Disappointment

Could not do much today. It's outdoor day. Was going to do the usual 3 loops of Terasek, but after 1 loop (2.2km) my right outer knee began to have a dull pain...it's in the side of the kneecap so I had to walk the 2nd loop. Stopped by Starbucks for some ice and i had ice my knee.

Hopefully it can recover by Saturday if not I'll have to give my 20km another miss. SIGHH

Sweat Factory

Got to the gym by 6am!Hah! Beat Aunty Audi to it. Infact she was late, she only got to the gym at 6.20am. And then she went and chose the treadmill next to mine...I say she smelled of jasmine. I don't know which is worse, working out next to a person who has body odour or who reeks jasmine. Eugh. Today only burned 610 calories. Here’s what I did:

36 min walk/run on treadmill (225 calories)

30 min on elliptical machine (255 calories)

20 min on stairclimber (130 calories).

I don’t have obsessive compulsive disorder, but I did notice that the treadmill I was on was not aligned to the other 2 beside it. I perspired buckets again, which was TRULY embarrassing because I was totally drenched, really as though I came out of a pool. IT was so embarrassing that I was beginning to leave puddles. Infact, I had to even SLOW down my workout so that I didn’t perspire so much. It’s so unheard of. Most people I know work so so hard in order to break out a sweat and here I am, a walking radiator. It’s really sad that I had to slow down my workout in order to prevent further embarrassment. And it’s definitely not attractive for a girl to perspire like that..sigh, and yet a few people around me wished they could perspire like me!

So far none of the personal trainers have approached me to sign up for a program. So far all my other girlfriends who joined have been approached, even my friend who’s in her 50s. I’ve deduced the possible reasons why they haven’t approached me:

• I look androgynous
• I look very garang
• I look like I know what I am doing
• I look like I have “Get out of my way, I just want to exercise” written on my forehead
• I sweat too much

Anyway, it’s upper back today:

Lat pulldowns

Low row

Assisted chin ups

Dumbell row

Bent over fly

Double crunch

Pant!

Nearly died today. Only ran 6.6km but my legs could not move. My thighs felt really sore..I don't think it's from 20km but more from the Smithy. Ok I should not be doing weights on legs on the days before a run, but then I run every other day, and I still need to strengthen my legs, so I guess it's better to do it earlier in the week than later, when I do my LSD.

Signed up for New Balance 15km run.

Record breaking!

Arrived at the gym at 6.03am, record breaking time. Can you believe it, the Audi was already there. I suspect this aunty lives in the gym and probably doesn’t go home. She probably sleeps on those benches near the free weights section. Even the air conditioner was just turned on and it was rather warm. Burned a record breaking 650 calories today! Ok I am allowed to have a roti canai today.

Cardio: (80 mins)

35 min run on treadmill (285 calories)

45 min on elliptical machine (365 calories)

Weights:

Adductor machine

Abductor machine

Seated leg curl

Leg extension

Smith machine squats

Fitball crunches

By the time I finished my exercise, I was drenched with sweat, as though I jumped in the pool. A bit embarrassing, as I had to wipe the sweat of the machines…euughh

I'm beginning to feel my thighs reducing in mm...but imagine how hard I've had to work just to slash off a few mm..sigh..life is unfair.

Getting Back in Shape

Got to Bukit Aman by 6am. Having enough sleep the night before really is fantastic, it makes one ready to run. Was in bed by 10:20pm last night. Woke up fresh and nice at 5am and rolled around in bed for a bit before I got ready for my run. Had a bottle of Brand’s Essence of chicken..I’ve always believed in it as I’ve noticed I get an extra boost of energy every time I take it before a run. Managed to convince my brother and Hsiung to run as well.

As usual, I was the last of the pack….well I’ve already qualified that I’m a wannabe athlete right..Being heavier set, I’ve a lot more weight to carry as I run. Eric Liddell once said that God made him to be fast, and when he runs fast, He can feel God’s joy. Someone asked me if I’ve felt the same way as Eric Liddell. Though I wish I could say that, the truth is, I am not fast at all no matter how hard I try – I think God infact, made me to be slow so I’ve nothing to boast about.But I do feel God’s joy when I run, that’s about it.

I did the usual Hartamas 20km route. Surprisingly I felt like I had a lot of energy, even though I only had 2 sandwiches for dinner last night. For lunch I only had a few pieces of Yong Tau Fu, so that wasn’t much carbs to sustain me really. I felt strong even as I ran the hills, especially that slight slope near Plaza Damas. When I arrived at the Petronas station , I still felt good. Nevertheless I decided to be safe and take a power gel just incase I died halfway going up the hill towards the mosque. My legs did feel a bit sore, I think it’s from the stair climber yesterday, but I persevered and ran all the way. On the way back, I even felt good going up the hill, and even at Tijana I was still going strong. In the end I finished my run in 2 hours 20 minutes which is ok by my standards..considering I haven’t run 20km in 1 month, and I didn’t feel I had the need to walk.

It was a great run today…I feel as though my tummy as deflated a bit and I feel less Serna Williams-ish now.

Cardio & Abs

Got to the gym at 6.15am. There’s always an Audi car parked there. Must be one of the aunties, she’s usually there before me. Today’s workout is light, only did cardio and abs today:

Cardio:

30 min walk on treadmill (125 calories only..)

30 min on stairclimber (200 calories(

15 min on bicycle (100 calories) TOTAL: 425 calories

Apparently the stairclimber, the model that they have is rare – there’s only 2 machines of this sort in the whole of Malaysia and it’s sitting in Celebrity in BVII. So far it only looks like my friends and I are the only people using them – I’ve not seen anyone else in the morning using it. Probably it’s because it’s pretty tough. It’s a combination of a stepper and a glider, therefore there’s a lot of resistance everytime you step. I love it though, it makes me feel like I have buns of steel.

Today they played rather retro music, stuff by Real McCoy, M People, Bronski Beat, The Cure and several others. But the part I enjoyed most was Rockwell’s “Somebody’s watching me”. Wow that song is soooo old! Speaking of songs, I heard an interesting song in the changing room...don;t know what it's called but the chorus goes like this:

People are all the same
We only get judged by what we do,
Personality breeds its name (??)
If I'm ugly then so are you.

Ended the workout with abs:

Crunches

Reverse crunch

Double crunch

Plank

I employed Pilates technique while doing it, so I got a really good workout on the abs today.

How to have a good workout for your heart

In my earlier post, I mentioned that I was in good form today while running. I pushed myself beyond usual, and I think my heart rate probably went beyond my training zone. (According to calculation, my heart training zone should be between 120-150bpm for my age group, but I think I usually hit about 160's. I guess I still THINK i am in my 20s and behaving as though I am in my 20s). Nevertheless I didn't feel exhausted.

I'll tell you what will increase your heart rate even further. Earlier this afternoon I was being not very wise and went and installed some Google toolbar. I even made sure I chose the "Enhanced protection mode". Right after I installed it, I could not access any browsers! I usually use Firefox but even my Internet Explorer did not work. Strange thing was, I was stil connected to Yahoo and MSN messengers. First thought that struck my mind was virus!So I did a virus scan and SURE enough, there WAS a virus even though I had all my anti virus programs activated. I deleted it...but even after deleting it, I could not use my browsers! So ok, I rebooted it, and after rebooting my laptop I realised that I could not access Messengers at all even though I was connected online!!!

PENGSAN.

I was all ready to cry. My window to the world had been snatched right before my eyes. All because of my idiocy of downloading something silly. I tried countless time but alas, nothing worked. Tried uninstalling and reinstalling programs. Tried to go on browers again. Didn't work. Was almost giving up, I had damaged my new laptop. Then suddenly, I tried going on to MSN again...and to my DELIGHT I could access it! Started messaging my friends to test. And then I tried my browsers...IT WORKED!!!!Yabbadabbadooooooo! It looks like all this while, I could not perform any online actions (after deleting the virus) was because there was a connection problem.......Cheh......

But what a horrible horrible scare. I've learnt my lesson.

BUt my heart was definitely pumping a lot harder during this time than when I was running.

Oh, did I mentioned that while I was incredibly stressed, I did some "retail therapy" and spent some $ for my company?

It's outdoor day!

Hurrah! No rain this morning! Did my usual 6.6km 3 loops around Jalan Terasek. One of my best runs. Felt fit and fast this morning, especially going uphill. I think it's from the pistachio nuts yesterday.

Also hurrah that all my Almond Rocas have finished and won't have any more goodies to binge on.

450 only today

Was at the gym at 6.20am. It’s a rainy morning again. Ok I think I’m beginning to hate the rainy mornings, because if this continues tomorrow then I won’t be able to do my outdoor run.

Only burnt 450 calories today after a 70 minute cardio workout:

30 min interval training walk/run on treadmill(only 185 calories)

20 min on elliptical machine (only 165 calories )

20 min on stair climber (only 100 calories)

Push ups

Pectoral fly

Chest press

Shoulder press

Lower back exercise

Crunches

An aunty came up to me as she was fascinated with the lower back exercises that I was doing as she’s had back problems before. She said she noticed how hard I workout in the gym. Sigh…it looks like only aunties will take notice of me..so sad..Anyway not being sour grapes but on the
flip side, I haven’t met any cute guys in the gym yet!

PS> A normal cheeseburger is about 563 calories, according to The Calorie Counter. What can I eat for 450 calories? 2 slices of Gardenia bread with a slice of cheese?

Yoga today

I love rainy mornings, and I also hate rainy mornings. I love rainy mornings because it always reminds me of winter and I hate rainy mornings because it disrupts my outdoor runs. Today was one of the days my outdoor run was foiled, nevertheless I was only too pleased to go to the gym. Woke up at 5.30am and realized it had been raining all night since I knocked off at 12.15am last night. Was pretty sure the rain wasn’t going to stop, plus the roads would be extremely wet. Sms’ed 4 of my running buddies and told them I’d be at the gym instead. The scary part was that they were all awake and replied (no I don’t think I woke them up, they are early risers).Arrived at the gym at 6.15am and decided I had to run extra hard to clock in my usual distance, as I had wanted to attend yoga class at 7am. (Ok I know I should not be doing yoga for spiritual reasons, at the same time I wanted to check out the class, but in the words of someone I know, never mind about that..)

Ran 6km on the treadmill. I feel that the button panel is too high, as there have been several occasions where my elbow came into contact with the emergency stop button. Or maybe I am too short! As a result, the machine came to a halt just as I had completed 4.65km so I had to restart. Therefore I could not measure my calories burnt today, but I estimate it’s about 500 calories.After my run and sweating buckets, I joined the yoga class. Good thing they switched off the air cond in the yoga studio or I would have been frozen to death.

The class was conducted by a Dr Dilip, and his approach to yoga was more scientific than spiritual. (But I do wonder at which point the spiritual element starts creeping in, as they say that you can’t progress in yoga without adding the spiritual element). We started by doing a series of progressive movements, which included poses like “mountain”, “cobra” and what seemed to be parts of “sun salutation”. First we had to do it really slow, repeating the whole sequence about 8 times, balancing between beginning on right and left feet. Then we had to do it fast, also repeating the sequence 8 times. The fast/slow movements are to improve the systolic/diastolic pressure of the heart.

Next we had to rub our palms together to create heat, and place them on our eyes. I wonder if that will do anything to reduce my dark rings? Next we had to lie on our backs, bend one knee while the other leg was straightened, and pull our chin towards our bent knee. This is supposed to improve the digestion in the stomach. Dr Dilip said it’s supposed to expel wind from our body, so we should not be shy to release some air, whether from the mouth or from the other end. Halfway performing it, I did feel like their was a great deal of air expelled. But I thought I’d spare the class from any distracting sounds or smells.And then after that, to massage the internal organs, we were to bend both knees (still on our backs) and pull our chin towards our knees, and then roll side to side. It’s a good thing I am well padded, because after a while I began to feel my hip bones pressing on the floor (even with the mats) and it was rather uncomfortable. So, this is the time I snigger at those anorexic looking women who don’t need to exercise. Haha! Too bad for you. Skinny people should also share in some sufferings.

Next, we got into one of the asana positions, which looks like this:

We had to hold for 1 minute each side, and ultimately we should hit 3 minutes each side. I felt like a got a really good stretch, especially on my hamstrings. Plus I usually tend to be more supple after a good run because the body is still warm. The only problem I had with doing this move was that I was already sweating buckets earlier, so everything became slippery and it was hard to hold the position and resist sliding.

There were other relaxation moves in between, plus breathing. Overall I felt very relaxed. Dr Dilip said he usually ends the class with some motivational message, and today’s message was “to give thanks in everything”.Sounds a bit New Age to me. I felt the stretches were really great for my body but again, I am not sure how often I’d do this,or whether I’d do it again, because I am only purely interested in the physical aspect of it..and who knows when it will dabble into the spiritual realm?

PS. Dr Dilip said 1 roti canai is equivalent to 600 calories, so there, I can only eat 5/6 of a roti canai today.

PACM

Mention PACM to me and one thing comes to mind: Pacesetters Atheletic Club Malaysia. And that's the only PACM that I am familiar with. However, try googling PACM and here are the diverse combinations you'll get:

Program in Applied and Computational Mathematics
Pennsylvania Association of Court Management
Paedophiles Against Child Molestation
Presumed Asbestos Containing Material
Pulse Amplitude Code Modulation
Phoenix Alive Christian Ministries
Phillipines Association of Catholic Missiologists
Peruvian American Club of Michigan

What a mouthful!

483 calories only!

Got to the gym by 6.20am. Still payback time for not doing marathon yesterday. Bumped into some people whom I used to see at Lake Club gym. Rather crowded in the gym today. At last they did something to counter the effect of the midday heat – they’ve laminated the glass with a tinted coat.

My workout today:

35 min run on treadmill

25 min on elliptical machine (Hurrah! Did 1 hour cardio)

Assited chin ups

Seated row

Lat pulldown

Dumbell upright row

Double crunches

Only burned 483 calories for cardio..after all the hard work. That’s only half a meal or probably equivalent to 3 Almond Rocas, which I had countless number last week.

When I run tomorrow, I shall use the mantra “once on the lips, forever on the hips”. That should encourage me to run faster.

Morning person

Since I missed the marathon today (due to poor training), I felt somewhat guilty and decided to go to the gym. Usually Sunday's my rest day, but I also feel the Almond Roca piling on my hips. Sunday's a different crowd alltogether. Saw a number of exhibitionists, who are just in the gym to be seen. And then there are those women you just hate. Why do they even bother exercising?? First of all, their torsos are so flat, they don't even need to exercise. Secondly, they just flash their torsos at you almost reminding you that no matter how hard you workout, it will never be as flat as theirs. Don't you just hate them? Most of these exhibitionists are seen on the second floor, where the aerobics studio and weight machines are. Most of the aunties just gravitate to the first floor as that's where all the cardio machines are. I guess these aunties also need to seriously do more cardio to lose weight.

I'm just a morning person. I found it tremendously difficult to workout in the afternoon - too hot. As it is, under normal conditions my body radiates a lot of heat, hence it makes me perspire more..what more working out in the hot noonday, Plus, it also gets very hot on the rooftop. Even though the air cond is blasting, one can still feel the heat from outside. Decided to do legs today:

25 min walk/run on treadmill
20 mins on bicycle
Adductor machine
Abductor machine
Seated leg curl
Leg extension
Alternate lunges
Reverse lunges
Dumbell squats
Fitball crunches

I'm still more comfortable with the morning crowd. At least they are normal people who just want to exercise for fitness.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Got to the gym by 6.15am today. Needed to do a bit more cardio. My thighs still feel a bit Serena William-ish..if you haven’t guessed by now, I’ve actually got body dysmorphic disorder. That’s when you have a distorted perception of your body. Yup, I think I’m fat. (Actually I don’t just think I’m fat, I’m really fat, but then again if I’m really fat then I DON’T suffer from body dysmorphic disorder) It’s something I’ve battled with since my teenage days… I was chubby in college (not to the point of obesity though) and guys used to take the mickey out of me. A friend of mine asked another guy friend, whom I liked very much to take me to the prom, and that guy said , “NO way, I don’t want a flat tire”. Then other guys would say things like I might get stuck between desks.

SO, please be kind to those who are chubby, especially when they are in their impressionable years…it STICKS with you for a long time. That’s why I still think I am fat until this very day. Anyway, here’s what I did today:

25 min on elliptical machine

30 min interval walk/run on treadmill

10 min on stair climber

Assisted chin ups

Lat pulldowns

Low row

Bent over flys

Shoulder press

Double crunch with weight ball

On the rooftop

Ok, so I didn't get to the gym by 6am yesterday...nevertheless I got there by 6.25am. Just had to shed off that roti canai. Did:

40 min run on treadmill
15 min on elliptical machine
Adductor machine
Abductor machine
Dumbell squats
Dumbell alternative lunges
Leg extension
Leg curl
Abs

What's really nice about Celebrity Fitness BV2 is that it's on th rooftop and you get to see a lovely sunrise from there. Makes you feel on top of the world!

Today's exercise:
6.6km outdoor run

My Affair with the Roti Canai

I did it. I did a sinful thing. My lips came into contact with a roti canai. Not only that but I devoured the whole thing. Before today, I had not touched roti canai for a year now. I think in the last 5 years I've probably only consumed 3 , or something like that. For that short moment of satisfaction, I'll have to wake up at 5.30am tomorrow to get to the gym by 6am. As they say, once on the lips, forever on the hips.

To my amazement, some of my friends had never even been to mamak stalls all their lives until they were in their 20s/30s. On the other hand, I grew up on roti canai..it was the most affordable meal as a student. I still remember paying 40 sen for a roti those days. Where can you get a meal for 40 sen now? You'd be lucky if you can buy 5 Hacks sweets.

Friday's workout:

Cardio:
45 min walk/run on treadmill

Weights:
Push ups
Chest press
Machine flyes
Machine assisted tricep dips
French press

My back is still sore from last Wednesday. was guilt ridden today because i had several slices of smoked ham (yoke korn) yesterday. No wonder I have Serena WIlliams butt. I should start a food diary again. Today they had taichi classes and they actually had an auntie leading the class, which was a bit strange because I thought image was important to Celebrity.

6.6km outdoor run

New Program

Checked out myself in the gym mirrors today ( ya ya i know, vanity...) I swear, the circumference of my limbs seemed to have increased, espeically my thighs. I seem to look more rotund, and my butt feels like Serena Williams'. What I mean is, i think they stick out like hers but definitely not as firm as hers. Sigh, I have this perennial weight problem. And it seems to be even more difficult to shed the pounds between end of last year to this year..and it's not like I have been bingeing so much....I've been quite careful over Chinese New year.

I've decided to switch my exercise regime for a bit. Since I quit Lifestyle last year I haven't really worked out properly in the gym. Was going to the gym only 2x a week, and the Lake Club gym hasn't got so many equipments...and whatever they do have is probably half my age. SO I thought, perhaps my body is used to the current exercise regime, so i'd have to switch it round to trick my body. Have decided to do the following for this month:

Mon : Legs
Tues : Outdoor run
Wed : Back
Thurs : Outdoor run/ RPM
Fri : Chest
Sat : Long distance

ok, i can't switch too much because of my running..still need to maintain it. But i thought i'd concentrate on these body parts so that I can get acquainted to all the machines. After which I have decided to do a total body circuit on Mon, Wed and Fri to give the body a good blast. Hopefully my body will respond. Have also got to start at the gym earlier, so that I can maximise my time and get some stretches done too. i need that...been pretty still lately. I still remember the time I used to be able to do a "pancake" on the floor. Gone are those days.

I don't think I am that old, yet my metabolic rate has slowed down tremendously the last 4 months...I dread to think what it would be like in 10 years..SIGH.

Work it out

There used to be a time when my tummy used to be concave. Now it's convex. Yup, as much as I hate to admit it I think it is middle age spread. Last week I had a stomach bug, which prevented me from eating much, but I didn't lose much weight either. Now with the new gym, I need to work harder. Must attend some of the classes too to change my regime.

Ran 6.6km today. Didn't feel as strong because of lack of reserves due to the stomach bug.

Yesterday I did:
30 min run on treadmill
12 min on elliptical machine
Adductor machine
Abductor machine
Seated leg curl
Leg extension
Dumbell squat
Abs

After not utilising my adductor and abductor muscles for a long time, my inner thighs were sore today! Probably why i found it hard to run today. Could not take big strides.

Day 1 at Celebrity

Finally made my first visit to Celebrity. Not too bad la, everybody seems to complain that there's too much neon lights and it's too Zouk like but I don't have a problem with it (Not that I frequent Zouk anyway - only been there once for a launch). They've got some pretty decent looking "Rapid Results Coach", at least they are fit looking, regardless of whether they actually are. I've a good mind to challenge them - if they can make me lose 5kg rapidly, then they've proved their worth!

Mostly old codgers in the morning, aunties and uncles. Which is fine by me, I hate people who come to the gym to check people out.