Back to Basics

I've been getting quite a few emails asking for advice and strategies on how to lose weight. The basic premise of living a healthy lifestyle is something that is commonly addressed nowadays. A single search on the internet will lead you to thousands and thousands of sites talking about how to eat healthy and how to exercise efficiently. Perhaps this is the problem. There's just too much information out there and for someone who wants to get started, it can get overwhelming.

When people ask me what I did to lose weight, they're not happy with my answer. I talk about staying away from refined sugars and starches, not drinking soda, not eating anything with preservatives or artificial ingredients ... and the most common reaction is a look of horror followed by asking 'So, what do you eat?' When I add on my resistance training routine along with my Jiu-Jitsu, they shake their heads and say that it's impossible. That it's too much.

There are a few things I have to say to this:
1) I'm happy with the way I eat and the way I train.
2) The changes I made to my lifestyle did not happen overnight. They took time. They took discipline. They took deliberate thought and action until they became habits.
3) I do these things because they work for me.

While I do believe that the basic premise of living a healthy lifestyle is the same for everyone, the exact details will vary ... after all, it's your lifestyle.

You need to figure out what works for you -- what suits your tastes, what suits your routine. That being said, you also need to accept that changes will probably need to be made. You may need to cut a few things out of your diet, step up the intensity of your exercise, and rearrange your routine. You can't expect to continue to do the same thing and expect different results -- it's going to take some work.

There is no 'one size fits all' outline for how to live a healthy lifestyle. You really do have to sit down and figure out what works for you.

The first thing to do is go back to basics --
1) Set your goal(s)
2) Start eating a bit less
3) Start exercising a bit more

From there, come up with a food and fitness based plan on how to reach your goals. What you eat and how you train will differ depending on what your fitness goals are. Do you want to run a marathon? Enter a strong man/woman competition? Excel in MMA?

What you want to achieve will determine your actual plan.

Once you've figured that out, make changes in a way that you know you will be able to sustain. If you don't think you can cut out sugar, dairy, gluten, and red meat all at once, then don't. Set yourself up for success -- don't choose impossible goals or tasks that you dread. Remember, this is your life. You are in control. You make the choices -- and you have to own up to the consequences.

I really think it's important to start with small, simple changes, and then keep modifying as you go along.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with going all in from the very beginning. I cut everything out all at once and it worked for me -- but I'll be honest, it's not easy to sustain. I'm now trying to come up with a better balance that will suit my lifestyle.

When in doubt, keep it simple. Here are a few basic tips to get you started:

1. Drink more water (cut down/eliminate soda, juice, alcohol)
2. Eat more fresh foods (cut down/eliminate processed foods that are filled with artificial flavors and preservatives)
3. Move more (take the stairs instead of elevator, walk instead of drive, find a fun activity to participate in)
4. Eat less and chew more
5. Get enough sleep

You can do it -- just keep trying.

Lifestyle Challenge: Intensity

We're two weeks into our lifestyle challenge. If you're just hearing about it now and want to join, feel free to jump in -- it's never too late to start making little adjustments towards living a healthier lifestyle. You can read about the challenge details here.

For the first 2 weeks the focus has been to increase your water intake and decrease the intake of other beverages, particularly those with sugar (e.g. juices, sodas). Although we're starting a new focus, you should still continue to drink your minimum daily requirement of water.

The focus for the next 2 weeks will be on increasing the intensity of your activity. This doesn't have to be an aggressive increase - just a bit more to challenge yourself.

I've often found that my biggest accomplishments have been when I've made a 'mistake' -- I miscalculated the weight I put on the barbell and ended up lifting more than I thought I was; I got distracted while on the treadmill and ended up running for longer than I thought I could ... so many times it's our own belief that we may not be able to accomplish something that prevents us from trying.

If we don't try, we won't ever know how much we can do.

So, the challenge is to try and push yourself a bit more this week. Some suggestions of how to do this:

1) Add a few extra reps to your sets or even add an extra set to your workout routine
2) Add more resistance to your training -- increase the weight on your lifts, when stretching use a resistance band, hold that plank for a bit longer
3) Workout for longer -- if your step goal is 10,000/day, try to make it 10,500; if you go for a 30 minute walk, try to walk for 35 minutes
4) Speed it up -- if you walk, quicken your pace 30-second stretches; if you're doing walk/run intervals, try and increase your pace during your run

Since I don't think I'll have extra time this week, what I'll be focusing on is adding more resistance weight to my lifts and quickening my pace during both my walks and my jogs. I know that my plank pose holds suck, so I should probably work on increasing my hold time with those too.

Figure out what you can do to increase the intensity of your workouts (if you're not working out at all, use this challenge as a time to start, even if it's just 15 minutes a day). Make a plan and then starting from Monday put it in motion.

Here's a short article on 'The Afterburn Effect' -- describing how the body continues to burn calories following high intensity workouts.

My Goals

As I gear up for the end of the Whole Life Challenge and the beginning of the 100 Days to Summer Lifestyle Challenge, it's time for me to reassess my goals and set new ones.

My goal for the 8 week Whole Life Challenge was to focus more on lowering my body fat percentage vs. losing a certain number of kilos. I wanted to lose 4% of my body fat - I didn't hit that goal, but I'm happy to say that I lost 3.5% in addition to 4.5 kilos (10 lbs). You can read more about my reflections on the challenge here.

As we work up to the summer, my goal is to continue working on lowering my body fat percentage. Of course I still need to lose weight, but I what's more important to me is that I'm not back to my strength level as I was before. This past year and half has been tough on my strength training. Even now, I've been getting back into my routine gradually. I need to be more aggressive with my focus in the weight room.

The hardest thing for me has been about finding balance. Between either teaching or training Jiu-Jitsu every evening and doing all my other work/errands, it's been hard to squeeze in another hour or two at the gym on a regular basis, particularly without compromising my performance and affecting my energy levels.

Still, I know it's possible. I just have to keep focusing and working diligently -- and most importantly being more efficient with not just my workouts but my everyday tasks as well.

My overall goal is to lose weight and be healthier -- but for this challenge, my SMART goals are:

Long-term

1) Drop 6% body fat
2) Complete the C25K program (providing my knee doesn't hurt; if my knee hurts, then I'll just work on basic HIIT training)

Daily basis

3) Drink 4L of water
4) Minimum of 5,000 steps a day
5) Daily stretching for at least 10 minutes

It's so tempting to add more to the list. After all, 100 days is a long time, but I have to remember to be realistic. If I can achieve these goals by the start of summer, I'll definitely be happy!

It's time to get to work! 

SMART Goals

I don't know who originally came up with the concept of SMART goals, but it is definitely a great acronym and system for goal setting.

It's all well and good to have broad goals such as - I want to lose weight, I fit into X size of jeans, I want to be healthy. However, unless you break down those goals and come up with a realistic, achievable method of how to reach your target, the task will be really difficult.

So the big question is, what do you want to achieve by the beginning of summer?

1) Your goal in terms of this challenge can be anything. It can be to be at a certain weight, to fit into a specific clothing size, to do X number of push ups, to drop a certain percentage of fat -- whatever. It's your goal. You choose what's important to you. Whatever it is you choose - be specific.

2) Make sure your goal is measurable. Just saying you want to be healthy is not measurable enough. Think about what healthy means to you - does it mean drinking a certain amount of water, bringing your cholesterol down to a certain level? You need to be able to measure your achievement by the end of the challenge.

3) Be realistic with your goal. I may want to lose another 20 pounds, but I have to ask myself, can I really achieve that in 100 days in a way that is healthy and sustainable? When setting your goal, be realistic. Consider your circumstances before writing your goal down. Whatever you do, make sure your goal is achievable. Set yourself up for success!

4) Your goal(s) for this challenge should be relevant to what you are trying to achieve overall. Since this is a short challenge, what you set out to achieve should correspond to the overarching long-term goals you have for yourself. Knowing that you are doing something to help you accomplish what you've seen as your bigger picture will make it easier to stay focused and motivated.

5) I've already set the final criteria for this challenge which is to work within a specific time frame. When setting your goals think about all the components in relation to what you can achieve in the next 100 days. It's not a lot of time, yet it's also enough time to be able to accomplish something.

So, setting your SMART goal is your first challenge. When you've come up with your goal(s), write it down and keep it visible.

Start planning!

Living a Good Life

I've been distraught lately - I wish it was about something mundane or fixable, but it's a bit deeper than that. I've always been quite a sensitive person but more recently, with all the bad news around the world, my sensitivity has heightened and I've just felt quite overwhelmed by the state of our humanity - or lack of.

I know this sounds very existential and lofty, but it really has been having an impact on me -- I find it unfortunate that there are so many articles, blog posts, and videos urging people to be more accepting and kind to others. In 2015 do we really need to be told over and over again? How has our progress and advance in 'intelligence' and technology led is to a point where we are urging and pleading with people to be more understanding? It upsets me a great deal.

I started blogging as a way for me to track my progress with the hope that maybe it'll be interesting, informative, and even helpful to someone else along the way. It was with the hope of reaching other people and connecting with them - knowing that they are not alone in their struggles and worries - that I started sharing more personal details about myself and my struggles. It wasn't easy, but I felt it was important.

I feel like I have finally reached a point of balance in terms of my food and fitness. My eating and exercise are down to a routine. I know what works for me (my body, my metabolism, my lifestyle) and all I need is to be disciplined and focus so that I can continue to work towards reaching my ultimate goals. Since I have that part of my life sorted out, I think it's time to look at the bigger picture.

Teaching in general and now working with others to help improve their fitness and teaching the Bullyproof program to kids and Jiu-Jitsu, a form of self-defense, to adults, I have begun to see the bigger picture.

So much of what we teach the children is about confidence and standing up for themselves. More importantly, it's been about looking out for one another, being a good, kind person, and learning how to share and be accepting.

When I talk to kids about these concepts, they clearly know right from wrong. They lean towards kindness and acceptance, towards fun and laughter.

It makes me wonder - where along our journey towards adulthood do we forget these things?

I don't know what can be done on a large scale, but I truly believe that at the very least, we can do our own part to be good and spread goodness.

It is with all of this in mind that I am starting the next chapter in my story. Now that the healthy food and exercise habits are in place, I am focusing on improving my overall quality of life. This quality has nothing to do with materialistic things. Rather, it is about making the most of each day.

Much of this change already started for me when I moved to London. I knew that it would be a huge change for me - living a life so different from what I was used to. However, from the moment the move was decided, I also made a commitment to myself to be nothing but completely positive about the changes. While I won't deny that living in Kuwait was enjoyable, I can honestly say - I don't miss it. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to live in Kuwait … and now I'm thankful that I am living here.

Choosing to live in the now and be appreciative of all I have has kept my spirit light and happy. Instead of fretting about things I don't have anymore, I am thankful for all that I do have. Instead of living in the past, I am living in the moment. I still plan a bit for the future, but I have decided not to be anxious about it. I've tried the stressed/anxiety route. It didn't get me anywhere. The problems were still there.

Instead, I am focusing on living purely, enjoying every moment, and taking the time to live in the present. That doesn't mean I'm happy-go-lucky all the time. Trust me, I'm not. That's actually where the new challenge is going to be for me.

I don't want to let my emotions overwhelm me. Instead, I want to focus on more fundamental elements of living a good life - breathing deeply, watching my posture, smiling more, being more charitable, being kind, making decisions that I feel positive about, being brave, and so on. I feel like it's taken me a long time to come this this point in my life. I don't think I was ready for it before. I was too filled with anxiety and fear … but now I'm ready.

happy 

with hands up ready to tackle or embrace life - whatever the situation calls for

Happy 2015!!

Happy new year everyone!

I have 2 main focuses for this year:

1) Positivity
When I look back at the events of 2014, particularly the things that have been happening around the world, I see so much negativity, tragedy, negativity, and intolerance ... it's depressing. I don't know how I can make an impact on a large scale, but I do want to make an effort to have a more positive, happy outlook on things which I hope will spread to others.

In a way I feel like I already started this when the decision to move to London was made. I knew my life would be different here, but I chose not to think of the things that would be more 'difficult' than they were in Kuwait and instead focus on the adventure and take pleasure in the newness of things. It's worked wonderfully for me. I want to continue this positive attitude and be more conscious of living in the now and being happy and hopeful.

2) Balance
Over the past four years, I have been playing around with my food and fitness regimes - figuring out what works, what hasn't worked, what I enjoyed etc. I feel like I've finally arrived at the right combination. This year will be about implementing it within my life. In the past, because I wanted to do it ALL, I found that I just couldn't keep up with my schedule. I knew better, but I was a bit too ambitious and it left me feeling frustrated. This year, I'm keeping things simple and focused so that I make sure that my efforts lead to positive results.

I have my usual goals related to fitness and living a healthy lifestyle, but I don't see them really as new years resolutions as they've been the same focuses I've had for the past few years. They are already part of my lifestyle -- now it's all about tweaking my habits and being a bit more disciplined.

Both my discipline and balance will already be challenged in January as I prepare for a trip to Los Angeles at the end of this month for the Instructor Certification Program at the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu head office. I'm really excited but also quite nervous.

Travel is tough for both my fitness and food routines. However, I'm hoping that wanting to do really well in terms of performance at the academy will help me keep focused on my food until I travel (as well as during my trip). Plus, given that I am actually going to a Jiu-Jitsu academy, I know that I'll be training regularly so that should help.

In addition, the Whole Life Challenge begins on the 17th so I will have that structure to help keep me on track with my food. It'll definitely be tricky this time because I'll be away from home where I have control over my food, but I've managed before so I'm remaining optimistic that I'll succeed again. Also, this time, instead of doing the strictest level, I'm doing the intermediate level of the challenge which gives me a bit of leeway in terms of foods I can/can't have.

I don't really have specific plans for January. I know what I need to do so it's just about doing it. I am basically sticking to the guidelines that I set up for the 50 Day Challenge. I figure, until I can get the basics down without faltering, why add more?

In addition to these basic parameters, I want to:
1. Do 3 weight training sessions a week
2. Stretch daily
3. Follow the Gracie Diet parameters of leaving at least 4 1/2 hours between meals, no desserts, and following their food combination criteria ... This will be the most challenging, but I'll give it my best shot.
4. Blog regularly (3-4 posts a week)


In final news, in the interest of sharing my experience being a female practitioner of Jiu-Jitsu, I have launched a Jiu-Jitsu specific blog. Please do take a moment to check it out and do spread the word :) You can find it at: www.jitzchick.blogspot.co.uk

Wishing you all a wonderful 2015!

Don't Touch

When my little brother was almost 2 years old, he was incredibly curious. He wanted to get his hands on everything - and more than that, he wanted to put everything in his mouth! My mother was constantly running after him saying, 'Don't touch. Don't touch.'

One day, we saw my brother standing in front of my mom's dressing table, eyeing her glittering bottles of perfumes and clasping his little hands to his chest, shaking his head left to right muttering to himself, 'Don't touch. Don't touch.'

It was the cutest thing.

Those shiny bottles looked so tempting, but he knew better -- and all he could do was keep repeating to himself - 'Don't touch. Don't touch.'

It is with that mentality that I will be approaching this coming week. I've got a bit social weekend coming up ... and while I don't plan on 'going crazy' when it comes to the food, I know that there will be temptations. The best thing I can do is tell myself 'Don't touch' throughout the week so that maybe, if I feel like it, I can relax that discipline over the weekend.

My main goals for this work week are:

1) Eat clean - All meals should follow the whole life challenge guidelines and/or the Gracie Diet guidelines.
2) Eat every 4 1/2 - 5 hours -- no snacking in between.
3) Drink 3-4 L of water each day.
4) Exercise a minimum of 1 hour each day (3 lifting sessions, 2 HIIT sessions, 2 Jiu-Jitsu sessions this week)
5) Stretch daily
6) Track daily
7) Most importantly: Saying 'Don't touch. Don't touch. Don't touch.' to all those oh-so-tempting foods!

In addition to these tasks, I will try to do as many of my 'additional 50 Day Goals' as possible. The complete list is here. Let's see how many I can get done!

Hello December!

Here we are ... the last 31 days of the year. I can't believe it! When I look back on the past 11 months, a lot has happened. It's actually overwhelming to me to think of everything that has happened this past year ... but I am feeling truly blessed and happy.

Now that Thanksgiving is over and the leftover food is either packed up, given away, or thrown out, I am focusing on getting staying focused over the next few weeks. It will definitely be a challenge as there are many social events, in fact more social events over the next month than there have been in the entire time that I've been in London!! My focus on those occasions will definitely be on the company vs. the food. I've eaten enough good food. I have no cravings for anything ... and I think that's a great way to approach this food-focused festive season!

My goals for the month:
- Not gain any weight!!
- Continue to follow the basic guidelines of my 50 Day challenge -- I've been ok with most things but my tracking has been terrible. I need to refocus on that.
- I'm putting my muay thai on hold for the next 2 months while I focus on building a bit more muscle and improving my Jiu-Jitsu techniques.
- Blog and comment on blogs regularly.
- Work on my flexibility daily.

I'm starting the month eager and optimistic -- and I hope I end the month (and year) successfully!!

November Plan

If I get accepted into the final stage of the Instructor Certification Program, it means I'll be heading to Los Angeles towards the end of January -- in just under 12 weeks. With that in mind, I'm setting my goals for this month to help me get ready for that trip.

It's hard enough being tested on something ... add to that the fact that it'll be a physical test ... in front of a group of instructors and other students ... wearing a gi (something I'm still not completely comfortable in) just makes it feel a lot more stressful.

Just like when I went to defend my PhD, I need to be completely confident that I had done everything in my power to prepare me for that moment. I don't want to get there and think - I wish I had been more diligent with my eating or I wish I had been more focused with my training.

I have the end date in mind so there are no excuses. I cannot let January creep on me and still be stuck - stuck at a particular weight, stuck at a particular fitness level, stuck at a particular mentality.

If this is the direction that I want my life to go in, then I've got to do all I can to get there.

I now have a pretty good routine.

My physical activities include: Weight lifting, MetaFit (body weight HIIT), Muay Thai, Jiu-Jitsu, and Yoga. My main objective is to feel more sturdy and stable with my movements and less out of breath with my cardio.

My physical goals are: to drop a few inches and to lose weight (ideally 7 kg by the 3rd week of January). I want to feel comfortable doing my Jiu-Jitsu moves both in gi and no-gi training.

My food goals are: to still follow the Whole Life Challenge eating guidelines, giving myself 3 'bonus' points a week (which will most likely be 'spent' on coffee with milk), and trying to incorporate the Gracie Diet food grouping strategies into my meal prep. I want to minimize my natural sugar intake and focus more on eating raw and low glycemic index foods.
I know this sounds like a lot, but I plan on taking a slow and steady approach. At least the Whole Life Challenge type of eating feels easy to me. That will be my basic eating style. The other tweaks will be added gradually.

I have a long list of general tasks and errands to add to my goals for the month, but these are my basic food and fitness ones for now.

I've got a lot going on. Staying organized and productive will be key!

Down with the Flu

I have barely moved since Friday. I felt a cold coming on since earlier last week, but it all really hit me on Friday morning ... I've improved slightly in that every single inch of my body doesn't hurt, but other than that I'm still sniffling, coughing, and feeling blah in general.

Quick (belated) review of September:

Looking back on my September goals I did ok. I definitely could have done better.
Mind: I finished my book submission chapter & I read Zen in the Martial Arts
Body: I completed only 8 lifting sessions; I chose to skip a few in order to be rested for my blue belt test; I did my HIIT sessions as well as my BJJ sessions and definitely hit 27 total workouts even though my step count didn't come close to 65,000 per week (mainly coz' a lot of my sessions, e.g. yoga and weight lifting are intense but don't require a lot of steps)
In terms of food I've been doing great.
Soul: I'm really happy I've been able to incorporate 3 1-hour yoga sessions a week plus do daily stretching
Life: Shelving is up -- and that's about it!

I didn't count on so much of my life coming to a standstill as I worked on my writing. For about 10 days I barely did anything aside from workout for an hour or two and then stay glued to my desk. I was not too thrilled about that, but it's my fault for not working on my chapter from beforehand.

October has started off slow for me, particularly since I haven't been well.

I've decided to take the next few days off from any major workouts - just some basic exercises until I feel better. After that I think I'll be able to better focus on my goals for the rest of the month.

Two photos from my Blue Belt Test drills 

preparing to defend against an aggressive opponent

going for an armbar

Marching Forward

From what I've seen in the blogging world, when bloggers go silent or start to post infrequently or evasively, then it's a sign that they've probably/possibly gone off track.

I'm happy to report that that hasn't been the case for me.

I've been wanting to sit down and blog about what I've been doing, but I've just been too busy doing it! My days are even more packed than before. I didn't think it was possible, but it just goes to show, if you want something, you've got to make time for it.

So very briefly, here's the latest:

1. The Whole Life Challenge ends on Friday. I'm in tied first place (out of over 10,500 people worldwide). The challenge has gone well, though there were a few struggles along the way. I'll talk about those in another post.

2. The upcoming move to London, as you can imagine, is occupying my thoughts in a BIG way. Not only is there the physical packing up of the house, selling off of furniture, tons of paperwork to process out of Kuwait and process in to London, but more significantly, there's the emotional/mental difficulty of saying goodbye to a country that's been my home. Part of me is not ready to say goodbye, and another part of me already has one foot out the door. It's hard to find clarity or mental peace when you've got this huge change happening in your life.

3. The good thing about having a lot going on is that you're forced to be disciplined and diligent. I've got a general plan, but one thing that I've learned, especially over the past year and a half when I've dealt with traveling a lot, being really busy, and having many, many unscheduled interruptions, is that the best way to get things done is to JUST GET ON WITH IT.

4. The most positive thing I've noticed in my habits is that when I sat down to write my general routine, the first thing I allocated time for was sleep/rest/recovery. I of course had to block off time for work - there's no getting out of that one! I then scheduled in my workouts. After that, I allocated time for meal planning, grocery shopping, and food prep.

Then of course there's organizing, packing, research, personal training, blogging, and socializing. Those have been the toughest to schedule!

I'm trying to go to bed a bit earlier and get up a bit earlier. I'm making sure I have some work with me wherever I go, so if I find myself waiting for something or the other, it's not wasted time.

I know that before, I wouldn't have thought so much about sleep and food. I would just make do with whatever I could. As much as I love the quote that I posted above, I decided to apply it to other aspects of my life, not food and sleep. Those were anchored into my schedule. If I was going to workout the way I intended to, then I knew that I would not be able to mess around with my food/sleep.

All my efforts have to be focused on reaching my goals. I don't have time for much else. I honestly don't have the desire for much else. I'm focusing on what's important to me and what makes me happy. Luckily those things turn out to be the same, so I know that all the effort and time that I put in is totally going to be worth it.

Hello 2014!

Happy New Year!!

The last few weeks of 2013 were really busy for me, as you can see from my lack of posting towards the end of the year. I just couldn't seem to find the time to sit down and write. On top of all that, I feel sick again and spent the last 2 weeks of 2013 with another bout of bronchitis (and it's still lingering).

I spent the end of the year in Las Vegas. D & I decided to fly out for UFC 168. Since we were there for UFC 162 this past summer, during which the outcome of the main event (Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman) was very surprising (Weidman won), we decided to go and watch the rematch. On top of that, Ronda Rousey, my favorite female fighter, was fighting (Rousey won, yay!!). The event was awesome, and although it was a very long way to go for such a short period of time, it was totally worth it!

A few highlights of my trip:

Meeting UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Valasquez

Meeting Jessamyn Duke - Contender on The Ultimate Fighter Season 18 (TUF 18)

Meeting Shayna Baszler - Contender on The Ultimate Fighter Season 18 (TUF 18)

I met Grand Master Janice Somera earlier this year when she came to Kuwait to give a Kajukenbo seminar. Meeting her was really special for me as she somehow unlocked something inside of me that helped me dig deep and push forward, not just with MMA training, but with my approach to life in general. I don't think words can describe the positive and powerful influence she had on me. It was an absolute miracle that she was in Las Vegas at the same time I was -- being able to spend a few hours with her was a wonderful way to end the year.

Me at UFC 168

Team Rousey on board! 

So here we are, Jan. 1, 2014 -- I went back to my post from Jan. 1st of last year to see what I had written as my goals/expectations for the year. It was strange to read the goals. I feel like I accomplished a lot, but when it comes to actually looking at the list and ticking things off, 2013 was not a successful year for me. There are so many things I did not achieve (e.g. I gave up on my burpee challenge; I didn't run my 10km etc.) Is it strange that I feel like 2013 was a very good year for me yet I didn't achieve those goals? Maybe I need to keep track of all the things I did achieve that were not on my list of resolutions/goals:

- I became a certified Fitness Nutritionist
- I became a certified Fitness/Personal trainer
- I successfully completed the Whole Life Challenge twice (coming in 7th place and tied first respectively)
- I continued to consistently lose weight (though I did not reach my goal weight)
- I've made a lot of progress with my MMA training
- I feel like living healthy really is part of my lifestyle and I'm no longer frantically searching for the 'right way' to lose weight; I'm still tweaking, but I feel confident in knowing what I need to do and doing it

After writing all that down, I don't feel so bad. Of course there were many circumstances that I had not planned on during the year (illness, injury, out of town visitors, travel), but despite those, I think I did a good job staying on track.

I have only one overarching goal for 2014: Be healthy and happy. 

Each month I'll still be keeping track of my progress. Setting small monthly goals also helps me keep on track and keep moving forward.

Jan. 2014 Goals: 
(I'm still recovering from my cold & struggling with my wrist injury, so I don't think my physical activity will be too ambitious this month)

1) Daily stretching (minimum 15 minutes)
2) Complete 20 workouts
3) Drink at least 3.5 L of water on a daily basis
4) Post 2 recipes
5) Complete 1 abstract & sort through File 1 of research articles

November Goals

I'm a bit behind posting this because I've been a bit distracted with the end of the Whole Life Challenge. If you have a few minutes, please do take a moment and read my final post on my experience on the challenge this year.

I'm really happy with the progress I made over the past 8 weeks. I had one goal for this challenge: break through the weight plateau that I've been stuck on (I've been +/- 2 kg) for the past 8 months. It's been so frustrating, but I was determined to use this challenge to help me break through it -- and it did!

I'm super-pleased that I finished the challenge with a tied ranking in 1st place. I didn't use any of my bonus points, so I completed it with a perfect score :)

The tough part starts now -- how do I keep up the motivation while not having the challenge to provide parameters for myself? It's strange because it's a virtual challenge anyway. I mean, technically, I could cheat (though I'd just be cheating myself so I don't see any reason to cheat), but I didn't because I wanted to be honest when I logged in my scores. Shouldn't I be able to do the same now? Just because I don't have to log in my scores doesn't mean that I 'need' to break all the rules ...

I guess it comes down to discipline and vigilance now -- along with the answer to 'How bad do I want it?' burning inside me.

Another thing is to focus on goals. October was a bit of a disaster for me in terms of tracking and working towards my goals. I mean, overall I think I had a really successful month. However, it didn't really go according to plan.

I want to be a bit more disciplined for these next two months. Although I don't think I can drop the next 7 kg (15 lb) to hit my goal weight by the end of the year, I will, of course, keep working towards it. Again, my main aim is to end each month lighter than when I started.

November should go relatively smoothly. We've got out of town visitors coming again, but they're only here for a short visit. I've also got a short trip out of Kuwait planned (though not confirmed yet). Aside from that, I should be able to stick to my plans.

My Kajukenbo training restarts from Sunday. It'll be nice to have that anchored in my schedule again. However, my Jiujitsu training schedule is up in the air, so I'm going to have to deal with that uncertainty.

Something else I did in October that I didn't think I could do was that I completed all the quizzes for my Personal Trainer Certification (scoring 100% in all of them -- I'm a nerd; I have to gloat). I've even finished the first part of the final exam. There is one more multiple-choice part as well as 6 essay questions. I definitely need to make some good headway with those.

So, my goals for November are:

1) Weight loss: End the month lighter than what I started
2) Exercise: Complete 35 workouts + 3 yoga long yoga sessions
3) Personal trainer studies: complete part 2 of my final exam + 3 essays
4) Post 2-3 recipes
5) Academic: Work on 1 academic journal article (complete 2,000 words)
6) Home organization: Clear out storage room & organize donation boxes
7) Daily tracking of food, fitness, and finances
8) Sleep: Get a minimum of 6 hours of sleep each night
9) Yoga/STretching: Do at least 15 minutes of yoga/stretching everyday
10) Water intake: 3.5 L daily

I've been bad at linking up with Rebecca's 13 in 13 challenge. This month we're focusing on kindness. I think it's a perfect theme with Thanksgiving approaching! Be kind to others -- and definitely be kind to yourself :)

October Review

Happy Halloween!!!

Things have been busy over here! I really don't know where the week has gone. I don't even know where the month has gone!! Well, the end of the month is a perfect time to recap what's been going on and take a look at what's in store for November.


October in General
The two biggest challenges of October were my out of town guests and falling ill right after they left. I felt like I never really had control of my schedule. I was tired a lot. My flu progressed to bronchitis; it's 18 days later and I still haven't fully recovered. It's been a pain. I really struggle when I don't have a set plan/schedule. Add the illness to that --- ugh. I've spent most of the month feeling wiped out.

Still, I did try to keep active. Being on the Whole Life Challenge also helped me stay on track in terms of my food, so it hasn't been a total disaster.


My Weight
While I was sick, I really had no appetite. Still, I tried to eat. More importantly, I stuck to the WLC guidelines so that made sure I didn't eat unhealthily. I did drop a few kilos while I was sick. Of course it was great to see those numbers on the scale. However, I was worried that as I regained my strength and my appetite that I would also regain the weight.

I'm happy to say that wasn't the case. My goal of the Whole Life Challenge was to breakthrough a weight plateau that I've been stuck on for 8 months!!! I'm happy to say, that I've managed to do so. I'm weighing the lightest I've been in maybe 15 years ... I'm still not done, but I'm definitely inching closer to my goal.


My Training
My workouts have not been good this month. I haven't been to the gym since October 9th. I have, however, worked out. My workouts have mainly been walks, some home exercises, and jiujitsu practice. It really is all I've been able to manage while recovering from this illness. Even though I'm getting better, I'm still not back to my full training schedule. My bronchitis has lessened, but it's not gone yet. I still feel quite tired. Mentally, I want to go back. Physically, it's been tough.

I miss the weight room and I miss working up a big sweat after an intense HIIT cardio session. However, I'm still thoroughly enjoy ing Brazilian Jiujitsu training. I've been learning a few more intricate moves. It's been exciting!

that's me practicing the guillotine choke

A highlight from this week has been wearing a t-shirt back in July. I really liked it, but I was disappointed when I tried it on (after buying and getting back to my hotel) because I filled it out completely. It looked terrible on me. I shamefully hung it up in my closet thinking that I would never wear the t-shirt comfortably. Since I had lost a few kilos recently, I decided to try on the t-shirt before jiujitsu class last night -- and I was so happy! It was so roomy and comfortable (not baggy or loose, but just really comfortable). I usually don't like wearing men's cut t-shirts (they make me look boxy) but I didn't mind wearing this to class. It felt great. I knew that the numbers have been coming down on the scale, but it wasn't until I wore this that I really felt a physical change (well that and my jeans are now falling).

loving practicing omoplatas & super happy that my omoplata t-shirt finally fits well

I ended off the month with a workout at CrossFit Q8. It was great to be back, but I could really feel the impact of not having lifted weights in 3 weeks. It was tough. Still, as always, I leave the box smiley and sweaty ;)

There's a Halloween party tonight. I checked with the host beforehand about the food that will be served. Even though there are healthy options (gluten free foods, quinoa salad), none of them are Whole Life Challenge compliant. I asked if she would mind if I brought my own food, and she said it wasn't a problem. So it'll be grilled chicken, sweet potato, and some other veggies for my dinner. I've done this several times now. Remember, if your friends care about you, they'll understand and respect your choices -- so take a chance. Be healthy!

I'll be posting my November fitness goals tomorrow.

Finding My Footing

My dad comes to Kuwait every 3-4 months for his health check-up. He underwent a kidney transplant (he had kidney failure due to his diabetes) in 2002. Since then, he's kept up with his medical check-ups at the kidney transplant hospital here in Kuwait.

I've mentioned several times before during his previous visits that we often argue about food. Despite dad's health (diabetes, high blood pressure, and being a transplant patient), he does not lead a healthy lifestyle. He doesn't exercise, and he loves to eat all the foods that are bad for him.

When I was younger, I didn't notice these habits because I was partaking in them as well. I never developed the discipline of saying no, of eating smaller portions, or anything else.

Over the past year and a half, as I've become more and more into fitness and really changed my eating habits, it's become harder for me to watch him eat so unhealthily. He eats unhealthily for a 'normal' person, let alone one who is ill. It would be very upsetting for me to see him eat sweets, sneak in chocolate into the house, and overeat. He even talks about food being full of 'good' things like butter and cheese and syrup etc. Hearing that kind of talk makes me want to scream.

With each visit, I've gotten better at not letting it get to me. I mean, it still does, but this time I realized that even though I'm on the Whole Life Challenge, which prohibits sugar, I actually don't want anything that he was offering.

He brought a box of some of my favorite Bangladeshi sweets. It made me feel sad that despite me asking him over and over again - please, don't bring any sweets into the house - he still brought them. He knew I liked them, but instead of seeing it as tempting me (or torturing me), he brought them as a sign of affection (perhaps??). I know when this happened during one of his previous visits, I got really angry and upset. This time, it still upset me, but I let it go.

Just because the sweets are in the house doesn't mean that I have to eat them.

I need to take responsibility for my actions. I need to follow my set of beliefs about what is healthy for me and what I need to do for myself to be happy.

I finally felt secure in saying no.

I knew exactly why I was making my choices; I knew exactly what I wanted. None of it involved sweets or bread or foods that were deep fried.

Despite still struggling with those feelings of frustration and anger, I was much better at letting it go this time because I know I had found my footing. I was able to stand my ground and be firm with my decisions.

Back to CrossFit!

Today has been a strange day.

I started off with class -- my students are really, really quiet. I do hope that it's just coz' it's the first week of class and not the trend they'll be following for the rest of the semester. I'll definitely put a stop to that!

Then, since my brother's paperwork to join my department still isn't complete (you wouldn't believe the bureaucratic bullshit we've had to go through. Let's just put it this way, he was supposed to be here in May -- that's how much crazy paperwork we've had to do) the director asked me to cover his class.

Ugh!!! The last thing I want to do is spend extra time prepping and teaching a class that's not even mine. Since he's my brother, I'll said I'd do it, but I wasn't happy about it.

Later in the afternoon I find out that my brother's paperwork was finally completed and that he's arriving TOMORROW!! My first reaction - oh no! I'm not ready. I thought D & I would have one more weekend to ourselves before my brother came to stay with us. Ugh!! Frustrating.

Then I got over it and was just really happy and relieved that the paperwork was finally done and that I didn't have to teach his class -- Yay!! :)

So, it all worked out, but not without me going crazy for a few hours.

What really made the day good -- going back to CrossFit!

Unfortunately, with my Kajukenbo training and my BJJ training, I don't have the time in my schedule to attend CrossFit regularly. The class timing is in conflict with my other training sessions. However, I've decided to drop in whenever possible. I almost didn't go (preparing stuff for my brother - converting a room to be his bedroom etc.) but I'm SO glad I did. It felt great to get such a crazy sweat on in just 45 minutes!

Our workout:
Warm-up: 30 burpees, 30 squats
Strength/skill: Back squats -- reps: 8, 6, 6, 4, 2 (40 kg, 50 kg, 60 kg, 70 kg, 80 kg which is 176 lbs)
WOD: 16 min AMRAP: 10 front squats (20 kg); 15 knees to elbow (my first time doing them); 50 high knees or double-unders (I tried the double unders - it was tough!! It's been about 4 months since I practiced any double-unders. I was so happy when I finally managed to do 10 in a row!)

Sweaty & smiling leaving CrossFit Q8

I really, really wish that I could go regularly. However, given my schedule, I'll just have to be realistic and do the best I can. The last thing I want to do is take on too much to the point where I'm not doing any of my workouts effectively.

Gotta be realistic and reasonable if I want to make sure I can do the work to achieve my goals!

13 in 13 Post #7: September Plans

September is here! Summer is over, and the new semester has begun. It's time to really push forward and make sure the last 4 months of this year are awesome. The last thing I want is to look at my New Years resolutions on Dec. 31st and see that I haven't accomplished them.

Today has been great so far. Although I did have to go to work today, I won't have to go in on Sundays for pretty much most of the rest of the semester. With that in mind, I've decided to make Sundays the day when I try to hit my 1 rep max on a particular lift plus a long cardio session.

Attempting this today has made me realize how my lazy month of August has really caught up on me. I felt weak and slow. It's alright. I set a few benchmarks today, and I look forward to beating them!

I focused on Push Presses for my 1 rep max. I basically did 8 sets (reps: 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, 2, 2, 1). I maxed out at 42.5 kg (93.5 lbs). I think that's the max I reached several months ago. It was disappointed that I couldn't hit 45 kg (I tried, but couldn't get it over my head. I think if I had felt a bit more secure - had a spotter with me - perhaps I would have made it. Again, so much of all of this is in my bloody mind). Anyway. It's a starting point.

I wanted to do 1 hr 15 min of cardio on the treadmill, but 60 minutes is the maximum allotted time that you can input into the machine. So I decided to just stick to an hour (instead of doing an hour and then going again for 15 min) and work on improving my speed each time. I jogged for a total of 17 minutes and did a total of 6.46 km (4 miles) within that hour. I really need to improve that distance. I know I can do better.

The last few weeks of August were rough. I just couldn't pull out of my funk. Everything I did was just about going through the motions. I know that at times you just have to push through, but this was different. I was just emotionally somewhere else. Plus the evening Kajukenbo seminars really took up a lot of time. Still, I learned a lot, and it really was a great experience.

The Kajukenbo girls with the Grand Masters

Anyway. Enough of that. Today is a new day - the start of a new month; the beginning of a new term. Let's make the most of it!

My checklist for August didn't really workout well for me. I know that I accomplished quite a lot, but I stopped keeping track after a few days. I'm redoing my plan for September.

Here's a list of my goals for this month:

1) Weight loss: End the month lighter than what I started
2) Exercise: Complete 35 workouts this month
3) Personal Trainer studies: Complete 3 quizzes
4) Cooking: Try 1 new recipe and post 1 new recipe
5) Academic: Start writing the first draft of my chapter (word target: 3,000)
6) Burpees: Continue working towards the ultimate goal of 20,130
7) Yoga/Stretching: Do yoga every morning & a minimum of 15 minutes of deep stretching daily _ at least 3 yoga/balance/pilates classes this month
8) Keep a food, fitness, and finances journal: track daily and monitor progress/adjust accordingly
9) Sleep: Get a minimum of 6 hours of sleep each night
10) Home organization: Go through my CDs; organize room for A; de-clutter the kitchen

There's lots to be done, but I feel ready.

My menu is ready:

Plus I'm starting a new journal to track my food, fitness, and finances. Writing it down is so much easier than typing it out for me.

Here's to a great September! 

13 in 13 Post #4: March Review and February Goals

March has been quite a crazy month for me. My main struggle this month was an emotional/mental one.  I seem to have hit some kind of wall and I was having trouble pushing past it. I still went through the motions of daily exercise and healthy eating, but I felt empty while doing it. It was, as I said, just going through the motions. While continuing with good habits may keep me physically lighter, it weighs heavy on my heart and mind and thus the happiness and excitement I was getting from improving my life just wasn't there. I felt empty and heavy at the same time.

Anyway. That was then ... right now, I feel much better and I can say that overall March was a good month for me. I kept up with my checklist - it's working quite well - though because of a change in my routine (again) plus travel, I wasn't as diligent keeping track in the middle of the month.

One of the major changes this month was the lack of MMA training because my trainer has left Kuwait (he went on vacation and never came back!! I have yet to find a trainer to work with. In the meantime I'm practicing on my own though it's not the same ...).

A second change is that I've restarted CrossFit and have been going to spinning class regularly. I've now established a routine, but I am still eager to find a way to incorporate MMA training into my plan. How ironic that it's actually the only thing I really, really want to do yet the one thing that I can't seem to move forward with. Oh well, in the meantime I'm going to just stick to what I've got.

My routine for April kinda looks like this:
- Cardio: RPM, treadmill, rowing machine, outdoor track (5-6 times a week)
- Weights: New Rules of Lifting (3 times a week)
- CrossFit: strength, endurance, HIIT, skills (3 times a week)
- Flexibility: Body Balance and yoga (2 times a week)
- MMA training: mostly working on technique and trying to incorporate some sparring (2-3 times a week)

Here's where I stand:

March Targets	Accomplishment
Lose weight each month, no matter how much	1.4 kg (3 lbs) lost this month 1.5% loss of body fat 4.4 inches lost total
Burpees: 20,130 by the end of the year	625 completed this month 2,665 completed total
Daily stretching of 15 min/day	31/31 days completed
2 outdoor runs	3 completed
Week 7 of C25K	2 days completed; 1 day left
4 body balance/Pilates/yoga classes	4 completed
10 cardio sessions	15 completed
10 weight training sessions	10 completed
10 MMA training sessions	3 completed
ISSA Final exam	started but haven’t completed
4 recipes – post	---
1 chapters & 4 articles to read	only 2 articles read
AAAL Paper	done & presented
Organize bookshelf & cubbies	No! Room is in a bigger disaster!

Despite my schedule disruption, I had planned for about 40 workouts for the month and I managed to get in 45. This is not even including those days when I just did the bare minimum for the Whole Life Challenge (10 min stretching/10 min active recovery per day). I'm pretty pleased with that.

Our task for the month of March was to try something new -- I think for me it would be headstand practice! I'm getting much better at doing it; I can get into a full headstand position on my own - and slowly, not just shooting up; the control feels great - and I can hold myself up for a second or two, but I am eager to really establish my full balance on my own!

I need to organize my time better so that I can work towards my other targets as well. Sometimes I feel like I'm so busy working out that I don't have time to do anything else.

I have to remember it's all about balance. That's definitely going to be my focus this month.

Our task for the month of April is about money - thinking about money & how we spend it. I think I'll write up a separate post for that as there are definitely a few spending habits that I have changed along with the other lifestyle changes I've been making lately.

Again, most of my goals for April are quite similar to those of the previous months. This month instead of breaking down my workouts into a specific type, I'm just going to put a general target of how many workouts I want to do this month and on the side list any specific targets (e.g. C25K).

April 2013 Goals

1) Weight loss: End the month lighter than what I started
2) Exercise: Complete 40 workouts this month
3) Nutrition Studies: Complete the final exam (the deadline is April 12th so I don't have a choice)
4) Cooking: Post my recipes!!!
5) Academic: Work on chapter abstract; get some reading done
6) Burpees: Continue working towards the ultimate goal of 20,130
7) Yoga/Stretching: Reintroduce yoga in the morning & do a minimum of 15 minutes of deep stretching daily
8) Other: Get my room organized; de-clutter; and catch up on emails

Lots to do, so let's get it done!!

I'll leave you with my favorite pix from March :)

 Front squat sequence (3 sets/10 reps; 50 kg/110 lbs)

Boxing practice with my new UFC gloves