OMG...what if I don't have a pretty face?: perspiration

Showing posts with label perspiration. Show all posts

Monday, March 11, 2013

Sit 'n' Spin

Del and Suzie - Voodoo Museum - New Orleans, LA

I got this email from one of my besties, Del, who has lost about 50 pounds in the last few years by combining a healthy diet with walking and yoga, see "The oracle Delfine speaks.." She has been an incredible support system for me throughout the years that I have known her, and even though she is clear across the country in la belle ville, she continues to egg me on in my quest for fitness. So, when Lil' Miss Yoga told me she might try a class or two before coming out west for a visit, I expected something like aquafit or pilates. Del went to a spin class on her lunch break. For someone with a degree in Public Relations, you'd think she'd be more used to "spin." Haha...

I just came back from spinning and…my ass is killing me! Those seats feel like they’re made out of concrete!

Five minutes into the class, I was staring at the clock praying that it would move forward a little faster (it did not!) but I persevered and made it through the class.

Here are two observations:

Observation no. 1:

I don’t like cardio! Let me correct this statement: I don’t like cardio when I’m huffing and puffing but I love the high you get once you’re done. I also like the fact that even though you feel like you’re going to die, if you tell yourself “Just another 5 minutes”, you suddenly realize that you made it through the entire class and you’re kind of super proud of yourself for toughing it out. ‘Cause honestly, I was ready to quit 6 minutes into the 45 minute class.

Observation no. 2:

This yelling at you to motivate you just really annoys me! I think that’s mostly because of the yoga thing! Trust me, there is no yelling in yoga and you still manage to push the hell out of yourself. In the spinning-teacher’s defense, her music was really loud (fun!) so I guess she didn’t have a choice but to yell.

All this to say, you inspired and I perspired!

I have no idea how I inspired this sort of bicycular torture, but I'm thrilled that Del discovered the ridiculous after-cardio high that you get from endorphins, and the sense of accomplishment that you experience when you finish something that you didn't want to do in the first place. And, after all, she had better get accustomed to cardio if she's going to come to Victoria and stay with me. I'm not sure if we'll be spinning together in the near future, but if that concrete bike seat wants anywhere near my ass, it had better buy me dinner first.

Thursday, March 07, 2013

Let's get physical, physical...I wanna get physical...

Yes, I am Madonna.

If the thought of bouncing around in an aerobics class conjures up 80s images of Olivia Newton-John singing PHYSICAL, spandex leggings, braided sweatbands, high ponytails, and blue eyeliner, then we're on the same wavelength.

More realistically for me, it should be reminiscent of the step classes I used to attend in bike shorts and wife beaters, the music was more C+C Music Factory - Gonna Make You Sweat and House of Pain - Jump Around with a little U2 - One for cool down or slow dancing...haha. My hair was to my waist and parted in the middle, but I'd stick it in a bun and remove my plaid flannel shirt and leave my teenage angst at the door before class started.

So a couple days ago when I tried an aerobics class I kinda knew what to expect. The music is contemporary, the clothes have gone from spandex leggings with a g-string leotard holding them up to yoga pants and a quick dry tank, and I have gone from looking like I know what I'm doing to making things up as I go along. The thing is, it's fun and it burns calories. The ninja says it is what you make it.

Yesterday's class was awesome! When I wasn't lost and making up my own dance moves (much to the chagrin of the women around me), I was box-stepping, knees-upping, and kick-backing in sync with the rest of the group. It must have been my jock-inspired workout gear I was wearing...a cut-up Bon Temps football shirt and some new fancy fabric yoga pants. I even copped on to the "repeaters" and the four to two count stuff. The gods of bouncing around were smiling on me.

Workouts can get monotonous if you let them, that's why you gotta shake it up a little.

*Jiggle Jiggle*

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Weigh-In Wednesday #6

Can it be that I am half-way done this challenge? Well, yes...this is my 6th week of eating right, exercising, and on Wednesdays...weighing-in. It seems like a hundred years ago now that I was trying to get over my fear of falling off the elliptical and trying to figure out how to make it up a flight of stairs without being desperately out of breath. I'm proud to say that I have accomplished both those things, and have graduated to confidence on an inclined treadmill and push-ups ON stairs. I still harbour a certain amount of fear when it comes to the staircase.

    Suzie : This is scary, like if my arms give out I'll curb-stomp myself.
    JC: Then hold yourself up.
    Suzie: Point taken.

So after a workout yesterday that consisted of treadmill stomping for warm up and step-ups with weights. Really? They are hard enough as it is...do we really need to add weights? Affirmative. And as a special bonus, I got a "You are doing so much better than I thought you would be" out of Jonathan. Yes! Ninja is pleased. Then on to squats and stretchy band pulls and push-ups. Add some elliptical to get my heart rate up, up, up...and back to the mat to do these weird leg and arm lift and holds, reverse plank things with one leg up (which is a miracle that I could actually do them because I wasn't able to do them when I was prescribed core and balance exercises by my physiotherapist after my ankle sprain). Can it be that I have actually developed some core muscles? Squeeeee! Then the giant ball comes out as do the reverse plank bench presses and something the other way that I will just call "here comes my breakfast" leg lifts...and then 40 sit-ups. And just before I died, I stomped the treadmill for 50 minutes because Jonathan suggested I do it for 10 which he quickly switched to 20....and it was LAST CHANCE WORKOUT after all.

And was it worth it? Yes sirrreeeeeee!

Starting weight: 292.1

1st weigh-in: 286.8

2nd weigh-in: 280.1

3rd weigh-in: 276.4

4th weigh-in: 274.1

5th weigh-in: 270.6

6th weigh-in: 266.2

Weigh-in Wednesday, you saucy minx, thank you for rewarding me for all of my efforts. That's down a grand total of 25.9 pounds - 8.9% of my original body weight in gone, gone, gone.

That's a whole lotta butter.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

"All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking" - Friedrich Nietzsche. Let's hope, eh?

Of all the different exercises that I have tried in the last 5 weeks, it's entirely ironic that the one that I am most challenged with is...wait for it...walking.

Me and my ankularly challenged friends in NOLA.

Having said that, I did sprain my ankle this past autumn while in New Orleans simply by walking to breakfast down a cobbled street. And, on Stéphane and my 5th anniversary I suffered a wobble on a deceptively flat section of flooring which turned me ass-over-teakettle in the middle of the restaurant. Instead of my shoe breaking, my bone did. Not only do I regard walking with a certain degree of skepticism, but it is obviously downright dangerous for me!

Five weeks ago, I could hardly stomp out 20 minutes on the treadmill at zero incline...yesterday, I walked the continuous runway for 50 minutes at a 5% gradient. This is due in part to my joining the Crystal Fools...the Crystal Pool & Fitness Centre's Run/Walk Clinic for the Times Colonist 10K. Yes, you read that correctly. I was invited by Douglas Anderson to participate, and 3 weeks ago I went to my first session. Eventually, I will run...for now, I'm walking.

They had already been training for 3 weeks when I arrived one Wednesday night, Doug welcomed me into the fray by introducing me and getting me to talk about the Health Challenge a little bit. Why am I here? Everybody looks like a runner, from the technical shirts and spandex to the fancy sneakers and clip lights. I am dressed in some stretchy pants and a cotton sweatshirt. I look like I'm off to an early class at uni having put on the freshman 15 x 8. Before we head outside, a running physiotherapist gives us a quick talk about proper running technique. I had no idea it was such a science. I appreciated the efficiency component to the lecture, apparently I swing my everything a bit too much.

The walking group is the smallest of the running tiers...just 3 including me plus our group leader. Everyone warms up on the basketball courts outside and then we're on our way. Our 45 minute walk will take us from the Crystal Pool to just across the Blue Bridge and back. Hang on a tick, it takes me about 30 minutes to get home from the gym...how fast will we be walking? Fast. Very fast, for me anyway. We head out at quite the clip and I am informed that this is the easy pace - there's easy, moderate, and fast. I, obviously, need to do some homework on the treadmill.

If I don't have "truly great thoughts" my new glasses will make me look smarter.

I am definitely slow compared to these ladies, they are a-motoring! We reach Store Street and they are on to fast intervals, they walk on ahead and then switchback. I am just trying to keep up, no doubling back for me. We head to the bridge and it's up, so we don't get to cross, but we do get to take a stroll down Government Street. This is fun. I'm not so out of breath that I can't talk, but I can feel it in my legs and lungs. Deep breaths, keep your arms moving at your sides...thumbs up.

It's just that the rest is uphill. I was fine on Government Street and past Chinatown, but I had no idea how much I would feel Caledonia to Quadra in my calves. But, I did it. I finished the walk, and I was rewarded with orange slices - how Grade 11 Field Hockey half time is that? I love it, exercise with a dash of nostalgia. Everyone in the 10K clinic signed a programme for me with words of encouragement and sent me on my way.

Am I coming back next week?
You betcha.
noun

steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Weigh-In Wednesday #5

The application form for the Times Colonist Health Challenge asked WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE A PART OF THIS? And I answered: Get healthy, kick ass, and inspire others to do the same.

Well this week, I had to re-read that statement.

Just two days after last week's weigh-in I was struck down with one Hell of a cold/flu and simultaneously my uterus tried to cripple me with mind-blowing, curl-up into a fetal position cramps. So, I switched my day off from Saturday to Friday hoping rest and drugs would take care of everything. Tried to get to the gym Friday evening with Stéphane, but sometimes you just need to give in to illness and stay in bed.

Get healthy.

Instead of assuming ball-position under the covers on Saturday, I opted to work out. What? Yes, you read that correctly. I never thought I'd feel so guilty trading training for sleeping...especially while being sick. Just wanted to get in and get out of the gym, but I actually enjoyed a two-hour cardio and weights session, and it made my cramps all but disappear. My, how things have changed.

Kick ass.

Still feeling sketchy on Sunday, but I endured FITcamp with Jonathan and dog walking with Karen and Jessica. My new favourite Sunday adventure is walking the crazy Mexican on Willows Beach after my workout...good for my brain, great for the pup. And also magic on the lungs...the salty ocean air unstuffed my nose! Yay!

Though I only missed one workout this week, I was worried that phlegm and water-retention would kill my weigh-in. Normally, I weigh-in again on Saturday as it's the last day of the week according to the Health Challenge...but I didn't out of fear that I would be up. And I was when I weighed-in on Tuesday morning before I met up with Jonathan...grrr...up 0.4 :-( But technically, Wednesday is my weigh-in day! Taking a page out of Biggest Loser, Jonathan put me through the toughest workout ever in a last chance effort to assure a loss on Wednesday.

Starting weight: 292.1

1st weigh-in: 286.8

2nd weigh-in: 280.1

3rd weigh-in: 276.4

4th weigh-in: 274.1

5th weigh-in: 270.6

Kyoto - Land of stairs - Suzie & Her Croatian Conscience

Inspire others to do the same.

And the results are in...down 3.5 pounds! Making my total 21.5 pounds lost so far. Apparently, running up and down a set of stairs 30 times and flinging a kettle bell around x 150 combined with planks and burpees and elliptical and stretchy bandy thingies and other things I can't even remember. Well, apparently all that works. The key is: sweat like you have never sweated before. Find a staircase and climb it...and then do it again and again and again. Haha...

Ninja is good, ninja is wise.

お世話になりました

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Cardio Kink

My new cardio amalgamation was designed to get me moving faster, harder, stronger. It is a playlist that was conceived on a stationary bike...and came to term on the elliptical. By the time my workout was over...I had a new baby to listen to at the gym.

But why is it kinky? I hear you ask.

No, you don't have to don a PVC catsuit and masque before you listen to it, though that would be nice. In fact, the explanation is so prosaic...I almost don't want to talk about it. While making my latest cardio playlist, and sweating all over myself (seriously, even my arms sweat...and then that sweat forms a gully down the underside and runs down to my wrists where it finally drips to the floor...unless I'm fast enough to catch it with my towel, but most of the time I'm just concentrating on staying on whatever machine I'm on)...I may have accidentally added every Kinks song on my MP3 player to the melange. Woops.

See? Boring.

“It is only by way of pain one arrives at pleasure” - Marquis de Sade.

Decidedly, not boring.

And so, if I'm going to take pleasure in this new and fabulously painful regime, I'm going to need some listening pleasure...let's get kinky.