The New Plan

I'm back in Kuwait! It feels kinda surreal at the moment. I know I haven't been away for that long, but I think with all the stress and hectic-ness of the trip it feels like I've been away for ages.

Today I've basically been sorting myself out - unpacking, doing laundry, making lists ... Although I'm exhausted, unpacking all my goodies from my trip has helped me mentally prepare for what lies ahead, particularly in terms of continuing my fitness regime.

First of all, I purchased an Omron digital fat monitoring scale. The scale has sensors that readnot only your weight, but also your body fat percentage and your BMI. It was really easy to set up - I just had to enter my height, age, and gender. Up to four different people can use the scale and have their info saved on it. To test it out I had to step onthe scale - I wasn't completely ready to do that. I mean, I just arrived today (and I had just had lunch!) but still, I stepped on and was actually quite surprised to find that I had only gained 800 grams over thepastthree weeks. Granted it would have been better if I had lost some weight (or at least maintained) but I wasn't too fussed. It's amazing how just walking around in London and all that travel can be just as effective as going to the gym. Anyway. The scale is all set - I'll keep you posted on how it's working out for me.

The other thing I did was bring a bunch of different nutrition/protein bars home. I know that sounds weird, but I came across some brand that you don't get in Kuwait and others that were just so much cheaper in London (particularly because they were on sale!) Anyway. I thought it would be handy to have those close so that I don't mindlessly munch on something unhealthy when I'm at home studying. Did you notice the name of the whey protein bars on the right side of the picture? PhD -- fitting, don't you think? :)

I also bought quite a few new gym clothes. I can't wait to try them out!

As for my plan, well, in terms of working out for the next three weeks I'm not going to follow a rigid schedule. I'm usually very specific when it comes to planning my routine, but this time I'm just setting general guidelines for myself that way I won't feel too much pressure about doing a particular activity on a particular day (at a particular time!). So for now, it's just broad goals.

Week 1 (Sun. 11 - Sat. 17)

Cardio: 4 cardio sessions [2 HIIT and 2 endurance/aerobic class]

Resistance training: NROL4W Stage 1 Workout 8A and 8B

Balance and Stretching: 2 classes - either body balance, pilates, or yoga

Week 2 (Sun. 18 - Sat. 24)

Cardio: 4 cardio sessions [3 HIIT and 1 endurance/aerobic class]

Resistance training: NROL4W Stage 1 Challenge Workouts A and B; Start Stage 2 Workout 1A

Balance and Stretching: 2 classes - either body balance, pilates, or yoga

Week 3 (Sun. 25 - Sat. 1)

Cardio: 4 cardio sessions [3 HIIT and 1 endurance/aerobic class]

Resistance training: NROL4W Stage 2 Workouts 1B + 2A and 2B

Balance and Stretching: 2 classes - either body balance, pilates, or yoga

So that's the plan. I'm looking at about 8-10 hours of exercise per week. The one promise that I am making to myself is that I will not beat myself up if I can't stick to this plan or I have to skip a workout because of my thesis work. This plan is the maximum that I'm going to try to do ... the very minimum that I want to do is to just keep breathing.