Day 32 - Check your totem....

I read today’s routine to Shirley last night, and I was quietly excited… Sad I know… WOW, what a intense and powerful session, I mean, everything burned, everything was solid and everything felt good….  Set’s 3 & 4 of the pull ups I had to have a break at #6, but got through the 4 sets, then straight into the rowing, wow again, I could feel my back muscles working and contracting….  Lunges and floor jumps, I don’t think I need to comment on those, I’m sure we are all feeling the same way…. Shirley assumed the fetal position and asked for the pain to go away !!!

Interesting reading others blogs and some folks are talking about things being easy or really hard… I'm sure like everyone else, I can sometimes find myself gliding through or thinking, that’s not too bad, but every time I feel this I stop, check my self and what I’m actually doing and meant to be doing, where I should be feeling it(i.e. what muscle should be working) and then I can generally work out what i'm doing wrong – more times then not, it gets harder after doing this and then I remember why i was probably gliding in the first place ! So basically what I’m saying to myself is, check your totem once and a while…  Make sure you are in the here and now with what you are doing and feeling, oh, and not think about the next 100 sit ups you have to do ;-)

Egg Whites are getting slightly easier to eat, perhaps I’m just building up a tolerance to the sulphur, but it’s tough, every bite releases that stench…   I get it, feeding the muscles & taking my medicine ….

Yay for Friday and the Weekend!

Day 31 – Thunder and Lightning

Wooha, it was an arm`tastic work out today… I’ve decided to call each one of my arms as they are feeling right now, Thunder & Lightning…. It’s a deep burn….

I was feeling quite uninspired yesterday, one might say, a little pooped…. I've been training a few extra sessions at lunch, but i woke this morning from a very deep sleep - One thing i've been realising, and this is after looking at the way i behave with food and training and things happening around me, it's important to not let sudden emotions or things around you get in the way or to stop you looking after yourself - I'm pretty sure there will always be something happening around you, drama, love, work, and usually all at the same time !!! ... Difficult things never have a good time...

Needed some time out though, so i stepped out at lunch today for a massage – highly recommend every one to get a few of these along the way if you are not already having them… it's great for the mind and body...

8min ab guy rocks – the leotard throws you a bit at first, but he is all inspiring and I don’t know how he can do all that and still yabber away – I second Mark, I want him as my inspirational picture …

... Pack it, smack it, butter it, bag it, smother it, kiss it, but most of all, Rock It

Day 29 - One step closer to equilibrium ....

Wowsa, today’s work out was rocking…. Dual exercise per body part !!! – Crunches and Plank, pull ups and rowing, Lunges and floor jumps, man, I haven’t whimpered like that since I was a little school girl …

New diets are also great – My breakfast plate, well, it really doesn’t do it justice to describe it in words - so here’s a little snap for you….

2 eggs(1 for breaky and 1 for post workout), 70grams tuna, 150grams veg, 110g carbs and 250ml soymilk)

(I need to buy bigger plates)

Oh, and i destroyed another skipping rope last night...

I’ve now gone back to the Nike speed rope, made from actual indestructible material and biodegradability = 0  

Have to say, it helps me skip like a demon !!! I'm not sure how a demon would skip, but i think it would be fast ....

 

Game On !

Day 28 – Fence Sitting ...

Howdy Ho every body….

Weekend was PCPed to the max…..

Caught up with fellow PCP Mark for a Saturday morning session and then cooked  a huge breakfast for the two of us - Ha, well Mark was defintiely slightly jealous of the mass amount of food on my plate – Shirls was off doing her yoga thing, but since I seem to be her dedicated trainer I had to do Saturday’s PCP session again in the afternoon – After 2 sessions of creeps, i kinda looked like I’d been riding a horse for a week when i walked. - I slept very well on Saturday night !!!

Sunday morning sessions are great, take your time, enjoy the outside, enojoy the park, enjoy wtching all the weirdo's heading to the 7's in the most outragous outfits - I seriously saw 6 dudes dressed up in avatar outfits, head to toe, they were wearing black underwear on the outside..  Never have i ever ....

I do find the 1200 skips get a little boring, appreciate that we should probably try and spice it up and do some different styles of jumps, but the other thought it my head says, “dude, just get it done and move on to the good stuff….” - Your probably wondering "Good Stuff ?"

Ok, on to the good stuff, Indulgence, Shirley & I had discussions at length on what to do, I originally was thinking about some sort of ice cream, although after our careful and thoughtful assessment of our options we decided to visit Cova - Cova is a cake/coffee/sweets establishment in HK, we had two little bite size treats.. Chocolate Mouse, and the other, White and Chocolate Mouse  - Delicious ! – Unfortunately I have the habit of just sticking it all in my mouth and gargle the thing, where as Shirley tends to take child bite sizes and sucking the crumbs and makes it last for an hour…

Funnily enough, I felt pretty fine after eating it, no issues around stomach or anything, although, I have to say, I wanted more !!!!

Just received Patrick’s email on regrouping - Haven’t you heard, it’s cool to be involved, get off the fence …

Hope you all have a rocking week and looking forward to kicking it into week 5

Day 25 - Bada-ba-ba-baaa.....

I knew the day was coming, I didn’t know when, but I’ve been looking forward to it…. I’ve read others blogs, they talk about how it didn’t meet expectations, they were disappointed, they don’t want to do it again, but you know what, I want learn this one for myself.   Indulgence Day !

Shirls and I were discussing the options that we have, maximizing the 200-400 calorie count, a mouth watering treat we could have, sitting inside some sort of boutique decedent place to ensure the experience is all it can be...

Chocolate Sunday inside a McDonald’s it is then !  Class !

Bada ba-ba-baa… I’m Loving It….

Exercise are going well, although doing the shoulder press with the resistance bands rubs nice deep red welts into the back of my arms - Anyone else getting this? Or perhaps my technique is off…   Patrick, any advice here?

Been a bit slack on week 3 pics, will get them up tonight…

Happy Friggin Friday Every One….

Day 23 - Le Beefcake ...

Wow, ok, Week 4, here we Go….

Food, I mentioned I love breakfast before, didn’t think it could get any better, well, now I’ve got an extra 60grams of protein to squeeze in, seriously, I’ve never eaten this much guilt free before… Love it… And because my post work out egg white falls directly on breakfast, Supersize me !!!  Let’s just say there are two plates in front of me in the morning…  I think my program nickname is to be called, ‘Le-Beefcake’

(i am not complaining, as I could use a few more good pounds)

Exercises are great and excited that we are getting some more variety…. Had an equipment malfunction yesterday ( note the timing, as I disrespected the skipping god by claiming ownership on him in my last post quote "i own you" ) well, the rope, completely broke in half, right down the middle, fancy that, unbreakable my a$$....

Sleep wise is a little inconsistent, it can be deep, then at other times the body just doesn’t shut down and I feel like I have energy constantly buzzing through me… Like some others, skin as been a little patchy at times with the toxins being released….

Oh, and can I just say, my masterpiece last night….  Picture doesn’t do it justice, but I have to say, it was incredibly tasty - not sure i've heard Shirley moan so much before or maybe that was me ! Grilled crumbed chicken fillets – and the chicken was seasoned with Cajun, Spanish paprika and chilli peppers. How to do it ? mix all the seasonings with  2 eggs(eggs make everything stick), then dip the chicken in the mix, once coated, discard the mix and dip the chicken pieces in your bread crumps and grill it …   Tasty ! - I can't wait for lunch today...

I don’t count the eggs or bread crumbs in my portions as it’s light and spread across a lot of chicken as it’s for 4 meals (2 people, 2 meals each)

(I’m lucky enough to still have some carbs for dinner)

Rock On Everybody....

Day 21 - Open for business....

1000 jumps.. I own you !!!  Not sure what changed, perhaps i just stopped thinking about it or i learned a bit of coordination - can you learn that .. ?!

I won't bore you with the rest of the weekends detailed report, but basically it was, light and dark, up and down, wet and moist,  and most of all, too short....

Happy Monday all and ready to kick another week ....

Day 18 – What are you looking at?

It’s been a countdown all week, and it’s here! Friday! I am pooped … I’m pretty sure I passed out last night and this morning woke with what I would consider tea bags under my eyes. I was in the lift heading down for our 6ishAM workout and rubbing some life into the little fellas – I’m pretty sure the security guard was looking at me weird when I got out of the lift. Dammit, I know he just stares at you through the camera, I mean, isn’t nothing private anymore?! I was in a bathroom not that long ago and the entire thing was mirrors, didn't matter where you looked, you saw it looking back at you! I’m all up for public displays of affection, but, right along the bathroom, including the urinals – Nothing is sacred anymore….

Random rants....

Onto PCP… exercises are not getting easier, if anything once you start getting stronger and focusing on the technique they typically become harder, the illusion is that you are not getting stronger, but in fact you are, as you have the strength now to control your technique… which makes it harder….

Made breakfast a little different this morning, decided to wrap it all up in a fajita wrap, wow, it was like have a breakfast Barito, but not… - I have to say, it was delicious, I was moaning the whole way through it ….

Fajita(garlic & Coriander) with scrambled egg(basil and pepper) Mushrooms & tomato

Hope you all have a fantastic Friday….

Rock It ….

Day 16 – Love & Hate

I’ve been noticing a constant fatigue and energy drop in the last couple of days… With the body in constant repair mode and most probably a lack of deep rest, the body is feeling like I’ve constantly been beating it up and have to pull energy up from somewhere, Where ???  - The good eating helps, more rest would help and an iron will to keep it all together….    We’ve been religious about our 6am starts and trying to look at it like a process, head down and do it – have to say though, that fatigue and energy loss is kind of rewarding, it’s a constant reminder that you are doing something good for yourself…

If you do it, the muscles will come…

The alarm and me have a love and hate relationship, I love that it helps me to get up, tell me what time I should wake, when I should turn up for an appointment, but I hate that it tells me when I should wake when I clearly want to sleep, and I hate it when it tells me that I should do or go somewhere when clearly I want to stay where I am….  What to do?

Working hard on keeping the exercises challenging and engaging, it definitely works up a sweat, although further to my original comment, at times it’s more challenging in the wrong area - Fighting fatigue makes it that much more difficult. Decisions need to be made, make time to rest and recover or continue to suffer…  Seems like an easy choice, Yes ?

Keep it real peoples and enjoy !

Oh, decided to remove the countdown, i figure it's important to enjoy the now instead of focusing on the end ....   - DEEP...

Day 15 - It's getting HOT....

Wow, what a difference a little bit of heat makes on you, I feel like I’m in one of the hot yoga classes and am building my very own dam around me - On the good side, knees and aches tend to be dispersing with the heat, or perhaps it's the daily exercise regime that's strengthening the limbs....

I'm sure like everyone else, I jumped right ahead to the last days exercises to see the jump routine... I like to see what we have to look forward to... 1000! WOW (i don't think anything more need to be said)

Food quantities are still good, slight difference with decreasing carbs and increase in my protein.

We tend to cook batches of food for different meals, for instance, breakfast, we have a combination of Zucchini, tomato and mushrooms, we have a big tub that lasts about 3 breakfast servings, i figure mornings we have the least amount of time after doing all the exercises, so the breaky preparations needs to be quick, just whack it on the stove to re-heat and do the eggs, done in a jiffy - On a personal note, it goes down as quickly as it hits the plate!!! I love breakfast.... oh, and top it off by the fresh bread from the bakery downstairs from our apartment... let's not forget the full glass of milk - Oh man, I’m in heaven.. - What would be great is if i could go straight back to bed....

Week 2 pictures are up, weight is slightly down(.4); and everything is a little more firm…

Over and Out…

T - 75

Day 14 - Man Vs Food

Day 14 and 800 skips done... Did a yoga class at lunch, was great, especially when you've got muscles all beaten up. Not sure about everyone else, but i find myself constantly hungry, food is great and good quantities, but it's still an on-going battle with my belly, I've always found my exercise, metabolism and appetite go hand in hand... and right now they are all ramped up !!!

Happy Monday ...

T - 76

Day 13 - Lesson 28: never laugh at a guy made from stone !

Wow, what a weekend... Hong Kong has been sunny and warm - It makes such a difference to be outside and exercising.... Found myself doing extra skips and sets, even came back and did the 8min abs that the other group has been talking about.. Ha, pretty darn funny, some dude wearing a leotard telling you to crunch - I would laugh at him but the guy is build like a brick.. Lesson 28: never laugh at a guy made from stone !

Not too much else to report, apart from the catastrophe in Japan, which i wish all the best, it's been a good weekend and looking forward to this coming week with new exercise plans, new meal plans and new challenges...

Hope you all a great week..

T-77

Day 11 - Mine didn't look like that!

Body is adjusting well to the 6am booty calls, joints and the movement seem to be getting more fluid and not fighting me as much... To ever so slightly digress, it' brings me on to a theory I have...

Just because it's the weekend doesn't mean you should change your waking up/work out hour, the body has no idea it's the weekend, example, I wake up 6am every morning to head out to the park, then on Saturday and Sunday I wake up at 10 and head out, then Monday comes along, man, it hurts, my body's like, what's going on...  You might be saying, well, that's what we look forward to on the weekend, my thoughts are that the weekend, I can rest any time during the day... but keeping the body clock as consistent as possible will help in the long run...

Again, it's a theory, usually Shirley won't let me get out that early ... I've negotiated 9am tomorrow...

- See what works for you!

Oh, if you want to make your own tomato sauce with just tomatoes, don't over boil and squash it up, turns to liquid...

Enjoy the weekend....

T - 79 Days…

Day 10 - Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken!!

Exercises are going well, skipping seems to come in drips and drags, one day you're sh1t hot, and the next day you're trying to remember your name... and those  Da Vincis and the forward shoulder exercises, all have a serious burn factor.. but it's like that scratch at the roof of you mouth you keep tonguing, even though it's painful, you keep doing it..

I do get some intense cravings, usually around the same times, after lunch and on my way home from work - I kind of know why, due to some past habits, I ignore them and know that they are remnants of days past... Rather poetic perhaps, but going through this typically makes you self analyse and contemplate.... the cravings usually only last for 20 or so minutes, then, gone... it's such a telling story when you think how they come on at the same times - makes me feel kind of connected with smokers - the cravings take over...

The eating has been good and supplied some photos and descriptions below...

                                                       Breaky is always scrambled eggs, cooked with basil and pepper, Mushrooms and tomato and i also add zucchini and alternate that with asparagus - all veggies are sautéed with pepper and water to keep them juicy and to help the flavours come together.... 

Grilled chilli salmon, Cous Cous with basil, and a Chinese veggie i can't remember the name, broccoli sautéed with garlic and some baby tomato

Poached chicken cooked with Cajun & Chilli flakes, Cous Cous with Basil and lemon, Bok Choy and Broccoli with garlic and baby tomatoes

Good Day, Good Eating, and Happy Thursday..,.

T - 80 days....

Day 8 and a little of 9.... food for thought...

Week 2 activities have ramped up, I have to say, it's great. I find the work outs are much more balance... need to get up earlier now to get the extra activities in, this waking hour is enough of a challenge, let alone adding the extra fitness in. I find by the time the evening arrives I’m ready to just do nothing, I don't think I've ever looked forward to weekends as much as i do right now, even then we still need do our PCP, but at least we get to go back to bed....

Food has been pretty good and enjoying the meals, the amounts for me are good and I enjoy cooking, I could do with some more protein spread through out the day, mainly because I do activities during lunch as well, but I’ll see how the plan goes first - Someone mentioned this, but i'd like to better understand the variation in diets..i.e. why one week i might have "X" amount of protein and carbs, and then the next week it's different - maybe this makes more sense, I’d like to know what the intentions are for that week on that particular nutrition? e.g. weight loss, Weight gain..etc..

One thing that I’ve been thinking about is Food & Time - Quite a contentious subject right now.  I've been trying over the last year to use natural ingredients for flavouring food(e.g. Herbs) we can use these in food preparation and cooking - you'd be very surprised how tasty food can be when cooked with these ingredients - Previously and at times still today, I can find that I'd only enjoy food when it is rich with intense flavours, covered, spread, sprinkled, sauced(i just made that word up, but you know what I mean) but i ask, where does it stop ?Food doesn't need to be cooked in oil and sauces to be tasty,  in the end we are only satisfied with these intense flavours and everything else is bland.

A great example of this, sushi/sashimi, relatively low flavours, fish and such has it's own natural flavour, but what do we do, we dunk it in soy sauce and smother it with wasabi...  Funny when you think about it...

From what i can see, that's only one part of the problem, I believe the other part, and i think this is all too common in Asia, also around the globe, we're used to buying food from take aways and restaurant, people don't know how to cook anymore, the convenience and affordability of eating out is too alluring, this unfortunately makes us lazy and highly dependant on others. There is also the time factor, again, very common in Asia and i hear a lot of people talking about this, in saying this, if you can't afford time to look after yourself then perhaps you already have some other serious challenges, such as balance in your life.... and generally we suck at that too, just look at our diets and why most folks are doing this project....

I think it's great that all of us making this positive change, but i think that part of that change is re-evaluating our lifestyle and making time for things that are important - Being able to look after ourselves by means of cooking/nutrition, know what to cook, how to exercise, and to make all this work, balance of life...  Nutrition, Exercise and Balance - I realise that none of it works with out the other....

I know, over simplifying it all... but why is it complicated and and who makes it this way?



P.s Google! Greatest recipe book on earth....

P.s.s T - 81 days

Day 7 – Feeling the burn….

500 skips at 6:30AM is as tough as it sounds…. After 7 days of consecutive exercise it starts building up and I have to say, felt pretty fatigued yesterday and today… Skipping was also more difficult today then the last few days, obviously because were doing close to double, but i think also i was feeling slightly beat up... But, hearing everyone else’s pain makes me feel just a little better, as I’m not alone!  I see what group 1 is doing now for their skips - Things to look forward to !

I see a few others are having some disruptive sleep, i've had the same for the last 2 nights... Makes the morning jibe that little bit more tough....

Oh, I found this pic this morning and thought I’d share, Shirley and I headed out for breaky on Sunday after our PCP activities, and since we’re still on our half diet thing, Shirley was more then happy to propose we go 50/50 in a chocolate croissant – I obviously had to oblige... oh, I can still taste the buttery goodness….

Have a great PCP week!
T - 83 Days

Day 6- POW !!

Sunday 8am work out - it's been a while.... but what a high for the day....

Had a goal today, it was to learn how to skip like a boxer, warmed up with the feet together for a couple of sets, then moved on to one leg at a time, started with the right, then moved to the left, then combined, it was great, took quite a while to bring em together, the oldies in the park were for sure having a good ol laugh at my expense, not to worry, it was fun and felt good to challenge myself to try something new, to not be complacent with just getting by - I definitely walked away thinking, wow, I'm really uncoordinated ! ha ! but seriously, i am uncoordinated, no wonder i can't dance ...

Squats and lunges have been a good challenge, i find a lot of stuff we do in the gyms and even yoga can be very upper body focused, so bringing this in to the work outs i find helps balance things out... Abs and push ups are solid .. have to say, I love the ab work outs - The burn...

Looking forward to the new week, new menu and new exercises...

bye for now....

T-84days

Day 5 - What was the number for that Pizza Hut ?

Ha, got your attention with that one....

Ok, day 5 is done... Exercises were much like they were yesterday... Rope is goin round and round and I'm happy to say, with a little more consistency.. Took Shirley's suggestion and bought a new one with some fancy weights and ball baring based movement, it's smooooth... Nike rope is in the trash !

This week has been huge, 5 days of PCP, 5 yoga classes with an epic 90min session today, and i have to say, i'm a little exhausted - but it's such a good feeling and that's what is, quite simply, addictive!

I've not been completely adhearing to the half meals, i can't, so much activity and eating half of my meals, i couldn't cope and not to mention, i'm not sure it would be healthy to do all that activity and eat very little.... I've cut back where i can, and already eating fairly good with a respectable diet, some fine tuning needs to be had.... and that's why i'm here... I'm already on the lean side and I don't feel i can afford to loose any extra pounds... I have to say, in this case, you can't paint everyone with the same brush... I'm sure next week will be better as we start with the personalised meal planning....

Hope everyone is having a rocking weekend and staying true to the cause... You're PEAK CONDITION ..

Rock'N'Roll...

T-85 Days... 

Day 4 - Another day in paradise....

AM training was a hit down with the HK oldies, once again... For just 30mins, Shirley and I owned the astro turf, the oldies were afraid of being whacked by our swinging ropes! and not to mention me attempting to double jump the rope was indeed a catastrophe waiting to happen....

Push ups are good and deep and little quirky ways you can make them more challenging, one foot up, swapping feet during pushes - think it helps keep you focused on having your core switched on and not getting too comfortable with the movement...

Squats and lunges are good and surprising with out any weight, but i find that you really need to focus on technique, right angle (90 degrees) on the front, big backward stretch on the back leg with the knee a cm off the ground.... It helps maximise the exercise and feel like you're working it...

Legs raises are good, however i find i need to stick my hands right under my lower back, even just at the top of my butt to support my lower back - helps a lot...

Oh, PCP in action, Shirley, not usually the most regular of exercisers, occasional yoga, does her morning exercises yesterday, couldn't do the skipping as she didn't have her rope, get's home late last night and says, "i didn't do my jumps today, I need to do them, i'm going to head out now" I was completely in shock –Shows what a little bit of peer encouragement and peer pressure can do for someone - It's only the first week, but it's a great start! Keep it up Shirley...

Over and Out...

T - 86 days...

Day 3 - BAM !

Day 3 with a bang ....

Up and at it for a 6:30 session, headed off to Vic Park once again, i think the little ol chinese ladies are well and truly stumped at what i'm pushing up and down on - Probabaly thinking, "kids these days, using these new gadgets"

Skips were pretty good, have to say, if you can find yourself some astro turf, give it a go - It's really nice on the knees when you're bouncing around... And if you're in HK, it's pretty easy to find...

Push Ups are great fun, and those bars, damn, they make you go right down and pull that chest apart - I'm pretty sure my chest was talking to me today, went a little something like this "Hey, Man, what are you doing to me?" - I responded appropriately, "Shut Up and Push"

Lunges and squats are ok, however, i'm sure i'm walking around like i've been riding a horse for the last week ... Nice !

Ok, breaky, since we're up to sharing some photos thought i'd try and inspire you by this nice "little" dish...

You might be wondering, wow, looks good, but is that half a meal, well, you'd be half right in asking that... It's only 1 egg, usual 2, and that's half a peice of toast under that 1 egg, might have packed on the vegies, but you know, vegies are good for you and i'm doing a yoga class at lunch, so i figure i need a little something extra....(in case you're wondering, it's scrambled egg with a light dash of olive oil, basil and pepper, and a side of tomato and zucchini - lightly sauteed)

Have a great day !

Day 2 Action....

Howdy Ho Everybody,

Day 2 of this "EPIC" journey...    Like most, i've never blogged previously, however i do have to
say once everyones profile was up I was excited to check out who is doing what, who is saying
this and what will come of all - All the best to everyone !

Training, Up bright and early this AM for day 2 activities with fello PCPer, Shirley, my fiancee... We
headed down to Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, I figure morning exercises are the best,
something about the body using more of what we want to loose the most first thing in the
morning and it's also great to get a high energy positive start to the day!

Eating has been ok so far, in saying that, i just heard my stomach screaming at me and it's only day 2 - even my colleague, said "was that you're stomach !"...  What was really hard, is that I cooked eggs, toast, tomatos and mushrooms this morning, then had to give half to Shirley...
Not sure what the rule is on fruit during this week, but I try to snack on fruit through out the day and loads
of water - usually keeps the beast at bay until our half portioned lunch and dinner - well that's what i tell my belly...

Good Luck again and bring it on !!!
T - 88 days ....