Update on the squats challenge

The squats challenge that I've been doing ended a few days ago, but I haven't really thought about it until now.

I went through all 29 days, and pretty much gave up on the last day. Not because of muscular pains or any physical restrictions, but because of ... assignments? But by right, there should be no excuses whatsoever.


There's not much significant difference, but my buttocks are more toned, so are my thighs, and I've realized from all these squats that my left leg is longer than my right leg, which explains why it's always my left leg joints that experience pain after workouts.


The squats will continue, and this challenge might recur in the future, with added intensity.

Squats

Fitness myths are everywhere, and somehow they exist more among the girls. Among the statements I've heard are:

• "I can't do weight training, because then I'll look like Vin Diesel / The Rock (or insert name of other muscular man)"
• "As long as I'm moving, it doesn't matter how slow I go" - usually on the bike thing

For one, lifting weights tone your muscles - unless you go on a high-protein diet, you WILL NOT bulk up. And no, leisurely paddling your feet while you watch a drama on your phone doesn't really constitute as exercise. For me: no sweat, heavy breathing, and muscle aches means I didn't do enough for the day.

ALRIGHT. Enough with some of the things regarding fitness that I'm a little frustrated about.

Due to various reasons, I haven't been hitting the gym at all for about half a year. From running 15km in total every week, to almost not moving at all for 6 months, needless to say, my cardio strength went downhill, counterbalanced by my weight which shot up to the dangerous 6x.

So now I'm trying - and please note the term "trying" - to be somewhat active without needing to hit the gym, and of course, trying to eat better (doesn't really apply since I've chowed down 3 bowls of rice with lots of battered deep fried food today).

Squats to tone your thighs and your butt. Source unknown, but I found it from another friend's Instagram feed.

BUT! Along with my sister (always the best motivation), we've taken to stocking the house with fruits and yogurt, and I've taken up the 30 DAY SQUATS CHALLENGE. Pretty much self-explanatory, and I thought it would be a piece of cake...

I'm on day 4 today, which is a rest day, but my thighs have been sore since day 1. And here I thought "I used to do a lot of squats so this shouldn't be a problem". Take my word for it, "challenge" is the keyword here.

What I do is break up the required number into smaller parts scattered throughout the day. No, the "bulking thighs" don't bother me - I would prefer toned but large thighs to flabby thighs. =D

Just a little update, because I think I update too sparsely now... All my inspiration for writing has been channeled towards assignments. We had mostly computer software-related assignments the previous semester (Flash, Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, etc), and this semester it's all writing...

Fitness log?

I don't call myself a hardcore exercise freak, but it's a real different since I did virtually no exercise in the past, and now I'm going to the gym at least twice a week.


I think the motivation comes from just wanting to be slim, and have the perfect flat tummy which will soon be accessorized with a belly piercing~


For now, I go to the gym every Monday and Friday, before classes, and usually what I'd do is take an approximate-hour run (around 5km), a 10 minute bicycle session, and about 15 minutes of weight lifting (on the lift and dip assist machine).


Today I went for an hour-long swim, which ended up as kind of a body evaluation round. My cardio still sucked like normal, but my muscular resistance was much higher. In a nutshell, a good workout! I couldn't feel my thighs after that, though...

Current fitness diary

Been swamped with mid-semester exams (20% of overall grade) and assignments that I (we) rarely have the energy to go to the gym - in fact we skipped an entire week, if memory serves me right. I was feeling utterly guilty, because I was wolfing down double servings of noodles and lots of Tim Tams and Kit Kats. I had to do something.


My general gym routine is about 40 minutes on treadmill, alternating between brisk walking, running and climbing. Then I do a few sets of about 10-15 each of chin-ups and biceps curls on the machines, topped off with about 40-60 seconds of planking.


My mum is still pondering on whether to get a treadmill (I'm still struggling to understand why - she wanted to opt for a FOLDABLE one, which I find a bit dodgy), and having to drive specially to a maze of a park just to do running won't do, especially when I need to see numbers to keep myself motivated.


All I can do is do some exercises so that I don't feel as guilty. Since I spend most of my time in the gym on the treadmill working my cardio and legs, I'd work on the less worked areas that I'd like to tone, such as my arms and my abs.


Super simple - alternate sets of:

• 10-15 push-ups [arms] (I do the half-push-ups, meaning I'm on my knees instead of my toes)
• 10-15 crunches [abs]
• 40-60 seconds of planking [core muscles + abs]

I'd repeat until I was tired, and that's usually it. If I feel like it I'd give it another few repetitions of it later in the day. Walking in heels help with the leg toning, though you'd be more prone to blisters and a potential spinal problem.

Where eating is concerned, I don't really pick out the fats and stuff like I used to about a month ago. But I'm really trying to moderate on the chocolate and the milk, whenever it's available in the fridge. Especially some of the pastries that my sister brings home after classes...

For example, I had a giant plate of linguine carbonara with parmesan cheese, then helped finish about one seventh (or more) of a 1/3 sheet Baskin Robbins ice cream cake (Jamoca flavor with vanilla cake). But I kind of balanced it out by walking to and fro between the academic and commercial blocks on 3.5 inch heels.

Some weeks ago after a heavy meal at Pasta Zanmai, I took something like a body mass test at a fitness promo at Mid Valley. It calculated everything through some kind of kind of waveform that passes through the body.

Depending on various factors, everyone has different calorie requirements, and it is possible to "count your calories", though I don't care much for that. This test shows how many calories I need in a day, which is under BMR. Eating less than that number will already help with losing weight.

Overall, I find that my cardio has only improved slightly, but muscle-wise, I've gotten stronger.

65 to 55

One fateful day, a few months ago, while accompanying Jasmine to Cecilia's house for video filming, I found Cecilia's weighing scale. I stepped on it and it showed 65kg. I was perplexed. She then disclaimed that it was faulty, and showed me her accurate digital one.


Turns out that I was 65kg, after all. My all-time heaviest. My friends thought I was pregnant. I had noticed that I had put on weight, but I didn't think it was that much. Cause? Eating. Eating. More eating. And after eating I usually just sit in front of the laptop doing random stuff. And I tended to snack in the middle of the night.\


I'm the kind of person who would automatically go for all the high-calorie foods - processed food, sodas, creamy desserts, rich cakes, red meat. I'm not a veggie person, to be completely frank. To call me an omnivore would be an understatement - I consider myself more of a carnivore.


A good example would be the bowl of beef noodles I had at Dami - in the bowl there's the noodles, the few pieces of beef, a cut of carrot and radish each, and two stalks of bai cai (the more common "American" term for this would be "bok choy", but I think it sounds kinda stupid). I found myself having half a mind to ignore all the veggies and just dig into everything else.


Anyway, when the Taylor's Uni Gym opened, it was practically a call of fate. My entire family (and my boyfriend) has time and again reassured me that I looked good enough (though my boyfriend did imply that I would look better with a little less weight), but I was insistent.


I've always been gym-shy - I would be extremely awkward with all the equipment (and all the fit people around me). Instead of going on a long, slow workout on, let's say, the treadmill, I would sprint for 15 seconds then move on to the bicycle.


Fast forward to NOW. Just this morning (before an entire chocolate bar), I weighed myself on my mum's ancient weighing scale (which isn't accurate, like her kitchen scale) and it showed about 55kg. I mentally shouted "YES FINALLY IT @#$%^&* WORKED!!!"


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Diet?

There wasn't any. I basically ate what I wanted, when I wanted, and usually I ate most at dinner. My pre-gym meal would be a cup of coffee or tea, lunch at campus (rice or noodles), then whatever my grandmother cooks up for dinner.


And for some reason, the past few weeks have been packed with delicious food. The key is moderation. Have some self-control, but don't deprive yourself to the point that you just take a single bite. Eat it slowly, so that you savor the taste, texture and flavor.


Word of advice, though. Be a procrastinator when it comes to desserts. I mean, who doesn't want a giant slice of cheesecake or a giant serving of ice cream? Just tell yourself, "I'll have some tomorrow". And when you do, take a little bit, and slowly savor it, rather than wolfing it down.


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Exercise?

I try to kill myself in the gym. My aim is to sweat more than any other guy in the gym, do long cardio workouts, and have every muscle sore the next day. And trust me, this isn't a good aim, but it works for me.


When I first started out at the gym, it was basically random - maybe I'd do the treadmill, then the rower machine, etc. Then I set goals for myself - 1km/15 minutes on the treadmill (burns about 120 calories, depending on your inclination percentage), 100 pulls on the rower machine, 5km on the bicycle, etc.


I then started using the muscle-toning equipment. I spent more time doing cardio on the treadmill than the bicycle, toning my arms, and flattening my tummy via a technique called the plank, which was taught by a kind Uni Gym trainer.


Get an exercise mat, and lay flat on your tummy. Prop yourself up on your elbows and press your palms together, fingers intertwined. Let your toes dig into the mat (think push-up position, the guy type), your feet slightly apart. Lift your whole body and support the yourself on your elbows and toes. Balance the entire frame with your core (abdominal) muscles. Keep this position for about 30-40 counts. You should feel yourself shaking by the 10th count, if your abs are as weak as mine.


I aim to go to the gym about 3 times a week, each time spending about an hour, or until my muscles can't take any more workout. My favorite Youtube chef Laura Vitale made a video on how she keeps fit even through all the food she eats that she cooks on her show.


Her key is portion control, and working out 6 times a week. The trainer who taught me the plank also went to the gym 6 times a week, 4 hours a day when he was overweight. I find that 6 times a week is too much, but then again after starting to go to the gym regularly, I don't feel as lethargic or unreasonably exhausted as I would have felt for the past few months.


However, I've gone back to my old bad habit of going to sleep at the wee hours of the morning, then waking up feeling like a zombie. And I'm back to drinking lots of Fanta Orange.


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Motivation?

I feel great (though exhausted) after a workout at the gym. I actually feel contented. This is how I think about it: I did something that has burned calories and fats. I'm gonna be slimmer tomorrow.


And I also want to fit in hot, cut-out, sleeveless, off-shoulder, revealing, body constricting dresses without having to worry about my tummy and whatnot. So my current aim is to get a dress with a cut-out lower back (to display my tattoo~). My target weight is now 48kg.


My tummy size has been going up and down for the past few days. Maybe it's because of the food. What I have to do is cut down on my dinner portions, or just plain have dinner earlier.

Gym = No gym

Why the post title? Well, let me tell you a story.


Once upon a time, not too long ago, just yesterday, actually, there were two girls called Jasmine and Kellie, who both made a date to go to the Taylor's University gym for some presumably hardcore working out.


They arrived in the morning, and were quite impressed by the gym - the equipment looked professional, and there was a wide variety of them, each targeting different areas of the body. They worked out there for an hour, by which time Kellie was basically dying of her low stamina and overworking of her legs.


Lunch was as usual - Zhia's Kitchen, crispy chicken rice. They then met a lecturer at a bazaar, and asked him regarding the coming degree course. They were basically sent to the Exam Unit, where they got the information that the documents they needed for the coming registration was available by Friday.


They then went to the office and asked about the early bird discount, and they lady told them that to be entitled for the early bird discount, they would have to register and enroll by 25th of March. They stopped at Sunway Pyramid to meet up with Jasmine's mum at Sakae Sushi, where they had another round of lunch.


Then they went home, where Kellie got home to find her car pooped on by @#$%^& birds again. Upon arriving home, Kellie showered and found that her internet connection had once again failed her, and proceeded to doing word searches and ultimately falling asleep.


By the time she woke up it was dinner time, and what was available didn't seem very appetizing. However, it was the soup and the desserts that grabbed her attention - vegetable soup with chicken feet, and honeydew sago cream, and a potential serving of vanilla ice cream interlaced with delicious pralines.


She had her soup, ladling approximately a quarter of it back into the soup pot before touching it (as well as one of the chicken feet). She then had a large bowl of the honeydew cream dessert. To be honest, she offered to finish the "little bit" that was left in the bowl.


The End.


Well, not really. I have some more bulls**t to talk about. At lunch I stopped myself from ordering a huge-ass ice blended pearl drink (ended up with a very weird tasting honey milk with green tea). I regretted ordering rice, because we all know that rice is all carbs. Plus the rolled oats and the fried chicken, plus the Ajinomoto and pepper soup. Ugh.


At Sakae Sushi, we had, well, sushi, salmon fish head, chawan mushi, edamame, and lots of other stuff. By the time we left, we were both bloated (I had some rear gas issues later). Um, if no one got the issue here, sushi is mainly RICE. Rice = carbs. Again.


I almost never eat rice for dinner. And I didn't. The soup itself made me guilty. I don't know why, but it did, I think because of the collagen-rich chicken foot. Ever since I tried chicken feet when I was around 10, I liked it and ate it whenever I could. Now, chicken feet are rich in collagen, and the collagen comes in the form of a clear gelatinous substance under the skin of the chicken.


Usually, for chicken, whatever is directly under the skin and isn't flesh, it's fat. Maybe that's what got me guilty - the feeling of chowing down fat, when it really was just collagen.


Oh, god. Don't even mention the cream dessert. It's basically 50% honeydew chunks and puree, 40% dessert topping (a.k.a. CALORIE-PACKED CREAM) and 10% sago. The night before I had a ladle and a half, which was pretty satisfying already. Thank god that night's dinner wasn't something with cream again.


Being the glutton that I am, I already had two entire ladlefuls in my lacquered bowl, and I offered to just finish up the last ladleful. After chowing all of that down, I felt fatter than I was before gym. And I was the girl with the fattest thighs in the entire gym. I could just die of embarrassment already.


How the @#$%^& could I have let myself get to this weight again? Didn't I already promise myself that I'll never be a 60kg whopper again? I know, this weight is normal compared to the American super-sized people. This isn't really about the health thing, it's more of my personal image. I really don't want to be referred to as "the fat girl" for the rest of my life.


I rarely wear shorts when I go out, because I'm extremely self-conscious at the thin girls who point, laugh and shake their heads at my thunder thighs, while they saunter around with slim legs and sexy shorts. Even some of my friends wondered why I was so bloated all of a sudden.


Confidence is a girl's best asset, and it's something I don't have. I walk around everyday, imagining what every single person is thinking when they see me. "God, she looks fat." "Did you see her arms and her tummy? They're huge!"


My face doesn't help much - with uneven patches of redness spattered across and pores that look like the craters on the surface of the moon, I feel ugly. And it's not like I don't take care of my skin - I have a morning and night regimen, I don't use much products, but I've tried almost every possible product that had "reduces pore size", "pore minimizer", all that kind of stuff printed on them.


Heck, sometimes I even steal some of my mum's more expensive SK-II stuff. Nothing works. Every time I use the egg mask, I'll get matte skin for around two hours, then it's back to how it was before. It's even worse if I sweat.


I think my BF already partially resents me for my continuous complaints about my skin, my weight, and my appearance in general, when he's already said a million times that he'd stick with me even if I become a whale.


I should stop now.

Badminton @ Extreme Park

The last time I played badminton was, I think, the year before last, which is quite a long time. Just as my alarm clock rang this morning, Jasmine called to say that she was on her way. I just did my morning regime, threw on a T-shirt and jeans, and packed a pair of shorts for the pre-planned sports event.


Our first destination was Cecilia's house. They did their assignments, I bitched around the living room, taking photos with Cecilia's impossibly-tall F21 stiletto pumps. Sadly, the camera I used is not fit to transfer any photos anywhere. I loved how streamlined the stilettos made my legs look though...


After their assignment was done, off we went, with directions from Chien Min, to Extreme Park. Changed into my shorts, borrowed a racket from Jasmine and started our game. We played for around two hours, renting one court, by which time everyone was exhausted (obviously).


I played barefoot, in my green J-Crew Tissue Tee and the embarrassingly stained shorts I usually wear at home which I wished I hadn't worn today. After washing off my legs from a squished mosquito and lots of dirt from the court itself, I changed into jeans. We had some lunch at Zhia's Kitchen, then Jasmine drove me home.


The moment I reached home I slumped onto my three-seater in the living room and snoozed for around 2 hours. Only after that did I remember I was wearing the T-shirt while I was lying on the badminton court ground. Absolute genius. Oh yeah, and my hair was on the ground as well, which I put on the cushion. Nice. I'm gonna die soon.


For dinner: tomato omelette, "zha choi" soup, strawberries and durian~

Dieting update

Julia (aka MissChievous) is truly inspirational - she's talented in makeup and her motivation to get fit and healthy is superbly admirable. Click here to see her weight-loss blog entries.

About a few weeks ago I started my own plan, and things have been going up and down. At campus, I'd take the stairs no matter how high the floor, and I'd stick to only Subway sandwiches, with a cup of ChaTime once in a blue moon.

In the evening I'd eat mostly meat, then an entire bowl of healthy, albeit oily, Chinese soup diligently boiled by my grandma. And basically that gets me extremely bloated, but I get pangs of hunger at night. Quite understandable as I'm trying to get my sleeping schedule back on track.

Now that it's my holidays, I don't have Subway, and there's not much fresh food at home. And since I don't have classes, I lack the motivation to wake up earlier than 12pm. And yes, I still sleep at 1-4am in the morning. Where exercise is concerned, I still do my running during my bath in the bathroom (I know it's dangerous, but so far the most I've done is banged my heel on the wall) and my Friday exercises.

I try to slip in some extra exercises like the 7-day ab training thing, but I feel not as motivated as I was in the early stages of the plan. I'm been starting on weights these days, but the overall exercise rate has decreased. My eating habits have also been irregular - sometimes I'd stuff, sometimes I'd fast.


The good things I've noticed is that my cardiovascular strength has increased - usually I'd need to pause a while halfway through the belly dance workout DVD, but now I can go through the entire DVD without actually stopping.


And also, my tummy has reduced in size!!! Usually it'd be over my *ahem* bust line, but now it's smaller (behind my bust line) and the ab muscles are solidifying. *HOORAY!!!* Can't say much for the behind-the-thigh orange peel skin, though. =S


I need to find some way to incorporate FRESH vegetables and lean meats into my meal plan. Every dinner it's pre-prepared oily fried/stir-fried and/or fatty Chinese dishes from the caterer. Any vegetables, even those which were fresh, would've been wilted to the point that all the nutrition has been killed. Where meats are concerned, I consume lots of processed meats.


Borrowed some health juice drinks from the library yesterday, though. My dad has been trying to get us to drink some fruit + veggie juice while he was here, why not fulfill his wish? XD And many of these recipes target specific traits, i.e. dieting, detoxification, beauty, to lower cholesterol and sugar levels, and just plain alternatives to our daily indulgences like chocolate and cream.

Exercise log

I normally don't exercise much, but these days I'm making it a point to do at least 15 minutes of any exercise, whether it's cardio or muscle toning.


I usually don't mind sports, and sometimes would actually be the one who's the most excited about it. My problem? Muscle strength + durability and cardiovascular strength. I actually learnt about both of these from my PE theory classes, but I clean forgot about the types of exercises to increase both muscular and cardiovascular strength and durability.

Muscular strength refers to the strength that your muscles have, and they don't have to be bulging like Dwayne Johnson's or Vin Diesel's to be considered strong. Muscles bulge only if you binge on protein, which is mainly what our muscles are made of. Muscular durability is related to how long your strength lasts before you get tired. Since I don't exercise much at all, my muscles get tired and seize up very quickly.


The cardiovascular system has something to do with your heart, lungs, and blood circulation. The better your cardiovascular strength, the longer the time span that your body can supply oxygen to the muscles. If you are out of breath easily, then your cardiovascular strength is pretty weak. Cardio exercises are also the best way to burn fat.

So usually at home, I'd do some jumping lunges, which is the same as the picture, with the difference that I stay where I am, just adding a jump in between lunges, which helps tone the leg muscles. Then some butt exercises here and there, and some push-ups. For some reason, I like to do my push-ups on soft surfaces like mattresses - I find the workout easier if my knees actually feel comfortable, as compared to a cold, hard tile floor that I usually did my push-ups on in high school.

I've tried doing this - it's a 7-day abs workout to burn fat and tone the muscles. It's supposed to be English, but the one that my friend gave me was in Chinese. However, I think the physical demonstration itself is sufficient. I saw effects on the first day already, and was determined to continue, but my determination was undermined by food and sleep.

Every time I have a whole day completely free of classes, I tend to make my younger sister exercise with me, with some DVDs that we have. Yoga, belly dance (my favorite XD), modern group dancing, Latin dance workouts, and we recently acquired a Jane Fonda workout VCD, but we've yet to try that out.


However, religious hard work pays off - I'm starting to see less orange-peel skin on the back of my thighs, and ... dare I say it - my butt looks nicer. My tummy has also decreased in size, though I don't know about my weight.


Ever since primary school, we've all heard from various teachers and pep talks that exercise is good for health, yada yada yada~ And we have to maintain a balanced diet to keep our immune system strong and bla bla bla. That is all easier said than done, and I mean that very seriously.


We're so completely used to having everything easy-fied for us, and some of us eat ready-to-eat food on a daily basis, not knowing what stuff they put into our food. Try following all those "healthy" rules in the book - regular exercise, and strictly follow the food pyramid where your food in concerned. I think some of us may find that nearly impossible.


BUT DON'T LOSE FAITH, DEAR PEOPLE! I HAVE ... uh ... an alternative? Nah. Just some tips. I'm no workout, diet or health guru, nor do I want to be. I like eating, and though I'm not really sensitive to the various tastes and flavors of food, I enjoy eating delicious meals. I like to snack, especially when I'm emotionally upset. Especially where chocolate is concerned, I'm wary about trading my milk chocolate for dark chocolate.


Here's some tips:

• Roughly estimate the fat, oil, sugars, and carbohydrates in a dish or meal. Based on that estimation, make your decision.
• Where salads are concerned, look for salads with really green veggies, some beans, and preferably a vinaigrette dressing. Caesar salad is by far the most unhealthy of salads - croutons, iceberg lettuce (lower in nutritional value than its greener counterparts) and unhealthy dressing.
• Veggies doesn't only mean greens and carrots, you can flavor it with some pepper, vinegar, and even veggies that are flavorsome on their own such as olives and tomatoes.
• Avoid creams, fried foods, cheesy stuff, pastries - usually the most common things that people would say are packed with calories and fats and whatnot.
• Totally omitting all the stuff you love would make you feel just miserable - snack and indulge yourself every now and then. Limit your intake of these indulgences, though. Make it something like a treat for yourself every time you reach a goal or complete a mission.
• Go at your own pace, rest when you need, but try to push yourself to complete the workouts you've planned or are following.
• For best results, do the workout for a span of 10-30 minutes (depending on your goals), rest for 2-5 minutes, then continue.

Another disclaimer: I'm no professional, nor do I claim to be one.