Friday, November 22, 2013

Fitness Challenge: 1 week done

So the fitness challenge officially began on November 15th, and then starting on November 17th, the week one challenge rolled out. And, yikes, it was called revving the engine, and the challenge was 500 each of sit-ups, push-ups and squats. That was definitely a tall order, especially given I haven't been doing a whole lot of anything lately. Needless to say, I had my work cut out for me.

In the beginning, I tried to do full body push-ups, but it was just a little more than I was capable of, so I resorted to the girl version and was doing the push-ups from my knees, not my toes. And as for the sit-ups, I started doing them old school, and quickly moved to the exercise ball as I was finding them a bit too tough on my back. Let me tell you though, even with these modifications, wow, that was a lot of repetitions. I am happy to report though, that I am now finished them. Most days I broke it down into 4 sets of 25 each. With the push-ups, I ended up breaking those down into 15 and then 10 most of the time. Seriously. It was a lot to ask of me. Today, my arms, abs and legs are still a bit stiff, but the first week challenge is done!!

Weight is down two pounds from last week, so that is progress. I haven't been tracking my eating, but I have been very aware of my eating and made mostly good choices all week. Some meals are tricky to track and so I just didn't put forth the effort I should have. I will keep working on this, but so far, I'm happy with that progress. I also got in some cardio as well. And, I signed onto Strava. There might be some motivation there as well.

So now, I will look onwards to what week two has to offer. I'm excited to hear, even if the challenge might seem impossible. Hey, so did this week's but breaking it down, it was achievable, so there is hope!!

Thursday, November 14, 2013

No sweeter reward!!

Just finished the next treadmill run. I am watching Once Upon A Time while I run. This morning while contemplating a morning coffee, I opted for a small latte over a mocha. I know, trivial little decisions, but wait. By choosing the latte over the mocha, I was able to have the sweetest reward after my run. A glass of Avalon Dairies Organic Chocolate Milk.

 It is such a treat. And although it makes a pretty amazing mocha, a glass of chocolate milk, made all the fancier in a nice cup, is pure heaven. Try it. You will see what I mean. You might have to run a bit longer and a bit further, but it will be worth every sip.

In the meantime… another 4.98km run. Why not 5km? Because it was a preprogrammed route and that is just how far it is. This afternoon I will get a bit of a walk in, as the kids go on their walk-a-thon fundraiser at the school. Yay, it's a time to be active with the kids!! Love every one of those opportunities.

A Fitness Challenge...


As I was leaving work the other day, I noticed a poster for a fitness challenge. It is being organized by a police constable, but open to anyone working in emergency services, so I sent off an email saying I was interested if it wasn't too late to sign up. 

I have the information now, and just need to send it off. It should be interesting. It will be twelve weeks long, and every week there is a challenge. As well, you have to have a goal in mind. Then, there is this complicated formula based on percentage of weight lost, goal attainment and challenges completed that will assign everyone points, and from there we determine our top three. 

I think the competition will be good for me. I really want something to kick start me, since obviously I am not doing well on my own. It is exactly what I need right now. 

I vow to track my eating on MyPlate through LIVESTRONG. The challenge will last for twelve weeks and goes straight through the holiday season, and ends at the end of January. The whole point is to make some friends and work to better yourself. This seems achievable. I saw there are a few people on the list from my work, so I am certainly not in this alone. 

Given that I want to improve my body before I turn 40, this seems very well timed for me. So time to get out of this negative fitness and food funk and get moving. Again. Tonight I'll do all my measurements and get all that sent off. 

And then it is time to look at the race calendar and find something to inspire myself with for next year. My son has said he might do a 10km with me. I like that idea. Huge accomplishment for him if he does it, but something I'm certain he can achieve. That kid is quite the little runner!!

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Five months left...

I know, I know. It is broken record time again. And I know I will say this time is different. And maybe it will be. Or maybe not. Ugh. I am not very good at this lately. However today marks only five months until my thirties are a thing of the past. I would rather not start my forties as my body currently stands. So I will hope that today marks a change. Especially since, post vacation, my weight is on the rise. I will show a picture. Not sure why. Hopefully so I have to never see these numbers again. 


It is not pretty. I can be so incredibly lazy. 
And I can make very poor choices when it comes to eating (read: sweet tooth). Please let this be the time I really do change. 

That is all. Your encouragement and support are appreciated.