We are back! Using workouts I've 'pinned'

Attention Ladies and... okay I know it's likely more ladies instead of Gentlemen

I am back! And I am going to blog. Perhaps you couldn't tell I got out of my blogging routine. Once I got sick and fell off the 100 Day challenge, I avoided my blog. Perhaps I felt like a bit of a failure at the time, but the truth is I am far from it!

My goal was to lose my excess flab (it still is my goal!) but I had the incentive of heading to Thailand in July. Well that trip has come and gone. It was absolutely fabulous.

About 6 weeks or so prior to leaving, I got my measurements done at the gym. The trainer gave me some diet advice, and I was working on doing P90X, although that programme is another one for the 'Started and I lasted a Month' file. My eyes were opened to the Paleolithic or Caveman diet, where you eliminate all grains and dairy from your diet for at least 30 days.

It was TOUGH, but I did it. When I'd cook for myself, I wouldn't cook anything grains or dairy. Certainly made for some interesting meals! Once we got to Thailand though, I didn't limit myself. I didn't want to avoid rice!

I've been back to real life for 2 months now, and I haven't sussed out my routine. I want to eat less carbs, but I've bought them, and they've been in the house, so that makes for tricky self control. I want a balance between a strict paleo diet, just a more mindful of less carbs, more protein kind of diet.

That being said, since I started  my MISSION in January, I have seen my body completely change. At my heaviest I was sitting on 86kg (190 lbs!!), something that I was none too proud of. I felt uncomfortable in my own skin. NOW, I sit at about 75kg (165 lbs) and while I still would like to lose another 5kg (to put me at 155lbs or so) I'm not fixated on the specific number, as much as still improving my fitness levels, and toning up the flabby bits.

I've enjoyed a few non-scale victories over the past couple months, but most importantly was fitting into ALL my old jeans comfortably again (!!!). It has also been nice to have various people noticing and commenting on the changes.

I've been doing a bit of running, intermitantly rather than regularly. 2 weeks ago I did the Tough Guy and Gal 6km Mud Run in Rotorua, which was great fun frolic through cow shit and tiptoeing through ice cold water- but the paddock hills KILLLED me, as hills always do. Last weekend, I got off my ass Sunday morning, and did a 10km beach run around the reef in 1:42. This weekend just passed, I went into town nice and early on Saturday morning, and ran a 5km loop - without giving into that litle voice in my head that says "I'm tired, let's just walk" for a 2.5 KILOMETERS - new personal best for me!

Like lots of others, I've joined Pinterest where you can find HEAPS of excellent workouts all on board. I've created my own SWEAT board. I also see all those SomeEcards that say "it's great you've pinned another workout that's going to make you fit isn't it" and decided I didn't want that to be me. If I've got all these great resources, by golly I ought to use them. When I got home from school at 5, I faffed around getting into my workout gears, but I did it. And I'm not exactly sure what it was about today, but I've decided I'm going to keep doing it.

And I'm going to hold myself accountable again. I can't promise you my posts will be entertaining or informative - hell they'll like be ramble-y exactly  like this one. But I need to remember how far I've come, and not just focus on how far I've yet to go. I've learned that I don't do well sticking to those programmes and routines like Insanity and P90X - and that's okay. I've still got them, and they're still awesome as workouts, and I can still use them as I like even if I don't follow it to a tee.

I am back, and I'm gonna bring a better me, baby!

3 months till summer, and THIS year, I'm going to be READY.

22 and 23...

Day 22: Bit of a lazy Sunday, we made toastie sandwiches with cheese, onion, ham, and avocado in them on the George Foreman grill... yummmie! I didn't really do much of anything all day, till about 3.00, Mel and I decided to go for a drive. Nothing was open in town, so we went out to the East Coast. Found the Indian place, and decided to flag Spaghetti and Meatballs for dinner, and bring home some indian. I had wanted a chicken kebab, but apparently they didnt have that, so got a Chicken Korma, which was quite delicious. Came home, and did more puttering around. Trying to sort out my last spare bedroom which contained ALL of my leftover teaching crap from changing schools. Sandy, is meant to move in sometime this week, so really the room needs to be clean and clear for her. 8.30 came, was dusky out, but it was no or never. Got into my gears, and loaded up my new playlist (ah yes, Mel and I had a bit of a music exchange earlier in the arvo, creating the ultimate running playlist). Playlist loaded, off I went. Originally intending just to do a 3km run, to the school and back... but I was feeling so good! With the upbeat music, I was able to set a good pace, and run way longer without having to stop and walk. And the sky was so pretty, I wanted to go over to the beach ramp, and see it from there. I'd logged that route the other day, so I new it was approx. 5km return run, so it didn't matter that my LogYourRun app wasnt working and properly measuring how far I was going. So I'm rocking out to all this upbeat music, get to Kaka Street (haha, yes you read right, like poo) which is the turn around point.... and my calves are aching, so I walk a bit further, but they completely seize up. The last 2km home, I had to completely (but as briskly as I could) walk home. For the final k, I just turned off the music, and listened to the water lap and the waves crash, since the tide was way in. 


I don't recommend running with curry on the belly either. I thought it had digested, I'd gone to the toilet before leaving... but no. That curry put me in a hurry to get home, and with painful legs, it was not fun!

I used to always have the free pass attitude,
now I am trying to SHAKE it. 

Day 23: I am accepting that at the beginning of school, it's going to be very difficult to work out in the morning. I am still struggling to get up and not fluff around. So I will accept afternoon workouts, after school. This morning, proved that. I was up at 7, and considered going for a bike ride. I like to get out before the traffic gets busy, because quite frankly, the main road is busy and there is not heaps of extra room for those cars doing 100km/hr to fly past you. I ate some museli for breakfast, and then had a nose around on the internet.  I love the little icon pictures that say inspirational stuff, or like no one else is going to make you  exercise, I was looking around another blog that sounded like mine on Tumblr and copied some pictures off that.
Then I thought, nah, I'm just gonna use "my gym" since it's there. Warmed up by using Tabata to Jog. And then I started mucking around with the exercise timer/sets on my phone, and decided to work on my arms, since they often don't get as much attention.   So I set up the app to do 6 exercise, 1 minute each,  and 30 seconds between each for 3 rounds
I did:
-lay on the ball, 4kg fly
-press up (i'm getting much better at those, especially in form!)
-boxing
-resistance band pull downs on the door
-sit on the ball 4kg press
-sit on the ball 4kg curl


I was going to do abs too, and probably should have. But I was ready to stop. 

Working on THIS!