Lovin' the River

Exercise(5/6): Cliff Jumping in the Neo River
Time: quite awhile!

Got a Canadian guest coming for dinner...gotta run!

Karate Night

Tis Thursday, so we went to Karate...

Exercise (4/6): Karate
Time: 1:30

I felt really awful tonight. I had the day off of work, just for a bit of a break with the family. But it is really hot, so I didn't eat much and we sat around all day. Then all of a sudden I was working out. I think I was dehydrated to start and so the workout just got harder. Next time, I will keep myself better hydrated...even if I am not so active.

Starting to bike for life

I don't know if you have recently visited our family blog about our life in Japan, but we, as a family, spend a lot of time imagining and planning for our return to Canada. We have been doing a lot of thinking about our fitness, health AND (as we read the Canadian newspapers online) about the increasing obesity problem in Canada. Anyhow, long story short, we are planning to go car-free when we return to Canada.
Impossible, you say? Not at all. Click here to read more on that topic.
So, we have started the transition here in Japan. We still have a car, and are saddled with those payments for awhile, but we are trying to use it less and less. This has consequences...and they are all positive. (at least for my health...not neccesarily for my convenience!) It also means that, as I continue to become more active, I will have to become more "clear" about my exercise. When school starts, Sept 1st, the exercise that I log in here, will have to be an actual workout. Either a strength workout or aerobic (in which my Heart Rate is being monitored). I am not sure where Karate fits into this. I guess I will have to discuss that with my "personal trainer" ;-)

Exercise (3/6): Cycling (errands)
Time: about 1 hour

Catching Up

Okay, so, I took Sunday off. Although, I did spend 2 hours helping clean the elementary school in prep for school to start again. And we biked there and home. But I am not logging that as exercise/workout. It was a great calorie burner...but as I become more and more active, I will need to be more specific and log "workouts" as opposed to general exercise.

Monday, August 21st: Left for a 2-day Conference for new JETs in my prefecture held in Gifu City. It was only overnight so I packed light and put it on the back of my bike and biked to Ogaki city train station. I met up there with the new ALT's and we went together.

Exercise (1/6): Cycling
Time: 40 min

Tuesday, August 22nd: same exercise, only returing home!
Exercise (2/6): Cycling
Time: 40 min

Just made it!

This was close timing! I did the exercise yesterday, but I think the deadline is in about 8 hours from now. ;-)

Exercise: Cycling (the family and I biked to downtown to play at the castle park. It took about 40 minutes on way)
Then we took several new ALT's on a walking tour of downtown to show them where things (like the 24 hour post office/bank/ramen noodle shops etc were...since, unless they have some proficiency in Japanese, its not an easy thing to do. (I was learning new things myself yesterday, and I have been here a year! What a difference it makes to be a literate person. I look forward to that aspect of returning to Canada next year :-))

Time: 40 +40= 80 min cycling
walking a lot of the evening.

Good news! The scale shows that I am down about 2 1/2 Kilos since I started. That's about 5lbs. Small yea! (I love using Kilos when it come to HOW MUCH weight I need to lose because it doesn't seem like so much. But when it comes to reporting how much weight I have lost already...I like using pounds because is sounds like so much MORE! ;-) sheeesh, I can be such a girl!)

Karate

Exercise (5/6): Karate
Time: 1:30 (It is actually 2 hours but there was a 30 min break)

It was a good steady workout tonight. We started to learned Heiyansandan. (for you Karate buffs...)
The kids did really well tonight even though it is HOT. It is especially humid tonight because of a typhoon south of us. We don't have the storm...just heavy air and sometimes a dump of rain.

Cliff Jumping in the Neo

What a wonderful day! To beat the heat we went to the mountains for a picnic with some friends. We spent the afternoon cliff jumping and "swimming" upstream on the Neo (Nay-oh) River and then BBQ-ing supper. The Japanese sure know how to picnic! Yatta! When it got to be dusk, we finished the picnic with the children smashing a watermelon like a pinata, blindfolded and all just with the watermelon on the ground. Then we at huge chunks! After that we roasted some marshmallows and set off some small fireworks.

Exercise(4/6): Swimming/cliff jumping (which includes climbing)
Time: all afternoon

A True Cultural Experience

We travelled to Gero town in Gifu prefecture yesterday. This is what it is all about! Not a bus tour, or pre-planned trip being "touristy". We went and stayed with the family of a student of mine in their little hometown to see their ancient yearly festival. They fed us traditional Japanese food for supper...what a spread! I ate fish on a stick...literally! River fish cooked whole on a stick. I ate skin/flesh/bones...everything! (aren't you impressed, Mom?)
We saw men in towels riding on a platform representing their fire god, and later fireworks. Today we were in Takayama 高山 (means "tall mountains") and saw their local temple and walked the streets. They call it "Little Kyoto". Keep your eye on our family blog...we will post pictures and stories there.

Anyway, my exercise...
2/6: Walking all over Gero
3/6: Walking all over Takayama

Tomorrow we are going to the mountains for a BBQ with our Karate-sensei. Should be fun...and hot. I am enjoying all this fun stuff but I am starting to crave routine again. I look forward to going back to school in the regard that my workouts will be of a more consistant variety.

Obon

Exercise (1/6): cycling
Time: 45 min or so
Av Heart Rate: 157 for 26:33

No Karate today because it is the Japanese time for Obon. It is not an official Japanese holiday due to seperation of religion and state, but everyone takes it anyway. They celebrate their dead ancestors and pray to them. Often there are all night dances. All the cemeteries are lit up with lanterns/candles and other streamers and stuff.
So, I went cycling. I didn't go for long because it got dark on me! Oops. But I went all out. One direction I was flying (I thought, wow! I've improved!). Then I turned around...Dang! Riding into the wind sucks! Oh well, I guess I just have to look at it as extra exercise. I sure got my heart rate up tonight. :-)

Congratulations Mixon!

I forgot to post this earlier because of my trip to Tokyo...
My son got his yellow belt!!!
Way to go my boy. I am proud of you for persevering.

Click here for the link to his podcast and some pictures if you are interested...

2 for 1

It is Saturday and so I only have one day to do 2 sets of exercise...
My hubby says I can to 2 workouts in one day...and he is a personal trainer...so we are going with that as certified permission and NOT an excuse! ;-)

So far, one workout done.

Exercise (5/6): 50 squats and 10 yoga push ups

Just before sundown, I am going to go for a ride. It is a little cooler then. That will be my sixth. I will post it later.
Hopefully, there won't be a thunderstorm like last night. The lightning was almost on top of us and the thunder was louder than the fireworks we just saw! Needless to say, our children slept with us last night!

more later...

...later

Exercise 6/6: We had thunderstorms all afternoon! Anyway, just before dark we rode our bikes to the elementary school and played some soccer, then biked home.
Light but fun. The point was, we were moving!
Time: 30 minutes

I'm baaaaaack

Yep, I am home. I am exhausted. I had a great time.
I sure don't recover from long hours as fast as I used to when I was younger...

Monday:
Exercise 2/6: Walking all over Shinjuku, Tokyo. Put on some walkin shorts and sweated it out. Went with a friend to a restaurant that served macrobiotics. It was all natural, no gluten, no dairy, no meat. It was delicious! (and expensive). This friend (whom I had met 2 days before) told me she lived in Scotland for a year and did a lot of walking and hiking. Since then she has lost 90 lbs!!! Wow! What an inspiration.

Tuesday:
Exercise 3/6: Again, more walking! I fully understand why people who live in metropolitan areas and get around by transit have less weight issues!!! You do A LOT of walking!
Went to the Canadian Embassy this evening. I got a little veclempt (sp?) and then ate too many chips. (yes, I am way an emotional eater!)

I got some beautiful pictures there. I will post them on our family blog...
Afterwards, I went on the town with a bunch of my co-workers. What a hoot.

Wednesday:
Working on about 3 1/2 hours sleep, I rounded up the new Assistant Language Teachers for my prefecture and helped to bring them "home" on the bullet train. Then, guess what I did?
I slept.
No exercise this day.

Thursday:
Right back at it. I went to work today. (so did the newbies)
Unfortunately we had to be "genki" (lively, happy etc..in Japanese) and do English Workshops for students at the international center. That takes energy...

(Begrudgingly) Exercise 4/6: Karate
And for the record...it is 37˚C today.

Tokyo

This is Colin. Kelly is currently on a business trip to Tokyo for 5 days. She informed me that her workout this morning (Sunday) consisted of 50 squats and 10 Yoga push-ups.

Woohoo!

Exercise(6/6): Cycling
Time: 40:46 (elevated HR) about 50min with warm up/cool down
Av. Heart Rate: 152

Woohoo! Week 3 bites the dust! No iTunes for any of you! Although, my love affair with cycling has quickly vanished. Always pushing to up my heart rate sucks the joy (or would the word be "leisure"?) right out of it.
I am heading to Tokyo tomorrow to help new Language Teachers arrive in the country and get situated. It is going to be a crazy 5 days...so I won't be logging in for a few.

Another Thursday, Another Karate

Exercise (5/6): Karate
Time: 1:30
Av Heart Rate: NA

It was a good but light workout. It hit 39˚C today, so no one was moving very fast. Learned a new kata tonight (which basically means "routine"): Tekishodan. Very cool! (It is short so easy to remember). It has something to do with "enemy" and "first one". (Apparently the next one will be tekinidan...ni being 2)
Mixon redoes his heyannidan (yellow belt routine) on Sunday. Ganbatte, my boy!

Upped my Time

Exercise(4/6): Cycling
Time: 50-55 mins
Av Heart Rate: 148 bpm for 40:56

My husband (who happens to be a personal trainer as well) told me to up my time today. (Yuch)
So, I did.
I also did about 15 km in that time. I am sure that is not good, but I have no where to go but up. We have discovered that one particular strip of the bike path has no interruptions for 2 1/2 km. A cycling team from the university uses it...so now we use it to do "laps".

Did NOT want to get up

This morning was rough getting out of bed.
I have a theory that the mosquitos in Japan have evolved! I swear they are intelligent! They hide all day and just after the humans have fallen asleep, they press their attack! They also know how to avoid the bug zapper and how to stay quiet.
Last night I woke up scratching after only a few minutes of sleep. 2 bites on my face, one on the PALM OF MY HAND, and one on my index finger later, I was fully awake. Grrrrrrrr.

So, needless to say, I was a bit grumpy getting out of bed this morning. But YOU are here, just waiting for your chance to pounce on those iTunes. I had no choice.

Exercise (3/6): Bike ride
Time: about 40 min
Av Heart Rate: 147 for 28:44
I thought I had compensated for the time by going farther today...I wanted to keep my HR up for 30 min...but apparently I am going farther faster! :-)
That's good to know because my legs felt like led this morning.

I need tunes for the ride to help me keep my pace up. I new by the HR monitor that I was slowing down so I started chugga-chugga-choo-choo-ing!!!! It helped me keep my pace...but I am sure I looked ridiculus! (lol)
An iPod would look much cooler!~

Frisbee Again

Exercise(2/6): Frisbee with Colin (definitely more of a work-out playing without the kids! -sorry kids- ;-))
Time: 30 min
Av. Heart Rate:NA

The fam. and I met up at the elementary school after work and I played frisbee with Colin for a good half hour. Next time I will put the heart rate monitor on! It was intense for a while. Then Selah (my daughter) joined us and things slowed down considerably. Then we all biked home.

Selah is learning how to ride a unicycle! Now there's good exercise! They are part of the recess equipment at the kids' school. There are also parallel bars for beginners to use their hands while they learn to balance. Too cool!
On that same note, all elementary school is Japan have a pool. Swimming is a part of the phys ed curriculum. The kids are going everyday during summer break too and rapidly improving! :-)
Yea for them.
They alone are good incentive for me to keep my arse in gear, if I want to keep up with them in the coming years.
I think I will bike in the morning...on my 2-wheeler!

Starting Week 3

Exercise(1/6): Karate
Time: 2 hours
Av. Heart Rate: NA

It was a good workout tonight. I wore my yellow belt for the first time tonight. :-)
Mixon has his test next Sunday. Unfortunately, I won't be able to see him through it because I will be in Tokyo. Colin will have to hold the fort down. But, hopefully that will put an end to his tale of woe.
I also am not sure about what to do for exercise/this site while I am away for 5 full and very busy days next week.
Should I take time off/suspend the challenge during a business trip?
Should I find time no matter what...even if I've only slept 4 hours? (which could be entirely possible on this trip).
Feel free to offer suggestions...

No change...grrrrrrr.

It has now been 2 weeks. I have managed steady exercise and am getting into a routine and so on. This is good. I am not out any money yet (which doesn't make the website very exciting for you...but it works for me! ;-)

I have been on the scale and there is no movement yet. I find that very frustrating and psychologically impeding. It makes me feel like all that effort was for nothing. I may as well sit in comfort on my arse! I want results! But I have to get past the scale and realize it is more about my health in the long run. And it is not like I have been overly active the rest of the day. I have a desk job.

My workouts have to get longer and more intense on a regular basis.

Ganbarimasu!