Monday, August 31, 2009

Boot Camp: Week 3 begins

It was hard to get up this morning, even though I went to bed early last night. Part of the reason was that Greg was on call and I had this disturbing feeling that I was going to have to get Gabi up at 4:30am to take her with me to boot camp. Fortunately I worried for nothing, because although Greg didn't get home until 4 am, he was able to stay until 6:30 when he got called back in.  When we arrived at boot camp we heard from the other class that John wasn't there yet.  It was an interesting dilemma do we start without him, if so what do we do, could we motivate ourselves. It turns out we did start without him, we did our push ups and sit ups, we set up a circuit and started working out. He arrived about 15 minutes into our class he was late because the power was out at his house. He seemed pleased that we'd showed initiative and started working on our own. He added a few more things to our circuit and we really started working. I felt like the workout today was a mix of everything, weights, push ups, jumping jacks, these truly painful leg things, and resistance band work. I walked out of there thinking I worked hard. I'm glad John showed up because I'm sure I wouldn't have worked that hard if he hadn't been there. 

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Aloha Saturday

This weekend is Greg's birthday weekend, however he's celebrating it by spending the majority of it at the hospital because he's on call.  In fact he left before Gabriella and I got up yesterday and the only time we saw him was when we delivered some dinner to him at 8:30 pm. Gabriella and I did drop off a few things at the hospital throughout the day. The first thing we dropped off was his pair of crocs. Instead of driving in the car we decided to run over there. Now when I say run I mean jog slowly, when Gabi hears run she thinks run as fast as humanly possible while shouting things like "Hurry Up" over her shoulder to the person behind her.  We took the long way around to the hospital so I could get my exercise in. By the time we dropped off the shoes I was already breathing hard and sweaty. Gabriella however was cool as a cucumber and ready to go another few miles. When we got within sight of our house she voiced her disappointment that our run was over already.  I was just glad to get into the house for some water. 

This Saturday was also Gabriella's very first Hula performance. I took some video since Greg wasn't able to join us. The performance was awesome, Gabi and her group looked so cute doing their hula moves and singing. There was also a potluck dinner which was full of delicious food and I tried to be very good and only eat what was approved on my diet. We made Yakisoba which was a big hit, in fact a few people even asked for my recipe. By the time we got home it was past 8, and after our quick trip to the hospital to see Greg we both settled in for a good night sleep.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Boot Camp Day 10: Run 1 Me 3

Today was once again a running day. I'm torn between elation and disappointment.  I'm happy because I managed to finish 3 laps today, bringing my milage up to 4.5. I'm also happy because when I finished my second lap I was about 4 minutes under of my previous time.  However, as I was making a turn near the bathroom the run got me. I threw up my breakfast right into the grass on the side of the road.  I took a little detour into the bathroom and threw up again a few times, then washed my face. As I walked back out and continued to run I felt much better and was able to continue my 3rd lap. I had kind of told myself that I wouldn't throw up during this boot camp, and sadly I did.  Throwing up did help me to realize that nothing is glamorous about working out, not if you are really trying. I've been to the gym and seen people who run on the treadmill or stair stepper and look at themselves in the mirror and I suppose they are somewhat glamorous but they aren't trying their hardest.  When I go to the gym I can't look at anyone, usually because there is sweat dripping into my eyes and I'm watching the heart monitor on the treadmill wondering if my beats per minute is too high. But the other reason I'm not looking is because I'm there to work out, to try as hard as I can and believe me I do not look pretty doing it. 

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Boot Camp Day 9: You get what you give

Today was bring a friend day and my wonderful neighbor Nicole went with me to boot camp this morning.  We used resistance bands to work out our arms. My arms hurt now while I'm typing, but again the pain reminds me the program is working.  The class was left alone a lot today, I think it was a test of our commitment to the program.  He'd show us an exercise then walk out of the room and we would do the number of reps he gave us.  Of course without him wandering around the classroom I got a little lax, I put my arms down or started to move slower. The exercise program is only as strong as I am. He can teach me the skills but if I'm unwilling to try my hardest then I'm only going to get what I put into it. The last skill of the day was squats with the long resistance band, I tried hard on it. I pushed myself. But as I reflect I could have tried harder and next time I will. This program means a lot to me I want to be successful.  Today John said he sees great things for me.  I see them too, but they are going to require a lot of work. From here to my goal will be filled with painful muscles and small accomplishments.  So again I look at the pain in my arms as progress towards my goal. 

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Boot Camp Day 8: Running down a dream

Today was a running morning and I was barely able to eat any of my oatmeal. I think it was nerves, I was worrying about getting lost again or not being able to run at all because I was sore. As it turns out I didn't get lost and managed to do two and a half laps. I also found out that each lap is a mile and a half. So basically today I ran 4 miles.  I was shocked, until last Wednesday I'd never run at all, and today 4 miles. It's amazing what the body can do when the mind asks it to. I ran without crying today and I ran a little faster than last week. Today I was able to sense an improvement in myself, to physically feel and see the differences between last week and this week. 
I've been really reflective during the past week, boot camp almost requires it. I've changed my eating habits and now that I can look at my eating objectively. I can see that I ate a lot of food only a few times a day and what I did eat wasn't healthy. My butter hasn't been used since I started boot camp.  I'm learning to make delicious food without using it. I'm learning that I don't need a whole plate of food to get full. Last night I only had a piece of fish and I was satisfied. This morning for my second breakfast I had one egg, some smoked salmon and red onion.  Changing the way I cook has been easier than I thought, and the results of more energy and a better sense of well being makes worth it. 

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Boot Camp Day 7: Weights and Measures

Well today is Tuesday and we worked with weights. It was hard of course, but that is to be expected.  It's an interesting fact about boot camp, although I don't really know what each day will bring, I always know that it will be hard and painful.  Today I was thrilled to walk out of the gym with my arms still attached to my body.  Gabriella asked me to open something for her today and I had to talk myself into pushing past the pain to open whatever it was that she wanted. 
Gabi and I had a lot of fun today, we went to the library and lunch with our friends.  This afternoon Gabi even accompanied me to Cardio Funk. In boot camp we are required to go to one class a week at the gym. Today we were strongly reminded of our requirements. So in order to save myself a little extra pain, I went. The irony is that it was painful and I still have to get up tomorrow morning to go running.  Gabi had a good time playing with friends in the play area, while I sweated off some pounds trying to funk it up next door.  
I'm happy I made it through the class, I tried my best and even though I'm not going to win any Cardio Funk awards I would still get a certificate for participation.  For today participation is enough. 
Tomorrow is running. 

Monday, August 24, 2009

Boot Camp Day 6: Kicking my Abs

This morning at boot camp was kind of split into 2 parts, motivational speech and ab searing pain. We learned about the perfect form to get the perfect abs.  It involved laying on a bench with your feet up in the air, keeping your legs straight, not using your hip flexors just your abs to lift your body up. It was hard, my ab muscle (I'm convinced right now I just have one that works) was burning. I tried really hard but it was a struggle just to keep my legs up.  We did two sets of these and in between we wrote in our journal all the motivational nuggets that John told us. My personal favorite that I'm considering having made into a magnet for my fridge was: Food Should Not Equal Guilt.  The other one that I thought was profound was the bad habits I've had for years and to break them will take time. You can't and won't change overnight.  I also have a new task, to learn to sit up just using my abs and not my arms. I tried it this morning after my morning siesta, I was unsuccessful, but I'll keep trying.  Progress not perfection. 

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Weekend Work Outs


Saturday I slept in, until 8. I felt fabulous when I finally got up. Greg cooked breakfast for us and we decided that since the weather was iffy we should do something indoors. Off we headed to Round 1, it's a Japanese indoor family fun center. It has 7 floors of fun and excitement. It's a little pricy to play for 3 hours and when our time was over we realized that we could have stayed there all day.  Here is a list of what we did, we went to the kids play area where we shot each other with foam balls by using air cannons. Then I sat in the massage chair while we watched Gabi play. Greg played ping pong, and tennis. Gabi and I strapped on some skates and tried our hand at skating. We need a lot more practice.  The roller rink also doubles as a race track for mini bikes. We didn't participate in the race, but did watch a few from the sidelines.  We all practiced shooting the soccer ball into a net and played some darts. Next stop was the video game section where we played a whack the crab game, I played the DJ spinning game, Greg tried his hand at the conga drum game and Gabi was awesome on the skateboard game. After melting our brains in front of the video games we headed up to the 7th floor for some sports. We played badminton, soccer, archery, mini putting golf and tried out the batting cages. We had such a good time. I even played the kickboxing game.
On the way home we stopped for lunch at Mike's Tex Mex. I thought it was really tasty, Greg thinks Obliggatos is still better. I tried to keep my portion small, but probably ate more chips than I should have. 
When we got home I met Rachel at the gym and ran/walked 2 miles as my exercise for the day. Personally I think I got a little exercise at round one too, so I don't feel guilty enjoying my chips and guacamole. 

Friday, August 21, 2009

Boot Camp Day 5: Week one complete

So I'm home and soaking wet, both from sweat and rain. When I got up this morning and came downstairs I noticed that the street outside was wet.  I wondered, would we be running in the rain? The answer is yes, until the thunder and lightning starts and then we won't. We ran for about 25 minutes and then the was sky lit up by lightning.  Frankly, I've been outside when there has been lightning, but I've never been voluntarily running in rain in general or lightning specifically.  So as I continued my very slow run around the stadium I pondered my chances of being hit by lightning. I figured it was pretty small, because I was a moving target, so I sped up a little.  Then I thought maybe I was more attractive to the lightning because I was moving, so I slowed down a little bit.  By the time I made it through my second lap the lightning was really bright and I could hear the thunder. That's when John called off the run. On a side note I didn't get lost this time. I'll admit it I was relieved that we were stopping. I was already tired and sweaty and wet and ready to go home. Then my good buddy Rachel said she was going to the Lester gym to run inside, and I agreed to meet her there. You should read that line again, because that is completely out of character for me.  I went to the gym and ran for 25 more minutes on the elliptical machine. I wasn't really planning on running that long, I told myself I'd run for 5 songs on my ipod. Then number 6 was celebrity skin by Courtney Love and I love that song so I kept going. 

My first week of boot camp is over and I'm thrilled to have survived. This has been a week of firsts for me. The first time I've ever really had an exercise program. The first diet I've ever been on, successfully. The first time I've ever felt horribly exhausted and happy at the same time, that doesn't involve childbirth.  The first time I've ever believed that pain is progress. Because as John says, fat doesn't hurt, if it hurts it's muscle. 

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Boot Camp Day 4

I've survived another day of boot camp. This morning I pushed the snooze one too many times and felt a little rushed getting ready. I still managed to choke down breakfast before my ride arrived.  After yesterday's running fiasco I was relieved that today I only had to stay in  one room. Although after today's work out I look forward to running again tomorrow, if only because there probably won't be sit ups involved.  Today we used a step to lay on while doing sit ups and push ups. It was hard, ridiculously painful, but I was once again surprised at the amount my body can do.  My sit ups weren't pretty or in good form, but I was able to sit all the way up and eventually stand and even do the jump at the end.  If anything I now know that your mind limits what your body can do, so once you stop saying I can't and just start doing, it somehow gets done.  By the way I was sweating so much at this class that I had a fairly large pool of sweat on the floor, I think at one point it was deep enough that I could float something on it.  I think I've lost weight just in the amount of sweat I'm seeping out of my pores everyday. 
Exercise isn't the only part of this boot camp, it's also about changing your eating habits. Fresh food is the key component. I've been eating fruits and vegetables as snacks and haven't even used my beloved butter all week. I feel good, I feel proud, I feel relieved that tomorrow is Friday and I'll have the weekend to recover.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Boot Camp Day 3

Ok, so I should be in bed right now resting up for tomorrow's boot camp, but I wanted to post this. Today was our running day. We met at a nice park, used by some people for cruising.  It was 5 am and we started running.  Now many of you know me and I don't run, ever. Even if I was being chased I'd have to consider if I could take the person before I would choose to run. But today with no one chasing me I ran. Not only did I run, but I ran all over this stupid park because in my sweat addled brain I failed to listen to which way I was suppose to go. I feel like I saw every single part of this park, the playground, the baseball stadium, the obstacle course the alternative lifestyle inclined hot spots.  I'll admit when I was at my lowest walking up a steep stairway only to realize that I was no where near the end of this tortuous run I cried a little or a lot depending on what your definition of a lot is. It wasn't like a Steel Magnolia kind of cry, but it was close. Instead of giving up, I just turned up my ipod and sang along with a little Madonna and some Savage Garden and I don't even know who else because by them my ears were sweating. But one song came on and it put everything into perspective. "Don't fear the Reaper" was somehow on my workout mix. And I realized as I listened to the song, silently asking for more cowbell, that I probably wasn't going to die because of running. That my life wasn't going to end on the side of a hill at this Okinawan park being feasted on by hungry bats. I realized that I'd probably eventually make it back to where I started or eventually someone would come looking for me. And someone did, in fact I magically ended up back on track.  Rachel said that this boot camp is all about finding out things about yourself. Today I found out that I can run without the threat of death and that even when I feel like I'm hopelessly lost, there is always a friend around the corner waiting to get me back on track. 

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Boot Camp Day 2

I'm writing this blog before I shower because I can't make it up the stairs.  We started the day by measuring our body fat.  Mine was high, but that's no surprise, you can't cook with as much butter as I do without absorbing some.  The first work out of the day was push ups, we did this for a while, I'm not sure how long because I was trying not to look at the clock.   After pushups we headed to the stairs.  The work out studio is on the second floor of the building with a staircase at a 45 degree angle. We walked up and down those stairs with 8 pound weights. I don't know how many times we walked up and down during the first set, but it felt like a million. Everyone else was able to go up the stairs two at a time, I did it twice and was told to go one step at a time.  I'm really earning my nickname, small steps.  We had to push the weights up over our heads with each step.  We did that for a while, then got water then did more push ups then back to the stairs.  It was hard. Bone crushing, muscle spasms, crying (only by me and not out loud) hard. But I did it and for today that's all that matters. I can't tell you how many times I walked down the stairs to the open door and thought about just walking back to the car, but I didn't.  There is a huge sense of accomplishment that I feel in the back of my mind, it's way in the back behind the muscle aches, shortness of breath, and pounding heart palpitations, but it's there.  Today was hard, but it's over. Tomorrow will no doubt be worse but it's not here yet. I guess I should haul myself up the stairs, I'm unsure if I will make it back down again.   

Monday, August 17, 2009

Boot Camp Day 1

My arms are still shaking as I write this.  Today was my first day of boot camp.  The alarm went off at 4:07 and I only hit the snooze once.  I got out of bed and got dressed.  I was really nervous and barely managed to eat half of my oatmeal.  Rachel picked me up at 4:35 and we were on our way in the pitch black morning.  We arrived a few minutes early and I got to meet the other participants.  They all seemed really nice and all but one had done it before. I felt at a slight disadvantage as they would all know what to expect, even though Rachel told me all about it.  It turns out that it really didn't matter if I knew or not because I spent the entire time just trying to keep from throwing up my oatmeal.  
We did a lot of running in place and push-ups getting up and running some more then more push-ups, you get the point.  I've never worked so hard in my life. The next thing we did was meet our partners and give them nicknames. I love a good nickname and probably could have come up with something more unique but I just couldn't think through all the heavy breathing and sweating.  My new nickname is small steps. To me it sounds like a indian name.  We also had a few fitness tests, like how many push ups you could do in a minute, I did one.  And how many sit-ups I could do in a minutes, I did 50 and was honestly shocked.  
It was hard, the hardest I've ever worked out in my entire life, but the sense of accomplishment I felt when I was finished is indescribable.  I'm not looking forward to going tomorrow, but I feel confident that I will. 

Sunday, August 9, 2009

You can't always get what you want


But sometimes you get what you need. This weekend was suppose to be a birthday weekend full of beach weather and swimming. Instead it was a weekend full of typhoon force winds and humidity.  In the midst of disappointment came a rare treat. Time for me to rest, to enjoy being in the house by myself, to read, to catch up on my blog. To have some me time. Greg and Gabriella went out everyday this weekend, I got to take a nap 3 days in a row.  I haven't taken a nap 3 days in a row ever.  It was great to let Greg take over parenting and entertaining and just take some time out to be me.  How did I fill my days? I rested, I finished a few books, I caught up on all my favorite websites, but most of all I sat and enjoyed the quiet.  I suppose everyone gets a little introspective when birthdays roll around and so I succumbed to the urge to take stock in my life.  To imagine what would have happened if different choices were made and make plans for the future. I realize how thankful I am for what I have and the opportunities afforded to me, that my family and extended family are happy and healthy and that life while not always easy is manageable.  I started my "would like to do" list for this year.  I think this year I have a good chance of accomplishing most of it.  
1. Travel (specifically: Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, etc.)
2. Learn to make delicious Tom Yum Soup. 
3. Learn Japanese (enough to hold a decent conversation and ask questions about food and ingredients)
4. Help my daughter learn to read. 
5. Have another baby. 
Well there is my list.  The more I reflect on it the more daunting and thrilling it becomes. While there is no time limit on the accomplishment of these goals I would like to have a new list on next years birthday filled with different "would like to do"s. 

Saturday, August 8, 2009

It's my Birthday


I've been avoiding doing this blog for some reason. I'm sure a psychiatrist would be able to tell me why.  Instead of doing it daily like I use to I've been putting it off. So instead of going back and reviewing everything so far I'm just going to start off with today.  Today is my 33rd birthday and I feel like this year is going to be great. I'm excited for a lot of new activities.  For example, in less than a month Gabriella will start preschool again. I'm looking forward to taking a Japanese language class while she's in school. This week she started a new gymnastics class, which she will continue once school actually starts.  She did pretty well, although the kids in the class have clearly already been doing gymnastics for a while so she will need a little private tutoring on all the moves. She did really well for not having a forward roll explained to her. 
This week also had our very first typhoon, typhoon Morakot. It actually passed to the south of us and we never made it past TCCOR 3. The winds were intense, definitely the strongest winds I've ever seen. The high winds made us realize that our bedroom window is not properly sealed and the wind howled all night long.  It was really hard to sleep and I got up many times just to make sure nothing outside had blown away.   As the typhoon blew south of us we got a lot of wind and a fair bit of rain but we were still able to have swim lessons and drive around to our other classes and the grocery stores. There is a saying here on Okinawa, you can judge the severity of the weather by the busses. If the busses are still running it's still safe, but once they stop it's time to take cover.  Needless to say the busses continued to run all week. 
This typhoon did ruin our original weekend plans. We rented a camper up at the white beach resort to stay in this weekend. However with the severe weather they were not checking anyone in so we cancelled.  So now we are facing a weekend full of possibilities and really no idea what to do.