This week's classes

I went to yoga on Tuesday and enjoyed it.  It seemed slightly easier than last week but I still need to work on my triceps if I don't want to end up nose butting the floor. Japanese last night was a challenge.  I found the room too hot, the other students frustrating and judgemental and generally was in a muff. I rushed my dinner beforehand and was thirsty so maybe it was all just a bad mood.  I've been doing my homework most days and that's really made a difference.  I can tell the time quite well and write hiragana more quickly.  I was annoyed at myself that I still struggle with あります　and where to put に and が so next week I'll make sure I shop less and sit down and eat properly.  I'll revise a few chapters this week, too.

This week's classes

On Monday, I drove to and from work and felt very fat and lazy for it.  I decided to go for a walk around the village and stopped to have a look at the local notice board.  There was an advert for a new yoga class that was starting the next day. I decided to give it a go as my street dance class isn't running this term and I haven't been for a run since the race. I'm told yoga really complements running as it stretches out all the muscles and builds core and upper body strength.  The class was really fun (and turned out to be free for the first go) so I'm going to sign up for a block.  I've been feeling for a long time my arms are puny and my core is pretty puny too.  I managed to participate in the whole class though and didn't collapse under my own body weight in downward facing dog even though we must have formed that position a hundred times.

Last night I went to my second Japanese lesson of the year.  It was very exciting as we started off with talking about food and looking at pictures of food.  These included a speciality of hiroshima, sponge cakes in the shape of maple leaves.  Maple leaves change colour to a beautiful red in Autumn and form the focus of autumn leaf watching in Japan.  Hiroshima and Miyajima are supposed to be particularly good places for koyo watching and now I know how to ask for custard filled sponge instead of the standard red bean paste flavour.  I've eaten red bean paste before and although it wasn't unpleasant enough to stop me from finishing the brioche it was hiding in, it will be nice to have the choice. 

After discussing how dangerous it is to eat rice based sweets, we were introduced to some new verbs.  eating, drinking, watching, listening, working, studying, reading, jogging.  Jogging's a good one - jogingu o shimasu.

あさごはん　を　たべます
eating breakfast

ねます
going to sleep

わたし　は　ごご　じゅじはん　に　ねます
watshi wa gogo juji han ni nemasu
I go to bed at 10.30pm.

Shimasu means to do and can be added to other words:
しごと　を　します
べんきょお　を　します　
working and studying

わたし　は　にほんご　の　べんきょお　を　します
I study Japanese!

There was plenty of vocabulary to learn and I needed to revise times too so plenty of work to be done this week.  I made a homework chart and bought stickers to motivate everyone to study every day.  i felt a bit mean for harassing Helen-san last week so hopefully this made up for it.

Fitness

I have sampled both of my new exercise dvds now and have aching thighs and arms to show for it.  Of the two, I managed to watch 20 minutes out of 50 of the pilates dvd, participating in at most a third of it, and about 30 minutes of the ballet dvd. 

Tuesday night - Pilates dvd: I watched the intro, arms section and the belly section.  The arms section used weights, which I have, and frankly they were not needed.  I know my arms are feeble but I struggled to do any of the exercises even with my tiddly little weights.  I think they are 1kg each but will check.  The dvd was very fast (I'm a real plodder as my "running" log will testify) but I decided not to bother pausing it as I was really only doing recon.  I had seen some crazy looking moves on the dvd home page, so I wasn't surprised when the belly section was practically impossible.  I couldn't really get into the beginning postures.  At this stage, I began to think I should have ordered the beginners' dvd and this is something I'm going to continue to consider.  I then went out to dinner and had swordfish, which I haven't had in ages and it was yummy.

Wednesday night - ballet dvd: I thought about going out for a bike ride instead of trying the dvd but it was a bit drizzly and I'm not unduly concerned about falling off.  I know people say you never forget, but I have a very special bike that is really wobbly until you get going and I haven't used it for three years.  The ballet dvd turns out to be exactly what I wanted and is very hardcore.  SERIOUSLY.  I was thinking, maybe I have strong legs as I do all that run/walking, but really not.  I think I suffer a bit from living in a very flat village.  For years, I lived at the top of hills, so my daily walk home involved striding upwards carrying my little backpack.  It was a real bitch, I tell you, but must have done me more good than I realised at the time. Any strength developed back then, and trekking in the mountains on my gap year, has all eroded in favour of sitting in my car.  So, I tried to join in all the exercises, but wobbly thighs made them impossible after about 25 minutes so I stopped.  I also noticed that simple holding my arms up in graceful-ballet-poses really made them ache! No wonder I can't lift weights, I barely have strength to lift my own arms! This was all enough of a challenge to leave me feeling like I'd tried hard and looking forward to next time.  And I did prance around my flat afterwards, holding my stomach in and head up for the rest of the evening so I could say I saw instant results. 

Tonight it's time for a run and I'm looking forward to seeing if my achy thighs make running harder or if the running eases the pain.  Also, tonight is knitting night (gosh, it's moved to Thursday which normally is a busy day for me anyway) in a place that also sells cake. I'll take the blanket along but I'll really have to concentrate because I don't want anymore ripping incidents.

Keeping up the good work

It was raining on my walk home so I manage to go out for a bike ride after work.  I'll try to tomorrow instead.  So, today to keep up my good work, I dug out my evil wii fit plus.  This delights in telling me I'm overweight and need to reduce my bmi to a level it hasn't been since my wedding.  I don't find it motivational and I don't find it an effective fitness tool but I do like using it occasionally for the yoga.  It also has a diary function that I might start using as I'm trying to exercise something extra every day. The yoga is quite limited and I haven't used many of the muscle exercises as I'm too weedy to even start them.  I do like variety though so have decided to try a few exercise dvds.  The first one I'm going to order is Element: Ballet conditioning which is cheap and has good reviews on Amazon. I'm also going to try 10 Minute Solution: Pilates Perfect Body.  We shall see.  Maybe I haven't learnt my lesson yet about buying cheap things with good reviews.  I've returned the tablet as it wouldn't play my videos properly in any format.  I think if I replace it I'll stick to an ipod touch (if I decide tiny portability is the priority) or an ipad (if I prefer extra screen size and have money to burn).  I only really want these for when I'm on holiday and don't have another planned until November so I can save it and keep deciding. And even then, I've been on plenty of holidays with neither, so perhaps I'll decide not buy anything else.