A lookback at the 4 weeks of exercising

As I get into the 4th week of my renewed determination to lose weight, this would be a good moment to reflect on the program since.

THE GOOD

• Muscle toning has been sharpen and continues to be better. I can do more reps, hold more consistent good form
• Upper body, shoulder, pectorals, triceps and biceps are more pronounced. Especially also the muscles in the forearm.
  
• I can fit into tighter shirts!
• My pants feel looser, and more cool!- literally, not the 'cool' look
• My butt feels firmer, and although still hidden by the lump of lard behind, is getting better bit by bit. (or should that be butt by butt?)
• I am able to wear shirts, tees and exercise gear that I kept away at the height of my lumpiness.
  
• Overall, I feel much better!

THE BAD

• My left inner knee hurts from all the pounding. Especially from the 10km that I did last week. Sunday the hurt was terrible, it felt like a grinding sensation of the knee cap against the other bones with minimal cartilege lubrication
• I seriously have to reconsider running, although I like (not love) running for its sense of freedom, co-ordination between breathing, rhythm and pace and especially the 'man' image. Hahah...
  

Well.. man or not, it is time to reconsider the run as a weight control measure. It is not a long term solution.

Making up for late-week feastings!

Yesterday gym session was a pay-back:

Paying back for Thursday pig-out and Friday's non-exercise because of the rain. So on Saturday, it was a five click run on the treadmill, at about 8.6mk/h pace. It was fast-both in pace and the distance (for the gym environment) and is probably the effect of the Tuesday's road run.

It felt good, and the feeling lasted as long as the session and the shower. Not sure after that though, I felt a pain on the inside of the left knee. This is definitely a sign of over-running, and I should definitely cut back on the distances.

There is a need to also work on the knee ligament strengthening exercises now. And possibly lay off the running for a couple of days or so.


The upside of all this is that I have lost 1.5kgs since I started, and I suspect that the fat loss is higher as the muscles are feeling stronger. So, I fancy the heaver weight of the muscles could be the reason why the weight loss is only 1.5kg. That... and the over-eating over the workweek!

So, a good week overall, consistency is the name of the game, so despite the 2 aerobic workouts, the consistent muscle workout, especially in the mornings, are really kicking in! And to reflect that the weight gain was over at least a 9 month period, this loss of 1.5kgs over 2-3 weeks cannot be sniffed at.

Cool Running

Tropical monsoon late afternoon yesterday brought cooler temperatures, and the ever present chance that my scheduled run would be a washout. Thankfully it didn't.

What then happened was that the nice cool night made for some good running. I am sure I was faster than a week ago, AND also ran longer than that plodding pace. Overall, it felt great.

My resting heart rate is about 65bpm, not bad for someone like me, but with consistent exercise, should be able to get it lower yet. We'll see.

Run was good because I could feel that my baseline breathing and running rhythm sychronised nicely. No more of the heavy belaboured breathing of the previous week. It is startling to reflect that with the restart of an exercise from a lull period, the body seems to be able to get back up to speed much quicker than before. Could this be simply my own perception and wishful thinking? I don't seem to think so, as I feel the body adapting upwards very quickly.

My ten minute consistency episode seems better this morning. Was able to get it in without much mental groaning. I am trying to aim for a virtuous cycle where I get a buzz from exercise and then feel compelled NOT to stop as I feel better and better about myself.

To top this feeling off, my clothes getting looser is also a great way to motivate myself. No longer do I have to squirm my hands into the pocket just to reach the transitlink card, AND I can also pull the belt 1 notch tighter.

Now that is what I call motivation.