The Run

As I type this, my thighs and my core are aching. If I hadn't gone for a massage yesterday, my back would have been aching too. And all I can think about is curling up in bed... Yesterday Kath and I took part in The Run that was organized by Pusat Ehsan Al-Ameerah Al-Hajjah Maryam. Pusat Ehsan is a non-government, non-profit organisation committed to provide quality education and rehabilitation services for physically and intellectually challenged individuals. I had wanted to register for The Run because I felt I needed another target before the Penang Bridge International Marathon this November.

In terms of training, I had bought Kath and I a book on running by Matt Roberts (I will do an official book review one day!) and Kath started following the programme for the 21km marathon. By right, I only need to do the programme for the 10km marathon but since I didn't want to work out alone, I decided to follow Kath's programme. So she would call me in the mornings to wake me up, pick me up from my house and then we would either run outside or run at the gym with some resistance training.

The training must have paid off... somehow! Yesterday's run was not the usual 10km but it was 12km instead which must have been determined by the route they had chosen. We had to run up Mabohai hills which Kath and I consider a killer because running uphill can't possibly ever be pleasant. We were successul in running up half way but had to walk the other half because Kath had a pain in her knee. Then as we turned on to the road that was running past Immigration & Labour Department, we never realized how hilly the road was after running there several times as part of our practice! Fortunately it was flat all the way after that except for the uneven road surface which we had to be mindful of.

I had wanted my brain to kick into auto-pilot mode which I'm sure it did half way through because I could feel my legs starting to fail me but I didn't want to stop running. I was afraid that I would lose my momentum. Kath and I reminded ourselves that it doesn't matter how slow you go so long as you do not stop (a Confucious quote). We joked how we should have had that quote printed on the back of our shirts so that we could motivate other runners behind us. So I kept running.

Kath and I even designed our own shirts for this run. We had the Company logo printed on the back with our names. Justin who was running 21km ran past me but managed to put his arm around my shoulder to say Hi. That was a pleasant surprise! And there were a few others as well who knew us and took the time to say Hello!

Kath and I agreed that it was important to finish strong. As we were approaching the finishing line and being encouraged by the other runners, we started running faster and stronger! We held hands as we both ran across the finishing line. This being my 3rd marathon, it was a finish I was proud of and I hope that the same feeling can be replicated in the next marathon.

I didn't have a lot of time to rest in the afternoon so I was thankful for the rest when my head finally hit the pillow last night.

What made this run memorable was having Kath beside me all the way. We gave each other encouragement and support. We may not have ran it in a time which we could say we're totally proud of but that didn't matter because we didn't stop and just kept on going until we finished it.

From zero marathons to my third marathon - I believe I am making incredible progress.

The photo below (courtesy of ranoadidas.com) captures the start of our run, our specially made shirts and our sexy behinds. I can't wait for Penang!

 

Still Running...

My company just confirmed that they will sponsor personnel wishing to join the upcoming Standard Chartered Marathon to be held on Sunday, 8th April. I know there's a few people in the office interested including me! So my deadline to train for my first ever 10km run has been pushed forward by a month.

With that in mind, when I am running be it on the treadmill or outdoors, I have 3 things in my head that keep me going even though I am tired:

1. The 10km marathon which I must finish

2. .....

3. .....

I can't share the last two yet until some time later in the year or perhaps even next year :-) Nonetheless, it keeps me focused. 

The other day, I decided to join my colleagues on a run. We excitedly changed into our gear at 5pm, started the run/walk at 5:15pm and finished 56 minutes and 55 seconds later. We ran past the Indera Samudra Grand Hall at Empire Hotel, followed the road past the golf course and some beautiful beaches which led us to the end of the road connected to Jerudong beach and the Jerudong Fish Market. We continued up the highway, running opposite the traffic, ran past Bukit Shahbandar and back into Empire Hotel. It was fun because there was 5 of us altogether. I ran with Kath who set the pace for me but the 3 other boys, they were fast! Even though they were fast, I was not bothered. It would not have been a race of me against them, it was a test for myself in terms of my stamina and persistence. Kath taught me how to slow down without having to start walking so that I wouldn't lose momentum. It was useful especially in those moments where I felt tired. At the last leg, I sprinted just so I could get my heart rate up. According to my friends, we ran about 5km! My first ever 5km run and it was all unexpected!

And then today, I was meant to go for another run with Kath but that got postponed to tomorrow. So I pushed myself to go to the gym. Afternoons are a little bit challenging for workouts. I find myself more fresh to workout in the mornings. Being aware of how I was feeling, I decided to take it easy on the treadmill and ended up doing as follows:

10 mins @ 5km/h - walk

10 mins @ 6km/h - jog

10 mins @ 5km/h - walk

10 mins @ 6km/h - jog

5 mins @ 5km/h - walk

10 mins @ 6.5 km/h - jog faster

4 mins @ 5.5km/h - walk 

1 min @ 8.5km/h - run!

I then lifted some weights before stretching to conclude my workout. 

I feel really good about myself and I like the pace of how things are going. It is encouraging me to do more and to continue doing my best.

The Last Workout for 2011

It was meant to be my second outdoor, on real road run this morning but it rained. So despite being awake at 6am ready to go, Kath and I had to wait till 7am to head to the gym when it would be open. We both settled into our respective runs on the treadmill with our iPod Shuffles keeping us company. I was also watching TV at that point and reading the subtitles but overall in my mind, I kept thinking about my preparation for the 10km I will run in 4 months time. 

The runs the past 2 times I have been to the gym seem comfortable and at the last lap of my workout I ran faster at 8.0km/h just to get my heart rate up. I only felt the ache in my knee after I was done with the 2 - 3 minutes of it. But Kath and I pressed on and decided to excitedly follow this magazine she bought when she was in Penang on body toning. It was a very good magazine with a number of body resistance exercises focusing on different areas.

We followed what it said in the magazine. Today's combination of body resistance exercises was legs, back and waist. It was a very good combination and since we didn't know our "strength", Kath and I opted the beginners route of 2 sets of 10 repetitions. I'm glad we did. I think I would have cringed a lot more today if we did the intermediate route!

What made it a real good workout today was having Kath there. We were motivating each other. Making sure we counted things off together. Made sure we did things correctly. And just suffered together. Suffering with another certainly seems more appealing than suffering on your own! I'm really happy that today being the last day of the year, I had a chance to be with my close friend Kath, working out together and making me look forward our workout in the new year!

That outdoor run will have to wait till 2nd January 2012! Tomorrow I rest and tonight I spend time with my family to usher in the new year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Boxing Day Workout

I love long weekends. The Christmas weekend had brought about an abundance of food which I did my best to eat only the best. And it was YUMMY!

Guilt didn't really set in. Surely guilt shouldn't be the only method of motivation? That's a negative energy to keep living life to. So what motivated me to wake up and get myself going to the gym on Boxing Day?

1. Being able to run better with Kath on Saturday, 31st December.

2. Because I told Kath I would go to the gym instead of our morning run and knowing that she would be doing some form of workout too.

3. THAT BODY I have ALWAYS dreamed about.

4. I made that commitment to myself to be prepared for the marathon in May 2012.

5. And simply because, I felt like it.

I really did feel like going to the gym. I woke up with all sorts of thoughts in my head this morning and none of them uplifted me so I knew I had to focus on SOMETHING. And the gym got the best of me this morning.

After fueling up with some cereal, I drove to the gym, stuffed my things in the locker and resumed my workout plan. 20 minutes alternating of 1 minute walk and 1 minute run. Unfortunately for me the metric on the treadmill was set to miles instead of kilometer so I couldn't gauge at what speed I was running. All I could do was just base it on how I felt. But now with the power of Google, I am able to determine, I alternated between 3mph = 4.8km/h of walking to 4mph = 6.4km/h. No wonder it felt so comfortabel being up there. On my last two minutes, I sprinted at 4.5mph = 7.2km/h just as Kath had suggested to get the heart rate going. I then proceeded to do some weights, following the Skiing Fitness workout from my Fitness for Life Manual by Matt Roberts. The Skiing Fitness workout focuses on stregthening your legs so that it would be easier to run. I complied but struggled with some of the machines. It looks like I'll need to go for that induction at the gym after all...

Overall, it felt good to be at the gym and I look forward to my next visit.  

ZoooOoooOoom...baaaaa

The Zumba craze has been around in Brunei for I would say 2 years now and only now have I decided to venture into what everyone has been talking about.

I saw a "performance" of Zumba while I attended one of the dance parties recently and I was not sure if it would be my cup of tea. All that hip wiggling and body shaking, it made me wonder whether I was capable of such a thing. Only one way to find out...

Eisha who goes to the same dance studio told me she attended a session of Zumba and her verdict was that it was lots of fun. And when she told me another session was coming up, I didn't want to miss the opportunity to just try it myself. And try I did...

All that hip wiggling and body shaking did come into fruition. I'm not sure if I did it properly but at least I got a real good workout of it. I feel it helps to have good coordination (or at least keep on attending to improve your coordination) and recognizing some of the dances in the songs amused me too. I got a little bit worried with the fast pace but I was able to keep up. By the end of it, my t-shirt was soaked with sweat and I had a good buzz. It helps Eisha and Jill were there too. That made a difference.

I have always loved group classes - it takes me back to my days in University where I did aerobics 5 times a week and I have not been able to find the same replacement since I got home or perhaps I am making excuses for the lack of motivation. But now with more gyms offering Zumba, Les Mills classes and the like, there are more opportunities for me to really get serious about venturing into other forms of activities. And with some changes in my schedule of late, I believe I can fit more of these in.

If you would like to know more about Zumba, click here for the official link.

3+km

I was nervous, yet excited, yet unsure, yet hopeful, yet determined to be able to:

1. Wake up early to meet Kath at the stadium for my first outdoor run

2. Keep up with her during the run.

3. Just run.

I must have done enough programming the night before because I managed to wake up at 5am but eventually got out bed at 5:30am. I have not woken up that early for a very long time. Sleeping at 10:30pm the night before really helped me.

I got to the stadium at around 6am where Kath was waiting for me. I was slightly delayed as I was helping dad with the laundry and some other things.

We started out by walking briskly for about 10 minutes or so and then Kath set the pace for the run. It was a slow pace but that was fine with me because I was not sure what I would have done. Kath said that if I had ran by myself, being a beginner I would have ran too fast and tire myself out earlier in the run. The pace was manageable especially when we had to up some gentle inclines.

I had that ache and tightness in my left calf but I pushed through. After 10 to 15 minutes of the run, the ache went away. I felt an ache in my right knee but I ignored it. I was able to breathe, not out of breath but I also could not hold a conversation for too long.

After awhile, it felt "comfortable" to run. According to Kath, we ran 3+km. In the last 20 minutes of the run, I could feel my legs starting to turn into jelly and each step I took, I felt like I paused for a few seconds before continuing but it also felt like my right leg wanted to give way. Kath said to sprint the last few meters before ending just to push the heart rate up and sprint I did, giving my new Asics the test they needed. It lives up to its name of Nimbus. I felt light on my feet.

I had been running for 40+ minutes. An amazing feat for me. For someone who has always hated running and thought that running was just not possible for someone like me. I managed to do it! I thought back about all those times in previous years why I never really attempted to run and it was all those jiggly bits. Each time I ran, my jiggly bits would jiggle really hard and it made it "difficult" to run because the jiggly bits would get in the way and also hurt should they jiggle way too much. I am happy to say, those jiggly bits were not noticeable and (if you are a girl) a good sports bra is also very important!

There were some other "fit" people who ran past us and looked in our direction. Kath said that people normally think big people can't run. Well, we just proved them wrong and I proved myself wrong too!

Our next run is on another Saturday morning. In the mean time, I shall hit the gym to keep on training for that marathon :-)

BIb Number: P0051

I have new aspirations!

I have decided to run the Borneo International Marathon 2012 that will take place in Kota Kinabalu on 6th May 2012 and I have officially registered with BIb Number: P0051.

I decided I needed a new focus for the coming year especially now venturing into my 33rd year of being on this planet. No more of this "tying the knot stuff" as in the earlier blog entry - if it happens, it happens. [That posting caused me more trouble than it should and I ended up stressing myself out and gaining weight instead. There I go into blaming something... ]

So anyway, I enlisted the help of Kath who ran her second half marathon in Penang just recently to motivate me. I am only starting small - just 10km. And so Kath gave me a beginners program to run 5km which then expands to running 10km.

I had wondered when I would embark on this program and last night it just happened. I suddenly had a burst of energy that after dance class I decided to utilise my gym membership and headed to the gym to just start the program.

With my body being sufficiently warm enough from dance class, I hopped on to the treadmill and did the following:

Walk 1 min / Jog 4 mins / Alternate between walking and jogging for 1 min each / Walked 4 mins because the instructor was talking to me / Finished off with alternating between walking and jogging for 1 min each

Speed: Walk 6km/h - Jog 7km/h

Total: Approximately 20mins

Distance: Walked / Jogged 2km+

And then the instructor showed me how to use some of the leg machines because Kath had advised to combine some lower body strengthening which will help with the run. It also said that in our Fitness Manual which I gave Kath a few years ago.

I also sought Rozi's advice since she has ran a mini marathon too in the past and she asked me, what was my goal? Apparently I had to be more specific than just say I want to do 10km. So the goal is to run 10km continuously. Rozi advised that my goal would eventually get up to running 8km/h for 100 mins. I was already breathing quite heavy at 7km/h and my calves were aching but as the instructor reminded me, go slow and build up each time. I will heed his advice so I don't kill my morale so early in the program.

So I shall see how I go. I'm just happy that I've decided to get moving again!

As for food.... that will be another story!

**buzz*buzz*buzzing with endorphins**

 

Why?

Photo Insert: The entrance to the gym at JPMC.

Sometimes I wonder why do I pay someone to torture me?

I decided to go back to work out at the gym but since it has been awhile and I wondered about my level of motivation, I contacted the personal trainer whom I had trained with back in 2003 but I stopped because I fell down half a flight of stairs and the recovery took quite a while that I had lost my motivation to return to the gym.

It was still the same gym but the gym has improved tremendously with all the equipment available, the flooring, the new ladies section etc. And it's still reasonably priced!

I have only had 3 sessions so far. Only being able to fit gym in on Sunday mornings since my evenings during the week is filled with dancing.

The first session I was in so much pain because a few days before I had attended cross fit and my muscles were only beginning to wake up. We did lunges, squats with weights and focused on my back and triceps. Wearing the fitted T-shirt gave Tony the idea what to work on. It hurt like hell.

The second session, we focused on my upper body - chest, shoulders and biceps. I quickly came to realize, all the upper body strength I had has quickly dissolved. I struggled with the push ups, the chest press and the bicep curls. I thought to myself that once I regain my upper body strength, I will not take it for granted!

The third session we went back to legs, back and triceps. It was not as bad but my back muscles need a lot of work as I once again struggled.

In all of the sessions we fit in cardio of at least 30 minutes and tummy exercises.

I have renewed my gym membership with JPMC now and I will do my best to fit in some lunch time work outs. I still dream of a bikini body and I am taking one step at a time! This time, I will not take for granted how my body shapes up and just appreciate that I did it and that I can do it! All my 3 sessions would have been even more challenging if I was at my original weight of 120kg! I am truly blessed that I can do much more now!

Burp... eeeee!

Photo Insert: With Kath - she helped me face the unknown.

I decided to face the unknown. But when in doubt, call upon a friend to go through it with you and also make sure the person who introduced it to you also shows up just for added motivation. I wanted to make sure I was not alone but I knew that even if I was I would still be alright. Yet comfort comes in many forms.

Thursday, 31st March 2011 @ RBRC: Melissa had been talking about cross fit for awhile. It sounded painful but she somehow painted this picture that it would be lots of fun because, I quote "we just have a good laugh" and it's free! I thought, it can't possibly be that bad. And hearing that Din and Fawwaz had also gone made me feel that if they could do it then so could I. So I made sure that Kath came along so that I wouldn't back out from making that choice to go.

When I arrived at the venue I was greeted by the sight of members who were attempting the March challenge. That's 50 burpees, 800m, flutter kicks of I'm not sure how many, 800m, 20 squat jumps and lastly another 400m. It looked really hard and I could not imagine me going through all that. I admired their enthusiasm, strength and stamina while I controlled my urge to run away. They were all doing their best to complete the challenge and also clock in their best times.

At 6pm the actual session started. Since Kath and I were new, one of the trainers took us to one side. There was 6 of us new that day. It was explained what we were about to engage in a high intensity exercise where it purposely pushes your heart rate, working the major parts of the body which is more effective for weight loss. The trainer showed us how to squat, we did push ups and finally we learned how to do a burpee which is a combination of a few moves. We only did a few. I cannot imagine how on earth someone could do 50 burpees! We did some sprinting and we ran around the track.

I could not gauge how fast I could or should run but I was proud of myself that I could complete that 400m track. Albeit slow, I would have not been able to have done that in the past! *pat on back*

We joined the whole group at the end. The non-beginners had to go through circuit training which did not look pleasant nor easy but the group did not say much and did what they had to do while the trainers gave them orders.

At the end, we had to do bear crawls around 4 corners and at each corner give 3 push ups. The trainer made it look so simple but when I did it, I think I was not a bear crawling. I was more like a monkey with my bum in the air and my feet and hands crawling on the ground. I finished it but I wanted to already faint.

Then the final part was several squats in 20 second periods. I decided the objective was not race against anyone, it was more of what I could do and to keep on reminding myself how far I have come with the weight loss. Sometimes the thoughts do not come easily...

Kath and I spoke how we felt about the whole session and whether we would come back. For me, I had said I wanted to come back but I will be realistic with my available time, it doesn't look likely at this stage. Overall I am thankful I had the chance to participate and experience the unknown!

8.5km/h

I have finally made use of my gym membership!

I have gone to the gym a few times and enjoying every minute of it. I can even now jog on the treadmill! I recall the days when I first started out gym and my personal trainer first asked me to walk around 5km/h and he increased that to 5.5km/h and then he got me to jog at 6km/h and then he tried increasing that to 6.3km/h and finally to 6.5km/h. I could do it, but I could not sustain long and it just felt so heavy! Plus with everything bouncing twice as hard, it hurt to run. 

Fast forward to today, where I am no longer carrying an equivalent of 3 bags of rice, running or jogging suddenly seems so much easier. 

The first time I went to the gym, I was thrilled to find out that running at 7km/h did not leave me too breathless. The second time I went to the gym, I decided to try 7.5km/h. That was do-able. Then the next time at the gym I ran at 8km/h. I was thrilled. I decided to stick to that a few more times and then yesterday, I tried 8.5km/h and I could feel it was a little bit tiring yet, I could do it! I was so thrilled! I am going again tomorrow to see how many intervals of 8.5km/h I can do. My time on the treadmill I alternate between 2 minutes of brisk walking and 2 minutes of running. My new iPod Shuffle keeps me on the go with brilliant music all compiled by Kel - Thank You Kel!

The workout is then supplemented with resistance training. More entries on Adventures at the Gym to come... it suddenly seems like a whole new world out there!

Sign Up!

I heard fellow adventurer Narissa is doing very well! Keep it up Narissa! You are now inspiring me to... EXERCISE!

I signed up for a gym membership near the office and it's now time to do "something". And also I'm wondering whether it will help push my current weight loss progress.

While I have been dancing for a year now and enjoying it very much, it's time to tone up and just learn to love this body some more!

Re-Visiting Yoga

In one of my previous entries dated Mar 22, '10 entitled "Itchy Feet", I've done two of the 5 things stated there:

2. Dancing the night away - when's the next party again?

I went to a dance party the other night and I must say I danced the night from 9pm to midnight. My feet started to ache at about 11pm and I tried to push the pain away and just keep moving! Joel was a fantastic partner to dance with! He led me through some dances which I have not yet touched in class and we did the basics. He was also very patient with me because I was not at all a very graceful partner and I physically injured him with my feet and also with my elbow and hands! 

3. Re-starting yoga in April

I kept this commitment and re-started yoga on 2 April. I joined my mom's restorative yoga class which is mostly made up of ladies in their 50s and 60s. My mom has been doing restorative yoga for almost 2 years now (man, time flies!) and she has been really consistent! I'm proud of you Mummy!

I think my last yoga class was about a year ago so I had wondered how my body would handle it and even more so, now with all the weight loss. The stretching hurt a lot! My muscles were so tight and all I could do was just keep imagining the muscles lengthening and telling myself that it's good for me. Honestly, I need to do more stretching when it comes to dancing! I stayed focused. The aching after the class, I expected and I didn't really mind. I knew my muscles were working.

What I found in amazement was how much easier it was doing yoga minus 30+ kg off the physical frame. Even though I had not stretched in awhile, what I savoured was being put into positions in which I could not do before because of how some extra flesh was in the way. It was exhilarating and I celebrated silently inside. I also found amusing how with less flesh that your body can't be used as padding anymore. There was one move which required you to balance on your bum squeezing in your tummy muscles while lifting your legs in front of you, so you basically look like a V. Normally my bum would cushion me sitting like that, but this time, all I could feel was the bone and it was not comfortable! However, that is just something minor. 

What matters is that, I truly appreciate the chance to engage in physical activity with ease and with enjoyment!

Two Hours!

I couldn't believe it. Our Sunday morning walk at Bukit Shahbandar extended to two hours! Apparently we did only 2 hills and the rest was just a "flat" terrain... it was not that flat! I felt good. No aching joints. Perhaps it helped that I went for an infra red sauna and a hot stones massage straight after! 

This morning I weighed myself and I'm back down to 91.2kg 

Getting Back on Track

I can't believe its only been about two weeks since I got back from my trip! I feel like I have done so much in such a short span of time. I've been getting back on track with the food plan. Getting back on track with work. Getting back on track with the singing and clarinet lessons. Getting back on track with the Brunei Speakers' Club. And now, it's time to get back on track with the physical activities! 

When I was in the States, I managed 4 walks, all one hour each. And it felt so good to be able to do that and appreciate the scenery at the same time. I felt it certainly helped me not put on weight while I was in the land of so much food I could eat!

I went for a walk with Elaine this morning at Bukit Shahbandar and I felt I have made so much progress compared to the previous few times we have been together. Not having the excess weight certainly helps! I don't feel that I have to carry such a burden anymore. And Elaine shared with me that she has discovered this little aerobics place in Kiulap in front of Lilli Lingerie. It's worth checking out so we have agreed on Monday at 7pm we'll do one class together.

Balancing exercise, work, family time, social time and me time is now important to me. I still remember myself 1 year ago when we were "assessing" where do we spend parts of our life and under health, in terms of percentage, it was a ZERO. At that point in time, yes I cared about my health but I was not willing to do anything about it. Wow, it sure has changed big time! And I'm really grateful I had that wake up call amongst other wake up calls.

So starting next week, exercise three times a week. Aerobics on Monday, Dance Lessons on Wednesday and Walks on Sunday! 

Life is GOOD! 

It Feels Good...

Truth be told, I've not done any physical activity for awhile. Perhaps a contradiction to one of my earlier posts about having more energy... I'm just choosing to use my energy for other things! And I'm human after all but today, after a 2 or was it 3 week hiatus, I've finally gone back to dancing with a different teacher. My first two teachers have left Brunei and I had to make a choice who I wanted to learn from. 

I'm back to learning latin dancing and some social dancing and I really like this dance instructor. It felt really good to be twirling and spinning on the dance floor and having that feeling where I don't have two left feet. Joel was perspiring more than I was! I'm sure my sweat glands will be working again. In the middle of doing the cha cha cha, because I had to get the footwork right, I could feel cramps in my calves! Luckily it went away and I survived 1.5 hours on the dance floor!

Unfortunately his schedule is quite packed, so I can only see him once a week which means I will need to figure out what else I can fit in. There's all the breathing exercises I've learned from voice class and that should work on flattening my tummy!

I've been feeling quite tense the past few days and doing physical activity definitely helps to release all this tension! I sometimes wonder what takes me so long to get back to doing things which I know is actually good for me. Another lesson to learn as I go on this adventure!

I look forward to my next class! 

Energy!

Sunday rolls around again. It comes so quickly! I went for my walk with Elaine and this time to make sure I was not late, I had slept at 10pm the night before and I woke up at 6am.

And I did so much better today than last week. For some reason I have a lot more energy! I think it's a combination of the weight loss and the supplements I've been taking.

According to Elaine, I scaled the Great Wall of China today! It's a good thing she only told me after I got to the top and down again. Otherwise my mind would have gone mad! I was telling myself not to look up so much and just focus on each step I was taking.

This week I am pleased with myself that I have incorporated activities that I enjoy:

Monday: Dance Class

Tuesday: The Brunei Speakers' Club

Wednesday: Clarinet Lesson 

Friday: Dance Class

Saturday: Hi Lo Aerobics

Saturday: Singing Lesson

Sunday: Walk at Bukit Shahbandar

With all this new-found energy, I am choosing to channel it in areas which bring me joy! I know that music fundamentally helps me with joyful expression of myself so that translates through the clarinet lessons, the singing lessons and the dance classes. It also helps the adventure because then you have other things to focus on apart from food!

With a healthy body, comes with it a heart full of expression and a spirit that resonates love!

Be Careful What You Wish For!

Now half-way through this adventure, a lot of changes are taking place with this body of mine. And one of those changes is, I'm losing my butt. Is it just me or is it flatter? When I was bigger, it was obviously rounder. I think someone had said they could sit a mug on top of it! I'm happy with the reduction in size but it doesn't look as "firm" as before. So I express this to some friends.

Elaine having introduced me to dancing suggested that we go for a walk at Bukit Shahbandar. Now I have an aversion to hills. I really think going up and down those hills are not good for my knees although I wonder if it's just a thought. On my Sunday morning, I agreed to go walking with her because she assured me it would be just a walk around the park.

There we were, 7:15am, it was slightly wet after the rain the night before and in the morning, the air felt fresh and I was dressed appropriately. We started walking around the park as she had suggested and there were some undulations here and there. It was manageable although I noticed I seemed to walk really slow! And then, she starts going up some steps.

Hmmm... I said, "I thought we're not going up?" 

And she replied, "These are just baby steps, you'll be fine."

They were definitely baby steps, what felt like a long way up though! My heart was pumping and my first thought was, "I'm so unfit!"

Elaine said, "Don't say that."

She's right. Change the languaging, "I'm getting fitter!"

Elaine then said, "Well you said you wanted to firm your butt and work on your legs!"

Ah yes... I recall saying that!

With that reminder, I kept my mouth shut, focused on what was ahead, being slow going up and down and at the same time being careful. I said a couple of affirmations in my head to keep me going and I started noticing the plants around me. We walked for an hour.

The reward for the day was the view of the sea meeting the horizon, with the fog on the top of the luscious green trees and Elaine saying to me, "You wouldn't have done this a year ago." Also a great big reminder, it feels great to be ALIVE!

She's right. I would have avoided doing this. And so now I am more mindful about what I say, because it will manifest itself in one or another! Next Sunday here I come!

Shall we dance?

I had my dance lesson this morning and I am sure it has been the same as all other Saturday morning lessons but for some reason, I was so beat after it was all over! But this time I was able to walk to my car, go for a facial, take a nap at home and go for my clarinet lesson. So I still had energy to make the rest of my day work for me.

I think I have only been dancing for the past 5 months or so. Elaine had introduced me to my first dance instructor at D'Music Motion in Kiarong and I had no idea what to expect. I was quite reserved about the whole idea of having lessons one-on-one and being at close contact with another person who you have the potential of stepping on their feet if you have what lots of people term it as the two-left-feet syndrome. And after that trial lesson, I was like, "Sign me up!" Apparently I pick up the dance steps quite quick!

I have finally found a form of exercise I am able to stick with. Why did I stick with the dancing? Frankly because I am person who needs to have variety (not sure if that works for relationships with others)! If it was the same thing over and over again, I would get bored and think that eating out with friends would be more exciting. 

With dance, I get to learn different dances and even if I'm learning the same dance, they would teach me new moves to incorporate into the current moves I already know. And even if you know the current moves, sometimes you can forget them and it seems like it's all new again. Plus, even though you know the current moves, they teach you at perfecting them so that you'll be as good as other professional dancers (so I hope!).

Dancing really keeps me on my toes (literally!). You really have to be alert while you dance. To me dancing helps me train my brain of new things which can help later on with old age in keeping the mind active. And dancing helps raise my level of awareness because I begin to pay attention to the details and also appreciate my body with what it is capable of doing.

It is just so much fun! You actually really don't notice it's "exercise". I am sure you have heard this before and that is to find something you truly enjoy. Once you enjoy it, the higher the chances of sticking with it. And whether we like it or not, any form of physical activity can help contribute to maintaining good health for your mind, body and soul (please refer to the cartoon by Randy) and of course, in my case, it will definitely help with the weight loss.