I'm still alive. And running (somewhat). And doing other stuff like yoga and, this term, pilates (which I really like and has turned out to be really helpful).
And still looking for that perfect pair of running shoes.
Right now I'm in a happy relationship with my current pair of Saucony Kinvara 5. They are so light and they are extremely comfy. I've not run in them on concrete a lot so I don't know how they will fare out in the summer time (honestly when did I get them?), but on the whole they are on the more minimal and less supportive side of the shoe rainbow. Which was one of the reasons why I waited almost a year between reading the first (rave) review about them and finally getting a pair.
In December I was in Boston for a play and on the way there I stopped by the Marathon store to see if the nice people there would have any new insight into my (current line of) perfect running shoes. This stemmed from a panic episode I had earlier that year over the fact that Saucony no longer sells Kinvara 5s and instead only carries Kinvara 6s. Honestly my feet really can't tell the difference between 5 and 6 from just trying the 6 on for 2 minutes in the store, but since they are new, they were more expensive and my wallet didn't like it. And since my feet are kind of strange I didn't want to take the chance of having to go through a whole new cycle of finding another pair of good running shoes so I tried to search elsewhere for another pair of 5 that I could squirrel away. I finally managed to find a brand new pair on eBay that was also my size and I pretty much paid the same price as my first pair, but at that point I didn't even care anymore, because instead of being leftover bargains they've become antiques and collectibles. This is really annoying. From a business perspective I can understand why shoe companies would want to come up with new models every season to sell to avid runners, but at the same time the changes they make are not always for the better and we runners don't really want to spend the time and effort and money to constantly worry about what shoes are the best. And for people with weird feet like me (I can't wear any Nike shoes and my right foot is just way pickier and more prone to strange injuries), it's extra time consuming.
So i went to that store. The store clerk lady was extremely nice and friendly and helpful and in the end we decided that the Saucony Hurricane Iso is a good fit for me. I didn't buy them in the end because I still have two pairs of Kinvara 5s I need to run through and I didn't want to pay full price for shoes (now they are in a sweet spot of being bargain but not quite vintage state because the Hurricane Iso 2 is out, and I'm seriously debating whether I want to get a pair). In the end I got a pair of Superfeet insoles (which I don't like anymore and are now sitting pathetically in the back corner of my gym locker). I was shown them because I was told that the Kinvaras, which I love, has basically no support and for someone with my weight and feet I need arch support. I was (and still) am confused because on the one hand I'm so happy in my no-support shoes and so far I have no Kinvara-related injuries, but on the other hand I'm afraid if it's a time bomb waiting to go off because of the lack of support my running shoes carry. Right now I'm really not running that much so it's not a big problem but when it gets warmer and I'm running longer and harder on harder ground maybe it would come back and haunt me.
Plus now I don't even remember what was so great about the Hurricane Isos other than they didn't feel weird when I tried them on and ran half a block in them.
But then again, the first time I went into the Marathon store I came out with the conclusion that Brooks Dyad (7) was a good fit for me. I have wide feet and need support and the Brooks were like a pair of tanks for my feet. I ended up getting them online and ran in them for about a month before realizing that there was something seriously off about them. They started to hurt my feet really bad and twice I had seriously considered getting rid of them on eBay.
I have since found out the reason and am now wearing them as my everyday walking shoes. Shame, walking shoes should not cost this much.
First of all they were too small. They were size 8.5, which is what I normally wear. When I tried them on in the store I was given a pair of 8.5 and they were slightly roomy so I ignored the pervasive advice that i should buy running shoes half a size larger. I didn't know it for a while but they were indeed too small.
Second, there was something seriously wrong about the insoles. Instead of staying put in the shoe for me to step on they like to come up with my foot and it not only created a strange sensation but was not good for my arches. I tried to replace them once and after taking them out I found that they are the thickest, cushiest pair of insoles I've ever seen. They are thick, cushy, and felt really comfy when you poke and squeeze them, and they look so cool that I didn't have the heart (or felt the need) to replace them. I've recently switched them out and replaced them with the insoles that came from another pair of shoes I replaced a pair of Dr. Scholl's with. And now I'm able to wear my Brooks comfortably (for everyday wear), mostly because I created more room in the shoe, and because I got rid of the weird vacuum insoles.
I tried to put them to good use elsewhere. Today I tried to put them in my Kinvara 5 so they wouldn't be completely support-less but not as hard and uncomfortable as the Superfeet insoles. It did not go well. They took up way to much room in the shoe; they were too small so my arches were very uncomfortably supported, and it was overall just a very bad idea. They are now sitting among a bunch of used paper towels in the garbage can of the women's locker room of the gym. I still feel bad because they are so cushy and substantive, but apparently this is a bad thing. Maybe I just can't have very cushy insoles. Support, maybe, but not cushy. So there.
I'm still constantly experimenting, and trying to put everything I own into some good use. Right now the best option is still my Kinvara 5, without any modifications. I am financially capable of buying the Hurricane Iso and experiment them but the consideration is not money, but excess. I have a problem when it comes to shoes. I want to buy all of them! Especially ones that should be good fit for me! But technically I really don't need any (yea yea you should rotate your shoes yada yada), and the truth is I really don't have any more room in my apartment (or my gym locker, for that matter) to have another pair of shoes (I recently threw out a pair of casual walking shoes and bought another pair of new casual walking shoes before successfully turning my Brooks into something useable so I'm already regretting that decision). Reason simultaneously tells me that I should buy them (shoe rotation, etc) and not buy them (no they are not terribly expensive but no I also don't really need them). Plus I'm not that even a heavy runner! It's not like I run a 5K everyday or in the middle of training for a marathon or something. I've just forced myself to go back to running and right now I do about 1.5 miles at a time after my gym classes and I haven't done any runs longer than that in months! Maybe I should just stop obsessing over running shoes and just work with what I have.
My only fear is that by the time I'm ready for another pair of shoes the Hurricane Isos will become dinosaurs and the new models will suck.
Oh well, such is life. And there's always that extra pair of Kinvara 5 that will carry me through any tough times.
Showing posts with label Yoga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yoga. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Stronger but not thinner
I'm kind of shocked that I have not updated my exercise progress since the end of July. While I've been neglecting my blog on cyberspace, in reality I've been very active, especially after school started. Now that the fall term is coming to an end, it's time to just update a few things that's happened since the summer.
I think I avoided writing about my exercising because I was disappointed and ashamed by my lack of progress over the summer. After the July Instagram challenge ended I signed up for a few August ones that were yoga or plank related, but what had been so much fun in July had just turned into various excuses to take selfies every day and putting them on in the internet. I felt no progress, and taking a picture of yourself in some tiring yoga pose is not a fun activity to do. So gradually I've given that up.
(In fact, I've all but closed out my exercising-related account and switched it to a journaling account, documenting all my journaling adventures. If interested, the new account name is techo_love).
Things were not great on the gym class front either. Toward the end of August I had all but quit going to class. The days were getting shorter, I never really developed into an early morning person (all I got was sleep deprivation), and I disliked my cycling class and wasn't comfortable with doing extraneous activities early in the morning. By the end I realized one thing: I'm not an early morning person and there's no point in trying to change myself.
And running. Oh boy. At least last year I had plantar fasciitis as an excuse. This past summer was just one lame excuse after another in lieu of any running at all. I was getting fat and disgusted at myself.
Which is probably why I added some exercising regiments and abandoned any morning activities. I enrolled in a monthly membership at my yoga studio, basically forcing myself to go to yoga class once a week, which apparently was not something I could even keep doing before. I also registered for a gym class that met in the afternoons 3 times a week. I had heard good things about the class, and traditionally it was a popular course that gets filled quickly. It's called Dartfit, and essentially what it is is this really intensive HIIT course. Somewhat similar to the HIIT course I took in the summer but way harder.
It turns out that I just wasn't pushing myself hard enough.
I had already known that doing anaerobic exercises like HIIT is better for fat burning, in that you burn more calories doing HIIT for an hour than running for the same amount of time. Granted you can't do HIIT for hours and hours so if you run a lot they sort of even out. But since I don't run a lot, I need all the other help I can get.
The class was brutal. I went in pretty confident with myself since I had done HIIT in the summer and thought I could handle whatever that was coming for me. Instead I thought I had died after the first class back in Sept. I drank at least a liter of water during class and when I got home afterwards I sat on my chair for at least an hour before I could manage to do anything else, like showering or eating dinner. I seriously considered quitting after that first class. A friend who also signed up for the class left the gym half way through the class and never came back (he showed up to class sporadically afterwards but was going even less consistently than I was throughout the term). I hated the feeling of running out of breath, and seeing how everyone else was faster and was having an easier time. But I didn't end up quitting because I knew there was no other way I would ever work that hard if I just work out on my own. And veteran students of the class kept telling me that it gets easier, it really gets easier.
And I really wanted a Dartfit T-shirt and be worthy of it.
So I stuck around. I don't think I've ever gone for the full 3 times a week regiment. Sometimes I just go once a week. But the others were right. It did get easier. Sometimes I cheated. Sometimes I focused so hard on my breathing I manage to beat it out without feeling like dying. Sometimes the class was easy so we all felt like we were getting stronger.
I took it easy after realizing that I was getting shin splint on both of my legs from running around the indoor track. It baffled me. I thought if anything else I at least knew how to run. So I learned some new stretching moves and took it easy at the beginning. I still get shin splints some times, but I get it because I was running faster. When I had to sprint I actually sprinted, sometimes faster than others in class.
I could feel that I was getting stronger, and I would never be able to do it if it wasn't for this class.
But with Dartfit and yoga, and badminton at the beginning of the term before I hurt my wrist, I didn't have time to run anymore. I got lazy on the days I didn't have class. I just couldn't get my butt to the gym when I didn't need to be there. And when I finally was running again a few weeks ago I found that while I could run faster I couldn't run as long. I struggled for 2 miles and gave up on doing a 5K, and more recently I've been afraid to do prolonged running in case my shin splint gets worse. It's a constant struggle but at least I'm getting more cardio workouts in.
And today I had my best yoga class ever.
I had lost about 2 pounds recently and have been eating healthier and more sensibly. I did not lose a significant amount of weight. If anything I gained weight and I don't know why. I assume I have more muscle mass now and the fat has not gone away, because I didn't feel heavier and my clothes still fit. Anyways, I felt really good today. I felt curvier and lighter, and when I was doing yoga I felt that I had more space around my body to work with. Fat usually got in the way of the more badass moves.
But today I felt light and strong. I was more flexible and I could twist more. My upper body was flexible and my arms could handle push ups more easily. I still sweated a bucket but I didn't struggle with any of the moves (except I still suck at balancing).
I can safely say that I've never felt so strong during a yoga class before. And I felt really, really good.
I think most of it has to do with the Dartfit class I'm taking. I'll definitely keep it up next term. But more importantly I'm glad I decided to stick with the class and work though my struggles, knowing I'll be better and stronger if I can safely make it out on the other end. I still dread at the thought of going to class, and I still feel like I'm dying sometimes during or after a class. But at least I know now that if I do it for a while there is a real effect. A good effect.
I think I avoided writing about my exercising because I was disappointed and ashamed by my lack of progress over the summer. After the July Instagram challenge ended I signed up for a few August ones that were yoga or plank related, but what had been so much fun in July had just turned into various excuses to take selfies every day and putting them on in the internet. I felt no progress, and taking a picture of yourself in some tiring yoga pose is not a fun activity to do. So gradually I've given that up.
(In fact, I've all but closed out my exercising-related account and switched it to a journaling account, documenting all my journaling adventures. If interested, the new account name is techo_love).
Things were not great on the gym class front either. Toward the end of August I had all but quit going to class. The days were getting shorter, I never really developed into an early morning person (all I got was sleep deprivation), and I disliked my cycling class and wasn't comfortable with doing extraneous activities early in the morning. By the end I realized one thing: I'm not an early morning person and there's no point in trying to change myself.
And running. Oh boy. At least last year I had plantar fasciitis as an excuse. This past summer was just one lame excuse after another in lieu of any running at all. I was getting fat and disgusted at myself.
Which is probably why I added some exercising regiments and abandoned any morning activities. I enrolled in a monthly membership at my yoga studio, basically forcing myself to go to yoga class once a week, which apparently was not something I could even keep doing before. I also registered for a gym class that met in the afternoons 3 times a week. I had heard good things about the class, and traditionally it was a popular course that gets filled quickly. It's called Dartfit, and essentially what it is is this really intensive HIIT course. Somewhat similar to the HIIT course I took in the summer but way harder.
It turns out that I just wasn't pushing myself hard enough.
I had already known that doing anaerobic exercises like HIIT is better for fat burning, in that you burn more calories doing HIIT for an hour than running for the same amount of time. Granted you can't do HIIT for hours and hours so if you run a lot they sort of even out. But since I don't run a lot, I need all the other help I can get.
The class was brutal. I went in pretty confident with myself since I had done HIIT in the summer and thought I could handle whatever that was coming for me. Instead I thought I had died after the first class back in Sept. I drank at least a liter of water during class and when I got home afterwards I sat on my chair for at least an hour before I could manage to do anything else, like showering or eating dinner. I seriously considered quitting after that first class. A friend who also signed up for the class left the gym half way through the class and never came back (he showed up to class sporadically afterwards but was going even less consistently than I was throughout the term). I hated the feeling of running out of breath, and seeing how everyone else was faster and was having an easier time. But I didn't end up quitting because I knew there was no other way I would ever work that hard if I just work out on my own. And veteran students of the class kept telling me that it gets easier, it really gets easier.
And I really wanted a Dartfit T-shirt and be worthy of it.
So I stuck around. I don't think I've ever gone for the full 3 times a week regiment. Sometimes I just go once a week. But the others were right. It did get easier. Sometimes I cheated. Sometimes I focused so hard on my breathing I manage to beat it out without feeling like dying. Sometimes the class was easy so we all felt like we were getting stronger.
I took it easy after realizing that I was getting shin splint on both of my legs from running around the indoor track. It baffled me. I thought if anything else I at least knew how to run. So I learned some new stretching moves and took it easy at the beginning. I still get shin splints some times, but I get it because I was running faster. When I had to sprint I actually sprinted, sometimes faster than others in class.
I could feel that I was getting stronger, and I would never be able to do it if it wasn't for this class.
But with Dartfit and yoga, and badminton at the beginning of the term before I hurt my wrist, I didn't have time to run anymore. I got lazy on the days I didn't have class. I just couldn't get my butt to the gym when I didn't need to be there. And when I finally was running again a few weeks ago I found that while I could run faster I couldn't run as long. I struggled for 2 miles and gave up on doing a 5K, and more recently I've been afraid to do prolonged running in case my shin splint gets worse. It's a constant struggle but at least I'm getting more cardio workouts in.
And today I had my best yoga class ever.
I had lost about 2 pounds recently and have been eating healthier and more sensibly. I did not lose a significant amount of weight. If anything I gained weight and I don't know why. I assume I have more muscle mass now and the fat has not gone away, because I didn't feel heavier and my clothes still fit. Anyways, I felt really good today. I felt curvier and lighter, and when I was doing yoga I felt that I had more space around my body to work with. Fat usually got in the way of the more badass moves.
But today I felt light and strong. I was more flexible and I could twist more. My upper body was flexible and my arms could handle push ups more easily. I still sweated a bucket but I didn't struggle with any of the moves (except I still suck at balancing).
I can safely say that I've never felt so strong during a yoga class before. And I felt really, really good.
I think most of it has to do with the Dartfit class I'm taking. I'll definitely keep it up next term. But more importantly I'm glad I decided to stick with the class and work though my struggles, knowing I'll be better and stronger if I can safely make it out on the other end. I still dread at the thought of going to class, and I still feel like I'm dying sometimes during or after a class. But at least I know now that if I do it for a while there is a real effect. A good effect.
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Exercise Diary: Birthday Yoga~
I'm back! I took about a week off from school life last week and went home for Independence Day/ my birthday. Spent 2 blissful weekends shopping and eating and spending time with my parents and a whole week (about 3 days actually) wondering around in New York, saw 4 play/musicals and visited one museum. All in all I was very productive fun-wise.
While I kept at my July Journey to Split challenge and stretched (and took bad selfies) every day, other than that I barely did any real exercise. On two days I did some glute work but that didn't really count toward anything. Granted when I left the house I did serious walking in the city (and in the mall), and was poorly hydrated throughout, but given the amount of junk food I ate they all sort of cancelled themselves out.
The real gain was in the gears. We got a big discount from Kohl's and I went crazy. Got back home with two new sports bra (with trippy summer prints too) and a yoga top that was both practical and cute.
And I put that top into serious work today at yoga class. Having missed a week of regular exercise (and after getting up at 5:30 for my other gym class), today's class was particularly difficult for me to sustain through. I was serious hungry (beginning of my super-serious weight losing plan now) and I was thinking about what to have for dinner the whole time while getting super sweaty. While the top (sleeve-less and barely any fabric covering my upper back) was very freeing and breathable, the lack of fabric meant I had to keep all that sweat either on my body or on my mat. This was the first time I almost slipped during a down dog.
But I think my brief stint so far with my morning weight class paid off somewhat. I was able to do side plank on my both sides today without too much trouble. This may not seem like a big deal but before today I always cheated on my side planks, either keeping my bottom leg bent or using the other leg to help support myself, and my arms always shook so hard my body almost shakes with them. But today, my arms didn't shake, my bottom leg was straight and my torso was off the ground and my upper leg was even in the air! And I was able to keep this posture for as long as we did the pose. Still can't do a half wheel bent but small victories.
At least for this term I have gym class 4 times a week at 6 am, but I don't know what to write about them. We always to something slightly different every time, changing the workouts and I always end up sweating through my shirt and properly worked out. But I usually don't have time in the morning to blog and I don't usually get any profound realizations after each class so writing about them would feel more like a chore. And because of these classes, which were supposed to help me build muscles to become a better runner, has somewhat now taken over my running. I haven't been running at all this month and it's already half-way over. Not quite sure how to balance it all. It's not like I'm still dead set on a race any time soon but I really don't want to neglect running. As part of class today we ran around the track a few times and I was tired after just the first lap. I used early morning as my excuse but I was extremely sad about this. How is it that I now am a worse runner? I think it's the lack of practice. I just need to do it to keep up (plus it will probably burn a few more hundred calories every week).
Still a struggle. But at least I managed to get up a 5:30 first day after coming back and that's a good start.
While I kept at my July Journey to Split challenge and stretched (and took bad selfies) every day, other than that I barely did any real exercise. On two days I did some glute work but that didn't really count toward anything. Granted when I left the house I did serious walking in the city (and in the mall), and was poorly hydrated throughout, but given the amount of junk food I ate they all sort of cancelled themselves out.
The real gain was in the gears. We got a big discount from Kohl's and I went crazy. Got back home with two new sports bra (with trippy summer prints too) and a yoga top that was both practical and cute.
And I put that top into serious work today at yoga class. Having missed a week of regular exercise (and after getting up at 5:30 for my other gym class), today's class was particularly difficult for me to sustain through. I was serious hungry (beginning of my super-serious weight losing plan now) and I was thinking about what to have for dinner the whole time while getting super sweaty. While the top (sleeve-less and barely any fabric covering my upper back) was very freeing and breathable, the lack of fabric meant I had to keep all that sweat either on my body or on my mat. This was the first time I almost slipped during a down dog.
But I think my brief stint so far with my morning weight class paid off somewhat. I was able to do side plank on my both sides today without too much trouble. This may not seem like a big deal but before today I always cheated on my side planks, either keeping my bottom leg bent or using the other leg to help support myself, and my arms always shook so hard my body almost shakes with them. But today, my arms didn't shake, my bottom leg was straight and my torso was off the ground and my upper leg was even in the air! And I was able to keep this posture for as long as we did the pose. Still can't do a half wheel bent but small victories.
At least for this term I have gym class 4 times a week at 6 am, but I don't know what to write about them. We always to something slightly different every time, changing the workouts and I always end up sweating through my shirt and properly worked out. But I usually don't have time in the morning to blog and I don't usually get any profound realizations after each class so writing about them would feel more like a chore. And because of these classes, which were supposed to help me build muscles to become a better runner, has somewhat now taken over my running. I haven't been running at all this month and it's already half-way over. Not quite sure how to balance it all. It's not like I'm still dead set on a race any time soon but I really don't want to neglect running. As part of class today we ran around the track a few times and I was tired after just the first lap. I used early morning as my excuse but I was extremely sad about this. How is it that I now am a worse runner? I think it's the lack of practice. I just need to do it to keep up (plus it will probably burn a few more hundred calories every week).
Still a struggle. But at least I managed to get up a 5:30 first day after coming back and that's a good start.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Exercise Diary: Morning Mumble Grumble
5am: beep beep beep, beep beep beep....
snooze
5:10 am: beep beep beep, beep beep beep...
snooze
5:20 am
Up, wash, chow down a banana, surf the web, change. Oh look it's almost 5:50, time to go.
This has been my routine for the past 2 days.
So far so good.
So for the past 2 week I had been very afraid of running. I get really tired in the afternoons, and although I bring all my running gears with me to work I end up lugging everything back at the end of the day unused. I make excuses: I was hungry, I was sleepy, I was tired, I felt sluggish, it's too hot out.
I think I've been afraid. Afraid of the out-of-breathness around mile 2, afraid of the return of my plantar fasciitis, afraid of being famished and exhausted after my runs and order take out instead of cooking, and the general sluggishness afterwards that usually make up my post-run evenings.
All in all I had not been running a lot for the past two weeks. But I did do a bunch of other stuff. There was a hiking trip over graduation weekend, regular weekly yoga classes, and last weekend I did a group yoga thing with two of my friends who sort of got into weight losing and fitness. And now I'm taking these two gym classes this term that make me get up obscenely early in the morning and make me seriously sweat out some major toxins.
And it's been good. My abs are protesting, my body felt looser. Tonight while I was walking I could feel that my shoulders are not even, with the right one higher than the left. So I consciously tilted my body while walking and surprisingly that felt good. Maybe I should look up on proper posture and standing, and maybe that will cure my weird and problematic right foot.
I've also activated a new Instagram account to participate in this month's blogilates challenge of doing a split in 30 days.
Above are the stretches. We do #1-5 everyday, and starting day 6 we add the pose corresponding to the number of the day in addition to 1-5. The whole thing takes about 10 minutes to do every day and theoretically at the end of the month we will be able to do a split (don't know about the standing split, balance is a whole other issue for me). And as proof of our commitment we are to upload a picture of ourselves everyday on Instagram for a chance to win stuff every week. I have a feeling that while the stretches will only take 10 minutes, taking the perfect selfie (which will involve a lot of timed capture, perfect camera and body positioning, and a lot of pain in the tush) for Instagram will take maybe an hour and half. So we will see. I've already tried to do a selfie today and truth be told, while the stretches felt great I look stupid (and fat) when captured on camera. Maybe some people are meant to exercise in secret and who who are not don't really need to exercise that much.
Anyway, any exercise is better than no exercise and if I can become more fit (and hopefully slimmer) by the end of summer I will be the happiest glutton in the world. I also need to re-think about this whole running thing. I told myself that all the yoga and strength training are done to make me a better runner, but now I'm not so sure. The whole point of any exercise is to make me healthier. Although I probably won't give up running altogether, maybe it will take second or third place at least for the time being. Is that so bad? Or am I just impulsively flaunting myself over something new and again not making a commitment in anything? I don't know and I need to think about this. In the mean time, I will be very disappointed if either the number on my scale does not drop or I don't lose a few pant sizes. I'm not drowning myself in sweat at 6am for nothing.
snooze
5:10 am: beep beep beep, beep beep beep...
snooze
5:20 am
Up, wash, chow down a banana, surf the web, change. Oh look it's almost 5:50, time to go.
This has been my routine for the past 2 days.
So far so good.
So for the past 2 week I had been very afraid of running. I get really tired in the afternoons, and although I bring all my running gears with me to work I end up lugging everything back at the end of the day unused. I make excuses: I was hungry, I was sleepy, I was tired, I felt sluggish, it's too hot out.
I think I've been afraid. Afraid of the out-of-breathness around mile 2, afraid of the return of my plantar fasciitis, afraid of being famished and exhausted after my runs and order take out instead of cooking, and the general sluggishness afterwards that usually make up my post-run evenings.
All in all I had not been running a lot for the past two weeks. But I did do a bunch of other stuff. There was a hiking trip over graduation weekend, regular weekly yoga classes, and last weekend I did a group yoga thing with two of my friends who sort of got into weight losing and fitness. And now I'm taking these two gym classes this term that make me get up obscenely early in the morning and make me seriously sweat out some major toxins.
And it's been good. My abs are protesting, my body felt looser. Tonight while I was walking I could feel that my shoulders are not even, with the right one higher than the left. So I consciously tilted my body while walking and surprisingly that felt good. Maybe I should look up on proper posture and standing, and maybe that will cure my weird and problematic right foot.
I've also activated a new Instagram account to participate in this month's blogilates challenge of doing a split in 30 days.
Above are the stretches. We do #1-5 everyday, and starting day 6 we add the pose corresponding to the number of the day in addition to 1-5. The whole thing takes about 10 minutes to do every day and theoretically at the end of the month we will be able to do a split (don't know about the standing split, balance is a whole other issue for me). And as proof of our commitment we are to upload a picture of ourselves everyday on Instagram for a chance to win stuff every week. I have a feeling that while the stretches will only take 10 minutes, taking the perfect selfie (which will involve a lot of timed capture, perfect camera and body positioning, and a lot of pain in the tush) for Instagram will take maybe an hour and half. So we will see. I've already tried to do a selfie today and truth be told, while the stretches felt great I look stupid (and fat) when captured on camera. Maybe some people are meant to exercise in secret and who who are not don't really need to exercise that much.
Anyway, any exercise is better than no exercise and if I can become more fit (and hopefully slimmer) by the end of summer I will be the happiest glutton in the world. I also need to re-think about this whole running thing. I told myself that all the yoga and strength training are done to make me a better runner, but now I'm not so sure. The whole point of any exercise is to make me healthier. Although I probably won't give up running altogether, maybe it will take second or third place at least for the time being. Is that so bad? Or am I just impulsively flaunting myself over something new and again not making a commitment in anything? I don't know and I need to think about this. In the mean time, I will be very disappointed if either the number on my scale does not drop or I don't lose a few pant sizes. I'm not drowning myself in sweat at 6am for nothing.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Exercise Diary: Sweaty Summer
Went to yoga yesterday and the class was packed. I guess since most of the classes were canceled yesterday on campus due to the holiday, people did most of their sunbathing during the day and decided it was time to go to yoga in the evening.
Worse, because of the holiday there was no public transportation. So instead of rushing to finish my experiment (yes I still worked) so I could catch the bus, I had to speed walk to the studio only to find that the only empty spots in the classroom were way in the front. So for the first time I did yoga in the front row and I guess it was okay.
Basically I was wet from before the class started to way after it was over. I broke into a sweat walking to the studio, I soaked my shirt and my towel during the class, and after we were done it started to rain outside so I was wet again while walking home.
And for some reason I decided to do about 30 squats (got to have a booty to fit into nice shorts right?) while cooking dinner last night and my thighs today were hurting like I had never excised before yesterday. So much so that I chickened out again today and only did two laps around the pond (2 miles).
I again decided not to bring my visor today and again it was a mistake. The sun was beaming, and it was very very warm. Nice breeze, but still very hot. While running I could feel sweat dripping down my forehead and neck, but it wasn't until after my run while stretching that I realized the low back of my shirt was completely soaked. So is my bra, and basically my whole upper body. I think next time I need to bring a change of clothe so I don't walk home wet again. Gross.
I feel like I've become weaker since I started running outside. Today was probably because of my sore thighs, but I felt like I was ready to be done barely half way into my first-miler. That was an ego crusher. about 0.8 mile I decided to do a little fartlek and ran toward some arbitrary land mark before succumb to a walk. And that was about 10 minutes of running so I guess I was sort of doing my 10K training maybe. I did two more run-relatively-fast-then-jogged-for-a-bit-and-walk thing before deciding that 2 miles is good enough for today.
Listened to fast music again, all of them at least a few years old now but familiar and comforting. I really don't understand, other than for safety reasons maybe, why many races don't allow the runners to wear headphones. I don't find the music distracting from my running and breathing, rather I think it helped me to focus. I sort of simultaneously tune into the music and zone out of it. I could feel my breathing but couldn't hear how excruciating it sounds, which in truth is a discouraging distraction.
My coworker forwarded me an email today about a half-marathon in November. I was tempted because of the swag, but I just don't think I can make a commitment right now. And after today's run I really don't think I'm ready either. While I know that I need a goal so I don't always run the crappy 2 miles when I get myself around that pond, I think a half-marathon (whether it's just finishing or finishing within its time limit) is a bit out of my reach. It's a good goal theoretically, but I think in truth I would just be afraid of it and do what I always do when I'm afraid: procrastinate. And that will not be helpful. So we'll see.
Worse, because of the holiday there was no public transportation. So instead of rushing to finish my experiment (yes I still worked) so I could catch the bus, I had to speed walk to the studio only to find that the only empty spots in the classroom were way in the front. So for the first time I did yoga in the front row and I guess it was okay.
Basically I was wet from before the class started to way after it was over. I broke into a sweat walking to the studio, I soaked my shirt and my towel during the class, and after we were done it started to rain outside so I was wet again while walking home.
And for some reason I decided to do about 30 squats (got to have a booty to fit into nice shorts right?) while cooking dinner last night and my thighs today were hurting like I had never excised before yesterday. So much so that I chickened out again today and only did two laps around the pond (2 miles).
I again decided not to bring my visor today and again it was a mistake. The sun was beaming, and it was very very warm. Nice breeze, but still very hot. While running I could feel sweat dripping down my forehead and neck, but it wasn't until after my run while stretching that I realized the low back of my shirt was completely soaked. So is my bra, and basically my whole upper body. I think next time I need to bring a change of clothe so I don't walk home wet again. Gross.
I feel like I've become weaker since I started running outside. Today was probably because of my sore thighs, but I felt like I was ready to be done barely half way into my first-miler. That was an ego crusher. about 0.8 mile I decided to do a little fartlek and ran toward some arbitrary land mark before succumb to a walk. And that was about 10 minutes of running so I guess I was sort of doing my 10K training maybe. I did two more run-relatively-fast-then-jogged-for-a-bit-and-walk thing before deciding that 2 miles is good enough for today.
Listened to fast music again, all of them at least a few years old now but familiar and comforting. I really don't understand, other than for safety reasons maybe, why many races don't allow the runners to wear headphones. I don't find the music distracting from my running and breathing, rather I think it helped me to focus. I sort of simultaneously tune into the music and zone out of it. I could feel my breathing but couldn't hear how excruciating it sounds, which in truth is a discouraging distraction.
My coworker forwarded me an email today about a half-marathon in November. I was tempted because of the swag, but I just don't think I can make a commitment right now. And after today's run I really don't think I'm ready either. While I know that I need a goal so I don't always run the crappy 2 miles when I get myself around that pond, I think a half-marathon (whether it's just finishing or finishing within its time limit) is a bit out of my reach. It's a good goal theoretically, but I think in truth I would just be afraid of it and do what I always do when I'm afraid: procrastinate. And that will not be helpful. So we'll see.
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Exercise Diary: Saturday Fun
Went to yoga again today, this time with a new friend. I told a bunch of people about the yoga studio I joined and while many expressed interested she was the only one who actually wanted to take a class. We had to work around her schedule a bit but it's kind of touching that she still wants to do it given that she's leaving here in a short while so there won't be a chance of her becoming a regular member.
Which is why I went to a yoga class on Saturday, something I don't think I've ever done, and two days after my last class.
It was a nice class. We had a substitute instructor which is always nice since new teachers bring their own style and series of poses and their own way of explaining how to do things. We did a bunch of sun salutations but added in a bunch of balancing poses and side plank variations, which killed me. But I really like the change in the style that I'm more familiar to.
I again sweated more that I have ever done. My shirt was soaked all the way through and half way through the class I began to have sweat dripping down from my forehead down my face. But I think my body is more used to the work now, I no long feel like I've regressed to the beginning of last year with my joints all tensed up and inflexible.
Afterwards for the first time I didn't immediately go back to my apartment and shower. Instead my friend and I went to a small fair hosted by a bunch of asian societies on campus where they had free food and games. We replenished all the calories we burned with bubble tea, aloe juice, strawberry mochi, and fruits. I was way too full for kabob or rich balls, since I was still digesting the chicken I had two hours before my class. With food we also played the board game go and the toy shuttlecock, and as we were leaving I felt a sense of happiness and slight nostalgia, this overall warm feeling that I haven't had in a long time. It was very satisfying. Maybe with the exception of having another round of go with a better player I didn't have the painful feeling of not wanting the whole thing to end, but it brought me back to a fantasy childhood that I could never go back to since it was nothing but a collection of chunky happy moments. Anyway that combined with the endorphins released from the yoga exercise made my afternoon very very happy.
Things on my mind:
Which is why I went to a yoga class on Saturday, something I don't think I've ever done, and two days after my last class.
It was a nice class. We had a substitute instructor which is always nice since new teachers bring their own style and series of poses and their own way of explaining how to do things. We did a bunch of sun salutations but added in a bunch of balancing poses and side plank variations, which killed me. But I really like the change in the style that I'm more familiar to.
I again sweated more that I have ever done. My shirt was soaked all the way through and half way through the class I began to have sweat dripping down from my forehead down my face. But I think my body is more used to the work now, I no long feel like I've regressed to the beginning of last year with my joints all tensed up and inflexible.
Afterwards for the first time I didn't immediately go back to my apartment and shower. Instead my friend and I went to a small fair hosted by a bunch of asian societies on campus where they had free food and games. We replenished all the calories we burned with bubble tea, aloe juice, strawberry mochi, and fruits. I was way too full for kabob or rich balls, since I was still digesting the chicken I had two hours before my class. With food we also played the board game go and the toy shuttlecock, and as we were leaving I felt a sense of happiness and slight nostalgia, this overall warm feeling that I haven't had in a long time. It was very satisfying. Maybe with the exception of having another round of go with a better player I didn't have the painful feeling of not wanting the whole thing to end, but it brought me back to a fantasy childhood that I could never go back to since it was nothing but a collection of chunky happy moments. Anyway that combined with the endorphins released from the yoga exercise made my afternoon very very happy.
Things on my mind:
- Going to New Orleans next weekend for a conference and I'm super excited now. Feeling slightly guilty since I'm way more excited about the fun things I want to do in the city rather than the conference itself. But I've never been to New Orleans and it will just be a shame if I miss the culture. I anticipate being drunk and sleep deprived the whole time I'm there but if that's how i'm going to squeeze work and play in then I guess that'll have to do.
- My new shoes arrived yesterday. I'm now not so into Kinvara 5 anymore since the shoes don't seem to fit perfectly. I returned my size 9 pair for 9.5 since the 9 were way too tight, and now I feel that the 9.5 may be too big. I haven't run in them yet (will do tomorrow) but now I'm getting a bit tantrum-y because the shoes are being so difficult. I think this will be the last time I invest a lot of my consciously deciding on what running shoes I'm going to buy. My Saucony Cohesion cost $38 and I had never tried them on before buying and now I got almost 100 miles on them. They were by far my most satisfactory purchase. Go figures.
- It's still quite chilly here in New England but New Orleans will be hot hot hot! Which reminded me again of how fat I still am and cannot really look good in any summer clothes and i hate that. I really need to be harder on myself about losing weight with both exercise and diet. I have way too much to lose and not enough will power to lose it all. I don't think it will happen in time for my trip but I really hope that sometimes before the end of summer I will be able to go out feeling good and confident about how I look in summer clothes. My birthday is coming up and I just don't want to wasted too many years felling shitty about my body before I get too old.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Exercise Diary: Yoga again
The past month and half has been hellish. Even since I started TAing I had neither the time nor energy to do anything else. It's not just the big time commitment that I all of a sudden had, it's also the physical exhaustion after doing all the extra work and the mental exhaustion that also tags along. I had at least two teaching lab related dream (neither were nightmares but still 2 too much).
So as my actual research work falls behind, naturally my exercise routine also went out of wack.
I can see from my blogging history that I have not written anything for over a month now, but from my Nike record I have been running slightly more regularly. None of the runs were particularly good, or fast, or anything worth writing anything down. The only thing about my recent runs is that they are almost exclusively done outdoors, which means beautiful scenery. I did take many pictures on the road, which also meant that I wasn't fully paying attention to the running. None of the runs were good either. They were slow, they were short, and none of them made me feel any better or stronger. And since I decided to not run the half-marathon (which would be this weekend), I really had no specific milage goals for my runs either.
But TA is almost over (last lab finished this week, still a few more grading and things to be done before I'm finally liberated), and the mental pressure has significantly gone down. Especially this week I found myself particularly free and eventless in the evenings and I have been sleeping a lot more. I recently bought a new pair of running shoes (the much raved Saucony Kinvara 5) that will be arriving tomorrow and I'm really excited about it. And I went to yoga today for the first time since beginning of April.
It's probably the weather, but one of the first things I noticed was that I had never sweated as much in a yoga class as today and that was kind of alarming. I expected having my butt kicked, and I did, but having sweat dripping from my forehead was not one of my anticipations. But it wasn't until more than half way through the class that I felt like someone who has had lots of yoga classes for the past year and half. Toward the end I finally felt that I have properly opened my body and was rewarded with the familiar feeling of energy flowing through my body and actually feeling good after a particular series of moves. And I hope this will be the beginning of a lot more regularly attended classes. I made a yoga class date with a friend for Saturday, and I bought another 10-class pass, so yoga is so back on!
And running tomorrow. I will run tomorrow. I downloaded a 10K workout app that will give me about 5 weeks of regular running plans, and I will buy the half-marathon app after that. I don't know if I will be ready to try this year's CHaD half marathon in October, but whether or not I'm actually running it I really need the goal to get real training. So as summer approaches (finally!), as the spring school term ends, I will finally go back to a more regular exercise schedule, and hopefully, life.
So as my actual research work falls behind, naturally my exercise routine also went out of wack.
I can see from my blogging history that I have not written anything for over a month now, but from my Nike record I have been running slightly more regularly. None of the runs were particularly good, or fast, or anything worth writing anything down. The only thing about my recent runs is that they are almost exclusively done outdoors, which means beautiful scenery. I did take many pictures on the road, which also meant that I wasn't fully paying attention to the running. None of the runs were good either. They were slow, they were short, and none of them made me feel any better or stronger. And since I decided to not run the half-marathon (which would be this weekend), I really had no specific milage goals for my runs either.
But TA is almost over (last lab finished this week, still a few more grading and things to be done before I'm finally liberated), and the mental pressure has significantly gone down. Especially this week I found myself particularly free and eventless in the evenings and I have been sleeping a lot more. I recently bought a new pair of running shoes (the much raved Saucony Kinvara 5) that will be arriving tomorrow and I'm really excited about it. And I went to yoga today for the first time since beginning of April.
It's probably the weather, but one of the first things I noticed was that I had never sweated as much in a yoga class as today and that was kind of alarming. I expected having my butt kicked, and I did, but having sweat dripping from my forehead was not one of my anticipations. But it wasn't until more than half way through the class that I felt like someone who has had lots of yoga classes for the past year and half. Toward the end I finally felt that I have properly opened my body and was rewarded with the familiar feeling of energy flowing through my body and actually feeling good after a particular series of moves. And I hope this will be the beginning of a lot more regularly attended classes. I made a yoga class date with a friend for Saturday, and I bought another 10-class pass, so yoga is so back on!
And running tomorrow. I will run tomorrow. I downloaded a 10K workout app that will give me about 5 weeks of regular running plans, and I will buy the half-marathon app after that. I don't know if I will be ready to try this year's CHaD half marathon in October, but whether or not I'm actually running it I really need the goal to get real training. So as summer approaches (finally!), as the spring school term ends, I will finally go back to a more regular exercise schedule, and hopefully, life.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Exercise Diary: Yoga and Life
Yoga Tuesday again. This will be the last Tuesday of this term that I will be going to yoga classes. Starting next week I will have lab sessions to TA every Tuesday night. We've agreed to move our yoga day to Thursday, but we'll see how that goes. I foresee a lot of missed classes ahead.
And for once in a long time I actually skipped running yesterday. I even planned to go run. The gym is now in full spring term hours, which means that it opens until 10 pm. And because of that I had planned to be in lab until after 7 so I would have time for everything.
Time I did have, energy I did not. I was exhausted by the time I left lab, I just could muster the energy to run. Plus my calves and ankles were sore ( much better now, it really was just muscle soreness), and my plantar fasciitis is getting quite bad ( my foot is hurting right now). I considered it very wise to have skipped gym yesterday. But it also means that my schedule is again completely screwed up and I will probably postpone the training plan by another week.
Not that it matters anymore. Yesterday my friend had confirmed that she will not be running the half marathon we had planned to do. Although she said she would be happy to go with me, I quickly called off the plan too. It's a week before I had to leave for a conference, and right in the middle of the last third of my TA. And I just don't think I could have the time and energy to worry about it. I thought that the cancellation of my running goal would not affect my routine, but apparently it has.
I don't think it's the only reason though. Although I had anticipated that I will all of a sudden become very busy because I'm TAing again this term, I had not factored in how mentally and physically exhausted I would be. And this is ridiculous: it's only the second day of the term and I had not taught any students, graded any papers, or dealt with any problems. So far all I did was attend a TA meeting, a lecture, and a lab prep training session, and I'm already constantly exhausted and overwhelmed. I think part of it was that because time is all of a sudden a commodity I was also trying to squeeze more experiments into certain days as others are increasing becoming unavailable. That combined with the fact that I just don't do well if I have to get up early in the morning, is making me a very unhappy person.
And because of it I fear that my workout routine also has to change to accommodate my new (but temporary) life. I will have to come to terms with not running as much or work out as much. I will also have to be more efficient. If it takes me an hour to run a certain distance, I will just have to shave off time for before and after I go so working out doesn't take up 3 hours of my life that I don't have. And I also need to be careful of my diet since I tend to over eat and eat unhealthily when I'm tired or stressed, and to moderate my fluid intake so I will still drink a lot of water every day but will not have to go pee every 5 minutes when I'm supposed to be doing TA stuff. The peeing part worked pretty well today, but the fluid intake part did not. I couldn't have drunk more than 1.5 liter today, and I already feel dry.
Before I started this week I was already overwhelmed with all the things I will have to do this term, and my response to myself was to just "suck it up." There is just simply no other way. And the motto remains, but I have to figure our how to suck it up smartly or I will completely fall apart in probably every way of my life. I haven't worked out how to do it yet, but I will definitely keeping trying.
And for once in a long time I actually skipped running yesterday. I even planned to go run. The gym is now in full spring term hours, which means that it opens until 10 pm. And because of that I had planned to be in lab until after 7 so I would have time for everything.
Time I did have, energy I did not. I was exhausted by the time I left lab, I just could muster the energy to run. Plus my calves and ankles were sore ( much better now, it really was just muscle soreness), and my plantar fasciitis is getting quite bad ( my foot is hurting right now). I considered it very wise to have skipped gym yesterday. But it also means that my schedule is again completely screwed up and I will probably postpone the training plan by another week.
Not that it matters anymore. Yesterday my friend had confirmed that she will not be running the half marathon we had planned to do. Although she said she would be happy to go with me, I quickly called off the plan too. It's a week before I had to leave for a conference, and right in the middle of the last third of my TA. And I just don't think I could have the time and energy to worry about it. I thought that the cancellation of my running goal would not affect my routine, but apparently it has.
I don't think it's the only reason though. Although I had anticipated that I will all of a sudden become very busy because I'm TAing again this term, I had not factored in how mentally and physically exhausted I would be. And this is ridiculous: it's only the second day of the term and I had not taught any students, graded any papers, or dealt with any problems. So far all I did was attend a TA meeting, a lecture, and a lab prep training session, and I'm already constantly exhausted and overwhelmed. I think part of it was that because time is all of a sudden a commodity I was also trying to squeeze more experiments into certain days as others are increasing becoming unavailable. That combined with the fact that I just don't do well if I have to get up early in the morning, is making me a very unhappy person.
And because of it I fear that my workout routine also has to change to accommodate my new (but temporary) life. I will have to come to terms with not running as much or work out as much. I will also have to be more efficient. If it takes me an hour to run a certain distance, I will just have to shave off time for before and after I go so working out doesn't take up 3 hours of my life that I don't have. And I also need to be careful of my diet since I tend to over eat and eat unhealthily when I'm tired or stressed, and to moderate my fluid intake so I will still drink a lot of water every day but will not have to go pee every 5 minutes when I'm supposed to be doing TA stuff. The peeing part worked pretty well today, but the fluid intake part did not. I couldn't have drunk more than 1.5 liter today, and I already feel dry.
Before I started this week I was already overwhelmed with all the things I will have to do this term, and my response to myself was to just "suck it up." There is just simply no other way. And the motto remains, but I have to figure our how to suck it up smartly or I will completely fall apart in probably every way of my life. I haven't worked out how to do it yet, but I will definitely keeping trying.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Exercise Diary: Sunday Restorative Yoga
It's not the first time I've gone to yoga classes on Sunday, but today is the first day I tried what they called the Flow and Restore yoga. I went because my friend had a free birthday class she could either use herself or give it to a friend, and since she has the unlamented monthly pass, I got to be the lucky friend (and finally found out when her birthday was).
Since I always go to the same yoga classes on Tuesday afternoons, and rarely pick classes based on their names, I went in without really realizing how this class may be different than the other ones I always take. But Flow and Restore was true to its name. We went through a couple of rounds of downward dogs, did some warriors, and then spent much of the class in a bunch of restorative poses stretching or lying still. We also got to use all the props they have in the studio, and this included the usual blocks, but also a big pillow called the bolster, and giant blankets (2 per person). I did sweat, but in terms of a real workout I think I got none.
And I'm okay with that. Originally I was supposed to run 5 miles today and I even had enough time before yoga to go to the gym if I wanted. But Since Thursday's run my ankles and calves stayed sore even today. Granted I tried to run barefoot on a treadmill when I stayed over at a friend's house, which didn't turn out too well since his treadmill was weird and kept stopping. But however little I ran I did using just the front of my feet, and that combined with no support from shoes made my feet unhappy. And I think that also contributed with the extra soreness of the calves. I've only felt such pain once before, and that was after my first time ever of hiking, which took 6 hours and was way too hard for me. That time I lost 5 pounds just from that one experience, and spend the next week having trouble going down stairs. And now I feel the same way. There is a step between the floor of my room and the bathroom, and I basically crash down that step every time I get out of the bathroom. So I gladly decided to postpone the run (to next week) and decided I would do yoga, stretch, and relax.
Not sure if yoga helped with the soreness, but it certainly didn't hurt. If I received no real injuries from I-don't-even-know-what-this-pain-means I should feel fine in a few days and will be fine. Will still be running and whatnot, but don't want to be too hard on my body.
Since I always go to the same yoga classes on Tuesday afternoons, and rarely pick classes based on their names, I went in without really realizing how this class may be different than the other ones I always take. But Flow and Restore was true to its name. We went through a couple of rounds of downward dogs, did some warriors, and then spent much of the class in a bunch of restorative poses stretching or lying still. We also got to use all the props they have in the studio, and this included the usual blocks, but also a big pillow called the bolster, and giant blankets (2 per person). I did sweat, but in terms of a real workout I think I got none.
And I'm okay with that. Originally I was supposed to run 5 miles today and I even had enough time before yoga to go to the gym if I wanted. But Since Thursday's run my ankles and calves stayed sore even today. Granted I tried to run barefoot on a treadmill when I stayed over at a friend's house, which didn't turn out too well since his treadmill was weird and kept stopping. But however little I ran I did using just the front of my feet, and that combined with no support from shoes made my feet unhappy. And I think that also contributed with the extra soreness of the calves. I've only felt such pain once before, and that was after my first time ever of hiking, which took 6 hours and was way too hard for me. That time I lost 5 pounds just from that one experience, and spend the next week having trouble going down stairs. And now I feel the same way. There is a step between the floor of my room and the bathroom, and I basically crash down that step every time I get out of the bathroom. So I gladly decided to postpone the run (to next week) and decided I would do yoga, stretch, and relax.
Not sure if yoga helped with the soreness, but it certainly didn't hurt. If I received no real injuries from I-don't-even-know-what-this-pain-means I should feel fine in a few days and will be fine. Will still be running and whatnot, but don't want to be too hard on my body.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Exercise Diary: You are much more flexible than you think you are...
... if you know how to relax.
We seriously had a yoga crisis today. At around 2:30pm my lab mate and I were seriously considering skipping yoga today and perhaps moving it to Friday, because we were both sleepy and tired. But luckily we both got out of this midday slump and managed to get ourselves to the 5:30 class.
I, fortunately, did not get appendicitis from yesterday's run. And although I felt my legs today, I didn't feel them as much I felt my butt during yoga today. All that 3-legged dogs and various lunges really made me aware of how effective that 5-minute butt workout was.
As much as I felt strong today I also felt more tired and sweaty. I think the latter was due to the lack of ventilation during today's class, but the former, I don't know. I'm not sure if it's because I didn't sleep as much as I probably should and therefore my muscles didn't really recover, or just because I ran and worked on my glutes yesterday and my muscles were still sore. But I didn't feel like all my poses were effortlessly achieve like I felt last time. I was still able to do they as strongly as I wanted, but they took more effort. And I'm not sure why, since I didn't even do that much yesterday any way. Must be the lack of sleep.
So back to the more flexibility with the more relaxed state. We were doing half pidgins today, and as flexible as I think I was I'm never able to fully rest my butt cheek onto my mat when I'm doing half pidgins, even though I'm able to rest my forehead on the mat and everything. And I'm sure it also has to do with my increased flexibility with other stretches I did and stuff, but I found that if I just learn to breathe more and relax my shoulders and my entire torso, my thigh could almost completely touch the mat and so was the lower part of my butt. And it wasn't painful or forced. The same thing happened on the other leg as well, although the other leg is much less flexible to begin with, much to my pain (literal pain) and frustration. But we are getting there, with the proper technique and a bit of time.
We seriously had a yoga crisis today. At around 2:30pm my lab mate and I were seriously considering skipping yoga today and perhaps moving it to Friday, because we were both sleepy and tired. But luckily we both got out of this midday slump and managed to get ourselves to the 5:30 class.
I, fortunately, did not get appendicitis from yesterday's run. And although I felt my legs today, I didn't feel them as much I felt my butt during yoga today. All that 3-legged dogs and various lunges really made me aware of how effective that 5-minute butt workout was.
As much as I felt strong today I also felt more tired and sweaty. I think the latter was due to the lack of ventilation during today's class, but the former, I don't know. I'm not sure if it's because I didn't sleep as much as I probably should and therefore my muscles didn't really recover, or just because I ran and worked on my glutes yesterday and my muscles were still sore. But I didn't feel like all my poses were effortlessly achieve like I felt last time. I was still able to do they as strongly as I wanted, but they took more effort. And I'm not sure why, since I didn't even do that much yesterday any way. Must be the lack of sleep.
So back to the more flexibility with the more relaxed state. We were doing half pidgins today, and as flexible as I think I was I'm never able to fully rest my butt cheek onto my mat when I'm doing half pidgins, even though I'm able to rest my forehead on the mat and everything. And I'm sure it also has to do with my increased flexibility with other stretches I did and stuff, but I found that if I just learn to breathe more and relax my shoulders and my entire torso, my thigh could almost completely touch the mat and so was the lower part of my butt. And it wasn't painful or forced. The same thing happened on the other leg as well, although the other leg is much less flexible to begin with, much to my pain (literal pain) and frustration. But we are getting there, with the proper technique and a bit of time.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Exercise Diary: Got tired/ lazy yesterday, will not let that be a slippery slope
First of all, whoever binge-read my blog yesterday, thanks very much! I don't advertise my blog much since I don't really put all my heart in it, but rather just use it as a place to record all my workouts and other random thoughts. But to the few who do visit, thank you~
I got lazy yesterday (Tuesday) in that I skipped my thigh and butt challenges as well as my Day 8 beginner's workout. I woke up Tuesday morning absolutely exhausted and sore, and just the though of doing lunges and kicks make my body ache.
I did end up going to yoga though, so it wasn't a completely waste of a day. I have to say, last week's workout already has such a pronounced effect. My crescent lunges were much stronger and stable, my standing splits and worrier IIIs were effortless. I just felt that I could do the whole class with less effort, but because I was stronger I could push myself more so I got a better workout at the same time.
But because of that I was so exhausted when I got home. And hungry. I had a banana before going to class and that totally got burned away during the first 20 minutes because I was famished when I got home that I didn't feel like doing anymore exercises. And after looking at the calendar, which said that Day 8 consists of a total body workout video, a cardio video, and a lower back stretch video, I died of exhaustion just by looking at the list. So I made instant noodles, showered, and called it a day. Totally unproductive for the rest of the night and even though I went to yoga class I felt like a failure.
Couldn't fall asleep last night despite going to bed early. Woke up early today to make lunch and go to my friend's PhD thesis defense so I scratched the morning challenge routine. Was tired the whole day since I opted to not take any coffee this morning, which was a big mistake.
But after getting home at 11pm I still managed to make up the challenges and rolled out my yoga mat. It turned out that the workouts weren't so bad. I cheated a little bit on my cardio workout since I couldn't jump around too much without shaking the while building, but other than that I did most other moves faithfully. I felt that I had done the total body workout video before but parts of it felt foreign. It was total body too, I got to work my abs, my butt, my back and my arms. Not sure if I will feel all of them tomorrow but I was hurting while doing it.
So all my pilates workouts have been pushed back a day. Which I guess is fine as long as I keep going more regularly afterwards. And I have to remind myself that just because I skipped out on the pilates calendar doesn't mean that I didn't exercise hard.
I got lazy yesterday (Tuesday) in that I skipped my thigh and butt challenges as well as my Day 8 beginner's workout. I woke up Tuesday morning absolutely exhausted and sore, and just the though of doing lunges and kicks make my body ache.
I did end up going to yoga though, so it wasn't a completely waste of a day. I have to say, last week's workout already has such a pronounced effect. My crescent lunges were much stronger and stable, my standing splits and worrier IIIs were effortless. I just felt that I could do the whole class with less effort, but because I was stronger I could push myself more so I got a better workout at the same time.
But because of that I was so exhausted when I got home. And hungry. I had a banana before going to class and that totally got burned away during the first 20 minutes because I was famished when I got home that I didn't feel like doing anymore exercises. And after looking at the calendar, which said that Day 8 consists of a total body workout video, a cardio video, and a lower back stretch video, I died of exhaustion just by looking at the list. So I made instant noodles, showered, and called it a day. Totally unproductive for the rest of the night and even though I went to yoga class I felt like a failure.
Couldn't fall asleep last night despite going to bed early. Woke up early today to make lunch and go to my friend's PhD thesis defense so I scratched the morning challenge routine. Was tired the whole day since I opted to not take any coffee this morning, which was a big mistake.
But after getting home at 11pm I still managed to make up the challenges and rolled out my yoga mat. It turned out that the workouts weren't so bad. I cheated a little bit on my cardio workout since I couldn't jump around too much without shaking the while building, but other than that I did most other moves faithfully. I felt that I had done the total body workout video before but parts of it felt foreign. It was total body too, I got to work my abs, my butt, my back and my arms. Not sure if I will feel all of them tomorrow but I was hurting while doing it.
So all my pilates workouts have been pushed back a day. Which I guess is fine as long as I keep going more regularly afterwards. And I have to remind myself that just because I skipped out on the pilates calendar doesn't mean that I didn't exercise hard.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Exercise Diary: Yoga Tuesday, and maybe even pilate with Blogilate?
So my coworkers and I managed to push though our afternoon drowsiness and hunger and got our butts and yoga mats to the 5pm class for the second Tuesday in a row. I know going to yoga once a week is so not a big deal but it's still a tradition we do not alway keep.
Class today was exhilarating and very sweaty. The room was stuffy and very warm and I got extra sweaty today, and wasn't smelling too good. I did switch to a new deodorant that does not use aluminum ions to plug your sweat pores to block perspiration, but since i was sweating all over I don't think it's the deodorant's fault. My thighs got a thorough workout since we did extra chair poses today, and my athletic capris definitely need washing afterwards.
And recently I noticed that Cassey from Blogilate is doing a 30-day thigh slimming challenge for this month. I got curious and clicked in and the moves looked fun and the reps didn't sound too bad so I saved the calendar and am now on Day 2 of the challenge. And of course then I saw the entire workout calendar for March and realized that it's only and addition to an already very full daily exercising plan. I ended up subscribing to the blog so I could get the password to view the workout plan in detail and realize that I can never do all these in addition to my weekly running schedule and you know, life. So I ditched the March plan and downloaded the beginner's workout instead.
It looks like a very reasonable beginner's pilate workout plan and for each day there is an accompanying video with Cassey beautifully demonstrating exactly what you need to do. Other than having to move my laptop around to get a clear view of what I'm supposed to be doing while lying down, the videos (at least the Day 1 and Day 2 ones) are very clear and helpful. This morning I woke up deciding that I would do the day 1 whole body workout, but I was unsure after I came back from yoga. I ready had a good workout, I thought. But not doing it bothered me, and merely sitting around and watching the video (to see what I would have to do) didn't really satisfy me. So finally I cleared enough floor space in my apartment and rolled out my yoga mat.
Well the one thing I can say right now, about 20 minutes after finishing the video, is that the 28-minute workout flew by and wasn't painful to go through at all. My thighs and knees, on the other hand, are telling a different story. The thigh workout was great but brutal, to the point that I wasn't just having muscle fatigue, I think I also got cramps and had to stop a few time. I think I will feel the effect tomorrow but now I felt I had accomplished something quite wonderful. The last part of the video called for some arm work out. I have no upper body strength so it was hard, but it was harder since we are doing all the moves on our knees and since I had no arm strength all of my weight was on my knees and they weren't happy. I don't think there is a way to work on your knees other than strengthening the muscles around it so they will take away most of the pressure. And maybe losing a few more pounds would also alleviate the pressure. But for now I think I either need to put towels underneath or invest in some kneepads so I don't seriously screwing them up. And also to be a real woman and do some real push-ups to build my arm strength instead of killing my knees doing modified poses.
But all in all it was a great first day of a cool pilate workout. I really think it's the complementary exercise I need for my running.
Class today was exhilarating and very sweaty. The room was stuffy and very warm and I got extra sweaty today, and wasn't smelling too good. I did switch to a new deodorant that does not use aluminum ions to plug your sweat pores to block perspiration, but since i was sweating all over I don't think it's the deodorant's fault. My thighs got a thorough workout since we did extra chair poses today, and my athletic capris definitely need washing afterwards.
And recently I noticed that Cassey from Blogilate is doing a 30-day thigh slimming challenge for this month. I got curious and clicked in and the moves looked fun and the reps didn't sound too bad so I saved the calendar and am now on Day 2 of the challenge. And of course then I saw the entire workout calendar for March and realized that it's only and addition to an already very full daily exercising plan. I ended up subscribing to the blog so I could get the password to view the workout plan in detail and realize that I can never do all these in addition to my weekly running schedule and you know, life. So I ditched the March plan and downloaded the beginner's workout instead.
It looks like a very reasonable beginner's pilate workout plan and for each day there is an accompanying video with Cassey beautifully demonstrating exactly what you need to do. Other than having to move my laptop around to get a clear view of what I'm supposed to be doing while lying down, the videos (at least the Day 1 and Day 2 ones) are very clear and helpful. This morning I woke up deciding that I would do the day 1 whole body workout, but I was unsure after I came back from yoga. I ready had a good workout, I thought. But not doing it bothered me, and merely sitting around and watching the video (to see what I would have to do) didn't really satisfy me. So finally I cleared enough floor space in my apartment and rolled out my yoga mat.
Well the one thing I can say right now, about 20 minutes after finishing the video, is that the 28-minute workout flew by and wasn't painful to go through at all. My thighs and knees, on the other hand, are telling a different story. The thigh workout was great but brutal, to the point that I wasn't just having muscle fatigue, I think I also got cramps and had to stop a few time. I think I will feel the effect tomorrow but now I felt I had accomplished something quite wonderful. The last part of the video called for some arm work out. I have no upper body strength so it was hard, but it was harder since we are doing all the moves on our knees and since I had no arm strength all of my weight was on my knees and they weren't happy. I don't think there is a way to work on your knees other than strengthening the muscles around it so they will take away most of the pressure. And maybe losing a few more pounds would also alleviate the pressure. But for now I think I either need to put towels underneath or invest in some kneepads so I don't seriously screwing them up. And also to be a real woman and do some real push-ups to build my arm strength instead of killing my knees doing modified poses.
But all in all it was a great first day of a cool pilate workout. I really think it's the complementary exercise I need for my running.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Exercise Diary/Food Diary: the Yoga-doing hungry hippo
Yay for actually going to yoga today~ Every time I go I always feel reluctant beforehand, exhausted during class, and euphoric afterwards, until hunger sets in for real and I just want to eat everything under the (already set) sun.
Today's class went really well. I felt that my legs and core became stronger. I could hold out for most of the standing poses, and the core stuff we did (~10 secs of plank and ~25 crunches) was a piece of cake. But there was one part, where we went from the chair pose to a chair twist and back, made my thighs sweat at an incredible speed that the area of my yoga capris became drenched instantly. And the crescent lunge-- knee lunge-- worrier III pose killed my thighs even more. But other than that (or maybe because of it) it was a very good class.
Despite eating lunch at almost 2pm, I began fantasizing about food about 15 minutes before class. I think it went from fried chicken to Thai noodles to burgers to the actual dinner I was going to make to cake and some other random stuff. I think chocolate made an appearance at some point. The fact that I had to go back to lab for a bit after class really killed me. I was ravished to the point of going crazy when I got home, but still somehow made myself do all the dished I left behind in the morning, and cooking rice and another dish.
I ended up cooking rice with a few new ingredients: tomato, corn, and salted beef (or is it pork? I couldn't tell and didn't care). It was a bizarre recipe that was circulating on Chinese social media for quite a bit a few months back, and I had been procrastinating on trying it out. It's amusingly named "whole tomato rice," and the most basic version is adding an entire (uncut) tomato, along with salt and pepper, to a pot of washed rice and cook in a rice cooker as if you are justing cooking regular rice, and the result was supposed to be heavenly good. I took the liberty of adding the extra stuff.
And it ended up looking like this:
Which is a lot of rice. I think I over did it. I had to add more hot water in afterwards and let it sit in "warm" for another while to ensure that all the rice is fully cooked. But it tasted great! Not too sour as I had feared, and the rice is softer and mushier than regular rice. Very filling too. I couldn't eat too much of it, which is good since I always over eat after exercising.
Also stir fried some broccoli tips. Don't remember if I've ever had them before but it's certainly the first time I cook them myself. Slightly bitter, but good nonetheless.
Happy Tuesday~~
Today's class went really well. I felt that my legs and core became stronger. I could hold out for most of the standing poses, and the core stuff we did (~10 secs of plank and ~25 crunches) was a piece of cake. But there was one part, where we went from the chair pose to a chair twist and back, made my thighs sweat at an incredible speed that the area of my yoga capris became drenched instantly. And the crescent lunge-- knee lunge-- worrier III pose killed my thighs even more. But other than that (or maybe because of it) it was a very good class.
Despite eating lunch at almost 2pm, I began fantasizing about food about 15 minutes before class. I think it went from fried chicken to Thai noodles to burgers to the actual dinner I was going to make to cake and some other random stuff. I think chocolate made an appearance at some point. The fact that I had to go back to lab for a bit after class really killed me. I was ravished to the point of going crazy when I got home, but still somehow made myself do all the dished I left behind in the morning, and cooking rice and another dish.
I ended up cooking rice with a few new ingredients: tomato, corn, and salted beef (or is it pork? I couldn't tell and didn't care). It was a bizarre recipe that was circulating on Chinese social media for quite a bit a few months back, and I had been procrastinating on trying it out. It's amusingly named "whole tomato rice," and the most basic version is adding an entire (uncut) tomato, along with salt and pepper, to a pot of washed rice and cook in a rice cooker as if you are justing cooking regular rice, and the result was supposed to be heavenly good. I took the liberty of adding the extra stuff.
And it ended up looking like this:
Which is a lot of rice. I think I over did it. I had to add more hot water in afterwards and let it sit in "warm" for another while to ensure that all the rice is fully cooked. But it tasted great! Not too sour as I had feared, and the rice is softer and mushier than regular rice. Very filling too. I couldn't eat too much of it, which is good since I always over eat after exercising.
Also stir fried some broccoli tips. Don't remember if I've ever had them before but it's certainly the first time I cook them myself. Slightly bitter, but good nonetheless.
Happy Tuesday~~
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Exercise Diary: Castle Mondays, Yoga Tuesdays
I did go running last week. Not yoga though, my lab mate was very good at talking me out of it.
But I went yesterday. And it was a good class, unlike last time. Which was two weeks ago and it was terrible. I think the key here is focus. I wasn't last time. I had lots of things on my mind, like lab experiments, and airplane tickets for trips back home. I was distracted by the bright light above me, I was unfocused by the new location I was forced to be in at that class.
But this time I was focused. The class was only half occupied since most people have gone home for winter break, and we had a new teacher who introduced to us some new variations of poses. I felt stronger within each pose, but weaker in between. The room was extra hot and humid that day and I had to take child's pose multiple times, for the first time ever. But I didn't have a lot of other things in mind and was focused for the most part. And it was a very good class.
Thanksgiving this week and my friend and I are trying to make a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. She's brave enough to tackle the turkey and I'm just making the side dished, and the gravy. I'm making a mashed potatoes casserole, a vegetable dish, stuffings, and an ice cream pumpkin pie. The mashed potatoes is already too salty, and that is before I added any bacon or cheese... the pumpkin pie looks okay, if my freezer will work as it should. Stuffing is in the slow cooker, and hopefully it will taste fine. I'm excited to see how everything comes together tomorrow, although it is kind of ridiculous to do so much work just for a dinner.
Will post pictures and they usually look better than they taste.
But I went yesterday. And it was a good class, unlike last time. Which was two weeks ago and it was terrible. I think the key here is focus. I wasn't last time. I had lots of things on my mind, like lab experiments, and airplane tickets for trips back home. I was distracted by the bright light above me, I was unfocused by the new location I was forced to be in at that class.
But this time I was focused. The class was only half occupied since most people have gone home for winter break, and we had a new teacher who introduced to us some new variations of poses. I felt stronger within each pose, but weaker in between. The room was extra hot and humid that day and I had to take child's pose multiple times, for the first time ever. But I didn't have a lot of other things in mind and was focused for the most part. And it was a very good class.
Thanksgiving this week and my friend and I are trying to make a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. She's brave enough to tackle the turkey and I'm just making the side dished, and the gravy. I'm making a mashed potatoes casserole, a vegetable dish, stuffings, and an ice cream pumpkin pie. The mashed potatoes is already too salty, and that is before I added any bacon or cheese... the pumpkin pie looks okay, if my freezer will work as it should. Stuffing is in the slow cooker, and hopefully it will taste fine. I'm excited to see how everything comes together tomorrow, although it is kind of ridiculous to do so much work just for a dinner.
Will post pictures and they usually look better than they taste.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Exercise Diary: Quick Yoga Post
Went to yoga yesterday. I kind of had to go since I haven't been to yoga in two weeks, plus I got a free class because it was my birthday last week.
Summer really is a time when everyone is outside doing their physical activities. When we got to the studio around normal time we were the first ones there. Granted eventually the class filled up pretty well, and there were more than a few first timers, but overall it really is best to be outside.
Also partly because the studio was as hot and humid as outside. If we are smart we should hold classes outside about an hour before heavy rain so they will save some money on their heating bill.
It was a good class over all. My balance, especially on my right leg, still sucks, but otherwise I do feel stronger and somewhat more flexible. Tried to do a back bend but failed miserably. Perhaps if I lose another 10 pounds and strengthen my arms a bit I could eventually do it.
The yoga studio offers a rewards program, so you get points for attending classes and referring friends and such, as a way to motivate people to attend classes and get their friends to attend classes. I had previously already earn enough points to get a studio logo T-shirt, which I assume was made mostly from cotton (there was no tag) but has a slightly different feel. It feels thinner and silkier and clings to your body more, so I was always assuming that it has at least some polyester in it.
I wore my shirt proudly into the studio since I couldn't put it on when I was 10 lbs heavier. As I said, the shirt clings to the body so it brings out the worst part of your torso. I had tried it on in the studio's makeshift changing room before I took it home with me but it was tried on in haste and I didn't realize how much my stomach was showing. But now I can wear it and not feel conscious about wearing it so I have really made some progress regarding weight loss.
The shirt, however, was not good for warm yoga. It's slippery, so it gets almost slimy with sweat. And the sweat stays, to the point that I saw giant sweat stains on my back and under the arms when I took it off afterwards. And it's thin, so it doesn't even absorb that much sweat, most of it went on to the mat. It was overall very yucky. I still like the shirt, but I probably won't ever wear it again to yoga.
Anyhoo. Just want to put it on record that I went to yoga yesterday. It was a good class and it felt easy. We started out really slow, probably because of all the newcomers, but I did get a workout from it, so all is good.
Summer really is a time when everyone is outside doing their physical activities. When we got to the studio around normal time we were the first ones there. Granted eventually the class filled up pretty well, and there were more than a few first timers, but overall it really is best to be outside.
Also partly because the studio was as hot and humid as outside. If we are smart we should hold classes outside about an hour before heavy rain so they will save some money on their heating bill.
It was a good class over all. My balance, especially on my right leg, still sucks, but otherwise I do feel stronger and somewhat more flexible. Tried to do a back bend but failed miserably. Perhaps if I lose another 10 pounds and strengthen my arms a bit I could eventually do it.
The yoga studio offers a rewards program, so you get points for attending classes and referring friends and such, as a way to motivate people to attend classes and get their friends to attend classes. I had previously already earn enough points to get a studio logo T-shirt, which I assume was made mostly from cotton (there was no tag) but has a slightly different feel. It feels thinner and silkier and clings to your body more, so I was always assuming that it has at least some polyester in it.
I wore my shirt proudly into the studio since I couldn't put it on when I was 10 lbs heavier. As I said, the shirt clings to the body so it brings out the worst part of your torso. I had tried it on in the studio's makeshift changing room before I took it home with me but it was tried on in haste and I didn't realize how much my stomach was showing. But now I can wear it and not feel conscious about wearing it so I have really made some progress regarding weight loss.
The shirt, however, was not good for warm yoga. It's slippery, so it gets almost slimy with sweat. And the sweat stays, to the point that I saw giant sweat stains on my back and under the arms when I took it off afterwards. And it's thin, so it doesn't even absorb that much sweat, most of it went on to the mat. It was overall very yucky. I still like the shirt, but I probably won't ever wear it again to yoga.
Anyhoo. Just want to put it on record that I went to yoga yesterday. It was a good class and it felt easy. We started out really slow, probably because of all the newcomers, but I did get a workout from it, so all is good.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Exercise Diary: Best Yoga Class Ever~
Recently I've been on this bad procrastinatory cycle, where I put off going to yoga class for two weeks and then go again with great trepidation for being so out of shape yoga-wise. Today was no different. I went back to the yoga studio for the first time in two weeks, my thighs still hurting from Sunday's run, and I was worried about how out of shape I was going to be, how hot and sweaty I was going to be after I was done, and how miserable the windowless, humid basement studio felt in my mind.
I was very pleasantly surprised.
Because of the beautiful summer weather that finally greeted the Upper Valley, and because of the summer term in this college town, today's class was only half filled. We were able to spread out nicely. In addition, although the studio is still heated for its class it actually feels cool and breezy at times so it's not humid and yucky. In the two week when I was absent they managed to paint a nice pale blue and white tree on the orange wall across one side of the room so it looked less ugly, and the tree was very tastefully done.
The class was awesome as well. We started slow, in the child's pose, did a bunch of breathing exercises to get us into the rhythm, and gradually went into downward facing dog. I don't know what it was, but by staying in push up high plank for a bit longer than usual I was able to take better control of my pose and my downward dog was better, my arms straighter, my back more arched, and my head dropped straight down so that for the first time in my life I was able to breathe deeply and easily in this pose. And it was a revelation. It was so awesome that my breathing was improved overall throughout today's class.
There were some parts of the class that really reminded me of how sore my legs still are from the running two days ago, specifically the chair post, the chair twist, and the crescent lunges. Not only were they painful, they heated up my legs so much that my sweat glands were working over time. My legs felt like squeezed sponges after we got out of those poses and it felt like water was pouring out of every pore into my capris. But luckily we didn't do endless crescent lunges today so while I felt accomplished that I got through the poses they didn't seem to drag on. Instead we took it easy in between with runner's lunges, which is just the crescent lunge with the back knee dropped down, and warrior II, which holds an infinite numbers of variation on its own. We didn't do a lot of balance related poses like the tree, the airplane, or the eagle poses, but I suspect my balance is still my weakest part that seem to regress with my infrequent class attendance.
I also felt that my running has somewhat strengthened my control of the different poses. I now have a much easier time with all the different lunges than before, and I feel that my base is much stronger. I really like this instructor because she always took time to work on our core. She is the only instructor who made us do crunches, and I'm really glad of the opportunity. We also did a short planks when we were in between the dolphin pose, which was easy for me since I always try to do minute long planks on my own.
And most thankfully, my foot pain only acted up once during one of the crescent lunges we did and afterwards it never bothered me again. My ankles and Archilles tendons were behaving, and my hips were more flexible than I had anticipated. Still sucked at all forms of inversions but that's no surprise. I felt so cleansed afterwards. And I wasn't the only one. My friend who went with me thought it was an excellent class as well.
When I run my body feels lighter, happier, and more effortless after about 2.5 miles. Although my speed never goes up I always enjoy the later part of my run much more. And for the first time, I experienced the same thing in yoga. As we got to the end of out class the instructor was talking about the homestretch and finishing strong, but I found that I didn't need that to motivate me because I felt I could go on forever. It was such a strange but familiar feeling, I was quite proud of myself.
I don't know what happened today that culminated into such a wonderful class, but there were a few things I think I could try again to achieve the same result.
1. Keep running. Aerobic exercise or not, running has definitely strengthened my leg muscles.
2. Keep doing those sporadic core exercises, especially planks. I don't know if it real but I feel my arms are getting stronger judging by the downward dog and its preceding poses.
3. Eat a light lunch on the day. I didn't cook a lot for today so all I brought was some rice and uncooked cucumber mixed with salt, pepper, chili flakes, and sesame oil. I had a small bag of Cheeze-its as snake about an hour before class since I was starving by then. But the light and carb/veggie rich lunch really helped to make me feel light, maybe strong as well?
4. While I get the merit of heated yoga I also really appreciated the light breeze in the middle of the class. I sweated a lot but didn't feel too dehydrated afterwards.
5. Speaking of hydration, I drank a lot of water before going to class and maybe that also helped, given the ample seasonal articles now coming out about running in the heat.
These things aren't hard to replicate. Besides the light breeze in the classroom I have control over everything else I think contributed to today's awesome class. So next time I must repeat the same things, hoping I can replicate the same result. Doesn't always happen in lab, but I really hope it will happen for yoga.
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Exercise Diary: So much for the streak
I feel a bit embarrassed to say this, but as soon as I finished my last exercise post I stopped my run streak. It was a conscious decision I made solidified by serendipitous events. So now I'm back to normal with my running and yoga-ing, and I have to say that as cool as streaking is, run/rest really works for me better.
After Friday's run, my right foot and heel became unbearable, I could barely walk around in my apartment, and even when I was sitting I could feel the dull ache. I don't know if it was plantar fasciitis or something else, but it was definitely from running in my minimal shoes on concrete, which was alarming since that was days ago, and because I was subjecting running pressures on my feet constantly afterwards, it never got a chance to recover. I remember I was sitting in front of my desk that night, massaging my foot with an ice-filled water bottle, and thought about maybe I would take a day off the next day. I had to seriously ask myself if that's what I wanted to do, whether the pain was worth giving up the streak. I think at the end of the night I made peace with myself breaking the streak, deciding that I wouldn't make the extra effort to squeeze my run between my experiments, but still hoped that I would go at some point later, perhaps a quick mile in the gym.
Saturday
Quick trip to the lab in the morning to finish some experiments, then volunteered at the local homeless shelter in the afternoon. I made a really nice strawberry pretzel salad, which ended up being a big hit which was nice since it was the first time I tried it recipe, which in my past experience never worked well. Will make it again later this week so hopefully there will be pictures. I ended up buying my own mixer so now I can whip up all kinds of different things~
After the volunteering thing we drove past the movie theater and spontaneously decided to catch a show of the newest X-man movie. The movie was fine, but I've never watching movies with friends, or anyone else ever. My nutty friends bolted out of the theater as soon as the credits rolled. Have they never watched an X-man movie in the theater before? I was literally dragged out by them and later found out on the internet that I miss the Apocalypse tele-constructing the pyramid. Seriously... some people.
Anyhoo, it was the spontaneous movie going that completely destroyed my plan to run that day. By the time the movie was over it was dark out and the gym was closed. I took it as a sign and didn't bother agonizing over breaking the streak.
Sunday
Sunday was lazy. I had to go grocery shopping again to get stuff for the following Wednesday's cooking since I had to cook for a gathering that day. It was so beautiful, and I got a lot of sleep the night before, but I could still feel my foot ache so I consciously took another day off. I was ok with the decision, but at the same time I was a bit sad at how easily I can just let myself rest, and that I no longer get the urge to just go out and run when the weather is nice out. It used to be the case all the time when I first started, but no more. I still run, and I still like running, but a lot of the initial enthusiasm was gone. I'm slipping and I think I know partly why, but it will take more work than just pure enthusiasm to get back to that initial passion.
Monday
My lab mates were surprised when I told them that I broke my streak so soon. But I ended up running the pine trail again with my friend later that day. Only when running with her I don't get lost. I realized where I veered off wrong last time during our run that day. The run was short but kind of brutal, since she still runs much faster than me, and although I don't feel I was running much faster than I normally would, I was still running harder, and I had to fight off urges to stop and walk. I guess if I was by myself I would've gone even slower or stopped at some point. But I was glad that I ran the whole way.
It was kind of a special run for me. It wasn't long, only 1.5 mile, and I chickened out of running another loop, but I couldn't help that I had made some real progress since the last time I ran the same loop. It was before I became obsessed with running, it was when I still thought running was a torturous sport. I ran with the same friend for absolutely no reason; she just asked me one day. Before that run she made me promise to push her to run the whole way, and of course I was the one who collapsed and walked most of the way, while she ran ahead and made me eat her dust. I don't know why she asked me to run with her, or why she never thought the run was a disaster. But we ran the same loop again, and this time it was so different. She still ran way faster, and picked up her speed while I slowed down toward the end, but I made the entire way. And see her running faster and faster ahead of me pushed me to keep up as well. My heavier-than-usual breathing was a testament to that. It was good. Since she's training for a mini-triathelon, we agreed to do two loops the next time, and 3 loops the time after that, to help her train for the running part.
But the most important thing I learned from this short run is that I felt good during the run. While during normal everyday walking I still feel the heels of my feet hurting, I felt fine while running. I was afraid that I had seriously injured myself, but it was fine, and although I wouldn't continue with the streak, I feel less afraid about continuing my running routine.
Tuesday
Went to yoga. I was again fearful since I hadn't gone to yoga in two weeks. It was a fine class. There was a lot of sweating, I don't know what it was that we did, but there was way too much sweat for any hard core poses. My balance is still off, especially my right foot, but the strength in my legs has definitely increased and I could perform most poses more powerfully. Still need to be more flexible of course, and I'm still too big to twist myself in any skillful way. I was going to run after my yoga class, but was way to tired after it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today's lunch was disappointing. It was nothing but white rice and picked vege from a package. But since my mixer and casserole arrived today, I'm anxious to start cooking again. Hopefully there will be many new recipes and pictures to come!
After Friday's run, my right foot and heel became unbearable, I could barely walk around in my apartment, and even when I was sitting I could feel the dull ache. I don't know if it was plantar fasciitis or something else, but it was definitely from running in my minimal shoes on concrete, which was alarming since that was days ago, and because I was subjecting running pressures on my feet constantly afterwards, it never got a chance to recover. I remember I was sitting in front of my desk that night, massaging my foot with an ice-filled water bottle, and thought about maybe I would take a day off the next day. I had to seriously ask myself if that's what I wanted to do, whether the pain was worth giving up the streak. I think at the end of the night I made peace with myself breaking the streak, deciding that I wouldn't make the extra effort to squeeze my run between my experiments, but still hoped that I would go at some point later, perhaps a quick mile in the gym.
Saturday
Quick trip to the lab in the morning to finish some experiments, then volunteered at the local homeless shelter in the afternoon. I made a really nice strawberry pretzel salad, which ended up being a big hit which was nice since it was the first time I tried it recipe, which in my past experience never worked well. Will make it again later this week so hopefully there will be pictures. I ended up buying my own mixer so now I can whip up all kinds of different things~
After the volunteering thing we drove past the movie theater and spontaneously decided to catch a show of the newest X-man movie. The movie was fine, but I've never watching movies with friends, or anyone else ever. My nutty friends bolted out of the theater as soon as the credits rolled. Have they never watched an X-man movie in the theater before? I was literally dragged out by them and later found out on the internet that I miss the Apocalypse tele-constructing the pyramid. Seriously... some people.
Anyhoo, it was the spontaneous movie going that completely destroyed my plan to run that day. By the time the movie was over it was dark out and the gym was closed. I took it as a sign and didn't bother agonizing over breaking the streak.
Sunday
Sunday was lazy. I had to go grocery shopping again to get stuff for the following Wednesday's cooking since I had to cook for a gathering that day. It was so beautiful, and I got a lot of sleep the night before, but I could still feel my foot ache so I consciously took another day off. I was ok with the decision, but at the same time I was a bit sad at how easily I can just let myself rest, and that I no longer get the urge to just go out and run when the weather is nice out. It used to be the case all the time when I first started, but no more. I still run, and I still like running, but a lot of the initial enthusiasm was gone. I'm slipping and I think I know partly why, but it will take more work than just pure enthusiasm to get back to that initial passion.
Monday
My lab mates were surprised when I told them that I broke my streak so soon. But I ended up running the pine trail again with my friend later that day. Only when running with her I don't get lost. I realized where I veered off wrong last time during our run that day. The run was short but kind of brutal, since she still runs much faster than me, and although I don't feel I was running much faster than I normally would, I was still running harder, and I had to fight off urges to stop and walk. I guess if I was by myself I would've gone even slower or stopped at some point. But I was glad that I ran the whole way.
It was kind of a special run for me. It wasn't long, only 1.5 mile, and I chickened out of running another loop, but I couldn't help that I had made some real progress since the last time I ran the same loop. It was before I became obsessed with running, it was when I still thought running was a torturous sport. I ran with the same friend for absolutely no reason; she just asked me one day. Before that run she made me promise to push her to run the whole way, and of course I was the one who collapsed and walked most of the way, while she ran ahead and made me eat her dust. I don't know why she asked me to run with her, or why she never thought the run was a disaster. But we ran the same loop again, and this time it was so different. She still ran way faster, and picked up her speed while I slowed down toward the end, but I made the entire way. And see her running faster and faster ahead of me pushed me to keep up as well. My heavier-than-usual breathing was a testament to that. It was good. Since she's training for a mini-triathelon, we agreed to do two loops the next time, and 3 loops the time after that, to help her train for the running part.
But the most important thing I learned from this short run is that I felt good during the run. While during normal everyday walking I still feel the heels of my feet hurting, I felt fine while running. I was afraid that I had seriously injured myself, but it was fine, and although I wouldn't continue with the streak, I feel less afraid about continuing my running routine.
Tuesday
Went to yoga. I was again fearful since I hadn't gone to yoga in two weeks. It was a fine class. There was a lot of sweating, I don't know what it was that we did, but there was way too much sweat for any hard core poses. My balance is still off, especially my right foot, but the strength in my legs has definitely increased and I could perform most poses more powerfully. Still need to be more flexible of course, and I'm still too big to twist myself in any skillful way. I was going to run after my yoga class, but was way to tired after it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today's lunch was disappointing. It was nothing but white rice and picked vege from a package. But since my mixer and casserole arrived today, I'm anxious to start cooking again. Hopefully there will be many new recipes and pictures to come!
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