Boxing is one of my favorite activities during my personal training sessions. I enjoy it so much that my trainer usually saves it for the last part of our session, and uses it as an incentive when I want to get out of doing other more onerous exercises, such as squats, push-ups or burpees.
Why do I love boxing?
It makes me feel powerful.
It’s also an effective stress reliever.
I can only focus on the task at hand, and all the thoughts that are weighing on my mind fly out of my head with each punch.
It also reminds me how far I’ve come in my fitness journey.
Three years ago, I started personal training sessions to alleviate severe back pain. Now, to be able to do a relatively high impact exercise, that involves pain free twisting and turning feels miraculous.
I was at the grocery store, and the cashier kept insisting that I should download the new version of their APP on my phone. I said, I’ll think about it, thanks.
She explained the new features while she was ringing up my weekly shop, she continued to tout its virtues while swiping my credit card for payment… and made a closing argument as I was lifting my bag away to leave. I realized that I was nodding along, and politely waiting for her to finish. Once she did, we both stood there for a second.
I finally found my wits and said. No, thanks.
She looked at me and blinked. We were both a little taken aback.
In that second I felt a wave of guilt, thinking… oh, I may have hurt her feelings. I could just download it and delete it later.
I shifted my bag of groceries to my other shoulder and fished for my phone in my tote bag. When I looked up again, she had already begun her pitch on the next customer.
This type of interaction happens a lot. And I always feel like I need to come up with an excuse to be polite. But today I realized that while being polite is always necessary, I don’t need to waste mental energy coming up with an excuse. Instead, just a simple:
In the spirit of trying new things this year, I decided to join my friend at a new “Gyrokinesis” class. I arrived in class, after work, with yoga mat and water bottle in hand, not exactly sure what to expect. We spent a few minutes lying down in the quiet classroom, while waiting for everyone to arrive.
Then the instructor guided us through a series of gentle stretches and movements, transitioning from lying down, to sitting up, to sitting on a stool.
After the first session, I couldn’t believe it! An entire hour of just breathing, stretching… and exercises that could be done sitting down!
The best part is, the process was so relaxing that I slept soundly that night…and I couldn’t wait for the next class.
This week, the instructor said:
It’s your choice.
You decide… which side do you feel like needs more stretching. How high do you want to extend your arms? How far do you want to go?
At the start of 2022, I challenged myself to try 12 new experiences. The first experience that I tried was pottery. While I was truly unprepared for the sheer amount of joy that I would derive from the craft, I knew I wanted to be prepared to make time for it in my schedule. My instinct is always to schedule work tasks in first, and work everything else around that. For years, this was the norm. And to be honest, it made me miserable and resentful because by the time I got around to my joyful activity, I was often too tired to really engage in it, or to even enjoy it.
This season, I decided I wanted to break the cycle. I wanted to try to prioritize joyful activities. So I wrote in my planner, pottery on Tuesday afternoons. In pen.
The first Tuesday, it felt truly strange to be leaving the office while the sun was still out.
A few Tuesdays later, it starts feel more normal. To turn off my computer, to hustle people out of my office, and to head out to the pottery studio in the light of the day.
Ready to throw.
A few more Tuesdays later, it starts to feel delightful. To know which tasks to finish beforehand, to schedule some tasks for later in the week, to say no to superfluous activities, or to stop mindless chitchat that would take me away from my time at the studio.
While I am at the studio, I am fully there. Throwing is a process that engages mind and body. With each turn of the wheel, with my hands around the clay, I can feel my mind calm down, and the tension from my shoulders shift.
By the time I leave, the sun has set. The streets are quiet, and I feel full and content.
It’s been awhile. But I think I’m ready to come back.
For a long time, I wasn’t sure what to write, or when to write it. But then, this morning I read this article, about taking care of your blog, and I was inspired to pop back in and say hello.
I’m not quite sure where this blog will be going. As you may know, it started out as a blog documenting desserts. But now my interests have shifted and expanded. So for now, I’ll just start.
August literally started off with a bang. I was shaken rudely from sleep in the early morning by an earthquake that sent my clock bouncing off the wall, and my books helter-skelter. I opened the door to my bathroom to find that the strength of the earthquake had actually tipped over my de-humidifier, and there was water all over the floor. The earthquake was followed by a typhoon, and a few days of unstable weather.
To be honest, my eating habits have gone a bit haywire lately. Part of it is because of my work schedule, and the other part is largely attributed to poor planning. The result is that more often than not, I cobble together meals from 7-11, or I eat takeaways more than I should. Neither is a nutritious long term solution, and I felt like I needed a healthier alternative. A few weeks ago, I tried a local food delivery service called “EatSmart.” EatSmart lets you select from three different programs: Slim, Well-Being and Lift. Each program has a different goal- Slim is to lose weight, Well-Being is to keep healthy, and Lift is to gain mass. (I decided to go with the Slim program)
Ordering ready made meals still takes a little planning because you have to figure out a few days in advance what you want to eat, but otherwise the process is very hands-off. Place an order online, and food is delivered to your doorstep, with a $90 delivery fee.
Oops. I forgot to do a monthly roundup for June! So…this post will be a combination of June and July. I don’t know if it’s middle age (groan) or just because I have too much on my mind (it’s must be that) but lately, my mind has been like a sieve. Sometimes I take a peek back at the monthly roundups and can’t quite remember that it happened. Writing these posts are definitely a good exercise in reflection for me.
Something I want to always remember from this month, is that I received an extremely useful piece of advice: Focus on the smallest changes that make the biggest differences.
Ciao desserts! 「 焦點心 」 