I'm just about to do Sculpt, day 3 of week 7. It's been good. No pauses, some really hard workouts, a lot of sweat. I think it was a good idea to tack on the 200 situps at the end of three workouts a week. They really hurt on Thursday, and I'll be doing them again today. My back is still a bit stiff. Definitely a weak point.
I had a rather big lunch of sandwiches about an hour ago, so I think I'll take Will to the park for a walk around, and then I'll get stuck into it. Afterwards, I'll take Will to the bath house again. Apparently he's free of charge because he's under 4. Didn't know that the first time. Looking forward to Bill Maher tonight, and the protein shake of course, even though it will make me fart like a demon.
I'll let you know how I went. BTW I know Tiger lost yesterday. He was never going to win his first tournament back. I never expected him to. He'll be winning again soon enough though.
Ok, did the workout and the situps. Sitting back watching Bill Maher. We didn't go to the bath house because Will was sleepy. Maybe tomorrow night.
Here's your Tiger.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
BRING IT!
It is time to bring it! It begins with week 7. "No Pause Week." Meaning no matter how buggered I might be, I will not press pause to get my breath back. No more chips, no more chocolate. Lots of good, healthy food, and lots of water. Lots of situps. 200 situps at the end of the workout, 3 times a week. Plus the pushups and the biceps. If I'm going to be ready for P90X I need to do this.
In honour of the return of the great man, I'm going to put up a video every post. For me. For you.
In honour of the return of the great man, I'm going to put up a video every post. For me. For you.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Week 6 done
I did Cardio Intervals this morning. Week 6 finished. Nearly half-way already! Next week will see day 45 come and go. I am going to make next week "No Pause Week."
I have 7 weeks until I finish, which means I have 7 weeks until I start P90X. Even so far out, I feel its presence. It is intimidating. When I read blogs by people who are doing it, a lot of them were just podgy couch potatoes who saw the infomercial and bought it. I can't understand how they kept it up! I'm sure a large percentage quit and delete their blogs, but some of them keep going until the end and get amazing results. I will be starting it in very good shape, probably the best shape of my life, and I'm scared. It might be easier than what I think, but I won't know until I start. One thing's for sure. I'll have to sort out the food issue before then.
Tiger is back this week. 9 months of golf without him. I think I lost interest in golf after only a month. And in golf I mean the world of professional golf, not the actual sport. Padraig Harrington's wins were good, but since then... That's the problem with golf. The best golfers in the world are multi-millionaires, travelling the world in their private jets, staying in the best hotels in the world. If you have a little talent, why bust your gut just to win? You don't have to win. You just have to finish top 20 and you're more than covered. Look at Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson. If there was no Tiger they would be considered all-time greats. I guess they are, even though together they have won only 6 majors. Tiger makes them look fat and lazy. Tiger's won 13 majors and he's ten years younger than either than them. That's part of why I love Tiger. He makes everyone else look lazy and pampered because they are.
People say "golfers aren't athletes," which I hate. Why aren't they athletes? Because they don't run? I would even call Craig Parry an athlete because he has trained his body to repeat a movement with incredible precision over and over again. Isn't that what athletics is? Runners put one foot in front of the other really fast, or for a really long time. Does it matter how much they weigh? Of course, you don't ha
ve to be thin to be runner, but it helps. Golfers move every part of their body in unison to propel a small ball unbelievable distances with incredible accuracy, and then they have to putt! A totally different set of skills. Anyway, Tiger looks like an athlete. Craig Parry doesn't, but he still is one.
The tragedy about golf nowadays is that Tiger has been around for ten years, and nobody has stepped up. He still works the hardest. He still plays the hardest. And he still trusts his swing like no one else. He can practice a shot, like a high left-to-right fade with a driver off the fairway for a week. Then he will have the balls to hit the shot on the last hole of a tournament when he needs a birdie to win. No-one else will do that. Everyone else thinks, nah, I'd better not. I've only been practicing that shot for a week. There's too much pressure. I'll just try and hit my normal shot. Tiger will hit the shot, and it will come off. He's done that so many times.
Tiger lives for competition. I bet, with all the money and fame and family and everything he has, the only time he feels alive is when he's in the running to win a golf tournament. When he was young he would get so excited! Like he was in another world. He's learned how to control it now. Before Tiger, the pressure would be on the leader because everyone was chasing him and if he made a mistake he would lose. Now, when Tiger's in the lead, the pressure is on everyone else because they now he won't make a mistake.
Check this article out.
http://www.slate.com/id/2182671/
It's about how if you are filling a position in an office, say, you shouldn't hire someone who is miles better than everyone else. You should hire someone who is only a little better that everyone else. That way, the incentive to improve remains with the rest of the office. As an example, the writer uses a study that found that the average score of golfers in tournaments Tiger is not playing in is better than in tournaments he is playing in. Basically, when Tiger is playing, the incentive to win is lower in the other golfers because they don't think they can beat Tiger.
My favourite Tiger win is still the 2000 USPGA. A birdie fest with him and a guy called Bob May.
But then I could link to a dozen shots that are just unbelievable, and all pulled off under the most intense pressure.
So obviously I'm glad he's back. I wish he's start wearing different colour shirts on Sundays though. When he was a boy his mother said that red means victory, so he should always wear red on the last day of a tournament. It's getting kind of silly now, and sometimes I wonder why he doesn't try and beat superstition by winning in another colour. I'm sure he could.
I have 7 weeks until I finish, which means I have 7 weeks until I start P90X. Even so far out, I feel its presence. It is intimidating. When I read blogs by people who are doing it, a lot of them were just podgy couch potatoes who saw the infomercial and bought it. I can't understand how they kept it up! I'm sure a large percentage quit and delete their blogs, but some of them keep going until the end and get amazing results. I will be starting it in very good shape, probably the best shape of my life, and I'm scared. It might be easier than what I think, but I won't know until I start. One thing's for sure. I'll have to sort out the food issue before then.
Tiger is back this week. 9 months of golf without him. I think I lost interest in golf after only a month. And in golf I mean the world of professional golf, not the actual sport. Padraig Harrington's wins were good, but since then... That's the problem with golf. The best golfers in the world are multi-millionaires, travelling the world in their private jets, staying in the best hotels in the world. If you have a little talent, why bust your gut just to win? You don't have to win. You just have to finish top 20 and you're more than covered. Look at Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson. If there was no Tiger they would be considered all-time greats. I guess they are, even though together they have won only 6 majors. Tiger makes them look fat and lazy. Tiger's won 13 majors and he's ten years younger than either than them. That's part of why I love Tiger. He makes everyone else look lazy and pampered because they are.
People say "golfers aren't athletes," which I hate. Why aren't they athletes? Because they don't run? I would even call Craig Parry an athlete because he has trained his body to repeat a movement with incredible precision over and over again. Isn't that what athletics is? Runners put one foot in front of the other really fast, or for a really long time. Does it matter how much they weigh? Of course, you don't ha
ve to be thin to be runner, but it helps. Golfers move every part of their body in unison to propel a small ball unbelievable distances with incredible accuracy, and then they have to putt! A totally different set of skills. Anyway, Tiger looks like an athlete. Craig Parry doesn't, but he still is one.The tragedy about golf nowadays is that Tiger has been around for ten years, and nobody has stepped up. He still works the hardest. He still plays the hardest. And he still trusts his swing like no one else. He can practice a shot, like a high left-to-right fade with a driver off the fairway for a week. Then he will have the balls to hit the shot on the last hole of a tournament when he needs a birdie to win. No-one else will do that. Everyone else thinks, nah, I'd better not. I've only been practicing that shot for a week. There's too much pressure. I'll just try and hit my normal shot. Tiger will hit the shot, and it will come off. He's done that so many times.
Tiger lives for competition. I bet, with all the money and fame and family and everything he has, the only time he feels alive is when he's in the running to win a golf tournament. When he was young he would get so excited! Like he was in another world. He's learned how to control it now. Before Tiger, the pressure would be on the leader because everyone was chasing him and if he made a mistake he would lose. Now, when Tiger's in the lead, the pressure is on everyone else because they now he won't make a mistake.
Check this article out.
http://www.slate.com/id/2182671/
It's about how if you are filling a position in an office, say, you shouldn't hire someone who is miles better than everyone else. You should hire someone who is only a little better that everyone else. That way, the incentive to improve remains with the rest of the office. As an example, the writer uses a study that found that the average score of golfers in tournaments Tiger is not playing in is better than in tournaments he is playing in. Basically, when Tiger is playing, the incentive to win is lower in the other golfers because they don't think they can beat Tiger.
My favourite Tiger win is still the 2000 USPGA. A birdie fest with him and a guy called Bob May.
But then I could link to a dozen shots that are just unbelievable, and all pulled off under the most intense pressure.
So obviously I'm glad he's back. I wish he's start wearing different colour shirts on Sundays though. When he was a boy his mother said that red means victory, so he should always wear red on the last day of a tournament. It's getting kind of silly now, and sometimes I wonder why he doesn't try and beat superstition by winning in another colour. I'm sure he could.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Week 6 Progress
21/2 My back is hurting now. I'm really stiff. But there's also something strange going on my guts. Maybe it's the protein shakes. It feels like there's some kind of blockage going on and I'm filling up. It's really uncomfortable. I've got Sculpt 5-6 today, probably in a couple of hours, and that is mostly doing weights and is pretty tough on the back. I don't know if the back and the guts are related. I don't mind the back, but the guts one is new.
22/2 I'm going to have to give up on the brand of protein shake I have. All weekend I have felt constipated, and the gas build-up is tremendous. I'm going to put the sore back down to exercise, and the guts down to the protein shake. But I'm not convinced. It does feel strange. I did Sculpt last night, but only 80% which was disappointing, and I've got Sweat today. Just waiting for the big crab lunch I had at Kani Honke (The Home of the Crab, or as Will calls it, The Big Kani) to go down. It was nice.
Glad to see those two girls go on Aussie Biggest Loser. They were horrible, and would always use their kids as justification to jump down anyone's throat. Plus one of them couldn't seem to say “anything”. She always said “anyfink,” which is bullshit. "I would do anyfink for my kids." Except put the biscuits down, apparently.
22/2 A couple of hours later. I just did Sweat. Probably the best workout I've ever done. Felt great, sweating, and really powerful at the end. It's strange that after feeling so out of sorts the last few days, I can pull that one out. I remember the last few weeks of P90 feeling the same. Just about every day felt like the best workout until that point. I'm having my protein shake. To borrow a phrase from Tony Horton, it's my health crack. I only had one scoop of powder though. I don't mind the farting (other people do), but the constipation I can do without. I might buy some bran to put in my porridge.
Watching Blood and Guts, the History of Surgery, they had this chick in England. She had a week aorta wall which could have exploded at any moment and kill her instantly. They opened her up, cooled her down to 18 degrees, and drained all her blood and stopped her heart. She was basically dead. The only reason she didn't die was that her brain was so cold it didn't need oxygen to stay alive. They replaced her aorta wall with a plastic tube, pumped the blood back into her and warmed her up. The thought crossed my mind while I was exercising and my heart was working pretty hard, what if my aorta was about to explode? I could be doing this every morning and coming to within an inch of my life every time without even knowing it. I should get a heart rate monitor.
23/2 Did UML this morning. Really good. I still feel strange in the guts, and I'm looking forward to a mighty crap today. If it doesn't happen then I am in all sorts of trouble.
Last night Will and I went to the best bath house I have ever been to. It's better that any spa resort I have been to, and it gave me one of those "glad to be in Japan" moments that I need every now and then.
You walk in, and there are ticket machines to buy your tickets, a restaurant, and rooms where people can sit and eat ice-cream or lie down and watch TV or read the paper. So I bought a ticket for Will and I, about $8 for me and $5 for Will and we went in to the locker room.
Big lockers, which is great. We get undressed, and then head into the bathing area totally naked except for a small towel. The first section is the cleaning section. We sit down on a small stool in front of a tap and shower hose, and totally soap up and scrub. Hot water, lots of pressure. Awesome. So when we are totally clean, we move into the bath section. Inside there is a cold water bath, a spa bath, a herb bath, and a normal hot bath. Outside there are baths of various temperatures, the most comfortable one for me is about 40 degrees, and it has a section that is about a foot deep and it has a headrest so you can lie down in it. There are a couple of baths that look like big cooking pots full to the brim with hot water, and when you go in the water overflows. There are baths with different minerals in it, and baths made of wood. The surrounds are great - lots of rocks and waterfalls and small lights. Steam everywhere. Will loved it, and we'll probably make it a weekly thing. Sunday night special. We've been going to one that's closer, but it's old and only has a couple of baths and is full of old men with skin problems and I've kind of hated going there. This one is incredible.
When we were getting changed, this kid, about 7 or 8 I guess, was standing right next to us watching us. Not unusual. Kids often just watch me do my thing. They only see foreigners on TV. So I say to Will, say konbanwa to the kid, good evening. So Will does, and even bows a little. And this little shit just looks away all nervous. Will says it again and again, and the kid is frozen, looking away. "You're not going to answer?" I ask the kid in Japanese. The kid ignores me too. "Piss off then," I tell the kid, and he runs away. Only about half the kids respond to Will, which gives me the shits. One of these days I'm going to tell him to say hello to someone here and he's going to say "why bother?" Fair question.
Starting next week, I'm going to add the CH Top 200 abs workout to the end of three workouts a week. When I start P90X I'm going to have to be strong in the guts or I will struggle. While there is a lot of core work in P90M, there isn't much that specifically targets the abs. It adds about 8 minutes to the workout time, but I only have to get up early two mornings a week from now on until work goes back to a full week, if that ever happens.
I feel much better now. I think it was just a gas build up, and I7m pleased to say that I'm farting a lot again now. I'm assuming you're interested. Tonight I'm going to buy another brand of protein powder, and maybe also some bran cereal to put in my porridge.
22/2 I'm going to have to give up on the brand of protein shake I have. All weekend I have felt constipated, and the gas build-up is tremendous. I'm going to put the sore back down to exercise, and the guts down to the protein shake. But I'm not convinced. It does feel strange. I did Sculpt last night, but only 80% which was disappointing, and I've got Sweat today. Just waiting for the big crab lunch I had at Kani Honke (The Home of the Crab, or as Will calls it, The Big Kani) to go down. It was nice.
Glad to see those two girls go on Aussie Biggest Loser. They were horrible, and would always use their kids as justification to jump down anyone's throat. Plus one of them couldn't seem to say “anything”. She always said “anyfink,” which is bullshit. "I would do anyfink for my kids." Except put the biscuits down, apparently.
22/2 A couple of hours later. I just did Sweat. Probably the best workout I've ever done. Felt great, sweating, and really powerful at the end. It's strange that after feeling so out of sorts the last few days, I can pull that one out. I remember the last few weeks of P90 feeling the same. Just about every day felt like the best workout until that point. I'm having my protein shake. To borrow a phrase from Tony Horton, it's my health crack. I only had one scoop of powder though. I don't mind the farting (other people do), but the constipation I can do without. I might buy some bran to put in my porridge.
Watching Blood and Guts, the History of Surgery, they had this chick in England. She had a week aorta wall which could have exploded at any moment and kill her instantly. They opened her up, cooled her down to 18 degrees, and drained all her blood and stopped her heart. She was basically dead. The only reason she didn't die was that her brain was so cold it didn't need oxygen to stay alive. They replaced her aorta wall with a plastic tube, pumped the blood back into her and warmed her up. The thought crossed my mind while I was exercising and my heart was working pretty hard, what if my aorta was about to explode? I could be doing this every morning and coming to within an inch of my life every time without even knowing it. I should get a heart rate monitor.
23/2 Did UML this morning. Really good. I still feel strange in the guts, and I'm looking forward to a mighty crap today. If it doesn't happen then I am in all sorts of trouble.
Last night Will and I went to the best bath house I have ever been to. It's better that any spa resort I have been to, and it gave me one of those "glad to be in Japan" moments that I need every now and then.
You walk in, and there are ticket machines to buy your tickets, a restaurant, and rooms where people can sit and eat ice-cream or lie down and watch TV or read the paper. So I bought a ticket for Will and I, about $8 for me and $5 for Will and we went in to the locker room.
Big lockers, which is great. We get undressed, and then head into the bathing area totally naked except for a small towel. The first section is the cleaning section. We sit down on a small stool in front of a tap and shower hose, and totally soap up and scrub. Hot water, lots of pressure. Awesome. So when we are totally clean, we move into the bath section. Inside there is a cold water bath, a spa bath, a herb bath, and a normal hot bath. Outside there are baths of various temperatures, the most comfortable one for me is about 40 degrees, and it has a section that is about a foot deep and it has a headrest so you can lie down in it. There are a couple of baths that look like big cooking pots full to the brim with hot water, and when you go in the water overflows. There are baths with different minerals in it, and baths made of wood. The surrounds are great - lots of rocks and waterfalls and small lights. Steam everywhere. Will loved it, and we'll probably make it a weekly thing. Sunday night special. We've been going to one that's closer, but it's old and only has a couple of baths and is full of old men with skin problems and I've kind of hated going there. This one is incredible.When we were getting changed, this kid, about 7 or 8 I guess, was standing right next to us watching us. Not unusual. Kids often just watch me do my thing. They only see foreigners on TV. So I say to Will, say konbanwa to the kid, good evening. So Will does, and even bows a little. And this little shit just looks away all nervous. Will says it again and again, and the kid is frozen, looking away. "You're not going to answer?" I ask the kid in Japanese. The kid ignores me too. "Piss off then," I tell the kid, and he runs away. Only about half the kids respond to Will, which gives me the shits. One of these days I'm going to tell him to say hello to someone here and he's going to say "why bother?" Fair question.
Starting next week, I'm going to add the CH Top 200 abs workout to the end of three workouts a week. When I start P90X I'm going to have to be strong in the guts or I will struggle. While there is a lot of core work in P90M, there isn't much that specifically targets the abs. It adds about 8 minutes to the workout time, but I only have to get up early two mornings a week from now on until work goes back to a full week, if that ever happens.
I feel much better now. I think it was just a gas build up, and I7m pleased to say that I'm farting a lot again now. I'm assuming you're interested. Tonight I'm going to buy another brand of protein powder, and maybe also some bran cereal to put in my porridge.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Week 6 underway
Tough day today. My back is hurting where I bumped it when I stacked my bicycle. It's wierd because it hurts more now than the day after i did it. It feels like a little pulled muscle, and it might be, but it is in the same spot that I bumped it. Knees are sore too, but it's just a genral soreness. Neck is tight, too. I probably should have done the P90X stretch workout yesterday. I thought about it, but then I thought, hey, it's my rest day. Rest!
I had Plyo this morning. Man, it is tough. After ten minutes in I felt like pressing stop and trying again after work. The squats! I am much stronger than I was when I started P90 Master, but I'm still pressing pause to get my breath back a few times. I think I'll make that the goal next week, the 7th week. "No Pause Week."
But I did it, and the porridge, toast, and protein shake were extra good. Lunch today was egg, eggplant, and tofu, all covered with a generous dollup of miso. Mmmmmiso. Had my Kitcat too.
This week I'll pay a little more attention to what I eat, ease off the chocolate and coffee, and see how I go with the smaller bag of chips.
I can't believe Ramses and Tania got voted off Biggest Loser. I'm sick of that sooky sister. Watching it, I sometimes wonder how I'd go on the show, but then I remember they'd never let me on because I'm not an OBESE PIG!
I had Plyo this morning. Man, it is tough. After ten minutes in I felt like pressing stop and trying again after work. The squats! I am much stronger than I was when I started P90 Master, but I'm still pressing pause to get my breath back a few times. I think I'll make that the goal next week, the 7th week. "No Pause Week."
But I did it, and the porridge, toast, and protein shake were extra good. Lunch today was egg, eggplant, and tofu, all covered with a generous dollup of miso. Mmmmmiso. Had my Kitcat too.
This week I'll pay a little more attention to what I eat, ease off the chocolate and coffee, and see how I go with the smaller bag of chips.
I can't believe Ramses and Tania got voted off Biggest Loser. I'm sick of that sooky sister. Watching it, I sometimes wonder how I'd go on the show, but then I remember they'd never let me on because I'm not an OBESE PIG!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Week 5 done
End of week 5 and I'm feeling good. I'm glad I'm doing the pushups and biceps at the end of four of the workouts because I really feel that this kind of stuff is lacking in Master.I was watching Biggest Loser at lunch today, and they were talking about eating right and calories etc. Since weight has never really been an issue with me I haven't paid too much attention to it. Maybe I should, if only in preperation for 90X. I wonder how many calories I eat every day? This is what I ate on Tuesday the 17th.
1 coffee - milk, 1 sugar.
1 bowl porridge with teaspoon of honey.
1 piece of white bread with cottage cheese.
2 canned coffees.
1 cereal chocolate bar (190 calories).
1 chocolate (Cadbury Roses).
1 Kitkat (66 calories)
1 Ferrero Rafaello
1 fish (fillet), Miso soup, Boiled roots & vegetables, rice, yogurt (780 calories)
1 "Soy Joy" fruit bar (130 calories).
3 cups tea with milk
Shabu shabu (pork, tofu, vegetables) & rice
1 protein shake (2 scoops of protein powder, 1 banana, 200 ml milk).
1 pack of chips
Several glasses of water or green tea
This is pretty typical, although I don't usually eat so much chocolate, but there's so much lying around from Valentine's Day... Damn, looking at that, the coffee, the chips are there as per usual, and the chocolate! That's a lot. I can feel the zit on my nose already. Can improve.When I was growing up, we never had Fruit Loops, Coke, or chocolate. I can still hear my mother say "There's water in the tap!" and "Have a salada!" There was always plenty of fruit around, and the meals were healthy, if not exciting (chops and veg, chops and veg). I ate a lot of MacDonalds when I was at uni, and the first year here I can't really remember eating, just drinking. So while I don't give what I eat much thought, I was raised eating bland, healthy food, so I still feel like a kitkat is a treat and not an every day thing. Which would be wrong, because it is. Same with chips. Living here limits the amount of crap I eat too, because it's expensive. No kidding, if I want a pizza delivered, it would cost about $50. I make my own pizzas, and they are better (no mayonaisse on them, for a start).
1 coffee - milk, 1 sugar.
1 bowl porridge with teaspoon of honey.
1 piece of white bread with cottage cheese.
2 canned coffees.
1 cereal chocolate bar (190 calories).
1 chocolate (Cadbury Roses).
1 Kitkat (66 calories)
1 Ferrero Rafaello
1 fish (fillet), Miso soup, Boiled roots & vegetables, rice, yogurt (780 calories)
1 "Soy Joy" fruit bar (130 calories).
3 cups tea with milk
Shabu shabu (pork, tofu, vegetables) & rice
1 protein shake (2 scoops of protein powder, 1 banana, 200 ml milk).
1 pack of chips
Several glasses of water or green tea
This is pretty typical, although I don't usually eat so much chocolate, but there's so much lying around from Valentine's Day... Damn, looking at that, the coffee, the chips are there as per usual, and the chocolate! That's a lot. I can feel the zit on my nose already. Can improve.When I was growing up, we never had Fruit Loops, Coke, or chocolate. I can still hear my mother say "There's water in the tap!" and "Have a salada!" There was always plenty of fruit around, and the meals were healthy, if not exciting (chops and veg, chops and veg). I ate a lot of MacDonalds when I was at uni, and the first year here I can't really remember eating, just drinking. So while I don't give what I eat much thought, I was raised eating bland, healthy food, so I still feel like a kitkat is a treat and not an every day thing. Which would be wrong, because it is. Same with chips. Living here limits the amount of crap I eat too, because it's expensive. No kidding, if I want a pizza delivered, it would cost about $50. I make my own pizzas, and they are better (no mayonaisse on them, for a start).
Wow! A medium pizza for $42? Can I?
So what to do? Again, same as before, limit the coffees to one a day, liimit the chocolate to one a day (the kitkat), and the chips? Obviously I have to compromise. One small fun size pack a day. Happy?
Watching the news, looks like Japan is in the shit. I'm not suprized. When you make expensive, high quality shit for the world, and the world goes broke, that shit gets hard to sell. Exports down an insane figure like 50%. Panasonic has asked that 10,000 of it's managers each buy at least $3000 dollars worth of stuff made by Panasonic. It's called the "Buy Panasonic" campaign. Completely voluntary, of course, meaning everyone will choose to do it. Toyota will lose money for the first time since 1950. I hope I can keep this job, but really, what will worrying about it do? I think if I get the ass, I'll start my own English school. Be my own boss. My mate at work believes that a co-worker (American) has Asperger's Syndrome. I looked it up on Wikipedia. I'm no psychologist, but I have to concur with my colleage.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Valentine's Day
Happy Valentine's Day!
Yesterday was a beautiful day. About 18 degrees, blue skies, nice breeze. It's hard to believe that a year and a week ago it snowed about a foot. The other day I did Sculpt 5-6, and I don't think I could have done another push up or bicep curl to save my life so I think I'll only do them after Plyo, Core Cardio, Sweat 5-6, and UML. I won't do them after Sculpt because I can't, and Core Cardio goes for almost an hour and I'm too buggered after that to do anything also. Friday was the 30th day, so I took a photo. Meh.
I've got a four day working week this week! How will I cope? Also, it's Valentine's Day this week, isn't it. So I'll be getting lots of chocolate. What? You ask. Is Jim so popular with the ladies? Hahaha, no. They are obliged to give me chocolate. Any female co-worker I'm on first name basis with (or last name, in Japan) will give me chocolate. What the Japanese have done, and it's brilliant, is to take any of the romance and passion out of Valentine's Day and turn it into a social obligation and a chore. But this is the real genius. I don't have to give the ladies anything on Valentine's Day. Nothing. However, I do have to give them something on "White Day," which is around mid-March. First celebrated in 1978, White Day was started by the National Confectionery Industry Association of Japan. They created another day out of thin air where men are obliged to buy something in response to Valentine's Day. Wow. One thing about the Japanese, they do what they are told. But then, think of it this way. Valentine's day before 1978. You buy something for the person you fancy, and you give them chocolate. Then they are embarrassed because they have nothing for you in return, and you are embarrassed because you realize they do not share you feelings. Awkward. With White Day, this embarrassment is avoided. There is no need to be concerned. Everything is safe. Ahhhh.
I'm watching a BBC documentary series called "Blood and Guts - A History of Surgery." Amazing. I'm also watching "The Biggest Loser" which has just started. This time it's with couples. It amazes me that people let themselves get so fat. My god it looks terrible. And the accent! Why do Australian women always go up an octave on the last syllable of a sentence? I think it's to indicate that they haven't stopped expressing their opinion just in case someone else wants to get a word in. Kind of a pre-emptive measure. Anyway, I'm looking forward to watching them get their asses kicked.
Yesterday was a beautiful day. About 18 degrees, blue skies, nice breeze. It's hard to believe that a year and a week ago it snowed about a foot. The other day I did Sculpt 5-6, and I don't think I could have done another push up or bicep curl to save my life so I think I'll only do them after Plyo, Core Cardio, Sweat 5-6, and UML. I won't do them after Sculpt because I can't, and Core Cardio goes for almost an hour and I'm too buggered after that to do anything also. Friday was the 30th day, so I took a photo. Meh.I've got a four day working week this week! How will I cope? Also, it's Valentine's Day this week, isn't it. So I'll be getting lots of chocolate. What? You ask. Is Jim so popular with the ladies? Hahaha, no. They are obliged to give me chocolate. Any female co-worker I'm on first name basis with (or last name, in Japan) will give me chocolate. What the Japanese have done, and it's brilliant, is to take any of the romance and passion out of Valentine's Day and turn it into a social obligation and a chore. But this is the real genius. I don't have to give the ladies anything on Valentine's Day. Nothing. However, I do have to give them something on "White Day," which is around mid-March. First celebrated in 1978, White Day was started by the National Confectionery Industry Association of Japan. They created another day out of thin air where men are obliged to buy something in response to Valentine's Day. Wow. One thing about the Japanese, they do what they are told. But then, think of it this way. Valentine's day before 1978. You buy something for the person you fancy, and you give them chocolate. Then they are embarrassed because they have nothing for you in return, and you are embarrassed because you realize they do not share you feelings. Awkward. With White Day, this embarrassment is avoided. There is no need to be concerned. Everything is safe. Ahhhh.
I'm watching a BBC documentary series called "Blood and Guts - A History of Surgery." Amazing. I'm also watching "The Biggest Loser" which has just started. This time it's with couples. It amazes me that people let themselves get so fat. My god it looks terrible. And the accent! Why do Australian women always go up an octave on the last syllable of a sentence? I think it's to indicate that they haven't stopped expressing their opinion just in case someone else wants to get a word in. Kind of a pre-emptive measure. Anyway, I'm looking forward to watching them get their asses kicked.
Here are some photos of my new bike and my grazed knee.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Stacked my bike
I came off my bicycle riding home from the train station last night. It was dark and wet, and really hard to see, and I was kind of tuned in to the podcast I was listening to, when I noticed an old guy on a bike coming straight at me. He must have been only a couple of meters away when I noticed, and I was cruising at a reasonable speed. I don't know if he saw me or not. I have a light on my bike, and it was on. He didn't have a light on his bike. I bought my bike a month ago, a nice mountain bike. I kind of panicked and braked too hard, and the front brake worked too well and sent me flying over the handlebars and under this old guy's bike. "Abunai!" he said. "Look out!" and he came down on top of me. He got up and saw that I was a foreigner and rode off without another word. I would have been surprised if he didn't do that. I picked myself up and checked out the damage. Scraped left knee. My poor left knee! Scraped left elbow. And a pain just below my left shoulder where I must have fell on something pointy, handlebars maybe. A day later and I'm a little sore, but nothing permanent. I did Plyo this morning with no dramas. I am also going to do maximum pushups and maximum bicep curls before each warm down because there's not enough of that in P90 Master. I did 25 and 17 respectively this morning, not bad considering I was absolutely stuffed and sore from the stack. Also, I need to concentrate more on supplements and snacks, because every afternoon around three I'm toast.
There are too many old people here. And they don't sit inside and watch TV or whatever like they do in Australia. Here they are out and about all the time. Shopping, walking their dogs, riding bikes and scooters. It's terrible. There should be a public campaign here like there has been in Australia since I can remember that makes old people believe that the world is a scary place and if they set foot outside of their house or retirement village they will be bashed. I'm sure the old guy got a shock when he suddenly sees this guy flying through the air towards him. He's probably still wondering what happened. Ha!
BTW, here's the video Will loves. You might have seen it already.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4KiRV2qrZk
There are too many old people here. And they don't sit inside and watch TV or whatever like they do in Australia. Here they are out and about all the time. Shopping, walking their dogs, riding bikes and scooters. It's terrible. There should be a public campaign here like there has been in Australia since I can remember that makes old people believe that the world is a scary place and if they set foot outside of their house or retirement village they will be bashed. I'm sure the old guy got a shock when he suddenly sees this guy flying through the air towards him. He's probably still wondering what happened. Ha!
BTW, here's the video Will loves. You might have seen it already.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4KiRV2qrZk
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Week 4 done
Week 4 done and dusted. I set my alarm for 5:10 this morning, but for some reason I woke up at 4:20. I needed to go to the toilet, but I knew that if I get up the cat would get up too, and then it wouldn't let up until I fed it. So I kind of dozed for ten minutes before the cat started kissing me. Having a wet cat nose on my lips wakes me up instantly. Briefly the thought "Feed the cat, go back to bed, do the workout tonight after work" flashed through my skull, but I slapped it down straight away. Got up, fed the cat. Junko's dad was up and ready to go to the market after his morning shit, so we said good morning and he was off. Fed the cat, and downstairs in the garage and ready to go at 4:40. Bit early, but Cardio Intervals is the longest workout (50 minutes, plus the pauses I need to get my breath back), and I could have a long shower and leisurely breakfast afterwards.
I really enjoy this workout. It's hard work, but it sure makes me sweat. 2 rounds of eleven exercises, each exercise one minute each, 20 seconds mild, 20 seconds medium, and 20 seconds intense. By the end of the first round I'm sweating and panting, and then we do it again. It's a nice one to finish the week of workouts on.
Had a shower, and made breakfast. 2 slices of bread-machine bread with homemade jam, protein + banana shake, and a bowl of porridge. Will woke up early too. Junko's coughing woke him up probably. She's got a cold, and she's the loudest cougher in the world, I swear. They come without warning. No intake of breath beforehand, just COUGH! It's hard not to tell her to shut up, but then if I was sick I wouldn't want someone to tell me to shut up. How's the empathy? Actually, I have told her to shut up a few times. But not as often as I'd like to.
So Will comes in while I'm at the computer reading the news, and he wants to watch "snake." If you go to Youtube and search for "courage fail" you can watch it. A tiny lizard jumps onto to a television presenter and this guy is paralyzed with fear for a moment and falls over. Will laughs and laughs.
I'm at work now. There is nothing to do. No work at all. There are four English translators here, and none of us have any work to do. It would make it hard to justify keeping all of us on with things as they are, except nobody knows how things are, so as long as we just tell everyone we are busy like everyone else does, then they will only suspect that we are not busy but not know for certain.
I've got the 30 day photos coming up next week. I hope to see some improvements, but I don't think I will. P90 Master is more about stamina and core strength than lifting weights, so I don't think there will be any difference. You never know though.
See you next week.
I really enjoy this workout. It's hard work, but it sure makes me sweat. 2 rounds of eleven exercises, each exercise one minute each, 20 seconds mild, 20 seconds medium, and 20 seconds intense. By the end of the first round I'm sweating and panting, and then we do it again. It's a nice one to finish the week of workouts on.
Had a shower, and made breakfast. 2 slices of bread-machine bread with homemade jam, protein + banana shake, and a bowl of porridge. Will woke up early too. Junko's coughing woke him up probably. She's got a cold, and she's the loudest cougher in the world, I swear. They come without warning. No intake of breath beforehand, just COUGH! It's hard not to tell her to shut up, but then if I was sick I wouldn't want someone to tell me to shut up. How's the empathy? Actually, I have told her to shut up a few times. But not as often as I'd like to.
So Will comes in while I'm at the computer reading the news, and he wants to watch "snake." If you go to Youtube and search for "courage fail" you can watch it. A tiny lizard jumps onto to a television presenter and this guy is paralyzed with fear for a moment and falls over. Will laughs and laughs.
I'm at work now. There is nothing to do. No work at all. There are four English translators here, and none of us have any work to do. It would make it hard to justify keeping all of us on with things as they are, except nobody knows how things are, so as long as we just tell everyone we are busy like everyone else does, then they will only suspect that we are not busy but not know for certain.
I've got the 30 day photos coming up next week. I hope to see some improvements, but I don't think I will. P90 Master is more about stamina and core strength than lifting weights, so I don't think there will be any difference. You never know though.
See you next week.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Week 4 and Mr. Donuts
Wow. Tough times in Victoria. 108 people? How does that happen? I hope everyone's family is safe, and things have cooled down a little.
Nearly finished week 4 now. One more to go. It's been nice to have a lot of time to do the exercises and not have to worry about running late for anything. I can get used to these 3 day working weeks. At the moment I do not see any real improvements, but I know that they start at the end of the second month. The first month is a bit of a slog. The second is just a matter of keeping the intensity up and pushing yourself and the third is where the results come through. That's what I've read, and that was my experience when I did P90. These workouts are still kicking my ass. Sometimes I have flashbacks to footy training when I was 12. Those cold nights at Chandler Park when I would run until I thought I was going to be sick.
Last night we went to an eel restaurant. It took me a while to get used to the flavour of eel, but I don't mind it at all now. I wouldn't recommend it though, because I know you would hate it the first time, like I did. Will loves this place because they have a big tank full of wriggly eels next to the register, but especially because they have a little crab in a tank just for him. He took me to see the crab three times during dinner. The owners of the restaurant are friends of Junko's family, and their little girl, Kurumi-chan, often comes over to play with Will. Or to watch Will play with his trains, more like it.
Yesterday I got the crossed arms. It hasn't happened for a while, and it was a bit of a shock. I took Will to Mr. Donuts in the afternoon, and I ordered the usual – an angel cream and milkshake. I was served by a young girl, maybe 19. Ordinary looking. Will you be eating here? Yes. Would you like a drink? Yes, a vanilla milkshake please. Do you have a points card? Yes, here it is. That's 504 yen, please. All in Japanese. I handed over the correct change. A co-worker approaches the girl, another young woman. She whispers something in her ear, and the girl at the counter freezes. Something… is… wrong…. She just stands there with the 5 coins in her hand. What's wrong? I ask her in Japanese. She ignores me. "What should I do?" asks the girl to her co-worker. "I don't know," says the other co-worker. Then, the girl looks at me, and crosses her arms in front of her like a big "X", the gesture for "No" here. Oh fuck, I think. Here we go. Then the girl says, "Mirukusheiku No!" Say that out loud slowly, and that's what she sounded like. I could have slapped her.
Let's break this down. I have ordered and paid for a donut and milkshake in Japanese. I have clearly understood your Japanese, even though you have been using the very difficult "Keigo" style polite Japanese, with its own distinctive verbs and expressions. And yet, you don't think I can speak Japanese, or at least not enough to understand that there are no milkshakes at the moment. You ignorant, stupid bitch. Fuck your milkshake, I said. I brought my own drink, and I know that sign over there says I can't bring in food or drink that wasn't purchased at this store, but I'll pretend I can't read it because it's in Japanese and I'm obviously not Japanese so it is incomprehensible that I might understand Japanese, because only Japanese people can speak Japanese and I am obviously not Japanese. I hate you now. No, I didn't really say that. Actually, my Japanese isn't good enough to say that perfectly, which means she wouldn't have understood (see previous post). I just said don't worry about the milkshake, just the donut, and then I totally ignored her the way they do when someone pisses them off. The crazy woman who always seems to be at Mr. Donut at the same time we are and squeals when she sees Will was there too, and she came over to pat his head and say hello. At least she speaks to us in Japanese. But she's hard to understand because she only has a few teeth. Ah, this place.
Nearly finished week 4 now. One more to go. It's been nice to have a lot of time to do the exercises and not have to worry about running late for anything. I can get used to these 3 day working weeks. At the moment I do not see any real improvements, but I know that they start at the end of the second month. The first month is a bit of a slog. The second is just a matter of keeping the intensity up and pushing yourself and the third is where the results come through. That's what I've read, and that was my experience when I did P90. These workouts are still kicking my ass. Sometimes I have flashbacks to footy training when I was 12. Those cold nights at Chandler Park when I would run until I thought I was going to be sick.
Last night we went to an eel restaurant. It took me a while to get used to the flavour of eel, but I don't mind it at all now. I wouldn't recommend it though, because I know you would hate it the first time, like I did. Will loves this place because they have a big tank full of wriggly eels next to the register, but especially because they have a little crab in a tank just for him. He took me to see the crab three times during dinner. The owners of the restaurant are friends of Junko's family, and their little girl, Kurumi-chan, often comes over to play with Will. Or to watch Will play with his trains, more like it.
Yesterday I got the crossed arms. It hasn't happened for a while, and it was a bit of a shock. I took Will to Mr. Donuts in the afternoon, and I ordered the usual – an angel cream and milkshake. I was served by a young girl, maybe 19. Ordinary looking. Will you be eating here? Yes. Would you like a drink? Yes, a vanilla milkshake please. Do you have a points card? Yes, here it is. That's 504 yen, please. All in Japanese. I handed over the correct change. A co-worker approaches the girl, another young woman. She whispers something in her ear, and the girl at the counter freezes. Something… is… wrong…. She just stands there with the 5 coins in her hand. What's wrong? I ask her in Japanese. She ignores me. "What should I do?" asks the girl to her co-worker. "I don't know," says the other co-worker. Then, the girl looks at me, and crosses her arms in front of her like a big "X", the gesture for "No" here. Oh fuck, I think. Here we go. Then the girl says, "Mirukusheiku No!" Say that out loud slowly, and that's what she sounded like. I could have slapped her.
Let's break this down. I have ordered and paid for a donut and milkshake in Japanese. I have clearly understood your Japanese, even though you have been using the very difficult "Keigo" style polite Japanese, with its own distinctive verbs and expressions. And yet, you don't think I can speak Japanese, or at least not enough to understand that there are no milkshakes at the moment. You ignorant, stupid bitch. Fuck your milkshake, I said. I brought my own drink, and I know that sign over there says I can't bring in food or drink that wasn't purchased at this store, but I'll pretend I can't read it because it's in Japanese and I'm obviously not Japanese so it is incomprehensible that I might understand Japanese, because only Japanese people can speak Japanese and I am obviously not Japanese. I hate you now. No, I didn't really say that. Actually, my Japanese isn't good enough to say that perfectly, which means she wouldn't have understood (see previous post). I just said don't worry about the milkshake, just the donut, and then I totally ignored her the way they do when someone pisses them off. The crazy woman who always seems to be at Mr. Donut at the same time we are and squeals when she sees Will was there too, and she came over to pat his head and say hello. At least she speaks to us in Japanese. But she's hard to understand because she only has a few teeth. Ah, this place.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Week 4 underway
Everyday, someone in my department of about 15 people has to do a 朝礼, "chourei" or morning speech. Everyone hates it. Nothing interesting is ever said. Nobody wants to talk about themselves, so they talk about taking care not to catch a cold, or being careful when driving, or tips on how to communicate. It was my turn today, and I talked about relieving stress. This is what I said. A literal translation, not natural English, to give you an idea of how they speak.
"Good morning. Recently, the economy is strict, so everyone's stress level is rising probably. In order to relieve my own stress, I go to a golf practice place one every week. Every day, after sitting in front of a desk, to exercise is good, I think. Also, especially, the evening golf practice place is a beautiful place. If you try it one time, there is the danger of becoming a golf fanatic like me, but that would be a good thing, I think. That is all."
One thing I have noticed about speaking Japanese to Japanese people is that if you make one grammatical error, or one mispronunciation, most of them totally lose track of what you are trying to say. I guess it's because they never hear grammatically poor Japanese. They complain about how bad young people's Japanese is, just like anyone in any country does about their own young people, but they rarely if ever hear wrong Japanese. We hear wrong English all the time, by immigrants, on the telly or movies. In fact, the majority of English spoken in the world would be "wrong." I feel the pressure of not making a mistake, and I'm not confident enough in my Japanese not to let this bother me, so I tend to keep my mouth shut, and my Japanese gets worse. Solution: study and talk more. Simple. It's just pride, fuckin' with me. So while I hate chourei like everyone else, it's good to sit down, decide on a topic, and make a little speech. When you learn a new word and have to memorize it and say it in front of a large group of people, it gets stuck in your head. 解消 kaishou – dissolve, deal with, relieve, as in relieve stress. There you go. I won't forget that in a hurry.
This morning was Plyo. Have I been typing "Pylo" all this time? Plyometrics. My knees don't ache as much as they did in the beginning. They must be tightening up and getting used to all the squats and jumps. I had to keep forcing myself to commit this morning though. First day of a new week, I guess. A little disappointing.
I bought some more protein shake powder yesterday. Problem is, I think I bought the same brand I did last time. The farty brand. You see, this is my third batch. The first one came in a tin, and that was fine. It didn't make me fart. The second one came in a bag, and I emptied it into the tin and threw the pack away. I forgot which brand it was, and yesterday when I took the new pack home, the colour was same, and the spoon was the same. So another few weeks of farting maybe.
Tiger Woods is in full practice mode now, and he says his own knee is feeling better than it ever has in his life. I can't wait until he comes back. He hasn't played for 9 months! I miss him terribly.
Will went to the dentist yesterday, and loved it. When I came home last night he was brushing his teeth. Poor guy, his face is covered in scratches from the kitten. He gets upset when I talk to Junko now. He tries to interrupt me, and then starts yelling. How's he going to be when the new baby comes? Psycho, probably. His latest craze is fish and whales.
Check out the difference between Japan and China.
http://jamesfallows.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/11/the_way_vs_a_way_japan_v_china.php
"Good morning. Recently, the economy is strict, so everyone's stress level is rising probably. In order to relieve my own stress, I go to a golf practice place one every week. Every day, after sitting in front of a desk, to exercise is good, I think. Also, especially, the evening golf practice place is a beautiful place. If you try it one time, there is the danger of becoming a golf fanatic like me, but that would be a good thing, I think. That is all."
One thing I have noticed about speaking Japanese to Japanese people is that if you make one grammatical error, or one mispronunciation, most of them totally lose track of what you are trying to say. I guess it's because they never hear grammatically poor Japanese. They complain about how bad young people's Japanese is, just like anyone in any country does about their own young people, but they rarely if ever hear wrong Japanese. We hear wrong English all the time, by immigrants, on the telly or movies. In fact, the majority of English spoken in the world would be "wrong." I feel the pressure of not making a mistake, and I'm not confident enough in my Japanese not to let this bother me, so I tend to keep my mouth shut, and my Japanese gets worse. Solution: study and talk more. Simple. It's just pride, fuckin' with me. So while I hate chourei like everyone else, it's good to sit down, decide on a topic, and make a little speech. When you learn a new word and have to memorize it and say it in front of a large group of people, it gets stuck in your head. 解消 kaishou – dissolve, deal with, relieve, as in relieve stress. There you go. I won't forget that in a hurry.
This morning was Plyo. Have I been typing "Pylo" all this time? Plyometrics. My knees don't ache as much as they did in the beginning. They must be tightening up and getting used to all the squats and jumps. I had to keep forcing myself to commit this morning though. First day of a new week, I guess. A little disappointing.
I bought some more protein shake powder yesterday. Problem is, I think I bought the same brand I did last time. The farty brand. You see, this is my third batch. The first one came in a tin, and that was fine. It didn't make me fart. The second one came in a bag, and I emptied it into the tin and threw the pack away. I forgot which brand it was, and yesterday when I took the new pack home, the colour was same, and the spoon was the same. So another few weeks of farting maybe.
Tiger Woods is in full practice mode now, and he says his own knee is feeling better than it ever has in his life. I can't wait until he comes back. He hasn't played for 9 months! I miss him terribly.
Will went to the dentist yesterday, and loved it. When I came home last night he was brushing his teeth. Poor guy, his face is covered in scratches from the kitten. He gets upset when I talk to Junko now. He tries to interrupt me, and then starts yelling. How's he going to be when the new baby comes? Psycho, probably. His latest craze is fish and whales.
Check out the difference between Japan and China.
http://jamesfallows.theatlantic.com/archives/2007/11/the_way_vs_a_way_japan_v_china.php
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Rest day summary
I thought I might write a little bit about Power 90. The ninety stands for 90 days, and that's how long you do it. The first series, the original Power 90, came out five years ago. Think infomercial, and that's how they sell it. I saw an infomercial for Power 90X while I was in Hawaii, and I was like, damn I want to buy that. Pretty slick.
Power 90 has six different videos. Sweat 1-2, Sculpt 1-2, Sweat 3-4, Sculpt 3-4, and two short ab videos, one 100 reps, the other 200. You start of with the easier ones, Sweat 1-2, Sculpt 1-2, and the 100 abs. Sweat is the cardio, which is a lot of jumping, kicking, and punching, and Sculpt is the weights. You do the abs exercise after Sweat. Sweat and Sculpt go for about 40 minutes each, and abs goes for about 5 minutes.
They look easy, but they are a pretty good start if you're not really fit. Tony Horton, the guy who does it, is pretty funny, and doesn't drive you mad like I imagine some of these guys might. Starting off, you alternate. Sweat & abs, Sculpt, Sweat & abs, Sculpt, Sweat & abs, Sculpt, rest. That's a week. After a few weeks they might start feeling a little easier, which is when you go to the 3-4 videos, and the 200 rep abs video. They are just longer and more intense, and the abs video fucks you up. 90 days of these exercises gets you in pretty good shape, and if you are dieting as well, you can lose a lot of weight. Some people's befores and afters are incredible. Mind you, they were fat bastards before.
A few years after P90 Tony Horton made Power 90X for people who had finished P90 and wanted to do more. It is much harder and more extreme. 12 different workouts, some targeting different parts of the body, as well as stretching and yoga. It looks pretty full on. I haven't done that one yet.
I'm doing P90 Master, which is the newest, and of a level that sits in between P90 and P90X. Definitely not as scary as P90X. I think they realized there was a market for people who had finished P90 but were turned off by the intensity of P90X. There are 6 different workouts. Less emphasis on weights, more on core strength. Legs, waist, shoulders. Lots of squats, jumping, and knees up exercises. There's Cardio Intervals, Core Cardio, Plyo Legs, Sculpt 5-6, Sweat 5-6, and Upper Middle Lower. There are other series like Power 90X+, which is four extra workouts for psychos doing Power 90X, and recently "One on One With Tony," which I think is like P90X, but you have to subscribe to get a different video each month with Tony in his home gym. Intimate.
One thing I like about the Power 90 series is that it's hard, but not ridiculous. And there are no gimmicks. No special equipment either. Just a mat and some dumbbells. The set is sparse, and at the bottom of the screen is a progress bar so you can always see how long there is to go.
I don't really have anything negative to say about it. People complain about the music, but you can turn it off. People complain about Tony, but many more people love him. Sometimes the transition between exercises is too short, especially with the weights, but like Tony always says, just press pause.
My goal is to complete Power 90X around the beginning of August, which is Will's 4th birthday, the anniversary of mum's death, the peak of Summer, and the holidays (if I still have a job). After that, I'll probably ease off for a couple of months until it cools down and start up again. Doing what I don't know.
Choushi wa dou? How is my current condition? Some left knee soreness. Right hip pops decreasing in frequency, but persistent. Left shoulder aches entirely gone. Asthma – almost gone. Dropped a kilo since I started. Constipation gone. Protein shakes making me fart though – I will change brands when this batch runs out this week. Coffee headaches gone (1 coffee a day seems to do the job). Energy levels sky high, except for mid afternoon which I am addressing with fruit bars. Basically I feel great.
This week, the 4th week, I want to concentrate on form and intensity. I've done the workouts twice each and know what they're all about, so I want to start counting reps and pushing as hard as I can.
P.S. You might wonder why I'm posting so often. It's quiet at work at the moment, but if I type, I look busy.
Power 90 has six different videos. Sweat 1-2, Sculpt 1-2, Sweat 3-4, Sculpt 3-4, and two short ab videos, one 100 reps, the other 200. You start of with the easier ones, Sweat 1-2, Sculpt 1-2, and the 100 abs. Sweat is the cardio, which is a lot of jumping, kicking, and punching, and Sculpt is the weights. You do the abs exercise after Sweat. Sweat and Sculpt go for about 40 minutes each, and abs goes for about 5 minutes.
They look easy, but they are a pretty good start if you're not really fit. Tony Horton, the guy who does it, is pretty funny, and doesn't drive you mad like I imagine some of these guys might. Starting off, you alternate. Sweat & abs, Sculpt, Sweat & abs, Sculpt, Sweat & abs, Sculpt, rest. That's a week. After a few weeks they might start feeling a little easier, which is when you go to the 3-4 videos, and the 200 rep abs video. They are just longer and more intense, and the abs video fucks you up. 90 days of these exercises gets you in pretty good shape, and if you are dieting as well, you can lose a lot of weight. Some people's befores and afters are incredible. Mind you, they were fat bastards before.
A few years after P90 Tony Horton made Power 90X for people who had finished P90 and wanted to do more. It is much harder and more extreme. 12 different workouts, some targeting different parts of the body, as well as stretching and yoga. It looks pretty full on. I haven't done that one yet.
I'm doing P90 Master, which is the newest, and of a level that sits in between P90 and P90X. Definitely not as scary as P90X. I think they realized there was a market for people who had finished P90 but were turned off by the intensity of P90X. There are 6 different workouts. Less emphasis on weights, more on core strength. Legs, waist, shoulders. Lots of squats, jumping, and knees up exercises. There's Cardio Intervals, Core Cardio, Plyo Legs, Sculpt 5-6, Sweat 5-6, and Upper Middle Lower. There are other series like Power 90X+, which is four extra workouts for psychos doing Power 90X, and recently "One on One With Tony," which I think is like P90X, but you have to subscribe to get a different video each month with Tony in his home gym. Intimate.
One thing I like about the Power 90 series is that it's hard, but not ridiculous. And there are no gimmicks. No special equipment either. Just a mat and some dumbbells. The set is sparse, and at the bottom of the screen is a progress bar so you can always see how long there is to go.
I don't really have anything negative to say about it. People complain about the music, but you can turn it off. People complain about Tony, but many more people love him. Sometimes the transition between exercises is too short, especially with the weights, but like Tony always says, just press pause.
My goal is to complete Power 90X around the beginning of August, which is Will's 4th birthday, the anniversary of mum's death, the peak of Summer, and the holidays (if I still have a job). After that, I'll probably ease off for a couple of months until it cools down and start up again. Doing what I don't know.
Choushi wa dou? How is my current condition? Some left knee soreness. Right hip pops decreasing in frequency, but persistent. Left shoulder aches entirely gone. Asthma – almost gone. Dropped a kilo since I started. Constipation gone. Protein shakes making me fart though – I will change brands when this batch runs out this week. Coffee headaches gone (1 coffee a day seems to do the job). Energy levels sky high, except for mid afternoon which I am addressing with fruit bars. Basically I feel great.
This week, the 4th week, I want to concentrate on form and intensity. I've done the workouts twice each and know what they're all about, so I want to start counting reps and pushing as hard as I can.
P.S. You might wonder why I'm posting so often. It's quiet at work at the moment, but if I type, I look busy.
Monday, February 2, 2009
3 weeks done
Third week done. I've been waking up in the mornings and doing them, which feels great until about 3 in the afternoon, when I get a bit bleary eyed and crabby. P90 Master has way less muscle work like push-ups and weights than P90, but every time I do it I'm drenched in sweat and buggered, so it must be working. I also have to remind myself that I'm not in it for the 6-pack or the biceps. I'm in it to get healthy and strong. Anyway, I know those things will come when I do P90X in the Spring.
One thing I have to address is the food I eat. The snacks are creeping in again. I look forward to my workouts and really enjoy them, but I also use them to justify the chips. I get in this frame of mind that I used to have when I was smoking, and that is, what fun would life be if I can't have the things I enjoy having? Like taking away chips would make me miserable. It sounds fucked up when I write it down and read it. What's wrong with Jim? Oh, he's upset because he didn't have chips last night. What the fuck? And there is that five second shattered feeling I get when I remember that I wasn't going to have chips. Oh goody, time for some chi- wait, I can't have any! Waaa! Why me? What a fucking child. It's nothing to do with weight, or even health, really. It's the attitude I don't like. I've got popping corn in the cupboard. Why don't I just make that?
So, here is a clarification of, and a re-committment to, my shit food policy. A coffee in the morning, and a kitkat (fun size) at lunch. That's it. And I don't have to have them. And it's not like if I don't have one one day than I can have two the next. Every day is a new day. Water, perfect. Green tea, great. Milk tea, won't hurt. Milo? If I have to. No sugar in the tea or Milo. No beer. No chocolate except for the kitkat. No chips! Fuck! Popcorn (home made with a little butter), nuts, raisins are all good. Choose the healthy option at work (sometimes hard). Plenty of healthy snacks. I think the key is to never get hungry. It's too easy to pop in a conbini (convenience store) on the way home from work and grab a pack of chips if I'm hungry.
* Exceptions
- If someone offers me a chocolate, I can take one.
- I can have a beer at work functions.
- I can share an ice cream or a donut with Will.
The guy who does the Power 90 videos, Tony Horton, recently went off on his blog. He seems like a nice guy, and is in phenomenal shape at 50, but obviously was having a bad day this day. Apparently it sent a shock wave through the P90 community. Check it out. Funny.
http://tonyhorton.blogspot.com/2008/10/chat-room-throw-down.html
One thing I have to address is the food I eat. The snacks are creeping in again. I look forward to my workouts and really enjoy them, but I also use them to justify the chips. I get in this frame of mind that I used to have when I was smoking, and that is, what fun would life be if I can't have the things I enjoy having? Like taking away chips would make me miserable. It sounds fucked up when I write it down and read it. What's wrong with Jim? Oh, he's upset because he didn't have chips last night. What the fuck? And there is that five second shattered feeling I get when I remember that I wasn't going to have chips. Oh goody, time for some chi- wait, I can't have any! Waaa! Why me? What a fucking child. It's nothing to do with weight, or even health, really. It's the attitude I don't like. I've got popping corn in the cupboard. Why don't I just make that?
So, here is a clarification of, and a re-committment to, my shit food policy. A coffee in the morning, and a kitkat (fun size) at lunch. That's it. And I don't have to have them. And it's not like if I don't have one one day than I can have two the next. Every day is a new day. Water, perfect. Green tea, great. Milk tea, won't hurt. Milo? If I have to. No sugar in the tea or Milo. No beer. No chocolate except for the kitkat. No chips! Fuck! Popcorn (home made with a little butter), nuts, raisins are all good. Choose the healthy option at work (sometimes hard). Plenty of healthy snacks. I think the key is to never get hungry. It's too easy to pop in a conbini (convenience store) on the way home from work and grab a pack of chips if I'm hungry.
* Exceptions
- If someone offers me a chocolate, I can take one.
- I can have a beer at work functions.
- I can share an ice cream or a donut with Will.
The guy who does the Power 90 videos, Tony Horton, recently went off on his blog. He seems like a nice guy, and is in phenomenal shape at 50, but obviously was having a bad day this day. Apparently it sent a shock wave through the P90 community. Check it out. Funny.
http://tonyhorton.blogspot.com/2008/10/chat-room-throw-down.html
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