Day Sixteeen: Wednesday 16th of December 2009

Ok, so tomorrow I have a training session, and I thought today, I can't go outside so what the hell, I'll just do something different and go on the wii fit! Twas fun, broke a couple of records, it did majoraly highlight my lack of balance.
Tonight, am gonna do some stretches before bed and work on side kicks then tomorrow, shall have access yet again to taekwondo and bikes :)

Days ten to fifteen: 10th-15th december 2009

So these days were a bit tricky to dedicate taekwondo time as not only was I moving around the country. I've brought my license and my dobok so I can go around anywhere (yay!)

Spent each of these days doing 50 sit ups, 10 press ups and stretches. Then looked through koryo on youtube and other videos. Was frustrating not being able to kick things but tomorrow I restart some sort of regime :)

x

Day Nine: Wednesday 9th December 2009

So today I was hoping to take photos of my progress, but it happens that my flatmates didn't leave the house all day! Therefore leaving me with a bit of a lack of a room situation as I can't kick in my room.
But no fear, as when I woke up I realised I'm not quite used to using arms in taekwondo so its probably best to have a day off of doing it. (I forgot to say we also did lovely press ups yesterday!)

So I took this day to be the sit and reflect on other lifestyle choices I want to do each week to complement my training. Last week I looked at diet, and as an extension of this today I realised I need to have more water. I think, as I hate drinking water, its probably worth getting bottles which can track how much I'm drinking. Gonna aim to work up to a litre in the next couple of days, then 1.5., hen 2 with 3ish on the days I'm training. Also need to get back into the swing of having a nuun tablet in my water before training, these are sports tablets I used in Hungary and before I was getting horrendous cramp but it went away with these drinks so thats good. Have like 3 tablets left so need to find them again.

Then I also looked at my posture and looked into pilates classes for the new year. Posture is a big thing that needs to change generally but it is also affecting taekwondo and I don't want to do any damage. Classes once a week will cost £8 which I think is reasonable. I used to do it in physio years ago so it is definitely a good idea to begin again as she was concerned back then and I've only got worse! May look into seing if I can get some one on one on the NHS as they are waaayyy too expensive and I'm having a bit of trouble with my RSI and I want to catch it before it flails!

Finally, did 20 situps and 10 pressups just so I felt a bit more physical!

Roll on tomorrow when I shall kick things again! :D

Day Eight: Tuesday 8th December 2009

I don't know what I'll do when it becomes January, I'm justing to be there going, 'day 34..... ummm I think its Wednesday, maybe the 8th?ish??? definately maybe 2010...'

Anyway, todays lesson was *awesome* we did boxing like actual boxing!!

Small things. I got my BTCB license book signed so I can go train anywhere in the UK (BTCB club) and I'll be all insured and everything.

Normal warm up but without the running around, I should say normal stretch, then we launched (literally) into the warm up. Jab Jab (with front leg slight turn of hip) punch (with opposite arm to leg and full hip movement). Elbows up, guard up, took a while to get use to as we were wearing boxing gloves(I've never worn them before) and the other person was wearing a hand mitt.

Then it went jab jab punch followed very quickly by a leg kick. This was more karate or street fight (as he explained the application) whereby you bend the leg, turn the hips same as a turning kick, but its lower, aimed just above the knee, and it goes sideway and ur leg is almost straight but a bit bent. So basically it knocks them off balance (and if done with enough force gives you cramp) when showing it to me, even with the mitt to protect I felt it on the muscle! The person holding the mitt twisted slightly (but not much otherwise its a danger to your knee) and bent down a bit. Was fun but very very exhausting. (Note to Toni, I may believe you when you say boxexercise is exhausting!) oh and we were moving around the room.

Best comment by me, when he says, have you done this before, I reply... 'We'll I've done it on the wii...'

So that was the warm up... (2 one minute rounds of each - was grueling) then a bit of stretching, dynamic style, front, side, back (see previous posts for explanation) before a bit of technique work for the turning kick, knee up, open hip out then extend leg. Much as what I did in the morning session yesterday except you extend the leg and hold the knee. I've been wanting to hold the knee but can't reach without sacrificing my hip position so Pete gave me directions on how to hold by dobok trousers to get the same effect. Holding at the knee instead of the ankle reduces the chance of the knee pointing down.

Then onto kicks, first pendulum half turning, this is when you swing (or thrust) your hips forwards so you back leg swings at the same time as our front leg kicks. when done correctly it leads to a faster half turning. 15 on each leg.

Then turning kicks (shoulder to head height) these still need work but are getting better. Need to work on the hips and how to move the standing foot as when I get to a certain point I role onto my toes. 15 each leg.

(I should probably say, then the partner goes - we aren't stupidly hardcore!)

Then two half turnings mid air. Now theseare done slightly differently to my last club (I think, although it could be a case that I just wasn't aware we do it this way)

Whereby you to the first kick off back leg then its as your knee is bending your launch into the second kick. Hence making sure you turn your hips each time and it makes the kick faster as your don't so much jump as do two kicks. 20 of those. (2 kicks = 1)

Then onto (after some confusion on the name) spinning half turning kicks. He told me to make sure I moved through the kick and for the first 10 (until I was knackered) the movement was a lot better than usual and I'm starting to feel my hips moving more.

I think this is not so much new club (although new club, exercises do help highlight some things) but also its because I'm really fully aware of all those things. I think in 3rd year with dissertation tkd became one of those things I did and I was more into the friends than the competitions. now I really want to improve my kicks and get my black belt and although the social aspect of it is good, I'm doing it to really improve technique. It may not look as good in some respects as before, but the technique is getting better.

Then we did poomsae (the set of technical moves), we went through Koryo a couple of times, in chunks(it was taught like this at Lancaster and I liked it so I asked the black belt teaching it to me to keep going back and it was very much ba, ba ba, ba, ba type affair as I was picking up not only the moves but the rhythms.

Then onto self defense, we did knife defense for ten minutes, because I haven't done much knife defense before, we are still laying out the groundwork, so attach to stomach, the instand move the stomach out the way, thrust the arms forward in a slightly different type of x fist block, twist the arm around in 2 directions (depending what arm is on top),hold at the wrist, open the thumb out, tack the knife from the weakest point. Getting faster at it and more sturdy. This is the main move where it all comes from so I think Pete really wants me to get it right. This was again done with partners taking it in turns, only with right hand coming from inside and ourtside of the body. The other two who have done it a lot more did more realistic stuff but there's no point doing that until I can do the basics :) (which are twisting the wrist to a lock type position and playing against the weakest part of the hand)

Then as always a bit of conditioning, tonight it was 25 squats on one leg while balancing using a radiator, and then the other leg and then 50 sit ups middle, left, right.

Then we did stretching as normal as a warm down and then left!

So another good 2 hour session over! Intense but excellent to learn things which were a bit different to the norm, it was a good self defense lesson all round actually (apart from kick techniques though thats still good for defense) as the punchs and kicks which weren't for taekwondo competition were for a street fight situation.

Tomorrow... Hopefully photos of how much kicks and stretches have progressed in a week.

x

Day Seven: Monday 7th December 2009

Morning! well, 9:25, thats quite good for me.

First stop, new morning regime as promised.

normal hand and feet exercises.

10 knee raises (bent knee) each leg (no hop)

this is done in front of a full length mirror to check I'm not bending over each time.

then ten with hops.

4o seconds lifting the knee up each leg.

10 knee raises placing the foot behind afterwards in stead of in front

10 leg raises (knee straight(ish))

10 behind

10 side kick (but not high as not warm)

Behend knees, feet together, circular motion.

bend knees bounce, straighten knees bounce.

exercise number one:

Turning kick

Liftleg up, move it across so its in turning kick position with the knee bent

Open out the hips, push them forwards then try and bring the knee up higher.

Number two:

Side kick

lift your knee, move it so its at right angles to your standing foot and right ables to the floor.

Don't hold the leg, but instead try to raise it higher while having your hip half open and your feet in the right shape, heel and outside part forward.

20 squats

back straight.

3+ 4: from the solo training book:

6 squat front snap kicks on the spot.

Side kick position on a chair5 chair reps, straightening bending. oh my word hard.

warm down

time is 9:55.

So that was my first half hour morning session.

On reflection, I think I need to either go for a run or book one of the uni halls in the morning because there wasn't really enough time or space to get warm. When swinging my legs I was reaching the other end of my room!

But I guess after xmas I will be getting better at these exercises and adding more so can have an hour doing it and just book a room. :)

Wow, most of the post done by 10! Ill publish it but add my meals throughout the day :)

Food diary:

Breakfast:

2 weetabix, milk, raisons

Glass of juice.

break:

1 square dark chocolate

Lunch:

sandwich , packet of crisps, kit kat

break:

sultanas, apple, pear, cinnamon

dinner:

lasagne

fruit pastels (opps)

late splurg:

5 squares dark chocolate (oooppps)

so not great, think i need to either have no chocolate in the house and no money to buy from vending or have alternative snacks :)

Day Six: Sunday 6th December 2009

So if we could have a title for most hardcore session, I think we would now have a winner! Sundays are always quite hardcore with Pete (our head instructor) and today with 5 guys I definitely felt the challenge.

Warm up was standard, warm arms, legs, run around room, knees behind, knees up, facing inwards, outwards, criss cross, backwards, forwards. Then 'dynamic' stretching, this means raising the leg in a back kick position 12 on each, then front position 12 each then side position. You don't bend your leg on any, keep back straight and position feet correctly for the side kick and push hips forwards. Then bend your knees and circle and then bend one leg then the other , go right down on each then into box splits. Simple!

The pad work, this goes on for around an hour and is pretty hardcore. Things include: half turning hop half turnings same leg one way, other going back. Cutting kick, back kick, slip spinning back kick, oh and the killer, 1 turning kick then 1 followed by 1, then one followed by 2 then 1 followed by two followed by three back leg, then repeat but the three are from your front leg! we did many many of these exercises.

Then we did conditioning, starting in squat position we did a front snap kick back to squat right the way down the room (or gym as I should say) then we did 30 sit up type things and then we walked across the room while on all fours doing pres ups (weird and killer!) then we did squat turning kick.

Then stretching way usual and we ended by sitting down, legs open, push hips out, then lean towards one side with someone (after being instructed how to do it safely) pushing forward on your back making you go down further.

So there ends todays session. Absolutely killer, hadn't had enough water or I think food. (maybe it was lack of carbohydrate - or because everyne else was male!) and I wasn't happy with my kicks, from tomorrow am starting my new morning hip and feet regime stretch!

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New Edition to the blog of goodness: Food section:

Breakfast:

2 Weetabix, Sultanas (one fruit)

Lunch:

(don't judge, I don't have a lot of food left and I want to use it up before xmas)

Mash potato with cheese and sweetcorn on riveta. (1 veg)

1 Kitkat (2 fingers)

1 glass of apple/banana juice. (1 fruit)

1 cup of coffee

breaktime:

apple, pear, raison cinnamon

Dinner:

lasagne (small portion)

2 slices white bread toast (using it up)

broccoli

3 jaffa cakes.

So have begun to cut down on the sheer amount of wheat I'd have a day and got my fruit and veg for the day :D yay :D

good point to note - I had proper coffee today (instead of decaf) and yes, I still am very sensitive to caffine. Good to know!

Day Five: Saturday 5th December 2009

Whoop! Caught up with my days now :D (and watched three episodes of criminal minds at the same time). So yesterday me and my classmates figured that my diet is absolutely terrible. In a matter of moths I've gone from eating a relatively healthy but not fab diet to eating utter rubbish!!!!

Example of a days food:

Breakfast:

2 pieces of white cheap bread with spread

2/3 weetabix with sugar and semi skimmed milk

= around 400 calories

breaktime:

2 chocolate bars

187 + 240 = 427

Lunchtime:

2 cheese sandwiches, 4 slices of bread and cheese

= around 450 calories

Kit kat

=107 calories

Breaktime:

packet of crisps , chocolate bar

240 + 504

Tea time:

A pizza, chocolate bar

850 + 205

3/4 cups of decaf coffee with milk

total for the day

850+205+ 504 + 240+107+ 187+240+400 = 2733 calories at least with no veg.

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Oh dear dear dear dear.

So my aim is to cut down chocolate and pizza and everything...

I started off my watching you are what you eat but everyone is overweight and doesn't exercise so its not like I can really relate and anyway, its a shit money making scheme.

So, proposed plan:

Breakfast:

Cut down to 2 weetabix with milk

1 wholemeal piece of toast

Breaktime:

appled and pear

Lunch time

1 sandwich with cheese (wholemeal)

Token kit kat

not entirely sure what else but that won't fill me up

Breaktime:

Banana

Teatime:

small pasta based something ready for taekwondo

Dinner:

Small meal either I make or at Darwin. NOT PIZZA but to include at least 2 vegetables.

still coffees as long as they are decaf, more water, maybe some fruitjuice?

I don't have a lot of money so I need to look at tescos and decide what I can afford. May become veggie as I don't want to compromise with cheap non-free range meat.

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I need to be aware that I need at least 2500 calories, more on days I do taekwondo :)

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p.s. oh and got my first chocolate craving... made apple, sultana and cinnamon...