Last Workout of the Week

As much as I do enjoy working out, I have to say, Wednesday's boxing workout left me quite sore. The extra resistance of working with the swinging bag made quite a difference in terms of how much impact I felt. Add the ab twists and side bends that I did on Thursday, and my sides/lower back were aching big time!

I hadn't planned on doing the 8 km last night, so I didn't really want to overdo it with another 8-10 km this morning. Instead I just warmed up on the treadmill for 15 minutes and then went in for Body Pump class. Since KD, the usual instructor, is away on vacation, S was taking the class -- I've never taken a class with him. Overall it was quite good. I wish he had used the microphone as it was difficult to hear him at times, but other than that, it was a good class. Even though I did weights already 3 times this week, I like going to Body Pump on Fridays because it's kind of like an overall workout/stretch for all my muscles. Although I did increase some of the weights from last week's class, I didn't go crazy and overdo it. Still a challenging workout though. After Body Pump I did another Zumba class. It does feel a bit strange since I just did the class last night, but I absolutely love to dance, and Zumba is the perfect chance/excuse to do it!

I think I hit all my goals in terms of workouts this week. Tomorrow is my day of rest - I can't wait! Will work on my week in review post for Sunday.

If you want to see change ...

... you've got to take steps to change.

I was talking to my students (university students studying English) today about their achievement so far in class. A number of them did not do as well on their midterm exam as they had hoped. So I asked them the ever important question -- did you do everything you could to prepare for the midterm? This would involve taking the time to do the practice exercises, going over their answers to make sure they understood why they made mistakes, looking up words they didn't know, coming to me to ask questions about things they still didn't understand, and above all - learning from their mistakes.

If they didn't take these steps, or do anything at all to help them improve, then was it realistic for them to see change?

You won't see the results if you don't put in the effort.

After class I had a phone conference with my PhD supervisor (who lives in England). It was the first time I was speaking to him since I submitted my thesis, and I was really nervous. It was a relief to hear him say that he thought the thesis was fantastic ... and it was a good reminder for me when he said -- the key to surviving and passing your defense is to take responsibility for your work. You did this research. You did the analysis. Now stick by it and defend yourself. The thesis represents all the work I've done. I need to be confident in myself and my work that I did everything possible to do a good job.

There it was again -- take responsibility.

Your final product represents all the work you've put into it - take responsibility for your work.

I feel like the exact same ideas apply for weight loss.

If you don't put in the effort, things won't change.

If you haven't put in the work, then it will show ... at least with weight loss the journey isn't done, but I know that every weigh in will reflect the work I've been putting in at the gym and the food I've been putting in my stomach.

I'm sure we've all done the math -- you need to burn 3,500 calories to lose 1 lb of fat. Of course that is combined with watching what you eat, exercising, and a whole host of other factors.

I'm sure that even after doing all the math, sometimes the numbers don't add up -- because there are other factors that come into the picture -- metabolism, hours of sleep, water intake, nutrition (not just the calories in food, but the type of calories in the foods that are consumed), stress levels etc. etc.

So really, nothing is 100% guaranteed.

Still, one thing is for sure -- if steps are not taken to reach your goal, then change will not happen.

I know that I can't not exercise and hope to see a loss on the scales.

I know I can't eat whatever I want in any number of calories and expect to see a loss on the scales.

I know that while that ice cream may taste so good for a few minutes, it's going to take me a few hours to burn it off at the gym ...

I am responsible for my actions, and all my actions have consequences.

I know that losing weight/living a healthy lifestyle is something that I really want ... so if I REALLY want it, shouldn't I do everything in my power to reach that goal? It doesn't come naturally to me. I have to work at it. I have to be conscious about what I eat and ask myself over and over - Will eating this get me to where I want to be? The constant effort can be tedious, but obviously I haven't done it well enough/for long enough to see the results I want. I just have to keep at it ...

Alright - down to today's workouts:

I was in a rush leaving the house this morning, which made me a bit frantic as I didn't think I'd have enough time to complete my workout ... but in the end it all turned out ok.

Morning:

1 km warm-up on the treadmill -- I dropped a few more seconds off my time

NROL4W Stage 6, workout A2 -- negative chin-up is still a disaster, but I've improved with the assisted chin ups and I added more weight to my underhand lat pulls, my squats ... overall it was a good workout -- I ended with 100 crunches, 100 ab twists (per side), and 100 side bends (per side) holding 5 kg dumbbells.

My sides and back were already sore from yesterday's boxing workout ... I know those twists and bends are going to add to the pain!

I wasn't sure what to do for tomorrow's workout because of the possible special training that F talked about on Sunday. Unfortunately, we won't be training this week as the trainer will be in Dubai for a CrossFit competition ... maybe next week.

In any case, since I didn't want to overtrain before trying a new program, I had a mild workout planned for Friday ... but seeing that the training session is cancelled, I decided to head back to the gym today for a bit of cardio (8.25 km on the cross trainer, which took 65 minutes) followed by Zumba (so got in another 2 hrs of cardio today). Zumba totally lifted my spirits!

It's finally the weekend -- what a relief!

One Step at a Time

Deep breath.

Today is a new day.

The pain is still there. The anxiety is still there. The struggle is still there ... but today is a new day. Things may be difficult, but I can try my best to make it through the day - just one step at a time.

Wake up.

Wash up.

Make the bed.

Have breakfast.

Gym or no gym? I hate working out during the TOM, but I've read, and have found, that doing some exercise does alleviate the cramps. Still, I wasn't sure.

An exercise instructor several years ago told me that the hardest part of working out is putting on your training shoes ... once you put on your shoes, it gets easier.

So, I decided to get dressed for the gym. I still had to pick my mom up from her house and drive her to work ... I had papers to grade so I decided, if my cramps are bad, I can sit at the cafe at the gym and grade for a bit until I feel like working out ... if I have no cramps, I can just workout, if I feel terrible all day, then I can just go home and rest. The final decision is mine -- but the very least I can do, is get ready for the gym.

Dropped mom to work.

Took the scenic route along the coast to the gym.

Parked, and since the pain killers had kicked in, decided to go ahead and exercise.

5 km on the cross-trainer followed by half hour of boxing training (which included skipping rope - am definitely improving in that area, which was nice to see). The training wasn't too intense. H just set me up with a routine that I could do on my own, otherwise I know that he would totally kick my ass. Still, I had a good workout -- it felt good to hit something and take some of my stress/anxiety out on the boxing bag!!

So anyway. Today doesn't feel as bad as yesterday. I'm taking things in stride and trying not to overwhelm myself with things that are out of my control.

Let's hope the rest of the day continues to go smoothly.

An Anxious Struggle

Part of the goal to get healthy is not just physical, it's emotional/mental too ... I left something out of Sunday's post, but seeing the morning/day that I've had, I think it's important for me to rewind a bit and briefly mention what happened.

The day had already been a struggle, and after posting my blog for the day, it didn't really improve. I got in the middle of some drama that left me feeling quite anxious -- add to that some extra tasks that I ended up having to do this week and I felt completely overwhelmed. The result = crying myself to sleep (from stress) and of course the insomnia I wrote about yesterday.

This morning I woke up feeling like crap. One thing that I realized is that the tears are probably a consequence of PMS, which became apparent after TOM just happened to occur 5 days early ... It's a bit of a relief because I've been having horrible cramps for the past week, plus I've been feeling incredibly bloated and heavy. After the amount of pain I was in last month I've really been dreading this. I just didn't feel ready to face the pain again -- and I've already written so many times about how much of a struggle all this is for me both physically and emotionally. Everything I wrote in The Last Rant back in November still holds true :(

For some reason, I just couldn't take it this morning. So I cried all the way to the gym, walked in and saw D (RPM trainer), who quickly pulled me aside and let me vent. I felt a bit better but wasn't sure how I was going to approach my workout ... part of me really didn't want to be there. I just wanted to escape -- but I didn't.

I got on the treadmill for my 1 km warm-up. For the first time ever I completed it in under 9 minutes. I didn't even think about my time or speed, I just went for it - ran when I wanted to (total of 4.5 minutes) and walked when I needed to ... seeing the time definitely gave me the energy boost I needed to complete Workout B1 of Stage 6 in NROL4W. It was a short workout - reverse lunges with dumbbell on shoulder (7 kg); dumbbell 2 point row (10 kg); dumbbell push press (8 kg/hand); back extension (72 kg -- sure did love seeing that stack of weights move up!); and incline reverse crunches -- followed by some other abs exercises and finishing off with another 1.5 km on the treadmill.

By the time I was showered and dressed I felt a bit more in control ...

Work was fine.

It just happened that a few of my girlfriends were meeting for lunch (they are usually caught up at work) so we enjoyed a pleasant lunch overlooking the sea ...

Everything sounds good, right?

I thought everything was fine, but then around 3:30 pm, I was driving and I suddenly felt like somebody had kicked me in the stomach. The pain was so intense that I thought I was going to pass out ... NOT the way you want to feel when driving! I made it home by 4:15 and threw up (sorry, gross). I was dizzy and shaking, my cramps were excruciating (even though I had taken meds at 1 pm).

I had to lie down ... I basically stayed in bed (except for a bit of time to post this blog) and rested. I was supposed to attend a lecture this evening, but I couldn't. There was no way I could drive, and definitely no way I could sit and concentrate on someone else speaking for a few hours. I just wanted silence. I have just been sitting/lying down in silence for the past few hours.

I just don't feel well. I don't feel calm and relaxed. I feel really, really anxious - and the fact that I can't seem to control this anxiety (which is being caused by external factors that really have me down - I'm still struggling with issues from last month) ... I'm sure all this anxiety is not helping my cramps. I'm really struggling.

It's tough because I feel like I escape at the gym - I can focus on my workouts and feel strong ... but when I leave the gym, the rest of the world, and the rest of my reality awaits me. I hate confrontation. I know I need to deal with these issues because they are already consuming me ... but they're not simple. Still, I know I have to do something -- I can't go on like this.

Ignoring the Sleepiness

Only 4 hours of sleep last night -- and restless hours at that. As annoying as that is, I'm really trying to just push ahead and get through my day. There is way too much that needs to get done for me to falter just because of not enough sleep.

Despite feeling quite tired, I managed to make it to the gym at my usual time and completed 10 km on the cross-trainer. I know it's not the same as running, but still, 10 km is 10 km! It got a bit tough around the 7 km mark, but once I pass that kilometer, the adrenaline kicked in and I finished in 1 hr. 17 minutes (885 calories burned according to the machine, but I don't trust it 100%).

One of the best things about getting my workout done in the morning is that it is DONE! Leaving it for later in the day just leaves the risk of something coming up and preventing me from going in.

In the afternoon I attempted to look for a new pair of running shoes ... Total fail. I didn't find any that I like. I came across a pair of Asics gel nimbus shoes and a pair of Reebok Zigtech shoes ... the Asics felt a bit heavy, but not too bad ... unfortunately they didn't have the Reebok pair in my size. I didn't want to just buy the Asics without comparing them with the Reeboks, so I just left them. Hopefully I'll get a chance to check out a few more stores later this week. I really, really need to replace the pair that I'm currently wearing. I wish I could wait until I'm in London next week as I'm sure I'll get more choices, but my feet can't wait another month. Fingers crossed I find something soon!

The term 'clean eating' has been coming up a lot in several blogs. It's also something that F asked me about yesterday. Although I have a general idea of what it is, I never looked it up. I find this simple article that broke it down into 5 main points:

1) Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables (eat fruit instead of drinking fruit juice, and if you can't buy fresh vegetables, it's better to have frozen veggies instead of canned)

2) Balance proteins and complex carbohydrates (stick to whole grains and lean meats; avoid frying - stick to grilling/steaming)

3) Avoid sodas/high calorie, sugary drinks (and sugar in general)

4) Eat good fats instead of bad fats (remove/minimize consumption of saturated fats)

5) Eat several small meals throughout the day to avoid overeating and keep blood sugar levels stable

Sounds easy enough, doesn't it?

Although it can be difficult to control the types of foods we eat when we're not at home, it is possible to control what is eaten at home. One of the best things for me is to not buy any junk food for the house at all. Inevitably if there is something in the house, it will get eaten ... so why tempt myself in the first place? Not having any soda, chips, chocolate etc. in the house means that I can't get my hands on them ... and I know that I won't drive to the supermarket just to buy a bag of chips! As for what to do when outside ... well, I guess it comes to just making the best choices possible. At the very least, there's portion control. I know it's easier said than done, but it can be done ...

I've come to realize, after this week's weigh in, the loss of inches reflects my work in the weight room ... but the gain in weight must be a reflection of my food choices. Although I try to eat healthy, I obviously am not eating healthy enough. I've got to be more careful.

NROL4W - Phase 6

I was so excited to start NROL4W Stage 6 ... and a new stage = new playlist. Here were my workout songs of the day:

Dynamic stretching + Cardio warm-up

I Can Only Imagine (David Guetta, Chris Brown, & Lil Wayne)

We Found Love (Rihanna feat Calvi Harris)

How do you Do (Party Animals - DJ Picco vs. Jens O. Remix)

NROL4W - Stage 6A

Turn Me On (David Guetta & Nicki Minaj)

Lose Yourself (Eminem)

Stronger (Kanye West)

Check Yo Self (Remix) (Ice Cube)

Sweat (David Guetta & Snoop Dogg)

Hypnotize (Notorious BIG)

All I Do is Win (DJ Khaled)

Big Pimpin' (Jay-Z & UGK)

Little Bad Girl (David Guetta, Taio Cruz, & Ludacris)

Da Goodness (Redman & Busta Rhymes)

Abs

One Shot 2 Shot (Eminem & D12)

You Can Do It (Ice Cube)

Cool Down

Extraordinary Ways (Conjure One)

I'm totally going through a major David Guetta phase at the moment -- His album Nothing But the Beat is fabulous!!

So, on to the workout.

I warmed up with some dynamic stretching + 1 km on the treadmill (a few 1-minute jogs thrown in).

I then went on to the weights workout.

The first exercise of Stage 6 is a negative chin up.

Have you ever done a negative chin up?

I've never done a negative chin up ... and even after today's attempts, I'm not sure it can qualify as a negative chin up. OMG it was so difficult.

So the plan is to - jump up to a chin up position and slowly lower yourself down to a regular hanging position. Wanna know how slowly I lowered myself? Well, first of all, it took me ages to just psych myself up to get to the start position. Tough is an understatement. I barely held on for the first rep. I think I held on for about 2 seconds for the second rep and 4 seconds for the final one ... it was disheartening. I know they're tough exercises to do, but wow! I wasn't prepared at all for this. Well, it's just the beginning ... I sure can't get any worse!

Although it wasn't in the routine, I also did 4 sets of 5 on the assisted chin up machine. I just wanted to get used to motion.

The next exercise was 10 sets of 2 reps of lateral pulls. I did the first one at 41 kg; the next 8 sets at 48 kg; the final rep at 54.5 kg (tough!!).

Finally, alternating between barbell split squats and push-ups - 2 sets of 10)

I did 30 kg for the squats and managed to complete both sets of push-ups on my toes :)

I ended with some abs and back extensions followed by my cool down stretches.

Good first start to Stage 6! The whole workout took just over an hour.

Stumbling Blocks and Some Progress

As much as I had been hoping to get a great start to the month, I have to say that I had quite a few stumbling blocks from the moment I woke up ... though I'm not sure I can even say 'woke up' as I barely got any sleep last night. Please don't tell me the crazy insomnia is going to start again. I thought I was just getting into a stable routine!

Although I was in bed for 5 hours, I must have woken up at least 8 times throughout the night - tossing and turning to get back to sleep. Needless to say, it was not a restful night.

So, I woke up not feeling rested, and also feeling slightly panicked as I had a full day ahead of me and still did not feel prepared enough.

First thing -- weigh in.

I'm up to my plateau weight again!!! *sob* *cry* *wail*

I've gained 1.5 kg over the past 2 weeks (That's 3.3 lbs). I felt absolutely horrible.

Two weeks ago when I finally dipped the 1.5 kg below my plateau weight, I was over the moon! My food habits pretty much stayed the same since then, but what changed is that week I worked in extra cardio, and this week (partly because of my leg, partly because of time constraints) I just spent a 'normal' amount of time at the gym ... apparently, normal just won't cut it for me.

Well, before I get too carried away, let me give you a few numbers. I weigh myself weekly, but I also measure myself on the 1st of every month ... here's what the numbers show:

Since March 1st, I have lost 1/2 an inch on my neck, 1 inch around my bust, 3.5 inches off my abs, and 1.3 inches off my butt!

I have to say, I was so relieved. I knew I had been working out hard. I knew that I felt/could see differences in my body. While the number on the scale did not reflect one that I wanted to see, the body measurements made me feel better. Still, I can't wait for the day when both the number on the scale and the loss of inches reflect the same losses.

Weigh in out of the way I headed to the kitchen to make breakfast ... hmmmm, in yesterday's chaos at the supermarket, I forgot to buy milk. I had just enough to make either a bowl of cereal or a post-workout protein shake. I decided to go for the protein shake since I was lifting weights in the morning ... the next dilemma. What to have for breakfast?

It irritates me that no matter how much I prepare, I still seem to fall short somehow. I wonder if I'm just trying to do too much? Perhaps my small tasks/goals are not small enough and I just haven't realistically understood the amount of time it actually takes me to get through things? I don't know. All I do know is that not getting stuff done is frustrating and really throws my day out of sync.

The stumbling blocks didn't stop there ... I had put out my clothes for work (preparing in advance), so after my workout I was getting dressed ... only to find out that the skirt I brought was too big (that preparation didn't help!). I know, it's definitely a good thing, but also annoying since I didn't have the time to go back home and get another outfit, and trust me, standing in front of a class and trying to teach when having to adjust clothing is super-annoying.

Anyway. These little things throughout the day just made it a bit tedious to get through.

The rest of my day, however, slowly started to fall into place.

In the afternoon I met up with F. I've seen F around the gym many times before - she's amazingly fit and I've always admired the way she works out. I was happy to get a chance to finally sit down and talk to her about how she got into fitness (she just got her personal training certificate). I have to say, after speaking to her, my admiration went up even more -- she told me she used to be overweight -- and she dropped 45 kg (100 lbs) in just 5 months!! She did it herself -- just got into a workout program, watched what she ate, and did it ... I was in total awe! Talk about inspiration!!

About two weeks ago she approached me and told me that she was getting together a few women to try a special training program. It's sort of like timed matrixes of various exercises -- see how many routines you can complete within a set amount of time. I was surprised, but also pleased, that she approached me asking if I'd like to participate. Even though I'm not nearly as fit as she is, I told her I'd give it a go. I'm terrified but also excited to try it out. Hopefully it'll take place this coming Friday!

Today is the end of the first week of the Ready for Summer Challenge.

Progress for week 1:

1) Start NROL4W Stage 6 -- DONE

2) 3 weight sessions; 6 hours of cardio; 3 abs sessions -- I managed 4 weight sessions and 3 abs sessions, but only 5 hours of cardio. I must hit my minimum target this upcoming week.

3) Accomplished most of my tasks but still have a few that I didn't tackle yet or are just half done. My goal for week 2 is to definitely get these tasks done. I don't want to add anything else to the list because obviously I'm having a tough time catching up.

4) I've been eating fruit, but not on a daily basis yet ... as for trying something new - I made a quinoa and black bean chili -- it was delicious. I'll be sure to post the recipe soon!6

Update on NROL4W Stage 6 Workout A coming up in a separate post :)