1 August 2007 -  Jacksonville, Florida USA                                        

Getting Fit

Physical fitness on top of healthy diet is an integral part to becoming hale and hearty that is why DH & I have been making an extra effort to do our regular exercise every day but with the unpredictable humid, hot or wet summer weather, we quit doing the usual morning run and taking a stroll in the neighborhood after dinner.  Instead we have been hitting the gym hard.

Here's my work-out schedule:   * Group Fitness Class

Monday
05:00 to 05:15 PM      Warm-up on Treadmill
05:15 to 05:30 PM      Ride on Elliptical Bike
05:30 to 06:30 PM      *Interval Training
06:30 to 06:45 PM     Session with chiropractor for neck/back/shoulder/muscle pains
                    
Tuesday
05:00 to 05:15 PM       Warm-up on Treadmill
05:15 to 05:30 PM       *Bosu Abs
05:30 to 06:00 PM       Run on Treadmill
06:00 to 06:30 PM       Session w/ personal trainer for strength training

Wednesday
05:00 to 05:15 PM       Warm-up in the Treadmill
05:15 to 05:30 PM       *Bosu Abs
05:30 to 06:30 PM       *Power Pump
06:30 to 06:45 PM        Session with chiropractor for neck/back/shoulder/muscle pains

Thursday
05:00 to 05:15 PM       Warm-up on Treadmill
05:15 to 05:30 PM       *Abs
05:30 to 06:00 PM       Run on Treadmill
06:00 to 06:30 PM       Session w/ personal trainer for strength training

Saturday
08:00 to 10:00 AM       Play Tennis
If for some reason we can’t play tennis, I go to the gym to do either

07:15 to 07:30 AM      Warm-up on Treadmill
07:30 to 08:30 AM      *Body Mechanics
        or
09:45 to 10:00 AM      Warm-up on Treadmill
10:00 to 11:00 AM      *BOSU
        or
10:00 to 10:15 AM      Warm-up on Treadmill
10:15 to 11:15 AM      *Yoga
       or
09:45 to 10:00 AM      Warm-up on Treadmill
10:00 to 10:35 PM      *Pilates

Yeah, I finally broke down and hire a personal fitness pro for myself to twist my arms and guide me every step of the way to do the correct strength training workout.  I am so desperate to hit my goal-- to be able to at least slide into size 4P formal dress (size 2 is even better) to our impending cruise a month and half from now.

Me:   Bee, how come my weight chart rises and drops by few pounds sporadically
        despite hitting the gym hard for nearly two months now?

PT:    Momma that is because you are slowly building muscles and you know muscles weighs more than fat.
         But don’t worry babe these muscles help rev up your metabolism to lose fat quicker ok?
         You'll eventually get to where you want it to be...  just be patient.  So keep pumping 1 2 3... come on!

Me:    Sh*t!  Don't be so hard on me now. 
PT:    Oh no! Did you just curse me?   
Me:   No I didn't.  Sorry, this weight lifting is killing me!
PT:    You can do it! ok 12 more reps... come on 12 11 10 ...   

Well, she’s precise because while it appeared that I didn’t shed a pound or two but the measuring tape showed otherwise. I have lost inches around the body which spelled out the fact that the size 6P clothes are already a little loose-fitting on me. So this brings to a conclusion that the scale isn't the only tool for tracking a healthy lifestyle.

With my current weight (113 lbs = 51.34 kilos), everybody at work thinks I am obsessed for turning myself into a gym fanatic but sh*t when you are 40, whilst signs of early perimenopause—the beginning of hormonal change, is starting to hit on you, you’ve got to do what you need to do to stay fit. I tell you, 40 isn’t too bad right now as I muddle-through this life’s reality well enough to still look like I was still in early 30’s, at least I think so ;-)

Alright, I am not trying to lose weight to be skinny.  On the contrary, never did I consider Angelina Jolie as sexy nor I envision myself to be as skinny as her. If truth to be told, she looks so sick to me! Skeletal women like the fashion models don’t appeal to me as much as the meaty yet toned body like JeLo's contour.

Nonetheless, with the body built and height like mine (I am only 4 feet and 10 inches--reason why I wear 2.5 to 3.0 inches high heel at work) DH and I are in consensus that the ideal weight for me is no more or less than 105 lbs (47.72 kilos).