Work is Bad for Health

I stopped my exercise regime for about a week or so (it just resumed two days ago) because I was down with flu-like symptoms (yet not exactly suffering from the full-blown flu) and I was afraid of over-exerting myself.

Not only did I not exercise, ever since the month of July came around, with me being back in school, I have found that I increasingly turn to food as a source of comfort.

In June, when I was home on some days, I found that I could keep to a healthier diet. I reduced my carbo intake and was conscious of the food I took. On some days, I was satisfied with cereals with milk for a meal and though I was tempted by rice and pasta occasionally, I had little trouble exercising my self-discipline.

Ever since I have gone back to school, I found myself looking for food every other hour. I am not hungry per se but I keep feeling peckish. The sugared coffee and teh-tarik (from the newly installed vending machine) do not help and even now, I find myself craving for the char-siew bao I bought from Crystal Jade Bakery and really have to stop myself from going to the fridge and take them out to steam.

:( Not only am I more stressed mentally by school, losing sleep worrying about my work and marking, I am also gaining weight from eating too much! :(

But carbo makes me happy. It fills me up and makes me feel good. I need carbo! :(

Jia You!

Lovebell today began her resistance training on the exercise machine.
Prior to today, she had always done her training on a level 1 resistance, and her main objective had been to get fit enough to be able to keep on doing for 30-45 minutes in a row. And she has been able to achieve that consistently for some time now.

Today, she started on one of the resistance programs built into the machine.

And she managed to complete it without stopping, so I thought that was a very good effort on her part and I wanted to encourage her to keep it up.

So, Jia You xiaomao! :)

Week 7

I have been faithfully tracking the days that I have been exercising on my cross trainer and I have expanded my workout to include a little strength training with weights. I used to be very conscious of my big arms (my wedding photographer had to resort to hiding my HUGE arms with the veil) and had stopped using dumbbells for a while. However, I realised that my arm still did not go down in size and since there is no way on earth that I would be reed-thin like those ah-lians who walk down the streets, I might as well go for a healthier and lean look.

I still have a long, long way to go in terms of trimming down my tummy but the rest of my body is firming up a little and I have also begun to feel a little better about myself. I have been putting in 30min on the cross trainer (albeit without any resistance) for about a week plus or so.

I counted the weeks that I have been staying on the machine and this is the 7th week. Come next week, according to my HoD (PE), I would have made exercising a habit and hopefully a part of my life.

Now, I just need to be more disciplined with my diet. Though I have been trying to cut down on carbs, I must admit that I have not experienced much success. The past week being back in school didn't help much because carbs have always been a great source of comfort food to me and everyone here knows how much comforting I need during the school week.

One more week then and I shall start varying the resistance on my machine. :)

An improvement in lifestyle

I am most proud to report that today, after staying 25min on the cross-trainer and keeping my pulse rate to about 130, I was perspiring but not panting.

Increasingly, it's becoming easier for me to stay on the cross-trainer and I can go on slightly longer each time.

My target is to hit 3omin by next week. Then I shall slowly work on varying the resistance on the machine.

I have not seen any visible loss in weight yet (either to the naked eye staring into the mirror or at the weighing scales) but I am mentally prepared for this. Both VT and my PE teacher-colleagues warned me that it would take at least 3 months of sustained physical exercise before I will see any results.

On a more positive note, the exercise has made me slightly (just ever so slightly) more conscious about my diet. I am trying to cut down on the carbo intake (unless I am with company!) and trying not to waste all the calories I have been trying so hard to burn on the machine. The hardest thing to give up is actually beer (dang! why did doppy start me on beer? I was perfectly happy with whiskey!!) especially at the end of the week when I can really do with a couple. Oh well, I just rationalise to myself that even if I am not exercising, I would still be consuming the same amount of food and drinking the same amount of beer so any exercise is better than none. And if AD can eat the amount he does and Mr. Stucked drink the amount he does and maintain their trim figures, there is probably still hope for me once I manage to shed some of these extra weight I have accumulated over the last couple of years.

So stay tuned for more encouraging reports and if you are looking at getting me something for Christmas (PJ has already gotten my Xmas present, k!) , I wouldn't mind a couple of dumbbells for my resistance training! :)

What's 10min?

10min is nothing if you are watching telly.

Heck, 10min flies you by if you were rushing from one class to another. 10min wouldn't even buy you enough time to sneak into the toilet cubicle!

But 10min on the cross-trainer is 10min too long.

You start out okie but before a minute has even passed, you feel your heart rate increasing and your breath getting shorter. Then you feel your muscles tensing up and beginning to ache. You try to concentrate on the tv show yet you cannot help but sneak a glance at the monitor and you realised that it has only been 3min!

You are beginning to take in deeper breaths now and the only thing that keeps you going is the thought that I can't be such a loser! Not especially if I am serious about getting fit. It's only 10min. C'mon!

Then your breathing settles down and your muscles being to get used to the ache. This is not to say that it is becoming easier but you find it slightly easier to keep going. The seconds are still ticking slowly though! Darn! Where is that damn commercial break that will signal the end of a 10min segment of show? How is it that when you are watching it on the sofa, that commercial break seems to come so fast and furious and now it doesn't seem anywhere in sight.

But boy! When you step off that machine, with your heart thumping and your leg muscles fully stretched and slightly aching, boy! do you feel good. You feel a sense of high too (either from some chemical release or sense of accomplishment) and your body begin to crave that feeling.

And that signals the end of my 2nd day of exercise. :) Slow and easy does it.

A New Addition

The Kettler Verso 300

It all started out with doppy thinking of buying me an exercise machine for me to do some exercise at home. I concurred with him as despite my best intentions to get down to exercising, I simply did not have the time or energy to go jog around my estate. We thought that an exercise machine at home would help me to get a more regular routine going, given how much I like to watch the TV too.

We began by looking at exercise bikes. But PJ said that she had tried it before and it could be quite uncomfortable for the butt and the tail-bone will hurt after sitting down for a long time. Then we decided to surf for second-hand machines, rationalising that we don't really need a brand-new one. We stumbled across an ad-post by someone who wanted to get rid of his cross-trainer as he was replacing it with a treadmill instead. Did some reading up on the internet and found out that the cross-trainer is the best machine for a total body workout. Since the buyer lives down the street at Pandan Valley, we decided to pop by his place to check out the condition of the machine.

We were initially taken aback by the size of the equipment as it looked kinda huge in the owner's very spacious living room. Considering that we live in a 4-room flat and we have fitted in a sofa and dining table in the living room, we were a little concerned about the availability of space. We didn't want the machine to be the centre of attention the moment our guests step into our home too.

The price was really attractive though. We hit the stores to do some market research and saw the brand-new ones going for a at least 1K+ and more. The seller was willing to let it go for $550 and it was a very tempting deal. It was virtually brand new and it's a good brand.

So today, we closed the deal and paid for someone to pick up the machine. It is now sitting real pretty behind my sofa. :) I did a mere 10min on it and I was panting and perspiring like hell.

I am not looking for a hot bod but I sure hope that I will be able to keep up with some kind of routine and live a little more healthily. Stay tuned to this blog to see the progress I have made. :)

Oh! And you are of course most welcome to use the machine when you are over at our place.