Update and sample workout

I realized I haven't updated you all on my weight loss journey in a while. So here's the latest picture I've taken. I haven't lost a significant amount of weight these last few weeks, but I've certainly shed some inches and feel that my body has just gotten more compact.

I try to do about 2 hours of cardio a day (running, the elliptical, Zumba, etc.) However, on alternating days I also like to do some form of high intensity circuit training using my own body weight or free weights (dumbbells.)

In any case, I decided that I would share one of my circuit workouts because I feel that it has been giving me the desired results. Each circuit takes about 15-20 minutes to complete, and I usually do 2-3 circuits. Now, the first part involves timed intervals - I use an application on the iphone, but you can use your time watch, phone, or even google "workout interval timer." In the first part of the circuit, you'll do one move for 60 seconds and immediately move on the next move. There are 10 moves in this first, timed section, and they are:

1) 1 minute jumping jacks

2) 1 minute squats


3) 1 minute punches (with or without weights)

4) 1 minute front kicks

5) 1 minute back kicks

6) 1 minute punches



7) 1 minute lunges

8) 1 minute jump rope - if you don't have a jump rope, just pretend that you do - meaning that you'll jump while you move both arms simulating the movement.


9) 1 minute of: You place one leg out in front and move your arms back and forth as if you were running, but you do it with weights (3-5 pounds)

10) 1 minute of the previous exercise, except you switch which leg is in front

Once you're finished with the first 10 minutes, you can set the timer aside an get some water. Now, you'll do the following toning moves:

10 seconds plank, immediately followed by 12 mountain climbers (repeat these 2 moves 3 times)
Plank:

Mountain Climbers:


15 pushups - You can do regular pushups, or the ones on your knees (whatever works)

10 Russian twist (left-up-right, as seen below.) - For this, I use an 8-pound dumbbell.


20 fast-paced torso rotations (left-right) - Similar to the Russian twist, except you just move from one side to the other as quickly as you can.

20 leg lifts on each leg (40 total)



20 hip lifts

Once you've finished all the moves, take a 2 minute break and REPEAT!  Anyways, I know this workout is geared more towards the ladies (sorry fellas!), but if any of you decide to give it a try, let me know how sore (or not) you are the following day! Oh, and as far as workout music goes - Pitbull is great!

Music Monday

This one goes out to all the hopeless romantics out there. lol. What can I say? I just finished watching the movie "The Vow" and predictably so, I'm in an extremely romantic mood. Anyways, I think that this song captures perfectly what being in love is all about. The truth is, I do miss being in love. But I have decided that I will no longer give my love out for free. All of my experiences have taught me that when a man really loves a woman, he will try almost anything to capture her heart. So, I guess I'll just wait until that man arrives for me. I really hope that I don't have to wait that much longer, though. Either way, I guess that as long as I have songs like these, a part of me will always believe in the magic of love. Anyways, I know that a few of you who read this blog are fellow romantics, and since this is Music Mondays, I decided to share. Enjoy!

Pablo Alboran - Solamente tú 

Regálame tu risa,

enseñame a sonar

con solo una caricia

me pierdo en este mar.

Regálame tu estrella,

la que ilumina esta noche,

llena de paz y de armonía,

y te entregaré mi vida

Haces que mi cielo

vuelva a tener ese azul,

pintas de colores

mis mañanas solo tú

navego entre las olas de tu voz

y tú, y tú, y tú, y solamente tú

haces que mi alma se despierte con tu luz

tú, y tú, y tú..

Enseña tus heridas y así la curará

que sepa el mundo entero

que tu voz guarda un secreto

no menciones tu nombre que en el firmamento

se mueren de celos

tus ojos son destellos

tu garganta es un misterio

Haces que mi cielo

vuelva a tener ese azul,

pintas de colores

mis mañanas solo tú

navego entre las olas de tu voz

y tú, y tú, y tú, y solamente tú

haces que mi alma se despierte con tu luz

tú, y tú, y tú..

y tú, y tú, y tú, y solamente tú

haces que mi alma se despierte con tu luz

tú, y tú, y tú...

No menciones tu nombre que en el firmamento

se mueren de celos

tus ojos son destellos

tu garganta es un misterio

Haces que mi cielo

vuelva a tener ese azul,

pintas de colores

mis mañanas solo tú

navego entre las olas de tu voz

y tú, y tú, y tú, y solamente tú

haces que mi alma se despierte con tu luz

y tú, y tú, y tú..

y tú, y tú, y tú, y solamente tú

haces que mi alma se despierte con tu luz

y tú, y tú, y tú..

A new adventure!

“The wise man belongs to all countries, for the home of a great soul is the whole world.”

- Democritus

A few weeks ago I had said that I had something fabulous and grand to announce to the world. Well, ladies and gentlemen, the moment has finally arrived and it is with great pleasure that I let you all know that in approximately one month I will be leaving Honduras for: Italy! I will be there for about 3 months as I continue on the quest to perfect my Italian. I can also tell you that I will be enrolling at the Scuola Leonardo da Vinci in Milan and will be receiving about 20 hours of Italian classes every week. I had been planning this for a while, but I didn't want to make an official announcement until I'd actually bought the tickets (which I purchased a few days ago.) As you all can imagine, I am excited beyond words and truth be told, I probably won't believe that I'm going to Italy until I'm actually there! In any case, I'll make sure to keep you all updated every once in a while. Finally, something exciting to blog about, eh? 

The Mastermind

I posted about this on Facebook a few minutes ago, but decided that I would get into it further here. One of the bloggers that I follow talked about this personality questionnaire, the Jung Typology Test. And of course, I decided to take it (I recommend you all do as well!) In any case, the results are in... I got the INTJ (Introversion, Intuition, Thinking, and Judgment) type, also known as the "Masterminds." Haha. Interestingly enough, it's one of the rarest personality types; only 1-4% of the population get this result... That explains a lot - I always knew I was "different." Anyways, let me tell you more about my personality type, for while I was reading it, I felt that it described me almost perfectly. (Most of this will be from Wikipedia, by the way.)


I – Introversion preferred to extraversion: INTJs tend to be quiet and reserved. They generally prefer interacting with a few close friends rather than a wide circle of acquaintances, and they expend energy in social situations (whereas extraverts gain energy).
N – Intuition preferred to sensing: INTJs tend to be more abstract than concrete. They focus their attention on the big picture rather than the details and on future possibilities rather than immediate realities.
T – Thinking preferred to feeling: INTJs tend to value objective criteria above personal preference. When making decisions they generally give more weight to logic than to social considerations.
J – Judgment preferred to perception: INTJs tend to plan their activities and make decisions early. They derive a sense of control through predictability, which to perceptive types may seem limiting.

Masterminds are introspective, pragmatic, directive, and attentive. As strategists, they are better than any other type at brainstorming approaches to situations. Masterminds are capable but not eager leaders, stepping forward only when it becomes obvious to them that they are the best for the job. Strong-willed and very self-assured, they may make this decision quickly, as they tend to make all decisions. But though they are decisive, they are open to new evidence and new ideas, flexible in their planning to accommodate changing situations. They tend to excel at judging the usefulness of ideas and will apply whatever seems most efficient to them in accomplishing their clearly envisioned goals.

INTJs are the most independent of all types, and their emotions are hard to read, for they are not very expressive. At times, INTJs seem cold, reserved, and unresponsive, while in fact they are almost hypersensitive to signals of rejection from those they care for. In social situations, INTJs may also be unresponsive and may neglect small rituals designed to put others at ease. For example, INTJs may communicate that idle dialogue such as small talk is a waste of time.


Personal relationships, particularly romantic ones, can be the INTJ's Achilles heel. While they are capable of caring deeply for others (usually a select few), and are willing to spend a great deal of time and effort on a relationship, the knowledge and self-confidence that make them so successful in other areas can suddenly abandon or mislead them in interpersonal situations. This happens in part because many INTJs do not readily grasp the social rituals; for instance, they tend to have little patience and less understanding of such things as small talk and flirtation (which most types consider half the fun of a relationship). Perhaps the most fundamental problem, however, is that INTJs really want people to make sense. In forming relationships, INTJs tend to seek out others with similar character traits and ideologies. Agreement on theoretical concepts is an important aspect of their relationships. By nature INTJs can be demanding in their expectations, and approach relationships in a rational manner.

March Movie Madness - Intro and Day 1

As promised, I cordially welcome you all to the March Movie Madness! Check out the picture below to see what the posts are all about. I will try my best to write a new one each day! Also, as a fun extra bonus, I will try to incorporate a song featured on the movie's soundtrack. 

Day 1 - The best movie you saw during the last year: Midnight in Paris

To be completely honest, I'm not a huge fan of Woody Allen. In fact, I've always thought that he is a bit overrated. Also, the fact that he married his stepdaughter struck me as being a little bit disturbing and off, but putting his personal life aside, I've just never been a huge fan of his work. Before Midnight in Paris, I'd seen Match Point and Vicky Cristina Barcelona. I found nothing special in Match Point but Vicky Cristina Barcelona was definitely interesting, mostly because of the brilliant performances delivered by its five-star cast (Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem.) 

In any case, when I saw the trailer for Midnight in Paris, what caught my attention the most was the fact that it had a lot of surrealist elements. From what I'd gathered, Woody Allen's films were very "real," based mostly on the complexities of human relationships, but now he had written and directed a film where the protagonist (Owen Wilson), a screenwriter who had traveled to Paris with his fiancee (Rachel McAdams), went back in time to what he considered to be Paris's Golden Age (the 1920's) every evening at the stroke of midnight. In this fantastical world, Wilson's crossed paths with many of the prominent figures of the era: F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, etc. Anyways, I don't want to give it all away in case you haven't seen it, but it's quite a charming film, and I recommend it without any reservations, especially if you're looking for a film that has a little bit of everything - romance, fantasy, comedy, etc.    

Whimsical Wednesday

The first post in the Whimsical Wednesday series will... have to wait.

I know, I know... I should stop procrastinating so much and just write. What can I say? I can't defend myself this time. But, I will tell you that I already know what I'll be writing about: the KONY 2012 video. In fact, I've been thinking about writing a post on it since the video came out. I know the topic probably isn't as relevant as it was last week (how quickly things can become outdated in the online community, eh?), but I still have some things to say about it. Anyways, that will be up shortly - I swear!

Tantalizing Tuesday

For this first installment of Tantalizing Tuesday, I'm probably going to be as ambitious as one can get, for today's post is related to cosmology and the origin of life. 

Neil deGrasse Tyson is a leading American astrophysicist, currently in charge of directing the Hayden Planetarium (part of the American Museum of Natural History) in New York City. He is also a prominent writer, having authored many books including: "Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution" and "Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier." Another interesting fact that I'd like to mention about him is that he is a proponent of the intelligent design theory, or the view that "certain features of the universe and living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection."

Anyways, after that brief introduction, let me get to the actual content of today's post. Though this is a very interesting subject, worthy of debating for hours on end, contrary to what you guys might've expected, this is not going to be a lengthy spiel about my opinion on the matter. As this is Tantalizing Tuesday, I just wanted to provide you with something to tickle your brains; to give you things that many of you probably don't think about all that often. Anyways, this video includes Neil deGrasse Tyson's answer to the question "What is the most astounding fact you can share with us about the Universe?” Check out what he has to say, and by all means, comment! 

"When I look up at the night sky and I know that, yes, we are part of this Universe, we are in this Universe, but perhaps more important than most of those facts is that the Universe is in us. When I reflect on that fact, I look up — many people feel small, because they’re small, the Universe is big — but I feel big, because my atoms came from those stars. There’s a level of connectivity — that’s really what you want in life. You want to feel connected, you want to feel relevant. You want to feel like you’re a participant in the goings on and activities and events around you. That’s precisely what we are, just by being alive.”    

Music Monday

Today's track comes from Parker & Hanson on Anjunabeats. Some of you may recognize Anjunabeats as the record label founded by the members of Above & Beyond, one of my favorite trance groups ever.  This particular track is one of the label's latest releases; and for those of you who like trance, it's definitely worth your time. I really like the buildup that starts to takes place somewhere along the middle of the track, where a melodious piano riff slowly leads us into this amazing electronic beat that just carries us through. I can already see myself power-walking to this. Anyways, that's all for the first installment of Music Mondays. Enjoy!

Dream on little dreamer...

You gotta gather what you need, you gotta choose a direction

And when the moment is right for you, you gotta go...

I know I’ve been pretty absent these last couple of weeks. I was even supposed to start the March Movie Madness Challenge with my friend over at amused, and I failed to do that. (Gomen ne! I think I’ll start it in mid-March, though!) Honestly, I don’t even have a valid excuse. All I can say is that these last few weeks have been somewhat of an emotional mess. My mind and emotions have been all over the place, and I'm not entirely sure why. Don’t worry, though. It’s nothing new or tragic or anything like that. It’s pretty much a buildup of the same problems and issues that I try to keep under control, but that seem to be keen on resurfacing over and over again (which is why I won’t even talk about them at length now.)

The point is, I miss writing. As I’ve mentioned many times before, when I write, I feel like it helps me organize my mind. Therefore, I shall make a bigger effort at updating you more regularly from now on. I’m currently planning something, something BIG, that I don’t want to reveal to all of you just yet. (Those that do know about my plan, please keep it under wraps for now. All will reveal itself in due time.)

What else can you expect from me in the coming weeks? Well, as I already said, I will most likely be starting a movie challenge very soon. And I also wanted to start a book challenge, but we’ll see how I manage my time. Lastly, I’ve been thinking about ways to spice the blog up a little bit, and I came up with a "blogging schedule" of sorts. I’ll blog about a certain subject depending on what day of the week it is.  I’m not saying that I’ll blog every single day, nor I am entirely sure how this will work out, but it’s just an idea that I had and that I wanted to share in case any of you were interested. Anyways, this is what I came up with (what can I say, I like alliterations):

Music Mondays – Recommend a new song or artist that I think you’d all enjoy.

Tantalizing Tuesdays – Tantalizing: having or exhibiting something that provokes or arouses expectation, interest, or desire. Here, I thought I’d provide reviews of recent movies or books in a way that would entice you and make you think, “Hmm, that seems like something I’d like to check out.”

Whimsical Wednesday – This is kind of like the free-for-all. You all know I’m very whimsical in nature, so on Wednesdays, I might write about whatever random topic I’ve been thinking about/doing research on lately.

Tasty Thursdays – Provide you all with a recipe that I’ve tried and loved, or that I would like to try sometime in the near future.

Fit Fridays – Give you all some fitness and health advice, or ideas for workouts, etc.

Smart Saturdays – Blog about things that I consider to be thought provoking.

Spiritual Sundays – Because we cannot neglect our spiritual component, I thought that on Sundays, I could provide motivational quotes, self-help ideas, or even religious-themed posts.  

So, I just wanted to check in and let you all know that I'm still alive, that I still blog, and that I'm not giving up on life (a tad bit dramatic, I know, but would you have me any other way? hehe.) 

Anyways, until next time. You know you love me, XOXO.