WK 6 Day 2

 8/29

Cardio

I was wondering if it should be jump rope or kickboxing and I just realised that the perfect workout is in my lap. Jordan Yeoh's Level 4 workout.

This is a wonderful challenge as I expected it to be since it is level 4. I saw a level 2.5 somewhere, which means there are many gradations.

I didnt know what to expect other than it going to be tough.

When the jumping jacks started again, I htought it was a mistake, I was expecting the exercises to go in sequence like 1,2,3 and so on.

And then I figured

that it is going

1

1, 2

1,2,3 ...

and so on.

By the middle of it, you do all the exercises at once. Luckily there is a break between each of these sets.

Now the comedy I thought we will build it up again like that in the reverse. 

It turns out that this is bell curve type where you gradually shed an exercise in the later half. This is where I lost the hop in the exercises. Surprisingly I kept it for the jumping jacks. With each time I saw, the lag in reaction from Go to Jumping Jacks.

Loved this exercise. Even the last fun quirk bit where the exercise is changed on you.

Switching it up. Enjoyed all the exercises and the breaks.

8/30

Core+ Abs

At the Home core workout by Ashley Conrad, followed by 20 Min ab workout . This has good music.

This felt good. I was sweating by the end of it.

Not sure if it was Conrad's authoritative tone or the last 2 weeks core and abs workout, my reverse crunches were rocking. Also loved the plank walkouts and walk ins.

Dead bug seems a bit like reverse bird-dog.

Feeling like practising - did some scapular exercises and about 25 of the Level 1 Squat to Headstand progression.

Body Fat Monitor

Nokia Body Cardio- Wi-Fi Smart Scale with Body Composition & Heart Rate, White

I am not in love with the numbers that my Omron Body fat monitor is showing.


So time to get the Nokia Body Cardio app connected. The Body cardio scale got paired in the Health Mate app. Lets see what progress I make with the Get Strong for Women



The book has a 36 week program. It is totally made of 3 levels. Each level is split into 12 weeks.

I am at level 1, week 11. I already feel so good. This friday, I felt like twirling in the gym. I did the Pedda Puli dance.



The part where Nithin lifts his right leg and holds it with his hand. In the weeks before, I thought that it is a difficult move but now I feel so fit, that I am up for any moves. 

Recently, I saw colleagues practice Tricking

I learned of Capoeira few days ago. something to aim for.

‎”I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

Bruce Lee

I read this quote last Friday .Been thinking about it while swimming at the edge. What would I do 10000 times? I have done long walking. 

Currently my Omron is right. Yes I am at 36% fat. But I am sure it wont be no longer so.

8/3/2019

I am now at Level 3, first set of weeks.
After starting P90x dvd workout, I have now lost about 12.5 pounds, with fat down to 33.7%

8/11/19

BF - 32.9%

Gravity Warfare - Gaming on a Whole New Level

Why do you work hard? What motivates you?

 "We don't rise to the level of our expectations; we fall to the level of our training." - Archilochus

What you can be certain of is the effort you put in. You do all that you can.

Screechers Wild Level 3 Vehicle, Scorpio Drift

See how the disks transform the green gate creeper that you know into a Scorpio.

 

Roborock S7 Robot Vacuum and Mop with Sonic Mopping, Strong 2500PA Suction, Multi-Level Mapping, Plus App and Voice Control

Roborock S7  scrubs floors upto 3000 times per minute.

It uses ultrasonic technology to detect between carpet and floor, to switch from vacuum to mopping, while Dyson uses laser technology to reveal dust. 

Vedas

Indian knowledge tradition 

Level A VEDA_(Level-A)_ch-1

Level_B Veda_B

pancha suktam

Wk 7 Day 2

 9/5

Cardio +Abs

I did about 30 min of ONE HOUR Full STRENGTH Bodyweight Workout | Level 2 w/ Rebecca Kennedy. This had squats, planks and jumping jacks. Some of the level made it cardio. Rebecca Kennedy has great energy.  I enjoyed todays workout a lot especially due to yesterdays break probably.

Adding 100 more calories, since I have lost weight at 6 week check in. 

9/6

Another 1 hour core workout good enough for 2 days.

was sweating from 30 min of this core exercise.

The cardio blowout of going into star plank is something.

Doctors to the Rescue (Peppa Pig: Level 1 Reader)

You might wonder how many doctors we need. But since we have so many different body parts - eyes, teeth, pets - we need different kinds of doctors. So many things in life break down and then we call someone to fix them - they repair the broken stuff and are doctors too.

Oxycise! Zero-Impact Fitness

Oxycise! Zero-Impact Fitness

What is oxycise?

I wondered what oxycise is all about. Its giving yourself a gift of fresh air.  I just finished Barre Level 1. Cant wait to see how Level 2 gets advanced. I had to do it with pauses. Thats one of the things I like best about this oxycise is that you can take a break and dont have to do it all in one setting. The other good thing being that you can do it on a full stomach. I did this right after eating. There are some days where I have to time exercise and eating and that can get difficult. On the days I miss out on exercise, I am going to try this out. Even within 5 minutes of the oxycise you can feel how light it feels to fill yourself with fresh air, focusing on just breathing. It will clear up your mind and soul.

Screechers Wild Level 2 - Gatecreeper

Bible Phonics Plus Level 1 (3-5 years) 

Level Up Your Life: How to Unlock Adventure and Happiness by Becoming the Hero of Your Own Story

Nerdfitness
Beastskills Jim Barthurst training philosophy

J.D. ROTH SPEAKS AT WORLD DOMINATION SUMMIT 2012

Flow in a game

Gamify your exercise. You are a character in your chosen game with a big purpose.

one arm pushups
pullups with extra weight

capoeira game roda

Why you want to get fit?

Brett Hoebel of The 20 minute body,20 minutes,20 days says 50% of the battle of getting fit is about finding your "why" you want to be fit.
When I was trying to lose weight, it was about finding the control on my body, lifestyle choices of not putting on weight and lose the extra weight I put on during adolescence.

Hoebel refers to the progress shown in the different color belts that you progress toward. Alex Silver-Fagan too has a 3 level program in Get Strong for Woman. I am at Level 3 first set of weeks.
Teresea amabile's progress principle

Writing opinion

 Chatgpt -- there are excellent college-level materials and journalism programs specifically for opinion writing, editorials, reviews, and NYT-style guest essays.

The key thing to understand is that writing for the Opinion section of The New York Times is not the same as academic essay writing. Editors want:

• a clear argument
• a strong, distinctive voice
• evidence and reporting
• timeliness
• originality
• concise structure
• authority or lived experience

The Times’ own submission guidelines emphasize that strong guest essays make a focused argument grounded in expertise or personal experience.

Here’s a practical path to learn the craft.

---

1. Study the Structure of Great Opinion Writing

Read these sections regularly:

• The New York Times Opinion / Guest Essays
• The Washington Post Opinions
• The Atlantic essays
• The New Yorker criticism/reviews

A good op-ed usually has:

1. A sharp opening
   • surprising fact
   • contradiction
   • vivid scene
   • personal stake
2. A clear thesis
   • one sentence stating the argument
3. Evidence
   • reporting
   • studies
   • examples
   • firsthand experience
4. Counterargument
   • acknowledge objections briefly
5. A memorable ending
   • insight
   • consequence
   • challenge
   • emotional turn

The Washington Post’s guide says successful op-eds are usually about 750–800 words with a clear thesis and strong structure.

---

2. Best College Courses & Journalism Programs

University Journalism Courses

University of Arizona — Opinion Writing

The course “JOUR 558: Opinion Writing” focuses specifically on editorial and opinion writing processes.

University of California, Berkeley — Opinion Writing

Berkeley’s journalism school has a dedicated “Opinion Writing” course centered on persuasive essay writing and publication-ready arguments.

The New School — Editorial & Advocacy Writing

Strong for political/cultural criticism and persuasive journalism.

Columbia University — The Art of Opinion Writing

A practical online course from Columbia Journalism School on writing publishable opinion essays.

---

3. Best Free Learning Materials

NYT Submission & Editorial Standards

These are extremely valuable because they show exactly what editors look for.

• NYT Guest Essay Guidelines
• NYT Letters to the Editor Guidelines

You learn:

• acceptable length
• editorial standards
• fact-checking expectations
• originality rules
• how pitches work

---

4. Learn These Four Writing Modes Separately

A lot of beginners mix them together.

Type	Purpose	Tone
News writing	Inform	Neutral
Editorial	Institutional opinion	Formal/persuasive
Op-ed / Guest Essay	Personal argument	Voice-driven
Review/Criticism	Evaluate art/media	Analytical + stylish

Reddit journalism discussions summarize editorials well: identify a problem and argue for a solution.

---

5. Books That Teach NYT-Level Style

These are genuinely useful:

Opinion / Essay Writing

• On Writing Well
• The Elements of Style
• Draft No. 4
• Everybody Writes

Criticism & Reviews

• How to Write About Music
• Reading Like a Writer

Journalism & Voice

• The New New Journalism

---

6. Best Practice Method (Most Important)

This works better than passive learning.

Daily Exercise

Choose one NYT Opinion piece and do this:

Step 1 — Outline it

Write:

• thesis
• evidence
• transitions
• ending strategy

Step 2 — Rewrite the headline

NYT headlines are extremely engineered.

Step 3 — Write a counter-opinion

This teaches structure fast.

Step 4 — Cut 30%

Opinion editors love compression.

---

7. How to Practice Review Writing

For reviews:

• movies
• books
• restaurants
• games
• politics
• cultural criticism

Study:

• argument
• scene description
• judgment criteria
• style/voice

Strong reviewers:

• describe
• interpret
• evaluate
• contextualize

not just “I liked it.”

---

8. The Fastest Path to Publication

Start smaller before aiming for NYT.

Good progression:

1. Medium/Substack
2. College paper
3. Local newspaper
4. Regional magazines
5. National outlets
6. NYT Guest Essay

People in journalism communities often note that major outlets prefer writers with either:

• subject expertise
• unique firsthand experience
• demonstrated publication history

---

9. What NYT Opinion Editors Usually Want

Based on their guidelines and editor commentary:

They look for:

• surprising insight
• timely relevance
• authority
• strong perspective
• elegant prose
• concise argumentation
• intellectual honesty

They reject:

• generic hot takes
• ranting
• obvious arguments
• unsupported claims
• academic jargon
• overly long introductions

---

10. A Self-Study Curriculum (8 Weeks)

Weeks 1–2

• Read 3 opinion pieces/day
• Outline arguments

Weeks 3–4

• Write 300-word op-eds
• Practice headlines

Weeks 5–6

• Write reviews and criticism
• Study transitions and pacing

Weeks 7–8

• Pitch editors
• Revise heavily
• Submit to smaller publications

---

If you want, I can also help with:

• a full NYT-style opinion writing syllabus
• a reading list of the best modern op-ed writers
• how to write reviews like NYT critics
• editorial writing templates
• how to pitch publications
• free Ivy League journalism course PDFs
• or a daily training routine to become publication-ready in 6 months.

 

Culture Is the Way: How Leaders at Every Level Build an Organization for Speed, Impact, and Excellence

Changing behaviors, mindsets, attitudes

Bringing energy

Awaken to a larger room - open space for envisioning

Alter the narrative for better

Do you change your way of losing weight? If yes, how and why? If not, why?

 What got you here wont get you there

At some point in your getting healthy journey, you will have to change some things. What works at one age might not work at another.

When I was a teenager, I would do yoga but obviously not enough due to time constraints for studying and I didnt know why I had to (more from the rebel sense of when nobody else my age has to).

Late teens again busy studying. Only in the last year of undergrad, I had time to go to the gym, by then I had learned some things from friends.

From those, walking and counting my calories helped a lot. It changed my persona to a fit person. At this point in life I was doing 30 min exercise in the gym everyday.

My next level of breakthrough came when I saw an elliptical left at 60 min done. I couldnt believe that. I picked that miracle from there and lo and below I dropped a pound every alternate day and lost about 25–30 pounds in around 3 months time. Dont ask me what I was eating. I was on a losing weight high.

Later when trying to lose baby weight, I figured weekends were the culprit. The inconsistency of the weekends in diet and exercise was washing away the week’s good behavior. That was a big aha for then.

Depending on different stages in life, you will realise that you need a different tactic to get to your next health goal.

Dont change your mind

After the stove is on. Today I burnt the seasoning for susheela. Reason: My plan was to make poha. While I took out the packet of poha, I realized it was thin poha which is better served fried. So y the time I put that back in the packet and took the puffed rice and soaked it, the seasoning in a hurry got burnt.
Mise en place atleast at a macro level.

Achieving significance

12 ways to achieve significance the level that surpasses success

TRANSCEND begins

 Legs Level 1

Great team motivation.