Sunday, June 26, 2011

(I) tried matching them

Awasete mita

The Pumpkin Daddy is one of those annoying people who can throw on random articles from the LL Bean (or even Uniqlo) catalog and look smoking hot. He came downstairs this morning dressed in a sweatshirt gray T-shirt and distressed gray jeans, looking good as always.

"I tried matching everything to my hair," he said, pointing to his George Clooney salt and pepper head.

Did Week 2 of "Ripped in 30" yesterday and today. For the first time, the bathroom scale showed a decrease...of 0.2 kilos, which is well within margin of error. Still, that I can get the Week 2 workout without (much) stopping must surely mean something...

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Still here

Mada iru

So, still doing Jillian Michaels. You're supposed to do one 20 minute workout 5 or 6 times a week. It was more like 3 or 4 times a week, but I'm still here. Again, I'm not sure I like her persona in the DVD. I am also unsure about running in place type movements for cardio, since I am working barefoot on my hardwood floor. But the idea of doing intense strength training mixed in with cardio makes sense, and so does having different workouts with increasing levels of intensity. I'm doing week 2 (of 4) now.

I feel different, but I do not look different, and I do not weigh different. I take that back. I weigh slightly more than when I started. I have decided to tell myself that this is increased muscle mass. Because attitude is everything.


In other news, see my bitter gourd plants? Remember what they used to look like? I gave them a bit of fertilizer last weekend. I think they really will create a shady green curtain.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Changing the way I do things

Yarikata wo kaeru

June 5
30 min walking

June 7
Pilates
30 crunches
6 pikeups
16 pushups
50 squats (20 with iPad)

June 8
25 min walking, 5 min running

And that is the last bit of walking I have done in a while. I've decided to give Jillian Michaels "Ripped in 30" (according to reviews on Amazon.com and such, it's pretty much the same thing as "30 Day Shred" but since I've never seen "30 Day Shred," this is not a problem in the least) a try. The DVD arrived yesterday, and I tried it last night and tonight. Controversy about her persona and marketing strange things as weight loss supplements aside, the idea of doing cardio and following with strength training and going back to cardio again before your heart rate goes down too far makes sense.

However, you will note the use of the word "try" in the previous paragraph. Yesterday, I did it after the Pumpkin Prince and Princess went to sleep. It went fairly well. Tonight, the Pumpkin Princess announced she wanted to try too. I thought it would be easy enough, having her jump around beside me while I go all out...

No deal. She kept wanting to use the mat (I had only one) and the hand-weights (or rather, the water bottles I was using to see if I could make this a regular thing that would make actual hand-weights worth purchasing) so I ended up just going through the motions of curls and presses.

Still, better than nothing. It still wore me out, and it still made me out of breath.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Use of chopsticks

Hashidukai

Not bad for a 2 year-old, don't you think?

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Exercise log

June 1
Pilates
30 crunches
6 pikeups
15 pushups
10 backward pushups
60 squats (last 10 with iPad. I don't have dumbells.)

June 2
25 min walking (with Cross Walker. End heart rate 124)

June 4
Pilates
30 crunches
6 pikeups (getting better at them!)
15 pushups (with hands farther apart)
10 backward pushups

The plan was to go walking this morning, but I ended up sleeping in...Let's see if the weather cooperates.

I was hoping to shrink my muffin top, you know, have an inch hanging from my belt as opposed to two inches, but that hasn't happened. I have lost no weight. Zero. But my abds have got much stronger, and I think my posture stays good until later in the day than before.