Thursday 29 November 2012

this week

I've begun a summer internship this week. I work eight hours each day, but by the time 5pm rolls around I feel so mentally drained. There is so much to take in and learn. It's just for three weeks and I really want to make the most of it. My evening routine right now is to exercise, cook and eat dinner then do an hour of study, followed by trashy tv shows.

Tonight I've come home and it is stinking hot and my air con is broken. I don't feel like doing anything right now. I am typing out all the excuses in the world and deleting them again because they sound lame. Maybe I will wait a couple of hours for this cool change and do some exercise then.

So far, so good on this program. I have lost a couple of kilos and will be at my goal weight soon. This program is a really great kick up the arse. I have never eaten this many vegetables (or ricotta) or exercised this hard in my life. Is this what healthy people do every single day?

One thing letting me down is not being prepared to cook my meals. I sometimes forget to buy an ingredient, so I swap one day's dinner for another... then I few days later I don't know where I am at. This week I didn't print off the recipes and have been reading them from my phone. A hassle because I can't just ask my partner to do the cooking instead. Must get organised!


Saturday 24 November 2012

feeling flat

I began this week really well. I was exercising and eating well and enjoying the program. Then on Wednesday I started feeling sore. As usually happen when moving muscles I haven't moved for a looong time.

Wednesday I did the workout regardless. Thursday I took a rest, convincing myself that I would substitute my rest day and workout on Sunday. Then Friday I got to the end of the day, realising that I hadn't done my workout. So I told myself, that's ok, I'll workout Saturday morning and Saturday evening and Sunday. Then today, Saturday, I went to visit family in country Victoria. We left early in the morning and got back for a late dinner. I ate sugary junk on the trip there and back, and I overindulged in sugary junk at lunch.

I haven't eaten sugar all week and now I feel myself drifting back to old habits. Usually we get snacks for the road trip so I find it hard to say no to things that have become second nature. Approaching Christmas this is going to get so much harder too.

On the exercise... I don't know why I didn't get it done. I wasn't too busy (though that is a crappy excuse anyway). It just didn't happen. I will try to get back on track tomorrow.

Monday 19 November 2012

first day

It has been a great day! I feel so energised and ready to do some work. Meals today were delish and I felt satisfied while sticking to 1200 calories. At the supermarket this morning, 12wbt shopping list in hand, I met someone who is also participating in the program. She was also holding her shopping list so we had a bit of a laugh about that.

My partner joined me for the cardio workout this afternoon. The first part of the workout was to jog 25 minutes. Normally that would be my complete workout for the day. But I kept on going and followed the rest of the program to the letter. I have chosen to do my workouts at the nearby footy oval. The footy boys were there, starting their pre-season training. As we were doing crunches just off to the side of the oval, they ran past doing laps. One called out "good abs" each time the group went past. C and I had a bit of a laugh about that - it's nice to hear some encouraging words!

I am looking forward to tomorrow.

before photo & measurements

Here are the bra 'n undies shots. I took proper photos with the newspaper and my full body that I uploaded to the 12wbt website. I don't feel entirely comfortable posting those pics to the internets, so these headless ones will have to do.

My current weight of 63.2kg is down from my pre-season starting weight of 65kg. Hopefully in twelve weeks I will be posting some kick arse 'after' photos.














Measurements:
Weight 63.2kg
Chest 87cm
Waist 83cm
Widest 99cm
Distance from knee 32cm
Right thigh 54cm
Left thigh 54cm
Right arm 27cm
Left arm 27cm

Sunday 18 November 2012

bits and pieces

The eve of 12wbt round four. I can't wait to begin tomorrow morning. Here are a few bits and pieces I have been up to recently in order to get ready for the program:

The pre-season tasks are mostly complete. The only thing left to do is take my "before" photo.

I bought the Michelle Bridges No Excuses cookbook last week and have been cooking a few meals from it. This was my plan to get my partner on board with the 12wbt meal plan. We have tried thai fish cakes wrapped in lettuce leaves and a potato, egg and bean salad with a delish dressing. All the dishes were hits so we are both enthusiastic about the week ahead.

Perhaps I am in the minority when I say this, but I am so pleased that the week one meal plan has a number of vegetarian dishes. While I am not a vegetarian, I do enjoy vegetarian meals for dinner a few times each week.

Today I went for lunch at the Provincial Hotel, Brunswick. I had a beef burger with chips and alioli and washed it down with a glass of riesling. It turned out to be a 'last hurrah' lunch. Then later in the afternoon I went to Monsieur Truffe on Smith St for a iced chocolate. Very indulgent. I apologise to those who are in healthy eating / calorie counting / diet mode and reading this. But I enjoyed it very much.

Here I come Tough Mudder Melbourne, January 2013! I can't wait to get started on the program tomorrow. Especially as I have this event to work toward.

On other fitness news, I now know what a burpee is. Ouch!

I am so ready for this. I am ready for this program to change my perspective on healthy lifestyle. I want to be challenged and to redefine what I believe I am capable of. The next twelve weeks are all about establishing good habits. This will require 100% dedication. I don't want to make excuses and say 'there will be bad days' or 'slip ups are inevitable'. The only way to begin is with the mindset that everything is possible.


Wednesday 14 November 2012

catch up

I can't believe I last wrote a blog post five days ago. This week has flown by and I feel a little disorganised. The things on my to-do list from five days ago are still outstanding. Now I have an additional (and final) pre-season task of taking my measurements and uploading a "before" photo. So I have dedicated Saturday to getting pre-season stuff done.

The program details for week one have been released and I am really looking forward to getting started on Monday. I anticipate that week one will be a huge success - I will have finished uni exams and have a free week before I start full-time work on the 26th. Plenty of free time to prioritise my workouts and to cook healthy meals! And blog! And clean the house! No excuses.

I've checked out the meals for next week (yum) but haven't downloaded the exercise plans yet. I am too scared to look. I feel a little nervous because I can't remember the last time I worked out for longer than thirty minutes. That is not going to cut it anymore. And Super Saturday?!

Sunday 11 November 2012

fitness test results

1km time trial: 5 mins 29 secs
push ups in one minute: 7 on my toes and 32 on my knees
abdominal strength: level 2
wall sit: 50 seconds
sit and reach: +15cm

I was so excited to get my 1km time trial completed in less than 5 minutes 30 seconds. I just scrape through to the 12wbt advanced program. My push ups and sit & reach test also place me in the advanced category. I bombed out in the wall sit and abdominal strength wasn't much better. I was so sure I could get a respectable time for the wall sit. Around the 45 second mark my legs started shaking and at 50 seconds I collapsed in a heap.

There are a few other pre-season tasks to complete. I need to buy a hat before I can consider myself properly 'geared up'. And still a bit of work to do on my kitchen clean out. My biggest challenge here will be convincing my partner that reduced fat dairy is the best choice. I haven't yet diarised all my workouts but I think early morning will be the best time for me. My schedule is changing shortly as I wrap up uni exams and begin full time work later this month. During January I will take some time off, but I am still keen to get my exercises done in the morning before it gets too hot outside. And I don't quite know what February will look like yet!


Friday 9 November 2012

exam meltdown

Three exams down and one to go.

This week started off reasonably well. Each day I either ate well or exercised (but not both on the same day). On the days that I exercised I would have a light breakfast then head out for a run. When I came home, I felt that I deserved something substantial to eat after my workout. So I had a big cooked breakfast. A couple of bad snack choices later and I was left feeling guilty about my calorie intake. Did you know that a Bakers Delight almond and custard scroll is 634 calories? Nope, neither did I until after I ate it and looked up the nutritional information.

As the week progressed I spent more time studying and less time looking after myself. I should have placed good nutrition and exercise at top priority but I did no exercise and ate poorly. I was especially worried about yesterday's exam; the subject has a high fail rate. Beforehand I felt like a lamb going off to slaughter. Luckily the exam wasn't as bad as I anticipated and I did a decent job of it.

I've spent this morning catching up on a few 12wbt pre-season task videos. I've got some work to do! Today will be a bit more balanced than previous days. I am planning to clean out my kitchen and do a grocery shop to stock up with healthy food. I will do some study for my final exam next Friday, but I will also make time to go for a jog.



Monday 5 November 2012

i commit...

I commit to learning what it takes to lead a healthy lifestyle... and the best way to learn is to do; slowly good habits will form

I commit to trying every 12wbt exercise, challenge and recipe at least once and giving it my all... even if I don't believe I am capable

I commit to running a 10k fun run in the next three months... no excuses

I commit to this blog being a place of 100% honesty... a place where I can record both triumphs and set backs and everything in between

Sunday 4 November 2012

more running

I had been doing the same run for a little while now, always stopping to walk at the same spot. I have been in my comfort zone a little too long. This morning I challenged myself to run the entire distance without stopping for a rest. And I did it! I ran 4.5k without stopping in a time of 26:30 minutes. The last kilometre was awful and my legs felt like jelly. I need to remind myself that it is ok to feel out of breath and uncomfortable and sweaty.

My fiance, C, also joined me for the run. He ran the first 2k slowly with me, then sprinted ahead because he is a bit of an athlete and wanted to challenge himself too. Or maybe I just slowed down? Once he had finished, he ran back to meet me and ran the last 500 metres with me. That gave me a real lift. Mostly I prefer running by myself, as when I am out of breath I struggle to maintain a conversation. It was a nice change to have a running partner.

Another reason for this morning's run is that I wanted to be sure I was ready for the Bridge to 10k phone app training program. I think the requirement for this program is to be able to do 5k fairly comfortably. And while I did a little less than 5k, and it definitely wasn't easy, I think the program is just what I need to push myself.