Simple Routines.

I have started what I'm intending to be a standing routine. It's simple, and should be very doable even when sick. I have taken the same timing routine from Zuzanna's interval skip, 20/10/8, and simply substituted a high knee running. Personally I find it more interesting than the skip, and it feels better. I will try mixing the two together tomorrow to see how that feels. Always good to get a varied range of motions. Maybe two high knee, two skip. Shall see how it feels.

Today I only did two sets. I'm a little hung over from a night out with friends, but made sure to do this small amount of training. I'm thinking that the minimum should be three or four sets per day (An easy target to achieve), with either a higher set count or additional routine included three times a week. I'm hoping it wont be long before my dip station arrives from the states, and then I can work that in.

I'm determined not to let myself slip into bad habits with this. If I keep to this basic pattern daily, everything else should begin to fall into place. Oh, on a quick note, the interval timer is much better than the online tabata clock. It's less distracting, and you can't fall into the habit of watching the clock to see how long is left.

I shall be adding chicken and mushroom soup into the recipe section tomorrow. The digital camera is out of the country at the moment, so there may not be pictures for this one. It's an easy very tasty soup that I should make more often.

Preparation and location.

Interval Skipping. 

Okay, so up until now I have been interval skipping indoors without using a rope. I had convinced myself that this was necessary as I was using the online tabata clock, and there isn't the space to use a real rope. I think that was a mistake. Without the rope I'm really only just jumping up and down on the spot in my room, and that gets real boring real quick.

Now that I have my Gymboss timer I intend to take the skipping outside into the garden. I should be able to use the paved area where the garden table normally stands. I have reserved a good speed rope to collect before work tomorrow, and have been messing around with programming the timer.

It may seem like such a simple thing, to take it into the garden, but I think one of the reasons I have been struggling is location. I have spent so long focusing my room into a work/writing space, that It feels wrong to exercise there. A simple psychological quirk, but one that stops me wanting to do workouts. Thankfully the weather is improving so It wont be hard to take the skipping outside; and I hope the open space and venue change will make all the difference.

I'll give it a proper try tomorrow once I have the rope. 

French Onion Soup

I have added French Onion Soup into the recipe section. Somewhat time consuming, but VERY tasty. If your tempted, try it! Just be prepared for some tears from slicing all those onions.

A fresh start.

Okay, so it's been a bad couple of weeks for exercising. In a strange counterpoint, my writing has been much better these last couple of weeks, my focus much stronger; but there needs to be a balance between the two. However, I can admit if it was a choice of one or the other I would choose the writing.

I think my problem is as simple as too much too soon. I need to ease into exercise gently. Start with a level that is easy to maintain, and then build it over time. Sure it doesn't have the pay off to my male ego that diving right in has, but that's not what this is about. This idea of the 'Fit for 30' is to change my lifestyle in such a way as to create a naturally healthier approach to the rest of my life. I'm not bothered about being a muscle bound colossus, I just want to be healthier, happier.

I shall look through Zuzanna's routines and pick them apart. Things like the interval skipping is a great way to get the heart beating, and work the legs without needing space. There is no reason why I can't skip an amount everyday, and do three longer sessions a week to get my body into the routine. Also this approach wont leave me crippled at work, which has been an issue. I have no problem with the muscle pain after a great workout, but I don't like feeling like I can't move properly to do my job.

The French novelist Anatole France famously said "All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another."

I agree with him. For all the collected minutiae of bad habits and learned behaviour of years need to be systematically replaced with a fresh paradigm. No small task to alter even the unconscious behaviours, but a necessary step nonetheless. With that goal in mind I am creating a list of the behaviours I notice in myself that need to be altered. Hopefully once aware of them, I can forcibly alter for the better.

Day Seventeen: Finally over the flu.

A quick precursor to a post later on. I'm finally over the flu and will be getting back to exercising. This took a frustratingly long time to recover. I shall search through Zuzanna's routines and find a good place to pick back up. 

Baked sweet potato omelette.

I have added a new delicious recipe for a baked sweet potato omelette. It's one of my favourite new recipes. I am also playing with Falafel recipes at the moment to find one that I like.

I think I'm finally starting to get over this damn flu. I've been keeping an eye on Zuzanna's routines and have seen some good ones I'm looking forward to trying. I shall post up my progress when I'm back at it.

Day Nine: Convalescence Part 2

Another day of not doing much. I was at work today, which was uncomfortable. All the muscles in my abs and back are tight and sore. I think I may need a bath in the morning before stretching. I'm still feeling restless, and may have to do something tomorrow. I like the look of the new Legs on Fire Exercise Challenge. I will see how I am in the morning.

I've started to notice little changes in my body over the last day or two (despite the pain). My calves have been noticeably tighter and firmer from all of the skipping. My neck and shoulders have also felt firmer too. It's crazy that these results are from so little exercise, and I can't wait to get better and push longer routines. I'm not eating as much either. I don't know if this is because I'm eating better foods (although not today! Sigh). It's like my body is doing more with less. Who knows.

I was reading through instructions on the Legs on Fire Exercise Challenge and Zuzanna talks about swapping out skipping (if you can't use a rope, which I can't) for several other exercises. I think I will try mixing my interval skips for several of the other forms as well as the skipping. I think it make the routines more interesting, and focus my activity onto more muscle groups.

I'm giving a lot of thought to starting a mandatory skipping routine everyday on top of the regular routines. Even if it's just 10 minutes additional skipping, earlier or later in the day, I think I will see some positive benefits. Perhaps it would be worth getting a real rope and hitting the garden for this portion. I have my interval timer now, so I can take this outside.

Still going back and forth in my head over buying the Dip Station. Leaning more towards just buying it and seeing what happens. It's a good investment, and I should be able to manage the finances. I will force myself to make a decision in the next couple of days.