Author Archives: Yamfoot

Gym Episode 17/02: Making me self sufficient

by

One of the great things about having a Trainer is that he sets out all the weights and benches, as well as does the settings on the machines. Wednesday was an almost full body work out consisting of…

Shoulder press
Bicep curls
Lat pull downs
Bench press
Leg extension and
Abductor/adductor

To start, did 10 minutes cardio. In and between, there was more cardio. 10 minutes again, about a 3 mins sprint on the spinning bike followed by more at the end. The Trainer said to so 5 easy minutes. I did 10. Wohoo.

During my sets, he stayed close as usual to ensure I was safe. Last week though, he would spot me earlier in the reps. Not today. So I am being made to be self sufficient so I can push through on my own. There is an issue I have with a muscle running from my neck to my traps which makes the shoulder presses difficult sometimes. When he saw me struggling, he switched to lower weights so I could finish the set. Had to ice it when I got home. (Yes…that’s Christmas lights you’re looking at….I’m keeping them on all year).

image

Continue reading →

#Gym Episode 16/02: A walk in the park

by

Eating food is so easy. But getting rid of the effects of overeating is no walk in the park. A park is where some of my workout took place on Tuesday in my quest to burn fat and arrive at 50 with less of me.

A planned session with the Trainer had to be cancelled due to his last minute committments. I was trying to weasel out of the work out. He was not having it and instructed me to do cardio. I didn’t feel like. My leg was burning. I had work to go home and do. The excuses came fast and furious. Try as I might….no luck. I didn’t want to defy him and in turn disappoint myself. I had to act as my own motivator. I suggested that I could go to the park and he said yes.

Off I skipped, avoiding the vagrant by KFC. Stopped beside the coconut man to stretch on a nearby wall. “Mind yuh push down the wall,” he quipped. Doh worry…ah not dat strong…..yet.

Walked two laps, then jogged one, then back to walking half a lap then did some sprints like I was Usain Bolt. 😁:)😂☺

That was 30 minutes and I had worked up a nice sweat. See?
Continue reading →

Gym episode 15/02: Just keep pushing

by

Boy, did I need this today! No entry yesterday meant it was a rest day of sorts. I did a few swim strokes in the ocean but nothing much.

We had determined that Monday was going to be a cardio day and I would be working on my own. I knew I wouldn’t have felt like exercising afer work so decided to go in the morning when the gym was empty. Without any confirmation from the Trainer, I had determined that 30 minutes was enough. I was to later learn otherwise.

It was not working for me. I just did not feel like working out. And it wasn’t like it was early. I got there minutes to 8. I am SO NOT A MORNING PERSON! But, I am on a mission, ent? Hopped on the bike for 20 minutes. Evidence….

image

Continue reading →

Gym Episode 13/02: Two #exercise sessions in one day

by

Pilates class is a fixture on my Saturday schedule. It is gentle on my body so it was no problem to schedule a session with the trainer before the class. The gym was late in opening so I made hay in the meantime. How?

Set the stopwatch, walked down the road to this playing field and jogged around it once. The grass is kind to one’s knees.

Walked back up to the gym and it was still locked. Imagine they kept the PM waiting too! I continued walking and by the time I turned back, the person came.

Went straight into the morning’s exercises:-
Incline press, shoulder press, bicep curl, leg press and lunges. I tolerated the shoulder press much better than Tuesday.
In between, there was elliptical sprinting and on the bicycle with varying intensity.
I gotta give cyclists who ride up steep hills their props!

Continue reading →

#Gym episode 12/02: Why stop?

by

I was late for my session today because of work meetings which ran late. It meant that the trainer had less time to spend with me. The routine today was:-

10 mins elliptical (I increased the resistance every minute)
Ab exercises (3 on the machines and 3 on the floor)
In between the ab exercises, there was sprinting on the bike for about 3 mins)

The trainer had to leave me during the last set on the last machine and gave instructions that I should finish up with 15 mins on the elliptical. I thought “why stop there?” So this is what I decided to do.

image

After all, this is a challenge, isn’t it! If my leg muscles were not in need of repair, I would have done more.

Rewind <<<<<<<>> Continue reading →

Maybe more #protein is the answer

by

Had dinner at a hotel tonight with some friends visiting. As I normally do, my eyes headed to the dessert part of the menu first. Was there really anything to entice me? Nah….fortunately 👍.

Grouper to start, then carrot soup and main course was lamb with a chick pea and tomato salad. After that, any thoughts I had about ice cream went through the window.

image

So I was pleased that I resisted the dessert. The petit fours came and I still was not moved to have one. Filled up on unsweetened ginger and orange tea.

image

Small victory tonight. Long shall they continue with the result adding up to allowing me to wear a dress like this and not feel self conscious.

image

#Gym Episode 9/02: I will survive #weighttraining

by

Day 1 done and dusted….

Full body workout with Damion Daniel. Quads, hamstring, chest, shoulder, biceps, lats, deltoids. Nope. I am not a novice. I know my muscles. I also know which of them have issues. A lot!!!!! Hopefully as they get stronger and I eat better, the niggles will disappear. Must look after my cervical spine too.

As I was struggling with finishing some of the reps while Damion was gently encouraging me (i.e. not the way Jillian Michaels does it), I asked myself, what is the value of hiring a trainer?

I got the answer when, after he switched up the order of some of the upper body exercises, mi…..couldn’t……repeat…..one…..which……I normally……breeze……through! And mind you, the weights were not heavy. There is also that accountability factor. Trusting me to motivate me clearly hasn’t worked out so well the older I have got.

I guess that’s why he looks like this….

Champion Bodybuilder, Damion Daniel

…..and me like this 😁😂😯;)😮😦😨

Continue reading →

How many #before #weightloss photos am I going to take????

by

It starts on February 10, 2016…..check back for updates.

I met author Marlon James….. the man of my dreams

by

My dream stock just got richer. I dreamt about Marlon James last night. In case you have been under a rock, Marlon James is a Jamaican author who won the Man Booker prize. (Let Google be your friend.)

Turns out that he had been living in Grenada for many years, in an apartment building (a proper one….not like what Grenadians call apartment which is a flat in Jamaican language) near to a good friend of mind. So of course, budding writer that I am, I struck up a conversation with him. He was affable….easily met.

Marlon James (source: Global Voices)

Marlon James (source: Global Voices)

His locks were longer than they are in real life.  I told him I didn’t like them. He eventually gave me a key to his apartment and said he was going away. When I thought he had left, I went in to do stuff for him and saw a ton of locks in the kitchen garbage bin. I smiled. Someone valued my opinion.

I then went next door to my friend’s apartment and there he was, having just sat down for a cup of coffee. At the empty place setting, there was a cup for me too. Sweet!

 

We got to talking eventually about the writing that I do (not much :() and he said he would help me. Yay! There’s the pot of gold that I wished for when I saw the rainbow yesterday.

I confessed to him that I had looked at snippets of A Brief History of Seven Killings and that I would not be able to manage that, but that I intend to read the others one day. In real life, part of my #50To50 list includes reading more.

There needs to be some system where during dreams, it video tapes the fascinating events one’s subconscious is churning out. Of course, some of the footage would have to be deleted :). But in general, I have excitement when I close my eyes.

Part 2 of my dream had me ended up in a toasty warm cottage in Sweden about 1 hour from Stockholm. That’s another story.

50 habits or things I’d like to accomplish by my 50th birthday #50To50

by

October 22, 2016. That is THE significant date.

It seems like just yesterday that I was planning my 40th birthday celebration. At that time, I got into milestone-mode about a year before the birthday. I had decided on the theme ‘Fit, Fabulous and Forty,’ so the time leading up to October 22, 2006 was spent mostly giving updates about my exercise regimen and the struggles I was having avoiding food that didn’t fit in with the theme. Somehow, I managed to be at the weight that would allow me to boogie down without my bits jiggling at the fete on the hill (thanks Patch!) the night before my birthday.

This time, because things take loooooonger when you are older, I had hoped to start the countdown much earlier. But….because one is older, it takes a while to get moving! No, it’s not that. I have just been busy…..

The rationale behind the list is that time passes and it cannot be recaptured.  I am reminded of this when I look back in my old journals. I also like to do significant things. Things which matter. Goal setting has also been in my repertoire since I was much younger. [Note: Don’t ask if I have stuck to the goals :(].

50_to_50

Between now and October 22, I hope to tick off several things on my ‘50 to 50’ list. I’ve mostly had them in my head, so when a friend recently asked me what are some of the things I had on the list, I was so sure they were stored somewhere on this laptop. Nupe. So I got writing.

I’ll post what I have so far and you are welcomed to help me choose the last few. Then over the next couple of months, I will do a blog post on the context behind each one. Because with me, there is always context. A root cause.

I like to compartmentalize my life so I first started with 5 categories (Health & Fitness, Fashion, Lifestyle, Learning & Development and Other) and tried to get 10 things for each. Then I threw that out of the window. Goes along with my theme for 2016 which is “doh beat up.” I first heard a friend with this expression. It comes from a Grenada soca song. Continue reading →