Sunsway's journal - Take Two

[Sunsway]

Friday 13 August 2010

I had a loooong day..... but food-wise, it was pretty good. Steamed vegatables for lunch -- not the most delicious dish ever, but edible I guess. Just gotta get used to it.

Again, I didn't get a chance to run lately... I haven't ran since Sunday. It's rainy and drizzling all the time -- especially in the evenings, which is my preferred running time. I'll try to jump back into it next week if weather permits.

I'm supposed to weigh in tomorrow and with the lack of exercise and a few days of overeating, I'm afraid I might have gained weight. =( I'm not sure yet, but I think I might skip the weigh-in this week.

I'm having problems staying motivated. stare  

[Sunsway]

No weigh-in this week -- I'll weigh until next Saturday. And I think I'm coming down with something, so I'm postponing running. I may do something like yoga instead if it feels alright. The thing I'm afraid of at this point is losing muscle tone -- running tones really well (even the arms, imagine that) but it goes away if I neglect it too long.

So anyway, I'm not great with dieting and staying motivated for long periods of time so I've decided to introduce a few 'non-negotiable' rules that I must follow because non-negotiable means no excuses, period. I'm try to add a new rule every week, maybe. I'll see how it goes. For this week:

1. Be in bed by 11;
2. Don't eat after 9.

Hopefully that'll make me get 8 hours of sleep and I won't go to bed with a full stomach. =)  

[Sunsway]

Monday 16 August 2010

Today was GREAT!

I did not crave.

Correction: I did crave. I craved exercise! I haven't run for a week and my body decided it was time to stop lazing around and to kick that crazy person that resides in it into gear. I have a sore throat so I didn't want to risk running (and thereby gulping down copious amounts of cool air and other similar hazards), so after an easy stroll I did yoga instead.

Normally when I do yoga I do 30 minutes, and it feels like... well, exercise -- not necessarily in a good way. In a chore kind of way.

But not today. I actually wanted to do it -- it was the perfect frame of mind. I even lit some candles and went with lamplight. =) It was 50 minutes of blissful, fairly intense stretching and balancing -- I even threw a headstand in there (against a door, of course). If I can keep feeling like this (dunno what caused it -- good nutrition? hydration? I wish I knew so I could keep doing it) then I'm not worried about staying toned until I'm ready to run again -- and hopefully keep it up in conjunction with the running.

So, the big question -- what makes a good day like this? Is it nutrition, hydration, good rest and an early morning, what what what? I really want to know, because I'd like to keep feeling like this for forever and a day.  

[Sunsway]

Wednesday 18 August 2010

Something new to focus on: beginner adult ballet classes! I haven't enrolled yet, but I'm seriously considering it. I already found a place that has a class I can fit into my timetable, I just gotta figure out how to get there (there's public transport, but that'll take forever and I'd much prefer to drive).

I'm hoping that ballet can improve my posture and flexibility, though I dunno how intense beginner classes will be (I always prefer intense stuff if I'm gonna pay for it, I'm not forking over money to kid around). My posture is decent, but I'm not very flexible. =C In any case, I'm sure it'll be fun and boost my confidence at least. And prompt me to stretch more so I don't embarass myself, haha.

I haven't enrolled yet -- I'd like to ask a few questions first and all that and then see.

It would be fun if someone else in this guild enrolled in something new, ballet or something different -- we could compare experiences! biggrin  

[A Touch of Evil]

I'm glad you've been having a good week so far! That's great, it's always a refresher when exercising in such a positive state of mind.

I've been considering kick boxing or jujitsu of some kind. My school offers those classes and they are great for toning. I've never done anything like those so it would definitely be a new experience. I have a full schedule though right now so I might next semester or in the summer  

[Sunsway]

Oh, awesome! I did a bit of kickboxing back in high school, the guy who taught it (he's one of those buff security guards) knew how to make us sweat (one time he had us get into a handstand and do push-ups upside down -- most people failed). It was really fun and I reckon as far as weight loss goes it's pretty great too.

And in case you ever get into a tricky situation you'll know how to break a nose without breaking your hand. wink Now if only they taught you how to break out of jail.

I've no idea what jujitsu is but it sounds epic. Hopefully you can squeeze something in when semester ends!



EDIT: Exercise for today: 50 mins, mostly yoga with some regular stretching at the end and a bit of training to strengthen my feet (hopefully in preparation for ballet).  

[Sunsway]

Thursday 19 August 2010

I contacted the ballet place and I'm going to go watch a class this Saturday to see if I like the teaching style. Unfortunately they said that they don't have any more places for the coming term (they have 6-week 'terms') at the moment, but it's possible that a place will open up on Saturday (it's the last class of the current term and someone might cancel or move up a level to a different class or something, so we'll see). I really hope I can get a spot, but I'm afraid that they might have a waiting list and since I contacted them so late I won't get priority. =( If I don't get a place I'll just wait out the six weeks and concentrate on improving my flexibility and getting stronger, and then sign up for the next one.

I'll be very diligent and practice at home! wink  

[Sunsway]

Sunday 22 August 2010

I couldn't get in the ballet class this term, they didn't have any places left. I'll try again for the next term (starting in 7 weeks) if I'm still interested. =) I did watch a class and was kinda disappointed that it's a) quite crowded and b) they didn't do much stretching at all. That means that there's more work to do at home, haha.

I did a bit of regular exercise (to warm up), yoga, and regular stretching this morning -- 30 mins total. I may do some more later today. Another 40 mins of yoga with some regular stretching in the evening.

I weighed in on Saturday -- 138.5 lbs, which was definitely not expected. It means I'm up 1 lb from last week. I was so sure that I'd lost weight, it was kinda disappointing to see a bigger number on the scale... but I'm not taking it too seriously, it's just one pound and little variations like this don't worry me (unless it's like, 140 -- I do not want to see a four there). I'd be more worried if it was a two or three pound difference.  

[United Paper People]

Ballet sounds awesome. I imagine it would be a really nice way to strengthen the muscles too.

And it's really good to hear people not getting discouraged by a one-pound gain, it seems to happen to everyone and I think maybe it's kinda natural in people losing weight. I know that no matter how much I tell myself not to worry about it, it still gets to me.

What kind of yoga do you do? Do you just know a lot of poses and excercises? Is it a DVD, or from a book?  

[A Touch of Evil]

Jujitsu is a an ancient form of karate. I can't remember though if it originates from China or Japan...it looks really fun and awesome.  

[Sunsway]

Haha, I don't remember what my type of yoga is called! =) I don't use DVDs or books, but I've been off and on with classes for five years now... mostly off. whee I think you get more use out of classes because the instructors are correcting you, telling you what to look for (there are a lot of subtle movements in yoga that to an outside viewer may be unnoticeable but that really affect how much you get out of a pose). I can't fit in the classes in my timetable right now, so I just take what I learned and do it at home. =) I've tried a few other places since but it's actually not that easy to find good classes -- you certainly won't find them in a gym. O well.

Okay, so the past few days have been pretty good. I've been doing quite a bit of yoga and stretching. I did have a little incident where I tried to do a forward split -- I'm almost there so I got really excited, pushed more than I should have, and there was this disturbing crackling sound... eek Whoops, I think that was my hip. Lets' not do that again. xp But nah, I'm alright.

I've also been eating less. I'm actually satisfied to stop when I'm full... which is a bit strange because I usually want to keep eating just for the sake of it. I try not to think about food too much because I don't wanna jinx it!