Puasa workout

Ramadhan work out

It is a great big misconception that people has to stop working out during Ramadhan (Fasting month).

Although, we do have to stick to a less vigorous workout routine.

For me, Yoga is my first choice.

My visit to the gym will be pretty much minimal this month. It doesn't mean that I am going to stop completely.

Are you kidding? I would lose my sanity if I stop. Working out is a way for me to destress, like how I am using my 10 mins break right now to update this blog.

So to all the Muslims, don't let the Ramadhan be in the way of keeping yourselves healthy. Afterall, you must be healthy if you want to 'beribadah' right?

Have a blessed Ramadhan everyone!

SHAPE Night Run update and Emotional Health

Update on the Shape Night Run.

Unfortunately, due to some unplanned events on the familia side, I won't be able to join Mas and Jade despite having suggested it in the first place.

I was mad because well, I did pay and I have been training my ass off to get ready for my first 5K run.

Plus I felt guilty that I was not able to follow through with something that I have planned in the first place.

On the plus side (although it didn't really help me with my guilt), Jade managed to redeem my goodie bag for me. Still, I wanted to run, I was so looking forward for the event.

On another note, lately I have been focusing so much on physical health, that I sort of forget about my emotional health.

Being single for about 4 years now, I found myself to be a reluctant recipient for any relationships.

I guess anyone who is single would agree with me that sometimes, not having anyone to fall back to is just plain, depressing.

Years ago, I have never had an issue about getting anyone. Dates were something of a normality and although the dates would usually have a disastrous end, I was open and totally, well... accepting that some men are just bad at dates and I have yet to find men who can be comfortable with me.

Now, I don't even get to meet men. Most of the men who came on to me turned me off and those who actually had the guts to ask me out on a date failed miserably in a sense that all they were interested in was to get into my pants, faster than you can say G-Spot.

Also, my relationship with my family had been stagnant.

I didn't grow up in the typical loving family kind of sense.

Sure my parents loved me, but we don't express our love that openly. I always wondered why is it that during solemnization ceremonies, why was it that the mother /bride/father would cry their eyeballs out. They should be happy, right?

I can't relate to tears of happiness, only tears of sadness and frustration makes sense. I don't even cry at funerals.

So does that make me abnormal in terms of my emotions? I have an unhealthy emotional upkeep and a fit physical exterior.

I am hiding behind a wall that I built as a defense mechanism because my last relationship experiences had been nothing short of a pathetic attempt at not being myself?

I don't know. I can be wrong at this of course.

I know what I need to do as far as physical health is concerned. Looks like I won't be having quite a normal emotional health for many years to come, unless, I guess, if God is going to be kind to me.

Of the 'desire' to lose weight...

Once in a while, my friends would complain to me about their ballooning weight.

They told me about their fear of turning to Roseanne Barr or John Goodman.

They will also tell me about their diets. The meal skipping, the 'eat nothing but a god damn apple' for the whole day and wallop a big plate of pasta for dinner (Before 8 pm nevertheless), the boxes of diet supplements they take to make sure that their ass do not form their own country.

And everytime they told me of these 'attempts', I would smile and say :

"It will not work. You might lose the weight, but you will never be able to sustain the loss... unless you exercise."

I am a big believer of exercise. I did lose 12 KGs after busting my ass in the gym for the last year afterall.

I was 68 kg when I first started. Now I am a healthy 56 KG. I have been at this weight for the last 4 months. I intend to lose 2 more KGs. My ideal weight is at 52 KG.

Of course, it took a lot of effort. I don't eat rice everyday, substituting it with Durum wheat pastas, oats and vegies. I don't eat fast food often (Actually, I try to stop eating it altogether.) and only cook my meals with Olive oils.

I work out in the gym 5 days a week and now I am trying to get back to the normal 6 days a week routine. Instead of focusing on weight loss, I am now concentrating more on muscle sculpting and toning and also core strength training.

I buy all kinds of fitness magazines, mainly for all the exercise moves they have in it and the healthy living tips articles.

I know this is cliched but it does feel good to be healthy. Of course, I have my problems.

I still have difficulties getting 8 hours of sleep everynight (or day, considering my schedule), of eating enough food to fulfill the 2800 cal/day to fuel my workout (I am known as anorexic mainly because sometimes, I really seriously do not know what to eat and therefore would just NOT eat... which is bad.) and I still have difficulties running the extra mile without getting muscle pains and sores.

That said, I seriously do not believe that any other methods could actually work. Exercise and a balanced diet (Not starving yourself, mind you.) is the best option.

I would also tell my friends that if they have the 'desire' to lose weight, they should have the 'determination' to do it 'properly' too.

To stop complaining and be deluded with fad diets and false claims of supplement boxes would do them well too.

Fuh.. fuh... Flat... -__________-'

The first time I succeeded brisk walking on the treadmill for 3 KMs, I was astounded. 

I finished at 30:31. That was faster than even I would anticipate, at 6KM speed. 

To me, 3 KM seemed like a big deal. I know friends who's been doing 7 KMs everyday on the treadmill. I have always been in awe of that. 

But me, I have never been a brisk walker/runner. In my previous post, I reflected at how I actually hated running. All my life, I would avoid my turn at the 100 M sprint by faking a headache or menses cramps. 

And oh how I hated the cross country shit my boarding school used to have on a weekly basis. If you are a Johorean, that you would know that running through a kampung backroad from Teknik Perdagangan in Tasek Utara, coming out all the way at Sek. Tun Fatimah, pass the Asrama Putera, going up the wretched hill pass the education ministry..... is a BITCH!

I hated the seniors at school for having us run so that they can walk. I hated the school for having that stupid activity every week!

So when I see my time for that mileage, I was stunned. I found myself thinking... wth.. 'vart' am I doing??? Am I high on something?

Except for the 100 plus I would usually gurgle for fun drink in the gym, nothing that would get the narcotics suspicious.

I remarked in my FB how I am now crazy over shorts and short dresses... I love the way my legs look like now. They used to be nicknamed 'Thunderthighs'... 

Now they are maybe mini Thunderthighs. 

I still need to keep on working on them. I can't just sit and be satisfied with my huge weight loss. Weight loss is one thing, I would like my body to be toned and my fitness level up!

... So that I can look back and say that I am just glad I did this. :)

Progress... running's a bitch!

I have been running on the treadmill for 2.5 KMs steadily for the past two weeks.

I started with a brisk walk of course.

I hated running. You see, tennis doesn't really require you to run that much. With softball, I am pretty much the pitcher/catcher. I hate being the batter.

Because... I am bad at running.

So it was a big decision when I enrolled for a 'run'. Mainly because, I am really just bad at running.

I don't have any breathing problems but I do have ankle and knee pain when I am running. I hate that.

A 5 mins run is torture to me. So when I actually ran for 8 full minutes at 7.0 KM speed, it is a big deal.

So far, I have clocked at these times for a standard 2.5 KM run.

20:14
20:16
21:05

This means, I should be able to complete a 5KM run, at an average of 6.5 KM speed, at 43 minutes max, that's less than an hour.

This is a really big deal to me.  Once upon a time ago, I took 2 hours to complete a 3 KM run.

But then, it was also because, I did not really run the run... I walked. I didn't even brisk walk, I just walk... the leisure no rush walk. The window shopping kind of walk.

And there were people who finished after me. :D

So now, after working out for a year and lost a chunk of weight, I am now attempting something that I have never liked.

Running. And it's a bitch!

Yoga-ta be real la

I practiced Yoga the first time around because I was told that it could help me with my body. 

See, I have always wanted to be fitter. I grew up being pampered in a way by my parents. We love to eat. And so, one thing leads to another. Although I was reasonably active as far as group sports are concerned, I hated any other sports that requires me to run faster than I should. 

My first yogi was a middle aged Indian man. He thought us how to breath, how to control our bodies. Bhujangsana and all kinds of other positions that I cannot remember now. For a short 5 months, I did Yoga and enjoyed it immensely, although I didn't know if I was any more fitter than I was. 

After that, I changed jobs and was involved in a bit of a mess and so I quit.

That was my mistake.

I was not really thinking of having a hobby or doing anything else when I moved to KL. I was kind of... depressing back then.

All changed when I decided to change my lifestyle and started gym.

The gym has all kinds of group exercise classes that we can join. One of the classes being Yoga. 

So I got re-acquainted with it in gym. However, after that, I concentrated on my PT (personal training) sessions and had no time to join the class. 

Now my Yogi is a man in his 50's or 60's, with an easy going disposition who enjoys kind of 'shocking' newcomers to the wonders of Yoga. 

Yoga is more difficult than it looks. And painful too, but not if you are used to it. 

Somehow, my body quickly recognizes the old movements that I used to do back then and I did it with zero difficulties. 

I am seeing stars again. Oih...