Health Blog by YinTeing

Yesterday nite, not long after I posted my blog entry, I started on exercise for total of 1.5hrs:

• Body Balance release #34 track 1 to 4 (on DVD)- because I love the track 1 and 4 of that release
• Then, dance on the Stability ball watching YouTube videos.
• But later, change to workouts using the Stability ball- sit ups, push ups (ankle on the ball), stretches, exercising adductors by lying down and releasing the ball 45degrees, then raising again. Also butt raises, etc.
• Complete the last 15 min with dance and stretch movements.

I am glad because the last time I went to the park months ago, I could not even make it 1/2 circle with continuous jog- normally I only walked 3 rounds in the park, followed by a rich brunch or dinner. Today, when I am able to make it for 4 rounds, I realised that my self exercise prescription bears results. But from my food diary below, you will see why I am not losing an average of 1 to 2 pounds per week because of the way I eat:

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Here’s my strengths & weaknesses:
Cardio- Improving.

• Treadmill: Spend a lot of time running at the treadmill, at the speed between 8.5 to 9.0 km/hr which I am able to maintain for 10 min. Then I will do brisk walk for about a minute or two before increasing the gradient of the machine to 4.0 or 5.0 and do a uphill jog between 6.5 to 7.0km per hour, maintaining the speed for about 7min.
• Cycling: Cycle at effort level 4 or 5 and try my best to maintain at 80 to 90 rpm for about 8 min. Normally will stop when the caloric meter indicate 50 calories. As much as I can, I do cycling without holding on the handle so that my limbs work much harder and I had to activate my core in order to prevent myself my sliding off the bike’s seat. The time I am able to stay still and cycle without sliding off is increasing with practice. But the exercise is tough so normally I will not do more than 10 min.
• Normally I will do one round of cardio, but quite intensive for about 10 to 20 minutes, then I will proceed to do something such as stretching, weights or attend exercise classes and come back to do another round of cardio, followed by stretching as a cool down. In other words, I break down my cardio sessions (within the same workout session) to avoid injuries or over-straining.

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I still remember the first time I wanted to start an exercise program- I mustered courage to show up to the gym, and the guy had me filled up some forms about my goals and stuff like that. He brought me around and I remembered feeling very intimidated by those active looking folks at the cardio, stretching and weight area. Everyone just look so fit- I never felt I could be like one of them. When the membership price was quoted to me, I felt it’s just too expensive for me because I was sure I will not be able to commit. He even mentioned that there was a special price for last day and just one place left, blah blah. The fee and the fact that I have to do RPM for 45min just to burn off a small packet of nasi lemak discouraged and turned me off.

So I continue my minimal exercise routine- I try to exercise in weekends by visiting parks- but sometimes, it gets hard to follow- especially when I am on the complete mercy of the elements (rain, sunshine, nightfall). But in my lack of stamina, the exercises seemed more like literally a scroll on the park rather than real workout. And it’s followed by a rich meal later…

Then, my weight seemed to be going up slowly but surely. Ok, I let that slide and just got myself bigger clothes. Some of my friends who go to the gym tried to convince me to join- I told them the membership is just not worth paying for. I also have lots of other excuses- that now, my friends are giving me when I try to convince them to make time for exercise (sigh).

Things seemed to be going downhill- weight gain (up to 7kg within 5 years), constant food cravings, fatigue, tiredness, chronic pain (lower back & knee pain)— and mood swings. I could put up with tiredness or weight gain but I do not like to have bad temper because I always regret my outburst later. I had to literally dragged myself up from bed because I felt so tired in the mornings. Really, I felt so stressed and easily overwhelmed. continue reading…

Yesterday, I wore a pair of jeans that was 2 inches smaller. And it fitted- comfortably.
I had actually brought the jeans about at least 3 years ago- and even then, it was a bit tight. Actually I had bought it as a motivation to drop a little weight but I could hardly remember ever being able to wear it comfortably. And after I started gaining some weight, even the butt, thighs and waist area was so tight that I left the jeans mostly in the cupboard.

In terms of weight, I only dropped about 1.5 to 2kg but my colleagues told me my clothes fit much better and they really notice the change (these are good pals coz they also tell me when I gained weight). So it’s true, if you workout, you will look firmer at the same weight compared to if you do not work out.

My stamina has also increased. Previously at the treadmill, I started with the speed of 5.6, then move to 6.4. At jogging speed, on good days, I could maintain 7.3 for about 10 minutes at most. Since I cut down sugar and do a bit of resistance training, a ‘good day’ jog is 8.5 with an incline of 0.5. If not, normal is from 8.2. I can maintain that speed for about 10 to 12 min.

My favourite machine is still the stepper. Experts would say that it looks pathetic to slouch over at the machine and support your body weight with your arms. Also it is detrimental to your posture and could result in wrist injury. Well, initially I place a lot of my body weight on my arms and find that actually it did firm up my arms an itzy bit But nowadays, I place most of the weight on my legs and use my arms to help out when my legs are tired. I sweat the most using this machine, more than the treadmill. Initially when I started, my legs screamed at effort 4 but now I can maintain at 7.

That’s why it is so important to eat right and add a bit of resistance/ weight training. Also after an intensive workout, eat some ‘good carbs‘ and protein for the muscles to rebuilt themselves. And don’t over exercise- because it will cause injuries and insufficient time for muscle to repair themselves.

When you are trying go get more fit or lose weight, don’t compare yourselves with others. Go at your own pace- gradually, your stamina level will go up. The inner motivation has to come from within you, because you want to care for your body. Not because you want to win.

One thing I learned about exercising is the THRESHOLD. You have to reach it and hit it. Once you hit it, you will genuinely love exercising.

I could not hit the threshold when I was exercising in the park or hiking. But I hit it in the gym.. and I am sharing with you on what I learn in my one year:

Why joining a gym is good if you are not a born exercise freak:

• You pay high membership fee- paying will at least make up get up from the sofa and TV and push you to go.
• When you go and jog in the park, you tend to slow down or just walk when you feel a little tired. But if you are running on the treadmill in the gym, you cannot slow down unless you conciously turn down the speed.
• Rain or shine, day or night, there is always a place to workout.
• Much more varieties in the gym- all types of classes, cardio machine and weight training
• Chances are, if you are in the corporate world, a number of your friends will also be gym members. Gym time can also be social time for you to catch up and motivate one another (but for me, I prefer to go alone at my own pace).

I know critics (I used to be one) said that gym have lots of germs and exercising in air con is not really healthy. Agreed but one of the benefits of exercising is that it boost your immune system- which to me, outweights the germs issue. I have a friend (a very fit ex steward) who used to frequent the gym but he stopped the membership after a few years and decided to go to the nearby park to jog after work. Unfortunately, he is started to have problem making time for the park trips and started to put on weight.

How to keep yourself motivated:

• Location of the gym, in my opinion, is important in deciding a gym selection. Ideally, it should be either located within walking distance of your house or office. To the very least, it has to be nearby- and getting there should not translate to going thru jams or high parking rates. If your gym is out of the way, chances are, you will face lots of challenges in motivating yourself to get up and drive all the way there. You’ll end up stop going coz the price of petrol and parking outweights the fees.
• Vary what you do- most people find the cardio machines boring- you can join the classes instead. There are all types of classes ranging from yoga, body balance to cardio workouts like dancing, combat and step. I have seen 2 guys who were initially a bit plump- but they love dancing- and they go to every dance classes- now, both of them had lost a considerable amount of weight.
• If you find the evening/night classes too packed for your liking, go for the morning/weekend classes. If you can make time, you can go to early morning classes during the weekdays. The sacrifice of waking up early is worth it coz you will sail through your working day feeling much more energetic.
• We all have certain days when we do not feel like exercising. If you feel that, don’t force yourself to go or else your mind may equate exercise to torture. But if you are feeling the exercise blues every day, that’s probably just plain laziness.
• Watch your diet. Seriously consider cutting down on food with high contents of sugar, oil, pulut and coconut: these food will make you feel very sluggish, tired and lazy to move.
• Bring a MP3/ IPod- listening to your favourite songs really make you work out at a faster pace. Or if the gym has got TV, go during a time when your favourite programs are shown- you will be amazed at the additional boost of motivation you get.
• Get someone, a friend who is into exercising to constantly motivate you when you want to give up.
• Get a personal trainer if you really cannot summon the motivation -yes, personal trainers are expensive. But an experience trainer will know what type of exercise that suits you and the type of food you need to eat to achieve your target weight.
• Remember, you do not gain weight overnight. And you ain’t gonna lose it overnight either. You can do it- you just need to be patient and maintain the motivation till you see the results (but no amount of exercise will work if you do not control what you eat- I learned it the hard way, sigh).

As long as you do not give up the fight- your managed to motivate yourself to continue- slowly, your stamina will increase and your exercise regimen become more intense. If previously you could only walk 5 miles per hour, you can now run 8 miles per hour. You go and go till one day, you will reach the threshold.

What happens when you reach the threshold:

• You start to have motivation from within- no more forcing.
• Your body actually wants to exercise. So instead of finding excuses why you should not be going to the gym, you will automatically find excuses to exercise.
• You feel so much happier coz now you look so much better in clothes. This reason alone will make you wonder why you have put off exercising for so long.
• You felt stronger and with better stamina and endurance.
• You can manage stress better at work better because you now led an active lifestyle.

Like any good habits, you have to continue doing it. If you stop exercising for a while, you will start to slag back. Also listen to your body- do not overwork it. Too much exercise will supress your immune system and cause you to be more prone to colds/infections.

But most importantly, you need time to built up your stamina till you reach your fitness threshold that you drive your body to fully benefit from it. You owe it to yourself to do whatever you can to treat your body well and make it healthy.

Exercise drives oxygen into all parts of your body and this greatly reduces your chances of getting cancer. At the same time, it greatly lowers your risk to all types of diseases such as chronic pain, high blood pressure, heart attack, chrolestrol, etc.