hi

long time no post :D. for me, at least. very, very long time. but, anyway~!

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last Tuesday, we stepped it up with training. no, like, as in really stepped it up. as in omg i haven't been this sore since the very beginning when we first started and ow ow ow stepped it up. (well, that was after last Tuesday, at least, lol.) ^_^

and i...am kind of excited! in an optimistic-masochistic sorta way!

because, i mean, it must mean we're improving if Sham's making our sessions more difficult, right? right.

anyway, training is fun. you know. in the same way that tests are fun. you do the bulk of the work and preparation at home, then you show up on test day and get to see what you're made of, and you get that rush of accomplishment when you're all done!

plus, Sham brings these nifty little fitness toys to training that i probably would've just tried to eat if i'd encountered them on my own.

oh! speaking of our trainer! he is a very cool dude. Sham is positive, encouraging, and totally pro at what he does. he can do handstand push-ups, never gets angry, and he's awesome at getting back to you when you try to contact him.

Priscilla's already said that she's happy she found Sham and, i must say that...i'm happy she found Sham, too! lol

(i dunno if i ever explained before, but all this pt stuff started when Priscilla posted a craigslist ad way back in January for a workout partner that i eventually ended up replying to, and i had uber-doubts about everything in the beginning, and never guessed i'd become so fond of both of them.)

<3

-mc

thursday was delightful <3

it was like 'wheeeee!'-delightful.

for one, it was hella nice out <3. and i'm kind of in denial about spring being here, because i like winter's coldness and lack of allergies. but on thursday, it was sunny and not hot, and breezy but not annoying, and i took some allergy meds that work a lot better than the ones i used to take.

for two, it seems i have lost another 6 pounds.

6 pounds.

6 pounds.

6 pounds <3.

so, i currently weigh a jolly 134.

...and maybe a half, too, but i forgot whether or not we decided to keep it or not, lol. i also forgot the exact numbers to the other measurements we took (inches off the waist, etc), but i do know that a lot of the numbers went down. plus, body-mass-index wise, i finally count as a normal person! simple things, really; but i was so happy~.

and relieved.

especially since i've been kinda terrible with my eating/exercise habits lately. um, oops?

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after the weighing, Sham deemed the time fit that he give me a certain revelation:

apparently, these first 10 pounds are the easiest to lose.

and...that pretty much translates into 'stop jimmy-jacking around, dude, cuz the real work starts here'. oy vey.

and then, Priscilla arrived and we did training, which Sham wrapped up in the end by having us play tag, pretty much.

yeah XD. no joke. we probably looked silly, but it was a lot of fun~! i got Priscilla the first time (she had to do 10 push-ups), and then she got me the second time (i had to do 12 sit-ups), and then i got her again the third time (she had to do 12 sit-ups and 10 push-ups!).

so, yeah.

thursday.

delightful <3.

-mc

training! FINALLY!!

the first time, training got canceled. the second time, we just decided to start fresh the following week. the third time, i missed cuz i...am directionally-challenged XD.

but TODAY--! today, i had training! look:

(...well, that kinda looks like Sham. except he's really not that deformed; in real life, he has eyes, fingers, and a head proportional to his body 'n' stuff.)

today, there were push-ups, the use of the treadmill, and a soccer ball. much fun (...you know. in a way. lol.) and pretty tough.

but Sham says i'm getting stronger. being inattentive me, i really hadn't noticed, haha. but he pointed out that i did push-ups from my toes today (well, okay, so they were from a raised surface, but still) and that i was recovering quicker from exercising now.

like, i was able to hold a conversation soon after the work-out!

apparently, this means he's gonna be changing up my at-home exercises, now, so i keep improving. because, y'know, it'd be nice if i kept improving 'n' all. just sayin' XD.

i feel like i'm forgetting to mention something else, but...i really can't remember.

so, that's all i have to share for tonight. yay for getting stronger!

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(Priscilla is sad because she had to work instead of train today. D:
...she's not deformed in real life, also.)

-mc

OH. OH. CHALLENGE.

looks like i officially have a partner in crime again! after a two week leave, Priscilla's finally turned up for training! even made a little back with a vengeance or some such post on her blog to say so.

>_>

...yeah. the very ambiguous statement of her having something up her sleeve or whatnot perplexes me.

but...whatever helps her catch up, i guess.

YEAH. YEAH. I WENT THERE. (HEEHEEHEE.)

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onto other news: today's session lasted 32 minutes, if i recall correctly. and wow, did that 32 minutes go by fast.

there were three exercises. while one of us did an exercise for 4 minutes, the other had to jog on the treadmill for the same amount of time. a lot of leg work for this session, i noticed.

i had some trouble doing the one-legged exercise. balancing just seems to kill me....

but i think i'm getting better with jogging, at least! maybe! hopefully! yeah!


exciting~.

-mc

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

alright, i know the past few entries, i've been pretty much babbling about things just barely related to training. BUT TODAY, I BRING REAL NEWS. I SWEAR.

:D

wait for it.

...

I LOST FIVE POUNDS.

sdgbfkaslflkds

and three percent body fat.

dsjkhadshflsdhfjksahflkadshf ksldhf kgf

after...like...a month, more or less, of starting this stuff. ...i'm gonna stop celebrating now, cuz i'm scared i might jinx myself and make it all turn out to be a mistake because the scale and the body-fat-measurer-thing both happened to malfunction or something.

if i'm beaming very garishly, it's not because of any particular reason. *dances really quickly and then stops*

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there were no treadmills for training today. and it was very nice, being able to breathe for the entire session.

i had do muscle-stuff for this one. like push-ups. and squats. and other muscle-stuff. the sit-ups were switched out for me, though, cuz of a totally legit neck injury (if you really wanna get out of sit-ups, slam your head against the sidewalk, lol).

and, yeah. i had to do that. just me. cuz Priscilla wasn't there. again. cuz of her back! her BACK. i'm gonna kill that thing! except i won't because she needs it! we're hoping she'll be able to come back for Thursday. training just ain't the same, lemme tell ya.

but just training overall.... i gotta say, it's pretty---dare i??---enjoyable. fun, even.

...omg, watch. now i'm gonna die miserably next training day. D:

but, hey, it's all for the good cause. i mean...hello. results. up there. five pounds. four weeks (more or less).

at this point, if Sham asks me to jump, i'll ask "how high?" (well, no, actually, knowing me, i'll probably say something more like "do you want me to do it in a special way? you do it first to show me how and then i'll try", but you know what i'm getting at.)

alright, i'll shut up, now.

OMGISOTOLDYOUSHAMISWORTHEVERYPENNYYAY.

-mc

this post isn't just an excuse to push those ugly pictures down the page.

i swear.

*cough* but really, i figured i should at least update on what's been going on at training for the past week.

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Tuesday

on this day, we added the use of the...um...the [insert name of work-out machine that's kinda like a cross between a stationary bike and a treadmill]! oh, but Priscilla wasn't there that day; back problems, doncha know. i trained alone (except not absolutely, cuz my trainer was there, too, being the trainer and all)....

but, yeah. i hopped on that, and did okay the first round, but got worse as the session went on. Sham says it's probably because of my lungs.

after that, i would take one end of the stretchy band thing i've mentioned in previous training sessions (the other end was tied down), and do lunges. and after alternating between legs, Sham would have me hold a lunge while punching forward with the arm opposite of the leg that i was doing the lunge with.

this part actually wasn't that bad, but i'd kinda still be wiped from using the machine from earlier, so i wouldn't call it 'easy'.

finally, i had to do some core stuff. it started out with sit-ups, but as i failed miserably with those the first round, i ended up doing planks the following ones. oh, the humility, lol.

and then we repeated the cycle, of course.

the session was finished with a cool down of stretches, and Sham had me balance on one foot in different ways. i felt like a performer; i could hear the tense drum roll and everything, haha!

i feel like i'm leaving something out, but i'm pretty sure those three things were all we did. i think i just feel like i'm missing something, since we had four different exercises today (Thursday).


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Thursday

today, we used the treadmill! w00t! and my lungs were giving me grief once more. those silly things.... i kept dreading that i was gonna fall off XD. you know, cuz i'm stubborn and unintelligent, and possiblyprobably wouldn't have hit that giant red "emergency stop!" button at the crucial moment of need.

following the treadmill, i had to...uh...pull weights. except differently than the the other times i've done it. we used a different thing. this one, the motion was more horizontal. the other one from the past was vertical. (and thus, the statement of my lack of intelligence is proved.)

this one shouldn't have taken me as long as it did, but since i'd still be REALLY winded from the treadmill, i felt a lot weaker.

the little green weight came back for the third exercise. squatting and then driving the weight straight up. i was pretty worried about this one; the last time i did this exercise, i was slow and struggled quite a bit with it. and now, the seat was lower. but this might've been the easiest of the four. no, scratch that. the green weight felt heavier with each round.

it was the fourth exercise that was the easiest. (...as "easy" as things can get in training, at least.) again, i worried, since i don't feel too confident with squats. basically, i had to squat, and then lift the stretchy (tied-down) band up, but lift it to the side. and alternate between sides. twenty of those.

then, back on the treadmill. though, actually, for one round, i used the other machine (the cross between a bike and a treadmill). yeah, the treadmill was definitely what made this session, lemme tell ya. these funny lungs of mine.... that's what i get for smoking.

Sham said that the damage to my lungs is irreversible and that it just means i'll be working twice as hard as a non-smoker. oh, joy!!! XD

but, you know, i feel like my lungs are better now than they used to be. i feel like i can breathe deeper now. (plus, doing so doesn't hurt anymore!)

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whoa. sorry it was so lengthy, but this entry is officially done now.

YOU HEAR?? THAT'S ALL YOUS IS GETTIN' OUTTA ME. I AIN'T SAYIN' NO MORE.

-mc

DON'T LOOK AT MEeee...

DX so, so, so camera-shy. gosh. when Sham asked if he could take pictures, i should've said "NO. NEVER IN FOREVER. KEEP THAT CAMERA FACED AWAY FROM MEEE!!!" or at least something along the lines of that. instead, i smiled and shrugged and figured that i'd never have to see the photos anyway. OH, HOW WRONG I WAS.

but, anyway-! the following pics correspond to this training day.

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here's me kneeing an invisible enemy in the face. and missing, probably. he's invisible, you know.



(oh, hey! this pic's not so ugly~) it's called the plank! we were supposed to hold it for a minute, which i couldn't. now, i can hold it for almost 50 seconds. that day, i think i only held for about 40 ^^;;;.



stretchy band time! flexing abs 'n' gluts, and bringing the ends up as fast as we could go.... gah; looking at this pic reminds me of how weak i am. next!


NO, WAIT, I CHANGED MY MIND, GO BACK, GO BACK--

...OMG, THANKS FOR TAKING THE UGLIEST PICTURE EVER, SHAM. we had to do squats with this green weight thing, and then stand and drive it up high. and repeat, of course. i failed at this, too.

well, that's all for now.

-mc

smoker? what smoker???

we had training yesterday. again, we weren't even able to make it to the fourth round, much less finish under 20 minutes. D:

beaten out by old people again. (Sham has another pair of clients after us, who are doing much better with this training program. they're diligent with their at-home exercises, and they always finish their sessions in good time. this would be the third time, i think, that Priscilla 'n' me have been showed up; and the fault is our own. *sigh*)

there was much squatting and moving around with this one. there was one exercise where we'd have to grab this stretchy band and squat down, and then stand up and raise it over our heads. the next one were ski-jumps. and, i think i may be going out of order now, but the third one i remember was holding this little weight and doing squats. and the fourth one was squatting slightly and pulling this bar (with weights attached to it) down to our chests.

while one person was doing an exercise, the other one would busy themself by either jogging with high-knees or doing jumping jacks (ski-jumps were added as an option later on).

i felt really lame, cuz just into the first round, i was breathing really hard. we had to stay in motion the entire time, and those high-knees just almost did me in. i used to smoke, so yeah, i can see how it's affected my lungs.

but, yeah. Priscilla 'n' me didn't even finish. and so, we were shamed and stoned, and outcasted from the fitness facility, except without the stoning and the outcasting. then we wrote nonsensical messages on Sham's car.

seriously, though, i'm getting pretty freaking embarrassed of myself.

i mean, i started this pt stuff for a reason. i need to start finishing, dammit!!! these overtimes and incomplete rounds gotta stop! more core! MORE CORE!

watch me go!

-mc

baaaaahhh...bahbah....

for lack of better title 'n' all.

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but anyway, Priscilla 'n' me see Sham twice a week, on Tuesdays 'n' Thursdays at 5pm.

so, today was one such training day. we had to do these punching-things and kneeing-things, and planks, and squats with this green little weight thing that weighed like 10 pounds or something, and use this stretchy band thing....

and i ended up disappointing myself with how much my upper body strength blows. i mean gaaaah. my arms stopped listening to me wayyy too early!

guess that means i know what to focus on. ...well, actually, each time i come to a session, i find something new i need to focus on. (three sessions ago, it was legs. two sessions ago, it was core. this past one, it's that i have weak arms.) so, i guess that means i'm well-roundedly out of shape? lawl. i guess i'll just focus on being better with doing those exercises Sham taught us.

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(which makes me wonder about said trainer. i mean, what's he thinking while he watches us struggle to do things he'd be able to do easily? y'know, one time, Priscilla asked him how long he could hold a wall squat, and he was like "forever". AND, DUDE, I BELIEVE HIM.

actually, today during training, he was taking pictures of us while we were doing the exercises. and, yeah, sure, he said they were for his blog and Priscilla's blog and so he can study our posture better....

but you know, i bet he took pictures of us to laugh at us. to upload them onto his computer and look through them while eating veggies, and to point at the screen and guffaw hysterically with broccoli flying from his mouth like "HAW HAW, WEAKLINGS", all the while maintaining perfect posture. i bet.

... *snort* sorry. really, Sham's awesome.)


urgh. school tomorrow....

-mc