Gym Work In Progress

My 1st set of measurements were dated 15th Oct. At the 1 month mark on 14th Nov, I've gained 1% muscles, lost 2.1% fats & a weight loss of 2.5 kg. Not too shabby. I don't see any physical changes probably becoz the weight loss is still very little. But I can definitely feel the difference. When I started, I could barely do 10 reps in each resistance exercise I was supposed to do. Now, I've hit 15 reps & had just started increasing the weights this week by 1 kg.

Perhaps the most definitive of increasing stamina & fitness is my pulse rate. I started with a resting pulse rate of 68 on the average. It has since gone down to 62. Mid way through my jog, I would always check my pulse. I started off at 182 bpm which is almost 100% of my maximum heart rate (188 bpm). I watched my pulse rate went down to mid 170s at the 2 week mark, to the current 168 bpm mid jog. Although I'm hoping to train for endurance rather than speed, I also found that I've gone from 18 mins for 2 km jog to 16 mins now. 

Some days, jogging 500 m seems like such a chore. Those are the days I will stick to the minimum of 2 km. But on days when I feel I can go further, I'll push to go 2.5 km or even 3 km. Hopefully, in the months to come, I'll gradually be able to stretch it even further. The only exercises that didn't seem to get any easier are the crunches & planks. 15 crunches are still hard. 30 seconds planks are still hard. That's alright. I'm still very happy with my progress.

This evening, I'll start my 1st ever yoga class. I'm so excited that I'm finally getting to do it after so many years. I've gotten a pair of tights (as requested by my instructor). As expected, I look terrible in them. Tights are meant for skinny people. On flabby people like me, every single bulge shows. Oh well, if I keep this up, the flab will eventually go.

I watch what I eat on a daily basis. But I still eat a decent meal once a week. By decent I mean bigger than usual. It's good. It keeps me on track. I also listen to my body. Some days I feel like having just that little bit more & I do.

I've also overcome the insomnia that came with exercising. I couldn't sleep coz I had so much energy at night. I still am energetic but now, I have no problems falling asleep. Even if I wake up in the middle of the night, I no longer toss & turn for another hour before I can go back to sleep. My body is obviously getting used to it. Yay!