Posts Tagged ‘Health and Exercise’

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have quit my job in Tokyo and will be moving to the tropical island of Miyakojima. At this point we have gotten rid of most of our stuff (the rest will be taken tomorrow) and will be boarding our plane in a few days. As the date is getting closer, I starting to focus on all the things I will be able to do in this new life and environment that I haven’t been able to do working here in Tokyo. Below is a list of 10 things I am looking forward to be focusing on.

1. Spend more time with my spouse- With both of us working full time jobs both with long commutes, we haven’t had the chance to spend a lot of time together for the last year. I am looking forward to spending more time together.

2. Catching/finding my own food- Since we will now be living by the ocean, I plan to support a part of our life by catching and finding our own food. Not only will this be a fun activity, it can also reduce our food bills. There is also a great satisfaction to catching or growing your own food that just doesn’t come with buying it.

3. Study more- Particularly language. One of the reasons I chose to stay in Japan was to keep improving my Japanese skills. As we would like to visit Central and South America, I also plan to start studying Spanish. I also plan to study internet marketing. Something I have been studying lately and really enjoy.

4. Exercise- Since I quit my job in August I have been doing a pretty good job in this area. However, I have been slightly limited by places to exercise. In Miyakojima, I would like to increase not only the types of exercise I am doing, but also the amount I am exercising. Miyakojima is one of the locations where they hold the Ironman Triathlon, but I don’t plan to go that far. I will probably focus on martial arts and have actually been considering trying parkour.

5. Scuba diving, Snorkeling, and Swimming- I absolutely love the water and water sports (along with driving and food) have been some of the things I miss the most here in Tokyo. Miyakojima has amazing beaches and great diving. Now The one draw back is diving in Miyakojima is quite expensive so, I need need to figure out a way to do it cheaper.

6. Volunteering- I don’t know exactly what will be available, but I would like to help do something with either the schools or with the ocean. How cool would it be to help as a volunteer diver.

7. Building my own business- I am still working on the exact business plan, but now that I am over the fear of actually starting it I am looking forward to seeing what I can do. The more efficient I got at work, the more I realized how much time I was being wasted. Now I have the chance to try out my own practices and theories.

8. Meeting new people- People in Tokyo can be somewhat cold. Friends are great friends, but if someone doesn’t know you they don’t want to be bothered by you. Miyakojima is much more laid back and the people are much more friendly. I will have the chance to meet people with very different backgrounds.

9. Drive- It seems weird to miss something that I sometimes hated when driving in the states, but driving gives a sense of freedom and can be a fun activity. We won’t need to do much driving on the island, but the occasional drive around the island or to the beach will be great.

10. Enjoying life one day at a time- During my busy week schedule here in Tokyo, I was always waiting for my next day off. The weeks and Months seemed to just fly buy and I felt as though I was a spectator. I am going to try my best to live each day the way I want and to it’s fullest. After realizing how quickly they can go by, I really want to treasure each one.

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Living here in Tokyo, working over 40 hours a week, and a 2 and a half hour round trip commute left very little time for me to exercise. Spending most of my time sitting at a desk in front of a computer certainly didn’t help either. Now that I have quit my job (see the full story here) I have been spending time every day getting back into shape. To be honest,

I am lucky and have a body type that doesn’t really gain too much weight, but my body had grown week, soft, and I would get tired very easily. Now getting in to good shape can take a lot of hard work (though that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun), but there are a few things you can start doing right now that can help make a big difference. And while they will probably not give you the six pack you want, they may help take off a few pounds.

1. Anytime is a good time to exercise- it can be difficult for someone with a busy schedule to set a side an hour or two a couple times a week to go to the gym. Instead, do a few push ups, sit ups, stretches, etc a few times though out each day. Even if it isn’t a full workout, it will help get your body into a little better shape. The benefit of this type of workout is that you can do it anywhere and anytime. For ex: stretch five minutes after waking up, do 10 push ups and 10 sit ups before eating lunch, and 10 minutes of exercising and stretching before going to bed. It may not seem like much, but it is enough to help your body to start getting in shape.

2. Stop using technology- One of the ways I found to get a little more exercise when I didn’t have time, was to do things the old way. Instead of elevators and escalators, use the stairs. Instead of calling someone on the phone at work, walk over and talk to them. Is the store you normally drive to within walking distance? Start walking instead of driving. You can also do things like using an exercise call to sit on instead of the couch. Not only is it good for posture, but it will give you a little more exercise a day.

3. Get rid of your scale- Everyone wants to judge their progress by how much weight they have lost. Walk into the store and you can find a headline on just about every magazine about how to lose weight quick. Unfortunately, weight isn’t really a good measure with your progress and will vary for each person. When you first start exercising you will lose fat and so your weight will go down. However, you will also gain muscle that can raise your weight. Instant results is one of the biggest reasons people give up their exercise routines. Get rid of your scale and just exercise because it makes you feel good.

Additional tips:

Of Course eating habits also has a great influence. Don’t try to change your eating habits all at once. That will just set your up for a higher chance of failure. Do it a little at a time. Maybe try and eliminate one item from your diet. For instance stop drinking soda and start drinking water or juice. Then start slowly switching others out for more healthy alternatives. The further a long you get the less you will want to eat crappy foods.

One great way to get in better shape is to find an activity that you love to do. If it is fun, then you can get your exercise without having to think about it. The funner it is for you and the more you are able to move the better.