Filling food from S&R

Pizzas and meat pockets for a little over a hundred pesos each slice/serving. Good place!

Atchiote in Rockwell [Mexican restaurant]

I couldn't decide if I like it here better than in Chuhuahua...

2011 Christmas Pastries by Starbucks

Christmas foods!

I love Christmas! Special sandwiches, special desserts, special presents are everywhere! And like a lot of office goers, we get our December breafasts primarily from Starbucks... we had several Starbuck journals to complete!

Here's what usually greet me in the morning:

There's a couple more Christmas sandwiches but I always got this one. Multi-grain bread in the morning? Perfect!

The peppermint brownies on the left are as awesome as the Peppermint Christmas drink. And I'm one of the lucky ones who actually enjoy mint with Chocolate :P Yes, it tastes like toothpaste but I love it nonetheless!
The s'mores on the right are too rich for my taste. I couldn't finish half of it! I would have liked it better if it had more marshmallows.

I did not bother having any of these.

The nutella(?) bread on the left costs P65. That's too expensive for a small piece of bread. Can anyone tell me if I missed out?
The cookies in the middle are white chocolate cranberry cookies. They're huge and really, really sweet. Unfortunately, they're as disappointing as the White Chocolate Cranberry Christmas drink =( too sweet, and not enough cranberry taste.
I didn't buy any of the snowmen cookies.

These chocolate brownie slices with toffee nut toppings are as heavenly as the Toffee Nut Christmas drink!

I love making decisions when the options are all awesome :D

Merry Christmas!

I'm still not fully functional because of the Muscle Strain injury from Monday. Day 5 was actually worse compared to Day 4. So I went back to using my walker. Not a big deal! I'm supposed to rest until New Year so my schedule is not messed up at all. Although I've had trouble staying asleep because I'm always fully rested from doing nothing!

I had a wonderful Christmas Eve with my family and my relatives from my dad's side. It was good to have both of my brothers' children around. We'll miss having them around when we celebrate the coming of 2012.

I am happy and blessed to celebrate Christmas with my whole family. I hope people from all over the world find a way to get in touch with their own families if they're physically apart - Thank God for technology!

You know that little girl from Despicable Me who couldn't contain herself when she saw the fluffy unicorn stuffed toy? She said, "it's so fluffy I'm gonna die!" I kinda feel the same way with all the love and the joy around me. I'm  just so happy!

I already sent my Christmas greetings and best wishes to my loved ones but I just feel like saying them again right now:

To my boyfriend who is spending Christmas with his family - I love you! I miss you! I'll see you next year :)
Don't worry about gaining a little weight, we'd be working hard again next year. Be sure you spend the whole week with them, not with your XBox =D

To my best friend who has been keeping up with the events of my life even more closely this year - whom I should have been supporting more because you've lost a loved one but you just ended up switching roles with me because you're more loving and more caring and you always know when to show up, exactly when I miss you the most! Thank you. We'll go trekking next year. As soon as my left butt is pain free when walking, we'll discuss it. Your family is very lucky to have you as big sister.

To my one and only sister. Our relationship is getting better and better. I love it. I love you. I love it when you call me to tell me that you did well in your last quiz. And I love it more when you call about more important matters in your life =D I almost never miss you, and that's a really really good thing!

To my mommy and daddy. You always worry about me, please don't stop. I feel loved and blessed whenever you send that text message asking what's up at the end of the day (sometimes a bit too late because I sleep earlier than you) and whenever you call to check up on me. I know your hands are full with two grandchildren wrecking havoc in our home but you always make time for us. Thank you. You did not miss a single trip to bring us home or to bring us back to Metro Manila for work. I know it's weird to hear from me say "you're awesome", but you are. Thank you. Thank you for loving me unconditionally. I love you.

I am thankful to have so many people in my life that I find it physically impossible to list them down. I feel thankful and I feel loved. It's Christmas... I wish you guys are as joyful as I am.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
God bless you all!

My First Running Injury ever: Muscle Strain

Last Monday, I got up earlier for a good morning run. I wanted to cover 10km in an hour - a regular pace. I was doing well until my 6th km when I had a sudden, excruciating pain on my left crotch. I walked to complete the rest of 6.5km - I run in circles because I'm afraid of going to unfamiliar streets and ending up in an accident, etc. etc. so the end of the 6.5km brings me to my starting point, where there are a lot of commercial stores (there's a Starbucks nearby) and a lot of people to ask for help in case I need it.

I sat down and had a drink and I assess my situation:
1. my crotch is in pain. I wasn't imagining it.
2. my left butt feels tight and it's really painful whenever I [involuntarily] pull it

I wait for five minutes, sitting there... Ignoring the stares, trying to stretch my legs to figure out how much I can extend my legs. I try to feel for any piercing pain that might mean I fractured my but or my hip... until I was satisfied that it was really muscle pain (and that means I don't have to cry about it because it's something that I can get fixed).

So finally I call my boyfriend and tell him to pick me up as soon as he can... And I tell him that I'm just sitting there waiting for him because I couldn't walk. Metro Manila traffic is a bitch so I was basking in the sun for 30 minutes before he arrives and we laugh [painfully, because that movement pulls my butt for some reason] about how I can get in the van when (1) I can't stand up or walk (2) he can't carry me because he was recently diagnosed with back muscle spasms and isn't even allowed to lift 20lbs of anything... But somehow we pass that test and we're on our way to the Emergency Room.

I was immediately brought to the Suturing Room. And I was literally shaking from fear because I thought they were going to open me up and cut loose some tightened muscled or whatever... but I later figured out they just needed a close, private room because I kept telling the attendant that my crotch hurts really bad and I gave it a 10 (out of 10) level of pain. But after discussing my scenario with the two nice doctors, they decided to skip checking out my private area and sent me straight to X-Ray. Relief...

My X-Ray showed that I did not fracture any bone. THANK YOU, GOD!
So they concluded that it's muscle strain (or muscle cramps) and I was prescribed to refrain from using the affected area for 48 hours, and that full recovery will take 1-2 weeks. I was also given (1) pain relievers twice a day and (2) muscle relaxant thrice a day.

This the fourth day since the event and here's my progress:
Day 1. [Morning of the muscle strain to appear] - pain was 10 out of 10 throughout the day until I went to sleep.
Day 2. Pain was down to 8 out of 10. I was still using a walker to get to anywhere. That was very, very tiring.
Day 3. Pain was down to 6 out of 10. It felt like staying in bed would have helped me recover faster. But at the same time, I have to perform minimal functionality like: get up and eat, lie down to rest, get up and eat, lie down to rest...
Day 4. Pain is the same from Day 3. I think my gauge is biased to "how frequently I trigger the pain", which is every time I stand up, sit down, lie down. The pain's intensity definitely decreased after Day 2. But the affected area seems to have also decreased on Day 3. I'm just concerned that I did not feel much improvement from Day 3 to Day 4...

I thought I could be doing Tai Chi by now...
Maybe tomorrow? I'll have to consult my body. First, I have to accomplish walking normally because now I limp heavily and it's a conscious effort to walk straight. It kinda feels more like I'm getting used to it so my body automatically shifts my weight away from the affected area thus the limp.

Oh oh oh.... I have to say one more thing:
Coughing and sneezing is HELL. For that split second, they bring back the pain back to 10 out of 10. I think for that reason alone, I am not ready to leave the house because I always scream from pain after coughing or sneezing =( (screaming does NOT trigger the pain).

My First 15km Race (RunDividual event)

My ever supportive team kept up with me until the very end, special thanks to my two brothers =D

We signed up for RunDividual for the sake of joining a 15km race. And as usual, we were there to survive. We ended up completing the race 1hr27mins - a personal record for all of us.

Racing 15km was an amazing experience although the event itself was poorly organized. I personally requested that we choose that race because it supports scholars of the Ateneo de Manila University. I know the organizers did their best...

It's not surprising that they didn't gather a bigger crowd of participants because their race was on the same day as Piolo Pascual's Sunset Race and it was the day before the huge annual Milo race. Aside from that, they ran out of, and failed to replenish, Gold's Gym Glorietta with their 15km race kits.

If you ran out of race kits (for a week), it's either you were just not expecting that many participants (whatever happened to aiming big?) or your coordinators were not coordinating well. You should have at least sent new kits the next day, right?

I hope AJMA would do better on their next run. I honestly don't mind participating again. Although I wouldn't blame the professionals if they shun student-organized races altogether because I saw them take wrong turns consecutively! That was a lot of wasted energy, time, and... good feelings! I hope the organizers apologized to those people after the race...

We were so far behind, we didn't have any problem with directions. But it was a bit frustrating that the organizers had no idea how many kilometers were left ahead of us...

AJMA, more power and I hope you do a better job next run!

Letter to a fellow fitness enthusiast

Hello there, fellow fitness enthusiast :D




I am responding through a blog post because my reply is too long and tedious and it just seems like a better medium!

I realized I fit in clothes for 11 year olds.

I got your link from a common friend and I want to help out! Just to site my credentials/short history:
I started working out October 2010 with a personal trainer. I had two sets of sessions with her. Although I did not renew my contract with her, I will never regret that experience - where I learned that limits are imaginary and women can lift weights (sometimes heavier that other men).

I started with 28% body fat (same height as you, 4'11'', I weighed 110 lbs). With my trainer, I gained a lot of confidence working with free weights -- that became a big part of my fitness journey because I am a firm supporter of "more muscles = less fat" (muscles burn more calories and therefore passively, indirectly, responsible for fat loss).

It was only when I started working out without a trainer that I learned how to eat properly from a male, professional body builder whom we now look up to and address as coach. That proved to be the most frustrating part of my journey to fat loss because counting calories is difficult; counting daily macronutrients is f*cking frustrating.

And then it was only mid this year when I found my food/nutrition balance. Although I no longer count calories, I always have a fair idea of how much I eat at a time and in a day. I learned how to enjoy more food and because of a lot of previous research and experience in structuring daily foods: I developed the habit of keeping myself away from "plain junk". I also know what my plate should look like when I eat. I know that grilled chicken breast is healthful and awesome and really, really tasty when cooked well... but I also know that I can only have one serving of it because that's worth 20g protein already, and I only need around 100g of protein in a day.

I'm still on my journey to reaching 17% BF but I really feel like I'm close. I've spent a good part of the year on strength training and muscle building. I feel like I have a solid base on that part, which is why I am now focusing on fat loss and muscle mass maintenance. I am happy to report that I lost 2 full pounds since October (I am now at 103lbs) and I attribute it to my new activity: four morning runs a week.

Not jogging/running for the sake of cardio. It's actual training for races. If my health will permit it, I will run a marathon on October 2012. Only to prove to myself that I can.

Here's an example of my good week mileage: http://www.thingswelovetohate.com/2011/11/first-15km-run-training-week-2-mileage.html
And here's an example of my actual weekly workout schedule: http://www.thingswelovetohate.com/2011/11/first-15km-run-training-week-3.html

It's a full week, yes, and I do not recommend that you follow it (at least not now). My schedule looks like how it does because I progressed to it. And besides, I want [more] muscle mass, right at this moment it doesn't seem like you do (the "fat loss" part on your 100 day challenge kinda gave it away :P).

I just want you to know that I've had the same frustrations (early this year to be precise when my weight yoyo'd back from 104 to 110 because of bad diet) and that you're doing a great job! Keep strong - and please do post a sample of what and how much you eat in a day - don't cheat :P - fat loss is 50% exercise and 50% diet. Some people can get away with 20% exercise and 80% diet, depending on their body type and how well structured their diet is.

First 15km Run Training: Week 3, achieved first 15km ever

Wednesday last week was a non-working holiday so it was the best time for me to "run as long as I want/can". I know I said I was scheduled that long run on Thursday... so anyway. Thursday would have probably been a better time because since after that 15km run on Wednesday, I've been feeling really groggy. I didn't even run today - not even for 5k!

The Wednesday run was great because I reached 15km in 1hr30mins. I have no idea why I finished so quick, I expected to complete it in 2hrs.

It was, however, stupid because I just did 10km on Tuesday. So the following day I thought I was going to get sick but I didn't want the boyfriend banning me from running and gym so I was acting normal but drinking Berroca and lots of water and feeling really weak and stuff.

Everything went out pretty well after :D