Friends and Food

Last night was AMAZING! I thought it was just going to be a farewell dinner (our body balance instructor, who has become a very close friend of mine, is leaving Kuwait for good) - but it turned out to be a party! I'm glad I had my dancing shoes on because we DANCED! It's strange - I'm self-conscious about a lot of things, but I have no problem being the first one on the dance floor. It started in college, and then I got really good - even took part in a few salsa competitions (never won first place, but came second/third a few times in small competitions) and taught my own class ... but that was several years ago. Now, I don't dance as much - there just aren't as many opportunities and I haven't had the time. In any case, whenever I do get a chance, I'm on the dance floor, and last night was just what I needed ... a few hours to dance off the funk of the past two weeks, being ill, stressed, anxious, etc. Definitely worked in another 3 hours of intense cardio there (it sucks to sweat so much while dancing at a party, but what to do?)!

Food wasn't a problem at all. It was Arabic food which primarily

has grilled meats/fish plus different types of salads. I loved the fact that their tabbouleh (which is basically parsley with some

bulgur and tomatoes) had the dressing on the side, so you could add the olive oil and lemon (each in a separate carafe) to your taste -- which meant I could avoid the oil altogether and just have the lemon. I also felt quite relieved that almost all the food was chicken or meat - since I only eat fish and vegetables, so all the other foods weren't even an option for me. They had a lovely grilled white fish which I tasted and that was it. Dessert -- well who needs dessert when you can dance? :)

The thing that I realized is the company you keep can really make a difference to your eating habits and workouts. I'm so glad I've managed to make friends at the gym because it puts eating and socializing on a whole other level. Food isn't our primary focus - and if there is an occasion, like an opening of a restaurant or something, we'll go, but we're not always tempted -- plus we can give each other healthier suggestions. That's not to say nobody in the group has dessert or something fried -- they do. I do. But it rarely happens. I'm never worried when I go to one of their houses because I know that they are also conscious about what they eat -- why negate all the hard work you've put into the gym? Having this type of support system has really, really helped. There are still challenges, but having someone going through a similar process makes it much easier. They really do make me realize that I am not in it alone -- and that if I need help, if I run into an obstacle, they are right there to give me the kick in the ass that I need to get back into gear. Speaking of asses ..

This morning I woke up and I was SORE!

Squats & Lunges (though I only did 60) + dancing in high heels = MEGA PAIN IN THE ASS!!

Still, it was totally worth it! Today is a recovery day - back at the gym tomorrow! J

NROL4W - Starting Phase 2

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

Steve Jobs (1955-2011) RIP

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I thought I would ease myself back into the exercise routine and just do some light cardio this week before starting Phase 2 of NROL4W … and then this morning I thought, why wait?

So today I started the second phase.

Warm-up 15 minutes on the cross-trainer – my breathing was definitely a bit more labored that during yesterday’s cardio. [125 cal & 1 km]

Then on to the weights. The exercises in Phase 2 are different from Phase 1. First of all, for each of the exercises it’s only 2 sets with 10 reps. Second of all, a second set of exercises has been added to the routine.

Here’s what I did:

Phase 2: Workout A

	Set 1	Set 2
Front squat with push press	KG 15	KG 15
Step up (4 steps)	KG 8	KG 8
Dumbbell 1-point row	KG 5	KG 7
Split lunge; rear foot elevated	KG 5	KG 10
Push ups (10)	bw	bw
Plank (60 sec)	bw	bw
Cable horizontal wood chops	KG 13	KG 13

It was a bit tricky trying to figure out how much weight to use for the squats. Previously I was squatting KG 55 – but that was without the added shoulder press at the end. KG 15 felt right for today – maybe I can take it up a notch for the next workout.

The step ups were fine – I think it’s also time to take it up 1 step … and then maybe increase the weights too.

The dumbbell 1-point row was also fine. Body balance class has helped me with my stability and balance, so it wasn’t too difficult. I think the most important thing to remember with this exercise is to take your time and concentrate.

The split lunge was a bit awkward. The exercise is itself isn’t complicated, but positioning my foot and maintaining balance. I think I need to put more weight on the barbell next time so that it steadies me a bit. I’m also wondering if I should have the step a bit higher? I don’t know. I’ll have to read up a bit more about this exercise. All I know is that it’s almost 7 hours later and I’m already feeling the burn from those lunges!

Push ups – great. I think taking the time off for my arms to rest really helped. Doing the 10 without resting wasn’t a problem.

Plank – ugh. Plank!! Who would have thought holding still in a practically lying down position could cause so much sweat and be such a struggle? I could only hold it for 45 seconds and then I gave in. I’m so irritated with myself. Surely if I could hold the position for 45 seconds I could have held it for 15 more! Next time.

Finally, the cable horizontal wood chops – this was the first time I attempted this exercise. I got one of the trainers to show me how to set up the cable and demonstrate the exercise … not difficult. KG 13 for 2 sets and 10 reps wasn’t a problem – I definitely think I should try a heavier weight. The only thing that I found awkward with this exercise was holding the cable. I felt like I couldn’t get a proper grip on it and that my hand position was a bit awkward. Oh well – just gotta keep practicing.

I ended with a 15-minute cool down on the treadmill – just under 1.5 km; don’t remember the calories burned.

Overall, it was a good workout. I’m glad I didn’t wait much longer to restart lifting weights – I’ve missed it! The new routine will take some getting used to, but I'm up for the challenge. Total time at the gym 1.5 hours - though the actual workout time was more like 1 hour - it takes time setting up weights etc.

After the gym I spent two lovely hours being pampered at the salon – I needed it. Now, I feel fresh and ready for a much needed night out … all the trainers from the gym will be there, so I know it’ll be a night of fun and healthy eats all around. J

Staying hydrated, keeping calm

Today's been a weird day.

Another not so hot night of 'sleep' - it must be the side-effects of the antibiotics that are making me feel this way. I mean, I'm usually a bit of an insomniac, but there's this added lethargy which is unusual. Gulped down 600 mL (20 ounces) of water to help refresh me ...

A coughing fit this morning that had me gasping for air - what is up with that? That immediately brought my mood down - today's my day to get back to the gym. I'm not supposed to cough! I was not pleased. Steadily made my way through another 600 mL of water on the way to work ... stuck in traffic for an extra 20 minutes this morning since I left the house 7 minutes later than usual - damn school traffic!

I got to the university, started doing some work, and then all of a sudden an enormous wave of nausea and dizziness. It was bad. Really bad -- all I could think was, oh my god, I'm either going to throw up or faint. Here, in my office, I don't know if I can stop it. It was purely the mortifying thought of vomiting in my office (in the bin of course) that stopped me. I had to calm myself down - just breathe through it (not easy when deep breaths seem to trigger a cough attack) ... relax ... I wanted to drink some water, but the thought of opening my mouth and swallowing anything at that point was out of the question. So I just tried to tell myself to hold on and not give in to the feelings - I really don't know what it was, it was very disconcerting. I don't think I can properly explain -- it was just this overwhelming feeling of sickness ... and just before going to class. Perhaps I'm having an allergic reaction to teaching this course! Anyway.

I survived. After another 600 mL of water I felt better, not much but the dizziness had stopped and the nausea had subsided a bit. In any case, nothing was going to stop me from getting to the gym, so I headed there right after class.

As I got on the treadmill I started feeling a bit anxious. What if I start to feel ill? What if I have a coughing attack? What if I'm just not well enough to be here? I'd just have to cross those bridges if it came to that --- first I needed to decide what my goal for the day would be. Should I set a calorie target? A distance target? A time target?

I figured I'd go with time. At first I was just going to do 40 minutes, and then I thought - no, let's go straight into an hour. I don't have to rush. Not setting a target on calories or distance took some pressure off. This way I was just focusing on walking for an hour. The goal - just complete the one-hour walk.

So, I hit random on my iPod (something I normally don't do, my workouts are usually very playlist specific) and I started. I didn't walk fast, I kept a relatively steady pace. When I felt like it I increased my pace, and then if I felt like I was going to start coughing I slowed it down a bit. I found out that I felt better going slightly slower and walking at an incline versus walking fast with no incline. I ended up alternating (15 minutes regular walking, 15 minutes on a 2% incline, 10 minutes regular walking, 15 minutes on a 2% incline, 5 minutes with no incline and cooling down)

In the end I finished my hour. I felt fine. A few bronchial spasms in the middle but nothing major. Another 600 mL bottle of water done.

Time: 1 hour

Average speed: 5.7 km/hr (3.5 mi/hr) - not fast, but it was fine for today

Distance: 5.55 km (3.44 miles)

Calories burned: 333

So, nothing major, but at least I've restarted. I hope that getting back into a more normal routine instead of just spending hours and hours at my desk writing will help me feel better. We'll see. I'm just relieved that I made it to the gym.

It's just after 2 p.m. -- lots of work left to do and lots of water left to drink.

Shift in the Tide?

Today's been a pretty good day. I'm hoping it's a sign that things are finally improving. Although I have yet to have a cough-free day, I did manage to get some sleep last night, which is a bonus. I hope that I'm well enough to workout tomorrow - I'm dying to get back to the gym. Yup, that's right - dying to get back to the gym. It's been 10 days now with minimal activity. I'm more than ready to get back into it.

Today was a short day at work, which is great because I needed some extra time to grade the 35 papers my students handed in. Plus I needed to make another trip to the grocery store, this time to stock up on vegetables for the rest of the week.

This post will be short as I've got a writing target for the day that I want to hit so I need to get back to it. Just keeping my fingers crossed that I can literally breathe easy soon ... I do feel a bit better ... now to fully recover.

Oh and one more thing, those fruits from Dean and Deluca -- DIVINE! No chocolate ever tasted so good - seriously ... and I love chocolate! The fact that they're in bite sized pieces makes life so much easier - that way while I'm studying I can have my fruit snack at my desk and take my time - instead of trying to quickly devour an apple so I don't need to deal with holding it etc. Ya, I know, eating fruit shouldn't be that complicated ... but sometimes it is!

Fired Up for Fall - Week 3

Ok, I'm definitely starting to feel better. I managed to get quite a bit of work done and finally got a decent night's rest. I can't wait to get back into the gym on Wednesday. I'd go now, but I don't want to rush it and have a set back. All in good time. There's still lots to be done. I just need to keep a level head and move forward, one step at a time. Anyway.

Here's my Fired Up for Fall entry for this week.

Part I: My motivation picture for this week

Part II: WEEK 3 QUESTIONS

What have you done this week to get to your goals?

Despite my bronchitis and migraines, I've still been working. I've been at my desk every single

day trying to do whatever possible to push ahead.

I haven't managed to go to the gym, but I've been watching what I've been eating. I've dropped one kilo this week, which is good ... but I'm always skeptical of weight loss without exercise. I know for my body type, I need to watch what I eat and make sure I move in order to lose weight. Still, I'm glad that watching my food intake has helped while I've been basically motionless this past week.

What have you done to make yourself feel fabulous?

It's been a crap week - haven't had the time or energy to feel fabulous ... maybe things will look up next week.

Where do you see yourself in five years? What are your goals? Ambitions?

Probably teaching at a university in England somewhere, though if I could have my way I'd be back in New York.

After finishing my PhD I've got to focus on putting out some publications, but my main goal is

to finish this weight loss journey. It's hard to focus about the future at the moment when I'm so caught up in all that's in front of me.

Give us a tip or a fact. About anything, what is something great you've heard that everyone should know?

I'm not a bit fan of lettuce, and one of the main reasons is

because it wilts quickly. However, this summer I learned two things. First of all, use a salad spinner. I used to think that it was just a silly contraption that didn't really work -- I was proven wrong. It does work! After washing lettuce leaves thoroughly, put them through the spinner - it really helps dry up the leaves.

As for making sure the leaves stay crisp. I was told to wash the lettuce leaves thoroughly and then leave them in a deep bowl full of water and a pinch of salt -- not only will it keep the leaves crisp and fresh, if by chance the leaves were somewhat wilting to begin with, the salt and water combination will perk them right up! Rinse off the salt and put the leaves through the spinner before serving.

I know, sounds simple - but it's really made a difference to my salads!

Fun Question: What was your most recent dream that you can remember?

I actually remember my dreams quite vividly. Lately all I dream/have nightmares about is my writing -- can you tell that I'm stressed about it? My dreams are heavily influenced by what has me preoccupied (i.e. my thesis) and what I read/see/hear just before going to sleep. As a crime TV junkie, my dreams are usually filled with many chase scenes ... and unfortunately, nightmares about murders! I don't usually sleep well or much ...

Seduced by Dean & Deluca

Although I haven't been feeling like myself for the past week I thought enough is enough. It's time to start getting back into a routine, still allowing for rest and being realistic about what I can/can't do (no gym until Wednesday at the earliest!). I originally had a bunch of errands planned for today as I had hoped I'd be done with my writing. I decided to go through with them anyway. I think getting back into a proper routine and not obsessively trying to write will be better for me.

So, did my errands and thought I'd do a bit of retail therapy -- but today's retail therapy was different. Instead of buying stuff, I splurged at Dean and Deluca.

I don't normally buy my fresh fruit from there, though I'm always teased by their gorgeously arranged fruits in baskets. Everything always looks so fresh and delicious. It's hard to resist fruit when it's arranged so enticingly - add the fact that they can be diced up for you and ready to go - total bonus. So today I stocked up on their fruit - pineapples, melons, watermelon, strawberries - and a bunch of vegetables. Yum!

Now my fridge is stocked and my menu for the week is planned. I've got a reasonable study schedule mapped out to help me get through this last phase of writing and a moderate gym plan to ease me back into a routine while my lungs recuperate.

Slow and steady. Slow and steady. Gotta keep moving forward.

Interruption

I would have loved to have started this post with: I SUBMITTED MY THESIS!!

But I didn't :(

The past five days have been horrible.

The migraine that had been lurking around since before the weekend finally decided to make a full-blown appearance on Monday evening ... along with yet another attack of bronchitis. I immediately had to go to the hospital as I could barely breathe. Do you know how demoralizing it is going from being able to do 1.5-2 hrs of cardio without a problem to not even being able to climb half a flight of stairs without feeling dizzy and being completely out of breath. I felt horrible. Completely depressed. Another bout of bronchitis? I just had one ... even my dr. was surprised. She said it was stress-induced ... the combination of dust in the air, no sleep, and lots and lots of stress was not one my body was ready to handle.

So I stocked up on antihistamines and a new type of antibiotic (stronger than the previous one she said) plus I had my migraine meds ... I tell you, balancing the dosage etc. for 3 types of meds was not easy at all especially when it came to the side effects ... Plus one had caffeine while the other made me feel sleepy - I've been in a zombie state ever since ...

And my thesis? What thesis? {hold on a sec while I finish sobbing}

My PhD supervisor (who has been incredibly supported) suggested I take an interruption (with no penalty) so that I can recover and get back to writing. This way I could avoid submitting something that was only 80% the way I would have liked it to be and take the proper time to do the final edits when I was feeling better. As it stood, there was just no way I could finish the way I'd want to finish with my head all stuffed up, my nose constantly dripping, and coughing fits that make just make me want to die.

So, things haven't been good. I have been so frustrated and down.

I haven't been to the gym. Just another thing to add to my feeling really low and a failure.

Why is it that when I'm working so hard to get everything right that everything just blows up in my face and now I can't do ANYTHING?

Can't breathe. Can't think. Can't exercise. WTF?!

The one 'good' thing - I've been hydrating like crazy. I'm drinking at least 3 L (just over 100 fl. oz) a day if not more of just water - that's not including any milk, coffee, or tea etc. ... I'm usually pretty good with my water intake in any case, so that's really nothing special. My food has been fine. Well, kind of. I've had no appetite so my eating pattern has been a bit off - Mainly soup for dinner and fruits to soothe my throat. It's not easy to enjoy food when you know you can go into a coughing fit at any moment. It sucks big time. I am not happy.