Small changes

Of course I have been missing in action for quite a while. Preparing for tests, vacation trips and abyssmal weather have all been factors.
But that doesn't mean health took a backseat. I have been making small changes to my lifestyle. First is to get half an hour of physical activity. This has included walking to the grocery store, retail therapy (yes, shopping is a physical activity in my opinion. Do you know how long you have to search for that one perfect outfit?!). Returning back, jetlag is something noone can help. Especially if you have a talkative toddler who gets up at 5am and wants to know if you are still sleeping. That one week was a blur. And then the weather!! From sunny tropics to moody skies! I decided to stay home. And browse the exercise vidoes.

Several videos caught my attention. One of them was a dance exercise video by Billy Blanks Jr. This combined different hip hop moves with samba and bollywood moves. It was a superb workout, for 40 minutes I think. I have some cool moves, notwithstanding grace!

The second video was called Fitness Kickboxing with Stacy Cronin. I now know the basic moves in boxing and this too was an excellent workout. I was definitely aching all over afterwards.

The final one is the 6 week 6 pack by Jillian Michaels. I have finished a week of Level one and I think even if I dont get the 6 pack, my waist is going to be trimmer. :P  She knows what she is doing.

The second change is my food timings. I eat my breakfast at 7.30-8. Lunch is at 12 and dinner at 6. I follow this as much as I can with a few exceptions when there are parties. I have been doing this for at least 3 months now. This has brought a tremendous change. I feel well nourished and I dont want to eat a lot of junk in between. I agree there have been times when I did gorge on a bit of cake or three! Also drinking a lot of warm water.

The thrid change is the food itself. I am eating smaller portions of rice and bigger portions of vegetables. Also I have started pearl millet ( Ragi) porridge in the evenings. This too fills up without being too heavy.

So small changes leading on to bigger things..

State of wellness

I don't know if there is anyone else who feels the same way. My focus and determination to get some exercise if often determined by my state of wellness, physical and emotional. That's when I want to rage at the world for no particular reason, curse the unfairness. Well not a good state to be in, I know. I am only human and newspapers go a long way to disturb what little trust you have in the system too. I am on low motivation and any excuse to move my butt is a weak one. The weather outside is chilly, I have to watch the latest episode of Revenge of Supernatural. I even flaked out one day saying to myself that I could not find my cap and glasses. Yes, I am a person of weak moral fiber! :P
These situations I resolve in one of two ways. First, with tough love to myself. I call myself names, assure myself that noone cares a twit about a meanie. Remind myself that I could end up with any of the innumerable afflictions known to man. (OMG..I just re-read the last few sentences. Am not sure if putting it out here is even right!!) Remind myself to be strong and tough and push myself out of the house with some sheer force of will. But no, I don't weigh myself! That's torture! :P
The second, that I am going through right now, is to simply sit it out. I know that these phases won't last. I grab whatever exercise I can. Dance or simpy walk with the little one. Read a few funnies, listen to some songs, catch a few episodes of Chuck and Doctor Who! I simpy sit it out. Usually this lasts about 2-3 days for me. I don't stress about the not exercising part.If I want to go, I go, else couch warming works. I eat welll, sleep well. And one fine day its back to the normal, overenthusiatic, determined self!
So what works best?

My first marathon

Some things have to be experienced to be believed. When I read that the exhiliration of running the first marathon was one-of-a-kind, I truly did not think that anything could truly measure upto this much happiness. I ran my first marathon- a mini marathon of 5 miles.
The race was to begin at 8am, with staggered waves of both Half marathon and Mini marathon runners. We started at 8.20 or so. The excitement was so contagious that I forgot to feel nervous and looked forward to doing my best. I knew at that point, it did not matter how I ran, I was happy to be running at all. Saw this on one of the many catchy Tshirts that people wore. There are good runs and there are better runs. There are no bad runs. This is definitely going to be a motto hereon. I ran with children, I ran with 60 year olds. They were just happy to be there.
The first mile was all about pace. Astonishingly my pace during the marathon has been my best ever. And I am glad I got to this point not by fluke but by diligence and training. There were hordes of people cheering. Live bands outside houses and street corners to encourage us. This definitely helped. I relaxed after the first mile and ran to the best of my ability. It was so wonderful to take corners and see the hundreds running before me.
I finished my marathon somewhere at 51.25 minutes, give or take. The final stretch was the best, I knew I was near the finish line, and I definitely felt the euphoria helping me make it through.
There were so many things I brought back. I am definitely going to dress up for my future runs. I saw a butterfly and numerous Super-woman costumes and even a cow. That is definitely my idea of fun.
Like I said since it was staggered, the total time elapsed was an hour and 10 minutes or so. And just as I was finishing my mini marathon of 5 miles, I heard that the first runners of the HALF marathon were ahead of me. So 13 miles in an hour!! Wowza. I also saw the first female half marathoner come in at 1 hour and 15 minutes. She was/is such a huge inspiration. I only wish I plucked up my guts to go talk to her. My agenda for the next few weeks is clear. To build up speed and try to beat my marathon pace.
After that, am sure I will tackle my first 10k and half marathon!
And a shout out to my buddies who did extremely well! It was truly a pleasure training with them and being inspired by them!

Marathon Training

Ok..so life is weird. Last post says I'm not running, and now I say I AM!! So excited.
Marathon training was an inspired transition. We were discussing how running, jogging, etc is a great form of exercise, and I told my friend, why not run a marathon? And so it started. We came up with the one we wanted to run the very next day. The Mini marathon. We registered in July I think and the marathon was in October. Ample time.
I simply love our county libraries that have books on every topic. And when I looked for books on training for the first marathon, I got two books written by experienced marathon runners. Both were many-time Boston Marathon runners and one was an Olympic level athlete too. So, inspiration-- check. Goal- 5 mile marathon--check. Training time- 3 months--Check. Training guide-- Check.
Both books suggested that I train at least 4-5 days a week. One book suggested 2-3 rest days with one day of cross training. I walked initially for the rest day training.
One huge help was that I was to treat everyday as marathon day and give it my best. The weekly running was a combination of different techniques. Fast days, where I run my fastest. It doesn't matter if I ran 2 miles or 3 or 4 or even 5, simply that it was fast. My easy days, where the pace was neither too fast nor too slow. And my long days when I ran the entire 5 miles. I began with 1 fast day, 2 easy days and 1 long day. Now it all long days where I run the 5 miles no matter what. Saturday or Sunday would be training with my buddies.
They also suggested using an excel sheet format that had all the relevant details- date, time, warm up time, distance, pace, breaks, stretch time. It also had inputs for outside conditions and if we trained alone or in a group. I used this for 10 days and then stopped. I had a Nike running application that took care of  all these for me.
It was also suggested that I split my run. It seems that you can run faster than the previous mile if we take a minute break of brisk walking. Now since this is a mini marathon, I think I will not be taking any splits.
Staying hydrated and eating well was also a key chapter. Carbohydrates for energy and protein for the muscle should be major dietary components. A good night's sleep ( major fail for me- j'accuse Pretty little liars, Suits, Monk, Fringe, Breaking Bad,Revenge, Supernatural,Once upon a time) was said to be the miracle worker for the muscles.
So here I am, a week before the marathon. I have trained diligently. And I know I will not stop runnning even after this marathon. We have set our sights on the Half marathon- 13.5 miles next. Will write more when the plan is solid.
And now, wish me luck! :)

Recereational running

I write this with a heavy heavy heart! I won't be participating in the 5mile marathon that I'd registered for.
3 months ago, if you'd asked me if I could run 5 miles without a break I would have most probably said no. But then the body surprises you with its endurance and the capacity to learn.
I still remember the first few minutes when i first started running post pregnancy. I wheezed and whooshed, running for just a minute. And then I gave it up. I was not sure if running was for me. Then bootcamp happened, and I was confident that I could run for 5 minutes. I remember when our trainer made us run, I could run for 5 minutes, walk for 3 minutes, fast walk for the rest of the way. And then I started walking regularly. Everyday for an hour. Thats when things started changing. My muscles got used to the exercise, my lungs decided they did like fresh air after all.
One day I just decided to jog. And I could. I did it for a glorious 6 minutes. Then my lungs protested, my legs protested, but when I pushed they did good. I won't say I set papers aflutter when I run, but I know that the pace that I run is a good one too.
Now the problem with these magazines are that they offer so much details into how to run, different workouts with running, how to run more effectively (whatever that means). I tried whatever I could. Some worked, some did not. But my legs grew stronger, my lungs even more so. I knew rhythmic breathing was essential and used that too. Hydration, sunscreen and glasses to help me beat the heat. I love it. The transition to marathon training was because I had something tangible. I knew I could run continuously, having clocked 3 and 4 miles during the casual running. Sprinting and dashing in intervals during running is also a good way to train the body. Some magazines even combined some exercises with running/jogging. They helped me too.
The only way to begin running is to actually run. One day, when the pace of walking is too slow, the mind wants to run and there you go! The key again is determination and knowing when too much is too much. Stretching deserves its own entry!
But for now, running is something that I definitely see developing into more in the future!! And oh..good luck to a couple of my buddies who will be running the marathon!! Go, Go, Go!! :)

Walking

I wanted to write this post for ages. :) Starting trouble! :P
The thing is I have had a fascination with walking for a long time now. When I was younger, I used to scoff at people who went for walks everyday, getting up early. That was partly because I was in a school that began at 7.10am everyday! So you can imagine how I felt about people who got up voluntarily to do so.
Then came the time when I was in college, sometimes when bus service was infrequent, I had to walk to the nearest major stop and catch a bus from there. This was a pleasant walk. This was at a time when I did not know the fears of a teenager walking alone at 7 or 8pm! Naive times! Then the habit continued into office, where to release the stress of a hectic day, I took to walking in my hostel gardens every night. Eventually I started getting up at 7am to go for a walk or catch up on an hour after work.
After marriage, walking was a exploratory exercise. I wanted to know more about the place I stayed, at least the vicinity, so I set off on foot. There was also a beautiful trail just behind the apartment, that was a constant source of inpsiration.
With the baby being born, it was a chance to take the child out and catch up on some me-time. I'd load up the stroller, fill up the water bottle and away we went.
My walks have always been long. My tread is pretty brisk and the stroller lent a resistance that increased my effort. My favourite part of the walk was always pointing out vehicles to the little one. When my company was not really needed and I thought it best to leave him to be entertained by himself, I listened to songs. I constantly looked to other people's pages for music recommendations. No shame in accepting that here. I am a novice. So if anyone says something is good, I listen to it. If I like it, its on my tunes.
I like my walks either way, where I contemplate on the day so far and how I want it to be. Or I imagine what the bigger scheme of things would be. I am absolutely satisfied with not thinking, but simply enjoying the walk as is.
Now a days with a toddler with excessive energy, sometimes I go on walks to wear him out, help him get an appetite or to simply stave of boredom. Its interesting now because there is so much more conversation between the both of us.
Whether it's a minute or a mile, I still love walking. Hence I love to go shopping ( Hey I am just putting it out there in case you want someone to go with you!)

5/100 Challenge Week 5

The final week exercises are
100 Jumping Jacks
100 Squats
100 Sit ups
100 Push ups
100 Burpees

Day 1- When I told my husband it was 100's this week, he was like "oh!". Well actually it turned out just fine. I was prepared today to spend 2 hours if I had to finish. I finished it in 45 minutes, which was great for me. The only problem with counting 100 is I kept losing count. I am pretty sure that I've done at least 5-15 more for each exercise :). 100 continuous Jumping Jacks left me feeling a little disoriented. Sit ups were easy. Push ups with my legs crossed and squats with exercise ball. Burpees were..well, burpees! :P
Day 2- Burpees took 20 minutes and the other four together took 20 minutes in all. It was a good day. I did not lose count today and I guess the focus helped too. I was sweating and whooshing by the end of the workout but it was exhilarating  to know that my body can be pushed.
Day 3- Today was a slow day. My squats, push ups and sit ups were slow. Burpees are slowly getting on my good side. I am starting to dislike Jumping jacks :P
Day 4- My body was doubly tired. I had 4-1/2 hrs of sleep last night and it was the penultimate day of the challenge. I took it really slow with the burpees and sit ups. Jumping jacks left me reeling and push ups made me kiss the ground a few times.
Day 5- Aaand done! I would dearly like to say the time just flew. But I felt each and every minute of today! The Push ups were particularly horrendous. Burpees took the better of half hour.

All in all it has been a great 5 weeks. I felt my body changing every day. I am sure I have lost at least a couple of inches around the waist. My entire body feels a little toned.I can only imagine how the results can be improved with balanced diet and complementary rest. Most of all, what surprised me is the fact I wouldn't have thought that my body could take this kind of exercise. Just goes on to prove, we are what we believe it to be. Life lesson! :P Would I do this again? A resounding yes!