Thursday, May 27, 2010

Workout log

Missed gym last night because I conked out as soon as I got home. Felt pretty bad, suspect it's dehydration. Office water supply is not great, and RO water makes me sick. On the other hand, knees feel better when I don't strain them working out. Will have to push through the pain, I guess. If don't tone up my muscles, they'll never be up to par.

Was late for Balance again this morning. Seriously, leaving the apt is a challenge. For some reason, it takes me half an hour to get out the door, then have to wait interminably for the super slow lift to go down and back up again. Understandably, at 7 a.m., there's a lot of stops for kids going to school and people going to work, so it's even slower. Plus, only one lift is working right now, the other one is down again. THEN, I had to push aside 4 cars before I could exit. Seriously. Lucky the roads weren't jammed yet at that hour, but I still got in late. Had trouble with some of the poses because 1) my left knee is still a bit wonky, and 2) I wasn't quite awake yet at that hour. Tried to sleep early last night, but still stayed up a bit, so still not getting enough sleep. Bad habit. Bad for concentration and insulin balance.

Hoping to catch some more classes tonight. Can do more sessions now that my muscles are less sore, just need to jaga my knees, can't afford to screw them up. Plus, I was 'forced' to sign up for the KL Marathon. It's more for donation purposes, but my friends haven't responded to the spamming, will have to call them and ask for donations now. Hurmph.. In for a penny, in for a pound... Will just have to push through it now. Will need to sort out details since Azri's wedding will be on 26th June and the marathon the day after. My passport pun expiring in October, so will have to renew jugak. See la how.

Oza out.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Tales from the Gym

People say that people who have multiple tattoos got addicted to the pain of the process. Yes, they get something out of it - nice tats, for those who are into them anyway.

For me, I think I'm getting addicted to the gym. Slightly addicted. Have not spent nights dreaming of torture chambers and mean machines, but enough to drag my sorry ass out of the apartment. Figured that if I had any hope of dropping 20 kgs, some pain is necessary. Thank God I don't ache much anymore. The only problem I have is a stiff left knee. Something must have got out of alignment, because now I find it hard to duduk antara 2 sujud. Am able to handle most movements, but haven't been able to fix this particular problem. Any tips, anyone?

Have tried a few Group X classes. Thank goodness the instructors tolerate my bumbling efforts to keep up.   Here's the skinny on how they went:-
BodyBalance: Been wanting to try this for ages but never quite managed to get there on time. Was rather late this morning, but barged in anyway. Glad I did, because it was the most relaxing class ever! Loved it.
Line dancing: Any visions I ever had of old ladies dancing in a line flew out the window yesterday as I grappled with the alien idea of actually dancing. Latin songs, cha cha, TANGO??? Seriously... The instructor kept going, "Point 3x, save a step, cha cha cha. See? That's all. Easy peasy." Right. Define easy. I managed well enough when she's going slowly, but as soon as the music goes on, all the moves fly out of my head and I end up looking like a drunken elephant going round in circles. Not a pretty sight. You know I'm choreographically challenged... Must bug Azzy to teach me the ABCs. Will I ever try it again? Maybe.

BodyJam: Tried it once, yesterday. As in line dancing, I spazzed out. Drunk elephant seal. Try it again? Maaaaybe.

BodyPump: Quite enjoy it, actually. Fun alternative to using 10 different machines to tone different muscle groups.

BodyCombat: By far, my favourite class. Straightforward, powerful and fun. No going round in dizzy circles, thank you. Discovered there are favourite instructors, and people actually go to different gyms to join his classes! One sure indicator is the number of people in class. Friday nights - There's so many people that your side kick could very possibly land on your neighbour!! That said, the other day I caught my reflection in the mirror and I looked like a big fat wet fettuccine throwing itself all over the place. Darn. Gotta work on my technique. Obviously. 

Easy Step & BodyStep: Not too bad, but hardly my favourites. I do get lost with some of the more complicated movements (which are not complicated to others, it seems). I think I should join more of these 'complicated' classes, if only to improve my mental coordination. It really feels like I'm running on 128kb RAM when 2GB is called for. 

So there you go. Have tried most of the classes at one time or another. Probably should change my modus operandi and just grab whatever class is going on next. Some are good for the muscles, while others are good for the mind. Either way, it's nice to have a bit of fun :)

Friday, May 21, 2010

Which one is sexier?

Funny. I find the machine sexier. But that's just me :)

Sunday, May 09, 2010

What's up in May 2010?

Dah lama I tak blog kan? Just after I quit my writing job, I was too depressed/ill to do anything. Eventually I fixed the meds problem and started volunteer work and later real paying projects. Am still working on one volunteer project, which is by now overdue, but couldn't be helped. Must finish it this week.

Have been addicted to Chuck, as mentioned in the earlier post. Somehow it spoils me for anything else, even Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. Too much drama, too little funny. And too much sleeping w each other. Yuck. Almost like incest! Weird. CSI is of course still on my list of favourites. I adore the cast as well as I love figuring out their cases. Am still a geek at heart. But CSI is not as re-watchable as Chuck. Nothing is as re-watchable as Chuck! Love everyone on it, even Jeffster grows on you. Go figure :P

My new passion is a surprising one. Well, maybe not quite passion. Shall we call it an acceptance? I've actually signed up for a gym! Seriously. Me, the gym hating, outdoor loving, can never afford it, nature freak; actually making a commitment to earn more money so that I can pay a lot of money to go torture my poor muscles.

Let's face it. It's hard to go jogging/walking in my current neighbourhood. Open drains everywhere. Not safe. There is no swimming pool. Trekking - no kakis. Rowing - no pardner (to steady the boat while entering/alighting). Plus Putrajaya is too damn far to go regularly. 

The gym, on the other hand, is close by. Now that my bike is fixed, I can ride there, provided it's not raining. (It's easier to park a bike than a car in Uptown.) Already halfway to old house, so I can stop by to check mail.Guess the main seller is personality. FF is comfy, with real shower stalls, real friendly staff (not nose turning perasan stuckups in CF), and classes which are actually FUN. Instructors that actually look out for newbies, and money back offer for regular attendance after PT sessions? Couldn't pass that up! The marketer didn't try to hard sell me. There's a basic drinks bar, with a cozy lepak area to cool down over coffee and the paper. Smart people. I especially like the use of warm wooden panels instead of stark steel all over.

Unsurprisingly, my baseline tests  revealed an obese level of body fat, and that I was dehydrated. Really?? Wow. Really have to buy a new water filter for kitchen sink. Water tastes quite yucky. Yeah, yeah, I'm picky that way.

My muscles are still slightly sore, but am glad I let myself be talked into doing Bodypump last Saturday since I missed the BCombat class. It was doable, thanks to the kind instructor who strongly advocated that I stay with the minimum 2 kg load. I think if I had taken on more I'd pengsan by now. Can alternate that with Bodycombat, my favourite class. I'm not bloodthirsty, mind, I just find it more doable than complicated dance moves in Step or BodyJam. Am a hopelessly uncoordinated klutz. Nuff said. 

And would it be a surprise if it all came back to Chuck? I mean, who wouldn't want to be as hot as Sarah Walker /Yvonne Strahovsky? Or score someone as cute as Chuck/ Zac Levi? Even Casey/ Adam Baldwin is fit. Obviously I'd never be as hot as any of these guys, but hey, it would be nice to be lean and fit instead of a big sack of lard as per current situation. It might also keep my DM problem in check. It would be great if I could stop relying on meds...

Am about to start something new in a couple of weeks, hope it won't interfere with personal care time. Have no wish to go back to stupid overworked life ever again. Here's to a better tomorrow :)