Day 90 - Gambarimashita!

Welcome to my peak! For those of you outside Japan, 'gambarimashita' means 'I did my best!'
I'm proud of what I've done with the help of this awesome program, the guidance of Chen and Patrick, and of course, my fellow PCPers. As I stand at the peak, I look across at the rest of my gang standing on their own mountain tops, people I have to thank  - Kristi, Yeeman, Ricky, Shirley, Paul, Jon, and all of the other people who helped me so much. I shout and give them a wave of triumph. We made it!

This long post is in eight parts


1. My banner
2. The PCP mindset
3. PCPing and a better planet
4. PCPing and feminism
5. PCPing and relationships
6. The next adventure
7. Thank you
8. Conclusion


1. My banner


Diet


This was without a doubt the most satisfying part of the PCP and one that I felt most secure about. I had already done some online coaching to improve my eating habits, but PCPing went much further. Weighing food became second nature, making bento boxes a pleasure, shopping meant I saved a load of money. 


I thought, erroneously, that PCP-ing would have me cutting back, but was delighted to be told to eat more. Patrick and Chen grasped from my photos that I have a body type (ectomorph, hard-gainer) I'd need to 'keep the tank very full'. I ate and I ate and I ate. Lots of fish, lots of eggs, piles of veg, carbs in moderation. Comments from colleagues on my food included


'Are you feeding the cat?' (on seeing a plate of veggies and fish)


'What is this, voodoo?' (on seeing me separate an egg yolk)


'Are you really losing weight on this diet?' (Again, on seeing a plate of veggies, bread, fish). 


It really is a relief to know that I can eat well and enjoy it. 


Two tips:


1. Eat food, not too much, mainly plants (Michael Pollan)
2. If man made it, don't eat it


Of course, we can't live by this 100 per cent, but in today's food environment, we need to think this way!

Food eaten out adapted for PCPing by ordering extra veg!

Brown rice sushi roll, a la Youtube. Egg inspired by St. George

Fitness


Doing jump rope everyday strengthens your heart muscles, lungs, and teaches better breathing. On day 90 I belted out my record 630 odd jumps in a row very comfortably. After week 1, my jinga (the basic step in capoeira) got much more fluid and powerful. The diet of wholefoods really helped me feel lighter and more like exercising and moving. 

Better fitness = better breathing

Better breathing = better voice

(One tip I hope you won't judge me for...Sleep in workout clothes, so you don't have any time to waste for morning jump rope!)


Strength


I upped my muscle percentage with alot of work. I pushed myself hard during workouts to feel a good burn. And did my best to get enough sleep, so my muscles would build. Now I feel a real solidity to my body where before I was just soft. It's an awesome feeling and I plan to continue to build my muscles. I was most pleased with how my shoulders developed, but also with my torso and arms. The exercises I found hardest were the legups, press ups, pullups. Legups got better and turned into good V-sit ups. Pressups made me feel like GI Jane. Pullups are in my future!


Three tips for building muscle


1. Go after a strong burn. Days when you just get through should be the exception. 
2. Sleep! The weeks I skimped on sleep showed poorer muscle growth. 
3. Expect a cycle of energy and slump. Muscle tissue gets shredded before reforming as new muscle. 

Capoeira


Doing so much for the PCP (expect to spend a lot of time shopping/cooking/cleaning!) meant that my capoeira time got cut back. However, my instructor Cacapa and I can see a difference. I'm more confident, my moves are stronger and more decisive, and I ask more questions. I need to now work on my musicality and learn the instruments for the roda. 

Barbara Stanwyck


I chose her for her sassiness and poise. As the weeks went on, the people in my group and the people who were ahead, especially Chris and Molly, became my role models. Thank you!


2. The PCP mindset (A-E-I-O-U)


A = Animal. 


Wild animals eat when they need food and they eat what is needed. They move and rest at the right time. They do not eat for comfort, worry about their appearance, step on scales or any other nonsense. 
Their main characteristic is functional excellence. Human animals have the ability to know what to eat, how much to rest, and move for a healthy life. 


E = Educated


The paradox of modern life with processed foods and sedentary lifestyles is that modern humans have a distorted relationship with their bodies. During the PCP program we learn a lot of important information on how to care for our most precious gift. Topics such as muscle growth, how to eat well, hydration, exercise, mind/body, sleep. I've really enjoyed this part of the PCP. Patrick, you have a real gift for explaining how the body works in a way that is both accessible, and awe-inspiring. 


I = Intuitive


The way that we apply this knowledge is going to be largely intuitive. I think I have a relaxed confidence in my body now. I trust that it will tell me when something needs adjusting. I just have to listen.


O = Optimistic


Having a strong and intimate understanding of my body can only make me more optimistic about life in general. Of course, bad things happen - the biggest earthquake in Japan's history happened on my Day 11. However, for a lot of people, including myself, the discipline of the PCP was very grounding. And the endorphines of a great workout or skipping session are better than any night of drinking! 


U = Understanding


We've all fallen from the PCP wagon in some way shape or form. And we signed up for this thing! So while we've gone through some radical changes, we won't judge others (or ourselves come to that) when we see people eating badly or not exercising. We can share what we've learnt with those who really want to know and ask. Live by example, stay chilled!

Educated, intuitive, optimistic, understanding, ANIMALS

3. PCP-ing for a better planet


If everyone did the PCP at some point we'd see


1. More demand for a variety of whole foods. Perhaps more biodiversity. 
2. Lower rates of life-style related diseases, diabetes, heart disease, cancers. 
3. Greater happiness all round

A PCP-ed out world? Nice thought. 

4. PCP-ing and feminism

PCP-ing puts women in charge of how they look and feel, plus cheering on other women. 

"Well, I think I look nice" Julia Roberts as Erin Brokovich

5. PCP-ing and relationships


PCP-ing will raise your expectations of yourself and others. This usually is a good thing, but if a relationship isn't working out, then you'll probably find yourself doing a bit of rethinking. And you'll feel pretty vulnerable too. 


Tip: Use the blogs to make connections, relax, have fun, and get support. Because sometimes, you just won't get it from people you want it from. 


Generally, PCP-ing will be good for relationships by making you a more open and relaxed person. 

Who can resist us?

6. The next adventure


I want to learn and do more with capoeira, get a real career in radio, travel more. Maybe to Kristi's house as she seems to be a good cook and knows some interesting places. I also want to get a meditation practice going. I think this will be an investment for life; just like the PCP has been. 

7. Thank you 

Deep gassho to Patrick and Chen for your insight, plans, encouragement. Patrick, I appreciate you working out with me at the end of a heavy Sunday schedule. 


To all my fellow PCP-ers who made me laugh, encourage me, made me think, inspired. Good luck with the next journey!


To my colleagues, especially Tracy, Russell, and Joy, for encouragement, practical advice, and taking photos. 


To Hayden, for the encouraging emails and being an awesome listener. 

No trouble keeping balance after PCP!?

To my friends at Bantus Capoeira Japan, Cacapa, Bolinha, Abelinha, Cafune. 
You'll see much more of me at class now!


8. Conclusion from Oscar Wilde

'Nothing should reveal the body, but the body'

Day 80 - Report for Day 79 (Weds)

Just a quick post here, as I want to look at how you guys are doing!

1. Work out

The exercises were hard work, but doable. Going a bit faster through the sets meant my muscles were still warm and it made it easier, not harder. Rope jumping...hmmm. I change my style and pattern alot to keep away the pain in my legs! According to Patrick's mail yesterday, 'less is more' re movement. The clockwatching was about 4 times on the first set, 2 on the second, and 1 on the third when I remembered I wasn't supposed to do it.

I'd say the WO was a GMA given the long day previously and the slight lack of sleep. Pat on the back there.

2. Nutrition

Some advance planning on Monday and Tuesday meant I had a  homemade bento ready before I moved from my regular office to the studio before reading the lunch time news! This is a suprising strong suite for me. Hit all my grams, no nasties.

3. Sleep - went from getting home around 10.20 ish to LO at 11.15. Saying 'no' to some time to myself was hard, but I did. And good sleep is time to myself in a way because it makes me more present when I am awake the next day. At least, that's the argument I make to my toddler mind! Got up at 6.15, so 7 hours. I could have done with more, but it was enough as I got a seat on the trains.

I enjoyed not just PCPing yesterday, but the sun, my great colleagues at my regular job and at NHK, reading the lunchtime news, and Spring in Tokyo!

Congratulations to all on reaching Day 80! This is a landmark and the 'T' minus countdown begins.

Day 78 - An assay on fitness, muscles, and sex

(This is a long post I drafted at the weekend - feel free to come back to it!)


A definition of 'FIT' as it is used in British English.


FIT: (Adjective) Attractive, often sexually so. Said of a person or of their body, e.g., "See that guy at the bar? He's fit. I think I'll ask if he wants a dance."


How do fitness, sexiness, and muscles come together? It's going to get a little steamy here...


Physical power


When we are fit we carry ourselves well, move well, and move with greater power and control. I'll also add that when you do muscle work, experiencing a burn and pushing yourself, you gain insight into how your body feels. One comment people make when they start exercising muscles is 'I hurt in places I didn't know I had'. When you can be strong and fit on your own, you have a lot to bring to the whole sexual experience. 


In Ken Robinson's wonderful TED Talk he talks about about the importance of teaching kids how to use their bodies and jokes about university professors 'They look upon their body as a form of transport for their heads'. Let's not be like that!


By knowing and pushing our bodies through challenging workouts, we learn more about who we really are. We have more to give to ourselves and the other person.


Women, run away from the circus and get really sexy

Patrick has gone into some detail on the post on the fitness/muscles/sex connection as it relates to men. I'd like him to do a post like that for women! Patrick, feeling brave?  Okay, I'll handle this one then....


One line of discussion for women doing the PCP is the effect of lost cup size as the body eats up fat from everywhere. Women have different feelings about this - I've certainly gone down, and I don't mind because, as Patrick said in the Q and A video, a lot of the chest exercises we do actually give us better posture and the 'inbuilt girdle', on the chest just under the breasts. 


I used to think that losing some cup size was a bit of a 'booby prize' if you'll excuse the pun, the tradeoff for my long awaited waist line. But here I am, several sizes smaller, along with other PCP ladies in the same position, and personally, I'm quite happy with how I look. 


Somewhere, somehow, women and men got the idea that big boobs are sexy and small ones are not. Sorry, I must have missed that email. I'm not making a case for or against any size. People like what they like, and that's all good. But in real life, what we think is sexy isn't always what we see in ourselves and the other person. Mainly because most of the time we learn to look outside ourselves for images of what is sexy. Stop all that. It's a moving target made up by the beauty industry to make you feel needy.

(As an aside, most PCP-ers experience a huge boost in the health of their skin because of the great natural food that is going in. Nothing to do with the magic potions that sit on the skin wasting our money. And good skin is verrrry sexy).



But, it's not just about looks is it? It's about movement, voice, smell, taste, touch, and the chemistry that is flying around. The best compliment I ever received was ten years ago now and it came from a completely blind guy in the UK who told me I was 'very attractive'. That kept me going for about a month and I still remember it. It was hugely liberating to realize that it is MORE than how you look.  


Being able to relax and enjoy yourself with your partner means letting go of unrealistic expectations and being cool with yourself. Who wants to make love in the dark or avoid a particular position because it shows something that you think is ugly or unsatisfactory? I don't see animals turning off the light yo!


Presence


I just said how having confidence in our bodies leads to a more relaxed attitude AKA you feel good naked. In Japan people go to onsen and get naked with family, friends, strangers, without any sense that there might be something odd about this. It isn't a sexual thing to be naked unless there is some intention.


So if sex is more than just nakedness, what is it? I think it is presence, intention, and the chemistry. When you are fit and healthy, you are not going to be asking or thinking tiresome questions like 'Do I look fat?' You'll just be relaxed in yourself and interested in the other. A false contradiction is to assume that caring about your body makes you unfeeling towards others. It isn't like this. Putting some time into your body means that your mojo works well. When you feel good, you are more attentive and sensitive, which makes everything, not just sex, way better.

Pleasure


I enjoyed my third indulgence this evening. Having strong muscles means that your metabolism is faster and you can enjoy the occasional treat without worrying about getting overweight. It's about balance - something I struggle with as you saw when I caved to my craving last Sunday. The ideal is to be able to savour the wonderful rich food we have access to in a way that is simple and free, not full of guilt and second guessing. The connection to sex should be obvious, right? Need I go on?


And finally, 


Happiness


Maintaining muscles and fitness stimulates endomorphines, the bodies free 'feel-good' pharmacy. Morrissey aside, most people who are basically happy (and I don't mean 'lala' here), have an inbuilt aura of 'What does she know?'. They tend to make other people happy too and this is attractive. And the sexiness of a happy person tends to be very unique to them. Someone who has presence, enjoys themselves, takes pleasure, and is physically fit...sounds like a sexually fulfilled person to me. 


What do you think?


This was not an easy post for me to write, but I think it was worth doing so.


I would love to know if you have any thoughts on the amazing connections between our fitness, muscles, mind, and sex! 

Day 75 - Oh happy day! Haiku

Scoff, quaff, pig-out, feast.
Indulgence three is here yo!
And ninety is nigh...

Indulgence of curry was followed by Hayden treating me to coffee in Starbucks. He had a doughnut-like sugary twist and a hot chocolate and I had two coffees with 'normal' milk because I had this puppy waiting for me at home...

Another fantastic cake from my beloved La Bess cake shop. I've never thought of myself as being a fan of cake until this project, but cakes with marron, dense cream cheese, matcha flavours, all really hit the spot. This one came from the end of the roll so it had a kind of crust that was almondy and had a hint of cocoa. I wanted to have an indulgence that had a kind of decadent evening at home feeling, so I ate this at about 1 am while watching 'I love you Philip Morris' and drinking ginger tea and it was heavenly.

It's so funny that during the PCP of all things, I have discovered a new pleasure in life! Cake! I used to think it was just for girls and old ladies eating scones and drinking tea. And yet, I'm happy to welcome this new taste into my life without fear of it taking over. Why? I've learnt to know when to say no to the thousand small temptations that will wreck my chances of eating well. 

Examples of pointless calorie consumption

1. Not having hot chocolate and choosing a straight coffee in Starbucks

2. Saying 'no thank you' to the tray of treats at work

3. Looking the other way and saying 'no thank you' when my boss waved a box of chocs under my nose 'Won't you just look at them?'

4. Not dumping a load of salad dressing onto vegetables.

And being honest about my weaknesses...

1. When I'm down my instinct is to hoover up salty and sweetened food. I need a plan of what to do instead of eating. 

2. I like to eat ALOT, to see a table and bowls, preferably two, of food. This is all fine, as long as it's veggies!

Going back to the indulgence, Patrick asked if there were any side effects. I did feel incredible happy. This is because of sugar. The first mouthful of the cake sent shivers of sugar down my legs, before I even started to chew it! Like a drug. And the best part of the curry was the texture of the cheese nan plus the slight bitterness of the spinach curry. Buttery and creamy. Although I spread out the curry and the dessert, the total creaminess of the evening made me a little queasy. 

One thing I am proud of is that I entertained the idea of some icecream (chocolate, Haagan Daz) to go with the cake, but I remembered how it felt when I had Indulgence 2, and decided against it. Knowing what to leave OUT so that I can taste and enjoy everything is a skill I'm going to work on. In fact, the curry would have been just perfect in itself last night, but I had an agenda...

Post PCP, I want to indulge responsibly, but with a sense of wanton abandon too! Giving myself to the pleasure, but without the feeling of hurry, as though it was my last meal!

Did you guys learn anything new? Or was it more a well-deserved treat?

Day 68 - The role of 'Ma' and chopsticks in weight loss

Well done those who identified the whale as a rest for chopsticks.

Here is one Yoko gave me, and it also brightens the table as a tiny vase.

Chopsticks are a very important tool for portion control - as Patrick said, you eat less. Or you learn to be satisfied with less. Japanese serve smaller portions, on smaller plates, and take their time over their meals.
This is not out of a sense of righteousness or a desire to diet. It is part of the cultural norm of eating well.

As PCP-ers, we have much to learn from the traditional Japanese attitude to food.

To eat well is to be reverent about food and that means eating faster or slower depending on our energy needs at the time. We often overestimate how quickly we need to eat and feel uncomfortable with a little bit of hunger. We see food and food images around us so much that our brains are constantly suggesting we eat - even when we don't need to! Modern people have stopped listening to the body. Cue the chopstick rest.

To listen to the body, we need a bit of 'ma' 間 or space. This is impossible if the chopsticks or fork or spoon constantly hovers over the food, like an eagle about to descend. Sometimes we need to 'rest the  chopsticks' (a Japanese idiom I think).

Inject a little space into meal times and it becomes easier to let the brain catch up with the stomach. I find there is a kind of quietening and calming that happens shortly after eating. It's a good feeling, tingly, and warm.

There are other things that the Japanese do - say a kind of grace 'ittadakimasu' before eating, which means 'I receive' and 'gocchisosama' after eating which, pleasingly enough, translates to 'it was a feast'.

Let's observe 'ma', the quietening when we receives vital energy from food. Be reverent, and take pleasure. It was a feast.

-------

PCP-wise, today was a strong day. Made two homemade obento and just about to enjoy my evening fruit. Did a 2.5 hour capoeira class which was gruelling, but very satisfying when Cacapa made us do planks that were shorter than the ones I'd done that morning!

And here's a shot of me skipping in the park on my lunch break yesterday.

Day 64 - Smell, remember, hope

What does this pile of cards have to do with my workout this morning? Another PCP-er (can't remember who!) said they turned over a card from a set. It saved them counting. I tried this today expecting it would be just helpful in the sense of counting. How wrong I was! It turned out to give me a huge dollop of motivation! In February I spent a wonderful long weekend in Hirosaki, Aomori with Tori and Kyle Sharpe (pictured in the middle). They were a truly inspiring couple in so many ways. They welcomed me and Trine (Teutonic beauty on right) into their home through the amazing social networking system for travellers, Couchsurfing. 

They could have just put us up, as per the terms of the agreement, but they went so much further, driving us to Mount Iwaki for snowboarding, arranging lessons, lending me their snow suit, cooking French toast, showing us round Hirosaki's snow festival, taking us to local haunts for yakisoba. They are hardcore snowboarders (Kyle is a teacher) as well as being into all manner of other sports like football, inline skating, wrestling (Tori was a trainer in the US). Both of them are in terrific shape, and they introduced me to eating eggs everyday (they could be PCP-ers). Looking at the cards of Amori reminded me of them and the great time I'd had and how I admired their gutsy grab-life-by-the-throat attitude. And hoped that one day, I'd have musculature like Tori's! The lady is a champ and one of my inspirations. 

Kyle impressed me by saying 'Lots of people say they're into something, but they just do it once every two weeks. When we say 'we're into boarding' we go like two or three times a week'. 

PCP-ing every day entitles me to say honestly 'I'm into caring for my body'. 

Finally, as you know yesterday was a bit of a blah day for me. I bought some lilies on the way home from work and put one of the flowers by my gas hobs. Like lots of people in Tokyo, cooking space is very limited. I don't have an oven or microwave, just two ring burners. And sometimes I use an electric cooker pot, but not that often. Recently, I've felt a bit oppressed by the lack of space, need to constantly wash and put away and the smell of eggs, their shells, the left over yolks - you know how it is. I did a big clean up on Sunday, and that with the flowers has made me feel excited about being in this space again. The container behind is where I keep the leftovers food as I go along...

Our sense of smell is vital to how well we feel. 

Would you judge me if I said I sometimes put on perfume before working out? Very French, huh?

Day 54 - (Over) Indulgence 2

So the mission to consume 700 - 800 calories was successful!

The Chosen One was a 'Queen of Marron Dessert' that was just heavenly. I'd planned to eat it with a matcha taiyaki, thinking that it would be about the right no. of calories. Of course, when I biked to the shop, they didn't have matcha, so I consumed a 'soycream' one. That was fairly indifferent and salty. The best thing about that was the bit of thick pancake around the tail and the first 3 bites.

I had my best buddy, Hayden, over to have lunch (home made sushi rolls!) and join me on the indulgence, so I lied to myself decided to share some matcha icecream. He had an apple caramel pie and I had to nag him to let me sit down and join him otherwise he'd have finished eating before me! The matcha icecream wasn't his thing, so I put it in the fridge for later  consumed all of it myself. OINK.

The marron and icecream was truly a wonderful combination - slightly bitter and green creaminess against the nutty and slightly lemony notes, and lighter cream of The Chosen One.

I'd say the cheesecake last time gave me a bigger hit. But then I'd already slashed up some taste buds with the salt from the taiyaki. When it comes to indulgences, simpler is best for me.

I got a bit of leg tingling and after eating Hayden asked 'You okay?' as I had my head in my hands. I was TIRED from that food.

The original plan was to go to the Sassy Girl dance class and then come back but there was champagne and cake for someone's birthday. Obviously, the smart move would be to ask for a small slice of cake and put my glass of fizz down in the general mingling. Obviously, I did not take that option. I'll be posting pictures later.

Came back to my home station, biked home, and jumped in the rain. Had a really good session - in the rain and wind, got into the groove I'd missed for a couple of weeks. See how much the sugar helped!
That took away some of the mild disgust I felt about having the cake and champagne. This wasn't really in the BF wedding type celebration and I could've handled it much better! And one more confession - last night I overate about 30 g. of protein in the form of small dried fish in sesame. It was just the same as eating a bag of potato crisps in terms of chasing the taste in my mouth.

I have questions about life post PCP - like 'Do we schedule treats in once in a while?' and the big one 'Can I be trusted?' Because I really don't want to go back to where I was two years ago. Food is good, life is short, but the pleasure of taste is shorter and more transient than the joy of a body that is in shape.

Back to the grind tomorrow. I can't wait.

Day 51 - Anticipaaaaaa-tion

I'm feeling much better after better sleep, some fantastic food if I
say so myself, and ....drum roll... The Second Indulgence. I visited
La Bess (near Ikebukuro), the Alice in Wonderland-esque cake shop of the delicious cream cheese ball from Indulgence 1. I asked the owner to stand by with X confection for Saturday. You can
see it in the cabinet - though I hope she makes a fresh one for the
weekend. Can you guess which treat is The Chosen One?  Here's a hint - as we get more calories to play with and it's on the small side, I'll be pairing it with a matcha taiyaki. 

Taiyaki, is a kind of grilled pancake, usually with adzuki beans in the middle, and in the shape of a fish. I guess it hits peoples' desire for crispy and greasy. I adore the grease, the fat, the chewy texture of these things, and there is a stand selling these babies a short walk from my place. The matcha should be compliment The Chosen One; if you recall from a few weeks back, I went to a party and watched with envy as people enjoyed matcha icecream.

I've even thought about the timing of eating them...a couple of bites of the taiyaki while it's hot, then get it home and eat the rest with The Chosen One. 

Am I overthinking this? Probably. But recently, I've been kept SO busy prepping/cooking/eating/clearing up that I don't feel like I am eating, let alone 'dining'. If I'm honest, the word that best describes it is 'feeding'.


Is anyone else anticipating the pleasure of Indulgence 2?