New Beginnings

I woke up 45 minutes before my alarm this morning. I don't normally laze in bed, but I just was not ready to get up. Staying in bed is definitely the first risk of going off track with my day. As 7 a.m. rolled around, I started to think - It's so warm in bed. Do I really want to get up now? Maybe I need more sleep. - The little voice in my head would not stop! Luckily I shrugged it off and was out of bed and ready to start my day just a few minutes later.

Just that little incident made me realize how easy it is to get thrown off track, even when you've got the best of intentions! My excitement from yesterday hadn't dissipated, but still … the warmth of my bed nearly eliminated any chances of a successful, productive day.

Luckily that was not the case.

I made it to the gym for my morning workout. It had been a LONG time since I had been to the gym. In fact, I can't even remember the last time I did any weight training - probably sometime back in November or December. I definitely missed it.

After being away from weight lifting for so long, I was nervous about getting back into it. I was not looking forward to the soreness that was sure to follow in a couple of days. I was also not looking forward to noting down how much strength I had lost due to lack of training.

Still, I knew that the only way to rebuild my strength/muscle was to get back to it, so that's what I did.

back at the squat bar

The workout went a lot better than I thought it would go. I'm doing each exercise for 4 sets at 10 reps each. With the high number of reps, I wasn't expecting to be able to go super heavy ... definitely not at first. That being said, I'm pleased with how much I was able to lift today ... and I'm eager to see how the rest of the program goes.

After my lifting session, I got on the treadmill for an HIIT session. I decided to give the C25K program another try - after all, I was so close to finishing it before. I'm disappointed that I never completed it. I'm going to see how it goes - I hope my knees hold up. For today, it went well. I didn't go super fast on my jogging portions, but it was fast enough for me to be a bit breathless at the end. I'll keep upping the intensity gradually as I proceed through the program.

I ended my training with some core work, Jiu-Jitsu drills, and yoga. I had not done a deep stretching session in a long time and it felt really good. Even though I have been stretching daily as part of the whole life challenge requirements, today I spent 30 minutes stretching and using my foam roller. It was heavenly!

So my first day on my new routine went well. I was on point with my food plus I managed to cross off quite a few things on my list of things to do.

my foods for today

tea and dates in the morning, chicken, avocado, and sweet potato for lunch, shrimp lettuce wraps at night, coconut water and a banana muffin as a snack

(recipes for my meals to follow soon - they need a bit of tweaking first)

Ending the Month on a High Note

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Settling Down

This past weekend felt very hectic for me. Although I was very productive, I didn't feel like I had much of a chance to relax and rest -- and boy, after the week of training I had, I definitely needed the rest. I had a few aches that resurfaced and I wasn't too happy about feeling my knee pain resurface ... gotta get back to doing my physio. I shouldn't have slacked on that so much.

In any case, I definitely feel like this is the first week that I actually have a proper schedule. I used to be teased in Kuwait that I had a membership to at least 3 gyms/training centers (I think at one point it was 4) at the same time while some people can barely keep up with one. Well, it seems like 3 training centers is what is in my English future as well. I've officially joined the martial arts school for both Muay Thai and Yoga; I've got the Jiujitsu classes, and of course I've got the gym where I'm doing weights and MetaFit.

I know it sounds like a lot, but they actually all really compliment each other. I do the MetaFit classes right after doing my weights, so a good dose of HIIT after lifting. As I've probably mentioned before, I need to build my strength and cardio endurance in order to do well in my MMA training ... and yoga is the perfect way to stretch out after all those classes.

At first when I looked at my schedule, I felt like I needed to add something to my Monday routine since I didn't have any classes scheduled.

Now that I've gotten through the day, I have to say - Thank Goodness!!!

Monday is definitely a recovery day for me. A bit of stretching and walking is good enough for me. It gives me a chance to get some errands done, get my food prep done, and work on my research, which I have totally been procrastinating with!

So, things are falling into place and that makes me really happy.

I spent quite a bit of time getting my menu prepared for the Whole Life Challenge. I can't wait for it to begin. I'm definitely ready to get back into a more disciplined routine. There's still time to join my team if you're interested. You can read about it here and you can check out that blog in general for tips on working towards getting yourself ready for the challenge. With all those holiday celebrations coming up  and 2015 right around the corner, this challenge comes at the perfect time to help refocus and push forward to achieve all those new years goals that were set on Jan. 1st. Time is flying -- gotta end the year on a high note (and lower weight)!

General Update

Things have been ok over here. I'm slowly getting into my new routine. I've got a martial arts place that I'm going to check out tomorrow to see how I can incorporate some Muay Thai into my routine. I'm enjoying my Jiujitsu practice, which I'll be doing 5x a week now, but I really do miss punching and kicking! I hope this new place will have what I'm looking for.

I haven't lifted weights since I returned from Bangkok. I've got my routine all written out, but for some reason I just haven't been able to muster up the enthusiasm to lift -- something very strange for me.

I think part of it is that the Jiujitsu training has been late in the evening. I don't seem to be getting home before 9:30/10:00 p.m. This has thrown off my eating and sleeping schedule. So I'm a bit out of sorts.

Last Sunday I went to the grocery store without a menu or list. I bought the ingredients that I normally buy, but somehow it just didn't come together for me. I felt out of practice.

Yesterday I got back in the kitchen with some mega veggie prep and lots of proteins in the oven. It felt good! Now all I need is a good night's sleep.

Practicing my Triangle Choke

Right Back into It

I think my jet lag has worked in my favor this time -- well, slightly.

I did not get much sleep on the plane, so I was more than ready to hit the sack soon after I got home (just before midnight). I slept so soundly that I woke up refreshed at 6 a.m. and I was ready to go.

I mainly took care of a few errands, did a ton of laundry, and got in my workouts.

I was debating whether or not I should lift weights. In the end I ended up doing just over 3 km on the treadmill before MetaFit class. As exhausting as all that jumping around was, it was the perfect way to get right back into my fitness routine.

Although I started to get more tired towards the evening, I powered through and got to Jiujitsu class in the evening.

I am so determined to make the most of each day in terms of my workouts and food -- I just feel like no matter what kind of routine or plan I set for myself, inevitably something will come up. With that in mind, I want to focus on the day ahead and give it all I've got.

Speaking of giving it all I've got ...

Another round of the Whole LIfe Challenge begins on September 13, 2014. I've done the Whole Life Challenge several times over the past 2 years and I've always been so happy with the results. Aside from the 8 weeks of the challenge, I've found that the results are long lasting because the good habits you develop over the course of the challenge become part of your routine. It's been the main thing that has helped keep me from straying too far from my goals.

The big question I have for you is -- are you brave enough to try it out?
For more information, you can check out my blog post: http://plumpetalsfitwlc.blogspot.co.uk

And if you feel like you're ready to join, then copy and paste this link:
http://www.whole.lc/wlcfall14/pt/plumpetalsfit -- and follow the prompts to complete the registration process.

(Early registration $39/GBP 24; regular registration feel $45/GBP 27.5) The official website has answers to many frequently asked questions (www.wholelifechallenge.com)

The New (two week) Plan

I found a nearby place for BJJ training. Fortunately for me, the classes don't start until the 1st week of August. Ramadan ends on July 28th so that works perfectly for me in terms of adjusting my eating, training, and sleeping schedule to this new routine.

Dealing with the long days has definitely been tricky in terms of thirst if I work out during the day, even if I go for a walk outside. I'm going to have to come up with the right balance as far as that is concerned.

Although it's the middle of the month, I've set goals for July. They're very simple, but they're goals nonetheless.

Goal 1: Hit my 10,000 steps count each day

Goal 2: Incorporate 2 resistance training routines per week

Goal 3: Stretch for 15 minutes daily
Goal 4: During long periods of sitting (e.g. when I'm doing my writing/research), get up and walk/move for 5 minutes every 30 minutes.

That's it.

Although I'm posting this today, I actually started implementing this plan from the 15th. It definitely needed some tweaking. I found that going out for a walk in the afternoon (particularly uphill) left me quite tired and thirsty. I will have to rethink the timing of my walks.

The combination of jet lag (up at around 2:30 a.m. each morning) and minimal food intake (there's only so much you can eat between 9:15 p.m. and 3:45 a.m. -- particularly when you want to get in a few hours of sleep!) has definitely left me weaker than I expected. Aside from a few hunger pangs during the day and a little bit of thirst, the fasting is actually fine. It's the fatigue from the lack of sleep that's mainly been getting to me.

I've been eating my usual dinners though now I'm eating at 9:15 p.m. Then, since I'm up because of my jet lag, around 3 a.m. I eat something - usually leftovers. The only beverage I've been drinking is water.

I estimate my calorie intake to be around 1200 even though I'm only eating 2 meals since my dinner portion has been a bit later than usual. I have mixed feelings about this - I know I need to get my calories in, but with such limited movement during the day, and particularly very little movement right after my meal, I don't know if I should tweak this? All I know is that I need to be sensible about my choices.

I weighed myself on the 15th and although I am a daily weigher, I will not check my weight again until August 1st. Although I am fasting, this is not a weight loss regime. It's religious ritual. I don't want the numbers on the scale to distract me from the real purpose behind fasting.

Here's a short article on fasting and your health if you're interested.

Back at the Gym!

How is it Thursday already???

It has been a busy, busy week - more furniture deliveries, more appointments, more errands ... but my biggest achievement this week was finally joining a gym!

As I mentioned a couple of times in my recent blog posts, there's a little gym close to my house. It's nothing fancy at all, but it's got everything I need.

What makes me happiness is that the first thing I see when I enter is a couple of boxing bags and several tires -- how perfect for me!

So, on Monday and Tuesday I went to the gym early in the morning. Early mornings really do work best for me, especially because at the moment I'm not working so I have no job to anchor my daily routine. It's so darn easy to just get stuck on the couch watching episodes of Come Dine with Me and Hoarders (2 shows that I've been watching a bit too much lately!). Anyway. On those two days I kind of just warmed my body up to doing exercise again - dynamic stretches, weights, some cardio, and then a cool down. I did my usual weights routine but with lighter weights than normal. It just felt good to get back in the gym.

Although I had my basic routine, I wanted something a bit more - so I decided to meet up with a personal trainer. I had my personal training session today. When I told the trainer about my normal routine, she was a bit unsure as to what to do with me. She said that I already had a good routine and that I looked like I knew what I was doing (which is the same comment the owner of the gym made the first day I went to workout). I told her I did know what I was doing, but I wanted something a bit more. I feel like she was a bit hesitant to give me something too challenging. I know she was getting to know me and she really didn't know my background so she needed to be cautious, but when she handed me a 4 kg dumbbell I had to kind of giggle as I handed it back and told her that I needed something heavier.

My main goals at the moment are to build up my strength so that it's back to where it was when I was doing CrossFit. I know it'll take some time, but I need to be sure I'm working in an environment that will support my desire to lift heavy (eventually). They definitely encourage weight lifting so that's not an issue, but I have a feeling that if they saw me load up the squat rack with 80 kilos (175 lbs), they'd freak out. Anyway.

She gave me some new challenging exercises to do and I'm happy to incorporate them into my routine. I was a bit surprised that she only gave me one routine - I'm used to doing 2-3 different routines a week partly to keep challenging myself but also to keep me from being bored. I think I'm going to take what she's given me and continue my own routine.

In addition to joining the gym, I went and checked out London Shootfighters - one of the top MMA gyms in London. Wow! I was so impressed. I didn't join them, but I did hang around for a couple of hours and watch a class plus watch some of their fighters train. Seriously jaw dropping amazement at the calibre of these fighters -- and this was just practice! The trainers were great - very warm and welcoming. I had such a great time.

As much as I would like to immediately jump in and join, I'm not 100% sure about it at this time. There are a few issues - particularly the commute there. Plus I'll be traveling soon so I don't know if I want start paying only to miss 3 weeks ... but it's something that I'm seriously considering. At least I checked it out and I know what I want to work towards -- very exciting stuff :) In the meantime, check out this fight featuring Michael Page (one of the guys I watched train at the gym) -- amazing!

Finding My Footing

I've been in London for just over a week now. I'm quite familiar with London because I've come here many times for vacation and stayed for an extended period of time. However, it's completely different now that I'm actually living here.

The past week has been spent getting to know my new little neighborhood, unpacking, getting the house sorted, figuring out where to buy things for the house, and getting over the general exhaustion from travel/packing up in Kuwait.

In addition to that, I've got to figure out my training and eating schedule.

In general things are falling into place; however, I don't have a set routine yet. Looking back at my blog posts I find that this has always been the downfall to my summer holidays. Even though I have plenty of time, it seems to get lost amidst the lack of structure (and of course the travel).

I still haven't found my footing.

One of the good things is that I've been doing a LOT of walking - much more than I would have normally done in Kuwait. I'm not driving here, so that means that I have to walk everywhere - grocery store, errands, etc. Of course there's public transport which I'll use when I'm leaving the neighborhood, but in general, I'm on my feet and I'm loving it.

The main thing that has thrown me is the weather. It is much colder than I was prepared for and it is rainy. Yes, I know that these two things are typical of England, but still - my Wellington boots and my sweaters are all in my cargo (which arrived today incidentally, but going through the 100+ boxes to get my warmer stuff out will take some time).

In any case, I'm working on my plan and I hope to start following it soon. I really do need to join some sort of gym for my strength training. I'm totally dreading starting over again, but I hope that with the right schedule and with discipline I'll be well on my way.

Update

Things have been going really well, and time is passing quickly - especially once the work week begins.

Last Saturday I went to the doctor to get my wrist checked. The good news is that it is healing well. Staying off it has been paying off. It's not back to 100% yet, but I have been given permission to start using it ... a little. I can get back to weights, but I have to restrict my movement to static movements. The main thing is that I shouldn't flex or twist my wrist. So, no front squats, no clean and press, nothing that carries a chance of having that cartilage tear some more. That kinda sucks, but I understand. At least there are plenty of exercises that I can do. I have to start with very light weights, as even the movement of getting into position can be risky. He recommends that I have someone hand me/position the weights to avoid that extra strain. I will also probably be using some of the weight machines. As much as I don't like them, at least it'll be something. Plus it'll be safe.

I still can't put any downward pressure on my wrist, so no push ups or anything that requires wrist stability. If I can do things on my forearms, then that's fine, but nothing on my wrist.

I'll go back and see him in 4-6 weeks and see how I'm progressing. In any case, I'll have to still be very, very careful over the next 3 months. We'll see how it goes after that.

Other than that, nothing too new going on. I've been hitting the gym every morning - cardio/weights, and doing my MMA training in the afternoons. I've been working with a client so occasionally I'll get in another workout (mild).

I've been doing really well with my food journal lately; however, I think I need to get back to actually tracking calories. My weight is hardly moving. I need to figure out how I can tweak my plan.

One of my recent workouts involved the Bosu ball, my speed jumprope (finally back to practicing double unders), steps, and weights -- it was so much fun!! 

Collateral Damage

Consequences. Consequences. Consequences.

I'm trying to wade through the consequences of everything that has been happening lately. Some good, some not so good. When one thing has happened, something else has suffered. So even though there have been many positive developments, there has also been quite a bit of collateral damage.

#1: I've been busy & we've had out of town visitors
I don't even remember the last time I posted. All I know is that it's been a while, and I'm so embarrassed that it has taken me so long to actually sit down and write a post. Another set of visitors from London came to Kuwait to visit. It was really lovely having them over.

Collateral damage: My routine!!! Ugh. I swear it feels like I've had no steady routine since before the summer. This was the 3rd set of visitors we've had from abroad and as much fun as it has been, not having some sort of structured schedule has really made me anxious.

Collateral damage: My food and exercise. I've still been exercising regularly, but not as vigorously as before. Plus there have been a few too many rest days because I have felt like I really, really needed the sleep. Late nights and early mornings are not a healthy combination. As for food, well, I did the best I could, but eating out really does not suit me at all!


#2: I traveled
I took a short trip to Dubai. It was a lot of fun catching up with friends and just getting out of Kuwait for a bit. Plus, even though I've been to Dubai before, I never really did any touristy things. This time we went dune bashing, camel riding, and ATV-ing over dunes in the desert. Plus we went to the top (well, 125 floors up) of Burj Khalifa (tallest building in the world). Quite a sight indeed!

No matter how many times I saw the tower, I was mesmerized. 

Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE 

The camel & I -- this was after my camel ride (it was really bumpy!) 

I felt a bit bad for the camel, but we had a bit of a cuddle afterwards :) 

Dubai 2013

Collateral damage: The socializing and touring was accompanied by one too many indulgences that have shown up on the scale. It was definitely alarming (especially at how quickly I could break my routine, scary!). The good thing is that since I've been back I've been a lot more careful and the weight is already steadily starting to come off.


#3: Being sick
I know I fell sick in October -- and guess what? I have yet to have 1 cough-free day. I'm still bloody coughing.

Collateral damage: I'm annoyed and I feel shitty. I really don't want to go back to the doctor, but the way I've been feeling these past few days --- it looks like I'll be making an appointment soon. It's really terrible.


#4: Injuring my wrist
My right wrist has been really sensitive for about a month now. Twisting, turning, and squeezing movements are really painful. Other things, like punching, are not. I don't know what it is. I really hope it heals soon, but I may have to go see a doctor for this as well -- blah.

Collateral damage: I've been away from weights for over a month. Aside from one CrossFit workout in between, I haven't been lifting weights. Let me tell you, I can feel the impact! I feel like my body shape is just starting to fall apart. I need to get back into the weight room quick! I've been doing exercises like squats, push-ups, and other body weight exercises at home --- but it's not the same as lifting weights. Fingers crossed I can make it to the gym on Thursday.


So that's pretty much what's been going on with me. Tomorrow will be a much more positive post. For now, I just wanted to catch up!

Momentary Routine

I’ve been back in Kuwait for 5 days now … and I’ll be traveling again in 4 days. That’s not much time to get back into a proper routine. After my last trip to London, I really struggled. I let the fact that I was only around for 9 days bring me down and distract me from what I really wanted.

Not this time.

I arrived on Tuesday morning and spent the day resting. Last time, I spent the time freaking out and worrying about whether or not I would have energy to go to the gym. I exhausted myself. I didn’t workout, and I felt guilty.

Not this time.

I unpacked, did my laundry, and I SLEPT. I was so tired. I slept for 4 hours in the afternoon and then I went to bed early. I needed the sleep. I felt much better after getting all that sleep.

When I woke up on Wednesday morning (tossing and turning from 3 a.m. and finally out of bed at 4 a.m.), I was ready to go.

I had 2 eggs with some mushrooms and tomatoes. I took my time getting ready and leaving the house (after all, I am on vacation!), and I made it to the gym by 7:45 a.m.

Some cardio and a body balance session was all I had planned for the day. The cardio felt good. I felt like I hadn’t missed anything because of all the walking I did in London. Body Balance, however, was tougher. I felt quite stiff. I didn’t stretch much over the past 2 weeks and it totally showed in class. (Note to self: get back to stretching daily!!)

Thursday was great – warm-up cardio, 1 hour weight session, and then 1 hour on the cross-trainer.

I really wanted to burn some calories so I just got on the cross-trainer, set it to interval training, and just zoned out and started sweating.

The weight lifting session was interesting. On the one hand, I felt strong. I think this is because I hadn’t lifted weights for quite some time so my muscles actually felt rested. On the other hand, I felt like I lost a bit of strength, particularly in my lateral pull-downs … but then, I’ve always struggled with those. I did 2 extra sets of each exercise with lighter warm-up weights. I didn’t want to strain myself (though I think I did when I was doing 15 kg (33 lb dumbbell per hand) dumbbell incline chest presses. It wasn’t the chest press as much as it was the movement of getting my arm in position to do the chest press). Anyway. I left the gym feeling good that I could complete those sets, but also felt a bit of a muscle strain around my left shoulder blade area. Must take care of that.

I went back to my normal Friday routine – which included 2 hours of Jiujitsu and sparring practice. Again, being away from training for 2 weeks really showed on the mats. It took me a while to both mentally and physically gear up for each move we practiced.

Yesterday I did something I had not done in a long time – burpees. I’ve been avoiding them. I’m avoiding them for the same reason that I took on this challenge – I hate them. They’re tough. They leave me breathless. I suck at them. 

This is why I must practice them!!

Perhaps I was too ambitious in my goal of completing 20,130 burpees by the end of the year, but that’s not an excuse not to practice them at least every other day, if not every single day.

The only thing holding me back is my mind – I am physically able to do them. In fact, the first 50 burpees (though tough) went down a lot easier than I had thought they would be. (Note to self: Stop second-guessing yourself and just do your damn burpees!)

So basically my strategy has been to just get back into my routine without giving it much thought. Being on vacation makes it very tempting to just sit back and do nothing but watch TV or read all day … but that doesn’t mean I can’t squeeze in an hour or two of exercise. I know that once I get started, I feel good – that’s why I try to workout first thing in the morning. At least I get it out of the way.

My food has been good since I got back. Like my workouts, I just went right back on plan. Lots of salads, lean protein, and vegetables. I bought some new spice blends in London - ones you can't get here in Kuwait - so that's helped give a bit of new flavor to my cooking.  I would say that my food is 90-95% clean. At the moment, that works for me. Gotta make the most of being home while I can. In 4 days, this momentary routine is going to seem like a dream … that’s when the real work is going to kick in!

By the way, my shoulder blade muscle strain is much, much better. Whew. 

New Routine and Being Confident

For the first day of the week, I have to say today didn't go too badly!

I started my new weights workout this morning, featuring chest presses, rows, and shoulder presses - all of different variations. I kind of start off a bit timid when I start a new program. Even though I keep track of what weights I lift, I'm not always sure which weights to start with. Just because I can do a 50 kg (110 lb) chest press (my 1 rep max) doesn't mean that I should start with that weight. In any case, it took a bit of time to warm-up to the routine, but I think it should be fine.

Class went well. We're nearing the end of the semester (less than a month to summer vacation!!) and I think my students are doing quite well. They've got their final writing test next week, and while I'm happy with their progress, I do feel a bit nervous - have I taught them everything they need to know: when they say they understand, do they really understand or are they just saying it? In any case, these are university students; they do have to take responsibility for their work.

This semester in class I've been making a lot of analogies between their approach to studying & my approach to my workouts. Just like I need to approach the gym with a positive attitude, that's what they need to do as well with their assignments. I told them that sometimes I look at my plan, or I look at the amount of weight I want to lift, and I have to muster up a lot of courage and energy into finding that belief in myself that I can do it. That's exactly how I want them to approach their assessments. Even if they think it's tough, they have to take a deep breath and just go for it ... and believe that they have all the tools necessary to do well.

So far the analogy has been working well. They like hearing about my progress in my workouts, and of course I love seeing the progress in their work!

I had a lovely leisurely lunch with an old friend today. We ended up chatting for almost 3 1/2 hours! It was great to just sit, talk, laugh, and relax. We went out for sushi -- I think sushi is one of those tricky foods in terms of ordering healthy. Overall it seems like a healthy choice, but there are many ways to get it wrong - soy sauce is loaded with sodium (though I've found some restaurants do offer low sodium versions); the white rice in rolls can add up in terms of calories and carbs; the 'special sauce' that is in a lot of rolls and salads often has a lot of mayonnaise and sugar; and of course tempura is deep fried crispiness over what could be healthy piece of fish.

Anyway. Sashimi and mustard (instead of soy sauce) have become my new friends at sushi restaurants. Today's ordering was half on point and half on the naughtier side, which is when portion control definitely comes into play!

Right after lunch I headed to the gym. My intention this week is to try to get 4-5 hours of solid cardio in. Although I was going to RPM 3-4 times a week, I didn't feel like it was enough or that I was working out properly enough for it to be as effective as I wanted it to be. So my new cardio routine is going to involve going to the gym earlier (around 4 pm) and doing my cardio. This way I should be home by 6 p.m. (versus staying for RPM class, which would get me home closer to 8 p.m.) - this gives me a bit more time to work and get things done around the house, especially prep for the next day!

I had my new playlist for my cardio - and it felt great to just be me, the music, and my workout! The only challenge was trying not to dance while I was on the treadmill!

I'm pleased with my start to the week -- just gotta keep it up. Busy days ahead!

Loved this quote! 

Today's Food
Breakfast #1: 2 dates; 1 T peanut butter
Breakfast #2: tuna fish salad (just 1 can tuna fish, 1/2 bell pepper; 1/2 tomato; 1/2 avocado + balasamic vinegar & some olive oil + dash of salt and pepper)
Lunch: sushi
Dinner: grilled fish (hammour, a local fish) and a veggie mix - bell peppers, cauliflower, and sweet potato
Snack: 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (cherry); 1/2 oz' dark chocolate

Today's Exercise
Morning - Warm-up: 1 km jog + Weights (1 hour)
Afternoon - Cardio: 45 minutes cross-trainer; 20 minutes treadmill

Some Changes

The past few days have been a bit chaotic over here. There have been some changes to my routine, and as much as I've been trying to be flexible and just go with the flow, sometimes it really does just throw me off balance and I need a moment (or a few days) to figure out how I'm going to proceed.

So let's start with some big news.

Eating Habits
From September to November of last year I participated in an 8-week challenge called the Whole Life Challenge. I recorded my whole experience here. If you just read the last post of the 8-week phase, you can see that I had great results through the challenge.

The Whole Life Challenge is being run again, and I'll be participating again. It starts soon - February 16th, and I can't wait.

There are many reasons why I'll be doing this challenge again, but you can read about it on my other blog. Actually -- that's something else I'll be changing. This time I'm going to try something new and post a video log on my Whole Life Challenge blog site. We'll see how that goes. I've never done it before, but I thought it would be a nice change.

Exercise Routine
The biggest change is that I'm no longer going to my Taekwondo & Jiujitsu classes. There are several reasons for this ... first of all, I wasn't really interested in learning Taekwondo. I was mainly attending the class because the BJJ class was included with the TKD. The BJJ class was only around 20 minutes long, so it seemed a waste driving a total of 40 minutes for a 20 minute class. I also did not like working out in a Gi at all. It was uncomfortable plus I wasn't learning BJJ to participate in any competitions. Rather I wanted to learn the technique - if you're on the ground, how do you get out of that vulnerable position? In reality if that ever happened, a no-Gi situation is more realistic. There's a bit of other drama going on there too, but I'm going to leave that off my blog and just stick to these reasons.

I'm a bit bummed because I do want to continue with Jiujitsu training so I need to figure out how to go about doing that.

I'm also a bit frantic now because I now have 3 evenings free! Free time?! What in the world do I do with that?! In my mind, actually, it's not 'free time' - rather I see it as missing 3 workouts, and that makes me really anxious!

So, on Sunday I didn't do anything, but on Tuesday (yesterday) I went to RPM class. I'm not sure what I'll do on Thursday. I have to admit it is kinda nice having some time to spare in the evenings because before every single night was taken up by my workouts. I know I workout in the mornings so it's not like I'm not exercising on those days ... but still. I have just been getting so into MMA training that I don't want to give any part of it up.

In any case, I think the next week or so may be filled with some impromptu evening exercises/exercise classes until I can figure out exactly what to do.

Morning cardio & weights workouts are continuing (I'll be starting a new phase of New Rules of Lifting soon since I just finished the break in phase); Cardio kickboxing classes are continuing 3 times a week; I've got Zumba once a week, and Body Balance once a week ... so overall, it's not too bad. It's just about making peace with these changes and moving forward with a plan that will help me reach my goals.

On the Blogging Front
I'm blogging through a new account now, but if everything has been set up right, then my blog posts should still show up on your readers and still read the same ... At least that's what I'm hoping. We'll see how it goes.

Now I've got a proper email linked to this account: plumpetals12@gmail.com -- so you can contact me if you wish :)

Other Stuff
Work: The grading is piling up and it SUCKS!!
Home: I had a bunch of stuff that needs sorting. Instead of having it in different rooms in the apartment, I've put all the stuff that needs sorting in one room. Now that room is such a MESS that I don't even want to go in it, hahaha. The rest of the flat, however, looks terrific!
Academic: Making slow/steady progress here, but I need to sit down and really get some proper writing done
Health: I'm really, really happy with how the acupuncture has been helping with my pain management. It's made such a difference to my day. What a relief!

I didn't do a week in review for last week, nor have I been posting my workouts & food since Friday I think. Everything's been fine. I've just been a bit too distracted to sit down and properly blog.

Although things aren't the way I'd like them to be right now, they're alright.

I'm going to keep workin' it out :)

me muckin' around with my computer's camera - February 12, 2013

My Day in Pictures

Same old stuff going on over here, so I thought I'd do something different today ... my day in photos.

It was a rainy drive to the gym this morning - yup, it was still dark outside. 

My first try at one of those take-a-picture-of-yourself-through-the-mirror -- during my workout this morning

A second self-portrait - after I'm showered and ready for work.

Traffic was unusually bad this morning; I'm glad I left the gym 5 minutes earlier than usual.

I knew I was going to be a bit short on time once I got to my office, so I ate my post-workout breakfast in the car -- sliced up omelet muffins & 1/2 an avocado.

The parking situation sucks at work; I usually park up here on the curb. It's one of the advantages of driving a Hummer ;) [yes I know it sucks for the environment, but I've made my peace with it]

A glimpse of part of the university building that I work in. They've been making some effort recently to add some greenery to the grounds. It definitely gives it a bit more of a welcoming look.

Some people are surprised I take the stairs at work; I'm surprised they don't! It's only 2 flights!

A few motivating words in my office for my students

I love my job, but there are days when I feel like this ... 

The main classroom I'm teaching in this semester. It's so plain and uninspiring. 

Unfortunately it's a shared classroom so there's not much I can do to liven it up. 

My mid-morning snack - mix of raw cashews, almonds, walnuts and some raisins. Only ate 1/4 of it.

A trip to the supermarket - fish/seafood; veggies; egg whites; raw nuts.

I found this stuck to my car door after coming out of the supermarket. I literally laughed out loud when I saw it. Some guy left his number on my car. That hasn't happened in quite a while, hahaha. 

We went from rainy weather in the morning to crazy dusty weather in the afternoon. It was really nasty!

Lunch - salmon over puy lentils. Same as last night's dinner (actually this pic is from last night - 

I was so hungry when I came home that I ate before I could take a pic). 

I had a busy afternoon. I needed to get some paperwork done for my car, but couldn't complete it because of the nasty weather outside. I had an unexpected guest drop by in the evening, and then I headed out for a girl's night at one of my friend's houses. Another busy day!

Today's Workout
Cardio: 15 minutes cross-trainer; 19 minutes treadmill HIIT
Weights: NROL Workout A4 -- I'm really pleased with how I performed today; definitely super-pleased about my 2 sets of 15 reps squats at 60kg (132 lbs); I improved in other areas as well
Stretching: 15 minutes
Burpees: 20 {challenge total: 920/20,130}

Today's Food
Breakfast: 2 dates; 1 tablespoon of peanut butter & then 3 egg muffins & half an avocado post-morning workout
Lunch: Baked salmon on puy lentils (leftovers)
Dinner: Big grilled vegetable salad that also had grilled halloumi in it
Snack: Small slice of chocolate cake at my friend's house; not on plan at all, but I have to admit I did enjoy it.

Looking forward to a hopefully more relaxing day tomorrow.

Back to Normal - Kinda

Up at 3 a.m. [just over 3 hours of sleep total]
Didn't stress about it since I had so much work to do - just got down to it.

Had the oven on at 5:15, had my first attempt at omelet muffins in the oven by 5:30. Breakfast was ready by 6 (2 whole eggs, 3/4 cup egg whites plus different diced veggies - bake 30 minutes). They came out really well.

Work was a bit chaotic as my students have their midterm exam tomorrow. I managed to calm them down a bit. I don't think they realize how much teachers worry about how well they're going to do. I definitely worry for them!

Spent 3 hours working on my research/writing (had a fruit salad for lunch) then headed in to the gym.

Pain was at about a 6/10 today -- much better than yesterday, so I just powered through.

The lack of sleep started to catch up on me, but I managed to get out 30 minutes on the treadmill followed by some work on my triceps, back, and my pull-ups.

I have to say, I like the way my arms are starting to look!

Made a yummy grilled salmon salad and vegged in front of the TV for an hour.

It's just past 10 p.m. now and I am knackered!!

Off to bed in a bit - hope I can make up some of the lost hours of sleep from last night.

Only 3 days left of the Whole Life Challenge!! You can check out that blog for more of my ramblings :)

Omelet Muffins (w/mushrooms, bell peppers, and tomatoes)

Mishaps are Routine

I think one of the only ways I made it through the past nine months is by finally accepting the fact that no matter how well thought out or planned my routine is, some sort of disruption will happen.

Before, I used to want to control my day so rigorously that I would have major anxiety attacks or get incredibly frustrated, irritated, and angry that things weren't going my way. That feeling of no control was terrible. However, I found myself in that situation often. It's during those times that I found my fitness and nutrition took a back seat.

As I went through my final year of my PhD, I realized that I had to give up that control. Just because I made my PhD a priority didn't mean that I was giving up or ignoring my fitness and nutrition goals. They could go hand in hand - my routine may not go exactly as planned, but there were still ways that I could get around it.

I think that was one of the biggest breakthroughs I had in terms of working taking care of my health as part of my lifestyle and not just something that happened 'when the time was right.'

There was never a perfect time. Errands always had to get done; the house always needed to be take care of; friends and family always need to be given some time ... that's life. In the middle of it all, there's the constant care that needs to be taken towards my health.

Indeed it is constant. I believe I make better choices now, but they do not come naturally (yet). I have to pay attention to what I eat, and I know that just watching my food alone won't work for me - I have to exercise if I want to see a difference.

Since the beginning of this month I've been trying to come up with a schedule that will reasonably accommodate all the things that I want/have to do. This past week was a bit of a trial run - getting timings right, figuring out more efficient ways of doing things, trying not to procrastinate so much ... There's still a lot of tweaking to do, but there's no more time to try - I've got to get on with it.

I started my new morning routine today.
I slept a bit better last night but still not nearly enough. I was up before my alarm went off at 4:30.
I weighed in the same as last week (frustrating!), but my body fat percentage was already down 1% from last Saturday. While I'm definitely happy with that, I really need to work on seeing both numbers go down. I don't want to stay at the same weight even if my body fat % is going down and muscle mass going up. I have to make some big changes to lose this extra weight!

The main change that I'm implementing in my morning routine is doing 20 minutes of yoga followed a core workout. It felt amazing to do yoga after such a long time. The ab routine was tough, but it just reminded me of how much more practice I need to do in order to build strength.

Mishaps of the day:
- D's car is in the garage so I had to take him to work and pick him up
- We had some new furniture delivered today which involved me moving out our old furniture, disconnecting all our media stuff, waiting for the delivery people, and then reorganizing everything ... it took 3 hours. I was exhausted. By the time I got everything in the house done it was time for me to get D from work ...

I was hoping to have made it to the gym but it didn't happen. That's just the way things go but I gotta make the best of each situation -- mishaps are definitely part of my routine.

SSSD Challenge Update and Week 11 Goals

I've kinda been missing in action from the challenge for the past two weeks because I've been away. I totally missed out on the Week 9 No Sugar challenge - not intentionally, I just hadn't checked what the challenge for the week was.

Although I hadn't set out a specific fitness goal for week 10, I'd say my overall vacation goal/fitness challenge was to not gain weight while I was away ... so of course coming back with a 6 lb. loss ... and adding another 2 lb. loss since I've been back home has made me quite happy. Seeing the numbers drop has definitely kept me more focused and motivated than before to just keep on going. Though I still have quite a ways to go, I'm getting closer and closer to my goal - I don't want to do anything to detract from it.

Earlier this week I made a huge stir-fry and have been using it to supplement my meals. It's been quick and easy and it's full of lots of good stuff:

I'll post the recipe for it later. I've been adding bits of it to egg whites to make an egg white scramble as my pre-CrossFit meal. It gives me a good dose of protein and veggies. Sometimes I've just been having it plain or with some Greek yogurt to balance out the spiciness. There are other times when I had it with a slice of toast and sometimes along side a lettuce/tomato salad. All in all, having such a big batch of veggies prepared has saved me from mindless grazing - the food is prepared; it is all healthy - I don't really need to worry about portions, though I've still been careful.

I usually take a few days to adjust to being back after vacation and don't start working out for 3-4 days after returning. This time I just took a day to rest and do all those post-travel errands and then got back into it. I was actually planning on taking today off, but then our CrossFit coach texted us about meeting up for a workout. We met at a mall near my place. I thought we were just going to power walk, but boy was I wrong!

Our workout involved walking, jogging, sprinting, running up and down flights of stairs with push-ups, walking lunges, squats, and ab twists thrown in. We did start doing 'box' jumps on the ledge of one of the fountains until security started to approach to shoo us away! ;)

I've been learning the choreography for Body Pump, so after I got home D allowed me to practice 2 tracks with him. We did the warm-up + squat track (150 squats!!) - and after that, I was totally wiped out!

So exercise has been good for me - eating has been really good too (tried another new recipe today - salmon burger on a portobello mushroom - oh so good! Again, will post the recipe soon!)

My goals for this week: Keep it up!!
This week's challenge: Reflect on the past 10 weeks and show your weight loss in food -- will do this at the end of the week :)

This week's challenge comes at a good time for me. I feel like I'm really on a roll with my food and exercise. I've had to make a few adjustments mainly due to the focus I'm giving CrossFit. The main struggle I'm still having is with sleep. Last night I only got 4 hours. I really, really want to get at least 6 hours of sleep. It shouldn't be difficult ... but it is. I find myself waking up after an hour or two and then unable to get back to sleep ... I've actually been trying to take afternoon naps, especially on CrossFit days because I really do need the extra rest and recovery time.

There are only 3 weeks left of the challenge, and though I'll be traveling next week, I still hope that I can be a better participant! I've been trying to catch up on commenting on blog posts, but there have been so many! Hopefully I'll be able to catch up this week!