Day 61: TGIF ?!?

4 mins of bicycles followed by 5 mins of planks for abs today?!  happy friday to you too!!

on a more positive note, finally finding some rhythm again with the skipping--might be b/c i've decided to take Sensei-s suggestion of doing 2-a-days there. it's to the point where i may look to buy a lighter rope too--as the current one finally has started to feel a bit more "heavy".

LESS THAN 30 DAYS to go... whoppee!!  saying it now, though, that there WILL be a point where i think some of us will def go thru PCP withdrawal when this is done, so strange as it sounds... ENJOY IT WHILE YOU CAN, dudes :)

y'alls have a great and exercise-productive w/end, wherever you may be.

Day 60: typhoon #8 in HK

woke up to typhoon signal #8 here in HK today.

this usually brings relief to most, as it means: work canceled, go back to sleep, and have an overall chill-out day at home. for someone not in the workforce like me, though, today didn't really make that much of a difference. in fact, typhoon #8 or not, we still have our PCP exercises :)   and unf, i can't do them in the park today~

but no typhoon in Japan so not sure why we haven't gotten Patrick's daily mail yet (celebrating ending of latest group's day 90 finish today?!)  hope everything OK anyway.

CONGRATS to the group that just finished today!!!!  great stuff.  we are right behind ya!

BTW, did you guys see Mr. Miyagi's (Pat [not Morita] sensei) latest blog on before/after fitness program advertising ?  pretty funny and good stuff !!

Day 59: one hour of PCP pain = PCP GAINS.

the video message this week and today's note about sticking to the prescribed break times inspired me.  woke up and did one session of ropes along with the 8 min abs before breakfast.  then, after lunch, did the full list (including ropes) and ended with another 8 min abs.

i have def been taking longer breaks than usual when needed, with the idea that the extra 5-10 seconds would help me complete the sets better, and in more quality fashion.  but i just powered through today, focusing on quality but also completely set on not taking any extra time.  the exercise lists from past week or so had been taking about 1hr 15 mins until now.  today, got in JUST under 1 hour exactly.

def sweated more and feel like i got a much more complete and thorough workout, feeling a good exhaustion in the end, even though prob failed more than i have been during previous workouts (when i took better breaks).

Mr. Miyagi-sensei (OK, as in Pat Morita, as in our Patrick! :), you prob told as much in the beginning sometime but i just didn't "hear" ya with my "Daniel-san student ears"--but def think it's worth sending the message early and directly, to stick strictly to the timed breaks and only take 20 secs btn exercises.  made a huge difference today and hope that i'll be able to push like this for the last weeks of program.

Day 58: pushing through failure

OK, must admit that there were times in first 50 days of program where i thought, why doesn't Patrick sensei intensify exercises and reps earlier on in the program, instead of the current pace of build-up, which at times, felt easier rather than harder. i often found it more difficult to just get to doing the exercises, but once doing them, felt like they could be completed OK.

now that we are finally into true PCP workouts though, i'm def feeling the struggle to complete the list and often hitting failure. i know it's a good kind of failure, but psychologically, still feel a sense of disappointment at not being able to finish a list (albeit a harder list) that up until now, had been do-able. i guess that's part of the re-training of the mind, and part of the program, in a healthy way.

i do worry though that i'm not getting enough quality and precision in my reps though so will def try to focus on the form. been doing 8 min abs and now will think about double skips, daunting and unpleasant as that sounds!

bring on that burn, baby burn!

Day 57: mondays.

def not a strong PCP weekend for me. happily used up my indulgence on Friday night, but didn't really feel that motivated to do much extra over the w/end. DID get to the routines of course, but missed 8mins abs.  did swim a few laps at Victoria Park pool and got a 2 hr massage, which did feel great.

always tough to wake up on Mondays after the "lighter" Sundays of only skipping. but the skipping felt good, and overall, was just nice to get done again before breakfast (been doing so for past week now), as well as adding in the 8 min abs.

off to dinner tonight with 3 other chefs though, so will just try to keep PCP compliant as best as possible~

Day 56: the #'s this week

almost as an epilogue to the last 2 days blogs WRT indulgence, the #'s this week just go to STILL support that the program IS working and that should be more motivation than ever to get back to it!

weight         67.3 kgs

body fat:     17.8%   

weekly pics updated too.

good luck and happy dieting, fellow PCPers!!  
bring on week 9...

Day 55: post indulgence withdrawal.

some add'l thoughts after a friday of indulgence:
--felt wonderful to give in, to a gourmet's version of temptation island last night. even with the mini bite sized pieces though, i ate enough to experience what we've worked hard to avoid these past 55 days, namely the feeling of being "full", which as we know, is pretty much too late and a sign that you've already over-eaten (from a health/nutrition standpoint).
--while i most def enjoyed the rich, delicious foods, i also did feel a bit of discomfort almost immediately with the feeling of being (too) full.  something i can live with, and smile about, but not ideal, compared to the recent discovery of peak condition's eating habits, i.e. until you are not hungry anymore.
--while i def appreciate the pairing of a nice beer or wine with almost all foods, it was nice to stay off the alcohol still and just enjoy rich, tasty food as its own indulgence.
--def felt slightly guilty at going overboard on the calorie allowance, but when i woke up early to start the daily routine, i also felt even more sluggish physically than usual. luckily Ken and Don were both there to offer peer support and pressure to get the whole set of exercises done, along with a few add'l reps.
--at breakfast Sat, i was tempted to enjoy just a bit more than usual too--oh, how slippery that proverbial slope can get.

gotta re-focus for the second half, which still has over a month to go...

Day 54: how to make the most of an indulgence (and then some!)...

THANK GOODNESS i hadn't used my indulgence this week yet.  earlier this morning, i got an invite to go to a reception party at the 5-star Intercontinental Hotel. little did i know that i would be on temptation island, cashing in my indulgence in the most decadent and excessive of manners :)

all i can say is, that while i did gorge, at least the portions were ALL mini bite sizes, even for canapes. also,  i managed to NOT have even a sip of alcohol.  other than that though: foie gras, lobster, sashimi, caviar, beef tartare, wagyu steak, macaroons, choc cake, cheesecake... nothing was spared !

yes, that is Chef Nobu in the background...

 from Alain Ducasse's Spoon:

desserts, anyone??

 only half bites though :)

Day 53: the PCP community

since starting the program, i've gotten messages of encouragement periodically from my sempai (Japanese roughly for mentor/seniors who completed the program before me) in PCP.  i used to wonder if they had been following me directly, or how they were staying updated.
sometimes for add'l help, esp. in the beginning of program, i also tried looking up COMPLETED logs, but wasn't too bothered soon after because there were too many to sort thru it seemed.
but i always appreciated sempai's comments, as well as the other ones from fellow current PCPers.

so i started following several of the current blogs. now, i find myself bringing up the PCP homepage everyday, and i love the routine of just looking at the most recent entries listed. it's great to just check and see how others are doing, comment quickly here and there, and then use that all to inspire myself.

after completing, i def now see myself checking on the homepage and to "touch base" with the group and offer any encouragement. the power of this support group is really amazing, in terms of how it gives to you and how you can keep giving back.  wonderful stuff !!

epilogue: PATRICK-sensei, there should be a section of the homepage for the growing community of alums; can just be a forum, open for discussion to reminisce, to review and remind health/fitness techniques, and to support each other in the post-PCP world.  think if this isn't there yet, really would be a great addition to have...

Day 52: thoughts from a small PCP valley.

hitting a bit of a lull, or as Patrick put it, reached a bit of a PCP valley this week. nothing to worry over, but def. needing extra motivation this week to do my exercises, as i'm just not feeling as energetic getting started, despite getting the 8 hours of sleep. might be b/c i'm trying to always do them before eating, to maximize fat burnage. flip side of course is that i always feel better afterwards and get super excited for breakfast :)

found a good rhythm on the skips today, but still unsure if i'm actually getting in more reps w/ the new timed system. ever since Patrick said that it's not the pace of jumping that matters so much, i've tried to keep a steady but more controlled and slower pace that probably results in fewer # of jumps.

strangely became sluggish after the skipping, with the rest of the exercises. 5 sets of pull-ups def was not an encouraging way to start things off ! i do want to get better with these, but it's a SLOW process of improvement.  same with kung-fu pull-ups i guess.

overall, totally agreed with some of other PCP blogs that it's nicer to do more exercises focusing on one muscle area, so getting down to just back, then triceps, then abs today (and the pattern this week) has been a good change, allowing for more satisfying burn for each exercise.

Day 51: only 39 days to go!?!

i was psyched to know that we'd hit the day 50 barrier yesterday. always good to get into another set of 10's. so, in terms of seeing things from different points of views, today is not only day 51, but when you look at the flip side of the coin, we are now past the 40 barrier and into the 30's today, as in:    ONLY 39 DAYS TO GO!!

kinda strange to realize, but nice to also check out that horizontal completion line more than half filled up now on the right side of the main PCP homepage.  add this visual: when you look at at that right column of PCP homepage, it's satisfying to know that the group above us will be almost done soon (meaning our group will be THE most senior active one).

today's accomplishment was to be able to ALMOST do all the 1 min planks w/o cheating. never had this happen before and only faltered a bit towards the end of the 4th one!  but, my breaks have still been more like 20-25 seconds than the listed 15 seconds.

Day 50: better, faster, stronger...

welcome to day 50 (already!!) to fellow PCPers in my group. WOW!!  deserves a nice pat on the ever-changing-&-getting-stronger back  :)      was pleasantly surprised to see neither of my most-dreaded exercises on today's list, i.e.  no pull-ups and no planks.    

the new 5-sets of reps on some of the exercises was OK, and actually was satisfying, in that you realize how we've gotten stronger (and are thus able to do more before the muscle-turning-to-jelly feeling comes into play).  of today's list, my V sit-ups still the worst in terms of form.  still, the 8-min abs exercises have really helped.

WELCOME to all the new PCPers in their first week.  i was surprised to see how many of you there are! awesome to have new peeps in the ever growing community. good luck and ENJOY the ride (& take full advantage of week one diet !!  :)

Day 49: the #'s this week

here they are:

weight:           68.7kgs
body fat %      19.7%

nice to get a break every 7 days and glad to know we finally are getting our 2nd indulgence!
think i'm gonna take a couple of days to think about this luxury :)

been skipping to music these days, setting a stopwatch timer.  def helps to get into the rhythm, esp. now that we are not counting # of skips.

Day 48: pool party.

friend is in town and throwing a pool party to celebrate her b-day tonight!  will be the first time to show off the new PCP bod--albeit only halfway to completion~  will try to remember mountain pose, of course  :)

Day 47: love handles going, going... and along with that, so goes the work-out shirt!

unfortunately the visceral fat known as the buddha belly that i've put so many years to building up remains stubbornly in place, even while his neighboring fats are slowly but surely on their way out.  the love handles have noticeably slimmed down, and with that development, i've decided to make the workouts a little more tolerable.

until now, i've just suffered through wearing workout shirts that, despite all their dri-fit-ness and sweat wicking technological manufacturing, can only do so much against the power of HK's oppressive humidity while working out in Victoria Park. in fact, i'm prob having trouble at the end of the skipping prob b/c the shirt gets noticeably wetter and heavier!

today, with the help of a more confident and still changing physique, i decided to finally let go of my modest tendencies, and do as many of the locals do: just go shirtless in the public park! was def too embarrassed before and not doing it by any means to show anything off... just a matter of cooling practicality now!  but sure is nice to have something to show now, thanks to PCP :)

Day 46: achy bits

got 8 hours of sleep but still felt sluggish getting the exercises started today. body has small, annoying little aches here and there--not even to the point of soreness anywhere really, but just tiny little points of fatigue in different parts.  felt good to "work them out" during the exercise routine and then felt much more energetic and lively after the ensuing endorphin release.

think switching to the timed sets for skipping rope has messed with my mind a bit, as i now find it hard to get any rhythm. def struggled on the bike kicks and push-ups.  but enjoying the 8 min abs and making it a regular in the evenings now.

Day 45: thoughts from the half way line...

at first, i was a bit embarrassed frankly and almost shy about PCP blog and pics.  but now halfway thru the 90 days, to be honest, it's been a great and positive ride so far, and a very empowering one too.


to be able to SEE and also GET the benefits of a healthier life based on some small sacrifices and dedicated workouts is in fact, totally worth it all, and then some. plus, not only has it made me feel great physically, but mentally as well. a lot of that confidence comes from feeling (and looking) much better than 45 days ago, but that is then buttressed by all the talk and discussions that "the topic" has brought up, esp. among friends that you meet up with, when it comes up invariably during catch-ups and what-ups. it really has been a nice surprise to see how many other friends/family have taken interest in it, been super supportive, and also influenced/inspired in different positive ways in their lives too.

don't mean to sound preachy, or like an info-mercial, of course. but really glad to be a part of this program and THANKS to friends, family and fellow PCPers for checking the blog out and supporting the efforts!


CONGRATS fellow-Day 45ers--let's keep pushing through from here !!

Day 44: dangers of PCP in Victoria Park, HK

Ken joined me at my usual work out space in Victoria Park. we decided to get the sets over with early, to avoid the midday heat and humidity. as it was the mid-Autumn holiday (and Sundays are the same), the park was more crowded than usual.

ran into the Victoria Park Gang again--a group of territorial guys who sometimes give the harsh stare-down to new visitors who come and "crowd" their normal hangout spots. they seriously go out of their way to get up close as you jumprope, as if daring you to get in their way!

we decided to brave it and take a chance taking an inconspicuous picture of Ken posing in front of the gang; PCP-ers, should you try your workouts in the park, stand strong and stay fierce!  beware the Victoria Park Gang:

Day 43: ratatouille saves the days

shout out THANKS to fellow PCPer Simon R. who passed along his ratatouille recipe. easy to make, extremely tasty and life savior in terms of having veggie supply in fridge that's automatically ready to go.

PCP friend Ken and i usually get together once a week, split the organic veggies (including any leftover vegs that need to be used up) in half for chopping, and then cook up a large batch of the ratatouille to divy up. comes in SUPER handy just to have around! eating cold, adding to pasta and warming up, putting on sandwiches... it's the super flexible veg dish. especially with no need to cook proteins at dinner these days, this one cooking session takes care of most of the necessary prep, freeing up a lot of worry and stress to focus on exercises and other stuff.

Day 42: back on track: the weekly weigh-in

despite one faltering last night at the movies, things still on track.

after the cinema last night, got home w/ a bit of the guilty feeling so finally tried the 8 min abs workout that Patrick suggested to us. excellent, concentrated and best-of-all, easy to do! def gonna add this into my routine in the evenings. this morning, got up early and completed my skips before 8:30am on the Sunday (1,500 now--what a nice long way we've come, having started at 250 skips just 41 days ago!).  healthy day of eating.

and the #'s for the week:
body weight:    70.0kgs

body fat %:        19.9%

first time i've seen the body fat go below 20%--just~    not even half way thru yet though, so plenty more to do--let's go get 'em!

Day 41: movie night and the unforeseen diet fail

went to the cinema today, and was excited as we were able to get seats (thanks, Susan!) for the viewing (of Steven Soderbergh's Contagion) at the Director's Club theater, which offers a more pampering experience to enjoy the viewing. so, we go through the private entrance and enter the cozy theater. the usher walks us to our seat; to my delight, there are less than 20 seats and each of us gets  our very own leather lazy chair with full reclining capabilities,

but then, the usher ask us for our order--the admission price covers not only the movie, but also a hot dog/sandwich, unlimited re-fill drinks and popcorn <DOH!>. normally, for past movies seen during PCP (and most of the time), i'm OK to not order any of the usually over-priced, not-so-healthy foods.  so i ordered an un-sweeatened ice tea while Susan ordered her set.

the usher came back a couple mins later with 2 teas, a sandwich and hot dog, and 2 small individual containers of popcorn. i'm not sure what got into me, but i thought, well, it's here so i'll just taste one small handful of the popcorn, which was half salty savory and half caramelized sweet.

next thing i know, barely before the movie had started, my container was near empty!  i couldn't help it--not usually a popcorn-needy person, but one taste and i was hooked this time.  i ended up just indulging in a small one bite of the hot dog too... resulting in my first official PCP diet fail, albeit enjoyed with a decadent smile! :)

 

Day 40: open face sandwich for lunch

WOW, CONGRATS fellow PCP-ers for making it to day 40 (already)!!!  hopefully it's been as positive and beneficial an experience to you guys so far as it's been for me.

i liked Patrick's mail today, on the psychological effects on hunger that food visuals can have. totally hear you about "tricking" your mind into thinking you're eating more than you actually are (or into not wanting to eat as much if it doesn't look as appetizing.).

since last week, i had considered blending our dinner ingredients (yogurt, egg white, and a fruit) into a sweet-ish lassie shake, but in the end, decided not to b/c i would've finished that in 1 min and then prob felt "jipped" for dinner. so that's what led to me dicing it all up and putting it into a bowl and savoring each bite over 10 mins :)

similarly, today's lunch was a marinated, grilled pork loin sandwich with balsamic caramelized onions and ratatouille veggies. would normally be one nice big, thick sandwich, but in this case, i just split into 2 and made it open faced, to savor the added time and additional bites...  YUMM~

Day 39: body isolation class.

just got back to HK recently (after a year back in Calif) and went back to a great salsa dance studio that i've previously taken classes at. i took their "closest-to-an-aerobics-fitness" class, called Body Movement and Isolation. in this class, you basically isolate various part of the body (head/neck, shoulders, hips, rib cage, etc) and work them to movement and rhythm.

all i gotta say, is that the class is not easy. yet, i was able to move certain body parts (again, in isolation!) that i hadn't easily done before. and, i didn't get tired thru the routine, as i normally do.  a lot of the isolations of course involve using your core and abs, and to that end, i def had much more strength and flexibility than ever before--thanks of course to PCP!

my posture is better, i'm feeling lighter, yet stronger and more flexible. wonderful effects of the new-er PCP me~
bring on day 40, yo!

Day 38: tripping ropes...

had an unusually bad day of skipping, or rather tripping, today. prob averaged about a trip every 13-14 skips!!  and of course, the more frustrated you get, the more you trip up... the self-fulfilling prophesy from PCP-exercise-routine hell!!

ok, wasn't THAT bad.  but def felt out of sorts, starting from the beginning and that ended up making everything else take much longer than usual.  anyway, all done for now--rest up for tomorrow!

Day 37: an egg white, yogurt and apple...

all in one bowl, who woulda thought it possible to be good.  and in fact, that's all i've had for 6 days straight now.  somehow, find that it taste better as a sour dessert, almost reminds of me a lassie shake.  tempted to blend it all together but then the "meal" would go down to fast and psychologically, i'd prob get hungry.

been choosing the biggest apples at the market (from NZ), so actually have 2-3 slices left to enjoy as a dessert after cutting up some smaller chunks for the bowl of yogurt/egg white.

chest def sore after the workouts today but overall, still feeling overall, good and strong.

Day 36: weekly numbers

to start this week, not as impressive a drop in weight and seems like same body fat % from last week:

weight:       70.1kgs

body fat %:   20.6% 

still, feeling good and strong overall.  monday workouts always a bit sluggish anyway. couldn't get very low on these new pistol squats unf, and def suffered through the bicycle abs and planks.  pull-ups are still not impressive either.

diet overall going well. prep time a lot easier now that dinners are smaller.

waiting (and WORKING!) for that visceral fat to start saying its farewell...

Day 35: skipping...

enjoyed an early Sunday morning skipping session.  thanks to friend/jumper extraordinaire Kathy's tutelage, learned and successfully did the cross-over for the first time!!

thanks to fellow PCP-er Ken for taking the video and setting to music (as we now know, it's ALL about the inspirational music when skipping rope  :)

Day 34: beckoning choc fudge brownies...

i have not really been craving sweets until tonight, when i went to a good friend's housewarming potluck and saw Joyce's homemade dark chocolate nut brownies <DOH!>  it really took all my PCP commitment and will powers to fight the urge to just DIG my hands into that moist, soft, gooey, sweetest texture... yeah, better stop there~~

however... the silver lining is that also there was a recently completed PCP alum. he looks in excellent physical form, and was DEF enjoying all the food at the party, as well as the brownies a la mode! so, there IS a light at then end of the PCP tunnel ...  waiting patiently til dessert heaven comes my way.  tonight was good motivation to continue to work my way towards the rewards of the promised land :)

Day 33: "you've DEF lost weight"...

yes, indeed, even though i know it to be true, the visual signs are def starting to show, esp. when i've met friends who haven't seen me in a while. always a nice bit of motivation to remember the next day when i'm struggling with pull-ups and planks.

even better than that, i've had several friends who've been following along tell me they've "been inspired" and even know 2 people who will be joining the next round of PCP~!

just barely a third of the way through, but been very satisfied w/ the program and its effects on my life and those around me so far...

Day 32: simply eggs...

really liked Patrick's mail today abt the importance of "the humble egg"
i love eggs in all forms so am enjoying the simplicity of its form esp given its high yield WRT to nutrition.

bit of a fail today on the ab exercises.  already was burning by the last set of leg lifts; couldn't complete the final 2 sets of 40 sec planks w/o a couple seconds relief break.

still not able to impress on the pull-ups.

BUT, getting lots of compliments pretty regularly now on having dropped a few kgs and noticing that my face has def taken on a diff. shape/definition. a friend mentioned that i def have "the face of a skinny person" now!