you don't need to be prepare your fitness to start a martial arts program. You can make the martial arts part (or all) of your fitness program.

Hmm. The thing is that in Egypt, I don't know how many good Martial Arts teachers we have. I mean, there are lots of karate instructors, but they seem to be largely macho Egyptians who terrorise the kids. So I probably wouldn't be looking at starting a martial arts program in the immediate future. Probably.

Also, I really do need to prepare my fitness - psychologically and emotionally, if not physically. I've never, at least since I started Junior school at 7 years of age and promptly piled on some weight (very stupid response to being picked on, but there you are), felt confident about my physical appearance or abilities. All the cliches about being the last kid picked for the team blah blah blah - my body image is just this awful, painful issue that I try to ignore and not care about simply because it feels so humiliating and hopeless. I have more respect and admiration than I can readily express for your own ethos and athleticism, and I realise that I may well be coming across as a whining idiot, but I know how I tick. I've got a lifetime of NO positive associations with exercise. (And this whole thing of being fuckedup about physical control and abilities extends even to something as non-athletic as singing - I just expect to humiliate myself when it's a case of trying to build/use/demonstrate physical competence & skills in front of other people. I KNOW it's insane, but I've got all this baggage that I have to work through.)

Er. So in short, I think that I need to build up a lot more confidence and belief in my own strength, flexibility and abilities and so forth, because otherwise I'll either flee or default to my Incapable Clown Girl setting (if I'm laughing at myself first, and not taking it seriously, then I can't be truly gutted when I screw up, and the Other People can't belittle me if I've already got there first), rather than daring to take it seriously.

pops in

Congrats, Drew!! That's so awesome!

pops out

So the real question is, why is ita awake?

I think ita's headache is back in full force.

5K is very doable. I would stay at the 1/3 ratio for longer than a couple days though

This is the program I'm looking at; although I think I'd adapt it to cover 3 months rather than two, in deference to my extreme unfitness. In January I want to move on from the Treadmill to using weights, but I'm thinking about trying this running stuff instead/as well.

Hey, PC!

Fay, I so totally get that. And hey, I was picked last for every team (well, me and the girl who had polio) even BEFORE I decided to deal with junior high by eating steadily.

I started martial arts before I learned to run, and it was a horrible and demoralizing experience. Now I know that's mainly because I had the wrong kind of teacher, but then I just quit. And started fencing, which was better, but really not my thing. Whatever physical skills I have, they don't lend themselves to fencing.

I did drop some pounds and build some endurance fencing, though, and due to that and other reasons I decided to start running. Which helped with EVERYTHING. I'd never been able to run around the block, let alone 5k.

I will say that ita's right, though - I've been to three dojos (and taught at one of them) where you didn't need any kind of physical fitness or expertise to start and get better. Judo can burn 800 calories/hour if done solidly, and you get muscle tone. But it is tough to find these dojos, and I've never found any like them "overseas" (one was in York, two in the States).

Weightlifting's another good confidence-builder. That (and exercise biking) were actually my first love. The great thing about weight training is that while you feel all macho doing it, and get to sit down a lot, it helps burn fat - an ounce of muscle tissue "eats" the same number of calories as a pound of fat, so if you are constantly asking your body for muscle, the calories you eat go to the muscle rather than the fat.

Gosh, I'm wordy today.

I think I'm getting a cold. My throat is sore and my head is fuzzy.

Yay!

Hey all. Thanks for awesome PICTURES OF VICTORY, Drew! Or as I like to call them, Victures. Or, Pictory. The jury's still out on that one.

Can I request some ~ma for my Grandma? She is having a hard, hard time these past few months since she packed up her life and left her home of 40+ years, and moved to a assisted lviing/condo type place. She is scared, and lonely, and in a lot of physical misery and discomfort (I think it's a family trait for stress and anxiety to manifest in GI problems). She asked me to pray for her and ask God to help her get through this. I don't know that I believe in God, but I definitely believe in Buffistas, so I thought I'd ask for some powerful ~ma to head Mary's way.

Much ~ma for Mary...and some prayers too, just for good measure.

I don't think I'm going to get this quiz done. Ah, one more thing to turn in late. Hee!

Hmm. Thanks for that, Raq - that's another encouraging story about running. I mean, I know it's not a particularly interesting activity, but the simple process of engaging in physical activity and NOT hating it/feeling like a failure is very new and quite exciting in and of itself. So I think I'll maybe have a crack at running in January, then, and perhaps work out a Weight program with a personal trainer for once a week or so. Maybe. Because I'd like to develop some upper body strength.

I'm only planning on being in Egypt for another year and a half; after that it's probably going to be the Far East, or India, or the States. Maybe then I'll be in a location where I can try fencing/martial arts.

Much ~ma for Grandma Mary.