Five Days Straight

For the first time, I had boxing training for 5 days straight. Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday (today) were 1 1/2 hours of pure boxing/power/strength and conditioning. Monday and Wednesday were kickboxing/technique/and a bit of MMA.

I am absolutely LOVING it!

I see a huge difference in my arm strength and power. Of course I still have a lot of work to do, but I've definitely been improving.

It's quite challenging focusing on your form and then adding the elements of speed and power to the movement. It's so easy to literally get thrown off balance and lose concentration. You've got to be quick, powerful, and accurate.

I've definitely landed quite a few good punches over the past few days. I'm looking forward to throwing many more solid ones.

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This week I didn't get any CrossFit training sessions in. I was beginning to feel a bit frantic because I feel like I'm behind on my training, especially with traveling as well as not meeting this week. The main concern I had was that one of my kickboxing training sessions happens exactly during our class time. I don't want to give up either. I spoke to my Coach today and he was great about it. He said if I was learning and benefitting from kickboxing that I should keep going to the sessions and he would work out another time for me to train so that I don't fall behind and lose my strength/stamina/endurance.

I can't tell you what I relief it was to hear that. That extra bit of flexibility will really help me out. Can't wait to get my schedule sorted so that I can focus on doing instead of thinking/planning/hoping. At least I'm taking out my frustrations on the boxing bag :)

A few pix taken yesterday:

Heading out to ClubFit Kuwait for my kickboxing session - gotta have my Everlast bag!!

Reasons to be fit: [Loved this]

Trial and Error

The Whole Life Challenge ended on Nov. 10th. Since then, I've been experimenting with a few ingredients to see how my body/I react. For example, I added a bit of feta cheese to a salad, I had coffee with milk, I had something with sugar, etc. etc.

I haven't been eating large quantities, and I've been trying only 1 or 2 'off-plan' things a day.

I've found that I feel the worst when I eat something with sugar. Whether it's a bit of sugar in some salad dressing or a piece of chocolate, I feel the impact immediately.

I've also found that dairy makes me feel heavy and bloated.

I haven't had any adverse effects from rice but bread, like dairy, makes me feel bloated.

Since I went off plan I gained 2 lbs. I pretty much gained that within the first week of trying these different foods. Right after that I traveled and I held steady at that 2 lb. gain.

As soon as I got back from my trip, I basically went back into Whole Life Challenge mode and I've already lost 1 lb. and I'm hoping the 2nd lb. will be gone by the end of this weekend.

I didn't panic over the weight gain because I knew that I was in 'experimenting' mode. Now I've switched that mode off and I'm back to eating normal.

I'm not looking to add things like flour and sugar back in my diet. I'm not looking to find an 'easy way out' or an 'excuse' to eat certain foods. I do, however, want to get a better idea of how my body reacts to foods. Cutting out everything all at once resulted in quite a dramatic change ... I guess I just wanted to see what works for me and what doesn't, especially because when I look at Clean Eating - which includes some dairy and grains - it seems quite lenient to me. However, I now know that even having a few grains or certain types of dairy will cause me to feel heavy. I know that I don't want that - so I'll just stay away.

I think the main thing is that I'm not going to panic. I know what I need to do. I know I have the discipline. I just need to put it all together and make it happen. If I could stick to a rigorous plan for 8 weeks, I can surely continue.

So, my trial and error period is over. I wish I hadn't gained the 2 lbs. but I'm happy with what I've learned, and I hope that as I follow my normal path I continue to see the progress that I experienced during the challenge.

Getting Organized

I feel like I've hit the ground running. Yesterday was so busy getting back to work, tackling a stack of research papers to grade, plus taking care of other errands (and losing time being stuck in mad traffic) ... no time to ease into it.

I really need to do something about these frantic days. It seems like they happen more often than not. Basically this means I need to take another look at my schedule and get my food organized - as always. I just feel so overwhelmed. There's so much I have to do and I just don't know how to fit it all in ... and I'm not willing to give anything up.

It's a constant battle.

First things first - food. As long as my menu for the week is organized and my fridge is stocked well (with healthy foods of course) then at least that will be one thing I won't have to worry too much about. I've realized that I need to include food prep time into my schedule. That's something that I haven't done before, but I really need to as it sometimes easily takes an hour or so to chop up veggies etc.

Second - exercise. I've got either boxing/kickboxing or CrossFit scheduled everyday. Yesterday CrossFit was cancelled so I headed over to ClubFit for Kickboxing class. I'm not worried about getting my exercise in, but I need to do more focused cardio (cross-trainer/treadmill/outdoor running) and practice some skills + yoga/Body Balance. Getting in those extras is going to be tough, but I really feel a difference (negative) not including them in my routine.

Third - work/writing/nutrition studies. I figure I need to set aside at least 3 hours a day to take care of one of these tasks (not including the time I spend at work, of course).

Fourth - home. I feel like I've been decluttering for a year, and I have!! Still, there's more - lots more to get rid of. I know I feel better the more I throw things out. I just need to find a systematic way to tackle this and also finish each task I start. I have a bad habit of starting to organize something and then getting distracted and moving on to something else. Must. Focus.

Fifth - social. 'Tis the season indeed. Lots of socializing going on before people travel for the holidays. I need to find a way to spend time with friends and catch up with ones I haven't seen in ages without it feeling overwhelming. Basically with so much going on in my life I want to make sure that I take time to relax and enjoy.

So, lots to be done. I'm starting with writing down my menu, grocery list, and schedule.

Back to Life

I must say, I had quite a weekend! It was probably the most self-indulgent weekend I've ever had, but I enjoyed it thoroughly and I do believe I worked for it!!

I flew to Dubai with some girlfriends and had only 2 goals for this trip: See Jennifer Lopez in concert and SHOP! Dropping 10 kg over the past 8 weeks has left me in great need for new clothing. Pulling your pants up, tucking your skirts into your tights to keep them in place, and having your shirt hang off your shoulders is so not cool --

I'm happy to say I achieved both those goals!

A few pix of the J Lo concert (Dance Again Tour 2012, Dubai - Dubai Media City Amphitheater)

I could not believe how close we were! It was a fantastic concert! She was terrific, and her dancers were amazing (drool! lol)

I went on 2 major shopping sprees.

My first priority - new gym gear!!

I feel like I bought out both Reebok and Nike! I can't wait to hit the gym and try them all out. It was thrilling going from an XL to a Medium ... wow. I got quite emotional at times.

Day 2 of shopping was more causal/fun wear -- I was so happy I brought a 2nd empty suitcase! I needed it!

If you read this blog regularly you know that I'm a total shoe addict. So, Dubai Mall's Shoe Level (the biggest shoe store in the WORLD) was a mandatory stop.

I was in absolute heaven ... and those red fabulous heels on my feet are now comfortably settling in in their new home - my shoe closet in Kuwait :)

A stunning work of art - designed by Julian Hakes of London. I am so in love with them!

As soon as I landed, I weighed in -- nothing gained, which is a relief because although I was careful, I wasn't completely on plan. Still, I know my safe options - lots of grilled fish/meats and veggies. I didn't go to the gym and just hoped the hours of walking around the malls and dancing at the concert helped burn a few calories.

Now, it's back to reality and my regularly scheduled life. So after unpacking - it's straight to boxing class!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving/weekend. Will be catching up on blogs soon :)

Taking a Break

I left the house this morning at 6:30 a.m. and didn't get back home until 11:45 p.m.

I've been running around like a madwoman all day - busy with work, errands, boxing, and a few social things too (so it hasn't been all work).

Anyway.

Just a quick post to check in and leave you with some words of inspiration and motivation for over Thanksgiving weekend. I've got a lot of stuff planned for the next few days - including my big shopping spree - so I won't be around to blog. I'll be back to my regular blogging schedule on Sunday.

In the meantime, have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and friends - stay healthy and be safe! :)

Under the Weather

I really feel like things have been moving non-stop for me for the past several months. Today is the first day that I started to feel really under the weather. I don't know if it's the weather change, the lack of sleep, the exhaustion ... or a combination of it all.

I knew I wasn't going to make it to CrossFit. There was no way I was going to be able to focus enough to lift weights in any way that would be meaningful. I didn't, however, want the day to go to waste. I knew I could squeeze out something. So, before thinking about it too much, I put together my own little  circuit of exercises.

5 rounds of:
100 jump rope skips
20 squats
10 burpees
50 crunches

No Excuses. 

That was it. I'm glad I did it, but after showering and getting into my lounge clothes I knew that I had had it. I am wiped out. I'm so glad I prepared dinner earlier today. Now I'm just waiting to eat, relax a bit, and hopefully go to be early and get a LONG overdue restful good night's sleep.

Feelin' it!

Today, my legs are sore. More specifically, my quads are sore. The good thing is that they are nowhere near as sore as my legs were after the 10k in February. After that run I could barely walk for 2 days. This is more like a post-crazy, intense workout sore & I definitely like this kind of sore ... though I'm ready for it to be over.

I had a great boxing session today. I still need to work on quite a bit of my technique, mainly my upper cuts, but some of my punches are getting really good. Something new we did today completely took my session to another level.

We practiced defense, but not me in gloves and my coach with the pads coming at me ... no, this time he put on gloves too.

Let me tell you. It is completely different when you see a fist (albeit in a boxing glove) coming towards your face. It's scary.

I hated that I felt intimidated and scared, but that was the reality. Coach's glove tapping at my gloves, coming at my head - jabs, crosses, hooks, uppercuts -- and I had to defend myself.

No real punches were thrown, but light contact was made and that initial light contact took some getting used to.

We only did 4 1-minute rounds of this ... but it wasn't enough for me. I wanted more so I asked Coach to practice some more with me after class.

I loved it.

I like the challenge of having to get over that fear. Of being able to look your opponent in the eyes, predict the punch that's coming, defend yourself, AND strike back.

It was so cool and damn tough.

I'm still scared and my first instinct is still to crouch down and put my hands over my head - but that's the best challenge. Facing that fear and hitting back.

I can't wait for the next class!

In other Women's Fighting news -- Ronda Rousey has been signed the first UFC women's champion.

Can't wait to see her fight!