Saturday Morning Run, Food and I want an IPAD2

Good morning sunshines!

Is a "confusing" morning here in NYC. One second it looks like it may rain and the next the sun is shining bright and high. So, not sure what to expect. I'm so happy is the weekend.

This morning I rolled out of bed at 8:30 am. Texted my "virtual running companion" but got no response. Either way, I pretended I did and got ready to run. Was out the door before 9 and completed the following:

-2 mile jog

-2 miles walk/run

-.85 miles walk/cool down

In total:

Post my workout I made myself some breakfast:

Eggs, avocado on whole wheat flax bread + my cafe w/ almond milk. Delish.

In other news, a couple of months ago  I entered to win a giveaway on A Journey To Thin and won!!! (yeyy) the prize was sponsored by ZINIO and consisted of a free digital subscription to the magazine of my choice. I LOVE magazines (more like obsessed) and so I was so excited for this giveaway. I had been eyeing Women's Running magazine for quite so time and so that was my first choice for my prize. Shortly thereafter, I received my subscription which I have been reading on my Kindle Fire App. The latest issue is the July issue (pic below) which I have not started reading yet but looking forward to doing so. So far I love the magazine and the Zinio app which is very easy to use and works in pretty much any devise (even your cell phone! although not sure is a good idea to use up that much memory for a magazine).

So anyways, even though its been okay reading the magazine on my Kindle Fire, I have also read it on my sister's IPAD2 and the difference and "reading quality" in terms of visuals, etc is quite significant. I am referring to the regular size IPAD (not the mini). The difference is so noticeable (in my personal opinion) that now I want to invest in an IPAD2. Considering I already have the kindle, getting an IPAD mini wouldnt make any sense to me because it would be the same size as to what I already have. I would LOVE to get the regular size IPAD2 with the "retina display" I dont know what the heck that means but it sounds cool.

So, putting this out there. I would love to get an IPAD2+ retina display+ wifi+ cellular. Is that too much to ask?. If I dont meet a sugar daddy soon I may have to get it myself ha!


Look at this beauty!!

Anyways, time to get this Saturday's show on the road. Hope ya'll have an amazing day!!!

PS: Sad to say goodbye to GoogleReader as of 07/01. I just transferred all my blogs to FEEDLY this morning. It was so easy to use! Thanks to Clare at Fitting It All In for the heads up!

Q: Do you own an IPAD? Whats your favorite thing about it?

*I was not compensated in any way for anything mentioned on this post. I did win a giveaway sponsored by Zinio and the opinions are true and my own.

Announcement!

Hey everyone! Just quickly wanted to share I decided to sign up for my first HALF MARATHON coming up in April! You can say I am quite petrified but I am trying to make myself feel better in that I can walk some of it if I feel that I cant run the entire 13.1 miles-- or whatever a half marathon is. This is nuts!!! Part of the reason I signed up was my sister's encouragement. She runs A LOT and having her there with me on race day will mean a lot to me. Also, thank you for those whom encouraged me on the last post where I mentioned it and I was having doubts. There is no turning back now! Excited and scared at the same time. Hopefully as race day approaches I'll be more excited than anything.

With that said, I have been running/working out more this past week as I "train" for this. I have no specific plan in mind in terms of a training schedule (maybe I should have one?) I am just running what feels comfortable for me and building up my mileage. I have never been the type who compares themselves to others or competes. As cliche as this may sound--- I compare all my progress to my older self, and how I personally improve. That always keeps me motivated without fail.

So, here is my weekly work-out wrap up:

Sunday: Jillians Ripped in 30-- week 3, day 2
Monday: 3 mile run
Tuesday: 3 mile run
Wednesday: Rest Day
Thursday: 3 mile run
Friday: Jillian's Ripped in 30-- week 3, day 3
Saturday: 8 Mile run (with my sister and her friend)

..And that's all folks! #committed

ANY ADVISE IN TERMS OF TRAINING? HAVE YOU EVER RAN A HALF? PLEASE SHARE YOUR FIRST TIME EXPERIENCE WITH ME! :)

Sunday Happenings And a QUICK money saving tip

Hope you're all having a great day thus far. My sunday is rounding out to be quite productive. However, I must confess that yesterday there was whole lot of "leisure" time spent at my apartment just lounging around. I managed to do some cleaning/organizing and did pay some bills but a lot of time was also spent watching pretty useless TV (aside from a couple of somewhat interesting lifetime movies ha!). I downgraded my cable to save money so I am missing a couple of channels that I really loved :(. I am considering bringing back those channels or just finding a way to get them and still make my cable bill cheap enough. I made a quick stop at my aunts house but then came back home and relaxed some more.

Today, however, is going pretty well. Woke up with running on my mind and so off I went for a nice 3.47 miler around my neighborhood. I must admit it was windy and somewhat cold but it was quite a gorgeous day thanks to the sun.

  
There was also a TON of geese just "chilling". Wish I would have taken a photo. It was quite the view. Anyways, here is the run down of my run/walk (I had to stop and walk at certain times because of the wind):

 My first mile was ran in less than 10 minutes which surprised me because last time I checked my average time was around 10-ish so, I am excited that I am getting better (either that or the wind shall be credited for pushing my assets me forward). Post run I immediately took a shower, changed and made a pretty satisfying breakfast:

 

On the plate: 2 eggs (1 with yolk, one without), scrambled with white onions and spinach. I added a little bit of organic ketchup to the eggs, post pic. On the side-- one whole wheat English muffin, toasted w/ a little bit of butter. Plus my cafe and milk on the side (no sugar) on one of my absolute fave cafe cups!

I decided to get ready before breakfast because that way I knew I would need to get out of the house as soon as I was finished. Sometimes I just lounge around in my pajamas and ultimately decide to stay in. That wasnt happening today! (interesting how much we can learn from carefully observing our behavioral patters).

Before leaving the house I noticed my gazillion bananas sitting on top of my fridge (which I had purchased for about $1.29 at the supermarket about a week ago). They were getting extremely ripe (borderline going bad) so I had to rescue them!!!! I mashed up the ones that were the most "mushy" and put them in containers (I see delicious banana bread and muffins in my future). The rest I split them up in to pieces to make smoothies-- put it all in the freezer and you're good to go!:

So here's a money saving tip (you may or may not know this, but here it goes): Next time you're in the supermarket around the vegetable/fruits area, see if the have a section where they place things that are about to expire or "go bad" according to their standards. (I am pretty sure there is an official name for this which I cant remember from the top of my head). You can find all kinds of fruits and veggies but I usually just grab bananas from there. I get a TON for about 99 cents or $1.29. Is pretty crazy. I make smoothies and banana bread from that. Some of the bananas often times arent even ripe yet so I can eat them right away.

By the way--- Aside from my love for health and fitness I am also a HUGE fan of personal finance. My undergrad degree in finance, my MBA pursuit and my dad may or may not have something to do with that ;). I am thinking of starting a series on the blog where I'll share tips on personal finance, and anything else on the matter than may seem interesting. We'll see if I can gather enough material. Let me know if you have any questions or anything you'd like to see on the series regarding money matters.

Anyways, now I am visiting my parents and sis and taking advantage of their washing machine. Sometimes is awesome having family so close :)


Question: Do you have any supermarket "money saving tips" you can share? What do YOU do with ripe bananas?

Ran, Baked, Hair and Nails done-- Are YOU ready, 2013?!

Hey all!!!

So I have to admit today was quite the productive Sunday  Yesterday was supposed to be my last run of 2012 but this morning I woke up with the running bug and I just couldn't say no. It may have something to do with the fact that the sun was beaming through my window and I decided I just couldn't put such a gorgeous day to waste and so off I went for a ~3.45 mile jog/run/walk (in that order). It was quite windy this morning but somehow I managed to pull through. It was just me and another girl running at the track this morning. We smiled at each other a few times (the only two crazy gals running in 30 degree weather on a windy winter morning). She seemed super nice. I kept track of my run with the Nike app but forgot to "end" the run and so, the app kept running for HOURS later to the point that when I realized it was still on I had been "running" for 3 hours. No picture as it wouldn't be accurate. But yeyyy for morning runs! :) Here are a few pics of the track-- you can see the sun in the background. Quite a difference from yesterday!

Post my run I had planned to go to church but by the time I looked at the time it was already so late :(. Not happy about that. Need to get better about going to church. Not because is a "new year" but because I enjoy it and would like to make it a regular part of my life.

I had quite the satisfying breakfast. I used the leftover omelet from yesterday and made myself an omelet-egg mc muffin if that makes any sense (the english muffin was 100% whole wheat). I paired it up with my usual cafe w/ almond milk and it was so delicious. 

To be honest, at least 5 hours later I was still not hungry but made myself eat a pear and a granola bar while I waited to get my hair and nails done (more on that below). 


So last night I was in the mood to bake and so I did what I love to bake best (after carrot care)-- Banana Bread! I used This Recipe from the clean eating magazine website minus the chocolate chunks (because I ate all my chocolate last week).   I loved how it came out like a real loaf. I got super excited and all I have to say it came out sooooooo good! Super moist!!! I am trying to figure out what I did differently because I made muffins a couple of months ago (same recipe) and they were a bit dry.  I dropped some of the egg yolk by mistake (recipe calls for only 2 egg whites) I wonder if that had something to do with how good the loaf came out. To all the bakers out there, what do you think? Anyways, here are some photos of my "masterpiece":

So, back to hair and nails. As I was saying-- I took advantage of the day today to go get my hair and nails done. I know that all salons will likely be super packed tomorrow and I do not want to deal with that craziness on my absolute favorite day of the year! 

Here are a couple pics of my nails:

Wasn't crazy about the color at first but it'll do for now :) (I was thinking of black or something more dramatic but opted for the festive option). I wont be showing my hair until likely my next post because it is currently wrapped (if you are a Latina with curly hair or an African american you know what I am referring to! lol).

I know in a previous post I mentioned I would be embracing my curly hair more. And I am!! I am contemplating this being my last hair blowout for the next 12 months but I am not sure if that's something I can keep up with. Either way, I plan to wear my hair down and curly more often than the past and thats a big deal for me (ive already been keeping up with that!).

After my long day I got to my apartment starving so put together something quick, healthy and delish. I had some leftover whole wheat pasta from the other day. I sauteed a cup of the pasta with red onions, peppers and some curry powder. I added some chunks of ground meat I had brought from my moms home the other day and this hit the spot for sure-- with a side of Avocado, of course:

Now I am lounging on the couch writing this post, having chai tea and a piece or two of my banana bread. I should really share this and stop being so stingy with my food.=)

Thanks for reading :) Will try to post something quick tomorrow if time permits. Otherwise, see you in 2013! (A whole lot of exciting things coming for the blog. Stay tunned!)

Question: What are you doing for new years eve? do you have a yearly tradition or do something different every year? Whats your favorite day of the year?

My last run of the year? Plus- is Snowing!

Happy Saturday everyone! Hope you're all having a great day so far! Where is the day going?! Anyways, I meant to wake up a little earlier this morning but somehow when I finally dragged myself out of bed it was around 10 am! ugh! Anyways, I had planned for a run this morning so I immediately got ready, put on my running gear and off I went for a morning jog. One thing I have learned about running in the cold: As long as there is no much wind I am good to go and today was one of those mornings! About half way through my run it began to snow *yeyyy* and this was my very FIRST time running in the snow! So much fun! You can tell I am fairly new to running. I loved every second of my "snow-run". Here are some photos (taken post run):

The final mile run down:

Thankfully I finished before it got too crazy (because it got pretty intense) and then I came back to my apartment and did a short abs and arms workout. Once I was finally done I made myself what I was craving--- Spinach omelet! Filled with moderate amount of cheese, turkey, peppers and onions. I used 2 eggs whites and 1 whole eggs. The omelet was too big so I ate half and saved the rest for later. I accompanied the omelet with 2 slices of sprouted whole wheat bread and a cup of Joe w/ Almond Milk (no sugar):

The omelet up close: 

It was good!

So now I need to get my Saturday started and finish up some cleaning and maybe some shopping. Hope you're all having a good day!

PS: I am thinking of starting a side-blog with only my recipes and will announce it soon. I will post the spinach omelet recipe on there. :)

Question: Do you enjoy running in the snow? Or, do you avoid the outdoors at all cost during the winter months?

Double Celebration on Christmas 2012 + What ive been up to

Hello everyone!

Hope you all had an amazing holiday! Better late than never--Here is my Christmas recap!
First of all, I spent a couple of days at my parents house and ate pretty much everything in sight from desserts to pastelitos (latin dish) you name it I probably had it. Lets blame it on the spirit of Christmas and lets just say I am getting myself back on track because I have come to the conclusion that I simply love eating healthy and being active. I may steer off the health wagon from time to time but I love getting back on track. And I am only human!

Anyways, enough of that. I want to share that in addition to celebrating the holidays with family and friends we also celebrated my parents 30th anniversary! I am so blessed to have parents that love each other dearly and have been able to grow with each other over 30 years while raising two very respectable young ladies. They set a great example and I look forward to finding that one person to grow old with. How amazing is that! They got married on 12/25/82. Here is a family pic from Christmas night:

And yes I am still in my 20s! lol they had me AFTER they got married in case anyone out there is calculating. Ha! My family partied until 6 am and by that I mean lots of dancing and drinking. I called it a night morning at around 3-4am on Christmas day and snuck away to one of the rooms at my parents house to pass out. I was still snacking at that time! It was time to sleep. My family continued the celebration...

So what have I've been up to this week? Lets just say I am fully enjoying and loving my time off from work. This morning I woke up around 9 ish and talked myself in to going for a 4 mile jog which turned out to be a 4 miler walk/jog combination because it was cold, raining and extremelly windy from time to time. Nonetheless, I was proud of myself for getting my workout in. 

 

 Post workout I did a 15 minute ab session while I waited for breakfast to be ready. And this was breakfast--

2 slices sprouted whole wheat bread and 2 boiled eggs plus my new discovery: Chai Tea!! (I know I am late to the party but I love it!)

I was still a little hungry after that so I had 1/2 gala apple with 1 tablespoon Peanut Butter Dream (Cinnamon & Raisin flavor) Yum!:
 

Today I met up with a friend of mine downtown which was supposed to be followed by a trip to Trader Joes which has gotten postponed until further notice because it is freezing outside!!! the wind is making it a million times worse so I opted to come home instead and made myself a delicious dinner--

3/4 cup whole wheat pasta with chicken, peppers and onions plus a side of steamed veggies. I also had 1/2 whole wheat Naan from trader joes w/ a little bit of butter added:

 Still so much to do during this break! Is crazy how much you can get done when you dont have to worry about being somewhere from 9-5. Would love to work from home one day! Preferably my own business. :)

Oh! Before I forget--- Yesterdays Elf4Health challenge was:

Wednesday

Look at yourself in the mirror & find THREE things you love about yourself. 
Show us what they are! 

Here are the three things I came up with:
1. My Smile :) <--you can see a glance of it in the pic above 
2.  My body shape---I like to think I am well proportioned whether I am chubby or skinny and I like that.
3. My legs

Bonus: Non-Physical things I love about myself:
1. My good heart
2. My intelligence
3. My Kindness

How is everyones week going? My absolute favorite day of the year is fast approaching (12/31) any exciting plans? I usually spend it with family (yes, another huge party just like on Christmas eve).

Thanks for reading :)

Central Park run and a Great Weekend!

Hey Everyone! Just wanted to share a recap on my weekend!

So I have to admit this weekend turned out to be a great one. Saturday morning I woke up early enough and motivated to go for a run around my neighboorhood. The weather was perfect for running!! A little foggy but around 50+ degrees. I dont know what is going on or why is so hot in December but I'll take it for now.

On saturday night I went to sleep over at my mom's house. I actually just went to visit her because she was feeling sick but I ended up sleeping over for the night. In the morning my sister woke me up and asked whether I wanted to go for a run with her and her friends at central park. I somehow got super excited and managed to wake up super early on a sunday morning!

So, let me just share that whenever I go to my moms house I often encounter a whole lot of junk food that I dont have at my apartment. So, lets just say I "indulged" a little bit too much saturday night. I was also super stressed about a presentation I had today (which went amazing bythe way!!!) and so I snacked more than normal. Going for a run on sunday morning was PERFECT!!! Also, despite being a New Yorker Ive never ran in Central Park before so this was a first and I loved every minute of it!!! Here are some pics of my sister and I:

 

 

The Scenery was amazing! it was also kind of a rainy morning so it was just perfect:

 

 

 

We ran a little bit over 4 miles:

 



While at my moms house I also got to see her xmass tree. Loved it! I have yet to put up mine. Waiting on my boyfriend whom I havent been able to see because of exams and school stuff going on. I am hoping to put up my tree soon.

When I got home sunday night I proceeded to prepare for my presentation (that took place today) and did some meal preping for the week involving chicken:

 

 

 

I leave you with a nice message I found today and which I believe to be very true:

 

 

 

Tell me, how was your weekend? :)

Elf 4 Health Holiday Challenge (...and need winter boots!)

Hey Everyone!

Super cold in NYC today with chance of snow and I don’t have snow boots. I missed my chance yesterday for cyber shopping because of my busy Monday scheduled with school and work and today seems to see no different. I meant to do some snow boots shopping or browsing during my lunch today but projects at work didn’t allow that so, here I am.

Anyways, took a quick break to advise I am participating in the Elf4Health Holiday challenge hosted by: The Lean Green Bean Blog. Have to give a shout out to Clare Fittingitallin as that is how I found out about the challenge since she mentioned it in one of her posts.

This is my first time doing anything like this and I am super excited. The challenge pretty much offers a “support system” to get through the holiday overeating and under-working out danger! So far so good. Challenge began yesterday.  My “elf” for the next two weeks is a girl from Georgia who seems to be pretty cool. We seem to have similar interest and similar backgrounds as far as weight, health and fitness is concerned. So cool to meet new people from around the country and offer each other support through the holidays.

Today’s challenge is to send a friend a hand written note. I should be able to do it by tonight. I have a couple of friends in mind. We’ll see who gets the surprise card from me.

Oh! I wanted to add—I read a great article on what to wear during winter/snow runs at: fitchickinthecity.com.

6 Essential Items You Need for Winter Running

I have been trying to figure out how the heck I’d be able to run in freezing temperatures and article definitely motivated me to go shopping for some winter gear. Marshalls/TJMaxx here I come (as if I ever needed any excuse to go there! Ha!)

Stay warm everyone!

Question: Any winter boots recommendations? Brands? Styles? Websites? Stores? Looking for some ideas!

The Cold Is No Excuse

Hello everyone! Hope you're all having a blessed and peaceful Sunday thus far. I don't know what it is about Sunday mornings---I just love the feeling of tranquility that it can bring. Not sure if I'm alone on that :)

On a different note, I have to confess last night I ate like CRAZY. I am not sure if that time of the month is approaching or whether I am just anxious about life in general or bored, or just plain crazy but my evening pretty much went like this: food + television and I ate so much that at some point I just passed out. I dont want to continue talking about that because whats done is done and all I can do is dust myself off, get up and MOVE ON from that! I love the feeling of being healthy and treating my body well/working out. I wont allow some episodes of overeating to take away the feeling of treating myself well that I know and love so much. I actually wrote out a list of my two choices: continue having a mindless feast or going back to what I know is right and what I know feels amazing. I choose the latter. So, moving on!

This morning I literally got up, dusted off and went for a run. I think this is the coldest I have ever ran outside and I wasn't sure what to expect. I put on some layers and a sweater that has a hoodie and off I went! At first the wind scared me a bit and my hands were cold but after pushing through and with the help of music on my Ipod I ran 3 miles straight and walked an extra mile or so for cool down. This FELT AMAZING. This was my fastest run ever according to my Nike App:

Lessons for today:
1. Dont let the cold ever steer you away from exercise. Layer, Layer, Layer!
2. Invest in some workout clothes for the winter
3. I may actually run faster when is cold out (my miles were UNDER 10 minutes. How cool is that?!)

Thanks for reading! Off I go to make breakfast, clean a bit and do some school work. I also have to do some food prep and wait for my mom whom is visiting me later :).

Question: What is the best tip you can provide about running in the cold?

Thanksgiving Turkey Trut + WHY I'M THANKFUL

So thanksgiving 2012 has arrived! I want to make this a quick but strong post because I have to get ready and go help my mom with some of the food prep. First and foremost: I did it! I woke up this morning at 8:30 am (on my day off from work!!!) put on my workout clothes and headed out the door to complete the 5K Turkey Trot sponsored by A Journey To Thin. I ended up doing more than a 5K (a little bit over 4 miles) because once I was done I was too winded to stop so I had to walk until my heart rate calmed down. It was a combination of walk/run. I would say I ran/jogged approx 2.5 of those miles and sped walked the rest:

I enjoyed some very nice views during my run. I love, love, love the fall:

My plan had been to have oatmeal for breakfast post run. However, once I was done my body was craving something "salty" or something not as sweet as oatmeal so I decided to make some eggs florentine on a whole wheat tortilla plus my coffee with almond milk. I added dash seasoning and part skim mozarella. It was definitely satisfying.

So anyways, without further 'ado here is why I am thankful today and everysingle day:

1. The presence of God in my life: Living alone has brought me a lot closer to God in many levels. Ive never been the type to go to church every single sunday (still working on that!) but I do feel that I have a very siginificant relationship with the one above. I am raised Roman Catholic and I do follow the belives of the bible but, beyond that---I am really appreciative of the relationship I am developing with God in a spiritual sense and the feeling of peace and gratefulness that comes with that, which cannot be expressed in words. Is very strong and I am thankful for that. I can only hope that it continues to grow.

2. My family: They are healthy, amazing people whom are always there for me. No matter what happens in my life I know for a fact that I will always have a rock in them. No matter how moody I may get or how mean I can be sometimes (I do recognize that) they are ALWAYS there for me with no grudges and no bad feelings, just with an open and welcoming heart. I am also thankful that they are healthy and strong and I can enjoy them for many years to come, if God allows: Mom, Dad and Marlenne: Love ya! Also-- My extended family who's so much fun and always walk around with a positive attitude about life no matter what is going on. Never a dull moment :) Love them too!

3. My Health: Growing up Ive always been a very healthy person (I rarely ever catch a cold, my immune system is super strong, Ive always been generally healthy). I am so appreciative for this and I do make a concious effort everyday to treat my body with respect by staying active and eating healthy although we all slip from time to time. I consider myself a billionaire because I have my health and that's something money cannot buy.

4. My Job: Although I am not currently in the career I want to be in (God knows this!) I am grateful to have a steady paycheck while I organize myself and embark in the journey I am supposed to be on. I know that sooner or later I will be doing something I absolutely LOVE for a living. In the meantime, I am thankful that I can keep my life organized and structured by being employed. I have also mentioned before how much I LOVE working downtown. Everytime I pass the New York Stock Exchange on my way to work I am reminded that dreams do come true in God's perfect time. :)

5. My Apartment: This time last year I was still living with my parents. Although I used to get super frustrated about it from time to time it got to a point where I became grateful to have a roof over my head, food and my family around me. I stopped nagging about what I didnt have and began to see what I DID have. A couple of months later I got the call for my apartment which I was waiting on for soooo long. The call finally came and In January 2012 I moved in to my own place and I LOVE THIS PLACE. I am so incredibly thankful for it. My words cannot even begin to express it. I feel at peace, happy, I am at a good place in my life and I recognize this everyday. It is true what they say: feeling thankful and grateful for what you have does bring more abundance in to your life.

6. Food: enough said? LOL...What I mean is that I am thankful that I can eat healthy and that I have food available for me when I am hungry or when I need nourishment or pretty much 24/7. I recognize that a lot of people around the world dont have this blessing of having food in their table when needed and have to go through a lot to get  a warm plate of food. I pray for those who need it and I can only pray that I am presented with enough abundance and the opportunity to help those who need it the most in the near future and that I have the resources to help.

7. Friends: Where do I begin with this?! I have amazing friends. TRUE friends that I can always count on and even if we stop talking for months or even years the minute we reunite again is like time never passed!!! What an amazing feeling to know that you have people that love you and that you love and that no matter what happens they will always be part of your life! People that if you need to vent about something, complain about something, get excited and happy about something or if you just want to relax-- they are there. You all know who you are and for you I am thankful <3. :) It is true what they say that people come in to your life for a Season, a Reason or a Lifetime. I am grateful for ALL the friends regardless of which "category" they may fall under :).

Edited to add--

8. My Car: I may not have a 2013 Mercedes Benz but I LOVE my car as it takes me where I need to go and rarely gives me any issues. Also, I am thankful because today was the first time I was able to fill it up with gas since the whole Sandy fiasco! I am thankful to have a set of wheels to take my around and I am reminded of this every time I turn on my ignition!

...So this turned out to be a longer post than what I had planned. Thanks for reading. Now off I go to get ready for some food prep with mom. HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

What are YOU thankful for today?