuck with me this whole week and that has helped me to let go of an incredible amount of anxiety. 

3.    Good Fathers. This morning as I was sitting in the bus I noticed a father with his young child. He was making sure his son was warm and fixing up his jacket, hat, etc. Then he held his hand while they sat on the bus. My heart was just melting the whole time. Then I started to think about my own father and what an amazing influence he has been in my life and continues to be. I love him to death and I can proudly say that I grew up with an amazing father and would not trade him for the world. I am definitely fortunate to have him in my life.

4.    I feel fortunate for the people that tell me I am a good influence on them. I try not to take things personal because I feel that people do things because they want to and not necessarily because of someone else. However, I think sometimes we influence people in a positive way without realizing it and give them that “extra push”. A friend of mine told me this week that she started school because after one of our conversation she realized that she ‘could do it’ and she was thankful that I had faith in her. That without a doubt made my day.

5.    Last but definitely not least—I feel fortunate that I won a scholarship at work to help me with my tuition. A few weeks ago I applied for a company-sponsored scholarship and yesterday I was called in to a ceremony where my name was called and I had to give a small speech of acceptance. As a side note—I am thankful that I wasn’t nervous at all when standing in front of an audience. For some reason I was able to comfortable speak with ease and gave a short and sweet thanks to everyone present. God knows that I’ve often struggled with speaking in front of audiences because I used to get extremely nervous but I’ve come such a long way!

6.    Bonus:  I must add that I also  feel fortunate/thankful that on Monday the final presentation for one of my courses went great. My group and I were a little nervous doing last minute things on the morning that the presentation was due but at the end of the day we did amazing. Plus, we also went last which was a blessing in disguise (we were worried at first) as the professor had no time to scrutinize us with many questions. Ha!

What an amazing week of fortunate things. Hope everyone has an amazing weekend! Is crunch time for me as I have a final next week. And then I’ll finally be done with the semester!

Sunday morning I am running my first 10K ever! (more on that on next week posts). Besides that, I will spending the rest of my time  locked up at a local starbucks or library studying my life away!

Cheers to a productive weekend!

What are your plans?

:)