Sweaty Face

I just realized I haven't been talking much about exercise and diet. A quick update: I've been exercising as much as I can and the diet has started. I am bringing in my own lunch to school now which is low-carb, usually salads and lettuce wraps. Things are going good!

New problem though: it's freakin' HOT now.

Evidence post workout:

me pulling the Korean kiss photo routine

It's been in the eighties every day here which means our apartment (which you think would be cool because it's practically a basement) is a furnace of trapped heat! This makes my workouts a lot more painful. I suppose it's time to turn on the AC, even though we're trying to wait as long as we can. Even though it's cheap here, I don't do well with artificial cold air, makes me sick. Whatever! I can't win in this scenario, I just gotta roll with the punches!

Korean Memorial Day tomorrow. We were planning on getting things done around the house, but we've since nixed those plans and are heading to the beach! Yeah!

Kickin' it into High Gear

So now that our wonderfully relaxing 3-day weekend is over, we're ready to kick into high gear! We have 8.5 weeks to go until we're home in Maine (yes that's just 57 days away!) and just 11.5 weeks until the big day. So, that's basically 8 weeks left in Korea to get all the projects done that we've assigned as "do while here" as opposed to "do in Maine".

After a bit of crane-ing last night (count as of right now: 220), Matt and I hashed out a more detailed list of everything we need to get done here. It amounts to about 12 projects, some big and some small. With only 8 weeks left we're designating a few projects each week that we need to tackle in order to get it all done in time. The pressure is on but we're feeling re-energized and ready to go!

I know at some point we'll get burnt out, so the way I see it we should try to get as much done now while we're in a motivated and productive mood than leave it until later when we just want to throw the towel in!

Here are just some of the things we'll be working on while in Korea:
1. Folding 1000 cranes (duh) and then sticking a needle through them to prepare them for stringing
2. Finishing the final touches on the ceremony program and printing them here.
3. Designing and printing seating cards
4. Designing and printing tags for the mason jars (for people to write their names on)
5. finalizing the ceremony readings and music
6. finalizing the cute poems/sayings that we're having at various tables around the reception



Along with the projects, we've both being doing well with exercise and I've started a diet this week. I've been bringing my own lunch to school (salads, sandwiches sans bread, etc.) and have cancelled the school lunch fee for the next two months. That way I won't tempt myself with white rice and salty soups and fried meat!

crane-in' at my desk ^^

Week 3 Complete

A quick update for week 3. While I did great during the week, I skipped all 3 workouts on the weekend. Oops. Although I did walk a few miles around a fortress wall with Matt on Sunday, which had a few strenuous sections, so it wasn't a complete loss.

I just have to find the willpower to push on through the weekends. During the week I have a routine, but it's hard on the weekends when we have other plans. Must work harder at it!

This week I totaled 4 Turbo Fire workouts and 1 small hike.

This coming weekend will be the end of 4 weeks so I will go to the spa and weigh myself. I have noticed a few inches lost, but probably not a lot of weight. We'll see. Staying optimistic. I have 17 weeks left before I go home!

Week 2 Complete

Well, another week has come and gone!

This week was also pretty good, although I didn't stick to my goals as much as I would hope. I cheated and had a few coffee drinks throughout the week. Oops!

I ended up doing 4 Turbo Fire workouts and one small hike. I missed a few workouts due to a ridiculously sore stomach and back. Fortunately, I recovered quickly and kept plowing through.

While I wanted to weigh myself at the jimjilbang (spa) this weekend, we didn't end up going. I am now going to wait until the 4 week mark to see my progress.

This week's goals:

Stop drinking calories
Actually do the 6 planned workouts, no excuses

So far, so good!

Week 1 Complete

Yeah!

Well week 1 was a bit stressful (to say the least!) I managed to stick to my goals and all is well with the world!

Last week I did:
5 Turbo Fire workouts
a 2.5 mile river walk

While I had aimed at 6 TF workouts, Saturday night's was cancelled due to extra long family Skype sessions. I didn't mind one bit, and made it up by a nice long river walk the following morning with Matt.

While I wasn't thinking too consciously about my diet last week (just focusing on getting back to regular exercise), I do want to focus more on it this week.

My goals for this week:
-Turbo Fire as scheduled (6 nights)
-No calories from drinks (no soda, coffee with sugar/cream, juice, etc)
-Be conscious of what I am eating

Week 3 I will focus more on dieting as well.

It takes 4 straight weeks of something to make it routine, so I am going to mainly focus on exercise for the first 4 weeks, and then once I get going I will really start to concentrate on the diet. I know in the past that if I start out exercising a ton, keeping a food journal, calorie counting and taking out a lot of my favorite foods from my diet, that I tend to fail. Now I have 19 weeks to go, I can pace myself a little, start out with exercise and go from there.

Cheers to week 2! Now only if this weather would warm up, I am just itching for cherry blossoms and sunny hikes. This past weekend was crappy weather-wise, we couldn't even get a hike in.

Staying optimistic! ^^

Week 1: Commencing

Last week was our initial start to the M & D Wedding Challenge. We made a board with categories (diet, exercise, etc) and allotted stars to each one according to a simple rubric we made. We have a total number of stars that we're trying to reach each week. Since last week was the start-up week, we didn't hit our goals, but that's OK because now we know what we need to change to make improvements.

Last week I exercised 4 times: two Turbo Fire workouts, a 2 mile walk on the river and a hike to a Buddhist temple.

This week is considered Week 1 because I am starting the Turbo Fire schedule. I am going to follow it strictly for the entire 20 weeks, that is my goal. If I start on week 1 this week, I will finish the week we go home to Maine, perfect! I am holding myself accountable by posting weekly updates on the blog, every Monday night I will touch base regarding to Turbo Fire.


The two  TF workouts I did last week were awesome. I plowed right through them! I was a little stiff the next day, but nothing bad. I am excited to get back into 6 days a week of intense HIIT (high intensity interval training) workouts!

GOAL 1 for Week 1: To follow the schedule exactly, no skipped workouts.(6 days/week)
GOAL 2 for Week 1: To add an additional form of exercise once (a walk or a hike)

LET'S DO THIS! ^^

Wedding Challenge: Day 1

It’s the first day of a new year at school. Thankfully I have no classes (I got less than 4 hours of sleep last night). Besides the start of the school year, Matt and I are also kick starting our M&D Wedding Challenge, whatever that means! We wanted to jump back into regular exercise and home cooking again after we got back from vacation, but we ended up getting sick for seriously 3 weeks. Excuses aside, we’re ready to roll. Matt won’t be exercising for the first few days due to recent LASEK (laser eye surgery), but we’ve got a nice healthy menu planned and our pantry is stocked! 

I will be starting Turbo Fire again on a strict schedule. I have almost 5 months to go before the big day, and conveniently the program lasts 20 weeks which will put me about a month out from the wedding. Then I can hopefully concentrate on toning up.

Last time that I did Turbo Fire on a schedule I lost 8 pounds in 4 weeks and significant inches from my waist.  Then I took off for vacation to Malaysia, so I obviously got off the exercise wagon. I am really excited to start again on the scheduled calendar instead of a few workouts here and there. 

Those who know me well know that I work best under pressure. While I ended up with pretty decent grades in college, I procrastinated until the very last second. I don’t like sleepless nights either, so I would start studying the night before an assignment around 7PM and finish around midnight. It worked well for me!

I also wait until the night before to pack before a trip. It doesn’t matter if it’s a weekend trip away or a 4 week trip home. 

So now I am almost 5 months out from my wedding and can no longer put off the big push to diet and exercise. While we don’t eat a lot of terrible food, the focus will be to eat at home during the week and try to fill our plates with the right proportion of food (the new Food Pyramid if you will).

Wish us luck as we embark on 5 intense months of planning, healthy eating, exercise, and meditation. It’s going to be crazy from here on out!

By the way, I can’t believe I started this blog with 15 months to go.

10lbs Gone.

I can't quite believe it, and don't know if it's 100% true, but the scale says I've lost a total of 10 pounds! I find it hard to believe since I lost 7 before going to Malaysia and have slacked for the past month since coming home. Regardless, the past 2 weeks I have slowly upped my exercise and I am now tracking my food again.

I will take another 3 pounds! This means I am a 5th of my way there :)

Hopefully after another 10 I will look significantly different, but who knows. It shows on people in different ways. Because I have a lot to lose, I figured it would be more than 20lbs before people really noticed.

So with that little tidbit of happy news, I am now really motivated to continue pushing! I have just 6 weeks until my measurements are due for my dress, and just 16 weeks until SouthEast Asia! I can't believe it! Time is flying people!

No matter how hard I push I doubt I will reach my initial goal for the measurements, but no matter. Matt has assured me that it doesn't matter because I am getting fitted and for the dress 10 weeks later and they can make a lot of adjustments. Also, I plan on having someone at home make minor adjustments as well, considering I plan on losing the rest after January.

Yeah! Very exciting!

The Game of Life

It's 1:20PM and the majority of kids have yet to show up for the afternoon session of summer camp. I'm feeling nice today, so I decided to let them play another round of Life, which, if played to the end, lasts more than an hour.

These kids are wound so tight during the school months, I thought it would be refreshing to them to sit back and play a board game with new friends. they REALLY enjoy it. Most of them have told me that they rarely play board games, especially with friends. It's nice seeing them having genuine fun with kids they probably wouldn't be hanging out with otherwise.

The Game of Life is complicated!! I remember being confused as a kid, try explaining the rules to Korean kids when the entire game is in English. I just let them play however they want which results in them having a blast.

A small part of me feeels guilty for not covering all of the material in the workbook that I was supposed to for today, but most of me doesn't care. The kids are having fun, and I am sore and tired from a few tough workouts.

I consider myself lucky to have finished 4 weeks of the Turbo Fire without any injuries. Although I have been a little sore here and there, I've also been surprised with how great I've felt. I was expecting to be tight every morning, but so far, so good.

Until 2 days ago.

It's not even muscle pain. It's my scar tissue. I had kidney surgery when I was 9 years old which has left me with a 6 inch scar on my back. Although it's been 16 years, the scar tissue never healed and it has caused me some pain, especially during sports. Now that I have been increasing my punching and side bends, the scar tissue is sore again. Really sore. This is actually a good thing, since I am breaking up scar tissue that should have been broken up years ago. This is a painful, but necessary thing if I want to eliminate pain in the future.

Even though the past two nights have been incredibly painful, I am pushing through and counting my blessings that this is the only pain I have dealt with thus far. Hopefully with each week that goes by the pain will decrease, but we'll see.

I think it's going to get more painful before it gets better.

Week 9 Recap and WEEK 4 RESULTS! :)

Oops!

Last week got the best of me. It was the last week of school, I was SO done with it all, so much so that I didn't even have the energy to blog during a free period. Oh well.

Now that school is over and summer camp has begun, things are looking up again! Heading to Malaysia in less than 2 weeks definitely helps :)

Another thing to be super psyched about is my 4 WEEK RESULTS. That's right. I completed my first 4 weeks of Turbo Fire, which means I had to do a weigh in, take my measurements and snap some more photos.

So where do I stand?

In the last 4 weeks I have lost a total of 8 pounds. Well, 7.7 pounds on a finicky scale. So I am obviously rounding. That's a total of between 1.6-1.8 pounds a week, which is fantastic! My goal was to lose an average of 1.5 a week, so I surpassed my goal. Granted, the first 7 pounds were lost in the first three weeks, with only a small loss during the 4th week, due to some circumstances that I won't get into here (I'm sure you can guess).

Along with the pounds, I lost a total of 3 inches from my waist, and a few other inches here and there for a combined loss of 7.5 inches.

While I don't have all of my measurements from March 1st (they're in a notebook at school locked in the teacher's room), I do know that I have lost a total of 9 inches from my waist since March. I still can't believe it, even though my waist is where I feel the difference the most. Still, 9 inches?!

Suffice to say I am pretty pumped about the results, especially since I wasn't too picky with my diet. I ate mostly clean, but in the last 4 weeks I definitely had splurge nights.

My first goal was to lose 10 pounds by Malaysia, and if I can just pull off losing around a pound a week for the next 2 weeks I'll be there!

Although I am super excited for Malaysia, it is causing some stress in regards to my progress. I will definitely be watching what I eat, and with all of the hiking and snorkeling I'll be doing I am not too worried about gaining. It's just hard to be in the middle of a fitness program to have to take 16 days off.

No worries, though. I have a plan for jumping right back in when I get back.

So my focus for the next two weeks is to eat super clean, push my exercises and even get a few extra walks in here and there.

Cheers to a successful first 4 weeks of Turbo Fire! 16 weeks to go :)

Week 8 Recap

Yes!

Week 8 was my best week yet. I think my body is finally getting on board with this exercise thing. My official weigh in and picture taking is next weekend, but so far since starting Turbo Fire I have lost 7 pounds!!!

It feels good to finally start losing something substantial and not just water weight. 7lbs is the real deal, and in only 3 weeks, which is pretty good considering I was going for 1-2 pounds per week.

I didn't miss a single Turbo Fire exercise this week, and although I didn't eat particularly well this weekend, my body seems to be handling it just fine.

Along with the pounds, I have lost inches as well. Actually, last Friday I found measurements that I had taken way back around March 1st, and let's just say that my waist especially has GREATLY improved. I was super surprised!

It's amazing what a little weight loss will do for enthusiasm. I was so pumped this entire weekend, despite the fact that it rained straight for 2 days. Even though I am feeling sluggish today, I'm in such a good mood, and can't wait to exercise tonight.

I think I am going to drive Matt crazy with each pound lost, but luckily for me he is my biggest supporter :) I doubt I will drive him away with all of my crazy talk, jumping up and down and endless smiles!

With this progress I am so much more motivated to eat healthier and exercise harder. The Turbo Fire exercises have been FANTASTIC. Every single one of them leaves me absolutely dripping in sweat, from head to toe. Now that I have finished my third week, there's no messing around anymore. I know the moves by heart, so it's time to up the intensity.

This week's goal is to add a lot more power to my workouts. That includes adding power to my punches and kicks and to be conscious of keeping my abs tight and muscles flexed.

Also-since the big weigh in and picture taking is this coming weekend, my focus is to eat really clean this week. That won't be too much of a problem since Matt and I have a weekly allowance (since we're big into saving right now!) and most of it has already been spent. That means lots of healthy home cooking for us!

YAHOO! Bring on this rainy, nasty week. Nothing's stopping me :)

You're Killing Me, Fiber!

In these past 9 weeks, I have seen a lot of positive changes. I’ve gotten stronger. My stamina has increased. With each workout I find myself pushing harder, jumping higher and reaching lower. My appetite is great, I don’t crave junk like I used to. I feel happier, and for the most part, more awake and active. Even though I was a pretty happy, optimistic person before, the endorphin highs have been a really nice addition to my daily life.

Along with the good, I have experience a few smaller negative things. One is my sleep. This isn’t because of exercising or dieting, it’s just lately I’ve been in a funk and have had trouble falling asleep at a decent hour. That is getting better though, as I experiment with my caffeine intake (which, let’s face it, I shouldn’t be consuming much of anyways), when and for how low I nap, and what I do before I go to bed. It seems to be getting better.

One other thing that has been bothering me lately is a little embarrassing, but what the heck. Lately, for the past week, every day for a few hours after lunch I have been experiencing a lot of bloating and cramping in my stomach. It confused me because I have been eating healthy lunches and have decreased my calorie intake. With not a lot of rich foods, why was my stomach turning into a rock every afternoon?

Well, it didn’t take me long to figure out an answer. Apparently, when you don’t think too much about the healthy things you start to eat, you can have adverse reactions without even knowing it. So, what’s the issue? Simply put, I am eating too much fiber too fast.

The benefits of fiber are great, as most people are aware. We are bombarded by commercials and advertisements talking about the numerous health benefits of a fiber-rich diet. What they don’t usually tell you is that if you go from eating a low amount of fiber to, say, consuming tons of it every day, your body doesn’t take it too well. Actually, your stomach has a hard time digesting it.

I find it hilarious that when I researched “too much fiber” these are the food culprits they listed that might cause “discomfort”:

Carrots

Any plant in the cabbage family

Anything fermented

Whole wheat products

Granola/muesli

Apples

Legumes

Does anyone else find this hilarious?! Okay, maybe it’s just me. Hehe. Take a look at NUMBER 2 and 3. AHH. You’ve got to be kidding me! I mean, not only do I eat cabbage EVERY DAY, I eat FERMENTED cabbage! Too funny. Of course I’ve been eating cabbage every day for the past 16 months. That can’t be it. But hmm, what else have I introduced to my diet in the last two weeks? How about granola EVERY morning? And I eat carrots like a friggin rabbit, A Ziploc bag a day. Every other day or so I also eat a NutriGrain bar, which says right on the front: “Good source of fiber”.

So I guess I started this fiber rich diet too much, too fast. Of course, I wasn’t purposely trying to up my fiber intake by a lot. I knew I should be adding fiber (studies have shown it’s good for weight loss), but I wasn’t actively seeking out all of these foods because of fiber. It’s really just a coincidence.

Go figure. I try and eat relatively healthy and all I get is tons of stomach discomfort. All I can say is that I am glad I figured out the problem. No carrots for me today!

Doctors suggest slowly increasing your fiber intake over a few weeks, adding a few grams each day. They recommend 25-30 grams for women, 30-35 grams for men per day. Most people don’t get that much unless they are conscious of choosing fibrous foods.

My plan is to slowly introduce the carrots back in, only have a bite or two of kimchi, and see how I feel. I ate granola this morning so if that’s it, we’ll know come 2:00PM!

Lunch Menu: Revealed

So one huge hurdle with tracking calories and trying to eat healthy is not knowing any nutritional information for 1/3 of my meals for the day. That’s right. It seems pointless to track my food when, in all honesty, I have no idea what I eat for lunch sometimes. Sure, I eat a serving size (or less) of rice. Sure, I eat kimchi (every single lunch time). But the other 3 sides are a mystery. How am I supposed to track the soups? Or the weird meat +veggie+sauce concoctions? Or the *moan* nasty fish cake? Oh wait, I refuse to eat the fish cake. You get what I mean. Although I can try to guestimate lunch calories, it’s not easy.

Well, today I have some semblance. I snatched a lunch menu off of a student who wasn’t paying attention, and noticed that there is some nutritional information listed on each day. Even though I don’t know exactly what I am putting into my body, at least I have some idea of the calories, fat, sugars etc. That sounds all exciting, except for one small thing. I don’t eat a full serving size of everything. Lately I don’t eat much from the lunch menu at all. I don’t even know what the serving size for each thing should be. Regardless, it’s something to get me through until next semester. I am trying to decide if I should make the big leap. You know what leap I am referring to: bringing lunch from home.

Why, what an easy solution! Not really. I mean, a lot of foreigners refuse to eat school lunch, many making their case known within the first week at school. Because I am not a picky eater, I decided it would make a good impression to suck it up and eat with the rest of the teachers everyday in the cafeteria. You might not think it’s a big deal to eat different food or to sit alone at your desk, but in Korea, it could be taken the wrong way. While some schools don’t wave a finger at that type of behavior, many Koreans think it’s rude to eat in seclusion. Have I mentioned how community-driven these people are? Well, they are VERY into group bonding and sharing. Koreans share everything. If one brings a clementine in for a snack, 99% of the time you see them split it into pieces to share. Although many in the west might view this as too much, it’s never too much in Korea.

So you can see where it might be awkward choosing to eat alone at your desk while the rest of the teachers “enjoy” lunch together. Luckily for me, I don’t think it will be a huge deal. I think I will continue to pay for the measly monthly lunch fee so that I can still join in every now and then, but next semester I am going to spring the news to my co teacher and see what she says. After all, they all know I am dieting, which is taken very seriously here. Hopefully they won’t think too much of it, since I have participated in every activity they have ever had.

Bringing in leftovers and making myself a salad for lunch every day sounds absolutely amazing. It’s the little things in life, seriously. You don’t think about how great it is to make your own lunch selection every day until you are stuck eating Korean food on metal trays like an inmate every weekday. Ick.

Week 7 Recap

So, it's been 7 weeks since I started exercising regularly. It's only been 2 weeks though since I started the Turbo Fire workouts. From now on I am going to use the Turbo Fire weeks to mark my progress, since it was two weeks ago when I took my measurements, took starting pictures and started the routine.

I am happy to say that in two weeks I have made some progress! According to the scale (which I have not decided yet whether to trust or not), I have lost 4-5 pounds. My actual weigh-in isn't for another two weeks, so we'll see. If that's real, then I've lost around 2 pounds a week, which is great.

Out of the 12 days of exercise on the Turbo Fire schedule, I did all but one. I missed last Sunday's workout, which was supposed to be a sculpting/stretch session. I don't feel too bad since I didn't miss a single intense cardio session. From now on though, no excuses! 6 workouts a week, no exceptions.

The workouts have been good. The first week I got myself out of bed every morning to do the weekday workouts, this past week it was half and half. I woke up two days, and the other two days I chose to workout at night when Matt was at taekwondo. Although I prefer getting it out of the way, I've realized some days I just need more sleep. The goal is to not miss a day, no matter what. If it means sleeping in and doing it that night, then so be it.

The diet has been mostly clean this past week. I had half a slice of pizza with my salad at Costco during our monthly shopping, but other than that it's been salads, chicken, curry etc.

This week's goals:

Wake up at least two mornings to exercise
Eat healthy every meal
Do something extra: a walk one night, or hiking, or an extra core workout, something not on the schedule.

Pretty happy with the results this week, minus the break down last night I am feeling really good! Bring on week 3 of the Turbo Fire! Only 4 solid weeks left until Malaysia. My goal is 10 pounds by then, but we'll see. I'm going to really have to cut a few calories and eat extra healthy!

When Science Isn't Enough

Anyone who begins a weight loss journey knows the "golden rule": if you have a calorie deficit each week, you will lose weight. Slowly but surely, you can lose up to 2 pounds per week by cutting out around 500 calories a day, more if you exercise.

That sounds all well and good, but most people do not experience this to be the truth, at least not all of the time. Things happen that make this mathematical equation not true. I mean, wouldn't it be nice if that were actually the case, week after week? Unfortunately, shit happens. Some people experience weight gain at the beginning of their weight loss regiment. Some people stagnate for weeks on end. Some people lose a lot more one week, and then nothing the next.

Why does is this equation not perfect? Why can't it be? Of course all of those issues I mentioned above have scientific factors that explain the reasons behind them. A lot of people gain weight during the first few weeks of intense exercise because their muscles are being pulled and therefor retain water. Some people stagnate in their weight loss because their body has become used to their regular form of exercise, and need to be "rebooted", while others stagnate because, holy cow, they aren't eating ENOUGH calories for the amount of exercise they do and need to fuel their bodies more to continue losing.

Weight loss is not X +Y =Z. People probably wouldn't be battling obesity on such a scale if it was the case. It can be so frustrating. Even though I've only been on this journey for mere weeks, I have already learned a lot in how I approach weight loss.

It's more than science. In order to be successful, it has to be about faith. Belief in yourself and your abilities. Belief that just because the scale isn't moving, that you are bettering yourself after each workout. Belief that just because you're not getting the results you want doesn't mean you're not getting healthy. Belief that you can get through the next 45 minutes of an intense workout when you're already tired because you're worth it.

So much of losing weight and getting healthy is mental. Damn the science.

Last night I had my first real break down. I cried like a baby, yelling at Matt and feeling so discouraged and angry because he was seeing amazing results in his fitness plan and I wasn't seeing anything. Angry that his goal right now is to get a 6-pack, while mine is to lose a whopping 50 pounds. I felt dismayed, hopeless. How could he, day after day, come to me with a smiling face showing me his new muscles? Didn't he get it? Doesn't he know this is hard for me?

But then, today, after the most intense 45 minute workout I've had yet with the Turbo Fire, I experienced such an adrenline/endorphin high and realized that if I am going to accomplish success, I need to stay focused. I need to remember the feelings I get after exercising and harness them when I am feeling dismayed. I can't let all of these factors get the best of me. I can be happy for Matt and proud of my own small achievements at the same time.

It's a battle. I know that I will break down again, but I also know how many more amazing moments I am going to have after I finish a high intensity workout and am dripping in sweat and happiness.

Just with anything else, it's 90% mental and 10% physical. Science is never enough.

Week 6 Recap

So, it's hard to believe that it's been 6 weeks since I started really exercising and dieting! Crazy how time flies.

So this week was so good!

I not only started the Turbo Fire workout, but one of my goals was to wake up and exercise before work and I did it every day last week, so I'm pretty happy.

The workouts are intense, but I can already tell that I am getting stronger and increasing stamina. Once you get all of the moves and routines down you can really concentrate on putting as much effort as possible into the workout, so the past few have been really good. I can't believe how tired I am after finishing, but then I have so much energy for hours on end. The other night Matt and I completed a workout and I ended up blasting music and dancing for another 45 minutes afterward. So great!

So I made the mistake of forgetting to weigh myself on the accurate scale at the jimjilbang last night (Korean spa), so I don't know how I am doing weight wise but I can definitely feel and see a small difference in my stomach, obliques, and arms. I won't take measurements for another 3 weeks, but I can only imagine that there will be some change by then. YAY!

The best thing about intense cardio exercise is the feeling you get when you're done. Even though I might not have lost any weight yet, it feels so good to sweat it out everyday. Not only does your body feel good, you get this natural high from all of the endorphins pumping through your body. I had forgotten what regular exercise feels like. I completely understand how people get addicted to this!

Running was so boring. I dreaded every single step. I rarely broke a sweat with Power 90, and that too was painstakingly boring for me. But Turbo Fire reminds me of why I enjoyed the step aerobics classes I used to take in college: they're so fun. Class flies when you are constantly moving to upbeat music and changing routines every few minutes.

So, one awesome week down of the Turbo Fire. 19 weeks to go! I have 5 more weeks until Malaysia, where I will have to take a break. But I plan on coming back and getting right back into the routine. Hopefully I can keep up exercising with all of the hikes we plan on doing.

It scares the crap out of me that I only have 4 months until I have to send my measurements in for my WEDDING DRESS! Ah!

HIIT me!

So this morning was the first time I have ever done a HIIT workout. HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training, and it's exactly that: INTENSE.

For 15 minutes, you alternate between spazing out for 45-60 seconds at 110%, and then recovering for another 45-60 seconds. To give you an idea of what you are required to do during a HIIT, I'll give you some examples.

The first set of 3 HIITS we did this morning consisted of jump roping in place really fast (without a jumprope), jumping jacks, side punches, and "sumo" squats, which include getting down on your hands, throwing your legs back behind you (like you're going to do a push-up) and then jumping back up. All of this is done super fast and at 100%. We did this set 3 times. Then we moved on to another set which included jumping jacks, touching the floor on either side of you, side jumps, and more punching. THEN we did another set of 3 with different moves.

Let me just say that it was tough. Tough, I suppose is an understatement. We did a total of 9 HIITS, with 9 breaks in between. As hard as it was, and even though I didn't go 100% every time, I was still able to finish, AND it was kind of fun, in a out-of-breath-heaving sort of way.

But, who cares?! It was over in 15 minutes. That's the joy of a HIIT workout. After we had a 10 minute stretch and then it we had breakfast and ran off to work.

It's so amazingly awesome to finish a workout before your day even begins, knowing you can kick back for the evening.

Tomorrow morning I have a rest day, which is great. At first I wanted to switch it from Wednesdays to a weekend day, but I soon realized that I should stick to the schedule. That way I get a break mid-week and can sleep in for a few extra minutes!

Ever try a HIIT workout? I applaud those who love them. Eventually I will work up to a 30 minute HIIT workout. It seems impossible right now, but in due time :)

Week 5 Recap and Some Results!

So week 5 wasn't too great on the exercise front. Matt was super busy for the last two weeks and it finally caught up to him, which meant that he didn't go to his nightly taekwondo session which led to us going out and having fun on the weeknights. I'm not blaming him, I could have totally done the Power 90 and he would have been supportive, but I was tired too.

Last week I suffered from a lot of headaches, and my sleep schedule for some reason got all out of whack. A few nights I had trouble sleeping and couldn't get to bed until 2AM, which led me to coming home in the afternoon and napping, which just perpetuated the cycle of no sleep.

But no more excuses!

On Saturday Matt and I spent an hour or so previewing the Turbo Fire videos. He thought it would be a good idea for me to see what some of them are like. Because this system includes 12 different videos and has a set schedule of different activities, I thought it would be good to see what I was getting myself into. It was really helpful to watch them, in that it solidified my decision to take on the challenge, and it reassured me that this program is going to completely kick my ass.

Kick my ass it did. On Sunday Matt suggested that we do a trial run. We did the first video on the calendar, which is a 30 minute cardio followed by a 10 minute stretch. YIKES.

We were pools of sweat 5 minutes in, and although I completed the video, the last 5 minutes of the cardio I was breathless, which is the first time I have been so out of breath since I can remember. I take this as a good thing. I know it was pushing me to my limit.

Last night we took my measurements and some pictures, which is my least favorite part. Good news is, after looking at the pictures we took of me back on March 1st, you can already see a difference! I was shocked considering I haven't lost any weight, but there is a considerable change in the way my stomach, arms, upper back and torso look in the pictures. It was great to have Matt point out all of the changes. Even though it was hard for me to let him take pictures of me like that, he is so supportive that I realize it doesn't matter. The pictures gave me a boost of confidence and I am excited to get this program started!

It's Monday morning and we (yes, Matt got up an extra hour early too!) just completed the first video of day 1. This time I was able to get through the whole thing with the same amount of energy, mainly because for a few harder moves I modified them and followed the trainer who was doing the less-impact version. It feels SO GOOD to get the workout out of the way before work!

Now I can go home tonight and totally relax!

Only 139 days left..hehe.

The Next Step

So when I first started this whole adventure to a healthier me, Matt encouraged me strongly to pick a workout regiment that I could modify or change to my liking. He expressed that if I start a certain program and I don’t get the results I want after a period of time, I should not feel bad about changing workouts.

Yesterday I realized that I am not being challenged enough, and that I want more out of my workout than what Power 90 can give me. Although many people have suggested “graduating” to P90X (which is Power 90 Extreme), I’ve decided to go without something that is more cardio focused.

Even though I am 50 lbs overweight I have noticed something about my stamina and fitness level. Over the years despite my weight gain, I have been able to bounce back into a fairly strenuous workout. Although I am carrying around a lot of excess fat, I never feel winded when I climb the stairs (like so many of my fellow Korean teachers who weigh 90 lbs do). Without exercising for months and months I can quickly pick up a jogging regiment or a step class. I hiked for 3 weeks on the Appalachian Trail, and while I was certainly pushed extremely hard and had many head between my knees moments, I was still able to hike up and down mountains for 8 hours a day. On my longest day I hiked more than 21 miles.

I remember back at college working out with one of my best friends and dorm room mates. I had just starting working out after a few months and invited her to join me. She swore she had been working out nightly for weeks, but when she got onto the treadmill next to me, she could barely jog for 1 minute before having to walk. She weighed around 110 lbs. I am saying this because sometimes I need to remind myself that just because someone is thin doesn’t mean they’re in shape. Koreans are the best example of this. I live in a country where only 3% of the population is overweight. You are hard pressed to find any clothing above a size 4 in most stores. Obese Koreans have to shop online or travel to Seoul to shop in the “plus” or “big” stores (that are normally frequented by foreigners). The majority of Koreans, frankly, look amazing. They are so fashionable and girls are always donning mini skirts and high heeled boots, regardless of season or weather. But when taking a closer look, you realize that it’s all for show. Watching an average Korean climb a mountain (aside from the old, tougher than leather ajummas and ajosshis) is pretty pathetic. If you are able to stare at an average girl’s legs (without drawing too much attention to yourself), you notice that there is absolutely zero definition. I have seen so many times Korean women try to pick up items to carry back from the grocery store only to make it 3 feet before handing it over to their counterpart.

Just because I am overweight doesn’t mean I have to start “slow”. It doesn’t mean I automatically start sweating profusely when I walk more than half a mile or have to pause between each staircase. People have preconceived notions about all obese people and frankly, it’s just another stereotype.At first I had convinced myself that I needed to take it slow and order the P90 instead of the P90X, because so many people had warned about it being too difficult. Now I am realizing that I was downplaying my level of fitness simply because I’m fat.

Well, not anymore. Even after graduating to level 3-4 of the P90 I am finding myself not challenged enough. I need more cardio, I need a tougher workout. I want to be drenched in sweat the entire time and feel absolutely amazing when I’m finished. Right now I am not feeling that way.

I’ve decided to try a program called Turbo Fire. It’s an intense cardio burning workout that looks like a ton of fun. I had absolutely zero fun doing the Power90. It was so boring and frankly, I dreaded it every night. Hopefully this new program will inspire me to finish it.

Along with switching cardio workouts, I am going to make a few big changes to my routine. I am going to try extremely hard to workout in the mornings. Yes, you heard me. I have a lot of trouble getting up in the morning, but I think this will be the best way for me to stay focused, commit to the program and stay on a schedule.

It’s all starting Monday!

Week 4 Recap

So although this past weekend was another "wash", last week wasn't terrible. What I ate wasn't so much of the problem as my lack of exercise. I only ended up exercising 4 days last week total. Bummer.

Oh, well. A new week has begun and it started off last night with a healthy dose of the Power 90 workout video. I have "graduated" to level 3-4 now (instead of level 1-2) so let's just say the cardio is enough to keep me lightheaded and sweating profusely for the entire 45 minutes. Tonight I am starting the 3-4 level in sculpting (weightlifting) and plan on adding in a 2 mile jog/walk into the mix.

While on the whole we've been eating better and exercising more these past 4 weeks, I am not getting the results that I want. Although I haven't weighed myself and have gotten a lot of compliments from teachers at school about my "slimness", I don't think I've lost anything. My pants fit a little loser, but nothing dramatic. After 4 weeks I was hoping for at least a little more.

I've decided to ramp up the exercise. Doing the cardio video 3 nights a week while adding more cardio to my sculpting nights will help.

I also really need to cut the crap. I did NOT need that ice cream last night. I didn't need that iced latte from Dunkin' Donuts the other night, either. Although my diet has drastically changed, it hasn't changed completely.

Even though I am not seeing the results I'd like, I am still optimistic. Each week is a new week and each day that goes by where I make smart choices is one step closer.

Goals for this week:
add cardio (even if it's just a walk) to my sculpting nights
go on a hike/long walk on my one day off a week from the exercise video
cut out all of the "freebie" snacks/drinks
continue to eat healthy, balanced meals
buy bus tickets for the airport for MALAYSIA!

Okay, so I threw that last one in there for good measure :)