Getting through Monday

To say that today was a beautiful day in Kuwait is an understatement. The sun was shining, the sky was clear, a slight breeze was blowing ... it was so tempting for me to skip work and stay at the gym and lounge poolside.

The view from the kickboxing studio this morning

After warming up on the treadmill a bit I headed to the studio to do some kickboxing practice. I worked out barefoot for the first time & I also used my shin guards for the first time -- they'll definitely help minimize the bruising on my legs. I worked out for about an hour and half before having to rush off to work.

Work went well today though I now have a huge stack of grading to do, which is always a bit of a downer. Still, the semester is almost over!!! Can't wait.

This afternoon I headed to CrossFit. Due to a last minute schedule change (and me having a previous engagement for after CrossFit) I had to leave early. I was a bit annoyed because of the time change - but as always, you've just got to make the most of it.

I felt some improvement in my pull-ups, though I'm still working with the thickest resistance band. My WOD was 7 minutes of AMRAP alternating 10 thrusters (w/a 10 kg plate) and 10 burpees. Think you can't get much of a workout in 7 minutes --- think again! I was drenched in sweat by the end of those 7 minutes!

I had a meeting with a potential private MMA instructor right after CrossFit. The meeting went well though nothing has been confirmed. Will have to see how it all unfolds.

My night ended with a girl's night out with some of my girlfriends who I hadn't seen in quite some time. It was a nice relaxing way to end what turned out to be quite a hectic day!


Today's Food
Breakfast #1: Banana, 2 dates, 1 T peanut butter
Breakfast #2: Tuna fish salad (like yesterday)
Lunch: Fish & vegetables (leftovers from last night's dinner)
Dinner: 1 cup of yogurt
Snacks throughout the day: 1 cup green tea; 2 peanut butter date balls; 1 oz dark chocolate


Today's Workouts
Warm-up: 2 km on the treadmill - easy walk
Main workout: Kickboxing (1 hour)
Burpees: 120 (I'm so behind in my challenge)
Squats Challenge Day #7: 80 squats

The Last Day

Today's the last official day of the week long break. I've still got the weekend ahead, but today's the last working day that I have off ... part of me wanted to just chill at home and relax. However, part of me also thought - today's the last day I can get a nice, long, no-rushed workout in before my crazy schedule starts again on Sunday.

I didn't get to the gym till about 8 a.m. I was just going to do a short warm-up and then do weights, but H, one of the trainers who I used to do a bit of boxing/kickboxing training with said he'd put the bag up for me.

He asked me what I wanted to practice, and I told him my roundhouse kicks needed some major work - especially with my left side. I just wasn't getting my foot positioning right or my hips to open up enough. So he stayed and worked with me --- kick after kick after kick ... 1,000 per leg. He held one of the bags against his leg for me to practice -- it was not in a good state after I finished.

Afterwards he told me to kick him - shins, thighs, torso and then arm. Holy shit. His arms were harder than the wall. He is rock solid muscle. My shins were (are) mega-sore!!

So I did that for an hour and half ... for a split second I thought about going home, but then thought, No. I've got time to spend at the gym today. I really should hit the weights since I'm already behind with my training schedule.

I finished Workout A2 of the Fat Loss II program in New Rules of Lifting. The push-presses are definitely challenging, but I felt nice and strong with all the other lifts.

One of the highlights of my day was slipping into a new pair of jeans. I haven't worn this size jean since 1996, and even then I only fit into them for 5-6 months. I've never worn a size smaller ... so that's something to definitely aim towards!!

I spent the rest of the day chillin' with friends, in particular my new little sweetheart Dani - he's one week old :)

Tomorrow's my weigh-in and February reflection post. I'm feeling optimistic. 

One-on-One

Ok. Instead of taking you through my day, I'm just gonna start backwards.

I just got back from kickboxing class. I went even though I still am not feeling 100%. However, since it's mainly just a sore throat - no sniffling, sneezing, coughing etc - I thought, this is ok. I can suck it up and just go through with it.

Plus, LJ, the other girl who goes to kickboxing class, sent me a message earlier asking if I was going to be there. At that point I still wasn't sure, but since I left her on her own for yesterday's class, I really wanted to make an effort to go there.

Working out in a small group definitely gives me an extra push.

Groups are great because you establish a rapport. You also have a bit more accountability - like if you skip a class, the trainer and your partners are there to ask you why and tell you off it it's not a good excuse (all in the name of wanting the best for you of course). Anyway.

What I didn't know is that LJ got held up at work and I was the only one in class -- my first one-on-one training session with Marc. Boy did he work me hard! It was great. We went straight through the hour with just 3 1-min rest breaks -- worked on all the punches, elbows (love 'em), knees, and kicks as well as self-defense. The hour flew by!

I felt fine except for a bit of extra dryness in my throat.

So glad (as usual) that I made it to the class.

The rest of my day was fine. A bit tiring - lecturing for 3 hours with a sore throat is not fun.

Hoping for an early night tonight - definitely need some rest.

Today's Workout
MMA training: cardio kickboxing (1 hour)
Stretching: 15 minutes

Today's Food
Breakfast: 2 omelet 'muffins' & 1/2 avocado
Lunch: leftover veggies from last night's dinner & 1 omelet 'muffin'
Dinner: a whole life challenge friendly version of Shepherd's pie
Snacks: 1 banana, 3 dates, 1 cup of green tea


Click here for today's Whole Life Challenge VLOG & update :)

The Weekend is Finally Here!

Ok, my idea of having Wednesdays as a 'chill day' is not translating into reality. I don't teach on most Wednesdays, so I do have to to get things done ... but that often means I end up being busier than ever.

Yesterday was so busy that I didn't really have the energy to blog. I was so exhausted after my evening workouts (Body Balance in the morning, then Zumba followed by Cardio Kickboxing at night) that all I really wanted to do was sleep!!

Unfortunately, because I was so busy yesterday, I didn't get through the stack of grading that I wanted to get done. That meant that I was at my desk at 5 o'clock this morning quickly planning a lesson and creating slides for today's class. Not fun, especially because it was encroaching on my morning workout time.

I left the house at 7 a.m. -- that's usually the time I'm finishing my warm-up at the gym! I contemplated not going at all since I knew I wouldn't be able to complete the workout that I had planned on doing. Then I thought, what the heck. Let me just go and do what I can.

I warmed up with 3 minutes of jump rope and then got straight to my weights workout. Since this is the final workout portion A of this phase, I really wanted to end by upping a few of the weights. This is how it went:

2 sets; 15 reps each
Squats: last set 65kg (143 lbs) [increased by 5 kg (11 lbs) for the last set]
Lunges: last set 55kg (121 lbs) [increased by 5 kg (11 lbs) for the last set]

Then came the big challenge -- one arm dumbbell rows. I've been lifting 17.5 kg, which has been tough but not impossible. Today, I kept staring at these:

20kg dumbbells (44 lbs)

I really wanted to lift them for my dumbbell rows, but I was slightly hesitant -- would I be able to do them. The answer is: YES!! I did, and I was so happy :) It wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. Only the last 3-4 reps on my left arm felt tough. Other than that, it felt great!!

The workout ended with 2 sets of 20 push-ups followed by 2 sets of 20 Swiss ball crunches.

I didn't have time to do my interval training, so I just did burpees until it was time for me to cool down and stretch. I got 70 done.

So, it was a bit rushed at the gym this morning, but I got my workout in. I worked out for exactly one hour, which isn't too shabby.

Tonight I've got taekwondo and Jiujitsu practice after which I've got a farewell dinner to attend.

I love all my workouts, but I really am glad that tonight is the end of my big workouts of the week for me. It's not the exercises that are draining, it's more the prep time and the bloody laundry that follows that irks me.

On to the weekend!!!


Yesterday's Workouts
Stretching: Body Balance (1 hour)
Cardio: Zumba (1 hour)
MMA training: Cardio Kickboxing (1 1/2 hours)
Burpees: 0

Today's Workouts
Weights: NROL Workout 6A
Stretching: 15 minutes
MMA training: Taekwondo & BJJ (1 1/2 hours)
Burpees: 70 {challenge total: 1,240/20,130}


Yesterday's Food
Breakfast: Omelet muffins & 1/2 avocado
Lunch: Felafel bites (homemade) with a tomato salad
Dinner: Quinoa with vegetables and grilled chicken
Snacks: 2 dates

Today's Food
Breakfast: Banana & 2 teaspoons of peanut butter; Omelet muffins & 1/2 avocado
Lunch: Baked salmon over quinoa with vegetables
Dinner: Grilled lamb + hummus and tabbouleh
Snacks: 2 dates and green tea

Rushing through Monday

My killer workouts on Saturday and Sunday definitely caught up to me today. I could barely get out of bed. I slept in for an extra hour (so I was up at 5:30 instead of 4:30) and that definitely helped. I also decided not to go to the gym this morning (Monday's are scheduled as my optional morning workout day) and instead did 45 minutes of really good yoga and stretching. I bought this book - Ultimate Flexibility - and started doing a few of the exercises in that book. It felt great.

Breakfast was delicious -- my omelet muffins with avocado (recipe coming soon, I promise):

Work was alright.
Acupuncture went well. I've definitely become more comfortable with the process, and I'm really relieved that the dizziness following the session has pretty much completely subsided.


I had a late lunch - 2 tuna burgers (no bun or anything, just the patty -- recipe for this to follow soon too).

After that, I was really tempted to nap, but earlier in the day I had started to do some of my Nutrition Studies reading, so I completed the section, took the quiz, and scored 100% :) Yay!

Rush, rush, rush -- dinner prep, a bit of cleaning, then out the door (cursing through traffic) to kickboxing class where I took out a lot of stress. Man it was a fabulous session. Great pad work plus some dirty elbows - love 'em ;)


Dinner was another new recipe - baked cod with dill & lemon accompanied by some veggies. I felt that the cod was a bit dry so I think the recipe needs some tweaking before I post it. However, the vegetables were yummy!!

Another busy, busy day -- now off to bed feeling satisfyingly sore :)


Today's Workouts
Stretching: 45 minutes of yoga & stretching
MMA training: 1.15 hrs. of cardio kickboxing at ClubFit
Burpees: 20

Today's Food
Breakfast: 3 omelet muffins and half an avocado
Lunch: 2 tuna patties
Dinner: baked cod with vegetables
Snacks: 1/4 cup of mixed raw nuts, 2 dates, 1 oz. of 85% dark chocolate

Prep Day

Saturdays seem to be my prep day for the week - to-do & lists done, menu planned, clothes sorted, laundry folded, lessons planned, and so on.

Before kickboxing tonight I made the mistake of telling my trainer Marc that Wednesday's class wasn't as intense as it usually was ... so he took it upon himself to kick my ass. It felt great, but boy am I spent!

Yesterday's day of rest definitely did me some good. Although it sucks that the weekend is over, I think I'm ready for the week ahead.

Today's Workout
MMA training: Cardio Kickboxing @ ClubFit (1 1/2 hours)
Stretching: 15 minutes
Burpees: 60 {challenge total 1,060/20,130}

Today's Food
Breakfast: Banana & coffee
Lunch: Leftover vegetables in coconut sauce with some of last night's fish
Dinner: Homemade chili
Snack: 2 dates

Wednesdays are My Chill Day

I love that I don't teach on most Wednesdays this semester. It's kinda like a surprise treat in the middle of the week - a day off, then one more day of teaching, and then the weekend.

I had a late night last night so it was kinda nice to get another hour or two extra of sleep (meaning up at 6:45 instead of 4:45 a.m.). The only problem I have with 'lazing' around is that it makes me more lazy and I really don't want to get out of bed.

I've decided to take it easy on Wednesday mornings - spend a bit of time at home, doing things in the house, reading a bit, catching up on blogs etc.

I got to the gym around 9:30 a.m. and just chilled with some of my friends before the 10 a.m. Body Balance class.

Me in the Body Balance studio before class

I took some time to catch up on some reading for my upcoming paper and enjoy the sunshine at the cafe at our gym after showering and changing. I wasn't sure what to do for lunch because I realized that I hadn't made an extra portion of dinner last night, so I decided to grab a salad - their broiled shrimp avocado salad is delicious (no dressing) - and have it at home. Not having to frantically worry about cooking lunch and preparing meals was the highlight of my chill day!

Last week I found out that there was a Zumba class being held in the studio where I do my cardio kickboxing. The class is from 5-6, and it is taught by the person who introduced Zumba to Kuwait. I had been dying to meet her for ages (and I found out she's actually married to one of my classmates, who happens to be the guy who owns the gym where I do my kickboxing) ... Since I really miss doing Zumba and can't fit in the classes that are at my regular gym into my current schedule, I decided to try it out.

It was AMAZING. Her class was way better than any other that I've attended. She's got a fabulous energy about her. I felt a bit stiff since I really haven't done any Zumba since October, but I caught on and did pretty well for my first class with her choreography - I think.

I was dripping with sweat by the time class was over, and although Marc said I didn't need to warm-up with the kickboxing group since I was already warmed up, I did their warm-up anyway.

Had a great kickboxing class, and by the time I was done, I was more than ready to be home, in my pjs, and in bed!!


Today's Workout
Cardio: Zumba class (1 hour)
MMA: Cardio kickboxing (1 hour)
Stretching: Body Balance class (1 hour)
Burpees: 40 {challenge total: 960}

Today's Food
Breakfast: 3 egg muffins & half an avocado
Lunch: Broiled shrimp and avocado salad (from the PQ)
Dinner: White fish with half a sweet potato and legumes
Snacks: 4 dates - eaten throughout the day - and 1/4 cup of mixed nuts and raisins


It was a satisfying day :)

Fly By Post

Insanely busy day today so just a quick check in.

4:30 a.m. Wake up
6:30 a.m. Gym - a bit of cardio; kettlebell swings; taekwondo practice; burpees; skipping; pull-up practice; and ab work plus some really good stretching
9:15 a.m. Work - good class followed by a research interview
1:30 p.m. Acupuncture
3:00 p.m. Home/Lunch/Rest/Dinner Prep
5:15 p.m. Off to kickboxing - extra long session today
8:15 p.m. Home

Knackered.

Today's Workouts
Cardio: Treadmill
Gym: General conditioning
Stretching: 15 minutes
MMA: Cardio Kickboxing @ ClubFit (1 1/2 hours)
Burpees: 60 {challenge total 900/20,130}

Today's Food
Breakfast: Banana & then 3 egg muffins & half an avocado after the gym at work
Lunch: Scallops and edamame (leftovers from last night)
Dinner: Baked salmon on puy lentils & stewed tomatoes and carrots (new recipe; delicious; will share)
Snack: 2 dates

G'Night.

Back to 'Normal'

From tomorrow, things will be back to normal, and I am so EXCITED!

D's parents left Kuwait today, so that marks the end of family visits (dad earlier this month and his parents for the past ten days), which also means that I can finally get into my routine the way I would like it to be.

My proper teaching schedule starts tomorrow, and that will basically be the foundation of my day. The rest of my routine will be organized around my classes/office hours/meetings/prep/marking etc. Although having time off is nice, I definitely function better when I've got a schedule in place and a routine to follow.

Not having out of town visitors also means no more eating out. Even though I tried to make the best choices when I went out, I know I ate more than usual and the foods were not always prepared in the healthiest way possible. Now I am back in control in terms of food and that feels really, really good.

I've pretty much got a clear stretch to work & workout for the next 7 weeks after which I've got my first trip of the year (Dallas, TX for a conference - yay!). I really, really want to make these next 7 weeks count and hopefully reward myself with a mini shopping spree in the States :)

Week in Review (Jan. 20 - 26)
Workouts: 13 in total [1 outdoor walk/run; 1 body balance class; 3 cardio-focus sessions; 2 weight training sessions; 6 MMA training practices]
Daily stretching: 7 days - 15 minutes a day
Burpee count: 340 {challenge total: 780/20,130}

Plan for the upcoming week -- try to complete as many things on my January 2013 Checklist!! I'm especially falling behind on my academic stuff. I really can't slack in that area. I've got a lot of catching up to do. I definitely have to modify my plans for next month and make them a bit more realistic. Most importantly, totally clean up my eating!!


Today's Workout
MMA: Cardio Kickboxing @ClubFit (1 hour 15 min)
Stretching: 15 minutes
Burpees: 30 {chalenge total: 780/20,130}

Today's Food
Breakfast: 1/2 blueberry muffin & caramel latte (ya, I know); 1/2 egg white omelet (it wasn't very good) & green tea
Lunch: grilled lamb w/hummus and pita bread
Dinner: tandoori fish; curried potatoes and rice (leftovers from yesterday)
Snacks: a few different sweets - mindless eating really *shaking my head*

Alright, it's the end of the weekend. My meals for the week are done; my outfits for work have been laid out. My intended workouts have been outlined. A good night's rest and I should be good to go! 

Putting up a Fight

In my recent posts, comments from both Marion at Affection for Fitness and Marc at Fat of Fit? got me thinking -- what are my fitness goals.

I'm doing a lot of different things at the moment, and while it may seem a bit chaotic, I'm actually really enjoying everything I'm doing. In fact there are several other things I'd be doing right now if I had more time (and I'd probably need more energy) - namely CrossFit, Zumba, and RPM.

Since I can't do it all (hrrumph) I'm focusing on MMA at the moment. I'm doing a combination of boxing, kickboxing, taekwondo, and Jiujitsu. What I'd really like to do is get to the point where I have developed very good technique and some bad ass power behind my punches (I'm very, very close). I still have a LOT of work to do on my kicks and knees. The ultimate goal is to train at Fight Club Kuwait. They're really intense and very, very good. I want to be sure I have a good foundation and feel up to it before I join so that I'm totally committed --- and then I can really kick some ass!

Right now I'm doing my MMA training 5-6 nights a week.

In the mornings I'm working on my cardio, resistance training, and flexibility.

Again, it may seem like a lot, but I believe all the workouts compliment each other ... and as long as I make sure to eat right and get proper rest, I think I'll be fine.

--------------

This morning I headed to Body Balance class. I cannot emphasize how much I absolutely adore that class. Many people come in and assume that it's going to be easy stretching and just some basic yoga. Let me tell you, we work up a sweat!

This evening I had cardio kickboxing. I was happy to be rockin' my new t-shirt from Fight Club Kuwait - co-sponsored with Fighting Against Rape, a foundation in Sweden that promotes self-denfense for women (and men).

I tried a spinning back fist today for the first time -- loved it, though of course I need more practice. :)

Today's Workout
Stretching: Body Balance (1 hour)
MMA: Cardio Kickboxing @ ClubFit (1 hour)
Burpees 40 {challenge total: 650/20,130

Today's Food
Breakfast: Egg muffins with quarter an avocado
Lunch: Grilled shrimp with sundried tomato
Dinner: White fish cooked with sweet potato, sugar snap peas, bell peppers, and mushrooms

If it doesn't challenge you ...

To lose weight and get healthy takes consistent effort. About 8 or 9 years ago, I wasn't making any effort. Then I finally started going to the gym, but I didn't change anything about my eating habits. I barely lost any weight.

Then I started to change my eating habits (quantity not quality) plus exercise, and the weight started coming off a bit more.

Finally I got the combination right -- exercise & eat clean. That's when the real progress happened.

That's where I'm at right now ... but where to go from here? I obviously still have a long way to go, but if I'm already following that winning combination, what do I do next?


I feel like each step has involved a reevaluation of my goals and a recommitment to fitness. I had to accept that I needed to step up my game in some way in order to see the change I wanted to see. Exercise was good, but it wasn't enough. Watching my portions was good, but it was not enough. I needed to do more.

There were many times when I thought - Wow, how much more can I do?

The truth is, the little slip ups here and there (the 'one doesn't matter' mentality) were adding up. I wasn't ready for that. It wasn't working for me.

When I was talking to one of the trainers at my gym about the soreness I was feeling after doing the burpees he said to me -- That's when you need to push harder and do a few more. That's when your body will change. 

So that's where I'm at right now. I'm still working on cleaning up my diet more and in terms of exercise, I need to make sure that even if I'm doing a few exercises (new rules of lifting only involves 4-5 exercises per session), I need to make sure I focus on form and technique and push myself. It's good if it's tough. That means my body is working harder towards achieving the changes I want to see.

It was after talking to him that I decided to push through with the burpees. I knew that the soreness in my thighs wasn't an injury - it was just my muscle reacting to the exercise. The thing about resting for a day or two is that I had to go through that initial soreness again.

For the past 4 days I've been banging them out and I'm really happy to say I don't have any soreness. I can definitely feel their impact, but I'm not wincing in pain with every step. It feels good to know that I'm getting stronger.

------

Ironically, even though we signed in at work to start our semester yesterday, we didn't have work today ... and aside from our first day of class tomorrow, the rest of the week is off as well - gotta love Kuwait University! :)

I took advantage of the day by getting in an early workout and then heading to another acupuncture session. The acupuncturist wanted to see me twice this week to kind of kickstart the process, and then I'll continue once a week for the next month to see if the treatment helps at all with my pain reduction.

Did you know there were that many pressure points on our head? 

I've gotten used to the feeling of the needles, but the dizziness and light-headedness after the session is really annoying. I had some dates with me for a bit of sugar/energy after the session. I needed them!

I really wanted to go home and sleep after the session, but I forced myself to go to the supermarket. My fridge and pantry are in desperate need for some sweet potatoes, bell peppers, and salad stuff.

Having lunch pre-prepared was a blessing! I definitely need to make sure I stay on top of that because once the semester really gets into full swing, it'll get easy to start slacking.

A quick lunch, a nap on the couch, a few tasks around the house plus a few blog comments throughout the afternoon.

I had a killer kickboxing class this evening. Marc has really upped the intensity of our combinations and I'm happy to say that I'm keeping up! It felt brilliant leaving the club drenched in sweat.

Tonight's dinner was out at a buffet -- luckily they had several options of delicious fish. I really enjoyed my meal. I ate a bit more than usual, but nothing terrible at all.


Today's Workout
Weights: NROL - Workout 2B (about 30 minutes)
Burpees: 60 {challenge total: 590/20,130}
MMA: cardio kickboxing 45 minutes @ ClubFit
Stretching: 15 minutes

Today's Food
Breakfast: Banana & 3 dates (one after my workout, 2 after acupuncture)
Lunch: baked white fish with 1/3 sweet potato (leftovers from yesterday)
Dinner: variety of seafood along with salad, some lentil soup, and baklava

Phase 2 of 2013

Week in Review (Jan. 13 - 19)

As part of the 13 in 13 challenge, I wrote out goals for both the year and the month. In order to help me focus on what needed to be done, I typed up and printed out a very simple, basic checklist. I've spent many hours planning, organizing, making lists, and doing it over and over again until it looked right/looked appealing ... it got to the point where I spent too much bloody time planning and not nearly enough time doing! So this time I kept it simple:

I'm definitely behind which is really annoying, but it is what it is. I just gotta try and fill up as many more blanks as I can. At the end of the month I'll reevaluate the plan and modify as necessary.

I started off the year by writing down my workouts and what I ate at the end of my blog post. I need to get back to doing that. It'll help me keep track of what I'm doing and also how it is having an impact on my progress. Plus I know that tracking my food always helps me stick to my plan.

My week in review: 

Workout sessions: 3 cardio; 2 weight training; 5 martial arts; 1 body balance

Daily stretching: 7 days

Burpee count: 300 {challenge total: 440/20,130}

Plan for the upcoming week

I had such big plans for my 3 week vacation but it didn't go as well as I had hoped. I did get a few things done and I think I did the best I could in terms of exercise given my bronchitis. I'm actually kind of relieved that I'll be getting back into a more structured routine. I definitely think having the time off and being home for so much time (coz' of the illness) led to me eating more than I should have.

I start my new semester tomorrow. I spent about four hours today getting organized for the week.
What I got done:

• this week's menu [breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks] + grocery list
• filled in my planner with the week's errands and appointments
• organized my lessons
• tried on and selected my work outfits for the week
• wrote out my workouts

In addition to this I got some general house prep done - laundry, organizing, etc. This upcoming week will still be a bit off plan since D's parents are still here. However, I've worked that into my schedule as well. I'm hoping that I'll be able to stick to it, but I've got a few contingency plans set aside as well. Saturday mornings will definitely be put aside as my organization day. I feel much calmer and in control now that the plan has been written out. I'll be really happy if I'm able to implement it. We'll see how it goes.

Something new in my schedule that I started today was going to a Saturday session of kickboxing at ClubFit. We had a great class today. It totally got me revved up for the upcoming week.

Let's get Phase 2 of 2013 started!

The Burpees Did It

I've realized that the soreness in my thighs that I was feeling earlier this month is actually from the 60-daily burpees that I've been trying to do each day (I have not been successful at doing these on a daily basis, but I haven't given up). After doing my 60 burpees on Sunday (after a 9-day recovery period from my bronchitis) my thighs were killing me. I'm torn between just ignoring the soreness and continuing the burpees so that I don't have to keep going through this soreness or taking a day or two to rest and recover before continuing.

I did not do the burpees yesterday ... but now all I keep thinking about is how behind I am with my burpee count.

My workouts have been spot on.

Yesterday I went to Body Balance in the morning. Marko has taken over the class since his wife, who used to lead the class, has gone to work at another gym. I was a bit apprehensive about how the class would go. It's hard to switch to a new group exercise leader when you're so used to one person and their particular style (plus they know your strengths and weaknesses) but he was great & I really, really enjoyed the class.

At night I had a killer kickboxing session at ClubFit. Marc really pushed me in the beginning - forcing me to put out the idea of being sick and just focus on what I could do and bang out those punches. It was terrific.

Today I had another session at Sidekick Academy. The taekwondo/kickboxing session is nothing too new for me. They're quite technical about getting form and posture right, which is great. The Brazilian jiujitsu part is really interesting -- something very different from anything I've ever done before.

So, my exercise has been great.

The thing that I've been faltering with for the past 3 days is food. I don't know what's happened to me but I do know that I need to get a grip.

This is something that I've been chanting over and over to myself. There's no point exercising for 2-3 hours a day and then eating a bag of Doritos (which is what I did today). They were in the house and I ate them. I'm totally surprised at myself and on the other hand I'm not that surprised.

The appetite that I lost during the worst part of my bronchitis has obviously returned. First it was bread and cheese and today it was chips. This is not good. There's food leftover from when my dad was here - it's gone now - and now there are some munchies that are part of the welcome basket for D's parents. They arrive tomorrow so all that food will be gone too.

I'm definitely disappointed in myself. I should be able to share the same living space with a bag of chips and not give in to temptation ... the fact that I did so gluttonously consume something that I knew was bad for me makes me realize that I do have a long way to go. This is the first time in a LONG time that I had such a binge. I'm going to do my best to ensure that it's the absolute last time that happens.

I've always preached - Don't bring the food in the house. I broke this cardinal rule. Shame on me.

It's done. I'm here now.

There's work to be done!

Bewildered

I feel pretty confident that I know the difference between being sore and being injured. Although my arms and my thighs have been feeling crazy sore - the kind where you say ouch with every movement & you can't lift your arms to move your coffee cup to your lips let alone brush your hair - I really did put my soreness towards Monday push-ups/push presses & squats along with bike riding for the first time on Tuesday ...

The pain really did get quite bad so I took a painkiller. It didn't really help. This morning when I woke up, it felt worse (though possibly from inactivity during sleep). What really shocked me, however, was that both my triceps were swollen. My right arm was huge! I had never seen my arm react like that before.

Still, I'm convinced that it's not an injury. I guess my body just reacted negatively to the workout ... add the burpees plus the kickboxing from yesterday (particularly throwing elbows at the pads; that definitely didn't help), and I don't think I did my arms any favors.

I hate having to take painkillers, but I'm sticking to that at the moment. I decided to also try some KT tape. I really don't know if it works, and although their website is quite detailed, I have to admit that I'm a bit skeptical as to whether or not it really is effective. Still, it can't hurt, right? (I hope) [Has anyone ever used this tape? Did it help?]

This pain, unfortunately, has overshadowed the really big news of the day which is something that I've been looking forward to with great excitement and anticipation for the past two weeks ... I joined a martial arts academy!!

Sidekick Academy is the leading martial arts (namely taekwondo and jiu-jitsu) academy in Kuwait. I've heard many, many good things about it ... and today I decided to check it out. They told me you could try your first class for free - so I did and then I signed up! :)

I have quite a few things to say about the academy and my experience so I'll save that for another post.

In the meantime, I'm resting and trying to get through this soreness plus resist what feels like an oncoming cold (seriously?!).

My food was less than stellar today which surprises and disappoints me, but I know it's not a habit. It was carelessness on my part.

Today's Workout
Stretching: 15 minutes
Sidekick Academy: 1 1/2 hours (taekwondo/kickboxing & jiu-jitsu)
Burpees: 20 - arms and legs were just way too sore to continue past 20 {challenge total: 140/20,130}


Today's Food
Breakfast: Lebanese mezze with bread (again)
Lunch: Small baked sweet potato with black bean salsa (I've come to really like this combo)
Dinner: Pan seared white fish with half a baked potato and black bean salsa (as I said, I really like the combo plus I had made a ton of that salsa)
Snacks: cup of green tea; 6 chocolate covered coffee beans; 1 chocolate chip cookie; 1 chocolate tart (I'm not proud of those chocolate items; I think my emotions/general funk of my arm/leg pain got the best of me)

Pushing through the soreness

I was still super-sore this morning. I mean, super, super, super sore --- I could barely lift my hands up to my head to tie my hair back. I guess that's what I get for the 200 push presses (only a 20 kg/45 lb bar though - wtf?) along with 200 push-ups that we did on Monday. In addition to my arms, my thighs were killer sore - I think it's a combination of the 200+ squats from Monday as well as the frantic biking  of yesterday ...

Am I complaining? No.

I'm just surprised at how sore I am. Not doing CrossFit for 3 weeks will do that to you I guess!

I went to the gym this morning and couldn't help but laugh when I saw that it was empty. What happened to everyone's New Year's Resolutions? lol

I didn't have anything adventurous planned for this morning. I decided to do a slow and steady walk on the treadmill at an incline to loosen up my thigh muscles. The first 3 minutes were really painful. I actually thought about stopping, but I knew that the only way to loosen them up was to keep moving. Slowly but surely, my muscles began to loosen up and by the end of the half hour, I felt fine. My legs were still a little sore, but not anywhere close to how they were feeling before.

I then decided to tackle the burpees challenge that I set for myself. I never, ever thought that I would do burpees voluntarily, but as both Jenn and Norma have said before - if you hate it, you should do it! How else will I get better at them unless I practice (I'm saying all these positive things but believe me, I'm still resisting inside). Anyway - 60 burpees done.

Unfortunately since nobody showed up for Body Balance class it was cancelled so I had to stretch on my own. The instructor did work with me for a bit though to help me loosen up my tricep and chest muscles. It helped SO much!

I had the rest of the afternoon to get some errands done and rest a bit before heading out to kickboxing class. I was really nervous about how my legs and arms were going to hold up for the class, but I survived! I definitely paused more times than I would have liked to, but there were points when my arms were just burning. Still, no pain, no gain ... so I kept punching on. It was tough, but it felt great to be back!

At night I met up with a friend of mine who is visiting from the States. She's actually the only person I've literally known my whole life. It was lovely catching up :)

Today's Workout
Stretching: 20 minutes
Treadmill: 30 minutes (slow, inclined walk)
Burpees: 60 {challenge total: 120/20,130}
Cardio kickboxing: 1 hour {class at ClubFit}

Today's Food
Breakfast: Egg white and black bean salsa scramble (turned out much better than I expected)
Lunch: Small baked sweet potato with black bean salsa (I've got a ton that needs to be used up)
Dinner: Grilled lamb with some hummus and a few other bits of mezze + a piece of bread that I should have resisted :/
Snacks: 1 banana; 1 tablespoon of peanut butter; cup of green tea; 3 dates; 6 cranberries

Feeling Good

Today was one of those days where everything just seemed to turn out well.

I wore an outfit today to work that got several, several compliments - simple black bootleg trousers from the GAP and a sweater top from Top Shop (which is in the smallest size I own at the moment!). Some of my colleagues, who see me on a daily basis, didn't just make a passing comment about how I looked or my weight loss, but were surprised at the transformation. I hadn't realized the outfit was that flattering, though I admit that I felt good in it (it's the trousers and 5 inch heels that I think really did it!). Of course the compliments made me feel good.

I was a bit annoyed that I missed Body Balance class since I didn't finish work on time, but that gave me the chance to quickly meet with one of my friends who happens to be one of the top Muay Thai guys in Kuwait. I'd love to train with him, but I know I'm not ready ... yet. In the meantime he gave me some tips on how to strengthen my wrists because I feel like that's where I need the most work (along with staying firm in my stance) in terms of boxing/kickboxing.

I then had a few hours at home to catch up on some work as well as relax before heading out to kickboxing class.

For the past 3 weeks only me and one other guy have been showing up for kickboxing. It's been quite a challenge because we hold the boxing pads up for one another. Boy do my shoulders get a workout when he hits those pads. There were some punches last night that I thought were really going to take my right arm off. Still, it made me stand firmer in my stance and really focus on steeling myself to receiving the punches - definitely a good arm and shoulder workout! We also did a lot of moving pad work - the coach had me all over the gym floor. It is quite a challenge to stay strong in your stance, continue focusing on the power behind punches, as well as keep your guard up - not to mention make proper contact - as you're moving around so fast. It was a great drill. Some of my punches have really improved, though I seemed to be struggling with my left hook today.

In the middle of it all (I'm backtracking a little), an much anticipated package arrived for me.

I'll be traveling for part 2 of my best friend's wedding (the same friend who got married in Germany back in October). Since this ceremony will be taking place in India, I asked one of my friend's who is a fashion designer in Bangladesh if she could pick up an outfit for me. Instead of buying one off the rack, she asked for my measurements and designed and tailor-made an outfit for me. I asked her for the outfit 9 days ago so I was really tense about her being able to finish the outfit (she was embroidering stuff by hand) receiving it on time. It was supposed to arrive tomorrow, but - thank you DHL - it arrived today!! I was so nervous about it fitting right, especially since I just texted her my measurements, but it fit like a glove and I have to say, I felt like a princess. I'm so excited to be wearing the outfit next week!! [Pictures will have to wait until then.]

My day finished off with a lovely dinner with friends I hadn't gotten together with in a while. We went to a steakhouse, and had steak as well as baked parsnips. I think I can officially say that I am no longer a vegetarian (or pescatarian) as I've had meat 3 times already this week! We'll see how that pans out. Anyway. It was a really satisfying, good day :)

My outfit for the night - loving my new Desigual coat and Dune polka-dot heels (though they are hidden by the trousers).

A closer look at the shoes :)

Being Judgmental

The Grand Avenues opened in Kuwait a couple of weeks ago. It's a new wing that's part of one of the existing malls here. There were a few stores that I was really looking forward to finally having here - particularly Williams Sonoma & West Elm.

Aside from a bunch of retail stores came several new restaurants. All of which have caused a lot of excitement among many people I know -- but no excitement for me. The three main attractions are Olive Garden, Red Lobster, and The Cheesecake Factory.

Five years ago, I would have been really excited about having these restaurants here. They reminded me of my time in the States, particularly my college years when a trip to these restaurants was a treat (especially when money was short).

However now, it's a completely different story. All I could think was, 'Great, more new restaurants opened in Kuwait, and still no place for me to enjoy a healthy meal.'

I had/have 0 interest in going to these restaurants. That being said, today I reluctantly met a friend at the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. There are lots of things I could say about the restaurant, wait staff, and service, but this is not a review of that ... let's just talk about the food.

Already going into the restaurant I knew that even options that looked healthy would not be -- still, I was going to take a chance. Maybe, just maybe they'd surprise me.

I was debating between a veggie burger (which I would have eaten without the bread, cheese, and fries) and the lunch plate of salmon and vegetables. My friend got the veggie burger and I ended up getting the salmon. There were two types of salmon on offer - herb crusted salmon, served with asparagus and broccoli, and grilled salmon served with broccoli and mashed potato (so I was told). I decided to go with the herb crusted salmon.

When it arrived, the salmon covered in chopped parsley was balancing on a HUGE pile of mashed potatoes with 4 big spears of asparagus resting on the side and some cheesy butter sauce floating at the bottom of the dish. I asked for a separate plate and took the salmon off. I'm just really glad they didn't cover the salmon with that sauce.

Where was the broccoli? Why were there potatoes? Oh, she made a mistake.

I was not in the mood to argue (actually, I was in the mood to argue which is why I held back and just let it go). The asparagus spears, after wiping them down, were good. The salmon tasted like water. The parley looked like it had been soaked and just patted on; there was no flavor whatsoever. I only ate half of the salmon - such a shame. I did try a few spoonfuls of the mashed potato - dangerously delicious. I quickly pushed the plate away because I knew that there was a risk of making an excuse 'Well, I didn't really eat my main dish, so I might as well eat this.' I already felt slightly guilty for eating the bit of mashed potatoes that I did. No need to feel worse.

I was totally unimpressed. My friend said his veggie burger was ok.

Not worth going back for.

As for the cheesecake offers - their feature of the day was a 4-layered cheesecake (2 original cheesecakes and 2 chocolate fudge cakes) plus chocolate fondant in the middle.

I felt sick just hearing that. It irritated me that they'd put together that type of combo. What's more is that it's not even a small taster sized slice -- it's massive. Even sharing it among 4 people wouldn't split the calories in a way that it could be justified ... anyway. We just said no thank you and left.

*sigh*

Food, obviously, is still an issue for me. I've been talking about it a lot lately because it's something I have to deal with on a daily basis. Eating out - restaurant or at someone's house - will continue to be a challenge. I don't want to be a brat and I don't want to be seen as judgmental, but there are somethings that I just don't want to eat.

I've got a dinner coming up on Sunday and I know that the dish of the night will be pasta. I really don't want to eat it. I'm already anxious thinking about it because I know the host will say - it's just one night. But I don't want to eat it ... and I will probably end up packing up a little something for myself and telling her from beforehand. I don't want to insult her, but I'm nervous that she'll take it the wrong way. My body just cannot handle that kind of starch. I don't want to impose my eating habits on anyone else, but I also don't want to compromise all that I've been working for. We'll see what happens.

Great kickboxing session today :)