28/12/2011

No walking today ... just squatting with weights. most of the time squatting with one leg. Need to repeat before maghrib.

I have to hold back

not so good news is that high possibility my meniscus after 3 months is still not healed. i need to hold back on my jogging to only brisk walking.

Endomondo Walking Workout

Endomondo Walking Workout: was out walking 6.11 km in 1h:06m:40s using Endomondo.

Retreat

I am not sure but every time i had a post op follow up then my exercise would retreat. It is whether i did not hear the instruction correctly or different person has different way of managing the situation. I am trying to improve my condition as fast as i should be.

Brace

I have stopped using brace about 2 days ago.

The Power of Words

The Power Of Words

In a study that demonstrates the power of words to reinforce or change negative stereotypes, Levy exposed different groups to words flashed on a computer screen so quickly that they weren’t consciously aware of what they were seeing.

One group was exposed to words that reflected a positive attitude toward aging, such as wisdom and experience. The other group was exposed to words that reflected a negative stereotype of aging, such as disease and dying.

The group exposed to the negative words scored significantly lower on memory and mathematics tests, due to the increase in their stress levels and a decreased sense of self-confidence. The group exposed to the positive words improved their test scores and reported a stronger sense of perceived well-being.

So be wary of negative self-programming and conversations that focus on commiseration (literally “to be miserable together”), and focus instead on positive role models, words and images associated with healthy aging as you move from your 20s to your 30s, 40s and beyond.

To learn more about Michael J Gelb and his other best-selling books, please visit www.michaelgelb.com. Be sure to come back for tomorrow for Part 2 of our "Brain Workout" series, “Improve Memory and Learning As You Age.”

Read more: http://www.askmen.com/sports/health_500/531b_brain-workout-part-i.html#ixzz1cjXOocaS

Accessories

Last night i went to JUSCO Cheras Selatan to check the health of my eyes. It seems the powers are still ok. So i went next door and purchased few accessories. I bought the Gym In The Pocket Rubber Band medium (Men) and Nike Yoga Mat.

21 days Post Op

I made some changes to my PT program. After getting a bit pain yesterday as well as headaches so i did a bit of reading. The meniscus repair really slow down the recovery time. However, since the doctor said i should have moved to other set of exercise upon my three weeks or 21 days, i decided to give it a try. I added one and modified one. Then ice after every exercise for 30 mins. I also ensure that the brace is on whenever i sleep.

Checking In

That night of 27/9, i got my self ready with few items to take to the hospital. I told the hospital that i would check in in the afternoon instead of in the morning. I had to do some errands. So everything packed. My wife said it was too much but i did not want to burden her by asking her to go back and forth for anything that might need later. 

In the morning of 28/9, i went to the hospital with my wife. we had breakfast together then we separated. I took a cab to the Putra World  Trade Centre (PWTC) and spent the whole of my morning at the Lab Asia exhibition. I went back to the hospital for lunch with my wife then got myself registered. 

I was put in room 2B. It is a two-bed bedroom as the one-bed bedroom is not yet vacant. That evening, my wife asked me to go home with her and she told me that she has asked the permission of the doctor. I told her that i would rather stay in the hospital. I need to tune myself to the environment. 

Waiting for the day

Now that the day was set for me to go under the knife, i decided to go ahead with my fitness training. Well it more about running. I need to reduce weight as well as increase my cardio with a bit of increase in strength. My running reached 5 km at one stage. I was happy with it and i registered for the 7km race at NTV7. The first time my running reached 7 km was the day i was supposed to be Pusat Inovatif Kolaboratif, UKM.

Treadmill folded

It has been my routine that whenever i am outstation, i would spend the early morning running at the park. i stopped running on treadmill mainly because it would have costed me RM500 to fix the board. I was also trying to mix it up with my stationary biking. I made sure that at least once a week i would cycle non-stop for one hour. That was to give me the mentality of running non-stop for one hour. If i can not to give up cycling for one hour then it surely would help me in running.

Skating Class

My outside running routine started at  Bukit Kiara Park on Sunday. At that time i mixed it up with stationary biking as well as treadmill during workdays. On Sunday, my kids went for skating class and so i jogged while waiting for them. That was when i managed about 3 km non-stop outside. I have achieved 3 km on treadmill but Bukit Kiara Park was the first outdoor that i managed to achieve similar feat.

I started running at Alam Damai Park due to the cancellation of skating class from raining over there. When we (i and my wife) decided to stop the skating class and resumed the swimming class at UCSI, my running track also shifted to Alam Damai Park entirely. I bought arm bands for my Torch and started using Endomondo to track my running.

My running target was more about distance in the beginning. The pace was not that worrisome to me. As long as i can up my distance to the target of 7 km then I am conformable with it. However, slowly i got to about 9 km which was good because then i would have been sure that i would finished the 7 km race.

I had fun with during the race. It was my first time and i waited right in the middle. It took some time to be able to run. There were just so many people. I managed to finished the race in 38 minutes for the 7km although my GPS recorded only 6.4 km. However, it did not matter that much to me as the pace was sub 6:00 per km. It was something that i was never able to do it but for the first i got it during the race.

August was the month of Ramadhan. I got my race and 30 September was looming. I continued running during Ramadhan but limited myself to only 5 km. The pace just fluctuated from sub 6:00 to above 6:00. I was a worry on the first day running during Ramadhan but i made it. It was very early in the morning and i did not feel the thirst that much. During Ramadhan, my music also changed to Maher Zain to accompany my running.

Then came a break due to Eid and i continued soonest and stopped a day before i got admitted to SW7 for my knee operation.

The Point of No Return

I was with Mr Zulkifli Hassan (MMC: 36171) when i decided to go ahead with the operation. Reason was i want to play other sports such as badminton and even golf. So he gave me the quotation for double bundle. Looking back at the letter, it did mention about medial meniscus tear. Surprisingly though that Mr Zulkifli never mentioned that i needed the ACL Recon to get the meniscus torn fixed. In fact i don't recall any conversation on the meniscus repair. Anyway, i agreed for the operation to be held in October 2011 approximately 11 months from that day.



The cost of the items for the operation as well as post operation was ...

The actual date was never set. So i had appointment with Ms Siti Hawa Tahir that day. I almost backed off from having the operation. I was ready to say that i don't need it. i am getting used to the pain at my knee. My fitness level was soaring high and i kept taking that ostesamin. So i went in telling her all those. She almost agreed with me then she took those MRI images and hanged it on the lit glass. She was looking at the images and finally pointed to one image.

En Fauzi ... your meniscus is in bad condition. It needs to be repaired or else your pain would not disappear. The meniscus cannot be repaired unless you do ACL Recon. With third degree laxity, it won't heal.

My wife was in the room as well and i took a second to breathe and asked her ... then i got confirmation that it would be 2-in-1 operation. Both would be fixed with single operation. Hence the date was set for the operation to happen on Friday, 30 September 2011. It would be the day i was born and the day i would be reborn.

The Road to Mecca

There are two reasons basically of why there is a need to go to Mecca as a Muslim. One is to perform Umrah and another one is to perform Hajj. My mom has been asking me to go with her for Umrah and my wife has been asking me to go to Hajj as soon as possible. As a Muslim, it has been my target or objective to perform all the five pillars with such a tip top health mentally as well as physically. My friend somehow or rather got a free everything to perform Umrah. It feels weird because he was the last person i would say to go to Mecca and perform Umrah or Hajj. Yet due to work requirement, he got that opportunity FOC. He told me what he did when he was in Mecca. From some conversation, i got a feeling that he is feeling a bit transformed. I always wanted to feel healthy physically and this gives me an idea about why i need to take care of my physical well being. With a target set for me to perform Hajj during my last year of working, there is a need to be in a very good conditions at that age. I would be almost 60 at that time. Having said that the target is set to perform Umrah in the very near future. I went to see an orthopaedic to get my knee fixed ... that was the start.

Got to rest

I felt pain while stepping down the stairs this morning. I've got to rest for at least two days and also not to forget my ostesamin. I think stretching and weight lifting will do for now.