I'm Such A Loser

First things first - things haven't been going so well for me lately. Yeah, I got sick, AGAIN! This time it wasn't even my fault! All I did was just to go out to the local computer super-store, aka "Sim Lim Square" for just three hours, and a flu bug hit me hard. I was literally down for 3 straight days, only getting up to drink water or go to the toilet. All other times I was unconscious.

I wasn't even there for myself! I was there helping a friend choose a router and set it up for the new broadband plan she'd subscribed.

So anyway, since I got sick, I had been mucking around my blogs for awhile. I had discovered 2 great new commenting system. I implemented Intense Debate on my main blog, and Disqus on my gaming blog. So it was a toss-up between these 2 for this blog.

Eventually I decided to go with Intense Debate as well for this blog, just to see how it performs using the specialised Blogger install. So that means 2 blogs are now on Intense Debate and 1 on Disqus.

Anyhow, I also thought that since I'm going to an overhaul of the comment system, I might as well re-do the template too. So now here it is - the new template plus commenting system all done!

Labels: personal

Well after a few days of deciding, I guess I've decided to stay with Blogger platform. Losing all your comments is a little too much.

Besides, since I have decided to stay with blogger, I'm still looking out for a nice template to redo this blog, but in the meantime, there's really nothing much to write simply because:

1. I'm still the same weight
2. the home-made versa-stick is still being used
3. I still need to get more black bands for more "weight"
   

Each black band is US$13.00.... makes me reconsider ordering 3 more black bands since the price would be like almost US$40.00, not including shipping. Not too sure if it's going to be worth it, or to get another full bodylastics kit.

Truth to tell, I HAVE been slacking slightly in my routines. I don't workout as much as I did before, 2 days a week compared to 3 to 4 previously. I need to get back into the swing of things!

Ah well I'll decide on the black bands later.

Labels: Bodylastics, personal

Image by Chesi - Fotos CC via FlickrToday's post is totally off-topic. I'm just thinking and deliberating whether I should migrate this blog over to the Wordpress platform.

Ok, reasons for moving to Wordpress:

1. "In-thing"
2. Supposedly more feature-packed than Blogger.
3. So I that I can have almost equal experience in both platforms

Obstacles:

1. All internal links have to be changed. That is hard work hunting down all the posts from Blogger and changing the links manually
2. Google (and other search engines) will have to re-index my posts on the new platform, with different links
3. Can they even do that if the domain name is exactly the same?
4. I'd lose all the comments on the posts in here
   

Yes, to you, the reader, there'll be totally no change in the URL. Even if you're subscribed to my RSS feeds, there'll be no change there too as far as you're concerned. Everything will be "transparent". The major thing that's stopping me from completely migrating over is the loss of the comments.

Yes I know Wordpress can "import" almost everything from Blogger. Problem is, apparently it doesn't work when I do it. Yeah I've tried importing from various different hosts that I'm trying Wordpress on, but Google just errors out even if I give full authorization for the import.

Ah well.

I actually wanted to just change the blogskin (or "template") but that would mean this blog will be behaving weirdly in the time I am doing this up with a new skin.

So now the question remains - should I, or shouldn't I?

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Labels: personal

Some time ago, I wrote about brown rice here. Since then, because I already bought it, I've been consuming it more often than the usual white rice we Asians eat.

Ok, although the initial taste test wasn't very positive, I must say that you actually "grow into it". It's like an acquired taste. Now, I don't find that it tastes funny anymore. Anyway that's not the point of this post. I mean, after all, we know about the benefits of brown rice. Even the packaging of the brown rice says "Healthy Rice" in Chinese words on it.

Anyway, enough about brown rice.

Couple of days back, a friend and I were out at the usual pub having a quick drink. One of the bouncers there happen to say "Hey, you look bigger now!".

"What, I got fat again? Dammit I have been working out!" was the first thing I thought. My friend turned to me and, as if reading my mind, said "Man your workout has been giving results eh? Even the bouncer notices under all that loose clothing".

Yeah I did put on 2kg of weight, most of which is weight from muscles (I dare not say ALL of it, because I still can't really confirm 100% that it's purely weight from muscles). My friends said there IS a noticeable difference to him - I'm not as round and chubby as before. My shoulders have widened a little. My chest has grown 3cms (bah, just 1 inch!). But, my arms are lopsided - my left arm is 0.5cms smaller than my right... sigh!

Even when working out I can tell my left arm's the weaker of the two. For example, I worked to failure on the left side in 3 sets, but my right arm needed 1 more set to hit failure.

The strange thing is that the workout times on the Bodylastics kit has been always under 1 hour. Usually 35 to 45 mins at most. Sometimes, after the workout, I still take my Steel Bow out and do some more light ones while reading email and surfing the net.

The downside to working out at home though, is that if you don't have a strong will power to push on, you'll give up halfway through the workout and say "That's enough!". If you're at the gym with a buddy, he'll encourage you and prod you along, like "Come on, just 2 more reps... 2 more" to keep pushing you.

Yeah, I think once my job contract ends on 28th, I'll hit the gym with my buddy and see if I get better results.

Labels: personal

Hahah yeah, I think there wasn't any "progress" lately. In fact, I gained another kilo, so now I stand at 77kg. Dammit.

Now, I wish I had some way of knowing whether the weight gained was fats or muscles. I haven't been pigging out, and I have been working out, so I doubt it's fats. Still, I'd like to be sure though. Anyone knows of any device/method which can measure body fat percentage?

Yeah I really, REALLY should start keeping a journal. You know, where I record my measurements of chest, arms etc. Right now the only way I can see "progress" is only by the bathroom scales, and now it's telling me I'm "congressing" (LOL). Oh yes, and also the fact that I knew I couldn't do a single push-up before I started this, and now I can easily clear 30.

Ok then guess tonight's the night I finally crack open my old unused "diaries" that suppliers keep giving me back in 1998 or so, and use one of them as a journal.

Or maybe make an Excel sheet. Yeah I think using Excel's much easier. Ok Excel it is.

Labels: personal

I actually had to wait a couple of days to confirm this. It appears I might have gained some weight. I literally weighed myself the past couple of days to reconfirm the weight is actually there. I know some people don't know this, but your body changes weight throughout the day. You should weigh yourself the same time every day to get more "consistent" results.

Anyway, it seemed that I might have put on some weight. It's not much, just 1 kg. I haven't been pigging out (not much), so I sure hope it's not FATS but MUSCLE. Yeah, I hope so, since I've gotten the Bodylastics thing and learnt some new stuff about building muscles. I've put what I just learnt into practice the past couple of weeks, ie trying to build muscles.

On a related note - there are many websites and blogs that extol virtues of weight-loss pills and other drugs. On a lot of them, I just read 'em and chuckle. No matter how good the pills or drugs are, there is only one thing you can do to lose weight - increase your metabolism. Higher metabolism means you're burning fats off you. Pills and drugs can do that, yes, but what happens when you stop taking them?

If you exercise regularly, you are increasing your metabolism naturally - all drug free, and FREE too! You don't have to waste money on having a constant supply of those drugs. Besides, taking drugs to lose weight is just the lazy way out - you wanna lose weight but you don't want to exercise. Working out with weights doesn't necessarily mean you'll bulk up. It depends on HOW you do your workouts. Besides, having a little bit more muscle mass means increasing your metabolism anyway because muscles burn fat, so it's all good.

Yep, I'm not the kind to spend money on pills and stuff. I am aiming for natural. Nature has given us everything we possibly need. We don't need artificial stuff. Besides, working out is actually fun if you make it fun. The feeling you get after working out is great too. There's no words to describe it - it's like a "high" but you don't really get high.

Labels: diet, personal

Well the past couple of days were filled with eating junk food. Well not really junk food, but food that you shouldn't be eating if you're on a diet.

Even so, I haven't gained any weight, which is a good thing. I'm still 75kg, and that's pretty dang good considering I haven't worked out the past couple of days, so I never actually actively burnt any calories. Yeah not even circuit training. The past 2 days were literally "cheat days" for me.

Since tomorrow's a Saturday, it's my "Upper body workout" day again. Time to work every part to muscle failure, and get an aching body on Sunday before I start on lower body *grin*

By the way, I found out my hamster loves bah kwa! He can't get enough of it, but I don't give him more than a small tiny piece a day at most. He can afford to get fat though. I doubt he will anyway, since he runs on the wheel every night. He probably burns all the calories up in a single night :p

Labels: personal

It's inevitable, isn't it?

Chinese New Year, the time where bak kwa's are aplenty, where pineapple tarts and other "finger foods" are served for visiting relatives.

And, where there are fats just hiding, waiting to jump out at you!

To make matters worse, Chinese New Year is actually 2 weeks long! Well, 15 days to be more precise, but in Singapore, we're only given 2 days of holiday by the government.

So, it is expected that:

1. People will MC on Monday
2. Married people will be much poorer
3. People will put on weight

* note - "MC" is a local slang for going on sick leave, or as the Americans would say, "call in sick".

Yeah, it's how things are. Me? I don't plan on putting much weight on. I've already lost 'em, I don't want 'em back!

In any case, don't worry, because if you're like me, ie have been consistently working out, whatever you put in, SHOULD be negated by your workouts, and your naturally higher metabolism (if you've been working out and eating a proper diet).

My body stopped aching, so today's a good day to get started on the circuit training thing. Yeah, right before excess useless calories get shafted into my system tonight at the Reunion Dinner. Yup, there'll be heaps of sweet stuff, sour stuff, fatty stuff, and fried stuff. All the sinful stuff that I shouldn't be eating.

Since my normal "cheat" days (days where I let go and eat whatever I want instead of the usual proper diet) are on Fridays, I guess this week it'll have to be today and tomorrow. Cheating a day or two won't skew your diet out too much - just remember to continue with your workouts. Your body should already be conditioned to "burn" the calories when they come in.

Labels: diet, personal

This article here is a must-read.

Yes, here I am reminding myself again that I need rest time between workouts. Can't help it, I just got a new toy, and like all kids (men are big kids you know?) I just wanna keep playing with them!

As an exerpt:

... this is the time that the body adapts to the stress of exercise and the real training effect takes place. Recovery also allows the body to replenish energy stores and repair damaged tissues.

There's more, and you should read the rest of the article.

The "moral of the story" here is that it's actually the "rest days" that actually builds the muscles, not the training days. Those are the days you "damage" them so that they can respond and repair, and build stronger muscles to prepare for your next assault.

My back and lats aren't aching as much today. That means I can start working on them again soon. Yesterday was my "abs and legs" day. So, technically today is my "rest day" before I start on my upper body workouts again tomorrow.

Labels: personal, workout

For those who are new, I just had my first "full" workout with Bodylastics yesterday.

Today, my lats are aching. Good sign.

Well, seeing as I haven't actually worked out in like 3 weeks, I'm amazed that I am not aching everywhere. Just slight tiredness in chest and arms, but shoulders, back and lats are aching. That tells me 2 things:

1. I have a weak back compared to the rest of my upper torso parts
2. I didn't "get" the back and lats correctly when working out with the Steel Bow.

So, I guess Bodylastics, in this case, is "better". However, Steel Bow is primarily an isometrics device, so the types of exercises are definitely different. When you actually sit down and think about it, Bodylastics can also be used as an isometric device - just pull, and hold.

Do I think I've wasted my money on the Steel Bow? No. It got me in shape. It is also more "convenient" in that everything is in one neat package. You don't need to look for doors or windows to anchor it for your workouts. All the anchor points are your own body. I can use the Steel Bow slouched in front of the TV or the PC. I can't do the same with Bodylastics.

The drawback is of course, the lack of supporting material for it. You only get a wallchart, and hardly any videos available on the net to see exactly how each exercise is supposed to be performed. I tried to do the exercises that were supposed to target the lats but it seemed I failed. It's either the exercises were wrong, or more likely, I did 'em incorrectly.

Right now I have dull aches at my lats and my shoulders. Arms and chest are fine, just tired.

Labels: Bodylastics, personal, workout

Been sick since Tuesday. I had no idea how I contracted this flu this time. Usually I'm sick only like once every 6 months or so. However, this is too soon. The last time I was sick, was in November. It's only been like 2 months!

So, to keep a record:

Total number of times worked out since 1 Jan 2008: 2
Number of days passed since 1 Jan 2008: 14

Pathetic figures eh?

First was too much reveling. "Happy New Year" and so forth. Then when I finally start to work out again, I get sick. Dammit.

Today's the last day I need to take meds. They run out tonite.

I'll wait a day, before I start working out again. That should be Wednesday night.

Labels: personal, rant

The past couple of weeks have been harsh. Too many calories, not enough workout :) Yeah, due to the festive season, what with Christmas and New Year so close together, it was almost inevitable that I'd be ingesting more calories than I can work off...

Well last night I didn't go drinking, but I also didn't do any workouts. That would mean that technically I have not done a single workout yet in 2008! OMG!

As of this writing, the Bodylastics package has not arrived yet though. I will start to worry if it still does not turn up by the end of next week....

Labels: personal

Seeing the "omens" from the previous entry, I think I'm going to run an experiment. Until the end of the year, the only workouts I am going to do are just "muscle building" ones. I will either do very little, or zero, "mindless cardio" workouts.

In fact, I could say I "started" doing just this last night. While working out, I could feel the heart racing, just like I was doing "mindless cardio". Pumping, pushing, pulling... I know any exertion done by the body will induce the heart to pump faster. Some health sites advocate these kind of "cardio workouts" over those "mindless" ones.

However, I think I might have goofed a little last night. While my chest and arms and abs might be feeling "tired" today, my shoulders and back have absolutely none of these feelings. Therefore, I didn't work them as hard as I should, even though the number of reps and sets I did was the same.

Maybe tonight I should just work on the shoulders and back, ie targetted workout. Or maybe not. Working the back and shoulders also involves working the arms, and my arms are tired, and tired means the body needs time to grow the muscles. Also, remembering that muscles typically need 48 hours to rest before you start stressing them again, I guess the ideal time to workout again is tomorrow, Saturday.

Labels: personal, workout

Ok this week is turning out to be some kind of omen, or sign, to me.

As you may recall, I met a friend I haven't seen in 8 months last week. Then a couple of days ago, I met a friend who hasn't seen me in ONE week. Both said the same, or similar things.

The kicker - this morning, I visited my usual noodle stall for breakfast. Well, "usual" before I started working out. I still do eat at the noodle stall now and then even now, but not as often as before I decided to work out. So anyway, the aunty made the noodles, and then said "Wow you've lost weight! Stressed? You need to eat more!"

Ok so she belongs to the generation that says "if you're fat, you're healthy". The thing is, she HAS seen me walking past her stall all these weeks I'm working out. Week by week my weight has gone down, at the time. Now, the weight hasn't budged from 77kgs in 4 weeks like I have mentioned in earlier posts. It seems so coincidental that I keep getting the same or similar comments only now, and not during all those weeks while I was working out.

Plus, the fact that I have almost virtually stopped "fat burning" workouts lately, and only doing muscle building and toning, make this seem very "omen-ish".

Perhaps the signs are trying to tell me that the traditional "fat burning mindless treadmill" type of workout is actually useless, and that my current type of "muscle building, high reps" type of workout actually works better?

Remember, the friend who hasn't seen me in ONE week saw a difference, and in that ONE week, I only did one "mindless cardio workout" while the remainder of the days in the week I only did muscle building workouts...

Are all the traditional fitness information wrong? Maybe just purely "burning fat" is not really effective for long-term weightloss? Hmmm food for thought....

Labels: personal, results, weight loss, workout

Today I was out with an old female friend for dinner and some coffee (err no, I don't drink coffee, but she does).

We haven't seen each other in like 8 months or more. The first thing she said was "heyyy you slimmed down! And you look different, been working out?" and started poking my arms and gut. Then she commented "wow harder now".

Really does wonders for the spirit. Every day I look in the mirror while working out and I curse at the image for not looking any different from the day before. Now along comes someone who knew what I looked like "before", and now that she's seeing the "after", there IS a difference to her.

So, this really gives me a boost to my determination to continue my workouts and living a healthier lifestyle. This gives me the push that seemed to be lacking the past couple of weeks.

I told her I'll meet her again some time in March or April.... so that she can see whether I've continued to slim down and "look different".

I need to go out with people who haven't seen me in months more :)

Labels: personal, results

Looking at the dates between posts in here, I am wondering if my quest is a lost cause?

I was sick 2 weeks ago, that's 1 week of not working out. When I did work out last Thursday night, it wasn't even a full one, and my muscles ached slightly for 2 days (not as bad as when you first start).

Since then, I have had some personal problems, and haven't been feeling in the right frame of mind. Thus, no workout since last Thursday. Being depressed doesn't help in motivating you to do workouts. I have a feeling I'll have a worse case of depression than when I did back in May, and at that time, it lasted a good 3 weeks.

I sure hope I don't though. I can't help but get this nagging feeling that I might be damn depressed the whole of next week, and that'd mean I'll be not working out again.

My weight has kind of stabilised around 77kg to 78kg. It's still better than before I started, which was 82kg. Can I hit 69kg next week? Impossible, but that was the original deadline I have set for myself. I have failed.

But, failure breeds success, I hope.

If I do get depressed next week, I want to get it over with quickly, and then concentrate fully on my workouts, keeping fit, eating right.

Labels: personal, rant