New use for your coffee table

Working a bit of my arms, shoulders, core....after cardio power and resistance. Those are 4 kg weights. I have been looking for stable 6 kg but it seems they are out of stock in Nairobi! So from here I go to kettle bells 7.5 kg and 10 kg. I don't mind it but I like dumb bells as well!

Anywho, were you looking for a new use for a coffee table? Here it is!

Update on Magilim in Kenya. . .

I wrote a post a while back on my thoughts about Magilim, a product touted to be the best weightloss product out there.
Unbeknownst to me, this really got on the nerve of some dealers of the product who defended it saying that the ingredients I had posted were wrong and that the product had been certified by the Kenya Bureau of Standards.
I learnt two things today, that it is very easy to verify such claims and not to back down when you know you are right.
I talked to Kenya Bureau of Standards today and according to them, no company with the name of the producer and distributer of the product in Kenya has ANY product registered with them. When I mentioned what kind of product they said they wouldn't put a stamp on it as it is a supplement and this would fall under the pharmaceutical board. Their contacts are on the website www.kebs.org A simple phone call will confirm whether or not a product has been checked by the bureau.
Hmmmmm . . .so in actual fact, you the consumer cannot trust what ingredients are in this supplement and buy at your own risk with the false comfort of having been verified by a regulatory body.
I have one apology to make, I had implied that KEBS was not sufficiently thorough in approving this product. They are not at fault.
The threats of suit for defamation have been heard but I maintain fair comment is not defamation. I challenge the distributor to produce viable scientific evidence of the efficacy of Magilim AND certification from the correct authorities. Once this is verified, I will definitely issue an apology on this same forum. I have to thank them for the challenge, it made me seek more information. :-)
Have an active day!

Just saying. . .

A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.
Charles Spurgeon

Insanity Fit Test No. 2.....Two steps forwards three steps back?

Today was my fit test day. I actually wanted to take a nap when baby was having a nap during the day then dragged myself out of bed to do the fit test. Why? Because I promised myself I would stop procrastinating, that saying I will do it later on in the day wasn't good enough.

So here are my stats:

WEEK 3

SWITCH KICKS - 108

POWER JACKS - 59

POWER KNEES - 110

POWER JUMPS - 31

GLOBE JUMPS - 11

SUICIDE JUMPS - 20

PUSH JACKS - 30

LOW PLANK OBLIQUES - 79

WEEK 1

SWITCH KICKS - 115

POWER JACKS - 55

POWER KNEES - 100

POWER JUMPS - 30

GLOBE JUMPS - 9

SUICIDE JUMPS - 18
PUSH JACKS - 20
LOW PLANK OBLIQUES - 56

Improvement in all but the switch kicks. I have no idea what is happening with those and have to consciously work on that during the workouts. I must admit they are not my favourite, but as boxer says...I will work harder (animal farm).

I searched to see what other bloggers were saying about month 2 insanity...it's supposed to get brutal. I am not using any supplements and have mentioned before on here that I am debating whether they are worth the trouble. I don't watch my diet as such but I do eat mostly home cooked meals which are wholesome. I have a little daughter whom I am trying to teach good eating habits, I have to have those good habits too. In month two, I think I will add a protein smoothie as an after workout drink and see if it helps my performance.

In other news I haven't kicked my chocolate habit....Hello, I'm a MisFit...and I'm an addict.

Have an active day will you?

<3

Week Two Insanity, I haven't been checking in, but I'm surviving it

I haven't missed an Insanity workout yet. I have been good enough to rest on my rest days as well (including the cardio recovery workout - I didn't add a workout to that one today). So far, so good. I feel my cardiovascular strength going up, I try to push myself as far as I can but for example, I can't do the pure cardio through and through yet, I stop at least once to catch my breath.

It helps that I started this during the rainy season. Keeping me working out when its raining outside.

Just checking in.

Have an active day!

I finally gave in and joined the insane....and become vain

If you're a home fitness fanatic you've probably heard of Shaun T and Insanity. The fitness program runs for 63 days and is touted to be the hardest home workout DVD there is out there. 

I have been unwilling to try it. First because it has a reputation to be hard on the knees. I was also reluctant because I did not want to get discouraged if it was too difficult to do. I am also asthmatic and even though I don't let that get in the way of fitness, I was not too sure about this level of interval training. 

My Day 1 (Fitness Test) Stats were as follows:

Switch kicks - 115
Power Jacks - 55
Power Knees - 100
Power Jumps - 30
Globe jumps - 9
Suicide Jumps - 18
Push up jacks - 20
Low Plank Obliques - 56


For those unfamiliar with the program, day 1 has a fitness test of which stats are used as a base line to measure progress in the coming weeks. If I do keep to the program, the figures above should be much better in two months time and I should become a certified bad ass. 

Today was day 3 week 1 and I can say so far so good. The intervals are challenging but just when I was about to give up, there was always a water break on the horizon. Shaun T did his homework on warm up, stretch and cool down. The only other fitness program with as thorough a warm up in my limited experience is Rush Fit.  I was able to add a proper kettle bell workout after yesterday's Plyometrics Cardio Circuit and today I managed to do half of Bob Harper's Pure Burn Super Strength workout after the Cardio Power and Resistance. 

Part of the reason I added a bit of a workout is, I am used to working out for an hour. The entire Insanity workout took about 40 minutes. Secondly, I will miss my weights. Insanity is great for those who do not want to invest in home equipment, the only weight you need is your own body. However, I do enjoy weight training and recently invested in not so cheap kettle bells as well as diversifying my dumbbell collection. I will not feel right about letting these gather dust for two months. I don't know if I can keep it up. My arms are pretty sore. But I won't shy away from the challenge. 

:-) Robert saw me doing the insanity workout yesterday and commented later on in the day that my workouts stopped being about health a long time ago and are now about vanity. Robert if you're reading this, you're right. I am more confident looking good, no apologies for wanting to look better ;-) Those little black dresses have to look good you know. 

Don't be fooled. You will sweat, and you will sweat lots. In my opinion, Insanity is definitely not for beginners, and because there isn't much in the form of alternative movements you can do, if you have knee problems, this is not for you. It IS challenging, but it IS do-able. 

I didn't take a "before" photo because my diet is not optimum and I have a feeling even with all my workouts, all I am doing is damage control. I have written about this before, I just haven't changed it much. 

If I do keep with this program, I will definitely keep you updated on progress and/or lack of it.


Have an active week!

What do you do? I do a lot. I'm not a fanatic, I just try to be dedicated

I was at a 'koroga' get together this past Tuesday (for the non-kenyans, a get together where guests cook for themselves usually Indian style cooking). It was a public holiday, we always look for excuses not to work, this time the excuse was that our new president was being inaugurated.

There was a lady friend who said that my 'walking' really was working on my body. I know she works out a lot. The last time she saw me working out, I was walking, that was three months post baby and I was just starting out. I told her, these days, I run....and a lot of other things. Then Robert (Baba Njoki) called me a fanatic....This is my reply.

What you call fanaticism I call dedication. When I chose not to miss a workout, or not to spare myself when working out, it is because I know each movement I make, each minute I sweat, it all adds up. It is not one day that makes a difference in this journey, it is the sum total of very very many days.

Consistency is key. Consistency is what makes a difference. Consistency is what gets me the results I want. I also like using the word conscious when I talk about healthy living. Being conscious about what I eat every day. Being conscious of factors around me that are unhealthy. Which means, keeping my relationships with my family healthy, and thriving. Which means, keeping my living space clean and organised. Clutter disorganises my mind. Which means, getting my daughter to sleep enough so that she grows up strong and healthy, and she is a happy child, which means I get enough sleep. It becomes a routine, such that I do not think twice about offering her fruit instead of candy. When I open my pantry, I see no junk. Just natural food that I need to prepare myself. I don't think twice about it, it has become habit, but I begun by consciously choosing not to shop for junk food. Dedication.

And so, I share with you some things I do to make it easier to continue living healthy. Some of which I have already mentioned, most of them common sense.

1. Plan ahead. Sounds easy doesn't it? On your day off, or when your spouse or baby sitter is around, take a half an hour to plan your family meals, work, workouts, weekly targets, housework for the week.  You become more efficient at this planning as you see what works for your family and what doesn't. It also avoids wastage. I plan what laundry I do on what day, that way, nothing gets neglected. Meals are planned down to how many dinners one chicken can give (the first, the salad after, the sandwich from left overs....).

2. De-clutter, do not procrastinate. It is difficult to find anyone who loves cleaning up. But we do love the results. I am more efficient when I do not have to look for my notebook under a pile of clothes...or wash a glass just before I use it.

3. Celebrate even small gains. We can be hard on ourselves. We shouldn't be. We are, after all, human. I added half a kilometer to my run this week....I was so happy I was telling anyone willing to hear about it. They were probably thinking this is such a small thing, why would she be so happy? Because a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Small achievements lead to bigger ones. Do not be so modest.

4. When you don't have the full hour, take advantage of the few minutes you have. We are actively forming this habit. Excuses will not work. I have alternatives for when I do not have a lot of time, both for cardio and strength training.

5. If you think you cannot do it, you won't. Take "I can't" out of your vocabulary. Try. You will never know what you are capable of until you try.

Have an active day!

You are not a trash can

Do you get served that last bit of food from the sauce pan? Are you already full and refuse to leave any food on the plate because of wastage? Think of what you are doing to your body. Serve only what you need. You are not a trashcan.

No one can do it for you. This is something you cannot ask help for, you have to do it yourself, there are no short cuts.

Someone posted this on a fitness group I belong to and it struck a cord with me. I found it so difficult to begin exercising post baby because I never had anyone to watch my baby. I think I kind of have a rhythm now though running is always a problem (for those who know Kenyan roads will understand even though I had a jogging stroller, I wouldn't dare risk my baby with that kind of driving going on.) Anywho....no excuses!

I won't stop running just because you harass me you twit

I enjoy running outdoors. Exercising indoors has its own convenience but there is something about the outdoors that is so liberating and refreshing. Running is normal right? We are just moving one foot infront of the other rather quickly, we do that everyday, we put one foot infront of the other to get from the bedroom to the kitchen. We even speed it up a little when we are about to miss the lift to the twentieth floor but it seems when women do this normal activity a bit faster outdoors, men find this a carte blanche to make all sorts of lewd and demeaning comments. I just googled it, the problem is not unique to Kenya, it seems there is an epidemic of single celled brains out there.

I might sound harsh but think about it, men runners do not have to deal with the same kind of harassment that women do. The day before yesterday, I had to deal with a pick up truck full of young men yelling and screaming at me as they drove past. They did not yell and scream at any other woman. What was my sin to experience this act that is on the spectrum of sexual violence against women? I was running. That's it. I had chosen to exercise outside.

It didn't matter that I was probably more conservatively dressed than a lot of women who were walking the same road, or that I had a sports bra on so my little ladies were not jumping around (and I do mean little, exercise has a way of shrinking those mamas).

Today wasn't any different. There wasn't a pick up full, but men on bicycles, men who were walking, found it fit to disturb my run. One had the gall to block me with his bicycle. My temper did rise a few times, but I kept on running. Why? Because if I reacted, I would have made things worse. I even caught myself thinking, I could probably outrun these brainless twits but I have already done 5k and wouldn't have the acceleration and it's just not worth it. This is the best route for my run. It is a semi busy road that is paved for pedestrians. I would have to run on non-paved surfaces increasing my risk of injury and compromising my safety for they are less travelled if i start flipping them off. So I just ran on.

I decided to write this blog because of one lady who is a new mom like me and has become a cyber friend and motivator. She has a spirit and heart like no other BUT is discouraged by the kind of comments she gets when she decides to run outdoors. My message to her? They are the ones with a problem, not you.

How do these men think our country produces athletes. Do they make such derogatory comments when they watch marathons and proudly say that we are one of the best countries in athletics?

Dr. Google also told me that I need to stop using ear phones while running. That they make me more of a target. That's sad. I was beginning to get used and love running while listening to music. Unfortunately, it makes sense, and I will only use them when on enclosed tracks.

It is sad how ignorance and a lack of social etiquette can make us women fear for our safety and keep us from keeping fit. I wish I could transmit all the mixed feelings and thoughts I have when such comments are made to the perpetrator, and make him feel the scrutiny that female runners have to go through every time they chose to run outdoors.

I will begin running with my pedometer, not because it is an accurate measure of distance, but because it contains an alarm.

Goodnight everyone, and have an active day tomorrow!