Activity: Twiga Running Club and Strength and Conditioning
I need to get my MOTIVATION!
08/09/15
Twiga running club is something I was always passionate about since previous grades but I never felt the motivation to improve in order to run the whole route without stopping. Naturally, I was very unfit when it came to physical exercise. When I first did this I could not run without stopping and I tried to find ways in order to run the entire 4 km. Although, for me it was extremely tiresome so I gave it another shot this year in order to improve myself and get to a place where I am able to push myself to the maximum limit of exertion.
The first week was honestly dreadful. I kept constantly motivating myself that I have to push myself to run at least the whole way and try to stop the least amount of times. The first time while first going I was completely feeling comfortable as I was running in my own pace however since I reached late I sprinted in order to catch up with other people and then I ran out of breath very quickly and then I realized that I should running at my pace instead of what other people are capable of. Then when I was coming back, I stopped a couple of times because I lost the motivation and whenever I tried to push myself it just did not work. My cognitive on one hand kept saying “STOP, What’s the point!” and on the other hand my heart/subconscious kept telling me to push myself and exceed my limit. So, for the next time I made myself clear that I will push myself for next time and run the whole way without stopping and not have any second thoughts of cheating and taking the half way route.
Twiga running club is something I was always passionate about since previous grades but I never felt the motivation to improve in order to run the whole route without stopping. Naturally, I was very unfit when it came to physical exercise. When I first did this I could not run without stopping and I tried to find ways in order to run the entire 4 km. Although, for me it was extremely tiresome so I gave it another shot this year in order to improve myself and get to a place where I am able to push myself to the maximum limit of exertion.
The first week was honestly dreadful. I kept constantly motivating myself that I have to push myself to run at least the whole way and try to stop the least amount of times. The first time while first going I was completely feeling comfortable as I was running in my own pace however since I reached late I sprinted in order to catch up with other people and then I ran out of breath very quickly and then I realized that I should running at my pace instead of what other people are capable of. Then when I was coming back, I stopped a couple of times because I lost the motivation and whenever I tried to push myself it just did not work. My cognitive on one hand kept saying “STOP, What’s the point!” and on the other hand my heart/subconscious kept telling me to push myself and exceed my limit. So, for the next time I made myself clear that I will push myself for next time and run the whole way without stopping and not have any second thoughts of cheating and taking the half way route.
Bad Days-- I Guess?
Lately, in the past 2 sessions in which I have been running, it has been extremely difficult for me in running the 4 km. The first time it was just my feeling of being the last one running and I felt unconfident to run the next 2 km. My feeling as people run infront of me and having no moral support or some kind of motivation restricts me to perform my best. My goal for the next time I run which is after the October break is to run the 4 km and keep in mind that I should not be concerned of any people running in front of me and being the last one and instead keep a "positive attitude and do my best!" The one thing I also get troubled with is the late sleeping patterns I have that restrict me to do my best when I am running. The last time I came, I arrived late and my motivation and spur for running to my goal depreciated as I see people so far away and not being able to catch up to them. As a result, my gut feeling to this situation only tells me to go halfway and take the cheat card for the day. Thus, it becomes very difficult to maintain that same distance and as a result my goal for running 5 km keeps depreciating.
What has been really bad lately is that by excitement to run 4 or 5 kilometers has been quite low. I don't know what the reason is, or maybe it is just the fact that I feel like I am the last one and the showers will be gone. Nowadays, I feel like it is not the issue of stamina, I think that I need to run maybe with a buddy so that they can motivate them to run farther.
Yess! Finally reached my potential once again
28/02/16
I have been wanting to reach this point after the overload of work in school and the events that were occurring in my personal life. It was quite tempting to go halfway, however I said to myself "It doesn't matter if I am the last one, I have to do this" and by saying this throughout the beginning of the run really was a good motivation. I also had my friend Tania who was motivating me to go further which really gave me a boost to run that extra 2 km. I also felt like that head start in the beginning of the run always helps me do the entire run so that way I don't feel as far as the other people which gives me the strength and power to run the whole thing. However, when I was returning I had a stitch and couldn't run the whole way. So my next goal after the christmas break is to: run the entire route without stopping and this will be achieved throughout the sessions with some more extra practice.
I have been wanting to reach this point after the overload of work in school and the events that were occurring in my personal life. It was quite tempting to go halfway, however I said to myself "It doesn't matter if I am the last one, I have to do this" and by saying this throughout the beginning of the run really was a good motivation. I also had my friend Tania who was motivating me to go further which really gave me a boost to run that extra 2 km. I also felt like that head start in the beginning of the run always helps me do the entire run so that way I don't feel as far as the other people which gives me the strength and power to run the whole thing. However, when I was returning I had a stitch and couldn't run the whole way. So my next goal after the christmas break is to: run the entire route without stopping and this will be achieved throughout the sessions with some more extra practice.
Changing things up...
18/03/16
Recently, I have been thinking and considering changing things up in order to get more of a physical change in me. I had been talking to Jimmy and discussing how I wanted to change my level of fitness and where I am currently with the way I eat and exercise. Then, Jimmy approached me to do this fitness plan activity for him to lead a service project and me to receive the training from him. I realized that when I do the strength and conditioning activity, I start to not do it well because no one is pushing me and therefore I tend to sit or wait and thus the changes have not been so visible in my stamina and strength. Therefore, Jimmy can really help me with this by heavily concentrating on the way I do certain workouts and help me really reach my optimum strength. Jimmy is a hardcore person who trains every morning, thus this guidance will be very beneficial for me and will really help me reach my goal.
My first training was absolutely hard. I had started after the February break and was a long lapse from the last time I properly trained. We ran five times around the exterior of the MPH. We did squats with weights, core exercises and various calf exercises. He said something very interesting that the stomach is what really pushes to improve stamina and increase distances etc. This is because the stomach is where the metabolic rates and the breathing occurs. Therefore, by maximizing the amount of time I have to respire, the longer I can do certain activities. It was challenging when doing the planks because he was really pushing me to reach 30 seconds of it and I saw an improvement in the next session already when I accomplished to do 45-50 seconds. I could already see the improvement and I realized that I needed motivation to individually improve. This realization has also allowed me to push myself as I want to raise my trainer's expectations and that is another plus from this new found routine. During the weeks, we used to only do one session per week, and Jimmy said that we should add one more session to make sure that we are consistently achieving our limits and so that the body can get used to the intensity of the exercises. During the sessions he also noticed how terribly I was feeding my body which did negatively contributes to the training I do and slows the growth and intensity that my body is trying to reach. Thus I have been firm ever since that my intake on the consumption of oil should be less since that is heavily part of my diet. I have been really trying to reduce this by filling my stomach with fruits and vegetables and finding recipes online which are suitable for my diet by incorporating spices that I am usually eat. I have been limiting my intake on the food from restaurants as it is hard to determine the quantity of oil and fats in the meal, thus I have simply been ordering meals that I know are somewhat healthy and do not require oil for preparation. I have learnt a lot from the training and it has elevated my understanding of a healthy and balanced life. During the Biology lessons, the videos our teacher showed us really frightened me on my eating habits and the importance of exercise in my life. Thereafter, I have really heavily focused on training and have not missed a session since. It has been very intense but I have seen a difference as the build up of lactic acid in my legs are less frequent and the pain that I experience the next day is less. I think in this current stage of the world, although losing weight has been one of the most out there point, it is necessary to tell people how important feeding your body well and exercising frequently is. Our body is equivalent to a machine and it is essential that it does work in order to be healthy and work well. The importance of it has really kicked in for me after the videos that Ms. Greenlaw shows us and it has really allowed me to be at a better and healthy lifestyle.
Recently, I have been thinking and considering changing things up in order to get more of a physical change in me. I had been talking to Jimmy and discussing how I wanted to change my level of fitness and where I am currently with the way I eat and exercise. Then, Jimmy approached me to do this fitness plan activity for him to lead a service project and me to receive the training from him. I realized that when I do the strength and conditioning activity, I start to not do it well because no one is pushing me and therefore I tend to sit or wait and thus the changes have not been so visible in my stamina and strength. Therefore, Jimmy can really help me with this by heavily concentrating on the way I do certain workouts and help me really reach my optimum strength. Jimmy is a hardcore person who trains every morning, thus this guidance will be very beneficial for me and will really help me reach my goal.
My first training was absolutely hard. I had started after the February break and was a long lapse from the last time I properly trained. We ran five times around the exterior of the MPH. We did squats with weights, core exercises and various calf exercises. He said something very interesting that the stomach is what really pushes to improve stamina and increase distances etc. This is because the stomach is where the metabolic rates and the breathing occurs. Therefore, by maximizing the amount of time I have to respire, the longer I can do certain activities. It was challenging when doing the planks because he was really pushing me to reach 30 seconds of it and I saw an improvement in the next session already when I accomplished to do 45-50 seconds. I could already see the improvement and I realized that I needed motivation to individually improve. This realization has also allowed me to push myself as I want to raise my trainer's expectations and that is another plus from this new found routine. During the weeks, we used to only do one session per week, and Jimmy said that we should add one more session to make sure that we are consistently achieving our limits and so that the body can get used to the intensity of the exercises. During the sessions he also noticed how terribly I was feeding my body which did negatively contributes to the training I do and slows the growth and intensity that my body is trying to reach. Thus I have been firm ever since that my intake on the consumption of oil should be less since that is heavily part of my diet. I have been really trying to reduce this by filling my stomach with fruits and vegetables and finding recipes online which are suitable for my diet by incorporating spices that I am usually eat. I have been limiting my intake on the food from restaurants as it is hard to determine the quantity of oil and fats in the meal, thus I have simply been ordering meals that I know are somewhat healthy and do not require oil for preparation. I have learnt a lot from the training and it has elevated my understanding of a healthy and balanced life. During the Biology lessons, the videos our teacher showed us really frightened me on my eating habits and the importance of exercise in my life. Thereafter, I have really heavily focused on training and have not missed a session since. It has been very intense but I have seen a difference as the build up of lactic acid in my legs are less frequent and the pain that I experience the next day is less. I think in this current stage of the world, although losing weight has been one of the most out there point, it is necessary to tell people how important feeding your body well and exercising frequently is. Our body is equivalent to a machine and it is essential that it does work in order to be healthy and work well. The importance of it has really kicked in for me after the videos that Ms. Greenlaw shows us and it has really allowed me to be at a better and healthy lifestyle.
Great Experience so far!
Everything with the fitness program with Jimmy has been going great with regards to the diet and the training programs. They have very realistically challenging for me and we do have a one on one reflection session where I tell him what I would like to work on next or the things that we should make challenging because they are either getting easier. Furthermore, we try and add components to make the session more fun by playing music an d trying out several different exercises that are more interactive and fun. I have been more aware of the ingredients that are included on various food packaging products after my awareness on a healthier diet. Thus, I have been searching for products that have no artificial sweeteners and consuming production that are full in fat as fat free has a worse effect on our body. Hence, I have been using my knowledge through personal project on how to have a healthy lifestyle in my current day.
New Post: 23/02/16
During the break, I have been running in the evenings with my family to continue the stamina I have after the break so that I can continue running 4 km in the running club.
It has been a fantastic comeback after missing 3 sessions due to the overwhelming tests that I had and a hard 1 semester. However, by doing a couple of running sessions during the week, it has allowed me to practice for my goal of 5 kilometers.
During the break, I have been running in the evenings with my family to continue the stamina I have after the break so that I can continue running 4 km in the running club.
It has been a fantastic comeback after missing 3 sessions due to the overwhelming tests that I had and a hard 1 semester. However, by doing a couple of running sessions during the week, it has allowed me to practice for my goal of 5 kilometers.
First Run! 2016
22nd August 2016
First time running again felt great but at the same time, it was painful after such a restful summer break when doing no physical activity whatsoever. Despite this however, it felt refreshing and I really felt like I was reconnecting with the nature and my body. However, with all the IB stress, I will have to maintain my fitness regime as well to be a balanced person. Often, I think of contemplating physical activity because it sounds so demotivating. However, I will need to find ways that I find fun and that intrigue me to do physical activity. That is why early exercise is great for me because I feel refreshed and not tired from enough sleep. That helps me to be more productive and achieve a lot more than what I would normally do if I were to do it in the afternoon. Hence, the things I will need to work on is MOTIVATING myself. The one thing I really lack in is motivation because it is something I dislike doing or going for, but when I actually do it, it gives me a great amount of joy and keeps me positive for the whole day. Therefore, I must work on things, taking into account what I took away last year is to;
-Eat healthy (fruits, veggies, nuts)
-Stay dehydrated (drink lots of water, I tend to stay dehydrated and doing exercise forces me to drink a lot more)
- At least once or twice in a week, take some time to do any physical activity so that it is not a reversed cycle when running on Tuesdays. By maintaining by plan either by walking 3 km, I will be able to keep up with my increased stamina and see results in the changes of the distances I run every week.
-Introspect at least once in the day of what I have achieved in the day in terms of physical activity to keep remembering that I need to continue my routine in order to see changes in my speed or distance.
First time running again felt great but at the same time, it was painful after such a restful summer break when doing no physical activity whatsoever. Despite this however, it felt refreshing and I really felt like I was reconnecting with the nature and my body. However, with all the IB stress, I will have to maintain my fitness regime as well to be a balanced person. Often, I think of contemplating physical activity because it sounds so demotivating. However, I will need to find ways that I find fun and that intrigue me to do physical activity. That is why early exercise is great for me because I feel refreshed and not tired from enough sleep. That helps me to be more productive and achieve a lot more than what I would normally do if I were to do it in the afternoon. Hence, the things I will need to work on is MOTIVATING myself. The one thing I really lack in is motivation because it is something I dislike doing or going for, but when I actually do it, it gives me a great amount of joy and keeps me positive for the whole day. Therefore, I must work on things, taking into account what I took away last year is to;
-Eat healthy (fruits, veggies, nuts)
-Stay dehydrated (drink lots of water, I tend to stay dehydrated and doing exercise forces me to drink a lot more)
- At least once or twice in a week, take some time to do any physical activity so that it is not a reversed cycle when running on Tuesdays. By maintaining by plan either by walking 3 km, I will be able to keep up with my increased stamina and see results in the changes of the distances I run every week.
-Introspect at least once in the day of what I have achieved in the day in terms of physical activity to keep remembering that I need to continue my routine in order to see changes in my speed or distance.
Integrating newer techniques in my lifestyle to reach my potential running
23rd September 2016
It has obviously been an extremely busy week for me juggling around school and activities like running club which require immense motivation and enough sleep in order to ensure that I do my best. However, since this week has been tough with transitioning betweeen extended essays, IAs and homework in general, it has been more of a therapeutic process to run in the open air than the actual goal of improving itself.
It has incredibly helped me with reducing my stress levels when working and helped me get more awake through the day and sleep earlier which is an incredible thing. Therefore, when I feel like I need motivation, or just something whereby I can feel less stressed and more attentive, I started to get out and walk on the streets as a means of rejuvanating and reconnecting back with the work that I do. Over the years doing physical activity seemed like a lot of work and dedication however it's simply a great way to destress and remain calm in intense deadlines. Through such daily physical activity, I not only help myself during extreme deadlines but it has also helped me to get my stamina at a constant level and keeping myself very active so that the progress that I make in running club does not reduce but at least stays at a constant. Overtime, this will aid me with reaching my goal of running 5 km.
It has obviously been an extremely busy week for me juggling around school and activities like running club which require immense motivation and enough sleep in order to ensure that I do my best. However, since this week has been tough with transitioning betweeen extended essays, IAs and homework in general, it has been more of a therapeutic process to run in the open air than the actual goal of improving itself.
It has incredibly helped me with reducing my stress levels when working and helped me get more awake through the day and sleep earlier which is an incredible thing. Therefore, when I feel like I need motivation, or just something whereby I can feel less stressed and more attentive, I started to get out and walk on the streets as a means of rejuvanating and reconnecting back with the work that I do. Over the years doing physical activity seemed like a lot of work and dedication however it's simply a great way to destress and remain calm in intense deadlines. Through such daily physical activity, I not only help myself during extreme deadlines but it has also helped me to get my stamina at a constant level and keeping myself very active so that the progress that I make in running club does not reduce but at least stays at a constant. Overtime, this will aid me with reaching my goal of running 5 km.
Learning more about the importance of fitness and eating well (biology)
28th October 2016
fitness_and_diet.m4a | |
File Size: | 4242 kb |
File Type: | m4a |
CONTINUING THE JOURNEY TO EATING HEALTHY AND RUNNING (4KM)
23 November 2016
As talked about previously in my reflection, the importance of eating well is one of my major things that I have taken a lot of importance towards especially after the TED talks that we saw from Biology on how the gut responds to the nutrients that you consume and how it can heavily impact the way in which the brain processes and how you percieve information. It did not occur to me how important different nutrients like Vitamin C was vital and it helped me gain the knowledge of what to eat better.
The knowledge that I have gained in Biology aided my knowledge in diet and how to further maintain a healthy lifestyle. Often times, it is difficult inunderstaning which foods are good and vital to the body. However, it is important to take notice of the internet and dieticians who often have pre-concieved notions or myths of what is good and culture has a very important role in moulding the scientific studies and manipulating people in what is good for the body. In addition, having already the experience of a personal project based on these studies, I have come across many dieticians who promote the intake of low fat products which is wrong and has detrimental effects on the body due to the artificial sweetners that are added into those products. Hence, it is essential that when investigating how to maintain a healthy diet that you look at sources that are scientifically trustworthy.
Looking at the progress that I have made on my running has been immense from the start of the school year. At the time, I could only run at 2.5 km with stopping however now I have steadily maintained the distance to 3 km without stopping. It has been crazy to see the progress that I have gone through with my eating habits through the Biology topic and what I have been learning last year with my peer Jimmy. Looking forward. I will need to truly keep motivating myself to continue my healthy diet through TED talks and finding upbeat music to feel more motivated while running.
As talked about previously in my reflection, the importance of eating well is one of my major things that I have taken a lot of importance towards especially after the TED talks that we saw from Biology on how the gut responds to the nutrients that you consume and how it can heavily impact the way in which the brain processes and how you percieve information. It did not occur to me how important different nutrients like Vitamin C was vital and it helped me gain the knowledge of what to eat better.
- I have recently been consuming a lot of citric fruits like strawberries, tangerines, mangoes etc (these nutrients are vital because the excess is released by the urine however it is necessary because the body does not produce ascorbic acid and therefore it is essential that it is often consumed.
- Furthermore, I have reduced my intake on carbs and have been more focused on consuming dairy and proteins. Since carbohydrates can be synthesized by the body, it does not require an intake of it because of lipids (fats)
The knowledge that I have gained in Biology aided my knowledge in diet and how to further maintain a healthy lifestyle. Often times, it is difficult inunderstaning which foods are good and vital to the body. However, it is important to take notice of the internet and dieticians who often have pre-concieved notions or myths of what is good and culture has a very important role in moulding the scientific studies and manipulating people in what is good for the body. In addition, having already the experience of a personal project based on these studies, I have come across many dieticians who promote the intake of low fat products which is wrong and has detrimental effects on the body due to the artificial sweetners that are added into those products. Hence, it is essential that when investigating how to maintain a healthy diet that you look at sources that are scientifically trustworthy.
Looking at the progress that I have made on my running has been immense from the start of the school year. At the time, I could only run at 2.5 km with stopping however now I have steadily maintained the distance to 3 km without stopping. It has been crazy to see the progress that I have gone through with my eating habits through the Biology topic and what I have been learning last year with my peer Jimmy. Looking forward. I will need to truly keep motivating myself to continue my healthy diet through TED talks and finding upbeat music to feel more motivated while running.
Starting a NEW Activity: Redefine Yourselves
21st January 2017
About a week ago, coming into the new year I decided to change my activity and do Redefine Yourselves instead of Twiga Running Club. Since I have a lot of weaknesses with keeping myself fit and being able to see a trajectory in my progress, I decided to go in a smaller group where there will be more focus and pressure for me to do well and see an overall improvement in my fitness. I decided to work with one of my peers Nayla who conducts this activity and does several workouts that not only focuses on endurance or cardiovascular fitness but also looks at other aspects of the body to work with. Her circuit trainings range from working on the legs, abdomen, gluteus and the hamstring. These are all the other aspects I need to work on as well to create a balance and get a range of activities that make it more fun and interesting rather than the same generic exercise that did sometimes want to not continue.
Additionally, I saw several other advantages that would really help me continue this physical activity path since I now have a buddy to work with that is my friend and therefore knows how to keep me pushing. With such a small group, I will be able to experience my potential and achieve the goal that I would like. Furthermore, apart from the physical activity, maintaining health simultaneously is as important as it does not limit the progress that is made in a week. Nayla conducts a nutrition session every other week or once in a month which helps me reinforce my goals and helps me stay in the path of eating better. Additionally, I will be able to gain a lot of knowledge on foods that I should eat and motivate me to show this to my family as well.
Additionally, I saw several other advantages that would really help me continue this physical activity path since I now have a buddy to work with that is my friend and therefore knows how to keep me pushing. With such a small group, I will be able to experience my potential and achieve the goal that I would like. Furthermore, apart from the physical activity, maintaining health simultaneously is as important as it does not limit the progress that is made in a week. Nayla conducts a nutrition session every other week or once in a month which helps me reinforce my goals and helps me stay in the path of eating better. Additionally, I will be able to gain a lot of knowledge on foods that I should eat and motivate me to show this to my family as well.
First Session: Never Been This Sore
21st January 2017
reflection-_session_1.m4a | |
File Size: | 4496 kb |
File Type: | m4a |
Nutrition Session:
27/01/17
nutrition.m4a | |
File Size: | 10468 kb |
File Type: | m4a |
ANOTHER relaxing SESSION:
11/02/17
reflection_3.m4a | |
File Size: | 8315 kb |
File Type: | m4a |