Ending the Month on a High Note

Wow, October has been super busy and also very, very fulfilling.

You  know that t-shirt that says Eat, Sleep, Train Repeat? Well, add in Study and Cook and that pretty much sums up my life. It's routine. It's predictable. It's all very satisfying :)

Ever since I started studying for the Instructor's Certification Program, I have been overwhelmed with work. The curriculum is a lot more detailed than I had expected. It's been an amazing learning experience. I have particularly loved how I've seen links between the teaching methodology I've applied while teaching English at a university and what is applied to teaching martial arts. It's been fascinating. Although it's been a lot of work, I really have been quite thrilled at all the new things I've been learning. I've made quite a bit of progress through the curriculum over the past 2 weeks. There's still a lot more to be done ... I'll definitely be nervous until I find out whether or not I've qualified for the next level.

There's about another week of the Whole Life Challenge left. I've been completely spot on with everything - my nutrition, my workouts, my lifestyle challenges ... I have used some of my indulgence points and have learned a lot about my food mindset in the process. I'll be posting my reflections on the challenge on my WLC blog later on. The food parameters of the challenge definitely suit me. The only thing I still have to work on is my desire for something sweet. I tried a few challenge-compliant desserts this time (different things sweetened with dates), and while they were nutritionally sound, this past week I've given up on those as well because I really need to not want something sweet at all. It's tough. It's something that I'll continue to work on.

The good thing is that I've got my food prep down to quite a routine. I do spend quite a lot of time on Sundays getting food ready for the week. It is worth it though. I just wish I could do it ALL on Sunday. I still end up spending a couple of hours a day with food prep - particularly dinner. I'm getting better at it, but as much as I love cooking, I would like to cut down a bit more kitchen time. Let's see how November goes ...

I finished my Weights program. It was a tough one -- fewer sets and reps, heavier weights. As much as I loved pushing myself and lifting heavy, it was a difficult program to follow. First of all, I didn't count on having to take so much time to recover from my lifts. After I did my 90 kg squats, it took me a good 4 days before I felt completely like myself. Part of it is that I haven't really been fully resting - I'm either at MetaFit, Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, or Yoga ... so my schedule is packed. It's fun and I do enjoy it all, but I the heavy lifts threw me off a bit. Once I got to the really heavy lifts, I was only lifting once, maybe twice a week. I'm happy with the progress I made, but I'm glad to be scaling back to a more regular program until the start of next year.

Yesterday, I went up to 100 kg on my Deadlifts. This was a big accomplishment for me given that I really suffered when I dislocated my wrist at the end of last year. Refraining from any weight training for 4 months and then starting again from really light weights was difficult for me - psychologically more than physically. However, I'm so glad I (for once) actually listened to my doctor and followed my rehab program to the letter. It helped me get to where I am today. I still haven't hit my 120 max as before, but I'll get there.

Here's a comparison pic - the top photo is of me doing Deadlifts for the first time after dislocating my wrist. It was taken in March 2014 at I'm tentatively lifting 25 kg. Then there's the mini video excerpt of me lifting 100 kg. Prior to that 100 kg lift, I had completed 3 sets of 6 reps at 70, 80, and 90 kg respectively, so I felt great about my progress. Onward and upward! :)