I am skipping out on KFB today—no workout whatsoever. This was not the original plan I had this morning. Unfortunately there were a number of circumstances that went way beyond my control.
As some of you read a couple days ago, I had a deadline to finish a newsletter. Today was the actual printing date. I knew there would be very little time for me to race to the printer, pick up the copies, run home, assemble it, have dinner, and fly to the meeting. So it seemed that KFB for today would be a bust.
Then I had this brilliant idea! My partner had the day off! I quickly called him this morning, told him to pick up the newsletter for the meeting tonight. In my mind, it all worked out—the newsletter would be finished which would leave me just enough time to workout, grab a little dinner, and then go to the meeting.
When I arrived home, I discovered that all plans had been thrown out the window. First thing I discovered was that the newsletter pages were spread out all over the table. That meant my partner didn't assemble it. Of course, I realized that I never specifically told him to put it together—I just inferred it.
The second thing I noticed was that all of the pages were wet. When asked, he told me that he had walked to the local copy store to pick up the printed pages. Once he had paid for them, he put them into his backpack and walked home. Unfortunately he also had his water bottle in the backpack, and it leaked.
Seeing that everything was ruined, it was an emergency dash to go back to the printer, have the whole thing reprinted, fly home to assemble, quickly grab something out of the refrigerator, and—as soon as I finish writing this—zoom to the meeting.
So no KFB today. That sucks.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
19 - Shoes
The message today indicates that a change of footwear is suggested. The big clunky sneakers are good for jumprope, but hinders the other movements. A light shoe is recommended, especially one with a flat sole, or we can go barefoot (depending on the ground/floor condition). What I'd really love to get is a pair of Robin's toe-boots!
It's amazing how much shoes really affect the stances! With the big clunky sneakers, I had no problem balancing on one foot. It almost felt like I was anchored to the floor.
I have a pair of deck shoes that I decided to try out. They are lightweight and have flat bottoms—and they launch like anything when you kick! Luckily all breakables and cats were not in the room when that occurred!
Then I went barefoot. I couldn't believe how wobbly I was! It's just so weird that I felt more stable in the big clunky sneakers than I was barefoot. I'm sure that will change over time as I get use to little to nothing on my feet when practicing.
It's amazing how much shoes really affect the stances! With the big clunky sneakers, I had no problem balancing on one foot. It almost felt like I was anchored to the floor.
I have a pair of deck shoes that I decided to try out. They are lightweight and have flat bottoms—and they launch like anything when you kick! Luckily all breakables and cats were not in the room when that occurred!
Then I went barefoot. I couldn't believe how wobbly I was! It's just so weird that I felt more stable in the big clunky sneakers than I was barefoot. I'm sure that will change over time as I get use to little to nothing on my feet when practicing.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
18 - Swamped
It's the first day of the month. It's the first day back after a long (and eventful) Memorial Day weekend. One of my co-workers is on vacation this week, so I need to do her job as well as my own. Plus, because of the long weekend, I will also need to help out our call center as they will be swamped. Then sometime tonight I will also need to work on a newsletter that needs to be finalized, printed, and mailed by Thursday. Yeah—I'm feeling a bit swamped at the moment.
Nevertheless, somehow I will make it all happen, even with throwing in today's workout. Actually the exercising shall be more of a help than a hindrance. The kicking and the punching will be very therapeutic as I picture different faces in front of me receiving the blows I shall give. Then, once all the aggression is out, it'll be time for some stretching and meditation—leaving me well relaxed to tackle the newsletter.
I am so looking forward to going home.
Nevertheless, somehow I will make it all happen, even with throwing in today's workout. Actually the exercising shall be more of a help than a hindrance. The kicking and the punching will be very therapeutic as I picture different faces in front of me receiving the blows I shall give. Then, once all the aggression is out, it'll be time for some stretching and meditation—leaving me well relaxed to tackle the newsletter.
I am so looking forward to going home.
Monday, May 31, 2010
17 - More
Although I am thoroughly enjoying the KFB workout, my day has been feeling a little off since the first day I started off on this adventure. I pretty much dropped every exercise I had been doing previously in order to experience this one much as a newcomer might when they signed up. The problem I starting running into was that my body wanted to do more.
So, as I am wont to do this time of year, I added my lunchtime walk back into my day. It's only for half-an-hour and because I work downtown there's a lot of stops along the route as I must wait for the crossing signal to (more-or-less) allow me to walk in front of the impatient motorists, but it was better than not doing anything.
After two weeks of that, my body gave me the signal that it wanted to do even more. A brief chat with Patrick later, and my pre-KFB morning routine has been returned to the mix. Fifteen minutes of jumproping plus 8-Minute Abs plus a healthy KFB breakfast means that my morning feels now complete!
I've either got to be a sicko or a health-nut to actually want to do more exercise. I'm going to vote for sicko.
So, as I am wont to do this time of year, I added my lunchtime walk back into my day. It's only for half-an-hour and because I work downtown there's a lot of stops along the route as I must wait for the crossing signal to (more-or-less) allow me to walk in front of the impatient motorists, but it was better than not doing anything.
After two weeks of that, my body gave me the signal that it wanted to do even more. A brief chat with Patrick later, and my pre-KFB morning routine has been returned to the mix. Fifteen minutes of jumproping plus 8-Minute Abs plus a healthy KFB breakfast means that my morning feels now complete!
I've either got to be a sicko or a health-nut to actually want to do more exercise. I'm going to vote for sicko.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
16 - Family
I have spent much time with family the past couple of days. We were with my partner's family yesterday, and then I saw my family today. Amazingly enough, there was one theme that seemed to resonate with both groups that I got to hear repeatedly over the two days: "You've lost a lot of weight!" or "You look so skinny!" which almost always culminated to a "You're looking real good!" Nothing boosts the ego more than a few simple statements like that!
My partner's parents are getting up there in age. His father just got out of the hospital a few days ago after a nasty bout of pneumonia. They needed help digging up some dead bushes and planting new ones, so we went over there to assist because neither parent really has the capability any more to do manual labor like that anymore. Strangely enough, neither is my partner. He's tall and skinny with no muscle strength whatsoever. So it was up to me to dig up the bushes.
Although this wasn't something beyond my capabilities before PCP and KFB, as I had much experience pulling stumps out of our backyard for a number of years, this felt a whole lot different. I could feel a strength that I don't think I've ever felt before as I ripped those bushes out of the ground. Energy was at a premium and it just felt totally amazing! Will the wonders never cease?!?
And although I had a real late night, the energy lasted through a long drive today, when I visited my own family at the campground where my brother has a seasonal pass. I brought my workout sheet and jumprope with me and proceeded to show them what exercise program I was on now. Needless to say, I think they were impressed. (Unfortunately, I wasn't able to complete all the sets and reps, as I did get bombarded with questions as to what I was doing and how I was doing it. On the other hand, I was stuck in some positions for far longer than a few breaths!)
It was actually a pretty restful day. I had the opportunity to sit and socialize with my family, which I don't often get to do because I live far away from them. There was nothing that needed my attention, no impending deadlines, no nothing. Just chillin' with everyone. Just being there in the moment with them and not worrying about anything. Sometimes, I think that's almost as good as sitting and meditating.
And now I'm home, tucking another long drive and late night under my belt. I really need to quit this whole staying up late thing.
My partner's parents are getting up there in age. His father just got out of the hospital a few days ago after a nasty bout of pneumonia. They needed help digging up some dead bushes and planting new ones, so we went over there to assist because neither parent really has the capability any more to do manual labor like that anymore. Strangely enough, neither is my partner. He's tall and skinny with no muscle strength whatsoever. So it was up to me to dig up the bushes.
Although this wasn't something beyond my capabilities before PCP and KFB, as I had much experience pulling stumps out of our backyard for a number of years, this felt a whole lot different. I could feel a strength that I don't think I've ever felt before as I ripped those bushes out of the ground. Energy was at a premium and it just felt totally amazing! Will the wonders never cease?!?
And although I had a real late night, the energy lasted through a long drive today, when I visited my own family at the campground where my brother has a seasonal pass. I brought my workout sheet and jumprope with me and proceeded to show them what exercise program I was on now. Needless to say, I think they were impressed. (Unfortunately, I wasn't able to complete all the sets and reps, as I did get bombarded with questions as to what I was doing and how I was doing it. On the other hand, I was stuck in some positions for far longer than a few breaths!)
It was actually a pretty restful day. I had the opportunity to sit and socialize with my family, which I don't often get to do because I live far away from them. There was nothing that needed my attention, no impending deadlines, no nothing. Just chillin' with everyone. Just being there in the moment with them and not worrying about anything. Sometimes, I think that's almost as good as sitting and meditating.
And now I'm home, tucking another long drive and late night under my belt. I really need to quit this whole staying up late thing.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
15 - Cheese
Finally! Something I'm use to seeing—the diet plan with all the gram allotments all measured out. I know it sounds a little weird, but I like those little listings. Makes me feel like I'm in control of what I'm eating. (Yeah, I know I'm in control the other times too, but numbers just feel more real to me than trying to eyeball the whole thing.) I will say, though, that I wasn't at all expecting this:
Where's the eggs? During and after the PCP I was so use to eating egg whites (two for breakfast, one for morning snack, two for lunch, and one for afternoon snack) that the sudden lack of them took me by surprise. In it's place was cheese. Now I don't mind cheese. I absolutely love cheese. I was just use to egg.
For those of you who don't know, I'm a vegetarian. I guess under a technical clarification, I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarain. That means I eat dairy products (lacto) and eggs (ovo). So, while most people on the PCP and KFB have a gram allotment for their favorite protein source, I get cheese and eggs. I love cheese and eggs, so it don't bother me. During my time on Peak Condition beans, tofu, tempeh, seitan, and most of those meat substitutes were verboten, so eggs and I became great friends. On KFB, I can visit them once in a great while but they're not a protein—they are a carb. That's cool too.
So now, it's like that favorite old hymn: "What a friend we have in cheeses!" We'll see how long we'll get to be friends. Certainly hope I don't grow a tail and start squeeking.
Where's the eggs? During and after the PCP I was so use to eating egg whites (two for breakfast, one for morning snack, two for lunch, and one for afternoon snack) that the sudden lack of them took me by surprise. In it's place was cheese. Now I don't mind cheese. I absolutely love cheese. I was just use to egg.
For those of you who don't know, I'm a vegetarian. I guess under a technical clarification, I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarain. That means I eat dairy products (lacto) and eggs (ovo). So, while most people on the PCP and KFB have a gram allotment for their favorite protein source, I get cheese and eggs. I love cheese and eggs, so it don't bother me. During my time on Peak Condition beans, tofu, tempeh, seitan, and most of those meat substitutes were verboten, so eggs and I became great friends. On KFB, I can visit them once in a great while but they're not a protein—they are a carb. That's cool too.
So now, it's like that favorite old hymn: "What a friend we have in cheeses!" We'll see how long we'll get to be friends. Certainly hope I don't grow a tail and start squeeking.
Friday, May 28, 2010
14 - Fresh
I will say that I'm lovin' the KFB exercise schedule, mainly because it mimics my old PCP schedule—Friday is the "end of the week" and therefore the easy workout day. This is perfect for me because Friday is the day that me and my friends gather for a potluck dinner and a movie of some sort (usually a bad one). These "easy workout days" gives me enough time to leave work, get home, exercise, make something fresh and simple, and meet everyone by 7pm.
This is a great time of year to begin a program like KFB. All the little farmer's markets are starting to pop-up like daisies in a field. It's the one thing I miss in the wintertime.
Now, I'm not totally opposed to the big supermarket chains as they have their own niche to fill, but there's just something disconcerting about overpriced food! I don't like how they seem to take advantage of everyone. The farmers suffer because the supermarkets don't pay them enough to grow the food, the town suffers because the supermarkets usually don't support local farmers, the environment suffers because the food has to be transported large distances, and the consumer suffers because they jack up the price to outrageous levels.
But then comes summer and the playing field starts becoming level again.
On Saturday, the huge Regional Market is open for business. That's the first day of the week I buy my vegetables. (Amazing how my food buying has synced up to our diets and exercise "week".) The Regional Market is doing quite well this year as they have had to expand to allow more farmers to sell their produce.
Next will be Tuesdays, as that is when the Downtown Market opens. (Only a week to go before it begins!) It's quite a bit smaller than the Regional Market, but you can still get a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. As an extra bonus, it is close to where I work. A quick ten-minute walk gets me to the market, another ten minutes to do two circuits around it (one to view the produce, the second to buy) and then a final ten minute walk back to work with my purchases. Exercise and food! Woo-hoo!
Then there is the CSA that we belong to. "CSA" stands for Community Supported Agriculture. The basic idea behind it is that we pay a local farmer a certain amount of money in March with which he buys everything he needs for that season's crops. Around June we go to a nearby pick-up point weekly to get our share of the produce that he has grown. It's a little hard to plan meals around this type of program, but I will say that it's fun to get a box of food that you have no idea what's in there until you open it up. I guess you might call it "Vegetarian Christmas".
That's the beauty of summer—fresh food for three to four months. If I work it just right, I will not have to take a step into a big chain supermarket for much of this time. What a way to "stick it to da man"!
This is a great time of year to begin a program like KFB. All the little farmer's markets are starting to pop-up like daisies in a field. It's the one thing I miss in the wintertime.
Now, I'm not totally opposed to the big supermarket chains as they have their own niche to fill, but there's just something disconcerting about overpriced food! I don't like how they seem to take advantage of everyone. The farmers suffer because the supermarkets don't pay them enough to grow the food, the town suffers because the supermarkets usually don't support local farmers, the environment suffers because the food has to be transported large distances, and the consumer suffers because they jack up the price to outrageous levels.
But then comes summer and the playing field starts becoming level again.
On Saturday, the huge Regional Market is open for business. That's the first day of the week I buy my vegetables. (Amazing how my food buying has synced up to our diets and exercise "week".) The Regional Market is doing quite well this year as they have had to expand to allow more farmers to sell their produce.
Next will be Tuesdays, as that is when the Downtown Market opens. (Only a week to go before it begins!) It's quite a bit smaller than the Regional Market, but you can still get a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. As an extra bonus, it is close to where I work. A quick ten-minute walk gets me to the market, another ten minutes to do two circuits around it (one to view the produce, the second to buy) and then a final ten minute walk back to work with my purchases. Exercise and food! Woo-hoo!
Then there is the CSA that we belong to. "CSA" stands for Community Supported Agriculture. The basic idea behind it is that we pay a local farmer a certain amount of money in March with which he buys everything he needs for that season's crops. Around June we go to a nearby pick-up point weekly to get our share of the produce that he has grown. It's a little hard to plan meals around this type of program, but I will say that it's fun to get a box of food that you have no idea what's in there until you open it up. I guess you might call it "Vegetarian Christmas".
That's the beauty of summer—fresh food for three to four months. If I work it just right, I will not have to take a step into a big chain supermarket for much of this time. What a way to "stick it to da man"!
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