all about me

Thanks to Sue from Living and Learning!

1. What's your middle name?

Angela

2. What's your favorite magazine?

I haven't been in the habit of reading magazines for years... once upon a time I liked American Girl Magazine and Ranger Rick, though! Nowadays I think National Geographic might be a good source of inspiration for photo composition.

3. What are you wearing right now?

Workout clothes... purple shorts, black tank, and black hoodie.

4. What color are your bed sheets?

Blue.

5. Who was your third grade teacher?

Sister Alma

6. What is the weather like right now?

Dark and cool, with a good chance of rain.

7. Do you know how to ski?

No.

8. What was the last thing you drank?

Cold water.

9. Dream vacation?

I wouldn't really care where I went as long as someone else was taking care of all the logistics, and if we were able to fly first class if it was a 6 hour+ flight. But I'd like to be able to go horseback riding and canoeing, and maybe have an archery lesson.

10. Favorite article of clothing?

Workout clothes.. anything from Powder Blue/Turbowear.

11. Do you prefer baking or cooking?

I don't much like either, but I'll go with cooking.

12. Is your hair above or below your shoulders?

Above.

13. What drink do you order when out?

Water, or hot water so I can use an herbal teabag. A really splurgey drink would be iced cocoa with whipped cream on top and hazelnut syrup.

14. What book are you reading?

The Fitness Leader's Handbook, Third Edition.

15. What did you dream about last night?

It was a vivid dream. I was leading a tour group across a famous bridge somewhere, and one of the group was trying to jump off the bridge, but at that moment one of my real life friends came cycling toward us and fell of his bicycle onto the pavement, and then everyone rushed to make sure he was alright. Then later, I was with someone else and we were trying to hide from some creepy Guy Noir-type character who kept following us.

16. What was the last movie you went to?

I took myself to see the last Harry Potter movie two summers ago.

17. Any injuries at the moment?

No, thankfully.

18. What color is your bathroom?

Yellow.

19. What's the state of your laundry right now?

All done except for one pair of socks.

20. Do you take vitamins?

An iron vitamin, most days.

21. Where do you love to shop?

The TurboKick website, Whole Foods or Trader Joes, Amazon.

22. How often do you buy groceries?

Twice a week, usually.

23. Do you have a pet/pets?

No, but one day I'd like a friendly cat, or a subdued dog.

24. If you are married, when is your next anniversary?

Pass

25. How do you take your coffee and/or tea?

I've been off of both... 

26. Mac or PC? Desktop or Laptop?

Mac for sure! My faithful lappy.

27. Favorite month of the year?

Back home, August. In Japan, May. I think.

28. Do you have a hobby?

Who doesn't? Aerobics, photography, studying (anything), languages, listening to music, writing, knitting.

29. What salad dressing do you prefer?

Raspberry vinaigrette.

30. Live or fake Christmas tree?

I prefer a live Christmas tree, but I'm thankful for the fake mini ones I have at this stage.

31. Did you walk or take a bus to school?

Car.

32. Do you have any phobias?

Mukade, big brown spiders, cockroaches, drunk old guys, travel.

33. What's your favorite snack food?

Fresh fruit or the chocolate "Balance Up" bars my local grocery store stocks.

34. When do you take your shower/bath?

In the morning, after a workout.

35. What time did you get up this morning?

8:49, because it's the weekend!

36. What's your favorite animal?

I guess I would say horses.

37. Have you ever broken a bone?

No, thankfully.

38. Do you wear makeup?

Yes, and I love it.

39. Do you speak any foreign languages?

Japanese.

40. Have you ever played a sport?

What, like officially? For school? The only school sport I did, and that very poorly, was track. 

41. Your last package contained ...

A practice book for the reading comprehension section of the JLPT, and another practice book for the listening comprehension section.

42. What's on your desktop?

An abstract purple/colors swirl. At work, Richard Armitage.

43. What is your home page?

The Apple homepage. Funny, I never look at it, but I never change the settings, either.

44. Extrovert or introvert?

I don't like being put in a box.

45. Favorite board game?

Clue... and I have a vintage old school Clue set here. :)

46. What class did you like best in high school? In college?

In high school, it was either journalism or English. In college, Japanese at my Japanese university.

47. What would you do with an extra hour each day?

Sleep. Or go for a walk.

48. Do you have allergies?

Yes, but the allergen(s) are yet unknown.

49. Are your nails painted?

Nope.

50. Where are you right now?

In my living room.

***

strength

Tonight I got to do something I've been looking forward to for a few weeks now... go to the weight room and start strength training. I was lucky enough to have Tenshing and Brad come along, too, and Ms Abe was there to help me out with the machines.

Now, the first few months I was here, I used the weight room a few times a week. I was convinced that if I just went and worked on the machines, I'd be fine and fit as a fiddle, but it didn't work out that way. My visits became increasingly sporadic, I got bored with the routine, and eventually I convinced myself I didn't really need to build muscle, anyway. So in the end, I stopped going altogether, and I hadn't even achieved any noticeable toning.

This time, I'm convinced that the key with strength training, at least for me, is to get some people in place to hold me accountable and bug me if I start to slack off. I think part of the problem with my initial foray into the sports center was that I expected to meet some other fitness-minded people who might be interested in working out with me; I know better now... the patrons don't really talk to each other, and the staff are either shy or busy doing their jobs. So one has to set up fitness buddies on one's own, if one wants them. I really hope Tenshing and Brad and I can keep each other motivated.

What are my goals?

1. Develop some upper body strength-- be able to do 5 "real" push-ups and 1 pull-up by 2011.

2. Overall toning and tightening.

3. Get rid of the belly bulge I developed this summer.

Honestly, that belly bulge has pushed out people and mechanical failures to become my biggest annoyance. It's no surprise, really: I was in poor health starting in October of last year, leading to a gradual slowing and then standstill to exercise; then in the late winter I had a series of sicknesses that reduced my diet to white toast and honey, sugary sports drinks, and jello. I got a little addicted to that diet, so I stuck to it longer than necessary, and so it's no wonder that one day, the waistbands just got too constricting.

Furthermore, this particular piece of anatomy was several months in the making, so it stands to reason that it will take at least a few months to get rid of it. It's awfully hard to be patient, but I have to keep telling myself it'll pay off if I keep working out and eating well, instead of throwing in the towel and watching movies all weekend with a stash of snacks from the convenience store.

Ultimately, I know I'll get the better of my body, because my big goal is to become a certified group fitness instructor, and to get a specialty certification in Turbo Kick. Other formats I'm interested in teaching are Hip Hop Hustle and Zumba, but I'm going to take them one at a time. I love the workouts, I love that feeling of strength and agility, I love sharing it with other people, and I love motivating people and seeing their radiant smiles after a great workout.

A healthy body isn't built on aerobics alone, though, and that's why I've started strength training. I'll start by going to the weight room once a week, and then build up to two, maybe three times. In the meantime, I'll keep reading the fitness leaders' book Aunt S sent me, and when I finish it I'll think about ordering study materials for the ACE and/or AFAA fitness instructor certification courses.

Why blog about all this? Well, the saying goes that the goals you fail to write down are merely wishes. Wishes are nice and poetic, but I'd rather live a life I love than waste time only dreaming about it. Here's to planning and accountability!