Haze + heat = HELL

ok....i have decided not to run the Stanchart KL Marathon. Have been lazy, unmotivated.

Drained by the heat.

Lazy because of the haze.

Excuses, excuses.

Sigh...

Getting to the Core

Last night I decided to bring out my Core Board. I've had it for a few years but all I've ever used it for was to collect dust. It's been sitting under the coffee table in my hall for years. I'd decided to go back to my daily abs routine which I havent done in a while. For now I've just been doing abs 3x a week, that is whenever I go to gym. Gave it a good cleaning and used it while watching Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives.

I've never had such a good abs workout in a long, long time! Did about 45 minutes of squats, balancing poses and crunches.

Today I woke up late and missed 45 minutes of workout time. Nevertheless within an hour, I had a blast of a workout, with 30 minutes of cardio - interval training walking and sprinting. Followed with back exercises and 100 situps. Finally my abs are showing signs of concavity again!

PS my core board looks a little different from that above - instead of a flat base it actually stands on 4 legs.

Outdoor & Indoor

Woke up this morning to the sound of thunder....Hmmm was feeling a bit lazy and thought I'd sleep in. BUt since I've been told that I've gained weight beyond recognition PLUS I need to get my act together to start training for the KL Marathon. I've rested from long distance running for 3 months - my left hip was sore and all but now it's better although on certain days it still feels tight, especially if I dont exercise and stretch. Woes of a wannabe runner.

Anyway, we started running even though the sky was dark. We managed about 2km before it started raining. Just as we'd started running our second loop we felt raindrops. My girlfriend and I decided to turn back while the guys (being macho of course) carried on. In any case the guys were much faster so they were already further ahead whilst Julia and I could still turn back. We continued our run on the treadmill..Did about another 4.5km indoors.

WHile we were at the gym, one of my friend's husband who is a Dutchman came and used the treadmill beside mine. He is a marathon runner and has the physique. Here I was sprinting on my treadmill and when I looked over to his, he was running at 15.2km per hour!!!! And when he slowed down to a slow jog, he was at 9.9km per hour..gosh that is like sprinting for me already! BUt he is tall, and his 1 stride is probably my 5 strides.

'Twas a good run!

Hip Hip Hooray!

Ever since the Singapore Marathon I've been having this niggling hip soreness. It's not a sharp pain but a dull ache, and it throbs sometimes. I've been stretching and stretching my hip flexors but somehow they were still sore. It gets worse when I don't exercise and actually improves when I do! It stretches from the front at the hip flexor all the way to the lower back, and it's only on my left side. There have been a few times where I laid off exercise for a few days but it never went away.

Strangely, after laying off for 4 days last week, and missing the Wild Wild Run, my left hip is finally beginning to feel normal!It is still a teeny weeny tight but it doesnt feel so bad - previously it would still feel tight even when I am resting in bed. It's been feeling more normal the last 2 days, and I hope this lasts!

Hip hip hooray!

Battling Body Dysmorphic Disorder

I often make a joke about my body dysmorphic disorder(BDD) but seriously, it isn't really funny. I've just discovered that BDD actually does fall under OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) I guess it's the same thing that

1. it is a mental disorder
2. it is irrational

It's funny that although I have a distorted image of my body shape, I could never be anorexic nor bulimic. I could never be anorexic because I can't imagine starving myself, knowing that I won't have energy to run...I love running too much to give it up. (unless if I have to because of physical or health reasons, that is a different issue alltogether). And I can't imagine sticking my finger down my throat after every meal - that is disgusting.

So it remains a mental issue to me.

It's also strange because as far as I can remember, until I turned 18 I never worried about the way I look. Media and people around you have such great influence. I began to be more conscious about my body shape when I was in college, when boys used to tease me about my weight. Actually looking back I wasn't that fat, chubby yes, but I'd seen fatter people. BUt all the teasing has scarred me and still goes with me until now.

It was this whole reason that I'd started exercising..I've been exercising for 18 years now, and I love it. I exercise not just to lose weight but it makes me fitter and healthier. But sadly my mental health is not as good - I have to get rid of this perception that I am fat. I know that sometimes when I lament about this to friends, people find it hard to understand - especially those who are bigger than me - and they may think I'm insensitive, but it really is a psychological issue. I have double standards against myself. There are people who are bigger than me, but I don't see them as fat but I see myself as fat. And for people who tell me "oh be happy with yourself", I think "yea right, easy for you to say when you are so slim".

Although I know that my physical body will not last, yet I am still preoccupied with it. I know I should be thinking of a more eternal perspective, yet I am still caught up with earthly matters.

I seriously have a problem, but I dont know how to get out of it. I know what I'm supposed to do, but it's such a struggle.

Getting Better

Had to give the Wild Wild Run a miss...caught a bad bug from my colleague, I've been waking up to very stuffed up nose and phlegm every morning. Even though I didn't catch a cold or had a bad cough, I just felt very very tired and worn down, the same kind of feeling that you get when on medication. The funny part was, I wasn't on medication.

I believe that when you get a viral attack, the antibodies are working very hard, that's why you feel so tired even though you aren't really that sick. You tend to feel extremely sluggish and groggy. Well at least I did. Not to mention 4 days of no exercise, and my energy just plummeted.

I also made a day trip to PD on Sunday, which was another reason why I had to give the run a miss - I knew I would be driving back alone at night, and could not afford to be tired and sleepy while driving.

I started running again yesterday, a slow and easy one, and you would not believe how much of mucus i had in my nose (ok, too much information i know..) Today I feel much better, although still a little stuffy but I regained some energy and could run as normal.

So That's What It's All About!

My shop has just been relocated and I've been at our new place for a week. For the past week, everytime I went to the back of my shop, I kept hearing Hindi music being blasted from the shop behind ours, and not only that, I kept hearing men grunting (sounded pretty obscene..) I asked my colleague if he knew what shop was behind ours but he didn't know, and he attributed the grunting sounds to men carrying heavy loads during the shift. BUt i thought it wasn't possible, since it wouldnt take them a week to shift..

Today I decided to check out the shop behind us..and ah, it all made sense!

It was a Bowflex exercise equipment shop.

No wonder - all that grunting! The shop assistants must have been doing some resistance training during work!

Ran 6km today.

Motivated to go Wild

Ok, it's obvious I am lacking motivation to blog. Nothing exciting has been happening on the exercise front, except that I have been lazy and skipping my Saturday runs. Gym and short outdoor runs are ongoing but I haven't even run more than 8km in a while now. A case of going from fit to fat. That's not phat :P

I have to buck up soon, I've got my eyes set on the Standard Chartered KL Run...although there's a lot of expectation on this run, I doubt it will be anything like the SIngapore one - considering there is always pilferage happening with the water supplies - the people involved usually nick the water and sell it. Awful isn't it??? How can we ever go international if this continues? (*roll eyes*)

In any case, I've signed up for "Der Wild wild Run" which will be a 10km run on 8th march in Zoo Negara. It will be a nice change of environment, although I'm not so sure the air will be very fresh! I hope I won't be too tired, as I'll be watching Sarah Brightman the night before, plus I am planning to make a day trip to PD on the 8th..

There's nothing like..

There's nothing like a great run to release stress.

Five Ways to Spot a Lousy Personal Trainer

Two of your best friends hired trainers and now they love their workouts. And there's another story in the gossip magazines about an amazingly fit celebrity who thanks her trainer by name. It's about time, you decide, that you get some help yourself. But before you choose your coach, make sure you know what to look for. Yes, it's nice that a prospective personal trainer looks healthy (or handsome), but that's not enough. If you spot any of these five danger signs, physiologist Cedric Bryant of the American Council on Exercise suggests you keep looking.

1. Unprofessional Business Practices: If your trainer doesn't explain his cancellation policies, can't provide references, or doesn't have liability insurance, walk away. These are all signs that a trainer isn't a professional. Most importantly, ask where your trainer got his or her certification: Besides the American Council on Exercise, the American College of Sports Medicine and National Strength and Conditioning Association are the leading fitness certification organizations.

2. The Cling Factor: When you ask how many sessions it should take before you can work out on your own, if the trainer gives a vague answer or tells you about clients he's been seeing weekly for a year or more, be wary. A good trainer will teach you to be independent, he won't cling to your business. After four months, you should be able to set up and operate equipment on your own, use proper technique and monitor your exercise intensity. You can always have a tune-up session later if you plateau or get bored.

3. Diet Know-it-All: The trainer tries to sell you vitamins or protein powder, recommends unusual products, or tells you, you can't eat meat. Trainers are taught basic nutrition and weight-management techniques, but they shouldn't be pushing an agenda about diet or supplements.

4. The Marine: The trainer pushes you too hard. You need to exercise past your comfort zone in order to build stamina and muscles. But it is possible to overdo workouts. If you start to hate your workout, feel chronically sore, or your heart rate stays high well after a round of exercise, you may be over-exercising. Losing your appetite, sleeping badly, or becoming depressed are other possible symptoms of overtraining. If you're not feeling better as a result of your workouts—stronger and more energetic—complain. Or move on.

5. Personality Clash: You just don't like or trust this person. You need to feel comfortable and sure that he or she won't gossip about you or overstep boundaries by talking about other clients, flirting, or telling you more than you want to know.

By Temma Ehrenfeld | Newsweek Web Exclusive

http://www.newsweek.com/id/158159

Jessica Simpson's New Look

I've never been a fan of Jessica Simpson - infact I can't stand her. I hated her in the "These Boots are Made for Walkin'" video, where she was such a tart and slutting around in her bikini washing the car. But with her recent weight gain, my heart goes out to her.

She's been getting a lot of bad publicity and horrible comments on her weight gain, but at the end of the day it only goes to show she is human, and we all have moments where we gain weight due to depression, slow metabolism etc. And people can so SO CRUEL about other people's weight gain.

These pictures above are of course totally unflattering. The high waisted jeans are just a no-no and the thick belt is totally 80's. I've seen other pics of her with her weight gain and she looked far better as she camouflaged it well.

As much as I don't like her, I hope the media stops focusing on her weight gain - there are far better and more important issues to focus on, plus creating the idea that "thin is beautiful" is UNHEALTHY for women.

Indulgent weekend

Ran 5km this morning. Feeling wee bit dizzy, as I had a pretty bad bout of diarrhoea. Spent the weekend overeating: on Saturday I had the English breakfast at La Bodega's, the pigged out at a friend's place. She made lovely Indian food, and her husband made his version of Daim cake, which I had 3 slices. Talk about greed. He used dark chocolate, which i really really love, and could not resist...

Then on Sunday, I had a large bowl of curry laksa for lunch at Gurney Drive @ The Gardens, and in the evening I pigged out at Ole Ole Bali. FElt quite alright until Monday morning, when I woke up for a run but decided the stomach felt a bit weird.

I had some gastric pain as well, I think it was from the tummy upset and not from under eating (obviously not!) As a result, I had plain white bread diet all day yesterday (bleah!). I just cant wait to eat proper food again but am being cautious...

Well, I hope I've lost some weight from all that!

Here's what I've been up to...

Emperor Chicken
Lobak
Fried prawns
Fruit meringue
Tiramisu cake

They say a picture paints a thousand words. This is what I have been up to....eating and eating and eating and eating...

So you know what that means...?

FIrstly, I've gained all that I lost whilst training for my marathon.

Secondly, it's punishment time!! Been taking it easy lately (due to my sore illiopsoas)..ocassionally it still feels a bit sore so I daren't push myself much. I am hoping to train for the KL Stanchart marathon)

Took a break from gym yesterday but started again today...

back on my feet

I'm back on my feet again! It feels so good to run again! Ran 6km outdooors. Yes, I can still run the hills! :)

WHat i enjoyed most this morning was having the wind in my face and the surge of adrenaline...

Going Nuts

Hey look what I found on a packet of Tong Garden cashew nuts. I can't believe a chinaman product actually made references to Kelly Holmes on it! She was a gold medalist in the 2004 Olympics.

I've just had some cashew nuts, and I guess this is the only time I can feel good about snacking since Kelly Holmes supposedly gave a testimony on it on BBC!

So what's good about cashew nuts?

1. Good source 0f:

• iron (essential for red blood cell function and enzyme activity)
• magnesium (promotes energy release and bone growth)
• phosphorus (builds bones and teeth)
• zinc (essential to digestion and metabolism) and
• selenium (has important antioxidant properties, thus protecting the body from cancer).
• protein

2. lower fat content compared to other nuts

3.contains significant amounts of phytochemicals with antioxidant properties that protects the body from cancer and heart disease.

But....

how much to eat??

1 serving (30gm) = 18 medium sized cashews

We are to eat no more than 3 servings PER WEEK.

Oops, I've just busted my quota.

TIME TO KILL MYSELF AT THE GYM!

Beware of what you wish for!

For the last 2 years I've been lamenting about how Celebrity Fitness hasn't fixed their showers - ie hot water was only available in certain cubicles, and water in the other cubicles was just freezing.

Towards the end of last year, they finally fixed the showers, and now not only is the water hot, but it is SCALDING!

I guess I finally got what I asked for!

Injured Lame Duck

Yup, I'm injured. And injured from that pleasant 20km run which i did 2 Saturdays ago. Whilst I felt no pain while running, I had a dull throbbing sensation on my left iliopsoas the week after...and although I did minimal exercises (ie only walked on Thursday and Friday, the rest being rest days), the pain continued to be present.

From the symptoms I experience, I gather I have iliopsoas tendonitis. Hip pain could result from iliopsoas tendonitis or iliopsoas syndrome. While the 2 terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they are both different in nature. I-tendonitis usually results from overuse of the hip area or repetivive hip flexion and it is a gradual build up, resulting in inflammation; whereas I-syndrome usually refers to an acute muscle tear or rupture, and usually feels like a sharp pain on the side.

I've been experiencing dull throbs and aches on my left iliopsoas, in actual fact it was sort of niggling while I did the Singapore Marathon, but I guess I went back to long distance training too soon. I took a week off from exercise the week after my race and did only short runs the week after, and a 12km run 2 weekends after, but I think I pushed my body to the limit 2 Saturdays ago when I ran 20km.

I guess I have to lay off from running for a few weeks, as the area feels tender, and it pulls a little if I walk fast..so I guess I have to do slow walks just to keep the muscles warm. I dare not even lift heavy weights.

SIgh! Guess I also have to watch my diet as I will be relatively sedentary compared to normal days.

Guess I will have to give the Great Eastern 30km a miss..I had wanted to do it very much.

Sigh I just want to heal fast.

A Pleasant 20km

Today was the first time I ran the Hartamas route in about a month. It was a slow and easy run, completed 20km together with my brother. Rather quiet day, there was only one other person running 20km. Since it was a slow and easy run, I did not bother to carry a running belt and only rehydrated myself at 10th km.

My left hip flexor hasn't felt the same since a week before the marathon. At certain positions it feels tight. Also, I have to ban myself from wearing heels..my left big toe and bunion were hurting from wearing heels a few days ago.

ON the way back, when we were running past the tennis courts, there was a motorcyclist there who was watching people play tennis. Just as we hit the pavement, the idiotic motorcyclist decided to ride on th pavement, AND against traffic. He honked expecting us to give way but in any case he was happily watching the tennis game until we started running on the pavement. Secondly, the pavement is not intended to be a bike lane and thirdly he was against traffic anyway. We ran as fast as we could because there was no telling if this man could be psychotic enough to run us down.

Anyway we finished the run quite easily, and it was a very pleasant run.

Malakoff 12km

Went for the Malakoff 12km at Tmn Rimba Kiara this morning...Quite a huge turn up, with the new route, I had expected a jam similar to the ones in SIngapore Marathon. In the last minute the organisers decided that it was too dangerous to run on the SPRINT highway, so the race was limited to running 2 laps of the road from the Tmn Rimba up to Sime Darby Convention centre and back.

Flag off was delayed, we started about 7.15am I think (my watch is forever fast so I wasn't really sure of the actual time). It was quite a fast race (well at least for me it was, as I am more of an endurance than speed person). It was quite a gruelling circuit, with a total of 6 major slopes. By the time I finished 1 lap, I was really regretting doing heavy pec workouts on Friday...I was still quite sore and by the time I hit 6km, my shoulders were super duper tired, they almost felt numb! BUt of course with the crowd and adrenaline i just pressed on.

There was an anorexic looking lady who tried to outrun me at several points in the race,but here's where having fat reserves help - at the last hill when she tried to outdo me, alas I completely lost her going uphill... I had the extra fats (ie fuel) to propel myself uphill.

Finshed the race in 76 mins.

Barrier Broken!

Finally!! I have broken the barrier! I am finally back to my original weight 2 years ago. Last year was a rather sluggish year physically, and towards middle of this year I gained a hefty 5kg. (Yes it was THAT much.) Even after I started my marathon training, weight loss was progressive and very very slow. Towards the few weeks before the race, my weight had remained stagnant for a long time and it was difficult to break that barrier.

When I returned from Singapore, I realised I had lost another 2kg!! I've lost a total of 5kg alltogether.I believe it had something to do with the 1 week break, when I started exercising again my body responded better to the exercise. During the week before the marathon and the week after, I ate more carbohydrates than usual, and I believe it's because of that that I've had a speedier recovery.

I've managed to reduce my BMI to 23.07. Hurrah! Overjoyed!