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-   -   Reclaiming my life - one day at a time (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifting-gears/111000-reclaiming-my-life-one-day-time-10.html)

Great thread I must say.

Weight control:

I am on one proper meal a day diet for almost two months now but there was no results as there was complete lack on any sort of physical exercise in my schedule. Finally break the jinx yesterday by going on a walk after dinner. Also went on morning walk today.

I am also planning to join Gym from tomorrow.

Happy to report that I have been decently successful with this new-year resolution. TBHP browsing has come down to less than 10 minutes during office hours and less than 30 minutes in a day.

Here's what the Top-Poster's listing was looking like on 18th Dec 2011.

And here's how it looks today i.e. 29th Feb 2012.

Thanks Bandhav! Please do join us and use this thread to document/report your progress on weight-control and other worthy ventures. Hope we can help you keep motivated.

All the best for starting with the gym today. Do share how did it go.

Here is something that is working well for me:

This time around, I have decided it to be a long term habit and not a short term quick win thing.

So the days when the alarm looks like a monster, I don't give in and go back to sleep, instead, I do get out sit on the cycle, reduce the tension from 7 to 1 on the cycle and do it leisurely, instead of stressing out.

That way you did not lose out that day, the habit is not broken and you are not stressed, i even go back to sleep some day after the cycling.

But most importantly you get to keep your respect for the self as YOU DID IT! in spite of the alarm monster. Let me tell that helps a lot...

Hope this helps some of our friends with dealing with the alarm monster.

Before I read this post of yours last monday, I was already filled with guilt right upto throat!! Seriously!
So on Monday when i got back home after office, I changed and went straight to my treadmill. So, I finished running 30 minutes on treadmill but couldn't do the gym, as had the errand to do. But just after I finished, i read this post of yours, and I was thankful that I have you guys to pull me out of my slumber.

A little background of my exercise history: I have been into active sports since my school and was a good basketball player till my +2. Use to actively play in inter-school and inter club competitions. Then started gymming at the age of 17-18 years. Due to god's blessing I have a body, that shows quick result after I start regular exercises. Gymming since then have been on and off for last 10 years or so. And except for a little weight on my stomach, I have no issues with my body.
Ah, yes and a minor spondylitis!

Thankfully, I never had to give excuses to anybody!! No body ever pushed me to gymming and exercises, it has always been self motivated and infact I push my family members to exercise:)

Luckily and thanks to god, for me it's not fear. I have no health issues(touchwood).
Obviously for me, the motivation is keeping fit, looking good, have a healthy and agile body. I hate the little fat I have accumulated on my waist and will get rid of it. My waist size has grown from 28 to 30 and now 32!! Though I still buy 30" trousers, coz I am sure I'll cut back to 30.:D

There are more things that motivating me to keep fit but that through PM , if you guys would like to know. Would not like to share it here openly.


As for the alarm thing, the alarm if off. Trying to wake up without it and till now have been able to sync my body clock with the time I want to wake up, it's either early or late. Will get done with it soon.

I have ranted enough. Now here's what I did the whole last week.
Monday : Evening, 30 minutes, treadmill with wrist and ankle weights
Tuesday: Morning, 30 minutes treadmill and light stretching
Evening, Warm up then squatting with weights, and weights on Gym.
Wednesday : Evening, treadmill + gym
Thursday : Had some work, so a rest day for body
Friday : Evening, treadmill + gym
Saturday: Again a rest day, had to go out in the evening, came back late.
Sunday : Evening, skipping, squats, ab exercises, and Gym.

Planning to alternate my cardio between skipping and treadmill, both with ankle and wrist weights.
EDIT: Forgot to mention, tryin to cut down on sugar intake. Replacing my regular cup of tea to green tea atleast in the evening.

As far as hobby as concerned, trying to take up guitar once again. Have to search for a good trainer, whatever I learnt has gone waste.
Also looking to take up Kick-boxing classes. Let's see how all of it unfolds.

P.S: sorry for this long rant.

So SDP, Ajit and others, how did your week go ?

Ford, glad you are back with a bang and rolling. Hope I didn't tick you off with my posts, that was not the intention though - but just out of concern.

And good to know about your sports interest, I have been active in sports when I was in school as well, my favorite being Kho Kho and I used to sprint 100 mts. I have represented my school at inter school district level meets. Now a days I cherish playing Table Tennis and when ever time & my back permits I go play.

You bring up a good point on the body clock, it works well and strangely for me I usually am up couple of min before the actual clock goes off. It is a totally different thing what happens after that :).


Work Out
Mon & Tue: Wash out thanks to my boss and his boss visiting us from US.
Wed & Thu: 30 min on the cycle
Fri: Office gobbled up the time
Sat: As I was away from home for a function - did 30 min brisk walking
Sun: Function gobbled up the time

Food
Was in full control, except for Sat & Sun, where ended up eating lot of rice items, though I kept a control on sweet & oily food in take.

They serve lemon tea at office, I have never observed the menu and it being served until two weeks back, when I actively started seeking it.

Book
20000 leagues under the sea - in full propeller :)

Photography
No activity this week

I have observed my camera's focus is off by a centimeter or more, so even if I focus the subject while camera is mounted on the tripod, the actual focus is behind the subject and the subject looks soft. I suppose it needs a visit to the service center.

Quite a lot similarities there!! I had a waist size of 29" about 10 years back and now it is 32-33". Want to go down to 30-31".

I started going to the gym, because I wanted to. A good healthy body does wonders to your confidence. I have experienced that myself when my own pecks were 2" more than now.

Even in my case, no severe health issues. My neck troubles me often, but within friends and family circles I joke about it that it is because of much larger brain :D

Of course, interested. Sending you the PM.

Fordmanchau, good week! You are back and how! Fantastic.



Ajit, 3/7 days..90 minutes..decent. Hope you get more time this week.

What camera do you use? Have never heard of auto-focus working incorrectly in the past. It either works or doesn't. Did it had a fall recently?

Ajit, I guess is, there are quite a few folks out there facing the exact same challenges that we face. Torn between priorities, searching for balance, in search of meaning, worried about whether we are doing justice to our own body and our kids. Good that some of them (like us) are doing something about it, rather than just accepting it as "that's how life is".

I am not sure if this is what is popularly called as "mid-life crisis".

Bandhav, started the gym? How has been your week?

Update for last week:
#1 Weight-Control
1. Went for briskWalk-cum-jog on 6 days in the last week.
2. Walked up to the 10th floor 10 times during the week.
3. Missed the one hour meditation session again on Monday. Not good.

#2 Reading
1. Multiple iterations of 7 habits continue. Taught the concepts at work for about 2 hours. Have not gathered enough courage to teach it to my wife yet :uncontrol. But, it is definitely on the cards.

#3 Planned 'core' work
1. Only about 3 hours of planned 'core' work this week. Need to crank-up quite a bit from this week.

#4 Coming soon (watch this space) :)

Note from the Team-BHP Support Team: Please use the "edit" button if posting within 30 minutes of the first post, instead of creating another back-to-back post.

Missed the morning walk on friday but still made a point to got up early and did a bit of photography. Went on a longish after dinner night walk to compensate for the missed morning walk.

Went to a close by Gym also but didn't find the infrastructure to be up-to mark, will be trying another Gym in nearby vicinity today after work.

From last two three months I was not reading anything, so picked up a book called "Bride stripped naked".

Yes perhaps its called mid-life crisis. And as you rightly said we are doing something about it and that's what matters...


Yes planning to make up for the time - I did 40 min today and planning to get some time in during the night.

I use Olympus E 510. The issue I mentioned is not about auto focus, its more to do with focus being off. At the far end of tele photo zoom the DOF is very shallow. The issue is explained better here:

Focus Testing - photo.net

And here is my test result, as you can see the 1 & 2 at the far side is in focus and the 1 at the near side is off focus/soft.
Where as it should have been that both 1es equally sharp and the thick line in full focus.



For a bird photographer - this could mean everything or nothing.

Finally joined GYM yesterday, started from today morning, will be doing the GYM in the morning and will continue with after dinner walk schedule.

Still sticking to one proper meal a day. Also started having a glass of hot water with lemon and honey.

Getting up early in the morning is also giving me chance to enjoy my scale models and camera together, a bit of aftermath can be seen here.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...ml#post2704327

I am checking in here too :)

However, I need to warn you guys that my updates will not be about exercising or workouts. To be honest I probably need those too (I am a couple of inches thicker at the waist and about 3kg heavier than I used to be). At the same time, I realise that reclaiming my life has other topics which are higher on the priority list.
Making time for myself/ family activities other than routine (cook/ clean/ office etc.)
I can think of gardening for now.
Outdoor activities solo (includes leisure driving and cleaning the cars!)
Outdoor activities with son (kite flying, cycling?)

The status update is that I have made preparations for a small garden in the balcony. The challenges for outdoor activities is time on hand. How are you guys dealing with time challenges? Do you have plans written down or reminders set on your phones/ alarms?

I appreciate your tips here. I hope to come around to the exercise part soon. till then I am making a conscious effort to avoid fried foods, so the target reduction sizes do not increase from current state :)

+1 selfdrive - great points. I would benefit tremendously as well.
Did a small early morning trek on Sunday - felt connected to myself. Late afternoon went for swimming.
On Monday went for a 30 minute less-than-brisk walk with my dog.
Today - plan to do brisk walking again.

I get thoroughly bored of routine affair at gym, hence thinking on buying a bicycle and just loiter around and find places of interest, will be a good exercise as well. Eventual plan is to go to office on bicycle atleast once in a fortnight. Lets see.

@SDP: Apologies, haven't been regular here.

I think I'm doing decently on the health front. Last to last week ran 44Kms and last week ran and walked 63 Kms. Lost some weight in the last few weeks and am just a shade under 70Kg (Ideal for my height is 68Kgs but my aim is 65Kgs) from 81~82 Kgs. All my old clothes fit me well and am good. No reduction in eating.

BTW last Sunday walked for 40Kms in 9 hours as a part of a walkathon and even though I was injured and hallucinating by the end of it, I felt good that my body could endure the grilling.

Now target is to get a flat abs (am already in the flat stomach zone) and start riding cycle. Start atleast with a 100Km ride.

Cheers

Congratulations, BANDHAV! We would look forward to regular updates from you.

Welcome selfdrive! You have listed some fantastic ideas for reclaiming. Would love to do something similar with my own kids/family. Please do share regular updates on your journey.


All the best for the garden in the balcony project!
As far as time for outdoor activities is concerned, unfortunately, currently I am restricting those to the weekend (Sat and Sun). Have not put in any structure/regime in place for doing it regularly, but that is on the cards. Currently its more improptu. Just last Saturday, took my 4 year old daughter to the ground where I go for jog/walk everyday. Had noticed 2-3 puppies there recently. Took my daughter there post-lunch and we spent some good couple of hours playing with a puppy and fed a pack of biscuits to the dogs. (Now I am aware about hygine concerns with dogs and the debate about feeding street-dogs. The point is, irrespective of how me and my daughter love dogs, it is not really realistic for us to have one as a pet). My daughter thoroughly enjoyed the 2 hours and could not stop talking excitedly about it for 2 days! Good fun!

Rahul, welcome back! Even I am planning to get a bicyle. Have to teach my son to cofidently ride the bicycle. Would be fun to go for tandem rides with my son and may be with my daughter as well a couple of years down.

MC, you are a real inspiration! Some absolutely fabulous achievements there! :thumbs up:thumbs up Two BIG thumbs up!! All the best for the bicycle riding plan.