Going back to Bikram Yoga

Tonight, I picked up my yoga mat again and sweated it out at the Bikram Yoga Manila studio in Makati. It's been exactly a year today when I found out that I was six weeks pregnant. And it's been exactly one year ago that I did my last practice in my beginner's form in the hot room. 

Yoga essentials: yoga mat, yoga towel, water bottle

Months before I found out the biggest surprise of our lives -- tadah! we're pregnant, I was actively doing yoga: once a day, seven days a week. In early 2014, I came back to the studio to improve my posture, sweat out the toxins and hoping against hope, to lose some unwanted inches. Perhaps, it too prepared my body for pregnancy. I was practicing the whole six weeks of my pregnancy because I didn't find out until the sixth week.

Night after night, I'd go home with aching muscles. There's nothing else much that I was capable of doing except to prepare my yoga clothes for the next day. The one benefit that I swore to be the best is being able to sleep soundly at night and wake up the next day renewed and refreshed. 

In the weeks of my practice I've also noticed that my eating habits have been adjusted. I ate a controlled portion at lunch. No more snacking in between lunch and yoga practice or else, I'd pay for it inside the heated room. Dinner after yoga has been reduced to small portions of light meals because I feel like am still very full -- well, considering that I chug a liter of water before practice and another liter during the one hour and thirty minute practice...

After a year of no practice and practically leading a sedentary life, I decided to go back again. It has always been in my horizon that I'd go back after I gave birth... that I'd find a way to fit it in my schedule. 

But the reality is -- the first time, the first instance of commitment is always the hardest to start. So what tipped the scale? 

My 15 pounds (7 kilos) bundle of joy loves to be carried. She bounces her feet when we're heading out to the lobby, the pool area or even just at the hallway of our building. And boy, she loves it when we do bursts of sprints along the short length of our hallway. Her squeals of delight send me to mommy heaven. But I always end up breathless and panting after such a seemingly simple activity. 

And so it dawned on me that I should do something. I may not be able to outsmart time but at least I can ease myself into delaying the setbacks of ageing. 

Commiting to practice yoga and living an active (read: it's definition is relative ha ha) lifestyle will help prepare me for the days when my baby's idea of play time is running, climbing trees, scaling uphill grounds, and rolling in the hills. 

It would be a bonus if along the way, I'd lose my pregnancy weight. So, here's to my 30-day challenge. 

Namaste. 

Xx

Sheng

Crossfit, Ribs and Delicious Pain

Our friend Sandra is a fitness addict. She goes bored if she's not physically active. Her typical day consists of a 10km run in the morning around her village or an hour session of crossfit then end her day with one more crossfit session. On top of that she's on a paleo diet. 

Our lunch conversations are peppered with her crossfit experiences and the inevitable  invitations. We flaked on her so many times she just stopped inviting. After a business trip to Hong Kong she was bursting with enthusiasm for all of us to do crossfit together. 

In a spirit of solidarity, we said yes. Last night, I died. Off we went to the new box of Crossfit Manila along Legaspi Village. 

CrossFit begins with a belief in fitness. The aim of CrossFit is to forge a broad, general and inclusive fitness. We have sought to build a program that will best prepare trainees for any physical contingency — not only for the unknown, but for the unknowable. After looking at all sport and physical tasks collectively, we asked what physical skills and adaptations would most universally lend themselves to performance advantage. Capacity culled from the intersection of all sports demands would quite logically lend itself well to all sport. In sum, our specialty is not specializing.

CrossFit is many things. Primarily, it’s a fitness regimen developed by Coach Greg Glassman over several decades. He was the first person in history to define fitness in a meaningful, measurable way (increased work capacity across broad time and modal domains). CrossFit itself is defined as that which optimizes fitness (constantly varied functional movements performed at relatively high intensity). CrossFit is also the community that spontaneously arises when people do these workouts together. In fact, the communal aspect of CrossFit is a key component of why it’s so effective. 

The trial session started with a community warm up. In itself, it was already challenging for me. Five pushups in one go? I can't even begin to imagine myself dropping to the floor and do the push up. Awkwardly, I did the exercises with grunts here and there. Old and unfit hag!

And then the real thing began. Our coach Kirby clocked us to finish the WOD (Work Out of the Day) of five rounds of 200 meter running, 15 reps box jumps, and 15 reps wall balls.

I live a fairly sedentary life. So, when the clock was set my heart beat did an overdrive. The first round was relatively easy. But the running, jumping and squatting while throwing a 3kg ball made me pant. On my second round, my legs already felt like jelly. But I mustered enough courage to pull me through. It helps too that the people around were very encouraging, helpful even. 

One guy even run with me so I won't give up. Another crossfit guy is Rovilson Fernandez who never failed to shout out motivating words and would even high-five me as our path crosses during the run. And he doesn't even know me!

On my third round, I frantically looked for my friends. I tried to gauge their number of rounds completed. Naturally, Sandra made it seem like a walk in the park. When they say the spirit is willing but the body is weak -- is never truer in my case. I wanted to finish the rounds because I didn't feel like embarrassing myself. Although, the first thing the coach says before the session starts is to leave your ego at the door. 

At this stage, I was already feeling woozy. I can feel the bile rising from my belly to my throat. And then Rovilson saw me. Seeing that "am done" look on my face, he egged me to give it a little more push. He boxed jumped with me. He says things like stay with me, look at me, inhale, exhale. One more jump. Inhale. Exhale. Before I knew it we finished my 15 reps of box jumps. 

Then, we moved on to the wall balls. He did it as slowly as I did. Pushing me some more, one ball at a time. He kept on checking the clock trying to get me to do as many squats and throws as I can before the buzzer rings. 

No wonder people call him Mr Nice Guy. He truly is. No qualms about being nice to strangers. It helped too that he had the time to help some of us newbies. He finished in half the time!

To you, Mr Rovilson Fernandez thank you for pushing me to do more. And you really are not just fit but an awesome fellow. Keep on inspiring!

As the clock stopped, I found myself slumped on top of the box feeling dizzy. And I threw up. I puked not just once but thrice! Ew, I know. But.

I had time to recuperate as Sandra did her remaining crossfit activities. And we goofed around, too. 
 

Mara, Me-an, Me and Sandra

Row, row, row...

Live weights

We tried to walk our way to a big cup of chilled juice in Greenbelt. But alas, Big Chill was already closed. Ack. Very disappointing considering that I was already limping, my ankle hurt, my legs hurt. A lot of body parts hurt!

Sandra dropped off Me-an and I in the office. As we exited the parking,  I had this sudden inspiration to eat salad at Alexa's Deli. On our way though, we saw Rue Bourbon. We devoured its ribs and mashed potato. Hihihi. 

You would have thought that I'd sleep right away the moment I'd hit my pillow. But I didn't. I learned that Me-an didn't also. I think the adrenaline is still coursing through our body. I read to while away the time. 

When morning rolled in, I woke up to pain that increases with every tiny movement. Ah, the sleeping fats in my body were disturbed. But then a thought hit me -- this is delicious pain! It means we really did work out. And whatever muscles I have beneath the layers of fat are woken up. 

At lunch, we talked about going back when the pain has subsided. We even plan of doing our version of workout shopping to find our perfect fit. Right now though, am concentrating on finding a happy place as my thighs and arms are killing me. 
 

DNF (Did Not Finish). Whoa.

But as I've said, it's a good kind of pain. Have you tried crossfit? Tell me about it. 

If you want to know more, here's a link.  

XX

Sheng

Bikram Yoga: A novice's tale

A few years back, I enrolled myself in Bikram Yoga. Primarily to lose weight. Secondarily, to stretch my sleeping muscles trapped in mounds of fat. 

Back story: I didn't just wake up one day and saw that I have gained almost twice my original weight. I saw myself progressing, pound per pound. Blame it on the job and the place where I got assigned to for work. Being in field sales didn't do any good to my already wobbly will to engage in active lifestyle. 

From that day on, I spiraled and bloated. I had my failed attempts at losing the extra pounds -- gym, diet pills, running/jogging, die-eating, and then, yoga. And not just any yoga, I chose Bikram Yoga. 

Bikram yoga is practiced in a hot room. The heated room is set at 38 degrees Celsius. Hot, hot, hot! It's meant to allow the muscles to stretch by warming them and the sweat generated by the heat detoxifies the body, thereby, flushing out toxins. 

It is composed of 26 poses, repeated twice. One session is a good 90 minute practice. 

The first time I practiced, everyone around me was sweating buckets but me. Not a drop. The succeeding days saw me experiencing dampness on my face and my limbs. Then, over a month of regular sessions, I started to experience what sweating really meant. 

And that's when I started feeling the looseness of my tighter clothes. And I felt more limber. So, I should have continued, right?

Wrong. I got sidelined. I started taking the easy route. Going to the mall, hanging out, dining out. Then, I kept gaining and retaining all the fats I've ingested. But I was unfazed. 

What was I thinking? Nothing. I wasn't thinking. For a long time. Brisk walking for two hours helped but the rain gets in the way. Hihihi. 

So, last night I went back to the studio. Enrolled myself. And practiced my first session together with good friend, Cathy. Ah, the first few minutes spending in the dark heated room meant for practitioners to relax already made us sweat!

I was nervous. The heat can induce nausea and vomiting. Mid-way to the session, I felt dizzy. So, I had to sit down. Otherwise, I feel that I'll throw up. 

And then, the poses were just so hard to follow? From the outset, it looks easy enough. Bending here, stretching there. But doing it right is a different story. And holding it in for a few more seconds and defying your limits (gravity) is another twist to the story. 

This morning, I woke up with aching limbs. It feels like I've been in a fight the night before. I was tempted not to go to work. Ha! Sleeping in would have made me feel better. 

But no, I moved along at a snail's pace. The first thing I did? Fix my yoga mat, yoga towel, my clothes for the hot room, my small travel essentials (for shower afterwards) and change of clothes. 

Am I going back tonight? Yes, definitely. I want to make my muscles remember the poses and learn to enjoy the heat and the practice. Hopefully, in the process I would lose a few inches. And my money gains mileage. Bikram Yoga is expensive. Sigh.

Why do I keep on trying? One person inspires me the most. She used to be my yoga teacher. She's become a good friend. And whichever part of the world she goes, she teaches and practices bikram yoga. 

Joyce, send me some good vibes from miles away.

Someday, I'd like to practice with you again. Hopefully, I'd be able to be at least half-decently able to do the poses, right. 

Namaste. 

Should you want to check out Bikram Yoga Manila's studio, click this link. 

XX

Biggest Loser

It's all about winning. No one wants to be labeled as a loser. In everything that we do, our buy in, always, is what's in it for me. 

But there's one thing that everyone wants to vie for that centers on losing. In fact, being the biggest loser gives one an all-time high. In the battle of the bulge, that is. 

When January rolled by, some colleagues thought that it would be a nice idea to lose all the pounds we've piled on during the holidays. However, we only got started sometime the following month. I guess, we were still holding on to the extra poundage. Ha ha ha. 

Two months into the challenge came the moment of truth. What started as a quest for vanity, looking good, feeling good or just bagging the pot money turned into a success story. 

One of our challengers lost a total of 13lbs. The contest paved a way for a serious change in lifestyle. To him, weeknights are spent an allotted one hour (minimum) to run around the Ayala Triangle. Dinner has become carb-less. A Filipino diet basically consists a generous serving of rice. And it goes in every meal. Sometimes, even as snacks. 

One can only imagine how hard it is to give up. But he did stay on the course of his resolve. Come final weigh in, he was declared as the biggest loser! He won the pot money and got back his health. Since he embarked on his active lifestyle, he noticed that his blood pressure has neutralized. It has been over two months already that he has completely stopped taking his maintenance medication for hypertension. 

Meet Rey. He just won the bragging rights as The Biggest Loser.

Now, this is the kind of losing I won't mind. And his story has become a springboard for all the participants to really kick start with their programs. 

What about you? What's your lose weight story? Please share.