Rajah's exercise journal (comments very welcome :) )

[Rajah]

Since posting seems to bring more motivation (especially when there are positive and encouraging replies ), I think I'll give this journal thing a try.

Some background on me. I'm currently 27, 5' 4.5", and around 135. I'm actually content with my weight (if I lose some, okay, if I don't, okay), but what I'm *not* happy with at *all* is the rest of my health and energy levels. I have almost no stamina (unless I'm on vacation, and then I pay for it for a month after getting home), I have very little energy, surely not as much as most people my age seem to have. I can't walk up two flights of stairs without being out of breath, and I can only partially blame that on my asthma. I want to change that.

I'm going to set a very easily attainable goal to begin with. Right now, I work on the second floor at work. I end up going up and down the stairs on average 5 times a day (that's 5 up/down sets). Most of the time, I'm slightly winded by the time I get to the top of the stairs.

Basic goal is going to be able to get up and down the flight of stairs at a quick pace (rather than the leisurely pace I usually do) and not be winded by the time I get up to the top. (Unless I'm having a day with asthma problems since I can't really help that). I want to be able to do this by this time next month.

More advanced goal involves school. Today is July 25th. Classes start August 25, exactly one month away. I'm taking 2 classes this semester (but they both meet at the same time essentially -- one independant study with the same prof -- so it counts as one). The class is on the 3rd floor of the building. I never take the elevator there unless I'm hurt, but that means I'm always winded for 5-15 minutes after I get to the top (between lugging book bag up the stairs and just climbing them in general). My advanced goal is to be able to make that 3-story climb and not be winded by.... hmm... does Sept 25 (one month after school starts) sound reasonable? Too easy? Too hard?

I'm going to start with a very easy plan. My starting plan is going to be to do one hour of fairly consistant exercise at least twice a week. Whether that's yoga, walking, making more trips downstairs and getting more exercise that way, shopping, riding the exercise bike, or what, I want to try to do one hour twice a week. If I can't get two one-hour shifts in, I will settle for one one-hour shift and two half-hour shifts.

I've never been able to keep that plan longer than 2 weeks before, so even though that sounds like a weak plan, to me it's a biggie.

Any comments?

To start off on the daily journal portion: I went to a yoga class for the first time last night. I've been curious about yoga for almost two years, but never have gotten up the nerve to try it. Too self-conscious about it. Finally last night I found a place that offers yoga classes at a time when I can get there right after work (for the remainder of the summer anyway) as long as I eat lunch in the office. I had a very good time and felt *wonderful* (I actually felt drugged or something I was so relaxed! Couldn't believe it) after the workout. I was more relaxed last night -- a state that lasted for 5 hours -- than my DH says he's ever seen me. I really needed to reach that state right now, so that's a good thing.

Tonight, I wish I could go back, but I don't get off work until about the time class starts, can't really slip out of work early again today (in fact I'm having to make up the time I slipped out yesterday), and I really need to get a better workout outfit and a workout mat anyway. So I think tonight I'm going to first hit Blockbuster and see if they have any Tai Chi videos and/or Yoga videos. (Checked the library's online catalog. They don't have any good ones available, all are checked out). I have 2 Blockbusters very close here and a third one on the way home so *one* of those should have it! Then I'm going to go shopping for a mat and a couple of workout outfits. Then, when I get home, unless I was actively walking while shopping for over an hour, I'm planning to pop in the Tai Chi video (I'm really curious, want to try that, too) and try a few of the basic moves. At very least, I need to do some more in-depth stretching exercises when I get home because I'm stiffening up after yesterday's class. Not as sore as I expected to be and I was still fairly loose this morning, I'm just getting stiff now.

Okay, enough rambling now.

 

[geetey]

Hi, Rajah! Congrats on your commitment to getting healthier!! That's what WISH is all about.
I have asthma as well, and I know you mentioned previously that you don't want to walk around mindlessly in your home, but I just want to put in a plug for the Walk Away the Pounds tapes/dvds. They are REALLY wonderful!! You will quickly be able to walk a 15 minute mile with Leslie. I bound up and down the stairs now without even a huff - and I credit that to the WATP series. I hope you check for them at Blockbuster! I think you will be pleasantly surprised by what you can do in 15 or 30 minutes on those nights you can't make it to yoga.

I look forward to reading more about your yoga classes! I have always been curious about them, and think it might be fun to add to my routine when I am closer to my goal weight.

 

[Rajah]

Hi Terry, thanks for posting. I looked for WATP but couldn't find it.

But, backing up to finish today's journal...

After work, I "ran" a 75-minute shopping marathon. I had an hour and fifteen minutes to check Blockbuster (2 of them) for a Yoga or Tai Chi video, go by Bed Bath and Beyond to get a Yoga mat (the best price I found by looking online), then Target to find two workout outfits. Then get home in near-rush-hour traffic before Amazing Race started. (I work 15 minutes from home, and the Target -- third point in the triangle -- was both 10 minutes from work and 10 from home -- so a doable task)

Well, I tried the closest Blockbuster first. Nothing. No exercise videos of any kind. So I tried the next-closest place. One Yoga video, and it was checked out. Nothing else. No I know I used to see more exercise videos at Blockbuster not too long ago, but now that I *want* one, I can't find any there.

So I gave up on that and went to Bed Bath and Beyond. My BB&B didn't have the kits I was looking for (included mat, blocks, and video -- I'll try Walmart next), but they did have just the mat. And it's a prettier one than the plain ones. Has a pretty Hawaiian-style flower pattern in dark blue on a sky-blue background. At first I was a little embarassed about buying it, but now I like it.

Then I went to Target, and by the time I got there, I still had 40 minutes left. Not bad. I found their outfits very quickly, and they were easy to identify considering there was a huge "yoga" sign hanging over them. LOL! A fairly big selection, but almost all the tops were tanks, and those not tanks were even less. I don't do tanks. I surely don't do less than a tank! I want sleeve, just a personal preference of mine. But I did find some capris-length pants for $13 each and across the aisle in the "normal" clothes were a bunch of shirts on sale. Took a lot of hunting, but I finally found one pink light-weight shirt that would work, and one denim-blue one with dark blue, and a Mickey on the front! Got those, and actually got home in time for Amazing Race. With literally only 2 minutes to spare.

I tried a few stretching and balance exercises on my own that I could remember from yesterday's class, but it wasn't satisfying. So I ate dinner, watched Amazing Race, cross stitched, then decided to run out to the library since it was still open. If nothing else, I could get a book.

I ended up closing the library (30 minutes after I arrived), but (after much searching -- they weren't where I expected them to be!) I found one Tai Chi video, one exercise video that combines dance with exercise steps to Country music (Thought it might be fun), and a book on "20-minute Yoga exercises". Perfect. And when I checked out, the really sweet grandma who checked me out was really supportive (I expected some kind of teasing on the Tai Chi, and she did tease once, but with a smile and immediately went into supportive-mode after that). She was really sweet and encouraging, telling me about her daughter who exercises like crazy in those step aerobics and that stuff, but when the daughter tried the Tai Chi she was sore for a week. Hmm... maybe I shouldn't try this until I can afford to be sore for a few days! LOL! But she also said she knows there are a lot of classes offered nearby, and to check the parks & rec office for the local parks. I never thought of that! So I'm going to see if I can find a Yoga or Tai Chi class that will work as well/better with my schedule.

After that I came home and read through the instructions in the book and then did my first solo yoga routine. It wasn't anywhere near as rigorous as the class, I still want to do the class once a week anyway, but this routine is great for relaxing and/or between classes. After the routine, I didn't feel as good as after class, but I was certainly more alert and relaxed!

Now if only I could do a 20-minute routine (which took 40 btw since I had to pause between each pose to read the next one again) every hour or two at work, maybe I'd stay alert and focused enough to get more done. LOL!

Another interesting thing that happened during the routine today was the balance. In doing what they call the "tree" pose, it was strange. Yesterday, I couldn't hold that pose more than 5 seconds without losing my balance. The first 3 tries tonight, I did the same. But then it was as though something clicked and I found my balance perfectly so I was able to hold the pose on both sides (balancing once on left leg, then on right) for 20 seconds without any problem, and was able to hold the other 10 with little problem. And what kept going through my head as I counted that one? "Once you find your center you are sure to win"

Anyone recognize that?

It's from "I'll Make A Man Out Of You" from Mulan. :-D Figures a Disney song would be the trick for me "finding my center" so to speak.

All in all, I'm off to a great start! I feel enough better after that routine that I'm adding another goal to my list -- at some point, I don't know when, I want to be able to get up 30 minutes earlier and do that relaxation 20-minute routine before going in to work. I'm SOOOOOOO not a morning person, so that goal is my tough goal.

As for now... I'm off to sleep.

(Next goal -- stop getting so stressed out because of that silly 8-smilie limit...)

 

[Rajah]

Just got back from my second Yoga class. Very relaxing. The assistant from Wed's class was the instructor this time, and she was actually even better about assisting me on the poses. She did a more relaxing / less strenuous workout than the other instructor did, so I didn't come out quite as exhausted as I did the last one, but still quite relaxed. And had a good time.

I may be imagining things, I don't think I am, but I think I was already more flexible this time. Not dramatically so, but I'm sure that compared to Wed, I was able to reach farther on the side-bends and stuff. I think I'm not imagining because I was so, so, so tense on Wed, then add that I was wearing jeans which aren't the most flexible things, and so I couldn't do the best stretching Wed. But after two days of stretching and loosening up muscles, and spending part of the work day today (about 10-15 minutes total) doing mild stretching at my desk to keep from tightening up again, I was looser going in to the session to begin with. And I was wearing the proper clothes this time. If I remember correctly, I was stretching more today like I used to do 10 years ago in high school. And it turns out that almost every pose I did today we did either in ballet when I was a kid (only in ballet the idea is to be a circle/curve, in this class the idea is to maintain the angles) or I did in gym/dance class as stretching/warmup for the more strenuous exercise. So other than not knowing the names of the poses, almost nothing was strange to me.

Now I just have to maintain motivation and go back again next week.

Tomorrow, I try the Tai Chi tape. I think. If not that, then at least another round on the 20-minute run.

 

[Rajah]

Well, Tai Chi didn't happen today. I *so* did not feel like it. Wasn't too sore from yesterday's Yoga, except in the stomach. That was so sore (from the sit-ups and such) that it almost made me sick all day, so I skipped the yoga or Tai Chi.

But, I did go bowling with a couple of friends and did 3 rounds with that with an 8 pound ball. Does that count? First time I've been bowling in 8 years. Had a good time, and did fairly well actually, though my arm was really giving out by the 3rd game.

Stomach-willing, I'll try the Tai Chi tomorrow instead

 

[Rajah]

Didn't get much in yesterday. Still no Tai Chi. I was sooooo stiff and sore from the bowling that not only was I stiff and sore, but trying to balance on one leg didn't work. So I just did a little stretching here and there, then put in 8 minutes on the exercise bike (working up from 5).

Not going to get a full yoga or tai chi workout in today, either, for the same reason -- I'd fall over if I tried balancing. LOL!

I'm also wondering what to do at that TOM? That's coming up soon for me, and I've read many warnings online saying don't do this stretch or that type of exercise during that TOM. So I'm not sure if I'm going to go at all during that TOM, either. Probably will put in some exercise bike or walking time instead. But that means I may not make it to yoga at all this week and I really enjoyed it.

 

[ohMom]

just popped in to let you know that I finished my workout today wtih 10 mins of yoga and I thought of you! i'm soooooo proud of you and your committment to do an exercise that you enjoy!

I don't know anything about Tai Chai (is that a tea drink? LOL) but I've never heard of not doing yoga TOM. Does your instructor have blocks that you can sit on the floor to place your hand on in you can't quite reach the floor and feel imbalanced?? I'd hate to see you miss a whole week of class already!! JMHO though

 

[Rajah]

Thanks ohMom.

I'm sure you've seen Tai Chi in action somewhere, or a spinoff of Tai Chi. I don't know much about it yet (still haven't been able to watch the video ) but what i have seen is it's described as "poetry in motion". Basically think of a lot of the martial arts moves like the kicks and arms and stuff, but slow them into slow motion. So instead of swinging your arm around really fast to hit something, you move slowly in a similar motion, pretending that you're having to push through heavy air. It's very neat to watch and is supposed to be a great workout and will tone muscles and your sense of balance.

I hadn't thought of asking if they had something there that I could use (like a chair or something) to improve balance while my leg is weak, but today's out anyway. Due to a long lunch (wasted -- grrrr -- place we were trying to run an errand to turned out to be closed on Mondays) I won't get off of work until class is over. And tomorrow I've got a doctor's appointment which is going to push my quitting time to mid-way through class, so tomorrow's out. So it looks like Wed is the earliest. I'll just find something to do at home until I can go.

As for doing exercises at that TOM, I was reading through several webpages and books, and they *all* said on certain poses "do not do this during that TOM" (though with other wording). They all involve stretches that really work the stomach muscles and involve pulling your head back and arching your back. The rest of the poses are okay. I'm not entirely sure why they don't want you to do those poses, but they have me nervous to do any of it during that TOM!

 

[Rajah]

Okay, impressive.

I just did a 25 minute yoga floor routine (with several pauses as I consulted the book). After that, I could walk without pain almost all the way across the house. Considering I couldn't walk from my desk to the door of my cube earlier today without discomfort / stiffness, that's a wow.

Then, I popped in the Tai Chi tape and decided to try at least the first move. Okay, I'm going to do more Tai Chi! Wow, that is so neat! I'm sure I look far far far from as graceful as the people on the tape, but talk about neat! I was only able to get down the first move, and even that I didn't get perfect. But I can tell the Tai Chi is going to be even more impact than the 20-minute yoga workouts that I've been doing at home, and if I go through a full round of the Tai Chi instead of just repeating one pose 10 times on each side, it's going to be more of a workout than the full yoga routine. So I'm going to have to work my way into Tai Chi, but *yes*, this is something I want to learn! If I keep with this tape, I may even want to learn badly enough to check out the times of the Tai Chi class at the Baily's Gym not far from here. I just don't want to pay for gym membership unless I'm going to stick with it, so I want to stick with tapes and such for a month or two first.

Even more neat, though, is after a full day of barely able to move because of my sore hip/joints after bowling, after doing the combined 25 minute yoga stretches with just 10 minutes of Tai Chi moves, I could walk up the steps with no problem!

That says that my hip/joint problem after bowling is stiff muscles rather than full injury.

Okay. I wanna do more Tai Chi.

 

[Rajah]

Well, I'm actually impressed with myself.

Tonight as I left the office to go to dinner, I was so tired I'd decided I would take tonight off exercise-wise.

But, after dinner, I felt better enough that I ended up doing a 20 minute routine anyway. So I didn't drop the ball after all!!

 

[Rajah]

Well, again I surprised myself today. Ate some macaroni & cheese + chicken for dinner, which gave me a stomach ache (I sometimes have trouble with milk-products, despite lactaid and pepto -- but it sure tasted good! LOL!). I almost used that as an excuse to drop the ball, but decided that instead of doing the yoga stretches (which can aggravate the tummy) I'd just do at least 5 minutes on the exercise bike.

Not only did I make 5 minutes, or 8 (my previous record), I actually did a full 15 minutes and 2 miles! My new record.

 

[Rajah]

I've been thinking I was already showing results of the yoga exercises in my flexibility, but I didn't believe that was possible after only one week. Surely, I was just imagining it, right?

Well, I have undeniable proof now! For the first time in 12 years, I was able to touch one toe without bending the knee much at all! Specifically in that stretch where you're sitting, legs spread, and lean face-down over your knee to reach your toe.

Yeah, yeah, big deal to some people, right? Well, I'm long-legged and for the longest time, all I could ever reach was my ankle. If that. I'm not even positive, I don't really remember, if I ever actually reached my toe in high school, either. But back then, I was going through the motions, not *really* doing the moves. This time I'm doing it for the benefit to me, not for the grade where all you have to do is *look* like you're trying hard.

And tonight, for the first time, I touched a big toe with my finger, and my knee was just barely off the ground! I couldn't believe it! Still can't do it with the other leg/arm, don't know if I'll be able to do it again tomorrow, but still, talk about a cool feeling!



(Obviously, I decided to do a routine tonight after all. Amazing how much better I felt after allowing myself to just sit back, stretch out, and relax during dinner then Amazing Race. After an hour and a half of relaxing like that, I felt well enough to do a few minutes of yoga, which turned into 15, which flowed into 10 minutes of Tai Chi. It really is true -- the more you do it, the easier it is to do "just two minutes more". And before long, those two minutes more become 5, then 10, then 20...)

 

[Rajah]

Stuck with it again! Did another 30 minute yoga workout tonight. And once again I was able to touch my toes in that same pose. Even able to barely touch the left toe this time as well.

 

[Rajah]

Didn't feel like doing too much this evening. I did go shopping for 2 hours with my mom, enough that my back started hurting from carrying my purse. :/ Dunno if any of that counted. But I was so wiped out from that (I just can *not* take the Houston summer heat ) I crashed for the evening. I did force myself to do 2 miles on the exercise bike, but that was just 13 minutes. At least it's something. I want to do more Tai Chi or yoga, but I'm too wiped out to do so tonight.

 

[Rajah]

Well, I was going to say that I only did a token amount of exercise last night, but I guess that if I'm slightly sore today, it actually counted, even if it was only about 10 minutes, doesn't it?

I popped in my new Tai Chi dvd last night and did nothing more than the warm-up and cool-down exercises. I figured that's enough to start out with, but really just a token amount to be able to keep up the streak of doing *something* every night. I think the warmup/cooldown took all of 10 minutes or so.

But, they involved a lot of standing with knees bent, and by the time I finished, I was feeling the strain in my legs. And I'm slightly sore this morning, so I guess it really does count, doesn't it?

 

[Rajah]

I never expected this journal to actually make 2 pages, but if I'm not mistaken, this post does it!

Last night, I exchanged a defective yoga dvd (a yoga zone one) for a working one (yoga journal, I think, it's yoga for women) and did the 20 minute routine from that dvd. But that was such a minor routine, I threw in a few poses from the book I had from the library. Then I decided to try some more of the tai chi dvd. Did all the warmup, all the beginning exercises (kinda a phase between warmup and the full workout) and the first pose of the actual tai-chi exercises.

Oddly enough, I'm not sore at all this morning. My shoulder is stiff, but otherwise I'm doing fine. I think that's because I started with the yoga first to loosen up better than the tai chi warmup, and *then* did the tai chi.

 

[Rajah]

Pretty much took a break tonight. Did about 10 minutes of misc yoga stretches while watching a movie, then did 1 mile on the exercise bike. That was it though tonight.

 

[Rajah]

I keep pushing the time later and later, but I once again actually did my exercise tonight. Even if it was 11pm before I started. LOL!

I did just over an hour (hour and ten minutes?) of yoga tonight. I went by half price books and found the book that outlines the more rigourous routine they do in the yoga class (even though it's for beginners!) and followed that for the most part tonight. Took longer since I had to look up each pose and read to make sure I was doing it right, and some of them I didn't repeat twice (I didn't want to be up until 2am after all!!) but I did do as much as I could tonight. For the first time in a while, maybe even since the first day of my exercise plan, I feel like I actually did do a *full* workout rather than just a token amount.

Now hopefully I can sleep tonight. LOL!

 

[Rajah]

And tonight, about 25 minutes of Tai Chi. Got through the warmup, "focus" exercises (I'm not sure how else to classify them), then the first pose which I knew, then took the time to learn the second and watch the third.

 

[Rajah]

Two updates now.

Last night, wasn't feeling too well, mostly just dead exhausted for some reason I can't really explain, so I almost backed out for the night. But, with some encouragement from DH and knowing that I wanted to be able to post that I actually did it, I hopped on the exercise bike for a few minutes. Few minutes turned into nearly 20, and just over 3 miles!

Then today, I popped in that "Hot Country Workout" I got from the library. I'm glad I just got it from the library and didn't waste any money on it -- did not like that. Even though I love dancing, it was too high-impact for me and very boring. Not what I enjoy and not what I hoped it would be. The only part I enjoyed was the warmup doing a combination of 3-step sliding and heel-toe-ing. And that was too long and repetitive to be fun for me (do you *really* need 10 minutes of the same 3 steps?). The rest... not me. Too high impact, and I even strained my calves trying to keep up with them. I gave up about 5 minutes into the actual *workout* (going... um... where's the country music?? I sure didn't hear any ) and put in my Tai Chi DVD instead. Doing those warmups (about 10 minutes) pretty much successfully stretched out the hurt calf, and then doing one round of the first two poses ("stepping forward" and "parting the wild horse's mane", I think...) took me to a full 30+ of workout.