Tick Tock..

 

Image taken from here

Here we go again with another round of procrastination..

I currently have to accomplish a lot on my plate tonight (which in hindsight, I should have been working on for the past couple of days already, but as you may already know, my struggles with getting things started has been nothing short of legendary.. 😅

So yeah, here I am again, blogging my way out of a nonproductive funk in the hopes that a bit of creative stimulation would help me get going.. To be honest, it tends to work more often than not. 😅

I'm feeling a bit better about the general situation now.. Make no mistake, Covid is still pretty much alive and well, but with vaccinations finally on the upswing, and the people I love mostly having gotten at least a first jab, my mind is finally free to worry less and work more.

Add to the fact that the CPAP seems to work as advertised, and the only problem is actually my personal compliance to usage. I hate to sound like an advertiser, but using CPAP for Obstructive Sleep Apnea DOES work. I admit that it took a while, but now I am generally feeling better in the mornings (except for those preceding nights where I failed to use it of course), and I seem to have more energy and less brain fog in the evenings, like today. 

 At first it was a struggle, because I was suddenly having a lot more potentially productive time on my hands, that I actually struggled with insomnia for a bit. It seems a bit counterintuitive, doesn't it? I am finally able to improve the quality of my sleep, but now I was getting less of it. 😅 Thankfully it was just an adjustment phase that lasted the better part of a week or so, but now I have developed a new routine.

Given that I seem to have a lot more energy from the get-go, I have started doing a brief 5-minute exercise routine upon waking up and before I get the rest of my day started.

Have you guys heard of One-Punch Man? He's an anime protagonist who seems to be unbeatable because he is able to best his opponent with a single blow, much to his chagrin as he searches the world for a worthy challenger.

 Yup, he's the one. Image source here

So this guy called Saitama apparently has a rather straightforward daily training regimen consisting of "100 pushups, 100 situps, 100 squats, and a 10 km run" to which he attributes his superhuman strength. I'm not about to do that anytime soon, especially since I seem to already be developing knee issues.. 😓

So yeah, I have opted to do a modified "1/10th Punch Man workout" that fits my schedule and can help me get started on trying to be fit. 😅 This regimen consists of: 10 pushups, 10 deadlifts, 10 squats, 10 bicep curls, 10 tricep extensions, and 10 side bends (for each side). Take not that this is all just one set. I have not included cardio due to time constraints, but will probably find a way once fellowship is over. 😜

Workout purists will undoubtedly ridicule my choice of routine, but I don't really care. It has been ages since I really worked out, and I don't want this sedentary lifestyle to dictate my future functionality. So yeah, a little bit of strength training never hurt anyone. 

I guess that's enough creativity for now. I think I have gotten on my groove again. As always, keep safe, wash your hands, watch your distance, and wear a mask. We'll all be out of this mess soon, as long as people cooperate. 😷

Bad gloves? Bad trip

I just want to gripe..

A few months back, when I began going to the gym in earnest, I bought myself a new pair of workout gloves since the older pair I had been using was already worse for wear.

I checked the sporting goods stores. The more prominent LP brand cost about 600+Php which was definitely over my budget, what more those bigger brand names like Nike.

I was able to spy a lesser-known brand called Outdoor Avenue which was selling for around 350Php. Good enough I thought, and the price was reasonable enough. It was better than nothing, and I also thought that its just a pair of gloves with velcro. What could go wrong?

 I was a little apprehensive when I saw the velcro strip. I mean, look at that thing! It wasn't as rough as the usual velcro we usually see. It stuck well, and i tried different wrist movements to see if it would give, but didn't. So I bought it, failing to take into account what sweat could do the the velcro.

The gloves sucked from workout day one. After working up a sweat (or even before sweating), the glove flaps would prove difficult to keep together. Every once in a while, I would have to refasten the the flaps so that the gloves would not flop around as I went around the gym.

Luckily, the gloves were still usable for lifting weights even in that sorry state, but sometimes you just can't help but be bothered by the fact that you're using a faulty piece of equipment designed supposedly to keep you safe and comfortable during a workout. There's also the nagging thouht that everyone at the gym is probably secretly calling you "floppy gloves man" who needs to adjust his gloves every so often like a crazed madman. :P

I still use these gloves to this day due to monetary constraints, and the fact that apart from the faulty "sticking" of the velcro, the gloves are still in workable condition. Guess I'll just have to wait until these gloves fall apart on me and I have enough extra cash to replace them.

Gymrat upgraded

(pic source here)

Since I started my gym membership earlier this year, I have been going to the gym for a total of about 4 months (3 straight months then a lull period of about 1 1/2 before I got back on track). I (think) I have gotten leaner, more energetic, and a little stronger. ;) As such, my gym routine has likewise evolved, not just with heavier weights, but with some new exercises as well. So, here is my revamped workout (still sans the warmup and cooldown):

• Incline Dumbell Bench Press

• Rotary Lat Pulldown

• Machine Lateral Raises

• Back Extension

• Pullover

• Leg Press

• Alt. Bicep Curl

• Leg Extension

• Arnold Dumbell Press

• Sumo Squats

• Dumbell Bench Press

• Side Bend

• Calf Press (On Leg Press machine)

• Bent-Over Row

• Incline Sit-up

• Bridge

• Hover

*All exercises are done in circuit except for the last three. I do 3 straight sets of sit-ups then alternate the Bridge with the Hover

Awww Yeaaaahh! :P

I really love going to the gym. It makes you feel so alive (but really tired afterwards :P). I'll really miss it when I return to the hospital.. But then again, who says you have to give up keeping fit while doing residency? ;)

Bodybuilding.com - Huge Online Supplement Store & Fitness Community!

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Ever since my baby steps into the larger world of being a gym rat, I've been looking around for a site that would help me get better in this new preoccupation, and this is one of the best I've encountered thus far. :P

Whattaworkout!

At long last, I finally have a customized workout program to follow, thanks to the capable staff of the gym I now go to. I tried it out and it felt great! Armed withe a proper program with all the warmups, cardio, and stretching, working out didn't seem like such a chore anymore! I know it may seem a little tame for you established gym rats out there, but we all gotta start somewhere, right? :P

So here is my startup workout plan:

• Dumbbell Chest Press

• Rotary Lat Pulldown

• Lateral Raise

• Back Extension

• Pullover

• Leg Press

• Alt. Bicep Curl

• Leg Extension

• Sumo Squats

• Side Bend

• Sit-ups

• Bridge

Aw yeah!! :D

Well, that didn't work..

Apparently, my previous attempt to revive my blogging streak failed miserably. So, I'm gonna inject another "shot in the arm" which would hopefully get things moving better this time around..

• Leaving for a med mission in a while. I was invited by my former clerks in UST (who are now interns btw. Congrats kids! :P) for an overnight stay at Cavite to help out at a clerk-organized parish based medical mission. I guess I need this to stay sharp and keep myself positive. Hopefully good things would follow..

• Speaking of missions, there's another one after Holy Week, the venue much farther off. Will probably bring a camera for that one. :P

• The NBA playoffs are now in full swing. The matchups are actually pretty good. This year has me rooting once again for the Celtics. I just wonder how they'll do for this run after trading away Perkins. They're up 2-0 against the Knicks though.

• Was finally able to take my sweet inspiration to see Serendra and the surrounding area. We sure can't afford to live there, but its definitely a nice place to visit. :P

• I finally decided to get on with my life and enrolled myself at a gym. 1st session was a laugh though, as I exerted myself too much and had an episode of near-syncope (although my brother contends that I really had passed out). Subsequent visits were much better though. :P

• Had the privilege of being treated to an overnight stay at Fontana there in Subic. The accomodations were pretty much the same as what I had seen when I visited a few years back, but I feel that the place had a bit more "sleazy" feel to it since it was taken over by a Chinese(?) casino company. I guess since the place had become more open to the public, it kinda lost its air of exclusivity

• Oh yeah, congratulations to all the graduates of batch 2011, Particularly to those kids from ADMU and the MDs of UST! (And of course the latest crop of Stallions to leave the stables. Luceat Lux!)

• I find myself a godfather for the second time over, although the child in question hasn't been baptized yet as she was just born a couple of weeks ago. :D

That's all for now. I PROMISE to write when I get back. I think this is something I really need to keep on doing in order to help myself heal.. ;)