Pro-Sports

It’s been a while since I’ve done a fit ball workout so I dusted off my good old 3-in-1 Ball workout DVDs and decided to give the Ball and Band disc a go.  The Ball and Band disc runs for 106 minutes and contains three workouts of differing levels.  I decided to go easy and do Level 1.  I decided that if it was too easy, I would either push on to the next level immediately or do a bit of yoga before I call it a day.  Secretly, I was also trying to cover up for missing my fifth workout session last week.

The Level 1 workout runs for 20 minutes plus another 10 minutes of cool down after.  The workout is broken up into 5 segments with each segment containing a cardiovascular component followed by a muscle toning component.  It was pretty light and easy.  I reckon I could continue more of the elements in this workout even when I’m pregnant with number two.  The most challenging part of the workout was the tricep workout.  Although I managed it just fine, I didn’t particularly relish the thought of having to do the chaturanga pose with wobbly triceps so I called it a day after I finished the cool down.

The other benefit of the ball exercises is that I’m finally getting into some cardio training - which is the only component missing from my workouts up until now.  Even though I chase Gavin through the shopping malls and I play swing and choo-choo train with him, I still found myself panting through the short bursts of cardio. 

Note to self - goal for this week is to complete more cardio workouts.

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Despite having a break yesterday, I still felt like I wanted another break day today.  Maybe it was because I had to sleep in my son’s cot last night so I didn’t get a good night’s rest, maybe it was because I ended up carrying my son around everywhere when we went out earlier in the day. 

I had to push myself to workout today.  Since I had an easy day yesterday and an easy workout the day before, I decided to select a tougher workout for today.  I did 50 minutes of the advanced Yoga workout from Kathy Smith’s Yoga Sculpt.  That it was an advanced workout, I’ll have to agree, however, it is still a lot easier than the Total Yoga Fire Series VCD. 

Yes, I was being rather arrogant to think myself in the advanced yoga league because I still struggle to transition smoothly from cobra to down dog.  Although I can go from plank to chaturanga, I can’t lift out of the pose - very likely because I’m still not strong enough to do a full push-up.

Despite cheating through a lot of the poses, I find that even my modified versions are a challenge.  By the time I’ve finished the workout, I am so ready to fall asleep in shavasana that I don’t even need to listen to the voice over to relax my body.  Nevertheless, I find myself enjoying yoga a lot more than I did the first time I ever tried it.  And even though I am not very good at it despite my increased exposure to yoga, I do enjoy the routines - especially the sun salutations.

I tried doing the bridge for the first time today.  Previously I would only attempt to do the modified bridge.  I can still manage it but my back felt rather stiff to be arched so far.  Perhaps a little more practice will help?

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Yay!  I won the prize for the week on Go Workout Mom for last week’s efforts.  I wonder what the prize is?

Today, I tried out the DVD I bought called Pilates Dynamic Body Makeover by The Method.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, there are three discs in this set.  I tried out the disc on Dynamic Firming and Flexing.  The hour long DVD is split into three workouts - total body flexibility, upper body flexibility and lower body flexibility, each running for around 20 minutes.  My workout today was a 40 minute session combining the total body flexibility and the upper body flexibility workouts.

Personally, I thought this workout was pretty easy, too.  It was a little like a stretching, warming up and relaxation exercise all combined into one.  Considering the number of times I’ve had to abruptly end my workout or to conclude without a proper cool down, I think this is a good DVD workout to drop into the program once a week.

It was probably a good thing that this was an easy workout because I took Gavin to Midvalley in the morning to shop and ended up lifting weights on my little personal trainer’s demand.  After telling him off for walking off while I was paying for the groceries, Gavin got into one of those “Mummy please carry me” moods.  I ended up lugging about 5kg of fruits, a 12+kg baby and his go bag (which isn’t exactly light with his water and metal trains) from Jusco supermarket in Megamall all the way to the parking under Isetan in The Gardens.  In total, that’s about 20+kg.  When I go hiking, my pack doesn’t even come anywhere close to this weight.

Surprisingly, I was still rearing to workout by the time we got home (I have completely recovered from Monday’s Advanced Yoga session).  By the time I managed to get my son down for a nap, my enthusiasm was somewhat flagging, however.  He wasn’t exactly the most cooperative about going to sleep today, although once he was asleep, he didn’t wake up or ask for milk so I was able to complete a full workout in peace.  I almost feel guilty I didn’t push on for a full hour workout since Gavin was so cooperative in his sleep.

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In all honesty, it was a real struggle to workout today.  I fell asleep with my son while trying to get him to nap and when we woke up, I was sorely tempted to skip my workout.  I’m ashamed to admit it but I was also secretly glad when Gavin refused to let me put my DVD into the player, insisting on watching his own programs.

I wasn’t exactly feeling achy after yesterday’s workout.  At least it’s not like the usual lactic acid build-up in the muscles, but my body felt tired.  The mere thought of running through a couple of Sun Salutations made the idea of crawling back under the covers a lot more appealing.  Nevertheless, I had to try, so I gave up the TV to Gavin and worked out in front of the computer instead.  The screen’s a lot smaller and higher up, but it worked - Gavin was happy and I got to workout.

I tried out the advanced workout on the Yogalates DVD, although I’m not sure I agree with the description “advanced”.  It was a little more challenging given the weakness I felt in my arms after yesterday’s workout, but it certainly felt like a much more leisurely workout compared to the other Yoga DVDs I own.  Nevertheless, given how I felt today, it was probably a good thing I did this and not something tougher.

All in all, the workout was about 20 minutes, give or take a few.  Note to self: the next time I feel too lazy to workout, this is a good disc to take out.

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There is something significant about being able to maintain your workout program for the first month.  It’s like quitting a bad habit and until you hit that specific target, your chances of failure are still very high.  In this case, the likelihood of dropping the program decreases the longer you are able to stick with the program.  After a while, you won’t feel “right” unless you get your regular boost of adrenaline.

Well, I’m officially in week four and we’re off to a good start.  Today I did a 50 minute workout following the Total Yoga: Flow Series - Fire.

Actually the total workout is really 60 minutes, but I didn’t know that.  I thought it would be about 45 minutes like the other two discs.  If I had known it was going to run for 60 minutes, I would have chosen another workout because my son skipped his afternoon nap and was awake for the entire workout.  I tried for the longest time to get him to sleep without success and gave up in the end when I was started to get frustrated with him.  I figured a nice yoga workout would help relax me - and it did, somewhat.

Gavin was really good about letting me workout and kept himself occupied for a large part of the workout.  Towards the end, as he started to get restless (and who could blame him with such a long workout), he started climbing all over me.  That really didn’t help since I barely had enough strength to perform a controlled chaturanga let alone do one with a 12.5kg toddler on my back. 

Aside from the fact that Fire was 60 minutes long, it was also a lot harder compared to the first two discs Earth and Water.  Although I could manage the moves, doing them all in sequence was extremely tiring.  My arms were like jell’O and trembling and I’m sure my form was rather poor towards the end purely because I was too tired to hold my postures correctly.  I had to do the easier modifications for some moves - like the headstand and the bridge (though I’m sure I could have done the latter if my arms had felt stronger).  I was worried about crashing down on my head so I went with the easier option instead.

I would definitely have to agree that this disc is designed for much more advanced students.  Note to self: let’s not try this again in the near future.  Nevertheless, it felt really good to push the limits of my arms.  Most of the other Yoga workout DVDs I have mainly focus on core and lower body.  Then again, most of the other Yoga workout DVDs I have aren’t taught by proper yogis.  They are done by popular workout instructors who’ve jumped on the yoga bandwagon and decided to add a yoga workout to the list of their existing titles.

Ironically it was reading yesterday’s article in the papers that sparked this deeper interest in yoga.  And to think that if they had not brought it to my attention I would have been content to simply follow the basic yoga routines taught by the normal fitness instructors instead of looking further for a purer yoga workout. 

Although I haven’t found the perfect yoga workout DVD yet, I did stumble across this yoga site that teaches you the different asanas complete with explanation of benefits and photos for correct positioning.  They also offer free workout videos sent to your inbox every month - which is great except that I don’t have a laptop to workout in front of.  I’ll still require a DVD or VCD that I can play in the DVD player.

Strangely, the sensation I felt after todays workout when I watched Ganga White and Tracy Rich in some very challenging poses was somewhat similar to the sensation I felt when I watched Mutant Man climbing a 6A route in Damai back when I was a newbie climber.  Back then, I had thought to myself, “Wow!  I’ll never be able to climb something like that!”  Now I find myself thinking, “How will I ever get good enough to do those poses?”  And when I think of how far beyond 6A I went in my rock climbing, I try to use that inspiration to quell the negative feelings of inadequacy in yoga.

I might not be able to rock climb these days, but perhaps yoga can be a temporary fill-in until I can climb again?

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I took a two day break from exercising because I was just too knackered to do anything.  I went out with Gavin a couple of times and by the time I brought him home, I’d crash with him when he took his afternoon nap.  By the time we wake up, it’s almost time for dinner so I haven’t exactly had time to workout. 

For a moment I thought I wasn’t going to make it with five workout sessions this week, but I managed to squeeze one in this afternoon.  I did 30 minutes from the Yoga 10 Minute Solution DVD - Buns and Thighs (10 minutes), Abs (10 minutes), Burn (10 minutes).  Although I ended up completing my workout in two sessions because Gavin woke up halfway through my workout, I still struggled through some of the poses.  My arms feel weak - in some of the poses where I had to balance my body weight on one arm, I felt like my elbow was going to buckle.  Other than that, it was a pretty good workout that revitalised me.

Looking back on the week, this is what I have achieved for my Go Workout Mom Goal Call:

Monday - 40 minutes Yoga Zone Fat Burner
Tuesday - 45 minutes Kathy Smith Yoga Sculpt
Wednesday - 35 minutes Total Yoga Flow Series: Water
Thursday - 30 minutes Pilates 10 Minute Solution
Sunday - 30 minutes Yoga 10 Minute Solution

On a semi-related note, I was surprised to read in the papers this morning that Yoga in Malaysia is now an illegal practice for Muslims because it’s “haram” (read: sinful).  The Fatwa Council believes that the chanting in yoga is like the practising of religious elements of Hindhuism and is therefore against the beliefs of Islam.  

Okay, perhaps I don’t really know enough about yoga or Islam to comment, but I wonder if they are confusing the descriptions of the yoga postures for chanting?  In all my experience of yoga, I have never heard anything remotely like chanting.  When they talk about meditation, it’s just to help you relax and clear your mind so you feel refreshed to continue the rest of your day.  So what then is the danger? 

On the flip side, all this talk about yoga has made me curious to find out more about it.  I want to find a DVD series that will help bring me from beginner to advanced level.  I think it would seriously be so cool to be able to pull this move:

I’m willing to bet that being at this level in yoga will definitely make a difference to my rock climbing.

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I took my son to Midvalley Megamall and The Gardens today and bought myself a set of 2 pound hand weights for about RM17.  Since I had the new hand weights, I decided to deviate from the plan to make this week a yoga week and try out the sculpt session on the Pilates 10 Minutes Solution DVD.  I’m not sure that the additional 2 pounds of weight did anything to toughen up the workout because I didn’t feel any different using the weights compared to the day I did the same workout without the weights.  Maybe I should have bought a heavier set?

Looks like I’ll have to maintain my previous belief that pilates is easier than yoga…

Anyway, I followed the same routine I did previously - Pilates Abs (10 minutes), Pilates Sculpt (10 Minutes) and Pilates Burn (10 Minutes) - while Gavin slept.  In beween I was interupted by Gavin waking up to nurse and my brother calling from China requesting some urgent faxes.  All in all, it may have been a 30 minute workout but from start to finish, I took about two hours.  I wonder if working out in this manner is as effective as working out for half an hour straight because it was as if I worked out for 5 minutes, took a break, then worked out for another 8 minutes, took a break, etc.

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I bought the Total Yoga Flow Series VCDs at the airport in Singapore quite a number of years ago when I was working in Colgate.  I can’t say I ever had the time to use it more than once or twice.  In fact, I never even opened the Total Yoga: The Flow Series - Fire VCD, since it was the most advanced of the three and I was only a beginner yogist at best.  The intention back then was to build strength and improve my balance for rock climbing (everything back then was about rock climbing). 

Although today was a designated rest day, I decided to do the Total Yoga: The Flow Series - Water workout while Gavin slept.  We went swimming in the morning so he was pretty tired.  Actually, I was, too - I got a pretty good weight-lifting workout from lifting Gavin out of the water and putting him on the water slide.  I’m pretty sure I must have done at least 2 sets of 10 reps.  I remembered that Gavin might not be so cooperative during the rest of the week so I figured I had better do what I could while I could.

Recalling that the Total Yoga: The Flow Series - Earth was really easy, I skipped that one altogether and went for the Level 2 workout.  Personally, I thought the Water workout was pretty easy, too.  The whole workout is more like a stretch and relaxation exercise, although it is presented very well.  The narrator is very thorough with the explanations of the movements and the pace is nice and slow so you have time to get into the correct pose and to make the right movements.  They also include a good warm-up and cool down segment which is lacking in a lot of the other yoga DVDs I have. 

Although the workout is generally pretty easy, there are a couple of parts of the workout that I find difficult.  These are due to my lack of flexibility and poor balance.  I always find those one-leg poses very challenging.  The whole workout is 45 minutes long, but I skipped the first part where they teach you Uji breathing and the last part Savasanah - the corpse pose (because Gavin had already woken up and was not feeling particularly patient).  So all in all, I did about 35 minutes worth of fairly light and easy yoga today.

The problem with working out while Gavin is asleep is that I have to stop my exercise midway through if Gavin wakes up before I’m done.  By the time he’s back to sleep, my body has cooled down and my muscles have become stiff again.  It isn’t exactly the ideal workout even if I do get the opportunity to select a longer workout and practice without a toddler attempting to climb all over me.  Also, when Gavin wakes up, he’s usually in a really crabby mood and doesn’t really care to let me complete the rest of my workout even if there is only another 5-10 minutes more to go.

I’m still not sure how to resolve the issues of exercising with a toddler but I guess we’ll just have to go with the flow and persevere.  I don’t really know how long more he’ll be able to handle me going off to exercise while he keeps himself occupied with stickers, books, Thomas VCDs and his toy trains.

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I woke up feeling pretty good.  Not too achy from the previous day so I guess the Yoga Zone Fat Burner wasn’t too hard on my muscles after all.  Gavin slept pretty well on his own today so I managed to sneak away to do a session from Kathy Smith’s Yoga Sculpt DVD.  There are three workouts on the disc - two yoga workouts running for about roughly an hour each and a half hour workout on sculpting. 

I did the easier of the two yoga workouts which runs for 55 minutes but I only got through about 45 minutes because Gavin work up.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could do a lot more of the yoga moves that I remember struggling with the first time I tried this DVD.  Although it didn’t feel as tough as the second workout on the Yoga Zone Fat Burning DVD, somehow my arms, rear and thighs ache more after completing the workout.

What I like about this DVD is the inclusion of a warm up and cool down session, however, they also lengthen the whole workout which can make it a challenge to complete with Gavin around.  Since I was working out in the room that Gavin was in, I had to keep the volume turned down low so I had to keep looking up to see what we were up to.  That’s definitely one of the main disadvantages of trying to workout while Gavin is sleeping.  On the flip side, the advantage of working out while he’s asleep is that I am not limited to the half hour workouts, although he could wake up half-way through the workout.

Ah, the dilemmas one faces while having the best intentions to get fit…

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After a birthday party on the weekend, a messed up afternoon nap and a very late night for my son, our planned activities for Monday was pretty much destroyed and so were my plans to exercise.  Just when it looked like it wasn’t going to happen, hubby agreed to a quiet night in and Gavin played downstairs with the rest of the family while I snuck away for a 40 minute session of Yoga Zone Fat Burner.

I took the routine up a notch and did some of the harder options offered in the program.  Boy!  Burn is definitely the best adjective for this workout.  Although my legs felt a little wobbly after the workout (pretty much like the previous time I did this workout), I think I recovered pretty quickly.  However, I think the real test will be when I wake up tomorrow morning.

I had originally wanted to try a new Pilates DVD I bought called Pilates Dynamic Body Makeover by The Method.  It is a three disc set with a total run time of 3 hours that cost me RM30 - which I thought was totally worth it considering a lot of the workout DVDs here cost around RM20 each. 

There are three different workouts - Pilates Dynamic Cardio, Pilates Dynamic Firming and Flexing, and Pilates Dynamic Toning.  I tried the disc on Pilates Dynamic Cardio but had to quit shortly after the warm-up when it became apparent that I didn’t have enough space in our room to do this workout.  I don’t know if the workouts on the other two discs are the same, but if it is, then I’m going to have to wait until we get to our new place before I can try these DVDs.

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