Fruits, My New Best Friend

Just recently, Xhi and I had decided to go on a 7-Day Detox Diet.
The first part of the diet is an "All Fruit Day" challenge.

When I was planning my groceries for the week, I was thinking to myself "Yeah, the most common would be oranges and apples" how hard could that be? But checking out my favorite grocery store near our area, I was amazed of the wide range of options I have in the fruit section!

There I saw blueberries, raspberries and all the other colorful anti-oxidants wrapped up in packs. I opted to go for a melon, seedless orange and some fruits that were all new for me -- nectarines, red pears, plums and persimmon.

The day ended with me filling up on fruits and just that. Cool. Today is All-Veggie day, but I do recommend that you try it out some time.

Sharing these ideas I read might stimulate your fruit consumption. 

So, why do we have to eat five to nine fresh pieces a day, organically grown if possible?

Run Forrest Run! But wait! How do you prepare for one? - Part 2

So now you've read the previous post (click here)...
What next?

So you fee the energy... your watch, synchronized with the big digital clock.. the beat of the drums that the event organizers prepared for the runners sounds like your own heart beat..
Then the count down.. five.. four.. three.. two.. one!
The gun goes off.. and so does the runners!


What do you do?

WAIT! Pace yourself, Relax and Have Fun.

• DO NOT SPRINT! It is oh so easy to go with the flow and sprint with the pack after the gun shot, BUT that will wear you out easily. Stick to the plan and start slow.
• DO find a running buddy that has the the same pace as you do. It's more fun to run with a “pace buddies” and the sense of accomplishment is much better if shared.
• DO take a sip when you pass by a water station even if you are not thirsty. "Thirsty" is your body's special way of saying "I am dehydrated!"
• DO breathe. Relax and shake your arms and shoulders every once in a while to avoid muscle tightness. Avoid slouching during the race and be conscious of your posture.
• DO take time to enjoy the scenery. Sometimes we get focused on beating our personal record (PR) that we tend to forget to enjoy the run!
• DO NOT THINK NEGATIVE THOUGHTS. Be aware that this is a mind game. Change your thoughts into positive affirmations and think about how it would feel once you finish the race and how proud your family and friends will be of you and your accomplishment I remember during my first ever 10K race, I was thinking of my four kids during the last stretch -- imagining them cheering for me until the finish. And yes, it worked.

Listen to your Body!

• A run is one way of getting to know how your body reacts to stimulus. If during your run, you feel uncomfortable, slow down and assess how bad it really is. If it goes away resume your regular pace, but if the pain persists DO consider stopping and getting some help. No race is worth the risk of hurting yourself.  Pain is the body’s way of letting us know something is wrong.

Post Race -- CONGRATULATIONS!

• DO hydrate upon reaching the finish line.
• DO take care of blisters, cramping, or any other injuries immediately after the race.
• DO re-fuel yourself and restore your glycogen stores with a healthy and nutritious meal, preferably high in good carbs.
• DO NOT drink alcohol after pushing your body to its limits. What it needs is a healthy meal and water to replenish all that it lost during the race.
• DO cool down and stretch within 20 minutes of completing your event. This helps avoid lactic acid build up and Delayed Onset Muscular Soreness (DOMS).
• DO NOT lie down or sit immediately after the race. Move, mingle and take photographs for posterity. Now is the time to meet new friends!

So there!
Now that you know how to prepare for a run, let's lace up our shoes and shout it out..

"RUN (insert name here) RUN!!!     *see you on the road!

Run Forrest Run! But wait! How do you prepare for one? - Part 1

How can we forget that segment in the movie, “Forrest Gump,” when he describes why he started running?

So he says : “That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I’d run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I’d just run across Greenbow County. And I figured, since I’d run this far, maybe I’d just run across the great state of Alabama. And that’s what I did. I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason, I just kept on going. I ran clear to the ocean. And when I got there, I figured, since I’d gone this far, I might as well turn around, just keep on going. When I got to another ocean, I figured, since I’d gone this far, I might as well just turn back, keep right on going."

As he’s narrating his run where now hundreds are following him, he says, “I had run for 3 years, 2 months, 14 days, and 16 hours.” 

I wonder how our ultramarathoners would fare with that? Wait... three years two months fourteen days and sixteen hours.

WOW! How does one prepare for THAT?

With all the races going on in the metro, though we do not plan for a three year run, we still need to do preparation for our runs.  This article will be supplying you with information on how to arm yourself for THE BIG RACE.

Pre-Race Night:

• Have all your stuff needed for the run ready. Put out the running outfit you have, chose your colors to further motivate you to run. I remember Coach Xhi would always make it a point to wear orange in her runs and I had wanted the color pink. A splash of color during the race makes it more fun. Prepare your outfit and your equipment (water bottle, energy bars / gels, cap, iPod playlist, etc.) so that its all ready to go for the next day.
• Make sure that your toenails are trimmed the night before so that they won't be caught dead the next day!
• Hydrate yourself. Water (and the rest room) is your friend.
• Put in your 8 hours so that you'd be up and about during the race. You wouldn't want to be on low battery by running on just a few hours of sleep!

Race Day Preparation:

• The early bird catches the worm, and would have the time to eat a light breakfast.You would definitely need it for energy.
• Never underestimate the power of the anti-chaffing petroleum jelly.
• Make sure that you have your race kit with you!
• Expect parking to be far from the race venue so leave early and plan for time to park - use the walking time from the parking to race venue as warm up.
• Do jumping jacks, dynamic stretches or what ever works as warm up before you race. For some, a slow jog also helps.

Nutrition and Fueling Strategy

• Before the race DO eat a light meal an hour to an hour and a half. Bread, pasta, rice, water and non-acidic fruit like bananas are good choices.
• DO NOT eat or drink something you have never ever tried before. Add to the list are dairy products, fried foods, fiber rich foods or anything you are not used to. 
• Pre-hydration is ok until 15 minutes before the race starts as long as you could still go to the restroom before the start (good luck with the long lines though)

 Next post will be regarding the race itself.


Read here:  Run Forrest Run! But wait! How do you prepare for one? - Part 2

Now That the Holidays are OVER: Damage Control

It has been a few weeks since we have taken down our Christmas decors. 

Christmas carols are not playing on the radio and the last of the fireworks of Chinese New Year is no more.

I was hoping that since the tell-tale signs of the Holidays are now all gone, the remnants of the holiday bingeing, the proof of all these festivities would all be gone too. But sadly, unlike the Christmas decors, lights and Christmas carols, with FAT , that is not the case.  It is common fact that taking control of your weight can be hard during the holidays due to series of food-related celebrations during all those reunions and get together parties.  So how can you undo the damage done by a holiday meal so that it doesn’t have such a negative impact on your body weight?

I will be sharing with you how to go about with controlling whatever damage was done during the happiest season of the year.

1. Assessment : What is your number?

First of all, ask yourself: "How much weight did I gain during the past three months?"

Excessive eating and drinking might be the name of the game during the holidays and without you noticing it, the pounds have added up. A great wake up call would be to know that number and use that to motivate you into planning that GREAT COMEBACK!

2. ACT : Just Do It! 

The next thing that you can do to practice damage control is to get into the gym and do a weight lifting session the next day.  The common practice is to gravitate towards cardio training after a high calorie meal, but this isn’t really the most ideal way to go.  Weight lifting is what will use up excess carbohydrates in your system far better than cardio training, so will help to remove the excess calories that you consumed.
Also, weight training will help to elevate your metabolic rate for the hours after the session is completed, therefore will continue to help remove any excess fat that you may have burned off. Think of it as a way to scare off the bad spirits for the New Year.

3. Minimize Carbs Intake For a Week

Third, also make sure that you cut back on your carb intake around a week.   Protein consumption is one thing that YOU CANNOT REDUCE. This is definitely important as this is one of the building blocks to to maintain your lean body mass.

Fat can be reduced slightly, but sudden reduction would make you feel hungry all the time. 
Fat is a nutrient that will help provide some hunger control while reducing your calories, making reduced calorie intake much easier.  Just consider good fat sources like Omega 3 and Flaxseed Oil.

5. Never Ever Starve Yourself!

Finally, the last quick tip to help you recover from the holiday indulgence is to make sure that you aren’t starving yourself.  If you all of a sudden drop your calorie intake way down and keep it there, this would signal the body to start using up muscle mass as a fuel source which would waste all the hard work of the past training sessions that you have had. 
As always, a gradual approach is the best way to go. 
Bring your calorie intake much lower for two to three days and then adopt a more moderate calorie intake after that.

If you follow these quick tips, then you should have no problem reducing the damaging effects that the holiday indulgence that you had.


Related posts:

All About FAT 
Women and Weightlifting 

Need Motivation? Try Skechers GO Run!

It was a crazy Friday evening, with workload that makes you want to wish that you'd be nearing finish line but still a bit way far off.  
My friend Vima's invitation for the Skecher's event was a breath of fresh air for me.


I have been reassessing my schedule lately and I have been noticing that I need to put in more hours for exercise, wondering if it is lack of motivation or just plain laziness.


What really caught my interest for the launch was its name. GO RUN.


It reminds me of those moments when you decide that you'd wake up in the morning for a run, yet, stay a little while in bed.. read your friend's Facebook updates via mobile.. and without you noticing it, the sun is way high up. 
The name, is a fancy way to counteract that bad habit of procastination and replace it with a mantra for motivation: GO RUN. I likey.

Jenny Arce and me

It was a fun event where I was able to meet new friends and reconnect with old friends. We were requested to wear our running outfit and it kinda felt weird since we were in a mall but, as I say, what better way to support the sport?

Michelle doing her presentation

The lady who did the presentation was Michelle Estuar. She started it with telling us how heel-striking, a gait that is common among runners, is ineffecient and dangerous since this has a jarring impact on the body.


She also informed us that mid-foot is the best way to run and how Skechers GO Run's mid-foot strike technology enhances the natural running performance of runners by positioning the body for an efficient mid-foot strike, reducing the impact of heel striking.


Skechers GO Run is launched as a new minimalistic lightweight running shoe line that integrates this technology. 





Since almost everyone is into barefoot running nowadays, I noticed that GO Run closely mimics barefoot running while wearing shoes due to its weight: about 6.9oz for male and 4.9oz for women. It also lets the foot function, letting it flex and twist allowing your foot to move as naturally as possible .


After dinner was served the bloggers were getting to know each other a little better, nine bloggers were called up for a challenge. We were caught off guard! I was thinking to myself "Oh! That explained why there were three treadmills set-up outside the store!". We were divided in three batches and was tasked to run 500 meters wearing Skechers GO Run, the first one to reach it the goal would bring home his or her own pair of GO Run!


It was an all out run for all of us and I was lucky enough to be 2secs ahead of my batch and am now a proud owner of a Skechers Women's GO RUN in Gray!

A while ago, when I woke up, two words came to mind : GO RUN. And I did.


"The race does not always go to the swift, but to the ones who keep running."
                                                -Anonymous