I Just Finished Leslie Sansone's 5-Mile Fat Burning Walk

... and let me tell you, it worked my body hard, but I think if I keep this up, it'll really show results on my body. Very happy that I tried it!

What I really love about her is that she's upbeat and encouraging. She tells you to do the exercise as you prefer to and not to push yourself if you can't handle it. It seems easy enough at a glance (walking is one of the most basic things we do everyday!) but she adds enough variations to work all the muscles in the body out. I think I'll keep doing these exercises inbetween my Wii Fit and DDR sessions to mix things up a bit. :)

Want to try it out, too? You can get Leslie Sansone's 5-Mile Fat Burning Workout below. (Affiliate link.)



- Mel

Just a Little More...

Only a few weeks left for the semester yet the list of work only grows bigger.

Still hanging on to drawing and exercising more or less daily. That's two things I've been faithful to.

I have a part time job this summer that I'm hoping I can continue year-round.

Still have a million ideas and projects I want to start and implement.

Still have all the most wonderful people in the world to turn to when I'm in despair.

Still breathing. Still here.

- Mel

What to Do With This Venue

It's been a couple of weeks since I first started this irregular, random, casual blog, and I'm wondering what I should do with it. The topics seem pretty random and it's hard to think of something to say that I think would be worth other people's time, sometimes.

I have been toying with the idea of starting a vlog (video blog) that I could integrate into this blog... I could use the practice, since I need to work on my on-camera skills. But when I'm given the choice of "anything goes", I struggle to think of things to say...

Have any suggestions of things I could talk about on-cam? What do you all think?

- Mel

Welcome to the Family, iPad

Yes, I did get an iPad. A free one, in fact. I won't go into the details, but I'm going to make the most of it with drawing and taking notes... and games. Sweet, sweet games.

It feels kind of weird because I already own an iPhone 3GS (and it's going strong!), but I'm looking forward to jotting down my ideas in it, to see if it'll replace my teeny tiny idea sketchbook that I carry around with me.

You know you're old when you see your fellow students in your required undergraduate class all holding tablet computers while you're still taking notes with your pen and paper. :P

Well, not old... but witnessing the dawn of a new era of technology, at least.

I remember the days when anyone with a laptop was a big shot... soon, everyone had a laptop. Then, netbooks where the next big (small) thing... and here we are now with the tablet craze. Is it one that will last? Who knows. One thing's for certain: I am stupidly excited over the mobile pressure-sensitive tablet that WACOM announced will be released sometime in the US Summer. Maybe I can save up for that instead of a Cintiq if it's good enough for high-resolution, professional quality work.

I'll be sure to keep you all updated with the shenanigans I come up with with my new toy, including but not limited to video blogs, maybe? :P Throw me questions you'd like me to answer on-camera and I'll try my best not to be an awkward penguin.

- Mel

Saving Slowly But Surely

As of today, I have only a little more to go before I reach my goal emergency funds. I'm incredibly happy about this, and it means that once I reach it, I can finally start investing in other things... like an upgraded drawing tablet, for instance. ;)

It came with a lot of scrimping, especially since I don't have a full-time job. I would have earned it faster in that case. Considering my situation, I'm pretty proud of myself for being this close to reaching it. :)

Looking forward to the rest of what this year has in store for me.

- Mel

Leslie Sansone Helps Me Walk to Be Fit at Home

For those days when I'm feeling less than stellar or just not as strong as usual, I've been using this video to start exercising at home. It's a walking exercise video by Leslie Sansone. It doesn't take that long and it's complete from warm-up to cool-down. I love how encouraging and cheerful she is in this video. It makes me feel like I'm actually in an exercise class. :D What I love about it is that I don't need that much space, which is perfect for working out in my small room.

I've tried her 3 mile workout too. I totally broke a sweat, but it's still such a friendly exercise for beginners that you feel confident that you can finish it.

I use exercise videos to mix up my Wii Fit and Dance Dance Revolution routine. I never knew how fun they could be, if you find the right ones for you. Try a quick search on Youtube and maybe you'll find one for you, too. :D

- Mel

Confidence

Today is one of those rare days that I feel good enough to try applying make-up on myself for a non-event day. I've been resisting getting new nail polish (I haven't painted my nails for years) and such, but gosh, you know I'm feeling confident when I want to take better care of and pamper myself. ... and make myself look prettier than I already am. Maybe I'll slowly build my self-care vanity beauty kit as rewards over the year... that include clothes.

Speaking of which, I'm considering getting myself another new shirt for making it through February in one piece. I wonder what I should get... :)

- Mel