Day 71 : Sun, Sea, Sweat

It was a whopping 33C and a public holiday in HK today thanks to it being the Buddah's Birthday. Funny to see all the beach bums / sun-worshippers come out to catch some Vit D's at the beach. There was a lot of fluro colored speedos parading around, but the winner had to go to a ridiculously tanned dude in a shocking green colored one, Borat style. My eyes hurt just looking at it.

Very nice i like!
 The sun was so fierce today that I only lasted 1 hour (very unlike me) before i could take no more, since I started noticing some red and purple blotches developing all over my body ... it was probably NOT a smart idea to have put on the tanning oil. Lesson learnt.

Did today's workouts at 10am this morning which was another amateur mistake from my side as the sun was a scorcher by that hour and I really struggled to complete all my sets without taking some much needed breaks in-between. Sweat was literally dripping out of me left right and centre from the 1st min of skipping. Not awesome at all when you've got ear phones in and it keeps slipping out of my ears.  Found the floor jumps really tough as my knees felt like they were going to crack under the pressure but I kept pushing till I finished all 4 sets. Had to shake them off vigorously before I could consider walking without collapsing. Then came the Da Vinci's till Failure...What's that all about? Wasn't too sure what my DV failure would be but I eventually discovered that 20 per set is really my bottom line. Nuff said.

Can Day 91 come already so I can get a lil bit of this ?

What's your post PCP treat to yourself?

Day 70 : week 9 pics up & here's a toast to ...

ANOTHER public holiday in HK tomorrow! I think this is the 3rd one in 3 weeks - gotta love these consecutive short weeks this time of the year. Had a spring in my step as soon as I left the office Tonight thinking how cool it is to get another sleep in straight after a weekend. Finished my evening workouts, visited 8min mike, ate my dinner, prepared an awesome apple and kiwifruit mix for snack whilst watching an episode of Glee. Everything cool. Then my feeling of euphoria got disrupted when a little surprise dropped in my inbox in the form of our new weeks exercises (it came so early!)!!! Having a quick glance at each days routine i came to the conclusion that 1) Errrrr I think I need 2 hours to complete each days workout- id better start my no laptop rule asap 2) Failure sets???! 3) some real challenges ahead of us but its the final hurdle and i NEED to step up since times not stopping for no one... Ai-freaking-yaaaaaaa!

Finally managed to post week 9 pics, a tad late I know... Pic quality is average as I had to make do with my iphone since my camera was MIA and it took me a whole week to find it. You'd probably never guess that it was hidden in one of my shoe boxes! Random, I know...
Anyway, this was a great week of work outs for me, I rejoined the 8min abs cult and was generally feeling pumped about each days huge challenge! I think ive lost a little bit of fat around my waist due to the fact that I also snuck in a few cheeky sessions of power hula hooping (Used to b my fav thing to do in front of the Telly- eases the guilt of watching it) whilst watching the news. Happy with my abs but would be happier if my shoulders and legs could just downsize just a notch...

It's gonna b a whopping 32C and sunny skies tomorrow so I'm thinking of getting my workout done 10am so I can do something outdoorsy such as hitting the beach/ going for a hike (non-challenging one at that!) and getting a big dosage of fresh air! Feels like Its the weekend all over again!

In peace & light, Sx

Day 69 : Jump Snap me up!

Fancy Schmancy!

After reading Patrick's email today I was kinda curious and slightly suspicious about the Ropeless jump rope invention aka Jump Snap, and after watching the video my suspicions turned into confusion ...  I mean, REALLY? I thought the whole point of jump roping is mastering the technique/ coordination WITH the rope and keep practicing so you don't trip over the rope??? 

I totally agree with Patrick that no sport/ workout is supposed to be easy and I don't believe in short cuts especially if the rope is replaced with a fancy walkie talkie 'personal trainer' who counts your jumps + calories.

Having said that I wouldn't mind trying it out and see how it compares with the real deal ! That means I won't ever have to leave the house to do my workouts, I can jump in the comfort of my tiny shoebox bedroom too!  ;-)

Weekend has been hugely appreciated, it's been great relaxing and working out at my leisure and getting that extra hour or two to sleep in...Speaking of zzzzz's i'm still finding it incredibly hard to get the full 8 hours of rest these days! My mind is so restless in the evenings and I don't even drink coffee at night! What to do??? I should really set myself a curfew but somehow after dinner + exercise i'm always busy doing stuff on my mac like checking emails, chatting on msn, watching tv shows, listening to music etc...I should just bite the bullet and just make a 'strictly no laptop rule' after a certain hour, it's going to be a challenge but I think i can do it. Getting my beauty sleep in the final stretch is way more important than trashy tv shows I say!

Re food ... i'm loving my veggies more and more as the weeks go by and carbs are no longer something I crave. Chocolates and snacks are work are also slowly fading into insignificance to me which is a big difference compared to what I was like pre-PCP. A few days ago i had a big bowl of peanut M&M's on my desk the whole day (for the clients) and I didn't even feel tempted... I actually felt a bit disgusted at the amount of M&M's my clients kept eating and couldn't imagine myself consuming sweets like that ever again. So unhealthy !!! 

Paul mentioned in his blog the other day that you should eat like a king at breakfast, a prince at lunch and a pauper at dinner. I think that's the only way to go - It's so good to go to bed feeling light and not bloated! Oh and to see how much slimmer I look first thing in the mornings is a beautiful thing.

Bring on Day 70 and let the final countdown begin!

Well done gang we've come this far ! Let's finish off with a BANG XX

Day 68 : Love your body

So we are in the last quarter of PCP, and i'm finally beginning to see some real results! Took some photos this morning and was pleased to see a little bit of definition in my abs - nothing like 6 pack or anything but at least 2 is starting to show thru. I'm one step closer to looking like my inspiration figure Adriana Lima! More reason to LOVE 8min abs ;-) It's great to do something fun and rewarding at the same time. Will post those pics up shortly...

During the course of last week 3 different clients have commented on how radiant my skin is looking and asked whether i've discovered some new beauty products/ magic brightening serums... ? I was a little surprised because from the start of PCP I haven't had any time to care for my skin like I used- facial, mask and scrub time got replaced with cooking, washing up, grocery shopping, oh and not to forget the grueling work outs! So it got me thinking that the real secret to having healthy glowing skin is simple :  build a habit of eating consistent meals per day with healthy ingredients (veggie veggie veggies), drinking water and cutting out all the naughty stuff such as oil, MSG, sauces, sodas, salt and sweets. It's not about how many facials you get or how expensive your face cream is! PCP has taught me to love my body (and what I put in it) and in return i'll reap the benefits such as having nice complexion or living a long healthy life!
This is the 'hard reboot' as Patrick explained in his email today and it really makes perfect sense!

                                   Every man is the builder of a temple called his body.

                                                Henry David Thoreau

Ps.
Happy Mothers Day to all the mums out there xx

Day 67 : Pistol squats are kicking my a$$

Just wanna mention that Pistol squats are my new worst enemy. After todays skips and squats I was dreading the evil PS's. And I had reason to be. My first set proved to be a HUGE challenge - I could feel my knee under strain as I try to shift all my weight onto my bent leg,  whilst keeping my stretched foot off the ground. I discovered that my left leg is way weaker than my right and I really struggled to keep my balance. I decided to switch things up a little and threw in the creeps between my PS sets which really helped ease the pain! I walked away from the leg sets (after eventually completing my PS's red-faced, panting and with big relief!) wondering why i'm struggling so much with these evil one legged squats...?

Did some research and found this pretty interesting :-

Components of a Pistol

The reason that learning to do pistols well is so challenging is because they involve an interplay of several different physical skills, all performed simultaneously. Below are the primary components involved. An inability to perform the pistol is a result of a deficiency, or "weak link" in one or more or these components:

Balance-pistols teach what is referred to in Internal Martial Arts as "rooting", as in the roots of a tree, forming a solid connection to the ground. Because we are shifting the body's center of mass over a narrow base of support, and for an extended range of motion, balance is challenged and trained in a dynamic fashion.

Flexibility-the muscles and joints of the legs, low back, hips and ankles are required to work at the extreme ranges of motion, both in flexion and extension.

Strength-the powerful muscles of the glutes and thighs are moving the body weight throughout a very narrow base of support, thereby recruiting tremendous stabilizer function in all the lower body joints; tension is maintained throughout the eccentric, isometric and concentric portions; the core musculature is recruited to maintain balance and alignment.

Coordination-the neuromuscular system is challenged by the multiple requirements involved in pistol practice-balancing, contracting and stretching.

Focus/Mental attitude-a clear focus and concentration is required to maintain control over the body; fear and restricted movement is overcome by releasing our fear of falling and reintroducing freedom of motion

I guess i'm weak in all of the above components? Need to really work on my mental attitude and not fear them as I know I can master these pistols if i put my mind to it! My thigh and butt muscles are feeling super tight right now, don't wanna imagine what it'll feel like tomorrow morning...

Need to get some beauty sleep now- it's 2.30am and i've just had a great evening chilling at a friends place and she was kind enough to prepare a delicious tofu salad for my dinner, followed by a dash of frozen yoghurt with mixed fruits! 

It's been a tough week and i'm so glad there's no 5.45am wake up call tomorrow - TGIF!

Wishing you all a fantabulous PCP weekend!

Adios xoxo

Day 66 : Bicycles or planks???

My day started off on a good note-  woke up just before 6am and out the door by 6.05am, get to my workout area and realized that i'd left my phone at home - DOH! No timer / Day 66 workout sheet meant that I could freestyle a bit and go with what i remember. I was pretty spot on except for the Tricep extensions, for the life of me I just could not think of another tricep exercise apart from the dips?
Is anyone else struggling with the bicycles??? Esp.5x60 secs...I was pretty much spent after my 2nd set and felt my legs getting heavier and heavier , intensity of the burn was unreal. Massive Failure. I managed to get thru the last 3 sets but had to give myself a 5 sec break halfway thru each one. I think bicycles are way challenging than 90sec planks!!! Interested to see what your views are on this...

Skipping has been consistently great these days, i've started getting the hang of some different styles which makes the whole experience a lot more fun and challenging - variety is indeed the spice of life! My current favorite style is what I call the "tip toe one footer" which is just a quick bounce off the tip toes one foot at a time, or the classic running man which is looking more graceful as they days go by and happy that I can skip a lot faster too - everything is about coordination, timing, wrist movements and of course, energy levels. I've been trying to skip to failure so even if the time exceeds 5min i'll just carry on till I simply can't hop any longer - i managed to do a couple of 7 min sets this week and really felt chuffed at myself afterwards!

My next challenge is to master the cross arm technique but it really looks a lot easier than done. Is anyone else doing this? Been searching Youtube for some inspiring skipping videos and came across this boxer with the sickest jump ropes skills i've ever seen - I didn't know one can actually move like this with a rope??? That speed and strength is off the charts!!! Now that's impressive!

Squeezed in a visit to 8min mike tonight and felt so good afterwards! Gone are the days where i came out of it feeling massive neck strain, they key is really tensing up the ab muscles during the whole duration and only using those muscles for strength. I also love it during the last set where mike says 'I hope you don't have to dig too deep' ha ha

May PCP refresh, renew, relive and restore your body, soul and spirit for the weekend ahead!

Go gang GO !

Day 65 : When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going

Hi gang, firstly let me apologize for being MIA from blogging for the last couple of days. Recent work/ personal events at have been somewhat manic over these two weeks and have occupied all of my time and energy... I got derailed from the exercises for about 3 days but managed to slowly make up for them by doing a little extra one day at a time once things started calming down. Blogging just kind of took a back seat but I have been following all your blogs and am enjoying reading everyones progress- it seems that the end is so close we can almost smell it.

I made a little promise to myself that as from today I will blog every single day (even if is just a few lines) so I can commit myself fully to PCP until Day 90 - I find that blogging really does help me stay focused and connected to the program and to be honest, during my days of absence I did always feel guilty and disappointed at myself for not making more of an effort to do so. Anyhow you'll be seeing more of me from now on :-)

I still can't believe that we're already on Day 65 with only 25 more to go...it seems like only yesterday that I was eating my half meals (half mocha, choc chip muffin...), crazy sweet cravings and leg up's were a big challenge for me....Coming to think of it I have come so far since Day 1 which goes to prove how unhealthy & unfit I was! At this moment I feel that it's getting to crunch time and i'm switching to 5th gear - I want to do everything right and go hardcore PCP as time is ticking and and I want to see some real results by Day 90! I mentioned to Patrick that I would be happy for him to cut down my meals (I haven't experienced the apple dinner yet!) as i've yet to see any real weight loss and was getting frustrated at the stubborn visceral fat still clinging onto my belly (prohibiting my abs to show thru)!

Then I figured it's probably cos I haven't been visiting the 8min Mike (he really looks like a Mike to me) as often as i'd like to as I was always either a) tired b) starving c) got home late.  So I decided to challenge myself and am happy to say that i've been religiously doing 8min abs everyday for the last week, sometimes twice a day! I've learnt to look past the cheese and have grown to love his enthusiasm and grooviness- not many people can pull off the manitard look!!!

What a trooper!

The work outs this week have been the toughest ever which also means that training time gets even longer (perhaps i'm breaking too long in-between sets but it's so hard not to) so I have started splitting my workouts into morning + night sessions as I haven't been getting enough sleep to wake up earlier than 6.15am. I need to start getting my 8 hours sleep back - the last week have been averaging about 5- 6 hours and I can really feel the difference. Not nice to wake up with Panda eyes.

I was shocked to see that some sets have now stepped up to 6 (Da Vincis!!!) and the leg part yesterday was absolute torture - those lunges, pistol squats and floor jumps got me whimpering and panting like hell and my legs felt like they were close to failure (there you go Patrick), ready to collapse on me any second. The old man practicing his tai-chi next to me must've felt my pain as I hopped up and down whilst cursing under my breath. I did manage to push myself to the absolute limit and did extra 5 floor jumps at the end but by then i was ready to hit a cold shower as my body temperature was boiling and face was lobster like.

By the way, in times like these I find listening to loud music really helps. In my case it's not heavy metal/ rock but Hip pop - lunging to a bit of old skool Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg really helped pass the time, but definitely not ease the pain.
Still finding Chest dips almost impossible to do and push-up's are still on on my knees (can't get low if I do normal ones). My wish is that by Day 90 I can at least 1 proper pull-up, but at the rate things are looking that's probably wishful thinking...
Oh and not to forget the 4x90 sec planks- hmmm not sure words can describe...

What will tomorrow bring?

Happy to be back in PCP world and here's to a super smashing week 10! X