OrbiTrac. Apparently, that’s what my mini-elliptical is called. Alfred and I set it up yesterday and of course I already tried it. I lasted about ten minutes on and off. It isn’t a ‘walker’ as I imagined it would be, it was more like jogging. And I never jog/run because I tire so easily. I am hoping this machine will help change that. I mean, there has to be a way to naturally boost my energy without having to resort to a chemical hgh releaser to do it for me right?
Anyway, I plan on gradually getting myself accustomed to the machine. So I’d take five-minute intervals on it, maybe three times each day for the first few days and then gradually increase that until I can go 30-60 minutes straight. It just might be the physical activity I need to get things going.
Here’s how it looks like (borrowed an image found via Bing search)
Except for the branding (mine says BodyTalk instead of OrbiTrac), everything else looks exactly alike.
At the mall where we bought this on Sunday, there was its giant cousin, a real heavy-duty elliptical. It was like you’re gliding through when you try it. I loved being on it. I couldn’t get it though, it was ten times more expensive than the mini version. I kid you not 🙁
I have put in an order for my very own Epiphanie bag, I’m going with Ginger, despite the bright attractive color of Lola. Hehe. To remind you of how it looks like:
Ginger (click the picture and check her out at their shop)
To be honest, I was reluctant to place the order.
1. The site does not accept PayPal so I had to use my Credit Card. It’s not the CC usage that got me worried; it’s just that I am supposed to be buying the bag using my online earnings.
It’s virtually free, really. Here’s why: the money I earn off my blog all goes to extra spending money. I don’t feel guilty spending it because it didn’t come from my regular salary. But, if I see the charge on my credit card bill, even if I end up withdrawing my PayPal money and use that to pay, I will feel the impact of the spending. 165 is a lot of money to spend on just one bag. Still, the boyfriend agrees with this purchase. I deserve this camera bag. Maxine deserves it. 🙂
2. The bag will be delivered to the hotel where my friends from work will be staying next week. They are travelling to Seattle for training and I grabbed the chance to save on shipping. But they’re not there yet, they leave on Sunday. Of course I had to place the order ahead of time because I can’t pay for next day shipping. I just hope all goes well with their trip (ie that it pushes through) otherwise, what will happen to my package?
But more than anything, I am excited! I can’t wait to have Ginger home in two and a half weeks! 🙂
I have more news to share. My weight loss adventures are here again. Hopefully this time I will actually shed some pounds. I didn’t end up taking any of these fat loss pills, but I am taking a meal replacement drink paired with health supplements. Today’s just the second day and unfortunately I have eaten some stuff I shouldn’t have. But I am still confident. 😉 This first stage takes five days and depending on the results, I’ll either extend it or to move on to another stage. I’d love to say more about this, but I gotta run. My eyes are droopy and I don’t want to pass off the chance to get to sleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
Summer’s here and it is super hot! You get off the shower, and as soon as you towel off, you feel the heat starting to settle on you starting from the top of your head. It is when it gets this hot that I wish I was in the mid-shift – like an 11am-8pm shift or something. If that’s the case I’d be in a big cold room when the sun is at its hottest, and I wouldn’t have to suffer sleeping while getting soaked in my sweat.
But no matter how hot it’s getting, I don’t want to complain too much. After all, in other parts of the country, people are not just sweating profusely but are also losing their livelihood. The El Niño phenomenon has caused drought in farms all over the Philippines. Billions of pesos worth of crops have gone to waste. On the news now, they’re saying that some seas are contaminated by red tide 🙁
So I guess I’ll just go drink up to keep myself cool and hydrated. Nothing like a tall glass of ice-cold water to keep me smiling in this hot weather. Found this article saying that, in a way, drinking ice-cold water helps burn calories. So although you can’t rely on just drinking ice-cold water to lose weight, it does help burn calories because your body has to work to raise the temperature of the ice-cold water you drank as it enters your body. I guess that’s what other fat burners do right? They introduce something into your body so it works overtime to burn calories.
Pero, when it’s this hot, masarap kumain ng ice cream:
@the creamery, MOA, Alfonso's bday
I bet Coca Cola sales is also on the rise these days:
About two weeks ago, I published a post about saving inspired by an article from the Entrepreneur magazine. Today, I talk about another article in the same issue (Jan-Feb 2010): Increase Workplace Efficiency- Organizing your workplace need not be a chore with 5s.
A few days after reading this article, this was mentioned in the Performance Management Training series we were having at work. A week later, it was revealed that it was in fact a vital part of the training. We now have a 5s champion for our account! And of course it isn’t me. 5s has been practiced mainly by big corporations and although it probably started out in manufacturing, it is applicable to all industries. Our trainer mentioned that it was being used in the utilities company she used to work for and there are groups offering courses on the system and companies hire them to train their managers and employees.
Source www.mcfashion.com.tw/about_mc.htm
5s refers to five steps to achieve an organized workplace: seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu and shitsuke. These are Japanese words so yes, the system was first developed in Japan to reduce cost. There are many variations to five S but the concept is just the same. It is a way of organizing and managing the workspace to increase efficiency and also to cut waste.
1 SEIRI or SORT OUT – First step in the 5s system is to separate what is necessary from the unnecessary. It reduces downtime because it takes away obstructions in the workspace and lessens clutter.
2 SEITON or SET IN ORDER – Once items have been red tagged for disposal or for storage, next comes the tedious task of organizing them. There should be labels on drawers, cabinets, and even folders. This makes it easier for people to find the information (or item) they need, and reminds every one of the proper place for everything.
3 SEISO or SHINE OR POLISH – This part of the process entails keeping the work areas clean by regularly observing the order that was set in place in the previous step. It also involves making employees responsible for cleanliness.
4 SEIKETSU or SYSTEMIZE/STANDARDIZE – The whole 5s system must be incorporated into the company’s core structure and programs. Regular audits with very clear criteria must be set, with a view for rewards or bonuses for employees and/or departments that make the target scores. This should help keep employees motivated in sustaining the 5s.
5 SHITSUKE or SUSTAIN – In time, managers and employees will make it a habit of maintaining the established procedures. It is primarily management’s role to ensure the sustenance of the system by going through the cycle regularly, providing the needed funds to carry out the plans, and the bonuses to keep the employees motivated. And many companies have seen the value of investing in this system because the gains far outweigh any cost incurred.
I could use the 5s in my personal life too. I can already think of at least two different aspects where I can run it: my room, and my computer desktop. I have so much clutter in both! Haha. Then why not organize my baking pantry too? Okay, I don’t actually have one, but I should!
I’ll post updates about my 5s ventures here at home once I get around to actually doing them. Have you ever been late because you can’t find pieces of clothing in your own closet? Well I have, lots of times. My room could really use the 5S. 🙂
Now, if you’re tired of me writing about losing weight and searching for the best tools that will help me in that aim, then STOP READING NOW 🙂 Have you tried reading reviews on weight loss pills, or maybe even of exercise equipment? Well I have, because I am mostly skeptical about such products. They help too, because for example, what do I know about atro phex ? I don’t think I can be comfortable taking those unless I know a little something about them. Remember the reading up I did about FitRight which was a product I took for a while with no clear results (the link takes you to a post I wrote about it). 🙁
Oh well, maybe I need a coach, a personal fitness trainer. But to be credible, she has to have struggled with her weight in the past too and has now found the right balance she needed to stay fit. Too bad I can’t really afford one.
You will notice a new links list on my sidebar: the BC Bloggers List. It’s a new blog exchange program that I signed up with over the weekend. Click the badge to know more about how it works:
I just finished adding up the first batch of links, Paula, the brains behind the exchange mentioned in her email to the members that she will be sending over the links in four batches. There are about 122 blogs who joined up. She will probably open it for more sign ups at a later time. As it is, that’s a lot of links! Maybe in a later time I will decide to add them on a separate page but for now, they’re okay on my sidebar.
It’s a good thing that some of the bloggers who signed up for the exchange are also in EC and Adgitize 🙂
Where did my weekend go? I slept a lot over the past 36 hours, so much for catching up. Woke up at noon time today with a nagging headache! I just ate, and then went back to bed. Ugh. I can tell that Alfred was disappointed that we didn’t go out to see Percy Jackson. Oh well. I’m disappointed that I didn’t move so much today and how much calories did I eat? I had a double cheeseburger and large fries from McDonald’s this afternoon… If I sweat so much because of the heat, does that count?
I received a link for weight loss supplements here and of course I had to check them out. What I’m really interested in though would be testimonials from people I actually know. Big Filipino women who have successfully lost weight. I had a friend on FB who mentioned taking Xenical with good results. One known side effect was the tendency for unexpected poopies, but she said that since she stayed away from really oily food, she didn’t have those. Still, I think that would be difficult for me.
