Mission: 6-Pack Abs

I wasn’t able to go to the gym yesterday. I had no plans of missing the session, but a client called and invited me to an early dinner, and I couldn’t say no to that. And then afterwards, a friend called me over to our favorite watering hole…. So I had a few beers and a couple of vodkas last night, and I’m feeling really lousy today. But, I’m heading off to the gym as soon as I post this.

Continue reading Missed workout

Wow! what a day it was yesterday! After almost two years of near-sedentary living, I’ve finally gotten off my bum and worked out at the gym. Up until a couple of years ago, I used to do nearly 2 hours of aerobics, and some days I’d swim or box. But yesterday, I couldn’t even last half an hour in the aero-boxing class. Well, it was an advanced class….

Before the workout, my fitness instructor Ted at Holiday Spa measured my various measurables to get a benchmark. Weight: 70.5kg, etc., etc. Hmmm… I think maybe once I start showing a little improvement, I’ll keep tabs on my vital statistics. I’m really committing to this endeavor, so I think I should be aware of my progress as I go along. The last time I had a regular gym schedule, I wasn’t really all that serious about fitness, that’s why all I did was aerobics and cardio stuff, no weights training, no dieting.

Well, I didn’t really gain weight. But I didn’t gain any muscle mass either. When Ted asked me what my goal was, I immediately said, “6-pack abs!” In other words, strength. Oh and flexibility. Over the years, I’ve noticed that I’ve been losing my youthful flexibility. When before I could stretch to my heart’s content, now, there’s some resistance already.

Since it was my first day, I only did cardio exercises: 30 minutes on the treadmill, 15 minutes on the stationary bike. According to the machines, I lost 200+ calories today. But the important thing was, I found out that I could still do almost an hour of continuous exercise without having to catch my breath. But, boy, did I lose it at the aerobics class! Maybe I need to get my wind back — maybe a week or so — before joining aero-boxing again….

Tomorrow I begin my quest for health. I start working out at Holiday Spa, where this time I’ve resolved to get with the program. And in preparation, this past week I’ve been trying to get rid of some deep-seated bad habits like sleeping late (or very early in the morning!). Smoking is on the top of my list of must-quits… but it’s so darned difficult.

The problem with smoking is that, it’s become such a force of habit that I just light up without thinking. Well, actually in Davao now it’s not very easy for smokers due to the strict implementation of the anti-smoking ordinance. But as soon as I’m in a place where people can smoke, I automatically reach for my pack of reds. To solve this, I thought quitting cold-turkey would be the way. But whenever I find myself without cigarettes, honestly, there’s a feeling of anxiety. Reading about how to cope with this just isn’t doing it for me.

So, for now, the best I can do is to minimize smoking — with the aim of totally getting rid of the habit soon!

My more immediate goal now is to be able to establish a regular pattern of, well, living. Two years ago when I was avidly working out, it was the only regular schedule that I had, and it rooted me somehow. All my other activities were (and still are) erratic. That’s why I wanted to get back to the gym, to provide myself with at least one thing that I do that is scheduled.

OK, I’m making it sound like I’m always literally on the go. No. But I believe I do need a more stable, even predictable weekly schedule, which will help me in getting my health and fitness back on track. And then soon I’d probably be able to go back to practicing Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits!