My Journey Back

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Week 23

Half a year has gone by and I’m glad I have been keeping active for the last six months. Winter has arrived. I left the house after a week of rain and strong winds to run.

I know some people say they run when it rains but I don’t like running in the rain. Here are my reasons.
• My hair puffs up.
• When it rains, it is windy and rain + wet clothes + strong wind = a terrible cough or flu.
• I have to look after my hearing aids. Water and my hearing aids are sworn enemies.
• Running with glasses when it rains is not fun, I cannot see clearly so don’t say run without your glasses.

So, back to running. The clouds’ changing colour is one of the most beautiful sights. The sky was red as I warmed up in the morning. When I started my run, the clouds changed from pink to a light yellow colour. Have you ever flown over the reed or orange sky? It’s beautiful from the plane, that’s why I like the window seat. When I was jogging back home, I saw a little girl standing on the walk path watching me. She was maybe two or three. I smiled and waved to her. I remember one time a little toddler saw me running and ran with me and her mother called her, but she didn’t stop, so I had to stop. Her mother apologized and carried her home. On Wednesday and Thursday, the sun was out, but it was cold. Went for my morning walk,

I agree with the points of the article.
• It keeps your blood flowing.
• Your body warms up when you exercise.
• Avoid gaining winter weight.

Article

Six reasons why working out in winter is essential. https://www.macquariecentre.com.au/blogs/health/6-reasons-why-working-out-in-winter-is-essential

Video

Exercising in winter advice and tips

My Journey Back

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Week 21

What inspired you to exercise and why did you choose the exercise you are doing? Everyone has a story to share, what had inspired them to exercise reasons could range from losing weight to health problems. Why did you choose yoga or running or kick boxing? Some say to reduce stress, others will say they enjoy boxing? This is my story.

I had completed my studies over fifteen years ago and had gone on a holiday. It was a secured location, and the place had everything. A golf course, a swimming pool, a gym, a little supermarket and a library. You couldn’t leave the location without a driver and travelling on your own was dangerous.

So, keeping myself busy, I started exercising. I hadn’t exercised for over five years. My exercise of choice was running because it is fast. I began my morning with a run, no stretching, no warm up or anything. For an hour, I ran around the neighbourhood, ran up and down the hill. I went to check the pool after my run. The waiter told me I can’t swim in my gym clothes if I didn’t know how to swim. I am a terrible swimmer, but I can swim. Jumped in the warm water with my gym clothes and swam for an hour. Kept myself busy during the day. Went to the library, grabbed a few books to read and watched movies. Couldn’t wait for a good sleep.

I experienced the worst pain in my whole life, my whole body cramped at night from my toes to my head. (The pain started from my toes and slowly went to my head). I was in so much pain didn’t sleep the whole night. I promised myself I won’t put my body in so much pain again, rested for two days, and then went for a walk the following day. I vowed to exercise every year, which I do now. It’s a rollercoaster journey, but I make sure I exercise every year.

What has this experience taught me

  • Start with warm up and finish with a cooldown.
  • Always stretch after exercising.
  • Never overdo it.
  • Always start slow if you are a newbie. Start with a short walk and jog. As the weeks progress increases, distance and time.
  • Do different activities on different days.
  • Have a recovery day.
  • Never swim with your gym clothes.

The journey back

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Week 19

Winter has arrived early here in Perth. Cold mornings, rain and wintry days ahead. I had flu-like symptoms last week, so I didn’t exercise. I prefer resting when I am under the weather. This week I moved my exercise to warm afternoons instead of chilly mornings. I did loads of walking this week. There are more people on the road. Walked for an hour at a fast pace. Walking has the same benefits as running, jogging, or any other exercise. Weight loss, enhance creativity, sleep.

It was my birthday month, and I had cake. What’s a birthday without cake? Don’t worry; it was a marble cake with no frosting or icing. It’s okay to enjoy cake or cookies or anything sweet. But in moderation. Check for the serving and track your calorie intake. Don’t punish your body by going for a long run to burn the calories or feel guilty the next day. ENJOY YOUR CAKE.

Articles

12 Biggest Benefits of Walking to Improve Your Health, According to Experts. https://www.prevention.com/fitness/a20485587/benefits-from-walking-every-day/

What Are the Benefits of Walking? https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-walking

Video

A great video for walking indoors when it’s cold.

My Journey back

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Week 17

I thought last week was an interesting week but no; it wasn’t. This week my dad tested positive for COVID-19 and I was a close contact, despite having a negative result I had to isolate for seven days. Couldn’t leave the house and do my usual out door runs or do weights. So I went on YouTube and downloaded strength and cardio exercise to do at home. My strength training exercise did not involve weights. Used my own body weight. My cardio exercise involved dancing, and I had a good workout.

What did I learn

•             I have done weights for months, lifted heavy weights and not once have I pulled a muscle, but when I did home exercise, I pulled a couple of muscles.

•             When I go for my jog or do weights, I wear my gym clothes but at home I worked out in my pyjamas, no shoes, just socks, didn’t have to worry about my hair.

•             Another great thing about working out at home is, you can wake up late because you don’t have to get dressed to leave the house or worry about rain or anything.

•             You don’t have to worry about stopping to let cars pass, or overtake people while running, tripping over a cracked pavement or the sun blocking my eyes.

Articles

31 Advantages and Benefits of Working Out At Home. https://shapelyways.com/benefits-working-out-at-home/

My Journey back

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Week 16

I had an interesting week. Monday went to volunteer and after volunteering, I went into the city to roam around. My favourite chocolate shop closed down because of COVID and many other shops too, walked past empty shops or shops up for lease. It’s heartbreaking to walk past deserted shops. Tuesday was my day of strength training and it didn’t go well. I usually jog for twenty minutes before starting my strength training. When it was cold, I left the house. I started feeling warm and after my twenty minutes of jogging; I started feeling dizzy. Luckily I was near my parents’ house and went there. I felt disoriented and close to fainting, started sweating, but I wasn’t breathless or my heart wasn’t beating rapidly. Since I have had issues with my blood sugar levels before and have an irregular heartbeat, I think it may have been blood sugar or irregular heartbeat. I didn’t do any strength training that day, didn’t want to lift anything heavy. After I arrived home, I went over my day. I drank water, jogged the same paces as the previous week, I slept my normal hours. I wore the same clothes for my jog, nothing heavy. Something must have happened for me to fell faint after twenty minutes of jogging.

On Wednesday went for my strength training, didn’t jog, just walked at a slow pace, and didn’t feel faint when I walked, did my strength training and was okay. Walked back home and was fine. Saturday arrived, and I was going for a thirty-minute jog and strength training. I removed my jacket before jogging and I monitored my breathing and heart rate. I completed my jog and didn’t feel faint, like Tuesday, did my strength training exercise and walked back home and felt fine.

Came across an article on reasons I felt dizzy on Tuesday. I think it was my irregular heartbeat.

Articles

What Causes Dizziness After A Workout? https://www.healthline.com/health/dizzy-after-workout

What causes dizziness after a workout? https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326851

5 Reasons You May Feel Dizzy During or After a Workout. https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/reasons-you-may-feel-dizzy-during-or-after-a-workout/

My Journey back

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Week 15

We had got a big bin to clean our shed over the weekend and on Tuesday I woke up early to go for my strength training at 6:45am; I found a bicycle near the bin. At first, I thought the neighbours may have thrown their bicycles, but I saw a couple scavenging through the bins. They saw me and climbed their bicycles and cycled away. They returned the next day and continued scavenging because the bin looked empty.

It’s annoying when you are going for your walk and someone on the motorbike uses the walk path instead of the road. I had to give them way to pass. Wonder why they used the walk path. They had a whole empty road to ride. I found it dangerous they used the walk path.

 During my morning run and strength training, I carry the most essential things in my little belt, no I don’t carry water. I find it annoying. I drink water at home and go out the door. I forgot to drink water today and felt so dehydrated, but I kept going. Anyway, back to my run belt. 

5 items in my run belt.

             Mobile phone: I carry my phone at all times, and I save my ICE (in case of emergency) number on my phone in case of an emergency. If m battery is running low, I charge it to 50% before leaving. Always charge your phone the night before or when you wake up.

             Identity card: I carry for identity, in case something happens to me or if I am stopped. Haven’t been stopped yet.

             Money: I carry a few coins in my belt in case I’m near the bus stop and have sprained my leg or exhausted, or feel unwell. I can always buy a ticket to go home. Or if you are running with someone and they wish to buy something at the shop. That happened once my aunt passed a mini supermarket and remembered she ran out of honey and wished she had carried money. I bought the honey for her.

             House keys: I carry my house keys. The last thing I want to do is wake my family up before eight or arrive and they have gone.

             Food for long runs: When I did the mini marathon, I packed dates for my run and they were great energy boosters. I packed two and munched on one after 17 kilometers.

My Journey back

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Week 13

My Good and Bad Food Habits

Ever since I started my weight loss journey, I had to change my diet. I came across several articles which look at the good and bad food eating habits. Before I share the articles, I wanted to share my good food habits and the bad food habits I had to say bye-bye to.

My 5 Good Habits

  • Tracking my food, use an app to write what I have eaten or plan my meal. This app kelps track how much protein, carbs and fat I have consumed.
  • Drinking water-Before I started my weight loss journey, I used to skimp on water, will go one day without drinking more than 750ml of water. I have changed that habit and I drink at least 2000ml of water. I try to drink at every hour. 
  • Exercising-I am happy to say I have been exercising for several years and my aim is to keep exercising until I am old.
  • Eating Breakfast- I have never skipped breakfast. I always make sure I have something to eat. The advantage of being a morning person is you wake up early and make breakfast. I sit and eat my breakfast.
  • Not dep frying my food- stopped frying my food and started grilling, steaming, or boiling. 

My 5 bad Habits I had to stop

  • Drinking soft drinks–stopped drinking soft drinks such as juice or sodas. I only drink them when I am invited for dinner or lunch, but I usually go for water.
  • Junk food–stopped eating junk food every Saturdays, I eat healthy foods and on my cheat days I don’t overindulge. Junk food is a once in a lifetime thing now.
  • Eating the wrong food after exercise. Many years ago, I used to exercise in the afternoon and have a biscuit after a workout or a slice of cake… yeah, that is bad. I now usually have a banana if I exercise in the afternoon. I changed my exercise routine to morning workouts and have a proper, notorious breakfast.
  • Mindful eating. Had to stop scrolling my Facebook page when eating.

Articles

8 good and bad food habits. https://blog.healthmatters.io/2016/03/10/8-good-and-bad-food-habits/

9 bad eating habits and how to break them. https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-and-nutrition-pictures/bad-eating-habits-and-how-to-break-them.aspx.

Top ten worst eating habits. https://wordpress.com/post/romaynepavan.com/3691

Eating for better health.https://dhss.delaware.gov/dph/dpc/eatright.html

My Journey back

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Week 9

It is autumn here. I am happy doing runs when the day is cooler and cloudy. The days are getting shorter and it’s still dark by 6 am. I avoid running in the dark, love running when I can see outside. So my running time has changed. The days are getting shorter and cooler.

The past weeks, I have been increasing my reps during my strength training and increased my workout days. What have I learnt the following weeks?

  • My legs are stronger than my arms, my legs can lift 30 kilos, but my arm can lift 20 kilos.
  • Doing leg curls and going for a run the next day is hard on the legs, but I kept pushing.
  • I felt exhausted the first time I ran up the hill. But now I ran up and down the hill twice and feel fine.
  • A stray cat followed me, but it must have got bored with me and disappeared. I remember once someone’s dog ran beside me and the owner was calling the dog to stop, but the dog didn’t stop and kept running with me until I stopped and the owner came and got the dog. Dogs prefer running than cats.
  • The mind says, “we will go for a run tomorrow.” I ignore that voice and feel glad I did a run in the morning.
  • Squatting reduces back pains. I had a back pain, and I did a squat and the pain disappeared. Love squats.
  • If I am going to miss a running day, I will combine it with my strength training day. I run for thirty minutes and do strength training.
  • Rest when your body is tired. You can exercise the next day.
  • If you want to run further, trick the mind. Sometimes your mind says. ‘We should stop now’. Say ‘yes’ and keep running. It works for me.

My Journey back

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Week 7

This week I started strength training, lifting weights since I haven’t lifted weights for over two years, began lifting smaller weights and will progress. Woke up the next morning with my quads hurting. Did my morning run, and I used an alternative route, thought I had done an hour of running (I never check my Fitbit tracker until I complete a circuit.), Noticed I had only done thirty-seven minutes, so had to run the route for the second time. On Wednesday, I got my walking steps by getting lost. I walked in the opposite directions, my GPS is to blame.

I came across an article about the benefits of strength training. Strength training helps you lose calories, boost your mood, makes your stranger, builds lean muscles, and it also emphasises on starting on a smaller weight and not overdoing it. I do strength training for an hour. 

14 Benefits of strength training.

https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness/benefits-of-strength-training

Another article I came across explains the different strength training. I do muscle endurance, where I lift weights. They also say you should strength train at least twice a week. So my exercise days have increased, I do one day cardio and the next day I strength train. I avoid doing them both on the same day.

Strenght Training 101: Dos and Don’t for beginners. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a30522035/what-is-strength-training/

My Journey Back

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Week 6

I walked on Monday because I had to volunteer, so I walked to the train station which was 40 minutes. Walking with a mask isn’t fun but that is the rule. Unless you are running you don’t need a mask. I usually buy subway for Lunch when I’m in the city but I decided to go home and make my own lunch. I still have a sugar craving, especially on days when I’m busy and dark chocolate helps. Eating dark chocolate has many benefits such as it’s nutrious, has antioxidants and improving brain functions.

I had got my booster shot on Wednesday so didn’t run, took a rest but Friday woke up early, it was one of my perfect days for running. It was partially cloudy and the air was cool. Ran for 6 km. Still monitoring my food intake and I am under my calorie intake.

Came across an article on the benefits of walking and they have the same benefits as running

They boost your mood

You lose weight

It boosts your creativity and energy

Extend your life

Read article below:

Benefits of walking

https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-walking#joint-pain

8 health benefits of eating dark chocolate

https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-and-nutrition-pictures/delicious-reasons-to-eat-dark-chocolate.aspx

7 proven health benefits of dark chocolate

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-health-benefits-dark-chocolate