Running for a cause.

Here's a first! 

Since I started running, it's been all about me.   I want to be healthier, I want to get fit, I want to look and feel better.  That's why most people change their habits and lifestyle.  Today however, I ran for a cause. 

Cars, Stop! We're trying to stop Breast Cancer!

This is The Pas' equivalent to the Run for the Cure.  Personally I raised about $200 for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.  There were people there who raised thousands. In total, $8197 was raised.   Almost 50 people showed up in support of the cause to walk, run, bike and be awesome.

A beautiful day to beat down breast cancer.

It felt really great to do this run.  5km is pretty far (I swear it felt longer than that...), but when it comes down to it, that's nothing when you consider what those with breast cancer go through each day.    To be a part of helping a great cause feels good, plus it's bonus exercise.  

Fall has definitely arrived in the last few days here in The Pas, though it hasn't been cold.  In my opinion, the conditions for running were basically perfect.  Sunshine, about 15 degrees (Celsius), and a lot of wind.   The wind is awesome this time of year, it really helps you keep cool while the sun beams down on you. and today, the wind was pretty wicked: 

What a lovely action shot... I swear my hair isn't a mohawk, that's the wind's fault (and yes, I realize my legs are still super white and summer just ended - I have a job, it's indoors ok?!?!). 

But seriously,  I just want to send out a big THANK YOU to everyone who donated to me for this run.  You are amazing, and don't forget it.  

I really feel like I'm getting in better shape every day, and I may just have to take on a few more charity runs in the future!  

Pop Culture Punch! - Ep. 01 Whedemsworth Day

Hi y'all!

It's been a while and now let's get back to talking entertainment! Literally talking...

Kelly Cortez (from 610 CHTM) and I have decided to start up a podcast!

We are calling it "Pop Culture Punch!" - When it hits you, you'll know!

Each week, we will look at something happening in the world of entertainment.  It could be movies, TV shows, comic books, celebrities, trending topics, etc.

This week, we nerd out over Joss Whedon and Chris Hemsworth, and their awesomeness.

Pop Culture Punch! - Ep. 01 Whedemsworth Day

That's the audio! Enjoy! :D 

I'm Baaaccckkkk

Hello Hello!

The last few weeks I was away and I didn't post - Why?  Because I was here:

Vancouver (and Surrey, Burnaby and White Rock)!

I had to go home for a visit and some serious R & R (read: Shopping).  Plus my Dad was getting remarried, so I guess that was important too. ( What matters is I looked good, more on that in a bit...)

It was just the break I needed, with two days blastin' tunes in the car each way. 

Sometimes, it got epic. 

I truly love driving, I do.  However, I hate driving when people suck at it (other people, not me, I'm awesome).  Let's just say gravel highways, construction zones and semi trucks lead to an irritable Alysha with a Stone Chip in her Windshield, UGH!

The trip went like this:

On the way there:

MOUNTAINS! I'm IN THE MOUNTAINS! YAYYYYYYYY

On the way back:

MOUNTAINS?!?!  WHAT HAPPENED TO MY MOUNTAINS?!?!?










For a minute, it was devastating, then I turned on my Adele CD for a good cry...

I like the mountains, OKAY?!? They're PRETTY! 

Eventually I got over it.  Anyways, recently, I've been blogging a lot about getting healthier and working out and what-not, so quick update.  

While on vacation, I still went for my jogs, did some crunches and punches, and even pulled out the skipping rope (You should know, I look absolutely ridiculous skipping and I did this outdoors).  

 

I was also pleasantly surprised when I arrived back in The Pas to see the Boxing Gym I go to had a face lift and new sign!

It's so bright!  It will be my beacon in the snow on my way to work and workout this winter. 

The health thing is working by the way, I feel much better, I have more energy and it is starting to show (according to my Mom anyway!). The reason I actually went to Vancouver this particular week was because of my Dad's wedding (it's weird, I don't even... whatever), but it's all good, because I looked awesome and got to see my family! 

From left to right: my siblings and Me. I know what you're thinking, and YES! I DID dye my hair to match my dress.  Seriously... I'm that neurotic sometimes.

 If you're wondering where the dress is from, it's from a great plus size site - Kiyonna - I totally love it!

All in all, it was a successful trip!  I got to see a lot of my friends and family that I haven't in a while, and it's always nice when you can talk to people's faces instead of just their facebooks.   

My little brother and I were super stoked to see each other or something, because this next pic I leave you with, may be one of the greatest photos of me ever taken.  Thanks for the assist Nikko... 

Who is this? Do I know you?

So that's it.  Back to routine and I'll try to update more!  Thanks for reading!

All Go No Quit - Write That Down

Sometimes life gets in the way.   <--- Worst.Cliche.Ever

This is what I looked like all week, just you know, I'm not an old white dude in a suit

Unfortunately it's true.

 This week was one of my favourite weeks of the year.   The Million Dollar Hole in One!

This event is super fun, I get to talk on the radio and tan (though I'm still pretty white..).  It also means that I end up working quite a few extra hours.    Since May, I've been working on a fitness plan to try and get healthier, and since then I've continuously been exercising at least 5 days a week.  Last week I didn't and I'm annoyed!

At the end of a long workday it's hard to go exercise on a regular basis, but at the end of a longer workday, it's much, much harder.

3 days in a row without exercise is too many.  Clearly I forgot the golden rule:

Just ask Eugene from Sweatshop Boxing... he knows.

I do feel better after going to boxing today.  I will definitely be going a few more times this week...

Now I want to watch Armageddon... So if I don't reply in the comments right away, that's probably what I'm doing.  Then I'll spend the rest of my days after that super irritated that I have "Don't Want To Miss A Thing" stuck in my head.

It's okay though,  I'll just throw on my 80s megamix while I run and it should clear my Aerosmith problem right up.  Back on the track to stay... and this time I won't stop - Cue the awesome upbeat inspirational jam:

Fitness With The Addition of Boxing

I started running about a month ago now.  (I have the proper dates on a Vancouver Canucks white board on my fridge, but it's far away).  I've made a plan and a commitment to myself to stay active, and I'm putting it all down on paper (read: the internet) - photo included.

Here is my official "Before" Photo:

Before Eugene from Sweatshop Boxing took this photo he was holding my camera upside down and asked me if I had a "left handed camera"

I had planned to take this picture, I took my camera to the session and everything - I just forgot about that until after class, usually my face isn't quite so red/sticky with sweat. (usually....)  Hey! At least I smiled! It's better than the stupid faces I have made in many a facebook photo. 

The thought process behind the before picture is for me not to get discouraged when I don't notice my results.   Most people don't notice their results right away, and I don't own a full length mirror right now.  So I will be looking back and comparing it to a new photo every 3 months.  For all I know, I may have already lost a little bit.  I definitely sweat a lot, if that counts for anything, I'm not sure.

My plan from here on out is to go out to fitness boxing twice a week and run 2-4 times a week.  Sometimes I get caught up in work and what not, but I need to do this for me and my health so I'm going to!  It also helps that Sweatshop Boxing is right across the street from the radio station I work for - CJ1240.

Fitness Boxing is a whole new animal compared to Jogging.  Oh. My. Damn.   It is a non-stop hour of pumped up motion.  You are hitting the bag then doing burpees (my own worst enemy), sit ups, pushups, sit ups, punching with weights, medicine ball exercises, stairs, skipping and many other pulse pounding activities.  Let's just say I've found my muscles, they do exist, and once they stop hurting, we may be able to see them (one day....).   But seriously, after one of these workouts, you will feel the burn people talk about, and you will like it (I swear it's true!).    Also, all those exercises I mentioned?  They're always done in different orders and at different times and in different ways, so it's always unexpected and fun.

This is what works for me and keeps me motivated right now.  It's also something I didn't really know existed until Jenn (from Sweatshop Boxing) told me about it.  I'm glad she did.  Random thought - I also think I might try Zumba next, I feel like it'd be an entirely new challenge to my lack of rhythm... oh, and fitness too I suppose.

So there, it's chronicled.  I will update this very blog 3 months today with a side by side picture comparison to see what progress I've made.

Thanks again to everyone who reads! 

See? Covered hands! I'm imagining they're wrapped.

One last note:

Every time I put on hand wraps,  I feel like a bad ass warrior/video game character.

Not Fergalicious - Still Workin' On My Fitness

Today marks the start of Week #3 of my fitness plan.

When writing this, I got sweat all down the pen and on the paper. (Update: I have since showered and now smell very fruity).  I had to write my thoughts down first so the shower wouldn't wash away my tired, achy, sarcastic thoughts.

I've managed to run 3 days a week over the last two weeks.  It may not seem like much to the fitness fanatic, but to me, it was a LOT of sweat, sweat, and tears.  (I would have put blood there, but I've yet to fall and scrape up my knees, knock on wood.  The tears part does belong though, trust me).

I may classify myself as a "runner" one day.  One day when I stop making pained facial expressions while moving at a snail's pace. Maybe...

One of the things I now profusely thank God (Read: Steve Jobs) for, is the iPod.  Music. Helps. A LOT.





One of the ways I motivate myself, is to talk to myself in my head while I run.  I literally try to think of jokes and anecdotes to entertain myself.  I know, I sound crazy, but I swear to God (not Steve Jobs this time, but like the saying) that it DOES work.   I mentioned music before because it ties in to this.

For Example:

"Untouched" by The Veronicas is freakin' great to run to.  Why? Because I know that anyone who has seen me while I'm running will never want to touch me.  (see what I did there?)


Does that seem harsh and judgmental? YES.  But It also makes me laugh at myself, which to my feet, is like picking up a golden mushroom in Mario Kart. 
 

That song also has a sick beat. Consider me PUMPED UP.

I pray that one day,
I can look as good as this guy when running 

The other reason I am a huge fan of Steve "God" Jobs (may he rest in peace) and Michael Jordan, is the Nike + fitness app.  It allows me to make fun of myself and my surroundings without worrying about my time or distance.  It's cool because I can go back on my iPod and see how I've been doing and set goals for myself.   Today, I ran about 10 minutes longer than each of my previous sessions and the strangely human-sounding robot voices in my iPod gave me those results, and even told me "Great Job!"  I will add to this that female voice in this app is too perky to be talking to me post-run.  Coming from me, a self professed perky white girl, that's saying quite a bit.

One thing that's jumped out at me thanks to that last ramble, is that though some tech is keeping people sedentary (whine internet, whine!), this particular app is helping me GET ACTIVE.  Very sneaky and genius Apple.

While I'm on the fitness topic (again, I know):  I'd like to thank everyone who has sent me support and well wishes in comments, facebook posts, tweets and all over the freakin' internet since I started my fitness plan.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  (This part is not sarcastic, I swear)


One last thought:  Is it bad if both your feet are numb and you continue running?   Not that I did that for the last 5-7 minutes of my run today or anything...

And Now for something completely different...

I usually post on here about things to do with pop culture, but today it's personal.   In the last few weeks, I've been trying to change some of my habits to be healthier.   It's a process.  I've slowly weaned my self off snacky junk food (I'm lookin' at you potato chips!) and have started exercising.   Before this, I really wasn't exercising, which is terrible for me, I know, but I used being busy as an excuse.   Near the end of April, I took stock of my life, which sounds weird, but I basically tried to look at everything I was doing and deciding what was good for me and what wasn't.  I made a mental list and my journey began. 

Through the month of May I made sure that I was walking at least a few times a week so I was getting off the couch, and I started to eat more fruits, vegetables and proteins.  Smoothies made with ridiculous amounts of fresh/frozen fruit are my new favourite thing.  It's so easy to throw everything in a blender and hit a button, plus any meal that takes less than 5 minutes to make is a-ok with me.   

George Takei (yes, from Star Trek and he's hilarious) posted this online today:

It's quite serendipitous that he posted this photo, the same week I started running.  Thanks Sulu.

Running is hard.  I've said I'm out of shape, but you never realize quite how out of shape you are until your first run.   On Tuesday, my lungs were burning, my legs were jelly, I couldn't breathe and I was grinning like an idiot.   Though running hurts and my calf muscles were sore the whole next day, it's incredibly cathartic.    The hard work hurts, but if you stick to it you will get results.  I know this, because I was an active kid, and also a skinny, healthy kid.  Long story short, I joined the professional ranks and with school on top of that - health and fitness fell by the wayside.    I've been out of school for about 2 years now and working only 1 job right now (trust me, this is weird for me).  So it's time to shape up and stop making excuses.

You can follow my progress in a series of one-liners on twitter.

Yesterday I went for run #2.  It was almost twice the length and time of run #1 (I have a nike app on my iPod that tells me these things).  This is a great improvement in my books, not only did I work harder, but I didn't feel as pained after.  Also, stretching is important.

My main goal in all of this is two tiered.  I want to be healthier,  I will feel better and look better as a result I know it.  This is not something that is about "weight loss" for me.  I don't even own a scale (they can be quite depressing).   As a part of the "health" goal, I also want to fit in to what are known as "normal" sized clothes.  Currently I'm "plus sized" and nothing really fits me the way I want it to.  This is a problem when you're a shopaholic who loves clothes and shoes (I still have no problems buying shoes, my bank account hates shoes). 

This blog post is my online promise to myself and the world to my goal.  I want to look and feel healthier, and get back below a size 16.