Started Phase 2 of P90X this week! It has been excellent. I did my first one-armed push up followed by my first clap push-ups. Definitely moves I never thought I would be able to pull off. Every new workout in Phase 2 is great and has left my body so sore! 

Saturday we attempted Jirisan Mountain with little success. After nearly four hours of travelling, it was snowing when we arrived at the mountain. Determined and fully outfitted in our Daiso (dollar store) parkas, we decided that we would at least hike a little bit. We ended up doing about 1 km up the mountain in the snow. It was breathtaking! A great view that was made even greater soft pillowy snow! 

Next week, Phase 2, week 2! 

4/1-4/7 was definitely not my most active week! I found that I was quite tired most of last week and getting through my workouts took a lot of determination! 

Last week was Week 3 of P90x Phase 1. I am proud to say that I beat almost all of my numbers for weighted workouts. I can officially do 27 regular push ups in a row, and did the set twice! When I started three weeks ago, I could only do 15 before I started to shake! Add on about five other variations of push-ups and I am feeling stronger than ever! 

In other news, I got new Nikes this week instead of hiking (due to rain). I wore them for the first time today and am in LOVE <3. New trainers are possibly the best present I have given myself in a long time. It made my Kenpo X workout today that much more enjoyable. The rest of this week is the "rest" period of Phase 1 before moving on to Phase 2. I'm going to use this opportunity to do the Turbo Fire cardio workouts to torch some extra calories. Wish me luck! 

This week has definitely been a doozy. I completed my second week of P90X today and I am already noticing a difference in my body and strength level. I have been sticking to the schedule really closely except that I am still skipping the YogaX. This week I replaced that workout with the CardioX video, which I looovveee!!!

In addition, my friends Jack and Camille and I all hiked Worakson Mountain, Yeongbong Peak Course 2 this Saturday. It was 6.3 Km with an elevation of 1,097 Meters high. It took us about four hours, burning a little over 1,500 calories. It was a great workout as my heart rate stayed in the cardio zone for well over half of the hike (which may have been due to the stress of the slope's scary terrain).

Next week- P90X week 3 and hopefully Jirisan Mountain during the weekend. It is the highest mountain in South Korea aside from one in Jeju-do. So excited!!!

This has been a very busy week, not only with working out, but I had a few more classes and a work meeting to top add to the mix.

Anyways, I started the all so popular P90X this week and have been so satisfied with the DVDs so far. I had tried to do the workouts once before, but started with the YogaX video, which was a terrible idea. I was quickly turned off by the program and put it off to the side. (Tony Horton style yoga is just not for me)

Fortunately and unfortunately, so many posts on Pinterest and other fitness blogs about the program had me rethinking my first impression and I gave it another shot. I have all my workout sheets and the program calendar hanging up on my fridge to keep me organized and focused.

Needless to say, every muscle in my body is a bit sore (okay okay , a LOT sore), but I am loving it! I find the DVDs to be really motivating and make me want to do that extra push-up or hold that extra 10 seconds of a wall sit (which I typically hate with a passion!) I also love it because my heart rate stays elevated the whole time, but I don't have to do cheesy cardio videos or jump around like a monkey on a pogo stick.

I did end up skipping the YogaX video this week and replaced it with a 2 1/2 hour hike in Cheongju. Camille and I did the same hike that was done last week, which was Uam Mountain to  Sang Dang Mountain. We then had a picnic and nap in the sun. I found that to be more therapeutic than doing Tony Horton style yoga in my tiny apartment, and burned way more calories. Next week will be the all challenging Worakson Mountain, which from what all the guides have said, is very challenging!

Total Calories Burned this week= 2, 563!

I now understand why blogs are so difficult. You let yourself slip for just a week and it feels like you've done a million things that you can't possibly update on.

Anyways, I am now on week 2 of the Dukan diet. As some of you may know, my first week was a little bit difficult as I was feeling much more lethargic than usual. I think I only worked out three times that week. which is not only bad for my fitness progress but also for my mood! This past week on the other hand has been excellent! I have worked out almost every day and have seen a slight drop on the scale!! I went hiking, did Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30 (weeks 1 & 2), a few Nike Training Club workouts, the Insanity Upper Body Workout with weights, and Brazilian Buttlift's strength video. Needless to say, my entire body feels pretty sore, especially with the 4kg hand weights.

My goal for the upcoming weeks is to track my calories burned from exercise and tally it at the end of the week. It will be my own little competition to try to improve upon every week. I sort of wish I could include this weekend, as I burned about 1,500 calories from Friday to Sunday in exercise alone! A good way to end a very long week!

This past week has been an excellent exercise week! Even on the days that I was feeling  lazy or unmotivated (usually due to the gloomy weather), I managed to exercise at least 30 to 45 minutes a day. I also started adding in new workouts and rotating old workouts back in to my routine.
I jogged, did Nike Training Club, and pulled out the Brazilian Butt Lift videos (which I hadn't done since mid-January).

As much as I think the Brazilian Butt Lift videos are kind of silly (referring to your butt as "bum bum") and don't necessarily get your heart pumping, the toning that they provide is unlike any I have experienced. The different angles of the butt workouts in the High and Tight video make you feel muscles you didn't know you had. Starting out with resistance bands, you do about ten minutes standing, ten minutes doing the clam shell and leg extensions on the side, and then come the dreaded ankle weights! At this point, there are five different types of extensions similar to a donkey kick that really get your muscles screaming! I recommend this video for anyone who is unsatisfied with their buns as it will definitely give them the boost they need!

I followed High and Tight with the Brazilian Butt Lift ab video. It is approx. 20 minutes and is nonstop abs. I find that it is doable and none of the exercises hurt my back- which can sometimes be an issue for me. However, when I did it yesterday I wasn't feeling quite the same burn as I used to which means that it is time to find something slightly more challenging for abs.

One hour of exercise- only 150 calories burned. Again, they are more toning based than cardio based, but I felt satisfied after completing them.

Today was the best day for exercise. I decided to increase my weights from 1.5 kg to 4kg for my NTC workouts and did the Strength- Pump Station workout. After 45 minutes, I burned 403 calories (I love my HRM!!) and was sweating like a pig. It was by far my favorite workout that I've done so far with NTC. It was challenging, and didn't require me to do a ton of jumping around but kept my heart rate around 160bpm the entire time.

Goals for the upcoming week:
1. Exercise one hour per day
2. Weigh in on Tuesday- My 14 day mark of the South Beach Diet
3. Look for new running shoes! My Nike trainers are not supportive enough

As I have mentioned in my previous post, I would like to become a runner and participate in a 5K in Seoul. I will totally admit that I am not the best runner, far from it, and I don't particularly love it. I get bored really easily!!! So I decided to seek out something that would make my running a little more enjoyable----Zombies, Run. This highly acclaimed app tells you a story mixed in with your own music to keep you involved in your run. You can even turn on a setting where you will be "chased" by zombies and need to speed up throughout your workout. You can choose between a 30 and a 60 minute mission.

Because this was my first time running in about a year, I went with the 30 minute mission.

While I thought this app was really awesome and it kept speed and distance (which I felt was totally convenient), I accidentally hit a button and exited the app--when I went to go back into the app, it had erased all my progress. I found this to be a glitch, as I often make silly mistakes like that, and even more so when I am moving. Needless to say, be careful when you are using this app and be sure to press the pause button on your mission.


Total Distance: 2.5 miles (Running and speed walking)
Calories Burned: Around 250

After my first attempt back at running, I took a four hour nap!! I am hoping I get more of a runner's "HIGH" rather than pure exhaustion next time!

I can not describe the great technology week I have had so far. On Monday, I went to pick up the Iphone 4S from another teacher in town and yesterday, my Polar Heart Rate Monitor came in the mail. Needless to say, I have not had enough time to really play with either of them. I did, however, spend most of yesterday researching new fitness apps that weren't available on android as well as re-familiarizing myself with the Nike + apps. I have the Nike+ shoes, but since leaving the States, was not able to use that function with them. I also went ahead and downloaded Zombie Run, Nike + Training, Nike + Running, Livestrong, and Nike Training Club. I want to try the Gorilla Fitness app as well, but I think I need to wait until I've used these for a while. ### fitness app overload ###

The Polar Heart Rate Monitor seems to work really well and is easy to use. I decided to go with the Polar FT4 after doing some extensive research. The watch provides me with a large easy to read heart rate reading, calories burned, and the duration of workout. It is not too big and was reasonably priced. I think it will do what I want it to perfectly. Plus, when combined with Nike + shoes, I will also have GPS and distance when I am doing runs. Fitness technology is AH-mazing!

My first attempt at using it was  (last night, but I failed)  this morning on my walk to school. It took me 25 minutes and I burned 130 calories! I'm sure it'd be higher on the days where I'm late and practically have to run to school or on my walks home where I'm climbing a mountain to get back to my apartment. Multiply that by two and I am getting a decent little exercise at least five days a week to supplement my other workouts.

I promised myself that with this blog I was going to be good at tracking my weight and just overall physical appearance (muscle tone) and the improvement that I am making. I think that it is necessary to make oneself accountable. If in a month, I look at my pictures and don't notice any difference, I am obviously not doing something right or partying a little too hard on the weekends. There is no longer room for excuses or hiding in my big puffy winter clothes. I want to feel strong, happy, and healthy as well as feeling accomplished. Whenever I look at other people's fitness blogs, my favorite part is to see their improvement over time because it is inspiring to see progress. It wasn't an accident or genetics that made their bodies so in shape. It was months and months of healthy eating and exercising.

So here goes....:  I am 5'6 and weighed in at 134.2 pounds.
Goal Weight: 118- 122 pounds (Last year's weight when training)

I will create my fitness calendar soon to track what workouts I am doing/how often/ etc..

Ohhh the Nike Training Club- I would like to start off by saying that this is by far the best exercise/fitness app I have ever seen and had the pleasure of using. There are no other fitness apps that are nearly as comprehensive, challenging, and motivating. This app is seriously the whole package! It has over 85+ workouts  for every fitness level and walks you through the workouts with a trainer. If you are still a little confused, feel free to watch the videos that are shown by some of the world's best athletes.

If that's not motivating, I'm not sure what is.

I have been using this app for over a month a now, minus the 10 days that I was in the Philippines. I have already noticed a drastic difference in my strength and fitness level. It's circuit training keeps you moving so that you are not getting bored or watching the clock while maintaining an elevated heart rate throughout the entire workout.

The app also tracks how many minutes you have completed and will unlock new workouts. I have completed 495 minutes of workouts with this app so far, putting me at the "Warrior" status. Although I don't really pay much attention to the rewards, I do find them entertaining! What better way to boost your ego after a killer workout than being called a "Warrior"? Makes me want to flex in the mirror making a tough guy grunting noise.