Day 41
41 days complete, yay! It's been a journey but I've by no means reached the destination. Over the past few weeks I've noticed the physical transformation but it's not the type you see in those 4 weeks to a beach body ads. My body is more toned but not ripped.
The greatest accomplishment is the fitness and what the programme has taught me is that this can happen very quickly. It's amazing how soon you find yourself powering through the classes you dreaded the first time you went. Managing two 3k runs was a real testimony to how strength and conditioning training can improve your performance over a range of disciplines.
Where to now? Well, it certainly isn't over. I don't want my skirts getting tight again. Sticking to the food regime has also taken away the sugar cravings and made it effortless to by-pass the sweet counter. I'm looking at chocolate and thinking that's gonna be sickly. I don't even fancy a glass of wine anymore.
The way forward is to stick to healthy eating and get more out of the workouts. I will take a few days off and give my body some recovery time. Then I will up the ante. I should be ready to get out on the bike and building my endurance. The pump and combat classes will strengthen my legs so I can hammer the climbs. I still intend to limit my running. The focus still needs to be strengthening my core so I can do the repetitive stuff without injury.
Day 40
Sore throat. Aaaaghhh! Typical. Two days back at work and my unsuspecting body is exposed to a lurgy. Strenuous exercise is a no no. Feel a bit glum because it's been a few days since I did anything hardcore. Limited myself to a walk.
Day 39
A little less jaded after work. Quite a bit of walking done today.
Day 38
Oh dear. Reality check needed. Back at work. Had to get up two hours earlier than I have been over the last few weeks. By the time I had got home, run around after the children, I had missed pump. No worries, I could always go for a walk, I thought. It chucked it down.
Ah, well. Should I beat myself up about it. No!
Day 37
Considering I felt jaded yesterday before combat, I was remarkably energised today. It was a run walk. As much as I feel confident and fit, I should keep in mind the toll running can take on your body, especially when your not used to it.
Day 36
Feeling a bit jaded today and was apprehensive before combat class. I persevered, reminded my self of my goals and felt really refreshed afterwards.
Day 35
1 more week to go. Still going strong. Did another run today and my performance was much better. Just shows what you do around a sport is as important as the sport itself. I really worked at driving my stride from the hips and landing on the balls of my feet. The combat and pump classes must really be helping.
Day 34
Easy day. Just a light walk to recover from the kayaking.
Day 33
I'm a firm believer the best way to get in shape is to take up a sport or regularly take part in endurance type activities which give your whole body a workout without thinking about it. I went sea kayaking today for two hours. The great thing about it is that the regular workouts has set me up so I can do this kind of thing easily. The sea was pretty choppy and I was paddling into a strong headwind on the way back. Nevertheless, I pushed hard and felt like I was really powering into my paddle strokes. At the end, I felt invigorated and that's exactly where I want to be.
Day 32
Today was hectic and had its fair share of stresses, so a good test of how to get your workout in when life is dragging you down. Yep, we've all experienced things getting on top of you, running around all day and when you finally get home you just want to flop. This is the biggest obstacle to exercise and I really did not feel like it. At the back of my mind was the sense of ensuing failure. The goal was to exercise everyday for 41 days. It just so had it, my daughters were going to do a light yoga set on YouTube. It felt like tokenism but I decided to join in. Just that 20 minutes of gentle stretching was enough to revitalise me, and as soon as I finished, I popped my trainers on and went for a walk.
Day 31
Amazing how much easier this week's paddle boarding session was. I suspect it was a combination of getting stronger and taking the appropriate amount of rest and recovery before doing the activity.
Day 30
Restraint and self-discipline were needed today. Mindful of the strenuous workouts I'd done over the past few days and the paddle boarding session I have planned for tomorrow, I held back. My body was raring to go but I restricted it to just a walk.
Day 29
After yesterday's run, I wasn't too exhausted but mindful I shouldn't rush into another one too soon. I recalled doing a body combat class years ago and thinking it was fun but not too strenuous so decided to join a class this evening. How wrong could I be? The warm-up left me thinking, was that really a warm-up? The rest of the work out was moderate in comparison. Phewww. Overall, enjoyed it.
Day 28
I did something today I haven't done for ten years. I went for a run. It was a bit of a plod, but it was definitely a run. Again, I set out with the mentality that I'd do as much as I felt comfortable with and in the end managed 3k. This is an amazing achievement because ten years ago I had a spinal injury and thought I'd never run again. This really shows how core work can have an amazing impact in a very short space of time.
Day 27
My daughter tempted me with her homemade cheesecake. Normally I would find it hard to resist eating the whole thing. Today I struggled to try a slice so I didn't offend her. Took a little and found myself wanting more about 20 mins later. Is that all it takes to trigger sugar cravings?
I am feeling maybe getting some glycogen back into my muscles won't harm. Thinking back on what I did this week, it was hardly surprising I felt sluggish in the pool. Only did 1k but that's okay. Had an easy stroll out for an hour later. I think I need to take it easy tomorrow too.
Day 26
I'm starting to see light at the end of the tunnel even though I've still got two weeks to go. As much as I intend to continue with my lifestyle changes, it will have to be fit round a busy work schedule. My body has adjusted to exercising everyday and is raring to go. The challenge will be keeping up that intrinsic motivation after a day's work. Remember, tell yourself you are going to take it easy and you'll find you will do more than you expected.
Day 25
I was very doubtful when I got those emails claiming eating certain foods can make fat melt away like butter, over night. It appears this regime is doing exactly that. Tried a skirt on 3 days ago and couldn't fasten it. Today, viola! Saying it's down to one simple change is going a bit far.
Day 24
Okay, so I gave myself quite a bit of stick over the past few days. Needless to say I was apprehensive before pump class this evening. Deliberately kept resistance sensible and ended up handling the sets far better than I anticipated.
Day 23
Mindful of yesterday's 2.5 hour toughy on the legs, I decided to do box fit. How can an hour of punching make your legs even more tired? Bodypump is going to be interesting tomorrow.
Day 22
It was a biggy today. 3hr walk, which actually took 2.5 up a bloody steep hill and back down. It got me thinking about resistance training. Training websites go on about the importance of doing resistance every other day along with cardio workouts. Cross-fit programs maximize results by combining aerobic and resistance training using several muscle groups at once. Resistance training isn't limited to the gym doing reps with weighs. At what point does an activity become resistance training. Walking 2ks up a steep climb even without dumbells is resistance. I reckon the answer to the question is anything that makes you ache. Interesting, though, towards the end of the walk, I found it easier to sprint up shirt steep inclines than walk. I guess that's because it relied on fast twitch muscleso that hadn't worked much, while my major muscles were Tired.
Day 21
Swim today. This got me thinking about the days when I used to have coaches and personal trainers. It was non-stop goal setting and checking progress. The great thing about doing this regime is that it's just about following rules. So when you do your workout, there's no pressure to form so many sets at a specified intensity in a set time. If you're feeling a bit sluggish, as I was today, there's no beating yourself up for underpereforming. In fact, I did better than I thought so I patted myself on the back when I finished.
Day 20
I've reached the halfway point. Yeah! Kept up so far so reckon the next 21 days will be easier. Still in recovery mode so did an hour of walking. Now I've seen how flexible I am getting, I was keen to stretch again. Going to do this every day from now on. See how long before I can touch my knee with my head.
Day 19
Easy day today. I've given myself quite a bit of stick over the past few days so today's focus was recovery. Just an uphill walk followed by light cardio and stretching at the gym. If you want to know which muscles you've used, stretch them. I've not been over doing it but even so, my flexibility is increasing.
Day 18
The clothes are getting slacker so I'm assuming the effects of the regime are accelerating the more I get into it.
Today was different. I went paddle boarding. The great thing about doing this type of thing is that your whole body gets a really good workout without you realising because you're having so much fun. That is until after. On top of Bodypump, that is giving yourself some serious stick.
Day 17
Back into the hardcore stakes with Bodypump today. Put one more kg on for the legs sets and was fine. It's the arm sets that get me. Pacing it right is the key. Don't do 22 push-ups then expect to be able to lift 7kgs above the shoulders.
Day 16
I did a 40 minute walk today up hill and back down. Legs were sluggish and I'm thinking, tomorrow it's Bodypump. Gulp.
Into the third week and I'm guessing the effects on the body will accelerate. I read a few blogs on boosting metabolism and what foods hinder or boost fat burning. You can get bogged down with it. Then there's the optimized resistance workouts that turn out to be exactly what I'm doing at Bodypump. I'm hoping this regime I'm doing will prove health and fitness does not have to be too technical.
Day 15
You wouldn't expect massively noticeable differences after two weeks but time to check in with a selfie.
Same dress, same pose, same position. The dress is less stretched and doesn't ride up as much from the knee.
Day 14
Two weeks done. I've exercised everyday, Yay! Today's swim was sluggish and for the first time ever, I felt the burn towards the end of the 2k set. No doubt still feeling the effects of Bodypump. Must be doing some good.
Day 13
I recall coconut products being high on the menu this time last year. It coincided with weightloss and also two bouts of surgery which I recovered from exceptionally quickly. Most women spend six weeks in bed following hysterectomy. I did a 6k beach walk within a week. I haven't got a clue what factors influenced the speedy recovery but I do know I was keeping fit, eating healthy and coconut was being consumed two or three times a week. The jury is out on whether coconut is the superfood it claims to be. It is loaded with saturated fat, but some scientists believe it behaves differently in the body to animal derived saturated fats. Some scientists believe it protects against heart disease while the Heart Foundation don't recommend it. It is a good source of vitamins and minerals and believed to have healing proparties. I use coconut oil on my skin daily. Of course I have no idea if it'still slowing down ageing because I don't know how much I'd age without it. What I do know is last year I used it on sunburn and didn't peel but I missed a bit. The bit I missed peeled!!! In short, I believe coconut is a super food. Livestock.com gives the most balanced information.
I'm not going to attribute today's goodeal bike ride on coconut cream. I didn't know how my legs would respond The thing with biking is the intenitty of the workout is hard to control. Where I live it's wall to wall hill climbs so the only way to control the intensity is by dropping gears and pedaling slower. Even that has a limit especially when the climbs are steep. I felt strong and one climb I felt faster. My legs were burning by the time I got to the top so I knew I paced it right. A 3 minute Body pump set had a similar effect so I'm thinking Bodypump targets the muscles quicker. With cycling, you get a bit of everything and your body goes through different training zones, who knows how many times. Unless you take your Garmin out so you can analyse your ride after. Not me. I'm not getting too technical. Just sticking to the premise of eating healthy and do whathe exercise you feel like doing everyday.
Day 12
Today was back on track. After a couple of days of, well not completely misbehaving but could have done better, I stuck to the regime.
The hour in the gym told me my legs could do with a bit more work. Arms still sore though. I pushed myself by doing 4 mins running at 9km/hr. An improvement on last week.
Tonight I prepped some tropical fruit smoothies with coconut cream. More tomorrow on why that's good for you.
Day 11
I'm really going to have to get myself out of pretending it's okay to eat chocolate because I'm exercising. This regime is all about combining healthy eating and exercise and if I'm going to get the best results, there's got to be no cheating.
35min cardio workout in the gym today and I was feeling it in my biceps while I was on the cross trainer. I can't remember the last time I got achy biceps. The legs on the other hand aren't hurting at all. Maybe I should put them through their paces on the bike this weekend.
Day 10
Today was about getting back on track. Okay, breakfast was ..... apart from the mayo, bacon, bread ..... at least the eggs were poached!!! No paleo options in the cafe. It just goes to show how when you are out and about, healthy options are limited. It is hard to seek out places where the counters are not full of pastries and sugary treats, and the cooked options aren't coated in saturated fat. Ah well, home is.
For exercise, I did body pump. This time an hour. The recovery strategy had worked. My legs weren't achy to start with and burned like they should have at the end of each set.
I'm feeling more agile now. The core work is definitely taking the stiffness out of my joints.
https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=body+pump+franklin+leisure&safe=strict&rlz=1CAHPZV_enNZ724NZ724&espv=2&biw=1195&bih=632&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiM6eaV7ZfRAhVIk5QKHUrRAIoQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=kIh6I3iDlUkGYM%3A
Day 9
Today started with an hour of cardio in the gym. Mindful of meeting friends for a meal later I upped the pace and my legs didn't complain at all.
Of course, all the good intentions of eating salad went out of the window when the pork on mash and cheesecake options were presented on the menu.
Oh dear.
Day 8.
Today was a shall I shan't I day. I was mindful of yesterday's pledge to take it easy on myself but part of me wanted to go for it. As I was out and about, I started to think about how far your physical state affects your mental state. Perhaps the slight urge to do something energetic is a sign that you are physically upto it. In the end I reasoned it through. Body pump is coming up Wednesday. Not such a good idea to putilize my body through its paces two days before an intense workout. Just an hour of walking today.
Day 7.
First week done and got to say, I'm feeling the benefits already. More energy despite the sore legs, which didn't stop me doing a 20k bike ride. I was a little more sluggish and feeling it on the hills. The next few days, I'll have to be a bit gentler on myself.
Day 6.
Today is the most challenging day. The day most people on health and fitness drives have the biggest dilemma. Xmas Eve and the table was booked weeks before I even thought about fitness. Why see eating out as being naughty? It depends where you eat. Okay, if it's a fast food chain or global franchise, chances are you'll be overloading on saturated fat and sugar. Go to a niche restaurant and chances are they will serve you a really healthy meal. Nothing wrong with the chicken salad I had today. Pork ribs are still permitted. Fair cop, cheesecake was breaking the rules but it's not like I'm eating cheesecake every day. A treat once in a while won't hurt. The other thing we worry about when we eat out is quantity. Sure, the meal out had more in it than breakfast, lunch and dinner put together but then I didn't feel hungry the rest of the day. It didn't stop me exercising. I did 10 mins of stretching and a 50 minute walk, conscious I need to recover from the more intense stuff I did earlier this week. Maybe the good meal will help too. Get some fuel in the tank when I up the pace next week.
Day 5.
The legs were stiff when I got out of bed this morning. That's a sure sign I need to take it easy today, but it's also a reminder to eat healthy food. I did an easy 30 minutes in the gym today, to give my muscles a chance to recover. It didn't quite get the soreness out of my legs. The lesson from this is that even when you don't feel too motivated to do a workout, telling yourself you're going to do something light and easy motivates you. You then find you end up doing more than you anticipated!!!
Day 4.
Today was a standard gym cardio workout. Now I can feel the effects of yesterday's classes. My muscles definitely were sore. I'm starting to feel more toned like my body is being pulled into shape. I put my shorts on also and the muffin top seems to be disappearing.
Day 3.
I started the day with the smoothie again and headed off for the leisure center. This time it was for body pump followed by a core workout. The thing with these classes is that while you do each set, you muscles get to the point where you feel you can't do anymore. At the end of the work out, you still feel you have enough juice for another onslaught.
See ya tomorrow.
Day 2.
Ta dah!!!
This is what I started my day with. A breakfast berry smoothie. Approximately 175g mixed berries, 150ml apple juice, a dollop of yoghurt and 150ml of almond milk. Full of antioxidants, omega fatty acids, Vitamin C, it comes in at around 200cals and fills you up for 4 hours plus. Not that I'm calorie counting but a good way to encourage your body to burn fat is to have low calorie foods that fill you up. Leafy greens are a great way to do this. Eat a whole lettuce and see how long it satisfies you.
So, hunger satisfied, I went off to the pool for another 2K swim. I was a little sluggish, thinking, should I really do this two days in a row? I started steady and before I knew it, the lengths were ticking by much quicker than it seemed yesterday.
It was mashed potato, cheese and egg for my midday meal. I also ate two bananas. I know, these are a no no for weight loss, but this is 41 days of fitness and I need some fuel in the tank for tomorrow's exercise.
The exercise is catching up as I found myself needing more food later. I stuck to the rules and snacked on fruit, a bit more yoghurt and scrambled egg with a pinch of cheese.
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I'm on day one of my holiday fitness regime. The idea is to do some form of exercise everyday until I go back to work and eat a healthy diet. I'm not weighing myself because the focus is on physical and mental well-being rather than weightloss. If I stick to it, there will no doubt be physical changes so I'm posting a pic in a frock that's just a little too tight at the moment.
If you follow this blog, you'll be able to see if the diet and fitness plan works. You never know, you might put all your diet manuels in the bin and just do what I do.
Here's the start of regime selfie.
