Five years on... it's 2013

Got directed to this blog site while looking for stuff to set exam papers on.

It has been a long time, too long in fact.

Good thing is, I haven't really degenerated back into the big person I was. But the bad news is also I have put on some kilos in the last couple of years that seems impossible to shed given my current lifestyle.

Well, looking on the bright side, at least when my body gets too obtuse, I still feel pangs of guilt sufficiently to trod to the gym to do some work. Trouble is, it's not enough, and it's not frequently regular or perhaps regularly frequent to make any difference.

That is the trouble with my work-life balance now. There really isn't any. So, couple of steps backwards really. That, and oh, if I could only shut my mouth to food.

Sigh.

Strength Training

Haven't had time to do cardio-training for a long while now.

Been trying to do strengthening work to balance input and output. Pushups, leg raises, ab crunches, lunges, twists etc.

Oh.. and how can I forget, walking 10min to and from the MRT every workday, mornings and evenings. A 'great' cardio-workout, but can also feel the lack of endurance as I am breathing heavily even during the walk, not slow mind you, but it isn't running either.

Reason is because the bike chain fell out one morning 2 weeks ago, been trying to go get it repaired but either the shop is closed when I am home or open when I am at work! Sigh...

Walking is good though, but the left knee is again protesting, felt that same horrible grinding feeling in the left knee after a week's worth of walking to the MRT. Am considering the option of going back to CGH sports for a long-term course of glucosamine sulphate..

But one things is now for sure, no more freedom of the long runs anymore...! sigh...

Unlocking new levels in Wii Fit

Been exploring the Wii Fit. Besides the yoga, strength training exercises, there are also fun games that you can play. And make you use up some calories in the name of fun.

There's jogging, step-aerobics for the more serious exercises. And then there are the fun recreation ones like skiing, football headers, even a hula hoop game and a balancing game where you move your body to manipulate a platform in order to move a ball on the platform to fall into a hole.

For every exercise/ game that you perform, you unlock new levels which either picks up the pace, extends the duration or adds new levels of complexity. It functions as a carrot for you to want to keep at the games so that more and more of those gray boxes turn into active exercises/ games that you can then play. Talk about the ultimate carrot on a stick. So, this is more like a psychological game that plays on your mind. SMARTTTTT......

All those twisting and turning has to be a boon to the casual exerciser to start moving that bum. Which is where the Wii Fit actually excels in! Making that first step towards regular exercise a little bit more fun and to incentivise the user to carry on. Hopefully, it will become a regular part of their day. And that... boils back down to the one essence I have been talking about all along... REGULAR EXERCISES...

Wii Fit: Building Blocks

Hmm... Wii Fit is fun, the eye-candy (cartoonish no doubt), the rhythm, the constant encouragement, the fun games.... all these add up to fun for the user, and possibly a carrot to casual exercisers who may not otherwise have the incentive to stick to a plan.

Let's face it, all of us start with great plans, but these fizzled out along the way as enthusiasm wanes and we fall back on our 'constant state of rest' mode when trying to stick to an exercise plan (mind you, I am not even talking about a 'regime' here).

So, this is where I see Wii Fit coming in, all of its positive attributes mentioned acts as an incentive, a 'carrot' approach if you will, to encourage the casual exerciser to get off that butt and move it, move it.

And for this particular group, even getting off their butts can be, uhh.. well, difficult. So, in the larger scheme of things, getting them grooving, or to even step onto the Wii Fit to take stock of their physical state, can be that proverbial first step. And might I reiterate, a very fun one as well.

Wii Fit

Hmm... let's see... been doing my little exercises in the mornings- almost every morning. And lo and behold, just spend a tidy little sum on the Wii Fit.

An intelligent piece of design, I must say. Keeps out the sensitive bits from prying (gawking and gaffauwing) eyes. Why do I say that? It doesn't even need to ask you for your weight, so that even if you cheat, you would be 5 kilos 'lighter' in front of your friends, but your Wii Fit will know your actual weight! All this by standing on the Wii Board.

So, it will take you through a battery of balancing tests, and base on the results, give you your Wii age, which in my case was....... ta da... I more that 17 my calendar age! Geez... that's a painful reality! Everyone around me erupted in laughter, myself included. All these from just balancing yourself on the Wii Board. Gosh.. as a piece of tech- it is surely impressive... let me try out its other features... and get back.

Consistency is the key

Yup- title says it all. Despite not having time to hit the gym, I have been able to at least do some toning exercises every morning. Well, most every morning anyway. Except that one time (ahem- yesterday) when I convinced myself that my muscles needed rest!! Well, readers can interpret that in any way possible and plausible, but the money is on sure laziness!!! :-)

Trying to kickstart it again this morning seemed particularly tough. This convinces me further that the body, just like the brain, is a pattern following creature. And break in the momentum is potentially dangerous as inertia then sets in very quickly.

Now that's a thought for all of us seeking to lose weight. Consistency. It does not matter if our exercises are simple stretching or doesn't even break a sweat. The key is that if we keep at it long enough, the toning will get done, the aim reached.

Now to work on the most important muscle of all, the brain!

Consistency is paying off

Since restarting the blog some 2 months ago, and blogging about it as an extension of my conscience to stick to the routine, I must say that there has been a noticeable effect.

Recapping previous posts, the consistency has resulted in a stronger core, increased repetitions and control over the muscle. The abdominals are now able to control the posture as well as the waist better, the upper body more profiled.

To illustrate the consistency rule: I started off blogging that I cannot even do 4 pushups after the layoff. Over the weeks, I started with knees-on-ground pushups, from 5 initially up to 20. Then I advanced to regular pushups, starting with 4-5, then slowly, slowly, slowly getting up to 10, then now creeping up to about 15. It has been tough, but the key is consistency and persistency. Of course it helps that I am able to fit into clothes that I wasn't able to to in December 07. And I am able to fill out a tighter shirt with the biceps and triceps showing, including a chest that is now visually bigger than before.

Go ahead, indulge in the visuals of it, its not vanity, but use it rather as motivation to keep plugging away at your own exercise regime