Rajah's exercise journal (comments very welcome :) )

[Rajah]

Have I mentioned how cool Tai Chi is?? Tonight I did the warmups, qigong exercises (what I was calling "focus" exercises), the "follow along" steps for the two poses I already knew, then went through the instruction and "follow along" steps for the other 3 poses that I guess are all that's on this DVD. The last one we learned, "Repulse Monkey", is *very* cool. I did 30-40 minutes of Tai Chi, I'm not sure which -- I forget whether I started at 9:20 or 9:40. LOL! More likely 40, though, and if I didn't have this work project hanging over me that I *must* finish as much as possible tonight, I would have gone another 20.

I'm probably going to outgrow this DVD shortly, though. But it's *cool* and a good way to get the basics and I know which DVD to order for part 2.

If I keep up with this and enjoy it as much as I am now in 3 months, and if I can fit the classes into my schedule, then I'm going to sign up for the Tai Chi classes at a local martial arts center.

And man do I feel so much more focused now! I wish I could bring the Tai Chi dvd in to work to do mid-afternoon. Oh well, once I learn the routine better, I can do it by myself without having to follow the video.

 

[Rajah]

Did a bunch of stuff today. Did two 10 minute rounds of Tai Chi warmup/exercises at work to try and focus on work (helped for all of 2 hours...), then got home and did 30 minutes of my Yoga DVD. Not really sure I like this DVD, I think I like the book from the library better. But, of course, being from the library, I can't keep it, and I haven't seen it anywhere else. I'll check amazon.

 

[Rajah]

Got just a little behind.

Tuesday, I took a day off. Wasn't feeling well so I decided to skip it. The only thing close to exercise I did besides my usual walking around the office was going up to the University and walking about half a mile round trip between the parking lot and the building my classes are in, then up the stairs to the 3rd floor and back down.

Yesterday (Wed) I still wasn't up to much, just too tired, so I just did 2.25 miles on the exercise bike and about 5 minutes or so of misc stretching.

I'm hoping to get some Tai Chi in tonight.

 

[Rajah]

Did 45 minutes of Tai Chi last night, and for the first time, actually put all the foundation moves together into one flowing set instead of individual moves. That was a lot harder to follow than I expected, but I have now learned all the moves off the DVD I have. I'm nowhere near *mastering* those moves, but it won't be long before I'm ready for the next DVD

 

[Rajah]

Took another day off somewhat yesterday. Had to do a "spring cleaning" of the office yesterday, so that had me worn out so I didn't feel like doing anything last night.

But, today I went mall-walking, then came home and did 45 minutes of Tai Chi.

 

[believe]

"Spring Cleaning" is exercise. Great job on the mall walking and Tai Chi.

 

[Rajah]

Thanks Believe.

Okay, I think I overdid it a little yesterday. Went gaming with some friends yesterday afternoon/evening. We did a round of 18 hole mini-golf (indoor -- the only indoor minigolf in Houston that I know of!), then spent a couple of hours playing games at this adult-version of Chucky Cheese. It's a place called Jillians and is what you get when you mix pool, bowling, arcade games, a bar, and a restaurant. Kinda like Dave and Busters, only I like Dave and Busters a little better. We spent about 4 hours there playing various games, then went to Walmart and spent about 20 minutes wandering the toy isles trying to find a good board game before we gave up and called it a night.

Then I came home and did 20 minutes of Tai Chi.

My legs are *killing* me today. LOL!

 

[Rajah]

Another low-energy night for me last night, so I just did 1.5 miles on the exercise bike and some misc stretching.

 

[Rajah]

Woohoo!! Thanks to the inspiration and support of my fellow WISHers and my PM buddy, I got back on track tonight. I'd skipped Tai Chi for the past two nights, even skipped the exercise bike last night just because I was tired and had had a bad day.

But thanks to everyone, I got 30 minutes of Tai Chi in tonight and remembered how much I enjoy doing it. I'm slowly getting better. I still have to watch the TV to check my moves and I'm not turning quite enough on some of the turns, and I'm still not getting two of the transitional moves quite right, but I'm getting there!! I'm going to order the next DVD in the series soon. And since this DVD had 5 forms and 2 transitionals, a tape of 24 forms should last me another 2-3 months!

If any of you are reading this, thanks for the push!!

 

[Rajah]

Just finished my Tai Chi for tonight. (Daisy, are you reading -- did you do your end of the deal? ) I felt rusty on the transitional moves, so focused on those today. Ended up taking 45 minutes because of it, but I do feel I have a better grasp of the routine now than I did when I started. I'm getting noticably better with each routine. And though I feel kinda silly, I really enjoy doing it, so it's worth it.

 

[Rajah]

Wimped out tonight. Had some friends over so didn't have time for much, and didn't feel well so only did 1 mile on the exercise bike.

 

[Rajah]

I have been so bad this weekend.

The best time of day for me to fit a few minutes in of exercise is in the evening. Well, every evening this weekend I was busy either out away from home or with friends over until past midnight, and since the exercise tends to energize me for a little bit (except for yoga but that takes 30-40 minutes), I don't like to do it *just* before going to bed. So I didn't really get any measurable exercise in for the whole weekend, and today may not be any better since I have class tonight and may not get home until almost midnight. If I do get home before midnight, or if that Tai Chi class is offered this afternoon (I haven't checked yet), I'll do some Tai Chi tonight.

 

[believe]

Great job on doing exercise even when you don't feel well. Hope you are feeling better.

 

[Rajah]

Much better. I got some walking in at campus yesterday (despite the heat) and did 20 minutes of Tai Chi when I got home. I feel much better this morning than I did yesterday.

And while I haven't quite met my goals (making it up one flight of stairs without being short on breath at all), I was able to *walk* around campus instead of *trudge*. It was a much easier walk than it used to be, despite the heat.

 

[Rajah]

Okay, I stand corrected.

A couple of friends had the WATP tapes, and let me borrow the 1 mile tape to see if I liked it. I just tried it tonight, and I actually enjoyed it much more than I expected. The 60 second video preview I saw didn't do the show justice. I also discovered just how much Tai Chi has done for my stamina. I couldn't believe it, but I made it through 1 mile with no trouble. A month ago, I would have practically collapsed after the 1 mile tape. Tonight -- it was just a warmup for another round of Tai Chi. And I definitely must get that next Tai Chi DVD.

 

[Rajah]

Did a repeat of last night. 1 mile WATP followed by 2 runs through the Tai Chi For Beginners set (2 runs takes about 8 minutes maybe?)

 

[Rajah]

Ugh. Next time I think I'm not really feeling well enough to exercise (as opposed to I'm not feeling well but could survive some minor exercise), remind me to listen to myself. Did WATP 1 mile again this evening, but wasn't feeling well. It was *SO* much harder to get through this time, and I feel miserable now.

 

[DoeWDW]

Rajah, I hope you're feeling better this morning. It's so hard for me to figure out when I'm just a bit lazy and when I'm not feeling up to exercise. I haven't found the answer - just wanted you to know you're not alone. You're doing great - keep taking it day by day!

 

[Rajah]

Thanks Doe.

Well, last night I didn't feel up to it. I had no doubt that time since every time I got up to even move around the room I started feeling sick. Ugh.

Today was a little better, though I still didn't have the stamina I usually have (and that's less than average I think ). But I did go shopping with my mom for about 4 hours, and if that wasn't more exercise and walking than I'm used to, my legs and back are lying to me. Didn't make it to do any more than that, but at least mall walking is something.

I hope I can shake these whatevers off quickly. I hate feeling like this.

 

[DoeWDW]

{{hugs}} Rajah!! I'm sure you'll be feeling better soon. Until then, listen to your body. If it says to slow down, then it obviously needs its energy to heal. I'm sure you'll be back to normal and exercising soon enough. Take good care of yourself!