[869] Walking

 After almost one whole year I finally did another three laps around my usual walking route earlier this morning.

It has been very challenging for me to get back to working out, and the high intensity interval training I was doing wasn't something I was looking forward to. I decided to finally stop making excuses and try walking around the subdivision in my usual route I used to take.

Of course I was wearing a mask because the pandemic is still around. I was initially worried about any difficulty of engaging in strenuous activity while wearing a mask but it wasn't really bothersome. It was more bothersome that my feet and calves weren't used to the strain and pace that I used to have.

I managed to average around 10 minutes per kilometer during my walk. It was around twenty to thirty seconds off one of my last walks around March last year. I believe I averaged around 9:37 per kilometer then. Today I think I was around 10:05 per kilometer. These stats are off of my adidas Running app. I was able to do one more set of 10:01 per kilometer last year before stopping totally because of the quarantine and the lockdowns that happened.

It felt interesting to go walking again. My calves were aching during the inclined climbs up some of the streets but I was happy that I was able to push myself to a pace I was happy with. Wearing a mask was almost a non-issue except for the times I was breathing through my mouth and the smell was noticeable when I breathed through my nose.

Will I continue walking again? Most definitely. Summer is closing in and the earlier sunrises, coupled with the hotter weather will drive me to wake up earlier and hopefully have no excuses to not exercise. The dark early mornings and cooler weathers during these past few months were really not conducive to me working out.

My plan moving forward will probably involve going on walks on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be my HIIT/Tabata sessions. I can do four five-minute cycles that involve 8 20-second workouts, 8 10-second rests, and a minute recovery per cycle. I usually do two cycles of cardio, usually jumping jacks, kettlebell swings, and running in place. Then for the other two cycles it's either a combination of deadlift variations and bent over rows, or squats, lunges, and calf raises for the third cycle. For the fourth it's either shoulder exercises or biceps and triceps exercises. All using one or two twenty-pound kettlebells.

Consistency has always been a big issue for me with regards to working out. I had managed to drop to 86kg during the middle of 2020, but gained weight and am now hovering between 87kg to 89kg. As I wrote before, this is nothing serious because that is usually my trend in weight. I lose, gain, hover, and find the inspiration to lose again.

Out.

[823] New Shoes!!!

Last November 2, 2019 I bought a pair of New Balance Fresh Foam Vero Racer Running Shoes in a black and gold colorway. Today I took a brisk, recorded morning walk and did my usual pace of around 10 minutes per kilometer. I last did my brisk morning walk around August so the pace is still there. And surprisingly, so is my stamina.

I've been in the market for a new pair of walking shoes since my old Pumas are very worn down and have holes near where my pinky toes are. They lasted two good years. I was planning on checking out the local Payless in Power Plant Mall since they sell those relatively cheap Champion sneakers that were one of my very first pairs of walking shoes. Sure they didn't have advanced sneaker technology but they were light, had great grip, and served the purpose as a walking shoe.

My family and I decided to go window shopping and we ended up in Planet Sports where I decided to look at the shoes New Balance had to offer. The pair I bought were actually the very first pair of sneakers I got drawn to not only because of the colorway but also because it looks good if I wear it as a casual sneaker.

Anyway we find out that if I use a certain bank's credit card the products in the store are discounted, with New Balance giving 20% discount. Luckily for me I also have that credit card. So we decided to look around first and have lunch before going back to buy the shoes.

We also got Martina a new pair of sneakers for her PE in school. The brand we got for her gave 25% discount when using the credit card. So basically I went over budget for a shoe with better features. I hope this pair will last me for at least two years.

Out.

[750] My Health

By now you all know I go walking / jogging one to three times a week. I've been doing this since early January and I have seen the benefits.

I've lost weight, my blood pressure is okay, and my pulse rate is hovering in the low 70s.

Does this mean I love to jog? Not really. I haven't even been able to do non-stop jogging. I'm at a 45-second jog and 30-second walk which I try to do fourteen times every time I go out.

It's a challenge. I had gotten used to doing the 30/30 jog/walk combo and I thought it was time to extend it. But I still feel I am forcing myself to go out.

And that's how it should be. In my case, I really doubt I will achieve anything if I don't force myself. And I really don't think going for walks / jogs will become second nature for me. I just have to always force myself to do these things. That's how I'm wired, I guess.

Don't get me wrong, though. There will be days when I am looking forward to my morning ritual. It's happening more often than before. And to be honest as my body adjusts to the longer active time and less rest time I feel that I will eventually need to increase the duration again.

Hell, I've even started to add some 20lbs kettlebell squats after my jog. And I've been trying to exercise my arms to get rid of my unsightly arm flab.

It's the food that's the problem. I honestly doubt I will be able to live a life eating healthy food. I live to eat, and exercising is one way I can take care of my body so I can continue to eat what I want.

I did notice I am eating less portions nowadays. But when I encounter good food I am less guilty of eating to the point of gluttony.

Out.

147/365 - Putting Mileage on my Feet

I've been doing a lot of walking lately.

These past three days have been somewhat amazing for my feet. Like I said before, I walk to work every morning. My route is about 2km long and it takes me around twenty-five to thirty minutes. Not a bad pace, considering I'm wearing my work attire and I'm lugging my backpack filled with notebooks and my packed lunch.

It has been tiring. But I'm glad I have the opportunity to actually do some physical activity everyday. I'm trying to match this with eating a bit less, so that hopefully when the "intense" Christmas celebrations arrive, with the Christmas parties, get-togethers, and dinners, I'll have shed enough weight that I won't get fat after the holidays.

Another great thing about this is that I'm also sort of preparing myself for my family's holiday vacation. We're going somewhere out-of-town and we'll be doing lots of walking.

Out.