Sorry to have disappeared for a few day- I took a mini break from blogging and have only just managed to catch up on all the blog posts that had piled up in my reader.
I think I had also hoped to have good news on Thursday night after weighing in at weight watchers. Despite having a reasonable week food wise (stuck to points most days, only one I think I went over) and exercising a fair bit ( since the Thursday before til Thursday of this week I had done 2 x 3km walks, an aqua arobics class, half an hour hooping, and a half our pilates DVD as well as doing 10,000 steps 5 out of the 7 days. Plus some 10 minute hooping sessions here and there) I put on .3kg. I am really really hoping that is was just water retention since we are experiencing 30 degree heat and higher. I know I had a bit loss the week before and that is hard to maintain but I was hoping for at least a .5kg loss but instead I got a gain.
While I find it easy to stick to my points during the day for breakfast, lunch and snacks, dinner is a bit hard especially since the boys are not so much into the healthy food I would prefer to cook. Especially since I am the last home and then usually go for a walk or aqua class or a weight watchers meeting dinner time is getting a bit late so they usually want something quick. So for this week I will write up the menu plan and stick it to the fridge and explain that if they want to start preparing that is fine otherwise dinner won`t be til about 7pm. If the food is coming from a recipe book I will mark the page and leave it open on the counter!!! Some easy meals coming up this week (I think) will include steak & salad, buritos & maybe some kind of healthy beef stew with steamed vegies. I would also like to include one vegetarian meal a week at night but the boys are not interested!!!
The biggest surprise for me so far I think is that while I am at work everyday I find myself thinking of where I will be able to get my exercise for that day. I wear a pedometer everyday (at least on weekdays) and check it occasionly to see how I am going with daily steps. I think about other exercise though like whether I will go for a walk, do an exercise DVD or some hooping. I had even planned to go to a Yoga class this morning but when my alarm went off at 8am I realized it just wasn`t going to happen because I felt too tired. Instead I did a pilates 30 minute DVD with a resitance band at about 12pm. The plan is to do some hooping a bit later as well since we are going out about 5:30pm and going outside for a walk before that time won`t be happening (Dad & I usually go, and take Abbey- it is too hot to go at 4pm though). Tomorrow though I will do a big walk late afternoon and maybe, just maybe, even go to the local pool for a swim since it is so damn hot!!!
My interest in exercise has come as a bit of a surprise. See I hate exercise but I haven`t always. In fact when I was younger I was a very competitive athletic competing mainly in short distance running events (100m, 200m, hurdles etc) as well as some other events like triple jump, high jump, long jump & shot-put. I did little Athletics for years and years and much to the surprise of people I meet now I was actually quite good at it. I stopped running & competing at bout 14 or 15 years of age but switched to soccer for a few years before giving up on sports entirely. That was probably my biggest downfall since I had always loved food but the consitent exercise had kept me slim. It wasn`t til I stopped exercising at about 16 that I ballooned out- even more so after I left highschol (and headed to Japan!)
What I am really hoping for is that if I can get into a comfortable routine here combining mainly walking and hula hooping as well as some fitness DVDs then perhaps I will succeed in keeping the weight I hope to lose off once I return to Japan. I feel good after I excercise where as I never used to (well not in recent years at least) in fact I always wondered if those people that spoke about endorphins been released when you exercised were talking shit. Because I never got that happy feeling they talked about!! Now, while exercise doesn`t make me feel all happy or anything I definitely feel better after it and I am noticing changes in my body even if I haven`t lost weight. The biggest i think is in my arms and also in my posture- I feel like I am standing straighter which in turn is (perhaps) making me appear slimmer!
Let me just say though, after doing the pilates DVD twice now, it is so hard. Much harder than I could of imagined. I still hope to get to a Yoga or Pilates class sometime soon- some of you might remember that attend at least 2 classes of pilates or yoga is on my 101 list. I really hope that next Thursday when I weight in that I will have had a loss- I do realize that weight loss takes time and that it won`t happen overnight but I don`t want to lose heart/motivation and if I don`t get a loss then I just might.
How do you keep fit? What exercise do you fit in and do you have a favourite?
Popularity: 9% [?]
I am just a twenty something Aussie girl living in Chiba, Japan with my Japanese husband trying to make sense of the crazy Japanese world we live in! We welcomed our first son in December 2009 (Noah) and a second son in January 2011, 2 months premature (Shion). I am working hard at raising them to be confident, bilingual, happy kids!
The closer to your BMI or goal the harder it is.. try not to be bummed about it, even if you have not noticed the scale moving, you may be losing inches (cm).
I love the endorphins, I throw my ipod on and do my steps in one shot (1 hour 30 min) give or take which brings me to about 10,000 steps… which is very hard. I do it in one shot because I want to get my heart rate up so it burns more fat. I eat regularly and have my dessert in the evening but I try to allocate 400 calories toward that, I don’t drink any sugar drinks at all, mostly water and tea but I have maybe one matcha with milk a day. I watch what I eat, and try to only eat when I feel hungry.
I do the steps briskly, which brings me to 3miles but some say 5miles? If you do the steps at least 40min intense that can bring more benefits rather than just clocking the steps, both equally making you very active but one having more of a benefit than the other.
I try to do 20min intense than 20normal stepping, I think the intensity during that hour and a half . I would say, for one week try to do an intense stepping (in place) throw on your ipod, just go for the 30 or 40 intensity you may have to challenge your body just at tad.
* Start with 10 minute bouts and work your way up.
* Do 10 minutes once per day, then twice per day’
* Do 15 minutes once plus 10 another time, then maybe 10 plus 5 and so on until you get up to 30 minutes.
I get frustrated sometimes, I could probably cut back on the snack I have after dinner to three days a week, but I am getting to my goal.. sometimes fast and sometimes If feels like… I am not seeing results.. but you are, even if they are not apparent that week, they will be the next.
What keeps me going is a kick butt workout mix that keeps me moving… oh and of course the results of looking fab in a bikini…
Great advice GirlJapan!!! The walk I usually do with my Dad is about 7500 steps and I do it at moderate intensity but when they swim at the beach I walk along the sand back and forth a bit faster! It takes us about 20 minutes each way (then we stop for 15 minutes while Abbey has her swim and I walk up and down the beach) The rest of the steps I get from walking to the train station and back for work and my just normal steps. Yesterday I got to just over 17,000 steps for the day which is almost my best (on National Walk to Work Day was the only day I clocked more but that was last year!)
The bikini…mmm…I am not sure I will ever wear a bikini again but that doesn`t both me so much
I find if I do only one type of exercise though I get bored which is why the variety is good for me! I will eventually start jogging again (maybe!) but I am a little bit away from that yet!
Thanks for your comments
Wow you’re really giving it your all! That’s SO impressive. I feel so lifeless lately I want to excersie but I’m not allowed to yet v.v That’s so hard when the people around you won’t bend to fit your eating needs. I always used to completely cut snacks and sweets out of my diet when I felt I was gaining weight only to be offered it by my family every 5 minutes saying it didn’t matter if I had just one..gahh.. You sound like your getting on top of that too though. Wow!
Are you doing little things to add steps? I always used to do that; get off the train a stop early and walk, take/run up the stairs everywhere, park a fair way away from your destination, etc. For me, after years of hockey I have to run or work up a sweat/pant to feel like I’ve exercised at all though lol Do you run at all?
Good luck and keep up with your goal! =)
I’ve been trying to both eat healthier and work out more, and it is HARD! I admire you for all the positive improvements you’ve made so far; very inspiring!
It’s good that you are exercising before the wedding and hopefully these will become habits for you, even when you move back to Japan. I used to go for nightly walks or bike rides, but that stopped when we started a family. I have always wanted to join a gym here, but it is not easy when you work days, and now I can’t leave the house at night. So, recently, I have been considering buying a Wii Fit and getting the software for yoga and sports. I have to admit though, I have tried yoga several times and never really liked it. Yeah, yeah, I know it is very good for you, and you can do some exercises that are good for pregnant women, but I find it so boring! I will join maternity swimming lessons as soon as I go on maternity leave. Good luck with your plan!
I find exercise is absolutely essential for my mental well being, as well as keeping me in size 10 jeans, so it’s win win
I’m training for a half marathon now, so have really upped the ante with my running, which I try and do every weekday evening, and at least once on the weekend. When it’s too cold or dark outside to run I do yoga. Tom and I also do a long walk every Sunday together. Combine all that with the fact I don’t have a car anymore and have to walk everywhere, and that keeps me fit, healthy and pretty happy! Apart from when it’s raining/snowing ;P
Good luck and keep at it – I know you can do it!
xx
I know what you mean about stopping your form of exercise: yours was soccer, mine was dancing. It was downhill from there! But now, since my university work is keeping me from getting into an exercise routine, I just make sure I walk a lot and I now follow a strict diet and really try to eat healthy.
But I think you’re making great headway! You’ll look great on your wedding, I’m sure!
Excellent post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am impressed! Very helpful information particularly the last part
I care for such information much. I was looking for this certain information for a long time. Thank you and good luck.