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

A Note on Numbers

When I started off on this weight loss effort, I was obsessed with numbers - how much did I weigh, how much did I want to weigh, how many calories should I burn each day, how much should I eat, etc. etc. It was insane, but I loved it because I felt like there was an exact science to it -- Create a 3,500 calorie deficit and you'll lose 1/2 a pound that week.

Sounded great.

In reality, it wasn't so.

There was a lot of information out there, but they were all estimates and possibilities -- weight loss and getting healthy was not an exact science. It took some trial and error to figure out what would work for me -- I'm still going through the process.

I recently started wearing my heart rate monitor again during my morning workouts at the gym. I kinda wanted to see how many calories I was burning, not just during my cardio but also during my weight training.

I do love my Polar heart rate monitor, but I have to say that I take the numbers that register with a large grain of salt. I don't use the numbers as ones that factor in my daily allowance of calories. In fact, I've pretty much stopped counting calories (that's something that I stopped during the Whole Life Challenge. When you're eating clean and healthy, the numbers didn't seem to matter as much, though I still watch my portions.)

I sometimes read blog posts about people burning over 500 calories while vacuuming the house (are they doing burpees while they vacuum??), or 770 calories while doing 1 hour of Zumba. I know I work my butt off at the gym, but I rarely see numbers that high. Sometimes I see even more insane calorie burns - 1,500-2,000 calories burned in one day within 2 hours. It just seems a little unbelievable to me.

For example, during my morning workout, which involves a total of 35 minutes cardio (including HIIT) plus 45 minutes of weights & about 10 minutes of general conditioning of stretching, I'm burning about 450 calories. I was rather surprised and thought that given the intensity of the exercises, I would have been burning more. It doesn't seem like a lot, but I know that I'm putting in a lot of effort into my workout.

I'm actually not too bothered by the numbers. I was just curious. I never exercise in order to eat more. I really think that type of thinking is detrimental, especially since I doubt the numbers on these machines and monitors are that accurate.

It was just a little note since the number caught me off guard. However, I'm continuing my routine - both in terms of exercise and eating, and I hope that this month is as successful (if not more) than last month.

-----

I went through today feeling like I never really woke up. I was just tired. Actually, no. I wasn't tired. I was just sleepy. Does that make sense?

I got about 6 hours of sleep last night, which is really, really good for me.

I found myself yawning as I drove to the gym. I definitely did not want to go to work. All I kept thinking about was crawling into my warm bed and sleeping.

I did take a nap in the afternoon, but I ended up feeling sleepier. Getting to Sidekick Academy for Taekwondo and Jiujitsu class was a struggle, but I told myself: Just do it!! and I reminded myself of the adrenaline rush post-exercise.

Of course, I'm really glad I went. We learnt a really cool move in BJJ class and I can't wait to practice it some more! :)

I'm so glad that I'm going to get an extra hour of sleep tomorrow morning -- I need it!

Grading in my Gi: Earlier today - I got to Sidekick Academy a bit early so 

I made the most of it and got a bit of grading done before warming up

Today's Workouts
Cardio: (35 minutes including HIIT)
Weights: NROL Workout 5B
MMA training: Taekwondo & BJJ (1 1/2 hours)
Stretching: 20 minutes
Burpees: 70

Today's Food
Breakfast: Banana & 2 teaspoons of peanut butter
Lunch: Baked cod with mixed vegetables (same as last night's dinner)
Dinner: French bean and slow roasted tomato salad with baked salmon
Snacks: 3 dates, 1/4 cup raw nuts

Pushing through the Ick

I'm not sure how I made it through today. I mean, technically, I should have been exhausted and wiped out. I've had a long week. I didn't get much sleep last night. Plus I got my period today and was feeling crappy. Plus today was a national holiday so there could have been a big temptation to just curl up under a blanket on the sofa, find something to munch on, and watch back-to-back episodes of Top Chef.

When I look at my week and my day on paper, I would not have been surprised if that is what had happened.

But it didn't.

I knew that my routine would be off today since it was a holiday. D and I were going to meet his parents for breakfast at 9 and after that ... well, no solid plans really. Not having a plan for the day is usually what sets me up for failure.

Even though I only got 4 hours of sleep - because I stayed up to watch the Arsenal football match and it was totally worth it because of their win (finally!) - I got up at 5:45 and hoped that my eyes would open up enough so that I could make my way to the gym.

As I started to pack up my gym bag, I felt my energy start to pick up.

Some jammin' tunes in my car and I was looking forward to my morning workout.

When I walked into the gym at 6:45 a.m. it was absolutely empty aside from 1 trainer and the receptionist.

I love having the gym to myself! I quickly did some dynamic stretches, jumped around a bit, and then got on the cross-trainer to warm-up. I wanted to do workout 3A of New Rules of Lifting so I headed straight to the free weights section of the gym.

This first phase of the program is just to warm-up. Each workout is 2 sets of 15 reps each. I started off relatively light, but I'm happy to say that after just a few days, I'm already lifting heavier though not as heavy as I can actually lift. Doing more reps and fewer sets always messes with my mind a bit because I want to lift heavier, but it's just not possible when you've got that many reps, especially when you want to maintain good form.

I'm happy with today's sets:

Squats: 50 kg (110 lb); 55 kg (121 lb)
Lunges w/barbell: 30 kg (66 lb); 40 kg (88 lb)
One arm dumbbell row: 12.5 kg (27.5 lb); 15 kg (33 lb)

I did some core work and finished up my 60 burpees plus my stretching.

Breakfast was great and because I ate a bit more than usual and wasn't really feeling hungry, I skipped lunch.

I spent the rest of the afternoon at home preparing my lessons for the upcoming week. For some reason it was really stressing me out. I couldn't visualize how I wanted to approach my class so I was kind of stuck on how to lay out my plans. It was really frustrating and I just felt unsettled ... and then it kinda went downhill.

My mood started to throw off my desire to go to taekwondo tonight. I know that I just wrote a post about remembering the post-workout adrenaline. Trust me, I repeated it over and over again to myself. I guess I was just feeling icky, especially with my period, and the last thing I wanted to do was feel apprehensive while working out and wearing a white Gi. Ugh. How irritating that I even need to think about all of these things (or do I?).

Anyway. I went. I got through class. It was good - we did over 1,000 different kicks and boy was I did I feel it in my glutes and thighs.

I'm glad I went though I have to admit I didn't feel like I got the best workout, mainly because I was just feeling yucky. I kinda just felt like I did what I had to do. *shrug* I went through the motions but didn't feel it which irritates me coz' I love enjoying my workouts.

Still, it has been a long week/day. I guess not every workout can be a phenomenal one.

Today's Workouts
Cardio: 20 minutes on the cross-trainer
Weights: NROL Workout 3A
Stretching: 15 minutes
Burpees: 80 {challenge total: 730/20,130}
MMA: Taekwondo (45 minutes @ Sidekick Academy)

Today's Food
Breakfast: To be honest, I kinda lost track - smoked salmon w/cucumber and labneh plus a few other things that I tasted; I didn't eat until I was full, just enough to feel satisfied
Lunch: Nothing
Dinner: Baked fish, potato, and peas
After dinner: After 8

Remembering the Adrenaline

After my first full day back at work, followed by a leisurely lunch with a friend, I headed home to rest for a bit  and do a few things in the house before this evening's taekwondo class ... and I have to admit, as it got closer to the time to leave the house, I started to get lazy.

I started to think of so many excuses - I was tired, my cramps were acting up, it's been a long day, etc. etc.

I knew I was just being lazy, and I also knew that I'd kick myself in the ass later for not working out, especially since I didn't go to the gym in the morning.

So I packed up my gym bag and headed out. In taekwondo class did lots of drills, mainly focusing on legs/lower body - tons of squats and kicks. We did some pad work and then it was time for Brazilian Jiujitsu. I'm loving both classes, particularly BJJ. It's a short class, and we only learn one move per session, but still - it's a lot to take in and it takes time to get it right.

On the drive home, the adrenaline kicked in. I felt so good.

I think I'm quite disciplined when it comes to getting my workouts in. It's just on days like these when that inner chubby chick resurfaces and tries to tempt me to stay on the couch and find something (anything) in the house to munch on.

It's ok that the chubby chick is still there because it reminds me of how far I've come and how strong I've become ... and it keeps motivating me to keep on going.

Today's Workout
MMA: Taekwondo & BJJ @ Sidekick Academy (1 1/2 hours)
Stretching: 15 minutes
Burpees: 20 {challenge total: 610/20.130}

Today's Food
Breakfast: Egg muffins
Lunch: Shrimp avocado salad
Dinner: Salmon baked with sun dried tomato and half a baked sweet potato (it was SO good!)
Snack: Banana, 2 dates, 2 teaspoons of natural peanut butter, green tea

Trying Out the New Plan

One of the best things I learned to do (practiced doing) since last year was not getting so freaked out and uptight when things didn't go according to plan. Something always seemed to come up. I didn't want those incidents to throw me off course. Rather, I wanted to learn how to roll with the punches and still make the most of my day.

Trying out the workout
Yesterday I put together my morning weights workout plan. My intention is to do this three times a week. The whole workout should take about 1 1/2 hours though I've put aside 2 hours just in case.

Of course this morning I realized that since it was the first day of the semester, I needed to go to work an hour earlier than I will have to starting next week. That totally threw off my timing.

Still, I shortened my warm-up, went straight for the weights workout, did my burpees, and then cooled down & stretched. I wanted to include a short HIIT session after the weights, but I skipped that for today. Hopefully I'll get it in next time.

Trying out the food
I made my egg muffins (basically following this recipe) first thing in the morning but then decided that I didn't want to eat them just before my morning workout. I thought they'd make a better post-workout meal - but would they taste ok cold? There are no food heating facilities at my gym & I definitely wanted to eat something after my workout. It turns out they were ok cold. I think I'm going to chop them up and add half an avocado for a more complete meal. I ate them at 8:30 a.m. -- I was hungry by 10:30. The last thing I want is for my stomach to be growling in the middle of one of my lectures!

I've also decided to make an extra portion of dinner so that I can eat it for lunch the next day. I'm just way too hungry by the time I get home - and being hungry & impatient often leads to unhealthy choices. I'm going to try the leftovers for lunch thing out and see how it goes.

Trying out acupuncture
Yes - this is something new. I finally got an appointment with an acupuncturist who is supposed to be really good. I decided to go because the cramps from my fibroids have just gotten too painful. I'm getting them daily. Although they only occur 3-4 times a day for a short time, it's still enough to make me feel really uncomfortable and of course in pain. I definitely don't want to go through another surgery, and I do believe that's where I'm headed, without trying out other options. So acupuncture it was.

The acupuncturist was optimistic that she could help. I also told her about a few little niggling pains I had in my knee, hip, and shoulder (all on the left side) as well as my migraines and she said she could help with those as well. I'll write more about my experience in another post. For now I'll just say that it wasn't too bad and I'm hopeful.

I will be seeing her regularly for at least a month. This is not something that I planned for, so I'll have to see how I can incorporate this change into my schedule.


Today's Workout
Cardio: 20 minutes on the cross-trainer
Weights: NROL - Workout 2A (about 30 minutes)
Burpees: 90 {challenge total: 530/20,130}
MMA: taekwondo & jiu jitsu @ Sidekick Academy (75 min)
Stretching: 15 minutes

Today's Food
Breakfast pre-workout: Banana
Breakfast post-workout: Egg muffins (3 = 180 calories total)
Lunch: grilled lamb, hummus, muhamara, and 2 pita breads {leftovers from last night}
Dinner: baked white fish with 1/3 sweet potato and some peas
Snack: 2 chocolate digestive biscuits

Exercise was great; food wasn't perfect, but am definitely much more on track.

I'm satisfyingly sore and really sleepy.

New Adventures

When I sent to Sidekick Academy 2 weeks ago, I got there early. One of the team members told me to have a seat and watch the training session that was going on at the moment. It was a session for kids. There must have been about 40-50 3-6 year olds, all dressed in their white Gis, watching the trainers, and then each taking turns practicing their moves.

I'm not one to gush over kids at all -- but it was one of the cutest things I had ever seen. The trainers were fantastic; the kids were quite attentive (as much as possible with that many 3-6 year olds in one room), and they all did a great job. I thoroughly enjoyed watching them.

That day, after my first free trial session, I paid for a month's membership and was handed a bag with my first Gi.

When I got home and opened it of course my first thought was - It's not going to fit.

Not to worry. It did fit, and I threw a few punches and kicks and was relieved when I found that it was actually quite comfortable and didn't rip in any critical areas when throwing a kick, hahaha.

There are strings to either side of the Gi which you tie together to hold the Gi in place. I had to figure out what type of t-shirt I would be wearing underneath - one that was fitted enough to not get in the way, but also loose enough to be comfortable. In general, wearing the Gi and training was going to take some getting used to.

The class is basically 1 1/2 hours. For the first 15 minute we warm up with dynamic stretches and cardio (burpees, jumping jacks, push-ups, crunches, etc.) Then we focus on striking techniques - sometimes just shadow boxing type practice and sometimes with pads/bags --- this seems to be a mixture of taekwondo & kickboxing. I'm not exactly sure if it has a specific name. I should find out.

The last half hour focuses on Brazilian jiu jitsu.

Wow. Talk about trying something new that I've never done before!

Brazilian jiu jitsu - or BJJ - is basically grappling techniques. The objective is to learn how to get out of a hold by using your body leverage (not by striking).

The one thing that I had to come to terms with immediately is - You've got to be comfortable with your body. Let me tell you right now, I am not comfortable with my body. I'm getting there, but at that point in time, there was no way I thought I could just lie there on the ground with some guy right on top of me basically throwing me around.

I immediately felt tense. Would I be able to do this? Maybe I've bitten off more than I could chew. Still, I was there, so my only option really was to suck it up and get through the class.

I did. I survived. I enjoyed it!

The whole reason behind why I wanted to pursue martial arts training is because I want to get over my mental blocks, my fear, my hesitations.

I have completed 2 10-kms without any training, I've lifted heavy, heavy weights, I've been boxing and doing kickboxing for a few months now ... I know that I am physically strong and able to do a lot. With proper training, I can do even more.

The main thing that is holding me back is my self-doubt.

I think martial arts takes an enormous amount of discipline and mental focus. You've got to concentrate on your technique. You've got to learn how to keep your cool when you see a fist coming towards your face. You've got to react quickly. You've got to trust your body and yourself.

These are skills that I want/need to develop.

BJJ is perfect for that. You cannot let fear hold you back. After letting my fears hold me back for so many years, this is definitely what I need to be doing right now to move forward and really push myself.

I'm slightly apprehensive about what lies ahead, but I'm definitely very, very excited.

Last night I did passed my first test for my white belt ... let the adventures continue.

Me & my 1st white belt - Jan. 15, 2013 - Sidekick Academy, Kuwait

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!

Back at the Gym

I finally went back to the gym today. It was really cold this morning (6C/42F) but at least the sun was out.

The view of the outdoor pool area of my health club - Palms, Kuwait

I'm always a bit cautious after having my bronchitis phases because I really don't want a setback. At the same time, I've taken 9 days off from the gym - 9!!!! I don't even want to think about that number!

I started off with 20 minutes on the treadmill. I threw in a few mild sprints (total 6 minutes) just to test my lungs. The breathlessness after each sprint set didn't feel that great, but I didn't have a coughing fit which is a great sign.

I feel like I've come to a bit of a crossroads with my training (more on that later) so I decided to restart the New Rules of Lifting program. This time, however, I'm doing the men's one (very similar exercises)   just to change up the routine. Plus D is doing the program for the first time so it'll be nice to compare our progress.

So I started off with day one of the warm-up phase of the program. It felt good to be lifting again even though I took it fairly easy and didn't lift too heavy. My body felt quite stiff after all that time off. I'm sure I'm going to feel sore tomorrow!

I was very hesitant about doing burpees today, but I'm already so behind in my count that I had to get it done. So, somehow I banged out 60 burpees (burpees suck) and didn't collapse. That's a good sign.

In the evening I went for my first official taekwondo/kickboxing/jiujitsu class at Sidekick Academy. It went really well. We did tons of push-ups - I really need to work on improving my form! It was my first time working out in a gi. That definitely felt a bit strange. I guess it'll take some getting used to.

All in all, a really good day in terms of workouts. My food for the day was so/so. I ate some bread and cheese which I normally don't do. I really need to stop eating bread. It's all the darn leftover bread from when dad was here. I gotta get rid of it.

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)