Catching the bug!

...the Running bug that is!

I've been super excited to run lately. It's been like a form of mental therapy by making me feel so much more confident in the things that I can and can't do. Each mile is like a slap in the face to a average test score or having any form of doubt in myself. I really committed to working out once a week no matter what and it's crazy that now I've been very consistent with doing 2 to 3 a week just for running. On Friday I did 3.5 miles and that's the most I've ever run just for fun. I think I'm a super slow runner because I read other blogs and they say things like running at 7 or 8 and I've only been doing spurts of 6.2 and usually run at 5.8. Hopefully I can increase the speed and length that I run by the time that summer starts. Less than 50 days until I graduate!!!The best part about it was that I didn't even feel sore because I iced my back hamstrings and I was good to go.
   The week was so hectic so it was surprising that I even had the energy to do that when I finished everything on Friday. I had a midterm Monday, a homework due Wednesday, a midterm Thursday, and a lab report due Friday. That Friday i went to the gym and busted out 3.5 miles and to make it seem even more crazy I went to Vegas! I was there for a night and then the next day I went to a graduation party at The Standard in Downtown LA and then to Ktown for drinking and eating. Action packed don't you think? To top it all off today I just didn't feel"correct" so I went to the pool for like 4 hours to tan and play. I came back and watched TV for the longest time and when 10:30 rolled around I still felt weird so I went running at the gym. 2.5 miles later I feel SO much better.
    The one thing that I've been noticing is that I can't really eat before I go to workout but at the same time I don't really feel hungry when I come back from the gym either. I feel tired but hunger never really sets in. I know you are supposed to be eating carbs or having a pre/post workout meal but it just doesn't seem appetizing to be burping or feeling the food while your working out. :/ I look at the time and I realize sometimes that I haven't eating for a total of 5 hours because of not really eating before I work out, then work out, and not being able to eat afterwards. I don't really feel like I'm running on empty so I guess I have enough energy to run but it still is weird when I really think about it.

Does anyone ever really have this problem? Do you force yourself to eat before or after even though you don't actually feel hungry because you know that you should eat every 3 hours?

Healthy endeavours

  So when I was making my new year resolution I talked about getting healthy and going to the gym. So I'm proud to say that I have gone to the gym at least once a week since then and I've been eating a lot healthier. I have been eating less meat and trying to detox a little from the processed food. Plus, my finals are coming up and i know that I won't be eating great at all. So here are some things that I bought at the organic food store that I was interested in trying:

Synergy drinks(mystic mango, strawberry serenity), Quinoa, and Udon noodles

  The Synergy brand makes Kombucha drinks which is this tea that has been aged for 30 days. There has been a health craze where people have been drinking this tea daily in hopes for great amounts of antioxidants, natural enzymes, energy, and detoxifying. In my personal opinion this thing tastes HORRIBLE. The mystic mango I've tried some and although I know that there is mango puree in there it still doesn't mask that weird fermented taste of the kombucha. It tastes kind of like the non-alcoholic wine from Trader Joe's but with a very strong after taste. I can't seem to even finish the mango so I'll see if I'm even going to try the strawberry flavored. 

  I got the quinoa as an alternative to eating rice with my fish and other meat products. Other food bloggers have been using it with greek yogurt and cinnamon as a type of desert. I absolutely adore rice pudding so I'm definitely going to give it a try.
   The udon is just because it is another meal that I can make that doesn't require meat in it. I've been eating soup or salad for lunch each day to try and not overload at lunch time like I usually do.

Well I hope my opinion helps you if you decide to buy these products!

The weekend and healthy beginnings

         This weekend we had a huge concert at my university. There was Travie McCoy, Lil Jon, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Infected Mushrooms, and Congo Beats. Here are 2 pictures of Travie. Sorry for the blurriness.

 Here are is a picture of me and my friends enjoying the concert and the cold:

Late on the resolution bandwagon...

  So this year I have been really thinking about ways to improve myself and stick with it. There is the usual lose weight/get tone stuff and then there is the more worthwhile things like daily affirmations. Well I am gonna lose weight/tone up because as Drake says "You say you dropping 10 pounds preparing for summer, And you don’t do it for the man, men never notice, You just do it for yourself you’re the f*ing coldest" Vegas has seriously been on my mind and when I think about Vegas I think money. So my newest goal is to try to set aside $20 out of each amount I get for a random Vegas trip rainy day. With graduation just next quarter, I need to start weeding out all of the clothes from my closet and see what I should keep, donate, or throw away. Downsizing is definitely going to be the key for when I move home because having a second wardrobe to fit in my tiny closet back home is just going to cause more clutter and stress than I would want. 
  So pretty much lose weight/tone up, save money, and clean out my closet. Kind of cliche but they are more designed for me than anything for my lifestyle. I leave you with a picture of a perfectly organized and chic looking closet that I wish could be mine.

1:11:11

My 1:11:11 wish is to travel this year to a country I've never been before. In all my 21 years I've only been to other places in the United States, Mexico, Belize, and Jamaica. I feel like there is such a big world out there that I need to explore and immerse myself in their cultures. Getting out of my comfort zone and really taking that leap into the unknown is definitely something scary but at my age without any commitments I shouldn't be taking my youth for granted. So cheers to your 1:11:11 wishes to come true!

Clarisonic Mia

       I just got my very own Clarisonic Mia in pink from QVC a couple of days ago. There has definitely been a lot of hype on the internet about the way that this gadget clarifies and exfoliates the skin. I have dry but still acne prone skin and I've been really searching for something that can really increase the cell turn around. I've used things from Clinique that are just topical lotions to increase such things or even exfoliates the skin but not an actual gadget that scrubs the skin.
   With constant usage over the last 4 days I have found my skin to be smoother and less dull. I've also noticed that any acne I might have had went away and that my scarring wasn't as obvious. I'm sure many are wondering if just a normal exfoliater would do the job but it doesn't seem so. The way that this sonic scrubber removes gunk and makeup from your
pores is something to keep in mind. It's pretty much the difference in effectiveness
that you have between a manual and automatic tooth brush. They might be considered
the same thing but when it comes down to it the benefits from using the more
up to date automatic version is definitely greater.
   The only thing I would really dislike abou this product is the price. a whopping
$125 is something people in my age range aren't really able to afford on a whim.
Supposedly there are several comparable sonic scrubbers out there. The one I'm
anticipating to see reviews and comparisons on would be the Olay RX one for
only $30 that just came out this December.
 I hope my review gave some incite into the clarisonic mia and helps any doubters
that might be out there to the amount of help that it's given. With only 4 days of testing
it's clear that it is a definite help in my skin care routine.

Shop till you drop

     With the Christmas season there always seems to be a ton of rush and traffic at the mall. I literally had to circle around and 5billion times in the span of 30 minutes just to find a parking. You would think that with the amount of rain and flash flood warnings people wouldn't be so enthusiastic to go to the mall. Are we not in a recession people? Haha Enough with the grumbling about the parking and people...
   Here are the amazing things that I got at the mall that were either on sale or something that I've been wanting for a while:

Metropark: 30% off all store: Grey wristlet and large top with a triangle cutout in the back




 

Aeropostale:  70% off outerwear: Went from $99.50 to $32 including tax for a brownish grey warm jacket

Zara: No sale but I love their clothes! Dark grey from the Zara Knit collection

 

Bare Minerals: Well-Rested for Eyes totally worth the $18