Dieting is the hardest part of losing weight. I can never get on a diet and stay on it for long. People always tempt me with food: chocolate, biscuits, coffee, chips...Gosh, I will have to run extra hard in gym and swim extra laps in the pool to lose weight. It is so unfair, some people are naturally thin. Some people can eat anything and still stay in shape, but not me. I hope next time I will get a body like that. Thank you very much.
Read magazine about Posh spice being 39kg. >_< Mum reckons she is the person who lives in the First World country and is starving...like the children you see on the aid ads. She needs to eat fatty chips. She needs to fatten herself up, otherwise she will disappear from the photo or this Earth entirely! Yeah, these magazines always taking photos of fat people and thin people...who cares...
I guess this is just one of those phases when I suddenly get very conscious about how I look, then I will move onto something entirely different to focus on. I guess this comes with being a young woman, and it's only natural that we want to get on diets, lose weight, no matter how good we look already, or how thin we alreayd are. We are never satisfied with our weight, or our shape. When we are thin, we want to be thinner. When we are fat, we want to become thinner.
The world isn't like this before. Fat woman was once viewed as fertile and healthy, and essentially, beautiful in the old days. When did this image shift to stick figures? It has something to do with the movie screen, I suppose, because it makes people look fat no matter how thin you are. It streches your image sideways so you have to be very thin to look good on a movie/TV screen. Thus start the struggle of becoming thin and thinner. Poor us!
I will stop complaining now. Last night I went to practice cello with the orchestra for Sunday's concert. The boy who is sitting in front of me has lost his music so I borrow him my music to photocopy. Hopefully he will remember to bring them on Sunday, otherwise I may kill him. The consequence is that I may not have any music to play, and I don't know the music off by heart...Just pray to God that he will remember to bring them back.
Count bacteria today. Results still kind of weird and will have to improve them. The extension doesn't seem to be working very well.
10/15/2005
10/14/2005
Experimental Extravaganza
I have great results from yesterday's experiment: simply by adding a funnel to the head of the ozone generator have made the whole experiment work. So happy! I have made further extension to the funnel so now it will cover the whole petri dish when ozone is added to inhibit the growth of bacteria. I will know the results tomorrow, hopefully it works like yesterday or even better.
Meet classmate for lunch. Give her the information about Sunday's concert. I will have to practice extra hard tonight. Meet Dark Angel, but he walks very fast away from me saying that he needs to pay someone some money. Okay, Dark Angel, I will leave you alone, you don't have to run away from me. I am sure he is really, truly, sincerely busy.
Supervisor from university wants to find me yesterday but couldn't. He also wanted to talk to the other girl who he is supervising. How bizarre. Now he doesn't want to talk to us anymore. I wonder what he wants to say.
Put the plates into the incubator today so I will be able to count them in university.
I won't be able to go to Dark Angel's concert tonight, but hopefully I will be able to catch him before then to listen to his practicing. Anyway, I highly doubt that he will be able to slow down and give me an opportunity to catch up with him because he is always busy doing something. Stange man. Mysterious man. Haha.
Watched a Japanese movie about Unemura (strange spelling, I don't know if it is correct of not). He was the first Japanese man to climb the highest mountains on the five continent. Great achievement! However, couldn't help but think that he tried to escape on the mountain in his last climb so he doesn't have to return to Japan and live a life of ordinary man. I guess he is probably dead somewhere in Mt. McKinley, but the movie.....it suggests that he doesn't want to return.....it just makes you think, doesn't it? He was missing from 1984, when he was about 45 years old, that will make him about 60 now if he is still alive, which is about the age of our dear old Edmond Hillary.
Meet classmate for lunch. Give her the information about Sunday's concert. I will have to practice extra hard tonight. Meet Dark Angel, but he walks very fast away from me saying that he needs to pay someone some money. Okay, Dark Angel, I will leave you alone, you don't have to run away from me. I am sure he is really, truly, sincerely busy.
Supervisor from university wants to find me yesterday but couldn't. He also wanted to talk to the other girl who he is supervising. How bizarre. Now he doesn't want to talk to us anymore. I wonder what he wants to say.
Put the plates into the incubator today so I will be able to count them in university.
I won't be able to go to Dark Angel's concert tonight, but hopefully I will be able to catch him before then to listen to his practicing. Anyway, I highly doubt that he will be able to slow down and give me an opportunity to catch up with him because he is always busy doing something. Stange man. Mysterious man. Haha.
Watched a Japanese movie about Unemura (strange spelling, I don't know if it is correct of not). He was the first Japanese man to climb the highest mountains on the five continent. Great achievement! However, couldn't help but think that he tried to escape on the mountain in his last climb so he doesn't have to return to Japan and live a life of ordinary man. I guess he is probably dead somewhere in Mt. McKinley, but the movie.....it suggests that he doesn't want to return.....it just makes you think, doesn't it? He was missing from 1984, when he was about 45 years old, that will make him about 60 now if he is still alive, which is about the age of our dear old Edmond Hillary.
THE 10 BEST BUTT EXERCISES:
1. Walking Lunges -- Stand with your feet hip width apart, grasp a pair of dumbbells with your arms straight at your sides, palms in. Take a large step forward and lower your body so that your front knee lines up with your ankle. The back knee is almost touching the floor. Push off with your back foot and take a large step forward with your other foot. Walk lunge 15 to 20 steps and then turn around and return to the start, using the same form. You should contract your glutes on the lowering of each movement.
2. Extension Step Ups -- Grasp a pair of dumbbells by your sides with palms facing the side of the body. Stand behind a 6- to 12-inch high step (normally used in aerobic step classes) and keep your arms straight. Step onto the middle of the step with your right foot and then lift your left knee high (to hip height). Step down with your left foot, then repeat on the right side. This is a great one and you’ll really feel it.
3. Bent Leg Reverse Kick Up -- Start this exercise on your hands and knees on a mat. Raise your left leg up until it is parallel with the floor with a slight bend in the knee. Support your weight with your arms and right leg. While contracting the butt,
lift your left leg up and toward the ceiling, maintaining a bend in the knee. Slowly return to the starting position. After completing the set on the left side, repeat on the right side. To increase the difficulty, you may want to add an ankle weight to the working leg.
4. Lying Gluteus Lift -- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Place your arms at your sides for support. Contracting the glutes, project your hips up toward the ceiling as you lift your glutes off the floor. Slowly return to the starting position, stopping just short of your glutes touching the floor. Exhale while lifting your butt, and inhale while returning to the starting position.
5. Smith Machine Rear Squat -- I prefer free weights, but for safety reasons, a Smith machine will work just fine. Place the bar across the back of your shoulders. Be sure it’s not resting on your neck. Your feet should be shoulder-distance apart. Lower the weight, keeping your knees behind the toes at all times. Think of sitting back into a chair and contract the glutes on the lowering phase. Stop when the knees are at a 90-degree angle. Return to the starting position and repeat. Inhale while lowering the weight, and exhale while returning to the starting position. Do not let the knees ride over your toes (you should be able to see your feet at all times), and don’t arch your back.
6. Cycling -- Riding a bike is great for your glutes, hips and thighs. Get your glutes involved by leading with your heels when you push down on the pedals. On the upswing, pull up on the pedal (providing you've got foot straps) to make sure you're using every part of your legs during your workout. For brief periods, lift your butt off the seat and slowly pedal as you contract the butt.
7. Stepmill -- This is one of my favorite cardio exercises, and it works the glutes with absolute precision. This machine is not to be confused with the Stairmaster. The stepmill actually has revolving steps and is extremely difficult. When I go into the gym these units are always available, and the elliptical machines are unavailable -- what does that tell you? Yep, it’s hard, but it will turn your butt into a J-Lo lookalike.
8. Running -- I’ve never trained a female who didn’t get a smaller butt from a running program. If you have excessive body fat to lose, then this may not be your best bet due to the stress it places on the knees. However, a gradual program works great for those who have less than 25 pounds to lose. Try to build to four days per week for 30 minutes, and remember to invest in high quality running shoes. ---
9. Leg Press/Feet High -- It’s amazing what a simple change of foot positioning can do. Try the leg press with your feet placed high on the platform.
This simple change of positioning will activate the butt and hamstrings as well. Lower the weight until you feel the glutes contract. You’ll definitely feel this one.
10. Ankle Weight Butt Blaster -- Get on the floor on your hands and knees. Relax your shoulders and find a neutral spine position with your head at a natural extension of your neck. Extend the left leg up with a 90-degree angle at the knee. Your foot should be parallel with the ceiling. Contracting the glutes, push your foot up toward the ceiling. Stop when your leg is at a full extension from the hip maintaining the 90- degree angle at the knee. Return to the starting position. After completing the set on the left side, repeat on the right side.
By Raphael Calzadilla
eDiets Chief Fitness Pro
October 13, 2005
2. Extension Step Ups -- Grasp a pair of dumbbells by your sides with palms facing the side of the body. Stand behind a 6- to 12-inch high step (normally used in aerobic step classes) and keep your arms straight. Step onto the middle of the step with your right foot and then lift your left knee high (to hip height). Step down with your left foot, then repeat on the right side. This is a great one and you’ll really feel it.
3. Bent Leg Reverse Kick Up -- Start this exercise on your hands and knees on a mat. Raise your left leg up until it is parallel with the floor with a slight bend in the knee. Support your weight with your arms and right leg. While contracting the butt,
lift your left leg up and toward the ceiling, maintaining a bend in the knee. Slowly return to the starting position. After completing the set on the left side, repeat on the right side. To increase the difficulty, you may want to add an ankle weight to the working leg.
4. Lying Gluteus Lift -- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Place your arms at your sides for support. Contracting the glutes, project your hips up toward the ceiling as you lift your glutes off the floor. Slowly return to the starting position, stopping just short of your glutes touching the floor. Exhale while lifting your butt, and inhale while returning to the starting position.
5. Smith Machine Rear Squat -- I prefer free weights, but for safety reasons, a Smith machine will work just fine. Place the bar across the back of your shoulders. Be sure it’s not resting on your neck. Your feet should be shoulder-distance apart. Lower the weight, keeping your knees behind the toes at all times. Think of sitting back into a chair and contract the glutes on the lowering phase. Stop when the knees are at a 90-degree angle. Return to the starting position and repeat. Inhale while lowering the weight, and exhale while returning to the starting position. Do not let the knees ride over your toes (you should be able to see your feet at all times), and don’t arch your back.
6. Cycling -- Riding a bike is great for your glutes, hips and thighs. Get your glutes involved by leading with your heels when you push down on the pedals. On the upswing, pull up on the pedal (providing you've got foot straps) to make sure you're using every part of your legs during your workout. For brief periods, lift your butt off the seat and slowly pedal as you contract the butt.
7. Stepmill -- This is one of my favorite cardio exercises, and it works the glutes with absolute precision. This machine is not to be confused with the Stairmaster. The stepmill actually has revolving steps and is extremely difficult. When I go into the gym these units are always available, and the elliptical machines are unavailable -- what does that tell you? Yep, it’s hard, but it will turn your butt into a J-Lo lookalike.
8. Running -- I’ve never trained a female who didn’t get a smaller butt from a running program. If you have excessive body fat to lose, then this may not be your best bet due to the stress it places on the knees. However, a gradual program works great for those who have less than 25 pounds to lose. Try to build to four days per week for 30 minutes, and remember to invest in high quality running shoes. ---
9. Leg Press/Feet High -- It’s amazing what a simple change of foot positioning can do. Try the leg press with your feet placed high on the platform.
This simple change of positioning will activate the butt and hamstrings as well. Lower the weight until you feel the glutes contract. You’ll definitely feel this one.
10. Ankle Weight Butt Blaster -- Get on the floor on your hands and knees. Relax your shoulders and find a neutral spine position with your head at a natural extension of your neck. Extend the left leg up with a 90-degree angle at the knee. Your foot should be parallel with the ceiling. Contracting the glutes, push your foot up toward the ceiling. Stop when your leg is at a full extension from the hip maintaining the 90- degree angle at the knee. Return to the starting position. After completing the set on the left side, repeat on the right side.
By Raphael Calzadilla
eDiets Chief Fitness Pro
October 13, 2005
10/12/2005
Water Wednesday
Swimming today, the swimming concession card has ran out! Wow! This is the first time that I have used all the credits in one year. So happy! That means that this year I have swam more times than ever before. ^_^ Swim for about 1 hr and go back to work.
Dark Angel texted this morning to say that he wants to go swimming today, but he is preoccupied by something, possibly homework. Too much homework! 10,000 assignments (that's his own words). Poor Dark Angel, hope he can cope with them all.
My experiment is going okay because I haven't counted the plates yet. I will know tomorrow first thing how the results turn out. I have changed the way that I carry out the experiment so hopefully it will give better results, but I don't know what will happen.
It is threatening to rain. The clouds roll in from the west and who knows when it will start to pour?
I am considering about an important thing now. Should I do it? Should I not do it? What will happen if I do it? I don't know. I don't think I have the gut to do it because up until now I haven't done anything about it. I am afraid that if I do anything, everything will blow up to my face and I will lose everything. Haha, such a pessimistic person, eh?
Dark Angel texted this morning to say that he wants to go swimming today, but he is preoccupied by something, possibly homework. Too much homework! 10,000 assignments (that's his own words). Poor Dark Angel, hope he can cope with them all.
My experiment is going okay because I haven't counted the plates yet. I will know tomorrow first thing how the results turn out. I have changed the way that I carry out the experiment so hopefully it will give better results, but I don't know what will happen.
It is threatening to rain. The clouds roll in from the west and who knows when it will start to pour?
I am considering about an important thing now. Should I do it? Should I not do it? What will happen if I do it? I don't know. I don't think I have the gut to do it because up until now I haven't done anything about it. I am afraid that if I do anything, everything will blow up to my face and I will lose everything. Haha, such a pessimistic person, eh?
10/11/2005
Gym
I can't believe how tired I am after gym. Whew...my seat is so comfortable right now.
Today I muck around in the office in the morning trying to get my mail from the various mailboxes I own. No mail, but get an interesting eDiet mail about how to get fabulous abs, which is summarised below. Enter paper into the referencing program EndNote and discover there are two papers that I didn't get from the university. Thus I pack up everything, computer and all, and drive up to university.
First I downloaded the two papers that I want and have lunch. Meet Fuzzy's classmate and talk with her for a while.
Change into my gym gear in the changing room. The UniRec Centre Gym is almost empty when I get there. Start by running on the treadmill. It is not hard. I run without too much trouble.
Read some yoga/pilates moves in a book so I carry these out upstairs on the yoga mat. Walk downstairs to ride the bicycle. I try to get to Heart Rate = 158, and that's when the trouble starts. I can't ride bikes when my heart is beating so fast...>_< Feel very uncomfortable, maybe I should change it a bit for the beginning and increase gradually.
Drive back to work now. It is all very good. Print out the two papers I downloaded and reading them now. I have also borrowed a book "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase" by Joan Aiken. It is a very nice book and I will read it when I have time.
I have connected the funnel to the pipette tip so it can deliver ozone better to the petri dish.
Today I muck around in the office in the morning trying to get my mail from the various mailboxes I own. No mail, but get an interesting eDiet mail about how to get fabulous abs, which is summarised below. Enter paper into the referencing program EndNote and discover there are two papers that I didn't get from the university. Thus I pack up everything, computer and all, and drive up to university.
First I downloaded the two papers that I want and have lunch. Meet Fuzzy's classmate and talk with her for a while.
Change into my gym gear in the changing room. The UniRec Centre Gym is almost empty when I get there. Start by running on the treadmill. It is not hard. I run without too much trouble.
Read some yoga/pilates moves in a book so I carry these out upstairs on the yoga mat. Walk downstairs to ride the bicycle. I try to get to Heart Rate = 158, and that's when the trouble starts. I can't ride bikes when my heart is beating so fast...>_< Feel very uncomfortable, maybe I should change it a bit for the beginning and increase gradually.
Drive back to work now. It is all very good. Print out the two papers I downloaded and reading them now. I have also borrowed a book "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase" by Joan Aiken. It is a very nice book and I will read it when I have time.
I have connected the funnel to the pipette tip so it can deliver ozone better to the petri dish.
Some tips about having great abs
1. Nutrition: Food is the most important factor. Control your blood sugar by having 5~6 meals per day, for example, egg white omelet with vegetables and oatmeal with blueberries; chicken with one-half cup of rice and a large salad with olive oil and vinegar, cottage cheese with fruit.
2. Ratios: low carbohydrate plan of less than 55% of calories from carbohydrate rule.
3. Timing: eat every 2~3 hr throughout the day.
4. Calories: maintenance calories: determine how much calories that you eat that will not change your weight. Calculate total calories, grams of protein, carbohydrates and fats.
5. Slight caloric deficit: Reduce your calories by 200 from your maintenance calories. During the first week you should lose 4-6 pounds of water, and 1.5 pounds per week after that. If you don't lose 1.5 pounds per week after that you should reduce calories by 100.
6. Consistency: Diet for 6 days and on the 7 day have pizza or ice cream and no more.
7. Weight training: 3-4 sessions/week, 35~1 hr. Burn 30~50 calories/day. Abdominal exercises to strengthen your upper and lower abdominal regions.
8. Cardiovascular exercise: moderate cardio 3-5 days/week. 30~40 minutes. Two out of three days with higher intensity level to accelerate fat loss. However, beginner should increase exercise level gradually.
If I stick to this plan, I should lose weight! So happy. It is all about finding a right way for my body. If I lose weight, I will have more energy and be prettier, and happier!
2. Ratios: low carbohydrate plan of less than 55% of calories from carbohydrate rule.
3. Timing: eat every 2~3 hr throughout the day.
4. Calories: maintenance calories: determine how much calories that you eat that will not change your weight. Calculate total calories, grams of protein, carbohydrates and fats.
5. Slight caloric deficit: Reduce your calories by 200 from your maintenance calories. During the first week you should lose 4-6 pounds of water, and 1.5 pounds per week after that. If you don't lose 1.5 pounds per week after that you should reduce calories by 100.
6. Consistency: Diet for 6 days and on the 7 day have pizza or ice cream and no more.
7. Weight training: 3-4 sessions/week, 35~1 hr. Burn 30~50 calories/day. Abdominal exercises to strengthen your upper and lower abdominal regions.
8. Cardiovascular exercise: moderate cardio 3-5 days/week. 30~40 minutes. Two out of three days with higher intensity level to accelerate fat loss. However, beginner should increase exercise level gradually.
If I stick to this plan, I should lose weight! So happy. It is all about finding a right way for my body. If I lose weight, I will have more energy and be prettier, and happier!
10/10/2005
Swim and work
Dark Angel texted to say that he wants to swim in the afternoon. I had to practice cello from one o'clock to five o'clock, so set up meet time then.
The weather was again awful, rained and the wind was blowing very hard. A lot of people were sick so couldn't come to practice music with us. However, the concert is on 16 October in the afternoon. We could do some parts very well, but some parts still require practice. I shall practice everyday this week to polish my skill.
Dark Angel was cool. Being mysterious about what he was doing on Friday and Saturday, but it was good to catch up with him in the pool. He wants to learn gymnastics! Exciting. To me they still look very out there and impossible to do. I can do some floor movements but that's about it. And also some of the climbing thing that's in the park.
Watch Freaky Friday in the evening. It's an interesting movie, not so much a chick flick because it is much deeper than that. It's very funny. Lindsey Lohan is very cool in it.
I spend whole day today working hard on preparing the meeting. We are trying to fix many problems right now, and it seems that everything is falling apart at the seams, but I am sure that we will pull through. Just like our family, we are strong and we will get through anything, big storm and earthquake or small friction.
The experiment is looking good, and I will try to do the last little bit of the experiment and finish everything up. Writing. Finishing the introduction.
Meet Lovely and Purple Skirt at university. Exchange mobile number with Lovely so we can go swimming together in the weekend.
Not feeling so well today. Nose running continuously, but the weather actually improved a lot today: no rain in sight! Haha. Hope it last.
Talk to Dark Angel on net last night. He said I am wonderwoman. So happy! But he doesn't really know who wonderwoman is. He is the mysterious Dark Angel.
The weather was again awful, rained and the wind was blowing very hard. A lot of people were sick so couldn't come to practice music with us. However, the concert is on 16 October in the afternoon. We could do some parts very well, but some parts still require practice. I shall practice everyday this week to polish my skill.
Dark Angel was cool. Being mysterious about what he was doing on Friday and Saturday, but it was good to catch up with him in the pool. He wants to learn gymnastics! Exciting. To me they still look very out there and impossible to do. I can do some floor movements but that's about it. And also some of the climbing thing that's in the park.
Watch Freaky Friday in the evening. It's an interesting movie, not so much a chick flick because it is much deeper than that. It's very funny. Lindsey Lohan is very cool in it.
I spend whole day today working hard on preparing the meeting. We are trying to fix many problems right now, and it seems that everything is falling apart at the seams, but I am sure that we will pull through. Just like our family, we are strong and we will get through anything, big storm and earthquake or small friction.
The experiment is looking good, and I will try to do the last little bit of the experiment and finish everything up. Writing. Finishing the introduction.
Meet Lovely and Purple Skirt at university. Exchange mobile number with Lovely so we can go swimming together in the weekend.
Not feeling so well today. Nose running continuously, but the weather actually improved a lot today: no rain in sight! Haha. Hope it last.
Talk to Dark Angel on net last night. He said I am wonderwoman. So happy! But he doesn't really know who wonderwoman is. He is the mysterious Dark Angel.
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