Stay Strong & Carry On

Three days in, 300 grams heavier than the initial weight in, and a 'ow that hurts, and not the good kind of hurt' issue with what feels like a glute muscle.

I'll find out about that tomorrow when I visit my long suffering physio, Susan. I fear I may have aggravated an old lower back issue, and the pain is referred, but I'll see what Susan says and try to avoid high impact exercises.

Susan is very good, I like her approach, and occasionally she'll throw in some acupuncture for good measure, especially on deep stubborn knots. I'd tell you where she works, but I'd like to keep her to myself! ;)

Have I lost my positivity?

Not really. It's only been three days, I have a whole twelve and a half weeks to make up for any time lost. I know what accelerator days are, maybe I'll introduce them earlier.

300 grams is not a big deal, especially at this time of month! I noticed in my previous diet life then I fluctuated by up to half a kilo on and around that week, so I'm reserving pouting, tantrum throwing, and a desire to eat everything in sight until further notice.

I don't really want to have to find alternatives to running, I like it. I never thought I would, but I do. If I'm told I have to swim, well, that's an additional extra cost that, long term, I could do without, especially considering that I'm already paying a gym membership. So, I looked into it.

The aquatic centre has memberships and a fitness centre, and any group fitness classes are included, and you get access to the pools. It also works out cheaper. Which I'd known that a year ago. They don't have as many classes though, but they have all the equipment I'd need. It's something I might need to seriously think about, but I'll wait until tomorrows verdict!

I hope everyone else is managing their niggles and issues well, hopefully you don't have that many, if any at all!

Stay Strong & Carry On!

Push The Limits

My partner has offered to teach me how to play racquet ball. He used to play on a state squash team, and he was quite good, they played State 2 and were practically unbeaten, but a series of back issues has seen him semi-retire. He started playing racquet ball as an alternative because you don’t have to move around the court so much. I might take him up on the offer. 

A. because I’ve never learned how to play a sport, I just wasn’t interested in sports as a teenager, and;

B.  it’d be something we could do together maybe once a week. It would be a good way to challenge myself and push my limits, which has sort of been the theme of this past week.

I had gotten into a routine on the treadmill, so at the start of the week when I did my time trial, I upped the speed, that was challenge number one – and I completed it.

(Side note – I emailed Mish’s team about using a treadmill for time trials, and they said that even though it’s not preferred, as long as the incline is 2% or more, and I don’t hold onto the sides at any time, it’s acceptable).

Monday -  I went back to my boxing class that I used to do, and found I kept up much better, and could even complete more than three burpees!

Tuesday - I did a normal session on the treadmill and bike, with some circuit training for strength. I upped the level on the bike, and found it harder, but not too much of a struggle.

Wednesday - I just did cardio, and not that much of it – maybe 350 calories worth.

Thursday - I found an interval sprint program on the 12WBT website, and decided to give it a go. This consists of 30 second sprints at various speeds, with 30 seconds of recovery standing on the sides of the treadmill. I had never run like this before, and the speeds suggested in the plan were a little daunting – but I did it! I did three rounds of the program, which took thirty minutes, and according to my heart rate monitor, I burned 493 in total (I also did some push ups, and sit ups, and lunges).

This morning I’ve noticed that my right glute muscle is quite tight, so I’m going to rest it today. I could do the core work out, but I ended up sleeping in because I forgot to set my alarm!  My bad. But I’ll be getting up at stupid o’clock tomorrow to do some yoga and attempt swimming a whole kilometre. That’s 40 laps in the 25 meter pool. Last time I was there I managed 15 laps before getting out because the lane got crowded, but I felt comfortable and could have done more. I’m hoping being there earlier will mean less people in the lane, so we’ll see how that goes.

I’m glad I’ve thrown myself at this, I’m sure it’ll make adjusting to the program a much smoother processes. I’m not sure going from zero to full throttle would be an easy thing to do. This way, I basically just need to incorporate a core day and a Super Saturday Session!

’m yet to do my shopping list,  but we already have most of the condiments, so it shouldn’t be too much for us!

How is everyone else’s preparations going?

The Results Are In

Usually, I wouldn’t blog two days in a row, but with just one week to go until round 3 of the Michelle Bridges 12WBT challenge, it’s fitness test time.

The term ‘fitness test’ makes me cringe. I wondered what would be in store, how gruelling it would be – and if I’d even be able to walk by the time I’d finished.

Would it be like the fitness tests we used to in school with the beeps? Do you remember those? You’d have run from one end of the gymnasium to the other, and you had to do it within the time between the beeps. If you didn’t, you were out. I was always one of the kids out early – not because I wasn’t fit enough, but because I just could not be arsed. So there I would sit, on the sidelines with the rest of us who’d thrown in the towel, watching David and Paul battle it out for first place. It was always boys who lasted to the end.

As it turns out, 12WBT fitness not like that at all (phew!), and it appears that it’s not that difficult to gauge how fit you are.

The first task is a 1km run. If you can’t run, you walk it, if you can’t run or walk it, then you find an alternative and set yourself a benchmark, such as, row 2km or swim 500 meters – that sort of thing.

Here is the outline for the rest of the test;

Push Ups – how many can you do in a minute? And you MUST try to do some on your toes.

Wall Sit – Find a wall, bend your knees to right angles and lean back against the wall – hold it as long as you can.

Abdominal Strength – complete the series of different sit up movements – whichever one you get stuck on is the current limit to your core strength

Flexibility – how far past your toes can you reach?

If you had asked me six months ago ‘how fast can you run a kilometre?’, I probably would have laughed in your face and chortled something along the lines of ‘Me? Run? Don’t be stupid’.

These days I can run 1km in under 7 minutes – something I never thought I’d be able to do. Some days it feels comfortable, sometimes it’s a struggle – I’m yet to find the balance, but the point is, I can do it. 

Push ups on my knees have never come easily to me, but I have been practicing my plank, and hopefully my results will be better than I’m expecting.

So, how did I go? The results are in;

I was a little bit surprised that my flexibility was not great, but I was happy that it was at least able to reach my toes.

My core strength surprised me – I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get past the third move!

So there you have you it – my benchmark for the next 12 weeks.

But I’m curious (and admittedly a little competitive) so I’m keen to know how everyone else went, if you’re willing to share. 

Wet Stuff

On the weekend I rediscovered my love of swimming.

The last time I tried to swim laps in a pool was over six months ago, and it didn’t go well. I managed 2 x 50 metres and could barely breathe by the time I’d finished, which is why I’ve shied away from the pool as a place of exercise, and I’ve focused on treadmills and group fitness classes.  

The youngest step daughter, who I’ll refer to as Monkey, had wanted to go swimming the last time she was at our house, but we didn’t go. So on Saturday morning we packed the swimming gear, and schlepped seventy five minutes to Angaston in South Australia to watch my eldest step daughter play netball, and to collect Monkey for the weekend.

She was very excited about going swimming, she’s a real water baby and tries very hard to swim well, which, to be fair, is improving – she’s only seven.

I decided to take some time to myself and try swimming laps again. I opted for the slow lane because my preferred style is breaststroke, and I know I’m not a fast swimmer. My expectations were not high, I thought I’d do three laps in the 25 meter pool and be just about done. To my surprise, I swan 400 meters, and it felt pretty comfortable. I could have gone further, but one of the other swimmers came off as a bit strange, with his one eye and odd swimming style, but I’m sure he just had a disability. The thing was, every time I swam past him in the opposite direction he’d say ‘give us a massage’.

Yeah. Ok.

This strangeness combined with five Asian students completely ignoring the lane etiquette started to annoy me, so I finished up and got out. Regular swimmers will be aware of what Lane Etiquette is. It’s basically rules around how you should swim in a shared lane – rules such as ‘don’t swim too close to someone in front of you, pass them; if you find you’re going much faster than others, move into the next speed group; swim up one side and down the other – that sort of thing. 

As I stood by the side of the pool annoyed at the interruption, I was pleased with myself. I’d managed to swim further than I have in years. I know it doesn’t sound like a long way, but for me it was an achievement, and I’ve decided to try and fit at least one swimming session into my week, and for my next visit I’m going to attempt swimming a kilometre. I've also done some research on the internet to find a program to help improve swimming fitness. I have to admit, I haven't found a lot, but the 12WBT forums have been a good source tips and suggestions.

It also reminded me that I should try anything I want to try, because I might just surprise myself by being better at it than I think. So, don’t be afraid to try things you want you, the worst that will happen is that you might not be very good, but at least you’ll know, and have a benchmark to work from.

The best that will happen, is that you just might kick butt – literally. 

The Evils Of Sugar

There are lots of traps out there for those of us trying to substitute junk food with ‘healthy’ food.

I’m not talking about simply cutting out junk and eating natural , raw, unprocessed goodness, I’m talking about food products labelled as healthy.

Here’s an example.

A couple of weeks ago I reached my 3pm snack attack and retrieved my Ski D’lite yoghurt from the fridge. I felt strong, I felt focused, I felt good about making a good choice; until I checked out the nutritional info to see just how good I was being – turns out, not very.

This little pot of silky yummy fruitiness was packed, yes PACKED with sugar, twenty-seven grams of it to be precise.

But, it’s a diet yogurt?

It’s a healthy food.

I can’t have twenty-seven grams of sugar in a single tiny pot, that’d blow my sugar allowance for the day by almost double.

So, I swung into reconnaissance action.

I stood in the kitchen and read the back of each chocolate bar that were in the communal snack box.

Mars Bar – 30 grams of sugar.

Crunchie – 30 grams of sugar.

Snickers (which I remember as Marathon Bars from 1980’s England) – 26.8 grams of sugar

My healthy pot of yogurt had more sugar than a snickers bar.

In saying that, obviously the yogurt would be lower in fat and other naughtiness, but, the percentage of trans fats to good fats was still high.

The sad thing is, I found the same in supermarkets. Healthy foods, low fat foods, they’re all packed with either sugars or salt to enhance the flavour. High quantities of either of these things is bad for you, and inhibits weight control and weight loss. Even fruit, as natural as it is, is packed with sugar – yes it’s naturally occurring sugar, but it’s sugars all the same.

Now I’m not trying to scare people off fruit, god no, but they vary in sugar levels – the humble banana is one of the worst culprits, with berries being among those best for us (plus they have antioxidants).

But, why am I so focused on sugars and not fats? Or overall calories?

Well, I am, I do care about those things and I do make an effort to be aware of them, but sugar, and variants of sugar are rife within the food industry – and they can stop you feeling full, perpetuating binge eating of the very products designed to make you think they’re healthy.

I read an extremely well written and thought provoking article that I think about on most of my trips to the supermarket. Why Our FoodIs Making Us Fat is, in my opinion, an article everyone should read. It’s quite informative, and will certainly have you thinking twice before stocking up on lean cuisines and low fat biscuits.

I think the key to eating healthily and making better choices is awareness and education. There are some people out there who go to extremes in terms of their diets, and I’m not condoning that – but moderation and information are so powerful, and empowering.

Until Next Time

Mz Clarie

x

2 Weeks Until Season Kick Off

Today I spent some time trawling through the 12 week body transformation website. 

I read about some other members, I looked at the progress other people had made so that I would be motivated, and eventually I found myself in the frequently asked questions section. 

Now, don't get me wrong, it's not like I think this is going to be easy or anything, but I read that, 5 days a week, I have to burn 400 to 800 calories. One of my normal forty-five to sixty minute gym session I definitely managed 400, but 800 might be pushing it. 

Then there's super Saturdays, which are Saturday morning work outs that are intended to burn up to 1,000 calories in a session. 

1000 calories! 

I'm going to experience so much pain! 

Thankfully, there are a group of people who also do the program who live in my local area, so it might be good for the motivation, and the social aspect!

The next pre-season task is the the kitchen make over, bring it on!

New Challenges - 12 Weeks Of Them

For a long time I subscribed to the Dukan Diet way of eating, and I lost 25kg, but it was too quick, and unsustainable, and it highlighted some health issues which resulted in the removal of my gallbladder.

I came under fire for writing about the fact that my surgeon attributed the diet to my issue, but I never blamed it for the fact I have massive gallstones, however, die-hard fans were not impressed with even the slight mention of linking the two, and I had to take down my previous blog.

Since then, I put 5kg back on, but I manage to hover around the same weight, and whilst I’ve been gym-ing it regularly lately, I decided that I needed a bit more of a shove. Something to motivate me, something to commit to (other than myself).

So, I bit the bullet and signed up for Michelle Bridges12WBT challenge.

The cost is reasonable at $20 a week for 12 weeks, and I like the level of support offered, and it’s sort a social thing as well – I’ll attend some group sessions and maybe make some new friends, which is always a bonus.

Do I think I can work out 6 days a week? I have NFI but I’ll give it a good hard go!

I managed to wrangle one of the women at work into doing it with me, so hopefully we’ll be able to keep each other motivated. It won’t be as challenging for me, I don’t have kids to worry about full time, but as long as I can stay focused and make sure the changes stick.

For all accounts, I eat much healthier than I used to, but alcohol is my vice. Damn you vodka lime & soda! …. And wine…. Red or white… and let us not forget the low carb beer (which, by the way, doesn’t mean you can drink MORE of it just because it’s low carb!)

So I love to enjoy food and wine – I’ll just have to love to it less often.

The program is currently in pre-season, and having completed the first four pre-season tasks, the next one may be the most daunting – kitchen organisation. It’s not always me that does the shopping, so that might have to change, and I like the idea of cooking for the two of us and my partner benefiting from the meal plans as well. I’m definitely going to have to get back into the habit of cooking up a storm on a Sunday night – and since I moved in, we have fridges, so I have to no excuse for not having enough freezer space!

Speaking of space, watch this space for 12WBT blogs (among others) – I’m sure the progress will be positive!