The Color Run

It has always been on my bucketlist to do a 5k. Let me just put this out there though...there is no way on Earth I am a runner! I feel like I look like Phoebe on FRIENDS when I run:

I always envy people that look like they are almost professional runners. I know it does not happen over night but man, I wish that could be me.

One of my work friends, Valentina, asked a bunch of us if we wanted to do the Color Run at Citi Field in Queens where the Mets place. It was on her birthday! What a perfect way to celebrate. A bunch of us did it and signed up a few months ago. And we said, "Yeah, we will totally train!" (This Pitch Perfect/Fat Amy meme reminds me of this)

So on Saturday, we all met up at Citi Field and did the Color Run...aka the Happiest 5k on Earth! We did run inside the stadium and a bit on the field. We ran through the color stations. Towards the end I wanted to give up because my "race bib" was coming unpinned and they all took off as I was trying to pin it back on..haha. But it was a lot of fun! I am so sore today but if you have never done one, I suggest you do it!

Best group of coworkers! <3

Top 5 Tuesday: Pump Up Songs!

I am ALWAYS looking for new music. Sometimes I get bored of listening to songs. I like blog reading to find out what other people use as motivation to run/work out to. One of my favorite blogs, These Happy Miles, does a Weekend Playlist and she has given me some great new additions to my iPod!

It's really hard to chose just five songs that pump me up and get me motivated while working out. However, these are just five of many of my favorites that I enjoy listening to at the gym:

What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger ~ Kelly Clarkson

Need I say more?


Man, I Feel Like a Woman! ~ Shania Twain

I had always wished I had a jazz dance routine to this in the years I did dance.

Good Feelin ~ Flo Rida

Makes me just wanna throw my hands up while on the tread mill!

Start a Fire ~ Ryan Star

This was actually used I think during the previews for the last season of "Army Wives" and I became obsessed with it. Just such a good beat.

Walking on Broken Glass ~ Annie Lennox

This keeps me going when I want to throw the towel in.

Girl look at that body, I work out!

LMFAO's "Sexy and I Know It" is stuck in my head. As I am sitting here updating my iPod with some workout jams for when I go to the gym with the boyfriend after work, it made me wonder what motivates people through their workouts. Do you like "cheesy" workout songs? Do you not even listen to an iPod? Is it a mix of fast/upbeat tempo songs with slow songs for a cool down?

These are some of my favorite songs that I have added to my workout playlist, along with some MOTIVATION things I found on pinterest to, ya know, kick my bootay into gear:

- "Hella Good"~No Doubt
- "Tonight (Give Me Everything)"~Neyo
- "Unwritten"~Natasha Bedingfield
- "Bye Bye Bye"~NSync
- "Party in the USA"~Miley Cyrus (this just makes me want to throw my hands up in the air when I am on the treadmill)
-"Black or White"~ Michael Jackson
- "Shake It"~Metro Station
-"I Run For Life"~Melissa Etheridge
-"How Far We've Come"~Matchbox 20
-"Like a Prayer"~Madonna
- "Shots"~ LMFAO
- "Halfway Gone" ~ Lifehouse
- "Born This Way"~ Lady Gaga
- "Goodbye"~Kristina Debarge
- "What Doesn't Kill You"~Kelly Clarkson

To join a gym or not?

This is something I have be toying with for oh, the past year? My uncle owns a health club that one of my brothers works at. It's a nice club with indoor (and outdoor) tennis courts, indoor (and outdoor) pool, a roller rink, loads of cardio equipment, etc. Being that I am his niece, I can get a free membership. Downside? It's about 25 minutes away. I used to go to that gym when I was taking a summer course at the college near his gym four years ago because it was closer. Now, I don't feel like driving that far.

I was a member of the gym that is like five minutes from my house. I joined when I came home from undergrad and had been going. That was two years ago. Of course, there would be weeks when I wouldn't go because I was either too busy, too lazy or I felt like I had gone enough for that week. I was going up until February 2010 when I started to get pain in my back. It was soooo bad it hurt at points to even sit in my car and drive or even lean over the bathroom sink to wash my hands! A visit to the orthopedist, Xrays, MRI and medicine later, turned out I had an issue with the lumbar spine or something. I had to do physical therapy from April-July last year. It helped TREMENDOUSLY ! And so did leaving my waitressing job that made me lift heavy stuff all the time (I think they attributed it to a work-related injury). I never rejoined the gym because my semester was really busy with work, school, tutoring. And then since I knew I'd be starting student teaching in January, I didn't join.

In the process of leaving my old job, I ended up losing weight! I think since September, I lost about 25-30 lbs, which is great. My old job used a lot of butter and fried a lot of their food. So when you were working 5 days a week and eating it as your breakfast (it was a breakfast/lunchonette place), it made ya gain weight. But I'd still like to lose 5-10 more lbs and also just keep myself in shape.

So, here I am with the dilemma. To join a gym or not? I have several options: 1) join the gym that is 5 minutes from my house that is relatively small, 2) join the gym that my friend Shannon goes to that is about 10 minutes away and have a workout buddy [even though our schedules are opposite sometimes] or 3) check out the new gym (I think it is LA fitness...I could've sworn it was planet fitness). Once I'm done with my summer classes, I'll have even more time during the day to go, which is when I like to go. I'm just confused what to do! If it is a $100 membership, is it worth it?

What would you all pay for a gym membership?