Made it to Thursday!

I woke up to this email from one of my students:

Seems like a perfect way to end the semester. I can't tell you how happy I am that summer is here!!

This morning I hit the weight room. I'm so glad that the focus of today's workout was on the upper body because my legs, thighs, and ass were really feeling the effects of yesterday's squats/workout. I was ready for a bit of relief.

My workout went well. I managed to up my weights for the last set of each exercise (3 sets of 15 today so overall my weights were still a bit lighter than usual).

This afternoon I had Kajukenbo practice -- we did some arm conditioning. Holy *hit! Just blocking punches hurt! I've already got bruises on my arms. Still, he says that with conditioning practice our arms will get tougher and stronger -- I sure hope so!

I then practiced Jiujitsu with D for about 45 minutes. We didn't have a long session as it's the end of the week and we were both tired. Still, we practiced a few drills, and that was good enough for today.

... and that's it! I've come to the end of my week and I am so happy!

Food pix will be posted tomorrow!

Squats + Step-Ups = Soreness!

Yesterday's squat total: 340
Today's squat total: 195 (45 with 40-50 kg on my back; 90 with 10 kg dumbbells in each hand)

Plus I did step-ups today - 45 for each leg with weights in my hand (8 kg/hand)

Doin' my step-ups this morning & trying out my new Nike Free shoes - not bad! 

Today's Result: holy soreness!!

As I approached the stairs heading up to my classroom, I took the first one and thought - hmmm this is going to be painful. I definitely felt my muscles with each and every step, and as the day progressed, the feeling intensified, but I absolutely love that feeling. I'm hoping the results of all these squats will show (i.e. that I'll have a really nicely shaped ass) ;)

So, today was my last teaching day of the semester!! We've still got 10 days of the semester left (exams, admin stuff, etc.) but today was my last day in the classroom. On our first day of the semester I had my students write a letter to their future selves 10 years from now. I had them write about their hopes, fears, dreams, and so on. They did a really good job. Today, as a surprise, I put the letters (along with a letter from me) in envelopes and sealed them with instructions to not open the envelope until Jan. 26, 2013. It was just a small gesture, but it was really well received. Of course they wanted to open them right away. I do hope they'll save them and look back on their time in university with fond memories (plus I hope they don't lose them)! :)

I had a busy day overall. Luckily most of my food was just leftovers from yesterday so I didn't have to spend any time cooking - just reheating.

My breakfasts (pre/post-workout) and my lunch were exactly the same as yesterday. I'm not uploading the pictures here, but if you want a look, you can check out this link to yesterday's blog post.

I got hungry in the afternoon and had a snack of 5 tortilla chips with a dollop of salsa on each. I know that I only had these coz' they were in the house. I'm sure I could have made a healthier snack - but this is what I ate.

Snack: 5 tortilla chips w/a dollop of salsa on each

I wasn't particularly hungry when dinner time rolled around, so I just heated up a bowl of some of the vegetables that we had with dinner yesterday. It was good enough for me.

Dinner: Vegetables from last night (sweet potato, bell peppers, and cauliflower)

Today:
- Workouts:

• Cardio at the gym (treadmill & cross-trainer) (30 minutes)
• Weights at the gym (1 hour)
• Deep stretching + yoga at the gym (missed it in the morning) (20 minutes)
• Squats Day 3: 60

- Food: 

• Breakfast: pre-workout - banana, 1 date, 1 T natural peanut butter; post-workout - 3 omelet muffins & 1/2 avocado
• Lunch: 1.5 cups of fish soup
• Dinner: Mix of vegetables
• Snack: tortilla chips with salsa

- Other: I checked out a potential MMA training place ... I may be starting on Thursday. Stay tuned :)

Adjustments and Realizations

Today was the last day of the conference. I have to say, it was one of the best conferences I have ever attended. The quality and variety of presentations was terrific. I feel truly honored that they invited me to be a part of such an event. Being at events like these - as well as being away from my regular routine - often gives me a chance to reflect on a lot of things.

I feel like traveling, whether it is purely for fun, for work, or for a bit of both, can test us in many ways. In terms of health and fitness, I think it challenges our discipline. The tendency is to indulge a little and eat things you don't normally eat and not exercise in the way you normally exercise (or not exercise at all). For the past year I've definitely tried to be more conscious of my habits. I'm glad to say I don't feel the need to indulge the way I used to, but that is not to say I don't indulge at all. I do, but it's not in the way or extent that I used to before.

I also try to set myself guidelines for what I eat. I haven't done too well on this trip. It's the cheese that's got me. I don't want the cheese, but it seems to be in everything. It has been tough. I'm trying instead to focus on portion sizes so when the order of enchiladas comes and there are 4 on the plate, I only eat half. It's the best I can do.

On the exercise front it has also been tough. I didn't pack my gym clothes for the trip because I knew I'd be busy with the conference and there isn't a gym at the hotel. The one thing that has helped me out to some extent is that it is HILLY here. Not rolling hills -- steep hills!! It's not a lot of exercise, but I know that walking up and down hills and stairs has helped me get in a bit of activity. If I see the same weight as when I left Kuwait, I'll be happy. I know I haven't been gone long, but factors such as travel, jet lag, and general stress as well as all the other changes do have an impact. We'll see.

Something else that I've been thinking about is my general weight loss goals and reminding myself of why they're important to me. It is so easy to get frustrated because it is a long, difficult process ... and results take a long time to show. Still, there are so many factors that remind me of how badly I want to lose weight. Of course I am very eager to live a healthy lifestyle but looking good and feeling good about my body image are very important too!

As a teacher who has to stand in front of a group of students and command respect, get people to listen to you - and learn - display confidence, etc. on a daily basis, you need to be confident in yourself. It's definitely not easy to do that when you don't feel confident in yourself. Some days I just push through, other days I feel ok, and on the worst days I absolutely dread it and feel uncomfortable. I'm glad those days rarely occur, but it is something that I fear. I have the same kind of apprehension when I give presentations at conferences. Actually it's even more intimidating because you're standing in front of experts in your field and you have to show that you belong. You have to be ready to answer questions about your research. It's tough to do when you're feeling self-conscious.

It's these feelings that I hold on to in order to remind myself of why I'm doing this. I love teaching and presenting (despite the nerves). I owe it to myself to be the best possible version of me when I'm up there in front of an audience. The last thing I want to feel up on that stage is self-doubt. I want to know that I did everything possible up to that point in time to deserve to feel confident. It's not easy, but I keep trying. It's always important to keep trying.