Fell Off the Bandwagon (actually down a few stairs)!

Wow, I've been absent from my little corner of the internets for quite some time . . . no frittering away time trying to figure out how to be healthy w/ a minimum of effort, no obsessing over every ripple of flab I spot, no more posting pics of my booty . . . oh blog, how I've missed you!  

Well, here is what happened:  about one month ago I sat down hard on my foot to keep myself from tumbling clumsily down the stairs at school, in a sad attempt to keep my paper cup of tea safe . .   I kept the cup upright (although the tea mysteriously disappeared) at dreadful cost to my foot, which got juggernauted down two steps and curled under me like an instant Chinese foot binding.  OUCH!!  

I had to cancel my two classes the next day and my husband took me to Severance hospital in Seoul.  I got to be pushed around in a wheelchair by a nurse smaller than me, wheeee!!  The x-rays showed no serious damage but the doctor said it would be several months before it would be fully healed.  *GASP*  But it's been a month and it looks almost normal, I'm going to start on the elliptical slowly . . .  can't stand the idea of getting doughier and more slothful . . . as long as go carefully and gently it'll be ok . . 

note the humoungous purply-green bruise

compared to my normal foot which also got a bit bashed(after about three weeks)

the puffer fish foot after two weeks (puffiness came first, then bruising)

frozen veggies in a bag for two weeks really helped!

had to wear longer skirts and sturdy sandals at work --note the Storm Trooper ankle brace, a lovely accessory to any ensemble

After an entire month not doing anything, I thought I'd majorly regress but the stats from Dec. 1 weren't that bad, plus got new booty pics for the photo check too -- I guess I've been coasting, which won't last so I'm motivated to get back on track!

Week 13

Arrghhh . . .  still sloughing off and being BAD and lazy.  I need to continue motivating myself . . .  still have some outfits i want to squeeze into and still have quite a ways to go . . . 

week 13

M - 0

T - 25 mins, 45 - - 

W - 25 mins, 

Th - 25 mins, 45 - - 

F - 0

Sa - 30 mins, 45 - -

Sun - 25 mins, 45 - - 

I had two days off this week -- and as can be seen above, haven't lived up to my goal of doing squats, crunches, and pushups every day.  I wish I weren't such a lazy mofo, but it's a bad trait of mine that needs constant attention.  Vanity is the only thing that works . . .  so I need to picture myself on that beach in Thailand, prancing around in  my teeny triangle-top and string bikini -- looking sleek and svelte of course -- just need to hold that thought and follow through on my plans!!

I think also I need a day or two to just allow myself to be lazy . . .  or is that an evil slippery slope that I'm heading onto?  Should I aim for seven-days-a-week workouts or try for five or six? Which will I be least likely to flake out on?  Hmm . . . decisions, decisions . . . 

to make it worse, here I am in week 14 and feeling super puffy and bloated . . . just a horrible feeling, I did a stats weigh in but since I'm retaining major water the numbers were depressing . . . aarrrgghhh . . .  can't menopause just come already???

Well, I'll keep slugging away at it, things are bound to improve. . .  need a better strategy though for my workouts.  I hate spending too much time on them, if I can devise a way to hit all major body parts AND do the elliptical, I'll be elated . . .  more on that later . . . <3!

Aaiiiiieeee!!! Week 12

I haven't gotten around to posting my weekly workouts 'cos frankly these last two weeks have been BAD.  In Seoul, where I live now, there is a seasonal condition called "hwang-sa" -- meaning "yellow dust".  This is a pale yellow, hideously grey and choking dust cloud which has been swept across the sea from China and deposited onto the Korean peninsula.  It often reaches Japan, and has been found in small amounts on the US West Coast.  Anyway, this hwang-sa is one of the most miserable things about living here -- you can't go hiking, running, in-like skating, etc. and it's even nasty to go outdoors during a bad bout of it.  We shut all our windows and just hunker down, but we still have to go up to our college campus to teach . . .  so there is no escape.  It gets in your hair, lungs, teeth, everything -- a horrible hollow, wheezy feeling deep in your bronchial tubes . . . and we just had to endure it for two weeks.

My Korean students say they didn;t notice it, but I had classes filled w/ red-eyed, sniffling students so I think they're in denial.  Perhaps my lungs are just extra tender and fresh, having lived in quite nice areas of the world and have been lucky to grow up in natural surroundinds w/ plenty of fresh air . . .  but then again i wouldn't want to have corroded, toughened-up lungs either.  

So, my workouts have sort of sloughed off recently. . . 

week 12

M -nothing, choking and gasping from dusty air

T - 20 mins, 45 squats

W - 15 mins, 45 squats

Th - 15 mins. 45 squats

F - 10 mins

Sa - 0

Su - 0

I'm so ashamed.

It's Early Christmas for me!!!!

I just made a huge order for some basic outfits online, sooo excited -- here in Korea the fashions are super frumpy or frilly or just thin and shabby looking.  That, or I could go into the older dragon-lady section of the store and come out looking like my Great-Aunt Eustace.  

I've gone shopping, I do go shopping a lot here in Seoul, but the value and styles just aren't there.  I don't think paying $40 for a skirt is so dirt-cheap that I deserve to have it fall apart in the first wash, and it's exhausting to schlepp around trying to find things w/o frills and bows and furbelows -- or w/o scrawly text all over them.  I like simple, clean lines, close-fitted but not tight, somewhat basic but flattering to my body shape.  

Anyway, my colours are hard to find here too -- basically I wear pinks of all shades, greys, white, a little lavender . . .   not much else.  I do have a yellow skirt w/ pink stitching, and a brown skirt w/ pink floral appliques (from Australia), and a few black skirts (w/, yes, correct, pink detailing!) -- so there is a narrow range of what I'm looking for.  

Another thing that pushes me to online shopping:  sales!  I can't believe some of the great bargains out there now,  my MIL is always bugging me to visit outlet malls w/ her (YAWN  there's never anything good for me) but w/ some of the sales I;ve found it's better than outlet malls!

I'll have to post pics when i get my stuff . . .  actually I should post the pics I already have of my outfits and such . . .  bad blogstress!  

Week 10

OK, I slipped up a wee bit this week . . .  but at least I managed to do something each day -- that's the important part.

M - 10 mins, 45 squats/ 60 crunches/ 10 pushups

T - 25, 45/60/10

W - 20, 45/60/10

Th - 20, 45/

F - walk from Yonsei University to Yeonhui (up and over the mountain, perhaps 45 mins total) (and wearing heels too!)

Sa - 25, 45/120/10

Su - 45/120/10

So I didn't do anything aerobic on Sunday -- but "the flow" started this weekend and it's strangely made me feel tired and lethargic, and pale.  Now, having a natural cafe latte complexion and being washed out does not look so good -- a weird zombie-ish look.  *sigh*   My mother hit menopause early, I keep hoping it'll happen to me early too but apparently not yet!  I have friends who are outraged/aghast when I tell them this, but really, but this age, if the urge were to hit me then it would have.  

Anyway, back to my workout:  I've stared upping the crunches, since they are fairly easy for me to do and doing 60 wasn't doing anything -- that is, I couldn't feel it the day after.  When I upped it to 120, however, aye yay yay, I felt it, so that's good.

Week 9

Wheeeee!!!!  Another good workout week.  I'm really starting to feel "like I used to" before the I let the chub pile on . .  . I don't feel that hideous, depressing spare-tire around my middle when I bend over or lean over to get something -- it used to be this big wad of fat that just oozed over, nowhere to go, like a balloon animal squeezed on one end.  That's what I felt like!  Now, the fat is still there, a smaller pad of it, but it's smaller for sure.  I'm so excited to be seeing actual results!

Here's Week 9 workouts:

M - no elliptical/aerobics but 45 squats/60 crunches/5 pushups

T - 25 mins / 45/60/10

W - 20 mins / 45/90/10

Th - 25 mins / 45

F - 20 mins / 45

Sa - 15 mins / - - 5

Su - rested  (I think I deserved it but still feel a bit bad!)

I'm still wanting to work on my upper thighs -- the backs are still ripply, and my rear -- but will continue this squats/crunches/pushups regimen for at least this month and then in Nov. see if I need to ramp it up a bit. . . . 

Such a Shameless Hussy

Tra la la la la!!!  I was extra giddy today 'cos my husband picked up our new passport photos today, and they actually looked GOOD!  Last time we tried getting them a few weeks ago, at a hypermart (Asian/European version of gigantic Targets but even better!) the pics were sooooo lame . . . .  they (Korean photo clerks) mistakenly forced us not to smile, since this is the Korean official photo style -- srsly -- high school/college photos, passports/visas, they say not to smile . . . 

well, the first attempt made my husband look as if he'd be on the Wanted by Homeland Security list, and in mine I looked about to burst into tears.  

We finally returned to the photo studio that took our passport pics ten years ago -- why didn't we go there first?  We live farther away now, and it was just a hassle (whine!) -- but we got our comeuppance for venturing somewhere cheaper/closer, that's for sure!

The photo studio did a great job, accepted our smiles, my hair accessory, and the pics look quite nice, we are inordinately pleased w/ them . . .  why all the brouhaha for some passport photo pics?  Because we have to see them for the NEXT TEN years!  So they'd better be good!

Also, my glee at finally having a half-way decent pic must have shown on my face since several random strangers said "HI" and smiled at me -- 

AND the first two batches of English Cafe (this lame free-talking thing we have to do at our college as part of our "counseling duties" as instructors -- balderdash!  The only bearable thing about having to work for one hour w/o pay each week is how fun and personable the students are, but that's another topic) --

anyway, the first two batches were all Physical Education and Recreation majors . . .  they were a bit shy, and when I asked what their favourite sports were they all said "basketball" -- and they liked/played nothing else . . . hmmm . . .

but to get to the point, they all asked me how old I was.

GASP

That's just not done, and i'm still not used to it -- but the first group said "21?" whereupon I laughed and said, no, I'm probably the same age as your mother -- one guy said "but she's 50!"  I hastened to say, no, not that old, and he stopped, looked at me again, and said "are you 30?"  No, I said, I'm 42 -- and, it makes me blush to remember, but I was tickled pink to hear this.  Sure, he's Korean, and only 19 yrs old, but STILL.  

Then the next pair of students come up, this time a guy and a girl, and they immediately ask  the same question!!!  I was curious -- was there something about me today that screamed "INQUIRE ABOUT MY AGE NOW" ???  The guy said "so cutie!" -- TEEHEEHEE!!!!  So I told them my age, and blushed some more . . . 

I think I was having an extra cheerful day . . .  that, or I was actually wearing some "taupe" eyeshadow, could that be it???

Time for a change

Okay, this is it:  I've been using the elliptical for two months now, and have lost some fat and can actually wear shorts w/o being embarrassed by dimply cellulite running rampant.  (it's still there, but just not running rampant!) -- and now that I am getting into the habit of a daily workout (even if short) I need to start building muscle.  

Hence, here come the weights.  I mostly want to perk up my bosom (hate having a bony sternum, yuck) and firm up the rear view -- I'm afraid if I don't do something else all the elliptical workouts will melt away my booty into a flat nothingness.  The only thing worse than a big blubbery booty is a flat boney one -- who wants that?!?!

So . . . . here is my new plan:

*continue w/ the elliptical workouts daily (10-40 mins each)

*start daily crunches (60 to start)

*start EOD pushups (10 to start)

*start EOD leg workouts (alternating squats and lunges, 1 giant set of 45 each day)

After I get used to this, in about a month or two, i'll start mixing in free weights  . . . better to start small and gradually build up rather than go all crazy and jump right into things only to wear myself out and get discouraged.

Sept Stats

I DID take some booty pics today, and will try to get them up soon . . .  this blog is piecemeal, mostly it is just to motivate myself and to serve as a pean to my efforts at better health  and fitness . .  

Anyway, did the dreaded measuring up, and found a bit of improvement:  

128.4/24.9

B - 34.5

W - 26.75

H - 36.5

Rb - 9.75

Rth - 21.5

My weight/fat % doesn't seem to have improved but that's 'cos I forgot to weigh myself later in the morning.  I take pills for high blood pressure and when I wake up I need to take them and it takes an hour or so for them to take effect (the diuretic) -- usually I weigh immediately upon getting up, then after a cup of coffee and maybe a bowl of oatmeal or so do another weigh-in.  Usually I drop a pound, and a percentage or so . . . . but the main improvement is my waist!!  I really, really, really want to regain a 26" waist WITHOUT sucking it in -- so it's exciting to actually SEE the number 26 on there!!  YAYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Week 8

Wow!!  I've been doing this for two whole months -- I still have to "make" myself do a workout but it's great to look back and see that I actually DO have the willpower to continue this . . . I've heard that something must be done for 90 days before it becomes a habit, it must be somewhat true because I'm at the point where I hate missing a workout . . .  

here's the numbers:  

M - 25 mins

T - 20

W - 20

Th - 30

F - one hour mountain hike

Sa - 40 

Su - 10 

That mountain hike knocked me out!  My legs/feet weren't used to upward climbing and doing actual work, that's one of the downfalls of living in a huge city:  so much pollution and bad smells and crowdedness it's hard to get out as often as we should.  Now that the rainy season is finally over we can start to do some more hiking.  All we have to watch out for now is the "hwangsa" -- ie yellow dust -- THAT really does a number on our tender, soft, clean lungs, but it doesn't seem to affect Koreans at all.  We watch the "Yellow Dust Monitor" (google it) to check how bad it is, anything above 50 we won't leave the apt. . .  .!

AND this week we stopped running the AC!!  It ran ALLLLLL summer long, to combat the mugginess and dankness and ickiness that permeates Korean houses during the summer.  Well, Japan was just as bad, except running the AC there is pretty much like taking money and burning it w/ a match, it's sooooo expensive to run the AC or heat in that country.  Here in Korea, it's pricey enough but not as bad and totally worth it!

seeing some improvement . . .

Today I wore my Forever21 size M shorts to meet my friend for lunch . . . .  I need to take more pics!  Anyway, I purchased these shorts in May this year -- and debated whether to order a S or M -- checking the chart size, it seems I'd do OK in a M based on  my larger-than normal hips, plus w/ a 27" waist I thought I'd better be on the safe side and go for the M.  Well, I ordered them, had them sent to my in-law's house ('cos we live overseas), my MIL sent them to me here in Korea, and when we got the box I tore into it to try everything on.  The M shorts fit quite well, and I was pleased . . . . 

Fast forward to the end of August, when we returned from our US vacation and we decided that enough was enough and said it was time to get serious:  we ordered our elliptical trainer.  I've been faithfully working out for the last seven weeks, and already can see improvement!!  Most notably, when I sit down wearing a short skirt or shorts there's much less ripply dimples of cellulite -- I used to have them along the side of my thighs when sitting and squishing my legs a certain way.  Now, there is still some chub but MUCH less . . .  I can't believe it, if I knew it'd only take two months to show A LITTLE improvement we'd have bought the darn elliptical YEARS ago!!

AND -- the size M shorts?  Well, I can slip them on and off w/o having to unbutton them -- that's how loose they are now!!   I know, sort of pathetic to be so excited like this, but it's amazing to actually see w/ my own eyes the result of seven weeks of working out!!!  Yaayyyyy!!!

Week 7

Continuing to work out, feeling better, I think I'm looking better too -- wore a pink knee-length skirt that I bought in Athens 2003 or 2004 . . .  it had been too tight and rudely clingy for me to wear for the last two or three so years, and it felt great to finally be able to fit into it again!  Of course, it's elastic-waist and stretchy, but still, it looks so much better.  Here's week 7 workouts:

M:  20 mins

T:  30 mins

W:  15 mins

Th:   25 mins

F:  10 mins

Sa:  15 mins

Su:  5 mins

again, the short workouts (5-10 mins) are so I can "say" I did a workout every day, plus, it gives me that forward momentum to clamber on the elliptical every day.  When I skip a day, it's extra difficult to restart -- it's easier to just make a habit of it.  This week I didn't have many long workouts, usually I try to get them in on the weekends but this week my "flow" started on Thursday . . . . ick . . . . just didn't feel like doing anything too genki, but I did force myself to do a little every day.

I begin w/ 3-4 mins (one song on  my pinkie ipod) at level 4, then continue with level 5 the rest of the time.  My HR is always around 120 or so, often a bit higher.  The beginning of the week it got up to 137, but I like to keep it at 120 for now.   Here's to a great week 8!!

Spring 2008

  This is my rear view from March 2008.  I knew we were headed back to the US for summer vacay, including a week in Orange County CA and I felt compelled to return to the US and undergo the critical gaze of all my friends and relatives . . . and not have them think "wow, she's really chubbed up there in Korea" . . . .  this pic is after half-heartedly working out with weights, and walking home from classes four days a week -- all in all, about four-five months worth of effort. I haven't changed anything else -- eating/sleeping habits are the same, that is bad.   While still quite ripply on the backs of the thighs, I think my thighs are overall a teensy bit slimmed down, (right?  right?). 

Stats:  appx  133 lbs. / 26.5 % BF

measurements: (BWH/Rth, Rb):  35 -27.5-38/22-9.75

Fat Rolls and Bottom Dimples

This was from Dec 2006, a very, very low point in my life.  I had been teaching in an inner-city Los Angeles school, and while I loved my students and love teaching, the political in-fighting and ceaseless wrangling just sucked the life out of everyone there -- except, that is, for the people who  tried to have as little to do with the students as possible.  I knew this was the absolute nadir when a student quietly asked if I were pregnant -- it was during "that time of month" but I had NEVER gotten the "pregnancy" question ever before -- not a good thing.   I'm not exactly obese or even seriously overweight, but it all just creeped up on me, slowly and insideously over time . . .  Note the fat rolls, and, even though this pic doesn't do them justice, I even have the dreaded BOTTOM DIMPLES.  Loved my tan, loved the palm trees, but had no time/energy to enjoy it, were always exhausted -- hence we needed a change . . .  so we left . . . .  took my chubby self and found a teaching job at a college which would allow me to slow down, think about what's important to me, where I want to go with my life, and improve my health!

Six years ago

This is me in 2002 -- I know, a weird pose but even then I had a glimmering of panic about being out of shape.  Looking back now, I want to slap my six-years-prior self for feeling flabby, huge and gross -- I'm looking OK here.  A little more toning and def. in the lower body would be nice, but I liked my upper body -- at this time of my life we lived in Osaka, Japan.  We had joined the Kansai Dragons International Dragon boat team, and by my awe-inspiring biceps, you can tell which side I paddled on most!  At the end of the racing season I discovered I was an ambidextrous paddler, but it was too late to even things out -- hence the mismatched biceps.  I'm sure Serena Williams has the same problem too, hahaha!

Week 6

I've been working out on the new elliptical for SIX whole weeks now . . . . it's gone amazingly fast, workout-wise (but not work-wise, that's a different story hahaha) --

and I'm up to the level 5 setting.  I started out at level 1 six weeks ago, and it winded me something BAD the first time I used it.  My workouts for the first few days were super short, but it's fairly easy to get the hang of the elliptical.  It's different from our Nordictrack ski machine, as in:  much easier!  But it does give a good, smooth, non-jarring workout -- way better than a treadmill.

Here's the week's recap:

M -- 10 mins

T -- 20 mins

W -- 30 mins

Th --25 mins

F -- looooong walk from Yongsan University up and over the hill down to Yeon-hi Dong and to the Hanguk Factory outlet, probably a 60 min. walk IN HEELS. (I live and work in Seoul, Korea, that's where the interesting place names come from!)

Sa --25 mins

Su -- 5 mins

Mondays we need to start our first classes at 10 am, teach six hours with a two-hour break then are done at 6 pm -- so it's hard to get a longer workout, getting home so late.  Sunday I just climbed onto the machine w/ bare feet, so I could say "I did something every day this week" -- and I did!  YAY!!!

We are our own worst critics

It's a bit alarming when I sometimes treat others better than I treat myself.  I don't mean letting people walk all over me or smiling ingratiatingly when someone's being a major jerk, I mean when my friends or acquaintances are having issues in their lives.

When a friend complains bitterly about their pudgy thighs, or how their pants seams are bulging out and beginning to tear, I try to be encouraging and soothing, and say things like "let's work out together" or "a few weeks of walking/running/working out will fix that" and I also remind them of their good points -- 

BUT when I examine myself in the mirror I'll think things like "GROSS look at those saddlebags" or "How did my legs get so sickeningly flabby" or "what's wrong w/ me that I look so out of shape" -- I'm MUCH more harsh w/ myself than with others.  Even if the person complaining is really, truly, FAT, I always see positive aspects of them -- sparkling eyes, a lovely smile, luminescent skin, a lively wit, keen intelligence, etc. . . . .   

so why don't I give myself a break too?  We're all more than a sum of parts -- when I view my friends I don't see a collection of body parts -- I see the whole person, personality fused w/ appearance.  

I guess I should work on seeing myself as a whole work in progress, too.  Not only do I seek to improve my health/fitness/appearance, I'm also always trying to increase my knowledge, expand my awareness, find out what the rest of the world is doing/thinking/experiencing -- 

but I never look at myself and think "Gosh, how dumb are you, not even fluent in more than one language!" or "what kind of teacher are you, always rushing to make it on time to class?" (I have a mildly chronic lateness problem, hehehe) -- 

so, I'm going to try to use some of my pep talk on myself -- and treat my fitness efforts with the same kindness that I give my friends!

first post

Today is the day . . . I got this idea from Rebecca at TheSpaceBetweenMyPeers.com -- the idea of "blogging my own comeback"!!

Just making the decision to try and change for the better is momentous enough.  At a certain age, things just "catch up" -- despite willfully closing my eyes to increased weight, lack of fitness, clothes not fitting, stuff like that -- it happens to everyone.

I'm not trying to emulate any "celebrities" (just what are we celebrating anyway?!) since everyone should know by now that what we see in the media is astonishingly far from reality.  I don't want/need an army of stylists, make-up artists, publicists, photoshoppers, etc. -- but I want to look as good as I can, with a reasonably minimal amount of effort.

*sigh*  now that I've committed to an actual blog, suddenly am feeling overwhelmed.  I'll need to think on what broad categories I should address first . .   need to sleep on it . . . .