Punching my weight LOL

We are really enjoying the new equipment in our condo gym. So nice to have new gear, and a decent area to work out in.
Y. was really moving on the new elliptical trainer today, which is a very sophisticated bit of kit, with full range arm and leg movements. Just takes a while to work out (no pun intended!) the very complex set of possible exercise routines available.

After my customary sets on the workstation, I started on the latest addition which I have been eagerly waiting for!

Although not a violent person by nature, I really love working out on punch bags! We have a medium bag (actually prefer a real full size heavy bag), which is OK for a good cardio workout, but can also take a few hard blows when one really gets into the groove!

Very, very satisfying. And now definitely part of my daily workout routine, both for the cardio benefits and building the arm and shoulder strength. And it hasn’t hit me back, yet

And next week the speedball gets added for some co-ordination training. Such fun!

Irritability starts today.

Irritability starts today.

Day one.

No Smoking. (Taking Champix is beginning to help, but not totally yet.)

No Drinking. For calorific reasons, and reasons of unbridled
alcoholism. A bottle of Absolut the night before, and then beers last
night, and a staggering 83.6KG (a new record!) on the scales this
morning. (Although I blame the huge portion of chicken rice, personally )

More exercise. At least I have access to a new fully equipped gym…with punchbag

I foresee at least three or four days of extreme irritability as
these withdrawals happen. I am not good with withdrawals! Coupled with
insomnia makes for a potent recipe for temper loss.

Anything written here in the next few days is to be taken with a pinch, make that a boulder, of salt, just in case.

The tale of the tape.

As previously noted, I am now re-embarking on the search for my waistline, mysteriously lost under a layer of very much unwanted fat.
More importantly, I want to regain the level of muscular definition that was starting to appear during my training, and the greater all round strength that I had built up.
Upon starting my workouts again, it was surprising how much strength I had still retained (mind you, I still do push-ups every day at home as soon as I get up, and then later on during the day just as a maintenance exercise, so my shoulders have suffered less than might be feared.)

But a few things are for certain: I had started smoking again during my ill periods, and am now taking Champix to try and defeat the slavery to nicotine that so quickly developed, even after a five year abstinence from smoking. The alternative medication is Zyban, which I used effectively before when I gave up 5 years ago, but this time decided to try the new alternative which promises less side effects. The only main side effect is the expense, they are both really expensive, but in my case willpower alone will not suffice so I am going to have to resort to medication again! Both have only relatively recently been licensed for smoking cessation in Malaysia, and depending on your Doctor you may need to get it from them, or there are pharmacies which will sell it over the counter. But it’s worth checking with a trusted Doctor anyway for any other complications that may affect the use of these medications.

And so: The Tale Of The Tape.
I intend to keep a more closeful watch on the figures, and will obviously have to diet hard, as well as exercise hard, to reach my goals, which I will set for an initial 3 month training period.

Here’s the bad news:
43 years old.
176cm height.
82.5kg.
28.3 BMI.

Now I know that the body mass index is an unreliable guide to overall condition, but it can help as a general indicator, and in my current case, I have no reason to disbelieve the fact that it puts me into the somewhat obese range. As fat is burned away, and muscles improve, the change in BMI is expected to be less dramatic than the weight (hopefully) but I got it down to 23 before, at a 75kg weight level, so I am setting that as my initial goal.

I’ll probably publish figures every week or so as I go along, both as motivation and a reminder of where I need to be in 3 months time. I have also taken a couple of photos to give me a visual representation of where I stand now, and then can compare on a month on month basis. You don’t get to see those! I’m not even very keen on looking at them.

Wish me luck!

A fresh start - for health and fitness.

OK, time to face some facts. I have become fat again.

After over a year spent training daily in the local gym, and with personal training from a true professional (not one of your “California Gym” types, but an Albanian bodybuilder with the physique of a rock, and also a good friend), my various illnesses and withdrawals this year (combined with a laziness that has no peers) mean that I have gone from a svelte, defined 75kg to a bloated, and rather round, 82kg in the space of only a few months. And I’m in the middle of an IISA Fitness Instructor Course, damnit!

Fortunately, our condominium has invested heavily in a complete new gym - as the old one was falling apart - and my wife and my trainer were involved in selecting the equipment, and laying it out for optimum benefit. Just the basics are there, but everything required for a complete workout, from cardio equipment to 50lb free weights.

Construction finished last week, so just this morning I have just endured, but also enjoyed, my first 40 minute workout for months. It was tough!

20 minutes cardio, a bit of stretching, and then onto the weight machine - bench presses, trapezoid pulls, and finished off with a highly distressing (due to the size of the “new” gut!) - sit-up session on the inclined bench.

But was it worth it? You bet! So every morning, at my peak exercise time, which seems to be 11:00am, I will be seen cursing, sweating, but otherwise enjoying myself getting back into shape. And no horrendous blaring music and lights to distract, apart from the stuff I put on my iPod for my own personal motivation.

Give me 3 months, and you’ll see the difference!

Note: Missed out the picture of the elliptical trainer, which is an awesome one, working both legs and rotational arm movements! Maybe I’ll take one later when I’ve recovered! LOL

A few days R&R out of town.

Decided that I needed to get away for a few days, and also wanted to pop across to Singapore for some tattoo touch-ups, so I rode down on the freshly serviced Flying Banana at speeds that we won’t mention - KL to JB in 2 1/2 hours *cough - and stayed at the Sofitel golfing resort that I mentioned in an earlier post.

So relaxing in fact that I ended up extending and staying 5 days, just chilling and watching inept golfers swinging clubs and hitting balls into trees.

Nice place, recommended for a peaceful well run hotel/resort, and reasonably priced, especially if you book through Expedia (which I use for booking everything, worldwide - simply the best and most convenient service on the web IMHO) and a damn sight cheaper than staying anywhere in Singapore itself.

Relaxing view whilst chilling with the morning paper

Nice, spacious rooms

Looking for the balls, LOL!