Getting Fit in 2010

Video: Confessions of an Ex-Fat Girl (Taking FAT 4 granted)!

Learning to Kick My Own Butt - July Challenge!

Hi all! I've been on the lazy train for a couple of ~~weeks~~ months. I've been true to my word and have not taken on extra work projects until the fall. I am 82% Type A so having a lot of down time drives me crazy. Instead of taking the day by storm, I tend to sit with my thoughts for too long, which sends me down a road I don't want to travel. I'm not even a TV junkie, but the web on the other hand... I don't know where all of my motivation went. I'm thoroughly sick of reverting back to old habits. We are half way through the year and I don't have much to show for it.

All of that said, I've decided to start a personal challenge for July. I'll exercise every scheduled days (noted in calendar) and/or at least 3xs a week, and take my vitamins (multi & D) and drink at least 8 cups of water everyday. I'm not even touching my diet until I feel I can tackle these things. I'm getting ready to go to the gym in what seems like years. Later!

Manhattan Bridge Recap

I swear this is not a photo blog! I'll be back soon with a "real" post but until then, here are some shots of our walk over the Manhattan Bridge (from 5.30.09):

The views are absolutely amazing. Not many people at all. It just might be better than the Brooklyn Bridge, but we will see. I wasn't really looking forward to this walk, but I'm so glad we did it. We had lunch at a great place right off of the bridge in Chinatown and made out way back to our car on the Brooklyn side. I recommend parking in Brooklyn as it's almost impossible in Chinatown.

One big down side is definitely the noise. The train passes very frequently and right next to the walk path. On the plus side, the walk path and bike paths are separated. There were only a few stray bikers to watch out for. Next up, the Brooklyn Bridge!

Williamsburg Bridge Walk - recap

Here are a few photos from last weekend's bridge walk.

There were many of bikers and joggers taking advantage of the beautiful weather.

Looking over South Brooklyn. I'm a fan of tasteful/artful grafitti so I really appreciated some of the work seen over the bridge.

It was a lovely day. The bridge span is 1.4 miles each way. We speed walked (spedwalked?) at times but the view was just too beautiful to ignore. We walked around the neighborhood under the bridge and rested at a park before making our way over.

As you probably can tell, I'm completely distracted when it comes to talking about fitness. I need to regain focus. I've been very busy with work but (happily) things are slowing down for me. I've been extremely focused on work but have decided to not take on any new clients until autumn. I'll only ramp up on work if absolutely necessary. I want to enjoy the spring and summer and make some time to get into the gym again.

We'll walk the Manhattan Bridge next weekend. We're going to a baseball game at the new Citi Field tomorrow. Have a lovely weekend!

Commencing Bridge Walk 2009

Last week's 5K event has sparked a goal-setting craze in me. There was something about starting and completing the event that has given me a feeling of accomplishment. Something I miss since finishing school. I've decided to keep the good vibes going for as long as I can.

The weather here in New York City couldn't get any better. Now is the time for us New Yorkers to get out and enjoy the city for all of its glory. One thing I've always wanted to do is walk/jog over all of lower East River bridges which include the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges. I plan on making this a reality over the next couple of weeks.

I'm starting with the Williamsburg Bridge because it's always intrigued me. My family lives nearby in Manhattan and I feel it's the lesser known/respected of the three bridges. I plan on jogging in both directions with a stop over in Williamsburg for lunch with the hubby.

I encourage everyone to walk/jog your local bridges. I've walked the Brooklyn and George Washington bridges before and loved it! It's a great way to enjoy beautiful scenery and burn a few calories. I might expand this to other crossings. Stay tuned for pictures!

Run For The Wild - My First 5K

As I type this right now, my calves and shins are punishing me for the beating I laid on them yesterday. We arrived at The Bronx Zoo at 7:30am to check-in and received our tees. The first mistake I made was not eating breakfast before we left. I was hoping there would be food for sale. There was only free coffee, which I was very grateful for after 5 hours of sleep. The weather was absolutely perfect. Mid-fifties at the start of the race. A sponsor held a yoga session to stretch us out, which totaled at about 3,000 people!

We stayed at the back of the pack with the children and strollers. I had no intention of running. We speed-walked 95% of the way with a short jog in the middle. My second mistake was wearing leggings that kept creeping down! I had to constantly pull them up which definitely slowed me down. It's unfortunate because my legs actually felt better while jogging. The scenery along the walk was wonderful. We had glimpses of animals and bird songs to keep us going. The walk was hilly and curvy at times which definitely worked out my thigh muscles.

Everyone was in a wonderful mood. The last mile felt like an eternity. My shins and calves were on fire for the first 2 miles. My legs felt better during the last mile but my lungs began to burn. We made a turn and finally saw the '3 mile' sign. We finished! A radio station was at the finish line to greet us with cheers, and jokes. I forgot to check our time, but I'd say we ended in around 1 hour. Tables were set up with goodies and food! I was totally surprised when I saw fruit, yogurt, breads and water. Everyone received a goodie bag with a free toy (an eco-friendly themed Diego toy), organic body wash and smaller freebies. My face was a nice shade of red but I was very surprised at how well I felt. I was back to 100% after the snacks.

Tiki Barber ran and later signed autographs. There were also free massages. The lines for both were way too long so I snapped a few shots of Tiki and we moved on.

We made our way to the Congo exhibit since we received free tickets. We went to see what we huffed and puffed for. The biggest gorilla sat right in the middle of the display window for us. He seemed very relaxed and just gazed at us as his family strolled and played in the background. He was probably more worried about 'mastering his domain', but he just might have been thanking us. Ok, maybe not.

I'd say it was a complete success being it was their first annual 5K and they managed to raise a decent amount of money. I will definitely do this event again and will sign up for other 5K events. I've taken away a couple of lessons such as:

Get enough sleep!
Wear comfortable (and fitting) clothing.
Eat a nutrient-rich meal beforehand.
Stretch before and afterward thoroughly.
Take a painkiller before bed.

On top of the 5K, my family and I took an impromptu road trip up to Bear Mountain State Park. We picnicked and enjoyed the gorgeous weather and scenery. My husband and I were tired and are paying the piper today but it was a great day!