RI30 – L1D2 (But this is not about that)

Quick post, I hope, because I need to go to bed. But this might be rambly. A life – non-fitness post.

Inspiration: Ciara

I’m going to watch this every day until I look .0001 as good as her

Ripped in 30 – L1D1

• Started Ripped in 30 — missed Jillian too much to say goodbye. Um, I’m sore already. Finally graduated on to 5 lb weights.
• Juiced for the first time ever! With a blender and two strainers. Took a lonnnng time. Next time I’ll use a juicer.
• Super excited to be drinking juice tomorrow morning though 😀 I tried a bit of it and it’s lovely.
• Made gross “digestive” cookies with the pulp + flax + chia + quinoa. Gross. But healthy! I don’t like to waste.

Studying somehow on schedule. If all goes well I’ll be done with everything by Thursday when Rosanna comes to visit and will just need to review from then on.

I’M DONE

(with 30DS.)

Yep 😀 Took some progress photos, but you can hardly see anything! The only difference is those elusive obliques (still very elusive).

Might start Be Fit in 90 tomorrow. I’ll see how I feel about the program after a week or so.

30DS Day 29 (!), Insanity Fit Test

I’m pooped.

Been weighing in lighter every day that I haven’t worked out. Is it because of my smoothies? But last night I had huge chicken chunks around midnight. Plus dark chocolate-covered blueberries every day…

Too weak for real Insanity, so I’m going to pick a couple moves and do them every few days. 😀

My only joys in life now are sleep and updating this blog.

Why am I posting instead of working out (or sleeping)?

An hour ago I was yawning constantly and trying to finish the last couple minutes of my online seminar for the exam. Once done, surge of energy! Okay, I’m getting tired. It’s 1:35 am. I took a two-hour nap today, but I’ve been averaging 4-5 hours a night. Work is crazy busy so I’ve been behind on my study hours. If I hadn’t gotten two sections (and a chapter) in tonight, I would’ve felt majorly stressed about tomorrow.

But overall, lately, things have been good. I think I’m in a relatively stable place right now. I eat when I want to eat, and I don’t feel so guilty about it. I don’t feel so guilty about not working out for the past two days either, although my body wants to because I have awful posture when I’m sitting, and I sit all the time. I’m all jammed up. By the way, STILL sore from Insanity. It’s been two days! It’s like parts of me got less sore and the parts that were sore but not as sore comparatively are now louder as a result.

The only thing about food is that I can’t cook what I crave, and right now I’m craving winter melon soup. I want to switch up my vegetables so bad! But djflsj no time or SKILLS.

Insanity Day 2: Plyo

It’s been a long day, and I almost didn’t make it down to the basement tonight. Glad I did. Should’ve studied more–only got 4.5 hours in, all during the day–but maybe I’ll take a shower and do a problem or two. It’s a busy week at work and some unnecessary drama’s been grating on my nerves. Ventured briefly back into K-pop tonight, which is how you know things are kind of low (rhyme!). Not sure why I associate K-pop with being unhappy now. I guess it reminds me of a time (arguably still ongoing) when I felt most displaced and directionless. I am definitely direction-ed now, but not really by choice? Well, let’s not go there.

I think tomorrow’s gonna be a rest/light workout day. I’ll probably be sore. I already was a bit today!

30DS Day 28, Insanity Fit Test

Sooo just two more days and I’ll finally be done with 30DS! Today was tough as always, but in a different way. With every session I can feel some improvement so each one gets harder as I am forced to push myself a bit more. Plank holds are almost easy now, as are “Rocky-style” situps. Still hate traveling pushups and plank rows with leg raises, though–HATE. I am always dreading circuit three because of those two. I have to do plank rows without weights because they hurt my wrists.

And now… for the Insanity Fit Test. I’ve done Insanity before, very briefly, a few months after my P90X stint, and what I remember from it can be summed up with the word “pain.” It’s extremely tough, and tough on your joints. That said, I think I need some higher-intensity cardio than I’ve been incorporating into my workouts, and I feel ready for something more advanced. I’m planning on modifying the high-impact moves and going at my own pace as much as possible.

Here’s a comparison of my Fit Test results from July 2011 to today’s:

I modified the first three (high-impact) moves, but managed to improve on the rest because of squats and better upper body strength thanks to Jillian! Most noticeably I thought globe jumps were a lot easier, because I remember them kicking my ass way back when 😀

Also I’m kind of embarrassed to admit this, but I’ve been weighing myself a bit obsessively lately, and this morning I noticed a visible change in my tummy! Well, it always bloats up over the course of the day but it felt like a minor accomplishment. I’m about -2 lb from my “starting” weight now.

30DS Day 26

I am really tired and I keep hoping it’s actually Day 27. Nope. 26 it is. I skipped yesterday to watch depressing basketball and tried to get back into it today with L3 + the Be Fit in 90 Day 1 Strength again. Ohhhh man. So I am more sore from ten minutes of BFi90 than I’ve ever been with 30DS! Is it because the strength is a good consecutive ten minutes as opposed to three-minute blocks? The moves aren’t really that difficult, but I could feel them in my arms and legs even today, two days later. I’m not used to being sore anymore! Jillian never asked that much of me.

Must add – am working through a bad-and-worsening headache right now. Wednesdays I take off work to study and that means staying at home all day with poor lighting. The 2.5-hour nap didn’t even help. Blaarrgh and tomorrow I agreed to go to a rock cruise with a friend so that means no studying unless I find some time at work. It’s really getting down to the wire and I’m starting to feel Knicks-like about my chances of passing this one.

Zen

Didn’t feel like shredding today, so I went with a couple minutes walking backwards (my lower back pain from yesterday has gotten a lot better!), a couple on the elliptical, ten-minute kickboxing, and the BeFitin90 Day 1 ten-minute strength workout. Kept it simple. I liked the strength workout. It moved muscles that the Shred doesn’t, just to keep things fresh.

Sort of a NSV in progress: the past half year has been a lesson in not just moderation but adaptation or, rather, acceptance. I am learning to accept this body that I own, its stubbornness rivaling (if not surpassing -_-) that of the strongest minds, and to speak with it. I can’t force it to change at will. It’s gotta be on board first. What works for other people will not likely work for me, and I have to be okay with that.

I wonder if this is how Tyson Chandler feels after talking with Jeremy Lin.