Mission: 6-Pack Abs

It’s summer! I wish I’d started working out a couple of months earlier, so I’d have had more time to get that chiseled physique for the beach. But who am I kidding? It’s going to take at least half a year to reach my 6-pack-abs goal for sure. Oh well, next year’s summer then…. Continue reading Summer workout, here I come!

In my enthusiasm to try new things, I might have bitten off more than I could swallow today. Out of curiosity, I tried another form of aerobics class at Holiday Gym & Spa (they’re changing names starting tomorrow). Would you believe, “Cardio Strip-Tease”?

Continue reading Old sports injuries

Here are some photos from yesterday’s workout — I wasn’t able to go Monday due to some pressing matters, so I went Tuesday and did two aero classes, plus weights!

Continue reading Gym photos

At Holiday Spa Fitness, I’ve pretty much settled into a routine now. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 5:30 to around 8 PM (including the time for sauna and shower). It’s important to have a set schedule for working out, for the following reasons:

• you will reach your fitness goals more surely;
• it will be easier for you to make the trip to the gym once you’ve gotten used to the routine;
• other regular activities will stand to benefit as well, i.e., you’ll most probably end up scheduling them as well.

Continue reading Gym schedule

I started doing weights last Saturday. Legs and back. Pretty basic stuff, but boy, my muscles sure hurt like hell now. Especially my calves. I don’t know why. I worked out my thighs just as hard, but it’s my calves that are complaining. I can’t even walk straight.

Continue reading Muscle pains galore!

Today I attended an intermediate aerobics class — my instructor won’t let me lift weights yet, because he said my body needs to get used to the whole exercising thing again first. So for this first week, all I do are cardio and aero exercises.

I’m not complaining. I love aerobics classes, especially kick boxing. It’s a tremendous workout! You start sweating in the first 15 minutes of the routine. And especially if the instructor is good, it could also be enjoyable.

The best part of aerobics programs is the abs workout, or the "matwork." See, working out your abs is sooo difficult and boring…. But when you’re in a group, and you’re doing it to lively music, the tediousness will be eliminated, and so will your spare tire! Well, after a couple months of dedicated workouts and dieting, that is. In the aero classes, you get to work out your abs together with other people. On one hand, that makes it enjoyable, or at least not boring. On the other hand, it could get challenging as well. Of course you’d feel you have to keep up!

Next week when I begin my weights training, I don’t think I’ll have time to keep joining the aero classes. But, nothing’s going to stop me from taking part in the matwork! That’s all I’m really after now.

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….