Tag Archives: boxing

Confession time: Exercise Edition

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Forgive me Leo, for I have sinned. Also - this is what happens when you work from home. Pictures with cats.

Tonight I was lamenting how I feel like I have blogger’s block lately – and to my credit I’ve been very, very busy with starting a new job, traveling for said new job, working on my thesis, and just living life in general. So, the blogger’s block is pretty much just from exhaustion, not wanting to quit my blog or anything, so no worries! Matt suggested I blog about exercise, and I felt myself cringe because that would mean a CONFESSION. Dun, dun, dun. So here it is – a confession.

I haven’t exercised in… a really long time. Like more than a couple weeks. Like, the last time I can remember was some time in early August, probably when my grad school buddy Virginia and I hit up water aerobics. I have no good reason, because everybody in the world is really busy, and I need to make time for it. But there’s just something about actually DOING IT that gets in the way. Maybe it’s having to dig for a sports bra, and then finding the stretchy capris that don’t give me a wedgie, and then having to find socks, and then having to put on shoes, and then having to actually exercise and deal with the sweat and the out of breathness and the tiredness. But see, those are all excuses, because we all know nine times out of 10 you finish a workout feeling great.

In an effort to make exercise a little less tiresome and daunting, I decided to purchase a used Wavemaster Boxing Bag. It was $35 on Craigslist, and really, truly the only exercise I have ever enjoyed is boxing. I haven’t used it yet, but it’s waiting in the backyard for the first day that’s less than 100 degrees. I figure even if I can get out there for a measly 10 minutes every now and then and work up a sweat, it’s better than what I’m doing now, which is nothing. (Cringe).

Whew. Ok. I feel better now that everything’s out in the open. Now I just need to do a weigh in post too – I’ll shoot for one early next week. Surprisingly, for a week of eating restaurant food, I weighed in only a couple pounds up. I’ll be back on track these next few days so I have a good reliable number to report back. So – it’s your turn now. Anything to confess?

Weekly Weigh In #?

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Hello everybody! Hope you had a great weekend. Yesterday’s stepping on the scale brought more good news, so let’s cut to the chase… I’m down another 2.2 pounds!

 


I’ve noticed the past few weeks that my jeans have been feeling loose, but the biggest surprise was when I put on my striped Tommy Hilfiger sweater. I begged Matt for this sweater last Christmas – it has alternating stripes in shades of gray with an adorable hot pink trim around the wrists and neckline. It’s awesome, and comfortable, and wasn’t cheap. When I got it last Christmas, it hugged my jelly roll around my tummy a little more than I preferred. Yesterday I put it on and it was baggy. BAGGY!! The fabric in the tummy area actually billowed a little bit. I screamed in pleasure. Yup, it’s true. Winning the lottery? Who needs it?! Just give me some baggy clothes and I’m good. (Oh hey, Universe…I didn’t know you read my blog. I’m totally just kidding about that lottery thing. I’d totally love to win the lottery. KThxBai.)

I reflected on my weight loss today for a bit and I’ve come up with a few important things. First of all, I’m stopping when I’m full. As delicious as each handful of buttered popcorn is, the last handful tastes just the same as the first. So why keep cramming it in my mouth when I know 20 minutes later I’ll be clutching my esophagus in pain?

Second thing is, I’m back on the horse, proverbially, in terms of exercise. I got off the horse because I was on vacation, and then I got sick, and then I got lazy. But the horse gave me a swift kick in the ass I needed, and a few boxing classes and a date with Mr. Simmons later, and I’m back in the saddle. Exercise is important. It makes me feel good afterwards, it makes me feel productive, it helps me stress less, and I’m doing it for ME. Not for my work, not for my school, not for my husband, not for my cats. I’m doing it for ME. That’s a good feeling.

What’s the last thing you’ve done for yourself lately, be it a manicure, a nap, a beer, or losing weight?

Weekly Weigh In #6

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This Saturday morning started out like any other – I peeled myself out of bed at 9:00, threw on some exercise clothes, and groggily drove to the gym for my weigh in and 9:30 boxing class. I was eager about this weigh-in, because I knew it would be a loss. I had worked out HARD several times this week, eaten well, and drank tons of water. My jeans were loose. Somebody at work said I looked thinner. I bought new jeans in a smaller size. My tummy area looked flatter and less paunchy. Oh yes, I had DEFINITELY lost weight. Until… I got on the scale and saw the number had moved down a tiny .2 of a pound. My initial reaction was, “What the Fu*k?!” And then I was pissed, and the poor punching bag got pummeled even harder in my class, and my poor friend Merrie had to listen to me rant about why my body seems incapable of losing weight.

How could I work out for an hour and half with Richard and NOT lose weight?!

Never one to give up, I decided I was going to weigh myself again immediately after class – in exactly the same outfit, but now I was drenched with sweat and a little less aggro. Surprisingly, this time, the scale showed a loss of 1.2 pounds. I got on three times to confirm it wasn’t just wishful thinking. Now – Am I cheating because my first weigh in was only down .2? Is this weigh in still legit? For shits and giggles, I weighed myself sans clothes, and I had lost like 2.5 pounds. Believe me, I wanted to put down that number, but I have to stay consistent and weigh in in the same outfit every week. Can the body really swell and deflate that much within an hour? Did my boxing class sweat out a pound of salt and bloat that I’d been holding earlier? And no, cuz I know you’re wondering, I didn’t remove a rib or go #2 or anything like that, thank you very much.

I’ll be weighing in a day earlier this week, and I’m hoping I can finally hit my five pound mini goal. Even though I’m claiming a loss this week, I need to get more serious about tracking. The exercise is there, but my food habits are still at about 70% when they need to be at 90%. *sigh* If you took a long look at how hard you’re trying with a new goal, what would be your percentage of success?

Check back on Wednesday for my experience with Richard Simmons  – it was an awesome adventure!

Weekly Weigh In #5

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Yesterday I weighed in for the fifth time since beginning Weight Watchers Online. Here’s a few very important things to note about this previous week: I hadn’t tracked a thing since the following week. There’s no excuse for WHY I didn’t do it, but work was crazy busy, I was not in that tracking mindset and I just didn’t do it. However, on the plus side, I worked out like a beast this week – taking three hardcore cardio classes (boxing, impact kickboxing and bootcamp) in addition to getting lots of other activity doing household things like weeding, washing the car, etc.


That’s why this week I’m surprised – and not surprised at the same time – that I lost .6 of a pound. It’s not a massive loss, but it’s a loss. It’s a shift in the right direction, and this week provided some key learnings for me. All week I was MINDFUL of what I was eating. Did I indulge? You bet. In homemade banana muffins, a chicken gyro at King’s, and beef Teriyaki when out with my friends for lunch. I indulged, but I was sensible about it, and instead of stuffing my face, I stopped when I was full, and balanced everything with cardio and activity. I also SERIOUSLY upped my water intake this week, after having a chat with my nutritionist friend.

Glamazon Woman on her Bitty Beach Cruiser

I’m at 3.2 pounds lost in five weeks. That’s not a ton, but it’s something. It’s better than staying the same. I had a very inspiring experience this weekend by meeting two new friends who can help me on this long, tiring road to a healthy weight. (Watch for that post on Tuesday!) This is a big goal for next week, but I’d love to lose at least 1.5 pounds at my next weigh in. I’m going to do it by drinking tons of water, continuing the aggressive cardio, and watching what I eat. And YES, I will be tracking. In fact, I’m going to track now (piece of toast, 1 piece of bacon, 2 egg whites. Breakfast!).

Have a wonderful Monday – and remember – it’s the start of a new week, and it’s never too late to make positive changes. 🙂

Don’t Sweat It

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I sweat. A lot. Like to the point of “Hey now, heard there’s a water shortage in Southern California. Want some sweat?” Let’s get right to the point. Here’s a picture of me last night after an hour of boxing. We did these awesome drills called “suicides” where you take turns with your sparring partner and beat the bag in minute-long sessions – first uppercuts, then jabs, then hooks. It was badass.

After 55 minutes of pure cardio - I sweat!

See that dark smudge on my shirt? That’s sweat. See how my hair looks brown? That’s sweat. See how my face is shiny and red and blotchy? That’s sweat. See that smile? That’s confidence. See this picture? That’s proof.

A friend of mine joined my gym and we took this kickboxing class together. Afterwards she expressed her surprise at my level of  sweat by saying “You’re like.. WET!” My response to her was “That’s why I’m here!” My sweatiness is something that trips me out sometimes, because as ladies, we’re expected to be dainty, feminine and polite, and if we sweat, it should be little glistening dew drops that glimmer like diamond shimmer powder on our foreheads. Not big, rolling rivers of salty sweat that drips into our eyes and puddles onto the floor. Or at least that’s what we’re supposed to think. I now know that for me, a good workout is measured in the level of “dew” on my body – is the small of my back damp? How about the back of my neck? Do my hands feel clammy, like a 14 year old boy’s at his first school dance? When I work out, it’s not pretty. I’m not there to walk a runway. I’m there to put the WORK in working out… and I’m pretty sure hard work doesn’t always look pretty, unless you’re Heidi Klum or Alexander Skarsgard.

I joined a women’s gym because there’s a comfort level I needed to have to start working out. I sweat like a beast, and when I’m doing squats, I didn’t want to worry about Joe the Plumber staring at my butt as it rippled in agony. I wanted to wake up on Saturday mornings, as I now do, and roll out of bed with wild, frizzy squirrel hair and smudged mascara and have a hell of a workout.  I wanted to wear a tank top and not worry about my chicken wings flapping in the powerful air conditioning, and most of all, I wanted to feel like NOBODY WAS WATCHING as I began the intimate process of getting my body into shape. Because it’s my business – not theirs. (heh, the irony is not lost on me that I end up blogging about it anyways)

I’m a hot, sweaty mess after my workout and I don’t care. Actually, I do care. If I’m not sweating, I didn’t make my body work hard enough. No guts, no glory. So a little bit of wetness, perspiration, moisture or dew? Bring it on. I’m waterproof, and washable. I’m not sweatin’ it.