Livingloca’s Hot Bodyblog

Well… yesterday I went to Central Park and spent the afternoon in the Natural Science Museum.  Ok… love the dinosaurs, but I can only take so much information about them…. a whole floor dedicated and this floor is thousands of square feet!!!  There was a cool ocean floor …. of course.  I love the beach, the ocean and everything about it — saw all kinds of species of starfish, crabs, sea turtles, etc.  

 Visited the gym at our place… very nice!  Got in a great cardio workout and used some nice equipment. 

Today we went to the Empire State Bldg…. got there and they told us we had to wait in line for 2 hours… Ha ha… real funny.   To my surprise, my husband had purchased our tickets already and paid extra that we just zoomed past all those people in line…. zoomed past the regular security screening line, (went thru a different security line) and then zoomed past the people standing in line waiting on the elevator to go up and was escorted into an express line, straight into a separate elevator… we were up to the observation point in a matter of about 10 minutes…. NOT 2 HOURS!!  Yes!    It was nice to see just how big NYC from up there.  Wow.    We ventured afterwards to Chinatown and had a great lunch and then onto SoHo for some eclectic boutique shopping.  

 Looking forward to having dinner in Little Italy tomorrow evening for New Year’s Eve.  We did have reservations at a restaurant on Times Square for tomorrow evening…. then it hit me…millions of people in Times Square where the ball will drop at midnight….. is that where we want to be with 3 kids??? OMG… I don’t think so!!  As cool as it would be to see the ball from our restaurant… I didn’t want to have to face the crowd (which I hear starts to line up and wait early in the morning).  I would rather have a lovely, italian dinner and enjoy some champagne in the quietness of a small Italian restaurant. 

Lets see what tomorrow brings…I have been getting up late every day… not my usual 4:45 am, but I am on vacation!!!  ha ha ha!  Cheers to everyone!

This Texas girl is in the Big Apple this week!  Staying in a great 2 bedroom apt on Park Avenue (yes, pinching myself)… incredible place to be this time of year.  I used the very chic gym this morning… wow.  Got a super workout and ready to tackle some sights today. 

Visited Battery Park yesterday (planned to do the Statue of Liberty but the wait was 2 hours long) so we strolled around and then made it to Ground Zero.  I was there several months after, but it is still hard to believe what happened.  We let the kids enjoy riding the subway, LOL!  (no trains or subways in Texas) and then took them to see Toys R Us in Times Square (not a big fan of crowds, but we HAD to do it). Stopped at Rockefeller Center skating rink and meandered our way back… stopping and doing some shopping (power shopping of course) along Madison Ave.  Yes, I can be a simple gal from Texas, but nothing is better than having some sweet shopping.  This is definitely the place.  It started drizzling last night and there is some talk about possible snow today.  Ick.  Don’t need that to interrupt our activities.  Of course, the kiddos WANT it to snow. 

After this trip I will be back into my training again.  My motivational gymrat(s) will be there to inspire me even more… lol!  Yes… you know who you are!  Nothing like the new year to start new fun and new progress! 

Ok… to my Texas gal pals… Kathy and Sandra… keep the gym on simmer for me!!  lol!  I will have updates for ya….   You too Susan!  Meanwhile, I will make sure I eat some NY pizza for you….and of course, the champagne girl that I am, I will be sipping champagne… and not just on New Years, either!

I told a friend of mine recently that there has NEVER been a day where I wake up and dread going to the gym.  Honestly!!! Getting up in the dark doesn’t stop me… I actually wake up before the alarm goes off and am ready to go!  The key to starting a new regimen is making it a habit. 

 I recently attended several Christmas parties and friends who haven’t seen me since the summer just dropped their jaws.  Funny thing…. they all asked if I was using a personal trainer.  Nope.  All on my own.  Women want to know how is it that I get up at 4:45 and workout everyday, without fail.  I tell them its a matter of starting their plan… focus on what result they want and keep after it.  The key is to focus and make working out a HABIT.  Once its a habit, you will do it regardless… no second guessing whether you should make it to the gym, especially if you go first thing in the morning.

The holidays are here and doesn’t really make a difference to my diet.  Its perseverance that delivers results!  Stay focused and keep training hard!