Just Keep on Running

I've been really bad about exercising in this last month. I was really good at going to the gym at least 4x a week for several months. I would run and do a form of interval training, lift some weights, and do crunches. My gym membership ended since I had to give them 2 months notice, and I wasn't sure how May and June would be with my schedule. So now that I don't have a set gym to go to, I've been lazy about motivating myself to go out for a run & etc.

Although, I did use the bf's gym membership to take a step aerobics class last week. I was so uncoordinated! There were these little old korean women in the class who did so much better than me, I was following them! haha. It reminded me of when I took a step aerobics class back in college. It was so awful the first week because I was so slow at following the steps, when everyone was on the right side, I was on the left, etc, I was so embarrassed I almost dropped the class! But I decided that it would be silly to drop a 1 credit gym class I'm taking for fun. I did get the hang out of it eventually and then loved the class.

My cousin suggested that I try interval training through a podcast, #130.2 Special Reserve Request Edition -Treadmill Training 3.0 She told me she typically does her base rate at 6.5-6.7 and speed interval at 7.7-8.0. I was a little less ambitious, and did my base rate at 6.0, and speed at 7.5. Man, this is a work out! If you really want to challenge yourself plus LOSE more calories since interval training works your body out harder, I would definitely suggest you do this work out. Its about a 30 minute work out, definitely have a bottle of water close by! This will definitely give you a good run if you're using the treadmill and you can download it to your ipod so you can listen to it at the gym. It'll def give you a little more out of your workouts :)

What do you guys do to stay fit?

pic: via we heart it/flickr

Congrats!

Congrats to all the 2010 grads out there!

I'll be graduating this Sunday, so excited, after so many years of school, I'm so happy that I'll be finished with optometry school and no longer a student! I had an amazing 4 years, met a whole lot of unique personalities from all over the U.S. and Canada! so I'll be really sad that we will all part our ways. Thats how graduations always are, bittersweet. Happy that I accomplished what I set out to do, sad that at the same time its come to an end. I met the best of friends through school, got to live & grow on my own, travel & live in so many various places, I've had the best 4 year ride of my life, won't ever forget the good times, and almost forgetting all the stress of exams and practicals! Good luck to everyone out there!

Product Review: Melvita

On my last trip to San Fran, I was in the downtown shopping area and I saw a store front launch for Melvita. I immediately took a picture of it because it was my next product to review! I've never heard of this brand before, so I was really excited to find out more about it and I always find it MUCH easier to buy things at a store, where you can try the product on and don't have to deal with the hassle of returns if necessary.

Melvita is a company founded in 1983 by a French biologist, who developed their first product from bee hives. They were one of the first companies to earn the ECOCERT certificate for their organic skin care products. Their products fall under organic and natural guidelines, they do not test on animals, and their packaging is recyclable!

I was able to review the Fondant Body Balm through a sample from the company. I was taken a back from the strong apricot smell when I first open up the container. This was different for me considering I usually shy away from using scented body products like the Victoria Secret lotions or Bath and Body works lotion, I usually go for good 'ol Vaseline non scented lotion or Aveeno! But I wanted to try the Body Balm due to getting over cold weather skin and transitioning into summer ready skin show ;)

This body balm was really moisturizing. It contains cocoa, shea butter, safflower and sunflower oils combined with thyme honey and stevia leaf to give comfort and moisture to the skin. It was a thick creme that went on smoothly on my skin. It definitely provided good moisture throughout the day and it didn't have a strong scent on as when I opened up the container immediately. The downfall of this product as with other balms, is that its not in a easy dispense container, you just open it up, scoop up as much as you need and use the product. Considering the thickness, I don't know if any balms out there are in those squirt dispensing containers. I would DEF recommend this product because it does a great job at moisturizing and a bonus is that its organic!

**UPDATE: Melvita has already opened up their first store in S.F. on April 28th :)

Weekend BBQs

Summer is around the corner, the weather is wickedly nice. I'm heading to my first BBQ of this warm weather and good riddance to winter! I'm ending work in about a week and then its relaxing from here on out until graduation. I'm so excited. This next year could bring a lot of changes so I'm contemplating my life and wondering what will end up happening, but thats the beauty of life, you don't really know until it happens. Hope everyone enjoys their weekend! Anyone have any great weekend plans?

Natural Skin MD Giveaway Winner

So I inputted everyone's name with multiple entries if granted, I used this random name picker which randomized all the entries and then announced the winner for me: CAFE FASHIONISTA

Congratulations, thanks to everyone who participated! :) Until the next one!

Whisk Away to S.F.

This is from a little whiles ago, but I went to S.F. for an interview so I most likely will be moving to S.F. in July if everything goes according to plan! Here are my pictures from my short trip back to S.F.!

Union Square & downtown shopping

Blue bottle coffee, a little hotspot coffee joint!

Brunch at Zazie's...mMmm

Stopping by Chinatown for the New Year festival! (SUPER packed!)
Golden Gate Bakery for some yummy baked goodness!
Gotta have Japanese food when I go back to Cali! With my lovely cousin who took the time to take me aroud :)
Oh S.F. how I adore you!

Have you guys ever been to S.F.? Any S.F. hotspots I should know about?

The Limited: Jodi Arnold Collection

I've been a little late in writing about this, but I went to a Limited collaboration launch event for the unveiling of the new Jodi Arnold collection on April April 14th at Tysons Corner Mall in Virginia. It was really fun and a cute event! It felt kinda exclusive because you had to be on a list to go to the event (almost like a club in the mall! haha) and when you got in, there were an assortment of sweets & desserts plus wine and drinks!

I didn't know that much about the New York based designer, Jodi Arnold, before this event, but she was really nice and very down to earth! At the unveiling of her new collection for The Limited, she went over her worldly inspirations for her textures and prints of her collection - the different crafts of various cultures that inspired her. She also inspired by a book called "Half the Sky" and mentioned turning oppression into opportunity.

The fashion show showed the versatility of each piece from casual to business to a night out. Her pieces were very wearable and definitely something I would wear to work for a business casual look that doesn't come off as too boring. The pieces are also really easy to mix and match to create different types of looks. The dresses were easy to wear, the fabrics soft with easy movement. Definitely not fussy clothes, which is definitely what I need!

Have you purchased anything from the Limited Jodi Arnold collection? Which outfit fits you the best?