Falling sick is like a double whammy to me. Not only do I get to stop exercising, I also get to feel sorry for myself and binge eat. Well, to be fair, I don't have much of an appetite now. Today's meals consisted of some upma, a little bit more upma, and a little bit of soup. Yeah, I'm losing some muscle, I know that. My weight's down to some 66 if I'm not mistaken. Nothing to feel happy about. Once I start eating, the weight will pile back on. Who knew that food carried so much weight?
Needless to say, fitness plans have taken a bit of a back seat. After the BodyPump class on Tuesday, I went for the Bollywood Aerobics on Wednesday and fell sick on Thursday morning. The Aerobics class was pretty good. I sat down for one class because I got a catch. Some people say it's because you don't drink enough water, and some people say it's because you drink water just before class. I need to do a little bit of research and figure out what to avoid. Because, I always get a catch when I'm doing something cardio intensive.
I took it easy the whole day today, so I'm hoping tomorrow I'm going to feel much better. I want to go for the yoga class on Monday. You know what I hate about falling sick? Apart from the fact that it makes you feel terrible, it's that I have to start building my stamina from scratch. Every time I fall sick, my chest gets congested, wheezing, and it's like I haven't exercised for years. Well, it's something that happens every four months. Just got to suck it up.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Weekends are bad for the waist
I'm afraid the weekend wasn't very good to my fitness goals. I can't even remember what I ate yesterday. I'm sure a lot of it wasn't healthy. I didn't work out as well. I went to get my blood tested for diabetes. I'm convinced that the tiredness, weight gain, and extremely frequent peeing has to be because of it. Although, something tells me it's because of bad diet, bad diet, increase in water intake. I really do like to blame my problems on other things. I haven't picked up the report yet, but once I do, I'm going to make an appointment with this really famous nutritionist called Lisa John. I've heard conflicting reports. Some say she's really helped. Some say she didn't make a difference. I don't think she can make it go worse, so I'm willing to give it a try.
Today, I thought I'd give the RPM class a try. RPM is like a spinning class. I thought it was just another name for spinning, but I've been told there is a slight distinction. It looks like it's ridiculously tough. But hey, remember my false sense of improved stamina. Well, I thought my poor stamina could handle it. Turns out, I couldn't. At all. I stopped after half an hour. It was a very pathetic attempt. But, an attempt nonetheless. I'm not going to venture into another RPM class for another month. Not until I've tried other cardio classes and completed an hour. I didn't go for the BodyPump class that I wanted to go for. Which means that I haven't done any weight training for almost ten days. Next week is definitely going to some weight action
Today, I thought I'd give the RPM class a try. RPM is like a spinning class. I thought it was just another name for spinning, but I've been told there is a slight distinction. It looks like it's ridiculously tough. But hey, remember my false sense of improved stamina. Well, I thought my poor stamina could handle it. Turns out, I couldn't. At all. I stopped after half an hour. It was a very pathetic attempt. But, an attempt nonetheless. I'm not going to venture into another RPM class for another month. Not until I've tried other cardio classes and completed an hour. I didn't go for the BodyPump class that I wanted to go for. Which means that I haven't done any weight training for almost ten days. Next week is definitely going to some weight action
Friday, July 15, 2011
The cheat post
I am extremely embarrassed about my diet today. Actually, embarrassed is too mild. I'm mortified by my diet today. I read this article about dieting where they say that if you end up cheating on your diet, don't beat yourself up about it. Just move on. I knew as I walking into that damn McDonalds that I was going to regret it, but I just kept on walking inside.
Today was an altogether horrid day. I had a headache for most of it. I felt dehydrated through most of it even though I kept drinking tons of water. The headache and the dehydration made me an altogether crabby person. The only good thing about the day was the Bollywood Step class that I went for. It was tough and tiring, and I kept taking breaks in between. But, I finished it. Step in the right direction.
I'm a little unsure whether tomorrow should be a rest day or cardio day. Sunday I'm going for a BodyPump class. Which is like a group weight training class. My first weight session for the week. I'm excited.
Today was an altogether horrid day. I had a headache for most of it. I felt dehydrated through most of it even though I kept drinking tons of water. The headache and the dehydration made me an altogether crabby person. The only good thing about the day was the Bollywood Step class that I went for. It was tough and tiring, and I kept taking breaks in between. But, I finished it. Step in the right direction.
I'm a little unsure whether tomorrow should be a rest day or cardio day. Sunday I'm going for a BodyPump class. Which is like a group weight training class. My first weight session for the week. I'm excited.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Yoga and cardio
Today, I went to the gym with the aim of doing some weights and an hour of cardio. However, when I reached, I was right on time for a yoga class. And seeing that my state of mind was particularly low, I thought yoga would help that situation much better than weights.
It did. To a certain extent. Made me feel calmer and more relaxed. Today's yoga was a lot of lower body stretches. I find that I'm comfortable with most of them. Although, the instructor does tell you to push yourself a bit more if you find yourself comfortable. I ignored her.
At the end of the class though, she suggested we do the head stands. Now, we've all seen the head stands in multiple movies, brochures, magazines. It looks easy, I know. Let me tell you, it's not. The instructor showed us how to do it step-by-step. She made it seem easy as well. So, I was determined to give it a shot. At other yoga classes I've been to, whenever the instructor says head stand, I lie down or do the shoulder stand. I don't even attempt to do the head stand. Today, I thought, why not?
I was able to put my head on the ground and lift my back. That's it. I don't think I could even lift one leg. Well, here's another goal to reach for, no? Do a head stand in three months. I mean, I still have to master the shoulder stand. Okay, shoulder stand in one month. Head stand in three months. I just have to make sure I attend two yoga classes a week.
I went and did some cardio after yoga. I thought I'd jog for ten minutes. Remember I'd mentioned my improved stamina. Turns out it's not so improved after all. I walked for about 5 mins. Started jogging at 7.2 km/hr and within three minutes, I was wheezing like I hadn't used my inhaler. Come to think of it, I don't think I used my inhaler in the morning. Anyway, I kept at it for six minutes and then started walking again. Well, in a way, I'm glad the wheezing happened because now I know that even with the worst stamina, I can jog for six minutes.
I went to the cross trainer after that. I normally start with an effort level of 4. But, with the wheezing and all, I kept the effort level at 3. Made sure my SPM's remained above a 110 though. Fifteen minutes of that, and I moved to the cycle. I put the effort level at 2 and made sure my RPM's did not go below 80. Now, I normally use the cycle to cool down. I cruise by with very low RPMs. So, this increased effort level and RPMs were slightly tough.
Had a glass of sugarcane juice on my way out of the gym. I'm planning to make that a regular thing. Sugarcane juice has multiple health benefits.
Oh yeah, one day into my promise, and I caved. I had ten Hershey's kisses today. To make it worse, I threw in a couple of M&M's too. The good news is that the kisses are over, and I'm not a big fan of M&M's. Bright side. Yay!
It did. To a certain extent. Made me feel calmer and more relaxed. Today's yoga was a lot of lower body stretches. I find that I'm comfortable with most of them. Although, the instructor does tell you to push yourself a bit more if you find yourself comfortable. I ignored her.
At the end of the class though, she suggested we do the head stands. Now, we've all seen the head stands in multiple movies, brochures, magazines. It looks easy, I know. Let me tell you, it's not. The instructor showed us how to do it step-by-step. She made it seem easy as well. So, I was determined to give it a shot. At other yoga classes I've been to, whenever the instructor says head stand, I lie down or do the shoulder stand. I don't even attempt to do the head stand. Today, I thought, why not?
I was able to put my head on the ground and lift my back. That's it. I don't think I could even lift one leg. Well, here's another goal to reach for, no? Do a head stand in three months. I mean, I still have to master the shoulder stand. Okay, shoulder stand in one month. Head stand in three months. I just have to make sure I attend two yoga classes a week.
I went and did some cardio after yoga. I thought I'd jog for ten minutes. Remember I'd mentioned my improved stamina. Turns out it's not so improved after all. I walked for about 5 mins. Started jogging at 7.2 km/hr and within three minutes, I was wheezing like I hadn't used my inhaler. Come to think of it, I don't think I used my inhaler in the morning. Anyway, I kept at it for six minutes and then started walking again. Well, in a way, I'm glad the wheezing happened because now I know that even with the worst stamina, I can jog for six minutes.
I went to the cross trainer after that. I normally start with an effort level of 4. But, with the wheezing and all, I kept the effort level at 3. Made sure my SPM's remained above a 110 though. Fifteen minutes of that, and I moved to the cycle. I put the effort level at 2 and made sure my RPM's did not go below 80. Now, I normally use the cycle to cool down. I cruise by with very low RPMs. So, this increased effort level and RPMs were slightly tough.
Had a glass of sugarcane juice on my way out of the gym. I'm planning to make that a regular thing. Sugarcane juice has multiple health benefits.
Oh yeah, one day into my promise, and I caved. I had ten Hershey's kisses today. To make it worse, I threw in a couple of M&M's too. The good news is that the kisses are over, and I'm not a big fan of M&M's. Bright side. Yay!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
And, so it begins...Again
I know starting a fitness blog is not anything new. Especially one that was started in a fit of enthusiasm and now lies defunct. It's so cliched, I want to bury my head in the sand.
But, I'm hoping that this will help me in some way with my fitness goals and my attempt to lose weight. I'm willing to try everything. Right now, I'm pretty good with the exercising. It's the diet that keeps letting me down. I've been exercising pretty regularly from March. I've been in the 64 kg mark for a long time now. Even when I took a four month break and ate whatever I felt like. Then, I went home to Kerala for about three weeks, didn't watch what I ate and came back at 66. I was okay with that. Got even more serious about the exercising. When I started exercising in March, I was very half hearted about the cardio. I only came to the gym when I had a session with my trainer. In May, I thought okay, let me do more cardio and start working out a bit more. That's when the weight gain started. Two weeks into my work out, I was 68. This has never happened to me before. I've never gained weight while exercising. I may not have lost weight, but I've never gained. Cue the disillusionment, self pity, and the inevitable eating binge that goes it all. It lasted for about a day, and I decided that weight loss isn't going magically start overnight. Also, exercising when you're 25 and when you're 29 is a huge difference. Your metabolic rate, for example, slows down considerably. Things that you could eat at 25 without worrying about putting any weight are your biggest enemy at 29.
The thing good is that I'm learning. Self discipline is the most important thing while you're exercising. Discipline to make sure you're exercising regularly. Discipline to make you're not eating the wrong kind of food. I lose a battle with discipline almost every day. I bought these really delicious chocolates from Singapore, and I've eating a few of them almost every day. Each day, I promise myself that this will be the last. Every day, I break that promise to myself. I'm hoping with this blog, I have an obligation to report my daily feedings, and I'd be awfully embarrassed to report I had ten kisses today.
Here's what I've been doing on the exercise front since I got back from Singapore. I landed late night on Thursday, July 7. I went to the gym on Friday. Did about 50 minutes of cardio. Most on the treadmill and cross trainer. I find that I can jog quite comfortably for 6 to 8 minutes at 7.2 km/hr. I've been having a bit of trouble jogging before I left. I'm pretty glad that my stamina seems to have improved. I went on Saturday again. Did another 45 minutes. Sunday was a break. Monday I went for yoga at 9:15. It was relatively doable. Did about half an hour of cardio after that. I did that fat burning thing on the treadmill where you sprint really fast for minute, walk for three minutes. It was pretty good. Tuesday, I went for a Body Balance class. Body Balance is supposed to be a combination of Tai Chi, Pilates and Yoga. You know, for a class that is mostly stretches and poses, it was tough. Did another half an hour of cardio after that.
Now, one of my favorite classes at the gym is the Bollywood Aerobics. It's a one hour cardio intensive workout, and I'd been looking forward to the doing an entire one hour of cardio. I'd gone for two classes before I left and couldn't complete the class. Took a ten minute break in between. I was looking forward to seeing if I could finish the entire hour with my slightly improved stamina. The class was at 8:00 a.m. which means that I have to wake up at 6:30 a.m. And, with the kind of weather Bangalore has been having, nobody likes to wake up early. I did get up on time though. But, found out that my right eye was swollen. Promptly went back to sleep and found myself tired for the rest of the day.
Now, my worry is that I'm not doing enough strength training. Cardio is well and good. But, without any weight training, weight loss is going to be very difficult. The gym offers a Body pump class that uses weights. The classes are all at difficult times, except for one at 8 a.m. on Tuesday and 3:45 p.m. on Sunday. If I miss these classes, (like I did with Tuesday's class) I'll have to do weights on my own. Something I'm not really looking forward. The gym is just full of trainers at all time, and I have a feeling they're just going to be judgmental. It's just something I have to get over.
Tomorrow, looks like there's a yoga class I can attend at 10:15, and I can probably do a full hour of cardio after that. Or maybe I'll do some weights and then a full hour of cardio. Possibilities, possibilities. The one thing I do know is that I'm not having anymore chocolates. If I have to throw them in the bin myself...I will.
But, I'm hoping that this will help me in some way with my fitness goals and my attempt to lose weight. I'm willing to try everything. Right now, I'm pretty good with the exercising. It's the diet that keeps letting me down. I've been exercising pretty regularly from March. I've been in the 64 kg mark for a long time now. Even when I took a four month break and ate whatever I felt like. Then, I went home to Kerala for about three weeks, didn't watch what I ate and came back at 66. I was okay with that. Got even more serious about the exercising. When I started exercising in March, I was very half hearted about the cardio. I only came to the gym when I had a session with my trainer. In May, I thought okay, let me do more cardio and start working out a bit more. That's when the weight gain started. Two weeks into my work out, I was 68. This has never happened to me before. I've never gained weight while exercising. I may not have lost weight, but I've never gained. Cue the disillusionment, self pity, and the inevitable eating binge that goes it all. It lasted for about a day, and I decided that weight loss isn't going magically start overnight. Also, exercising when you're 25 and when you're 29 is a huge difference. Your metabolic rate, for example, slows down considerably. Things that you could eat at 25 without worrying about putting any weight are your biggest enemy at 29.
The thing good is that I'm learning. Self discipline is the most important thing while you're exercising. Discipline to make sure you're exercising regularly. Discipline to make you're not eating the wrong kind of food. I lose a battle with discipline almost every day. I bought these really delicious chocolates from Singapore, and I've eating a few of them almost every day. Each day, I promise myself that this will be the last. Every day, I break that promise to myself. I'm hoping with this blog, I have an obligation to report my daily feedings, and I'd be awfully embarrassed to report I had ten kisses today.
Here's what I've been doing on the exercise front since I got back from Singapore. I landed late night on Thursday, July 7. I went to the gym on Friday. Did about 50 minutes of cardio. Most on the treadmill and cross trainer. I find that I can jog quite comfortably for 6 to 8 minutes at 7.2 km/hr. I've been having a bit of trouble jogging before I left. I'm pretty glad that my stamina seems to have improved. I went on Saturday again. Did another 45 minutes. Sunday was a break. Monday I went for yoga at 9:15. It was relatively doable. Did about half an hour of cardio after that. I did that fat burning thing on the treadmill where you sprint really fast for minute, walk for three minutes. It was pretty good. Tuesday, I went for a Body Balance class. Body Balance is supposed to be a combination of Tai Chi, Pilates and Yoga. You know, for a class that is mostly stretches and poses, it was tough. Did another half an hour of cardio after that.
Now, one of my favorite classes at the gym is the Bollywood Aerobics. It's a one hour cardio intensive workout, and I'd been looking forward to the doing an entire one hour of cardio. I'd gone for two classes before I left and couldn't complete the class. Took a ten minute break in between. I was looking forward to seeing if I could finish the entire hour with my slightly improved stamina. The class was at 8:00 a.m. which means that I have to wake up at 6:30 a.m. And, with the kind of weather Bangalore has been having, nobody likes to wake up early. I did get up on time though. But, found out that my right eye was swollen. Promptly went back to sleep and found myself tired for the rest of the day.
Now, my worry is that I'm not doing enough strength training. Cardio is well and good. But, without any weight training, weight loss is going to be very difficult. The gym offers a Body pump class that uses weights. The classes are all at difficult times, except for one at 8 a.m. on Tuesday and 3:45 p.m. on Sunday. If I miss these classes, (like I did with Tuesday's class) I'll have to do weights on my own. Something I'm not really looking forward. The gym is just full of trainers at all time, and I have a feeling they're just going to be judgmental. It's just something I have to get over.
Tomorrow, looks like there's a yoga class I can attend at 10:15, and I can probably do a full hour of cardio after that. Or maybe I'll do some weights and then a full hour of cardio. Possibilities, possibilities. The one thing I do know is that I'm not having anymore chocolates. If I have to throw them in the bin myself...I will.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)