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!

When Hunger Strikes!

I have been feeling exceptionally hungry lately and I can't figure out why. And I don't think I've been handling it too well. I look for snacking opportunities. I feel like Nigella Lawson looking at my fridge late at night figuring what I could eat. I've been doing my best to remind myself of how far I've come and for me to keep on going. I must say... whatever it is I'm going through, my resolve is not as strong as it used to be.

Progress to date

Current Weight: 86kg 

Total Weight Loss: 33.1kg

I'm almost at the weight when I was in university which was 10 years ago! I bought 4 new dresses during my weekend trip in KK. I am getting compliments on my appearance from people I never expected compliments from. How can these not be factors of motivation to keep on going?! 

Come on Zana! Only 16.9kg left to 70kg! YOU CAN DO IT!

How Do I Change?

How do I change?
If I feel depressed I will sing.
If I feel sad I will laugh.
If I feel ill I will double my labour.
If I feel fear I will plunge ahead.
If I feel inferior I will wear new garments.
If I feel uncertain I will raise my voice.
If I feel poverty I will think of wealth to come.
If I feel incompetent I will think of past success.
If I feel insignificant I will remember my goals.
Today I will be the master of my emotions.  - Og Mandino

And... If I feel fat I will look at my old pictures!

 

Emotional Eating

It has been kind of hectic in the office of late. I can't believe it's only January! At night I look forward to going to bed, recharging and then beginning my day again with as much energy as possible. Unfortunately, one of the "side effects" of having to cope with hectic-ness coupled with the intended arrival of that time of the month, is wanting to eat! I have been eating what is stated on the food plan but just more of it. For example, I have 3 pieces of fruit instead of the prescribed 2 or I end up having 6 biscuits instead of the prescribed 2 or 4. I feel the more pressed I am, the more I seek comfort in food. 

So Yvonne asks me last night, would you like to be stressed and put on weight or stressed and with the current weight loss. Of course with the weight loss it would be good! The only way around this is to be very mindful and take out the stress on something else.

Thank goodness there's dance class tonight!

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.

Make Your Own Kind of Music ( Mama Cass Elliott )

My CEO has found me 'my song'! I've been feeling a bit blue over certain things lately and when she played me this song today in her office, it totally gave me a new perspective - when those days are tough, choose to keep on going and make your own kind of music even if nobody else sings along because you know that you are contributing to the greatest of intentions and for the good of all!

Nobody can tell ya;
There's only one song worth singin'.
They may try and sell ya,
'cause it hangs them up
to see somone like you.

But you've gotta make your own kind of music
sing your own special song,
make your own kind of music even if nobody
else sing along.

So if you cannot take my hand,
and if you must be goin',
I will understand.

You're gonna be knowing
the loneliest kind of lonely.
It may be rough goin',
just to do your thing's
the hardest thing to do.

But you've gotta make your own kind of music
sing your own special song,
make your own kind of music even if nobody
else sings along.

So if you cannot take my hand,
and if you must be goin',
I will understand.

You gotta make your own kind of music
sing your own special song,
make your own kind of music even if nobody
else sings along.