An Active Participant
Two weeks ago I was doing what I usually do on weekdays, lie in bed and watch reruns, and Dr. Oz was on the Oprah show and he said something that struck me. He said, his favorite piece of advice for 2010 (yes, reruns) was "Participate in your Own Life." And it didn't strike me immediately, as I lay there flipping between channels, but I kept coming back to that quote and what he said after. You can't wait to be motivated and then do something. You have to DO SOMETHING and then motivation comes after. The key is to start. And it doesn't have to be big, it can be as simple as giving up soda (I don't drink soda) or walk an hour a day. Little things to get you started and get you on your way to your best life.
The next day, I had errands at the mall, and before I knew it, I bought a pair of rubber shoes. Or, for our international friends, running shoes. Although I kind of hesitate from calling them running shoes since they don't do any running. We can call them walking shoes for now. Because on that very day, the day I bought my shoes, I went out and walked for an hour. Or at least, I tried to walk for an hour. I was home in thirty minutes, all tired and sweaty. Mike was like, you were tired after WALKING? For 30 MINUTES? Nah, you were probably just bored. Ok, sure, let's go with that. He let me his iPod (because my iPhone contains no music whatsoever) and pointed me in the direction of his favorite podcast novel. I listen to a chapter a day, and look forward to my walk because I get to know what happens next in the story. And I've been walking everyday since! Except weekends. Oh and that one Friday, I fell asleep and didn't wake up till dinner time, so I walked on the Saturday instead. And last Tuesday, International Women's Day, I was dizzy from a failed errand, NCIS was on, and I couldn't walk away from Michael Weatherly. I punished myself the next day though, and walked extra long. Today I walked even longer and farther than I've ever gone before. At this rate, I will know every corner of every street of our village by Easter.
Walking, you say. Walk for an hour? That's exercise for geriatrics and recovering paraplegics. I know. It's embarrassing, especially since I have an aunt and uncle who run marathons. But you have to understand 2 things. One. I do not run. I hate it. I will dance in high heels for hours, walk in the blazing heat all day, bruise myself repeatedly to perfect a routine, but I will not run. It is not fun. You can't make me. I would rather go through labor again. I'm not joking. And anyway, I don't need to lose any weight, which is what this sort of aerobic exercise is designed to do. If anything I need to gain weight. So. There is no reason for me to run. It is undignified. I walk.
Two. I am totally out of shape. You have no idea. For the past six years, my body has been going through the following cycle: pregnancy - recovery from C-section - breastfeeding - about 4 months rest - repeat from pregnancy. And if you know me, and have read this blog extensively you know that pregnancy tends to wipe me out. Like my body uses up all its energy forming a baby that I have none left to walk or think. And then when that's done and I have the baby, I don't sleep for a year. So you see, for the past 6 years my body has been so completely preoccupied as a baby/milk machine it hasn't had the time to be, you know, a person. It killed me that when Mike and I went to Macau in 2008, as we went around the city, Mike could easily walk all day, and I was DYING to just sit. A lot. Which sucks because I was the one who wanted to see all the sights. And it's not like I've done anything to get fit since 2008, right? How can I? I was in the middle of my second breastfeeding cycle.
Right now I'm at the tail end of my third breastfeeding cycle. When Ramon turns one in about a month (GAH ANG LAPIT NA!) I shall wean him and he will start sleeping in his own room. And then I will allow myself to really get into shape by getting into weight training. You see, I am one of those rare being who cannot gain weight by vegging and eating all day everyday. Believe me. I've tried. So far only two things can make me gain weight. Pregnancy and heavy exercise. Well, one of those two is out of the question. So no choice. In college in 2001 I countered my underweightness (what's the extreme opposite of obesity? emaciation? I don't think I was at that point naman.) by joining the UP Pep Squad as an applicant. They made us do strenuous dance exercises for 3 hours thrice a week, and at some point, every singe day for two straight weeks. Extra hours on weekends. That's when I felt my all jeans begin to tighten. Also I had no life, so I quit when they made us run for 3 hours. In 2005 I was working, stress again reduced me to dangerously low weight, so I did some weight lifting, and what do you know, I ate more, gained weight, got stronger too. But my body's life-producing cycle started soon after that and I haven't exercised seriously since then.
I've been telling myself, even when I was still pregnant with Ramon, I will go back to weight training as soon as I'm done breastfeeding. I know, I know there's no rule that nursing moms can't lift heavy things (hello, we carry the baby all day), but as I mentioned before, when I breastfeed, I don't sleep. And I think at my level of health, I need to have that full night's rest for my body to be able to cope with the physical cruelty of Starting to Weight Train Again. It's going to be painful. I will need my sleep.
But when I heard Dr. Oz tell me to be an active participant in my own life, I knew I shouldn't wait for Easter Monday to start getting in shape. Plus Mike and I are going to Taiwan real soon and I don't want to be panting behind him again. So I will walk at least an hour everyday until Easter, and that will get me ready for weight training. I found a gym in the village. P500/month. I think by the time I start weight training, I can walk to the gym in 20mins as my warm up, and then walk home as my cool down. I'll be starting from the bottom, which will be embarrassing (it's mortifying to be surrounded by muscular weight lifters who press huge dinner plate sized weights, when all I can do is not die after 8 reps of JUST THE BAR. With no weights! That's how I started in 2005. I'll be going through that again.) But I can't wait.
That is the plan. I have written it down, so that I have to hold myself to it. So far so good! Let's keep the blog posted.
The next day, I had errands at the mall, and before I knew it, I bought a pair of rubber shoes. Or, for our international friends, running shoes. Although I kind of hesitate from calling them running shoes since they don't do any running. We can call them walking shoes for now. Because on that very day, the day I bought my shoes, I went out and walked for an hour. Or at least, I tried to walk for an hour. I was home in thirty minutes, all tired and sweaty. Mike was like, you were tired after WALKING? For 30 MINUTES? Nah, you were probably just bored. Ok, sure, let's go with that. He let me his iPod (because my iPhone contains no music whatsoever) and pointed me in the direction of his favorite podcast novel. I listen to a chapter a day, and look forward to my walk because I get to know what happens next in the story. And I've been walking everyday since! Except weekends. Oh and that one Friday, I fell asleep and didn't wake up till dinner time, so I walked on the Saturday instead. And last Tuesday, International Women's Day, I was dizzy from a failed errand, NCIS was on, and I couldn't walk away from Michael Weatherly. I punished myself the next day though, and walked extra long. Today I walked even longer and farther than I've ever gone before. At this rate, I will know every corner of every street of our village by Easter.
Walking, you say. Walk for an hour? That's exercise for geriatrics and recovering paraplegics. I know. It's embarrassing, especially since I have an aunt and uncle who run marathons. But you have to understand 2 things. One. I do not run. I hate it. I will dance in high heels for hours, walk in the blazing heat all day, bruise myself repeatedly to perfect a routine, but I will not run. It is not fun. You can't make me. I would rather go through labor again. I'm not joking. And anyway, I don't need to lose any weight, which is what this sort of aerobic exercise is designed to do. If anything I need to gain weight. So. There is no reason for me to run. It is undignified. I walk.
Two. I am totally out of shape. You have no idea. For the past six years, my body has been going through the following cycle: pregnancy - recovery from C-section - breastfeeding - about 4 months rest - repeat from pregnancy. And if you know me, and have read this blog extensively you know that pregnancy tends to wipe me out. Like my body uses up all its energy forming a baby that I have none left to walk or think. And then when that's done and I have the baby, I don't sleep for a year. So you see, for the past 6 years my body has been so completely preoccupied as a baby/milk machine it hasn't had the time to be, you know, a person. It killed me that when Mike and I went to Macau in 2008, as we went around the city, Mike could easily walk all day, and I was DYING to just sit. A lot. Which sucks because I was the one who wanted to see all the sights. And it's not like I've done anything to get fit since 2008, right? How can I? I was in the middle of my second breastfeeding cycle.
Right now I'm at the tail end of my third breastfeeding cycle. When Ramon turns one in about a month (GAH ANG LAPIT NA!) I shall wean him and he will start sleeping in his own room. And then I will allow myself to really get into shape by getting into weight training. You see, I am one of those rare being who cannot gain weight by vegging and eating all day everyday. Believe me. I've tried. So far only two things can make me gain weight. Pregnancy and heavy exercise. Well, one of those two is out of the question. So no choice. In college in 2001 I countered my underweightness (what's the extreme opposite of obesity? emaciation? I don't think I was at that point naman.) by joining the UP Pep Squad as an applicant. They made us do strenuous dance exercises for 3 hours thrice a week, and at some point, every singe day for two straight weeks. Extra hours on weekends. That's when I felt my all jeans begin to tighten. Also I had no life, so I quit when they made us run for 3 hours. In 2005 I was working, stress again reduced me to dangerously low weight, so I did some weight lifting, and what do you know, I ate more, gained weight, got stronger too. But my body's life-producing cycle started soon after that and I haven't exercised seriously since then.
I've been telling myself, even when I was still pregnant with Ramon, I will go back to weight training as soon as I'm done breastfeeding. I know, I know there's no rule that nursing moms can't lift heavy things (hello, we carry the baby all day), but as I mentioned before, when I breastfeed, I don't sleep. And I think at my level of health, I need to have that full night's rest for my body to be able to cope with the physical cruelty of Starting to Weight Train Again. It's going to be painful. I will need my sleep.
But when I heard Dr. Oz tell me to be an active participant in my own life, I knew I shouldn't wait for Easter Monday to start getting in shape. Plus Mike and I are going to Taiwan real soon and I don't want to be panting behind him again. So I will walk at least an hour everyday until Easter, and that will get me ready for weight training. I found a gym in the village. P500/month. I think by the time I start weight training, I can walk to the gym in 20mins as my warm up, and then walk home as my cool down. I'll be starting from the bottom, which will be embarrassing (it's mortifying to be surrounded by muscular weight lifters who press huge dinner plate sized weights, when all I can do is not die after 8 reps of JUST THE BAR. With no weights! That's how I started in 2005. I'll be going through that again.) But I can't wait.
That is the plan. I have written it down, so that I have to hold myself to it. So far so good! Let's keep the blog posted.