April 18, 2012 11:38 AM HKT

The end...

Well, bringing back memories of my school days I have to admit that despite in this case being pleased with the results, I could have done better but that is true of many things in life!

Getting the slip-ups out of the way first, Chinese New Year in week 2 was an unwelcome distraction- as were the Hong Kong 7s, a stag weekend and travelling for about 1 month in total was also less than ideal. I also picked up a few niggling injuries that limited anything involving a pulling motion (there are lots of lawnmowers around HK that never got started) which was a frustration. That said, the negatives are part of life and are insignificant compared to the positives.   

I can see why many other blogs refer to the PCP as changing their long term attitude to health and life. What amuses me now with the benefit of hindsight is the realisation that despite the huge volumes of health and fitness blurb we are exposed to in the media, I for one couldn't see the woods for the trees. This applies to sleep, veggies, how to exercise, the importance of diet vs exercise (I probably assumed that results were 80% driven by exercise/20 % by diet rather than the other way round), leg exercises (although I still hate the pistol squat) and those good old eggs.

Patrick/Sarah- as pretty much everyone has been commenting- you have been legends so thanks to you and also to everyone else in Vela. The next challenge is seeing how well we can apply all these lessons to life on the 'outside' without having to resort to PCP rehab...fingers crossed!!

[Sadly I didn't take that many measurements but think my weight dropped from north of 100kg (all time high!) to south of 90 kg which is a number I haven't seen in many, many years....]

April 10, 2012 10:15 PM HKT

Frustration continues

Having not been ill in ages I've picked up a bug that has knocked me sideways for the past 3 days- might have something to do with spending the best part of 3 of the last 10 days in the back of a plane. Did the workout this mng but literally had to lie down as soon as I got home- very different to the usual post workout energy burst. 

All in all I have to say I am pretty pleased with the PCP and have learnt a lot. It hasn't been ideal conditions- I've been travelling for about a third of the time we've been on the programme which throws a spanner in the works and I hurt a tendon in my forearm doing pull ups early on which still isn't right.

One of the main reasons for doing the PCP was to drop a few kgs while staying strong for a running race I have entered in June. Its about 250km through the Gobi desert in China over a week and the PCP has done exactly what I wanted of it. I feel much stronger and am about 13kgs lighter which I'm sure will help trying to make it to the finish line... 

I will try and get a fresh photo up tomorrow!

April 7, 2012 2:52 PM HKT

Home again..

Having left Brasil on Thursday mng, I am finally home in Hong Kong on Saturday after 2 weeks on the road. Feels a bit strange to have lost a full day sitting on planes/in departure lougues. Have to play a lot of catch up for the final few days and will update the blog properly once I have caught up with my workout.

March 31, 2012 9:43 PM HKT

Double frustration....

It has been a frustrating week this week. I keep reading all these messages about ramping up the final few weeks of workouts but get frustrated as no matter how much you prepare, being away from home for extended trips is a lot harder than being at home in terms of staying on track. I've also had a pain in my left elbow since pretty much week 2 and it is refusing to clear up quickly which I am finding annoying....pull ups and lawn mowers (anything involving pulling) have gone out the window and it has made me realise that (strangely) I quite like pull ups! Planks remain firmly in last place while we are on the subject of exercises I like/dislike...

March 27, 2012 9:38 PM HKT

On the road (again)

On the road again after the HK rugby 7s where it is safe to say the wheels slightly (and were always going to) came off. I had a bit of a nightmare journey yesterday (which our pilot of 24 years told us was his longest ever thanks to Mongolian air traffic control!) but am now in one place for a few days so should be able to get back on track with some hard work. The one upside of having been stuck in an aeroplane/airport for 36 hours is that I now am raring to go. Not very pleased that 2 of the last 3 weeks are going to be spent on the road but I can't do much about it other than do my best and make friends with the local egg man. 

March 20, 2012 12:07 PM HKT

Bags of rice...

Now I know we aren't meant to be weighing ourselves, but I have to admit I do leap on the scales every now and then to see what these eggs/apples are doing/have done to us as it can be motivating as long as the numbers move the right way. I am also training for a race in the summer that involves walking and some (very slow in my case) running with something like a 5-10 kg rucksack on. I bought a couple of bags of 5 kg rice to add some weight to my rucksack yesterday which felt pretty heavy as I was carrying them home. I was quite shocked when it dawned on me that the equivalent of close to these same 2 bags of rice have come off since the start of the PCP, but also very glad that the creaking knees have a lot less rice less to cart around. Good old eggs.... 

Photos

March 18, 2012 10:49 PM HKT

Day 64

Went for a long hike/run yesterday and really noticed the difference, especially today. I would normally feel pretty stiff after 18 kms of quite hilly stuff but barely feel it at all in my legs today which was great so the PCP seems to be doing what it says on the tin. Have had an annoying tendon strain in my elbow for a while now (since week 1 pretty much) and despite trying not do do any of the exercises that are painful, it just won't go away. Think I will have to have a week off any exercises that strain through the forearms this week and hope it clears up with a bit of rest.

March 12, 2012 6:33 PM HKT

Monday mornings...

I just couldn't get out of bed this mng, the cold wet weather in HK isn't helping but I am now kicking myself. I'm feeling shattered and the prospect of a work out in a busy gym in the early evening isn't feeling me with joy.....note to self- obey that alarm clock in future- it makes life so much easier....

On another note, I was just having a look at the details from a paddle I did yesterday on my surf ski and I was amused to see that my Garmin GPS watch clocked me at 73.6 kph...that is the second time the watch has had me beating world records!

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/156359529

March 8, 2012 11:25 PM HKT

Home again, finally...

Back in Hong Kong after 10 days on the road. Compliance on both the diet and exercise front was pretty scrappy due to a bunch of reasons, but basically came down to trying to fit too much into too few hours in the day. I've had my second exercise session back on home turf and my current dilemma is trying to decide which exercise I find more painful..the pistol squat or the plank? I think the plank may just have the lead....

March 2, 2012 11:56 PM HKT

On the road

I'm in the middle of a 10 day work trip and as expected, it isn't easy. I have just about hit the workouts but the diet has annoyingly been tough. Back in Hong Kong next Wed when I can get properly back on track but its frustrating to think of the work being undone. One positive is that this trip has been far healthier than any other but I am so much more aware of all the rubbish I have to try and avoid. 

March 2, 2012 11:56 PM HKT

On the road

I'm in the middle of a 10 day work trip and as expected, it isn't easy. I have just about hit the workouts but the diet has annoyingly been tough. Back in Hong Kong next Wed when I can get properly back on track but its frustrating to think of the work being undone. One positive is that this trip has been far healthier than any other but I am so much more aware of all the rubbish I have to try and avoid. 

February 25, 2012 7:22 PM HKT

Travel time

Just to head off on a 10 day work trip which is making me a bit nervous. Lots of conference food and rushing around London for meetings in the pipeline so am a bit concerned the diet will suffer although I hope I can find time for the exercises....Based on other people's experiences I know it will be hard but fingers crossed!

February 21, 2012 9:38 AM HKT

The walk home...

More of the same this week, the planks still almost kill me, for some reason the tricep dips seem less hard than the other exercises (which probably means I am doing them too quickly or incorrectly- better get back to the video...) and I've been doing other cardio work instead of the skipping for a few days as I had a bit of a tender knee after some squash at the weekend. I tend to do my exercises in the gym as there isn't room to skip at home and annoyingly the gym is at the bottom of a steep hill which is just what I need after all the leg work! I thought I'd try and post a photo of the walk home but as ever with these things, it doesn't look steep at all in the photo but here it is anyway!

Photos

February 18, 2012 8:32 PM HKT

New World Record

I went for a hike in Hong Kong today and managed to break a world record. I bought myself a GPS watch before Xmas which I took for test drive today. For some reason it didn't work properly at the start of my hike and it told me I had covered abt 1.5km in 3 mins, which I think is pretty much a world best. Once the technical glitches were sorted out, the pace became more pedestrian sadly.

Had a minor slip up on Friday night on the wine front but think a 2.5 hike today made up for it to some extent. I still hate the plank and I still think I am some way off giving jump rope demos but things generally seem to be heading in the right direction.

February 15, 2012 2:09 PM HKT

Planks

The change in diet hasn't been as bad as it looked although that said I had to improvise last night and prob ended up chomping my way through too much. Finding those floorjump things pretty tough on the legs but the real surprise has been the plank...30 secs seems a very long time when you don't cheat at them and the last 5 seconds are tough. Glad to see more of the same on the workout list today....!!

February 11, 2012 12:03 PM HKT

Indulge!

Had a few glasses of wine last night (and some french fries) and although I enjoyed it, I definitely felt it this morning- getting out of bed was a bit of a struggle and I don't feel the sharpest right now as I am trying to write a work document. Had a slight pang of guilt which a few others seem to have but then again, I have a big old hike on the cards tomorrow on top of the exercises so I think that come Monday mng I will still be on track in the grand scheme of things. Starting to get the hang of the jump rope and the number of swear words per 100 jumps seems to be decreasing which is a positive sign. Had a weigh in this mng and I'm 97 kg from 102 at the start which is nice to see. 

February 8, 2012 8:56 PM HKT

V-sits....v painful

I imagine a bit of colourful language was collectively sent in the direction of the v-sits today by everyone struggling through them. I found them hard to get through and also found I was lacking some basic coordination- the arms and legs rarely managed to crumple to the ground in unison although they most definitely did crumple. Still, at least the pain is probably a good sign that it the exercises are doing what the say on the tin....

February 7, 2012 9:35 AM HKT

Jump rope for dummies and painful planks

I have staggered myself with my counting incompetence over the past few weeks (and I used to be a banker!) so found the tip about turning 180 degrees at every 100 jumps a great help this morning. I also had my first bash at the plank and although I was expecting 30 seconds to be easy, I actually found them quite tricky. I think an ex PCPer mentioned that the planks become quite long so I have many more minutes ahead giving passers-by slightly odd, strained expressions as I watch the second hand count down....

February 6, 2012 9:43 AM HKT

3rd time lucky

I tried to post 2 blogs over the weekend and they seem to have gone into the ether- this might be related to the fact I was late in posting a photo. Anyway, I'm reasonably happy with my compliance although I haven't had too much temptation that I haven't been able to avoid in the last 10 days so I think the real test will come when I have to travel or can't avoid a big night out. I have been quite surprised with how much of a work-out my thighs have been getting - they are generally seem to be feeling the pain most the next day and I thought they were the strongest part of my body. The exercises ahead look pretty challenging and I'm preparing myself for a few strange looks in the gym with some of the leg-work!

February 1, 2012 9:24 AM HKT

Early mornings..

Went for a paddle on my surfski yesterday morning before work and did my exercises in the evening which all in all helped me sleep very well (although I didn't manage the full 8 hours). I did my workout in the gym on waking up this mng and found that being tired didn't do much for my skipping. I struggled to defy gravity and didn't see anyone lining up for jump rope tips from me afterwards! Will be interesting to see what a difference not being so tired makes tomorrow

January 30, 2012 11:40 PM HKT

Back to earth with a bump...

First day back from holiday and I am now the proud owner of a new set of scales. Now I know what 100g of protein looks like I fear my holiday guesstimations of how much everything must have weighed last week have been proven to be a bit on the optimistic side so it is little wonder I wasn't feeling like the evening fruit!

I was also surprised that some of the evening portions were so small- so much so that I thought I was using the scales incorrectly when weighing out dinner this evening (which would have been a tad embarrassing given the thing only has 2 buttons!). Needless to say I was all over the evening fruit!

January 29, 2012 1:09 PM HKT

Can't count...

Tried the jump rope today in front of the hotel TV and found that women all round the world are once again correct as I failed miserably to multi-task....I can't seem to watch TV and get beyond a count of 40 before my mind goes blank so I have no idea if I did 800 or 1000. Once I improve a bit and get more consistency I might try the timing approach and see if that helps.

January 28, 2012 2:57 PM HKT

Bangkok

Last full day of holiday and we're in Bangkok. There is fruit everywhere you look here but the only thing I am struggling with is the veggies at breakfast where I have been staying. My skipping still has room for improvement but I am getting through sets of 150-200 now before pausing which is an improvement on the start. Feeling stiff  in my thighs/glutes at the mom so those lunges and squats are clearly doing what they say on the tin.

January 26, 2012 12:19 AM HKT

Chinese New Year (second half)

Am def feeling the extra reps now on the lunges and sit ups after feeling pretty comfortable in week 1- I def have a lot of room for improvement. Still on holiday in Thailand so although the diet has been a bit wayward (I'll be 100% compliant from Monday when I am back in HK), I have no excuses not to rack up the sleep!

January 24, 2012 5:10 PM HKT

Chinese New Year

Have struggled a bit trying to get on top of the diet in Thailand for Chinese New Year. I'm doing a lot more exercise on top of the daily work outs which I guess helps a little but I am under no illusion that without nailing the diet aspect this will go no where soon. Back to HK on Sunday night and have a good clear run without any travel/too many bumps in the road so am pretty confident I'll be able to get on properly on track in a few days. I'm starting to get the hang of the jump rope although I am a tad worried about getting tendonitis in my knee (one leg is a touch longer than the other which caused a problem a few years back) so am being very careful to only jump over padded yoga mats and am being v watchful of any tenderness. 

January 19, 2012 1:07 PM HKT

Day 5

Feeling the hunger a bit like several others but finding the exercise easy to fit in- it isn't too time consuming and I like the fact you can do it anywhere and aren't chained to a gym

January 17, 2012 9:59 PM HKT

Day 3

Joined the PCP today a little late and tried to atone for missing days 1 & 2 by heading out for an early morning surfski in Deep Water Bay before giving the exercises a whirl this evening after work. The press up technique def makes life a bit tougher so I have definitely learnt something new today. Tried the half portions and feeling a little hungry which I guess is par for the course although it did make me think about how much my portions vary in general.

I'm excited about the programme ahead although I have to admit I am a little worried about next week- I'm off to Thailand for a week for CNY and although the exercises will be no problem I am a little worried it will be hard to stick to the right food.