Results - 1 Month

Hi y'all!

Just a quick note about my weight loss. I've lost 15 pounds and feeling pretty great!! I've been eating A LOT of salad with home made dressing and cutting back on junk food. I've also been running and on Tuesday night, I finally ran my entire 5.4 Km route without stopping. I have a race in one month so as long as I keep it up, I'll be good and ready!

I'm hoping to continue loosing weight, about 15-20 more pounds. Stay tuned!

Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth

The Plan

Hey everyone! Ok so I said in an earlier post that I'm going to loose the baby weight by December 1st. I figure that's a reasonable amount of time to loose 40 pounds.

So what's my weight loss plan? Well.... I don't really have a set out plan. Normally I would never recommend NOT having a plan but let me explain.

I'm a mother of 3 children ages 3 and under. My youngest is 2 months and always needs to be picked up and doesn't nap for very long, then I have a 2 year old (who is such a handful these days) and a 3 and a half year old who starts school in a few weeks and I've been trying to get her ready. I just can't commit myself to an intense workout schedule because I honestly don't have the time. After I had my second baby, he would sleep in until 9 am (and so would my oldest). I would get up at 8am, workout, and get in the shower all before they woke up. Unfortunately my kids wake up a lot earlier now. The baby is usually up at 5 am and fusses and nurses on and off until 7:30-8:00 am. My other 2 kids are usually up at 7:30 or 8:00 am. The only way I would be able to workout before they got up would be to start at 4:00 am, something I'm just not willing to do. My husband is also maxed out with work and other responsibilities so he's not available to watch the kids while I workout either. For now, my workout goal is to run 3 times a week, after the kids go to bed around 9 pm.

My diet plan is pretty vague too. I'm breastfeeding and I have to be careful not to cut out too much. I would normally set out a strict diet plan and stick to it, but again, with the craziness of my life and the fact that I'm breastfeeding makes it pretty hard to stay on a diet. I'm cutting out junk food so that means no cookies, brownies, chips, chocolate, ice cream, hot dogs, pizza, etc. I'm eating smaller portions and eating more fruit and vegetables. I think eating smaller portions is key in my weight loss... oh and drinking a lot of water.

So there you have it, my "plan". I know it would be more exciting to read that I'm only eating egg whites or that I'm lifting a million pounds during my workouts.... maybe in a few years.

I'll give you all an update in a week or so and let you know if I'm loosing any weight. If not, I'll have to step it up somehow.

Me Ka Aloha (with love)
- Elisabeth

Better Late Than Never

Remember way back in June, when I ran the Moon in June 5 km race? Well, this week I was sorting through some pictures on my computer and I realized, totally forgot to post pictures from the Moon in June. So, in case you've been dying to see Adam's short shorts haa haa, here are a few pics. Enjoy!


Here we are waiting for the race to start. Adam was very proud of his short shorts.
In deep conversation.
The very front of the line. I'm standing behind the guy in the diabetes shirt. (That's my friend Elliot, he ran a marathon this week in Iceland for team diabetes)



That dude in all black is my friend Joel. He finished something like 18 minutes wearing that thing! (You can see the side of my head behind the girl in blue)

The finish line. My favorite part of the race LOL!

My Deadline is FAST Approaching!

Remember my promise to post before and after pictures on Joseph's 1st birthday? Well that day is soon and I WILL post some, grudgingly. I haven't met my goal yet and unless something magical happens, like the weight loss fairy coming to grant me my wish, I doubt I'll loose 8 pounds in 2 days :( Sorry to say that I am far from looking like a super model, unless there's a super model out there with a mummy tummy. Oh well, I'm not giving up! Being sick for over 3 weeks this month really set me back and prevented me from being able to work out, but these things happen. One goal that I'm pretty sure I'll be able to achieve is my goal to run in a 5 km race. I signed up for the Moon in June 5 Km and I'll be running it on Saturday. I'm just praying and hoping that I will have the energy and strength to finish the race, injury free. I ran 5.4 km yesterday for the first time in a month and it was rough! At one point during the run I thought I was going to throw up, and then later I felt like I was going to hyperventilate, but the important thing is that I FINISHED it! Saturday's race will be interesting, that's for certain, but at least I'll have my friends with me to keep me motivated. I'm just praying that everything will go well and that I won't embarrass myself since so many people I know will be there. Wish me luck, and throw in some prayers too because I sure need them. I'll let you all know how it goes.

Me Ka Aloha
- Elisabeth

The Best Running Socks

Did you ever think that I would write an entire blog post about socks? Like really, it's just a sock right? Is there really any difference between the cotton sports socks from the value pack from Wal-Mart and the expensive kind that cost $15 a pair? Oh yes, YES there is!

Before I started having kids, I worked at a running store. The owners of the store were big on having the BEST selection in the area, and they totally did. They had an entire wall dedicated to running socks. There must have been at least 20 different styles and makes to choose from. They had $8 socks made out of thin, moisture wicking polyester (I hated those), $25 socks made from a special combo of nylon and moisture wicking polyester, specially engineered to support all the muscles in the feet (those weren't worth the money AND they make everyone's feet stink really bad), and everything in between. I had tried at least 10 different kinds of socks, but didn't really love them that much. One day I noticed a pair of grayish-lilac colored, ankle socks in the top corner of the "sock wall". I thought they were cute and I liked that they were low cut so I grabbed a pair. I turned the packaging around and saw the price tag $13! WHAT?! $13 for a single pair of socks??? And what's this Smartwool brand any way? I thought "forget it! I've never heard of Smartwool before, they're too expensive, and who really wants to put wool on their feet anyway?"

A few weeks later the owner was in the store and I asked "what's with those WOOL socks? I thought runners only wore 'coolmax' or polyester wicking socks?" He said "Hmmm those look like a neat little pair. Here take them. Tell me what you think." So there I was, with a $13 pair of wool running socks, and they were very cute looking. I jumped on the internet and googled Smartwool because I was curious to see what they had to say. I went to their website and was very impressed with what I discovered. They used Smart technology to make wool soft (no itching), durable, it won't shrink in the washer or dryer, AND it's environmentally friendly (from a renewable resource). Just look at the comparison chart.

Wicks moisture
Absorbs moisture
Moisture evaporates so inside of shoe stays dry
Insulates so feet stay cool in simmer, warm in winter
Maintains cushioning
Blister resistant
Fungus resistant
Stink resistant
Machine washable and dryable
No fabric softners required
Environmentally friendly
No shrink

I put on the socks and was impressed with how comfortable they were. I went for a run, in the HEAT of summer, and I was expecting my feet to be sweaty and stinky when I pulled those socks off. To my amazement, my feet were BONE DRY and didn't smell at all, AND no blisters! Smartwool socks kept my feet dryer than any of the other running socks I'd ever tried. Wow! How come nobody told me about these socks before and how come nobody is buying them? Maybe they don't know all the benefits either.

I started recommending Smartwool to all the runners and they would come back a few days later telling me how much they loved them and bought a second pair. Suddenly Smartwool socks were flying off the shelves! People loved how they didn't smell at all after wearing them for a long run, and they loved how well they wicked the sweat off their feet. People started also buying Smartwool running clothing, in winter AND summer because Smartwool regulates the body's temperature better than synthetics.

Honestly, I could go on and on about the amazing technology of Smartwool, but I just HIGHLY recommend that you try a pair for yourself and let me know what you think!

Smartwool Lover for Life
- Elisabeth

To learn more about the amazingness of Smartwool and to see their newest styles, visit https://www.smartwool.com

5.4 Km Non-Stop...

About a week ago I proudly announced that my friend Adam and I ran 5.4 Km non-stop. The last time I ran even remotely close to that, was before I became pregnant with Rosie. I've never really been a "runner" which is ironic since I was the manager of a running store for over a year. I know everything about the "right" running shoes, moisture wicking clothing, $20 socks, and the most popular marathons in the area, yet I hardly ran while I worked there. Ya, that's right, just call me the Milli Vanilli of running.

So here I am, 3 years later, with a double "mummy tummy" to loose, a drawer full of running gear from my manager days, and a few pairs of $200 running shoes (another perk of working at the store). I decided it was time to start running to loose the muffin top. I can just picture my old boss reading this, thinking "NOW she decides to run? Like why didn't she attempt it when she worked for us?"

The first night Adam and I went out running, we only ran for one minute, walked for one minute, totaling 2.5 Km. We were exhausted when we got back to my house and I felt so pathetic LOL. Sheesh, I've seen 60 year olds run further than that. Am I really THAT out of shape?! Any way 2 days later we went running again. We did run 1 minute, walk one minute, and we went for the whole 5 km this time. However, when we got to the end of our run we decided to run all the way back. It took us 3 minutes and 40 seconds to run down the street and I felt like I was going to die! I said "what? that was only 3 minutes and 40 seconds of straight running? How am I EVER going to do the whole 5 km without puking?! Perhaps my goal of running 5 km by June was a little too ambitious?" The next time we went running I said "let's run for 1 km without stopping, walk for a little while, then run another Km and continue in that pattern." We did that, and again, I felt like I was going to die, but we did that until we were done the 5 km. The next time we went out we ran as far as we could and it was 2 km (MUCH better than our pathetic 3 minutes and 40 seconds from a few nights ago). We then walked an ran until the 5 km was done.

Then the magical night happened! I said "Let's cut the crap and let's just run for as long as we can. Let's just try to make it a little further than last time." WELL... we ran 5.4 km non-stop and I could have gone further if I wanted to. When we were a few feet away from our finish I said "holy heck, I can't believe we're actually doing this!!" I can't believe how quickly the body adapts. My friend who I was running with was also amazed at how quickly we went from nothing to 5.4 km. He said he took one of those (wait, make that THREE) learn to run clinics at the Running Room for 3 months each time, and at the end, he was struggling to do "run 10 minutes, walk 1 minute" thing. He liked our method of running better. I think it's harder to stop and go because your body goes into rest mode when you walk and then you suddenly have to fire it up again. He joked that we should start our own learn to run clinic. Really, maybe I SHOULD. After all, I know everything about purchasing the right shoes and all that jazz.... hmmmm..... maybe I should.

It looks like running that 5 km race is possible for me after all!!! I might even try to run the Moon in June race on June 5th and have my Mom tag along (hear that Mom? People are reading this, no backing out now haa haa!)

For all of you who are reading this and thinking "there's no way I could run that far" let me assure you that you CAN. If I could go from workout videos, to 5.4 km in a week and a half, and Adam could go from nothing to 5.4 km in a week and a half, than so can you! Just go for it and you'll be surprised. Don't be discouraged if you can hardly run around the block the first time because you'll get better and better. It's perfect weather outside, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Let me know how you're doing with your workouts/running!
- Elisabeth

Boo Yeah!

I'll make this post fast. Last Wednesday, my friend Adam and I decided to start running. Our goal, 5 Km non stop. We've gone running only 5 times since last Wednesday. I am happy to report that last night we ran 5.4 Km without stopping!!!!! It's amazing how quickly the body adapts! Next week, when I have more time, I'll explain everything in more detail.

Me Ka Aloha
-Elisabeth

Run, Run as Fast as You Can. You Can't Catch me I'm the Gingerbread (wo)Man - made with whole wheat flour of course ;)

Rolls, Muffin top, love handles, spare tire, flabdomen... whatever you call it, I have it. See, I'm half Chinese, and Asian women are know for their "lack of curves". Asian women have rectangle shaped bodies, flat and straight... ya that's me, well half of me. I managed to get boobs from my Dad's gene pool, along with long legs (chicken legs according to Dave). I got the minimalist hips and butt gene from my Mom, but I lack severely in the "hour glass" figure department. I have no waist line at all, meaning that my waist is the same size as my hips, pretty much. To make matters worse, I had 2 babies in 18 months. Not only did I start off with a not so desirable waist-line, but now I have a mummy tummy to work on. Just imagine an apple with legs, and you've got me.

Alright, so obviously I'm not a fan of my flabdomen, so what's my plan of attack you ask? I'm going to run, run, RUN!!! No amount of sit-ups are going to shrink my waist line. They'll make my abs stronger, but I need to shed the surrounding fat, and the only way to do that is CARDIO! I posted a want ad on facebook "running buddy needed to help shed muffin top" and I got a lot of response. Mostly people saying, "what's a muffin top" or "I love muffins" or "I would if we lived closer". Then I got the golden facebook message from my friend Adam, who too is looking to get back in shape. Hurray!!

I charted out a 5Km run, and we went out last night. The run was going around the block twice to equal a little more than 5Km and we did the "run for one minute, walk for one minute" technique. It was SO EASY at first, but the last stretch was pretty exhausting (man I need to work on my cardio) haa haa haa and we only went around the block ONCE, (or something like that. I'm terrible at directions and forgot which street to turn on, but ended up back home somehow). Ya, that's right, we only did 2.5Km. Pathetic? Yes! But we will get better, that's for certain. My goal is to A) loose the muffin top B) Run the Peach Bud 5Km race on June 29th C) Get in tip top shape before I dare get pregnant again.

I'll post pictures of me on race day. Wish me luck!

Adam, if you're reading this, there's no turning back now. It's been blogged about, now we have to deliver.

Me Ka Aloha (with love)
-Elisabeth