All my rowdy friends have settled down

So where is everybody? Ashley? Pete? Blondeez? Are you all on hiatus?

Well, just to update, I have weighed 133 for the last 8 days in a row.

I have been hanging out at the videofitness.com readers forum lately, on the kundalini yoga thread. There's a group of ladies there who are all into Ravi & Ana's kundalini yoga workouts (as well as other fitness DVDs),  and we also check in with each other on our daily meditation practice. You know what, I haven't missed a day's meditation since I started visiting there. A little online companionship sure helps with the most unexpected things, doesn't it!

I'm on annual leave all this week, but DH could only get off Wednesday-Friday, so I'm just chilling out for today and tomorrow.

My newest interest has been taking up a lot of my time and thoughts lately. I've been reading books and online sources about kundalini yoga and Buddhism, taking what I want and leaving the rest. I've found that I love chanting as part of my practice, so I bought an MP3 player so I can download stuff online for my meditation. I haven't quite mastered it yet, but I'll get there.

Hope everyone's doing okay.

So what do I do?

My fitness routine involves 5 types of training: aerobics with weights, high repetition strength training, yoga, functional training and kickboxing. There are many other types of training out there for you to investigate. I recommend that you choose several and rotate between them (a technique called 'cross training'.)

Aerobics with weights

This type of training is what I started with and remains the foundation of my fitness rotations. Combining hi/lo aerobic exercises with light weights (I use a range of 5 to 25 lbs, but I have worked up to this) is the most efficient way to burn off fat and build the muscle that will help you keep it off.

Pound for pound, muscle burns 25 times more calories than fat. One pound of muscle uses about 350 - 500 calories per week to survive - a pound of fat needs about 14 calories per week. When you get the fat down and build the muscle up, you will have turned your body into a calorie-burning machine instead of a calorie-storing machine. You cannot do this without building muscle! When you lose weight, it's not just fat, you also lose muscle, so strength training helps you replace what you've lost plus gain more to help you maintain your new weight.

The best-known advocate of this type of training is the Firm. I started with the Firm and their workouts continue to be the backbone of my training regime. If you decide to try the Firm, I strongly urge you to avoid ordering from Firm Direct. The abysmal quality of their customer service is as legendary as the effectiveness of the workouts themselves. Go to Walmart, Target, or order online at websites like Amazon, Collagevideo, and many other secondary sources. Google it--but do not order from Gaiam (owners of the Firm). Also, I would advise that you avoid ordering the newest Firm system, TransFIRMation system. There have been many problems with people getting DVDs that will not play, and the customer service continues to send them the wrong DVDs as replacements, or more DVDs that won't play. I don't know what is going on there, but I know for myself I am going to wait a year or two before I order any of these workouts. By that time, Gaiam will have repackaged them to be sold individually rather than in a set, and hopefully by then the kinks will be worked out.

I do highly recommend the Firm Body Sculpting System 1 (the one that uses the Fanny Lifter), Body Sculpting System 2 (Fanny Lifter and Sculpting Stick), Body Sculpting System 3 (uses the Firm Box, but that was a piece of rubbish and you can use the TransFIRMer for these workouts just as well) and Body Sculpting System 4 (the TransFIRMer system). You can get any of these workouts on the secondary market at Amazon for around $4.99 (choose the 'used and new' option rather than the amazon one). You should be able to pick up a TransFIRMer for $50.00 or less on any website--and you'll probably be able to find them in Walmart or Target.

I also use several workouts by Cathe Friedrich for cardio and cardio/weight circuit training.

High repetition strength training

This type of weight lifting uses low resistant (ie, light weights--although 'light' is relative!) lifted for many repetitions. Be warned if you are a beginning exerciser it might be not only a challenge for you but also boring. I didn't start doing this training until I'd been using the Firm pretty much exclusively for two years. I was ready to move on to a new type of training. Cross training keeps the body guessing and adapting and helps you continue to grow in your fitness level.

You can find several workouts that use this technique, but most them tend to be for the intermediate to advanced home exerciser. That doesn't mean you can't use the workouts. Just use lighter or even no weights to begin with and stop for breaks when you need to. Doing this may be discouraging, but it's important for you to let go of your need to be perfect. Working out with a trainer who humbles you a bit is good for you. It's something to work toward. Tomorrow, you might do a few more repetitions. In a week or a month, you will lift heavier. There's always tomorrow, because this working out business never ends!

For this type of training, I use Jari Love's Get Ripped series. These workouts are progressive--each one is harder than the last. So far she has released four of them: Get Ripped (by far the easiest), Get Ripped Slim & Lean, Get Ripped to the Core (the first in the series to use four-limb movement, meaning you work the lower and upper body at the same time--that is so much harder!!), and Get Ripped 1000 (which is an interval training workout of four-limb movement and high impact cardio intervals--it is a killer). Some time this year she is supposed to release the next one, Get Ripped & Chiseled--if it's harder than Get Ripped 1000, I'm in big trouble! 

Yoga

I resisted yoga for a very long time. I guess this was because I was so stiff and inflexible, particularly in my hamstrings, and because I struggle with perfectionism, it really frustrated me that I couldn't do even the most basic yoga poses without straining and feeling like a failure. I've finally taken to yoga in the last four months, having incorporated more and more yoga into my monthly rotations since June. This month's rotation includes 12 yoga sessions! There are many types of yoga practice, but I have settled on 2 hatha yoga forms: vinyasa and kundalini.

Vinyasa yoga is a flowing series of yoga postures linked by continuous movement and the breath. It is often called 'power yoga'. Admittedly, I am new to yoga DVDs, but so far I have to say Rodney Yee's workouts are very, very good. I have Power Yoga Total Body and Yoga Burn, both excellent vinyasa flow workouts. I also have Eion Finn's Power Yoga for Happiness (which is more advanced and can be intimidating). For absolute beginners, Budokon Beginning Practice is non-threatening and mercifully short, and the Firm's Power Yoga teaches you only postures without even telling you the yoga names for them or mentioning any aspect of mind-body-spirit (what yoga workout fans call the 'woo-woo' factor). Any of these would be a good place to start.

Kundalini yoga probably blows the top off the woo-woo factor charts. In fact, this form of yoga might freak you out or even scare you if you are not open to eastern mysticism. This type of yoga is a system of meditative techniques and movements that focuses on psycho-spiritual growth and the body's potential for maturation. The concept of intensified life-energy is central to the practice. It also gives special consideration to the role of the spine and the endocrine system in yogic awakening.

Kundalini yoga involves holding certain poses for an extended length of time (usually around 3 minutes or more) alternated with vigorous movement and broken up with short sessions of meditation between exercises. Lots of focus is given to breathing techniques, in particular the 'breath of fire' (rapid, light panting through the nose, much like sniffing). Chanting and singing are also incorporated. I have fallen in love with this type of yoga, at least the version of it taught by Ravi Singh and Ana Brett. I have collected five of their workouts so far, and will keep going until I have them all, I'm sure!

Functional training

In the world of exercise there's a saying, 'You always hate what you need most.' If this is the case, I guess I need functional training most! I don't really hate it; it just has more of a dread factor for me than any other type of workout. I include it in my regime because it is so good for me. That said, I rarely include it more than 2 or 3 times a month! Bad me! 

Functional training involves movements that are specific--in terms of mechanics, coordination and/or energetics--to activities of daily life. It involves mainly weight bearing activities targeted at core muscles of the abdomen and lower back and attempts to adapt or develop exercises which allow individuals to perform the activities of daily life more easily and without injuries. Several of the Firm's latest workouts incorporate functional training.

I have a set of four functional training workouts done by Tracie Long, Jen Carmen, and Susan Harris (all former Firm instructors) called TLT (for Tracie Long Training). They are tough! Beginners will have to modify and use light weights. The moves are all four-limb, complex movements, and attention to form is vital to perform the exercisers properly and avoid injury.

Kickboxing

This is the latest addition to my training regime. I've chosen Kick, Punch & Crunch by Cathe Friedrich and KickMax, also by Cathe.

Cardio kickboxing combines elements of boxing, martial arts, and aerobics to provide overall physical conditioning and toning. It consists of controlled punching and kicking movements based on martial arts. Practicing kickboxing moves can burn up to 350-450 calories per hour and also help to improve balance, flexibility, coordination, and endurance.

My rotation for this month consists entirely of cardio kickboxing and yoga. I just felt like a break from weights! (Of course, I might cave in and do some Firm. I don't think I've gone for a month without doing something from the Firm in the last three years!)

Before you burst into tears because you're completely overwhelmed or fall off your chair laughing or say, 'Yeah right, I think I'll stick with just having carrot sticks and fat free cream cheese, to heck with this exercising crap'--please remember that I started out with three videos. Three videos, that I used over and over for months. Then I added another. Then another. It's taken me years to collect all my workouts and do all these different types of exercises. Don't be overwhelmed. Just pick something and get started. xx

Getting started

I've been asked how to make a start with home exercise, so here are a few tips for you. I'm only talking about home exercise DVDs here, so I won't be covering running, team sports or any of that other stuff. This advice is based on my own personal experience and what has worked for me.

Getting Started

1. Realize that your weight and fitness levels are a result of your food intake and your daily exercise. It's 80-85% food intake, 15-20% exercise. You have to understand that exercise alone will not get you the results you want. Exercising will not make up for food indiscretions or a poor diet in general. On the other hand, a clean diet alone will not get you the toned and trim look you're after, either. Dietary changes alone will leave you looking like a deflated balloon--you'll weigh less, but will you look better? You must exercise as well in order to get the look and the vibrant fitness level that you want. 
2. Determine that you are going to establish a fitness regime in your daily life. You are going to make it a priority in your week. Decide that when scheduling conflicts occur, you are not going to instantly jettison the workout. It will be like a rock sitting in the middle of a stream. Everything else will have to flow around it. Be resolute, particularly in the beginning.
3. Sit down with a calendar and have a hard look at a month's worth of your daily schedule. Write it all down. What time do you get up? If you work, what hours do you work? What time do you go to bed? What unyielding commitments do you have during the average month? (ie, church on Sunday and Wednesday night, a late finish at work every other Monday, taking kids to piano lessons Thursday afternoons, etc). Look for pockets of opportunity in your schedule. As a beginning exerciser, you should plan for three days a week. This is the minimum amount of exercise required for general health. (As time passes, you will increase your workouts. For fitness--ie, a true training effect--you are going to work out a minimum of five days a week. But let's start off right.) Be honest with yourself. You've got 24 hours in a day--8 for sleeping, 8 for work, and 8 to yourself. Out of 56 hours of available free time in a week, you CAN find 3. Find them. (Example: Monday-Wednesday-Friday; Friday-Sunday-Tuesday; Saturday-Tuesday-Friday----it doesn't matter! Just try not to schedule them back to back). As to the time of day, it makes no difference whether you work out early in the morning or in the evening. Just make sure you haven't eaten a meal within an hour of working out and it isn't too close to bed time.
4. Start researching a fitness instructor and training style that you are going to enjoy. Borrow DVDs from friends or the library. View clips online. Just watch, at first. Think about whether you will really like something. Ignore their health claims, which are usually exaggerated. Just think about whether or not doing what you're watching would be fun to you. I'm going to post more on various instructors later…
5. Now, go shopping. You are starting a collection of fitness wear that makes you feel cute and attractive. I have found that good quality, attractive workout clothes will put me in the mood to exercise and motivate me very much. Go to the sports shops and check out the clearance racks--there's always something marked down. Start with two outfits--you'll need something to wear while the other one is in the wash. I suggest a pair of shorts and pair of trousers, a sports bra and a sports vest. The dry weave stuff is excellent as it wicks sweat and fits very close to the body to allow for freedom of movement. Don't be afraid of close-fitting clothing for working out. You're at home and no one else can see you. The close-fitting clothing will allow you to be honest in your assessment of yourself, and you will notice subtle changes to your body better. I have no chest to speak of, so the built-in bras are fine for me, but if you're well endowed, invest in a good sports bra to go under your tops. It is very important for your comfort. You will also want to get some good socks and a pair of cross trainers designed for aerobics. Cross trainers do not feel like walking shoes so don't be put off when you try them on for the first time. They are designed for moving side to side and have cushioning and padding in all the right places for the kind of work you are going to be doing. When you try them on, do some grapevines, squats, lunges and other moves you've seen or tried while previewing your workouts. If the shoes are not comfortable from the first time you lace them up, don't buy them! Keep trying on shoes. Do not worry about what color they are or how they look. Comfort and support are all you should care about. These shoes will only be used for your workouts. Keep them in the box when not working out--the soles of these shoes will never touch anything but the floors of your own home!) Part of the point of all this is the investment. Having spent the money, you are going to feel bad if you don't work out. And when you are working out, you are going to be very grateful that you bought proper equipment. No slouchy old T-shirts and five-year-old trainers that you also garden in!!! DO NOT DO THAT!

Well, that's enough for a start. I've got to shopping and when I get home I'm doing Kundalini Yoga Bliss Hips!

More tips in the next post!

Here's the plan for September

I was going to call this the Jackie Chan rotation, but I may change the name...

1 Kundalini Ultimate Stretch Workout 60 min
2 Cathe Kick, Punch and Crunch 50 min premix
3 Kundalini Yoga Bliss Hips
4 Cathe Kick Max 42 min premix
5 Kundalini Yoga Journey through the Chakras 60 min
6 Cathe Kick, Punch and Crunch 42 min premix
7 Rodney Yee Power Yoga Total Body 80 min
8 Kundalini Yoga for Beginners and Beyond 75 min
9 Cathe Kick, Punch and Crunch 41 min premix
10 Eoin Finn Power Yoga for Happiness, Magical Hips 50 min
11 Cathe KPC 50 min premix
12 Holiday
13 Holiday
14 Holiday
15 Kundalini Warrior Workout 75 min
16 Cathe KPC 68 min full workout
17 Rodney Yee Yoga Burn 60 min
18 Budokon Beginning Practice, full workout including martial arts segment 45 min
19 Firm Power Yoga 37 min
20 Cathe KPC
21 Holiday
22 Holiday
23 Holiday
24 Holiday
25 Cathe Kick Max OR Firm Bootcamp MCB (figure I might be tired of kickboxing by now!)
26 Kundalini Ultimate Stretch Workout 60 min
27 Cathe KPC 42 min premix
28 Cathe KPC workout blender premix
29 Power Yoga for Happiness premix
30 Kundalini Yoga Journey through the Chakras 60 min

200 minutes

133.0 this morning. Pleasant weigh-in! How long has it been since that happened?

You probably know that conventional wisdom dictates 200 minutes of cardio per week for weight loss and overall fitness. I've been looking at my September rotation and considering doing a kickbox and yoga rotation for the month. I'm going to call it the Jackie Chan rotation. The plan is to do three 50 minute kickbox sessions, one 50-60 minute power yoga or weight lifting, and on remaining days kundalini yoga. I'm so eager to get started on this that I might ditch my current August rotation and start doing it right away. Don't know yet.

My August rotation has undergone continuous revision and substitutions. I will post what I ended up doing this month and you can compare it to what I had originally planned, if you're interested in that sort of thing.

We had a great time in London over the weekend. On Friday, we visited a shop called Yogamatters and I bought two new Ana & Ravi DVDs (thus my eagerness to do more kundalini workouts!) And then we used a great little book called 'Eccentric London' and went for a long walk around Kensington. On Saturday, we went to our friend Julie's wedding. Sunday we went around Covent Garden with our friend Mike who was visiting from America, then to the Star Wars exhibit at County Hall on the South Bank. Doesn't sound too strenuous, but I was knackered by the time we got home on Sunday night!

Okay that was weird

Yesterday I had dry toast and black coffee for breakfast, a bowl of meusli, plain vegetable salad (no oil) and a cereal bar for lunch, a pear, then for dinner veggie tofu stirfry with brown rice. During the day I drank lots of water and three cups of yogi tea. This morning I weighed 134.2.

Thank goodness for that! 138 really freaked me out yesterday!

Hoping to catch you up on my London trip tonight--must have photos developed soon!

AAAACK!!!

Horrible food situations in London, TOM arrived 12 days early and this morning I weigh 138.2.

I have no idea what is going on, feel like a perimenopausal hippo and have put myself on a sort of detox for the week. (Even though I don't believe in detoxes per se...yes I know I know, but I am a bit freaked out by it all). So it's nothing but whole fruits, vegetables, brown rice and other whole foods all week this week.

I swear I feel like flab is hanging over the top of my trousers in floury, stretchmarked sheets this morning.

Weird weird weird about the TOM, too. It was totally unexpected and there I was in my hotel with nothing at all with me because why would I expect this 13 days after first day of my last cycle?? Thank goodness we were in central London and there was a shop two doors down, and not in the middle of mid-Wales on a 14 mile walk through sheep pastures!

Maca root maca root maca root!!

Okay, for the last couple of weeks I have been taking daily supplements of maca root. I feel lots better and am sleeping better at night. I started out drinking the powdered whole root as a tea or in a smoothie, but the taste is a bit overwhelming, so I ordered a bottle of 4:1 maca root extract. We took our first capsules today and I felt great all day. Only now feeling tired, and it's 7.15 and I've done a workout during which I lifted heavier weights than I've ever used for some exercises. (Hope I'm not too sore tomorrow!)

Here's a link to a little article about what maca root is:

Lepidium

I first learned about maca root in Brendan Brazier's book Thrive.

We're off to London Friday to Sunday for a friend's wedding and to see the Star Wars Exhibit in County Hall just off Westminster Bridge. (Same building where we took Ethan to play video games!) I'll post photos. I plan for us to go to a shop in North London called Yogamatters. Hope to pick up some interested gewgaws there.

Full report and photos to follow!


xx

Who said a change will do you good?

I have been totally stressed out lately and I'm sure it's all in my head because nothing is really that different around here. I have been insufferably bitchy to my poor husband and have gone around feeling like there's a thundercloud over my head.

It's time to make a list. What's going on here?

1. I had a visit with my family and that's always wrenching. I've been fretting about it a lot lately.

2. I recently got my UK passport and that was both a milestone and a bit anti-climactic.

3. I read a book about buying a flat in the UK because house prices are simply beyond our means. Leasehold seems a like a big swizz so I guess I'm going to be a lifelong tenant. Fretting about that.

4. I told my supervisor at work that I've started a job search, that I intend to take my time about it, but that I didn't want it to be a surprise to her if I announced suddenly that I've got another job.

5. I decided not to pursue the post-graduate diploma in information management because frankly I don't want to be a librarian.

6. I just got my provisional driving licence and the next step is theory test, lesson, practical, then car ownership!

Okay, so those are the only issues I can think of that are causing me anxiety. Can I see the truth behind them?

1. I wanted to be here and I am. He wanted to be there and he is. In three or four years, he's going to be moving out on his own, anyway.

2. I worked hard for my citizenship and I prize it. Britain has problems, but so does the US!

3. We can't afford a house and that is that. I don't have to decide right now if I want to take out a leasehold. If I never buy a house, it won't be the end of the world. That's the truth.

4. The reality is that I do have a job. My job is secure. I am not in danger of losing it. If I choose to leave it, that's my choice. Any pressure I put on myself to find a new job and leave this one is not coming from anyone at work. It's all me. I don't have to rush. I never have to leave at all, in fact. Just because I told her I was looking doesn't mean I ever have to leave!

5. I'm not letting anyone down my changing my mind. It's my right to decide if something's for me.

6. Driving lessons may be a little stressful, but I already know how to physically drive and that's half the battle. And  I never have to buy a car even after I get my licence. Owning a car is a decision that I will make when I'm ready. Having the licence is handy for applying for work that is attractive but limited to licenced drivers.

So why am I stressing? What is wrong with me? I need to find a way to let go of all this nonsense and get to reality.

My overthinking has been flogged the bejesus out of me for the last few weeks.

I really need to apologize to hubby and learn to keep my fat flapping mouth shut the rest of the time. It's all vain imaginings anyway.

Slip slidin' away

At least I hope so. 134.6 this morning. I've lost the two pounds that I gained while the family were visiting.

Now to get back down to 133.0. I want to be lingering in the 131-133 zone instead of the 135-137 zone. 129 would be even better, but that's getting into the realm of fantasy with my cookie habit!

I get off work at 3.35 today. I'm doing Cathe's Kick Punch & Crunch again, and hope to write a nice long catch-up post and visit around other people's blogs. I haven't left many comments lately, but I have been checking in on lots of you!

xx